EUROTRIP!

What is this stolen image from Google Maps you might ask?  Well, this is the trip my wife and I are about to embark on.  Prior to staring my residency next year and beginning my 60+ hour work weeks, I figure I would Burn all of my vacation time on a 3.5 week trip around Europe.  Expect city by city updates and photo albums to be posted after we return back.  As posted on the map we will be visiting:

• Barcelona
• Brussels
• Amsterdam
• Prague
• Munich
• Paris
• Madrid
  

Coach Cal: The First 30 days

If you scroll back a few posts , you will see that I declared my man-love for none other than Billy Clyde Gillispie a mere 2 years ago. As it turned out, my man crush was possibly declared a bit too early as he won me over at his folksy press conference/pep rally. This has lead me to hold off on making any premature judgments as happened before. There's a lot of talk about President Obama and his first 100 days in office going around these days and that is important with our current recession and Mexican pigs about to rid the earth of its population with their evil plot, but it is not the only administration to be focusing on right now.  That's right folks, we are talking about the Coach Cal administration.  The first 30 days are up and we are passing out some grades as requirement as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Kentucky.

Task #1: Win the Press Conference

Grade: A+.  Within the first sentence, Cal referenced Billy Keightly and Adolph Rupp's Son Herky Rupp.  During the Q&A he referenced at least 6 former players, including Richie making a run at the governorship down the road.  He referenced the banners on the wall referring to the fact that his goal is to hang more of those. He absolutely knocked it out of the park during the presser, not much more than that can be said.

Task #2: Bring in Top Talent that Can Compete Immediately

Grade: B+.  Coach Cal did a great job keeping the commitments from top talents Daniel Orton and Jon Hood.  Adding to that, he brought in the #2 player in the country in DeMarcus Cousiuns and a solid Juco Athlete in Darnell Dodson.  I stick with the B+ right now because he has yet to land a commitment from a top PG, which is priority #1 right now.  If John Wall comes to UK, the Cats will be a pre-season final four pick.  In addition to prospects from this year, Cal has been on the recruiting trail for the 2010 class.  The Cats are heavily involved with about 10 5* talents for next season as well.  

Task #3: Win the PR Game

Grade: A+. Let's face it, many factors led to my former man crush's demise, but this was probably the biggest factor.  But this post is about the current regime, so let's not bring that up.  Cal has been a globetrotter on the talk show circuit over the last month.  From PTI to the Jim Rome show to the Kentucky Derby this past weekend, Cal his been killing it.  He realizes that his job description is more than that of basketball coach, but CEO of the program, and he is the most popular man in the state.

Task #4: Reconnect with the Program's Past

Grade: A. Cal has hired 2 former players as assisstants.  He is reinstating the players weekend where former players can come back to play pickup ball with the current players.  Former players are welcome to pop into practice.  Cal GETS it.  There really isn't another way to put it, and once again it is in stark contrast to our former head man.

I know what everyone is thinking: none of these tasks have anything to do with coaching basketball games (except perhaps the recruiting portion).  As stated before, that is just a portion of being the Men's Basketball Coach at UK.  No doubt about it, Cal has knocked it out of the park so far.  Do I have a man crush?  Perhaps, but I won't jinx this one again.

Return of the Roman Empire?

2 years ago, I was an advocate of this man John Calapari to come of the bluegrass.  At the time, he had yet to make his run to the championship game and cement his reputation as one of the best coaches out there.  Also there are rumors of possible NCAA rule-breaking that always seem to follow Cal.  It seems the tide may have turned.  Fresh off the firing of a coach hired only 2 years ago, it seems the administration is feeling the heat to make a big splash this time, and John Calapari is now the target.

Here is what is rumored (let me say that I have no direct sources on any of this info)

• Like I stated, the UK administration considered Cal too much of a risk 2 years ago and maybe even early on in this search process.
• Their stance on Cal has in the VERY least softened and they are now considering Cal as a candidate for the job
• Rumors are rampant that Cal reached out to UK to plead his case to take the job, and it appears now a conversation between Cal and the administration HAS occurred.
• Gotta love this: a facebook group has popped up to bring John Calipari  to UK.  Supposedly John's 2 daughters, Jodie Meeks, Patrick Patterson, Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris, and DeMarcus Cousins (top 5 2009 recruit, committed to Memphis)

Will all of this come to fruition?  Remains to be seen, but there is quite a bit of smoke.  Maybe a little fire?

Ball's in your Court, Mitch

Losing at home to UGA in a must-win game is inexcusable.  The time has come for Mitch Barnhardt to make a decision.  Make the wrong one, and he loses his job as well.  Let us count the offenses.

• Despite being employed by the University of Kentucky since March 2008, he has yet to sign a contract.  The reason for the hold-up appears to be over a number of "personal conduct" clauses in his contract.  With the piss-poor performance over the last 2 years I think Barnhardt should write in some "performance clauses."
• 4 SEC home losses.  I don't even want to look up the last time this happened, but it's been a while.  It is also an embarrassment.
• 6 home losses in a season for the 2nd time in history.  10th home loss in 2 years.  Rick Pitino had 7 home losses in 8 years.
• EMBARRASSING losses at home the stalwarts of San Diego, Gardner Webb, and VMI.
• Loss on Senior Day for only the 6th time ever against one of the worst SEC teams to ever play at Rupp (not to mention UGA's first road win this season).
• Blowouts on the road against Vanderbilt, UNC, South Carolina, and Houston.
• First coach not to win an NCAA first round game since we were eligible for postseason play in 1992.
• Yet to win a postseason game
• Barring a UT collapse will have to play on opening day of SEC tournament for only the 3rd time ever
• Has been a complete ass on television to an ESPN reporter (see previous post) and UK's own Tom Leach.  The ESPN thing is not really a big deal to me, but to be short with Leach is inexcusable.

I will come out and tell you: I think Gillispie should be fired.  I am basing this opinion on the fact that UK will not make a miraculous recovery over the next week and a half to be playing in the big dance.  There is no excuse for a UK team to ever miss the tournament outside a rash of injuries.  Failure to make the Dance should call for an immediate dismissal.  BCG's "me against the world" attitude has not won over anyone in the Commonwealth, and he hasn't won enough games to win over anyone with his record.  

A side note to Mitch.  Making a mistake on a basketball hire will cost you respect.  Refusal to rectify that mistake will cost you your job.  As a whole, CM Newton was a failure as an AD.  Football probation, no progression in any of the other sports, and scandals that broke after he left filled his reign as AD at UK.  However, he is thought of as a success because he hired the man that rebuilt the basketball program.  We even put his name on the FOOTBALL FIELD due to this perceived success.  Dr Todd and yourself need to take note of this: it could cost you your job.

BCG vs. The Fans

This one has been brewing for a while. The last 4 years have not been up to UK standards and no one looks for reasons for reasons to complain more than UK fans. Couple this in with the fact that a lot of the fan base was divided on Tubby Smith to begin with, and you have a tough situation for Billy Gillispie. These events combined with some sub-par performance on the court has led to somewhat of a backlash against the Big Blue's Commander-in-Chief. I'm gonna lay out some of the points of contention of the last couple of months and how I feel about them.

Halftime Interviews

We've all seen them. From the "bad question" response to the "I didn't hear you"
Big Blue Nation (and some other media outlets) are not happy about the way BCG has treated poor Janine Edwards. Message boards have erupted over our coach being a jerk to the halftime reporter. It's predictable that the media has called him out on it, and the fans seem to be divided.

My Take: My first thought is that I don't really care if our coach is nice or not, and his time is better spent in the locker room making adjustments, but I also realize the bad press isn't doing us any good. Our head guy needs to be an ambassador at all times and sell the program to the media, fans, and recruits. The more the media likes you, the more coverage you will get. Billy needs to straighten his act out a bit, throw out some cliches, and get to the locker room.

Substitution Patterns

At times it seems like underachieving is rewarded under BCG. The fans are screaming for more of the likes of Harrelson, Galloway, Liggins, and Miller. There is one common theme among these players: they bring more to the table offensively. It is clear that defense is king in BCG's mind, and players not executing on that end of the floor have a VERY short leash. What is not clear, however is why 2 players averaging over 4 turnovers per 40 minutes played continue to get clock while providing minimal offensive output on a team that struggles at times to put the ball in the basket.

My Take: Seeing Ramon Harris dribble off his leg and Michael Porter get ripped at halfcourt over and over is getting somewhat old. Turnovers might be the main thing holding back UK from being a good offensive ball team and I think more of Miller and Galloway gives us a better chance to succeed.

I had intentions of putting up 3-4 more points of contention. However, it's game time and i must be making it to Rupp. However, let me say this. BCG has mopped the floor with Sweaty Bruce coaching-wise in their 3 career meetings. This one might take another Herculian effort by Jodie F Meeks, but with PPat coming back I think the Cats do it up big with a rocking house, 79-68.

Game Preview: Jean Shorts Edition

Florida's domination of us over the last couple of years cannot be argued.  This is what mostly fuels my hatred for the reptiles.  Couple that with the fact that UK would be on the outside looking in for the NCAAs with a loss, and we have a recipe for a must win game.  Despite the fact that Billy G and P Pat won't admit it, I think everyone knows this to be true.  Kick the Gators in the mouth today and the Cats are Co-leaders in the SEC East with the possibility of winning the conference.  The formula for success is pretty simple the rest of the way out:

• 40 + points from Meeks/Patterson every night
• Someone other than the "Big 2" must show the confidence to step up offensively
• Limit "drive and kick" jump shots
• Keep the other team off the offensive glass

I know this is obviously a biased opinion, but UK has not lost 3 straight home games EVER.  Billy G gets the boys fired out and we get a big contribution from an unexpected spot (Harrelson?).  Cats 75 Gators 67

An Update, Finally

Last time I updated the blog, I was preparing to run the Atlanta marathon.  I said that if I did not update in a couple of days, assume that I died.  Well I did not die.  I completed the marathon in a little over 5 hours and ate about 10,000 calories in mashed potatoes to make up for it.

That is not the point of today's post.  It is to say this: screw T-Will E5 and the rest of the filthy Cards.  It's time for Billy to reverse this terrible record we have against ranked opponents and bring the Ville to their knees.  Much like the football wins the last 2 years have decimated the Cards, A big win in Freedom Hall could cause the same damage for their basketball program.  The boys in Vegas have us 8 point dogs, but if Jodie can catch fire, this will be a spectacle to behold.

Race Day

So tomorrow is the big day. I'm not even sure that I have talked about it at all on the blog, but tomorrow I run the Weather Channel Atlanta Marathon. About 5 months of training for 4 and a half grueling hours. I struggled a bit with my 20 miler a couple of weeks back, and couple that with the fact I am just getting over strep throat it could get interesting. I have long since abandoned any visions of grandeur when it comes to a goal time. I am focused on finishing in one piece. I think burning 10,000 Calories justifies eating my weight in Mashed Potatoes right? Check back in to see how I did. If this blog isn't update for a couple of weeks, assume I didn't make it.

Game Day Preview

I had planned on giving you my breakdown of this year's UK basketball team after the first game, but barring last night's developments I feel like I should myself calm down a bit before trying to give an objective opinion. Let's just say that my man-crush status on BCG could possibly be wavering. However, we do have a big football game today and focus must be shifted.

Fun Fact: Vanderbilt is 0 for their last 19 attempts to become bowl eligible in the last 25 years. WOW! That includes a 0-3 record against the Cats. Part of that is the schedule tends to be front-loaded with easy out of conference games prior to the SEC schedule, but you figure the ball might bounce their way one time. Today is not their day.

So I have to make the preview quick because I must get back to work, but here's how it breaks down: when Vandy was winning they were turning over their opponents and not turning the ball over themselves. In the last 4 games they have committed 8 turnovers. With sloppy conditions, holding onto the ball should be at a premium. Also, Vanderbilt's offense is bad. REALLY bad. 115 out of 117 in D1 bad. So, if we don't give them great field position, I really like our chances.

Cats 24 Dores 10

WOW

Well, that was an ass-whooping of epic proportions.  Luckily enough, I was in person to witness it.  Never in the thousands of possible scenarios did I consider us forcing Tebow and the Gators into a 3 and out followed by 2 blocked  punts on our next 2 possessions.  I have had the pleasure of witnessing all 3 UK losses this year so I am beginning to feel like a curse.  Moving on from this, we will focus on the clash between the Cats and the Dogs.  

• We face a team in Mississippi State that is possibly more inept on the offensive end than we are.  I personally witnessed this ineptitude when they took a beatdown from the Yellow Jackets 38-7.  
• Once again, this one will be won and lost up front.  Jared Jefferies is returning at right tackle and it couldn't come at a more important time as he has to protect Cobb's blind side.  With Moncell Allen getting his first career start, the Cats will try to establish the power running game early and hope Cobb can use his playmaking ability to get the Cats out of some bad spots.  
• Can a true freshman lead the Cats to victory in his first career start on the road?  Will the defense get back to form after being embarassed in the Swamp?  Can the Cats become bowl eligible and return to the post season for the 3rd straight season for the first time since the 50's?  Win and Atlanta is still an option, lose and the season could go down the tubes.  All these questions will be answered in a short couple of hours.

A Confession

*Cue cheesy political ad music

My name is Derek Burden, and I approved this message. I would like to take this space to make a confession. I, Derek Burden registered superfan turned off the University of Kentucky football game last Saturday. I obviously kept the gamecast open and switched back to the game once it became clear we had a chance, but that is of no excuse. What is the world coming to when I am giving up on Kentucky? I declared vehemently on this blog that the football gods would not allow us to lose. Yet, I lost hope. This is my confession and hopefully I will be forgiven. Would I have gone home if I were at the game? I'm not sure, but I can guarantee you I will not allow this to happen again. That is my pledge. Thank you.

Do I Smell Bacon?

Let's just pretend like last week didn't happen. For the second week in a row, I get to see my beloved Cats lose live. Not so good. Because I am working today I will have to make this one short, but that makes it much more fun for lazy people (that's you Trissel if you still read this).

• Despite the fact that the Hog on the center of Bud Walton looks pretty cool, a pig is a stupid mascot. Let's be serious, the fat from your mascot is used to make gravy. Everyone loves gravy, but it is not too menacing.
• Arkansas has a QB named Dick. That does not bode well for your chances. D-Mac and Felix are not rollin through that door anytime soon.
• Under no circumstances will the football gods allow Kentucky to lose to Steve Spurrier and Bobby Petrino in consecutive weeks. That seriously cannot happen.

So those are the tidbits, but let me leave you with this: last time UK and the Hogs played in Commonwealth I endured a gut-wrenching 7-OT loss at the hands of Matt Jones and his floppy hair. For retribution, the football gods allow the ball to bounce our way every single time and we win by 7 TD's.

GO BIG BLUE!

T-town wrap-up and fake USC preview

Well, folks the trip to T-town was a memorable one, but the Cats came out on the wrong side of a game lacking in offense. I would love to rip on the Bama fans for being inconsiderate Rednecks, however that is not possible as everyone down there was nothing but kind. A couple of observations from their fans in general:

• Every person you talked to would end the conversation with "roll tide." I think in elementary school, they don't teach that sentences end with a "." they end with Roll Tide.
• The Quad is ridiculous. I have not seen the grove in Oxford, so I have no frame of reference, but it cannot be much better than the setup the Bama fans have. I have pics that will be posted later
• You can tell the difference between a non-football school (UK) and their counterparts when going on road trips. I realize Bryant-Denny has 20,000 more fans than Commonwealth, but the fans no when to cheer and chant, and are always in unison. We are getting there though.
• The "Million Dollar Band" compared to your 50 cent piece band is not even close. We need to add about 100 members to get even close.
• If I hear Sweet Home Alabama "Roll Tide Roll" one more time I will vomit all over myself

As for today's game UK goes from the classiest set of fans (Bama) to the biggest bunch of A-holes in USCe. The Cats have not beaten the Cocks (hehe) in the 2000s and have never beat Steve Spurrier. Chris Smelley has been inept at times this year, but seemed to turn a corner last week against Ole Miss. The running game is not much to speak of, and this game will hing upon the Cats getting to the QB with the front four. I don't often predict such a big victory in a game that should be close, but I say Smelley throws three picks and is sacked 4 times and the Cats win this on in a walk 28-10.

The Cats can't lose on my first trip home to Lexington this year can they?

Trip to T-ville

Well folks, the Misses and myself are shoving off for T-ville. Expect a full report tomorrow (hopefully with some pics). I have been told Bama fans are like UK B-ball fans coming off a 5 day meth binge, so we will see. We are heading down with no idea where to park and tailgate, so we are hoping for some Southern Hospitality and good Southern Tailgatin'. No time to break the game down, but my prediction is Cats 21 Tide 17.

Post Game Wrap-Up

I promised the lovely post-game wrap up on my re-welcome to blogging post. In this space I usually love to quote numerous delusional Card fans and their feelings about the game. However, this year I will refrain from quoting such delusional fans and preventing you from having to bathe yourselves, and only tell you that their only response in last year's basketball score.

This just in Card fan: your monopoly in football and basketball is over in this state. Feel better for a while, but Billy G and Rich B are on the scene and it is O-V-A!

For more info check the website: www.firekragthorpe.com for more info(it was launched after the game.

That's all I have for now, SEE YA LATER!

Football Time in the Bluegrass!

I have been overcome by a surprising combination of laziness and business during the last couple of months and have neglected the blog, thus losing my loyal following. Hopefully this is over with, and I will be able to keep the blog cruising along, but I will dedicate this short post to the big event of the day: the Cats taking on our dirty rivals to the west.

This game will come down to one thing: the battle in the trenches. The Cards do not have a linebacker that has recorded a D-1 tackle and are painfully thin at some positions on the D-line. With temperatures reaching over 100 on the field-turf expect depth to play a big role in this game. Folks will be cramping up all over the place, and fans will be dropping in the stands. Hopefully the Cats can avoid the big mistake and gradually wear them down with the ground attack. Coach Durbin's lock it down prediction: Cats 31 Cards 20.

Well Well Well

It has been a number of months since my last post. There is a reason for that: I was not ready to post my feelings. I come to you a humble and broken man. Let not the be a deterrent to what I have to say. "Beware the Ides of March." That's what the soothsayer said to Julius Cesar before his eventual demise and betrayal. Well, that is what was said to me before my life change. Let us please analyze the happenings after the Ides of March.

• During the second round of the SEC Tournament, a tornado struck the Georgia Dome and all of its in habitats were put at danger. It was not the first time I have been in a Tornado, but I hope it was the last. During Tornado 2K0 I was in Pep's Burritos, and it was not a pleasant experience.
• Fast Forward 2 more days: The Match results are coming out. For those of you not familiar with the match, it decides which sites a potential Pharmacy Resident will spend the next year of their life. In my case, I was hoping to find out I would be spending the next year as a hopeful resident at one of the 2 major academic sites in the city of Atlanta: Emory or Grady.
• Of these 2 sites, I was hoping for Grady. I interviewed at both places, and I hoped for a spot at one. Yet, March 15th came and went and I did not match with a residency program.
• At this point, I began the scramble for a pharmacist position at any hospital in Atlanta.
• Kelly Smith offered her assistance, and all Residency programs I applied to "were shocked I did not match anywhere."
• In the meantime, my beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats lost for the first time in the First Round of the NCAA tournament to our beloved douche bags of the North, the Marquette Golden Worthless Sacks of Garbage (Eagles).
• Apparently not shocked enough to accept me for their program, but so shocked that they did not want to accept me. This was obviously a low point in my career.
• Well, with the help of Dr Kelly Smith and others I was offered multiple opportunities in my career. One of these opportunities was to accept a staff pharmacist position at Grady Health System. I accepted the position, and here I am. Not where I want to be, but not that far away. Remember, if you want me, you better bring your A game.

Coach

W O W!

That's about all can be said about the performance this week. So instead of analyzing it, I prefer to simply ignore it and not acknowledge that it happened. Despite the bad week, it doesn't compare to the one our basketball obssessed brothers to the north are having. Is there any chance Robert Montgomery Knight makes a push to be back in Bloomington? If so, his reputation as the biggest horse's ass in the history of coaching would be cemented. On to today's game:

• All those "pundits" calling the John Brady firing a disgrace feel kind of stupid now don't they? If a real coach ever shows up down there, they will be a perrinial NCAA team and challenge for the SEC West yearly. What do Tasmin Mitchell, Big Baby Davis, Brandon Bass, Tyrus Thomas, Darnell Lazare, Garret Temple, and Bo Spencer have in common? They are all big time recruits signed by LSU in the last 5 years FROM BATON ROUGE. Not their home state, their home city. You could argue that NY or LA hasn't put out that much talent in the last 5 years. If someone who can coach his way out of a paper bag gets there, they will make more than the occasional lucky NCAA run that Dale Brown and John Brady did. Quick fact: did you know that Dale Brown had Chris Jackson, Shaq, and Stanley Roberts on the same team (all first round picks) and didn't make it to the sweet 16.
• LSU is long and has some shooters. This could give the Cats some fits. However, the Cats are motivated after getting embarassed and have an angry Ra Smoove comin' down to the Bayou. Will the rock make its reapearnce today? Time will tell.
• P Pat is angry. You won't hear him say it, but he is. He was dominated by the boomerang-throwing center from Vandy and embarassed on national TV. Look for him to bounce back in a big way today. The tigers have a big-time freshmen big man themselves in Anthony Randolph and if he can win the head-to-head it will go a long way for his confidence.
• It's always tough to play in the Maravich center. However the Cats have something to prove today and an angry Billy Clyde on the sideline. I say they take it 68-56.

State of the Union Part Deux

I know everyone has been anxiously awaiting the second part of my State of the Union. Despite the common belief that I waited just because I was too lazy to update in the last couple of weeks, that is in fact not the case. I was waiting for a big win by the Cats (like the one to Tuesday) so we can have a bit of a positive update. Before getting to the current status of the Cats, we will give a little review of the season.

As everyone knows, the Cats opened with 2 home games for the 2K Sports College Classic. HOWEVER, despite what the national media (idiots) believe, Kentucky did not "open up the season with a loss to Gardner Webb." They did however lose to the runnin' bulldogs in the second game of the season, perhaps one of the worst in Rupp Arena history. Maybe this would feel better if G-W continued to have a great season. However, they currently stand at 9-11 on the season. It wouldn't, unfortunately, be the low point of the season.

With a loss to G-W on the books, the season continued with a number of disappointments after that. For starters, the Cats are still without a road win, and losses to IU, UL, San Diego (Yikes!), UAB (in which Robert Vaden played one of the best halves of basketball I have ever seen), Houston, Miss St and Florida.

At points, I have doubted my man crush Billy G. We have been decimated by injury, and have lost several games that we should not have. However, it appears that it is possible we have turned it around. We have competed in all our SEC games and came through the first 4 SEC games against the best competition with a 2-2 record. Recently rivals wrote at article about Billy Clyde's season thus far. Here is the link: http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=766158 It talks about how hard CBC is on his players, but how powerful it was once they bought in. My favorite quote is from a role player on his A&M team: "But once Antoine and Acie bought it, it became contagious and we all bought in. Once the season began we started seeing that it was all worth it. I hated how hard it was at times but, looking back, I wouldn't trade it for the world." Folks, Joe and Ra Smooth have bought in, and it is gonna get nasty. Expect a prediction for the rest of the season after the Cats put a whoopin' on the Cocks 78-59 today.

**************BREAKING NEWS******************* Joe C will not play in today's game, I still feel confident the Cats winning but maybe by not as much.

State of the Union, Part 1

Well folks, I am sure everyone has been anxiously awaiting my take on this years Basketball Cats. It has been a rough couple of years for those of us in the "Roman Empire," but this season has the makings of the worst since Eddie "He who must not be named" Sutton attempted to drive the death nail into our beloved basketball coffin. Fortunately for Kentucky Fans, Rick "He who must not be named #2" Pitino rescued the Cats and put us back in the National Spotlight. Before season's end, is it going to be Tubby "He who must not be named #3" around the Bluegrass or will Billy Clyde be able to turn it around for the Cats? In fact, if Billy Clyde can't turn it around, he might become Billy "He who must not be named #4" around the Bluegrass. (That's right I just made a Harry Potter reference). Today's State of the Union will be more of a retrospective look at what got the Wildcats tho this particular state of Affairs. I write this on the Eve of the "Dream Game" as a a way to get everyone prepared for the big game. We depart for the big Honeymoon tomorrow, so expect post-game analysis and the other parts of the State of the Union at a later date.

• You probably never thought you would see the day where a picture of Rick Pitino (aka Slick Rick, aka Traitor Rick, aka Benedict Arnold, aka That piece of crap that had the audacity to coach for Little Brother after leading us back the promised land, aka "Cleveland Clinic" Rick, aka 3 game losing streak to Dayton Rick, etc) on derekaburden.blogspot.com did you? Well here it is, and for good reason. Despite the fact that I despise what he did when taking the Little Brother job, he should be credited for bringing the Cats back to dominance in the '80s. Also of note, the 1996 Kentucky Basketball team has to be the best team assembled since Walton or Alcindor roamed the court in Westwood. This team would absolutely destroy people, once notching 86 points in a half. 86 POINTS IN A HALF! And no it wasn't against souteast northern missiouri technical college, it was against an SEC opponent.
  
  Rick deserves his credit for turning us around. We went from a team full of no-talents with one Superstar (the Unforgettables) to a team full of superstars in 1996. The only problem was, he had no intentions of staying. Thinking he would hit the lottery with Tim Duncan, Tricky Dick bolted for Boston. The rest, as they say, is history. He instead got Chauncey Billups (pre Mr. Big Shot era) and tried to run a full court press in the NBA. This doesn't work in a league where 6'8" men dribble like they are 5'10" point guards. Humiliated, rich, and with his ego beaten down he stepped down (got fired) from the Celtics. In a whirlwind move, he accepted the job with little brother and found the college game much harder the second time around. Players no longer listened to their coach, and not everyone wanted to play on a campus whose most attractive feature is a series of silos proclaiming it "The best college sports town in America". The little known fact about this sign is that in small print at the bottom it says : "and by best in America, we mean second best in the state." Little Brudder fans proclaimed that they would be a "top 5 program in no time." This has not occurred, and despite the fact that Rick has a final 4 on his resume for the Tards, it is the only season he has played in the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
  
  We have digressed a bit into the struggles of Traitor Rick, but who doesn't enjoy reveling in his misery? Moving on to the relevance of our current struggles, here was our recruiting class that Traitor Rick worked so hard to get us while negotiating with the Celtics prior to the 1998 season: Micheal Bradley (who transferred, Myron Anthony (who stole a car), and Ryan Hogan (who transferred). Well, one could excuse that, he was job shopping. So how did he do the year after winning it all in 1996 and sending four (4!) players to the NBA? His recruiting class was: Jamaal Magloire (all time great) and Steve Massiello (greatest ball boy ever). So in Ricks final 2 years while being atop the College basketball universe, he still somehow only got 1 impact recruit in 2 years. The effects of this would be seen a couple of years into Coach Smith's tenure

• So that leads us into the Tubby Smith era. As mentioned previously, the Tubster was left with an absolute ton of talent on his squad, and promptly took that squad to the National Championship in his first year. This calmed some people's fears about having an African-American as a head coach at the University of Kentucky. However, with Saint Rick (as he was known at the time before coaching for da Ville) going to 2 consecutive championship games, Tubby had one more year to live up to his mentor.




• So that takes us to the 1999 NCAA tournament. This is one that really sticks out to me, and I am quite bitter about because I witnessed it in person. In the round of 16, the Cats faced Miami (OH) and Wally's world. What I remember from that game is this: there were about 50 Miami fans there, but they were the 50 loudest and most obnoxious people you will ever meet. It seems like the same cars were doing loops around downtown St. Louis with "Wally's World" flags hanging out of their cars. I must give them props, because they really brought it. The next game we played the Spartans of Michigan State to give Wayne Turner his fourth final 4 in four years. That would have been a helluva accomplishment. It wasn't meant to be as the Cats took at early double digit lead, but fell to the dancing leprechaun, Mateen Cleaves. I hate that man to this day.
  
  Well at this point, the slim recruiting by Mr. Pitino in the last 2 years of his tenure began to show, as the Junior and Senior class was lacking (sound familiar?). The Tubster lost in the second round of the NCAAs to Syracuse, preventing a rematch with Michigan State. This was Coach Smith's first 10 loss season, leading to the moniker "10 loss Tubby."
  
  Contrary to popular belief, Coach Smith landed several good recruiting classes in these early years, but was never able to deliver with a good run in the postseason. Disappointing losses to Southern Cal and Maryland ended the next 2 seasons before Cats' fans would like them to. Then came 2003.
  
  2003 is all the evidence that you need Tubby Smith is a great coach. In 2003 everything clicked. We had a Bona Fide Star (Keith Bogans), surrounded by a bunch of unselfish role players willing to do whatever it took to win. A perfect record in the SEC and a 26 game win streak, the Cats appeared to be the team to beat, after being discarded at the beginning of the season. Looking ahead, it appeared odd that 2 lower seeded teams were playing closer to home than the #1 overall seeded Cats, but that didn't matter.
  
  Then came the Wisconsin game. Wisconsin is perennially one of those Big Ten teams that wins games by just beating up the other team, or boring them to the point where they don't care and just let them score so they can have the ball back. Fortunately this type of game was right up the Tubster's alley, and the Badgers played the Cats close, but finally succumbed under to the much superior Cats. 'Quis played the best game of his career and finished with 28 of the teams 63 points. This was not the story of the game, though. The story of the game was Keith Bogans sustaining a sprained ankle early in the game and only playing 15 minutes. The injury was of the dreaded "high ankle sprain" variety which one time caused football-cat and SEC defensive player of the year Dennis Johnson to miss an entire season. It looked liked the Cats would have to challenge Marquette without their best player. Shouldn't be a problem, though, they only have 2 white kids who can shoot it, some fat guy that transferred from Miss State, and some kid named Wade who can't shoot it from the outside.
  
  Well, we all know what happened. However I feel like a couple of key details from this game are often overlooked. First of all, D Wade did murder us with a triple double totaling 29 11 and 11, but that was not the main factor that killed us. We got behind big in the first half due to some strong shooting from Novak, and Robert Jackson (the fat guy from Miss State) held us off late with some key low post scoring. On the UK side, 2 factors really affected this game other than Bogans' injury. First off, Chuck Hayes picked up 2 fouls about 2 minutes into the game, and Marquis Estill followed his career best game up with an absolute stinker. Jackson dominated him the whole game, and in a situation where the Cats needed Estill to step up he could not produce. Had Hayes been able to stay in the game, he might have been able to slow down Wade. Had Estill not had his head up his butt, he might have been able to be the go-to-guy the Cats were missing with Bogans out.
  
  


• That takes us through the "successful" part of the Tubby Smith era. He tried to get it together with a good run in 2004 (#1 overall seed) but suffered a shocking 2nd round loss to UAB. He also tried to get it going again in 2005 with an Elite 8 run, but could not get a rebound in overtime to make a trip to the Final Four
  
  It has been lamented enough that I need not discuss the next 2 seasons and the messy exit for Coach Smith (including the entire national media calling Kentucky a bunch of racist idiots). This brings us to The Billy Clyde Era which we will touch on in the next post.