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Register for the 2012 Youth Baseball/Softball League

Administrator — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:41:56 +0000

Register for the 2012 Youth Baseball/Softball League

Register at Douthitt Park Monday- Friday 9-5

Tee Ball: Children ages 4-5

Mighty Mights: Children ages 6-8

Pony Tail: Girls ages 9-12

Little League: Boys ages 9-12

$35.00 per Child Jan 16-Feb 29

$40.00 per Child March 1-March 23

Child will not be placed on a team until payment is received. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Birthday cut-off is whatever age your child is as of May 1

Registration ends March 23, 2012 at 5pm. NO EXCEPTIONS!

Draft League

A valid birth certificate must be presented at registration if you have never presented one before

Call 606-666-8980 for more information

Monster Trucks Roar in to Rupp Arena

Administrator — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:29:06 +0000

High Maintenance is driven by the only women driver at the event, Jocelyn Prrin

This past Saturday and Sunday, Monster Jam invaded Rupp Arena as crowd favorites like the Virginian Giant, Full Boar & Grave Digger kept the crowd cheering. As part of the intermission entertainment, their was 3 rounds of Quad 4 racing, there was also the now infamous Robot vehicles. There was even a stuntman who lit himself on fire and jumped from the Rupp Arena rafters. For complete photos you can go to Kysports Review on Facebook or go to KY Sports Review website at www.kysportsreview.com. You can also follow them on Twitter at KYSportsReview

U.K. Wildcat Coverage with Ira Combs

Administrator — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:21:12 +0000

Cats Lick Their Wounds, Hit The Books ,Back In Rupp On Saturday

By – Ira D. Combs

Director / Syndicated Columnist

Tri State Sports Media & Promotions Service Inc.

Let me pat myself on the back and take a bow . Thank You .

Reflecting back I thought I set the scene at Assembly Hall in Bloomington , Indiana about as accurately and pointedly as it actually turned out to be in last weeks column and the game actually ended about like I thought it would . However , judging by the few e mails I received in response to the column several UK fans just didn’t buy into the fact that it could happen but they are probably the same ones that will be saying the same thing when the Cats head into Nashville and Gainesville later .

The only thing I didn’t project was I just didn’t think UK would put two team fouls in it’s hip pocket and carry them back to Lexington with them , especially in this game . .

But don’t blame Coach Cal for this one folks .

If you’ve ever been on a bench coaching a bunch of players who have already anointed themselves as special then you well know that they don’t always carry the coaches instructions from the bench onto the playing floor and execute them . As a matter of fact rarely does it happen even coming out of timeouts and that’s when you would think it would resonate in their minds most often but youthful exuberance sometimes takes over , that , and occasionally brain cells simply go dead .

Oh yes , all you young and supposedly astute basketball fans of today’s young generation that have been saying today’s young but extremely talented college players can handle anything because they’ve played in these large NBA arenas and high profile McDonald’s all american games before . What have you got to say today ? Somebody ask Anthony Davis if he’s ever experienced anything remotely like Assembly Hall as an opposing player before , heck , ask Terrence Jones , it appeared to effect him as much as anyone in blue and white and he’s a wily old veteran sophomore .

You simply have to experience it a few times before you can mentally prepare for it in future road games . Hopefully , a valuable lesson was learned saturday and this young group doesn’t have to weather the storms that last years 2nd crop of famous freshman did under Coach Cal .

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Time For Cats To Recover Emotionally & Physically , Hit The Books , and Move On

It appeared to be an extremely emotional and physically draining loss for the Kentucky players but in today’s world of college and high school athletics most will tell you that it leaves the players mind and body when they go out the back door of the arena , especially the mental and emotional part .

Fans , especially UK’s , well that’s another matter all in it’s self .

Hopefully none of Big Blue Nation jumped into any of the Commonwealth’s 19 gorgeous state park lakes or off any of eastern ky.’s beautiful mountain topps because the players and coaches I’m sure are alive and well this week working to get better at the Joe Craft Center , live goes on for them and it should for the fans . Fans can’t see the benefits at this point of a loss like at Indiana nor can some coaches or players either but these are the type of games that toughen teams like UK up for the March Madness run . Having played thru this type atmosphere and arena that UK did saturday makes those neutral site games in the NCAA tourney feel like playing in Rupp Arena as they go thru the various levels and weekends of tournament play because the vast and loyal fanbase that follows UK will always garner enough tickets to make a presence in post season play ..

Is it the best of times early this week for the Cats to be taking grade altering semester exams ? Probably not , but when is studying conveniently appropriate for today’s college age youth . Fear not Big Blue Nation and Coach Cal because Bob Bradley and the folks over at the Cats Center will make sure their role in Wildcat athletics is achieved and that is to make sure basketball players and all athletes are well prepared for their semester exams . They have done a super job for many years and rarely get recognition for it but the UK players all know how important and accomodating Bradley and his staff is .

The problem or should I say concern for this young Wildcat roster is that the NCAA mandated 20 hour per week practice rule is dropped the day each student – athlete has their last exam and doesn’t come back into play until the 2nd semester of classes resume around Jan. 5th . .

What does that mean for the Cats ?

It means a lot of time between the lines on the Joe Craft Center practice facility floors and with only three dead pigeon style opponents before Christmas you can lay money that Coach Cal is preparing a part of each practice from today until Jan. 31st for his italian friend down 1 - 64 In Louisville and you can rest assured Coach P is saving a few special moments of his day for Cal and the Cats as well .

Bottom line if you’re a UK player , losing your first game of the season one or two days before the 24/7 practice routine becomes available for your coach isn’t a very pleasant experience to look forward to . Trust me on that one .

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Cal’s Future Scheduling Delimma Concerns Me

Anybody out there think Coach Cal still has concerns after the Indiana loss on this too many early season big game scenarios for freshman to deal with controversy that he has spread thru his twitter account the last few days ?

Yes , he probably does but he should have known what he signed up for , now in his most glorious days as the leader of the Kingdom of Blue is not the time to start wiggling on longtime traditions that the program was built on .

Personally , I think the whole scheduling controversy Cal has created is about two things :

# 1 – Possibly having to beat a long time close friend of the coaching fraternity , ( Tom Crean & Roy Williams) .

# 2 – The possibility of losing to a guy that you once was jealous of and now you’ve grown to hate for various reasons that can’t be accurately validated ( Rick Pitino ) .

In my eyes that’s making decisions concerning your team and school based on personal reasons instead of just about Kentucky basketball .

To my knowledge Adolph Rupp , Joe B. Hall , nor Eddie Sutton ever scheduled a game at UK for any other reason than the betterment of the total program including fan interest and by the way Joe B. took them all on even after he was forced into playing Louisville . Remember those years when UK played Louisville along with Indiana and/or Kansas and/or North Carolina and Jerry Tarkanian’s UNLV Running Rebels or Guy Lewis and his Phi Slamma Jamma teams at Houston not to mention those tough teams the Big Ten used to produce like Illinois and oh yes what about those old time honored matchups each holiday season with ole “Digger” Phelps and his Notre Dame “Fighting Irish” . Oops , I forgot another one , what about the Big Four Classic UK annually participated in at the Hoosier Dome .

Also , let’s not forget the SEC in those years was at it’s peak in hoops producing quality NCAA tournament team type competition at Auburn under “Suitcase” Sonny Smith and Hugh Durham at Georgia and Norm Sloan at Florida and the Ernie and Bernie show at Tennessee and Wimp Sanderson at Alabama . Oops , I forgot ole Dale Brown and his 20 years of solid basketball at LSU as well . Simply and painfully put , in those days the SEC was putting players in the NBA at a similar rate that they do the NFL in recent years .

Now tell me ole crystal ball would you rather face a 16 game schedule of those teams with a few UK juniors and seniors sprinkled in or an 18 game schedule of today’s inept SEC hoops competition with a bunch of UK NBA lottery picks .

I rest my case your honor .

Rick Pitino , Orlando “Tubby” Smith , and even lose lipped Billy “Clyde” Gillispie who reportedly built an ugly reputation on supposed toughness all had their fair share of battles in the scheduling department with various UK athletic directors during their eras but they all ended up playing for the most part ” The Big Three ” that Coach Cal wants to cut to the terrific two .

Having spent eight summers in the late 80′s and 90′s alongside Coach Pitino and still in touch fairly often with his associates at Louisville and also having a few coincidental family contacts with the Calipari camp I can attest to the fact that these two coaching Icons seriously don’t want to continue the UK - Louisville series but they both also know along with their A.D.’s that it would be seriously damaging to both coaches and schools in the all important PR department not to mention some help they both may need in the future from the Kentucky legislature who remember was the initial lightning rod starting that particular series .

So with the Battle of the Bluegrass being pretty much agreed on into the future let’s just see if we can come to a common ground with Coach Cal .

How about signing a series of four game contracts with Indiana and North Carolina over an eight year span and playing each one every other year and keep the Champions Classic in tact between ( UK – Michigan State – Kansas – Duke ) then that scenario will give us at least three big non conference December games ( one at home , one on the road , and one at a neutral site ) instead of the four we presently have and Coach Cal can say he won another battle with the powers that be .

Santa’s helpers borrow signature sleigh

Administrator — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:23:31 +0000

From left, Kelly Wells, UPIKE; Bruce Walters, Bruce Walters Ford; James Hurley, UPIKE; Keith Casebolt, East Kentucky Broadcasting; Danny VanHoose, Appalachian Wireless and Dwayne Moore, Walmart. (Photo Submitted)

WHITESBURG, Ky. – When the signature edition Kelly Wells-UPIKE Ford F-150 truck rolled up it was a welcome sight
to the man they call the “Mountain Santa Claus.” Filled with bicycles and toys, the makeshift sleigh delivered hundreds of
gifts specially chosen to bring smiles to children of all ages.

Sponsored by the University of Pikeville (UPIKE), Appalachian Wireless, Bruce Walters Ford, Walmart and East
Kentucky Broadcasting (EKB), the special delivery will benefit Marlow Tackett’s annual Christmas giveaway on Sunday,
Dec. 18, in Letcher County in the former Food World building at the Walmart Plaza. Now in its 33rd year, the event will
serve families from Letcher, Pike, Floyd and surrounding counties and communities in Virginia.

“Bruce Walters had the idea to load up the F-150 with gifts,” said EKB President and General Manager Keith
Casebolt. “A lot of families need help right now so we called some of our friends to lend a hand.”

“Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in a child’s life it is a blessing. I am thrilled to be a part of giving
back,” said Kelly Wells, head men’s basketball coach at the University of Pikeville.

The signature truck-turned-sleigh was designed by Bruce Walters Ford to honor Wells, the national coach of the year who
led the Bears’ basketball team to their 2011 NAIA National Championship.

“This brings back memories,” said UPIKE Vice President James Hurley as he carried an armful of toys to the truck.
“Years ago our basketball coach volunteered the team to load and unload trucks for Marlow’s Christmas party. It was
a good experience then and just as meaningful today. This University has always been involved in the community we
serve.”

Employees at the Walmart in Whitesburg also lent a hand loading and unloading the truck.

“Nothing says Christmas like the gift of giving,” said Dwayne Moore, Walmart market manager for the region. “Eastern
Kentucky has been great to us over the years. This is just a little bit of what we can do to give back.”

The Kelly Wells-UPIKE Ford F-150 signature truck was designed by Bruce Walters Ford to honor UPIKE Head Coach
Kelly Wells, national coach of the year, and the 2011 NAIA National Championship Bears basketball team. Sponsored
by Bruce Walters Ford, Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Broadcasting, one lucky fan will win the truck on
Jan. 26, 2012, when the Bears host Mid-South Conference rival University of the Cumberlands. To learn more, visit
upikebears.com.

Lexington Monster Jam® Tickets Now Available

Administrator — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:50:03 +0000

Lexington Monster Jam® Tickets Now Available

$25 Tickets for Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®
Rupp Arena

Randy Brown & Grave Digger just one of the trucks expected at Rupp Arena

(Lexington, KY – November 17, 2011) – Feld Motor Sports℠ announced today that tickets for Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam®, the world’s premier monster truck series, are now on sale. Monster Jam events are affordably priced for the whole family with seats starting at $25. Kid’s tickets (age 2-12) are just $5. For the Saturday, January 14 show patrons can purchase a Total Access Pass. This includes 1 ticket to the event seated in the best seats in the house, and exclusive access to drivers with a private meet and greet from 5:30-6:30pm. Total Access Passes are available for $75 but quantities are limited! Additional fees apply to all tickets and all tickets are $2 more day of show. All tickets are available at the Rupp Arena Box Office, online at www.ticketmaster.com <http://www.ticketmaster.com> , Ticketmaster Outlets or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Monster Jam will be performing at Lexington’s Rupp Arena on:

Saturday, January 14, 7:30 PM
Sunday, January 15, 2:00 PM
The event is scheduled to feature: Grave Digger, Turtle, Virginia Beach, High Maintenance, Full Boar & Heavy Hitter. Featured trucks may change without notice.
Approximately 12 feet tall and about 12 feet wide, monster trucks are custom-designed machines that sit atop 66-inch-tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds. Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, monster trucks generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and are capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Monster trucks can fly up to125 to 130 feet (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 35 feet in the air.

The Party in the Pits on January 15 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. gives fans the opportunity to get a view of the trucks up close and meet the drivers of the massive monster trucks. Free pit passes are available at participating Advance Auto Parts locations beginning December 30. Pit passes will also be available for purchase at the box office on the day of the show. Fans must have a Sunday, January 15 event ticket and a pit pass to enter. Admission to the pit party is not guaranteed, as space is limited. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early in order to get the best chance of getting in.

Monster Jam, sanctioned by the United States Hot Rod Association®, is the most popular monster truck tour, performing to over 4 million fans annually at the most prestigious arenas and stadiums throughout the world. Monster Jam® shows consist of three main fan-favorite elements – the pit party, racing and freestyle. The pit party gives all fans a chance to meet the stars of Monster Jam up-close while taking pictures and getting autographs.

Belfry ends Breathitt’s hope for another State title

Administrator — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:18:25 +0000

Belfry defeated Breathitt Friday night to advance to the State Semi Finals (Photo by Jenn Hamblin)

Too many turnovers, especially late in the game, doomed the Breathitt Bobcats. On consecutive series late in the game, Breathitt fumbled the ball in their own territory only to watch as Belfry would march in to the end zon for scores. Belfry would win the games 28-14 to advance to play a very tough Garrad County who dismantled the Powell County Pirates 48-16. In other 3A games, Central ran all over Bell County 26-0 and Fort Campbell beat Paducah Tilghman 20-17. In 1A, Hazard continued it’s roll with a convincing 28-0 shutout of Williamsburg. Somerset won in 2a with a 55-14 win over Lexington Christian. For complete scores go to KHSAA.

Breathitt Bobcats poised for another State Title run

Administrator — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:35:14 +0000

So far things have gone Breathitt County’s way this season as the Bobcats remain undefeated heading in to the round of eight teams. Breathitt ranked #4 in the lastest issue of KY Sports Review, has a great team, make no mistake about it. They have had a more than favorable schedule and playing the first three rounds of the State tournament at home doesn’t hurt. The Bobcats have been virtually unbeatable at home over the years and untouchable this year. #4 Breathitt has # 3 Belfry next at home and with a win will face either #7 Garrad County or unranked Powell County on their horizon. By contrast, the upper bracket has #1 Central playing #2 Bell County, while #5 Paducah Tilghman plays unranked Fort Campbell. Fort Campbell could easily have made the top 10.

Breathitt won their much anticipated match up with Pike County Central which featured former Bobcat coach Chapman and a QB with Breathitt County ties with Allen Boggs, by a score of 53-20. Breathitt led 21-0 in the first quarter. Breathitt has a great chance at another State title if they can get by Belfry at home this coming Friday.

Cats Face Pivotal Game Saturday No Matter What Players Or Coach Suggest

Administrator — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:20:24 +0000

By – Ira D. Combs

Director – Syndicated Columnist

Tri State Sports Media Services Inc.

Good News , Kentucky football is not an underdog to NCAA Div. 1-AA Jacksonville State after all according to Vegas and USA Today odds maker Danny Sheridan .

Bad News , Kentucky football is at the cross roads for this particular season with of all things an OVC team as the opponent , if it somehow loses you can kiss this season goodbye and maybe any feinting credibility Joker Phillips has left for the future if he has a future .

The Turning Point News , can Morgan Newton and his receivers find that lost art of pass and catch and ignite the UK offense to some decent SEC credibility ? If so , this game could be the same turning point for Joker Phillips in his 2nd year that it was for Rich Brooks in his 3rd year .

For those of you brave enough to be scene at Commonwealth Stadium saturday let’s hope so . For those of you who are out of the boat completely with the Joker Phillips era then you can tune in too ESPNU at Noon and if things turn sour again you can switch channels or go out and enjoy what could possibly be the last saturday we have with sun and 60′s type weather .

You make the call , I can’t wait to see the listed attendance saturday and for that matter what the turnout will be against Mississippi State & Ole Miss win or loss this saturday .

Bottom line is we start the second half of the football season this saturday in the friendly confines of Commonwealth Stadium where UK head honcho Joker Phillips has been preaching a new mind set to Big Blue Nation the last two weeks , one that says you are never as bad as it seems nor are you ever as good as you may think you are , the real team resides somewhere in between .

Not a bad analogy at the present time for this particular football team .

The only problem I have with that is this team HAS PERFORMED SO BAD at the two most impacted positions on offense that make plays ( QB and WR ) that we may never know exactly how good the rest of this team is because all other areas of the team are starting to show leaks and cracks because they are having to hold the entire fort down due to the offensive guns on the firing line shooting blanks .

Now , as we drift closer to the kickoff of saturdays Homecoming tilt against Ohio Vally Conference power house Jacksonville State the Cats braintrust over at the Nutter Training Center on Cooper Drive has been privately telling their players and themselves another old sports slogan made famous by the late great NFL guru Al Davis .

“Just win baby” , anyway , any how , and by any spread . Got to stop the bleeding before you can patch the wound .

Yep , right now I can’t think of anything better for this team and coaching staff than to just go out and win a game , hopefully , by several TD’s . It’s really of a moot point who it’s against or how it is accomplished the Cats just need to win and maybe get a little of that bad taste out of their mouth from the first half and get a little confidence brewing mentally .

Luckily , the 2nd half schedule is full of teams that are of a more common type talent to UK in size , speed , and athleticism .

Wait a minute , let’s take Georgia out of that last comment especially since UK plays them right beside UGA’s doghouse . Two opponents Jacksonville State & Ole Miss will more than likely be listed as underdogs to the Cats by Vegas . Miss. State & Tennessee are both at home but more than likely will be favored by 8 to 10 points . Vandy is in Nashville this year which will likely make them a slight favorite as well but remember that ugly game the Cats had at South Carolina where they gained a paltry 106 yards , well , Vandy hit the Gamecocks for a grand total of 77 yards on the same field .

As crazy as it may sound on my part , I still think this season has a positive turn to make , I just can’t put my finger on how long it will last . One thing is for sure if the Cats don’t pull out a win this saturday , I’m afraid as ole Dizzy Dean used to say about a pitcher losing his fast ball , ” stick a fork in him , he’s done ” .

I fear the Cats will be too if they don’t stop the bleeding this saturday .

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Special Opportunity For Wildcat Fans Coming Up This Sunday and Next Wednesday

Coach Cal’s High School & Middle School Coaches Clinic Oct. 23rd

Coach John Calipari will once again carry on a UK coaches tradition this fall that UK Hall of Fame coach Joe B. Hall started back in the mid 1970′s . On (Sun.) October 23rd Coach Cal will provide the Tri State areas high school and middle school coaches ( both mens & womens teams coaches ) with an opportunity to learn different fundamental drills and philosophies that he and his staff teach the UK Wildcats on a daily basis .

Special Note : This year the clinic is also open to the vast UK fan base as well , please see instructions for registration below .

Attendees will watch Coach Cal conduct two different practice sessions with the Wildcats this day as well as have a Q & A session at the end of each and will be given exclusive access to the Joe Craft Center and Wildcat Lodge

No one in the recruitable age group of middle school , high school , prep school , or junior college ( male or female ) will be allowed to register or attend this clinic .

Check In for the Coed clinic will be from 7:30 – 9:00 on (Sun.) October 23rd at the Joe Craft Center .

Date – (Sun.) October 23rd

Time – 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location – Memorial Coliseum & Joe Craft Center / UK Campus – Lexington , Ky.

Cost – $75.00 Pre Registration - $100.00 Walk Up on Day of Camp

Registration is available online at www.ukathletics.com/camps or you can call 1 – 800 – 852 – 2875 or 859 – 257 – 1916 .

Annual Blue – White Pre Season Scrimmage Set For Rupp Arena Oct. 26th

The annual first look of UK basketball’s talent pool in a game type situation will be on display at Rupp Arena (Wed.) Oct. 26th at 7:00 o’clock for Big Blue Nation and it could be just as entertaining as any regular season contest because there will be 10 talented Cats on the floor at all times . Most fans can’t wait to see the mega talented # 1 ranked freshman class . Personally , I can’t wait to see what a senior laden Darius Miller brings to the table and how much sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb have improved both physically and talent wise .

Don’t forget that old time honored saying that most have forgotten about in this one and done age of college basketball . The best thing about a freshman is that he becomes a sophomore and I’m thinking Jones and Lamb both will be much more comfortable and confident in their game as the season unfolds .

This years scrimmage will be televised live on Fox Sports South and the Big Blue Sports TV & Radio Network with WKYT / Lexington and WYMT / Hazard carrying the torch for fans in Eastern and Central Ky.

And to think 20 months ago Billy Gillispie who let’s not forget was brought to us by Lee Todd & Mitch Barnhart had this proud program in complete shambles of major proportions with life long supporters and former players like Mike Pratt ready to separate itself from it . Only two probation years had it in more disarray than at anytime in the last 50 years .

You can go online at www.combsbrothersonkysports.com for more coverage of UK football and basketball as well as KHSAA football and basketball .

Curtain Raises For Wildcat Hoops

Administrator — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:55:05 +0000

Curtain Raises For Wildcat Hoops With Media Days And Big Blue Madness This Thursday & Friday

By – Ira D. Combs

Director – Syndicated Columnist

Tri State Sports Media Services Inc.

Joker Phillips and his gridiron Wildcats get saturday off this weekend to lick their many wounds from the last three weeks beat down to the hands of those top tier SEC football programs that they were To Rise to the level of this season . The latest was an old time back porch whipping given to the Cats by South Carolina 54 – 3 . At least the old ball coach should have that bad taste from last years upset out of his mouth today .

The total scores combined from this past three week gauntlet thru the SEC elite ended with a sum of 137 – 20 , that should be encouraging to those recruits who have already verbally committed for 2012 not to mention those still on the bubble in the recruiting scene .

However , considering all factors at this point in this particular season I can’t think of a better time in recent memory for UK football to have or need an open week .

In his post game remarks to the Kentucky football media contingent Rick Minter the UK defensive coordinator said , ” we all have a lot of soul searching to do this week both players and coaches “ and this is true . What I fear for all of the UK coaching staff is that if this full blown downward spiral don’t stop and turn around during this upcoming three game home stretch the new UK President Eli Capilouto and athletic director Mitch Barnhart may have to do some soul searching themselves . Many long time supporters of UK football up to this point have all been consistent in their opinion that the UK administration won’t buy out a Kentucky football coaches contract that has three years left on it and Joker Phillips contract will still have three years on it come the end of this season .

My response to that train of thought is what Matthew McConaughey told his President in the movie ” We Are Marshall ” when he kept trying to get the NCAA to make freshman eligible because of the tragic plane crash . The NCAA kept telling the Marshall University boss that letting freshmen play college football has never been done . After five trips to the NCAA headquarters in Shawnee Missions , Kansas the President had basically given up .

McConaughey went back to his office for a sixth time and told his President to go back one more time and tell the NCAA that there is a first time for everything in both sports and life . You know the rest of that story .

If the ugly losses continue that time may have arrived for UK football in buying out three years of a coaches contract who has done everything ask of him except win .

It’s Officially Hoops Time In The Bluegrass

It’s time once again to focus the center court spotlight at Rupp Arena on ” Cal’s Boys ” and showcase another # 1 recruiting class to the most devoted of Big Blue Nation those who braved four days and three nights of life outside Memorial Coliseum to earn the right to be courtside for another festive night of Big Blue Madness formerly billed as Midnight Madness .

Remember those days when we all stayed up until 1:30 in the morning to watch it on TV or even more insane watched it live and drove back at all hours of the morning all over the Commonwealth to finally crawl in the sack around 4:00 o’clock a.m. and to watch the Cats shoot a few layups and play five on five pickup for about 15 minutes with an occasional slam dunk contest . Remember those days , the late great Bill Keightley affectionately known across Kentucky as Mr. Wildcat used to call it Kentucky’s version of ( an adult sleep over Wildcat style ) .

This year Coach Cal will have the first opportunity in his short time in the Commonwealth to mix an extremely talented freshman class ( Anthony Davis , Michael Kidd – Gilchrist , Kyle Wiltjer , Marquis Teague ) with a few super sophomores ( Terrence Jones & Doron Lamb ) and two seniors of which one will be a prime time player in Darius Miller . This team appears to have as much or possibly more depth in raw physical talent , size , athleticism , and experience across the roster than Coach Cal has had the fortune of coaching at UK .

The curtain raises this friday Oct. 14th at Rupp Arena and those who aren’t lucky enough to be courtside can still see all of the festivities on the IMG Big Blue Sports TV Network ( WKYT – 27 Lexington and WYMT – 57 Hazard ) beginning at 7:00 o’clock friday and conclude at 9:30 . UK has also made it possible for those folks who live a great distance from Kentucky to watch the festivities on the internet by going online to www.ukathletics.com or ESPN3 .

Kentucky is also one of eleven schools that will be featured on the sixth annual ESPNU Midnight Madness show from 9:00 o’clock until 1:00 a.m. EST.

It remains to be seen how many wins this team will put up and how deep into the NCAA tourney it will go but the program is back in the elite status it was for most of the past 60 – 70 years and that makes for another pretty special winter wonderland for the Commonwealth of Kentucky .

UK’s men’s basketball media days will be held this thursday for the statewide media contingent that covers the Wildcats . The days events start with a luncheon followed by a special one on one with Coach Cal in the media interview room at Memorial Coliseum then moves over to the Joe Craft Center for player interviews . It is of course closed to the public but you can keep an eye out beginning around 5:00 o’clock thursday evening for your favorite media outlets to begin reporting and posting information from the days festivities .

NCAA Coaching News

Listed below is a quick look at some new coaches you will see this season running up and down the sideline , oops , I forgot there is a box over their they are suppose to reside in right . Remember last years first ever happening at Rupp Arena to a UK coach when SEC official Mike Stuart run Coach Cal to the locker room for excessively berating him on his officiating tactics and being out of the coaches box , that rarely occupies a coach for half the game in all the games I have covered at Rupp the last six years .

There have been 57 coaching changes in Div 1 – A college basketball since last March , here are what I think will be the top 10 for UK fans to follow the progress of this season .

NCAA School New Head Coach Last Years Coach

Tennessee Cuonzo Martin Bruce Pearl

Arkansas Mike Anderson John Pelphrey

N.C. State Mark Gottfried Sydney Lowe

Texas Tech Billy Gillispie ( Former UK Coach ) Pat Knight (Son of Bobby Knight)

Maryland Mark Turgeon Gary Williams

Georgia Tech Brian Gregory Paul Hewitt

Oklahoma Lon Kruger ( Former Florida Coach ) Jeff Capel

Texas A & M (New SEC school) Billy Kennedy Mark Turgeon

Valparaiso Bryce Drew ( Son replaces Father ) Homer Drew ( Father retires )

Tennessee Tech Billy Payne Mike Sutton ( Former UK Asst. under “Tubby” )

In other related NCAA basketball news it appears those stories in the last year that the college coaching fraternity and college administrators fraternity had been telling it’s media and fan base about getting a positive response from the NBA on the age limit as well as one and done problems that have been raping the college game of it’s prime time players was evidently a lie .

I have seen nothing from any angle of the media coverage of the NBA contract talks that have even mentioned that this problem has even been on the agenda or even discussed in the contract talks to date . The NBA doesn’t care about the college game or any other part of organized basketball it’s all about money and greed as it always has been and will be .

Funny how time changes sports as much or more than any other phase of the American way of life . Just a couple decades ago freshmen couldn’t even play college basketball they had to wait until they were sophomores , now it’s a real struggle to just get one year out of them .

The NBA has without question been the worst run professional sports league on the American sports scene and by contrast the only one except Hockey that permits 19 & 20 year olds to play instead of spending a few years in college or a minor league system yet it continues to be a toss up who blows their money the quickest the immature young players or the greedy old owners .

You would think someone could see the correlation .

The NBA was at it’s strongest and most popular with the American sports fan from 1975 – 1995 because of the quality and quantity of talent in it’s team rosters both on and off the court but I doubt it will ever see those days again .

The players and owners both keep wanting more but corporate sponsors and especially fans have give about all than can afford to give .

Special Wildcat Basketball Events Coming Up

Coach Cal’s High School & Middle School Coaches Clinic Oct. 23rd

This year the clinic is also open to the vast UK fan base as well , please see instructions for registration below .

No one in the recruitable age group of middle school , high school , prep school , or junior college ( male or female ) will be allowed to register or attend this clinic .

Check In for the Coed clinic will be from 7:30 – 9:00 on (Sun.) October 23rd at the Joe Craft Center .

Date – (Sun.) October 23rd

Time – 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location – Memorial Coliseum & Joe Craft Center / UK Campus – Lexington , Ky.

Cost – $75.00 Pre Registration - $100.00 Walk Up on Day of Camp

Registration is available online at www.ukathletics.com/camps or you can call 1 – 800 – 852 – 2875 or 859 – 257 – 1916 .

Annual Blue – White Pre Season Scrimmage Set For Rupp Arena Oct. 26th

You can go online at www.combsbrothersonkysports.com for more coverage of UK football and basketball as well as KHSAA football and basketball .

Cats End 1st Half Of Season This Saturday Against A Mad Old Ball Coach

Administrator — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:28:19 +0000

(Several Special Basketball Events On Tap In Coming Weeks )

By – Ira D. Combs

Director – Syndicated Columnist

Tri State Sports Media Services Inc.

This football team is getting very difficult to write about period , especially without being negative which I hate to do . But I’ll keep giving it that ole college try with winter and hoops in sight . With that being established let’s begin this weeks column .

Not going to talk a lot about the LSU game not a whole lot to say if you saw it you know the offense is giving the entire program a black eye and until somebody steps up on that side of the ball in a play making role it doesn’t matter how solid the defense and special teams play . When you have a quarterback that was 2 for 11 the first half and the nine misses were all three to five feet to the left or right of the receiver or above the receivers head you pretty much have about as feeble a chance of producing points as a UK offensive coordinator as ever had and don’t go down that road that it’s the offensive line coach Mike Summers and quarterback / offensive coordinator Randy Sanders fault . They are two of the most experienced and seasoned football coaches in the college game . Both have developed and put several players into the NFL and have several bowl rings in their possession .

The mistake was made in the evaluation process and it appears both Rich Brooks as well as “Joker” Phillips aren’t alone in that department . The recruiting services were wrong initially as well about Morgan Newton but they had the intestinal fortitude and time to correct their mistake but UK and whoever made the final decision on Newton GOT ALL CAUGHT UP IN THE ORIGINAL EVALUATION OF 5 STAR STATUS and refused to admit or correct it’s initial offer . UK saw that big raw lean body and thought like most ego driven college coaches we’ll coach him up and polish that shiny knight in armuor into all star status .

Now they’re having to ride his coat tails as far as they can . I fear that journey may end with several good college football coaches drifting off into the sunset of their coaching careers .

Now , the good news or at least the relief on the horizon .

It’s almost over Big Blue Nation just hang on and fight your way thru this saturdays matchup with South Carolina in Columbia and it’s mad Old Ball Coach our old nemesis Steve Superior . He is madder than an ole wet hen because his Gamecocks got their feathers plucked last saturday right in their own barnyard and his senior quarterback Steven Garcia once again cost him another game . This time against an Auburn team that’s probably a good 10 points inferior to the Gamecocks but the bottom line is it puts them behind the eight ball as far as the SEC east goes and no room for error or another Wildcat upset like last year .

If the Carolina offense that played last saturday shows up again and the Carolina defense that allowed boat loads of points in it’s first three games shows up on the other side of the ball then it could be respectable this week and a good way to enter the off week and start preparation for the second half of the season . Remember folks I’m trying to find a way to put a spin on a second half resurgence offensively that will put a few points on the board and a couple wins on the left side of the column in the standings .

Regardless of this weeks outcome we will have this three week gauntlet of the NFL D League behind us and the young but improving Cats ( well , the young improving defense anyway ) can play the second half of their schedule against a more common opponent of their football peers . Not counting a Georgia team fighting to keep it’s coaches job and a Tennessee team that the jury is still out on . There will definitely be four beatable opponents to play in Jacksonville State , Mississippi State , Ole Miss , and Vanderbilt even with UK’s offensive woes it’s underrated defense will keep it in those games unless the offense gives up points on turnovers .

By the way in my opinion saturdays effort against LSU could have come up much worse than the final score of 35 – 7 . Ask yourself if you’re a true football fan , would you have pictured UK to be behind only 14 – 0 at halftime if you knew they would have had 43 yards of offense and only three first downs at halftime with it’s first five possessions being of the three and out variety .

Today’s young internet driven sports fan has no idea how bad or embarrassing that final score would have been saturday had that same LSU team have played a Charlie Bradshaw , John Ray , or Bill Curry coached team . LSU would have easily put 70 or more points on one of those teams .

UK has a present situation of no receivers with foot speed that can separate themselves from SEC type defensive backs and a quarterback that has both poor physical and mental skills as well as decision making ability and the ineptness of those two positions are making it look like the entire program has regressed 10 years , but it hasn’t . There are some good football players at UK they’re just young and mostly on the defensive side of the ball .

It’s odd how quick times can change in either direction , I think UK is just a good solid QB and one speedy receiver away from a possible 8 or 9 win season . That’s what makes following UK football so frustrating , always has always will . So close to consistently winning in recent years yet so far away from those coveted 8 & 9 win regular seasons . More than likely by the time they get those two positions fixed the good young talent at other positions will have graduated or went into the professional ranks .

Enlarging the stadium , building sky boxes , suites , and changing coaches every few years , well , haven’t they been their and done that the last 30 years all that has done is give the A.D. reason to increase ticket prices . As long as they play in the SEC they will struggle in football because it’s a cheating league for the most part with some of the most fertile recruiting ground states in the nation but our Commonwealth isn’t one of those states .

Commonwealth In Meltdown On Gridiron Cats

Since the beginning of the Adolph Rupp era or at least since the mid 1940′s the large majority of the adult population of this Commonwealth that we fondly call home has had their own personal opinion of how they could do two jobs in our society better than the individual who held the position no matter what walk of life they come from . Whether it be the science or english teacher at each towns local high school , lawyers , doctors , insurance salesmen , janitors , funeral home directors , and of course my two favorite sources of information the local barber shops and beauty parlors . The beauticians just come on the scene about 20 years ago but make no mistake the ladies young and elderly have an opinion as well .

It has never mattered what their level of knowledge is or if they even have personal past experiences in organized sports or politics , they’ve always had an astute opinion on how they can do two jobs better than the guy that’s doing them .

Those two job descriptions are , drum roll please :

# 1 – The individual who resides in the White House as our leader of the free world .

# 2 – The head basketball coach at UK .

Now as we drift thru the fall of 2011 it has become apparent to me that you can add a third job to this list . The head football coach at UK .

Joe “Joker” Phillips doesn’t have as many critics as Coach Cal does but he’s gaining ground daily . For the life of me I can’t understand why both Cal and Joker launched their two twitter accounts . Their will come a day that both will regret that move . There is enough opportunity for their friends and foes to express their feelings with the internet age world we live in and the vast websites and chat lines devoted to UK sports , why would they want to invite people into their own personal lives .

There has never been as much negativity expressed toward UK football and it’s coach as in the past two months across this state and it all started when the team was 2 – 0 . It has to effect the players mind set on a daily basis , they watch TV and read the paper and most players live on the internet with todays college life . It’s extremely hard to prepare mentally and emotionally for practice and games when a portion of your fan base is constantly berating you , criticizing you , and basically making embarrassing light hearted remarks of your hard working efforts on the field .

I know I just got thru ripping the quarterback above in this very column but I did it as tastefully and painless as I possibly could and sometimes the hard truth hurts .

Lighten up folks and chill as this young generation loves to say . The second half of the season can and will produce some points and wins if you haven’t beat the players down mentally .

Special Wildcat Basketball Events Coming Up

Big Blue Madness Only A Few Days Away Oct. 14th

I can actually feel the anticipation boiling from across the Commonwealth . It’s almost hoop time in the Bluegrass and on Friday October 14th we all will be able to see the first official practice for the 2011 – 12 men’s and women’s UK basketball teams in Rupp Arena at it’s annual Big Blue Madness Festivities . Times and broadcast information will be released in a few days . This will be the seventh edition of Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena .

Coach Cal’s High School & Middle School Coaches Clinic Oct. 23rd

This year the clinic is also open to the vast UK fan base as well , please see instructions for registration below .

No one in the recruitable age group of middle school , high school , prep school , or junior college ( male or female ) will be allowed to register or attend this clinic .

Check In for the Coed clinic will be from 7:30 – 9:00 on (Sun.) October 23rd at the Joe Craft Center .

Date – (Sun.) October 23rd

Time – 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Location – Memorial Coliseum & Joe Craft Center / UK Campus – Lexington , Ky.

Cost – $75.00 Pre Registration - $100.00 Walk Up on Day of Camp

Registration is available online at www.ukathletics.com/camps or you can call 1 – 800 – 852 – 2875 or 859 – 257 – 1916 .

Annual Blue – White Pre Season Scrimmage Set For Rupp Arena Oct. 26th

You can go online at www.combsbrothersonkysports.com for more coverage of UK football and basketball as well as KHSAA football and basketball .