For something not UK related

Mock Draft Time!:)

As usual, I do not spend time dissecting why I made the pick, but I will explain my reasoning for it below.

Mock Draft 1.0

ROUND ONE1. Detroit (0-16)-Matt Stafford (QB-Georgia)
2. St. Louis (2-14)-Jason Smith (OT-Baylor)
3. Kansas City (2-14)-Aaron Curry (LB-Wake)
4. Seattle (4-12)- Eugene Monroe (OT-Virginia)
5. Cleveland (4-12)- Brian Orapko (DE-Texas)
6. Jacksonville (5-11)*-Mark Sanchez (QB-USC)
7. Oakland (5-11)-Michael Crabtree (WR-Texas Tech)
8. Cincinnati (4-11-1)*-Andre Smith (OT-Alabama)
9. Green Bay (6-10)- Tyson Jackson (DE-LSU)
10. San Francisco (7-9)- Michael Oher (OT-Mississippi)
11. Buffalo (7-9)- Everette Brown (DE-FSU)
12. Denver (8-8)- BJ Raji (DT-Boston College)
13. Washington (8-8)- Aaron Maybin (DE-Penn St)
14. New Orleans (8-8)- Malcolm Jenkins (CB-Ohio St)
15. Houston (8-8)-Knoshown Moreno (RB-Georgia)
16. San Diego (8-8)-Rey Maualuga (LB-USC)
17. New York Jets (9-7)-Jeremy Maclin (WR-Missouri)
18. Denver (from Chicago)(9-7)-Josh Freeman (QB-Kansas St)
19. Tampa Bay (9-6)-Brian Cushing (LB-USC)
20. Detroit (from Dallas) (9-7)-James Laurianitis (LB-Ohio St)
21. Philadelphia (9-6-1)-Beanie Wells (RB-Ohio St)
22. Minnesota (10-6)-Eben Britton (OT-UConn)
23. New England (11-5)-Larry English (LB-Northern Illinois)
24. Atlanta (11-5)-Evander Hood(DT-Missouri)
25. Miami (11-5)-Clay Matthews(LB-USC)
26. Baltimore (11-5)-Darrius Heyward-Bey(WR-Maryland)
27. Indianapolis (12-4)-Peria Jerry(DT-Mississippi)
28. Cincinnati (4-11-1)**-Alex Mack (C-California)
29. New York Giants (12-4)-Kenny Britt(WR-Rutgers)
30. Tennessee (13-3)-Percy Harvin (WR-Florida)
31. Arizona (9-7)-Donald Brown (RB-UConn)
32. Pittsburgh (12-4)-Max Unger (C-Oregon)

* I have Cincinnati being pretty active on draft day. This team needs offensive line help and also needs to stockpile picks. With Monroe and Smith already gone, I believe teams will be looking to move up to get Mark Sanchez or Michael Crabtree. Cincinnati can afford to move down to spots with Jacksonville since Oakland will likely stay with Crabtree and pay Andre Smith at 8th overall. Mark Sanchez will be a better longterm option for Jacksonville than David Garrard. Cincinnati will also acquire Jacksonville's second round pick.

** Chad Johnson traded to the Eagles for this pick. The Eagles add running back insurance earlier with their original pick by taking Beanie Wells to compliment Brian Westbrook. Offensively, with Chad, DeSean Jackson, Westbrook, Beanie, and McNabb, the Eagles should stay the class of the NFC East. Cincinnati continues to retool the offensive line by selecting Alex Mack.

After the settling of the dust...(Part Two)

With the first part of my blog focusing on the end of the Gillispie era in Lexington, this one will focus on the hiring of John Calipari.

To be honest, I believe Jimmy Dykes put it best when the rumors began to surface that Gillispie's tenure in Kentucky might be coming to an end. Mitch Barnhardt had to have an ace in his hip pocket in order to even seriously consider firing a coach after two seasons. Cal was the choice that the fans inevitably pushed for (see Facebook) and Mitch had to get this done.

Enter John Calipari, a guy who was deemed too "shady" for the Kentucky job yet has zero record of NCAA infractions. Rick Pitino, the golden boy of Kentucky basketball, has EIGHT. That's right.

As much as I want to compare this situation to Matt Doherty/Roy Williams at UNC, and the situation is so eerily similar, I can't bring myself to do it. While the players and boosters were calling for Doherty's head and eventually forced him out, UNC still managed to bring in top talent. Roy Williams took the same team Doherty recruited and won a national championship. Cal is going to have to recruit more players to do that with, and with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins possibly coming to Kentucky, a title run could be a very distinct possibility if Meeks and Patterson return.

That being said, landing Cousins and Wall could prove to be more difficult than people realize. Wall has been pretty tight lipped and has yet to name a leader for his services. Cousins is more likely to attend Kentucky, but I still wouldn't be surprised to see Anthony Grant make a bid for the big mans services. Wall will likely come down to three teams, one that gives him a chance to be the "star" on an average team in Baylor, another that is close to his home in Raleigh (Duke), and of course Kentucky.

The best part about Calipari, however, is his demeanor. I believe that will go a long way to appease a fanbase that expects excellence. Compare the press conference Wednesday morning to Billy Gillispie's pep rally two years ago. John Calipari is the type of person who can control the room and the moment, while Billy Gillispie was completely overwhelmed by the situation. Cal was completely at ease and poked fun at the Lexington media, including Alan Cutler who had chased Gillispie through the Craft center the previous Friday. Billy Gillispie, however, had to force himself to be personable, even in his press conference the day after he was fired.

The only thing that does scare me about Calipari is how long he will be here. I know people will say that because he failed in the NBA that he likely will not return, but that was before he instituted the dribble drive offense. It has become so successful that even NBA teams are adopting portions of it, including the Boston Celtics. Say in five years he has taken Kentucky to the pinnacle of success and does win a national championship or two and the Memphis Grizzlies come calling. Time will heal all wounds and I believe he would likely listen. That being said, I am hoping he will retire as a Kentucky Wildcat.

I also believe a more laid back approach that we saw in the first practice will do wonders for the current Kentucky team, who was pushed to the brink by Gillispie. I would have loved to have been at the practice to see the teams reaction when Cal stopped to praise a player rather than tear them down.

In a matter of five days, Kentucky has made a move that will likely catapult them back into the elite college programs in the nation, and possibly creating a doorway to the NBA that is running through West Vine Street in Lexington.

Welcome to the world of spoiled sports indeed.

After the settling of the dust...(Part One)

This has to be the most tumultuous week in recent memory for Kentucky basketball.

I've been extremely busy to where I haven't had the time to update this, but there is so much to discuss regarding the coaching change here in Lexington.

For those who haven't kept up with it, Billy Gillispie was fired last Friday as head basketball coach at Kentucky. Kentucky moved rather quick and brought Memphis Tigers and former UMass coach John Calipari into the fold, making him the highest paid coach in college basketball.

Before I start, I went to church Sunday morning at my home church here in Parkersburg, West Virginia. One person in my Sunday school class is attending WVU. His comment to me was this:

"I guess you are happy they got rid of Gillispie"

Me: "Actually, no. I thought he should have had one more year."

Him: "Welcome to the world of spoiled sports."

At the time, I was finding it very hard to believe that Mitch Barnhardt and Lee Todd would consider removing a coach who had only been here for two years. If you would have told me two months ago that Billy Gillispie would have been fired, John Calipari would be brought in, and Kentucky would be getting consideration from three of the top recruits in the nation, I would likely tell you that you had lost your mind.

That being said, there is way more to the saga of Billy Clyde Gillispie, and I will expand on some of this later. As much as people, including the former coach, want to say that BCG was fired because he didn't win enough, that couldn't be any further from the truth. Don't get me wrong, on a smaller stage such as College Station where the pressure isn't as great and the basketball program comes in second fiddle to football, Billy Gillispie would likely have more success.

It has been said that the head basketball coach of Kentucky is more popular than the governor. I would dare say there are some reading who do not know who Mitch McConnell is. That tells you how important basketball is in Kentucky.

Some of the reasons Billy Gillispie is out of a job not counting wins and losses (Matt Jones does a better job of detailing this, but here is the condensed version):

• Gillispie was not willing to accept the "ambassador" role that the Kentucky job required, even if it was not in the "job description". All Gillispie wanted to do was recruit and coach, and he wasn't overly successful at that. Cancelling a 60 year tradition of speaking at the Lexington Rotary Club and refusing to participate in anything community related turned off a lot of people, especially those close to the University. Needless to say, when the losses started to mount, Gillispie had nobody to go to bat for him.
• His relationship with the media, and I believe the Jeannine Edwards interview actually goes deeper than what some people have speculated (more on this later). However, his postgame interviews with Tom Leach and Rob Bromley have both given more credence to the fact that he never handled the media very well. At the same time though, the Lexington media hasn't been exactly friendly of UK since Tubby Smith was ran out on a rail either.
• His treatment of the players is starting to leak out in many forms. From a player being forced to sit on a toilet during the halftime speech to threatening to kick Jodie Freakin Meeks off the team at halftime during the Notre Dame game, there are some stories that may have more merit than others. If you need any more evidence of this, read the comments by Jodie and his father, whose basic reaction is "Thank God".
• The last straw had to be the comments about how he did not come to Kentucky to be a "celebrity". This is where I hold Barnhardt accountable as equally as I do Gillispie. Even speaking after getting fired, whether it be the press conference or on ESPN with Jimmy Dykes, Billy Gillispie has never looked comfortable in the spotlight. He has had to force himself to be outgoing in those situations. Another perfect example was the pep rally, especially if you watch it in lieu of Coach Cal's press conference yesterday.

My belief is that Mitch should have factored everything into hiring Gillispie before doing so. Even watching some of his post game press conferences at Texas A&M, he never looked completely comfortable in that role. Of course, Billy Donovan was choice A, B, C, & D in that order as well. When that fell through, I believe Mitch panicked and made a hire that looked good on paper, but just wasn't the right fit.

I made the comment about Jeannine Edwards and her interview with Gillispie. This is entirely speculation, but I have to wonder if with the mounting tension in Lexington combined with Jodie Meeks ascension into "rockstar status" created a jealousy toward his own player. Jodie Meeks received countless texts and phone calls, even from Dan Issel. I wonder how many called Gillispie to congratulate him on that coaching job? So when Jeanine Edwards asked Gillispie if he planned to get Meeks more involved, the response was "This isn't about Jodie Meeks, it's about us playing as a team". I wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't for more info coming out about Meeks treatment and Gillispie feeling the pressure himself.

This is something that I really believe in regard to Gillispie's exit. I once had an instructor in a Principles of Management class at the college I am attending in West Virginia who made this point. Any time you are planning to fire somebody, distance yourself from that person so there is no emotional attachment. With that being said, when Gillispie made the "celebrity" comment, I have to believe that is when people started to distance themselves kind of in a "dead man walking" fashion. I believe that is when Gillispie got the hint as well that his time in Lexington was short. Letting the players wear the black jerseys against LSU and dressing in a brown suit (ala Rupp) for the game at Memorial Colliseum was Gillispie's way of trying to win back the players and administration who had turned their back on him.

I was honestly fearful of Mitch's comments during the press conference last Friday when he said that they were not going to honor Gillispie's memorandum since he had never signed an actual contract. Living in West Virginia and seeing the Rich Rodriguez situation, it is safe to say that nobody wins in these situations and while Gillispie tried to take the high road in his presser and on ESPN, I believe that the bridges would have been burned rather quickly if it started heading to court. Public universities are glass houses, and while UK likely has some dirty laundry to air regarding Gillispie that they are likely sitting on, I believe Gillispie could fight fire with fire and even if there was no merit, he could likely do some damage to the University's image. That being said, I believe if Gillispie lands another job, whether it be a head coach elsewhere or an assistants job this year, he will likely take whatever Kentucky is willing to pay.

I will try to have Part Two up tomorrow. That will obviously include my take on Coach Cal and the impact of this coaching decision.

BBM

It's been a while

Haven't had much time to update, but given the snow situation here in Parkersburg, now is a good time.

Before I make comments on the Kentucky-Ole Miss game, I want to comment on the overall state of sports in general, mostly a high school girls game in Texas that has created a lot of controversy.

Covenant School in Dallas, Texas managed to hand Dallas Academy, a small private school that caters to students with learning disabilities, a 100-0 embarrassment of a loss. After refusing to apologize for running up the score, Kyle Queal, the coach of the Covenant school, was dismissed.

The losing team has received much affection from the public and the media and you almost have to wonder how much of it is warranted. In addition, the girls were given a luxury suite at a WNBA game. The winning team lost its coach and has come under intense ridicule.

For the record, I realize that some of the girls on the team may have been special needs children, but the fact of the matter is, this game should have never been scheduled or agreed in principle to start with. Before you get on your high horse and criticize Covenant, remember that it takes two to tango. Dallas Academy should have realized going in that they would likely have been in a situation similar to this before they decided to play a superior team. In addition, Covenant should not have scheduled Dallas Academy because there is no benefit to playing a team that you are going to walk all over.

Any time you look at high school sports, especially basketball, you always want to schedule teams early on that can give you a better chance to examine yourself and prepare ultimately for championships. I followed Rose Hill for the two years OJ Mayo starred and watched Rose Hill take on teams in-state that were powerhouses. They weren't overly successful, but it eventually led them to their first and only trip to Rupp Arena. This game did not serve a purpose for either team and it is unfortunate that as a result, we are led to debate whether or not mediocrity should be accepted in sports.

If you want further proof, just examine the divisions based on class sizes. In Kentucky especially, schools have been divided into public and private, and the divisions are divided based on the class sizes. For example, where I am originally from in northeastern Kentucky in the 16th region, Ashland is the largest school in the district and has been moved to a new district, playing teams all over the state from Tates Creek and Bryant Station to Pikeville. The famous Boyd County-Ashland inner city rivalry now doesn't have the same impact as it does every season.

Schools such as Rose Hill, Lexington Catholic, and the private schools in Louisville have paved the way to the cries of foul by public schools, and as a result it is now set up to where every child gets a trophy, and the true sports fans will never really know the true champion. If you look at college basketball, this is what March Madness is all about, as we get to see a Cinderella such as George Mason or Davidson shock the world. We like pulling for the underdogs, but now the way the system is set up, it eliminates that.

It's been said that high school sports was fine until adults got involved. Looking at some other cases I have seen personally, I would have to agree:

• In Kentucky, a story that will likely make bigger news in the near future is the death of a student due to overheating similar to Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings. Pleasure Ridge Park coach David Jason Stinson was indicted for the death of 15 year old Max Gilpin. This could be a dangerous precedent to set, but I fully understand the reasoning. However, it will be interesting to see what else transpires.

• A story in Kentucky that I know all too well growing up. Former Greenup County basketball coach Randy Ward, after winning the first game in state at Rupp Arena during the semifinals, decided to take the team to Hooters after the game to celebrate. He then tried to defend himself by saying Hooters was a "family restaurant", which became a punchline for Jay Leno. The parents were up in arms over this, but not for the reason you might think. A lot of parents were dissatisfied with Coach Ward's style of play and decided to use "Hootergate" to axe the coach. However, Coach Ward was able to keep his job until he was eventually fired in a recruiting incident that landed Greenup County on probation with the KHSAA.

• Another story that is more disturbing that is similar, but happened here in West Virginia at Parkersburg High School. Former coach Marshall Burdette had allegations brought against him that he had propositioned some of the players that had played for him and as a result was forced to resign. As with Coach Ward, some of these players parents were unhappy with the way Coach Burdette was handling the team and wanted a new coach, however there is some question as to the legitimacy of the complaints. Burdette assistant Craig Farnsworth took over the team and led them to a state championship and decided not to take it, even with full booster support, over the way Coach Burdette was handled.

As for the Kentucky game, overall poor performance. I was more concerned over comments made by Gillispie at halftime to an ESPN reporter, calling her question in regards to Jodie Meeks performance a stupid question, as one player did not make up the entire team. While the other players and some fans did not find a problem with this, I would venture to say this endeavor will ultimately hurt in recruiting some of the players Kentucky is aiming to get.

Hopefully I will have more after Saturdays tilt with the Gamecocks.

WOW, Just Wow

If there was anything that Kentucky needed to get back into the national spotlight, check out the first thing being shown on Sportscenter tonight.

Jodie Meeks was absolutely unconscious, putting on the best performance I have ever seen in my lifetime out of one Kentucky player. On the way to 54 points, Meeks shattered records set by both Kentucky greats Dan Issel and Tony Delk, nailing ten trifecta's in the process.

Oh, did I mention Kentucky won in Knoxville against a Tennessee team heavily favored to win the SEC?

Did I mention they won by EIGHTEEN?

To be honest, I didn't even have Kentucky pegged to win this game. This was a game I figured Kentucky would probably lose, but now not only has it given Kentucky national recognition, but a marquee win done convincingly against a top team.

Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes were both calling for Kentucky to be ranked after this game and for Jodie to be in the mix for Player of the Year consideration. Nessler even made the comment that in the 17-18 years he has covered basketball at ESPN, he had never seen a performance like this out of one player.

For those thinking Kentucky will likely be one of the last teams into the tournament (Joe Lunardi, I am looking at you), if Kentucky builds off of this momentum, I could see them going no lower than a 6 seed.

I will try to have another update ready by the weekend following the Georgia game. Let's hope Jodie lights up Stegeman Colliseum like he did Thompson-Boling Arena tonight.

Two Part Review (Basketball Edition)

And now, the rest of the story...

While Louisville won the game, there are a lot of things to take away from this game. There were several times in the game where it looked like Louisville would pull away that Kentucky came right back, none more important than erasing a seven point defecit with 52 seconds to go in the game. Last years team, and the year before would have quit long before, but Kentucky managed to pull off a sensational comeback that could have been one of the greatest in the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry.

The fact Kentucky only lost by three on the homecourt of a team ranked third in preseason shows that this team has come a long way and is close to arriving. Looking at next years team:

• Jared Carter is graduating.
• Matt Pilgrim becomes eligible.
• Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, if they decide to return.
• Incoming freshman class of Jon Hood, Daniel Orton, and GJ Vilarino.

We could see the return of Kentucky to basketball prominence should the above happen. However, a lot could happen between now and then as well.

Some more thoughts on the game:

• I DVR'ed the game and watched the technical, and the only thing I can figure is that Gillispie was complaining about was Porter being taken to the ground while Patterson finished the play. Given Clark Kellog was oooing over Patterson, nobody from CBS decided to find out what happened. Gillispie was asked during the post-game press conference what he said and his reply was "I'd rather not say".
• Why Landon Slone did not receive any playing time is the mystery in itself for Kentucky fans following this game. Slone has established himself as Kentucky's best on-ball defender, but a lot of his playing time did come against teams such as Central Michigan. My guess is Gillispie was afraid he would crack under the pressure at Freedom Hall.
• While Michael Porter's defense left something to be desired, he didn't contribute to any of the Cats 21 turnovers, which is shocking. It is possible that Porter may be turning into a more servicable player, but a true floor general is what this team really needs right now.

This team is in an eerily similar situation from the Tubby Smith days. During that time, we had above average to excellent point guard play from Cliff Hawkins, Rajon Rondo, and even Ramel Bradley at times. However, we have lacked a dominating big man opposite Randolph Morris. Now, we have some excellent players in the post in Patterson and Stevenson, yet we don't have someone to set them up effectively.

With the Louisville loss out of the way, it is time to look toward Saturday and the rematch with Vanderbilt. The same Vanderbilt that crushed Kentucky at Memorial Gymnasium 93-52 last season. I made the prediction last year that Kentucky would turn some heads come conference play, and they did exactly that, going 12-4 in SEC play. This play was what ultimately got them into the NCAA tournament last season, and I believe this season the SEC play will be what gets us a national ranking at seasons end.

This weekend has left me brimming with confidence in Kentucky as the season progresses, even with the loss. Hopefully the momentum can keep up.

Two Part Review (Football Edition)

This will be a two part overview of the exhilirating weekend in both football and basketball for the University of Kentucky.

First up, the pigskin miracle in Memphis as Kentucky, trailing East Carolina 16-3 at halftime, staged a second half comeback off an opening kickoff return and fumble recovery to defeat the Pirates 25-19.

To be honest, I didn't expect Kentucky to win this game. Riding a three game losing streak, two of those teams they should have beaten in Vanderbilt and Tennessee, the defense would have to make up for an anemic offense, and it did. Give Mike Hartline credit for doing a good job of managing the game in Randall Cobb's absence.

The only game I had seen East Carolina play in was against West Virginia earlier this season and they managed to keep the Mountaineers in check. That being said, I believe the fact that we used a pro-style offense in this game helped us to defeat East Carolina more than anything.

Mike Hartline has likely solidified the QB position for next season with his performance. It wasn't spectacular, but Randall Cobb will likely go back to wideout where he belongs and Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski will battle Hartline in training camp.

Given the defections, especially of Andre Woodson, my expectations were low heading into the season. This bowl win shows that Kentucky may be on the way back in football. I don't think they will be able to hang with Florida anytime soon, but I would like to see Tennessee or Steve Spurrier lose at least once to Kentucky in my lifetime.