Some Off-Season Suggestions for BBN

Can you believe it’s been a month since our Wildcats won an 8^th national championship for UK?  Many of you are probably just coming out of your celebration-induced comas, and now that the recruiting news has slowed to a crawl, hardcore UK fans will surely be finding themselves looking for something to fill the void.

While we sit around and wait for Anthony Bennett to make his college choice, there is plenty going on in the sports world to occupy our time.  Here are a few suggestions on what you can obsess over now that March Madness has left high and dry:

NBA Playoffs – This is the time of year that I start to care about the NBA.  I have basketball withdrawals and while watching the playoffs is not the same as NCAA tourney, does bring some amount of comfort.  Plus, you’ll occasionally catch glimpses of former Wildcats (like Bledsoe, Meeks, Harrellson, Orton or Rondo) on the court.

MLB – I know, it’s a long season and at this point games don’t seem too significant but after all, it is America’s pastime and teams like the Reds, Cards and Braves are close enough to go see if you live in the state.

Other UK sports – Our baseball team is looking good this year and our women’s softball team is fighting to stay at .500.  Here’s a post on KSR about the current state of UK’s other sports, including golf and tennis.

Tennis – The French Open starts at the end of this month and while tennis may not jump out at you as one of the most exciting sports to watch, it is an interesting time in the tennis world with the four best players still in contention to win.  Will Nadal defend his title?  Can Roger Federer pull off one more big one?  Will Andy Murray shave?

Soccer – At Calling KY, we have an affinity for the beautiful game, so obviously it was going to get a mention.  While the best leagues are winding down right about now, the Champion’s League final will be held on May 19^th and features Bayern Munich (Germany) versus Chelsea (England).  After that, things really get going with the Euro 2012 competition which hosts the best of best of European football and is really second only to the World Cup as far as importance to the international soccer community.

TV – Mad Men, Game of Thrones, the new HBO show Newsroom… there are plenty of quality summertime shows that can keep you safely indoors while your healthy friends “better themselves” out in the heat.

May Day 2012 in the Leipzig Volkspark

Chillin' at the Volkspark

May Day is a national holiday for Europeans, the equivalent of Labor Day in the States. While protesters took to the streets across Europe to demonstrate against spending cuts, higher taxes and lobby for higher wages, I was enjoying the warm sun in the Volkspark in Leipzig, Germany. Unbeknownst to us (me and my family) there was already something in motion in the park today when we arrived.  A tent was set up blasting trance-like music and people were already gathered around relaxing on the grass. Of course, I still don't know who set it up or why.  There was no commercialism, no one selling refreshments (strictly byob) or food. Just music blasting from a tent and people hanging out. We walked into by chance and by the time we left, folks were still arriving on old bikes or in groups by foot. Most were young, but not all.  Most were alternatively decked out but not all.  It was just a nice atmosphere. I played football (soccer) with my son while my wife read and the music played on. It was a typical scene for Leipzig.  There always seem to be something going on. Problem is you have to be in the know to always take advantage of  it (and I'm not).  But sometimes that adds to the experience, which was exactly the case this afternoon.

KY News May Day Roundup

• The UK men’s basketball team will visit the White House on Friday to discuss diplomacy with Syria to be honored for their championship.
• Reeetchie’s woes keep getting worse.
• Jack Conway and Steve Beshear will get together to discuss KASPER, a monitoring plan to help in the fight against prescription pill abuse.
• Rondo’s chest bump into an NBA ref will land him a 1-game ban.  Is that better or worse than punching glass?
• The B&P blog points us to a NYT article about Rep. Ben Chandler's 7 point lead over challenger Andy Barr.

Breaking News! - Penguin Poops on Senate Floor

Yet another Kentuckian has made their opinion on David Williams clear as Poopy the Penguin (I'm just guessing that's his name) pooped near the Senate President's desk while presenting a resolution on the Senate floor.  Williams was the one to point out the incident to the keeper of the penguin.

News Roundup

• Darius Miller broke into the 1,000 point club last night against Arkansas-Little Rock, being the first since Patrick Patterson to do so.  Meanwhile Anthony Davis is already tied for the 10th spot of the single-season block record.
• As we mentioned below, Gatewood Galbraith passed away at 64.  The cause for death is now being called chronic emphysema.
• February 7th is the date for the runoff election of Jamie Comer's successor in the Kentucky House of Representatives.  The winner gets to hold the seat for a whole 11 months!
• Richie Farmer's girlfriend made headlines when she was hired by the Ag Commissioner (Richie Farmer).  Now's she's making headlines for being fired by the new one.

Gatewood Galbraith, Dead at 64

Sad news today as we learn that Gatewood Galbraith passed away.  The cause of death is unknown at this time.  Gatewood has been a celebrated figure in Kentucky politics as his views on the environment, marijuana legalization and education always seemed to buck the current trends in state politics.  During this last gubernatorial race, Galbraith was the only candidate that stood up adamantly against mountain top removal coal mining.  The state will be less informed, and less interesting, without Gatewood.

New Year's News

• UK has ascended to No. 2 in the rankings after Ohio State's loss to Indiana on Saturday.
• The Lexington Herald's John Cheves tells us what to expect from the upcoming General Assembly.
• The reinforcement process of the Sherman Minton Bridge will speed up with the daily arrival of steel.
• Former UK big man Josh Harrellson is not only starting for the Knicks but getting double-doubles (I know, right?!)
• Meanwhile, Demarcus Cousins isn't happy with the Kings and is rumored to be requesting a trade, though his agent is denying it.  

News Roundup

Calling Kentucky has been napping doing some important business during the holiday season but we poked our heads out from underneath the covers to create another news roundup for those of you interested in what's going on in the state.

• Though Kentucky defeated Chattanooga with relative easy on Saturday, they did so without Terrence Jones who dislocated his pinkie finger.  The pictures on KSR were gag-worthy.  News today is that TJ will miss practice and is uncertain in tomorrow's match-up with Samford.
• The state is paying over $6 million for a wildlife recreation center to RLF Lexington Properties, a company co-owned by a big-time donor to Kentucky politics.
• CN2 reporter Kenny Colston is taking his talents to NPR.
• Tea Partier and Lewis County Judge Executive Thomas Massie might be in line to run for Geoff Davis's soon-to-be-vacated seat.
• In case you haven't seen it yet, here's the future of Rupp Arena:

UK Drops to No. 3 in Polls

In the new polls (both the Coach’s Poll and the AP Poll) Kentucky has fallen from number 1 to number 3 after Saturday’s loss to Indiana in Bloomington.

So, we’re down to three.  Not so bad.  I’m a little confused about how Ohio State holds their spot at number 2.  I know that Jared Sullinger was out for that game, but shouldn’t they drop at least one spot?  Not even one?  We were without Terrence Jones.  Doesn’t that mean something? (rimshot)

I’m not going to pile on TJ, though.  I yelled at the guy quite a bit during the game and I’m sure Cal will be giving him a fair amount of punishment this week in practices.  4 points, 1 rebound and 6 turnovers.  Poor.  Very poor.  He did have 1 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks but it was nowhere near enough to compensate for his lackluster contribution to this team.  He should have dominated and instead he just disappeared…  Okay, so I guess I’ll pile on, too, but I’ll add that TJ is still the same player that stepped up against UNC and Kansas and St. Johns.  He’s still that guy.  He just wasn’t against Indiana.  As long as it doesn’t become a habit, which is the fear of many UK fans, then all will be forgiven.

The last play was also baffling, with poor defense and the lack of a crucial foul.  Free throws were an issue, though to be honest, I’ve learned that anytime we lose under Cal, you will always be able to point at free throws.  I don’t see that changing, and considering all of the pro’s we get with Calipari (no pun intended), poor free throw shooting is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.  Don’t forget that Billy Gillispie’s teams shot free throws very well.

MKG is the perfect fan favorite.  He can’t really shoot… and that’s about all I can think of that the guy can’t do.  He can take it to the rim, he can dunk, he can pass, he can press, he can defend the quickest guy on the other team, he pushes on every play and he never, ever gives up.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Kidd-Gilchrist leads the team in rebounding this year.  When you think about the fact that both our four and five are lottery picks, that makes it even more impressive. 

Darius was a no show until some crucial moments in the second half.  We’d be in big trouble without Lamb, but everyone still gets scared when he runs the point.  Anthony Davis looks like he might be adding a jump shot to his repertoire which would be lethal.  Vargas is no longer a joke.  Teague really does have it in him to be one of the best point guards in college basketball, if he can only stop having complete half’s when he is non-existent.

All in all, a disappointing weekend, but it’s not the end of the world.  Indiana is now a game we’ll look forward to just a little bit more, players have a chance to deal with defeat and improve upon their shortcomings.

I’m still pissed though.

Headlines?

Things have been a bit slow this week, but surely to Cal I can put together something that resembles important state headlines, right?

• Tax receipts for the state fell 2.8% in November compared to November of 2010.
• The UK women's basketball team beat Duke last night in Rupp Arena by a score of 72-65.  Our women ain't playing around this year.  They're ranked number 10 as of today and this makes the second top ten team that they've beaten, No. 6 Duke and No. 10 Louisville.
• Barefoot and Progressive tells us that Rand Paul is having a slap fight with a couple of big name Republicans in Marco Rubio and Newt Gingrich.  
• Meanwhile, the UK men are going to take on a fired up IU team in Bloomington tomorrow afternoon (5:15 ET on ESPN) as Hoosiers all across the state of Indiana are once again finding their inner-smack talk.

via SI/CNN

Let's hope we kill them

Boehner Goggles

No doubt that Speaker Boehner would probably choose Ohio State to win over Kentucky but during Saturday's clash with UNC, Boehner, who was attending the game with Joe Craft, put up three goggles while wearing Kentucky blue.  This is first good decision the man has made in years, so kudos.

via CN2

If you missed the game, then shame on you.  UK pulled a 73-72 victory over the Tar Heels with Anthony Davis getting a crucial block on the last shot of the game.  Kentucky now holds on to the number 1 ranking for another week, so suck it Ohio State.  The Cats play again on Saturday when they travel to Bloomington to take on IU.

KY Father Forgets Child in Shopping Cart

WLEX got a nod on the Howard Stern Show today as Robin Quivers mentioned the story about the Nicholasville father who left his small child in a shopping cart while loading up groceries in a Kroger parking lot.  The child is fine, by the way.