Slap Shots

Perfectly Imperfect

2010-06-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

SlapShot column published June 10 in the Woodford Sun

Life is messy.

And for all of our technological advancement, for all of our accumulated knowledge, for all of our yearning and striving, we’ve not been able to change that basic fact.

Messy.

Things don’t turn out the way we want them to. We seldom enjoy as much control as we’d like to imagine. And when all’s said and done, life simply isn’t fair.

Just ask Armando Galarraga.

The Detroit Tiger pitcher put away 26 straight Cleveland Indian batters on June 2. No hits. No walks. No errors. The cusp of perfection. He put away number 27 too. But the one man who counts didn’t see it that way, at least not in the moment that mattered. First base umpire Jim Joyce called Cleveland Indians’ Jason Donald safe at first base.

He clearly wasn’t.

And in that moment, Galarraga stepped out of the pages of baseball history books, into the pages of baseball history books. Instead of going down as the 21st pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw a perfect game, the Tiger hurler will go down as the victim of perhaps the worst call in the annals of Major League Baseball.

It was so bad, even the ump later admitted he was wrong, in a rare display of officiating humility.

“It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the (stuff) out of it," Joyce said, clearly distraught, after the game. “I just cost that kid a perfect game. I thought he beat the throw. I was convinced he beat the throw, until I saw the replay.”

We all saw the replay. Out. By almost a step.

And immediately, the calls came to set things right. Since it should have been the final out of the game, change the call after the fact. Record the play as what it was – an out at first base. And give Galarraga his perfect game.

It seems so simple. So clear cut. So right.

But stop and consider for just one moment – it really wasn’t a perfect game, was it?

Not if perfection means perfection. Joyce made the wrong call. But isn’t officiating part of the game? Doesn’t the human element ultimately rule the world of sports just like it does in “real life” ?

After Dallas Braden threw his perfect game a few weeks back, I pointed out that perfection doesn’t belong to the pitcher alone. It also belongs to every player who takes the field. It belongs to the manager. And indeed, it belongs to the umpire.

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first perfect game blown up by a bad call. In 1994, one base runner marred a perfect game for Oakland A’s pitcher Bobby Witt. Greg Gagne reached on a bunt single with one out in the sixth inning. Replays show Gagne was clearly out.

Witt didn’t get his perfect game. Heck, he didn’t even get an apology.

And on it goes. How many times could we look back and say if it weren’t for this call or that call, then we’d have witnessed a different outcome?

As my stepdad often said, “If a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his butt every time he hopped.”

Officiating calls weave themselves into the fabric of a game, just like hits, tackles, goals and errors. If we start pulling at the threads by changing an outcome here and there after the fact, eventually the entire fabric falls apart.

And I think fallibility is important. The human factor makes sports interesting. Otherwise, we might as well just watch a computer game.

Imagine for a moment that Joyce made the right call. Galarraga would have gotten his perfect game. And in two years, few but the most dedicated baseball fan would likely remember the moment. Instead we got something different. Something even non-baseball fans will likely remember. A little humanity in the midst of big-time sports.

The next night, in a rematch between the Indians and Tigers, Joyce got the call as home plate ump. And Detroit manager Jim Leyland sent Galarraga out to bring the starting lineup card to the plate. The two men shook hands. Joyce patted Galarraga on the back.

“That was one of the coolest things I've ever seen,” Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge said. “What sets that apart from anything that's probably happened in a long time in our sport is the absolute sportsmanship of it. I'll tell you what, Galarraga and Joyce are two true gentlemen, period, in the way that they handled themselves. People will always remember that. I'll never forget it.”

Neither will I.

Quick Shots

Do you enjoy football? Can you get a video camera pointed in the right direction? If so, the Woodford County High School football team could use your help. Coach Steve Stonebraker is looking for filmers for summer practices and games. Summer practices will begin at 6 in the evenings. If interested contact Stonebraker at steve.stonebraker@woodford.kyschools.us.

Speaking of summer practices, Jay Lucas had a little smile on his face after the Woodford County High School girls’ basketball team kicked off its summer scrimmages with four W’s. On June 3, the Lady Jackets beat Boyle County 36-19 and then topped Madisonville 49-32. On June 5, Woodford pummeled West Jessamine 53-18 and then whipped Burgin 51-23. Mark it down now – this Lady Jacket squad will make some noise next season.

Quote of the Week

“It’s probably not his fault. His wife wears the firesuit in the family - tells him what to do. So, it’s probably not his fault.” – NASCAR driver Joey Logano talking about Kevin Harvick after Harvick spun the No. 20 out during the June 6 Sprint Cup race at Pocono.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of the goalie playing against my team in a tournament down in Knoxville on June 6 for the worst display of sportsmanship I’ve ever witnessed in person. After the referee failed to blow a play dead, resulting in a goal for Lexington, the Gangrene goalie (yes, that was the name of his team, which should tell you something) launched into a profanity laced tirade that could have blistered the ears of a sailor. Next, he proceeded to follow the ref to the bench, dropping his gloves, (international hockey language for “We’re gonna fight.”) and continuing to creatively string together obscenities. Then he chest butted the ref. To his credit, the stunned official kept his cool and calmly ejected the unhinged netminder. About five minutes later, the nutcase came out of the locker room, half undressed, to continue his tirade. Somebody dragged him away before cops were called. After the game, I saw the guy in the parking lot. He was with his wife and infant son. She must be so proud. I was not surprised to see him wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey.

So many ways to look at the Eric Bledsoe situation

2010-06-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Originally published in the Woodford Sun on June 3, 2010

Well, it sure didn’t take long for the wispy smoke of suspicion to blanket the Bluegrass State.

Is a conflagration closing in?

Last week, the New York Times ran a story revealing an NCAA investigation into possible violations surrounding the recruitment of former University of Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe. Suspicion surrounds an amazing academic turnaround during Bledsoe’s senior year in high school, along with allegations that his high school coach paid his mother’s rent and demanded cash payments from schools pursuing the Birmingham A.H. Parker High School star prior to his signing with UK.

According to reports, Brenda Axle, the landlord for the house Bledsoe lived in during his senior year, says A.H. Parker coach Maurice Ford paid four months rent totaling $1,200.

The UK guard’s transcripts also tell an unlikely tale. Going into his final year of high school, Bledsoe had a grade point average in core courses of about 1.9. To reach NCAA eligibility, he had to bring his GPA up to 2.5. A compliance officer said it wasn’t an impossible achievement, but would take an “extraordinary senior year academically” to reach the minimum NCAA qualification.

Finally, the New York Times reports an unnamed coach who recruited Bledsoe claims Ford told his staff that he needed a specific amount of money to let Bledsoe sign.

Ford denied the allegations, telling the Times, “I don’t prostitute my kids.” UK says it did nothing wrong, pointing out that the NCAA Eligibility Center cleared Bledsoe. Kentucky coach John Calipari? Well, he hasn’t said much of anything.

This story makes me feel a little bit like a spectator at a tennis match. The ball can bounce so many ways and spin in a multitude of directions. It makes for a number of “on the one hand, but on the other hand” scenarios.

On the one hand, no indication exists that Calipari did anything wrong. And in fact, he was never directly implicated in any NCAA investigations, even though Calipari-led Memphis and UMASS teams had to vacate wins due to rules violations.

Many in the sports world (UK fans call them haters) are quick to cast aspersions on the Wildcat skipper, assuming that he cheats because: A. He demonstrates uncanny and unbelievable success landing top recruits and B. NCAA investigators seem follow him like a mutt tracking a man with a steak in his pocket. A strong circumstantial case to be sure, but I’m not sure it’s fair to condemn the man without proof of his guilt.

On the other hand, how much billowing smoke does it take before we finally admit a fire is blazing nearby? And smoke surrounds Calipari in the same way it fills a cigar bar in downtown Tampa.

Not once. Not twice. No – three times NCAA investigators have descended upon programs coached by Calipari. It only took a year for them to make their way to Lexington. In case you folks wearing Big Blue glasses haven’t noticed, there is one common denominator here.

On the one hand, UK points out that the NCAA cleared Bledsoe to play college hoops. Kentucky’s defense seems to rest upon this fact.

“He was academically cleared. That’s all, from a university standpoint, we can go on. That’s what the NCAA Clearinghouse is for,” Stephen Branscum, vice president of the UK Board of Trustees, said.

On the other hand, this sounds a whole lot like Memphis’s argument in the case of Derrick Rose. And that didn’t work out so well for them.

On the one hand, if Bledsoe’s high school coach did pay rent for the family, you have to have a little sympathy for the situation. The kid was dirt poor. According to reports, he spent a lot of time sleeping on friends’ and relatives’ couches as his mother struggled to make ends meet. High school coaches are often closer to their players than anybody. They sometimes serve as father figures. They get an up-close and personal look at the circumstances that define these kids' existence. From a human standpoint, can you really blame a man for reaching out to help a poor kid’s family when facing eviction and homelessness?

Ford even alludes to this in the New York Times story, saying he did nothing wrong.

“I’m a poor black man. And when one black man tries to help another black man, there’s always something wrong.”

On the other hand, if Ford paid the rent, there is definitely something wrong. Rules are rules, and high school coaches can’t go around paying expenses for players. Under NCAA rules, a coach paying a student’s family’s rent would be considered an impermissible benefit. Good intentions or not, it’s against the rules. Period. So, find another solution to the kid’s problem.

And the cynic in me could easily conclude that Ford was an opportunist, looking to squeeze a little cash out of a cash cow that landed in his back yard. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but if Ford really demanded payments from coaches in return for Bledsoe’s signature, it takes a few steps beyond tacky.

Only time will tell how this will all pan out. Personally, I can’t help but think that it won’t turn out well for Kentucky fans. Guilty or not, it looks like Kentucky has landed itself in a pickle.

Quick Shots

Did you see Mike Conway crash during the final lap of the Indianapolis 500? Conway’s car went airborne and exploded into a bajillion pieces. My 10-year-old son saw a replay of the crash when we were out eating. His eyes went wide. “He’s dead,” Brendan said matter-of-factly. But Conway wasn’t dead. He did suffer multiple breaks in his leg and a compression fracture of the spine, but he’s still living and breathing. The fact that the driver survived such a horrific wreck stands as a testament to the safety features built into modern race cars. Pretty amazing.

Perfection. Twice in one year. Just weeks after Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game, Roy Halladay repeated the feat. The Florida Marlins’ hurler threw 115 pitches and struck out 11 batters, as Florida topped the Philadelphia Phillies 1-0. It’s the first time in MLB history that there were two perfect games in the same season. Also, pretty amazing.

Speaking of smoke and fire, will they actually prove the latest doping violations against bicycle racing phenom Lance Armstrong? Former U.S. Postal Service teammate Floyd Landis claims he used performance enhancing drugs with Armstrong.

Quote of the Week

“I don't think there's anything a guy like me can say to congratulate a star of his level.” – Oakland A’s pitcher Dallas Braden, who pitched the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history on why he didn’t call Roy Halladay after he threw the 20th perfect game less than three weeks later.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of former NBA and UK basketball star Antoine Walker – again. This time for filing for bankruptcy. It’s not so much that he went bankrupt. It’s that he earned multi-millions of dollars playing a game and then went bankrupt. Walker is no stranger to financial woes. Last November, he agreed to pay back $900,000 so settle Las Vegas bad check charges connected to gambling. Hmmm … I wonder if the gambling might have something to do with those financial woes.

Pulling for the underdog

2010-04-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my April 8 column from the Woodford Sun

Butler got its foot all the way into the slipper.

But at the last possible second, the glass shattered, littering the floor of Lucas Oil Stadium with shards of the Bulldogs’ NCAA Championship Fairy Tale.

As the clock struck zero, the ball sailed through the air. A bounce. Off the backboard. A bounce. Off the rim. A final of couple of bounces on the hardwood and it was over.

Duke fans celebrated.

Most everyone else flipped off their television sets with a sense of sadness.

Without a doubt, the majority of fans were pulling for Butler. That little school in Indianapolis wormed its way into the consciousness of college basketball fans across the Fruited Plain with an impressive NCAA run. Well over 90 percent of the respondents to a LEX18.com poll said they were pulling for the Bulldogs. Sure, one could chalk that up to a visceral hatred for Duke around these parts, but I have a feeling the results wouldn’t have been a whole lot different in any other part of the country – save along North Carolina’s Tobacco Road.

We love underdogs.

People naturally pull for the little guy. And the Bulldogs were the quintessential David facing Goliath (aka Duke). Butler, a small private school with an enrollment of 4,200, faced an NCAA basketball perennial power. According to Darren Rovell of CNBC Sports, last year Duke spent $394,068 per player on expenses. Butler spent $347,108 – total. As in player expenses for the whole program.

Yes, we love to pull for that underdog.

Some of the most compelling stories in sports revolve around the little guy knocking off the big boys – North Carolina State upsetting Houston in the 1983 NCAA title game, the United States beating the USSR in the 1980 Olympics, the Joe Namath led New York Jets knocking off the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

When the commoner comes away with the crown, it gives the rest of us a little glimmer of something we all yearn for, something we desperately need.

Hope.

Most of us view ourselves as relatively common folk. And day after day, we beat our heads against institutions and obstacles that seem to intentionally conspire to thwart our success. Government red tape. Mean spirited bosses. Financial setbacks. It creates a sense of powerlessness, a feeling that we will never find the means to rise above the challenges and attain the lofty goals we set for ourselves.

But when a school like Butler comes onto the scene and starts knocking off the giants, we sit up and take notice. And it serves as a reminder that we can triumph – we can overcome. No matter how the system may stack up against us, if we persevere, work hard and keep pushing, we too can reach the Promised Land. The Butlers of the world remind us of the possibilities in our own lives.

There’s another lesson if we dig a little deeper. Overcoming takes a lot of work and a healthy dose of persistence. The Bulldogs have been building toward this Final Four appearance for years. While they popped onto most fans’ radar only recently, Butler has quietly built a solid program over the last several years. The Bulldogs made the NCAA tourney nine of the last 14 years. They reached the Sweet 16 three times in the past eight years. And they did it the hard way: developing players that the bigger programs overlooked, emphasizing basketball fundamentals and with some good old fashioned hard work.

The Butler program didn’t give up when it didn’t immediately succeed. It didn’t make excuses and whine about the unfairness of the system. It didn’t fold up camp after its first tourney exit. They pressed on. The fought on. The struggled on,

So Butler offers us hope. The little guy doesn’t finish last.

But Butler also offers a challenge. The Bulldogs remind us to keep fighting, to keep working and to press onward.

Quick Shots

When West Virginia senior Da’Sean Butler went down late in the Mountaineers’ NCAA semi-final match-up against Duke, WVU coach Bob Huggins rushed onto the court to comfort his player, who was writing in agony from what turned out to be a torn ACL. Huggins kneeled down next to Butler and enveloped him in a hug. Leaning close, to the seniors face, Huggins spoke words of comfort and remained in that position until Butler calmed down enough to come off the floor. It was one of the most tender moments I have ever witnessed during a sporting event. There was no doubting Huggins’ genuine love and concern for his player.

Here’s an amusing quote I saw after Duke won its fourth National Title. “You can't have Duke without UK.” Of course it looses a little bit considering the Cats were sitting in their living rooms watching the Dukies win it all.

In its march through the NCAA Tournament, Butler held every opponent to under 60 points – that is until the championship game. Duke scored 61.

Quote of the Week

“They write books, I read them.” – Butler basketball coach Brad Stevens, referring to the big name coaches he’s faced in the NCAA Tournament, including Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of former major league pitcher Dwight Gooden. The 1985 Cy Young Award winner was arrested on March 23. Police say Gooden was driving his 5-year-old son to school when he rear-ended a Mercedes and then left the scene. Officers pulled him over minutes later and found his son unrestrained in the back seat. Police charged Gooden with driving under the influence of drugs, leaving the scene of an accident and child endangerment. The former major leaguer released a statement claiming he had been using the prescribed sleep medication Ambian. Just a little tip for Dwight – sleeping pills might make you sleepy.

UK's rent-a-player program

2010-04-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my April 1 column published in the Woodford Sun.

Wow.

That didn’t last long.

It seems like just yesterday, University of Kentucky fans were wondering how the Wildcat basketball team was going to rebuild.

Today, University of Kentucky fans are wondering how the Wildcat basketball team is going to rebuild.

True, it feels much different this year. The Cats are coming off a successful season. SEC regular season and tourney champs, 35 wins, a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. And the program has a coach known for recruiting prowess. John Calipari certainly proved that during his inaugural season in the Bluegrass.

But UK faces a mass exodus of talent. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson will almost certainly bolt for the NBA. And most pro scouts rank Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton as first round NBA picks as well.

So, Coach Cal will have to reload. And I don’t doubt that he can do it. But is this really what Kentucky fans want? A rent-a-player program? A training ground for the NBA? A string of one-and-doners walking through a blue and white revolving door?

I have to admit, even as a relatively tepid UK fan, I was getting caught up in the Cats’ NCAA tourney run. More than that, I was starting to fall for this team. In the last couple of months, the squad developed a personality. I liked it. Not just the basketball skill. I saw that in the beginning. But as the season progressed, I began to understand the characters that made the team click. Dancing Wall. Joking Cousins. Cerebral Patterson.

And then they walked out my life in a rain of West Virginia treys.

I went to bed after that loss to the Mountaineers feeling a little empty. Maybe even a little emotionally numb. It wasn’t just the loss. It was the realization that, as amazing as the season turned out, it was so fleeting, so temporary – so ephemeral.

And for all of my support of Calipari, I’m beginning to think his approach to building a team may not really turn out to be all that great. Oh, it will probably win more games than it will lose. It may even yield an NCAA championship or two. But it lacks heart. It lacks soul. It lacks substance.

A friend of mine, a lawyer out in Las Vegas, wrote the following.

"The University of Kentucky hereby agrees that the term of rental for Mr. Wall shall be one (1) year, and upon expiration of such period, the University shall return Mr. Wall in good condition, reasonable wear and tear excepted, provided that the University shall be entitled to retain all revenue generated out of or arising in connection with use of Mr. Wall during such period."

When I first read Scott’s little Facebook post, I chuckled. But as I thought about it, I realized that my buddy succinctly captured the reality of the 2009-2010 Kentucky basketball season.

This Big Blue team was never really ours.

It was a collection of players who stopped here in the Bluegrass on their way to something else. Can we really expect these kids to develop a passion for the program? Can we really believe they will truly weave themselves into the fabric of the community? Granted, they seemed to embrace Kentucky hoops, but only for a moment. And now it’s over.

Maybe I’m just old fashioned, pining away for a time long gone. Perhaps this is just the reality of big time college athletics in the 21st Century. The best players chase the money to the NBA as soon as they can. And I don’t begrudge them this. So maybe Cal’s approach is the best way to win. Get the best players, utilize their services for a season or two and send them on their way.

But I’m not sure I buy it. Not anymore. After this tourney it seems a little like a get-rich-quick scheme. It promised a lot. It looked good for quite awhile. But it didn’t quite deliver, did it?

Quick Shots

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins’s record against UK skipper John Calipari stood at 7-1 going into the NCAA Elite 8 match-up between the two schools. After watching the game, I can see why. Huggins out-coached Cal. UK never adjusted defensively to the suddenly hot shooting Mountaineers. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say Cal over adjusted. West Virginia hit 8-of-15 three pointers in the first half. Even so, the Cats only trailed by seven at the intermission. But UK panicked. Odds are, the typically mediocre outside shooting Mountaineers were not going to put together a repeat performance in the second half. The Cats would have likely been better served to keeping packing in the middle instead of coming out to guard the arc and opening up the paint.

Not only that, Cal’s Cats seemed flummoxed by the West Virginia 1-3-1 zone. It was no mystery that it was coming.

But hindsight is 20-20. And the truth is, UK was not going to win that game missing 13 free throws and 28 three-point attempts.

Finally, an exciting NASCAR finish that did not involve the No. 48. After losing a late lead with an ill advised pit stop. Denny Hamlin took advantage of a yellow flag, and then charged past Jeff Gordon in the final lap to win the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville. Jimmie Johnson was never a factor and finished ninth.

Here’s a little humor for you Wildcat fans. How do you know it’s spring in Kentucky? Cardinals sitting on the couch, watching Cats play basketball.

Quote of the Week

“More than anything, it's money. In this world, there's only one color that matters, and that's green.” – University of Kentucky freshman basketball player Daniel Orton (He later said in a Twitter post that he was just kidding.)

Puck to the Head

This week, pucks fly at the heads of all those University of Louisville fans talking trash after UK lost in the Elite 8. I’m all for a little friendly verbal smack down. But you should really have some high ground from which to throw your taunts. Last I checked Louisville left the party long ago, without so much as an NCAA party favor.

Something positive from big time sports

2010-03-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

A repost of my March 25 SlapShots column published in the Woodford Sun.

Cynicism comes naturally to the sports reporter.

It seems that each week I find another negative story to focus on. Arrests. Cheating. Sex scandals. Outrageous comments.

Boorish behavior seems almost the norm for the big time athlete. And unfortunately that leads many sports fans, and detractors alike, to share the cynicism, to assume the worst. Players and coaches tend to find themselves guilty until proven innocent, especially those part of winning programs.

For all of its on court success this season, the University of Kentucky basketball team is no exception. I recently had a conversation with a colleague who insists the program is tainted and that scandal will eventually seep out of the darkest corners of Rupp Arena.

Why? Because he sees the program as a win-at-all cost organization led by a win-at-all cost coach. He reasons that the school will cut corners, recruit bad characters and ultimately mingle with the seedy cast inhabiting the shadows of big time NCAA hoops.

He might be right.

But the evidence, at least in the early going, does not support this notion,

For all of its impressive accomplishments on the court, this UK squad has matched its basketball success with equally notable “decent human being” moments off the court, outside the glare of the spotlight.

One story made national news last week. Rebekah Sims was celebrating her 16th birthday at P.F. Chang’s in Fayette Mall. Wildcat players happened to be sitting at a nearby table, celebrating their SEC Championship. When Rebekah’s older sister asked Patrick Patterson if the players would sing “Happy Birthday,” he arranged a restaurant wide serenade for the birthday girl. Then the players gave her their SEC Championship cake the restaurant had made. But it wasn’t over. About five minutes after the team left, Josh Harrellson returned and presented Rebekah with a basketball signed by the whole team.

“Do you think this would make a good birthday present?” Harrellson reportedly asked as he presented the ball from behind his back.

No, it wasn’t really a big deal. Unless you are a UK fan celebrating your 16th birthday. And that small gesture illuminates something bigger about the character of the kids playing for UK, a fact not lost on Rebekah’s dad, Brian Sims. He sent out an e-mail that ultimately brought national attention to the Cats’ little act of kindness.

“To try to debunk some of the beliefs about the team and the things they’re accused of,” Sims said. “They’re good kids. I think it’s a bad rap.”

He told the Herald-Leader he was referring to commentators’ talk about DeMarcus Cousins’ temper and the notion that UK players are thugs.

Sounds like Sims has experienced the cynicism.

It’s true; singing “Happy Birthday” and giving away a cake and ball doesn’t really prove anything. But consider this: they didn’t have to do it. The players could have easily said, “Sorry, we’re busy.” Or they could have dutifully performed the song and gotten back to their party. But they didn’t. They went above and beyond, and I think that says something about the character of these kids.

And that’s not the only story I’ve heard about UK players going out of their way to engage in a little kindness.

A co-worker had a child participating in a basketball camp at UK last fall. After a session, he and his son ran into John Wall in the hallway. The father asked Wall if he would sign an autograph for his son, who was suddenly overtaken by a fit of shyness. Wall said, “Sure,” and then bent down to face level with the awestruck little boy, stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m John Wall. What’s your name?”

Here’s another. A little boy of about 5-years-old recently approached Cousins. The boy looked up and down the UK big man’s 6-foot-11 frame and finally said, “I like your socks.” Big Cuz scooped the boy up into his arms, ran his hand through the youngsters’ curly locks and said, “I like your hair.”

Small gestures to be sure. But they give us tiny glimpses of a bigger picture. And that image looks pretty good right now.

Sure, the team may eventually disappoint us. Cousins may blow a gasket and embarrass Wildcat nation. Calipari may prove himself the cheater many assume him to be. Cynicism may yet be validated.

But for now, I will give the Wildcats the benefit of the doubt. I will assume the best. And I will enjoy a wonderful moment for the state and the university.

After all, what fun is cynicism, really?

Quick Shots

This year’s NCAA Tournament gods seem intent on mocking my column last week, in which I pooh-poohed low seed teams’ chances to win in the Big Dance. Fifteen lower seeded teams won games in the first two rounds. That said I still don’t support expanding the tourney field and thus expanding the rewards of mediocrity.

The University of Kentucky showed up to the tourney with the one thing needed to make it a nightmare for every other NCAA team pursuing that elusive National Championship – an outside shooting game. In the first two games of the tournament, UK blistered the nets from behind the arc, hitting 22-of-54 3-pointers. (What happened against West Virginia?)

A chill still hangs in the air, but the Woodford County High School baseball and softball teams kicked off the 2010 season the week of March 21. That means warm weather can’t trail far behind.

Jimmy Johnson won – again. The 48 drove to victory on Bristol’s short track. I vacillate between hating Jimmy for his dominance and loving him for his excellence.

Quote of the Week

“To be honest, he’s a terrible trash talker. I mean, that was the worst job I’ve seen in my life. He just kept saying the same thing over and over. Come with a momma joke or something.” – DeMarcus Cousins on Wake Forest center Chad McFarland.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of aforementioned Wake Forest center. McFarland refused to shake hands with Cousins before the Cats’ second round game against the Demon Deacons. I understand the trash talking and physical play that McFarland is known for. It’s designed to throw an opponent off and get under his skin. It’s all part of the game. But the pre-game handshake refusal crossed the line. McFarland proved he isn’t the savvy player he’d like you to think. He’s just a tall skinny jerk.

Did refs steal the game?

2010-03-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

My March 11 SlapShots column printed in the Woodford Sun.

The players and coaches all saw it.

The fans packing McBrayer Arena on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University saw it.

And the 10,000 plus people logging onto ckysports.com to watch the game live or view the replay saw it.

The only ones who didn’t see it were the ones who count – the referees.

Trailing Henry Clay by one point, Franklin County High School senior Lyndon McKee collected the rebound off a missed trey and shoveled the ball back into the basket at the buzzer, giving the Flyers an apparent 1-point victory in the quarterfinals of the 11th Region Tournament.

The Franklin County celebration was short lived.

The three-man referee crew ruled the shot was taken after the buzzer. They waved the basket off. Henry Clay waved bye-bye.

A big red light comes on in the backboard when the clock strikes zero. It clearly illuminated after the shot hit the glass. The bucket should have counted.

Flyer fans, players and coaches went from stunned to livid in a matter of seconds.

“The referees blew the call. Franklin County won the game,” one Flyer supporter emphatically stated on Facebook.

He’s right on one count. The refs blew the call. They blew it bad. And the crew made it worse by refusing to utilize the available video replay to get the call right.

But the Flyers did not win the game.

Really, I checked.

And as egregious as the missed call was, I refuse to blame the refs for the Flyer loss. Franklin County must ultimately take responsibility for the outcome of its game.

Yes, the refs blew it. Yes, if the refs get that call right, the record would look a whole lot different. And yes, in a sense, the call yanked a win from the Flyers’ grasp.

But as my dad always used to say, “If a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his butt every time he hopped.”

Here’s my point. Refs mess up. We all know this. Kentucky high school officiating ranks somewhere between dismal and pathetic. But ultimately, a team must accept responsibility for its performance on the court or field. So, if you don’t want the refs to determine the outcome of a game, don’t put yourself in a position to allow the refs to determine the outcome of the game.

Franklin County put itself in that position and it got burned.

Consider this: Michael Samples missed both of his free throw attempts. He hits one, the game’s tied.

Or this: Brandon Jennels shot 0-for-9 from the field. He hits just one basket, the Flyers win.

Or even this: Henry Clay’s Wes Kimball stole the ball and hit a layup with 25 seconds to go in the game. Hold on to the ball, Flyers, and it’s you advancing to the semi-finals.

I could go on. Literally hundreds of factors work together throughout the course of a game to determine the outcome. That final call looms large because it was the final call, and it stands out in the minds of players and fans. But the officials didn’t singularly determine the game’s outcome, any more than any of the factors I just mentioned, or the hundreds that I didn’t.

And I believe another thing makes us quick to pin the loss on the backs of the refs. We live in a society that seeks first to place blame and hesitates to take responsibility. It’s a whole lot easier to play the blame game than it is to look into the mirror and admit that we didn’t quite play well enough to win.

Franklin County lost the game. Did the Flyers play well enough to win? Not quite. Did they deserve to win? No.

Franklin County put itself in a position to allow the refs to determine its destiny. Next time, don’t do that. Hit those free throws. Protect that ball. Drain those shots. Play better defense.

Because excuses don’t show up on the stat sheets.

Quick Shots
Lady Jacket Alyssa Lucas finished the season ranked fourth in the state in 3-point shooting. The Woodford County junior hit 78 threes off 203 attempts. She averaged 2.8 made treys per game. Lucas actually hit one more than Kasey Young of Danville, who holds the number three spot. But Young played two fewer games. Lucas has made 152 career threes, placing her fourth on the all time list at Woodford County High School. Brittany Henderlight holds the school record for career made threes with 216.

Lucas was Woodford County’s representative on the 11th Region All Tournament Team.

Boy, NASCAR sure did back itself into the corner. As the 2010 season kicked off, NASCAR announced that it was loosening rules on bumping and aggressive racing, hoping to inject more excitement into the sport. The rule was also widely interpreted to mean drivers had a little more leeway to police themselves on the track. Well, it sure worked. During the Kobalt Tools 500, Carl Edwards took matters into his own hands and intentionally wrecked Brad Keselowski, continuing a long running feud between the two drivers. And Keselowski deserved it. The No. 12 has left a trail of wreckage in his wake since moving up to the Sprint Cup Series. He wrecked Edwards last year at Talladega and caused a wreck that knocked the No. 99 out of most of last week’s race. But not even Edwards expected the nasty crash that occurred, with Keselowski's car flipping into the air and crashing into the fence upside down. Keselowski took exception.

“To come back and intentionally wreck someone, that's not cool -- you could have killed someone in the grandstands," Keselowski said. "It will be interesting to see how NASCAR reacts to it. They have the ball. If they're going to allow people to intentionally wreck each other at tracks this fast, we will hurt someone either in the cars or in the grandstands.”

Well, NASCAR reacted harshly. On March 9, it handed down a three-race probation. So apparently NASCAR wants to put the genie back in the bottle. In the meantime, I’ll be watching next week to see who Keselowski wrecks.

Quote of the Week
“We have so much growing up to do. I’m really worried on that front. If we’re not changing, we’re going into that big tournament where we are. And that’s worrisome to me.” – University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

Puck to the Head
This week’s puck flies at the head of Ben Roethlisberger. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback is being investigated for sexual assault. Again. This time the alleged assault took place at a Georgia night club. Roethlisberger has also been sued by a woman who claims he raped her at a Lake Tahoe hotel back in 2008. Really, Ben? I wouldn’t think it would be that hard for you to get a date.

The nature of a miracle

2010-03-03T09:18:00.000-08:00

A reprint of my SlapShots column published Feb. 25 in the Woodford Sun

Monday, Feb. 22, marked the 30th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice.” That day, the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team, made up completely of amateur college players, defeated the mighty Soviet team at Lake Placid in the 1980 Winter Games.

The day before the anniversary, the current U.S. squad pulled off a pretty big upset, beating favored Canada 5-3 in an Olympic preliminary round match-up in Vancouver.

As the Canadians seem compelled to remind us, hockey is their game. And as annoying as that statement has become, it contains some truth. The Great White North birthed the sport, and despite the inroads American and European players have made over the years, Canadians dominate the National Hockey League. Canada stacked its Olympic squad with NHL firepower and star power, and they remain heavily favored to win the gold on their home ice.

But the young, spunky American squad skated into the Olympics with a chip on its shoulder, and the Americans pulled off the upset. It’s a poignant reminder that a collection of all-stars doesn’t necessarily equal a great team.

Make no mistake – this was a huge win for the Americans. It was the first victory over a Canadian Olympic team since 1960. And it came on Canadian home ice, in an arena overflowing with a hostile crowd. On the upset scale, it was something akin to Gardner-Webb knocking off UK at Rupp.

Seriously – it can happen.

Still, some pundits have gotten a little carried away with the U.S. win.

Perhaps it’s the proximity to the anniversary. Perhaps it’s the fact that the average American instantly associates hockey with the upset of the Russians. Perhaps it represents some desire to recapture the past or generate some buzz. Whatever it is, some commentators have tried to tie the upset of Canada to the Miracle game of 1980.

Sorry – not even close.

First off, you just can’t equate one squad of NHL players beating a slightly better squad of NHL players with the history-making upset of the Soviet machine. Every player competing in last week’s game between Canada and the U.S. plays in the NHL. But that 1980 team was all amateur. Just a bunch of kids really. And the Soviets? Well yes, they were all amateur too.

*wink-wink, nudge-nudge*

In fact, that Soviet squad whipped the NHL All Star team in the months before the Olympics. They were, in essence, a professional team, and some still argue that the Soviets fielded one of the best hockey teams ever assembled.

But the thing that truly set that 1980 Olympic match-up apart from every other sporting event was its time and place. It was the rare sporting event that transcended sport. Al Michaels summed up the significance of the game in the opening moments of the TV broadcast.

“There’s a lot of people in this building who do not know the difference between a blue line and a clothesline. It’s irrelevant. It doesn’t matter because what we have, have had, is the rarest of sporting events. An event that needs no buildup, no superfluous adjectives. In a political or nationalistic sense, I’m sure this game is being viewed with varying perspectives. But manifestly it is a hockey game. The United States and the Soviet Union on a sheet of ice in Lake Placid, New York.”

Indeed, it was merely a hockey game. But for a Cold War era America desperately looking for some sense of optimism, for a reminder of her greatness, for some sign that she would prevail – the game meant much more.

And so an amazing triumph, a bunch of college kids beating the Soviet hockey juggernaut, dramatic in its own right, became something much bigger. It captured an entire country’s imagination. It united a nation. It renewed a sense of pride and hope in the United States.

And it stands as arguably the greatest sports moment in history.

As a hockey fan, I can only hope that the current U.S. squad generates half the interest as the 1980 team. But as big of an upset as the win over Canada was, it received far less attention, and as I type this, the news cycle has moved along to the next big thing.

But that 1980 game … that one lives on. It reminds us that sometimes the little guy triumphs. It reminds us of the power of “team.” And it serves to remind us that sometimes miracles happen.

Do you believe in miracles?

Quick Shots
Due to space and time constraints, I don’t normally give a lot of coverage to junior varsity squads. But the girls’ basketball JV team deserves some ink. The Jackets obliterated Paris 46-11 on Feb. 19 to end its season with a 20-1 record. The only defeat came against Franklin High, and Woodford avenged that loss in the JV District Tournament. Down 27-19 with 1:30 to go, the Jackets scored 11 straight points to pull of a 30-27 win. Shannon McClintock served as the team captain. Chelsey Ford was the leading scorer averaging 12.3 points per game. Jessica Morgan dominated inside as the leading rebounder, averaging just fewer than 10 per game. Shelby McDonald and Anastayzia Reed also started, while Hannah Worrell and Alicia Miller were the first two subs off the bench. Emily Harlow, Emma Kroger, Jamie Muth, Leah Shelton, Audrey Swindell and Bethany Walton all played on the team. Congrats girls!

Here we go again. Jimmy Johnson won another race, taking first at Fontana. It was the 48th career win for the No. 48.

Congrats to the WCHS cheerleaders for their fifth place finish at State!

Quote of the Week
“That elephant on their back just got a little heavier.” – NBC commentator on the pressure team Canada must be feeling after losing to the U.S. on its home ice.

Puck to the Head
This week’s puck flies at the head of Russian figure skater Evegni Plushenko for whining after American Evan Lysacek beat him out for the gold medal. Plushenko apparently felt entitled to the gold simply because he can do a quadruple jump. Never mind that he teetered his way though his program while Lysacek skated nearly flawlessly. “Quad is quad. If the Olympic champion doesn’t know how to jump a quad, I don’t know,” Plushenko said sniveling. “Now it’s not men’s figure skating. It’s dancing, that’s my point.”
Looks to me like ya got beat by a dancer, Plushenko
That’s my point.

Some thoughts on the resignation of WCHS football coach Chris Tracy

2010-02-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

Reprinted from my Feb. 18 SlapShots column

Coaches come and coaches go.

That’s just part of the life of every sports program. But that doesn’t make it any easier for those left behind when a coach makes the decision to move on.

The Woodford County High School football team lost a good one when head football coach Chris Tracy made the decision to step down and accept the coaching position at Franklin County High School.

The move is understandable. Heading to Franklin County represents a homecoming for Tracy, and he sees the change a great opportunity for him and his family. So I don’t fault him for pursuing the Flyers position.

But I’ll be honest, I’m going to miss Chris. I’ve not only grown to respect Tracy as a coach and an educator, he’s become a friend.

And to make matters worse, I now face the prospect of having to train a brand new Yellow Jacket skipper.

Coaches are notoriously hard to train.

Chris Tracy was the first Woodford guy I met when I took over as the Woodford Sun sports editor. I’d been on the job exactly one day when I covered my first Yellow Jacket football game, a 49-34 win over Bardstown. Tracy made the transition from big city news guy to small town sports editor a lot easier through his kindness and respect.

Chris was easy to work with, and believe me, when it comes to coaches that’s not always the case. Win or lose, he always answered my questions. He never seemed put off, never bristled and never refused to answer the tough ones. In fact, Tracy would often bring up controversial issues on his own accord. I always appreciated the fact that he never made excuses. He refused to use referees, field conditions or outside circumstances as scapegoats for a bad performance.

But what truly sets Christ Tracy apart is his love for his kids.

You can criticize Chris’ choice of offensive systems. You can question his play calling. You can say he ran the ball too much, or didn’t run it enough. But nobody can legitimately say that he didn’t care about his players.

In fact, Chris Tracy cares more about the kids on his team than he cares about football.

And once again, in the world of high school sports, that’s not always the case.

Don’t get me wrong; Chris wants to win. He harbors a deep and intense competitive streak. But he always emphasized learning. He always seemed more concerned about making sure his players grew up into good citizens as opposed to great football players. He always looked at the big picture.

Chris emphasized academics. He taught life lessons. He never neglected the spiritual. More than once, I’ve seen the coach put his arm around a kid’s shoulder, pull him close just to share a few encouraging words.

Tracy leaves Woodford County with a 36-39 record, but that’s not his legacy. His legacy resides in the hearts and minds of the kids he coached over the last seven years. Lessons learned. Character built. Boys grown into men.

Yes Chris. We will miss you.

Good luck at Franklin County – until that Friday nigh you play Woodford.

Quick Shots
The University of Kentucky put the fan in fanatic. The Wildcat faithful proved once again that when it comes to basketball passion, no place on earth comes close. More than 22,000 fans packed Rupp Arena for a TV show on Feb. 13. Not for a game. Not even for practice. They came just to watch ESPN broadcast its GameDay program the morning before the UK – Tennessee match-up. Talk about over-the-top. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” GameDay host Rece Davis said. “This place is so special.” Special – or downright insane.

The kickoff of the 2010 NASCAR season had some bumps in the road – literally. Chunks of pavement came loose, forcing officials to delay the Daytona 500 twice for patch jobs. It seemed as if city road crews were doing the repairs. You know, one guy working and a whole gaggle watching. After more two hours worth of delays, Jamie McMurray won the storied race. Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. made all the waiting worthwhile, charging from 10th place to second in the span of one lap to challenge for the win. At least that part was exciting, because if you think watching care drive in circles for hours is boring, you should try watching them sit parked.

That said, the guys at FOX did a pretty good job of keeping things interesting during the delays. Thank the NASCAR gods that this didn’t happen during TNT’s coverage.

The Woodford County High School basketball teams are both peaking at just the right times. With the post season less than two weeks away, both Jacket squads earned big wins. The girls’ team upset Anderson County 50-49. And it didn’t look like a fluke. The Lady Jackets went toe-to-toe with the top team in the 8th Region. Not to be outdone, the boys’ team beat West Jessamine, a Sweet 16 final four team last season and then turned around and took out 15-win Boyle County. It looks like the Jackets are poised to make some noise in the postseason. Wins at the end of the year can make up for a lot of early season frustration.

Is it just me, or have the Olympic opening ceremonies gotten kind of creepy?

Quote of the Week
“That car has no idea how old I am.” – Mark Martin, 51-year-old NASCAR driver

Puck to the Head
This week’s puck flies at the head of the International Luge Federation officials. They claim the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during a training run before the start of the Vancouver Olympics had nothing to do with “deficiencies in the track.” But they built a big wooden wall to cover the steel beams that Kumaritashvili hit at over 90 mph, and placed padding on other exposed beams. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like that might have been a better plan before the crash.

Should they stay or should they go?

2010-02-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

A repost of my Jan. 28 SlapShots column

University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari rarely engages in “coach-speak.” I appreciate that about him.

Every sports fan has heard “coach-speak” before – those virtually meaningless clichés rolled out when the coach doesn’t want to say what he actually thinks. For instance, when asked about a player leaving school early for the pros, 99 out of 100 coaches will rattle off some mundane statement about the athlete doing whatever he thinks best for himself and his family. And after a lot of verbiage, fans and media remain with only the vaguest notion what the coach really thinks.

But oh no, not Cal. No sir. We know exactly what he thinks. The Wildcat skipper embraces the exodus.

When asked if John Wall might possibly return next season, Cal all but showed his superstar point guard the door.

“He had better not be,” Calipari said during an appearance on the Dan Patrick radio show. “I am saying that if he came to me and he was the No. 1 pick in the draft and he said that he wanted to come back, we would probably be wrestling around on the floor. Because there is no reason other than me trying to win more games that he should come back.”

Ahh – honesty.

Agree or disagree, Calipari has an agenda, and part of that agenda involves sending players on to the NBA. And he would gladly see others depart the Bluegrass State along with Wall.

“If we do something unique and special, we’ll lose a bunch of guys. Will you be happy? I’ll be happy.”

Granted, Cal’s optimism stems from the fact that he has no plans to face next season with an empty chamber.

“If something unique and special happens, its reload. Let’s go. Who’s next? And I’d be happy.”

Yes, Calipari makes no bones about turning UK into a farm system for the NBA. He’s not a dumb man. The players may not stay around for more than one or two seasons, but he knows that if he develops a reputation for sending his boys on to the main stage, he will always have a long line of kids waiting to step in for their shot. And Cal also knows that a steady stream of NBA prospects means winning teams and championships.

That’s what he wants. That’s what the university wants. And that’s what the fans want.

This attitude doubtlessly disturbs the purists among us – the idealists who cling tenaciously to the pristine concept of the student-athlete.

And I will admit, there is a part of me that would like to see every player on every team earn their degrees. A little yearning deep inside to see college sports more about the college than the sport. But as I’ve reflected on Calipari’s words over the last few days, I’ve come to realize that I’m nothing but a hypocrite.

I spent four-and-a-half years earning my first college degree, followed up by two more years roaming the hallowed halls of academia pursuing a second degree. Why? So I could move into the work world and earn a good living. So I would possess the tools I need to succeed in my chosen field. And if I could have accomplished all of that in one year, would I given up those other five years of schooling?

You bet your hockey stick I would.

So why is the standard any different for John Wall? If one year playing at UK proves enough to earn him the No. 1 NBA draft pick – the pinnacle of his chosen field – why should he hang around Kentucky? We go to college to prepare for our career. If he’s ready to go – God bless him.

There will be plenty of role players working their way through the Wildcat program. They will contribute to the team and earn four-year degrees. Every now and again, we’ll see a Patrick Patterson. He will likely leave the Cats after his junior year – with his degree. And we will rightly praise their hard work and hold up their academic achievements.

But these players rank no better or no worse than the Walls of the world. Each player – each individual – must chart her or his own path through life.

As for Calipari, he’s about winning games. And he seems to think that recruiting the best with the promise of helping them achieve their dream of going pro is the best way to get that done. Believe me, if Coach Cal brings a winning tradition back to UK, the fans won’t complain. And neither will the administration. The ex-UK players making millions in the NBA surely won’t complain. Seems to me everybody wins.

And for those who really want to embrace academic rigors as a student-athlete, there’s always Vandy.

Quick Shots
It looks like NASCAR plans to go old school. There’s a saying in stock car racing. “If you ain’t rubbin’ you ain’t racin’.” Looks like there’s gonna be some racin’! NASCAR announced last week that it will lift its ban on bump drafting at the Daytona 500. They will also up the horsepower in the season’s opening race with the largest restrictor plate since 1989. NASCAR said it plans to encourage drivers to show more aggression and emotion in the upcoming season. As a Kyle Busch fan, lets just say I can’t wait to see how this works out.

One fairytale had to trump the other. In two equally compelling storylines, the Saints kicked a field goal in overtime to beat the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. In one storybook, you had the 40-year-old Bret Favre showing guts and determination, repeatedly picking himself up off the turf as the New Orleans Saints defense pummeled him play after play. Not even an ankle injury could knock him out of the game. You can’t help respect the toughness and tenacity of the old bird. In the other storybook, you have the Saints, hailing from the Big Easy, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. The Saints had never made it to the Super Bowl and their triumph symbolizes the resurgence of the city itself. You can’t help but share a little joy with the people of New Orleans. It’s just a shame both fairytales couldn’t have happily ever after endings.

I can admit when I’m wrong. I never expected Kentucky’s freshman laden squad to be this good. And after watching the Wildcats dismantle Arkansas, it appears they really are this good. The pollsters agree, making UK the unanimous No. 1. No doubt, there remain plenty of opportunities to slip, but this team has the potential to win it all.

And then UK traveled down to South Carolina. No. 1 - Wow, that didn’t last long.

Quote of the Week
“I keep hearing about this time out. People I’m closest to are going to demand I take some time off, but I tried that already. I tried a day and a half, and it didn’t work.” – Florida Gator football coach Urban Meyer.

Puck to the Head
This week’s puck flies at the head of former major league baseball player Jose Offerman for attempting to punch an umpire in the head during a Dominican Winter Baseball League playoff game. Offerman, serving as interim manager for the Licey Tigers, took a swing at the first base umpire while arguing a call. Offerman played 15 years in the majors. In 2007, he was arrested for assaulting an opposing pitcher and catcher with a bat while playing in the minors. On second thought, a puck to the head might not faze this guy.

Coaches - should they stay or should they go?

2010-01-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

A reprint of my Jan. 21 SlapShots column published in the Woodford Sun

Calvin and Hobbes ranks as my all time favorite comic strip. Calvin and company seldom failed to illicit at least a chuckle, while at the same time providing some pretty insightful commentary on the world we live in.

In one strip, Calvin finds himself in a neo-cubist world, a perspective revealing every side of every object in his room.

“It all started when Calvin engaged his dad in a minor debate. Soon Calvin could see both sides of the issue. Then poor Calvin began to see both sides of everything. The traditional single viewpoint had been abandoned. Perspective has been fractured.”

I felt a little bit like Calvin, suddenly transported into a neo-cubist world, as I followed the saga of Lane Kiffin’s sudden departure from the University of Tennessee football program to take the helm at USC.

On the one hand, I can’t blame a man for wanting to move up the career ladder. To better his position. To grab opportunities as they come along that will ultimately benefit himself and his family.

Kiffin has deep ties to USC and Southern California. He served as an assistant coach for the Trojans from 2001 to 2006, first as a wide receivers coach and later as offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll. He played his college football at Fresno State University. It really shouldn’t surprise anyone that Kiffin would jump at the opportunity to head home and coach one of the premier football programs in the country. I mean really, can you blame him? Can you honestly say you wouldn’t do the same thing in his position?

And fans should know by now – the college football coaching carousel does nothing to foster loyalty. After a couple of losing seasons, the same Volunteer fans and school administrators piously pontificating on Kiffin’s lack of character and fidelity would have picked up the former Vol coach and buried him under the turf of Neyland Stadium faster than the Tennessee band launches into Rocky Top after a Volunteer touchdown.

But come on, Lane. One season? Fourteen months was all you could give? Kiffin didn’t even stay long enough for the orange ink to dry on his letterhead. And that brings us to the other side of the coin. What about the players?

They are the ones who bear the brunt of the ever-shifting coaching landscape of college football. Perhaps players should expect it. But should they? Is it unreasonable to ask that a coach show some loyalty to the kids he recruited. Some sense of commitment to the promises he made?

Coaching football isn’t just about climbing the career ladder. It’s about educating and molding boys into men. What do we teach them about commitment and integrity when we make promises and sign contracts, only to bolt at the first next-best opportunity? Shouldn’t the almighty me become subservient to a greater principle at some point?

But do we expect a coach to stay in the same place forever?

Welcome to my neo-cubist world.

“The multiple views provide too much information. It’s impossible to move. Calvin quickly tries to eliminate all but one perspective.”

So deep in the subplot of this story I find a character who helps snap things into focus and who reminds me that there remains at least a shred of integrity in the world of big-time college football - Duke coach David Cutliffe.

Cutliffe was an offensive coordinator at Tennessee. He also served as head coach at Ole Miss back in 1998. He’s an SEC guy. He took the reigns of the struggling Duke program two years ago. The Blue Devils compiled a 9-15 record over the past two seasons under Cutliffe. As you might guess, Duke isn’t exactly a “destination” position.

But Cutliffe decided to stay, turning down the opportunity to coach a big time program in a big time conference. He said that he wanted to finish what he started at Duke.

“After much thought and consideration, Karen and I reached the decision that Duke is the place for our family,” Cutliffe said in a statement. “We have the best coaching staff in the country, and are convinced that we will continue to build a successful football program that both the Duke and Durham communities will be proud of.”

Cutliffe had a message for those thinking he was sure to take the Tennessee job.

“People that think that was automatic just don’t know me very well.”

There are all kinds of reasons Cutliffe might have turned down the UT job. But I’d like to think that it’s simply because Cutliffe possesses a measure of personal integrity. A desire to see something through to the end. A measure of respect for the kids he coaches and a sense of obligation to his promises.

As Calvin struggles to eliminate all but one perspective, his room snaps back to normal.

“It works. The world falls into recognizable order. ‘You’re still wrong, Dad,’ Calvin says.”

So yeah, I can see Kiffin’s side of things. But you’re still wrong Lane.

Quick Shots
Whew! Another close one for the Wildcats. Kentucky narrowly escaped Auburn with a 5-point win after blowing a 19-point lead. As one publication put it, the Cats have just about used up their nine lives.

I’m no Minnesota Vikings fan, but I can’t help but pull for Brett Favre. As an almost 43-year-old man, I find his youthful exuberance while playing a young man’s game inspiring.

Quote of the Week
“College coaches lie. How do these guys sleep at night? It’s unfair, of course, to include all coaches in the Liars Club, but it’s an odious and ever-expanding group. Put Lane Kiffin in a room with Jeff Jagodzinski, John Calipari, and Rick Pitino and you could make a polygraph machine explode.” - Dan Shaughnessy, Globe columnist

Puck to the Head
This week’s puck flies at the head of Massachusetts Democrat senatorial candidate Martha Coakley for calling former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling a Yankee fan. Schilling summed up how ridiculous the statement was in his blog. “I’ve been called a lot of things. But never, and I mean never, could anyone ever make the mistake of calling me a Yankee fan. Well, check that, if you didn’t know what the hell is going on in your own state, maybe you could.”

WCHS athletic trainer gets the axe

2010-01-28T12:48:00.000-08:00

Winner of the 2009 Kentucky Press Association Best Sports Story - Class 3 Weekly (circulation over 4,600.) Originally published July 9, 2009

The Bluegrass Community Hospital announced last week that it has eliminated the athletic training position at Woodford County High School, leaving the future of Walker Terhune’s job unclear. The announcement left school officials scrambling to find alternative funding with the start of football, soccer, cross country and volleyball practices only weeks away.

Terhune served as the Yellow Jacket athletic trainer for three years, providing on the field medical care and rehabilitation services to athletes in every sports program at the school. Bluegrass Community Hospital employed Terhune and contracted his services to the WCHS.

Bluegrass Community CEO Kathy Love said eliminating the position, along with the athletic trainer at Midway College, will save the hospital about $100,000 per year.

“We always have to preserve our core hospital services,” she said. “It was a painful decision.”

The hospital did not eliminate any other positions, and Love emphasized that the organization remains financially sound.

“We’re not in any sort of crisis,” she said. “We are tightening our belts.”

Love cited a drop in donations, as well as cost pressures with driving the decision to eliminate the athletic trainer positions. A rise in uncompensated care has strained the hospital’s budget, and uncertainties in the health care industry regarding the possibility of healthcare reform have administrators taking proactive measures. Love said that regardless of what form healthcare reform takes, she expects future cuts in provider reimbursements.

Woodford County High School assistant principal and athletic director Bob Gibson said that the school has already started looking for other healthcare organizations to partner with in order to keep an athletic trainer at WCHS – preferably Terhune. He said that school officials have meetings scheduled for later in the week.

“We may be able to get everything back on board,” he said. “Obviously, we would want to maintain not only the position, but the individual.”

Neither state law or the Kentucky High School Athletics Association require Kentucky schools to have a trainer on staff, but Gibson said that he recognizes the importance of the athletic trainer for health and safety of Jacket athletes.

“It’s of vital importance to our program.”

Gibson said that he understands the hospitals decision and that he doesn’t want people to perceive Bluegrass Community as the bad guy.

“They’ve been a big sponsor of our programs,” he said.

It remains unclear whether the Woodford County School Board will provide any funding for an athletic trainer if the school cannot find another healthcare organization to foot the bill.

“Obviously, we just found out last week,” Superintendent Scott Hawkins said. “We’re trying to explore all of our options. If we can keep an athletic trainer, we certainly want to do that.”

But dollars will factor into the decision.

“We don’t know what costs we’re looking at. We’ll see what kind of expenses we might be looking at. We want to provide quality service at a price that we can afford,” Hawkins said. “We’ll have a much clearer picture once we have some of these meetings and see what our options are.”

Yellow Jacket football coach Chris Tracy expressed concern about the possibility of going into late summer practices without an athletic trainer on the sideline. Last summer, Pleasure Ridge Park football player Max Gilpin died after collapsing during practice on a hot August evening. Prosecutors charged PRP coach Jason Stinson with negligent homicide. There was no athletic trainer at the practice when Gilpin succumbed to the heat.

“After what happened in Louisville, I don’t know that I want to be out there doing what we do without a trainer,” Tracy said.

Several WCHS athletes reacted to the news of the possible elimination of the athletic training position with dismay.

“I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m kind of in shock,” Yellow Jacket soccer player Katrina Ott said.

Terhune helped Ott rehab several injuries and she credits daily sessions with him for getting herself healed and back on the field faster. She said that she probably took his presence on the sidelines for granted.

“It’s really important to have a trainer at your convenience,” she said. “Sometimes when you’re hurt, coaches are not as qualified and don’t know.”

Terhune not only heals the body, he serves as a mentor and trusted adult figure in the lives of many Woodford County athletes.

Senior Jay Tackett, a soccer and football player, posted his feelings on the Woodford Sun Sports Facebook page.

“This is terrible. Woodford’s losing an awesome sports trainer. Walker’s been a great friend of mine through all my years of high school and he would be greatly missed.”

They said what??

2010-01-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

A reprint of my Jan. 7 Slapshots column from the Woodford Sun

For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed my New Year’s Day trip to football Nirvana.

I managed to spend the bulk of the day firmly planted on the couch. It all started at 11 a.m. with the Outback Bowl and continued past midnight as I celebrated the Gators’ 54-24 thumping of the Cincinnati Bearcats. And with a little channel surfing, I also managed to catch parts of the NHL Outdoor Classic between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Yeah, hockey in Fenway Park was pretty cool.

I followed up on Saturday watching my USF Bulls win the meaningless International Bowl over Northern Illinois and then caught the UK-U of L basketball game.

But with all of that time absorbed in sports, there was bound to be a downside. And no, I do not consider eating an entire bag of Tostitos and a container of salsa in one afternoon a low point.

No, that involved some of the TV commentators.

Is it just me, or do some of these guys need to learn the value of silence?

I think the low point came during the Kentucky-Louisville game when Clark Kellogg repeatedly used the word “spurtability.” Really Clark? On network TV?

And other announcers managed to make themselves sound like idiots using real live words – from the English language.

So I thought it would be fun to start the year by sharing some of the more asinine comments out of the mouths’ of TV analysts.

“Neither one of these defenses want to give up the big play.”

As if somewhere a defensive coordinator is sitting in his darkened office scheming ways to give up the big play - hopefully leading to points.

“That is just a pure football player.”

As opposed to all of the diluted football players on the field? Or perhaps some hybrid players.

“The game’s changed a little, you’ve got to make plays.”

I vaguely remember football back in the early ’70s. They didn’t have to make plays back in those days. Refs arbitrarily awarded points.

“I think Jimbo (Jimbo Fisher, offensive coordinator for Florida State) would love to make first downs.”

After watching the Seminoles play the Gators a few weeks ago, I could debate that notion.

“And Florida State makes this a football game.”

I’m not sure what they were playing before. Perhaps badminton?

“They each have a touchdown, so they both know how to get into the end zone”

If they need help, they can always purchase one of those fancy GPS contraptions.

“Not quite as straight, but they all count if they go through the uprights.”

Woohoo! Thank you obvious man!

And finally, my personal favorite…

“Good feet. He needs those feet.”

I guess I won’t ask to borrow them then.

Happy New Year, sports fans.

Quick Shots
University of Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks announced his retirement on Monday, Jan. 4. He said that he felt like it was just time to step aside.

“This is the end of the road of the old man’s coaching career,” Brooks said.

Some inside sources say that frustration with the university partly drove his decision – frustration stemming from UK’s reluctance to pour money into the football program, particularly facilities and assistant coaches salaries. Brooks is too classy to come out and blast the program, but the fact that he mentioned facilities upgrades on his laundry list of things he’d like to see Kentucky do in the future makes me wonder if there isn’t some truth to the rumors. Basketball will always reign as king in Kentucky. Perhaps Brooks got tired of playing in the backup band.

Analysts have raised a number of valid questions regarding Tim Tebow’s future as an NFL quarterback. It was almost as if he set out to erase those question marks in the Sugar Bowl. The Gator senior completed 31 of 35 passes for 482 yards and three touchdowns. Some may suspect his throwing mechanics. They may question his ability to read pro defenses. But I sure wouldn’t bet against the heart and desire of this kid.

Broadcasters praised UK big-man DeMarcus Cousins for maintaining his cool despite the intensity of the Kentucky-Louisville game. After watching several replays of his elbow to the head of Jared Swopshire, I’d hate to see what would have happened if he HAD lost his cool.

Quote of the Week
“I’d like to start like I always do with the injury report. I’m walking and well, so that’s the injury report.” –Former University of Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks opening up the press conference announcing his retirement.

Puck to the Head
This week’s pucks fly at the heads of the four University of Tennessee basketball players for getting themselves arrested after a traffic stop in Knoxville. Tyler Smith, Melvin Goins, Brian Williams and Cameron Tatum were arrested after police say they found a handgun with an altered serial number, marijuana and an open container of alcohol in the car. Police initially pulled the car over for speeding. Mixing guns, alcohol and drugs. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. * Insert strains of Rocky Top here *

Ice in her veins

2009-12-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

Originally published in the Woodford Sun - Nov. 19, 2009

For the briefest moment, the puck seems suspended in midair, as if dangling on a string between the two opposing players. Then in the blink of an eye, the fluttering eight ounces of vulcanized rubber shoots backward, propelled by a curved stick held in the gloved hands of a Lafayette High School hockey player. The red white and blue clad center leans heavily into the opposing faceoff man, tying up his stick and impeding any possible progress. A teammate streaks up the ice and picks up the loose puck as the Lafayette center quickly disengages and follows, blond ponytail fluttering around the number 20 emblazoned on her back.

As she sits in the hallway at Woodford County High School on a Tuesday afternoon, a casual observer wouldn’t recognize Adriane Downey as the hard skating center who scored a goal and an assist against Henry Clay the weekend before. She’s not a stocky girl. She’s soft spoken. Her long blond hair brushes below her shoulders and she’s quick to flash a smile.

A cheerleader? Perhaps. A basketball player? Maybe. But a hockey player? No way.

“Everybody always tells me I don’t look like a hockey player.”

But looks can deceive. Downey rolls up her pant leg and shows off an ugly purple bruise on her calf. She points at it with pride.

“Most people think I’m abused because of all the bruises,” she jokes.

Yes, Adriane Downey is most certainly a hockey player.

***

As a little blond headed seven-year-old girl growing up in Versailles, Downey was the most unlikely of hockey of players. She admits that she doesn’t like being cold. Nobody in her family ever played the game. And the first time she was ever on ice skates, at a cousin’s birthday party, she came home with a big knot on her head.

“She couldn’t even stand up on skates,” her mother, Karen Downey, recalls.

But from the moment she saw her first Kentucky Thoroughblades game, she knew she wanted to play.

“It just looked fun – and it was different.”

Mom wasn’t so sure. One evening, not long after that first hockey spectator experience, Adriane tried to talk her mom into taking them to a Thoroughblade game.

“Mom, you gotta go.”

“I told her, ‘I’m not getting into this,’” the elder Downey said with a chuckle.

Little did she know.

Within months, Karen Downey had become a hockey mom. Adriane started out in the house developmental league at the Lexington Ice Center and quickly worked her way up. Athletically inclined, those awkward herky-jerky movements on the ice quickly developed into a smooth skating stride. At age 10 she made it onto an elite travel team.

She was the only girl.

For the last several years, Downey has played for an all-female team based in Louisville, but throughout most of her hockey career she’s competed with the boys. This season, she jumped at the opportunity to play for Lafayette High School in Lexington. Since high school hockey is a club sport in Kentucky, and Woodford does not field a team, she is able to play for another school. She finds herself in a familiar setting, surrounded by guys. Downey said that competing against the faster, stronger boys makes her a better player.

“The girls aren’t really competitive, so I like playing with the boys better,” she said. “I think it makes me try harder. I want to prove something. I like proving to the guys I can keep up with them. I like seeing the look on their faces – seeing the shock.”

***

Number 20 churns up the ice. She’s not the fastest skater, but she moves with purpose. Downey turns toward the boards and picks up a loose puck. She takes a couple of strides toward the opponents net and feathers a perfect pass to Adam Stickney, who rifles the puck passed the Blue Devil keeper for a goal.

Later in the period, Downey scores one of her own. She drives toward the net and picks up a rebound, flipping the puck past the Henry Clay net minder.

“She’s such a smart hockey player,” Lafayette coach Gordon Summers said. “She’s a smart player with the puck and she’s a smart player without the puck.”

And those hockey smarts more than compensate for whatever she may give up in size and speed. She knows where to position herself on the ice when she does not have possession of the puck and creates scoring chances with her smart play. She’s not afraid to do the dirty work, going in front of the net to pick up passes and rebounds.

“If you’re in the right place at the right time, you have more opportunities,” Downey said. “On a breakaway the goalie can still stop you, but if you are wide open in front of the net you have a better chance of scoring.”

Downey plays third line center for the Generals on varsity and sees extensive playing time on the JV squad. The Lafayette coach also relies on her to take crucial faceoffs, saying she rarely loses.

Her coach describes her as, “Fearless.”

“Keep your feet moving,” Summers yells from the bench.

The Lafayette skipper expects his players to work hard for an entire shift – every second on the ice. And he doesn’t coach Downey any differently because she’s a girl.

“I don’t let that be a part of it,” he said. “I don’t want you lazy out there, and I let her know.”

As for her teammates? They treat her like one of the boys.

“She fits in so well with this group of guys,” Summers said. “She’s respected on the ice.”

Downey earns that respect with a team oriented attitude. She said that it makes her just as happy to earn an assist as to score a goal.

“Goals don’t mean everything. An assist is the same number of points on the board,” she said. “I just go out there and try to win.”

***

Downey drives to the net. A collision. Number 20 cartwheels through the air and lands on in a heap on the ice. Up she springs like a jack-in-the-box.

Mom admits the physicality involved when her daughter competes against boys makes her a little nervous.

“I do worry.”

She said that it was even harder when Adriane was little and the team did hitting drills in practice. Karen remembers thinking, “I don’t know if I can deal with this.”

But over the years, she’s learned to cope with the worry.

“I usually walk (during games). I hardly sit down,” Karen said. “But she knows how to take a lick. That’s part of it I guess you have to adjust to.”

Adriane said that the physical aspect of the game, even playing against guys much bigger and stronger, doesn’t intimidate her.

“I’ve gotten hit a few times,” she says with a shrug.

But she knows her limits and doesn’t go out of her way to engage in the rough stuff.

“I don’t want to get hit back, so I avoid that.”

But her mom says that she exhibits the toughness typical of hockey players. After a recent injury, Adriane was reluctant to admit she was hurting as bad as she was.

“She doesn’t want people to think she’s not tough enough – that she’s not as tough as the boys,” Karen said.

Off the ice, Adriane lives the life of a typical teenage girl. A senior at WCHS, she played golf for the Yellow Jackets and works with Walker Terhune as a student trainer. But hockey consumes the bulk of her free time.

“I’m pretty much twenty-four seven at the ice rink,” she said. “I don’t have a life other than school, work and hockey.”

And she says she is okay with that. In fact, the ice serves as a sort of a refuge.

“I don’t have like – school drama. I don’t think about that stuff. It’s like a cooling down spot for me.”

Downey said that she would like to go on to play hockey in college and eventually work as an athletic trainer.

***

The final horn sounds. The Generals win the game 7-2. Lafayette players gather at center ice. Number 20 gets lost in a mass of red, white and blue jerseys as the team celebrates its win. High-fives. Pats on the back.

A Yellow Jacket at heart, she finds it a little odd chanting “Generals.”

“I think it would be more fun if I played for my own school. I think it would be more meaningful.”

As she comes off the ice, she pulls off her scuffed black helmet and flashes a shy smile. The blonde ponytail flops freely around the number 20 on emblazoned on her back.

Yes, Adriane Downey is most certainly a hockey player.

Eliminating risk - ruining competition

2009-11-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

A reprint of my Nov. 5 SlapShots column.

Members of governing bodies of major sport leagues operate a lot like politicians. They seem to develop messiah complexes, believing they can create rules and regulations that will eliminate every risk from the games they oversee.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the National Football League is creating a sissy league through over-enforcement of roughing rules. I’ve seen a similar evolution in ice hockey with rules designed to curb fighting.

And this past weekend, NASCAR got into the act, enforcing a “no bump-drafting in the turns” regulation at Talladega. "We want to see sunshine between the cars," NASCAR president Mike Helton told drivers before the Amp Energy 500 on Nov. 1.

The purpose? To reduce the likelihood of big crashes such as the wreck Carl Edwards was involved in at the spring race at Talladega. Brad Keselowski got into the back of the 99 on the final lap and sent Edwards airborne into trackside fencing, sending debris into the grandstand injuring eight spectators.

For you non-NASCAR fans, bump-drafting amounts to nothing more than giving the car in front of you a little push. Drivers utilize the technique at super speedways like Talladega and Daytona because cars race with restrictor plates at those tracks. NASCAR instituted restrictor plate racing at Daytona and Talladega to slow down speeds after a 1987 crash involving Bobby Allison. A cut tire resulted in Allison’s car going airborne into trackside fencing sending debris into the grandstand, injuring spectators.

And yes, the two crashes were as similar as described. For those not schooled in literary devices – that’s irony.

So this year, NASCAR officials decided they needed to tinker more. We got the “no bump-drafting in the turns” edict.

The result? A really boring race and two big crashes sending cars airborne during the final laps.

Ryan Newman was involved in the first wreck. Newman got caught in traffic and was bumped by Marcos Ambrose. The number 39 skidded in front of Kevin Harvick, spun backward and went airborne, landing on Harvick’s hood upside down. Newman’s car slid several hundred yards on its roof, whacking a wall along the way.

Remarkably, Newman was uninjured, a testament to the safety innovations NASCAR has applied to its racecars. But while unhurt, Newman was also unhappy about the way the race played out. With the strict policing of bump drafting, drivers went the conservative route, spending large portions of the race going around-and-around nose-to-tail in single file.

“It's not even a good race for the fans – that's the bottom line – that's who we're trying to service is the fans. They can stand up and cheer when there's three to go with a green-white-checkered, but that's not racing. You're supposed to be racing all day long. And I think we've lost a little bit of that luster," Newman said.

He blamed NASCAR rulemaking.

“It's just a product of this racing and what NASCAR's put us in, in this box with these types of cars, with the yellow line, with no bump-drafting, no passing. Drivers used to be able to respect each other and race around each other – Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, all those guys have always done that. I guess they don't think much of us anymore."

And while turning most of the race into a borefest, NASCAR didn’t even accomplish its goal. There were still wrecks. Mark Martin also went airborne in a multi-car crash on the final lap. Brian Vickers said that he had no idea what the “no bump-drafting” in the corners was meant to accomplish.

"If the intent was to prevent a crash, obviously it's not going to do that," he said. "We crash as much in the straightaway here as we do in the corner."

And therein lies the problem. When you drive cars inches apart at close to 200 miles-per-hour, you are going to have wrecks. When you play a game involving violently hitting the opponent, guys are going to get hurt. When you chase a black rubber disk around a slippery surface with blades strapped on your feet and sticks in your hands, you’re going to have some fights and people are going to get hurt. That’s sports.

All of the rulemaking and enforcement in the world cannot eliminate risk. Risk is inherent in life. This obsession with making sports completely safe through ever-increasing layers of rules not only fails to accomplish its goal, it ruins the game in the process. If we’re going to strive for risk-free sport, we might as well not play at all.

Newman summed it up nicely.

"It was a boring race for the fans," Newman said. "That's not something anybody wants to see, at least I hope not. If they do, go home because you don't belong here."

Quick Shots

The Woodford County High School football team proved once and for all that it has heart. After trailing 33-14, the Jackets stormed back and made a game of it. The comeback fell short as Woodford lost 33-26, but they put themselves in a position to win the game at the end. It was the second week in a row that the Yellow Jackets have displayed a no-quit attitude. Now if they can just put that kind of effort together for four quarters, they may just be able to hand a little upset surprise to Covington Catholic in their opening playoff game.

This week I’m really not going to devote column space to the Bengals. Last week was their bye-week…

Preseason hoops polls are out. The University of Kentucky basketball team is ranked fifth in the USA Today/coaches’ poll and fourth in the AP poll. I think the rankings are a little high for a team with a new coach, a new system, and a lot of youth and inexperience.

Quote of the Week

“This team is going to be more me teaching how to win mentally, how to prepare – how to think than it’s going to be ‘here’s a drill’ and ‘here’s a play.’ We’re just so young, and they don’t know. You’re teaching everything. How to act in this situation. How to approach practice every day.” –University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of the officiating crew at the Woodford County – Tates Creek football game for what broadcast color analyst Darrin Douglass called a “phantom” equipment penalty in the closing minutes. Woodford held Tates Creek on a third down running play, but officials called a dead ball penalty on the Commodores for a player not having his chinstrap fastened. The officials never blew the whistle and let the play run its course, then assessed the penalty and gave Creek the play over. They should have either whistled the play dead from the get-go or given Woodford the option of declining the penalty after the fact. Tates Creek got the first on the repeated third down,

Gut check time

2009-10-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Oct. 23 SlapShots column published in the Woodford Sun

Now it’s gut-check time.

Woodford County High School football players thought they were traveling deep into Eastern Kentucky on Oct. 16 to play an important district football game. Turns out they’d been invited to Paintsville to participate in a good old fashioned butt-whuppin’.

Johnson Central not only won the game, they beat the Yellow Jackets like the proverbial unwanted stepchild. It wasn’t just that the Golden Eagles out-executed Woodford. It wasn’t just that the Jackets caught some bad breaks or made a few mistakes. No, it was much worse than that. Johnson Central flat out imposed its will on Woodford County, out-physicaling, out-muscling and out-willing the Jackets.

It was ugly, like a bully roughing up the little kid in the school hallway. The Golden Eagles ran for over 600 yards. They ran around the Woodford D. They ran through the Woodford D. And they ran right over the Woodford D – just because they could.

When the final horn mercifully sounded, the scoreboard testified to the carnage – 64-14 Golden Eagles.

Every time Johnson Central scored, a loud foghorn blasted through the PA system. We heard that sound a lot. It was on my nerves before the end of the first quarter. It was an audible reminder to Woodford players and fans. Listen – we’re dominating you. Listen – we’re pushing you around. Listen – you lose.

Woodford players need to remember that sound and all it represents.

Because good news remains hidden in the aftermath of that Johnson Central game. The season didn’t end. The Jackets weren’t sent home to sit out the remainder of the football season in their living rooms. Woodford lives to fight another day.

That “another day” is Saturday, Oct. 24, when Ashland Blazer comes to town, and the Yellow Jackets would do well to remember one thing when they take the field. They were beaten in Paintsville, but they have within their power the choice to refuse defeat.

Notice the key word – choice.

The Yellow Jackets could just lie down. They could quit. They could let the Johnson Central game become the defining moment of the 2009 season – complete with blaring foghorn. Or they could look at themselves in the mirror and say, “No! We refuse to allow what happened in that one game brand this team. We are going to go out and play against Ashland in such a way that nobody remembers that Johnson Central game.”

Most football fans will remember that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2003. They beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in San Diego. But only the most die-hard pewter and red fan will remember that the Pittsburgh Steelers embarrassed the Bucs on their home field in week 16. To add insult to injury, it was in front of a national TV audience on Monday Night Football. The score was 17-7, but it wasn’t as close as that. Pittsburgh manhandled Tampa Bay after Steelers’ defensive back Lee Flowers called the Bucs, “paper champions.”

That was the last game the Bucs would lose that season. The Pittsburgh game was a turning point for the Bucs. They took the lessons learned in defeat and vowed that they WOULD NOT experience that embarrassment again. It was a matter of will, and their collective will prevailed.

Woodford has the opportunity to do the same. I believe the Jackets are a much better team than the team I saw run over by Johnson Central. I believe that they can put that game behind them and make a statement against Ashland, turning a potentially ugly defining moment into an afterthought. I believe that Woodford County can come out with grit, fire and determination on Saturday and redeem themselves.

One question remains – do they believe?

Quick Shots

Teams are rarely as good or as bad as fans may think based on a given game. Early in the season, I wrote that Kentucky wasn’t as good as some fans thought after the Wildcats beat Miami of Ohio and Louisville. But I also didn’t think they were as bad as some seemed to believe after three straight losses to top-ranked SEC opponents, with some fans calling for the head of Rich Brooks on a platter. The Cats proved me correct with a gutsy come from behind win over Auburn on the road. Brooks looks like a genius this week.

Big Blue Madness officially kicked off the Calipari era on Friday, Oct. 16. Expectations for this Wildcat crew blew right out past the highest rafters of Rupp Arena. I actually heard one Cat fan say that if UK doesn’t make the Final Four, Calipari should be looking for a new job. Once again, teams are rarely as good or bad as fans seem to think at a given moment. Kentucky certainly has great potential. But fans need to remember potential mean nothing unless realized. UK also has a great deal of youth and inexperience learning a brand new system under a new skipper. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Wildcats made a late season tournament run. But it also won’t surprise me if Kentucky struggles early in the season and drops at least one clunker.

I think I got a little carried away devoting column space to the Cincinnati Bengals. The stripes seemed to fall off the Tiger as Cincy lost to the Houston Texans 28-17 at home.

And in NASCAR news, just insert all of the glowing things I said last week about Jimmy Johnson and his late season prowess here. The number 48 won – again. He ran away from the field in the final laps of the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte and extended his points lead over Mark Martin to 90.

Quote of the week

“I watch the other conferences all the time and I think, Boy, I’d like to play them.”
-Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt talking about the dominance of SEC football.

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Johnson Central coach Jim Matney for keeping virtually all of his starters in the game against Woodford County with a 50 point lead. The Yellow Jackets were substituting in JV players, but Matney stuck with his starters until the bitter end. If a team puts in its backups and continues to score points, I have no problem with that. It’s the job of the opponent to stop them. But to keep starters in with a 50-point lead takes a step beyond classless – especially at the high school level. Matney would do well to remember what goes around comes around.

Football - a sissy sport?

2009-10-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Oct. 15 SlapShot column published in the Woodford Sun.

When I was a kid, I played a lot of touch football. There were about 10 boys ranging in age from eight to 12 around the neighborhood, and we spent many a fall and winter weekend in the street in front of my house heaving the pigskin around in hotly contested games.

Most of you have probably played touch football at some point. We generally played the two-hand touch variety. Touching the ball carrier with both hands constituted a tackle. Smacking and hitting counted too, as long as both hands contacted the ball carrier simultaneously. It was much safer than playing actual tackle football on the asphalt – although we admittedly tried that once. That game didn’t last very long, and I still have a vague recollection of getting in trouble for ripping my jeans.

I never claimed we were smart kids.

As we got older, those early touch football contests evolved into actual full-scale tackle games. We’d play in empty fields, or when they left the gate open at Tates Creek High School’s stadium. Looking back, the touch games were a lot safer. I don’t ever remember anybody getting hurt. We averaged at least one injury in every full tackle contest.

But those full contact, no-pad, rolling-in-the-mud competitions seemed more like the real thing. Football is about hitting. It’s about physical strength. It’s a game of power and force.

Or at least it was.

The new emphasis on late hits on quarterbacks and receivers in the NFL and college game is turning football into sissified version that looks more and more like the touch variety we played in the streets as 10-year-olds.

It’s even filtering down to the high school level. The Yellow Jackets were flagged for a roughing penalty early in the first quarter of their game against Montgomery County on a play that was nothing more than a good football hit.

“Are you kidding me? That’s just football,” one frustrated fan standing nearby exclaimed.

And when the quarterback has the last name Manning or Brady on his back, the calls become even more ridiculous. It was so bad in the recent match-up between the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens that NBC analyst Rodney Harrison quipped, “Tom Brady, if you’re listening. Take off the skirt and put on some slacks. Toughen up. ”

Harrison later qualified his statement, saying he was joking. But he clearly articulated the frustration a lot of football fans feel with the overprotective, maternalistic approach officials are taking toward quarterbacks and receivers. While Harrison made it clear that he wasn’t questioning Brady’s toughness, he wouldn’t back of his assertion that the call against Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, who appeared to dive at Brady’s knees, was a bad call. “That wasn’t intentional. I felt that was a bad call which led to a score,” Harrison said. “I’ll stand by that.”

And I’ll stand by Harrison. The officiating is in danger of turning football into a nambly-pambly sissy sport.

I understand the need to protect the quarterback. I also understand the league’s desire to prevent its star players from going out with injuries. Those stars generate revenues and interest in the game. I get that.

But league officials do their game no favor when they change the sport into something different. Yes, fans want to see the stars of the game perform. But they want to see them playing the game they love - football. That means hits. That means physicality. That means a little streak of meanness.

So let’s take the skirts off the quarterbacks and receivers. Enforce the rules against blatant roughing, but let the players play. Let ’em hit.

Touch football was a lot of fun to play when I was a kid, but it wasn’t much to watch.

Quick Shots

The Woodford County High School volleyball team season came to an end Monday, Oct. 12, in disappointing fashion with a 2-0 loss to Scott County in the first round of the 39th District Tournament. The Jackets looked young and intimidated by the postseason atmosphere. But the loss takes nothing away from their amazing year. After winning only five games in 2008, the Yellow Jackets went 9-7. They won four district games and earned a second seed in the tourney. The postseason loss was simply part of the learning process for what is still a young team. Most of the starters return next season, and I predict fans haven’t heard the last from this bunch. The loss was tough. The loss was ugly. But the girls should continue to hold their heads high. I’m proud of all they accomplished.

Irony took on a Big Blue tinge last week. After screaming for weeks that UK needed to explore other quarterback options, Cat fans got their wish when Mike Hartline suffered a knee injury early in the third quarter against South Carolina. But when the Wildcat signal caller went down, with what is now being called a torn MCL, Hartline was having arguably the best game of his career. He went nine-of-13 for 139 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, Kentucky led the Gamecocks 17-14 when Hartline was injured. The game didn’t end well without the starting QB. Despite a nice late drive orchestrated by Randall Cobb operating out of the “wildcat” formation, backup quarterback Will Fidler was ineffective and UK dropped its 10th straight to South Carolina.

Through the first three races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup “playoff,” frontrunner Mark Martin has watched the number 48 loom ever larger in his rearview mirror. Not anymore. Now Martin must chase the Lowe’s Chevy. Jimmy Johnson grabbed the points lead on Oct. 11 with a win in the Pepsi 500 in Fontana, Calif. It almost seemed inevitable. Johnson is pursuing an unprecedented fourth straight championship. He currently leads his 50-year-old teammate by 12 points.

If you told me last year that I would devote any column space to the Cincinnati Bengals, I would have laughed at you. But here we are in week five of the NFL season and the boys in stripes sit atop the AFC North after beating Baltimore 17-14. It was another last minute win by Cincinnati. Quarterback Carson Palmer threw a 20-yard TD pass to Andre Caldwell with 22 seconds left to earn the win. It was the third straight three-point Bengal victory.

Quote of the Week

“Sad to say, but I think so. You never should be happy when a guy’s hurt. I still feel like he was the best option at quarterback. I felt that he had a great game up until the point that he got hurt.”
- UK defensive tackle Cory Peters when asked if he though some Wildcat fans were happy Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline got injured.

Puck to the head

The week’s pucks fly at the heads of University of Louisville basketball players Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings for earning a trip to jail. According to a Courier-Journal story, police arrested the pair on misdemeanor charges after a fight at an alumni homecoming party in Jeffersonville, Ind. They were charged with resisting arrest. Jennings found his arrest quite shocking. According to a university official, police Tasered him.

Midnight madness

2009-10-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Oct. 8 SlapShot column published in the Woodford Sun.

I used to think I was a sports fan.

I have my University of South Florida, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning gear. Lots of it. T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and jackets.

I’ve been known to rearrange my schedule to watch a big game. I’ve plunked down several hundred dollars for Lightning partial season tickets. I’ve yelled at the TV, stood in line for autographs and called into sports talk radio. My friends and family have witnessed my moods change based on a big win or loss by one of my teams.

And yes, I’ve even driven 45 minutes across Tampa Bay to watch the Lightning - practice.

But true blue University of Kentucky basketball fans have shown me the error of my thinking.

I’m no fan. I’m a poser. A pretender. A wannabe.

Because never in a million years would it have ever occurred to me to camp out for tickets – to a practice. And even more, I would never contemplate forking over more than $300 to purchase free tickets – to practice.

They call it Big Blue Madness. They got the last word right.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people camped out for several days around Memorial Coliseum. Tents started popping up on Wednesday for a ticket distribution that took place at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. University officials said that it took just 45 minutes to distribute all of the Big Blue Madness tickets.

Did I mention that all of this carrying on was for a glorified practice?

And in the immortal words of Billy Mays, “That’s not all!”

Yesterday the tickets started showing up on eBay and Craigslist for upwards of $300 a pair. Perusing eBay on Monday morning, I found one pair of lower level tickets with a current price of $305. There were 24 bids. The highest asking price I found was $500. No bids on that one yet. Keep in mind; these tickets were originally distributed for free.

And it’s for a practice.

On a side note, I have no problem with enterprising folks selling their free tickets for big profits. This represents capitalism at its best. If a seller can find a buyer willing to pay a given price, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, I say more power to both parties. They both get what they want. They both walk away happy.

But I do have to question the sanity of anyone who would camp out for three days (don’t they have jobs??), or pay $150 to watch what amounts to a practice. Okay, call it a scrimmage if you like. But all in all, Big Blue Madness still amounts to an over-hyped layup line.

Sorry Big Blue fans, I just don’t get it.

But you see that just proves my original point. I’m clearly not a fan – of anything.

Quick Shots

I did think it was good PR move for UK basketball coach John Calipari and his son to camp out with the Big Blue Madness ticket seekers on Friday night. It remains to be seen what the new coach will do with his team on the hardwood, but he clearly knows how to endear himself to fans and the community.

The Woodford County High School volleyball team will go into the 39th District Tournament as the number two seed with a 4-2 district record. What an amazing turnaround from last season when the team failed to manage even a single district win. The Jacket volleyball squad’s improvement will surly rank as one of the best Woodford County sports stories of the year. Coach Meredith DellaGuistina has managed to get her team to believe in themselves, play as a team and most importantly find the fun in their game.

I’ve officially suspended calling the Cincinnati Bengals the “bungles.” I loved the grit and determination showed by Bengal quarterback Carson Palmer when he talked his coach into going for it on fourth-and-10 with time winding down in the overtime period against Cleveland. Palmer scrambled for the first down and Cincinnati kicked a field goal for a 23-20 win. The Bengals will face the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday for first place in the AFC North.

The University of Kentucky football team lost to another top-five opponent in Alabama. The path doesn’t get any easier with road games against two more ranked opponents. UK seems to suffer some kind of voodoo jinx when it comes to playing South Carolina (ranked 25th) and number 17 Auburn is much better than anybody expected.

Speaking of rankings, the USA Today Coaches’ Poll is just plain silly in some respects. The poll ranks Penn State (4-1) 12th and Iowa (5-0) 14th. Iowa beat Penn State two weeks ago. On what planet does this make any sense?

Quote of the Week

Have any of you ever stepped on a cat’s tail? I have accidentally stepped on a cat’s tail before and it’s pretty funny how fast – they make a noise and they go really fast. That’s kind of like when I step on the gas of the five car today, it was like stepping on a cat’s tail.”
-NASCAR drive Mark Martin after winning the pole for the Price Chopper 400 at Kansas Speedway

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of any coach who voted Penn State ahead of Iowa in the above mention USA Today Coaches’ poll.

Ugly fans

2009-10-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Oct. 1 SlapShot column published in the Woodford Sun.

Sport often brings out the best in human nature. Discipline. Self-sacrifice. Effort.

Sometimes it brings out the ugly.

“I’m sure Tebroke is glad he doesn't have to come back to Commonwealth. First he got his shoulder busted up and then he got knocked the F--- out. For one moment I forgot about the score and stood up and cheered and relished the sight.”

What kind of person relishes the site of an injured young man lying dazed in the grass?

The posting in the comment section of a Herald-Leader story about Florida Gator Tim Tebow suffering a concussion on a clean hit by University of Kentucky defensive lineman Taylor Wyndham was the most extreme, but I heard similar sentiments expressed, in less vivid terminology, from other UK fans on post game radio shows and in casual conversations around the proverbial water cooler.

There were subtle jabs at the “indestructibility” of Tim Tebow. There were the inferences that it was nice to see the Gator QB cut down to size. There was the prideful tone in describing how it was the Wildcats that finally felled the Florida legend.

“I hate to see him get hurt, but I’m glad we were the ones to do it.”

I get it. A lot of people don’t like Tebow, especially around these parts. He’s Gen. Sherman of the Gator nation, marching through Commonwealth Stadium, torching everything Wildcat in sight. Trampling bluegrass. Systematically destroying what Kentucky fans hold dear. His weapons – bruising runs and pinpoint passes.

But under that number 15 jersey and warrior armor beats the heart of a human being. Beneath that Gator helmet the mind of that young man thinks the same thoughts, dreams the same dreams and entertains the same passions as the minds of your beloved players in blue.

And sometimes we forget.

In the heat and passion of competition, we forget that these are really just kids – playing a game. Life and death don’t hang in the balance. The fate of the free world does not hinge on the outcome. The sun will still rise in the east and set in the west if our team loses – or wins.

We call ourselves fans. The word derives from another word – fanatic. And that fanaticism will sometimes drive us beyond rationality. Drive us to hate those rival colors. Drive us to cheer, inwardly if not outwardly, when physical harm comes to those whose uniform or logo transforms them into the enemy.

Fanaticism can bring out the ugly.

It’s not just UK fans. This was just the most recent example. I’ve seen the same crude behavior from fans of many teams, in many different stadiums, representing every sport. And to their credit, most of the Wildcat faithful held their breath along with Gator fans until Tebow walked off that field.

The cheers echoing out from Commonwealth Stadium, as Tebow slowly made his way to the sideline, represent UK far better than those few dunderheads who would relish the sight of another human motionless and hurt. Those cheers represent fandom at its best. They represent respect and sportsmanship.

Let’s cling to those ideals, even as we passionately cheer our teams. We don’t need the ugly. There is plenty of that in the world already.

Quick Shots

The University of Kentucky football program has traditionally struggled to compete with the top team in the SEC. It comes down to recruiting and talent levels. In the last five years, the Gators have signed more than 80 five-star recruits. In that same time-span, UK has signed fewer than 10. Part of the problem lies at the high school level. The University of Kentucky simply doesn’t have the high school football talent pool to draw from in its own back yard. It makes for an instant disadvantage. The calls to fire Rich Brooks can already be heard echoing across the Bluegrass. But any coach will struggle to recruit in this environment. Perhaps Big Blue fans should learn to readjust their expectations.

The Woodford County High School football team dropped another clunker to a winless opponent on Sept. 26, falling 12-7 to Franklin County. The Jackets got beat by a winless Dunbar squad two weeks earlier after a horrible week of practice. Apparently they didn’t learn the lesson. The effort in practice on the Wednesday before the Flyer game was so bad, coach Chris Tracy sent the whole team home. Woodford’s practice habits poured onto the field along with a driving rain in Frankfort. One can forgive a team getting beat by superior talent, but there’s no excuse for getting beat because of lack of preparation and effort.

It’s Chase time in NASCAR and that can mean just one thing – Jimmy Johnson time. The driver of the 48 car won AAA 400 in Dover, Del., and trails frontrunner Mark Martin by just 10 points in the race for the 2009 Sprint Cup championship. With eight races remaining, Johnson finds himself in position to win an unprecedented third straight championship.

Whoa – the Bengals beat Pittsburgh?? Cincinnati improved to 2-1 in the process. If they keep this up, I will have to stop calling them the Bungles.

Quote of the Week

“Greatness is not about somebody who has the ability to be great. Greatness shows up when someone might not have that ability, but finds a way to succeed.”
-San Francisco 49er coach Mike Singletary

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West for getting himself arrested on weapons charges. West was pulled over for allegedly speeding on his motorcycle. Police found a loaded handgun in his waistband and another strapped on his leg. The NBA player also had a loaded shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back. Is it just me or does this bring new meaning to the word “overkill”?

Blame game

2009-10-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Sept. 24 SlapShot column published in the Woodford Sun.

Who’s to blame?

I’m not sure if it stems from something innate in human nature, or if it has simply evolved out of the litigious nature of our society. We always seem to need to find somebody to blame.

But in real life, a scapegoat doesn’t always exist. Sometimes things just happen. Sometimes a multitude of factors collide at just the right moment to create the perfect storm. Sometimes we can’t answer the question: Why?

A jury found former Pleasure Ridge Park football coach David Stinson innocent of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in the death of Max Gilpin. The 15-year-old football player collapsed during an August 2008 practice. Prosecutors blamed the coach for pushing the athletes too hard in the heat.

Was it hot? Sure, it was hot. It was an August day. But a 94-degree heat index does not constitute extreme heat. A colleague who played high school football in Florida told me he dreamed of days that cool.

Much was made over water and when it was offered to practicing players. But anybody that has trained in hot weather knows that hydration must begin long before taking the field. Athletes must ensure they get proper hydration and nutrition before and after practices. Drinking water on the field alone doesn’t cut it.

And there were other factors involved. Gilpin was taking creatine, a supplement that pulls water into the muscles’ cells. He was also on an attention deficit disorder drug. Gilpin’s parents said he complained of feeling poorly earlier in the day. Should we blame the victim for not taking care of himself or adequately preparing for practice? Should we cast blame toward his parents for not monitoring his supplements or letting him practice when he said he wasn’t feeling well?

No, I don’t think it’s fair to place the blame on them, at least not wholly. It just happened. All of these and a host of other factors came together and resulted in a tragedy. Remove even one and Gilpin would probably be with us today.

But we need somebody to blame. We need to find fault. We need someplace to point the finger.

And the coach was the most obvious scapegoat.

Did Stinson push his players? Sounds like he did. But that’s his job. That’s what coaches do.

They push.

Anybody who has ever dealt with a teenager knows that they tend toward laziness. In fact, most human beings wander along the path of least resistance. Coaches must overcome that laziness and mold a bunch of undisciplined kids into a team of young men capable of competing in a physically demanding and often-violent game. A coach can’t accomplish this by handing out smiley face stickers. He must push his players.

Part of the value of athletics involves learning that we possess the ability to drive beyond our perceived limits. Coaches help athletes learn this lesson – by intentionally pushing them. Driving them. Demanding more of them.

To prosecute a coach for doing this puts the whole purpose of his job on trial.

In a rough sport like football, there will always exist the risk of injury or even death. More tragedies will certainly occur in the future. We simply cannot alleviate every risk in life. They only way to ensure 100 percent safety is to stay at home and sit on the couch.

And even then, the roof could fall in on us. Besides, what kind of life is that?

Quick Shots

A question for all of you die-hard University of Kentucky football fans out there. I listened to you tell me for two weeks how bad the University of Louisville looked against Indiana State, what an inferior team they were and how UK was going to destroy them. Keeping that in mind, what does the Wildcats’ narrow victory over the Cards say about your team?

Before Cat fans get too optimistic when looking at Florida’s relatively low point output in its 23-13 win over Tennessee, they should keep in mind that the Vols’ D limited the Gators to 30 points in 2008. Gator coach Urban Meyer also said that he was taking a little more conservative approach offensively due to injuries and sicknesses among some starters.

But maybe the football gods are looking down on the Cats. According reports, the Florida Gators are battling to contain a flu outbreak. Swine flu is making its way through the campus in Gainesville.

They say old age and experience trumps youth and enthusiasm. Mark Martin seemed to prove this adage true. The 50-year-old NASCAR driver used some good pit strategy and cashed in a little luck to win the Sylvania 300 in Loudon, N.H. Martin sits in first place in the Sprint Cup point standings, 35 ahead of Jimmy Johnson. It was the old-guy’s fifth win of 2009.

Quote of the Week

“You understand why they haven’t won in 100 years here.”
-Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Michael Jordan for using his Hall of Fame induction speech as an opportunity to air his dirty laundry, to criticize those he felt slighted him over the years, and to whine and complain. As columnist Adrian Wojnarowski put it, “This wasn’t a Hall of Fame induction speech, but a bully tripping nerds with lunch trays in the school cafeteria. He had a responsibility to his standing in history, to players past and present, and he let everyone down.” This once again proves the point, money doesn’t buy class.

A character moment

2009-09-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Sept. 17 column published in the Woodford Sun.

You probably missed it unless you were paying close attention.

On any given day, sports fans will find stories on ESPN, or in their local newspaper, chronicling athletes in trouble. Drunks. Wife beaters. Boorish behavior.

I never lack for subject matter when it comes time to award my weekly puck to the head.

Actions displaying class, sportsmanship and grace tend to get lost in the media noise.

But sometimes, within the swirl of negativity, something happens that restores my faith in humanity – something to remind me that behind every negative headline, hundreds of positive stories go unnoticed.

I experienced one of those moments at the Woodford County – North Bullitt football game Saturday night.

Had I not been paying attention, I probably would have missed it.

During Woodford’s first offensive series, starting Jacket quarterback Ryan Garrahan overthrew his receiver. The result – an Eagle interception.

During Woodford’s second offensive series, Garrahan stood on the sidelines, holding the proverbial clipboard, watching as sophomore Matt Couch took the reigns of the Yellow Jacket offense – his offense.

Garrahan knew it was coming. Coach Chris Tracy told him earlier in the week that Couch would get a shot with the offense in the third or fourth series.

But not now. Not like this.

If you weren’t playing attention, you probably missed the next part.

In that moment, standing on the sideline, Garrahan won a victory far bigger than the one the Jackets would win on the field that night. He won a victory over his own human nature. His own selfishness. His own desire to shine.

Ryan Garrahan made a choice. He chose not to pout. He chose not to hang his head. He chose to put his team ahead of himself.

“I understand him giving Matt that shot because I made that mistake,” Garrahan said. “The win is the most important thing.”

Garrahan spent the entire game engaged. He was calling plays on the sideline, and he was the first player to run up and hug Couch after the sophomore threw his first touchdown pass.

He wasn’t crying, he was encouraging. He wasn’t whining, he was cheering. He wasn’t sullen, he was exuberant.

I talked to Ryan on the Monday after the game. He wasn’t happy about being yanked. I could see it in his eyes. And I wouldn’t respect him if he accepted the situation without some anger. But throughout the course of our conversation, he constantly reminded me that team comes first.

Ryan wants to be a good quarterback. But more than that, he wants to be a good teammate.

That fact wasn’t lost on his coach.

“I give a lot of credit to Ryan. Ryan was on the sidelines calling plays. He was Matt Couch’s biggest supporter,” Tracy said.

After the game, Garrahan stepped up and led his team in prayer, just as he always does.

“Having that opportunity to share that with my teammates is important. It’s a priority to me.”

Perhaps that faith explains how the youngster stays so grounded.

Yes, the Jackets remain his team. He may not spend the rest of the season calling plays from behind center, but that doesn’t diminish his role. This is his team. He’s its leader.

Tracy said that Ryan will have other opportunities on the field as the season progresses.

“He’s important to us.”

But I think he’s already made his biggest contribution to Woodford football. He made it standing on the sideline demonstrating true manhood.

And to think, I would have missed it if I hadn’t been paying attention.

Quick Shots

On Sept. 10, the Woodford County High School volleyball team took the floor to face district opponent Western Hills. For the first time in my tenure as sports editor of The Sun, I walked into the Hive expecting the Jackets to win. This team has experienced quite a turnaround in one season. They play with confidence, they are competitive and they’re a lot of fun to watch. And along with the improvements on the court, they are raising expectations.

The University of Kentucky football team survived the bye-week and remains undefeated. I would expect the win streak to continue against the University of Louisville this week. After that, it’s gonna get ugly, Cat fans. My Gators are coming to town.

Did anyone else find it extremely bizarre to watch Brett Favre in a Vikings jersey? The old guy looked pretty good. But number four in a purple was still a trip into bizzaro world.

Speaking of old, Mark Martin continues to carry the banner for – let’s just say the more seasoned athletes everywhere. The 50-year-old NASCAR driver enters the chase for the Sprint Cup championship as the top-seed.

Quote of the week

“If I could, I would take this (expletive) ball and shove it down your (expletive) throat.”
-Serena Williams during a tirade directed at a judge after he called her for a foot fault in the U.S. Open.

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Serena Williams for the above-mentioned quote of the week.

Practice Practice Practice

2009-09-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Sept. 10 SlapShots column

"It's not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”
-Paul Bear Bryant

Every athlete wants to win. Every team begins a season wanting a championship. Every competitor takes the field struggling and striving, wanting to reach the top.

But simply wanting something does not make it so. At some point, DOING must factor into the equation.

And that doing begins long before those stadium lights flicker on – in out-of-the-way places, at unlikely times, in quiet moments broken only by grunts, labored breathing and the sharp, staccato commands of coaches.

Behind every moment under the blazing stadium lights and for every goose bump raised on an athlete’s arm when the fans scream with abandon, stretch hours of inglorious sweat and pain on the practice field.

Every athlete has suffered through “one of those” practices. The workout where it seems nobody on the team can find the same page. The one in which the last 30 minutes consists of running “gassers” because the team failed to accomplish anything else on the field. Athletes hate those practices. They look forward to them with the kind of dread normally reserved for a stint in the dental chair. And when it finally ends and the team has safely gathered in the locker room, it collectively showers the coach, long out of earshot, with horrible invectives for putting them through such torture.

But a method exists within the coach’s madness. The skipper knows that without preparation, the team will tank it in competition.

When I was playing hockey for the University of South Florida, our coach would often tell us, “You will only play as well as you practice.”

It was amazingly accurate prophecy.

The Woodford County High School football team learned that lesson last week. After what was reportedly a lackluster week of practice, lacking in focus and intensity, the Jackets lost a game to Dunbar – a team they should have beat. The lack of focus and intensity seemed to spill over from the practice field into Community Stadium.

“When you don’t prepare, you get beat,” Woodford coach Chris Tracy told his team after the disappointing loss.

But an early season defeat like the Jackets suffered at the hands of Dunbar can prove positive, IF the team learns the lesson.

“I hope that focuses you, because in the grand scheme of things, this game doesn’t mean a thing,” Tracy said.

Nope, the game didn’t mean a thing in the overall picture. It was a match-up against a team in another class. (Woodford plays in 5A and Dunbar competes as a 6A school.) But it could well prove a turning point in the season – if the team takes the lesson to heart and puts the effort in on the practice field.

Yellow Jacket quarterback Ryan Garrahan has the right idea.

“All we can do is get out in practice and bust our butts to correct the mistakes.”

That’s the secret. Busting butts – every minute of every practice.

I have no doubt that the Jackets want to win, but will their desire to win translate into a will to prepare?

Quick Shots

As I walked into Community Stadium last Friday, I got a little thrill as I looked up into the stands and saw them filled with yellow and black. There’s nothing like the atmosphere of a Friday night high school football game, especially in a small town. The sound of the marching band, the chants of the cheerleaders, the churning prism of school colors, the adolescent bravado of the players and the carefree giggles of teenage flirting all wrapped in the bright white stadium lighting captures something uniquely Americana. In a country that often seems torn and fractured by political rhetoric, a small town high school football game does something politicians and pundits find impossible. It brings a community together.

Easy there UK fan. It was just Miami of Ohio. Yes, your Wildcats looked pretty good. The offense put points on the board and the defense pitched a shutout. But keep in mind that they were facing a small conference team with a brand new coach, and there were some things that would concern me if I were a Big Blue fan. The offense was pretty much the Randal Cobb show, and a one-dimensional attack isn’t going to cut it against an SEC defense. And speaking of defense, the Wildcat D failed to put pressure on the Miami QB throughout most of the game, and that could spell big trouble down the line. But the good news for the Cat faithful is that UK beat a team that they should beat. That hasn’t always been the case. It may well prove a good season for the Wildcats, but don’t get delusions of grandeur based on this game.

I was looking at the qualifying order before the NASCAR Pep Boys Auto 500 race. As I was reading the order to my wife, she asked me where Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified. I told her I hadn’t gotten to him yet, to which she replied, “You should have started from the back.” Kasey Kahne won the race, running away after a late caution. Earnhardt took 17th.

Quote of the Week

“I don’t think toughness is when a quarterback says, ‘I’m going to run somebody over.’ Toughness is playing the worst game of your life, but not backing down. You don’t want to sit on the sideline. You want to stay in there and win.”
-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of University of Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount for punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the jaw after the Sept. 3 game between the Ducks and Broncos. Blount allegedly threw the punch after Hout taunted him. Apparently Blount missed that whole “names can never hurt me” thing in grade school.

A review of Calipari's book

2009-09-21T06:15:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Sept. 3 SlapShot column published in the Woodford Sun

I spend an inordinate amount of time involved with sports, not only in my professional life, but also personally.

Obviously, sports consume my workday. Off the “clock” I watch sports as a fan and participate as an athlete. My experience in college hockey was an extremely significant part of my life.

With all of this focus on sports, I have to confess that I sometimes struggle with the significance of that which consumes so much of my life. I mean really … sports – so what?

Every once in a while, while in the heat of competition or pontificating on this game or that team, I hear that little voice.

“Dude, it’s just a game.”

But from time to time, something comes along to remind me that the valuable lessons learned on the fields and courts of athletic competition apply in my everyday life.

University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari’s new book Bounce Back serves as such a reminder.

For those of you looking for a “sports” book in the strictest sense of the word will find yourself disappointed. Fear not Cat fan, the book has plenty of references to basketball, and provides some interesting insights into the heart and mind of your coach. But Calipari’s focus really centers on practical ways to bounce back from setbacks in life. The book was written to help you – not entertain.

Drawing primarily from his experience of getting fired from the New Jersey Nets, and to a lesser degree Memphis’ loss to Kansas in the 2008 National Championship game, Calipari takes the reader through a step-by-step process in dealing with and overcoming setbacks, whether personal or professional. His advice focuses on practical steps – surrounding yourself with people who can help, maintaining a positive attitude, being proactive and engaging in serious self-evaluation. Bounce Back even contains interactive exercises throughout.

As regular readers know, I’m not much of a Wildcat fan, so I wasn’t exactly ga-ga about reading a book by the Wildcat coach. But the publisher sent me a prerelease, so I decided give it a read. I’m about two-thirds through and I have to admit, the more I read, the more impressed I become.

The book makes for something of an odd read because Calipari wrote it assuming that the reader is in the midst of a setback. It takes you step-by-step through the process of dealing with personal adversity, from the moment of the “trigger event”, the anger and frustration, and all the way through to the ultimate success of the bounce back.

I’m not experiencing any type of setback in my own life, so it was initially a little hard to relate. But as I got into the book, I started to recognize principles I can adopt.

My wife will tell you that I am NOT an optimistic person by nature. I’m definitely a “glass half empty” kind of guy. But in reading through the chapter entitled “Next – the Power of Amnesia,” I realized I would be far better off to develop a more positive attitude and dwell less on the negative.

The underlying message Calipari communicates is that we control our own destiny. We will always encounter obstacles, but how we face them will determine the course of our journey. Too many people ride through this world as passengers in their own lives.

What a waste.

“You have to be adaptable; you will do that by having a positive attitude, unrivaled energy and a vision of where you’re headed,” Calipari writes.

Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of rah-rah self-help books. But as I’ve read through Bounce Back I’ve realized that so many of those simple principles I’ve learned out on the ice – self discipline, hard work, a positive attitude and a refusal to quit apply just as much in “real life.” I need to utilize those same principles in my work and my relationships.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book – even you Louisville fans.

Maybe sport isn’t as insignificant as I sometimes think.

Quick Shots

A couple of weeks into the fall and Woodford County High School has three undefeated teams. Both the girls’ and boys’ soccer team are 3-0-1 and the football team is a perfect 2-0. All three squads show a lot of promise, but they’ve also shown they still have a lot of work to do.

The Wildcats open their football season this weekend against Miami of Ohio. The Cats have a pretty tough schedule. After its opener against the Redhawks, UK has a bye and then 11 straight games, starting with Louisville on Sept. 19. As usual, Wildcat fans seem a little over optimistic. I’ve heard many UK faithful on talk radio predicting a 9-3 or 8-4 season. Looking through the schedule, I would call 7-5 optimistic. The team should beat Miami and Louisville, but after that I look for them to lose three of their four games against Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Auburn. Of the remaining games, Mississippi State, Vandy and Georgia certainly don’t rank as gimmies. Then there is Tennessee. The Vols are rebuilding under new coach Lane Kiffin. Maybe this is the year the Big Blue will finally take down the dreaded Volunteers. At least they play at home so they won’t have to listen to “Rocky Top” 1,000 times.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough pre-season football. I’m ready for the real thing!

And on a personal note, I’m thrilled that the ice is back up at the Lexington Ice Center. That means one thing – hockey time!

Quote of the Week

“I've got six players coming in who think they poop ice cream.”
-UK coach John Calipari on his heralded recruiting class

Puck to the Head

They make this SO easy. This week’s puck flies at former UK coach Billy Gillispie. Alleged drunk driving. The upside for Wildcat faithful is that he just made the University of Kentucky administration look like geniuses.

Who's tough? Who's not?

2009-09-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Aug 27 SlapShots column from the Woodford Sun.

Watching the Woodford County High School girls’ soccer team battle Assumption last week, one thing really stood out to me. These Jacket girls will not back down from a physical challenge.

Amy Morford was particularly aggressive, banging Rocket players and obviously getting under their skin. Teammate Taylor Kelly called Morford, “a beast.” But Kelly did some bumping and banging of her own, and Hannah Greenwell also played a physical brand of soccer.

Then there’s Katrina Ott. I’ve seen her play hurt more often than not. Several times during the game against Assumption, Ott went down hard, throwing her body around with abandon. Coach McIver has commented on more than one occasion that Ott plays like a boy. He means it as a compliment.

I’m not going to lie. I liked the physicality and toughness the Jackets brought to the field. I hope they continue to play with that kind of intensity. I think it will intimidate other teams and pay dividends in tight games, as long as they can keep that aggressiveness under control.

Yeah, keep up the physical play, girls. I like it – a lot.

I can’t help it; it’s the hockey player in me.

Every sport develops its own culture and ethos. Expectations evolve, and players reinforce and pass along those unspoken standards in the locker room.

And in hockey, toughness is king. I mean, have you ever heard of a wimpy hockey player?

I’ve spent many years playing hockey, and I’ve certainly adopted toughness as a virtue. Hockey players don’t back down. Hockey players play hurt. And hockey players certainly don’t whine and complain.

So when I see any team play with grit, determination and toughness, it immediately gains my respect.

Yes, Yellow Jacket girls – you’ve got my respect.

While we’re on the subject of toughness, what’s wrong with baseball players?

An article in the Herald-Leader caught my eye the other day. Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher Aaron Harang is out for the season after undergoing an appendectomy.

Out for the season? Seriously?

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericcson had his appendix surgically removed during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He played – FOUR DAYS LATER. By the way, he scored a goal in his first game back too.

Maybe I’m missing something.

Perhaps pitching a baseball is more physically demanding than swinging a hockey stick and getting banged into the boards. Maybe something in the throwing motion makes it impossible to pitch after appendix removal. (Any readers in the medical field feel free to help me out here.) Perhaps standing in the dugout gnawing sunflower seeds is more difficult than hurtling up the ice at 30 miles-per-hour.

Or maybe Harang is just a sissy.

Quick Shots

The Yellow Jacket football team looked pretty good in its season opener against South Oldham. The defense seemed much improved over last year. The Dragons really only managed one sustained drive. Woodford also looked more physical than last year. I really liked the way the defensive backs finished their tackles. Junior Wayne White in particular laid some nice hits. Quarterback Ryan Garrahan looked shaky in the first half, but settled down and made some nice throws in the second. It seemed like the game was faster in Garrahan’s mind than it was in reality in the early going. He often rushed throws when he had plenty of time. But he seemed to gain confidence in his line as the game wore on, and did a much better job of standing in the pocket and stepping into his throws. It will be interesting watching this team evolve as the season goes on. They definitely have a strong foundation to build on.

Former Yellow Jacket soccer player Stephanie Patterson earned a starting forward spot at the Air Force Academy.

Kyle Busch got a much needed win at Bristol, edging out Mark Martin in the Sharpie 500. For his effort, the driver of the number 18 got showered with boos. Busch gets a lot of grief from NASCAR fans and I can understand it to some degree. But he’s my favorite driver for two reasons. Number one, he’s one heck of a race car driver and number two, it gets under other NASCAR fans skin when I talk up Busch. Yes, he can come across as miserable and whiney. Yes, his aggressive racing sometimes gets him into trouble on the track. But it’s only because he hates to lose, and that I can respect. Martin summed up the fan hatred for Busch pretty well. “He has won a lot of races. I'll tell you, anybody that wins a whole lot gets booed. Jeff Gordon never did anything, in my opinion, to get booed. And he got booed because he won a lot. That's part of the sport.”

Quote of the Week

“Donte Stallworth kills somebody – 30 days in jail. Michael Vick kills dogs – 17 months in jail. Plaxico Burress shoots himself – two years in jail…our legal system seems to be working normally.” –Tyler Crane

Puck to the head

This week I’m shooting a whole slew of pucks at all of the University of Louisville fans throwing rocks at University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari after the NCAA forced Memphis to vacate its 2007-2008 season. The punishment stems from allegations that Calipari’s former team’s freshman phenom, Derrick Rose, had a stand-in take his SAT the second time around. Cardinal fans should probably focus on the goings-on in their own house. I’m just sayin’.

Team chemistry

2009-08-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Aug. 20 SlapShots column

Many factors go into forging a championship team.

Talent, fundamentals, a good system that maximizes the strength of the players, coaching and a myriad of other tangible building blocks go together to build a team can that compete with the best. But it’s often intangible characteristics that separate a great team from the good ones.

Pundits call it chemistry. Anybody involved in sports has seen that team. The one that just seems to click. The one that may not match up in the overall talent department, but comes together on the field and slays giants. The one with players that seem to enjoy being around each other as much as they enjoy playing the game.

The Woodford County High School girls' soccer team exemplifies that kind of team chemistry and it appears another Yellow Jacket squad may have ripped a page or two from the soccer team’s handbook.

The Woodford volleyball team under new head coach Meredith DellaGuistina dropped its first two matches of the year, winning only one game in the process, but the young squad exudes a confidence and a sense of purpose lacking last season.

Much of last year’s struggle stemmed from the team’s youth, and while the squad enters this season with a year of experience under its belt, the team still isn’t exactly gray around the temples. After losing only two players to graduation last spring, the Jacket varsity roster still includes only two seniors.

But if nothing else, this team seems to believe in each other. During last week’s varsity match against West Jessamine, the Hive reverberated with the sound of cheering, both from the freshmen and JV squads, and the players on the bench. The Jackets played with emotion and intensity, and despite the loss they seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves.

“That’s as much enthusiasm as I’ve seen in a ballgame in a long time around here,” local photographer Steve Blake said, adding that the team’s spunk made watching the game a lot of fun.

I have to agree. There was an energy in the gym that I have never seen at a high school volleyball match. Even during the lowest moments of the game, a constant stream of encouragement, cheering and laughter echoed around the Hive.

Credit DellaGuistina. The new Jacket skipper said that she’s emphasized creating team chemistry.

“We’ve been working on that – trying to build the team as a family and as a sisterhood and friendship.”

I have a feeling that the new coach’s efforts will soon begin to pay off in the W-L column. This team may not have the talent or experience to challenge the top squads in the state, but as the chemistry continues to percolate and the squad gains a little seasoning under its new coach, I have a feeling the Yellow Jackets will creep up and surprise some teams.

I encourage everybody to make it out to watch this team. I can’t promise you a victory, but from the looks of things, I feel pretty safe in guaranteeing you a fun time.

Quick Shots

Woodford County High School volleyball coach Meredith DellaGuistina got some good news on Aug. 14. The International Olympic Committee voted to include women’s boxing in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. That opens the door for DellaGuistina, a world class boxer, to make a run for the U.S. team.

The volleyball match against West Jessamine also provided a comedic moment. Some of the freshman players held up signs with the letters W-O-O-D-F-O-R-D painted on them during the game. But they had a little problem with the order, creating a unique and creative spelling of their school’s name. The good news is that they have four years to figure it out.

I was sad to learn that the Arena Football League will cease operations. The AFL issued a short statement on Aug. 4 announcing the shutdown. The league cancelled the 2009 season earlier in the year. Arena Football League 2, with teams in small and medium size markets will continue to operate. The Kentucky Horsemen play in AL2. I was never a huge fan of indoor football, but I followed the Tampa Bay Storm at a distance. The team came to Tampa in 1991 and won five ArenaBowl Championships. In the years before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lightning rose to respectability, the Storm provided the lonely bright spot in the Tampa Bay sports landscape. There’s just something disconcerting about an entire league fading into the past.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. fans got a rare treat. The 88 actually led a few laps in the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Earnhard took fuel during a late caution, relinquishing his lead. But with fresh tires and no worries about running out of gas, the fan favorite drove back through the pack to finished third. Jimmie Johnson led the most laps, but ran out of fuel in the end. Earnhardt is arguably the most popular driver in NASCAR, but his recent performance doesn’t seem to warrant the hype. He last won 43 races ago.

Quote of the Week

“Here is the lesson and reality. All the legal language in the world about moral turpitude will not cause Coach Ricky to lose his job. Why you ask? Because Pitino wins basketball games and that is ultimately much more important than teaching students and players about morals, honesty and trust.”
- Chicago Now columnist Corri Fetman

Puck to the Head

I should fly a puck at Rick Pitino’s head, but that’s just too easy, so this week’s puck flies at the head of San Francisco 49ers draft pick Michael Crabtree. The wide receiver from Texas Tech was drafted 10th overall. But he was projected higher than Darrius Heyward-Bey, who Oakland picked in the seventh spot. So based on pre-draft hype and his projected selection ahead of Heyward-Bey, Crabtree wants a contract higher than the $23.5 million the Raider draft pick signed. Basically, Crabtree wants his contract to reflect that he was the higher selection – except that he wasn’t. He called anything less than the $23.5 million Heyward-Bey will receive, “unacceptable.” Are you kidding me? Crabtree has yet to catch pass one in the NFL and he thinks $23.5 million is unacceptable? I think it’s this clown’s ego that is unacceptable.

The tyranny of the urgent

2009-08-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my Aug. 7 SlapShots column.

Sometimes the tyranny of the urgent can keep us from focusing on what’s important.

For that reason, I think it’s healthy to get away from our day-to-day routine from time to time. Every once in a while, we need to just step away and refocus.

I spent the last week in West Virginia and Florida with my wife and kids. We hiked mountain trails, basked in the sun on the beach and saw some pretty cool historic sites. But the best part was the uninterrupted time with the kids, quiet moments with my wife and an opportunity to visit with family we don’t often get to spend a lot of time with.

For an entire week, I was totally disconnected from the world of sports. I didn’t watch any games, didn’t surf the Internet and scarcely glanced at a newspaper. About the closest I came to athletic competition was a pretty intense battle between the kids and grownups in the license plate game (More on that in a moment.) Oh – and there was a pretty good round of Frisbee with my son … and some boogie boarding in the surf. But I digress.

While I was gone, the Yellow Jackets hired an interim men’s basketball coach and the Woodford County High School worked out an agreement to keep Walker Terhune as its athletic trainer. While I was sitting on the beach last Wednesday, the Woodford Sun went to press, just as it always does.

It all went along just fine – without me.

I will admit, there is something slightly disconcerting in knowing I am not indispensable. But also something very liberating. Sometimes I get too wrapped up in my routine and forget the truly important things. Sometimes the outcome of a game seems so all-important, but in reality, it means nothing in the big scheme of things. Sometimes I get all wrapped up and stressed out about things that just don’t really matter all that much.

This last week was a reminder to keep my focus on the important. Family, friends and moments spent gazing at the wonder of the world add far more value to my life than many of the things that eat up hours like my daughter’s hungry algae eater on the side of the aquarium.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t do our jobs. Sometimes we simply can’t ignore the urgent. It is urgent, after all. But I do think it’s a good idea to recognize that we aren’t indispensable. It’s healthy to know that if we pause for a moment to tend to the important, the world won’t stop spinning. It’s a good thing to just stop and let things go.

It’s okay – try it.

Now about that license plate game…

I will freely admit my extreme competitive nature. My wife shares this personality defect – or strength, depending on how one looks at things. If there existed any doubt that we are both out of control, it vanished somewhere between Jacksonville and St. Augustine.

The license plate game is a great way to pass time on long car rides. It’s a simple game. Try to find license plates from all 50 states throughout the course of the trip. We decided to spice things up a bit and play adults against kids. I must admit; the kids did pretty well. They were keeping pace with us and it was looking like the game could end in a tie. We had a couple of states they didn’t, but they had a couple on us as well.

My wife and I were sweating it a bit until we found our opportunity to grab an almost insurmountable advantage. On our way down to St. Augustine, a van with Alaska plates passed us. I nudged my wife. She saw it too. A wicked grin. The kids were in the back; all three absorbed in the Nintendo DS.

Advantage – grownups.

While basking in our near certain victory, we decided to pull off and grab some lunch. Subway was sounding like a good, healthy option. But as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the Alaska van sitting right in front of the door. No way to get in without the kids seeing the plate.

Advantage – lost.

Suddenly the Waffle House across the way was looking pretty good. I’d been craving a waffle all trip. And besides, who eats healthy on vacation?

So I did a quick turn out of the Subway lot, explaining my sudden need for breakfast. The kids were fine with that.

Advantage – grownups.

Quick Shots

I know you are dying to know who won. Grownups, of course. We lacked only four states: North Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont and Hawaii. The kids had none of those and also missed South Dakota, New Hampshire and Alaska, of course.

The more I watch NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, the more I become a Jimmy Johnson fan. His crew chief, Chad Knaus, has as much to do with my growing respect, as Johnson’s driving – and he’s no slouch behind the wheel. I love the fact that the team never gives up. In the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, Johnson was running strong when he started to experience engine trouble. Several pit stops later, the crew found the problem, a bad sparkplug. By the time the team got the number 48 running right, it was three laps down. But Johnson patiently kept at it, taking advantage of cautions to work his way back to the lead lap, then blew through the back of the field to salvage a 12th place finish.

Kudos to Woodford County Schools for stepping up and getting the job done, keeping an athletic trainer at WCHS. It was good to see everybody involved focus on student safety. It says a lot for the priorities of all of the school officials involved.

Quote of the Week

“We’ve come close in a lot of races this year and come up short. But definitely had some angels with us today.” – An emotional Denny Hamlin after winning the Pennsylvania 500. Hamlin’s grandmother died earlier in the week.

Puck to the Head

I’m going to step out of the sports world to shoot this week’s puck at the heads of slow drivers in the left hand lane.

My personal greatest sports moments

2009-08-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my July 30 SlapShots column in the Woodford Sun.

I’m heading out of town for a week vacation on Friday, July 24, so needing to write a column way ahead of time, I wanted to do something a little different. I got to thinking about all of those lists pundits like to put together – you know, the greatest this or that in history. So, I decided to create my own. I have compiled a list of the top-10 greatest sports moments in my life. These are the events that meant the most to me, not necessarily because of their historical significance, or their greatness in the big scheme of sports, but because they involve my teams, my emotions and my sports passions. That is after all what keeps us watching, eh?

10. Cincinnati Reds win 1975 World Series over the Boston Red Sox, Oct 22, 1975
I was 8-years-old when the Big Red Machine won the first of its two back-to-back World Series. I was like a lot of kids during that time. I loved baseball. I played in the local youth league, collected baseball cards and organized impromptu games with the other neighborhood kids in a nearby vacant lot. And the Reds were my team. Johnny Bench was my hero. This was my first experience watching a favorite team win a championship. It was a dramatic one too. Carlton Fisk blasted a 12th inning home run off the foul pole in left field to give the Red Sox a 7-6 victory in game six. That made for an early lesson in sports disappointment, which only made Cincinnati’s 4-3 win the next day that much sweeter.

9. USA defeats the Soviet Union in the Olympics Feb. 22, 1980
Quite frankly, this would rank higher if I had a better memory of it. We watched the game at a Mr. Gatti’s pizza place in Ohio or Indiana because I was up there competing in a swim meet. I don’t know that I had ever watched a hockey game before that, but just about everybody in the country watched that one. I don’t really remember the game at all, but I do remember the pride of being an American and taking down the hated Soviets. Those of you old enough to remember the Cold War understand this. For you younger folks, I’m not sure I can even think of anything to compare it with. And I do vividly remember the complete pandemonium that broke out in the restaurant when the U.S.A. scored the go-ahead goal. The game also sparked my lifelong love for hockey.

8. USF beats the University of Louisville 45-14 Sept. 24, 2005. This was the year before I started classes at USF, but I was already a fan of Bull football. The win over the ninth ranked Cards was USF’s first victory over a team in the top 10. That it came over Louisville made it even better. The rise of the Bulls’ football program makes for a pretty amazing story in and of itself. The team began playing in 1997 as a D-II squad. USF held its first team meeting under a shade tree because the school didn’t have football facilities on campus. The win over Louisville was a classic David slays Goliath story, and you gotta love those.

7. Florida Gators win National Championship with a 24-14 win over Oklahoma, Jan. 8, 2009. Ahh – it’s good to be a Gator football fan. This was the team’s second National Championship in three years. I really respect Tim Tebow, both as a player and a person, so I was thrilled to see him hoist the BCS trophy. And look out SEC because Tebow will be back this coming season.

6. Florida Gators win National Championship with a 41-14 win over Ohio State, Jan. 7, 2007. The 2007 National Championship gets the edge over 2009 because the Gators not only brought home the hardware, they exposed Ohio State and the Big Ten for the perennial overrated sensations that they are.

5. Tampa Bay Rays 3 Boston Red Sox 1, game 7 ALCS, Oct. 19, 2008.
This would rank higher if I cared anything about baseball. Loved the game as a kid, but something happened over the years and I just have no passion left for the boys of summer. But it was still a thrill to watch the hapless Rays make it into the World Series, especially beating the Red Sox, my second most un-favorite team in the world of sports. (Top honors in that category goes to the Detroit Red Wings.) I lived in the shadow of Tropicana Field, and like most St. Petersburg residents, ignored the Rays for many years. I started paying some attention when Stu Sternberg bought the team, running that clown Vince Namoli out of town and injecting some life into the franchise. Most fans thought the new ownership was taking the team in the right direction, but I don’t think anybody imagined the Rays would make the run that they did in 2008. Another little guy overcomes the big boy story.

4. USF beats fifth ranked West Virginia 21-13, Sept. 29, 2007. I would argue that the 2007 win over the Mountaineers was the signature victory for the Bulls’ football program. It thrust USF into the national spotlight. This win was so special to me because I felt a part of it. I was a student at the time and this was my school. I only got to watch the first half of the game. The USF hockey team was in Miami that weekend playing Florida Atlantic University. I remember our entire team was crammed into this tiny bar attached to the rink watching the first half. As the Bulls took the early lead, we were all going nuts. It was one of the most exciting fan experiences I’ve ever been a part of – sharing that moment with my teammates and fellow Bulls. We had to go get ready for our own game at halftime. We didn’t even know who ultimately won until after the hockey game. The coaches wouldn’t tell us anything, wanting us to focus on our task. By the way, the Ice Bulls beat FAU 5-3 that night.

3. Florida Gators win the National Championship with a 50-20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl Jan. 2, 1997. I’ve been a Gator fan since I was a little kid. Even though I spent most of my growing up years in Kentucky, three years living in Ormond Beach as a child was enough to make me a Floridian in my mind. When I attended UK in the late ’80s, I went to the Wildcat-Gator games and cheered for Florida. So watching the Gators win their first National Title in my lifetime was a pretty big deal. Beating Florida State to do it made it that much better. That the Gators’ only loss that year came at the hands of the Noles just weeks earlier made it that much better. The rivalry between Florida and Florida State is something akin to UK’s rivalry with Louisville in basketball, to put things in perspective for you Kentuckians.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl 48-21 over the Oakland Raiders, Jan. 6, 2003. For so many years, the Bucs represented ineptitude and futility. From the ridiculous creamsicle uniforms to the successive years of losing records, Tampa Bay was the laughing stock of the NFL. And from the team’s first season in 1976, I was a fan. I actually owned one of the old orange jerseys. I wish I still had it. I moved to Clearwater in 1991 and my favorite team became my hometown team. It wasn’t easy being a Bucs fan. The joke was that you could leave a ticket on your car windshield in the parking lot of the Big Sombrero, as old Tampa Stadium was known, and when you returned, you’d have five tickets. I once went to a Bucs game against Green Bay and there were about 35,000 Packer fans in the stadium. It was embarrassing. But I’m nothing if not loyal, and that loyalty paid off when the Bucs finally became World Champions. I can’t even describe how amazing it felt to see the team that struggled for so long finally win. The emotional words of Bucs radio announcer Gene Deckerhoff as the clock hit zero sums it up. “Buccaneers win! Buccaneers win! Buccaneers win in San Diego! We are kings of the world!”

1.Tampa Bay Lightning wins the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 game seven win over the Calgary Flames, June 7, 2004
I don’t have a whole lot of sports memorabilia in my home. Now my office is a different story, but other than items from my playing days at USF, there isn’t a whole lot displayed in my house. But one piece of sports history does hang in a prominent spot in my living room. It’s a framed copy of the St. Petersburg Times from the day after the Lightning won its Stanley Cup. The photo on the front page featured Tampa Bay captain Dave Andreychuk lowering the Cup toward his lips for a kiss. It’s an iconic image. I will admit that I am a pretty emotional guy, and I am passionate about sports. But the night the Lightning won the Cup was the only time I’ve shed tears of joy as a fan. It was so amazing – so emotional. I have followed the team closely since it came into the NHL. In fact, I moved to the Tampa Bay area the summer before the inaugural season. I attended countless games and was a partial season ticket holder. Like the Bucs, the Lightning franchise spent many seasons serving as the butt of countless jokes. Lightning ineptitude started in the front office and extended to the ice. There were many years of frustration for Lightning fans. I was here in Kentucky when the Bolts finally won. In fact, I was at work at the airport in Louisville. Fortunately, there were no flights on the ground, and I was able to slip into a dark office and catch the end of the game. As the Lightning skated the Cup around the raucous St. Pete Times Forum, I was alone in this office, awash with emotions and memories, jumping up and down – a few tears trickling down my face. It was kind of surreal. It’s amazing how team can connect an individual with a community. I was 1,000 miles away from Tampa, but I felt I was a part of it all.

Quick Shots

As I look over my list, I realize how fortunate I’ve been as a sports fan. A lot of big moments. Many great memories. This is a very personal list, but for me, it’s probably the most special list I could create. Because it’s about my memories – my connections to the sports and teams that I love.

One lesson from my life as a fan, loyalty and persistence eventually pay off. Stay off the bandwagons!

I would love to hear about some of your sports memories. Write me at sports@woodfordsun.com

Quote of the week

“Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterday Gone like a soldier in the civil war, bang bang” –Montgomery Gentry (I’ll see you all after my vacation.)

Puck to the Head

Hey, I’m on vacation. You don’t expect me to be wasting times shooting pucks around, do you?

A most common battle

2009-08-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my SlapShots column from the July 23 Sun.

“It would have been a hell of a story.”

I turned the TV on just in time to watch the plot unravel.

Tom Watson missed an 8-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have clinched the British Open championship. Had that putt found the cup, the 59-year-old would have become the oldest player to ever win a major championship. But the ball stopped short and the dream evaporated moments before the happy ending.

“It was almost – the dream almost came true,” he said.

Watson’s age seem to catch up with him on that last hole and through the playoff.

“Those last 30 minutes, he aged about 30 years,” ESPN analyst Rick Reilly said.

After missing the putt that would have won him the championship, Watson fell apart in the playoff. He looked old and tired as his drive failed him, leaving him in the rough on the second playoff hole. He worked out of it to save par, but he found the rough again on 17 (the third playoff hole) and couldn’t recover. Stewart Cink played a mistake free playoff and walked away with the Claret Jug for his first major win.

But the spotlight eluded the winner.

I have to admit, I felt sorry for Cink. After sinking a 12-foot birdie on 18 to put him in position for the tie, Cink played superbly through the four playoff holes, but nobody really cared. All eyes focused on Watson. The disappointment in the gallery seemed like a physically tangible entitiy on the final hole, as if the fans could actually reach out and touch it.

But nobody left Turnberry more disappointed than Watson.

He wasn’t just there to be there – he was playing to win.

“It tears at your gut, just like it’s always torn at my gut,” he said.

While his strength and stamina may have diminished over the years, Watson’s desire to compete and win remains strong.

When Watson won the last of his eight major championships, I was a junior in high school. In the 1983 British Open, Watson nailed his drive, putting the ball 15 feet from the hole on the 18th to set up an easy two putt to take home the Jug. To nearly replicate that feat 26 years later amazes.

What really impressed me about Watson’s 2009 Open run was that he wasn’t willing to settle for a moral victory. He was competing to win. That is after all why we compete. Watson could easily use his age as an excuse. But he didn’t. He thought he could win. He expected to win. And his disappointment testifies to that competitive fire that made him so great in his heyday.

But as with all of us, no matter how hard we battle, age eventually works us over. A reporter asked Watson if fatigue factored in his poor playoff performance. Did he run out of gas?

“It looked like it, didn’t it?” he said. “It didn’t feel like it, but it looked like it.”

Boy, can I relate.

I think that’s what captivated me about Watson’s Open performance. I saw in Watson my own battle against the ever-encroaching menace of age. I know how it feels when the mind wills a performances the body can’t quite deliver. I’ve momentarily overcome my own aging physique, playing as well as I did in my 20s - only to fall just short. And I’ve felt the sting of disappointment. That’s one thing that age doesn’t diminish.

As time passes, Watson will look back on the 2009 British Open with pride. He’ll recognize his amazing achievement and he’ll bask in the pride of knowing he competed at the highest level while approaching senior status.

But today, there’s just disappointment – and probably some pretty sore muscles.

I understand Tom. I understand.

Quick Shots

Some commentators complained that Tom Watson’s British Open run somehow diminished the game of golf. They said that if a 59-year-old could play with the best in the world – even for a week, it doesn’t say much about the sport. They worried that Watson’s performance would hurt the game. I disagree. Until Sunday, I had never watched more than five minutes of any golf match. Yet I remained glued to the TV for two hours as the drama of the final day at the Open unfolded. Good stories create new fans. Who could write a better storyline for the 2009 Open?

Age may well finally overtake another old-timer. Lance Armstrong faded in the first Tour de France leg in the Alps, as teammate Alberto Contador took the yellow jersey. It’s becoming clear that Armstrong will not win his eighth Tour championship. He’s accepting the role as “support rider” for Contador. But even in defeat, Armstrong continues to show the class that makes him a true champion. “A day like this really shows who’s the best, and I wasn’t on par with what is required to win the Tour. That’s the reality; that’s not devastating news or anything,” he said. “I gave it everything that I had, and I wasn’t the best.”

Jody Meeks made a quite an impression during NBA Summer League games for the Milwaukee Bucks. The former Wildcat averaged a team-high 19 points through five games. In averaging 32 minutes per game, Meeks shot 56 percent from the field, 53 percent from three-point range and 82 percent from the free-throw line. He was playing against other rookies, but his performance may indicate Meeks made the right decision in moving on to the NBA.

Woodford Sun sports has 97 fans on its Facebook fan page. If you are a Facebook user, look us up and join in. I would love to see us crack the 100-fan mark this week.

Quote of the Week

“Thank you for a one week break from the Tiger Woods era”
-From an ABC thank you segment on Tom Watson after the British Open

Puck to the head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Antoine Walker. The former University of Kentucky and current NBA basketball player was arrested July 15, a day after a warrant was issued for three felony counts of writing bad checks. Walker allegedly amassed $822,500 in gambling debts. Police arrested the forward at Harrah’s Casino in South Lake Tahoe. Are you kidding me? They arrested a man with over $822,000 in gambling debts in a casino? No – he doesn’t have a problem.

Who's your hero?

2009-07-15T07:20:00.001-07:00

A reprint of my July 9 SlapShots column published in the Woodford Sun

Have you heard?

Michael Jackson died!

Of course you’ve heard. How could you not? The story dominated news coverage. You couldn’t turn on a television, listen to a radio show or even log onto the Web without finding yourself inundated by Jackson. Amazingly, coverage of the pop star’s death rivaled that of the protests in Iran and completely overshadowed debate in the U.S. House on cap and trade legislation – potentially one of the most far reaching laws ever passed.

Over two-thirds of Americans say there was too much media coverage, according to a Pew Research poll. Yet while we complained about the excessive coverage, we tuned in in droves. A CBS News special on Jackson boasted 7.5 million viewers and an ABC Jackson recap pulled in 5.7 million viewers on the same night. The three biggest cable news networks averaged 8.2 million viewers in prime-time the day of Jackson’s death. That compares with almost 4.7 million on a typical weeknight, according to Neilson.

It seems something in our nature drives us to elevate celebrities to hero status. Maybe it has to do with what we perceive as the mundane nature of our own lives. Perhaps people find excitement living vicariously through their heroes.

The phenomenon runs rampant in sports as well.

I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with hero worship. I do have my favorite sports figures and entertainers, but I try to keep things in perspective, recognizing that their talent does not make them better human beings than the average Joe.

But I do understand the thrill of meeting a favorite player. I can relate to the sense of awe that comes when watching an athlete perform at the top of his or her sport. I can even shrug off the over-the-top nature some fans display toward their favs.

But I can’t wrap my mind around why fans elevate nasty human beings to hero status – simply based on their ability to hit a ball, make a basket or sing a song.

I lost what little respect I had left for Jackson years ago when he hung his kid over a motel balcony. The man could write a song and cut some dance moves, but as far as I’m concerned the fact that he was a freak and a pervert overshadowed his artistic talent.

Yet society lifts him up and spends weeks obsessing over his passing. The entire world mourns for a man it never really knew. I just don’t get it.

But maybe it’s just me. I don’t get a lot of things.

I don’t get why people insist Pete Rose should enter the Baseball Hall of Fame despite betting on his own sport. I don’t get why thousands flocked to see baseball cheater Manny Ramirez play minor league games while he was serving a Major League Baseball suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. I don’t get why any fan would buy a Terrell Owens jersey after all of his shenanigans.

These folks and others like them have amazing talents. I can appreciate and admire their on the field abilities. I can watch in awe as they blast a homerun or make a gravity defying a touchdown grab, but I just can’t get that excited about people who can’t seem live life as decent human beings.

NBA superstar Charles Barkley once stated, “I don't believe professional athletes should be role models.” He makes a good point. "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?"

Perhaps that’s my problem. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe I should just learn to separate the athletic prowess from the personal life. Perhaps I should be able to cheer the player and ignore the off-court persona. Perhaps I make too much of the athletes life outside of sport.

But really – am I asking too much? Is it too much to expect that our heroes not cheat? That they not beat up their wives or drive drunk? Is it too much that I ask that they not take drugs or roll recklessly through life splattering bystanders with their overblown sense of entitlement?

I think the real problem is that we’ve forgotten what a real hero looks like.

I was at my grandfather’s house not long ago. A frame hangs on the wall in an out of the way spot. Inside that frame rests a purple heart, a bronze star and numerous combat ribbons. My grandfather served in the U.S. Army through World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He’s led a quiet life. Raised a family. Took care of my grandmother as her health failed. I never saw him hit a baseball. He can’t dunk a basketball. He doesn’t have much of a singing voice. But he wove his quiet strength through my life and taught me a lot about manhood.

I’ll always love sports. I will continue to admire certain players and athletes for their performance in the arena of competition. Some I will laud because of what they do off the field. I don’t agree with Barkley; athletes can serve as role models.

But my grandfather will always remain my hero.

Quick Shots

If nothing else, restrictor plate racing in NASCAR makes for some crazy finishes. My wife and I were screaming wildly as our favorite, Kyle Busch, passed Tony Stewart on the final lap of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. But moments later, Busch tried to block Stewart’s attempt to retake the lead and careened into the wall. Kasey Kahne plowed into the back of Busch’s car, lifting the rear of the number 18 Toyota off the track. Busch’s car slammed down onto the hood of Kahne’s as Stewart steered clear to cross the finish line for the win. Busch’s destroyed Toyota slid across for a 14th place finish and then got plowed by Joey Logano. Busch was clearly miffed after the accident and struggled against NASCAR officials as they steered him toward a car to take him to the medical center. Busch wisely refused to comment after the race.

The Tour de France kicked off on July 4. Lance Armstrong amazes me. Can he pull off an eighth win? I’m not sure, but the fact that he’s even competing at that level astonishes me.

Quote of the Week

"I don't want any part of winning a race because the guy who was leading the race got wrecked. I don't know that we did anything wrong. I've seen replays of it, and he's protecting his position, which is what he's got to do. I mean that's what he has to do as a driver. He can't just sit there and let us make a move like that and not try to defend it.”

-Tony Stewart after winning the Coke Zero 400

Puck to the head

This week’s puck to the head flies at TNT for its “Wide Open Coverage” of NASCAR. Wide Open Coverage means that they play the commercials down in the lower right hand corner of the screen while continuing silent coverage of the race on the rest of the screen. I guess I’m supposed to feel like there aren’t any commercials. But I can’t multitask like that. I just end up getting annoyed that my eyes keep gravitating toward the ads. Just cut to the commercials and get it over with. I also have to shoot another puck at former University of Kentucky baseball player Jim Leyritz. You may remember me shooting a puck at his head a few weeks back. He will face trial in a couple of months for DUI manslaughter. He said that the death of the woman he killed driving drunk was “the accident’s fault.” Well, he’s in jail again. This time for allegedly beating up his ex-wife. I wonder whose fault that was?

WCHS athletic trainer gets the axe

2009-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Reprint of article in July 9 Sun

-By Mike Maharrey

The Bluegrass Community Hospital announced last week that it has eliminated the athletic training position at Woodford County High School, leaving the future of Walker Terhune’s job unclear. The announcement left school officials scrambling to find alternative funding with the start of football, soccer, cross country and volleyball practices only weeks away.

Terhune served as the Yellow Jacket athletic trainer for three years, providing on the field medical care and rehabilitation services to athletes in every sports program at the school. Bluegrass Community Hospital employed Terhune and contracted his services to the WCHS.

Bluegrass Community CEO Kathy Love said eliminating the position, along with the athletic trainer at Midway College, will save the hospital about $100,000 per year.

“We always have to preserve our core hospital services,” she said. “It was a painful decision.”

The hospital did not eliminate any other positions, and Love emphasized that the organization remains financially sound.

“We’re not in any sort of crisis,” she said. “We are tightening our belts.”

Love cited a drop in donations, as well as cost pressures with driving the decision to eliminate the athletic trainer positions. A rise in uncompensated care has strained the hospital’s budget, and uncertainties in the health care industry regarding the possibility of healthcare reform have administrators taking proactive measures. Love said that regardless of what form healthcare reform takes, she expects future cuts in provider reimbursements.

Woodford County High School assistant principal and athletic director Bob Gibson said that the school has already started looking for other healthcare organizations to partner with in order to keep an athletic trainer at WCHS – preferably Terhune. He said that school officials have meetings scheduled for later in the week.

“We may be able to get everything back on board,” he said. “Obviously, we would want to maintain not only the position, but the individual.”

Neither state law or the Kentucky High School Athletics Association require Kentucky schools to have a trainer on staff, but Gibson said that he recognizes the importance of the athletic trainer for health and safety of Jacket athletes.

“It’s of vital importance to our program.”

Gibson said that he understands the hospitals decision and that he doesn’t want people to perceive Bluegrass Community as the bad guy.

“They’ve been a big sponsor of our programs,” he said.

It remains unclear whether the Woodford County School Board will provide any funding for an athletic trainer if the school cannot find another healthcare organization to foot the bill.

“Obviously, we just found out last week,” Superintendent Scott Hawkins said. “We’re trying to explore all of our options. If we can keep an athletic trainer, we certainly want to do that.”

But dollars will factor into the decision.

“We don’t know what costs we’re looking at. We’ll see what kind of expenses we might be looking at. We want to provide quality service at a price that we can afford,” Hawkins said. “We’ll have a much clearer picture once we have some of these meetings and see what our options are.”

Yellow Jacket football coach Chris Tracy expressed concern about the possibility of going into late summer practices without an athletic trainer on the sideline. Last summer, Pleasure Ridge Park football player Max Gilpin died after collapsing during practice on a hot August evening. Prosecutors charged PRP coach Jason Stinson with negligent homicide. There was no athletic trainer at the practice when Gilpin succumbed to the heat.

“After what happened in Louisville, I don’t know that I want to be out there doing what we do without a trainer,” Tracy said.

Several WCHS athletes reacted to the news of the possible elimination of the athletic training position with dismay.

“I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m kind of in shock,” Yellow Jacket soccer player Katrina Ott said.

Terhune helped Ott rehab several injuries and she credits daily sessions with him for getting herself healed and back on the field faster. She said that she probably took his presence on the sidelines for granted.

“It’s really important to have a trainer at your convenience,” she said. “Sometimes when you’re hurt, coaches are not as qualified and don’t know.”

Terhune not only heals the body, he serves as a mentor and trusted adult figure in the lives of many Woodford County athletes.

Senior Jay Tackett, a soccer and football player, posted his feelings on the Woodford Sun Sports Facebook page.

“This is terrible. Woodford’s losing an awesome sports trainer. Walker’s been a great friend of mine through all my years of high school and he would be greatly missed.”

Meeks to the NBA

2009-07-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my July 2 SlapShots column in the Woodford Sun

Jodie Meeks will head to the land of bratwursts and beer.

The Milwaukee Bucks drafted the former University of Kentucky guard with the 41st pick. He was the 11th pick in the second round.

Last season, Meeks led the SEC with 24.2 points per game. He was fifth in the nation in scoring and earned second-team All American honors. After his breakout junior season, Meeks decided to forgo his senior year at UK and enter the NBA draft.

Was it the right decision?

Only time will tell. We have no way of looking into the future. No way to know if Meeks will develop into an NBA level player. The Bucks think highly of him and believe his scoring ability will translate to the NBA game.

“He was a guy we had on our board for the last few days, and up until (Wednesday) night, and we said, ‘No way this kid makes it to the second round,’” Bucks GM John Hammond said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We just felt he’s one of the top-notch shooters in this draft.”

Of course Hammond was already proved wrong on one theory. Meeks did last into the second round.

I tend to think Meeks isn’t quite ready for the NBA. I think he needs some more time to develop his obvious talent. He made huge strides last season. I think one more season would have probably made him a first round pick – especially under the tutelage of John Calipari.

Several readers agree.

“Meeks will have a lot of learning left to do, which he could have done under Calipari,” Versailles resident Paul Krueger said. “I guess he'll be paid for learning now – is that all that different from the SEC, though?”

Woodford County High School senior Carson Reynolds said that he thinks Meeks has a future in the NBA, but that it may take a couple of developmental years before he makes it to the big dance.

“As far as Meeks being successful I’m sorry to say but it won't be for a couple of years. He is either going overseas or to the D- league, he said. “But hey, look at the bright side, at least he got drafted because many thought he was stupid for leaving because he wouldn't get drafted.”

Nate Cowan, a sports writer in St. Petersburg, Fla., counters.

“As far as being happy to just be drafted, that's not a victory for him at all. Only first rounders get guaranteed contracts so he should have stayed in school.”

But this is really all speculation. We won’t know what Meeks will gain by entering the NBA early until next fall. We do know this – as a second round pick, Meeks has no guarantees. As Cowan pointed out, first round picks get guaranteed money. Second round picks get nothing but an opportunity.

And we do know what Meeks gave up. A senior season playing under a coach known for developing NBA players. A legitimate shot at an NCAA national championship. Another year to develop his game. Continuing his education.

Yes, I’m one of those old fashioned folks who actually believe that even talented athletes should take advantage of the opportunity to get a college education.

But Meeks made his decision and now it’s up to him to make the most of his opportunity. Fortunately for him, Milwaukee will likely provide a good fit. The team boasts a long line of successful second round picks. Last year the Bucks took Luc Richard Mbah a Moute from UCLA with the 37th pick. He played all 82 games as a rookie.

I wonder how Meeks will do facing NBA caliber players on defense night after night. Ball handling and driving the net isn’t Meeks’ forte. But he can shoot the lights out – provided he can get open – and sometimes when he’s not.

In that sense, Cowan thinks Meeks landed on the right team.

“The Bucks aren't a great team and Meeks has trouble creating his own shot. Picking up a pass first point guard like Brandon Jennings helps him in that department and he gets to play behind Michael Redd so he won't be facing the other teams' top perimeter defender,” he said. “The NBA isn't the SEC. The guys guarding him will be bigger and better than that game. He's a catch and shoot guy right now but really athletic. D. Jones and Jennings don't even play the same position as Meeks so they aren't in his way. Redd is coming back from ACL surgery so Meeks can make the squad.”

Cowan also thinks playing on a small market team will benefit the former Cat.

“Milwaukee is a good place for Meeks to land. He played under more scrutiny at UK then he'll see at a place like Milwaukee so the lights of the show won't get to him.”

The verdict remains out in my mind. I’m not sure how Meeks will fare at the next level. But if nothing else, he’s earned an opportunity. I hope he makes the most of it.

Quick Shots

How about the U.S. beating Spain in the FIFA Confederations Cup? After a lackluster start to the tournament, the American’s finally found some passion and shocked the Spaniards with a 2-0 win. Spain was ranked first in the world.

For the first time in three weeks, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch didn’t whine about coming in second in the Nationwide race. That’s because he finally won one. Busch turned the tables on Joey Logano, who led 108 of the 200 laps, passing the youngster with 36 laps remaining.

But Logano’s week got a lot better on Sunday. The rookie won his first Sprint Cup race, taking the checkered flag in a rain shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire.

Woodford Sun Sports is on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user, join our page. It’s a great place to keep up with Woodford sports throughout the week, check out unpublished photos and engage in discussions with other readers.

Quote of the Week

“The 48 did the same thing. I think they had a pit-road penalty or got caught on pit road or something like that, and drove right up through the field. It looked like the rest of us were racing mini-stocks and he was in a super late model. It looked stupid. We need to make our cars like that where we make everybody look stupid instead of us being the ones that look stupid.” –Kyle Busch talking his recent struggles and the race at Pocono.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head Manny Ramirez – again. The Los Angeles Dodgers slugger is serving a 50 game suspension from Major League Baseball after testing positive for a banned substance. Except he’s not really serving the suspension. Ramirez has spent the last several weeks touring around the west playing in minor league games. What kind of punishment is that? The guy cheats, yet gets to keep playing baseball. And to make matters worse, fans have crammed the ballparks to watch the cheater. They all get pucks to the head too! That’s part of what’s wrong with this society – no real consequences for actions.

A need for speed

2009-06-29T12:49:00.001-07:00

Originally printed in the Woodford Sun June 18

Ford or Chevy? Kyle Busch or Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Short track or super speedway?

NASCAR fans find plenty to debate, but on one subject Kentucky race fans can agree. Virtually all of the nearly 70,000 spectators who poured into the Kentucky Speedway for the Meijer 300 Nationwide Series race on Saturday, June 13, would like to see a Sprint Cup race in the Bluegrass State.

But for Kentucky Speedway owners, luring the big boys of NASCAR remains elusive and the prospects for a 2010 date look bleak.

“I think there may be a slim chance – and slim probably left town,” Kentucky Speedway owner Bruton Smith said at a press conference before Saturday’s race. “The schedule is not completed, but I believe it will be completed and we’ll probably not be able to get on the schedule or change the schedule for next year.”

Smith’s Speedway Motor Sports Inc. purchased Kentucky Speedway from International Speedway Corp. in May 2008. SMI owns seven other racetracks that host Sprint Cup races, and Smith made it clear when he purchased the 1.5-mile oval near Sparta that he intends to bring a top-tier race to Kentucky.

But legal wrangling between NASCAR and the previous ownership remains the biggest hurdle.

Northern Kentucky businessman Jerry Carroll, along with four other investors, built the $162 million track on 816 acres of farmland in Gallatin County. Kentucky Speedway opened in 2000.

Carroll’s company, International Speedway Corp., filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR in 2005, saying the governing body conspired to keep Kentucky Speedway from getting a Cup race. Federal Judge William Bertlesman dismissed the suit in January 2008, saying that ISC failed to make its case.

“A producer of a product is free under current antitrust laws to select its distributors and to refuse to deal with would-be distributors, no matter how worthy or deserving they may be.”

Carroll appealed the ruling and the case remains pending. NASCAR has made it clear that no Sprint Cup race will come to Kentucky until the legal matters are resolved.

Many racing experts also believe the track will need to expand seating and make other improvements in order to host a Cup race.

SMI has already made $13.5 million in improvements at Kentucky Speedway since purchasing the track last year, including the addition of infield camping sites and new access roads to improve traffic flow.

But the speedway would likely need to add upwards of 50,000 seats to its 68,000 seat capacity.

The Kentucky House passed a bill on March 5 that would have allowed SMI to recoup 25 percent of its expansion costs through sales tax revenue over 20 years. The House passed HB521 98-0.

The bill died in a Senate committee, but the issue remains alive. Gov. Steve Beshear has expressed support for state aid in luring a Sprint Cup race to Kentucky.

“The impact of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for Kentucky is undeniable. NASCAR is the number one spectator sport in the United States and is broadcast in more than 150 countries and 30 languages. I’m excited about the potential of Kentucky joining these ranks,” the governor said in a news conference last February.

Beshear announced on June 5 that he would add an economic development bill to the agenda for the special legislative session that began June 15, and that bill will include incentives for the Kentucky Speedway to lure a Cup race.

While race fans long for a Sprint Cup date at Kentucky Speedway, not all of them think it should come at taxpayer expense.

Don Tankersley made the 45-minute trip from Versailles, Ind. to take in the Meijer 300, and he said that he would love to see a Cup race at the speedway.

“I think it would be a good thing if they would get them in here. But I think we all know that they’ll need more seating.”

And while the issue wouldn’t directly affect him as an Indiana resident, Tankersley said that he doesn’t think Kentucky taxpayers should foot the bill.

“I don’t like taxpayer dollars going into any sporting event. I don’t think the state should pay for it.”

But he added a caveat.

“I don’t have a problem with a little tax exemption to get them in here.”

Tankersley said that he thinks the statewide economic benefits of NASCAR are overblown, especially in an area such as Sparta that boasts very little development to begin with.

“The only benefit here is here,” he said, sweeping his hand around the track. “It helps a few gas stations, but that’s about it.”

Racing flows through Mark Ballard’s blood. The Owensboro resident raced late model stock cars in Nashville and he brought his son, who races go-carts, to the Kentucky Speedway for his first NASCAR experience. Ballard disagrees with the notion that a Cup race wouldn’t benefit the state at large, and he said that he wouldn’t mind the state spending tax dollars if it meant bringing a Sprint Cup race home.

“I’ve seen the state waste a lot of money on a lot of other things,” he said. “I think the taxpayer dollar would be minimal compared to the return it would get.”

Ballard pointed out the large crowed present for the Nationwide race and said that he thought a Sprint Cup date would mean even more to the state, especially in national exposure and publicity.

“Nothing against Nationwide, but the Cup side is so much bigger.”

In addition to the Nationwide Series race, Kentucky Speedway also hosts a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in July and an IndyCar race in August, along with other smaller racing events.

Are you a mucker and grinder?

2009-06-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my June 11 column published in the Woodford Sun.

We call them muckers and grinders.

They play on the third and fourth lines. They can step up when a star player goes down. They have specific assignments: make a big hit, kill a penalty, or play a puck possession game while the top lines rest up.

They don’t attract the attention or have the name recognition of the superstars, but they play no less an important role on their teams. Nobody expects them to put up big numbers, but they can change the tone of a game with a physical shift, or a timely goal.

The coach just needs them to step up when they’re needed.

The muckers and grinders may not grab the headlines week after week, but without them, no team will succeed. They often play the role of difference maker, but the casual fan might not even notice.

In other sports, we call them role players – the backup linebacker that plays special teams, the defensive forward coming off the bench on the basketball team, the pinch hitter on the baseball squad.

Sometimes these athletes step up when a star goes down and become superstars themselves. The name Tom Brady comes to mind. But more often they labor in relative obscurity their entire careers.

You probably wouldn’t recognize most of their names.

Thanks in part to the muckers and grinders, the Detroit Red Wings have a shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup. They just need to win one of the next two games.

Of course, every time that storied trophy passes from hand to hand in celebration, more than a few of those raised arms belong to the role players.

Wings’ stars like Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom have all missed games in the playoffs due to injury, but in their absence, players like 22-year-old Darren Helm slid in and made their presence known. Helm leads the playoffs with 110 hits. Valtteri Filppula stepped up when Detroit’s leading scorer Datsyuk went down, scoring three goals and notching 13 assists. Justin Abdelkader scored two playoff goals. The first was his first NHL goal – ever.

"It's not about the number of minutes anyone plays. It's not about who gets the goals or assists. It's all about winning,” Helm said.

These guys may not ever reach superstar status. But they play an integral role on their team.

And they will reap the same reward as their headline grabbing teammates if they win the championship - their names will also be forever etched in the Stanley Cup.

I’m proud to say that I’m a mucker and a grinder. I was never higher than number three on the goalie depth chart at the University of South Florida, but I was there. I played my role and I played it to the best of my ability. I’m not writing for the New York Times, but I write to the best of my ability, filling my role here at The Sun and seeking excellence in all I do.

The truth is, most of us fall into the mucker and grinder category. We do our jobs and live our lives in relative obscurity. But the Detroit Red Wings – the team – should remind us that obscurity does not mean that we lack importance. It does not diminish our value. And it certainly doesn’t mean the world doesn’t need us.

We have a role and ladies and gentlemen, that role is important. What you do matters. You have significance. So do what you do the best that you can. Do it will passion and seek excellence.

Be who you were created to be.

Quick Shots

As I’ve watched the Stanley Cup playoffs, I’ve found myself wondering who will fill the mucker and grinder roles for the University of Kentucky basketball team this fall. John Calipari’s recruiting class is amazing. Lots of superstar talent. Lost of big names. But can they all play together and fill all of the roles that a team must fill in order to win? Or will they slide into the chaos of clashing egos? That remains to be seen.

Franklin County won the 11th Region Softball Championship and marched to the quarterfinals of the KHSAA State Softball Tournament before falling to Allen County-Scottsville. I couldn’t help but think, “what if?” as I followed the Yellow Jackets’ rivals’ progress through the tourney. Woodford County beat the Flyers three times this season. Franklin County’s success says a lot for the strength of the 41st District where most pundits considered Western Hills the top-dog.

The wrong bird won the Belmont and I think there was a lesson there for jockey Calvin Borel. Probably better to save the running of the mouth for after the race.

Quote of the Week

“I just wish you all would just quit ticking him off…so he has to come back and keep proving stuff. I think he answered a lot of questions today.”
– Jim Furyk after Tiger Woods came back to win the Memorial on June 7. Skeptics have questioned whether Woods was ready to defend his U.S. Open Championship in a couple of weeks.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of Joe Bologna for comping UK basketball player meals. I just don’t think we should be increasing these kids’ sense of entitlement.

Ride Baby Ride

2009-06-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

By Mike Maharrey
Woodford Sun sports editor
Published 6-3-2009

Cowgirls don’t cry
Ride baby ride
Lessons in life are gonna show you in time
Soon enough you’re gonna know why
It’s gonna hurt every now and then
If you fall get back on again>
Cowgirls don’t cry

Then again, sometimes they do.

As the Brooks and Dunn song played through the car stereo speakers, Grace Stone sat in the backseat of her mother’s car and bawled.

Just two months ago, the 10-year-old girl buried her “best friend,” a red chestnut Saddlebred horse with a perfect diamond on his nose.

His name was Sunny.

It was a bright cool spring morning, and Stone was on her way to ride in a show for the first time since Sunny’s burial when Cowboys Don’t Cry came on the radio.

“She would not let me change it,” her mother Jackie Stone said. “She said she believed Sunny played that song so she would stand up, get on that horse and go.”

The horse Grace would ride in that first competition that day was ironically named Lazarus – after a man who got a second chance at life.

She won a blue ribbon.

Heartbreak and tragedy eventually touch every life. At some point, people of every nation, race and creed must learn to cope with loss, get up and move on.

The fifth grader at Northside Elementary in Versailles learned that lesson younger than most.

***
Grace Stone loves horses. As far back as she can remember she’s wanted to ride. Horse posters adorn her room’s walls. The entrance to her bedroom mimics a barn door.

But Grace’s family never imagined they could buy her a horse.

“Who could ever afford it?” Jackie asked.

That is until Jackie found out through a friend that Brett Day of Grey Ridge Farm in Versailles was willing to give two pure blood Saddlebreds to a good home. So Sunny and his half brother, Dixieland Jazz, became part of the Stone family.

Both horses were named after Fleetwood Mac songs. Sunny’s given name was Over My Head. Their sire was Mac Attack.

For the first three or four weeks, the horses stayed at Grey Ridge. Grace and her mother visited every day and fed them apples. Eventually they found a farm to stable the animals. With little experience in handling horses, the family didn’t even attempt to ride for the first year.

“They were young horses and we really couldn’t do a lot with them,” Jackie said. “We just babied them and spoiled them. Grace just built a bond with Sunny.”

Grace and Sunny quickly developed a special relationship. She fed him, groomed him and loved on him. The horse responded to her like nobody else.

“I’d say, ‘Give me a kiss,’ and he’d stick his nose out for me,” Grace said.

When the family would pull up in their car, both Dixie and Sunny stuck their heads through the car windows in greeting.

Last October, the Stones moved the two horses to Reed Stables in Woodford County. Grace started taking riding lessons from Doris Reed, and Reed’s daughter, Holly, began training Sunny.

“He needed to be finished,” Doris said of the six-year-old Saddlebred. “Holly finished him out so Grace could show him.”

But Sunny was ready to show before Grace was prepared for competition, and Doris’s granddaughter, Kelsey Reed, showed Sunny for the first time.

They won.

Grace struggled watching another girl show her horse. Apparently Sunny wasn’t thrilled about it either.

“He would see her and holler every time he went by,” Jackie said, remembering Sunny’s first experience in the show ring.

“I finally had to hide,” Grace added with a smile.

Jackie said that Grace was determined that the next time Sunny showed, she would be the one on his back.

“And I was.”

Sunny and Grace won a first and second place ribbon in their first show. Grace showed Sunny two more times, racking up first place prizes.

“He was a blue ribbon horse,” Jackie said.

***

The family sits on the couch. The tears flow freely and it is clear that the wounds have yet to completely heal. Jackie said that she hopes sitting down and talking about the ordeal will help Grace’s grieving process. Grace has to leave the room before her mom finishes the story.

“She told me she lost her best friend.”

It was just a week after Sunny’s last show. Jackie went to the stable to feed him and noticed he hadn’t eaten and that he was acting funny. The vet said it was probably colic. The doctor gave him a shot and said that Sunny would likely recuperate by morning.

He didn’t.

“He was pawing and digging as hard as he could dig,” Jackie said.

She called the vet back, and while the doctor was examining Sunny, the horse collapsed in his stall. The vet seemed flummoxed and called his partner. They speculated that it could be some kind of reaction to the medications. They were able to get the horse up momentarily, but Sunny crumpled to the dirt again.

“He laid there for two hours on the hard ground. They didn’t even give him any fluids,” Jackie said. “The vet said he was trying to save us money – but I would have spent my life fortune for that horse.”

They finally made the decision to take Sunny to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington for exploratory surgery. It took six people to get Sunny up. They were struggling to keep the horse upright when Grace walked into the stall.

She insisted on seeing Sunny before he made the trip to Lexington.

“He just dropped his head and sticks his head on Grace’s stomach,” Jackie said. “Then that horse walked out of that barn like he was going to a show – head held high.”

Sunny stood tall and proud in the trailer the entire trip to Lexington.

The hospital required $1,000 up front before they would do the surgery, funds the Stones didn’t have. Dr. Steven Shedlofsky and his wife gave them the money.

“They’d never met us. They just had a horse in that barn and they gave us $1,000. We didn’t even know what kind of chance he (Sunny) had,” Jackie said, clearly overwhelmed with gratitude.

Sunny came through the surgery, but parts of his intestines were dying. The doctors weren’t sure what was causing the condition.

The next morning was inauguration day. But the Stones didn’t join the rest of the nation in welcoming a new president – they were grieving the loss of a friend.

As the family was getting ready to go to the hospital, the phone rang.

“That was a terrible phone call.”

Sunny’s vital signs were dropping. He wasn’t getting oxygen. The vet said that they might have to put him down.

“Just hold on to him. We’re coming,” Jackie pleaded.

But 10 minutes later, the hospital called back. They said Sunny was thrashing around. He was in danger of harming himself or somebody else.

The end had come. Grace new it.

“She said, ‘Mom, please put that horse down. I can’t stand to see that horse suffer any more.’”

Jackie asked the hospital staff to leave Sunny where he lay and the family made the long drive to the hospital.

“She just lays on him forever, bawling her eyes out,” Jackie says, her own eyes brimming with tears.

They laid Sunny to rest on the Reed farm. They wrapped him in Grace’s sleeping bag and his horse blanket. Holly Reed found a pink and blue ribbon and Grace climbed into the grave and placed it on Sunny’s head. It had one word on it.

Champion.

***
For several weeks after Sunny’s death, Grace wouldn’t go back to the stable. She wanted to quit riding. Doris Reeves wasn’t sure she’d ever ride again.

“No, she didn’t even come to the barn for a while.”

When she finally found the courage to go back, she wouldn’t look toward the place were Sunny was buried.

But by March, Grace was ready to get back in the saddle and compete.

Brooks and Dunn gave her that final push.

Cowgirls don’t cry
Ride baby ride

Not only did her courage and determination earn her a blue ribbon on Lazarus, Grace won the high point championship in the beginning 9-10 equitation division for 2008-2009 winter season.

“She did really well on Lazarus. Sunny was right there making sure nothing would happen,” Jackie said. “She finished it out for him. She started on him and she did it.”

***

The summer sun beats down on the Stone household. Nearly six months have passed since that dreadful winter day, and Grace still grieves for Sunny. When she talks about her horse, the tears quickly well up in her eyes.

“I love him.”

But Grace remains determined to move on. She looks forward to competing in the bigger shows in Louisville.

Her instructor thinks she’ll go a long way.

“She’s going to rise to the top because she is a very good rider,” Reed said. “Not a lot of riders come along as fast as Grace. She is determined to do it correctly. She corrects every mistake that you point out.”

Grace continues to ride twice a week. Reed said that she can see her bonding with Lazarus. And Grace has developed a toughness that belies her young age.

“You have to be tough when you ride these horses,” Reed said. “You can’t be a baby up there. She’s getting there right now.”

If you fall get back on again
Cowgirls don’t cry

But then again, sometimes they do.

Defending Calipari's salary

2009-04-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my April 9 column in the Woodford Sun.

Quite frankly, I’m tired of it.

I’m tired of the hands wringing, the pontificating and the manufactured indignation over John Calipari’s paycheck.

The new University of Kentucky basketball coach signed an 8-year $31.6 million dollar contract to coach some hoops.

Yes, that makes for a big pile of money.

So what?

I’ve heard more than enough complaining over the past few months about how much money other people make. Bank executives, CEOs, AIG employees and Wall Street brokers have all suffered the public’s wrath over their compensation. Now it’s the basketball coaches’ turn.

I have to be honest – I can’t understand why people worry about other people’s pay. Their salary doesn’t take money out of your pocket. It has not one iota of impact on your life. So why get all worked up in a tizzy?

But for many Kentucky residents, John Calipari’s contract represents misguided priorities and a slap in the face as they face difficult economic circumstances. FOX News published an article by Joshua Rhett Miller on its Web site on April 2 titled, Cash strapped states pay millions for basketball coaches. The story encapsulates the frustration many Kentucky residents have expressed about the new UK coach’s pay.

“When Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced in February that his state was taking nearly $3 billion in federal stimulus cash, he described the decision as necessary to save jobs, preserve ‘quality of life’ and a ‘strategic investment ... to position Kentucky for the future.’

“Little did Beshear know that two months later, as teachers, police and other municipal workers breathed a collective sigh of relief that their jobs had been saved — at least for now — the state’s primary institution for higher learning would ‘invest’ $32 million in a well-traveled but highly successful basketball coach,” the article begins.

The piece goes on to chronicle the economic woes facing Kentucky, including budget cuts at the University of Kentucky.

The story makes a compelling argument – the state shouldn’t pay out a huge salary to a basketball coach when budgets are pinched and taxpayers squeezed. But there exists one big problem with this argument – the salary of the basketball coach has no budgetary impact on the University or the state whatsoever. In fact, neither UK nor Kentucky taxpayers contribute one dime to the athletic program.

“Athletics pays full cost for every athletic scholarship and every other expense to operate the department – including utilities and maintenance. UK Athletics is one of a very few athletic departments who are completely self supporting,” DeWayne Peevy, UK associate AD for media relations said.

In other words, UK athletics serves as a revenue center – not a cost center, and the athletic department will pay 100 percent of Calipari’s compensation, including his base salary and all of his endorsements and bonuses.

That fact alone should silence the critics. If the athletic department deems a $31.6 million paycheck appropriate, as an independent, self sufficient department, it has every right to pay it. And for the past six years, the athletic department has run a budget surplus – so it seems pretty difficult to question their judgment.

Not only does the athletic department take no money from the school, it contributes mightily to the institution.

The UK athletics serve as a revenue source for the cash strapped school. According to Peevy, 25 percent of the athletic department budget gets spent on campus for scholarships, housing, utilities and other services, making the university the athletic department’s largest vendor.

“Again, this is revenue we generate so it is new money to campus.”

Along with the money flowing in from its day-to-day operation, the athletic department gives to the university in other ways, both tangible and intangible.

“Athletics transfers approximately $1.2 million annually from the revenue it generates to the campus for non-athletic scholarships such as Singletary Scholarships. In addition, through athletics multimedia contract, athletics provides valuable airtime during men’s basketball and football broadcasts to the University to highlight academic accomplishments and initiatives,” Peevy said.

Markets drive salaries. If an organization wants the best – they must pay top dollar. And when an organization wants to succeed, top-notch leadership can make the difference. The decision makers decided Calipari was the best and they stepped up and paid what they felt necessary to buy his services. It remains to be seen if their investment was wise, but one can’t argue with a program seeking to reach the top paying the price to get there. More success will bring even more revenue and ultimately, the coach will pay for himself – and if he doesn’t, they will show him the door.

Quick Shots
As I watch snowflakes drift down outside my window, it’s pretty hard to believe today is opening day for Major League Baseball.

The Samsung 500 provided a vivid illustration of the small a margin for error in NASCAR racing. Carl Edwards led the race going into the final pit stop, but a mistake by his tire changer dropped him back all the way to 11th. He finished the race in 10th.

Quote of the Week
“I’m living the American dream. My wife and I will be good stewards of this blessing. We’ll support Memphis and Lexington with the blessing we’ve gotten.”
-University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari

Puck to the head
This week’s puck flies at the head of FOX News reporter Joshua Rhett Miller for writing a story about coaches’ salaries and state budgets without knowing what he was talking about.

We've got spirit - yes we do!

2009-02-25T08:01:00.001-08:00

SlapShot column published in the Feb. 19 Woodford Sun

Some arenas and stadiums fill visiting teams with dread at the very thought of playing there.

Cameron Indoor Arena at Duke University. The Swamp at the University of Florida. Shelby County High school’s gym.

These venues are loud. They are intimidating. And opponents pretty well expect to walk out with an “L.”

For a couple of hours on Friday, Feb. 13, the Hive became such a place. A rowdy student section led a vocal partisan crowd in cheering the Woodford County High School boys’ basketball team to a thrilling four overtime victory over Campbellsville High School on senior night. When the final buzzer sounded with the Jackets clinging to a 75-72 advantage, fans rushed the floor in jubilation.

I have to admit, I was surprised.

Despite the cool name, the Hive hasn’t exactly filled me with awe this season. For most of the year, the crowds have remained pretty tame, if not sparse.

When I traveled to Shelby County back in January to watch the Jackets take on the Rockets, I was amazed at the spirit of the Shelby crowd. The student section all wore white. They yelled, cajoled and cheered the entire game. It was loud to the point of obnoxious. And it had an impact on the contest. Woodford players made mistakes. Refs made bad calls. It was the quintessential home court advantage.

As I drove home after that game, I found myself wondering – why not at Woodford?

The demographics are similar. Shelby and Woodford Counties are both one high school counties. They are both situated similarly close to large cities. So why does Shelby boast an intimidating home court advantage, while Woodford does not?

If nothing else, we’ve learned it doesn’t have to be that way.

On Friday the 13th, Woodford fans tapped into a reservoir of spirit that I wasn’t sure existed.

And it sure was fun.

It really caught my attention when after a Campbellsville foul, the entire student section erupted into a “You can’t do that!” chant. I just had to smile. The monster was awake.

It made a difference too.

“That was our advantage,” coach Brad Mefford said. “I can’t remember when we had a crowd give us an advantage.”

The Yellow Jackets were coming off a tough loss the night before. Going into overtime, they had to feel the fatigue. But the crowd was there to give them that extra boost.

“Adrenaline wise that gets you over the hump,” Mefford said of the cheering crowd.

I hope the Woodford faithful learned something from that game. Like I said, it was fun. I’m sure nobody left the gym thinking, “I sure wish I did something else tonight.”

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the Yellow Jackets will play in the first round of the District 41 Tournament in Frankfort. Both the boys and girls play that night, facing Western Hills. It would be awful nice if Woodford fans filled up the Civic Center and turn it into a home court advantage for the Jackets.

It’s a matter of civic pride. It brings a community together. And it’s a heck of a good time.

So come out and support the YOUR Jackets.

Quick Shots

Wow! That was disappointing. For an entire week, I was looking forward to the Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth only led one lap, but thanks to the rain, he came away with the trophy. That was after a wreck wiped out several of the frontrunners. Wrecks are part of racing and nobody can control the weather, but there is just something terribly anticlimactic about a race ending with all of the cars parked along pit row. No drama. No excitement. No good.

But I have to give it to Fox and NASCAR. They put together one heck of a pre-race show. After the snoozfest leading up to the Super Bowl, I wasn’t even planning on watching the pre-race coverage. But I was already parked on my couch, so I figured – what the heck? I was treated to insightful analysis, great interviews and a pretty good show by Keith Urban. (Take some notes Bruce.) The best part was the little animated clip featuring Digger, the gopher associated with the “Gophercam,” Fox’s track level camera. I have to admit, I don’t get modern cartoons, but the Digger clip reminded me of the old Looney Tunes features I watched as a kid. Good stuff.

I really miss going to hockey games. When I lived in St. Petersburg, I generally made 10 to 15 Lightning games every year. In my mind there’s nothing that beats the excitement of an NHL game up close and in person. My wife, step-daughter and I made the trip to Nashville this week to see the Predators take on the Ottawa Senators. It was as much fun as I remembered. It also reinforced a theory. I’ve long said that any sports fan who attends an NHL game will fall in love with the sport. My wife was no exception. It was fun watching her get into the game, yelling, screaming and acting like a die-hard fan. If you love sports, make it a point to catch an NHL game if you get the opportunity.

Quote of the Week

"We've been here for more than 20 years trying to do this thing, and I've been so conditioned to being frustrated through it, that I was almost not believing it happened I'll be black and blue for the next couple of days just pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."

-Jack Roush, owner of the number 17 car driven by Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth.

Puck to the head
This week’s puck to the head flies at Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Jeff Reed for throwing a temper tantrum at a Sheetz Convenience store in New Alexandria, Pa. According to police reports, Reed broke a towel dispenser and used profane language toward an employee, and then carried his little fit outside the store. And what brought about this little tirade? The restroom didn’t have any towels. Is it really too much to ask for an adult not to behave like a 3-year-old?

Winning - more than a score

2009-02-13T12:45:00.001-08:00

A repost of my Feb. 12 column in the Woodford Sun

Obstacles.

Every team and every athlete faces them.

Injuries. Bad officiating. Hostile environments.

“That’s sports,” said Woodford County boys’ basketball coach Brad Mefford, after his team competed against Anderson County without top scorer Dominique Johnson, who was out with an injury. “You’ve got to figure out a way. You have to adapt, improvise and overcome.”

Or quit.

Quitting always remains an option.

And the Lady Jackets have refused to do so – much to their credit.

The Woodford County girls’ basketball team has encountered more than its fair share of obstacles over the last several weeks. The young squad faced an uphill battle to begin with. Coach Jay Lucas knew a lack of experience would pose challenges through the season. Then in early January, point guard and leading scorer Taylor Kelly went down with a knee injury, thinning an already thin squad.

Over the next eight games, the Lady Jackets won two.

Woodford lost another starter to an injury on Feb. 5 against Henry Clay. Junior Amy Morford, one of the team’s best defenders, went down hard to the floor and suffered a concussion – just in time for the Jackets’ game against top-10 Rowan County.

If any team has an excuse to throw in the towel, it’s the Lady Jackets. Who wouldn’t forgive them for tanking it? Who wouldn’t understand if they started gazing toward next year? Who wouldn’t shake their head in sympathy if the Jackets simply gave up?

But that wouldn’t show much character, now would it? And whatever this Lady Jacket team may lack, character isn’t it.

The rag-tag Jacket squad, led by a freshman point guard and an eighth grade post player fought their hearts out against one of the best teams in the state. They trailed by just three at halftime, and while they ended up losing by double digits, the Woodford girls could walk out of the Hive with their heads held high.

They may not realize it right now, but in the midst of a long touch stretch of losing, the Lady Jackets have proven themselves winners.

They’ve played a brutal stretch – an underdog in every game, and they’ve played hard.
“I can’t ask for a better effort during the games,” Lucas said. “They haven’t done what an 8-14 team could do. They haven’t tanked the season.”

Instead they’ve fought.

They’ve battled.

They’ve scrapped.

In truth, the girls probably don’t realize what they’ve accomplished this year. It’s a lot easier to judge success and failure by looking up at the scoreboard. But I hope that one day the members of the 2008-2009 Lady Jacket squad will embrace a sense of accomplishment from the season. I hope they can look back and recognize how much they learned in battling through the adversity. And most importantly, I hope they carry the lessons through the rest of their life and apply that same character, grit and tenacity into whatever they do in their lives.

Bicycle racing Champion Lance Armstrong knows what it means to press on through adversity. He came back from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France an unprecedented seven straight times.

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”

So no matter what – keep on keepin’ on.

Quick Shots

As a ummm-“more experienced” person who still strives to compete at the highest level possible, I am pretty excited about 50-year-old NASCAR driver Mark Martin qualifying second for the upcoming Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr. edged out the veteran driver to lock in the poll position for the race, which will run on Feb. 15. Martin plans to race full-time this season, after running a partial schedule the last two years. Many people don’t realize the physical demands driving a racecar places on these competitors. To drive at the highest level – and compete for wins at 50 is pretty amazing.

A lot of readers will probably disagree, but I think too much has been made of UK fans booing the Cats in their recent loss to Mississippi State. These are competitive athletes playing at the highest level. If they can’t take a little fan abuse, they probably need to find another activity to occupy their time. Yeah, booing isn’t very nice and doesn’t accomplish much more than making the fan feel better, but I suspect the Wildcat faithful probably need some kind of catharsis as poorly as their team has played.

I’m one of the biggest football fans you’ll ever meet, and for the 42nd straight year, I did not watch the NFL pro-bowl. No report will follow.

Quote of the week

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is always good for a quote. After track owner Burton Smith basically blamed drivers for the downturn in NASCAR ticket sales, Earnhardt had a direct, if not eloquent response.
“People aren’t coming to the racetrack not because the drivers don’t give a (expletive). People aren’t coming to the racetrack because it’s expensive.”

Puck to the head

It almost seems pointless. It’s become as predictable as my dog running to the door when I come home. But I have to shoot a puck to the head of Alex Rodriguez after the New York Yankee star allegedly tested positive for steroids.

Woodford trainer helps heal body and mind

2009-02-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Reprint from Nov. 27, 2008 Woodford Sun

3:30 p.m.

Just minutes earlier, the halls of Woodford County High School teemed with students. Now the deserted corridors stand silent, waiting patiently for a new day.

But in a small room tucked discreetly in the corner of the gymnasium, the day has just begun.

Teenagers cram the tiny space. It feels more like a hospital ER than a school. Cool fluorescent lights. Racks and drawers crammed with equipment. Bodies parked in every corner.

A football player with a fresh pink scar just below his knee rides an exercise bike. Another football player lies on an exam table, head propped in hand, a bag of ice wrapped around his lower leg. A soccer player sits quietly as yards of tape wind around her ankle. Other students just wait patiently, talking quietly amongst themselves.

They wish they didn’t have to be there.

But they are glad they have a place to be.

Walker Terhune administers the chaos. He moves from student to student. Poking and prodding. Cajoling and advising. Icing and taping.

Terhune serves as the Yellow Jackets’ athletic trainer, and while his primary job involves putting broken Woodford athletes back together again, a lot of hats hang on his rack – doctor, counselor, teacher, fan, enemy and even surrogate parent.

“You kind of know it going in,” he said of his multiple roles. “But the parenting part you don’t realize. Even at the college level, you kind of have to hold their hands. At the high school level, you have to understand that they are still growing up.”

Terhune came to Woodford County High three years ago. Before that, he served five years as the head athletic trainer at Kentucky State University.

“I just got burned out on college.”

The move to was something of a homecoming. Terhune has Woodford roots. He spent his early years in Versailles before moving to Tallahassee, Fla., as a young teenager and attended Woodford County High as a freshman.

“It’s comfortable when you see people you went to school with working here now. Even though it’s been remodeled, I can still walk down the halls and remember basically where my locker was.”

Terhune considers himself fortunate. He works at a job he loves. He credits a career counselor at the University of Kentucky for his entry into the field.

“They asked me my hobbies and they were almost all sports related.”

Terhune settled on athletic training. He finished up his undergraduate work at UK, earning a degree in exercise science, and went on the Eastern Kentucky University to complete a graduate program in athletic training.

****

Normally, Terhune exudes an approachable, laid-back persona.

But not now.

His face takes on an intense countenance, as he stands close to a student in the middle of the room. Terhune speaks in low tones, clearly frustrated and speaking with authority. The student nods meekly and begins his stretching exercises.

Terhune was trained to diagnose and treat injures, but his greatest challenges lie in getting into the heads of his teenage patients, who don’t always want to do what they need to do to get better.

“I don’t like confrontation, but there are some athletes that you just have to say, ‘Listen, you’re not going to get better until you do what you’re told.’ Sometimes they think I’m being mean, but it’s not being mean just to be mean.

“You have to remember that they are still teens. It’s a matter of trying to get through that brick wall.”

But in his greatest challenge, Terhune finds the greatest reward.

“I like doing my job. I like dealing with injuries. But I really love those teachable moments. I didn’t really understand that until working at the high school.”

His relationships with the students also give Terhune the opportunity to have an influence in their lives that extends far beyond the training room.

“I really get to know the kids,” he said. “I’m an adult, but I’m not a teacher, so the kids come to me. It’s a trust issue as well. It’s cool to be able to help them to figure out what’s going on.”

*******

Rain soaks the stadium. Cold wind slashes through wet clothing. Out on the field – a vicious hit. A Yellow Jacket player lies crumpled on the soggy turf, clutching his knee in agony. Within moments, Terhune kneels at his side. He quickly assesses the situation and helps the player off the field.

Terhune will palpitate and ask questions. Evaluate and make decisions. He will either tape the player up and get him back on the field, or tell the coach the bad news.

“He’s out.”

The job isn’t easy. Terhune must always walk a fine line between the needs of the team and the safety of the athlete. Sometimes he has to save athletes from themselves.

They almost always want to play on.

Terhune said the coaches at Woodford make his job easier, deferring to his expertise and trusting his judgment. They don’t push him to let players play hurt.

“I don’t look at it like he is trying to keep kids from playing,” football coach Chris Tracy said. “He’s doing what’s best for the kids. If a kid’s hurt, he’s hurt.”

“We have a good relationship,” Terhune said. “He knows I’m trying to get the kids back as fast as I can, but the kids best interest comes first.”

Tracy called Terhune indispensable.

“He’s dedicated and very protective.”

Woodford County High School athletes are fortunate to have an athletic trainer at their disposal. Unlike some states, Kentucky law does not require high schools to employ a full time athletic trainer, and many smaller schools do not.

“It’s strictly a cost issue,” Terhune said.

The Yellow Jacket trainer does not work for the school system. Bluegrass Community Hospital employs Terhune and contracts his services to the school. He works full time at Woodford County High and involves himself in every athletic program the school offers.

Woodford County High School Athletic Director Bob Gibson said the athletic training program is crucial.

“I feel like our overall safety procedures have improved significantly since the training program was brought to the school,” he said. “We are better able to quickly evaluate injuries and quickly get their needs met.”

Students maintain a love-hate relationship with their trainer. They would rather not see him, but when they need him, they say they are glad he is there.

“Usually I’m hurt when I have to see him,” soccer player Katrina Ott said. “It’s not a pleasant situation.”

Ott gets frustrated with Terhune’s restrictions and often bristles at his advice, but deep down, she said that she understands that he cares about her best interests.

“He just doesn’t want me to get hurt worse. He wants me to be able to play beyond the right here and right now.”

Football player Kristian Larsen takes a more pragmatic view.

“We don’t have to go to the hospital and it’s free.”

But even Larsen’s utilitarian comment underlies a deeper appreciation for Terhune’s work.

“When you’re out on the field hurt, he helps you right away,” he said.

*******

Sprains, strains, breaks and tears. Terhune sees it all.

“Dislocations are the ugliest.”

But the most frequent injuries are also the most easily prevented.

“Overuse is the most common injury,” Terhune said. “But if you come in in shape, it’s preventable.”

With that in mind, Terhune said he would love to see a full time strength coach at Woodford County High.

“Every one of our sports would be better with it.”

But as with many things, cost becomes an issue. Gibson said they simply can’t afford to pay someone full time as a strength coach.

”Where do you find a certified person to work three or four hours five days as week in the middle of the work day?”

But Gibson said they are looking for a way to bring a strength training coach to Woodford. The ideal solution is to find a teacher who is also certified strength coach. That would allow the individual to work full time for the school system and receive a stipend for the additional responsibilities involved in strength training.

******

By 4:30, the training room has nearly emptied. The low whir of the exercise bike breaks the silence as an athlete tries to strengthen battered muscles. The sounds of basketball practice occasionally intrude on the relative tranquility.

Like a vulture, Terhune waits.

“I don’t feel so much like a buzzard, but a black widow. I’ll joke with the coaches and ask them, ‘How much bad news do you want to hear today?’”

Terhune admits that from a professional level, he likes to see the interesting injuries, but on another level, he realizes that when he is working, someone is suffering.

“If I’m bored, it’s a good day.”

Slapshots column from Feb. 5, 2009

2009-02-09T10:29:00.000-08:00

A reprint of my column published in the Feb. 5 Woodford Sun.

The first time I met Woodford County High School wrestling coach Joe Carr, we had a wide-ranging conversation about the things that make the Yellow Jacket wrestling program so successful. One phrase stuck out in my mind. Carr said that along with teaching solid fundamentals, preaching hard work and maintaining high expectations, it was imperative to steer his athletes away from things off the mat that could hold them back in the ring.

Carr calls them “dream killers” – drugs, alcohol, poor academic performance and laziness.

I’ve dreamed many dreams in my life. I’ve attained a few and I am still striving for others. I know how much work, dedication and effort it takes to make dreams come true – along with a measure of good luck, God-given talent, and coaching, support and encouragement from others.

Chasing dreams is hard work and when they come true, we should never take them for granted.

That’s why it makes me so angry when talented people who have reached the top of their chosen field, throw it all away with stupid decisions.

Last week, a British tabloid published a photo of Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps smoking out of marijuana pipe.

Phelps apologized.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said. “I’m 23 years old and despite the success I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public this will not happen again.”

Uh huh.

Phelps had the world by the tail. He was THE hero of the 2008 Olympics. After winning a record setting eight gold medals, he had companies lined up begging for his endorsement. Phelps was set. He would make millions of dollars hocking products. He was embraced in the love of a nation, and as a young man his days in the pool were far from over.

And like so much rubbish tossed into the dumpster, he pitched it all away for a little high.

I hope it was a good one.

Even if it was an isolated momentary lapse of judgment – and I doubt seriously that it was – he has created a new persona. The all American athletic hero turned party boy.

Who wants a pothead selling their product? Who wants a party boy representing their company? Who wants an immature brat standing up for their brand name?

Then there is the disappointment of millions of fans. We love our heroes. We hate when they fail us.

Beyond the potential of lost endorsements, the party lifestyle will catch up with an athlete pretty quick. From all indications, Phelps intends to continue swimming. I can guarantee you that as his body ages, he won’t be able to compete if he continues in that kind of lifestyle. It will cut his amazing career short.

Phelps may bounce back. We can always turn things around. He can make a renewed commitment to his sport and walk away from the partying and drugs. I believe in second chances, and sometimes the best stories arise from the ashes of bad decisions and self-destruction.

But it will never be the same for Phelps. He’s done the damage. No matter what happens in the future, that photo will always remain in the shadows. The whispers will always hang in the air behind his back. The golden persona will remain forever tarnished.

Therein lies the lesson. It only takes a second. One bad decision can immediately and permanently alter the course of your life. In an instant, one lapse of judgment can undo a lifetime of hard work.

A single bad choice can wreck a dream.

Phelps is learning it the hard way – and it makes me both angry and sad.

Perhaps it is unfair to place athletes on a pedestal – to burden them with such high expectations. But it is what it is. To whom much is given, much is expected. (Luke 12:48)

I hope all of the young athletes out there – as well as non-athletes chasing their own dreams – will heed the lesson well.

Quick Shots

It was indeed super! With so much hype, so much build up and so much anticipation, it’s pretty difficult for the actual Super Bowl game to measure up. But Super Bowl XLII in Tampa met the mark and then rose a little higher. I am not a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Arizona Cardinals, so I got to watch the game in a somewhat detached manner. My heart still hasn’t slowed down. I can’t imagine how exciting it was for Steeler fans – or how disappointing for the Cardinal faithful. There was no shortage of drama. Vicious hits, acrobatic catches with toes tickling the sideline, long runs, big plays and an Arizona comeback topped by a Steeler comeback. It was a game any fan could enjoy. If only they were all that good.

On the other hand, Bruce Springsteen was simply awful in the halftime show. There was something mildly pathetic about the old man strutting around the stage like it was still 1985. Let it go dude! To make matters worse, he spent most of the show singing off key. There wasn’t even a “wardrobe malfunction” to make things interesting.

My favorite Super Bowl commercial was the Doritos ad featuring the snow globe.

I had a feeling that the University of Kentucky basketball teams’ lack of scoring from anybody other than Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson would catch up with it. Old Miss shut down the two Cat scorers and walked away with a win.

Quote of the week

“It just makes me appreciate life and take every day one day at a time and enjoy the things I have and am blessed with. It’s a trophy to be alive every day.”
-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger speaking before the Super Bowl about how his motorcycle accident in 2006 changed his perspective.

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker James Harrison for his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second half of the Super Bowl. After an incredible interception returned 100 yards for a touchdown to close out the first half, Harrison drew a penalty for punching and then pushing over an Arizona lineman who was down on his knees. I was pretty impressed with Harrison after the interception return. Now I just think he’s a thug.

Criminal charges rock high school football world

2009-02-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Published in the Woodford Sun Feb. 5, 2009

The reckless homicide charge filed against Pleasure Ridge Park football coach Jason Stinson in the wake of the death of one of his players last summer has high school coaches across the state, including Woodford County coach Chris Tracy, pondering the potential ramifications of the case.

Sophomore lineman Max Gilpin collapsed and later died from heat related complications during a practice on Aug. 20. The heat index at the beginning of session was 94 degrees. The 220-pound 15-year-old fell to the ground while running “gassers” – sprints up and down the field – at the end of the practice. His core body temperature was reportedly 107 degrees when he reached the hospital.

Some witnesses said the players were not given water breaks, but others dispute that claim, saying the athletes were given water every 10 minutes.

Tracy expressed concern about the case and questioned the criminal charges. He said it appears from all accounts that the coach followed the guidelines set forth by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association.

“I don’t know – to me when you say criminal, that means intent. I know they can say negligence, but what was he being negligent about if he was following procedures?”

The KHSAA restricts practice when the heat index rises above 95 degrees. Officials ban play and practice when the heat index reaches 105. The KHSAA requires coaches to keep a log of weather and heat indexes and to provide water – “as much as they desire,” in hot weather. Water breaks become mandatory at a 95-degree heat index.

Tracy said he and his coaching staff meticulously follow the KHSAA guidelines and that player safety always takes the forefront. Coaches follow a set schedule for every practice, which includes planned water breaks. They throw in extra water in extreme heat.

Coaches monitor players closely and pull them out of drills if they show signs of heat related trouble.

“If a kid is complaining and saying he can’t breathe, he’s out.”

Tracy said that sometimes other coaches give him a hard time about being too soft on his squad, but he uses his own common sense as a guide.

“If I’m hot, I know they’re hot. If I’m miserable, so are they. I’m not going to have some kid’s death hanging over my head.”

Woodford County athletic trainer Walker Terhune said that he believes the KHSAA guidelines provide adequate guidance to protect athletes in hot conditions.

“I think they are pretty simple. It comes down to having someone check those things and follow them.”

Terhune attends every Yellow Jacket practice. He monitors the heat index and watches players for signs of heat exhaustion. PRP, located in Louisville, only utilizes a part time athletic trainer, and Terhune said that there was apparently no trainer present at the practice when Gilpin collapsed. Kentucky law and KHSAA regulations do not require schools to have an athletic trainer on staff.

“You can never be 100 percent sure, but I say that if they had an athletic trainer, that kid doesn’t die,” Terhune said.

No autopsy was performed, leaving Terhune to wonder if there were some other factors involved.

“My first thought was 94 is not that bad. There’s something else going on here.”

Nathan Cowan, a sports reporter in St. Petersburg, Fla., played high school football in Venice, on the Sunshine State’s southwest coast. During his playing days, he regularly endured practices in extreme heat and humidity.

“When I heard 94 degrees, my first response was, that’s it? I wished it was 94 degrees.”

Cowan wonders whether the players were doing things off the field to cope with the heat. He said that playing in a hot climate, he was taught early on to take care of his own body.

“We were taught to hydrate, eat right and take our vitamins,” he said. “You can’t just hydrate in practice and expect to be OK. You have to hydrate at home.”

One issue raised by witnesses to the practice at PRP was the way Stinson was pushing his players. Bystanders said he told his team he planned to run them until somebody quit. A parent watching a soccer practice on a nearby field sent an e-mail to school officials.

“Those coaches thought that they were training young teenagers for the Navy SEALS team instead of a football team. I never once in the time I was there saw anyone offered a water break,” wrote Brian Bale, a soccer dad. “I did however hear the coach say numerous times that all he needed was one person to say that they quit the team and all of the suffering and running and heat would be over.”

Bale said he was appalled by the conduct of the football coaches.

“That’s why his kid plays soccer,” Tracy said.

Football requires mental and physical toughness, and coaches must prepare their players for the rigors of an often-violent game. Lack of preparation in practice can lead to injuries when the intensity picks up on game day. The Woodford coach said that Stinson’s yelling was typical of many football coaches.

“Is that wrong necessarily? It’s certainly not against the law. Even if he was being a jerk, that’s not against the law.”

Tracy, who practices a relatively low key coaching style, admits to pushing his kids hard.

“I told them I am going to make their off season so difficult, they’ll want to quit. I want kids who are committed.”

He fears a guilty verdict could change the face of high school football.

“You’re giving kids an out. They’ll think they don’t have to listen to us when things get tough.”

Tracy said that the criminal charges definitely caught his attention and he’s had many friends and family members express concern. But the Woodford coach didn’t seem particularly worried about getting caught up in a similar situation.

“It scares me just in the sense that we’re in a litigious society,” he said. “But I know we’re doing things right. If you follow what they lay down, you have yourself covered.”

End of the line

2008-11-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

The effort was there today, and the Jackets fought hard, but could not overcome Covington Catholic, falling to the Colonels 42-13.

The game was closer than the score indicates.

Woodford County shook themselves out of its offensive malaise, driving the ball up the field on its first possession to take a 7-0 lead. Steven Duckworth seemed to shake off the demons that have haunted him since the end of the Paul Blazer game and looked more confident in the pocket.

David Bland got things rolling, scampering 26 yards on a short screen play. Then facing a fourth and five, Duckworth connected with Chris Jones on a perfectly thrown fade pass to get down to the Cov Cath 6. Bland punched the ball in from there.

The Colonels built a 21-7 lead by halftime, but the Jackets put on a valiant comeback effort in the third quarter. The defense held Cov Cath on its first drive, stopping the Colonels on fourth down. It took just one play for the Jackets to score. Duckworth connected with a wide open Jones over the middle, and Jones squirted free and into the end zone. Woodford muffed the snap on the point after attempt and trailed 21-13.

The defense came up big again on the next Covington Catholic drive, stuffing a fourth and inches play to get the ball back with momentum.

But the Colonels turned the game around when they forced a Woodford fumble and recovered the ball on the Woodford 38. A long pass took the ball down to the six, and moments later the Colonels had a 28-13 lead.

They never looked back.

In the end, the Colonels were simply a better team. Their offensive line, averaging over 250 pounds, dominated the line of scrimmage and simply wore the Jackets down. Untimely mistakes also hurt Woodford.

I have to give the Yellow Jackets props for never quitting. They played hard until the final horn, despite cold rainy conditions. It would have been easy just to pack it up in the final quarter.

I was also impressed with the way Duckworth came back this week. He admitted he has suffered a confidence problem since throwing three interceptions in Ashland. But he came out this week and played with confidence, making some really nice throws. He also gutted his way through an injury. He took a helmet to the hip early in the second quarter, but never even considered coming out of the game.

Last week's column

2008-11-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

A reprint of my Nov. 6 column in the Woodford Sun. I'd be interested in any comments on the subject of sports reporting objectivity.

Looking back, I think I started to lose it during the senior day festivities.

It really started slipping away during the overtime district championship win over Anderson County.

It evaporated completely during the gritty 1-0 regional championship victory over Henry Clay.

What is it? – My objective reporter attitude toward the Woodford County Lady Jacket soccer team.

“My name is Mike and I am a Jacket fan.”

And I have the haircut to prove it.

Somewhere along the line, I went from a reporter covering a high school soccer team to a fan with a Mohawk.

Yes, the girls talked me into keeping a Mohawk that was supposed to be part of a Halloween costume. I don’t even remember whose idea it was originally. I was just chatting with some of the players during the Whitley County football game, and the next thing I knew, my head had suddenly become a symbol of support. I even tried to wiggle out of it by appealing to the horror my wife would experience when I told her the Mohawk was staying for a week. But everybody who’s watched these girls on the field knows the level of persistence that they posses. They wrote my wife a note, and here I am sitting at my desk looking like middle-aged dude in the midst of a mid-life crisis.

In all seriousness, I really have struggled with where I need to draw the line as a reporter. For two years I sat through class after class having the concept of objectivity and neutrality pounded into my brain. (Yes, they really do still teach that in journalism school, despite what you see in the mainstream media.)

I’ve clearly crossed that line.

But as I’ve thought about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a bigger principle at play here. It’s about community. It’s about unity. It’s about standing up and supporting a group of young women who are striving toward greatness.

That’s one of the wonderful things about sports. They have the power to bring people with diverse backgrounds together. Fans of different races, political views, socio-economic status and religious traditions can all come together under one banner.

Here in Woodford County, that banner bears a Yellow Jacket logo and I am proud to stand with this community in support of its teams.

Don’t get me wrong, I will still cover Woodford sports with an objective eye, and when the time comes to level criticism, I will not hesitate. That’s my job and I take pride in what I do. But I have come to the conclusion that as the sports editor of a small-town weekly that only covers one high school, it’s okay to cheer a little.

Besides, how can anyone that’s human not pull for these girls? Their heart and courage amazes me. Their grit and determination inspire me. Their good nature and fun loving spirit make me laugh.

It’s enough to make a guy wear a Mohawk.

Quick Shots

Every team has a clunker. Even the best teams have that one game where nothing goes right. The Yellow Jacket football team had theirs on Halloween night against Whitley County. By this point, I expected the defense to struggle a bit. They are vulnerable against the run and that’s no secret. But the offensive meltdown was surprising. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. You could see it in their body language. They were beat long before the final horn blew.

The good news is that this was an anomaly. The Woodford offense you saw the other night was clearly some mutated, Halloween horror show that does not represent the Jacket true game. I think part of it had to do with senior night emotions. It clearly affected Steven Duckworth. And beyond that, I think it was just that game – The one that is best forgotten. Burn the film. Bury the memories and press on. The season is far from over.

The University of Kentucky Wildcat football team showed a lot of character bouncing back to win at Mississippi State. After the thrashing at the hands of the Gators, I wasn’t sure how the Cats would react. It would have been easy to fold up the tent and look to next year. But UK battled through and salvaged its season with a win. Georgia will be tough to beat, but Vandy and Tennessee are winnable games. If they can pull off those wins, the Cats will end up with a more than respectable 8-4 record during what is arguably a rebuilding year.

Quote of the Week

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s just a high school football game.”
-Yellow Jacket coach Chris Tracy after the debacle against Whitley County

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck flies at the head of the referee in the Woodford County - Boyle County girls’ soccer game. It’s one thing to make bad calls, but this ref clearly wanted to be the center of attention. I’ve seen officials like him in every sport. For whatever reason, they want to be noticed and they think they need to insert themselves into the game. Whenever questioned, they react with self-righteous indignation, as if their view of things is unassailable. This ref fell clearly into that category. He made horrible calls, acted like a jerk when questioned by players or coaches and completely lost control of the game in the second half.

Woodford faces Covington Catholic in first round of playoffs

2008-11-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

The Woodford County High School Yellow Jackets (5-5) will face off against Covington Catholic (4-6) on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game was scheduled for Saturday because Covington Cath doesn't have lights on their field.

The Jackets will try to get off the offensive snide. The once prolific passing attack has not netted a single point in the past nine quarters. Despite finding its offense mired the past two game, Woodford averages 236.1 yards per game in the air and 323.9 yards of total offense. That still places them 10th in the state in passing offense.

It's really a matter of confidence at this point. Quarterback Steven Duckworth has struggled since throwing three interceptions at the end of the Ashland Paul Blazer game and Duck admitted to me his confidence is shaky.

I think if the Jackets can get a few good offensive plays off early in the game, they have a good shot of coming home with a win. The defense played a lot better last week and the squad seems rejuvenated under the direction of coach Paul Roher. But any early offensive meltdowns could make for a long afternoon. I don't think the fragile Jacket confidence will handle much adversity. On the flip side, early success will likely lead to an avalanche of points. It's not like the kids have forgotten how to move the football.

Covington Catholic will try to bounce back from a 56-0 whipping at the hands of number one ranked St. Xavier. Woodford fans can hope the Colonels had a little confidence bashing of their own.

But don't let Covington Catholics' record fool you. Along with the loss to St.X, the Colonels also dropped games to Highlands, and two Ohio powers, Cincinnati Elder and Cardinal Moody.

The Colonels have shown vulnerability to the run. If Woodford can get its running game going, it will bode well for its chances. Unfortunately for the Jackets, they will have to do it without top running back Jordan Carter. Carter injured his knee last week and won't return this season.

The weather will also have an impact. The forecast is for wind, rain and dropping temperatures.

I really can't call this one. I look for either a close game won by the Jackets or a Cov Cath blowout. It really depends on whether the Jackets can shake off its offensive demons.

Football notes

2008-11-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

A nasty computer virus kept me from updating over the last few days.

A couple of thoughts on the Woodford County loss to Meade County last Friday.

The Jackets looked better on defense. It took them one drive to settle down, but afterward, Woodford played a respectable game on the defensive side of the ball. Coach Roher took over as defensive coordinator last week after Coach Chris Tracy fired himself. The defensive team seemed to play with more confidence and emotion against Meade. After the initial Green Wave drive, the D only gave up one other score. (One Meade touchdown came off an interception.)The last Meade TD came late in the game, after the defensive team had spent a lot of time on the field.

The D will need to build on its performance and get a little help from the offense if the Jackets hope to advance in the playoffs.

While the D made progress, the offense continued to struggle. The Jackets have now played nine quarters of football without scoring a single point. At this juncture, it seems to be a matter of confidence and execution. The Jackets clearly haven't forgotten how to move the football. Quarterback Steven Duckworth admitted to me he's suffering from a confidence problem. His receivers dropping passes didn't help. The Woodford offense is predicated on flow and rhythm. If they can put together a good drive early in their playoff game against Covington Catholic, I think they will experience a point explosion. But their psyche is fragile and a couple of early miscues will likely mean an early exit from post-season play.

Meade Co. 21 Woodford Co. 0

2008-11-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

The Woodford County Yellow Jacket football team fell 21-0 to Meade Co. tonight. That makes nine straight quarters of scoreless ball for the Jackets. The one bright spot - the defense played better.

More tomorrow.

A tough end to a great season

2008-11-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Woodford County High School Lady Jacket soccer team's season came to an end last night when they fell to Highlands High School in the state semi-final 1-0.

The game started two and a half hours late due to accident on I-75, which delayed the Highlands' bus. The wait seemed to sap some of the intensity from the Jackets, as they started the game flat. But you have to give credit to the Bluebirds; they sat on a bus for four hours.

Highlands scored the only goal of the game in the 15th minute. It was what coach Dave McIver called a classic Highland goal. They got the ball down into the box and Woodford failed to clear it. The bouncing ball went off a Bluebird player's back and landed at the feet of Anna Ayers, who rocketed the ball just past a diving Lindsay Vance's outstretched fingers.

Woodford didn't get its first shot on goal until Brandi Levi drove a low shot on net with 1:20 left in the first half.

The Jackets played better in the second half, generating several good scoring opportunities, but they could not find the back of the net. With the one goal lead, Highlands clamped down defensively, bottling up Woodford County in the midfield. The Jackets struggled to get the ball into space where they could take advantage of their speed.

It was hard watching the girls after the game. Seniors Levi and Stephanie Patterson were particularly emotional after the loss. But despite losing the game, the Jackets should stand proud for what they've accomplished this season.

The girls exemplified what it means to be a team. It was a blast watching them play soccer, but I think I enjoyed watching them off the field more. The team possesses an infectious joyful personality. They stick together as a team, both on and off the field.

They definitely make you love them.

Halloween nightmare at Community Stadium

2008-11-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is one the Yellow Jackets need to forget.

The Whitley County Colonels thrashed Woodford 47-0 in a horror show of epic proportions for Jacket fans. Woodford County failed to produce in every aspect of the game. Quaterback Steven Duckworth looked uncharacteristically shakey. The O-line couldn't contain the Whitley pass rush. The normally fleet Yellow Jacket receivers looked like they were mired in mud and couldn't get out of coverage. The defense couldn't stop the Colonel option attack, frequently loosing contain, and when they were in position, they missed tackles.

The defensive struggles were no surprise. This has been a season long story line, but I was shocked that the offense failed to produce a single point.

I told Duck last night that sometimes there are just games like this. You have to put them out of your head and move along. The Jackets have at least two more games. They will have to show their mental toughness and right the ship fast.

Johnson Central thumped Ashland Blazer 41-6 creating a three way tie for second in the district.

Friday's game

2008-10-31T10:23:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets will face Whitley County tonight at Community Stadium.

The team will also honor its 17 seniors this evening.

This is a big game for the Jackets. An Ashland loss would create a three way tie for the second spot in the district. Non-district wins figure into the tie-breaker and the Jackets want to win out to increase their chances at a higher seed.

Woodford also needs to prove it can stop the run. Whitley runs an offense similar to West Jessamine. The Jackets struggled to stop the Colts early, but knuckled down and played a strong second half. Whitley has the leading rusher in state 5A, so the Yellow Jackets are in for another challenge.

Woodford County is coming off the bye week - and it couldn't have come at a better time. The team seemed mentally out of sorts in their last game against West Jessamine and were also fighting through a number of injuries. The time off should have them healed up and mentally sharp.

The Jackets need to take advantage of their freshness and the emotional energy generated from senior night and jump on Whitley early. Woodford should be able to move the ball on the Colonels and put points on the board. The D just needs to make some good stops and contain the run. If they can do that, I look for a Jacket win.

Woodford 42 Whitley 28

Last week's column

2008-10-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Some moments defy the odds.

Sometimes the little guy rises up to whip the bully.

Sometimes 9=8.

This morning – I believe.

Consider this: Before the season began, the odds of the Tampa Bay Rays winning the World Series stood at 200-1. Only five teams were considered longer shots. The favorite…? The Boston Red Sox.

Last night I sat on the edge of my bed, heart pounding, as the Rays held on to beat the mighty Red Sox 3-1 to advance to the World Series.

I’m not sure you can comprehend the momentousness of that win if you haven’t lived through the dark history that was Tampa Bay baseball.

Trust me, I know first hand.

For 15 years I called the Tampa Bay area home, and for three years I lived in the shadow of Tropicana Field. Most of the time, that was a pretty expansive shadow, filled with lost causes, broken promises, and obnoxious Red Sox and Yankee fans.

But this year was different.

At the beginning of the season, Rays’ manager Joe Madden had t-shirts printed up.

9=8.

Huh?

Clearly, this is a mathematic impossibility.

But is it?

The genesis of the idea was nine players going hard for nine innings equals one of eight playoff spots.

9*9=1/8

But in its simpler form, the equation really represents the possibility of the impossible.

In the beginning, nobody REALLY believed. Oh sure, we all thought that this would be a better year for the Rays. Then again, how hard would it be for a franchise that had NEVER won more than 70 games to get better?

As the year progressed, people started to buy in, but there were always those nagging doubts. There was always this sense that at some point, the Rays would start to be … well … the Rays.

But at each critical juncture, this team – the team with the smallest payroll in Major League Baseball – kept proving our doubts wrong.

Admit it, when Boston came back from seven down in game five, you thought the Rays were finished. The big boy had let the upstart get a little taste of the glory, but now it was time to swat him away. When Boston waltzed into the Trop for game six and beat an intimidated looking Rays club, you gave Tampa Bay a sympathetic nod, and wrote them off.

Fairytales don’t really exist.

The mighty prevail.

9=9

But the Rays forgot to consult the mathematicians and they refused to believe their unlikely story would have anything other than an unlikely ending. And in a final twist of fate, Rocco Baldelli, once the face of the franchise – diagnosed early in the season with a rare muscle disorder and expected to never play again – drove in the winning run.

That’s the thing about these Rays.

They defy the odds.

They give hope to the little guy.

They prove that 9=8.

Quick Shots

I saw it. Just for few flickering moments it flashed before my eyes. A Wildcat offense! Two big passing plays salvaged a pretty miserable offensive game for UK. If the Cats can build on that momentum and maintain some kind of consistent offensive attack to go along with a really strong defense, they could still end up having a pretty good season. Too bad they have to go down to the Swamp to face the Gators next.

Congrats to the Woodford County Lady Jackets’ soccer team on winning the district championship. I really enjoy watching the girls play. They compete with speed, determination and grit. But more than that, I just like them. They have a fun-loving likable personality that just makes me want to root for them. I look forward to watching them progress through the post season.

Quote of the week

"I'm probably going to hit a few pigs when I fly home, and Hell is serving ice water tonight. No one thought we'd be here. And here we are, we just knocked off the beasts of East, the defending champions." - Rays reliever Trever Miller

Puck to the head

This week’s puck to the head flies at all of the UK fans (and I use the term loosely) who left the stadium before the end of the Arkansas game. I hope the action in the parking lot was more interesting than the Wildcats’ amazing come from behind win.

Georgetown bound

2008-10-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County Lady Jacket soccer team beat Boyle County 3-0 tonight to win Section Four and advance to the state semi-finals.

After a hard fought scoreless first half, Brandi Levi scored the Jackets first two goals, both beautiful hard angled shots from about 1-foot off the goal line, near the right sideline. Taylor Kelley scored the third Woodford goal.

The Yellow Jackets won on heart, battling through emotional and physical fatigue after their upset victory over third ranked West Jessamine last Monday.

Lindsay Vance played a phenomenal game in net for the Jackets, making several big saves. With Woodford up 1-0, Vance stuffed a penalty kick after a Jacket player was called for a handball (a horrible call…clearly unintentional) in the box.

Woodford County not only had to battle a tough Rebel team and their own exhaustion, but they also had to overcome horrible officiating. The ref lost control of the game early in the second half due to inconsistent and blatantly bad calls. The Jackets did a great job of keeping their heads and fighting through things they could not control.

The Yellow Jackets shut out a Boyle County team that had scored 104 goals this season.

Woodford County will face Highlands next Wednesday at Toyota Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Woodford lost to Highlands (17-3-4) twice this season. The Yellow Jackets fell 1-0 back in August and then lost a heartbreaker on Sept. 30 3-2 on a last minute penalty kick.

Lady Jackets advance in state tourney

2008-10-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County Lady Jacket soccer team advanced to the elite eight in the girls' state soccer tournament, upsetting third ranked West Jessamine 2-1 tonight.

They will face Boyle County (21-1-1) for the opportunity to advance to the state finals on Wednesday night at Community Stadium in Versailles.

Brandi Levi scored the first goal for the Jackets and Stephanie Patterson put in the game winner.

West Jessamine jumped out to the early 1-0 lead on a goal by Arin Gilliland. Levi scored late in the first half and the teams went into the locker room knotted at one.

Woodford dominated the second half, allowing only one Colt shot on goal. Patterson put the game away with a great individual effort with about 10 minutes remaining. She drove into the West Jessamine box, pulled the ball back and drove toward the goal when the Colt defender bit on the move. Patterson drove a perfect shot into the left corner of the net.

Yellow Jacket football notes

2008-10-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets had the week off. The bye came at a good time for the Jackets. After an emotional loss to Ashland, Woodford didn't play very well against West Jessamine and were just glad to get out of Nicholasville with the W. The break will also allow some players with nagging injuries get back to 100%.

Before Friday's games, Woodford's was tied at fifth in the state in passing offense with Prestonsburg High School. The Jackets have amassed 1,872 yards through the air this season, for a 267 yard average.

Brian Station is going to be a team to watch as playoff time rolls around. The 4-4 Defenders beat Ashland Paul Blazer last night 28-14 in Lexington.

Wildcats travel to the Swamp

2008-10-25T04:28:00.000-07:00

For the briefest moment, I saw it last week - A semblance of a Kentucky offense. Was it for real, or some kind of optical illusion generated by the a strange convergence of atmospheric conditions at Commonwealth Stadium? UK fans had better hope it was for real if their beloved Cats have any shot at beating the Gators.

UK faces the Florida Gators today. Before you read any further, for the sake of full disclosure, know that I am a long time Gator fan. That being said, this game scares me a little. Over the years, UK has always played Florida tough and in the topsy-turvy world that is SEC football, anything could happen. The Cats have the players on the defensive side of the ball to slow down the Gators.

Unfortunately for UK, injuries will hurt their effort Saturday.DT Myron Pryor (high ankle sprain) is out, and others — CB David Jones, S Marcus McClinton, and LBs Braxton Kelley, Johnny Williams and Micah Johnson — missed days of practice this week and are uncertain. (courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times)

The big question is whether the offense can generate enough to keep Tim Tebow off the field. If the offense can’t put some drives together and Florida gets a bunch of touches, it will get ugly for the Cats. In order to pull off the upset, Kentucky will need to play flawless defense, win the time of possession game, take the Gator faithful out of the game and hit on a few big plays.

That being said, I don’t think they will pull it off. Florida is just too good and I think they played their clunker game against Mississippi. The Gator offense ranks first in the SEC, averaging 38.5 points per game. I do think the Cats have a shot at covering the 26-point spread, but look for the Gators to emerge with the win.

Florida 34- Kentucky 14

Last week's column

2008-10-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

A reprint of last weeks Woodford Sun SlapShots column.

The first part of this week’s SlapShots column is an open message to Woodford County High School quarterback Steven Duckworth.

Feel free to listen in. I think there’s a little something here for all of us.

Steven-

A few weeks ago you got to experience the thrill of being the hero. You led your team to a big win and tied a state record in the process.

I was most impressed with the way you handled yourself. You showed maturity and true leadership, sharing the credit with your teammates.

Last week you saw the other side of the coin.

Breakdowns.

Mistakes.

A loss snatched from the clutches of victory.

I could see it in your eyes. You blamed yourself. You threw the burden of an entire team on your young shoulders, and I could see you straining under the pressure.

But your coach said it best.

“As we won as a team, we lose as a team.”

It’s a lot easier to share credit than blame, isn’t it?

But the coach was right. The loss wasn’t all your fault, any more than your record setting performance against Franklin County was all your glory. The loss belongs to the Woodford County Yellow Jackets, not Steven Duckworth.

I guess I felt your pain a little more personally than some. You see - I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve stood in my crease with horns blowing and fans cheering as the referee fished a last minute game-winning goal out of the net behind me.

I’ve felt the weight of a loss on my shoulders. I’ve fought back the tears as I watched the opponent celebrate, and I’ve struggled to look my teammates in the eyes in the locker room.

But as you know, this is not the end of the story. Next week you take the field and the real measure of your character will be shown in your response.

I want to share a little something that I hope will help.

When I was about 10-years-old, my mom gave me this marble plaque. It leaves a little to be desired as a decorator item. It’s kind of ugly and it’s all off balance, so it has this annoying tendency to tip over with a loud smack at inopportune times. But I’ve held on to that piece of marble for 31 years, not because of its aesthetic value, but because of the wisdom of the words printed on it.

“Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times … keep swinging.”

Did you catch that? One of the greatest baseball players of all time struck out 1,330 times. That’s 1,330 failures. 1,330 letdowns. 1,330 miscues.

More often than not, success has more to do with persistence than anything else.

When you fall down, you gotta get back up.

When strike out, you gotta swing again.

When you throw three interceptions, you drop back and throw one more time.

Don’t let those mistakes haunt you.

Just keep swinging.

Quick Shots

One of the things I enjoy about being a reporter is that I don’t have to make big decisions. I just get to sit back and criticize other people’s decisions with my 20-20 hindsight.

Some may question Yellow Jacket coach Chris Tracy’s decision to put the ball in the air on third-and-five holding a three point lead with time running down. But I think Tracy made a pretty good defense of his decision during a radio interview after the game.

“We’re a passing team, that’s what we do. It (the interception) is no different from a power running team putting the ball on the ground.”

I can’t believe it, but I actually overestimated the University of Kentucky. I picked them to win, but their offense is even worse than I thought. The defense played well, but any defense will run out of gas when the offense can’t stay on the field. Four straight three-and-outs doomed the Cats.

Quote of the week

“I’m proud we didn’t let the fans get in our heads. They were saying some nasty things out there.”

-Woodford County lineman J.R. Leach after the Ashland game

Puck to the head

This week’s puck to the head flies at all of the dog owners out there who think their dogs don’t need to be on a leash in public parks, represented by the owner of the border collie and Irish setter running all over Heartland Park in Lexington. I especially enjoyed the part where the collie nearly tripped me as I was running.

A win's a win

2008-10-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

A lethargic Woodford County team struggled early, spotting West Jessamine a 21-14 half-time lead, but rallied in the second half to come out with a 37-28 win.

The defense played an abysmal first half. The Colts ran up and down the field on the Jackets and were it not for two recovered fumbles by Woodford, the score could have been worse. But the Jacket D rose to the challenge in the second half. They played with more discipline and intensity, and held the West Jessamine option offense in check.

While the Jackets struggled to stop the Colt running game (an all too familiar theme), they were able to force 6 turnovers. They recovered four fumbles, including one in the end zone after a bad West Jessamine punt snap that resulted in a safety, and two second half interceptions.

The offense did enough to get by. They played well in spurts, but quarterback Steven Duckworth never really got into a rhythm. His highlights included a beautiful sideline pass to Chris Jones on the Jackets’ first drive of the second half and a nifty scramble on a broken play for the first score of the game.

The Yellow Jackets clearly suffered an emotional hangover after last week’s loss to Ashland Paul Blazer. Woodford never showed much emotion apart from the early part of the third quarter when they put the game out of reach. The offense looked particularly flat in the fourth quarter.

Bo-Sox in drivers seat?

2008-10-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

I've heard several people say the Red Sox comeback win against the Rays last night puts them in the drivers seat in the ALCS.

I don't think so.

Granted, there is the danger of the Sox getting in Tampa Bay's head...with all the past come from behind series wins, but here are three reasons I think the Rays will pull it out.

1. Home field. The Red Sox have to win two at the Trop. No easy task. That makes it a little different dynamic than going home to finish out a series. The Rays battled all season to win the AL East and earn home field, and this is where it pays off.

2. Ray resilience. The Rays have battled back all year. All year people have expected them to fold under pressure. Most recently, in the final stretch when Boston had virtually moved into a tie for first. The Rays responded and took two from the Bo-Sox, after getting wacked in the first game of the set. This team has proven it can respond to adversity and I think they will again.

3. A bold coaching move. Joe Madden shuffling his pitching rotation to start Kazmir last night proved brilliant on two levels. First, Kazmir threw a gem...6 innings of shutout ball. Secondly, it allowed Sheilds to rest. He will pitch at the Trop in game six instead of Fenway. in Boston, Shields is 0-3 with a 10.12 ERA in his career, but 19-8 with a 3.25 ERA at home.

UK v. Arkansas

2008-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I'm flummoxed on this one. UK has shown nothing offensively and there isn't any reason to think they are suddenly going to figure it out this week. Arkansas is coming off a big win versus Auburn, and although they were pretty sorry early in the season, Petrino seems to have the Razorback offense progressing each week. I was surprised at the amount of yardage they ran up against a pretty darn good Auburn offense. The Wildcat defense is good enough to shut down the Razorbacks, but if they spend the whole game on the field like they did last week, fatigue could become a factor. UK has had its share of struggles with Petrinos system, which is similar to what he ran at Louisville. Granted, Arkansas doesn't have the athletes that those Cardinal teams featured. My brain says to give a slight edge to the Hogs simply because they seem to be moving forward and UK is not, but my gut says UK will eek it out at home.

I'm going to call it a toss up...give UK the home field advantage and a three point win 17-14.

District Champs!

2008-10-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

The LadyJacket soccer team won the 25th District championship tonight, beating Anderson County 2-1 in the fourth overtime period.

The win also means the 13th Regional tourney will be played at Woodford.

The first half of the game was a physical defensive contest. Neither team generated more than a couple of scoring chances, and the first 40 minutes ended in a 0-0 tie.

The Jackets struck just 1:15 into the second when Brandi Levi put a low header past the Bearcat keeper off a Stephanie Patterson corner kick.

The goal opened the game up a bit, with the Yellow Jackets pressing the attack in the Anderson zone. Katrina Ott nearly put Woodford up by two when she drove one on net from about 20 yards out and hit the post.

Anderson tied it with 6:42 remaining in regulation off a corner kick that the Jackets couldn't clear.

Levi nearly gave Woodford the win with about 40 seconds left. She spun free of a Bearcat defender and drove into the box, but put her shot just wide.

The exhausted Yellow Jackets finally closed out the win with 1:23 remaining in the final OT period. Patterson got a free kick just outside the Anderson box. She arched the ball perfectly across the goal mouth where Levi shook free and nudged the ball in off her hip.

Levi earned tourney MVP honors with her effort. Patterson, Ott and Kayla Washington made the all district team.

Woodford vs. West Jessamine

2008-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Yellow Jackets (4-3) travel to Nicholasville Friday night for a match-up against the West Jessamine Colts.

Woodford will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to district rival Ashland Blazer.

The Colts have a record of 1-5 and are coming off a 55-6 thrashing at the hands of Boyle County.

This game may be just what the doctor ordered for Woodford quarterback Steven Duckworth. Despite a strong performance against Blazer, (26 of 35 for 325 yards and 4 touchdowns) Duckworth needs a confidence boost after throwing three late game interceptions. Duckworth seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders, and I don’t think the bad decisions last week will stay in his mellon, but facing a less stout defense this week certainly won’t hurt. The Colts D is no match for the high-flying Yellow Jacket passing attack. West Jessamine gives up an average of 29 points per game and should provide Duck a good opportunity to steady his confidence.

West Jessamine runs an option offense and that could pose problems for the Woodford defense. In all fairness, most offenses have caused problems for the Jacket D. During the Blazer and Johnson Central games, Woodford County got caught up chasing the ball instead of staying in their defensive lanes. That lack of discipline will kill them against the option. The Jackets need to stay in position, maintain their lanes and make solid tackles. The Yellow Jackets should be able to utilize their speed against the Colts, and that gives them something of an advantage.

Woodford has shown the ability to bounce back all season, and I expect the same this week. Coach Chris Tracy said he was a bit concerned that the Jackets may come out a little sluggish after the emotional game last week, but I look for them to get rolling in the second half and take home a win.

Woodford 49 West Jessamine 14

You gotta play each game

2008-10-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County High School boys' soccer team learned that one the hard way on Tuesday.

After putting together a tremendous regular season, losing only one game, earning the top seed in the district, and rising to #9 in the state, the Yellow Jackets saw their entire season implode in a span of 80 minutes.

Franklin County beat Woodford 3-1 in the first game of the district, abruptly ending what should have been a long post season run for the Jackets.

The Flyers went up 1-0 in the first half and extended the lead to 3-0 before the Jackets finally on the board in 77th minute.

Evan Sizemore netted the lone Woodford goal.

Not to take anything away from Franklin County, the Yellow Jackets learned the hard way that they can take no team or game for granted.

Woodford boys' soccer team ends regular season with 2 wins

2008-10-12T07:08:00.001-07:00

The Yellow Jackets wrapped up the regular season with two more wins, beating Scott County 8-0 last Thursday and taking down Rowan County yesterday 2-nil.

Woodford ends the season with a record of 14-1-2 and a perfect 5-0 district mark. They hold the ninth spot in the most recent (Sept. 30) state rankings.

The Jackets will begin what they hope will be a long post-season run on Tuesday. They will open up district tournament play against the winner of the Franklin County-Frankfort game. The game will take place at Sower Field in Frankfort and is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

Tough loss

2008-10-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Woodford County fell to Ashland Paul Blazer 54-44 tonight. It was a back and forth game featuring plenty of offensive fireworks.

The game kind of went how I expected, although a lot more points were put up than I anticipated.

Once again, the Yellow Jackets struggled to stop the run. Surprisingly,the Tomcats, who rarely threw the ball in previous games (averaging just 35 yards in the air), also found a passing game with their freshman QB. I'm not sure what the final stats were, but the Blazer QB was 6 for nine with about 70 yards in the first half and threw two TDs in the second.

Midway through the 4th, it looked like the Jackets would prevail. Holding a 7 point lead, the defense got the big play it was looking for when Austin Grubbs recovered a fumble and Woodford converted the good field position into a field goal to take a 10 point lead.

But Ashland drove down the field on their next possession and cut the lead to 4 (missed extra point).

On the Yellow Jacket's ensuing drive, Woodford quarterback Steven Duckworth ran the ball twice, and then on third and five, threw an interception. His receivers were well covered and he was trying to get the ball to his check-down receiver (the "safe" play), and the Ashland DB read his eyes jumped the route. He took the ball into the end zone, but an Ashland block in the back penalty temporarily spared the Jackets. A Tomcat TD pass moments later gave them the lead.

With Ashland up three, Duckworth had the Jackets driving, but threw another interception, which was run all the way back for another Tomcat score.

Duckworth ended the game with interception number three.

It would be easy to blame the Woodford quarterback, but he really played an exceptional game up to the last few minutes. As the Coach Chris Tracy said, you win as a team and you lose as a team. Duck was pretty upset after the game and put most of the blame on his own shoulders. If nothing else, he is a stand up kid.

Other than the last 3 minutes, Duck had a great game. At one point, he'd completed something like 17 straight passes. He orchestrated an outstanding drive at the end of the first half when he led the Jackets down the field for a TD in 39 seconds.

Ashland was running a delayed blitz late in the game and Woodford wasn't picking it up, forcing Duck to make hurried decisions. The defense made a lot of mistakes as well, chasing the ball instead of staying in their lanes and failing to finish tackles.

Injuries also plagued the Yellow Jackets. Jordan Carter was still dealing with an ankle sprain from last week. Bobby Neal went down with a leg injury in the third quarter and was in and out the rest of the game. Colin Smith also tweaked an ankle.

Next week the Jackets will try to bounce back when the travel to West Jessamine.

UK vs. South Carolina

2008-10-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

Well...I am going to have to pick the Cats this week...as much as I hate to.

I get a certain satisfaction in tweaking UK fans. It's really great fun. You should try it sometime.

But the Wildcat defense showed me enough last week to believe they are for real. I don't see South Carolina moving the ball against UK.

Then again, the Big Blue probably won't move the ball a whole lot either. I'm thinking of calling them the Big Blue Blunder. But in their defense, UK did generate offense in spurts against Bama. South Carolina also runs an aggressive defensive system and UK's screen passes may negate that to some degree. If Dickey Lyons can make a few big plays, they should be able to outpace the Cocks. I also expect the defense to put some points on the board.

UK has never beat Spurrier. But this is not the Gators coming into Commonwealth Stadium, so I'm going to go with UK.

Cats 19 Gamecocks 7

Woodford County vs. Ashland Paul Blazer preview

2008-10-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County Yellow Jackets will face Ashland Paul Blazer on Saturday at Putnam stadium in Ashland. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Woodford holds the number 11 spot in the 5A football poll. Paul Blazer sits at 13.

I see this as a key game for the Jackets. The winner will sit in the drivers’ seat, controlling its own destiny in terms of snagging the second seed in the district.

The big question is can Woodford stop the run.

The Yellow Jackets have not fared well against teams that run the football, and make no mistake about it, the Tomcats run the ball. I imagine they are chomping at the bit knowing Woodford County gave up over 650 yards on the ground to Johnson Central two weeks ago.

Paul Blazer averages 289 yards per game on the ground. They rarely put the ball in the air, putting up only 35 yards per game. So it’s pretty simple…stop the Tomcat ground attack and win the game. But as we say two weeks ago, knowing what a team is going to do doesn’t always mean it can be stopped.

Running back Rashard Carter holds the key to the Tomcat offense. He averages 130 yards per game. The two game Paul Blazer lost were the only two that Carter was held under 100 yards.

The Jackets are rolling on the offensive side of the ball. Nobody has really stopped them this season and they boast the sixth ranked passing offense in the state. But Ashland’s defense has played well against the pass. They sit at number 15 in the state in passing defense, allowing only 63 yards per game.

That number could be a little misleading though. The Tomcats have not faced a passing offense like Woodford’s.

I see this as a close game that could go either way. Ever the optimist, I’m going to give a slight edge to Woodford. I do think Blazer will move the ball against the Jackets, but they are not as physical as Johnson Central, and I don’t see them running over the Jackets like the Golden Eagles did. I look for the defense to make just enough stops to keep the offense in the game. The Yellow Jackets should continue to roll and I have a feeling the fact that Woodford can score quickly will pay off at the end of the game.

My pick:

Woodford 31 Paul Blazer 28

Duckworth gets some love

2008-10-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Woodford County quarterback Steven Duckworth got a some love from the Herald-Leader today. They ran a little blurb about him tying the state record for number of completions in one game.

I talke to Duckworth last Monday and he said exactly what I expected, giving most of the credit to his teammates.

"This is not a record I can claim for myself," he said. "The O-line had to block and the receivers had to catch. The record will have my name on it, but I look at it as a team effort."

Last week's column

2008-10-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

A reprint of my column printed in the Woodford Sun on Oct. 9.

Metalsmiths use extreme heat to purify metal, and the gunk that comes out isn’t pretty.

But the final product possesses a beauty unimaginable when simply looking at the raw ore.

The heat of athletic competition can also force some ugly gunk out of participants, and like metal refined by fire, sometimes the athlete ends up a better purified version of himself in the end.

I saw this process play out during the Woodford County – Johnson County football game.

Early in the third quarter with the Yellow Jackets trailing 40-20, Woodford senior wide receiver Alex Forkner dropped a short pass from quarterback Steven Duckworth. As the ball fell to the ground, a Golden Eagle defender drilled Forkner, knocking him hard to the turf.

Forkner, taking exception, sprang up and shoved the offending Johnson Central player.

The yellow flag flew, fluttering to the ground as the ball had only moments before.

The referee assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Forkner, pushing the Woodford offense back, and ultimately stalling the drive and killing momentum gained from the Jacket defensive stop minutes before.

“Get him off the field,” coach Chris Tracy yelled.

The next time I saw Forkner, he was sitting alone on a bench behind the Yellow Jacket sideline.

Eyes downcast.

Forlorn.

Yeah, the hit was a tad late. Probably unnecessary. But the whistle had not blown and the hit was within the rules.

Forkner was in the wrong.

And he knew it.

After the game, the Yellow Jackets gathered at midfield and I was standing next to Alex. J.R. Leach offered up a post-game prayer. There were some words of encouragement from the coach. A few words from Duckworth.

Then Forkner spoke up.

No excuses.

No self justification.

No whining.

Just a sincere apology from a young man who knew he’d messed up.

Moments like that fuel my love for sports. In the blink of an eye, I saw a high school student take a step toward adulthood. I saw an athlete purified by the heat of competition. Some ugly stuff came out, but a better version of Alex Forkner walked of that field that night.

Quick Shots

Oregon State’s upset win over number one ranked USC serves as a poignant reminder - you’ve got to play the games.

UK fans are feeling pretty good about their Cats. Kentucky is off to a nice 4-0 start and looked pretty good against Western Kentucky. But I watched part of the Alabama Georgia game, and I have a feeling the Wildcat bubble is about to burst.

I know not too many people in these parts care, but I’m really excited about the fact the hockey season starts this week.

This shouldn’t surprise me, but Terrell Owens is still an idiot. After having the ball thrown or handed to him 20 times (representing a third of their offensive plays) in the Cowboys’ loss to the Redskins, Owens implied the problem with the Dallas offense was that they didn’t get the ball to him enough.

A little message to NASCAR driver Carl Edwards – life is not a video game. Edwards intentionally bounced off the wall after flying past Jimmy Johnson on the final lap of the Camping World RV 400 in Kansas. Edwards hoped the wall would redirect him and prevent him from sliding sideways going into the finish.

"I always wanted to try that," Edwards said. "Now I know it doesn't work quite the same as a video game."

Quote of the Week

“I used to tell my quarterbacks, ‘You’ll only throw seven interceptions this season.’ They’d say, ‘That’s great. Is it the routes you run or the way I read the defense?’ I’d tell them, ‘No, when you get to six, you’re not playing any more.’ That they understood.”
-Lou Holtz

Puck to the Head

This week’s puck to the head flies at Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador for his little tirade upon learning of seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong plans to go for win eight next year.

Contador races for the Astana cycling team and won the Tour de France in 2007. Since Armstrong announced his plans to compete in next year’s tour, many speculate he may join Astana because of his ties with team leader Johan Bruyneel.

Apparently Contador believes his past performance entitles him a lifetime top-spot on Astana.

“I think I’ve earned the right to be a leader of the team without having to fight for my place,” he said. (Insert whiney voice for better effect.) “And with Armstrong, some difficult situations could arise in which the team would put him first, and that would hurt me.”

PULEEZE!

I’ve long believed that the push to take competition out of sports – you know, not keeping score and other such silliness – and rewarding every child just for showing up creates entitlement minded, self-indulgent brats.

I’ve often wondered if it would filter up to the pro ranks.

I guess it has.

Duckworth ties state record

2008-10-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

Woodford County quarterback Steven Duckworth tied a Kentucky state record with his 40 completions against Franklin Co. last Friday night. He's tied in the record book with Steven Sizemore of Hazard who completed 40 passes against Jenkins in 2000.

This is a pretty awesome accomplishment, but I'm sure Duckworth would be quick to spread the credit to his receivers and offensive line. The thing that impresses me about this kid more than his prowess on the football field is his maturity and sense of team.

A small sip of blue Kool-Aid

2008-10-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, the UK defense is for real. The Cats did give up a lot of rushing yards; Glen Coffee rushed for 218 yards, but they kept Bama out of the end zone and that's what counts in the end. It's a shame UK doesn't have the offense to go with the defense. Rickey Lyons Jr. is fun to watch, but the rest of the receiving corps pretty much sucks. Hartline may well develop into a good quarterback. He showed some nice flashes in the game, but also shows some inexperience at times. He could probably develop really fast if he had more than one target to throw to.

I kept hearing commentators talking about how Alabama didn't play well. I have to think some of that was the UK D. Some of it may have been a little letdown after the Georgia game.

I have to say this, I got a little frustrated with the ESPN guy talking about how Alabama should drop in the polls. He gave Kentucky no respect and acted like Bama should have walked over Kentucky like Oklahoma did to Baylor.

We all know that I am no UK apologist, but I can recognize a good football team when I see one, and I do think UK has a good football team. Not great...but a solid mid-tier SEC team.

MY UK prediction

2008-10-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sorry UK fans. I just don't see it.

I may well be wrong about this, but I don't buy into the Kentucky hype. Their 4-0 record proves nothing. We will see what UK is all about today.

I don't expect the Cats to score more than 10 points against the Alabama defense. The UK offensive line will struggle against the Tides D line. Besides Dickey Lyons, the Cats receiving corps is awful with dropped passes and bad routes.

On the defensive side of the ball, UK should fare better, but we really haven't seen them tested either. I was pretty impressed with the way Alabama hung points on a pretty good Georgia team.

I don’t think Alabama will suffer a letdown. They’ll be playing in front of a raucous home crowd coming off a big win.

In my mind it all ads up to the UK loss.

If the Cats pull it off…I promise I’ll take a big chug of Big-Blue Kool-Aid.

My call:
Alabama 21-UK 10

Woodford Co. 38 Franklin Co. 14

2008-10-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yellow Jacket quarter back Steven Duckworth found a groove last night against the Flyers and put up career numbers as Woodford County rolled to a 38-14 win over visiting Franklin County on homecoming.

Duckworth completed 40 of 49 passes for 416 yards and four touchdowns and one interception.

The Jackets got off to a quick start, blocking a Flyer punt after forcing Franklin three and out on their first possession. Duckworth took advantage of the short field, throwing a 12-yard strike to Nick Vanderpool.

But the Flyers took the ball and drove it right up the field to tie the score and it looked like the defense might struggle again.

Franklin briefly took a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.

Woodford clung to a 17-14 lead at the half, but pulled away in the second and cruised to on for the win.

Steven Peavler, Bobby Neal and Alex Forkner caught the other three Duckworth TD passes. Duck also ran for one.

In what was probably the play of the game, wide receiver Chris Jones laid an awesome block to spring Peavler on his touchdown catch.

The defense really stepped it up in the second half and shut down the Flyer attack. They got a good push up the middle and spent a good portion of the second half in the Flyer backfield.

Flyer quarterback Sean Thompson injured his leg in the first quarter. He missed one series, but came back, gutted it out and finished the game. The injury clearly hampered his mobility and made the Woodford pass rush that much more effective.

Woodford coach Chris Tracy told me last week that he wanted to shut the Franklin running game down and make them one-dimensional, and that’s exactly what the Yellow Jackets did. Even early in the game when Franklin was moving the ball, Woodford had success in containing the run. After the Jackets scored on their opening possession of the second half, the Flyers virtually abandoned the run, allowing the Woodford D-line to tee off on the Franklin QB.

The Jacket D forced the Flyers to turn the ball over on down in four straight series in the second half.

Woodford running back/linebacker Jordan Carter injured an ankle late in the first half. He said he could come back if needed, but with Woodford holding a lead, Tracy held him out as a precaution. Tracy said he expects Carter to be ready to go next Saturday against Ashland Paul Blazer.

A few more football notes

2008-10-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Woodford County ranks 15th in the state in passing offense with an average of 214 yards per game. Apparently the Johnson Central game was not included in this weeks stats, although the Jackets were a little above their average with 276 yards.

The Jackets are ranked eighth in the state 5A poll as of Sept. 30.

Woodford County Franklin County preview

2008-10-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Yellow Jackets will try to bounce back after literally getting run over by Johnson Central last weekend when they face 4A Franklin County (3-2) Friday.

Woodford (3-2) will come into the game with plenty of motivation. This weekend marks homecoming and that always seems to get the crowd into the game early. The Jackets also have revenge on their minds. Woodford County was undefeated when they traveled to Franklin County last year, and the Flyers upset them 17-14.

"We owe them one," Yellow Jacket coach Chris Tracy said. "But the most important thing is getting off the snide now."

The Yellow Jackets will face a mirror image in Franklins' offense. The Flyers run an identical system, and that should help the Woodford defense. Several of the Jacket players said they had a difficult time preparing for Johnson Centrals' power running game because they had no way to replicate it in practice.

Franklin comes in with a balanced offensive attack, averaging 146 yards per game rushing and 182 through the air. If you take out the loss against Lafayette, their passing average jumps to over 200 yards per game.

Despite Franklin’s high-powered passing attack, Tracy said Woodford will key on stopping the run and forcing the Flyers into a one-dimensional attack.

Defensively the Flyers do a good job stopping the run, allowing an average of only 86 yards per game. They are a little more vulnerable through the air, allowing an average 126 yards passing.

This game will say a lot about Woodfords' character. Can they bounce back after getting steamrolled by Johnson Central?

I think this team has a pretty strong psyche and they are definitely tight in the locker room. There was no finger pointing or blame-game after the loss last week.

I look for Woodford to play tough tomorrow night. I expect the Jacket defense to really come out hard after getting embarrassed last week and I think they will shut Franklin down. Woodfords' D can create turnovers in bunches, as we saw when they played Bryan Station, and I could see Franklin getting frustrated early and falling victim to the turnover bug. On the offensive side of the ball, nobody has been able to really stop Steven Duckworth and crew and I don't think Franklin will fare any better.

My pick:
Woodford 42 Franklin Co. 17

Lady Jacket soccer

2008-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Lady Jackets won 4-0 last night over Owen County.

It was an odd game. Woodford lost 3-2 to sixth ranked Highlands the night before in N. Kentucky and didn't get home until after midnight. They were also playing their fourth game in eight days. The team was tired and it really showed on the field.

But despite their weariness, the Yellow Jackets still dominated the game. It was strange to see a team totally control a game without any real intensity.

Woodford played a lot of players and most of the starters were on the bench by half time. Callie Reichenbach and Rachel Edenstrom notched their first varsity goals.

The loss in Highlands was a tough one. The Jackets held their own in a hostile stadium after a long bus ride. Highlands got the winning goal with under a minute left.

Coach Dave McIver said that it was one of the best high school soccer games he's seen and he was very proud of his teams' effort.

"I think it gives them a confidence that they can play with anybody in the state."

The Lady Jackets have one more game on Saturday at 1 p.m. against a good South Laurel team (11-3-1 and undefeated in their region).

The district tournament will take place in Anderson County the week of Oct. 13.

American League East standings

2008-10-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Yankees
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Orioles
Rays

No, that isn't the order of finish in the regular season. The list represents payroll from highest to lowest.

Yankees: $209 million
Red Sox: $133 million
Blue Jays: $98 million
Orioles: $67 million
Rays $44 million

In fact, in all of Major League Baseball, only the Florida Marlins had a lower payroll than the Rays.

You can see the whole list here.

It doesn't happen often, but sometimes the little guy does finish first.

Bulldozed

2008-09-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Knowing the future doesn't necessarily mean you can change it.

Every time Johnson Central (5-0) lined up last night, everybody in the stadium knew they were going to run the ball. Still, Woodford County (3-2) seemed powerless to stop them. The Golden Eagles rolled up 650 yards rushing as they beat the Yellow Jackets 54-33.

Johnson Central threw three passes, and one of those was on a two-point conversion.

I really underestimated Johnson Centrals’ running game. I knew they could score on the ground, but I really thought Woodford could stop, or at least slow down such a one-dimensional offense.

Not so much. Bad tackling hurt the Jackets, but the bottom line was the Golden Eagles’ running game is just that good.

I have to say this though, watching Johnson Central play offense was akin to watching dust settle on my dining room table. I guess one can’t argue with results. Johnson Central plays to its strength and it’s winning them ballgames.

Woodfords’ offense played pretty well. I think mid-way through the third quarter they got a little discouraged. Steven Duckworth made one bad throw that Johnson Central picked off, but other than that, they were able to move the football.

Jordan Carter had a good game on the offensive side of the ball. He made some big runs and scored Woodfords' first TD on a one-yard plunge. He also had one long kickoff return.

Woodford junior tight end Bobby Neal also impressed me. He made some big catches late in the game. He's a big kid at 6'3" 212 pounds and has really good hands. He's also pretty fast for a big guy and gets a lot of yards after making a catch.

I have to say this for the Yellow Jackets; they don’t quit. Their defense went out and kept plugging away and the offense made the game interesting in the fourth quarter. It would have been easy to just throw in the towel at halftime, but Woodford came out fired up in the second half, and although they didn’t stop the Johnson Central juggernaut, they made some good stops. I have to respect that kind of character.

Woodford v. Johnson Central

2008-09-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

The Yellow Jackets will play a huge district game tonight against Johnson Central. This is a big rivalry, the teams don't like each other very much and I’m looking for an intense game. Woodford coach Chris Tracy makes no secret of the fact that he doesn't care much for the Golden Eagle coach, adding to the drama.

Woodford embarrassed Johnson Central 43-22 in Paintsville last season and the Golden Eagles will seek revenge at Woodford County.

I’m expecting a lot of scoring tonight. Both teams have prolific offenses, but there the similarities end.

The two teams are polar opposites. Woodford runs a passing oriented spread offense. They are currently ranked 15 in the state in passing offense, averaging 214 yards per game. Johnson Central keeps the ball on the ground. They run an old school two back wishbone offense and they hold a number five ranking in rushing offense, averaging 348 yards a game.

When the Golden Eagles come to town, everybody knows what they will do. Last week against Shelby County, they threw for a grand total of zero yards. They threw only one pass all night in their 35-31 win over Bryan Station.

So theoretically, a team should be able to simply stack nine players in the box, and that’s probably what Woodford will do. Problem is that things that look good in theory don’t always work in reality. Everybody knows Johnson Central will try to run the ball down their throat, but nobody’s been able to stop them.

I’m looking for a high scoring game tonight.

I don’t think the Golden Eagles can slow down Steven Duckworth and the Jacket offense. Shelby County threw for over 200 yards on Johnson Central last weekend.

The Woodford D has really stepped up over the last two games, but I can’t get the image of Bardstown running the ball right down their throat three weeks ago, and Bryan Station had late game success last week running the ball, so the jury is still out on the Woodford run defense.

But Woodford has a lot of momentum and a lot of heart, and I expect their defense will bring it tonight. I don’t see them shutting down Johnson Central, but I think they can slow them down enough to win. Woodford fans will be geared up too, giving them that intangible home field edge.

My pick:
Woodford 45 Johnson Central 28

Oregon State 27 USC 21

2008-09-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

Just goes to show, you have to play the games.

Cry baby

2008-09-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've often wondered how the de-emphasis of competition in athletics would affect the world of sports. A recent tirade by Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador may give us a hint.

Contador won the Tour de France in 2007, and races for the Astana cycling team. Since Lance Armstrong announced his plans to compete in next year’s tour, many speculate he may join Astana because of his ties with team leader Johan Bruyneel.

Contador threw a little fit, apparently believing his past performance earned him the team’s top spot for life.

“I think I’ve earned the right to be a leader of the team without having to fight for my place,” he said. (Insert whiney voice for better effect.) “And with Armstrong, some difficult situations could arise in which the team would put him first, and that would hurt me.”

Wahh, wahh, wahh!

I don’t even know where to start with this.

What kind of world does Contador live. He gets to be the team leader for life…with no fight?? I’m picturing NFL veterans all over the league wishing for that kind of deal.

In every sport, athletes compete for positions. They compete for playing time. The work and push and sacrifice to earn their spot, and then they fight some more to keep it. That’s how it works.

But after two decades of youth sporting leagues that don’t keep score and concern themselves with elevating participants’ self-esteem instead of actually fostering healthy competition, we are starting to see athletes with a sense of entitlement.

Praising kids just for the sake of offering praise does not develop real self-esteem. Heck, kids know the score…they’re not that dumb. What we are creating is a bunch of spoiled brats who think they are entitled to whatever they want, simply because they graced the field with their presence.

About Face

2008-09-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

People across the country are starting to hear about the Tampa Bay Rays. Last night, they clinched a playoff spot for the first time in franchise history.

I've known about the Rays for a long time. I lived about 6 blocks from their stadium. I could almost smell the futility from my apartment.

Last season, new ownership took over the in St. Petersburg. Gone was stingy old Vince Namoli. He treated the fans with contempt and milked the franchise to line his own pockets, refusing to spend any money to put a competitive team on the field. Gone was the Devil from their name, and this season, gone are their losing ways.

If you haven't followed baseball in St. Petersburg, it's hard to comprehend what a turnaround this season represents. It's not just a one-season about face…a two year worst to first story. It's an entire franchise history turned on its head.

This is a team that never before had a winning season. A team that people said would NEVER compete in the AL East with the Yankees and Red Sox. A team that for several years looked more like an AAA farm club than a real MLB organization.

But today is a new day in Tampa Bay. The Rays will play baseball in October! They even have a legit shot to win the AL East outright.

So congrats to Tampa Bay. I can't wait to watch my Rays in the playoffs!

Woodford County 24 Bryan Station 17

2008-09-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

I was really impressed with the Yellow Jackets in their win Friday. The defense carried the team and the offense did just enough to pull off the win.

What impressed me most was Woodfords' never quit attitude. After the Defenders' small, fast and elusive back broke loose for a 67 yard TD run on the second play, it would have been easy to fold up, but the Jacket D picked themselves up and played a wail of a game. That never say die attitude paid off in the end. With less than two minutes left, the Defenders got their running game going and basically rammed it down Woodford Countys' throat. With 1st and goal on the 1-yard line, it looked like the Bryan Station had a sure score. But a forced fumble gave the ball and the win back to the Jackets. The Yellow Jackets didn't quit on that play. They kept battling and earned the W.

I have the sense that this could turn out a very special year for Woodford County. They have that intangible something that makes a good team great. They certainly weren't the most athletic team on the field. Woodford coach Chris Tracy said that if you line up his team position to position with Bryan Station, they have the better squad.

But Tracy's boys play as a team, and in sports that can take a team a lot further than talent alone.

Granted, there is a lot of football left to play, and the Yellow Jackets have to bring that same intensity each week, but if they do, we may well see some big things out of this team.

Woodford Co. @ Bryan Station pre-game notes

2008-09-18T15:03:00.002-07:00

The Yellow Jackets (2-1) will face a stiff challenge tonight as the go on the road to face a resurgent Bryan Station team (2-1).

The Defenders are coming off a tough 35-31 loss to Johnson Central last week, while the Yellow Jackets played their best game of the year, beating Montgomery County 49-0.

Bryan Station features a big, fast squad. I heard a radio commentator last week say that the Defenders look like a small college team. Woodford County is a relatively small team and Bryan Stations' bulk could prove problematic.

The Jacket offense has proved it can move the football and put points on the board, so the game will hinge on which Woodford defensive unit shows up.

The Yellow Jacket defensive squad gave up 76 points in its first two games, but completely shut down Montgomery County last week.

Bryan Station has a huge offensive weapon in running back Patrick Cornett. He's rushed for 500 yards in just three games and averages 219.7 all-purpose yards. The Jackets looked vulnerable to the run in their first two games, but turned that around last week. If the defense can take up where it left off against the Indians, they should be able to win their fifth in a row over the Defenders.

The Woodford offense will also need to put together some sustained drives and keep the defense off the field. If the defensive unit is forced to play a lot of minutes, that big Defender offensive line may wear them down

Woodford Volleyball

2008-09-18T15:03:00.001-07:00

The Dunbar Bulldogs beat an over matched Woodford County volleyball team 2-0 (25-12, 25-11) in Lexington tonight.

Yellow Jacket coach Genny Ledbetter said it was the first time her team has faced an opponent as fast as Dunbar and the Bulldogs also boasted a much taller lineup.

But despite the loss, Ledbetter said her team adjusted pretty well and she was happy with how her team responded.

I have to admit, I've already grown fond of this Yellow Jacket team. They are a very young squad, with only two seniors on the varsity team and just one player with prior varsity experience.

I really appreciate the attitude the Volley-Jackets display. They always seem to enjoy themselves, even when down by double digits, and I have yet to see them quit. It's pretty inspiring to see a team getting beat, yet still smiling and encouraging one another.

They will likely continue to struggle through the remainder of the season, but I have a feeling they will probably upset someone along the way, and may even surprise some teams when the district tourney rolls around.

Welcome to gooberville

2008-09-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

I was driving home the other day listening to the sports radio call-in show on WVLK. Since I've moved back to Kentucky, I've been trying really hard to keep an open mind about things UK.

Some fans make it very hard.

There's a certain myopia that exists around here, as if UK and the SEC are all there is in the universe. Maybe this stems from the fact that Wildcat sports are basically the only game in town in Lexington.

At any rate, this caller started out talking about how much better UK is than UofL. Granted, he has a point and the Cats proved that on the field. He proceeded into some Big East bashing. Again, he has a point. It's pretty hard to defend the Big East in football, at least judging by early season results. Then the caller went on the say that if UK had Louisville's schedule, they would certainly, easily go undefeated.

At that point the entered into the land of UK gooberville.

He's crazy if he thinks a Wildcat team with little offense, no running game and an untested defense could beat South Florida. As far as that goes, I don't think UK could hang with West Virginia, despite the Mountaineers loss to East Carolina (which is a pretty darn good football team).

I've sort of defended UK's close call against MTSU, but come on now, if UK had a hard time with the Blue Raiders, you can't coherently make the argument that the Wildcats would walk all over even a middle of the pack Big East team.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out. I think UK has a decent team, but I could also see them having a losing season if they don't iron out some wrinkles. As far as my Bulls go, they made a good showing against Kansas last week, but they have a history of beating ranked opponents and then tanking against the teams they should beat.

That said, a lot will have to change before I will accept the argument that UK is better than USF.

Sports quote of the week

2008-09-14T09:58:00.001-07:00

"Here's what's discouraging to me. You see guys in pre-game singing Kanye West songs. How can they freaking understand every word that he sings and they can't understand the freaking signals? That's what's frustrating."

-University of Kentucky offensive coordinator Joker Phillips after the Middle Tennessee State game.

Couch time for UK fans

2008-09-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sports fans by nature seem to swing between emotional extremes, and sometimes I think UK fans are worse than most.

Early wins over UofL and Norfolk State had some fans predicting an SEC championship, and the airwaves were full of talk about the Wildcats' dominating defense.

Nothing like a close call to damper spirits.

After the Cats narrowly escaped Commonwealth Stadium with a 20-14 win over the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, suddenly the Big Blue Bandwagon is rolling a little lighter and I've already heard some fans declare that the sky is falling.

As a public service to my fellow Kentuckians, I would like to offer a little mental health counseling.

First off, keep in mind that a win is a win, and at the end of the year, most people won't remember that an MTSU fell about two feet short of stealing one from the Cats. UK may have stumbled and bumbled their way to win number three, but the bottom line is that it's win number three.

Secondly, make no mistake about it, Middle Tennessee is a darn good football team. I predicted they would give the Cats problems. I think a lot of fans looked at MTSU as one of those "directional schools" that the Cats would easily run right over. But the Blue Raiders whipped a pretty good Maryland team last week, so the fact that Middle Tennessee hung tough doesn't necessarily bode ill for the Cats.

Granted UK didn't play particularly well.

I think the team overlooked MTSU a bit. Coach Brooks complained that UK did not practice well all week, and that clearly flowed over into the game.

And UK definitely has plenty to work on. The offensive line did not get the job done and they are going to have to start opening some holes for the running game to take some pressure off Hartline. UK also needs to figure out a way to make some field-goals and to get their receivers to run the right routes.

That said, the sky isn't falling.

Last week, UK wasn't going to win the SEC and this week, they are not going to finish dead last. I think they will bounce back and easily handle Western Kentucky and then play a good Alabama team tough. UK still looks to me like a solid seven or eight win team.

So don't despair all ye bleeders of blue. There's a long season ahead. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the 3-0 record.

Thanks for coming by, now go do something productive. That will be $75 payable to Dr. Maharrey.

Woodford girls soccer wins at home

2008-09-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Woodford County girls soccer team beat the visiting Male Bulldogs 4-0 this afternoon at Community Stadium, improving their record to 6-5.

The Jackets led by 1 at halftime on a goal by Cara Sheehan, and turned it on to pull away in the second. Brandi Levi hit the post twice before burying two goals and Sheehan blasted her second goal into the top of the net with less than a minute remaining.