Midnight madness

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.

Practice Practice Practice

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.

Meeks to the NBA

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.

UK v. Arkansas

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.

UK vs. South Carolina

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