Jan 02

My best friends….

They’re my salvation.  And they’ve never abandoned me..

I’ve needed them so many times.  They’ve always been there.  No matter the problem.  No matter how little I have to offer them back, they’re there.  When I’m feeling down, which happens more often than I’d like, THEY can bring me up.  They never turn me down.  24/7, they’re there.  Never too busy.  Never have something else on their minds.  Never have someone else in their world.  They’re never too busy to give me time.  They’re the only ones who understand me.  Who can give me what I need, when I need it.  Like magic.  And they never judge.

Thank goodness I have my best friends.

Don’t know what I’d do without them.

Now and then, they have the opposite effect.  I think they’ll bring me up, give me back the positive, and all I feel is melancholy when they leave.  But that’s MY fault.

Doesn’t matter.  They’re still my best friends.  I think they’ve saved my life more than once.  Or at least made me realize whats important.  Brought me to a point where I can face another day.

I thank them for that.  And after they’ve saved me again, I put away the iPod, let them rest until the next time, and I prepare to face another day.

Nov 27

9,863 days… (Thoughts on UK-UT 2011)

9,863 days…

1,409 weeks…

26 years…

OK, if you know me at all, you probably wondered what I was alluding to with days and weeks, but the years part no doubt gave it away.   If you don’t know me, all will be answered in due time.

I digress. This all started when I began wondering what you could accomplish in 9,863 days.

You could fight World War II seven times.  (That is, IF you consider World War II starting when we declared war on Japan.  If you start when Germany invaded Poland, we could have fought it nearly 4 1/2 times!  Either way, Churchill rocks!)

 

 

 

You could have built the great pyramid at Giza (20 years) taken a nice vacation to Maui, and had a pretty good start on a 2nd pyramid!.

 

fdr-cigarette

FDR

America’s longest serving President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt served 4,422 days as President.  He could have served TWICE that amount, we could have thrown in Gerald Ford’s Presidency (895 days) and STILL have had time for William Henry Harrison (32 days).  The other three months Al Haig could have handled.  (By the way, I don’t like smoking but FDR did look rather dapper with that cigarette holder!)

 

NOT FDR

NOT FDR

If you conceived a child on day one, that child could be grown, out of college, and already be a doctor or a lawyer after 9,863 days.  (Or you could have taken a shortcut and had TWO Justin Biebers!!!)

Trip to the moon?  Piece of cake.  It took the Apollo astronauts a little over 3 days (pedal to the metal) to get to the moon.  Figuring the same for a return flight, you and I could have gone to the moon 1,578 times over the last 9,863 days.

9,863 days.

1,409 weeks.

26 years.

Through yesterday morning, it had been 9,863 days, or 1,409 weeks, or just simply 26 years since the University of Kentucky football team had beaten Tennessee.  9,863 days of orange tainted misery.  9,863 days of first and goal from the 2 for a win and Mark Higgs not making it in four consecutive tries.  9,863 days of Lonas Seiber missing the field goal in overtime.  9,863 days of the echos of the most annoying fight song in the history of mankind.

No mas.  

A University of Kentucky football team, which had performed pretty lousy all year, with no bowl on the horizon for the first time in five years, found itself with two injured quarterbacks going into the final game.  They grabbed a wide receiver (who frankly had had his trouble actually “receiving” this year), and made him their starter.  They put together roughly a dozen plays, on one sheet of paper, and that was their game plan.  (Half of those plays they didn’t really WANT to use.)

And then, they didn’t tell.  Not friends.  Not families.  Certainly not the media.  And most of all, not the dreaded orange horde from down under.

And when the game started, WR, er.. QB Matt Roark began his final game in a UK uniform. Behind the center.  A position he hadn’t seen since high school.  Three hours that would take him to legend status.  Status that should cease him from ever having to pay for a meal in this state again.  Ever.  9,863 days to the tenth power ever!

Matt Roark is the new ‘Rudy’.  But unlike the OLD ‘Rudy’, Matt Roark played an entire game, in a position that wasn’t his, and its all documented right there on video tape.  (One play, fictionalized as it is, does not a career make!  Well, unless you’re Rudy Ruettiger.  He seems to have worked it out pretty well.)

9,863 days and it ended.

Kentucky 10, Tennessee 7

This blog is about me.  About the things that interest me.  About the things that influence me.  About the things I care about.

I’ve covered UK sports for many years.  I’ve never apologized for the fact that I’m also a fan.  I’ve worked with the radio network, the TV network, and I’ve hosted a talk show dedicated to UK football and basketball.  I’ve called coaches, staff, and players friends.  I’ve called the bad when I see it (Bill Curry with Tim Couch in the option, anything Billy Gillispie), and I’ve called the good.  I’ve driven at LEAST a hundred thousand miles on my own dime.

I will admit my bias.  I have no problem with you knowing that this is MY TEAM.  I’ve always wished them the best, but I’ve rarely looked through rose colored glasses.  (Roses are red.   I’ll have blueberry colored glasses, TY!)

Thanks, KSR

9,863 days.

November 26, 2011.

Did I mention it was my birthday?

And I received the greatest birthday gift of my adult life.

Just 9,863 days after the SECOND greatest birthday gift of my adult life.

Thanks, Matt Roark.  Thanks, Joker Phillips.  Thanks, Jerry Claiborne.

Happy birthday to me!

(And please don’t wait 9,863 days for my next gift.  I’m really not sure I’ll make it.)

 

Jun 24

Oh Enes… we hardly knew ye…

I watched most of the NBA draft last night.  Caught the drafting of all the UK crew, Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight, “Jorts” & Deandre Liggins.

I had my computer capturing the event, just for the heck of it.  If you didn’t see it, when they announced the drafting of Enes Kanter, Commissioner David Stern said “of Turkey AND the University of Kentucky”!

Of course most people know that Enes had been forced to sit out a year and couldn’t play college ball because he had received too much expense money while playing in Europe.  European players can remain amateurs while playing for professional teams, as long as they don’t make TOO much money off the process.  Enes had turned down millions in REAL pro contracts in order to play at UK for a year or two, but the NCAA in their infinite wisdom chose to ignore that and kill his dream.  (The “too much money” probably wouldn’t have bought a decent car.)

Enes came to UK as a student-athlete, was told he couldn’t play, went through the appeals process, was turned down again, and became a student coach.  And during this, he became a fan favorite.  And if there was any doubt BEFORE last night, he cemented his position as one of the all time favorite players at UK.  (And he never played a minute…)

What’d he do?  Simply dedicate his first professional season to the fans who had supported him the last year.

It hit me after the draft was over that some of the fans might like to see this again.  And again.  And again.  At 11:30 last night, I edited the video, uploaded it to YouTube and 16 hours later it has been viewed nearly 4,000 times.  Even from Turkey!

Good luck Enes!  You will ALWAYS be a Wildcat, and I hope some time in the future the folks at UK will be able to bring you AND your family back to Rupp to allow the fans to appreciate you even more!