Another Heartbreaking Loss at Commonwealth

It was a similar site of fans leaving Commonwealth Stadium in utter disappointment on Saturday night. The Cats were tied with the #8 Auburn Tigers going into the final seconds when the Tigers kicked a game winning field goal as regulation ended. This time, however, the Cats did not beat themselves. They put forth a solid effort and gave a top 10 team all they could handle, without a crucial turnover, penalty, or stupid mistake costing the game. It was probably their best overall effort of the season. It was one of those games where whoever had the ball last was going to win. The Cats simply ran out of time.

It would have been another one of those opportunities to get this program to the next level, however, I can't point to anything that the coaches or players did that they should have done differently and that could have changed the outcome of the game. Randall Cobb was finally utilized to his whole potential and the defense stepped up in the second half and contained Cam Newton as good as anyone else has this season. It was a very well played game and a strong Heisman Trophy candidate simply outdid the Cats, just enough to get the win on the road for a Top 10, National Championship contending team. There are no "moral victories" in "Operation: Win", however, it's hard to find fault in the Cats' performance last night.

They beat themselves against Ole Miss and didn't really show up in Gainesville either, but it took everything that Auburn had to beat the Cats last night. Progress is being made and the schedule is about to get easier. I expect the Cats to go on a second-half run this season just as they did last year when the schedule got "easier". It won't be much easier next week, but South Carolina is coming off of an emotionally draining win over #1 Alabama. It's another crucial game that can propel this season into the right direction. A lot of winnable games are still left on the table for the Cats to grab. They could, in fact, still win more games than they have in quite some time. Stay tuned and don't give up on this team. A lot of exciting football is on its way that we have been waiting for quite some time to see.

Weekend Entertainment Guide

If you're a Cincinnati Reds fan depressed as I am right now, fear not, I'm about to provide you with a weekend entertainment guide to get your mind off tonight's monumental collapse and Wednesday's no hit performance.

Movies: "Secretariat" and "Social Network"

"Secretariat" should be a must see for any Kentuckian. Much of the movie was filmed right here in Kentucky, at various locations including Keeneland and Churchill Downs. I also include "Social Network" as a must see film in the coming weeks simply because of the impact Facebook and other social networking sites have had on all of our daily lives. Whether we want to admit it or not, it has impacted our lives more than any invention since the development of the Internet itself. Speaking of Keeneland and horses in general, if you're in Lexington, go ahead and add Keeneland and/or the World Equestrian Games to your entertainment schedule this weekend. I'd recommend heading out to Keeneland on Saturday morning before embarking over to Commonwealth for some tailgating in the afternoon. If you're a UK student, you can also check out the World Equestrian Games for free on Saturday with your student ID.

Books: "Beyond a Dream" by Mark Krebs

(visit http://www.beyondadreambook.com/ for more information)

I purchased this book yesterday afternoon and started reading it last night. I stayed up until 2:30 am last night, finishing the entire book without being able to put it down. That's saying a lot, because I've never read a book all at once like that in my entire life, or even in just a few days.

It starts from Krebs' very early childhood and goes through high school, his mom's battle with cancer, his freshman year at lowly Division III Thomas More College, and into his improbable career at UK. It started with a letter to Tubby and the odds he went through to just make the team, and stay on the team under three coaches, are incredible. It goes into great deal of everything behind the scenes from the day Tubby left to the first team meeting with Gillispie. It's VERY eye opening. Then of course it touches on the uncertainty of Calipari coming in with all the new recruits and another huge challenge to just make the team and then actually earn
a scholarship. There's a ton of info addressing "boot camp" and everything that went on under Gillispie and a deep look into all 3 coaches in a roller coaster ride from a walk-on redshirt, to a walk-on reserve player in the NIT, and culminating as a scholarship player on the #1 ranked team in the country.

Most importantly, the book chronicles the fight of Krebs' mother, Terri Krebs, to stay alive through the excruciating pain of Breast Cancer treatments for nine years to live to see a daughter get married, all three of her kids graduate from high school and go on to college, and to be able to be at center court of Rupp Arena with her son Mark on Senior Day at UK. I won't go into any more detail than that because you should really read it yourself...it's a MUST read for any UK fan. Scratch that, it's a must read for anyone.

College Football: SEC Matchups and how they pertain to UK

• Tennessee at Georgia: This should be interesting as it involves two traditional powerhouses going at it in a down year for both teams and desperately needing a win to stay out of the SEC East cellar. As a UK fan, you're intrigued at how this game plays out because you're actually expecting to beat both of these teams. The opportunity of beating Georgia for a third time in five years is exciting and, of course, Kentucky fans are feeling desperate to finally end that streak in late November in Knoxville. This game will tell us a lot about both teams.


• Alabama at South Carolina: Cats fans will be rooting for the Crimson Tide in this one. UK has the advantage of uneven scheduling in the SEC this season with South Carolina and Florida having much tougher inter-divisional games. The is a game that the Gamecocks need to lose and UK needs them to lose in hope of finishing high in the final SEC East standings.


• LSU at Florida: The Tigers are 5-0 but have won very unconvincingly and ugly. Florida has one loss and a second straight loss would make climbing that SEC East ladder to the top a POSSIBLE task for Kentucky, although still highly unlikely with 2 losses already and a very tough game tomorrow with Auburn.


• Then of course, there is Auburn at Kentucky: Auburn is 5-0 and Kentucky is 3-2. Last year, Auburn was 5-1 and Kentucky was 3-4 when they met at Auburn. The Cats REALLY needed a win to get the season turned around and they got it last year on the road and banged up with injuries. Here's hoping for a similar win tomorrow at Commonwealth.

That should be enough to get you through the weekend or at least until Sunday, when the Reds come back to Cincy with their backs against the wall at Great American Ballpark. I'll be in attendance cheering on the Reds, but it's depressing to think about the momentum this team would have coming back home if they had held on tonight and tied up the series. Instead, they're facing an elimination game and playing for a chance to face Roy Halladay again. Stranger things have happened, but it's not looking good.

21 points off 3 turnovers doom the Cats

The title said it all. The Cats were the better team. They out gained Ole Miss by over 100 yards.

BUT they turned the ball over 3 times setting up an easy 21 points for the Rebels, late hits and unnecessary roughness calls set up a 4th easy touchdown for Ole Miss, and when given the opportunity to get the ball back and tie up the game, the defense couldn't hold the Rebels on 3rd and 19.

Some fans want to blame Mike Hartline, but only one of the three turnovers was on him. His phenomenal play in the 4th quarter brought us back into the game. He gives us the best chance to win. There's plenty of blame to be given all around the team on this loss and Mike Hartline doesn't deserve any more blame than Randall Cobb or Chris Mathews do for their fumbles. Mike Hartline is our quarterback.

Okay, now here is the good news: all 5 teams in the SEC East lost today and the Cats STILL have a lot more to play for and a lot to achieve. They STILL have an opportunity to finish high in the East and get to a better bowl game. With the loss to Ole Miss, these next two games are much bigger than before, however. An unexpected win over Auburn or South Carolina would essentially cancel out the unexpected loss to Ole Miss. If the Cats win one of these next two they could honestly win out the rest of the way and finish off the season better than they have in ages. If they lose these next two, they're right in the same position they were a year ago with an easier schedule the rest of the way with still a great chance at finishing as high as 2nd.

Don't give up on this team. They certainly didn't give up yesterday in the 4th quarter and they won't give up on this season. Remember when they were 2-3 last year? Then they won 5 of their last 7 including wins on the road at Auburn and at Georgia. The schedule allows a similar run this year. How many people will really be disappointed with an 8 win season and wins over Georgia and Tennessee? I think it's more likely than not to happen, but the turnovers and mistakes have to stop. The talent is there for the Cats to compete, but the mediocre competition has not prepared them for the first few SEC games. I expect a much sharper Kentucky team against Auburn on Saturday night.

I'm going to cheer up now. Big Blue Madness is less than 2 weeks away and the Cincinnati Reds are in the playoffs!!

October: the best month in sports?

We're officially less than a month away from Big Blue Madness and about 2 weeks away from the month of October. In this state, nearly everyone would agree that March is usually the best month in sports around here. March Madness in the bluegrass and the excitement of baseball season to come, nicer weather, and horses running at Keeneland is a great time of year. Some fans may argue that Christmas, New Years, college basketball, and the Bowl season of late December and early January is the "most wonderful time of the year". But I'm here to argue today in favor of the month of October, as the best month in sports.

As I sit here today watching the Reds play an afternoon game with the Diamondbacks, up 8 games on the Cardinals and gearing up towards an October playoff run, I've never been more excited about this month. Not only do you have the Reds in the postseason making a World Series run, but you have four great Kentucky football matchups against Ole Miss, Auburn, South Carolina, and Georgia. Those four games will make or break Kentucky's hopes for an SEC Eastern Division championship, and three of those games happen to be home games at Commonwealth. The month of October is the one month of the year where virtually every sport is playing. College football and the NFL is in full swing, MLB is winding down through the playoffs and heading into the World Series, the NBA and Hockey is just starting, Keeneland is running, and Big Blue Madness kicks off the always anticipated and unofficial start of the college basketball season in the Bluegrass.

USA Today has ranked Big Blue Madness (a glorified PRACTICE session) as one of the top 10 "must see live" sporting events in the World. But the week long campout, which brings out thousands of UK fans to campus for a chance at Madness tickets, is probably an even greater experience. In addition to Keeneland, you also have the World Equestrian Games in Lexington this year, of which I have no interest in. The event will, however, bring in tourists throughout the World to see the Bluegrass in a beautful time of the year as the leaves turn colors, the fall semester is at its peek at UK, and basketball season is near. This year October will particularly be special with not only the World Equestrian Games, but also playoff baseball in Cincinnati, which Reds fans have waited to happen for 15 years.

Just to get you a little excited, here's some videos from last year's campout! You gotta love October, go ahead and vote in our poll as well. What's the best part of October?

Picking the Western Division and All-SEC team

As promised yesterday, here are my picks for the the SEC West:

1. Mississippi State (AP ranked 18th): The Bulldogs are the only team from the SEC that return all 5 starters from an NCAA tournament team a year ago. They return Jarvis Vanardo, one of the best shot blockers in the nation. They also landed one of the nation's top recruits in Freshman Forward Renaldo Sydney, who is facing similar eligibility problems as John Wall but has yet to be cleared by the NCAA. As long as Sydney becomes eligible before their February 16th matchup at home against Kentucky, the tandem of Vanardo and Sydney will give Patrick Patterson, Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and Perry Stevenson their toughest fight of the season. No team in the SEC, nor the country, has the depth down low that the Cats do but Mississippi State has enough talent down low to make Kentucky depend on the guard play of John Wall and Eric Bledsoe to win this one. (3 Seed, NCAA)

2. LSU: The Tigers lose Marcus Thornton but return Tasmin Mitchell from last year's SEC regular season champion. A lot of people are picking LSU to finish as low as 5th in the division, but the Tigers were the class of the SEC a year ago, winning 27 games and giving North Carolina their toughest game and biggest scare in the NCAA Tournament. They lose a lot, but they return enough talent to finish 2nd in the weaker side of the SEC and squeak into the NCAA Tournament as one of the last teams in. (13 Seed, NCAA)

3. Arkansas: In John Pelphrey's second season at Arkansas, they entered SEC play undefeated with wins over two top 5 teams, Texas and Oklahoma, but the Razorbacks were the best example of why the conference wasn't as bad as people thought it was a year ago. After going through a tough non-conference schedule undefeated, the young Hogs team fell apart and went 2-14 in SEC play. A year older and more experienced and in their third year under Pelphrey, expect the Hogs to play a lot better in SEC play this season and finish in the top 3 of the West. The talent is there to make the NCAA Tournament, but I'm not ready to put them there after only winning 2 conference games a year ago. They'll make strides this season and earn a trip to the NIT. (NIT)

4. Alabama: The rest of the SEC West is a crap shoot and really the only team that stands out is Mississippi State. The rest of the Western Division could finish in any order but I pick Alabama fourth because they return their leading scorer and also because of the impact that new head coach Anthony Grant will have. Grant is a disciple of Billy Donovan, comes from VCU, and is one of the highest rising young coaches in the game. He will at least take the Crimson Tide to some form of postseason play. (NIT or CBI)

5. Ole Miss: A 16-15 record a year ago was a huge step back for Andy Kennedy's program, but the Rebels did have a lot of injuries and could finish anywhere from 2nd to 5th in the West. Their season depends on how they are able to recover from those season ending injuries from last season and if super sophomore, Terrico White, can continue to develop into a future NBA shooting guard. (CBI)

6. Auburn: The Tigers were a pleasant surprise last year and barely missed the NCAA Tournament, but they lose nearly all key players from that team and it should be a rebuilding year for Auburn. (SEC Tourney, 1st round loss)

And now, here is the Wildcat Wrap All-SEC Team:

PG: John Wall (UK)
SG: Tyler Smith (UT)
SF: Tasmin Mitchell (LSU)
PF: Jarvis Vanardo (MSU)
C: Demarcus Cousins (UK)

Honorable Mention: PG Devan Downey (USC), PF Patrick Patterson (UK), PF Renaldo Sydney (MSU), C A.J. Ogilvy (Vandy), C Wayne Chism (UT)

Yeah, I gave the nod to Vanardo on the 1st team simply because he will put up better numbers with Miss. State than Patterson will on a team loaded full of NBA lottery picks. No disrespect meant at all towards Patrick, he will still have a great year and improve in the Dribble Drive Offense. Patterson and Devan Downey would be 1st team picks in any other conference and could both definately prove me wrong with not only SEC honors, but even All-American honors when it's all said and done.

Also, be sure to check out our preview of our lil brother 65 miles to the West. That's right, we will have a UofL preview coming up in the next couple of days by an actual UofL fan, Neal Thompson (the same guy who created a facebook group trying to ban me and my "biased and ridiculous opinions" from facebook. Let's see what he has to say about his Cards...