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.

Who is Zeke Pike?

Last night I got the chance to see the biggest quarterback prospect in the state of Kentucky while watching Dixie Heights' Zeke Pike play against Class A power, Beechwood, in a Northern Kentucky battle for Dixie Highway bragging rights. Pike has gone from relatively unknown to one of the hottest recruits in the country. Based on the schools that are already recruiting Pike as a junior, he might be the biggest prospect out of the state since Brian Brohm graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Until this year, he played Tight End and Defensive End and never took a varsity snap at Quarterback. Because the position is new to him and he has so much potential to improve, he's already drawing offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and yes- of course, Louisville and Kentucky. Also, Notre Dame sent scouts to watch him play his first varsity game at quarterback last week. Clemson, Michigan State, South Carolina, UCLA, and USC are also taking a strong look at Pike, the son of former Buffalo Bill, Mark Pike.


Just by looking at the kid, there's no question he's got the physical ability to play major college football, although he is still learning the position of quarterback. He ran the ball over and over again, and Beechwood had no answer. He's quite simply a football player. Think of Tim Tebow. He didn't even get great protection from the Dixie Heights' offensive line as Beechwood pressured him all game and he was able to stay on his feet all but just a couple of times. He got roughed up and limped off the field after he was sacked once by the Tigers as they were threatening to come back into the game, but he re-entered the game and finished Beechwood off with a 35-21 win. If he can develop an arm to go along with his size and running ability, he will be a great college quarterback. If he doesn't end up playing quarterback in college, he'll find a way to get on the field at any school that he chooses with his size and speed.
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I'm not sure what UK's chances are of luring Pike to stay in-state and play for the Cats, but Joker's recruiting philosophy is to not back away from any recruit, no matter how many big time schools are going after the guy. He will not back down to Florida, Alabama, Notre Dame, or USC- especially with an in-state kid. Joker's goal is to either sign every kid, or get a definite "no" answer from each recruit. We can trust that he'll do everything he can to get him here until one of those two things happen. If Pike does or does not sign with the Cats in the 2012 class, it's good to know that ESPN still has Kentucky's 2011 class ranked in the top 25 in the nation. From what I am seeing and hearing up here in Northern Kentucky, the high school talent looks to be about as good as it's ever been- another positive sign if the Cats turn some of their focus to this area as they have in Louisville and the rest of the state. Highlands (like always) is one of the best teams in the state this year at any level, Ryle competed with Highlands last night and will compete for a 6A state championship, and Newport Catholic (who beat Pike's Dixie team in week 1) seems to be very talented as well.