King Kenny

Most Kentuckians will remember Kenny Perry losing the Masters. That is an unfair assessment. He did not lose the best tournament of the year, but he did let the green jacket slip through his fingers as if he was trying to grasp the dollar bill Coach Lane drops at his basketball camps. Perry hit an unbelievable shot on 16, nearly making a hole-in-one. This followed a two-putt birdie on 15. Sadly, the next two holes would not be kind to the kind man from Franklin. But, if the greatest golfer to ever swing a club can also bogey the last two holes, then KP should not feel so bad.

Speaking of Tiger Woods, his Championship Red on Sunday could not quite overcome the average start to the first three days. Paired with the phony and fraudulent Phil Mickelson, the two best players in the world put on a show for the pumped-up patrons scurrying about the hallowed grounds of Augusta. The atmosphere even seemed electric on television, although it came at the expense of Perry and the remaining groups.


The sudden-death playoff (one of the most exhilarating events in golf and comparable to a shootout in soccer) almost seemed anti-climatic. But, at least in these parts, a victory by the forty-eight year old with the hitch in his swing would have made the ultra-soothing music almost angelic. Unfortunately, el pato will be taking the green jacket back to Argentina.

Looking to the U.S. Open at Bethpage, Tiger will once again be the overwhelming favorite thanks to his typical practice session:


6-7:30 AM Lift Weights/Work Out

7:30-9 Shower, Eat Breakfast

9-11 Hit balls on the Range

11-11:30 Putt

11:30-12:30 Play nine

12:30-1 Lunch of champions

1-3 Back to the Range

3-4 Fine tune the best short game in the world

4-5 Play nine more

5-5:30 Putt

*Go home to beautiful wife, two kids and a dog

After seeing a typical day in the life of Tiger, one can understand how the guy is on a totally different level than any other golfer. However, the game of golf is impossible to dominate at all times and makes it possible for the likes of Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera to beat him on occasion. Hopefully, the talented, gentle and humble Kentuckian will get another chance to conquer the current King of golf. But if he doesn't, he will always be a King in his own right.

Motown Madness

Big shout out to Furman Paladin Melissa Liebschwager for winning the 3-point contest tonight on ESPN. Having seen her shoot live and in person, glad the rest of the country had the chance to see the girl make buckets!

Another highlight from the Palace was the Dunk Finals. You will never see four consecutive dunks as good as the ones tonight. My favorite was Jimmy Baron's assist from what seemed like Greg Turcotte's house. The replay will be on ESPN again and is definitely worth watching.

As for the greatest Saturday of the year, look for two competitive games. UConn and North Carolina are both favored for a reason, but Michigan State is playing for the entire state and Villanova could easily play the role of spoiler, much like they did in 1985. Enjoy the action from Ford Field and hopefully there will be a performance as good as this one.

CALzones for Everyone

John Calipari will be able to buy multiple calzones for the rest of his life with the near $32 million he will earn over the next eight years. The guy will get well over 10,000 dollars A DAY for coaching basketball. Sound a little ridiculous? Well, it is. People across the country are losing their jobs and a record number of houses are foreclosing, yet the University of Kentucky can pay their basketball coach about $4 million per year. Two other coaches earn over $3 million/ year. Billy Donovan at Florida and Bill Self of Kansas can be added to the top ten list of people earning way too much money.

Sadly, many people in the commonwealth could care less about the amount of money Coach Cal will make as long as he can hang an eighth banner in the rafters. And as a fan, I am excited about the possibilty of getting back to the Final Four and playing for National Championships. But, what kind of world is it when Calipari will make in one week more than many teachers will earn in a year?

Getting beyond the ridiculous economics of the hire, this was the move that had to be made. Athletic Director Mitch Barnhardt and President Lee Todd did their best to make people forget about their last hire, but now their own jobs are on the line. Sure Calipari can win and recruit the best of the best. So, why didn't UK hire him two years ago? As Pat Forde says, Gellin' John brings a few skeletons with him to Lexington. Check out his article.

Looking at the facts, Calipari has never been found guilty of any recruiting violations. (Barnhardt and Todd hope that statement remains true for the duration of his tenure.) Another fact is Calipari is already 1-0 at Kentucky. The guy absolutely won his opening press conference. Look for the Cats to rack up many more wins under Coach Cal. A Final Four will definitely come in the near future, but the bet here is that the Minnesota Golden Gophers make it before the Wildcats!

Who do you want to be the next coach?

Kentucky is now officially looking for a new coach. Coach Gillispie's two-year stint will be remembered more for the off-court incidents than actual play on the court. I agree the marriage was not working, but do feel sorry for Gillispie and the rest of his staff. The AD and president could have handled the situation better and deserve much of the blame for the current state of the program. So, what happens now after the overrated Donovan turned us down again?

Who's Now in the world of coaching that deserves a chance to take over the reins of the winningest program in the history of college basketall? How about the winningest coach in the history of college basketball? The one and only Robert Montgomery Knight. He is definitely the most qualified of possible candidates if you can get past the rough exterior. Think the actual chance of this happening is slim to none because he would be too intimidating for the current administration, but it's fun to think about a game with the General on our sidelines against the Hoosiers. Other names being thrown around include:

Tom Izzo (great option but seriously doubt he leaves Sparty for the Bluegrass)
Rick Barnes (rumored to be a choice two years ago)
Thad Matta (seems like a legitmate candidate and would definitely recruit a seven footer)
John Calipari (seriously hope the biggest cheater in college basketball stays in C-USA)
John Pelphrey (our favorite and one devastating mid-season injury away from actually being the front-runner; guy would have the most passion for Kentucky Basketball)
Travis Ford (has somehow climbed up the coaching ranks after nearly being fired at EKU)
Jamie Dixon (class guy that knows how to coach)
Jay Wright (another classy coach that would do a good job)
Brian Lane (Why not? know he would do a great job)

In the meantime enjoy the madness, root for our home-state Cardinals and laugh at the most ridiculously inconsiderate and out-of-shape journalist in Lexington...

PGA TOUR Shot of the Day

Happy 25th Anniversary Morehead State

Many of you have probably filled out a bracket or twelve at this point. Who could be this year's Davidson? St. Mary's would seem to be the best candidate. Patty Mills is definitely capable of producing Stephen Curry-type numbers. Solid role players also surround him and are comparable to Thomas Sander and Jason Richards.

Only problem is, the Gaels are not in the tournament!! They opened up the NIT with a convincing win over Washington State and will now get a chance to play this year's version of the Davidson Wildcats in what could turn out to be one of the more entertaining games of the postseason.

More importantly, the Morehead St. Eagles opened up the tourney with a convincing win over Chief Kickingstallionsims and Alabama St., which knocked out the team with by far the most entertaining band/mascot/cheerleaders. Congrats to Coach Tyndall on the big win and getting to speak with Erin Andrews twice. The last tourney win for the Eagles came in the same UD arena 25 years ago. We know that coach pretty well...

Since St. Mary's inexplicably did not get invited to the dance, look for Clemson to be the highest seeded team with a legitimate chance at the Elite 8. If they can get by Michigan, Oklahoma will have a hard time handling their pressure. Other potential upsets we like in the first couple rounds are as follows:

13 Mississippi State over 4 Washington
12 Arizona over 5 Utah (even though Vegas says the Cats are favored)
13 Cleveland St. over 4 Wake Forest

10 Minnesota over 2 Duke (this maybe more wishful thinking but if the Angles can win the pennant then so can the Reds and so can the Gophers)

Final Four Picks:

Louisville
UConn
Pitt
North Carolina

*Yes those are the four number ones and the tourney is wide open, but there's a chance all four could make their way to Ford Field. (If Louisville gets by Morehead)

Tourney Time

The selection committee should be commended for the job they did. Much like Dick Vitale, I feel for St. Mary's. Not only did the Gaels win 26 games, but they did so without their star Patty Mills for ten of those regular season games. (To compare, this would be like Kentucky playing wthout Jodie Meeks.) Obviously, the committee chose Arizona over St. Mary's because of non-conference wins. Problem is, teams are willing to play Arizona. Teams from the "BCS" conferences have everything to lose and nothing to gain when playing St. Mary's, making it that much harder for the Gaels to obtain a quality win.

Nevertheless, if Cleveland State doesn't win the Horizon tourney, Mississippi St. fails to win the great SEC (which received a grand total of three bids with an 8 seed being the highest), Temple does not upset Xavier and eventually win the A-10, or James Harden scores in the paint on one of Arizona St.'s final possessions to prevent a USC Pac-10 title, the Gaels would be in. Along with probably Creighton, San Diego St., and Penn St. As it stands now, they are out. Maybe next year they will land a quality opponent and get the opportunity for a resume-building win. Then again, they probably won't get the chance.

Upset specials and Final Four picks to come soon. Don't forget the tourney starts on Tuesday with the Morehead St. Eagles in the tourney for the first time in 25 years taking on the fighting Chief Kickingstallionsims(es) of Alabama St. Yes, that's his real name.

LOOK FOR THE EAGLES TO SOAR