All good in the Hood
9 May 2008 - 8:58 pm | By TheBigBlueUK basketball recruiting has taken on a life of its own even more than usual the last couple of weeks with a flurry of activity and signings. Vinny Zollo, the 6-8 high school sophomore-to-be and Michael Avery, his 6-4 not-even-driver’s-ed forward have committed. So has Derrick Ferguson, which appears to be a great commitment at 6-9, with alot of skill. Most recently, 6-6 swingman Jon Hood of Madisonville has signed on.
Take a look at the guys Coach Gillispie is signing… Big. Rangy. Potential for strength. Ability to get the ball in the hole. Add to that Darius Miller & Deandre Liggins (both around 6-6) & he is putting together a team of Corey Brewer/Nick Calathes-sized perimeter players that will surround the one big beefy postman. Not a bad way to field a team. I would expect that these are also the type of players that can run up & down the floor, which should quicken the pace of the game. I don’t mind the chase, but I would much rather watch the games than read about 8th graders… Can’t wait until October.
Suck my PETA
5 May 2008 - 8:43 pm | By TheBigBlueCome on PETA… seriously. This is ridiculous. I can’t think of any time that I have thought, “You know, those guys at PETA really got it together. That is a well-run organization.” I also can’t think of any time that PETA hasn’t been ready to pounce on any animal-related issue that hits the local news.
The latest, of course, was the unfortunate demise of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby. Although it doesn’t happen that often, it was handled as quickly as possible to ease the suffering of the horse. Here is what PETA had to say to the jockey’s statement that Eight Belles didn’t exhibit any behavior during the race that indicated that there was a problem:
“What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?” PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. “If he didn’t then we can probably blame the fact that they’re allowed to whip the horses mercilessly.”
How’s that for exaggeration for the world’s most incredulous organization (that statement is less of an exaggeration)?
I guarantee that the horses that run in these races (& alot of races that we go to see on a pretty day in April or October, or any other month for that matter), are cared for alot better than I am. Nicer house, better food, the hottest chicks around (course, Big Brown’s hot chicks look like horses, but hey if you’re a horse too I guess that’s cool). There isn’t a glue factory that I know of in Kentucky and the only merciless beating that happened on Saturday was Big Brown coming around the stretch.
The only positive thing is that this whole situation reminds me of the best South Park episode ever… Turd Sandwich or Giant Douche. Kyle is banished from town & has to shack up with PETA (who apparently really love animals, particularly when it is cold). In the end, they are all gunned down by Puff Daddy & his ‘Vote or Die’ campaign. Cruel justice, really.
So, after you are done reading this bit of drivel, please do everyone a favor & don’t read anymore ridiculous statements by PETA officials that make it into the paper or any websites you might frequent. Don’t encourage them. Maybe they’ll just shut up and go away.
Update 5/7:
Great column by Greg Doyel on the CBS website. He says it better than me (but without the South Park pictures).
What’s your vector Victor?
2 May 2008 - 7:38 am | By TheBigBlueThe University of Kentucky Athletics Association has budgeted over $67 million dollars for the athletic programs, part of which is set aside to rent and fly a jet to be used for recruiting purposes for the basketball and football programs ($4000/hr). This is slightly big news in light of recent budget cuts announced by the state government, which filtered down to UK, eliminating raises for most faculty and staff on campus and raising tuition yet again.
Here is what I see:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reprising his role as ‘Roger’ from Airplane!. You always need a good co-pilot that is not inflatable & he could have some sway with big guy recruits if he was on the UK payroll.
Michael Avery is showing up to his middle school prom in his flying limo with his best buddies after an awesome pre-dance dinner at Applebee’s.
Can I start the false rumor that I heard that Coach Gillispie was building a runway in his backyard?
Rotating, shag covered bed for ‘giving the undercarriage the how’s your father?’. Yeah baby, yeah.
Over/under on how much Brooks gets the plane? 70/30.
Big night for recruiting news
29 April 2008 - 9:30 pm | By BlueSteelAfter Roderick Flemings and Ater Majok said ‘no’ to the Cats, Billy Gillispie needed someone - anyone - to say ‘yes’. First, big man Josh Harrellson signed with Blue and will park his 6′9″, 270 lb. frame in the low post with Stevenson and Patterson next season.
Then came news from Scout.com that Dominique Ferguson, a 6′9″ PF out of Lawrence North in Indianapolis who’s ranked No. 8 in the class of 2010, has committed to UK. Ferguson projects as a SF in college and joins Dakotah Euton and K.C. Ross-Miller as commitments for two years down the road.
Oh, and Jon Hood, a rising prospect out of Madisonville, says UK is his leader for 2009. All-in-all, not a bad Tuesday!
How will they fare?
29 April 2008 - 9:07 am | By TheBigBlueSeven Wildcats are now newly on NFL rosters. Here is how I am breaking it down.
Andre Woodson (NYG): Behind Eli Manning, David Carr/Anthony Wright. Probably going to be locked in a battle with Jared Lorenzen as the 3rd QB. Woodson will win & be the young QB they will groom to be Manning’s back-up.
Keenan Burton (StL): There are a plethora of receivers in St. Louis like Torry Holt, Drew Bennett, Reche Caldwell, & Donnie Avery (plus PR Dante Hall). He will certainly make the team, but Burton will need to have a good training camp & beat out one of the bigger guys like Bennett to play.
Steve Johnson (BUF): Steve is behind Lee Evans, Roscoe Parrish, Josh Reed, & James Hardy. Steve has to be more consistent than Reed to play alot–if he is, he will be the #4 WR in cold, cold buffalo.
Jacob Tamme (IND): Wow, what a great situation. Sitting behind Dallas Clark in a 2 TE offense. Tamme down the seam, Touchdown! Expect Tamme to play early & catch some TDs late in the year.
Rafael Little (TEN): Undrafted free agents have it tough. Little is behind recent draft picks Chris Henry, Chris Johnson, and Lendale White. They will probably keep a fullback too, which means Little will need to show his value as a PR/KR, as well as a 3rd down back. Otherwise, he may have a tough time making the roster.
Eric Scott (TEN): Kevin Mawae is getting up there in years, but still probably has another couple of good ones left. The Titans took Leroy Harris (C) in the 4th round last year, so Scott probably needs to work towards the practice squad to hang around for a few years.
Wesley Woodyard (DEN): Woodyard is going into a nice situation in Denver. They like small, fast LBs. They have quite a few LBs on the roster, but few are bona-fide NFLers. Boss Bailey was recently signed. Nate Webster and DJ Williams will probably also start, but Woodyard has a good opportunity to be the 6th or 7th LB & be a special teams guy. Marlon McCree (former Cat LB turned S) just signed in Denver as well, so perhaps they are looking for Woodyard to be groomed as a safety down the road.
The Undrafted
28 April 2008 - 7:44 am | By TheBigBlueWhat a surprise that Wesley Woodyard wasn’t drafted. Boy we missed that one. Both Woodyard & Rafael Little are now undrafted free agents & can sign with any NFL team (that wants them). I can’t imagine that either would have a difficult time finding a good spot.
Since no one thought enough of him to draft him, looks like most teams don’t think Woodyard can cut it at the point of attack due to his weight & he is not fast enough to play safety. Certainly he is sufficiently good as a back-up OLB somewhere–I wouldn’t be surprised to see him be a special teams ace.
Pretty much the same for Little… not strong at the point of attack, is he big enough to pick up the blitz, is he fast enough to reach the corner? Hopefully someone needs a good 3rd down back/KR.
For now, we’ll just have to wait & see where they land.
Woodson a Giant, Stevie a Bill
27 April 2008 - 8:09 pm | By BlueSteelThe wait finally ended for Andre Woodson when he was selected with the 198th pick by the Super Bowl champion Giants. Woodson will join former UK quarterback Jared Lorenzen in training camp later this summer.
That Woodson slipped from a first round selection to barely in the 6th round is telling of what scouts saw in him as they examined him more closely. A lot of UK fans will tell you that Woodson is a steal in the 6th round and that there’s no way he should have slipped so far, but the truth is that something in his makeup alarmed all NFL teams and led to QBs like Erik Ainge and Colt Brennan being picked ahead of him. He probably got picked where he belonged and will be lucky to make an NFL roster.
Kevin O’Who?
27 April 2008 - 12:05 pm | By BlueSteelUPDATE - 1:16 pm | The 4th round is good for at least two Cats and neither is named Andre. The Colts took Jacob Tamme with pick 127 and the Rams took Keenan Burton with the very next pick.
—
Kevin O’Connell from San Diego State was just selected by the New England Patriots in the third round, meaning five QBs are now off the board with Andre Woodson still sitting by the phone. For a guy who was once considered a first round lock, this fall into at least the fourth round and maybe fifth is stunning.
Meanwhile, Louisville has had two players picked (Brian Brohm 56th by Green Bay and Harry Douglas 84th by Atlanta) and EKU one (CB Antwaun Molden 79th by Houston). That UK could win 16 games over two seasons and not have a player picked in the first three rounds is a testament to good coaching by Brooks and his staff.
Anyone else notice that Cris Carter is looking like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith for the NFL?
UK loses recruiting battle…to Hawaii
26 April 2008 - 11:16 am | By CMartLook, I absolutely love Hawaii. If it weren’t 5 hours behind EDT and didn’t cost more to live there than I could possibly afford, I’d have my hut built right now. But I’m not a division I college basketball prospect. If I had to choose between significant playing time at Kentucky and Hawaii, I’m going to the Bluegrass. But that’s just me…
Junior College big man Roderick Flemings chose the Rainbows over the Cats just days after Billy Gillispie met with him. All reports suggested that Roderick would be on campus as soon as humanly possible (and as soon as he qualified), but now his plane will be heading west.
Look, the kid isn’t qualified yet, so this may not turn out to be the loss it looks like right now. It’s the principle that matters, however. Kentucky doesn’t lose to Hawaii in anything but sunshine, “Lost” filming, and bikinis. All are formidable foes, but seriously? Hawaii basketball? At least Roderick can get one of those shirts that says “We live where you vacation”.
On a side note, just once in my life I’d like to witness a Hawaii recruiting visit on campus.
Has anyone seen Andre Woodson?
21 April 2008 - 3:45 pm | By BlueSteel
Seems like he’s been out of sight for quite some time now and I’m just wondering how he’s holding up, what with his draft stock plummeting and all. If anyone out there has a picture with Andre in it, send it along. I’d like to see what he’s up to these days.
Credits to The Big Lead and “Andy from Temple”.
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