Looking Back

WITH KICK OFF JUST AROUND THE CORNER I WILL TAKE THIS LAST OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK AT UK FB–BACK TO THE FORTY’S –FIFTY’S–AND SIXTY’S–

COACH BRYANT CAME TO UK FROM MARYLAND IN THE SPRING OF 46–COACH BRYANT WAS A “WORKAHOLIC” AND EXPECTED EVERYONE AROUND HIM TO DO THE SAME–

WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE RETURNING OR COMING TO COLLEGE FROM THE SERVICE AFTER WW2, A LOT OF PLAYERS WERE CLOSE TO COACH BRYANT’S AGE[IN FACT HE HAD ONE PLAYER OLDER THAN HIM]

A LOT OF PLAYERS CAME INTO LEXINGTON FOR TRYOUTS[GEORGE BLANDA WAS ALREADY THERE--HE CAME IN 45]GEORGE WAS A BIG TIME PUNTER–QB IN THE OLD T FORMATION FROM WHICH THE QB WAS A BLOCKER–ALSO PLAYED DEFENSE–IN FACT GEORGE PLAYED LB FOR THE BEARS ONE SEASON–

BABE PARILLI CAME TO TOWN WITH A BUDDY WHO WAS RATED A BIG TIME QB[PARILLI WAS A FULLBACK IN HS]ERMAL ALLEN TRIED BOTH OUT–WAVED THE QB AND TOOK “BABE”

IN THE SPRING OF 53 AND 54 A LOT OF PROSPECTS CAME INTO TOWN FOR TRYOUTS[BANNED TODAY] A COUPLE OF COACHES WOULD WATCH FROM SOME 30 YARDS AWAY BUT WAS NOT INVOLVED–THAT WAY IT WAS NOT ILLEGAL–

IN THE FALL OF 53[COACH BRYANT'S LAST SEASON AT KY] OVER 150 PLAYERS GOT ON 4 BUSES IN LEXINGTON HEADING FOR 2 WEEKS AT MILLERSBURG MILITARY INSTITUTE IN MILLERSBURG, KY–

BEDDED DOWN IN MMI HOUSING WITH 6 PLAYERS PER ROOM IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL TO GO TO BED WITH 5 ROOMMATES AND WAKE UP ALONE THINKING IN HORROR THAT YOU HAD OVERSLEPT MORNING PRACTICE, ONLY TO LEARN THAT THE OTHER 5 HAD LEFT IN THE NITE–

OVER THE HILL IN THE MORNING TO “DEATH VALLEY” WHERE PRACTICE WAS HELD TWICE A DAY[CALLED "2 A DAYS"]

IT WAS MORE A SURVIVAL THAN IT WAS FB PRACTICE–

2 WEEKS LATER 73 PLAYERS GOT ON 2 BUSES HEADING BACK TO LEXINGTON FOR SCHOOL REGISTRATION AND THE END OF “2 A DAYS”
2 OF THE 73 PLAYERS QUIT ON THE WAY BACK TO LEXINGTON[WHY I DON'T KNOW] SO WELL OVER HALF THE ORIGINAL NUMBER QUIT–

PLAYERS IN THOSE DAYS USUALLY PLAYED BOTH WAYS[OBVIOUSLY QB'S DIDN'T FOR FEAR OF INJURY]

FRESHMEN[ROOKIES]USUALLY PLAYED ON OFFENSE IN THE BACKFIELD BUT SELDOM ON DEFENSE THERE–FRESHMEN USUALLY PLAYED ON DEFENSE ON THE LINE BUT SELDOM ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE–

REASON–PLAYING IN THE DEFENSIVE SECONDARY AND OFFENSIVE LINE WAS HARDER TO PICK UP THAN THE OPPOSITE–

SO ABOUT 60% OF THE PLAYERS PLAYED BOTH WAYS–

44 MAN SQUADS WAS THE USUAL TRAVELING SQUAD THAT DRESSED FOR AWAY GAMES[THERE WAS USUALLY 47-48 TOTAL TRAVELING SQUAD WITH 3-4 PEOPLE NOT DRESSING[FOR INSTANCE IF A QB WAS INJURED AND QUESTIONABLE HE WOULD TRAVEL BUT NOT DRESS--BUT WOULD COUNCIL WITH THE QB'S PLAYING AS THE GAME PROGRESSED--

IN 54 BOB DAUGHERTY WHO HAD TRANSFERRED FROM UNIV CINN AFTER 2 YEARS IN THE ARMY[IN A TANK IN KOREA]TRAVELED WITH THE TEAM ALL YEAR ON THE ROAD[I ROOMED WITH BOB ON THE ROAD] BOB PLAYED AT UK IN 55 AND 56–THEN PLAYED FOR THE BRONCOS AND THE RAIDERS AS A LB–

COACH BRYANT LEFT UK ON APRIL 3RD OR FOURTH IN 54 AND COACH COLLIER CAME–ADJUSTING WAS HARD SINCE SPRING PRACTICE HAD NOT BEEN HELD AND MUST START IMMEDIATELY[IT DID--WITH ONLY 2-3 COACHES--NO OFFENSE--NO DEFENSE]

BUT COACH COLLIER WAS A GREAT OFFENSIVE COACH[HE BROUGHT THE CLEVELAND BROWNS OFFENSE WITH HIM COMPLETE WITH GREAT PLAY BOOKS WHICH WERE GOLDEN]

COACH COLLIER HAD PROBLEMS ADJUSTING TO THE RECRUITING WORLD OF COLLEGE FB BUT DID SO WITH GOOD ASST. COACHES–

CHARLEY BRADSHAW CAME TO UK WITH THE RIGHT IDEAS BUT WRONG TECHNIQUES–AND SO IT WAS–

HOPEFULLY JOKER RIDES THIS TRAIN DOWN THE TRACK TO GLORY–HE HAS THE RIGHT IDEAS–THE RIGHT TECHNIQUES–HOPEFULLY THE RIGHT RESULTS

JOKER’S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS OVER EXPECTATIONS BY A “SO CALLED FAN BASE” WHO COMPARES THE UK FB PROGRAM TO CAL’S BB PROGRAM–

ON ON UK

Season on the Brink

Joker has made up his mind, drum roll please, trumpets please! Mike Hartline is our starting QB. No surprise here and no complaints either. Sure he isn’t the man I wanted as our starting quarterback but he is the man with the most experience.

Its up to you now Mike, seize the moment and show us how you have improved your passing game. Make us forget game management. Give us a laser light show every game. Thrill us beyond our wildest dreams. Set your sights on Louisville and fry us some bird with the secret spices you’ve used twice before. Then set your sights higher and go for it.

As Hondo said in another story. This is a Season On The Brink. This is your year Mike, your on the brink. This is the year you’ve been playing for.

Ugly Is As Ugly Does

Hey how about that Jay Mariotti the Edie Munster of sports writing. The Fanhouse.com writer and ESPN personality who is best known for his put down pieces on famous sports figures is now going to have to write one about himself. Its guaranteed though that it won’t come close to what bloggers are going to do to him.

Arrested after a late night argument in a bar continued at home leading to his arrest for violence upon his girl friend. Any of us old time bar patrons have seen the story numerous times. 2AM and way to many drinks, girl friend being friendly, guy’s ego getting bruised, girl friend getting bruised, trip to the station house, bail in the morning.

I wonder now if Jay is going to expect ESPN and Fanhouse to be as strict on him as he expects MLB to be on players and violence. Oh thats right he doesn’t really expect it he just writes like hes throwing out chum to get a bite.

Take a look at his story headlines and see if you dont agree with me when I say KARMA Jay KARMA. The worse part of the whole thing is that he brought his woman into his Karma. Oh and he was a longtime columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times so he probably taught Michael O’Brien every thing he knows about writing.

The Long Blue Line

Here is another short article from our friend Hondo to start out the football season. Hondo was a UK student from 52-57 and played football for the Cat’s. Some of you might have read his series on the 55 football season and I hope you enjoy reading his posts as much as I do.

WITH COLLEGE FB STARTING SOON–WITH NFL EXHIBITION GAMES ON NOW–WITH SOME HIGH SCHOOL GAMES PLAYED——————————

IT’S TIME TO LOOK AT THE LONG BLUE LINE OF FB AT UK——————–

GOING BACK TO THE DAYS OF SHIPWRECK KELLY WHO MARRIED A RICH SOCIALITE AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER TO TODAYS FIRST TEAM UNDER JOKER[2010] WE SALUTE YOU ALL–

NAMES LIKE GEORGE BLANDA–WAH WAH JONES–BOB GAIN–AL BRUNO–BILL MOSELEY–BABE PARILLI–EMERY CLARK–DOUG MOSELEY–JOHN GRIGGS–STEVE MEILINGER–FRANK FULLER–RAY CORRELL–GENE DONALDSON–HOWARD SCHNELLENBERGER–BOB DAUGHERTY–LOU MICHAELS–GLEN ED SHAW–CALVIN BIRD–IRV GOODE–RICK NORTON–RICK KESTNER–RODGER BIRD–JEFF VAN NOTE–DERRICK RAMSEY–ART ???[PLAYED FOR THE CHIEFS] AS DE–CENTER FOR THE STEELERS–CROUCH–AND MANY MANY OTHERS TOO MUCH TO REMEMBER FROM MEMORY–I SALUTE YOU–
{I APLOGIZE FOR ALL WHO I OVERLOOKED AND DID NOT NAME–I DID NO RESEARCH]

HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE PASSED ON THAT GREATNESS IN BLUE AND WHITE TO PLAYERS LIKE LOCKE AND RANDALL COBB–ANY MANY OTHERS ON THIS TEAM AND ON MANY TEAMS TO COME–WE ARE ANXIOUSLY WAITING–

TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ACHIEVE GREATNESS IN BLUE AND WHITE BUT ACHIEVED THAT HIGHEST POSSIBLE AWARD”A PLAYER WHO ACHIEVES THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE PERFORMANCE” –I SALUTE YOU–

3 PLAYERS COME TO MY MIND[THERE ARE OTHERS]

#1–DICK MALONEY–CAME TO UK IN 52–PLAYED A LOT AS A FRESHMEN AT RB AND DEFENSIVE CORNER[BOTH WAYS] PLAYED HARD–HIT HARD–DIDN’T LIKE TO LOSE–STARTED AS A SOPH–JUNIOR–SENIOR–A TRUE TEAM LEADER

#2–IVAN CURNUTTE–CAME IN 53–140 LB RB FROM ASHLAND TOMCATS–IVAN WAS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A PLAYER WHO LAID IT ALL OUT THERE EVERYDAY–RAN THE PITCH INTO THE SHORT SIDE OF THE FIELD WITH ABANDON–FAST–QUICK–LIKED TO RUN INSIDE AS WELL–

#3–TOMMY SIMPSON–CAME TO UK AND PLAYED UNDER CHARLEY BRADSHAW–TOM PLAYED EVERYWHERE–ALL OVER–THE OTHER TEAM KNEW WHO HE WAS–AND WHERE HE WAS–HE LAID IT ON THE LINE EVERY DOWN–EVERY QUARTER–EVERY HALF–EVERY GAME–HE DID NOT LIKE TO LOSE–

I SALUTE YOU ALL[AND THE ONES I DIDN'T LIST]

SO FROM THE OLD DAYS OF “DEATH VALLEY” UNDER COACH BRYANT AT MILLERSBURG TO TODAY’S TWO A DAYS AT THE PRACTICE CENTER, A LOT OF GREAT FB PLAYERS HAVE COME AND GONE–HOPEFULLY THEY CONTINUE TO COME IN LARGER BUNCHES THAN THE LAST FEW YEARS–AND OUR RECORD PROVES IT–

FOOTBALL IS CRITICAL TO BOTH THE STATE OF KY–UK–UK STUDENTS–UK GRAD’S–AND THE SEC–

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IMPROVEMENT–I WANT A “WINNER”–I CAN’T WAIT TOO LONG–

MAKE ME HAPPY THIS YEAR–NEXT YEAR–AND THE NEXT[ALL I HAVE IS A 3 YEAR OUTLOOK TODAY]

The Real Mountain God

A day has gone by since Fresno St. and Nevada cannibalized the WAC and I’ve had time to think more on it. This wasn’t a Stacy Keach, Ursula Andress movie with slinky tops like the Mountain of the Cannibal God. It was more of a Donner Cookbook type of a cannibalization with better spices.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there was a Mountain God involved in it and that God’s name is BCS. Sure the first thing I wanted to blame is the world wide leader and they do deserve to get a piece of the blame for trying to own the sports universe and forcing people like Pat Forde with his obvious bias for Kentucky and Cow______ fill in the blank yourself on us. Just kidding Cow_____ your a dedicated, educated reporter unlike this blogger and I’m only using you for a small laugh.

The real blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the BCS though. If there was a playoff system then the MWC wouldn’t have had to strengthen its conference at the WAC’s expense. Boise St. would still be going 12-0 and being ranked in the top 10, and the MWC’s future wouldn’t look like one of those meals at the Donner Pass where its eat or be eaten.

When you think about the excuses for not having a playoff there is not one that makes since other than the players missing classes. Thats what tutors are for though I will grant you its not what Tennessee tutors are for. Does anyone really believe that TCU or Boise St. no matter their records are going to be able to beat USC, Florida and Alabama in a row to win a BCS championship playoff. You notice I didn’t say national championship as a NCAA national championship is open to all and the NCAA once again should be ashamed of themselves for allowing their democracy to be ruled by a few. Heres another on of those does anyone really believes, that the BCS conferences would leave the NCAA.

The only true winner in the whole thing is the BCS, while the WAC teams and football fans as a whole are the losers.

Please don’t think that I’ve forgiven the MWC and those Karen Sypher wantabe’s from Nevada, Idaho and California because I haven’t.

Violation Blues

Hoist one with me to say good bye to the WAC. I’ve been a WACker since the early 60′s when sometimes the local New Mexico paper or El Paso and Albuquerque TV stations didn’t even bother to show SEC scores or standings and left me in limbo about my Cat’s.

Now that Fresno St, Boise St. and Nevada are leaving leaving there only leaves 6 football teams left in the WAC. This is old news and normal WAC history though. In the late 60′s as soon as Arizona and Arizona St. got to the point where they were looking like top 25 teams and recruiting to mank kids from California the PAC 8 gobbled them up. Then when the MWC teams broke away the WAC got lucky with Boise St. who is departing to the Big 12.

Now I don’t have to like it but I can understand why much of this has happened. Its all about consolidation and all you have to do is follow the money. What do you find when you do? You find the worldwide leader ESPN. With having only 6 teams now I’m going to bet that the newly signed WAC contract will be challenged and who does that benefit? Why ESPN of course. After all the best WAC teams are now in other conferences so why spend the money to televise the WAC games is small markets. Does anyone really think that there haven’t been any discussions about the MWC’s television channel and ESPN getting a cut. I have my hopes that the talks with Comcast and CBS pan out so the world wide leader gets screwed by the MWC too.

When you look there are only a few decent teams left and they are FCS teams in the Big Sky who’s budgets won’t support trips to Hawaii. This is going to destroy the Hawai’i men’s athletic program.

So I only have this to say. I will never have anything good to say about any of those bitches or the MWC again and I hope a UH linebacker violates your QB with his foot this year.

We will just have to watch and see how this plays out but one thing for sure. I’m glad to be a SEC fan where even lowly Vanderbilt’s back is watched by the other teams.

Fabled Passage Found

Well our trip to the great north is finally over and BigBlueRules is proud to announce that we found the Northwest Passage. Brandon Knight is going to be the icebreaker thats going to lead us through the passage.

Now on to some observations after watching the three games. Jon Hood is going to have a fine career at Kentucky and Darius Miller is the man thats going to help this team jell. When you throw in Deandre Liggins and Josh Harrellson the veterans are going to be the heart and soul of this team.

Offensively the dribble drive is going to be unstoppable as long as we continue to make the threes. Unlike last year this team can take it to the hoop from any position on the floor any time they want. Its going to be interesting to see how the offense changes with Kanter, Vargas and Jones on the floor. Jones showed in the couple of minutes he played that he can take it to the hoop and handle the ball in the open court so we just have to see how Vargas and Kanter do. Lamb and Knight can average fifty between them and don’t mind giving up the ball to a team mate.

Defensively this team is light years ahead of last years team at this time and I’m looking forward to watching their press develop as the year goes on. The ole pressmeister in Louisville better have taken notes because there going to be a new pressmeister in town.

I thought that Windsor and Western should both be proud of how they played, and their steady play gave the Cats a lot to look at.

Finally I’m going out on a limb now and saying this team is going to be a better team than last years team, and we could go all the way this year.

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Jokers Wild

Like you I have been reading everything I can find getting ready for the season to start and like you I have come to some conclusions. Some are based on facts and some on gut feelings.

Gut Feeling: We are a lot stronger this year on the offensive side of the ball and have a better defense than people are expecting.

Fact: Georgia has good skills players but is starting a quarterback with no experience so expect them to play conservative for a few games. That could cost them a loss at SC or Miss St and we get them at home a week before Florida.

Gut Feeling: We get SC a week after they play Alabama and Spurrier will have chewed on Garcia so much for the loss that he throws several interceptions and we run it down their throats and catch them sleeping on several long passes.

Fact: Tennessee is like so over the hill that one good punch in this fight and they are down. How we control their run game will determine if we win or not.

Gut Feeling: Florida is going to be better this year than last year. Run it on them and pass effectively and we stay in the game but expecting a win is a little far fetched.

Fact: If we don’t beat Vandy we don’t deserve to play in a bowl. Stop their run game and we win hands down.

Fact: We should easily win six games and have the opportunity to win nine since we have a joker up our sleeve. This season is going to depend on Joker. If he really opens up the offense and defense and has the special teams playing their best with the depth and speed on this team we have a great year.

Preseason SEC Rankings

Well its a little over 3 weeks till football kicks off so here is our initial pre season SEC ranking. This could be a year where the SEC champion has two loses.

Note: Tennessee’s rankings might change due to injuries, arrests or other karma related problems.

1. Alabama: Strong on offense but they lost a lot of players on defense. Until they show otherwise I’m going to rank them at the top.

2. Florida: John Brantley has a cannon for a arm and should have no problem filling in for Friar Tebow. With good play by the receivers and running backs this team could be better than in the previous two years offensively. Meetings with SC, Alabama and Georgia is going to make it hard for them to go undefeated.

3. Georgia: If Aaron Murray can ignore having never started in the SEC the Dawgs can challenge for the east. This is Georgia though so expect a loss to SC, Tennessee or Kentucky to blunt their run to the top.

4. Arkansas: The defense will hold down the offense again but they will score enough points to keep them in the hunt for best in the west.

5. Auburn: Auburn will be better this year but are still a year or so from challenging Alabama for bragging rights in the west.

6. LSU: If Miles can light a fire under the team they could be in a fight for the top. The quarterback position will keep them from the top again this year.

7. South Carolina: The talent is there to rank them higher but so to is Steve Spurrier.

8. Ole Miss: The defense will keep them ranked this high for the year. If Jeremiah Masoli and the offense jell they could move higher.

9. Kentucky: The speed is there and the playmakers are there. How high they go is going to depend on the quarterback again this year.

10. Mississippi State: They look like they are heading up but looks can be deceiving.

11. Tennessee: We keep hearing that Dooley is doing it the right way. Its going to take more than doing it the right way since its looking like karma is striving to bring them down to the bottom.

12. Vanderbilt: Vandy is Vandy.

If this was a cheerleader rankings LSU would be at the bottom.

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