John Clay's Sidelines

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader writes that Ole Miss stifled Jodie Meeks and upset the Cats 85-80.
• Tipton writes that Ramon Harris switched jersey numbers hoping to change his karma.
• In the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Rick Cleveland writes that Ole Miss delivered the punch no one saw coming.
• Also in the Clarion-Ledger, David Brandt writes that Ole Miss muzzled Meeks to beat Cats for first time since 2001.
• Brandt also writes that Malcolm White played big inside for Ole Miss.
• Parrish Alford of the NW Mississippi Daily Journal reports that Ole Miss handed Kentucky a tough road loss.
• In the Kentucky Kernel, Bobby Reagan writes that cold weather followed the Cats to Ole Miss.
• A Sea of Blue gives its post mortem on the UK loss.
• Kentucky Sports Radio takes up for Billy Gillispie in his halftime interview run-in with Jeannine Edwards.
• On his WKYT-TV blog, Steve Moss points out that Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has a UK connection.
• Straitpinkie gives its thoughts on the UK loss.

Sorry for the delay, but here are SEC links for Wednesday:

• In the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Mike Griffith writes that Bruce Pearl is playing the must-win card.
• In the AJC, Tim Tucker writes that Georgia is looking for answers in midst of losing streak.
• In the Birmingham News, Kevin Scarbinsky writes his belief that VCU’s Anthony Grant is not coming to Alabama as basketball coach.
• Also in the News, Charles Goldberg reports that Auburn has picked up a commitment from a coveted dual-threat quarterback.
• In the Huntsville Times, Gentry Estes reports that Alabama AD Mal Moore believed the basketball program was losing ground.
• Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News writes that Gottfried Era ended where it began, at the bottom.
• In The State, Seth Emerson writes that Austin Steed’s play has given South Carolina reason to smile.
• Tennessean columnist David Climer writes that Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin has rocked the rest of the SEC.
• Also in the Tennessean, Bryan Mullen writes that Bobby Maze has settled in as the Tennessee point guard.
• Randy Rosetta of the Baton Rouge Advocate writes that LSU is excited about the upcoming baseball season.

I won’t be in Oxford tonight for UK-Ole Miss. Like you, I’ll be at home watching the Cats and Rebels on the tube. And I’ll be liveblogging, where hopefully you’ll join in on the discussion, starting around 6:30 p.m.

Here’s what I’ve heard from the Lexington call-in shows for Tuesday, Jan. 27:

• WLXG-1300: The Huddle has Doug Barnes in the 5 o’clock hour. Chris Cross and Mike Cameron are followed by the UK  “pregame” show with Chris Elliott and Bobby Perry from 6-7.

• WVLK-590: Larry Glover will have Jeff Drummond from the Cats Pause at 7:05.

• WLAP-630: The UK Network pregame show, then Cats-Rebels tip at 7 p.m.

Hoops links for Tuesday:

• Andrea Cohen of the Daily Oklahoman reports that OU’s Blake Griffin outrebounded Oklahoma State by himself last night. Cohen: “But Griffin’s dominance on the boards and OU outrebounding OSU by 20 was a factor the Cowboys couldn’t overcome, despite strong guard play and a run that brought the Cowboys within one with about seven minutes left.”

• Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers thinks that soon UCLA’s Ben Howland could have us all Buffaloed. Simers: “He has friends who address him as “Marv Levy,” and Ben Howland should be as good as the former Bills coach, which would mean taking UCLA to the Final Four for the fourth consecutive time this year. And then lose again. The Bruins have been working hard recently to get that losing part down pat, dropping two of their last three and tumbling to No. 17 in the polls — as low as they have fallen since about this same time three years ago.”

• Rush the Court thinks the SEC is wising up on its coaches. Rush: “Today in the era of million-dollar salaries and what-have-you-done-for-me-lately performance evaluations, even in the football-centric SEC (minus Vandy, Kentucky and Arkansas), “good enough” is no longer good enough.  Just last year, LSU canned John Brady, an Xs & Os charlatan who two years prior had parlayed a couple of great recruits into a very unlikely Final Four run.  They replaced him with a well-respected rising star in coaching, Trent Johnson (at $1.2M per, reportedly, of course).  At South Carolina, Dave Odom was invited to retire after he had taken the Gamecocks to two NIT titles and an NCAA Tournament in the last five years.  Darrin Horn already has matched the win total (14) of Odom’s last season with virtually the same roster.   Over in Athens at Georgia, Dennis Felton is currently walking the Bataan death march with his 310th most efficient offense and is expected to be replaced at the end of this season even after his unprecedented run in the SEC Tournament last year.”

• Today’s ACC Headlines looks at Tyler Hansbrough and the non-foul issue. Today’s: “Tyler Hansbrough’s habit of getting the ball in the paint and then putting himself clearly in the path of flailing arms and grabbing hands of opposing players in a manner (according to some fans) that causes referees to actually call fouls when those arms and hands make contact with various parts of his body as opposed to the ball has landed the former Player of the Year in the dentist’s chair.”

Continue reading ‘HL: Griffin’s glass work, Ben Howland and a wiser SEC’

A musical aside: New Springsteen tour dates just announced. New CD out today, so if I can brave the ice a little later I will be out to acquire. If you’re not interested, sorry for the interruption.

If you are:

Here are Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s tour dates:

April 1: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion at San Jose)
April 3: Glendale, Calif. (Jobing.com Center)
April 5: Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center)
April 7: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
April 8: Houston, Texas (Toyota Center)

Continue reading ‘SFTI: New Bruce tour dates’

College basketball on the tube for Tuesday, Jan. 27:

Kentucky takes a 5-0 conference record into Oxford, Miss. to meet Andy Kennedy and his luckless Ole Miss Rebels.

If the Cats emerge with a victory, they’ll match their 6-0 start of the 2004-05 season, and their seventh 6-0 start in the past 20 years. The previous six came in 1990-91, 1994-95, 1995-96, 1997-98, 2002-03 and the ’04-05.

Here are UK’s conference records after five and then six games over the last 10 seasons:

Big Blue Links for Tuesday:

• Our Jerry Tipton writes that taking care of the basketball is Kentucky’s chief concern in tonight’s game at Ole Miss.
• Kentucky finally cracks the AP Top 25.
• You can listen to Billy Gillispie on the SEC teleconference yesterday.
• In the Clarion-Ledger, David Brandt writes that Jodie Meeks is a special challenge for Ole Miss.
• Parrish Alford of the NE Mississippi Daily Journal reports that Ole Miss could be without star freshman Terrico White tonight.
• Jim Mashek of the Biloxi Sun-Herald looks at the UK-Mississippi match-up.
• In his weekly Bracketology, espn.com’s Joe Lunardi moves UK up to a No. 4 seed.
• In the Courier-Journal, Rick Bozich talks about the red and blue streaks.
• Also in the C-J, Brett Dawson reports that Kentucky appears to be the SEC’s team to beat.
• Dawson also writes that Ramon Harris has been cleared to play tonight.
• In the Danville Advocate-Messenger, Larry Vaught writes that Harris’ episode Saturday was scary for UK parents.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Kentucky-Ole Miss preview’

SEC links for Tuesday:

• Birmingham News columnist Ray Melick writes that while Mark Gottfried was a fiery player, he was losing his intensity as a coach.
• In the Mobile Press-Register, Gentry Estes writes on Gottfried’s interim successor, Philip Pearson.
• On his blog, Mark McCarter of the Huntsville Times tackles the question of what Alabama will do next.
• Seth Emerson of The State writes that South Carolina coach Darrin Horn is breaking in new ground.
• In the Gainesville Sun, Pat Dooley writes that Chandler Parsons could be the key to the Florida season.
• In the Tennessean, Maurice Patton writes that A.J. Ogilvy’s health holds the key to Vanderbilt’s season.
• Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean writes that Tennessee faces a make-or-break week.
• Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser writes that defensive work is paying dividends for Auburn.
• In the Baton Rouge Advocate, Gary Laney writes that LSU’s Marcus Thornton is thriving.
• Chip Towers of the AJC asks if Georgia is competitive with its checkbook.
• Dave Hooker of the Knoxville News-Sentinel sits down with Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton for a Q&A.
• Also in the News-Sentinel, Dan Fleser reports that Pat Summitt has lost her patience.