John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Charles Bertram)

This just in from UK athletic office:

In an effort to manage an unprecedented response and the overwhelming number of campers outside the Memorial Coliseum ticket office, the decision was made to distribute control cards to the first group of campers on Wednesday morning.

We appreciate the cooperation of those that were here early and the passion of our fan base.

The remainder of the control cards will be distributed on Friday at a TIME YET TO BE DETERMINED.

Tents should be broken down at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and campers should line up in numerical order according to their control cards. Big Blue Madness tickets will then be distributed at 6:00 a.m.

On his Twitter page, UK coach Rich Brooks reports he had a skin cancer removed, but will be at practice on Thursday.

Didn’t make it over to practice today, but afterward Rich Brooks talked about the fan reaction to UK’s 41-7 loss to top-ranked Florida on Saturday. Tom Leach has the video below.

Meanwhile, A Sea of Blue addresses the overreaction.

I have a couple of radio appearances today.

• I’ll be on with the mild-mannered and lovable Paul Finebaum at 4:30, where I’m sure we will discuss how either of us would be the last one to stir any sort of proverbial pot and how we both go out of our way to avoid any shred of possible controversy. Or maybe I have my friend from Birmingham, sometimes known as “Paul Fire-baum”, confused with someone else.

• Then at 6:05 p.m. I’ll make the drive over to the Clear Channel Communications studio to join Dick Gabriel on WLAP-630, where hopefully no leftover callers from the Leland Conway Show will inquire as to my views on the public option versus the triple option.

The web site Wiz of Odds chronicles a growing rift between Mike Leach and his players at Texas Tech, which includes the suspension of a team captain and the ban of Twitter.

Here’s one tweet, from linebacker Marlon Williams, that might have prompted the ban:

“Wondering why I’m still in this meeting room when the head coach can’t even be on time to his on (sic) meeting.”

And here’s the former Kentucky assistant’s reply when asked about the tweet:

“Anybody that’s a malcontent doesn’t stay around here very long, because we’ve got a pretty good line of recruits that are fully willing to replace him. Interestingly enough, he doesn’t have a Twitter page anymore.”

Interesting story from Chip Cosby this morning concerning UK’s attempt to jump-start its offense.

Joker Phillips made point that the Cats faced a number of third-and-forevers while suffering that 41-7 drubbing at the hands of Florida on Saturdady.

According to Phillips, UK faced 11 third downs that were seven yards or more and failed to convert a single one.

“Those are hard to manage,” Joker told Chip.

The Cats had been excellent on third down heading into Saturday, converting 11 of 18 against Miami and six of 11 against Louisville. That’s a conversion rate of 58.6 percent, far better than last year’s 31.4 percent.

After Saturday, however, UK dropped to 44.4 percent, which ranks it 35^th in the country in that category. Coincidentally, Alabama is tied for 33^rd.

(AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post has a great blog post about how the new SEC Digital Network, the same entity that mandates TV stations cannot use highlight clips from games more than 72 hours old, somehow forgot to include the hit by UK’s Tyler Wyndham on Tim Tebow that led to the Florida quarterback suffering a concussion last Saturday.

In its highlight package of the UK-Florida game, the SEC ignored the play.

An excerpt from Volin’s post:

The highlight package, which lasts 2:23, completely skips over Taylor Wyndham’s hit on Tebow late in the third quarter. The play happened with 4:11 left in the third quarter, and the highlight tape jumps from 12 minutes to 54 seconds in the third quarter with no mention whatsoever of Wyndham’s devastating hit and Tebow’s concussion.

At the very end of the tape, Lauren the announcer finally addresses the Tebow injury. Here is the full text:

“Tebow, after being sacked in the third quarter, was tended to briefly on the field and walked off under his own power, but he did not return to the game.”

Talk about the understatement of the year.

This was one of the top concerns considering the SEC’s new media policy, or policies as it finally turned out to be. By controlling video, the league can show what it wants to show, not what might be of most interest to the fans. Ignoring, or at least minimizing the Tebow hit is proof.

You can see a nine-second clip of the sack using the SEC Digital player on Kentuckysports.com.

Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News ranks Kentucky No. 2 behind Kansas in the Sporting News Today pre-season basketball edition.

Here’s the link, and you need only register your e-mail address for a free look.

The Top 10:

• 1. Kansas
• 2. Kentucky
• 3. Michigan State
• 4. North Carolina
• 5. West Virginia
• 6. Texas
• 7. Purdue
• 8. Duke
• 9. Villanova
• 10. Mississippi State

Putting the Bulldogs at No. 10 is an interesting choice, though if Rick Stansbury can get Renardo Sidney eligible MSU loosk to be the second-best team in the SEC. The latest is that Sidney’s attorney is appealing to Congress for help.

Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Kryie Irving says on his Twitter account that he is coming to Midnight Madness.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader writes that UK is trying to jump-start its offense.
• My column saying that college football this year has shown you can’t put your eggs in the one-game basket.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal reports that Taylor Wyndham’s hit came in at No. 1.
• Dawson also writes on the ones-versus-ones change at UK practice.
• Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register writes that Alabama is gaining attention after fast start.
• Don Kausler of the Birmingham News writes on Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Kyrie Irving tweets that he’s coming to Madness’

(AP Photo/Todd J. Van Emst)

SEC links for Wednesday:

• Evan Woodbery of the Huntsville Times writes that Lane Kiffin and Gene Chizik meet again on Saturday.
• Mike Strange of the Knoxville News-Sentinel writes that Tennessee’s task will be holding down Auburn.
• Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser writes that Auburn isn’t worried about poll perception.
• Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that Emmaneul Negedu is doing well.
• Gary Laney of The Advocate writes that LSU fans are glad that Stafford and Moreno are gone.

Continue reading ‘SEC links: Auburn gears up for Tennessee’