(Miami Herald photo)
Notes and links for Monday morning:
HEAT MELTS IN CHICAGO – Watched the Bulls batter Miami 103-82 last night. Miami led 58-57 with 7:35 left in the third quarter, then managed just 24 points the rest of the way. LeBron James scored three points in the final 19:35. I’m sure Colin Cowherd will think of some excuse, and will be sure to point out that James sells more jerseys than Derrick Rose.
- It was a Windy City blowout, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel says come join the Heat Haters of America.
UK BASEBALL — Kentucky couldn’t pull off the sweep of Georgia, losing to the Bulldogs 7-6 on Sunday at Cliff Hagan. Gary Henderson’s team did fight back, closing to within a run after trailing 7-2. And Thomas McCarthy had a huge weekend,
- Meanwhile, my Monday column is on Henderson and his three years as head coach here. Talked to the UK coach after the game in the dugout. It’s always tough to talk to a coach after a close loss, especially when my questions dealt more with the season and the program than the game that was completed. After I was back home, writing, my cell rang and it was Henderson. He wanted to talk some more, thought that he had not given his best answers to the questions. I told him I thought they were fine, but he wanted to expound some more on the subject matter.
- Baseball America projects UK ace Alex Meyer as the sixth overall selection in this summer’s MLB draft.
SEC BASEBALL — After Sunday’s play, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Florida all are tied at the top of the SEC East at 20-7. Georgia is 15-12. Kentucky is 7-20. Tennessee is 5-22. The West is a real mess. Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn and Arkansas are all 13-14. Ole Miss is 12-15. LSU is 11-16. There is one more weekend to go before the league tournament. If the tourney was held today, Ole Miss, LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee would not qualify.
- Vanderbilt and Florida split a doubleheader in Nashville.
- South Carolina knocks off visiting Arkansas 7-1.
- Alabama scores three runs in the ninth to beat Auburn 7-6.
- LSU whips Tennessee 15-5 for a series sweep.
- John Adams: Tennessee baseball team not its worst ever.
TONY WOODS – Been a bit surprised that the reaction of Big Blue Nation concerning Tony Woods seems to be no thanks. After all, there’s been some rumblings that the one thing the Cats need for next year is a real post player. Woods could be a real post players. I think part of the reaction is that this is a domestic abuse case. Woods did have the charges reduced to a misdemeanor assault charge, but still it was against a female.
- Eric Crawford writes for the Courier-Journal that both Kentucky and Louisville should stay away from the former Wake Forest center. He writes:
“I can tell you this, though. Tony Woods is in the process of giving the University of Louisville a black eye. Woods, who had committed to U of L, has re-opened his recruitment and last week visited the University of Kentucky. It’s a fascinating turn. The public-relations machine wasn’t working in Woods’ favor when he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges and asked for his release after being suspended from Wake Forest’s team last September. Nobody was talking about how Woods was misunderstood when he arrived in Louisville just over a month later, apparently bound for U of L. Yahoo! Sports wasn’t describing how he had to “fight back tears” (in a phone interview, no less), as it did this past weekend.”
- Ken Howlett of A Sea of Blue writes on Woods and the “unfortunate” power of the media. He writes:
“Then I began to really think about how absurd that line of reasoning is. Have we come to the point where the media is dictating personnel decisions for the ‘Cats? Are we so concerned with the image of the program that we allow them — the media — to determine who is worthy of a second chance and who isn’t? Well, sports fans, allow me to let you in on the righteous truth: UK’s image outside the borders of the Commonwealth is that of a school/fan base so desperate to win that we hired a known rogue, cheating, win-at-all-costs coach in John Calipari (aka the devil himself), reinforcing the long-held thought that what UK fans are concerned with is winning, regardless of the price tag, or how many NCAA by-laws must be fractured in order to attain the victories we’ve become so accustomed to witnessing. We are a sad collection of basketball hooligans, foaming at the mouth and shoe-less, while we impatiently await the school’s eighth national title.”
UK SOFTBALL GETS NCAA BID – The Cats are one of seven SEC teams that made the tournament. It’s the third straight year for Kentucky, which will play Notre Dame on Friday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
BILLY KENNEDY TO COLLEGE STATION – The Murray State coach replaces Mark Turgeon at Texas A&M. From the A&M release:
Kennedy, 47, is the two-time Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and has led the Murray State basketball program for the past five seasons which included a 31-5 record in 2009-10 as the Racers won the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title, the OVC Tournament Championship and upset Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Championships before dropping a two-point decision to eventual national runner-up Butler. It marked the best season in the history of Murray State. Murray State followed up with another regular-season championship in 2010-11. His coaching stops have included Southeastern Louisiana, New Orleans, Wyoming, Northwestern State, Tulane, Texas A&M, Creighton, California, Centenary, Miami and Murray State.
REDS SWEEP ANGRY BIRDS — The Reds beat up on St. Louis ace Chris Carpenter on the way to a 9-7 win and a series sweep of the hated Cardinals. The fun started after the game, reports Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Francisco Cordero struck out Lance Berkman with two men on and two out to end a 9-7 Reds win, and lifted division-leading Cincinnati to a 1½-game lead over the Cardinals. As the Reds celebrated near the pitcher’s mound, Cordero and some teammates stopped and shouted toward the Cardinals’ dugout.
Cordero said Cardinals backup catcher Gerald Laird was the main voice, complaining because Cordero had hit superstar Albert Pujols on the left wrist — with an 0-2 pitch – in the ninth inning. Pujols represented the tying run.
“Just a little fun,” Cordero said. “I think it was because I hit Pujols 0-2, Gerald Laird was all loud in the dugout. He was yelling at me and pointing at me and saying a whole bunch of stuff.
“Out of all the guys that are great hitters, great players, Gerald Laird doesn’t even play. He’s the one yelling at me because I hit Pujols 0-2. 0-2! I wasn’t trying to hit him. I’ve got to face (Matt) Holliday next, who can take the lead with one swing, and he’s yelling at me.”
“All I know is he was loud, so I said something back to him.”
- Aroldis Chapman walked four of the five batters he’s faced. The Cuban Missile may be on his way back to Louisville for a study session with Ted Power.
BARRY IRWIN – Be sure and read Alicia Wincze Hughes’ piece this morning on the head of Team Valor International, which owns Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. An excerpt:
Barry Irwin grinned wryly as he recounted an incident 37 years ago – partially because it’s still kind of amusing but mostly because it resonates as a prime example of how the 68-year-old CEO of Team Valor International got where he is today.
During a trip to Ireland in 1974, Irwin was supposed to buy a couple of yearlings for a client, but only on the condition he let a specific bloodstock agent check the horses over first.
“I said, ‘No problem,’ and then I never had the guy look at them,” Irwin said. “I just picked them out myself, sold them to this guy, they both won and he was happy. Afterward is when I told him.”
AARON DOUGLAS MEMORIAL – Knoxville News-Sentinel reports:
“Some 2,000 people gathered Sunday to celebrate the life of former Maryville High School and University of Tennessee football standout Aaron Douglas. A freshman All-America offensive tackle with the Vols in 2009, Douglas was found dead Thursday morning in Fernandina Beach, Fla. He was 21. The cause of death is pending. Douglas played for one season at UT before transferring to Arizona Western College, where he played his sophomore year. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound junior was set to return this year to the Southeastern Conference with the University of Alabama, where he had just finished spring practice. Among those attending the memorial service at Cokesbury United Methodist Church in West Knoxville were UT head football coach Derek Dooley, Alabama head coach Nick Saban and former UT coaches Phillip Fulmer and Johnny Majors.”
ANDY KENNEDY SHAKES THINGS UP – Kyle Veazey of the Clarion-Ledger reports that the Ole Miss coach has an all-new staff for next season.
“Sergio Rouco’s addition to Andy Kennedy’s Ole Miss basketball coaching staff Friday as an assistant coach appears to round out what has been a complete overhaul of Kennedy’s group of coaches. All three of his assistant coaches left after last season, Kennedy’s fifth in Oxford. Michael White departed to become the head coach at Louisiana Tech, Owen Miller left to become the head coach at Gulfport High School and Torrey Ward departed and has not appeared to have landed a new job. The staff was intact since Kennedy’s arrival prior to the 2006-07 season. In addition to Rouco, the former head coach at Florida International, the other new assistants are Al Pinkins, an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State, and Bill Armstrong, who was previously Kennedy’s director of basketball operations.”
BCS STILL HAS A TRUST PROBLEM – Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News writes that the BCS hitting the Fiesta Bowl with a huge fine is one thing, but the lack of transparency among its computer ratings is another problem.
“Then there’s the BCS’ recent declaration that its computer analysts will do peer reviews, not give up their formulas. We heard this last year — “they check with a fine-toothed comb” was BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock’s assertion last October about 2010 peer reviews. Then Wes Colley accidentally omitted one result in his computer data that distorted the final BCS standings. LSU and Boise State were swapped at No. 10 and 11, and Alabama and Nebraska changed spots at 17 and 18. Imagine the lawsuits if No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 TCU had been changed. The embarrassment caused Boise State President Bob Kustra to bash the BCS, questioning the system’s transparency and accuracy.”
MARK RICHT ON HIS SOAPBOX – Seth Emerson reports on Georgia coaches Mark Richt and Mark Fox stopping by Greenville, South Carolina for a recent speaking engagement. The subject of NCAA investigations came up for discussion. Fox said, “”I have yet to visit a tattoo parlor in Athens, and don’t plan to.” Richt then tackled the problem of over-signing and grayshirting, saying there is a distinction.
“If you bring them in in the summer, and you work them and you let your strength staff work with them, and you kind of decide which ones you like the best, and you tell five of them, ‘Hey we know we signed you, and we expected you to be able to come in, we don’t have space for you, we’re really sorry about that but we don’t have space for you – you’re gonna have to leave and come back in January.’
“I think that’s an awful thing to do, I think that’s the wrong thing to do. And it’s nothing that we’ve done since I’ve been at Georgia.”
DAILY RANDOMS – This and that:
- John Calipari was a guest of Brian Cashman’s at the Yankees-Red Sox game last night.
- Calipari is to be introduced as the Dominican Republic national team coach this week.
- Trevor Lacey is still scheduled to announce his college choice on Wednesday.
- Bleed Blue Kentucky reports that the Cats have offered three “big-time” prospects in football.
- Our media approval ratings will resume later today. So far, we’ve offered Alan Cutler, Rob Bromley and Kent Spencer up for judgement. The voting booth on each candidate stays open for one week.
