John Clay's Sidelines

Michelle Beadle

Alabama-Auburn. Lakers-Celtics. Yankees-Red Sox. Calipari-Pitino. Now add Michelle Beadle-Erin Andrews to the list of great sports rivalries. That’s according to the new ESPN tell-all book, written by James Andrew Miller and the great Tom Shales. (I’m sure Miller is great, too.) Deadspin has put its hands on an advanced copy and posting excerpts with a passion. Some of it is very interesting inside baseball. But the Beadle vs. Andrews rivalry is a real head-turner about two real head-turners. Seems Ms. Beadle doesn’t care for Ms. Andrews, who has returned the favor. Beadle even admitted to the book’s authors that she watched the infamous Andrews peephole video.  Personally, I’d  give “The Beadle” a break. She has to work with Cowherd every day.

Continue reading ‘A real sports rivalry: Michelle Beadle vs. Erin Andrews’

Jared Lorenzen

This morning’s Big Blue Links is highlighted by the biggest quarterback in Kentucky football history. We’re talking the Round Mound of Touchdown, the Hefty Lefty himself, who, judging by the pictures in the Cincinnati Enquirer, has continued his love affair with food. Lorenzen is playing an indoor team called the Northern Kentucky River Monsters in something called the Ultimate Indoor Football League. The team drew nearly 3,000 for its opener, and has averaged about 1,600 since then. Others are starting to take notice, including those are the people at the Scott Van Pelt Show. Jared seems right down Van Pelt’s alley.

Ryan Harrow, Rodney Purvis, Torian Graham, Brandon Knight and Josh Harrellson are among those in this morning’s Big Blue Links. Click on the continue line to check them out.

Continue reading ‘BBL: The Hefty Lefty is back in the spotlight’

The weekend is coming early. The SEC Baseball Tournament starts next week in Hoover, Alabama. So this weekend’s weekend series start tonight across the league. South Carolina (20-7) is at Alabama (13-14). Ole Miss (12-15) is at Arkansas (13-14). Auburn (13-14) is at Tennessee (5-22). Kentucky (7-20) is at Florida (20-7). Vanderbilt (20-7) is at Georgia (15-12). LSU (11-16) is at Mississippi State (13-14). This is the same conference which boasts a four-way tie atop the SEC West, and a three-way tie atop the SEC East. If the conference tournament were to be held today, Ole Miss, LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee would not qualify. Kentucky hasn’t been to the SEC Baseball Tournament since 2008.

Continue reading ‘SEC baseball cranks up for final regular-season weekend’

The faithful minority that follow Alabama basketball woke up happy this morning. Trevor Lacey is in the Crimson Tide camp. The shooting guard chose Bama over Kentucky, Kansas and Auburn yesterday afternoon, adding to an Anthony Grant recruiting class already ranked 12th in the country by Rivals. The one question is just how good is Lacey? Is he a difference-maker? Or was his worth enhanced by the fact he was one of the few big names still left on the recruiting board?

Click the continue line for the links.

Continue reading ‘Alabama celebrates Lacey’s decision to stay home’

Over the weekend, most of what I heard from Kentucky fans concerning the prospect of taking embattled center Waker Forest center Tony Woods was this: Why risk it?

That appears to be changing, at least if you go by this unscientific blog’s very unscientific poll. At present, with two days left in the balloting, as I post this, the yes faction (bring him on) leads the no faction (tell him to move on) by 58 percent to 42 percent.

Of course, part of this could come from the eighth paragraph in the Andy Katz story in which Woods’ former lawyer says that the 6-foot-11 post player told him he is likely to be a Wildcat.

By the way, you can still vote. Just click on the continue reading line.

Continue reading ‘Poll: Almost 60 percent say UK should take Tony Woods’

Mark Pope

You remember, Mark Pope, the forward who transferred from Washington and helped Kentucky to the 1996 NCAA title. Then Pope was going to attend medical school after a career in the NBA, even completed two years of med school at Columbia. But he couldn’t get basketball out of his blood.

He ended up at Georgia on Mark Fox’s staff as director of basketball operations, then moved to Wake Forest where he was an assistant for Jeff Bzdelik. Today, BYU coach Dave Rose announced he had hired Pope to succeed Dave Rice, who left the Cougars to become the head coach at UNLV.

Without a doubt, Pope was one of the more popular Cats with the media. He was smart, funny and thoughtful. I’m guessing he still is all those things. He’ll end up a head coach somewhere, and (it appears) soon.

Mike Slive

Seth Emerson of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer did an interview with Mike Slive, in which the SEC Comissioner says he has prepared legislation for the league’s spring meeting dealing with the practice of over-signing. Slive did not say what the legislation entailed, but also said he was working on “roster management” issues.

Over-signing is the hot-button issue in which coaches sign more than the allotted number of scholarships, to guard against falling short of scholarship numbers when signees are not academically eligible, etc. The issue received much publicity last year when LSU’s Les Miles cut signee Elliott Porter loose and the the defensive lineman ended up at UK. As it turned out, Porter left Kentucky after the season was over, has enrolled at LSU and will walk-on next season.

Dan Rieffer

On the Wednesday edition of media approval ratings, we present WTVQ’s Dan Rieffer, who is the station’s weekend anchor. Dan joined the station in January of 2008, and according to his station bio began at age 16 as  ”a disc jockey at an AM country radio station in Williamsburg, Kentucky.”

A personal note about Dan: He’s not afraid to ask tough questions. And he didn’t hold it against me — not to my face, anyway — when I once referred to him as Dave on the blog.

What say you abut Dan Rieffer, approve or disapprove?

Continue reading ‘Media Approval Ratings: Dan Rieffer’

Yet another update: After thinking it over, I’ve decided to remove the identity of the tweeter.

An update:

This from twitter, before Trevor Lacey announced he had signed with Alabama.

(AP photo)

Update at 3:05 p.m.: It’s now official, Lacey has picked Alabama.

Looks like Jeff Drummond was right. When subbing for Larry Glover on his WVLK radio show last week, I was fortunate enough to have Jeff do his regular segment. At the time, he said that his sources felt confident that Trevor Lacey, the sharp-shooting guard from Alabama, would end up picking the Crimson Tide. Word on the internet this early afternoon that in fact, at 3 p.m., Lacey will pledge his allegiance to the Crimson Tide over Kentucky and Kansas. If so, it’s a good get for Anthony Grant, who is set on making waves in the conference. Grant coaxed Bama to a West Division title this year, and built the VCU team Shaka Smart took to the Final Four in Houston this past March.