John Clay's Sidelines

(H-L photo/Brooke DiDonato)

Big Blue Links:

• Kentucky unveils new cutting-edge football uniforms, jetpacks not included
• Thoughts go out to Mark Krebs who marked a sad anniversary today
• Ricardo Ledo thinks he would be a good fit at Kentucky
• Randall Cobb’s twitter account has been hacked
• Kentucky reportedly secures commitment from Ohio offensive lineman
• Kentucky football target Adolphus Washington leads Cincinnati-area talent
• Voice of the Wildcats Tom Leach likes the all-white uniform model
• David Scott leaving CoachCal.com for job with ESPN
• Richard Skinner: Despite Calipari’s financial play, athletes paid already
• Good thing Rick Minter likes coaching, he’s been doing it a long time
• Lost Letterman ranks Kentucky football at No. 67
• Jody Demling runs down the top 25 prep football prospects in state

Continue reading ‘UK football fashion, Cobb’s hacked twitter and more links’

Are Kentucky’s new checkerboard sleeves (nod to Secretariat) and Tennessee’s old checkerboard end zones (nod to Purina?) a little too similar? Sports Nation blog thinks so.

(Photo by John Clay)

Continue reading ‘Are UK, UT checkerboards a little too close for comfort?’

More SEC links:

• Harvey Updyke has plenty of time to call Finebaum before trial
• Nick Saban exhales as Richardson uninjured in hit-and-run
• Alabama quarterback has back tattoo the size of Birmingham
• Lucky fan catches final-out ball thrown in stands at CWS
• Rick Cleveland: Internet is like an STD, it spreads
• No more Woo Pig Chewy ice cream for Arkansas fans; AD gives statement (seriously)
• In book, Auburn coach lauds player who made it possible for him to write a book
• Cam Newton wins Heisman, but loses SEC Athlete of Year to a tennis player?
• NFL lockout has turned Alabama’s Marcell Darius into one-man lawn service
• John Cohen gets a new contract and a raise (but no stadium) from Mississippi State
• Cecil Hurt: SEC continues its master plan to take over the sporting world
• Former Arkansas star Joe Johnson drives a ridiculous supertruck

Continue reading ‘No more Woo Pig Chewy and (less important) SEC news’

Brian Adams, left, and Anthony Mosley, right, model UK’s new football uniforms, unveiled this afternoon at the Lyric Theater. (More pics and video to come.)

(Photo by John Clay)

Continue reading ‘Kentucky’s unveils its new football uniforms’

Tyler Gabbert

Tyler Gabbert, brother of former Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert, is transferring to Louisville.

U of L head coach Charlie Strong confirmed the news via his twitter account this morning.

Tyler Gabbert announced in May that he was transferring from Missouri, where his brother sat school records and went on to be the No. 10 overall pick, taken by the Jacksonville Jaguars in this year’s NFL Draft. Redshirted last season as a freshman, the younger Gabbert has not played in a college game.

Why would the 6-foot, 190-pound Tyler Gabbert choose Louisville? Turns out U of L’s quarterbacks coach, Shawn Watson, recruited both Gabbert brothers when Watson was at Nebraska.

Perhaps now WLEX’s Mary Jo Perino, a proud Missouri alum and unabashed Tiger fan, will start showing the Cards some love.

“Not a chance!” she tweeted this morning. “He’s no Blaine ”

(AP photo)

Taking a quick time-out from his double duties for Sports Illustrated and CBS, Seth Davis submitted to a “Real Talk” podcast with the great Jason Whitlock recently, and The Big Lead quickly picked out the good stuff.

All those Christian Laettner is/was gay rumors.

Davis lays the blame at the feet of former SI senior writer (disclosure: personal hero) Curry Kirkpatrick, who first wrote about the rumors for the magazine, only to quickly debunk said rumors.

Davis, a Duke alum who lived in Laettner’s dorm, claimed the whole thing was manufactured by Kirkpatrick, a North Carolina alum, even though Kirkpatrick uses a quote from Laettner in which the then All-American referenced the gay rumors.

The Big Lead makes a good point about how those rumors would be handled in today’s world of instant social media, and what the reaction would be if Sports Illustrated were to reference them in this day and age.

Of course, Laettner holds a special place in the hearts of Kentucky fans. That place is called angina. East Regional final 1992. Laettner’s shot. Just when you are about to forget No. 32 catching, turning and sinking that jumper, CBS dredges back up again in its March highlight reels. At least Rick Pitino reaped some commercial money out of it. For his part, Laettner is married with three children.

Heath Shuler

Three weeks have passed since embattled Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton turned in his resignation and a prominent candidate has yet to emerge for Knoxville’s most talked-about opening.

Latest name tossed into the hopper is that of former UT quarterback Heath Shuler, now a congressman from North Carolina. Shuler has no sports administrative experience, but given UT’s current state of affairs that might be a plus.

• John Adams: If you want to be Tennessee’s next athletics director, there’s a test (no cheating)
• David Climer: Phil Fulmer’s faults may take former Vols’ football coach out of race to be Hamilton’s replacement
• When mentioned as possible Tennessee AD candidate, Heath Shuler steps up fundraising efforts for his congressional campaign
• Jay Greeson: Would Shuler be a Hail Mary for Tennessee AD?

(UK photo)

Thursday is uniform day. Kentucky football will unveil its new grid unis Thursday afternoon, via Nike.

But as for Wednesday, DeAndre Liggins was introduced as a member of the Orlando Magic. DeAndre says he has a chip on his shoulder. Stan Van Gundy said ‘Dre has the edge to his personality a great defensive player needs.

Also, there’s Matthew Mitchell and names. Perry Ellis gets an award. Josh Clemson is touted. And one Florida newspaper doesn’t see a whole lot of change in the upcoming Kentucky football team.

Click on the continue line for Thursday’s Big Blue Links.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Coach says Liggins has nastiness Orlando needs’

Since Mike Anderson took over for John Pelphrey at Arkansas, the Razorbacks have been in a revolving door. Out goes Jeff Peterson, who has decided to take his talents to Florida State. Out goes Rotnei Clarke, who is scouting out prospective schools.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt gears up for great hoops expectations next season, as some wonder why Bruce Pearl can’t catch on in Bristol.

In football, there’s still some fallout from Russell Wilson’s decision to spend his fall in Wisconsin rather than by Toomer’s Corner.  And Will Muschamp is trying to clean things up in Gainesville.

Click the continue line for Thursday’s SEC links:

Continue reading ‘SEC: Lots of comings and goings at Arkansas’

(NBA.com)

Prediction: Antoine Wright won’t be exchanging Christmas cards with Boogie this year.

The former Sacramento King is apparently no fan of current Sacramento King center DeMarcus Cousins.

In a piece by SI.com’s Sam Amick, the outspoken Wright says he doesn’t want to throw any former teammates under the bus, then sticks a certain former Wildcat directly underneath a speeding 18-wheeler.

Excerpt from Amick story:

“I’m not going to throw any of their players under the bus, but one of the main players who was a big part of our team, his attitude was really, really bad — I’m pretty sure you can figure out who that guy is,” he said before confirming that he was speaking of then-rookie forward-center DeMarcus Cousins. “Tyreke [Evans] had a pretty good attitude. His work ethic wasn’t great, but he’s a good young player. I believed in him completely. I just don’t think the coaches did enough to prepare us to win games.”

A first-round pick in 2005 out of Texas A&M, where he played for that ol’ softy Billy Gillispie, Wright has pretty much played his way out of the league.

He’s not going quietly, apparently.