John Clay’s Sidelines

I’m out of pocket for most of today, at least until the basketball scrimmage tonight. So no SEC links, and an abbreviated Big Blue Links for Wednesday:

• Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader talks to Lee Todd about the UK eligbility issue.
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader reports on the UK run defense.
• My notes column which leads with Wildcat Coal Lodge.
• Pat Forde of espn.com writes that the time to bash SEC basketball has likely passed.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes on DeMarcus Cousins.
• B.W. Jones of the Kentucky Kernel writes on UK defensive tackle Corey Peters.
• Tom Leach has video of Rich Brooks squashing the black jersey rumors.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger posts a letter from Mitch Barnhart about the blackout game.

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Jason King of Yahoo Sports quotes John Calipari as saying he wants to one reporter “right in the mouth.”
• Chip Cosby of the Herald-Leader previews UK’s running backs.
• Jennifer Smith of the H-L profiles UK volleyball All-American Sarah Rumely.
• H-L columnist Mark Story writes that Kentucky boasts an embarrassment of embarrassments.
• Ryan Alessi of the H-L reports that Lee Todd and Mitch Barnhart will give depositions in Gillispie lawsuit.
• H-L’s Cosby previews UK’s offensive line.
• H-L’s Jerry Tipton writes that John Wall faces high expectations.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes on UK freshman offensive lineman Larry Warford.
• NEW: James Pennington of the Kernel on Billy Gillispie.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Calipari says he wants to punch a reporter’

Big Blue Links for Thursday:

• In the Herald-Leader, Jennifer Smith writes that the UK women have been on the ball all summer.
• H-L report that UK football signee Donte Rumph must attend junior college.
• Brett Dawson of the Courier-Journal writes on the Rumph move.
• Tom Leach has some issues and answers for UK football.
• Kentucky Sports Radio talks to Tobias Harris about his Wednesday visit to UK.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes that missed summer time doesn’t worry John Calipari.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Tobias Harris talks about his visit to UK’

On his livechat today on the UKAA site, UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart let it be know he is no fan of the Satirical Mitch Barnhart twitter page.

Said the Real Mitch:

First off, let me say there is somebody out there posing as me and saying some incorrect and at times, offensive, on a Mitch Barnhart Twitter account. I do not have a Twitter account nor do I think anyone is interested in the day-to-day activities of my life. I will leave that to Cal, Rich, Joker, Matthew and any of our other coaches.

Among the fake Mitch tweets:

Starting early on thinking about my Halloween costume. I’m thinking I’m going to be a Hee Haw charactor!

why can’t I have the same number of followers like Cal? What he got that I don’t..and I HIRED the guy!

Was told that in Billys new book he referred to me at the greatest AD of all time. I’m humbled

Big Blue Links for Friday:

• Ryan Alessi of the Herald-Leader writes that UK has asked a Kentucky court to rule on Billy Gillispie’s contract.
• Alessi and Jerry Tipton of the H-L report that UK president Lee Todd says he knew of the John Calipari issue.
• Mark Story of the H-L writes that Todd is carrying Calipari’s baggage.
• Tipton reports that Orestes Meeks says son Jodie is looking to be picked in the first round of NBA draft.
• Tipton also reports that ex-Cats say Memphis investigation may dog UK.
• Andy Katz of ESPN talks to Meeks at the pre-draft camp in Chicago.
• Bryan Mullen of the Tennessean reports that Nashville is courting UK for a non-conference basketball game.
• Pat Forde of ESPN writes that it’s see no evil, hear no evil in Kentucky.
• Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reports that SAT fraud easily falls through testing cracks.
• Pete Thamel of the New York Times writes that coaches don’t go by the book with the NCAA.
• Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times writes on Derrick Rose and the ripple effect.
• Mike Decourcy of Sporting News writes that spirit of the law follows John Calipari, but not Memphis golf.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Not so Rosey links to the Memphis mess’

Mitch Barnhart and Jeremy Jarmon. (Photo by John Clay)

In a nutshell, UK defensive end Jeremy Jarmon has been ruled ineligible after testing positive for a banned substance he was taking in a dietary supplement. The suspension is for one year. Because Jarmon is a senior, his career at UK is over. Kentucky appealed the decision but was informed by the NCAA on Thursday that the appeal was denied.

Here is the official release from UK on Jarmon:

Jarmon Ruled Ineligible for Senior Season

LEXINGTON, Ky. - University of Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon has been ruled ineligible for his senior season after inadvertently taking a dietary supplement that contained a substance banned by the NCAA.

At Jarmon’s request, he discussed the situation at a news conference Saturday morning on the UK campus. He began taking the supplement in early February with a goal of becoming leaner, but did not have the supplement approved in advance by the UK strength and conditioning staff, which is the proper procedure. He later asked about the supplement, which he discontinued taking after being advised to do so.

In a routine, random test by the NCAA on Feb. 24, Jarmon tested positive for a banned substance. The penalty for a positive test is the loss of one year of eligibility, in effect ending the collegiate career of the Wildcat senior. His appeal for reinstatement was denied Thursday night.

“My first concern is with Jeremy and his family and what a devastating blow this is for them,” Coach Rich Brooks said. “There was no intent by Jeremy to do anything improper, it was an error in judgment in not checking with our staff (before taking the supplement). Jeremy has been an outstanding individual on and off the football field, and I hope that people understand what a class act he has been.”

Jarmon played in 38 games during the last three seasons, including 31 starting assignments. He made 38 tackles as a junior, including 10 for loss and 4.5 quarterback sacks, along with six pass breakups. He was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference by Phil Steele’s College Football. In 2007, he was first-team All-SEC by Rivals.com and second-team All-SEC by the league coaches when he had 62 tackles, including 13.5 TFL and nine sacks. He has 17.5 sacks in his career, third in school history.

Jarmon has completed his degree in political science and is studying abroad this summer as he works toward a second major.

Continue reading ‘Liveblog: Jeremy Jarmon ruled ineligible over supplement’

Here’s what I’ve heard from the local radio call-in shows for Thursday:

• WLAP-630: Dick Gabriel will have Mitch Barnhart in studio at 7 p.m. He’ll talk spring football from 6-7.

I’m in the Craft Center for the press conference to introduce UK’s new basketball coach, John Calipari:

• That’s the end of the press conference.

• Now says he called his wife for six days in a row two years ago, “Did they call?”

• “You know what the option is, you’re 1-20 and no one is acting you for anything,” about being a celebrity.

• “I understand it’s my job to make everybody around me better.”

• “I would have made more money at Memphis next year, just so you know that.”

• Asked a question by a Memphis reporter about what he would say to the city of Memphis. Says, “I hope they respect that this was a dream for me and my family.”

• Says he will watch the UK commitments play and then be honest with them. “This will not be for every player in this country. It will not be for every player in this state.”

• “We already have a commitment from a 12-year-old. Stand up 12-year-old.” His son stands up.

• “The program is not bigger than the kids.”

• Said he will not throw kids out of school at the first sign of trouble. Said he told Dr. Todd about Jeremy Hunt. Said Hunt screwed up. Twice. Now going through the whole deal with Hunt. “That young man’s life changed, because we let him back. . . . We made the right choice. It wasn’t popular. But what’s popular isn’t always right. And what’s right isn’t always popular.”

• “This is the right place if you want to win championships, if you want to recruit the best of the best.”

Continue reading ‘Liveblog: Calipari introductory press conference’

AP Photo/Ed Reinke

Big Blue Links for Saturday starts with Herald-Leader coverage of Friday’s events:

• Jerry Tipton and Ryan Alessi report on the firing of Billy Gillispie.
• My column saying that this was the right move at the right time.
• Mark Story’s column on how Mitch Barnhart’s task at hand.
• Chip Cosby writes on the national reaction.
• Mike Fields reports that recruits will wait-and-see.
• Jennifer Smith and Jerry Tipton write that players just want some rest.
• Jim Warren gets the UK fan reaction to the Gillispie ouster.
• Ryan Alessi and Valarie Honeycutt Spears report that UK intends to settle for less than the $6 million buyout.
• Alessi and Tipton report that Mike Pratt will be part of search team.
• Gillispie timeline.
• Press conference video.
• Billy Gillispie in pictures.

Elsewhere:

• Jodie Meeks tells Metz Camfield of the Kentucky Kernel he thinks firing “was a good decision.”
• Andrea Cohen of the Oklahoman reports that UK has not asked for permission to speak with Travis Ford.
• Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World writes on Ford rumors with Kentucky.
• Brandon Chatmon of the Oklahoman quotes Daniel Orton’s father as saying they have not decided yet about coming to Kentucky.
• Larry Vaught of the Danville Advocate-Messenger writes that it was demeanor that got Gillispie in the end.
• Vaught talks to Orestes Meeks, who doesn’t seem a Gillispie fan.
• Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun reports that Billy Donovan says he’s not interested in UK job.
• Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal writes that this is Barnhart’s pivotal decision.

Continue reading ‘BBL: Gillispie dismissal links’

As Billy Gillispie himself said Friday after UK’s 67-58 loss to LSU, “I got married one time, that honeymoon didn’t last long either.”

The honeymoon is long over for the Kentucky coach. That’s what happens when your team goes in the record book as the first in 17 years not to make the NCAA Tournament. That’s what happens when you refuse to sign your contract, rub a few people the wrong way, and have a different view of your job descripton than does your athletics director, and maybe your president. In other words, your bosses.

So what now?

Something will happen, and maybe soon. Don’t be surprised if that year-end meeting is pushed up on Dr. Lee Todd’s calendar. The guess here is that the school will act quickly, and there are plenty that believe a decision has already been made, and they know where it’s headed. I had an extended discussion with Mitch Barnhart on Thursday — a good bit of it about my column that morning — and believe me he is keenly aware of how the fans feel. (So, too, Dr. Todd.) And Barnhart has solid beliefs about the job expectations both on and off the court. We can second-guess the way the Gillispie hire was done, and I have, but I do think Mitch gets the importance of the position and the gravity of the situation. It’s a tough choice either way. Is two years long enough to judge a coach? But if things aren’t going well, on a number of fronts, do you risk a third?

Back to the marriage analogy. If it’s been a rocky two years, you ask yourself how much do you want to to make this work? Is it worth saving? Will things improve? Or is it best to admit the mistake, correct it, and move on, before there are kids and a mortgage and all kinds of other complications? Is it best to cut your ties and get on with your life?

Continue reading ‘Now that the honeymoon is over’