August 4th: On this date...

....... in 1948, your University of Kentucky all-time great, Mike Pratt, was born in Dayton, OH. (His future team was helping the USA earn a gold medal.) It must've been a sign from above, as Pratt would end up spending a ton of time in the Lexington area. He also played a key role in getting your current basketball coach, Coach Cal, to leave Memphis, as he assisted with the most recent UK coaching search. As we all should know, Mike is currently the color analyst for each Kentucky basketball broadcast, alongside play-by-play partner Tom Leach. But before he became ear candy for Big Blue Nation, he had a very successful basketball career under Adolph Rupp. Mr. Pratt was named first team All-SEC both in his junior and senior seasons. His career high was 42 points against Notre Dame in 1969, and his career ended with 1,359 points. This coming fall, Mike will start his tenth season on the radio. A season we can hopefully look back on and give a hat-tip Mr. Pratt's way. So a big thank you to Mr. & Mrs. Pratt of Dayton, OH, and a Happy Birthday to their son. He shares a birthday with Barack Obama, Roger Clemens, and Jeff Gordon.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach