May 31st: On this date...

... in 1983, Kentucky All-American center Sam Bowie continued workouts to rehabilitate his broken left leg. Bowie's leg had been in five separate casts since the fall of 1981, when reports first came out of a fractured tibia. He was able to get back in time for a 1984 Final Four run in Seattle, where they lost to Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. As much hell as he gets, he didn't have THAT awful of an NBA career. (10 yrs - 27.59 MPG - 10.88 PPG - 7.52 RPG - 2 BPG - 2 APG)

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 30th: On this date...

... in 1989, 23 years ago exactly, two big things happened. Rick Pitino accepted the University of Kentucky head coaching job and the infamous Sports Illustrated cover started circulation into your mailbox. Traitor Rick met with Knicks GM Al Bianchi for two hours and was finally granted permission to take the UK job. Very ironic that this infamous cover came out within hours with a lone player standing in shame -- foreshadowing?. To this day, everyone thinks this guy was bowing his head in defeat because we were about to be on probation. In a BBB exclusive, though, I did some research and found out this kid simply knew we were getting in bed with one of the most notorious people to ever set foot in the state. I'm just kidding Rick, maybe the kid was bowing his head because he knew the media would once again be focused on Kentucky 20 years later even though the story of you and your mistress should be topic #1. Yup...no...hard...feelings...at...all.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 29th: On this date...

... in 1975, your University of Kentucky great, Kevin Grevey, was selected 18th in the NBA Draft by the Washington Bullets. Grevey's teammates -- 6'4" guard Jimmy Dan Connor (36th - Phoenix Suns), Bob Guyette (3rd round - Kansas City), and Mike Flynn (7th round - Indiana Pacers) were also drafted. Grevey had the most success of the four in the NBA, helping the Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship. Connor actually never played in the NBA, suiting up for only one year with the Kentucky Colonels. Guyette never suited up for an NBA team. Mike Flynn, on the other hand, played three seasons for the Pacers, scoring a total of 1300 points.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 28th: On this date...

... in 1989, future UK coach Rick Pitino still had not made up his mind on taking the head coaching job at Kentucky. Executive Vice President of Madison Square Garden Jack Diller claims to have told Pitino that he only gave permission for he and UK to "talk". For some reason, I guess Mr. Diller thought they would simply be having dinner instead of discussing the UK coaching job. Pitino said, "Nothing else was ever said to me by Jack Diller. To me that meant that if they offered the job and I decided to go, I could go." He later added, "I've always had permission to leave. If I don't get it, I'll stay."

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 27th: On this date...

... in 1987, former Kentucky forward Larry Steele was named head coach of the University of Portland. Steele was a first-team All-SEC player during his time with the Cats. Although he had never coached a game before in his life, Portland gave him a shot after spending nine seasons playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. The new head coach played three seasons for the University, and averaged just over 10 PPG. Steele later led the NBA in steals in 1974, and averaged 10 PPG during the Portland title run in 1977. On October 11, 1981, his jersey was retired during a halftime ceremony in Portland.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 26th: On this date...

... in 1989, the New York Knicks said that Rick Pitino was under contract and needed to be granted permission in order to leave the team. They also announced they would make Kentucky compensate them for any money lost in a new coach search. To which C.M. Newton said, "Hey, I got an idea. How bout you go _______ yourself," or something to that effect. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported Pitino's contract would be worth $5 million over seven years in base salary. Years later, he would turn his back on Big Blue Nation and "allegedly" have an affair with his ball boy's wife.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 25th: On this date...

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcat courts were apparently in session as three of its biggest faces in recent memory were all in the news for court related matters. The three faces: Billy Clyde Gillispie, Jonathan Henry Wall, and Jonathan Henry Calipari.

Billy Gillispie: No. Its not what you think. We'll talk about the golfing incident later in the summer. BCG was in the news because he sued the University of Kentucky Athletics Association for "breach of contract". The "contract" is the same "contract" as the one in "contract he never signed".

John Wall: Plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of breaking and entering into a vacant house in Raleigh with two friends. This, of course, is absurd, as the police saw he and his friends leaving a house that had no damage and nothing missing.

John Calipari: Coach Cal was in the news again. This time for allegations of a three ring circus he was running in Memphis. The NCAA caught John Calipari on video taking the SAT for Derrick Rose. He was actually in a Derrick Rose mask and was found out leaving testing area, similar to how a Scooby-Doo villian gets nabbed.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 24th: On this date...

... in 2004, your University of Kentucky all-time great Tayshaun Prince came from out of nowhere to block Reggie Miller's potential game-tying layup. The block clinched Game 2 for the Pistons, 72-67, in the Eastern Conference Finals. Prince's star continued to rise during the 2004 NBA Playoffs, helping the Pistons capture their only NBA Championship during their semi-dynastic run.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 23rd: On this date...

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcats football team received some bad news as defensive end Jeremy Jarmon was suspended for the 2009 season after testing positive for an NCAA banned substance. This was a huge blow for a team that was going to lean heavily on its defense. The offense was very inexperienced and the defense was full of experienced lettermen. The Cats still ended with a better record than I had anticipated for the 2009 campaign (7-6, loss to Clemson in Music City Bowl), but one has to wonder what they would've been with Jarmon on the line. Coach Steve Brown had to work some magic to get some brand new players to step up in Jarmon's absence. The suspension ended Jarmon's career at Kentucky, as an appeal had been heard but denied. The bad news ended there as he was now available for the NFL Supplemental Draft. The Washington Redskins quickly nabbed Jarmon. He is currently playing in Denver with a slew of other former Cats.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 22nd: On this date...

It goes off his foot.

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcats received some criticism from a friend in Minnesota as former point guard Saul Smith let his feelings be known about the hiring of John Calipari. And, surprisingly, Jerry Tipton was the guy doing the interview. I'm convinced Saul was simply trying to get some publicity before the new #11 put everyone else who wore the number out to pasture. His Facebook quote: “Bad bad day for my alma mater,” Smith wrote on Thursday. “The UK athletic program will never regain its true champion nature with Businessmen running it. Never, no matter how many so called blue chip players you bring in. You can’t sacrifice your integrity for success. You just can’t do it. I’m an alum and I deserve a clean-ran program, plain and simple. Period, and if anyone disagrees, you, my friend, shouldn’t support the program I played 4.” That last part makes him better than you because his Dad let him play on the team. Tipton then got a few quotes from him saying, "Coach Cal is my guy," and “I don’t think he knew about (the Derrick Rose situation), so he says.” Saul later said everything was taken out of context, but his daddy didn't "pay" for players. The Facebook quote was then mysteriously deleted and Saul went back to his life of irrelevance.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 21st: On this date...

... in 1989, Rick Pitino said he was interested in C.M. Newton's offer to become the next head coach of Kentucky. On his weekly television show, Pitino announced he would be flying to Lexington to tour the UK campus and discuss the job opening. Rick Rote, the host of Pitino's show, told the New York Times Rick said, "Joanne and I are going out Tuesday. I plan to make this decision as quick as possible. I'm hoping I'll be back, but if not, the Knicks will have the biggest cheerleader in Lexington." Statements like these would become all to familiar to Cat fans as Traitor Rick is now known to make these type of statements at every stop.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 20th: On this date...

... in 1996, Coach Rick Pitino and his NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats took a trip to D.C. to visit Slick Willy in the White House. Pitino and Mark Pope were the presenters of what was some bad comedy where everyone had to fake laugh for the cameras.

Some highlights:

 • Pitino noted that since Clinton and Al Gore took office in 1992, "the SEC is dominating the Final Four. Please re-elect them." Hang on........maybe that did work.

 • Mark Pope jokingly told Clinton he hoped the President would change his allegiance from Arkansas to Kentucky. (Oh SNAP!)

The Cats gave President Clinton a #1 Kentucky jersey, Al Gore a #2. Antoine Walker told the Lexington Herald-Leader, "It was a great experience for me. I've never been to Washington before." Walker then shimmied away.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 19th: On this date...

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcats received a commitment from Freak Show, John Wall. With all due respect for everything else that happened on this day in Big Blue history, this news takes the cake. We were able to witness a point guard with talent none of us had seen before. It only lasted for one year, but the ride was top notch. That's it, I got nothing else for ya.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 18th: On this date...

... in 1989, Kentucky Athletic Director C.M. Newton let everyone know he would be going after New York Knicks head coach Rick Pitino to succeed Eddie Sutton as the University's head coach. This news angered New York Knick top brass, as they were in the middle of a playoff run. The Knicks were preparing for a Game 7 in Chicago against Michael Jordan and the Bulls. The New York Times referred to the courting of Rick Pitino as "The Kentucky bombshell." Years later he had restaurant sex while eating linguini.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 17th: On this date...

... in 1975, Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore led the Kentucky Colonels to a 3-0 lead in the ABA Finals, beating the Indiana Pacers 109-101 in Indianapolis. Issel had 26 points and Gilmore had 41 points and 28 rebounds to help the Colonels win their first and only ABA Championship just a few days later. The Colonels were the overall #1 seed in the playoffs after winning 23 of their last 26 games. Former Rupp Runt Louie Dampier added 13 points in the victory. The Colonels, ironically, were known for having great crowds and a rabid fan base, and consistently had one of the better teams in the league. In the Championship year, Kentucky was coached by NBA all-time great coach Hubie Brown. Kentucky was a member of the ABA for all nine seasons and amassed the most wins of any franchise with 448.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 16th: On this date...

... in 1991, UK-bound transfer from North Carolina, Clifford Rozier, chose to attend Louisville instead. His recruitment by the University of Kentucky was ended after learning of an NCAA violation. On a recruiting visit to Lexington, his host Sean Woods took him to a party in Louisville, violating the 30-mile visit rule. Sources tell me, it was Rozier's penchant for Keith Sweat that was actually the tipping point in determining whether or not he was Wildcat material. This once again proves nothing good ever happens when you visit that filthy city, with the exception of public sex in a booth.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 15th: On this date...

... in 1981, former Wildcat great Rick Robey helped lead the Boston Celtics to their 14th NBA Title. They beat the Houston Rockets behind an MVP performance from Cedric Maxwell and Larry Bird's 27 points in the series clincher. Robey was a key bench player who often gave breaks to "The Chief" Robert Parrish. In 17 playoff games, Robey tallied 86 total points. After the Celtics wrapped up the title, it helped make Rick Robey the fourth Wildcat to own both an NBA and NCAA ring. The others being Frank Ramsey, Cliff Hagan, and Lou Tsioropoulos.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 14th: On this date...

... in 2008, Johnny Rondo hit back-to-back 3's to help the Celtics win a crucial Game 5 over the Lebron's (Cavs) 96-89. Rondo ended the game with 20 points - 13 assists. Many of the local Boston papers claimed Rondo was the key to the game as he dominated the point at each end of the court. But it was a pair of 3's from the often maligned outside shooter that keyed the run giving the Celtics their first lead of the game. The Celtics went on to win the series and the NBA Championship as Bostonians proclaimed Rondo the perfect piece for their Big Three. After this Championship, many UK fans came out of the woodwork saying they knew Rondo would be this good. Not to mention it gave them another reason to rail on Tubby. In 2010, Rondo and the Celtics made the LeBron's look foolish as they forced him to quit down the stretch. In 2011, the tables were turned as Lebron's new super team dislocated Rondo's elbow, ending the Celtics chance. 

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 13th: On this date...

... in 1988, King Rex broke the hearts of every little kid in the state of Kentucky by declaring for the NBA Draft. The junior-to-be knew what was on the horizon with NCAA death penalty around the corner. Prop 48 had taken two top prospects away from the upcoming season, and many thought the 1988-89 season was a disaster in the making. Chapman said the pressure of being in the UK fishbowl was the ultimate tipping point in his decision to turn pro. He was selected 8th overall in the 1988 NBA Draft by the expansion Charlotte Hornets. Rex was formerly in the front office of the Denver Nuggets and his son, Zeke (class of 2011), is quite the basketball player (Ball State). Rex can now be found dominating his Twitter game.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 12th: On this date...

... in 1997,  the man who enjoyed taking a bath replaced (the newly departed) Rick Pitino as the head basketball coach of your University of Kentucky Wildcats. Orlando "Tubby" Smith formally accepted the offer for his dream job, leaving SEC foe Georgia. As critical as I was during Tubby's last few years, the decision to hire him was the perfect choice. No one can deny this if for no other reason than he won the National Title in year one. You can say all you want about Pitino's players, yada-yada-yada, but we also had the best team in 1997 with Rick and didn't win it all. Nothing is guaranteed, and even most irrational UK fans should know that. Obviously, its much easier for me to say this after experiencing the last 166 weeks of Kentucky basketball under John Calipari, but whatdoyado. Orlando was the first African-American basketball coach for the University and it was a seminal moment in our program's history. His first team went 35-4, won the SEC with a 14-2 record, and won the SEC Tourney by 30. Whether or not you're a Tubby guy or not, the man can coach and will forever be a part of UK lore. His day in Rupp, or wherever we are, will come and it will be well deserved. No man or his family should have to go through some of the things they went though during their time here. Time heals all wounds and that is especially true for Tubby Smith. Also last year (May 12, 2011), we learned Tubby had been diagnosed and beat prostate cancer. Cheers!

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 11th: On this date...

... in 2011, junior pitcher Alex Meyer continued to be showered with National Player of the Week honors after a complete game shutout of #1 ranked Vanderbilt. The season as a whole hadn't gone as the Cats intended, but Meyer was having quite the season. Meyer led the SEC in innings pitched (87.2), strikeouts (96), complete games (4) and complete game shutouts (2). The win was UK's first over a #1 ranked team since 2007, a team featuring the great David Price, the overall #1 pick in the MLB Draft (Tampa Bay Rays). Meyer didn't allow a runner to reach second base until the 7th inning, faced the minimum through six, and only allowed five singles on the afternoon. The 6'9", 220 lb junior was drafted 23rd overall by the Washington Nationals. He is currently pitching for Hagerstown of the SAL and will throw against the Legends in Lexington tonight.

May 10th: On this date...

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcat head football coach Richard P. Brooks (P = PaPaw) was not going to be outdone by the newly popular basketball coach John Calipari and his publicity tour. PaPaw chose not to shy away from this Internet/Twitter world and dipped his toes into the scary scene. Brooks had not been to the Calipari school of branding, or so we thought. It turns out PaPaw may have invented that school, or at least graduated with honors, because his tweets were magical.

From Mother's Day 2009:

"Planted some tomatoes yesterday and can’t wait for them to start. I love fresh tomatoes."

I dare you to find a tweet or twitterer that can get a fan base more fired up than that. God Bless Rich Brooks. Thanks for all you did, and everything you harvested.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 9th: On this date...

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky head coach attempted to grab more followers for his Twitter account by holding a raffle. What was the item? It would be an autographed t-shirt from a close friend and new Big Blue Nation member, Lebron James. What would the chances be of winning such an item? The days leading up to the raffle pushed him over the 20K mark for Twitter followers, and the winner would come from that pool. While most national media would say this was a shady salesman bribing people to like him, a new fan base saw an opportunity to cash in from the coach they were super-excited to have on board. Coach Cal continued his giveaway throughout the summer, and in doing that, became the most popular coach in any sport on Twitter. He currently sits with just under 1.189 million Twitter followers. Who was the winner? It wasn't me, so who cares. Below is video from the presser announcing the winner.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 8th: On this date...

... in 2009, your University of Kentucky Wildcats and new head coach received word that Patrick Patterson would in fact return to Lexington for what would be his third and final season. Once this news hit the wire, the bookie's in Las Vegas bumped Kentucky from third choice (15/1) to win the 2010 Championship to second choice (10/1). Even weirder, Louisville's odds changed as well. They started the offseason as clear cut second choice at (8/1), behind only Kansas (7/1), but when news of Patterson broke, the filthy ones moved from 8/1 --> 10/1. This information can be used as verification that all things basketball go through the city of Lexington, not Louisville, in the Commonwealth and throughout the World. And if you remember accurately, it wouldn't be the last time these odds would move before the season started. Coach Cal would snag one more person before the month would expire.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 7th: On this date...

... in 1998, slender '96er Walter McCarty made his on-screen debut playing "Mance" in Spike Lee's basketball movie, "He Got Game." The film featured Denzel Washington, Ray Allen, Rick Pitino, Rosario Dawson, Jim Brown, and a personal favorite John Turturro. The Spike Lee joint opened to 1319 movie screens across the nation and finished with a $7 million opening weekend. Which in 2012, is the equivalent to approximately $7.6 millions. Kudos Waltah.

... in 2003, Waltah kept his entertainment career alive by releasing the above album, Moment For Love. The R&B record featured dope songs such as: It's On Tonight, Freaky Wit Me, and Love You The Right Way. Walter had a habit of being in front of the microphone, as he was popular for singing the National Anthem at each stop in his basketball career. Louisville sucks.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 6th: On this date...

... in 1997, Richard Pitino resigns from the University of Kentucky under the cover of nighttime, and slithers his way on up to Boston to destroy one of the most storied franchises in the NBA. It probably didn't come as a complete surprise to UK fans, but the feeling of your college team losing its leader, in the middle of an historical run, still upsets me. No less than five Boston television stations carried Pitino's UK resignation news conference (during the day). Immediately, Wildcat fans turned the page and have never looked back, totally understanding Pitino's motives that day. Speculation on who the next coach would be immediately filled the airwaves with the consensus looking at former Pitino assistant, University of Georgia head coach Orlando "Tubby" Smith. Tubby would inherit the Comeback Cats and lead the team to its 7th National Championship the following spring. To this day, most all Kentucky fans have forgiven Richard Pitino for the events of this day just 15 years ago. And if you're free this weekend, don't forget to watch The Extortioner, Friday's on CBS!

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Cinco de Mayo: En esta fecha ...

... en 2009, la Universidad de Kentucky Wildcats estaban recibiendo un base que necesitamos urgentemente ya que comenzó a difundir la palabra de un compromiso inminente de un chico de Alabama simplemente querer "tener derecho de mierda." Nadie sabía lo que Eric Bledsoe estaba hablando, pero sabíamos que era un armador de primera categoría en la Clase de 2009 y se llena un hueco que necesitaba con urgencia. Él no tenía la competencia por el puesto de armador de partida, y tenía unos cuantos monstruos abajo bajo (en otros Alabaman DeMarcus Cousins ​​y la leyenda Patrick Patterson). La era de Gillispie había terminado y la nueva lista estaba empezando a tomar forma. Una de las cosas de nuestro nuevo entrenador que todos lo sepan: Si usted va a ser un gato montés de Kentucky, el mejor que tenga la capacidad de extraño o si no están jugando.

Big Blue Booyah sobre Tom Leach

Champs Visit The White House

May 4th: On this date...

... in 2007, your University of Kentucky Wildcat fans swarmed Memorial Coliseum dumpsters once word broke UK was replacing the floor and throwing the old one away. Kentucky.com broke the story and within hours a steady line of cars formed, dying to snatch up a piece of the splintered maple floor. By 9:00pm the same evening, the dumpster was completely empty as the "rabid UK fan base" wanted to get a piece of history. The University saved the keys, center court, lanes, and nearly 700 square feet, including the spot where Kentucky's Vernon Hatton made a shot in double overtime to help the Cats take down Temple.

also,

... in 2007, some "rabid" Kentucky extremist fans started showing their impatience with Patrick Patterson as he continued to drag out his recruitment. Everyone knows how this turned out, right? Just two years later, these same extremists started showing their disapproval of the time it was taking Freak Show point guard Jonathan Henry Wall to make his decision on where he would go to college. I'm almost certain that is not his real name, but it came off the tongue easy, so we're sticking with it. In conclusion, whenever you see/hear one of these people in public, feel free to smack them upside the head.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 3rd: On this date...

... in 1982, your University of Kentucky Wildcat great Frank Ramsey was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Known as the "Kentucky Colonel", the 6'3" guard from Madisonville was best known for virtually creating the role of Sixth Man in basketball. Ramsey was a three time All-American, was a member of the 1951 NCAA Championship team, and led UK's 1954 team to a 25-0 record. He currently sits #27 on the all-time scoring list, compiling 1344 points in just three years. Frank Ramsey also was a key cog for the Celtic's dynastic run of NBA Championships. He ended his career with seven titles, including six straight from 1959-1964. Ramsey had 18 points off the bench, retired later that summer on top of the world.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 2nd: On this date...

... in 1989, your University of Kentucky Wildcats were told "no" by Seton Hall head coach P.J. Carlesimo after mulling over the head coaching job for a few days. Of course, to save face, UK says the job was never officially offered. Where have I heard this before? Carlesimo had just led the Pirates to the NCAA title game. From this point on, no one really knows what happened to Mr. Carlesimo, as he apparently went back to a life of irrelevance. Either that, or he tried to fight the Predator monster (Sprewell) and lost. This decision would put the Wildcats on a new search for a head coach, leading to a slick-haired car salesman with a penchant for Italian eateries. His name: Richard Pitino. The Extortionee, Friday's on CBS!

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

May 1st: On this date...

... in 1967, your University of Kentucky Wildcats guard/forward Pat Riley was selected 7th overall in the NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets. Riley is a six time NBA Champion -- once as a player (1972), and five times as a coach (1982, '85, '87-'88, and 2006). Many people forget that Riley was drafted as a flanker by the Dallas Cowboys in the 11th round of the NFL Draft. One of the most versatile athletes in this era, Riley helped lead Kentucky to the 1966 NCAA title game, falling to UTEP. Pat Riley is one of the most well-known Kentucky alumni, as he has been a Blue face for many decades of the NBA.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach