November 2nd: On this date...

... in 2003, the University of Kentucky lost a heartbreaker to Arkansas (71-63) in 7 overtimes at Commonwealth Stadium. It was the longest game in NCAA history, matching a seven overtime game between Mississippi State and Arkansas in 2001. The game lasted 4 hours and 55 minutes. Kentucky forced overtime with a 13 yard touchdown pass from Jared Lorenzen to Chris Bernard with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 24. The best chance for a Wildcat victory came in the third overtime after holding Arkansas to a field goal. The Cats had it 4th-and-goal on the 1-yard line, but were penalized for illegal substitution, forcing their hand. The 86 total points scored in overtime set a record for most points ever in an overtime (ya think?). Jared Lorenzen finished the game with 326 yards passing. Derek Abney caught 10 passes for 91 yards.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

November 1st: On this date...

... in 2008, your University of Kentucky Wildcats squeaked out a 14-13 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville. I’m not going to lie, I had very low expectations going into this game last year and was thrilled with the outcome. This was the type of game when always lost in years past. Do-everything manchild Randall Cobb was the key to victory as he ran for a score and passed for a score. The most important play, however, was a blocked extra point early in the fourth quarter by freshman Matt Roark. The Cats sixth win guaranteed them their third bowl game in three years. Mike Hartline and Randall Cobb alternated possessions throughout the game, as this was officially Cobb’s first ever start at quarterback. He finished the game 7-13 for 56 yards (1 TD/1 INT), rushed 12 times for 41 yards (1 TD), led the team with 3 catches for 33 yards, two punt returns for 16 yards, and drove the bus home from Starkville.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

October 31st: On this date...

... in 2007, Jodie Meeks scored a game-high 34 points and Patrick Patterson added 21 to key the Wildcats past visiting Pikeville, 99-64. It was the first of two exhibition games for the Cats and was the first appearance in Rupp Arena as Kentucky head coach for Billy Clyde Gillispie. Meeks hit seven first half 3-pointers on his way to 27 first half points, matching Pikeville’s total. Since it was an exhibition, the stats didn’t count, but Big Blue Nation didn’t seem to mind. It was also the debut for freshman Patrick Patterson. He finished the game 10-12 from the field, even though the highly touted newcomer wasn’t in the starting lineup. New head coach Billy Clyde had the starting lineup of: Ramel Bradley, Jodie Meeks, Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson, and ...........wait for it.......................Mark Coury! Billy Clyde Gillispie is no longer employed by the University of Kentucky.

*** October 30th trivia answer: Tony Delk, Jared Prickett, and Rodrick Rhodes. Recruiting analysts tabbed that recruiting class as the #1 class in the country.***

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Cleared.

Move on to your next story haters.

I'm Batman.

October 30th: On this date...

... in 1991, a lanky 6'9" forward from Evansville, Indiana, decided to play basketball for your University of Kentucky Wildcats. His name? Walter McCarty. The recruitment of McCarty came down to Purdue, Kentucky, and Evansville. He chose the Cats shortly after visiting Big Blue Madness a few weeks earlier, making Kentucky four-for-four on getting commitments from the recruits coming to the 1991 Madness. Any Big Blue Nation member can tell you the importance of Walter McCarty to the rebuilding efforts of Kentucky basketball, the most famous being his shot from the corner in Baton Rouge during the Mardi Gras miracle. McCarty was an extremely rare inside-out big guy who could defend anyone on the court, as well as shoot it from anywhere on the court. He posed matchup nightmares for any Kentucky opponent. He later turned in his Big Blue Nation membership card when he hopped on Rick Pitino’s staff at that other school.

*** Can you name the other three players at the 1991 Big Blue Madness along with Walter McCarty? Answer tomorrow.***

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

2009-10 Totem Pole

This is from May 7, 2009. Crucify me if you want (the update is coming):

With the signing of Eric Bledsoe yesterday, the makeup of the 2009-10 Cats is nearly complete. Anything added to the current roster is gravy. Yes that means you John Wall. Since the roster/scholarship situation has been discussed ad nauseum via the interwebs, I thought I would throw up a totem pole of most important players for this fall's team. I cannot imagine this would be the same as your totem, so feel free to crush me in the comments. Again, this is not best player, best athlete, etc. I will try and correspond each 2009-10 player with a player from the 1995-96 team, or someone of their potential ilk.

Staring at the top, Jodie Meeks is the most important. I know point guard is the position we've been lacking lately, but if Jodie for some reason doesn't come back, we'll lose a ton. I don't think you can put a price on seniority and leadership for such a young team, and that's exactly what we'll have. Not to mention someone I KNOW can fill it up from outside. We could win without him, it'll simply be easier with him. Many of these studs coming in have been used to dominating games for four years. That will not necessarily be the case come October/November. How will they handle adversity? Most have probably never felt it. The experience of Jodie, or any upperclassman for that matter, can help temper the emotions of an 18-year old on the court. Tony Delk clone from '96. Hmm, isn't Delk back this year. Interesting.

Pat Patterson comes in at #2. I would've put Pat in the top spot, but when its all said and done, we'll have enough bodies down low to provide consistent play. The reason we need Pat back bad is, to be frank, to help school Kwame Brown DeMarcus Cousins on how to practice. Maybe he's a hustler in practice, maybe not. From what I've gathered in what little time I've had to see him, is his laziness. Coach speak can only go so far for a young man. To have Pat come back and show this kid the ropes for a year would do wonders for Cousins and the program as a whole. Antoine Walker without the shimmy and square head.

Darius Miller and Ramon Harris are next. Probably for no other reason than I trust these guys. I know what I'm getting with both. Miller having a wide-range of offensive skills, Harris providing a much needed intangibles role for what could be a loaded team. Harris definitely won't see the type of minutes he saw last year, but I see him as the type of glue guy who will get key defensive stops and throw his body all over the floor in a Allen Edwards/Ravi Moss '04/Dale Brown '93 type of mold. Miller will either play the role of freshman Ron Mercer or junior Derek Anderson. Either is fine with me.

This brings us to the all important point guard. Coach Cal was probably right when he talked to Bledsoe. You're the guy. There's no promise of John Wall coming, and he's already seen what he currently has or at least has an idea of the skill set of Liggins and Galloway. Eric Bledsoe has quite possibly stumbled onto a gold mine. If he's the guy, he will have an unreal team around him. If Wall comes in, he'll have a year to learn from a potential top NBA pick and get a chance to experience Cal's dribble-drive. Depending on how everything else goes down, he could be the 1995-'96 Anthony Epps/Wayne Turner character. Epps being someone who realized what he had around him and just tried to stay outta the way. Turner being someone who got decent minutes, but mostly sat back and learned everything he could for the following years. Which will it be?

DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and Perry Stevenson is going to round out the top eight. All three will possibly challenge for minutes at the same spot. They'll all get chances at the four and the five. If you go on talent alone, Cousins and Orton are your guys. Stevenson could excel in this offense simply on oops and putbacks. He knows the speed of the game and I'm sure "the Coz" has learned a few tricks in his time at UK. A UK senior will not go down without a fight. Mark it down. He's playing for a professional career. Motivation is powerful. Think Walter McCarty minutes/importance.

Jon Hood and Darnell Dodson will hovering around Ramon Harris waiting for him to falter. If he falters, everything I said about him goes out the window. Hood and Dodson will have to make their money on hustle plays and defense this year, which is totally fine by me. Think of these guys as the Jeff Sheppard role.

I've just went through the top 10 players for UK this fall and you can literally make a case for playing time for each of them. What a time to be a UK fan.

Matt Pilgrim. C'mon, we're talking about practice, no? Prove me wrong. Let's go with Jared Prickett. Sorry Matt.

Everyone else (Kevin Galloway, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson, A.J. Stewart) is in the danger zone. As Matt said in his scholarship recap, these guys could be fighting for one spot if John Wall comes to UK. If he doesn't come, those guys are fighting for two spots. These four guys will be fighting for the fat Nazr and Oliver Simmons roles.

Dwight Perry + Mark Krebs = Jason Lathrem + Cameron Mills

Here's the 2009-10 UK totem pole:

1. Jodie Meeks*
2. Pat Patterson*
3. Darius Miller
4. Ramon Harris
5. Eric Bledsoe
6. DeMarcus Cousins
7. Daniel Orton
8. Perry Stevenson
9. Jon Hood
10. Darnell Dodson
11. Matt Pilgrim
12. Kevin Galloway
13. DeAndre Liggins
(14.) Josh Harrellson
(15.) A.J. Stewart
(16.) Donald Williams
17. Dwight Perry**
18. Mark Krebs**

*- could leave this spring
** - denotes Walk-on, definitely on the roster

Tell me how bad I screwed this up, and what would you change?

October 29th: On this date...

... in 2005, Kentucky running backs Arliss Beach and Rafael Little had a combined 239 yards from scrimmage in the Wildcats 13-7 victory over the visiting Mississippi State Bulldogs. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Cats, but was only the first win of the season against a Division I opponent. Little finished with 114 yards on 24 carries, while Beach totaled 84 yards on 14 carries. The Big Blue defense allowed only 99 yards of total offense in the first half, never allowing the Bulldogs to get past the Kentucky 30-yard line. A quarterback change ignited the offense for Mississippi State, but the Cats held on late for the win. Sophomore quarterback Andre Woodson, who was battling the flu, finished the game completing only 13 of 27 passes for 141 yards and no touchdowns. The lone Kentucky touchdown came in the first half on a Rafael Little 8-yard scamper.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

***Breaking News*** - Coal Out, Boners In?

Actually, I think the name will grow on me.

In a fantastic turn of events, a source close to the situation has informed me that the University Board of Trustees has overturned their decision to name the new basketball living quarters Wildcat Coal Lodge. There was no indication a rift was between the University and the coal industry, as the two have worked together well in the past.

But the lefties on the University Board have some major pull as they announced this morning to go with hippies as opposed to Big Coal. The Kentucky Department of Parks and Recreation have been in negotiations with the University over the past few days to get rid of this "Hershey Highway" name from eastern Kentucky.

Governor Steve Beshear will have a presser this afternoon announcing the new name of the old Joe B. Hall Wildcat Lodge...................Big Bone Lick Suites. The students (or "ballers") who will ultimately live in the new dormitory effectively shall be called Boners.

The signage outside of the Suites will stay true to its State Park brother just up the road. The only change will be that the woolly mammoths on each side of the signage shall have "erect trunks" (like this) as opposed to the "limp noodle" featured above. The new barracks will be included in the Bourbon Trail and State Park Association.

More to come as this story develops.

October 28th: On this date...

... in 2006, Kentucky scored on four of its first five second half possessions in Starkville to take a 31-17 lead, and eventually hung on, 34-31. It was not without drama, though, as Jacob Tamme had to recover a last ditch onside kick with 2:12 left in the game to make things interesting. Keenan Burton led the way for the Cats with 5 catches, 81 yards, and two touchdowns. He also added 93 yards on kickoff returns to help set up the offense. Dicky Lyons, Jr., finished the game with 8 receptions, 117 yards, one touchdown. The highlight of the night was a great Dicky Lyons one-handed touchdown catch in the end zone.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Best News Ever?

It's definitely up there, as Eric Lindsey (Cat Scratches) lets us know that viewers with Insight cable will get to see their Cats in High-Definition for the foreseeable future. The upcoming Blue-White scrimmage (Wednesday) and this weekend's football game vs. Mississippi State will be televised on Insight channel 929. All of the other early season basketball games that were supposed to be televised on FoxSports South or Big Blue Network will now be offered in HD.

And as anyone with Insight knows, channel 929 is a "Special Events" HD channel serving no purpose other than random Cincinnati Reds HD broadcasts. And as any Cincinnati Reds fan will tell you, their season is usually over after a month or two anyway (i.e. its a worthless channel).

In essence, with the new ESPN contract and the combo of Insight and Fox Sports stepping up, the beatdowns for the remainder of the football season and the Race to 2000 will be clearer than ever!

And for those without Insight cable or Kentucky HD access, call your cable provider. That's one thing I've never understood with Kentucky fans: we bitch and bitch about our teams, coaching decisions, uniform decisions, Coal money boosters, etc., but for the most part expect other people to call the cable providers and request technology advances.

Go Cats.

October 27th: On this date...

... in 1991, a high-schooler from Brownsville, Tennessee, committed to play basketball for your University of Kentucky Wildcats. Tony Delk would eventually win Mr. Basketball in the state directly south, as well as be named to both Parade and McDonald’s All-American team. In 1994, Delk was named to the All-SEC Tournament team. In 1995, he would be named first team All-SEC. In 1996, he would be named first team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, and the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament. Tony Delk ended his career as the #4 scorer in the history of Kentucky basketball, and currently sits #5. The undersized shooting guard could fill it up with the best of ‘em, tying an NCAA record with seven 3-pointers made in the 1996 NCAA Championship game.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

October 26th: On this date...

... in 1989, the one-and-only Jamal Mashburn committed to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. It was the first big commitment of the Rick Pitino Era as the Bronx, NY, native had followed the former Knicks coach very closely. Mashburn and his Unforgettable teammates help lead a turnaround of massive proportions, leading Kentucky to an Elite Eight in 1992. One year later, Mashburn led Big Blue to a Final Four where they would fall to Michigan’s Fab Five. October 26, 1989, deserves to be a holiday in the Commonwealth as one can pinpoint this day as a starting point for one of the most successful decades in program history. The Monster Mash had climbed to fourth on the all-time Kentucky basketball scoring list as he decided to turn pro after his junior season. He currently stands #6 on the all-time scoring list.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

October 25th: On this date...

... in 2003, Kentucky’s all-everything wideout Derek Abney tied the NCAA record for most career kick returns for a touchdown in a 42-17 rout of Mississippi State. Abney’s 80-yard punt return in the third quarter was his eighth career kick return for a touchdown, tying Cliff Branch (1970-71 Colorado) and Johnny Rodgers (1970-72 Nebraska). Kentucky came back from a 17-0 first half deficit and scored 42 unanswered points for the final tally. Abney’s punt return put the Cats up 21-17, and they never looked back. Jared Lorenzen also broke Tim Couch’s record for career touchdown passes (74) on a 53-yard play to Abney, giving him 75 for his career. J-Load finished 16-24 for 256 yards and the lone touchdown. Nice record-breaking day for the 4-4 Wildcats.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Where is the Love?

As we all know, the football Cats are sitting at 3-3 right now. Wins over Miami (OH), Louisville, and Auburn and losses to the consensus #1, #2 teams in America with Florida and Alabama and a very good, in and out of the poll South Carolina team. That leads me to my question of at what point will the Cats start making some noise in the polls? If we win the next 4 games, which is very possible and really should happen, that would put us on a 5 game win streak leading into a trip to Athens. Could the Cats be ranked and possibly favored going to Georgia?

All questions that we hope will be answered in the next month. Looking at the polls I see Oklahoma still ranked at #25 with the same record as the Cats. I am in no way saying we are better than Oklahoma, but when you compare UK and OU you will see an interesting story. Oklahoma is 3-3 with losses to BYU, Miami (FL), and Texas. I think the Cats 3 losses are better losses than those 3 and Oklahoma wins are over Baylor, Idaho State and Tulsa. I would make a strong argument that the Cats wins are over better teams than Oklahoma.

So is Oklahoma really better than Kentucky? I would say without their Heisman winning quarterback, Sam Bradford out for the season, NO,. I think a UK versus Oklahoma bowl game in the Cotton Bowl would be fun for all. Matching up the 2 best conferences and an up-and-coming team versus a staple in the top 10 over the past decade. Just food for thought.

October 24th: On this date...

... in 2008, Kentucky guard Jodie Meeks declared himself 100% healthy about a miserable 2007-08 campaign that was plagued by injury and a coaching change. A sports hernia initially diagnosed as a stress fracture in his pelvis and a hip flexor limited the Norcross, GA, native to 11 games. And with the loss of seniors Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley, Meeks knew he needed to step up his offensive game in order for the Cats to be successful. The fact there was no mention on the SEC’s preseason All-SEC team also kept the fire alive in Jodie for 2008-09. Little did Big Blue Nation know what was in store for them during the 2008-09 basketball season. While the team struggled down the stretch, the individual performances by Jodie Meeks were immediately legendary. Jodie had a monster season highlighted by the ridiculous 54-point performance at Tennessee.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

October 23rd: On this date...

... in 1998, a 54-year old Englishman, Ian Ward, came up with possibly the greatest idea of my generation........the image you see above. Ward was the general manager of the Kentucky CoolCats, the University’s barely funded hockey team, came up with a spicy idea to promote the team. Having seen Judd on TV during the basketball season, the idea popped into his head to contact the UK alum in a last ditch effort to gain some excitement. Judd was contacted by her cousin and finally agreed to do the shoot. The poster was a hit, a pop culture phenomenon. Outlets such as USA Today and Washington quickly picked the story up causing a stir among professional hockey players. Everyone had to have the poster. Brett Favre’s agent requested a dozen or so copies. What started as a favor, ended up being quite possibly the greatest publicity stunt in Hollywood history. After Judd’s appearance, every actress from the state knew that if she was going to make it, she needed her own hockey poster moment. Rebecca Gayheart, Leah Lail, the Costello twins (Julie and Shawnie), model Kylie Bax, and Miss USA Tara Conner all owe a bit of their popularity to Mr. Ward.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

John Wall Potentially Ineligible

This falls under the category of worst news for your Thursday, but Mary Jo Perino let us know today that the SEC doesn't like, and is questioning John Wall's relationship with an agent. From what she says, as long as he pays the money/benefits back, he could only be suspended for 10% of this season's schedule.

Apparently, John Wall's AAU coach was an agent for a year under FIBA (the international governing body of basketball). The NCAA equates this relationship as Wall accepting benefits/money from said agent, even if there was no actual monetary exchange. Ladies and gentlemen, the NCAA!

The University has been aware of this issue for quite some time, so its not news to them or the SEC. There has simply been a delay with a few amateurism issues for Wall and incoming Mississippi State frosh Renardo Sidney.

Well, we had a good year.

Happy Thursday!

ESPN - Wall eligibility issue

October 22nd: On this date...

... in 1977, your University of Kentucky Wildcats gave the Prince of Wales his first American football experience. Kentucky played Georgia in Athens while the Prince was stateside. At halftime, Prince Charles was able to meet Kentucky All-American Art Still and head coach Fran Curci. When the Prince came upon the 6'6" Still, he said, “You’re a tall one aren’t you?” Big Blue ultimately destroyed the Bulldogs that day, 33-0, and finished the 1977 season with a 10-1 record. Curci, who coached the Cats for nine seasons, is still the longest tenured coach in program history to this day.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Kiss the Baby