Kentucky Sports Radio

The always venerable Wikipedia defines an expatriate as “a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country or culture other than that of the person’s upbringing.” In other words, they’re strangers in a strange land. University of Kentucky fans have always identified themselves as members of “Big Blue Nation,” and in many cases, the BBN really CAN be found almost anywhere your travels take you. With that in mind, the series “The Ex-Pats of Big Blue Nation” will profile those Kentucky fans who have moved away from the Bluegrass State for whatever reason, asking how they’ve managed to maintain their devotion and fanhood despite living in areas where every exhibition game isn’t televised or where no one in the neighborhood understands the significance of the date April 2, 2012. Today, say hello to Matt in San Diego, who has also spent time in Japan. Read on and enjoy hearing about life as a UK fan outside of Kentucky.

Let’s start with the basics. Please state your name, where you’re from, and current location for the official record. No need for exact addresses, I don’t want to get you in trouble on the Internet.

Matt from Georgetown, KY and currently living in San Diego, CA.

How did you get from Point A (Kentucky) to Point B (where you are now)?

I moved to San Diego after accepting a position with an e-commerce company headquartered here.  Even though it meant leaving my family and home state, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.  I accepted this role with a new company after completing a 2 year assignment with another company in Japan.

What team’s fans dominate your area? (College or professional)

In this part of the country, I would use the term “fan” very, very loosely.  However, I must give some credit where credit is due and I’d say the most passionate fans that dominate the area here are for the San Diego State Aztecs.  After that, I’d have to say Chargers and honestly I won’t even include the Padres because they have zero legitimate fans and are just brutally awful to watch.

Was it a hard adjustment going from living where everyone knows every detail about UK sports, to where people may conceivably think UK and Louisville are the same team?

The adjustment was very hard and continues to be hard.  The passion about sports here is not even in the same conversation as the passion that UK fans have and I miss that excitement and build up, not just for game day but hitting refresh on KSR every 10 seconds just to see where a recruit might be leaning.  The sporting events here are more about being seen than seeing your team and that can really get me down.  Fortunately for me, my girlfriend Molly has become a UK fan and does watch all the games with me.  I would like to make sure she gets a big shout out as she is a total trooper, putting up with all my nonsense about not being able to miss a single minute of a game (no matter where we are or what we are doing we MUST get home….can’t miss the opening tip).  She has even become a big fan herself and knows all the players, nothing short of a miracle for a girl from the San Francisco area.  One interesting tidbit and new connection we now have:  Marcus Lee, who is joining UK this coming season, went to the same high school as she did.

How many Kentucky fans would you say are in your general vicinity? Is there a local UK alumni group or bar?

I have met one, count them one, legitimate displaced UK fan out here but I haven’t really seen many more.  Unfortunately there are no UK Alumni bars in San Diego (the closest one is in Los Angeles).

How do you show off your fandom while living away from Kentucky?

Aside from purchasing the most expensive satellite TV package available just to make sure I never miss a game, I have an “I Heart UK” sign above my desk at work, a UK magnet on my desk drawer at work, a UK calendar on my desk at work and during any given week I wear 2-3 UK t-shirts to work.  I make sure to wear my UK gear out in public any time anything relating to Kentucky is happening.

What’s the hardest thing about being a fan outside of the geographic BBN? The best thing?

The hardest thing for me is not being able to share in the joy of other people when UK wins a game and not being able to actually attend a game or watch at a local bar anytime I want.  The best thing is that I honesty feel it is my duty to make sure everyone out here knows who the best team is and show my support.

What has been your favorite memory as a UK fan?

My favorite memory as a UK fan (I’m only 31 years old so I can’t go back too far) would probably be the 1996 title run and watching Tony Delk just light everyone up they played.  I clearly enjoyed the title from two seasons ago and that was a really special moment as it was the first one I’ve been able to enjoy as an adult.

What do you do for games?

For games I always wear my UK basketball shirt and I always make sure my girlfriend has hers on as well.  If I’m at home, the sound must be as loud as I can possibly stand and that doesn’t solicit complaints from my neighbors.  If I am at a bar, I always call ahead to make sure a) they will have the game on and b) they will have sound.  I absolutely cannot watch a game without sound, hate it.  Unfortunately around here, it wouldn’t be uncommon for a UK game to be on ESPN or CBS and have it nowhere to be found playing in a bar.  That makes me very sad.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to follow a game live?

The craziest thing I’ve ever done to follow a game live happened while I was living in Japan.  Before moving to San Diego and accepting a position with my current company, I worked for two years in Japan on assignment with another company.  During that time, UK was playing Clemson in the Music City Bowl and I really, really wanted to be home to watch the game.  Within a 3 day period, I had acquired my 5 days of vacation time from work, purchased a plane ticket, and flew from Japan to Lexington (then drove from Lexington to Nashville) to watch the game.  I returned to Japan just a few days later.  With regards to a basketball game, there were multiple occasions where I’d go out to my car in the parking garage at work to listen to games online (remember, Japan is 12ish hours ahead of US time, depending on what time of year it is).  So a 7pm game on ESPN would begin at 7am for me (the next day).

How do you keep up with UK news without the local media readily accessible?

During my time in Japan, it was all about KSR and also Slingbox had just come out not too long before that.  Now, it is all about satellite TV and having access to any channel at any time.  If I am not around a computer or TV, I always have my phone and can generally find a way to listen or watch from there.

I don’t know what Slingbox is, but it sounds hip. If I embark on a cross-country road trip with my friends, a la Britney Spears in Crossroads, do you have a UK-themed room I can stay in?

Absolutely.  I live in a one bedroom condo in downtown San Diego so it’s not very palatial but my living room does have all of the following: framed Anthony Davis poster (the one with his arms outstretched), framed Sports Illustrated cover with MKG and Davis, framed Herald-Leader celebration photo the day after the title game two seasons ago, and a UK throw blanket.

Done. See you this summer. Since becoming an ex-pat, have you returned to Kentucky to watch the team play or seen the team play live in a different area? Any stories there? You mentioned flying back from Japan simply for a UK football bowl game. That, is dedication.

I came back last year with my girlfriend just before Thanksgiving to visit family and we did manage to get tickets to the Lafayette game.  We are planning to come home this year for New Year’s and if it is the last thing I do on this earth I WILL get tickets to the UK/UL game at Rupp.  The absolute craziest thing, as I mentioned, was flying across the world to watch a football game.  I remember it was absolutely freezing cold for that game.  However, I do have some cool photos.  I purchased tickets on StubHub that were around the 50 yard line and literally the first row off the field.  I figured if I was going to travel that far I might as well have good seats. I also was able to heckle the Clemson punter throughout the entire game as his kicking net was just in front of us.  I don’t recall the website but we were able to find on our phones a diary blog the punter kept and maintained with some great material in it.  He actually seemed to enjoy it as he was laughing along with us.

How do the locals respond to your fandom?

The most confusing looks and questions I get were about the Anthony Davis poster at my desk at work (before I framed it and took it home).  People also cannot believe anyone would go so far as to frame magazine and newspaper articles and display them so prominently in their home.  These things I have framed at home aren’t tucked away in some bedroom but they are displayed above my couch in the living room.  Being from Kentucky, the fan in all of us is not something we learned or decided to do.  We were all born UK fans and grew up watching the Cats, there just wasn’t any other way around it.  It just isn’t the same out here.

You have been shown on KSR atop Mount Fuji, which you climbed with a blown up picture of Billy Clyde. This is not a question, I just really need to hear the story behind this.

I came into the office when I was working in Japan one morning and read the headline about Billy Clyde’s arrest from the night before.  My coworker and I had already been planning a hike up Mt. Fuji for weeks and as it turned out we were going to leave work early that day to make the drive to the mountain and hike overnight (hiking overnight or at least starting the evening/afternoon before is preferred as it is considered good luck to see the sunrise from the top).  I couldn’t stop laughing all morning at the mugshot photo so I decided to print his image out on the biggest paper I could find and take it to the top with me so I could have a unique photo to send to KSR for consideration as UK fan of the day (that was really the motivating factor).  I did manage to pack one beer with me to display in the photo next to Clyde’s mugshot which turned out well, along with my UK shirt and hat.  One thing that happened which I totally didn’t expect were all the Japanese people at the top of the mountain asking to have their photo taken with myself and Clyde.  Japanese culture is generally very standoff-ish and they wouldn’t normally approach someone like this but I did speak the language, which I think helped them feel more comfortable.  There is nothing quite like a Clyde mugshot on the top of Mt. Fuji with 10 different people standing around throwing up the peace sign.

I once gave you recommendations for pizza places in Chicago. Were my suggestions satisfactory?

You recommended Orange for breakfast/brunch and Lou Malnati’s for deep dish.  Due to my time constraints during my work trip, I was only able to try Lou Malnati’s.  It changed my life so I am forever in your debt (and so are the 6 coworkers I dragged there with me).  I had literally never tried a deep dish pizza in my life before then.  Now, I only order deep dish from a place called Berkeley Pizza here in San Diego which my girlfriend introduced me to.  So, she thanks you as well for turning me onto it.

You are quite welcome. What advice do you have for anyone who may be considering a move from Kentucky who is concerned about missing out on following UK?

Technology these days allows us to pretty much keep up with any game, if you choose to.  I get so much satisfaction, in a weird way really, being one of the sole UK fans in my particular area.  It generates conversations with strangers and I enjoy all the “shaking heads” when I cheer too loud or seem too wrapped up in a sports team where the outcome of the game can literally affect my mood the rest of the day.

Any general stories that the readers of KSR would be interested to hear about living as a BBN ex-pat? 

No other particular stories but I’d like to throw some praise KSR’s way.  During my time in Japan, my only really easy connections to all things UK was KSR.  I would literally (zero exaggeration here) wake up each morning there, roll over to turn off the alarm, pick up my phone and pull up KSR to read on what I’d missed from the previous night.  At my office, due to the amount of screens I needed to have open at any one time, I was given two monitors.  One monitor was my KSR dedicated monitor which had the refresh button hit on it somewhere around 20 times per day if I had to guess.  I know KSR has grown from a small idea into something much larger (radio, ridiculous tennis coverage not too far from my house, etc.) but please don’t ever forget just how many of us out there use your site to feed the typical insatiable appetite for anything, and I mean anything, UK.  When you aren’t fortunate enough to live in Kentucky, there really isn’t another website out there that gives you what KSR does and I think that is a very good thing.

Are you a BBN ex-pat who likes talking about yourself? Email me at kristenmgeil@gmail.com

Without a doubt UK is going to be the favorite to hang banner number nine next season. The class is stacked, the team is loaded, and the staff is ready for revenge on all the teams that stole one last year. The team is going to be crazy good, so good that the second starting five would be a top 20 team in the nation. Assuming the staring 5 is going to be The Harrisons, Poythress, Randle and WCS then that would make the next five

1. Polson

2. Young

3. Wiltjer

4. Lee

5. Johnson

Four McDonalds All-Americans and a senior point guard who has battled against the likes of Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague. That’s arguably the best group coming off the bench in the history of college basketball. But where would it land amongst the starting fives around the country? This week on the radio show Matt and Ryan said that team would easily be picked to finish third in the SEC behind the first five and Florida. I’d say that’s pretty hard to argue with. How about on the national scene? Let’s take a look.

A few weeks ago Jason King of ESPN listed his top 20 for next season as follows:

Kentucky

Louisville

Michigan State

Arizona

Duke

Ohio State

Florida

Syracuse

Michigan

Oklahoma St

UNC

Wichita St

VCU

Memphis

Marquette

New Mexico

Gonzaga

Baylor

Tennessee

Indiana

King wrote this piece before Wiggins committed and before UT lost Golden but besides that I’d say this list is pretty solid. So where would the second five be ranked. I don’t think they would be there among the top ten. That group is made up of Final Four teams, solid returning players, and the great teams next year. Our second five could probably play with them but there is just too many unknowns to say they would be better than those top 11 teams. After that things open up a bit more and I could see our second group settling in around with those mid-majors. VCU, Memphis, and Gonzaga won’t have close to the level of talent of that second group and I think it’s safe to say our second group would be ranked in the top fifteen.

When you can say that about the second five off the bench then you know it’s going to be a fun year. Where would you place that group of backups?

When the playoffs began ten Cats had hopes of playing for a NBA title but now there is just one player with a chance to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy and one GM still in the hunt. First up is the man Pat Riley who looks to add yet another ring to his already impressive collection.  The Heat are looking to win back-to-back titles and head to their third straight finals since acquiring Lebron. So far they have looked untouchable as they have only dropped one game in the playoffs and have only lost three games in the past three months. Riley and the Heat are the odds on favorites to win but first they may need to take down yet another Kentucky guy.

Frank Vogel and his Pacers are back in action tonight against the Knicks as they try to determine the final spot in the conference championships. Vogel is a UK grad who was an assistant with the Cats in the 90s. The Pacers had the series under control until George Hill went down with a concussion. The Knicks took game five and will try to send the series back to NY with a win tonight. That game tips off at 8:30.

Tayshaun is the only remaining former Cat still alive in the playoffs. Prince capped off the elimination of the Thunder with the monster dunk pictured above.  Prince is averaging 8 points per game and has been a major factor on the defensive side of the ball for the rejuvenated Grizzlies. It was just two years ago that the Grizz tanked the final games of the season so they could take on the Spurs in the 1-8 matchup. Memphis was able to win that series in the rare 8 seed upset before falling to the Thunder. Now the two teams will face off again for the Western Conference crown. I’m taking the Grizz in this one.

With three former Cats still hanging around in the playoffs the chances are very good that a Cat is going to win a ring. The only question is will it be a player, coach, or GM? No matter what it creates a nice diversion as we patiently wait for the ride to 40-0 to begin.

Well it sure isn’t the Derby but the second leg of the triple crown is underway today with Orb ready to make a run at glory. Much like the Derby two weeks ago it’s a sloppy overcast day in Baltimore which should make for an amazing time in the infield. Here’s what you need to know to get ready for Pimlico:

Who are the favorites?

1. Orb 4-5

2. Goldencents 8-1

3. Titletown Five 16-1

4. Departing 10-1

5. Mylute 8-1

6. Oxbow 14-1

7. Will Take Charge 9-1

8. Govenor Charlie 10-1

9. Itsmyluckyday 8-1

Battle the Rail

If Orb is going to win the second leg of the crown then he will have to overcome the rail in addition to the field to do so. Only one horse has ever won the Preakness after staring in the 1 spot but everyone seems to think Orb is a lock to become the second. Nine horses have won the first two legs since 97, Orb will look to make it 10.

Lexington Native Shug McGaughey in the Spotlight

“The Kentucky Derby was on my list. I’m not sure the Triple Crown was,” those are the words of Shug who has been launched to the forefront of horse racing. He finally got his wish of capturing the Derby but now he has a chance to be forever etched into the history books with Orb.

So who are you taking in the Preakness today? Post your picks in the comment section below so we can figure up how much money you won after the race.

Update

Oxbow takes the Preakness in an upset after leading from wire to wire!

There’s a gift already wrapped and sitting under a NBA GM’s tree and that gift is a 7-foot shot blocker with a flattop. Kinda hard to tell with all that wrapping paper. Noel has spent the week getting ready for the NBA draft and spoke with the AP about his recovery process

Noel said he is ”ahead of schedule,” but being ready for a season opener is overly optimistic and Christmas is more of a target date.

”I’ve started to shoot some free throws the last week with a different type of brace on,” said Noel, who has yet to start running again in his rehab. ”I’m 100 percent confident of not just gaining what I had but definitely being stronger, coming back better. During this time that I won’t be playing basketball I’ll just be working on a lot of things that I needed to polish when I was playing.” [...]

”It’s an injury you’ve got to be mindful of,” he said. ”You can’t try to rush back from it. You want to have longevity in your career, just be careful with it.”

Noel said he’ll be particularly careful about the mental aspect of being comfortable with his return.

”As much as you want to be back, you want to be playing as long as you can in the NBA and not have to reinjure yourself and go through all this again,” he said.

Knees aren’t something you want to mess around with, just ask Greg Oden, but it’s good to hear that Nerlens is ahead of schedule. After seeing him go down at Florida you had to think the guy’s career could be on the line. Now Noel could be back for Christmas (heh) after being the number one pick in the draft. It’s hard to imagine a better possible outcome for the flattop fella.

@ACassady_KSR

The headline “Berrios’ 5 TDs carry Pride to Victory” from the Midtown Raleigh News speaks for itself.

Wide Receiver

5’9”, 180 lbs.
Westchester, NC

Rivals: #33 WR
Scout: #84 WR
247: #37 ATH, #12 in player NC

Choosing between UK and: Clemson, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virgina, and Virginia Tech

Twitter: @HNYNUT_BERRIOS

After announcing his commitment to play for the University of Kentucky, Northern Kentucky QB Drew Barker vowed to reach out to his peers to make the best recruiting class in the history of Kentucky football. In the coming weeks I will be breaking down some of the players on Barker’s wish list. “Who’s Drew Barkin’ At?” may be a grammatically awful pun ending in a preposition, but I just can’t help myself. Past profiles: Derek Kief

“@hnynut_berrios: This @uk2014class page is taking stuff to a whole different level…#respect” WE WANT YOU!

— UK 2014 Fball Class (@UK2014Class) May 15, 2013

Braxton Berrios has been heralded by national recruiting writers as a clone of Wes Welker. They see a mini-Wes Welker, I see a Randall Cobb/Dicky Lyons. Berrios is listed as an athlete because he does what Randall Cobb does: EVERYTHING. His agility allows him to stop on a dime, making it difficult for defenses whether he is catching passes in the slot, as QB of the Wildcat, or running the ball on an end-around.The proof lies in the stats: last year he finished with 1,142 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns while catching 10 touchdowns on 766 yards receiving. Berrios combines Cobb-like athleticism with the same hard-nosed football mentality that Dicky Lyons brought to the field. His hit at the 3:58 mark of his highlight tape reminds me of Lyons’ big hit in the 2007 LSU game. You gotta love a little guy that plays with no fear.

Berrios’ ability to use the open-field to make hard cuts and elude defenders will make him a great fit for Neal Brown’s offense. A majority of the passing yards will come from wide receivers turning 4-yard routes into 10-yard gains, making Berrios the perfect fit at slot receiver. If Berrios can’t find the field immediately at wideout, he will have the chance to play a key role in special teams. Even if he isn’t returning kicks, rest assured he will be flying down the field on kickoffs/punts for the big homerun hit.

-@RoushKSR

If you’re in the Lexington-area it’s still not too late to head out to John Cropp Stadium to help the Cats advance to tomorrow’s Regional Final. If you aren’t in the Lexington-area or you don’t want to spend $20 for a ticket, you can watch the Regional Semi-final vs. Virginia Tech on ESPN3 at 1:00. The #12 Wildcats may have taken an early lump in the SEC Tournament, but after a bases-loaded walk-off win against Marshall last night the Cats are looking to build some momentum for a deep run into the post-season.

If that short paragraph wasn’t enough to light a fire under your butt and get you to the park, you can watch Nikki Sagermann’s game-winning hit below at the 2:45 mark. If that still doesn’t work you can always be there in heart by listening to the game on 105.5 FM, or online here.

Timmons finishes strong in the final-leg of the 100M. (h/t The State Journal)

Neal Brown has marveled at incoming freshman Ryan Timmons speed on the football field. Yesterday Timmons reinforced Brown’s beliefs by taking home the AA State Title in the 100M and 200M. Timmons successfully pulled off the 3-peat in the 100M, finishing in 11.06 seconds.

While re-claiming his title in 100M was important, Timmons showed his competitive nature by focusing primarily on winning the 200M, a race he fell just short of winning the year before. “I lost last year and I had something to prove. It was kind of disappointing and that’s what I’ve been working for, to show people how fast I was.” After hearing Cal recently preach and preach about toughness, you can appreciate Timmons’ competitive “headhunter” mentality that will be brought to football team in the fall.

(@SRsixstix)

This morning Dominique Hawkins added another accolade to his exceptional Senior year of high school. With a Sweet 16 MOP under his belt and a roster spot on a potentially historic UK team, the only thing left was to have his own day of the week. This morning Richmond Mayor Jim Barnes declared May 18th “Dominique Hawkins Day” in the city of Richmond.

I know most of you are excited to get out of town Memorial Day Weekend, but you should have planned your vacations around the summer’s best holiday “Dominique Hawkins Day”.

- The Hittin’ Kittens inched their way closer to the Women’s College World Series last night after winning in dramatic fashion at John Cropp Stadium. With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 8th, Nikki Sagermann’s RBI-single gave the Cats their 7th extra-inning win of the season, downing Marshall 2-1. They will continue their quest at 1:00 against Virginia Tech, go show em some support #BBN.

- The Mayans will not stop saying, “I told you so.” Yesterday’s Copa del Rey Final (that’s soccer) was a rough match between inner-city rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. With cards flying all over the field, Atletico defeated Real 2-1 in extra-time for the first time since 1999.  The Mayans may not have correctly predicted the ending of the world, but they knew something weird was going to happen in 2013 for Little Brothers all around the world.

- With the second leg of the triple crown on the line tonight at 6:20 on NBC, take some time to learn more about your homegrown Derby winner Orb. The New York Times wrote a piece on Orb and his ‘childhood friend’ Departing, reuniting today on the racetrack for the first time since their time as yearlings on Claiborne Farms.

- Violence is never the correct answer, unless you are a Russian Pee-Wee hockey player. In honor of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, take a look at the craziest hockey fight I’ve EVER seen.

Former Kentucky Wildcat Ron Mercer celebrates his 36th birthday today. Mercer was a key member of the 1996 national championship winning/denim jersey wearing Kentucky men’s basketball team. For most children growing up in the 1990s like myself, Mercer’s most important and prominent role was as a forward for the Blue and White. For me though, his most important role was in the VHS movie “Back on Tops Cats” that I watched every single day when I came home from school for at least 2-3 years of my childhood. Following the 1996 national championship run, the sequel to the “Top Cats” VHS was released. And just like my Mom always went and bought national championship t-shirts at the gas station promptly the day after each title Kentucky has won in my lifetime, she faithfully purchased the VHS for me.

“Back on Top Cats” chronicled the entire NCAA tournament run, which included a final 4 win over a then-John Calipari coached UMASS team. I don’t remember many specifics from that UMASS team other than Marcus Camby, but I do remember a few pesky guards: The Padilla brothers, and a guy by the name of “Travieso.”

Mercer not only celebrated a decorated career at Kentucky, including All-American honors and SEC Player of the Year honors, but he also had a career in the NBA which lasted until 2005. Mercer was originally drafted by Rick Pitino in 1997 with the 6th overall pick. Happy birthday, Ron Mercer. Thank you for helping me avoid watching Sally Jesse Raphael with my sister after school.

And now on to the news and views from a slow day in the Kentucky sporting world…

—- If you came here tonight hoping to find breaking news or big news from the day… quite simply, you might find yourself disappointed. Following the Andrew Wiggins announcement and John Calipari’s press conference and KSR radio appearance, “school” has essentially been let out for the summer. The time between now and the NBA Draft will likely be rather slow… but we will do our best to help you through the emptiness.

—- We learned today that Archie Goodwin and Nerlens Noel might not be the only two Wildcats from this year’s team to play in the NBA. Julius Mays, who admitted at the end of the season that he would like to continue pursuing the option to play basketball, has been working out with NBA teams. The Milwaukee Bucks, LA Lakers and the Toronto Raptors are all giving Uncle Julius a look before the draft. Mays doesn’t necessarily expect to hear his name called on draft night, but he feels confident that he can find a spot for himself as a shooter and role player off the bench as a free agent. Best of luck to Julius Mays.

—- Meanwhile, Archie Goodwin is currently participating in the NBA Draft combine in Chicago. In news that likely hasn’t surprised many Kentucky fans, Goodwin has struggled a bit in his workouts. Goodwin is primarily considered to be a shooting guard, yet he does not have the outside shooting stroke that the NBA often croons over from that position. Goodwin played some at the point for Kentucky, but that doesn’t appear to be his natural position (or at least not yet). If Goodwin sparks a team’s interest in the first round, it will likely be based on raw potential, not his current skill set.

—- John Calipari has made the rounds in the past few days to talk mainly about next year’s team, his Vespa and his two-man book club with Willie Cauley-Stein. One point Cal brought up was that Alex Poythress and Willie Cauley-Stein were both realistic about their status and readiness for the NBA, prompting them to both come back for another season. Only time will tell on whether or not Goodwin would have been better off making the same decision. His lack of a clear cut shooting guard or point guard skill-set certainly begs the question.

—- In a small football nugget, Athlon Magazine’s pre-season college football rankings were just released. Kentucky checks in at #65 with the daunting task of facing perhaps the toughest schedule in the country. Western Kentucky, a team Mark Stoops believes would beat the Cats if they played today, checked in at #91. Kentucky will have the chance to score a huge upset early in the season when they play 10th ranked Louisville.

—- More help looks to be on the way though in the next few years for the Kentucky football team. On the heels of Drew Barker’s commitment last week, Kentucky looks to be in great shape with at least 3 players who plan to announce their college decisions soon. Darius West, Braxton “Honey Nut” Berrios and Derek Kief all have Kentucky squarely in the picture for their recruitment. West and Berrios both intend to likely announce by the end of the month, and Kentucky is in a strong position with both players. #StoopsAndBarkerEffect

A quick glance at the 3 players to keep an eye on:

1) Derek Chief

6’5, 200 lbs.

4-star WR

Cincinnati, Ohio

Choosing between: Kentucky, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Northwestern

2) Braxton Berrios

5’9, 180 lbs.

4-star WR

Raleigh, North Carolina

Offers from Virginia Tech, West Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, etc.

3) Darius West

5’11, 196 lbs.

4-star Safety

Lima, Ohio

Will choose between Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State and Wisconsin on May 30th

—- A huge congratulations to the Kentucky women’s softball team for their opening round win in the NCAA Regionals tonight. The Cats faced off against Marshall in a game that took extra innings to decide. Kentucky finally pulled out the victory in the bottom of the 8th with a walk-off single by Nikki Sagermann to close the deal. The Cats won 2-1 and will now face Virginia Tech in the winners bracket at 1 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. Kentucky is hosting the event, so make an afternoon of it at the brand new facility if the weather holds up. Go Cats.

—- If you are still following Grant Traylor (the media member from the Wiggins announcement), tonight was probably a fairly productive evening for him on your Twitter Timeline. Traylor is the beat writer for the Marshall women’s softball team. I unfollowed him at 8 p.m., a few hours before the game was over. It must have been love, but it’s over now. 

—- On the other side of the scoreboard, the Kentucky men’s baseball team dropped a crucial game to Missouri 4-3 tonight. The Cats were in desperate need of a sweep over a beatable Missouri team in order to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive. Kentucky’s lone chance to keep the dream alive now appears to be an SEC tournament championship. Anything less and the Cats will likely be on the outside looking in.

UK player Jake Taylor probably put it best when he said, “Well I guess there’s only one thing left to do. Win the whole ******* thing.”

—- This season has been rather disappointing for the baseball team. On April 2nd, the Cats’ record stood at 22-6. In just over a month’s time, Kentucky has gone 7-18 (s/o to David Mulloy for the stat and for his superb UK windbreaker).

And last but not least… stay tuned for stories from Matt, Drew, Ryan and some of the other KSR crew members as they travel to Waddy tomorrow night to camp with the werewolf. Good luck and fill up on gas while you’re there. Best deal in town.

I wouldn’t being doing my due diligence as the KSR Bachelor representative if I didn’t pass along the trailer to a brand new Bachelor show that will soon premiere on ABC.*

Check out this clip from The Jimmy Kimmel Show and decide with or not you believe “The Baby Bachelor” Wesley can find love after (4-ish) years of searching. This kid has dreams. Like “turning his bed around.”

If you can’t laugh at this, we probably can’t be friends. 

*Just kidding. It will not ever be on television.

@AFlenerKSR

It is impressive, but in my view should be a little bigger.

Good evening, friends, and welcome to a rare Friday evening notes. I’m usually winding down from the blogging world around this time and switching to weekend mode, but tonight I felt compelled to write Kentucky news and notes in bulleted in form for my favorite people on the internet. So, kick back and enjoy what little news I could dig up from around #BBN.

— The NBA combine is underway in Chicago and, for the first time in the John Calipari era, we have only one Kentucky player to really keep up with during the process. Nerlens is almost a lock for that No. 1 pick and he isn’t working out, so Archie Goodwin is our NBA Draft entertainment for the month of May. Burr.

Archie struggled with his shot during today’s drills and it’s going to end up being his downfall if he can’t improve very, very soon. There isn’t a big market for shooting guards who can’t shoot, which is exactly what he is right now, unfortunately. This tweet from Draft Express sums the day up:

Archie Goodwin and B.J. Young having a mini-competition for who can look like a worse shooter. Air-balling shots left and right. #nbacombine

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 16, 2013

This is how it looked…

Time to focus on that move to point guard? He told Andy Katz he’s open to it if asked by a team but he plans to stay at the two.

— About a year ago, I decided that Nazr Mohammed will play in the NBA forever. It’s truly amazing that he’s still in the league after 14 seasons, and if Bulls coach Tom Thibodeux has his way, Nazr will be back for a 15th. Thibodeux said yesterday he would like to re-sign Nazr for another year and that Nazr was “tremendous” this season. However, Thibodeux also acknowledged that the market could call for someone else to take his place. One Bulls reporter said odds of Nazr being back in Chicago next season are very slim. Kings? You listening?

— Soon-to-be Kentucky football star Ryan Timmons won the state 100-meter title today, making him a three-time state champion in the event. That’s your future kick returner, folks. Congrats to Ryan.

— Oh, look, Kentucky will play NCAA Division III school Franciscan University of Steubenville in basketball in 2014. Cal extended the offer back in April while serving as the guest speaker at a fundraiser for the school, then announced it to the audience during his speech. Now it appears the deal is finalized for an exhibition game in Rupp Arena in November 2014. Beat the….ummmm… Google search… Barons! Beat the Barons!

— Finally, for you golf lovers, our friends over at IZOD are giving away a round of golf at Pebble Beach. I’d highly recommend you sign up and take me with you if you win.

That’ll do it for now. Enjoy your weekend and Go Cats.

If there’s one thing Kentucky fans love more than their teams, it’s the stuff they can buy to support them. KSR wants to see your odd and unique UK memorabilia. No, not just your run of the mill UK flag or t-shirt collection. We want the weird stuff. Have a stuffed Wildcat eating a cardinal? Send it in. A portrait of John Calipari made entirely of popcorn? Send it in. The odder, the better.

Today, we’re going to take a look at some odd wildcat figurines. These are not your normal knickknacks; someone has gone to great lengths to create them for UK fans to set upon their end tables, mantles, and everywhere else they can express their fandom in a slightly classier manner than say, a poster.

Cole Hancock’s Wildcat vase:

From Mike Stalls, who says he’s been riding since his freshman year at UK back in 1969:

Robey Smith’s favorite Wildcat mug:

This piece has a story behind it. From Kyle Moore:

This carafe is dubbed “The Wildcat,” and belonged to Kyle’s grandfather, who was a huge UK fan and season ticket holder for many years. The item has been in Kyle’s family since the 70′s, and always sat atop Kyle’s grandfather’s bar. After his grandfather’s death, Kyle’s grandmother sold the house and the family split some of his collectibles. The piece was passed around the family, sometimes with a surprise beverage inside. On September 10, 2011, Kyle’s cousin Will, a UK graduate, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Kyle says he and his cousin had many a nights drinking out of “The Wildcat,” and as a tribute, brought the carafe to a UK football tailgate the Saturday after his death. The family celebrated Will’s life by passing around “The Wildcat,” which garnered a lot of attention from fellow tailgaters, many who offered to buy it or just have their picture taken with it. Will’s friends and family came, and as Kyle writes, “it was a great way to wind down after a tragic week and celebrate the life of my cousin.”

Think you can do better? Send us a picture of your unique “UK junk” along with the story behind it and we’ll post the best ones on the website. Email pictures to tylerthompson@kentuckysportsradio.com with the subject heading “Kentucky Pickers.”

Remember last year when Kentucky won the national championship and Cal embarked on a state wide Trophy Tour to allow fans across the state a chance to celebrate with the hardware? Well not to be outdone Pitino has decided to take his trophy on a tour of his own and is doing so in the most Louisville way possible.

After bringing the trophy along as he went deep sea fishing in the Bahamas Pitino decided the next appearance made needed to be at his daughter’s 21st birthday bash. So while Cal stops at gas stations in Martin County to give people a chance to touch history Pitino decides to degrade the sanctity of the trophy by taking it out amongst the co-eds of Ft. Lauderdale. Seems about right.

A few weeks ago Ally asked the question “Do you still consider Rick Pitino ours?“. My answer to that is a resounding no. Between multiple scandals, the tattoo, and now stunts like this he has unquestionably gone full Cardinal. No official word yet but the next stops on the Pitino Trophy Tour include: dinner at Porcini’s, a stop by a tobacco field so the trophy can learn more about where Black and Mild’s come from, and they’ll wrap things up with a tour of the Crown Royal factory. Fitting. What other stops do you think they’ll try and fit in?

 @ACassady_KSR