If you only read one thing today, make it this
In this week’s Sports Illustrated, S.L. Price pens a lengthy profile of John Calipari, which takes a deep look at the reputation of Kentucky’s coach and why he’s been labeled so negatively nationally by some. Price paints a different picture of Calipari and takes a number of the issues on head-first by going directly to the sources and quoting a lot of the folks who have been viewed as Calipari detractors. There are comments from Bruce Pearl, John Chaney, Lou Carnesseca, Billy Packer and William Wesley and the noteworthy quotes are too numerous to list (trust me, I tried). A certain coach down I-64 plays a heavy role and doesn’t come off looking too great either. It’s a nine-page piece that refutes many of the myths about Coach Cal and, although it’s a serious piece with loads of information, it did have one particularly amusing nugget:
Twitter is a new and mostly benign toy, but when Calipari began his account at Kentucky in 2009, he wanted to institute Bash Wednesday, a weekly smackdown of adversaries large and small. He was dissuaded, but he still grins over the idea. He likes revenge.
Bash Wednesday? Revenge? I like the sound of that. It’s time to silence the critics.
Go Cats.
53 Comments for If you only read one thing today, make it this
Please don’t bash my boy Tommy Turtleneck. He might take Vinnie away from me.
YOU GOTTA LOVE CAL! I OVERHEARD THE OTHER DAY THAT ALTHOUGH TROY MCKINLEY SAID THAT HE LOVED PLAYING HIS FOUR YEARS AT UK UNDER JOE B. HALL, HE SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN ECSTATIC TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY FOR ONE SEASON UNDER COACH CAL! NOW THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING! HE ALSO ADDED IN AT THE END OF THE CONVERSATION THAT HE LOATHES BRUCE PEARL AND EVERYTHING TENNESSEE!
2.) Dude, f*cking shut up
I love Cal but this is WAY too long for me to read. I am too A.D.D. to pay attention for that long.
But im sure it is a really good read.
Can someone tell me what it says?
4) Short summary: Cal is good but misunderstood. Rick seems slick but is a prick.
2- Enough with Troy McKinley.
Here is his Big Blue History page:
http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/Players/McKinley_Troy.html
You have enlightened us all.
#5 Great job!
So is tomorrow “Bash Wednesday”?
Good article. It really shows that he is a good guy and asks the question ‘Why does he need an ulterior motive to do good things?’ Overall it was a good article for cal and mainly says that the perceived ‘dirtiness’ that other people have of cal is only that, perceived and not realistically based.
#3, what the hell is YOUR problem??? #2 doesn’t have a right to post here??? WTF?
Thumbs up to Bash Wednesday. Make it happen KSR.
2)If I ever see you out and about…I will promise I will kick you in your Scotty Smallballs…believe that!
2) Give it a rest!
#10 it’s because in every post that #2 does it always has to involve two things, capital letters and Troy Mckinley its been an ongoing thing for a week or so now. It’s up there with the same guy who used to post as Goldust
ALL WE NEED IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE GREATNESS OF TROY MCKINLEY
What, little ricky is a back stabber? No Way!
What a douche Ricky is starting that cancer rumor. What an A$$HOLE!
What about Ricky P starting that cancer rumor! What a prick!
It hurts when I pee
In all seriousness…that is an amazing article.
Cal wanted a Bash Wed and was “dissuaded.” I found that surprising and enlightening. It is good to have a Coach that listens to others as well as he tells what to do to others.
I think this article goes to show what a great fit Kentucky and Cal really are. Kentucky has a coach that wants to win as much or more than the fans here. Cal’s Kentucky “family,” the Big Blue Nation, has his back and doesn’t really care what other people say and think. As a matter of fact, I think, as UK fans, we like to have that chip on our shoulder…the “everybody hates us, so screw them” attitude. Cal has this same attitude and, together, we have an “us against the world” way of going about our business that the rest of the country fears. Across the country, UK fans and Cal are disliked by a lot of people. We don’t care. Cal doesn’t care either. Embrace the hate…it means they are scared and jealous.
Incredible profile, one of the best that I’ve ever read. Thorough, involved, a lot of direct quotes from a number of people and I though very fair…it didn’t attempt to dodge any of the issues in his career and tried to get a number of points of view.
I only regret that they didn’t talk with Pat Forde. LOL
Mark Liptak
great profile indeed…maybe mostly because it makes pitino sound like a complete prick
4- Just read it. Don’t be the guy who can’t even read 9 pages… I’m not a big reader either, but this profile is riveting.
It’s a great piece. Fantastic read.
“I’ll KILL you !” … we laugh about it now, we buds
really does paint ricky three stacks as petty douche prick
Great read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The one thing I thought it danced around but didn’t outright say was that success is the perfect breeding ground for haters in any field. I will be sending this to some friend.
4-You can’t read 9 pages? Really? You’re missing out on a lot of really good literature.
Fell asleep twice reading (don’t hate) but it was worth it in the end.
It was a very good read. I usually don’t take the time to read something that long, i’m glad I took the the time on this one. Very informative.
it’s nine pages, & those are internet pages, filled w/ links & banners & ads. it’s really maybe 4 or 5 pages, & it’s a helluva article. not finishing it because it’s “too long” is like watching HGTV just because the remote fell under the couch
#5:
Well played. So you’re a poet and don’t know it!
Wow. A lot of these comments reinforce the stereotype of Kentuckians as ignorant hicks (don’t get me wrong, I’m a life-long Kentuckian and damn proud of it). 9 pages? Really that bad?
If Cal beats me in recruiting, he must have cheated.
#28 – You are exactly right. Conversely, nobody hates the Detroit Lions. As long as people hate UK basketball, it’s coach, and it’s fans, I think we are doing alright…
OUTSTANDING
This is an unbiased, well-researched piece that deserves to be read by all college basketball fans and should be manditory reading for every UK fan especially.
38-but for some reason some idiots can’t read 9 freakin’ pages
32 it is a legit 9 pages in 10 font. How ever read it you lazy S0Bs! My favorite qoute “Wesley grew disgusted that Wagner, Thompson, and Walls were chewed up and spit out at Loserville” I will be sharing this whit all the barbershops of jefferson county! Great story!
This is what journalism is supposed to be like. Not writing an article with no research and pure hatred (see Forde, Thamel, etc.) It’s extremely thorough and fair.
well, i don’t want to start font wars, but my point was you don’t even have to pick up a book or turn a page
With the exception of D Orton, all of our 2009-2010 one and doners finished the second semester of school – right?
so basically in regards to this article:
it’s long, but worth it … that’s what she said
2 & 15 – I have known Troy since we were 10. Even he thinks you’re an idiot.
The date on this article in the “SI Vault” is March 14, 2011. I’m not a conspiracy theorist but, is Calipari from the future to save the UK program?! dee-nee-nee-nee dee-nee-nee-nee
#23 – Mark – enjoyed our day at Sig Ep!!! You could design the best basketball plays!
Amazing story there, worth the time to read for sure. Nice to see someone actually do a story on the guy and not just the rumors about him. Makes me look at things a bit differently, really good stuff there.
comments
Pitino is a huge douche
I’m not so sure this is so flattering of our Coach.
It reads as though UK is taking a chance on a guy who seems intent on winning at all costs and will do whatever it takes as long as he doesn’t get caught – aka Al “Just Win Baby” Davis.
It reads as something I could imagine being written about Jerry Tarkanian back in the early 1990s – and Kentucky fans really had few things to say about him back then because of the way he ran his program.
Kentucky fans really do need to evaluate what’s really important. If it’s wins and wins alone -then Cal may indeed your man.
If it’s winning, protecting the integrity of the term “student-athlete” and of the college itself, I believe we will be hated indeed by those who consider themselves trying to play by the rules.
Flattering may not be the right word, but it definitely paints a positive picture of Cal. It also shows what a back-stabbing piece of garbage Pitino was…and is. This article is f-ing awesome.
51.) Shut your old ass up please godddd, if we are winning your not going ot make a difference