Ummm...

Wow, did Vandy totally get hosed or what!

Lost in the euphoria of G'Town's memorable comeback against UNC on Sunday is the fact that G'Town was beaten by Vandy in the Sweet 16. That's right, Vandy won the game, and the refs stole it from them by allowing G'Town's Green to travel not once, but at least twice on his "game winning" shot. A couple of blogs have some good takes on this:

http://ncaabasketball.aolsportsblog.com/2007/03/23/blown-call-sends-wrong-team-to-elite-eight/

http://www.wearethepostmen.com/?p=1633

This was really, REALLY blatant folks. I immediately rewound the TIVO because I was like "That guy couldn't have just taken 5 steps on that shot, could he?" I mean, there are 3 freakin' refs out there who are supposed to be the best the NCAA has to offer, right. Maybe you let the first sliding/shuffling of the pivot foot go (Travel # 1). Maybe. But the "game winning" shot was taken off a completely new pivot foot, which was certainly the most obvious travel in the history of college basketball.

Can you even imagine if the SEC East team who got hosed on this call was UK, instead of the pussies (pussys?) at Vandy? Holy crap, those refs' houses would each have been burned down with "On, on, U of K" blaring in the background. It would have made the fans in "All the Right Moves" look like they were from San Diego.

Just please don't let G'Town win this thing now. They just can't.

Hey, at least we didn't kill him!!!

Click on the Title for the full story, but Kentucky fans can thank the Cricket world for making them look at lot more well-adjusted. Cricket is having their World Cup tournament, and Pakistan, the pre-tournament favorite, was bounced out of the World Cup by unheralded Ireland. Pakistan are apparently known in the Cricket world as always having the most talented team, but always underachieving. (kind of like the USA Basketball team).

Anyway, the day after the game, Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room, and soon pronounced dead. It was initially thought the guy had a heart attack from the stress of the colossal upset, but an autopsy revealed somebody STRANGLED him!!! And based on the lack of signs of a forced entry, it looks like it was somebody he knew.

So, Kentucky fans may have some figurative "blood on their hands" from Tubby Smith's ouster, but at least we didn't kill him! And no burning Crosses either! I feel good about that.

The First List!

Gary Parrish, who spends a little too much time whitening his teeth, has unleashed a ginormous list of candidates. Here they are, in no particular order with my view if it would be a good or bad choice.

Billy D- Good
Billy G- Good
Calipari- Good, but shady. Seriously, with UK's probabtion history, we should probably cross this guy off.
Crean- Eeeh. UK can do better.
Jay Wright- Good.
Thad Matta- Good
Mark Few/Rick Barnes- Bad. I am combining these two guys, b/c they are probably at the bottom of my list. Barnes is a GREAT recruiter, but a weak coach. Few, I just don't think he would leave or handle the pressure.
Countless others- Good. I guess.

And the kicker, Rick Pitino- Good. I am not a UK fan that is pining for Ricky P., but the guy is a great coach. Sure, he cheats on his wife, wears some sort of rug, and spins the truth worse than Bill O'Reilly, but he is a great coach.

I am sure more names, if that is possible, will be added to the list soon.

Tubby Watch-Over!! New Coach Watch Begins!!

Tubby Smith is out at Kentucky and headed to the University of Minnesota.

He is taking about a $1 million dollar paycut, so I doubt this is completely voluntary. Fox Sports is reporting that he was told to fire his staff or leave. I guess he didn't decide to fire his staff. I don't know if this means that Hanson, Hobbs, Rigot, etc. are going to UMinn also, but if they aren't I'm sure the other major programs will be beating down the door to hire these guys. That last part was sarcasm.

So, what does this mean? As predicted, catspause.com set a new record with over 9,000 visitors. That might not even last the rest of they day. (Update: New Record, over 10,000) Some people are reporting that Marquette's Tom Crean will be the guy, and that hasn't exactly fired up the Wildcat Nation. I think UK can probably do better, and they should probably wait until after the NCAA Tournament so they can contact any coach in which they might have interest.

Guesses from The Kid:

1. Billy Donovan
2. Billy Gilliespie

Outside Shot: Mike D'Antoni

If not one of the two Billy's, a lot of fans want John Calipari. I don't know about that, he seems a little shady to me.

Anyway, The Lon will have some viewpoints later, but for now, just know that Tubby Watch is done.

VCU-Later!!! (Lamest Headline Ever)

The Kid here and while it was not the most exciting first day in the NCAA Tournament, a bad day with the NCAA Tournament is better than your normal Thursday. Unless of course you are Coach K, in which case Thursday was pretty much a shit day all around.

So, what about the games? Each one taught us a little something to remember as the tournament progresses, chief among these is that the Pac-10 is probably horribly overrated. So, what else?

Virginia Commonwealth 79—Duke 77: This was the only big upset of the day and, for 99% of America, the best outcome. Unfortunately, there is not some sort of clause with CBS that allows them to pull the Coach K commercials after his team loses, so we will just have to put up with that a little longer. At least they’re not as bad as those Applebee’s commercials from last year. Yet. Anyway, Duke ended the season on a 4 game losing streak and validated those who thought a 6 seed was a little high. On a day when the other 6 seeds playing completely destroyed their opponents, VCU got up and Duke’s grill and literally punched them in the face (see Eric Maynor pulling a “Kobe” and bloodying up Jon Scheyer on a shot follow through). Credit where credit is due, I knock Greg Paulus a lot, but he had a pretty good game.

Boston College 84—Texas Tech 75: Poor Bobby Knight. I guess we learned that just b/c you have more wins than anyone else, doesn’t mean much come tournament time. With the Duke loss and Knight out, I doubt Dick Vitale will even watch the rest of the tournament.

The rest:

It was nice of Georgetown, since there were no upsets, to let Belmont hang around for about five minutes. Thanks Georgetown!

Michigan State v. North Carolina in the 2nd round might be a little closer than I thought. Especially since Eastern Kentucky was only down 4 points early in the 2nd half.

Oral Roberts losing means a lost opportunity for some completely inappropriate jokes

Poor Vanderbilt. They got the shit game that is on during the one 2 hour block where CBS is not televising nationwide. At least their 33 point win sounded impressive

Louisville is good. Or Stanford is really, really bad.

Acie Law IV chasing Penn defenders around in the final minute, daring them to foul him, had to be the funniest moment of the first round. If you missed it, it was almost like a game of tag with the Penn defenders trying desperately not to touch him.

A&M v. Louisville will be one hell of a game. If UL wins, I think Billy Gillespie will see his name slide down the list of potential Tubby replacements

Ohio State took care of business. And they looked like they were having fun, which could be good news for their next game.
Their next game will be an emotional Battle of Ohio, as Thad Matta goes up against players he recruited. OSU should win easily.

Butler won and most picked them to lose. Good for Butler.

Maryland won. No one really cares. At least no one I know.

I work with a guy who had Wright State (owners of the most generic unis in the game) beating Pitt and advancing to the Sweet 16. He’s not having a great morning.

Indiana avenged last year’s lost to Gonzaga, which was easier than last year because Adam Morrisson is in the NBA and their starting center is ‘shrooming in his dorm room, jamming out to a 23 minute version of “Box of Rain”

“Box of Rain” is the only Grateful Dead song I like.

UCLA was down for a little bit to Weber State. I didn’t see hardly any of this game, so I will assume Darren Collison’s ankle injury was not much of a factor, since they won by 28.

My picks for today will come later. I gotta eat!

Louisville v. Stanford

This is a complete rolling. The only way Stanford covers the spread is if UL refuses to shoot in the 2nd half, and even then I don't like their chances.

The Kid's Picks!

It’s the most wonderful time……….of the year! Happy March Madness everybody! I hope you all have the opportunity to watch TV at work, or in some other way avoid doing anything that distracts from watching and enjoying the tournament. Even if your team doesn’t win, you can always root for teams you hate (Louisville, Duke, Tennessee, Florida, etc) to lose.

Tubby Watch will be up later, with Pitino and other weighing in, but now…….my picks!!

ODU +1.5 over Butler
Marlyand -7 over Davidson
VCU +6.5 over Duke
Pitt -9.5 over Wright State
IU +1.5 over Gonzaga
UCLA -20 over Weber State
UNC -27.5 over EKU
Mich. State -2 over Marquette
Texas Tech +2 over BC
Georgetown -17 over Belmont
Vandy -3.5 over GWU
Oral Roberts +7 over Wash St.
OSU -21 over Central Conn.
Xavier -2 over BYU
Stanford +5.5 over UL (Although UL will win)
Texas A&M – 13.5 over Penn


There you go. Now, go make some money!!

Friday’s picks will be up tonight.

The Kid

End Our National Nightmare. Send Sanjaya Home!

If you do not know who this is, consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us, those who watch American Idol, he is simply the worst singer ever to advance this far in any sort of singing competition. Let's put it this way, Sanjaya making the Top 12 on American Idol would be like UK Basketball's coaching staff being named one of the Top 12 best recruiting staffs. It just would make no sense.

So, I implore you, please say a little prayer that when Ryan Seacreat announces who will be cut, that he simply says one word, "Sanjaya". And this will all come to an end.

Please.

Tubby Watch--Day 10

Sorry about the delay folks, but I was out of town with my other job and when you are trying to chaperon (doesn't have an "e" on the end, which I think is weird) a bunch of high school kids, you don't always have time to get to a computer. I would like to thank The Lon for texting me all the relevant UK info, of which there was plenty. So, let's get to it.

First, UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had an interview with an AP writer about Tubby. This was apparently to clarify the position he stated earlier about Tubby. The last statement was taken as both a vote of confidence and absolute proof that Tubby was gone. This one will probably be taken the same way. Click here to read the whole interview. http://blog.kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=1833The big thing is that the writer used the Rick Brooks situation to give Mitch the opportunity to state without a doubt that Tubby will be back. Mitch did not.

Although a lot of people do not care for him, Rick Bozich of the Courier-Journal had a pretty good column about Mitch, Tubby, and the interview. What made it odd for me is that the CJ pretty much worships at the altar of Tom Jurich, as does the LHL know that I think about it, and this may be the first time one of the columnists actually views MB as a good AD. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070313/COLUMNISTS01/703130480/1029/SPORTS03

Finally, the title of this post is a link to a Dan Wetzel column at Yahoo sports. It is probably one of the best out there dealing with UK, Tubby, and the UK fans. I liked it. A lot.

So, the next post will have to do with some NCAA picks and some thoughts on UK's actual game against Villanova, a game I predicted they would lose last week, but on which I am wavering now. There were a few other random Tubby shout-outs over the past few days (Scoop Jackson, who is terrible, says he's gone, Jay Mariotti, also terrible, says UK fans would be crazy to get rid of him and hints that Tubby at Michigan could be a possibility, and The Sports Guy cast him in an unfavorable light as compared to Rick Barnes of Texas. And The Sports Guy cannot stand Rick Barnes of Texas.

One thing a lot of these mentions and columns say to me is that if Tubby left at the end of the season, the backlash against UK might not be that bad. Smart basketball people, those who follow it for a living and not casual fans, recognize that UK is slipping and when a program is slipping the fault can like at the feet of only one person, the head coach. A lot of people seem to be worried about what others outside of the Commonwealth might say, but I think they may be worried about not that much at all.

Other interesting NCAA tidbits...Interesting DeCoury read!

SI.com has UK as a 10 seed playing Arizona. They also have Duke as a 6 seed, which makes little sense.

CBSsportsline.com has UK as a 9 seed playing either 'Zona, Duke, Butler, or 'Nova.

Mike DeCoury has a good read about Tubby and the UK situation. One of the more interesting things is his mention that even when UK was going through the SEC undefeated, a discerning eye could see the program was slipping due to disorganization of the court. Just click on the title.

The Kid is out!!

Tubby Watch Day Seven--Assistant Coaching Names!

Well, The Kid is here, getting ready to pack up and chaperon some high school kids on a little trip. That means that I will not be able to give you a Tubby Watch update until Tuesday. Hopefully, you can make it. Or maybe The Lon will once again try to advance his theory that "Scratch" will be UK's next head coach. Not that I have any real problem with Scratch, but his lack of coaching experience worries me.

Anyway, if you click the link above, Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader has a few names who could be UK's new assistant coaches. The general reaction amongst the Cat fans seem to be disappointment and the believe that Tubby is replacing his old buddies with some new buddies. Let's look at the names:

1. Jeff Schneider- Former Tubby assistant at Tulsa. Works with some kind of recruiting service. I guess his strength would be recruiting. His closeness to Tubby however, makes it unlikely that a lot of what you see on the court would change.

2. Rod Barnes- Former Ole Miss head coach. This is the guy I am the least excited about. Adding him to a staff with David Hobbs would give UK two fired SEC head coaches. And not to be flippant, but would probably lead to a third fired SEC coach, Tubby. Andy Kennedy has done 2 to 3 times the job at Ole Miss this year that Barnes had done. Before this year, no one on that roster had experienced a winning season. Once again, his closeness to Tubby makes any sort of on court change unlikely. Barnes is not an offensive guru.

3. Phil Cunningham- Mississippi State assistant coach. Actually, I have no problem with him. He is known as a recruiter and that is what UK needs. His hiring wouldn't really be about anything but recruiting. He appears to be the most promising of the three.

If those are the guys coming, I don't think UK fans will see any sort of change with the on-court product. Same defense, same offense, etc. That could be a problem. I am leaning more and more to the idea that just bringing in new assistants is only going to kick this problem down the road a year or two. In fact, if I could bet on "We will be having this exact same conversation a year from today", I would probably lay a couple of hundred on it. I would bet more, but I just don't have it, and although I could borrow it to bet, I don't want the Irish mob showing up at my house to break my legs. I like my legs, they're how I get around.

If I can get to a computer, I will try to give some feedback on Selection Sunday. I am still pulling for a Duke/UK 8/9 game. However, Joe Lunardi has Duke as rising 7 seed (based on what?!?!?) and UK playing Villanova, which would be nice for those who like Jay Wright as a potential UK replacement. Also, UK would probably lose that game, b/c UK has no one who can guard freshmen Scottie Reynolds. UL has a first round game with New Mexico St. and former UL assistant Reggie Theus. Whatever, Lunardi changes this shit all the time. 6:00 is just around the corner, if by just around the corner you mean 6+ hours.

Bracketology Update! 3.10.07

So, apparently Joe Lunardi reads this blog, or else he and I have some sort of pyschic connection. No sooner do I wish for an 8/9 Duke v. UK game, but Bracketology gets updated and, voila!, a Duke/UK first round game with the winner getting destroyed by Kansas in the 2nd round. Well, it would be exciting and a lost would not only top 6,000 on the Catspause.com, but I will make the bold prediction of 7,000. You heard it here first.

Other interesting Bracketology tidbits:

No more UL/UT potential match-up in the 2nd round. That is disappointing.

Lunardi has Memphis and Villanove playing in Lexington. Think John Calipari or Jay Wright might get a few questions about a potential basketball job opening at UK, and I'm not talking about Miki DeMoss. Also appearing in the LEX, Bobby Knight. I can't wait for some lextures, and you know he would give them, from possibly the most hypocritical guy in college basketball.

SEC West--The Rodney Dangerfield of the SEC

If you don't read the AOLFanhouse.com blogs, you should. They're great, cover all sports, and have some humor thrown in for good measure. Anyway, the article linked through the title concerns why no one is talking about Ole Miss as a bubble team. They have a good point. All year, SEC fans have heard how awesome the East is and how embarrassing the West is. Then the tourney rolls around, and...LSU knocks out UT, Arkansas knocks out South Carolina and Vandy, Mississippi State knocks out UK, and Alabama knocks out....nobody, they actually do suck, but that is beside the point.

The Final Four in the SEC features 3 SEC West teams (the Mississippi's and Arkansas) and only 1 SEC East team (Florida, who will probably win). Despite this, every website only has 4 SEC teams in the Big Dance. I'm sorry, but the SEC deserves more teams then that. I am openly rooting for one of the SEC West teams to win so as to secure at least one more bid.

And enough cannot be said about the job Andy Kennedy has done at Ole Miss. You may remember that this was a job that other coaches, such as John Pelphrey, turned down due to a perceived lack of commitment or facilities from the school. This was supposedly a dead-end job, but Kennedy, as proven during his one year at Cincinnati, is a good coach. Speaking of which, UC got screwed last year by the selection committee, and if Ole Miss makes the final and doesn't get a bid, it is time to start asking whether or not someone in Indianapolis has it in for Andy Kennedy.

BTW, when people talk about potential new coaches for UK, why never Andy Kennedy? I bet UK could pay him more than Ole Miss, he is a proven recruiter, and runs a fast paced offense (famously saying that this year at Ole Miss will be the slowest they every play). A lot of people think Billy D. would leave Florida, so why not try Kennedy as well. Just a thought.

Tubby Watch Day Six--The Aftermath

Much like Dr. Dre, it is time for The Kid to present The Aftermath. And it ain't pretty.

The loss MSU was just a little more gasoline (or as Daddy Yankee might say "Gasolina!") on the "Fire Tubby" well, fire. (Metaphor didn't work as well as I hoped). Anyway, the Catspause.com message board set a new high, (5,937) which is good for them, and TheKnownCaucasians set a new high of 5. I predict Catspause.com will go over 6,000 on one of the three following occasions, warning, I do not think that all three will necessarily happen, but at least one of them will:

1. UK misses NCAA (Possible with all the mid-major upsets (see: Nevada)

2. UK loses in the NCAA Tournament

3. UK fires Tubby Smith

One of those is happening soon, and on that day the march to 6,000 will be complete.

So, what now? Well, if UK had won, I doubt they would have gotten past an Arkansas team that beat Vanderbilt for the 2nd time in a week yesterday. That sort of athletic team would have given the worn out Cats fits, but Morris did seem to be playing his best basketball, so who knows. Now, it is time to wait for the seeding and hope for the best. ESPN's bracketology currently has UK as an 8 seed playing Winthrop with the Florida Gators waiting in the 2nd round. For some reason, I didn't think you could play a conference opponent that early, but I assume Joe Lunardi knows more about this crap then I do. Maybe more intriguing, they have a potential Tennessee v. Louisville match in the 2nd round. That could definitely cause some exploding heads in the Bluegrass State.

CBSsportsline.com has UK as a 9 seed, but doesn't fill out a bracket. The potential opponents include Arizona, Villanova, Duke, and Butler. YIKES!! I think I would rather take Winthrop.

630 AM continues to report that 2 assistant coaches are out, and they also seem to insinuate that the 2 new coaches are pretty much already hired. College basketball is different from college football. In football, everyone know the hot assistants, but to be honest, I cannot name one in basketball. It usually ends up being former head coaches or young guys just done with playing. I think UK has the money to take a head coach from small school and pay him more to be an assistant at UK. That would be a pretty bold move, but I think it is going to take a pretty bold move to settle down the fan base.

More to come.....

Tubby Watch Day Five--Hearbreak and the Hot Seat

While I am only The Kid, Shawn Michaels is The Heartbreak Kid, and heart break is how UK fans feel today after an OT 85-83 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. I thought it was foolish for anyone to declare this team could cakewalk anywhere. If the opportunity exists to make dumb mistakes, this team will seize that opportunity with both head and make sweet, passionate love to it. That is UK in 2006-2007.

So, what now? The Catspause.com is already heating up with "Get rid of Tubby" threads. And who can blame them after a loss like this. You might make the argument that it was the players who did dumb things, but he is the person who selected these players and coached these players. Also, I am unaware of the SEC rule that prohibits Perry Stevenson from playing in the 2nd half, but if anyone has a copy, please feel free to forward it to me.

The wait is on for Sunday night and to find out where this team will be seeded. At this point, I am worried about being embarrassed in the Tournament, either in the 8/9 game or against the #1 seed in the second round. It might be better to be a 10 seed at this point.

It's hard to talk about the game. Props to Morris who played great. That's it. Meeks and Crawford had good game, but mistakes near the end will be what people remember. And Sheray Thomas. I cannot wait until I don't have to watch him play. It will be a good day.

It's just........I don't know. What exactly was the call at the end of the game? Why were the players on the line for Meeks's free throw anyway? Why not foul Gordon instead of letting him shoot at the end of regulation? So many answered questions that are the result of Tubby's play calling. But I think the question on everyone's mind remains, what will Mike and Mike have to say about this on Monday?

The Kid is leaving to drown his sorrows and perhaps seek medical attention for his foot after repeatedly kicking a metal file cabinet.

Tubby Watch Day Five--Gameday--More Mike and Mike

When I typed Seth Davis into picsearch, I swear to God this is what came up. Anyway, Mike and Mike continued their extreme interest in Tubby Smith with si.com/CBS d-bag Seth Davis, who sadly enough is the most sane voice on this topic. You have no idea how much it pains me to say that. I mean....Seth Freakin' Davis. That's who I agree with? Sad.

Anyway, M&M asked him about the OTS situation in that way that expresses their belief that no one could possibly agree with getting rid of Tubby. Seth chimed in, and here's a summary:

1. He hopes Tubby stays, he doesn't deserve to leave.
2. Mitch Barnhart means business. He asked OTS to change staff last year, OTS would not.
3. UK has not had a great year and they have recruiting problems. The fans are waiting on P-Patteron.

Basically, Seth would not agree with an OTS firing or force out, but he would understand. Although M&M brought up Rick Pitino's idiotic comments, Davis just avoided the topic.

Big Game today against Mississippi State. UK is a 2 point favorite. I am not chiming in with the others who think UK has a "cakewalk" to the SEC Finals, but this is a winnable game. A semifinal against a Vandy team who has beaten UK 4 straight times is not a cakewalk.

The Kid is out!

VICTORY!! UK 79-'Bama 67

UK overcame another sluggish start to probably crush the NCAA dreams of the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Wildcats were paced by Randolph's double-doudble (17 and 11) with four other double figure scorers- Bradley 17, Crawford 16, Perry 10, and Meeks 12.

The deciding factor today was offense. UK shot 50% from the field, 41% from 3, and haulded down 11 offensive rebounds on their way to a 36-26 advantage on the boards. The "D" could have been better, but it did shut out 'Bama for about 9 straight minutes in the first half as UK pulled even and then ahead going into halftime.

It would have been nice to see a couple more calls go our way, specifically with Crawford driving to the hole, but there is not a whole lot to argue with today.

Tomorrow at 1:00 the Wildcats will take on our dreaded enemy to the South, Mississippi State. A Tubby Watch update will come later, so stay tuned!!

Yours in Victory,

The Kid

Tubby Watch--Day Four!! GAME DAY!!

Game Day should be about the game, so there is no update on The Tubby Watch. Linked above is John Clay's blog, sidlelines. Usually newspaper guys have crappy blogs, because it is just another job on top of their other job. I actually like Clay's blog, moreso than his columns. I usually read them post game, since he usually gives out some "inside baseball"-esque info.


A lot of people think the Cats are going to win and at least go to the semis. I think that is very optomistic considering their play so far this season. However, with Ronald Steele and Jamereo Davidson not at 100% and the players, hopefully, maybe, playing a little tougher, I am predicting a UK win. If their is a loss, rest assured there will be a Tubby Watch update.

Keep an eye on Randolph Morris. Alabama is the game where he famously said his head was not in it. Let's hope it is there today.

Go Cats!!!!

The Kid

Tubby Watch Day Three--Tubby on PTI!!

Tubby Smith is all over the place! After yesterday's appearance on Mike and Mike, you joined Tony (TK Stack Money) Kornheiser and Dan LeBatard (filling in for Michael Wilbon, who would've played the race card if he had been present).

Here is a rundown of the questions and Tubby's answers. My (The Kid's) comments will appear in italics.

TK: Is UK in the tournament?

OTS: Yes, won 20 games, 9 in the SEC, it's a tough conference with a lot of good teams. True, but 20 wins and 9 in the SEC is not exactly a bragging point for a UK fan.

DL: Do you deserve to be on the hot seat?

OTS: It is part of life, part of coaching. You know this when you get into it. Lots of Monday Morning Quarterbacks and critics, but that is part of any coach's life. Great answer. There are a lot of UK fans that would like OTS to call this season a failure and acknowledge the below average job, but there is no way he will do this while the season is still going on. Maybe afterward.

TK: Lots of blogs out there. Bloggers are crazy!! They email us all the time about how you haven't been back to the Final Four. Are they out to get you? This is a very Dick Vitale-esque question.
OTS: They don't want to get me, they just want UK to win Good answer, I personally like it when he defends the fanbase, which he doesn't always do. We've done what we've had to do this year. Don't really agree with that. We are in a position to go forward. With better closing, we could have a lot more wins. Is the next question about the pressure of UK? Tubby was joking at the end, b/c he has heard all of these questions before. Like last year. But, still, looking upbeat about this is the best he can do.

TK: Don't you have a Championship ring?
OTS: I have a few rings!! I have 5 SEC rings! Come on, Tubby. You know we are talking about national championships!

DL: Have you ever said, "I've had enough of this pressure and criticism?"
OTS: There is no such place, not anymore. Every job has pressure. True.

TK: Is there a harder job in college basketball?
OTS: Sure, there are places where you have to worry about attendance and filling the arena. UK doesn't have to worry about that. Rupp Arena is always great, always rocking. Every game is an event. I love UK and enjoy working here. It is home. That is actually nice to hear. I hope he loves it enough to do what is necessary to win. Because, if UK has another year like the last two, he may have to start worrying about attendance.

DL? Not sure: Best team in America?
OTS: Florida. They beat us last weekend with a great 2nd half. Good answer. Respect a formidable opponent and hype up a fellow SEC member.

All in all a good appearance for OTS. He did not do the stop and start thing with sentences, maybe the difference between being on TV and on radio. He messed up Tony's name at the end, calling him Mike, but they all just laughed and joked about it. If it is not clear yet, the interviews are proving to me that Tubby has no plans to leave UK and I don't think UK will force him out, unless he absolutely refuses to make any changes. I think he will make the changes.

Tubby Watch Day Three--Slick Rick Weighs In

Sorry, but when I typed Rick Pitino's named into image search, this is all I got.

So, Mike and Mike in the Morning is quickly becoming "Keep Tubby Headquarters". Today, the former UK coach, and current u of l coach, Rick Pitino chimed in. Shocker, he thinks Tubby should be retained. But, what will probably strike most people as crazy is his claim that high schools would turn their back on UK and set the program back 10-15 years. Of course, 10-15 years ago, UK was competing in Final Fours, so maybe not so bad.

I live by a certain code. Don't believe Rick Pitino. After Dick Gabriel's comments last night, I think it is 99% certain that Tubby will be back. I also think that is why John Clay and Mark Story in the LHL have recently backtracked off their "change" columns and now seem to be advocating for Tubby. Anyway, Slick Rick's comments are completely and utterly prepostruous. If UK hired a good coach, I think he would have no trouble recruiting

The larger point here is the worry amongst the local media about what the national media might say or think. I believe this should be the least of UK's worries if they are considering a coaching change. If they hire the right coach, such as Notre Dame (Charlie Weiss), Florida (Urban Meyer), and North Caronlina (Roy Williams) no one will care. The media has a short term memory. If you don't believe me, watch how quick they slup up to Nick Saban next year after 'Bama wins a few games.

The Kid is out!!

Tubby Watch--Actual News!!

It's The Kid. I was listening to 630 AM this evening and Dick Gabriel revealed that he had heard that two assistant coaches and a mid-level administrator were definitely out. Why is this important?

Gabriel and 630 WLAP are to the University of Kentucky what FOX News is to the Republican Party, basically an extension or a house run news organization. There is no way Gabriel would have revealed this on the air unless his "source" was 100%. What does this mean?

It means that more than likely Tubby will be back, albeit with some new faces. This should be good enough for most UK fans, but there will be a sizable contingent that will not be happy. Personally, I hope this works. I really don't want to go through another crappy season. Realistically, I am skeptical. I don't know a lot of places where wholesale staff changes have improved the product. Although, Larry Shyatt helped Billy Donovan at Florida, and the removal of Ron Hudson helped Rich Brooks here at UK.

Stay tuned for Tubby Watch Day Three!!

Tubby Watch--Funniest Take So Far

This is Clay Travis. He writes for cbssportsline.com/spin. He is not a serious "sports journalist" per se, but he is almost always entertaining. You may remember his earlier column about his trip to Commonwealth Stadium or his sadness at the passing of JP Sports. Click on the title for his take on the Tubby Smith situation. If you're too lazy, here's a funny part:

Without further ado, here's 12 Internet wolves circling Tubby Smith:
1. Tubby hires a private investigator to follow Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart wherever he goes.
2. Calls Kentucky football coach Rich Brooks for advice on how to get his team to play with passion.
3. Obsessively monitors the arrival and departure of every Kentucky plane on FlightAware, where fans now track athletic department planes in an effort to divine who the next head coach might be.
4. Calls Ramel "Smooth" Bradley and Joe Crawford into his office. Stares at them for 10 minutes without speaking and then says, simply, "Y'all trying to kill me," before dismissing them and slowly swiveling around in circles in his leather chair while staring at the ceiling.
5. Instead of diagramming plays on his dry-erase board during timeouts, he stabs a photograph of Rick Pitino repeatedly between the eyes with a dart while his team watches.
6. Calls Billy Packer occasionally to confirm the 'Cats actually won the 1998 national championship. Then asks Packer to tell him the story about how he got the nickname Tubby, since Packer hasn't been able to tell this story in the Final Four since 1998.
7. Adopts the moniker TubbyRulz and obsessively defends himself on CatsPause.com.
8. Keeps track of obscure game stats like "Number of times one of my players gave me the crazy eye" and "Amount of feet between me and the backstabbing AD" and "How many Escalades can Daddy buy with the contract buyout money?"
9. Watches NBA games and wistfully sighs while thinking over and over again, "I should have left when they still loved me." Until Rajon Rondo's Boston Celtics play. Then he thinks, "I hope the next 3 you brick comes off the rim so hard it knocks you out."
10. Telephones Jeff Shepherd while he watches old film from the 1998 NCAA tourney run, yet hangs up each time Shepherd answers.
11. Contemplates replacing next year's Midnight Madness festivity, if he's still coach, with a giant-screen replay of Kentucky's last-second loss to Duke in 1992. That'll show them what real pain is.
12. Occasionally wakes his wife in the middle of the night and asks, "Ashley Judd still likes me, right?" When his wife confirms this fact he then asks, "These Internet crazies, these anonymous posters who want me gone, they can't really bring me down, can they?"

Tubby Watch: Day 3 Exclusive Photo of UK's Next Head Coach!!!!!!!!

This is such an exclusive, I have not been able to post the actual picture, only a link (click above) to the picture. But, I have my sources, and they tell me this guy is a total LOCK.

Tubby Watch--Day Three--Say What?!?!? Edition

This baby looks like he just discovered something unpleasant in his diaper. That is kind of how I (The Kid, President of Tubby Watch) felt after listening to Tubby Smith on The Mike and Mike Show this morning. What did he say? Let's roll the recap!

Basically, this interview was in Five segments:

Segment 1: Tubby on UNC/Duke. Of course, despite being referred to all morning as "embattled", the first question has to be about the Hansbrough incident. Glad M&M are covering this on Tuesday, I didn't hear nearly enough about it on Monday. Anyway, their question to him involved whether it was OK to have your starters in. Tubby said...well...I'm not quite clear if he agreed or disagreed. He did that thing where he starts a sentence and then stops in the middle of it and starts another one. I think it boiled down to a "well, you get criticized either way"

Segment 2: Tubby on UK's resume for the NCAA Tournament. This was preceded my Mike Greenburg (aka Greenie) saying he thought UK needed at least one win in the SEC tournament. Tubby thinks they are in because of their tough schedule (agree, toughest in the country), their RPI (agree, hard to leave out a Top 10 RPI team), and their victories over tough teams such as Indiana (agree), Louisville (not sure UK would beat them right now, but agree), Santa Clara (what?), UMass (huh?), and Eastern Kentucky (seriously????). Well, if UK is at the point where they are claiming victories over EKU as proof of belonging in the tournament, the Tubby detractors may be right.

Segment 3: Tubby talks about his job security. Greenie opens by referencing a USA Today article about Tubby's job security (full disclosure, I have not read this article or found it online. it is possible it does not exist. but it probably does). In what may have been the funniest part of the interview, Tubby insisted that although he and his staff do not read these articles, they can in fact read. I have no idea why he felt the need to stress this point. I have not hear any Tubby critic accuse him or his staff of being unable to read. Although it might explain a lot. Anyway, he and his staff are focused on the team. The job is pressure packed, all you can do is do your job, and Tubby has done his job. (But has he done it well? Isn't that the question). Also, the critics will always be there (true), but they are now just more vocal (i would argue that they are more vocal b/c the team is playing so bad).

Segment 4: Greenie wonders if there is too much focus on March and/or the Final Four. This is the segment that probably upset the most UK fans, myself included. Tubby, after having stated in the past that UK needed to get back to the Final Four, said that they are not that big of a deal and that no one remembers who was in last year's Final Four (I do. UF, UCLA, LSU, George Mason). Greenie also expressed that he was surprised that UK fans would be upset with a coach who always makes the tournament as a high seed. No mention of the fact that they were in the 8/9 game last year and will be lucky to make the 8/9 game again.

Segment 5: Good Luck Tubby! And that's it. Greenie and Golic both agree that it would be crazy to get rid of Tubby and as an example they point to the Alabama football search. I think this is a horrible, horrible comparison if you are looking to defend Tubby. When I look at the Bama search, although it took too long, they got a great coach, who they actually wanted from the beginning, who immediately raised their recruiting class several spot in the rankings, and who has proven himself to be an elite college football coach. If UK can get the basketball equivalent of that, I would be ecstatic.

My "Say what?!?" moments were the use of Santa Clara, UMass, and EKU as quality wins as well as the downplaying of success in March and the Final Four. I'm sorry, but in Rupp Arena, they only hang banner for the Final Four. That tells you right away what the bar is for a successful season. The more Tubby talks, the more I think he is not going to simply walk away like a lot of people want.

Tubby Watch--Day Three Update!!

An explosive day at Tubby Watch Headquarters!! First the Mark Story column (more commentary on that later). Then at 8:05 EST Tubby appeared with these two dudes (Mike and MIke in the Morning) on ESPN Radio. A brief summary of the appearance is forthcoming. Also, sportsline.com has chimed in at "Clay Nation".

Lots of stuff to get to. More info coming between 2:00-2:30 today!!

Stay Tuned! And it should go without saying that there has been no movement on the Tubby front today. But, the day is early!!

Tubby Watch: Day 3....Tubby forced to eat "Wildcat Chicken"!!!

I couldn't believe it either, but Mark Story (link to article above) actually made a lot of the same "be careful what you wish for" comments that I have been making, in particular the "undermining your current coach for bad recruiting will not help next year's recruiting class (unless you hire Billy D)" Point.

I also have obtained a photograph of UK's next head coach, which I will post later...

Tubby Watch!--Day Two Update!!

Tubby Watch Update!!!

This is Chuck Hayes. If the NCAA allowed him to play eight years in college, we would not be having this conversation. Alas, despite the fact that UK and Chuck went together like beer and late night cheese sticks, he eventually had to leave. It has been all down hill for Tubby. No replacement on, or more importantly off, the court for Chuck.

Exhibit A- Joakim Noah calls UK the "kitty-cats", tells Ramel Bradley he's "his daddy"(click on link above), and generally acts like a gigantic douche fucker. UK's reaction. Well, although I am not advocating a Gerald Henderson-esque cheap shot to his nose, ala the Duke v. UNC game, I.....screw it....I am advocating a Gerald Henderson-esqu cheap shot to his nose. This teams lacks heart, desire, toughness, and winnability! (That's not a word. I just made it up, but trust me, Chuck had it) I can think of a number of former UK players that would have planted Noah on his ass, Jamal Magliore for instance, but no one on this team. If something like that would have happened, and that player missed the SEC tournament which led to a UK loss, I would not have cared. They would have at least shown some heart and toughness, something sorely lacking all year.

Tubby recognized he needs to recruit tougher players. Unfortunately for him, those tougher players may not be at UK.

Spoiler Alert! Tomorrow's Tubby Watch will feature a list of the coaches (yes, that's plural) who, according to sources, have already agreed to the UK job for next year! Apparently, we are going to pull some BYU moves and have multiple head coaches. Should be fun!

Tubby Watch--Day Two!!

Brian Fantana brings you Day Two of Tubby Watch!!

As of this posting, 10:40 AM, Tubby Smith is still the head coach of UK. New Developments in Tubby Watch include an article from a Somerset paper I have never heard of (Commonwealth Journal) in which a guy I have never heard of (Doug Eads) breaks his arm patting himself on the back. He thought Tubby should have been gone last year or even earlier than that, and now more people are seeing he was right. He has some interesting/irrelevant stats, depending on your opinion of the Tubby situation. Click the title link for more.

Day Two of Tubby Watch will be continued in a later post. Today's topic, why are UK's players a bunch of.....well...I hate to use the word in polite company. Stay Tuned!

Tubby Watch! Day One!

Tubby Watch!

It's The Kid here, giving you a day by day count as to whether or not Orlando "Tubby" Smith (OTS) will remain as the head coach of the University of Kenucky Mens' Basketball team. We will keep the Tubby Watch going until either he is gone or UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart announces officially that he will return.

Day One: Not a good day to be a Wildcat. The University of Florida Gators won their 6th game in a row against UK today 85-72. Six in a row is a new record, one of many dubious one OTS has gathered in his tenure. No need to rehash the debacle, and if you don't think it was a debacle then you obviously did not watch the game.

Other news in the Tubby Watch is that Lexington Herald-Leader columnist John Clay has finally made his feelings known. He believes that Tubby has earned the right to stay at UK, link to column above. Although I think Clay and fellow columnist Mark Story are among the weaker columnists in the universe, it was good for him to take a stand. His past few columns have been nothing more than pointing out the obvious (lack of strong recruits, lack of offense, the sun came up today) that I was beginning to wonder if he would ever take a position on something. The local tally puts Courier-Journal columnist Rick Bozich in the "new coach" camp, Clay in the "Keep Tubby" camp, while Eric Crawford of the CJ and Story remain undecided. I believe that Crawford is leaning toward "new coach", while Story....well no one really cares, but I can see him being "keep Tubby' as well.

The SEC tournament starts on Thursday with UK playing the University of Alabama. Although 'Bama has won 2 of 3 against UK, a lot of people think this is a good draw for the Wildcats. We shall see.

Tune in tomorrow for the continuation of Tubby Watch!