Logan Gihring’s Tuesday News And Views

Posted on September 10, 2015 by in Sports

Logan Gihrings

Hello, friends. How are you? Have you heard the story about the high school football player who hung up his pads for to join the cheerleading squad? No? Well let me tell you about him. Logan Gihring, a junior at Interstate 35 High School in Iowa, quit the Road Runners football team to become a cheerleader. His reasons are pretty simple, too. “Well, girls, for one,” he said. “And you don’t have a coach yelling at you every five seconds.” Gihring’s mother says she was worried about her son’s safety because the town is full of camouflage, pickup trucks, and hunters. Whatever that means.

“I’m having a blast. It’s awesome.”

Okay, moving on…

– The big news around UK land is the insane amount of NBA players training on campus this week. Most of the Oklahoma City roster is already in Lexington and Russell Westbrook is set to join the group on Tuesday. OKC guys already on campus include Kevin Durant, James Harden, James Harden’s beard, Thabo Sefelosha, Nick Collison, and Cole Aldrich. Members from the Boston Celtics are also training at UK and Derrick Rose will be landing in Lexington Tuesday afternoon. The amount of talent in the Joe Craft Center this week is ridiculous.

– Jarrod Polson will be working out with Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and Russell Westbrook. Only at Kentucky.

– 2012 small forward T.J. Warren cut Kentucky from his final list of schools. He’s down to North Carolina, N.C. State, Florida, and Georgetown. Warren was originally scheduled to attend Big Blue Madness but on Monday we learned that he cancelled his trip to Lexington for a visit to North Carolina’s Midnight Madness. Good luck, .

Mitch McGary

– We also got some bad news from Warren’s Brewster Academy teammate, Mitch McGary. McGary cancelled his remaining visits, ruining any hope of getting him in Lexington for Big Blue Madness. Evan Daniels, a recruiting analyst so fly the FAA regulates his swagger, is reporting that Michigan has emerged as McGary’s favorite. The 5-star center is also very high on the Dukies. I think it’s time we give up on this one. His AAU coach loves the Wolverines and his parents love the Blue Devils. Plus he says he’d love to team up withPlumlee at Duke. One of those schools will likely win out. I’ve said since Day 1 that thishas Duke written all over him. He just fits that mold.

– To the surprise of absolutely no one, Terrence Jones was one of 50 named to the John R. Wooden Award preseason watch list. The preseason list is selected by college basketball media members based on the student-athlete’s individual performance last season. Other notable names on the list are Louisville’s Peyton Siva and Vanderbilt’s Festus Ezeli, Jeffery Taylor and John Jenkins. Damn, Vanderbilt is going to be good. Louisville, not so much.

– Jeff Sheppard, my favorite hall monitor at Rick Pitino’s basketball camp, announced the current confirmed rosters for the Big Blue All-Stars tour. The games will feature some form of a roster combination from the following players: Brandon Knight, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson, Chuck Hayes, Jodie Meeks, and Eric Bledsoe. The former Cats will be joined by Kenneth Faried and Shelvin Mack at all five stops. Sheppard is also looking to add DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo to the roster for some of the games. These games will be the most lopsided basketball contests in the history of the sport. James Naismith just rolled over in his grave.

– Speaking of DeMarcus Cousins, I’m happy to announce that he and our good buddy Andrew Rogers are alive after surviving a fire over the weekend. The Lexington Fire Department was called to the home those two are staying in after a fire erupted in the laundry room. DeMarcus blamed Andrew. Andrew blamed DeMarcus. I blame the NBA lockout.

Big Blue Madness fast

– Champions Classic tickets went fast, like Big Blue Madness fast, during Monday’s pre-sale. If you missed out, don’t panic just yet. Tickets will go on sale again Thursday at 10:00 AM on Ticketmaster. That gives you two days to practice clicking and memorizing your credit card information. I don’t want to hear any excuses Thursday afternoon.

– Tickets for the Blue-White game also go on sale Thursday. The scrimmage is scheduled for Wednesday, October 26. Tickets are $10 and they can be purchased at the Rupp Arena ticket office. All seating is reserved (not general admission) so get on it early.

– Breaking Bad. I’m not going to tell you again. Nothing else in the history of television compares. I mean that.

– Lots of Twitter chatter going on right now about West Virginia joining the SEC. We’ve heard it all before. Wake me up when the deal is done.

– Let’s talk about football. I know, it’s hard, but it has to be done. Joker Phillips met with the media Monday in his weekly presser to fill us all in on how things are going after the LSU game and what to expect this week. Our favorite news of the day came when Joker said they will try Bookie Cobbins at multiple positions in practice this week. He will get a lot of looks at receiver and as a run-first quarterback. While I love the idea of Mr. YMCMB seeing the field this season, it’s tough to justify abandoning his redshirt status five games into the season when the season is pretty much over anyway. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to see him out there keeping it 100 against South Carolina on Saturday. Is it time for the Legend of Cobbins?

– Joker also turned heads when he said Mike Hartline, not Randall Cobb, is the biggest loss on offense from last season. I was #TeamHartline last season, but really? REALLY? Cobb is arguably Kentucky’s best offensive weapon ever. Ever. I don’t know what Joker put in his Corn Flakes Monday morning but I want in.

– When asked about Ryan Mossakowski, Joker declined comment. Yeah, you messed up on that one, Coach. Mossakowski is killing it in JUCO.

Kentucky is currently a 21-point underdog at South Carolina. It’s sad but we’ve switched from a philosophy of hoping to win to hoping to cover the spread.

– When you gotta go, you gotta go…

That’s all for now. Tune in to Kentucky Sports Radio radio tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM on Talk Radio 1080.

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Philip Humber’s Sunday News And Views

Posted on August 1, 2015 by in Sports

Phillip Humber Player

Have you ever heard of Philip Humber? Yeah, me neither. You’re about to hear a lot about him over the next 24 hours. Philip Humber threw only the 21st perfect game in MLB history tonight. A perfect game hasn’t been thrown in nearly two years in Major League Baseball, but the drought ended at the hands of Humber against the Seattle Mariners in a 4-0 victory. The perfect game was described perfectly by Humber after the game when he simply said, “What just took place was just awesome.” Philip Humber entered the contest as a relatively unknown name in baseball. He was drafted as the 3rd overall pick in the 2004 draft by the New York Mets. Unfortunately Humber’s career got off to a slow start due to an elbow-ligament replacement surgery that sidelined him. In fact, Humber didn’t win a game in the majors until 2010. Now he has found his place in the history books as one of the few pitchers to achieve one of baseball’s greatest feats. When the game was finally over and perfection was achieved, Humber fell to his knees as his teammates raced toward him. The moment for Philip Humber was perfect in more than one way.

Now on to the Kentucky sports news from the day/evening…

The UK baseball team evened the 3-game home series with #1 ranked LSU in convincing fashion. The Wildcats used a hot start to pave the way to a 8-1 victory. Starting pitcher Jerad Grundy turned in one of the most impressive performances of the season, allowing just one run in six innings to pick up his first SEC win. Luke Maile added an 11th home run to his SEC-leading total on the season. The Cats and the Tigers will square off in what will surely be an exciting rubber match tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in Cliff Hagan Stadium. More than just the series is on the line for the two teams, as the winner will not only take possession of the outright SEC lead, but possibly the top spot in the country as well.

Phillip Humber

The Blue/White scrimmage, despite the cool weather, left many fans with a sense of hope heading into the summer. Although not all was positive for the Cats on the day, many felt that the apparent change in play calling was one of the most exciting takeaways from the game. The coaching staff clearly has confidence in Maxwell Smith’s arm, as they drew up plenty of plays for him throughout the day. Smith finished with an impressive 45 pass attempts. Smith completed 29-45 throws for 353 yards and 2 TD’s. The down side might have been his two interceptions, but one was a tipped ball. The incompletions were not all Smith’s fault either, as eight of them were dropped balls. The coaching staff appears to have full confidence in Maxwell Smith following the spring season. Smith seems to have a better feel for the overall offense and settled into a rhythm as the game progressed, finding his targets on a variety of pass options.

The most exciting playmaker (yes, I said playmaker!) was Demarco Robinson. Robinson caught 9 passes for 146 yards and 2 TD’s. Maxwell Smith went to Robinson often and the two clearly have a nice chemistry building.

Perhaps the two biggest bright spots in the scrimmage, outside of individual performances, were the overall improved play of the wide receivers and the commitment by the coaching staff to involve the tight ends in the offense. The young offensive line might be in for a tough road in the SEC due to their lack in experience, but the solid pass protection allowed Smith to throw the ball as a primary option. The run protection/blocking was a different story, and probably proved to be one of the biggest negatives coming out of the scrimmage.

Despite the inclement weather, an estimated 4,500 fans made it out to Commonwealth Stadium for the Blue/White scrimmage. The following picture was taken moments before kick-off.

The UK men’s tennis team advanced to the SEC tournament finals by defeating Ole Miss 4-0 today. Kentucky will have a tough title match with #2 in the SEC ranked Georgia Bulldogs (4th in the nation) at 2 p.m. tomorrow. This marks the second consecutive SEC finals appearance for Kentucky and the third in school history. Good luck to the Wildcats as they look to sweep the major SEC championships by winning the tournament title to go along with the regular season title.

Nerlens Noel made the rounds in Lexington today while on his official visit. Apparently he even found time to stop by Henry Clay High School’s prom at the Hyatt Hotel.

In case you missed it, the Cincinnati Reds will be honoring the national championship Kentucky men’s basketball team on Tuesday night before their 7:10 p.m. game against the San Francisco Giants.

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The United States’ Monday News And Views

Posted on June 29, 2015 by in Sports

Sports Of US

There are times where sports don’t really seem that important and we all connect on a level that goes much deeper than the bounce of a ball. This is one of those times. If you haven’t heard, President Obama announced Sunday night that the United States killed Osama bin Laden Sunday in Pakistan and confirmed through DNA that the body was his. Nine years, seven months and 20 days after September 11, 2001, the United States got their man and terminated the global face of terrorism. By the time the President made his statement, the celebration had raged for over an hour as the internet world erupted, as did UK’s campus, a handful of major league ballparks and pretty much every other place with a human presence. It’s a historic day for this country and it’s a testament to the fine people who courageously sacrifice normalcy and safety to serve overseas. So, today, let’s be thankful for all of our men and women who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces and keep those who lost their loved ones nearly 10 years ago on that awful day in our thoughts and prayers. God bless America and all the fine people who make it what it is.

A Few Brief UK Notes…

In terms of Kentucky basketball pursuits, the rising of the sun Monday starts the final week of pre-draft consideration for Kentucky’s underclassmen. The deadline for withdrawing from the NBA Draft is Sunday May 8. Between now and then, the guys will work with Coach Cal to make the most informed decisions they can (a huge part of that discussed below) and there is a decent chance that two out of the three players return. However, even if they all leave (a very good possibility too), Kentucky will still be projected as one of the favorites for another run to the Final Four. In less than a week, we will finally have our answers as to just how much of a juggernaut this team will be.

Kentucky Basketball

Along that same note, Kentucky will host the first ever “Kentucky Combine” Monday and Tuesday at the Joe Craft Center. Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones, DeAndre Liggins and Josh Harrellson will all go through drills and meet with NBA representatives as they look to get the best information regarding their positions in the June 23 draft. All NBA teams are expected to send representatives to Lexington. I’d say year one appears to be off to a good start.

In other presidential news, Kentucky appears to have finally found their man in UAB provost Eli Capilouto. He will be in Lexington Monday getting aquainted with students and faculty and could be announced as Lee Todd’s replacement as soon as Tuesday. Capilouto, according to Board of Trustees chairman Britt Brockman, was their preferred candidate because of his background in managing a “major medical complex and a major athletics program”. The good news for us, though, is that he passed at least the first round of 21st century dating. A google search of his name returns no nude photos. That’s already a win.

This weekend also brought the NFL Draft, which was both an exciting and slightly disappointing extravaganza. Randall Cobb slipped a bit, but ended up in an outstanding situation in Green Bay, where he’ll join the defending Super Bowl champs and get a good shot at some serious playing time as a rookie. Cobb got his moment with Goodell, which will pay dividends for the recruiting process, and served as a fitting ending to an outstanding career for the Cats. However, no other Cats were drafted, including Derrick Locke, who apparently fell out of favor with teams after some tests revealed some questions about a potential spine injury. Locke will no doubt get a shot as a free agent invitee to camp, though the lockout leaves that date a little questionable, and he’ll have an opportunity to prove that there is no concern there. As soon as the lockout ends, expect Locke, as well as three or four other Cats, to end up in a camp and push for roster spots.

On a non-UK note, what has gotten into the Memphis Grizzlies? Fresh off their elimination of the Spurs, Zach Randolph and Joran van der Gasol knocked off the Thunder in Oklahoma City only 36 hours after beating the Spurs and have taken home court advantage in the series. It’s going to be very tough to win yet another series as an eight-seed, but here’s to hoping they shock the world again. And that the Mavericks beat the Lakers.

That’s it for now. Make sure you stick around for Kentucky Sports Radio at 10am on Talk Radio 1080 for all kinds of good times and celebration. It’s a damn good day to be an American. In the meantime, here’s President Obama’s announcement, in case you missed it.

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