Why the Pacers SUCK

This one is pretty obvious to me.

There are basically two kinds of athletes that make it to the professional level. There are those that make it on "natural talent," and there are those that make it because they are "hard workers." Of course, there are athletes who possess varying levels of both attributes. But, very rarely do you find an athlete who has high levels of both attributes. Jerry Rice had high levels of both attributes. So did Emmitt Smith. In today's NBA there some athletes who possess relatively high levels of both. Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, and Kobe Bryant are the first that come to mind. Imagine what Shaq could have been if he would have had a little bit more of the "hard working" attribute.

Anyway, I feel you have to have some of these "hard workers" on your team to be successful in today's NBA game. These "hard workers" are the guys who dive on the floor for the loose ball, set hard picks, and block out for rebounds. They are the guys who volunteer for the toughest defensive assignment and give every ounce of energy they have. Some people call these guys "role players."

The Pacers roster was full of these "hard workers" in the past. They had guys like Anthony Johnson, Fred Jones, James Jones, Austin Croshere, Scot Pollard, and even Ron Artest. Love them or hate them, these guys played hard every single night. None of them were extremely talented, but they never forgot what got them to the NBA in the first place. They didn't lead the Pacers in any statistical category, but they played hard every night.

This last offseason the Pacers overhauled their roster by trading away their "hard workers" and replacing them with guys who possess "natural talent." The Pacers roster is full of guys who can score, but there really aren't any "role players" left. Jeff Foster appears to be the only guy who is willing to dive on the floor. He has a lot of the "hard working" attribute, but there really isn't a whole lot of talent there. Some of the other guys run around a lot and score points, but they don't accomplish much else. Everybody seems content to get by on their "natural talent." I don't think I have seen anybody play defense for the Pacers all season.

Now the Pacers have compounded their problem because most of their players have underachieved all season. This will lower their trade value and prevent the Pacers from obtaining the "hard workers" from other teams that they need to rebuild their roster. Rick Carlisle will probably be made the scapegoat and have his contract terminated at the end of the season. This team is a mess, but Carlisle isn't the problem. He's not the guy who traded away all the "hard workers." Let's not forget that the Pacers were a .500 ballclub under Carlisle's guidance when half their team was either suspended or hurt during the "brawl" season. Fortunately for Carlisle that season, the part of the roster that he still had left was full of "hard workers." The difference this season is that he has a roster full of "natural talent."

Billy Donovan

Now there is a rumor that UK is going to offer Billy Donovan a 1 million dollar raise per season to become Kentucky's next coach. This may be true, but I still don't think Billy is coming to UK.

I must admit that I am intrigued by Billy's responses to questions about the vacant UK job. But, I still think he is using the attention to gain more of an advantage in negotiations with Florida.

First off, I really don't believe the rumor. I think UK would go bigger than that considering that it has already been reported that Florida was already willing to give Billy a raise in that neighborhood before the UK job came open. Secondly, if UK were making an under the table offer to gauge Billy's interest I think they would have done a better job of keeping the information from leaking to the media.

The wildcard in all of this is the fact that Kentucky has hired a "head hunting" firm to help in the coaching search. This firm is apparently the same company that was negotiating with Tubby Smith's agent on behalf of the University of Minnesota some six weeks before Tubby announced his resignation at UK. And remember, nobody had a clue that Tubby had been contacted about the Minnesota job before he announced his resignation at UK. I'm sure this firm has spoken with Billy's agent already and it doesn't seem like there has been mention in the media about any other potential candidates being contacted. I would be willing to bet that if this firm has contacted Billy's agent they already know what kind of monetary figure it would take to lure Billy away from Florida, if that is even possible. I just find it hard to believe that this firm would conduct themselves differently with Billy than they did with Tubby. So, why are we hearing rumors about a potential offer to Billy when we didn't hear anything about the Minnesota offer to Tubby? I just don't believe any of it.

Cincinnati Reds news

Outfielder Chris Denorfia has been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his throwing elbow and will have reconstructive surgery. He will be sidelined approximately 6 months. Gary Majewski has also been experiencing soreness in his pitching shoulder and has been sent down to AAA Louisville.

Also, Bobby LIvingston has been sent down to AAA and appears out of the running for the fifth spot in the pitching rotation, at least for now. This leaves Matt Belisle and Kirk Saarloos competing for the fifth spot.

Billy Gillespie

It is now being reported that Billy Gillespie has reached a verbal agreement with Texas A & M to remain at the school. It seems the Aggies have made him the highest paid basketball coach in the Big 12. This doesn't upset me too much because I don't think Billy would have been a good fit at UK, although I hear that Arkansas' pursuit of him was what made A & M nervous.

The list of potential candidates is shrinking. I wonder what kind of odds there are in Vegas right now. I still don't think Donovan will leave Florida, which doesn't bode well for Kentucky. I would like to take this moment to reiterate that I will never watch another UK game if John Thompson III is hired to replace Tubby.

Travis Ford is starting to look like a real possibility. But I still think that if Mitch can't get Donovan that he will focus on Mark Few or Tom Crean.

UK recruiting

It is being reported by the Louisville Courier Journal that UK might have lost recruit Draymond Green. Draymond is a junior from Saginaw, Michigan. Draymond had committed to UK last month. His mother is reporting that Draymond will now consider all options since Tubby has left.

UK signee MIke Williams from Alexandria, Virginia might also be reconsidering. His high school coach has informed the media that Mike is "waiting to see who is named coach" at UK before deciding his future.

On a positive note, it appears that Mitch Barnhart is at least trying to help with recruiting. The Courier Journal is reporting that the families of both Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas have confirmed that they have been contacted by Barnhart since the departure of Tubby Smith. Both families refused to elaborate on the nature of the contact, but I am happy to hear that Mitch is making an effort.

Elizabethtown senior Steffphon Pettigrew still appears to be interested in UK if they hire the right coach, and if the new coach is interested in him. Steffphon is the favorite to win the coveted Mr. Basketball award in Kentucky this year. As you might be aware, Tubby didn't show much interest in recruiting Steffphon. Tubby never offered him a scholarship and appeared to be trying to get Steffphon to walk on at UK. This was just another example of Tubby not recruiting the state of Kentucky very well.

Monday Night Football

You've probably all heard by now that Joe Theissman has been replaced on MNF with Ron Jaworski. I think this is a good move and I applaud MNF for making the move. But, I don't think they should stop there. I think they should get rid of Tony Kornheiser as well.

I am going to go on the record and state that Tony should be removed and Mike Golic should be brought in to replace him. Mike Golic would be a perfect fit with Mike Tirico and Ron Jaworski. Tony Kornheiser knows as much about football as I do about 19th century French poetry. Tony's only role on MNF is comic relief. And let's face it, Tony isn't really that funny. I think Mike Golic is funnier than Tony and he obviously knows more about football than Tony. Mike Golic would also be able to provide some insight into the defensive game which would balance well with Ron Jaworski's offensive input.

What Tubby didn't do

I'm getting tired of most of the sports media running down the Kentucky basketball fans and saying that the fans basically ran Tubby Smith out of Lexington with their unrealistic expectations.

Today, I heard Michael Wilbon on ESPN radio joining the crowd of UK bashers. It makes me mad when I hear these people regurgitating Tubby's statistics. Yes, I know that Tubby averaged 26 wins a season at UK. Yes, I know that Tubby won a national championship at UK. Yes, I know that Tubby won 5 SEC championships at UK. Everybody wants to talk about what Tubby did at UK, but nobody is talking about what Tubby didn't do at UK.

Let's face it, when Tubby inherited the job at UK 10 years ago it was arguably the most successful basketball program in the NCAA at the time. Tubby inherited a very good team with a very talented roster. Rick Pitino won the championship in '96, and went to the championship game in '97 with a team that was very beat up. Rick lost the '97 championship game in overtime with a team that probably would have won easily if they were healthy. Tubby took over in '98 and won the championship with the players that Rick left for him. Most everyone will agree that there has been a steady decline at UK ever since. Tubby did average 26 wins a season, but his UK teams hadn't been very competitive the last few years against ranked opponents. Tubby was winning games, but he was winning them against unranked teams. Consider this for a moment; When Rick Pitino left UK, he left a program that was sitting atop the college basketball world. There were only a handful of coaches in the country at that time who wouldn't have accepted the UK job if it was offered to them.

Tubby has now vacated a UK program that is not nearly as successful as it was when Rick left. The fans are the same fans that were there in '97. But, Tubby has left the cupboards pretty bare. There doesn't appear to be too many high profile coaches across the country banging on UK's door trying to get the now vacant coaching job. I think this speaks volumes. Everyone knows that UK will have to rebuilt because Tubby left it in a shambles. The roster is filled with average players, with the exception of Jodie Meeks whom I think has a bright future. Whoever takes the job probably won't win twenty games next year.

I had to laugh when I heard Rick Pitino try to defend Tubby a few weeks ago by saying, "that if Tubby was fired it would set the Kentucky program back 10 -15 years." I have to say that I agree with Rick wholeheartedly. You see, 10 years ago would have been the year 1997. As I said earlier, UK basketball was the most successful basketball program in the country in the year 1997. I wouldn't mind it at all if Kentucky was as successful next season as they were in 1998. Rick should choose his words more carefully.

Tubby was run out of Kentucky because of what he didn't do. He didn't recruit well, he was no longer competitive against other good teams, and he was unable to put a team on the floor that was fun to watch. He lost 6 straight games to Florida and four straight to Vanderbilt. He inherited a team that was a perennial top 5 and turned it into a team that was barely able to stay in the top 25. One could argue that Tubby wasn't even able to keep UK in the top 5 of the SEC.

The top 25 will be a good thing at Minnesota, but its not a good thing at UK.

John Calipari

Well, we can now remove John Calipari's name from the UK coaching hunt. It was announced today that Memphis has signed John to a contract extension thru 2012. The list of potential candidates is getting shorter.

Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino acknowledged today that he has no interest in the UK basketball job. He says he is happy at Louisville and that at age 54 he is too old to leave.

Pitino refused to speculate on whether Billy Donovan would consider the UK job. Those following the Billy Donovan story know that Billy has had the opportunity several times since Tubby resigned to remove his name from the UK coaching search. Thus far, Billy has been very careful in choosing his words when asked about the UK job. He hasn't expressed an interest in the job, but he has stopped well short of saying that he is not interested.

There is a rumor that Billy has an out clause in his current contract with Florida that would allow him to leave for the UK job. I personally think he would be an idiot to leave Florida, but I have seen stranger things happen. Money talks, and I'm sure UK is going to throw a lot of money at Donovan. It is my opinion that Billy is just toying with the media in an attempt to gain a stronger footing in his negotiations with Florida for a new contract. I wouldn't be unhappy at all if Donovan accepted the UK job. I believe he would be the perfect fit for UK, and he is probably the best coach in college basketball right now. I guess we'll eventually see how this all plays out.

Worst game analyst?

Who does everyone think is the worst sports analyst? My vote is for Billy Packer. My opinion on Billy is based mostly on his work from several years ago. I haven't heard much of his work lately because I usually mute the volume every time I hear him doing a game. I still remember him saying, "Larry Bird isn't good enough to carry Phil Ford's gym bag." "Who's Phil Ford?" you're probably asking. My point exactly!

My second place vote for worst game analyst goes to Dan Dierdorf, or "Dan Dumbdork," as I like to call him. Dick Vitale can be pretty bad, but at least he is entertaining. Kieth Jackson also usually results in muting. Kieth is entertaining as well, but he is such a PAC 10 homer that I can't stand to listen to him.

Place your bets!!!!

Did anybody else notice that the only two #1 seeds to lose before getting to the final four both lost to #2 seeds who held the "home court" advantage over the number ones? The Tourney Committee was looking really good this year on its seedings up until this weekend. How on earth do you give a #2 seed that kind of home court advantage over a #1? In case you missed it, Kansas (#1 seed) had to play UCLA (#2 seed) in San Jose, California. North Carolina (#1 seed) had to play Georgetown (#2 seed) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It doesn't seem quite fair to Kansas or North Carolina, does it?

I'm not saying the tournament is fixed. But, if I was a betting man I would place copious amounts of cash on Georgetown to win it all. Georgetown's "referee supported" run looks eerily similar to Duke's "referee supported" run in 1992. They get outplayed severely for most of the game, and then the officiating style changes late to favor Georgetown and then the Hoyas respond and win the game. The same thing happened with Duke in 1992. Coincidence?

I'm a Kentucky fan and I'm still upset about the poor officiating in the 1992 Duke vs. Kentucky game. I still get pissed off everytime ESPN reruns that game and calls it an "instant classic." I often wonder why ESPN doesn't call the 1998 Duke vs. Kentucky game an "instant classic." The 1998 game was actually played in the final four, while the 1992 game was played in the elite eight. The 1992 game was decided by one point in overtime while the 1998 game was decided by two points. The 1998 game was just as memorable because Kentucky erased an 18 point deficit to come back and win the game. You never hear anyone at ESPN even mention that 1998 game. This just serves as one more example of ESPN's bias towards Duke.

Since I'm talking sports........

How about those Colts? They had the worst defense in the league last year and they decide to let two of their top four defensive players go via free agency. I'm talking about Cato June and Nick Harper. Cato June is the fourth good linebacker that the Colts have let go in recent history. The others were Mike Peterson, Marcus Washington, and David Thornton. When you let talent like that go every year its no wonder you have the worst defense in the league. Nick Harper was a little long in the tooth, but he was still the best corner they had. I can't wait to see the defense they field next year.

I know they have salary cap issues, but I just don't understand how they get themselves in these situations. John Navarre?? Why on earth would you sign John Navarre? I know Jim Sorgi sucks, but John Navarre? That is the best the Colts could do? And they let Brandon Stokely and Montae Reagor go? I still don't understand why they didn't keep Shawn King as the backup quarterback. He looked 100 times better than Jim Sorgi during the preseason.

I wonder what the Colts are going to do in the draft this year. Its so obvious they need a linebacker that I don't think even Bill Polian could screw it up. The media keeps saying that the Colts need an outside linebacker but I'm not sure that is the case. Gary Brackett is their starting middle linebacker now, and I think he is a much better outside linebacker. If they moved Gary back outside that would free them up to draft an inside guy like Pozluzny or Laurenitis. I'm sure they won't do it. They'll probably draft a wide receiver in the first round, and a tight end in the second. The third round will probably bring them another safety, and in the fourth round they'll take a place kicker. Then, after all the good players are taken, they will draft an outside linebacker from some Division IAA or Division II school.

It doesn't really matter, though. The Patriots have made themselves so much better this offseason that I don't think anybody else in the AFC has a chance.

Vanderbilt should have won

This blog is rapidly turning into a sports blog.

I'm sure glad that I'm not a Vanderbilt basketball fan. If I was, I would be absolutely livid over the traveling at the end of the game tonight that wasn't called against Georgetown. It was so obvious it was ridiculous. I can't believe the refs missed it. There is no doubt that the missed call cost Vanderbilt the game. If Georgetown wins the National Championship I will be sick.

Just threw up in my mouth

I just saw another list of coaching candidates for the University of Kentucky basketball program. I have to admit that I threw up in my mouth a little bit when I saw John Thompson III's name mentioned.

I'm sure Thompson III is a good coach. In fact, he is the best coach named "Thompson" that I have ever seen. What he has done at Georgetown is nothing short of impressive. But, I think his father is the most overrated coach I have ever seen. And his brother Ronny has completely destroyed the Ball State men's basketball program. All of that aside, Thompson III runs a Princeton style offense which isn't particularly fun to watch. I don't think that style would be effective in the SEC.

I have to be honest here, though. I just can't get past his name. I absolutely despise his father. If Kentucky hires him, I'll probably never watch another Kentucky game again.

The Happy Day follow-up post

OK. I've had some time for the euphoria to subside. Tubby is gone.

I've spent the evening thinking about how UK should handle the situation. First off, Mitch needs to take a hard look at how Notre Dame and Alabama mishandled their recent football coaching vacancies. I'm not saying that either school didn't end up with a good coach, but they both made the same mistakes. Mitch needs to try to keep his coaching search quiet and as secretive as possible. Both Notre Dame and Alabama let out the names of the coaches they were pursuing and both schools looked pretty bad when those coaches denied interest in the prospective jobs. I think it's fair to say that the UK basketball job and the football jobs at Notre Dame and Alabama are similar in stature. With that said, let's take a look at who I think UK should quietly to contact to gauge their interest.

#1) Billy Donovan - I don't think Billy will be interested but I don't see the harm in contacting him. Rumor has it that Billy has an out clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for the UK job. If nothing else, it would probably force Florida to offer him some big bucks to stay at UF.

#2) Rick Pitino - Again, I don't think Rick will be interested. But, he still says that leaving UK was the worst thing he has ever done. The UK fans say they don't want him back, but that's not true. I think it would take some big money to even get him to consider leaving UL, but imagine what that would do to the rivalry.

#3) Rick Majeras - I don't think he would be interested because of his health. This is unfortunate because I think he has the perfect personality for the job and I think UK fans would love his style of ball. He might be thinking, "If you can't beat them, join them." If you don't understand what that means, you're not a UK fan.

#4) John Calipari - I'm not sure Mitch will want to talk to him. John's a fun coach who would probably be successful at UK, but there were a lot of questions about his integrity when he was at Umass. All UK fans know that we don't need another scandal in the Bluegrass State.

#5) Thad Motta - He might be a guy who would be interested, but I don't know much about him. He seems like a good guy, and I do think he is a great coach. He is also a great recruiter, which is what I think was ultimately Tubby's downfall. Thad will always be second fiddle at the football school of Ohio State. I think he is worth pursuing.

#6) Mark Few - I hear there are some ties between him and Mitch. If I were a betting man, I would bet that Mitch goes after him. I don't think this would be a good hire. Let's not forget that Tubby is going to Minnesota to replace Dan Monson who failed miserably after leaving Gonzaga. I'm not sure that hiring Mark Few at UK would be smart since Mark is a disciple of Dan's. I don't think recruiting at Gonzaga would be quite the same as recruiting at UK.

#7) Tom Crean - Again, I think he would be interested but I also think he would be a dumb hire. His record is worse than Tubby's and I don't think he could handle the pressure at UK. If I were a betting man, I would bet this is MItch's number two choice.

#8) Travis Ford, John Pelphrey, etc. You could throw a whole bunch of names in here. These are all the young coaches without a proven track record at a big school. You know all of these guys will be interested, but do you really want to hand the UK basketball program to one of these guys? I wouldn't be surprised if this is where UK ends up.

I know I didn't mention all the names that are being thrown around by the media. I have heard Billy Gillespie and Steve Lavin's name out there to name a few. I'm sure both of those guys would be interested but I just don't think they are big enough for this job, or young enough to take a chance on. They both have track records but I don't think they will be serious contenders. I'm sure I missed some other people, but all the names I mentioned above are where I would start if I was in control. I'm sure I won't get too many comments on this post because I don't think anybody even reads this blog.

The interesting thing to consider is that the recruiting and signing period is upon us. I would imagine that Mitch is in a bit of a hurry to get somebody in the coach's position before all the good recruits disappear. I would also imagine that it is too late now to get Patterson and Lucas to sign, but it might not be too late to get some quality guys if Mitch gets his ass in gear.

"OH HAPPY DAY!!!!"

I got home from work a little early today. It was raining outside so I decided to do 5 miles on my stationary bike and 1 mile on my treadmill. Even though it was dark and gloomy outside, I still seemed to be in a fairly good mood.

When I got off the treadmill I looked out the window and noticed that the sun had come out and I could see a rainbow forming in the sky. I then opened the window and became overwhelmed with the beautifully intoxicating smell of flowers. There were birds chirping and squirrels romping and playing in my yard. Off in the distance I heard an ice cream truck and was immediately taken back to the memories of my childhood, riding my bike and enjoying the wonderful mouthwatering taste of an orange pushup. I didn't have a care in the world and all was well in the land of milk and honey.

Well, that's not exactly what happened. In reality, I got off the treadmill and went to check my email on the computer. What I found was an urgent message telling me that Tubby Smith had resigned at the University of Kentucky and had decided to move to the University of Minnesota and ruin their basketball program up there. All the stuff I talked about in the previous paragraph were just the things that I imagined happening as I was reading the email. Then, my cell phone rang and when I answered I was met with a jubilant screaming idiot who I could hardly understand. This was one of my friends (a fellow Kentucky fan) who was so overcome with joy of the news about Tubby Smith that he was reduced to a blubbering idiot as he was trying to tell me what had happened. I went ahead and let him share his jubilation before I told him that I had already heard the GREAT news.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to dig my old University of Kentucky sweatshirt out of the closet. I think I'll put it on, pop open a bottle of my finest microbrew, and go sit on the porch swing for a little while. I'm also gonna watch the sky for that rainbow that I'm sure has to be shining over the Bluegrass State right now. Hopefully I can see it from here if I look hard enough.

Getting old sucks.

Does anybody else feel like they are getting dumber as they grow older, or is it just me?

Yesterday I was having a conversation with my secretary and I suddenly couldn't think of the words, "dressing room." I paused for a second, and then proceeded to say, "the try on booth thing."

"The try on booth thing." Are you kidding me? Not only could I not think of the words I wanted to say, but "the try on booth thing" was the best I could come up with.

Getting old sucks. I'm only in my mid thirties and I'm starting to worry that I'm developing some form of dementia. I keep reading these stories about former NFL players and all their troubles with post concussion syndrome. This is worrisome for me because I am a former college football player and I know I've had at least four concussions in my life. Only two concussions were football related, but it doesn't really matter how you got them.

Kentucky basketball is dead.

Yes, I am a former Kentuckian. I didn't move away because I wanted to, I moved away because there just weren't any decent jobs to be had. I left the Bluegrass State in the spring of 1996. I consider this to be the height of Kentucky basketball in the post Rupp era.

I continued to follow my beloved Wildcats from afar for the next several years. When Rick Pitino left, I was convinced that the University had found an adequate replacement in Tubby Smith. Tubby then proceeded to win a National Championship in 1998 and all was well in the land of milk and honey.

I never put much thought into the fact that Tubby won the Championship with players that had been recruited and developed by Rick Pitino. Then, I started noticing that Kentucky's bench just kept getting shorter and shorter. Tubby didn't seem to have too many superstars anymore. There were still some good players on the roster, but there just wasn't that one guy who could put the team on his shoulders and produce a win when it really mattered. It wasn't as if Tubby wasn't signing the McDonald's All Americans. He's had plenty of them. They just weren't developing into scoring machines the way they were at Duke and North Carolina. Then the unthinkable happened. The University of Kentucky's basketball team started slowly becoming ordinary. They have currently lost six straight to Florida and four straight to Vanderbilt. Hell has begun to freeze over.

Either Tubby is miscalculating these players potential out of high school, or he is doing a lousy job of coaching them once he gets them on campus. Either way, something is broken in the Bluegrass State.

There is no doubt that Tubby is a wonderful guy. Mitch Barnhart recently said as much when he gave Tubby a vote of confidence as the Kentucky basketball coach. At 95% of the universities in this country that would be enough. But, this isn't 95% of the universities. This is the University of Kentucky. Basketball is a way of life in Kentucky. The State simply doesn't have any other major sports team. There are no professional teams in the state. Football is an afterthought. Rick Pitino has revived the Louisville basketball program, but Louisville will always be second fiddle in the State of Kentucky. I say that with the utmost respect, but it is still true. No, the good people of Kentucky will never be satisfied with a nice guy who doesn't win. So the question is, "how long will Tubby remain the head coach?"

Well, I'm surprised the guy is still there. I think the only reason Tubby still has a job in Lexington is because our good friend Mr. Barnhart is afraid to pull the trigger. I can't say that I blame him. Who is he gonna get to replace Tubby? Rick Pitino isn't coming back. Rick Majeras isn't going to touch it. Steve Lavin? Being successful at Kentucky requires more than just being a good coach. To be successful at UK, you have to have the right personality. Rick Majeras has it, but his health is just too bad to handle the stress and I think he knows it. Billy Donovan would be a good fit but Mitch will never get him away from Florida. I just don't think that any big name coach is gonna be willing to put up with the pressure from the alumni and the crazy fan base.

So, who does that leave as an option? Well, Mitch is gonna have to take a chance on a young coach who hasn't really proven himself on a big stage. The first names that come to mind are Travis Ford and John Pelphrey. Again, I can't blame Mitch for being afraid to pull the trigger. The alumni and fan base would surely be happy with either of these two guys at the helm for the first few years. Disciples of Rick Pitino would be the obvious choice, right? But, if they didn't at least win a conference championship in those first few years the pressure would start to build. Not only would it build on the coach, but it would also build on the A.D. (Barnhart). I just don't think Barnhart has it in him to fire Tubby and step into the unknown.

I think the only way Kentucky gets a new basketball coach is if Tubby resigns. Then, the pressure is off Barnhart to a certain degree. He can't be blamed for firing the "nice guy," and he has the argument that he hired the best coach that was available at the time as a replacement. That way, it doesn't appear that Mitch already had somebody in mind to replace Tubby when he fired him. Tubby then gets to step away on his own terms which means a lot in today's sports world. That would be a win-win for everybody.

This is all wishful thinking on my part. I don't see Tubby leaving any time soon. I have to say that the sun just doesn't seem to shine near as bright in my world anymore. The flowers don't smell as nice and I haven't seen a rainbow in a long time. With no rainbows there can be no pot of gold. Yes, Kentucky basketball is dead and I find myself searching the TV listings for a college basketball game featuring the University of Louisville. There it is, I admit it. Hell has truly frozen over.

My view on Global Warming

Pollution is BAD!!! We should all ride bikes to work and put solar panels on our roofs. You all laugh but you know its true!

Don't look at me. I have a degree in Natural Resources and I drive an H3. But, at least I'm not out making movies telling everybody else how to live their lives while I'm riding around in a limo and swimming in my artificially heated pool.

Illegal immigrants

I can't blame anyone for wanting to better themselves by coming to the United States. I just wish they would do it legally.

When I first got out of college I took a job with an environmental company doing remediation on a Superfund Site. I was employed there for less than a week when I was promoted to supervisor and given a crew of about twenty. I was excited about the promotion until I met my new crew and discovered that all but one of them were from South America, and only a few of them spoke English. I was young and naive and believed all the stereotypes that I had been told over the years. I almost turned down the promotion because of all the incorrect things I had been told about these people. I stuck it out and discovered that these men were the most loyal, hard working people I had ever been around. They weren't lazy, they didn't steal, and they didn't do drugs. They were here in our Country to try to better themselves and support their families the best they could. I know some of them had to be here illegally, but I never asked. And to be honest, I didn't care. I learned a lot from them and I became proud to call some of them my friends. Does that make me a bad person?

There are good and bad people everywhere. You can't always judge a book by its cover.

A Modern day misfit!

What the hell happened to politics in America? Has anyone else noticed that politicians in America have quickly gravitated to the far left and the far right and there is virtually no one left in the middle? Isn't the middle the most productive place to be? Wouldn't it be great to see a politician who actually made up his cabinet with the best minds from both parties and then actually made informed decisions based on what's best for our country regardless of who's original idea it was?

My Grandpa always told me, "if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is."

I know its a fantasy to think that it could ever happen. You could never get a liberal and a conservative to agree on anything. That's what is wrong with America today. There is no longer a common ground. Its all about who gets the credit when things are good, and who can we blame when things go wrong. Whatever happened to common sense? Whatever happened to Democracy? I can only imagine what our Founding Fathers would think about the America that we have created.

Don't get me wrong. I love my Country. I just feel like a misfit because I can't see what all the bickering is about. We live in the greatest country in the world, but we can't see the forest through all the trees. I just wish the political extremists would take a few minutes out of their busy days to actually listen to their constituents.