Third and Long

Kentucky coach John Calipari talked about Alabama and the Southeastern Conference Monday afternoon in preparation for Tuesday’s contest against Alabama.

The Wildcats moved up to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press poll. The following are comments from Calipari on Alabama and the SEC.

On Alabama:

“I watched the (Alabama) tape against Vanderbilt and I’m sick to my stomach. They were up three with two minutes to go and they had the ball. They had Florida beat, but they threw the ball away, the kid makes a crazy play and they don’t get it inbounded. Their point guard is really good. They have athletes on the wings and they have a couple of bangers inside. They aren’t deep, they are only playing seven guys. But, it’s another dangerous game. It’s a hard game to play and (Alabama head coach) Anthony (Grant) is establishing what he is trying to do. They are a team that he is starting to put his imprint on.”

On the SEC:

“There have been about five games that have had gaps. Tennessee had one, we had a couple. There have only been four or five. Tennessee was on the other end when Georgia beat them by 20. Other than that, every game has been two or three buckets. To be in the game with Tennessee, Florida and Georgia, they (Alabama) had a chance to win all of those games. The best job you do in coaching is when you are trying to keep a team that is undermanned with a chance to win and keep them believing. Look at (Arkansas head coach) John Pelphrey; Look at what he did. They came here and we beat them by (31). They haven’t lost since then. That is coaching. He could have lost his team after that game. They are in first place (in the SEC West).”

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Gal Napoleon from New York guards the Vince Lombardi Trophy before Super Bowl XLIV between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts in Miami on Sunday. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Colts: Jim Caldwell

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Colts coach Jim Caldwell would rather keep his private talks, well, private.
Good luck during Super Bowl week, when everyone is expected to speak into a microphone.
“Obviously, it is not my favorite thing to do,” he said Friday. “I think when you get in situations like this, you have to be able to find some enjoyment in it.”
Holding daily news conferences. Providing regular injury updates. Answering questions that range from the mundane to the inane.
This is fun?
It’s not exactly a vacation in the Florida sun, but Caldwell is getting used to it.
“I don’t mind it, it’s just I rarely have to do three or four in a row,” he said.
Caldwell’s soft-spoken, quiet style is a perfect fit for Indianapolis.
Fans in America’s heartland prefer old-fashioned values to big-city arrogance, and nobody complains when a team is winning.
Caldwell has succeeded at both, helping the Colts reach Sunday’s game against New Orleans.
He graduated with honors from the Tony Dungy school of public relations and the milestones are already piling up.
Since replacing Dungy in January, Caldwell has set the NFL record for most consecutive wins to open a career (14) and become the fifth rookie coach to make the Super Bowl. A win Sunday will put him on the short list of rookie winners — San Francisco’s George Seifert and Baltimore’s Don McCafferty are the only ones to win as first-year coaches.
What’s more impressive is that the 55-year-old Caldwell has done it his way.
He preaches humility. He demands perfection. He shows compassion, and when he runs out of words, he cites passages from the Bible or Chinese proverbs or books to make his point.
“Often times I use things that mean something to me, that I can relate to and hopefully they can understand why it means something to me,” he said. “I do it often. I read as much as I possibly can. I am constantly in search of knowledge. I think, particularly in the game we play, communication is key and you have to find ways to be creative in that area.”

Saints: Sean Payton

MIAMI (AP) — There’s Peyton, then there’s Payton, and in that order.
Peyton Manning is the marquee name in this Super Bowl.
Sean Payton is the other Payton, the one getting second-billing behind the Indianapolis Colts’ star quarterback and pitchman extraordinaire.
Yet the New Orleans Saints’ head coach is making his own mark with creative, aggressive play-calling that has produced the NFL’s top offense two straight seasons and three of the past four.
“He has an incredible knack for finding weaknesses and setting plays up and then taking advantage of opportunities that the defense presents. He’s a very aggressive play caller,” Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said. “What I mean by aggressive is he’s just not one of those guys that is just going to settle for 5- and 6-yard passes. He’s going to throw that thing deep on you often and early, so you have to be ready.”
The scary thing for the rest of the league is that the 46-year-old Payton is in only his fourth season as a head coach. And he believes he can get better.
“You’re learning all the time,” Payton said Friday. “Certainly, just as we ask our players to improve, study, hone their skills, the same has to be expected of us. There’s certain experiences that are hard to simulate, maybe, and each year, something — something maybe little, something maybe big — comes up, and you deal with it and reflect.
“You try to look at ways where you can improve as a head coach. I think that’s the nature of teaching — at least good teaching.”
During a typical practice, he might as well be professor Payton, calmly delivering instructions to the team or engaging in friendly one-on-one conversations with quarterback Drew Brees about the nuances of certain plays.
His competitive juices really start flowing on game days, when he looks like a man possessed.
He paces, waves his arms, shouts, points at the video board and runs down the sideline to throw a red challenge flag after a disputed play. A Saints touchdown might produce a fist-pump, with a leg kick for good measure.
There are the fiery glances shot at players, assistant coaches or officials — his way of saying, “Get it right!” without uttering a word.
“We’ve all seen that look,” Saints linebackers coach Joe Vitt said. “You can definitely get a picture of him on game day, the look in his eyes, the way he purses his lips, the way he sets his jaw.”

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The Sweet Sixteen is set. Well, the bracket is ready.
The draw for the boys and girls tournament was held Friday and the result is favorable for the 10th Region.
On the boys side, the winner of the 10th Region will take on the 5th Region at 6:30 p.m. on March 18. Early 5th Region favorites include North Hardin, Campbellsville, Elizabethtown and John Hardin.
The winner will take on the either the 6th or 14th Region. Favorites in the 6th include Louisville Iroqoius, PRP, Bullitt East and DeSales. The top teams in the 14th Region are Knott Central, Perry County Central, Hazard and Breathitt County.
On the girls side, the 10th Region winner will take on 3rd Region winner at 8 p.m. on March 11 in Bowling Green. The 3rd Region includes Daviess County, Ohio County and Grayson County.
The winner will meet the top team in the 12th Region (Lincoln County, Rockcastle County, Somerset, Casey County) or the 1s Region, which includes Murray and Paducah Tighlman.

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Tim Tebow could have been the victim of an abortion. Instead of heeding to a doctor’s recommendation, Tebow’s mother Pam chose to give birth to a son who became one of the best quarterbacks in history at the University of Florida and the rest is history.
Tebow and his mother will reportedly appear on a commercial sponsored by “Focus on the Family” during the Super Bowl. Critics are upset about the ad, which is being paid for by a formidable religious organization.
Apparently some folks don’t like the fact that Tebow and his mother will be sharing a story of inspiration in front of a national audience. Tebow is a perfect example of a good, honest and upright young man, but yet is often ridiculed because he takes a stand on his own personal beliefs and convictions.
Some are considering protesting and wanting to boycott because of the ad. Are you kidding me?
As best as I can remember, abortion isn’t against the law, but neither is free speech or should I say some forms of freedom of expression. Tebow has every right to speak out against abortion if he chooses to do so.

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Tickets to the ESPN College Gameday appearance at Kentucky on Feb. 13 have been sold out according to Ticketmaster.
The Gameday event will take place at Rupp Arena on Saturday, Feb. 13 from 11 a.m. -noon, prior to the Kentucky-Tennessee game which is scheduled to tip-off at 9p.m. on ESPN.
Tickets to ESPN College Gameday are not good for admission to the basketball game, but to the College Gameday event itself.

Source: UK athletics.

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Sometimes I just shake my head, although I’m not surprised.
My career involves covering sports and I love sports, but it’s not a matter of life and death to me. Of course I have my favorite teams and I like to see teams I cover do well, but I don’t get emotionally attached to those teams I cover on a regular basis.
I cover the Kentucky Wildcats. I like to see Wildcats do well and succeed, but I don’t get bent out of shape when the team loses. I have read comments regarding fans’ negative reactions following Kentucky’s loss to South Carolina Tuesday night. Are you kidding me?
It never ceases to amaze me how the world is perfect to critics one minute and doom and gloom the next. How can you be an objective fan with such an attitude?
There is a lot of basketball left to play and one loss – the first one in 20 games for that matter – isn’t something to get all upset over.
You have to remember, this is a team that starts THREE freshmen, ONE sophomore and ONE junior. Despite being ranked as the best team in the nation, it’s still a young team learning how to survive and manage success.
Most of the players are still teenagers. The coaches are human and there’s no such thing as perfection. It’s just a GAME and it’s not a life and death situation.
The last thing this team needs is negative critics following a tough loss. The Wildcats need unconditional love from the supporters and not degrading opinions.

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How much did South Carolina’s 68-62 win cost the Gamecocks? A lot. Following the team’s upset over the top-ranked Wildcats, fans stormed the court, resulting in a fine from the Southeastern Conference.

The following is a story from the Associated Press:

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s first victory over a No. 1 team will cost $25,000.
The Southeastern Conference said Wednesday that South Carolina will be fined for violating league rules against permitting fans on the playing area following a 68-62 victory over top-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday night.
The league said this was South Carolina’s second violation, which triggered the higher fine. The first violation also followed a victory over Kentucky on Feb. 15, 2005. Fans rushed the Colonial Life Arena court after the Gamecocks 73-61 win over then-No. 3 Kentucky. The athletic department was fined $5,000 by the league.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive said the policy is to keep a safe environment for those who participate and attend league events.

I agree with Slive: Safety is a priority no matter the cirumstance. Also, it’s just a game, folks. What do you think?

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COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of Kentucky men’s basketball program will take part in a special conference call initiated by the White House and President Barack Obama on Tuesday afternoon.
University of Kentucky coach John Calipari asked the Big Blue Nation to come together and help the millions affected in the aftermath of the horrific earthquake in Haiti. Kentucky fans answered the call with one giant slam dunk.
With the efforts of University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, WKYT, UK coaches and players (current and former), local and national celebrities, the collegiate coaching community, local and national businessmen across the country, and more, UK raised more than $501,000 in funds in its “Hoops for Haiti” telethon, a four-and-a-half hour fundraiser to help the relief efforts in Haiti. With matching funds, UK raised more than $1 million.
“The people and the fans of Kentucky, this state of Kentucky and the people all over this nation called in,” UK coach John Calipari said on the telethon. “I don’t know what to say. It’s emotional. We just spent a day and all you people did it. I just want to thank you. Thank you, Kentucky.”
As players answered the phones, celebrities like actress Ashley Judd, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and country star Taylor Swift participated by volunteering to auction various items on eBay. The bid for a dinner for six at the Calipari home with Ashley Judd went for $98,100. The Hoops for Haiti effort has raised over $1.3 million in total.
President Barack Obama will call the University of Kentucky men’s basketball team at 1:25 p.m. today at the Colonial Life Arena media room in Columbia, S.C. to thank them for raising over $1 million to help the relief efforts in Haiti through “Hoops for Haiti.”

Source: UK athletics.

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If you were to ask Miami Dolphins safety and former George Rogers Clark and Eastern Kentucky standout Yeremiah Bell if he would trade places with Indianapolis Colts safety Antoine Bethea right now, even if it meant missing his very first Pro Bowl appearance, he wouldn’t even blink an eye before giving an affirmative answer.
But it’s because Bethea’s Colts knocked off the New York Jets yesterday to advance to Super Bowl XLIV that Bell will get to play in his first Pro Bowl, and as an added bonus he will take his home field at Sun Life Stadium as a member of the AFC squad this coming Sunday. Bethea will take the same field a week later against the New Orleans Saints for a chance to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy, making South Florida the center of the football universe for the next two weeks.
Bell’s selection as a Pro Bowl alternate ensured that the Dolphins would not be shutout of being represented in their own backyard. Second-year left tackle Jake Long was selected as a starter but had to pull out due to an injury, and had the Jets managed to upset the colts at Lucas Oil Field, Bell wouldn’t have gotten his chance. He is no doubt looking forward to the experience just as other first-timers are, even though the game is not being played in Hawaii for the first time in 30 years.
Source: Miami Dolphins.

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