Movin’ to the NBA Playoffs

I suppose since college basketball season is over and there is not much new information to blog about, I will venture into the ranks of the NBA.  I have not followed any of the teams much throughout the season, but now that it’s the playoffs I am interested.  Already so many weird things have happened that could really devastate the teams that are affected.

Derrick Rose – During that last minute of Game 1 (Bulls vs. Sixers), he tore his ACL.  Many people wondered why he was still even playing because they had such a big lead, but the bottom line is that this sort of injury could have happened anytime.  There was simply no predicting something so devastating for the Bulls.  Before this the Bulls were favored to win the Eastern Conference and possibly even the entire tournament, but now that the Player of the Year candidate is out for the season, so are the Bulls’ chances at a title.  He was their only hope and now it’s the Spurs’ trophy to lose.

Amare Staudamire– Unlike Rose’s injury, this was self imposed.  After the Game 1 loss to the Heat, Amare thought it would be a fine idea to punch a fire extinguisher.  Now, when flesh meets shards of razor-sharp glass, the glass usually wins.  It was as expected in this case with the glass leaving Amare with a large gash in his hand resulting in stitches.  He had to sit out the second game and it is not known when he will return.

This year also seems to be the season for blowouts.  Already there have been two 30+ point wins, one for the Heat over the Knicks and one last night for the Spurs over the Jazz.  The only worse loss in history for the Jazz was the 42 point loss to the ‘98 Bulls which included the standout trio of Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman.  The Heat’s win was more amazing in the fact that they held the Knicks to 67 points; the lowest point total in playoff history.  That’s more like a strong defensive score in the NCAA; absolutely pitiful.  It’s no surprise that this was the game Amare Staudamire punch through the fire extinguisher.

With all of these team devastating injuries and blowouts, the post season is taking a turn for the interesting.  It was pretty clear that it’d be the Bulls and Heat in the Eastern finals, but it looks like now that if the 8th seeded Sixers don’t beat the Bulls, the 4 or 5 seed surely will.  We will just have to wait and see.

The Tervis Tumbler

Everybody has that uncle who is the life of the party during the Christmas season.  Well this past Christmas that uncle didn’t disappoint with his antics and the amazing gifts he gave my family.   He decided to take the place of my ailing grandmother who always got us a random gift from the QVC network.  This year he got all twenty members of the family a Tervis Tumbler. Now I never leave home without it.

 

The main innovative feature of the tumbler style travel cup took inventors until a few years ago to comprehend.  The first obvious one is the design that prevents the outside portion of the cup from sweating.  Nobody enjoys getting their clothes and body soaked in the water that somehow travels through a normal cup.  But this tumbler has a dual layer system that prevents the sweat from occurring.  Sweat is produced when the cold environment inside the cup reacts with the warmer air outside.  So if the inside environment only comes in contact with the air inside the dual layer, this sweat, if occurring at all, does not escape the second layer of plastic.

An aspect that may be even better than the lack of sweat is the ability to customize your tumbler.  I’m a huge University of Kentucky fan so my uncle individualized mine to have the UK logo and royal blue plastic.  My sisters, much to my dismay are University of Louisville fans, so their tumblers were red with UL glued on.  But for non-sports fans there are options such as flowers, animals, or simply a favorite color.

 

In addition to being able to specialize what appears on your cup, you can also customize the size of your cup.  There are many sizes starting at 8oz and culminating at 24oz.  If you think the 24oz may not fit in the cup holders of your car, think again.  Even the small cup holders in the ’98 Camry hold these perfectly.  But you can also opt for including a handle on your Tervis.  With this addition, it will not fit in the cup holder.  Unless you just love having a handle to hold on to, there is not an advantage to having it since the tumbler is already sweat proof.

While I do highly recommend the Tervis Tumbler, there are still a couple areas that could be improved.  First, even though it has dual layer technology, it is not insulated.  The contents stay colder for a litter longer than a normal plastic cup simply because the heat from your hand does not transfer as quickly, but on a summer day don’t expect your ice water to stay icy for long.  Second, the lid could use an improvement.  It opens and closes to keep it from spilling which is great, but the air hole is on the open/close valve.  Therefore your nose often blocks the air hole, creating a vacuum inside the cup, preventing water from exiting.  By the time you figure out what’s happening and take your mouth off of the opening, the contents pour out, spilling all over you.  After the first couple times this happens, you’ll learn to never take your mouth off the opening while it’s tilted.  But I assure you, this will happen at least once.

The Tervis Tumbler is a great product for everyone.  It’s environmentally friendly since you aren’t wasting disposable plastic bottles.  It gives you the opportunity to show your fandom for your favorite sports teams or maybe your favorite animal.  It keeps your hands free from the sweat a normal bottle produces.  Lastly, with all of the options available, there’s a Tervis Tumbler for everyone.

Sizes– 8oz, 10oz, 12oz, 16oz, 24oz

Accessories– Handles, Shaker top, Straws, Travel lid, Water Bottle lid

Styles– Tumbler, Wavy, Mug, Water Bottle

Designs– Sports teams, Colleges, American Pride, Outdoors, Parties, Quotes, Patters, Animals, and much more!

Prices

16oz – $11

24oz – $15

UK Players in the NBA Draft 2012

It was only ten days ago that the Cats won the NCAA Championship in New Orleans and almost immediately the talk about if and where the five underclassmen would be drafted started.  This blog will examine where each player would be drafted if he was to declare.  

Anthony Davis– After receiving every known player of the year award, nothing besides the complete failure of the NBA will keep him from being the first pick to the Charlotte Bobcats.  He is the all-time leading shot blocker for a freshman in the NCAA and arguably the best defensive player since Patrick Ewing.  Every analysis I’ve read this season has placed Davis as the only franchise player in the entire draft.  This year is full of players that will be able to contribute for years to come, but won’t make an immediate impact like Davis.  The Bobcats would be crazy to pass him up.  

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – He is among about five players vying for the second spot in the draft but it looks as though Thomas Robinson is the leader of the pack, with Gilchrist filling up the 3rd overall spot.  With this 3rd spot he will return to the arena he won his national championship in New Orleans.  While he has not officially declared for the draft, he has hinted throughout the season that he will not be returning.  Honestly, you can’t improve much from the number 3 overall pick, so he has no reason to stay.  

Doron Lamb – Coming out of high school he was a top 25 recruit from his class of 2010 and this past season really stepped up being our leading scorer behind Anthony Davis.  Whenever we needed a strong run to pull away late in a game he pulled through and could score a quick ten points in a matter of a couple minutes.  Currently he is projected as the 18th pick in the draft.  If he stayed around another year he may be able to improve that but not by much.  As much as I would love for him to stick around, I don’t think he has much reason to.  

Terrence Jones– This is a tricky decision.  The reason he stayed at UK after his freshman season was to improve his position, but ended up having a weaker season than expected due to the amazing freshman talent that came in.  Like Doron, I want Jones to stay for another year, but after playing with the future professionals he was accompanied with this season he is most definitely ready for the big leagues.  Bye Terrence.  

Marquis Teague–  He is the one member that I feel should not go to the NBA.  He improved greatly throughout the season and is projected to be the 27th overall pick, but could improve that to a top 10 if he waited for next season.  UK has a great incoming point guard in Ryan Harrow which will probably push Teague to enter this season, but another season at Kentucky would do wonders for his draft potential.  

Darius Miller – By far my favorite player on the team.  He graduated this season meaning he doesn’t have a choice whether to stay or go.  He’s probably going to be drafted between 30 and 40 simply because he was our sixth man.  On any other team in the country he would have been a top two player, but coming off the bench will suite him perfectly for what he is to expect in the pro’s.  He’s a player who will be a key sixth man for potential championship teams in the NBA.  So while he’s our last player to get drafted, he could possibly be the most successful simply because he knows what to expect  in the NBA.  

With all of these guys leaving it is a big concern for many that we will be completely depleted for the upcoming season.  But as of now UK is picked as the #2 team for the 2012-2013 season because of the fourth consecutive number one recruiting class.  Here they are:

Ryan Harrow PG,  NC State transfer

Nerlens Noel C, #2 HS recruit

Alex Poythrees F, #8 HS recruit

Archie Goodwin G, #14 HS recruit

Willie Cauley C, #40 HS recruit

Possible Recruits :

Anthony Bennett F, #7 HS recruit

Tony Parker C, #27 HS recruit

These guys will make an immediate impact and hopefully lead us to Number 9!

Championship #8

So today I’ll keep with the theme of the blog and express my extreme enthusiasm for the 2012 National Champions, the Kentucky Wildcats.  They dominated their way through the NCAA tournament, culminating in a national championship that gave the school it’s eight of all time, 2nd most out of any school.  I’ll examine a game by game basis of how they won this national championship which is the first we won in the past 14 years.  

In the first round we had to take on the mighty Western Kentucky Hiltoppers.  We got up 33 points during the game but ended up just winning 81-66 after putting in the bench guys for one of the first times this season.  But a win is a win.  At least we didn’t get beat like Syracuse only to have the refs keep us in it.  

Next we played the Iowa St. Cyclones.  I’ll be honest, I was worried about this game just a bit.  They have one of the best players in the country that could easily be a lottery pick in the NBA draft.  Buy when you’ve got six lottery picks it’s not to hard to take care of one.  That game ended up 87-71, nothing to worry about.  

The Sweet Sixteen was a game to worry about.  We played the only team to beat us in the regular season, Indiana.  But when they beat us back in December it was on their home court, not a neutral site.  And everybody knows a neutral site means they might as well be playing in Rupp Arena.  This game was the highest scoring game of the entire tournament ending with a 102-90 win.  

Next was the Baylor Bears.  One of the top 3 teams in the Big 12 conference.  They achieved a number 3 seed in the South region but it wouldn’t be enough.  At this point in the tournament the commentators believed that if anybody was to beat UK in the tournament it would be Baylor.  They were easy enough though.  It’s hard to overcome a twenty point lead at half and Baylor simply couldn’t go it.  Final score:  82-70.

Now it’s Final Four time.  What was called the biggest Final Four game in tournament history ended up being a great game; we won.  The UK/UL rivalry is the biggest, most hate filled rivalry in the country and now it has only increased.  UK took a 13 point lead with about ten minutes left in the game but then UL came back to tie the game at 49.  After this UK went on a 20-12 run to win the game 69-61.  Bragging rights!!!

Louisville was my main worry in the tournament.  We took care of them without a doubt.  But now we have to beat the champion of the right side of the bracket, Kansas.  Being close to the Kansas state boarder, everyone in the bar was cheering for them.  I was the sole UK supporter but I made myself known.  I was also the only one that left the bar happy as we took care of KU easier than we did UL.  We took an 18 point lead in the second half, only to have it brought back to five points.  Then we finished them off with several made free throws to end the Jayhawks season with an eight point win.  

The last time UK won a national championship I was 7 years old.  I can’t remember the feeling I had during that game so this game will be what I consider the first championship in my lifetime, just too bad I wasn’t in Lexington for the after party!

Local Legend: Bambino’s Cafe

Imagine sitting at your dinner table with the smell of tender meat filled pasta being cooked just a few feet away. Then imagine not having to cook the food or clean up after yourself because you have a smiley upbeat waitress to fulfill your every wish. This is what you will experience at Bambino’s Cafe in the cozy Phelps Grove neighborhood just south of Missouri State’s campus.

This is the type of local legend restaurant that you wouldn’t know about except through word of mouth. You can’t see it from any major road, as it is tucked in the middle of a neighborhood. When pulling up to the front you feel as though you’re headed to a dinner at a friend’s house because you must park on the street in front of people’s houses.  

Once inside you immediately feel the coziness, like you’re in your own home. The worn wooden tables are close together, but without the sense that it’s too crammed. The aromas of garlic bread and pasta immediately hit your nose. If it’s not too busy you can take the liberty of seating yourself, maybe you’ll develop a favorite spot. But the laid back atmosphere is just the tip of the iceberg.

My friend and I quickly ordered a Boulevard Wheat on tap and a glass of red wine. It wasn’t more than two minutes before the waitress had them to our table with a basket of bread, olive oil, and garlic. They don’t skimp on the wine either; the glass was easily more than half full.  

The alcohol wasn’t the only part of the menu that was intoxicating. Each one of the five dinner specials made my mouth water. There was the Tortellini Gorgonzola that was filled with cheese and simmered in a gorgonzola pesto sauce mixed with broccoli and roasted chicken. But the choice I went with was the Baked Ziti. This was tube-shaped pasta mixed with tender beef roast, smothered in cream and topped with a huge portion of mozzarella cheese.  At home this meal would take me at least 30 minutes to prepare, but the waitress had it out in less than ten, with no signs it had been pre-prepared or microwaved. Did I mention that each of the dinner specials range from $8.99 to $9.99 and could easily serve two people? 

Bambino’s also has a wide range of house pastas that are served for either lunch or dinner. These include your basics like the Fettuccine Alfredo and Angel Hair pasta with meat or marinara sauce. But then there are several more that are sure to steal your taste buds’ heart. The Nonna includes linguine with roasted chicken breast and simmered red peppers, covered in a light Alfredo sauce. I’m not usually a fan of red peppers or Alfredo but it was hard to limit myself to one bite off of my friend’s plate.  

If you feel as though the freshly baked bread with olive oil and fresh garlic isn’t a good enough appetizer then you can order one of their seven other choices; all less than $6.99. These appetizers are classic Italian foods; toasted garlic bread, garlic cheese bread, toasted ravioli, bruschetta, and spinach and artichoke dip with garlic bread. I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and it was hands down the best that I’ve had, not to mention the large portion. And if somehow you finish all the garlic bread before the dip, you’ve still got fresh bread at your disposal.  

The sole experience I’ve had at Bambinos was at 6 p.m. on a Thursday, and it was not busy. By the time I left about 45 minutes later it had picked up, but still nothing crazy. So if you’re looking for a quick in-and-out experience I recommend arriving before six because, from what I saw, the crowd was increasing with time. And if it happens to be a nice day, there is an outside patio with a screen cover that adds another ten tables to the restaurant.  

If you’re looking for a place to bring the whole family on a budget, you can’t beat the prices. I almost always finish my meals, but even I had to get some of my Baked Ziti to go. The waitress also gives you the option to get the lunch portion of the house pastas for two dollars less, which is still plenty of dinner after the bread appetizer. Bambinos also offers a kids menu with pasta, mac n cheese, or pizza, all for $3.99.

This restaurant encompasses every good aspect a customer could want: fast and friendly service, great prices, large potions, and a homey atmosphere.  If you’re looking for a place to bring a date or just the next place to go for a family dinner, Bambinos is that place.  

 

 

Specifics 

Hours:  Monday-Saturday  11am-10pm      Sunday 12pm-9pm

Alcohol:  White and Red wine  $4.00-5.75 ($20-25).  Beer: tap and bottled.

Prices:  < $10 per person

Reservations:  No

Catering?  Yes

Coca-Cola products

1141 E. Delmar St.

(417) 862-9999

 

Prelude to the Final Four

My mind is racing right now trying to think of what exactly I should write regarding Kentucky basketball.  Should I smash the misconception that UK has had an easy schedule throughout the regular season?  Maybe educate on the ignorance people have towards Coach Calipari?  Or should I hype up the UK / UL rivalry that’s about to take center stage throughout the country this Saturday?  Looks like I’m going to have to touch on each of these pressing issues.

Most people throughout the college basketball world see the SEC as a joke.  While they are not entirely wrong, the SEC has more power than commonly seen.  There’s UK, Vandy, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi State; all of whom were ranked in the top 25 at some point throughout the season.  But it’s not the conference schedule that represents UK’s overall schedule.  Out of the seven teams other than UK that made it to the Elite 8, UK played four of them; one of which they met three times.  Out of those six games the Wildcats went 6-0.  Then add the Elite 8 game and UK played five of the seven teams, going 7-0 overall.  Out of the remaining three Final Four teams KU has gone 4-2, OSU has gone 2-1, and UL has gone 1-2 for a cumulative 7-5 record.  Not only has UK played more Elite 8 teams than any other Final Four contestant, but they have won all seven of them, enough said.  

When it comes to a great coach there are certain traits you need to look at.  These are recruiting, leadership, knowledge of the game, integrity, and the players best interests at heart.  Nationally, Coach Calipari is known as a punk coach because of a couple things.  He gets the best players every year and just sends them to the NBA and he’s had a couple recruiting violations at previous coaching positions.  Does this make him a bad coach?  No way.  He’s the nations best recruiter.  Some may say “who couldn’t be when violating the rules?”, but you don’t need to cheat to recruit when you’re coaching at Kentucky.  Leadership – he has taken the nations best prep talent and gotten them to put aside their egos and work as a team for a national title, that takes amazing skill.  Knowledge of the game – Rick Pitino recommended Calipari to his first coaching job at UMASS and he’s been a head coach since, his records show his knowledge of the game.  Integrity – while he has had a few recruiting violations which forced him to vacate a Final Four with Memphis, he’s yet to show any sign of foul play in the three years at UK.  Players best interest at heart- he has said countless times that he wants to make his players dreams come true.  If that means they go to the NBA after one year of school, then that’s what he’s going to train them to do.  If he doesn’t think they’re ready he tells them.  Why does this issue of finishing college pervade every issue in college basketball?  If it weren’t for the NBA imposing the one year of college rule we wouldn’t even be talking about it.  Most of these players would have gone pro out of high school.  If you have a gift like these players, you’d want to use it before you run the risk of injury too.  We go to college to educate ourselves for  a job in the world.  They have a job in the world making millions of dollars.  They’ve been educated in the world of basketball.  That doesn’t make any college graduate any better than them just because they didn’t graduate.  

 

In regards to the UK / UL rivalry, this is going to be the most watched Final Four game of all time.  Unless you’re from Kentucky you simply have no idea what this rivalry means.  KU vs. Mizzou? That’s a joke.  Duke vs. UNC – strong but nothing close.  This article written by a Pat Forde, a sports writer from Louisville says it perfectly.  If you feel the earth shaking this weekend don’t worry, it’s just 3 million people jumping around to the east.  

2012: Eerily Similar to ’96?

Kentucky Basketball is one of the most storied athletics programs in all of sports.  Three seasons ago we became the first team ever to win two thousand games.  We have the most NCAA tournament appearances of all time with 51 and are tied for the most tournament wins of all time with 105.  We’re 4th on the list for most Final Four appearances (14) and 2nd for the most NCAA championships with 7.  Differing from the first place team on that list, we have those seven championships with four different coaches; the only program to accomplish such a feat.  Rupp Arena boasts the largest seating capacity in the nation with 23,500, but rarely do you see it with less than 24,000.  But with all of the great teams throughout the years, one clearly stands out; the 1995-1996 championship team.

The ’96 team featured a record of 34-2, with the two losses coming to future Final Four teams.  This squad won their games by an average of 22 points and featured nine future professional players.  It was coached by the legendary Rick Pitino who has taken three different schools to the final four, including three at Kentucky.  The leading scorer was Tony Delk with 17.8 ppg  and the leading rebounder was Antoine Walker with 8.4.  According to the Sagarin computer ratings, this was the best collegiate basketball team of all time with a score of 103.26, beating out the ’76 undefeated Indiana team by a full point.  But even though this is considered one of the best teams of all time, the current 2012 squad may be very close.

This year’s team has lost only one game; a buzzer beater on the road at IU.  We’ve currently been atop the rankings for seven weeks which is as long as we’ve been in that position since the ’96 team.  We’ve got six future NBA players with five who will go in the first round of 30.  CBS just today named our star player, Anthony Davis, the freshman player of the year.  Davis is also in the top two for the National Player of the Year that will be decided next Tuesday.  He will most likely be the number 1 draft pick in the NBA draft with his teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist likely going second.  Davis has led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks with 14.4, 9.8, and 4.7 respectively.  Our top six players average 10 or more points per game and the team is currently #6 all time in blocked shots with 278.  But besides the numbers it’s the way the team fits perfectly together.  You’d think with six future pros each of them would only care about themselves, but this team has come together and shown no signs of selfishness through the entire season. They truly want to bring UK it’s eighth championship and I feel good about their chances.  It’s March now and the tournament starts one week from today, but I’ll be counting down the days till the championship game.

Mystery Thriller of the Decade: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Many times films try to portray a certain era and fail drastically, but Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is right on the mark in regards to Cold War era communist phobia in Britain. The film was originally a novel written in 1974 by John Le Carre and later made into a six-hour miniseries on the BBC. The film, nominated for 27 awards in 2011, depicts two time periods that are seemingly close together, where the later period is a reflection on the earlier used to discern who is spying on British Intelligence for the Soviets.

The movie begins with a focus on Control, the leader of British Intelligence played by John Hurt (V for Vendetta). But it doesn’t take long for George Smiley, played by the incredible Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), to steal the show from an incredibly talented cast. While in many films he is a wordsmith and expositionist, in Tinker Tailor he is a master of silence and stares. There are countless close-ups on his face that typically lead to twists of the ever-confusing plot or show his despair from uncovering which of his co-workers is in fact a communist sympathizer; which during the Cold War would compare to being in Al Qaeda today.

In the beginning of the film a sting operation is carried out, setting the stage for many of the characters that will be featured throughout the film. This operation results in the shooting of the accused defector, resulting in interrogation by the British Intelligence. But just as many of the characters do, he returns, adding even more confusion to the plot.

From the unexplained killings to the ex-government official now working as a school teacher, the story is more confounding than the dream phases of Inception.  Every time the audience thinks the mole is dug up, director Tomas Alfredson spins you in a new direction, mixing up their beliefs.

Most movies center on the acting or the plot, and while this film scores highly in both, they share the stage with another technique. It is the silent close-ups, or shots of Oldman walking through a park on a dreary British day that gives the movie its true mystery. Just as in Sherlock Holmes, when the camera shows Holmes’ unorthodox crime-solving tools, Alfredson enhances the viewer’s thinking skills by putting them in the shoes of Oldman and contemplating the crime. In effect, the silent scenes seem to allow the audience to recuperate and figure out what’s truly happening. If he didn’t allow for this, the plot would be a jumbled mess moving too quickly and impossible to figure out.  But with these scenes the audience is able to insert themselves into the film just as if they were in the investigation. They see a confusing scene and can’t discern what is happening.  But then they see a silent shot, mainly of Smiley walking under a lifeless sky, and are able to think about what happened. Then they can bring that knowledge to the next scene and have a more complete view of what is happening.

Peter Guillam, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, plays Oldman’s makeshift sidekick in the effort to unmask the communist traitor. In the film it is not clear what his job specifically is, but he seems to be under the command of almost everyone else. This gentleman should be nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.  In his key scene he is completing some undercover work for Oldman which could possibly be the most nerve-wracking scene of the entire movie. Guillam needs to find some documents that will either solve or destroy the case with the risk of going to prison for many years.

Similar to every other aspect of the film, the dress for each character is spot on for Cold War-era secret intelligence.  Everyone wears drab browns and grey with the knee-length trench coat that one would imagine the original Sherlock Holmes would have worn. The English atmosphere mimics the attitudes of people during this era with dreary, dark grey skies and an almost constant mist and rain. Whether Alfredson offered this portrayal to give the audience a sense of England in the 1970s or to put them in the mood for a quiet, mind-exhausting spy thriller, it worked.

If you are looking for a film for a first date, I recommend going to see The Vow.  But if you want a film that keeps you on the edge of your seat and your brain reeling with mystery-solving efficiency, this surpasses Sherlock Holmes as the best mystery thriller of the past decade.

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Puss in Boots

So I’m going to go in a bit of a different direction with this post and review a movie that I had originally been dying to see since it premiered, Puss in Boots, starring Antonio Banderas.  The Shrek trilogy was amazing, we all know that.  In that trilogy one of the side characters was Puss in Boots, a clever and charming calico cat with the arm of a  professional fencer.  Last year when I heard Dreamworks was planning on a prequel, or side story to Puss, I was excited.  This past weekend, Redbox finally allowed me to watch it, and what a disappointment it was.

The movie would not have been bad had I not had any expectations.  I think I was expecting a comedic Robin Hood type of movie and what I got was a mediocre comedy in search for magic beans.

The film featured another fairy tale; Jack and the Beanstalk.  The quest that Puss and his accomplice,  Humpty Dumpty, embarked on was the search for the golden goose in the giant’s castle atop the beanstalk.  So while stealing from the rich does take akin to Robin Hood, it was still not what I had expected.

There were many funny parts though, usually when Humpty (Zach Galifianakis) was present.  It’s not possible for him to be in a movie without cracking  me up (pun intended).  But overall the only reason I didn’t turn it off half-way through was because I wanted to get my money’s worth and at least finish it.

If you’re looking for a movie to watch with a child, I would recommend this film. Besides the opening scene when Puss is leaving a one night stand, (which they wouldn’t understand anyway) there is no foul language.  Not to mention  a child would probably find it much more amusing than I apparently did.

Comeback Cats!

So while this is not necessarily a live show critique, it is the critique of exhilarating shows of basketball performance with special regards to the Kentucky Wildcats.  Growing up in Louisville, but born into a Big Blue Nation family, I’ve been a UK fan since I entered the world.  The ’90s and early ’00s provided some of the greatest teams that have ever had the pleasure of playing in Rupp Arena.  While the team of ’96 is the greatest team since my birth, the current team could possibly equal the ’96 team.

The past couple years have brought in some of the best talents in the nation with pre-warning that they would most likely go to the NBA after one season.  The likes of John Wall, Brandon Knight, and DeMarcus Cousins to name a few have had outstanding seasons at UK.  But there was something about those guys and those teams that I just did not like.  Of course I watched the games, but it wasn’t as much of a priority.  I love UK and UK basketball and  I want the players to love  and respect it as much as I do.  That is why this year’s team is different.  I see a lot more respect for the school and the tradition than I have since Tubby Smith left.  The thugs of years past are absent this year.  Michael Kidd-Gilcrest started 6 a.m. practices at the beginning of the season for just himself and quickly got the rest of the team to follow suit.  For a college team filled with players that are going to go to the league after one, maybe two years, that is incredible.  One opinion is that they want to get better to improve their draft options, but these are guys that pre-season were picked to be in the top 10; can’t get much better than that.  I like to think they have a desire to bring a championship to Kentucky before they leave.

The current team, has shown for drive and passion to win since before I can remember.  They’ve been #1 for a large chunk of the season and have only one loss; a buzzer beater at Indiana.  But they’ve have many other close games where they’ve been down late on the road.  At Vanderbilt, they gave up a double-digit lead and were down late, but dug out and went home with the win.  Just yesterday they were down the entire game at Mississippi State.  At halftime they were down 13, only to outscore MSU by 22 in the second half to leave with a nine point victory.  It seems that the Comeback Cats from ’98 are back.  I know it only takes one game in the tourney to end a season, but this is by far our best season for a championship in a decade.  All I know is I’d love to be in downtown Lexington for the party if we bring in championship number 8!