Bleacher Report - Articles by Nate M

Why The Rock Is Unforgiven!

Nate M — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:42:06 -0500

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Bleacher Creatures of All Ages!

And the Millions...And Millions of the Rock’s Fans!!!!

Let’s Get Ready To Whhhaaaaaaattttttt? Ittttt!!!!!

Ok, I have been silent for a while, I’ve had other things to tend to. However, I just saw something on the TV just now that kinda ticks me off. In that good/bad way.

See, the person we know as the Rock, Dwayne Johnson, ticks me off, in that “good/bad” way. See, I have seen the several articles that say he didn’t turn his back on the “People,” I see people saying he did, and some saying he’ll come back, some saying it would be nice, but he’s not coming back, ring wise, ever.

Ok, let me back up here. I got into wrestling around the age of seven or eight, Hulkamaniac, but some of my real favorites were Ricky Steamboat, Junk Yard Dog, and George “the Animal” Steele. I got the Saturday morning WWF broadcast, and either right before or right after was AWA. That was in Kentucky, and then I moved to North Carolina, in comes the NWA, and nothing else; Road Warriors, Rock’n’Roll Express, the four- Horseman, Magnum T.A., and many more.

That time was the explosion of professional wrestling on to the main stream. I even begged my dad to rent the Videos of Mania, Starcade, and more.

Fast forward to Summer 1998, a 21-year-old Marine, on the west coast, car on the east coast, not much to do, well, well, there is my dear old Friend, Wrestling. But now, we have DX, Stone Cold, and yup, you guessed it, The Pie Eatin, Jabronie Beatin, Eyebrow Raising, SmackDown Layin…Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment today! Theeeeee Rooocckkkk!

Ok, before I go on again, what started this? What sent Nate into a Wrestling rage?

It was a Promo, about “Its Me, The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, catch a glimpse of my new movie, Race to Witch Mountain.” And guess when it was? During or after the next edition of RAW!

As Ole Stone Cold would say, "What?"

I am going to have to stop here and give the man, Dwayne Johnson, some props, he did what he needed to do, to further himself in life. He’s making more money, getting more exposure, and I cannot take that away from him. However, as much as I tried to like his movies, some are good, some are not so good, and what was with the gay cowboy/enforcer/bodyguard in Be Cool?

Also, I will say he knows the physical toll that the world of professional wrestling can take, first hand. But with someone of his lineage, with wrestling in his blood, he has turned his back on his “millions...And Millions...of The Rocks Fans”...

Now, I am going to cut the cavalry off right here, “What is left for the Rock to Prove? He’s held very major title, including the WCW/World Heavyweight Belt”…

I’ll tell you what he has to prove:

No. 1. He said something to the effect of, “I will never leave the WWE, I will never leave my People.”

Sorry dude, but Promo’s and no live shows doesn’t cut it.

No. 2. “Finalllyyy…The Rock...Has Come Back…Home!”

Say What? Right now Mr. Johnson, with your real fans, you are now that cool cousin that shows up once every five years, to pop in, and get drunk with the family. Not the son who went to college, and comes back so he can get that good job, then move out.

No. 3. Your last few matches, in the “mini comebacks” were sub par, they showed your minimum move set, and losing, I think the last three, including the Rock’n’Sock Connection at Mania.

No. 4. The WWE Needs ya Rock. Even for a good six- to eight-month stretch. Maybe a little bit longer to put another title on your waist, and make a good story line.

But I digress, the Rock is never coming back as a wrestler other than a “retirement” type of match, IF that.

That is why I am campaigning to have the WWE and The Rock to just part ways. Until he is inducted to the Hall of Fame, let the relationship be. It is like peeling a scab that is not quite healed.

Stone Cold and The Funk Brothers are going into the Hall of Fame this year. Unless the Rock is the Surprise inductee, it needs to be let go.

In a lot of WWE Fans minds, the Rock is no longer accepted here, unless it's back in the ring for more than one or two matches.

Stone Cold! Stone Cold! A Prediction

Nate M — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:38:31 -0500

Coming into 2009, Stone Cold Steve Austin is being inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame (HOF). The man born Steve Anderson, then Stunning Steve Williams, then the name we all know and love, or love to hate Stone Cold Steve Austin, is healthy enough to wrestle, however chooses not to.

Apparently Ol’ Stone Cold made some wise investments and saved his money. This is from several interviews done after the release of “the Condemned” movie, which was the first of his three contracted movies for WWE Films.

With all of this said, wait, I forgot one thing, though this writer thinks there were really some knee problems, but in the several interviews I have read, that his knee braces were for show as a “uniform” as the Bionic Redneck, then for real medical purposes. His own prediction is he could do 2 more years of all out performing.

We all know the future of wrestling events is mainly speculation, and the rumors are rampant that since he is going into the WWE Hall of Fame, he will be involved in a match at WrestleMania, which usually proves true since the WWE attached the HOF ceremonies to WrestleMania.

With the fact that Randy Orton has punted Mr. McMahon in the head, possibly giving McMahon a true life concussion and some boot lace cuts, the rumor is, with teaming up with Stephanie McMahon, becoming “face”, Stone Cold may come back as Mr. McMahon’s personal pick to exact his revenge. This could be proved to be true, and also carries on the WWE’s predictability, with a surprise element.

All that said, earlier I said “investments” as far as Stone Cold’s money situation goes. People, think about it, Shawn Michaels, indentured to JBL because investments going south, why not Ol’ Stone Cold coming back for some time and earning a paycheck?

In three interviews I have seen, and I hate I cannot recall the websites, or I would link them or actually acknowledge them, but he has stated numerous times that he IS healthy enough to compete, and would, however, since he has reached the Top in Wrestling, what would it accomplish? How would he feel himself after it? He has stated he wants to live out his remaining years pain free, maybe do some fishing and hunting shows, on top of his acting in movies.

What does all of this mean? Stone Cold is coming back. Even if he does sporadic appearances and matches. At WrestleMania, expect him to be in a match, probably not against Randy Orton, unless Orton wins the Royal Rumble, and takes his championship shot at another event other than Mania, then you can figure in a Fued for McMahon with Stone Cold being his “special enforcer” against “The Champ” Randy Orton. Expect Austin to win said match if it is made, if not, he will hurt Orton and get DQ’ed.

With the hype and wanting someone from the Attitude era come back, despite some people thinking he is getting old, he’s still “The Rattlesnake”, “The Bionic Redneck”, simply, he is Stone Cold Steve Austin, and that’s the Bottom Line, Cause Stone Cold Said SO!

And don’t forget Austin 3:16

Austin 3:16 says I just Whipped Your Ass!

B/R Wrestling Community: What Is It Coming To?

Nate M — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:48:51 -0500

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, Children of all Ages, Are You Ready?

Wait, maybe I shouldn’t use that, as it seems like it might be trademarked, but is it Michael Buffer or Road Dogg Jesse James?

Normally, I wouldn’t write an article like this, but in the mood I am in, can’t find a job so I can properly support my kids, maybe I can take some frustration out here. And really, I am getting tired of the B.S. going on in here.

It’s Time………. Let’s Get Ready to…..ooops, trademark again….

The Pro Wrestling community here at Bleacher Report is getting ridiculous. People are fighting, people are leaving, and people are just becoming idiots. Yes I said it, idiots.

I was going to write a “Raw Rewind” kind of article, but after seeing some of the comments, articles, and just plain old bull, I have to write this.

First of all, if you are writing about Pro Wrestling and are not a part of an actually wrestling company, or have legitimate inside sources, most articles are going to be pure speculation on what “might” happen, aka speculation. Most of us in the “community” can agree with this, as we are not storywriters for the WWE, TNA, or ROH.

With all the intro and glitz and glamour of that intro like wrestling itself, something has got to give. Unlike some, I am going to “call out” some people.

First on the Card is “M”:

The First bout shocker; Dude, you write great humor articles, and I understand your frustration, as I myself read some of these articles and ask myself, “Why am I here?”

With your wit and knowledge, and obvious use of word processors, I commend you.

I do it myself, even though we all know writing good articles to get the point across does taking our English classes like a grain of salt, at least you spell things correctly. fragments and conjectures (OMG I remembered something from English Class), are part of getting the “hook” for our readers.

Second on the Card: Shane Howard:

Dude, you write about multiple sports, great job, and like a wrestling card, you win your match in quick fashion and are safe from anything.

Third on the Card: Daris Brown:

Once again, you are a face, and write great articles. You put research with logic, and put pen to paper so to speak, while trying to express your feelings about an angle, your wit and knowledge of the wrestling world, and what should work, vs. what they put on TV. Kudos to you.

Fourth on the Card: Ron Johnson:

Ron, well, all I can say is you keep your nose to the grind and clean. It seems when you have an article in mind, you write it to the best of your ability, and keep it clean.

Fifth on the Card: Kumar:

New to the community and trying to “keep it real.”

Commercial/sentimental/all other names you can think of break:

We are here because we love our respective sports. Whether we want to be real sports writers, just want to get our thoughts and feelings out about how a sport or event went, or just “because we can.”

And I would like Google and Fox Sports for bringing me to this community, along with Milwaukee’s Best Ice.

Now, it’s Time for the MAIIIIIIINNNNNN EVENNNNTTTTTT!

Joe Joe, aka Joe Burgett:

I’ll start our main event with the fact, that Joe knows wrestling. He sometimes puts out articles that are worth the space they occupy.

And I’ll also say, in the past, I used to follow the online wrestling sites, which turn out to be nothing but what are called “web-rings” that do nothing but put out fake headlines to draw you in, and end up do nothing but send you to yet another domain name with the same crap where you cannot find anything on the real article.

Luckily there are some real sites in the mix, which actually tell you the “real deal” or “leaks” of real storylines in the respective wrestling organizations.

Now back to Joe. Like I said, sometimes you come out with an article I understand and agree with. But a lot of times, I get duped into reading one of your articles, which turns out to be one of the worst things I have ever read.

Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and duplicate content, which makes me cringe and wonder why I actually check the wrestling section on here. Yes, I write about other sports.

Joe, you are “ranked,” and I use that term loosely, as #1 in the Wrestling section. It is because you crank out an average of 3.2 articles a day. In 4 months as of the writing of this article you have cranked out 383 articles.

Unfortunately, 200 and some have been crap. I do not know what you do to make money, but it is obvious that you are trying to break into the wrestling world as a journalist, which is fine.

However the quality of your articles is getting worse and worse. You cannot take a joke, you do not “read between the lines,” etc.

Lets not forget about the dozens of “Christian Cage coming back to the WWE” articles, now your personal vendetta against Manu aka Afa Anoa’i Jr., one of the sons of one of the best of all-time Samoan wrestlers. Now you do not understand why “M” writes what he writes.

Joe, I recently saw you would be on a radio show about wrestling and good for you, seriously, but come on man, a lot more of your articles recently have looked the articles of a drunken fool, not an amateur writer.

The use of MS Word or even some other word processor would help you out, as I have come across some really butchered articles here by you. And the five-paragraph crap too, I don’t understand it. It does not help your Google Rank, nor anywhere else.

Half of your articles represent what is called a blog. Writers do not ask “what do you think” at the end of their articles. At least most of them.

Joe, seriously, I would say you buy a domain name, and host your own blog, with writing what you really know/find out on here.

Link the articles to your blog as “if you want to hear more of my rants and raves go to whatever .com”… I’ll host it for you if you need to. Better yet, blogspot and blogger are free, with your own sub domain.

As we sign off in this early week's edition of wrestling on Bleacher Report, I remind my constituents to use word processors, then save for copyright issues, and then copy and paste them here.

Once again I’ll remind people that unless you are an “insider,” most of Professional Wrestling is speculation, and be careful on what you put out.

Jodie Meeks: Player Spotlight

Nate M — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:10:01 -0500

Wow! Jodie Meeks just lit up the Tennessee Volunteers for 54 points, breaking the University of Kentucky scoring record that has stood since Dan Issel had 53 in 1970 against Mississippi. Meeks also set the team record for three-pointers made in a game. Can we say he should be put in the running for the Player of the Year award?

Here is Meeks’ line score:

54 pts 8 rebs 4 ast 15-22 fg 10-15 3pt and 14-14 ft

Why should Jodie Meeks be considered for player of the year? It is simple: The man can play.

Now in his junior year, Meeks had only averaged 8.8 ppg his freshman and sophomore years. His sophomore year was riddled with injuries. However, he was able to come back at the end of the year and help the Wildcats make it to the NCAA tourney despite the absence of Co-SEC Freshman of the year, Patrick Patterson.

Coming into tonight’s game, Meeks was averaging 24.2 ppg and had really shot out the lights in almost every game this year, scoring over 30 points in four games, over 20 in five games, and almost 20 in five other games. Now, he is the highest single game scorer and three-point shooter in UK’s history.

At the beginning of the year, he was trying too hard to take over games, and then his team found him more and more on give and goes, screens, for catch and shoot situations. However, in the Tennessee game, he controlled the ball, made awesome cuts to get open when he was not the ball handler, and just was unstoppable.

UT had no answer for him. Foul him, he went perfect from the line; leave him open, he drained the three; two bodies on him, he sped past or went over them. Just unstoppable.

Jodie Meeks switched from number 20 and now wears the infamous number 23. Most people cannot live up to the number's most famous wearer, none other than Michael Jordan. So far this year, even though it is only in the college hoops ranks, he is living up to it.

“I want to thank my teammates for finding me open in the wings... all I wanted to do was win, as the first two years I didn’t get a win here (at Tenn.), and I just wanted to win. I am speechless...”—the after game quote from Jodie.

No Jodie, UK and Your Fans are speechless; you dropped the best game ever by an individual in UK’s storied history, and did it on Tennessee’s home court. We could not ask for anything better. Thank You Sir!

PS, QUIT EDITING MY HEADLINES!

Jericho Fired! Stone Cold in H.O.F

Nate M — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:57:58 -0500

Ok, this RAW was actually worth watching.

Stephanie McMahon came out with her shrill voice, adulated that her Father, Vincent Kennedy McMahon was coming back on next weeks RAW, when she was interrupted by Y2J. After some words, Steph Fired! Jericho.

My interpretation of this is that we Will see Chris Jericho at the Rumble, maybe even win it. There is speculation he may have needed time off for personally reasons, but this looks like another set-up the Real CEO of WWE Inc, Linda McMahon will rehire Y2J, just in enough time for him to be another surprise entrant into the Royal Rumble, and possibly win it.

Next up is Rey Mysterio and The Miz. Rey-Rey wins the match only to be attacked by Mike Knox, again, after the match. This angle is going nowhere, and fast.

Intercontinental Champion William Regal was forced this week to take on C.M. Punk again after getting himself dq’d last week intentionally, prompting Stephanie McMahon to issue this weeks rematch. The match barely got started before C.M Punk, himself was disqualified for a punch to the stomach, the ref deemed as a “low blow.”

AS Regal left to the backstage area, Stephanie came back and ordered that next week, Regal and Punk were to meet up for a third and final match to determine who is the real IC Champ! Oh, and this one is No DQ!

I see C.M. Punk coming away the winner next week.

Next is Randy K. Orton taking on the big Red Machine, Kane. This was a brutal and great match, however Kane got screwed by the referee, when he was pinned for the three count, when his right shoulder was clearly up.

As Orton was gloating the win, and Cody Rhodes still at ringside, Manu and Sim Snuka come out with a surprise “backup”, Ted DiBiase Jr.

As the three men enter the ring, Cody Rhodes finally gets in the ring, being previously challenged by Manu and Snuka as “You are with us or against us.” As the staredown goes on for about two minutes, Orton, Rhodes, And what’s this? DiBiase attack Manu and Snuka.

After a thorough beat down, Legacy leaves the ring, seemingly in tact.

Afterwards Legacy is in the back, discussing the Rumble, with Orton making it clear he can be the only winner.

My take; Legacy will live on, but it will be Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Manu, and Sim Snuka. Sorry folks, D.H. Smith has been put on the back burner, since his mic presence is still shoddy. All these guys will eliminate Randy Orton at the Rumble.

Melina and Kelly Kelly were to take on the Glamazon Beth Phoenix and Jillian (thank God she didn’t sing), when Melina and Kelly were walking down to the ring one of the paparazzi layed the smacketh down on Melina and Kelly Kelly, which turned out to be none other than Beth Phoenix super fan, Rosa Mendes. With Beth coming down to finish the job after Mendes is taken away by security.

Santino Marella is announced as in the Royal Rumble after a meeting with Stephanie McMahon. I like this, as I have come around to Santino, I never really liked him, however, he has come to be rather a great comic relief. So we could see him win the Rumble, however not likely.

Next comes the main event, The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels, with JBL in his corner vs. The World Heavyweight Champion John Cena in a non title match, but what Michaels employer JBL calls Shawn’s Wrestlemania. This match turned out to be a slobber-knocker, to take a phrase from Good Ole J.R.

After a rash of finishing moves, JBL helped push the ropes in so H.B.K could get out of Cena’s STFU, and then providing just a seconds worth of distraction so Michaels could hit his second Sweet Chin Music. With Michaels picking up the win, and J.B.L. facing Cena at the Rumble, the implications are pretty strong.

John Cena will win the match at the Royal Rumble, as usually the Champ, loses his last match before winning at a P.P.V, this theory has only failed once or twice in the 20 years I have been watching wrestling.

The catch, Michaels may have a chance in the actual Royal Rumble match, and will infuriate J.B.L enough that he will fire Michaels. Or Michaels will simply turn on J.B.L. deliver sweet chin music, costing him the title. The twist, J.B.L. will actually pick up the win, and garner a chance at a re-match with Cena.

And my Favorite part of the night, midway through the show, was the Official Announcement that My Man, Good ole Stone Cold Steve Austin will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Expect plenty of Steve-Weisers, and maybe a Stunner on Mr. McMahon!

That’s my recap and previews for now.

If ya wanna see ole Stone Kick Vinny Mac’s ass, Gimme a Hell Yeah!

When Is Drug Testing Over The Top?

Nate M — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:38:51 -0500

Drug testing in professional and amateur sports is getting ridiculous. With positives, false positives, and masking agents all around the world, in all types of sports, there is cause for concern. With the breaking news that Philadelphia Phillies reliever J.C. Romero, and New York Yankees minor league pitcher Sergio Mitre are now suspended for 50 games for testing positive for “a banned substance,” the sports world needs to take a look at how they deal with actual “dopers” and accidental “dopers.”

Before I go any further, I will say that I am not a doctor; I am just an older athlete who has been following this subject for many years, and I do not condone any intentional doping of athletes at any level. Notice I said “intentional.”

When an athlete purchases a protein shake, Powerbar, or some other training supplement at a pharmacy or nutrition store, then “pops” positive on a drug test and gets suspended for it, that is a travesty.

Though there is no mention of the particular substance or product purchased, J.C. Romero is claiming that he went to his local GNC store, bought a product, ran it by his team trainers/nutritionists, and still popped for a banned substance, and now is facing a 50-game suspension. If this is the truth, then MLB has a big problem on its hands.

This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that the “GNC did it” excuse will be used. I personally have a problem with this, as not everyone can be lying. Yes, there will be athletes who try and use it as a crutch or umbrella, but it does not mean it will always be a lie.

The United States has one of the toughest overall illegal drug policies in the world, especially when it comes to athletes. Anabolic steroids, amphetamines, and a ton of other products are deemed illegal by the government, and the governing bodies of individual sports, however, the drug testing of sports is getting “ticky-tack.”

If an athlete has elevated testosterone levels, they are considered as doping somehow. What these governing bodies are forgetting is that this is sports! When a person puts themselves through the training regiments to compete at elite levels of sport, their bodies—for the most part—produce more of everything to help the body stay healthy. Extra testosterone, extra dopamine, extra insulin, etc…

Take a cyclist for example: Cycling is about cardiovascular conditioning, and lower body strength. In a normal human body, a majority of testosterone is produced in the legs. So a vigorously trained cyclist, since they use their legs a lot, would have a natural testosterone boost. Also, almost every sport requires the athlete to run, meaning they use their legs, which normally would mean an elevated testosterone level.

I’m not going to go into illegal anabolic steroids, narcotics such as cocaine and marijuana, or the “cream and clear” from BALCO, as those are obviously illegal. I do want to address these “other” substances which are rarely named in public, or which product was bought over the counter that caused a “positive” test.

Another recent big story along the lines I am speaking of, is the NFL’s attempted suspension of five players for popping for a banned diuretic contained in the product, Star Caps. Regardless of the reason the players took this supplement, it was obtained legally over-the-counter (OTC), and the NFL had not warned players that this product contained a banned substance. In fact the bottle did not have the ingredient in question even listed on the label. With that evidence alone, a federal judge issued an injunction on the suspensions.

Another wrinkle is the use of diuretics. A diuretic is something that helps a person lose pounds by shedding water weight. Some athletes have a clause in their contract specifying they have to meet a certain weight requirement or their contract could be voided. This occurs mainly in the NFL, however other sports use this type of clause to encourage their heavier athletes to keep in shape in their off-seasons. Some athletes use these types of products for health reasons also because they are naturally too heavy, have high blood pressure, etc. Now, ask yourself: With this being the age of Gatorade and hydrating, how would this increase an athlete’s performance? In most cases I would say it would do more harm than good.

Now let us talk about what professional sports and their lawyers call “personal responsibility.” Their definition of this is that “You are responsible for what passes through your mouth or nose into your body.” For the most part, this definition can be held truthful; you are responsible to know what is going into your body.

In the case of the five NFL players, the league knew of the Star Caps containing this banned diuretic, but did not make it known to its players. Allegedly, in the Romero case, the player even ran the unnamed product by his nutritionist and team trainers, who approved its use. However, an arbitrator decided that Romero was guilty of negligence.

How can these six professional athletes be held responsible, when the products were obtained legally, OTC, in the United States? They cannot and should not be held responsible.

Professional sports leagues have the resources to literally walk into a GNC or a similar store, purchase every product on their shelves, and test them individually, then issue a list to each team, their trainers, and nutritionists, of products that contain the banned substances. As with the Star Caps, and I am sure with other products as well, the banned substance was not even on the label, therefore even one educated in health and nutrition would not know it contained said substance.

In Major League Baseball's recent Mitchell Report, many professional baseball players were named as people who had used anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, and other obviously-illegal substances. If you look at some of those individual cases, there are certain elements that came into play. Andy Pettite used HGH for a short time while rehabbing his shoulder—a common practice for non-professional athletes. The substance was prescribed by a licensed medical doctor for rehab.

Barry Bonds, though I personally doubt it, stated that he was supposedly going on the word of his personal trainer that the "cream" and the "clear" he was using was not illegal. (On this note, I will say, I highly doubt he didn’t know, but with the case of lying to a Grand Jury, there is a small, very small chance he actually didn’t know.)

Mark McGwire was using androstenodine during his 1998 home run chase, which at the time was not banned, and was considered “Steroids Lite.” And I can make a case for Rafeal Palmero accidentally taking steroids by accepting a “Vitamin B-12” shot from Miguel Tejada. In Palmero’s case, that is an obvious “personal responsibility” violation. If I had been him, I would have gone to the trainer for the shot, not Tejada.

There are plenty of illegal substance violators in professional sports, and in today’s society of having to perform at the highest level, day in and day out, there are plenty of legal supplements that help maintain a persons level of competition while keeping them healthy. When these legal supplements, sold over the counter are used to alienate athletes when there is ample opportunity for the leagues to inform individual teams of the products that contain something on the “banned” list, then the organizations should look into their policies. As I said earlier, they have the means, the money, and apparently the desire to control what their athletes put in their own bodies. However, when they have a “secret list” of banned substances, then fault the athlete for taking said substance, then there is something wrong.

What’s next? No aspirin? No Advil? No caffeine?

Enough is enough, professional sports leagues. Get your collective butts in gear, and make things known. It’s bad enough athletes in the Olympics can’t even take an over the counter cold medicine.

Showdown in The Bluegrass

Nate M — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:12:27 -0500

Alrighty College Hoops Fans, the warm up season is almost over, and conference play is around the corner. This means its time for the Showdown in the Bluegrass!

The no. 18 Cardinals of Louisville (pronounced Lu-a-vull) welcome into Freedom Hall the University of Kentucky Wildcats!

And it will be a barnburner. Ricky Pitino has his Cardinals fired up after a shocker at Minnesota, losing 70-64. Coming out in their next game and torching UAB and Robert Vaden, 82-62.

And other than a shocker against Western Kentucky on Nov. 30^th, 54-68 on a neutral court, Louisville comes in ranked 18^th, and 8-3 after a one point stunner against UNLV on Dec. 31^st, before the highly anticipated match up on Jan. 4^th.

The Wildcats of Kentucky come in 11-3, riding a six game win streak. After a shocker in the opener against VMI, the Cats have “stayed the course” of the warm up season, losing to powerhouse and no. 1 UNC, and at the time no. 21 ranked Miami (Fla), and dominating most everyone else.

Though their last close win was against a pesky Florida Atlantic. The Cats bounced back to put away Central Michigan by 32 pts.

Though the Cards will be ranked lower, and maybe even fall out of the top 25 this weekend, that is the indication of their near collapse of late. Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa were shut down with Sosa being benched in the loss to Minnesota after sloppy play. Samuels has rebounded some, and Sosa is still struggling.

The Cats are coming in with Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks heating up. Meeks is averaging 24.1 ppg, while Patterson is at 19.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg.

Perry Stevenson is contributing heavily on the boards and blocked shots. While freshman DeAndre Liggins and Darius Miller are maturing, with Liggins finally having the confidence to take over the offense when needed. Miller has a bit more to go but still Billy G. has the confidence to give him some on the job training.

This could be UK’s last chance to get a key victory to maybe finally gather some votes for a top 25 ranking, as the SEC season is upon us. Despite wins over a now surging West Virginia and Kansas St., the Cats have not garnered any respect as it comes to the top 25 rankings.

The Wildcats have to dominate inside, while shooting good shots. Get the ball in to Patterson, free up Meeks for the three-pointer, have Liggins penetrate for the lay-up or pass out to the perimeter for the jump shot. If the Cats pull this one out, it would be a big momentum boost going into conference play with a seven game win streak, facing two of their top three foes right off the bat.

The SEC is touted as weaker than it has been in the past years; however, the most of the Cat’s opponents in conference play have formidable records with the worst at this time being the 8-5 Mississippi St Bulldogs.

The Cats could dominate, and don’t be surprised when they beat Tennessee to win the SEC East. Vanderbilt, LSU, and Tennessee will be their toughest opponents. As usual and in most conferences, road games will be key all around the SEC, where even the best can fall at any time.

UK by many experts were picked to be third in the SEC East, however, they are showing that they will contend for the regular season title, and have the ability to put together streaks to possibly win the SEC Tourney.

Manny Ramirez and Los Angeles Dodgers: Get It Done Already

Nate M — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:05:46 -0500

Where will Manny Ramirez end up?

I'll be honest, unless Joe Torre is "That Good" at "Spin," Manny would be stupid to go somewhere else based on purely money. The Dodgers had offered a contract worth approximately $22.5 mill a year for two years, with an option for a third and it was turned down in hopes of more, somewhere else.

Lets face it folks, Manny turns 37 in May, and he has made a move that is almost exactly what he wanted...People don’t talk funny, it's Warm, and The Daw-d-Ja's Love Manny....

The Owners

The Managers

The Players

And Most Importantly the Fans!

Oh, and Manny can still be Manny, it’s Hollywood after all.

L.A. is "this close" to more postseason wins, and Manny could/would be the reason.

Does Manny deserve six years? Will he physically hold out that long? The answers are no and yes, respectively.

The reasons he does not deserve the six years locked in are many. Let's first talk about his departure from Boston. Not only was he lackadaisical in the outfield, he virtually quit on them, refusing to play when Manny was not getting Manny’s way.

He made it obvious to the media that he was no longer happy in Boston and that he would only play when he wanted to creating even more friction between him and management. His outfield play was mediocre at best, leaving the field with two outs not three, throwing to the wrong base/cut-off man, and just not catching the ball.

This brings up the questions: “Will he quit on us? Will he be any good in the outfield to us?”

That is why Manny does NOT deserve anything over four years guaranteed.

Will his body hold out? All indications say yes, as he is rarely injured and averages between 130 to 150 games a year. At 37, 40 is just around the corner. And even though more and more major leaguers are playing into their 40s, they still become a liability.

Power and speed are usually the first to go on anyone after 40, and many players 40 and over need to be evaluated every two years or so as far as their effectiveness and contract worthiness.

The Dodgers made this contract offer with both reasons in mind. They could and should go to about $75 million for three years with an option for a fourth year. This gives them the chance to use what could be the last great years Manny has left, and give them an option to trade him, likely to an American League team, since Manny would eventually be relegated to DH duty at about 42 years of age.

With the lucrative contracts of late, Manny Ramirez is obviously worth at least $25 million a year. He obviously loves National League pitching, in 53 games he hit .396 ave, .743 slugging, and 17 HRs.

Now, the only questions left are if Scott Boras can get his head out of his rear, and if Manny really likes Mannywood.

Joe Torre and others in the Dodgers organization have said they couldn’t really explain why the clubhouse came alive, other than...you got it...Manny Being Manny.

And Los Angeles, come up off some more money, and get something finally done. After all, just how much did you all make with those Manny Wigs?

Pac-Man Gobbles the Golden Boy

Nate M — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:37:05 -0500

Ladies and Gentleman, Let’ssss get readddyyy tooo Rumbleeeee……

As Michael Buffer said those famous trademarked words, the crowd goes crazy!

After the three National Anthems, yes I said Three! Oh and the US National Anthem was sung by a hot lady in a “body suit,” which left little to image…

Ok, Back to the boxing…

If Fred Roach had a secret, it could only be that Oscar De La Hoya is susceptible to the straight left jab from a southpaw. Otherwise we know the 35 year old “Golden Boy” is slower and less powerful. But! Was he actually in shape to contend in this bout?

The obvious answer is no!

Ladies and Gentleman, I have watched many a boxing match, however, after the Round 4 of this fight, I felt real guilty about thinking the “Golden Boy” even had a chance in this contest. I have watched several of his bouts, and with the speed and strength at the weights he was fighting at, wow, truly “Golden.”

Enter Sandman…err…Pacman…Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao. Considered the best current Pound for Pound fighter in the world. Was Oscar too bold in taking this fight as a “measure” of his current ability? Is DLH going to retire after the answer was an astounding Yes, you are slow, old, and not competent in the ring? He did not say yes, but he did not say no.

After a quick turnaround from Pac-Man signing with Golden Boy Promotions, to it being nullified about 6 months later as Pac was still with Top Rank. Within another six months, they are in the ring, Oscar saying it’s personal, Manny saying it's business.

Once the first bell rang, it was obvious De La Hoya was outmatched. He couldn’t stop Pacquiao’s left jab. It got through almost every time it was thrown, all fight long.

Rounds One and Two were obvious Pacquiao rounds, however Oscar threw pretty hard and actually connected on some power punches early in the second, Manny took back over and finished the round with several flurries of his own.

Round Three was Oscar’s best round, connecting often. However, Manny had several flurries, in which despite the 10 point must system by Compu-Box, this writer would have called that round even, 9-9. That was the last true offense by De La Hoya.

Round Four: Pac-Man keeps landing the left jab, directly through the Golden Boy’s defense. A few small flurries that looked good, but landed few actual connections. With Oscar not throwing many punches at all.

Rounds five and six showed more Pacquiao punches, and more of them landing. DLH got wore out in round five, coming back with some attack in round six, after that, nothing. With Round seven being a pivotal round because DLH needed to win it and gain momentum, however, he didn’t fight back.

Maybe a few “complimentary” jabs, he did not throw a worthwhile punch. With his left eye swelling, at the end of the seventh round his corner told him, “Fight back or we are throwing in the towel” …

Round Eight: Manny smelled blood and went after it, though giving credit to DLH’s heart, he had nothing left, could barely hold his arms up to defend himself, and was flat beat. So his corner called it for him before the ninth round could start.

Over all Oscar had very little offense, and virtually no defense. He displayed a few flurries that would excite, however couldn’t finish or keep it up. Manny kept throwing the left jab right through Oscar’s hands, and capitalizing on any opening he could find. Which was many.

Now, giving De La Hoya some due, he did not go down. With the last two rounds he took a lot of punches, power punches, and was just whupped. Either that or he pulled a better rope-a-dope than Ali, and convinced his own corner to not let him go out to the ninth round.

With recent developments in the world of boxing, a few older guys coming out of retirement, some up and comers finally making a name for themselves, and the lackluster heavyweight division finally getting a little life, boxing is in the biggest uproar it has been in, in years. This fight shows how desperate the boxing world is, to get two big names in the same ring at the same time. Oh, and actually put on a good fight!

With Roy Jones Jr. getting whipped by Joe Calzaghe, and the upcoming whippings of Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe, and now DLH’s whipping, what has become of boxing today?

One thing is for sure, I feel sorry for Pac-Man’s next opponent.

And one more thing, retirement should be permanent!

A Quick Letter To DeAndre Liggins.

Nate M — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:38:11 -0500

DeAndre Liggins, what in the blue blazes were you thinking?

Son, I am no coach, but I am a Marine, and I can only wonder. Ok, I have been out of the Marines for eight years, however you never questioned an order.

With that said, I agree with Billy G’s “punishment.” Liggins played 27 minutes, with four points, three assists, and two rebounds against West Virginia, the day after refusing to go back into the game against Kansas State.

Say What? A Player, at The University of Kentucky refuses to play?

You should be honored to be a Wildcat—oh wait, that is the problem.

Mr. High School Big Dogg? Who cares! You are averaging 18 minutes, three points, three assists, and two rebounds per game. Oh, I forgot, 3.5 turnovers per game too.

DeAndre, I hate to say, but you can be UK’s Point Guard, be Mr. Perfect, but you have to understand the team comes first. If you can shoot like Jodie Meeks, then do it. Otherwise, take your freshman year as a learning experience, grow up, and come out dogging everyone next year. Just like in baseball, keep your eye on the ball, then find the open man, if he ain’t open, take your shot, as a last resort.

Don’t you have big hands? Play catch, hold on to the ball.

Anyways, DeAndre, understand you are a part of the greatest overall college basketball program of all time. Act like it, perform like it, be it.

UK Wildcats, Where Art Thou?

Nate M — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:39:52 -0500

Ok, I haven’t seen a new Kentucky article since the UNC game, so I decided to pipe in.

Where are the University of Kentucky Wildcats?

Right now, at 4-2, the UK Wildcats are finally showing a small bit of comprehending the team concept. Except for the two blow out wins against the obligatory “no names”, they have come from behind to beat Kansas St. and West Virginia, winning the Las Vegas Invitational.

After an embarrassing home loss to VMI, in which the score was 111-103, UK has only hit 90 once, and 70 twice, otherwise their own score has been in the 50’s. Even in a win, 54. What needs to happen? What’s happening?

In the win over West Virginia to take the Las Vegas invitational, the Cats showed that they were actually trying to run an offense. At first it didn’t happen the way it should, there were too many turnovers trying to force the ball in to Patrick Patterson.

However, they showed they are willing to try and get the newly shorn head of Patterson into the game as often as possible, whereas they did not even really even try to get it to him in the previous five games.

Also, Jodie Meeks is trying to show he is the real deal. He's averaging 25.5 ppg right now, with 39 against VMI. He came out with 19 against W.V. and 37 against Kansas St.

Jodie is still taking too many shots when the team is in a desperate situation, ala a Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. But, he's not hitting those shots. However, when he plays within the offensive set, he is breaking out as a scoring machine.

The Freshmen: Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins are doing all right. Darius Miller had looked good enough to start one game, and Liggins is still being used sparingly. Miller is averaging 5.2 ppg and 3.3 rebs a game in 21 minutes. Liggins however has struggled in producing on offense, shooting only 33% from the FT line.

Elvis Has Entered The Building! Meaning Josh Harrellson the Juco transfer center. Though only averaging 14.2 minutes he is averaging 5 pts and 4.4 rebs per game. Showing more so against West Virginia on the boards.

So far Billy Gillispie has not shown a consistent substitution pattern, however needs to start including more players with more minutes. Going further into the season giving the younger/more inexperienced at this level a little more playing time will get them more experienced, and hence a better team.

So really? Where are the Wildcats? Honestly, it is still to be seen.

They have come from behind in two games, at almost 20 points each time, blown out people they should have blown out. Lost one they were expected to lose, and one they weren’t. So it is truly up in the air folks, which Cats team is going to show up?

All this writer knows, Patrick Patterson seems to be playing better without the afro, Jodie Meeks might end up a true SG extraordinaire, and they might be able to crack the top 25 sooner than later.

We’ll see against the Hurricanes of Miami, and Indiana University in the month of December. So looking forward other than those 2 contests, UK could conceivably go 12-2 going into Louisville, who just lost to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, but don’t count out Rick Pitino’s Cardinals, as his squads at UK would lose an early contest or 2, and go on to win the SEC. Will Billy G’s Cats follow in those footsteps?

So going into the SEC conference play UK can be 13-2, or 12-3, either way, the SEC should not look past UK this season. Despite this early funk, and come from behind mentality, UK will be ready for an SEC run like last year or better.

Will The WWE Wake Up?

Nate M — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:53:21 -0500

The WWE is slowly dying. Very slowly. The company that refuses to die, needs to do something Now, before they are put on life support.

The “Attitude” era is over; it died when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the Rock decided to retire.

I’ve been a fan of the WWF/WWE since I was a we lil lad, when it was the Hulkster, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Junk Yard Dog, King Harley Race, and a ton more of the “old regime.”

I lost touch for awhile, when I lived in a place we didn’t get any channels that had good ol “wrasslin” on. So when I picked up back in 1998, I went full force, because of the Trash Talkin, Smackdown laying of The Rock, and Stone Cold. OK, some DX too.

Well, to my dismay, one day, they were there, and the next, all gone, all seemingly at once. And then here is this Beastly Man with a small voice, Dave Batista, this up and coming awkward guy that turns into a white rapper, and is eloquent on the microphone, who eventually becomes Super Champ, John Cena.

That’s it! Not much else. The Spirit Squad? Come on. RKO? He can’t stay healthy enough for a good run. CM Punk? Name is silly, and the guy has talent, but is just weird looking.

Now, the talent roster they have right now, the part they are pushing are really stale, bland, no names, or second or third generation people who are their mainly on name alone, and will wash out. The other part is chomping at the bit, and it seems Good Ole Vinny Mac has lost some of the “Giant Grapefruits”, because he wont let them run.

Push:

Cryme Tyme: They are two of the most talented in the entertainment and athletic aspect of Pro Wrestling. They pull of their shtick very well, have the mic prowess and eloquence that is needed and can back it up in the ring. They have spent too much time cutting promo’s and not being in ring enough. They really should be Tag Champs, or in that scene, but are rarely used for anything but promo’s.

Jimmy Wang Yang: I know an Asian Redneck is funny, but he pulls it off. He’s still a little rough around the edges, but let him run almost like a skinny Asian Stone Cold with it. Don’t make him try and be Stone Cold, but run with the country boy/redneck thing, it would work.

Drop:

Jesse and Festus; worst gimmick since the Gobbledy Gooker.

Bring Back:

The Lightweight Division; with so many lightweights on the roster there is no reason it is not running. It would give that talent pool more exposure.

Stables; The Nation of Domination, DX, The Corporation, and lets not forget the infamous Four Horseman! Those rivalries were exciting, and really helped bring wrestling to the forefront. Make some new ones. Simple.

So, even though the ratings haven’t dropped to an all time low yet, the interest is waning. Since MMA is coming to the forefront, the McMahon family needs to do something, and something quick.

It has become even more predictable than ever; a stable starts to form, then one of the more famous names turns on them, and it is done before it has a chance to catch on, usually over a title belt or some silly soap opera type reason. John Cena will be the champ again. The Dead Man will Rise “One More Time” (ok the thousandth time). And Triple H will lose more hair and spit more water.

The tag team division is waning. With a push of “individuals” usually forced together against a common enemy, then turning on each other within three weeks of winning the tag titles. Then a “true” tag team wins it, then two other rivals get forced together, etc, and it goes on like this, mind numbingly long. And the true tag team is usually lightweights.

With TNA out there, and their 6 sided ring (sorry I think the ring is silly), and a recent pull to get more talent, and actually are writing in this writers opinion, a better storyline, than the WWE is, at this present time. I do not watch TNA much, however, the last one I have seen, with the Main Event Mafia, etc, is pretty cool.

Getting back to the WWE.

If had on the roster the big men that the WWE has, I could come up with a dozen storylines. Khali, Big Show, Undertaker, and Kane can make for a headliner all year long. The Battle of the Big Men!

Tag Teams, set them up, and have two or three good tag team matches each week, per show.

Lightweights, bring them back, and the title back, you can have them on both main shows.

ECW, make it like the hardcore title was, not this watered down version. Don’t get me wrong; Matt Hardy is a deserving champion. But the brand called ECW was a lot better than this really watered down version.

What we have now is like a KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell, three brands, one roof, still the same, and even slower. Something needs to be done, and soon, or the Juggernaught, will just be just another show.

Jimmie Johnson's Three-peat Not NASCAR's Biggest Story

Nate M — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:42:58 -0500

Now that Jimmie Johnson has won his third in a row, we can finally move on. Despite making history, JJ’s three-peat is not the biggest news, but maybe the brightest spot, amongst a strange season.

NASCAR, Welcome to Free Agency!

Quote me as saying; NASCAR has finally been bit by the bug!

Think about it, now that Dale Jr. has opened the flood gates, it’s going to hell in a hand basket really fast. Ok, Dale Jr. isn’t the first, nor the first high profile to change teams over the years, but he set a precedent.

Or maybe it was Kyle Busch who started it? He whined and complained enough that his porridge was too cold, so much, that Rick Hendrick, Mr. Man Himself, finally got tired of it, and let him out of his contract, allowing the way to be paved for Dale Jr. to take part in the “stable.”

What has happened to good ole NASCAR? Gone are the days of loyalty and respect. Gone are the days of Dale Earnhardt Sr. driving for Richard Childress Racing and owning his own teams at DEI, with no conflict.

He was Richard’s Driver of that infamous black No. 3. No if’s, and’s, or but’s. Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, and Bill Elliot were in Fords, nothing else.

So what happened? Years of money, and lots of it, now, not so much. Sponsors who would pump millions each year into a team, simply cannot, or will not afford it.

Shop testing equipment is getting more expensive. The C.O.T. threw some people for a loop, because instead of using a car from three years ago, they have had to build all these new cars.

Yes, they build multiple cars for each year anyways, however, when a team tore up a car prior to last year, they could simply bring back that Daytona winner from three years ago. OK, maybe not Daytona since they go in the museum, but you get what I mean.

After Dale Sr.’s passing, DEI went downhill real quick. Dale Jr. had the “old school” in him, as he ran without a contract for roughly three or four years. Then when he did get a contract, it was not as good as he should have gotten, then the equipment started being subpar.

Richard Childress Racing has gone downhill. Kevin Harvick, Dale Sr.’s replacement in the GM GoodWrench car, is about as whiny as Kyle Busch. Amongst many other teams going downhill, Penske, Rousch, Woods Bros., to name a few.

On to the present.

We all knew that Smoke would somehow get back to a Chevy, and the sooner the better, since ALL other races he sponsors, runs in, shows up at, are all Chevy. I mean Dude might as well change his name to Chevy.

Tony Stewart has had the money to buy out his contract, from the sponsorships for all of the tracks he owns in Indiana, series he runs in those tracks, and what he makes in the Cup, and sponsorships there. It was just a matter of when.

Joe Gibbs made a halfway great business decision moving to Toyota. Toyota after a losing, more so embarrassing losing season in their first year in Cup, Gibbs already had the knowledge, and Toyota was ready to spend on the parts to make it work, and it has, except for Smoke.

Yes he won one, but Kyle Busch was the star, and really I think the move to Toyota demotivated Tony. So, I say to Coach Gibbs, you made an OK call, but alienated your quarterback; your rookie ain’t ready yet.

I think Mark Martin going to Hendrick is actually more of a shock than When Dale Jr. went. I think Mark got ticked at himself for running a limited schedule, since when he was running the #8 Army Chevy, he was winning, well at least finishing top 10.

Dale’s was more of a need for reliable equipment and somewhere he could have a place he could have the best chance to win. Especially after his step-mother, Theresa Earnhardt, would not give up a controlling interest.

She should have given up controlling interest, because he would have then had the motivation to invest his own money he makes with the personal sponsors. Now it is Earnhardt-Ganassi, with Childress engines. Say what? Three teams, working together. Hello, economy.

With the change of names, Winston, Nextel, Sprint Cup, and the Busch Series Now Nationwide, and whatever the Truck Series is next year, Make up your mind!

I know this has been random, and a lot in a short time, while leaving out many other transgressions this year, however, that’s the point, where does it start, and when does it end?

Now you have teams of five drivers (being scaled back to four, per NASCAR), only the strong will survive. Drivers need to take heed, soon you will be disposable, just like last year's flavor of the month relief pitcher.

Oh yeah, and Jimmie Johnson won his thirdchampionship in a row, and Chad Knause became only the first Crew Chief to win three in a row.

Quick Breakdown of Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

Nate M — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:23:04 -0500

UK Wildcat basketball is in a New ERA! Billy Clyde has come to town and should be here to stay for a long while!

UK is back, and in a big way. This year’s team is improved, more athletic, deeper, and more well rounded than any recent Cats team has been in years.

There are three key losses from last year’s scrappy squad—two seniors, Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, and one transfer, Derrick Jasper. Though Bradley and Crawford were leaders on the court and scored most of the points, they will not be as big of a loss as people are thinking. Yes, their leadership will be missed. However, UK will survive.

With Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks starting off the season healthy, plus the addition of top 50 recruits and a Junior College transfer, you have a bit more experience than first meets the eye.

Your 2008-2009 University of Kentucky Wildcats

No. Name Ht./Wt. Class/Exp. Hometown (Last School)

1 Darius Miller 6-7/223 FR/HS Maysville, Ky. (Mason County)

2 Matt Scherbenske 6-1/178 JR/TR Lexington, Ky. (Oak Hill Academy)

3 Kevin Galloway 6-7/215 JR/TR Sacramento, Calif. (Southern Idaho)

10 Landon Slone 6-3/188 FR/HS Paintsville, Ky. (Paintsville)

11 Adam Delph 6-1/161 FR/HS Louisville, Ky. (Pleasure Ridge Park)

12 Mark Krebs 6-5/207 JR/1L Newport, Ky. (Newport Central Catholic)

13 Michael Porter 6-3/198 JR/2L Modesto, Calif. (Modesto Christian)

14 Mark Halsell 5-11/182 FR/TR St Charles, Mo. (SW Illinois College)

15 A.J. Stewart 6-7/218 SO/1L Jacksonville, Fla. (Arlington Country Day)

20 Jarvis Walker 6-3/215 JR/TR Chicago, Ill. (John A. Logan CC)

21 Perry Stevenson 6-9/207 JR/2L Lafayette, La. (Northside)

22 Ramon Harris 6-7/218 JR/2L Anchorage, Alaska (West Anchorage)

23 Jodie Meeks 6-4/208 JR/2L Norcross, Ga. (Norcross)

25 Donald Williams 6-3/205 FR/HS Baton Rouge, La. (Progressive Christian Academy)

30 Dwight Perry 6-1/173 JR/2L Durham, N.C. (Southern)

33 Matt Pilgrim 6-8/233 JR/TR Cincinnati, Ohio (Hampton)

34 DeAndre Liggins 6-6/202 FR/HS Chicago, Ill. (Findley Prep)

43 Jared Carter 7-2/270 SR/2L Georgetown, Ky. (Scott County)

54 Patrick Patterson 6-9/235 SO/1L Huntington, W.Va. (Huntington)

55 Josh Harrellson 6-10/265 SO/TR St. Charles, Mo. (SW Illinois College)

Did I mention Kentucky was deep this year? You see correctly—that is 20 players available to have on the bench at any time. That’s not a bad “pool” to pull from.

OK, let's break this monstrous thing down.

We all know Patrick Patterson, co-freshman of the year in the SEC last year despite missing the last five games, and Jodie Meeks, oft-injured but effective when he played last year. Those two are looking healthy and strong so far in the new season this year.

Let us not forget about Perry Stevenson, a key sixth man and occasional starter last year who stepped it up in Patrick Patterson’s absence.

Key Freshmen

DeAndre Liggins

Out of Findlay Prep in Chicago, Illinois, DeAndre is a solid sized guard at 6’6", 200 lbs. for a freshman. So far he has seen limited action in preseason play. However, against Ouachita State, in 14 minutes he had seven points, four assists, and five rebounds.

Darius Miller

Out of Mason County High in Maysville, Ky, highly touted, Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball 2008, and a small forward. Much will be expected down the stretch.

Donald Williams

Two-time Louisiana all-state in HS, from Baton Rouge, La.

Key Transfers

Josh Harrellson

SW Illinois College, averaged 14.8 points and eight rebounds per game. He had 21 points and 12 rebounds in the preseason's first game against Missouri-Saint Louis.

Kevin Galloway

College of Southern Idaho—ranked fourth in the nation last year in assists, 8.4 per game.

So far the starting roster in the preseason games has been:

Michael Porter - G

Perry Stevenson - G

Ramon Harris - F

Jodie Meeks - F

Patrick Patterson – F/C

The starting lineup will not likely change for the better part of the year, as they are the “experience” of this team, unless one of the new additions steps up and wins a starting spot. With the additions of Josh Harrellson, Kevin Galloway, DeAndre Liggins, and Darius Miller, the experience of the transfers and the potential of the freshmen make them key reserves.

Patrick Patterson will actually get a “blow” for a change. Michael Porter will get a chance to shine. Perry Stevenson will get the chance to show that his stepping up during Patterson’s absence was not a fluke.

With 10 players at least 6’6" and 13 at least 200 lbs, size will not be much of a factor in matching up against other teams' big men. Billy G. has the Cats in excellent shape, so expect this team to have a look and feel of the old “Pitino’s Bombinos” of the early '90s, just without the three-point barrages.

The whole basketball nation has this team barely making the NCAA tourney this year. Why? This writer doesn’t know. Kentucky is not getting the “love” it deserves.

As of this writing they are ranked 40th in the country, preparing for their first game, which is Friday, Nov. 14 against VMI. I feel sorry for the Cadets. It’s going to be a long game.

Then on Tuesday the Wildcats travel to the confines of the Dean Dome to face off with the No. 1-ranked UNC Tar Heels. Though the Heels are somewhat depleted with Marcus Ginyard out and returning National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough probably out, if not playing tentatively, the Cats have a chance to prove they can either pull off the upset, or at least hang with the top rated team.

In conclusion, out of 29 regular season games, this team—newly reformulated, with people who have experience and talent, with some promising freshmen, who all have a chance to be good enough to start by the end of the year—should not hit double digits in the “L” column this season during the regular season.

The losses of Joe Crawford, Ramel Bradley, and Derrick Jasper, though key, will not affect this '08-'09 UK team. The team is dominated by 10 juniors, and there are only three sophomores and six freshmen. So, lack of experience? Where?

Don’t be surprised to see this year's Cats in the top 10 by January.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Needs a New Crew Chief

Nate M — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:46:17 -0500

Alright ya'll, here is the thing. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is not his dad.

We know this. However, except for his very first year in the Cup where he ran only five races, he has never placed out of the top 19 overall.

So, why all the hate? Why all the dismay? Dale Jr. is just getting started. He finished 19th in 2005. That was his worst season by far, points wise.

Here is what I am speaking of:

Wins Top 5’s Top 10’s Final Rank

2000 2 3 5 16th

2001 3 9 15 8th

2002 2 11 16 11th

2003 2 13 21 3rd

2004 6 16 21 5th

2005 1 7 13 19th

2006 1 10 17 5th

2007 0 7 12 16th

2008 1 10 16 10th (One Race to go in season)

Avg. 2 9.5 15.1

You take the average NASCAR driver, and put his stats together, they won’t look that good. Not even close.

Yes, there is Rowdy, Cousin Carl, JJ, Jeff Gordon, and a handful of others who’s stats compare or go beyond what Junior is averaging.

Roughly 34 percent of the time, he was in the top 10. So why all the Junior hating? I’ll tell you why.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is just a bit above average except for restrictor plate racing, where he excels. However in 2005, he went through several crew chiefs before DEI settled on his cousin, of the same age, Tony Eury Jr.

Tony’s father, Tony Eury Sr., was promoted within the DEI organization at the end of 2004 and had been Junior’s only Crew Chief up until then.

In the 2005 season they went through two crew chiefs, with no success, then Tony Jr. came in and semi-righted the ship and came in fifth the following year.

However, after that, there has been almost nothing. No Junior Championships, no spectacular wins, nothing.

With the move to Hendrick Motorsports, Dale has the equipment, now he needs the crew chief. Sorry Tony Jr. you just haven’t figured out the C.O.T. Simple as that.

Poor pit strategy, poor communication, and downright orneriness is the reason Dale Jr. is not winning more races. As a Dale Jr. fan, I can admit, the Michigan win was somewhat of a fluke. Would he have won without the first caution? Maybe.

Had it not been for the last second caution, he would not have won the race. He would have run out of gas and Kasey Kahne could have been the winner had the caution not come out soon after the white flag.

Despite the colorful language that flows from their mouths, Dale Jr. and Tony Jr. do not mix as driver/crew chief. They just do not.

The strategy for the old car, you could put 4 to the floor and the pedal to the medal, but the COT, you need to figure out strategy. Fuel mileage is one, tire wear, etc.

Tony Eury Jr. just has not done that. There have been many races this year that Dale Jr. had in the bag, until an off cycle or not needed cycle pit stop called for but Tony Jr., costing him critical track position.

In the age of the latest car NASCAR has mandated, it is no longer “If You’re not First, You’re Last” anymore. It is strategy, points, and so much more.

As the newest car has made the competition more about points than winning, passing via the draft is about the only way, and once a car gets a few car lengths ahead, there is almost no catching up unless via caution.

So, in conclusion, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will win a NASCAR Cup Championship, maybe not next year, but he will.

Now he has gotten the “Hollywood” out of him, being instructed by a mentor that is not afraid to reign him in (Rick Hendrick), oh, and lets not forget, the sharing of knowledge of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, nor the full time addition of wily veteran Mark Martin.

Get Junior a new crew chief who knows the COT, or force Eury Jr. to stick to Chad Knause like white on rice. Because Eury Jr. and Dale Jr. are at conflict, despite what people say.

*Stats are from Wikipedia, keyword Dale Earnhardt Jr

Several facts reviewed/confirmed via information available via nascar.com