Kentucky coach John Calipari and his players took photos with fans at the end of Sunday's game in the Bahamas. (Jack Pilgrim Photo)
By SARAH WHITE, Contributing Writer
I was going to keep my mouth shut BUT, I just can’t do it. I was going to keep my thoughts to myself but then someone said that the media, and Larry Vaught, were keeping the Kentucky coaches — and UK — yapping about the basketball and football dominance. Seriously?
I’m going to eliminate Larry and the media. Larry is a reporter. Reporters report. There would be nothing for them to do if they didn’t have information to report on. It is silly to make negative comments that they are reporting. You can not like their reporting but that is their job to report.
The football players should have done like the basketball players and just played and practiced.
Now , we come to the Athletics Director who should have kept his mouth shut except to brag on all the sports and create and share the plan for new and updated facilities. Then, he should have quit talking.
In my eyes, we are known as a basketball team. Period. It can be anything you want it to be. You can calI it a football school. No one should care. I have loved UK all 75 years of my life, but if you want to call it a football school, go for it.
Now my suggestions. Coach Cal and Coach Stoops could use this as a learning tool for themselves, other coaches and the players –
I have never heard Coach Cal apologize. He probably doesn’t know how just as many men friends of mine don’t. He is a Bullsh—— and everyone knows it. He loves to talk so realize he will always put his foot in his mouth.
I never feel that he does this with malice. We could all learn more about love and helping others from him. Still he could reach out and reconnect with coach Stoops.
Coach Stoops sounds like he is a pouty pre-teen. He needs to quit talking and reconcile. Plus he needs to work on his comebacks. What does this mean anyway-he wasn’t born on third base? We weren’t either.
My saying is — if the horse is dead, dismount. This horse is dead.
Let’s play ball!
8 Responses
Sarah, Stoops sounds like a pouty pre-teen? Really? In all due respect, the one with his foot in his mouth is John Calipari. Stoops didn’t start this firefight. He just needed to respond and did so. In his response, Stoops even complimented the UK basketball program’s legacy, said he loved it.
It has taken Stoops nine plus years to make UK football respected again on the national level, with a lot of hard work by his coaches and players. He was not about to let this self important man who started this war of words define his program or it’s goals. Stoops is out to compete for a SEC championship, and did not need this distraction, especially from another UK coach with the status and name recognition as John Calipari.
The 2022 football season is probably the most anticipated football season of the Stoops era, and is shaping up to be a promising one to many longtime UK football fans. Stoop’s football team didn’t deserve this. Calipari only hurt himself IMO. In the process, he ticked off a great number of us longtime football fans, and some former players who love UK football as much or more as other UK fans love the basketball program. This story will die down in time, but Calipari needs to talk less and coach more. Go Cats!!!
Pretty much spot on except the comments about Mitch Barnhart. His view on the importance of education for the student-athlete, finding more gratitude, grace, and joy in all of UK sports’ successes was well stated and needed to be stated. Questions were coming rapid fire from the reporters and his reference to their lack of coverage of the minor sports victories was again appropriate. After all is said and done, you’re right—- let’s play ball!
It’s seems pretty irrelevant what fans think about this whole mess. What does matter is what Mitch Barnhart and his boss Eli Capilouto think about the situation. I heard Mitch say “coaches change everyday” after he mentioned that EVERY coach had all the tools and facilities they needed to be successful.
you are right Keith
I have already heard Calipari apologize on TV and said him and Stoops would talk about it when he gets back. All of you are whining over this please get a life. Our football team is finally something to talk about and our basketball team looks awesome and you people still gripe. SMFH. And Cal was right anyway UK has always been about basketball.
Just when we got over the Sharpe situation that no one would let it go and now this unfolds i guess it’s going take a awhile for this subject to go away. I have move on and looking forward the first game of the football season.
Good valid points!
Larry, I am guessing that MB took Cal’s request to the donors when Cal first asked for the facilities in April?
Then, I assume the big donors said no?
Now, Cal is asking the university and or legislature to finance part (or most) of it?
He can’t possibly get enough out of former players for that sized project, can he?
This isn’t about a leak in the ceiling. That is a cheap repair. What is this REALLY about?