Fast-break points with Punxsutawney Polamalu:
21. Sean Payton. The now-Super Bowl-winning Saints coach must thank his lucky stars every day that his efforts to get the University of Kentucky head coaching job in 2002 went for naught.
(If you don't know the back story, Click here).
20. Jacob Tamme. In a classy gesture, the Colts back-up tight end and former UK star invited his Boyle County High School coach, current Kentucky assistant Chuck Smith, to be his guest at the Super Bowl.
19. Manning bashing. Peyton Manning might not have played his best game Sunday but, even with the late interception, he was not the reason Indianapolis lost. I've been surprised at how many people are trying to revive the "Peyton is a choker" tag.
18. Super Bowl ads. My test of a good Super Bowl TV commercial is, once the game is over, do I remember not only the advertisement but the product/company it was promoting?
From that basis, my top three ads Sunday: Betty White plays football (Snickers); the chicken warning (Denny's); and Punxsutawney Polamalu (truTV).
17. Joker Phillips. UK's late recruiting flourish demonstrated why the new head football coach has a chance to get the Wildcats program above the seven-win, regular-season ceiling at some point.
16. Tim Patterson name calling. The vitriolic reaction (labeling a high school kid a "sell out" and worse) on University of Louisville-oriented Internet message boards to the Central High School football star picking UK over U of L was embarrassing.
15. The recruiting "star system." Is fun to talk about — and almost totally meaningless in the real world.
14. Tee Martin. If nothing else, UK having the quarterback of an undefeated national champion on its coaching staff adds a little pizazz.
13. UK quarterback competition. The three-way battle royale this spring between Mike Hartline, Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski is going to be wildly interesting.
12. Lane Kiffin works the middle schools. Now that the new Southern California coach has accepted an oral commitment from a seventh-grade quarterback in Delaware, Mr. Fast Lane has settled one question: Nope, he has no shame.
11. Mark Martin. How can you not root for the old man to win his first Daytona 500 Sunday?
10. Danica Patrick. The attention she gets might be out of proportion to her accomplishments, but the Nationwide Series race at Daytona Saturday is a whole lot more interesting because Danica Sue is in it.
9. Matthew Mitchell. If the season ended today, the Kentucky women's basketball head man — whose team is 20-3 and second in the SEC after being picked to finish 11th in the pre-season — should be a strong contender for national coach of the year.
8. Star gazing in Memorial Coliseum. Rich Brooks, Joker Phillips, Mitch Barnhart, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins were among those at last Thursday's UK women's basketball win over Mississippi.
7. Seventh heaven or hell? In Kentucky high school boys' basketball, Louisville's 7th Region is ridiculous — home to seven of Dave Cantrall's top 14 teams (No. 2 Ballard; No. 3 Eastern; No. 4 Trinity; No. 7 Jeffersontown; No. 11 Moore; No. 13 Manual; No. 14 Seneca) in the state this week.
6. Julian Tackett. The KHSAA assistant commissioner is one of the sharpest people in Kentucky sports and would be a strong choice to replace the retiring Brigid DeVries as the leader of the high school athletics governing body.
5. UK men's tennis. Kentucky's upset of No. 2 Virginia Saturday — which snapped the Cavaliers' 63-match regular-season winning streak — is one of the best victories in recent UK sports history.
4. North Carolina. It looks odder than snowfall in Miami to see Roy Williams' Tar Heels (13-10, 2-7) in 10th in the ACC standings.
3. John Pelphrey. After Arkansas got waxed in Rupp Arena, I was concerned Pel wasn't going to survive this season as boss Hog. So it's fairly amazing that the former UK star has the Razorbacks leading the SEC West.
2. DeAndre Liggins. Is playing far better than I ever thought he would.
1. Donut detente? Several people have told me they see John Calipari pop into Lexington's downtown Dunkin' Donuts to buy coffee.
You think Cal realizes one of the store's owners is ...
... Rick Pitino?
