http://www.kentucky.com/285/index.xml News, sports, and entertainment from Kentucky.com en-us Copyright 2008 Kentucky.com John Clay 60 Sat, 17 May 2008 03:02:23 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's Workbench webmaster@kentucky.com http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/405368.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/405368.html Thu, 15 May 2008 02:04 EDT
"It's kind of scary," South Carolina Coach Ray Tanner said Wednesday. "And it's kind of exciting."

And it's kind of a big, wonderful, mixed-up mess.

Here's the deal: Eight SEC teams qualify for the conference tournament next week in Hoover, Ala. SEC East Division leader and regular-season conference champ Georgia (19-7-1) has already locked up its spot. Despite this being coaching legend Ron Polk's final weekend before retirement, Mississippi State's poor record (7-20) has eliminated the Bulldogs from contention.

The remaining 10 teams have a shot at the remaining seven spots.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/404225.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/404225.html Wed, 14 May 2008 02:06 EDT
South Carolina got serious about women's basketball.

The Gamecocks did this by (a) hiring Dawn Staley to be their coach, and (b) opening their checkbook wide enough to hire Dawn Staley to be their coach.

What does this mean for Kentucky women's basketball? Answer: The toughest women's basketball conference in the free world just got tougher.

Did we mention that South Carolina is paying Staley $650,000 a year?]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/401513.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/401513.html Sun, 11 May 2008 08:16 EDT
To win games, Gillispie needs players. To get players, it doesn't hurt to be first, and it doesn't hurt to have the name of your school in the public eye, just as Kentucky's name has been out there in the news after accepting a commitment from Michael Avery.

Two weeks ago, no one knew the name Michael Avery. Now that's changed. Avery is an eighth-grader who lives in California. He plays basketball. He's not the next LeBron James, or even a home-state hero like Damon Bailey. But he caught Gillispie's eye during a travel-team tournament in Ohio. Fearing USC might offer Avery a scholarship first, as Coach Tim Floyd has done before, Gillispie beat the Trojans to the punch. Avery accepted.

A national debate erupted. Southern Cal offers an eighth-grader a scholarship and people see it as a Trojan publicity-grab in a UCLA-dominated town. UK does it and, as Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated.com asked, "How could Kentucky -- college basketball royalty -- stoop to offering a scholarship to an eighth-grader?"

The key word there is "stoop."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/398707.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/398707.html Thu, 08 May 2008 02:03 EDT
.. While we were all wrapped up in the Kentucky Derby, Ashland's own Brandon Webb was improving his record to 7-0. And the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching ace, and former Cy Young Award winner, will be gunning for his eighth straight win Thursday against visiting Philadelphia.

.. Here's the best thing I've read lately: "We are at a crisis state," Dr. Larry Bramlage told the Wall Street Journal when asked about the status of horse racing. "The soundness of the horses has completely gone out the window because we don't reward it anymore. Pretty soon we won't have the animals that can go in more than one race."

When Dr. Bramlage talks, racing needs to listen.

.. Question of the day: Will more people watch the Preakness because of all the publicity surrounding Eight Belles' death in the Kentucky Derby, or fewer?]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/397640.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/397640.html Wed, 07 May 2008 08:00 EDT
When the NFL endured a spate of off-the-field embarrassments, Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped forward to levy fines, issue suspensions, and crack down on bad behavior.

But now that the practices of horse racing have been called into question since Saturday's tragic death of the filly Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, who will step forward to make a public stand on behalf of the sport?

Thoroughbred racing has no commissioner. Instead, it is fractionalized to the point of dysfunction. States have separate racing authorities or commissions, all with differing rules and stipulations. There is no one body to address major issues at hand.

That is especially costly now, when Eight Belles' death has reinvigorated the debate over safety. It's the same debate that caught fire with Barbaro's injury in the 2006 Preakness, but in that case it lessened somewhat when attention turned to the admirable effort and cutting-edge medical procedures used to first save and then prolong Barbaro's life.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/395730.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/395730.html Mon, 05 May 2008 06:19 EDT
All you could see was the bumper sticker: "I like Kentucky-bred Eight Belles."

But then people started bringing flowers.

"So I opened it back up and started setting stuff in," said Larry Jones. "Because I knew there was going to be more stuff coming."

The morning after was a bit better for the connections of the late filly, but then, it couldn't help but be better than the night before.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/395732.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/395732.html Mon, 05 May 2008 02:02 EDT
When Polytrack was first developed, the great horse racing debate was over whether this new artificial surface was indeed less dangerous for the animal than the traditional dirt surfaces.

But with Polytrack and so-called "cushion" tracks now more numerous, the debate leading into this year's Kentucky Derby shifted to which surface was more advantageous in preparing a thoroughbred for the sport's most important race.

Saturday's tragic death of the filly Eight Belles should serve as a painful reminder that the first debate is much more important than the second, even if it's not easy to separate one from the other.

"It's a big issue," said Nick Zito, the two-time Derby winning trainer who has run 21 horses in the race, including two Saturday. "Do you understand what I'm saying? It's a big issue."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/394186.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/394186.html Sat, 03 May 2008 08:21 EDT
There was the man in the cowboy hat, Larry Jones, the savvy 51-year-old farmer-turned-trainer from Hopkinsville, who, after entering his top filly, Eight Belles, in today's Kentucky Derby, proved he possessed a powerful Oaks backup plan.

And there was the up-and-coming 20-year-old jockey, Gabriel Saez, who artfully guided Airdrie homebred Proud Spell through the slop for a convincing five-length victory in the 134th running of the nation's most prestigious race for 3-year-old fillies.

"We're going to change his name to Gabriel Jones," said Larry Jones. "He'll fit right in with the rest of us."

A happy bunch of Jones boys they were.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/392096.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/392096.html Thu, 01 May 2008 07:54 EDT
As soon as their horse hit the finish line first, the pack of delirious Brazilians flooded onto the track at Churchill Downs, whooping and hollering, tears streaming down their faces.

This was 2002, when a filly named Farda Amiga, a 20-1 shot, won the Kentucky Oaks.

Her trainer was a little-known but talented Brazilian who had come to America a little more than a year before.

Welcome back Paulo Lobo.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/391048.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/391048.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:43 EDT
Or is he fraud?

Is he the second-coming of Barbaro, a lightly seasoned 3-year old sitting on the best race of his life? Or is he the second coming of Bellamy Road, a lightly seasoned 3-year old who peaked too soon?

Richard Dutrow has no doubt.

"If Big Brown breaks with the other horses," the trainer said Tuesday, "then I can't see a horse beating him."]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/389837.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/389837.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:58 EDT
Truth be told, Tagg isn't that bad.

Besides, for this year's Kentucky Derby, he has a diamond to go with his rough.

Or at least Charles Fipke does, Fipke being the owner of Tale of Ekati, winner of the Wood Memorial back on April 5, and the Derby entrant with the second-highest total of graded stakes earnings heading into Wednesday's draw for the 134th run for the roses.

Tale of Ekati is half of a Tagg-team entry. The 70-year-old trainer, who won the Derby on his first try with Funny Cide in 2003, also has Big Truck, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby on March 15.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/389018.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/389018.html Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:01 EDT
Will the best trainer in horse racing today ever win a Kentucky Derby?

Sorry, Todd Pletcher, here we are again.

The evil twin, the one about Pletcher having never won a Triple Crown race, was put to bed last year, thank goodness. The fabulous filly Rags to Riches saw to that, out-grinding the boys to become the first female to win the mile-and-a-half Belmont Stakes in more than a century.

That triumph snapped Pletcher's startling 0-for-28 streak in Triple Crown races.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/388185.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/388185.html Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:06 EDT
It may not be the most sportsmanlike thing to do when it comes to entering a horse in the Kentucky Derby.

But it is within the rules.

"I'm not the one who made the rules," said Larry "Cowboy" Jones.

"It's an unusual circumstance," said Rick Porter.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/385215.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/385215.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:27 EDT
"It was fantastic," the thoroughbred trainer said Tuesday, smiling. "Everything a 17-year-old had been dreaming about."

Actually, Harty was on his way to Kentucky, where he would work on a pair of famous horse farms, then out to California, then on to Dubai, then back to California, and now back to Kentucky.

"It's the land of opportunity," Harty said Monday.

For eight years, Harty was Bob Baffert's assistant trainer.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/384220.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/384220.html Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:05 EDT
Louisville reached the College World Series in 2007.

On April 8, 2008, before 4,009, the largest crowd ever at Cliff Hagan Stadium, Kentucky beat Louisville 7-6 in 12 innings on a walk-off home run by sophomore Keenan Wiley.

Tuesday night, before 3,652 at Jim Patterson Stadium, the largest regular-season crowd in U of L baseball history, the Cards' Chris Dominguez stroked a two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give Louisville a 6-5 victory.

What we have here is a pretty good little rivalry.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/382279.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/382279.html Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:05 EDT
The Kentucky baseball team was at LSU. The Cats won the first two games of the series. The third game had to be halted, even though the score was deadlocked, because of an SEC travel rule that stipulates that no inning of a Sunday game can be started after 4 p.m. The Cats had to settle for a tie. A terrible tie.

"I think we finished a half-game out from making the SEC Tournament," remembered pitcher Greg Dombrowski.

Kentucky finished 13-16-1 in conference play, a winning percentage of .450. Tennessee finished 13-15, a winning percentage of .464, and thus the final spot in the eight-team conference tourney. Had the Cats beaten LSU instead of tying the Tigers, a 14-16 record would have given UK a .467 percentage and that berth.

And probably an NCAA Tournament berth, as well.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/381544.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/381544.html Sat, 26 Apr 2008 07:41 EDT
Which University of Kentucky sport most needs a vitally important player to be absolutely, positively academically eligible come fall:

Football and Curtis Pulley?

Basketball and DeAndre Liggins?

Before yesterday's Blue-White Game at Commonwealth Stadium, football was the better answer, what with the graduation of Andre Woodson, quarterback of a potent offense that also loses Rafael Little, Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/380853.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/380853.html Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:05 EDT
Overdue, but a start.

Now it's time for the Cincinnati Bengals to take the next step.

Trade Ocho Stinko. Or cut him, as the Bengals did the troubled Henry after another run-in with the law. Chad Johnson deserves a similar exit. After all, for the NFL franchise to muster a shot at rebounding in 2008, it must rid itself of its selfish, spoiled, preening, overrated wide receiver.

Never mind the four years remaining on Johnson's $28 million contract, awarded just two years ago. Never mind the 93 balls he caught last season, or the 1,440 receiving yards, his sixth straight year over the century mark. Never mind the $8 million salary-cap hit the Bengals would take by either releasing or trading their headache of a wideout.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/359291.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/359291.html Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:34 EDT
But just after the ball left Lofton's fingertips, out of nowhere came Louisville's Earl Clark, a 6-foot-8 sophomore with a wicked wingspan.

Clark swatted Lofton's shot away.

After all his points, all his glory, all he had done for Tennessee basketball, this was not the way Chris Lofton should have said goodbye.

Fifteen shots.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/349016.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/349016.html Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:58 EDT
So how about a Hollywood story?

Anaheim's close enough to Tinseltown, after all.

California dreaming, and all that.

That's what the Cats will be doing this week, starting Thursday at the Honda Center when No. 11 seed Kentucky takes on No. 6 seed Marquette in a first-round game of the NCAA Tournament's South Regional.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/123709.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/123709.html Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:42 EDT
Legend has it was Jerry Tarkanian who uttered the classic 1980s line, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky, it put Cleveland State on probation.”


Two decades later, the NCAA must be downright furious at Oklahoma.


This week, its comical Committee on Infractions deemed the Norman football factory negligent in its duties concerning starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, who were paid for work never performed at an auto dealership.


The punishment: Oklahoma must vacate its eight 2005 victories and surrender two scholarships each of the next two seasons.
]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/35845.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/35845.html Fri, 06 Apr 2007 10:23 EDT http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/19573.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/19573.html Sat, 17 Mar 2007 08:14 EDT
A mistake, you say? A bonehead move, you say, the fact that somehow Kentucky marked the wrong Perry in the pre-game scorebook, thus the barely used — three appearances that failed to total a minute — walk-on Dwight Perry was forced to start in place of regular starter Bobby Perry, forced to foul as soon as the opening tip was completed just so Bobby Perry could get in the game.

How many times do you see that, much less in an NCAA Tournament game?

Thing was the mistake served a vital purpose. It got what turned out to be UK’s biggest mistake of the night out of the way at the start.

After that, no more brain cramps for the Cats.]]> http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/407539.html http://www.kentucky.com/285/story/407539.html Sat, 17 May 2008 02:04 EDT
No SEC Tournament.

No NCAA Tournament.

This year, they can pack their bags.

Kentucky saw to that last night. With a vengeance. James Paxton pitched the deepest and best game of his life, nine innings, no runs allowed.]]>