Urban Meyer’s wisdom, Peyton Manning’s heckling and a UK swimmer’s inspiring honor
Random notes:
▪ On a recent edition of the “Move the Sticks” podcast, former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer predicted the best teams in 2020 will be the ones who were built to survive a pandemic:
“When adversity strikes, that’s when leadership and culture get exposed. In corporate America, at the end of this virus, whenever this is, you’re going to see companies that are bankrupt, you’re going to see organizations that fall apart. And it’s not because they’re selling faulty equipment or whatever, it’s because they had tough culture and tough leadership that didn’t survive it.
“You’re going to see college football — some teams are going to blossom from this. Some teams will come out stronger than they’ve ever been. Some teams will fold. And it’s not because of talent. It’s because of culture and leadership. What is your culture of your organization and how strong is your leadership? If you can’t tell me your culture, then you don’t have one.”
▪ Heading into Mark Stoops’ eighth season, I think Kentucky football knows its culture.
▪ Saturday, July 11 will be an amazing day at Keeneland. As part of its five-day Summer Meet, approved Wednesday by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, there will be six graded-stakes run that day, including the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes and the Central Bank Ashland Stakes. All without fans.
▪ Arkansas Democrat-Gazette columnist Wally Hall on former Arkansas and Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton, who died last week: “He was a great teacher of basketball and life. That was his career, his calling, teaching basketball. No one has ever done a better job of teaching the game.”
▪ Interesting tidbit from Iowa State. Only season-ticket holders will be allowed to see ISU football games this fall. Sales will be capped at 30,000. No single-game tickets on sale, at least for now.
▪ South Carolina Athletic Director Ray Tanner said Wednesday the school will allow tailgating with social distancing “suggestions” on football game days this fall. Now that promises to be an interesting suggestion box.
▪ An ESPN report last week said that no college football would cost athletic departments at least a combined $4 billion.
▪ Plagued by an NCAA investigation, Arizona basketball recruiting has gone the international route. Coach Sean Miller has six international prospects in his 2020 class, including twins Azuolas and Tautvilas Tubelis from Lithuania. The 6-foot-9 Azuolas is the better prospect of the two.
▪ Bob Costas told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell on Wednesday that the salary proposal made by Major League Baseball owners to players is a “non-starter.” Costas: “We know that it’s a bad look in the court of public opinion where millions of people are out of work and are worrying about where their next dollar is going to come from — when wealthy players say this isn’t good enough.”
▪ No word yet if MLB players will make the biggest sacrifice of all — adhere to the no-spitting mandate.
▪ After watching “The Match” with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, are you going to be able to watch golf again without hearing the players talk to each other?
▪ The savage Manning should walk with and razz the players for all 72 holes at the next major.
▪ Tough break for former Eastern Kentucky football star Noah Spence, who tore his ACL during quarantine and will miss next season with the New Orleans Saints.
▪ Congrats to UK swimmer Asia Seidt on winning the Boyd McWhorter SEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for all sports. The Louisville native is the most decorated student-athlete in UK swimming and diving history. But the McWhorter award goes beyond what Seidt accomplished in the pool.
▪ The new way for college basketball programs that have received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA: Independent Accountability Resolution Process. Just tell it to the judge.
▪ Alabama senate candidate Jeff Sessions knocking opponent and former coach Tommy Tuberville for going 5-7 and 4-8 his last seasons at Auburn and Cincinnati respectively proves politics is a contact sport.
