If UK is a top 10 team competing for a F4, we are not having this conversation about KY kids.

If UK is a top 10 team competing for a F4, we are not having this conversation about KY kids.

 

 

Where is the Captain when we need him?

 

 

 

We may be talking about a final four appearance if we had atleast one of those Ky kids. (Chris Lofton) I know it's old, but the truth hurts.

I can really feel the emotion in this thread and I really think I understand both sides on the issue. We all have different ways of dealing with emotions and frustrations in life. I know we are all fans because we care enough to express our thoughts and feelings.

 

Here are some of my personal facts:

-I have followed the Cats closely since about 1970-Grevey, Connner, Flynn Guyette, etc. , I longed as a kid to stay up late to watch the replay after I already knew the score and outcome, Jimmy Dan was the greatest in my book and oh how loved to watch Grevey bank in those 20 footers, John Wooden left me scarred after that championship game with UCLA,

 

-as a student I was so proud to walk the campus as a true UK Wildcat, I spent many, many hours on Sundays getting tickets at the ticket distribution, and never, never missed a game, it was so cool to see Bowie and Turpin walking around campus, I met Joe B. one day in his office and he invited me to watch a practice(for 3 hours I sat at midcourt silently absorbing every precious minute of that practice),

 

-as a young adult I got to take my future wife to her first UK games(and the final 4 in New Orleans) and what a great time we had making memories together, then came my daughters who loved to go(they are now 17 and 20) and the memories are priceless, during this time my partners in business and I, for at least 15 years, bought season tickets at unbelievable scalper prices, just to drive 2 hours to the game and return home late at night to get in bed at one in the morning and then get up for work the next ,morning

 

-maybe I am wrong but I thought all of the above qualified me as a truly loyal and devoted fan

 

However now, these are the facts as much as I hate to admit them:

 

-the last year or two I catch myself bored at the games that I attended constantly checking my watch,

 

-when I watch a game on TV live I constantly switch channels and forget to go back,

 

-I never tape games anymore and when I last did I seldom got around to watching them,

 

-this past year we gave up the season tickets because none of my business partners were interested anymore,

 

-people have stopped talking about the 'Cats around the office unless it's something negative,

 

-historically I would mark my calendar and my entire week revolved around "gametime", now gametime has become an afterthought,

 

-sometimes I would come home from work, settle in the watch TV and while flipping the channels realize the 'Cats are playing,

 

Folks, these are true facts for me as much as I truly hate to admit it. I am not proud of it and it actually hurts to say these things. But for me it's reality. I wish it wasn't this way,but maybe I am not a true fan.:cry: Maybe I need to see a shrink.

:cry: Maybe I need to see a shrink.

 

 

 

I could have told you that a long time ago. :D

-historically I would mark my calendar and my entire week revolved around "gametime", now gametime has become an afterthought,

I didn't realize you were stalking me... :lol:

I didn't realize you were stalking me... :lol:

 

 

 

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

JD you seem to be contadicting youself, You open up by saying that you are not a U.K. fan anymore.:confused: Now you ask the questions in you post #55, I along with others stated that the way that you sounded in you origianl post that you were not out to bash. Just that you had abandoned ship. That is fine, to each his own and all I was saying is that don't be coming back when things are going great again :sssh: , and they will be .....no question about that.

I didn't realize you were stalking me... :lol:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :scared:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

At least it sounds like he's over it...

At least it sounds like he's over it...

 

 

 

Must have been your engagement.

Let me find my dead horse image again...

Actually, he makes some very valid points, most of which I have also been feeling lately, and I saw my first live UK game at Memorial way back in 1967.

We can bring the Dead Horse trophy defense up over and over, but before we realize what's happening, we'll still be using it 5 years from now. Is that acceptable?

This will be my last post on this subject, ever. I am so tired of this subject and while I am sure I will tied to the whipping post for this, ... I really don't care.

 

I can cheer for almost ANY kid who puts on the UK jersey in any sport. Whether it be in this era, the 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, now, etc.

 

Chuck Hayes, Tayshaun Prince, Keith Bogans, Jodie Meeks are among my favorite players in the more modern era of UK hoops.

 

Jeff Shepherd & Scott Padgett on the 98 championship team

 

Tony Delk and Walter McCarty on the 96 championship team

 

The Unforgettables (Mashburn, Feldhaus, Pelphry, Farmer and company)

 

Kenny Walker, Winston Bennett, Sam Bowie, Ed Davender and others from the 1980's.

 

Jay Schidler, Kyle Macy, Rick Roby, Mike Phillips, James Lee and others from the 1970's.

 

As far as dad's throwing things at TV's, my father has thrown things (and profanities) at the TV and radio during UK games as long as I can remember, 1960's to now. Not as much now as he has grown more patient and mature with age.

 

There is more anger from some of you UK 'fans' now then there was from many when Eddie Sutton almost destroyed the UK program. HE NEARLY BURIED UK HOOPS FOREVER!!!

 

I have more respect for a poster like GT who while supporting Huggins and despising those who ran him off, still supported those kids and coaches. If Huggs and the Bearcats had a bad season, he never stopped supporting them. Or RP who supports a team I love to hate. But he knew this wasn't going to be a great year for Duke but he STILL supported them and never jumped ship on the team or his coach. I have heard alleged UK fans state recently "I hope they lose so we can get rid of Tubby". My response? I will NEVER cheer for a UK team to lose, EVER. That is not what fans do. It flies in the face of what a 'fan' is supposed to be! Fans of a program are fans of a program regardless. Thru good times and bad. And if the past 2 seasons are too much for some of you to stand then jump. Jump high, jump hard and jump fast.

 

The bottom line is that I am a UK fan regardless. If I can remain a fan thru what Sutton's regime did to the program and the national shame it brought with it, and if I can remain a fan after what a few football coaches did to the program and take the verbal abuse I received from many for supporting Brooks, then I can live thru a few seasons below what some UK fans believe is rightfully 'ours', ... being the only team that matters.

 

I will cheer for Tubby and the Cats regardless of those 'fans' who will claim to no longer be a fan. I hope Tubby is back next year and we can weed a few more of you out. I can think of no better man to represent the team and university that I cheer for than Orlando 'Tubby' Smith. Maybe I can even get better seats like I did for football this season! But when they have a better season next year, ... I expect some of you will weasle your way back onto the bandwagon as you always do. But if Tubby were to leave (and I certainly hope he doesn't), I will still cheer for the Cats. Why? Because I have always been and will always be a UK Wildcat Fan!

 

GO CATS!!!

 

 

This has to be the best post I have ever read.

I don't see kids with UK jersey's or shorts at school or practices, I see Duke, UNC, and Florida.

 

 

 

Kids today go with what ever is the coolest at the moment. Loyalty is something that is slowly fading. Too many players leaving for the NBA or transfering to other NBA teams bigger money. (they need that extra million to feed their kids). Loyalty will mean nothing to this generation unless something changes :(

I agree with you. I grew up watching the Cats, watching Kevin Greevy and all of the 70's crew. I also followed the Cards, and was a fan of them (When they weren't playing the Cats). But somewhere along the way, as JD IF You please stated, Kentucky basketball just wasn't the same. And the era of Sutton came into play, which was horrible for UK and UL became the team to watch with Coach Denny Crum (in my opinion, one of the greatest coaches ever) and I shifted to being a fan of the Cats and Cards but cheering for the Cards when they played each other. For me, it just went downhill from there for the Cats and sometime during the early 90's, I completely stopped rooting for the Cats.

I was too young to remember my first UK game, but I do remember that taking the 4.5 hour trip from Pike County to Lexington as being a ritual about 3 weekends a year.

 

One of my first memories of UK basketball is after a game staying and seeing my dad and grandfather stand up and singing "My Old Kentucky Home"

 

UK basketball made the biggest impression on me in 1992, I was 13 and had watched John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus and Richie Farmer, boys from Eastern Kentucky, lead UK to within one shot of the Final Four.

 

Then in 1996 I watched a roster that consisted of 4 boys from Ky., 1 From WV, and 3 from TN., mixed with Walker, Sheppard, Pope, Turner, and McCarty win a NC.

 

In 1997 I watched a roster that consisted of 4 boys from Ky., 1 From WV, and 2 from TN., mixed with Edward, Turner, Mohammed, and Magloire lose in the title game.

 

In 1998 I watched 2 kids from Ky, 1 becoming an All-American, the other working his butt off to become a sharp-shooter, help lead UK to a NC.

 

All those teams was fun to watch, they pressed, shot the 3, and and played with a huge amount of pride. I could relate to guys, I was John Pelphrey and my brother was Richie Farmer on our court. Jamal Mashburn was the answer to every UK fans prayers, Turner was the almost perfect PG, Heshimu Evans is one of my all-time favorites, and in high school I wanted a tattoo like Ron Mercer. Later on I watched as my younger cousins were Padgett and Mills.

 

I wanted to be Jeff Sheppard, cause I would be able to ball and the ladies would love.

 

 

Now-

I don't see kids in Jr. High want to be any UK player

 

I see kids from Paintsville and Mason Co. go to Marshall and Tenn., or get ran off

 

I see my dad want to throw junk at the t.v.

 

I see uninspired play.

 

I see no pride.

 

I go to Rupp and I'm bored.

 

More importantly I can't relate to anyone on the past 5-6 teams.

 

Very well said! I agree 100% I can remember laying in bed when I was young with a radio up to my ears so my parents would not hear it and get on to me for not being asleep. Now, I still bleed blue through and through, but I only catch 6 or 7 games on TV or radio. The magic just does not seem to be around.