Larry David's Tuesday News and Views

On the long drive back from Pensacola on Sunday, we listened to Howard Stern interview Jerry Seinfeld about the art of comedy. Seinfeld, one of the best stand-up comics in the world, said that in order to be a successful comedian, you have to be angry. In fact, the best comedians, Seinfeld said, are “totally angry and determined. You’ve got to be kind of furious.” I thought about that a lot while driving through Alabama (otherwise, there isn’t really much to think about), and he’s right. The best moments of comedy are rants about the simplest things in everyday life. That’s why people loved “Seinfeld,” and in turn, former co-creator and head writer Larry David’s show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Larry David turns 66 on Tuesday. Along with “Seinfeld,” he’s responsible for one of the other most successful comedies in television, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Whereas “Seinfeld” was the show about nothing, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” may be the show about social awkwardness. “Curb” is a loosely fictionalized account of David’s life after “Seinfeld” ended. My theory as to why Larry is such a great character is he’s who we would all be without a filter. There are so many great scenes that I spent a good part of Monday night going through them on YouTube, and because Larry David is Larry David, there are only a few safe enough to show on the site. But, here’s one that I think we can all relate to:

(This is the video I really wanted to post. Super NSFW)

Happy birthday, Larry. I hope no one buys you a present packaged like this.

News and views?

— The month of July appropriately started with a bang when word broke that Kyle Wiltjer’s transfer from UK wasn’t so final. Kyle’s father, Greg, told the Portland Tribune that his son wasn’t so sure he was ready to leave UK, and is now trying to decide if he’ll return to UK next season to play, redshirt, or if he will indeed transfer, likely to Gonzaga. The elder Wiltjer seemed to favor Kyle redshirting at UK (an option he says has already been approved by Calipari), as it would give him the conditioning time he needs without sacrificing his love for the program, or his national championship hopes. An outpouring of support from the BBN (along with other factors, namely his girlfriend) has given Kyle some second thoughts about leaving Lexington. As his dad put it, “Kyle is still a Kentucky Wildcat. He loves being a Kentucky Wildcat. He’s not 100 percent committed to transferring.”

Kyle is currently in Russia playing for the Canadian Developmental team in the FISU Summer Universiade after a brief trip home to visit Gonzaga last week. His father says he will make a decision when he returns home after the games end on July 17th. Until then, he’ll be with his Canadian teammate Kevin Pangos, who plays for Gonzaga, which means it really wouldn’t hurt to send him some reminders of how much the BBN loves him. Why don’t you send him a tweet?

— It looks like former UK DB Shawn Blaylock will transfer to Georgia State, as reported by @CodyMcKee247. Last month, the coaching staff informed Blaylock, who is recovering from a knee injury, that he would need to give up his athletic scholarship. They offered to pay the rest of his tuition, but only for academics. Best of luck to Blaylock for the rest of his playing career.

— On a happier football note, Matt Elam got plenty of mail on Monday from the UK coaching staff, who sent the talented nose tackle 182 letters. The concept of bulk mailing may seem silly to some, but all of the major programs do it, and it’s anything but subtle from a staff that likes to go big or go home. Elam teased that 182 may be a record (he received 69 in one day last month), but it really might be the most letters the UK staff has sent a recruit so far, the previous high being 115 to Drew Barker. Understandably, Elam says he hasn’t had time to read them all so far, but told The Courier-Journal’s Steve Jones that Mark Stoops said inside each one was a reason to come to Kentucky. 2014 commit Mike Edwards posted one of his letters from the staff on Twitter Monday evening:

Why is “why” the only word not capitalized? Why not.

— On Monday, we said hello to July, which means that several teams also said hello to their new conferences. Here’s a breakdown of which teams are now in which conferences, via Matt Norlander:

ACC: Adds Notre Dame (everything but football), Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Maryland is still around for another season, until it is replaced by Louisville in 2014.

AAC (American Athletic Conference): Central Florida, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, Rutgers, South Florida, SMU and Temple. Louisville and Rutgers leave in 2014, which is when East Carolina, Tulane, and Tulsa join.

A-10: Loses Butler, Charlotte, Temple and Xavier. Gains George Mason and in 2014, Davidson. (Woo!)

Big East: Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Xavier

Conference USA: Loses Central Florida, Houston, Memphis and SMU to the AAC. Gains Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion and Texas-San Antonio, who join Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, UAB and UTEP.

Missouri Valley: Loses Creighton to Big East, gains Loyola.

Mountain West: Adds San Jose State and Utah State

— In an attempt to help viewers visualize the AAC (which is not a typo of ACC), ESPN decided to make a nice little map:

Except that’s not Connecticut, it’s Massachusetts. And that’s totally not where Memphis is, considering it is only a stone’s throw from Mississippi. But good job, good effort.

— Anthony Davis and Darius Miller may soon have a new teammate. The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly offered Sacramento point guard Tyreke Evans a four year, $44 million offer (some claim it is as high as $50 million). Evans played under Calipari at Memphis and has been with the Kings since being drafted by them in 2009. Earlier today, Corey Nichols told you why he thinks this is a terrible idea for the Pelicans, partly because picking up Evans would mean dropping Darius Miller, and well, we’re just not cool with that. And if you’re still scoffing at the name “Pelicans,” you better get used to it. They released their new court design Monday afternoon:

That’s all for now. The KSR Tour of Affiliates rolls on in the morning, when Matt and Drew head to The Cove Steakhouse in Jamestown/Russell Springs. See you then.