Night Coyote Hunting's Monday News and Views

The selection is large, but not varied

I have now been a spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife for almost 15 months. They are the title sponsor to our show and thanks to the good folks there, I know more about hunting, fishing and the great outdoors in the state of Kentucky than I ever could have imagined just a bit ago. I actually go to their website quite a bit (I know you have heard me say it on air, but it is fw.ky.gov) and it is probably the best state-run website for information that the Commonwealth produces. So while I am not Tim Farmer, I am more educated about these things than I once was. With that said, I did not know until last week that you can now coyote hunt at night in the state of Kentucky! Thanks to a new bill, Kentuckians can coyote hunt throughout the state at night with a shotgun, and with night vision from February to May. After I read this news bulletin for the first time on the show, a number of you came up and told me that it makes sense to make this change, since coyotes tend to roam more at night. Honestly, I have never killed anything in my life (I know that shocks you) with the exception of BTI’s dreams. But I am told I will be going night coyote hunting one day with Sir Ryan Lemond and Drew Franklin. If there is one thing that is certain for three hunters such as ourselves, adding the element of darkness will only help are already floundering skills. Still its a change hunters are excited about and you can learn more about it at this link. And while we are talking about coyotes, maybe the most underrated Will Ferrell skit of all time (it never actually aired), “The Old Prospector” warns you of their dangers:

We are at the halfway point of the football season and a mere four days from launching the basketball team on the American public. It is time for a quick review of where we stand with both programs, with the Four Major Themes of the Week for Each:

1. Move Past Alabama: Saturday night was a brutal beatdown, and UK was dominated from the opening kickoff. BUT, the Cats did fight and gave effort from start to finish. The result does not however come close to even the “moral victory” threshold and the best thing that can happen is for UK to simply move past the game and go forward. I wrote earlier on my journal entry about how angry Stoops was during his halftime speech, but my guess is that after watching the tape, the key is to get the game out of the players’ heads. Up until this game, the staff could legitimately say, “a play here and play there” and UK had a shot at winning the other contests. Not Alabama. Forgetting that game and moving to six games that are much more enticing going forward is the next big step for UK.

2. Get Healthy: UK was decimated by injuries against the Tide and 5 minutes into the game, had lost their most important defensive and offensive player from battle. Most of the injuries can be healed and these ten days are about making that happen. Kentucky does have to worry about Whitlow, who may very well miss the Mississippi State game, and that truly hurts UK’s chances. But for the rest of the team, get healthy. UK has been blessed not to have many long-term injuries this year and hopefully the few on Saturday day don’t change that status.

3. Get Max Smith Ready: I would be surprised if Whitlow can go against Mississippi State. Talking to some folks today, they think the injury is a 2-3 week thing, but there is hope that tomorrow the information will be different. Either way, Max Smith has to be ready to either sink or swim going forward. He hasn’t looked good in his last three games (parts of UL/Florida and Alabama) and if he goes in Starkville, it will be his game in totality. That helped Whitlow at South Carolina and now Smith needs the same bounce. If his arm remains as suspect as we have seen, then the question goes back to Patrick Towles and whether to make the move. The staff seems hesitant to do that, but Smith must play much better than Saturday, which was admittedly a very tough position for him, before he can win games in the second half of the year.

4. Keep the Fans’ Attention and Excitement: The worry around the program was about what would happen after this four game stretch if UK lost all four games. Would the fans have this Rob Ryan face and abandon ship?

Well that hasn’t happened. The fans have not given up and people are still into the season. But this is the time of year where things get problematic. Big Blue Madness is Friday and from now forward, football is competing with basketball for attention. That is why the game next Thursday night is so important. It is the last game before actual basketball begins and with its night spot on national television, everyone will be watching. UK needs a good performance before the chase for #9 begins and whether a win or not, the Cats need to be in it. If that doesn’t happen, I do worry about attendance for Alabama State (always problematic when a FCS team comes in late) and the Missouri game (Tennessee usually brings people out either way). The Cats have to finish the year with momentum and they still have the fans…but the next two games will do a lot towards keeping them.

BASKETBALL

1. Julius Randle is World Class: It has been said by everyone and I will say it again. You simply don’t realize how good Julius Randle is. Off the bounce, he is the best scorer I have seen at Kentucky since Mashburn. Read that sentence again and I will stand by it. Now will it translate to games? We shall see. But when he goes to the basket, think college Lebron. His shooting needs work and there will be a learning curve but going into this season, one thing I am not concerned about is who will be the most dominant player on the floor in 90 plus percent of UK’s games. His name is Julius.

2. Injury Status: The two veterans of significant minutes on the team, Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress, have both battled injuries this fall and this has caused a shift in how I see the team today. Both will be fine when the season begins, but where as I once thought both would start, now I think at least one, and maybe both, could be on the bench. Poythress has in my view lost his starting spot to James Young (more on him in a minute) and Willie is now in a battle with Dakari Johnson. Kentucky’s best players can, and will be, their Freshman. But they need huge roles from these two upperclassmen and they are the difference between good and great. Both have to take these battles, and potential demotions, as motivational factors. I think they will, but ultimately there is not a choice. Kentucky needs them and they must step up.

3. James Young is Much Better than I thought: I always thought I missed something on James Young. I saw him twice last summer and was underwhelmed both times…and people I respect told me, “you saw his worst two games.” Then I saw him earlier this year and felt the same. And now everyone has not only told me I am wrong, I believe them. The reports I am hearing from people over the last two weeks are consistent…Young is a beast. I have said from day one that a great James Young makes Kentucky unbeatable….and right now everyone is telling me that is exactly what he is. His athleticism is nuts and if he is shooting the ball well, there are potentially four unguardable players on the team (Twins, Young, Randle). As you watch BBM, Blue-White and exhibitions, focus on him. If he is what I am hearing, this team is absurd.

4. We Are Crazy Good: No matter what Young does however, UK is insanely good. I have seen a couple of practices and am not allowed to talk specifics….all I can say however is these guys are going to be amazing. There are no weaknesses. Every position has a backup (even point guard) and I am not sure there is any player on the team that could get hurt that would make it impossible to win the title. Lose Andrew Harrison, and Aaron/Hawkins can still get by…lose Randle and then Poythress steps in…lots of wing guys…lots of big guys and a huge wildcard in Marcus Lee. They are stacked. 40-0 is a silly conversation I know…and I think it is HIGHLY unlikely. But it isnt crazy. Michigan State could end it all in game 2…but get by that…and then win at UNC…and then folks, its worth whispering about. They are that good. Doesn’t mean they will do it (they probably wont)…but they are good enough to at least mention it…and that is exciting.

So there we are…the four questions before a busy week. I am giving away Big Blue Madness tickets all week and doing shows to get ready for the big day on Friday. Tuesday is Media Day, which is always fun and should give us much to talk about. Plus if you are of the mindset, I wrote another journal entry tonight, that includes some behind the scenes football stuff. Have a big Sunday and check back tomorrow…we kick it in basketball lock this week. Before we go, be glad you weren’t this guy, a Michigan fan who got maced at the Penn State game: