Some Late Night Notes

I admit to being totally transfixed by the situation in Haiti tonight and have spent very little time in the sports arena. Above is a picture of rapper Wyclef Jean, who to most Americans, is probably the most known person of Haitian descent. His Foundation, along with that of the Red Cross and other organizations are in the process of getting the wheels in motion for what will be an unbelievably difficult relief situation. To think about the devastation in Haiti is abolutely mind-blowing. Watching the coverage from Anderson Cooper on CNN tonight, I saw scenes and descriptions of events that are really beyond my comprehension. I often get worked up during UK games and in silly arguments about trivial points all the time. But sometimes reality slaps you in the face and you realize that while all of this is a pleasant distraction, it is just that, a distraction. If you have the ability, you can donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting the word "HAITI" to 90999 on your cell phone (the charge will show up on your next bill) or you can simply pray for all those involved. It is truly horrifying and my worry is that it will only get worse. At the end of the night, Anderson Cooper said something that is probably good to remember, "Wherever you are... hug a loved one close & thank God you are not in Port au Prince tonight." Some sports news.... --- Kentucky was once again the topic of college basketball, as experts heaped praise on the Cats from all ends. Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale picked their mid-season All American teams and John Wall was named the Player of the Year and John Calipari the Coach of the Year by both men. Mike Decourcey named Wall his Player of the Year as well and the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, said on his latest podcast that John Wall was the most electrifying college player he had seen this decade. Topping all of them may have been the comments by New York sports radio host Mike Francesa, who said that Wall was the greatest college talent since Michael Jordan (who wasnt really as great a college player as people imagine). A crazy day of accolades that shows the reach of what Kentucky basketball is getting at this time. --- Andy Katz wrote a great piece today about how Kentucky may be too talented to fail. In it, he points to all the weapons on the Kentucky roster and the fact that when one has a game that is a little below par (like Wall against Florida), a guy like Bledsoe or Orton can step in and make his presence felt. It is a good read, even though Katz is a no-good podcast skipping fool. --- Three football Cats, Terrell Combs, Josh Gibbs and Justin Henderson have enrolled early in the Spring for the Cats. This allows them to workout and practice with the team in the Spring and get a head start on their preparation for next year. Combs is a transfer and Gibbs a JC kid, so Henderson will be the one early starter out of the group. --- The scene at Tennesse with the football coach has been crazy to watch. There is however a lesson here for all fans...when you blindly take up for those that should not be taken up for, you end up looking foolish. We learned that here with Gillispie and now Tennessee has it with Kiffin. A person isnt right or wrong based on the colors he wears, and Kiffin showed his true colors to non-UT fans, before the Big Orange finally realized it themselves. --- Finally, some big props to Jodie Meeks, who had a good game tonight and who will see his role continue to increase with the Milwaukee Bucks for the rest of the season. Due to the unfortunate injury to Michael Redd, Meeks will now be the backup Shooting Guard and will see his time increase all year. This is a chance for Jodie to truly make his mark and I hope it happens for a great kid who I was a big fan of his during his time here. We will have more all day tomorrow, building towards the game versus Auburn on Saturday.