"The Hills" Tuesday News and Views

I freely admit to enjoying some television shows that are....to say the least, embarrassing. I have long been a fan of "American Idol", I will watch any beauty pageant that is thrown my way (including Miss America tonight.....Miss Mississippi was robbed) and I have even been known to catch a little "Gilmore Girls" now and then. However when it comes to guilty pleasures, none is guiltier than my enjoyment of "The Hills" on MTV. The show is of course, a spinoff of the very popular "Laguna Beach," (which I was so-so on) and it follows one of the individual from that show....the beautiful Lauren....as she tries to make a life for herself in Hollywood. Why do I like the show.....three reasons. First, I am a sucker for the theme song, Natasha Bettingfield's "Unwritten"....come on, you know the words: Staring, at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window...... Yes, as my fellow Hills watcher Mosley points out, it is an anthem truly meant for an 18 year old girl heading off into the Real World....but it speaks to me, and it can speak to you too!!! Second, I get odd pleasure out of making myself angry watching rich, spoiled kids complain about life. I am perfectly willing to admit that if I met these kids in real life, I would want to have all of them deported. But there is something about watching the train wreck that gives me glee....and often leads to conversations with the Turkey Hunter in which we debate if "Brody is right for Lauren" (its up in the air at this point). Finally, I love to tell women that I am a fan of "Audrina" on the show. Guys let me tell you something. If you want to make any girl in America angry at you, just tell them that you think Audrina is hot or the best girl on the show. They will literally have smoke coming from their ears in a matter of moments. Like a younger Allysa Milano, Audrina has some natural gene that causes all women to hate her and watching this Pavlovian reaction always amuses me. These three features, make "The Hills" must-see-tv and maybe my most guilty pleasure....at least when Match Game PM reruns are not on. And yes I just spent two paragraphs talking about a show whose average viewing age is 14....sue me. (1) This weekend saw the return of the man, Patrick Patterson to Durham, North Carolina for his unofficial visit at Duke University. This was (and still is) an important couple of days for the Patterson recruitment as it will give the Blue Devils a chance to make their final pitch to Patterson before he decides his final destination. He went to the Boston College game on Sunday Night (it was a special "No Cheating by the Referees Night" at Cameron Indoor) and will be playing a high school game there on Tuesday night. Reports have come in by some that the visit has gone well, while others say it has gone poorly. At this point, no one likely knows and people are making their determinations based on factors like Patterson's expression at the BC game. Patterson is a normally stoic guy so I would read nothing into the fact that he didnt smile during the proceedings. As many of you know, I have always contended that Patterson's fall visit didnt go well (still do) and thus this visit is of extreme importance. It should tell you how much Patterson's father likes Duke and the respect the university has that another visit was taken.....no other university could likely pull that off. As for UK's standing with Patrick, it is the same now as it has been. The Pattersons are doing what they said they would do.....let the season play out, see how the teams perform and what individuals will be in place (coaches and players) at each program next year. I have believed for some time that Florida has been the leader (a belief that Patterson admitted recently that he held in the fall), but I also think that it is still any of the "Big 3"'s ball game. UK feels good about where they stand on this one, but I dont think anyone, maybe even Patrick, knows for sure how this will end. We will have Patrick on the air in the next two weeks. In the meantime, it is a waiting game for Patterson....a frustrating one for the fans, but an understandable one for the kid. (2) Word has come out today that UK has been to see Louisiana point guard Josh White again in the last week. For those of you that dont know, White is a (repeat after me) "under the radar" point guard prospect that is being pursued as the likely backup option to Jai Lucas. White is very short.....listed at 5'10", but likely shorter....and has been primarily a passer and distributor up unitl this season. But this year his scoring has increased and he is becoming a real threat on the offensive end. White has attracted interest from a number of programs, but Kentucky will likely be his best offer if he ever receives one. I understand Kentucky's involvement with the kid but am of the belief that if the Cats do not get Lucas, they are better off looking for another bigger player rather than a guard.....Lucas is special, so they should take him.....but there isnt necessarily an instant need for a point guard in the class, so I might look elsewhere. (3) It was correct that Darius Miller was at the Kentucky game on Sunday taking yet another unofficial visit. There has been some buzz recently that Miller "will never go to UK" and that he is headed for Tennessee no matter what. This is unequivocally false. Miller is actively considering UK (you dont take unofficials for your health) and likes UK, UT, Florida and Illinois at this point. The Miller recruitment will be full of misinformation as it seems that everyone in Mason County knows someone who has heard from someone where Darius is going. At this point Miller has not made up his mind, but UK is pursuing him VERY hard and I think they are the favorite at this point.....likely the only 08 kid that is one of UK's primary targets that this can be said about at this time. (4) Along those lines, there should be some positivity about the staff's ability in recent months to get more and more young people to come early to take unofficial visits. This feature of recruiting has been sorely lacking in recent years and led by Shawn Finney, it is beginning anew. The dividends for such practices take awhile to showcase themselves, but they are of huge importance. A great number of kids have passed through Rupp Arena's doors this year, and if a kid like Phillip Jurick ends up picking UK, these early visits will be a major part in that decision. (5) Scott County sharpshooter Matt Walls has been asked to walk-on the team next year for the Cats. Walls is a great shooter and one of our top 5 seniors in the state. He will have the opportunity to play college basketball for free, either at the low Div 1 or NAIA levels, if he is so interested. Walk-ons are always bonus pickups, but this would not be a bad one at all. Oh yeah, they raised ticket prices again for UK, including a big bump for the single game tickets for the Louisville game. Not a huge surprise and a function of the ever-increasing price of funding modern college athletics. Plus its best to do that after a (rare) winning season. I still wish that the Cats would find a way to do a $10 dollar seat type thing for fans who rarely get to come to Rupp and cant afford a game at Commonwealth. This is a poor state and many never get to see their favorite team in person. But of course, I am just dreaming on this.....but it would be a nice gesture. Finally, many of you have emailed me in recent weeks and I have not been able to respond. I hope to do so in the next two days, but dont think I have ignored your questions and comments....I have just been swamped, but will get to them soon. And if you didnt see it above, Marshall Moses committed to Oklahoma State. Until later today........