Tony Dow's Friday News and Views

Today is a glorious day for many reasons.....it is the day beginning what should be an epic weekend for the Kentucky Sports Radio crew (Makers Mark party, Sports Mob live from Keeneland, Gilbert Gottfried and the Derby Classic), it is almost time for the taxes to be mailed and of course, it is Tony Dow's birthday. When I was a kid, and even today, I watched a lot of television. And early on, one of my favorite television shows was of course "Leave it to Beaver." In hindsight the show was fairly terrible, but at the time I was mesmerized by Beaver's antics, Eddie Haskell's obnoxiousness, Lumpy's obesity and Wally's cool guy persona. As a six year old, Wally seemed like what a cool high school guy was like....he was a good athlete, he had great hair and he got all the girls. Thus I set out to be Wally by quickly getting glasses, braces and acne and removing myself from all social situations. But throughout that time, the image of Wally persevered as an example of coolness that we could all have.....if we lived in black and white times. Now of course, Tony Dow is old, looks like a square and could easily be the minister at your local Methodist church. But the old Wally still lives on at your local TV Land station. Some of you have asked what I look like since the new hair cut....here is a picture....feel free to print it off and make a poster. Now onto the news..... (1) We had Willie Warren on the show today and his interview is worth a listen. The kid showed that he certainly does not lack in confidence, comparing his game to LeBron James and Acie Earl, "if not better." He talks in the interview about his affection for Billy Clyde (I am agreeing to slow down with Coach Clyde, but Clyde will be part of all Gillispie related posts) and how Kentucky has now joined Kansas and Texas as his top three schools. He said on the show that he wanted to make a decision very soon......as in VERY SOON and that he hoped to talk with his mother tonight and come to some agreement. So we may hear something from Warren quickly. Kansas has always been thought to be a strong leader, but at this point with the way Billy Clyde is moving.....who knows? (2) We continue to see a bouncing ball from the recruitment of 07 star center DeAndre Jordan. After appearing on our show yesterday and essentially saying that the Texas A&M would be his future home, he reopened the door a bit today at the Derby Classic, telling reporters that UK may still be in the picture. He said that it is still a possibility that he may try to call Coach Clyde and ask if he can be part of the Kentucky picture. Bottom line with Jordan is that nobody really knows what is happening. He feels like he cant speak freely on the issues due to his signed LOI and he is still trying to feel out Coach Turgeon and the new Aggie staff. But Kentucky is not out, and like Jim Carrey once said, "so you're saying there's a chance......" (3) News also came from the Derby Classic by way of Stephon Pettigrew who told reporters that he wasnt going to wait forever for Kentucky. He will be visiting either Sunday or early next week for his now infamous "tryout" pickup game with the UK players and we will likely very soon thereafter know his status with UK. I am pulling for the Mr. Basketball because I think he is a good kid who can make it at the next level if things go well. Coach Jeremy Cox has been keeping up with him over the last week ("much more than the staff before" according to Pettigrew) and it is clear that there is interest. Whether that interest materializes into an offer depends in part on the play next week and the Patterson/Lucas twins. (4) Awww Jai Lucas.....we cant go two days without mentioning the Kentucky Sports Radio favorite recruit. Lucas is visiting Florida this weekend, which does give Kentucky fans a "hold your breath" moment. Signing period has begun and thus a possiblity exists that Lucas could go to Florida, commit and even sign very soon thereafter. If Billy Clyde is on the ball....and to be fair, I know he is, then the communication will be non-stop over the next couple of days to prevent that from happening. It is looking more and more like Patterson and Lucas could go to the same school.....if that happens, the key for UK is to keep the hearts and minds of the Lucas family.....it is up to Billy Clyde to make that happen....and seeing what we have seen, I wouldnt put money against it. (5) Before people think that all future UK players will come from Texas, take solace in the story today from Mike Fields of the Herald Leader that Assistant Coach Jeremy Cox told Darius Miller's coach that he would be "living in Mason County" until they got Darius to UK. Miller is a key part of the 08 class and maybe the best athletic talent from the state of Kentucky since Rondo.....locking him up would be huge for the coaching staff going forward. Luckily Billy Clyde sees this and realizes what he will have to do to compete with Billy Donovan and Coach K, both of whom will be in this before its all over. And in othe r news, Hubby has just informed me that the basketball coach at Mason County used to drive the bus for the football team (which is nice) and "provide us with fresh Subway sandwiches after each away game." You only get that info here.... More as the day progresses.....we hope to have AJ Stewart and Mike Williams on The Sports Mob this afternoon, along with an attempt to get the two nincompoops from the Jim Rome Show today. In addition we will have a "meet the crew" post to introduce our new readers to the Kentucky Sports Radio crew. Also RIP to Kurt Vonnegut.....one of my favorite authors during my college years and a truly inventive intellect. SlaughterHouse Five and Breakfast of Champions are two of my favorite books and I will miss Vonnegut's often odd, but always interesting viewpoints. Finally, we are looking for our version of Robin Quivers as we need a young woman who is willing to come in twice a week and read the news. This Sports Mob News Girl will be picked after open tryouts with voting by the fans. IF you are interested, write us at the Sports Mob Myspace site and let us know why you are interested and what you think you will add to this goofy crew. This is a good chance for a young woman who loves sports and wants to get their foot in the door for broadcasting. If that is you, or you know someone, write us soon. Listen to the 6 o clock hour of yesterday's show. And oh yeah, streaming starts next week......be ready.....