University of Kentucky Wildcats
National Champions
2012
1998
1996
1978
1958
1951
1949
1948
A grateful Big Blue Nation salutes you.
You were the best last night. The best this year. Simply the best college basketball team of all time.
Thank you, Coach Cal!
Thank you, Cats!
It’s here. My favorite time of the year.
I love everything about the month of March.
My birthday is in March. My sister, dad, brother-in-law, cousins, and a few friends also celebrate their birthdays in March.
So there’s lots of cake.
There’s also March Madness, the most wonderful time of the year (especially when your alma mater is currently ranked #1, and two other state schools are in the Top 25).
GO BIG BLUE!
There’s St. Patrick’s Day, the Ides of March, the arrival of spring, Women’s History Month — hey, I am a girl — and bizarre celebrations like Save A Spider Day.
Let’s face it — March rocks!
The only thing about March that I’m not totally in love with is the birthstone. I have always found the aquamarine a bit washed out and unremarkable.
But I recently learned that the bloodstone is a March birthstone alternative — stunning!
That seals the deal — March is the best month of the year.
Posted in Comedy, Family, Friends, Humor, Life, Sports
Tagged #1 ranking, alma mater, aquamarine, birthday cake, birthdays, birthstone, bizarre holidays, bloodstone, commentary, favorite month, go big blue, Humor, Ides of March, life, March, March birthstone, March Madness, month of March, NCAA basketball tournament, Save a Spider Day, Sports, St. Patrick's Day, state schools, the most wonderful time of the year, Top 25, University of Kentucky Wildcats, Women's History Month
NBA? We don’t need no stinkin’ NBA.
The UK Wildcats and KU Jayhawks are playing in the Garden!
The Champions Classic tips off at Madison Square Garden tonight, bringing the best of college basketball — the only basketball that counts IMHO — to the Big Apple.
(Don’t ask if I was able to get a ticket. I wasn’t; I’m bitter.)
The tourney begins with Duke (hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhcckk-ptooo) taking on Michigan State. Who cares? It’s the opener. Whatever. Take your seats, folks; nothing to see here.
The big game is between my alma mater (and pre-season #2-ranked) University of Kentucky Wildcats and #12-ranked KU.
Suffice it to say the two teams have a history. Both have beat each other soundly on their home courts. (You don’t forget that kinda thing.) I lived in Kansas City when UK won NCAA Championships in 1996 and 1998 and was the runner-up in 1997.
I don’t think my friends have forgotten that, either.
In fact, I have a little wager with my friend Dan on tonight’s game. Not for money, mind you; we don’t bet cash on our teams. But believe you me — after the game has been decided, you’ll all be able to tell what we did wager.
May the best team win!
Posted in Basketball, Commentary, Entertainment, Friends, Games, History, Humor, Life, March Madness, Sports
Tagged alma mater, basketball, Champions Classic, college basketball, commentary, Duke, entertainment, friends, history, Humor, KU Jayhawks, life, Madison Square Garden, Manhattan, may the best team win, Michigan State, NBA, NCAA Championship, NCAA runnerup, New York City, pre-season rankings, Sports, University of Kentucky Wildcats, wager
WAKE UP, UK WILDCAT FANS!
Tickets go on sale today for Big Blue Madness, the annual season-opening basketball practice of the University of Kentucky Wildcats. This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, October 14th at Rupp Arena in Lexington and marks the official beginning of college basketball in the Bluegrass.
Happy days are here again!
A literal tent city has popped up outside the ticket office this week — a record 570 tents in all. Fans like me who are far, far away from the Big Blue Nation can get tickets on the phone via Ticketmaster.
But you have to get up super-duper early to have any kind of shot, so…
WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!
Posted in College, Commentary, Education, Life, Sports
Tagged basketball practice, big blue madness, Big Blue Nation, college, commentary, education, go big blue, life, Rupp Arena, season opener, Sports, tent city, tents, ticket office, UK Wildcat Fans, University of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Wildcats
Today The Sticky Egg dedicates this space to its mighty alma mater, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, the first team to earn a spot in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament!
GO CATS!
It’s also the first day of Spring, and I can’t help but notice — everything is coming up blue!
But that’s March Madness for you.
Gotta love it.
Posted in Basketball, College, Green, Humor, Life, March Madness, Sports, Weather
Tagged alma mater, basketball, college, college basketball, green, Humor, life, March Madness, NCAA men's basketball tournament, seasons, Sports, spring, spring fever, Sweet Sixteen, The Sticky Egg, UK, University of Kentucky Wildcats, weather
Remember The Accidental Tourist, starring William Hurt and Geena Davis?
(It came out way back in 1988 — Davis won an Oscar.)
Hurt portrayed travel writer Macon Leary, whose books were geared toward people who want to travel with “the minimum fuss and as little impact as possible on their lives.”
I realize I have become somewhat of an ‘accidental’ business traveler.
Once I hit the airport, I am focused on one goal: getting to my destination as quickly as possible (with supporting goals of checking email, charging my phone and getting snacks for the plane). Though surrounded by literally hundreds of people, I’m in my own little world.
Even yesterday, with two hours until departure, I charged with single minded determination toward my gate at LAX. But a chance glimpse of the UK-Florida basketball game in progress on a TV in an airport ‘On the Border’ pulled me up short. So I decided to stop and watch.
Now, I usually always ask for a table in a restaurant. Tables give me room for my entree and my phone or magazine or book. It’s just more comfortable…and more private.
But yesterday, there wasn’t a table in sight, so I took a seat at the bar… and was quickly reminded of all the reasons why bars are great in the first place.
The bartender was a character — quick with a refill and a clever word. The guy next to me was also a college basketball fan…and a proud grandfather. When I started cheering on the Cats, a couple at the other end of the bar joined in.
Soon a UCLA alum and union organizer — who knew that job still existed? — sat down and joined in the conversation. When the Cats defeated the Gators, the whole bar joined me in clapping.
I was sad to have to leave.
But now back in New York, I can enjoy thinking about the people I met ‘by accident’ on my way home from work.
Posted in Airplanes, Books, Business, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Humor, Life, Movies, Relationships, Restaurants, Travel
Tagged airplane flight, airport, airport bar, airport gate, bar, bar conversation, bartender, Best Supporting Actress Geena Davis, Business, business travel, business traveler, charging phone, checking email, college basketball, commentary, entertainment, Florida Gators, Geena Davis, Humor, LAX, life, Movies, philosophy, Relationships, The Accidental Tourist movie, Travel, travel books, travel writer, University of Kentucky Wildcats, William Hurt
You can take a UK Wildcat out of Kentucky…
…but would you expect to find three in the same New York City block?
ME EITHER!!
Last night Rory Dog and I were taking our evening walk around my neighborhood on the Upper West Side. This always includes a stop at Canine Country Club, a dog store literally around the corner from my apartment. I gossip with my friends who work there, and Rory gets a treat.
Everybody wins.
A new guy joined the staff there a couple of weeks ago, and he and Rory have become best buds. Last night he was wearing — wait for it — a UK shirt. This is not something I see very often in New York City (unless I’m the one wearing it), so I had to ask.
Turns out he graduated from UK last year… lived in Kentucky for several years, too. So for the next 30 minutes, we totally geeked out Kentucky-style, talking about UK, Lexington and all things Southern that we miss. Our New York friends just shook their heads.
And while we’re chatting, who walks in? Another UK graduate who lives in the hood!
Whackadoodle.
Since UK played Notre Dame last night — and beat them handily, I might add — I think the planets aligned to make that happen. Gotta gather the UK faithful for a big game, no matter where they live.
GO BIG BLUE!
Posted in Commentary, Dogs, Friends, Home, Humor, Life, Relationships, Sports, Travel
Tagged Canine Country Club, dog walk, Dogs, Freedom Hall, friends, Humor, Kentucky, life, Louisville, New York City, Notre Dame, Sports, UK basketball, UK faithful, UK Wildcats basketball, University of Kentucky, University of Kentucky Wildcats, Upper West Side
Cabbies usually hail from other countries in New York City.
It’s part of the local charm.
And while some people might find that a hindrance to conversation, I’ve never let it stop me from chatting up the taxi driver on my way back and forth to the airport.
But last night, I was in Tulsa, the heartland of America. I was expecting Billy Bob to pick me up on his tractor and drive me to my meeting. (I say this with all due love and respect; remember, I grew up in Kentucky.)
But who was my driver? Eni, from Jamaica, with an accent so thick, you would have thought he had arrived just that morning, even though he has called Tulsa home for eight years.
Eni and I exchanged only the basic pleasantries until he discovered I was originally from Kentucky. Then he asked, with some excitement,
“Did you go to the University of Kentucky?”
When I said with great pride that I had, Eni talked non-stop for the rest of the long cab ride — with tremendous knowledge and enthusiasm, I might add — about the UK Wildcats basketball program. He is a huge fan of Coach Cal and knew our record this season as well as if not better than I.
Eni knew a lot about basketball…and American football…and the Olympics. In fact, our shared love of sports became our common language, even though we sometimes had to struggle to figure out exactly what each other were saying, since his English was a bit broken.
When Eni picked me up at the end of my meeting, he had updates on the Olympic women’s figure skating still in progress. You can bet if I’m ever in Tulsa again, Eni will be the cabbie I’ll call.
Every two years, the International Olympics Committee brings the world together through athletic competition. Last night, I experienced first-hand how sports can be a bridge.
Posted in Humor, Sports, Television, Travel
Tagged Coach John Calipari, college basketball, Humor, International Olympics Committee, Jamaica, Kentucky, New York City, New York City taxis, Olympic women's figure skating, Sports, taxi cabs, taxi drivers, taxis, Travel, Tulsa Oklahoma, Tulsa Oklahoma taxis, University of Kentucky Wildcats, Vancouver Winter Olympic Games
The rest of the story
I was in the mood for basketball this morning, but the UK-Florida game wasn’t slated to start on CBS until noon ET.
Then I discovered Prayer for a Perfect Season.
Imagine my surprise when the star of the St. Patrick’s Celtics team was none other than –
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
I should say Michael Gilchrist, because he went by that moniker as a high school senior. It wasn’t until he began his collegiate career at the University of Kentucky that he added the ‘Kidd’ in memory of his uncle, who died during the filming.
The documentary cameras capture Gilchrist, his St. Pat’s teammates and their families in moments both high and low.
And while I may have watched Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in his NCAA Championship season at Kentucky last year, I feel like I know him a lot better today.
And appreciate him even more.
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Posted in Basketball, Commentary, Life, March Madness, Movies, Sports
Tagged basketball, CBS Sports, collegiate career, documentary, Elizabeth New Jersey, HBO, March Madness, Michael Gilchrist, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Movies, national championship, national letter of intent, Prayer for a Perfect Season, Sports, St. Patrick's Celtics, St. Patrick's High School, the rest of the story, University of Kentucky Wildcats