[poll id="5"]

Lil’ bity dogs need some lovin’ too. In this situation, we are talking about “Beans”. Beans has been on the prowl for weeks and just can’t find him another Yorky Poo to take home. He’s tried. He’s been out on the town to parks, vets, the Ballpark and even the shelter, with no fragments of even slight success.  He even tried juicing broads on Facebook and watched three episodes of the Pick-Up Artist.  Still nothing.

Tired and bruised up from all the rejection, Beans turned to Prozac-infested doggie bones and just crushed them, downing at least four to eight doggie bones a day. The more hyped up on doggie bones he became, the more obvious his next course of action became.

“Freckles”, the family cat, was kind of cute. So Beans walks up to Freckles and asks her if she wants to do it. Once again he is rejected. Alone and depressed, he quits eating the Prozac bones and just lays in his kennel depressed. He lies there, with the gate latched, for six days with no food, no water and no loving.

Now what? On Day Seven he finally decides it’s time to squad up and steps foot into the kitchen. Freckles is grubbing and Beans is looking for lovin’. So he walks up to Freckles and is like, “Look I need some bashin’ action. How about you just chill there and eat your Purina while I go to town on you? I promise you won’t feel a thing. I just need some release in my life.”

So Freckles agrees and pulls a George Costanza by knockin’ Nikes and grubbin’ at the same time.  After visiting Pump Town for about a-minute-and-a-half, Beans walks away with an ear-to-ear grin, mean-mugging the camera.

Below is the video of the sweet, sweet, scene.

From 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Wick’s will feature all you can eat and drink for ONLY $10. Get a wristband for $10 and then do what you want. Want a slice of pizza, go grab it. Want a refill on your Bud, go get it.

While you are eating and drinking for practically free, enjoy the stylings of Timmy and Sharfe, as they serenade the crowd. Timmy and Sharfe are one of the best acoustic duos in the area and have performed at Stevie Ray’s, Stooges, Dublin’s and more.

To check out their music, go to their myspace page.

Tonight at Dixie Wick’s, you can also help raise money for the Crusade for Children.  All tips that Timmy & Sharfe receive will go directly to the Crusade.  The Pinkie will also be on hand selling t-shirts. All profits will be donated directly to the Crusade for Children. 

For more info on the WHAS Crusade for Children, go to their official website.

So come out to Dixie Wick’s and drink some beer, eat some pizza, listen to music and raise some money for the kids.  It’s a win-win.

But, the man is not a criminal and should not be treated as he was today when WLEX-18′s Alan Cutler and WHAS-11′s Mark Herbert followed him through the halls of the Joe Craft Center.

First off, as soon as Gillispie entered the doors with his key fab, both Cutler and Herbert should have been gone.  But, they weren’t and it gets worse when Cutler decides to cut Gillispie off, forcing the former UK head coach to actually take off and jog.

Cutler even has the nerve to ask Gillispie, “You’re not actually going to run away from me, are you?”

No matter your feelings on Gillispie, this treatment is absolutely unnecesary.

“The Western University Dolphins were the envy of college basketball. Yeah, sure Coach Bell is probably a little past him prime. But, the man pretty much got the Orlando Magic to play college basketball.”

Rebound – Mount Vernon Junior High School Smelters’ Head Coach Roy McCormick

“McCormick has a lot of baggage and a big ego. But if he can turn around the Smelters, I would suggest he can do anything.”

Eddie – New York Knicks’ Head Coach Edwina “Eddie” Franklin

“Yeah, probably not the right fit for Kentucky.”

Air Bud – Timberwolves’ Head Coach Author Chaney

“There ain’t no rules saying a dog can’t play basketball”

Teen Wolf – Beacontown Beavers’ Head Coach Bobby Finstock

“The man won the ‘Ship even with Scott Howard being a 5-foot nothing white boy with no handles.”

Space Jam – The Tune Squad’s Michael Jordan

“The man was player/coach and carried the Toon Squad past the Monstars. The livlihood of all of the Looney Toons were on the line and His Airness came through in the clutch. If the ‘Cats can gets some of Michael’s Special Drink…It’s Over”

I say yes, Friday, and Billy Donovan, even though I would rather go after Anthony Grant.

Wink:  Yeah, I think it will be mutual. They will split the buyout. I’m not a Donovan guy. His teams play no defense and play as soft as Care Bears.

I don’t see Grant making the push from the CAA to Kentucky. But, he does need to get out of VCU now because he won’t have Maynor next year. He will go to ‘Bama unless Donovan goes to UK, then he will go to Florida.

Personally, my ideal selection would be Jay Wright. I really like Sean Miller, but I don’t see that happening. Travis Ford is the only real option with UK ties. And then you have Calipari. Calipari would be interesting and I think he maybe would embrace the opportunity to coach in an elite conference, not the C-USA or A-10. But, he is a God in Memphis and his previous troubles at UMass worry me a little bit.

I hate this process. You know yesterday you mentioned that Tubby left the program in decline.  I don’t understand why after eight years of excellence and two subpar seasons that everyone believed that he packed it in. I don’t agree with that at all. Yes, I agree he had some local guys that didn’t pan out and some big guy projects that never worked.

But, in this day and age, success is going to fluctuate. It is nearly impossible to sustain dominance year-in and year-out. You can’t go to the Final Four every year.

Syracuse missed the dance and have an opportunity to win a championship this year. UConn missed the dance and have an opportunity to win a championship this year. Puke missed the Sweet 16 the previous two seasons.

This kind of stuff is going to happen. Did Boeheim, Calhoun and Coach K pack it in? Are they gone?

Are you telling me that if Tubby would have stayed in ’07 and then would have brought in Patterson and Jai Lucas that he was packing it in? Could he not have won with that team?

I admit this is my short fuse. I never understood why UK fans were so adamant that Tubby was a failure and that he was running the UK program into the ground. In my lifetime there have been six things that have occurred in the off-season that have absolutely tore me up and Tubby leaving was one of them.

The others are Pitino going to Celtics, Muggsy Bogues getting traded to Golden State from Charlotte along with Tony Delk for B.J. Armstrong, Michael Jordan retiring the first time, David Justice getting traded to the Indians for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree and finally John Smoltz signing with the Red Sox.

Guy:  Something about Grant just screams that he has the “it” factor to me. I’m a big, big fan. I think he would generate some excitement among the players with his youth. Besides, he was part of Patterson’s recruitment at UF, so that couldn’t hurt.

I like Jay Wright too. The way Villanova has played this year has made them my second favorite team. The man just knows how to put together a backcourt, and I think the big men would fall into place too at UK.

Calipari is certainly intriguing. I can’t imagine his recruiting could be much better than it is right now, but UK+Calipari has to be a scary thought for other coaches. I’m hearing UK is going to make a run at him, but that Sandy Bell may torpedo the thing. Apparently Bell was on the sanctions committee for the NCAA that penalized UMass.

All I know is that this could go from bad to worse to total disaster if we end up with a Travis Ford type.

I understand your dismay about Tubby, and I don’t think he ever stopped doing a good job, but I don’t think his heart was in it at some point along the way. You read that Dick Gabriel article, and there was stuff going on (Saul, assistants) that probably turned him off a bit.

Add that to the fact that UK fans were happy for about 2 years under Tubby after 1998. He felt like it was time to go, and I think it was for everybody.

Wink:  To me if you don’t bring in Wright or Calipari, then it isn’t a slam dunk and you need a slam dunk, no-brainer this time.

I agree that Tubby was ready to get out, but that was the fan base’s fault. Kentucky fans never gave him the credit he deserved for winning the 1998 title. After that they were constantly looking for reasons to dump him. That is a tough situation for a coach.

Many people are speculating the outcome of this whole situation. 

TrueBlueKentucky.comalready has reported that Billy Gillispie has been fired because he didn’t report to the office today. Normally I would say that it is fine to take a one-day hiatus after a grueling season.  But, when your job is on the line…not so much.

Kentucky Sports Radiois insinuating that Lee Todd is the driving force behind Gillispie’s possible dismissal. 

There is not a better sports columnist in the state of Kentucky than John Clay.  In his column following last night’s defeat he discusses how Billy Clyde showed such little emotion.

Kentucky Sports Radio hates Luke Harangody for some reason.  At the Pinkie we just refer to him as Cheers’ Norm Peterson and respect the fact that he is somehow really, really good.  (KSR)

Louisville fans to project laser beams in Downtown Indy  (Card Chronicle)

Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan to open Driving School  (MoonDog Sports)

Hmm..You got served it is!!!  (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Kaley Cuoco – The Big Bang’s Penny  (Gunaxin)

Ten Exercise Ball Ownage Videos  (Yep Yep)

But, that is the case for both Billy Gillispie’s Wildcats and Mike Brey’s Irish. Both teams had horrible stretches during the season that got them here.

The Irish were 12-3 entering their contest with Louisville on January 12th. They appeared to have the game won in regulation but let it slip from their hands. Following the loss, they lost seven straight and did not win again until February 12th, where they demolished the Cardinals at the Edmund P. Joyce Center, 90-57.

Likewise, Kentucky started out the season hot, with a 16-4 record, but then lost eight of their last 11 regular season conference games, en route to the NIT.

So while the NIT wasn’t the goal for either Notre Dame or Kentucky, Wednesday’s game gives both teams a chance to rectify their season. It also gives Kentucky fans a chance to relive the Notre Dame-Kentucky rivalry. The Irish and the Wildcats have met 58 times in their history, with the ‘Cats winning 41 times.

A victory will also give one team the opportunity to play at the hallowed Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The Fighting Irish are led by Luke Harangody, the 2007-2008 Big East Player of the Year. Despite appearing to be highly unathletic, Harangody is averaging over 23 points and 12 rebounds per game. He has scored in double-digits in all but two games this year and has recorded 24 double-doubles.

Despite Harangody’s success down low, you really can’t afford to double down on him because Mike Brey has surrounded him with such great perimeter shooters. Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers are both shooting around 43-percent from beyond the arc and Luke Zeller is shooting 34-percent. As a team they have knocked 298 threes on the season and are shooting 40-percent.

In a loss to UNC in the Maui Championship, McAlarney set a school record by knocking down 10 of 18 three point attempts. Two games later Ayers knocked down nine of 14 against South Dakota. So these kids can shoot and if they catch fire they are extremely difficult to beat.

Brey also has the floor general in Tory Jackson that every coach loves. The three-year starter has the ability to penetrate defenses, get to the rim, find Harangody or kick to an open shooter on the wing. He does a little bit of everything for the Irish, as he averages 10.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.5 rebounds-per-game.

Play off on him and he can knock down the open three as well. He is shooting 36-percent from deep, he just doesn’t pull as often as McAlarney, Zeller or Ayers. Not many do.

The much publicized weakness of this Irish squad is their defense. They are allowing 71 points-a-game on the season and in their seven-game losing streak they allowed an astonishing 85 points.

As good as their offense is they often find themselves playing catch-up because they can’t get stops on the other end.

Another thing that has been called into question regarding Mike Brey’s Irish squad is their propensity to wear down in games. Very seldom do Harangody, McAlarney, Jackson or Ayers get a chance to rest and you will often see them grabbing their knees and gasping for air late in games.

Despite their struggles this season, the Irish are still tough to beat at the Joyce Center. They entered the season with the nation’s longest home-court winning streak with 37 consecutive wins. They extended that streak to 45 before falling to UConn on January 24th, 69-61. Notre Dame is 14-3 at home this year.

The Irish are tough to defend because they throw so many weapons at you. With Harangody inside, so many shooters on the wing and Jackson creating, opposing defenses are really forced to focus on one aspect of the ND offensive attack.

Expect Patterson to man up Harangody underneath with Perry Stevenson providing weak side help. However, Stevenson’s man will often be a shooter and when he leaves it will allow wide open attempts from the perimeter.

The Wildcats have struggled defending the three and at keeping penetrating guards out of the lane all year long. If Notre Dame is knocking down shots it is going to be difficult for the ‘Cats to get out of South Bend with a win.

On the other hand, Notre Dame’s lackadaisical defense should give Kentucky opportunities to stay in the game, even if they struggle to stop the Irish’s offensive attack. Also, expect Jodie Meeks to get plenty of opportunities from the perimeter to rediscover his stroke.

This is an interesting match-up and should be fun for the players, coaches and fans, alike. Sure, at the beginning of the season if you would have told someone that UK and Notre Dame would square off in the postseason, most would assume that you were talking about a showdown in the Sweet 16.

This is not the Sweet 16, but there is still something on the line with a trip to Madison Square Gardens. While, the NIT is never a team’s goal to start the year, once you get there, it always provides a little bit of vindication to end your season at the Gardens.

On a sidenote, there are plenty of rumors floating around about the whole Billy Gillispie situation.  Well, Guy Smiley has you covered in his article, “What’s the most ridiculous UK coaching rumor you’ve heard?”

CBS Apologizes to WLKY (Courier-Journal)

Rick Pitino Media Briefing  (RedNBlueFans)

UK Basketball: How did it come to this?  (Dick Gabriel, WKYT.com)

Alyssa Milano writes Baseball book  (MoonDog Sports)

March Madness Coaches: Then & Now  (Ice Ice Babies)

The New England Euphoria, Expansion Lingerie Football Team Tryouts (The Angry T)

Miami Marlins get new Stadium – One Step Closer to 2015 Miami/Chicago Series (Gunaxin)