Some Common Courtesy Would Be Nice

Mary & I waited two hours today to see my orthopedic surgeon. It isn't the wait that bothered me as much as it was the lack of common courtesy. If you were a doctor and knew your patient had been forced to sit in a small blank examining room for nearly 2 hours, what would be the first thing out of your mouth when you walk into the room? Maybe I'm expecting too much but wouldn't it be proper to say "Hello Mr. & Mrs. West, sorry for the long wait." Instead it was "show me how far the knee bends." I have a huge amount of respect for doctors especially surgeons but I don't care who you are or what you do, I believe in common courtesy. The quick story is within the next couple of weeks, I'll be going back in for a procedure called a "knee manipulation." Not looking forward to it but if it's a step toward getting this leg fixed than I'm for it. Rehab has certainly not gone as hoped. Maybe that's why something as simple as common courtesy seems a little more important to me. (By the way...that's a photo of my doctor)

Getting Lost In March Madness - KY"s # 2 Ranking

The Wildcats are off to a stellar start, compiling an impressive opening season start, as one of only two undefeated teams left in college baseball. KY is 18-0 and ranked # 2. No. 1 Arizona State has had an equally impressive start, winnings its first 17 games.
I hope to get out to Cliff Hagan Stadium soon, one of the SEC's nicest stadiums. I care very little any more about major league baseball. I'll take a little league, high school, college or minor league game over a pro game any time. The players play with more desire and the hot dogs taste just as good, actually better since they don't cost $5.00.

Your Picks? (Click To Enlarge)

A nervous energy filled the room as the Kentucky basketball team gathered around a big screen in coach Billy Gillispie's home. The Cats were firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and two of the four brackets had already been revealed. Billy Gillispie will take his first UK squad into the NCAA Tournament after leading Texas A&M on a deep run last year. Knowing there was a sincere chance the bubble would burst after a trying 18-12 season, senior Joe Crawford admitted he was getting a little anxious. When the Cats were unveiled as the No. 11 seed in the South regional - the final team shown in the third of four brackets - they could finally relax. The concern now is a Marquette team that spent most of the season in the Top 25, won 11 games in arguably the toughest conference in the nation and reached the Big East Tournament semifinals. The Golden Eagles are similar to UK in that they are a perimeter-dominated team, which UK began breaking down immediately upon hearing the match up thanks to team audio-visual guru Tim Asher's due diligence. "We know Marquette has a great team and it will be a major undertaking for us but we've faced a lot of great teams and major undertakings and we haven't backed down from any of them."Gillispie heaped praise upon Marquette coach Tom Crean, who he knows fairly well through the coaching ranks.
"They have a fantastic coach that has done a fantastic job of restoring Marquette basketball," Gillispie said. "Year after year they are one of the best teams in the country. What jumps out at you is their athleticism, they have great guards and great role players inside and they compete hard for every single play. I've always admired how hard his teams play." Crean returned the graciousness. "There's never anything that is remotely comfortable or easy when you get to this time of the year. Everything's a challenge," Tom Crean said. "Certainly Kentucky will be that way. They play incredibly hard. They are great competitors. Their coach is outstanding and they've had an outstanding year. (www.CatsPause.com)

We're Dancin'....

Kentucky's bubble did not burst. It's on to California to face Marquette in Anaheim. The Cats are a No. 11 seed. Game time - Thursday - 2:30 Eastern Time on CBS (at least locally)

Bummer...

You take off work, you use vacation time, spend hundreds on a hotel room, hundreds on tickets, probably a hundred or so on gas, a hundred or so on food and nothing happens, except for a tornado hits the building where your beloved Cats are scheduled to play. The game is switched to a noon tip on Saturday and you get excited only to find out the arena where the game will be played only seats 9000 instead of the 25,000 at the damaged Georgia Dome. Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. NEWS STORY

Gas Gotcha Down? Tesla Motors Presents....

Those Crazy Racist Democrats....

Here's what Geraldine Ferraro said:
"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman [of any color] he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Here's what Bill Clinton said:
"Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in '84 and '88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here."

Proposed Florida Law Looks to Wipe Out Problem (Toilet Paper Regulation in Florida)
New legislation might help you with what can be an embarrassing problem. Here's the bottom line, the bill would be a mandate that all eating establishments must have enough toilet paper when you go into the restroom. The only problem is the bill doesn't dictate how much toilet paper is "enough. "State Senator Victor Crist, a Republican from Tampa, felt the problem was so important, a law must be passed to protect the backsides of anyone in Florida. (I know there's a joke here somewhere)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TED!

(Sorry this is a day late, I thought it was the 13th but Rick set me straight)

New Company With New Video Content - www.Hulu.com

I'm Changing My Vote

After they narrowed it down to 24, I picked Ramielle, the Philippino girl from S. Florida, to win it all. I now change my vote to Brooke. This show grabs our attention every year. It's pretty cool how a bartender, a waitress, a nurse, a nanny, etc. end up on the biggest stage in America in front of millions. Plus Mary & I are impressing ourselves by guessing what Simon will say.

Co-SEC Coach Of The Year

Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie and Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl shared Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year honors in voting announced by the league Tuesday.

Just Can't Get Enough...

My Ole KY Home!

Billy Gillispie ambled to the scorer's table and took to the P.A. Kentucky's coach had an announcement to make at the conclusion of his first regular season in the Commonwealth. It was time for one more roar for the two players most responsible for leading UK's comeback from basketball purgatory to likely NCAA Tournament team. "This team will not quit," Gillispie yelled, choking back tears. "You talk about toughness, leadership, commitment and never giving up no matter how crazy their coach is, these two guys are the best...Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford." With that the Rupp Arena crowd let loose a season's worth of emotion in the wake of the Cats' thrilling 75-70 victory over rival Florida. The victory ended a seven-game losing streak to the Gators and made for one of the most memorable Senior Days ever. Billy couldn't even make it through the playing of My Ole KY Home without tearing up. You think he loves being the coach at KY?

Wanna See It Snow?

Big Big Game - Sunday - Noon - CBS - FL @ KY

I bet this guy will be there. Last game on Jan 19th, we lost in overtime at FL. We win this time and we're in the big dance baby!

Bird Patrol...No Birds Shall Enter My Yard

About 4 inches of snow as of 9:00 this morning and still coming down. Gracie is having a blast.

Bubble Team My Butt

I'm sounding like a broken record, but I love this team. This photo sums up their character. Joe Crawford goes for 35 as we win again. KY 71 - South Carolina 63. If we don't get in I will....I'm going to be.... well the selection committee just better watch out.
It was senior night at SC and they didn't even fill 1/2 of the coliseum and plus the student section wasn't full. An embarrassing showing for the school. FL - this Sunday - noon - CBS - our senior day - 24,000 packed house. Can you imagine the ovation Bradley & Crawford will receive? I suggest listening pre-game on line of you can. CBS usually does a poor job of the pre-game festivities. KY put senior night on the map while other schools have followed. The NCAA actually asked for a reduction of TV coverage of our senior nights/days because they said it gave us an unfair recruiting advantage. We wouldn't want that now would we?

Is It Just Me?

I sometimes want to watch Mike & Mike In The Morning on ESPN but I can't. All those stupid bobble-heads on the counter top in front of them kind of freaks me out. I just think it's really odd for two grown men to try and carry on serious conversations about sports with a bunch of toys spread out in front of them. Maybe it goes back to childhood when I couldn't bring myself to play with GI-Joes. I always thought that was an odd toy to play with. Maybe it's just me.

In The Face Of Adversity...

Adversity leads to choice. How will we respond when it comes? Adversity is the presence of difficulties or misfortunes. It will come. Obviously, we don't know when. That's what makes it so difficult to predict how we will react. Adversity often ambushes us. Our initial reaction is shock. When I have faced adversity, my mind immediately goes to worst case scenario. Now that adversity is here, if it progressed to it's worst possible place; could I handle it? When I decide that "yes I can handle the worst case scenario" I can begin to move forward. It's takes inner strength to handle adversity. One inner voice is telling us to lay down in a fetal position and give up. The other one is telling us "you can do it." If we trust God, if we surrender to God, that inner voice telling us you can do it becomes "with Me you can do it." I like the sound of that much better. "With Me." I could say "I don't need You." That sounds macho but it isn't. It's prideful. It takes strength to say "I need You." THAT'S why I am proud of my brother Rick. I have always been proud of him. Graduates of military academies hold a special place of admiration for me. People who rise to the top of their vocation are to be admired for their efforts. But I have never been prouder than to see how Rick has faced his adversity. Divorce is ugly. That's why God says He hates it. Rick didn't ask for it. He was ambushed. His efforts toward restoration were rejected. But that's OK because Rick laid down his pride and surrendered to God which opened the door for God to come along side and say "with Me." It's the surrender that triggers a new beginning "with Him." And "with Him" is so much better than the alternative. Rick will be the first person to tell you how in many ways, his life has changed for the better in the past months despite adversity. He has said his adversity has become his blessing. He's faced it and with God he has stared it down.

A Big Baby?

I was listening to the post game radio show in the garage with the garage door open enjoying our first half way decent day of the month (Partly sunny and 50) while Mary is in the yard playing with Gracie. (Spring is in the air) I heard Coach Billy G. choke up while he was talking about today's 63-60 loss at TN. We were in it right up to the last 2 shots of the game when we missed 2 three point attempts. Patrick Patterson and Jodie Meeks are injured and on the bench and Joe Crawford has been sitting most of the game in foul trouble. The coach is talking about no excuses for the loss but how proud he is of this team and you can tell on the radio that he becomes emotional as his voice cracks. What would make him become so emotional? I think it's a combination of seeing how hard these guys have worked, how they have actually listened to him and his basketball knowledge and his wisdom about how to live life as a family. I think he is still humbled by his position as he realizes he is actually the head coach at the school with the most wins in NCAA history. I think he's in awe every time he walks out onto the floor at Rupp Arena. I have seen every coach that KY has had. I remember seeing coach Rupp as a kid. I remember seeing national championships by Joe B. Hall and Rick Pitino. I am as proud of this coach and what he has accomplished this year as any of the coaches who have gone before him. He's a winner and he will put a championship banner in Rupp. It's just a matter of time.

This Is Not Good

Patrick Patterson - Out For The Season With A Stress Fracture In His Ankle

Home Improvements

On a scale of 1-10, I am going to give myself a 5 when it comes to fixin stuff. I like to blame it on a lack of tools but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

BIG Game Day Alert - Our Final Four Game - KY vs #1 TN

SUNDAY - 12 NOON - CBS - Last Game - Jan 22 - KY wins 72-66

Cats! Cats! Cats!

KENTUCKY 58, MISSISSIPPI 54
Kentucky's Joe Crawford drove past Ole Miss' Eniel Polynice in the second half. The Cats led 31-8 in the first half, then had to hold off two Rebel rallies.

I Love The Show "Sunrise Earth"

May I Make A Suggestion? Starbucks Had A Great Idea

I would like to suggest that all DMV's shut down for customer service training for 1 week out of the year. The press would be all over it just like they were with the Starbucks publicity stunt. The DMV would receive all kinds of free advertising and then; things would continue to operate just like they always do.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

(I have no idea what's up with the sound on the video)

A Must See - Inside The Vietnam War

I recorded the documentary from the National Geographic Channel and finally watched it. I don't know if they plan on airing it again or not. It's the first time I have ever heard Vietnam Vets talk in depth about the war. The footage was incredible and gave me very good insight into what has to be the most confusing war ever. It was sad to hear these vets talk about being defeated. They had everything it took to win except the back bone of our nation's leaders. I'll always remember seeing the Vietnam Memorial in Washington about 10 years ago. Now however, it has even more meaning. Although I grew up with the war going on, I never fully understood the dynamics. I just remember the body counts during the evening news and the images on the news that made the USA appear to be the bad guy. It looks very similar to what we see from the media today. The difference now is we have a President with a backbone.

Am I Out Of Touch?

I do not care at all about who won what award at the Oscars. Seriously...I don't care at all, not even a smidgin.

As I Was Cheering - The Screen Went Blank!

As the clock ticked away in the final minute of Saturday's game between Kentucky and Arkansas, something happened ... at least for TV viewers in this region. With less than 50 seconds to play, the screen went black as coverage switched to the start of the St. John's-Duke game. In a matter of seconds, viewers hammered WKYT-27 -- the local CBS affiliate -- with hundreds of phone calls, General Manager Wayne Martin said. Martin said his staff immediately called CBS in New York, where workers were able to get the UK game back on with 14 seconds to go, allowing fans to watch Kentucky pull out a 63-58 victory. Viewers in Alabama, Tennessee and Florida said they experienced the same thing. Shane Kosky, originally from Lexington, but now living in Tampa, Fla., said he saw the black screen and assumed the problem might have been weather-related. "But then the Duke game came on," he said. "Of all the games ... the Duke game? That's like salt in the wounds. That's like insult to injury." Martin, who said WKYT apologizes for the mistake, said the swap was "a CBS switching error out of New York." I quickly called Lyndsey and she couldn't believe it either. I was listening to the radio broadcast that I sync up with the TV broadcast so I held my cell phone to the speakers so Lyndsey could hear the radio broadcast. How's that for quick thinking? But she couldn't hear that well so I hung up. I then received a text message from her asking "why did you abandon me?" I felt so guilty I called her right back and by that time, the broadcast was back so we were able to watch the Cats win another one. The 36 seconds of confusion we experienced was quite unsettling.

A Billion Dollars Disappears...

A B-2 Bomber, probably the coolest aircraft ever created after the Lockheed A-12, has crashed for the first time ever. Its name was the Spirit of Kansas and it was one of the 21 $1.2 billion Northrop Grumman stealth plane ever manufactured. It fell to the ground right after take-off for "unknown reasons" at the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Both pilots ejected to safety and, although there's no video footage of the actual crash, the mess on the runway was huge:

Biiig Truck...

Ever noticed how it seems like some guys need big trucks and big dogs to maintain their macho image? However I think in Shaq's case, it may be a necessity. I maintain my macho image with a medium size mutt and a Jeep Cherokee.

Another Fine Win...

Great early, gritty late - Kentucky 61, Georgia 55

See The Resemblance?

Foot Warmer

Bonnie & Clyde?

Nope - that's Mom & Dad!

Interviews I Hate To Watch

This morning I watched Meredith Vieira of the Today Show interview the parents of one of the students killed at Northern Illinois University. I hate to watch these type of interviews and they do it all the time, usually when the families are still in shock from losing a child or loved one. The questioning this morning I thought was more distasteful than usual. I am paraphrasing how the interview went but it was something like this. "So the coroner's report regarding the death of your daughter states that the first shot she took to the head more than likely killed her, so she probably didn't experience much pain. Do you find comfort in the fact that she probably didn't experience much pain before she died?" Are you kidding me? It reminded me of a vulture standing over a wounded animal waiting to pick the bones. I don't fully understand either why these families accept these interview invitations. I think we're all becoming so numb to seeing horrific tragedies and the stupid interviews that follow them, that some people see the interviews as some sort of sick civic duty. I just wish the media would leave the families alone until they're actually ready to talk. I talked with people in Blacksburg after the VA Tech tragedy who knew people who refused to talk with the media and they actually asked them to go away and leave them alone but of course they didn't and they won't so I'm sure I'll be subjected to these type of interviews in the future, at least until I can find the remote.

New Orleans Gives Me The Creeps

I have been there twice. Once when I was a deck-hand working on a Mississippi towboat and we hung out in the shipyard area and the other time doing the the typical tourist stuff with a group from WVLK. Both times the city just gave me the creeps. I don't know how better to explain it. It's as if there's an evil cloud over the place. Watching the NBA All-Star game pre-game show reminded me how I feel about the city. I just think it's a very strange place.

My Basketball Britches Were Never This Long

Ramel Bradley patted Joe Crawford on the head for a job well done in the final seconds of Kentucky's win over LSU. 67-63

The Game That Didn't Happen...UK @ Vandy

I Think Gracie Is Cuter & Smarter Than Uno

Why Do Beavers Build Dams?

I was watching Sunrise Earth and saw some beavers in Wyoming building a dam. Why? What makes beavers want to build a dam?
Just to stay busy? I looked it up in the magic box and here's what I found. Based on experiments with both free living and captive beavers the researcher found that the sound of rushing water was as annoying to a beaver as the sound of fingernails on a blackboard is to humans. And that beavers will pile up sticks and mud in any spot they hear that sound until they can no longer hear it. This explains why beavers always pick the narrowest and most shallow section of a stream to build their dams - it's because that's where the noise is. And they continue piling up sticks and mud in that spot until that annoying sound is silenced. In short, beavers build dams because they like peace and quiet.

I Like This Guy

Kentucky Coach Billy Gillispie said he isn't worried about the SEC race. He just wants UK "to compete like crazy for 40 minutes."
It's quotes like these that cause me to like Billy's approach to the game. He claims he doesn't even know who is in first place in the SEC and doesn't even care. At Vandy tonight - 9pm on ESPN

How Cool Is This?

MORE AMPHICARS

Warning: Another Commercialized Holiday Is On The Way

Valentine's Day. Another day manufactured and promoted by the card, chocolate, jewelry, restaurant, flower, and other businesses to get into our pockets. Another day to feel guilty for not going all out and spending a lot of $ to show significant others or spouses that we really do care. Do we really need a "holiday" for this? Isn't this something we can do on our own without being manipulated by commercialism? Heck, I try to remember to put the toilet seat down and put my stuff away and say I love you everyday. Do I really need to go out and spend $ on Feb 14th? No and Mary agrees with me, and that's one of many reasons why I love her. Happy Valentines Day Mary! Priceless. Anti-Valentine's Day sentiments have long been embraced by singles, but now couples like us scoff at the holiday, too.

Good Win Today Over Alabama - 62-52

Meeks didn't play again and Harris was injured early in the second half and sat out the rest of the game. They keep on finding a way.

I Am Really Liking This Team

KENTUCKY 66, AUBURN 63
They win again this time with Bradley & Meeks on the bench. KY fans like to name their teams; like The Fiddlin Five, Rupp's Runts, The Unforgettables, Fabulous Five, Comeback Cats. I'm thinking maybe "The Fightin Five" for this team. Which ever five is on the floor; they're going to fight.

Why Has This Sport Not Taken Off?

I would pay bucks to see this live.

My Buddy Bobber...

I received a phone call late Sunday night from my old friend Bobby Knight. "Mike, I'm thinking about retiring." I couldn't believe my ears. Bobby and I have known each other since I met him in the press box at the Indiana - KY football game in the early 90's. We met briefly but I'll never forget what he told me. "No you don't....you don't hate interrupting my lunch or you wouldn't have." We have remained close since then so I wasn't surprised when he called me on my cell Sunday evening. I listened to him pour his heart out to me for over an hour and when he finally stopped sobbing, I simply said "Bobber (My nickname for him because he loves fishing) Bobber, you just have to do it your way." He thanked me and hung up. It was tough for him. He wears his emotions on his sleeve ya know. I heard on TV Monday he had resigned and read about it in the paper this morning. Good luck Bobber. And remember, I'm here for ya man.

My Favorite Super Bowl Ad

I thought Diet Pepsi Max had some good spots; especially the one with all the sleepy people. Doritios with ITunes and their featured artist - not too bad, Pepsi - Justin Timberlake - very good, Fed Ex carrier pigeon spot had some incredible effects and was very good but I think the vomiting baby with ETrade was my favorite. I don't think Super Bowl commercials aren't so super anymore because there are Super Bowl quality ads year 'round now. So much for my Patriot blowout prediction. I actually fell asleep just before Eli threw the winning TD but got to see the replay after I woke up just in time to see Belichick running off the field before the game was over. Next year, I'm shooting for having two people over for the Super Bowl. We may even have some chips and dip; should be pretty crazy. Should the Monday after Super Bowl be a holiday? VOTE HERE