Orange and Blue Hue » Rage Virus decimates Lexington

Rage Virus decimates Lexington

For those not familiar with the rage virus from the 2001 movie 28 Days Later or the currently playing sequel 28 Weeks Later, the virus is an Ebola based strain that causes heightened aggression in its victims. It is highly communicable and manifests almost immediately causing the victim now blinded by rage to seek out and infect other victims. Unfortunately there is no cure for this infection and a form of it seems to be spreading very quickly through the blue grass state of Kentucky. In this Big Blue strain of the virus, fans of the University of Kentucky become emotionally enraged and obsessed with the University of Florida and seek to infect our message boards with copious amounts of verbal gore and repulsive commentary.

Clearly, I exaggerate and don’t mean to suggest that all Kentucky fans are behaving the same. I recognize there will always be sects of a fan base that feel differently about the same topic. On the internet however, the vast majority of stories and message board posts seem to be related to one thing - The University of Florida basketball program.

Day One - Billy Donovan is announced as the head coach of the Florida Gators. Most Kentucky fans scoff and the consensus is that Florida’s Final Four appearance in 1994 was a fluke never to be repeated. Lon Kruger was the sole reason Florida achieved any success and without him Florida was back to being a mid-level player in men’s basketball. A few observant and educated fans noted the potential threat and efficacy in which Donovan would rebuild the program in the mode of his mentor Rick Pitino. The warnings of this minority were scoffed off and ignored by most.

28 Months Later - Donovan takes Florida to the Sweet Sixteen and brings in one of the top recruiting classes in the country to complement a top 5 class from the year before. Kentucky fans are too excited by their own National Championship that year (the school’s last) to recognize the spreading danger within the SEC. Blissfully unaware of the threat, the Kentucky administration is unable to take the necessary steps to contain it.

38 Months Later - Florida plays in its first NCAA Championship game and only the second Final Four appearance in school history. Billy Donovan is proclaimed Billy “the Kid” by the media. Kentucky fans remain smug and unimpressed. What the Wildcats fail to realize is that in the 21st Century to present there have only been 4 SEC participants in the Final Four (Basketball’s elite level) and 3 of those participants were the Florida Gators.

108 Months Later - Florida wins its first SEC Tournament Title crushing the defending champions Kentucky in convincing fashion 70-53. This begins a streak of 9 straight victories and three consecutive SEC Tourney titles. It also marks the last time UK has been in an SEC Tournament Final.

138 Months Later - Florida captures its second consecutive NCAA Championship which includes a streak of winning 18 straight postseason games. To show the dominance of Florida’s program, the 9 point victory over Ohio State is the closest Final Four game Florida has played in the past two seasons. Meanwhile the Kentucky Wildcats once again fail to make it to the Sweet Sixteen and panic ensues. In Lexington a desperate Kentucky administration fires Tubby Smith despite his over 75% winning percentage and National Championship at Kentucky on his resume. In a delusional attempt to regain their prominence the crazed Kentucky administrators attempt to lure Donovan to take over for Smith only to be rejected and embarrassed nationally.

Today - Lexington has been completely overwhelmed by the Big Blue Virus. Those few Wildcat fans who are not yet infected are forced to cower and hide in their homes, unable or to ashamed to wear their Wildcat gear in public for fear of attack by those wishing to spread the virus. Kentucky is isolated from the world, left ravaged, delusional and insanely enraged by their affliction. With no regard for their program’s self-preservation they are obsessed with Florida to the point that they are unable to nourish themselves emotionally on any other aspect of their lives. Rational Population = 0.

Sure, you may wonder . . . do I enjoy looking at Florida Boards and seeing the attacking Kentucky fan spouting off in an incoherent and illogical rant about how Billy Gillispie will win 10 national championships in the next two years and how Adolph Rupp will rise from the grave with his army of former all-Americans to raze Gainesville under fire and brimstone? Or do I get a giggle when I see that Kentucky message boards have more threads on Florida basketball than Kentucky basketball? Okay . . . you got me. I do find it somewhat humorous.

I can’t blame those Kentucky fans who have been essentially driven insane. I understand it. Imagine if part of who you are as a person is predicated on the success of your favorite basketball team. Now pretend a team that had never been much of a threat or even consistently good in the sport you dominate were to suddenly usurp your throne as king of the SEC. Visualize on the idea that all the national attention that was once focused on Lexington is now clearly directed at Gainesville. This isn’t fair is it? Florida has their football glory and the recognition of national gridiron power; Kentucky hasn’t tried to usurp Florida’s position in football have they?

How incredibly frustrating it must be to look up and see Florida perched high above in the one sport you love best. In football you have accepted this position, but in BASKETBALL . . . this was the area where Kentucky had built its prominence and respect. Think of all the younger Kentucky fans who have only heard of the past glory - they have never actually experienced or seen it themselves as much of it happened before they were die hard fans or before they were cognizant of the sport. Even when the Wildcats didn’t win NCAA titles they still dominated the SEC (not counting the times they were crippled by probation or forced to cancel their season due to point shaving.)

While Kentucky fans will loudly proclaim they don’t consider us rivals, it’s as convincing as when UCLA fans arrogantly tried to deny Arizona was a “rival” when Lute Olson had UA as the dominant program in the Pac 10. It’s simply a coping mechanism called denial. Sort of like when a former alcoholic denies he ever thinks about alcohol even as we catch him staring at every liquid libation that passes by the table. If you ask 10 Kentucky fans who they would like to beat the most next year . . . I’m guessing Florida would be first followed by Louisville. That result only serves to prove my point, you don’t obsess about a team you don’t care about.

But in order to maintain some facade of impartiality, I will admit that I believe Kentucky fans are still the preeminent basketball fan base in the country. While we may be shocked at some of the individual behavior, the overall level of dedication of the die hard Big Blue Nation is still impressive. To expect Florida to ever reach that level is as likely as Kentucky’s football following to eventually rival that of the Gators. The Wildcats truly have the greatest college basketball fans in the world . . . now if we could only find a cure for their current mania!

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What can I say… you totally nailed it. Nicely done.

I was going to try and write something of a similar, albeit less clever, vein over at Saurian Sagacity.

I’m glad I didn’t even try.

This piece says it better than I could.

“On the internet however, the vast majority of stories and message board posts seem to be related to one thing - The University of Florida basketball program.”

Maybe everybody is talking about Donovan’s change of heart because its the biggest story of college basketball right now, and a major sports story overall?

I appreciate this piece. It has all the taunting and hollering one would expect from Florida’s successes and Kentucky’s failures. If the roles were reversed, I could see a story like this written on my blog. I especially appreciate your last paragraph, which hopefully every UK fan reads before responding.

I have, of course, a few comments:

* Say what you will, but Tubby was not fired. I say this with extreme confidence, and please do not infer otherwise. Tubby knew that he could either stay and fight for control of the Basketball squad with UK AD Mitch Barnhart, or he could write his own ticket at the next good coaching opportunity. If U of Minn wasn’t eager to start winning again, Tubby probably wouldn’t have moved out of the 859 area code.

* When Donovan was hired by Florida, Kentuckians didn’t scoff. I guess maybe the asshole Big Blue fans might have, but the majority of us were happy that one of “Pitino’s Guys” was in the SEC. Donovan got a nice ovation his first game in Rupp, if I remember correctly. In fact, Donovan never really jumped into “hated rival coach” territory until the recent success in the SEC.

* Posts on message boards does not equal the actual state of any fanbase, especially Kentucky fans. Internet: Serious Business. That being said, Kentuckians are probably known for being overtly passionate about anything, and for a majority of us, especially about Kentucky basketball.

I think for the most part folks are teasing your coach because its the only thing we’ve got on him. (You guys still tease us about our I haven’t seen anything massively hateful yet (even A Sea of Blue’s post today isn’t too mean, even though GatorPilot got way bent out of shape about it). But then again, I avoid Catspause.com like the plague. You gotta remember, the passion can overtake rational thought, and if you add unchecked passion with the anonymity of the Internets, you get unbridaled asshattery. That’s not limited to the Big Blue fanbase, but I’m sure you’re seeing that now.

We’ll be just fine. Thanks for the concern. What about you? We’re reading up here that you Gator fans are feeling a little woozy from the flip-flop.

More like deliriously happy, Dana. Please inform your sources so they can start pumping out the correct information.

Of course they’re deliriously happy, their savior returned. He left the UF contract unsigned for weeks (maybe even months), never turned down speculation that he would stay or leave (all he had to do from the start was say “No, I’m remaining a Gator.”), led Anthony Grant to believe he was to be his successor, broke his signed contract (apparently that pen started working rather well once he left Gainesville). Of course you’re happy.

….yeah, and he’s STILL a GATOR!

Geez, what a mess. You Florida people just can’t get your act together. This is awfully reminiscent of the 2000 Presidential election, when they were grid-locked over the voting. Now they are grid-locked over who’s coaching where.

What a mess. I think we should just cut the state of Florida off of the map, and float it to Cuba. Kind of like taking out the garbage.

And I think…

You Kentucky fans should find something better to do with your time…like pray. That record is ours’, and you know it. We’ll have it with or without Billy. It’s only a matter of time.

“….yeah, and he’s STILL a GATOR!”

…AND you can have him. For an experienced coach, his actions of late look unprofessional.

You make me laugh at your arrogance. You have two great seasons and suddenly you think you’re God’s greatest gift, that the heavens have opened and it will be smooth sailing from here on out. It’s ok, you can have your precious moment…we veterans understand. Teams like yours have come and gone. You have your spot in the sunshine but you’re just another name in a long list of winners.

Swamp, I thought we were having fun? Hmmm…so be it. I pray for a lot of things, but praying for something such as that isn’t necessary. It is what it is and it’s going to take a long path to surpass that record (which, btw, YOU brought up this time).

I think for the most part folks are teasing your coach because its the only thing we’ve got on him. (You guys still tease us about our I haven’t seen anything massively hateful yet (even A Sea of Blue’s post today isn’t too mean, even though GatorPilot got way bent out of shape about it).

Ew. Looks like I didn’t finish one of my sentences. Sorry about that. Let’s try oto correct that below:

I think for the most part folks are teasing your coach because its the only thing we’ve got on him. (You guys still tease us about our recent SEC records and about running Tubby out of town.) I haven’t seen anything massively hateful yet (even A Sea of Blue’s post today isn’t too mean, even though GatorPilot got way bent out of shape about it).

“…AND you can have him. For an experienced coach, his actions of late look unprofessional.”

Now that is rich. A month ago, Billy was your savior. He spurned you, and you settled on a coach, who I grant appears to be an outstanding recruiter and tactician who is quite capable of elevating your program to its historically dominant level, but who also has a history of drinking problems, and who negotiated a new contract with Texas A&M but then refused to sign it until his other options were settled. Those in glass houses . . . .

No question Donovan embarrassed himself and hurt a lot of people with his recent indecision, but they are sins of immaturity, not of cavalier disregard for the rights and feelings of others, and not of self-seeking manipulation. He will be forgiven, and he will always have been your first choice for a coach to bring you back to the promised land, who chose Florida instead.

sorry, gators, you’ll never be north carolina, duke, louisville or indiana to us. you won’t even be tennessee.

i mean, you sold out your puny ho-dome twice last year. that little rice bowl wouldn’t fit in the lower half of rupp.

all you’ve done is awakened a sleeping giant.

7 titles: Okay, you covered the gist of the Kentucky argument there. We have a small stadium, you have a big one, and we’re not a blue blood with a glorious basketball tradition dating back to the the Model T.

That’s okay. We’re fine with just being “two-time defending national champions.”

“Now that is rich. A month ago, Billy was your savior. He spurned you, and you settled on a coach, who I grant appears to be an outstanding recruiter and tactician who is quite capable of elevating your program to its historically dominant level, but who also has a history of drinking problems, and who negotiated a new contract with Texas A&M but then refused to sign it until his other options were settled. Those in glass houses . . . .”

Nate, this is the kind of thing that happens when you categorize people based on what you hear and read from others of similar interest. You are wrong; Billy was not my savior. I was never completely on board with whole ‘hire Donovan now’ crew because I knew it would’ve never worked for him at UK. It is an entirely different atmosphere than what he is used to at UF. IMO, he wouldn’t survive a year of pressure at UK.

You call our 2nd pick ’settling’? We never asked anyone but B.O.B. So what if we got turned down? It’s part of life. You learn from it and you move on. Life doesn’t end after one rejection. There are more great coaches in the world other than Donovan and I think we’ve snagged one of them.

“…but who also has a history of drinking problems, and who negotiated a new contract with Texas A&M but then refused to sign it until his other options were settled”

You want to bring up his drinking records? There are no excuses for it and I hope he has put it behind him. If he hasn’t, you can rest assured that UK will give him the boot to prevent another Sutton fiasco. But I’m sure you’re a real saint, aren’t you? You speak of glass houses. Donovan is a 2-time NCAA championship coach, he is known for his character as well as his coaching. That is what makes this move so unprofessional. He is supposed to have his act together, especially when he has been given a very fair amount of time to negotiate contracts and sign them. Perhaps it’s hard for you to see through your giddy glasses right now but a lot of others do, not just UK fans. Heck, even a Dookie (Jay Bilas) can see fault in it. But why would you care how many people he screwed over in the process (and no, I’m not just referring to UK)? He’s back at Florida, what more could you want?

About your criticism of Gillispie not signing the contract; I couldn’t have said it better. He WAITED to see what his options were, he didn’t waste his and the school’s time (not to mention the time of other programs) just to sign a contract & then break it.

“but they are sins of immaturity”…again, I couldn’t have said it better.

I thought Billy Gillispie was the best choice for UK even before they went after Donovan. Donovan, Pearl and Gillispie are all winners. They are great coaches and recruiters and those programs will continue to excel.

The coaches I find the most interest in from the SEC now are Andy Kennedy and John Pelphrey. I think those two might have “it” and could begin to make the quality of the SEC West closer to the SEC East in the future.

I am an Andy Kennedy fan. I have been very impressed with him. His star is also rising.

Carissa, in case you thought otherwise, I wasn’t talking about the overall record. I’m talking about that little thing that only takes one more win. Not the record that our great great grandparents started when “college was ‘fer ‘dem wipper-snappers ‘dat hadda’ smarts like nun’ udder’ and da’ rest a’ us jus’ work’d ‘n da’ fields”.

I’m sure you Wildcat fans with your world-renown ethics would never hire back a coach that changed his mind and does what his heart tells him to. Instead, you hire an alcoholic and offer him forgiveness…go you! Bottom line, you have no room to talk, so suck in that gut.

7: Are you kidding me?!?! You’ve run out of material so now you’re resorting to STADIUM SIZE…you have got to be kidding me. It has nothing to do with who won any of the games last season. It’s funny because with all these off-the-wall arguments, you’re only bringing up reasons why we SHOULDN’T have beaten you, but still did. For that, I thank you. We’ve awakened a sleeping giant? Oh we’ve only tickled their nose with a feather, somebody get the frying pan.

Let the jolly blue giants come on out…

The O-Dome, aka the House of Horrors, is smaller than Rupp.

One problem for the Cats, though, is that despite its smaller stature (and a 12,000 seat arena ain’t exactly “small”) it is much louder.

The “Erupption Zone.” Please.

You want loud, you want intimidating, coaches routinely say the O-Dome is one of the toughest venues in the SEC.

That’s because we don’t put 80 year olds courtside.

Carissa,

I’m a little puzzled how you take me to task for including you within the collective Kentucky “you” that wanted Billy Donovan enough to offer him the job, but then pepper your own series of screeds with all kinds of unjustified assumptions about Gator fans and me in particular (”arrogance,” “God’s greatest gift,” “you think you’re a saint,” “you don’t care about who Donovan hurt”).

I think I conceded up front most of the points you repeat with the self-righteous air of someone who believes she has said something new and original.

What I don’t concede is that Donovan’s indecision reveals a fundamental lack of “character.” Even with this blemish on his record, Donovan’s record of honesty and integrity still far outstrips that of the coach you hired. He made a bad mistake, but his open and honest remorse refutes your grossly exaggerated criticism of his “character.” I think you and the rest of Wildcat Nation know that, and your groundless vitriol says much more about your own insecurity than about Donovan or any of us Gators.

First, I must address the part of your statement that sent me into hysterical laughter:

“I think you and the rest of Wildcat Nation know that, and your groundless vitriol says much more about your own insecurity than about Donovan or any of us Gators.”

Thanks for that thorough analysis Dr. Phil. Let me assure you, if I had an inner insecurity, Donovan/UF would probably not be the method of venting I’d choose. UK fans are not the only ones taking Donovan to task for his blunder. He messed up, he broke a signed contract and by rights, he should be held accountable and not given just a slap on the wrist. If this were any other job and the contract was broken, the outcome would’ve likely been different. He is lucky the Magic have decided to keep it a clean departure.

As for the statements of “arrogance” and whatnot, I was addressing those directly to Swamp, not you (unless you think they apply) and I feel they are very much justified (we have a recent history of heavy debate that is not in this comment area).

“Even with this blemish on his record, Donovan’s record of honesty and integrity still far outstrips that of the coach you hired. He made a bad mistake, but his open and honest remorse refutes your grossly exaggerated criticism of his “character.”

It might not be a question of honesty and integrity or what have you, but it does effect how people look at him professionally now. I’m not going to judge him as a human being because I do not know him, just as you do not know Gillispie. We all know he has struggled with alcohol and I hope he is past it. Everybody battles those types of problems. I’m sure Donovan (as well as everyone else on this board) has his demons that he would like to remain hidden. Don’t get me wrong, I wish Donovan and the Gators well (execpt when they confront UK of course). Peace from KY.

You call me arrogant, I call myself a O&B comment board protector, lol.

Sometimes I think there are more KY fans on this board than Gators. That tells me that you KY fans are really worried about what happens in Gator basketball. For the past month I’ve heard nothing but “Well, 10 years ago” and “Overall, we’re still better than you” and a lot of “Ya, it’s only two years, your star is about to burn out” (of course these aren’t direct quotes, but you get the point). And, probably, you’ll read this and come back with “Well I’ve seen loads of Gator fans on our boards talkin’ trash too”. What sets me apart is that I don’t comment on your boards. I stay on this one and fire back at all of the stupid things you KY fans can dish out. Ever notice that the Wildcats are the only people flaming about Billy Donovan? Where are the LSU or Tennessee fans who have had years when they were just as good or better than Florida and Kentucky.(yeah, I’m sure you’ll probably fire back with your all-knowing sense of college basketball because of that last statement, because of course YOU decide who is good and who is not). Kentucky fans think that because their team does well a couple times a decade and because they have 7 national championships, they should be looked upon as Moses coming down the mountain with the ten commandments and every word that comes out of their mouths about the game of basketball should be taken as fact. This, my friends, is why I’m here. This, is why there is a need for people like me on this board. Call me arrogant if you want, I love my Gators, and I’ll always try to fire back at anything bad said about them. I don’t presume to know everything about basketball. I actually love football a lot more, and I’ve never played the sport other than just with friends to pass the time. But I do know enough to see that 75-80% of KY fan comments are ridiculous. The way I see it, I have a right to be arrogant. I’m defending my back-to-back national championship winning college from the threat of rage-infected(thanks KG) fans. I live for this.

Peace. Love. Gators.

“Instead, you hire an alcoholic and offer him forgiveness…go you!”

He drank and got caught, you want to condemn him for that than go right ahead. There’s no telling how many proven alcholics hit the road and don’t get caught. Just because he was pulled over twice doesn’t mean is an alcoholic. I’ve heard of people who have 2 drinks out of the whole month, decide to drive and get caught. As long as he’s recovered from those old ways, he shouldn’t be banned from getting a chance at the job. He was honest with us and addressed those issues head-on from the get-go.

Just so you know, I’m not soley criticizing the UF fanbase for taking him back, but I think it’s ridiculous how he can weasel his words first at UK and then with the Magic. It took him that long to drag your school’s AD by a string just to change his mind after already signing? For someone who has such credentials, he should’ve planned it out better. I know I expected a more organized effort from him. I guess all shall be forgotten eventually…good luck next year.

I brought up the alcohol issue because you wanted to bring up the ethics of our coach. I could honestly care less what your coach decided to do in his spare time. Why SHOULD I care? Leave Billy alone, for goodness sake. You’re just casting the first stone. (some of you may know what that last sentence means, hopefully a lot of you do). I have a biased opinion, I know, because he’s our coach. But, I really do believe he acted as classy as possible in his press conference. Cut the man some slack, don’t forget, you wanted him back almost as much as we did. Feel good cats, feel good…

“Sometimes I think there are more KY fans on this board than Gators. That tells me that you KY fans are really worried about what happens in Gator basketball”

That should tell you that there are a lot of UK fans viewing A Sea Of Blue, which is how I discovered this site in the first place. UK has a large fanbase, so naturally we’re going to venture out and see what others have to say about us.

You say a lot of the comments are from UK fans only (no Tenn., LSU, whatnot). That’s probably due to the fact that there are articles on this site that are in some way directed at UK. You don’t see any directed at Tenn. or LSU.

That is how we find these sites. I don’t go looking for a random UF site to debate, but I do debate whoever challenges my Cats and I will defend till I die. It comes down to the fact that UK fans are here for the pretty much the same thing you stated above, to defend our team. We hear about someone attacking our team (and let’s face it, the writers have attacked UK more than anyone else of late), you can damn well bet we’re going fight back.

Peace to you as well.

I criticized the professional tactics of your coach, not just the ethics. Besides, your little friend GatorPilot already gave us a rant about that on A Sea of Blue. I will cut him some slack because I am glad to see him back in the SEC (good for business and competition).

Ever stop to think that MAYBE articles are written about KY because there are so many on our site? I don’t remember noticing any articles about Kentucky before the whole Billy Donovan thing…I just don’t. You’re really just giving them material to write about during this slow part of the year.

When I said that I don’t usually comment on other sites, I failed to mention that I do actually read them. I’m a regular visitor to A Sea of Blue. The articles are all well-written and the site overall is a quality blog.

It is so funny to read all of this Gatorpilot, Mergz, et all. Has UF owned UK the last couple of years? Yes. Will it continue? Highly unliely. Yeah, our last Championship was 10 years ago, but UF’s 30-84 record against UK speaks for itself. Enjoy your time in the sun - ask Arkansas how their time at the top was (early 90’s). It was a couple of years. Good for them. Good for UF for winning the last couple of years. UK will rise, mark it down.
It is funny to watch all of you praise Billy for ‘following his heart’ and coming back to UF. Please - look at the trail of ruin he left in his path.
The biggest reasons UF won the NCAA the last two seasons will be going into the draft in a few weeks. UF fans have a short memory. 3 championship games in 10 years - great. What about the other 7 years? 2nd round tops?
Enjoy your coach. I have never seen anyone go from golden boy to putz in such a short time. Billy has the wanderlust. Be prepared - it will happen again.
Also, get your facts straight about Tubby - HE LEFT, was not fired. Some how you always forget that little tidbit.

What makes you think that KY will be so much better so soon Cat Fan? I’m really just curious. What makes your recruits better than ours? What evidence do you have to support your claim?

If you mean the first Donovan incident (when UK approached him as a coaching candidate), I can’t say if the articles were written because of us or not (I wasn’t on here). I know UK was a target during the Lucas/Patterson issue. With that said, it can go both ways. You complain about KY fans being on here, but you know it’s coming when you write articles about UK and one of your closest affiliates is ASoB. That’s just a given. If we’re giving them material, then so be it. I like to stir the pot, that’s what makes the off-season exciting. In the end, it’s their choice of how they want to take it.

I hope you didn’t think I was complaining. I rather like having some debate now and then. What I’m pointing out here is that it seems the KY fans feel threatened. They’re the only one’s “showing how they feel” about Billy D. It may or may not have any relevance, but I find it interesting.

Swampchomp07 - I base my belief on the level of recruits brought in during the past 60 days. Legion and Patterson would be welcome on any team. Add this to a core group of veteran guards and the teams has nowhere to go but up.
I liked Tubby, but he hated recruiting and it showed.
Are the UK recruits better this year than UF? Not according to many of the rankings, but UF lost a ton of scoring from last year. UK returns quite a few players - Bradley, Crawford, Meeks, et al.

Thanks for responding…

No problem. I only have a mild case of the Big Blue Rage.
Symptoms include devote loyalty to the Big Blue Machine, but sanity is still in check.

Hey Swamp, perhaps the word complain was ill suited. IMO, I don’t really think we feel threatened so much. I think we’re mainly curious if anything. It’s always good to keep one eye on the opponent. Some, like myself, like to spice things up and comment. I might be speaking for myself when I say I like debating, keeps the mind in check, haha.

I love a good debate myself Carissa. I hope you don’t see me as too much of an annoyance. I’ve had fun…

Nah, you weren’t an annoyance. You’re a very good opponent and you bring up some quality arguments. You represent your team well. I’ve had fun debating as well.

Carissa, for all of my sniping and such, I just wanted to add that I appreciate your comments and perspective as well. You’re a good ‘Cat fan and welcome here anytime!

Thank you GP, I’m glad to see you’re all capable of tolerating me ;) lol. I think we’ve all kind of come to an understanding with one another. I must say I find your site quite interesting and I will continue to come here as long as you’ll have me :) Until the next time. Live easy, play hard. Peace!

Has anyone on this board seen the Rivals 1-25 recruiting classes. Kentucky got themselves in the top 25 (l4th nat’l) with PP. Florida is the #1 nat’l) without PP. Plus looking at the recruits for basketball (and football) you see Fla. listed for almost everyone of them. Not Kentucky, not even close. That should tell you something. Also, you can’t tear down Billy’s reputation as a good person, because those who know him, played with him or for him, know him and tell us this is so. You don’t know hime. When you get over his turning you down, you can get to the importants things. You team and its new coach. The media will attribute your negativeness toward Fla. being due to your rejection by Fla., so turn it down a notch. I hope you have a good year and do well, except when you play us, of course.

I’m assuming you’re directing this to me in particular…

First of all, I’m not going to intentionally get into an argument with you. I will respect you as long as you respect me. UK had the #1 class in 03-04 season and we know how well that worked (even though they were a good team). Your team may do horrible, good or great. Don’t judge your team based on they’re ranked now, judge them by how they perform on the hardwood when it counts. As for the recruits, I have heard several recruits mention UK (along with Florida) in their final cuts. Don’t believe me, go on KSR (kentuckysportsradio.com) and A Sea Of Blue among others. Trust me, I am no longer as concerned about recruiting like I was when Tubby was here. I have full confidence that BCG will do his job and do it well.

“The media will attribute your negativeness toward Fla. being due to your rejection by Fla, so turn it down a notch.”

If you read the posts above you know my opinion on it. I don’t care how the media takes it, if I did I wouldn’t be posting on here in the first place. This is a discussion area, it’s where you discuss these types of topics. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything for anyone just because big brother might be reading.

“Also, you can’t tear down Billy’s reputation as a good person, because those who know him, played with him or for him, know him and tell us this is so. You don’t know hime.”

I know I don’t know him. I’m not claiming I do. Do YOU know BD? I’m not trying to say that he is a bad person, but you can’t always go by what people say. Of course they’re not going to come right out with, “He is such an a-hole.” Personally, I think he might very well be a good person but I don’t base that on that fact that his former teammates/players say he is. Point is, neither one of us know him so neither one of us can judge him as a person, good or bad.

Make no mistake…I am happy with my team, I take pride in my team just as you do with yours. I check the web every damn day just to get the latest developments, lol. I’m as excited as the next UK fan about this new era for us and I look forward to this upcoming season.

Actually Gator Pilot I think we do put 80 year olds courtside. more than 1/2 of the courtside seats go to old people. But these kentucky fans are really funny. How can they say UF isnt a rival?

While I agree with most comments made by both parties i have to give props to the Kentucky faithful for their passion. That being said, the time has passed for Wildcat blue running over the rest of the SEC. If you put a wildcat next to a waterline where there’s a gator and I’m pretty sure everyone knows who would win. I love football more than basketball but I’m happy Donovan is still a Gator and when he did what he did he also landed an extension for Meyer as well so we now have the best two coaches in the nation for the next six years at least. It’s great to be a Florida Gator.

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