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Cal’s Return

My thoughts are we are the best college basketball of all time, booing means it triggers emotion and you care. But golf clapping is like how you married much better and you see you're ex and your like "oh hey there, hope you're doing great, bc I absolutely am, anyway nothing but the best, thanks."

We moved on, some ppl stay vindictive and petty, but the best basketball progr of all time says, thanks but anyway back to my love
 
I'll be at the game and I don't think I'll be booing. But I'm very interested to see what his reception is like. For as low as some of the lows were at the end, the highs were right there with the mid '90s as the highest most of us have seen in our lifetime. I don't think that is just cancelled out by the last five years.
 
Just curious of the consensus about Cal’s return to Rupp Saturday. For those of you who are going to the game, what will it be? Rupp is a classy venue and hope it will be a bittersweet moment for us all. I know I choked up when Pitino came back this year. Did I agree with his style especially late? No, but I was happy we signed him and the fun that ensued when he did. Hoping the crowd pays him a tribute for those good times. Also hoping we beat their a**es.
Boo, don't boo, all I know right now Cal is wearing a red blazer sitting on the opposing bench. All these media types talking about what Cal did for UK, well right now he is the enemy. Years down the road, like Rick I am sure Cal will be received with great fan fare.
 
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Episode 5 Thank You GIF by Curb Your Enthusiasm
 
I have a serious thought and question, not being rude. I am a die hard and obviously do not post much. If he is boo'd, would that indicate you are upset he is gone? I've had that thought for a while. It is obvious our productivity the last few years was not Kentucky standards, he saved us by leaving, so is booing catering to his ego and does it indicate he is missed? I would give a clap for Cal for making us relevant again, the roars should be when Mark Pope is announced as our head coach. Just my opinion.

Booing or ignoring him wouldn't mean I'd want him back. It would be b/c the boos were probably still owed from his crap coaching job in Lexington the last couple years of his tenure combined with his nasty demeanor to BBN...and how, in his arrogance, when he would try to pretend to be a saint when he would talk about the fans and say, "Don't attack/boo the players, attack me", all the while being oblivious that the fans WERE booing or complaining about him. Then, in the next breath, throwing his players under the bus saying, "I can't hide you" when, in fact, GOOD coaches do their best to maximize each player's strengths and minimize the exposure of their weaknesses...aka "hide" them
 
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Boo, don't boo, all I know right now Cal is wearing a red blazer sitting on the opposing bench. All these media types talking about what Cal did for UK, well right now he is the enemy. Years down the road, like Rick I am sure Cal will be received with great fan fare.
Pitino’s career (can’t think of the right word) is such a duality in that Pitino truly seemed to want to build a sustainable dynasty at UK that lived on long after him. But then he chose UL. Now that time has passed and gestures made, I will always think much more fondly of the Pitino era than Cal’s. Both runs, when Cal was on top, were incredible but Pitino seems to have cared much more about UK despite the UL debacle.

I’m sure Cal will be welcomed back barring any crazy moves by Cal once he retires and he should be.
 
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I have a serious thought and question, not being rude. I am a die hard and obviously do not post much. If he is boo'd, would that indicate you are upset he is gone? I've had that thought for a while. It is obvious our productivity the last few years was not Kentucky standards, he saved us by leaving, so is booing catering to his ego and does it indicate he is missed? I would give a clap for Cal for making us relevant again, the roars should be when Mark Pope is announced as our head coach. Just my opinion.
Great question. Frustrations had boiled over. Cal always has happy entrances and sour good byes. His acquisition of NBA caliber talent is transcendent. Several players and memories albeit good bad or indifferent have made a lasting impression here.

His tenure was a special chapter in the BBN logs. Give credit where it’s due and take care of business. Give the former players a cheer as well. Then cheer against them. This is Kentucky and our hospitality is as notable as our passion.
 
I will not cheer for any of the Hogs Saturday night! Love Ulis, mostly appreciate Cal, have no ill will towards the former players/commits now on the Arky roster. However, they will be hostiles in hostile territory and I will root against them from the stands for ~ 2 1/2 hours Saturday night just as I would if any other foe was in town.

Business as usual!

Kentucky Wildcats GIF by Kentucky Men’s Basketball. #BuiltDifferent
 
I am thrilled that he is gone, and wanted him gone years ago, but I would not boo. The reason is pretty simple: Cal kept us relevant. That matters. Just look at Indiana - that could have been us.
He kept us relevant for the first 10 or so years and did a great job. Did everyone forget what the last 4 years looked like? He was undoing all the good he did in the first 10 years at a rapid rate. If he would’ve stayed here much longer we were going down that Indiana path!
 
Cal consistently put himself above the program, and when the fans pushed back he talked like everyone else was the idiot. I won't be at the game but at the very least I wouldn't acknowledge him.
 
Who is this Cal person?

Seriously though. I think there will be a mix of cheers, and boo's (maybe 60:40 toward more boo's). I would prefer just a respectful & classy dead silence.
I would hope Theiro gets a little bit of a hand clapping. Maybe Z & Wagner too.
I would also at some point, when it's otherwise quiet (except for the stupid music they play), for there to be a quick cheer for Tyler Ulis. I expect he had to follow Cal, probably no other job opportunities.
 
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Cal who?
Never heard of the guy.
As for as what to do when they announce the team that is at our house trying to best us, stomp the crap out of em, shake their hands and look ahead to the next game.
The players who came to UK then left with Cow Pie, the grass is not greener and eat hog shit
 
No idea what happens, but I am firmly in the camp that UK fans should give the guy his due. For few reasons:

  1. I think it gives us an advantage in game to show that UK blood is thicker than water. We appreciate our own. UK fans forced him out, but he also did a lot ton of good in the community and gave us many memories.
  2. For the players, I think the same. I want Z to feel happier at Kentucky than Arkansas. I want to remind them of what they left behind. I want Z crying realizing what he left behind.
  3. I think it plays into their hand to be angry and emotional. I think it's kind of swaggy and better PR for the program if we give them a warm welcome
Having said all that, controlling this fanbase is impossible. I honestly have no idea what will play out. I suspect there will be some boos, but a largely positive atmosphere.
Wait….Fans forced him out?! Lmao wut?! Cal forced himself out.
 
Wait….Fans forced him out?! Lmao wut?! Cal forced himself out.

I'd rather avoid semantic psychobabble, but yes. I think it goes with out saying that if the fans were satisfied with results, Calipari would be at Kentucky.

Now, you can say "but results weren't good enough!" Okay, whatever. That's semantics.
 
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I hope no one boo's him that will be a bad look for BBN. But, no one should applaud either. Silence would be best.

The most important is to run Arkansas and Cal out of the arena with a complete domination and blow-out.
 
I hope you guys that are there do whatever the heck you want. I really don't care.

He gave us a lot of great years and brought us back to the forefront of the sport. Applaud if you like.

He left for another SEC school. He failed us over and over the last 5 years. Boo if you like.
 
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The best reaction that I read here that I agree would really eat at Cal's ego would be... no reaction at all.

Just dead silence when his name is called...maybe more than anything else, narcissists don't like being irrelevant/dismissed.

It won't happen, but this announcement would be glorious,

"A moment of silence with regard for Arkansas Head Coach John Calipari... as you are dead to us now."
Agree with this - total silence
 
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I am thrilled that he is gone, and wanted him gone years ago, but I would not boo. The reason is pretty simple: Cal kept us relevant. That matters. Just look at Indiana - that could have been us.
I’ll boo enough for both of us then👍🏽. Cal kept us relevant, until he didn’t. His last 5 yers is the worst 5 year stretch in program history. It includes the 2 worst tournament losses as well as the worst single season in history. All that while only winning 1 post season game and mocking the fans. F ‘em
 
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Most of the ultra-angry asshats are here in the forums. Rupp will be classy and welcome him back without a Pitino-style mess, IMO.

I am glad he's gone, but at no point would I boo him for leaving. If anything I'd be cheering my ass off that he chose to leave!
Did anyone say they would boo him for leaving? The only talk I've seen about booing Cal is in regards to him visiting UK.
 
As a former basketball player I sort liked it when I got booed. It meant the other fans didn't like me (we usually won, if we lost regularly they wouldn't care), they feared me and it meant I was relevant to them. If they went "Meh" or ignored me it showed that I was irrelevant. So maybe silence would stick in Cal's crawl more.
 
I won’t boo when he’s announced, but I’ll boo the rest of the game.

I bought season tickets this year, intending to pay for the vast majority with this game. Now that I thought it over, I gotta go. This only happens once.
 
If I was there Saturday I would probably stay quiet.

But, I think there will be both more cheers and more boos than people think.
 
Just saw him talking about it in a presser. Said UK would probably boo him (he kinda laughs) Said he’s not looking forward to it. Said it was a special place that he and Ellen spent 15 years. Kinda Made me feel sorry for him (just a smidge)
 
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