ADVERTISEMENT

Folks, I’m afraid it’s almost gone

drcats2013

drcats2013

All-SEC
Nov 13, 2012
7,504
13,830
113
32
The deep dark hills of eastern Kentucky
The magic of Kentucky basketball, that is. I’m not looking for attention here; I’m concerned.

I may have watched 30 minutes, 1/4 of the game today. I just didn’t care. I of course want us to win, but it just doesn’t mean much to me anymore. I find myself doing other things and even forgetting when UK is playing. I bet I didn’t miss a game from 2000-2019 ish. If I didn’t get it watch it live I’d record it. I’ve watched probably 5-6 games this year.

No doubt I have spent thousands of dollars over the years as a fan on games and UK gear. I cried when Sparks hit the 3 to take the elite 8 game with Michigan state to overtime. From the age of 8 til some 3-4 years ago, I’m not sure there is a person out there that could name more players, statistics, etc than me (I know there’s thousands that could do the same as BBN is the real deal).

I just don’t feel it anymore. I’ve accepted with Cal there will be no changes. No chance to be truly competitive. A revolving door of players. He’s not going anywhere unless he wants to. Too much money involved, and the last thing I want to do is root for the team to lose for the small possibility they get rid of him. So, I have slowly just moved on to other things in the last few years. It went from only watching games when it’s convenient last year, to having time and not even being interested in tuning in.

I know it’s a long post and I’m not sure what it’s accomplishing, but I have a 4 going on 5 year old son, and he’s almost to the age I was when I first found my love for big blue. I want to be able watch his eyes light up with excitement over the cats like my dad got to watch me do as a young kid. At this point, I’m terrified it won’t happen.

Look, it’s just a game played by kids/young men. I understand that and I’m not trying to over dramatize the situation. There’s way more to life and while I am certainly disappointed, it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on, I just truly hope the magic of Kentucky basketball isn’t lost forever.
 
  • Like
  • Love
  • Haha
Reactions: Kyhoward, Cal-4-Three, KentuckyCat420 and 48 others
You aren't alone. I'm not to the point of not watching anymore. But the joy is gone, and I'm numb to the losing. The tradition is tarnished. I'm a fan for life, but I won't be as devoted as I once was until Kentucky basketball is fun again. That is Cal's true legacy.

And my measly protest will be I won't put a dime of my money to anything UK related until Cal is gone.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: KFuqua, CatFanInIlliniLand, StevieJFTW07 and 19 others
Agree. I used to be able to deal with early season growing pains, but there's no excuse with this veteran team. It was exciting to watch guys develop, knowing they were building toward March. Now it's a foregone conclusion that there's no way they will overcome having Cal on the bench. Our season will end like it always does, losing to a worse team, by missing free throws, forgetting how to shoot, stall ball, or all of the above. And we'll start all over again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua, wildcatwelder, blue woman and 11 others
Bkocats said:
It’s not gone
It’s sleeping…Kentucky is much bigger than any one coach.
But until we have a new coach, the magic will remain dormant
As long as we remember..it can return
Click to expand...
You’re right, I’m sure. I feel terrible that I feel the way I do. Hope it comes back and that my son and I can share a lifetime of UK memories together as I have with my dad.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: StevieJFTW07, ManitouDan, blue woman and 4 others
I’m with the OP. Hell, 5 years ago, my wife and I would have had a huge cookout/party for this type of game. Tonight, we watched the first probably 3-4 minutes then went to our town’s HS games. My daughter loves it and she’ll learn more about the game seeing it close up. I’d rather her see teams set screens, move and cut on offense and defend a simple pick and roll on D. She won’t see that during a UK game. It’s sad what our program has become.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua, StevieJFTW07, wildcatwelder and 16 others
drcats2013 said:
You’re right, I’m sure. I feel terrible that I feel the way I do. Hope it comes back and that my son and I can share a lifetime of UK memories together as I have with my dad.
Click to expand...
Oh I’m heartbroken…i did share that with my dad, he died 4 years ago. And I wanted to teach my grandkids.
So I have to believe Kentucky hasn’t completely lost the magic
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: KFuqua, CatFanInIlliniLand, StevieJFTW07 and 7 others
UplandObsession said:
I’m with the OP. Hell, 5 years ago, my wife and I would have had a huge cookout/party for this type of game. Tonight, we watched the first probably 3-4 minutes then went to our town’s HS games. My daughter loves it and she’ll learn more about the game seeing it close up. I’d rather her see teams set screens, move and cut on offense and defend a simple pick and roll on D. She won’t see that during a UK game. It’s sad what our program has become.
Click to expand...
Dude, it sucks. If you told me 5-6 years ago that I’d be where I am now with the program, I’d have called you a fool.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua, StevieJFTW07, AzubuikeandFitch and 3 others
I love Kentucky basketball. I have watched for 50 years and looked forward with nervous anticipation and excitement every season. I moved out of Kentucky many years ago to Florida and years ago would drive into the Everglades to pick up games on radio. Some cuban station would at times interfere and I would be in the night driving for that one space where I could hear again what was happening. Then came Real Radio where you could listen to the games and then finally satellite and cable.

As I have worked and grown older I would sometime consider having a modest second home back in Lexington and buying season tickets and be up there for the season. I sometimes even fantasized like being a Rip Van Winkle except to wake up every year for the season just to prolong my existence.

Now, I find myself challenged to even watch some of this mess. What's the most frustrating for the past seasons is how everyone but Cal can see things that need to occur (or he refuses to do anything to change). At least he finally listened about Livingston to a degree. But, when we have an opposing forward scoring in the paint at will and no zone is employed to stop it and our shooters are not played or there is no structure to our offense, guys who are physical are sitting on the bench, or a defensive stopper sitting on the bench, it has been a huge turn-off.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: KFuqua, Sawnee Cat, StevieJFTW07 and 11 others
uk78 said:
I love Kentucky basketball. I have watched for 50 years and looked forward with nervous anticipation and excitement every season. I moved out of Kentucky many years ago to Florida and years ago would drive into the Everglades to pick up games on radio. Some cuban station would at times interfere and I would be in the night driving for that one space where I could hear again what was happening. Then came Real Radio where you could listen to the games and then finally satellite and cable.

As I have worked and grown older I would sometime consider having a modest second home back in Lexington and buying season tickets and be up there for the season. I sometimes even fantasized like being a Rip Van Winkle except to wake up every year for the season just to prolong my existence.

Now, I find myself challenged to even watch some of this mess. What's the most frustrating for the past seasons is how everyone but Cal can see things that need to occur (or he refuses to do anything to change). At least he finally listened about Livingston to a degree. But, when we have an opposing forward scoring in the paint at will and no zone is employed to stop it and our shooters are not played or there is no structure to our offense, guys who are physical are sitting on the bench, or a defensive stopper sitting on the bench, it has been a huge turn-off.
Click to expand...
I would rather watch game of thrones reruns than a
Cal coached team...
 
  • Like
  • Haha
  • Love
Reactions: StevieJFTW07, kywildcat41086, natchezrule and 4 others
drcats2013 said:
The magic of Kentucky basketball, that is. I’m not looking for attention here; I’m concerned.

I may have watched 30 minutes, 1/4 of the game today. I just didn’t care. I of course want us to win, but it just doesn’t mean much to me anymore. I find myself doing other things and even forgetting when UK is playing. I bet I didn’t miss a game from 2000-2019 ish. If I didn’t get it watch it live I’d record it. I’ve watched probably 5-6 games this year.

No doubt I have spent thousands of dollars over the years as a fan on games and UK gear. I cried when Sparks hit the 3 to take the elite 8 game with Michigan state to overtime. From the age of 8 til some 3-4 years ago, I’m not sure there is a person out there that could name more players, statistics, etc than me (I know there’s thousands that could do the same as BBN is the real deal).

I just don’t feel it anymore. I’ve accepted with Cal there will be no changes. No chance to be truly competitive. A revolving door of players. He’s not going anywhere unless he wants to. Too much money involved, and the last thing I want to do is root for the team to lose for the small possibility they get rid of him. So, I have slowly just moved on to other things in the last few years. It went from only watching games when it’s convenient last year, to having time and not even being interested in tuning in.

I know it’s a long post and I’m not sure what it’s accomplishing, but I have a 4 going on 5 year old son, and he’s almost to the age I was when I first found my love for big blue. I want to be able watch his eyes light up with excitement over the cats like my dad got to watch me do as a young kid. At this point, I’m terrified it won’t happen.

Look, it’s just a game played by kids/young men. I understand that and I’m not trying to over dramatize the situation. There’s way more to life and while I am certainly disappointed, it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on, I just truly hope the magic of Kentucky basketball isn’t lost forever.
Click to expand...
Calipari is, metaphorically, the turd in the "UK Tradition" punchbowl.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: KFuqua, StevieJFTW07, blue woman and 6 others
drcats2013 said:
The magic of Kentucky basketball, that is. I’m not looking for attention here; I’m concerned.

I may have watched 30 minutes, 1/4 of the game today. I just didn’t care. I of course want us to win, but it just doesn’t mean much to me anymore. I find myself doing other things and even forgetting when UK is playing. I bet I didn’t miss a game from 2000-2019 ish. If I didn’t get it watch it live I’d record it. I’ve watched probably 5-6 games this year.

No doubt I have spent thousands of dollars over the years as a fan on games and UK gear. I cried when Sparks hit the 3 to take the elite 8 game with Michigan state to overtime. From the age of 8 til some 3-4 years ago, I’m not sure there is a person out there that could name more players, statistics, etc than me (I know there’s thousands that could do the same as BBN is the real deal).

I just don’t feel it anymore. I’ve accepted with Cal there will be no changes. No chance to be truly competitive. A revolving door of players. He’s not going anywhere unless he wants to. Too much money involved, and the last thing I want to do is root for the team to lose for the small possibility they get rid of him. So, I have slowly just moved on to other things in the last few years. It went from only watching games when it’s convenient last year, to having time and not even being interested in tuning in.

I know it’s a long post and I’m not sure what it’s accomplishing, but I have a 4 going on 5 year old son, and he’s almost to the age I was when I first found my love for big blue. I want to be able watch his eyes light up with excitement over the cats like my dad got to watch me do as a young kid. At this point, I’m terrified it won’t happen.

Look, it’s just a game played by kids/young men. I understand that and I’m not trying to over dramatize the situation. There’s way more to life and while I am certainly disappointed, it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on, I just truly hope the magic of Kentucky basketball isn’t lost forever.
Click to expand...
Turned the game off when we got down 10 today because I knew there was no hope for a win.
 
  • Like
Reactions: StevieJFTW07, blue woman, delk4three and 1 other person
Bkocats said:
It’s not gone
It’s sleeping…Kentucky is much bigger than any one coach.
But until we have a new coach, the magic will remain dormant
As long as we remember..it can return
Click to expand...
I like your sentiment ... and I believe you are correct. Kentucky Basketball and this Program is so much bigger, along with BBN, that it dwarfs this irrelevant and small carpetbagging clown coach that thinks so highly of himself.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: KFuqua, StevieJFTW07, wildcatwelder and 3 others
I've been against Cal since 2015. If he can screw it up with that team, He's just a loser. I caught a lot of flak...ok, understandable. But I KNEW it then. And I've known it ever since.

Idk if Cal sold his soul for those first few yrs and now the devil has come for his due, or this guy is SO attached to whatever his current agenda is that he's willing to totally screw his coaching legacy, but whatever the answer, these players and the fans, r getting screwed. And that would be bad enough but its even worse than that....

He's taking this program down with him. Our wins, our records, our legacy...He's just shitting on it blatantly, and getting paid more for one game, than most of our long times fans make n a year. This man was NEVER about KY. He's always been about his own agenda. And when he was winning, we overlooked his arrogance. But he's really always been the same person...and we bought into it.

His time has come and gone. I don't need wins and losses to tell me that his time has passed...I can see it for myself. Why did this team look confident and capable this summer n the Bahamas? Maybe bcuz he wasnt coaching them? Maybe bcuz he hadnt had time to screw them up yet? Why do players leave here and look amazing, when they cudnt hit shit here when it mattered? There's a reason, and it starts and ends with one man. And that man makes WAAAYYY TOO MUCH $$$ for what he's producing.

Next year with that great class, won't be a damn bit different, so for those of u holding out hope....just stop. Cronin is a reptile, but he cud win A LOT more games this season with our team vs what he has. A lot of y'all on here cud prolly coach them better. We r never gonna be shit as long as Cal is coach. We all got what we wished for when he was hired, but now, we GOT it and y'all know how that ol sayin goes....sry for the rant...GBB
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: KentuckyCat420, KFuqua, StevieJFTW07 and 10 others
Cal has simply grown stale and bland. He has lost his fire. He's in the same position Tubby Smith was in during his final couple of years here. The difference is, Tubby didn't have an ego that got in the way of doing the right thing. He knew he wasn't performing at the level a UK should coach should perform at and he left before things got messy. I'll always appreciate Tubby for stepping aside and doing so with grace. I fear Cal will try to hang on and ride this out to the point that he'll end up being fired and universally hated by UK fans. Cal just needs to step aside and give someone else the reigns, someone fresh and innovative, someone who is hungry. Cal is no longer any of those things. It is just time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KFuqua, CatFanInIlliniLand, StevieJFTW07 and 9 others
blog_amp_lsat-prep-concept-the-unless-statement.png
 
It's sad actually that we are currently where we are.This has been going downhill for several seasons.I used to have season tickets,gave them up after the 2018-19 season.Have donated to the athletic department but stopped after the firtation with UCLA in which Barnfart gave out the most stupid contract in history.I graduated from UK,I love the University but this is completely unacceptable.I mean in all seriousness,this isn't Kentucky basketball.This isn't the Gold standard and NO amount of hype or sales pitch is going to fix it.The problem is the coach or lack of one.Contract be damned,it's time boosters say enough of this shit and end this.The time has come for this relationship to end.The program is bigger than Calipari.A coach comes and goes.Players come and go but the program is the one constant.
 
  • Like
Reactions: StevieJFTW07, wildcatwelder, blue woman and 2 others
I think its such a strong testament to our disapproval about the state of the program that we all love so much, that In the age of 140 character tweets, we r here, literally writing paragraphs of anger, apathy, sadness, loss... We have SOOO much to say...and no one who matters is listening to us. I wish that wasnt such a familiar feeling n this world, but I guess it is. And now even what we look to for entertainment has become polluted and seemingly out of our hands...the fans that PAY for it, literally have no say right now...make that make sense.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CatFanInIlliniLand, StevieJFTW07, blue woman and 2 others
I kinda wish he would get busted cheating and then we could fire him without paying him a dime. Unfortunately, the NCAA doesn't care about cheating anymore and they would say our punishment is to keep him for the remainder of his contract. That's worse than what they would have handed down to us just a few years ago.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: StevieJFTW07 and blue woman
UplandObsession said:
I’m with the OP. Hell, 5 years ago, my wife and I would have had a huge cookout/party for this type of game. Tonight, we watched the first probably 3-4 minutes then went to our town’s HS games. My daughter loves it and she’ll learn more about the game seeing it close up. I’d rather her see teams set screens, move and cut on offense and defend a simple pick and roll on D. She won’t see that during a UK game. It’s sad what our program has become.
Click to expand...
We went to dinner and I only looked at score after game was over. Cal is like a wimp and the other teams are Billy's who whip his arse daily.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Reactions: StevieJFTW07, blue woman and delk4three
uk78 said:
I love Kentucky basketball. I have watched for 50 years and looked forward with nervous anticipation and excitement every season. I moved out of Kentucky many years ago to Florida and years ago would drive into the Everglades to pick up games on radio. Some cuban station would at times interfere and I would be in the night driving for that one space where I could hear again what was happening. Then came Real Radio where you could listen to the games and then finally satellite and cable.
Click to expand...
My story exactly. 50 plus years...close to 60. Moved to Atlanta in the mid 70s. Remember a Christmas party at a friends house and I would go out to the car every 10-15 minutes to listen (with the static) to us playing Kansas. Could barely get WHAS...only at night. Listened to (or tried to) or watched every game. Had one of the first subscriptions to the Cats' Pause magazine when it started.

Started losing interest 5-6 years ago with the revolving door of players. I hear a name today and it sounds familiar and I have to think a minute...oh yeah he played for UK.

Use to be on RR for 90% of the games. Now I basically scan the forum after a game. Haven't watched/listened to a game for 3 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CatFanInIlliniLand, StevieJFTW07, ManitouDan and 2 others
UK grad and lifelong fan. I went to games at Rupp, NYC, and SEC tourney EVERY year... until last year.

I just turned down the Arky game tix at Rupp (face value, lowers)... I just can't waste my time on Cal and his crap anymore.

Didn't Joe B say "10 years is enough"? How very prophetic...
 
  • Like
Reactions: StevieJFTW07, wildcatwelder, gbl97 and 2 others
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

USARMYWILDCAT

Next year

Replies
23
Views
1K
Rupp Rafters - Basketball Forum
WeWant9
WeWant9
Fox2monk

I’m so tired

Replies
79
Views
3K
Rupp Rafters - Basketball Forum
JwUKFan11
JwUKFan11
drew_ukfan

Here’s the cherry on top

Replies
22
Views
3K
Rupp Rafters - Basketball Forum
blubo
blubo
Kybluedude

Miss the days when college basketball was not about money

Replies
65
Views
3K
Rupp Rafters - Basketball Forum
THE_HOOK
T
K

55 and done

Replies
0
Views
299
Rupp Rafters - Basketball Forum
Kaintuk
K
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back