It was John Wooden who said, “Sports do not build character…sports reveals character.” That being the case, it’s fascinating to look at the growing list of university presidents, athletics directors, and conference commissioners who have revealed their character – or, more accurately, the lack of it – during the current orgasm of greed in big-time […]

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LEXINGTON, Ky. – A typist who lives long enough to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his high school graduation has earned a bit of slack, the way I see it, so I want to tell you now about the 1960-’61 Blue Devils of Henry Clay High School, a team that was pretty danged good, if […]

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I was scheduled to be a guest on a sports talk show so I turned on the radio to see what the host and his callers were discussing. Turns out it was something Kentucky coach John Calipari did late in his team’s eventual loss to Alabama. When freshman Terrence Jones took an ill-advised shot, the […]

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“The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football players whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”
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CINCINNATI — The long-awaited major-league debut of Aroldis Chapman turned into a cosmic event Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park. The crowd of more than 19,000 began buzzing as soon as the scoreboard announced that the Cuban left-hander was warming up his 105 mph fastball in the bullpen. When the gate swung open and […]

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Pressbox pickups from the sports whirl…
* As the guy who told you before anyone that UK and Notre Dame would play this season in Freedom Hall, I’m now here to tell you that the first UK-U of L basketball game in the KFC Yum! Center will be played on Dec. 31. That should make for […]

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My longtime friend David Kindred, best wordsmith of my newspaper generation, has a new book out about one of his former employers, The Washington Post, and how it has coped with the swift and startling changes in the communications business. Those who know Dave’s work will not be suprised to learn that it’s beautifully written […]

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LOUISVILLE – I’m so excited about all the progress at Churchill Downs that my mind is brimming with ideas about how to make things even better. For example, it was obvious yesterday morning that the track needs to hire yet another vice-president and put him in charge of toner procurement.
The track was unable to […]

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LOUISVILLE — Todd Pletcher has to be included in any conversation about Best Trainer Who Has Never Won the Kentucky Derby. He’s the guy who wins everything everywhere, but who turns into Joe the Plumber when he shows up at Churchill Downs. And it’s not that he hasn’t tried. My, has he tried.
Pletcher’s Derby record […]

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INDIANAPOLIS — On the morning that Butler University played for the NCAA championship, some of the players did a startling thing. They left their downtown hotel and returned to campus to go to class. Of all the messages sent by Butler’s amazing run through the 2010 tournament, this may have been the most powerful.
That evening, […]

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