Man, these 2 a days on Mon-Wed-Fri can kill a guy. Luckily I can do mine from the comfort and A/C of my chair and not out there in that 108 heat index weather we are having. I put a link to an interview with Dick “Hoops” Weiss in Hot Links this morning, where he talks about UK fans not being too unrealistic in their approach to football. I want to take some issues with Mr. Weiss’ and his assessments of UK Football and the UK fans.
Right out of the gate, I have to tell you that every time I get excited about UK football, we end up with the NCAA in our laps. Back in the 70’s we had to be put on probation and could not participate in the limited bowls of that day, with what was probably our finest team ever on the field. We go through year after year of mediocrity and shame up until the Tim Couch recruitment, and all of a sudden here comes Hal Mumme and his “Air Raid” offense which was just as likely to do the unconventional as they were to snap the ball when the whistle was blown. But was it fun to watch. You never knew what they were going to do next. They reminded me of the Dolphins in Dan Marino’s day, because the Cats used the pass in the same way that most teams used the run. then as soon as he blew in and created all of that excitement, Hal Mumme was gone and here was the NCAA again. then along comes Old Man Brooks and he manages to clean up our act and get us moving in the right direction and then he decides his tomato plants need him more than we do. No offense to Coach Brooks, but I would have bought him some tomatoes if he needed them that bad.
So now Joker is in charge and he has set the bar high. and I do mean HIGH. He expects us to compete for the SEC East title right away, if not the SEC outright, and history tells us that if we do that, we are going to be a top 25 team and playing in BCS Bowl games from the get go. The SEC has ruled the BCS and by default the National Championship for the last few years rather steadily and without a lot of really tough competition. So what does that say to you? Tells me that there is no expectation that I can have for this Wildcat Football team that Joker does not already have and is advertising. I went out on a limb earlier and said that I could see this team winning double digit games, and I am not backing down from that. The SEC East is as weak as it has ever been at this point, so now is the time to strike while the iron is hot. Getting those top recruits that Joker is already nailing down is a big start. Operation Win is another. Making those kids buy in and believe in themselves can be contagious.
Now logic should tell me that if the Cats win 8-9 games I ought to be jumping through flaming rings in excitement, and I will be excited there is no doubt. But I will tell you what I will do. I will give up all of my other expectations Dick, if we beat Florida, Tennessee, and S.Carolina this year. Joker wins me those three games and I will sit back, light a cigar and start getting my stories ready for my grand kids.
Are my expectations too high? Maybe. But I am not moving the mark by even one inch. Expectations produce results. You cannot go anywhere until you plan out where you are going. And as far as I can see, Joker has his map all plotted out and the GPS fired up. I am backing his play all the way.
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