WBN Roundtable: Happy Second Birthday to us!!!!

I know, it’s a few days late, but on Monday, the Wildcat Blue Nation had a very important milestones:  our second anniversary.   In the world of independent bloggers, this is a milestone.  The internet is littered with blogs that lasted 6 months, a year or more before finally petering out and just ending.

I have to admit that the last six months havae been very draining and tough on me personally.  I have lost a job, lost a parent, had to move, and am still transitioning into a new job and becoming my own boss.  In the wowrld of stress inducing events, that is four of the biggies right there.  And a times, I have thought about shutting this site down.

But in the end, I can’t stay away.  I keep coming back and as much as it is a testament to my lack of a life sometimes, the Wildcat Blue Nation has become a part of my life and is not going anywhere.  I notice that when our articles become lean and we do not poast as much, I get personal emails asking if everything is OK personally and asking me to not stop writing on the site.  And that is part of what drives me.  The BBN and this site has become a part of my large, extended family and so have the writers that I have convinced to write for free.

So I do want to thank everyone on the WBN staff right now:  Alan Smith, Jonathan North, Kyle, Zach Rosen, Greg Edwards, Tyler Cox, and Corey Price.  Thank you for your work and dedication.  I know that it is hard to create stories out of the 4th of July weekend yet somehow we have managed.  And to the friends of the site:  Ken Howlett and Glenn Logan from “A Sea of Blue”, Brian Eldridge, John Clay,  Kent Spencer, Greg Gorham, just to name a few.  You guys have all inspired me in cerain ways to start up this blog and you have all contributed at times and I thank you for your friendship and advice over the years.

Now just to let everyone know, blogging is an evolving business, and we have to change to fit the needs of the BBN.  Right now, we are entering our “summer schedule” where we may only post a few times a day.  We are not going anywhere, but I just made the decision to limit the postings when there is nothing going on.  We get burned out like everyone else and we want to conserve our energy for the fall…. so don’t be alarmed if we only post say three times a day on some days.  If anything happens, we will spring to action.

As a matter of fact, I am adding a new writer to the staff this week.  So we are constantly evolving.

OK, I have spoken enough.  For our second anniversary, I decided to ask my staff (and friends) what their favorite moments were of the last two years and how blogging may have changed their life and outlook.  Enjoy: 

Ken Howlett, A Sea of Blue:  First of all, congratulations on your two year anniversary!! You guys do a wonderful job of covering UK athletics, and hopefully you will have many more happy anniversaries to come.

My favorite UK-related memory over the last two years is easily Kentucky’s victory over Ohio State in the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Tournament. It was so unexpected, at least in my mind, that it stands out as one of my overall favorite moments in UK basketball over the last several decades. For the team to come together as they did, and make a tourney run which was wholly improbable only three or four weeks earlier, makes the moment that much more special and one I will remember for my lifetime.

I would also have to say that the victory over the Buckeyes is my favorite blogging moment over the last two years.

I’m not sure that blogging has changed my outlook on sports at all, but what I do differently now than before I began blogging is watch the games with a more critical eye. I analyze games more closely than before (or at least I try). I look at the how and why more now than before, and of course I’m always searching my mind for a good headline, something I never did before I began blogging.

Alan Smith, WBN:  There have been some great UK moments in both basketball and football, among other sports as well. But I can’t deny the fact that my favorite sports moment the past two years was seeing UK make the Final Four for the first time in 13 years. It’s the one thing I anticipate every year, and to see a team that looked as determined as this year’s did make it that far, it sure made me proud. But it also left me very optimistic for the future of UK basketball with Calipari as coach.

As a blogger, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a few different people the past two years, including basketball recruits and sports reporters, such as ESPN’s Mark Jones. But my favorite moment was the Kreul Classic in December 2009. I was able to participate as a student manager in helping my high school in that tournament, but also was able to double as a bogger and interview and meet players such as: Stacey Poole, Patric Young, Quincy Miller, and Brandon Knight. To interview Brandon in high school was pretty neat. Blogging as changed my outlook on sports tremendously; I feel more involved and obviously I am able to interact more with the sports world on a daily basis.

Greg Edwards, WBN:  My favorite moment of the last two years has to be when DeMarcus Cousins tipped back in the rebound against MSU in the SEC Final. I was all ready to say c’est la vie when he tipped that ball in. I ran around the room as hard as the kids did on the court.

The last year for me blogging has been a whirlwind. My biggest challenge has been that I live in an area where my access is not always a guarantee, so I have learned to be patient. But I do love writing about the Cats, and I do not have to turn it into a TV career to enjoy it. Getting to attend games in the press box, talking with the famous folks associated with the program, and getting a much more thorough “inside look” at the program has been a real eye-opener. I have also been amazed at how many people really like reading what I write. It is a real tribute to the UK program to see how many people are interested all over the world about what happens in Lexington. It is an honor to write about the Cats and their exploits.

Thanks for allowing me to do it.

Jonathan North, WBN:  My favorite moment would have to be when we beat Ohio State this year. I can’t think of a bigger win we’ve had since beating Duke in ’98. Only a few stand out and only a few stand out at how excited I was for that game and it was the first time I ever felt like UK was the underdog. Monumental win I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

My favorite moment as a blogger would have to be breaking the news Danny Trevathan was staying to play for the football team. It wasn’t too big of a deal because he announced on Twitter, no press conference or anything but WBN got it out a lot quicker than most blogs, even KSR by about eight minutes all because I refreshed Twitter at the right time during class. That was a cool moment for me. Other than that it would probably be covering the softball game today and covering the Miss. Valley State game in Rupp Arena last year when Brandon Knight hit the half court shot. It was amazing to sit in th
e press room with the likes of Oscar Combs and Buzz Baker, guys I grew up listening to and still listen to today. I’ve also learned that being a blogger is tough, stories get hard to come by and you learn if you want to do this, you better have a passion for it so you don’t suck.

Tyler Cox, WBN:  Favorite UK moment in last 2 years has defiantly got to be the final four run this past year. I am only 19 getting ready to turn 20 and I never really got to enjoy/remember the good teams from 96-98. Also another moment would have to be the day John Wall committed to Kentucky, and knowing that the team was going to be a great one.

How has being a blogger changed my outlook on sports? Well really the only aspect that it’s changed, is I now know that there are hardly any stories to find for the 5 for posts after basketball season. Other than that I have always had an obsession with sports, and anyone who knows me will tell you without a doubt that sports is my baby.

Paul Jordan, WBN:  You know me, I am pretty long winded … so I am going to break down my five favorite UK moments over the past two years in a series or articles over the next two days.  It’s a way to fill that Memorial Day “No news void” and to give my staff the holiday off.  I think I have a different top moment than most, so stay tuned. 

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