Wildcats Basketball News: DeWayne Says, "Follow The Rules" Edition
By Paul Jordan
Good Morning all of you out there in The Big Blue. We have quite a few little gems floating out there this morning, so let’s get right to them.
First: Remember this if you are going to report UK Sports, run a UK Blog, or work in the media in general, follow the rules. If you don’t, you might find yourself on the outside looking in. Here also is the Kernel’s take on the situation.
Second: Does anyone know if a plan has been developed yet to move Big Blue Madness out to Commonwealth? Because at the rate it’s going, Rupp won’t even hold all of the recruits slated to attend. Maybe we can start a “recruits only” section in the lower arena.
Third: I guess we are behind here at WBN, because Alex Scutchfield already has his SEC Bowl Predictions done for the season. We just got the regular season sorted out…..lol
Fourth: The LSU Football game just keeps getting more and more interesting. LSU loses another key offensive piece this week as O-Lineman Josh Dworaczyk is now out for the season with what is believed to be a knee injury. If LSU’s offense gets any more depleted, the Cats might have a shot at taking the Bayou Bengals down again this season.
Fifth: Basketball recruiting is going to be what causes my next ulcer.The Cats got a new recruit, it was just the wrong Cats. Recruits are either all signing with someone else, or lining up to come to Big Blue Madness.
So there you have it, all sorts of links to play with. That should keep you busy until at least noon. And by then, Cal will have had time to create more news with Joker’s help.
Asst. Editor’s Note: Everyone who has anything to do with one of these Blogs, or reports about the Cats, or has anything to do with the Cats and their media department, knows that they follow some simple basic rules. They also know, that DeWayne Peevy and his staff are about the easiest people in the world to deal with and have access to. I have met DeWayne at several UK games in the pressboxes, and he has always been easy to talk to and helpful beyond belief, and all of his staff are the same way. All of us who do this can pick up the phone anytime the Media Relations office is open and ask for access to a player, a coach, or other UK Personnel. You may not always get the access you want, for obvious reasons, but you will never be shunned, or turned away when you have questions and need help. Now if you wanna go all cowboy and act ignorant, a la Gary Parrish, you might get your hand smacked, just like Parrish did.
Aaron Smith knows all of this. Aaron Smith has probably more access, simply due to his proximity to the players and staff, than almost anyone out there. This is also not Aaron’s first rodeo, he didn’t get to his post at the Kentucky Kernel for nothing. He knows the rules, written or not, and his failure to follow those rules is what cost him. It is a painful lesson to learn, but a valuable one. I understand UK’s position on this and support it. If there is no barrier, or “buffer” if you will, whatsoever between the media and these kids, it becomes nothing more than a Jimmy Buffett’s Feeding Frenzy. In the case of the two walkons at UK, they had very little or almost no experience with dealing with the media at UK, which can be an animal all it’s own. DeWayne’s job is to protect them, not just feed them to the wolves right away. DeWayne does his best to give all of us as much access as possible, without infringing on the kids’ lives every waking moment. I don’t care if the rule is written, or handed down in sign language, all it takes is a phone call to find out. I love Aaron Smith’s work. I think he is dedicated to what he does, and I believe he loves the UK Athletics Dept. And I think he also knew what he was doing. Sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans