Sit Back and Let Me Introduce Myself
By Terry Brown
To quote the great philosopher, Humpty Hump, “just let me introduce myself.” My name is Terry Brown and I’m a huge fan and proud alumnus of the University of Kentucky. I was fortunate enough to be in school during the great run on 1996-1998, with the two NCAA Men’s Basketball Titles and a Runner-Up finish. I live in Louisville, my hometown, which is like missionary work. I find myself preaching to the masses and trying to get them to change their ways and teach them about the inherent goodness of the Big Blue Nation. I’ve been married for nearly 9 years and have two wonderful daughters. But, enough about me, let me get to what’s on my mind.
Anthony Davis. My goodness. Where to even begin? It’s hard to believe he’s just over a year away from his high school prom and he’s racking up hardware like Michael Phelps. If you’re a Cat fan, then you know his stats, you know his awards. And, for me, that’s what makes the BBN so special. It’s as is everyone sees Anthony as our collective little brother and we can’t help but beam with pride when he does well. But, how exciting is it watching him play with the Olympic team? Forced into action earlier than usual against Tunisia, he put on a display very reminiscent of his days in Blue and White. Tunisia, France, North Carolina, Kansas, it doesn’t matter because he’s just that good. With five dunks and totaling 12 points, Anthony is showing the world what we in the Bluegrass figured out in the fall of 2011: He’s very, very good at basketball.
In a month, the UK Football team will be heading to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium to play the University of Louisville Cardinals to kickoff the 2012 season and a vocal portion of the fanbase is, well, not excited. There have been calls to fire Head Coach Joker Phillips. And even more outlandish, to fire Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart. I don’t have the space to go into why those are both bad ideas at this point, but I will explain what the fans need to do: Support the team. It’s that simple. All the consistent negativity is a self fulfilling prophecy and only hurts the team. And know this, that when UK upsets the Cards on September 2, the true Blue fans won’t have room on the bandwagon for you.
Speaking of the University of Louisville, it’s time for full disclosure. I was born in Louisville and raised as a Cardinal fan. One of my most cherished childhood memories was staying up late and watching UL win the 1986 NCAA Championship against Duke. My parents went to UL. My brothers went to UL. And I thought I was destined for UL. But, a funny thing happened my senior year of high school. I made a decision to take my talents to Lexington and attend UK. And since then, my blood bleeds Blue. Being a Big Blue convert, I have an interesting take on the UL/UK rivalry. The “Little Brother” name fits UL so well because everything they do, the fans compare it to UK. In the ultimate attempt at one-upsmanship, UL even hired a former UK coach in attempt to recreate the magic that he brought to Lexington (you won’t see his name on these pages). I’ve seen this rivalry from both sides and let me tell you: UK is just better. It just is (And Anthony Davis would agree).