March Madness is a bigger deal in Kentucky than Christmas. Many outside the Bluegrass State may think that the running of the Kentucky Derby is a bigger event, but they would be wring. Sure, the Derby is a huge deal. But it’s one day and done. March Madness is more like a holiday season, without the annoying too-early end-cap displays and music.
March Madness comes around just when it should. And with it, the fevered dreams of how it might all go down. Brackets get filled out, then busted. Bets are lost, hearts are broken, and friendships are made and lost.
But this year, March Madness has put a smell in the air that Wildcat and Blue Devil fans have not sensed in years.
The upcoming Final Four games pair Duke against Michigan State and Kentucky against Wisconsin. Seeing those teams listed so close to each other on one page is exciting enough. But every citizen of Big Blue Nation knows what that could mean. With all respect to Wisconsin and Michigan State, the lure of a UK-Duke showdown is too exciting to dismiss.
But what if it happened? What if this March Madness season sees a battle royale of these two teams?
If you don’t live in Kentucky, you may not understand the depth of this. While many think that the rivalry between the Wildcats of UK and the Cardinals of U of L is the biggest thing going, that pales in comparison to the animosity that UK fans hold for the Duke Blue Devils.
We won’t review here the sordid tale of the Laettner Stomp. But the passions the mere mention of Duke elicit run deep. The old cliché of having two favorite teams — UK and whoever plays Duke — is true in Wildcat country.
This is a genuine concern for Lexington residents. When the Cats win, there is much revelry and partying. Couch-burning has become the go-to activity when celebrating wins. The Lexington authorities have already taken the preemptive step of banning all “indoor furniture” from being outside in certain areas of Lexington during the entirety of the NCAA tournament.
If UK plays Duke for the championship, one of two things could happen:
UK could win. In which case, there will be fires and mayhem.
UK could lose to Duke. In which case, there could be days of fires and mayhem.
While the thought of a UK-Duke matchup is tempting, for the safety of everyone in the Lexington area, I gotta hope Michigan State meets us on April 6.
John Wayne is The Duke. Even though he died in 1979, he is still known to fans as The Duke, a nickname he had since childhood.
Now John Wayne’s heirs are in a legal battle with Duke University over use of the word “Duke” in a product they want to market — a bourbon with John Wayne’s picture on the bottle.
Apparently, both John Wayne Enterprises and the university hold trademarks to the name “Duke” — as does jazz legend Duke Ellington. On three occasions since 2005, when the Wayne family wanted to license a product, they have had to face the gauntlet from the Blue Devil lawyers.
“Duke University does not own the word ‘Duke’ in all contexts for all purposes,” the Wayne lawsuit says. “Duke is a common word that has been used for centuries in a wide array of commercial and other applications wholly independent of Duke University. Yet by the actions alleged herein, Duke University seems to think it owns the word ‘Duke’ for all purposes and applications.”
The family argues that Duke University has never been in the business of selling alcohol. They want a judge to agree that both parties can use the name without having to endure a barrage of legal maneuvering from the other every time they do.
Duke University responded by saying, “While we admire and respect John Wayne’s contributions to American culture, we are also committed to protecting the integrity of Duke University’s trademarks. As Mr. Wayne himself said, ‘Words are what men live by; words they say and mean.’”
The bourbon the Wayne’s want to license the Duke likeness and name to is a small batch Kentucky straight bourbon. Had Duke University never said a word against the bourbon, and given the long-standing rivalry between Kentucky and Duke on the basketball court, it is questionable as to whether UK fans would have bought a bottle of anything that said “DUKE” on the label. But now the enemy of my enemy may become my friend. Perhaps we can expect to see support from Wildcat fans and bourbon lovers.
What a day in college basketball! Indiana and Duke both lose. What more can you ask for! Time to celebrate! #BBN
When Josh Wolford told us yesterday about Mitch McConnell’s embarrassing campaign ad faux pas, the one with a shot of Duke basketball players where he obviously meant to show UK players, the joke train was working up a head of steam in Kentucky.
McConnell’s presumptive Democrat opponent in the Senate race, Alison Grimes, tweeted out to everyone:
“KY, as your next Senator, I promise to never glorify a Duke championship in a campaign ad like @Team_Mitch”
And later that day:
“Turns out @Team_Mitch has been in DC for so long he can’t tell the difference between UK & Duke basketball.”
Team Mitch saw that they were in deep doo-doo and moved to fix the screw-up, only to cause another problem the very same day.
According to WFPL in Louisville, McConnell’s campaign replaced the Duke footage, as short as it was, with a clip of UK’s Julius Randle. The trouble is, they never asked permission to use that footage, and the act raised questions with the NCAA since Randle is still in college.
In the end, the NCAA had to address the issue, leading to the University sending Team Mitch a cease and desist letter and issuing the following statement.
“The University of Kentucky consulted with the NCAA earlier today regarding footage of Julius Randle in a Mitch McConnell advertisement. Although the use of the student-athlete’s image in the advertisement is not permissible, because it was done without the knowledge or permission of the university or the student-athlete, it is not an NCAA violation. The University of Kentucky has sent a cease and desist letter and will continue to take appropriate measures to ensure improper usage of a student-athlete’s name, image or likeness is prevented.”
So, why was Mitch McConnell scrambling to fix a split-second clip showing Duke anyway?
Ever since the 1992 NCAA Tournament, UK and Duke have been mortal enemies. If you aren’t familiar with the cause, let me fill you in, especially since it relates to current politics in Kentucky, and even the U.S.
It was the 1992 NCAA East Regional Finals. The Elite Eight. Duke vs. Kentucky. It was a battle to go to the Final Four. Coach Mike Krzyzewski vs. Coach Rick Pitino.
UK was 12 points down in the second half and came back to tie the game with 33.6 seconds left. The game goes into overtime. After what seemed like an hour of OT play, Kentucky is up 103-102. Until… The Shot.
Kentuckians don’t talk about The Shot. And, anytime they do, it is followed with a spit and a curse. In Wildcat Country, it is like the death of JFK. Every single UK fan old enough to know about that game remembers exactly where they were when it happened.
Wildcat fans are not sore losers about that game. What enrages them is that they feel Laettner should have been ejected for stomping on Aminu Timberlake earlier in that same game. It was a vicious, purposeful thing to do, and Laettner has admitted to waiting for his moment to do it.
This event is so deeply rooted in the psyche of UK fans, and is passed along to the next generation, that the UPS company, which has distribution operations in Kentucky, caught hell when they featured “The Shot” in ads during March Madness in 2012.
McConnell knows this, and rushed to fix the error, only to step in more trouble. It will be interesting to see where else his opponents take this one, including Tea Party primary challenger, Matt Bevin.
A new ad for Senator Mitch McConnell’s reelection campaign hit YouTube today, and it features one of the most egregious errors that a politician can make in the state of Kentucky: glorifying Duke basketball.
For about a second, the new ad shows Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas embracing after winning the 2010 National Championship. If you remember, that’s when Duke knocked off the number 8-seeded Butler.
UPDATE: Removed, of course. Joe Sonka grabbed it though. Thanks, Joe:
UPDATE 2: The ad is back up, but with an edit–a still of Julius Randle where the Duke clip used to be. Also, comments have been turned off for this video. Comments aren’t turned off on Team Mitch’s previous ads. I guess they’re fearing the wrath of Big Blue Nation?
And since it’s bound to come down once Team Mitch realizes their grievous error, here’s a screenshot:
That’s not UK, Senator.
It’s clear that Team Mitch simply mistook the blue & white of Duke for the blue & white of Kentucky-considering the frame right before the offending one featured a Louisville slam dunk (we see where they were going with it).
But holy hell, what a mistake! And during Tournament time?
UPDATE 3: A Team Mitch spokesperson has commented on the ad, according to WFPL (Louisville)’s Phillip M. Bailey:
No. 20 Texas A&M rallied late in at the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Tuesday to beat Duke after trailing 38-17 at halftime.
Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel finished his college career with a bang by throwing four touchdown passes, scoring a touchdown, running 73 yards and completing 30 of 38 passes for 382 yards.
When asked if this was the best way to end his career, he said: “I don’t know. It’s an unreal feeling, I know that. The way these guys fought, it was unreal. I’m proud of them.”
Toney Hurd Jr returned an interception 55 yards, giving them their first lead with 3:33 remaining and the game ended 52-48, making it the highest-scoring game in the bowl’s history.
“I was in a zone I haven’t been in before,” Manziel said. “Ever. I just wanted this game.”
Heading into the fourth quarter, No. 22 Duke (10-4) had a 41-31. With this loss, the Blue Devils are still looking for their first bowl win since beating Arkansas 7-6 in the 1961 Cotton Bowl.
Hurd stepped in front of receiver Johnell Barnes for the interception, the first turnover for either team. Texas A&M linebacker Nate Askew ended Duke’s next possession with another interception.
Duke quarterback Anthony Boone passed for 427 yards and three touchdowns, but the two interceptions certainly played into the loss.
“It hurt,” Boone said. “It was a very unfortunate play on my part.”
Manziel, a third-year sophomore won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman last season and is likely he will be a first-round pick if he decides to enter the NFL draft.
“I can’t even talk about anything other than this game,” Manziel said. “This was unreal. … I haven’t made (the decision) yet. I’m in the moment right now.”
It’s the start of a new week, and all the basketball fans know what that means, right? It is time for a new poll showing everyone the AP Men’s basketball teams, and how they are all ranked.
There was not a lot of movement this week, but certainly some, and while the top two teams remained undefeated, the top ten was shaken up some.
The thing that really screwed things up was when Louisville lost to North Carolina, sending them from #3 down to #9, and allowing for several other teams to jump ahead of them.
The latest poll was released today, which features Michigan State at the top, followed by Kansas and Kentucky.
Michigan State came into the season ranked #2, and beat Kentucky who was the top-ranked team at the time on November 12, in order to move into the #1 spot. Kansas has also looked very good all year, and is currently undefeated behind their young star, Andrew Wiggins.
The AP college basketball was shaken up most in the middle of rankings when VCU, Memphis, and New Mexico all lost. UMass was also the team that was able to take down the #25 ranked New Mexico, and remain undefeated with wins over LSU, Nebraska and Boston College.
All Jabari Parker does is drop buckets.
He’s played 5 college basketball games. He’s scored 20 or more points in each one. #diaperdandy
Michigan State won on Saturday, which secured them as the winners of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, defeating Oklahoma with a score of 87-76. The Big Ten looks to be a dominant force in college basketball once again, as Wisconsin and Ohio State are both currently ranked in the top ten, along with the Spartans.
After the Big East was broken up at the end of last season, it is hard to keep track of what teams are in each conference. As the season progresses, that may become more clear, but the biggest change that fans will see is the fact that former powerhouses in the conference, Syracuse and Pittsburgh, have now entered the ACC.
OSU is #5 in College Basketball and #7 in the BCS. It's a great time to be a Cowboy!!!
Some people would argue that the ACC was already one of the tougher conferences to play in with both Duke and North Carolina, and maybe the toughest. When Syracuse, currently ranked #8 in the nation, and Pittsburgh, are thrown into the equation, it almost creates a super conference that would be intimidating for any team to play in. It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out by the end of the season.
The AP men’s basketball top 25 has been updated for this week, and features many of the same teams that we have seen all year, with not a lot of change. With big tests for top teams occurring all the time, that is likely to change at any time though.
Remember the woman who falsely accused three members of the Duke lacrosse team of raping her back in 2006? She now faces at least 14 years in prison for second-degree murder. Crystal Mangum, who is still known as the “Duke lacrosse accuser,” was found guilty of killing her boyfriend.
Mangum, who is no stranger to crime, was accused of killing boyfriend Reginald Daye in 2011. At the time, Mangum claimed the stabbing was in self-defense because Daye was attacking her.
“He straddled me, hit me, and then he started choking me,” Mangum said during her testimony. “I couldn’t breathe. My head hurt real bad. I was just trying to survive and I felt like Reginald was trying to kill me.” Mangum said she then grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Daye once in the side.
It’s possible that Mangum could have gotten away with her crime, except for the fact that Daye didn’t immediately die. He spent 10 days in the hospital before dying because of complications relating to the stab wound, and before he died, he gave a statement to the police. He said they did fight, but that Mangum tried to stab him several times before stabbing him in the side.
Even though Mangum played the victim card again, there were too many holes in Mangum’s story and she was eventually charged with first-degree murder. The scene of the crime was reportedly consistent with Daye’s story, but not with the chain of events Mangum provided. Even though the jury only found Mangum guilty of second-degree murder, she still faces a hefty prison sentence–Judge Paul Ridgeway ordered Mangum to serve a sentence of no less than 14 years in prison.
Mangum’s history is spotted with run-ins with the law. Aside from the false rape allegations, she has also been accused of attempted murder, child abuse, arson and trying to run over a police officer in the past, but she has never spent any significant time behind bars until now.
Some people believe that Mangum was only found guilty as punishment for accusing members of the Duke lacrosse team of rape, but Assistant District Attorney/prosecutor Charlene Franks said the Duke lacrosse case had nothing to do with it. “It was about Reggie Daye and what happened in April 2011,” Franks said.
As you can see from the tweets below, some people are chalking up the Duke lacrosse accuser’s prison sentence to karma:
The Duke Lacrosse accuser "liar" just sentenced to 14 hrs for murdering ex boyfriend. Karma biotch!
Duke made their stamp as one of the top teams in college basketball years ago, and in their next move to improve as a program, they have recruited Jahlil Okafor. Okafor is the top ranked high school player in the nation, and while he has had a connection with Duke for months now, he made the commitment official as of Friday, November 15th.
Jahlil Okafor is a senior at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, and will be attended Duke next fall, likely becoming one of the next stars of college basketball. The young star will also be joined by Tyus Jones from Apple Valley, Minnesota, and the two of them had a pledge to attend college together. The two of them committed simultaneously on national television on Friday afternoon.
Speaking on the two players attending Duke together, Okafor said “The past two-and-a-half weeks, my family, his family, our inner circles, have been having conference calls, just comparing all the schools. They’re all great universities. It came down to it the academic side and Coach K. He is the most winning coach of all time. I’d love to help him get his 1,000th win.”
Coach Mike Krzyzewski already has Jabari Parker on the team from his hometown of Chicago, who looks to be one of the stars this year, after having an impressive performance against Kansas in the Champions Classic, despite their loss. Kansas was also led by their young star in freshman Andrew Wiggins.
Wow. Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor to Duke next year. That i have to watch!
Unfortunately for Duke, with the star power of Parker, he will likely enter the draft after his freshman year, and will likely not be able to play on the team with Jahlil Okafor. Jones spoke of his excitement to play for Duke by saying “With Duke it’s the opportunity to play for Coach K and the style that they play there. I love the way they use their guards, and I feel like I can make an impact right away. Plus they have a great fan base.”
Duke lands two of the top four recruits for next year with jahlil okafor and tyus jones. jahlil number one. Jones number four. #watchout
It is certainly no surprise that Jahlil Okafor, the top player in the country, would choose Duke, since they always seem to be one of the dominant teams in the nation. He is excited to play for an excelling program where he hopes to help them keep their reputation going, and win a championship.
Last night was the night college basketball fans and NBA scouts had been waiting for since April. The Champions Classic, a three year agreement between Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State, featured the three most-touted college freshmen in America – Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, and Andrew Wiggins. All three athletes had received a fair bit of attention before the season began with a plethora of media interviews, television appearances, and magazine coverage. Despite all the early attention and speculation, there could be no true measure of each star’s talent until they were all featured in a national spotlight. And while Jabari Parker and Julius Randle stole the stat-lines with their explosive offensive performances, Andrew Wiggins stole the night by leading the Jayhawks to victory – the only one of the three freshman to come away with the W.
Wiggins was the Number 1 recruit for this incoming freshman class, a class that has been considered by many to be the best of all time. Yet, Wiggins was perhaps the most mysterious of the three super-stars coming out of high school due to his calm, mild-mannered demeanor. Sure, everyone had seen the highlight reels of Wiggins absolutely killing his high school opponents and breaking legs left and right. But fans, NBA Scouts, and even Bill Self questioned whether that same level of talent would show in the college game, especially given Wiggins’s commitment on every play. One NBA scout stated that Wiggins “is not always playing hard and motivated. That scares people. That scares me a little. You need a gym rat, someone that absolutely loves it. It’s 82 games. It’s tough. Those guys are harder to win with than guys who love it.”
Following Kansas’s game against Fort Hays State, even Bill Self commented on Wiggins’s lack of hustle, stating that Wiggins “didn’t seem as engaged as he should be.” Tuesday night, however, that was not the case.
The Champions Classic match-up presented the perfect opportunity for Jabari Parker to showcase why he should have been the number one recruit out of high school – Not only had Parker outplayed Wiggins in their respective first games as collegiate athletes, but Parker was returning to his hometown of Chicago. And for the first 30 minutes, it was Parker who owned the head-to-head contest against Wiggins. In the first half, Parker made an outstanding case to be the first pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Parker showed a variety of skills, slashing to the basket with ease, pulling up for the mid-range jumper over his defenders (a la Kevin Durant), and stroking the 3 with ease. Parker’s first-half performance was so outstanding that it prompted Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to use such words as “terrific” and “sensational” to describe the performance. Oh, and there was also this:
(image)
So where was Wiggins while Parker was going off? On the bench with 2 fouls. In total, the Duke vs. Kansas game saw 53 fouls. Sitting for a long stretch in the first half may have been the medicine Wiggins needed to spark that hustle NBA scouts were lamenting about. After passively watching Parker torch the nets for 19 in the first half, Wiggins came out in the second with abandon. After only scoring 6 points in the first 20 minutes, Wiggins had 16 in the second half, including 4 points on consecutive plays – a step back jumper which reminded many of Jordan’s for UNC in 1982, and a break-away dunk that also saw Parker pick up his fifth and final foul with just over a minute left in the game.
While Wiggins had a more than satisfactory second half effort offensively, it was his poise and defensive effort which really made his performance stand apart. Early in the game, Wiggins had implored Bill Self to allow him to guard Parker. However, due to foul trouble, Self was wary of making said decision: “People have made a lot about Andrew’s personality, because he’s so mild-mannered and non-demonstrative. But he is competitive. That dude wanted [to guard Parker],” stated Self. Despite his eagerness to go mano-a-mano with Parker, Self was still reluctant.
Understanding the necessity of the decision, though, Wiggins decided to put matters in his own hands and started guarding Parker without Self’s approval: “I didn’t put him on Jabari. He just went over to guard him, and I think got a piece of his shot. I thought, ‘Maybe I should have listened to him.’ ” By the end of the game, the maybe was a definitely. Over the last 10 minutes, Parker was essentially non-existent on the floor, finishing the second half with a total of 8 points.
When asked about his unilateral decision to guard Parker, Wiggins replied, “It’s just all pride. You take pride in what you do, if it’s offense or defense.” It is this attitude from Wiggins that makes him one of, if not the, premiere athletes in college basketball. Raw athletic talent and physical attributes are good, but a humble attitude and willingness to work on both sides of the ball make greatness.
Overall, Tuesday night’s Champions Classic proved one thing – College basketball is back and as amazingly awesome as ever.
Currently #4 Duke is playing #5 Kansas in the Champions Classic in Chicago. This is the follow-up game to the thriller that was Kentucky vs. Michigan St. where we saw Michigan St. come out on top.
Follow what people are saying about the game in real time.
Anyone who was watching that emotional game that Louisville played against Duke during the NCAA tournament will surely remember the horrific injury that was suffered by Louisville’s Kevin Ware. His dramatic injury resulted in a broken leg in one of the most gruesome injuries to witness in the sport, as we all watched him go down in pain.
To many people’s surprise, he made a return to the court last night and helped Louisville in their exhibition game. The cardinals played Pikeville in their first game, a contest that they were easily able to win with a final score of 90-61.
It had been decided that he would play in their season opener against the College of Charleston, but yesterday’s game was uncertain. Louisville fans will certainly be happy to see their star player back on the court, and support him on a team that just won the national championship.
Kevin Ware finished with 6 points and 4 rebounds in that 10 minutes that he played during the game. It must have been wild for him to be back on the court after 220 days, and he told ESPN that “It was great. I’ve never felt like that before. I’ve been waiting for that moment.”
Ware entered the game late in the second half, and was not expecting to enter at that time too, which made him a bit nervous. He was cleared to practice with full contact on Sunday, but was not expected to play in Wedenesday’s game. Speaking on the decision to play him, Louisville’s coach Rick Pitino said “I wanted to get him some minutes just to get him over the jitters in case I need to use him against Charleston.”
It's a beautiful thing to see Kevin Ware return to the basketball court. #Bless
Coming off of a national championship victory, the Louisville Cardinals are ranked #3, Ware joins his fellow players in a quest for another successful season. They are now a part of the American Athletic Conference after the Big East was stripped apart in order to begin the 2013 season.
If I was Kevin Ware I'd be scared to step on the court again
Kevin Ware is hoping to be able to return to the same type of player that he was before the injury, but that is still to be determined. His whole family is planning to attend the season opener in Louisville, and will undoubtedly be a special moment for the star player.
Ryan Kelly is well known by Duke fans as being a hard working 6-10 forward who can shoot the three, and play some intense defense. To the rest of the world, he’ll be known as the man who is going to marry Bill Cowher’s daughter. Yes, the Bill Cowher who’s renowned for wearing one of the all time greatest scowls in NFL sideline history, for the hard-nosed Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kelly made the announcement on Twitter, posting the picture below.
The NBA Draft will be in June, and it’s unknown exactly where Kelly would fall in the draft. Likely in the 2nd round, but even getting a spot in the NBA would be a great way to start off a long relationship with a new fiancee.
Candidates with lower-pitched voices may get more votes in the 2012 election.
A new study by biologists and a political scientist shows that both men and women prefer political candidates with deeper voices. The results also suggest that biology — not just partisanship or ideology — can shape voters’ choices.
“We often make snap judgments about candidates without full knowledge of their policies or positions. These findings might help explain why,” said Duke University biologist Rindy Anderson.
“It’s clear that our voices carry more information than the words we speak. Knowing this can help us understand the factors that influence our social interactions and possibly why there are fewer women elected to high-level political positions,” she said.
To test voters’ preference on voice pitch, Anderson, Duke biologist Susan Peters and University of Miami political scientist Casey Klofstad recorded men and women saying, “I urge you to vote for me this November.” The scientists then edited each recording to create a higher- and lower-pitched version of the original.
The team played the recordings of the female voices to 37 men and 46 women at the University of Miami, and the male voices to 49 men and 40 women at Duke. They found that both men and women “elected” the candidates with the lower-pitched voices, regardless of the speaker’s gender. The results appear in the March 14 Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
This research is an “interesting first step toward understanding the psychological mechanisms that affect voters’ choices,” said Brad Verhulst, a researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. He was not involved in the study, but says the experiment is an “exciting application” of previous work on the way visual cues affect people’s perceptions of candidates and their competence.
Voice pitch can also affect how people perceive a speaker’s competence, honesty and strength, according to past research. But no one had applied that connection to voters’ preferences for the voices of both male and female candidates, Anderson said.
In a second experiment, Anderson and her colleagues played the same recordings to three groups of 35 men and 35 women and asked the subjects to select which candidate seemed stronger and more trustworthy and competent.
Both men and women tended to perceive lower-pitched female voices to have all three traits. But only male subjects perceived lower-pitched male voices to be stronger and more competent. They may have been tuned into pitch to gauge the speaker’s competitiveness and social aggressiveness, Anderson said.
Women, however, may not discriminate strength and competence in male voices because they are tuning into different cues, vocal or otherwise, to evaluate those traits, she said.
But the findings are based on hypothetical elections conducted in the lab, she said.
“We need to be very careful about interpreting these results in a broader context,” Anderson said. The findings raise the possibility that, since women tend to have higher-pitched voices than men, their voice could be one of many different factors that influence gender inequality in leadership roles, she said.
This was a carefully controlled study, Verhulst said. But “until the idea is more thoroughly fleshed out, the broader application to real-world politics is still a conjecture,” he said.
As a result, Anderson said she and her collaborators plan to test what they have learned in the laboratory in the 2012 elections.
It was twenty years ago this month that UK fans were handed one of the greatest disappointments of our basketball-loving lives. It was the 1992 NCAA East Regional Finals. The Elite Eight. Duke vs. Kentucky. It was a battle to go to the Final Four. Coach Mike Krzyzewski vs. Coah Rick Pitino.
UK was 12 points down in the second half and came back to tie the game with 33.6 seconds left. The game goes into overtime. After what seemed like an hour of OT play, Kentucky is up 103-102. Until… The Shot.
You have to understand, Kentuckians don’t talk about The Shot. And, anytime we do, it is followed with a spit and a curse. In Wildcat Country, it is like the death of JFK. Every single UK fan old enough to know about that game remembers exactly where they were when it happened. I was standing in a WalMart in central Kentucky. Dozens of us were gathered around televisions in the Electronics department. The store staff had handed out popcorn. After thunderous cheering, things got really quiet, like some natural disaster had just ended and we were surveying the broken landscape.
Wildcat fans are not sore losers about that game. What enrages us is that we feel Laettner should have been ejected for stomping on Aminu Timberlake earlier in that same game. It was a vicious, purposeful thing to do, and Laettner has admitted to waiting for his moment to do it.
Laettner was not ejected. He was assessed a technical foul and played on. This is the key to understanding the state of mind of a UK fan when The Shot is mentioned. It’s about fairness.
As UK fan Ben Parks points out, we got our “revenge” in 1998 against Duke with a Cameron Mills 3-pointer.
But still, we don’t talk about it. And, the fine folks at UPS damn well should have known better.
United Parcel Service employs lots of people in Kentucky. UPS Airlines is headquartered in Louisville. They are not ignorant of the culture in this state and the soreness that game represents. Yet, as part of their “Logistics” line of commercials, UPS saw fit to use the 20-year anniversary of the game as fodder for promoting their business.
Notice… “That changes the game…” — Laettner hits shot, beating Kentucky — “…and that is what we do.”
UPS is using the commercial to talk about the “logistics” of the pass to Laettner. But, they are ignoring the sensitive issue of his unsportsmanlike conduct earlier in the game. We Big Blue Nation fans respect someone who can beat us fair and square . (Ask anyone who watched the Indiana game this year.) To Kentuckians, Laettner is not a hero. He’s a cheater who ended up winning. Not a smart business plan to align yourself with that guy in Kentucky.
“That is what we do.”
UK fans are ticked. And, in case you haven’t heard, Kentucky is to basketball what Alabama is to football. It’s a religion here. We fired our last coach because he didn’t bleed enough blue.
Kentucky state senator Ernie Harris graduated from Kentucky, he flew UPS planes, and he is the chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. He is among the many Kentuckians who think the ad is in poor taste in a state that has supported and staffed UPS for years.
“UPS should be supporting this community that they care so much about… Not hating on its fans!”
“Apparently UPS is attempting to get some legislature passed in their favor – Contact your area representative and voice your outrage…Tell them NOT to pass the legislature UPS is wanting…”
“This is the greatest ad I’ve ever seen… for FedEx.”
“I just want to know what ad exec would actually say, “Hey, I’ve got it. Let’s do a commercial about the shot heard around the world in ’92. Oh, and let’s show it during March Madness.” UK has the biggest fan base of any other college team… What kind of results were you expecting from this, really?!”
“Hey clueless execs, way to boost FedEX revenue. Idiots.”
“Will never use UPS again. GO BIG BLUE!”
“Really, how long has UPS been in Louisville KENTUCKY, your ad team must be sniffing jet fuel. Looks like my new prefered carrier is anyone but UPS.”
“They need to pull this ad immediately and apologize for it.”
“This guy just joined Team FedEX”
“FedEx thanks you for this horrible commercial. GO BIG BLUE!!!”
“It’s not the shot that pisses people off about that moment it’s the fact that Laettner stomped on the chest of Timberlake and should not have been in that game at that moment. He gets glorified for the good he did and the AWFUL gets swept under the rug. So UPS the moral of this story is you are supporting a scumbag and slapping ALL UK fans in the face!!!”
“Perhaps UPS needs to be more aware of their Central Ky base. If they were, they would realize that we are fanatic about our Big Blue ball…and we will literally drive a few extra miles to get to a FedEx now.”
“UPS will never get another dime from me”
UPS has responded to the comments on its page by linking to a blog written by an employee, a UK fan, basically telling UK fans that it is in the past and that they should get over it:
“I know our new ads will anger some UK fans, but if you truly look at that game with an objective eye, it’s hard to think of a better example of what determined people working together toward a common goal can accomplish – and that’s what UPS is all about.
No one should think that UPS has some kind of anti-UK bias. On the contrary, UPS loves Kentucky. We love it so much we established our primary air hub in the commonwealth, which has driven the creation of 33,000 jobs with $300 million in annual payroll.”
“Hard to think of a better example…”? How stupid is this guy? Digging the hole even deeper.
“… driven the creation of 33,000 jobs…” In other words, we make jobs here. So, shut up.
That is what we do.
This approach is not working well either, judging by comments on that blog post:
“Do you really think using this ad will boost business? I will not use UPS again. I will use Fed Ex or the U.S. mail. I’m sure you don’t care, however it will make me feel better every time the U.S. mail truck or the Fed Ex truck makes my deliveries. Hows that for logistics?”
“I cannot imagine why UPS would think this commercial in anyway speaks to logistics! “Logic” would dictate that you have just alienated millions of Big Blue Nation fans! Your analysis, albeit from a so called UK fan point of view does not make this horrible commercial palatable! I shipped a package from Lexington today and specifically used FedEx because of this commercial ….logistics….I think not!! GO BIG BLUE!”
The blogger responeded:
“Thanks for your comments. Obviously everyone is entitled to their opinion, but we approached this campaign very carefully, including sharing the materials with the University of Kentucky, who approved their use.
Personally I can’t allow myself to dwell on the past. I was inspired by the effort and teamwork displayed by “the Unforgettables” and even though the loss was painful, I look back at that moment with nothing but a deep sense of pride.
The commercial isn’t a commentary about the players or the teams involved, or even specifically about college basketball. We’re just using this game as a metaphor about logistics and the value UPS brings to our customers.”
Why would this company – why would ANY company – argue with its customers?! Maybe because they think of them as their workers rather than their customers? That is what we do. But, that only made things worse:
“I am a UK grad who thought people were overreacting to the commercial…until I saw the response from UPS and from you. If the commercial wasn’t about college basketball, why did it debut on Selection Sunday and why did you ‘approach this campaign very carefully?’ UPS should just own up to the fact the powers that be KNEW there would be a negative reaction from a large fan base in the state that is home to the company’s primary air hub. Own up to the decision. Condescension doesn’t sit well on anyone, especially a large corporation in a rough economy.”
“Here’s an idea for your next UPS ad. How about you detail the “logistics” of a major company receiving huge tax breaks from a state as an incentive to move there. Then you could show the “teamwork” required to make an ad highlighting the most heartbreaking moment in that state’s sports history. Sounds like another winner. It’s bad you wrote this post trying to justify the ad, but to do so in such a condescending manner explaining to everyone how great the play the play makes it even worse.”
“If what you are saying is true, then use footage from another upset against UK. It isn’t the shot we remember, it is the fact that Laettner should never have been allowed to play at that point in the game. He should have been ejected. Being beat wasn’t what made the game memorable for true UK fans, it was being beat by someone with no class who was rude towards our players. You don’t literally step on the chest of another player and have class. Use footage from our Indiana game this year. Use any other footage at all but using this one particular game proves you don’t have any idea of what you are doing as a marketing expert. Know the whole story, not just part of it. Use a game that ended with class and show that you are smart enough to not turn your back on an entire state of fans.”
Most of the debate is about whether or not Kentucky fans should “get over it” and try to understand how this all relates to “logistics”. But, the execs at UPS should really be asking themselves right now, “Is it smart, from a business perspective, to be seen as using something this emotionally sensitive to this many people to advertise in their own state? Is it wise to pair something people loathe with ‘That is what we do‘?”
Or, maybe UPS figures we will all just shut up since they are writing checks in this state?