Thursday, December 31, 2009

Best in Movies: 2009

THE BLIND SIDE


District 9 (Sci-Fi Awesomeness)
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (Dark, Sad, Powerful)
I Love You, Man (Funny, Ha Ha)
The Blind Side (Best Movie of the Year)
It’s Complicated (Hilarious)

6th Movie: The Fourth Kind (Freaky, Scream Worthy)

Best in Music: 2009

MTV TRL Presents The Jonas Brothers, T.I., Lady GaGa and Boys Like Girls


Bat For Lashes ~ Two Suns
Brandi Carlile ~ Give Up The Ghost
Neko Case ~ Middle Cyclone
Lady Gaga ~ The Fame Monster (C'mon, the best reason to dance in 2009)
Phoenix ~ Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

6th CD: Andrew Bird ~ Noble Beast

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Man wearing Happy New Year party hat and blowing noise maker

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Another Record Night for Wall, Another Blowout Win for UK

Long Beach v Kentucky


Once again John Wall has shown why so many people (UK fans especially) are taking every opportunity they are presented with to do the "John Wall dance." The Wildcats crushed Hartford 104-61. Meanwhile, John Wall broke a record previously held by Travis Ford by dishing out 16 assists in last night's throw down. Our feathered 'friends' to the west enter Rupp on Saturday.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tied, But Not Broken

Portrait of businesswoman tied up in rope


The women's basketball team ends 2009 having tied the longest win streak at 11. The Wildcats, by losing to Middle Tennessee State 57-51, were unable to reach 12 wins in a row to set a new record. Overconfidence, too much eggnog, or a combination of the two might have cost the Wildcats the game. Nevertheless, the Wildcats have started the 2009-2010 season with a bang; 11-1 heading into the SEC is impressive.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Reversal of Fortune

A broken fortune cookie


The UK football team falls to Clemson 21-13. Brooks & Co. just never seemed to be in the game tonight. The Wildcats got off to a decent start, but finished horribly. On a positive note, UK should be better next year and in the hunt for a 5th straight bowl bid.

UK Football: Good Morning Nashville

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt


The Kentucky football team has already set a new school record by going to its fourth-consecutive bowl game. If today's ACC-SEC clash between Clemson and Kentucky sounds familiar, it is because the two met in the very same bowl in 2006 - Kentucky won 28-20 in an upset victory. A win by the Wildcats today wouldn't be nearly as shocking, as the Wildcats have been winning bowl games ever since they tamed the Tigers in the last meeting between the two programs. In addition, a quick flip through the pages of the history books reveals that UK has come out on top in 8 of 12 meetings against Clemson. Go Big Blue!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wildcats Win Again; Cousins Needs to Keep It Cool

Long Beach v Kentucky


The 49ers of Long Beach St. came to Rupp Arena with a huge Christmas present on their minds, but left empty handed. While DeMarcus Cousins continues to struggle with maintaining his composure from time to time, the big guy still pulled down another double-double in helping Kentucky to an 86-73 victory, and a 13-0 record. Clearly the Wildcats are better when their starting five are able to remain on the floor. At the break, the game was tied at 37.

UK Hoops: Streakin' Through the Holidays

SUSSEX V AUSTRALIA


The Kentucky women’s team is on the verge of setting a new school-record: 12 wins in a row. Last night the Wildcats took down the University of Tennessee at Martin 87-47. In order to set the new school record, the Wildcats must go on the road (Dec 28th) when they take on Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro.

There is little doubt that the state of Tennessee will be invaded by the Big Blue Faithful in the days ahead. On December the 27th the football Wildcats will play in what has seemed like the “Big Blue Bowl” in recent years. Nevertheless, it’s still called the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Hopefully, the women’s team will benefit from having so many (additional) Wildcat fans nearby. Keep Streakin’ Wildcats!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

UK Hoops: Unbeaten and Rewriting the History Books

Big Blue Madness


Nearly lost in all the excitement of the men’s basketball team becoming the first team to reach 2000 victories is the fact that the women’s team remains undefeated with a 10-0 record – that’s a record start. Tonight, against the University of Tennessee at Martin, the Wildcats could tie the program’s longest win streak of 11 in a row. It’s truly a great time to be a Kentucky Wildcat fan!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Dragon Slayers: Kentucky Wildcats Make History

Dragon breathing fire


Once again the crowd at Rupp Arena was treated to a 40 minute highlight reel. The Wildcats slayed the Drexel Dragons to reach victory number 2,000. The talent-rich Cats put on quite the show in the first half before going deep into their bench after the break en route to an 88-44 blowout. A number of former Wildcat players were in the house as well as former Wildcat coach Joe B. Hall. If there was a letdown, it was that Ashley Judd wasn’t on hand. On the other hand, maybe the camera crew didn’t try hard enough to locate her.

For me, the best part was hearing Patrick Patterson speak after the game. Patrick is so well-spoken; he will be truly missed the moment he steps off the UK campus. The team chemistry this year is something that I have not noticed since Chuck Hayes was a Wildcat – it makes watching this team a real delight. It’s great to see Rupp Arena rocking once again. The Big Blue faithful had to suffer through some challenging seasons in recent years, but (so far) the only challenge this season has been trying to get to the refrigerator and back before Wall & Co. have put up another dozen points.

Purrfect Night for 2,000

Kansas v Kentucky


I can’t imagine a better way to kick off Christmas week – that is, if you’re a Kentucky Wildcat fan. Tonight the Wildcats take on the Drexel Dragons for win number 2,000. Rupp Arena should be packed and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few well-known faces in the house – Oh Ashley!

Not only should Rupp Arena be packed, but a national audience will get to witness as history is being made – thank you ESPNU! It only seems fitting that the Wildcats will hit win number 2,000 in Rupp Arena in front of the Big Blue faithful. Coach Calipari and the team should really take the time to treasure this moment. Once the 2,000th win has been recorded, it will be awhile before another milestone like this will be within reach. Of course, winning an 8th national title would be a great way to distract fans from thinking about how long it could take to reach 3,000 wins.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Coach Cal and the Wildcats Party Like it’s 1999

It’s time for the Wildcats to party like it is 1999 – because it is. The Wildcats now sit at the threshold of 2,000 total wins after taking down the Governors of Austin Peay 90-69. The Wildcats will take on the Drexel Dragons this Monday night at 7:00 eastern to become the first college basketball team to reach 2,000 total victories. Equally noteworthy is the fact that Coach Cal has now broken the record for the best start by a UK coach during an inaugural season. Coach Cal and his young Wildcats are now 11-0. If there has ever been a time to party like its 1999 – this is it.

-Johnny Blue

A Blog is Born

Blue Observations is a Kentucky Wildcat fan blog. Yes, I (Johnny Blue) am a Kentucky Wildcat fan, but that’s where the relationship between this blog and the University of Kentucky ends. Did you hear that NCAA? Zero Affiliation!

You see, you have to be clear about every little detail whenever you mention the University of Kentucky because there are always a bunch of chatty, jealous types waiting and sifting through the minutiae in search of anything which could be turned into some kind of potential NCAA violation. Moreover, whenever Kentucky is having a particularly good year (UK is currently 10-0) you can bet your bottom dollar that the “haters” are going to be crawling out of the woodwork, and fast.

Interestingly, the birth of this blog can (in part) be attributed to those who take every opportunity they get to criticize the Wildcats and their fans. Oh yes, UK fans are called crazy lunatics who know little more of the world than the fact that it is round (like a basketball) and that everything in the state of Kentucky is, to some degree, a shade of blue.

Even the Louisville Cardinals have managed to find a way to incorporate a little “blue” into its red-feathered program. How you might ask? Rick Pitino became forever a part of the UK program when he led the Wildcats to an NCAA division 1 title in 1996. He will carry this piece of “UK Blue” with him for the rest of his life. Unquestionably, Louisville fans have long hoped that the former UK coach would bring a title back to Louisville. Yet, Pitino has never been able to give to Louisville what he accomplished in Lexington – a national title. In fact, Pitino has often looked like a man who lost his best friend since his return to college coaching after a forgettable stint in the NBA. Certainly, the UK/UL rivalry was bolstered by Pitino’s decision to cross over into enemy territory, but Pitino has never seemed to shine at Louisville quite the way he did at UK. Nevertheless, UK fans can thank Pitino for keeping the rivalry between UK and UL interesting. The next meeting between UK & UL should prove to be one of the more intriguing meetings of the intrastate rivalry given that new UK coach John Calipari and Rick Pitino are two of the most well-known coaches in all of college basketball, and that both have forever etched their names into the UK history books.

To close out this first post, it’s worth mentioning (barely) that the latest jab at the Wildcats and the blue faithful was hurled by the one (and thank goodness the only) Bobby Knight. How a man with such a sordid past found the gall to lambaste another coach is beyond comprehension. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot. Not surprisingly, Knight has found a home at ESPN which has a knack for hiring sports bobble heads with a penchant for disparaging the Wildcats and their fans. I understand that putting down heavyweights in the world of sports is a common practice, but I personally believe that those slinging the mud should take a look around their own backyards before pointing their soiled fingers at anyone else.

Signed,
-Johnny Blue

Sam Houston State v Kentucky