Calipari Gets A Corn Maze In His Likeness

It seems like having a corn maze in someone's likeness is all the rage nowdays. The latest to get a corn maze in his honor is Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari.

This was done at the corn maze at Kelley Farms.

“We think a lot of Coach Calipari,” said farm owner John Kelley. “He’s almost like part of the family. Kelley. Calipari. I think we might be related, somewhere way back,” he laughs.



“Really, we just want to let Coach Cal know how much he means to Kentucky and how much Kentucky appreciates having him lead our basketball team.”


In addition to the image of Coach Cal, this year’s maze will also feature a basketball-themed word puzzle, spread throughout the winding paths.

The people of Kentucky would appreciate it even more if he can bring home a national championship.

More Rumblings In The Conference Landscape

Yesterday Texas A&M made a decision to leave the Big 12 by July of 2012, more than likely to the SEC. The Big 12 has been in survival mode since last year when Nebraska and Colorado jumped ship to the Big Ten and Pac-12 respectively. The conference nearly imploded and pledged to stay together for the future.

That was until the people in Aggieland got so upset at their blood rivals in Austin and figured they've had enough. Now there's this, right out of the Austin American Statesman. Kirk Bohls wrote a piece titled 'One more move and Big 12 is over'.


If you read this, they're putting the future of the Big 12 squarely on Oklahoma's back. In the process keeping the blood off of their hands. The folks at Texas would love for Oklahoma to make the first move and bolt for the Pac-12 so that they can blame the conference's demise on someone other than themselves. I'm no insider but I bet if I asked anyone down in College Station who blew up the Big 12 and they'd say Texas. To me Texas and Oklahoma are joined at the hip and they aren't going anywhere without each other. On the other hand the Big 12 still has options as long as Oklahoma and Texas are around.

So far the speculation has linked Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, BYU, Air Force, Louisville,Houston and SMU. The Big 12 would love to have Arkansas come back home and return to their roots but I'm not sure they are feel ing the same way toward the Big 12. Notre Dame has reaffrimed their independence and axes Pittsburgh as a possible mate. Notre Dame's independence makes me want conference armageddon to come sooner than later. I'm not sold on Louisville as a Big 12 member, but they would be credible in basketball but who cares about that sport anyway. All of this is football driven. I've always thought that Houston should've been included in the original Big 12.

There are stories about BYU and Air Force having contact with Big 12 officials and SMU has been politicking to get back into the big time.  

If there's this much backbiting going on as the article stated, they should've parted ways already.

Jonas Valanciunas Gets A Rap Song

Even the most hyped rookies don't have anyone pay homage to them. But those rookies aren't Toronto Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas.

Valanciunas hasn't played an NBA game and we'll never know when he'll actually hit the hardwood, but a rap group from Toronto by the name of O'Grime has made him the focus of their song.



I don't know how serious they (O'Grime) feel about Big V, but the Raptor fans better hope he can live up to his lofty draft status. 

  

Posterized

This isn't the kind of poster a basketball player dreams of having when he grows up.

As of now Javaris Crittenton says he will turn himself in and says he's innocent. 

Crittenton will be on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta and should arrive in his hometown "very early [Tuesday] morning," said attorney Brian Steel, retained by family members earlier Monday.



Mr. Crittenton wants to clear his name," Steel told the AJC. "He's innocent of the charges."


I'd rather be on the poster getting dunked on with nuts in the face, than an FBI poster. Really though, no one knows if he's innocent or guilty. We'll have to let the justice system run it's course.

 

Pistons Likely To Get Rid Of Hamilton After The Lockout

There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the NBA lockout and the future of some players. What isn't too surprising is that when or if the lockout ends the Detroit Pistons will resume shopping Richard Hamilton.

This news isn't a surprise to anyone. Hamilton hasn't been the same player ever since Chauncey Billups was shipped to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. His production has tailed off, but I attribite that to the Pistons' decline. Clashing with former coaches Michael Curry and John Kuester didn't help either. The latter feud landed him an extended role on the bench. Call me what you want but I still feel Hamilton got a raw deal on that one. Of course many of us don't know what happened behind the scenes. At that point and time I probably would've traded Rip for a bobsled.

Some of it is perfromance related, but as I stated before you can tie his lack of production (14.1 points) last season to the team's all around bad performance. Hamilton did act like a spoiled child who figured since he has one championship under his belt that he should be given more respect. Hamilton lost a lot of respect with Piston fans over the last year.

The reason why he hasn't been dealt was because of the ridiculous contract extension Hamilton signed right before Billups was shipped out of town. The contract was a deal breaker but according to a report by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press it might not be as troublesome as it once seemed.

He's owed roughly $21 million over the next two seasons, as the second year is only partially guaranteed. And remember president of basketball operations Joe Dumars has almost traded Hamilton several times when the financial burden was greater.


We'll have to see what happens when the season resumes and see are the Pistons willing to let go of the remnants of the 2004 championship team.

Quote Of The Week: Stan Van Gundy

In light of the Miami Hurricanes scandal, Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy had some disparaging remarks about the NCAA.

“The system is set up for everybody but the kids while pretending to be about the kids,” Van Gundy said. “Athletics and education should be separate. Colleges shouldn’t be farm systems. It doesn’t make any logical sense. But the schools don’t want to be blatantly in the situation of being professional sports even though they already are professional sports. They just want to disguise it, so they hide behind education. But, really, all you want is enough of your athletes to graduate so it looks like that’s what you care about. Anyone around sports knows it is all a bunch of bull [expletive].


I think if you let kids take inducements it would widen the gap between the haves and have nots in college athletics. On the other hand the rules are so archaic and they need to be revised.

One Angry Bear

After not seeing the field against the Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears running back Chester Taylor's days appear to be numbered.

Matt Forte is the unquestioned starter and Taylor was the backup...last year. The Bears went out and signed Marion Barber to give them some more quality depth at the position. What Taylor didn't count on was Khalil Bell coming out of nowhere to steal his preseason carries.

Of course Taylor isn't too excited about it.

"My running backs coach (Tim Spencer) told me after I came out for pregame that I wasn't playing," Taylor said. "He didn't give me no reason or no excuse or nothing. It can't be from the competition because it's hard to get three carries in a preseason game and the other players are getting 13, 14 carries. That's not comparing anything. It's not from production and play."

"Yeah, I'm disappointed,'' he said. "I'm practicing all week thinking I'm going to play. Just for them to come out of the blue and say that, yeah, I'm disappointed."

Some might say that Taylor has talked his way out of town. I think it has more to do with production and his contract. Keep in mind that Taylor signed a four-year, $12.5 million deal last year and produced 112 carries for 267 yards. A mere 2.4 yards per carry. That kind of production will keep you on the sidelines and make the team look for cheaper options.

If the Bears cut Taylor, I believe he could still land on his feet somewhere. Possibly their division rival Detroit Lions, who are still sorting out their options for another backup to Jahvid Best.