Alan Ruck's Friday News And Views

Hello, my name is Will Lentz, and I’m from the internet.  Part of my responsibilities are to inform you of all the weird stuff out there, and that’s what I’m doing with today’s dedication.  Prepare to have your mind blown.  Happy birthday to Alan Ruck, American born actor most notable for playing Cameron Frye in one of the best movies ever made – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  In case you missed that move, you still have time to go watch it now, come back and then finish the night post.  But what it’s basically about is one free spirited high school kid (Matthew Broderick) decides to fake sick, skip school, and have a day full of wacky and zany adventures around Chicago.  He is joined by Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) his best friend yet polar opposite that is too scared to get out of bed because he believes he is dying (from a cold.)  Anyways, the plot proceeds how you’d expect.  Only now, thanks to the internet, there is a twist on the story ala Fight Club.  Ferris Bueller is no longer the main character, but a figment of Cameron’s imagination.  Cameron created Bueller to represent the life he wished he had, the one he was too anxious to try and live.  Could the whole day have taken place in Cameron’s head?  Probably not, but watch the movie again with that in mind, and see how much darker the whole thing seems.  In addition, if you ever wanted to know more about the art museum scene (and Cameron’s struggle,) check out this short commentary from the director.  Pretty cool stuff.

On to the news and views:

— The big story in UK Land was the unveiling of the new football uniforms.  They are a bit of tradition meets technology, as Nike has created some of the most ‘state of the art’ clothes you can find. Mainly looking to increase breathability, mobility, and decrease resistance and weight.  They look fancy, but the real effects won’t be seen until next season starts up.  Cosmetically the new uniforms look to bring in Kentucky tradition as well as Kentucky football tradition.  They added the Secretariat checkerboard in a number of places to show part of the commonwealths history with horses, and they added the football helmet stripe back, something that had been with Kentucky up until 2001.  I’ve heard quite a bit of griping from the comment section about the uniforms, but I really don’t see a reason why.  The checkerboard is subtle enough and featured in a small enough area that it really shouldn’t upset anyone, and other than that, most the changes are fairly negligible.  I say well done Nike.  Time to embrace the RISE concept.

— The sports story that will likely have the most fallout around Kentucky is the NBA lockout.  It’s official now, as the time limit to reach an agreement by 12:01 am on July first has passed – not to mention that the league officially announced it yesterday.  The NFL lockout seems to be pretty cut and dry – the owners want more, the players want to keep what they have. The NBA lockout is much more complicated, as the league means different things to each team and the majority of those teams are losing money every year.  It will likely be a long process, and could fundamentally change the way the league is structured, particularly if they throw at hard salary cap in the agreement.  It’s a shame though, as the league was starting to pick up steam after a great season, and the NFL lock out would have provided a great opportunity to convert new fans to the NBA.  We’ll see how long it lasts.

— Given that the NBA lock out is upon us, we now look to how it will affect the NBA age limit. ESPN was told that the NBA players union wants to see the age limit lowered – back to 18, the pre-2005 rules – effectively ending the era of One and Dones.  We have also heard that the NBA owners would be in favor of a longer age limit, perhaps requiring two (or maybe three) years removed from high school before entering the draft.  One thing you have to remember – and Mike Pratt mentioned this yesterday on KSR – this rule is merely a card for one side to play at some point in the negotiations.  It certainly isn’t something that either side cares a lot about, but will likely be given away as compensation for a compromise down the road.  It will be interesting to see what type of age limit comes out of the negotiation, but it will certainly have an impact on Kentucky.  John Calipari has mentioned a number of times that he doesn’t like the one-and-done rule, but you would be flat out wrong to say that he and Kentucky don’t benefit from it.  Of course, Calipari will likely be just as successful if it’s removed (and wildly successful if it gets upped,) but it’s something for Cats fans to keep an eye on.

— As expected, the lock out will likely bring all kinds of former Calipari and Kentucky talent to Lexington – at least until the NCAA shuts it down for some reason.  It looks like John Wall is already planning on returning, which will lead to some legendary pick up games (that if I hear Ryan Harrow dominated I might lose it,) but the returning players watch begins now.  We’ll keep you posted on who we hear is lighting it up at the Blue Courts, but don’t be afraid to send in your pictures either.  Oh, and to any of you NBA players looking for a place to crash?  Free lodging at the KSR compound.  I know life can be rough when you aren’t getting that pay check.

— Meanwhile, we all learned that Zach Myers really loves blue checkerboard.  Myers is the newest Kentucky football commit with the news coming almost directly after the new uniforms were shown off. Likely a coincidence, but hey, you can never be too sure of these things.  Myers is an offensive lineman from Miamisburg, Ohio and another addition to a recruiting class that Joker is taking care of early.  We’re happy to have Zach aboard, and with our veteran O-Line getting ready to head out the door, Myers fills a need.  And a new, high technology jersey.  RISE.

— For some reason I’ve always been a fan of Rotnei Clarke.  Maybe because he looks like the Miz, maybe because I watched too many youtube videos of him when we were recruiting him, or maybe because he shows that you don’t have to be all that athletic to be a great basketball star (there’s hope for me yet,) but whatever the reason I’ve always liked him.  Even when I’ve hated the rest of the Arkansas team, he’s been alright in my book.  The latest news with his transfer – as reported by Goodman – is that it looks like Clarke may end up at two time NCAA runner-up Butler.  Clarke wouldn’t be able to play for a year due to transfer rules, but he would be a huge get for Brad Stevens.  Butler has made it to two straight title games, but if it doesn’t want to become the next Florida (slip from relevance after back to back NCAA success,) they will need to keep their feet on the gas pedal, and Clarke would be a good way to do that.  Plus Clarke and Brad Stevens look like they’re probably brothers, so there’s that factor too.

— Finally, let’s wish a fond farewell to former UK President Lee Todd as yesterday was his last day as President of the University of Kentucky.  Todd oversaw a number of positive for the athletics program, from the hiring of Mitch Barnhart, Rich Brooks, John Calipari, John Cohen and Joker Phillips and for those we thank him (and for Gillispie we forgive.)  Still, Todd’s focus was the university and as a graduate from Kentucky under his tutelage, it’s a bitter sweet goodbye.  He was a college president that looked like a college president, and hopefully we will see his face on fat heads at UK Game Days for years to come.

Stay tuned to KSR all day for the latest in blogger uniform technology.  Plus Tee Martin and JORTS will join Matt on the air, that’s a don’t miss if I ever heard one.