&he> (do/As' BaM&&
On The Air At WHASAll In A Nights Work
A Tough Job, But Someone Has To Do It
K guys, you ready?" Van Vance said, as the red secondhand on the clock above the large glass studio window ticked up to 12. It was five past 7 p.m. last Wednesday night at WHAS Radio.
1
Bob Watkins
Cats' Pause Columnist
Terry Meiners, the station's court jester had just finished his hift and was clowning around with Vance, asking if Sade, along with the Pointer Sisters, were his former wives? Everyone in the room broke up
A button lying on a studio table has a picture of Meiners' smiling face on it under the words: "This guy gets paid to act stupid."
In the next studio, Mary Jeffries was wrapping up a news summary and it was time for Sports Call with Van Vance. WHAS's popular call-in show. His three guests for the next two hours slipped pairs of headsets and leaned forward to the sponge-covered microphones extending out of steam-shovel shaped adjustable arms.
"Here we go, guys," Vance said, as a lady in the next studio raised her hand to cue him as a commercial came to a conclusion. She pulled her hand down and Vance launched into his show. It would be a roundtable discussion of sports issues and personalities, he said. Then came the introductionsRuss Brown, veteran sports reporter for the Courier-Journal, and columnist Rick Bozich. and Bob Watkins. Van invited callers to ring us up. and before he could finish his opening remarks, the six telephone lines on his console lit up. As "Gary from Louisville" found out, it would be a long wait before he would get a chance to speak up and take some shots at Kentucky basketball coach Eddie Sutton.
The things that happened on and off the air from 7 to 9 at WHAS Radio last Wednesday were a delight. Try and imagine sitting around on a wet, cold winter evening talking about your job (sports, for heaven's sake) with three other fellows who get paid to do the same thing. Tough duty.
The telephone calls came and went, most of them wanting to "get on" Bozich and he loved every moment of it.
"Bob from Louisville" wanted to know why Russ Brown had not written anything about U of L football or basketball in nine days.
And later, "Gary from Lousiville" wanted to know if I was wearing blue, because I had to be a UK fan. Brown told him my sweater was blue, but did not say that his was red. And Bozich did not mention his red and white baseball cap that said "The Lord is My Shepherd, but Bob Knight is My Coach" across the front.
It didn't take long before a caller wanted to know who we thought would be the winners in Saturday's Big Four clash at the Hoosierdome.
Brown, who covers Louisville, picked the Cardinals over Notre Dame, because the Irish looked flat in a 76-59 loss to Indiana the night before. He predicted Kentucky would beat Indiana in a close one.
Bozich picked UofL in a close one and Indiana over Kentucky.
And I predicted Louisville would win by six points and UK by about the same over the Hoosiers.
After a commercial break "Charlie from Tompkinsville" was on the line to talk about how and why we ought to get rid of UK football coach Jerry Claiborne. "I know some of these sports writers want to talk about what a good man Claiborne is and how his boys graduate and all that, but they don't win no football games? Ain't that what they're supposed to be doing?"
If Claiborne was fired, who would Charlie like to see replace him?
"Anybody," he said.
Charlie worked hard to make the point that Claiborne ought to be fired. Vance listened attentively, then concluded with a nice volley: "Okay Charlie, if (Mark) Higgs had gone over on that last play (against Tennessee) would you feel differently?"
"Oh Lord, I don't know," Charlie said. Everyone broke up.
During the next commerical break, I suggested an "all-mystery team" from UK and UofL consisting of Ivy Joe Hunter, Al Baker, Richard Madison and Derrick Miller of Kentucky and Tony Kimbro of UofL.
Next, a caller from Atlanta wanted to know why "you guys in the media keep covering up for Bob Knight?"
We all laughed. Brown shook his head. Bozich expressed exasperation, reminding us that he has written "11 or 12 columns ripping Knight" for his long list of tirades and tantrums. Vance asked me "What do people down your way
VIEWPOINT
Lottr To Ths IdUor
think of Bobby?" They think he's nuts, I said.
Clearly enjoying himself, Vance, at the next commercial break, stopped laughing long enough to remind us that we should watch our comments because the security guard at WHAS this evening "is Terry Meiners." More laughs.
The clock had wound to 8:47 when Gary came on the line.
"Oh man, I been waitin' on here for an hour and 40 minutes," he said. "I done remodeled the bathroom and painted the kitchen while I was waitin' ". Vance doubled over laughing. Brown asked Gary, "Well, was it worth it?" Eveyone broke up.
Gary was still sore about Sutton's "Little Brother comment" before the Kentucky-Louisville game last year at Freedom Hall, he said.
Bozich figured that Sutton probably regretted the comment. I disagreed in light of UK's 34-point victory over the Cardinals.
"Oh man, you got to be a Kentucky fan," Gary said. "Is that man wearing blue?" he said. Vance began to laugh again Brown winked.
Suddenly the two hours had melted away. Vance's six telephone lines were still lit up when Milton Metz arrived for his two-hour show with sex therapist Jean Koehler.
Vance asked Milton if maybe Ms. Koehler would like to take some of the calls still waiting on the Sports Call line. Milt smiled. Ms. Koehler didn't seem too interested.
Terry Meiners had gone home. As we left the studio, Vance wondered if Brown and Bozich, who live in Indiana, would be able to get home safely.
"Wonder if they've burned the bridges down?" he said.
Suddenly from around the corner came Denny Crum, having just completed a television show in another part of the building. "You all been on radio, huh?" he said. "Gee, I'm sorry I missed that. Didja have a good time?"
You bet, Coach. But it was all in a night's work.
UK ranked No. 2
While last week's The Sporting News had Kentucky ranked 15th behind 14th ranked Louisville, the Wildcats were No. 2 in the Associated Press poll.
The reviews were predictably mixed.
"It's a great feeling," Rex Chapman said. "I haven't ever been on a team rated this high before. I think it's great."
Senior Winston Bennett was more sober. "I think it's too early, because we've got a lot to do yet. But it's nice to have the pressure put on us like this because it means you've got to be ready to play every night now."
Sutton: "I agree with Winston, but I think we're a little overrated right now, but then that's the Kentucky tradition. I don't think North Carolina is better than we are and I don't think Indiana is.
"I'm not sure that Wyoming isn't the best team in the country right now," he added. "But this puts us at a point up there where everybody's shooting at us. Of course, everybody shoots at Kentucky anyway."
Sutton on 3-pointer
The 3-point basket came to high school basketball in Kentucky last week and I asked University of Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton how he sees affecting the game.
"I think the three-point shot is going to drive high school coaches crazy for awhile just like it did some of us college coaches," Sutton said. "But once they and the players adjust to it, and the coaches learn how to defense it, they're going to like it. I know the fans are going to love it.
"But there's going to be a period of adjustment for coaches and players. They're all going to have to go through it."
The most significant impact, the UK coach pointed out, is "that now the game is never over like it used to be."
The distance, 19 feet, nine inches?
"I think eventually the college line will be moved back to the international distance , but the 19 foot distance for high school is perfect. It's exciting."
The areas, I believe will be impacted most by the three point shot are these:
*s Defense. Ideally, the three-point threat (if a team has more than one or two) will require more man-to-man defenses and that's good for basketball anytime.
However, fans are liable to see exotic defenses too  box-and-chaser, triangle and twos.
^ The officials. In college basketball's first season with the three-pointer last year, three officials had their hands full monitoring the game. Two officials, with a considerably lower level of skill and experience, may have more than they can handle with this rules change coupled with the coach's box rules change.
The future of the three point shot may rest with how well two officials manage to control the game.
Finally, the three point shot is the best thing to happen to high school basketball since abolition of the center jump after every basket.
"We had an 11 point lead on the Russians with three minutes left," Sutton said. "They hit a couple of free throws and three
[Continued On Page 22]
Pardon My Brother
Dear Sir:
Although I have written letters to The Cats' Pause before, they have been written during basketball season. But, I now feel led to write you and do something I did not think I would ever be called upon to do. Yes, I must write and scold my older brother, my senior of nine years.
Since I (and my two brothers and two sisters) have been able to remember, if you lived under our parents' roof, you were cut regularly by my father to make sure you bled blue. If any traces of red were to dribble from your wound, you were sent to your room to rebuild your Big Blue corpuscles or pack your clothes, take your pick.
We have always been the biggest of Big Blue fans, but I will admit that most of my family has lived and died more with the basketball team than the football team. But then there are my oldest sister and youngest older brother, the subject of this letter. They are both, or I always thought they were both, as big a football fan as basketball. They attend every home football game (or at least my sister does), and every away game that "she" can get tickets and transportation to.
I have always looked at my older siblings following of the football team with great respect and admiration. I follow the football team and support them, but I was never able to match their enthusiasm for UK football as I did for basketball. Then the bomb was dropped. My big brother wrote to you just a few' months ago at the first of the football season;. He told of his undying support of Jerry Claiborne and his team, "our" team. The team that was bringing UK football to national prominence and all that. Then we got upset by Rutgers, I mean, you know, we aren't allowed to get upset.
Then Georgia beat us in a close one. Georgia? Georgia, you say? I know, I know, Georgia doesn't beat anybody, do they?! And the LSU loss befre that one! Boy did that set him off! LSU and Georgia, two also-rans in a row!
Hey Claiborne! What are you doing over there, boy? My brother is screaming for your scalp! You committed the unpardonable sin by letting Vandy and Florida of all people beat you! I know you haven't had much experience coaching on the Division I level but come on! Florida? You caused my staunch, die-hard, unwavering big brother to sell his tickets to the Tennessee game.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's a sad state of affairs at this Danville fan club. My very own brother has fallen by the wayside. He had the nerve to say, "Well, it's basketball season now," after the Oct. 15th Midnight Madness! Yes dear brother, you have laid waste to all my great respect and admiration for your "great" support of the football team. But there is always big sister. Yeah, we always thought she was a little addled, you know. But it turns out she is a "true" Blue fan!
She is the one we look to now as the shining light of the family. She doesn't let her heart overrule her thinking. She understands that Jerry is trying to put together a winning team with discipline, good coaching, and extreme dedication. And he is doing this: 1) In a dominating football conference. The best from top to bottom in the country; 2) At a "basketball" school, where roundball takes top billing every year; and 3) He is gradually building a support and following (as evidenced by the Erv Nutter training center) but it takes time.
Come on big brother, and all football fans, as well as basketball fans. Let's be proud to say we were there in the bad times, as well as the good, when Kentucky is a force in the SEC and the country in football as well as [Continued On Page 20]