Hacker To Speak In E'town
Observations and things. Second banana. Ralph Hacker is to Cawood Ledford on University of Kentucky football and basketball radio broadcasts what Trapper John Mclntyre was to Hawkeye and Ed McMahan is to Johnny Carson. A solid (and vital) support man.
Frequently, perhaps because of their second banana roles, "sidekicks" are more willing and less pretentious communicators than are the "stars of the show." Members and guests at the Elizabethtown Rotary Club hope so because so anyway since Hacker will be the featured speaker at the club's luncheon next week, Feb. 12.
"I'm not a fancy talker and I don't have nearly the charisma that Cawood does," Hacker said last week. "I'll probably talk about the oil cartel in the Middle East and how it affects the socio-economic situation of southeast Texas."
Laughs.
"No, basically I'll talk some about sports, but some about business too," he added. "Sports is a hobby to me. What I really want to get in to is how the Final Four (at Rupp Arena Mar. 30-Apr. 1) has affected our city and what preparations have been made and are being made, and what affect it's going to have on our area after it's over with."
Bob Watkins
Cats* Pause Columnist
A native of Richmond, Hacker has been Ledford's color highlights man on UK broadcasts since the early 1970s. He broke into broadcasting under the irrepressible Claude Sullivan in the mid-1960s and did play-by-play of UK freshmen basketball games when Dan Issel was a rookie (1967).
Hacker's "Trapper" in those days was Tom Hammond, now a celebrity in his on right as play-by-play man on the Lorimar Sports Network.
On the business side Hacker serves on a number of committees for Lexington Mayor Scotty Baesler and is a member of the city's Chamber of Commerce. He points with more than a little pride to the impact the Final Four project has had on central Kentucky's hub city, Lexington, its citizens and the region.
"It's been tremendous, unbelievable the way so many people have come together on this thing," Hacker said. "Those are some of the things I want to talk about in E'town."
And Hacker believes the Final Four may have an impact as far west as Bardstown and E'town.
"I spoke to the Chamber of Commerce in Bardstown a few months ago about it," he explained. "And they got to checking and started making some preparations too. I really think it could impact out that far."
Business and the "socio-economics" aside, Hacker admitted that he will not be able to resist talking sports too. Obviously his unique position near the UK football and basketball programs make him privy to the goings on behind the scenes.
Nice job, Joe B.
Kentucky's basketball coach certainly has his critics and I have been among the thousands of perplexed hoop fans who wonder from time to time about some of the decisions for which Hall is paid in five figures. It is our right of course and Joe's burden. But he understands (grrrrr!) that second guesses come with the turf.
But it was "take a bow time" last week for Joe Hall. His game plan against Louisiana State was flawless and significant in a broader sense, I think, because it demonstrates how Hall is able to "adjust" to circumstances and win.
At times I think Hall it at his best when pressed against the wall.
"It was our feeling that LSU would not react well to tempo," Hall said after the LSU game. "Control was very important to winning this game."
Yes. And demonstrating once more that hoopball is really a simple endeavor, Hall did something else. Knowing full well that his Wildcats are shooting a meager 44.6 percent for the season, he turned down his club's offense. Hall's tempo strategy had a built-in featurethe fewer shots a mediocre shooting team puts up, the better its chances of winning. Kentucky tried 34, made 17, and allowed LSU only 36 tries.
Simple.
But there was more.
For Hall's strategy to succeed LSU had to help. And it did beginning of course with Coach Dale Brown.
Hall: "We expected they would come back after halftime in a man-to-man defense, apply some pressure. But we were pleased when they didn't."
Brown, despite his ballyhooed talent and a "longer" bench than UK's, decided not to pressure UK, but instead to play the game Hall's way even when the Tigers drew even at 33-33.
Presumably, Brown was so concerned with defensing Kenny Walker inside and so confident that UK could not hit the basket outside, he chose not to play a trump cardforce the action.
That left UK the opportunity it needed to win. And Kentucky fans know their club needed a win at home and against a team like LSU, desperately.
Most valuable player in the LSU game? Walker's contribution aside, my vote went to Bret Bearup and Roger Harden.
It was Bearup's best game since he came to UKeight points, eight rebounds and each, it seemed, came at a critical juncture.
Harden? Like Hall, the little Hoosier has his critics, but he accounted for 20 points: three basketsone of them a clutch 22-footer down the stretchand seven assists.
Finally, UK's win came by way of a 50 percent shooting night, 17 of 34. Last year's Cincinnati game aside, does anyone remember the last time UK shot only 34 times in 40 minutes?
Nice job, Joe B.
Now, what are you going to do for UK fans next?
Bearup Muscles In 8 Points Against LSU
Letters
From Elizabethtown John Howard writes: "Who do you consider Joe B. Hall's best players and could you compare them to (Adolph) Rupp's best in anyway? "Here is my (Hall) list."
1. Kevin Grevey  could shoot any time, anywhere.
2. Jack 'Goose' Givens  probably the best pure shooter.
3. Charlie Hurt  went virtually unnoticed, but the things he did without the ball, both on offense and defense, was things of beauty. He was never idle.
4. Rick Robey  never gave up.
5. Kyle Macy  the coach on the floor. Probably one of the smartest players at Kentucky.
6. Mel Turpin  considering the progress he made from high school.
7. Sam Bowie  his sophomore year should be (printed) on a plaque and hung on the wall.
And, oh yes...
8. Kenny Walker  does everything and does it well."
John offered a postscript. "My early Final Four  St. John's, Duke, Texas Tech and DePaul. Comment: Thank you, John.
Adolph Rupp would never be pinned down on who he thought his best players were, but I believe there "might be" eight who could match those mentioned above.
Let's see, how about...
1. Dan Issel (70)  perhaps only one UK eager played as hard, as long as the school's all-time leading scorer. Kenny Walker.
2. Ralph Beard ('49)  except for Bob Cousy, might have been the finest guard of his time.
3. Louie Dampier ('67)  best pure shooter ever at UK.
4. Cliff Hagan ('54)  smooth and a clutch player.
5. Frank Ramsey ('54)  There was no semi-tough about this swing man.
6. Cotton Nash ('64)  A rugged talent who played out of position (center).
7. Alex Groza ('49)  Olympian and consensus Ail-American.
8. Bob Burrow ('56)  a premier rebounder. Comment: Anyone else?
v (Continued on Page 22)