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Hey, Joe: Coach Rupp and I have an idea or two
Can't you do something with that coach of yours?
Miss Spertsnews, take a memo, please.
Make it to the attention of that fellow who occupies Cliff Hagan 8 seat at the University of Kentucky. Who? Yeah, right, Mr. Burch, Joseph, but we're infor-
Earl Cox
Cats' Pause Columnist
mal so you can make it Joe. Ready9 Left got
TO Joe Bunch, acting athletics director, UK FROM: Karl (Jox, giver of free advice. SUBJECT I IE NwkptfwTl tickets and other related items.
Joe,
Most of us in Kentucky who are interested in the Wildcats have noticed your big advertisements about tickets being available to Big Blue games. In years past, that would have been a bit of a joke, wouldn't it? Joe, you're not laughing. Oh, believe me I know that we are dealing with a serious subject here, but it's still tittle boys games were talking about I mean, it isn't the earthquake in Armenia.
I know that it's serious when you start paving for those big ads in The Courier-Journal. And I know that you have a serious problem filling up seats when you have to give tickets to radio stations to give away Bfl promouoas for your sales campaign.
Pardon me, but I can imagine what Coach Rupp Mould have to say about what you are doing. He'd be telling his longtime assistant Harry Lancaster: "1 larry, listen to this! Goshawfulest thing you've ever heard. You remember how we used to have to split up the student body when we played in Alumni Gym. 1 lalf the student body could come to this game, the other half to the next game.
"And we outgrew that building. That's why they built the Coliseum What did they call that building? Oh, yes, the House that Rupp built. How could I forget that? But you know something else? We outgrew my building, too. And then came that 23,000-seat magnificent building downtown in Lexington.
"After my boys' record, they named that thing after me. Nice of them.
"But, 1 larry! I got carried away there and forgot my point. You remember how everybody bothered us to death about tickets? Well, Harry, I know you won't believe this, but damned if they aren't giving tickets away now to promote the sale of tickets! And they are paying good university money to advertise tickets in, of all places, that damned Curious-Journal. Hell, if I were coaching, I'd just call up Larry Boeck and we'd have a helluva spread in the C-J tomorrow. For nothing. Harry, it wouldn't cost anything but a phone call to Louisville.
"Harry, that's not all. I had the goshawfulest nightmare the other night. It was so silly that I had to laugh about it after I woke up. I dreamed that some little team from Louisiana - Northwestern something or other -- beat our boys recently.
"No, Harry, there's nothing wrong with me. It was
just a bad dream. I know it couldn't really happen."
Sorry, Mr. Burch. But Coach Rupp always had a way of monopolizing conversations. But you know something, he gave me an idea and m pass it along to you. It was about free publicity. As you probably know, Kentuckyans who follow the Wildcats are always interested in what the coach and the players have to say. If may be hard for your boss to understand because he's not one of us yet, but there are people in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth who
Have a Merry Christmas. Joe Burch!
really believe - and I mean that, they really believe -that the Wildcats belong to them. So it's understandable why they are interested in the coach and players.
So, my idea is this, and remember it's really Coach Rupp's idea Here it is: Talk to your coach. You could say something like this: "Eddie, Tve been minking. You have seen our ticket ads in The Courier-Journal. What? You don't read the papers? Well, anyway, here's my idea: How about you opening up your practices? You and your players could talk to the riffraff from the media before practice. Some of you might have something interesting to say that would get us some free time on tonight's TV news and in tomorrow's papers."
And, Mr. Burch, while talking with your coach, you might mention to him that legal fees related to the NCAA investigation are now climbing toward the quarter of a million dollar mark. He has taken to getting advice from the likes of John Thompson and Coach God at Indiana. Since Coach God donates most of his shoe money to the university, you might tell your coach about that and he might take the hint After all, because he makes your players wear his brand of shoe, he gets in the neighborhood of $160,000 yearly. I read it in Sports Illustrated. Since your coach and his staff are responsible for this costly mess, don't you think that it's only fair that he help pay for it?
And I have another rnoney-saving idea, too. It's one you'll understand because you're a lawyer. I heard that some lawyers are representing some of your players for nothing. Which ones? Silly, there are so many that I can't keep up. But I read in the paper
that each time that big law firm makes a copy of a sheet of paper, that the university gets a bill. Honest. I wouldn't make that up. But my idea is that since you are a lawyer and can talk that legal talk, maybe you could suggest to that big firm about consider: ng some pro bono work?
You're welcome, Mr. Burch And you have a nice Christmas, too. But, please, I don't even want to think about what the New Year will bring.
ITS FAIRDALE - The heartbeat of high school basketball in the nation moves to Fairdale this week. Yes, little Fairdale. For those of you who don't know where Fairdale is, it's a community in southwest Jefferson County. The pride of the community is Fairdale High School. Just get on the Gene Snyder Freeway and go west until you see the Fairdale sign. It's just a few miles west of 1-65.
Anyway, Fairdale this week is host to the nation's best tournament, the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic The 16-team tournament features Kentucky's best, including defending state champion Ballard, and four out-of-state teams. And are they ever out of state! The visitors are from New York City, California, Miami and Tennessee.
It all starts Thursday at 4:30 p jtl when Eastern plays Meade County. Central and Fort Knox tangle at 7:30 and will be followed by Bourbon County and Central City at 9. Bourbon County has a freshman who is so good that youTJ have to see him to believe him. His name is Ccrcy Williams. He's 6-6 and is the big reason why the Colonels are the 10th Region favorite.
Both of Fairdale's gyms will be in use Friday.
Inglewood, Ca, plays Miami Carol City at 4:30, Christ the King, N.Y., plays Cleveland, Tn., at 6. In other Friday games, it 11 be Clark County-Jefferson-town at 6, Fairdale-Hart County at 7:30 and Ballard-MadisonviEe at 9.
The teams will skip Sunday and finish up with the final at 8:30 Tuesday.
FOOTBALL RECKLTTLNG - Social note: Mr. Howard Schnellenberger called on the Oscar Brohm family last Thursday. This week the Brohms will entertain Mr. Jerry Qaiborne,
The object of the coaches' affection, of course, is the Brohms' son, Jeff, who lived a quarterback's dream day (10 for 10 passes and two touchdowns, plus one touchdown running) in the 4-A championship game.
U of L has two legs up on Jeff. 1. His father was a U of L quarterback. 2. U of L had the good sense to recruit his brother, Greg, last year.
But his father assured me that Jeff will make up his own mind and announce his choice probably in January. In the meantime, hell star for Trinity''s basketball team. After that it'll be baseball, which maybe his best sport He's a shortstop and was invited to a special tryout camp by the Ctocinnati Reds last fall. And he's about 15th in a class of290 or so.
UK didn't think his brother was fast enough. He only runs the 40 in 4.5. Hey, I don't make these things up.
CATCHING UP - Good news: Dick Gabriel of Channel 27 called to say that Dave Baker will so do some features on coach Eddie Sutton's show this year. And thanks to those of you called or wrote to tell me that Harry Gilmer played for Alabama, not Georgia I knew that, but try telling one of these silly computers. Two people called who actually saw the UK-Alabama game at duPont Manual Stadium