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Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Brings Cheers (And Jeers)
Tis the season to be jolly.
And a time to bring joy to the faces of the young at heart, regardless of age.
With the Christmas spirit in mind, we take this opportunity to play the role of Santa to all our friends and foes around the sporting world.
To Indiana coach Bobby Knight who has revealed those awful transgressions of past Kentucky basketball teams: three appearances on Truth or Consequences with the consequences being three fishing trips with Joe B. Hall.
To former UK coach Joe B. Hall: an autographed copy of A Season On The Brink complete with a dirty language dictionary.
To former Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler: a five-minute CBS-TV special prior to the Kentucky-Oklahoma game in March for all the world to see him sing "My Old Kentucky Home."
To former Louisville Courier-Journal sports editor Billy Reed: A Bobby Knight teddy bear to cuddle up with on these cold, lonely winter nights as he huddles near the radio while listening to his favorite college basketball team,_. (You fill in the blank).
To Louisville Courier-Journal sports columnist Rick Bozich: Billy Reed's old, worn-out manual on "How To Make Friends With A Knight In Shining Armor."
To new Louisville Courier-Journal sports editor Steve Ford: four video tapes of the original "Bobby Knight Weekly Television Show."
To Louisville Courier-Journal managing editor David Hawpe: a framed portrait of the popular automotive slogan, "Ford Has A Better Idea."
To Lexington Herald-Leader sports columnist John McGill Jr.: a Barry Bingham golden parachute policy in case Billy Reed comes aboard the Herald-Leader in the near future.
To Lexington Herald-Leader Wildcat beat writer Jerry Tipton: a ticket to the Washington Post for H-L writer Jeffrey Marx who likes to follow Kentucky sports.
To Lexington Herald-Leader's Jeffrey Marx who broke the Pulitzer Prize-winning story on UK: Tipton's job and getting snow-bound at Dale Brown's home for six months.
To LSU coach Dale Brown: six full pages of publicity in the Lexington Herald-Leader, complete with Marx's by-line, a Pulitzer Prize and 10 years probation by NCAA with sentence to be served in Siberia . . . of course his cell-mate will be Arvidas Sabonis.
To Alabama coach Wimp Sanderson who won coach of the year honors last season: his first national political race with the motto of, "Vote For Wimp, I Did."
To sports writer Bob Watkins: a book on how to win Wildcat friends while writing about the Louisville Cardinals, and a college course on how to win Cardinal fans while writing about the Kentucky Wildcats.
To WHAS and Louisville Cardinal radio analyst Jock Sutherland: an all-expenses paid trip around the world. . . with Jim Griesch.
To Jim Griesch: a framed copy of the Dec. 12 Louisville Courier-Journal announcing Biily Reed's resigiiitiiohalong with a copy of
the hit record, "Who's Sorry Now?"
To Sports lllustrated's Curry Kirkpatrick: a Wildcat poster autographed by Eddie Sutton.
To Louisville Coach Denny Crum: Kentucky's formula on how to enjoy a midnight practice and attract 12,000fans at the same time.
To UK radio color analyst Ralph Hacker: an autographed picture of Dick Vitale, a phone call from Al McGuire and a network television contract from CBS-TV, with money of course.
To Georgia football coach Vince Dooley: a new study hall for his football squad, a set of encyclopedias for each of his players, and a weekly tutoring session with Jan Kemp.
To SEC columnist Stan Torgeson: a Christmas card from the Ole Miss athletics department.
To Vanderbilt coach C. M. Newton: two more recruits from the state of Kentucky next spring to go with Barry Goheen, Scott Draud, Frank Kornet, Derrick Wilcox and Chip Rupp.
To Jerry Claiborne: several blue-chip linemen, especially one named Frank Jacobs from Northern Kentucky.
To injured UK cheerleader Dale Baldwin: a will to never give up the fight.
To ESPN's Dick Vitale: a new pair of glasses. . . and a hairpiece to match.
To NBC-TV color analyst Al McGuire: a bowl of hot chili from his favorite Lexington hangout, Brookings.
To CBS-TV color analyst Billy Packer: the credit he deserves. He's earned his own star.
To college basketball fans everywhere: Al McGuire and Billy Packer back together doing the NCAA Final Four along with Dick Enberg. Oh, how we miss this entertainment.
To UK's Eddie Sutton: A Kentucky-Arkansas basketball game in Fayetteville's Barnhill Arena preceded by a homecoming parade with Frank Broyles as the grand marshall.
To University of Louisville president Donald Swain: Denny Crum's coaching contract plus a million-dollar bonus.
To University of Kentucky president Otis Singletary: Walter Byers' NCAA job in Shawnee Mission, Kan. He's had plenty of experience with UK, the SEC and the CPA.
To Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins: Otis Singletary's current job. There's no bigger business in the Commonwealth than the University of Kentucky.
To Wildcat Robert Lock: Masters & Johnson's manual on "How To Make Love" . . . with the UK student section at Rupp Arena.
To UK running back Ivy Joe Hunter who gained over 200 yards against Vanderbilt last season: five straight games against the Commodores.
To former Wildcat Jim Master: two more years of college eligibility so he could enjoy the three-point goal from 19-9.
To Jim Master again: a videotape of his famous jumper against Louisville in 1983 which sent the game into overtime. He still [thinks it was the shot heard around the world:
To Jim Master again: a year of playing for Bobby Knight so he could experience a real "season of horror."
To Jim Host: another stroke of genius like the one which landed broadcaster Milo Hamilton as the play-by-play announcer for UK basketball games on television. Milo's fresh new approach has fans once again turning up the volume on television sets instead of switching to radio. Hamilton is the best thing to hit the airwaves in Kentucky since the legendary Claude Sullivan became a household word in the late 1940s.
To Milo Hamilton: An enjoyable season in Big Blue Country so he'll return for many, many more. He's a pro's pro and he's the best. Second to none.
To WKYT-TV's Sports Spectrum: a better time slot than 11:30p.m. on Saturday for the best locally produced sports show in history. It would be a hit at 7p.m. any week night. C'mon, Ralph Gabbard, give the show a shot in the arm.
To Channel 27's Rob Bromley who broke the retirement story of Joe B. Hall two years ago: the "Never Give Up Award." After apparently getting the axe from the station, he refused to quit, kept fighting back and broke one of the decades' top stories when Joe B. called it quits. He still doesn't get credit he deserves, but in his heart he knows he's a winner.
To all the greedy newspapers which publish gambling advertisements and Las Vegas betting lines: the same treatment that Basketball Weekly received for publishing said material. In other words, no press credentials for the NCAA Tournament.
To all the greedy athletics departments around the country which boast of crusades against drinking and drugs only to rush down to the bank with the huge checks from breweries for the sale and/or advertising of beer in game programs and broadcasts: rubber checks from said companies.
To Louisville's Freedom Hall: a return of the annual Kentucky-Notre Dame basketball classic.
To Indianapolis' Hoosier Dome: A Big Four Classic involving Kentucky, Indiana, Louisville and Notre Dame.
To UK's Memorial Coliseum: one Wildcat home game each season, preferably the University of Tennessee contest with all tickets being sold statewide on a lottery basis.
To UK baseball Keith Madison: a sparkling new baseball stadium so he won't dream of the good ole days at Mississippi State.
To all our readers everywhere: a very, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Eric ManuelSean SuttonDeron FeldhausLyndon JonesJay Edwards Prince StewartJerome ColesBrian PartridgeEric SmithAubry Boyd.
These are some of the top high school names around the state and nation and they'll be playing at Rupp Arena this Saturday in the first annual Coca-Cola Thoroughbred Classic.
Tip-off for game one is 9 a.m. as Chattanooga (tenn.) Baylor wilt take on Lex-
ington Tates Creek. At 10:45 a.m., Mason County' will collide with Lexington Bryan Station.
Game three at 12:30 p.m. will feature the nation's No. 1 high school team in the Marion (Ind.) Giants. Coach Bill Green's team will go against Prince Stewart and the Lafayette Generals.
Topping off a great day of prep action will be Top Ten-ranked Macon (Ga.) Southwest and Lexington Henry Clay.
This will be the only opportunity this season for University of Kentucky fans to see the exciting Eric Manuel play in person in the Commonwealth.
Manuel, who is headed to UK next season, is a consensus prep Ail-American and is considered the nation's premier player by several scouting services.
A limited number of lower arena tickets are still available at the Rupp Arena ticket office and any Ticketron outlet around the nation. Ticket prices are S10, S8 and 56 each. One ticket is good for all four sessions.
Kentucky senior James Blackmon should have quite a cheering section this weekend during the University of Kentucky Invitational Tournament.
Blackmon, who hails from Marion (Ind.) High, will have 600 or so hometown folks in the stands Friday and Saturday as UK defends its UKIT crown.
Some 1,000 Marion High fans are expected in Lexington this weekend to watch Marion in the Coca-Cola Thoroughbred Classic. Over 600 of Marion's fans have purchased tickets to the UKIT to cheer on one of their very own.
"It's going to be great," said Blackmon of his hometown fans coming to Rupp Arena. "They love their basketball up there. It'll be a great weekend."
Bill Greene, Marion's head coach, and two Marion Giants, Jay Edwards and Lyndon Jones, stopped by Sunday afternoon to visit with Blackmon at Rupp Arena.
Greene and his players were in town with other Coca-Cola Thoroughbred Classic coaches and players for a press conference promoting the classic.
When Kentucky meets lona Friday night in the second game of the UKIT, the Wildcats will be shooting for their 16th consecutive win in the annual Christmas classic.
Kentucky last lost in the UKIT in 1978 when the Cats were upset by Texas A&M 73-69. UK bounced back to beat Syracuse 94-87 in the consolation game and hasn't lost since.
The Wildcats have now won seven straight titles.
The UKIT is the third oldest in-season basketball tournament in the nation. The oldest is the All-College Tournament which has been in the works for 51 seasons followed by the 48-year-old Sugar Bowl tournament. Next are the UKIT and the ECAC Holiday Festival, each being 34 years old.