He forgot to mention Kendrick Perkins' high school teammate who not so surprisingly lost his scholarship after Perkins decided to forgo his commitment to Memphis and enter the NBA draft.
Did anyone else think that came off as a childish rant? We get it, Cal is shady, you don't have to stomp your feet and scream like a ten-year old. There was a lot in there I didn't know, and looking at Calipari that way it seems like the hire is a bit of a mixed bag. But I really wish ESPN did not exist.
Kentucky fans feel like Pat Forde's time at the Louisville newspaper covering the Louisville Cardinals has made him prejudiced against the Kentucky program. Having said that, I think of Calipari along the same lines as Barry Switzer. They're different incarnations of the same spirit.
sort of like when st. vincent wanted lebron james to play there and in order to grab him had to fire the coach, hire lebrons aau coach and bring aboard his whole aau team! The package deals are freaking out of hand. I wish the ncaa would crack down on this kinda stuff but good luck.
I agree 100% with SLXpress' comparison to Switzer. My dad and I actually ate breakfast with Cal when Texas and UMass were in the Wichita regional in 1993. He was as nice a guy as they come...a guy you'd love to have a beer with. But after reading about the Worldwide Wes thing and the shady recruiting at Memphis....it makes you wonder how low he will go to win. The only think I don't understand is Coach Barnes' publicly acknowledged friendship with him. It seems he would scoff at that type of activity. I suppose I have friends' whose behavior I question, at times, but it does seem strange.
If I'm Calipari and Kentucky, I'm going to be sure to keep one eye over my shoulder looking out for some Memphis backer who may feel a little jilted by recent events. Forde got about as close as anyone at ESPN will ever get to accusing a college coach of being a dirty dealer. It's kind of a refreshing change from the Phelps/Vitale axis of sucking up.
I recall hearing rick talk about how long they have known each other, from way back before either was in much of a position to run a program clean or less so. I imagine with Rick loyalty to old friends trumps focus on the gray areas. Contrast with Scott Drew.
