On Wildcat Football

November 2002. Oh, we've all been tailgating for a while and this LSU game is over, I think. Good job 'Cats. I'm gonna sneak on out, pick up some beer, and have people over for a post-victory party. That one didn't quite turn out the way I planned. Some miracle.

December 2006. My beau and I are newly engaged and joining in the Music City Bowl festivities. We walk from our downtown Nashville hotel amidst friends and fans, jubilant in the experience of our first bowl game in six whole years, y'all. As we enter the gates, my mood starts to dip. The ticket lady points me toward a little basket, the kind they use to measure carry-on bags at the airport. She briskly informs me that if my purse doesn't fit in there, I can't take it in the stadium. Fighting back tears, I start to visualize the trek over the bridge, up the hill, and back to the Hermitage. Another ticket lady promptly takes pity on me and announces "That's a real nice bag; you take that right on in, baby." Louis Vuitton saved the day. So did André Woodson -- we wound up beating Clemson!

Music City Bowl, 2007.

I love Kentucky football. Now, as y'all well know, I love Kentucky basketball, too. The thing is, I probably love Kentucky basketball too much. In the lingo of women's magazines, my relationship with the football 'Cats is far more healthy. I have fun with football and honestly enjoy the entire experience. I have a full set of cute little anecdotes about the zany experiences I've had at tailgates and games. When it comes to basketball, though, I'm obsessed. I think of Rich "Paw Paw" Brooks as a nice man who turned our program in the right direction while I consider Coach Cal to be the demigod who single-handedly saved the Commonwealth. To me, Bear Bryant was a savvy coach who got called home while Rick Pitino is a treasonous infidel. I'm always up for a tailgate party, while I prefer to watch the basketball 'Cats with minimal distractions. I'm the consummate hostess in September, whipping up small bites and fun drinks, but I prefer a March with no distractions. You never know how that 8-9 matchup in the West Region will impact the Wildcats' chances of winning it all. There will be time for food later.

I actually have more fun at football games because I'm not an insane fan. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Every play doesn't have the ramifications of potentially impacting our historic next title. I'm not moved to tears when I talk of football players' motivation, athleticism, or leadership, while the mere mention of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's name can evoke waterworks. I've never floated "Jared Lorenzen" or "Tim Couch" as a potential baby name. Perhaps jokingly -- even I am not quite sure -- I've suggested "DeMarcus" many times.

UK-UT game, 2009.

I always assume that I love the Football 'Cats the way people at normal, non-SEC schools love their teams. I want them to win, but I don't talk about them every day of my life. Maybe that's what it's like to be a sports fan outside of the Greatest Conference in Collegiate Athletics. (This article sums the SEC up far more hilariously than I ever could.) I'm not alone; Kentucky girls don't need to tailgate in our Lilly Pulitzer the way they do at The Grove, because we've got two whole months of Keeneland to dress up for every year. We enjoy our football, but we grew up in a gym.

I come from basketball-mad Eastern Kentucky, just down the road from the great "King" Kelly Coleman's hometown. My aunt was John Pelphrey's high school teacher. Where I'm from, basketball is an all-day, every day occurrence. You can't go to a church, hospital or grocery store without engaging in an intense conversation about recruiting or scheduling. (This year, everybody's worried about the lack of small forwards. And, you know, the poor widow at this funeral. But mainly those forwards.) I suppose if I'd grown up in Alabama, I'd be calling into the Paul Finebaum show every day. I'd say things like "PAWWWWLLLL, don't you think Chizik and Miles should both just forfeit this year instead of coming to Tuscaloosa? Yeah, me too. Roll Tide." (Ok, well, I might still do that, because Finebaum calls are awesome.)

I love that football season gives me a chance to be a regular old fan. I wear my blue, cheer for my team, and tailgate with my friends. I watch games, cheer for teams I like, and enjoy myself. It's a fun time to be a UK alumna and a native Kentuckian. Most of all, it's just fun.

Tailgating Wishlist

Two weeks 'till football, y'all.   I don't know about you, but I've had enough pool time and miserable heat.  I'm ready for cooler temperatures, pumpkin spice lattes, and SEC football.  Just think -- we have two more teams to follow this year!  As we head down the home stretch, I've put together a little tailgating wishlist.  Most any Wildcat fan will find something they need here.

I can't wait to try Southern Living's brand-new Official SEC Tailgating Cookbook.  Great food and great football tradition -- this promises to be a perennial fall favorite.

Of course, I would never slip bourbon into the stadium.  But, this Smathers and Branson needlepoint flask is a rather stylish way to do so, if one were so inclined.

LOVE the Wildcat Plaid.  This scarf is a stylish, understated way to rep the 'Cats at work or a tailgate.

You can't tailgate without cornhole.

These National Champs Tervis Tumblers are a must.  They keep your drink magically cold, and they commemorate the best day of 2012.

This gorgeous Maxi dress from Modcloth is stylish and looks so comfortable.  And, of course, is just the right shade of blue.

Two weeks.  Go 'Cats!

Been there. Done that. Bought the (National Champs) T-shirt.

It's been two months since we won the Tournament.  Now, that gives a girl plenty of time to shop.  There's been a ton of National Champs merchandise out there, and I've wanted to pick up enough "stuff" to commemorate the event without becoming crazy merchandise hoarding lady.

I've tried to be good.  Really, I have.  I've tried to pick only the pieces that I love.  I've tried not to buy the $7 gas station shirts, despite the fact that (a) they're only $7; and (b) you never know when it'll all be gone. At least, that's how the lady at the random BP station in Knott County tried to sell me one.

It started innocently enough.  I'd been waiting for this email for, oh, three years or so:

And, of course, I had to order one.  I mean, it's a Tervis Tumbler.  That says "Nati8nal Champions." What was I going to do, not order it?  (Even though I would have far preferred if the design had been an embroidered patch rather than the plastic wrap-around thing.)

Of course, there have been plenty of t-shirts.

First, I got this one, because I take my brackets very seriously.  I fill them out in a meticulous and methodical manner.

Image via Wildcat Den

But, this one feels so keepsake-y that I'm afraid to wear it very often. It's so white and pristine; it just seems like it should be put away to commemorate the Big Game.

I recently found this one at a really great price, and I just adore it.  It's a great cut and an awesome fabric.  I love that UK is a Nike school; it makes it so much easier to find high-quality team merchandise!

Image via Wildcat Den.

So far, I've been able to stave off the temptation to pick up "just a few more" National Champs items. The coffee mug in Wal-Mart today was adorable, but I have about a million coffee mugs already.   The golf windbreaker at Macy's is proving harder to resist, as I've only looked at it 5 million or so times.  And, I'm pretty sure this is going to be a must-buy:

Image via Wildcat Den

Have y'all found any good National Champs gear?

Barnstormin'

Yesterday, my dad and I drove to the tiny Knott County High School gym to watch an afternoon of magic.

Rajon Rando chats with Coach Sheppard's son.

Now, Daddy and I wouldn't have traveled twenty miles into a neighboring county to see a magician.  But, we were as excited as little kids going to the circus for what we did see: The Big Blue All-Stars team, a squad of former UK Wildcats (and a couple of non-Wildcats whom we wish we'd signed) who now play professionally.  It' was an old-fashioned barnstorming tour, courtesy of the NBA Lockout.

In Eastern Kentucky, few things mean more to us than basketball and family.  For most of us, members of the University of Kentucky's basketball team are family. We often recall our players by the way their respective seasons intersected with our own lives: All-Stars Coach Jeff Sheppard, for example, is my contemporary.  He was on Kentucky's two National Champion teams, which just so happen to coincide with my own matriculation in Lexington.  We remember them fondly long after they leave the basketball program --  DeMarcus Cousins, who only played one season at Kentucky (but what a season it was!) drew multiple standing ovations during the exhibition game.  I laughed to my father that I'd be willing to bet that anyone in the audience would gladly invite DeMarcus home for dinner if given the opportunity.

As a die-hard basketball fan with deep Eastern Kentucky roots, I found the All-Stars game to be a surreal juxtaposition.  Kentucky basketball legends -- many of whom now command multi-million dollar contracts in the NBA -- playing ball in the same tiny high school gymnasium where I once stood as a cheerleader.  These superstars were playing against a local college team -- the same school for which my daddy played college ball, on whose campus my granddaddy quite literally grew up, and whose original buildings were designed by my great-great-uncle.  I was cheering for an alumnus of a recent NBA Champion team while running into grade school classmates.  And yet, it all boiled down to one simple word: Love.

Sheppard coaches Cousins and Faried.

As fans, we were there because we love the game.  Both the All-Stars and the Alice Lloyd Eagles were there because they love the game.  We were there to express our appreciation for all the hours of entertainment the players had provided. As Josh "Jorts" Harrellson clowned for the crowd, we cheered for the remarkable lessons in perseverance and dedication that his career at Kentucky taught us all.  As Morehead State's Kenneth Faried (my little brother's college classmate) executed dunk after dunk, we were cheering more for the man who took down Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament than for each impressive shot.  

But, mainly, we were cheering as 6'8 Faried -- the 22nd pick in the 2011 draft and future Denver Nuggets superstar-- spent a sunny October Sunday rolling the basketball to an adorably tiny toddler during the shootaround.  As Faried lifted the pretty pink-clad child up for a photo op, it was easy to imagine that he and his All-Star Teammates consider us family as well.