[imported_torQQue]

I think this article is a Insult to Tubby Smith and the Wildcat Program. What is Pats problem?:confused:
What other goodies lurk on Tubby's desk?
Pat Forde at ESPN

Cue the Bond music. I've put on my cat-burglar outfit and my night-vision goggles, and I'm breaking in.
Yes, in there. Into Tubby Smith's office at the University of Kentucky. It's time to inspect the man's desk, and see what other precious, program-changing artifacts can be found there.
Now be quiet while I silence the alarms and pick the lock, so we can get to the site of the Christmas Miracle in Lexington.
You've heard about it by now, right? The Immaculate Fax, missing for seven months, that Smith suddenly discovered? According to Smith, the fax that was lost on an airplane, or else it was lost on his desk, or maybe both -- oh, don't bother the man with the details of a coherent explanation -- has now been found. Whoever said miracles are easily explained?
The bottom line is that the fax materialized in Randolph Morris' -- and Kentucky's -- hour of acute need. It helped the 6-foot-10 center regain his eligibility for the second half of this season after he'd been suspended for the entire year just last week.
In case you haven't been following this long-running drama in the Theater of the Absurd, here's the quick recap: After a lackluster freshman year, Morris kissed off Kentucky last May for the NBA, delivering the news to coach Tubby Smith via fax from his hometown of Atlanta. The fax stated, "My intent is not to sign with an agent so as to maintain my college eligibility." That sentence returned from oblivion on Thursday to put Morris, undrafted and in limbo, back in uniform. With NCAA president Myles Brand suddenly taking an interest in the case, the Morris suspension was reduced to half the regular season. Additional information had changed the NCAA's mind. Which brings us back to the Immaculate Fax.
Media outlets filed Freedom of Information requests for the document way back last summer, and the school at first insisted it was privileged, then insisted it had been thrown away.
Now ... shazam! It's right there on ol' Tubby's desk -- just in time to help make the case for Morris' reinstatement. It's enough to warm your heart, isn't it?
UK assistant athletic director Sandy Bell adamantly told me Friday that the fax was just part of the evidence that swayed the NCAA, and not necessarily the biggest part. She said the rest of the evidence was "personal and confidential," which leaves us with nothing to really sink our teeth into but the Immaculate Fax.
"It's becoming a bigger issue than it ever really was," Bell said. "There's no need for that to happen."
Bell says the real news should be the cooperation between Kentucky and the NCAA to do the right thing by Randolph Morris. I'll leave that lovefest for someone else.
Here's the big issue: What else does Tubby have lying around on that desk?
That's why I'm in here right now. OK, let's examine this stack of papers...
Whooooaaaaa! Look at this!
[indent]National Letter of Intent, November 2001.
I, J.J. Re****, hereby commit to an athletic scholarship at the University of Kentucky...
[/indent]
Unbelievable! Tubby must have misplaced it four years ago. Maybe he can send this to the NCAA and get Re**** in a UK uniform by January.
What else do we have here? Let's read the sticky note on this videotape:
[indent]Dear Tubby: I love the Cats and I've been breaking in to Assembly Hall all week to film Indiana's practices. If you watch this tape, you'll see that they're going to start A.J. Ratliff for the first time this year, and they're working hard with Marco Killingsworth to pass out of double-teams to the perimeter for 3-point shots. With this scouting report, you shouldn't have any trouble against the Hoosiers.[/indent]
Dang. Looks like Tubby misplaced that, too. Could've used it last week, before the Wildcats were pounded by 26 in the RCA Dome.
OK, what's this? Ew. A half-eaten sandwich. Nice. What else?
[indent]To-do list, December 2003:
• Follow up on phone call from Dee Brown. Says he's looking to transfer from Illinois to Kentucky.
• Get back in touch with NBC about its $9 million-a-year offer to "make Kentucky its own Notre Dame deal."
• Return e-mails from American Express. They want me to shoot a series of commercials that could really help recruiting.
• Check out tape of some kid named LeBron. Keeps sending us video, saying he wants to come here. Not sure we need him. We've already got Bernard Cote.]

:boosign: :boosign:
[/indent]

[PHSFAN]

Forde needs to get as many people as he can to read his article(s)....I have lost a ton of respect for several writers this past week. Tubby is pure class and Forde should sit back and watch Tubby and take some notes.

[Bat Masterson]

Its satirical and for the most part right on the money. What kind of disorganization does it take to lose something like that and then find it at the 11th hour. It looks bad and causes everyone who doubts UK already (and there are a LOT of them) to raise their eyebrows. In their minds, it confirms cheating, etc. Now, Forde didn't go that far with the satire, but he was putting food for thought out there and fanning the flames.

I don't think Tubby is a cheater and I respect the man greatly. But he needs to hire a secretary and save UK any further embarrassment in these type of things.

Overall, I thought the article was funny.

[Batpuff]

I agree Bat, but i do remember during the time that Morris was declaring for the NBA, that they did mention that he faxed coach Smith his plans.

[BelfryJustice]

Its satirical and for the most part right on the money. What kind of disorganization does it take to lose something like that and then find it at the 11th hour. It looks bad and causes everyone who doubts UK already (and there are a LOT of them) to raise their eyebrows. In their minds, it confirms cheating, etc. Now, Forde didn't go that far with the satire, but he was putting food for thought out there and fanning the flames.

I don't think Tubby is a cheater and I respect the man greatly. But he needs to hire a secretary and save UK any further embarrassment in these type of things.

Overall, I thought the article was funny.

I have to agree. This does make people wonder! I also don't feel as if Tubby would cheat! He might not be #1 on my list, but he is an OK guy!

:AngelPray

[KentuckyHillBilly5321]

Come on, QQ--there is corruption in every level of college sports. And there is most likely just as much at Kentucky.

Personally--UK dropped the ball on this one. And they deserve what they get when they handle a situation like this. At the very least, the Sports Information Department needs to have better control of what goes out to the public.

UK looks bad--not because of writers like Forde--they look bad because they have incompetent leadership (i.e: Mitch Barnhardt). They can't even keep the paperwork straight.

[UKGIRL20]

This is just people making alot more out of something than there actually is. Pat Forde is just another Kentucky basher not a very big suprise. Tubby is head coach at in my opinion the top coaching spot in college basketball imagine the mail and faxes he gets I don't think it would be very hard to misplace things along the way.

[Doc Holliday]

Im not sure that is a good excuse, you are talking about the future of a young man in your hands and "oh Its laying around here somewhere" is pretty bad. tubby probally hasa stundent assitant or to who help out. But I have been in the basketball office a couple times and it reminded me of a bank everything was in order except one talble which was covered with paperwork and a SEC championship trophy appearing to be a paperweight.

I think a lot of people in the sportsworld view UK as a dirty program due to their track record in the past.

[Amun-Ra]

not surprising. most sports anaylists hate UK. if we were in the ACC however they would suck us dry.

[cardinalfan27]

actually I think most people would like to be in the position of Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, and Pat Summit before they would even look at Tubby... I think the article is quite comical and it points out his flaws... its all in fun... no need to get all fired up...

[imported_torQQue]

actually I think most people would like to be in the position of Jim Calhoun, Mike Krzyzewski, and Pat Summit before they would even look at Tubby... I think the article is quite comical and it points out his flaws... its all in fun... no need to get all fired up...

I agree somewhat. But Forde took a little mistake like misplacing a fax and tried to lead the reader into believing that Tubby is completely disorganized and that he is bad coach because of it. We all have misplaced things in our lives. Im sure Forde has as well. But Forde went on being quite sarcastic about Tubby overlooking, JJ re****, Lebron and list of other things. But the lowest blow. "return emails to American Express", In reality what he is saying here is Tubby should follow in Coach K's footsteps.
I'm with VV here. If this were an ACC school or coach then no big deal would of been made of it.

[UKGIRL20]

I like that bluegrassrivals pic torqque.

[imported_torQQue]

I like that bluegrassrivals pic torqque.

Thanks UKGIRL!! I was bored to day and made that. School is out and I have way to much free time

[sportwhiz]

To borrow a phrase that ESPN's Chris "Boomer" Berman has not used yet, Pat Forde is a JJ Re****-head.

[Amun-Ra]

To borrow a phrase that ESPN's Chris "Boomer" Berman has not used yet, Pat Forde is a JJ Re****-head.

did he really say that? way to go Boomer....lol

[crazytaxidriver]

I usually don't pay attention to what analysts have to say about anything. But my first impression upon hearing that this fax was suddenly "found" seemed a little well profound.

and like someone said, this is a kids future we are looking at. Everyone should have known that he wasn't good enough to go pro and that he would be back.. So that fax should have been frames and hung up in the office for future refrences.. and they should have been looking for it a lot longer than a couple weeks ago...

I'm not accusing anyone of cheating, but this is ridiculous.