The House of Blue

Answers were vague enough that I had a tough time deciphering them. For instance, when he labeled UK's facilities as "middle of the pack" for the SEC, I couldn't gather whether he was speaking of athletics department facilities overall (he might be right when you factor in the Craft Center, Rupp, and the soon to be upgraded soccer/softball complexes) or only football (he'd be wrong there, IMO).

In any event, it appears he was uncomfortable answering those particular questions for one reason or another. Could be because he has his mind made up he won't sign off on a request for bonding authority which includes $100 MM for athletics facilities. Or it could be because he doesn't want to get the anti-athletics segment stirred up at this point in time. Or it could be something else altogether.

Barnhart has mentioned the hope (not the certainty) that they would be able to get bonding approved by first part of next year. He seems to be pretty cautious when speaking about things like that, so for him to come out and say that, I would like to think he's received some sort of assurance from the President that the University would allow athletics to get $100 MM of the bonding authority. Suppose we'll find out soon enough.

Commonwealth honestly isn't a bad stadium at all. I believe it's the newest in the SEC. It's just boring as hell to look at. Slap some paint on it and it'd immediately add a ton of personality. Paint the endzones blue with white lettering and black or grey trim and make the midfield logo bigger and paint it blue. Little things could go a long way to improve the look of the existing stadium.

Perhaps they're waiting to see the money that will come in from the SEC Network that's supposed to start up August 2014. I've heard they are talking stupid amounts of revenue this could generate.

Good topic. I will watch the video later when I have more time. BTW, and this is just a pet peeve of mine --> his name is Capilouto.

Disagree. With the lack of commitment to football during the "fat" times, a decrease in revenue will further solidify the idea that significant money spent on capital upgrades is frivolous. With the added benefit of demoralizing the players and sending a negative message to recruits.

Anyone, including media members, not publicly reprimanding the administration and legislature for their shackling and privation methods towards football is harming the program. The LHL is forever writing hit-pieces on UK Athletics, I can't for the life of me figure out why the administration and legislature gets a pass.

Some of you guys are such eternal optimist, it's ridiculous. Somebody could shit in your sleeping bag, and you'd never admit that it stunk.

At this very critical juncture in UK football, where the promise of upgrades is a neccessity for hiring a big time coach, he passes on his chance to even suggest that upgrades might be on the way?

There is no reason to withold the intentions to bond money for atheletics if he actually intends to do so. Sure, he isn't going to give specific details that aren't 100% known, but this was the perfect opportunity to tell the fanbase: don't panick, better times are ahead. His silence on the matter is LOUD AND CLEAR! SCREW FOOTBALL! is what this guy is telling us. Get used to suckin boys and girls!

I finally listened to the Capilouto video, and I didn't hear the gloom and doom some of you did, nor did I hear any optimism. He sounded like a politician who spoke for 3:50 and didn't really say much of anything at all.

Actually, I didn't hear what I wanted to hear at all. What I wanted to hear was: yes, we are planning on moving forward and submitting a proposal in Jan. Football is the bread and butter of our atheltics revenue, and we as a University have been ignoring it too long. Miving forward, we are goint to do everything in our power to demonstrate that we are 100% comitted to having a wining football program.

I've been waiting for a UK president or AD to say that my whole life, yet it has never happened. That is reality. I'm not gonna sit around and wait with my fingers crossed for 30 more years. The proof is in the pudding.

We're having to beg to get $85 million, which is what most consider the maximum amount for which we could hope. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is announcing plans to spend 5 times that much, $425 million, on a stadium that already holds 15,000 more than ours.

Of course he was veiled...he has no plan, no idea, no care about our continued spiral into the football abyss.

I listened closely. I heard a lot about dorms, heard a lot about soccer and softball, heard they have no plan, something about $15M which made sense to nobody, heard he was happy the athletic dept. didn't have any debt, and heard NOTHING about how they are going to make UK football competitive.

Bottom LIne, he had four minutes to give us a ray of hope...he failed to do that.

FWIW, I attended a function last week with a bunch of legislators, and brought up the bonding topic with one of them re letting UK bond for football. He basically laughed in my face and said "yeah right, we are going to jeapordize the state's credit and bonding capacity so we can "maybe" have a better football team". Personally, I think it is clear that the money is going to have to be raised elsewhere.

And for the record, call me a bleeding heart if you will, but spending $450M to renovate an existing football stadium is a collosal waste of money and huge indication of very badly placed priorities.

I think you have nailed it...$450M, with more to come in all likelihood, probably is crazy. Except, crazy is good in the SEC. Crazy prevails in the SEC. If we're not crazy, we're not fit for the SEC. So, let's go be with our own so we can at least win a couple games.