The House of Blue

edit: Don't make personal attacks. -cobbycobb

Listen to Barnhart on the radio on Kentucky Sports Radio this morning. he explains EXACTLY what I said earlier in this post.

You are 100% correct. Optimus-Blue was hearing what he wanted to hear.

FACT: UK does not have it's own bonding capacity and the STATE LEGISLATURE won't allow them to have it. We are the ONLY team in the SEC that has to deal with this burden.

FACT: The fat cat donors aren't helping UK out in this capacity. They are willing to donate all the money we ever request for basketball but that's it. Their pens are missing when it comes to football.

Ok. You don't want to ear facts straight from the ad's. I can understand you not wanting to believe me even though i cited a legislator telling me specifically that the money wasn't there. But to dismiss the athletic director is funny.

I still don't understand how in 2012 we're the only the SEC school to have this issue of Bonding?

You know I've been a fan of UK sports(a real fan, not just a kid listening to stories of the Cats) since 1975. These same conversations have been going on for years. It's become most taxing!

Excuses! That's the theme of UK football. You can get mad at me, call me ""LOD"" (which is not even close), or whatever you like because it doesn't matter. If people would just be honest you know I'm right. Want some examples?

1. UK can't win in the SEC. Really? Why not?

2. We can't get a ""Big Name Coach""! Why? We did it in Basketball. So what's stopping us? Money?

3. We can't build or remodel in football like other SEC teams because we don't have the boosters! Well maybe if you take care of the #2 and he takes care of #1, the money will come next.

4. We can't get bonded! So sick of this excuse.

5. UK is a BB school! Not gonna touch that one because I've seen 70,000 people going nuts after beating the #1 team in the Nation! Don't tell me UK fans don't love FB.

Just stop with the excuses. Get to the reasons behind why in 2012 we're facing the same issues we did back in 1980, 81, 82, 83,......................!

I love UK football and I want it to be a winner. Until we stop making excuses and do something about it we'll have this same topic in 2020 and beyond.

Is there an expiration to that authorization (e.g., if it takes 10 years to raise $75 million, to they still have the authority to spend it on football)? Anyhow, you, Drummond and Bird should be able to come up with that pocket change. Just think, the CatsPause/247Sports Commonwealth Stadium!

Second question (this one's serious); does this allow the UK athletics administration (whatever that is now) to bond this privately?

I'll match that! (The $7.50 that is, $75 is too rich for my blood...)

Tie the CWS upgrades into the Rupp renovation. Get Cal on board with the push. Say, 25% of every dollar donated goes to football, the rest to basketball. Make it a state pride, UK versus U of L idea.

The Rupp renovation is going to happen. JMO, but it's a given that the money will be there. Tying the CWS upgrades into that may be the only solution for football.

Keep saying that and you'll keep being wrong.

There's a reason why Mitch and Co. had to create a new donor base even for basketball.

The problem is Kentucky and people no longer here who worked on the fundraising campaigns for both major sports will tell you the same. It's a testament to the team they had that things even got anything done in the first place. Sadly, most of those guys have gone on to greener pastures and are running their own programs now...and having ZERO issues with fundraising for capital projects.

I've been beating this drum since way back in 2003 and everyone just dismissed it as "That's not true So and So has a lot of money, he'll give it." False. Our donor base is and has always been crap. The legislative roadblocks and certain powerful elements on the BoT who see Athletics as the piggy bank for the rest of the University are just a part. Even with those things, a strong and rich donor base could get things done..just like they do at many other schools.

I

This is the reason why I think we need to build an on campus arena adjoining a new Commonwealth Stadium. Tie the two together let them share a common area and a few ELITE level luxury boxes that can get the biggest of donors. Refuse to build the BB arena unless the money is there for FB also.

After all this disussion it is easy to see why getting information from the Internet is a waste of time especially if you want that information to be correct.

UK needs a "Sugar Daddy".

I think we can win in the SEC. However, I probably don't think it can happen the way you envision it. I don't think we can get a big name coach unless he is damaged goods or at the end of his career. And it has nothing to do with what we are willing to pay. The reason I don't think we can attract one is because we have no history of being able to win at a high level. That makes the job to risky for a big name coach to take. A big name coach can't risk hurting his future earning potential by taking a risky job. Big name coaches will gravitate to programs where they know they can win big so their future earning potential isn't damaged. UK does not have that perception. I think the way it happens for us is the way Brooks was doing it. You win small at first. You go to multiple bowl games and you gradually change the perception of UK football with recruits. You gradually build over time to where you are upsetting some of the upper tier teams and going to better bowls. It may take 15 years of this to change how we are perceived, but I think it's the only way we will ever get there. The problem is stringing together enough good hires to make something like that happen over a long period of time. I think for programs like UK, it is very difficult to find that coach who can move the program in a positive direction because you can't attract the coach who we would think is a sure thing. On top of that, trying to hire 2 or 3 straight coaches so that we can win consistently over 15 years is very tough. If it wasn't, every program like ours would reverse their fortunes.