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Spring football practices closed to the public

  • Traditionally, UK has decided to open up at least a handful of spring football practices to the public, but that won't be the case this year. UK just announced its spring schedule and it has been decided that no practices will be open to the public until the Blue-White Game on April 21.

    Individual portions of practices will be open to the media, so we'll report what we can. It likely won't be a lot, though; we'll just get a look at how the players are looking physically and not much else is my guess.

    Spring practice starts Wednesday.

    http://www.twitter.com/pennington_jl pennington.jl@gmail.com

    JamesPennington

  • Aw, man, why would they do that?!

    Keep Calm & Stoops On..

    _Mike_

  • Really disappointed with this. I started a yearly tradition with my son that we go every year. Sucks no coverage and cant go watch.

    PAXCAT

  • This is disappointing for two reasons:

    1) The fans who can make it deserve the chance to see a few open practices

    2) If all the media has to report is how much Cobble weighs, we are going to be totally in the dark heading into September (summer definitely won't be open)

    Honestly, there just isn't a lot of buzz around the program this off-season. Yes, I know it's March Madness and all but it feels a lot different than the past 3-4 seasons for some reason. If we were using the spring to install new packages and prep for UL, it would make a little sense. Overall I just look at this as a lost opportunity to get some of the fans a little more involved and to let the media at least see what we have.

    Once again, it's March and I'm as optimistic as ever, but if no one can report on how we're actually looking, I don't want to hear Joker say he has a "damn good team" and expects to compete for the SEC championship. I understand coach-speak and why it's done but I don't think many fans will buy into anything that's said this year until they can actually see what we have.

    rob65

  • Bummer. Usually make one or two. I prefer what I see with my own eyes.

    vhcat1970

  • Less buzz about UK football this spring than at any time in the last 5 years IMO.

    MinterWonderlnd

  • I'm not passing judgment on their decision -- the coach has to do what he feels is best for his program, not fans and media -- but I never would have expected UK to go deeper into the bunker after the transition from Brooks to Joker. We always assumed that things would be even more open.

    IMHO, now more than ever the program needs some goodwill and positive exposure.

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    E-mail: JDRUM@247SPORTS.COM Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JDrumUK

    Jeff Drummond

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    bish7

  • I suppose the staff feels they really need to roll up their sleeves and get A LOT of work done during spring practice . Is it necessary to totally close off practices to the media to get that work done? Don't know, have to defer to the coaches on that. Obviously, it's not conducive to building fan interest/buzz.

    Will be interested to see whether there is any promotion of the spring game this year. Things set up nicely for them to get more people out to Commonwealth, if UK is willing/able to put forth a little effort on that -- Blue/White Game is apparently going to be at 6:00 on the 21st (per Jen Smith at the LHL). That will be just after the ponies finish up at Keeneland and just after UK's much improved baseball team takes on LSU at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Could be fun for fans to slide over to Commonwealth for a little tailgating/football after a day at the track or the yard.

    Jeremy Grey

  • Well that just sucks.

    bigbluerules

  • I hate this phrase but .. it is what it is. I don't think they owe it to anyone to open it up - fans or media - but it helps when they do. Joker actually allowed the media who could not get to the first two weeks of spring ball last year because of the Final Four run to come see one open practice when we all returned, but it wasn't like they had much open last year. And the fall is never open. My guess is they realize the most divisive issue for their team and fans last year was the quarterback situation and they don't want or need the distraction of inviting people in to pick apart and/or make a major deal of it in the spring.

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    Matt May

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    bish7

  • Two things, it would be hard to get fewer people interested in the UKFB program but I think they are doing their best to make that happen. Fans stayed away in record numbers at the end of last year so I can see making sure there is complete black out for the spring. I can't wait for those ridiculous Joker only press conferences which are so devoid of real information that I stopped reading the reports last year. Second, the QB situation last year was a complete coaching failure by Joker and Sanders or whoever made the call and that pitiful mismanagement would have smelled as bad if they kept the whole team in a darkened room 24 hours a day. Unfortunately for Joker they still have to play the games in daylight where people can see them. The last two years would have gotten a lot of coaches fired.

    Closing practice down really irritates me and I think alienates a lot of the die hard supporters of a struggling program. We have a lot of good coaches at UK now but we don't have a real head coach. Like it or not part of the job is presenting the program to the public and getting people involved. You can be withdrawn and tell everyone to screw off but only when you are winning. Let's see if there is any promotion of the spring game. I still have that ticket renewal on my desk for $1700 and I am trying to decide what to do with it. I was hoping to get a boost of optimism from spring ball to get me over the hump to renew but I guess that isn't going to happen.

    zcats

  • the only people that go are the hard core fans, joker is the first coach I can remember to ever close it totaly down, this is almost comical that a program that is sinking like ky is right now would want to do everthing they ccould do to promote it, joker is so much like billy curry with the cloak and dagger practice stuff ( I remember curry stack I top secret practices) we are the worst team in the SEC why would we would we close spring practice, we should be thanking fans who show up

    OptimusBlue5716

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    bish7

  • Puttin in them secret wrinkles of coaching genius.

    Things are bleak.

    Kooky Kats 247

  • Has it occurred to anyone that maybe, just maybe, we are possibly going to be worse than we were last year? And that CJP doesn't want anyone to see it just yet?
    Or maybe we're going to be lots better than we were last season?
    Who knows what the real reason is?
    And a question............how many other D-1 teams close their spring practices off from the paying fanbase? I do not know, that's why I'm asking. Is this a common practice among D-1 schools, or is this out of the ordinary?

    suncat05

  • My own opinion is that although I usually attend all of the open practices I am really glad that they are closed and I would just assume to have complete quiet until the team starts winning. The slogans have just got to stop. Operation:win produced a 6-7 fiasco season; then, RISE produced just two conference wins which is just same ol same ol. Just win games and then open the practices and toot your own horn.

    I believe that is 50 percent behind the closed practices policy this Spring.

    wildcatharry

  • Maybe Joker is trying to be like the rest of the SEC. I dont know about every school but both Bama and Auburn close their spring practice till the actual spring game.

    Follow me on twitter @ TailgatingCzar

    princeuk21

  • Optimus-Blue said...

    the only people that go are the hard core fans, joker is the first coach I can remember to ever close it totaly down, this is almost comical that a program that is sinking like ky is right now would want to do everthing they ccould do to promote it, joker is so much like billy curry with the cloak and dagger practice stuff ( I remember curry stack I top secret practices) we are the worst team in the SEC why would we would we close spring practice, we should be thanking fans who show up

    joker won't last another season like last year. my alma mater wku should have beat uk in the first game but we had even worse QB play than Newton. at the end of the year i would have picked wku easy over kentucky. i wouldn't bet against the toppers next year with the current uk team/coach.

    nbtoppers2

  • We will get the same coach speak as any other year during press conferences. This really is t that big of a deal and is just something for the LOD to grab o to and grip about.

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    Stoopified!

    cobbycobb

  • cobbycobb said...

    We will get the same coach speak as any other year during press conferences. This really is t that big of a deal and is just something for the LOD to grab o to and grip about.

    This!

    It didn't take long for the LOD to start popping off at the mouth!! The only fans that go and watch some of the spring practices are the really hard core fans anyway. It's not like hundreds show up every year to watch.

    I don't care about watching practice anyways. Just beat UL on opening day and field a competitive team and I'll be happy! In short, just win baby!

    Whitaker568

  • Accept it and move on. Its only about what this team and coach produce against Louisville and SEC talent. Nobody will give a damn if we win and thats what its all about. Personally I didn't even know spring practice was open to begin with. Maybe this will spike interest and attendance for the Spring game.

    tWhit

  • tWhit said...

    Accept it and move on. Its only about what this team and coach produce against Louisville and SEC talent. Nobody will give a damn if we win and thats what its all about. Personally I didn't even know spring practice was open to begin with. Maybe this will spike interest and attendance for the Spring game.

    You're right that it won't matter if the product on the field is good. But if it's not, it will be more fuel for the fire. I prefer to at least have some open practices but I won't gripe about it much. Just go out in the fall and give us something to cheer about and be proud of and everything will be good!!!

    NateRay

  • The attendance for the spring game will be even smaller than GuyMo's 1st team which had to go up to Georgetown to play. Probably no instrument exists to even detect the low interest in this program at this point. So why the heck not shut the doors and throw up the tarps on the fences. Spring games are always awful with the biggest goal of getting through it with no injuries and featuring guys put up monster numbers who never do so come real games (see: Smith, Alphonso). But I always enjoyed the Saturday scrimmages, those were closer to real football with guys competing hard for depth chart positions.

    JHB4UK