Angels
LHP Scott Downs — Pleasure Ridge Park HS, UK — 25-man roster

Athletics
OF Collin Cowgill — Henry Clay HS, UK — 40-man roster

Blue Jays
RHP Trystan Magnuson — DuPont Manual HS, UofL — 40-man roster

Braves
2B Dan Uggla — Born in Louisville — 25-man roster
LHP Johnny Venters — Born in Pikeville — 25- man roster

Brewers
OF Corey Hart — Greenwood HS — 25-man roster

Cardinals
3B Zack Cox — Pleasure Ridge Park HS — 40-man roster

Cubs
LHP Trever Miller — Trinity HS — Non-roster invitee
LHP Chris Rusin — UK — Non-roster invitee

Dodgers
C A. J. Ellis — Paul Laurence Dunbar HS — 25-man roster

Giants
3B Chris Dominguez — UofL — Non-roster invitee

Indians
2B Jason Kipnis — UK — 25-man roster

Marlins
OF Austin Kearns — Lafayette HS — Non-roster invitee
RHP Josh Lueke — Scott HS, NKU — 25-man roster

Mariners
RHP Steve Delabar — Central Hardin HS — 40-man roster
RHP Shawn Kelley — Ballard HS — 40-man roster
LHP James Paxton — UK — Non-roster invitee

Mets
RHP Jon Rauch — Oldham County HS, Morehead — 25-man roster

Orioles
3B/1B Mark Reynolds — Born in Pikeville — 25-man roster

Phillies
RHP Joe Blanton — Franklin-Simpson HS, UK — 25-man roster
RHP B. J. Rosenberg — Meade County HS, UofL — Non-roster invitee

Rangers
RHP Sean Green — Male HS, UofL — Non-roster invitee
LHP Robbie Ross — Lexington Christian Academy — Non-roster invitee

Red Sox
RHP Aaron Cook — Born in Fort Campbell — Non-roster invitee

Rockies
LHP Christian Friedrich — EKU — 40-man roster

Royals
RHP Nathan Adcock — North Hardin HS — 25-man roster

Tigers
1B Ryan Strieby — UK — Non-roster invitee

Twins
OF Ben Revere — Lexington Catholic HS — 25-man roster

White Sox
RHP Nathan Jones — Pendleton County HS, NKU — 40-man roster

Yankees
RHP Cory Wade — Kentucky Wesleyan — 25-man roster

The UK men’s basketball team trailed for the first 35 minutes of Tuesday’s game versus Mississippi State, but when the Wildcats finally took the lead they held onto it.

UK rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to take a 63-62 lead with 4:11 left in the game on a put-back layup by freshman forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. UK then scored 10 of the next 12 points, closing the game on a 20-4 run, to preserve a 73-64 win.

The victory improved UK’s record to 26-1 on the season and 13-0 in Southeastern Conference play and clinched at least a share of the 45th SEC championship in program history.

UK senior guard Darius Miller scored all 12 of his points in the final eight minutes of the game, including nine as part of the 20-4 run to end the game. After Mississippi State stretched its lead to seven on a Dee Bost three with 6:29 left, Miller scored six of UK’s next eight points to pull the Cats within one.

Kidd-Gilchrist then rebounded his own miss with a layup to give UK the lead for good.

Kidd-Gilchrist led UK with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Anthony Davis scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Sophomore forward Terrence Jones and sophomore guard Doron Lamb each scored 11 points.

UK shot 43.9 percent (25-57) from the field in the game and 50 percent (13-26) in the second half. Bost scored 16 points and tallied six assists in the first half for the Bulldogs, but UK limited him to five points and one assist in the second half.

The Wildcats return to action Saturday versus Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena.

File photo from UK Athletics by Chet White.

The junior-college transfer from Corvallis, Ore., closed the season on a 10-game hitting streak, during which he batted .605 (26-43) with three home runs and 16 RBI. The streak left his batting average at .371, good for fourth in the Southeastern Conference.

McCarthy’s performance was good enough to earn him first-team All-SEC honors, but in June the good news ended when he was not selected in the 50-round MLB draft.

“I was a little disappointed, obviously, because that’s a goal of mine,” he said during UK’s baseball media day. “But I knew defensively I wasn’t where I needed to be.”

McCarthy finished 2011 with a .371 batting average, seven home runs, 39 RBI and 32 runs scored. He led the Wildcats in batting average, hits (78), doubles (19), slugging percentage (.581), two-out hits (31) and two-out RBI (20).

McCarthy knows he won’t sneak up on anyone in 2012.

“I’m just going to try to do the same thing as I did last year,” he said. “Hopefully just start off as hot as I ended.”

During UK’s opening weekend series in South Carolina, McCarthy was 3-11 with one home run, three walks, three RBIs and three runs scored.

McCarthy spent part of last summer playing in the Northwoods League, but he cut his summer season short to return to Lexington and work in the weight room.

“He is strong and quicker and still shooing the same outstanding stroke that he had last year,” said UK head coach Gary Henderson.

McCarthy’s veteran presence has helped a lineup that included 10 freshmen or sophomores during the opening weekend series, Henderson said.

“Thomas McCarthy has an infections relationship with the other kids on the club,” he said. “They like him. He’s a leadership by example guy, he keeps things loose. I think there is a benefit when you have that type of personality with that level of skill.”

Henderson batted McCarthy in the No. 2 and No. spots in the lineup during the Wildcats’ first weekend series. Wherever McCarthy bats he has a big influence on the way the players in front and behind him in the lineup are pitched to, Henderson said.

“You look at it from a pitcher’s perspective: you have a guy that is going to hit somewhere between .360 and .420 at certain times of the year over certain periods of the year,” he said. “He goes in to a slump and he is probably going to hit .310. He’s going to be a good hitter for us, so that affects people in front and behind him.

“That fastball that you are getting, the offspeed that you can’t throw, that is very obvious in those relationships and how they change because the guy on deck is going to run one in to the game if you are not careful.”

McCarthy’s one weakness in 2011 was a team-high 13 errors. He worked during the offseason to fix that problem.

“I’ve been working with coach (Brian) Green to work on my defensive abilities,” he said. “I’m excited to show everybody what I can do on defense this year.”

With that improvement, McCarthy hopes he won’t have the same draft-day experience this summer.

“I keep thinking about that, obviously,” he said. “But I’m more excited to hopefully make postseason this year. I’m just more excited for this season and then we’ll see what happens after.”

KyForward file photo

Baseball America ranked former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton as the No. 52 prospect and former Pleasure Ridge Park infielder Zack Cox as the No. 88 prospect in their annual top 100 prospects list, released Tuesday.

Paxton made his professional debut in 2011 after being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He was 6-3 with a 2.37 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 95 innings pitched between low A Clinton and AA Jacksonville in 2011.

Paxton played at UK from 2007-09. He attempted to return to UK following the 2009 draft but was held out of competition pending the results of a NCAA investigation into the role his advisor Scott Boras had played in negotiations with the Toronto Blue Jays, who had selected him in the first-supplemental round of the 2009 draft. Paxton sued UK in an attempt to overturn the suspension, but left the school after losing an appeal. He spent part of the 2010 season with the Grand Prairie of the Independent American Association before re-entering the draft.

Cox was the first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2010 draft out of Arkansas. He batted .306 with 13 home runs, 68 RBI and 76 runs scored in 135 games between high A Palm Beach and AA Springfield in 2011.

Cox graduated from PRP in 2008 and spent two years at Arkansas before being drafted by the Cardinals.

Since then the matchup has lost some of its luster, but UK is still preparing for a difficult road environment.

Mississippi State has lost its last three games, including overtime games versus Georgia and LSU. The Bulldogs have fallen out of both top 25 polls and are in need of a signature win to pad their NCAA tournament resume.

“The whole town shuts down for this game, they’ve been talking about it for months,” said UK head coach John Calipari. “They can not wait. I wish I was in the t-shirt business down there with the white out or something.

“It’s gonna be cowbells and all that other stuff going on. It’s exciting down there.”

UK junior guard Twany Beckham spent two years at Mississippi State before transferring to Lexington.

“I was on the other side two years ago,” he said. “It was the biggest game of the season. I know it’s going to be crazy tomorrow.”

Beckham said the Wildcats should be prepared for a raucous crowd.

“It gets loud,” he said. “I know two years ago when Kentucky came in, it was one of the loudest places I’ve been in. It’s going to be hard going in there and trying to get a win, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Mississippi State point guard Dee Bost leads the SEC with five assists per game and ranks fifth with 15.8 points per game. Beckham said Bost presents a difficult matchup for UK freshman point guard Marquis Teague.

“He’s really good, fast and strong,” Beckham said. “He’s just as good as like Marquis. They’re both fast and both can get to the basket.”

“They put him in a lot of pick-and-rolls, and he’s pretty good in pick-and-roll,” Calipari said of Bost. “You can’t go under (the screen) on him because he’ll pull up and shoot, so you have to go over the top. He’s pretty good and long going to the basket.”

Calipari expects future opponents to implement a zone defense like the one Mississippi used with some success with against UK in the first half Saturday.

“I would predict that this team will play us zone 60 percent of the time,” he said. “They’re not going to want to bring their big people out in pick-and-rolls, and he’s going to play in a zone.

“It’s all good, though. We’ve got to get prepared to go in a tournament game and somebody play us 40 minutes of zone. Let’s be prepared to play against it.”

While Mississippi State will be looking for a marquee win tomorrow, teams like the Bulldogs also get excited to prove themselves against future UK NBA players like the Wildcats stars, Calipari said.

“They’re not only playing against the name on the front of the shirt, they’re playing against the name on the back of the shirt,” he said. “That’s what makes this unique and different. I don’t that we’re starting three freshmen. They don’t care. They’re looking at it like, hey, this guy is all this and that.”

UK can clinch the conference championship with a Florida loss to Auburn Tuesday and a win versus the Bulldogs, but Calipari is still focused on mental improvement.

“I’ve coached their bodies to three weeks ago, like conditioning and toughness,” he said. “Now we’re coaching minds, trying to get them in a great frame of mind as they go in as an individual and as a team.”

After getting off to a rocky start in the season opener, the University of Louisville escaped the Big East/Big 10 Challenge with a 2-1 record and wins versus Illinois and Michigan State. In the opener, UofL redshirt junior ace right-handed pitcher Justin Amlung fell to 0-1 after surrendering four runs on six hits in six innings pitched. UofL brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning before the game was suspended due to weather. The game was later called without finishing the final inning, meaning stats from the unfinished ninth did not count and the final score was recorded as 7-1.

On Saturday sophomore right-handed pitcher Jeff Thompson posted a quality start — surrendering three runs on three hits in six innings while striking out eight and walking one — to lead the Cards to a 4-3 win versus Illinois. Sophomore center fielder Adam Engel was 3-5, and freshman designated hitter Mason Snyder was 2-3 with one RBI and one run scored in his debut.

Louisville finished the weekend with a winning record after rallying for a 7-6 win versus Michigan State. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Chad Green earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief. Junior first baseman Zak Wasserman slugged his first home run of the season, and sophomore third baseman Ty Young was 2-2 with two runs scored.

Top performers: Adam Engel (5-13, .385, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB), Cole Sturgeon (5-9, .556, 2 R, 1 RBI), Jeff Thompson (1-0, 6 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO)

University of Kentucky (2-0)

UK’s opening weekend series isn’t finished yet after Sunday’s game versus USC Upstate was postponed to Monday due to rain, but the Wildcats did start the season at 2-0 with wins versus Wofford and Eastern Michigan. Junior left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers continued the momentum from his Cape Cod League All-Star summer in a 10-4 win versus Wofford in the season opener. He surrendered one run on five hits in six innings while striking out nine batters and walking one. Senior third baseman Thomas McCarthy slugged his first home run on Friday, and junior right fielder Cameron Flynn was 2-2 with one RBI and one run scored in his UK debut.

On Saturday, the Wildcats used a five-run seventh inning to roll to a 10-2 win versus Eastern Michigan. Junior left-handed pitcher Jerad Grundy earned the win in his UK debut after surrendering three hits in five and two-third scoreless innings while striking out four batters and walking three. Junior catcher Luke Male was 2-4 with one home run, two RBI and one run scored, and sophomore left fielder Lucas Witt was 3-4 with one RBI and two runs scored. Freshman designated hitter A. J. Reed was 2-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.

UK will conclude its weekend series at 2 p.m. on Monday versus USC Upstate.

Top performers: Lucas Witt (5-9, .556, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB), A. J. Reed (2-4, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 R), Taylor Rogers (1-0, 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO), Jerad Grundy (1-0, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 SO)

Western Kentucky University (1-2)

The Matt Myers era at WKU started with a disappointing 1-2 weekend versus Toledo. On Friday, Toledo scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to send the Hilltoppers to a 5-2 loss. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Tanner Perkins took a no decision after surrendering two runs on four hits in seven innings while striking out three batters and walking one. Senior right-handed pitcher Ross Hammonds took the loss after surrendering two runs in one and one-third innings of relief. Senior second baseman Ivan Hartle was 2-4 with two runs scored.

On Saturday, WKU couldn’t finish a ninth-inning rally a 7-6 loss in game one of a doubleheader. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Austin Clay posted a quality start but took the loss after surrendering three runs on 11 hits in six innings pitched. Senior center fielder Jared Andreoli was 3-6 with one RBI and one run scored. Junior catcher Ryan Huck reached base four times with a single and three walks.

In game two of the doubleheader, freshman left-handed pitcher Ian Tompkins earned a win in his collegiate debut after surrendering two runs on four hits in five innings pitched. Hartle paced the offense in the 9-3 win with a 4-5, two RBI, two runs scored performance. Sophomore designated hitter Scott Wilcox was 2-2 with one home run, two RBI and two runs scored.

Top performers: Ivan Hartle (7-14, .500, 3 2Bs, 1 3B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB), Scott Wilcox (5-9, .556, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB), Jared Andreoli (5-11, .455, 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB), Tanner Perkins (0-0, 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO), Ian Tompkins (1-0, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO)

Eastern Kentucky University (2-1)

EKU swept a doubleheader Saturday to earn a 2-1 series win versus East Tennessee State in the season opener. On Friday, junior right-handed pitcher Chase Greene struggled in his EKU debut, surrendering three runs on three hits in two and two-thirds innings pitched in a 8-3 loss. Sophomore third baseman Bryan Soloman was 2-4 with one run scored, and junior left fielder Shaun Ball slugged a home run in his EKU debut.

On Saturday, senior right-handed pitcher Matt Fyffe earned a win after surrendering one run on three hits in six innings of relief of a 7-6, 11-inning victory. Ball and Soloman both homered in the game, and senior second baseman Dustin Dunlop was 2-5 with one RBI and one run scored. Junior right-handed pitcher Anthony Bazzani earned his first save with a scoreless ninth inning.

In game two of the doubleheader, EKU earned an 8-2 win in a seven-inning game. Senior left-handed pitcher Greg Terry earned the win after surrendering two runs on seven hits in seven innings while striking out three batters and walking none. Senior shortstop Richie Rodriguez was 2-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, and sophomore catcher Sean Hagen was 3-4 with one RBI and one run scored.

Top performers: Bryan Soloman (3-9, .333, 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Austin Grisham (5-12, .417, 1 2B, 2 RBI) Matt Fyffe (1-0, 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO), Greg Terry (1-0, 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO)

Murray State University (1-2)

Murray State received one of the best pitching performances of the weekend, but that gem was not enough to prevent the Breds from dropping two of three games in their first series of 2012. On Friday, Valparaiso scored three runs in the 14th inning to send Murray State to a 5-2 loss. Senior right-handed pitcher Tyler Beers had to settle for a no decision after surrendering two runs on six hits in five innings pitched while striking out eight batters and walking one. Junior center fielder Paul Ritzheimer was 2-4 with one walk and one run scored.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Cameron Finch led Murray State to a 2-1 win on Saturday after surrendering one run on seven hits in nine innings pitched while striking out three batters and walking one. Junior second baseman Dylan Wheeler was 2-4 with one run scored.

On Sunday, Valparaiso scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to send Murray State to a 7-4 loss. Senior catcher Jacob Rhodes was 3-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Ritzheimer was 2-3 with one run scored. Junior right-handed pitcher Tim Vonder Haar did not receive a decision in his Murray State debut after surrendering four runs on six hits in six innings pitched.

Top performers: Paul Ritzheimer (5-12, .417, 2 R, 1 RBI), Cameron Finch (1-0, 9 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO), Tyler Beers (0-0, 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO), Luke Shuemaker (0-0, 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 SO, 0 BB)

Morehead State University (1-3)

The Morehead pitching staff carried its 2011 struggles into 2012 with a 1-3 weekend versus Mercer. The Eagles opened 2012 with a 22-6 loss on Friday. Senior catcher Eric Bainer was 2-4 with one home run, four RBI and two runs scored. Redshirt sophomore second baseman Jeff Birkofer was 2-4 with one walk and one run scored in his Morehead debut.

In game two of a doubleheader on Friday, Morehead scored four runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 9-8 win. Senior right fielder Luke Bainer was 4-6 with one home run, two RBI and two runs scored, and senior third baseman Andrew Deeds was 3-5 with one RBI and one run scored. Redshirt junior designated hitter Kellen Begeman and redshirt sophomore second baseman Nick Duff also homered in the game.

Freshman right-handed pitcher Aaron Goe excelled in his first start on Saturday but could not earn a win in a 2-1 loss. Goe surrendered two runs on four hits in six innings while striking out four batters and walking two. Redshirt freshman center fielder Duran Elmore was 1-2 with one walk and one run scored.

The Eagles surrendered 10 runs in the first three innings in the Sunday finale in a 10-0 loss. Junior left fielder Taylor Pickens was 2-3. Junior right-handed reliever Matt Duncan finished off a scoreless weekend with one inning of work. Duncan surrendered one hit in three scoreless innings across two appearances on the weekend.

Top performers: Chase Greenwell (6-14, .429, 1 2B, 1 R), Eric Bainer (4-10, .400, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R), Duran Elmore (4-11, .364, 3 R, 2 BB, 3 SB), Aaron Goe (0-1, 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO)

Weekly Awards

Player of the week — 2B Ivan Hartle (WKU)
– Stats — 7-14 (.500), 3 2Bs, 1 3B, 4 R, 3 RBI
Honorable Mention: Cole Sturgeon (UofL), Lucas Witt (UK), Scott Wilcox (WKU), Austin Grisham (EKU), Paul Ritzheimer (Murray State), Chase Greenwell (Morehead)

Pitcher of the week — RHP Cameron Finch (Murray State)
– Stats — 1-0, 9 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 SO, 1 BB
Honorable Mention: Jeff Thompson (UofL), Taylor Rogers (UK), Jerad Grundy (UK), Matt Fyffe (EKU), Greg Terry (EKU), Tyler Beers (Murray State), Luke Shuemaker (Murray State), Aaron Goe (Morehead)

Freshman of the week — RHP Aaron Goe (Morehead)
– Stats — 0-1, 6 IP, H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 SO, 2 BB
Honorable Mention: Mason Snyder (UofL), A. J. Reed (UK), Austin Cousino (UK), Ian Tompkins (WKU),

The Daytona 500 race kicks off the entire NASCAR year of racing. It is the biggest event of the season and unlike baseball and football, it is the first event, not the last. If you find that a bit confusing, no wonder I get so many funny looks from my colleagues when I tell them that I go to NASCAR races.

Recently I was involved in a deposition with a fellow lawyer and at one of the breaks the court reporter asked if I lived near the Kentucky Speedway. When I told her that I lived so close that on a clear day in winter I could see the seats, she asked me if I ever attended a race. After revealing that I had been a season ticket holder since the beginning, my lawyer friend gave me one of those looks like a coon hound hearing a dog whistle for the first time.

“YOU go to NASCAR?” he asked with the most sincere incredulity. I actually saw him survey my entire body from top to bottom as if I had suddenly been revealed to him to be some sort of alien life form occupying the body of a human being in a dark blue suit.

I’ve even had friends burst out laughing when I talk about NASCAR racing. Somehow though the stigma they all feel hasn’t had much of an impact on the industry itself. While attendance has been down somewhat due to the economy, big races still draw huge crowds.

Last year at the Kentucky Speedway the crowds exceeded capacity so badly that many fans couldn’t get to the track before the race ended. The venue is so important that a very lean state budget still included a lot of money this year to help pay for access improvements to the facility.

Those who have attended a big race will tell you that the atmosphere is more like a Disney Park than the image some still hold of dusty little country ovals where local boys crash around in the dirt and moonshine swilling shirtless rednecks “woo-hoo” every lap. NASCAR is a pretty family friendly sport with lots of things to do other than watch cars drive in circles.

There is of course plenty of overpriced food to consume, and usually it is much better fare than you will find at a baseball park. Sure, finicky kids can still get a plain hotdog but you can usually find some pretty good barbecue, sometimes Chinese food, steaks, chicken and an assortment of snacks that make the whole bag of peanuts and nachos thing seem somewhat uninspired.

There are event trailers set up around the perimeter where you can shop for merchandise, maybe get on a carnival ride in a fake race car, participate in a “pit crew” competition to see how fast you can remove a tire with an air hammer and of course hob-knob with various members of the driving teams at signing events.

Most tracks have some sort of pre-race concert and the talent can be pretty good. But the real eye opener for most first timers is the realization that this sport is populated by millionaires.

By the time you get a chance to use your pit pass, tour the garages, see the equipment, watch the drivers arrive by helicopter, think of the money spent on crews, tools, transportation, and tires, you suddenly come to realize that racing isn’t just for Bubba anymore.

And then, just as the driver announcements are about to end and you make your way to your seats, what you will also see is plenty of moms and dads of all walks of life coming together to enjoy a truly American sport.

With all of the colors, the excitement, the sounds, the music and the celebration of America all around, you will be hard-pressed not to become swept up in the emotion of knowing that most of the folks with you this day are patriotic lovers of freedom.

Depending on which event you attend you might get the thrill of watching a sky diver twirl down from way up over head trailing a huge American flag all the while Lee Greenwood is singing “I’m proud to be an American.” You will likely be thrilled by the presentation of the colors in honor of our military and the choice of singer for The National Anthem. It is more likely to be a local preacher, a big burly Marine or a rocker with a pretty clean image rather than a spangle-gloved crotch grabber out to dishonor our pride.

And just before the words “Home Of The Brave” are amplified across the faces of 75,000 people a squadron of fighter jets just might blow down the home stretch, barely above the stands raising the hair on the back of your neck, no matter how un-red it might be.

Oh, yeah, the race. Sure the cars are brilliantly colored. Sure the teams are incredibly skilled at fine-tuning these $100,000 high performance machines and sure the drivers are skilled beyond credit for their endurance, mental alertness and driving skills but those are things you will come to appreciate more over time.

Like the many rules of the sport, the calculated use of time, fuel, tires and the other many components of what it takes to win, you would be overwhelmed to try to take it all in on your first visit. But it is all there, years of gaining greater appreciation for what really goes into the quest for the checkered flag.

How can I explain NASCAR? Simple, it’s just a chance for red-blooded Americans to get together and celebrate the competitive spirit, the dedication to excellence and the unabashed patriotism of America

After a winter of rest it all begins anew this Sunday with these famous words “Drivers, start your engines.” Perhaps the rest of America will take the cue and make this the year when we roar back to life.

Marcus Carey is a Northern Kentucky lawyer with 32 years experience. He is also a farmer, talk radio host and public speaker who loves history and politics. He is a prolific and accomplished writer whose blog, BluegrassBulletin.com is “dedicated to honest and respectful comment on the political and cultural issues of our time.” He writes a daily commentary for KyForward.

A clip of the broadcast, which has been posted on national websites including Deadspin.com, shows Tomlin asking the cameraman if he “got enough” and motioning for him to turn around because Tomlin was watching the game. Tomlin was recognized during a timeout at Rupp Saturday and received a mixed reaction, including some boos from a likely pro-Cincinnati Bengals crowd. He sat next to UK football coach Joker Phillips, who is seen smiling in the video.

You can see the video here

The UK men’s basketball team hasn’t needed its bench often this season, but the duo of freshman forward Kyle Wiltjer and senior guard Darius Miller helped turn a close game into a blowout Saturday.

Wiltjer and Miller combined for 27 points, including 20 in the first half, to lead the No. 1 Wildcats to a 77-62 win versus Mississippi and extend the UK home winning streak to 50 games. The 27 bench points were the second most in a game this season for UK, behind the 31 points the bench scored in UK’s 50-point win versus Marist in the season opener.

“The reason we had a lead at halftime was because of Kyle Wiltjer,” said UK head coach John Calipari. “(He was) in the middle of the zone, he made shots, he defended well. He took a charge. I mean, he played well today.”

UK jumped out to an 11-point lead with 15:12 left in the first half, but Mississippi rattled off a 19-8 run to tie the game at 24. Miller and Wiltjer then scored the next 16 UK points to help the Cats take a 43-35 lead into the locker room.

Miller tied the game again at 4:34 left in the first half with an impressive dunk over Mississippi’s Reginald Bucker. With the crowd and UK players erupting in celebration, the Wildcats closed the half on a 12-4 run.

“The dunk is one of the biggest plays I’ve seen him make,” Calipari said.

Miller said Calipari had chastised him for missing several close layups early in the half, and he didn’t want to do that again.

“I was kind of upset with myself,” he said. “I felt like I missed a couple bunnies that I should have made. I was just trying to finish strong.

“It kind of got me excited, it kind of got the team excited and we got going. After that everybody started knocking down shots. It kind of woke us up a little bit. I think we started out kind of sluggish. I think that and the way Kyle played really helped jump start us.”

Before Wiltjer came off the bench for UK, Mississippi head coach Andy Kennedy felt like the Cats were struggling with his team’s zone. Wiltjer was 5-6 from the field, including 3-4 from three-point range.

“I thought he came in and changed the game in the first half,” he said. “I thought he came in and really was a big key for settling them down.”

Wiltjer saw extended minutes in the half in part because of foul trouble from freshmen forwards Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

“I got a couple nice little easy baskets in the first couple minutes I was in,” Wiltjer said. “I just wanted to be aggressive offensively and shoot my open shots.”

Wiltjer said he’s put extra work in before and after practice recently.

“Just getting a lot of reps in trying to become a better shooter, not just stand in one spot but running the court and spotting up like that,” he said. “I really give credit to the hard work I put in these last couple weeks.”

“He played aggressive,” Calipari said of Wiltjer. “He made shots. He got in the middle of the zone. He kicked it out from there. He made a shot in there. He was terrific.”

In the second half, UK starters Terrence Jones, Doron Lamb and Davis helped put the game out of reach for good.

Jones finished with his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He tallied 13 double-doubles as a freshman.

Lamb led UK with 16 points, including four three-point baskets. Davis finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four blocks.

The Wildcats finished with 10 threes in the game on 18 attempts. The 55.6 three-point percentage and 10 threes were UK’s second highest totals of the season.

“They were giving us that shot, versus letting us get near the rim,” Calipari said.

“I’ve got a terrific three-point shooting team, I really do,” he added. “But we just don’t take a whole lot of threes because we don’t have to. I like threes. I love dunks.”

While the final margin ended up as a blowout, it was nice to show UK can win when some of its normal stars struggle, Miller said.

“We feel like we have a lot of weapons,” he said. “When two people or one person are down, other people try to step up. I think Kyle did a really good job of that today. He stepped up and knocked down shots, especially when we needed them i the first half.”

When UK men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino left that position in 1997 and Tubby Smith replaced him, many players were uncertain of the team’s future — among them Cameron Mills. But in Mills’s words, the rest of the team and he found they needed to get used to their new coach, and despite the differences in Smith’s and Pitino’s coaching styles, “sell out” to Smith.

After that, Mills said, the Wildcats leaped into their 1998 season. That acceptance led to many comebacks, until the players had stunned even themselves by winning the 1998 NCAA championship.

That same dedication led to Mills’s choosing a non-scholarship walk-on position with the Wildcats, over a scholarship at a Georgia school. It also led him to move beyond basketball to speaking publicly about his Christian faith, years before similar attentions to Denver Broncos football quarterback Tim Tebow, or New York Knicks basketball player Jeremy Lin.

Faith, family and basketball

“[There are] probably about three different reasons I wanted to play at UK,” Mills said. “My dad played there, back in the sixties. That was probably the biggest influence of all of them.”

From 1966 to 1971, Terry Mills, No. 21, played under Coach Adolph Rupp, along with team members like Dan Mizell, Larry Steele and Mike Casey. But Mills said that only in third grade did he realize his father had been a Wildcat — and that in Kentucky, especially, that was a big deal. For a class project, Mills had to assemble a picture collage for a role model, and many other children were focusing on sports and history figures. His mother told him his father was himself a sports figure, and began bringing out old newspaper clippings and magazine pictures.
“I guess I kind of knew it, but it never really mattered much to me,” Mills said with a laugh. “I realized that playing ball at UK is a pretty big deal. … I started cheering for him myself.”

At the same time, Mills’ parents were devout Christians who pointed him toward an even greater role model. As member of First United Methodist Church in Somerset, Mills was influenced by a youth pastor. By the age of 12, Mills was sure he should also be a minister.

After he graduated high school, his goal was to play basketball at UK. At that time, the program was taking off under the guide of Pitino. Many believed a national championship was on the way, and Mills wanted to be a part of that. UK, though, didn’t offer him a scholarship, so he had to decide between the program he loved, or another school.

Thanks in part to his father’s connection with a team equipment manager, Mills was able to join the Wildcats as a walk-on player.

“When I went to Georgia for a couple of visits, they had some walk-ons on the team there,” he said. “They were kind of treated like second-class citizens. I kind of expected that. I thought: well, this is the way I’m going to be treated. … And I was never treated like anything other than a scholarship player.” Mills was still on the team, even if he also kept to the bench. He stayed at Wildcat Lodge, ate with the other players and otherwise got along much like a scholarship player.

During the 1996 season, Pitino put him on the JV and varsity squads. But Mills didn’t play in games leading up to that year’s national championship.

Nevertheless, being a part of the 1996 NCAA championship team was thrilling. “Whether I was a walk-on or not, it was still a very special time to be there,” Mills said. “It was just very real.”

By the following year, Pitino had begun working him into the lineup of active players. That led to Mills’ first significant contribution to the team’s wi on Super Bowl Sunday in Arkansas in 1997.

“I wound up having twelve points off the bench,” Mills said — leading to the team’s first win under Pitino in Arkansas. Mills was especially successful with his attempts at three-point shots, and at one time hit 63 percent of those. “My dad is the one who led to that skill,” Mills added. “He taught me how to shoot. … Add that to Coach Pitino’s coaching, who kind of refined my shot a little bit and added to that.”

Off the bench

Then came the transition from Pitino to Smith, and the new coach’s changes to the team.

At first, Mills explained, it made sense for players to default to their three years of practice under Pitino, while being “fifty percent sold out” to Smith. After all, Pitino’s methods had led to the team winning the 1996 championship, and very nearly the 1997 championship as well. Smith ran many of the same drills, practices and plays as Pitino, but he didn’t want to press for all 40 minutes of a game — he preferred selective pressing, Mills said.

For a while, Smith’s style had seemed to hurt the team. UK lost its first game of the season against Arizona in the Maui Classic, then home games against Florida and Ole Miss. Some questioned if the season would be a rebuilding year for UK, but the players instead opted to be devoted completely to Smith and to do things his way.

Their games began to improve. Mills was also being asked to play even more often. He became certain UK would regain its high ranking, and make it far into the tournament. At that point, though, no one could have forecast UK was destined for another national championship.

“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to win those six games of the NCAA tournament,” he said. “To be that [winner], you essentially have to play pretty perfect basketball for six games, and have the ball bounce your way some. You’re going to run into a game where you just don’t have it.” Great talent matters, but seeming luck must also favor the title winner, he said.

Mills’s own fortune came near the end of UK’s game against Duke in Florida. Duke’s score was 79, with the Cats at 77. With 2:20 on the clock, Wayne Turner pushed in to attempt a two-point shot. It failed, and a Duke player swatted the ball backward. Outside the circle, Mills snatched it and leaped for a three-point shot.

When the ball swished through for a UK lead, the crowd went wild. That was the end of the Cats’ nearly 20-point comeback, sending them to the Final Four.

“I just remember the ball bouncing to me, and I did what I guess any of my teammates would have gone,” Mills said. “I didn’t even realize the gravity of the moment, I don’t think, until after the game, even. … I wish I could remember more details! My recollection of that shot has come more from watching video of the shot over the years than anything else.”

That same disbelief recurred eight days later in San Antonio, in the final tournament game against Utah — which was also Mills’ last game as a University of Kentucky Wildcat.

“I was standing next to Scott Padgett,” Mills said. “Everything [was] kind of surreal. … Eventually everyone has this calm where they just stop and reflect on what’s just happened. … I looked to Scott and said, ‘Are you kidding me? Did we just win the national championship?’”

Cameron Mills Ministries

Mills had done what few college basketball players had done: gone to three NCAA Final Fours, and helped win a tournament. But after all the excitement, he knew what he wanted to do.

Already Mills had been involved with the on-campus Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and spoken at youth rallies, Sunday school classes and church services during summers. He began to realize he could do this work full-time. His basketball career only improved his chances.

In 1998, he set up a new nonprofit organization: Cameron Mills Ministries. His first speech with that group was in June that year at an Owensboro church. His topics were his own testimony — the Christian’s term for personal life story, leading from sin to salvation — Jesus Christ, obedience, Christian worship and living a life set apart in faith.

The worship message, in particular, came during a very trying time for Mills: his divorce in 2003. That made him take a break from ministry and rethink his life. “The worship message more specifically talks about worshiping God when life stinks,” he said.

At a time like that, giving God absolute devotion — selling out to his lead completely — is vital, he said. “Because of Christ, you know, I’m going to Heaven when I die. Even when life stinks, there’s joy and satisfaction.”

Except for that year he took off from ministry to spend in Texas in a Christian program, Mills has stayed in Lexington. Work with a home health-care company helps pay the bills and allows him to do church events on the side, meaning he has no set speaker’s fees. Most of his speaking is in Kentucky, but he’s also spoken at FCA events. Mills speaks at events for Upward Basketball, a Christian children’s sports league, and this summer he plants to return to a basketball camp in Maryland, where he’s spoken before. It’s a very small operation, Mills said, mainly with him and a personal assistant. Yet he loves the work, helping to change lives.

“I believe there’s a life-changing event when someone, you know, accepts Christ and gets saved,” he said. “Any time that happens — and I am even remotely involved, whether I’ve been praying for somebody or I actually spoke in a service where someone decided to accept Christ — that alone is what keeps me going. … God used you to help change somebody’s life.”

That outlook likely draws comparisons between Mills and Tebow, who is famous to some and infamous to others for his recognition of God during games or interviews. Some may believe that God doesn’t care about sports games, but in Mills’s view, God is not so small to oversee only one life realm at a time. “This was our job,” Mills said. “And you’re a person, and if your faith permeates you, you’re going to bring it into everything you do.”

Photo from Cameron Mills Ministries Facebook page