A young fan was surprised to come face to face with Marcus Lee
I am lucky to cover one of the best athletic programs in the country. We have been revisiting some of the memories from the past year. You can find the first half of 2014 here.
In July I took a trip to Bowling Green with Nation of Blue’s Scott Anderson to watch National Player of the Year and Golden Spikes (college baseball’s equivalent of the Heisman) winner A.J. Reed in his Single A debut with Quad Cities. In true Reed fashion, the slugger’s first Midwest League hit was a two-run homer. I may never see a performance again like Reed’s at Kentucky. He is a once-in-a-lifetime player like Anthony Davis. You always got the feeling your were watching something extraordinary and seeing him play professionally was special.
One fan offered to get A.J.’s autograph tattooed on his arm. Big Blue Nation is everywhere and seeing them turn out to support Reed proved there is nothing better than Kentucky fans.
I also realized a childhood dream watching another slugger chase balls out of the yard at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.
Juiced or not, I don't care. Watching Jose Canseco absolutely crush a ball is something to see. He can rip it. pic.twitter.com/lzOw9ucY1Q
— Regina Lexi Rickert (@acrphoto) July 12, 2014
Kentucky basketball never stops, even in the middle of July. James Young returned to the Joe Craft Center to to give back to the kids at the John Calipari Basketball ProCamp.
One of my goals for 2014 was to get out to watch Coach Lipsitz and the women’s soccer team more. Unfortunately the schedule and weather didn’t cooperate, but the Cats recorded the best season in UK women’s soccer history including the program’s first-ever birth in the NCAA Sweet 16, and an appearance in the SEC Championship match.
@UKWomensSoccer won today's exhibition match over Austin Peay 5-0. Home opener set for Aug. 29 vs. Francis Marion. pic.twitter.com/RCoDkUOTcO
— Regina Lexi Rickert (@acrphoto) August 13, 2014
I attended my first UK Women’s Football Clinic. I usually miss this event due to a much-needed vacation. While Nutter wasn’t quite the same as a coastal Georgia island sunset, I was struck by how many ladies turned out and impressed by how our coaches and student-athletes interacted with them. There was a nice mix of instruction and hands-on fun at the unique event.
Kentucky Football Media Day was up next. The biggest difference I noticed from last year was the energy and camaraderie.
Another thing that stood out was the expanding reach of Kentucky’s recruiting. Various groupings were lined up for photos and it was eye-opening seeing all of the “Ohio Boys” gathered in front of us.
Thaddeus Snodgrass brushes up on his interview skills with T.V. Williams:
An estimated 4,000 fans turned out starting at 9 a.m. to get a glimpse at the Wildcats, collect a few autographs and watch an open practice at Commonwealth Stadium on Fan Day.
Coaches held nothing back from fans who lined the sidelines to watch a series of football open practices. Coach Stoops is very hands-on, often taking a few snaps himself.
The John Calipari Fantasy Experience once again raised over one million dollars for charity. The event gave us our first look at the new Kentucky team. It also showed just how competitive Calipari is, even when coaching a team for charity.
UK Hoops Photo Day is a fast-moving day filled with many laughs. The ladies go through hair and makeup to look their best, but it is the Mitchell daughters who always steal the show.
UK Volleyball gave us a preview of the season with a Blue/White scrimmage and a win over Virginia Tech to capture the Bluegrass Battle title. In September I watched the Cats take down Louisville 3-1 in front of a record-setting crowd at the KFC Yum Center. UK Volleyball, UK Hoops and Men’s Basketball all claimed victories over the Cards in their house in 2014. The Year of the Cat!
For the first time since 1988, UK Football held consecutive opponents scoreless in the first half. The Cats cruised past UT Martin and beat Ohio 20-3.
One of the largest crowds I have seen at a regular season high school football game packed in when the Damien Harris show rolled into Lexington. The five-star Kentucky target rushed for 321 yards and 7 TD’s on 19 carries, capped by an electrifying 91 yard kick return TD to give the Eagles the win over Dunbar.
I shot much of the chilly game next to my UK friend Dr. Glenn “Bo” Morris and his son-in-law. Bo lost his courageous battle with cancer in December. We were all blessed to have known Bo and will miss his warm, inviting nature on the sidelines. I will hold my conversations with him on this night especially close to my heart.
Unbelievable night for @UKMensSoccer. A record-crowd of 3,368 turned out to watch the Cats and Cards at #TheBell. pic.twitter.com/YQG7sYywrJ
— Regina Lexi Rickert (@acrphoto) September 24, 2014
A different kind of circus moved in the following week as Tent City popped up around Memorial Coliseum for the annual Big Blue Madness camp out.
Gorgeous morning watching #UKBaseball at the Cliff + SEC win for #UKFootball at CWS. Does it get any better? pic.twitter.com/ZXlOMe4ZYx
— Regina Lexi Rickert (@acrphoto) September 27, 2014
UK football snapped a 17 game SEC losing streak with a 17-7 win over Vanderbilt, but the highlight of the year came the following weekend when the Wild Kemp was unleashed on South Carolina. Jojo Kemp scored three touchdowns on the way to Kentucky’s 45-38 win over the Gamecocks. From the chrome helmets glistening under the night lights to the pandemonium of rushing the field, it was a taste of bigtime SEC football Kentucky fans won’t soon forget and a glimpse of what is to come.
A win over the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe to move to 5-1 on the season gave the Cats a share of first place in the SEC East.
And two words… Randall Cobb!!
The rest of October was a blur of activity with all the UK sports seemingly going at once. The media turned out in droves for basketball Media Day and the Big Blue Platoons entered the vernacular. Fans packed Rupp to its rafters for Big Blue Madness and began dreaming of hanging #9.
SEC Nation filmed live from Commonwealth Stadium, bringing added excitement to the game against Mississippi State.
The Blue/White scrimmage finished up an exciting month. I’m surprised my family still recognizes me during this stretch of the year!
The Cats cruised past Pikeville in the first exhibition game of the season and never looked back, destroying teams by double-digits and taking an undefeated record into the new year.
Perspective… thank you for your service.
Injuries and signs of youth began to take a toll on the football Cats as they headed into a difficult stretch of the schedule, but there was still plenty to be hopeful about.
UK Hoops rallied to beat No. 8 Baylor at Rupp Arena in front of the second-largest crowd in school history.
I finished out 2014 watching UK Hoops wrap up the non-conference schedule and spending a couple nights over at Lexington Catholic High School for the Traditional Bank Holiday Classic.
Whew. What a year and what a job! Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it is real. Thanks for reliving some of the moments that made it special.
Recently we learned of the season-ending injury to Alex Poythress, so I’m going to leave you with his favorite quote.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” ~Mary Anne Radmacher.
Happy Big Blue New Year BBN. Enjoy the ride!
