101. O What a Beautiful Morning

Wow! This morning's tmeperature is a brisk and breezy 54 degrees. I think that is the temperature year-round when one descends into the depths of Mammoth Cave. It is a degree or maybe two cooler than Louisville's overall average temperature. The skies are solid blue and the day promises to be nice.

Such mornings are more likely in September and October than May. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was time for an afternoon of racing at Keeneland followed by an evening of football at Commonwealth Stadium. For so many Saturdays when I was in my teens, 20s, and a few in my 30s, Saturday revolved around trips to Lexington for either the races, or UK football, or both. Actually UK football was more of a backdrop than an event in itself. By the time the game rolled around, the real purpose was comaraderie and networking. No one ever accused us of going to UK's games because the teams were so good. They weren't. Never really have been except for a couple of back-to-back seasons in the early 1980s. The most heartbreaking game I recall was coached by Jerry Claiborne and Kentucky turned over the ball to Tennessee three times on goal-to-go. It may have even been four. They were at the Richmond end of the Stadium and couldn't get the ball over the line. But it was also about that time that the 'Cats went to the Hall of Fame bowl in Birmingham and defeated Wisconsin. It was the second year in as many UK played in the bowl game, having lost the year before to West Virgnia. The '83 game was a few days before Christmas; the '84 game a few days before New Year's. I went to both of those.

But, it isn't Saturday, it isn't October, and UK hasn't had back-to-back invitations to a bowl game in some time. The current coach, Rich Brooks, did manage to get to a bowl last fall - I think they have one for every team now, kind of like trophy day in Little League, no one goes home empty handed. Let's hope this fall Brooks can post a second winning season for the Wildcats so all those people attending the football game will have something to watch while they are networking, politicking, and socializing.