Practices, were just another sort of awkward for those same parents who insisted on being at every practice, doing similar things as they do on the Saturday afternoon game days, maybe slightly more subdued. It was like they were saying 'Listen to your coach at practice, but come Saturday, pay attention to my instructions from behind the bench. Don't you dare embarrass me."Even though I had personally seen such behavior ruin Cannonsburg's basketball team during the 1990 4th grade season, and witnessed countless weekend-sleep-overs being cancelled due to what transpired at the elementary hoop wars, everything remained open door. Hell, nowadays, most parents feel like they can't get more than 15 feet away from their kids so that they aren't exposed to Jerry Sandusky-types. Those parents constantly grade the coaches, and the thought that they could do better never escaped their heads. I knew quite a few of these such parents, who had a mental picture that they were John Wooden or Adolph Rupp, and it reciprocated to every other sport we played, too.
Granted, some of the coaches needed that extra bit of watching, as some were just completely out of place, either because they had no clue how to teach and handle the kids, or the fact they only coached so their kids could get offenses built around them and playing time. Those type of coaches are slightly more annoying than the parents coaching from the stands. Once had a coach who got our plays for a tournament by watching the Chicago Bulls on WGN. We won the tournament, though, but it had little to do with those plays. We were about 10, we ran around like morons and shot the ball every chance we could....and didn't pass it to the coach's son much.
John Calipari is not that kind of coach, though. He does however share something in common with the weekend warriors who rush home from work to make it to practice to coach the kids after school: He has a crap ton of what equates to 'parents' in the stands trying to do the coaching.
Kentucky is known for it's fanaticism when it comes to those who occupy Rupp Arena on game day, really any day of the year. Cal knows this, and he loves it. It probably frustrates the hell out of him, but he does love it.
So, why have yet another open practice and have to put up with this? Because he is John Calipari, and this is Kentucky, and we are the only fan base crazy enough to even entertain the thought. Difference here is that Cal won't let the 'parents' undermine him in any way during practice. It would be like your 6th grade coach walking up to one of the more annoying parents during practice and smack the piss right out of them. Yeah, the PTA would be livid, but it would get the point across. Imagine if Calipari was your elementary coach, and caught you gazing up to the stands for parental instruction, or even paying attention to what they were saying period. Chances are you wouldn't play the rest of the game, no matter if you were his best player or not.
I really don't have any real reason for this posting. I am not sure if it even makes any sort of sense, and I am almost certain that it has little or nothing to do with the open-practice Kentucky will schedule and broadcast on Wednesday on WKYT. It looks like a lot of ramble, honestly.
But, I am going to bring you all back on my side with this one: Go Cats.
Calipari is doing this, for what he says is because there is no game this week for the Cats, and in order to feed the ravage beast that is Kentucky's fans, he is going to treat us to being able to see our Cats in action, in one way or another. More details are going to be released as to the specifics, and it is being said that 8,000 spectators will be allowed into the practice to watch it, along with the absurd amount of the Big Blue Nation who will play their Wednesday around watching the practice on WKYT.
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