EMBATTLED
When Joker Phillips was fired last week by University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, most fans echoed the sentiment, "about time." Whether letting Joker go was the right decision or not it certainly put Mitch in an untenable position. If he kept Joker the fans would revolt, if he fires him and doesn't come up with a "home run" hire, the fans will still revolt. Such is the life of the Kentucky AD. It wasn't that long ago when one of his first big moves at UK was to attain an elder football coach in Rich Brooks, that most fans just could not believe. Had they have bothered to look deeper in Coach Brooks career, they might have found that he was a highly respected member of the coaching fraternity, and the absolute right man for the job to rebuild a probation hampered program.. Not long after bumper stickers appeared with the phrase "Ditch Mitch and Rich." Years later when Rich Brooks had brought Kentucky Football to a respectability that most had not seen in years, no one responded with a peep about how Mitch had made a good move, they just dwelled on how he could allow a "coach in waiting" to be named, and of course, the increase price of ticket and parking passes.
Several years ago most fans had grown tired of Tubby Smith, the very successful basketball coach. When the program started to become somewhat stagnant, and some fans voiced that a change might be in order, well, Mitch intervened and made suggestions to Tubby. Tubby didn't like it and moved on to coach Minnesota. Fans seemed happy, but no one said "atta boy Mitch", they just continued to decide who Mitch should pursue as the next coach. The worst decision of Mitch Barnhart's career was about to happen in the persona of a over hyped, vulgar man from Texas, who was an up and comer in the basketball world. Again the criticism came, but not at Billy Gillispie, but at the man who hired him, Mitch Barnhart. To Mitch's credit he realized the mistake and rectified it in record time. Guess what the fans said? Mitch was crazy to pay so much to get rid of a man that might have destroyed Kentucky Basketball.
John Calipari was the absolute best man for the job at Kentucky. But, what did the fans say? If "Barnyard" wasn't so stupid we could have had Calapari the first time around. Never once have I heard a nay say er of Mitch Barnhart utter a word of praise for a man that brought Kentucky one of the greatest basketball coaches of this generation. All of this while Mitch continued to build the women's basketball program to national prominence, baseball has never attained the high level, in a conference that is noted for baseball, and all while managing to build the Olympic sports to unprecedented heights. Kentucky has become a destination for world class athletes and coaches.
Mich Barnhart has certainly made mistakes, but what AD doesn't? He has an aloofness that doesn't always relate well to fans. Some question his attitude as superior and righteous, he is not one of us, all while forgetting that he is trying to do his best for an athletic program that we all love. Forget the national championship. Forget the high rankings, and the number two finish nationally among all collegiate programs. Forget the notoriety that he has brought to this state in the form of a superior athletic program. If Mitch Barnhart doesn't make a good hire as the next football coach and the football program continues to flounder in mediocrity, his legacy will be unfulfilled, and forever he will be remembered as one of the most unjustly embattled athletic directors at the University of Kentucky.
When Joker Phillips was fired last week by University of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, most fans echoed the sentiment, "about time." Whether letting Joker go was the right decision or not it certainly put Mitch in an untenable position. If he kept Joker the fans would revolt, if he fires him and doesn't come up with a "home run" hire, the fans will still revolt. Such is the life of the Kentucky AD. It wasn't that long ago when one of his first big moves at UK was to attain an elder football coach in Rich Brooks, that most fans just could not believe. Had they have bothered to look deeper in Coach Brooks career, they might have found that he was a highly respected member of the coaching fraternity, and the absolute right man for the job to rebuild a probation hampered program.. Not long after bumper stickers appeared with the phrase "Ditch Mitch and Rich." Years later when Rich Brooks had brought Kentucky Football to a respectability that most had not seen in years, no one responded with a peep about how Mitch had made a good move, they just dwelled on how he could allow a "coach in waiting" to be named, and of course, the increase price of ticket and parking passes.
Several years ago most fans had grown tired of Tubby Smith, the very successful basketball coach. When the program started to become somewhat stagnant, and some fans voiced that a change might be in order, well, Mitch intervened and made suggestions to Tubby. Tubby didn't like it and moved on to coach Minnesota. Fans seemed happy, but no one said "atta boy Mitch", they just continued to decide who Mitch should pursue as the next coach. The worst decision of Mitch Barnhart's career was about to happen in the persona of a over hyped, vulgar man from Texas, who was an up and comer in the basketball world. Again the criticism came, but not at Billy Gillispie, but at the man who hired him, Mitch Barnhart. To Mitch's credit he realized the mistake and rectified it in record time. Guess what the fans said? Mitch was crazy to pay so much to get rid of a man that might have destroyed Kentucky Basketball.
John Calipari was the absolute best man for the job at Kentucky. But, what did the fans say? If "Barnyard" wasn't so stupid we could have had Calapari the first time around. Never once have I heard a nay say er of Mitch Barnhart utter a word of praise for a man that brought Kentucky one of the greatest basketball coaches of this generation. All of this while Mitch continued to build the women's basketball program to national prominence, baseball has never attained the high level, in a conference that is noted for baseball, and all while managing to build the Olympic sports to unprecedented heights. Kentucky has become a destination for world class athletes and coaches.
Mich Barnhart has certainly made mistakes, but what AD doesn't? He has an aloofness that doesn't always relate well to fans. Some question his attitude as superior and righteous, he is not one of us, all while forgetting that he is trying to do his best for an athletic program that we all love. Forget the national championship. Forget the high rankings, and the number two finish nationally among all collegiate programs. Forget the notoriety that he has brought to this state in the form of a superior athletic program. If Mitch Barnhart doesn't make a good hire as the next football coach and the football program continues to flounder in mediocrity, his legacy will be unfulfilled, and forever he will be remembered as one of the most unjustly embattled athletic directors at the University of Kentucky.
