I made the trek to Middletown, OH yesterday for the annual convention of Big Blue fans in southwest Ohio and it was a great way to spend a Saturday.  These are diehard Cat fans, many of whom moved to the Buckeye state years ago for work reasons but never gave up their passion for the blue-and-white.  Jim Porter, the self-proclaimed #1 UK fan in Ohio, runs the show and the event is well-organized and thoroughly professional.  I got there in time to hear the last part of Joker Phillips' talk (the first time a UK HEAD coach had addressed this group) and I stayed to hear men's basketball assistant coach John Robic.  Among the interesting tidbits they heard:

   * Phillips said DB Paul Warford and DT Mister Cobble have to finish strong academically in order to be with the team this fall.  He's disappointed two veterans are in that position. 

He also said recruits Donte Rumph (DL) and Mychal Bailey (DB) have not yet been cleared to play but he's optimistic they will be

   *Robic confirmed that Darnell Dodson will be with the team this coming season

   *Robic said recruit Eloy Vargas is finishing up work in junior college and will not accompany the team to Canada next month and he said first of 10 practices permitted will be on August 1

 

It's not a hard trip by any means but for Phillips and Robic to give up four or so hours on a Saturday is a classy move, given how filled their schedules are right now.  And kudos to Larry Vaught and Ryan Lemond for driving up to speak to these fans, too.

@ South Carolina
Saturday / 6pm eastern
listen on UK-IMG Sports Network
See full schedule