Jarmon,Calipari, and the NBA Playoffs

By now you've probably heard the sad news out of the University of Kentucky football camp. Jeremy Jarmon was ruled ineligible after losing his appeal over the misuse of a substance banned by the NCAA. It's a sad ending for a young man who is a great example of what a student-athlete should be. Jarmon is a hard-nosed, disruptive defensive end but he is so much more than that, intelligent,well-read,well-traveled. He brought as much passion to the classroom as he did to the football field.
It's debatable whether the NCAA was to harsh in the ruling against Jarmon, but rules are rules and they make their decision on the rule that was broken, not the person who broke the rule. One thing is certain, Jarmon should have known better and done more research before taking whatever it was he took. In the end Jarmon once again put himself head and shoulders above by being present at the press conference to explain in person what had happened and express how sorry he was for the mistake he had made. Jarmon left Kentucky fans with this "I was born a Kentucky fan, I will die a Kentucky fan, and I will be a Wildcat for life."

On a happier note in UK sporting news, John Calipari has been the home run everyone had expected when he was hired 8 weeks ago, even before coaching his first game in Lexington. Calipari's first recruiting class is rated number one in the nation by most scouting services, the icing on the cake being the #1 point guard in the nation, John Wall, who signed this past week. If Jodie Meeks decides to withdraw from the NBA draft within the next month then you can expect the Cats to have a pre-season ranking of number two or possibly number one in the nation, depending where Kansas falls.Either way Calipari has been the cure for exactly what ailed the rabid Kentucky fan base and hopefully this off-season success continues into November and beyond.

The NBA Conference Finals have been about as exciting as you could possibly ask for so far. Kobe's clutch shots, LeBron's game-winners and Carmelo's improved hustle and overall play have defined this past week. Surprisingly, despite the loss last night, the "Thuggets" have held their own with L.A. behind the leadership of seasoned veteran Chauncey Billups, who has done wonders for Denver. Kobe Bryant continues to prove time and time again why he is the player most fans either love or love to hate, sticking daggers in the face of defenders time and again. LeBron's shot to beat Orlando will go down in history as the greatest shot in Cav's history, saving them from a 0-2 hole and possibly saving their season against the upstart Magic.
In my opinion Kobe is going to will the Lakers into the Finals again this year despite having less talent than the "Thuggets". While in the Eastern Conference LeBron and the Cavs will hold off the Magic and Dwight Howard to go to their second finals in the past few years. In the end though Cleveland's supporting cast will be to much for L.A. who's bench seems to continuously underachieve and LeBron will bring back his first championship to the Cleveland faithful, ending years of bad luck for the city.