Slick John

Oh herro.

John Calipari is one slick mother. Or we can just call him an opportunist. SI.com ran a great article detailing how the college choices of 6 of the top 50 ranked high school seniors changed when Slicky McSlickerson left Memphis for the bluer pastures of Kentucky. To go over a little rep tape, when a recruit signs a letter of intent to a school, he is bound to go there. Over the last decade, many players have inserted clauses into their LOI’s that state if the coach that recruited them left the school (for whatever reason), they would be granted a release from their letter of intent and be free to sing with any other school with no penalty.

Now I always thought this was for the player’s benefit, so they wouldn’t be stuck going to a program to play for a coach they didn’t know, especially if the previous coach was fired. Turns out Slick John has used this clause for the coach’s advantage. Xavier Henry is one of the most highly recruited players in this year’s class, and had signed to play for Memphis. Once Calipari left though, Henry got his release from Memphis because of the clause in his LOI. Here is Henry himself on what happened:

"I didn't have the idea to put the [clause] in there," Henry said. "Coach Cal did it for me.”

Calipari put the clause into his own recruits’ letters of intent, so if he ever bolted for a better job, he could bring them with him! Now that’s just a good coach who understands the rules. It didn’t work out totally for Slick John, because reports today say Henry is headed to Kansas. But it did work with highly touted center DeMarcus Cousins, who is now headed to UK. A great move by a great coach. I don’t want hear anything about loyalty either. You look out for number 1.

A huge injustice has happened in the world of DC radio. My solid number 2 radio station just changed formats, and the new guys are absolutely killing me. The old format of 94.7 was classic rock. It was never amazing because they overplayed lots of songs (More Than a Feeling, Stairway to Heaven, Carry on My Wayward Son), but it was a solid go-to station, as they would never play anything god awful. The same is not true for the new format, Fresh FM. First of all, what a horrible name for a station. Then they had the gall to run commercials that say something like this:

“We know you were tired of hearing all those old, boring, classic rock songs. So we decided to change it up, and bring you only today’s freshest music.”

OK, thinks the Oceanliner, another terrible pop top 40 station. But directly after the preceding commercial, Fresh FM starts playing (and I’m not kidding) Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera. I was absolutely stunned. First they take a station out of my rotation. Then they make fun of the old format (which they are clearly worse than), declare only to play today’s freshest music (whatever that ever means)…and then play Genie in a Bottle, which is 1) horrible and 2) came out in 1999. Is this bizarre world or what?

It hasn’t gotten any better either. Fresh FM has subsequently played Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby (1996), Ace of Base’s I Saw the Sign AND Don’t Turn Around (1993!), Bittersweet Symphony (1997), Creed’s With Arms Wide Open (Creed may be the worst band ever, me thinks worse than even Nickelback and Maroon 5), Marc Anthony, Nickelback, and Maroon 5. Today’s freshest music my ass. It’s either old, terrible, or both. This is a travesty, a sham, and a mockery. It’s a traveshamockery.

PS – I always thought that Ace of Base was a group of young, black female singers, ala TLC. When looking up what year I Saw the Sign came out, I see that they are really white, Swedish, and coed. I was waaaaay off. I was in Spain at the time. Is that a valid excuse?

If yall are going to be at Foxfield this weekend, give me a holler. Until then, stay safe, keep it real and don’t miss the horses.