The Toughest 10 Coaching Jobs in Sports
October 18, 2007
The University of Kentucky Basketball program made Fox Sport’s top 10 list of the toughest coaching jobs. The Yankees (another given) topped the list:
- Yankees
- Alabama Football
- Oakland Raiders
- Kentucky Basketball
- Chicago Cubs
- New York Knicks
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Cowboys
- LA Clippers
- Florida Marlins
Click HERE to read the article - it’s a goodie.
In sort-of, kind-of, maybe not much-related news, the IU Basketball program is facing troubles aplenty. The Schools upper crust has said the coaching staff made dozens more calls to recruits than initially reported. Not good.
Those calls could be impermissible under NCAA rules. Also not good.
But worst of all, imo, is the head coach’s response. Sunday, Kelvin Sampson said he unknowingly participated in three-way calls with recruits. How do you unknowingly participate in a three way call? I’m just saying…
A Genuine Surprise on the Great Retirement Spots List
October 6, 2007
When I signed in to check my AIM e-mail this morning, I noticed a link that caught my eye: ”Great Retirement Spots.” I’m not anywhere near the point of looking for a retirement spot yet (for one thing, I’m not old enough yet, and for another, there’s nothing to retire from!), but I thought, “I want to see if Murray made the top 15.” It’s generally a darling of Retirement lists.
To my surprise, Kentucky (of course) was represented on the list - but it wasn’t Murray. At #10 was Danville, Kentucky! Go, Danville!
Below is the information they gave for a town that now has another feather in its cap:
Historic Danville hosts an annual hot-air balloon race at the Great American Brass Band Festival, and its Constitution Square boasts the original post office, a replica jail, and Grayson’s Tavern, built in 1785.
Total Pop.: 15,409
Med. Home Price: N/A
Med. Income: $31,816
Avg. Jan./July Temp: 31.9° / 75.9°
By the way, when I say that Danville was a surprise, I don’t mean any disrespect to Danville AT ALL. Like all Kentucky towns, it’s full of charm, beauty, and wonderfully friendly, big-hearted people. It’s just that I had no idea anyone outside of our Commonwealth knew about it! The biggest surprise, I guess, was that a town around the lakes didn’t make the list. Usually that area is a mainstay on retirement lists of any kind.
Other cities on the list were:
Fayetteville, Ark.
San Francisco
Prescott, Az.
State College, Pa.
Lawrence, Kan.
Austin, Texas
Boulder, Co.
Anacortes, Wash.
Juneau, Alaska (Did you know that average January lows are only 21 degrees in Alaska’s state capital? I thought the list had entirely lost its mind until I read that.)
Kailua, Hawaii
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Another surprise was the absence of Florida. Having lived there before, I know firsthand that it’s Heaven on earth. The weather not only feels amazing, it cuts way back on colds and other miseries typical winters bring. I wonder if the cost of living kept Florida from making the list - it’s not cheap, that’s for sure. That, and maybe the nasty hurricanes that have been making life miserable down that way.
No hurricanes in Danville!
For more information on Danville, Kentucky - check out their website, http://www.danville-ky.com/.
P.S. I was doing a little research on the area and I found something that’s worth checking out: Three Babes and a Monkey. It’s on 127 N. Fourth Street and features Teas, coffees, espressos, smoothies, shakes, sandwiches, quiches, and salads. Some of my favorite things - especially the Teas, coffees, espressos, smoothies, shakes, sandwiches, quiches, and salads.
When you go to TB and a Monkey, though, go early and don’t stay late. During the week they close at 6 and on Saturday the doors close at 4. On Sunday, in true, old-fashioned (and perfectly lovely) hometown - the doors don’t open at all. They’re all about Breakfast and Lunch at Three Babes - I dunno, maybe they have lives or something!
If you’re interested in supper, Danville offers a little bit of everything else: Cracker Barrel, Applebees, Popeyes, Pizza Hut, Pharoah’s Pizza, Lee’s Chicken, KFC, Jumbo (Chinese) Buffett, House of Cheung, Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant (2), Godfather’s, Freddies (Italian), Giovanni’s Pizza, Chinatown Gourmet, and many more fast food staples.
They also have a favorite of mine that’s really hard to find, A & W Rootbeer, in the Danville Shopping Center. You won’t find a better rootbeer float this side of Heaven, and the chili dogs are ridiculously good. Oh, who am I kidding, everything on the menu is amazing.
Kenlake State Resort Park in Kentucky’s Beautiful Lakes Region
October 4, 2007
Kenlake Hotel
One of my favorite spots in the Kentucky Lakes Region is Kenlake State Resort Park. Same gorgeous surroundings, breathtaking views, and ridiculously friendly people as the other Parks, but with a quieter feel.
Truth be told, the entire gorgeous Land Between the Lakes area gives you a sense of having found a paradise that the rest of the world hasn’t been let in on yet, but no place drives that feeling home quite like Kenlake.
If you’ve ever been to the beautiful Gulf Shores region in Florida (specifically Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach), you’ll have an idea what I’m talking about. Navarre has the same amazing white sandy beaches and emerald waters, but about half the people that flock to Pensacola Beach.
Granted, it’s great, great fun to go to the busier places from time to time - but there’s A LOT to be said for losing yourself in the quieter spots. Spots where it seems like the only ones in the world are you and those you love enough to take with you.
Kenlake Hotel, Pictured Above (click for a larger view) is a family-friendly 48 room lodge, surrounded by pampered, beautiful flower gardens. Kenlake has two nature trails: The Cherokee Trail (.7-mile) and The Chickasaw Trail (1-mile). The beautifully-named trails give you a fun workout while enjoying scenery that you’ll never forget. You’ll want to bring your camera!
You won’t want to spend all your time on land, though, will you? The marina boasts 21 open slips, 127 covered slips, and a launching ramp. Rental fishing boats, aluminum bass boats, pontoon boats, jet skis, and ski boats are also available. And don’t forget, Kentucky Lake is also a great place to bring your sailboat. Open March 1-October 31, (depending on height of lake water level) and there is, of course, a fee charged for rentals.
For those of you who are golf fanatics, the 9 hole golf course is open year round, weather permitting.
Bonus Points:
- Kenlake has a beautiful gift shop that’s open all year round. It features a lot of products that are pure Kentucky, from candies to jewelry and from cookbooks to mugs, Kenlake’s is one of the funner gift shops. The souvenirs and handcrafts will blow you away.
- Fishermen/Fisherwomen will love the fishing opportunities on Kentucky Lake. There’s, literally, and endless population of largemouth, smallmouth, white and Kentucky bass, bluegill, channel and blue catfish, crappie, and sauger - just waiting for you.
- Kenlake is a member of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arborea. The grounds are honestly gorgeous. When you take your eyes off of the water and trees long enough to really look at the beautifully-manicured gardens, your heart will skip a beat. And so many butterflies!
- Picnic and playground facilities are available in the camping and cottage areas and throughout the park. One shelter, near the tennis courts, is available for rental.
Click HERE to learn more about Kenlake State Resort Park. It’s a beautiful and peaceful experience that will do you a world of good. Be sure to read about the Aurora Landing Restaurant. If your mouth doesn’t water you simply weren’t paying attention!
Kenlake Marina
