He Knows a Guy

My dad knows a guy.

Whether you need concrete poured, a wall painted, a tree chopped, a leak fixed or eyeglasses repaired, my dad knows a guy. He always knows a guy.

It’s a wonderful luxury to know the guy who knows the guys.

There’s only one problem. My dad also changes guys … rapidly and without much warning. Sometimes you’re still calling the old guy, only to discover that he’s already moved on to a new guy. Talk about awkward.

You see, even though dad knows a guy, he is always on the lookout for another guy who does it better or cheaper or both. Plus, if the first guy happens to be traveling on vacation, it’s always good to have a backup guy.

Often you’re left scratching your head, wondering why dad changed guys. After all, it’s never some calamity that leads to the change. Rather, he just seems to know when to do it, like a baseball manager knows when to change pitchers. When you meet the new guy, you usually agree that he made the right call.

Sometimes the status quo is the right call. For example, dad has been through multiple ophthalmologists, but still has the same dentist.

By the way, it’s good to be dad’s guy. Since dad has developed a reputation for knowing the right guy, his guy stays pretty busy.

Even in these connected times, it’s surprisingly difficult to find honest people who do quality work at a fair price. So whether it’s taking a dent out of a car door or sharpening a lawnmower blade, I rest easy knowing my dad knows a guy.

Odds and Ends

Several subjects have garnered my attention lately. On their own, they didn’t warrant a full-fledged blog post. Nevertheless, I just couldn’t let them pass without further comment. So here goes nothing ... or a little bit of something.

News Item: A Navy commander lost his command for previously broadcasting raunchy videos featuring homophobic and sexist comments and inappropriate images. The videos were intended to be a lighthearted way to boost the ship’s morale.

Comment: When did Michael Scott join the military?

News Item: Connecticut football Head Coach Randy Edsall recently accepted the same position at the University of Maryland.

Comment: Wonder if Edsall interviewed in a hoodie? Seriously, this guy has got to step up his wardrobe, as do a host of other college coaches. I hate to say it, but I’m looking at you too Charlie Strong. Take a page from the great Howard Schellenberger, who always wears a suit and a tie on the sidelines, even in a rain or snowstorm.

News Item: After missing two straight weeks for the holidays, the local recyclers left early this week, saying their trucks were too full.

Comment: Time for another Dale Moss story.

News Item: The ferry from Jeffersonville to Louisville for University of Louisville basketball games has been cancelled due to a lack of interest.

Comment: Please come back. I’ll never leave you again. I promise.

News Item: In just one week on Facebook, my 13-year-old son accumulated far more followers than I could ever think of getting.

Comment: At least he’s not on Twitter.

A Maiden Voyage to the KFC Yum Center

You’ve got to give my dad credit. When he goes in, he goes all in.

Dad has been threatening to go the KFC Yum Center for some time now to see the beautiful new home of our beloved University of Louisville Cardinals. My sister recently called his bluff, offering him a ticket and a ride with my brother-in-law to see U of L play their archrival, the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

That’s a hot ticket with two ranked and storied teams fighting for state supremacy. So hot it would easily have brought several hundred dollars or more on the street. Nevertheless, I figured dad would take a pass.

Did I mention dad doesn’t love crowds? This explains why he generally eats dinner at Cracker Barrel around 3 p.m. In fact, I used to joke that the only thing that could possibly lure him out with the masses was the boat show.

To everyone’s surprise, dad said he would like to go, joking that he might as well take it all in at once. In other words, the guy who doesn’t love crowds would see U of L play UK in a new arena before one of the most rollicking crowds of all time. Aside from a monster truck trip to accommodate his grandson, dad probably hadn’t attended a sporting event since Vince Gibson was the Cardinals’ football coach.

I’d believe it when I saw it … and yet I saw it with my own eyes. There he was about 15 minutes before tipoff with my brother-in-law at the KFC Yum Center ready to root them on. He even claims to have had a wonderful time, despite the lopsided score. He raved about the amenities at the KFC Yum Center.

Maybe he’ll even make it out there again sometime … after a 3 p.m. pregame meal at Cracker Barrel, of course.

False Pride

It’s amazing what the University of Kentucky and its fans take pride in these days.

First, it was NBA draft day, which UK Head Coach John Calipari called, “the biggest day in Kentucky basketball history.” I guess draft day is better than the NCAA tournament because it doesn’t have to be vacated.

Then, this week, Kentucky recorded an even greater achievement when it played on a blue basketball court in Freedom Hall. No less than UK mouthpiece Jimmy Dykes declared it another monumental moment in Wildcat history.

If you believe the story, the Kentucky State Fair Board took it upon itself to spend more than $10,000 in taxpayer dollars to refurbish the former University of Louisville basketball floor in Wildcat logos and colors. Kentucky fans were downright giddy, despite the fact that their archrival doesn’t even play there anymore.

To me, playing in Freedom Hall is a lot like getting a nice pair of hand-me-down pants. They look and feel great, but you still got them only because someone else doesn’t want them anymore.

But what do I know? Instead of being at 54-year-old Freedom Hall on Wednesday, I was at one of the nation’s newest and nicest arenas where the fans concern themselves with such insignificant things as winning basketball games.

No Place Like Downtown

Ed Manassah was right.

Manassah, the former publisher of Kentucky’s largest newspaper, The Courier-Journal, served as visionary and head cheerleader for building the University of Louisville’s basketball arena downtown instead of alternative sites near the Louisville Water Company or at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center. For having this vision, Manassah was criticized more than a bad basketball team. When Manassah’s newspaper crusaded for the downtown site, people accused him of sacrificing his journalistic integrity. Others suggested there must be some kind of nefarious hidden agenda at work.

Manassah was undeterred by those criticisms as well as concerns about cost and parking. He said a downtown arena would add sizzle to Louisville’s riverfront, while bolstering downtown businesses. As a result of his steady leadership – and that of Jim Host and others -- the downtown arena gained momentum and became a reality.

Today, I drive by the magnificent new arena at least twice daily. I’ve had the pleasure of attending several basketball games there. I’ve ridden a boat from southern Indiana to these games. I’ve felt downtown abuzz both before and afterward. Clearly, the downtown arena has benefitted both states.

In fact, it’s hard to imagine it anywhere else. After all, you can’t take a boat to the Water Company or revitalize a Central Business District from the fairgrounds. Furthermore, because of its location at the community’s doorstep, the arena is like a 720,000-square-foot welcome mat to the city and its university.

Maybe that’s why you so rarely hear from opponents of the downtown arena these days. If you did, even they’d probably admit that Manassah was right.