The worst thing about Cal

[Aike]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

 

[Glenn's Take]

He's condescending.

 

[PreMadonna]

 

[KentuckyStout]

Uh...the worst thing about Cal is he is under contract for 9 million dollars a year to destroy our once-proud basketball program.

 

[BBNWildcat]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

Yeah him saying blame him not the players is a passive aggressive shot at the fans implying that we are blaming the players. We’re NOT! WE ARE BLAMING YOU CAL!

 

[Aike]

Yeah him saying blame him not the players is a passive aggressive shot at the fans implying that we are blaming the players. We’re NOT! WE ARE BLAMING YOU CAL!

Exactly. Pushing the narrative that the fans are creating a toxic environment.

Reality is that if you run through a wall for this program, 20,000 people will spend their vacation money to follow your team. They’ll name their kids after you.

Been a lot of players through history who have been happy they signed up for that arrangement. Cal treats it like a curse.

 

[blackcat714]

He can’t coach

 

[STL_Cat]

Exactly. And when we actually win a big game he has the nerve to stay on and talk about “fans getting back on the bandwagon.” Which is why I said that was such a bad look after the Tennessee game. It wasn’t the time for that nonsense and if we reverted back to losing it was going to really bite him. And here we are. Are we still not on your bandwagon, Cal? Do we still have to “sit in the back?”

He’s really showing his stripes now. It’s not pretty.

 

[ukjenning44]

The worst thing about Cal is that he hasn’t moved to Nashville already!

 

[MadaboutBlue]

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

Unfortunately, our human minds don't seem capable of seeing through a masterful snow job by a bona fide narcissist-until it's too late.

Many years ago, I was roasted for posting that University of Kentucky was perilously close to becoming the University of Calipari. Even though he marginally embraced our history and tradition, in many ways large and small, he let us know the program was about him and his players. Does anyone think the draft night comment was an accident? Or the comment about coaching the names on the back of the jerseys? The digs at the "basketball bennies?"

Let's be fair...most coaches-particulary high profile coaches-have to have tremendous egos to survive. They have to be be supremely confident, and immune to the barrage of criticism they inevitably are going to face. At some point, however, they understand that they are stewards of something bigger than themselves. They are aware that their insane salaries are paid by people, rich and poor, who are mentally and emotionally invested in an institution that is greater than the sum of it's individual parts, For whatever reason, Calipari seems to lack this basic understanding.

 

[Cats_2010]

The worse thing about Cal is that he is still our Head Coach!!!!

 

[TortElvisII]

The worst thing about Cal was the fact that he fooled so many people into thinking he was indispensable.

 

[Aike]

Unfortunately, our human minds don't seem capable of seeing through a masterful snow job by a bona fide narcissist-until it's too late.

Many years ago, I was roasted for posting that University of Kentucky was perilously close to becoming the University of Calipari. Even though he marginally embraced our history and tradition, in many ways large and small, he let us know the program was about him and his players. Does anyone think the draft night comment was an accident? Or the comment about coaching the names on the back of the jerseys? The digs at the "basketball bennies?"

Let's be fair...most coaches-particulary high profile coaches-have to be have tremendous egos to survive. They have to be be supremely confident, and immune to the barrage of criticism they inevitably are going to face. At some point, however, they understand that they are stewards of something bigger than themselves. They are aware that their insane salaries are paid by people, rich and poor, who are mentally and emotionally invested in an institution that is greater than the sum of it's individual parts, For whatever reason, Calipari seems to lack this basic understanding.

I accepted the trade off when he was making Final Four runs. And I really didn’t see major cracks in the dam until 2018. 2013 NN got hurt. 2016 we were coming off of an insane run.

But 2018 was largely unwatchable. The Vanderbilt situation was…odd. And it’s just been peaks and valleys since then. With peaks now being things like “winning at Tennessee.”

 

[MadaboutBlue]

I accepted the trade off when he was making Final Four runs. And I really didn’t see major cracks in the dam until 2018. 2013 NN got hurt. 2016 we were coming off of an insane run.

But 2018 was largely unwatchable. The Vanderbilt situation was…odd. And it’s just been peaks and valleys since then. With peaks now being things like “winning at Tennessee.”

Or the Sharpe situation....where else does that happen but the current Kentucky program.

 

[Mike-D]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

He acts like last year was 2015.

 

[wildcat111]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

Been bad for a looooong time, but ain't going to get better anytime soon....too much $$$$ still on the table.

 

[Aike]

He acts like last year was 2015.

Good call.

 

[BluPappi81]

When he says don't give up on these kids or variations of that. He's hiding behind the players when he says it.

No, Cal. I haven't given up on the players, I'm singularly pissed at YOU.

 

[Aike]

Or the Sharpe situation....where else does that happen but the current Kentucky program.

Sharpe was the point where I was 100% ready for Cal to leave. Prior to that I was ok if he stayed or left.

 

[UKNothinButNet]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

“Circling the drain”; what a perfect three word description of CCC’s current status.

 

[fredmanthecatfan]

Back when he was still perceived as a coach who could make any team a contender, he leveraged that—some might say blackmailed UK—to get this ridiculous contract.
Some might call it good business savvy. Others may call it unscrupulous. However, we can objectively see the difference in outcomes after the contract.
On some level Cal has to know that he is not living up to his end of the deal. He won’t admit it. He blames fans and even his own players.
So the worst thing about Cal is his willfull lack of self awareness into his failures as our coach.

 

[Old Blue Fart]

It's a shame we can't find a coach that has Pitinio's coaching ability, Cal's recruiting, and Joe B.'s grace all in one coach.
Now that would be a killer of a coach.

And for me, it goes back to what my granny always said, "never trust a damn Yankee".

 

[UKAlum88]

The worst thing about Cal is that he is Cal.

 

[katwest]

When you are winning everything is all good, but nothing good last forever. This why you never ever give a coach a lifetime contract, regardless of who it is. So many things can change, now Kentucky is reaping the whirlwind and the powers that be don't seem to care that we are losing and paying our coach the most ridiculous amount of money to do so. This program has been losing face the last several years and first year coaches are beating Calipari with 3 and 4 star players.

 

[Blueaz]

Yeah him saying blame him not the players is a passive aggressive shot at the fans implying that we are blaming the players. We’re NOT! WE ARE BLAMING YOU CAL!

Curry would do the same. So did RP.

 

[Ky_Bred_Cat]

Cal has leveraged his 'Hall of Fame' status to convince legions of casual fans that none of the issues are his fault. He's uses this to defuse criticism and he's counting on their support to carry him. That's disingenuous and dishonest. Only a complete narcissist could twist this around and live with themselves for this behavior.

 

[kyjeff1]

His attitude towards lising and the state of the program is why I hate him. I do, I hate the guy and that sucks, because he was a guy I loved to listen to his first 7 years here. He held his players accountable back then and he even held himself accountable to a small degree.
But now, he’s a guy that thinks he's above reproach and he doesn't think he owes us anything.
He has yet to take accountability for the massive nosedive he has created.
Has anyone heard him even recognize that he is the one that orchestrated the worst season in the history of the program? nope, he blames it on covid.
He owns the worst NCAAT loss in the history of the program. He avoided any media members that would dare ask him hard questions about it and avoided the fans. Then talked down to us throughout this whole season, like we should be ashamed.
The guy is a complete narcissistic tool and I wish he would leave right now.
Even coach K, as decorated as he was, took blame at the end, for losses and vowed to fix it. Cal thinks he's too good for that.

I don't care if he wins a title this year, I'll never forgive, or forget his antics and his attitude.

 

[DaDirtyLeb69]

The worst thing about cal is he has tricked some in this fanbase into thinking Kentucky can’t live without calipari, and that he is bigger than Kentucky. Some in the fanbase are CCC fans, and think Kentucky can’t live without him, he tricked them, Kentucky will recover they always do

 

[kyhoward]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

Well said! Would add that his disrespect for the UK beat writers at post game press conferences recently and his disrespect for halftime sideline reporters as he ignores their questions and goes on his rants. Don't know him personally and don't want to know him!

 

[CatPhight_rivals65113]

He acts like last year was 2015.

 

[yoshukai]

Well said! Would add that his disrespect for the UK beat writers at post game press conferences recently and his disrespect for halftime sideline reporters as he ignores their questions and goes on his rants. Don't know him personally and don't want to know him!

Speaking of halftime reporters . Has he done a halftime interview since he got some criticism for putting his hands on the interviewer ?

 

[CatPhight_rivals65113]

Speaking of halftime reporters . Has he done a halftime interview since he got some criticism for putting his hands on the interviewer ?

 

[Untouchables22]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

This was also my main take away after watching his abrupt 4 minute post-game press conference yesterday. He blamed the loss entirely on the players not listening to his coaching. I personally think the Hall of Fame was the worst thing that could have happened to him. He was humbled after the Nets firing and after his HOF induction it appears he thinks he is above criticism. It’s sad to me that he has stayed so long in the sport that it has now passed him by. NOBODY else in the country tries to run the offense that he still tries to run. Almost nobody makes the same bizarre lineup decision's he makes all because he can’t accept the “PF” position has totally changed and you need a PF that can dribble a little and shoot a lot. And don’t get me started on the refusal to utilize any other type of defense besides man to man. The best coaches like Nick Saban are always adapting and changing with the trends in their sport….Cal won’t do it and it may cost him his job after next year.

 

[yoshukai]

Or the Sharpe situation....where else does that happen but the current Kentucky program.

I accepted the trade off when he was making Final Four runs. And I really didn’t see major cracks in the dam until 2018. 2013 NN got hurt. 2016 we were coming off of an insane run.

But 2018 was largely unwatchable. The Vanderbilt situation was…odd. And it’s just been peaks and valleys since then. With peaks now being things like “winning at Tennessee.”

Add Diallio to the Vanderbilt and Sharpe situations. Remember, he was fully eligible to play his first year but sat out . He was going to do the same exact thing as Sharpe but didnt get the draft projection he was hoping for .
When Cal told the fans to “get there early so you can watch Shaedon warm up” ……that cut the small fragment of cord that was left for me . What a condescending piece of $h*t.

 

[yoshukai]

This was also my main take away after watching his abrupt 4 minute post-game press conference yesterday. He blamed the loss entirely on the players not listening to his coaching. I personally think the Hall of Fame was the worst thing that could have happened to him. He was humbled after the Nets firing and after his HOF induction it appears he thinks he is above criticism. It’s sad to me that he has stayed so long in the sport that it has now passed him by. NOBODY else in the country tries to run the offense that he still tries to run. Almost nobody makes the same bizarre lineup decision's he makes all because he can’t accept the “PF” position has totally changed and you need a PF that can dribble a little and shoot a lot. And don’t get me started on the refusal to utilize any other type of defense besides man to man. The best coaches like Nick Saban are always adapting and changing with the trends in their sport….Cal won’t do it and it may cost him his job after next year.

There are 2 reasons John Calipari is in the HOF . He had a relationship with WWW and he coached at the University of Kentucky.

 

[zannmann]

The worst thing about Cal is his mouth. I hope to never hear him speak again. I have not listened to him one time this season.

 

[UKUGA]

Yeah him saying blame him not the players is a passive aggressive shot at the fans implying that we are blaming the players. We’re NOT! WE ARE BLAMING YOU CAL!

Bill Curry used to do the same thing.

He would go on his week night call in show and criticize the fans for booing players.

I remember one time after he did this, Larry Vaught wrote an article quoting fans saying they were booing Curry.

 

[kywildcat1021979]

His attitude towards lising and the state of the program is why I hate him. I do, I hate the guy and that sucks, because he was a guy I loved to listen to his first 7 years here. He held his players accountable back then and he even held himself accountable to a small degree.
But now, he’s a guy that thinks he's above reproach and he doesn't think he owes us anything.
He has yet to take accountability for the massive nosedive he has created.
Has anyone heard him even recognize that he is the one that orchestrated the worst season in the history of the program? nope, he blames it on covid.
He owns the worst NCAAT loss in the history of the program. He avoided any media members that would dare ask him hard questions about it and avoided the fans. Then talked down to us throughout this whole season, like we should be ashamed.
The guy is a complete narcissistic tool and I wish he would leave right now.
Even coach K, as decorated as he was, took blame at the end, for losses and vowed to fix it. Cal thinks he's too good for that.

I don't care if he wins a title this year, I'll never forgive, or forget his antics and his attitude.

Wasn’t it after that 9-16 campaign that he said something to the nature of “college basketball was going to be fearing us the following year” then we flame out to St Peters in the first round. The guy is nothing but a blow hard and I’m with you I hate the man for what he’s done to the program. He can’t do anything to fix that now he’s already done way to much harm to be able to fix anything!

 

[kywildcat1021979]

Bo Ryan still has those sitting on his mantel at his house he gets to look at those everyday in his retirement!

 

[Bluesbrother]

There was an old Zig Ziglar bit where he talked about Bear Bryant. The gist was, if the team played poorly, he took the blame. Mediocre results were a group effort. But a big win was all on the players.

The worst thing about Cal is his utter lack of humility while circling the drain. He remains arrogant and spiteful. Ducking out on press duties. Throwing players under the bus.

Even his schtick about “blame me, not the players” is disingenuous. That isn’t about Cal at all, but about the fans.

He isn’t taking the blame. He’s telling fans that we’re the bad guys, but we should pick on him instead of the team. He’s never saying the fans are right, and he should do better.

I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly.

His insistence that it’s everyone else who’s got it wrong after years of underperformance is his fatal flaw. I think it’s that, even more than the losses, that will finally kill his Kentucky coaching career.

He’s becoming a guy that you don’t even want to root for. Kind of puts you in a hard spot when he coaches your favorite team.

You said, "I’ve had my fill. His lack of recognition and acknowledgment that he’s no longer doing the job he was hired to do is disgusting, honestly."

I completely agree and he's been telling everyone that would listen this very fact for some time as the Programs circles that drain, you mention. This is exactly why a legal case could be made to fire him "for cause" and then use his own very public "self-adoration" declarations of his "mission" being greater than simply doing the job he was HIRED to do. It seems the vision he sees for himself is to be the last man standing on the heap of rubble, that was once UK basketball, and proclaim that generational poverty, because of him, has been vanquished.