Cal to fans: Enjoy the ride

During the hour-long television program devoted to Kentucky’s 2009-10 schedule, new coach John Calipari kept going back to one thought: Fans should have fun and not dwell on any setbacks this coming season.

Perhaps someone told Calipari about UK’s demanding fans, who booed the home team in Rupp Arena more than once last season. Maybe most memorably, the fans booed a Rick Pitino-coached UK team that eventually beat Mississippi State by 29 points.

“Enjoy the path,” Calipari said near the end of the show. “I’m going to have fun. If you want to be miserable, don’t come around me.”

Calipari seemed to slyly make the same point with a tongue-in-cheek response to a question about what he thought the Cats could do this season. Calipari “predicted” a 40-0 record with no margin of victory smaller than 25 points.

Highlights (or lowlights) of the show, which appeared on the Big Blue Sports Network (WKYT-TV, channel 27 in Lexington), included:

– Usually exuberant, Calipari seemed oddly subdued.

– Odder still, Calipari was not on the same set with the four co-hosts. He was in the Craft Center while the hosts were in a television studio.

– Calipari said UK will play in such places as Cincinnati, Louisville and Nashville.
“And I’d like to go to Atlanta and St. Louis to really spread the wings of this program.”

– Calipari on the North Carolina game:
“Roy (Williams), I love. He says I’m not afraid of Kentucky. Bring it.
“It’s an exciting series. We want to continue that series.”

– Calipari on being a favorite in SEC East:
“Everybody seemed to have players put their names in the draft and come back. Except us.”
He lauded Tennessee, South Carolina and Vandy having veteran players.