Either adapt, or get left behind.

That is the clear message being given to college basketball and football coaches across the country. The same can be applied to some of the so-called “lesser” sports as well.

It’s a world we couldn’t have envisioned just a few short years ago, but it’s apparent that the purpose of the “Name, Image, Likeness” policy adopted by the NCAA has gotten out of hand. Initially, the thought was, great, the athletes deserve a piece of the pie, with many colleges and universities raking in exorbitant amounts of money, while the athletes were shunned. Apparently, a free college education wasn’t enough, so as is the case in nearly every aspect of our lives these days, the answer has become money, and lots of it. When NIL originated, it was assumed by many that it would be wonderful if the athletes received some compensation for jersey sales, and they would be allowed to do commercials, autograph sessions, and the like. However, it quickly became much, much more than that.

The larger universities can afford enormous payrolls when it comes to roster-building, so that’s precisely what is occurring. It is just another example of the rich getting richer, and the primary reason that more than 2,000 collegiate basketball players entered the transfer portal. Allegiance and loyalty are terms of the past for most so-called student-athletes, who have essentially become professional athletes by going to the highest bidder.

Perhaps the governing body of college sports should change its name to the National Professional Collegiate Athletic

Association, or the NPCAA. The jury is still out on whether or not NIL and the transfer portal are ruining college sports, but there is a growing segment of observers and fans who feel that is the case.

However you feel about the changes, they’re here to stay, so if you cannot or will not adapt, which has seemingly been the case for several respected college basketball coaches in the past several years, you move on and/or retire. NIL and the portal are not going away anytime soon (or ever) and in a way, that’s truly a shame. You might say it’s just a reflection of society today, where money and greed have taken over many aspects of America, but that still doesn’t make it right, or palatable to a majority of college sports fans.

The NCAA is either powerless or gutless when it comes to making the changes necessary to reel it in, so we’re left with college sports being a mere extension of professional sports. There should at least be some guidelines to adhere to when it comes to paying athletes to play collegiately, but at the present time, it’s the Wild, Wild West, where the best of the best high school players, along with those in the portal, are merely seeking the biggest paycheck.

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IS THE UK BASKETBALL ROSTER SET? – It appears the University of Kentucky is adapting quite well to the new reality of spending money on building the best roster possible. Some of the experts and pundits are placing the Cats near the top of the always way too early polls for the 2025-26 basketball season, with their large payroll being one of the main reasons. There are admittedly several other reasons that players are attracted

to UK – a winning tradition, luxurious facilities, and more – but it sure doesn’t hurt to have deep pockets from various boosters and corporations in this day and age.

On paper, Kentucky looks to be deep and talented heading into preseason workouts, but assuming their ninth national championship is a foregone conclusion is foolhardy at best. The SEC will again be formidable, and there are numerous other schools out there paying big bucks for stud players. That’s not to say UK hasn’t put together an impressive group, but the challenge for head coach Mark Pope and his staff will be to get them to play as a team.

The Cats are also waiting to see if their leading scorer from last year’s team, Otega Oweh, will be back since he’s testing the NBA waters. Says here he will return; after all, he isn’t likely to be drafted, and he can make more money at UK than he would in the G-League.

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PERRY HEADING TO WESTERN? – One of the downsides of the transfer portal is that the handwriting may be on the wall for players who aren’t expected to see a ton of minutes.

That appears to be the primary reason former Mr. Basketball Travis Perry to announce at the last minute that he’s entering the portal and moving on from Lexington. Perry was forced into more action than he would’ve normally gotten last year due to injuries to Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, and Kerr Kriisa, and showed he has a long way to go defensively. He’s maybe 6-foot-2 at best, and at that height, you better be quicker than quick if you want to succeed in big-time college hoops.

There has been no shortage of rumored locales where Perry will turn up in the fall, but I wouldn’t bet against him going to Western Kentucky. You have to admit that Conference USA is nowhere near the Southeastern Conference in terms of talent, and Perry could be announcing he intends to become a Hilltopper in the near future.

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BENGALS REACHING AGAIN – With this being banged out on the keyboard on a rainy Friday morning, we don’t know yet who the Cincinnati Bengals will select on Day 2 of the NFL Draft – those picks will be on Friday night – but we do know who they chose in Round One on Thursday.

That would be Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart, and most NFL observers are giving a huge thumbs down on the choice. At least, the Bengals are trying to improve their woeful defense, but their recent draft history suggests Stewart will be another reach. For a suspected edge rusher, his stats as an Aggie are abysmal, and Cincy is putting a lot of pressure on new defensive coordinator Al Golden to motivate Stewart and get the underachiever to reach his supposed potential.

It will be interesting to see who the Bengals select with their five remaining picks, but that isn’t nearly enough to fix their wretched defense. The hope may remain that the team can reach the playoffs by winning most of their games 42-41.

Good luck with that.

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DIAZ ON WAY OUT – It is apparent that former Cincinnati Reds closer Alexis Diaz will not be the team’s closer anytime soon.

Look for a trade or a demotion to occur in the near future for the 28-year-old.

Diaz, whose rapid rise earned him a spot on the All-Star team in 2023, hasn’t been the same pitcher since, and his latest adventure on the mound as especially concerning. That was Monday night, when he had trouble finding the strike zone against the Miami Marlins. Diaz also was victimized by the running game, allowing five stolen bases due to his slow delivery to the plate. He also gave up three hits, including a 3-run home run, walked a batter, and hit another in his 1 1/3 inning stint.

A change of scenery may be beneficial, and you can bet manager Terry Francona will not be sending him out in a close game anytime soon.

***** DERBY ONE WEEK AWAY – We will have more to say about the 151st Kentucky Derby next week, but I noticed several interesting names appearing in next Saturday’s Run for the Roses.

Among some of the early favorites, there is the winner of the Arkansas Derby, Sandman. I am also intrigued by Journalism, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby. (You gotta love that name if you do what I attempt to do.)

Other top picks include the Blue Grass Stakes winner, Burnham Square, ridden by last year’s winning jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr., Bob Baffert’s entry Rodriguez, the winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes, and Tiztastic, who won the Louisiana Derby.

A personal favorite will be a likely longshot, Owen Almighty. He did not have a good run in the Blue Grass, finishing sixth, but I

may just wager a dollar or two on him anyway. I feel like it’s a requirement, with that name. If you don’t already know, Owen just happens to be the name of my 10-year-old grandson.

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“Once you realize that everyone is in the same boat, that everyone is just as insecure and childlike as everyone else, that all these jokers in D.C. ruining our world are just greedy kids grabbing for marbles – I think that realization means you’re an adult.” – Musician-singer-songwriter Conor Oberst

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“There are things about some professional athletes that I cannot stand – the pretense, the egos, the pomposity, the greed.” – Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Simmons

***** “There are some things that can beat smartness and foresight. Awkwardness and stupidity can. The best swordsman in the world doesn’t need to fear the second best swordsman in the world: no, the person for him to be afraid of is some ignorant antagonist who has never had a sword in his hand before; he doesn’t do the thing he ought to do, and so the expert isn’t prepared for him.” – Mark Twain