Kentucky
Friday Headlines: Baseball NCAA Tournament Edition
The NCAA Lexington Regional has arrived as play gets underway later on today at Kentucky Proud Park. The featured teams are Ball State, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
This weekend’s schedule is — for now — set to go through Sunday, but a potential winner-take-all game could be played on Monday if necessary.
In the first game, the Kentucky Wildcats will host Ball State at noon ET. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
That game will be followed by West Virginia taking on Indiana at 7 pm ET, which will be televised via ESPN+.
Tickets are still available for multiple sessions via Ticketmaster, and while the weather forecast is projected to be rather hot with highs in the lower 90s each day, there’s essentially zero chance of rain throughout the entire weekend.
A few facts for Kentucky Baseball as they head into the NCAA Tournament.
- The Wildcats are 36-18 overall and finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference.
- Kentucky was second in the SEC and 11th in the country in on-base percentage.
- The Cats have stolen 89 bases, second in the league and 50th in the country.
- UK is second in tied for second in the league in triples and tied for sixth in the SEC in doubles.
- UK has 53 sacrifice bunts this season, with is sixth in the country.
- UK’s pitching staff has been carried by senior Zack Lee. He has 13 starts for a 5-2 record and a 3.58 ERA.
Courtesy of UK Athletics
Unstoppable.
Kentucky Set to Host NCAA Baseball Lexington Regional – UK Athletics
Time to shine.
NBA Finals Game 1: Nuggets beat Heat to take 1-0 series lead – USAT
Denver guard and former Kentucky star Jamal Murray had 26 points.
Calipari: UK is “prepared for all scenarios” after NBA Draft Deadline – KSR
It hasn’t been a good week for Kentucky basketball.
Ja Morant ruling coming after NBA Finals, Adam Silver says – ESPN
This can’t be good.
Projecting what Kentucky’s 2024 SEC schedule could look like – KSR
Specifically without divisions.
Stevens keeping Mazzulla, calls Brown ‘big part’ of Celtics – ESPN
Doesn’t sound like much change is coming to Boston.
UK drops in preseason rankings following NBA Draft deadline – KSR
As they should.
Nuggets DJ Austin Pawelka speaks on NBA Finals – USA Today
Such a neat feature.
Wallace, Livingston projected picks in ESPN’s latest mock draft – KSR
Still no Oscar.
Brady on returning to NFL: ‘I’m certain I’m not playing again’ – USA Today
Time to put that story to bed.
Kentucky
Kentucky spokeswoman: School is 'distressed' to hear of alleged sexual misconduct by ex-swim coach
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky spokeswoman says the school is “distressed to hear disturbing allegations” of sexual assault by former swimming and diving coach Lars Jorgensen outlined in a lawsuit by two former team members and will cooperate fully with law enforcement.
Former swimmer and assistant coach Briggs Alexander and an unidentified woman filed the suit on Friday in U.S. District Court against Jorgensen, the school and athletic director Mitch Barnhart, alleging sexual assaults including rape by the former coach. The suit also claims the school “purposefully” disregarded multiple credible reports of inappropriate sexual relationships and empowered Jorgensen to “foster a toxic, sexually hostile environment” and prey on, sexually harass, and commit horrific sexual assaults.
A Wednesday release from university spokeswoman Kristi Willet stated that the school contacted law enforcement upon learning details from the initial article reported by The Athletic. It added that no one should be subject to the abuse described in the lawsuit.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our students and employees,” the release stated. “We have no tolerance for harm, harassment or abuse.
“To our employees, students and the entire University of Kentucky family, we want to be absolutely clear: we do not tolerate these types of behaviors,” the release added. “We will do everything possible to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.”
The lawsuit also said Jorgensen’s predecessor, Gary Conell, did not follow up after being told of previous alleged misconduct by the coach at Toledo. It also said that Barnhart did not follow up an email about allegations or investigate them and hired Jorgensen; he’s also accused of intentionally concealing the allegations. Barnhart said Sunday that he couldn’t comment on the matter because it is being litigated but noted, “We always want to have safety for our student-athletes, our coaches and our staff.”
Kentucky
2024 Kentucky Derby horses, futures, odds, date: Expert who hit 10 Derby-Oaks Doubles unveils picks
The major Kentucky Derby prep races have concluded, which means the 2024 Kentucky Derby field is almost set. The top 20 horses in the point standings will get their shot at glory when fans around the world head to Churchill Downs for the first race of the Triple Crown series on Saturday, May 4. No horse has won the Triple Crown since Justify in 2018, but one of the 2024 Kentucky Derby contenders will have a chance to keep that dream alive for his trainer after the Run for the Roses. Fierceness is the 3-1 favorite in the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds, while Sierra Leone is 7-2 and Catching Freedom is 8-1.
Sierra Leone has been one of the 2024 Kentucky Derby favorites for several months and cemented his place near the top of the Kentucky Derby odds 2024 with a win at the Blue Grass Stakes. Should you target any of the favorites with your 2024 Kentucky Derby bets? Before making any 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the horse racing predictions and futures bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Jody Demling.
A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling enters the 2024 Kentucky Derby having nailed the winner of the Belmont Stakes four of the last six years, including an exacta in 2022 with Mo Donegal and Nest. He also called Flightline’s win at the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November of that year.
Demling is at his best in the biggest horse races in the world like the Kentucky Derby 2024. In fact, he has hit 10 of the last 15 Derby-Oaks doubles at Churchill Downs. That means he held a ticket with the winners of both races all but five times in the last 15 years. He’s also called 10 of the last 19 Preakness winners, including nailing his Preakness winner, exacta and superfecta picks in 2023, keenly understanding when the Kentucky Derby winner was poised for victory or a massive upset. Anyone who has followed him is up huge.
Now, with the 2024 Kentucky Derby odds already on the board, Demling is sharing his picks and 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions over at SportsLine. Go here to see them.
Top 2024 Kentucky Derby predictions
One of Demling’s surprising 2024 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Fierceness, even though he’s the top favorite and just won the Florida Derby. Fierceness turned the heads of many horse racing fans at the Florida Derby, as he posted a stunning 110 Beyer Speed Figure for a 13.5-length win. He was already considered one of the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby 2024 after winning last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
However, Todd Pletcher’s trainee has struggled in other races, finishing seventh in the Champagne Stakes and third in the 2024 Holy Bull. Fierceness has never raced at this length before and there are questions regarding his ability to outlast a strong field. Demling says Fierceness is capable of winning on his best day, but he has not done enough to justify his short odds as the favorite. See which other 2024 Kentucky Derby horses to avoid at SportsLine.
Another stunner: Demling is high on Resilience, even though he’s a 35-1 longshot. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. A 3-year old colt trained by Bill Mott, Resilience didn’t win any races during his 2-year-old season, but he has surged thus far in 2024.
He started the year by winning a maiden special weight race on New Year’s Day. He followed that up with a fourth-place finish at the Risen Star in February and a win at the Wood Memorial on April 6 that punched his ticket into the 2024 Kentucky Derby lineup. Demling says Resilience is “ready to be in the mix,” and likes him as a 2024 Kentucky Derby sleeper. See which other horses to back at SportsLine.
How to make 2024 Kentucky Derby picks, bets
Demling is especially high on an epic double-digit longshot who “keeps getting better and better.” Demling is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2024 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.
Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2024, and which double-digit longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2024 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who nailed 10 Derby-Oaks doubles.
2024 Kentucky Derby odds, futures
Kentucky
BE NKY Growth Partnership releases new analysis of Northern Kentucky's Competitiveness – NKyTribune
Findings from a national consultant, with input from the region’s business leaders, indicate that Northern Kentucky is competitive but needs to address risks and challenges with new strategies to maintain this competitiveness.
BE NKY Growth Partnership on Tuesday released “Navigating Change & Charting a Course to a More Competitive Northern Kentucky,” an assessment by Economic Leadership with a five-year regional strategic action agenda.
The report incorporates the results of a community strategy campaign led by BE NKY which included more than 40 interviews with NKY’s major employers in the advanced manufacturing, life sciences, information technology, and supply chain management sectors, as well as the results of surveys from business and community leaders that attended BE NKY’s 2024 Annual Forum in January. Recent reports on Northern Kentucky’s population growth and labor supply, housing needs, and workforce ecosystem were critical inputs to Economic Leadership’s report.
“BE NKY began our community strategy initiative last year to benchmark our region and gain data on how we compare to peer communities throughout the country,” said BE NKY CEO Lee Crume. “The Economic Leadership report shows Northern Kentucky is in a favorable position today. However, there are macro-level economic disruptors on the horizon and critical needs detailed in the report where our community should be focused to ensure we stay on this prosperous path into the future.”
As a unique three-county region that is the “peak” of Kentucky, part of the Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and a border community to Ohio, the report shares that Northern Kentucky’s competitiveness is influenced by the state’s trajectory as well as MSA-level policies and metrics. Taking these influences into consideration, the region’s leaders should address factors within our control and adopt a proactive approach to a rapidly changing economy.
Every year, Economic Leadership analyzes the competitiveness of the country’s 100 most populous metros using nearly 100 factors grouped into six indexes: talent, cost & climate, quality of place, economic momentum, future, and global. When compared to 22 peer metros (a subset of the 100), the Cincinnati MSA ranks sixth overall, but 12th, 13th, and 16th in the economic momentum, future, and talent indexes, respectively.
Feedback from Northern Kentucky’s business community aligns with Economic Leadership’s findings that the following are critical needs for the region’s economic competitiveness:
• Talent retention, attraction, and skill alignment
• Coordinated planning and actions for housing and infrastructure growth
• Creation and promotion of a recognized regional brand narrative
• Diversify the economy and leverage entrepreneurship to build and retain local wealth
• Improve collaborative capacity to achieve desired results
“We engaged Economic Leadership to help us assess the region’s economic inertia and provide us with a data-informed understanding of Northern Kentucky’s critical needs,” said BE NKY Research Director David McAleese. “We know that success is not guaranteed and the next phase in our community strategy initiative is to further engage our region’s community and business leaders to be proactive and develop plans so that we can sustain our competitive position.”
To address the critical needs outlined in the report, it recommends building a strong coalition of private sector, legislative, community, and public sector partners to develop policies and solutions to address risks. Adopting a collective impact model for implementation and facilitating an annual meeting of leaders to review, update, and adjust the community strategy will help the region stay aligned and on track with its strategies and goals.
“Navigating Change & Charting a Course to a More Competitive Northern Kentucky” will be presented at BE NKY Growth Partnership’s Q2 Economic Development Briefing on April 18. The full report is available on the BE NKY website.
BE NKY Growth Partnership
-
News1 week ago
Video: Election Officials Continue To Face Violent Threats
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago
Sasquatch Sunset (2024) – Movie Review
-
Fitness1 week ago
This exercise has a huge effect on our health and longevity, but many of us ignore it
-
Science1 week ago
The Eclipse Across North America
-
World1 week ago
Hope and anger in Gaza as talks to stop Israel’s war reconvene
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
ANRABESS Women’s Casual Loose Sleeveless Jumpsuits Adjustbale Spaghetti Strap V Neck Harem Long Pants Overalls with Pockets
-
Finance1 week ago
Sponsored: Six Ways to Use Robinhood for Investing, Retirement Planning and More
-
Crypto1 week ago
Analyzing the Environmental Impact of Cryptocurrency Mining