The Magic Number is 1; Interesting Quotes; Smart Alum

♦ Missouri defeated Kentucky Thursday evening, 4-2, while Tennessee lost to Texas A&M, 5-1.  That bring's Mizzou's "magic number" down to 1 -- Just 1 Missouri wins and/or 1 Tennessee loss over the final two days of the regular season will guarantee Mizzou a spot in the SEC Post-Season Tournament.

♦ The Columbia Tribune has an article, A lot of work to be done': Renovations begin as Missouri set to close SEC regular season, with a photo and details about the beginning of construction at Taylor Stadium, plus some interesting quotes and comments from Tim Jamieson:

Missouri was never expected to finish in the top four — or even the top eight — in a league where the schools have so-called "baseball palaces." But Jamieson envisions a future in which Taylor Stadium is a humble manor that feels like home for top players.
...
"We have to be better. We have to be better coached," Jamieson said. "We have to embrace what we have. We have to take it to another level. So there's a lot of work to be done."
...

Not a shock! '04 Academic All-Amer. MT @trripleplay: Former #Mizzou pitcher Garrett @broshuis graduated 1st in his class from SLU Law School
— Mizzou Athletics (@mutigersdotcom) May 16, 2013

SEC WEEKEND: Kentucky Wildcats @ Mizzou

NOTE: This final SEC Weekend is a Thursday-Friday-Saturday series rather than the usual Friday to Sunday schedule. Unless, as the weatherman, predicts, it rains, in which case who knows when these games will happen? Given the way this whole season has gone, why would we not get games rescheduled because of weather on the final weekend?

♦ Be sure to check out Sam Nasci's Mizzou Matchup preview of the Kentucky Wildcats here at SimmonsField.com

♦ Also check out our off-season South By Southeast posts about Kentucky Baseball:

• Lexington, KY
• Bat Cats
• Gary Henderson's Kentucky Wildcats
• Kentucky Baseball History

♦ And for you Wildcat fans coming into Columbia, MO, for the weekend, check out The SEC Fan's Guide to Mizzou Baseball for everything you need to know.


JUST ANOTHER BUNCH OF COLLEGE GUYS

Watching narnia #kidatheart
— Kyle Barrett (@BSEBALL4LFE) May 14, 2013

Having a clean organized locker is a good feeling.
— Paul McConkey (@paul_mcconkey) May 10, 2013

Anyone know where I can take my truck and have fun in the mud?
— Corey Littrell (@clittrell21) May 6, 2013

Just finished last final *walk up to teacher* *fake handshake/nut tap* *double pistols to the class* "IM DONE BABAY" *slam door*
— Walt Wijas (@walt_wijas8) April 30, 2013

WILDCAT BASEBALL

♦ Kentucky baseball team struggling to reach postseason (Courier-Journal)

This season began with talk of a trip to the College World Series, but now the University of Kentucky baseball team is down to its final two weekends and has work to do just to secure an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. Making matters worse, the Cats’ penultimate Southeastern Conference series is the tallest order yet. Vanderbilt, off to the best start in league history and ranked No. 1 in two major polls, is coming to town.
...
While Henderson won’t, Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt will put a number on it. A rough estimate, anyway. With six SEC games to go, Fitt figures Kentucky needs three wins at minimum to feel any measure of postseason security. Four and the Cats could really breathe easy.

“Certainly they need to win that Missouri series at the end of the year. That’s a must-win series,” Fitt said. The Tigers rank 143rd in the RPI. “I expect they’re going to lose this series against Vanderbilt, but if they could avoid being swept, that would be good.”
...
“There’s not a whole lot of margin for error,” Fitt said. “I think if they get swept, that puts them in a position where they have to sweep Missouri, really, in order to feel good about their chances.”
...

MIZZOU MATCHUP: Kentucky Wildcats

Head Coach: Gary Henderson (158-121 in 5^th season as Alabama Head Coach)

Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field - Columbia, MO

Thursday @ 6 PM CT

Friday @ 6 PM CT

Saturday @ 1 PM CT – Fox College Sports

Kentucky (29-22, 10-17 SEC) @ Missouri (16-30, 9-19 SEC)

Missouri will close out their season with a weekend series at home against a Kentucky team that has spent much of their year in Baseball America’s top 25. They have struggled lately, dropping five of their last six conference games, which includes getting swept at home by No. 1 Vanderbilt last week. Vandy taking over the top spot marks the first time all season North Carolina has relinquished it. Mizzou will try to at least break even at home this year coming in 10-11. Kentucky will try to do the same as they are 7-9 on the road.

Projected Lineup

RF Kyle Barrett (L) .351

LF Zac Zellers (R) .239

P A.J. Reed (L) .291

C Greg Fettes (R) .250

2B J.T. Riddle (L) .286

CF Austin Cousino (L) .256

3B Max Kuhn (R) .251

1B Michael Thomas (R) .240

SS Matt Reida (L) .235

Position Players

The lineup below is the best that I can anticipate for Thursday’s game, as it changes up a bit when AJ Reed is not on the bump. The rest of the weekend, expect Michael Thomas behind the plate, Greg Fettes taking care of the DH duties in the middle of the order, and Reed moving over to play first.

This is the most lefty-heavy lineup the Tigers have faced this year, which can cause problems for the back end of their rotation. Leadoff man Kyle Barrett is making a statement as a freshman, leading the team with a .351 average and .405 OBP, mostly getting on with singles. He has to rely on teammates behind him to move him over though as he has only swiped four bases, something they’d like to see more of out of the leadoff spot. They can’t really complain though with the amount he reaches.

He sets up all around athlete A.J. Reed, who resides in the three spot in the order. Reed, who earned first-team Freshman All-America honors from Baseball America and Louisville Slugger last season, will likely be drafted next month for the second time (25^th round by NY Mets out of high school in 2011). His 13 dingers and 51 RBIs are both more than twice anybody else on the team, and his homer total puts him third in the SEC (Mississipi St. C Hunter Renfroe leads with 15). This naturally gives him the best slugging percentage on the team by over .100, at .548.

Kentucky has power spread throughout the lineup, with six players that have gone deep on three or more occasions. This makes for a very strong and consistent lineup top to bottom; they just have struggled putting it all together to close out the season. They will look to use this weekend as a tune-up for the SEC tournament, as they have the capability of going deep in the postseason if they return to the form they were at when the season began.

Projected Pitching Matchups

RHP Eric Anderson (0-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. LHP A.J. Reed (2-7, 3.81 ERA)

RHP Brett Graves (1-5, 3.95 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Cody (3-3, 4.82 ERA)

LHP Rob Zastryzny (2-9, 3.64 ERA) vs. LHP Corey Littrell (5-5, 3.92 ERA)

Pitchers

These matchups may be a little off depending on what Kentucky coach Gary Henderson wants to do going into the SEC Tournament, but regardless all three projected pitching matchups should be fun to watch. Two-way player A.J. Reed can get lit hit from time to time, as his batting average against is .293, highest of any starter the Tigers will see this weekend, but he does not walk many. Corey Littrell and Kyle Cody both have decently high strikeout totals, so the Tigers should jump on them early in counts. Relying on walks will not work, as all three have shown they are very efficient.

Matchup Wrap-up

Do not be fooled by their SEC record, this Wildcat team has the capability to go deep in the conference tournament when they put it all together. On the flip side, Missouri has the opportunity to capitalize off Kentucky struggles of late and finish the season on a high note. If they play well, we could see the Tigers as a low seed in the tournament; but if they proverbially poop the bed, it could mean watching from home. Kentucky defense can be suspect at times, while 58 errors may not seem like too many over 51 games, but those have resulted in 51 unearned runs. Their errors have come back to hurt them many times.

Other SEC games this weekend (all 5/16-18):

Alabama @ (1) Vanderbilt

(11) Arkansas @ Auburn

Florida @ Georgia

(23) Ole Miss @ (2) LSU

(14) South Carolina @ (24) Mississippi State

Texas A&M @ Tennessee

Rankings from BaseballAmerica

HI NOTES: Pitchers & Catchers

MIZZOU BASEBALL RECRUITS

♦ Tweets from former Mizzou assistant coach Brian Delunas about velocity tests, including MU signees Jake Brentz, Devin Williams, and Jared Fosdick:

New velocity PR's for pitchers after testing this week:J. Brentz 99, D. Williams 96, B. Howard 95, D. Herrmann 94, and R. Plohr 92.
— Brian DeLunas (@StLPiratesPitch) January 18, 2013

Also, new to the 90mph club are:C. Soffner 93, J. Fosdick 91, and J. Harmon 90.M. Schwarze with a new PR of 93 as well.
— Brian DeLunas (@StLPiratesPitch) January 18, 2013

♦ And some further details and explanation on Jake Brentz' decision to play in Iowa this Spring, on the StLToday.com Prep Sports Forum:

We made the decision to go to Iowa for the simple reason that he will pitch every week. Every MLB scout coming into our home ask us the same question. "Will you pitch this spring, and how often"? We could not answer that question nor did we ever get confirmation that he would get more than one chance on the mound. Past experience told me that he would get one opportunity, if he did not produce he would not get another. Choosing this option insured that he would be able to work through any early season issues he might have. Pitching is going to be a strength this season at south and I did not see many inning for Jake based on past experience...

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

♦ The Kentucky Baseball SID has a 10-part series beginning today previewing the 2013 Wildcat Baseball season, beginning with Baseball season previews: Gott emerging as NCAA's top closer (ukathletics.com)

Regardless of how the season ended, Kentucky had a record-breaking season and its closer also etched his name throughout the UK history books. While earning spots on the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Player of the Year Watch List and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award Watch List, Gott set the UK single-season record with nine saves.

He appeared in 23 games and charted a 3-0 record with a 2.16 ERA. Gott tossed 25 innings and allowed only 17 hits and seven walks, striking out 38 and limiting opponents to a .189 average. He was especially dominant against Southeastern Conference foes, working the first five innings of the year against league opponents without allowing a hit...

♦ Getting to Know SEC Baseball: Georgia (mutigers.com)

MIZZOU BASEBALL DIASPORA

♦ A former record breaking hitter for the Tigers demonstrates his coaching skills in How To Hit a Baseball (youtube.com)

Note: I didn't say which hitting records J.C. broke.

AMERICA'S PASTIME

Speaking of record-setting ballplayers:

Southern Exposure: Kerrick Jackson on SEC Recruting; Box Top; Horses>Cups ...

♦ Mizzou Enters the World of SEC Baseball (Prep Baseball Report)

... In terms of recruiting kids, “Based on need, our goal is to get the best players out of the state of Missouri year in and year out and as we move forward to get the best players from the Midwest,” said Jackson. “We also look at the mental toughness part, getting kids who are tough, hard nosed players. Maybe all of the players we get will not be high profile guys, may not be the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked players, we want to get players who play the game the right way and understand the failure aspect and play through that.”...

BE sure to click and read the whole story HERE

LSU's Alex Box Stadium
Photo by Shoshana flickr.com

♦ Word on the Tweet from @LSUBaseballProb

Alex Box Stadium is ranked no. 70 among Top 101 Stadium Experiences in the U.S....ranked ahead of 5 MLB Stadiums on the same list #whoa

The List (prlog.org)

♦ Check out the videos and updates on Vanderbilt's annual Omaha Challenge at vucommodores.com

Vanderbilt returned to classes on Monday, January 7 and the Commodores wasted little time in getting back to business beginning the team's annual Omaha Challenge on Wednesday afternoon.

The competition opened with a creative new team event in the Bar Carry. Each of the four teams were given two weight bars (40 lbs. each) and had to transport eight teammates forty yards down the field and back before the next teammate could be toted down the field. Essentially, a human relay race. Strategy and weight definitely came in to play as Team Lupo took home the title.

Day 1   Day 2   Day 3

♦ 2013 Gators Preview - Part 1: New Identity (Gator Country)

In the past few seasons, “Sully” sent several batters up to the plate who could change a game with one swing. While this season’s club has a few who can club it, the make-up of the squad will be much different offensively.

“Every year your offensive philosophy changes to the personnel you have,” O’Sullivan said. “This year’s personality is different from last year’s because the personnel is different. For us to try to run a lot last year, that was not the strength of our team.

“This year, it could be and it should be for us to be successful.”
Of the 75 home runs hit last season, 61 were hit by players that are no longer with the team. Of the 360 RBI, 245 were hit by former players. That accounts for 81.3 percent of the homers and 68 percent of the RBI from a year ago...

♦ Kentucky's answer to the Ole Miss Red Solo Cup Races:

We see you @olemissbaseball. This is what we are working with. #HorsesStompOnCups #UKbaseball @darrenrovell twitter.com/UKBaseball/sta…

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) January 16, 2013

♦ The new Ole Miss video promo is big on glower-power:

x

SxSE: Kentucky Wildcats Baseball, 1895-2012

Kentucky has yet to prove that they are a reliable NCAA Tournament program.  The 2012 season notwithstanding, they've been more of a hit-and-miss SEC Tournament program.  Based on their success this past season, I'll tag them as an  SEC Tournament program  and we'll all cross our fingers that Gary Henderson can build on 2012 and keep the momentum going.  Over the past 10 years the Wildcats have compiled an average annual record of 33-24

Kentucky has been playing intercollegiate baseball since 1895.

From 1895 through 1938, 18 different men coached the Wildcats.  Only two of them coached more than three years, and those two coached for 5 and 7 years.  None of those 18 coaches accomplished much of anything.

Harry Lancaster coached for 16 years through the 50s and 60s.  Apparently his .500 record was enough to keep him around for the longest tenure of any coach in the first 82 years of Vols Baseball.  Tells you something about the value the University of Kentucky put on their baseball program.

After Lancaster was done, three coaches combined for a 214-229-2 (.481) record from 1966-1978.

Keith Madison coached from 1979 through 2003.  He had some good years (40-15; .727 in 1987)and he had some bad years (63-102; .382 in his last 3 seasons).

Prior to 2006, the Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament just four times (1949, 1950, 1988, 1993).

John Cohen was hired as the the head coach in 2004, and he drug the program out of the doldrums for the first time in a century. NCAA Regional appearances in 2006 and 2008; an SEC Championship in 2006. And then Cohen left for Mississippi State.

Gary Henderson took over in 2009 and was keeping the program hovering around the .500 mark until 2012, when he found lightning in a bottle and the Kentucky Wildcats were competitive all year long in the SEC.

Notable Kentucky Wildcat Ballplayers

• Sawyer Carroll
• Sean Coughlin
• Collin Cowgill
• Ryan Strieby
• Jeff Abbott
• Brandon Webb
• Terry Shumpert
• Joe Blanton
• Scott Downs
• Doug Flynn
• Jim Leyritz
• Jeff Parrett
• 
  

Kentucky Wildcats Baseball in 2012

Kentucky compiled a 45-18, 18-12 in the SEC.  They had the misfortune of being in the same NCAA Regional as Cinderella team Kent State, who beat the Wildcats twice on their way to the College World Series.

♦ Productive newcomers are key contributor in dramatic turnaround for UK baseball team (kyforward.com)

Little about the 2012 UK baseball season resembles Gary Henderson’s first three seasons as the Wildcats’ head coach.

Henderson’s first three UK teams failed to reach the postseason or finish with a .500 record in Southeastern Conference play. More than halfway through the conference season, the 2012 Wildcats are ranked in the top three in each of the four major national baseball polls, are ranked No. 1 in one poll and are leading the SEC.

Even the UK players and coaches have a hard time zeroing in on a singular reason for the improvement, but at least part of the change can be attributed to a crop of new players that joined the team prior to the 2012 season.
. . .
Newcomers account for 42 percent of UK’s total runs scored in 2012, 41 percent of the Wildcats total hits, 46 percent of their total doubles, 51 percent of their total home runs and 45 percent of their total RBI.

On the mound, newcomers have started 22 of UK’s 42 games this season.
. . .
Eight pitchers who were not on the 2011 roster have seen action out of the UK bullpen this season, including junior right-handed pitcher Tim Peterson who has a team-high 20 appearances and a 2.53 ERA.

Newcomers account for 48.57 percent of UK’s wins and 48.84 percent of the Wildcats’ total innings pitched, including 51.13 percent of the bullpen’s innings.
. . .
As UK looks to close out a SEC championship and earn a national seed in the NCAA Tournament, both newcomers and veterans are experiencing a pennant chase for the first time.

Asked if the team is just too young to realize the odds working against it during the turnaround, Cousino didn’t mince words.

“I don’t think we have any rhyme or reason to what we’re doing,” he said. “I think we’re all having fun.”

SxSE: Coach Gary Henderson' Kentucky Wildcats

♦ Recruiting footprint:  Looking at the recent rosters, Kentucky tends to recruit their players from Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana, California, Georgia, plus random players from SC, OR, WA, OH, UT, CO and Quebec

♦ Gary Henderson named SEC Coach of the Year (SECBaseball, 5/20/12)

"There are a few things and one is that you have to have a group of returning players that want to have a better experience," Henderson said. "You've got to have someone in that returning group that wants to provide leadership from inside the program. We were fortunate that we had the group of guys and those types of individuals that wanted to provide that leadership.

"The next thing you do is you do the best job you can at bringing in enough pitching. If you can't pitch out of the bullpen in this league, you are not going to win. That is not an opinion. That is a proven fact. We did everything we could in the recruiting process to bring in guys that could help immediately."

On offense Kentucky ranked first, second or third in virtually every category. UK led the league with 117 doubles and 847 total bases and ranked second in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, home runs and RBIs. In SEC play, UK led the league with 13 saves and ranked fourth in earned run average and total wins.

"Another thing that we really benefited from was playing so many freshmen last year. We have a lot of sophomore in the lineup. We really benefitted from having those guys get the experience last year and now they are very, very solid as sophomores. I think those are three things.

♦ One-on-one with Kentucky’s Gary Henderson (yahoo.com, 2/23/2010)

You can’t say Kentucky coach Gary Henderson hasn’t seen the lay of the land.

The second-year skipper for the Wildcats has coached for programs on both sides of the country, including Pepperdine, Oregon State, Florida and now Kentucky.

Henderson arrived at UK six seasons ago with the idea of helping John Cohen turned the Wildcats into a consistent winner in the Southeastern Conference.

Henderson knew accomplishing that goal would be incredibly difficult. However, the Wildcats made a huge statement in 2006 by earning an SEC regular season title.

Just two years later, Cohen decided to head to Mississippi State, and Kentucky made the decision to promote Henderson to head coach. It was his turn to direct the program.

♦ Weaker bats fit Cats’ style (kykernel.com, 2/14/11)

“I think some of the complaining from some of the coaches in our league is a bit overblown,” UK head coach Gary Henderson said. “You can still hit a home run, but you’ve got to hit it. You can’t cap it, you can’t get jammed, you can’t be out in front. You’ve got to hit it on the sweet spot.”

Henderson has always prided his teams on pitching and defense, and this philosophy stands to benefit the Cats when the new bats are introduced to live action this season.
. . .
Henderson remains adamant that pitching and defense are what wins ball games, and that the new bats won’t have a major effect on his job as a coach.

“The game calling won’t be affected,” Henderson said. “That part, I think- that shouldn’t get in the way, that piece of it … The feel is it’s going to be much, much tougher to get a five spot when you’ve just given up some. I think that- to me as a coach, that’s what I think of. You’ve got to be able to throw strikes, you’ve got to absolutely do whatever you can to keep the freebies to a minimum.”

♦ More mature lineup has UK optimistic (catsillustrated.com, 2/18/2010)

Having a year under their belts with hitting coach Brian Green should also begin to pay large dividends. Green arrived after former head coach John Cohen left for Mississippi State and brought with him an offensive style predicated a little more on small ball than trying to fill the bases and pop a three-run home run. While Henderson wants that to still be part of the Cats' arsenal he and Green have strived to construct a more balanced attack.

"What it means to me is an offense that can win a game more than one way," Henderson said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm on record as saying I'm a big fan of the three-run homer but the reality of it is about once a weekend you're going to have a really hard time hitting a three-run homer, minimum, and it's called Friday night. Three-run homers are hard to come by so you really want an offense that has multiple weapons.

"I want to be able to beat someone in a game where you don't leave the yard and have our kids know they can manufacture a run late. By no means does that mean that's the only way we want to score but the teams that do well pitch well, play great defense and have the ability to manufacture runs when they need to. There is more to offense than just clobber it."

SxSE: Bat Cats

Photo by Amanda Rykoff 

♦ Shively Field at Cliff Hagan Stadium

• Opened: 1969, rebuilt in 2002
• Capacity: 
• Named After: Bernie Shively, former UK Athletic Director; Cliff Hagan, former UK basketball player

♦ New Kentucky Ballpark fare for the UK Wildcats Baseball - the Ballpark Hot Brown - Turkey Dog with Cheese Sauce, Diced Tomatoes and Bacon... actually healthier than the original hot brown!! funny that UofL didn't think of this first as it is Louisville food! (first-thoughts.org)

♦ This advice on going to a UK game at Cliff Hagan Stadium makes it sound very similar to a trip to Taylor Stadium at Mizzou (from ksrcollege.com):

If you are a student, admission is FREE!!! For everyone else single game tickets are $5 and season tickets are $55 for reserved seating and $35 for general admission (just pay the extra 20 bucks and get reserved seating). Complementary parking is available at Parking Structure 7 or behind the right field wall. Whatever you do, DO NOT PARK in the lot adjacent to the stadium!!! It is a trap set by the university parking service to ruin your day. One more piece of advice; dress warmly, epically for the early season games.

♦ Catching up with Johnsburg's Jerad Grundy at Kentucky (Chicago Tribune)

The atmosphere at Kentucky home games is something Jerad Grundy had never experienced as a player.

The decibel level at Cliff Hagan Stadium does not approach that of Rupp Arena, but basketball isn't the only sport that has Kentucky fans excited these days.

Grundy, a Johnsburg graduate who transferred to Kentucky after stops at Miami and Heartland Community College, is a top-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Wildcats (25-1), who won their first 22 games and are ranked No. 2 nationally by Collegiate Baseball and No. 10 by Baseball America.

"It has been crazy," said Grundy, who is 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA in six starts. "People are noticing. When we played South Carolina, they had to turn people away. It is indescribable playing in the SEC. It feels like every game is like a World Series game. It is so intense and everyone on field is so talented."

♦ UK is not KU

• KU's legendary basketball coach was Phog Allen; UK's was Adolph Rupp.  Rupp actually played for Phog Allen at KU.

• UK Coach Gary Henderson and KU Coach Ritch Price are both from the West Coast, Henderson from Southern California and Price from Oregon.

•  UK's colors are blue and white; KU's are blue and red

• UK's mascot is an actual animal that exists;  KU's mascot is a ridiculous imaginary dodo bird

• UK has a live bobcat msacot; KU does not have a live jayhawk.

• UK fans' favorite cheer is a back-and-forth "Blue!" "White", which is is just as annoying but makes more sense than KU's nonsensical "Rock Chalk Jayhawk!"
  
  
• UK recognizes the value of a geographic and historical rivalry with a team from a different conference. The Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry dates back to 1912, somewhat short of the Missouri-Kansas rivalry.
  

  The yearly men's basketball game is called the Battle for the Bluegrass and the yearly football game is played for the Governor's Cup trophy. Many of the schools' other sports teams also play annually despite the fact that the teams are not in the same conference. (Wikipedia)

• Mizzou fans have yet to form a strong opinion about UK.  On the other hand, KU still sucks.

SxSE: Lexington, Kentucky

Thoroughbred Park
Photo by Bryan Sherwood flickr.com

Our South by Southeast virtual road trip heads into the home stretch, arriving at Lexington, KY, a several-horse town and home of the Kentucky Wildcats.

♦ Lexington is the 3rd closest SEC town to Columbia, 459 miles away (428 air miles).  Kentucky is in the SEC East Division.

♦ Fun Facts about Lexington, Kentucky:

• 2010 Population 299,803 (metro area 687,173)

• Lexington is known as the Thoroughbred City or the Horse Capital of the World)

• In 1833, 500 of the 7,000 residents died in a cholera outbreak

• In 1958 Lexington became the first city to establish an "urban growth boundary", in order to protect the  many horse farms and bluegrass landscape that are key to the tourism industry.  This boundary is, not surprisingly, the subject of continual debate and tinkering by the city and county government.

Brady Deaton
Kentucky alum

♦ There are 5 Chik-fil-a locations in Lexington

♦ Thoroughly Horse Crazy (visitlex.com)

There are many indicators that Lexington is Horse Capital of the World. Some are obvious. More than more than 30 national, state and regional equine organizations are head-quartered here.
. . .
But there are other, more subtle indicators. Here’s one recently discovered while trying to find a friend with the last name "Thornton" in the phone book: Lexington companies use “Thoroughbred” in their name, in many cases for no reason other than, well…it’s Lexington. There are the obvious companies related to the horse industry, of course-- like Thoroughbred Times or the Thoroughbred Center. But what about Thoroughbred Internet Services, presumably not meant to be internet services FOR horses, or Thoroughbred Barbershop, presumably not a barbershop for horses? You’ll find Thoroughbred Auto Sales, Thoroughbred Chem-Dry, Thoroughbred Energy, Thoroughbred Homes and Construction and Thoroughbred Masonry. Perhaps Thoroughbred Allergy and Asthma caters to people allergic to horses? And then there’s Thoroughbred Limousine, when your horses wants a night out on the town in high style. We have Thoroughbred Mortgage for horses wanting to refinance. Thoroughbred Painting (maybe that’s how the Visitor’s Bureau got their infamous blue horse) Thoroughbred Publications, Thoroughbred Restaurant…..well, you get the idea.

♦ The largest church in Lexington (78th largest in America) is Southland Christian Church (9,148 average attendance).  It's lead minister, Jon Weece, is from Columbia, MO (Rock Bridge HS), and grew up an avid fan of Mizzou. (Statistics from Hartford Institute for Religion in America)

♦ The Lexington Ice Center includes a miniature golf course featuring Biblical themes.

♦ Kentucky is the only state among the longstanding SEC states that did not officially secede from the Union at the time of the Civil War.  Like Missouri, Kentucky was a deeply divided border state.

♦ According to DumbLaws.com, in Lexington it is is illegal to transport an ice cream cone in your pocket

♦ The SEC Guide to Kentucky's Home Turf offers several suggestions for feasting and relaxing in town, including this grammatically mangled list:

The must-do lists when visiting Kentucky: Keeneland during the Spring and Autumn meets. When dining at a local establishment, you order Bourbon, not whiskey. Try visiting local wineries, Kentucky is known for having the first commercial vineyards in America. Eat a Hot Brown. Visit the Bourbon Trail, to see how Bourbon is made and even sample a taste.