Cubs Inc. and Kentucky Wildcats.

No-hitter by a Chicago Cub happened last Sunday, 43 Septembers since Milt Pappas did it September 2, 1972.

The Cubs. A franchise in America’s midland made intriguing by its lovable ways to keep loyalists, draw capacity crowds, lose most of the time and still put a smile on fans’ faces while saying “we’ll get ‘em next year!”

Football at University of Kentucky has been the Chicago Cubs.

Underdog lovers, (and media) have watched a UK and Cubs Inc. comedy for more than six decades. Each has given new meaning to Walt Kelly’s profoundly correct “we have met the enemy and he is us!”

Cubs Inc. and UK have bumbled through general managers, coaches/managers, players, competed with rivals (Chicago Bulls and UK basketball), and thrown money. Both have done facility upgrades, stadium expansions, endless promotions … tried virtually everything to earn a place among premier winners.

So, last Sunday a Cubs pitcher threw a no-hitter. It’s September 2015, the Cubs are 19 games over .500 at this writing, and this close to qualifying for postseason play.

Kentucky football? Stadium upgrades, more and better players, and now, plausibly higher expectations. This Saturday, September 5, 2015, Wildcat football could be … might be … we hope will be, on its way to Cubs Inc. kind of postseason too.

AUTUMN COME TO KENTUCKY

Hear it?

Few things are more fascinating in Kentucky than autumn’s first melody – Katydids and Quiet.

Fall isn’t official until the 23rd, but a string of serene moments lets us anticipate another academic year at college … campus … class time … cool breezes, then some football!

Time before tailgate parties crank up … moments before bass and snare drums signal marching bands come over the hill … rise of collective fan voice approval … finely dressed players appear for warm-up, sounds of fall echo off stadium walls.

Your team is 0-0 and so is his.

√ Eastern Kentucky may get its maroon uniforms grass stained against Valparaiso on Thursday in Richmond. A full-on workout will create a game film before the Colonels’ road to Raleigh, North Carolina next week for a show-us-what-ya-got against NC State.

Guess: Colonels win while trying to limit the looksee by Wolfpack scouts.

√ Louisville and Auburn. Saturday headliner: 3:30 kickoff. Sold out.

UofL’s opportunity knocks is more a bang on the door The Cardinals get the No. 6 War Eagles on neutral ground. Louisville can catapult itself up the rankings, set talking heads aflutter over Bobby Petrino and get the Cards into early major bowl conversation.

Worth mentioning: Petrino teams are 10-0 in season openers.

Guess: Season’s first surprise, Louisville wins by a touchdown.

√ Kentucky. At 7 o’clock, the Wildcats take center stage. On paper, and in a word, Louisiana-Lafayette is dangerous. For UK: new Stadium … new talent level … new confidence, Mark Stoops’ team plays a Statement Game.

Guess: Wildcats by three touchdowns-plus.

√ Western Kentucky, eight o-clock eastern time, in Nashville Saturday to try and extend its win streak to 3-0 against an SEC team not named Kentucky.

Hilltoppers can show off the finest quarterback in college talking heads will be talking more about.

Guess: Unless Brandon Doughty has a nervous breakdown performance like one in Knoxville two seasons ago, the Hilltoppers ‘outscore’ the Commodores by 14.

WALK-ONs at UK and WKU

Getting a shot. Among my favorite things – a kid, particularly a native son, getting a chance to extend his/her education. Basketball programs at Kentucky and Western Kentucky added two walk-ons each to rosters last week.

Kentucky adds Dillon Pulliam Jonny David.

David, a freshman and Pulliam and, a sophomore who transfers from Transylvania University and will sit out the coming season.

Western walk-ons are Keifer Dalton (Clinton County) and Dylan Sanford (Owensboro)

Dalton averaged 17.8 points, five assists and three steals at Clinton County last season, and finished as his school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,158 career points.

Sanford averaged nine points at Owensboro High and scored 21 points in the Red Devils’ state championship win.

If one or more rises to earn a scholarship it’s a story. Higher reward will be education each will gain being part of a major college basketball program.

And, UK and WKU teams will benefit from grade point averages from all four.

BALL COACH DEPT.

√ Good news: Bo Ryan’s return as ball coach at Wisconsin will be fun to watch not only because he develops and keeps players in college, but because his rebuilding process is entertaining.

√ Minnesota has given two-year ball coach Richard Pitino a $400,000 raise to $1.6 million. Fine print: If Pitino leaves before April 16, next year, the university will be owed $1.5 million. Peanuts. The school young Pitino job-jumps to (probably next spring) will pay it.

FARE THE WELL, DAN

A Glendale friend and a dear human being, left last week suddenly. Dan Tonietti was as good a man as there ever was. He died at home in his front yard. Heart attack. 60-something.

The personal shock of Dan’s passing brought to mind “you never know!” and words from financier Warren Buffett. “… people talk about this being an uncertain time. You know, all time is uncertain. I mean, it was uncertain back in 2007, we just didn’t know it was uncertain. It was uncertain on September 10th, 2001, we just didn’t know it.”

Fare thee well, Dan Tonietti

And so it goes.