Heat Index hovering at triple numbers. Air heavy enough to cause the happiest of fans to turn grumpy; And, the most frequently heard acronym around Kentucky again this week is, AC.

August. Calendar time again for two-a-days and water breaks and whimsical jargon exclusive to America’s game – dime package, depth charts, 4-3 defense, nickel back, in-the-box, double cover, hang time, field position, “knock you out!”, no hotdogging in the end zone, hurry-up offense, “bring it!” and of course, BCS.

Favorite of mine – nose tackle. Anybody else love the term nose tackle? Makes one think of Attila the Hun, Goldfinger’s Odd Job, Spartacus or Ivan the Terrible (synonym for Dick Butkus and Jack Lambert).

Making college football fun in the hot air of a teevee broadcast booth, where a flood of inflated adjectives, mascot uni(s), second guess and coach-speak, the game’s Three Amigos. Trumpets please for return of Lou Holtz, Lee Corso and Beano Cook.

You love all three, right?

College football teams form up this week. Two-a-days in dawg days. Most dreaded time of year for veterans, scariest for rookies and most fun of all for coaches scowling with military voices.

Early on at Kentucky’s three D-I camps, UK, UofL and Western Kentucky, maybe watch for these things:

• Length of did-not-qualify and/or No-Show lists.

• Two weeks in, injury lists.

• UK buzz from coaches – Morgan Newton’s progress, UofL’s starting quarterback, and who’s going to block for Bobby Rainey at Western?

• Depth chart movements. Rise of true and red shirt freshmen at one-two-three spots and how many.

• And, how each school spins ticket sales progress.

• UK fans, did I mention Morgan Newton’s progress?

RANSDELL TO HALL

Bill Ransdell is one of six slated for induction to University of Kentucky’s Athletics Hall of Fame next month.

From middle school to high school at Elizabethtown, on to Kentucky, he earned his accolades all the way to this one.

Ransdell made himself into an exceptional quarterback and leader.

At UK, he was paired with the ideal coach for his skills, Jerry Claiborne. Ransdell’s pine knot toughness matched Claiborne’s. Extraordinary will to win, toughness, pride and staying power (even when a helmet under the face guard knocked him goofy), he mirrored his coach. Ransdell belongs alongside, not behind, legends Vito Parilli, George Blanda and Tim Couch.

DARIUS MILLER

In keeping with the idea, good things come to those who wait, Maysville’s Darius Miller added to his basketball resume` this week. The UK wingman is among the last 14 from which a 12-man Team USA will be chosen for basketball’s World Games in China later this month.

Try-outs at Colorado Springs wind down to final cut on Sunday.

Senior-to-be Miller, who UK lists at 6-feet-8, 235, is on track to be the 56th player to score 1,000 points at Kentucky. He has 851.

JOE B. HALL FLAP

Ticket for August 15th’s Dominican Republic National Team versus an NBA-flavored stars at Rupp Arena went on sale this week. But media ga-ga for big name players and walk-on-water John Calipari, was upstaged for a news cycle or two when Joe B. Hall was invited then dis-invited to coach the opposing team peopled by ex-UK stars.

Embarrassed, Hall wanted an explanation and rightly so. Blame was put on the NCAA, but that agency promptly issued a statement saying it had nothing to do with Hall’s removal.

Who then and why? Hall deserves an explanation.

We wonder, did UK’s administration over react? Have Hall removed for fear of another bad PR week? An NCAA scolding like one it received for celebrating Calipari’s 500th coaching win?

Via e-mail, I asked UK director of athletics for communications Dewayne Peevy if he made the decision. In reply, he said he would not comment by e-mail.

Consolation. Calipari added Hall to his coaching staff for the exhibition.

If the University of Kentucky was complicit in Hall’s removal, it would be beyond shabby and leave some of us to wonder anew: How can college basketball’s winningest program continually become entangled in pettiness then be reduced to damage control?

WORTH REPEATING

Summer basketball camps and recruiting prospects create all the buzz for hoops fans in July. With and today’s economy as backdrop, one college coach shared his experience on recruit-visits-our-campus scenario with ESPN The Magazine recently. An excerpt.

“We’re all in an arms race. You have to show a recruit the brightest and the most technological anything – weight room, practice gym, film room – whatever attracts them.

“We’ve got pretty modern facilities, so the only other thing I’d love for the boosters to help us with is to add a training food table, basically a daily buffet for our guys. Hey you’re talking about a 16 or 17-year-old making a big decision. They don’t always make it for the right reasons. I know I didn’t; I just picked the place where I had the best time on my visit.”

COMMENT: Leaves us to wonder which will come first …

1. How soon boosters at basketball programs at, say, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State and other so-called mid-majors put in place a ‘competitive’ training food table?

2. Or, the NCAA adds to its manual, a bylaw to put a stop to the whole thing?

And so it goes.

Sports In Kentucky appears in community newspapers across Kentucky. You can reach Bob Watkins at Sprtsinky@aol.com