Good, bad and, you know.

The Bluegrass State’s three D-I affiliates suffered a donut hole last weekend. And, Kentucky, Louisville and Western Kentucky face likelihood of more of the road this week.

GOOD. Kentucky arrived home from Baton Rouge long after 570 tents were gone from Memorial Coliseum. Tickets for Big Blue Madness sold out in 59 minutes.

BAD. Louisville’s bull dozer win at Kentucky, an open date to fly high and a home date with Marshall to fine tune for two-game road trip was scuttled when the Thundering Herd shot down the Cards and took Big Mo home to Huntington.

UGLY. Western Kentucky came from 22-19 ahead with less than two minutes on the clock to cough up a 26-22 W to Arkansas State.

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GOOD. Kentucky has No. 1 LSU in the rearview mirror and doesn’t play No. 2 Alabama.

BAD. Kentucky plays at South Carolina this week; Louisville at North Carolina; and Western at Middle Tennessee.

UGLY. By time teams arrive home Saturday night, media will have recycled an old headline: Kentucky is a basketball state.

GOOD. (For Louisville) North Carolina (4-1) has surrendered 20.8 points a game.

BAD. The Tar Heels score 31.4 points a game.

UGLY. Will Louisville find it necessary to limit its season highlight film on 60 minutes in Lexington? See schedule.

BAD. (For Kentucky) South Carolina is fresh from a killer loss to Auburn. Last Wildcat win in Columbia happened in another century. 1999.

UGLY. October weather starts to roll in from northwest. Fans waver and wonder if they will get $46 worth at Commonwealth Stadium.

GOOD. (For Western) Middle Tennessee is only 1-3. Blue Raiders are fresh off a win over Memphis.

BAD. Promising in September, Toppers are 0-4 into October.

UGLY. Officiating. With 2:39 on the clock Hilltopper had a lead, the football, a first down and Arkansas State with no time outs. A review official in the press box cancelled the first down, Tops tried again on fourth down, didn’t make it and the visiting Red Wolves drove 66 yards and scored with 43 second left.

NOTES ON UK OFFENSE

Items for offensive side of Kentucky’s football team.

• Calm down.

• Savvy up. Until a team demonstrates it can play within three touchdowns of Florida and LSU, it can expect no border line calls from officials.

• Coaches and offensive linemen go find an Arkansas-Texas A&M game film and see How-to Protect a quarterback 101. Razorback Tyler Wilson had time and focus to complete 30 of 51 passes for 510 yards.

• Fans. Give Joker Phillips a pat-on-the-back and stop whining.

CONFERENCE EXPANSIONS

The Big East is latest to announce its shopping to replace Syracuse and Pitt. First target – SMU.

Shamelessly missing from the current upheaval in college sports is the muted voice of college presidents. Clearly, these men and women are at the feed trough alongside money-grabbing league commissioners, university directors of athletics and coaches.

Understandable how student-athletes at Miami, Ohio State and others listen to whispers about double-standards and grab for whatever they can get.

While television executives and athletic department chiefs goose the Goose, change the landscape, university presidents stand by holding the coats.

BASKETBALL

Good news for purists among us:

• Dwyane Wade shouted down NBA commissioner David Stern during a players-owners meeting last weekend. With preseason exhibitions already cancelled, the two sides turn up the heat, squabble over who gets a bigger bite of a billion bucks.

• Kobe Bryant is near signing a $3 million deal for 10 games. His team? Virtus Bologna. Virtual baloney. Perfect.

Carry on, men, don’t give an inch.

America. I love this place!

Meanwhile, better news: To signal that a real basketball season is about to break out, tickets for Big Blue Madness tickets sold out quicker than a Marquis Teague cross-over last Friday. Following, was take-down of a record 570 tents around Memorial Coliseum.

Bad economy, joblessness and another political season become background noise behind one constant in our galaxy. Love of and optimism for Kentucky basketball.

The excitement level and expectations this October are matched only by the promise of three established starters – Darius Miller, Doron Lamb and Terrence Jones, and a fistful of skilled rookies.

Brings to mind preseasons past. From UK archives, these two.

• 1996. With a pair of All-Americans returning from a 34-2 NCAA title team – Ron Mercer and Antoine Walker, fans were at a fever pitch from the start. Rick Pitino’s last team at Kentucky opened ranked No. 1.

• 1966. Three starters returned from a 27-2 season, including All-Americans Louie Dampier and Pat Riley. Kentucky opened the season ranked No. 1.

PARTING SHOT

On a scale of 10, ex-Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona gets a 10.

Man who marched the Sox to two World Series titles, walked away last week. Before going, the amiable Tito made no excuses, no whine, took all blame, and shouldered responsibility for everything from Fenway ticket windows on in. Said the Sox need a new voice.

Right on all counts. Media splitting hairs on whether Francona was forced out or left on his own, are shameless hacks.

Here’s to Terry Francona, stand up guy.

And so it goes.

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