February. Sights and sounds and politically correct spin (and not) on Jeremy Lin’s name and ethnicity that put headline writers at ESPN out of work and created a new definition for C-Word.

SIGHTS

• Daffodils have popped in Kentucky before pitchers and catchers could report to spring training in the sunshine state.

• Summitry. Kentucky had 18 assists beating Ole Miss last week. Right time and place on schedule, a notable sign UK is arriving at tournament-time on a title track, Team-ness.

• Murray, Kentucky, among best towns in America had a Eureka moment last weekend! Discovered suddenly by national television, ESPN.

• As greed-ridden as the NBA is, the new kid is the best thing to come to the league since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird left. Across the board, everybody wants Lin’s sparkle to endure. Well, except Carmelo Anthony.

Postscript. If tattoo-less Lin gets himself one, and I hope he doesn’t, keep it simple – two words in old English letters: Who Knew?

• Sales. Expect a run on Racer gear as Murray State gears up for tournament time. If Steve Prohm’s team wins a game or two as Morehead State did a year ago, better buy your Racer stuff early.

SOUNDS

• WKU fight song. Hear it as Coach Ray Harper goes on the recruiting road next month without interim and with a fresh air approach: “This is a destination job for me, and there is no place in the country I would rather be. It is an honor to walk into the doors of Diddle Arena each and every day.”

The Hilltoppers have two home games this week to close the season, then a Cinderella shot in the Sun Belt Tournament.

Projecting next season, a 15-man roster for 2012-13 season – seven sophomores, three juniors and four seniors.• ESPN analyst Jimmy Dykes jabbers too much, but his game and player analysis is improving, emboldened beyond coach schmooze and being Mr. Nice Guy. Next, skip being apologist for game officials.

• Whonk! That would be Darius Miller “last hurrah in Rupp’ dunk against Ole Miss.

• Pep bands and soloists at Kentucky and Louisville warm the pipes for that special tune, My Old Kentucky Home next week for four-year native son Darius Miller … and Eloy Vargas in Rupp Arena, and same at Yum Center for Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith.

SOUNDS II

• Scrambling. Kentucky fans trying to get hold of a photo or memento of Anthony Davis before he leaves next month, one-and-done.

• Rustling. Letterhead papers being shuffled into a formal document, sent by UPS (as opposed to FedEx) to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis. A complaint from recruiting rivals of University of Kentucky for unfair advantage gained by having a UK practice televised live by ESPN.

• Phssssss. Air going out of the Jeremy Lin sensation balloon. Inevitable as the media herd turns its attention back to the mundane – LeBron tweets, Dwight Howard whines, Carmelo Anthony dealings with New York’s new kid.

• Snip! Sound of Murray State’s Big Dance ticket being punched regardless of the OVC Tournament bid.

• Pitch. Would anybody else like to hear Murray Coach Steve Prohm’s living room speech to recruiting prospects?

• Gimme a break! A sigh please, on behalf of Rick Stansbury who seems to be a target/scapegoat for SEC referees. Mississippi State’s coach earned another critical technical foul last week at Auburn for protesting a referee no-call. As Stansbury has been on numerous occasions, particularly in games against Kentucky, he was right on this one too. Uncanny how often replays have shown Stansbury had a legitimate beef – the official was wrong – and he paid the price.

SMELLS

• Face paint and placard board. NCAA Tournament games will come at us from four television outlets (CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV). Sales will be up, face time creativity on teevee better be up too.

• Rubber burning. UK basketball thinkers grinding out clever and sensitive photo/copy ideas for media pitch of The Brow as college player-of-the-year ahead of Thomas Robinson at Kansas.

• Dust. UK record book archivists clear a high shelf for tribute to one of the school’s premier teams, 2011-12. A spot south of pedestals occupied by The Fabulous Five, Rupp’s Runts and the Unforgettables.

• New-on-the-shelf tee-shirts: Jeremy Lin.

OBSERVATIONS

• Vanderbilt took a zinger from John Calipari the other day. Like many coaches before him, Cal groused about benches-at-the-end in Memorial Gym.

Vandy won’t change a thing, I hope. Fans, and media, buy tickets to watch players play. Ideal spot for coaches to rant and violate the coach’s box? The end zone is a natural.

• My two favorite college teams are this close to at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt is a shoo-in, Northwestern needs two more wins to get an invite to the school’s first ever Big Dance.

WORTH REPEATING

ESPN announced Sunday disciplinary action imposed on three employees for three separate incidents of racial-insensitivity related to the company’s coverage of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin.

The employee responsible for the “Chink in the Armor” headline that ran on ESPN.com’s mobile site after the Knicks lost the Hornets on Friday night has been fired.

PARTING SHOT

Columnist Rick Reilly on Jeremy Lin: “Linsanity began at Harvard, where (Lin) energized a Crimson program that is now nationally ranked. That’s like a mule qualifying for the Kentucky Derby. Doesn’t anybody remember Lin lighting UConn’s Kemba Walker up for 30 points and nine rebounds on the road? Hello?”

And so it goes.