The Sleaziest Coach in a Sleazy Game

Charles P. Pierce is, in my opinion, one of the best and one of the gutsiest sportswriters in America. Writing for the online magazine Slate, today Pierce has an article calling Kentucky coach John Calipari the "sleaziest coach in a sleazy game."

I realize that as college basketball fans, we might not appreciate him calling it a "sleazy game." But there is an undeniable reality that there are elements of the sports that are no longer pure, that have become corrupted by agents, shoe company coaches and other ancillary figures inhabiting the shadow world on the edge of the sport -- which was probably never really pure to begin with.

Even if Kentucky wins, historical precedent says that, sooner or later, they won't win. For example, in 1996, a 35-2 University of Massachusetts team coached by John Calipari made it all the way to the Final Four. A year later, because of a tangled scandal involving Marcus Camby, jewelry, and hookers, the NCAA stripped UMass of its tournament victories, forced the school to pay back $151,617 in tournament revenues, and expunged the team's accomplishments from the official record book. Then, in 2008, a 38-2 Memphis team coached by John Calipari made it all the way to the championship game. A year later, because of a tangled scandal involving papier-mâché SAT scores, the NCAA stripped Memphis of its tournament victories, forced the school to pay back more than $500,000 in tournament revenues, and expunged the team's accomplishments from the official record book.

That's an excerpt. Let's just say that Pierce is no fan of Coach Cal. It's worth a read.