The Blue Mist

I grew up immersed in Kentucky basketball and really thought I knew the depths and breadth of what their loyal fans would do for their team. I was kidding myself and was totally blown away at the SEC tournment this weekend - the Sea of Blue completely took over the city of Nashville and it was something to behold.

The thing that I most enjoyed about the tourney was the camarderie among the fans. Since we had tickets for the entire event we sat in the same section from Thursday through Sunday and got to know our seat-neighbors quite well. We greeted each other each morning, one guy was the offical jacket holder, another was dubbed the official section "cheerleader", Jacob, who was 6, hung in for the entire 4 days, high-fiving all 3-pointers and enjoying ice-cream from a certain fan for being such a trooper.

We shared cabs from the hotel with fans from Somerset and Fort Thomas; had our bar tab picked up by fans from Louisville and parts beyond. We even made friends with Missisippi State fans at the hotel. Every line we stood in, be it the bathroom, the popcorn or drink line UK fans alike would say "Where are you from?".

Best of all, we spent the weekend with two really special people that we don't get to see very much. It was a great time and I'm ready for next year!