JaJuan Spillman Making His Way Back

Great news for Card football fans: JaJuan Spillman and Coach Steve Kragthorpe have apparently reconciled. One of the fastest players to wear a U of L uniform, Spillman is on track to return.

Kragthorpe had mentioned to a couple of people at the football signing party that Spillman was coming back, but few were counting on it. He confirmed it by penciling in JaJuan’s name on the 2008 roster, recently updated on the U of L web site.

JaJuan was largely written off by a lot of observers, including this one, last October when he was suspended for undisclosed reasons. Based on some of Krag’s other personnel decisions, this is significant, indicating that Spillman has taken the necessary steps to return to good standing.

Those who doubted Spillman will happily have egg on their faces. Players rarely ever make it back after such long sabbaticals. He had to have been taking care of business in the classroom, the weight room and in his personal life.

Way to go, JaJuan. Keep it up.

Also listed on the roster is Maurice Urrutia, the younger brother of Mario, whom we presume has recovered from the wounds he incurred in a shooting incident at a local nightspot two years ago. The 6-f00t-5 Maurice, whom his brother once described as a better player than he, is listed as a wide receiver. Mario left after his junior year, eyeing an NFL career. Maurice, by the way, has a very interesting My Space page.

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Let’s hear it for the U of L Softball Team, defeating Kentucky 6-1 on their home field Wednesday in Lexington, snapping UK women’s seven-game winning streak. Love it when that happens.

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The Baseball Cards thumped Eastern Kentucky 13-5 Wednesday. Gabriel Shaw, the freshman pitcher? He pitched one inning, still not allowing a hit or base runner after 18 batters.