Mitch Barnhart turns 63 later this month, but forgive him if he feels more like 163.
Put yourself in the shoes of the University of Kentucky’s athletics director. No sooner had his overall sports program completed a ninth-place finish in the Directors’ Cup — UK’s best-ever showing — than his two most high-profile coaches enter into a public spat last week, embarrassing the department and giving the impression the boss isn’t minding the store.
No wonder Barnhart appeared more than a bit put-out when he met with the media last Saturday at Kroger Field to address the John Calipari-Mark Stoops tiff. We were expecting an AD who would attempt to downplay the drama. Instead, we got an AD who was defiant, philosophical, emotional, prideful and just about everything in between.
