Morehead

Duran Elmore is still eligible to play baseball at Morehead State, but whether he will is unknown. The Danville graduate signed with Morehead last fall, but rumors of an invalidated ACT score and what his coach said were looks from bigger Division I schools may halt Elmore from ever playing for the Eagles. On Friday, Drew Dickerson in Morehead’s media relations department said the school’s compliance officer still had Elmore listed as being eligible. But Danville coach Paul Morse said last week that Elmore was attracting looks from bigger schools, and that Morehead wanted him to take the ACT again but would not say why. Several attempts top reach Elmore were unsuccessful.

It’s tournament season once again at Danville Country Club, and two typically strong fields are expected for its two biggest tourneys in the coming days. The club will host its annual invitationals for both men and women over the next seven days. The J.E. Butler Memorial, the men’s invitational, will be played Saturday and Sunday, and the women will play the Tee Cup Invitational on Wednesday and Thursday. Danville club professional John Mesplay said this is the ninth time in the last 10 years that the two tournaments have been played within the space of a week, and he said that makes for a busy few days for his staff.

LEXINGTON ? Patrick Patterson is back. After two sluggish performances in Kentucky's exhibition games, Patterson played like the star player he supposed to be against Morehead State. Seven minutes into Friday's 75-59 win that officially started the John Calipari era, Patterson already had nine points on 4-for-4 shooting and three rebounds, all on the offensive end. He finished with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.

LEXINGTON ? Morehead State was 4-for-24 from 3-point range and shot only 38.5 percent overall from the field. However, those numbers meant little to coach John Calipari after Kentucky's 75-59 win over Morehead here Friday because he liked very little of what he saw from the Cats defensively. "When I watch the tape I will be sick because we came out of a (defensive) stance. How about we foul 55 feet from the basket. I wanted to tackle him," said Calipari. "To be a good team we have got to play an entire (defensive)

LEXINGTON (AP) ? Kentucky freshman Eric Bledsoe scored 24 points while starting in place of John Wall, and the fourth-ranked Wildcats opened the John Calipari era with a 75-59 win over Morehead State on Friday night. Patrick Patterson added 20 points ? including his first career 3-pointer ? to go with 12 rebounds, and Darnell Dodson scored 15 points as Kentucky (1-0) pulled away in the second half. Kenneth Faried led Morehead State (0-1) with 17 points, but the defending Ohio Valley Conference champions couldn't keep up even with Wall sitting on the bench.

A pair of wrecks closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate 64 for an hour Wednesday and sent three people to the hospital. Traffic was already slowing for one accident near the 91 mile marker, about four miles west of Winchester, when a Morehead driver plowed into two cars stopped in the congestion. According to the Clark County Sheriff's Office, 40-year-old Robert D. Lovely of Morehead was traveling between 55 and 65 mph when he ran into a stopped car ahead of him at 5:37 p.m. Tuesday.

A Winchester man is facing assault charges in Morehead after allegedly stabbing a man late Tuesday night. According to Kentucky State Police, troopers responded to an assault complaint on Bluestone Road in Morehead at 10:20 p.m. Tuesday. When troopers arrived, they found 34-year-old Michael D. Ritchie of Morehead with stab wounds. Ritchie was taken to the local hospital before being flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center. He was listed in fair condition this morning, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Blue Mass honors heroes of Sept. 11 To the Sun: The Knights of Columbus Msgr. Danz Council No. 2459 will hold its eighth annual Blue Mass at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 11. Mass will be at St. Joseph Catholic Church with the Rev. Father Jacob Kurian, pastor and chaplain of local council, as celebrant. The Mass will honor all men and women, law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, service personnel and our departed comrades who protect our country against all terrorist nations.

Dear Editor, I love Crab Orchard (Springs). With the U.S. 150, Wilderness Road enlargement project, Cedar Creek Lake, The William Whitley House, the recent acquisition of Sportsman's Hill by the state and grant funds for the renovation of the Old Howard Theater, Crab Orchard is clearly on the verge of breaking out from the stagnation it's been mired in for so many years. I would love to see Crab Orchard reinstate its original name to "Crab Orchard Springs" and capitalize on its history.