Mark Maloney on sports

Chris Rusin

James Paxton

More good news for first-year head coach Gary Henderson and his Kentucky Wildcats.

For a third straight season, UK is in the national pre-season baseball rankings. Earlier, Baseball America rated UK’s incoming class of recruits No. 4 in the nation, and seven highly regarded prospects committed for the 2010 season.

A tip of the hat to Brent Ingram, UK baseball’s media contact, for providing the information.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s Top 40 has the Cats at No. 19. All 12 Southeastern Conference schools either received votes or made the list  — the only conference to do so.

With Henderson serving as pitching coach under John Cohen (who returned to his alma mater, Mississippi State, after last season), UK has won a school-record 122 games over the last three seasons. UK was ranked No. 20 last year and No. 27 in 2007 by Collegiate Baseball in its pre-season poll, and No. 25 in last year’s National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll.

The Cats led the SEC in earned run average last season. They appear to be well-armed once again.

Senior left-hander Chris Rusin is a first-team all-SEC pick and is on the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year watch list. He led SEC starters in ERA throughout the season, finishing with a 6-3 record and 3.33 ERA over 13 starts. Included were two complete games.

Also back is Saturday starter James Paxton, also a lefty, who is coming off a 4-2, 2.92 season.

Freshman All-America shortstop Chris Wade returns to lead a defense that led the SEC with a .979 fielding percentage last season. Wade also led the SEC with 24 doubles, while batting .296 with five homers and 51 RBI.

Other returnees include third baseman Chris McClendon (.346, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 7 SB) and center fielder Keenan Wiley (.327, 2 HR, 38 RBI).

The Cats open the 2009 season Feb. 20, taking on Troy in the Coastal Carolina pre-season tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C.  UK has won 67 of its last 73 non-conference games in the regular season, including 20 in a row at home. The team’s 122 wins over the last three seasons ranks fourth among SEC schools, a list topped by Vanderbilt with 133.

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper pre-season poll

UK opponents in bold.

Rank    School (’08 Final Record)        Points

1.         LSU (49-19-1)                          495

2.         North Carolina (54-14)           494

3.         Rice (47-15)                            489

4.         Georgia (45-25-1)                   486

5.         Stanford (41-24-2)                  484

6.         Arizona State (49-13)                  482

7.         Florida State (54-14)                   479

8.         Louisville (41-21)                    476

9.         Texas A&M (46-19)                 473

10.       Texas (39-22)                          470

11.       Mississippi (39-25)                 467

12.       Georgia Tech (41-21)             465

13.       Cal State Fullerton (41-22)         462

14.       Oklahoma State (44-18)              459

15.       Baylor (32-26)                         457

16.       Fresno State (47-31)                    456

17.       San Diego (44-17)                   453

18.       Miami, Fla. (53-11)                 451

19.       Kentucky (44-19)                   448

20.       Cal Irvine (42-18)                  445

21.       UCLA (33-27)                           443

22.       Missouri (39-21)                     440

23.       Pepperdine (38-21)                 439

24.       Southern California (28-28)    436

25.       Florida (34-24)                        435

26.       Clemson (31-27-1)                  432

27.       Notre Dame (33-21-1)            430

28.       Coastal Carolina (50-14)        428

29.       Michigan (46-14)                    425

30.       Cal Santa Barbara (35-21)    423

31.       East Carolina (42-21)              422

32.       Missouri State (40-17)                420

33.       Southern Mississippi (42-22)  417

34.       Tulane (39-22-1)                     415

35.       Arizona (42-19)                       414

36.       Wichita State (48-17)                  410

37.       Texas Christian (44-19)           409

38.       Oregon State (28-24)                  406

39.       California (33-21-2)                402

40.       Alabama (35-28)                    398

OTHER TEAMS RECEIVING VOTES: Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, Long Beach St., Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina St., Houston, Kent St., Santa Clara, U.C. Riverside, Oral Roberts, Nebraska, Kennesaw St., Ohio St., Oklahoma, San Diego St., Tennessee, Mississippi St., New Mexico, Jacksonville St., Elon, Western Kentucky, Dallas Baptist, N.C. Charlotte, South Florida, St. John’s, Winthrop, Purdue, James Madison, Marshall, Central Florida, Washington, Washington St., Georgia Southern, Northwestern St., Lamar, Texas-San Antonio, Southern, Louisiana-Monroe, New Orleans, Hawaii, San Jose St., San Francisco.

Kentucky, having qualified for the women’s NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 1989, apparently has more to prove at that meet (Monday, Nov. 24, at Terre Haute, Ind.).

The Wildcats are nowhere to be found in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s final poll of the season. Thirty teams make the poll. UK is the last of two teams in the “others receiving votes” category — No. 32.

And Virginia, which beat the Cats for first place in the Southeast Regional, is a modest No. 28.

Washington and Oregon, 1-2 finishers in the Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional, remain 1-2 in the poll.

South Regional champion Florida State is third.

Michigan made the biggest jump, moving nine places to No. 10 after winning the Great Lakes Regional.

The Women’s Division I Cross Country National Poll:

ORV: Penn State (20), and Kentucky (11).

Dropped Out: No. 25 Penn State, No. 26 BYU, and No. 30 Wake Forest.

Defending NCAA champion Oregon retains the top spot in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association men’s poll, released Tuesday.

Oklahoma State moved up a spot to No. 2, trading places with Stanford.

The top four women’s teams remain unchanged: Washington, Oregon, Florida State and Princeton. Villanova climbs a spot to No. 5. Three-time defending NCAA champion Stanford is No. 11.

Although no Kentucky teams are ranked nationally, four men’s teams are among the top 15 in the Southeast Region: No. 4 Eastern Kentucky, No. 9 Louisville, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 15 Morehead State.

The women’s Southeast Region has UK at No. 7, U of L at No. 11.

From the men’s basketball gold-medal game at the Beijing Olympics, Sunday at Wukesong Olympic Basketball Gymnasium …

The United States held off a valiant effort by world-champion Spain to take the Olympic gold with a 118-107 victory.

Dwyane Wade led Team USA with 27 points. He made four of seven three-point attempts and also had four steals.

Kobe Bryant had 20 points and six assists. LeBron James added 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony each scored 13, and Paul also handed out five assists. Chris Bosh led the team in rebounds with seven, and also scored eight points.

Former University of Kentucky standout Tayshaun Prince logged 8:25 of playing time. He made all three of his field-goal attempts, finishing with six points and two rebounds.

Rudy Fernandez made five of nine three-point attempts en route to a 22-point game for Spain. Pau Gasol had 21 points and six rebounds. Also scoring in double figures: Juan Carolos Navarro, 18; Carlos Jimenez, 12; Marc Gasol 11; and Felipe Reyes, 10 (plus seven rebounds).

Boy wonder point guard Ricky Rubio, 17, finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

* The U.S. lead over Spain is 111-104 with 2:02 left.

After Spain pulled to within 91-89 early in the quarter, Team USA scored 12 of the next 15 points to lead 103-92.

The lead was cut to four, 108-104, before Dwyane Wade hit a three-pointer for the seven-point edge.

* A Rudy Fernandez three-pointer has pulled Spain to within 91-89, the U.S. leading with 8:13 to play.

* Trailing 69-61 at halftime, Spain cut Team USA’s lead to four points several times during the third quarter but could get no closer. Heading into the final 10 minutes, the U.S. leads 91-82.

* The U.S. leads Spain 69-61 at halftime of a foul-fest.

Dwyane Wade has 21 points for Team USA and Chris Paul has 10. Former Kentucky Wildcat Tayshaun Prince has six points and two rebounds.

Rudy Fernandez has 13 points for Spain and Pau Gasol has nine.

Spain has three players with three fouls each and three more with two each as the Americans have made 17 of 20 free throws.

Team USA has six players with two fouls apiece. Spain has made 18 of 21 free throws.

Spain led by as many as five points in the first quarter, but the U.S. scored nine points in a row to take a 26-22 lead.

Team USA’s advantage reached 14 points, 58-44, when LeBron James knocked down a three-pointer.

Spain pulled to within six points, 67-61, in the final minute of the half.

* Team USA leads Spain 38-31 after one quarter.

The Spaniards led 22-17 before Team USA ran off nine consecutive points to take the lead.

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant spent most of the quarter on the bench, as each had two fouls within the first 5 1/2 minutes.

Dwyane Wade led the U.S. with 13 first-quarter points. Chris Paul added six and Tayshaun Prince had four.

Pao Gasol had seven points for Spain and Juan Carlos Navarro had six.

BEIJING — Safe to say, the Beijing Olympics have not turned out the way Tyson Gay had envisioned after he ran the fastest any-conditions 100 meters of all time (9.68 seconds) at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

A few days later, he pulled his left hamstring during the quarterfinals of the 200-meter dash.

The reigning world champion in both the 100 and 200, he missed nearly six weeks of training between the Trials and the Olympics.

The graduate of Lafayette High School in Lexington was eliminated in the semifinals of the 100-meter dash.

Thursday night, with the U.S. leading its semifinal heat of the 4-by-100 relay, the final pass of the baton from Darvis Patton to anchor-man Gay amounted to a swing-and-a-miss. The baton appeared to barely graze Gay’s hand and fell to the track. With it went the U.S. relay hopes.

Rodney Martin and Travis Padgett ran the legs preceding Patton.

BEIJING — University of Kentucky senior Mikel Thomas, competing for his native Trinidad and Tobago, placed sixth in his heat Tuesday night (a.m. U.S.) in quarterfinals of the men’s 110-meter hurdles at the “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium.

Thomas ran in the first of four heats. The first three in each heat, plus the next three fastest finishers, will advance to the semifinals. After two heats, it was clear that Thomas would not qualilfy on time.

Thomas ran a personal-best wind-legal time of 13.62. (UK had listed his 13.57 as a school record, but that race was wind-aided.)

David Payne of the U.S. won the heat in 13.24, followed by Petr Svoboda of the Czech Republic and Shi Dongpeng of China. In fourth, Konstadinos Douvalidis set a Greek national record of 13.46. Jamaica’s Richard Phillips was fifth, followed by Thomas, Igor Peremoto of Russia and Hector Cotto of Puerto Rico.

As it turned out, Thomas needed to run faster than 13.51 in order to qualify on time.

U.S. champion David Oliver, in the last heat, had the fastest time, 13.16.

World record-holder Dayron Robles of Cuba was next, a heat winner in 13.19.

Payne ranked third.

Live from National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games …

             Tyson Gay’s dream of running for a gold medal in the men’s 100-meter dash came to a screeching halt Saturday night (a.m. in the U.S.) at the Beijing Olympic Games.

            Gay, a graduate of Lafayette High School in Lexington, will miss the finals (10:30 p.m. in Beijing, 10:30 a.m. EDT) at National Stadium, also known as Bird’s Nest.

            World record-holder Usain Bolt led all qualifiers in 9.85 seconds.

            Gay, running in the next heat, placed fifth in 10.05 seconds, tied for ninth overall.