Ashley Judd told the media Saturday that she likes Larry Vaught's work covering UK sports. (Gary Moyers photo)

By LARRY VAUGHT

Faithful vaughtsviews.com reader Jim Boyers sent me this message:

“Larry, I don’t know if you saw it or not, but Matt Jones from Kentucky Sports Radio gave you a little blurb in his column yesterday. He was talking about Ashley Judd and how she seemed to be very familiar with the local media at the Georgia game Saturday. He wrote ‘Tom Leach and Larry Vaught in particular.’ What gives? We need a story on this. If you have a relationship with the hottest female Cats fan on earth, then we the people deserve to know about it.”

Actually, Judd has always been extremely gracious when I have been around here and has always made time to talk basketball with me.

She came into the media room after the Georgia game and stopped to answer a few questions. She even shocked my media buddies by noting how she reads The Advocate-Messenger — check the audio so you will know I am not making this up.

But what I always have liked best about Ashley is that she knows her basketball and can analyze a game as well as most coaches.

“It is especially nice to experience the positivity of UK basketball again,” the well-know actress said.

So it is nice to have Kentucky playing well and back in the national title chase?

“Absolutely. The games I went to last year were North Carolina and Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt. I felt burned. Uniquely humiliating experiences,” she said.

So this is really nice then?

“Like it should be,” she said with that gorgeous smile she has always had.

She’s such a big fan that after UK’s earlier win over Connecticut, she found herself on message boards from 3 to 5 a.m. after the game. “I absolutely don’t post and read negative stuff, but it was comforting to know that there were other UK fans out there that could not sleep, either.”

Judd, who has the flu, said UK’s unbeaten play has kept her “cheerful” and she felt even better after being in Rupp Arena. “The fun and spirit here is tremendous. I am going to be back,” she said.

Her always busy schedule is a little more complicated now that she is in the Harvard Kennedy School’s Mid-Career Master in Public Administration. Judd, 41, graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2007 with a degree in French after returning to the school to complete required course work following a 17-year hiatus.

She joked that Harvard has a better basketball team this year and she knows why. “They got better when a real fan came,” she said. “I haven’t been to a game yet, but I will for a Princeton game.”

Judd has yet to meet Calipari, but she has her own timetable for when she would definitely like to see him. “I have not met him yet, but I very much look forward to that. I did like the book he wrote. I thought it was extremely interesting and I was delighted to be able to provide a quote for it,” she said. “I have a timetable for him to be undefeated in the SEC and we can meet and visit after the Final Four.”

Someone asked her about Kentucky football without understanding that between her professional career, Kentucky basketball and being married to race car driver Dario Franchitti that she had little time for anything else.

“I kind of have to confine my sports fandom to basketball and racing or otherwise I would not have time to do much else. I support the football program. I just don’t physically show up,” she said.

And someone dared asked if John Wall was now her favorite Wildcat, a notion Judd quickly corrected.

“I think Tony Delk will always be my favorite Cat. And give Eric (Bledsoe) some love. We are going to have him longer (at Kentucky). His play contributed a lot (against Georgia). John had a human game and Bledsoe provided a lot of energy,” she said to provide her basketball expertise. “But I was around that 1996 (national championship) team a lot. Being friends with the MVP of the Final Four, he’s a cool Cat.”

And for those of you who wonder when we might see her on the big screen again, there’s good news.

“I have something coming out this month called the Tooth Fairy. I am actually producing a couple of pictures and looking forward to going back to work when I finish school, too,” she said. “But I am also looking forward to seeing Kentucky in the Final Four.”

And if she’s there Jim, I’ll give you another update then from the celebrity UK fan who always finds time to read my work.

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