FanHouse Billy Gillispie

Former Kentucky and Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie has checked himself into the John Lucas After Care Program in Houston to help fight his alcohol addiction, a source close to the former head coach confirmed to FanHouse on Wednesday.

Gillispie, who was dismissed as the Wildcats coach after last season, was arrested on his third known DUI charge last month in Kentucky

"He didn't have a whole lot of choices," the source told FanHouse. "Either [go to] Lucas or go to Betty Ford or somewhere. This is the best PR move Billy Clyde can make."

Is it me, or is the bluegrass spiked with cannabis? In Louisville, there stood Casanova Rick Pitino, lambasting the media for reporting "a total fabrication of the truth" when, in truth, he lived an extraordinary lie for years and didn't reveal his sin -- having unprotected sex with a woman in a restaurant -- until his legal mess required it. In Lexington, you have Long John Calipari, earning a record $31.65 million to coach the Kentucky Wildcats after fleeing another scandal in a career filled with them.

And on a highway in Lawrenceburg, there was Billy Clyde Gillispie, Calipari's deposed predecessor, so intoxicated according to a police report that his speech was slurred, his eyes were red and glassy and he had trouble opening the glove compartment of his 2009 Mercedes to retrieve his insurance card. "He was confused about how to unlock the vehicle and took several tries to unlock the glove box," the report said of Gillispie, who spent the wee hours Thursday in Franklin County jail after his DUI arrest.

Lost amid the kerfuffle overtaking John Calipari, Memphis, and Kentucky is the question that everyone should be asking: Is your average athletic director smart enough to handle their job given the intense pressure and attention that now descends upon the position?

It's a marriage of mutual necessity. He needs them -- and, oh, do they need him, as sure as Ashley Judd can fill a "Go 'Cats'' t-shirt. The anguished looms at Kentucky need John Calipari because he'll hustle, sell the program, recruit stud players, kiss babies and embrace the psychotic romance that is Big Blue Nation. And John Calipari needs Kentucky because, well, he still isn't roundly accepted as an elite coach, a perception he'll change if he resurrects a fallen dynasty.

Once Kentucky finally showed Billy Gillispie the door last week, rumors immediately turned to Florida coach Billy Donovan as his successor, for obvious reasons. It took Donovan mere hours to say he wasn't interested in leaving Florida, and ever since then the hot name in the rumor mill has been John Calipari. A Memphis TV station even put up a streaming video feed outside Calipari's office.

Depending on where you get your information, Calipari is either ready to be offered the job, or he hasn't yet met with officials from Kentucky. We do know that, Monday, the Wildcats' brass received permission from Memphis to talk to Calipari.

BOSTON -- Tubby Smith is much too dignified to laugh out loud, or LOL in the text-message age. But for all the abuse he took at Kentucky during a decade that was absolutely dreadful -- a national championship, a 263-83 record, an NCAA tournament appearance every season, just horrendous stuff -- who could blame him if he wanted to giggle to himself Friday?

Seems the bluegrass has turned to fertilizer in Lexington.

UPDATE: Kentucky confirms coaching change

After just two seasons at the University of Kentucky, Billy Gillispie has been shown the door. According to a televised report on ESPN, Gillispie has been fired, effective immediately. There is a press conference scheduled for 4:30 PM Friday afternoon.

The move comes a few days after Kentucky was bounced from the NIT by Notre Dame. Yeah, the NIT. At Kentucky. Obviously, fans and prominent alumni weren't too excited at the direction of the program under Gillispie. He had compiled a 40-27 record (20-12 in the SEC) in just two seasons in Lexington. According to several reports, though, this move wasn't all about wins and losses.

A report has been circling around the Internet the past day that says Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie could be out after just two years on the job because of a players' mutiny against the coach.

Leoweekly.com reported late Tuesday afternoon that a source with some University of Kentucky connections who has been "spot on in the past" said that Gillispie is "Going, going gone...only way, I'm told to prevent mass exodus....expect announcement soon." After the initial report, the website came back with another post, this time with even more confirmation.

I think we can all agree that Billy Gillispie doesn't exactly scream "Rocco Mediate-style interviews." Billy Clyde looks like he wants to win games, coach kids and, well, that's about it.

Last night, with Gillispie's Wildcats up 39-37 at halftime, ESPN reporter Jeanine Edwards caught up with the UK coach. Edwards asked about Jodie Meeks, and, as you will now see, Gillispie thought Jeanine just chose her question poorly.

Update: Harris is "alert" but Gillispie isn't talking much about his condition.

Ramon Harris didn't play during the second half of Kentucky's 61-51 win over Alabama today. That's because he was en route to the hospital after collapsing outside the locker room right before halftime.

During his post-game radio show, Coach Gillispie said that Harris is resting at the local hospital. "They said everything looks good. They're concerned, obviously. He's alert. After he threw up he felt better," said Gillispie.