First off, allow me to introduce you to a new feature on the website that I hope CoachCal.com followers everywhere will enjoy. I’m calling the periodical feature the “CoachCal.com Insider.”

Every so often I’m going to write a little bit about my observations of John Calipari, what goes on around the office, how he handles certain things, etc. The idea is to offer another glimpse into the world of Coach Cal.

As someone who obviously works with Calipari, it can become easy to take things for granted or overlook the access and insight I get with him on a daily basis. More and more it seems like I’m asked, “What’s he like every day? How did he react to that? How does he handle this? What did he do when that happened?” I’m talking ambiguously, obviously, but I think you get the point.

The first topic I want to touch on in the CoachCal.com Insider is fan mail – or what I’m now referring to as the “Sea of Paper.”

As you can imagine, as the head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, home of the winningest program in college basketball and the most passionate fans in college sports, everyone wants to talk to Coach Cal or share a word or two on paper. And I mean everyone.

In my office alone, we have boxes full of letters, pictures, highlight tapes of kids that want to play for Coach Cal, and requests for autographs, support, appearances or tickets. That’s not counting the additional boxes – twice the size of the ones in my office – that Lunetha Pryor, Coach Cal’s administrative assistant, DeWayne Peevy, senior associate athletics director for communications, and Chris Woolard, associate athletics director of basketball operations, sift through on weekly basis.

The number of letters and email that come across my desk for Coach Cal can, at times, become overwhelming. The best comparison I can make is this: Go to Calipari’s Twitter page and click on his mentions. Take a second to look at the feedback he gets from his 1.15 million followers. Incredible, right? Imagine that volume in letter or email form.

Now, to the question that most of you want to know: does Coach Cal actually read everything? How does that process work?

While I can’t definitively say he reads every single letter, quite honestly, he reads a lot. Pryor, Peevy, Woolard and I work our way through his mail each week and pass along a lot of it to him. On most days, he’ll take a little time out of his busy schedule to get a pulse on the Big Blue Nation and hear what his fans have to say.

Two things I can tell you that don’t make it across to his desk are requests for tickets and letters without a return address.

Coach Cal and the men’s basketball office receive so many ticket requests on a daily basis that it’s impossible for them to meet everyone’s needs. If Calipari decided to grant one request, how would that be fair to the other 250 requests he’s received in the past month? And if he granted every single ticket request, Rupp Arena may have to change the name of the eRUPPtion Zone to the Free Ticket Zone. Quite frankly, it’s just not possible or fair for Calipari to meet the demand.

As for letters without a return address, that’s a Coach Cal policy that he’s always stuck by. If a person doesn’t want to own up to what they want to say to Calipari, he doesn’t have the time to read it. I can unequivocally say that if you want your letter read by Coach Cal, the worst thing you can do is send it anonymously.

Now that doesn’t mean that Calipari is trying to avoid negative email. Believe me, he gets – and reads – the criticism that comes along with making decisions as the head basketball coach at Kentucky. Just the other day Calipari received a letter from an accountant that took offense to his recent comments that his players are in the wrong profession if they don’t dive for loose balls.

“I was offended at your recent reference to those ‘players’ who are too lazy to ‘go after the loose balls’ and suggesting that they simply need to ‘go be an accountant,’ ” the letter read. “As members of that offending profession, we may not have the earnings entitlement that putting a ball through a hoop allows, but to be successful in my area I assure you that ‘going after the loose ball’ is just as important and mandatory in my life as it is in yours and the lives of your players. So, I would suggest that, in the future, you just keep your condescending and smart-a—- remarks to your condescending and smart-a—- self.”

Pretty mean, huh? But Calipari read it anyways. And he thought about it. Did he like the tone of the letter? Of course not. But he’s not going to crumple up a letter because it didn’t paint a rosy picture of him.

Of course, the majority of the responses are positive and some are downright funny. Take, for instance, this one, a letter from a dog named Mister Maverick. That’s right, a dog, specifically a Chocolate Cocker.

A photo sent to Coach Cal from a "dog" named Mr. Maverick Wright.

“From time to time, I have heard you say, ‘only at Kentucky’ when describing the BBN,” the “dog” wrote. “There is an area of fandom you have failed to mention since arriving in the Bluegrass and that’s fans like me. I have included a couple pictures to illustrate my point (to the right). Where in the world do you find dogs rooting for Cats??? Let me answer that for you, ‘Kentucky.’ The next in home visit you have show them my picture to help them understand what basketball means in the Commonwealth.”

Calipari cracked up when he read that one. More than anything, he appreciated the response.

Just like Twitter and Facebook, it is impossible for Calipari to read every single thing fans have to say, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. That’s why he has people like myself, Pryor, Woolard and Peevy by his side. Part of our job is to help him keep a pulse on the Big Blue Nation and help get your words to him.

In the near future, I’m hoping to set up a more organized system on this website for you to submit your content for Calipari to see. From those pictures and videos, we’re hoping to select a lucky fan each week that will win free stuff from Coach Cal.

My message to you, and the one Calipari wants to get across to his fans, is keep those letters coming. It may take us a while to swim through the Sea of Paper, but we’ll do our best to get your feedback to Coach Cal.