Of course the mysterious and elusive Andre McGee is an Uber driver in Kansas City. The big question is — How did the local and national media spend all this time wondering where the University of Louisville’s fall guy in its basketball sex scandal is and how to interview him, when all they had to do to question him was hail an Uber?
Of all the characters in the sordid story, McGee seems to be the only one who has not had to answer to media.
According to reports on the ESPN story coming out Sunday, McGee has been keeping a low profile and making a few bucks as an Uber driver. When an ESPN crew managed to hail him for an Uber (and I wonder how many rides they had to cancel before they got Andre), they got in with cameras rolling, creating a very uncomfortable situation for the centerpiece of the book, “Breaking Cardinal Rules.” The book and the controversy surrounding it resulted in a pretty good U of L team sitting home during the current ACC Tournament in Washington.
As an Über driver myself, I can tell you that it’s really not the best way to keep a low profile. I’ve picked up a lot of people I know driving around town, and am almost always happy to see familiar faces. But if I were the center of the biggest story in sports here, I’m not sure 500 miles is far enough away to avoid being recognized.
As the story is related here, McGee must have been really uncomfortable when the crew piled in his car. I’ve never had to ask anyone to leave my car before they reached their destination. I wonder, now, if McGee is still Uber-ing, and if Kansas Citians are hoping to get the controversial figure when they call for rides.
Also, Andre — this Christmas Tree air freshener is definitely not what all the cool Uber drivers are using.
Meanwhile, around here:
Cool Chambers with Podcasts: Here’s a list of Chambers of Commerce who have their own podcasts — Jeffersontown. That’s right, this week I helped launch my home community’s first podcast, talking with Mayor Bill Dieruf and two of the founders of the 3rd Turn Brewery, which is stumbling distance from my home. Give it a listen.
Speed Up for 30 Hours: Starting tomorrow, the Speed Art Museum will be open for 30 straight hours. I toured the spectacular new space this week, and am mightily impressed and looking forward to attending concerts and other events there. What, you ask, is going to be going on at 3 a.m. — how about an 
all-night gaming competition? If you have a teenage gamer around your house, that sentence makes perfect sense.
Your New River House: John Varanese’s dream took more than 15 years to come true — but you get to benefit by dining at his new River House restaurant — it’s right next to Kingfish on River Road. Get the Grouper Cheeks. Here all about it on Rusty Satellite.
Have at Least One Green Beer: On Saturday for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the Highlands, most businesses will be serving the green stuff as the spectacle rolls down Bardstown Road. My favorite spot there is, of course, O’Shea’s, where you can also bet a Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey Car Bomb.
Weirdest Local Dude of the Week: Check out this Insider Louisville story about John David Boggs — who is in the news for the following — he’s being sued for $20K by the Courier-Journal for unpaid advertising bills; he’s the guy whose drone was shot down over a backyard in Okolona and is suing the homeowner; he’s accused of being an “unscrupulous storm chaser” who owns roofing companies that rip people off after disasters; and he led a church as its pastor to bankruptcy.
Painting the Town Purple: Here Stage One’s Andrew Harris talk about the 400 tablets that audience members get when they attend the new play, Harold and the Purple Crayon, at the Bomhard Theatre. Our friend Ben Sollee will be performing as well.
Play House: If you can’t imagine a Democratic President running for re-election with the First Lady as his running mate, and holding a substantial debate with his GOP opponent, a young Governor, then you might not buy into the fourth season of Netflix’s House of Cards, which I just finished binge-watching. But who’s to say what’s possible in American politics when a racist homophobic bully is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination in real life.
You Might Have Bad Teeth if. . . You live in certain parts of eastern and western Kentucky, you don’t eat right, you smoke and if you drink a lot of Mountain Dew. Check out this new report on Kentucky’s dental health.
