If you ever followed Alan Cutler when he was sports director/anchor for WLEX-TV in Lexington, you know he could be both entertaining and controversial. Many will remember the infamous time he chased UK basketball coach Billy Gillispie down a Memorial Coliseum hallway trying to confirm if he had been fired or was going to resign.
That’s one of many stories in his new book, “Cut To The Chase,” that is now available on Amazon for $19.99 paperback, $9.99 Kindle. I thad 460 pages and 129 chapters of vintage Cutler stories.
However, the Gillispie chase is not the event that changed Cutler’s career the most. Instead, he says that came when NBC got the contract to show the Kentucky Derby.
“I started doing long stories about people and they (TV executives) left me alone,” Cutler said. “I got to know so many people. The relationships I developed on the backside of Churchill Downs is something I will never forget. It is a society unto itself.
“It’s a dog eat dog business but they help each other. It is strange but a lot of beautiful people. There were some big people I got to meet but also the little people nobody knew about it that worked their whole lives to get to Derby was also very, very special.”
Cutler initially thought he might do a book signing when he finally got his book finished.
“I thought maybe I would do 8-10 of them and maybe travel and do Rotary Clubs and take books. I was hoping to travel the state talking about the book,” Cutler said.
He has had one business reach out about doing a book promotion with him.
“I would be happy and honored to do a book signing if someone wants me to,” Cutler said.
