2026-04-17- KSR - Hour 1

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Speaker 1: Known for his crowd work. Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington. Welcome's Club favorite Ian Bag April ninth through the eleventh, then from Saturday Night Live and the hit TV show DMV, Catch ten Meadows April sixteenth through the eighteenth, and from Netflix and social media catch Amber Autrey, me first and second. Four tickets to all comedy off Broadway shows. Call eight five nine two seven one joke or visit Comedy off Broadway dot com.

00:00:28
Speaker 2: Com off Bay.

00:00:32
Speaker 3: Welcome everyone, It is Kentucky Sports Radio Wednesday, Urks Friday, Figuary Friday, April the seventeenth.

00:00:40
Speaker 4: I'll get it right here in a second.

00:00:42
Speaker 3: Here at Whiskey Thief in Frankfurt off crab Orchard Road, on an absolutely beautiful day. We are here at Whiskey Thief and look at this crowd everybody. Great to have you here today. It is awesome. We are here at Whiskey Thief. This is probably are what fifth or sixth remote here over the years, and we are here celebrating the new Derek Anderson, aok Uh charity bottle release and more. You can give a shout on the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line eight five nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. A Vision Auto glass text machine is seven seven two seven seven four five two five four in this distion sponsored by the T J.

00:01:17
Speaker 4: Smith Laws.

00:01:18
Speaker 3: If you called TJ, he'll make them pay Ryan Lemon, Whiskey Thief. This is the place where if you've listened to this show, you know they'll put the the Whiskey Thief into the barrel, get the bourbon out, shoot it in your face and you'll be ready to go.

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Speaker 5: This is This place gets more beautiful every time I come out here. Yeah, so pretty when you drive out here, come out, I guess they call it the farm. Now they have all the improvements they've made, it's fantastic.

00:01:41
Speaker 3: I know Whiskey Thief's doing well because every time we come here, the road's better.

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Speaker 6: Yes, yeah, much better, gravel road. Immaculate this. Now that the road is great, here's what I'll say to Whiskey Thief. When I bought my new car, I remember thinking, do I want to keep my old car for the drive to Whiskey?

00:02:03
Speaker 4: Yeah? And now that nuw.

00:02:05
Speaker 3: That is that's that's as good as a road out in the streets of Lexington.

00:02:10
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:02:10
Speaker 2: I thought I was the only one that noticed I didn't think anybody will definitely.

00:02:13
Speaker 3: Know because literally as I pulled in, I went, oh, man, I forgot about this, and then it was absolutely perfect. So it's beautiful out here. They're giving tours. You could come out and we are here, as I said Derek Anderson, who's sitting in the crowd. Give Derek Anderson a big round of applause. We're gonna we'll talk to him here in a little bit. He has his Acts of Kindness a OK bourbon bottle. It is exclusive bottle raising money for his charity, and it is here today and uh, you, guys, I'm sure we're.

00:02:41
Speaker 4: Standing gonna try it.

00:02:42
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, definitely gonna go home with one of those bottles today.

00:02:45
Speaker 4: Although he told you he couldn't dunk anymore, which disappointed. He looks like he could still doubt.

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Speaker 2: I think he can, so I think he's being modest.

00:02:53
Speaker 3: Well, we will we will talk with him a little bit later, and you and remember that there will be here at the Frankfurt location a food truck and Thursday day through Sunday they got live music and you can also taste the whiskey Thief bourbon and guys, we also have a big announcement today.

00:03:07
Speaker 4: It came out this morning. I say came out like it was on the news.

00:03:11
Speaker 2: Uh, it did come out.

00:03:13
Speaker 4: Drew Franklin's baby came Drew an Abbey.

00:03:15
Speaker 3: Yes, uh, Avery Rose Franklin. Even though Justin Rose didn't win, I think he still decided to go with Avery Rose actually had it a few a couple of days ago, but they waited until this morning till everybody. It's been tough Ryan, because we've known since like Tuesday that that that he had it and we've gone. People will say, well, what's happened with Drew's baby. It would be like, I don't know, and they must not have sell service there.

00:03:40
Speaker 4: But now he decided to to tell everyone today.

00:03:44
Speaker 5: It was tough, even like last night at trivia, when's the baby coming?

00:03:47
Speaker 4: Hanging about the baby.

00:03:48
Speaker 5: After like, no, I don't know, put our head down and lie.

00:03:52
Speaker 4: To the people. Baby who's Drew. So I'm so happy for him.

00:03:55
Speaker 5: We're all uncles now, Uncle Matt. Now we got a new remember the KSR family. I'm super proud of those guys.

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Speaker 2: So if he needs a babysitter, he can just drop the baby off at your house, right, And you got a copboard.

00:04:06
Speaker 4: I wouldn't yet. I don't know how to work everything.

00:04:09
Speaker 2: You need a baby that starts at like maybe four or five years old.

00:04:13
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know.

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Speaker 3: Well I went over there at night for the first time and I realized I don't know where all my lights are.

00:04:18
Speaker 4: So that's a problem.

00:04:19
Speaker 2: You don't know where your lights are?

00:04:20
Speaker 4: Yeah, I know.

00:04:21
Speaker 3: If you had a realtor who could tell you those things, you could. But Billy, beautiful baby. I texted Drew, have a good baby, and you did, and it's very nice. First baby born in the KSR radio era. Yeah, I can't wait to babysit. You know, I love kids, so I can't. Oh, come on, I can't wait.

00:04:41
Speaker 2: Till you know can talk. So then you won't let her on the show. That'd be great.

00:04:45
Speaker 7: No, I'm really happy for Drew and Abby and you know I can't wait to see what becomes what.

00:04:51
Speaker 4: You mean, what becomes with her life?

00:04:54
Speaker 7: Well, yeah, just like how we adopt the baby into the KSR.

00:04:57
Speaker 2: Yes, baby, right.

00:04:59
Speaker 3: I think it'll be hands off for a long time. I think I'll leave it to Drew and Abbey. But he is very happy. You could tell talk to him this week and uh, he's got that picture. It's very sweet picture like they I'll never had that picture with him in the on his chest.

00:05:13
Speaker 4: That was very nice.

00:05:14
Speaker 5: You know, being a dad is the greatest job.

00:05:17
Speaker 3: That's what That's one of your ten phrase. Yeah, stayed at a holiday in Express. Being dad is the best job you'll ever have. That's one of your go tos.

00:05:25
Speaker 5: I'm sure like last week he couldn't imagine a day with a child in his life. Now he can't imagine a day without that child in his life.

00:05:32
Speaker 4: He did.

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Speaker 5: His whole world is to change, and I'm so proud and.

00:05:35
Speaker 4: Happy for him. That's beautiful.

00:05:37
Speaker 5: Thank you. I appreciate you. Express.

00:05:39
Speaker 2: There's number four.

00:05:42
Speaker 3: Uh So, so Drew will be he'll be off the show for a few weeks and then I'm not sure exactly when he'll return, probably uh you know, second week of May something, third week something like that.

00:05:52
Speaker 4: So we are here until then, and this is gonna be a big two or three days, uh.

00:05:57
Speaker 3: For for UK basketball, they have their roster is at this point I would say quite incomplete, but it could be more complete before we get on the air Monday. So the rundown is this. They got Zoom Diallo, the point guard from Washington. I think he is kind of penciled in as the starting point guard next year. Over the last twenty four thirty six hours, they had Donnie Freeman, Alex Wilkins, and then Sebastian is it Ransick so Ransick from Colorado.

00:06:27
Speaker 4: We're all in. Just on the restaurant update.

00:06:30
Speaker 3: They went to Tony's last night again, trying to change up the mojo.

00:06:34
Speaker 4: A little bit.

00:06:36
Speaker 3: Had multiple They set right in the middle, so I had multiple pictures coming from listeners at all ends. Taking pictures for Alex Wilkins comes from Furman. I think if he comes next year, I would bet you he'd be the leading scorer on the team.

00:06:51
Speaker 4: I think he is.

00:06:52
Speaker 3: He is a dynamic score he I don't know how he played. He's kind of a point guard, but maybe we play with two.

00:07:00
Speaker 4: I know they want him a lot.

00:07:02
Speaker 3: He is choosing between Kentucky and Alabama, and Alabama apparently wants him a lot. They're offering him kind of the run of the team, but I understand their Nile offer is less than Kentucky, so we'll see how that goes. And then Donnie Freeman is Alabama, Yukon and Kentucky and he's a big guy from Syracuse. So we talked yesterday about how Pope was gonna be a be going against Yukon for two. It's now also looking at Yukon and Alabama for two. I sort of say what I said yesterday, which is this is I think a little bit of a test for Mark because he is gonna have these are two players where the Kentucky and Ile offer is either more or equal to what the other teams are are offering. And now we got to see if he can he can round him up. I think if he were to get both of these guys, it would be a feather in his cap and recruiting, it might be a finally people can say, all right, he can.

00:07:56
Speaker 4: Win some of these battles.

00:07:58
Speaker 3: If he doesn't, then I think the criticism will only amplify. And I think it's probably gonna happen this weekend. What do you think ends up happening? You know, I think it is a good test.

00:08:07
Speaker 5: He's got to win some of these battles, especially if you're going head to head against Yukon and Alabama. Can he get all three? That's a big feather in his cap.

00:08:15
Speaker 3: If he beat out these well, the Sebastian Ransit kid. Those programs are not going for him. They should get him. If they want him, they should get him. I don't think any of his offers are as good. I don't know how much they want him. He's here, so obviously they want him something. But those the Wilkins, Freeman, Shannon, I do think is a real test for Mark and also a chance though.

00:08:36
Speaker 4: I mean look at it as a positive. Alabama and Yukon have been a lot better than we have the last three or four years.

00:08:42
Speaker 3: If you could get a player, if you could get two players to pick you over them, that's a good sign.

00:08:46
Speaker 2: You know. I think we can beat Yukon and Alabama. I just don't want any part of BYU b Yu's taking all of our players.

00:08:52
Speaker 4: I think if you nowhere, that's a unique group of guys.

00:08:55
Speaker 2: I'm not joking though. If you can get two out of three, though, I think that would be a huge, huge deal for the ross or building and you know, getting a zoom to Y'allo's off in the below, I think a whole lot. Because we were going into this weekend with no recruits, they would grow much much louder.

00:09:08
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I always say Billy. If you want to be really good, you got to have three dudes.

00:09:14
Speaker 4: All right.

00:09:16
Speaker 3: I'm still worried about who our dudes are next year. I you know, I think Zoom could be one. I think Alex Wilkins could be one, and then maybe you hope Malaki gets better, or you know, maybe free It's hard to know, but I'll tell you this, If they don't get Wilkins in Freeman, and then I look at the rest of the recruiting landscape they're going after. I don't really see dudes. I see guys that are good, but I don't see dudes. And I think if you want to win, you gotta have I mean, you look at this year's team. How many dudes did we have?

00:09:50
Speaker 2: Oh way, yeah, Aberdeen.

00:09:53
Speaker 4: Maybe Aberdeen by the end of the year, but then that was it.

00:09:57
Speaker 3: And I and these may be the last two guys on the board except Tyron Stokes, which is a different situation than are dudes.

00:10:04
Speaker 7: No matter what dudes that they get next, they need to fit Mark Pope's scheme. I think last year he was so reactionary to how physical the SEC was. And you get a guy like Modiabatte, who's not a stretch forward. That's not best for your outside shooting. So whoever it is, they need to be shooters and play up that up tempo offense that we thought we were getting there.

00:10:22
Speaker 4: We also just got to be able. We just gotta be able to score.

00:10:26
Speaker 3: I mean, we got to be able to go get guys who can get buckets. You saw in the Eyewa State game and how many times we just needed a bucket and we just didn't have guys who could go get Oh wait, it was really the only guy who could consistently go and get a shot. And even he was better ridean going to the basket, he wasn't really a great jump shooter. So I just I think this is a big weekend for Mark.

00:10:46
Speaker 4: I don't know.

00:10:46
Speaker 3: I don't think it's like do or die, but I think it's pretty big, especially after you lost.

00:10:50
Speaker 4: Rob Bright, who I think would have been your best play.

00:10:52
Speaker 5: So we've talked about this a lot. The perception that you can go out all.

00:10:55
Speaker 4: The perception it's huge. Ye yeah, because see, if you spend a lot of time.

00:10:59
Speaker 3: On line, it is Zoom helped a little bit, but it is crazy. Not just Kentucky fans, the online college basketball community is so skeptical of Mark Pope, like the jokes about what the visits are like and then all the national people. He just needs some shit and to turn it around for him, because you know, look at Derek over there. Derek was one of the best at like being interactive with me. Mark has gone radio silent and it has made people the void has been filled with honestly a lot of people just making fun of him and giving him a hard time, and he needs to change that perception.

00:11:43
Speaker 2: Yep, if he could get Stokes, that would shut everybody up. But you know they lost another that's yes, for sure. They lost another player yesterday that committed to Texas Tech Cruise.

00:11:52
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I think he was a secondary option.

00:11:54
Speaker 3: I think they they the part of the problem for Mark is sometimes waiting on a guy your backup, then go somewhere else, like so they were. They were trying to wait on right and then Wilkinson went to Arkansas.

00:12:06
Speaker 4: If you read the reports, I think they were waiting on Wilkins. And like you said, the cruise Davis guy goes to Texas Town. If you wait too long, you don't even get your second choice.

00:12:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, And every time you see a name that's on the target list, that has a scheduled visit that ends up recruiting somewhere else. Again, it just gets more negative online.

00:12:23
Speaker 3: Now the portal also ends Monday, So let me throw one more thing out there.

00:12:27
Speaker 4: And this is not like, this is not scoop.

00:12:30
Speaker 3: I'm not saying there's anybody that's like this, but I know this is gonna happen for other schools, So it could happen for Kentucky.

00:12:37
Speaker 4: I think they're guys out there Ryan that are.

00:12:40
Speaker 3: Gonna enter the portal the last day knowing where they're going, and the schools have asked the guy, don't get into the last day.

00:12:49
Speaker 4: So you don't scare this other recruit off or something like that.

00:12:52
Speaker 3: So I think you're gonna see potentially for some programs because you go, look, Kansas has no players, Arkansas has very few players.

00:13:02
Speaker 4: Kentucky doesn't have it.

00:13:04
Speaker 3: Like, there's gotta be guys for these schools, and I have to think that there's at least a couple of dudes out there who are going to enter the portal at the last minute already knowing where they're going.

00:13:14
Speaker 5: Is it possible that Mark Popek Kentucky.

00:13:16
Speaker 4: Could be and If so, it might be the old COLU.

00:13:20
Speaker 7: What is it real GE's moving silence like like good job. Listen to a little Wayne back and my dad say that again to a real g's moving silence like lasagna.

00:13:34
Speaker 4: That could not sound less like Lil Wayne when you say, yeah, a little different. But but he but he could be who knows.

00:13:41
Speaker 3: Maybe he's been silent Ryan and he's had this card up his sleeve the whole time.

00:13:46
Speaker 5: We'll see you kind of hinted.

00:13:48
Speaker 4: I'm not saying he does.

00:13:49
Speaker 3: I have no idea, but I'm just trying to figure out because there are too many really good programs that don't have any players right now, and they've got to come from somewhere.

00:13:58
Speaker 5: You've hinted a time or two about possibly a European player, an overseas player. Is that still on the table.

00:14:04
Speaker 3: I think they're I think they'll definitely be one on our roster next year. Now how good are they? I don't know, because like with the European players, how do you know? I mean, like you see grainy footage of them, and so who knows. Sometimes you might get a kid who's awesome, and then sometimes you might get a kid like well, take take big Z and his brother. Big Z came in a lot more touted than his brother, and his brother's better than here. And and I don't know that anybody knew one way or the other.

00:14:31
Speaker 2: Right now. Is just gonna take a lot of patience from our fan base, which is a lot to ask for, because we are just like, no, we are just like, you know, we got to what August for this whole thing. They're completely round.

00:14:40
Speaker 3: Yeah, but but but you know what what what what happened in the last few years, which is where a player would just magically become available in June and July.

00:14:49
Speaker 4: The NCAA has cut that off.

00:14:51
Speaker 3: They're saying, if you played college basketball last year, you have to be in the portal by April twenty first, or you.

00:14:57
Speaker 4: Can't go anywhere else.

00:14:58
Speaker 3: So after April twenty first, the only players that can come join Ryan would be people from overseas. The American players are off the table after April twenty five.

00:15:07
Speaker 5: That's why you think, like a lot of people may wait for the last minute.

00:15:09
Speaker 4: Give me.

00:15:10
Speaker 5: They've still got most of the summer to try to make a decision.

00:15:12
Speaker 3: There is one caveat if the NCAA decides to give all the people that just graduated a fifth year because they're gonna they they are if you remember me saying they're gonna add five years for players now going forward, but they're they're not sure what they're doing with the guys that just finished. So you could have a scenario where all of a sudden, everyone that just graduated is available, and that's a whole lot of players.

00:15:34
Speaker 5: Why wouldn't you if you're one of those guys, why when you put your name in just in case.

00:15:38
Speaker 4: Well that might happen on Monday.

00:15:40
Speaker 3: You might have all these seniors put their name in, uh, just to see if I'm nine two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. Text machine is seven seven two seven to seven four five two five four. We are here at Whiskey Thief, a beautiful day out in Frankfurt. Come join us if you're around. We'll take a break and be right back to Kentucky Sports Radio working back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio here line, I have a Whiskey Thief. Whiskey Thief Distilling has expanded its presence in Louisville. They've paired with the Louisville Bats to support the America's favorite pastime. They have the backstop, a speakeasy bourbon lounge debuting at the Louisville Bats. I saw, by the way this weekend, the Louisville Bats are changing their name for the weekend.

00:16:20
Speaker 4: To the Louisville Mint Julips.

00:16:22
Speaker 3: Really, so if you go to a Louisville Bats game this weekend, you can buy mint Julip's hat. I liked I saw it. I actually like it a lot. It's it's a it's like a weird color and it's got a mint Julip on the thing. I think I'm gonna buy one. I enjoyed it.

00:16:35
Speaker 2: The mint Gulyip remains the worst alcohol.

00:16:37
Speaker 3: Okay, come on, you can't say that right when we right when we're promoting the mephibody.

00:16:43
Speaker 2: I'm just saying the drink itself now. I'm excited about the Bats.

00:16:46
Speaker 4: I love the Bats.

00:16:46
Speaker 2: I support.

00:16:47
Speaker 4: Sounds like you're a big fan of just.

00:16:49
Speaker 2: Saying the met julip itself is over. Thank you, thank you, there you go.

00:16:53
Speaker 4: I thank you. How harsh you all are about mitulip.

00:16:59
Speaker 3: I thought it was not ice and Whiskey Thief will be partnering with the little Bats.

00:17:03
Speaker 4: Don't let Shannon tell you about it. Uh.

00:17:05
Speaker 3: One person writes, Matt, you're gonna have to start learning. You have to call the baby her and not it.

00:17:11
Speaker 4: Should I do that? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Well you know what, I don't know. I feel like it. I just did it. I said it again. Uh, I feel like she there you go. I'm glad she is in the world. How about that? You know?

00:17:26
Speaker 5: In that sweet Drew has said they're gonna bring her everywhere, like he'll bring her to the remotes and bring her out to eat. They're gonna like, not be shy.

00:17:33
Speaker 4: I bet they stopped doing that after a while.

00:17:35
Speaker 5: It's gonna gonna be tough to go everywhere.

00:17:37
Speaker 3: Yeah. One person rights, Shannon will appreciate this. When I heard his name, I thought, Avery Rose has its thoughts good.

00:17:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you know Rose, just a couple of letters off and beyond Rory.

00:17:50
Speaker 3: It have been Rory Avery, Rory, Avery Rose has its thoughts gonna be good. I'm afraid I'm gonna be doing that the kid's entire life. I'm why did this person have to tell me that?

00:18:02
Speaker 5: Now every time we see her, we're gonna be doing that.

00:18:04
Speaker 3: That's gonna be in my head the whole time. One person writes, mad. I feel bad for Mark Pope. Everyone acts like he whiffs on everyone. The reality is we've only whiffed on one person for real, and that's Rob Ryan, So why does everybody act like he's swift on everyone. That's that's actually a fair point, I think if you're talking about somebody they went all in on. I think there's only two kids as of this moment that have committed to another school that Kentucky really wanted. One of them was Rob Wright, and then one of them is the kid from Virginia Tech that went to North Carolina. But he had decided before UK, even when UK he was going to North Carolina, So I don't think you k really had a shot at him.

00:18:48
Speaker 4: Now. I think part of it is we don't think we're gonna get tying Stokes, So I think that's part of it.

00:18:54
Speaker 3: And then there's just worry because you know last year, yeah Donovan Dane, Lamar Wilkinson and and those guys. But it is fair to say it's only been one and the kid just went back to the school he was at, So I mean that's why he could turn the narrative around a little bit.

00:19:11
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's what I'm gonna ask you, it seems like maybe we're still gun shy from last year. I think that's part of it, yax Ol. One of them, you know, seem like we missed on some guys at last year early now and this season we kind of maybe miss out on our number one point guard target. So I think people just little, maybe a little gun shy.

00:19:26
Speaker 4: Well we'll see.

00:19:27
Speaker 3: I do think this can with this weekend, can uh can help a lot?

00:19:31
Speaker 4: Which gets me to my bigger question for today at eight five, nine eighty seven.

00:19:36
Speaker 3: I want this coming season Mark to have success, and the coaching aspect, I'll trust him.

00:19:43
Speaker 4: To do it. I'm never gonna be able to tell him what to do. But let's just talk about from a from an imaging standpoint with this fan base, until we can win enough games that everybody's happy, okay, cause like ultimately it'll be whether or not he wins loses.

00:20:01
Speaker 3: But from now until December, when the season's really going Ryan, what what can Mark do to get to where the people in this room, et cetera, everybody feels more positive about it.

00:20:16
Speaker 5: I think if you're landing Stokes, that's gonna be a big But.

00:20:19
Speaker 3: Let's say he let's just say he doesn't get him, because that I do agree with you. But let's let's just say he gets a normal roster, he gets guys. How do they kind of get that energy back?

00:20:29
Speaker 5: Great question, because the only way you're gonna do is we win games. You know, you can't come out of the gate and lose on these games in November.

00:20:34
Speaker 4: But what do we do for the six months wire?

00:20:37
Speaker 3: I mean, like this fan base, part of what makes it great is how excited it gets, how into it it gets. And I'm I'm even as a radio host, trying to figure out, how do you get people to believe again in this guy that two years ago they believed it.

00:20:53
Speaker 4: Honestly, one year ago they believed it.

00:20:55
Speaker 2: Talking to the video would be a good start.

00:20:57
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:20:58
Speaker 2: Second of all, just getting players on the right. I mean, you look at how this fan base got excited about the announcement of Zoom Diallo's commitment. A lot of fans were going, you know, I'd rather have him the rob right anyway. So I think just getting guys on the roster, that is true.

00:21:11
Speaker 3: There's a part of it, Billy, where as soon as you get somebody, we do talk ourselves into it. Yeah, sure, you know, we do sort of go, yeah, that guy's gonna be good. Even if you didn't think he was gonna be good. You talk yourself into the fact that.

00:21:22
Speaker 7: He's gonna be good, and then you say you never wanted the guy from BYU to begin with.

00:21:26
Speaker 4: That's just the fan base I wanted.

00:21:27
Speaker 7: And well most of us will probably talk ourselves into Kentucky being good again. That's just part of being a fan. But maybe bring back some stuff that made the excitement before, like the camp out, a big blue madness. I mean, you can relate to fans in ways other than just winning games before the season starts.

00:21:41
Speaker 3: Well, they're gonna have a new athletic director in the next little bit too.

00:21:46
Speaker 4: I think part of that will will.

00:21:48
Speaker 3: Depend on I will say I want I want to sort of contrast it with will Stein and folks. By the way, spring game we're gonna talk about. Spring Game is is tomorrow at eleven o'clock. Will Stein, I don't think is getting enough attention for how much he's killing it right now. In terms of recruiting, they just flipped the guy from Auburn to Kentucky. They've signed the number one quarterback in America that has committed to a school has committed to Kentucky. Kentucky is ranked right now eleventh in the recruiting rankings.

00:22:21
Speaker 4: Eleventh.

00:22:22
Speaker 3: We used to dance when Mark Pope got or Mark Stoops got is to twenty third or twenty fourth.

00:22:27
Speaker 4: They are eleventh right now in the recruiting rankings.

00:22:31
Speaker 3: I want to see Mark Pope get some of that energy because I want him to have it because right now, you know, you get online and it's bad, right.

00:22:41
Speaker 5: It's a shame that the basketball has overshadowed what Will Stein has done in football, because ya, he got that kid, the defensive live and even from the state of Alabama to commit to Kentucky. He's killing it right now.

00:22:51
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:22:51
Speaker 3: Ay Feb nine, two eight oh twenty two eighty seven. We're gonna take a break. We'll take your calls. Maybe some more rap lyrics from Billy. This is Kentucky Sports Radio live at Whiskey. Correct, quarterback, It is Kentucky Sports Radio.

00:23:04
Speaker 4: There's another baby over there.

00:23:08
Speaker 3: You know it's a KSR remote when you're at a Whiskey place in their babies eight five nine two eighth twenty two eighty seven.

00:23:15
Speaker 4: Text machine is seven seven two seven seven.

00:23:17
Speaker 3: Four five two five four Derek Anderson a OK charity Acts of Kindness bourbon here he will be signing them a little bit later.

00:23:25
Speaker 4: For those of you that for those of you that won.

00:23:28
Speaker 3: One person writes mad, here's a way that Mark Pope can get everybody excited. They play on a summer trip this year, and then they are good and show a good offense.

00:23:36
Speaker 4: That will help, That will help. I mean the summer games. You never know.

00:23:39
Speaker 3: I mean, I think the only time we've ever lost a summer game was the year we ended up going thirty eight to one. We lost, if you remember, we lost a game that summer, and so you never really know. I think I'll probably be always a little skeptical of exhibitions after we beat Perdue and lost to Georgetown.

00:23:53
Speaker 4: And then it ended up with that.

00:23:55
Speaker 3: But it still would be nice to see, you know, it'll be It'll be great to see the team play. And I love, as we said yesterday, the idea of doing one of those every summer, giving this fan base a week or so to get to watch their team will be exciting.

00:24:08
Speaker 5: There's no doubt if we see them play this summer, we're gonna tuck ourselves into it we did after the beat Purdue Final four National championship. Make your reservations. Now we'll do the same thing and earn a summer game.

00:24:17
Speaker 3: When I miss and it's a holiday, Billy and I have to choose what best of are we going to play?

00:24:24
Speaker 4: Billy and Shannon and.

00:24:25
Speaker 3: I we talked about we were gonna play the one after we beat Purdue, because if you could listen to this show after we beat Purdue, the excitement was insane. Now it might be a little sad to listen to when you go back.

00:24:41
Speaker 5: Pole Scam show too.

00:24:42
Speaker 2: If you go back, I mean, it.

00:24:44
Speaker 4: Was out of control. People were like, this is the best team we've ever had.

00:24:47
Speaker 7: And so staying healthy is gonna be a big part of it too. Mark Popsman snake bitten at the point guard spot. And so if everybody can get to the starting line, then I think many will talk the w we turned around and lost to Georgetown. Maybe that should have been a.

00:24:58
Speaker 3: Wait in LUs lou We got beat by a lot that game. Man Georgetown eight five eighty seven. Let's see who will go to the phones. Who's up first?

00:25:07
Speaker 4: Joe was up first? Joe, go ahead, Joe.

00:25:11
Speaker 8: Hey, Matt I got a really cool Derek Anderson story I'd like to share.

00:25:16
Speaker 4: All Right, you gotta go quick.

00:25:18
Speaker 8: Okay, So I'm in the army. Is that the captain's career course. It's a six month on course. And became really good buddies with a guy named Trey Anderson. We hung out every day, working out the whole night. Never got into basketball football season while we were there. One day, you know, it started getting close basketball. I start my usual trash talk and he's like, you're a Kentucky fan and I'm like yeah. Like He's like, what do you know about Kentucky? And I'm like, well, you know, drew up.

00:25:47
Speaker 4: You know you're not telling quick.

00:25:49
Speaker 3: You gotta go.

00:25:49
Speaker 8: Quick, Okay, get to it. And then I was like, well, Derek Anderson's my favorite player. And he's like, that's my uncle and I said, no, it's not. He calls him, puts them on the phone, and I went from being forty years old to eleven years old in a mountain five seconds.

00:26:06
Speaker 4: Well that'll do it to you. Where is he?

00:26:09
Speaker 3: I went, Okay, I'm sorry. I was just making sure he was getting to hear. Yes, what was your name?

00:26:16
Speaker 4: Joe Cummins, Joe Cummins. He says, yes, uh here, Actually he's gonna jump on with you. Bro. Look at how nice this is. Go ahead, what's up, Joe? Goodn't see you? Eleven year old uncle Derek?

00:26:27
Speaker 8: What's up?

00:26:28
Speaker 5: What's up?

00:26:29
Speaker 4: What's up? Nephew?

00:26:32
Speaker 8: Yeah? Yeah. The funny part was from that day forward, I told Trey. I was like, he's my uncle now too.

00:26:38
Speaker 4: So that's yeah, good good. You didn't even ask for any money. You're a great nephew. Good talking to you. I appreciate the call you, sir. There we go.

00:26:50
Speaker 5: That's a great line.

00:26:51
Speaker 4: Look at that.

00:26:52
Speaker 3: See now that's a showman right there. That's a show Derek. You got you gotta get your former teammate. You got to teach some of that showmanship to You're coming back here and you go be here in the second hour, right, okay, all right?

00:27:04
Speaker 4: Just making sure, all right, just making sure.

00:27:07
Speaker 5: Yeah, that was great. The way he re acted like that, because there are people that grew up with that team at ninety sixteen was so incredible. I mean, they now just beat people. They beat them by thirty points. Every time we get mad if we didn't beat somebody by twenty one person.

00:27:21
Speaker 3: Rights mat I think part of the thing that makes is we offered seventeen of the top twenty five high school players in America last year Pope visited eleven of them and we got none of them.

00:27:34
Speaker 4: Well, now that's a fair point.

00:27:36
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, when you put it like that.

00:27:37
Speaker 4: That's a fair point. I hadn't really thought about it like that, but yeah, that's a fair point. Yeah.

00:27:42
Speaker 2: I mean it's been brutal, but again, you know, just getting a couple more commitments, I think we'll soften.

00:27:47
Speaker 3: At one person, rights, Matt, does it bother you that a lot of the other fan bases are mocking our fan base and you about the meltdown over the last week.

00:27:58
Speaker 4: Well, I don't care that they're mocking me, because I don't know what they would with what they're what they would mock. But in terms of them, we did as a fan base.

00:28:06
Speaker 3: We have melted down online. Like I you know, I was telling Drew. I was talking to Drew and he goes, what if I missed? And I said, you picked the perfect week to have a baby, like the perfect week, because everybody was kind of going going nuts, And I get it, But we went collectively a little probably a little off the deep end.

00:28:25
Speaker 5: You know, I feel like other fan bases, other programs wish they had fans like us that cared as much as we do.

00:28:30
Speaker 4: I do agree with that. I think there's a little bit of jealousy.

00:28:33
Speaker 3: Like if you're if you're an Alabama fan and you're a college and you like college basketball, Billy, you don't have a lot of your Alabama fans don't care, right, you know, we do care. There are only a handful of fan bases that care like US. Kansas cares like us. You know, North Carolina used to. I don't know if they do as much anymore. I mean, there's not many, and so there is a sense that I do think that part of why people talk about it is we're just of the thing.

00:29:01
Speaker 7: Well, like Florida, I mean, they had another great year. It won the National Championship a year before. You know what they were talking about the next day on Florida Sports Radio football getting ready for US football.

00:29:09
Speaker 3: They're gonna have the number one team in America next year if everybody comes back that's supposed to, Florida's gonna be the number one team in America. And if you were to go to a Florida fan thing, you wouldn't even know. You would have no idea that they're gonna have They're gonna have a like a rocket ship of a team if everybody comes back and Ryan, you wouldn't even know.

00:29:30
Speaker 5: No, that's why they wish they had a fan base like we do. That We care every single day of the year. Man, we're talking UK basketball recruiting, you know, whatever the situation is, we care about our basketball team more than anything in this How many other fan bases do you think know that their players got dropped off at the airport in a blue beat up Keia. Here we go.

00:29:46
Speaker 2: Only our fan base. We pay attention to that stuff.

00:29:49
Speaker 4: Yeah, I got.

00:29:50
Speaker 3: Crushed for that, but I still think, well, I still think that was a good story. Couple of little dan By the way, people will now send me pictures if they're driving down the road and they see a blue.

00:29:59
Speaker 2: Key that was the one in their mind, and they.

00:30:01
Speaker 3: Take the picture and go, that's who took Tyrant Stokes to the airport.

00:30:05
Speaker 4: Who's next? Gary is up next? Gary? Go ahead? Gary?

00:30:10
Speaker 9: Hey, Gary?

00:30:13
Speaker 4: Hello, Gary.

00:30:15
Speaker 8: I apologize.

00:30:18
Speaker 9: This is for the our heart radio people. The Liberty Mutual commercials have gotten out of hand. I've actually taken my.

00:30:25
Speaker 8: Policy A late from them.

00:30:27
Speaker 9: I got the state for him.

00:30:30
Speaker 3: Well okay, so so there's that. While you're on this point, we do it. We do have some ads. Hang on just a second, I'll let you finish. We do have some ads. I have to tell you, I've been listening to podcasts and stuff. I don't Chumbu Casino billy, I don't know what it is. How many of you hear all the Chumbu Casino. I don't know what it is. I don't know what, but they don't stop the Chumbu casinos?

00:30:54
Speaker 4: What? What? What? Why is it so much?

00:30:56
Speaker 7: That must be a podcast? It is a podcast, and a lot of times those are nash. So we have our local ads on the on live.

00:31:02
Speaker 3: And now somebody's got to tell chumb But Casino to just take a break, take a deep breath, and along with the timeshare guy, just everybody just just take a deep breath.

00:31:14
Speaker 4: Right, go ahead, sir?

00:31:16
Speaker 9: Yeah that in the the w NBA podcast that everyone's listened to. Those could get on my nerves.

00:31:21
Speaker 8: Uh.

00:31:22
Speaker 9: Question for you, if you had to pick one stock to invest in today and you have to hold for five years, love it to be?

00:31:28
Speaker 3: Oh gosh, I don't know I'm not in the business frame of mind right now.

00:31:33
Speaker 4: I appreciate the call. I have no I have no idea.

00:31:37
Speaker 2: Cheez it's about to explode again. Yeah, there's one in Minnesota.

00:31:41
Speaker 3: Okay, which gets me to since you said that we had a trivia question last night, so Ryan has heard this this, then we'll be Shannon and Billy will have to guess what.

00:31:51
Speaker 10: Eight fast food and casual restaurant chains, Which eight lost the most locations last year net so which restaurant chains are going down in terms of locations net like total?

00:32:09
Speaker 4: Uh in the country? Can you get one of the eight? Billy?

00:32:15
Speaker 2: How about Cracker Barrel?

00:32:17
Speaker 3: That's not a bad guess. They were like twelve, but no, Cracker Barrel was not on the list.

00:32:21
Speaker 2: Chili's.

00:32:22
Speaker 3: Chili's is actually researching it's up. There are new Chilis being built, thankfully.

00:32:28
Speaker 4: Yes, Applebee's. Applebee's is on the list.

00:32:31
Speaker 3: Applebee's is eighth, has seen the eighth most closing.

00:32:35
Speaker 2: White Castle, No white Castle.

00:32:37
Speaker 7: I got food poisoning from Wendy's. Wendy, Oh, don't say that.

00:32:42
Speaker 3: We used to have a Wendy's Call of the day. We did, remember, are still waiting to get it. If I'm correct, Wendy's is on the list.

00:32:51
Speaker 4: Well done. That's now you're You've gotten two.

00:32:54
Speaker 2: Just love, Billy play. How about Arby's.

00:32:56
Speaker 4: Arby's is not right, Billy, You're better at this? What else is terrible? Give me a Sonic?

00:33:01
Speaker 3: First of all, Sonic is wonderful. No, they're not on the way.

00:33:05
Speaker 2: I got to pick somebody.

00:33:06
Speaker 4: Taco Bill, No, all right.

00:33:08
Speaker 3: So number one most locations Denny's.

00:33:12
Speaker 2: Oh, I didn't even know they were even still around. That's why I didn't guess Denny's.

00:33:16
Speaker 4: Second red Lobster.

00:33:18
Speaker 2: The cheddar bill guits unless shrimp got him.

00:33:20
Speaker 3: Third Subway, Subway, Yeah, they had some bad uh, then Windy, Then fifth Hooters.

00:33:29
Speaker 2: Of course, yeah we know Hooters.

00:33:31
Speaker 4: Uh t g I Fridays, Papa John's, and Applebee's. Those were your your answers. How did your team do on that?

00:33:38
Speaker 5: That was Matt's first question of the night, and we got one out of the gate. My team, my Superstar All Star Dream Team got one of the place.

00:33:48
Speaker 4: Did you all come in tenth ten?

00:33:50
Speaker 2: You were bragging about how you were gonna win the top ten and we got one.

00:33:53
Speaker 4: In the first question, Who's up next? Steve Steve, go ahead, Steve.

00:34:00
Speaker 11: Hey, good morning guys. Hey. At the end of the day on con Ridge Show, Jack Givens said the best big man player on the UK team last year was Brandon Hawthorne.

00:34:17
Speaker 4: Brandon Hawthorne and and and I'm not and I'm not.

00:34:20
Speaker 3: Saying Jack's wrong. Okay, so I'm not. Jack would know more than me. So if Jack says it, I'll go with it. With that said, if he was so good, why didn't he play? That's my that's my tip. I mean, we we needed it. And if it was so if I've heard people kind of whisper that, and I I'm not saying it's wrong. Maybe we get out here and he's but if he was so good, he was not hurt, he could have played, and he could have done the five years thing that's coming. So like, I'm not saying he's wrong. At the same time, if he's right, why didn't he play?

00:34:58
Speaker 4: What?

00:34:59
Speaker 11: I agree, But I didn't know if we heard anything about him being from a back or not.

00:35:05
Speaker 4: Uh well, he said, appreciate the call.

00:35:07
Speaker 3: He said back in March, he was coming back then, but he was on a stream with some guy the other day. I don't know how that. I don't know how that. He just was on a stream with the guy where he asked him, are you coming back? And he said, well, I haven't thought about it, which is hard for me to believe he hasn't thought of it, not one thought. But uh so, I don't know. I would assume he's coming back, Ryan, but I don't know that.

00:35:27
Speaker 5: I got a little scuttle butt on that.

00:35:29
Speaker 7: Oh oh, just a little tell you what, let's tease it.

00:35:32
Speaker 4: Okay, we will tease it.

00:35:33
Speaker 3: We will take a break, and Ryan's potentially correct scuttle butt. We'll be right after this here at KSh Walter back it is Kentucky Sports Radio here live at Whiskey Thief. All right, I got a message from from Jack Gibbons himself. All right, Jack Gibbons said, I did not say that Hawthorne was the best big men, because he's not a big man.

00:36:00
Speaker 4: But I did say that at.

00:36:02
Speaker 3: Times he could be the best player in practice last year. Well, that's still good. It would also, though, make me say why don't they play because we actually could have used a dude that was like him after Cam Williams got hurt. We could have used that kind of long rangey.

00:36:19
Speaker 2: Guy we heard legendary stories from practice. You know, guys that would go ninety five or one hundred and from three and then get in the game and couldn't hit anything.

00:36:27
Speaker 3: Josh Carrier was the best example of that over the years. But that but there have been guys, I mean, I've seen it sometimes.

00:36:34
Speaker 2: We heard of last year.

00:36:35
Speaker 4: Well, I'll tell you that.

00:36:36
Speaker 3: The big one was when the twenty twelve national title team.

00:36:41
Speaker 4: I went to practices and Ryan Harrow was good.

00:36:46
Speaker 3: He would sometimes work Marcus Tea and you were, like, man, when we get him next year, watch out.

00:36:55
Speaker 4: And then when it started just the.

00:36:57
Speaker 2: Only problem when in the game you're not playing against Marcus t.

00:36:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, but like Marcus t was good and sometimes you'd see him practicing, you go, man, he's just working Marcus Tea.

00:37:06
Speaker 4: But then it didn't work out the next year.

00:37:08
Speaker 5: Everybody who saw those two go ahead to head came to the same conclusion Ryan Harrol was.

00:37:13
Speaker 3: There's a lot of people who thought, especially remember when we lost to Indiana uh in the in the in the early in the season, there's a lot of people that thought, we're not gonna win the title because they won't play Ryan Harrow And then uh Obviously that didn't end up working out all right, So you're you say you have scuttle bud on Hawthorne.

00:37:31
Speaker 5: I don't want to oversell it.

00:37:32
Speaker 4: Sounds like you are built it up. We spent a whole break ready for it.

00:37:36
Speaker 5: So there's a reason he's waiting to the last minute to put his name in the transfer portal or not. He's waiting to see who Kentucky brings in. He's kind of watching the roster developed, waiting till that last minute. So he's gonna hold out till Monday, whether he enters the portal or not.

00:37:51
Speaker 3: So what So what I was saying about other guys you're saying might be true about Hawthorne.

00:37:55
Speaker 5: I think said I think he's exactly one of those guys.

00:37:58
Speaker 4: That's interesting.

00:37:59
Speaker 3: Well, I wonder what he's but like, who could we be getting. I guess if you got Tyron Stokes, he would not want to come. Yeah, probably, I would think that's that That might be what it is?

00:38:07
Speaker 5: What is Hawthorne?

00:38:08
Speaker 3: He's six nine, he is, but he'll play he'll play more on the he'll play on the perimeter.

00:38:13
Speaker 4: He's not gonna be banging down low.

00:38:15
Speaker 5: It's just strange to see a red shirt.

00:38:16
Speaker 7: And now today's college landscape, I don't think people like wait around anymore.

00:38:20
Speaker 2: You kind of go to where playing time and now.

00:38:22
Speaker 3: There won't be red shirts starting next year if they pass this where there will be no more.

00:38:26
Speaker 4: Red shirts in football or basketball. I think that's red shirts kind of a common thing in football not happening anymore.

00:38:33
Speaker 3: Right, and you go to school from it's it's when you The rule is as soon as you graduate high school, you have five years. Unless you go into the military or you have a religious mission trip, you have five years. And then if you're from overseas, starting at the age of nineteen, you have five years and after.

00:38:50
Speaker 4: That it's over.

00:38:51
Speaker 2: I'd be all for that. I mean, some of these you like, but then you can play all five years. Yeah sure, I mean, but you wouldn't have you know, cases like Cameron Flesher, who is now going to go to his seventh year at high Point. Yeah this year, but you.

00:39:02
Speaker 4: Also wouldn't have a dude.

00:39:03
Speaker 3: You may remember many years ago in football, the guy that played Florida State, Chris Winki, who like tried to go play one sport and then he came back and he was playing at like twenty seven at Florida State. The day you graduate high school, your college eligibility starts them.

00:39:17
Speaker 5: Like you said, for football, there was a lot of fifth year players already. They did red shirt play their four years. That's why schools like Georgia Alabama uls you could build up all that depth, they could do it. Now these guys are coming in, they're gonna play.

00:39:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, they're well or they're not gonna play, but it's still cat Here's what I think you're gonna see in football. I saw I heard somebody say this, and it makes complete sense to me. What you're gonna see in football is you're gonna see some guys who make the decision out of high school to go to like, you know, a school like Western and play right away out of high school and then transfer to a Georgia or in Alabama rather than go to Georgia Alabama sit the bench for two or three years and play someone.

00:40:00
Speaker 4: I think what's gonna happen is some of these secondary.

00:40:03
Speaker 3: Football schools will actually get better players out of high school, and they'll actually get guys on their campus for a couple of years who are big talents.

00:40:10
Speaker 4: Because they don't want to they don't want to just sit the bench. They want to play.

00:40:13
Speaker 7: And Western has always been a stepping stone school for a lot of coaches, like Bobby Petrino gets back into it, Jeff Brom These guys find better jobs, and now it looks like we can get some better players to do that.

00:40:23
Speaker 3: I actually think it'll make a lot of sense for guys to do that. It doesn't really I mean, like, if you if you're not going to be an elite recruit, why go and just waste two years? Go play two years, then get in the portal. You got a chance to make a big payday that third year as well.

00:40:38
Speaker 5: You know, go to some school like Alabama Georgia, you're tackling dummy for a couple of years, you're getting don't get any reps at all. Go to Western, you actually got your playing every single Saturday.

00:40:46
Speaker 4: Who's up next? Jeremy is next, Jeremy, Go ahead, Jeremy.

00:40:52
Speaker 9: That I will never ever ever forgive you all after your recommendation. I watch Neighbors all Stick episode and I'm scarf life now because I know.

00:41:03
Speaker 3: But it's a good start, right, It's a good scar You're gonna be thinking about that yellow bikini bottom for the rest of your life.

00:41:12
Speaker 9: I can't. I can't wash my eyes out enough to get that out of my mind. It's so awful. The only thing I have disappointed in that really no resolution in that first episode with the with the guys with the land and the fence. I agree with that figured out. I mean, I know that they had a mediator guy, but they never really said, hey, this is what happened, you know, with all the rest of.

00:41:33
Speaker 3: Them seemed like, yeah, I appreciate the call. That's my only complaint about the show is that they leave some stuff like you don't know how the show, how their how their resolution ends.

00:41:43
Speaker 4: But uh, that's what I hope. So but I am. I'm still everybody.

00:41:48
Speaker 3: I more people now come up to me and ask about that show that the most questions I get is Kim Pope coach uh wins, Drew having his baby, and then something about neighbors.

00:41:59
Speaker 4: Those are the three things people now bring up to.

00:42:01
Speaker 5: Me, the callers. Right though, there are some images that are burned in our mind that we cannot get rid of.

00:42:05
Speaker 4: From that.

00:42:05
Speaker 2: I skipped over the first five and just went right to six, like, just just go ahead, rip the bandaid off.

00:42:09
Speaker 4: Well, you.

00:42:11
Speaker 3: Just decided to burn your eyes right at the start. All right, Well we will take a break. When we come back, Derek Anderson is going to join us. We'll talk more recruiting and they're giving away more bourbon here at Whiskey, Thief and Frankfort.

00:42:22
Speaker 4: It's KSR.