2025-01-09- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1 Summary Release Date: January 9, 2025

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Introduction

On the January 9, 2025 episode of Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR), host Matt Jones and his co-hosts Ryan Lemond and Drew Franklin delve into a variety of topics ranging from local weather concerns and community events to intense discussions about college basketball standings and media reliability. The episode is set against the backdrop of a cold and snowy Lexington, Kentucky, providing a cozy yet critical environment for the crew's dynamic interactions.

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Local Weather and Community Events

The show opens with a brief advertisement segment promoting T-Mobile’s carrier switch offer, highlighting benefits like keeping one's phone and number while saving money. Following the ads, the hosts pivot to discussing the severe weather conditions impacting Lexington.

Matt Jones notes the unexpected snowfall, stating, "It's supposed to be south of us and now it's right back to us at least" ([02:05]). Both Matt and Ryan express their frustrations and concerns about the heavy snowfall, which has led to the postponement of community events, including the NFL-related event Matt mentions.

Shannon "The Dude" adds a personal perspective, sharing her frustrations with the traffic chaos and the lack of regulations on the roads during the snowstorm. She recounts an incident where she was almost hit by a pedestrian, emphasizing the need for greater safety awareness among walkers and drivers alike.

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Impact of Los Angeles Wildfires

A significant portion of the discussion centers around the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, which Matt describes as "one of the saddest things I've ever seen" ([04:00]). The hosts express their sorrow over the destruction of homes, including those of celebrities like Tom Hanks and Mandy Moore. They highlight the emotional toll on individuals, such as a 91-year-old man who lived in his house for 60 years, now left with nothing ([06:51]).

Ryan Lemond shares a poignant observation from a fire chief: "What are you going to do?" ([05:54]), underscoring the helplessness felt by those battling the relentless fires fueled by gale-force winds.

Matt Jones also touches on the challenges insurance companies face in covering the massive claims resulting from the fires, casting doubt on the feasibility of all claims being paid promptly ([07:44]).

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Kentucky Basketball Standings and SEC Analysis

Transitioning to sports, the hosts engage in an in-depth analysis of the current Southeastern Conference (SEC) basketball standings. Matt Jones provides his rankings, placing Auburn and Duke at the top, followed by Tennessee and Alabama. He emphasizes Kentucky's position as a strong contender, especially after their recent victory over Florida.

Ryan Lemond concurs, highlighting the shifting dynamics in the SEC and the potential implications for upcoming games. Shannon "The Dude" offers her insights, expressing concerns over Kentucky's performance and the challenges they face against formidable opponents like Mississippi State and Alabama.

The discussion also touches on Arkansas's poor performance, with Ryan predicting challenges for their season and questioning whether they will make the tournament despite some victories.

Notable Quote:

"The SEC is built like football players. When you get to the tournament, you're going to be playing other conferences' mid-majors. You're not going to run into a bunch of somto like you saw the last game or some. We're going to see the rest of the SEC slate."
— Matt Jones ([22:35])

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Media Reliability and Information Trustworthiness

A heated segment ensues as Matt addresses listener concerns about media trust. He passionately defends the role of traditional media sources, arguing against reliance on unverified online platforms.

Matt Jones states, "If you don't trust the media, and I'm not saying you should always trust them, who do you trust?" ([37:23]), advocating for established local news over dubious online sources.

The hosts discuss the challenges of verifying information in the digital age, referencing incidents like fake videos related to the LA fires and emphasizing the importance of critical thinking when consuming news.

Shannon "The Dude" echoes these sentiments, lamenting the rise of misinformation and its impact on public perception during tragedies.

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Listener Interaction and Call-In Segment

Throughout the episode, listeners engage with the show via calls, sharing their opinions and asking questions. Notably:

• Listener Justin shares his experience of attending a nearly empty Arkansas game, expressing disappointment over the lack of fan turnout ([27:00]).

• Listener Rob criticizes Coach John Calipari's leadership, attributing past Kentucky basketball failures to Calipari's reluctance to focus on defense and his poor hiring decisions ([40:44]).

Matt Jones responds thoughtfully, balancing his empathy for individuals affected by circumstances with his critiques of leadership decisions, particularly concerning Calipari's tenure and recent move to Arkansas.

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Upcoming Events and Promotions

Before concluding, the hosts promote upcoming events and sponsor messages:

• Matt Jones invites listeners to a bourbon tasting at Gray Line Station, promoting a chance to win tickets to a UK game as an incentive to brave the cold weather ([15:03]).

• A report from the Kentucky Chamber on the economic impact of housing is briefly mentioned, encouraging community input on housing needs ([34:02]).

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Conclusion

The January 9th episode of KSR encapsulates a blend of local weather woes, heartfelt discussions on national tragedies, and fervent debates on college basketball standings. Through engaging dialogue and listener interactions, Matt Jones and his team provide a comprehensive look at the issues affecting their community and beyond, all while maintaining a critical eye on media reliability and the ever-evolving sports landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• Severe snowfall has significantly impacted Lexington, leading to event postponements and safety concerns.
• The Los Angeles wildfires present a tragic scenario with widespread destruction and emotional distress.
• Kentucky basketball remains a focal point, with in-depth analysis of SEC standings and future game predictions.
• Trust in traditional media is defended amidst rising concerns over misinformation and unreliable online sources.
• Listener calls reveal diverse perspectives on sports leadership and fan engagement.

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For more insights and updates, tune into Kentucky Sports Radio Monday through Friday, 10 AM to Noon, brought to you by iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM).

Transcript

[Matt Jones]

If you love your phone but not your carrier, just switch to T Mobile. You can keep your phone, keep your number and we'll help pay it off up to $800 per line. You can also use our savings calculator to compare our plans and streaming benefits against Verizon and AT&T. So switch and keep your phone, keep your number and keep more of your moolah. @t mobile.com up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months. Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Kentucky's own Ariel Elias January 9th through the 11th. Then from the Southern Fried Chicks comedy.

[Ryan Lemond]

Tour, catch Club favorite ETA May January 16th through the 18th and experience the.

[Matt Jones]

Outrageous comedy of KC Rocket January 23rd through the 25th. For tickets to all shows, call 859-271-JOKE or purchase seats online at comedyoff broadway.com.

[Drew Franklin]

Comedyoff broadway this is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome everyone. Kentucky Sports Radio Thursday, January 9th. I am Matt Jones here on a ice cold day in Lexington, Kentucky at the KS Bar & Grill where you can come out and have lunch. Look, it's, it's a terrible day outside, I'm not gonna lie to you. But you can come join us.

[Ryan Lemond]

Sure. It's warm in here.

[Matt Jones]

It is warm in here and they cleared out most the parking lot so that's good. I Dr. Clark's Pumping Shop phone lines 859-280-2287 a Vision Auto Glass text machine 772-774-5254 in this edition sponsored by the T.J. smith Law Office called T.J. i'll make them pay. I drove through town today. I'm not sure, I mean there not a lot of cars. You think everybody just, I mean it's the day of morning as well. So you think everybody just was like I'm staying home today.

[Ryan Lemond]

I, I kind of thought there may be people out because what's coming tomorrow so people, you know, replenish their supplies maybe.

[Matt Jones]

So they said the temperature, the forecast changed. Now we're getting all the snow.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

You know, it's supposed to be south of us and now it's right back to us at least. Is that right? Yeah.

[Ryan Lemond]

Six to eight inches potential for Lexington.

[Matt Jones]

That's what we need though. We need, we need some more snow. We need some more snow. You know, we were going to have a big event tonight that where we gave away that money. We've postponed it to the NFL because. Because of the snow tonight. But we were going to have a big event in here, but I don't know that much is going to happen in this city for the next weekend. What do you think?

[Shannon The Dude]

I enjoyed round one. We all like a little snow day. Reason. Stay home, be lazy. I don't want another one. That what we already did was fine. We're already a little hectic. There's not many cars out there, but the ones that are out there, I feel like there's no rules. I went and got a haircut yesterday, and I just set her down on the street. I don't know if I was in a spot in the road, but I'm ready to get back to normal life a little bit.

[Matt Jones]

It is also would like to say to the pedestrians out there, y'all gotta slow down. Like, you, like, people just walking, like they just own the streets, you know? I mean, it's not easy to stop right now. So a guy. I was pulling into, you know, the fine McDonald's establishment this morning, and a guy just, like, walked out in front of the car. I had to slam my brakes, and I slid, and I'm like, dude, what are you doing? Like, it's for your safety. They look at you like, if. If. Like, if it hadn't worked out, they'd win in court. But, like, dude, you got no car. You're gonna be the loser in this regardless. Like, why. Why do that? Why risk it?

[Shannon The Dude]

That's every morning on Winchester Road, even when the. The sun's good.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, it just. It feels like everybody. Everybody that's walking just chill. Maybe nobody's. By the way, nobody's greedier about the road than bicyclists, but nobody's out that's a bicyclist right now.

[Ryan Lemond]

I'm gonna say, who's out bicycling right now?

[Matt Jones]

Nobody. I'm just saying, in general, while I'm complaining about people on the roads.

[Ryan Lemond]

I know it's funny you say that, because last night down Georgetown Road, so, you know, the. The. The sidewalk is covered in snow and ice. So he's walking on the edge of the road.

[Matt Jones]

That's tough. I get that.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And I don't mind walking. I'm just saying, you just need to recognize we don't all have a hundred percent control of our rig right now. So everybody just needs to be just a little bit more, you know, be a little bit understanding of that. Drew.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. It's important to remember that as we're about to get dumped on again.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And, you know, I spent a lot last night, you know, I don't know about you all. I can't sort of take my eyes off the fires. Yeah, I mean that's, it's one of the saddest things I've ever seen, you know, and it's, it's affecting like every kind of person, including like, I mean there's a lot of celebrities that lost their houses. Like they said, Tom Hanks, you know, Mandy Moore, Miles Teller, Spencer and Heidi from the Hills.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

They actually like filmed it happening, which was kind of crazy. A lot of people and there's a lot of people are gone. You know, two people from my fellowship that I'm in, we have a group chat. They both had to evacuate. So like they don't know if their house is going to be there. They both had to evacuate yesterday and you know, they, they shut down. Have you been to Hollywood?

[Ryan Lemond]

No, I have not.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, Hollywood's not. Anybody, any of you all been to Hollywood? You ever been down?

[Drew Franklin]

Like, I've been there.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's not nice what I've heard, but like they had to shut down that Chinese theater.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

You know, like they, they're evacuating that area. You kind of wonder if like when this is over, if LA will ever be the same, you know, I mean, those houses. Well, that house, that. The Courtney Cox house. The story I've told you.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

I think she had to evacuate her house. From what I saw, like I've been in that house. That house might be gone. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I hope it's not because she was always very, she was very nice, but like, it's crazy.

[Ryan Lemond]

I heard a sound bite with like the, the one of the fire chiefs and he sounded almost helpless.

[Matt Jones]

He's like, well, what are you going to do?

[Ryan Lemond]

I know these gale force hurricane type winds are not going anywhere. You can't fight it from the air because it like, you know, it disperses their chemicals everywhere that it doesn't land where it's supposed to land. He sounded helpless.

[Matt Jones]

I don't really. Yeah, I don't really know what they're supposed. And there's four different ones.

[Ryan Lemond]

Golly.

[Matt Jones]

And they said, you know, the wind just blows it. You think you have it out. And then one amber can blow to somewhere else and start. But I, you know, they, they had some videos of the people, I guess it's Pacific Palisades though, that were driving down and the whole like the whole place is just gone. Like, just gone.

[Shannon The Dude]

I saw a photo of like the Sunset Boulevard street sign and behind it just looks like absolute hell. It's just flames everywhere. And then you mentioned the, the Pratts and some of the celebrities. They posted videos where they're just watching it on their ring cameras. Their house falls down. I could. And look away. I mean, just imagine you're.

[Matt Jones]

You're on your video of the 91 year old man. That's the saddest one. If you haven't seen it, like don't. It'll make you really sad. There was a 91 year old man. I want to say he's from like Pasadena or something and he, they interviewed him and he said that he lived in the same house for 60 years. And he started crying. He was like, my whole life is in that house. You know, everything, it's just gone. And you just, it just breaks your heart. Like it's hard to imagine if your house just burned down and you just had like you had nothing. Yeah, I mean maybe you'll get the money from insurance, but then these insurance companies. I'm not taking up for insurance companies because insurance companies stink. But at the same time, like they don't have unlimited pots of money. And like if they have to pay all of these claims, like there's a good chance they won't all get paid.

[Ryan Lemond]

I wouldn't think, you know, pay them all at the same time.

[Matt Jones]

Same time. That's gonna be a lot of money. If the whole. If like this much of the city burns down.

[Ryan Lemond]

It is very sad. It's the number one story in the country right now.

[Matt Jones]

It's the number one story in the world. I mean it is. This is Los Angeles.

[Ryan Lemond]

This is, you know, so there were also talking about, I guess, Monday Night Football. There's a playoff game Monday night. They're gonna have to move it maybe.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I think that's the least of the worries of the things. But yeah, they may end up moving the playoff game. I think of all the things, that's probably the one that's matters least. But it's. I don't know, man, when stuff like that happens, you just think, what would you do can imagine if Lexington just caught on fire like that?

[Shannon The Dude]

You're helpless. I mean, you're just waiting on some rain or the wind to calm down.

[Matt Jones]

Some kind of like doesn't rain there.

[Shannon The Dude]

Of course then the, you know, the man you mentioned, 60 years insurance, can't write a check for the things. He probably, I Mean, money can't buy 60 years worth of belongings, photos, things like that.

[Matt Jones]

So prayers to all those people.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

And two things. One, you know, I saw. Of all people, and I give him a lot of credit for this. Of all people. I saw Ted Cruz say the thing that I agreed with the most yesterday. He said, look, in times like this, the number one thing is to just, like, come together. And that's the best part of America, is that we do come together in moments like this and, like, you know, blaming whoever, like, now's not the time. The times try to, like, rescue these people. And I don't know, man, I. I wish I had something articulate to say, but there's just something about at night, like you said, with the Hollywood sign and all that, on fire. It's just. It looks like the apocalypse. And they said they think it's gonna, like, keep going, like there's nothing they can do.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. There's no end in sight right now because the. The. The winds are not dying down anytime soon.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So anyway, prayers to all of. Of those people. The other thing that I did last night, besides watch that, is I did turn on. I mean, I admit, Shannon, I turned on the Arkansas game. Like, I'm not gonna.

[Drew Franklin]

I watched it.

[Matt Jones]

Not gonna watch the Arkansas game, you know, and, man, they stink.

[Drew Franklin]

That's one way of putting it.

[Matt Jones]

Like, they're terrible.

[Drew Franklin]

No one was really there to see it either.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. So there's. Yeah. I mean, so they lost the game. And that's. That's one thing. Right. But I think the bigger story is that. All right, Mario up. There we go. There we go. You know, you're gonna learn one day the. That nobody was there.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Like, they had, like. They're playing a ranked team at home, and they had, like, 12,000 people, and it's. That's crazy to me. And it was. You want to. You think Rupp is quiet? Should have watched. I mean, could you believe that last night?

[Ryan Lemond]

And we just talked about this week how the Arkansas fan base, one of the best in the conference, they'll come in massive when you're winning, playing. Well, the fact they're not showing up now tells me all I need to know what's going on out there in Arkansas.

[Matt Jones]

Now, they claim. Arkansas fans claim that the athletic director sold all the season tickets to corporations, and the corporations aren't coming. That may be true. I have no idea. But whoever's not coming, they're not coming because. And it is. So I went on their little fan forums, and people like this what happens when you have a game on Wednesday at 6:00 because it's central time? Well, don't they have that every. Like, isn't that every game? Like what are they talking about? The game is. That's when the games have been for 25 years. Right?

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. It's bizarre. Especially the excitement and the trash talking they were doing all summer. At least online you thought whatever you thought of count if it work or not. I thought there'd be butts in the seats for it.

[Matt Jones]

I need to excitement.

[Shannon The Dude]

I had a unique experience. I sat down, I was in my. On my couch at 6:50 ready to watch it. Arkansas was up by like 12. I completely turned it off and went did something.

[Matt Jones]

I don't think they scored again the rest of the game.

[Shannon The Dude]

So everything I saw Arkansas look good and I catch the highlights this morning.

[Matt Jones]

If you want to know if you haven't seen him play, think about us like four years ago. But much worse because they just, I mean literally they stand around and one guy dribbles like that's it. Their best player is a do, A do is their best player. And that's, that's the problem. And then you know, they cut to the sideline and it's like there's Chin Coleman, there's Brad and there's like Kenny Payne. And everybody just, I mean everybody just looks miserable. And so last night is the first moment, if I'm being honest, that I found it a little sad. I mean it, I found it a little sad. Like is he gonna go out this way? Is he gonna go out in an empty arena In Fayetteville.

[Ryan Lemond]

In Fayetteville, losing it.

[Matt Jones]

Losing by 10 at home to Ole Miss. Is that how this is going to end?

[Shannon The Dude]

Shannon Brett, Bruiser next to him.

[Matt Jones]

Because like it doesn't look like it's going to get a whole lot better. They're owing to. They play Florida Saturday. Like Ryan, it doesn't look good.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. The way the SEC structured this year. Home games against Ole Miss or one you better win better when you better win a game.

[Matt Jones]

Like you better win. We have that game like that coming next week. Home game against A and M, like that's the kind of game if you, you, you gotta win.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

You know what I mean? Although A and M's, you know, they're good. Everybody's good. Like that's what's tough about this sec. Everybody's good. Like all these teams are good. And LSU is like the only team that stinks. Everybody else is good.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, we're all bummed that you lose at Georgia like that. Georgia's a very good team. Let's not make excuses for Kentucky because they were very flawed in that game. But that wasn't just some bum Georgia team that we've seen many years in the past.

[Matt Jones]

And we won't see LSU to the end of the year. That's our senior night.

[Ryan Lemond]

Senior night is lsu.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So, I mean, I feel like we'll have a good senior night because I think they stink. But pretty much everybody else. Ryan is good. And you, if you watch those games last night, like you see it, Mississippi State one on the road, like everybody's Mississippi State. By the way, we play them Saturday. Lenardi has them as a three seed right now.

[Ryan Lemond]

They're really good. We've thought we'll talk a lot about them. They're really good. I got a question for you then, Johnny. Mr. Bracketts.

[Matt Jones]

Johnny. Mr. Bracket.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Ryan Lemond]

Does Arkansas make the tournament?

[Matt Jones]

I, I don't know. I mean they do have a win against Michigan. They're going to have to go 8 and 10 in conference. I don't know. I'm not sure. I mean they needed to win that game last night. Yep, I'll say. I'm going to say yes, but just because I feel like they'll steal a couple because that's what Cal does. But they're not good. Like they're, they're, they're painfully bad to watch. Whether or not they, they'll probably steal a couple though, cuz he, you know, he got some talent, but they're not good. 859-280-2287. Text machine is 772-774-5254. We'd love to hear from you. Questions, fun, whatever. It's a cold indoor day here on ksr. We'll be right back. Yeah. Since you've been gone, here at the Kentucky Sports Radio KS Bar & Grill, Matt, Ryan and Drew, tomorrow we're going to be. Where are we?

[Ryan Lemond]

We're at Bespoken Spirits at Grayline Station.

[Matt Jones]

So we are at Gray Line Station. Now look, I know it's going to be cold and snowy, but they're giving away bourbon, right? Or it's a tasting.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, like a bourbon tasting.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I don't think they're just like handing it to you when you walk in the door, but like it's a, it's a, it's a tasting. It's the new UK Nil Bourbon. So we'd love for you to come to Grayline Station. I know the weather's gonna be not good. But I'll have sort of a reward for the people that come.

[Ryan Lemond]

Little teaser.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, it's. I'm going to probably give away tickets to a game, and if they're. My guess is it won't be a huge, large crowd because the weather. So the people who come. You're going to have a good chance to win tickets to a good UK.

[Shannon The Dude]

Gate, get a little bourbon, warm you up a little bit.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. But they wanted to do it. We gave them the offer of, like, look, it might not be the most attended day. They're like, we still want to do it. And so they're going to. The bourbon will flow. And they're. It's a gray line there on Loudon Avenue.

[Ryan Lemond]

The. The Club Blue bourbon that they bottle and sell for nil. Drew and I helped pick it. We were.

[Matt Jones]

Do you feel like, Shannon, they did help pick it, or it was one of those things, like when they tell children, like, you're gonna help us, but they already knew what they were getting. You know what I mean? They were like, here, Ryan. Yeah, you tell us which one you like. But they already knew which one they were gonna get. And. Right.

[Drew Franklin]

Would Ryan even know the difference if they put a different whiskey?

[Matt Jones]

Would you have known the difference, like.

[Drew Franklin]

Ah, that's not the one I picked.

[Ryan Lemond]

Nope.

[Drew Franklin]

There you go.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, it's amazing. It's amazing. Some of these guys have a palate where they can taste it and like, oh, I taste cinnamon. I taste chocolate. And I'm looking at Drew, like, how. How do they taste that well?

[Shannon The Dude]

Ryan had to write down his notes what he was tasting. It was a fun game. Ryan explaining the differences in the four options that he had thought, I'll taste.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I wouldn't. I would not be able to tell. All right, so on the text machine, people writing in, one person writes, matt, is your wrist fully healed? Kind of like it's healed, but I can still feel it.

[Ryan Lemond]

Can you?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I mean, it doesn't. It's healed. Like, I was pushing cars and that feel felt all right. I still don't know. I mean, my concern is still golf. I still don't know if I'm going to be able to. So it's like, it's fine, but, you know, you still see the thing.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah. You got a scar there.

[Matt Jones]

I got a pretty big scar. And, you know, I think the fact that it's been months and still like that makes me almost even more scared about how bad that cut was. Yeah, it was a bad.

[Ryan Lemond]

It was A bad cut. So did it bother you just right then, the golf motion right then?

[Matt Jones]

No, I just worry about when I hit the ground. It just. I worry about the impact. Will it. Will it work? Because I think I'll be a little scared to hit the ground.

[Shannon The Dude]

Have you done any. Any exercise?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, they gave me. They give me a ball, so I, like, sit and watch TV and squeeze on a ball.

[Shannon The Dude]

Make sure you stick with that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I'm going to keep doing it, but that's okay. The person writes. Matt, with this Kentucky basketball team, I've now watched all the teams in the SEC play. Let's be honest with each other. Where do we rank in the SEC right now? In your mind. All right. So, yeah, let's be honest. Let's put up neutral court. Okay. Because home court throws things off neutral court. Who's. Who. Who's better than us? Auburn's the best team in the country.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

In my opinion. So Auburn and Duke, but I think Auburn's better than Duke. I think Auburn's the best team in the country. Tennessee second right now, but I think Alabama could pass Tennessee and get to second. So I'm going to put Tennessee second right now, Alabama third. Then I think there's a gap to everybody else. I think those three teams are significantly better than us, than everybody else. Fourth. You know, for me, right now, fourth. Fourth is some combination of Florida, Texas A and M, Mississippi State, Kentucky, in some order, we've beaten Florida. We play Texas A and M and Mississippi State in the next two games. So I think we're going to know that order afterwards. Right now, if I were to guess, I mean, we beat Florida. Now, granted, it was at home, so I'm going to put us fourth, but we might be at the bottom of that list. Or he might be at the top, but that's the group I see sitting there in that second tier. I think Oklahoma, even though they started undefeated, I think they're a notch below that. Texas a notch below that. I still think Ole Miss is a notch below that even though they won. But I'm going to make that my group right there in that second tier. What do you think?

[Ryan Lemond]

I. If we had done this exercise on Monday, I probably would definitely put Kentucky fourth after they just beat Florida after the Georgia loss. You're right. That's kind of the group. I would have had Oklahoma in that group until last night. You know, they lose at home last night.

[Matt Jones]

I think they're. I think in the end they're going to be a notch below that Maybe I'll be wrong, but. But that's where I am. What about you?

[Shannon The Dude]

Did you have A and M in Tier two? Yeah, I think A and M is.

[Matt Jones]

They might.

[Shannon The Dude]

They're not Tier one, but they're knocking on it. They have some huge wins and their losses. It's like Oregon and one other good.

[Matt Jones]

Team and they won last night. And Wade Taylor, who has been in college since the Truman administration. Wade Taylor didn't even play and they won at Oklahoma.

[Shannon The Dude]

They're very good. And with Florida, even though we just beat them, I don't know that we're. But I'm glad we're not going to Gainesville this year. I think they're very good also. I know right now we have the edge because they won the game. I think Rupp played a big role in that. Kentucky had the best offensive performance of the season by any team to.

[Matt Jones]

So where would you put points?

[Shannon The Dude]

I mean, I have to put them above Florida now because they just played. So I'll say fifth. I'm gonna put A and M ahead of us.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I mean, now, if A and M and Mississippi State beat Kentucky, then maybe they're at the bottom of that group, but I think we are in a mix of teams that includes Mississippi State and A and M. Mississippi State, to me, is as hard a matchup as we're gonna have all year. Like, Saturday is going to be a hard game. They are not going to be easy for us to beat. Watching A and M. They're not as physical as they. As I picture them to be. They got a lot of guards.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So we might actually match up pretty well with them. But Mississippi State, A and M and Alabama are next three games. What's our record?

[Ryan Lemond]

One and two.

[Matt Jones]

One and two?

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

What about you? I mean, that would make us two and three, by the way. Yeah, it's hard.

[Shannon The Dude]

I mean, I think we're going to be an underdog Saturday by a couple of points that I'm probably going to predict a loss there. I'm going to say one and two.

[Matt Jones]

Shannon, let's. I'm going to be optimistic. Two and one.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

Can't go. Oh, and three.

[Drew Franklin]

Do you believe that? Do you believe that in your heart?

[Matt Jones]

Believe it. In my heart of hearts. We're going to be. I think we're going to beat A and M. I feel pretty good about beating A and M. And then I think we're going to steal either one of the two of Mississippi State and Alabama. I think we can. I think we can win. We can win Any of these games, I think we'll steal one of them.

[Drew Franklin]

Good thing is two out of the three are at home. So they are. You got that going for you.

[Matt Jones]

And the other thing is we've now seen that after the, after the Saturday game against A and M, in my opinion, all of the tier two, tier two teams, we don't have to play them again. We will play them all at the beginning of the year. Right. So that's good.

[Shannon The Dude]

I'll give my, my, my butt. Also, since I picked 1 and 2, I think what we're doing in the next few weeks is going to be harder than anything that we'll see in the NCAA tournament.

[Matt Jones]

I agree.

[Shannon The Dude]

They're going to see a lot of teams in the postseason that aren't built anything like these SEC teams that have been. They're going to give them fit.

[Matt Jones]

There's going to be an SEC team. You mark this down, ride it, write it.

[Ryan Lemond]

I don't have a pen.

[Matt Jones]

Well, write it in your mind. There's going to be an SEC team who's going to be like a 9, a 10, an 11 and they're going to come in and they're going to make like the sweet 16 or the elite. They're going to make a run because these are teams that come in with a conference record of nine and nine are going to be better than most these other teams in the country.

[Shannon The Dude]

And the SEC is built like football players. When you get to the tournament, you're going to be playing other conferences mid majors. You're not going to run into a bunch of somto like you saw the last game or some. We're going to see the rest of the SEC slate.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean like think about Louisville, Clemson, Pitt, like they're competing to be the second best team in the acc. I know we lost a Clemson, but we're better than the like. These tops of these other conferences are not in the ballpark of these SEC teams, at least in my view. We're going to take a break. Be right back. Take your calls. KSR TJ Smith, personal injury attorney. Call tj. He'll make him pay.

[Drew Franklin]

Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back, Turkey Sports Radio. 859-280-2287. One person writes a text machine. Matt, seen that they canceled all the fire insurance for the people in LA right before this. What do you think about that? Well, I don't know if that's true. Like I see all this, this, this is unfortunate but like this LA Fire is an example. What I worry about in the future, which is I don't know what's. What's true, right? Like, I don't know. Like, people just put out these memes and these things, and I don't know if it's actually true or not. For instance, I saw something, I found myself drew. I got a little outraged, and I was like, the loss. It said the Los Angeles city government cut the budget for fire protection by $20 million in 2024. And I was like, that's outrageous. And then it turns out that wasn't true. They ended up actually raising it by $50 million. So here I was outraged because I saw something. But, like, just because you see something doesn't make it true. This is an example of why, as much as, like, people are like, I hate the mainstream media because of politics, but you need them in things like this. Like, you need them. You need somebody who can actually tell you this is true or not. And it's hard with this thing because, you know, I don't really know when I see this stuff online if it's true or not. I mean, videos of things burning. Well, like, that looks true. But then I've seen there's been people who've been creating fake videos just to get, like, AI stuff. I mean, that's awful, but people do it. So, like, how do you even know.

[Shannon The Dude]

I was about to say that as soon as we have a tragedy this happened with the stuff in North Carolina, people put up an awful video, and you're like, oh, my goodness, this looks terrible. And then it'll say, this was Brazil in 2004. But, I mean, they're. They're just trying to get engagement, trying to get clicks. It's like, stories are sad enough on their own. You don't need to make things up to confuse everyone. And everybody's just trying to get attention when they're doing it online.

[Matt Jones]

So the one thing it seems like you actually can trust a little bit is the. Is these TV stations that are there live. And I sit there and Shannon, it always shocks me that they put these people right in the middle of this.

[Drew Franklin]

I know, right?

[Matt Jones]

Like, Anderson Cooper is standing there, and there's fire on either side of the street from him. And you're like, anderson, man. Like, it can't be good to breathe all that stuff in.

[Drew Franklin]

You wouldn't think if I'm Anderson Cooper, I'm saying, hey, send out an intern or somebody. Don't be sending me out there.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, what do you think about these like, reporters that are, like, in the middle of the fire, wouldn't that be. I don't know, because I'm not there, but it seems like it would be hot.

[Ryan Lemond]

You're right. And they stick their main guy out there in the middle of this stuff and put maybe risk that. Not their life. Photographer's life. The audio guys live.

[Matt Jones]

Did you see that? The one guy on CBS got caught putting on makeup.

[Shannon The Dude]

I didn't see that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, there was a CBS guy, and I don't blame. Like, I. Listen, he's out there. I'm not doing it, so I'm not being critical, but there was, like, one CBS guy. They accidentally cut to him before he knew he was on, and he was, like, putting on makeup with fire right behind him.

[Drew Franklin]

He's part of me.

[Matt Jones]

Say to him, you know what, man? If you don't look perfect right now, people will forgive you.

[Ryan Lemond]

Drew.

[Matt Jones]

Like, I don't think people expect you to have no blemishes in the middle of this fire.

[Shannon The Dude]

We get it. The camera can reflect on your forehead sometimes, but in this scenario, that's not.

[Drew Franklin]

Really where your mascara would be running down your face.

[Matt Jones]

That's right. You should just have Mario stand there and shoot him from the ground so that he doesn't look good at all while he's. While he's doing it. Who's up first? Shannon.

[Drew Franklin]

Let's go to Justin.

[Matt Jones]

Justin, go ahead, Justin.

[E]

Hey, Matt.

[F]

So yesterday I went down to watch.

[Matt Jones]

Ole Miss beat up on Arkansas, and what I realized down there is how truly unhappy Cal is. So you were at the game. You were at the game yesterday? Yes, I was. Okay. His post game, after the game that.

[F]

Like, you know, Pope does had 20, maybe 30 people.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, he's doing the post game out in front of everybody. Yes, he is. Oh, that's signing the basketball. That's depressing.

[F]

And.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, that's depressing. There was maybe 25% of the people by the starting lineup there, and Arkansas thought they were getting along into the stick, but they're starting to find out otherwise. Yeah, you know, that's kind of sad. I appreciate the call. That's like, Shannon, if you were to go see, like, the Red Hot Chili peppers when they're 74 and they're playing in front of 80 people, you know, at the local fair, something like. That's. That's. That's kind of tough, man. Do you feel sorry for. I mean, I don't say I feel sorry for him, because I don't feel sorry for him. But is there any part of it that you think is a little sad?

[Ryan Lemond]

There is a little bit. And maybe just because we had so much love for him for so long. I do. It kind of breaks my heart a little bit to hear that there's 20 people.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, come on.

[Ryan Lemond]

Post game news conference.

[Matt Jones]

Wait a minute. Go ahead.

[Drew Franklin]

He chose to do this himself. All right, don't let's not cry for John Calipari. He chose this route. He wants to go to Arkansas.

[Matt Jones]

But to be fair, Shannon, they play devil's advocate. I'm kind of on your side, right? I mean, again, it's a dude tried to get me fired days before he left. So I'm not. I don't ha. Literally days before he left. So I don't have, like, a lot of sympathy, but people can make a decision, screw up, and you still feel bad for them, right? Or no.

[Drew Franklin]

No, not in this case.

[Matt Jones]

Okay.

[Drew Franklin]

I mean, look, the guy's got enough money to last him for the rest of his life. He's set for life. He made this choice to go to Arkansas. He could have stayed here at Kentucky, Right?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

So I don't feel bad for him at this point. He wanted to go to Arkansas. You made your bed lie in it.

[Matt Jones]

And on that point, you can turn that off.

[Ryan Lemond]

Mario, this is gonna be good just between us.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. We're not. This is not one for the Internet, you know? I mean, look, I have a weird thing because I don't, like. Like, I feel sorry for people. Like, people can be really good people and make mistakes, and people can be. You know, people can be really mean, and, like, they're also just hiding insecurities they have inside. Right? So I've said this many times. If you're mean to somebody online, chances are things aren't going great in your life. You've never really seen a happy person go. Let me go online and troll people. It's usually pretty unhappy people. So there was a dude yesterday who I've seen at this bar many times who was taking shots at me and said something like, wonder if you're gonna live to see 60 Matt. And I was like, dude, I've seen you at the bar, and you were nice to me. What are you doing? And then he was like, well, it's true. I guess so. But in my mind, I'm sitting there thinking something's. Something's happening with this guy. Right? Like, he would never. There's no reason to be that rude.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

He's being this route taken up for Elon Musk, of all people. That's not Cal. But, you know, a few days before Cal left, Cal was putting the pressure through other folks on my company to try to say I needed to not be here if he was going to be back. And I knew that. And, you know, so the day I heard he was leaving, I'm high fiving people because then I'm like, well, at least I don't have to deal with that. And that's. That stunk. I'm like, what are you doing, dude? And honestly, I'm not sure what would have happened if he had stayed. But at the same time, then you go see him and he's wearing these, like, pizza restaurant jackets.

[Shannon The Dude]

That was a 1995 Pizza Hut tablecloth.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, he was wearing a Pizza Hut tablecloth and like 20 people are there and he's yelling, go. And he's still screaming at Chin Coleman to sit down. He's still doing that. And you just kind of go, well, that's a little sad because clearly, like, he acts out in part because of his own whatever. Does that make sense?

[Ryan Lemond]

It does.

[Matt Jones]

I have too much sympathy for people, I grant you. People tell me that all the time. They're like, you feel sorry for everybody. That's probably true. But it's weird. Even though he did that to me just a few months ago, there's a part of me, Ryan, that still feels sorry for.

[Ryan Lemond]

I'm kind of in that boat, too. You know, we. The glory days are not that long ago. We can't forget what hat. What he's been. I still remember him. I still have felt good. It felt even in 2015, 2017, you know, when he had these great teams.

[Drew Franklin]

It was 10 years ago.

[Matt Jones]

But, Shannon, you have no. You have no sympathy, right?

[Drew Franklin]

No, I. I feel bad for the people in California dealing with the wildfire. I don't feel bad for John.

[Matt Jones]

Well, of course. I mean, that's a different left.

[Drew Franklin]

I don't have any sympathy for John Caliperi, who chose to leave to go to Arkansas, you know, making millions and millions of dollars. No, if he's not happy there, well, tough, let's go somewhere else.

[Matt Jones]

I get that it's.

[Shannon The Dude]

I think it's a little sad, but I thought it was sad before he went to Arkansas. I even said on this radio that the people around him are pulling him down and he won't raise his head and look up and realize. Yeah, I know for a fact that other coaches in college basketball have been laughing at him the last few years. And it's mostly because of the. Some hiring decisions in the work ethic that's around him. And I don't think he realizes that it's brought down hall of Fame John Calipari.

[Matt Jones]

Well, let me say his assistant stink. But you're the one that he kept them. Right. And let's not act like he's been out working the hardest either. He's. He's gone from one of the hardest working dudes to one of the laziest dudes. I mean, he was that. That whole staff was lazy as they could be the last three years. And if you think about it, think about the people who worked hard. What did they all have in common? They wanted out. They did. They all wanted out. I mean, go back. Jay Lucas left for Duke. The Martin dude was leaving. He was leaving to go to San Jose State or something. Like they all wanted out. So there is a part that he is reaping what he sowed, but somebody can be reaping what they sowed. And I still sometimes feel a little bit sorry for him.

[Shannon The Dude]

That's what I'm saying. I thought this a year ago. Like you're hearing stories of just people that are just secondary people in his life that work with him. Just talking about how hard it was the last few years, even though that was his fault, I think that can still be sad for this guy that was, you know, at the top of the top for many years.

[Matt Jones]

Now we say all this and if he comes here and wins on February 1st, we'll feel stupid.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm glad you said that because I was about to say that you think you're all going to feel sorry for him when he comes in, comes in.

[Matt Jones]

Here and wins on February 1st. And I ain't never feeling sorry for him ever, because that'll be the worst.

[Shannon The Dude]

Do you think he'll wear the Pizza Hut jacket and rubbery.

[Matt Jones]

I hope so. I hope he wears a Domino's pizza.

[Shannon The Dude]

Book it things. Shannon, you remember book it.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. You should get like a little book it pin and put on there. And you get the stars every time you read a book.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Why is it teams that. Why is it coaches that coach at schools that are red feel like they have to wear red? You don't have to wear red.

[Drew Franklin]

We can't wear blue.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, but you can wear dark green.

[Drew Franklin]

You can wear it.

[Matt Jones]

We're green. A new report from the Kentucky Chamber highlights the massive impact of on the economy of housing. Billions in the state economy in the housing industry is made because of economic growth with housing and home building and remodeling generates significant tax revenue For Kentucky. So go to kychamber.com housing. Tell us about the biggest housing needs in your community, or check out the full [e-mail] housing. We will take a break. Be right back. This is KSR. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287. Text Machine, 772-774-5254. One person writes, Matt, why did you have Mario turn the camera off? That clip would have gone viral online. It would have, but that's the whole point, you know, that'll just be between us. There's no podcast, is there? Like, it'll just go away. It's just in the ether. Right, Shannon?

[Shannon The Dude]

Right.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Nobody's going to be listening to that later.

[Matt Jones]

So, yeah, you just turn that one off.

[Drew Franklin]

Okay.

[Matt Jones]

That one's okay.

[Ryan Lemond]

I think our podcast numbers are pretty high.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, they've been higher. We've hit podcast numbers in the last couple weeks. I mean, you can just feel the pope, even after the loss, the energy in the podcast because, you know, we don't get live radio numbers till months later. But we get the podcast daily. And you can kind of see one person says, matt, you're just saying you're going to depend on the mainstream media for truth shows. You're out of touch. The mainstream media knows nothing. So here's my comment about that. If you don't trust the media, and I'm not saying you should always trust them, who do you trust? Like, you trust Bob in like, like when, let's put it like this. When the snow comes, where are you getting your forecast? You getting your forecast from Chris Bailey and Bill Mack, or you getting your forecast from Sammy on Facebook? I don't know about you, but I'm gonna go ahead and listen to Chris Bailey and Bill Mack. Yes, that's what I'm gonna do. You can listen to the dude on Facebook. Maybe the dude on Facebook will be right, but sometimes he'll be wrong. Right. And so I, you know, the media is never always right. But no, I do not. Like, now that we see how easily images are manipulated and stuff. No. And the people who will say to me all the time, matt, you're a sheep for listening to the New York Times. They'll then quote, everything Elon Musk says is truth. And I'm like, well, aren't you a sheep for always listening to him? Like, we're all sheep unless you're there. We're all sheep. Like, look at the LA fires. Unless you're there. We have to rely on Someone else to tell us what's happening. Right.

[Ryan Lemond]

And there's for nobody, I think is more fair and objective than the local news departments.

[Matt Jones]

And I'm not saying they always get it right. They get it wrong a lot and people all have agendas. But you're telling me I can't listen to the LA Times, but I should listen to some dude that has a website that also sells crypto on it? I'm supposed to listen to that guy? Like, come on, we're all sheep. I want everybody to know we're all sheep. Unless you're there. The question is just who do you want your herder to be?

[Shannon The Dude]

Unfortunately, this is only going to get worse, I'm afraid.

[Matt Jones]

But like the idea people go, I think for myself, well, where do you get the information? Unless you're there, you get it from somebody else. Right.

[Shannon The Dude]

It's getting harder and harder to, you know, figure out what's what.

[Matt Jones]

Totally agree with you. Who's next?

[Drew Franklin]

David.

[Matt Jones]

David. Go ahead, David.

[E]

Hey, guys, how we doing today?

[Matt Jones]

Doing good.

[E]

First off, you know, when it comes to the media, I trust ksr.

[Matt Jones]

Well, that's good. That's a good. We are the only people that are 100% accurate. As seen by Ryan yesterday talking about the Indian Ocean.

[E]

Absolutely. A couple of things here. Are you guys familiar with the unsportsmanlike with Evan Canty and Michelle?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, that comes on in the morning. That's right. I've hosted that a few times.

[E]

Yeah, I turned it on this morning and I just caught the last seven minutes of it. Nice little story here. You know how the, the commentators will have stuff behind them, memorabilia, whatever hanging up on the wall or in. On their shelf.

[Matt Jones]

Yes, I do see where they have.

[E]

Okay, well I just like said, I just turned it on the last seven minutes of it and Evan was talking about he had a maroon and white jersey with the number two hanging up behind him. That was his high school jersey. So they were talking about his jersey and everybody thought it was for Johnny Manziel. He goes, no, he was watching a high school quarterback had the same colored, you know, the same colors that his high school had and it was Tim Couches jersey.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, well that's good. Yeah. So he has a Leslie County Tim Couch jersey up.

[E]

No, he had his. But they were the same colors. They had the same. Okay, the school colors was the same colors as his high school was.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, okay.

[E]

He chose the, he chose, he chose the number.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, he chose the number two because of Tim. Okay, I got you. I understand the story well, thank you. Very much. I. I appreciate the call. Tim Couch. Has there ever been a better high school quarterback in Kentucky? Maybe anywhere?

[Ryan Lemond]

Never been a better high school football player, period out of Kentucky than Tim Couch. Dude was a bonafide rock star in high school. It exploded then when how mummy came here at uk, he was. He's as big as we've ever seen.

[Matt Jones]

And his junior year team where he had all those receivers was great. And then the senior year team he was playing like with me and you and he still was really good.

[Shannon The Dude]

And they finally put him in the hall of Fame. Good he deserved for a decade. I'd write the post every year that he was nominated and just needed one more step. They finally got it.

[Matt Jones]

He deserved it. That team changed the way college football was played. That Tim Couch and how Mummy and Mike Lee's team. Who's next?

[Drew Franklin]

Rob.

[Matt Jones]

Rob. Go ahead, Rob.

[F]

Yeah, I just wanted to say I don't really feel sorry for Caliperi. You know, in 2017, when we were 38:1, we had the number one defensive team in, in NCAA last year. I think we were rated at 113. We had the best offense. Had he wanted to teach defense, we would have been much better. And you know, you want to blame it on his, on his assistants. I mean you probably heard that the assistants all quit at the Louisville game because of things he said to them. But you know, they would, they wanted to work on defense. And I have a friend who was at one of the practices at Caliper, he's walking out and they said, coach, don't you want to work on defense? He said, I'm too old for that. You all figure that out. So I think if he had been the full coach he should have been, we might have had a national championship last year. And the thing is, Pope has brought in all new players. We have a more competitive team than what our UK team would be this year, which is at Arkansas.

[Matt Jones]

I appreciate the call. I totally agree. You know, last year's team, I will go down. I believe last year's team was the most disappointing. When you look at the talent results in UK basketball history, do you agree with that?

[Shannon The Dude]

Absolutely.

[Matt Jones]

If you look at the talent and not just losing to Oakland, even the whole regular season, they should have been one of the two best teams in the country.

[Shannon The Dude]

First team to ever lose three games in rubbery in a row.

[Matt Jones]

They lost three games in rough. That team should have been great. They should have been great. They had three of the six best three point shooters that have ever walked into this school. And we lost to Oakland. That. Do you. Do you agree that's the biggest underperforming team of all time?

[Ryan Lemond]

I don't think there's any doubt. I think a lot of it had to do with his loyalty to play some of these other guys over who should have been playing.

[Matt Jones]

Totally agree with you.

[Shannon The Dude]

Let's. Let's just. So history. We don't forget first round. The SEC tournament also is first round.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And I mean, that team had twice the talent this team has.

[Ryan Lemond]

It does.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And nothing. We'll take a break. Be right back. Hour number two. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.