2025-04-01- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

Podcast Summary: KSR - Hour 1 (April 1, 2025)

Host: Matt Jones
Co-Hosts: Drew Franklin, Shannon "The Dude"
Sponsor: TJ Smith Law Office, Stockton Mortgage, KSR Bowling League

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1. Introduction & April Fool's Day Rumble

Timestamp: 00:38 – 02:55

Matt Jones kicks off the episode by expressing his disdain for April Fool's Day, labeling it as possibly his "least favorite day of the year" due to his inability to stand Ryan, one of the co-hosts, and his general dislike for the holiday's pranks.

"Ryan and Drew are in Lexington. ... I cannot stand Ryan. April Fool's Day. I've hated it since I was a kid..." [00:38]

In contrast, Drew Franklin champions the day, describing it as "one of the greatest days of the year" for pulling "sneaky little pranks."

"I just like pulling little, little sneaky little pranks on people." [01:37]

2. Prank Stories Gone Awry

Timestamp: 02:03 – 15:04

The conversation delves into specific pranks, with Drew recounting his attempts to prank colleagues by removing the wheels from office chairs and faking news about a player transferring to Poland.

"I snuck into the sales department and stole all the wheels off the bottom of their shoes..." [01:43]

Matt criticizes these actions, arguing they don't qualify as true April Fool's jokes, which should involve deception rather than mere inconvenience.

"That's not an April Fool's joke. April Fool's joke is not just doing things diabolical to people." [02:07]

The discussion highlights a listener story where someone pranked their husband by falsely claiming he was a dad, resulting in 500 text messages—a classic prank but debated as an April Fool's joke.

"They just couldn't scoot their chair over the carpet... 'April Fools.'" [02:32]

3. Awkward Comedy Club Experience

Timestamp: 05:16 – 09:57

Matt shares a personal anecdote about attending a low-turnout comedy show in Lexington, describing the experience as "the epitome of awkward." With only nine attendees and multiple comedians, the lack of audience engagement made the environment uncomfortable.

"Like, there's only nine people. Like, there's... I've never had a KSR remote with only nine people." [06:02]

Both Drew and Shannon agree, emphasizing the discomfort of small audiences where laughter feels obligatory.

"You have to force it because there's uncomfortable eye contact." [07:38]

4. Season Evaluation & Calipari's Coaching

Timestamp: 09:02 – 13:22

The hosts shift focus to evaluating the Kentucky basketball season, particularly John Calipari's performance. Matt initially defends the season with an "A" grade, arguing that despite 12 losses, the team achieved a Sweet 16 appearance under challenging circumstances, such as staff and roster issues.

"We have to look at all the factors... losing the Arkansas at home was bad." [10:51]

Drew concurs, highlighting the resilience shown by the team and crediting Calipari for exceeding expectations.

"The wins far exceed the couple of bad losses they had." [10:51]

5. Portal News: Bryce Hopkins to St. John's

Timestamp: 24:10 – 27:50

Discussion turns to Bryce Hopkins, a notable player transferring to St. John's. Shannon expresses skepticism about his move and hopes he doesn't stay long enough to maximize his potential.

"I’d be so uncomfortable in a tiny group knowing they're looking at me for a reaction." [24:19]

Drew supports the idea of engaging with Hopkins, yet suggests prioritizing other players if recruitment options are limited.

"I think he fits Pope's system... I definitely would have the conversation with him, but I wouldn't spend all my money on him." [27:36]

6. Rivalries and Coaching Dynamics

Timestamp: 25:29 – 33:40

The hosts analyze current rivalries, particularly with Louisville and coach Pat Kelsey. They note a perceived reduction in edge and animosity compared to past interactions.

"I still hate Duke. ... we like Pat Kelsey's not really hateable." [31:12]

Shannon criticizes Kelsey's new "Pat signal," viewing it as an attempt to cultivate a villain persona without genuine malice.

"It's corny. Like yesterday, they have this new thing... it's just putting on his black rim sunglasses." [32:46]

7. Women's Basketball & Cassidy Row Controversy

Timestamp: 33:59 – 41:40

The podcast addresses the contentious situation involving Cassidy Row, a women's basketball player. The discussion centers on whether coach Kenny Brooks made appropriate decisions regarding her role on the team.

Matt expresses mixed feelings, acknowledging Cassidy's contributions while questioning the fairness of her treatment.

"We don't know the specifics of the conversation... he's got to put together the best roster." [39:27]

Drew fears the decision may fracture the fan base, particularly among Cassidy's supporters, potentially impacting future support despite the team's success.

"This has called a little, caused a little fracture in the fan base that may be hard to get those people back." [37:41]

Shannon remains optimistic, believing that successful future seasons and strategic recruitment will help move past the controversy.

"He’s going to add a lot of pieces that'll be helpful... focus on putting together the best roster." [38:25]

8. Listener Interactions & Final Thoughts

Timestamp: 40:17 – End

Listeners contribute opinions, some defending Kenny Brooks' decisions while others seek advice on rivalries and player transfers. Matt and the co-hosts engage thoughtfully, balancing support for the team with acknowledgment of fans' frustrations.

A notable call from "Jacob" commends Kenny Brooks, suggesting that removing him would lead to the team's decline, emphasizing trust in leadership.

"He deserves an A plus. He brought them back from obscurity." [40:21]

The episode concludes with reflections on modern college basketball dynamics, the importance of trust between coaches and players, and the ongoing challenges of maintaining team cohesion amidst high-stakes decisions.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "I have to tell you, this is one of my least favorite days of the year." — Matt Jones [00:38]
• "I just like pulling little, little sneaky little pranks on people." — Drew Franklin [01:37]
• "That's not an April Fool's joke... It's making them believe one thing and then the other is true." — Matt Jones [02:07]
• "The wins far exceed the couple of bad losses they had." — Drew Franklin [10:51]
• "I’d be so uncomfortable in a tiny group knowing they're looking at me for a reaction." — Shannon The Dude [24:19]
• "It's corny. Like yesterday, they have this new thing... it's just putting on his black rim sunglasses." — Shannon The Dude [32:46]
• "He brought them back from obscurity." — Caller Jacob [40:21]

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Conclusion

In this episode of KSR, the hosts navigate through humorous anecdotes about April Fool's Day pranks, evaluate the Kentucky basketball season with a focus on coaching decisions and player dynamics, and address significant fan concerns regarding both men's and women's basketball teams. Through engaging discussions and listener interactions, Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, and Shannon "The Dude" provide a comprehensive and nuanced perspective on the current state of Kentucky sports.

Transcript

[Comedy Announcer]

Comedy Up Broadway in Lexington welcomes Mike Armstrong March 27th through the 29th. Then it's the Lexington debut of Lori Kilmartin April 3rd through the 5th. And catch rising comedy star Sam Tallente April 11th and 12th. Comedy Off Broadway opened in downtown Lexington in 1987, and they're still bringing the best and stand up comedy to the area 38 years later. Call 859-271-joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com comedy off Broadway.

[Matt Jones]

This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

Welcome, everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio Tuesday, April 1st. I'm Matt Jones here in New York City where it is a beautiful day after a rainy night. Ryan and Drew are in Lexington. You can give a shout out to Clark's puppet Shop phone line 859-280-2287. A Vision Auto Glass text machine is 772-774-5254. In this edition sponsored by the TJ Smith Law Office. You call TJ. He'll make them pay. Ryan. Drew Shannon, it is a beautiful day, but I have to tell you, this is one of my least favorite days of the year. As a matter of fact, it might be my least favorite day of the year because I cannot stand Ryan. April Fool's Day. I've hated it when I since I was a kid and in the days of Twitter and news and tweets. I do not like April Fool's Day and it is upon us.

[Drew Franklin]

I love April Fool's Day, one of the greatest days of the year.

[Matt Jones]

Of course you do. I could see that. Why do you like it so much?

[Drew Franklin]

I just like pulling little, little sneaky little pranks on people. I've had some classic ones over the years.

[Matt Jones]

What do you mean you had some classic ones? Like, first of all, you can't call them classic. What is it that made them so classic?

[Drew Franklin]

You know, at the TV station, you work till midnight, so I snuck into the sales department and stole all the wheels off the bottom of their shoes. So when they came in on the bottom of their chairs. So when they came in the next morning, they didn't have any wheels on their chairs.

[Matt Jones]

That's not an April Fool's joke.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, yeah, that's a great April Fool's joke.

[Matt Jones]

That's not an April. Do you not understand what an April Fool's joke is? April Fool's joke is not just doing things diabolical to people. It's making them believe one thing and then the other is true. How was what you did in April Fool's joke.

[Drew Franklin]

I think it falls under the April Fool's umbrella. You know, I think it's a prank.

[Matt Jones]

Drew. I don't think that's. That's just a jerk thing to do is. It's like deflating people's tires and then saying April Fools.

[Shannon The Dude]

I'm glad you didn't ask me before. Ryan. Ryan, don't take offense to this, but I was going to say April Fool's Day is when people who aren't funny think they're funny.

[Matt Jones]

That's exactly right. You are 100% correct, Drew. I hate April Fools. Shannon, what about you?

I don't believe what anybody says any other day of the year, so why would I believe them on April Fool? So I never fall for these. It's hard to get me on these.

Yeah, well, Tiger. The one I saw this morning, Drew, is Tiger woods. Said, I've had, like, four weeks of treatment, and now my Achilles is good, I'm playing in the Masters, and then it's just like April Fools. Well, why was that April Fools? Like, I felt sorry for you that you hurt your. I actually think he. That was a terrible job, Drew, of April Fools. Isn't it?

[Shannon The Dude]

Now, did anyone laugh? I didn't laugh.

[Matt Jones]

Or, like, there's, like, not even a joke, really, in the sports world.

[Shannon The Dude]

It's like, you know, so and so signs with this school for $50 million. Okay, that's not funny. And no one believes that. Like, it's gotten so predictable.

[Matt Jones]

I can't get over yours. Right? That's not a joke. That's just, like, hurting people. Just taking the wheels off their chairs. Like, did they fall?

[Drew Franklin]

They sit in their chair, and they try to scoot up, and it doesn't move. It's just. There's nothing but hysterical laughter, April.

[Shannon The Dude]

And you did this to people that are working all night in the newsroom?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Here's another one I did. One time I called one of the local radio stations here when I was at channel 18. Call one of the local radio stations here in Lexington and told them that Wukosh Orb Zoot was going back to Poland, leaving the team and going back to Poland, like, after the season. They fell for it. Completely fell for it.

[Matt Jones]

So you gave basically fake news to people? I did.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I think that's at least what April news is or April Fools is supposed to be. But, Drew, I don't think news. Do you think news people like Ryan should participate in it? You had him back in Poland.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah. Leave the team, go back on. Matter of fact, it was wlap that. It was this station that I called in.

[Shannon The Dude]

I love the excitement in his voice for April Fool's Day.

[Matt Jones]

Were they mad that you had given them essentially false news to put on the air?

[Drew Franklin]

Well, by the end of the conversation, I said, wait a minute. What is today? And then they hung up on me. So, you know, I let it go on for about 15, 20, 30 seconds.

[Matt Jones]

You are. All right. I'm just going to let it go. 859-280-2287. Drew, I told Shannon this during the break. I had one of the more uncomfortable things that I've ever done, and I think this could happen to you. Okay. So I'm stay a part of town that I look across the street, Drew, and there's a comedy club across the street. All right. And so I thought, well, there's a comedy club across the street. I. Why don't I just go tonight? Right. Like, they have a show. Let me just walk over there. And do you know who the comedian Mark Norman is?

I do, yeah.

You know. You know who he is, right?

Yeah, I've interviewed.

So he has a thing on. He has, like, something he does once a week called the Good Eggs show, which I guess is Shannon. It's just people that he likes. He puts them all on a show together.

Yeah.

All right. So, you know, I. He. They said sometimes he's there, sometimes he's not. So I thought, well, I'll just walk over there. And the first hint should have been when I got online, Drew and the tickets were $12. Okay. Because that's a. That's a pretty cheap amount of money. But I thought, you know, they do this to drink, minimum, whatever. I walk over there, I get my ticket, I walk in. Shannon, there are nine people there. Nine.

Big turnout.

Nine people. And the first dude speaking is Drew. We've talked about every time we go to New York, who do we always see on stage at the comedy places?

[Shannon The Dude]

I see David Show a lot.

[Matt Jones]

Judah Friedlander is my third course.

[Shannon The Dude]

Judah. Another one.

[Matt Jones]

The dude with the hat. Yeah, he's there. But, Shannon, there's only nine people. Like, there's. There's. We've never had a KSR remote with only nine people. Like, nine people. And let me tell you, the epitome of awkward, sitting in a room with nine people. When a comedian's trying to do a show, like, it couldn't be more awkward. You feel like he's just talking to you. Like, he's not doing a show. He's just talking to you. And because there's only nine people. I think he feels awkward, Drew. And so he feels like he has to, like, talk to you each individually, and I didn't want to talk to him. I was in a hoodie. I'd been outside. I was raining. After four minutes, I just got up and left. I couldn't stay there. It was so awkward. No, I'm serious. I waited till he was done. Like, he was the guy. I don't know what you call it. That will, like, come on, and then he'll introduce everybody else. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

So I waited till he had gone, and he introduced. Introduced the first person, and I just walked out. Drew and I decided it was too awkward for me. There were too few people. It was. It was an event where I thought, you need more than nine people to tell jokes or. I can't stay in here any longer.

[Shannon The Dude]

I've been in a small setting for a comedy show, and you feel an obligation to laugh. You have to force it because there's uncomfortable eye contact. You know, you kind of got to carry the crowd for them. And if it's just not working, well, it's terribly uncomfortable.

[Matt Jones]

But just think about how much power. How much power you had in that moment when you left. 10% of the crowd left.

10% of the crowd was gone.

Exactly. Yeah.

I couldn't stay for exactly. Like Drew said. I felt like I had to laugh at all the jokes because he was looking me right in the eye, and there were two women. They also put me at a table with two strangers. This whole huge room. They made me sit right next to two strangers, and I didn't. I felt like I had an obligation to laugh, and I couldn't do it. I could not sit there and fake laugh. I've seen Judah Friedlander five times at these comedy clubs. And then they brought out. They were about to bring on another person. And Shannon, I was like, I can't do this. This is too much work. This was supposed to be fun. And now I feel like I'm performing for him.

I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but I love awkward situations. So I would. I would have just deadpan, stared him, stared into his soul and not laugh one time. Just to make it even more.

I know I could totally see you doing that. I could totally. You would like. You would take pride. Yeah. Laughing.

Exactly. Yeah.

I couldn't do it, so I just came home, and I. And he got my mark. Norman got my 15 bucks. But I saw Ryan. There were six comedians on the bill and it was 15 bucks and there were only nine people. So I mean that means. What did they do the math? 15 bucks, nine people. It's $135 they took in split six ways. I mean those people were making 20 bucks to be there.

[Drew Franklin]

It's made me awkward and uncomfortable hearing you talk about it.

[Matt Jones]

I'll never. I can't ever go back. No, I mean, I guess It's Monday at 7:00. Drew. I shouldn't have thought it was gonna be packed, but I certainly thought there'd be more people than nine at the thing.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. You know, I'm not someone that even when I think something's funny, I'm not really expressing. I don't. Not a big laugh out loud. Loud guy. I like to blend in the back of a quiet crowd. I would have been so uncomfortable in a tiny group knowing they're looking at me for a reaction. I probably would have left with you.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I was out and that was that. And I came home to, you know, lots of, lots of portal chatter, which I want to get to, but we did this conversation yesterday, Ryan, of a guy called in and said, what's your final grade on the season? And are you pleased or are you not? And you know, I've said a couple of times that I thought for me the grade was an A. This guy said a B. Which led to all day kind of me getting messages on the text machine about, about grades on the year. And it seems like to me most of our fans are happy about how the year went. But I have no. There, there has been a little group of people going, matt, aren't we lowering our standards in saying that a team that I think in the end had what, 12 losses and a sweet 16, that that's an A. Now I think you have to look at the circumstances of all that's happened to come to that. But do you give any credibility to the argument that the caller had and then people had after that? You know, you can't get to the point. I mean, Tubby basically was called 10 loss tubby and kind of run off for losing double digit games. You agree or disagree with that point?

[Drew Franklin]

I disagree. Really? I think you have to consider all the factors and the factors about the no staff and no roster when he first got here and the fact he took this rag tag bunch of guys and still were able to have these huge wins throughout the season. I think the wins far exceed the couple of bad losses they had. You know, losing the Arkansas at home was bad. They finished the Season with a thud. Losing the Tennessee in the NCAA tournament was kind of bad, but I think the, the big wins far overshadow that.

[Matt Jones]

And you know, we also, I think have to consider Drew, how hard the conference was. Right. I mean, if we were in the acc, let's just say we played Louisville schedule. What's our record in conference? We were 10 and 8 in conference. What are we if we're in the ACC this year? Are we 15 and 3, 14 and 4, 16 and 2. Like, I mean, some of it has to be. We played in arguably the hardest conference ever in college basketball.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. There's a big part of the fan base that just says, this is Kentucky. We're supposed to be the gold standard. We're supposed to win every year. But you have to look at the circumstances, Even like the 2015 team that ran the table. If you go back and look at Ken Palm and the SEC teams that year, the league was terrible. Now that team was awesome in itself. But the competition has just changed so much from year to year to where now the SEC was, as we know, 14 teams in the tournament. Then you throw in the injuries that you've had to go through at some point, you can't just keep saying this is Kentucky. You have to look at what's happened in front of you. And if you have a depleted roster and you're in the best conference of all time, there's going to be a little bit of a dip. Now you can be upset about losing to Georgia and losing to Texas. I'm completely with you on that. But you can't just keep saying this is Kentucky. We're number one every year because things change. You got to look at the big picture.

[Matt Jones]

Do you? Shannon, you're the most cynical of the group. Do you have any sympathy to the argument of, well, it's a B. Just because we can't say the sweet 16 is enough.

No, it's a dumb argument. First of all, if Kentucky were in the ACC, they would have one loss. They went 2 and 1 against the top three teams in the accident this season. So I mean, I look at. Okay, let's just compare to John Caliper, his first year, his first year here, he went to the elite eight. Mark Pope was one went away from doing that with a team full of far less talented guys than what Caliper he had in his first year.

Yeah, Mark Pope had. What did we have five first round draft picks on that team. I think in his first year. Yeah, he had five first round draft picks. This team will have no.

First so considering what Pope did with what he had, giving him a B is just, it's not even an argument to me. It's a solid A. I don't think there's any argument for that.

Yeah, I don't really either, but I do think there is A. And some of this is just the modern, like whatever position somebody has, there are people who want to take the opposite just to, to argue. But, you know, I guess he could have won a couple more games. But I mean, you look at that roster, especially after Jackson Robinson goes out a sweet 16 with that roster, to me is not only performing to your seed, it might be over performing because I'm not sure we're a three seed if Jackson Robinson's out the whole year. So to be able to do that, I think he deserves a lot of credit and I think most fans give it to him. But it is interesting to me that there's this little sort of and part of it's the anxiety about the portal, which we'll talk about in a minute. 859-280-2287. You're not going to pull an April Fool's joke, are you, Ryan? At some point during the show, I'm.

[Drew Franklin]

I'm contemplating I'm the only one with.

[Shannon The Dude]

Him, so I'm worried. I'm looking at my chair, seeing what's going on.

[Matt Jones]

You literally thought that was a joke. Just taking the wheels off people's chair. Did you say April Fools when they fell to the ground?

[Drew Franklin]

They didn't follow the ground. They just couldn't scoot their chair over the carpet.

[Matt Jones]

And so when they said what happened? What did you just go? April Fools.

[Drew Franklin]

April Fools. Ha ha. Funny, funny.

[Matt Jones]

Did you walk in with a bucket of wheels to put back on the chair next year?

[Drew Franklin]

I took a rol and taped up their doorknobs. I couldn't open the door to get in their office.

[Shannon The Dude]

A lot of people laugh at that.

[Matt Jones]

None of this, none of this is an April Fool's joke.

Just torturing people.

You're just be. It's, those are not April Fool's jokes in any sense of the word.

[Shannon The Dude]

And this is third shift in a newsroom. Don't you think maybe they needed the wheels on their chairs and to get into their, their office?

[Drew Franklin]

Funny. Funny. They got them back.

[Matt Jones]

It seems hilarious. 859-280-2287. We will take a break. Be right back. KSR welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. People are Shannon talking about pranks they've pulled and asking whether or not It's April Fools. This woman says she went on Facebook and she told everyone to text her husband and. And tell them they wanted to buy llamas from him, even though he doesn't own llamas. And he got 500 text messages from people about llamas. Now, does that sound like an April Fool's joke?

It's a prank. I don't know that it's a joke, though.

Yeah, it is a prank. I kind of agree. I don't know if it's an April Fool's joke. I feel like April Fool's is. I tell you something, Drew that and act like it's true, but it's not. That's April Fools. I think just pulling a prank is not in and of itself April Fools.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, I guess. Yeah, you're not really fooling. You're fooling all the people that emailed the husband. But no, they.

[Matt Jones]

They were in on it. They were just. They were part. Like, they were doing it as part of the job.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, the he. The victim there. It's more of just pranking him than April Fooling him. As I interpret the holiday.

[Matt Jones]

Yes. One person writes, it sounds like, to me, Ryan uses April Fools as a chance to just be a jerk.

[Drew Franklin]

I think it's a free pass today.

[Shannon The Dude]

What you told me during the break.

[Matt Jones]

Your. Your.

[Shannon The Dude]

Your April Fool's prank didn't go very well.

[Drew Franklin]

Oh, the. The. The wheels off the chairs. I got a call from the chief engineer at my house, and, like, he said, look, you got, like, five seconds to fix this right now. So I got. I got into a little trouble.

[Matt Jones]

I can understand why. Like, it's not. You can't do it. Like, someone could have gotten hurt.

[Drew Franklin]

No, they just couldn't. Scoot him.

[Matt Jones]

Doesn't care. As long as he got to laugh at it, he doesn't care.

He's just. Ryan thinks he could just walk behind somebody, smack him in the face, and go, april Fools.

[Shannon The Dude]

Dennis the Menace over here.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, no kidding. Also, by the way, Drew, six years ago today, John Calipari announced he would stay at Kentucky with a lifetime contract and that he, quote, didn't want to coach any other school ever. What do you think about that?

That's an April Fool's Day joke.

Got us.

[Shannon The Dude]

That's how you do it, Ryan.

[Matt Jones]

That's exactly right. That was the John Caliperi long play. That's exactly right. He's like, you know what? In five years, this will all pay off. Yeah, but it was April 1, 2019, when he announced, I will be going nowhere. Else. And I will finish my career at Kentucky.

[Drew Franklin]

So that's that.

[Matt Jones]

Which goes.

[Drew Franklin]

They got beat by Kansas State and UCLA was flirting with him. Is that when all that happened?

[Matt Jones]

I think that's when that happened. And in hindsight, we've talked about this. Honestly, Ryan, that's when he should have left. Yes, I think. I think. I think if he left then, but, I mean, Mitch could not have let him go. Mitch would have taken a lot of heat. So I understand why they did that lifetime deal. But it would have been best for all parties if he left then, don't you think? Like, I. In hindsight, that was the moment that would have been the perfect time for him to exit.

[Drew Franklin]

Mitch Barnhart had to keep him here. You couldn't let. He had to leave for ucla.

[Matt Jones]

You could, but if you're Cal, wouldn't that have been the right time for Cal to go? Like it would have. I think people would have. You know, it's like George Costanza says, you want to leave them, want more Drew. And that was the moment that I think he could have done that.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah. Looking back, I'm. I think I was even for the lifetime contract in the moment, because at that time, Cal was still Cal here and winning a bunch of games. I don't think anyone saw the way it would tank. But now that we know what we know. Horrible, horrible decision. Or just a great April Fool's Day prank.

[Matt Jones]

He should have definitely left. If he left. St. Peter's doesn't happen. Oakland doesn't happen. 9 and 6.

Covid doesn't happen. We don't even have Covid.

Exactly.

Exactly.

[Shannon The Dude]

Tournament and see our families in 2020.

[Matt Jones]

Yes, that's exactly right. Kobe goes away. Shannon, everyone wrote me after the show yesterday and said the last five minutes of the show became the Price is Right.

Yeah.

What happened there? Because I don't know what they're talking.

Look, I understand that everybody looked at me as suspect number one, but I wasn't even watching the prices. Right. It somehow happened in the Lexington studio where they had, I guess, the board on the TV because there was severe weather the night before. They were testing something, and somebody forgot to turn that off during the break. And instead of hearing us, you heard the last. You heard the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right. Apparently, they were giving away a really good vacation package, too, so they.

They skipped the last segment, and it just played the prices right over the radio.

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

Yep.

[Shannon The Dude]

We had a good segment, too.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

And so what about the podcast? Is it the Price is Right?

No, no, it's it's what?

We're only in Lexington, so. So people listening to our show in. In the last 10 minutes just heard the Prices, right?

[Drew Franklin]

Yep. Yep.

[Matt Jones]

Wow.

[Drew Franklin]

There's something kind of funny about it.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. So. So they had just left it on the TV from the night before the emergency, right?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

They were testing it during the break and I, you know, I asked gm.

I couldn't figure out. I couldn't figure out how in the world would the prices right be on the right radio? Is it still Drew Carey?

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

When you heard it, didn't you immediately think Shannon was watching Prices right in the studio and somehow mixed a button up and came out?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, I didn't know about it. I just, I was sitting at the airport and just got message after message of why is the prices right on? And I thought I did assume it was Shannon that did it, but. But I didn't know. Maybe I thought it was April Fools. Who's. Who was up first?

Let's go to Sean.

Sean, Go ahead, Sean.

[Caller]

How you guys doing?

[Matt Jones]

I'm doing good.

[Caller]

First time, long time calling from Kentucky. I hate April Fools because first thing at work this morning, I'm flipping through, you know, Twitter, seeing Otago Way was in the portal, and I was like, I know it's April Fool's Day, but.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Caller]

Do you believe?

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I would, I would. That I would have been suspect. Let me say this about Otega away. When it comes to portal, there are schools that have, like, had their people talk to his people. There are schools that are offering him insane amounts of money, like in school, at least one school in conference trying to get him to come. I do not think he will leave. I think, I think part of what. So when we look at the portal, part. One of the things we have to recognize is when you're looking at the money Kentucky spends, they're going to have to spend money to keep Ortega away here. So when you see, like a school sign a random person and you see, again, I don't believe any of these numbers, but let's say that it says they signed a guy and gave him $3 million. A lot of those schools don't have to do what Kentucky does, which is they're gonna have to pay a big chunk of money to keep one of their own guys. You know, Louisville, for instance. I don't think they have to do that, but we do. So I do. I don't expect Ortega away to go anywhere, but I do think it's important for people to recognize that some of our Nil budget is going to be used to just keep these guys here that we already have.

[Caller]

Right. And I have a April fool. So I'm pretty sure it was on April Fool. Me and my wife was expecting. We was at a baby doctor's appointment. Well, the nurse that brought us back didn't ask anything at all about me. She just assumed I was bad. So she like does all this stunk wide open front of me. And then she looks at me and she's like, congratulations, dad. And I told her, I was like, ma'am, I'm not the dad. I'm her brother. She turned 50 different shades of white. She's like, I'm so sorry. And I said, ma'am, I'm just kidding. I'm just, it's a joke. I'm done.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, you played the. Okay. I didn't know where that was going. I thought there, I thought that could go a lot of different ways. I got you. Okay. So then you acted like you heard this. All right, that's an April Fool's joke. Although I thought that story was going to go in a different direction. Thank you very much. I appreciate the call. We'll take a break. Be right back. Talk some portals. KSR TJ Smith, personal injury attorney. Call tj. He'll make him pay.

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

Welcome back Techie Sports Radio. This segment sponsored by the KSR Bowling League. Yes, starting April 23rd. That's the week I get back. 7:00 Wednesday nights, KSR Bowling League 12 weeks. You can have a mixed league of four person teams sign up. You can, even if you, if you have to miss a couple nights, it's okay. Unlike some of the years past, you can kind of mix and match $700 or $7,000 cash prize. That's a lot different than $700. Details and signups are@ksr bowling.com and if you sign up for all 12 weeks, you get 50 bucks up, 50 bucks off ksr bowling.com we all going to play in it. I have arranged some very special guests, including some folks that like when you consider, what is it, $25 to play like, it's a pretty good deal when you consider some of the people that are going to be there. So Ryan, I know you've always enjoyed this. Are you looking forward to getting back to the lanes?

[Drew Franklin]

It's actually a lot of fun. I mean the group of, we've had a lot of regulars that have been there since the first Boeing League and it's just kind of fun and it's kind of a neat thing to do on a Wednesday night in the summer, man, go out and bowl for a little bit.

[Shannon The Dude]

I was out in Lexington Saturday night watching basketball and a guy came up to me and he'd already signed up, was excited to get to bowling. So there's a buzz town about it.

[Matt Jones]

KSR bowling.com the first one is Wednesday April 23rd. I will be there. We'll even see if we can get Shannon to drive. That would be amazing if Shannon drives there because you know he doesn't like to get out of his house. But KSR bowling.com let's talk a little portal stuff. It's and by the way, it's at the Collins Southland Lanes. Let's talk a little bit about the portal first. Bryce Hopkins. Drew gets in and he's going to St. John's so Bryce who played for Cal is now going to go play for Rick. I was trying to think. I don't think there's ever been anyone that played for Cal and Rick. Oh the stories he will be able to tell. Are you pulling for Bryce at St.

[Shannon The Dude]

John's I'm pulling for him to write a book when his career is over. But yeah, I'll root for him a little bit. I liked Bryce when he was here. Definitely wish he had played more. I remember him having a big game and Cal said it's time to start playing Bryce and then I'm not sure he played again so I don't think he played again. He was injured the last two seasons so I'm glad he's getting another chance, fresh start because I've always liked him and rooted for him except the one time he played Kentucky.

[Matt Jones]

Got a lot of interactions with Kentucky. Obviously played here. Remember then we played him Ryan in the NCAA tournament and now he's going to play for Rick. You got to wonder what is that? What does Cal think of a cow guy going to Rick? I think that would be literally I would love to talk to him when that's over and see what he has to say. Comparing the guys that would be kind.

[Drew Franklin]

Of interesting to have him on comparing. But I saw the picture of him and then when he transferred, man, he is a grown ass man now. He's a big strong looking dude. I'd like to have him back here actually.

[Matt Jones]

He was a big dude when he got into college but I think Rick will get his full potential out of him. You know he hasn't. I think he's a lot better than what he has played, what we've seen well.

He was good for Providence till he got hurt like he was. He was playing pretty well for them that first year, and then he got hurt and now Big Z is back in the portal. That got a ton of news. He's leaving Arkansas. Let's start with this. Leave aside whether I think most Kentucky fans would say if Mark Pope were to want him, everybody would welcome him back. But let's just say you were the coach. I'll start with you, Drew, and then just go around, would you want Big Z next year? Let's even say that were an option. I kind of think it's not an option. Remember, he was probably the one yelling at our fans the most when they were here. Cal had to, like, pull him away from the court after it was over. He, when he left yesterday, put on Instagram Woo pig sui. But let's just say he wanted to come. Would you want Z?

[Shannon The Dude]

I would have the conversation. He wouldn't be high on my list, especially this current situation. I think they need to get tougher and a little better defensively inside. But I would if he were really, really interested. Just if I'm Mark Pope in the style Big Z plays, I think it would work. So I would. I would hear him out, but he wouldn't get my biggest bag. I would have other guys ahead of him, but I would. I wouldn't rule him out and I would certainly talk to him.

[Drew Franklin]

Ryan, I'm kind of with Drew. I think just the fact, because he fits Pope's system and that's when he left the first time. I thought, man, it'd be good if he could stay. He's kind of the guy that would maybe thrive and what Pope's trying to do offensively. So I think I definitely would have the conversation with him, but I wouldn't spend all my money on him, for sure.

[Matt Jones]

Shannon, now, time to move on. We've already had him here. I think he struggled a lot of the season with Arkansas, and there's 1600 players in the portal. I think there's probably a lot more better talent, to be honest with you, out there than Big Z. So I would move on.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if Pope decided to take him, I'd be like, that's fine. But I'm kind of with Shannon in the sense of. I mean, he can't guard anybody and we've. We can't have. We got to have dudes who can play some defense. And honestly, I thought, Drew, that Arkansas got better when they stopped playing Him Right. When they went to ADU as their big. I think that's kind of when they went on their run. So for me, I think it'd be a no. I heard you on the pre show, Shannon, talking about, do we consider Z a cat? You know, I pretty much think anybody that plays here I consider to be a cat. I think, Shannon, you were taking the position they needed to or. No, Billy was taking the position they need to finish here. Right. To be a cat.

Well, it was a caller that was saying that. I think if you were here for a year, then you're a cat. Once a cat, always a cat is my opinion on that.

Yeah, that's kind of my opinion too. But, I mean, I did find it interesting. He was Drew the most aggressive of the Wagner do Z. He was the one most aggressive in Rupp that night against our fans, which I thought was kind of odd because he actually got the best reaction from our fan base. But he didn't seem to like it as much as the rest of them.

[Shannon The Dude]

There's a video of him on his way to the back now. He was provoked by fans, but it got pretty heated at the same time. If you're Z, I mean, Kentucky got you into the school in the middle of the semester, which I still don't know how they pulled that off. They were like, yeah, he's in class. They brought him across the pond and just threw him in a class. I mean, the fans put up a billboard for him to get him eligible. Of all people, that should have had a little more gratitude towards Kentucky, but it'd be big Z of that group.

[Matt Jones]

But he was being booed and his teammates were being booed. So, yeah, if Pope were to decide to do it, I'd be fine, but I kind of would be surprised.

You think he would go? Maybe play with his brother at Illinois?

Maybe. Maybe. His brother?

Yeah.

Brother played well against us. What? He hit four threes against us in that game. I mean, he kind of kept him in it. Who's next?

[Drew Franklin]

Z played well against us at Rob. He had him. Probably his best game of the year, that game.

[Matt Jones]

Edward.

Edward. Go ahead, Edward.

[Shannon The Dude]

Hey, Matt.

[Caller]

Hey, guys.

[Shannon The Dude]

How you doing?

[Matt Jones]

Good.

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah.

[Caller]

So two, just a comment and a question really quick regarding Bryce Hopkins. Rooting for the guy now, when he first left and he made those comments about the program, how Cal was making him play like a robot, I kind of despise the guy. My favorite moment of that season, where we lost in the round of 32 to Kansas State, was Jacob Toppins swatting His dunk off the backboard and then Antonio Reeves going down and hitting that three. That kind of put us up like eight or nine. And then he was crying in Cal's arms after. It was a pretty thick image. I loved it. And that might be awful of me to say, but, yeah, go B hop now. But wasn't a fan when he left. My question I love for y'all to weigh in on is on behalf of my brother who can't call in because he's got a quote unquote important job compared to me.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I'm in sales. So he.

[Caller]

He thinks what I do isn't real, which is totally fine. But. So my question is as far as rivalries, and when I say that for us, I mean Tennessee Duke, UofL, I feel like they've lost their edge a little bit. Not pointing to the fans or anything in particular, but, you know, we like Pat Kelsey. We think Cooper Flag is generational. We still feel hatred for Tennessee. But I'd love to get your all thoughts on, like.

[Matt Jones]

No, I think they have taken it. I think the coaches have made it a little different. I mean, I appreciate the call. Rick Barnes is not really hateable. Pat Kelsey's not really hateable. I still hate Duke. I don't know why everybody acts like Cooper Flag is likable. I still. And. And rooting for him to slip in the final four. I think maybe part of it, Ryan, is that Arkansas with Cal took a lot of the focus this year. The Louisville stuff will kick up. I feel like when Kelsey starts winning, he'll start talking trash and. But probably all those rivalries have tamed a little bit. But maybe the Arkansas one is what amped up instead.

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah, that's.

[Matt Jones]

That.

[Drew Franklin]

That seemed to be the main rivalry this year. For sure. It was Arkansas. But you're right about Louisville. We kind of like Pat Kelsey right now. But sooner or later, something's going to happen where he'll say something or do something and we'll be able to poke at him again for sure.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. I mean, he's going to put on his, like, youth XL pants and get upset at some point, Drew, you know, like he's going to say so. He's. I think he did an amazing job this year winning that fan base over and all that. But I do think there's some trash talk and arrogance in him that'll come out at some point. Don't you, Drew?

[Shannon The Dude]

Yeah, but even when it does, it'll be corny. When we hated Louisville at their peak of hatred, you know, they were actually bad guys. I mean, they're doing stuff in restaurants. You had baloney heads stealing money. Their players were unlikable. Now, even when Pat Kelsey gets into that, it's still going to be corny. Like yesterday, they have this new thing, I guess, when they get a commit, where he sends out the PAT signal and it's just him putting on his black rim sunglasses.

[Matt Jones]

What's it called? The Pat.

[Shannon The Dude]

The Pat signal. Yeah. He tweeted yesterday.

[Matt Jones]

What is that? I didn't see that. What is that?

[Shannon The Dude]

Well, I. I mean, there was no context. It's a video of him just pulling his glasses out of his pocket and putting them on. And the tweet said PAT signal. I think it means they've gotten a commitment. But, like.

[Matt Jones]

Like the bat signal.

[Shannon The Dude]

But, yeah, like, that in itself, that's just. It's a different level of villain now.

[Matt Jones]

They're.

[Shannon The Dude]

They're just corny. Where before they were actual terrible human beings involved.

[Matt Jones]

Villain. Dork man.

He's dork man. That's right. Dork man. No, like, I've liked him so far. He seems like a good dude, but let's wait till they're really good or let's wait till they beat us once. Then I think it'll be different. Do you think Mark Pope is ever going to be the kind of guy who gets into it with any coach ever? Like, I don't know if that'll happen.

[Shannon The Dude]

No. Everyone's too beautiful and super special and extraordinary for him to say beautiful.

[Matt Jones]

Did you hear last night? Yeah. We're going to talk. We're going to talk a little bit later about what his comments were on the show. But he said. He said at one point he was asked about the portal, and he goes, it's beautiful, special chaos. And I was like, that's one of the strangest explanations. Beautiful, special chaos.

[Shannon The Dude]

We had five extraordinaries in the first segment last night.

[Matt Jones]

He loves beautiful. He loves extraordinary. What else does he love?

[Shannon The Dude]

Super.

[Matt Jones]

Yep.

Yeah. He's always like, super. He uses super a lot. He says super quite a bit. He loves those adjectives that really hit home how some. How great something is. 859-280-2287 the women's basketball thing continues to sort of be a talking point. We'll get into it and some more. Right. For this ksr. Yep. This is Pope, right?

Yep. Everything's beautiful.

Everything's beautiful. There's a part of me, though, that envies being able to live life like that. Shannon, right?

100.

Everything's beautiful. You know you don't you, like, you are like a cynical dark lord, you know, in terms of how you look at things. Thank you. Wouldn't you. Wouldn't you like to be able to just look around and go, it's beautiful. The portal is beautiful.

Sunshine, rainbows, and puppy dogs.

Yes. We have to. That's. What a bet. What's much better than to sit there and be like, oh, everything's miserable. Right?

Yeah. I wish I had that outlook on life. It's great.

It is.

I'm not mad at it.

[Drew Franklin]

That's text Pope said before Tennessee game, he used the word beautiful pressure. We have beautiful pressure.

[Matt Jones]

That's right. Yeah.

Even when pressure is beautiful. That would be great. One person writes, Matt, I don't consider. It's the text machine. 772-77-45254. No one that leaves Kentucky is a cat. They chose to leave. Yeah, I think you're gonna have to change that view if you. I mean, is Kyle Wilcher a cat? Like, he won a national championship. Here we go. Act like he's not. He seems to still love this place. I don't think you could. I don't think you can have Ryan, that view in 2025. I mean, you can have it, but I think you're going to be disappointed a lot if you do.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, I guess that the test is what we just saw. Z, DJ Ado. They all went to Arkansas to play for cow. Are they cow guys at Arkansas, or we consider them a cat?

[Matt Jones]

I think they're both. They're cow guys and a cat. They played here, but they played here for cow. I don't think those things for me are mutually exclusive, although they might be for some people. Ryan, I do want to go back to you for this, because the Cassie Row thing, I am amazed how many people are, like, genuinely upset about this. I think it's mostly honestly an eastern Kentucky thing, specifically a northeastern Kentucky thing. People who are from, like, 15th, 16th region maybe watched her play when she was growing up, but there's a lot of people upset. I think her dad went and Drew did an unfiltered interview yesterday, and in so doing kind of stirred the pot a little bit more on it. You know, I gave my opinion yesterday. You. You. Which was basically, you know, we don't know everything. And I'm hesitant to be outraged when I don't know everything. And it's also the modern business of college basketball. But do you think this is going to stick, or is this just, like, season's over. We don't have anything else to talk about. I mean, I hear the women's basketball team may get a big transfer commit today. So I wonder, you know, maybe after that happens, people look at things differently. But do you. Do you think this is going to stick with Kenny for a little while?

[Drew Franklin]

Well, that's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid, you know, he did such a good job of getting our fan base for women's basketball super excited about what they did this year. The product on the court was so good that Memorial Coliseum was sold out. Fans love coming to the game. My, my, my fear is that this has called a little. Caused a little fracture in the fan base that may be hard to get those people back. Just the ones that are on Cassidy side.

[Matt Jones]

But I mean, do you really like once they. But haven't we seen over the years if you win, everybody gets over everything?

[Drew Franklin]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Drew Franklin]

He goes to the final Four. That's going to probably.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I feel like if you. I feel like if you lose, then people will bring this up as a thing to criticize. But if you win, Drew, doesn't everybody just get over everything at some point?

[Shannon The Dude]

I think so. As long as he goes out and gets a good portal class and carries that into next year, I think everyone will move on from this. Now, if he goes and signs three people and there's just four empty chairs on the bench, it might linger a little bit. But I think he's. He's got a plan or he wouldn't have done it. And he's going to add a lot of pieces that'll be helpful. And at the end of the day, that's his job to make sure he's putting the best roster.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, you can. I think, Shannon, you can have both of these views equally. View number one, it does stink for the kid. If she wanted to play and was and wanted to have her senior year, it stinks for her. And I could see why she and her dad would be upset. I get that. I think you can also take the view of this is modern college basketball and we are upset because she's from Kentucky. If. Because, because we. Every coach has done this to players from other schools all the time. And we also don't know the specifics of the conversation. I think that's important. Did he say you can't be on the team? Did he say, I suggest you transfer? I mean, I don't know, Shannon. Like, I don't know exactly what was said and Kenny's probably going to not say anything. I wouldn't think, or at least he won't. So. So I don't know, Shannon. I have. I have mixed emotions on it, but I am surprised how many people are very upset about it.

Yeah. And you're right. It's all in the details. We weren't in the office when they had those conversations. What makes it more confusing for me is, you know, in that first round of the NCAA tournament when they were playing Liberty, Kenny Brooks brought Cassidy Row in to try to, you know, hold off Liberty. Like, she played a significant role on this team. The confusing part for me is how do you not find a roster spot for that person? But at the end of the day, his job is to put together the best roster and the best team that he can. And if he thinks that she shouldn't be a part of it, then that's his decision.

Yeah. Well, I mean, this is back to if you don't like these kinds of things, that's why you need contracts where both sides can't, you know, I mean, both sides can't sort of stop the other one. Like you, you committed to each other. That's why I think J Bill's suggestion of employment contracts is really the best thing to do going forward. Who's up next?

Jacob.

Jacob. Go ahead, Jacob.

[Caller]

I met. I actually called in to talk about the whole Cassie Rose situation. You know, for me, it comes down to, is Kenny the right person for the job? And I think it's 100%, yes. I think that what he did for the team this year, he deserves an A plus. He brought them back from obscurity. I think the quickest way to get them back to obscurity would be to try to drive away Kenny Brooks. I think that just have to trust that this is a decision that we might not understand, but it's the decision that he made that he thought was best, and he's got to trust his leadership. That's kind of my. My take on it.

[Matt Jones]

I appreciate the call and I. I, for the most part agree. Right. I mean, I think it was Bill Belichick maybe, that said, if you're going to ask me to make, you know, to make the meal, I got to buy the groceries. Right. I do wonder if there's a part of that with this, like, if you're going to ask me to do it, then, you know, then you got to let me pick the players. Right. I think that might be part of it.

[Drew Franklin]

Well, there's no doubt. We understand his motive to try to get the best roster possible to try to win a championship. And go to the Final Four. That makes perfect sense. But like we talked about, you got 15 scholarships starting next year, and this girl's gonna be.

[Matt Jones]

It seems like it bothers you. Like, it seems like you are more. You are. Of this show, I think the most bothered about in 30 seconds. Articulate. Why?

[Drew Franklin]

I think it's just because when she was the one that stuck around and kind of held everybody together when the coaching change.

[Matt Jones]

But do you know that she held everybody together? Like, I mean, you say that a lot, but is it like. Like, Georgia was the leader of that team?

[Drew Franklin]

Cassidy was the one, though, that was the carryover from the only one, the carryover from the old regime. And she. She was able to, like, bring help, bond that bridge, so to speak, with everybody else.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, there he goes.

[Drew Franklin]

There you go.

[Matt Jones]

I just want to throw in that I've bought a lot of meals that I didn't cook, and they were all good for the most part.

I just. I've never cooked a meal, so, you know, But I'm learning. I'm learning, and I get it. Well, it's interesting. We'll see. I think the. This will still be a topic going forward. We'll take a break, come back, talk about Pope's comments yesterday. It's ksr.