2025-07-02- KSR - Hour 2

Summary

Podcast Summary: KSR - Hour 2
Release Date: July 2, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones and Ryan Lemon
Broadcasted By: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

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1. Opening Remarks and Community Updates ([02:57] - [04:12])

Matt Jones kicks off Hour 2 by welcoming listeners from High Bramble Park in Versailles. He highlights the vibrant atmosphere with Meat Market offering delicious food and mentions the upcoming Kentucky Proud Series of races, specifically the Woodford leg scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 PM.

Quote:
"Here at High Bramble Park in Versailles, Opa's Ice House is here with Meat Market. They got some food they're cooking up you can get here that'll be available as well."
— Matt Jones [02:57]

2. Discussion on Vince Merrill’s Departure from University of Kentucky ([05:30] - [09:03])

The hosts delve into the recent news of Vince Merrill’s departure from the University of Kentucky (UK). Matt Jones explains how the media uncovered Vince’s resignation through a text message exchange between Vince and Mark Hill, UK’s athletic department leadership.

Key Points:

• Vince Merrill’s official salary at Louisville was reported as $800,000, contrasted with his $1.3 million at Kentucky.
• An additional $400,000 was likely sourced from private donors, raising concerns about donor influence over athletic decisions.
• Potential implications of increasing public-private partnerships in college sports, including issues of control and autonomy over athletic programs.

Notable Quotes:
"I think there's going to be private entities that invest in schools that are going to own a piece of the athletic department, that's inevitable."
— Matt Jones [09:03]

"They know it and they're doing it anyway. So Brett Guthrie, Jamie Comer, Hal Rogers and Andy Bar, the four of you are making the decision this weekend."
— Matt Jones [36:53]

3. Guest Interview: Bill Taylor from the Appalachian Heathens ([18:46] - [23:32])

Bill Taylor, a member of the Appalachian Heathens, joins the show via call-in to discuss his recent appearance on "America’s Got Talent." He shares his journey from TikTok virality to performing on a national stage.

Key Points:

• Bill and his drummer, Joe Cox, have been performing together for nearly three years.
• Their performance received positive feedback from Simon Cowell, indicating a strong potential for advancement in the competition.
• The community’s overwhelming support, with their video nearing 10 million views.

Notable Quotes:
"I just had to go right back to work, right?"
— Bill Taylor [19:04]

"Once I get to the part where I'm singing, I can just close my eyes and I just kind of just zone out."
— Bill Taylor [20:22]

4. Injury Update: Red Panda at WNBA Game ([24:03] - [25:26])

Matt Jones reports on the unfortunate injury of Red Panda, the renowned halftime performer at WNBA games, who fell and possibly hurt her wrist during a recent performance.

Key Points:

• Red Panda is celebrated for her dynamic performances, including juggling plates and balancing cups while on a unicycle.
• Concerns are raised about the impact of her injury on future performances and the agility of the halftime show team.

Notable Quotes:
"She worked 310 days a year at sporting events. Hopefully, she's not out too long."
— Matt Jones [24:54]

"She’s the best halftime show."
— Ryan Lemon [24:25]

5. Listener Questions and Team Projections ([26:50] - [35:33])

Listeners call in with questions about Kentucky’s football and basketball prospects. The hosts discuss potential coaching moves and player performances for the upcoming seasons.

Key Points:

• Debate on whether Neil Brown would join UK as Offensive Coordinator, with skepticism about the feasibility.
• Analysis of players like Jalen Lowe and Boogie Flynn, highlighting Jalen’s potential growth under Coach Mark Pope’s system.
• Emphasis on the importance of good shot selection and team dynamics for player development.

Notable Quotes:
"Jalen Lowe was one of the worst players in the country at taking tough shots... but when he takes good shots, he makes them at an amazing rate."
— Matt Jones [33:53]

"If you have to bet a significant amount of money, I’m going under."
— Matt Jones [27:36]

6. Local Events and Personal Stories ([35:33] - [50:03])

Matt shares his experience attending a high-energy soccer game featuring Brazilian teams in Philadelphia, emphasizing the cultural vibrancy and passionate fan engagement. He contrasts it with similar events in the US, praising the Brazilian approach to sports festivities.

Key Points:

• The immersive fan experience at the Brazilian soccer match, characterized by continuous singing and dancing.
• Encouragement for listeners to attend international sporting events to appreciate different cultural expressions in sports.

Notable Quotes:
"The love online is just beyond what I'd ever anticipated."
— Bill Taylor [23:15]

"They sing and dance the whole game and never stop."
— Matt Jones [32:08]

7. Health Care Legislation Impact ([36:17] - [37:52])

Matt passionately addresses the upcoming congressional vote on health care, emphasizing its critical impact on rural hospitals in Kentucky. He urges listeners to stay informed and hold their state representatives accountable.

Key Points:

• The potential closure of rural hospitals if certain legislation passes.
• The importance of accessible healthcare for small towns and vulnerable populations.
• Direct call-out to state representatives Brett Guthrie, Jamie Comer, Hal Rogers, and Andy Bar to consider the community’s needs.

Notable Quotes:
"If you live in a small town and you have a hospital, you need to pay attention to what happens this weekend."
— Matt Jones [36:40]

"They are vital to what we're trying to do at Kentucky."
— Ryan Lemon [29:10]

8. Upcoming Shows and Announcements ([50:03] - [50:17])

In the closing segment, Matt hints at future exciting initiatives, including a travel weekend around the state, and thanks the audience for their support.

Key Points:

• Announcement of a travel weekend series exploring different parts of Kentucky.
• Appreciation for the live audience and sponsors like Opa's Ice House.
• Teasers for upcoming shows and replays of memorable past episodes.

Notable Quotes:
"We're going to be doing a travel weekend around the state. Are you ready for it?"
— Matt Jones [50:05]

"Enjoy your fourth of July. Enjoy your time here in Woodford County."
— Matt Jones [50:17]

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Conclusion

This episode of KSR - Hour 2 offers a comprehensive look into the University of Kentucky’s athletic landscape, community events, and personal stories from local talents like Bill Taylor. The hosts effectively blend sports analysis with engaging interviews and listener interactions, providing valuable insights and fostering a strong sense of community among their audience.

Highlights:

• In-depth discussion on Vince Merrill’s contract and its implications.
• Exciting interview with a rising musical talent on a national stage.
• Critical commentary on health care legislation affecting rural hospitals.

Remember:
Stay tuned for upcoming travel weekends and special episodes celebrating Kentucky’s vibrant sports and cultural scene. Enjoy your Fourth of July celebrations and support local businesses and athletes!

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "Vince’s contract at Louisville was only $800,000 a year, but he was paid $1.3 million at Kentucky."
  — Matt Jones [05:42]

• "I think Jalen Lowe was one of the worst players in the country at taking tough shots... but he makes them at an amazing rate when he takes good shots."
  — Matt Jones [33:53]

• "She works 310 days a year at sporting events. Hopefully, she's not out too long."
  — Matt Jones [24:54]

• "We're going to be doing a travel weekend around the state. Are you ready for it?"
  — Matt Jones [50:05]

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and highlights from the KSR Hour 2 episode, providing an informative and engaging overview for those who haven't listened to the live broadcast.

Transcript

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[Matt Jones]

Nmlsconsumeraccess.Org welder back it is hour number two kentucky sports radio 859-2802 2287 text machine 772-774-5254 here at high bramble park in versailles, opa's ice house is here with Meat market. They got some food they're cooking up you can get here that'll be available as well. I think it's available now, but when the show is over, all kinds of folks here celebrating 12:30 on Saturday is the opening as part of the Kentucky Proud Series of races and this is the Woodford leg of it.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, Opa's Ice House is going to have a permanent restaurant here on the facility. That's how much this place is going to grow and blossom over the next couple of months.

[Matt Jones]

That's exactly right. 1-859-280-2287 I have a Louisville fan. Nick Coffey. Says to me some Mardo Samuels, probably the best Louisville freshman. If so, then I would say the Brown kid has a chance to be better, but we're still going to beat him in the Yum Center. I don't care what any of them say. We I had Louisville fans crowing at me yesterday. They were very upset because I said I didn't know any of the Louisville players. So I'll ask you, Ryan, you are a basketball savant. Do you know any of the Louisville.

[Ryan Lemon]

Players next year the kids come as a freshman named Brown.

[Matt Jones]

Okay. We just talked about him. What about the, what about the rest of the roster?

[Ryan Lemon]

I'm going to need need some time to go to the website probably and look those guys up.

[Matt Jones]

They got the kid. What's the kid's name that had the blonde dyed hair that got hurt during the tournament prior? So he's good, I think. The kid from byu, what was his name? He didn't play last year. Khalifa. He played for Pope. And then besides him, I can't name another player?

[Ryan Lemon]

Nope.

[Matt Jones]

I mean it doesn't mean they won't be Good. But I. I think one of their kids came from Virginia maybe. Did they have a person transfer from Virginia?

[Ryan Lemon]

Somebody back there shaking their head?

[Matt Jones]

Somebody says yes. Yeah. That's the only other one I would know. And I don't know his name, so it's no offense. They're projected top 10. I believe they're going to be good. But I think Louisville fans live in a deluded world where they think anyone outside of their fan base cares. Like, no one in that. No one care cares about Louisville outside of the Cardinal fan base. Nationally, nobody cares. Locally, we only care to, like, beat you and make fun of you. So I'm not exactly sure why. Why they would be surprised. I wouldn't know the. The players. And by the way, the whole. Well, Matt, you don't know Ball. That's okay. I don't know Ball. And I still get to do this and you get to sit at home. They don't. I mean, I. It doesn't matter. I don't have to know your team to know that historically, Louisville is not as good as Kentucky with the transfer.

[Ryan Lemon]

Portal this time of year. I think fans sometimes don't know the members on their own team. Like, I don't, don't. I can't think I could name all the guys on our UK team. But, like a lot of fans, this time of year, it's a new team.

[Matt Jones]

Every year it's a different era. Okay, we got to talk just second, because I. I was off yesterday. Vince Meow's goodbye. Vince Merrill's goodbye. So they. It's kind of surprising to me the media can get this, but the media was able to get the text message that Vince Mero sent to UK about saying he's leaving. Now, this is on Thursday. I just want to remind you the timeframe. It had been announced on Monday, right, that he was leaving. But you may remember on Thursday, they had not made an official announcement yet. So here's the text message. Mark Hill. That's for people who don't know. Mark Hill is Mitch Barnhart's number two. Basically, at uk, he writes, vince, let me know when we can chat about moving on. And then he writes, car. Any devices, keys, etc. All the things. Vince then responds, k.

[Ryan Lemon]

Good response. K. You know, maybe he's busy.

[Matt Jones]

And then 30 minutes later, hey, Mark, today is my last day. UK, thanks for everything. And then Mark responds, thanks. Let me know when you want to get your Ford Expedition to my house. Which is kind of funny. Like, these guys all make all this money and they're still like, hey, man, will you bring my car back to me? You have UK's car now. I was told, by the way, that Vince had had given notice to UK before that, but they needed some sort of official document. I guess the official document is that text message. What did you make of that? Back and forth.

[Ryan Lemon]

I guess they do need to have it in writing in some capacity. So in legal terms, does a text message count as.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, legal.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemon]

So maybe that covers it right there.

[Matt Jones]

So. So that it was reported that Vince Con. Vince's contract at Louisville was only $800,000 a year. Remember, he was paid 1.3 million at Kentucky. So yesterday, Louisville fans were very much crowing, oh, he came here for a half a million less. Turns out that was also not exactly correct. Football Scoop reported that he's making 800,000 from the university, but quote, 400,000 from another source, which to me sounds like some donor is probably paying Vince directly the other $400,000. That's not completely uncommon, but to me, I'm glad the University of Kentucky doesn't do that yet. Although I could see us doing it one day. Because you do not want to have a donor who basically is funding the position and then has veto power over whether or not you keep or lose the person. But. But apparently 400,000 of it played. And then he has incentives that if they win the ACC, et cetera, he could make up to Ryan $2 million. So I can understand if he had incentives to go up to $2 million, why UK would say we're not doing that.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, and I can see, you know, came out that the. The contract was comparable at Louisville, what he was making at Kentucky. So I believe that what you were saying, that is probably around 1.3, that what he was going to end up getting at Louisville. And if it gets to a point where we have boosters hiring coaches, man, you're just asking for fire. You're just asking for trouble.

[Matt Jones]

It is going to. It is inevitable in college sports that we're going to have more public, private partnerships. I've told you, I think there's going to be private entities that invest in. In schools that are going to own a piece of the athletic department, that's inevitable. But I would say this. These schools got to be real, real careful, really, because when you start making it to where, you know, Ryan Lemon is paying for half of my coaches, am I in charge? Or is Ryan Lemon in charge at that point? Like, am I the one that gets. Am I the athletic director? What if. What if I hire. You know what if I hire Mario and Mario does something that I think is against the university's values, I say we have to get let Mario go. And you say, but I like Mario. He's staying. What's, what's gonna happen?

[Ryan Lemon]

He stays or I pull my money out.

[Matt Jones]

I mean, some of that already occurs, but it's a whole nother level when you're actually paying officially the salary through your private funds. I just think that's a good way to really, you gotta be careful about that. And I. And this is gonna happen with all schools coming up.

[Ryan Lemon]

It happens, you know, even at the high school level sometime in booster clubs. You know, the, the booster club president may have a son that he wants to play. So he's going to donate a lot of money to the program expecting his son to play.

[Matt Jones]

By the way, Jesser scored one point at the NBA celebrity all Star Game.

[Ryan Lemon]

Whoa.

[Matt Jones]

You are trying to tell me he's going to score more than 10?

[Ryan Lemon]

Kane Brown is a hell of a defender.

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[Bill Taylor]

Hey guys. So this may be an unpopular opinion with people over 50, but I just took two minutes and did a Google Earth search over Kroger Field, Michigan Stadium, Nyland Stadium and usc. And the only stadium with all that concrete for parking is Kentucky. Walk a little bit and have better things around the stadium. Younger people want to see cool stuff and do cool things. They don't just want to just sit there and stand in a hot concrete.

[Matt Jones]

I agree with you. But here's what I would say to you. First of all, USC has no atmosphere at their game, so they're a bad example. Michigan and Tennessee are good, but the thing about Michigan and Tennessee that they have that we don't, to be fair is they have parking all over campus. So they don't have parking right next to the stadium, but they have places to park in Ann Arbor and Knoxville in Lexington, Kentucky. If you think about it, outside of that parking lot across the stadium, where is there public parking for the UK games? Well, there's a garage on campus, but you can't. I mean, it's not that big. And then probably the closest is the KS Bar parking lot or the mall. I mean, sir, there's just nowhere to park. Remember the area around UK's campus? Those are neighborhoods, or it's the actual campus. There's really nowhere for people to park.

[Bill Taylor]

I get that. I just wonder, can they not erect more parking garages if they're going to be building other things in that area?

[Matt Jones]

They might, but if you want to create an atmosphere, erecting a lot of parking garages ain't going to exactly make the atmosphere fun. Nobody wants to tag a tailgate in a garage. So, you know, I appreciate there's no. I mean, there's no easy answer to this, but I'll tell you what was better. When we had grass and we had an environment and there were places to park and there were places for people to tailgate.

[Ryan Lemon]

Parking is a 100 legit concern, or not just at football games, but on campus in that area, especially, you know, students are parking in that parking lot now during that Kroger field couldn't take more spaces away. Just gonna make it worse over there.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, someday when school's going on, just drive on UK's campus and see if you can find a place to park.

[Ryan Lemon]

Ain't gonna happen.

[Matt Jones]

Like it's not. Like it's not happening. So now add 70,000 people to the city, most of whom are from out of town. And, you know, there's a reason why at ksbar, we. We're what, six blocks away, eight blocks away, and that place is full. Because what? Because what? What? What else? Where else are people gonna go?

[Ryan Lemon]

And UK Hospital keeps expanding out. Then down on Waller Avenue, they're taking up more of the spaces that people were using for parking. It's a legit concern. More so than the tailgating area. The parking may even be a bigger concern.

[Matt Jones]

They just brought us some food. This is the OPA's ice house. I'm looking forward to eating this. That looks insanely good. But you can't bring it in the middle of a segment when I'm trying to talk. And all this food smells that good. Who's next?

[Ryan Lemon]

Bill.

[Matt Jones]

Bill, go ahead. Bill. I can't hear you. I'm on the radio. Opa. Bill, go ahead.

[Bill Taylor]

Hey, man, just calling in from Middlesborough, man. Just want to say I'm a big fan of you all. And thank you for doing that article about me singing the other night.

[Matt Jones]

Wait a minute. Hang on just a second. Hang on just a second. Are you Bill Taylor with the Appalachian Heathens?

[Bill Taylor]

Yes, sir.

[Matt Jones]

Nice.

[Ryan Lemon]

Nice.

[Matt Jones]

All right.

[Bill Taylor]

Hell yeah, man. Hell yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Well, Bill, I didn't know. Well, what a surprise. Okay, so wait a minute. Well, I have a lot of stuff I want to ask you. Can you. Can you hang on a second and I'll. Let me take.

[Bill Taylor]

Absolutely.

[Matt Jones]

All right. Just hang on just a second. What a nice surprise.

[Bill Taylor]

Really?

[Matt Jones]

Yes. Okay.

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Well, they're famous right now.

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[Ryan Lemon]

Oh my. Sit outside, have one of those seltzers. Enjoy life.

[Matt Jones]

Nice sun, get a seltzer. Just sit back and relax. It is cornbread hemp.com the promo code is KSR for 20% off. Those seltzers sell out everywhere they go, but you can get them online or the gummies, which I help use to sleep. It's cornbread hemp.com rest, relax with Cornbread Hemp Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heathens on the radio. We'll take a break. Be right back. It's Kentucky Sports Radio.

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[Matt Jones]

Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Bill John is that's Bill, I assume. Yes, Bill Taylor, who with his band the Appalachian Heathens. All right, so Bill, I got couple quick questions for you. First of all, thank you for calling in. How did you end up on America's Got Talent?

[Bill Taylor]

Well, thank you for having me, brother. I've been a fan for a long time. So my tick tock man, I started getting a few videos that started seeing quite a few views and I got a recruiter reach out to me and at first it was just like, you know, if you'd be interested, do you want to go to Hollywood. I said, yeah, it'd be awesome. I didn't think nothing of it. And about two weeks later, she said, well, I thought my producers, would you like to go to Hollywood? I was like, yeah, yeah, I'll come.

[Matt Jones]

So you. So then they. They bring you and. And your band to Hollywood. How long have you guys been playing?

[Bill Taylor]

We've been playing together for about. It's coming up on about three years now.

[Matt Jones]

Three years. And you. Did you all grow up in Middlesborough?

[Bill Taylor]

No, just me and my drummer, Joe Cox.

[Matt Jones]

So where'd you go to high school, Bill? Are you Middlesboro, Bell county, or Pineville?

[Bill Taylor]

That's a little loaded question, man. We went everywhere. My dad was a roofer, and we moved around a lot, but I ended up at Bell county my sophomore year and ended up graduating there.

[Matt Jones]

All right, I'm gonna act like you went to Middlesboro just for the sake of.

[Bill Taylor]

Hey, Joe did all right.

[Matt Jones]

Well, good. I'm glad Joe went there. You got a bobcat and a jacket. All right, so you go out there right before you walk on stage. How nervous are you?

[Bill Taylor]

Oh, I shag him like a leaf on the tree, brother.

[Matt Jones]

I bet you were. Because, you know, Simon Cowell can. Can be a harsh critic. You got out there. You're going at first acapella. Were you worried at all about hitting that note?

[Bill Taylor]

Not really, man. Once I get to the part where I'm singing, I can just close my eyes and I just kind of just zone out. And, you know, it's what happened there. And as soon as I heard the crowd start reacting, I just got in my comfort zone and it. You know, we. We did what we always do. We just performed.

[Matt Jones]

So could you tell that you had killed it? Like, when it was over, did you think, okay, I'm. We're getting yeses.

[Bill Taylor]

I feel like it. I mean, you know, Simon was on his feet applauding, so I was like, okay, yeah, we did pretty good.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, if you get him. Okay, so when is the next round?

[Bill Taylor]

So I don't know the exact date, but I know lives are in August, September. I've been talking to a. An alumni that was on there two years ago, and he told me that I would probably know something in July, sometime this month. So, I mean, it's. Once I know, everybody's going to know, I promise you.

[Matt Jones]

Well, yeah, you better tell me, because I'm. I'm definitely going to be trying to get everybody on board. Do you know what your next song is going to be? You did knock it on Heaven's door. What do you think? What are you thinking for the next one?

[Bill Taylor]

I don't know at the moment, man. We'll just have to see what they. What they accepted in just as much as it is me. We're thinking about original, but I can't say which one it is.

[Matt Jones]

Okay, well, that's all right. Now you're also. If I, if I. You tell me if it's right. Aren't you playing Saturday night in Lexington?

[Bill Taylor]

Yes, sir. I'm playing at the Borough with Clark Sexton and Jonathan Cox.

[Matt Jones]

7:00Pm all right, so that's pretty good. So you're at the Borough Saturday night, seven o' clock. I actually may try to stop by there, see some Bell county folks. Is it is. So you got this group, you go to the next thing. What is the ultimate prize? I haven't watched AGT in a while. Like what, what do you win if you win it.

[Bill Taylor]

It'S so you win a million dollars. And you know, I've split some with my band members and stuff. But the biggest thing I want from it, man, is to start a career to where all I'm ever having to do is play music. That's what I want.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I want that for you. And listen, as a fellow Middlesbrough, Ian, the moment you went on stage, my phone blew up with people from all over going, there's somebody from Middlesboro. There's somebody from Middlesboro. My mom was like somebody from Middlesbrough. Everybody was insanely excited. I hope you feel that in the community. It's kind of crazy. You just had to go right back to work, right?

[Bill Taylor]

Yeah, man. And the love online is just beyond what I'd ever anticipated. I thought it might get a million views, bro. We're almost at 10 million right now.

[Matt Jones]

Wow, that's awesome. Good for you.

[Bill Taylor]

And I know a lot of that is our community.

[Matt Jones]

No, it is. Listen, the community rallied around it. I'm gonna be pulling for you. Keep in touch with this bill and good luck on America's Got Talent.

[Bill Taylor]

Absolutely, buddy. And cash buy 90.

[Matt Jones]

There you go. Thank you very much. Bill Taylor with Bill Taylor in the Appalachian. He. What a nice surprise. He. We had talked about him coming on, but I didn't know he was calling today. That's great.

[Ryan Lemon]

You know, it is so cool. There's these people like Bill and that are just small town musicians across this state. He's getting his chance to show it on a national stage. You have to love that. You have to be pulling for a guy like that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, well, I certainly am somebody else. That kind of created success for their own. Got hurt last night. Did you see Red Panda?

[Ryan Lemon]

No. Did she get hurt?

[Matt Jones]

Red Panda fell at the women's. At the WNBA game. Fell and looks like she may have hurt her wrist or something. She had to be kind of helped off the court. How many of you know who Red Panda is? Raise your hand. Okay. A lot of people. So Red Panda, she's probably the best halftime show.

[Ryan Lemon]

The best halftime show.

[Matt Jones]

She gets on a big, tall unicycle and she, like, juggles plates and she balances cups on her head and she kicks things out. Yesterday she was just getting started. She really was just starting to go, and it just. I don't know if something broke or whatever, but she just fell.

[Bill Taylor]

Wow.

[Matt Jones]

And she ended up getting hurt. Myron was telling me on the show last night, she works 310 days a year at sporting events. And, I mean, hopefully she's not out too long. Her doctor's gonna have to step up.

[Ryan Lemon]

Most of us have seen her perform a dozen times, and you can't take her eyes off her man. And she. She. She does that last move perfect every.

[Matt Jones]

I don't know how she does it every. So put like a cup on her foot.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

She'll have cups on her head and she'll take. She's. She's pedaling with one foot and the other foot. She kicks the cups in the head, up in the air, and they flip up and then they land on top of her. Cups on her head. It's an amazing.

[Ryan Lemon]

While she's balancing on a unicycle, the expanded version of a unicycle. She's been.

[Matt Jones]

I think she's been to uk. She hasn't. She.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, she has.

[Matt Jones]

I think she's been to UK games. Yeah, she's. We've seen her at a number of. Spent the SEC tournament a couple times.

[Ryan Lemon]

She's the best.

[Matt Jones]

She is the absolute other favorite halftime type shows.

[Ryan Lemon]

I like the dogs that catch the frisbees and jump off the guy's back and run around all of his body. I like that guy. I like the firecracker jump rope girls. Those probably one of my favorite ones.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, those are all good. What about, like, the contortionist? Do you like the people that do contortion things?

[Ryan Lemon]

Yes, because I can't do any of that. I like the. There's the guy. I don't think he's been to Rupert. There's a guy that does Simon says. And you think it sounds like Simon says.

[Matt Jones]

Says.

[Ryan Lemon]

I know you think it doesn't be very good. It's hilarious. I know it doesn't sound good, but it is hilarious.

[Matt Jones]

I also like the guy that does the painting in like a minute. You ever seen that? Yeah, like, he'll paint. I think he's Drew's friend.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, Aaron Kaiser is the guy that paints. And he paints upside down. Then he'll.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, he paints upside down and then he'll flip it over. But then there's like, he's one of them. And then there's another one that'll paint like a masterpiece in like 30, like a minute.

[Ryan Lemon]

How about the slam dunk guys that bounce off the trampolines?

[Matt Jones]

I'm a little over that now. The slam dunk. Because, like, we've seen all that. I think I like the creative ones.

[Ryan Lemon]

I used to do a halftime show. I used to like that one till I got fired.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, once you make Katina Powell jokes in front of little children, it's a good way to get fired. Unfortunately, I still think they should bring you back. Who's next? Doing great. Doing great. Go ahead.

[Bill Taylor]

Matt. I'm doing great. I hope you're at least doing well. I got a good question for you today. You ready?

[Matt Jones]

Yes.

[Bill Taylor]

All right, so let's say you have a significant amount of money on the line. I don't know what that is relative to you. $1 $10, thousand dollars, $100 Million dollars, whatever that is. If you had to bet. All right, well, if you had to bet a relatively significant amount of money on UK football, either going under two and a half wins or over six and a half wins, if your life was on the line, if you had.

[Matt Jones]

A significant amount of money online.

[Bill Taylor]

Yes. Either under two and a half wins or over six and a half wins. Your only choice.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Bill Taylor]

What would you have?

[Matt Jones]

Those are my two choices that I'm going under. If those. Well, if those are my only two choices, I mean, I, you know, I. I don't think either of those results are likely. Now, if you said to me under two and a half or over five and a half, I'd take the over. But if you're getting to over six and a half, trying to find seven wins on this schedule is really, really hard to me. You're shaking your head. You disagree with me. I don't know how you get to seven. I mean, if we do, then I'm going to be so happy you can have the money.

[Bill Taylor]

But can you give me a sec?

[Matt Jones]

No, because I have to hard break. I'm sorry. It cuts off everybody, including Mark Pope. We'll take a break. Be right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. Welcome back, Kentucky Sports Radio. Here at High Bramble park in Woodford county, part of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, KSR Safe Summer Driving Tour. This segment is sponsored by Club Blue, the official nil fundraising partner of the University of Kentucky. And Bespoken spirits, they just started an ultra premium Club Blue Bourbon. Club Blue Whiskey Chalk clocks in at over eight years old, comes packaged in a handcrafted wooden box, and it's a collector's item for Club Blue. It's blue and white, it's a basketball bottle, and it's sharp. Grab yours [e-mail] or at liquor Barn. Portion of the proceeds go to UK Athletics. And it is a cool. They've made the bottle really neat. And it's the UK Basketball Club Blue Bourbon.

[Ryan Lemon]

Ryan, they do great things for the Kentucky athletes. We should support them as much as we can because they are vital to what we're trying to do at Kentucky.

[Matt Jones]

With that, right before I go, the phones, want to tell you a quick thing. Saturday, when I was in, I was in Philadelphia, I went and saw the club, the Club World cup, two Brazilian teams played soccer against each other, okay? It was part of this tournament. It was Palmeiras and Bota, Botafoga or Botafogo, something like that. Point being, one of them wore green and the other one wore black and white. And it was approximately 155 degrees in Philadelphia at that stadium during the game. It was noon, there was no shade, the sun was going down. I got tickets and I went because I just wanted to see the environment. Just telling you, if you get a chance in your life, whether you like soccer or not, you have to find a way to go to environments like this. Okay? This is two Brazilian teams playing in America, but there's probably 40,000 people there. Probably 95% of them are Brazilian. I gotta give Brazilian people credit. They know how to do sports in a way that, that, like, we can't handle this game. At the end of regulation, the score was 0, 0. So not a whole lot happened, but it was the most fun. Ryan, When I say they sing and dance the whole game, I mean they sing and dance the whole game. Not part of the game, the whole game. Palmaris had more people, so they had this song and I can't do it, but it was like and like. And it would. They would do it for 20 seconds, pause and start it over, and then pause and start it over, and they did it over and over. That would sound Monotonous. But it wasn't because everyone in the crowd, literally everyone danced the whole time. Sitting right in front of me was a mother, a father and two like 10 year old kids. I watched the four of them dance the entire game. They never stopped. They swayed to the beat. They did that Brazilian. What do you call the dance?

[Ryan Lemon]

The Brazilian dance.

[Matt Jones]

The Brazilian dance. Rumba. Is that a thing? I don't know. Point being, it was like to a certain beat, their hips, they kind of would whatever and they all seem to know it. And I had the most fun. Next thing you know, I was up dancing Ryan, and I'm not even a dad, but I learned the. The thing and I walked away, bought a Palmeris hoodie and I had the best time. So I would really encourage, if you get a chance to go to something like that, the World cup is here next year. If one of the countries that has a cool, you know, fan base comes, save your money and go, I think it'll be awesome.

[Ryan Lemon]

You know, we think we do it right here in the United States. We ain't close. They take it to a different level. The international soccer scene.

[Matt Jones]

Take the best student sections in America. All right, so take Penn State football during a wideout. Take Duke basketball. Take Kansas. Take whatever you want. Take them at their best and then imagine doing it the entire game and never stopping. That's what they are like. And it was. It was a lot of fun.

[Ryan Lemon]

It's crazy. You had two Brazilian teams playing in Philadelphia.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, they just happened to draw it. And I don't know if the people were Brazilian that lived in America or people that came from Brazil, but either way it was a lot of fun. Who's next? Andrew. Andrew. Go ahead, Andrew.

[Bill Taylor]

Yes. I got a football point and a basketball question. I think if Wildcats don't reach six wins this season, I hope it's a great season. Then we should try to get John Summerall or Deion Sanders. Well, we're not basketball and basketball. Who you think will have a better season? Jalen Lowe or Boogie Flynn? Thanks. Y' all have a great day.

[Matt Jones]

On the first thing, I mean, you're not the first person to talk say that about John Somer. All that's been something a lot of people have said. It'll just depend on what happens with Mark. I think Jalen Lowe has a better year. I think Boogie Flan will be. It's gonna be tough for Cal because I think Boogie Flan is gonna be better at Florida than he was at Arkansas. And that'll be like a. Why Is he so much better at Florida than he was at Arkansas? But I think Jalen Lowe. Boogie Flan's a better NBA prospect. Jalen Lowe will be a better college player next year, in my opinion.

[Ryan Lemon]

You've said it a million times. He has to be good for this Kentucky basketball team to be good next year. But Boogie Flan, I'm with you. I think he'll probably flourish at Florida. You know, he got hurt, missed a lot of time in Arkansas. I was kind of impressed when he came back and played for Arkansas. You know, he kind of fit.

[Matt Jones]

He was okay. All right.

[Ryan Lemon]

He did all right.

[Matt Jones]

I. I'm cash. I'm, like, buying all the Jalen Low stock. I can like everybody that. Anybody that doesn't believe in Jalen Lowe, sell it to me, okay? I've talked with Mark Pope about him quite a bit. I've heard people talk about what he does in practice. The stat where Mark Pope won me over on Jalen Lowe was he said, Jalen Lowe was one of the worst players in the country at taking tough shots. He was in the bottom 5%. And Mark Pope said, some people look at that and say, well, you don't want that guy. He takes bad shots. He was like, what I look at is if we can get him in a system where he doesn't have to take bad shots, then how efficient he is. Because he said he was in the top 5% in America when he took good shots. So he said, my job as a coach is just to make him take good shots instead of bad shots. And he said, the first thing I looked at was, is this a good kid? Does he want to win? Is he selfish? And when the answers to those were what I liked, he said, I think I'm a good enough coach to make him take good shots instead of bad shots. When I heard that, I was like, I'm all in.

[Ryan Lemon]

Jalen Lowe, didn't he say something like, you know, a lot of his bad shots were late the shot clock. They were so poor offensively, he had to force up a shot late in the shot clock. And that's why he ended up getting low.

[Matt Jones]

Takes bad shots. He takes the worst shots imaginable, but when he takes good shots, he makes them at an amazing rate. And so when I heard that, I'm in. And let's just hope he takes good shots. Who's next? Cindy. Cindy. Go ahead, Cindy.

[Bill Taylor]

Hey, good morning, and thanks for taking my call. First off, I wanted to express my concern over Red Panda, but you've already covered that, and hopefully she'll recover in time for basketball. The second point I want to make or second question is this past weekend there was a golf tournament here in Western Kentucky. The winners scored 21 under. Okay. In the first flight, there was a group that, based on my observation and scoring, did not sandbag. But they shot 22 under. But they were not declared the winner because of the flight they were in. And I just want thoughts about that.

[Annabe]

And I'll hang up and listen.

[Matt Jones]

I think when you choose, okay, interesting question. Not one I thought I'd get. When you choose a flight, that's the one you're in. So if you end up choosing a flight lower, sounds like to me they might have been sandbagging a team shooting 22 under, not in the championship flight. But that's the one you pick. That's the one you're in. You can't cross flight or else why even have flights to begin with?

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, you had a 22 under in the lower flight. You win that flight. That's what you chose to play in that flight. If you want to play with the big boys in the championship flight, then you maybe could have won that one. But Whoever shot the 21 under, that one wins that championship flight.

[Matt Jones]

I'm gonna preach for 30 seconds and then I'll shut up and we'll have a good final segment. I. I'm gonna do a podcast maybe with Billy tomorrow. If not, we'll do it first of next week about all the various health care stuff. But this weekend there's a very important vote in Congress about health care that will affect this state in ways people don't even realize. If you live in a small town and you have a hospital, you need to pay attention to what happens this weekend because we have state representatives in our state who have. We rely on rural hospitals as much as any state in the country. And we have representatives in our state who are about to vote for something that will have small town hospitals close all across this state. And they know it and they're doing it anyway. So Brett Guthrie, Jamie Comer, Hal Rogers and Andy Bar, the four of you are making the decision this weekend. You guys are going to decide this weekend whether or not there's going to be poor people who voted for Donald Trump all over the state that you're going to take health care from dot com. Andy Barr, Jamie Comer, Brett Guthrie and Hal Rogers. It's the four of you. You know what you should do and we'll find out this weekend. If you do it, we'll take a break and be right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.

[Annabe]

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[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Annabe]

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[Matt Jones]

Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. I do like that song. Not gonna lie to you. That's become like. That's become like the MAGA anthem. But I'll still sing it because I think it is an awesome song.

[Ryan Lemon]

Good song.

[Matt Jones]

I do like Toby Keith Rest in Peace. Nothing this summer like long days, clutch plays and a firing off a few bets at the game with DraftKings sportsbook. You could bet the major league games this 4th of July. Just figure out who would you like. You want tonight? Back to back games for the Reds. You want LA did a home run, Maybe one of the Boston players if I knew their names. Bet five, get 150 in bonus bets. The Draft King Sportsbook. Just use my code KSR. It's only on DraftKings. The Crown is yours. And if you have a gaming problem, call One Hand Gamble 18 plus Kentucky only LGBT supplied new customers only. Bonus expire 180 hours after issuance. Additional Terms Responsible Gaming Resources See DKNG Co Audio Tomorrow we are off, but we will be replaying the KSR the day after we beat Oklahoma in the SEC tournament. The away game. So you'll get to hear that energy. And then Friday on the 4th, we're playing the game, the KSR the day after we beat Illinois in the NCAA Tournament. So you can celebrate two of the most exciting wins of the year tomorrow with what we did exactly the day after. And later on this summer, we've gone back. I have found the show we did after the 2012 national championship where Drew and I had stayed up all night and were sitting in the lobby of a hotel in New Orleans laying on the floor because we'd been kicked out of our room. We found that show and we will play that later on this summer.

[Ryan Lemon]

I love that show. That post game that night after they won and then the show the next morning are two of my favorite KSR.

[Matt Jones]

Shows ever I do. Also because a couple of you asked. I didn't mention everybody. The only reason I didn't mention Thomas Massey and Morgan McGarvey is they've already said they're going to vote. No big shout out to Thomas Massie for. Even though he and I disagree, for having principles on things. Who's up next? Derek. Derek. Go ahead, Derek.

[Bill Taylor]

Hey, what's up, man? Hey, shout out to Doughboy down in Alligator Alcatraz down there. Hey, but quick question. If summer all came back, would he bring Neil Brown as oc?

[Matt Jones]

No. Neil Brown. Where is Neil Brown right now?

[Ryan Lemon]

He's out of coaching. You know, you gotta let go of West Virginia. I think he's still out of coaching.

[Matt Jones]

Well, I say no. I mean, I. I think that's unlikely, but I. You know, I guess you can't ever say, say certain. My guess is if I'm Neil Brown, he's going to end up going to some power program and being the offensive coordinator. I would think that his next step is you go to a top 10 or 15 program that needs an OC and he's the OC. That. That's. That's my guess. I don't know that for sure, but that would be my guess. Now, could it be Kentucky? I mean, I guess I said no. Maybe I shouldn't say no as quickly. I guess it's plausible.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, you talked yourself into it. I was getting ready to say, well, Kentucky is in the sec, the best football conference.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. My initial reaction was, no, he wouldn't do that. But I guess it all depends on what opt he would have.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah. You know, he's from here, played at Boyle county, played at uk, coached here at uk. That John Sumrall thing is not going to go away. It's going to have legs as long as Kentucky struggles and they have success down there.

[Matt Jones]

Well, he's also turned down. He's also turned down other jobs that people would think maybe he would take, which makes people think he would be waiting for the Kentucky job. I don't know if he is, but I think that's probably the what reason people think that.

[Ryan Lemon]

And I think, you know, he's had great success at Troy. He's had success at Tulane. He's going to get picked up by somebody. So people are. Kentucky fans have struggled. They want to want Kentucky to go after him.

[Matt Jones]

What. What are you doing for the Fourth of July?

[Ryan Lemon]

You know, it's funny you asked that, because Otwell, Indiana, Matt, has maybe the greatest Fourth of July celebration ever.

[Matt Jones]

They have doubt. That's True.

[Ryan Lemon]

They had demolition derby, they have a truck and tractor pool. They have parade, they have bingo. Funnel cake.

[Matt Jones]

Bingo. Well then of course it's the greatest fourth of July ever.

[Ryan Lemon]

So I'm toying about going back to the Otwell Fourth of July for the first time in like 15 years. Well, I'm toying with it.

[Matt Jones]

You. You ought to do what you haven't been in a long time.

[Ryan Lemon]

It's been at least 15 years since I've been.

[Matt Jones]

That's one of your like eight hometowns.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yes, Otwell, Indiana, population 400. Take my parents there, get a funnel cake and some.

[Matt Jones]

Oh, we get a funnel cake.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah, I think it'll be a great time.

[Matt Jones]

Well, good. Well, I. I hope you. What are you doing? I've always had bad luck on the 4th of July, so I tend to try to stay to myself.

[Ryan Lemon]

Bad luck? What do you mean?

[Matt Jones]

I mean, I've had two girlfriends and I break up on the 4th of July. So like 4th of July, New Year's Eve have pretty consistently not worked out well for me. So I try to stay low key on both of those.

[Ryan Lemon]

You live in a location, Lexington, where you could watch the fireworks.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I hate fireworks. They're stupid. Like you just shoot them. Oh, look, there's lights. That's nice. And you know, people shoot them all hours of the night.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

So I'll probably. Fourth of July. I like if, If I had a boat, if I'd like that. But I don't know, none of my friends, they all got rid of their boat, so.

[Ryan Lemon]

Well, don't try to drive through downtown Louisville and thunder over Louisville coming up this weekend. I tried to do that one year and it was just a disaster. Thunder over Louisville they call the fireworks show.

[Matt Jones]

That's in April. No, that's in April.

[Ryan Lemon]

Oh, no, skip that then.

[Matt Jones]

Actually, you can drive down. You don't have to avoid Louisville for Thunder over Louisville. Since it was three months, I thought.

[Ryan Lemon]

They had some big massive fireworks thing on the 4th of July.

[Matt Jones]

No, that's. That's in April. He's right. Who's next? Kentucky cat. Kentucky cat. How are you?

[Bill Taylor]

Good man.

[Matt Jones]

How you all doing? Good.

[Bill Taylor]

This might be. Must be a pop. Might be a popular or unpopular, I guess opinion, but. But I'm just an old farmer from Bourbon county. But I don't know the money, dollars and all that, but what would be wrong with UK building or Mitch Martin Arts deal building a new basketball arena out there by the football field where they could keep all the money from the seating and stuff instead of paying her up arena, the rent and you know, they can take all that money in and everything will be right there together. The football field, the basketball court, you know, and yeah, stuff like that.

[Matt Jones]

What's nothing would be wrong with it in theory. In practice. Do you have the money to pay for a basketball arena? I mean, there are two reasons. One would be the money to actually build it. But then the second is I think there's a good citizen part of it, which is if you take Rupp arena out of downtown. Are you really kind of screwing downtown Lexington in terms of downtown? Lexington has basically a lot of the city is planned around having a arena. There's. And does that really hurt the city that you. That you're in? I think those are the two big issues.

[Bill Taylor]

I mean, he's already talking about, you know, maybe building a hotel and restaurants and stuff. There were coming with the money somewhere, you know, to do that. I just thought maybe, you know, if they put it all together, it'd be a better, you know, better atmosphere.

[Matt Jones]

But I think the idea, I appreciate the call of you partner with a private business to put a hotel or a restaurant building arenas, a whole nother set of money. And since they're already raising their cost, I think that'd be difficult for them to do.

[Ryan Lemon]

And they just spent millions of dollars renovating Rupp Arena. University of Kentucky has moved a lot of their offices and their media facilities down there to that facility at Rupp Arena. I think that'd be a hard start to sell.

[Matt Jones]

And with that, I mean, I do think that area down there with that amphitheater and stuff, I mean, I do think that will become more of a. I do too. I mean, I do think that's going to be an area that's going to be kind of more popular.

[Ryan Lemon]

And if you build a basketball arena out there. He's talking about again, you got the parking problem. Where are you going to put all these people?

[Matt Jones]

That's true. If you put an arena there, there's going to really be nowhere for anyone to park. So it's. It's kind of a catch 22. You want to put stuff out there to make it better. But the more you take, the more difficulties you have with the same problems you have now. Who's next? Oh, we're empty. Oh, we're empty. That's okay. We only have a minute left. I'm on the radio tonight 7 to 10 with Myron. We had a lot of fun last night. Probably the most I've laughed doing ESPN ever. We're going to do it again tonight. There ain't nothing to talk about. So you can expect it will be stupid but will be fun. Then Saturday, right here, Ryan, the kickoff of harness race or harness racing here in Versailles.

[Ryan Lemon]

Yeah. Harness racing returns back to Woodford county for the first time in like 50 years. It's going to be right, right there on that track right there. So could be a big day.

[Matt Jones]

It could very well be a big day. I want to thank you to this crowd. Look what a great, a great crowd we have out here.

[Ryan Lemon]

Great crowd.

[Matt Jones]

Thank you to Opa's Ice House for the food. And now remember, we are off tomorrow and Friday, but we will be back on Monday and we're going to have an announcement Monday of something we're going to be doing in the next few weeks, which is going to be very exciting. We're going to be doing a travel weekend around the state. Are you ready for it?

[Ryan Lemon]

I guess I'm ready for it. Yes, sir.

[Matt Jones]

You don't even know what it is. So you better, you better be excited. We will see you later. Enjoy your fourth of July. Enjoy your time here in Woodford County. This has been Kentucky sports radio.

[Meta AI]

Who needs headphones when you have glasses? Ray Ban Meta glasses. With discreet open air speakers and built in microphones, you can play your favorite tunes. Hey meta Play hip hop music while staying in tune with the world around you. Ray Ban Meta glasses. Choose from a variety of classic Ray Ban frames all with Meta [e-mail] AI-glasses and don't forget to say hey meta Play I heart radio to enjoy your favorite radio stations, artists and podcasts on the iHeart app.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. It's Oral Care month which means you can earn four times points on all your favorite oral care brands. Now through July 15th. Shop in store or online for items like Colgate toothpaste, Listerine mouthwash, Crest mouthwash or toothpaste Sensodyne Toothpaste. Hello, Toothpaste or gum flossers and earn four times points. Points can be redeemed for future discounts on gas or groceries. Offer ends July 15. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Matt Jones]

We finally switched to T Mobile because with them we can be connected here and there.

[Meta AI]

Dad, the cousins in Mexico have a.

[Matt Jones]

Surprise for you.

[Ryan Seacrest]

And enjoy the gift of staying connected.

[Meta AI]

Switch and start saving today. Get four Samsung Galaxy S25 phones with Galaxy AI on us and four lines for just 25 bucks per line plus non stop talk text and data between us and Mexico. Visit a store t mobile.com or call 1-800-T-Mobile- 1-800-T MOBILE.

[Matt Jones]

See details@t mobile.com hey it's me, Earhart. Mind if I pick the next song? Listen, Even though we're eating better, people who've had one heart attack are at higher risk of another. But Repatha Evolocumab plus a statin lowers.

[Ryan Seacrest]

LDL C, our bad cholesterol and our heart attack risk.

[Matt Jones]

So let's talk to our doctor about Repatha.

[Annabe]

Do not take Repatha if you're allergic to it. Serious allergic reactions can occur. Get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing swelling of the face, lips, tongue, throat or arms. Common side effects include runny nose, sore throat, common cold symptoms, flu or flu like symptoms, back pain, high blood sugar and redness pain or bruising at the injection site. View the important important safety information in our banner. Listen to your heart. Ask your doctor about Repatha.