Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1

Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, Ryan Lemond, Shannon the Dude, Mario, Billy
Episode Theme: Start of Kentucky Football Week & Community Stories

Episode Overview

With five days until Kentucky’s college football season kickoff against Toledo, the KSR crew returns to discuss the buzz around football week, the reopening of KS Bar, Lexington’s new park and parking woes, and the general state of enthusiasm (or lack thereof) around UK football. The team also dives into local legend sightings, community happenings, and some lighter pop culture debates, mixing sports analysis with signature KSR storytelling and banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Anticipation for Football Season (00:35 – 01:54)

• Football Excitement: The crew is hyped for the return of UK football, with game week feeling “completely different.” Stoops’ first coaches’ show airs tonight; the official depth chart is set to be released soon.
  • Quote: “It is game week... that's what gets me fired up.” — Ryan (01:44)
• KS Bar Reopening: Bar’s “friends and family” opening over the weekend brings in Kentucky media legends and KSR family.
  • Legends like Tom Leach, Rob Bromley, Jeff Piecoro, and Mary Jo Ford attended.
  • Matt’s mom, Karen, is the “biggest rock star in the building.” (03:28)

2. KS Bar “Friends and Family” Opening Hijinks (01:58 – 04:36)

• Spilled Sour Cream & Beer: A chain reaction of spills kicked off by Mario bumping a server, compounded by Ryan’s well-meaning help but ultimate spillage of beer on a new server.

  • Quote: “It was a great bump because all the beer went on him. Not a drop on me. Not a drop.” — Ryan (02:44)

• Legend Sightings: The gathering becomes a mini Kentucky Sports Media Hall of Fame event, boosting the KSR family’s local celebrity—especially Matt’s mom.

3. New City Park: Rave Reviews & Parking Nightmares (04:54 – 14:38)

• Park Success: The new city park receives “rave reviews” for amenities and programming (05:42). “I feel like the park, as a park, [is getting] rave reviews.” — Matt (05:51)
• Parking Chaos: Matt details how his residential street turned into “Mad Max: Furiosa” due to overflow park traffic.
  • Neighbors and visitors ignore parking rules, leading to gridlock and blocked driveways.
  • Quote: “My street to become Mad Max Furiosa. The parking situation down there is an issue now.” — Matt (06:05)
• Matt’s “Most Pleasant Encounter”: Matt helps an older lady parallel park, leading to:
  • Quote: “‘Oh honey, thank the Lord for men. If it wasn’t for men, what would we do?’ ... She said, ‘I don’t parallel.’" — Matt (08:58)
• Matt Calls the Police: Out of desperation, Matt called the authorities but saw no response.
  • Quote: “I called the police. And I said, look, I don’t want anybody towed...but y'all got to do something.” — Matt (10:39)
• Possible Solutions: DIY “No Parking” signs, neighborly rock barricades discussed humorously.

4. UK vs. Toledo: Preview, Nerves, and the Unknown (16:01 – 23:09)

• Football Analysis:
  • Toledo seen as a strong, tricky week-one MAC opponent; Kentucky is favored but the hosts warn about historical slow starts.
  • Returning starters are limited; many new or transferred players, especially on offense.
  • Quote: “There’s never been a Kentucky team in my lifetime since I’ve been doing KSR at least that I’ve known less about than this.” — Matt (20:40)
• Quarterback & Depth Chart: Zach Calzada named starting QB. Most positions expect new faces, especially offense (21:29–22:23).
• Toledo’s Hype: Some media simulation (possibly a Fox Sports video game sim) has Toledo’s QB winning the Heisman—rundown of media “hype” vs. actual stats.
  • Hilarious skepticism about whether any real sportswriter is covering Toledo (18:01–19:10).
• Assessment of the Opener:
  • Shannon is most optimistic: “I think Kentucky wins and they win convincingly.” (20:24)
  • Drew expects a closer-than-desired but comfortable UK win.

5. Fan Engagement and Offseason Apathy (23:09 – 25:50)

• Less Buzz for Football: Listener writes in, questioning why there’s so little coverage or excitement for football. Matt notes drastically lower engagement when discussing UK football this summer:
  • Quote: “There is less appetite for UK football than I can ever remember. It reminds me of...years ago when Joker was the coach.”
• Blame on Program’s Secrecy: Drew and Matt highlight a lack of off-season openness—minimal spring/fan day promotion; fans don’t know new players.
  • “They did this...Fan day got almost no media.” — Matt (25:50)

6. Pop Culture Segue: Age-Gap Relationships & AI Search Fails (28:44 – 34:51)

• Discussion veers from Tommy Fleetwood’s long-awaited golf win to his 23-year age difference with his wife (his former agent).
  • Exploration of society’s double standards around older-woman/younger-man public couples:
    • Macron & wife, Demi Moore & Ashton Kutcher, Kris Jenner, anecdotes about Randy Travis and others.
    • Quote: “If that's flipped, nobody says a word. But you don't see a lot flip that way.” — Matt (30:43)
• Google/AI search tangent launches when erroneous information about celebrity couples appears on Google, causing studio laughter and skepticism toward AI-powered search results.

7. Calls & Community – “Chaotic Good” and Renaissance Fair (40:33 – 42:20)

• Caller: Jim from Chaotic Good: Owner of local “nerdy coffee shop” calls in, thanks Matt for KSR’s mentions, and takes partial blame for the parking mess due to a coinciding Renaissance fair attracting ~5,000 visitors.
  • Quote: “Sorry...Saturday might have been partially our fault, too. About your park, also threw a Renaissance fair that had like 5,000 people show up.” — Jim (41:24)
  • Matt jokes about learning Dungeons and Dragons and compliments the positive community spirit at Chaotic Good.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Parking Insanity:

  • “My street has become just taken over by people trying to park...people just decided ignoring the yellow line.” — Matt (06:46)
  • “I did the one thing I’ve never done in my life. I called the police.” — Matt (10:39)

• On Football Uncertainty:

  • “I have no idea what to expect.” — Matt (21:14)
  • “There are going to be brand new people in there...maybe six returning starters.” — Matt (22:04)

• On Public Appetite:

  • “There is less appetite for UK football than I can ever remember.” — Matt (24:14)

• On Park Positivity vs. Neighborhood Upheaval:

  • “It’s beautiful, and there were a million people...but it’s definitely added traffic. I think it’s overall a positive thing for the city.” — Matt (14:38)

• On Secrecy and Engagement:

  • “They only have themselves to blame. They did this....Now you have a situation where we have a quarterback that could walk down the street and wouldn’t be known.” — Matt (25:50)

Important Timestamps

• 00:35 — Show opens, football season hype, introductions.
• 01:58 — KS Bar opening, legend sightings, server spill story.
• 04:54 – 14:38 — Park parking nightmares, Matt’s “pleasant” parking story, police call.
• 15:30 — Call-in numbers, shift to football talk.
• 16:01 — UK-Toledo preview, strength of opponent, team unknowns.
• 21:29–22:23 — Discussion of returning starters and depth chart.
• 23:09 — Caller critiques football coverage and discussion of low fan engagement.
• 28:44 — Tommy Fleetwood win, spinoff into age-gap couples.
• 34:51 — Distrust of Google/AI search due to errors.
• 40:33 — “Chaotic Good” owner calls, community events, Renaissance fair impact.

Tone and Style

The tone is lighthearted and conversational—a blend of sports talk and small-town storytelling. The hosts mix humor, frustration, and community pride with quick shifts into playful debate and classic KSR self-deprecation.

For Listeners Who Missed the Show:

• The buildup to UK football is real, but the hosts and fans alike admit to knowing less and feeling less energy than in past years—largely because of program secrecy and a roster full of new faces.
• Lexington’s new park is a hit, but the influx has Matt fuming at the neighborhood parking chaos, prompting a rare call to the police (with no response).
• Expect playful, off-topic chatter—celebrity relationships, AI search skepticism, and local “nerdy” coffee shop events—that characterize KSR’s unique flavor.
• The KSR crew brings football analysis back down to earth: most are cautiously optimistic UK will beat Toledo, but acknowledge fans and media alike are waiting to see this team in action before getting too excited.