Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2

Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Matt Jones, with Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon Dawson
Main Theme: The latest in Kentucky (UK) sports news and banter, plus discussion on seasonal transitions, team optimism, classic branding controversies (Cracker Barrel), Kentucky football “Mount Rushmore,” and heartfelt and humorous listener interactions.

Episode Overview

This hour of Kentucky Sports Radio captures the quintessential energy of KSR: a lively, sometimes meandering, panel discussion about UK sports, local life, and pop culture, peppered with humor, debates, and memorable calls from listeners. The core of the episode bounces between the upcoming football season, the panel’s shifting sporting fandom ("Summer Valley" baseball's demise), a playful but surprisingly deep discussion about Kentucky football’s “Mount Rushmore,” branding debacles like Cracker Barrel’s logo saga, and a grab-bag of listener calls that push the conversation in earnest, funny, and sometimes absurd directions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Logistics & Saturday Game Day (03:21 – 04:22)

• KS Bar Updates: Matt shares that the bar will open at 9 AM for Saturday’s football kickoff; pregame show starts at 8:30 AM.
• Transportation: Game bus rides from KS Bar continue, “probably the easiest way to get to the game,” with the reminder: “You can park here for free and it’s a dollar.” (03:59)
• Rules: Don’t just use their parking lot without patronizing; “or you will be taken to Alligator Alcatraz.” (04:00)

2. "Summer Valley" Baseball Ends (04:22 – 07:15)

• Fan Fatigue: Matt announces his annual tradition—giving up on the Cincinnati Reds' season, playfully dubbed "Summer Valley." His exit point: “When Marte bunted last night… that was it… The Summer Valley is unfortunately over.” (05:23)
• Resilience: Drew and Ryan commend Matt for hanging in longer than expected. “You hung in there longer than Shane and I both thought you were going to.” (05:16)
• Resale Plans: Matt considers selling opening day tickets (“I feel like I can get, like, a grand each for that ticket.” – 06:02)
• Letting Go: “I may still watch the game, but they’re done… I want to watch [future star] Sal Stewart, but they’re done.” (06:35)

3. Awkward Humor & Team Dynamics (07:17 – 08:43)

• Creepy Jokes: Drew’s awkward calling Matt “Daddy” on air spurs a riff on boundaries and comedic discomfort.
  • Matt: “It pleases no one. It doesn’t please the listener. Certainly doesn’t please me.” (08:03)
  • The crew pokes fun at how certain words (particularly from Ryan) come out “extra creepy.” (08:32)
• Group banter showcases the chemistry and irreverence of the team.

4. Cracker Barrel Logo Debacle (08:43 – 12:23)

• Background: The restaurant chain reverted to its old logo after public outcry.
• Matt’s Take: Argues the controversy was good publicity (“You could argue the best publicity they could have ever [had]... ended up being a masterful set of publicity.” – 09:18)
• Public Reaction: “People don’t understand how stocks work… their stocks back up, happy again people.” (09:20)
• Shannon: “They didn’t say they wouldn’t change the inside [of restaurants], which really is what got to me.” (10:01)
• Ryan: Jokes about insider trading—“Probably an inside job because they’re up 9% today alone.” (10:46)
• Drew: “When’s the last time we ever talked about Cracker Barrel? … Now… maybe you do.” (11:15)

5. Listener Call – Tinder, Relationships & Jokes (12:48 – 15:43)

• Caller congratulates a newly engaged KSR couple, marvels at Jason Kelsey meeting his wife on Tinder (13:20)
• Rest of crew shares how they met their partners:
  • Ryan: “Where all people should meet. At lovely Tin Roof.” (13:31)
  • Drew: Met his girlfriend at work; Matt jokes, “You're a walking HR disaster.” (14:11)
  • Shannon: Met his lady at a bar. “You know, sometimes things fall in your lap.” (14:38)
  • Matt: Admits to using dating apps—“Because I don’t go out.” (14:48)
  • Humorous aside about Matt’s Tinder profile mishap (“Tinder thought I was a lesbian.” – 15:08)

6. More Listeners, TV vs. Blizzard Machines, Stockton Mortgage (15:51 – 17:21)

• Caller thanks KSR for helping him through medical issues, then jokes:
  • “As the owner of a sports bar, shouldn’t your TVs work too?” (16:35)
  • Matt: “We have 30 some TVs… but Dairy Queen has one Blizzard machine…” (16:46)
• Mortgage plug with playful repetition: Drew: “Easy to work with, easy to work with, easy to work with.” (17:21)

7. “Daddy” in Country Music & Fake Babe Ruth Scam (21:27 – 24:26)

• Country Songs: The show riffs on the proliferation of “Daddy” in country song titles. Matt: “Country likes that word.” (22:16)
• Scam Story:
  • A Tennessean named Babe Ruth pretended to be the Yankee and conned people.
  • Matt: “If you fall for Babe Ruth, who’s been dead for 75 years… you need to have your money parted from you.” (22:40)
  • Drew: “If you answer the Saudi prince in your DMs… that’s on you.” (23:46)

8. Dairy Queen Machine “Hack” & Behind-the-Scenes Restaurant Talk (24:53 – 26:03)

• Caller tip: Use the DQ and McDonald’s apps—they sometimes let you order Blizzards/McFlurries even when staff tells others the machine is down. (24:56)
  • “They can pull them off the line a little bit.” (25:34)
• Matt: Shares similar experiences at KS Bar; sometimes staff “just didn’t want to do it.” (25:36)

9. NFL Show Cover Art Problems (26:03 – 28:38)

• Matt laments the NFL show cover art, finding it unflattering and AI-generated.
  • “They still didn’t give me a neck… if it’s fine if you want to put it out.” (27:10)
  • “I don’t want to seem like, I mean, we’re brand new. I don’t want to seem diva.” (28:27)
  • Ryan: “I don’t know why I had to look 70 in that.” (27:57)

10. Kentucky Football "Mount Rushmore" Debate (29:55 – 36:44)

• Prompt: Who are the four most iconic players in UK football history?
• Matt's Picks:
  1. Art Still
  2. Tim Couch
  3. Josh Allen
  4. Fourth spot open to debate: e.g., George Blanda, Benny Snell, Randall Cobb, Dermontti Dawson, Bob Gain.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Matt (on Josh Allen): “I think Josh Allen is the best modern player Kentucky has had.” (31:38)
  • Drew: “My first three I thought of immediately were Couch, Art Still, and Dermontti [Dawson].” (32:03)
  • Ryan: “I'm going to say Jared [Lorenzen]—If you’re not from around here… that is one of the players you think of.” (33:09)
  • Matt: “I could be talked into Randall Cobb.” (36:03)
  • Discussion about difficulty of comparing eras, considering pro vs. college exploits.

11. Mount Rushmore of KSR “Favorites” (43:46 – 44:52)

• If it's about favorites, not just greatest:
  • Matt takes: Max Duffy, Jared Lorenzen, Freddie Maggard, plus “one more.”
  • Drew: “I take those two. And Dante and Dane.” (44:11)
  • Ryan: Tim Couch, Max, Freddie, Jared. (44:47)

12. Pickleball and Odds Talk (46:01 – 47:55)

• Pickleball Showdown: Ryan admits he’s never played; Shannon is favored.
  • “If we're setting odds, Shannon's a favorite. I don't even know if—is it a racket, a paddle?” (46:54)
• Football Odds Movement:
  • Kentucky-Toledo game line moves from 7 to 9.5 (and higher).
  • Ryan plans “staggered lines for odds… I think it could be a whooping.” (47:32)

13. Community Confidence & Closing Thoughts (50:18 – 51:06)

• Fan Poll: Matt takes the room’s pulse; most listeners are optimistic for Kentucky's opening game.
• Historical Reminder: Ryan: “They beat Ohio 41 to 6… when Bush Ham didn’t have a full offseason.” (50:48)
• Closing: Matt thanks listeners, teases a surprise for tomorrow, and lines up the rest of the week's shows.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I can tell you the moment I tapped out was when…Marte bunted last night. That was it."
  – Matt Jones, reflecting on losing faith in the Reds (05:23)

• “It pleases no one. It doesn’t please the listener. Certainly doesn’t please me.”
  – Matt Jones, on Drew calling him “Daddy” on-air (08:03)

• “You could argue the best publicity they could have ever [had]… ended up being a masterful set of publicity.”
  – Matt Jones on Cracker Barrel’s logo reversal (09:18)

• “If you fall for Babe Ruth, who’s been dead for 75 years, then I think you deserve to lose your money… you need to have your money parted from you.”
  – Matt Jones, reacting to a Tennessee man’s con (22:40)

• “I give less for things like Mount Rushmore when you played when it was segregated.”
  – Matt, on how past eras compare (32:20)

• “I could be talked into Randall Cobb.”
  – Matt, on the flexibility of the fourth Mount Rushmore spot (36:03)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Game Day Logistics / KS Bar Bus: 03:21 – 04:22
• End of “Summer Valley” Season: 04:22 – 07:15
• Awkward Family Banter (“Daddy” Joke Saga): 07:17 – 08:43
• Cracker Barrel Logo Publicity Analysis: 08:43 – 12:23
• Listener Call: Love in the Tinder Age: 12:48 – 15:43
• Dairy Queen Blizzard Machine, Listener Jokes: 16:35 – 17:10, 24:53 – 26:03
• Country Music “Daddy” Lyrics Segment: 21:27 – 22:17
• Babe Ruth Scam Story: 22:17 – 24:26
• NFL Show Cover Art Issues: 26:03 – 28:38
• Kentucky Football “Mount Rushmore”: 29:55 – 36:44, 43:03 – 45:17
• Listeners' Top UK Football Players: 42:32 – 45:17
• Pickleball Challenge: 46:01 – 47:06
• Kentucky-Toledo Betting Lines Discussion: 47:06 – 49:22
• Walk-Up Dairy Queens & Nostalgia: 49:27 – 50:24
• Fan Poll & Confidence for Season Opener: 50:24 – 51:06
• Show Wrap-up and Teasers: 51:06 – End

Final Thoughts

The hour stands out as a masterclass in entertaining local sports talk, blending playful jabs, thoughtful debate, quirky news, and community spirit. The “Mount Rushmore” segment anchors the show, while Matt’s signature tangents—Cracker Barrel branding, improbable scam stories, and the annual “Summer Valley” blues—add the charm and context that make KSR beloved by its fans. New listeners get a taste of the crew’s personalities and the unique flavor of Kentucky sports culture.

For fans who missed the episode:

• You’ll be caught up on preseason football optimism, learn plenty of UK sports and pop culture trivia, and laugh at the hijinks that make KSR a Kentucky tradition.