Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1

Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones, Shannon, Drew, Ryan
Location: KS Bar & Grill, Lexington
Episode Highlights: Birthday banter, UK football, Lee Corso’s legacy, Mark Pope & Kentucky basketball, local stories, and more

Overview

The first hour of today’s KSR features a lively, wide-ranging discussion centered on Matt Jones’ birthday, Kentucky football predictions, Kentucky basketball under Mark Pope, Lee Corso’s iconic role in college football, and plenty of local color. The crew broadcasts live from KS Bar and Grill, mixing sports talk with personal anecdotes, regional shoutouts, and memorable moments. The tone is typical KSR: witty, playful, and deeply Kentucky.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Matt Jones’ Birthday & Rituals

• Banter about Matt’s age | [01:19–01:31]

  • Joking confusion over how old Matt really is: “If you said 54, that was very rude. That’s 51.”—Matt
  • Shannon and Drew reminisce about memorable childhood gifts and parties, leading to Matt admitting he doesn’t remember specific presents but recalls breaking his leg at a birthday party in Cynthiana | [03:36–04:32]

• The importance of Facebook birthdays | [06:50–07:28]

  • Matt reflects on how Facebook revolutionized remembering birthdays:

    “Facebook was the best thing to happen to birthdays because...now they pop up and you go, oh, hi, Reggie Skinner that I worked with as a law clerk. I’ll say hello to you.” —Matt [06:53]

  • Drew notes the routine of yearly greetings from people you only connect with on birthdays.

2. Food Talk: Dairy Queen Blizzard Cake & Wings Day

• Unexpected birthday treat: Matt raves about receiving an M&M Blizzard Cake from Dairy Queen, reparing their distressed relationship (“I have been slightly disparaging to the Dairy Queen...but highly recommend the Blizzard cake.”—Matt [02:07–03:14])
• KS Bar “Wings Day” confusion: A listener mistakenly thought wings were a dollar for a whole order, not per wing, which Matt finds hilarious and clarifies for future reference | [24:06–26:20]

3. Lee Corso and College Football Pregame Shows

• Anticipation for Saturday, Game Day, and Corso’s final pick | [10:18–11:16]
  • Matt and the crew reflect on Corso’s tradition and emotional weight of his last appearance possibly mirroring his first pick with the Buckeyes.
• Favorite Corso moments | [11:16–12:36]
  • Matt: “I kind of like it when he had the little kid on and he kind of yelled at him...‘Not so fast, midget.’”
  • Drew: Loves Corso’s on-air gaffe with the megaphone: “And he said, f it! And everyone on set loses it.”
• Corso’s Impact on Sports Media | [13:18–14:33]
  • Matt: “I would argue the most important announcers to their sport in history—Dick Vitale for basketball, John Madden for NFL, and Lee Corso for college football...it’s really Corso and Barkley.”
• Herbstreit’s role in supporting Corso during recent years is described as “beautiful and very sweet.” [14:33–14:38]

4. Mark Pope & Kentucky Basketball

• Jay Bilas on Mark Pope’s relentless positivity | [16:39–18:53]
  • Bilas praises Pope’s consistently positive, affirming coaching style.
  • Matt aspires to use more affirming language in his own life:

    “He said he’s never seen a coach that was more affirming...I’d like to figure out how to be able to do that.” —Matt [18:07–18:38]

• Analytical approach to roster construction | [20:55–22:53]
  • Bilas notes Pope targets players for specific, analytic roles—like choosing Ansley Almanor for his corner three-point shooting.
  • Drew: Pope’s recruiting file at Peach Jam was a foot thick—much more data-driven than peers.
  • Matt: “He is going to do this specific thing...That’s a good way to think about it.”

5. Local Anecdotes & Life in Kentucky

• Neighborhood politics & KS Bar’s relaunch | [19:06–20:35; 24:06–26:20]
  • Matt tells a story about a neighbor Wanda organizing a community meeting over parking issues and debates whether he should attend.
  • Pride in reopening KS Bar and customer appreciation for wings.
• Soccer upsets in Europe as a metaphor for sports joy | [26:30–30:34]
  • Matt passionately describes a Kazakh club’s Champions League win:

    “That, Ryan Lemon, is what sports is about. That is what sports are about. They’re just losing their mind.” [29:47]

  • Playful suggestion to use that audio for UK’s future upsets.

6. The Weirdness of Trades in Sports

• Matt and the crew muse about how bizarre it is that players can be traded across the country with zero say—drawing a funny analogy to having to move a KS Bar server to Monticello’s Walmart instantly | [30:53–33:23]
  • “Imagine just lifting up your whole family not knowing how long you’d be playing for the Raptors.” —Drew [33:13]

7. Kentucky Football & Players in the Pros

• Practice squads and notable achievements | [33:42–34:49]
  • Shoutouts to former UK players finding NFL squad spots—including Zion Childress (“undrafted and made the Cowboys regular roster as an undrafted free agent. That’s very rare”—Matt [34:13]) and Dane Key named a Nebraska captain.

8. UK Football Predictions & Home-Field Weather

• Five-win scenario for Kentucky | [37:41–38:43]
  • Caller lists predicted wins; Matt and Drew discuss likely “must-win” games and how cold weather could work against Florida in November.

9. Offbeat: Gold Digger Jewelry Trademark

• Bill Belichick’s girlfriend files to trademark ‘Gold Digger’ jewelry | [39:57–41:23]
  • Matt: “If you’re gonna get called [a gold digger] anyway, why not embrace it?”
  • Shannon/drew: Debate if this is marketing genius (“There’s a world for anything”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On birthday gifts and memory:

  “I'm sure it was something probably to do with UK, like maybe tickets to a game or something, but I don't remember.” —Matt [03:55]

• On Facebook and birthdays:

  “Facebook was the best thing to happen to birthdays because...now they pop up and you go, oh, hi, Reggie Skinner that I worked with as a law clerk. I'll say hello to you.” —Matt [06:53]

• On Lee Corso's legacy:

  “I would argue the most important announcers to their sport in history...Dick Vitale...John Madden...and Lee Corso for college football. And he’s not even announced, you know, just doing the studio kind of like the way Barkley is with the NBA.” —Matt [13:18–14:33]

• On Mark Pope's coaching:

  “He says he's never seen a coach who coaches with more positivity...he, like, doesn't use the negative. He always uses the positive.” —(Paraphrasing Jay Bilas, via Matt) [17:36]

• On uniting over food:

  “I'm glad he's appreciative. What an appreciative guy. Yes...See, this is why we reopened this place. How appreciative. Guys like this, right?” —Matt [25:11]

• On the joy of sports upsets:

  “That is what sports is about. They're just losing their mind.” —Matt, on the Kazakh soccer call [29:47]

• On the concept of trades:

  “We accept in sports this idea that you can be traded to a different city without your consent and you just have to go...” —Matt [31:02]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Birthday banter & gifts: [01:19–05:29]
• Facebook & birthday rituals: [06:50–08:00]
• Wings Day Story: [24:06–26:20]
• Lee Corso college football/legacy: [10:18–14:33]
• Jay Bilas on Mark Pope & analytics: [16:39–22:53]
• Kazakhstan soccer victory/Sports joy: [26:30–30:34]
• Sports trading analogies: [30:53–33:23]
• NFL/UK player updates: [33:42–34:49]
• UK Football schedule predictions: [37:41–39:10]
• Gold Digger Jewelry trademark: [39:57–41:23]

Tone & Style

Conversational, quick-witted, and rooted in Kentucky life and sports culture—filled with personal touches, listener interaction, and insider humor.

Useful For:

• UK and college sports fans
• Listeners interested in sports broadcasting media
• Those who enjoy “slice-of-life” Kentucky stories
• Anyone wanting local restaurant insights and community flavor

Note: This summary skips ads, show intros/outros, and focuses solely on the substance of the discussion. For the full Kentucky experience, join a broadcast at KS Bar & Grill or catch the next KSR hour!