Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) | Hour 2 - September 9, 2025

Hosts: Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon Dawson
Live from: Cornbread Hemp Field, Lebanon, Kentucky

Episode Overview

This episode of KSR dives into a range of topics relevant to University of Kentucky (UK) athletics and fan culture. The hosts discuss the UK's basketball coaching search saga, the current state and future of UK football, a viral "Karen Ball Snatcher" baseball incident, evolving traditions at UK sporting events, the role of students in game atmosphere, gambling heartbreaks and strategies, hemp industry politics in Kentucky, and Matt’s upcoming trip to South Africa. The show features lively banter, a few heated opinions, and a parade of quick-witted callers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. UK Basketball Coaching Search: The Inside Story

• Discussion: The hosts revisit the tumultuous coaching search that eventually landed Mark Pope as UK basketball coach.
• Matt Jones clarifies: He was correct that Baylor’s coach received an offer but turned it down. University leadership vetoed other high-profile candidates like Oats and Bruce Pearl due to political concerns. In the end, Mark Pope was the “fifth, sixth, maybe seventh choice,” but is seen as the right fit in hindsight.
  • Quote (Matt, 05:11): "You know, Mark Pope was the right coach at the right time."
  • Drew Franklin (04:28): "I even compared it to ordering chicken tenders at a steakhouse when they hired him... in hindsight, we all look like a bunch of idiots because it was a great first year."
• Notable parallel: The messy Calipari breakup is compared to a possible similar trajectory for the football program.

2. UK Football: State of the Program & Coaching Future

• Hosts highlight: Disappointment in recent one-score games; conversation about Mark Stoops’ future and possible successors.
  • Stats (Ryan, 23:51): “In Power 4 one score games since Will Levis’s second year, we are 3 and 8, with none of those wins at home.”
  • Discussion: The shift from previously excelling in one-score SEC games (9-4 from 2015-2021) to a downturn is seen as a crucial problem.
• Next coach?: Brad White and Jon Sumrall are mentioned as likely candidates. Concerns rise over Sumrall becoming too “hot” and being poached by bigger programs.
• Caller (John, 20:02): Jokes about pooping on Mitch Barnhart’s car if Brad White is chosen.
  • Ryan, 20:54 (on coaching odds): "If you told me right now... I'd probably make Brad White the betting favorite with John Sumrall second. In eight weeks it might look completely different.”
  • Drew Franklin (22:03): Warns Sumrall could get “too hot for Kentucky,” with bigger programs possibly opening up.
• Names floated: Jon Gruden and Will Stein (Oregon OC with Kentucky roots) discussed as potential names.

3. Locker Room & Fan Culture: The "Karen Ball Snatcher" Saga

• Incident recap: A viral MLB moment where a woman dubbed “Karen Ball Snatcher” took a ball meant for a child; discussion centers on fan etiquette and online pile-ons.
  • Matt Jones (12:49): "I am calling her Karen Ball Snatcher from hell. Yeah, take that."
  • Ryan responds (12:58): “That’s a little much.”
• Debate: Is it justified for the internet to pile on her? Consensus: Make jokes, but don't try to ruin lives.
  • Matt (13:55): "Don’t try to ruin her life. It was a foul ball.”

4. Game Day Atmosphere: The Role of Students & Music

• Caller Jay (14:21): Argues that UK shouldn’t play 'My Old Kentucky Home' except during the Louisville game because rival fans use it to troll.
• Students’ impact: "The fans go as the students go," hosts agree, pointing to university practices that fail to engage the student section adequately.
• Music picks: Discussion about energized versus outdated music; Rick suggests classics, but the hosts joke that newer, unfamiliar songs are what really get the younger crowd moving.
  • Drew (42:51): "Chances are some of the songs we need to play I haven't even heard of. That's the point—I'm old now."
• Tradition suggestions: Callers float ideas like a horse leading the team onto the field, but doubts about execution linger.
• Funny asides: Imagining a Wildcat mascot falling off a horse and the potential for clownish disasters.

5. Gambling Woes & DraftKings Features

• Ryan (17:39): Talks “betting against his own teams” for profit, winning when both lost heartbreakingly.
• Parlay innovations: “Ghost leg” lets you miss a leg and still win (19:18), sparking curiosity and banter among hosts.

6. The Hemp Industry & Politics

• Matt (25:58): Explains how Kentucky’s hemp industry, once championed by Mitch McConnell, now faces regulatory threats spurred by the bourbon industry’s complaints over sales competition.
  • Quote: “To flip now is part of... the most egregious nature of the way Mitch McConnell's done politics for 40 years.”

7. Matt’s Upcoming South Africa Trip

• Hosts share travel anxieties and packing tips:
  • Ryan (27:23): “A lot of people suggested the same company [for boots]... It said don't wear boots that are too heavy because you don't need them.”
  • Comical worries: Matt jokes about being slowest on safari (“if I’m the slowest person with the 10 women I’m with, I’m in trouble” 27:47).
  • Big Five animal quiz: Laughter over which are included—lions, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, maybe tigers.
  • Matt’s biggest fear: “Fifteen hours in a plane, that's gonna be brutal... not nervous about the cities, but being on the reserve just because nature and I have never been one.” (30:42)
  • Snorkeling avoidance scheme: “How do I get out of the snorkeling without looking like a wimp?” (31:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the coaching search:
  • "It's certainly fair to say we had gotten down to fifth, sixth, seventh choice by the time we got the hired." – Matt Jones (04:07)
• On tough fan etiquette:
  • "She took that ball away from a kid... She didn't have a kid there at the game. She took the ball away from a little kid." – Matt Jones (12:33)
• On traditions:
  • “Maybe the horse gets scared, takes a dump in the middle of the field... Wildcat falls off the horse. As long as it’s okay, that’s funny.” – Ryan Lemond (37:18)
• Debate over music:
  • “One of the better moments in the game last week was they went to Little Boozy's catalog and I thought that got the crowd going.” – Drew Franklin (42:51)
• On AP Poll flubs:
  • “Do we even need them? We don’t need it, but we do. Do we need this show?” – Ryan Lemond (34:58)
  • "The coaches poll—the coaches don't actually vote. That's what underneath them. That's the SIDs." – Drew Franklin (35:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:48] UK Basketball coaching search post-mortem
• [05:28] UK Football parallels; Stoops’ future and fan hopes
• [06:39] Arch Manning injury speculation—Sarkeesian’s strange bathroom analogy
• [09:02] “Karen Ball Snatcher” MLB foul ball debate
• [14:21] Student section importance and song/tradition debates
• [17:39] Gambling heartbreak—betting against your own team; ghost leg explanation [19:18]
• [20:02] Football program buyout question and Brad White/Sumrall speculation
• [23:51] One-score game woes: stats, philosophy, and Stoops’ decisions
• [25:58] Politics & hemp industry in Kentucky
• [27:22] Matt’s South Africa travel saga: boots, animals, fears
• [32:54] Caller Adam: Game atmosphere and AP poll debate
• [36:07] Suggestions for new football traditions at Kroger Field
• [39:31] Music selection debate: engaging the modern crowd
• [44:05] Kentucky Joe’s spontaneous Cutter Bowley song

Tone & Style

True to KSR form, the episode is fast-paced, irreverent, full of inside jokes and prominent Kentucky-centric banter. The team nimbly mixes fan gripes, hard stats, and self-deprecating humor, often veering into comedic territory before sharply returning to sports analysis.

Note:

• All timestamps are approximate (MM:SS).
• Ads, breaks, and non-content sections omitted per instructions.

For Listeners Who Missed It:

This episode is a microcosm of Kentucky Sports Radio—offering equal parts sports insight, community talk, musical and pop culture debate, wry perspectives on Kentucky politics, and the ongoing search for traditions that actually stick. Whether you're invested in the future of UK athletics, love a good viral sports debate, or just want to laugh at Matt’s safari anxieties, this episode delivers a slice of Kentucky life and sport with the KSR crew’s trademark style.