Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2

Date: October 8, 2025
Hosts: Matt Jones, Drew Franklin, Shannon Dawson, Ryan Lemond
Theme: The crew discusses the latest UK basketball schedule, baseball highlights, cultural debates about dating and paying for meals, the Dolly Parton health scare, local Kentucky news, and expectations for UK basketball and football.

Episode Overview

Hour two of KSR, hosted by Matt Jones and the regular panel, kicks off with UK basketball anticipation, lively baseball talk, and shifts into humorous and thoughtful discussions about dating, gender roles, Dolly Parton’s health, and the challenges facing Kentucky football and local government. The tone is jovial and candid, with plenty of banter and listener call-ins.

Key Discussion Points

1. UK Basketball: Upcoming Schedule and Road Trips

• Main Insight: Excitement is building for UK basketball, especially with the Fan Fest and Big Blue Madness on the horizon.
• Schedule Highlights:
  • Only three 9:00 PM games, a rarity and relief for fans (13:13–14:10).
  • Most tough SEC teams are away games, meaning home games are skewed toward weaker opponents (14:21–15:32).
  • Road trip for the St. John's game in Atlanta is discussed, with the tradition of overly elaborate KSR road trips making for comedic planning (16:21–17:17).
  • Memorable moment: “We went to Maine to go to New York City? … This is not new.” – Drew Franklin (16:59).

2. MLB Playoffs and Amazing Baseball Feats

• Discussion: The panel raves about Vladimir Guerrero’s acrobatic slide, Cal Raleigh’s miraculous fan moment, and Aaron Judge’s power hitting.
  • “[Guerrero] dove from like 30 feet out.” – Matt Jones (03:13)
  • “To hit a moving round object with another moving round object and to hit it squarely, it is one of the toughest things in sports.” – Shannon Dawson (06:24)
  • The crowd agrees hitting a 100 mph fastball is maybe the hardest feat in sports.
• Memorable Moment: Drew admits a painful belly flop from a failed headfirst slide in little league (04:58).

3. The Dating Debate: Should Women Pay for Dates?

• A listener asks if women should ever pay for dates, sparking a humorous but nuanced roundtable:
  • Ryan: Pays “95% of the time,” but lets his partner pay when she insists (07:32–08:18).
  • Shannon: “I believe in equal rights… just as much right to buy my dinner as I do to buy hers” (08:19–08:23).
  • Drew: “If the guy usually asks, you have to—It would never cross my mind to expect them to [pay]…” but open if they genuinely offer (08:42–09:21).
  • Matt: “I don't think I've ever let a woman pay, maybe ever…” likens it to traditional gestures like opening a door (09:23).
• Funny Exchange: The guys tease each other about being chauvinist or cheap and joke about parents who still insist on paying for meals even as adults (12:22–13:12).

4. Dolly Parton Health Scare and Legacy

• The crew expresses concern over Dolly’s reported illness, with immediate outpouring of admiration.
  • “If she passes away, that’ll be a day the whole country would unite in sadness. There aren’t a lot of those people, but she would definitely be one.” – Matt Jones (21:15)
  • Favorite Dolly songs: “Jolene” and “Here You Come Again.”
  • Dolly’s financial windfall from Whitney Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You” is discussed (21:54–22:13).
• Comic Relief: Ryan reads the update that it was a false alarm—Dolly is just “under the weather” (22:28–22:37).
  • “She just had the sniffles… little NyQuil, she’s good to go.” – Drew Franklin (23:35)

5. Listener Calls and Kentucky Football Discontent

• A caller asks what should define a successful year for new UK basketball coach Mark Pope.
  • Matt: “Win SEC regular season or SEC tournament or make a Final Four—do one of those, that’s a great year” (25:57).
  • Drew: “If you can at least have the great regular season, win the SEC, give us that run in Nashville, or get to a Final Four, it’d be hard to complain about a season” (26:09).
• UK football’s difficulties and Coach Mark Stoops’ contract analyzed:
  • “Stoops has Kentucky by the—well, you know...This contract for Mitch [Barnhart, AD] is a disaster” – Matt (36:17).
  • They bemoan the contract’s huge buyout and the near-miss of having both football and basketball coaches with impossible-to-break contracts (37:20–39:01).

6. Light News: The DUI Sheriff

• Story of Robertson County Sheriff Terry Gray, arrested for his third DUI in two years, blowing a 0.226, driving 110 mph, and having bottles of Fireball whiskey in his pocket (30:07–31:16).
  • “How’s this man still the sheriff? I feel like one DUI—ready for you not to be the sheriff. Two? Not even debatable.” – Matt Jones (31:38)
  • Panel wonders aloud about the complexities of firing an elected official—the process of sheriff removal (32:49–33:42; 45:57).
• Quote: “He was charged…after he drove 110 miles an hour and nearly flipped his car multiple times…said, ‘I’m not that drunk.’ Didn’t say, ‘I’m not drunk’—‘I’m not that drunk.’” – Matt (30:58).

7. Cultural Commentary: Lee Greenwood at the Super Bowl?

• Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, says Bad Bunny should be replaced by Lee Greenwood for the Super Bowl halftime show, to the hosts’ amusement (46:31).
  • They list Lee Greenwood’s songs (mostly patriotic standards) and imagine a halftime show of “God Bless the USA” and other anthems (47:07–48:06).
  • “I don’t know if he could stick the landing [if he parachuted in].” – Matt (48:28)

8. Vince Marrow Sightings and KSR Community

• Listener calls in with a Vince Marrow sighting at Jeff Ruby’s, sparking a running joke about where Vince wishes he lived (48:44–49:55).
  • “The dude wishes he was here. I know he misses it, whether he says it or not.” – Matt (49:55)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “To hit a moving round object with another moving round object and to hit it squarely, it is one of the toughest things in sports.”
  – Shannon Dawson (06:24)

• “Should women ever pay for dates?”
  – Listener question sparking a nuanced debate (07:58)

• “I don't think I've ever let a woman pay, maybe ever… it's like opening the door, you know? It's just something you do.”
  – Matt Jones (09:23)

• “If she passes away, that'll be a day the whole country would unite in sadness. … She would definitely be one.”
  – Matt Jones on Dolly Parton (21:15)

• “Stoops has Kentucky by the—well, say—but they've got Kentucky by the—he cut. I mean, Mitch. This contract for Mitch is a disaster.”
  – Matt Jones (36:17)

• “He was charged after he drove 110 miles an hour and nearly flipped his car…said, ‘I'm not that drunk.’”
  – Matt Jones (30:58)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:13] – Start of Hour 2 and baseball highlights
• [07:58] – Listener dating question and group debate
• [13:12] – UK basketball schedule breakdown
• [21:15] – Dolly Parton health scare and legacy
• [25:57] – Listener asks about setting expectations for UK basketball
• [30:07] – Sheriff DUI news and local governance
• [36:07] – Football contract disaster discussion
• [46:31] – Lee Greenwood/Bad Bunny Super Bowl debate
• [48:44] – Vince Marrow sighting story

Tone and Style

The tone is warm, humorous, locally focused, and filled with good-natured ribbing. The show balances sports, pop culture, and social topics with authenticity and a Kentucky-centric sensibility.

Summary

This hour of KSR blends sports analysis (especially UK basketball anticipation and schedule breakdown), baseball amazement, and offbeat Kentucky news with inviting, often hilarious banter. Thoughtful moments arise during debates about relationships and traditions, while local issues like government accountability get candid attention. Through it all, the rapport between Matt, Drew, Shannon, and Ryan keeps things lively and relatable for the Big Blue Nation.