KSR (Kentucky Sports Radio) – Hour 2, October 9, 2025

Host: Matt Jones with Ryan Lemond, Shannon Dawson, Mario Urrutia Airing on iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

Episode Overview

In this lively episode of KSR, Matt Jones and the crew celebrate "Ask Anything Thursday," inviting texts and calls about anything—sports, city life, pop culture, hypothetical scenarios, and more. The team delivers their characteristic UK (University of Kentucky) news and views, sharp banter, Kentucky humor, and honest takes on everything from city rivalries to iconic TV shows. They also touch on upcoming UK athletics events and local happenings, answer whimsical hypotheticals, and reminisce about classic television.

Key Discussion Points

1. Audience Interactions and Local Color

• The episode opens with fun shout-outs to audience members present at KSBar, including a dad-daughter duo for Dad’s Weekend and a groom getting married at a yard sale in Rockcastle County (“Nothing says love like selling some old T-shirts.” – Ryan, 02:24).
• The crew jokes about combining weddings and yard sales for profit, highlighting the quirkiness of Kentucky life.

2. Serve Pro Sponsorship & Customer Experience

• Quick plug for Serve Pro as a sponsor, with personal anecdotes about customer service:
  • “They heard me talk about my basement getting flooded. They called me just to double check, ... That's good customer relations right there.” – Ryan, 03:24

3. Ask Anything Thursday – Hypotheticals and City Life

Louisville Game Day Scenario

• Hypothetical: UK kicks a field goal to beat Louisville, going 5-7 versus missing and going 4-8.
  • Matt: “I’m never going to cheer for us not to beat Louisville on a field goal, never.” (04:01)
  • Consensus: They’d rather win, ending the season on a high, regardless of the overall record.

Lexington vs. Louisville: Best and Worst Aspects

• Lexington Best:

  • Diversity (Ryan), College Town Feel (Mario), City Size (Matt), Beauty/Horse Farms (Shannon)

• Lexington Worst:

  • Traffic (“There is no worse traffic for a city of this size anywhere in the United States.” – Matt, 06:25)
  • Lack of activities for kids (Ryan), Limited nightlife for non-college adults (Shannon), Wishing city were bigger (Mario)

• Louisville Best:

  • Food variety (“Louisville’s got the best food choices.” – Matt, 08:33)
  • Concerts/music scene (Shannon), KFC Yum! Center/Arena (Ryan), Skyline/Parks (Mario)

• Louisville Worst:

  • Louisville Zoo design and odor (Ryan)
  • Dirty downtown and urban stench (Shannon: “It’s dirty downtown. That’s my worst.” 10:36)
  • Dangerous neighborhoods (Mario)
  • Segregation—racial, economic, and political (“Louisville is very, very segregated...it causes the city to fight.” – Matt, 11:40)

“Louisville people want to argue, and Lexington people just want to live and be happy.” – Adam Edelen, quoted by Matt, 13:02

Where Should You Live? (Based on Life Stage)

• “College: Lexington. Young professional: probably Louisville. Family: probably Lexington.” – Matt, 14:03

4. Extras: Flying Out of Lexington

• Airport in Lexington is expensive and has few direct flights.
  • “No flights out of here and they're all a bajillion dollars.” – Matt, 15:57

5. National and Sports Hot Takes

• Politician Gaffes: Matt critiques Katie Porter’s “mean” interview moment, predicting it’ll cost her (16:18–17:32).
• Most Hated Teams (per sport):
  • Matt: CFB–Tennessee, CBB–Louisville (& Duke), NBA–Celtics, NFL–Patriots, MLB–Red Sox
  • Ryan: NFL–Cowboys, CBB–Louisville, MLB–Cubs, NBA–Knicks
  • Mario: CBB–Duke, NFL–Patriots, NBA–Celtics
  • Shannon: MLB–Yankees, NBA–Magic, NFL–Cowboys (“The Magic. Who hates the Magic?” – Matt, 19:16)

6. Stanford Football NIL Windfall

• Discussion of $100M donation to Stanford for NIL after donor’s death.
  • “If they’re not good now, something’s wrong.” – Ryan, 22:23
  • General skepticism on donating posthumously to athletics.

7. UK Basketball: Purdue Exhibition Game

• Should UK fans put stock in the outcome?
  • Panel consensus: Yes—important early season test, play to win!
  • “I think you play it like a real game and you’re trying to win.” – Matt, 23:21
  • “You find out, maybe, what rotations work. ... Play this game to win it.” – Ryan, 23:44

8. Belichick Rumors

• Addressing rumors about coaching drama, with the crew joking about distractions (“Maybe there’s something new in his life that’s distracting him a little bit...” – Ryan, 26:09)
• Gentle ribbing about mispronouncing "Belichick" as "Billichek."

9. Classic TV and Generational Gaps

• Mario confesses to never having watched “Andy Griffith,” “Seinfeld,” “I Love Lucy,” “Brady Bunch,” “Cheers”—but has seen “Full House,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Family Matters.”
  • Matt quips: “These are all shows I watched diligently.”
  • Shannon on Andy Griffith: “The main guy on the Andy Griffith show is Andy Griffith. You’ve never seen it?” (38:30)
  • Mario: “His name is actually interesting enough, Seinfeld?” (38:08)
  • Matt: “Would you think his name wouldn’t be Seinfeld? I mean, I understand if you didn’t think the guy’s name was Friends.” (38:20)

10. Pop Culture: Anime “Death Note”

• Matt tries out “Death Note” after player Jaden Quaintance’s recommendation, describes its moral premise.
  • “The whole anime thing is weird to me. ... But I did like the story.” (28:54)
• The crew debates if they’d use a notebook that can kill people by writing their name:
  • “I couldn’t do it.” – Ryan (31:13)
  • “Would you write Hitler’s name?” – Matt (30:46)

11. UK Fan Day and Big Blue Madness

• UK Fan Day, basketball-focused and free to the public, praised as a new direction for fan engagement.
  • “Hopefully you’ll come by the bar and see us at some point Saturday. ... I hear there’s a surprise that Kentucky fans will really like.” – Matt, 35:00

12. UK Women’s Basketball Recruiting

• Kenny Brooks lands another top-20 recruit; high optimism for the year.
  • “Kenny’s making a Final Four here. I don’t know when it’s going to be but like Kenny Brooks is silently going to be like an assassin of a coach because he is recruiting well.” – Matt, 39:18

13. Baseball Playoffs Picks & Pitching Rants

• Dodgers vs. Phillies, Brewers vs. Cubs. Discussion about bullpen games in the playoffs.
  • “How can you have a bullpen game? You’re in the playoffs, man.” – Ryan, 40:35
  • “You suck it up. Get out there.” – Ryan, 41:04

14. Miscellaneous Listener Questions / Arkansas Coaching Rumor

• A light-hearted caller asks if Kentucky could “give” Arkansas their football coach.

15. Bobby Petrino at Arkansas

• Jokes about Petrino’s infamous off-field drama and repeated returns to coaching positions.

16. Upcoming Episode and Live Show

• Tomorrow’s show to broadcast live from Wild Eggs in Hamburg.
• Invitation to Thursday Night Football at KSBar (“nonstop food fest out there”).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Louisville’s food scene:
  “Louisville’s got the best food choices. ... I'd be interested how many [cities of its size] have better food choices than Louisville.” – Matt, 08:33

• On Lexington’s traffic:
  “There is no worse traffic for a city of this size anywhere in the United States.” – Matt, 06:25

• On city differences:
  “Louisville people want to argue, and Lexington people just want to live and be happy.” – from Adam Edelen, quoted by Matt, 13:02

• On Mario’s TV ignorance:
  “His name is actually interesting enough, Seinfeld?” – Mario, 38:08
  “Would you think his name wouldn’t be Seinfeld? ... I understand if you didn’t think the guy’s name was Friends.” – Matt, 38:20

• On Bobby Petrino:
  “He left because he was having a relationship with a staffer and ended up wrecking a motorcycle while being chased by her boyfriend. And he’s back, buddy.” – Matt, 42:48

• On Big Blue Madness:
  “I hear there is ... a surprise that Kentucky fans will really like.” – Matt, 35:00

Important Timestamps

• Lexington vs. Louisville Analysis: 04:46 – 13:54
• Air Travel Out of Lexington: 15:47 – 16:18
• Stanford $100M NIL Story: 19:38 – 21:11
• Purdue vs. UK BBall Exhibition: 22:12 – 23:55
• Andy Griffith & Mario’s TV Confessions: 26:50 – 28:51
• Pop Culture/Anime “Death Note”: 28:54 – 31:44
• Fan Day & Big Blue Madness: 33:28 – 35:36
• Women’s Basketball Recruiting: 39:07 – 39:56
• Playoff Picks/Bullpen Rant: 40:02 – 41:21

Tone & Atmosphere

As always, the KSR crew mixes sports, Kentucky pride, irreverent humor, and loose conversational energy. The pace is upbeat, the banter playful, and there's a warmth and inclusivity as listeners’ texts and calls shape much of the content. The show captures the unique spirit of Kentucky sports and local culture—where everyone’s opinion is welcome, and no topic is off-limits.

Summary

This episode of KSR showcases the radio team’s signature blend of sports talk and Kentucky lifestyle. From comparing the best and worst of Lexington and Louisville, pondering hypothetical miracles (and disasters) in UK athletics, reacting to pop culture touchpoints, celebrating UK’s women’s basketball recruiting wins, to previewing Big Blue Madness and Fan Day—the show ranges freely and insightfully. Notable is the good-natured ribbing about generational divides in TV and entertainment, a testament to the show’s cross-generational reach. Ultimately, it’s an episode that puts Kentucky pride and the pulse of the fanbase front and center.