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Matt Jones
From the Bob and Tom show and Tosh Zero Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Greg Hahn October 2nd through the 4th. And from Chelsea lately and Comedy Central, catch John Capirullo October 10th and 11th. Then it's a clean comedy show featuring the hilarious Greg Warren. October 16th through the 18th. For tickets to all Comedy Off Broadway shows, call 859-271-joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com Comedy Off Broadway.
Ryan Lemond
This is Kentucky sports Radio presented by Stockton mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.
Matt Jones
Welcome, everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Wednesday, October 15th. I am Matt Jones here at the KS Bar and Grill. It is wings day. Dollar wings all day. Mario, shh. This is the. You can give us a shit. Ask anything Wednesday on the Clark's pump and Shop phone line, 859-280-2287. A Vision Auto Glass text machine is 772-774-5254. In this edition sponsored by the TJ Smith Law Office, you call TJ. He'll make them pay. Dollar wings all day and night here at the bar and burgers. And we're ready to go. We got. Ryan Lemon's former news director is in the house. How are you doing?
Ryan Lemond
My first ever news director, John stern from Channel 7 Eyewitness News in Evansville.
Matt Jones
I was eyewitness.
Ryan Lemond
Oh, eyewitness news.
Matt Jones
What news did you witness when you were.
Ryan Lemond
Oh, there's all kind of news going on.
Matt Jones
What was the biggest news story while you worked in Evansville?
Ryan Lemond
Well, there was a horrific plane crash.
Matt Jones
Well, way to bring the mood down on the show. Okay. But I did ask.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah, yeah, that was that. That was tough. That shook the whole community for a long time.
Matt Jones
What about the biggest sports story?
Ryan Lemond
Well, Don Mattingly would just, you know, became famous and was like tearing up the American league with the Yankees when I was working there.
Matt Jones
So why was that a big story in Evansville?
Ryan Lemond
Oh, he's from Evansville.
Drew Franklin
I'm sorry.
Matt Jones
Okay.
Ryan Lemond
He's an Evansville guy.
Matt Jones
I just thought you just. Anything Don Mattingly did was a big deal. I'm sorry.
Drew Franklin
I used to be an eyewitness to Ryan on Eyewitness news. Watched him every night.
Ryan Lemond
Wow.
Drew Franklin
Got into the Scott Roland highlights.
Ryan Lemond
Scott Roland? Yeah. I gave Scott Rolling his first ever TV interview. I gave Walter McCarty his first ever T energy.
Matt Jones
So you're you. You're saying Walter McCarty, Scott Roland and Don Mattingly all owe something to you? Absolutely.
Ryan Lemond
Yes. Got started them on their way.
Matt Jones
Well, good. Well, 859280, 2287 it is a beautiful day outside. We are two days away from a huge weekend in Lexington. You got the blue white game, you've got the UK Texas. It's going to be its parents weekend. Adam Sandler is in town Thursday night. Drew, I think this is one Keeneland. This is one of the big weekends you had in Lexington. October in the city.
Drew Franklin
Yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun for everyone participating. But to anyone just trying to get around town and live their regular life, I'm expecting absolute chaos. But it is good for Lexington. This will be one of the biggest weekends of the year.
Matt Jones
This will be a great weekend here at the bar too. That's what I'm looking forward to. The pregame was seven o' clock game against Texas. You know, you're good. We'll have people in here the night before because the blue white parents. We get everybody coming in town and then all day Saturday. Those the, the reason, you know, because when we reopened this we, we had some talks about, you know, do we want to, want to keep doing this and I, we keep doing it for days like Saturday. Where this place is, is a whole lot of fun.
Ryan Lemond
It becomes a special place to be on game day. You do your pre game, your tailgating here and then go to the game and it sounds like there's going to be a really good crowd. I mean tickets are kind of hard to get. The ones that are good are expensive and cuz people are gobbling them up.
Matt Jones
Can I tell a quick story? I wasn't going to tell the story but I feel like I'm, I want to tell.
Ryan Lemond
It's story time with Uncle Matt.
Matt Jones
All right, so this is a true story. Happened to me on, on last week. All right, so I got a phone call from my agent on Thursday and he said hey Matt, there's somebody that wants to talk to you. It's, it's, it's fairly important and you need to keep your phone on you all day. Like as soon as they call you need to be able to answer. This was a, a media person. Like so I can't really say what it is. You just have to just, just assume. Big deal, big media person. I say okay. They're like. And look, if he calls during the show, you got to find a way to jump off the show and take the call.
Ryan Lemond
You told me the other day to be ready.
Matt Jones
I'm gonna have to jump and take a call. All right, so get through the morning, no call, show no call, get to the afternoon. I have to go to, to the doctor Trying to figure out, you know, trying to make sure these floaters I have are okay. And they're okay.
Ryan Lemond
Good, Right.
Matt Jones
But I'm. I'm going. But I say the doctor. I'm like, listen, doc, I. I hate to do this, but if I get a phone call, I have to take it. Okay?
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Matt Jones
And he was like, all right, fine, whatever. Of course, that's when it happens during the show. Phone rings and I know from earlier that the person calling me is gonna have a 202 number. Right?
Ryan Lemond
Okay.
Matt Jones
Phone rings, 202 number. I look at the doctor, I'm like, I'm sorry, I have to take this call. I feel bad, but I have to. Hello? This person goes, hey, Matt, what's up? But like, in a familiar way. So I'm, you know, remember me? I'm thinking this is media person. Then the guy goes, so what do you know about sperm racing?
Ryan Lemond
Sperm racing?
Matt Jones
Sperm racing. We would like to bring it to KS Bar the day of the Texas game.
Ryan Lemond
Sperm racing, yes.
Matt Jones
And I said, who is this? It was not my boss. It was not the media person. This was just some random person. And they were wanting to set up in the parking lot something to talk about male infertility and have an 800 person tailgate here about sperm racing. I said, sir, can I call you back? I'm in the doctor. I get off the phone, call back. Now. I want you to think, here's the thing. You don't. You're in a little tiny office with the doctor. He heard all that. And I said, and I looked, and I could tell on his face he's wanting to. I could tell he'd heard it and.
Ryan Lemond
He'S wanting to talk about it.
Matt Jones
And he goes, so was that important? He said, so was that important? And I said, that was not the media person. I don't know what it was. So I had to decline. Drew, that event here in the parking lot for UK Texas, I said, we're already going to be very crowded. We can't have that. But somewhere in Lexington is an 800 person event happening on Saturday. In terms of the things that are going to be happening in this city.
Drew Franklin
I'm glad you explained it as, you know, trying to help people with health issues. I didn't know where we were going. This is a restaurant that would hurt our health score they were doing down here.
Matt Jones
That was part of what I.
Drew Franklin
That makes a little more sense. I would call it something differently.
Matt Jones
You know what? I think they do it to get your attention, but I think it's gonna I think that backfires, in my opinion. But they wanted to take up the whole parking lot to do it. And I was like you, I don't think it's good for our health score. We're a restaurant, you know, so anyway, never ended up. I turned that down. Ryan, I hope you're okay.
Ryan Lemond
You know, we're usually open to any kind of promotion.
Matt Jones
We weren't open to that.
Ryan Lemond
Not open to that.
Matt Jones
We were not open to that. All right, I want to. For the last few weeks or last couple weeks, we've been talking a lot about the Stoop situation. I thought to myself yesterday, I do not want to open with that again. But then I don't think we have a choice because. And again, I want to give credit to Harold Leader here. They got Mitch Barnhart for an interview. And Mitch Barnhart made a couple of quotes that I think we just have to discuss. He was asked about, basically about the Stoop situation and the contract. And I'm going to read you both. Both things now. This is all in the Herald Leader. You can read, John Hale has a interview. John Hale does two stories, one of which is he traces Mark Stoops contract from the first one to now. So you can see how it's advanced. It's kind of fascinating. But let's start with the most important question, which is he was asked if about his confidence in Mark Stoops. Here's Mitch Barnhart's quote, and I want to get your two yourall's take on it. Quote, Mark is working hard. Can I promise everything that everybody wants me to promise? No, there's no promise. We can play our hearts out and go have one tough moment that goes against you in a game and all of a sudden you find yourself with a loss that you didn't want. And that doesn't mean you didn't give effort, you didn't work your way through it. But Mark and his guys are working hard now. I have a reaction to that, Drew, what's yours?
Drew Franklin
Well, first I rolled my eyes because kind of back to work and we're working is getting. They're big on getting back to work on Monday. Been like that for a long time. It kind of just feels like Barnhart's throwing out a little bit of support for Stoops and just gonna let the resort result tell the end of the. Tell the story at the end of the season is how I took it.
Matt Jones
Wasn't a lot of support. He was like, yeah, I mean, it's.
Drew Franklin
Kind of just kicking it down to.
Matt Jones
I mean, he says we could play our hearts out and then not win. I mean, that's. It's almost like he's, like, acknowledging we may not win very many games the rest of the year. At least that's how I took it.
Drew Franklin
He's saying, I'm going to. We got his back. But when. A vote of confidence. But it just seems like he's.
Ryan Lemond
He's.
Drew Franklin
We'll know at the end of the year. So he's going to let him play it out and the winds will tell the story.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah, there was. That was no vote of confidence at all for your coach. I read it. I took it as like. Like I'm gonna use you as an example. We just talking about you in high school basketball. You know, the guy that sits at the end of the bench.
Matt Jones
That's a good sign for Mark Stoops. If you're using my high school basketball career as an example, the guy that.
Ryan Lemond
Sits at the end of the bench, good guy, man. He works hard. He really a hard worker. No, you're never gonna get on the floor, not gonna be able to play. But, boy, you sure are a hard worker. That's how I heard that paragraph.
Matt Jones
Just using you as a. Well, that's not a good sign for his future because they did ask me to be a manager halfway through my career, so I don't know that that will help him. Now, the next. So part two of the article came out today, and I think it's the more important part. He traces Mark Stoops. Mark Stoops. Time here. By the way, do you know what Mark Stoop's first deal with Kentucky was?
Ryan Lemond
No.
Matt Jones
Five years, $11 million. Wow.
Ryan Lemond
He makes that pretty much almost makes that a year.
Matt Jones
Five years, $11 million. Now he's making over $9 million every season. But this is the key. People may not remember. At the end of the 2021 season, he signed an extension. Okay, so he signed an extension that was very similar to his other extensions. It had a buyout of around 20, 25 million dollars. And it was very similar to the other season. He was making like 7 million a year, etc. We win the first four games of the 2022 season. Do you remember who we beat? Miami of, Ohio, Youngstown. What was the other one?
Drew Franklin
I think Florida was the big Florida.
Matt Jones
And then one more. So three bad teams in Florida.
Ryan Lemond
All right, at four.
Matt Jones
No, we give him another extension. Now here's this extension. Raises the buyout from 25 million right now to 38 million. So raises it by 13 years. Makes the buyout due within 60 days of leaving and extends him for three more years. John Hale asked Mitch Barnard, why did you do that four games into the season? This was after we blocked that kick, remember, and ran it back for the against Florida. Here was his answer. We were four and oh, go. And by the way, we signed the contract. Do you remember three days later we lost to Vandy at home. That was the kind of the start of the slide. We're 6 and 20 in the SEC since that contract. He said we were 40 going into that. And there was a lot of talk around our program and a lot of talk about Mark being in the running for other jobs. This is the key quote. Our fans wanted us to make sure we didn't lose a guy that had been so beneficial to our program. And so we walked through that. We were thankful to be able to secure him as our football coach and keep him around and make sure he's a wildcat. And I'm still proud of that today.
Ryan Lemond
Oh, could have gone without that last sentence.
Drew Franklin
There's an unnecessary sentence there.
Matt Jones
That last sentence is a sentence that's getting some traction online. Two things that I want to ask you about that. What about the first comment? Our fans wanted us to make sure we didn't lose a guy. Do you think that was true four games into the 2022 season?
Ryan Lemond
I'm trying to remember. I mean, we just come off the Citrus bowl win with Will Levis. The year before we had 10 wins. Now we're four and all the next year we're talking about building a statue for the guy. I think he's the greatest coach in the history of college football.
Matt Jones
But do you think you need to do it right then? Because you do it on a Tuesday, we lose at home to Vandy the next week. I think there's a really good chance you don't give him that. Yes, if you lost a van waited one more week. If you had waited one more week.
Drew Franklin
Well, if they truly did it after four and oh, I have the schedule now. Your three of your four wins were Miami, Youngstown and Northern Illinois. Yeah, left out Northern Illinois, but they were eighth in the country, I guess, with that Florida win. But if it was truly after four wins, then they went loss, loss, win, loss, loss, loss.
Matt Jones
Like, yeah, well, we lost to Vandy and then we lost South Carolina.
Drew Franklin
Ole Miss was next. Oh, then South Carolina next because it didn't come out till before the Vandy game. But Barnhart saying after four games, they did it behind closed doors after four games. We all found out before the vanity.
Matt Jones
But John Hill makes the point. They didn't do an announcement. It was only found out because somebody requested something else and it was added on to it. So this extension that supposedly our fans wanted us to do, they didn't even make a public announcement about it. I think that's important if you're gonna say because, look, I like Mitch, but this is kind of. I want to say. I think this is kind of a BS thing to say. If you're going to say our fans wanted us to make sure we didn't lose the guy, then why didn't you announce. It only came out because they requested some other public contract and it was added to it. And we found out you're right before the Vandy game, which was later in the year. But clearly you didn't do this because there was a clamoring for him to stay. You didn't even make a public announcement about it.
Drew Franklin
He's right. Rewriting history. He's really saying all the fans wanted it. You would have made graphics and paraded that around.
Matt Jones
This was because, hey, fans, we want you to know we've got him. We wouldn't have found out because Bob asked for the file about. And then they accidentally. I don't remember if they accidentally or intentionally, but they. Mark Stoops contract was part of that. Ryan.
Ryan Lemond
I think Mitch Barnett was so afraid of losing Stoops and losing Cal Perry. He made these ridiculous. Off these contracts. He don't. He don't want me to. The guy that let Caliper go to the.
Matt Jones
Would it just be more honest to go that.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Matt Jones
To say I'm still proud of it. That worries me.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Matt Jones
If you still think that was a good deal, like, I can accept people might make mistakes. But Drew, if you still think that was a good decision where we're sitting right now, I don't know what to say at that point.
Drew Franklin
Yeah. We all know the results. And now that I'm looking at the schedule and him saying it was done after four games in that same month, they lost to Tennessee 44 to 6. With two other wins that month, it seems the moment Penn went to paper, it just completely flipped the switch. Winning went to, losing instantly.
Ryan Lemond
Levis got hurt. Remember they started.
Matt Jones
Yeah. So, you know, so if you read those articles, it doesn't seem like to me he's going, mark Stoops will be here until the end of time. But he's also. And I feel like it's just deja vu. John Calipari. Mark Stoops and Mitch Barnhart all have extremely different personalities. They're not in any way the same person, but they all have that stubborn streak where they can't just say we made a mistake. And I know he can't come out and say I made a mistake. I mean, I don't expect him to do that when he's here. But the I'm still proud of that. It continues this view of people who are just like, well, I don't mess up. Everything else goes wrong. I imperfect and I that, that just. That just annoys me. We'll take a break. 859-280-2287 Text machine is 772-774-5254 It's KSR.
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Matt Jones
Good song choice, Shannon. Not gonna lie. Perfect for what we were talking about. This is. What's his name?
Ryan Lemond
Davis.
Matt Jones
Mac Davis. That's right. Yeah. He looks so good in his jeans. I think he says at some point, doesn't he, Shannon? 8592802287 Scare Fest is this weekend, too. You said that's where everybody's in their Halloween costume.
Ryan Lemond
It's like Comic Con for Halloween. Just a lot of boosts and vendors on Halloween stuff. But people come dressed in their costume. There's actors and stuff from, like, movies.
Drew Franklin
That will be there.
Matt Jones
Yeah. And that's this weekend.
Ryan Lemond
This weekend, too.
Matt Jones
Good.
Ryan Lemond
Not Adam Sandler. Thursday night. Scare Fest. I think Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Matt Jones
Yeah. Drew, you made a very good point that I want to say. Mitch Barnhart in that article, he has one more thing that's important. He says he's sort of explaining the dip in how Kentucky has performed. And I want you to. I want to read you this quote. If everybody will reflect on the program that Mark inherited and where he took us eight straight years. By the way, he doesn't have a clause after that. That's not a sentence. But nevertheless, it's what he says. If everyone will reflect on the program that Stoops inherited and where he took us for eight straight years, then the changes in the world of college athletics occurred, and it was a struggle for us for a couple years just to try and find our way. So in the middle part, we all were fine and everything was good. And now we're having to adjust. I think. Isn't it worth noting that the struggles, which is what he's talking about with nil, everyone, myself included in us, were warning Mitch that we were behind. Like, everybody was saying, mitch, you are behind. And he was insisting he wasn't. And now he's using the excuse of being behind as an excuse when at the time, he was saying he wasn't behind.
Drew Franklin
Honestly, of everything in this interview, the Stoop stuff, all of it, the NIL part stood out to me the most because I was thinking in real time, felt like every morning we're being like, is Mitch gonna say anything about Nil? Like, other ads are making videos telling fans, come participate.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Matt Jones
And how can you be behind and then use the fact that you chose to be behind? As an excuse. You did that. We all remember, we saw we were here. Now I give him a lot of credit. He's reverse course. But the reason there was that two year dip was you. I mean, that's actually something I don't blame Mark for. We were two years behind on NIL because Mitch and Cal would not embrace it at first. Now Mark tried to embrace it at first. The university fought him. He did it privately and he kind of kept the program afloat for like in like 22 or like 22 and 23 on his own. And then it kind of, I think, hit us last year. But that's on Mitch in some ways, right?
Ryan Lemond
Yeah. He was openly critical of nil. Remember he talked about there thought there'd be problems in the locker room and things that would happen if they went that route. So he tried to stay away from it as long as he possibly could, I think.
Drew Franklin
And there are so many other schools just being open about it. Tennessee especially their ad was like making videos and playing in the stadium like fans, we need your money. And it was just silent over here because they were afraid to get involved.
Matt Jones
Yeah. So I actually don't. I mean, I'm glad they did the interview. I think John Hill did a good job with it and I guess I'm glad he did it, but I actually don't think he helped himself at all.
Drew Franklin
Do you?
Ryan Lemond
Just that one line there, the end, then at one sentence. And I'm still proud of this contract, that that line right there alone is what's going to.
Matt Jones
So if you were trying to read the tea leaves and say, does this sound like a coach who would make a at the end or an ad that would make a change at the end of the year, what would you.
Ryan Lemond
Say from what you just read? No.
Matt Jones
Did you read the whole story?
Ryan Lemond
No, I didn't even hear. No. This second story came out this morning.
Matt Jones
Okay.
Ryan Lemond
Well, the one yesterday.
Matt Jones
You read the story?
Drew Franklin
Yeah.
Matt Jones
Would you. What would you take about it?
Drew Franklin
I would. I've always wondered what, like a five win or if it's close. Like if four wins. It seems like if it's close, Mitch would lean keeping him. I still think if it's. If you don't win an SEC game since he's made it to where you have to make a move. But it does sound like if it's kind of one, if it's on the fence, I think Mitch would lean towards keeping him a little bit.
Matt Jones
That's exactly how I read it. I kind of read it as if it's Three or four, he doesn't have a choice. If it's six, he's keeping him. And then the question was what would happen if it's 5? If you read that, I think 5 sounds like he would lean to keep it.
Ryan Lemond
Yep.
Matt Jones
Like they're.
Drew Franklin
Bet they're working there were we improved from last year big. We'll ignore the fact that we fell.
Matt Jones
So far, but three or four, I don't. There's nothing that you can't. There's nothing they.
Drew Franklin
That'll take care of itself. The pressure will be so bad if they don't win more games.
Matt Jones
And you made a good point when we made that extension to go from $25 million buyout to 38. I think I put my tweet 10. What. What Mitch meant was 10 or it was lat, like more. So that was. That was. I misread that. So it was 25 to 38. But that addition the week before, we had only beaten Northern Illinois by 7 points. So Mitch is also, I think playing with history to say the fans were asking for it. I don't think the fans were against it. But he, he was not there. We were not standing outside the gates going extend Mark Stoops right now.
Drew Franklin
And when he says four and oh, you think, oh, we're four, zero. I think noting that three of those were the cupcake teams that season were in the first four games is an important detail.
Matt Jones
We beat Florida.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Drew Franklin
And that's. That was huge. Not taking that away from them. But the other three, you know, there are different versions of 40 in football.
Matt Jones
I totally agree with that.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah. We talked about the Northern Illinois win. I remember we struggled to beat Youngstown State that day. Rupp arena at Kroger Field.
Matt Jones
Did we. Was that game close?
Ryan Lemond
It was close for a while because I was sitting right behind all the Stoops family and people and they were like laughing and goofing off.
Matt Jones
Oh, cuz that was the one. That was the big homecoming where they had the party and all that. That's when Mark Stoop's friend knocked Max across the room.
Ryan Lemond
Really?
Matt Jones
Have we never told that before?
Ryan Lemond
I don't know if I know this story.
Matt Jones
Yeah, never mind. 8 5, 9.
Ryan Lemond
Wow.
Matt Jones
859-280-2287. The text machine is 7727 7, 45254. We'll take your calls on this. Plus yesterday UK basketball got in front of the media at SEC media day and there was one universal thing. Every single person said the same thing and it was the number nine they all said it. It's clearly being engraved in them. Title not. Not Title nine. The the law, but go win Title nine. That was on the message. We'll talk about it next here on ksr.
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TJ Smith, personal injury attorney.
Ryan Lemond
Call tj. He'll make him pay. Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones. Welcome back.
Matt Jones
It is Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287. We're gonna go the phones Ask Anything Wednesday. Text Machine, 772-774-5254. Quickly wanted to ask you, Ryan, did you hear about what happened in London with the rapper that closed down the interstate to do a music video and got arrested?
Ryan Lemond
I saw this story, but I don't know who the rapper was.
Matt Jones
The rapper was Armani White.
Ryan Lemond
I don't know this person.
Matt Jones
So Armani White was driving down the interstate, apparently stopped right there next to like Exit 41 or whatever. Just got out of his car, blocked the interstate and started filming a music video.
Ryan Lemond
Got up on the concrete wall or.
Matt Jones
Something, got on the concrete wall, was filming the music video, traffic stopped and the city police in London arrested him. Now he is being, he's going to be charged with something. I'm not exactly sure. But basically you can't just stop on the interstate and film a music video. London has had the craziest both, you know, he had the tragedy of the tornado. You've been, they've been trying to impeach the mayor. They impeached him. Now he's back. You have the videos of the city council, people getting in fights with people in the parking lot. And now rappers stopping on the interstate to do video.
Drew Franklin
I really need to see the video of this come out. I'm not encouraging you should do it, but I'm wondering if he's trying to do like a play on London. We have a Paris, like Jay Z has a lyric in London. I pull the bins up. Is this guy just trying to shortcut all of our, you know, London, Paris, all these things and make a, make an around the world. Do we have one of those?
Matt Jones
Yeah, we do. Yeah.
Drew Franklin
The audacity to just pull over on the interstate and just think this is my set to make a video.
Matt Jones
There's like a mug shot like he got taken to the Laurel County Correctional Facilities. Is Armani White, Is he a big rapper? Because he is a little bit.
Ryan Lemond
Because the, the story called him a quote, famous rapper.
Matt Jones
Yeah, well, but I didn't know if that was just like somebody got asked to write it who doesn't know who a famous rapper is. But I saw his opening for T.
Drew Franklin
Pain currently, so I don't know.
Ryan Lemond
There's one single it says that peaked at number 58 on the billboard.
Matt Jones
So you got up to 58 on the billboard.
Ryan Lemond
You tell me if that's famous.
Matt Jones
But the thing is, you can't just be stopping on the interstate in London and think you can just film a music video. You have to have a permit for that in the city of London.
Drew Franklin
But now that he's done it, I think we should let him finish the production. No, he can't go do it again. But let's. Let's get the final product.
Ryan Lemond
I'm getting arrested. Should be part of the video.
Matt Jones
It should be. They should have kept the camera rolling. Yes, they should have, I would think. Up first, Shannon. Trevor. Trevor. Go ahead, Trevor.
Commercial Announcer 2
Hey, Matt.
Drew Franklin
This is Trevor out of London.
Matt Jones
First off, why is it always us? So you're in London. What a coincidence. I bet the word spread. I bet the word spread quickly. Yeah, it did. Yeah, it did. And it was. It's all over the Facebook and stuff. But my question for.
Ryan Lemond
It's legit.
Matt Jones
Yeah.
Drew Franklin
Yeah.
Matt Jones
My question is, so towards the end there with California, the relationship between Stoops and Cal seemed to be a little bit weird, a little bit off. Yes.
Ryan Lemond
Like, between the two.
Matt Jones
So with Pope being so positive, and.
Ryan Lemond
It seems like everybody loves him, and.
Matt Jones
We'Re in the transition from football to basketball, and Stoops with the. With the fans is the kind of on the outs. What's the relationship like between Stoops and. I've heard the relationship between Stoops and Pope is. Is great. I've not heard one. I appreciate the call. Pope, I think, gets along with everybody, you know, and to be fair to Cal, I think that was like that with him for a long time. I think the moment. The relationship. Cal. When we've talked about Cal's relationship with the boosters, with eight, with everybody, that's when it started getting worse with the other coaches as well. I mean, there was the time coaches could bring their recruits to go see Cal. I think that stopped after Covid. But Stoops and Cows relationship became very, very toxic at the end. You. You saw it get public after the basketball school comment. But the reason that comment came about is it had been very toxic the year before that anyway, for a variety of reasons. I think the Stoops Cal toxicity really started with nil. I mean, Cal had the belief that UK football should get nothing. I mean, that was his Kind of belief. His belief was, look, well, he said it, right? We're a basketball school.
Ryan Lemond
Yep.
Matt Jones
So the idea that we're giving money to football. What. What are you doing? I don't think that's been Mark Pope's view at all. And so Pope and Soups have gone, but yet have done well. But. But Stoops and Cal was a very, very toxic relationship. And then, of course, it got public, Ryan, when those comments were made, but it was toxic before that.
Ryan Lemond
Early in Cal's tenure, he was. He was great. He would not just entertain football recruits, he would entertain volleyball recruits, tennis recruits. Coaches would bring people in, and he would try to sell the university.
Matt Jones
Cal was very gracious when we were losing. He liked it. No, I mean, he could, like, he was. He was very gracious to Joker. He was gracious to Stoops in those early years. I think that season we. I think what happened is when we had that.
Drew Franklin
Those.
Matt Jones
That Will Levis year, remember, our basketball team was stinking.
Ryan Lemond
Just come off that bad. What, 9 and 16.
Matt Jones
Right. So this. This. You got to remember where we were then. The basketball team had just had that awful year. Then here comes this Will Levis year where we're great. And this kind of felt a little bit like a football school for a year or two. Right. And then Cal struggling and he's getting fan pushback for the first time. And I think that's when the tension really, really mounted.
Drew Franklin
Yeah, I've heard of Riffs also behind the scenes. We've talked a lot about how Cal and Barnhart weren't exactly close and Cal would go rogue and wanted to run basketball as his own thing. And that would lead to times where there's like, a UK athletics coaching event and everybody's there and it's like, well, where's Cal? But Stoops is there and everyone else is there, and it kind of just them getting annoyed of, like, Cal kind of being off on himself over there with the basketball offices where everybody else was still doing a lot of things together. And it's like.
Matt Jones
And I don't think you can also. I don't think you can underestimate the role that the high school cafeteria that is Jeff Ruby's played in that. I mean, I'm not kidding. Like, you know what I mean? I mean, Jeff Ruby's every Friday, Saturday night would be the football and basketball staff. And while the staffs kind of got along, there was some football people on this side of the room, basketball people on this side of the room, basketball people would sit In a private room in the back. Football people would sit with the people.
Drew Franklin
Right.
Matt Jones
And I think, I know that sounds dumb, but at the end of the day, these are just human beings. Right. And there was a mean girls cafeteria sense a little bit with the staffs. Is that fair to say?
Ryan Lemond
Yeah. And you know, you're, you're closer to Vince than anybody. And Vince is the king down there. Jeff Ruby's. I never thought though he had a problem with anybody with basketball.
Matt Jones
He, he towards the end didn't like Cal. He loved the rest of the staff, but towards the end, I mean, he lost. Vince was kind of the last Cal holdout and he even lost him kind of at the end. But I'm not trying to. Cal lost everybody in theater. I mean, name me someone involved with UK athletics that by the end was a Cal defender.
Drew Franklin
Actually, I have one and his name's Mitch Barnhart. Until Cal.
Matt Jones
But even.
Ryan Lemond
But on a TV show together he did.
Matt Jones
But that. But on a personal level, he didn't like him.
Drew Franklin
That's true. That goes way back because they just didn't have much of a working relationship.
Matt Jones
I don't think there was one really at the end. I mean, maybe somebody could, could make me think of one, but I, I can't think of one at the end. Who's up next?
Ryan Lemond
Dan.
Matt Jones
Dan. Go ahead, Dan. Hey, I'd have a comment and a question. I'm not sure what would be excitable, what would motivate Virginia Tech like their fan base.
Drew Franklin
Why, why would they be excited about Stoops?
Matt Jones
And my question is, I, I think.
Drew Franklin
Stoops, you know, he should go to a major program and become the defensive.
Matt Jones
Coordinator in a dream world.
Drew Franklin
I'd love to see him become the D.C. at Louisville. And that way we could just kind.
Matt Jones
Of ramp up that rival. If Mark Stoops became the defensive coordinator at Louisville, that would be, that would certainly add, you know, ramp up the ride. I think he is kind of born to some extent. He'll, I mean, if he wanted to, and I appreciate the call, Drew, if he wanted to when he left here, he could be the defensive coordinator at a big time program.
Drew Franklin
He could do it anywhere. But when you've been the boss for so long and you've got millions on top of your millions, on top of your, your millions, would you want to go work for someone else at a lesser position in the same field?
Matt Jones
Yeah, I mean, I want to do that. He's making $9 million a year. If he becomes the defensive coordinator at Bama. What's he making million and a half two. I mean, that's a huge. That's a huge go down, right?
Ryan Lemond
Unless he is going to do it for a year or two with hopes of getting another head coaching job somewhere else.
Matt Jones
He'll get one one day if he want. I mean, first of all, we're acting like he's done. He's not. He may be the for a long time. I mean, I don't know if it.
Drew Franklin
Got to that point. You really wanted to just get on a staff till he found another job. I could see Kirby. He and Kirby are close. I could see him putting him there. But if it were me and I were him and this were all to end soon, I would take my money and enjoy the beach.
Matt Jones
By the way, Kirby is still insisting he did not call a timeout. It's crazy.
Ryan Lemond
There's just video evidence showing you calling.
Matt Jones
Timeout in his press conference. They were like, we saw you make a tea. And he was like, no, you didn't.
Drew Franklin
Mouthing timeout.
Matt Jones
What'd you say, Shane?
Ryan Lemond
It was an optical illusion.
Matt Jones
It was an optical illusion. I mean, yeah, it was.
Drew Franklin
AI.
Matt Jones
He still says no. I was just saying they were clapping. And is this the sound for clapping? This the t with your hand while yelling time out.
Ryan Lemond
Yelling time in his ear while running toward the ref.
Matt Jones
What a liar. Like, what is. What an absolute liar. I've always liked Kirby Smart, but that's like the lioness thing I've ever seen.
Drew Franklin
A simple you caught me heat of the moment being competitive. I'm wrong. You got me.
Matt Jones
No, just say just something like that. I was trying to pull like I was trying to pull one on you. Did you see what Lane Kiffin said about him?
Drew Franklin
Yeah.
Matt Jones
Did you see that? Somebody asked Sharon. I couldn't believe Lane Kiffin said this. Somebody asked Lane Kiffin, they play Georgia this weekend. Yeah. Who burns more calories during the game, you or Kirby Smith or Kirby Smart? And his answer was. I just saw Kirby Smart's press conference this morning. Doesn't look like to me he's burned too many. Too many. Wow. Wow.
Ryan Lemond
From all that clapping he does. Whoa.
Matt Jones
Everybody says they're friends and he's kidding. But still, that was kind of.
Drew Franklin
I've gotten to where I really enjoy Lane Kiffin. I hated him at Tennessee. He's just so open and stuff like this and picking on fine bomb.
Matt Jones
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Matt Jones
It is Kentucky Sports Radio 859-280-2287. It is Wednesday. We'll open up here in 15 minutes. Come on and join us. And also remember trivia. Tonight. I have about two thirds of the questions done. So after we finish cover zero, I'll do the last one ones. It's the first. First night of season six of. Of. Of Matt Jones trivia. We have. We've had five different champions over the course. Or we've had five groups, one group one twice. We've had many different champions.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah. The Ryan Lemon Dream Team needs to bounce back. We did not do well in the finals. You had this last night.
Matt Jones
There were what, 31 teams? You came in like, 28?
Ryan Lemond
I think so. Yeah. Maybe even 29th.
Matt Jones
Are you going to be here tonight?
Ryan Lemond
Can't make it tonight, but the Dream Team is still active. We're going to come back and qualify one of these Wednesday nights.
Matt Jones
All right, well, come on out. You can call this afternoon later and make your reservation or come out. Should be. Should be able to seat you regardless and should be a good crowd this evening.
Drew Franklin
Getting a lot of the wings day deals, too.
Matt Jones
Yep. Adam Sandler's here tomorrow. Would you want to see Adam Sandler?
Ryan Lemond
I actually would like to go. My son Gavin's working the concert, you know, setting up the stage and stuff, but that's something I think I would.
Matt Jones
Why don't you go? I mean, what do you have to do? I mean, you clearly. You have no one at home. I mean, you've. You've been very clear that you just sit and stare into space. Why don't you just go?
Ryan Lemond
Well, my parents are coming in tonight.
Matt Jones
So they would like it probably. Big lunch lady land fans.
Ryan Lemond
Probably. They would like it probably more than I would. Yeah.
Matt Jones
So why don't you take them? That would be a nice sun thing to do. I mean, I'm sure we. If you're. I can see you in your head. How much is it going to cost? Like, I cannot. I mean, we could. We could find a way to get you tickets.
Ryan Lemond
All right, I'll check with them when they come in tonight, see if they want to go tomorrow night. Somebody with free tickets.
Matt Jones
Yeah, if only you knew somebody that gives one way on the pre show, like, every day it feels like you could.
Ryan Lemond
They did give away a lot of those tickets. I don't think they offered us any at all, did they?
Matt Jones
Because you haven't asked and you're in a.
Drew Franklin
They're not just going to give you one.
Matt Jones
I mean, they don't just, like, come to your house and go, ryan, would you like these tickets? Like, you do have to. You do have to take some initiative.
Ryan Lemond
Okay. I'm Going to. I'm going to work on this. I would like to. I would personally like to go.
Matt Jones
He acts like this is an unfixable solution. Chance it. Yeah. Like. Like, if only one could figure out how you get into the Adam Sandler, how would that possibly work?
Ryan Lemond
I don't think he wants to go that bad.
Matt Jones
I don't think so either. And he's going to blame his parents. Even though you're right, your parents probably would like to go.
Ryan Lemond
Are you. Are you going to go? Try to go.
Matt Jones
I can't, but I would, like. Yeah, I genuinely. I mean, would go if I have to go to Louisville Thursday evening, or. I would definitely do it.
Ryan Lemond
Did you ever watch The Happy Gilmore 2?
Matt Jones
No, not yet.
Ryan Lemond
I watched it. It. It's. It was good for about halfway, then it kind of got a little. Little off the rails a little bit.
Matt Jones
I don't know if you saw the. Lexington is going to do a. A massive renovation of New Circle Road.
Ryan Lemond
Yes.
Matt Jones
Over there where all the traffic lights are. They're going to try to make it to where? If you've ever been over there during rush hour, don't. There's traffic lights, and then it's danger, and it's just. Just like people running out in the street. I mean, it's. It's. It's literally from, like, Richmond Road to what, Bright to Bryan Station, basically, that whole. Pretty much all that. So, anyway, they're going to do a massive renovation. So they're having. They've put out what they're going to do, and they're inviting public comment on whether it's a good idea. And I had somebody write me last night and say, for a man that wants to be mayor and who has had strong opinions about traffic. Ryan, do you think you should publicly comment on the new Circle renovation? It would be a good chance for you to show your city leadership skills.
Ryan Lemond
Well, I appreciate you asking me my advice on it because I really put a lot of thought and process. I got a team working on it right now. I've always thought, since I moved to Lexington, why is this supposed to be this. This bypass around the city of Lexington, and yet half of it is loaded with all these stoplights over there.
Matt Jones
Well, that's what they're gonna try to fix.
Ryan Lemond
Get rid of them.
Matt Jones
Okay. How would you do it? Like, it's. You can't just take them away. There are businesses over there. You have to crosswalks their crosswalks. I mean, there are people that. That's the only way. That's the Only way you can get from one side of town to the other. So what, what would you do?
Ryan Lemond
I'm going to like build one of these. Well, like we have on. On the other side, just build the. The intersections that are up. You got to exit off down to get to the lower level. I'm gonna build a lot of the intersections on all those stoplights. We're having a lot of intersections where.
Matt Jones
You exit off intersections.
Ryan Lemond
We're not though. Yeah. Right now they. Where they have a stoplight, we're gonna have the intersection where there's no stoplight, you know.
Matt Jones
But then what are you gonna do about the business?
Ryan Lemond
Well, they're gonna still survive because they're gonna be able to exit off the New Circle Road and get down there to them. We're gonna, we're gonna raise it. We're gonna raise New Circle Road.
Matt Jones
You're gonna build like a mountain. This is a multi level.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Drew Franklin
Wow.
Ryan Lemond
It may be way up in the sky, but we're gonna get you over that. All that traffic and all those businesses.
Matt Jones
This is sounding to me like it's gonna be expensive.
Drew Franklin
So the road is up in the air.
Ryan Lemond
The road is up in.
Drew Franklin
What about a pedestrian bridge on the current road where they could go over.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah.
Drew Franklin
Across the street.
Ryan Lemond
It's like that seems like it'd be.
Drew Franklin
A little cheaper than taking the whole.
Ryan Lemond
Road up on that side of New Circle Road. It is like Frogger with guys trying to cross the road at crazy places. So we're going to have our own little walkway areas. One down on the, you know, not on the up, up in the air stuff.
Matt Jones
If I may, as one of your advisors, they have a system that they've used people with actual architectural skills to come up. Wouldn't it be easier to go look at theirs and comment than for you to, out of the blue, create a new system?
Ryan Lemond
Well, see, we're testing it right now in Leavestown Road. We're going to build that double diamond over there with the overpass. So we're going to do a lot of that.
Matt Jones
But again, you're missing the point. On Leavestown Road, there are no businesses on New Circle Road. The problem here is the businesses are on New Circle Road. They're not off of New Circle Road. They're on them. What are you going to do for them?
Drew Franklin
They're think about Popeyes and Little Caesars.
Ryan Lemond
They're going to be okay. Now the. The sidewalk in front of them, that may be gone. We may be doing away with sidewalks.
Matt Jones
Why do you hate sidewalks?
Drew Franklin
So we need More.
Matt Jones
Have you been over in Sidewalk Road?
Ryan Lemond
Not less there. People don't walk on sidewalks. They just want to walk right across.
Matt Jones
The street on sidewalks.
Ryan Lemond
They don't go down to the legal area. They just cross wherever they are.
Matt Jones
Walking on sidewalks everywhere right now.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah, not in Lexington. We're not big sidewalk people. We just like to walk across the road.
Matt Jones
He's hurting his campaign.
Ryan Lemond
It too.
Matt Jones
Well, me either. Who's next?
Drew Franklin
Let's go to Justin.
Matt Jones
Justin, go ahead. Justin. Hey, I've been listening for a few years, and I was wondering, where did you come up with a huah?
Ryan Lemond
Whenever someone says, first time, long time.
Matt Jones
You know, I don't remember. I. They. There was a. There was like an ESPN show that people would say, first time, long time, and then they'd hit a button and a sound came and so maybe. Maybe I just. One point did it. It's just kind of. It just kind of happened. You know, you don't. All of a sudden, you're just doing it all the time.
Ryan Lemond
Oh, okay. Well, that's all.
Matt Jones
I appreciate it. All right.
Ryan Lemond
Well, there you go with the fabulous sports babe. You'd call her show First Time, Long Time, and bam. She'd hit one of those.
Matt Jones
Sound machine. First of all, I've never.
Drew Franklin
What's going on?
Matt Jones
I've never one time listened to the fabulous sports. I know it didn't come from the fabulous sports.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah, that's what she used to hit. First Time, Long Time. She'd hit a button and all these sound effects would go off.
Matt Jones
I believe you, but that's not where I got it because I've never listened to that.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah. I think by the time we started, she was long gone. She was super popular for a long time. Like in the late 80s, early 90s, like, super popular.
Matt Jones
I know she is. She was the first national sports show.
Ryan Lemond
Yeah. Syndicated.
Matt Jones
Yeah. A lot of people don't realize that first national syndicated Sports Daily show was a woman. A lot of people don't know that.
Drew Franklin
We do those noises again, though.
Ryan Lemond
Sounds like Internet sound effects.
Matt Jones
I don't make any of those sounds. We'll take a break and be right back.
Podcast: Kentucky Sports Radio
Host: Matt Jones, with Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin
Location: KS Bar and Grill, Lexington
Duration: 00:00–46:30
This lively edition of Kentucky Sports Radio kicks off “Ask Anything Wednesday” with Matt Jones, Ryan Lemond, and Drew Franklin at KS Bar and Grill. The hosts reflect on major local events for the weekend, share lighthearted personal stories, and dig deep into the latest questions around UK football—particularly the future of Coach Mark Stoops and AD Mitch Barnhart’s recent comments. The episode also touches on community news, quirky Lexington updates, and a dose of inside-the-athletics drama.
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---|---|---| | 02:36 | Drew Franklin | "I'm expecting absolute chaos. But it is good for Lexington. This will be one of the biggest weekends of the year." | | 05:19 | Matt Jones (story) | "So what do you know about sperm racing?" | | 09:25 | Ryan Lemond | "[Barnhart’s statement is] no vote of confidence at all for your coach... He works hard. He’s a hard worker. No, you’re never gonna get on the floor... but boy, you sure are a hard worker." | | 14:26 | Drew Franklin | "If all the fans wanted it, you would have made graphics and paraded that around." | | 15:00 | Matt Jones | "To say 'I'm still proud of it.' That worries me." | | 20:18 | Matt Jones | "Everyone, myself included, was warning Mitch that we were behind... Now he's using the excuse of being behind as an excuse, when at the time, he was saying he wasn't behind." | | 22:36 | Matt Jones | "If it's three or four, he doesn't have a choice. If it's six, he's keeping him... I think 5 sounds like he would lean to keep it." | | 26:50 | Drew Franklin | "The audacity to just pull over on the interstate and just think this is my set to make a video." | | 31:59 | Matt Jones | "There was a mean girls cafeteria sense a little bit with the staffs. Is that fair to say?" |
This KSR hour delivers an inside look at Kentucky athletics’ current crossroads—with candid, at times critical discussion of leadership, contracts, and the NIL era—and sprinkles in the unique, small-town oddities and listener engagement that define the show. It’s an essential listen for Big Blue Nation and anyone following the evolving world of college sports in Kentucky.