2025-10-22- KSR - Hour 1

Summary

Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1

Date: October 22, 2025
Host: Matt Jones (with Ryan Lemond, Shannon, and guest analysts)
Location: KS Bar and Grill, Lexington, KY

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Episode Overview

This episode celebrates a major milestone for Kentucky Sports Radio—the 20th anniversary of kentuckysportsradio.com. Matt Jones and the KSR crew reflect on the evolution of the KSR brand: its humble beginnings, rise to become the largest college sports team site in America, and the key personalities who made it happen. The episode mixes nostalgia, behind-the-scenes stories, gratitude, and lighthearted banter about Kentucky traditions, recruiting, and some current UK sports debates.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. KSR’s 20th Anniversary: The Origin Story

(04:33–18:12)

• Matt Jones recounts launching KSR in 2005:

  • He was a law clerk who didn't enjoy law. Inspired by Adam Curry talking about "podcasts," he realized he wanted to discuss Kentucky sports, but didn’t know how to get started technically.
  • Pitching various Lexington and Louisville radio stations for airtime, he was consistently rejected.
  • Memorable Quote (06:36):
    "They quickly said, no. What back then was Cumulus ESPN radio, where crisscross famously said, you don't have a voice that they would ever let on the airwaves. That was his exact quote to me." – Matt Jones

• DIY Spirit:

  • Teaming up with “hubby,” who built the first KSR website, Matt offered him a third of ‘nothing’ in stake.
  • The site was called "Kentucky Sports Radio," hoping one day to land a radio show, though it took five years.
  • Early blog contributors included Rob Goodell, “The Intern” (John Wilkinson), “The Turkey Hunter,” Chris Mosley, and Chris Tomlin.
  • Blog Culture:
    "There was a time where the new cool media was blogs. It wasn't social media." (08:59) – Matt Jones

2. Breakout Moments for KSR

(10:09–13:18)

• First Big Growth Point – Recruiting Coverage (2007):

  • Exclusive interviews with recruits Patrick Patterson and Jay Lucas were vital in establishing KSR’s authority and traffic.
  • Memorable Quote (11:15):
    "The only way you could get information on Patrick Patterson and Jay Lucas was us." – Matt Jones

• Second Major Step – Teaming with Rivals:

  • Drew Franklin (Horace Grant’s Halftime Report) and TJ Beisner joined KSR, merging the best UK blogs and magnifying their reach.
  • The timing aligned with John Calipari taking the UK coaching job, the arrival of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins—and the site exploded in popularity.

3. How KSR Changed the UK Media Landscape

(13:41–18:39)

• KSR’s irreverent, fan-first tone differentiated it from the traditionally gruff or critical local press.

  • Memorable Quote (09:11):
    "All these people take sports so seriously. I'm just gonna write about it as a fan. ...I'm gonna acknowledge that sports are supposed to be fun." – Matt Jones

• The KSR site would eventually:

  • Be cited in local sportscasts (before social media scoops),
  • Employ dozens if not 100+ contributors,
  • Spawn a radio show, television show, and even the KS Bar & Grill drinkery.
  • In 2020, KSR was sold to On3, continuing under Tyler Thompson’s leadership.
  • Matt’s pride shines through as he thanks colleagues, contributors, and especially the audience.

• Memorable Moment (15:03):
  "Even though you never wrote on it, you [Ryan] were one of our biggest advocates. When I started, the media hated me. The only person they hated more was Drew." – Matt Jones

• On leadership and building stars (16:04):
  "One of the things that I think separates the difference between good leaders and bad ones is creating other stars." – Matt Jones

• On site’s original yellow and gray color scheme:
  "They were the only things that the website company would let us have for free. ...So even though it was a Kentucky site, it was yellow and gray for a long time because you had to pay for the colors." (18:24) – Matt Jones

4. Fan Questions and KSR Trivia

(20:32–24:22)

• Earliest “I’ve made it” moment for KSR:
  Matt recalls beating Georgia at home (’05 or ’06), making a “Honk if you read KSR” sign and getting a huge response from traffic leaving Commonwealth Stadium.
• Who’s the longest-tenured KSR writer?
  Currently Drew Franklin; previously, “Brian the Intern.”
• Listener calls in to thank KSR for helping UK fans outside Kentucky stay connected (32:18)

5. UK Football Coach Debate: Who’s Next?

(22:39–29:46, 26:05–29:46)

• Listener prompts the panel: Name the top 3 most likely UK football coaches next year.
• Panel’s Picks:
  • Ryan Lemond: Mark Stoops, Will Stein, John Sumrall
  • Shannon: Stoops, Sumrall, Stein
  • Drew: Stoops, Stein, Sumrall
  • Matt Jones: 1. Will Stein 2. Dan Mullen 3. Mark Stoops (makes case that Sumrall may get a bigger job, e.g. Auburn; Stein would be innovative and has Kentucky connections; Mullen is a steady, proven coach)
  • Discussion includes thoughts on the attractiveness of various jobs (Penn State, Auburn, Florida, etc.), and the panel muses about recruiting styles, fan preference, and Mitch Barnhart’s willingness to seek outside-the-box hires.

6. UK Basketball: Second-Year Leap Candidates

(33:04–34:43)

• Caller asks: Who from the “second-year” players (Noah, Chandler) will take the biggest leap?
  • Panel consensus: Chandler, due to late progress in his freshman year and NBA-level athleticism. Tyler Herro invoked as a comparison point.

7. Modern and Nostalgic UK/Pop Culture

(37:36–41:48)

• NBA Opening Night Recap:

  • Crew enjoys the return of classic NBC “Round Ball Rock” theme; reminisce fondly on the ‘90s vibe.
  • Memorable Quote (39:14):
    "The 90s were objectively best...there was something about that whole NBC intro that put me in the 90s." – Matt Jones

• Michael Jordan’s guest appearance (“He can just say anything and it’s news,” 40:40), technical mishaps on NBC pregame show, and Carmelo Anthony’s sweatsuit on the panel spark laughs.

8. Current UK NBA Performers

(41:48–43:02)

• Reed Sheppard struggles in his debut:
  "If you put his name into Twitter last night, it was not…was mean. Please, no one do it that knows him well because it was bad." – Matt Jones (42:06)
• Positive notes for SGA and Cason Wallace.

9. Listener Calls: Coaching “Mutiny”

(43:12–44:27)

• Caller Joseph threatens a “mutiny” if Dan Mullen is hired as UK coach, arguing hiring him would be like “firing Mark Stoops for another Mark Stoops.”
  • Matt: “But if you’re saying Dan Mullen is like Mark Stoops in his first 10 years, then that’s not bad, is it?” (44:16)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• Blog Launch & Early Failures
  "They quickly said, no. What back then was Cumulus ESPN radio, where crisscross famously said, 'you don't have a voice that they would ever let on the airwaves.'" – Matt Jones (06:36)
• On Leadership:
  "One of the things that I think separates the difference between good leaders and bad ones is creating other stars." – Matt Jones (16:04)
• Why KSR “Radio?”
  "I called it Kentucky Sports Radio because ultimately I wanted a radio show. Of course, we didn’t get a radio show for five more years." – Matt Jones (08:38)
• Blogging “Golden Age”:
  "There was a time where the new cool media was blogs. It wasn’t social media. It was blogs." – Matt Jones (08:59)
• Reed Sheppard’s Rough Night:
  "If you put his name into Twitter last night, it was not…was mean. Please, no one do it that knows him well because it was bad." – Matt Jones (42:06)
• 90s Nostalgia:
  "The 90s were objectively best...there was something about that whole NBC intro that put me in the 90s." – Matt Jones (39:14)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• KSR’s 20th Anniversary Story: 04:33–18:39
• Merging Blogs & Calipari Era: 11:38–13:20
• UK Football Coach Speculation: 22:39–29:46
• Listener “KSR Moment” and Fan Outreach: 20:58–22:16
• Second-Year Basketball Leaps (Noah/Chandler): 33:04–34:43
• NBA Nostalgia / NBC Revival: 37:36–41:48
• Current UK NBA Players; Reed Sheppard: 41:48–43:02
• Caller Joseph’s Coaching Mutiny: 43:12–44:27

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Tone and Language

The tone is characteristically informal, humorous, self-deprecating, and sprinkled with inside jokes and Kentucky vernacular. The camaraderie and pride in KSR’s journey are clear, balanced with playful ribbing and respectful acknowledgment of both contributors and the UK fanbase.

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Conclusion

This hour of KSR blends a heartfelt look back at 20 years of unlikely media success with the familiar banter and topical UK sports talk that KSR fans know and love. As Matt Jones says, whatever else he does, KSR will always be the thing he’s most proud of—an ethos that shines throughout this anniversary episode.

Transcript

[Comedy Announcer]

Comedy of Broadway in Lexington welcomes rising comedy star and Kentucky native Katherine Blandford. October 23rd through the 25th. Then, direct from New York, catch the hilarious comedy of Jeffrey Asmus. October 31st and November 1st and November 7th and 8th. It's comedy legend and the always hilarious Carlos Mancia. For tickets to all comedy off Broadway shows, call 859-271-joke or visit comedyoffbroadway.com comedyoff broadway.

[Show Host Intro]

This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome, everyone, Kentucky Sports Radio Wednesday, October 22nd. I'm Matt Jones here at the KS Bar and Grill. It is wings day, dollar wings all day and night starting at 11 o'.

[Ryan Lemond]

Clock.

[Matt Jones]

Got burgers, we got a lot of excitement. You can give a shout at the Clark's puppet Shop Foam Line, 859-280-2287. Avision Auto Glass Text Machine is 772-774-5254. In this edition, sponsored by the TJ Smith Law Office, if you call TJ, he'll make them pay. I looked up at the TV screen, Boogie Cousins is doing commentary on FanDuel TV. I had no idea Drew, that Boogie Cousins is now a commentator.

[Shannon]

I've seen a little bit of him doing a good job. We got him. We got Wall, we got Mashburn. You got Kentucky guys all over TV.

[Matt Jones]

After not having any. You got Walls doing Amazon NBA games and Mashford's doing college basketball for tnt. So good to see Kentucky guys. Got a couple folks in here. One from Oldham county, one from Bell County. He's from Straight Creek and I told you now, he's not from the right.

[Ryan Lemond]

Fork of Straight Creek. He's just from Straight Creek.

[Guest Analyst]

Now, how can they call it Straight Creek if there's a right fork in the middle?

[Ryan Lemond]

There's no left fork. Just one right fork.

[Matt Jones]

It's a straight creek, but it has a fork.

[Guest Analyst]

What if you're going the other direction?

[Ryan Lemond]

Well, you're going to RJ so be so you just. You need to be ready.

[Matt Jones]

But it's nice to have Straight Creek in the house. Straight.

[Shannon]

It's a very Kentucky name.

[Ryan Lemond]

For what?

[Shannon]

Just Straight Creek.

[Matt Jones]

Well, why is that Kentucky name? It's a creek. It doesn't have any bends.

[Ryan Lemond]

So it's straight.

[Shannon]

Well, I mean, that's what we do. It's what it is. Straight Creek.

[Matt Jones]

It's better than the other part of Middlesbrough. Greasy Creek. You don't want to be in Greasy Creek. I don't know. Why did they call it Greasy?

[Ryan Lemond]

I don't Remember it being particularly greasy.

[Matt Jones]

But they do have a greasy creek, so. So there you go.

[Guest Analyst]

Well, fear not of a greasy creek or straight creek floods. They got the floodgate. They can keep Pineapple from flooding.

[Matt Jones]

You really. You always make fun of the floodgates. What's ridiculous by the WYMT, the TV.

[Ryan Lemond]

Station is doing their, their. This is their 40th anniversary and they're doing the biggest news stories of the 40 years.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemond]

And I, I'm going on their website.

[Matt Jones]

This is the biggest countdown for me.

[Ryan Lemond]

In a long time.

[Matt Jones]

The biggest news stories in eastern Kentucky in 40 years. You know what number seven was overall?

[Guest Analyst]

I give up.

[Matt Jones]

The opening of the Cumberland Gap tunnel.

[Guest Analyst]

Oh, that was a big deal, though.

[Matt Jones]

I had gone to college, so I wasn't there. You know, my mom sang at that.

[Guest Analyst]

That's right. You said that before.

[Matt Jones]

And then they had the governor of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, because it's all three states. Here's what I didn't know till I watched the special on it of WYMT last night. Lee Greenwood came and said.

[Shannon]

Higher on the list.

[Matt Jones]

Get Lee Greenwood for anything, man. If you, if you. And he was wearing that same American flag shirt. And when he went from the legs, Minnesota, and then he, like, he, he.

[Ryan Lemond]

Got beaming to the hills of Tennessee and everybody got clapped.

[Matt Jones]

They were excited because, you know, they were in Cumberland Gap.

[Shannon]

Well, they got snubbed at number seven in the biggest moments of last year.

[Matt Jones]

Six bigger ones.

[Shannon]

You're telling me Lee Greenwood and driving through the Cumberland Gap is seventh?

[Matt Jones]

Well, I mean, that's what they said.

[Ryan Lemond]

I guess we'll have to see what.

[Matt Jones]

The top six are.

[Guest Analyst]

But it was a monster story, though, when that happened. I was working at channel 18 when that happened. It was a big deal.

[Matt Jones]

Was it?

[Guest Analyst]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

They said that one of the people, I think Paul Patton, the governor spoke.

[Ryan Lemond]

And he said, what? Daniel Boone started over 200 years ago. We're finishing today. And I was like, whoa, wow. I didn't realize it was that.

[Matt Jones]

I just thought, you're trying to make.

[Ryan Lemond]

Us not crash on the mountain anymore. So anyway, with that level of history.

[Matt Jones]

Well, now I'm kind of curious.

[Guest Analyst]

I want to see what the top six are.

[Matt Jones]

Tuned in to wymt.com it's October 22nd. And so I, I don't know for certain this is the date, but I coalesced on this date because it's the first time I can. I have notes of this happening. Okay, so I'm going to go ahead and say, because it's either today or.

[Ryan Lemond]

A Day or two before or after.

[Matt Jones]

Today is the 20th anniversary of the start of Kentucky sportsradio.com the website.

[Ryan Lemond]

Thank you very much. 20 years.

[Matt Jones]

20 years ago today, from what I. I think was the first post I.

[Ryan Lemond]

Put up on Kentuckysportsradio.com and it says something like, welcome to Kentuckysportsradio.com it was a very. It was a very in depth post. And I thought, 20 years later, it.

[Matt Jones]

Is the largest college sports team website in America.

[Ryan Lemond]

And I thought if you would give.

[Matt Jones]

Me just a minute, Ryan, you can.

[Guest Analyst]

Have all the time you want.

[Ryan Lemond]

I'd like to just reminisce for a second.

[Guest Analyst]

Please do.

[Ryan Lemond]

That's okay.

[Guest Analyst]

This could be fun.

[Ryan Lemond]

Can I do that?

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Ryan Lemond]

All right. So in 2005, I was working for Judge Karen Caldwell in.

[Matt Jones]

In Frankfort, Kentucky, as a law clerk.

[Ryan Lemond]

It was my third clerkship. And I remember one day she said.

[Matt Jones]

To me, you don't really seem to.

[Ryan Lemond]

Like being a lawyer. And I was like, good observation.

[Matt Jones]

And she said, you know, you. You need to pursue what you love.

[Ryan Lemond]

And if it's law, go for it. But if it's not, that's, you know, that's okay.

[Matt Jones]

So I decided.

[Ryan Lemond]

I've told the story before.

[Matt Jones]

I heard Adam Curry, former MTV vj, talk about podcast on npr.

[Ryan Lemond]

He said, there's this new thing called podcasts.

[Matt Jones]

And I was like, oh, man, I could do that. I could sit and talk about Kentucky.

[Ryan Lemond]

Sports on a podcast, sure.

[Matt Jones]

But I didn't know, you know, this about me, Drew.

[Ryan Lemond]

I don't know anything about technology. Right. Didn't know how to get a podcast on the web.

[Matt Jones]

Wasn't certain what the web was at the time. So I decided I would go to every radio station in Lexington and Louisville, sports that had any sports, and said.

[Ryan Lemond]

Hey, you know, put me on the radio. And I went.

[Matt Jones]

I literally met with 10, including, like, a gospel station out on Versailles Road.

[Ryan Lemond]

I met with. With iHeart.

[Matt Jones]

They quickly said, no. What back then was Cumulus ESPN radio, where crisscross famously said, you don't have a voice that they would ever let on the airwaves. That was his exact quote to me. And then in Louisville, I did the same thing.

[Ryan Lemond]

All no.

[Matt Jones]

So, like, I, you know, nobody would put me on. So I said, well, you know what?

[Ryan Lemond]

I'm going to. I'm gonna do it myself.

[Matt Jones]

So I went to the website Kentuckysportsreport.com which was a website back it was. And I said, hey, if you will let me put this thing on your website, that would be. Be nice.

[Ryan Lemond]

And they Said, okay.

[Matt Jones]

So then I recorded one with hubby and a guy named Rob Goodell.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Who now lives in Florida and, coincidentally, is an attorney. He was at the time in college. And the three of us recorded one, and when it was finished, Kentucky Sports Report said, we won't host this.

[Ryan Lemond]

This is not worthy of our website.

[Matt Jones]

So at this point, I had the.

[Ryan Lemond]

Door slammed on me on everything.

[Matt Jones]

So I went to my friend hubby, who at the time I knew but didn't know really well. He was my friend the turkey hunter's roommate. And I said, you know how to.

[Ryan Lemond]

Make these things they call websites, right? And he said, yes. And I said, all right, I'll give.

[Matt Jones]

You a third of the website. Which was easy to do because at the time, it was worth nothing.

[Ryan Lemond]

0.

[Matt Jones]

Get a third of zero, you can get a third.

[Ryan Lemond]

I thought it was a bargain.

[Matt Jones]

Drew, he's gonna do all the work, and I'm not gonna do anything if you'll build the website. So he builds what you then saw as Kentuckysportsradio.com and I called it Kentucky Sports Radio because ultimately I wanted a radio show. Of course, we didn't get a radio show for five more years.

[Ryan Lemond]

So people would say, why is it.

[Matt Jones]

Called Kentucky Sports Radio? And I didn't really have an answer.

[Ryan Lemond]

For that because it was a website.

[Matt Jones]

And it goes to show, sometimes life's biggest plans turn out differently. The podcast ended up becoming secondary. The website became much bigger, because blogs, as a thing, just kind of took off.

[Ryan Lemond]

You guys are old enough to remember.

[Matt Jones]

There was a time where the new cool media was blogs. It wasn't social media.

[Ryan Lemond]

It was blogs. And during that rise, here we were. And my vision of it was, you know what?

[Matt Jones]

Like, all these people take sports so seriously. I'm just gonna write about it as a fan. I'm gonna acknowledge I want Kentucky to win. I'm gonna acknowledge that sports are supposed to be fun.

[Ryan Lemond]

I'm not gonna sit there and, like, complain.

[Matt Jones]

Jerry Tipton, some of those guys were always complaining.

[Ryan Lemond]

I was like, I'm gonna acknowledge I want Kentucky to win.

[Matt Jones]

And I just got a bunch of my friends to write with me.

[Ryan Lemond]

There was Rob Goodell. It was his buddy John Wilkinson, who we named the intern who was at our 20th anniversary party and said, please stop calling me. The intern is now in his 40s.

[Matt Jones]

The turkey hunter, my friend Chris Mosley, Chris Tomlin, these people.

[Ryan Lemond]

And we would put it out there. And over the course of time, it found an audience, and it became, like, a real thing. A lot of people would listen to us.

[Matt Jones]

I didn't really know why we kept doing the podcast, but the website was really the thing.

[Ryan Lemond]

Then in, in.

[Matt Jones]

In 2007, a big thing happened, which.

[Ryan Lemond]

Was we started covering recruiting and Patrick Patterson and Jay Lucas.

[Matt Jones]

If you want to look at the rise of Kentucky Sports Radio, two big moments.

[Ryan Lemond]

Number one, Patrick Patterson and Jay Lucas, they were trying to decide whether or.

[Matt Jones]

Not they were going to come to Kentucky.

[Ryan Lemond]

You guys know this maybe the biggest.

[Matt Jones]

Recruitment of all time.

[Ryan Lemond]

I know that sounds strange, but at.

[Guest Analyst]

The time, it sure was.

[Matt Jones]

At the time, maybe it was because people thought, if Tubby can get these.

[Ryan Lemond]

Guys, we're back, we're back.

[Matt Jones]

And they didn't like how much people were calling them. I would argue, Ryan, recruiting was bigger.

[Ryan Lemond]

Then in this fan base almost than it is now.

[Matt Jones]

Do you agree, in terms of the way people followed it so intently?

[Guest Analyst]

I think there's no doubt. Absolutely.

[Matt Jones]

So they just got tired of answering everybody's phone calls. And for whatever reason, they liked me.

[Ryan Lemond]

And Rob Goodell, and so they would.

[Matt Jones]

Only answer our phone call. And so we had all of these exclusive interviews with Patrick Patterson and Jay Lucas, and it built our website.

[Ryan Lemond]

The only way you could get information.

[Matt Jones]

On Patrick Patterson and Jay Lucas was us.

[Ryan Lemond]

Now, Jay Lucas, the coach at Miami.

[Matt Jones]

Patrick Patterson is a movie critic in Toronto. But we would do that and it really built up.

[Ryan Lemond]

And then the second thing is, around 2009, I met this. I saw this weird kid that went to the university.

[Shannon]

Weird. Hang on now you carry a toenail in your pocket.

[Matt Jones]

This wild kid who's out partying at the University of Kentucky named Drew Franklin. He had a website that was called Horace Grant's Halftime Report.

[Guest Analyst]

Yep.

[Matt Jones]

There was another guy named T.J. beisner who. What was his website called?

[Shannon]

Oh, his was UK related. I can't remember the exact name.

[Matt Jones]

It was called something. And I. I looked around and I said, the two best websites besides mine are these two. So rather than fight with them, let me see if they'll join me.

[Ryan Lemond]

And they both did.

[Matt Jones]

And all of a sudden it went.

[Ryan Lemond]

From, I think, decent to really, really good.

[Matt Jones]

Those two guys who were hilarious and smart and funny, the three of us, and then all the secondary people, we kind of combined.

[Ryan Lemond]

And then at that moment, here comes John Caliperi to Kentucky. And the combination of all that exploded interest, exploded.

[Matt Jones]

His daughters at the time really liked the website. They thought it was funny.

[Ryan Lemond]

As people were trying to decide if.

[Matt Jones]

Cal was going to come. You've said they put our sights on the television. We did.

[Guest Analyst]

We quoted Kentucky sportsradio.com several times on the local news, on our sportscast, and it took off.

[Matt Jones]

And then John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, when they came, we kind of connected with them pre social media. They would give us scoop and pictures that now they'd probably put on Twitter and Instagram themselves, but they didn' have a way to get them out. So they'd send them to me and Drew. And the next thing you know, the.

[Ryan Lemond]

Thing really takes off and over the.

[Matt Jones]

Course of the next 20 years, becomes the largest college sports in team site in America. In 2020, we we sold it to On3 and it is still going now. Tyler Thompson, another huge part when she joined as part of a blogger contest. And I think I said in my.

[Ryan Lemond]

Tweet this morning, Rob, Drew, TJ and Tyler, I think are the four people who had the biggest part besides me in doing it. And, you know, no matter what I do for the rest of my career, that will always be the thing I'm the most proud of.

[Matt Jones]

From walking into hubby's house, going into.

[Ryan Lemond]

His basements, I think he was in his box of shorts when I went in there and asking him to build a website to now. It has employed dozens of people over the years, maybe a hundred people over the years, and has become a radio show, has become a television show, has.

[Matt Jones]

Become a bar, has become this massive force and is the largest force in.

[Ryan Lemond]

The University of Kentucky athletic media space. I'm really proud of it, and I want to thank everybody that has worked for it over the years. It's a lot of people now who do a lot of things, many of.

[Matt Jones]

Which have jobs in media all over the place. And all of you, all who've listened.

[Ryan Lemond]

Who'Ve read, who've been a part of it, without you guys, it's nothing. And I wake up today kind of very proud of what the last 20 years have been like. And with Drew sitting here, I thank you, Drew.

[Matt Jones]

I thank you, Ryan.

[Ryan Lemond]

Even though you never wrote on it, you were one of our biggest advocates. When I started, the media hated me. The only person they hated me was more that was Drew.

[Matt Jones]

But you were always wonderful.

[Ryan Lemond]

And in a room full of people that were not nice to us, I.

[Matt Jones]

Could always count on Ryan Lemon being one of the few friendly faces and.

[Ryan Lemond]

Voices from the media. And I thank you both, and I'm.

[Matt Jones]

Excited to celebrate today.

[Guest Analyst]

You do nothing but a route. You get nothing but a round of applause. That's awesome. It's fantastic. And every time I hear you tell this story, I'm always just amazed at the Foresight you had for two things, just brilliant moves. One, you called it Kentucky Sports Radio without a radio show.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, because I thought somebody would give.

[Ryan Lemond]

Me a radio show and no one did.

[Guest Analyst]

That was why struck out everywhere you went. You called it Kentucky Sports Radio. And the second thing you had, the great foresight was you hired Drew. You brought him on, man.

[Matt Jones]

No, that was huge.

[Guest Analyst]

Perfect union.

[Matt Jones]

Well, one of the things that I think separates the difference between good leaders.

[Ryan Lemond]

And bad ones is creating other stars. If you're selfish and you make it. I sound like John Caliperi.

[Matt Jones]

You make it all change your families.

[Ryan Lemond]

You'Ll lose.

[Matt Jones]

And I could tell. I knew the first time I met Drew. Now, he was probably drunk, wearing something stupid and acting a fool, but I.

[Ryan Lemond]

Knew like, that dude's got something. And. And I was right. And so, yes, that I agree with you.

[Matt Jones]

I think that's the most important. I mean, of all the things I talked about, the most important moment was.

[Ryan Lemond]

When I brought on Drew. And now we're here.

[Shannon]

Well, thank you for that. How many years has it been for me? Early 2009.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[Shannon]

I always tell people they hired Cal Wall, committed cousins, committed. And then I joined ksr. I always say we were a four pack for Big Blue Nation there around the same time. But I wasn't there in 2005 to see the beginnings. But it wasn't too different in 2009. And I'm still blown away just being along for the ride at what it is now. If you had told me however many full times we have now with benefits and insurance and people have families and it's their true job. If that little bog we were on 15, 20 years ago, if I'd known it would turn into that, I honestly wouldn't have believed you. It started as just fun and, and following the cats. And look at it now.

[Ryan Lemond]

There's a picture I posted on Twitter that y' all to look at. It's me, hubby, Rob Goodell, and the intern John Wilkinson. And we are sitting in the lobby of a Holiday Inn out in Hamburg interviewing Wukosh and I think Jeremy Jarman.

[Matt Jones]

And that's what it used to be look like. We would beg places to just let.

[Ryan Lemond]

Us set up there and talk.

[Shannon]

I think I'm standing on a chair in that photo. I haven't even seen it in a long time.

[Ryan Lemond]

It's. It really is sort of the epitome of kind of the, you know, rogue way we used to do stuff.

[Matt Jones]

We got kicked out of so many.

[Ryan Lemond]

Things when we started. And we're still getting kicked out of things 20 years later. That makes me happy. So appreciate you letting me kind of go down memory.

[Guest Analyst]

I do want to know who picked the beautiful colors of yellow and gray.

[Ryan Lemond]

Hubby.

[Matt Jones]

Because they were the. You want to know where the colors came from? The original site colors. Cory Price has a post of what the site used to look like. Would you like to know why they're yellow and gray?

[Guest Analyst]

I would like to know.

[Ryan Lemond]

They were the only things that the.

[Matt Jones]

Website company would let us have for free. You had to pay for other colors and we didn't have any money so we left it at yellow and gray. So even though it was a Kentucky site, it was yellow and gray for a long time because you had to.

[Ryan Lemond]

Pay for the colors.

[Shannon]

I, I feel like you owe Boone's Butcher Shop a shout out. Oh yes, the original, the original banner.

[Matt Jones]

The only endorsement we had for 20 for 10 years. Boone's Butcher Shop. Is that still open?

[Shannon]

I hope so.

[Matt Jones]

I hope it is. Go to Boone's Butcher stop and buy.

[Ryan Lemond]

A big slab of meat today. All right. We'll take a break and be right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Ryan Lemond]

That's right. That Boone's Butcher Shop.

[Matt Jones]

That's their old jingle.

[Ryan Lemond]

They're still open apparently. I'm glad to hear that. In Bardstown, I think. Right.

[Shannon]

Money they saved on advertising.

[Ryan Lemond]

Exactly.

[Matt Jones]

They'd write me a check once a year and we gave them a prime spot. And then after we were actually able to sell advertising, I let them keep that prime spot. You got to be loyal to the people that were loyal to you, Ryan.

[Ryan Lemond]

Earlier.

[Guest Analyst]

First ones to step up, donate some money to the cause they absolutely earned that right to have that spot.

[Ryan Lemond]

One person writes.

[Matt Jones]

Matt, who is the longest rider that writes on the site, that's still there? Well, Drew is now. But the answer to that question until a couple months ago would have been Brian the intern who was writing from early, early on.

[Ryan Lemond]

Like from the.

[Matt Jones]

Not the beginning, but very close to the beginning.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Shannon]

You mentioned my other blog. BTI used to link to it. And I thought it was the coolest thing when BTI would link to my blog on ksl, because I was a student uk, I read ksr. Just I had my own thing.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes. Matt, when was the first time that you realized people were actually reading your website? I can tell you the exact moment when we beat Georgia. Rich Brook's first big win was against Georgia in 06.

[Guest Analyst]

You think sounds right.

[Matt Jones]

I want to say 06 in 05 or 06. Well, he won all those games in 07.

[Ryan Lemond]

In my mind.

[Matt Jones]

We beat him at home in 06.

[Ryan Lemond]

It might have been 05, but, but.

[Matt Jones]

But either way, when the game was over, he hubby lived in Coach Light Woods. Do you know where that is?

[Guest Analyst]

I've heard of that.

[Matt Jones]

Coach Light woods right across the street from. From. From Commonwealth Stadium. And we would tailgate there. And when the game was over, me and him, Turkey Hunter, our friend Aaron Sutton. And so.

[Ryan Lemond]

But we made a sign that said.

[Matt Jones]

Honk if you read ksr. And the traffic was so bad getting out of Commonwealth Stadium that people were stuck and people were honking. Now, I don't know if they were just honking to get us out of the street or if just because they read it, but we were like hanging on people's cars, holding that sign up. And that was the first time I was like, oh, somebody may be reading this. That was when we beat Georgia. I think that was in 06.

[Ryan Lemond]

I could be wrong.

[Guest Analyst]

I know exactly when I started following the blog. Gabe Pendleton is the one who told me, said, hey, you need to go check out this website. You know, this is where, where it's at. And then we started checking it out. And right when the Jay Lucas and Patrick Patterson thing hit, we quoted you guys on the sportscast. Cause you were the only people had any information. Kind of just took off there for me.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Well, so There you go. 859280.

[Ryan Lemond]

If you have questions, ask anything Wednesday, I'm glad to. To answer them.

[Matt Jones]

I have a question for you though, that came in last night that I.

[Ryan Lemond]

Want to ask somebody.

[Matt Jones]

Writes Matt, in order. I'd like to hear all four of you say 1, 2, 3, most likely period names.

[Ryan Lemond]

Who's the UK football coach next year?

[Matt Jones]

Now, presumably that could also be mark stoops. So 1, 2, 3, just simple question, who is the UK football coach next year? Ryan, I'm going to let you go first. We only have one minute before we have to take another break because I went long. So you do yours and we'll do.

[Ryan Lemond]

Ours after the break.

[Matt Jones]

1, 2, 3.

[Guest Analyst]

I'll do Mark Stoops. 1, Will Stein, 2, John Sumrall, 3.

[Matt Jones]

All right, so you're going Stoops, Stein, Sumrall.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

And does your Stoops thing require him.

[Ryan Lemond]

To win a bunch of games?

[Guest Analyst]

Requires him to win more than one.

[Ryan Lemond]

Okay, so you're going stoop signs. I'm wrong. All right, all right.

[Matt Jones]

We will do ours after the break. I would say open up. You know, you could also end up.

[Ryan Lemond]

A lot of scenarios. You could end up with a Brad White scenario.

[Matt Jones]

There could be another name that flies off the radar.

[Guest Analyst]

Very true.

[Matt Jones]

So we will Shannon and Drew and.

[Ryan Lemond]

I will give ours right for the break and we'll take your calls. 859-280-2287.

[Shannon]

KSR TJ Smith, personal injury attorney.

[Ryan Lemond]

Call TJ.

[Matt Jones]

He'll make him pay.

[Show Host Intro]

Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

[Matt Jones]

Welcome back, Turkey Sports Radio. By the way, you're gonna have to.

[Ryan Lemond]

Hear another version of this in about three or four weeks when we hit the 15th anniversary of the radio show because that's coming. That would include a lot more, Ryan. But you're gonna. There'll be a different version of that because these, they ended up being the same year.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, they're five years apart right there.

[Ryan Lemond]

Because this started just five years exactly from that.

[Guest Analyst]

I mean, it is an unbelievable success story, really. Where you guys started and where it is today, it's a. It's amazing business perspective. Amazing.

[Ryan Lemond]

But let me just say, don't act like this was like some grand plan. It was always just like a hobby. I never, if you had told me be a crowd, I laughed at you. Like, I still thought I was going to be a lawyer up until I didn't stop practicing law until 2011. So I never thought that this would be like a.

[Guest Analyst]

You came on right when blogs were taken off.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

You came on right when social media was taken off. I mean, you hit it.

[Matt Jones]

The rickertino trial, the Rick Patino Karen.

[Ryan Lemond]

Cipher trial is why my social media took off, because I covered that trial live and live tweeted the trial. So I Live tweeted I did down my leg in less than 15 seconds and it went viral. And that's kind of how that started. So I.

[Matt Jones]

That I actually have to thank Karen Cipher, Rick Patino for.

[Ryan Lemond]

For that part of it.

[Guest Analyst]

Didn't you say one time that, like, you were like, the only media person in the courtroom?

[Matt Jones]

I've said that a lot. There's one WDRP person that always gets.

[Ryan Lemond]

Mad and said he was there, too.

[Matt Jones]

So I'm gonna say one of two.

[Ryan Lemond]

People that was there.

[Matt Jones]

But a lot of the. Amazingly, a lot of the Louisville media didn't go because they didn't want to embarrass Rick. Wow. Which is crazy because it was one of the biggest stories in the country.

[Guest Analyst]

Rick.

[Matt Jones]

Steve Basiello said to me one time that now they can chuckle about it, but they blamed me for the I.

[Ryan Lemond]

Did down my leg in less than 15 seconds because I.

[Matt Jones]

It wouldn't have come out.

[Guest Analyst]

You're the one who put it out.

[Matt Jones]

If I hadn't tweeted that out. All right, so you gave the coaches.

[Ryan Lemond]

Let's go with you, Shannon. What's your 1, 2, 3?

[Show Host Intro]

Well, I think it's going to be Mark Stoops number one, because I think I do just enough to be able to hand hold on to his job and come back for another year. All right, number two, I think John Sumrall. It's been a name that's been mentioned for years. A lot of fans want him here. Will Stein is my number three. So it's Stoop Somer All Stein.

[Ryan Lemond]

Stoop Somer All Stein is your list. What's yours?

[Shannon]

I hate to just keep doing the same three, but I.

[Ryan Lemond]

Those are the three I believe different than yours.

[Shannon]

I'm going to change the order. I will say, actually I'm going to do Stoops one just because the others, the percentage chance is smaller. I don't believe Stoops will be here, but I don't know of a sure thing. I'll go Stoops, Stein, Sumrall.

[Ryan Lemond]

Mine's going to be very different.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah, but good. Give us something to talk about.

[Ryan Lemond]

I'm going to go. If I had to go to Vegas and make a bet on who our coach is next year, I'm going to say Will Stein. I'm going to say Dan Mullen second and Mark Stoops third. I don't think John Sumrall will be the coach here.

[Matt Jones]

Not because he doesn't want. Not because I just think he's going to get offered a better job.

[Ryan Lemond]

I think he's going to get offered.

[Matt Jones]

From what I've heard talking to people, I think he's going to get off.

[Ryan Lemond]

Of the Auburn job.

[Shannon]

Their fans are all about it on.

[Ryan Lemond]

Twitter when that comes open.

[Matt Jones]

And I think he'll have to take the Auburn job. Now, if he doesn't get offered the Auburn job, that may flip and I.

[Ryan Lemond]

Might put some raw one.

[Matt Jones]

But I feel sources tell Matt Jones.

[Ryan Lemond]

I feel he'll be the coach at Auburn next year unless you freeze, like wins out or something and ends up keeping that job.

[Matt Jones]

And Stoops is three, because I think the scenario for Stoops to stay requires.

[Ryan Lemond]

More wins than we're gonna get.

[Matt Jones]

Stein's one because I think he's like a perfect match of.

[Ryan Lemond]

He's a.

[Matt Jones]

He's a really good candidate, but probably not quite good of enough of a candidate to get a job that's significantly better than ours. So he probably won't get Florida State, Florida, Penn State or Auburn. He probably will get offered jobs on our level.

[Ryan Lemond]

So like say Arkansas, UCLA, etc.

[Matt Jones]

But I think the Kentucky connection.

[Guest Analyst]

Will.

[Ryan Lemond]

End up would be what would bring him here.

[Matt Jones]

And then I think if for whatever reason he were to take a job.

[Ryan Lemond]

That isn't ours, I think Dan Mullen is a Mitch Barnhart kind of higher in the sense that he's had success. There's some stability there. And you know, Dan Mullen's never really failed exactly as a coach. He won at Mississippi State. He won not at the level they wanted, but he won at Florida more than the other coaches have. And then he's won it unlv.

[Matt Jones]

So now the answer may be somebody.

[Ryan Lemond]

Off the table, but if that's where I were betting, I would go stop. And then some are all for me would probably be fourth.

[Matt Jones]

I just think he's going to get.

[Ryan Lemond]

Offered a better job than us. I think that's what the most Remember.

[Matt Jones]

The other thing about Auburn, he coached.

[Ryan Lemond]

At Troy, right, in Alabama. So he. There's a lot of connections there as well.

[Shannon]

He also, if Kiffin were to leave for Florida, I would think Ole Miss might call him too.

[Matt Jones]

See, I think we'd get him over Ole Miss. I just think there's like four jobs that are going to be open that.

[Ryan Lemond]

You have to take over us, you.

[Matt Jones]

Have to take Florida, you have to take Florida State, you have to take.

[Ryan Lemond]

Penn State and you have to take Auburn.

[Matt Jones]

I think when you get to that next tier, even if it's Ole Miss, like you can rationalize going to Kentucky over Ole Miss, I don't think you.

[Ryan Lemond]

Can rationalize going over those other four schools.

[Guest Analyst]

Dan Mullen's the big puzzle for me because, like you said, he's had success everywhere he went, but it seems like we always beat him. Like, he was never somebody I was ever scared of as an opposing coach.

[Matt Jones]

But I think if you hired him.

[Ryan Lemond]

It'S like, he'd be solid.

[Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Matt Jones]

Now, does that mean, like, is he going to take you to the promised land? Maybe not. I. I will tell you, I will. If Stoops is gone, I'll be advocating for Will Snot.

[Ryan Lemond]

I just think, you know, he takes my number one criteria, which is he's smart. He's smart, he's got Kentucky connections and he's got an innovative offense. And those are all things that I.

[Matt Jones]

Would really like to see here.

[Shannon]

Drew, I gotta add to Will Stein the word fun. I watched a highlight reel of some plays he called last week. I don't even know what I was watching, but it looked like a lot of fun. And I know at Kentucky and the sec, maybe you can't do some of that stuff on offense, but after being the defensive running team for 13 years, now I'm ready to, you know, if we are going to lose, lose 45 to 42 back, like in the old Air Raid days. I don't think it would be like that. But Stein wrote some crazy stuff that I think would be a lot of fun to watch.

[Matt Jones]

There's also. You got to remember, you don't always know what Mark. You don't always know what Mitch Barnhart's thinking. But I will say this. I think Mitch Barnhart kind of gets pegged into this corner of he'll only take coaches like his personality. But I think we saw in the basketball search that that was not true. He went after Danny Hurley. Yeah, I think he and Danny Hurley.

[Ryan Lemond]

Would have hated each other, but he.

[Matt Jones]

Went after him anyway. And he was willing to go after Bruce Pearl and Nate Oates, but he.

[Ryan Lemond]

Basically got told by the administration that he could not.

[Matt Jones]

So if he was willing to look at those guys, then I think he's going to be willing to look at guys that maybe we don't think his personality fits with him because he's done.

[Ryan Lemond]

It in the past.

[Guest Analyst]

I think my list. I can speak for myself, would be different if we did this last week before the Texas game, after the Texas game. I'm one of these people that kind of get sucked in a little bit. Yeah, we can maybe win that game at Auburn. We can win that game in Florida. Still got A couple wins on the team.

[Matt Jones]

You genuinely think there's still a way.

[Ryan Lemond]

To win enough games to save Stoops?

[Guest Analyst]

I do.

[Shannon]

Well, they could be playing an interim coach at Auburn. You already are playing an interim coach against Florida. So you could have two. I mean those locker rooms could completely quit. One of them already has.

[Ryan Lemond]

Maybe we do get the advantage of playing a Florida and Auburn team that both may not have a cup. So you're right. Who's up first?

[Show Host Intro]

Let's go to bluegrass.

[Matt Jones]

Bluegrass.

[Ryan Lemond]

What's up?

[Caller Bluegrass]

What's going on, fellas? Just give me a quick congrats to you fellas. 96 through 98, I was in Augusta, Georgia and I was long distance and I couldn't, couldn't get no info. And that's when you all popped up for me right around that area at that time I started hearing you on the airwaves in early. I just want to thank you guys so much.

[Ryan Lemond]

Before I get to my question, somebody else. That's all right, go ahead.

[Caller Bluegrass]

But. All right, fellas, let me tell you something. Now out of this is my question. Out of the second year players, you hear the big second year jump. We always hear yes. Who do you, who do you guys think is going to make the biggest second year jump and who do you think is most beneficial for the team?

[Matt Jones]

Well, so biggest second year jump. I appreciate the call.

[Ryan Lemond]

We really only have what, two choices? No. And Chandler.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, I mean, I mean you could.

[Shannon]

You could say like Brandon Garrison even though he's not a sophomore. But like a second year with.

[Matt Jones]

You're talking about sophomore, then it's Noah Chandler. So who's got the biggest second year?

[Shannon]

Chandler.

[Ryan Lemond]

By far.

[Shannon]

Another against Noah. I, I've said it over and over and since we've had pro day and blue, white and madness, I believe it. Anymore. Chandler is going to really open some eyes this year and that's nothing to put Noah down. I just think Chandler is going to.

[Matt Jones]

Be a huge surprise not to compare.

[Ryan Lemond]

White players to white players, but that's what ends up happening. Can he be Tyler hero before he leaves Kentucky?

[Shannon]

He has NBA athleticism that you don't see a lot like that. Like when he went up and we.

[Matt Jones]

Have that dog anymore. Tyler had a dog. Tyler wasn't scared anybody. He was, you know, he had that cow player mentality. Do you think Cal and Chandler has that?

[Shannon]

I'm picturing present day Tyler hero covered in tattoos and then Mormon Colin Chase. Huge different personality say. But on the court, maybe. We'll see. I mean, I still think Chandler still has a breakout moment coming that we'll have to see what that looks like. But just as far as how they play, he has some unique athleticism.

[Guest Analyst]

They are different personalities. Chandler's a happily married man now. Goes home to his wife at night.

[Ryan Lemond]

That's true.

[Guest Analyst]

But he does have the athleticism that he could match what Tyler Hero had when he was here.

[Ryan Lemond]

He might be more athletic now. Tyler was a better player at this stage.

[Guest Analyst]

He was obviously.

[Shannon]

But they both did the dunk contest.

[Ryan Lemond]

Chandler is, Chandler is athletic. I agree with you. I think Chandler takes a huge leap.

[Matt Jones]

In part because Chandler was really bad.

[Ryan Lemond]

For half the year last year and.

[Matt Jones]

Then he got much better as the year went on.

[Ryan Lemond]

So I think you'll see it.

[Matt Jones]

This may be the last time you.

[Ryan Lemond]

Ever hear me do this. Oh for all y', all, there's a mess floating around UK Credit Union by the way, I was walking through the concourse at the football game Saturday and this came on and I was like, wow, that is quite a straw y'.

[Guest Analyst]

All.

[Matt Jones]

UK Credit Union, let's bust the mess. Number one, you got to be part of UK to join Myth.

[Ryan Lemond]

Exactly.

[Matt Jones]

Myth two Joining is an ordeal.

[Ryan Lemond]

Myth Myth busted.

[Matt Jones]

Truth is, a lot of Kentuckians are missing out on great rates and real.

[Ryan Lemond]

Benefits and you can join one of.

[Matt Jones]

Our seven local branches are online in under three minutes.

[Ryan Lemond]

Whether you wear blue or white or not. It's UK Federal Credit Union.

[Matt Jones]

We're not just for some, we're for all y'.

[Guest Analyst]

All.

[Ryan Lemond]

Membership eligibility required Federally insured by ncua we'll take a break and be right back.

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[Matt Jones]

Welcome back Tucking Sports Radio.

[Ryan Lemond]

This is.

[Matt Jones]

We are here live at KS Bar Grill.

[Ryan Lemond]

Thanks to the fellow that just gave us some donuts.

[Matt Jones]

I will eat those during the break here on Wednesday. Dollar wings all day.

[Shannon]

Heck yeah. A little donut with no wings.

[Ryan Lemond]

Steal the glazed one from me, please.

[Matt Jones]

One person writes on text machine Will Stein has been a top name at Penn State. I don't think we get him. Well, I mean, if they offer him.

[Ryan Lemond]

At Penn State, he'll go there.

[Matt Jones]

I kind of think I would be surprised if that's where he ends up going from if Penn State hires him. I think Penn State's got to feel.

[Ryan Lemond]

Like they've got to go get.

[Matt Jones]

Something.

[Ryan Lemond]

Big to go make it to justify firing Franklin, right? Yeah.

[Shannon]

I mean Franklin just had over Oregon down in overtime a few weeks ago and he gets fired. I think they're looking for something a little more proven. But he is a very, very hot name right now. And also I can't help but notice on the Kentucky thing we're mentioning he has family here. There's like five pictures of him with Rich Brooks with his arm around him in Oregon. So he has the Rich Brooks connection. Also, Rich seems to really like him. He could be putting in a word.

[Matt Jones]

Did you watch any of the NBA last night?

[Ryan Lemond]

It was open. It was opening night.

[Matt Jones]

I thought it was great. You had the do do do do do do do do do do do.

[Ryan Lemond]

Do do do do do do.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah. And then it was on NBC and it just felt bigger than these other.

[Ryan Lemond]

Games have in recent years, didn't it?

[Guest Analyst]

I started watching the ring ceremony and didn't turn it off till after the second overtime. I didn't plan on watching the whole game, but I couldn't quit watching it because you're right, it felt like a big time playoff game.

[Matt Jones]

I was into the rings. I don't know if I've ever watched the ring ceremony, but for some reason I watched it when they would get their rings. They look so happy. I don't know, I. I kind of really liked it. I don't know. I did.

[Shannon]

I was locked in. I was sitting down 20 minutes before the pregame show started so that I didn't miss. Round ball rock. I nostalgia shouldn't hook you this much, but even the little peacock shooting the lasers, I was like, oh my good. Where we are back in 1996. It was really cool to watch.

[Ryan Lemond]

Part of it is objectively, and I know you guys will agree with me.

[Matt Jones]

But I also think it's objective. The 90s were the best time to live, everybody. Just like the 90s were the best. We had some technology, but not enough to disrupt our lives. Right. Like, we had. We had a computer, but we didn't have to carry these stupid phones around. Right. Like, the economy was really good. Our biggest worry was that Bill Clinton was, you know, doing Bill Clinton things like that was our. That was our biggest worry. Everything was like, it. You know, the music. Shannon was better in the 90s.

[Guest Analyst]

The.

[Matt Jones]

The sports.

[Shannon]

Kentucky won two titles.

[Matt Jones]

Kentucky was great at basketball. Michael Jordan, you know, Tiger was just getting started. That was exciting. Americans were still good at tennis.

[Shannon]

The Braves.

[Matt Jones]

The Braves, Yeah. I love the Braves back then.

[Ryan Lemond]

Like Forrest Gump.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah, Movies. Movies in the 90s were great. I mean, the 90s were objectively best. And there's something about that whole NBC intro that. That put me in the 90s.

[Guest Analyst]

Every kid who grew up watching the NBA in the 90s, when that came on last night, you immediately, like, were sucked in. The graphics, the music, everything about it was awesome.

[Matt Jones]

And then, I mean, honestly, the best time in America was when.

[Ryan Lemond]

From when Rut.

[Matt Jones]

The Soviet.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah, okay.

[Matt Jones]

He's got the music from when the Soviet union fell until 9, 11. Like that. That 10 years, we just. We had nothing to worry about, did we really?

[Shannon]

Talking about the 90s over round ball Rock is kind of giving me a vibe here too.

[Ryan Lemond]

It is.

[Matt Jones]

And. And I think there was something about that last night that was. And then they brought Michael Jordan on, and for. I don't know why he was on. He told some story about shooting a.

[Shannon]

Free throw he's doing. He's the new halftime guy.

[Matt Jones]

He didn't even talk about the game. He was just like, yeah, I went to a dinner and I shot a free throw.

[Ryan Lemond]

And I was like, that's one of.

[Shannon]

My favorite parts of the night. He talked. He said it was most nervous. He's been in 30 years shooting that free throw.

[Matt Jones]

But it also just goes to show, he can just say anything.

[Ryan Lemond]

Exactly. You know, he's.

[Shannon]

I texted it to like 20 people.

[Matt Jones]

Do you believe him? He said he hadn't touched a basketball in eight years.

[Shannon]

A little bit. I could see why you would want to break for basketball. He seems to always have a cigar and a golf club in his hands, so I could believe it. Did you see their pre game show, though?

[Guest Analyst]

I did.

[Shannon]

You think we have technical difficulties? I generally felt bad for him. They played Round Ball Rock. The peacock shot the lasers, and then it was utter chaos. The mics weren't working. It was popping sound like, when our headphones are doing that. Producers just walked on stage in the live shot and are giving McGrady a mic. Then Maria Taylor's mic went out, and they almost just went to break. They couldn't even form a conversation.

[Matt Jones]

Anyone ask about the white Carmelo? Like, everyone was dressed up, and then Carmelo was wearing a sweatsuit. I mean, I'm fine with people wearing sweat. I wear hoodies. But it feels like you either need to go, we all are in sweatsuits or all in suits. Having Tracy McGrady and the other guy to Vince Carter and then Carmelo in a sweatsuit was kind of weird, wasn't it?

[Guest Analyst]

I'm afraid that sweatsuit probably cost $20,000, though.

[Matt Jones]

It's not. It was just. It was just a different look than the.

[Ryan Lemond]

Than the rest of them. Okay, the game real quick. SGA and Case and Wallace were great.

[Matt Jones]

But everybody wants to talk about Reed Shepherd.

[Ryan Lemond]

He struggled. Now, this was.

[Matt Jones]

To be fair, this is almost like a rookie year for him because he.

[Ryan Lemond]

Barely played last year, but he did struggle on a very big stage.

[Matt Jones]

If you put his name into Twitter.

[Ryan Lemond]

Last night, it was not. Was mean.

[Matt Jones]

Please, no one do it.

[Ryan Lemond]

That. That knows him well because it was. It was bad. If you looked up Reed shepherd last.

[Shannon]

Night, he got maimed about as hard as you can get memed last night. I think it's still going.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Shannon]

Offensively, though, did some things that look good. I think threes.

[Matt Jones]

I agree. But someone needs to tell Reed, like, you don't need to wave off Kevin Durant.

[Ryan Lemond]

Just go ahead and get him the ball. Yeah.

[Shannon]

Defensively, though, our Kentucky boys were just putting him in a blender.

[Ryan Lemond]

Case and Wallace and Shay were just taking turns.

[Matt Jones]

You want to take him?

[Ryan Lemond]

Do you want to take him? Him you wanted.

[Matt Jones]

It felt like cat on cat crime.

[Ryan Lemond]

That wasn't very nice of Shay and Case.

[Guest Analyst]

They did. He definitely did nothing to help his Case to be a backup point guard on the team. He made.

[Ryan Lemond]

Well, no, he wants to be the start. He.

[Guest Analyst]

He's. He's a long way away, man. He made a really bad turnover there at the end of the game, too.

[Ryan Lemond]

Yeah.

[Guest Analyst]

Just did.

[Ryan Lemond]

Tough night for him.

[Guest Analyst]

It was.

[Ryan Lemond]

It was a tough night.

[Shannon]

There was a guy starting over.

[Matt Jones]

Him.

[Shannon]

We worry about shooting. He went over seven from three. So the Rockets have a problem.

[Ryan Lemond]

They do, because, yeah, Reed can't guard and Amy and Thompson can't shoot, so it's tough. Who's next?

[Show Host Intro]

Joseph.

[Ryan Lemond]

Joseph. Go ahead, Joseph.

[Caller Joseph]

Hey, man, I appreciate you taking my call. If we hire Dan Mullen I will mutiny.

[Ryan Lemond]

You mutiny, Dan.

[Caller Joseph]

I will mutiny. Because that guy was at Mississippi State for nine seasons. I, I think Mississippi State and Kentucky are pretty comparable programs. However, Mississippi State has a much better recruiting base. I'm sure we all agree there.

[Matt Jones]

But he did take him to number.

[Ryan Lemond]

One in the country, and then they.

[Caller Joseph]

Promptly lost three straight. So here's the thing. His record, number one, a bunch of seven and sixes, eight and fives, five and sevens with a couple of nine and fours.

[Matt Jones]

But I mean, to be fair, though, how many times? Okay, but, but, but we all like Mark Stoops before the last three or four years. If you're telling me I get Mark Stoops from his first 10 years, we're probably taking it, right?

[Caller Joseph]

This isn't Mark Soups from his first 10 years. This is Dan Mullen in years.

[Matt Jones]

But if you're saying Dan Mullen or whatever, if you're saying Dan Mullen is like Mark Stoops in his first 10 years, then that's not bad, is it?

[Caller Joseph]

That's. I'm saying Dan Mullen at Mississippi State was Mark Stoops in his first 10 years. That is not the same thing. You're firing Mark Stoops for another Mark Stoops. That's a bad buyer.

[Matt Jones]

You're fire.

[Caller Joseph]

That's objectively bad.

[Commercial Voice]

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[Matt Jones]

Oh, bonanza.

[Commercial Voice]

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