Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2

Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Matt Jones with Ryan Lemond, Shannon Dawson, Drew Franklin
Location: Bespoken Spirits, Lexington, KY

Episode Overview

This lively episode of KSR dives into a wild week of UK sports news, leans into the viral "money video" saga involving Zach Calzada and “Garrett”, and recounts Matt Jones breaking major MLB news thanks to the show’s text machine. The crew also discusses Kentucky football's current culture and game night frustrations about college sports streaming. As ever, it’s a heady mix of absurdity, sports analysis, and classic KSR banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Zach Calzada’s “Money Video” Controversy

Segment Start: 02:30

• Background:
  News has blown up about Kentucky football’s backup QB Zach Calzada making a video responding to a troll by flashing a large stack of cash, presumed to be about $20,000. The video was directed at a critic (later revealed as “Garrett”) who had messaged him negatively on social media.
• Discipline Debate:
  • Ryan Lemond predicts, “I think they’ll discipline him in some form because they have to kind of send a message that, man, this is not the culture. This is not the look we want for our football program.” [03:02]
  • Matt Jones is skeptical: "It's a bad look, but what rule did he break? … You’re allowed to have money now. … I just don’t know, Drew, how do you suspend somebody? For what? For going, Garrett, get your money up?” [03:13]
  • Drew Franklin jokes, “Dave Ramsey would probably be upset with him,” but says the worst is just "looking foolish." [03:45]
• Social Media Culture:
  • Matt reflects on responding to trolls, noting the difference between a heated reply and “making a video” — which requires a series of deliberate steps. [04:05]
  • Shannon and Drew joke about the satisfaction Garrett must have felt in getting Calzada to react: “If I'm Garrett, I'm watching that video going, I got him.” [04:32]

2. Matt Jones Breaks Padres Manager News via Text Machine

Segment Start: 04:48

• Story:
  Matt details how, while eating pizza in Connecticut, a random but trusted texter tipped him that Craig Stammen would be announced as San Diego Padres manager (a name no one had previously reported).
  • Quote: “It’s so random that it almost has to be true. … Why would they pick this guy?” [06:10]
• Aftermath:
  • “A San Diego fan account finds it, and there’s like 30 minutes where they’re just berating me.” – Matt [07:11]
  • When news breaks for real, Matt is fielding interviews: “San Diego sports radio is in. It could be in the future.” [09:54]
• Reflection:
  The guys revel in being at the center of a bizarre media storm for an unrelated West Coast baseball team.
  • Drew Franklin sums up: “I think it’s much funnier that it’s the Padres. It’s like an obscure team.” [10:40]

3. Upcoming Stunt: Ryan Lemond Through a Table

Segment Start: 12:59

• Details:
  Ryan is reprising an infamous wrestling-style move: being put through a table by former UK player Cash Daniel to bring good luck for Kentucky’s home SEC game.
  • Ryan: “We need a home SEC win. Florida’s coming into town, so we’ve agreed to do it. Run it back and do it again tomorrow. 60 years old I am, and a little bigger than I was last time. But so is Cash.” [12:59]

4. Phone Segment: Mark/Sam and the Kentucky Football System

Segment Start: 14:19

• Caller’s Argument:
  Mark/Sam voices concern that UK is left with “scraps” due to a lackluster offensive system and questions the staff’s ability to develop talent.
  • Matt’s Response: “If it’s the case that we're not getting players because our system is bad and we're not developing them, that's on us. You don’t get to … go, we don’t have the players because we don’t have the system. That is the whole point of being a coach.” [15:08]

5. The Streaming Game Fiasco & Tipping ‘Pirate’ Streamers

Segment Start: 19:24

• Issue:
  Fans frustrated as UK’s basketball game is available only via unreliable streaming setups (mainly on YouTube).
• Tipping Debate:
  • Ryan admits tipping $10 to a streamer and plans to do $5 this time. Matt jokes: “If you tip me $3, I’ll mention you on the post game show.” [20:47]
• Industry Reflection:
  The segment includes tongue-in-cheek griping about ESPN, Disney, and YouTube’s confusing sports streaming models, with Drew Franklin putting it bluntly: “When Google is fighting Disney, I hope they both lose.” [22:09]

6. High School Football Playoff Gripes

Segment Start: 22:45

• Context:
  Listeners and hosts discuss the perceived unfairness in Kentucky high school playoff structure, especially Madisonville’s situation.
  • Ryan Lemond laments: “Even at 8-2, they have to go on the road and play at Greenwood tonight that finished 6-4.” [23:35]
  • Matt Jones: “That happens in all playoffs … the rules are the rules, right?” [24:05]

7. The Garrett Call: The Viral Troll Calls In

Segment Start: 27:04

• Context:
  The show verifies and speaks with the infamous “Garrett,” the fan who trolled Calzada and sparked the viral money response.
• Garrett’s Version:
  • "I decided to slide up on a Snapchat story and say, ‘you suck at football.’ … He started going at me, and he sent me a video, but before I could get it, he blocked me.” [27:13]
• Fan Ethics:
  • Matt probes whether Garrett regrets it. Garrett replies: “Not really. It was just kind of a goofy thing… and now I’m just known as that guy that trolls Zach Calzada.” [28:46]
• Regret?:
  Garrett says he thinks the video needed to be out to “show the state of this football program, that we’d bring somebody so immature into our program.” [29:52]
• Hosts' Reflection:
  The consensus: Calzada’s behavior was “embarrassing,” but the show also discourages trolling: “Don’t send ‘you suck’ messages.” – Drew Franklin [31:11]
  • Matt adds empathy: “You people think you can just say something to people and it does not affect them. … I have a little bit of sympathy.” [32:20]

8. Miscellaneous Sports and Life

• Football & Basketball Outlook:
  • The crew gives quick predictions ahead of UK’s basketball and football games, expressing concern over shooting and free-throw struggles, and the huge need to win a home SEC game. [43:04, 44:59]
  • Parlay picks are made, with comic confusion about who's taking what.
• Stoops’ Status & Home Losing Streak:
  • Caller Sam and the crew discuss whether Coach Stoops will stay and how crucial it is to end Kentucky’s SEC home losing streak. [35:24]
• Local Flavor:
  • Shoutouts to local high school teams, and thanks to Chef Lee for bringing tacos to the remote show.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Calzada Video Decision:

  “It’s a bad look, but what rule did he break? … You’re allowed to have money now... it makes you look immature. But I just don’t know, Drew, how do you suspend somebody? For what? For going, ‘Garrett, get your money up’?”
  – Matt Jones [03:13]

• On Breaking Padres News:

  “Why would someone send me something so random, like just take a name out of left field, Ryan? ... It’s so random that it almost has to be true.”
  – Matt Jones [06:10]

  “All these beat writers been working on this for weeks and you pull out a name … If you were right about it, you…”
  – Ryan Lemond [09:34]

• On Social Media Trolls & Reactions:

  “If I withdrew $20,000 every time somebody told me I sucked, I'd be making videos every day.”
  – Shannon Dawson [29:30]

  “I have a little bit of sympathy … You people think you can just say something to people and it does not affect them.”
  – Matt Jones [32:20]

• On Kentucky’s Perennial Football Issues:

  “You don’t get to say, ‘we’re not good because we don’t have the players,’ and then when we don’t have the players, ‘we don’t have the players because we don’t have the system.’ That is the whole point of being a coach.”
  – Matt Jones [15:08]

Important Timestamps

• 02:30: Main show begins – Calzada video controversy discussed
• 04:48: Matt explains how he broke Padres manager news via the KSR text machine
• 12:59: Plans for Ryan Lemond to go through a table resurface
• 14:19: Call-in: Mark/Sam questions UK’s offensive football system and player development
• 19:24: Sports streaming frustrations and “tipping” for pirated streams
• 22:45: Kentucky High School football playoff complaints
• 27:04: Call-in from “the real Garrett” – his side of the social media saga
• 31:11: Hosts debate the ethics of trolling and public reactions
• 43:04 – End: Basketball and football predictions; show wraps at Bespoken Spirits

The KSR Vibe

High-energy, self-aware, and irreverent. The second hour is a blend of inside jokes, behind-the-scenes sports radio antics, and candid sports talk. The highlight: landing in the middle of a viral sports controversy and then tracking down both sides of the social media beef, underlining why KSR remains so beloved in the UK sports community.