Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 2

Date: December 11, 2025
Host: Matt Jones with the KSR Crew
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and Sports Talk 790 (WKRD-AM)

Episode Overview

This episode is a classic blend of sports talk, Kentucky blue banter, college basketball and football recruiting updates, and the signature wit of Matt Jones and his co-hosts. The show features deep dives on recent UK sports news, fan questions, tangents about pop culture (including Weird Al Yankovic and classic UK basketball recruiting), and significant speculation about sweeping changes coming for UK Athletics. Listeners get a mix of inside information, nostalgia, and lighthearted debates on everything from coaching drama to car maintenance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sports Trivia and Myths

• Baseball Myth: "Tie Goes to the Runner"
  • Topic: Long-standing myth debunked about baseball rules.
  • Highlight: Matt realizes he's misquoted the rule for years.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "So I need to start saying tie goes to the fielder." – Matt Jones [03:41]
    • "Umpire always said if it's a tie, he definitely gonna be out. We're trying to get the game over as fast as possible." – Caller/Guest [03:50]

2. Cal Poly Deep Dive

• Info and Pop Culture Connections
  • Quick facts about Cal Poly, touching on its setting (San Luis Obispo), TV connections (Big Bang Theory), true crime (Kristen Smart case), and notable alumni (John Madden, Ozzie Smith, Weird Al Yankovic).
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "Weird Al is playing the Yum Center." – Co-host [05:59]
    • "Who is going to Weird Al in 2025?" – Matt Jones [06:04]

3. Michigan Football Coaching Scandal

• Story Unfolding in Real-Time
  • Discussion of Michigan’s firing of coach Sharon Moore for inappropriate staffer relationship, further complicated by criminal allegations.
  • The crew debates Michigan’s impossible coaching search at a terrible time in the college football calendar.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "Every few things got worse." – Matt Jones [07:38]
    • "Do you just have an interim coach next season...?" – Caller/Producer [08:14]
    • "You're Michigan. You gotta go..." – Matt Jones [08:18]

4. Reds Lose Out on Kyle Schwarber

• Fan Disappointment and Betrayal
  • Matt vents about the Cincinnati Reds losing out on a hometown signing of Kyle Schwarber, despite matching the Phillies’ offer.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "I now can't stand that guy because... he just stayed there." – Matt Jones [09:36]
    • "Ty goes to Philadelphia." – Co-host [09:52]
    • "He can't come home for Christmas next week." – Caller/Guest [10:34]

5. Matt’s New Car and Maintenance Anxiety

• Bells, Whistles, and Tech Dread
  • Matt banters with the crew about his new, tech-heavy car: maintenance reminders, apps, and how he rescued his “important” items from the totaled old car (golf clubs, dry cleaning, a Conway Twitty cookbook).
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "It's like, give me soda." – Matt Jones [12:47]
    • "I just want it to last as long as it can." – Matt Jones [11:55]
    • "I made sure to take the Conway Twitty Cookbook." – Matt Jones [14:05]

6. Broadcasting UK Games: Creative Disruption?

• Innovative Play-by-Play Ideas
  • Matt proposes a “ManningCast”-style radio broadcast with live call-ins during the Western vs. Southern Miss game. Crew expresses skepticism.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "Do you really want to hear the game? It's Western and Southern Miss." – Matt Jones [16:30]
    • "You're trying to get out of doing play-by-play..." – Co-host [16:59]
    • "The goal is to make a revolutionary broadcast." – Matt Jones [23:16]

7. UK Football Recruiting and Portal Activity

• Rosters Under Construction
  • Updates on the football staff transition, keeping most recruits, and expectations for a busy portal season with new coach Will Stein.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "We're going to be very active in the portal...hopefully successful." – Matt Jones [18:05]
    • "Do you think he'll bring some guys from Oregon?" – Caller/Guest [18:18]
    • "I would suspect he'd bring a quarterback to compete." – Shannon [18:24]

8. Controversial Cookbooks and Old-School KSR Nostalgia

• The Conway Twitty Cookbook

  • Surprising “editorial content” and outdated language found inside.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "Conway Tweety's cookbook is an interesting read. Some not culturally appropriate things..." – Matt Jones [21:06]
    • "Just tell me how much broth I need. I don't need to know your thoughts on some of these other things." – Shannon [22:02]

• Forgotten UK Basketball Recruits

  • Reminiscing about the earliest recruits followed by KSR fans: AJ Stewart, Marshall Moses, Tyrone Nash, Darius Rice.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "AJ Stewart is the oldest school KSR." – Matt Jones [43:44]

9. Impending Seismic Changes at UK Athletics

• Institutional Shift
  • Speculation about sweeping changes: a new football coach, athletic director, president, and a modernized, businesslike structure for athletics.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "We're about to see as dramatic of shift in UK athletics as you have seen since integration." – Matt Jones [35:07]
    • "Change is coming. You know, what is the Bob Dylan song? The times, they are a-changin'." – Matt Jones [36:19]
    • "We need a GM, probably, Drew, that nobody knows who they are. That's just really good at that job." – Matt Jones [39:00]
    • "Great head coaches probably shouldn't be good at the other side. That's a lot." – Shannon [39:42]

10. Philip Rivers NFL Comeback

• Wild Sports Stories
  • The crew is fascinated by Rivers, out of the league for years, possibly starting for the Colts. Discussion on NFL roster desperation and nostalgia for old players returning.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "There's no way that works, right?" – Matt Jones [30:41]
    • "It has to be so deflating... they're like, you know, we'll just call this guy that's been retired." – Shannon [31:35]

11. Lighthearted & Memorable Banter

• Weird Al, Comedy, and Crew Dynamics
  • Debating the appeal of a Weird Al concert, plans for local comedy shows.
  • Friendly jabs over show roles, memory gaps, and who should (or shouldn't) be the broadcast statistician.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "He's got to be 70s. He's still performing, doing these songs." – Caller/Guest [27:56]
    • "You should want to do the TV broadcast because it's easier..." – Caller/Guest [15:50]
    • "No, wait a minute. Billy thinks we're doing the TV broadcast." – Matt Jones [15:15]

12. Fan Q&A: JMI, NIL, and Kentucky's Recruiting Future

• Listener Concerns about Basketball Program Structure
  • Calls expressing anxiety about Kentucky’s slow adjustment to NIL, lack of top recruits, and need for a professional, modern approach (including a “GM” for the basketball program).
  • Notable Quotes:
    • "I think you're about—I mean, this is my opinion and I could be wrong—we're about to see a C shift..." – Matt Jones [34:50]
    • "We need to think bigger than that. We need to get someone who—this is perfectly situated for this..." – Matt Jones [39:15]

Notable Quotes and Timestamps (Selected Highlights)

• On Baseball Myths:
  "So I need to start saying tie goes to the fielder."
  — Matt Jones [03:41]

• On Losing Kyle Schwarber:
  "Ty goes to Philadelphia. That's exactly right. What a liar he was. So boo, Kyle Schwarber."
  — Matt Jones [09:53]

• On Conway Twitty's Cookbook:
  "Conway Tweety's cookbook is an interesting read. Some not culturally appropriate things to say anymore from Conway. Written in the seventies."
  — Matt Jones [21:06]

• On the Impending Shift at UK Athletics:
  "We're about to see as dramatic of shift in UK athletics as you have seen since integration."
  — Matt Jones [35:07]

• On Outsider Thinking for New GM:
  "Chances are the best person to be the basketball GM is somebody no one here has ever heard of."
  — Matt Jones [38:22]

• On Modern Head Coaching:
  "Great head coaches probably shouldn't be good at the other side. That's a lot."
  — Shannon [39:42]

• On Philip Rivers Comeback:
  "There's no way that works, right?"
  — Matt Jones [30:41]

Important Segments by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------| | 03:06–03:53 | Tie goes to the runner baseball myth debated | | 04:00–06:31 | Cal Poly factoids, notable alumni, pop culture references | | 06:55–08:51 | Michigan coaching saga, speculation about candidates | | 09:36–10:46 | Reds/Schwarber disappointment and fan reactions | | 11:41–14:45 | Matt's new car, rescued items, Conway Twitty cookbook | | 15:15–16:59 | Stat guy confusion & discussion of experimental play-by-play broadcasts | | 17:08–18:37 | UK Football recruiting, portal watch, Oregon connections | | 23:16–24:25 | New Orleans Bowl broadcast logistics and stories | | 25:15–27:09 | Caller questions about NIL, basketball recruiting, and fixes required | | 30:26–33:13 | Philip Rivers NFL return, backup QBs and NFL commentary | | 34:50–36:39 | Upcoming decade-defining changes in UK Athletics | | 39:00–40:06 | Rethinking the GM role and structural changes needed in college sports programs | | 43:09–44:58 | KSR history, nostalgia for classic recruits, AJ Stewart and early UK internet | | 46:41–47:24 | Will Stein vs. Vince Marrow—next football recruiting rivalry |

Tone & Style

The tone is witty, energetic, regional, and authentic to KSR’s conversational, slightly irreverent brand. There’s camaraderie, teasing, plenty of Kentucky pride, and periodic play-by-play on sports as theater and business.

For New Listeners

• This episode captures a moment of uncertainty and anticipation for UK fans, both in football and basketball.
• The blend of real-time sports news, culture, nostalgia, and team chemistry makes it an engaging snapshot of Kentucky sports media.
• The episode is light on Xs and Os, heavy on stories, speculation, and the everlasting hope (and occasional frustration) of Big Blue Nation.