KSR - 2025-03-12- KSR - Hour 1

Episode Date: March 12, 2025

Live from Bowling Green, the guys preview the SEC Tournament, Shannon the Dude gets credentialed, Junior Bridgeman's passing, merchandise mishaps, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, in every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear.

Listen to Sports Slice on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me?

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Keir Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Jay Durana, March 6 through the 8th. Then catch club favorite nephew Tommy, March 13th through the 16th.

And don't miss Michael Ballasack. March 21st and 22nd. Comedy off Broadway opened in downtown Lexington in 1987, and they're still bringing the best and stand-up comedy to the area 38 years later. Four tickets, call 859-271 joke, or visit Comedy OffBroadway.com. Welcome, everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio Wednesday, March the 12th,

on the way to the SEC tournament. It is SEC Tournament Week. The games start here in just three hours, and we are here in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where you can give us down the Clark's Pumping Shop phone line, 859-280-2287. vision auto glass text machine is 772 775254 in this edition sponsored by the tj smith law office you call tj it will make them pay we are here in bowling green where the nice folks at the

green river regional educational cooperative have allowed us to do uh the show here today i got a full house we got ryan we got drew we got shannon and our cc tournament trip is sponsored by clayton and crum you've heard me talk about clayton and crum over the years with their leather but this is a special sponsorship that I want to quickly note at the beginning. Clayton and Crum has been, they've been with us since they started the company. I think they met here in Bowling Green, actually. CRUME, they were students at Western, and their second employee was a guy named Parker, and this sponsorship is in honor of him.

He's going through a battle with a rare form of cancer, 30 years old, with a baby girl, and Clayton and Crum wanted to honor him by sponsoring. this trip and to tell him that he is loved and to keep fighting and that's what we're going to do and just like the cats are going to fight at the SEC tournament we're saying to Parker we're fighting for you so go to Clayton and Crum Crumee.com if you use a co-Ksrsr they have some discounts we'll talk about it more later but in honor of Parker our SEC tournament trip we're thinking about you and Ryan excited to be on the road first of all the season flew by I can't believe it's already March madness in time for the postseason but I just

I go back to there's so much optimism and excitement about this year, compared to where we were this time last year, it's a different look. We were going through the brackets, and I'm thinking last year, I didn't think Kentucky would have much of a chance. And you're right. You were right. You were right. But this year, there's so much excitement going into the tournament this year that everybody's got that optimism.

I remember thinking they were going to make a run last year. I think I even picked them to win it. But then I remember Nashville that night after the loss, it was just utter shock. And I remember a lot of people saying, I'm not doing this again. I cannot come back. was the maddest in-person crowd I ever remember at a UK basketball game. I don't think I've ever seen a crowd. And it was bad the next week in Pittsburgh too, but it was worse here. Yes. I think the fact that like everybody was here and it was at night and everybody had been

drinking and like when we lost to Texas A&M because that game was like never close. Like we were down most of the game. The crowd was just, they were just done. And it was almost like that was a moment where you go, okay, well, this isn't going to work. Take that to this year where I think we're going to have, Shannon, one of the best crowds we've ever had in Nashville. It reminds me of in 2010 on Cal's first year how like everybody just seemed to want to be there for that tournament. We're not necessarily as good as we were that year, but I do think you're going to have a similar crowd in Nashville. I'm looking for Nashville to just be crazy. I think that the level of excitement is probably going to be at a level that it hasn't been since COVID,

maybe since 2019. Definitely. This is going to be the best tournament for the SEC, for Kentucky. For Kentucky, for Kentucky fans. Now, we need to win games. But for fans that probably you've had since COVID. You know, just win one game first of all, right? Let's just go day to day, win that first game. If you do, it would be the first win since 2022, which I can't even believe. That's a fact. Pretty amazing. All right. Let me give you some facts here that I thought of last night. So this is, if not my favorite week of the year, it's one of my favorite weeks. And it goes back my entire lot. The SEC tournament has been one of my favorite things to do.

So I want to give you some numbers that I just realized. I started going the SEC tournament because my grandfather and his best friends would go. The first SEC tournament they went to was 1985, which is 40 years ago this weekend. I think one of the last members of that group passed away in the last year, and they went 40 years ago as their anniversary. I went and counted it up. This is my 30th SEC tournament.

So they're 40th, my 30th. We started KSR the website 20 years ago this year. We started KSR the radio show 15 years ago this year. The 2015 team, this will be the one basketball part, in my opinion, maybe the best team of my lifetime, 10 years ago. And then it was here today, five years ago, that the SEC tournament and NCAA tournament were canceled five years ago to this day. So a lot of anniversaries for me personally this year.

40th that this became something in our family's lives, 30th tournament for me. So, Ryan, I'm very excited about this. You know, just you mentioned what happened here five years ago on this day. Just kind of blows my mind because it was today. Five years ago, they canceled the tournament today. Yesterday was the anniversary of all the stuff happening the night before, but the official, we were sitting in a conference room five years ago today with the athletic directors meeting in the room next to us,

deciding what they were going to do. And then while we were on the air, if you remember Ryan, they canceled the tournament. But didn't Shannon go steal a big bottle of hand sanitizer? I'm just trying to protect you guys. I mean, I didn't know what was going on. There was a lot more than that. We always talk about that. There was a lot more crazy stuff than that.

I mean, the athletic directors were meeting next door. Mitch Barnhart was outside trying to figure out how to get a lot. the UK softball team home from Florida. They were stuck in Florida with no flights, and he didn't know exactly how to get them back. They were trying to decide what they were going to do with everything. You remember the governor called in? That was when he kind of wanted to give a message to the state of,

hey, this is serious. I mean, it was just a whole thing. And now five years later, Drew, I do think this is the most excited. This fan base has been for an SEC tournament probably since then. Yeah, unfortunately, it has not been good since then. Shannon mentions the one win. We haven't even won a game in Nashville since before COVID. We beat a 10-seed Alabama.

That was our last win in Bridgestone Arena. So Kentucky's due, and even though you're a six-seat and really not expected to make much of a run, I agree that their Big Blue is going to be everywhere on Broadway just to be a part of what might happen. So I think it is going to be a pretty great week. Now, Kentucky, of course, plays tomorrow night at 9.30. I still will use the Eastern Times, even though we're going to be in the sixth. central time zone. But, you know, tournament starts.

Cal Perry is playing in the first game today here at 1 o'clock against South Carolina. You know, I was on a podcast with like these guys in Boston. It's like gambling podcasts a couple days ago. And they asked me the question, is it harder to win this year the SEC tournament or the NCAA tournament? And that may seem like a stupid question in a lot of years. But I don't know. I mean, I don't know if it's a stupid question.

I was sitting here and looking at it, and I was thinking, okay, let's just say you're Kentucky. All right. Here are the four games you would have to win to win the SEC tournament. Beat a Georgia team that's going to be in the NCAA tournament, beat Alabama, beat Florida, beat Auburn. There's a decent chance that when you look at a team's sweet 16 to national title game path, they won't play a harder group than that. There's a decent, you know, there's a decent argument that that is the case.

Even if you were Alabama, you get a double by. What if I told you to win the title with the double by, you had to beat Kentucky, Florida, and Auburn? That's a pretty hard run. Whoever wins this, I do think we'll have the equivalent of an elite eight to title run just to win the SEC tournament. This may be the only year it ever happens, but it's definitely true this year. The SEC tournament is harder. You mentioned Kentucky's path. Those are three teams who are potential number one seats for most of the year in Auburn, Florida, and Alabama.

That would run would never happen in the NCAA. tournament have to go through there to get to the championship. And if you just look at the odds, Kentucky's 8 to 1 to make the Final 4 and 19 to 1 to win the SEC. So is that right? That's interesting. Almost more than double,

you know, the probability there just shows you how crazy with Gallant they have in front of them. There's a lot of debating on which would you rather do. I'm go back and forth on that. You want to win them. Go out the Final 4. But I mean, a winning the SEC championship this year, whatever you think of how much it means in the big picture, that is a huge

accomplishment. I do think it's, I do think it's a big deal. I mean, it's interesting. The younger coaches in the league, or at least the coaches that are on a, I heard, I saw Mark Pope, Bruce Pearl, Nate Oates, and Todd Golden all say in the last two days, winning this SEC tournament is a huge deal for us. There's another coach on the other side who took the opposite view, but I do think this will be, you know, look, only one team's going to win the national championship. So if you're not going to do that, you might, I mean, this is like this, Auburn won it last year's first time they ever won it. They're first time they wanted since like the 80s.

They were into it. I think that we should be too. No matter what path you end up getting in the NCAA tournament, I think you've already, and I made this point last week, I don't think that you're going to be playing any tougher teams than what you've already played in the SEC. So I think at this point, you're not afraid of anybody, regardless of what your situation is. So we also have some other things on the line here. First of all, Shannon, the dude has been credentialed for the first time ever at the SEC.

I'm going to clap. You're going to walk it. Now, listen, if y'all going to sit here, then you have to clap. Clap for my credentials. Hey, I have been denied a credential. You don't get to just sit here and get a free show and sit and watch like it's a movie. You have to participate. I've been denied for 10 straight years.

Give it up for my credential. Come on. Here we go. But seriously. I mean, so like you're going to walk in here this afternoon. I mean, this is like going to be your eyes going to be big. They've turned you down 10 straight years and then decided that this year you were good at me. I expect to be sitting around.

right next to Jay Billis. I want a headset so I can chime in on the broadcast. I want to make, you need to get on camera. Now, Mario, first time he's ever applied, actually got credentials. That's right, yeah. He got in one, so this will be his first time, too. So kind of a new era, Ryan, of them credentialing the new guard. I just want to see Shannon's credential because he apparently, he submitted a headshot of him

wearing his gold OVW jacket. That's going to be on his credential. So the SEC tournament for people that don't know, they denied his headshot. After they approved. send in an OVW picture. No, no, no, no, no. I sent in a picture of KSR with a headset on, and they said, we need another headshot, so I sent them the OVW picture with the gold jacket.

So we'll see if that one maybe gets approved. I kind of doubt it will. I think you're going to probably going to have to take one. I'm not going to look like the Facebook profile before you add your profile. It's just like the outline of somebody's head. That's exactly what it's going to look like. But who do you think got bumped? You know, if they approved me, somebody had to get bumped.

That's a good question. I used to never understand how you didn't get in because they, everyone else on earth was it seemed to allow it. They were letting people off the streets coming. They let me, I got credentialed for the SEC tournament before even UK would credential me for the games. Like it was it was it was easier. Well, what they always told me was you don't go to enough home games.

But then there were other people like, I don't know, you, who goes like, well, I went to. The only game I went to was the Arkansas game this year. Exactly. Well, but so that'll be fun. Now, tomorrow we will do our show at 10 roof. It is 9 o'clock central. Shannon's pre-show will be at 8 o'clock. clock central.

I think they're open the doors at seven. Is that right? 7 o'clock. They're going to open it at 7. So we hope to see you all at 10 roof. It should be the start of a long, fun day in Nashville where I think blue will be everywhere. That's my favorite show of the year with KSR. This is my favorite week of the year with Kentucky basketball.

I'm just hoping we make it a little longer into the weekend because it's been a real gut punch the last couple of years getting so excited to only turn around and come straight. back home. Yeah. So, so that, that's going to be our, our thing for the week. I do want to, before we go to break here, because I want this to be a fun, exciting show, but I do think we need to note the passing of Louisville's Junior Bridgman before we go to break. For people who don't know, Junior Bridgman's one of the more amazing stories, really ever in sports. And he, he went to University of Louisville. One of their best players of all time was really on their first. really great team in the 70s.

Played in the NBA for 10 years, eight years from Milwaukee Bucks. Back then, his average salary was $275,000. He became literally a billionaire after playing basketball. He owned something like 500 Wendy's. We were reading today, he owned 125 chilies. He basically started a restaurant conglomerate. But more importantly, he was,

like the beacon of the city of Louisville. He helped the city. He was a big part of the Muhammad Ali Center coming in. In many ways, he was the soul of Louisville basketball as a program, as a player, as a member of the board, as a donor, but also as an amazing success story. I saw Charles Barkley last night say, one time I looked at who are the richest basketball players of all time. And it was Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Junior Bridgman. And I didn't even know who Junior Bridgman was. Well, that's a testament to his success, but it's also a testament. He was a pillar of the Louisville community, like gave back for generations. And he passed away yesterday. Louisville is our rival, but also as a human being and a member of the, you know, a citizen of the state

of Kentucky, Junior Bridgman is what you would hope your child becomes. He's a really a great American success story who never forgot where he's from, who always, gave back and who everyone around him said was a very humble successful man so i want to pass on my prayers to the junior bridgman family and i hope all kentucky fans will do the same i mean it's almost as if the he's almost the equivalent of if you know dan isle and joe craft were the same person and that's kind of what it what it is for louisville so god bless him and his family and uh i know you guys join me and saying uh we we wish them nothing but the best absolutely i i regret i never got to meeting because all you hear is nothing but fantastic things about that man went from nothing to a

billionaire and just what a great ambassador for the university and for the city and a lot of people i'm really close to were very good friends with him Craig greenberg mayor louisville larry bans who i is one of our owners of obdb w parent is very close with him as well that you've heard on this show so prayers out to junior bridgman and everybody who's a Louisville basketball fan on his passing we're going to take a break and come back here in bowling green this is kudgyz sports radio Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where SportsClice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing,

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from... entirely different worlds. Just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know.

Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. Here on the road to the SEC tournament in Bowling Green, Kentucky. at the Green River Regional Educational Cooperative. Thanks to letting us be here. In Bowling Green, we got up very early to get out of here. We left Lexington just a little bit after 7 in the morning,

but now ready to go and then getting to Nashville today. I will say, Drew, I got to get some excitement from some of our texters, 772-745254, maybe a little depressing to start. Can I read you the first two texts? I read. This is like one most exciting day of year. Let me read you the first two texts I saw. One was from a guy named J.R. Man, I can't get excited about the SEC tournament. I can't see the cats winning any game. Cal messed it up for me. Here's hoping I'm wrong. Shut up, JR. What do you mean Cal? Cal's gone. Yeah, he's on another team.

Like, what do you mean, Kent? And then this one. This one, you don't want to talk about a Debbie Downer, Shannon. Matt, let's pray there's not a repeat of the tornado game during the tournament in 2008. I always worry about the weather. What does that have to do with anything? The weather is going to be perfect down there. How many times do you think a tornado is going to hit the SEC tournament? It happened once in history. And do you, do you really, how does that thought even come to your mind? Do you really go outside of your house and go, well, but then have a tornado today, the day we're at the SEC? I mean, those are the two most debby-downer quotes I've ever heard. So I need the text machine to have some uplift, 772-7-7-4-5-254. I don't want to back that text here, but Saturday's

weather is supposed to be terrible. Okay, why did you say that? Why are you backing the text? No, I'm not saying we're going to recreate Georgia. Is he backing the tex? No, no, but the weather is supposed to be horrible on Saturday. For the day, we all want to be on. Anything else you want to note?

Is it supposed to snow in Alaska? You have to turn on me. I'm just noting the weather on Saturday is supposed to be horrible. I'm not saying it's the Georgia Dome all over again. That's exactly right. Let's see if we win on Thursday first before we start worrying about the weather on Saturday. I go say, I hope we're there playing still playing on Saturday. That'd be a good achievement for me in my book.

was Drew that takes it's going to be a great week all right everybody be positive it's going to be excited but I can note that the weather's bad and everybody calm down I looked at the forecast yeah last night the tournament added UNC Wilmington Robert Morris yes Bobby Moe our first round game that would be kind of interesting St. Francis of Pennsylvania which you probably didn't even know was a school. And then Gonzaga won in what I thought was the worst basketball game I've ever seen in my life. Final score 54 to 49. And Gonzaga and St. Mary's combined Ryan to go one for 29 from three-point land.

It's the worst shooting three-point game in the history of any conference tournament in college basketball. I actually tried to watch some of that game last night. And they're both NCAA tournament teams that played in it. I watched it, and I saw Gonzaga was ahead like by five. I thought, well, that would be going to be a good win for them, and then I just could not watch it anymore. It was awful. It was, honestly, we talk about how exciting and good these SEC games have been this year.

Think of the exact opposite. It was the worst basketball game I've ever seen. And those are two good teams in theory. I had it on kind of as background noise that I was packing, but I would look up, and even the announcers were kind of talking about what a horrible product it was for two teams that, and also this time of year, those teams usually put on an entertaining game in that conference. That was not much fun to watch.

last night. You could take the five of us. We could go one for 29. I am confident we could get one out of 29. One out of 29. Who do you think, Ryan, is the most important player for Kentucky to succeed over the next few days? Well, I think we've seen Otega kind of take over. He's got to be that guy. Without Jackson, Robbins, you need somebody you can go depend on. It's going to go get you 16, 18, 20 points a game. I think so Otega is that guy. He's got to do that. It's a boring answer, Drew, but I know it's probably one you agree with. A lot of Kentucky's success this year has been, does Kobe Bray hit shot? If Kobe Bray hit shots, we're good. If he doesn't hit shots, we're usually not. You'll have to have both of them, but I'm not going with either

one of those for my answer. I'm going Lamont Butler. There's a chance in your first game. You got Oklahoma with fears in the back cord who carved you up down there, even though he still won that game. You could advance, have Mark Sears again. I know we're going to need defense there. So I think they're going to make a run, Butler's defense on some of the best guards in the conference will be the difference maker. I actually like that call because with fears and C's. back to back. You know, we did not have Butler when we played Sears last. We did have him, but only like 14 minutes when we played against Fears. So I actually think that's a pretty good call. Walter Clayton after that, if you beat Alabama, it's a long run of great point guards in the way.

And then I'll throw in a Mari Williams as well, who I think has been very impressive in the second half of the season. So if he's able to have a good game, I think Kentucky has a chance to roll in the start of it. We basically just picked every starter except the dude who's played the best last two games, Andrew Carr. I mean, he's been probably our best player in these last two games. And if they end up playing Alabama, he's going to be key because he got rocked the first time. He wasn't healthy and got rocked. He's got to show up and play good. He got rocked the first time, and then he was barely moving in the second one.

So it'd be interesting to see how he does when he's at full because you go watch that first game. We actually outplayed them. It's just Grant Nelson had a crazy game. 24 and 11, if I'm not mistaken. That's exactly right. Who's up first, John? Joseph. Joseph.

Joseph. Hey, Matt, Ben, since football season, as I talked to you. But anyway, I just want to ask you, how do you think we'll do? And if you think we win two, three games there, and how do you think we're doing the NCAA tournament? All right. Thank you, Joseph. Well, I'll say the same thing that I said when the show started,

which is, I think Kentucky, listen. They could lose this first game. They could make it to the finals. I mean, you play Oklahoma or Georgia, we lost to Georgia, we beat Oklahoma by one point. We play Alabama. I think we can win. We play Florida. We've already beaten them.

Auburn be tougher, but who knows, they could even lose. I mean, so, like, I have no idea. It's the first SEC tournament ever that I would say you could win any of the four games. You could lose any of them. I feel very confident winning Thursday. Keep in mind, because you played Georgia and Oklahoma on the road. And this game tomorrow was going to be basically a home game, though. It's what I'm saying.

It will be a home game. The good thing is you look at the bracket. Let's just see what the bracket would be tomorrow night. Mississippi State, Missouri, let's say Georgia or Oklahoma and Kentucky. Those teams don't bring fan bases. So that arena tomorrow night is going to be 80 to 90% Kentucky fans, if not more. because those teams don't bring fan bases. So it's going to be wild in there tomorrow.

It'd be a home field court advantage. It'd be a home field court advantage. It's going to be a home field court. We'll take a break right back. This is Kentucky Sports Radio. A lot of people are riding in with their own reasons to be excited or having a hard time being excited about the tournament. Yeah.

One person writes, Matt, I can't get excited about the SEC tournament. The Greek island of Santorini had an earthquake. I can't watch the game. I'm sorry about that. best wishes for those people but yes Santorini is a very luxurious island you know

it's like it's where all the people go on their honeymoons you know like they have the is that the one that has the blue the blue house blue and white yeah it's like a very it's like an Instagram place

you should go there right so it's the next location for White Lotus maybe something like that yeah it's probably a little too like it's probably a little too touristy like they try to go somewhere a little off the beaten path but yeah Does it cost more than Nashville? Because Nashville is absolutely ridiculous.

That I'm out, I can't afford it. Yeah, probably a little bit. 859-280-2287. One person writes, Matt, you said that game last night was awful, and it was, but St. Francis beat Central Connecticut State 46-43 in that championship of a tournament. Those are two really bad games for championship week. Otherwise, March has been pretty exciting. Those two were a couple duds, but I haven't.

enjoyed watching some of the conference tournaments in the lead-up to this before we get dialed in on the main one person writes Matt let's all say a prayer or excuse me one person writes let's say a prayer for Matt he thinks seven o'clock is early most of us are already up then you think most people are already up at seven probably so anybody's got a job getting ready to school yeah people who have kids yeah not everybody that has a job gets up at seven no those who work on like third shift don't get up at seven they're going to bed at seven I mean Everybody else knows about seven. You have to be at work at nine who might sleep till seven. I grant you I sleep later, but I stay up later than people, Ryan. I don't go to bed though, like one. Dude, and still, we've talked to this before. You don't set an alarm clock, but somehow you wake up every day that the right time for you to get ready to go to the radio show. There's a story that, Drew, I knew Ryan would like, which I thought I had to bring up.

This is one of those, maybe we ought to mute his microphone, but nevertheless is. Especially with me more here. We don't know what else. And there are new Major League Baseball hats. Oh, yeah. So have you seen these hats? Oh, yeah. So they have that hat.

You were part of the reason one team sold out. They're new hats, and they take the normal team logo, but then they take the main letter for each team and just stick them in the middle. So like it'll say like Cincinnati spelled out, but then with a C right in the middle, and it covers up a few of the letters. Right? So they do that for every team. So for instance, Philadelphia, it says like Phillies, but then has a P right in the middle, et cetera. Well, they made a little bit of a mistake, at least when talking about two teams, the Texas Rangers and the Anaheim Angels.

First of all, Anaheim, it says A-N, and then the G is covered up by an A, and it says E-L-S. you can do the spelling there, but thankfully there is an E, or else it would be significantly worse. But then Texas spells out T-E-X-A-S, but the T-E-C-A-S, but the T-C covers up the X. And you probably think, well, that's okay. Who cares? But you might not be bilingual, because if you're Spanish, if you speak Spanish, T-E-T-A-A-A-A-A. has a meaning. And I'll let you all Google it.

I won't say what it is. But just Google what T-E-T-A-S is in Spanish. And because of that, Hispanic people, they sold out within moments. You can't even get one. Major League Baseball has actually now apologized and said, we didn't mean to put that on a hat. That will become a very expensive hat. Did they not have one person that spoke Spanish through on the staff?

Or maybe did Tatus? I think I can say that. It's what was on the hat. Josiah speaks Spanish clearly. Maybe a mistake. Normally I say that someone should be in the room just as an outsider to raise their hand. And like, what are we doing? We have to think about the reaction to this.

But this one, I think it was intentional. I think they saw it and realized, oh, this is going to sell out. But, you know, there's a lot of people now who criticize the idea. of diversity in the workplace. This is why you need it. It's for things like this. So somebody could go, maybe not. You're the Angels.

You could have slid the A over, maybe one way or another. I don't know if you saw the Oakland A's, but there spells ass. There's A's and then the other S with the analytics. So they didn't do themselves any favor either. Yeah, I'm with you. Like, somebody should look at that and go, maybe you shouldn't do this. Maybe we don't put that on these. When I first saw these, I just saw the graphics on Twitter.

I didn't, I thought they were like Photoshop. like this would be funny. Then I saw it's an actual MLB.com, get it at the MLB store. I couldn't believe it. And they could have put like instead of Texas, Rangers. Yeah,

because they did Angels and they did a lot of the, you know, the mascots. Texas right there. So now I know what I'm getting Ryan for Christmas. And you would be very happy. The whole point is to what? Sell product.

They knew what they were doing. The Texas and the Rangers is the perfect example. They made it that way, trying to sell more hands. I think somebody figured it out. like, oh, we're going to sell a lot of these. Let's push it through. Well, they sold them out within like five minutes. There you go. Rest my case. They were gone. Who's up first? Jake in Florida. Jake, how are you, Jake? Good morning, gentlemen. How's it going? Doing good.

Shout out to my pops. Jeff. I'm flying in Cincinnati and then we're in Nashville on Friday. Hopefully the cats can make it. My buddy had a surgery, so he's on some crazy drugs right now, and he thinks is a fortune teller, and his prediction is that Kobe Bray is going to have a Carson Edwards experience in this tournament. I want to know y'all's thoughts on that. I hope he plays well. I mean, Kobe Brayette, look, he's hit a bunch of shots against Missouri. It's kind of been, Drew, in these last few games, he'll get like one half where he gets hot. You know, against Florida, is really the only time this year he's had two halves, and he finished with seven. But he had three-threes against Missouri in the first half, kind of kept him going when the other one. He's really the only time. He's had two halves.

wise weren't playing great. If you told me I could get three to four threes from Brea a game, I'd probably take it if you gave it to me right now because when we said zero or one, that's when we've lost. So I'd like to see Brea, if he gets three or four game, I'll take it. Yeah, throwing out Missouri because he played well there. If he looked at his splits before that game, he was horrible on the road and great at home. I'm wondering going to the Nashville, is it Rupp Arena specifically or having home fans with him because he could treat Nashville like a home game and shoot well?

he shoots well or not, he's also stepped up defensively, rebounding, he's been driving a little more than he was before. He's become a more well-rounded player as the season's gone on. When this crowd is good in Nashville, which it hasn't necessarily been, it actually wasn't bad last year. We just never were in the game. But when it's been good, like the 10 years prior to COVID, this is a better home court advantage than Rupp. I've always believed that at the SEC tournament. When it's good, because it's a loud crowd, it's people who have, who have disliked. I'm going to take the time to come down there and, and Ryan, like I think about the 2010 game against Tennessee,

the wall year. That's one of the loudest crowds I've ever been to associated with the UK game. The Mississippi State game that year where Cousins gets the putback. I mean, that was wild. I think about the A&M game that one year, the Tyler Ullis year, where it was during that comeback. We came back in the second half, and I don't know that I've ever been in an arena as loud as that.

when it is loud at the SEC tournament, it's the best of the Kentucky crowd. You're right. The SEC tournament crowd is just different. These are people that often take their vacation, you know, save up all year for this one week, and they're starving, starving to have some success here since they haven't had a win in this town since 2019. And then you throw in the game being at 930 and people having a chance to party all day, I just think it could be really rowdy in there. As long as they can make it into the arena.

As long as they can stumble to their seat. It is going to be the best atmosphere that it can be down there in national. I know there's one or two people that Gabe and I, they may have to help me get into the arena from our group, considering how late it's going to be. Pace yourself. That's right. You know who I'm talking about.

He's driving down here right now. 859, 280, 287. Court physical therapy. If you're in pain, call court. KORT.com, 70 locations around the state. There's a couple here in the bowling green area, bunch in Louisville, Lexton, all over the place. They will get you out of pain.

and most insurance companies will pay for the treatment. Go to court.com. It's a new year, make a new you with court physical therapy. That's K-O-R-T.com. We'll take a break and be right back here in Bowling Green. On the way to Nashville, this is Kentucky Sports Radio. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different

intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey.

I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. Welcome back. It is Kentucky Sports Radio. 85928027. Our SEC Tournament Trip, sponsored by Clayton & Crum.com. Go Clayton and Crum.com. Clayton and CRUME.com. You use a promo code KSR. 25% off your purchase. 25.com. dollars off your purchase if you buy $100 or more. We all have gifts. We have bags, we belts, all kinds of stuff from Clayton and Kroom, great leather goods. Go check them out and thank them for their support here. One person writes in the text machine, Matt, 95% of Americans are up before 7 a.m. You're the one that's ridiculous. I don't believe that. You're one of the 5%. How many people in this room are up before 7 a.m.? Raise their hand.

All right, so about half of this room. So 50%. I'll accept 50%, not except the 95%. I haven't worked by 7 a.m. What are you talking about? You're not even waking up to the 7. Listen, I have a lot of respect for people who do it. Like people who work the night shift, people who work factory jobs.

We have to get there at 5, 6 a.m. Like, I have a ton of respect. You guys are working harder than I ever could. With that said, I ain't getting up at 7 a.m. Like, I've already thought about this. If ESPN offered me the National Morning Show, can't do it. Oh, come on. Yeah, you would.

No, I'm not. Do you know what time? I've done that show. You have to get up at like 4.30 every morning. I'm not adjusting my life. At this point in my life, I am not getting up at 4.30 in the morning. If it had been 10 years ago, maybe. But if they liked me enough to give me the morning show, I'd say give me the afternoon show.

I'm not getting up at 4.30 in the morning. I respect these people that get up at 4.30 and go work out for an hour or two before they even go to work. Who does that? But I think they're a little crazy. Who are those people? I used to do that. I've done them before, too. Yeah.

I used to get up like 5.30. The first thing you do is get up in exercise. Yep. I used to go that title boxing three times a week, 6 a.m. class. That sounds awful. One thing I noticed this morning, I'm usually up by 7, but not out of my house. On my way to Mario is to meet him at 6.30, I saw a bunch of school buses with kids. I didn't know kids were on buses that early.

Maybe I'm just out of touch. But that's way too early for going to school. That's part of why some people. want to get rid of uh or whatever i can't remember which is which daylight saving times the other but like it leads to kids going to school in the dark it's right there was pitch black outside i didn't know it was started that or the amount of text messages that i got yesterday about polaskey southwest so okay look let me just say to the you people that that have any connection to palaskey southwest this ain't me talk all right i don't know you all you've probably been to our show at mr gatties

I'm sure you're wonderful people. But the amount of people from all over the state who have said unequivocally that the meanest and craziest fans are Pulaski Southwestern is unbelievable to me. I probably had 50 text messages. Unless there's a concerted campaign to go after Blassie. Unless Elon has decided to go after Pulaski Southwestern, there has to be something. to it. I mean, the amount of messages I got, and then I put that video on Twitter last night, and then that got a whole new round of people talking about Southwestern. What is happening at

Southwestern? That's not that far from here. What's going on? Yeah, the video didn't help their argument much did it last night. But I've never heard that, but boy, we've got enough messages to kind of support it, that that's kind of a general consensus. We need to go by there and see if these people were really that mean. I don't believe it. I think that we're on the some sort of smear campaign. There's a soccer team in England that's like division two or three. Like they're not in the top division. They're called Millwall, okay?

And they are basically known. Their whole reason they're known is that their fans are Hooligans. Like that's the whole thing. Like if you say Millwall, everybody's like, yeah, they're fans. Is Drew Pulaski Southwestern the Millwall of Kentucky? Based on reactions to that video, I heard from a bunch of people, too. Some people from that area, like, please don't call it Pulaski Southwestern. We don't even want Pulaski Associated.

They want you to just call it Southwestern so that you don't even make Pulaski County Park. You know, I hate to crown someone as maybe one of the worst fan base in the state when I've never been there. But there's a lot of, as Matt said, a lot of messages out there about how bad it is. And that's just how it goes. I don't know, man. Again. So you think we need to go to a game? I think we need to go.

We need to go. I mean, we're making these people sound like they're the Philadelphia Eagles fans. I think they're worth. Of high school basketball in Kentucky. I think they not only booed Santa Claus. They flipped him off and called him a DEI higher. I think that's what he did. Yeah.

I think that's what they did at Blaskey Southwest. I saw a screenshot last night. I think it was a reply to your video of the ref's face when she was acting like that. I didn't see that in the original video, but the ref is just appalled about what's going on in the crowd. I mean, they escorted the woman out. They also escorted a coach out. The police had to escort a coach out. That doesn't happen a lot.

Somebody told us that was his mother-in-law. The coach's mother-in-law. I think they're the most exciting fan base in Kentucky, not the meanest. I'm not the one saying that. I'm just saying if you were to take a poll in the state, if you go by the text machine, that would be what they did say. Middlesbrough would never. Madisonville would never. Bullitties would never.

I don't know about Otwill. Politis fans in Middlesboro, they'll take you down to shades and the cracker barrel. it will be wonderful. Chain rock. Oh, who doesn't love a good chain rock? Who's up next? Corey. Corey, how are you, Corey?

Hey, what's going on, guys? I'm actually, I'm delivering, well, selling Country Boy in Bowling Green today. So on your way out, you see the Country Boy truck. Give me a wave. We will. I needed you guys to settle a debate with a buddy of mine that we're having. And the winner of the debate, well, the loser of the debate, has to buy Big Blue Madness tickets for the next year for the winner.

Blue Madness tickets are free, so that's not much. But either way, go ahead. A little third party tickets, rather. But anyway, so his side of the argument is we've seen Peak Pope. It's not going to get any better because we have so much experience, so on so forth. Whereas my side of the argument says we have five of these guys coming back. We have probably going to get some transfers, and then we have the recruiting class that are the dogs that we were missing this year. He's insane.

Your friend is insane, and you're going to win. I mean, you're going to win the tickets. The idea, appreciate the call, that we've seen peak Pope this year, and it'll only be worse, is ludicrous. I mean, first of all, I think there's a decent chance that this is the worst talent in the broad perspective that Pope will. have. Now, I don't think it's going to be a worst team necessarily because I think he's gotten a lot out of these guys. But if he was able to get all these players, Drew, having not coached here at all in four weeks, imagine what he can do otherwise. I expect us to do even better in the portal this year than we did last year. Freshman, he still needs to go get an elite recruit not from

Kentucky. We need to wait and see if he can do that. I don't know why he can't, but we need to see it. But I think we'll do just as well in the portal this year, if not better than last year. So I think it's ludicrous to say that. I mean, you're trying to tell me you think the best team Mark Pope will have here is a 10 lost team. I just don't believe that. No. I think his friends been drinking some of that country boy, he's passed around Bowling Green right now. How can you say he's peaked? He had him had a full year here to do anything. This time a year ago, Pope was building his next class for BYU and getting ready for tournament with no. He's getting ready for the big 12 tournament. With no idea he'd be coached in Kentucky. Then he threw this together on the fly. If you want to say it

after next season maybe when he's had a full year and, you know, fair circumstances to have a season, then maybe you can have that opinion. But I think it's crazy to say that this early in Pope's time at Kentucky. He put this team together in two weeks. He's dealt with injuries throughout the season and in the best conference that we've ever seen in our lifetime. I think he's done a hell of a job. The injuries part of it is huge.

Best SEC ever. And he had injuries the whole time. I mean, Alabama has a chance to be a one seed. They have five conference losses. We have eight. We have three more than a team that could be a one seat in the turn. You would think that it was probably harder this year because nobody had nothing to base it on.

Now he can go out in the transfer portal next year and look what we did. I think it would be an easier sell from here on out. I had a national college basketball writer. I talk about Pope with me about a week ago. And he said, I still need to be proved. It needs to be proven to me that he can go get a top of 10 recruit not from Kentucky. Fair enough.

He said, but I think Pope has arguably the best story to sell in the portal of anybody. He took a bunch of dudes, almost none of which were even ranked at the top of the transfer class. And he took them to the top. That's another thing we don't think about. A lot of these guys were ranked like 35th in the portal, 40th. Like we didn't even really get a top 10 portal guy. And yet we're still going to be a three-seat in the NCAA tournament. I think it's ridiculous to say that's the best you can do.

You got Oklahoma's sixth man and made him one of the best players in the conference. Oklahoma's six man. Imagine him going out and getting another team's best player. Exactly right. I think that's a great point. We will take a break. Come back. Hour number two here in Bowling Green.

This is KSR. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an Acapelliepelt. a band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on, a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multimillion dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud.

But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the Aihar Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.