KSR - 2026-04-08- KSR - Hour 2

Episode Date: April 8, 2026

Players that Matt and Drew like the best in the portal.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.

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Have a great day. I heart radio. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, the Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, A, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Dude. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What?

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Spring break is it in Fayette County right this week? I think so. I'm kind of out of touch, but we were talking about this before you got here. Remember when, like, the whole state of Kentucky took spring break at the same time? Wasn't it called, like, K-E-A week or something? And the whole state took spring break. Yeah, I have no memory of that. But maybe, could be.

What do you know? I don't know about that. I'm pretty sure it is spring break in. Does it matter? Do you want them all to be the same time? I mean, are you against everyone having different weeks? No, I think it probably helps because you're going to go to the beach, and we all go down there with your friends and your classmates.

And you go, oh, I see Matt Jones from Middlebury. I know if I played tennis against him, it made a bit of a better time. You're all also going to the same beach and compete for the same hotel rooms. That's exactly right. So you don't want to do that. 859-280-2287 take some calls. Let's quickly, Drew, you and I, let's go over people. There's so many people in the portal.

Somebody asked me, who are you in Drew's? Who you would like to see Kentucky get the most? So if the guys Kentucky's associated with, who would you like the most? So I'm going to talk about guys that I think Kentucky is actually in on Because there are dudes like the guy from Kansas The number one player in the portal, Theori Bugunda But I don't think Kentucky's part of the recruitment

He's actually visiting Louisville Friday So they may end up getting the number one guy in the portal So I'm just going to talk about guys that we are going after I think if you were to ask me the three dudes I've seen in the portal I would want the most Number one is the big dude from St. Mary's. I have a feeling he probably goes to Arizona State where his coach is, but he is in the portal.

I don't remember his name, but he's massive. If you've watched St. Mary's play, I think he's the number three guy in the portal. He's a big, can score, rebound. He'd be great for us, and he can shoot. Marascus, I think he's how you pronounce it. I could be wrong on that. I think Kentucky's contacted him. No idea if they actually have a shot, but if they did, he would be my favorite.

Probably the Freeman guy from Syracuse. can score, again, can do a lot of stuff like him. And then the guy from Virginia Tech is probably the one I think Kentucky's got the best chance with that I think would be really good. He was just a freshman, I believe, but he played pro in Europe, can shoot. I watched them play, I think Duke, and he really stuck out to me on the court. I think it was against Duke. Those are the three.

I've seen that I would like the most. And then, of course, we want a point guard. But those are my three. What about you? I like all those guys. On the point guards right from BYU that just went in. It's probably the best out there. He and DeBonsa and Richie were like a pretty good three-pack until Richie got hurt.

He would be my first pick. And then Zoom Diallo, who went in from Washington, if you still think there's a chance with Stokes, he was Stokes's AAU team mate. I even tweeted a video of him throwing lobs to Stokes at Prolific Prep. And he's good in his own right. So those would be my one and two at point guard, I think. Freeman, you know, there's a reporter contend. I haven't seen a lot of other names I would pick over him at the forward. His shot's not a great three-point shooter, but if he can make one a game, that he can create

Space. If I told you tomorrow that you could get the kid from Virginia Tech either Zoom or right, and then either Freeman or the St. Mary's Kid, would you sign up for that today? Yeah, and Miles Bird, it's kind of a repeat of Lomont Butler. He's not a point guard, but he was the defensive player of the year from San Diego State. He's another one I'd like to have. Do you have anyone? He's not a point guard, though.

Lamar Wilkerson? Yeah, I think he's coming. Ron seems like a Finley Bisjack guy. He was brought up early in the process. I don't know if you saw him. He's got the long, wiry hair. He's scored from Butler. He looks like the kind of guy Mark Pope would recruit,

although I haven't seen much else about it. I like the conspiracy theory that some guy wrote. You know, we got Moe Williams because his connection to Stokes. Now we're trying to get Zoom Diallo for his connection to Stokes. Like they're trying everything they can try to persuade that kid. had to come here who would be, you know, obviously the stud we're looking for. Well, I will say I've heard, and I think I can say, well, I've heard two things, one of which I can't say with confidence, but the second of which I think I can.

Kentucky has up their offer to Stokes. Wow. So at least, I think as of now, Kentucky may be offering a little bit more than Kansas for Stokes. Now, Stokes has been very clear that Kansas is his first choice. So, you know what? I mean, we have to buy him. It is what it is. I do think, though, the longer this goes, the better Kentucky has a shot.

You know, I think if he had decided last week it was going to be Kansas. And remember, he had an announcement. And people think he postponed it to see if Self was coming back. But Self's now coming back. And we still don't have an announcement. So I think Kentucky has. putting everything they got into it. Now, the second thing, which I don't want to say because I don't want to be wrong,

but I've heard that the whole university is trying to figure out how to make Stokes work. And so we'll see. But they certainly haven't given up on him. No, they haven't. Drew, would you say that? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I don't trust. Do you think he can work with Pope?

I mean, I have doubts, but you still got to try it. I, everything we've talked about relating to the modern player. I mean, Stokes is considered example A of the modern player. Like, difficult. He's a big stokes guy. I mean, he's the kind of guy that, like, you would trust Cal to handle him. But, like, it didn't work with Bill Self and a guy like that with Peterson. Do you think Pope can handle a guy like that?

I mean, if he comes, you take him. But like, do you think it would actually work? I mean, I definitely have concerns, but I have big picture concerns next year. If you can get him, you've got to try it and see what happens. And I don't really trust Pope Kentucky versus Bill Self, Kansas. I think Bill Self Kansas would win that. But I trust Nike versus Adidas and Nike winning that. And at the end of the day, he's a Nike kit.

He's already signed with Nike. Nike Hoop Summit's coming up in a week or two, next week maybe. What days is the Nike Hoops Summit? Because I got a message last night. night. It's next week, I believe. Let me get the exact date. Is it Nike Hoops Summit April 15th? Because if it is, that would correspond with a message I got. Is it April 15th? That sounds about right. Let me pull up the year. If it is exactly on April. It starts on April 11th, runs a couple days. So it's not April 15th. Okay. Then never mind.

I still, in the fight, I like the power of Nike to still keep Kentucky in it and maybe put over the top once he gets out to Oregon at the hoop something and all that. But if we can go back to that article that Jack and Jacob wrote, you remember they were saying Pope could get some of these high profile guys to the closing table but couldn't close the deal. Well, this is another one. We need Nike. We're going to find out if that has gotten better. 859-280-2287.

Who's next? Mark is next. Mark, go ahead, Mark. Mark Anthony? I mean, if you're, go for it, Mark. Okay, it's Mark Anthony. Hey, Matthew Ryan, Gru, and Rick. Hey, Matthew, I like your idea.

If they go to five years. I think that's great. And as far as recruiting, oh, Derek Johnson's tweet, he said, folk can't relate to these players except for Colin. There is a volume in between those lines. And he may be right that this year's going to prove whether he is or not, including the recruiting that we get done. And as far as recruiting, we need what Ryan calls grown-ass men.

Yeah. And because the game's moving back to the paint, Matt. You can see that. I mean, Michigan had two threes in the championship, and Yukon hit, what, seven? And Michigan did one. And they missed a ton the Yukon did over the course of the second half. Yeah. They did.

Had they hit those that have been a 20-point win. Yeah. So as Cal used to say, we're going to beat you in the paint. If we hit threes, we'll beat you about 30. That's still valid. That's the way I want to go. Yeah. I appreciate the call.

Do you, so, I mean, we've taken what? Six calls here, four of them and brought up Derek Johnson. I mean, like everyone. That is clearly the thing that UK fans are talking about. And I think there are many reasons that's the case. You know, Mark Anthony just said, he said except for Colin. And Mark Anthony said, well, that clearly says a lot. I'm going to take up for Pope just a second on the except for Colin part.

I do not think it's fair to Mark Pope, or quite frankly, to come. Colin, that every single time those guys are brought up, their religion is just like, well, it's their religion. I just don't do that to any other player. Like, we don't, the idea that the only person Mark can relate to is Colin Chandler because they're both Mormon. I mean, maybe that helps them relate. I can grant that. But I'm just kind of, we got to stop acting like the only thing that defines Colin Chandler is what his religion is. right we don't do that to the Christians we didn't do it to Mo Diabate who's Muslim like we don't

why do we do that to them and why and people do that to Mark and I actually don't think it's fair he got along very well with Amari Williams who I do not believe was Mormon you know Lamont Butler Kobe Braia Jackson Robinson trusted him to write it back came from BYU to here was not Mormon I just I don't think that Pope I think clearly did not completely connect with this team but we got to stop with the except for Colin as if that's somehow different. Do you agree with that? I do.

And it's unique. I mean, like, even when you're talking about what Colin you might do, it's natural to be like, well, he could go back to Utah just because your brain goes that way. But it is, it's not fair, especially with what Derek wrote about how he's the only one in the locker room, Pope can get along where jail with whatever word he used. I think that's an extreme point. But I don't believe that's either because Moreno and Cam are coming back.

Of course. Yeah. No, I mean, maybe he didn't jail with Jasper. And maybe he didn't jail. with, I don't know, Diabate or whoever. I don't know, but he, there's two guys coming back that are not Mormon or and that are not white. I mean, they're coming back.

It seems, I would think Brandon Garrison does some non-Morman things and he trusted him to run it back for another year. He came here in Kentucky. They seem to get along. Pope and Garrison seemed to get along great. Yeah, if you listen to Pope talk, Brandon Garrison was his favorite player this past season. Yeah. Go ahead.

You want to say something. I'm glad you said it before I did. I think some people are trying to say it because they're both white. I think you're going to relate. I don't think that's the only guy you can relate. I don't think that's it at all. Not at all. So you think Derek, well, Derek meant something, though.

Did he mean white? Did he mean Mormon? He didn't include Trent Noah. He did, which is why I think he meant Mormon. Because he didn't include Reese Potter. He didn't include Trentano. He didn't include Yelovich. He just included Collin.

And I think that's, I'll be honest. I'd say it to Derek. I think that's unfair. I don't, you know, you're, you're, I don't. I just think Derek's post was really counterproductive. And I'm sure he thinks I'm counterproductive, and that's fine. But, like, it just doesn't do these kids any good. It doesn't do Jasper any good.

This is what fans, I don't want this to be what fans are talking about, but they are. And I would say to Derek, because you'd put it out. People will necessarily give family members more credibility than anyone else, understandably so. So when you do this, Ryan, that's what people are going to focus on. That's it. And, you know, obviously, he loves Jasper. He wants what's best for Jasper. I think he's hurt.

That is not an excuse. That's not the way to do it. Everyone, I mean, people get hurt. That happens. You know, when Jasper is not saying a word, heck, Jasper's at the Johnson Center, having fun with UK students, living his life. I saw that last night. Jasper Johnson, like, posted come play pick up with me.

So he's not saying anything. And when his dad's not saying anything, Derek needs to realize that when you talk, you were speaking on their behalf because that, That's how people are going to read it. They're going to assume that you're just sharing what you can hear at the dinner table or whatever behind the scenes. Yeah. And there's so many layers to it. I mean, we don't know what calls we're going to go to, and half the calls have been about that.

It's A.H. is Jasper. Then it's the family chiming in. And then the whole Pope thing, there's three different levels to that one Facebook post. Who's next? David is next. David. Go ahead, David. Good morning. Everybody.

Hope you're doing well. Thank you. On the jelly part, good segue for me pivoting away from the portal talk. I've always wanted to ask this question, Matt. About the 96th team, I know 30 years ago, championship team. But what if Roderick Rhodes would have stayed? What would it done to the chemistry of that team? Great question.

And would we be talking about them being one of the greatest team? Well, that's a Ryan Lemon. Well, first of all, I think, yeah, that's a great question. Ryan Lemon was there, so I appreciate the call. Do you think if Roderick Rhodes comes back in 96, that team is still considered one of the greatest of all time? I don't. I think it was best for him and best for the team that he leaves. I know he was going into his senior season,

but it just worked better without him being there. I mean, that's, I'm not speaking because of something I know. I just think just the perception of it. It just seemed like things got better after Rhodes left. I was kind of young. Do they recruit over him? Was Mercer? He just, the team was kind of built around him in 94 and 95,

and it just didn't click. Yep. And I think Rick realized he had all this talent. And, like, he didn't need him. He didn't need him, really. You know. He was going to play his minutes. We're going to go way down.

His minutes were going to go down. But he was going to be a senior. Yes. He went to USC and had some success. He did. He got drafted, played in the NBA for a little bit. His best year at Kentucky was his freshman year and kind of went downhill every year, those next two years. Yeah.

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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 content. 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 Slic 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. incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip 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. 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, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio. Nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. right now. Awesome health and wellness tips, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worse that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum.

Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I heart radio. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What?

Time out. Quarterback on office, blue 42. Hey, rep, my mama wants you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back, Tughey Sports Radio.

Are you a big luminaires guy? Rick, I feel like you use this intro every day for at least one second. I don't use it every day, but I like them. Your big lumenier, you've ever seen them in concert? Never seen them in concert. Okay. Saw them last year, Burbin Beyond. Very good.

Yeah. Who's Burbin Beyond this year? It's Tyler, right? That's Railbird. Burbin Beyond is, that's the one we're all excited about. Who's Railbird, though? Tyler. Tyler and Zach Top back-to-back on the same stage.

That's on Sunday, right? Yes. So, yeah, we are going to sell parking lot spots. Lots of people have asked me about that. They'll go on sale here in a couple weeks. And then who's on Saturday? It's always jelly roll. It's the limineers.

I think it's the limineers. Yeah. Rick's being topical today. Oh, I like that. They were in Burm beyond last year. Rick, are you going to come to Lumineers? Oh, I do that. You never know.

I had somebody tell me, Rick, that they think you're the funniest person on the show, which you're not on a lot. So that's, but that's just something about, you know, I think people really thought it was funny when you'd, said how you get off a Zoom call the other day. They really like that. And your neighbor's commentary. One person writes, Matt, are you excited about the Netflix untold documentary coming out this weekend about the chess scandal?

Yes. Do you remember the chess scandal? Oh, yes. Remember the guy? They alleged he was cheating in chess because he would get buzzes from, you know, something that was their children here. So I have to be careful. But something that was somewhere they're doing in the documentary about that. I've already got that on the Remind Me.

I watch all those untolds as soon as they come out. The Bar-O-O-O-O-W-W-W-W. He liked to party a little bit. Maybe a little too much. My goodness. Did you see what the chess player did just this past weekend, the main one? I did. Magnus?

But is it not that guy, or is it a different guy? Well, he was playing the guy that had the buzzer. So, yeah, apparently he went to play chess in a chess tournament, and this girl right before it started said, hey, can we get a selfie? And he was like, sure. and he takes a selfie and smiles, and then the moment they take the picture, he reports her for having a camera at the table

and gets her kicked out. He stands up and goes straight to the judge, or officials like she has a camera, or her phone. I mean, I thought that was one of like, what a jerk. I think he claimed he was helping her because you're not supposed to have it, but he could have just been like, hey, you shouldn't have that.

He walked across the set over the official. He did not have the audacity to claim he was helping her. Yeah, I think he was like, well, she would have been disqualified. I was doing her a favor. She was disqualified because you said. I think she still got to finish the match or whatever. But, I mean, he smiled big.

He was like, oh, nice to meet you. And just immediately gets up and goes to the official and says she has a phone. He could have been like, hey, you're not supposed to have that. Why don't you put it over here? That's a jerk move. I don't care what you say. That's a jerk move. So if I do that at your trivia, get a selfie with you and me,

you can get my camera out during the trivia, you're going to kick me out? If I say to you, yes, Ryan, we can have a selfie. Now, get out of here. Yeah. That's a jerk move. He smiled so big to her. Like, yeah, nice to meet you. I'd love to take a selfie.

Then immediately tells honor for having a fun. By the way, trivia, it was supposed to be tomorrow night, my trivia. But because of the house closing, it's moved to next Thursday. So next Thursday will be the trivia. So get your team together and get ready for that. Did you see the fight in baseball last night? Yeah, I did. It's my guy.

So the dude on the Angels came swinging. What's his name? Former Braves World Series MVP. Gotcha. And he had a baseball in his hand as he tried to hit him. And then the other guy, the Braves. Lopez is the Braves guy. Salern was the batter.

But what about the manager coming and spearing him? Walt Weiss coming in there. Walt Weiss, who I remember from baseball cards in the 80s. I was shocked to see he's now old, fat, and bald. When did that happen? I tweeted a little picture of Goldberg Spear. Look just like him. Good technique, bald head.

I've since learned and it's been reported that Walt Weiss has a black belt. used to do cage fighting. So all the people in that dugout, he's the one I think you'd trust most to go finish the fight. Wow, that is pretty impressive. I'll say as a Braves fan, Lopez looked like he didn't want a part of the fight. He dared him to come out, but he was backpedaling. I think it would have been a bad day. A dude running towards him was big.

Here's what I love about baseball fights. They start, they get going. And then all of a sudden, after about 10 seconds, the guys all decide they have to jog from the bullpen of the mask and act like they're going to participate. And by the time they get there, it's always broken up. But that thing of like, okay, here we go, we're going to come. I always find that funny. And they're never at a full sprint.

It's always like a light jog. Well, I hope it's over by the time I get there. I don't really want to do anything. And they all pair up, but they don't fight. They'll just, you know, maybe grab a jersey, talk to each other. Like, okay, we're linked up here. And then they'll pat each other in the back and go over the separate ways. I mentioned the Reds.

they have a player who I think looks to be a 43-year-old dentist that I didn't know was on the team. His name is Nathaniel Lowe. I guess he used to play for the Red Sox. He got the game-winning hit last night. But when he came in the game, I said, I've never seen this person before. Who is this person? And when it was over, they interviewed him, and he had, you know, when they interview players in the locker room after a game? Like, what are they usually wearing?

Either their jersey. or their shirt off or a t-shirt. He had a polo on, buttoned at the top button like Mitch Barnhart. And like a very, like, crew cut. He looked like a dentist. And I thought, and then his body shape, I mean, he's not in bad shape, but he just is kind of built sort of round and normal. And I'm like, how's this guy an athlete?

He looked like the financial advisor for the team. He really did. And even when he talked, he was like, yes, this was a wonderful time for the baseball team. I'll never forget the first time I walked in a big league locker room and I see how unathletic some of these guys are, beer bellies, no muscle tone whatsoever. Did you have muscle tone when you played? Oh, yeah, I was Johnny Atlas.

Is that a person? It used to be. I thought, well, you, but you did. You still claim to lead the league in stolen bases. I do, and if we had a fifth year, it'd be probably the nation in stolen bases. It's just hard for me to see you stealing back. Me too. With the Ryan I see now.

I totally. Same. I look in the mirror like, how did you do that? I have no idea. But you need to look up Nathaniel Lowe. He got the game-winning hit. But I wasn't 100% sure he was on the team. I'd seen his name, but I did not think he looked like that.

It's tax time. He had to go do his taxes soon the game was over. Almost 15th. Ellie was giving him his deductions right before the game. 899-2-80-22. And when we come back, we haven't really talked at all about UK football. They've been doing spring practice. The game is next Saturday, the spring game.

And they opened the practice up, was it yesterday, to some people? So let's talk a little, just real quick an update on Will Stein, and we'll take your calls. This is Kentucky Sports Radio live at KS Bargill. Welcome back, Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287. Text machine is 772-7524. One person writes, Matt, you mentioned, taxes, I bet you haven't even started yet. Kind of not.

Kind of not. But, I mean, you can get an extension. Yes. So, usually, so my day is October 15th. I always have to, like, that's the day I know that. That's your tax day. Yeah, because you get an extension for six months for, like, I don't know why. But they tell me you do, so I always read.

I've already done my extension as well. You still got pay a little bit. You got pay your tax. Well, no, no. He estimates and tells me I have to write a check for something. But, like, it's not do-do to October. I came out of my bank count yesterday. That was hard to watch disappear.

I told you it. April 15th, or for me now, it's the one day a year. I'm a Republican. The other 364 days are different. But that one, I'm like that. Larry, so let's talk just a second. UK football. I have not been to practice.

I know other people have. Drew, what are you hearing about Will Stein's first spring practice? And the videos I see of Minchie makes it look like he's got a cannon. The highlights are fun. you know, they pick the ones they want, but the ones they're picking are very exciting. Seeing a lot of young receivers make plays there. Willie Rodriguez, as expected, is going to be a huge part of the offense. Stein went to tight ends a lot at Oregon, and with Willie Rod back, I think he'll be a huge focal point.

If there's any news at all, it's that the running backs, I don't know if they were thin or banged up, but the two they went out and God haven't been participating a whole lot and had to even move Martel's Carter safety to come play a little running back. So if there's any news-type things, it's that the run. running back room is a little thin. But overall, Stein, they're doing a lot of exciting stuff, but he's also very secretive. He doesn't want to show his cards going into his first season. Yeah, so they were going to allow, they allowed people to go to practice, and it was 8 a.m. And so I was trying to decide whether to go.

And they were like, you had to observe all these protocols, like you couldn't talk to anyone, you couldn't look anybody in the eye, you had to walk backwards with a blindfold when you walked out of the field. And I was like, that's awful early to do that. Everything that I've heard, though, is the players love the offense. I've mostly heard about the offense, but the players go, this is like the most fun offense in the world. And if you ask anyone around the program, they will tell you that Will Stein has come in and like, oh my, Willie Rodriguez is good. Like, I didn't realize he was that good.

And so I would expect him to be a huge part of whatever we do. That and just the whole coaching staff, I mean, this is expected. It's his first job. Everyone in there is like in their 30s, but they are just on fire every day where I think maybe at the end of Stoops got a little stale. coaches are going in, going to their offices. It is just nonstop energy and a lot of fun too. And normally spring is a pretty hard time on the guys. They're having a lot of fun with them.

That's just that youth movement in the coaching has brought a lot of energy and excitement around the building. That's where everybody says. The tempo and the energy is just the first thing you notice when you're watching them out on the field, especially on the offensive side. And the fact that our offensive line must be just ginormous. Everybody talks about how big and huge they are. This offensive line, if you just stand next to them,

are massive people. I mean, they are massive dudes. We will, you know, obviously we got to see how it ends up in terms of how they play. But they are massive dudes. And that's where they spent their money in the portal. Yep. Like, I think it is reasonable for fans to assume

when you're trying to grade Stein's first year, they put their money in the portal in the offensive line. And so we will see what it looks like. Which brings me to the second thing. UK announced yesterday, and I think this is kind of an important thing. that didn't get a lot of attention. They announced a new thing called Blueprint.

So let me explain what this is. You know, I don't like AI, but I recognize that there are things that can be better. But part of the problem in the NIL era is it's hard to know what players are worth. So, like, the whole notion of economic theory is economics, the reason the free market works is you know, everybody knows the data. So part of the reason on the stock market

they make people release quarterly reports is so that you know how much money people are making. You know whether to invest your money because you can see the reports of the company, etc. But the problem with NIL is since they don't have to release what people are making, you have no idea what the players are paying these schools. Right? Correct.

We've talked about it. And the schools don't have to say, and the players don't have to say. So the market is very inefficient. There's, on last year's, Kentucky basketball team. I think we played too much money for some guys and weren't willing to pay enough for others. So this guy named Evan, I don't know how to pronounce his last name. I call him Evan Maya.

He's a, like if you've ever followed him online, he's like this little brilliant boy genius guy. But he came up with this system, and I don't know how he does it, and he won't tell people because he wants to sell the system, which I understand, he sells it to schools. but basically he has a system that tells that tells coaches and staffs this is what a player is actually worth period don't worry about everything else

this is what they're worth now whether you want to pay them more or less is up to you but this is what a player on the free market is actually worth the first school to sign up for his thing was Michigan basketball and they used it to build their class ended up being pretty good didn't it? Seems like it worked. The second team to sign up for their thing was Illinois basketball.

And where did they just end? Final four. In the Final Four. So UK announced yesterday that UK has become the first school to sign a school-wide partnership with it. Basically, it gives them access to use it for all of their teams. They apparently signed this a few months ago. The football team and the volleyball team used it to build their rosters for next year. So when we just saw UK football in the portal, Will Stein said, you know,

we have a system to figure out what guys are worth. Well, apparently this is what it is. The volleyball team did the same thing. I see a volleyball booster back there. Now, every other team at the school has access to it, but they don't have to use it. As I understand, at this moment, UK basketball is not using it yet. I mean, they may look at it, but they're not using it to build their roster. But football and women's volleyball have.

I just think it's interesting. The UK has created their own model called Blueprint, which this Evan dude is doing specifically for UK, which I think is good. Drew, I like this because it's forward-thinking analytic. Obviously, first two schools to do it ended up in the final four and one of the national championship, so that's pretty good. I like, we'll see how it works, but I like that we're doing that. Yeah, I like being on the cutting edge of stuff. The system's called dropback, and Kentucky's kind of rebranded it as blueprint,

but it combines so much information. For people that nerd out on basketball, there's this thing called Synergy that has every piece of data you could think of. It includes that in the analytics. Like, heck, you name the basketball analytics website. It kind of pulls all that together and then formulates its own numbers. and for other sports too. But it takes about any piece of information you can have

and makes it easier and puts value on each player. It's very interesting to hear what you say about football used it because they definitely started inside out. They started with their offensive line. And then when I didn't spend a lot on receivers or running backs. Our GM for the football team said basically with every player, we knew what they were worth, and we decided our offer was there.

and if they wanted way more than that, then it just didn't work out. And like Hardly Gilmore, you remember Hardley Gilmore? They had an offer for Hardley Gilmore. Gilmore wanted more than that. They said, we'd love to have you, but we're not doing that. Gilmore went out on the free market, and he wasn't able to get it. And so he came back and ended up getting exactly what they said. Now, my view on this, by the way, is if this is really successful, within a few years,

every school is going to have this. So your market advantage is very short, Drew. This is kind of the thing that, like, once everybody does it, it won't be as helpful because everybody knows. So it's really good. This is one of those things that's actually really important to be the first to act on. Michigan clearly did it for basketball, and it looks like the UK, at least with football and women's volleyball,

is doing it too. And I'd love for basketball to use it, but we'll see. On the football end, I think they combine, like, pro football focus that everybody knows. it's just full of data, huddle, all these websites that we all know separately. It pulls it all together into a system and has been really helpful for a lot of places, and I'm glad Kentucky's doing it. But you answer my question. If the University of Kentucky bought it, will the basketball team use it?

The press release said basketball has access to it, but I have not heard that they are using it yet. It's weird because Mark Pope is an analytics guy. Yes. But for some reason when it comes to picking players, he's not. He doesn't want any outside help. I think we're learning he's a little stubborn. Like, won't do the GM thing or won't call it a GM. Yeah, I don't know why that is.

But we'll see. Maybe he will use it. I don't know. But that's what I've been told at this time. Who's up next? Randall is up next. Randall, go ahead, Randall. Hey, Matt, I looked it up before calling, but Michigan had five seniors, three juniors,

and Yukon had five seniors and five juniors on their team. I kind of think that what Pope may have been up to with not recruiting high school players this year is that he sees that the last five years that majority of the teams that are hanging banners are the teams that are majority, you know, guys with good, you know, high basketball IQ and things like that, you know, just seniority itself in the roster is helping teams, you know, win the championship. I don't disagree. I mean, I appreciate the call. Ucon, Michigan had five transfers in the starting lineup, had a lot of junior seniors.

Yukon only had one freshman playing big minutes. Now he was really good, but then they had these other guys. You're exactly right. A lot of businesses, Drew, advertised here on KSR, and many of them you've heard. Like, you know, going back years ago to fan outfitters, cornbread, et cetera, and you may say, well, you know, how are those so successful? Debbie Green with Bringing In the Green is one of the people behind the scenes that helps Kentucky businesses grow.

She has, I'm not just saying this because this is an ad. She has been the best working since I've been doing this. No question. Understanding KSR, how to make it work, but also understanding the Kentucky media landscape. She has a media consulting company and she will help you reach the KSR audience or other similar audiences. If you go to Bringing In the Green.com slash KSR, she'll give a free application. of consulting for KSR listeners. I'm not just saying this.

This woman is awesome. And if I ran a business and I wanted to figure out how to use my advertising dollars, I would call her every great success we've had here. She's had a role with most of it. Bringing in thegreen.com slash KS owner. I saw Debbie yesterday in meetings at a lunch. And we joke about Ryan being the mayor of Lexington. Debbie Green maybe could really pull off being the mayor of Lexington.

She knows everyone. She did. Panout winners. Kentucky branded. back in the heyday of us doing stuff with them. She does Richmond Road Vet Clinic with me right now. Yeah, she does so many things. She does a ton of Kentucky Chamber of Commerce,

like a lot of these things. She's been great about it. Bringing in the Green.com is her consulting company. We'll take a break and be right back. 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. down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes 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. 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, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about. I'm all healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now.

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Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I heart radio. What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back, Techie Sports Radio. Still, there's only six minutes left, but we actually still have a lot to do. It's Wild Eggs Wednesday. That's Wild Eggs, you can win $50 gift card. KSR's Twitter.

has just tweeted the word of the day. Ryan didn't know how to spell it, so I made sure it's spelled correctly. You have until noon to put the answer in, or excuse me, you'll have until the end of the show to put the answer in, and then Mario will pick one to win $50 from Wildings. Yeah, you picked the word,

and I had no idea how to spell it. Yeah, it's not a word you were familiar with. Kenny Brooks is staying with the UK women's basketball team. That's big. I clap for that. Yeah, Virginia, according to KSR's Phoenix Stevens, Virginia offered him the job. Kentucky was a got, I think Kentucky may be committed to Kinney that they would help raise more in Nile resources. He stays. So that's good. Home state program where he's coached two other teams in the state and offered, what I understand were he's offering even a little more money. Mr. Reddick, Kenny State at Kentucky, big for UK women's basketball. Heck yeah. I mean, I've been dialed in with women's basketball for a while with how much we like Matthew Middick.

But Kenny Brooks is just taking it to another level with the excitement. Went to a few games. It helps that the buildings do over there. But they've just, they got a great thing going. And the class he has coming in next year with Claire Strach and other returners. Maybe you take another step forward, maybe a little farther next season. I was honestly worried about this one. You know, he played at James Madison, coached at James Madison,

coached Virginia Tech, got a lot of Virginia roots. I thought if there's going to be a job, maybe lure him away right now, might be this one. Yeah, I think it was more serious than people realized. And he ended up staying Kentucky's men played lulling. in baseball yesterday. Beat them four to two. Yeah.

Pretty crazy game. Kentucky only allowed two hits. However, they did give up 10 walks and hit three batters. So they had 13 free runners they put on base besides the two hits, but hung on and won four two. After losing a home series to Missouri last weekend, this was actually a pretty big game. They play at Auburn this weekend. They're in the tournament, but like not solidly.

They're going to have to play well down the stretch. Always good to beat Louisville, but especially after disappointing home series loss to the worst team of the conference in Missouri. I mean, obviously the pitching was great. It was a no-hitter until the seventh inning, and it was used a lot of pitchers. At one point they had a no-hitter, but seven walks. Yeah. Which happens. 12 strikeouts, 10 walks.

That's a lot of walks. I think the first two batters was a walk and a hit by pitch on our end. So it kind of got a slow start to start with. So I think the series going into that was Kentucky 28, Louisville, 27. so we held on to the all-time lead to pivotal win there. Good win, because Louisville's a good team. Who's up next? Terry is next.

Terry, go ahead, Terry. Yeah, guys, in regards to the assistance leaving and staying, Mark Fox, I know you guys probably think he's an old guy and they don't need that. Go check out his record in Nevada. Losing Mark Fox is going to be akin to John Cal Perry losing John Robbins. Thank you. I really like Mark Fox. I hope he stays. I don't completely like that analogy because I think Robic was Cal's X and O guy and Cal wasn't an X and O guy. I think Mark Pope is an X and O guy, but I would be fine having Mark Fox on the staff. If he leaves, yeah, I can see it being potentially an issue. But I do think this staff is smart even if they lose him. Yeah, I don't know all of their assigned roles of what exactly they're doing,

but when you had no recruits up until Mason Williams, changes need to be made, and I just trust Pope knows who was carrying the load and who wasn't doing their part of. By the way, I'll notice, if you don't know, speaking of Cal, his new John Robic, who I don't think was as good as his old John Robic of John Robic, but I think was still decent, Chuck Martin, he just left to go to North Carolina to become an assistant. So Cal is without his John Robic again, again.

That and Jay Lucas, your boy, Sompto went in the portal with a do not tag. It looked like he was going to Arkansas, but Jay Lucas has swooped in and might be stealing one of Cal's players that Cowell is count on having. Jay Lucas might get Sompel. There's a buzz that Sompto who looks like he's heading straight to Arkansas might be switching. I'm going to tell you something. I want this to work out with Mark Pope. I hope he has a big year next year, and then I hope he crushes it and retires here. If he does not, Jay Lucas.

Jay Luke's going to be a star. The full circle moment. It would be a full circle moment. From the moment we were calling that kid as a 16-year-old in high school, because he is going to be a star somewhere. It's just a matter of where. Who's next? Ed is up next.

Ed, go ahead, Ed. Hey, Matt, talking Cincinnati or Ed's baseball. I don't know how old you were at the time, but there's nothing more hilariously classic than Sweet Luke Pinella going at. it in the clubhouse with Rob Dibble. I remember I've seen that, yes. That was. Oh, my God.

That team was so much fun. You ever used to? I was not. I didn't follow it them. Yeah, I didn't follow the Reds then. And I appreciate the call. We're going to have to go to break. But I, or to end the show.

But the 5 and 0 to start on the road for the Reds best since that team in 1990. That was a feisty team with the nasty boys in the bullpen. Well, let's do real quick. Quick. From Draft Kings, by the way, go to Draft Kings, bet five, get $300 in bonus bets code KSR. Draft Kings, the crown is yours. If you have a gun problem, call one to hear gambler. 18 plus Kentucky only, eligibility, supply. Best bet most win to receive bonus bets, spire in seven days. Minimauds require. Digital terms, responsible game resource. See, Sportsbook.draftcings.com slash promos limited time offer.

Reds go for six straight tonight against the Marlins. Do they win? I'm going to go, yes, they win. They're hot right now. Can't score any runs, but the pigeon staff's doing their job. I'm losing every bet I make on Draft Kings lately, so for you, I'll pick the Marlins. I have bet against the Reds four of these five losses. That emotional hedge. So I'll do it again and hope we keep winning tonight with Brady Singer. Hey, thank you all very much.

Big crowd here today. Yeah, very good. Thank you guys. Nice crowd. Very nice. We are open all day for Dollar Wings and Burgers, etc. here at KS. Bar, and I don't know, I kind of feel like Drew, I got my baby premonition on. Oh, okay.

I kind of feel like I'm not going to see you after tonight. Well, I'm going to see you in an hour for another podcast. No, what? True. You're talking about we're going to do it. I just don't speak to a new existence. I really want it to be the weekend. I just got a few more things to do to get ready.

Master Sunday would be perfect for you. Yeah, count on Master's Sunday. You're wanting to go to Don Franklin? Absolutely. That's what it is. Yeah. Got a few other things on the through list. Well, for some reason it's not.

Have a good baby. All right, thank you. Have a good baby. We will see you guys later. This has been Kentucky Sports Radio. 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 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. And 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 Slicalife-Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, non-stop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Some health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worst that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I heart radio. What's up, guys?

This is Cliver Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker. You know these kids. This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Look. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker.

Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.