WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:08.679 It's time for coffee and company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine 2 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:27.679 day. Now, here's Nick coffee. All right, let's get it started 3 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:30.679 hour number two here on a Friday afternoon, getting set for the weekend, 4 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:34.640 getting set for the Louisville Spring game, which will be in just a few 5 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.600 hours. Hopefully they get a good crowd out there. I expect there will 6 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:40.000 be a good crowd to it. Again, you know, it's it's a 7 00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:42.640 spring game. You know, it's not as if there should be the you 8 00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:45.079 know, if you expect it to ever be like full, then I think 9 00:00:45.159 --> 00:00:53.679 you're beyond unreasonable. But you know, this is the most successful season Louisvill's 10 00:00:53.679 --> 00:00:56.039 had in a long long time, meaning the one they're coming off of. 11 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:00.039 So you know, I'm sure, I'm sure there'll be a better crowd and 12 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.119 we've seen in quite some time. Because you got to keep in mind there 13 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:03.640 wasn't a spring game for a while. I mean, they finally, I 14 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:08.159 think implemented one with sadderfield, you know, towards towards the end. But 15 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:11.640 it really was I mean it was almost I mean he was kind of forced 16 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:14.879 to do it because the ACC network wanted to televis they needed, they needed 17 00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:18.840 the property, they needed content to put on the channel, and that changed 18 00:01:18.840 --> 00:01:19.680 it. But I think the last time there was a huge crowd, and 19 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:25.439 I don't expect to Night's crowd to be like this one. But when Lamar 20 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:29.519 came back from the Heisman season that was and actually Teddy entering his last year 21 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:30.680 here, those were the two spring games that stand out to me that I 22 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:34.840 just remember being like a big, big deal. So hope again, Uh, 23 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:40.439 if you don't have plans, it's completely free and it's completely free to 24 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:44.599 park, and you know they will sell beer. That's always an added bonus. 25 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.120 You know, Louisville fans love to drink. That's kind of what we 26 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:48.680 do. I mean, we do other things too, but you know, 27 00:01:49.439 --> 00:01:53.400 we were drinking before it was like socially accepted to drink at games. You 28 00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:57.000 know. Like I remember, right around the time that I had first gotten 29 00:01:57.040 --> 00:02:01.519 a chance to you know, make radio my full time career. It really 30 00:02:01.959 --> 00:02:05.480 you know, you instead of you know, doing a day job, I 31 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:08.199 did things all throughout the day to try to make sure I had enough content 32 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:12.199 to fill a three hour talk show. And it really hit me, like 33 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.400 I knew that there were certain school. I knew Kentucky didn't sell beer at 34 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:17.759 games and it was an sec thing, but I didn't realize that, you 35 00:02:17.759 --> 00:02:21.639 know, maybe ten years ago or so roughly, Louisville was one of very 36 00:02:21.639 --> 00:02:25.000 few schools that allowed you to buy beer at football games and basketball games. 37 00:02:27.080 --> 00:02:29.319 So you know, Dan just started it a couple of years. I mean, 38 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:31.159 look, we've been doing like this is what we do, folks. 39 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:35.000 We party and that's why, to be honest with you, at the time 40 00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:37.759 when Louisville would have you know, before they expanded the stadium back in the 41 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:42.680 early Bobby tenure and even early Charlie actually, and they had expanded at that 42 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:47.439 point. But I mean, don't act like alcohol wasn't an enhancement there to 43 00:02:47.719 --> 00:02:52.199 get people. Not to say everybody was just completely sloshed, although some people 44 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:55.919 probably were. I mean, like that enhances the atmosphere of your crowd. 45 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:00.520 And you know, not that we need to talk about this today, but 46 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.840 I actually it sounds crazy. But maybe it doesn't sound crazy because there's actually 47 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:07.800 been studies that have been public that you know that the people have talked about 48 00:03:07.800 --> 00:03:13.199 that. If you want to avoid people completely getting belligerent to where they're throwing 49 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:20.080 up on people passing out fighting. You need to let them buy beer because 50 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:23.080 the people who are so dead set on wanting a buzz, they're gonna they're 51 00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:28.319 gonna shove fireball down their neck for you know, twenty minutes before they're thinking, 52 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:30.960 Oh man, this game. Gosh, college football games last what three 53 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:34.919 days? I gotta, I gotta, I gotta have all I gotta have, 54 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:39.919 you know, I mean eighteen of those little fireball whiskey shots. Maybe 55 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:44.599 give me some, you know, some Jack Daniels as well, give me 56 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:46.280 some ever Clear, Yeah, every yeah, yeah, ever Clear, something 57 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:50.199 like that. They just they're just they're gonna want to think I got four 58 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.639 days to kill because the games last forever. I gotta get completely hammered so 59 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:55.639 I don't lose my buzz. They get in there, they start urinating on 60 00:03:55.680 --> 00:04:00.520 themselves, throwing up on people, and you guys learn in the hard way. 61 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:02.240 Louisville, they've always let people buy beer. It's what we do, 62 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:09.080 win or lose, we still booze. Did you make that up? No, 63 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:12.039 it's gonna sell. That's pretty good. I wish I could take credit 64 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:15.680 for that, but no, in fact I might. I'm sure that's been 65 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.839 said by a lot of fan bases across the country, but I'm pretty sure 66 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:25.959 that came from uh Kentucky. So when my buddies first got to a lot 67 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:29.680 of my closest friends that I'm still close friends with today, they all went 68 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:31.959 to UK for four years graduated, and you know, believe it or not, 69 00:04:31.959 --> 00:04:34.040 I spent a lot of time down there having you know, having a 70 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:38.079 good time, which was fun because it was actually the Billy Gillespie era in 71 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.519 basketball, so you know, I felt pretty good about being down there at 72 00:04:40.519 --> 00:04:45.279 that time. But football, you know, they always sucked out loud until 73 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:47.279 like the you know, the end of the Rich Brooks era, I guess, 74 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:49.720 and they still weren't very good then, but you know, they're better 75 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:54.560 than they were before. But I remember, like all the students had shirts 76 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:58.399 that said win or lose, we still booze, which I think it's kind 77 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:00.319 of a I guess it could be. It could just be like, hey, 78 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:01.639 regardless, we're gonna have fun. But I took it at that time 79 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:05.360 like, we know we suck, but we're gonna get drunk. It's the 80 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:10.199 brain, like that's that's not a politically correct, like, you know, 81 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:15.639 way to describe the experience as a fan, but like it's really the truth 82 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:18.519 everywhere, Like whatever happens, we're still getting drunk, We're still gonna party 83 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:21.920 have fun. I mean, Indiana football fans are infamous for leaving after the 84 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:25.480 third quarter to go back to the drinking fields, as they call it. 85 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:29.759 Yeah, I you know, we'll have plenty of time to do it as 86 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:34.560 we get closer to football season. But I think Indiana football is a real 87 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:44.319 rarity in high level college sports because I mean, there are there are certain 88 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:46.959 things you can point to that do let you know that they care about football 89 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:49.399 a little bit, but really, for the most part, as a university 90 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:53.319 from top to bottom, they've never really even tried to make people think that 91 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:56.439 they care about football being good. I mean they clearly, you know, 92 00:05:56.519 --> 00:06:00.199 don't try to sabotage it, but like it's just been such a secondary thing, 93 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:02.839 yeah, for so long. And I think the reason that they they're 94 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:05.959 able to do that is because they haven't needed it to be good. Like 95 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:10.959 from a financial standpoint, they've been fine, right, But like it's such 96 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:14.279 an untapped thing that if they if they mess around and start just going to 97 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:17.759 bowl games consistently, and I mean like to where you know, you're seven 98 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.519 and five, six and six, seven and five, eight and four, 99 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:24.879 and then maybe you drop off and go five and seven, I mean, 100 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:28.959 like and then you're back to seven and five again, Like that's not and 101 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:32.480 that's not even really making you a relevant program in the grand scheme of things, 102 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:36.360 But it gives you life you've never had as far as just I mean, 103 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:43.079 I actually struggle to say consistent sustained success because six and six is not 104 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:45.920 success. But again, it's just it gets you to a bowl game, 105 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:48.279 and you got to start somewhere in Indiana. There really is no reason why 106 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:53.360 in the NIL world, and with the resources that they have, and if 107 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:55.800 they get a good coach, which I'm sure Kurt Signetti is going to do 108 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.199 better there than you know a lot of the other coaches they've had. I 109 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:00.480 mean, I believe that we'll have to wait and see if it happens. 110 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:04.399 But like, if they really did want to be good, and again, 111 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:09.480 the coach that they hired is a guy that is you know, worthy of 112 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:13.160 it and has the chops to really succeed, Like they could be really good. 113 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:15.480 Now they're not going to you know, hit the microwave and become Ohio 114 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:20.399 State, but like there's no reason they can't be what I've always said, 115 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:26.399 this consent or something they should be Iowa. Iowa goes eight and four in 116 00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:29.920 that rank, seven eight, nine games almost every single year. If Indiana 117 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:34.480 can replicate that, you'll please the fan base that may be asking too much 118 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:38.920 early on. And my worry would be that now that the league has added 119 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:40.879 these other teams, like you kind of missed your mark to do that. 120 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:45.360 And that's the other mystery is that you don't know what success or I guess 121 00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:49.000 what Indiana's version of success truly looks like under this new conference format where you've 122 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:54.079 added four teams from the West Coast, so Wolt's have to see. Yeah, 123 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:57.560 I mean I think every team you added is going to be a tougher 124 00:07:57.560 --> 00:08:01.120 game, right, I mean I would say this year CLA might be oh 125 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:03.360 yeah, because they have a very weird situation. They could be a mess. 126 00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:09.319 Yeah, But Washington, Oregon, USC, they'll all be a tough 127 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:13.800 out. They're just gonna always be talented. And UCLA actually has always been 128 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:16.160 able to recruit pretty well, but they just haven't had they've got they have 129 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:20.480 some administration issues I think that have kept them up in football. But anyways, 130 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:22.600 let's dive back in here, shall we. So we talked earlier about 131 00:08:22.639 --> 00:08:26.759 Kenny Payne taking the job at Arkansas, and it's really, you know, 132 00:08:26.959 --> 00:08:30.639 not a surprise at all to me. We let you guys hear the Pat 133 00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:35.120 kell not Pat Kelsey, but the Josh Herd comments on the situation, and 134 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:41.720 you know, he's I think he was always going to be completely classy about 135 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:43.080 it, and he was. But if you go to Twitter, and if 136 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:46.399 you go to Kent Taylor's Twitter account, if you just look at mine because 137 00:08:46.440 --> 00:08:48.799 I shared it, I mean, Josh looks like a brand new man. 138 00:08:48.840 --> 00:08:52.679 He's refreshed, and it's the revival as the revive Ville, as Pat Kelsey 139 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:58.440 has coined the hashtag. The vibes are just really good for bad. I 140 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:00.600 mean, who knows what happens, right, They still gotta put team together. 141 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.240 Like I'm trying not to sound like I'm completely getting ahead of myself here, 142 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:07.919 as if they're about to win a bunch of national championships. But with 143 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:13.159 how bad things were as far as just morale vibe, it's a total night 144 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:18.679 and day difference now and it feels good and Louisville fans are excited about recruiting 145 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:22.440 like they never have been before. Because look, they got a good class 146 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:26.360 last year. We know that, but deep down, a lot of us, 147 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:31.799 myself included, I mean, I wanted to believe that that would mean 148 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:35.200 that we'd have a breakthrough year for Kenny, but I knew that that wouldn't 149 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:41.440 be the case because of just how glaringly incompetent he and his staff were from 150 00:09:41.480 --> 00:09:45.399 top to bottom. And it almost kind of made me more sad because I'm 151 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:46.879 like, we're gonna have some dudes that can play, and I think it's 152 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:50.559 going to be a waste because it's a clown show at the top of the 153 00:09:50.600 --> 00:09:56.519 coaching staff. So yesterday they added Ali Khalifa, and you've got BBN and 154 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.799 coordination going back and forth about you know, we took a guy that Mark 155 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:05.960 Pope coached, and he wouldn't even go follow Pope to Kentucky. He wanted 156 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.960 to go to play for Pat Kelsey at Louisville and then Kentucky. Oh, 157 00:10:09.120 --> 00:10:11.919 I mean we didn't want him. There's I mean, there's no way, 158 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:16.120 no, we didn't want him. Which they didn't want him. They didn't 159 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:18.720 make him a priority, but neither did Louisville. To be honest with you 160 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:22.080 and for those wondering like this is odd, like why would Louisville be in 161 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:26.000 the mix here? Because I talked about it earlier in the week. I 162 00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:30.240 said I actually thought there was a chance that maybe, just maybe that this 163 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:35.200 was like a move from Mark Pope and Khalifa to try to give Pope his 164 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:39.960 first win over Louisville and recruiting. But it turns out there's a connection that 165 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:43.960 Khalifa has to a former Louisville cardinal. Honest my mood. Both both of 166 00:10:43.960 --> 00:10:48.279 these guys are from Egypt. They know each other to some extent, and 167 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:52.679 he really sold Louisville to Khalifa, and he took the visit, and he's 168 00:10:52.679 --> 00:10:58.360 going to be a louis of a cardinal and I assume he will red shirt 169 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:01.000 because that's what they're saying. So I guess that is the plan. But 170 00:11:01.080 --> 00:11:05.799 I wouldn't be shocked if like he I mean, he's gonna start He's already 171 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:07.200 rehabbing his knee. Now what I gotta figure out is he gonna have surgery 172 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:11.480 that I don't know that would obviously make it to where it would be wise 173 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:15.320 to just let him sit. But I wouldn't be if there's no surgery. 174 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:18.639 I wouldn't be shocked if he ends up rehabbing for the next many months that 175 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:20.399 we have here, gets himself in better shape, and maybe he plays this 176 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:24.240 year, because again, there's no scenario. I mean, there's nothing that 177 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:28.759 locks you into where you have to red shirt. So I just found it 178 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:33.559 to be pretty telling because you know, Kentucky they're not going to get the 179 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.480 young man from Duke Jeremy Roach. There was belief that it was going to 180 00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:43.120 be Louisville, not Louisville, but a Kentucky Arkansas and Saint John's well, 181 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:48.440 now he may have already committed, but it's Baylor. Baylor is Scott Drew 182 00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:52.279 is gonna get him, which again, like that's Kentucky fans are already uneasy 183 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:56.720 because of their you know, I don't even want to say lack of ability 184 00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:58.000 to get players. I mean it's still early, and like I don't think 185 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:01.960 Pope not getting a player yet is like a big red flag. But I 186 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:07.120 also understand the anxiousness to at least start to see the roster come together a 187 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:09.919 little bit, even if it's baby steps, because right now they have like 188 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:18.639 nobody, almost nobody. But it went from maybe Caliperry taking roach because he's 189 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:20.440 a good player, and also he would love to take him from Kentucky. 190 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:24.240 I'm not sure Patino was ever really in play there, but now it's a 191 00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.440 guy who you can't deny you offered the job, but he turns you down 192 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:31.519 to State Baylor, and now he's gonna get him. So I'm not gonna 193 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:35.639 get ahead of myself here and tell you that Kentucky's gonna have a trash roster 194 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:39.759 next year, because nobody knows, and there's still guys entering the portal as 195 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:41.759 we speak. For example, Desmond Claude at Xavier, just at the portal. 196 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:46.039 He's a really good player that everybody's gonna want. And I think Jeff 197 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:50.120 Goodman's report yesterday makes total sense, and you know he would know this. 198 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.159 There are a lot of guys who know they're leaving but cannot endo the portal 199 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:58.840 because they're waiting for their last check from nil that they had at their previous 200 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.080 school. So maybe we see in the next week a big time, you 201 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:07.840 know, flood of guys hitting the portal because of that reason alone. We'll 202 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:13.399 see, all right, this is not a portal edition. This this would 203 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:18.600 be a big time addition from the recruiting ranks. Jaden acquaintance. I'm sorry, 204 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:20.720 Jaden acquaintance. I hope he becomes an acquaintance and then you know, 205 00:13:20.759 --> 00:13:24.240 decides to stay here at Louisville. But he's visiting right now. He arrived. 206 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:28.480 I think last night somebody got a picture of him at the airport. 207 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:33.600 So he's here. He's posting all kinds of stuff on his Instagram and everybody's 208 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:39.159 screenshot and those pictures and sharing them, and it's you know, that doesn't 209 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:41.559 mean anything, right, any any recruit that takes a visit is going to 210 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:46.480 you know, share that they're there because they want to hear from that fan 211 00:13:46.559 --> 00:13:48.240 base, and you know, they're probably, you know, even if they 212 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:50.519 don't end up that school, they're probably I'd say visiting a school, especially 213 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:54.200 one like Louisville, is an exciting experience. So it's not a tell in 214 00:13:54.240 --> 00:14:01.480 any way if things are going good or bad. But his father liked, 215 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:03.519 slashed favorited. What is it called. I think it's like it's liked now 216 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:09.679 it used to be favorite. Yeah, So his dad liked a tweet that 217 00:14:09.720 --> 00:14:18.399 a Kentucky fan sent, and sometimes liking a tweet can be honestly a sign. 218 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:20.159 I don't know everybody operates on that platform, I guess in a different 219 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:26.399 way. But I at times have have used that feature to let people know 220 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:30.200 that I saw what they posted, if that makes sense, and they didn't 221 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:35.360 like tag me or something like a subtweet. Yeah, I've also liked a 222 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:39.720 tweet so I can go to my likes and reference it later because I wanted 223 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:43.600 to use it for like show content. I've also liked a tweet just because 224 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:48.000 I liked something that somebody posted, but maybe I didn't, you know, 225 00:14:48.559 --> 00:14:54.159 want to retweet it. So sometimes somebody could say something that like like for 226 00:14:54.200 --> 00:15:01.679 example, I've liked a lot of tweets and oftentimes retweeted people who insult me, 227 00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:05.600 you know, and you know, sometimes in a playful way, sometimes 228 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:09.320 in a very personal way. So I guess it just depends on how I 229 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:15.600 mean. We don't know how Quaintance's father uses the platform here, but he 230 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:22.600 is at upt Q the number four life, So up t Q four life. 231 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:28.559 He has eight hundred followers roughly, and there is a tweet from big 232 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:33.440 Blue Bud on Twitter. Big Blue Bud, I did you know referencing Twitter 233 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:37.200 as much as I have in the last ninety seconds and then referencing a tweet 234 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:43.840 from somebody who goes by Big Blue Bud without their name, like that's where 235 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:46.120 we are. But he said when Cal Love this is the tweet when Cal 236 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:50.960 lof Kentucky. Jaden Quaintance's camp put out that he may stay at UK, 237 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:54.720 but they'd want to talk about what that looks like. With the ad Mitch 238 00:15:54.799 --> 00:15:58.919 Barnhart ignored the formalities and never called JQ nor any of the other commitments. 239 00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:04.320 Now he's likely Louisville bound. And then that emoji that like you put in 240 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:07.480 front of your face like you know, oh my god, you know what 241 00:16:07.519 --> 00:16:10.159 I mean? You know, I'm SI John, Like the emoji that's like 242 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.519 panic, I guess or just you know, like oh crap, yeah, 243 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:19.720 and then hashtag BBN. His father liked that tweet. And I don't know 244 00:16:19.720 --> 00:16:25.600 what to do with that. Is that like a shot at Barnhardt. That's 245 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:30.559 probably more what it is than anything, because he's not considering Kentucky. None 246 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:33.240 of those guys are, I mean, And what's crazy is that, Like 247 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:37.960 I wouldn't be shocked at all if Cali Perry told Pope, like, don't 248 00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:45.960 recruit any of these guys. And and that may sound asinine, but a 249 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:52.440 lot of Caliperi's NIL resources were from not UK boosters or a collective. Like 250 00:16:52.519 --> 00:16:59.799 he had money from people that he knows, that you know well that they 251 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:00.559 could help him. I mean same thing with Kenny, by the way, 252 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.119 like Kenny had nil to build that team last year. None of those guys 253 00:17:03.160 --> 00:17:07.640 would have came here without that. But he left six figures of nil funds 254 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:10.960 for men's basketball in the five to two collective unused because he wanted to do 255 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:12.160 it his way. He's a lot like call to be honest with you, 256 00:17:12.200 --> 00:17:15.279 like he didn't want any help. He didn't listen to anybody. Again, 257 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:18.640 I got like PTSD, like Tourett's syndrome. Once we start talking about Kenny 258 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:25.319 pain, I can't help myself. But nonetheless, Mitch may have just known 259 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:27.000 that, hey, we don't have like we now that Col's gone, we 260 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:33.599 cannot fulfill what was arranged for them because that financial resource is now going to 261 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:38.039 be going to fell Arkansas. So maybe that's the way they approached it, 262 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:44.000 and maybe the quaintan's family feels a certain way because of that. But then 263 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:47.799 again, now he's likely Louisville bound like that may not have been why he 264 00:17:47.880 --> 00:17:49.960 hit the like, but it's just fun to be in the weeds here again, 265 00:17:51.680 --> 00:17:56.279 overreacting to little things on social media in the internet, because we're so 266 00:17:56.400 --> 00:18:00.279 obsessed with getting the best players to have success, because we love college basketball 267 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:04.240 all that much around here. And we were dead for a while. I 268 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:07.240 mean, maybe not fully dead, but we were on life support for a 269 00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:11.039 while, right. We weren't living. There was a machine keeping us from 270 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:17.839 being six feet under. And then a man showed up, handsome man, 271 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:22.240 I may say, thick glasses, black frame. He showed up in the 272 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:27.359 in the in the room at the hospital, and he ripped off all the 273 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:30.880 stuff that was keeping us alive. And we we bounced up. We jumped 274 00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:34.039 up as if we woke up after being you know, in a coma for 275 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:41.039 years, and now we're alive again and it's fun. All right. That 276 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:41.960 was a little much. I'm sorry, but I get worked up. It's 277 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:45.319 a Friday, I get you know, I'm this is this is not a 278 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:49.119 new me, but this is, you know, this is I'm talking about 279 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:52.880 Louisville basketball like I was talking about Jeff bram in the fall. You know 280 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:56.279 what I'm saying. It was fun, good vibes. All right, At 281 00:18:56.319 --> 00:19:00.400 one point, we're gonna have to get to the Duke situation because it could 282 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:03.519 just be the new norm. But if you have not paid attention, which 283 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:07.000 I don't know why you would, a lot of people wouldn't care. But 284 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:11.440 Duke has like nobody on their team now in Louisville, Kentucky's same situation, 285 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:15.920 but this is different. Like right now, Tyreee Proctor and Caleb Foster are 286 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:22.480 the only players returning to Duke. Ryan Young is out of eligibility, Philipowski 287 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:26.680 and Jared McCain are off to the NBA. Seven players now have hit the 288 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:33.279 portal and they've got freshmen coming in. But I just I worry a little 289 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:38.079 bit about the sustainability not only of like how this is working as far as 290 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:44.920 how you have to get players, but the days of having a foundation where 291 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:49.480 you're just loaded every year, Like how realistic is that going to be? 292 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:53.440 Because at any moment you can lose everybody. And there are guys who are 293 00:19:53.519 --> 00:20:00.640 leaving teams that were successful that meaning not just the team was successful, they 294 00:20:00.680 --> 00:20:07.279 had a successful role in a successful team and they had an il. But 295 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.880 you know what, they can just leave and start over and they're taking advantage 296 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:15.519 of that, like losing players to the portal. I feel like it more 297 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:18.680 often than I feel like nine times out of ten. Eventually, it's just 298 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:21.720 gonna be looked at is like nobody did anything wrong. It's just that these 299 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:23.720 players can do whatever they want and they're gonna choose to do that. All 300 00:20:23.799 --> 00:20:26.839 right, quick break, We're gonna come back on the other side, bringing 301 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:32.319 mister Jeffrey Greer talk a little footy as they've got a big match coming up 302 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:37.480 this weekend tomorrow on the pitch for Thunder. How about that? I like 303 00:20:37.559 --> 00:20:42.559 that. That's right, Coffee and Company getting you set for the weekend. 304 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:45.920 Here about halfway through the show on a Friday, appreciate you hanging out with 305 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.519 us. We are a fueled by Thornton's and we now welcome in a very 306 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:52.279 special guest, the one, the only, mister Jeffrey Greer. Jeff, 307 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:56.960 how are the vibes here out of Friday afternoon? Nick, I gotta tell 308 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.559 you, the vibes are absolutely immaculate. I just got haircut. Oh yeah, 309 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:03.000 I feel like I got a superpower going. You feel like a brand 310 00:21:03.000 --> 00:21:07.039 new man. I feel like a brand new man. Although my wife told 311 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:10.200 me I look older when I got home, which is hard to do for 312 00:21:10.279 --> 00:21:12.839 my age. You, honestly, now that you say that you've looked the 313 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:17.759 same since I first saw you over ten years ago, I think I don't 314 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:19.839 think you've aged at all. You are full of it. But thank you. 315 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:22.480 I'll tell my wife. You said that, I'll tell my wife he 316 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:27.319 said that. But no, we're gonna set an attendance record this weekend at 317 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:30.119 Racing Louisville. It's gonna be a lot of fun. The fighter jets are 318 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:36.319 screaming around downtown today. Louisville is doing itself proud. Yeah, that was 319 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:38.759 gonna be My first question was the attendance. I see you guys are over 320 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.240 ten thousand tickets sold at this point. I mean, is is that eclipse 321 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:45.559 the record by quite a bit? Or is it close? I know you 322 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:48.720 guys have had some good crowds in the early existence here of the club, 323 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:52.640 but that's that's a lot of folks. Yeah. So the record, the 324 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:57.799 all time record is ten ten fourteen. We've surpassed that. I would not 325 00:21:57.880 --> 00:22:03.839 be surprised if we end up somewhere north of twelve thousand the tickets, I 326 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:07.119 mean, because of thunder the tickets have been selling like crazy. That's awesome, 327 00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:11.440 which just adds to the element of this whole experience. So it should 328 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:15.920 be a lot of fun and certainly an exciting combination of events going on at 329 00:22:15.960 --> 00:22:21.559 the same time, well, especially considering you know, Derby season is officially 330 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:25.039 upon us, and I know they're going to have the Traveling Kentucky Derby experience 331 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:27.640 at at Lynn Family Stadium tomorrow, and you know, you're probably going to 332 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:33.319 get some fans in attendance that like, maybe are are just here for Thunder, 333 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:34.279 right, Like you could you get a chance to kind of show off 334 00:22:34.279 --> 00:22:37.920 what you guys do. As far as the atmosphere the club, I mean, 335 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:40.720 I feel like it'll be probably a lot of locals of course who want 336 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:42.519 to take in Thunder and watch the club. But you know, you got 337 00:22:42.599 --> 00:22:47.559 you get a chance to show off, right Yeah. And that's the thing 338 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:49.839 is, it's such a great opportunity you've got. You know, you're gonna 339 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:53.480 have clean bathrooms, You're going to have good vendors open all day. I 340 00:22:53.480 --> 00:22:56.400 mean, it's a place to go and hang out. There's covered areas. 341 00:22:56.519 --> 00:23:00.960 I don't think it'll get too hot tomorrow, but you know, God forbid. 342 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:03.960 Somebody needs to be in a covered area. We've got that. So 343 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:07.400 it's really a great opportunity to attract a lot of people. And then, 344 00:23:07.920 --> 00:23:10.400 like you said, you know you've got the game at five o'clock. It's 345 00:23:10.440 --> 00:23:15.319 a great chance to show off what we're doing and show off these amazing athletes 346 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:18.799 and kind of have that vibe of a home field advantage. So it'll be 347 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:23.559 nice to see that crew in front of all these people, and I know 348 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:27.160 they're rare and to go and hoping to show off the product to some new 349 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:30.960 faces. Yeah, and again as you likely know they're meaning listeners likely know 350 00:23:32.039 --> 00:23:33.960 this. You get a chance to see the awesome fireworks show celebrating thunder of 351 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:37.559 a Louisville. But also you can take pictures with the Kentucky Oaks Trophy and 352 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:42.920 win tickets to special events during Derby Week. So if you already haven't been 353 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:47.039 incentivized enough, I think that should that should put you over the top there. 354 00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:51.119 But there's also potentially going to be some special guests that only Jeff Greor 355 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:55.119 could reel in right, like I'm hearing, there could be some real celebrities 356 00:23:55.160 --> 00:23:59.440 there that you know they wouldn't be there without you. Well, I don't 357 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:02.400 know if I'd go that far, but I do think we're we I know 358 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:07.559 we're expecting somebody who's got busy night tonight. With the spring game coming out 359 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:12.440 tomorrow. I know that uh uh, the the athletics director of U L. 360 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:15.759 Josh Herd, is planning on coming out nice. And then you know 361 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:22.279 we had Jack Harlow last weekend, uh and uh. I know that he's 362 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:26.799 always interested in soccer games. So I don't want to I don't want to 363 00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:29.680 put words in his mouth. I don't want to say he's for sure coming, 364 00:24:29.720 --> 00:24:33.519 but I would not be surprised if we had had him at the game 365 00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:36.640 tomorrow if he's in town. So Jack Harlow, I think as we speak, 366 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:41.000 is the most famous Louivillion currently like others have been has had their moment, 367 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:42.000 but you know, he's had a run here in the last four or 368 00:24:42.000 --> 00:24:45.079 five years where he's I mean, he's a superstar. I mean I've always 369 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:48.079 always say this, Jeff. If you were on SNL and you do both 370 00:24:48.119 --> 00:24:52.599 the musical act and you are like participating in the show like not many people 371 00:24:52.680 --> 00:24:56.799 do that, and that that will always stand out to me because that hit 372 00:24:56.839 --> 00:25:00.319 me like this dude isn't just like famous for his craft in his industry, 373 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:03.359 Like this guy is like a superstar, but he's a real soccer fan too, 374 00:25:03.400 --> 00:25:07.880 Like he's a Louisville guy that supports everything Louisville, but like he also 375 00:25:07.160 --> 00:25:11.400 like soccer is a big passion of his right, Yeah, because he So 376 00:25:11.440 --> 00:25:17.400 he played at Atherton and I know he's he's got connections to Mockingberg Valley. 377 00:25:17.559 --> 00:25:21.359 I mean, I'm sure anyone who follows him has seen him posting his his 378 00:25:21.440 --> 00:25:26.000 IG stories playing there, and and I know his friends all play. Brother 379 00:25:26.240 --> 00:25:27.960 is big in soccer too, I believe. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 380 00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:33.640 And then on top of that, I remember maybe last year he went he 381 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:36.400 was going to some matches. Either he was on tour or he was just 382 00:25:36.440 --> 00:25:40.480 happened to be in England for business, but he went to some matches while 383 00:25:40.519 --> 00:25:44.119 he was over there. So yeah, he's a huge soccer fan. You 384 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:45.480 know, he's been to some Loose City games. It came to the racing 385 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:48.599 game this past weekend. So yeah, he's he's all about it, and 386 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:53.359 I think that's a really cool thing to have locally. I know Louisville fans 387 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:56.880 all know him from from going to basketball and football games too. So it's 388 00:25:56.920 --> 00:26:00.480 just cool to have somebody like that, who's who so readily willing to show 389 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:06.000 support across all these different teams and show up for the city. What makes 390 00:26:06.039 --> 00:26:08.079 it so great is that, you know, it's little things here and there 391 00:26:08.200 --> 00:26:11.400 that make it to where you really can't question how genuine it is. Right, 392 00:26:11.400 --> 00:26:15.400 It's not just because he knows he's playing to his hometown and his crowd 393 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.160 like he I mean running on the field when when Jeff Braun beat Notre Dame 394 00:26:18.279 --> 00:26:21.680 and you know, just getting just like any other fan. Right, he 395 00:26:21.759 --> 00:26:23.160 wasn't out there to be on TV. He was just on the field and 396 00:26:23.319 --> 00:26:26.480 flipping off Kentucky fans during the Governor's Cup game. I mean it like this 397 00:26:26.519 --> 00:26:30.319 guy, he really he really cares. So it is awesome to see, 398 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.559 no doubt. What can you tell me about the Utah Royals, right? 399 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:37.680 I mean what kind of a what kind of a matchup are we expecting here 400 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:44.319 tomorrow? Look there, that's an expansion team. It's so it means they're 401 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:47.839 in trouble. The interview, yeah so they Well I wouldn't go that far. 402 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:49.519 We gotta be careful with that because he can't go that far. I'll 403 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:55.359 go that far. They're in trouble. Well, the second you underestimate teams 404 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:57.799 in this league of parody. I think last year there are twelve teams in 405 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:03.440 the league. I think going into the last day there were six teams fighting 406 00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:07.079 for the last like two spots in the playoffs. So, I mean it 407 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:11.319 was pretty intense last year, a lot of parody, and this league is 408 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:15.839 is like that. So that's kind of the fun part of this is these 409 00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:18.319 games, you know are going to be difficult. You know they're going to 410 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:25.920 be competitive, but yeah, Utah's first four games out they've struggled a little 411 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:27.960 bit. So they're coming in here and I know it's going to be a 412 00:27:29.000 --> 00:27:33.960 really difficult atmosphere for people to play in because it's going to be playes screaming 413 00:27:34.000 --> 00:27:37.039 around, there's going to be a huge crowd, and and I know our 414 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:42.200 squad is just anxious to try to get a w after some hard fought but 415 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:48.839 frustrating draws to start the season. So I didn't even think about that the 416 00:27:48.119 --> 00:27:52.279 opponent, really not knowing like I would. I wouldn't be shocked if if 417 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:56.359 every single representative from from the Utah club, the Royals, that's going to 418 00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:59.359 be here. I would imagine all of them have never experienced thunder of Louisville, 419 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:00.759 and they're gonna probably think, what the hell's I mean, what the 420 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:03.319 hell's going on? And they're gonna think, what a second, there's a 421 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:08.400 there's a firework show for you know this, this extravagant firework show for a 422 00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:11.319 horse race that's in a few weeks that last two minutes. And they're gonna 423 00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:15.000 think we're crazy. But are crazy? Is gonna overwhelm them? They're not. 424 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:17.799 They're gonna wint to get the hell out of town, jeff I. 425 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:19.720 I would love for that to be the case, Nick, That would be 426 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:23.400 fantastic for everybody. I will tell you this funny little anecdote though, when 427 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:26.519 it was my first year here. I don't remember if I've told you the 428 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:30.839 story before, but my first year here, I lived down downtown on Fourth 429 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:33.119 It was fourth in Chestnut, in this little apartment, and I was I 430 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:37.680 would always walk over to the pole and the pot Belly on Fourth Street all 431 00:28:37.720 --> 00:28:42.119 the time. I mean I was eating those two burritos and sandwiches like twice 432 00:28:42.119 --> 00:28:45.480 a day every day for like two years. But anyway, one day it 433 00:28:45.559 --> 00:28:48.480 was it was it would have been similar to today. It would have been 434 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:52.359 like the Friday before thunder when they were doing the warm up sessions and they're 435 00:28:52.400 --> 00:28:56.599 flying the planes around and running their practice runs. Man. I remember walking 436 00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:00.920 out to get lunch and being like, are we in state of war? 437 00:29:00.680 --> 00:29:07.599 Because there are fighter jets like screaming around downtown and I have never like I'm 438 00:29:07.680 --> 00:29:12.039 really uneasy, like like what is going on? And I remember I tweeted 439 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:15.599 it and I just got destroyed from that is a great story. I did 440 00:29:15.640 --> 00:29:18.839 not know that story. That is a great welcome to Louisville, Jeff story. 441 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:22.480 That is so we're here, we're actually our studios are now at four 442 00:29:22.519 --> 00:29:26.319 Street Live. And earlier in the three o'clock hour, same thing, Like 443 00:29:26.359 --> 00:29:29.720 I thought, oh goodness, the spring game is gonna be ruined. There's 444 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:32.400 thunder, and no, it's the it's the practice for the jets. And 445 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:36.680 it's I mean, you could be asleep downtown in your hotel and it's gonna 446 00:29:36.680 --> 00:29:38.759 wake you up. Like it's not it's it's it's not. It's not just 447 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:42.680 you know, a plane overhead. It's it's something much more, much more 448 00:29:42.680 --> 00:29:45.839 extravagant than than just that. All Right, I got I want to do 449 00:29:45.880 --> 00:29:48.720 a little rapid fire with you before we before we wrap up the conversation. 450 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:52.359 You ready, okay? All right? So, throughout your travels as somebody 451 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:57.160 who covered college basketball for many years here and you know, obviously you'd worked 452 00:29:57.160 --> 00:30:00.960 elsewhere before you got to the Louisville market, what city did you end up 453 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:06.240 in for assignment or for covering a team that you would like to never ever 454 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:07.400 go back to, Like you hated it, you thought, who would want 455 00:30:07.400 --> 00:30:12.920 to live here? No, I'm gonna say, can I This is gonna 456 00:30:12.920 --> 00:30:17.559 make me sound like so so bougie, but I'm going to say a European 457 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:19.960 city so that nobody gets mad at me. Okay, safe, I have 458 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:22.960 you? I have an American answer, but I'm not going to say it. 459 00:30:25.079 --> 00:30:29.079 But I would say Belgrade, Serbia. Probably don't want to go back 460 00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:33.160 there. I will say you've probably seen the cliffs of their basketball games. 461 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:37.559 One of the most intense. No, no, no, the most intense 462 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:41.000 is that what they have like fire. Yes, I've seen players, they're 463 00:30:41.079 --> 00:30:47.359 throwing stuff the opposing team. I'll never forget watching Marcus Page. You remember 464 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:52.240 Marcus Page walking off, walking off the court for partisan playing Red Star Belgrade 465 00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:56.920 and they had police with shields over his head because people were throwing like pens 466 00:30:56.960 --> 00:31:03.559 and lighters and batter and all sorts of stuff down at the players. That 467 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:07.039 was the craziest environment I've ever been in. But I would not. It's 468 00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:11.480 a beautiful city, but it's not a great spot to go for Americans. 469 00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:14.720 So that's that's my recommendation. I'll take your word for it. I will 470 00:31:14.720 --> 00:31:17.000 not. I have no plans to go there, and I'm gonna keep it 471 00:31:17.079 --> 00:31:18.799 that way, all right. So when you were a kid and you play, 472 00:31:18.880 --> 00:31:22.200 and you played variety of sports growing up, which athlete did you did 473 00:31:22.200 --> 00:31:26.519 you ever like pretend to be when you're taking a jump shot? You know, 474 00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:29.839 I know you played soccer too, Like what athlete did you idolize when 475 00:31:29.839 --> 00:31:33.160 you were young? Okay, I've got two for you. Baseball, No 476 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:37.599 mar Garciapara. Every kid grown up in New England tried to tried to be 477 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:42.599 like him with his little fidgety at bat warm up all that stuff. And 478 00:31:42.680 --> 00:31:47.880 then I know Louisville fans will cringe at this, but he was a Celtic 479 00:31:47.960 --> 00:31:52.279 star when I was growing up. I Lusa loved doing the Antoine walker after 480 00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:56.279 making a three the little shimmy. Yeah I am. I am a big 481 00:31:56.400 --> 00:32:00.559 Pacers fan, love Reggie Miller, which I got older and I realized, 482 00:32:00.599 --> 00:32:04.279 like he's actually a hated player by everybody. It was very I didn't know 483 00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:07.359 that one. When I was a young kid. I thought like, how 484 00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:08.839 could you not love Reggie Miller, the guy's clutch, And then like, 485 00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:13.599 I realized he's hated. So I went to see Reggie play the Pacers when 486 00:32:13.599 --> 00:32:15.960 I was a kid. My dad took me. It was a great game, 487 00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:20.039 double overtime, and sure enough it was Walker who hit a late three 488 00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:22.480 and did the shimmy. And you know, I'm pretty sure I cried. 489 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:24.240 So, yeah, you enjoyed it. You enjoyed my tears. You didn't 490 00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:27.319 know me then, but you know if you if you would have known, 491 00:32:27.359 --> 00:32:30.240 I was crying, Yeah, exactly, that's that's that's how, that's how 492 00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:34.599 sad. It was. All right, So, uh, last TV show 493 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:39.640 you binged on one of the streaming networks, House of the Dragon just finished 494 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:44.200 it, which was that on the first season. That's uh on HBO It's 495 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:49.680 or Max or whatever it is. It's the It's the new the new Game 496 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:52.640 of throw Gotcha. It's like a prequel The Game of Throats. Good stuff, 497 00:32:52.759 --> 00:32:55.599 Jeff, uh, We'll let you get back to your kid. Okay, 498 00:32:57.839 --> 00:33:00.480 he's watching Daniel Tiger's family trip right now. I've seen that many times. 499 00:33:00.519 --> 00:33:02.279 I've been there, so we'll let you get back at it. As 500 00:33:02.279 --> 00:33:06.559 always, appreciate your time and have a great day tomorrow. I know it's 501 00:33:06.559 --> 00:33:08.160 big for the club and big for the city, So enjoy yourself, my 502 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:10.960 friend. All right, thank you so much, Nick, have a great 503 00:33:10.960 --> 00:33:14.960 weekend, all right, YouTube brother Jeff Greer, always appreciate him making some 504 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:16.119 time for us. We got to run quick break. We'll come back on 505 00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:20.119 the other side. Keep this thing rolling along. It is Coffee and Company. 506 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:23.359 We are Fieldbeth Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. All right, 507 00:33:23.400 --> 00:33:25.920 as we wrap up the four o'clock hour, there is some breaking news 508 00:33:27.119 --> 00:33:34.359 as Jordan Burk's Kentucky freshman has entered the transfer portal. So it's going to 509 00:33:34.440 --> 00:33:39.359 be a brand new team entirely for Mark Pope, which I think that was 510 00:33:39.400 --> 00:33:45.880 the expectation Burks. I guess entering the portal this late might I mean, 511 00:33:46.119 --> 00:33:49.200 you kind of feel like if anybody was going to go, they would have 512 00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:52.440 done it. But now he's entered the portal. And you gotta keep in 513 00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:55.480 mind, this was a guy they added late last year because of just you 514 00:33:55.519 --> 00:34:01.160 know, needing depth, and he didn't play. I mean, I'm trying 515 00:34:01.160 --> 00:34:04.240 to pull up his numbers here. This is Avery. This guy was not 516 00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:07.039 very impactful at all for Kentucky and his freshman season and in fact, I'm 517 00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:09.679 not even sure how many games he played in. It was pretty telling when 518 00:34:09.679 --> 00:34:13.119 they went to Canada and he couldn't get on the floor in those games. 519 00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:15.760 But yeah, in he played in twenty games, which surprised me. Seven 520 00:34:15.800 --> 00:34:20.280 minutes, you know, very very little production as far as statistics, but 521 00:34:20.559 --> 00:34:23.360 he was a six eight forward and he's in the portal. So you know, 522 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:32.039 Mark Pope being tasked with honestly a bigger rebuild as far as just roster 523 00:34:32.400 --> 00:34:38.960 than Kelsey. Well, I guess not as we speak, yes, because 524 00:34:39.440 --> 00:34:44.280 honestly, you know, Pat Kelsey is probably not going to get anybody back. 525 00:34:44.840 --> 00:34:49.320 But again, I keep thinking that the longer Mike James is out there 526 00:34:49.400 --> 00:34:52.159 in the portal, but there's not like a list of schools he's visiting, 527 00:34:52.199 --> 00:34:53.440 and it could just be that it's private, Like Mike James is a guy 528 00:34:53.480 --> 00:34:57.800 that probably is not going to be talking to anybody about what he's going to 529 00:34:57.840 --> 00:35:00.199 do. I'm sure he's probably talking to some coaches. I mean, I 530 00:35:00.239 --> 00:35:01.800 would imagine he has been hit up since he's been in the portal, and 531 00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:06.679 maybe he's visiting and considering other schools. But I still think there's maybe a 532 00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:10.119 small chance he would return. But if he doesn't, not going to be 533 00:35:10.119 --> 00:35:13.800 a shock, and Pat Kelsey will have all new players. But with Kentucky, 534 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:16.480 you know, I don't think Kelsey's gonna bring two guys with him. 535 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:19.800 I'm sorry, I don't think Pope's gonna bring two guys with him. In 536 00:35:19.880 --> 00:35:22.239 fact, the guy that he's bringing with him has never played before. That's 537 00:35:22.280 --> 00:35:23.840 the guy who was on the Mormon mission and did not play the last two 538 00:35:23.920 --> 00:35:28.039 years. And the other players Travis Perry, who was the freshman that did 539 00:35:28.039 --> 00:35:32.199 decide to stay committed to Kentucky and not open up his recruitment. So again, 540 00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:37.480 this doesn't really change anything because Burke's even if he was still around, 541 00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:42.280 I doubt he was looked at as somebody that would be a guy that can 542 00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:49.920 really have a strong impact in year one from Mark Pope. But I'm just 543 00:35:49.960 --> 00:35:52.480 curious if Kentucky fans see this, and because what it probably does is just 544 00:35:52.519 --> 00:35:57.079 if you took like the afternoon off as far as worrying about what your team's 545 00:35:57.119 --> 00:36:00.559 going to look like, maybe now you're thinking about it again because right now 546 00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:05.880 you have zero players that have played for you before on your team. And 547 00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:09.400 again same thing for Louisville. But even the transfer that came to Kentucky for 548 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:14.119 Pope has never played college basketball and the freshman again as a freshman who I 549 00:36:14.119 --> 00:36:16.039 think will be good. I think Travis Perry actually is going to really really 550 00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:20.639 thrive under Mark Pope because he's just he's a good player first and foremost, 551 00:36:20.679 --> 00:36:24.440 but he's also an elite shooter, so you know, I know Kentucky is 552 00:36:24.639 --> 00:36:32.679 expected to be one of the leaders for Amari Williams, who is who is 553 00:36:32.719 --> 00:36:37.960 I guess down to three schools now, he's the transfer from Drexel. I 554 00:36:37.960 --> 00:36:39.559 thought it was LSAL for some reason, but it's Drexel, same conference, 555 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.159 but he's down to Kentucky. Saint John's in Mississippi State, which I feel 556 00:36:44.159 --> 00:36:49.239 like is a very random trio of schools to be picking from. And then 557 00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:52.119 there's a big guy from Utah State who I don't know, I'm not sure 558 00:36:52.639 --> 00:36:55.159 of his name, but a very productive guy that would be a good get 559 00:36:55.159 --> 00:37:01.679 for Kentucky. But you know, maybe he just follows mister Sprinkle to uh. 560 00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:06.920 Is it Washington? Is that where Danny Sprinkle went he left Utah State 561 00:37:07.039 --> 00:37:14.519 Danny Sprinkle, Yeah, because you quickly forget about anything about this guy because 562 00:37:14.639 --> 00:37:17.239 the only thing that stands out is his name is Danny Sprinkle. And he's 563 00:37:17.239 --> 00:37:20.760 a good coach too, by the way, And if you know, in 564 00:37:21.440 --> 00:37:27.480 both Louisville and Kentucky's situation, you're gonna want to look to Danny Sprinkle if 565 00:37:27.480 --> 00:37:31.639 you're trying to get big expectations for year one, because Danny Sprinkle brought back 566 00:37:32.159 --> 00:37:37.800 not a single point from the Utah State team that he coached last year and 567 00:37:37.960 --> 00:37:42.599 ended up having a good team. I mean, in fact, Utah State 568 00:37:43.000 --> 00:37:45.039 they went twenty eight and seven. This past year fourteen and four, they 569 00:37:45.159 --> 00:37:50.519 finished first in the Mountain West. Uh and his only year there, first 570 00:37:50.599 --> 00:37:53.920 year coach had never or sorry, I had no players from that team the 571 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:58.079 year prior and then went and did this in here with the Mountain West was 572 00:37:58.079 --> 00:38:02.079 actually a pretty good league. So now he's at Washington and you know, 573 00:38:02.079 --> 00:38:08.719 they've got resources, so you know, we'll see. But NIL money matters, 574 00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:14.880 we know that. But everybody has in IL money. Because here's something 575 00:38:14.920 --> 00:38:22.079 that I don't I can't prove this, but put it this way, Louisville 576 00:38:22.119 --> 00:38:25.119 and Kentucky they've had, like everybody else, they've had to be very much 577 00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:29.559 involved in competitive INNIL to get players because that's just the name of the game. 578 00:38:30.519 --> 00:38:32.239 You know. I know that there are certain players for both sides that 579 00:38:32.360 --> 00:38:36.480 have been believed to get this and that as far as a dollar amount, 580 00:38:36.480 --> 00:38:42.280 and it's always been exaggerated, sometimes exaggerated substantially. And what happens is if 581 00:38:42.280 --> 00:38:45.440 the player knows that the word out there is that he got three hundred K, 582 00:38:46.519 --> 00:38:50.239 that makes him look like he's he's worth it, right, Like damn, 583 00:38:50.679 --> 00:38:53.719 God must be great. If the school is believed to have dropped the 584 00:38:53.719 --> 00:38:58.960 three hundred thousand dollars bag, they're standing on business John, we know that, 585 00:38:59.480 --> 00:39:01.039 but it just makes them look like they got money. So it's kind 586 00:39:01.039 --> 00:39:04.440 of all a mirage. Like I don't think the amount of money is close 587 00:39:04.480 --> 00:39:07.599 to what it's being reported as and what not even being reported, but what 588 00:39:07.639 --> 00:39:14.840 it's just being rumored as. So what Mark Pope is selling as Kentucky's coach 589 00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:17.920 is not at all what transfers or high school kids envision when they think about 590 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:22.920 Kentucky. So the allure of Kentucky is still there, but then they're gonna 591 00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:24.320 beat Mark Pope and they may like him, but it's not what they thought. 592 00:39:24.760 --> 00:39:28.400 Like, it's not that they thought Mark Pope was gonna be John Calla 593 00:39:28.440 --> 00:39:30.119 Perry. But am I making sense here? John? Like? What would 594 00:39:30.119 --> 00:39:34.480 get people really attracted at Kentucky with Cali Perry? And look, I know 595 00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:37.159 Cali Perry is not Kentucky. Kentucky was very successful before him. These college 596 00:39:37.239 --> 00:39:39.440 kids and these high school kids don't know they I mean, they know that, 597 00:39:39.480 --> 00:39:42.880 but they don't care about that. It's just different now. Ye, 598 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:46.400 not that Kentucky's lost its luster. It's just they're they're rebranding right now, 599 00:39:46.400 --> 00:39:50.159 and not that the brand is going to be bad. It's just gonna take 600 00:39:50.159 --> 00:39:52.840 a while for it to pick you. Yeah, in the immediate time. 601 00:39:52.440 --> 00:39:55.480 I'm not predicting the future, but I would not be shocked if they lose 602 00:39:55.519 --> 00:40:00.519 a lot of these battles to schools that maybe they wouldn't they would expect to 603 00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:02.480 lose to you like Danny Sprinkle being able to take his big man from Utah 604 00:40:02.519 --> 00:40:06.960 State with him to Washington when Kentucky wanted him, Like that would make total 605 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:09.280 sense because again they've got in Aiel just like Kentucky does. And maybe Kentucky 606 00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:15.159 can throw more money, but maybe Washington can too. And again like just 607 00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:20.840 the Cali Perry was going to final fours winning titles when college players currently and 608 00:40:20.960 --> 00:40:23.840 high school You know, when college players currently that they're playing now, that 609 00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:28.719 time when he was on top, they were probably in middle school dreaming of 610 00:40:28.760 --> 00:40:31.920 playing at that level. High school kids they may not even remember it because 611 00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:36.039 it was that long ago. So it's just different. By the way, 612 00:40:36.079 --> 00:40:40.719 if your name is Danny Sprinkle, there's no scenario where at one point in 613 00:40:40.719 --> 00:40:45.920 your life you were not a mail stripper, right, has to be. 614 00:40:47.239 --> 00:40:51.840 My mind went to it's like bakery owner or something. Now Danny Sprinkle is 615 00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:54.840 a mail stripper. Come on, John, Like mattress Mack, you either 616 00:40:54.920 --> 00:41:05.679 sell mattresses or you're a porn start no in between five o'clock hours next MHM