WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:02.839 Welcome to the Big Blind Sider. Dick Gabriel with you 2 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:06.160 on a Tuesday edition of our program. It is exam week. 3 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:09.439 Hope you're studying hard. What it means is no midweek 4 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:13.560 basketball games. The women play on Friday at six o'clock 5 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:18.440 at Historic Memorial Coliseum against Belmont, and the men, of course, 6 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:21.239 will be in New York City for the Ohio State 7 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:23.839 game about five thirty. It's the second game of that 8 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:28.280 doubleheader in Madison Square Garden. And yes, I am going up. 9 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:29.679 The wife and I are actually going to make that 10 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:33.439 trip Christmas in New York. I love it, and I've 11 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:38.119 seen several games in Madison Square Garden. In fact, I 12 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:41.719 covered the nit in nineteen seventy six start to finish 13 00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:46.159 all four games up there. The Kentucky Colonel crew. We 14 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:49.159 went up. Gosh, there were four of us to have 15 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:51.799 fun and have a long weekend in New York because 16 00:00:52.240 --> 00:00:55.920 we thought the Wildcats might win a game, Nah, maybe two, 17 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:58.079 but we knew we'd be coming home. Nope. I just 18 00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:00.719 kept right on winning. I had to go to laundromat 19 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:03.880 and do some laundry to last out the week. But 20 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.519 the Garden's a great place to see college basketball and 21 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:10.959 it should be interesting. So we'll talk about the basketball 22 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:12.920 Cats here in just a moment. Later on, we're going 23 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:15.920 to talk with j R. Vanhus, who, of course was 24 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:19.120 a Kentucky schoolboy legend went under a great career at Marshall, 25 00:01:19.400 --> 00:01:23.920 his alma mater. Had to drop out of the Independence 26 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.439 Bowl in Shreveport, a ten to three team, but their 27 00:01:27.480 --> 00:01:30.159 coach resigned to take a different job at Southern Miss 28 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:34.280 and so so many players jumped into the portal with 29 00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:37.159 the head coach leaving, they can't feel a team. So 30 00:01:37.200 --> 00:01:39.560 now there's going to be a five and seven Louisiana 31 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.760 Tech team playing in that bowl game. That's where it's 32 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:46.879 come to with the portal and nil money. So we'll 33 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:49.319 talk to JR about that a little bit later on 34 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:52.439 in the show. But basketball Cats, of course, coming off 35 00:01:52.760 --> 00:01:56.280 the big win over those Louisville Cardinals, Lamont Butler with 36 00:01:56.519 --> 00:02:00.799 just an incredible performance, a perfect night at the second 37 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:04.159 most points thirty three ever scored against the Cardinals Derek 38 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:08.840 Miller at thirty four, many many years ago. But Jack 39 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:13.719 Gibbons talked to Lamont about the fact that, yeah, he 40 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:17.120 came off the ankle injury. But Lamont assured Jack they 41 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:18.240 would have won without him. 42 00:02:18.360 --> 00:02:20.159 But I don't know how we win that thing to 43 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.560 night without you out there. We were one to just 44 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:24.319 like we won the last two games with that like that. 45 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.199 Just you know, everybody steps up, you know when when 46 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.400 someone goes down. You know, Kurt was out, so we 47 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:32.360 all stepped up again. So, you know, a big credit 48 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:34.919 to my teammates. They you know, continue to play with hard. 49 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.360 You know, with me on or off the Corey, It's 50 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:38.479 gonna take us far this year. 51 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:42.080 Those are noble sentiments. And at first I thought, yeah, 52 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:44.680 Jack's right, But then I got to thinking, when you 53 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:48.599 watch this Kentucky team, Yeah, you gotta worry if you're 54 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:52.159 the opposing team about Lamont Butler, But you also have 55 00:02:52.199 --> 00:02:54.680 to worry about Jackson Robinson on the Arc. You gotta 56 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.520 worry about Andrew car You gotta worry about so many things. 57 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:00.599 And a lot of people have said there's no truce, Superstar, 58 00:03:00.719 --> 00:03:04.120 there's no true lottery pick or whatever that is. That 59 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:06.599 is a fact. I do agree with that, But I 60 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:09.319 just think the way that Mark Pope has put this 61 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:15.039 team together speaks well to the balance, teamwork, unselfishness for 62 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:18.240 this team and in fact, speaking to Jackson Robinson. Somebody 63 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:21.199 asked him after the game if it surprised him the 64 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:24.960 Lamont butler, known for defense, jumped up with an effort 65 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:28.639 like this on offense and before whoever was asking the 66 00:03:28.759 --> 00:03:32.240 question could finish, Robinson was shaking his head. No, not 67 00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:34.840 at all. I played Lamont last three years. 68 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:38.919 I know exactly what he's capable of, and just being 69 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:42.000 with a coach like Coach Pope and just learning the system, 70 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:45.080 learning how to playoff two feet, make plays for his teammates. 71 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:47.599 He wasn't forcing anything, got all the great shots that 72 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:50.360 he gets every single game. They were open and he 73 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:52.560 knocked him down. So I mean, I couldn't be more problem. 74 00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:53.759 Puts them to work every day. 75 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:57.759 That last comment, Seeing him put in the work every day, 76 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:00.759 that is so important. And I don't get to go 77 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.960 to practice a lot, but what I have as a 78 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:09.039 constant reminder of how much time these kids spend in 79 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:12.719 the gym. They spend time working with the team, working 80 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:15.199 with their coaches, but they spend a lot of time 81 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.879 in there by themselves. John Caliperry talked about this a lot, 82 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:21.199 and it was important when he talked about it. When 83 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:24.199 any coach talks about it. The work these guys do 84 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:28.519 on their own as well as practice is so vital. 85 00:04:28.519 --> 00:04:32.279 And with Lamont Butler, it's clear he's worked on his shooting. 86 00:04:33.079 --> 00:04:35.160 I mean to work on defense. Of course, you got 87 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:38.079 to have your teammates around. You can do slides, you 88 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:41.319 can do all kinds of individual work, but when you're 89 00:04:41.360 --> 00:04:46.360 honing that skill it takes to read an opponent and 90 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:49.639 to shoot passing lanes and things like that. Yeah, it's 91 00:04:49.680 --> 00:04:52.279 got to come in either full court practice or drills. 92 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:56.720 But it's the reps that make you a better shooter. 93 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.639 And Jack Gibbons has talked about it on the air. 94 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:06.920 Everybody who's ever played basketball knows that the more time 95 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:10.839 you spend on reps doing things right. If you're jacking 96 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:13.079 up shot after shot and you've got major flaws in 97 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:17.319 your shot, then it's going to hurt you, obviously. But 98 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.920 the guys who spend time in there working by themselves, 99 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:26.480 working with their teammates, it pays off, of course, And 100 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:30.199 so that's why Robinson wasn't surprised at all that his 101 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:33.560 teammate had such a big game shift over to football. 102 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:35.560 For just a moment. We talked about this a little 103 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:38.639 bit on the state wide show last night. Wake Forest 104 00:05:38.680 --> 00:05:43.279 head coach Dave Clawson is stepping down and you might 105 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.519 shrug and say, eh, so well, a couple things. Number One, 106 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:51.519 Brad White's a wake Forest alum. If you're Wake Forest, 107 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:53.759 do you not take a good, hard look at him? Yes, 108 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:56.800 I know Kentucky struggled this year, but if you're smart, 109 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:00.639 if you're a smart ad, you look beyond that. You 110 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:03.040 look at the body of work and you talk to 111 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:05.879 other people who will tell you, not that I'm trying 112 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:09.000 to push this guy out the door, but they'll tell 113 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:12.920 you he's a tremendous defensive coordinator. And then you've got 114 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:14.959 to sit down and talk to him to find out 115 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:18.079 if he's a good fit, if he wants the job. 116 00:06:18.839 --> 00:06:20.920 And again I haven't heard anything about it. It just makes 117 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.160 sense to link the two and don't talk about the fact. 118 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:26.720 I'm not saying he's a candidate. I'm just saying there's 119 00:06:26.759 --> 00:06:30.199 a connection. Clawson, what a great job. In eleven years, 120 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:34.000 seven Bowl games, twice had them in the top fifteen. 121 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:38.000 Wake Forest. That's the Vandy of the acc Due respect 122 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:42.240 to Andy, but he wanted out. He's not happy as 123 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:45.519 a coach right now. And one have you heard that before? 124 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:50.079 Thank you Nil, Thank you Portal. Want to come on 125 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:53.839 six thirty eight WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Sider. 126 00:06:53.879 --> 00:06:56.519 Coming up at the bottom of the hour. WKYT's Brian 127 00:06:56.639 --> 00:07:00.800 Milem who is of course covering the Basthtsketball Cats the 128 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:05.480 football Cats, but also has recently been named to the WYMT, 129 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:08.920 the TV station in Hazard where Brian worked for I 130 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:12.639 think a dozen years. Brian has been named to the 131 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:17.600 WYMT Mountain Classic Hall of Fame. That's the basketball tournament 132 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:22.560 that's been happening for nearly four decades now. Crazy success 133 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:25.160 in the Mountains and Brian's been a part of that, 134 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:29.000 the coverage. Brian loved covering sports in the Mountains and 135 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.160 did a great job. We've talked to him about that before. 136 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:33.639 A little bit later on Jara Van, who's speaking of 137 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:38.319 the mountains. Paintsville High School legend mister Basketball, helped lead 138 00:07:38.360 --> 00:07:42.120 Paintsville to a Sweet sixteen championship in the mid nineties, 139 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:44.399 went on to a great career at Marshall, and we 140 00:07:44.439 --> 00:07:47.519 wanted to talk to him about Marshall having to drop 141 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:50.399 out of a bowl game. He's had some strong comments 142 00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:52.959 on social media, so we'll talk to him about that, 143 00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:56.199 and we'll put a rap on the Kentucky volleyball season 144 00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:00.600 with Hunter Mitchell, who covers the sport so capably for 145 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:02.920 On Three. In fact, he writes about it so well 146 00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:06.680 and takes really good photos for their website as well. 147 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:08.800 But I did want to touch base on a couple 148 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:12.360 of things. There's been so much fallout about Bill Belichick, 149 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:16.959 and I join those who are skeptical simply because I 150 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:21.639 just really wonder about Bill Belichick sitting in somebody's living 151 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:23.600 room trying to beg an eighteen year old to come 152 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:26.319 play for him. And I don't buy this stuff about 153 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:28.199 all kids don't know who he is. Yeah they do, 154 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:31.800 Yeah they do. They know who Tom Brady is and 155 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:34.159 kids who love football. If you want to be a 156 00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:37.480 college football player, you eat, sleep, and breathe a sport. 157 00:08:37.799 --> 00:08:42.240 So I guarantee you you pay attention to more than 158 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:44.759 just what's happened in the last twenty minutes. So they 159 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:47.120 know who Belichick is. If for no other reason, the 160 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:51.120 Belichick story is front and center all the time, it 161 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:53.639 was about the fact that he couldn't get an NFL job. 162 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:55.799 Now it's about the fact that he's going to be 163 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:59.600 coaching college football. But yeah, Tom Brady's coaching. Why do 164 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:02.720 you think Rick Patino at success when he first got 165 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:05.679 to Kentucky. Well, this guy coach the Knicks. You know, 166 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:07.600 this guy knows how to get me to the league. 167 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:10.440 You think Belichick isn't going to sell that. He already is. 168 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:13.600 He said it's going to be his program will be 169 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:17.679 a feeder system to the NFL. But it's interesting. He 170 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:20.120 was on with Pat McAfee the other day, as he 171 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:24.240 has been frequently, and McAfee was going on about his 172 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:27.159 thoughts about it and you know what's gonna happen down 173 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:33.759 in Chapel Hill, and Belichick interjected with some pretty good 174 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:35.559 promotional ideas. Bill. 175 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:37.080 I want to let you know last week I spent 176 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:39.559 a lot of time talking about you recruiting with a 177 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:42.279 lot of people, you know, because cause you come on 178 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:44.639 the show, because we did the draft together, because I'm 179 00:09:44.679 --> 00:09:47.600 considered an NFL person, All the college football people that 180 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:50.120 I know are like, how do you think Bill's gonna do? 181 00:09:50.159 --> 00:09:52.120 I'm like, well, Bill's not gonna half ass anything like 182 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:55.080 for He's not gonna He's gonna be very well researched. 183 00:09:55.399 --> 00:09:58.559 His team is obviously going to be held to a 184 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:00.679 standard the way they're going to operate, Like, I think 185 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:02.240 he's gonna win. And everybody was like, well, how's he 186 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:04.440 gonna recruit, how's he gonna recruit, how's he gonna recruit? 187 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:06.440 You think he's gonna recruit? And it's like, I think 188 00:10:06.440 --> 00:10:07.759 it's gonna be a little different for him. I think 189 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:10.159 it's gonna bet. And I literally spent the entire week 190 00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:12.399 saying that to a lot of college football people. So 191 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:14.919 to hear that it's all kind of happening the way 192 00:10:14.919 --> 00:10:15.559 that we thought it was. 193 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:16.879 Can I jump in there? 194 00:10:16.919 --> 00:10:18.840 It's like, why don't you come down and talk about 195 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:19.279 it in person? 196 00:10:19.320 --> 00:10:21.080 How about if we do game day down here? See 197 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:23.799 already gets yeah, gets it? 198 00:10:24.279 --> 00:10:28.120 Yeah, Hey, we love that. Uh And I would be 199 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:30.440 honored to go down there. Lombardi tells me it's the 200 00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:33.919 most beautiful place that he's ever been, and obviously he 201 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.879 told us about you guys taking the off seasons down 202 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:39.600 there when instead of watching film in Cleveland. 203 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.279 We can't wait to get down there. I can't wait 204 00:10:41.320 --> 00:10:44.639 to get down And again that's Pat McAfee and Bill Belichick. 205 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:50.000 Courtesy of ESPN. I heard Sally Jenkins talking to Tony Corneiser. Jenkins, 206 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:54.000 of course, is a tremendous sports writer for the Washington Post. 207 00:10:54.360 --> 00:11:00.559 She talked about the fact that Belichick's parents were we're educators, 208 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:03.039 and of course his dad was a coach but was 209 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:07.679 tenured at the Naval Academy, and she thought, she said, well, 210 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:10.279 maybe he has belonged on a college campus all along. 211 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.240 I don't think so. I think the way Bill Belichick, 212 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:17.559 with all due respect to Sally Jenkins, he was a 213 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:23.759 great NFL coach and GM and manager whatever it took 214 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:28.200 to build that program. And yes, things, you know, fell 215 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:32.159 off the table after Brady left, but that team was 216 00:11:32.200 --> 00:11:35.960 so much more than Brady. And yeah, you've got to 217 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:37.840 have a good trigger man, but of course if you 218 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:40.799 don't have the guys around him like the Julian Edelmans, 219 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:45.360 you know. And of course Belichick coached the defense and 220 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:48.000 the Patriots won as much with their defense as they 221 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:52.759 did with Brady. So will he be successful in North Carolina? 222 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:56.639 It depends on who surrounds him, depends on who he hires. 223 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.399 If he hires people with extensive college experience and then 224 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:05.360 listens to them, that's the key. Will he listen to 225 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:09.759 them and take their advice. Yeah, he could be successful, 226 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.840 no question about that. A couple of other notes from 227 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:18.200 the national picture Adam Schefter, who I'm not a huge 228 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:22.080 fan of his, nothing personal, but I think ESPN bends 229 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:25.000 over backwards to make it seem like he's got the 230 00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:29.960 inside view on everything, when in fact they'll run a 231 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:34.559 crawl stating a story someone else has broken, and then 232 00:12:34.600 --> 00:12:38.159 I'll put a Schefter confirms, well, so what. But anyhow, 233 00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:41.559 he's going at it with Doug Gottlieb, who was a 234 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:46.559 radio personality for CBS Sports Network and CBS TV. I'm 235 00:12:46.559 --> 00:12:52.399 not a huge Gottlieb fan either, but Gottlieb is now 236 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:55.919 the head coach at Wisconsin Green Bay and he took 237 00:12:56.039 --> 00:13:01.000 issue on the interweb with Schefter tweeting the fact that 238 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:04.679 Sacramento State is talking to Michael Vick as its new 239 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:09.000 head coach and said the school plans to move up 240 00:13:09.080 --> 00:13:12.559 to FBS building a new stadium with over fifty million 241 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:17.240 dollars in nil, and Godlieb took a shot at him, saying, 242 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:21.279 Jesus with a zz shifty edit, what agents tell you 243 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:25.799 zero points zero percent chance? Sach State is fifty million 244 00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:31.639 in nil? And Schefter fired right back at him, saying 245 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.720 the school has already announced it has reached its initial 246 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:39.200 goal of raising fifty million in NIL funds to strengthen 247 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:42.919 the school's case for an invitation to the PAC twelve 248 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:46.360 or Mountain West Conference. That I'd be debies at a 249 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:50.759 number as well, but Schefter is quoting school officials. God 250 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:53.919 Leaves to bind a skepticism, said they have to raise 251 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:57.600 money for a stadium, coaches, and then nil, saying it's 252 00:13:57.639 --> 00:14:02.080 fifty million in nil as Disingenuos was. But Schefter came 253 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:06.360 back and said, Jesus Doug with a Z A seven 254 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:09.600 game losing streak and last place in the Horizon League, 255 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:13.639 less time on social media, more time in the gym, 256 00:14:14.080 --> 00:14:18.240 ye Green Bay right now two and ten overall, zero 257 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:21.519 to three in the conference. So we'll just leave that 258 00:14:22.039 --> 00:14:24.679 right there. One other note before we hit the brake. 259 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.759 If you're an NFL fan, there's a chance you have 260 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:29.720 the red zone, and I do have it. Although I 261 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.399 did not watch last Sunday. I was working on something 262 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:35.360 at the TV on in the background. In fact, I 263 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:38.120 looked up because I was waiting for my Packers to 264 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:40.480 come on Sunday Night Football. By then, the red zones 265 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.159 wrapped up, but whatever I was doing, it sort of 266 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:48.240 distracted me, so I didn't even dial up the red zone. 267 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:52.879 And so now I'm reading that there were commercials throughout 268 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:58.399 the seven hours, and fans took to the interweb to 269 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:04.519 social media happy about it. Because Scott Hansen, who hosts 270 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:09.559 that day long festival of NFL highlights it, does a 271 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:14.279 tremendous job. He always comes on with the promise of quote, 272 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:17.960 seven hours of commercial free football, and I've always wondered, 273 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:22.919 are subscriptions enough to make this channel work. Well, evidently 274 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:28.559 the answers know or somebody got greedy upstairs because now, 275 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:33.080 and admittedly they did it with a split screen, they 276 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:35.840 were dropping in commercials on the red zone. So if 277 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:39.799 that bothers you, they ain't going away. And again fans 278 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:43.279 made a big deal. Fans let people know it did 279 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:48.519 indeed bother them that they were seeing commercials on their 280 00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:51.440 beloved red zone. And somebody told me. I was skeptical 281 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:54.679 about it. Somebody told me it'll change your life, and 282 00:15:54.919 --> 00:15:59.519 it did. Indeed, another NFL story that's out there, this 283 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:06.240 is interesting to me. Actually, it's double sided. Bone Knicks, 284 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:10.120 the rookie quarterback for the Broncos. He might be the 285 00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:13.360 rookie of the year, leads them to a comeback win 286 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:16.120 over the Colts. Right, he throws three interceptions for the 287 00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:18.799 first time in his career, but he kept grinding. He 288 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:21.960 hung in there, and he leads the Broncos to a win. 289 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:24.120 And a lot of people thought the Broncos would stink 290 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:28.200 this year, at the very best, be mediocre. But because 291 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:31.399 of Nicks. And remember now, the Broncos got rid of 292 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:35.360 Russell Wilson handed the car keys to a rookie. This 293 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:38.320 is a guy who started his career in the SEC. 294 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:42.279 He was a much ballyhooed quarterback at Auburn. He was 295 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:44.000 going to be the guy who led Auburn back to 296 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:48.240 the mountaintop. Well, fans turned on him. He struggled for 297 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.440 a while. Beat Kentucky. It was the open air for 298 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:54.000 the COVID year. Remember the year that Kentucky played nothing. 299 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.519 Everybody played nothing but conference games. That was Kentucky's opener 300 00:16:57.559 --> 00:17:01.279 at Auburn and Kentucky got out of a touchdown, ends 301 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:05.200 up losing. Bo Nicks had a great game be Kentucky 302 00:17:05.240 --> 00:17:07.799 as much with his legs as his arm, but later 303 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:11.880 in the year struggled and people turned on him and 304 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:14.680 he left. Which quarterbacks are doing that a lot? As 305 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:18.720 you know, goes to Oregon, has an incredible career at Oregon, 306 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:23.000 and now he's doing great things in the NFL. And 307 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:25.119 you got to wonder, if you're an Auburn fan, just 308 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:28.440 how badly did we screw up letting that guy get away? 309 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:32.880 I mean, one of his veteran teammates said, he is 310 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:37.319 so tough, smart and put together. He's everything you want 311 00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.920 him in that moment, didn't even blink, just kept going 312 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:43.480 and kept at it. And it's a team football game. 313 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:48.400 Now balance that against what's happening in San Francisco with 314 00:17:48.519 --> 00:17:53.119 Devondre Campbell. He's done. He's the guy who walked to 315 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:55.599 the locker room in the second half during the game 316 00:17:56.559 --> 00:17:59.279 of their twelve to six loss to the Rams and 317 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:03.279 his locker now empty, and his teammates have basically said 318 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:07.079 good riddance. One of his teammates said, to quit in 319 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:11.400 your team. That just sucks. Nick Bosa said, I think 320 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:13.920 he's gonna have a hard time finding somewhere else to 321 00:18:13.960 --> 00:18:16.559 go when you act like that. He believes this guy's 322 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:20.079 career is over. He's only thirty one, nine year veteran, 323 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:23.559 but he was moved to a backup role for this 324 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:29.640 game because another guy made his season debut after tearing 325 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:33.839 his achilles in February, and he just wasn't happy about it, 326 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:37.480 complained about it before the game, during the game, left, 327 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:40.440 and now his locker's empty. So things like that matter 328 00:18:40.839 --> 00:18:44.240 both when you're hanging in there and getting the job 329 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:47.920 done for your team and when you turn your back 330 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:52.079 on your team and literally walk away. Ryan milms up 331 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:56.279 next from wyt here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back 332 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:58.039 to the Big Blue Insider, joining us now as a 333 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:00.000 buddy of mine and a longtime friend of the show 334 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:04.000 and now a Hall of Famer, mister Brian Nylem. I'm 335 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:06.119 teasing you before one on the air, but it is 336 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.720 what an honor. You were named to the Mountain Classic 337 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:10.640 Hall of Fame, and you and I have talked before 338 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:13.079 about your love for the time you've spent in the 339 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:16.039 mountains and you still spend time in that part of 340 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:19.200 the state. Congratulations, first of all, thank you. 341 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.880 It is a nice honor when you can be in 342 00:19:22.920 --> 00:19:26.519 the same company, at least by name with Bobby Keith, 343 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:31.799 Richie Farmer, Jr. Van Hoos Clay County, Paintsville, you know 344 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:34.880 in the list at Jay Crawford, the list goes on 345 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:38.400 and on. So I'm at the special. It was a 346 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:39.519 special moment and it's. 347 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:41.440 A great coincidence I have Jr. Coming on in the 348 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:43.000 show a little bit later on, so it's kind of a 349 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:46.960 hall of Fame sort of show, the host notwithstanding. But well, 350 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.079 let's talk a little bit of course in Mountain Classic, 351 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:52.160 Brian goes back how far and by the way, I 352 00:19:52.160 --> 00:19:54.400 think I told you this. I was in the building 353 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:57.000 the da wymt you went on the air. Our late 354 00:19:57.039 --> 00:20:00.480 Gray GM Ralph Gabbard, who built that place, leaving the 355 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:04.319 ground up. He wanted all of us department heads, all 356 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:07.240 of his management team from Lexington to be there for 357 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:11.119 this historic occasion. So we saw the sun come up 358 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:13.400 over the mountain where the transmitter is and we saw 359 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:15.720 it go on the air. But tell us about the 360 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:17.359 history of that basketball tournament. 361 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:20.759 Well, the tournament was started in nineteen eighty eight and 362 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:26.079 it was to raise money scholarship money for four students, 363 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:29.240 I mean basically, and at the very at the inception, 364 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:34.279 it was eight scholarships, I think, one to represent each 365 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.640 school involved in the tournament. Well now here we are 366 00:20:37.680 --> 00:20:42.160 thirty eight years later, and that scholarship a lot is 367 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:46.880 more than five million dollars. And wow again, from eight 368 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.799 thousand and year one to a totality of more than 369 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:55.720 five million, that's pretty incredible. And oh yeah, by the way, 370 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:59.319 you've seen some great basketball over the years too. But 371 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:03.519 the premise was to raise money to send Appalachian students 372 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:06.599 to college that may not have had the means to 373 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:08.839 do so, or at least give them a jump start 374 00:21:09.000 --> 00:21:13.440 into thinking about college and rewarding students who had done 375 00:21:13.440 --> 00:21:13.839 the work. 376 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:17.799 And it has survived, it has thrived, it has grown, 377 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:23.000 which says everything there is to say about the pride 378 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:26.119 of the mountains really, and I don't know how to 379 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:28.119 how to better put it. I mean, there you know 380 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:30.519 people who've lived their all their lives. They love it, 381 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:33.599 even though it's it's sometimes a rough place to live, 382 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:37.319 but it's theirs, and they live it, don't. 383 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:41.119 They they do? And you know, and just to show 384 00:21:41.160 --> 00:21:44.279 you the impact, I came across the story you did 385 00:21:45.319 --> 00:21:50.640 with st Roach, oh yeah, twenty five years ago maybe, 386 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:54.839 and you asked him, who treated your dunbar bearcats better 387 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:56.759 than anybody else? And he said all the people in 388 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:02.240 the mountains, Wow, and you said really said, yeah, Breathitt County, Pikesville, 389 00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:04.880 those people treated us better than any other place in 390 00:22:04.920 --> 00:22:08.240 the state of Kentucky. And if st Roach can say that, 391 00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.759 what's that mean for? I mean, that's just the ultimate 392 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:17.440 sign of affirmation about Eastern Kentucky. If sd roach Conte says. 393 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:19.720 A lot about the sport of basketball, too, doesn't it? 394 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.440 Sure? I mean with John Bill Trivett, who was coaching 395 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:28.839 at Pikeville for those years and helped raise money for schools, 396 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:31.200 you know, if dun Bar's having a tough situation, hey, 397 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:33.240 come on over here. We'll feed you, we'll house you, 398 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:37.960 and we'll play some great basketball. And man, I would 399 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:40.440 have loved to have lived in that era that Bob 400 00:22:40.480 --> 00:22:42.720 White and Earl Cox got to live through. We just 401 00:22:42.759 --> 00:22:46.279