WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.680 --> 00:00:03.040 Welcome to the Big Blue Insider. To Gabriel with you 2 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:07.200 on a Tuesday edition of Game Week. You got basketball 3 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.359 tomorrow night, you got football on Saturday, you got baseball 4 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:12.960 on Sunday. We'll talk about it all tonight here on 5 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.000 the Big Blue Insider. Coming up tomorrow, it's Kentucky Wesleyan 6 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:19.199 and the Wildcats in an exhibition game. We'll have it 7 00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:22.519 for you right here. The entire Big Blue Insider will 8 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:27.160 be preempted by full radio coverage of Kentucky and wesley 9 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.079 and yes, it will be on the SEC Network. Then 10 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:34.240 on Saturday, it's Kentucky Auburn seven forty five kickoff five 11 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:38.479 thirty airtime for the UK Network with Christy, Jeremy and 12 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:41.320 Logan and then Tom, Jeff and I with the call. 13 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:45.600 The Cats and the Tigers. They must win situation for 14 00:00:45.640 --> 00:00:48.920 the football Wildcats if they want to keep their bull 15 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.640 streak alive. We'll talk. We'll hear from Mark Stoops about 16 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.520 that in just a minute, and coming up at the 17 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.280 bottom of the hour, Darryl Bird will join us, editor 18 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:00.880 of the Cats Pause. He will talk to us a 19 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:03.280 little bit about the yearbook that has been published, but 20 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:07.640 also about the latest issue of the magazine where he 21 00:01:07.719 --> 00:01:13.000 talked at length with Leanne Pope, Missus Pope, the first 22 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:16.359 Lady of Kentucky Basketball, the new first Lady. She's on 23 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:19.000 the cover along with her husband. So we'll talk to 24 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:22.879 Daryl about how that went, and apparently it went really well. 25 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:26.879 Second hour, we'll talk with Michael Epps of Fox fifty six. 26 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:29.680 He is, as I call him, the road Warrior because 27 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:31.920 he makes a lot of the road games and he 28 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:34.159 went all the way to Gainesville to cover that mess 29 00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.959 down there, so we'll hear from him about that. And 30 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:39.920 Darren Hedrick, our buddy from the UK Radio network. It 31 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:43.159 was our football anchor man when it comes to the scoreboard, 32 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:46.920 but also the radio voice of UK women's basketball baseball, 33 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:49.439 which has a scrimmage coming up Sunday. It won't be 34 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:53.719 on the radio, but Daryl also worked the Blue White 35 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:57.200 Game with Jack Gibbings this past Friday, so we'll get 36 00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:00.239 his thoughts on the UK men and women's team. So 37 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:04.120 a lot coming up on this particular radio program, The 38 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:07.760 Football Wildcatch Mark Stoops talked to the media last night, 39 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:10.479 talked to the fans on his radio show, talked to 40 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:15.080 the media yesterday afternoon, and I tossed out a question 41 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.560 Adam and I talked about it on the show last 42 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:21.199 night with Jeff Bcorrel and Aaron Gershawn Billy Rutledge about 43 00:02:21.240 --> 00:02:23.840 the fact that as ugly as that Florida game was 44 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.639 and they got off to a bad start, Kentucky did. 45 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:31.759 And I'll be honest with you, Jeff during the break said, 46 00:02:31.800 --> 00:02:33.840 one of the first commercial breaks, said, if they don't 47 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.479 change some things right now, they're going to get a 48 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:39.879 real good butt kicking. And in terms of the final score, 49 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:43.280 it was, but in terms of how they competed for 50 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:46.400 quite a while there, it was a ball game. And 51 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.719 I brought that up. I mean it was there. I 52 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:51.560 won't say it was there for the taking, but Kentucky 53 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:54.479 was a break or two away, a big player two 54 00:02:54.560 --> 00:02:58.439 away from really grabbing a momentum in that game and 55 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:01.400 doing what it had done more than watch that engagement 56 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.759 that hushed the crowd and make a run of a win. 57 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:08.879 And I talked to Stups yesterday. I asked a question 58 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:12.759 about the fact that it had to be frustrating about 59 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:14.919 the fact that, yes, it was a game for much 60 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:17.599 of the much of the evening mark is as tough 61 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:19.919 as the final score was you had to come from 62 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:22.879 behind all night and you were in the game. You know. 63 00:03:23.479 --> 00:03:26.039 Yeah, that's what Yeah, that's what's frustrated started to cut 64 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:27.680 you off their deck. But it's like, yeah, I mean 65 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:30.360 it felt like got away from you so close, but 66 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:32.199 you're sitting there in the fourth with a two score 67 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.159 game and the ball. But anyway, I finished a question I. 68 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.520 Got you besides with the team when you go back 69 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.199 and look, yeah, yeah, it is like you're not far off, 70 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:41.879 you know what I mean. 71 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:46.039 Again, we gotta we got to finish. We gotta finish drafts. 72 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.879 You know, we know that, we all understand that. You know, 73 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:50.919 when you got the ball in the inside the three, 74 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:52.319 you got to get it in, you know. 75 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:53.199 And and. 76 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:56.439 You know, so we're not as far off we think. 77 00:03:56.479 --> 00:03:59.280 And even defensively, if there's some plays that it looks bad, 78 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:02.400 but you know that that are fixable. We got to 79 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:05.840 get some guys healthy. There's a there's a fine line 80 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:08.759 this week you know, with me, with you know, how 81 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:12.879 how we practice. I don't generally alter mess with my 82 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:16.759 practice schedule in season, I think, but you know, I 83 00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:21.399 have to look at how much banging and how physical 84 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:23.439 we are on Tuesday and Wednesday, like we normally are 85 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:26.519 what good against good because we're getting thin, you know, so, 86 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:29.399 but we'll we'll have them ready to We'll have them 87 00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:29.800 ready to. 88 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:32.920 Go, and they have to be ready because Auburn has 89 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:36.480 played almost everybody. If you look at the scores, almost 90 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:40.360 everybody tough its own worst enemy, and most of its 91 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:44.079 losses lost to Georgia, like thirty one thirteen Georgia is 92 00:04:44.120 --> 00:04:47.639 we know how good Georgia is top ranked again after 93 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:51.040 beating Texas. But you know what Kentucky did against Georgia, 94 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:53.920 played into the final three minutes with a chance to win. 95 00:04:54.839 --> 00:04:58.600 So if Kentucky doesn't beat itself, it's a decent football team. 96 00:04:58.959 --> 00:05:02.839 Same you could say about Auburn, although the Tigers are 97 00:05:02.839 --> 00:05:06.040 in a spiral right now and they got nothing to 98 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:09.000 lose going to well, actually they do because their hopes 99 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:12.240 for postseason are still alive. But I think it's going 100 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:17.920 to be two desperate teams on Saturday Night. But one 101 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:20.920 of the things Stoops also talked about was that streak 102 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:25.199 of postseason play and how it's in jeopardy right now 103 00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:27.639 and they want to keep it alive. 104 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.199 We're in the right now, you know, and trying to 105 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:35.600 win this game, you know, and that's where we have 106 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:39.360 to stay focused. Is important. I mean, I think it 107 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:42.000 is in the grand scheme of things. I mean, you know, 108 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:44.279 there's only eight schools in the country that have gone 109 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:46.439 to eight straight. I mean there's only four in the SEC. 110 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:47.720 It's it's not easy. 111 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:50.759 And I do appreciate it when he brings that up 112 00:05:50.759 --> 00:05:54.800 because he's right, of course, and people love to slough 113 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:59.759 off Bowl appearances anymore. By saying you can schedule yourself 114 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:03.839 to ball game, really, well, then why haven't more teams 115 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:07.079 done it? With all due respect, that's my question. If 116 00:06:07.079 --> 00:06:13.279 it's so confounded simple to do, why haven't more teams 117 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:17.639 scheduled their way to even one of the lower level 118 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:22.439 bowl games? Because it ain't easy. Uh yeah, the powerhouse teams, 119 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:24.360 they're expected to go over you. It's not a big 120 00:06:24.399 --> 00:06:28.240 deal to let down if they have to settle, you know, 121 00:06:28.759 --> 00:06:32.360 for other music, city ball or whatever. And recency biased 122 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:35.319 being what it is. There's an entire I don't know 123 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:38.439 if it's an entire generation, but we're getting there, aren't 124 00:06:38.439 --> 00:06:43.040 we of Kentucky fans who are used to going to 125 00:06:43.040 --> 00:06:45.680 Bowl games. Really you can go back. I guess you 126 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:47.560 could say it's a generation of fans because you can 127 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:51.759 go back to the mid aughts to six, that's eighteen 128 00:06:51.839 --> 00:06:56.439 years ago when Rich Brooks team finally broke through by 129 00:06:56.439 --> 00:07:01.680 beating Matthew Stafford and the Georgia Bulldogs at the Colisseum 130 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:04.319 and won their way to a Music City Bowl. Now 131 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:07.720 people shrugged that off. Do you remember what that was? 132 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:08.000 Like? 133 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:12.519 How much fun that was? And they upset Clemson and 134 00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:15.800 celebrated like they'd want a conference title. It was such 135 00:07:15.800 --> 00:07:19.360 a breakthrough. That's how big those bowl games are. Their 136 00:07:19.439 --> 00:07:22.480 rewards for the fans and their rewards for the players. 137 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:26.639 And yeah, you can be bored about going to the 138 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:29.279 tax Layer Bowl or this or that. I'll trust me 139 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:32.720 on this. The players are not because when the players go, 140 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:35.319 it's the extra month to practice, but they get a 141 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:37.959 per diem, They got all kinds of free stuff, maybe 142 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:41.040 even a new computer, and they get a little jingle 143 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:42.800 in their pocket as well. That's not the only reason 144 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.120 they enjoy going, but it's a big deal. So the 145 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:50.639 Cats need this win on Saturday to keep that dream alive. 146 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:54.360 Kentucky and Auburn, you're gonna hear it right here. First 147 00:07:54.399 --> 00:07:57.319 time they will have played since the COVID season. We'll 148 00:07:57.319 --> 00:07:59.800 talk about that a lot more as the week goes on. 149 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.720 Up next, an interesting comment from the Boston Celtics head coach, 150 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:05.879 a guy who was a thorn in the side of 151 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.519 the Wildcats many years ago. That's next year on six 152 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:12.360 thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider Dick 153 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:14.480 Gabriel with you. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, 154 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:17.560 Daryl Bird, the editor and publisher of The Cats Paws. 155 00:08:17.839 --> 00:08:21.120 We'll talk to him about the yearbook, but also about 156 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:24.639 the latest issue of the magazine, which features on the 157 00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:28.240 cover mister and Missus Mark Pope. Because Daryl did a 158 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:31.399 sit down interview. He did one earlier with Mark. Now 159 00:08:31.399 --> 00:08:33.600 he's done one with LeeAnne Pope, so we'll find out 160 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:35.559 what she had to say a little bit as a 161 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:38.200 little little bit of a teaser for you. And coming 162 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:41.399 up an hour number two, Micahleps of Fox fifty six. 163 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:44.399 He made the road trip down to Gainesville. We call 164 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:47.919 him the road Warrior. Also Darren Headrick of the UK 165 00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:51.320 Sports Network. We're going to talk about UK football with Darren. 166 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:54.879 He's our anchor on our football radio network for the 167 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:59.679 Scoreboard Show, but also UK women's basketball baseball, and he 168 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:03.879 wore excuse me, the blue white game games I should 169 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:06.960 say plural. The women and the men played on Friday. 170 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.600 We were all down in Gainesville, Tom Leach and the 171 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:12.120 rest of the crew, so Darren sat in doing both 172 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:15.639 men's and women's basketball. So that's coming up in our 173 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:19.000 number two. I wanted to share with you some things 174 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:22.759 that I found earlier today. First and foremost, this is 175 00:09:22.799 --> 00:09:26.679 a comment from Joe Missoula. He is the head coach 176 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:31.960 of the Boston Celtics, the reigning world champions. And you 177 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:35.759 probably know of Joe Missoula if you're a Kentucky fan, 178 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:41.799 because he played at West Virginia and he was the 179 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:47.639 author of the greatest game in his career, picked the 180 00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:51.440 worst time for Kentucky fans to have the greatest game 181 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:56.879 of his career. In the Elite Eight in twenty ten, 182 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:01.039 Missoula went off on the Way Wildcats that was the 183 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:06.879 Cousin's John Wall team and kept Kentucky had in the 184 00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:09.720 final four. And to this day, I know you had 185 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:11.879 a team that almost went undefeated. I know you had 186 00:10:11.879 --> 00:10:15.639 a team that won a national championship. Talking about Caliperia 187 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:19.440 at Kentucky, I'm not so sure his first team was 188 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:22.960 his best team. Yeah, because not only did they have 189 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:26.320 Wall and Cousins, they had Patrick Patterson. They had a 190 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.720 ton of points or a ton of talent. But Joe 191 00:10:29.720 --> 00:10:33.519 Mozula scored a career high seventeen points and by the way, 192 00:10:34.200 --> 00:10:38.240 it was his first start of the year. In the tournament, 193 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:43.440 Wildcats were stone cold, and West Virginia pulled off the 194 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:48.320 upset in the East Region final seventy three to sixty six, 195 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:54.440 keeping John Caliperry's first UK team out of the final four. 196 00:10:55.320 --> 00:11:00.360 Bob Huggins goes on to the final four. Remember a 197 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:05.200 few years later, Huggins runs into trouble. He's fired, But 198 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:08.200 prior to that, he had a kid named Oscar Shebwey 199 00:11:08.519 --> 00:11:12.120 who was not working out the way Huggins wanted or 200 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:15.919 the way Oscar wanted. So Oscar transfers to Kentucky and 201 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:21.159 becomes player of the Year one year, but kind of 202 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:24.159 a problem the next is they just could not find 203 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:27.840 an offense that meshed around him. I kind of digress, 204 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:33.039 but Missoula goes on to a coaching career after helping 205 00:11:33.080 --> 00:11:36.440 to eliminate a Kentucky team that that year, when thirty 206 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:41.480 five and three. Kentucky missed its first twenty attempts from 207 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:46.840 three point range, finished four of thirty two. That's just 208 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:50.039 to tick worse or I'm sorry, just to take better 209 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:55.279 than three for thirty three that Kentucky hit or missed 210 00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:03.200 in Seattle in nineteen eighty four. Man frustrating. Anyhow, I 211 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:07.519 bring this up because Mozilla had a really, really fascinating 212 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:11.399 comment to a good question from a Boston reporter a 213 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:17.720 media day about how Mozilla balances the pressure from the 214 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:21.320 media and dealing with the Boston media. He didn't say 215 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:23.720 it that way, but I am because the Boston media 216 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:27.440 is different from Lexington and Louisville Rougher, I gotta say 217 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:29.919 it's just a just that kind of market. Seems like 218 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:32.440 I had a guy work for me from Boston. He 219 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.759 was always angry. Everything made him angry, and that just 220 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:38.519 seems like an angry city. And I don't live there. 221 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:40.679 I haven't spent a lot of time there. Maybe that's 222 00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:43.879 not fair, but just in knowing the way the media 223 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:48.840 cover sports in Boston, so this guy asked Mozilla about 224 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:53.159 handling that as a head coach, and this was his response, 225 00:12:53.200 --> 00:12:55.080 which I thought was pretty deep. 226 00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:58.039 I just don't look at it as pressure because like 227 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:00.919 a Boston media member or some they expected me to win, 228 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:02.559 Like they don't have a weapon, Like they're not gonna 229 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:03.919 like come after me, or we don't win. 230 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:07.000 Like if you're saying words so like they don't mean anything. 231 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:09.320 They're just words. We're just saying them because you have 232 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:09.759 to say them. 233 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:13.480 You're attractionally obligated to write a you know, five hundred 234 00:13:13.559 --> 00:13:16.559 page article after our word article after they're just words. 235 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:19.120 You can't do anything, and so it's just a made 236 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:21.679 up word. We don't have a pressure if we love. 237 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:23.600 We're not losing our life. Like we're not surgeons, we're 238 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:26.679 not like in the military. We coach basketball for a living, 239 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:28.600 and no one's putting. 240 00:13:28.279 --> 00:13:31.559 More pressure and expectations than we are in ourselves. 241 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:35.399 And it's like we have a responsibility. 242 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.639 And we have an ownership. And like I ask guys 243 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:39.120 all the time, like would you rather have someone expect 244 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.240 you to lose or win? Like if you came up 245 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:42.639 with you, we're like, man, I really expected you to 246 00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:43.120 lose that game. 247 00:13:43.120 --> 00:13:44.039 I would be best. 248 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:46.320 But it's like you come up to me like you 249 00:13:46.360 --> 00:13:47.080 should have won that game. 250 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:49.519 It's like, yeah, that's that's what we signed up for, 251 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.000 you know, So I think it's just the perspective of 252 00:13:52.039 --> 00:13:54.159 how you look at it and like the truth. You know, 253 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:57.559 but words have power, No, they don't if you look them, 254 00:13:57.720 --> 00:13:59.759 Like if you allow words to take your personal power, 255 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:02.440 then yes, So I don't allow words to take my 256 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:05.399 personal power, and like that's just important. Like words don't 257 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:07.039 have good they only have power of you allowed me, 258 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:08.440 And like that's what. 259 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:09.320 I try to teach my kids. 260 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:11.279 It's like I don't give what someone says to you, 261 00:14:11.320 --> 00:14:13.360 Like did you allow that to have an impact on you? 262 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:15.759 Like he didn't put his hands on you, he didn't 263 00:14:15.759 --> 00:14:17.440 touch me, he didn't like to do anything. He said 264 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:18.000 something to me. 265 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:21.360 So now you have a choice to like decide how 266 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.320 you're going to interpret that. So, like, it's not pressure. 267 00:14:24.440 --> 00:14:26.279 There's nothing anyone in the circle can do to me 268 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.200 that's going to impact my identity and who I am 269 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:30.639 as a personal We're either going to win or we're not. 270 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:32.840 In forty years from now, none of you are invited 271 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:34.639 to my funeral. And that's it. 272 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:35.559 That's it. 273 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:41.399 That is probably the most mature answer I've ever heard 274 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:44.960 from a coach when it comes to dealing with the 275 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.519 media and you know, you could say, well, it's kind 276 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.679 of short sighted because you want to keep the fans 277 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:55.759 on your side. He knows that when you win, you 278 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:58.960 don't have to worry about that. When you lose, you 279 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:01.120 don't worry about that because nothing you say is going 280 00:15:01.200 --> 00:15:05.759 to change anything. And I'm not knocking coaches who are 281 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:10.600 sensitive to what the media say and what fans say, 282 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:15.159 because you need to know. But it's a matter of 283 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:17.679 how much do you take that to heart and how 284 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:21.360 do you let that dictate your words and your actions. 285 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:26.240 And the best coaches are secure enough to not let 286 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:31.639 it dictate some can't handle it. I really like Mozilla's 287 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:37.759 answer though. I thought that was fascinating. And again, he 288 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:42.080 didn't single handily eliminate the Wildcats, but he played a 289 00:15:42.080 --> 00:15:48.879 big part in that particular season. And yeah, I know 290 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:52.559 the twenty twelve team had Ad and it had Michael Kid, 291 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:56.600 Gil Christen, a lot of talent, But man, I mean, 292 00:15:56.639 --> 00:16:00.559 if you match them up Cousins versus and Thanny David 293 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:04.799 at that stage of their careers, I think Cousins can 294 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:08.440 neutralize him. Who on that twenty twelve team is going 295 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:11.679 to cover John Wall Marcus Tige. I don't think so 296 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:16.759 cal Perry's first team thanks to the fact that Patrick 297 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:22.240 Patterson has stuck around and others had depth. The twenty 298 00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:25.799 twelve team did as well, but I still think that 299 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:30.840 the twenty ten team would have handled that twenty twelve 300 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.519 I think it was Cali Perry's best team, even better 301 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:37.440 than the team that went nearly undefeated. I do. That's 302 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:41.879 how good I think Patterson, Cousins, and Waal were. Got 303 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:44.360 one other comment to share with you. Scott Van Pelt 304 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:50.600 was talking to Steph Currier on Steph Curry on ESPN, 305 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:54.519 and as they were signing off, Curry gave a shout 306 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:58.480 out to the Carolina Panthers. Steph Curry grew up in Charlotte, 307 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:01.360 was born there his day, had played for the Hornets, 308 00:17:01.399 --> 00:17:04.720 the original Hornets, and was tight with Rex Chapman, their 309 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:09.559 best buddies. Rex I think is Steph's godfather at any rate. 310 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:12.079 I know he has talked more than once about changing 311 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:18.000 Steph's diapers. So yeah, he grew up in Carolina. So yeah, 312 00:17:18.200 --> 00:17:20.200 we plays for the Golden State Warriors, but he's a 313 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:24.920 Carolina Panthers fan and he tossed in Go Panthers toward 314 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:27.000 the end of the interview and listen to listen to 315 00:17:27.079 --> 00:17:30.920 Van Pelt's response, and he cracked up. Steph Curry put 316 00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:32.960 the ellipses at the end right on. You know that 317 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:34.720 there's a lot more in the tank for sure. 318 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:37.160 We look forward to the season which gets underwear Wednesday 319 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:38.200 for you all in Portland. 320 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:39.440 Always great to visit with your. 321 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:40.839 Steph and stay well until the next time. 322 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:45.720 A right, absolutely and go Panthers. Good luck with that, 323 00:17:50.200 --> 00:17:52.720 Keith Poundered. STEP's a big Carolina Panthers fan. 324 00:17:53.480 --> 00:17:55.279 I love that. And again you can see on camera 325 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:59.119 still Steph Curry cracked up when Van Peltz said that. 326 00:17:59.279 --> 00:18:02.000 So anyhow I'd share that with you. Up next, Darryl 327 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:03.920 Bird of the cast Ball is to talk about the 328 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:06.759 basketball and football Cats here on the Big Moon Sider 329 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:10.559 six thirty. W Lap welcome back joining us on our 330 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.119 celebrity highline. Is a long time friends of the show 331 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:17.640 and I always talk Darryl Bird about Overlap, especially in October. 332 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:21.079 Nobody knows that more than you because you've been working 333 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:24.400 on the basketball yearbook since the middle of the summer. Really, 334 00:18:24.720 --> 00:18:27.480 iid as soon as you h put to put to 335 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:30.599 bed the football yearbook you start in. But got mine 336 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:34.200 the other day the cover story energized. Are you pleased 337 00:18:34.200 --> 00:18:35.559 with the way it turned out? 338 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:39.519 Very, very pleased? Probably probably one of my favorite covers 339 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:41.599 that I've put together. And just of course I'm an 340 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:44.079 old Star Trek fan way back when, so I couldn't 341 00:18:44.079 --> 00:18:46.880 pass up. And it just hit me one day that 342 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:49.000 that's that's the way the whole fan base is, and 343 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:52.880 that's the way Mark Pope's personality is. It's just an 344 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:55.799 injection of pure energy into everything right now. And you 345 00:18:55.799 --> 00:18:58.200 can just tell it by I don't know if you've 346 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:00.160 been you could go down to the Craft Center in 347 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:04.079 the weeks after the hire. It was like this weight 348 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:07.319 had just been lifted all that Hire building. Everybody was 349 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:10.920 smiling and laughing, and it's like, it's just I mean, 350 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.680 I love Cal working with, got along Gray with fifteen years, 351 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:16.599 but it was just time to change. That happens happens 352 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:17.119 with everything. 353 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:21.119 Yeah, things just weren't going well and the whole building 354 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:24.359 feels in media fans, I mean, that's the way it 355 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:27.559 is when you got a hut profile program, right yeah. 356 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:30.480 And I don't know if you catch the SEC media 357 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:36.599 days in Birmingham, cal Cal's portion, I was like, oh no, 358 00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:39.160 he said, Yeah, I took a COVID test yesterday. I 359 00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:41.279 hopeing I wouldn't have to come down here. I'm like, really, 360 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:44.640 oh man, that's where that's where you're gonna go already, 361 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:49.880 has he? I don't miss that, has. 362 00:19:49.680 --> 00:19:51.920 He told the Arkansas fan. Yet he doesn't care about 363 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:52.880 the SEC title. 364 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:56.039 I don't know, not that I'm aware of yet. 365 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.119 Yeah. Man, he kept towards the end trying to walk 366 00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:03.119 stuff back. But anyway, let us move on as the 367 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:07.880 program has. Those covers are fun. I don't know how 368 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:10.720 much of a challenge they are for you to come 369 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:12.160 up with some I'm sure it is to come up 370 00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:16.599 with something new every year, But there are times you've 371 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:20.440 asked players to dress up or hold props or wear 372 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:23.960 a hat or something. Are they usually pretty good about that? 373 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:27.240 You have to sell them on it. 374 00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:31.000 The only time the hats was the only time that 375 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:33.519 I ran into any kind. Even then they it was 376 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:35.920 more it was the hairs and twins and Jewish random 377 00:20:35.920 --> 00:20:39.519 because they were in Texas. So we went down that road. 378 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:42.440 And I guess I can say this on the ear, 379 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:43.839 but they opened up the rocks. I showed a due 380 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:48.640 he's ran he said, oh hell, no, and the worst 381 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:52.200 part was it wasn't that, it was that we were 382 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:55.440 taking the photo and all of their teammates are behind it. 383 00:20:56.759 --> 00:21:01.240 Unlimited grief about everything. But we did one one year 384 00:21:01.279 --> 00:21:03.119 where they had a lot of international players and I 385 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.240 ordered that was great flags. I ordered flags from all 386 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.480 over and they had a ball with those, the guys 387 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:12.079 Canada and Haiti and hell, they were having it such 388 00:21:12.079 --> 00:21:13.799 a good time running around with those things, so that 389 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:16.400 one had no problem once I've ever getting them to 390 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:17.240 participate there. 391 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:19.440 I don't know if you remember, but you you were 392 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:21.839 kind enough to lend me a lot of your photos 393 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:25.359 and I produced a TV piece and I think I 394 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:30.880 downloaded the national anthems for particular countries. That was a 395 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:33.359 fascinating and a pretty good team, as I recall. 396 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:34.640 It was a good team. 397 00:21:34.680 --> 00:21:35.839 But yeah, how. 398 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.480 Do players feel about being on the cover. I mean, 399 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:41.920 do they feign like, oh, come on? But I got 400 00:21:41.920 --> 00:21:42.799 to think they like it? 401 00:21:43.200 --> 00:21:44.039