WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.120 --> 00:00:03.279 Welcome to the Big blon Sider to Gabrielle with you. 2 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:06.839 Thursday edition of our program. Coming up tonight, we'll talk 3 00:00:06.839 --> 00:00:09.640 with Daryl Bird of the Cats Pause. He is the 4 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:13.679 editor and publisher and a guy who every year goes 5 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:17.280 down to the SEC meetings in Florida, down in Destin, 6 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:19.920 and as far as I can tell, he's the only 7 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:24.160 journalist from the UK beat who makes that trip. And 8 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:26.039 I could be wrong about that, but I mean, Daryl 9 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:29.320 goes down there every year and he always comes back 10 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.240 with a notebook chock full of information and stories. He 11 00:00:33.320 --> 00:00:36.759 posts from down there and calls upon the information and 12 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:41.039 bangs out story and column after column after story, uses 13 00:00:41.079 --> 00:00:47.600 it within the upcoming preseason yearbooks, both football and basketball. 14 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.159 Just a lot of info and of course not just 15 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:53.640 UK people, but the Commissioner talks to everybody you can 16 00:00:53.759 --> 00:00:56.280 down there, and this year is no different. And had 17 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:58.399 to sit down with Mitch Barnhardt, had to sit down 18 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.600 with Mark Pope exclusive because you know he's the only 19 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:03.560 guy there. He'll talk to Mark Stoops, he may have 20 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:05.760 already done it. He always talks to his troops, I 21 00:01:05.799 --> 00:01:07.879 think when he comes back and they have a sit 22 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:10.640 down when it comes to what they need for the 23 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:16.799 preseason magazine. But Mark Pope has talked about different topics 24 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.599 regarding basketball, what he would like to see, you know, 25 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:23.359 the forty game schedule and things like that. But among 26 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:27.640 the changes Mark Pope would like to see, and he 27 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:31.680 talked about going to quarters four quarters, he wasn't all 28 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:35.000 that excited either way about it. I have constantly said 29 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:42.000 there is zero reason, none, zip for US college basketball 30 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:45.439 to be the only form of the game that plays 31 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:49.040 two twenty minute halves. Is that big a deal? Not really, 32 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:54.200 But I agree with anybody who says it would improve 33 00:01:54.719 --> 00:01:57.840 the product, it would improve the fan experience, It would 34 00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:02.200 improve things for everybody really because and if you follow 35 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:05.799 women's basketball, you know this in the NBA as well. 36 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:11.159 It resets the foul situation overseas. It does as well 37 00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:15.319 unless you like a steady parade of free throw shooting 38 00:02:16.159 --> 00:02:19.800 at the end of the first and second halves, then 39 00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:22.840 leave it the way it is, but otherwise change it up. 40 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:26.520 And you know one of the first arguments as well, 41 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:31.479 the TV timeouts or no no trust me. After a 42 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.800 career in television, TV executives will figure out how to 43 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:39.719 get their commercials in, how to get the brakes and 44 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:43.000 how to get their money. Nobody's going hungry, trust me 45 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.719 on this. Nobody's missing a payday, nobody's missing a paycheck. 46 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:49.919 Get it done. But one of the other topics that 47 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:52.039 came up, and it's on the cast Ball site today, 48 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:54.439 Darrel's got a story and we talked to Daryl coming 49 00:02:54.520 --> 00:02:57.680 up to the bottom of the hour. But one of 50 00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:01.000 the things that Mark Pope was pushing forward. He mentioned 51 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:03.400 this at a news conference here in lexinon not long ago. 52 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:07.960 He would like to see that same rule they use 53 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:12.639 in pro ball and in the women's game, where in 54 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:16.199 the closing moments of a game, you're under your own basket. 55 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.520 The other team's drained a bucket. Now you're behind. If 56 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.840 you call time out, you get to put the ball 57 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:28.240 in bounds at mid court. I'm not crazy about that. 58 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:32.759 And by coincidence just the other day, because every now 59 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:35.319 and then he'll tweet about it. Mike the course, he 60 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:37.520 had the Sporting News, for my money, the best college 61 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:41.199 basketball writer in the country. He's a regular guest on 62 00:03:41.240 --> 00:03:43.280 the Leach Report. And I was sitting in for Tom 63 00:03:43.800 --> 00:03:45.639 a week or two ago and I talked to Mike 64 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:50.080 about this and got him going on it, among other things. 65 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:57.240 But I had Mike de Corsi explain his passionate feelings 66 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:02.159 about this. He is absolutely told opposed to this rule change. 67 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:04.080 I don't think I'm being logical here. I don't think 68 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.960 I'm taking this to extremes. Right, what if in baseball? Okay, 69 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.240 so we want the great finish. So if you get 70 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:12.360 you know that ghost runner thing they do to make 71 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:14.360 the game as faster. Well, here we're gonna make it 72 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.040 even faster. We're gonna bring in a batting practice pitcher 73 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:19.519 to pitch to your best hitter, and then we can 74 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:21.439 have this great finish where the guy hits it in 75 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:24.120 the in the seats that everybody walks off. I mean, 76 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:28.079 that's that's that's the logic that we're talking about it. 77 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:31.839 It's it's unbelievable to me that people who love the 78 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:35.199 sport of basketball don't love it enough to see what 79 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:39.160 what garbage? The the the advanced the ball timeout is. 80 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:40.639 Here's the thing that really. 81 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:43.879 Drives me, uh that that that's the number one thing 82 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:48.920 about it, the the uh, the obliteration of competitive logic. 83 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:51.600 That's the thing that drives me craziest about it. But 84 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:54.680 the secondary thing is you don't even pay a price, 85 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.519 because like if if they said, Okay, here's the deal. 86 00:04:58.839 --> 00:05:00.759 We're gonna take your time out, but you guys got 87 00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:03.680 to go run a play without talking to your guys 88 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:06.920 like nobody they because you're you're getting the timeout and 89 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:10.639 the forty five feet, so you should get one or 90 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:14.279 the other. If you're going to try to defend this rule, 91 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:16.959 you should get the timeout so your guys can rest, 92 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:19.319 or you should get the forty five to fifty feet 93 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:21.639 whatever it is, and then you run a play. You 94 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:23.720 better have run it well in practice, because you're not 95 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:28.000 getting any help from the sideline that like, I don't 96 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:30.120 I don't like that rule at all, but I'd like 97 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:33.160 it a tiny I'd hate it a tiny bit less 98 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:34.279 if you get it that way. 99 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:38.399 I got you Mike the course of the Sporting News 100 00:05:38.439 --> 00:05:40.800 talking with me in a recent edition of the Leech Report, 101 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:42.920 and quite frankly, I knew that was low hanging fruit 102 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:46.959 because I knew that that would get him really cranked up. 103 00:05:47.759 --> 00:05:50.160 And I love it. Mike. To me, what I really 104 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:54.600 like about him, beyond just his writing ability, is he 105 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:57.720 can have a hot take. He'll come up with something 106 00:05:57.800 --> 00:06:04.040 almost immediately as far too many people do on social media. 107 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:09.959 But he does not subscribe to herd mentality. If everybody's 108 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:14.319 piling on when it comes to one particular topic and 109 00:06:14.360 --> 00:06:17.800 it's not just for the sake of it, Mike can 110 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:22.000 dig through all the nonsense and see the logic immediately 111 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:25.279 and present his side. And every now and then I'll 112 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:30.120 retweet by saying, simply, there you go, using common sense again, 113 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:32.959 or on Facebook or whatever. And that's one of the 114 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.680 many things I like about Mike de Corsi, just the 115 00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:39.439 fact that he uses common sense so often. But it's 116 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:41.120 fun when he gets cranked up. And I'll tell you what, 117 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:45.360 he had a great reason to get cranked up. I 118 00:06:45.399 --> 00:06:49.040 don't know if you follow such things, but the Pittsburgh 119 00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:53.000 Pirates are struggling so badly right now in Major League Baseball, 120 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.519 and they're making all kinds of dumb moves, and they 121 00:06:55.519 --> 00:06:57.800 say they're not going to trade Paul Schemes, but who 122 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:00.959 knows anyhow. One of the things they did recently, and 123 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:06.319 this just shocked me, befuddles me, is they were doing 124 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:12.279 some kind of renovation or something and they dug up, basically. 125 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:14.639 And I've been to that stadium. It's a great ballpark. 126 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:20.439 But this pathway, this runway that was lined with bricks 127 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:24.079 that had been purchased by Pirates fans, you know the 128 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:26.560 way that they do it at the YMCA. If you 129 00:07:26.680 --> 00:07:31.480 want to contribute, you can purchase a brick and either 130 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:33.600 put your name on it or in memory of or 131 00:07:33.639 --> 00:07:37.160 an honor of whatever. And so they had this walkway 132 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:41.160 lined with bricks of Pirates fans, and they dug them 133 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:44.839 all up and threw them away, and oh man, Mike 134 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:47.000 went after him on social media, and I don't blame him. 135 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:50.319 What possible reason do you have with it? That is 136 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:56.800 the absolute epitome of corporate thumbing its collective nose at fans. 137 00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:01.800 So anyway, yeah, my thanks to the leech. And you 138 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:05.680 can read Darryl's story at two four seven sports dot 139 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:10.040 com Backslash College Backslash Kentucky. Subscribe to the cash Boss 140 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:13.680 if you haven't already. While we're talking Kentucky coaches, the 141 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.720 former UK coach, Mark Pope's coach, the guy he will 142 00:08:16.720 --> 00:08:19.920 face or at lease his team will face down in 143 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.720 Atlanta later this year, Saint John's Rick Patino, naturally his 144 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:29.240 name floated in New York City about a potential replacement 145 00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:31.279 for Tom Thibodau. And this does not mean he's a 146 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:34.120 candidate for the job. I say this over and over. 147 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:39.879 Just because a writer or broadcaster or you know, Twitter 148 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.639 author floats a list of candidates quote unquote, that doesn't 149 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:48.200 mean they are. That's just people supposing who might be 150 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:51.240 out there. And of course Patino formerly coached and that 151 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:53.840 coached the Knicks for two years before he left New 152 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:58.759 York for Kentucky, and Patino said he is zero interest 153 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:02.279 in becoming a head coach of the Knicks. He was 154 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.799 on a broadcast last night of the Yankees and the 155 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:10.080 Guardians and they asked him, would you be interested? He said, 156 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:11.639 I think whoever comes in, if he doesn't get to 157 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:14.559 the finals, it's going to be deemed an unsuccessful season. 158 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.080 So whoever comes in has got so much pressure on 159 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:20.399 them to take this team to the next level, because 160 00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:23.879 that's why they're doing it obviously in their minds. Of course, 161 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:28.039 they fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, even though he had 162 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.519 taken the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals for the 163 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:38.000 first time in twenty five years. And cbssports dot com 164 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:42.200 on Instagram today they have a great graphic. They went 165 00:09:42.279 --> 00:09:47.679 back and looked at the Chicago Bulls. He was there 166 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:52.919 twenty fourteen and fifteen. They went fifty and thirty two 167 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:56.120 in his final season, fired him the next year. The 168 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:59.559 Bulls without him forty two and forty the next year 169 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:03.759 on one and forty one. A couple years later, he 170 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:06.039 was the head coach in Minnesota with the Timberwolves for 171 00:10:06.120 --> 00:10:10.840 two seasons, forty seven and thirty five in his final season. 172 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:14.360 Next year they fire him. Next year, they fired him 173 00:10:14.360 --> 00:10:17.000 mid season after a nineteen and twenty one start. They 174 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:20.799 finished thirty six and forty six. The year after that, 175 00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:26.120 nineteen and forty five. So now the Knicks, after a 176 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:31.559 fifty one and thirty one season they fire him, And 177 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:34.039 now they got, of course next year question mark after 178 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:38.799 that question mark. But that just goes to show that'd 179 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:41.519 be careful what you wish for when you're getting rid 180 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:46.200 of your coach. But the next coach of the New 181 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:50.879 York Knickerbuckers will not be Rick Pattino. Up next, more 182 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:53.679 bad news for the Cincinnati Reds. Bottom of the Arradaryl 183 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:55.919 Bird a little bit later on Ryan Black of the 184 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:58.960 Louisville Courrier Journal, and then we'll kind of go deep 185 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:02.960 on the hiring by Eku, a former Wildcat player and 186 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:06.320 assistant coach Jan Weisberg. That's next on the Big Blue 187 00:11:06.320 --> 00:11:10.200 and Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big 188 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:13.000 Blue Insider. Coming up, Darryl Bird of the Cats pause 189 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.799 talking about his trip to Florida to the SEC meetings 190 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:20.679 and his conversations with Mitch Barnhardt and with Mark Pope. 191 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:24.759 If you're a Reds fan, well, you're having another tough season. 192 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:28.200 I know. Every time you get something to be excited about, 193 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:31.840 it seems well, something bad happens. And of late it's 194 00:11:31.879 --> 00:11:34.679 been Hunter Green and he was the former first round 195 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:37.399 draft pick who finally looked like a first round draft 196 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:40.720 pick on the mound, but he needs an MRI and 197 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:43.759 now he has a groin injury. Was pulled five innings 198 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:49.799 into Tuesday Nights game against the Milwaukee Brewers, and again 199 00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:53.919 he was pitching well, but spent fifteen days on the 200 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:56.639 injured list since then. Made three starts because of a 201 00:11:56.679 --> 00:12:01.200 groin strain back in early May, and was warming up 202 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:04.120 for the fourth inning when he summed the athletic trainer 203 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:07.440 on Tuesday Nights. That is not as bad as it 204 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:10.440 felt in Atlanta, but it's still as he said, grabbed. 205 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.759 But this was a guy who made his first All 206 00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:18.679 Star appearance last year and this year in eleven starts 207 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:21.879 four and three two point seven two ERA. That's big 208 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:26.360 league stuff man twenty five years old and was pitching 209 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:30.000 well against the Brewers when he went down. He faced 210 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:34.559 twenty three Milwaukee batters and threw first pitch strikes to 211 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:39.600 all of them. And according to one of those outfits 212 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:42.840 that keeps track of such things, sports Radar, he is 213 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:47.080 the second pitcher to have one hundred percent first strike 214 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:50.639 rate when facing twenty three or more batters since they 215 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:55.200 began keeping track of his stuff in two thousand. There 216 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:56.919 was a guy for the Tigers who did it back 217 00:12:56.960 --> 00:12:59.720 in twenty seventeen. But that sounds like one of those 218 00:12:59.759 --> 00:13:03.559 animalytics where you're like, whatever, no, this is such a key. 219 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:08.720 And if you followed UK baseball, you know what it 220 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:12.240 looks like when a team you're watching, following rooting for 221 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:15.879 has a pitching staff that cannot get ahead of hitters. 222 00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:21.360 You got a guy who can beyond routinely throw a 223 00:13:21.399 --> 00:13:25.000 first pitch strike. Man, that guy is going to be 224 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:28.080 good and is good, and now he's got to sit 225 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:31.440 for a while. So if you're a Reds fan and 226 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:33.559 I root for the resimen, I don't root for the Cardinals. 227 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.480 Hang in there. I don't know if better days are ahead, 228 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.919 but they are for Hunter Green, that's for sure. By 229 00:13:38.919 --> 00:13:41.480 the way, speaking of college baseball, and if you follow 230 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:45.840 the Cats, you saw Jack cagleone play against the Wildcats. 231 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:50.399 He's a former Florida Gator. Well now, he was one 232 00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:55.279 of the fastest rising players in the minor leagues in 233 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:58.240 the Kansas City Royals organization. Hell, he's been called up 234 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:03.679 now he's a big Fans got excited, media got excited, 235 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:09.480 except for some of the media types who scratched their 236 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:14.559 heads overs because when you're talking about baseball, you can 237 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.240 only bring a guy up or send him down so 238 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:21.960 many times, and it's all about timing oftentimes. And of 239 00:14:21.960 --> 00:14:24.440 course the Royals wanted to bring him up, get the 240 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:29.159 fans excited, sell tickets, and maybe he can help Kansas City. 241 00:14:29.240 --> 00:14:33.320 Right now in the American League Central is in fourth place, 242 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:37.879 eight games behind the Tigers. I don't know if Caglion 243 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:40.840 can help him make that up, But as more than 244 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:45.919 one reporter has pointed out, they may end up losing 245 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:50.480 him in the long run because of this move, and 246 00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:54.360 one reporter called it the single most irresponsible move I've 247 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:57.080 seen in a long time. Evidently, if they had waited 248 00:14:57.159 --> 00:15:01.120 until after the middle of June, they are portration clock 249 00:15:01.320 --> 00:15:04.240 would have started a year later because they brought him 250 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:11.039 up relatively quickly. Now he gets to go to arbitration 251 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:14.279 a year earlier, where the Royals will either have to 252 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:18.120 pay up or say goodbye to him, and of course 253 00:15:18.399 --> 00:15:20.840 they'll have to fight off the Yankees, the Mats. The Dodgers. 254 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:24.399 Royal is a small market team that did win a 255 00:15:24.440 --> 00:15:29.720 World Series some years back, proving it can be done. 256 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:32.080 But they might have screwed up with Jack Hagleon. He 257 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:36.559 was a two way guy at Florida pitcher and hitter, 258 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:40.600 but was signed by the Royals as a position player 259 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:44.960 as a hitter, and this may be a mistake. Maybe 260 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:48.639 it works out for him, could be a mistake. If 261 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:50.799 you listen, you know I'm a Charles Barkley fan. I 262 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:53.159 pulled clips from what used to be the Inside the 263 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:56.519 NBA on TNT show, and we'll keep doing it whatever 264 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:59.360 they end up, whatever they end up calling the new show. 265 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:05.200 Barkley on his podcast has talked about how terrible the 266 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:08.000 NBA All Star Game has become it's a waste of 267 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:11.639 time unless you like seeing guys throw down outrageous dunks 268 00:16:11.679 --> 00:16:14.159 and all that. It's not as bad as the NFL 269 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:17.360 All Star situation. But again, the only really good All 270 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:22.200 Star game is baseball because they play defense. That's what 271 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:29.639 makes for a great game. Well, Adam Silver has announced 272 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:34.200 there will be a change to the NBA All Star format, 273 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.320 and I bring up Barkley because he's been stumping for 274 00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:41.279 this for a while, but Silver confirms that in twenty 275 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:45.519 twenty six it will be the USA versus the World. 276 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.720 They're not entirely sure what the actual format will be, 277 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:53.960 but of course there are so many foreign born players 278 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.840 in the league now that if they actually go at it, 279 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:59.600 this could be a really great situation. And by the way, 280 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:04.680 remember your reigning NBA MVP, former Kentucky Wildcat Shay Gilgris. 281 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:10.200 Alexander would be on the World team from Canada, so 282 00:17:10.359 --> 00:17:14.720 he would be part of the squad that faces the 283 00:17:14.960 --> 00:17:19.279 American born NBA players. And one of the things that 284 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:24.599 helped prompt this was the NHL introducing the Four Nations 285 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.480 face off in lieu of a traditional All Star Game 286 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.079 this year and it was crazy successful. The first meeting 287 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:38.079 between the US and Canada drew more than ten million viewers. 288 00:17:38.119 --> 00:17:43.160 The finale got nine point three million on ESPN alone. 289 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:46.839 That's a hockey record for the network. You better believe 290 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.880 they took note of that. So that's why the NBA 291 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:52.559 is going to make a change, and it's a good one, 292 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:55.880 or should be. And you know who else might play 293 00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:59.000 for that world team if he's voted in. Jamal Murray 294 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.599 Canadian born, I don't know, they don't make it, but 295 00:18:02.680 --> 00:18:06.640 Oscar sheib Way foreign born players. So yeah. Several out 296 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:11.359 of UK and a lot in the NBA talked about 297 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:15.200 bad news for Reds fans, some shocking news for Philadelphia 298 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:20.079 Eagles fans, nothing immediately pressing, but Saquon Barkley, who carried 299 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.160 that to what didn't carry them, but was the key, 300 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:26.079 I think to their Super Bowl Championship run. He told 301 00:18:26.119 --> 00:18:29.839 an interviewer the other day that he might retire in 302 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.079 the next year or two or four, and when he does, 303 00:18:33.160 --> 00:18:36.079 it'll be just yep, that's it. I'm done. And he 304 00:18:36.160 --> 00:18:40.400 kind of referred to Barry Sanders who left early compared 305 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:43.839 to some other great players, and Barkley, of course, he's 306 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:46.319 got all the money in the world now says he 307 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:49.319 might just do the same thing. Oh that is scary 308 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:53.079 stuff if you're an Eagles fan. Also if you're a 309 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:56.160 fantasy football player. But we won't get into that. Up next, 310 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:58.359 Daryl Bird of the Cats balls on six point thirty 311 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:03.079 wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue in Cider. Let 312 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:05.279 us say welcome back to Darryl Bird. He is the 313 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:09.480 editor of the Cat's Pause and he is back from Florida. Darryl, 314 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:11.960 you make the annual trip down there to the spring meetings. 315 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:14.640 He makes a little pleasure with business, I know, but 316 00:19:15.079 --> 00:19:17.240 we talk every year about how that is such a 317 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:21.640 fertile ground for information and sometimes breaking news. What was 318 00:19:21.640 --> 00:19:22.359 it like this time? 319 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:28.079 Kind of the same, A lot of great information, especially 320 00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:31.559 with Mark Pope and Mitch Barhard. I get to do 321 00:19:31.599 --> 00:19:34.440 one on ones with him, which is really cool. But 322 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:38.160 the last few years, as an entire group, it's been 323 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:39.599 not frustrating. 324 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:40.480 That's not fair. 325 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:43.599 But we keep waiting for a resolution on this and 326 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:45.799 I we thought, we know that we first talked about 327 00:19:45.799 --> 00:19:48.240 this like four years ago at that spring meeting, and 328 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:51.359 here we are and still doesn't appear to be that 329 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:54.559 much closer to having something finalized. It's in the chaos, 330 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.960 and it's changed a lot from when they first introduced 331 00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:00.920 it and people were talking about it down there. We 332 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:03.079 just everything keeps changing. We can't seem to get to 333 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:07.279 a finish, finish line, which everybody wants. I think everybody 334 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:09.680 down there is in the opinion. I don't care what 335 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:12.720 the rules are. Just tell me, you know, make it 336 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:14.640 a level playing field for everybody, so we all know 337 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:17.400 what's what we can and can't do, and then we'll adjust. 338 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:20.480 We'll get on with it. But right now they're adjusting 339 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:23.119 as best they can with with you know, no guardrails 340 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:24.039 in place whatsoever. 341 00:20:24.920 --> 00:20:28.359 Yeah, you know, when all this began, you probably recall 342 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:31.559 that Barnhard was getting black because people thought he was 343 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:34.720 dragging his feed and then they try to make it 344 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:37.960 sound like he was fighting it. And all you had 345 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:39.400 to do was ask him, and he tells you, we 346 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:42.880 just need guardrails so we don't make any mistakes. And 347 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:46.079 Kentucky did make mistakes with some football players who got 348 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:50.720 in trouble, uh with you know, loosely or unsupervised in 349 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:55.960 ilse situations. Uh. But those guardrails, like you said, if 350 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:57.799 they're out there. I don't even know what they might be. 351 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:00.519 You know, no there are any. And I had a 352 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:03.960 really good conversation with Mark Pope about and it ended 353 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:06.079 up being about guard rails, but it was about his 354 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:09.599 He's been very public he wants the regular season to 355 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:12.960 go from thirty one to forty. And at one point 356 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:14.599 in our conversation, I said, have you always been a 357 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.000 fun He said no, No, this is one hundred percent 358 00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:18.920 to do with the chaos we're in right now. 359 00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:20.039 Really and he. 360 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:24.079 Said, he said, it's all about He said, I've got 361 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:27.200 these guys. Every every coach has a brand new team 362 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:29.920 every year. We barely get to know them before the 363 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:32.319 season's over and they're out the door. We're not preparing 364 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:34.880 them for the NBA playing thirty one games where they've 365 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:38.240 got up to one hundred depending how long the playoffs last. 366 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:41.559 He said, we've got to speed it up. He's like 367 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:43.799 he pointed out to me. I thought it was hilariously 368 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:46.599 And you know what, it's been around forever, the stupid 369 00:21:46.720 --> 00:21:50.319 rule that right now they can only players can only 370 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:55.240 work out four hours a week with something. It's really restricted. 371 00:21:56.519 --> 00:21:58.720 That rule has been around forever. These guys are getting 372 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:01.799 really well compensated. You might want to get a little 373 00:22:01.839 --> 00:22:05.160 more for your money than restricting it, he said. And 374 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:08.279 the funny thing is he didn't call him employees. I 375 00:22:08.480 --> 00:22:11.759 do these guys making this money want the extra work. 376 00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:14.279 They want to work put in a little more work 377 00:22:14.519 --> 00:22:16.680 to earn their their pay, and they can't. 378 00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:17.039 He said. 379 00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:20.640 It's just that's the stupidity of said. I want to 380 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.160 push this thing out the forty so we get more time, 381 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.000 we get a better team, you get a better bang 382 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.440 for your bucket from a fan perspective, and you get 383 00:22:29.440 --> 00:22:31.359 to experience it more. And he said, and then the 384 00:22:31.480 --> 00:22:35.160 very bottom line, this is a revenue sport and we've 385 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:40.079 got twenty million plus. Staring at uson richhair, he said, 386 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:42.359 we had six extra games. We could almost cover that 387 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:45.400 six extra home games. He said, that's how crazy it is. 388 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:48.799 That thought that was really interesting. I was looking at it. Oh, 389 00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:50.559 he just wants to play forty more games, he said. 390 00:22:50.599 --> 00:22:53.359 You know, he's thinking much a much grander speed. 391 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:57.839 That which is explained a headline. It explains the headline 392 00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:01.200 on your website about your your interview with Pope, the 393 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:04.440 forty game regular season, and the headlines is prepared to 394 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:08.079 be convinced, and it is very convincing. Although it's ironic 395 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.559 they instituted that that four hour or twenty hour whatever, 396 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:17.400 because Mark Pope's college coach was one of the guys 397 00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:19.720 who would work for these kids twenty hours a day 398 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:26.079 if he could, I find out rather c Yeah, I 399 00:23:26.119 --> 00:23:30.000 love that. I also wonder he's talked about the forty 400 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:32.640 game regular season in the past. How in the world 401 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:34.799