WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>That being said, I'll always take my talents to the

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<v Speaker 1>University of Executive.

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<v Speaker 2>That was the announcement earlier today at Great Crossing High

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<v Speaker 2>School as Malachim Moreno decides he will be a Kentucky Wildcat,

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<v Speaker 2>and soon the fight song followed. His teammates came up

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<v Speaker 2>to the stage as he made the announcements to everybody

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<v Speaker 2>sat or stood and clapped a wrong cheer along with

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<v Speaker 2>the fight song. This is not a huge surprise, but

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<v Speaker 2>he could have gone anywhere. Really, when you're six ten

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<v Speaker 2>and a half that's what he is officially listed at,

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<v Speaker 2>with a wingspan of seven foot one. Everybody wants you,

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<v Speaker 2>but chose to stay home, and unlike most kids these days,

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<v Speaker 2>instead of hats, Moreno chose to use jerseys. So the

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<v Speaker 2>table was all spread out with all kinds of jerseys.

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<v Speaker 2>But when he made the announced, he unzipped his jacket

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<v Speaker 2>and he was wearing a UK jersey or T shirt

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<v Speaker 2>rather so, Malachi Moreno next year's get another year of

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<v Speaker 2>high school basketball, will play for Mark Pope and the

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<v Speaker 2>Kentucky Wildcats. Look, he is a work in progress. Like

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<v Speaker 2>most big guys, he is slow to develop. Most big

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<v Speaker 2>guys have to kind of grow into their body, learn

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<v Speaker 2>what they can do. Put on the way because they're

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<v Speaker 2>going to get beat up. But he does have the

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<v Speaker 2>athletic ability I think to get it done. I watched

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<v Speaker 2>him in the Sweet sixteen last year. He did not dominate.

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<v Speaker 2>You know who dominated last year in the sweet sixteen

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<v Speaker 2>literally Trent Noah and Travis Perry because they can handle

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<v Speaker 2>the ball, shoot it and go get it, especially Trentoah.

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<v Speaker 2>But Malachai Moreno is a very good player and has

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<v Speaker 2>a chance to become a very good college player at Kentucky.

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<v Speaker 2>Averaged eight rebounds plus per game on the high school

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<v Speaker 2>level and a couple of blocks per game. So as

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<v Speaker 2>I said that everybody wanted him. His finalists were UK, Arkansas, Indiana,

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<v Speaker 2>North Carolina, and Ohio State, And for a while there

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<v Speaker 2>it looked like he was heading for Indiana. But now

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<v Speaker 2>he's a Wildcat. I don't know if it was Darryl

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<v Speaker 2>Bird or Aaron Gershan or whoever posted on the Cat's

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<v Speaker 2>pause Twitter site. The recruiting timeline going back to October

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<v Speaker 2>the twenty eighth, that's when UK offered Moreno. He made

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<v Speaker 2>unofficial visits, made like four of them between January seventeenth,

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<v Speaker 2>and August tewond just a couple of weeks ago. Within

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<v Speaker 2>that time, back in June, late June, he named his

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<v Speaker 2>top eight, his final eight, and of course UK was

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<v Speaker 2>on the list. And now he is a Kentucky Wildcat.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's basketball news for today and football. With football

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<v Speaker 2>season coming out as fast, I will say that there

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<v Speaker 2>is a little more news in that UK has announced

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<v Speaker 2>October eleventh for Madness. So can't get in line now,

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<v Speaker 2>but make your plans for Mark Pope and Kenny Brooks

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<v Speaker 2>their first night, their first appearance officially with their teams

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<v Speaker 2>in front of them. Now you know who's on their teams.

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<v Speaker 2>They've been the head coaches for quite a while, but

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<v Speaker 2>we didn't know who was on their team. Now we

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<v Speaker 2>do and October eleventh will be the night for Big

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<v Speaker 2>Blue Madness. More basketball information, and this one slipped by

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<v Speaker 2>me the other day. I didn't have time to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about it, but Frank Selvy passed away the All American

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<v Speaker 2>guard from at Furman. He's the guy who scored the

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<v Speaker 2>nca Division I record one hundred points in one game

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<v Speaker 2>back in nineteen fifty four. Later went on to play

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<v Speaker 2>nine years in the NBA. He was ninety one when

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<v Speaker 2>he passed away. The word came out of Greenville, South Carolina,

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<v Speaker 2>that's where Furman University is, but his family announced that

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<v Speaker 2>he died it his home in Simpsonville. He was originally

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<v Speaker 2>from Corman, six foot three and obviously went to Furman

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<v Speaker 2>and not Kentucky, but was a scoring machine down there

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<v Speaker 2>twice led the NCA in scoring in his senior year,

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<v Speaker 2>averaged forty one points seven points per game, and of

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<v Speaker 2>course that's the year he scored to one hundred minus

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<v Speaker 2>a three pointer, forty one field goals, eighteen free throws

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<v Speaker 2>that came in a win over Newbury one forty five

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<v Speaker 2>to ninety five. This guy scored forty points or more

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<v Speaker 2>twenty two times in seventy eight collegiate games and was

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<v Speaker 2>the number one pick in the draft in fifty four

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<v Speaker 2>by the Baltimore Bullets. It was a two time All

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<v Speaker 2>star in the NBA, played for five different teams, came

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<v Speaker 2>back and coached at Furman for four years. And if

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<v Speaker 2>you've never been to Greenville, South Carolina and the Furman campus,

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<v Speaker 2>I urge you, if you're in the area, to stop

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<v Speaker 2>buy and take a look. Gorgeous. The town is great,

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<v Speaker 2>the campus is won full and Frank Selvy Proud, son

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<v Speaker 2>of Corbin, is dead at the age of ninety one.

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<v Speaker 2>Before we shift you over to football, I do need

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<v Speaker 2>to mention that the athletic season has begun, the collegiate

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<v Speaker 2>sports season, at least in UK with soccer. Women's soccer

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<v Speaker 2>kicked it off last night against Central Michigan with a

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<v Speaker 2>two to nothing victory at the Bell, third straight year

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<v Speaker 2>for head coach Troy Fabiano with an opening win, season

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<v Speaker 2>opening win since he took over in twenty twenty two.

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<v Speaker 2>Sidney Fink and Alexis Telenda two of his four new

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<v Speaker 2>players scoring for Kentucky last night. And you always forget

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<v Speaker 2>about the fact we think about football as the sport

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<v Speaker 2>that kicks things off literally for college athletes, but truly

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of times volleyball begins before football, and soccer

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<v Speaker 2>begins before anybody. So the Wildcats now want to zero

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<v Speaker 2>going into their match coming up at the Bell Sunday

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<v Speaker 2>this Sunday at seven point thirty with Morehead State. And

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<v Speaker 2>if you've never been to a soccer match at the Bell,

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<v Speaker 2>men's or women's, I recommend it. It's a lot of fun.

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<v Speaker 2>They have great atmosphere there at the Bell. For men's

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<v Speaker 2>and women's soccer. So Kentucky off to a good start

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<v Speaker 2>now one to zero after the win over Central Michigan.

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<v Speaker 2>One other basketball note before football, the Blue White Game

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<v Speaker 2>this year. You may have seen this already. It's going

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<v Speaker 2>to be in the coliseum. Proceeds going to the Nil Fund,

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<v Speaker 2>which is kind of weird, but it's a chance for you,

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<v Speaker 2>the basketball fan to get in and see the Cats

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<v Speaker 2>in action if you haven't already been in there. Remember now,

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<v Speaker 2>the volleyball team opens up August thirtieth in Memorial Coliseum,

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<v Speaker 2>new and improved with air conditioning. So there's a heck

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<v Speaker 2>of a lot going on on campus and it's coming

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<v Speaker 2>up at as fast. Shifting over to Kentucky football and

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<v Speaker 2>coming up after the break, we'll have even more comments

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<v Speaker 2>from some of the Cats from practice earlier today, but

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<v Speaker 2>it's an other day. So it's another preseason award watch

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<v Speaker 2>list once again. This one's for Dion Walker. No surprise,

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<v Speaker 2>he is on the watch list for the Lombardi Award,

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<v Speaker 2>announced Thursday afternoon by the Lombardi Award Committee. This award

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<v Speaker 2>goes back to nineteen seventy. Of course, it's named after

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<v Speaker 2>legendary packers coach Vince Lombardi to the outstanding lignman who

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<v Speaker 2>best epitomizes values of leadership, courage, performance, discipline on and

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<v Speaker 2>off the field. Here's what's interesting about to me this award.

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<v Speaker 2>If you look it up, go to Wikipedia. It talks

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<v Speaker 2>about how it goes, as I just said, to a

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<v Speaker 2>college football player, primarily alignment, because that's what Vince Lombardi was.

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<v Speaker 2>He was one of the seven blocks of Granted they

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<v Speaker 2>called him at the Fordham. But for four years the

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<v Speaker 2>committee expanded the criteria. The rules basically say you've either

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<v Speaker 2>got to be alignment or a linebacker who lines up

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<v Speaker 2>no more than five yards off the football. But for

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<v Speaker 2>whatever reason, maybe they weren't getting enough pub or whatever,

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<v Speaker 2>they expanded it to anybody. So for four seasons you

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<v Speaker 2>saw Bryce Love or running back get it. In twenty seventeen.

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<v Speaker 2>Then in eighteen, not Josh Allen, but Ugo Amadi of Oregon,

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<v Speaker 2>a safety Joe Burrow. In twenty nineteen, that's right, the

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<v Speaker 2>quarterback for LSU, now with the Bengals, won the Lombardi Trophy,

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<v Speaker 2>best known for going to lineman. Then in twenty twenty,

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<v Speaker 2>Zevan Collins, a linebacker from Tulsa. Then after that they

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<v Speaker 2>switched it back and said, now now this has got

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<v Speaker 2>to be either linebackers or lineman. So it's when I

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<v Speaker 2>went to look it up to see if Josh Allen

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<v Speaker 2>had won it, I'm like, wait a minute, twenty eighteen.

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<v Speaker 2>That guy's a safety. So anyhow, I think Dian Walker's

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<v Speaker 2>got a big chance because he's a big guy and

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<v Speaker 2>he'll make a big impact. And in fact, he talked

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<v Speaker 2>recently about some of the things he believes he needs

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<v Speaker 2>to improve on to get even better this year, to be.

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<v Speaker 3>A better pass rusher. I feel like just working on

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<v Speaker 3>my full work, working on my handout coordination, just getting

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<v Speaker 3>reps in, you know, working on my pad level, just

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<v Speaker 3>working on my get off. I really watch I mikeser

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<v Speaker 3>Khalais Campbell, Myles Garrett, Max Crosby, so I'd just like

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<v Speaker 3>to study them guys.

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<v Speaker 2>Those are the comments down at the SEC media day

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<v Speaker 2>in Dallas, and somebody was making the rounds asking each

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<v Speaker 2>player what it was like to play for Mark Stoops,

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<v Speaker 2>and uh Walker had a heartfield answer.

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<v Speaker 3>Mike Stills, he liked the uncle that you always wish for.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, he's a great coach and a great person.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, he's a big loyalty guy. I'm a big

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<v Speaker 3>loyalty guy. He's not going to lie to you. He's

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<v Speaker 3>going to tell you the truth, no matter if it's

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<v Speaker 3>happy sad. You're gonna make you mad if it's me

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<v Speaker 3>because you know, like everybody knows that he's saying it

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<v Speaker 3>from a point and I want you to be the

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<v Speaker 3>best version of yourself.

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<v Speaker 2>Somebody else asked Walker, how'd you get out of Detroit?

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<v Speaker 2>How'd you get away from Michigan and get to Kentucky,

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<v Speaker 2>And once again, he fell back on his relationship with

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<v Speaker 2>Mark Stoops.

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<v Speaker 3>He's big on loyal to how I am. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>That's one thing that I was looking for because out

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<v Speaker 3>of anywhere in my top five, top ten scores, you

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<v Speaker 3>could go and get developed. You know, you can go

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<v Speaker 3>get bigger, faster, stronger. Everybody's going to get your technique right.

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<v Speaker 3>Everybody's going to get you enough reps so you could

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<v Speaker 3>be ready in game. But I didn't just want to

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<v Speaker 3>be a number. I wanted to be somebody who I

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<v Speaker 3>know the head coach cares for you know, and he

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<v Speaker 3>cares for everyone, no matter if you're a walk on

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<v Speaker 3>scholarship guy. He if you need something. His door's always

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<v Speaker 3>open and that's one thing that I was looking for

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<v Speaker 3>in the score.

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<v Speaker 2>So that's Dion Walker coming up. Hear from some of

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<v Speaker 2>the players on the offensive side of the football and

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<v Speaker 2>coming up tonight. As we said Chris Doring at the

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<v Speaker 2>SEC Network. That's at the bottom of the hour. Jack

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<v Speaker 2>Gibbons and hour number two, along with Mark's story of

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<v Speaker 2>the Herald Leader, stay with us here on the Big

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<v Speaker 2>Bloon Sider six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big

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<v Speaker 2>Bloon Sider. Dick Gabriel with you on Friday tomorrow the

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<v Speaker 2>football Wildcat scrimmage for the last time, and at that

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<v Speaker 2>point there'll be two weeks away from their season opener

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<v Speaker 2>with Southern Missic game. You will hear right here on

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<v Speaker 2>six thirty WLAP. And a week from this Monday is

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<v Speaker 2>the first Mark Stoops Radio show, so it's coming at

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<v Speaker 2>you fast. Yesterday we talked to and talked about the

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<v Speaker 2>Kentucky defense. Well today we'll talk a little bit of offense,

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<v Speaker 2>including some words from Rock Vandergriff who has spoken since

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<v Speaker 2>he arrived about his decision not just to come to Kentucky,

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<v Speaker 2>but to leave Georgia. He gave it everything he had

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<v Speaker 2>down there, or so he says, and was beaten out

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<v Speaker 2>for the starting job by Carson Beck. I think he

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<v Speaker 2>was there too when Stetson Bennett was at the Helm,

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<v Speaker 2>and so now he was looking for a place for

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<v Speaker 2>Rock Vandergriff. He was the company man. He was a

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<v Speaker 2>good teammate. He was a good backup quarterback, at least,

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<v Speaker 2>he says, as good as he could be. But when

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<v Speaker 2>the upcoming season his last began to appear on the horizon,

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<v Speaker 2>he believed he had to get out of there and

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<v Speaker 2>go someplace where he could actually play football. And as

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<v Speaker 2>a quarterback, you as well as I know that there's

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<v Speaker 2>only one who's going to start for the most part.

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<v Speaker 2>So he wanted to go someplace where he was wanted

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<v Speaker 2>and needed, and that place is Lexington.

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<v Speaker 4>Sir Koach Smart's hand told him I was going to

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<v Speaker 4>come play for him. I played for him. I did

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<v Speaker 4>what I said I was going to do, come there

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<v Speaker 4>and got my degree, and obviously came to get my

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<v Speaker 4>degree and play football, and didn't play any football. So

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<v Speaker 4>I just decided it was time to get play football.

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<v Speaker 4>But just the culture that they have said at Georgia's

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<v Speaker 4>was good. I mean I never tried to come into

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<v Speaker 4>the facility of being able to just hey, hey, yeah,

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<v Speaker 4>I'm a bad up this year. All right, awesome, I'm

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<v Speaker 4>gonna learn everything I can to be the best quarterback

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<v Speaker 4>I can be if at the backup quarterback position. Your

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<v Speaker 4>year one ankle away. So I was all right, I

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<v Speaker 4>got to prepare every game like I'm the guy. If

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<v Speaker 4>something happens, I got to make sure my team knows

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<v Speaker 4>I'm ready to go. So that was kind of my

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<v Speaker 4>mindset going into last year. But just being able to

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<v Speaker 4>stick around and stuff like that, and just being uh,

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<v Speaker 4>being true to your word with something that was pretty

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<v Speaker 4>pretty important to me and just valued those relationships there,

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<v Speaker 4>and I was thankful for my time there, But this

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<v Speaker 4>is time time for a new chapter.

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<v Speaker 1>Was there ever a moment where you questioned that even

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<v Speaker 1>yourself in those three years ago.

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<v Speaker 4>Oh yeah, I mean there's definitely times when the question that,

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<v Speaker 4>but uh, basically just said a lot of prayers and stuff.

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<v Speaker 4>I felt like I was right where I needed to be.

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<v Speaker 4>I was growing my faithful lot, was able to go

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<v Speaker 4>to the same church I went to all through high school,

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<v Speaker 4>being able to go see my parents on Sunday, stuff

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<v Speaker 4>like that. Uh, but you know, basically, I guess the

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<v Speaker 4>Lord was just preparing me for my next journey, which

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<v Speaker 4>has obviously led me here. So just being stronger in

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<v Speaker 4>that and just being able to hang out a couple

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<v Speaker 4>of extra years with with Bowers, Cash Jones, guys like that.

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<v Speaker 4>So maybe I mean, I think everything happens for a

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<v Speaker 4>reason and wouldn't change for anything.

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<v Speaker 2>I like that off the top, he said, I shook

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<v Speaker 2>Coach Smart's hand and said I would come play for him,

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<v Speaker 2>and he did. But yeah, Rod Vandergriff now has to play,

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<v Speaker 2>and he's playing for his Wildcat teammates as well. But

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<v Speaker 2>this is his chance to play college football. He's got

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<v Speaker 2>the one year now, assuming he'll be the start. They

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<v Speaker 2>haven't made it official yet. I'm wondering will they make

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<v Speaker 2>that official after tomorrow's scrimmage. So we'll be there and

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<v Speaker 2>we shall see. You got to wonder now about the

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<v Speaker 2>Kentucky offense and how the Wildcats intend to run the football.

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<v Speaker 2>Are there going to be any changes in terms of

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<v Speaker 2>the designs of the game plan With Chip train him

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<v Speaker 2>out injured with that hand. He walked by me on

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<v Speaker 2>campus the other day. It's all bandaged up, and they

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<v Speaker 2>think he'll miss at least two games. But he was

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<v Speaker 2>the power guy that they're used to having. And maybe

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<v Speaker 2>there is a power guy on that roster who can run,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe the next Benny Snell or Chris Rodriguez or even

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<v Speaker 2>Ray Davis. But they got to have somebody who can

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<v Speaker 2>move the change. Demi Sumour Karanbay is a veteran. He

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<v Speaker 2>believes he can be one of those guys. He has

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<v Speaker 2>shown flashes of moving the ball of big plays. He's

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<v Speaker 2>got speed. Don't know if he has the power it

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<v Speaker 2>takes to consistently move the change, but I chatted with

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<v Speaker 2>him the other day about what he hopes to bring

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<v Speaker 2>to the offense. You have shown some flashes. You're you're

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<v Speaker 2>a playmaker. It looks like you'll get a better shot

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<v Speaker 2>this year. I'll see that grin on your face. You're

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<v Speaker 2>thinking the same thing, aren't you.

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<v Speaker 5>Yes, sir, Yes, sir, I can't wait. I can't wait.

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<v Speaker 2>Tell me about the offense and where you fit. Man.

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<v Speaker 5>The offense is so it's so talented and you know, versatile.

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<v Speaker 5>We got many different ways we can attack. You know

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<v Speaker 5>what I'm saying. So that's where I fit. You know

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<v Speaker 5>what I'm saying. That's like the perfect offense for me,

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<v Speaker 5>I would say, because, like you say, I'm so versatile,

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<v Speaker 5>and you know what I'm saying. I can run, I

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<v Speaker 5>can catch, I can go catch plants or you know

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<v Speaker 5>what I'm saying, kick returns or whatever. You get to

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<v Speaker 5>do all that kick returns. Yeah, I was there back

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<v Speaker 5>last year. You know what I'm saying, I'm gonna continue

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<v Speaker 5>to do that special team. I was all over the

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<v Speaker 5>field on special team. You know what I'm saying, Just

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<v Speaker 5>trying to get my team that winning is he just.

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<v Speaker 2>Might be a part of that winning edge. Demi Simour

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<v Speaker 2>carn Bay, you just got to figure out where the

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<v Speaker 2>Wildcats gonna put the football without a power back, and

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<v Speaker 2>they will probably maybe throw it a little bit more.

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<v Speaker 2>A reminder that one of the names you're probably going

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<v Speaker 2>to be hearing a little bit or a lot is

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<v Speaker 2>Jamari Macklin. He'll be the slot receiver. You already know

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<v Speaker 2>about Barrion Brown and Dane Key, but Macklin could be

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<v Speaker 2>a real key because keep in mind, he'll be playing

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not saying he's as good, but he'll be playing

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<v Speaker 2>the same position as Wandel Robinson, playing in the slot

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<v Speaker 2>there with a chance to get off the line of

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00:16:51.360 --> 00:16:54.120
<v Speaker 2>scrimmage cleaner than the whiteout. You know, they get chucked

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<v Speaker 2>at the line, and same position that Dicky Lions played,

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00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:01.440
<v Speaker 2>that Derek Abney played, So maybe he can wreak havoc

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00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.799
<v Speaker 2>while the guys on the outside are doing their thing

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<v Speaker 2>as well. He's on the Bolitnikoff preseason watch list, as

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<v Speaker 2>you might expect after a couple of really good seasons

315
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<v Speaker 2>at North Texas and he transferred there from Missouri, so

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00:17:19.160 --> 00:17:21.359
<v Speaker 2>a lot of football. He's played twenty nine career games,

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<v Speaker 2>thirteen starts, and a chance to be part of that

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<v Speaker 2>winning edge, as Demi Sumour Carnbay has said he would

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<v Speaker 2>like to be. So we'll find out more coming up

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<v Speaker 2>very shortly as a Wildcat season opener comes up two

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<v Speaker 2>weeks from tomorrow. The scrimmage tomorrow. Will have comments after

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<v Speaker 2>the scrimmage from Mark Stoops, we assume and some of

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<v Speaker 2>the players. But it's coming up on us fast, Isn't

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<v Speaker 2>it all right? Coming up next fast? Chris Doring of

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<v Speaker 2>the SEC Network and Nour number two, Jack Gibbons and

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<v Speaker 2>Mark's story on six thirty Wlap joining us down our

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<v Speaker 2>celebrity hotline is one of our favorite guests, and we

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<v Speaker 2>love seeing Chris Doring on the the SEC Network, hearing

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<v Speaker 2>him on SEC Radio, and Chris got a chance just

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<v Speaker 2>to say hi down in Dallas and SEC Media Days.

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<v Speaker 2>But you did a little globe trotting in the summertime

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<v Speaker 2>your time off, didn't you, I did?

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<v Speaker 1>You know, it's a fun time. Like by the time

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<v Speaker 1>the season's over, And I think I've talked to you

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<v Speaker 1>about this before, but my schedule during the season, I

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00:18:22.519 --> 00:18:25.000
<v Speaker 1>leave games till every Thursday night to fly up to

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<v Speaker 1>Charlotte for our studio shows Friday morning, Friday night, Saturday

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<v Speaker 1>all day, Saturday night, and then Monday morning before flying

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<v Speaker 1>back on the road four nights a week. And by

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<v Speaker 1>the time the season's over, I'm ready to just be

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<v Speaker 1>home and chill out. And then when I'm home, I'm restless,

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00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:42.759
<v Speaker 1>ready to go somewhere. So I start traveling for vacation

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<v Speaker 1>and other things, and at the end of the day,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, here we are again, the seasons ready to go,

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't feel like I've been home at all.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's it's kind of an interesting dynamic that I live.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, but all that traveling for fun, doesn't that help,

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<v Speaker 2>you know? Burn the time in between the end of

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<v Speaker 2>the season and the started the next one, because it's

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<v Speaker 2>times that seems interminable.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, it definitely does. And then you know, the

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<v Speaker 1>the ultimate old guy thing to say is how fast

353
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<v Speaker 1>time flies? But it certainly seems to be that way

354
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<v Speaker 1>as we get older and kind of hard to believe

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<v Speaker 1>we're already, you know, here, ready to go and about

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<v Speaker 1>to have some football on our plates.

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<v Speaker 6>Again.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I mentioned that we bumped into each other in Dallas,

359
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<v Speaker 2>which was not unexpected, But what did you think of

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<v Speaker 2>the setup? And we have media people from Texas already

361
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<v Speaker 2>from A and M, but you know, the people from Boston,

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<v Speaker 2>the people from Oklahoma. There was a lot of sizzle

363
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<v Speaker 2>down there.

364
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<v Speaker 1>Jick. I thought it was awesome, you know, getting to

365
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<v Speaker 1>go to a new market. I think that's one of

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<v Speaker 1>the great things that Commissioners thank you, has done and

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<v Speaker 1>rotating media days, you know. I know, the tradition of

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<v Speaker 1>being in Hoover was great, but having been in Atlanta,

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<v Speaker 1>Nashville and now Dallas, you know, I think it's kind

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<v Speaker 1>of cool to take that on the show, take that

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<v Speaker 1>show on the road, and it makes it have a

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<v Speaker 1>much bigger feel, you know, it relates to going to

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<v Speaker 1>that part of the country really cool to to, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>get a chance to be in that state. With all

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<v Speaker 1>the anticipation of Texas entering into the conference, watching OU

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<v Speaker 1>in Texas contingents walking around, I mean, you know the

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<v Speaker 1>things that it kind of resonated with me, Dick. The

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<v Speaker 1>statement multiple times from Commissioner Thanking about how important the

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<v Speaker 1>contiguous footprint is of the Southeastern Conference, the regionality of

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00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:33.519
<v Speaker 1>this conference being important. I look at the the the

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<v Speaker 1>the logos, the Texas Longhorn logo, the OEU logo. Those

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<v Speaker 1>are iconic blue bloods in college football, and uh, you

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00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.920
<v Speaker 1>look at the head coaches that lead to those programs

384
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<v Speaker 1>and talking with them, they fit into a group of

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00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:51.920
<v Speaker 1>of of alphas in this league. So everything about it

386
00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:55.640
<v Speaker 1>seems to fit. And I think my biggest takeaway, Dick,

387
00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.160
<v Speaker 1>was in the off season, we were dealing with so

388
00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:02.119
<v Speaker 1>much heavy stuff, whether we're talking about the congressional ruling,

389
00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:07.000
<v Speaker 1>when the settlements, the future of the football nil transfer portal,

390
00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:10.079
<v Speaker 1>all of this negativity that has you know, has fans

391
00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:14.000
<v Speaker 1>talking about turning them off on football college football. But

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of the day, my feeling there was

393
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<v Speaker 1>like this is the most anticipated season that I can

394
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<v Speaker 1>remember in a long time, whether it be because of

395
00:21:20.039 --> 00:21:23.440
<v Speaker 1>OU in Texas, whether it's the twelve team playoffs, whether

396
00:21:23.440 --> 00:21:26.519
<v Speaker 1>it's just the general excitement of football. Like, I don't

397
00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:28.920
<v Speaker 1>think it's been dampered at all, And it seems to

398
00:21:28.960 --> 00:21:32.200
<v Speaker 1>me like this is one that fans are looking for

399
00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:35.279
<v Speaker 1>forward to, even despite all the negativity of the off season.

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<v Speaker 2>I agree. And in terms of the newness of it,

401
00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:42.000
<v Speaker 2>I kind of go back, Chris to nineteen ninety two,

402
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:46.519
<v Speaker 2>when you know, we had a structured national champion. Of course,

403
00:21:46.559 --> 00:21:51.000
<v Speaker 2>Alabama won the r SEC champion and Alabama wins it,

404
00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:54.759
<v Speaker 2>and you know, it was just changes in college football

405
00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:59.279
<v Speaker 2>that people maybe thought never would happen, never would come.

406
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<v Speaker 2>And I agree with you. I think it's it's uh

407
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<v Speaker 2>And it's also a year that I think is going

408
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<v Speaker 2>to be pivotal for Kentucky. With the last couple of

409
00:22:09.359 --> 00:22:12.799
<v Speaker 2>seasons that by Mark Stoop's standards, I don't say they're

410
00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:16.680
<v Speaker 2>a mediocre, but a little bit disappointing. And you know, now,

411
00:22:17.079 --> 00:22:20.599
<v Speaker 2>well the spotlight's pretty hot on him, now, yeah, you know.

412
00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:25.480
<v Speaker 1>It's it's the things that I noticed from from media days.

413
00:22:25.799 --> 00:22:28.400
<v Speaker 1>There were multiple teams that I didn't feel like we're

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<v Speaker 1>being talked about very much. You know, I felt like

415
00:22:31.039 --> 00:22:33.319
<v Speaker 1>my alma mater was not being talked about very much,

416
00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:35.559
<v Speaker 1>particularly on the day that they came in. You know,

417
00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:38.720
<v Speaker 1>not a lot of expected from Florida. Typically in the

418
00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:41.160
<v Speaker 1>last couple of years, there's been a lot of Kentucky talk,

419
00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:42.720
<v Speaker 1>and I've been leading the way on that in a

420
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:45.079
<v Speaker 1>lot of ways, and I think what we experienced this

421
00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.000
<v Speaker 1>year was maybe a little backlash to you know, the

422
00:22:48.039 --> 00:22:52.000
<v Speaker 1>disappointment of not living up to the expectations in recent years.

423
00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:54.720
<v Speaker 1>I think coupled with what we've seen in terms of

424
00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:58.880
<v Speaker 1>teams like Tenness two years ago, Missouri last year, you know,

425
00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:03.640
<v Speaker 1>making these unexpected jumps to double digit wins. And I'm

426
00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:05.759
<v Speaker 1>sure Kentucky fans feel like this a little bit. It's like,

427
00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:08.440
<v Speaker 1>why not us? Why haven't we been able to really

428
00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.880
<v Speaker 1>take that next step. I think one of the great

429
00:23:10.880 --> 00:23:13.720
<v Speaker 1>parts about this season, though, Dick, is that success is

430
00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:16.960
<v Speaker 1>going to be redefined. What does the successful season look like?

431
00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:19.759
<v Speaker 1>You know, I know Kentucky has had you know, two

432
00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:22.680
<v Speaker 1>ten win seasons in the last six years, but now

433
00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:25.680
<v Speaker 1>they're finally gonna have an opportunity you win ten games

434
00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:27.440
<v Speaker 1>in this conference, you could be playing in the college

435
00:23:27.480 --> 00:23:30.440
<v Speaker 1>football playoffs, and so you know, you may not have

436
00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:32.240
<v Speaker 1>been able to get to Atlanta before, you may not

437
00:23:32.319 --> 00:23:35.880
<v Speaker 1>have an official SEC championship in the last couple decades,

438
00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:38.279
<v Speaker 1>but if you can win ten games, you got to

439
00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:40.359
<v Speaker 1>chip in a chair and a chance to play in

440
00:23:40.400 --> 00:23:44.400
<v Speaker 1>some really meaningful postseason games. And so I do think Kentucky,

441
00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:47.920
<v Speaker 1>you know, has an opportunity to reassert themselves. The pattern

442
00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:50.279
<v Speaker 1>of those ten win seasons every three years would tell

443
00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:53.079
<v Speaker 1>you it's time for another one of them, and this

444
00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:55.200
<v Speaker 1>would be a great year to be able to accomplish that.

445
00:23:55.240 --> 00:23:58.759
<v Speaker 2>See, well, you mentioned expectations and the Florida teams you

446
00:23:58.880 --> 00:24:01.799
<v Speaker 2>played for. I remember, Chris. Of course, you know we

447
00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:04.480
<v Speaker 2>didn't know each other, but I was watching your teams

448
00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:08.400
<v Speaker 2>take Kentucky apart back then. But uh, you know what's

449
00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:12.319
<v Speaker 2>interesting to me is watching this Kentucky program involved. And

450
00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:15.400
<v Speaker 2>you have been one of the voices telling people throughout

451
00:24:15.400 --> 00:24:17.720
<v Speaker 2>the years you and your partner Peter Burns, watch out

452
00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:23.519
<v Speaker 2>for the Wildcats. But now with so many expectations. Back

453
00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:27.039
<v Speaker 2>in the day, any Kentucky win was celebrated for four

454
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:30.559
<v Speaker 2>days before people even looked at the next game, and

455
00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.799
<v Speaker 2>now it's expected and if they lose a game, most

456
00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:36.279
<v Speaker 2>people expected them to win. It's a little bit of

457
00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:40.200
<v Speaker 2>a different dynamic. And you got to carry that, don't you.

458
00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:43.200
<v Speaker 2>And I know you felt that as a player at Florida,

459
00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:45.920
<v Speaker 2>and it's it's kind of new for Kentucky fans, you

460
00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:46.400
<v Speaker 2>know what I mean.

461
00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:52.160
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean I think success. With success comes higher expectation,

462
00:24:52.640 --> 00:24:54.920
<v Speaker 1>and I think I think that's a good thing. You know.

463
00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:57.759
<v Speaker 1>I think Coach Stukes welcomes that. He's the longest tenure

464
00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:00.920
<v Speaker 1>coach in the conference now. Have to talk to him

465
00:25:01.279 --> 00:25:04.599
<v Speaker 1>on Wednesday night on our ten year anniversary show on

466
00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:07.920
<v Speaker 1>the SEC Network. He's been here for the entirety of

467
00:25:07.920 --> 00:25:11.759
<v Speaker 1>of our seni year run. And you know, it's it's

468
00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:14.279
<v Speaker 1>kind of crazy to think about because for a while there,

469
00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:16.720
<v Speaker 1>you know, I think Kentucky was a nice story. You know,

470
00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:19.440
<v Speaker 1>everybody you know patted him on the head, Oh good job.

471
00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:23.200
<v Speaker 1>But they become a legitimate game on the schedule. In fact,

472
00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:25.960
<v Speaker 1>my alma mater, we've lost three in the row to

473
00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:29.079
<v Speaker 1>to Kentucky here and and that that balance of power

474
00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:34.400
<v Speaker 1>has significantly changed. So I think I think Kentucky in

475
00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:37.680
<v Speaker 1>general should be very proud of what their team has done.

476
00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:40.359
<v Speaker 1>I know the Kentucky fan even back when I was

477
00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:42.759
<v Speaker 1>at Florida and we were kind of dominating that series,

478
00:25:42.839 --> 00:25:44.920
<v Speaker 1>they would still show up, they would still be loud,

479
00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.759
<v Speaker 1>they still support their team. But now they're they're at

480
00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.079
<v Speaker 1>a point where, hey, we've had a taste of some

481
00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:53.759
<v Speaker 1>some some really big wins. We've been really close. When

482
00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:56.160
<v Speaker 1>can we take that next step? And I think that's

483
00:25:56.480 --> 00:25:59.880
<v Speaker 1>that hunger and that that drive to experience that that

484
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:03.640
<v Speaker 1>apparachelant of winning in this conference is something that is

485
00:26:03.680 --> 00:26:04.279
<v Speaker 1>a positive.

486
00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:07.599
<v Speaker 2>Talking to Chris Doring of the SEC Network, we'll come

487
00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:10.039
<v Speaker 2>back and talk with more. Talk with it Chris, a

488
00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:12.160
<v Speaker 2>little bit more about the Wildcats. Here on the Big

489
00:26:12.200 --> 00:26:16.200
<v Speaker 2>blon Sider six thirty WLAP. Welcome back. We're chatting with

490
00:26:16.279 --> 00:26:19.000
<v Speaker 2>Chris Doring of the SEC Network. We love talking football

491
00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:21.880
<v Speaker 2>with Chris. He is one of the national guys who

492
00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:25.599
<v Speaker 2>pays close attention, obviously to the SEC, but pays more

493
00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:28.000
<v Speaker 2>than just lip service to Kentucky. If you have followed

494
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:31.480
<v Speaker 2>his work through the years. I know, Chris, there are

495
00:26:31.519 --> 00:26:33.920
<v Speaker 2>so many questions about every team in the league, but

496
00:26:34.440 --> 00:26:36.599
<v Speaker 2>and you were an offensive guy. You played with some

497
00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:40.000
<v Speaker 2>pretty good quarterbacks. You got to start at QB with Kentucky,

498
00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:42.480
<v Speaker 2>don't you In terms of what to try to figure

499
00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:46.039
<v Speaker 2>out for this season. I mean your thoughts on assuming

500
00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:48.319
<v Speaker 2>Brock Vandergriff wins the starting job.

501
00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:51.400
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I'm hearing that not only is it going to

502
00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:54.720
<v Speaker 1>be Vandergrivet, Bush Hamdon is a tent on using two

503
00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:58.319
<v Speaker 1>quarterbacks this year. So I'm actually you probably know better

504
00:26:58.359 --> 00:27:01.039
<v Speaker 1>than I do, but I'm anxious to see what, uh,

505
00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:04.680
<v Speaker 1>the the rotation may look like and utilization of two

506
00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:08.319
<v Speaker 1>quarterbacks that test position. But I go back to the

507
00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:13.279
<v Speaker 1>acquisition of Rock vander Griff. You know, it is in

508
00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:17.720
<v Speaker 1>line with what we've seen in coach Stukes's ability to

509
00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:21.599
<v Speaker 1>attract really top talent in the transfer portal. I mean

510
00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:24.519
<v Speaker 1>you go back and look one Dale Robins even before that,

511
00:27:24.640 --> 00:27:28.880
<v Speaker 1>the the LSU cornerback, I'm going blank on his. Yeah,

512
00:27:29.279 --> 00:27:33.920
<v Speaker 1>Calvin Joseph looking at Tavon Robinson, like they've been able

513
00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:37.480
<v Speaker 1>to get a bunch of really high quality talent that

514
00:27:37.599 --> 00:27:39.880
<v Speaker 1>typically I don't think Kentucky would have, you know, been

515
00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:44.119
<v Speaker 1>considered as a legitimate landing spot. Getting Doumas Johnson in

516
00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:46.640
<v Speaker 1>with vander Griff as well, two former Georgia guys like

517
00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:49.839
<v Speaker 1>I just think it speaks to how the program is

518
00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:54.000
<v Speaker 1>perceived these days, how how the support of of the

519
00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:59.799
<v Speaker 1>the the alumni and boosters and putting together and I

520
00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:02.920
<v Speaker 1>packages that make sense for these guys, and so you know,

521
00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:07.200
<v Speaker 1>I think this is an important season for Vandergriff because

522
00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:11.599
<v Speaker 1>a couple of years ago Kentucky struck gold with Will Levitt.

523
00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:14.559
<v Speaker 1>Transfer last year was I think part of the big

524
00:28:14.599 --> 00:28:17.240
<v Speaker 1>disappointment was that Devin Leary didn't live up to kind

525
00:28:17.240 --> 00:28:21.359
<v Speaker 1>of what we expected in the preseason, a high level

526
00:28:21.400 --> 00:28:24.119
<v Speaker 1>of expectation again this year for Rock Vandergriff. So I

527
00:28:24.119 --> 00:28:27.599
<v Speaker 1>think this is an important year to show that they

528
00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:29.920
<v Speaker 1>have more hits in the portal when it comes to

529
00:28:29.960 --> 00:28:32.000
<v Speaker 1>acquiring quarterbacks than they do missus.

530
00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:34.960
<v Speaker 2>No, I couldn't agree more. And I don't know about you,

531
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:38.960
<v Speaker 2>but in your research into the Georgia Bulldogs over the

532
00:28:39.039 --> 00:28:42.880
<v Speaker 2>last two or three years, we had heard that vander

533
00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:45.759
<v Speaker 2>Griff was really pushing for that starting job. It's not

534
00:28:45.799 --> 00:28:47.480
<v Speaker 2>like a guy who was just buried on the bench

535
00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:50.240
<v Speaker 2>because he couldn't cut it. He was just playing behind

536
00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:53.640
<v Speaker 2>Carson Beck. If that indeed is the case, he has

537
00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:56.400
<v Speaker 2>a real opportunity here with this new offense, doesn't.

538
00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:59.880
<v Speaker 1>He Yeah, I don't. I'm not a huge hand me

539
00:29:00.079 --> 00:29:03.440
<v Speaker 1>down guy, but if I'm getting hand me downs from Georgia,

540
00:29:03.960 --> 00:29:07.160
<v Speaker 1>I'm okay with that, you know. I think, Uh, it's

541
00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:11.559
<v Speaker 1>like that that rich cousin that outgrows the the new

542
00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:15.119
<v Speaker 1>golf club because it's even better you set it out there.

543
00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:16.920
<v Speaker 1>You know that that's some good stuff to get. So

544
00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:20.240
<v Speaker 1>I feel like, you know, taking taking them with chouts

545
00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:24.000
<v Speaker 1>and taking Vandergriff. Those guys are are good players. I've

546
00:29:24.000 --> 00:29:26.720
<v Speaker 1>heard the same things that you have about Brocket at

547
00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:30.039
<v Speaker 1>Georgia and how competitive he was. You see it all

548
00:29:30.039 --> 00:29:34.000
<v Speaker 1>the time. I mean, I go back to to Florida

549
00:29:34.079 --> 00:29:37.759
<v Speaker 1>when when when my champ was there, it was you

550
00:29:38.160 --> 00:29:42.079
<v Speaker 1>remember Jacoby Brisset, I beat out. He ends up transferred

551
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:44.559
<v Speaker 1>to in C State as a great career there and

552
00:29:44.559 --> 00:29:47.680
<v Speaker 1>then it's still in the NFL now. So you know,

553
00:29:47.960 --> 00:29:50.599
<v Speaker 1>there are a lot of quarterbacks unlike every other position,

554
00:29:50.640 --> 00:29:52.839
<v Speaker 1>there's only one of them on the field, and there

555
00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:55.240
<v Speaker 1>are some really good players that for whatever reason don't

556
00:29:55.279 --> 00:29:58.079
<v Speaker 1>get the opportunity. And I think, you know, those are

557
00:29:58.079 --> 00:30:01.359
<v Speaker 1>the stories about guys in the transfer portal that that

558
00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:03.559
<v Speaker 1>makes you feel good about what that does. I look

559
00:30:03.559 --> 00:30:06.279
<v Speaker 1>at Graham Merts. Graham Mert didn't live up to the hype.

560
00:30:06.720 --> 00:30:10.440
<v Speaker 1>Wisconsin comes to Florida and had a great season last year.

561
00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:12.880
<v Speaker 1>It's an opportunity to get to play at the opportunity

562
00:30:12.880 --> 00:30:15.000
<v Speaker 1>to be in a different system. And I think that

563
00:30:15.319 --> 00:30:17.519
<v Speaker 1>vander Grif's gonna thrive in what bush ham is trying

564
00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:17.680
<v Speaker 1>to do.

565
00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:20.319
<v Speaker 2>Well. You mentioned Levis. Of course he couldn't beat out

566
00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:23.680
<v Speaker 2>Sean Clifford, but now Letis is starting QB and Tennessee

567
00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:26.720
<v Speaker 2>and Clifford's a backup for my beloved Green Bay Packers,

568
00:30:26.720 --> 00:30:29.000
<v Speaker 2>sitting by a pretty good quarterback. But that's just the

569
00:30:29.000 --> 00:30:32.039
<v Speaker 2>way things work. Uh. Speaking of bush Hampton, I don't

570
00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:34.559
<v Speaker 2>recall who was the OC when you were at Florida,

571
00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:36.960
<v Speaker 2>but everybody knew that what you guys ran on offense

572
00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:40.519
<v Speaker 2>was precisely what Steve Spurrier wanted to run. But here

573
00:30:40.599 --> 00:30:44.359
<v Speaker 2>Kentucky now is and I know Cohen had two terms

574
00:30:44.400 --> 00:30:47.799
<v Speaker 2>of duty, but I think four straight changes at OC

575
00:30:48.880 --> 00:30:53.640
<v Speaker 2>new verbiage that kind of thing. Do you foresee that

576
00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:57.160
<v Speaker 2>as as maybe being a problem, because so far everything

577
00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:59.000
<v Speaker 2>we hear is you know, it's going.

578
00:30:59.039 --> 00:31:02.720
<v Speaker 1>Okay, that's a big concern to me, I think, but

579
00:31:03.160 --> 00:31:06.119
<v Speaker 1>this is the fifth straight year that they've had a

580
00:31:06.200 --> 00:31:09.319
<v Speaker 1>different offensive coordinator, right, So I mean I know that there's,

581
00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:12.839
<v Speaker 1>like you said, two cents for Liam Cohen. You'd like

582
00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:15.680
<v Speaker 1>to have some continuity. You'd like to have, you know,

583
00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:19.880
<v Speaker 1>some as a as a receiver. You know, sometimes when

584
00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:23.079
<v Speaker 1>I was in a new offense, it was translating what

585
00:31:23.079 --> 00:31:25.039
<v Speaker 1>does this mean? You know, you're out there trying to

586
00:31:25.160 --> 00:31:28.279
<v Speaker 1>instead of speaking it fluently, it takes you a second.

587
00:31:28.519 --> 00:31:30.079
<v Speaker 1>You'd like to be able to have your players be

588
00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:33.599
<v Speaker 1>able to just read and react on their keys. I

589
00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:35.839
<v Speaker 1>do think that's a bit of a concern, but I've

590
00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:38.920
<v Speaker 1>heard the same thing as you have again, that everybody's

591
00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:42.759
<v Speaker 1>acclimated really well. I do think that there's going to

592
00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:45.920
<v Speaker 1>be some unique recals, But I also think that that

593
00:31:46.000 --> 00:31:49.519
<v Speaker 1>one thing that coach Stops does really well is understands

594
00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:52.720
<v Speaker 1>who he is, who he is, who his team is.

595
00:31:53.000 --> 00:31:55.279
<v Speaker 1>And that was one of the things that going back to,

596
00:31:55.839 --> 00:31:57.759
<v Speaker 1>you know, when they got rid of Eddie Grand they

597
00:31:57.799 --> 00:32:01.079
<v Speaker 1>brought in Liam Cohen because they wanted to retain the

598
00:32:01.400 --> 00:32:04.519
<v Speaker 1>physical run while still being able to push the ball

599
00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:07.319
<v Speaker 1>down the field. Become a little bit more current in

600
00:32:07.680 --> 00:32:10.720
<v Speaker 1>the posting game. And I don't think Kentucky will ever

601
00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:14.200
<v Speaker 1>lose under coach Stoops the desire to run the football

602
00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:16.599
<v Speaker 1>and to be physical. But I do think they'll beat

603
00:32:16.599 --> 00:32:19.519
<v Speaker 1>some more modern type wrinkles that Bush Hamden brings. That

604
00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:21.079
<v Speaker 1>should be fun to kind of watch.

605
00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:23.559
<v Speaker 2>A few minutes off with Chris Doring of the SEC

606
00:32:23.599 --> 00:32:26.039
<v Speaker 2>Network looking at the other side of the ball, one

607
00:32:26.039 --> 00:32:27.720
<v Speaker 2>of the people that you had a chance to talk

608
00:32:27.759 --> 00:32:30.480
<v Speaker 2>with down in Dallas. I assume he talked to everybody.

609
00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:33.799
<v Speaker 2>It's hard to miss Dion Walker, yeah, and which and

610
00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:35.640
<v Speaker 2>you know I asked him about this and he kind

611
00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:38.319
<v Speaker 2>of agreed. I'm sure you remember there was a huge

612
00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:40.400
<v Speaker 2>hit that he made a couple of years ago on

613
00:32:40.440 --> 00:32:43.599
<v Speaker 2>the Florida game. It was kind of him introducing himself

614
00:32:44.000 --> 00:32:48.839
<v Speaker 2>to the SEC and this guy, and I guess people

615
00:32:48.920 --> 00:32:51.000
<v Speaker 2>around here Chris are a little surprised he's still at

616
00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:54.279
<v Speaker 2>Kentucky and that people didn't make a teams didn't make

617
00:32:54.279 --> 00:32:56.799
<v Speaker 2>a run at him with nil dollars and let's not

618
00:32:56.880 --> 00:33:00.000
<v Speaker 2>get ourselves. I'm sure he's doing okay here in Lexingon,

619
00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:02.799
<v Speaker 2>but boy, when you can build around a guy like that.

620
00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:04.200
<v Speaker 2>How huge is that?

621
00:33:05.079 --> 00:33:08.039
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think that's another one of those statements kind

622
00:33:08.079 --> 00:33:11.880
<v Speaker 1>of things that shows that a we're legitimate landing spot

623
00:33:11.960 --> 00:33:14.079
<v Speaker 1>for all top tier talent. And let's be honest, like,

624
00:33:14.480 --> 00:33:17.000
<v Speaker 1>one of the things that has been great for Kentucky

625
00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:20.279
<v Speaker 1>is like how many times I've seen coach stops at

626
00:33:20.279 --> 00:33:23.480
<v Speaker 1>the NFL Draft the first round guys being selected in

627
00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.799
<v Speaker 1>a lot of the drafts of the last five six years.

628
00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:28.640
<v Speaker 1>That's a great statement as well. But Dean Walker does

629
00:33:28.680 --> 00:33:32.279
<v Speaker 1>not look like what we would have traditionally thought Kentucky

630
00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:34.519
<v Speaker 1>defensive players would look like. This is a guy that

631
00:33:34.759 --> 00:33:38.039
<v Speaker 1>you know you typically see at Georgia or Alabama, and

632
00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:41.960
<v Speaker 1>you're right, Getting him is one thing, Retaining him as another.

633
00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.720
<v Speaker 1>And you know they've been able to, for whatever reason,

634
00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:48.880
<v Speaker 1>hold off anybody. I'm sure there's roster tampering going on,

635
00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:52.440
<v Speaker 1>as there is everywhere else. But I think him coming

636
00:33:52.480 --> 00:33:55.599
<v Speaker 1>back having an opportunity to play in the defense that

637
00:33:55.640 --> 00:33:58.039
<v Speaker 1>will return nine starters this year, I think was big

638
00:33:58.079 --> 00:34:00.440
<v Speaker 1>for him. After having a chance to to speak to

639
00:34:00.519 --> 00:34:04.200
<v Speaker 1>him in Dallas, And I don't think people are talking

640
00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:07.640
<v Speaker 1>enough about what this Kentucky defense can look like this

641
00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:11.679
<v Speaker 1>season with so much experience and so much talent and

642
00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:15.719
<v Speaker 1>so much size that typically has not necessarily been what

643
00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:17.360
<v Speaker 1>we've expected from a Kentucky tea.

644
00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:22.679
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we talked with a defensive guys Thursday, primarily d lineman.

645
00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:25.639
<v Speaker 2>We talked with the D line coach Anowar Stewart and

646
00:34:25.639 --> 00:34:28.760
<v Speaker 2>an Octavius Oxen. Dine talked to Brad White about the

647
00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:32.280
<v Speaker 2>D line. Uh, they've built depth there, Chris, And you

648
00:34:32.360 --> 00:34:34.360
<v Speaker 2>know how tough that is to build in any league,

649
00:34:34.440 --> 00:34:35.519
<v Speaker 2>much less the SEC.

650
00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:40.079
<v Speaker 1>It's the most important thing, you know, building building depth,

651
00:34:40.320 --> 00:34:43.119
<v Speaker 1>depth of talent on the defensive line. I think just

652
00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:47.800
<v Speaker 1>really it defines the amount of success you're able to have. One.

653
00:34:47.880 --> 00:34:50.480
<v Speaker 1>I've already seen a bunch of injuries in the preseason now,

654
00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:54.440
<v Speaker 1>so sustaining you know, the inevitable injuries is important. But two,

655
00:34:54.559 --> 00:34:57.960
<v Speaker 1>defensive line wise, especially in early early portions of the season,

656
00:34:58.000 --> 00:35:00.400
<v Speaker 1>you've got to be able to roll in two and

657
00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:03.440
<v Speaker 1>freeze in there and not have significant drop offs. You know.

658
00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:05.840
<v Speaker 1>I was with coach Napriert practice a couple of weeks

659
00:35:05.840 --> 00:35:09.320
<v Speaker 1>ago in Gainesville and they were talking about the amount

660
00:35:09.360 --> 00:35:12.719
<v Speaker 1>of plays that they were asking their starters to go

661
00:35:12.840 --> 00:35:15.800
<v Speaker 1>up front. You just can't get the significant push that

662
00:35:15.880 --> 00:35:19.440
<v Speaker 1>you need up front. You know, with the guys that

663
00:35:19.480 --> 00:35:22.480
<v Speaker 1>are that size, you're asking them to play. You know,

664
00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:25.280
<v Speaker 1>fifty to sixty seventy plays a game that they're gonna

665
00:35:25.320 --> 00:35:27.400
<v Speaker 1>wear out, and you're gonna lose games in the fourth quarter.

666
00:35:27.519 --> 00:35:30.360
<v Speaker 1>So I don't care how conditioned you are, you do

667
00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:32.159
<v Speaker 1>have to have a number of guys that you can

668
00:35:32.239 --> 00:35:35.000
<v Speaker 1>roll in there in Kentucky. You mentioned you know a

669
00:35:35.039 --> 00:35:37.519
<v Speaker 1>couple of those names. I mean these are household names

670
00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:41.880
<v Speaker 1>in the conference, between Walker and auxen Dyne and J. J. Weaver.

671
00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:45.000
<v Speaker 1>I mean, these are guys that Again I don't want

672
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:48.599
<v Speaker 1>to keep being repetitive, but you don't typically see that

673
00:35:48.679 --> 00:35:51.280
<v Speaker 1>sort of player at Kentucky and your Stave.

674
00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:53.719
<v Speaker 2>Oh and that's how Stoops has turned things around with

675
00:35:53.800 --> 00:35:56.320
<v Speaker 2>great help from Vince Marrow and all the recruiters. Well,

676
00:35:56.320 --> 00:35:58.639
<v Speaker 2>I'll let you go with this. We talked about your

677
00:35:58.679 --> 00:36:02.880
<v Speaker 2>Gators who may be looking, especially the back end, at

678
00:36:02.880 --> 00:36:06.199
<v Speaker 2>the toughest schedule in the league. Kentucky's is no picnic.

679
00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:08.320
<v Speaker 2>It never really is if you're in the SEC. But Chris,

680
00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:10.880
<v Speaker 2>what I've said all along, it's not the teams they

681
00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:13.840
<v Speaker 2>have to play, and granted they have traded you know,

682
00:36:14.079 --> 00:36:17.320
<v Speaker 2>Mississippi State for Texas and now Auburn's on the schedule.

683
00:36:17.760 --> 00:36:21.159
<v Speaker 2>But it's the calendar. You know, facing South Carolina so

684
00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:25.400
<v Speaker 2>early that's a huge game, and then facing Georgia so early,

685
00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:27.760
<v Speaker 2>you know, you can't play a couple of non conference

686
00:36:27.800 --> 00:36:29.960
<v Speaker 2>games and kind of not that this is the right word,

687
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:32.800
<v Speaker 2>but ease into it. It's going to be a hell

688
00:36:32.840 --> 00:36:35.159
<v Speaker 2>of a challenge. But then again, everybody in the league

689
00:36:35.159 --> 00:36:35.760
<v Speaker 2>can say that.

690
00:36:36.840 --> 00:36:40.519
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think you're right. I think we're splitting hairs

691
00:36:40.559 --> 00:36:43.400
<v Speaker 1>when we talk about how difficult schedules are of teams

692
00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:45.719
<v Speaker 1>in the SEC. I think a couple of things come

693
00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:48.880
<v Speaker 1>to mind. Obviously, the at of conference games are important.

694
00:36:49.039 --> 00:36:51.639
<v Speaker 1>So I look at Florida schedule, having to play Miami,

695
00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:56.400
<v Speaker 1>having to play Florida State and THEBF is really challenging.

696
00:36:56.559 --> 00:37:00.360
<v Speaker 1>I do like the outa conference schedule for Kentucky, chance

697
00:37:00.400 --> 00:37:04.639
<v Speaker 1>to play Southern miss playing Ohio, you got Murray State,

698
00:37:04.760 --> 00:37:08.320
<v Speaker 1>and finish up with the Governor's Cup against Louisville. You know,

699
00:37:08.360 --> 00:37:10.719
<v Speaker 1>I think that's a more favorable out of conference schedule

700
00:37:10.800 --> 00:37:14.800
<v Speaker 1>than some have. But you're right about it's not about

701
00:37:14.840 --> 00:37:17.760
<v Speaker 1>who you play, but when you play the order in

702
00:37:17.800 --> 00:37:19.960
<v Speaker 1>which you played. I think it used to be a

703
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:22.960
<v Speaker 1>three game stretch on every SEC team schedule that was

704
00:37:23.000 --> 00:37:24.840
<v Speaker 1>going to define the success of the season. I think

705
00:37:24.840 --> 00:37:26.960
<v Speaker 1>it's actually becoming a lot of cases a four game

706
00:37:27.039 --> 00:37:30.800
<v Speaker 1>stretch now with the way that that Oklahoma and Texas

707
00:37:30.800 --> 00:37:33.719
<v Speaker 1>have come in the way that they've eliminated the divisions,

708
00:37:33.760 --> 00:37:36.840
<v Speaker 1>and it is it is a grind. And so you

709
00:37:37.239 --> 00:37:40.440
<v Speaker 1>look at I'm with you, man, having to play that

710
00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:44.440
<v Speaker 1>early portion of schedule with South Carolina in Week two

711
00:37:44.880 --> 00:37:47.840
<v Speaker 1>in Georgia, the week after you get Ohio and then

712
00:37:47.880 --> 00:37:50.679
<v Speaker 1>have to play against whole MYSS September is going to

713
00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:54.679
<v Speaker 1>be somewhere in that August thirty first game, those first

714
00:37:54.679 --> 00:37:57.840
<v Speaker 1>five games, if you can, if you can get to

715
00:37:58.559 --> 00:38:01.559
<v Speaker 1>if you get to three to three two, I feel

716
00:38:01.880 --> 00:38:04.159
<v Speaker 1>that's probably a pretty good win given the fact you

717
00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:06.880
<v Speaker 1>gotta play Georgia and you gotta go to Oxford. But

718
00:38:08.039 --> 00:38:11.159
<v Speaker 1>I do I do think it's important to remember this

719
00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:15.000
<v Speaker 1>is a two by season and what that can do

720
00:38:15.079 --> 00:38:17.800
<v Speaker 1>to break up some of that that grind the teams

721
00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:22.159
<v Speaker 1>find themselves having to play in. But I look at, uh,

722
00:38:22.719 --> 00:38:25.400
<v Speaker 1>you know, in musition to that other run they Kentucky

723
00:38:25.440 --> 00:38:29.800
<v Speaker 1>has Florida, Auburn and Tennessee in succession too, which will

724
00:38:29.800 --> 00:38:32.159
<v Speaker 1>be a bit of a stress there in the middle

725
00:38:32.159 --> 00:38:32.559
<v Speaker 1>of the year.

726
00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:36.679
<v Speaker 2>Get used to it, SEC fans, because that's where we

727
00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:39.599
<v Speaker 2>are now. Chris Doring of the SEC Network. Watch for

728
00:38:39.679 --> 00:38:42.280
<v Speaker 2>him on TV, listen for him on the radio, follow

729
00:38:42.360 --> 00:38:45.760
<v Speaker 2>him on Twitter or x at just at Chris Doring

730
00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:48.480
<v Speaker 2>d E R I n G. Thank you brother, talking

731
00:38:48.480 --> 00:38:50.079
<v Speaker 2>to you soon and have a great season.

732
00:38:50.559 --> 00:38:52.280
<v Speaker 1>Yeah all great to do with you big, thank you

733
00:38:52.360 --> 00:38:53.880
<v Speaker 1>and I'll talk to you later down the road.

734
00:38:54.119 --> 00:38:56.920
<v Speaker 2>Our number two with Jack Gibbons and Mark's story next

735
00:38:57.159 --> 00:38:59.559
<v Speaker 2>here on The Big Blue Siders six thirty w L A. B.

736
00:39:29.039 --> 00:39:31.119
<v Speaker 2>Welcome back to the Big Blues Sider, joining us now

737
00:39:31.119 --> 00:39:34.679
<v Speaker 2>as a longtime friend, a former classmate and teammate on

738
00:39:34.719 --> 00:39:37.280
<v Speaker 2>the UK Sports Network. Mister Jack Gibbons. You hear him

739
00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:39.840
<v Speaker 2>each week talking to Tom Leash. But Jack, we haven't

740
00:39:39.880 --> 00:39:41.880
<v Speaker 2>talked in a little while. How has your summer been.

741
00:39:43.039 --> 00:39:46.840
<v Speaker 7>Summer has been great, Gab. I mean, just trying to

742
00:39:47.000 --> 00:39:50.519
<v Speaker 7>keep up with the kids and especially trying to keep

743
00:39:50.599 --> 00:39:54.599
<v Speaker 7>up with the grandkids. It's not all that easy. I

744
00:39:54.599 --> 00:39:58.480
<v Speaker 7>mean it's fun, but man, they always have something going on.

745
00:39:58.719 --> 00:40:03.440
<v Speaker 7>That they want Papa could be yet, So I'd try

746
00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:06.079
<v Speaker 7>to try to be at every one of their functions,

747
00:40:06.079 --> 00:40:08.639
<v Speaker 7>certainly as many as I can. But it's been a

748
00:40:08.639 --> 00:40:10.639
<v Speaker 7>great summer, been really really good.

749
00:40:10.880 --> 00:40:19.000
<v Speaker 2>That's you, Papa, Yes, yeah, Papa. Yeah, it's just anybody

750
00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:22.760
<v Speaker 2>who has grandkids. We grandparents talk to each other about

751
00:40:23.079 --> 00:40:26.000
<v Speaker 2>what we're called, and it's it's as often as not

752
00:40:26.079 --> 00:40:29.719
<v Speaker 2>just something unusual. But Papa's pretty good. I like that. Well,

753
00:40:29.760 --> 00:40:31.599
<v Speaker 2>you've talked a lot. I've heard you all with Tom,

754
00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:37.800
<v Speaker 2>but I know you're happy with what direction Mark Pope

755
00:40:37.840 --> 00:40:41.880
<v Speaker 2>has taken. And I know as well that you appreciate

756
00:40:41.920 --> 00:40:46.880
<v Speaker 2>the challenge man of putting a roster together basically from scratch,

757
00:40:47.519 --> 00:40:50.920
<v Speaker 2>and a lot of coaches have to scramble almost every year, Jack,

758
00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:55.199
<v Speaker 2>but just completely start over is a chapter of Kentucky

759
00:40:55.280 --> 00:40:58.039
<v Speaker 2>basketball that none of us thought we would ever see.

760
00:40:58.079 --> 00:40:58.280
<v Speaker 2>You know.

761
00:41:00.199 --> 00:41:04.079
<v Speaker 7>Yeah, it's it's been interesting, no question about it. And yeah,

762
00:41:04.079 --> 00:41:08.000
<v Speaker 7>I think Mark's done a great job of kind of

763
00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:13.159
<v Speaker 7>riding the ship, getting it going in the proper direction.

764
00:41:13.320 --> 00:41:16.199
<v Speaker 7>I think he's done a uh, he did a great job.

765
00:41:16.280 --> 00:41:18.159
<v Speaker 7>I know, he did a great job putting together his

766
00:41:18.239 --> 00:41:21.679
<v Speaker 7>coaching staff. He's got some folks on there who are

767
00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:26.159
<v Speaker 7>are good recruiters and can bring in players. He has

768
00:41:26.239 --> 00:41:32.960
<v Speaker 7>some good basketball knowledge, guys, so he has some input

769
00:41:33.079 --> 00:41:35.920
<v Speaker 7>from people who have kind of been there and done that,

770
00:41:36.199 --> 00:41:40.480
<v Speaker 7>which is good. And and of course he's He's put

771
00:41:40.519 --> 00:41:45.360
<v Speaker 7>together a group of guys who I think are going

772
00:41:45.400 --> 00:41:47.519
<v Speaker 7>to be fun to watch. We're all going to be

773
00:41:47.599 --> 00:41:50.639
<v Speaker 7>pleasantly surprised, I think with what what this team is

774
00:41:50.679 --> 00:41:54.760
<v Speaker 7>capable of doing. I like the fact that we're uh

775
00:41:54.840 --> 00:41:57.199
<v Speaker 7>for the first time in a long time, flying below

776
00:41:57.320 --> 00:42:01.599
<v Speaker 7>the radar at this past year, and everybody's not talking about,

777
00:42:01.760 --> 00:42:05.199
<v Speaker 7>you know, first five in the country and or maybe

778
00:42:05.280 --> 00:42:08.119
<v Speaker 7>number one or all of that kind of stuff at

779
00:42:08.119 --> 00:42:11.639
<v Speaker 7>this time of the year, which obviously has proven to

780
00:42:11.679 --> 00:42:14.719
<v Speaker 7>mean nothing at the end of the year. So I

781
00:42:14.840 --> 00:42:19.199
<v Speaker 7>like where we are, Gabe. I'm really really pleased with

782
00:42:19.320 --> 00:42:20.360
<v Speaker 7>the way things are going.

783
00:42:21.400 --> 00:42:23.480
<v Speaker 2>When you guys, when all the ex players got off

784
00:42:23.519 --> 00:42:25.920
<v Speaker 2>the bus, when Mark was introduced, it was it was

785
00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:30.280
<v Speaker 2>a real signal. Not that John Caller Perry ignored you guys,

786
00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:33.960
<v Speaker 2>but this was a true commitment to Kentucky tradition. And

787
00:42:34.000 --> 00:42:38.599
<v Speaker 2>I'm wondering Jack in this day and age, with crazy

788
00:42:38.679 --> 00:42:41.360
<v Speaker 2>money out there and the lure of the NBA and

789
00:42:42.119 --> 00:42:44.320
<v Speaker 2>all the player movement and everything. Mark one of his

790
00:42:44.440 --> 00:42:49.039
<v Speaker 2>goals is to try to see to it that we're

791
00:42:49.079 --> 00:42:52.639
<v Speaker 2>in that jersey means as much to the kids he

792
00:42:52.719 --> 00:42:55.239
<v Speaker 2>brings in as it did to him and as it

793
00:42:55.280 --> 00:42:57.760
<v Speaker 2>did to you. And I don't know that anybody can

794
00:42:57.800 --> 00:43:00.000
<v Speaker 2>match it, you know, for guys like you and Jane

795
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:02.920
<v Speaker 2>teams in the Kentucky guys that are from Kentucky. But

796
00:43:03.360 --> 00:43:05.679
<v Speaker 2>you think that's possible in this day and age to

797
00:43:05.760 --> 00:43:09.760
<v Speaker 2>find kids who will really buy into that. You cannot,

798
00:43:09.880 --> 00:43:12.000
<v Speaker 2>you know, ignore the fact that that they're playing for

799
00:43:12.079 --> 00:43:15.280
<v Speaker 2>generational wealth or at least a shot at it. But

800
00:43:15.440 --> 00:43:19.360
<v Speaker 2>can kids appreciate the name on the front of that jersey?

801
00:43:21.079 --> 00:43:24.119
<v Speaker 7>I think they can, and I think they do. I

802
00:43:24.760 --> 00:43:30.440
<v Speaker 7>think what Mark is trying to do and gave I'm

803
00:43:30.480 --> 00:43:34.360
<v Speaker 7>on the I'm on this uh UH text chain with

804
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:41.599
<v Speaker 7>I'm telling you we get this. I get pinged on

805
00:43:41.679 --> 00:43:45.840
<v Speaker 7>my phone every two minutes from UH a new guy

806
00:43:45.880 --> 00:43:49.280
<v Speaker 7>who chimes in and says, hey, I'm here, guys, it's

807
00:43:49.280 --> 00:43:52.400
<v Speaker 7>good to be connected. I mean, you would be shocked

808
00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:56.280
<v Speaker 7>at some of the names UH young and old, which

809
00:43:56.480 --> 00:44:00.719
<v Speaker 7>is really neat because us older guys. We haven't had

810
00:44:00.760 --> 00:44:04.880
<v Speaker 7>a direct chain, a direct link to a lot of

811
00:44:04.920 --> 00:44:08.920
<v Speaker 7>the younger players, A lot of the guys, even from

812
00:44:08.960 --> 00:44:15.559
<v Speaker 7>Mark's era, we and and younger, we haven't had a

813
00:44:15.639 --> 00:44:19.760
<v Speaker 7>direct link to those guys. Now we're I'm getting on

814
00:44:19.840 --> 00:44:25.360
<v Speaker 7>this email chain. I'm getting shout outs from man. I mean,

815
00:44:25.639 --> 00:44:31.039
<v Speaker 7>just unbelievable number of guys, and that all is generated

816
00:44:31.079 --> 00:44:34.920
<v Speaker 7>by Mark and he wants. I think guys played for

817
00:44:35.840 --> 00:44:41.079
<v Speaker 7>that name on the front if they understand what that

818
00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:43.960
<v Speaker 7>name on the front means. And I think having all

819
00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:51.119
<v Speaker 7>of us, all of us former players involved being seen

820
00:44:51.960 --> 00:44:57.119
<v Speaker 7>around them, I think, I think it's going to be

821
00:44:57.239 --> 00:44:59.719
<v Speaker 7>huge and it's going to prove to them that man,

822
00:44:59.760 --> 00:45:02.519
<v Speaker 7>it have something special. We're in Kentucky. They have all

823
00:45:02.599 --> 00:45:09.639
<v Speaker 7>these guys around, different age groups, different backgrounds, different professions

824
00:45:09.679 --> 00:45:14.280
<v Speaker 7>now and it tells them we can beat just like

825
00:45:14.360 --> 00:45:17.440
<v Speaker 7>these guys for a long long time, and that is

826
00:45:17.519 --> 00:45:20.840
<v Speaker 7>going to be special. Kentucky on the Front still means

827
00:45:20.880 --> 00:45:22.400
<v Speaker 7>a lot, and these guys know.

828
00:45:22.440 --> 00:45:27.000
<v Speaker 2>It, you know what, I think as well as they

829
00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:30.719
<v Speaker 2>hear it's an abstract before they get here. And then

830
00:45:30.760 --> 00:45:33.920
<v Speaker 2>once they do get here and they start hearing from

831
00:45:33.960 --> 00:45:39.960
<v Speaker 2>the fans, experience the BBN, see the illustrations on the

832
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:43.440
<v Speaker 2>walls of the Nutter Center, things like that, it becomes even.

833
00:45:43.280 --> 00:45:46.360
<v Speaker 7>Bigger, you know what I mean, Yeah, you can't. You

834
00:45:46.400 --> 00:45:49.760
<v Speaker 7>can't know what that's like until you see it. And

835
00:45:50.079 --> 00:45:54.440
<v Speaker 7>you hear all kinds of stuff about how special Kentucky

836
00:45:54.519 --> 00:45:58.880
<v Speaker 7>basketball is. But some of these young guys who you know,

837
00:45:59.079 --> 00:46:02.280
<v Speaker 7>they they hear it, but they have no idea. Man,

838
00:46:02.400 --> 00:46:04.840
<v Speaker 7>they have no clue of what all that means. But

839
00:46:05.039 --> 00:46:08.559
<v Speaker 7>to see it up close and personal once they get here,

840
00:46:08.880 --> 00:46:12.480
<v Speaker 7>it drives it home. And and that is one of

841
00:46:12.519 --> 00:46:15.400
<v Speaker 7>the I mean, you can't get that everywhere. I mean,

842
00:46:15.440 --> 00:46:18.519
<v Speaker 7>you just don't get that everywhere. So that's going to

843
00:46:18.599 --> 00:46:19.119
<v Speaker 7>be huge.

844
00:46:19.320 --> 00:46:21.199
<v Speaker 2>Have you had a chance to talk to many of them.

845
00:46:22.920 --> 00:46:26.239
<v Speaker 7>The current guys, just the guys that, yeah, I've talked to.

846
00:46:26.519 --> 00:46:28.559
<v Speaker 7>I've talked to most of them. I was in practice

847
00:46:28.599 --> 00:46:31.639
<v Speaker 7>one day and Mark had me come up and and

848
00:46:31.880 --> 00:46:36.199
<v Speaker 7>uh and talk to him as a group, and and boy,

849
00:46:37.360 --> 00:46:41.199
<v Speaker 7>they were respectful. They you know, they each one of

850
00:46:41.239 --> 00:46:45.440
<v Speaker 7>them individually after I finished shook hands with me. I've

851
00:46:45.679 --> 00:46:50.960
<v Speaker 7>I've talked to guys like Trent and Noah and Trent

852
00:46:51.159 --> 00:46:58.719
<v Speaker 7>is is wanting to be a golfer, so trying to

853
00:46:58.760 --> 00:47:00.880
<v Speaker 7>get a date where we can go out and played golf.

854
00:47:00.960 --> 00:47:04.960
<v Speaker 7>He's taken. He's already had lessons from my uh from

855
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:08.559
<v Speaker 7>my good ballet buddy, uh, Wally Langley, and Wally and

856
00:47:08.639 --> 00:47:12.760
<v Speaker 7>I coached golf together. Whalley coaches. I'm uh, you know,

857
00:47:13.400 --> 00:47:16.880
<v Speaker 7>I kind of hang out and make sure that you know,

858
00:47:17.440 --> 00:47:21.480
<v Speaker 7>but uh, you know, I talked to him, I've talked

859
00:47:21.480 --> 00:47:26.960
<v Speaker 7>to a bunch of the guys. Uh Kerr. He's a fisherman.

860
00:47:27.079 --> 00:47:29.800
<v Speaker 7>He wants to go fishing, and we've tried to set

861
00:47:29.840 --> 00:47:32.199
<v Speaker 7>it up a couple of times. And it's only a

862
00:47:32.280 --> 00:47:34.360
<v Speaker 7>matter of time before he and I get out there

863
00:47:34.400 --> 00:47:37.199
<v Speaker 7>on the on the water together. So yeah, it's been

864
00:47:37.280 --> 00:47:40.000
<v Speaker 7>fun getting to know him. And as we get more

865
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:43.599
<v Speaker 7>and more into practice and I'm in practice more often

866
00:47:43.679 --> 00:47:49.599
<v Speaker 7>and traveling. Uh, We've we've gotten going, gotten everything going

867
00:47:49.639 --> 00:47:53.800
<v Speaker 7>on in a really good way. That's far on such

868
00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:54.960
<v Speaker 7>a short period of time.

869
00:47:55.079 --> 00:47:58.639
<v Speaker 2>I've only seen the video clips, but I think it's

870
00:47:58.679 --> 00:48:01.119
<v Speaker 2>interesting that, you know, mar is right there in the

871
00:48:01.159 --> 00:48:03.599
<v Speaker 2>middle of the drills, teaching his way like like all

872
00:48:03.639 --> 00:48:07.440
<v Speaker 2>coaches do. But boy, what an advantage Jack in that

873
00:48:07.519 --> 00:48:10.679
<v Speaker 2>he's got so many veterans on this team, the guys

874
00:48:10.679 --> 00:48:13.880
<v Speaker 2>who've transferred in, almost just about all of them. I've

875
00:48:13.920 --> 00:48:16.079
<v Speaker 2>got to think that they're soaking things up a little

876
00:48:16.119 --> 00:48:19.599
<v Speaker 2>quicker than a younger team would. Did you notice that?

877
00:48:19.760 --> 00:48:20.440
<v Speaker 2>Is that a parent?

878
00:48:21.320 --> 00:48:24.440
<v Speaker 7>Oh it's very obvious, Gabe, very obvious. I mean the

879
00:48:24.480 --> 00:48:27.400
<v Speaker 7>first thing I noticed when well, a couple of the

880
00:48:27.480 --> 00:48:31.960
<v Speaker 7>first things. I know this number one, I noticed we

881
00:48:32.119 --> 00:48:33.599
<v Speaker 7>had a bunch of men out there.

882
00:48:33.679 --> 00:48:35.159
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I mean.

883
00:48:35.079 --> 00:48:40.840
<v Speaker 7>Physically physically, you know, you didn't. You didn't have a

884
00:48:40.880 --> 00:48:43.960
<v Speaker 7>big z out there who is seven whatever he is,

885
00:48:44.079 --> 00:48:48.360
<v Speaker 7>and but he weighs about one thirty, dripping wet. You know,

886
00:48:48.920 --> 00:48:51.280
<v Speaker 7>there were no guys like that out there. I mean,

887
00:48:51.360 --> 00:48:54.599
<v Speaker 7>that was That was one thing that I noticed right

888
00:48:54.599 --> 00:48:57.079
<v Speaker 7>off the bat. But then the second thing I noticed,

889
00:48:57.079 --> 00:49:01.039
<v Speaker 7>and more importantly, is that I know that talk that

890
00:49:01.239 --> 00:49:05.559
<v Speaker 7>chattered going on at practice really and one of the

891
00:49:05.559 --> 00:49:08.639
<v Speaker 7>things coach Calipari complained about us a lot is that

892
00:49:08.840 --> 00:49:11.880
<v Speaker 7>he didn't have guys who talk to each other. You know,

893
00:49:11.920 --> 00:49:15.440
<v Speaker 7>we got to communicate better on the court. Well, that's

894
00:49:15.559 --> 00:49:17.920
<v Speaker 7>not a problem with these guys. Mad They are in

895
00:49:18.039 --> 00:49:21.559
<v Speaker 7>each other's ear, they're vocal, they don't mind. They've learned,

896
00:49:22.239 --> 00:49:25.159
<v Speaker 7>so they don't mind taking a chance of saying something

897
00:49:25.239 --> 00:49:28.000
<v Speaker 7>that is going to be a mistake because they know

898
00:49:28.119 --> 00:49:30.960
<v Speaker 7>the game. So we're a young guy, you know, they

899
00:49:30.960 --> 00:49:32.599
<v Speaker 7>don't want to talk because they don't know what the

900
00:49:32.679 --> 00:49:36.119
<v Speaker 7>heck's going on, what they're trying to learn. So it

901
00:49:36.239 --> 00:49:40.360
<v Speaker 7>was very obvious man to talk and patting each other

902
00:49:40.480 --> 00:49:43.079
<v Speaker 7>on the back and and that kind of stuff. That's

903
00:49:43.119 --> 00:49:46.280
<v Speaker 7>going to go a long way with making sure these

904
00:49:46.320 --> 00:49:50.079
<v Speaker 7>guys turn into more from just a group of guys,

905
00:49:51.000 --> 00:49:54.920
<v Speaker 7>talented guys, and it turns into a team. And that's

906
00:49:54.960 --> 00:49:58.960
<v Speaker 7>what was fun as the practices I saw over the summer.

907
00:49:59.039 --> 00:50:01.199
<v Speaker 7>That was some of the fun and stuff I noticed

908
00:50:01.679 --> 00:50:04.559
<v Speaker 7>as I got to know and to learn more and

909
00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:05.599
<v Speaker 7>more about these guys.

910
00:50:05.599 --> 00:50:08.039
<v Speaker 2>Well, that goes back to what Marcus said when I

911
00:50:08.159 --> 00:50:10.920
<v Speaker 2>and others have asked him, just how in the world

912
00:50:10.960 --> 00:50:13.280
<v Speaker 2>are you going to do this? Figure out who to

913
00:50:13.320 --> 00:50:16.599
<v Speaker 2>play and when and you know, the different rotations, and

914
00:50:16.639 --> 00:50:19.800
<v Speaker 2>he said, I'm going to need the players to help

915
00:50:19.840 --> 00:50:22.280
<v Speaker 2>me figure that out, you know, And that makes a

916
00:50:22.320 --> 00:50:23.360
<v Speaker 2>lot of sense, doesn't it.

917
00:50:24.239 --> 00:50:26.800
<v Speaker 7>Yeah? Yeah, And they will, I mean they will. That

918
00:50:26.840 --> 00:50:31.519
<v Speaker 7>will make marks jobs so much easier, just simply because

919
00:50:31.639 --> 00:50:35.159
<v Speaker 7>he doesn't have to go through that process like he

920
00:50:35.199 --> 00:50:38.119
<v Speaker 7>would with a young team. I mean, these guys know

921
00:50:38.280 --> 00:50:42.440
<v Speaker 7>how to play. They know how to play. They just

922
00:50:42.519 --> 00:50:44.559
<v Speaker 7>want to make sure number one, they got to learn

923
00:50:44.599 --> 00:50:49.159
<v Speaker 7>each other. But it makes the whole process go a

924
00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:52.960
<v Speaker 7>whole lot quicker, whole lot smoother. Yeah, because they are

925
00:50:53.599 --> 00:50:57.079
<v Speaker 7>what they are a bunch of experienced men who have

926
00:50:57.199 --> 00:51:00.960
<v Speaker 7>been in about every situation you can go through and

927
00:51:01.440 --> 00:51:04.320
<v Speaker 7>they've survived it. So that's going to mean a lot

928
00:51:04.400 --> 00:51:04.920
<v Speaker 7>to them.

929
00:51:05.039 --> 00:51:07.920
<v Speaker 2>Jack Gibbons is my guest, the UK All American color

930
00:51:07.960 --> 00:51:10.960
<v Speaker 2>analyst on the UK Radio Network. We'll have more questions

931
00:51:10.960 --> 00:51:12.880
<v Speaker 2>for the Goose when we come back here on the

932
00:51:12.880 --> 00:51:16.480
<v Speaker 2>Big Boon Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking

933
00:51:16.519 --> 00:51:19.239
<v Speaker 2>with Jack Gibbons. See of course, the UK All American

934
00:51:19.360 --> 00:51:23.079
<v Speaker 2>Tom Leach's running mate on the UK Basketball Radio Network.

935
00:51:23.119 --> 00:51:25.199
<v Speaker 2>Hear him each week with Tom. But Jack and I

936
00:51:25.239 --> 00:51:27.159
<v Speaker 2>haven't had a chance to chop it up in a while,

937
00:51:27.280 --> 00:51:29.760
<v Speaker 2>so I wanted to get his thoughts on what he

938
00:51:29.840 --> 00:51:34.599
<v Speaker 2>has seen with Mark Pope's newball club. And I know, Jack,

939
00:51:34.639 --> 00:51:38.119
<v Speaker 2>without even asking you, you love the style of play.

940
00:51:38.159 --> 00:51:40.840
<v Speaker 2>We haven't even seen a game yet, but from everything

941
00:51:40.920 --> 00:51:43.599
<v Speaker 2>we've heard he wants to see that ball go up

942
00:51:43.639 --> 00:51:46.760
<v Speaker 2>from the outside, and to a young man like you,

943
00:51:47.239 --> 00:51:48.400
<v Speaker 2>that's music, isn't it.

944
00:51:50.519 --> 00:51:53.880
<v Speaker 7>Yeah, I mean it should be to all of these

945
00:51:53.960 --> 00:51:57.519
<v Speaker 7>guys because the one thing they want, I think when

946
00:51:57.519 --> 00:52:00.559
<v Speaker 7>it comes to the way the game is being played now,

947
00:52:01.159 --> 00:52:05.960
<v Speaker 7>is a realization that they can shoot at anytime they

948
00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:07.199
<v Speaker 7>think they have a good shot.

949
00:52:07.280 --> 00:52:07.440
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

950
00:52:07.559 --> 00:52:11.800
<v Speaker 7>You know a lot of offenses you have to run.

951
00:52:12.199 --> 00:52:15.800
<v Speaker 7>You have to make four or five, six, seven passes. Well,

952
00:52:15.800 --> 00:52:19.559
<v Speaker 7>with this offense, if you make four or five six passes,

953
00:52:19.599 --> 00:52:24.239
<v Speaker 7>you're running it wrong. You're just you're just not doing

954
00:52:24.280 --> 00:52:24.760
<v Speaker 7>it right.

955
00:52:24.760 --> 00:52:25.000
<v Speaker 2>Man.

956
00:52:25.760 --> 00:52:28.639
<v Speaker 7>You should be able to either get a shot as

957
00:52:28.679 --> 00:52:32.119
<v Speaker 7>soon as the ball pass gets past half court. I

958
00:52:32.119 --> 00:52:35.920
<v Speaker 7>mean I'm not talking about just from the logo, but

959
00:52:37.280 --> 00:52:40.519
<v Speaker 7>that pass that might come from the back court into

960
00:52:41.079 --> 00:52:43.679
<v Speaker 7>the front court around the three point line. If that

961
00:52:43.840 --> 00:52:47.000
<v Speaker 7>shot is there, you take it. If you don't take it,

962
00:52:47.079 --> 00:52:50.639
<v Speaker 7>then you make a dribble to the basket, and then

963
00:52:50.719 --> 00:52:53.159
<v Speaker 7>you pass it to the other guy spotting up on

964
00:52:53.199 --> 00:52:57.000
<v Speaker 7>the wing and that guy takes. So the quick offense

965
00:52:57.159 --> 00:53:00.679
<v Speaker 7>is going to be a fun style. You can It's

966
00:53:00.719 --> 00:53:03.599
<v Speaker 7>amazing you can run that and still shoot a lot

967
00:53:03.639 --> 00:53:07.639
<v Speaker 7>of bad shots, which which is hard to kind of

968
00:53:07.760 --> 00:53:12.519
<v Speaker 7>compute for me, but they are doing that and the

969
00:53:12.599 --> 00:53:15.880
<v Speaker 7>shot look like good shots. And you know, there are

970
00:53:16.079 --> 00:53:19.320
<v Speaker 7>full of guys that you don't necessarily want taking me

971
00:53:20.840 --> 00:53:24.719
<v Speaker 7>the extended jump shot if you will, but you know

972
00:53:24.920 --> 00:53:28.760
<v Speaker 7>at sixteen fifteen sixteen foot jump shot is a good shot.

973
00:53:29.119 --> 00:53:32.880
<v Speaker 7>I mean, I've made a living doing that, and you know,

974
00:53:33.000 --> 00:53:35.599
<v Speaker 7>everything worked out firme. So it's going to be a

975
00:53:35.599 --> 00:53:36.519
<v Speaker 7>fun style to lot.

976
00:53:36.760 --> 00:53:40.400
<v Speaker 2>So what you're telling me is we won't necessarily see

977
00:53:40.880 --> 00:53:44.119
<v Speaker 2>every shot from outside the paint, from beyond the arc.

978
00:53:44.239 --> 00:53:46.239
<v Speaker 2>We're going to see some mid range.

979
00:53:46.559 --> 00:53:49.159
<v Speaker 7>You're going to I'm hoping we see a lot of

980
00:53:49.280 --> 00:53:55.320
<v Speaker 7>mid range shots, because, yeah, the three pointer is good,

981
00:53:55.360 --> 00:53:58.719
<v Speaker 7>and I know analytics and all of that make it

982
00:53:58.920 --> 00:54:03.199
<v Speaker 7>such that, you know, thirty three percent of a three

983
00:54:03.239 --> 00:54:07.039
<v Speaker 7>point shot a whole lot better than forty five percent

984
00:54:07.280 --> 00:54:10.400
<v Speaker 7>of a two point shot, and you know I get that,

985
00:54:10.519 --> 00:54:13.079
<v Speaker 7>But there's still a place in this game, I think

986
00:54:13.800 --> 00:54:17.199
<v Speaker 7>for a two point shot. I'm not talking about a

987
00:54:17.239 --> 00:54:19.760
<v Speaker 7>step inside a three point line. I mean, if you're

988
00:54:19.800 --> 00:54:21.920
<v Speaker 7>that far out, you might as well be behind the

989
00:54:21.960 --> 00:54:24.559
<v Speaker 7>three point line. But I'm talking about some of those

990
00:54:24.599 --> 00:54:28.079
<v Speaker 7>when you're following up for offensive rebound, and you catch

991
00:54:28.119 --> 00:54:32.679
<v Speaker 7>it at the long shots lead the long rebounds, and

992
00:54:32.760 --> 00:54:35.719
<v Speaker 7>you catch it at the free throw line or just beyond,

993
00:54:36.119 --> 00:54:38.880
<v Speaker 7>go ahead and shoot that thing right there. Sometimes it

994
00:54:39.199 --> 00:54:42.559
<v Speaker 7>will be reversed or one more pass to the three

995
00:54:42.559 --> 00:54:45.320
<v Speaker 7>point line. But there'd be some of those shots surely

996
00:54:45.679 --> 00:54:47.039
<v Speaker 7>that you should be able to get.

997
00:54:47.199 --> 00:54:50.760
<v Speaker 2>See. In my mind's eye, I'm thinking tempo and pace.

998
00:54:50.840 --> 00:54:53.480
<v Speaker 2>They want to they want an up tempo offense. So

999
00:54:53.639 --> 00:54:55.840
<v Speaker 2>if the other team give them credit, if they're playing

1000
00:54:55.840 --> 00:54:57.840
<v Speaker 2>pretty good defense, and you got to work at work

1001
00:54:57.840 --> 00:55:00.519
<v Speaker 2>and work it, you don't want to settle it point

1002
00:55:00.880 --> 00:55:03.119
<v Speaker 2>for a mid range shot. Is is that what I'm hearing?

1003
00:55:04.280 --> 00:55:06.679
<v Speaker 7>Yeah, yeah, you know, I mean I think you're gonna

1004
00:55:06.719 --> 00:55:10.079
<v Speaker 7>have to figure that out shoot. I mean, look, they're

1005
00:55:10.119 --> 00:55:15.199
<v Speaker 7>gonna be times when you know you've been defended well

1006
00:55:15.239 --> 00:55:19.559
<v Speaker 7>and you have teams out challenging you, which makes making

1007
00:55:19.639 --> 00:55:23.400
<v Speaker 7>that seventeen foot shot even more important because I remember

1008
00:55:23.480 --> 00:55:29.320
<v Speaker 7>Kentucky used to play Alabama, a team like Alabama who

1009
00:55:29.480 --> 00:55:32.039
<v Speaker 7>lived by the three point shot. I mean, their philosophy

1010
00:55:32.159 --> 00:55:34.880
<v Speaker 7>was to chase them off the three point line, right, So, yeah,

1011
00:55:34.880 --> 00:55:37.239
<v Speaker 7>they're gonna be some times when you fake and take

1012
00:55:37.280 --> 00:55:40.159
<v Speaker 7>two or three dribbles to clear some space, you still

1013
00:55:40.199 --> 00:55:44.280
<v Speaker 7>have to make that seventeen foot jump shot. So yeah,

1014
00:55:44.320 --> 00:55:45.559
<v Speaker 7>they're gonna be times for that.

1015
00:55:45.960 --> 00:55:48.320
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, Okay, well I thought that's what I was hearing.

1016
00:55:49.280 --> 00:55:52.199
<v Speaker 2>A couple more basketball questions and then you're gonna shamelessly

1017
00:55:52.239 --> 00:55:58.159
<v Speaker 2>plug your book. But I do find it interesting that

1018
00:55:58.239 --> 00:56:00.880
<v Speaker 2>Kentucky is not an n any of the way too

1019
00:56:00.920 --> 00:56:03.440
<v Speaker 2>early top twenty five. I'm with you. I think it's

1020
00:56:03.480 --> 00:56:07.719
<v Speaker 2>going to be fun when the Wildcats crashed the top

1021
00:56:07.760 --> 00:56:12.519
<v Speaker 2>twenty five, assuming they have success, and see how quickly

1022
00:56:12.559 --> 00:56:16.599
<v Speaker 2>do the voters start to believe in Mark Pope's team,

1023
00:56:16.639 --> 00:56:17.159
<v Speaker 2>you know what I mean?

1024
00:56:18.639 --> 00:56:23.880
<v Speaker 7>Yeah, And look, I'm hoping. I mean, we're going to

1025
00:56:23.960 --> 00:56:28.280
<v Speaker 7>win games, that's not a problem. I'm hoping by the

1026
00:56:28.400 --> 00:56:31.639
<v Speaker 7>time the SEC schedule starts run the first of the year,

1027
00:56:33.440 --> 00:56:39.079
<v Speaker 7>I'm hoping we're about number fifteen something like that. And

1028
00:56:39.400 --> 00:56:42.360
<v Speaker 7>I'm thinking after the first three weeks of the SEC

1029
00:56:42.559 --> 00:56:45.719
<v Speaker 7>schedule and we upset some teams and we beat some

1030
00:56:45.840 --> 00:56:49.039
<v Speaker 7>teams that we weren't supposed, we now cracked the top ten,

1031
00:56:49.760 --> 00:56:55.000
<v Speaker 7>and see what happens the rest of the year. I'm

1032
00:56:55.039 --> 00:56:58.039
<v Speaker 7>looking for that kind of season and that kind of

1033
00:56:58.079 --> 00:56:59.840
<v Speaker 7>progress from this team.

1034
00:57:00.199 --> 00:57:00.440
<v Speaker 2>You know.

1035
00:57:00.719 --> 00:57:03.280
<v Speaker 7>I mean, hey, we may never get to number one,

1036
00:57:04.559 --> 00:57:06.960
<v Speaker 7>but there's a lot of success for a team that

1037
00:57:07.159 --> 00:57:10.679
<v Speaker 7>we have, the veterans that we have from the number

1038
00:57:10.719 --> 00:57:13.920
<v Speaker 7>ten to number thirteen spot, which is where we should

1039
00:57:13.960 --> 00:57:16.559
<v Speaker 7>be by the end of the year, and then let's

1040
00:57:16.599 --> 00:57:17.920
<v Speaker 7>just see what happens from there.

1041
00:57:18.079 --> 00:57:21.800
<v Speaker 2>That sounds good to me. Well, before we go shamelessly

1042
00:57:21.840 --> 00:57:23.760
<v Speaker 2>plug your book, how are things going.

1043
00:57:24.880 --> 00:57:30.199
<v Speaker 7>Man, I am I'm just so surprised. I went out

1044
00:57:30.239 --> 00:57:36.519
<v Speaker 7>to San Diego last week for the San Diego Alumni

1045
00:57:36.559 --> 00:57:42.079
<v Speaker 7>Associate Southern Alumni Associate UK Alumni Association. They asked me

1046
00:57:42.159 --> 00:57:44.119
<v Speaker 7>to come out there bed and I'm thinking, man, I'm

1047
00:57:44.159 --> 00:57:46.559
<v Speaker 7>going all the way out here to sign books for

1048
00:57:46.599 --> 00:57:50.079
<v Speaker 7>two or three people. Well, we had our listin you know,

1049
00:57:51.119 --> 00:57:55.840
<v Speaker 7>we had our book signing at a couple of places,

1050
00:57:55.840 --> 00:58:02.159
<v Speaker 7>one with Warwards Bookstore, which was voted last year the

1051
00:58:02.239 --> 00:58:06.599
<v Speaker 7>number one privately owned bookstore in the country. I mean,

1052
00:58:06.639 --> 00:58:11.119
<v Speaker 7>from what I understand gave they have book signings for

1053
00:58:11.440 --> 00:58:16.519
<v Speaker 7>some of the best authors writers ever. I mean they

1054
00:58:16.559 --> 00:58:22.239
<v Speaker 7>have had there at that store. Quaint store beautiful located

1055
00:58:22.280 --> 00:58:26.639
<v Speaker 7>in La Joya, which is in itself worth seeing and

1056
00:58:26.719 --> 00:58:29.760
<v Speaker 7>spend in a few days. But it was right there,

1057
00:58:29.840 --> 00:58:33.760
<v Speaker 7>gave and Man, I walked out there, walked into the

1058
00:58:33.800 --> 00:58:37.400
<v Speaker 7>place and there were people sitting and waiting, and then

1059
00:58:38.320 --> 00:58:41.719
<v Speaker 7>as I stood around twenty minutes before and talked to

1060
00:58:41.840 --> 00:58:45.119
<v Speaker 7>the Kentucky fans who were out there, Man, they are

1061
00:58:45.360 --> 00:58:48.440
<v Speaker 7>passionate fans. And we ended up with a nice crowd

1062
00:58:48.440 --> 00:58:51.960
<v Speaker 7>out there to night event. Ended up with nice crowds

1063
00:58:52.039 --> 00:58:55.559
<v Speaker 7>that both of them, and was really really neat to

1064
00:58:55.639 --> 00:58:58.920
<v Speaker 7>see that happen. But I've gotten that kind of response everywhere,

1065
00:58:59.320 --> 00:59:04.960
<v Speaker 7>places like Henderson and you know, I did signing in

1066
00:59:05.079 --> 00:59:09.639
<v Speaker 7>Louisville and Frankfort and man, it's just been been so

1067
00:59:09.800 --> 00:59:13.079
<v Speaker 7>much fun to do that and to get out and

1068
00:59:13.119 --> 00:59:15.880
<v Speaker 7>to see people. Got a number of other ones coming up.

1069
00:59:15.960 --> 00:59:20.960
<v Speaker 7>I'll be in Embracells here on the twenty third for

1070
00:59:21.400 --> 00:59:26.159
<v Speaker 7>the a function there. They have a I like to

1071
00:59:26.199 --> 00:59:31.159
<v Speaker 7>call them festivals but community thing going on. I'm going

1072
00:59:31.280 --> 00:59:34.840
<v Speaker 7>up to Ashland. I'm gonna fit of September and we'll

1073
00:59:34.840 --> 00:59:37.639
<v Speaker 7>be there. But got a lot of other signings coming up. Man,

1074
00:59:37.639 --> 00:59:41.239
<v Speaker 7>But it's been fun. It's been I've been pleasantly.

1075
00:59:40.760 --> 00:59:44.159
<v Speaker 2>Surprised, excellent, well keep us posted and we will help

1076
00:59:44.199 --> 00:59:47.719
<v Speaker 2>you seamlessly. Plug. I really enjoyed it. I need to

1077
00:59:47.760 --> 00:59:49.880
<v Speaker 2>read it again because you guys were kind enough to

1078
00:59:49.920 --> 00:59:53.440
<v Speaker 2>send it to me, gosh, almost two years before it

1079
00:59:53.519 --> 00:59:57.639
<v Speaker 2>came out, so I need to take another look at it.

1080
00:59:57.679 --> 01:00:00.320
<v Speaker 2>But it was very enjoyable read and I'm not surprise

1081
01:00:00.360 --> 01:00:03.320
<v Speaker 2>you getting the crowds man. I'm glad for you. Thank

1082
01:00:03.360 --> 01:00:05.679
<v Speaker 2>you so much for your time. Hope to see us soon.

1083
01:00:06.679 --> 01:00:08.840
<v Speaker 7>Always good to be on with you, Gabe, Thanks for

1084
01:00:09.000 --> 01:00:09.880
<v Speaker 7>keeping me in mind.

1085
01:00:10.239 --> 01:00:12.559
<v Speaker 2>Up next, Mark Story of the Herold Leader. He helped

1086
01:00:12.639 --> 01:00:15.280
<v Speaker 2>Tom Hammond write his book, and we'll talk with that

1087
01:00:15.480 --> 01:00:18.000
<v Speaker 2>and the Wildcats with Mark when we come back here

1088
01:00:18.039 --> 01:00:20.000
<v Speaker 2>on the Big Bloon. Siders six thirty is don Our

1089
01:00:20.000 --> 01:00:23.320
<v Speaker 2>celebrity Hotline is a long time colleague friend of the show,

1090
01:00:23.400 --> 01:00:26.079
<v Speaker 2>Mark's story, who of course is a calumnist and a

1091
01:00:26.159 --> 01:00:30.800
<v Speaker 2>terrific writer for The Herald Leader and now a co author. Mark.

1092
01:00:31.000 --> 01:00:32.360
<v Speaker 2>First of all, welcome.

1093
01:00:32.039 --> 01:00:34.639
<v Speaker 6>Back, Well thanks for having me Deck.

1094
01:00:35.280 --> 01:00:38.760
<v Speaker 2>You have helped Tom Hammond write his book, Races, Games

1095
01:00:38.840 --> 01:00:43.239
<v Speaker 2>and Olympic Dreams, A Sportscaster's Life. Is it correct to

1096
01:00:43.239 --> 01:00:46.000
<v Speaker 2>call you the co author? How do you describe your role.

1097
01:00:47.159 --> 01:00:53.239
<v Speaker 6>Well, we wrote it, so co author, I guess is appropriate.

1098
01:00:53.719 --> 01:00:57.159
<v Speaker 2>Tell me how this came about, because you know, I've

1099
01:00:57.159 --> 01:01:00.679
<v Speaker 2>always told you much I enjoy your work when you

1100
01:01:01.239 --> 01:01:04.679
<v Speaker 2>kind of look back and provide perspective on things that

1101
01:01:04.679 --> 01:01:07.159
<v Speaker 2>have happened throughout the years. So when I heard you

1102
01:01:07.199 --> 01:01:09.679
<v Speaker 2>were working with Tom on this, I thought that's a

1103
01:01:09.719 --> 01:01:11.400
<v Speaker 2>perfect fit. How did this come about?

1104
01:01:12.719 --> 01:01:17.039
<v Speaker 6>Well? Tom approached me and just said he had been

1105
01:01:17.440 --> 01:01:20.559
<v Speaker 6>thought across the years about writing a book and wanted

1106
01:01:20.599 --> 01:01:24.840
<v Speaker 6>somebody wanted a writer to work with him, and asked

1107
01:01:24.840 --> 01:01:27.920
<v Speaker 6>me if I'd be interested. And when I went out

1108
01:01:27.960 --> 01:01:30.480
<v Speaker 6>to Tom and Sheila's house and we talked about it,

1109
01:01:30.519 --> 01:01:32.360
<v Speaker 6>and we decided to do it. And when I told

1110
01:01:32.639 --> 01:01:35.519
<v Speaker 6>the first thing I told Tom is you know, one

1111
01:01:35.519 --> 01:01:38.400
<v Speaker 6>of the reasons that I was interested was from having

1112
01:01:38.400 --> 01:01:40.840
<v Speaker 6>written about him and the Herald Leader across the years.

1113
01:01:40.880 --> 01:01:43.719
<v Speaker 6>Those stories always tended to be well read, so I

1114
01:01:43.760 --> 01:01:47.320
<v Speaker 6>thought there would be an audience for this project. So

1115
01:01:48.239 --> 01:01:49.719
<v Speaker 6>that's sort of how we got going.

1116
01:01:50.639 --> 01:01:54.400
<v Speaker 2>So how did you help him? Because you know I

1117
01:01:54.400 --> 01:01:56.679
<v Speaker 2>had him on the other night and he was talking

1118
01:01:56.719 --> 01:01:59.559
<v Speaker 2>about how things came to his mind he had thought

1119
01:01:59.559 --> 01:02:02.199
<v Speaker 2>of and you tell me about that process.

1120
01:02:02.679 --> 01:02:05.480
<v Speaker 6>Well, what we actually did. We the way we started,

1121
01:02:05.559 --> 01:02:09.199
<v Speaker 6>we agreed to do an oral history project for the

1122
01:02:09.239 --> 01:02:12.320
<v Speaker 6>Louie B. Nun Center of Oral History right at the

1123
01:02:12.400 --> 01:02:16.840
<v Speaker 6>University of Kentucky. So I would go out to their house,

1124
01:02:16.920 --> 01:02:19.639
<v Speaker 6>and because of the way my schedule was set up

1125
01:02:19.679 --> 01:02:22.920
<v Speaker 6>the time, we usually did these on Tuesday afternoon and

1126
01:02:22.960 --> 01:02:25.960
<v Speaker 6>we just do interviews on various topics from Tom's life

1127
01:02:25.960 --> 01:02:29.239
<v Speaker 6>and Tom's career for the oral History project. And the

1128
01:02:29.320 --> 01:02:32.079
<v Speaker 6>benefit of from that beyond just sort of getting us

1129
01:02:32.159 --> 01:02:34.920
<v Speaker 6>rolling in terms of the interviewing, was that they would

1130
01:02:35.480 --> 01:02:39.039
<v Speaker 6>they had a transcription app and would transcribe provide us

1131
01:02:39.079 --> 01:02:42.480
<v Speaker 6>within transcripts of the interview, so I didn't have to

1132
01:02:42.480 --> 01:02:45.679
<v Speaker 6>do that myself. And I had I had to transcribe

1133
01:02:45.719 --> 01:02:48.239
<v Speaker 6>all the interviews that went into this, we would we

1134
01:02:48.239 --> 01:02:50.519
<v Speaker 6>would still be transcribing, there would not be a book

1135
01:02:50.519 --> 01:02:53.559
<v Speaker 6>at this point. So that that that's kind of how

1136
01:02:53.599 --> 01:02:55.119
<v Speaker 6>we got going. And then when we got to the

1137
01:02:55.119 --> 01:02:57.480
<v Speaker 6>point where we did the writing, it was basically a

1138
01:02:58.039 --> 01:02:59.760
<v Speaker 6>lot of times in the morning I would write as

1139
01:02:59.840 --> 01:03:02.199
<v Speaker 6>me for the Herald Leader, and then in the afternoon

1140
01:03:02.280 --> 01:03:04.840
<v Speaker 6>I would work on the book and sort of write it,

1141
01:03:04.480 --> 01:03:07.599
<v Speaker 6>write it from Tom's perspective, and I would send them

1142
01:03:07.639 --> 01:03:10.280
<v Speaker 6>the chapters and he'd go He and Chila would go

1143
01:03:10.320 --> 01:03:13.360
<v Speaker 6>through them and you know, this isn't this is you know,

1144
01:03:13.440 --> 01:03:15.960
<v Speaker 6>this is right, or this isn't exactly how this happened,

1145
01:03:16.000 --> 01:03:19.440
<v Speaker 6>and we would just collaborate and get until we had

1146
01:03:19.480 --> 01:03:20.440
<v Speaker 6>a chapter done.

1147
01:03:21.239 --> 01:03:23.559
<v Speaker 2>As a guy who grew up in Kentucky and of

1148
01:03:23.599 --> 01:03:27.199
<v Speaker 2>course your career writing about sports in the state of

1149
01:03:27.239 --> 01:03:32.000
<v Speaker 2>Kentucky and many events that Tom Hammond broadcast. Uh, what

1150
01:03:32.039 --> 01:03:34.599
<v Speaker 2>was that like for you? That that level of familiarity.

1151
01:03:35.960 --> 01:03:37.880
<v Speaker 6>Well, I think it obviously helped. There was a lot

1152
01:03:37.920 --> 01:03:40.639
<v Speaker 6>about Tom's life and Tom's career I didn't know, but

1153
01:03:40.679 --> 01:03:43.639
<v Speaker 6>I was. I was broadly familiar with the arc of

1154
01:03:43.719 --> 01:03:46.119
<v Speaker 6>the story. And I do think that helped. And I

1155
01:03:46.119 --> 01:03:47.920
<v Speaker 6>do think about, you know, the fact that I am

1156
01:03:47.960 --> 01:03:51.159
<v Speaker 6>a Kentucky writer, how that, you know, sort of impacted

1157
01:03:51.159 --> 01:03:54.360
<v Speaker 6>the way I told the story. Now, there's really two

1158
01:03:54.440 --> 01:03:58.079
<v Speaker 6>parts to this book. The first eleven chapters are Tom's

1159
01:03:58.159 --> 01:04:01.000
<v Speaker 6>childhood and sort of the lawn of his career here

1160
01:04:01.039 --> 01:04:04.679
<v Speaker 6>in Lexington, a Lexington media figure, you know, sort of

1161
01:04:04.679 --> 01:04:08.119
<v Speaker 6>culminating with you know, he goes to college, you know,

1162
01:04:08.159 --> 01:04:12.679
<v Speaker 6>planning to be a hoping to become a horse farm

1163
01:04:12.760 --> 01:04:15.440
<v Speaker 6>manager or work in the you know, the thoroughbred horse

1164
01:04:15.519 --> 01:04:19.880
<v Speaker 6>racing industry or breeding industry in some level, but never

1165
01:04:19.920 --> 01:04:23.599
<v Speaker 6>a thought of being in the media, being on radio

1166
01:04:23.679 --> 01:04:28.079
<v Speaker 6>or television. And then you know, just I'm sort of

1167
01:04:29.320 --> 01:04:33.320
<v Speaker 6>by accident almost he gets in the media game, and

1168
01:04:33.960 --> 01:04:35.760
<v Speaker 6>you know, has a great voice and a lot of

1169
01:04:35.760 --> 01:04:38.960
<v Speaker 6>talent and a natural affinity for it, and it sort

1170
01:04:39.000 --> 01:04:41.440
<v Speaker 6>of goes from there. Now, the second part of the

1171
01:04:41.440 --> 01:04:44.440
<v Speaker 6>book then is you know Tom's life is an NBC

1172
01:04:44.880 --> 01:04:50.400
<v Speaker 6>national high level sportscaster with his observations on you know,

1173
01:04:50.719 --> 01:04:54.599
<v Speaker 6>relationships with Dick Enberg and O. J. Simpson and Bob

1174
01:04:54.639 --> 01:05:00.719
<v Speaker 6>Costas and covering Hussein Bolt and Alison Felix and Sarah

1175
01:05:00.840 --> 01:05:04.239
<v Speaker 6>Hughes in that great Olympic ice skating upset in Salt

1176
01:05:04.320 --> 01:05:06.840
<v Speaker 6>Lake City and just know all the things he got

1177
01:05:06.880 --> 01:05:09.320
<v Speaker 6>to cover and all the people you know, he worked

1178
01:05:09.320 --> 01:05:12.320
<v Speaker 6>with and covered. And you know, one of the really

1179
01:05:12.320 --> 01:05:14.920
<v Speaker 6>cool stories in the book, you know, Tom showed up early.

1180
01:05:15.519 --> 01:05:18.000
<v Speaker 6>He's doing an NBA game in Chicago and showed up

1181
01:05:18.039 --> 01:05:21.360
<v Speaker 6>early and Michael Jordan's who had just returned from his

1182
01:05:21.360 --> 01:05:24.719
<v Speaker 6>baseball hiatus and had been struggling with his shot was

1183
01:05:24.800 --> 01:05:28.519
<v Speaker 6>out real early getting shots up, and Tom loosens his

1184
01:05:28.599 --> 01:05:32.440
<v Speaker 6>time and walks down and rebounds for Michael Jordan's And

1185
01:05:32.519 --> 01:05:34.719
<v Speaker 6>you know how you know, as I said, as I

1186
01:05:34.760 --> 01:05:36.800
<v Speaker 6>told said to Tom when he first told me that,

1187
01:05:36.880 --> 01:05:39.239
<v Speaker 6>So you know, that's the equivalent of the shagging fly

1188
01:05:39.360 --> 01:05:42.599
<v Speaker 6>balls for Babe Ruth. I mean, that's how many people

1189
01:05:42.760 --> 01:05:45.559
<v Speaker 6>are going to be able to truthfully say they've rebounded

1190
01:05:45.559 --> 01:05:46.480
<v Speaker 6>for Michael Jordans.

1191
01:05:46.960 --> 01:05:50.199
<v Speaker 2>That's awesome. I know there are so many great stories

1192
01:05:50.400 --> 01:05:52.840
<v Speaker 2>like that. But to your point about how he was

1193
01:05:53.119 --> 01:05:56.480
<v Speaker 2>heading in a different direction with his career and suddenly

1194
01:05:56.480 --> 01:06:00.159
<v Speaker 2>got an opportunity. He has such a great voice, you know,

1195
01:06:00.199 --> 01:06:03.079
<v Speaker 2>I mean, really blessed and knows how to use it. Obviously, Well,

1196
01:06:03.480 --> 01:06:05.840
<v Speaker 2>it's hard to imagine him not doing this kind of work,

1197
01:06:05.920 --> 01:06:06.280
<v Speaker 2>isn't it.

1198
01:06:06.960 --> 01:06:09.599
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, it is. I mean it's a case where you know, somebody,

1199
01:06:09.920 --> 01:06:13.159
<v Speaker 6>you know, somebody you know fade or whatever you know,

1200
01:06:13.280 --> 01:06:15.960
<v Speaker 6>sort of guides us through life and sort of guided

1201
01:06:16.039 --> 01:06:19.039
<v Speaker 6>him into what he was meant to be. Because you're right,

1202
01:06:19.119 --> 01:06:22.599
<v Speaker 6>his voice is, you know, really memorable. And you know,

1203
01:06:22.599 --> 01:06:26.119
<v Speaker 6>I've often said if we we need to try, if

1204
01:06:26.119 --> 01:06:28.119
<v Speaker 6>we could set up someway where people could open the

1205
01:06:28.119 --> 01:06:30.760
<v Speaker 6>book cover and just hear one of Tom's called you

1206
01:06:30.800 --> 01:06:33.000
<v Speaker 6>know what? You know, Tom obviously is very well known

1207
01:06:33.000 --> 01:06:35.639
<v Speaker 6>in Kentucky. I think nationally a lot of people would

1208
01:06:35.639 --> 01:06:39.719
<v Speaker 6>recognize that voice. To me, they say, oh yeah.

1209
01:06:39.079 --> 01:06:40.920
<v Speaker 2>Any idea of it would be an audiobook?

1210
01:06:42.480 --> 01:06:43.679
<v Speaker 1>You know that? That's that.

1211
01:06:44.440 --> 01:06:47.440
<v Speaker 6>I'm not sure. I need to check with the publisher

1212
01:06:47.840 --> 01:06:50.320
<v Speaker 6>that that. That's been asked a couple of times, and

1213
01:06:50.360 --> 01:06:51.239
<v Speaker 6>I don't know the answer.

1214
01:06:52.000 --> 01:06:54.880
<v Speaker 2>Talking to Mark's story of the hero leader, columnist, feature

1215
01:06:54.880 --> 01:06:58.719
<v Speaker 2>writer and now co author of Tom Hammond's book Races,

1216
01:06:58.880 --> 01:07:02.840
<v Speaker 2>Games and Olympic Dream Teams, A Sportscaster's Life. And if

1217
01:07:02.880 --> 01:07:04.960
<v Speaker 2>you would like to meet, I assume will you be

1218
01:07:05.079 --> 01:07:08.639
<v Speaker 2>with Tom at the book signings? I will, all right, well.

1219
01:07:08.639 --> 01:07:11.800
<v Speaker 2>August thirtieth is the first one in Ashland at the

1220
01:07:11.800 --> 01:07:16.519
<v Speaker 2>Broadway Books here in Lexing in September eighth at Joe Beth. Uh.

1221
01:07:17.280 --> 01:07:20.159
<v Speaker 2>You know, fate I think played a hand here, But

1222
01:07:20.280 --> 01:07:25.239
<v Speaker 2>this I think for Tom Hammond was the typical, if

1223
01:07:25.280 --> 01:07:29.960
<v Speaker 2>there is such a thing, instance of luck meeting up

1224
01:07:29.960 --> 01:07:34.719
<v Speaker 2>with hard work and leading to success. Because he never

1225
01:07:35.159 --> 01:07:38.119
<v Speaker 2>mailed anything in you could tell how much he prepared

1226
01:07:38.159 --> 01:07:40.800
<v Speaker 2>and how much he had to prepare Mark for events

1227
01:07:40.840 --> 01:07:45.320
<v Speaker 2>he did in the Olympics, where somebody at NBC, Dick Ebersol, whoever,

1228
01:07:45.360 --> 01:07:48.280
<v Speaker 2>said I think you'll do well, and Tom heads straight

1229
01:07:48.320 --> 01:07:49.960
<v Speaker 2>to the library to study, didn't he.

1230
01:07:51.039 --> 01:07:55.199
<v Speaker 6>Yeah, you know, Tom and Bob Costas wrote the forward

1231
01:07:55.280 --> 01:07:57.920
<v Speaker 6>for our book, and it is really good. I mean,

1232
01:07:58.000 --> 01:08:01.639
<v Speaker 6>Bob really did a good job. This forward. He's you know,

1233
01:08:01.679 --> 01:08:04.960
<v Speaker 6>he basically says, Tom is the you know, televised Olympic

1234
01:08:05.039 --> 01:08:07.119
<v Speaker 6>track and field you know what Den Scully is to

1235
01:08:07.239 --> 01:08:10.760
<v Speaker 6>baseball or Mark Albert is to you know, the NBA.

1236
01:08:11.599 --> 01:08:13.599
<v Speaker 6>In other words, the best to ever do it. Yeah,

1237
01:08:13.800 --> 01:08:18.279
<v Speaker 6>and and and and Tom started in that he had

1238
01:08:18.319 --> 01:08:21.399
<v Speaker 6>worked an NBA game on a Sunday and gets a

1239
01:08:21.439 --> 01:08:24.479
<v Speaker 6>call on Monday, you know, from Dick ever Saw, who

1240
01:08:24.560 --> 01:08:28.720
<v Speaker 6>was in the running NBC Sports and basically says, what

1241
01:08:28.720 --> 01:08:31.239
<v Speaker 6>do you know about track and field? And Tom said, well,

1242
01:08:31.399 --> 01:08:35.000
<v Speaker 6>not not much. I've gone to a couple track meets.

1243
01:08:35.520 --> 01:08:38.800
<v Speaker 6>And you know, you ever saw had made that call

1244
01:08:38.880 --> 01:08:41.680
<v Speaker 6>for a purpose. They wanted Tom to call a track

1245
01:08:41.760 --> 01:08:43.720
<v Speaker 6>and field and you know, if he was going to

1246
01:08:43.760 --> 01:08:47.119
<v Speaker 6>do the nineteen ninety one US and then the World

1247
01:08:47.199 --> 01:08:49.640
<v Speaker 6>Championships and if it did went well, then he would

1248
01:08:49.720 --> 01:08:52.760
<v Speaker 6>do the Olympics in Barcelona. And you know, that's sort

1249
01:08:52.800 --> 01:08:56.039
<v Speaker 6>of how Tom started and and and I think Costas

1250
01:08:56.079 --> 01:08:58.479
<v Speaker 6>is right. I think Tom is the best track and

1251
01:08:58.479 --> 01:09:03.960
<v Speaker 6>field announcer of of our you know generation. And that

1252
01:09:04.079 --> 01:09:09.000
<v Speaker 6>is a hard, hard job, especially the hundred meters dash.

1253
01:09:09.439 --> 01:09:12.079
<v Speaker 6>And I think we saw in the just concluded included

1254
01:09:12.119 --> 01:09:17.079
<v Speaker 6>Olympics where the call went awry, just how difficult that is.

1255
01:09:17.159 --> 01:09:19.720
<v Speaker 6>You know, you've got a ten second event, and if

1256
01:09:19.720 --> 01:09:21.800
<v Speaker 6>you know you don't have time to look up, you

1257
01:09:21.840 --> 01:09:24.359
<v Speaker 6>know you don't know who's who. There's no time to

1258
01:09:24.359 --> 01:09:26.359
<v Speaker 6>look it up because if you look down or you

1259
01:09:26.479 --> 01:09:29.119
<v Speaker 6>try to think of something, the meets over. And I

1260
01:09:29.199 --> 01:09:32.640
<v Speaker 6>believe you know, I've watched most of Tom's calls from

1261
01:09:32.680 --> 01:09:34.920
<v Speaker 6>the Olympics, and I don't think he had any any

1262
01:09:34.960 --> 01:09:38.239
<v Speaker 6>mistakes in one hundred meters call. And the degree of

1263
01:09:38.319 --> 01:09:40.560
<v Speaker 6>difficulty on that is off the charts.

1264
01:09:40.960 --> 01:09:43.960
<v Speaker 2>Oh, you couldn't have said it better. I've had the

1265
01:09:43.960 --> 01:09:47.079
<v Speaker 2>privilege of doing a lot of different sports. I've never

1266
01:09:47.119 --> 01:09:50.520
<v Speaker 2>done horse racing. I've tried it once on my own.

1267
01:09:50.560 --> 01:09:54.399
<v Speaker 2>It's it's brutally hard, but I cannot imagine, like you said,

1268
01:09:54.960 --> 01:09:58.439
<v Speaker 2>trying to accurately depict and when you're obviously complimenting the

1269
01:09:58.640 --> 01:10:01.680
<v Speaker 2>video right in front. But that also means you can't

1270
01:10:01.720 --> 01:10:04.359
<v Speaker 2>screw that up. And Tom and I talked about that

1271
01:10:04.439 --> 01:10:09.359
<v Speaker 2>he was well prepared and fortunate enough to never have

1272
01:10:09.439 --> 01:10:11.880
<v Speaker 2>screwed it up. And he also Mark called some of

1273
01:10:11.920 --> 01:10:14.399
<v Speaker 2>the greatest performances in the hundred, didn't he?

1274
01:10:15.399 --> 01:10:18.000
<v Speaker 6>Well he he not only in the hundred, he called

1275
01:10:18.079 --> 01:10:22.560
<v Speaker 6>some of the greatest performances in sports history. Yeah, and

1276
01:10:23.159 --> 01:10:27.000
<v Speaker 6>you know Michael Johnson the two hundred and four hundred

1277
01:10:27.039 --> 01:10:30.800
<v Speaker 6>double in Atlanta. Yep, you Tom got the call. You know,

1278
01:10:30.920 --> 01:10:35.039
<v Speaker 6>all three of Usain Bolt's Olympics, you know Alison Felix,

1279
01:10:35.479 --> 01:10:38.279
<v Speaker 6>you know just you know, some of the giants of

1280
01:10:38.439 --> 01:10:42.000
<v Speaker 6>our athletic era, and you know Tom was the narrator

1281
01:10:42.039 --> 01:10:44.800
<v Speaker 6>of for their exploits.

1282
01:10:45.079 --> 01:10:48.119
<v Speaker 2>Did you enjoy uh kind of You had to have

1283
01:10:48.199 --> 01:10:50.439
<v Speaker 2>enjoyed that kind of that walk down memory lane because

1284
01:10:50.640 --> 01:10:53.680
<v Speaker 2>things that popped into Tom said, I'm sure start to

1285
01:10:53.680 --> 01:10:55.039
<v Speaker 2>pop it into your head as well.

1286
01:10:56.119 --> 01:10:58.199
<v Speaker 6>Well. The thing that was really fun for me and

1287
01:10:58.239 --> 01:11:00.640
<v Speaker 6>I think will be fun for people reading the book was,

1288
01:11:02.399 --> 01:11:04.359
<v Speaker 6>you know, Tom worked with a lot of you know,

1289
01:11:04.520 --> 01:11:08.000
<v Speaker 6>the kind of the famous athletic figures of of of

1290
01:11:08.039 --> 01:11:10.720
<v Speaker 6>the era. You know, Joe Namath was his first full

1291
01:11:10.720 --> 01:11:14.279
<v Speaker 6>time NFL analyst on NFL games. You know, he worked

1292
01:11:14.279 --> 01:11:18.680
<v Speaker 6>with Bill Walton and Steve Snapper Jones three three man

1293
01:11:18.840 --> 01:11:21.960
<v Speaker 6>NBA booth that I think other than the famous you know,

1294
01:11:22.000 --> 01:11:26.279
<v Speaker 6>Dick Enberg, you know, Al McGuire, Billy Packer, the famous

1295
01:11:26.319 --> 01:11:29.119
<v Speaker 6>three man booth, I think this was the second best

1296
01:11:29.199 --> 01:11:31.159
<v Speaker 6>one of those ever. And you know, a lot of

1297
01:11:31.199 --> 01:11:34.359
<v Speaker 6>times three men, you know, three announcers, it doesn't work,

1298
01:11:34.399 --> 01:11:38.159
<v Speaker 6>the dynamic doesn't work, but this one did. And actually

1299
01:11:38.239 --> 01:11:41.359
<v Speaker 6>Bill Walton submitted a blurb for us for the book,

1300
01:11:41.840 --> 01:11:46.119
<v Speaker 6>and being Bill Walton, it's it did not conform to

1301
01:11:46.319 --> 01:11:49.960
<v Speaker 6>the what the strictures of a blurb. It was, you know,

1302
01:11:50.880 --> 01:11:53.479
<v Speaker 6>very long and very stream of consciousness, and it's just

1303
01:11:53.520 --> 01:11:56.880
<v Speaker 6>a who It was perfect Bill Walton and Bill loved Tom.

1304
01:11:57.239 --> 01:12:00.840
<v Speaker 6>And this may be the last thing Bill wrote for Consumption.

1305
01:12:01.159 --> 01:12:01.439
<v Speaker 2>Yeah.

1306
01:12:01.520 --> 01:12:04.119
<v Speaker 6>And to be honest, I wouldn't I didn't realize he

1307
01:12:04.159 --> 01:12:06.239
<v Speaker 6>was as sick as he was. I wouldn't even have asked,

1308
01:12:06.239 --> 01:12:08.920
<v Speaker 6>you know, but he was glad to do it. And

1309
01:12:08.920 --> 01:12:11.279
<v Speaker 6>like I said, Bill and Tom had a great relationship,

1310
01:12:11.319 --> 01:12:14.279
<v Speaker 6>and Tom says Bill would call him just every so

1311
01:12:14.359 --> 01:12:17.199
<v Speaker 6>often out of the blue and say, hello, Tom, this

1312
01:12:17.399 --> 01:12:19.840
<v Speaker 6>is Bill Walton. I used to work for you.

1313
01:12:21.239 --> 01:12:23.720
<v Speaker 2>Love it. I wondered about that as well when I

1314
01:12:23.760 --> 01:12:27.079
<v Speaker 2>heard that that Bill Walton had contributed a blurb, so

1315
01:12:28.079 --> 01:12:30.800
<v Speaker 2>I can't wait to read it. It's called Races, Games

1316
01:12:30.840 --> 01:12:35.159
<v Speaker 2>and Olympic Dreams of Sportscaster's Life Tom Hammond, along with

1317
01:12:35.319 --> 01:12:39.800
<v Speaker 2>Mark's story and again August thirtieth, Ashland's Broadway Books at

1318
01:12:39.840 --> 01:12:45.039
<v Speaker 2>seven o'clock, Cincinnati's Joe Beth at seven pm on September

1319
01:12:45.079 --> 01:12:48.960
<v Speaker 2>the second, then here in Lexington. Actually two opportunities September

1320
01:12:49.039 --> 01:12:52.159
<v Speaker 2>the eighth at two pm and then at the Keenland

1321
01:12:52.199 --> 01:12:55.520
<v Speaker 2>Library September twenty fourth at six pm. That is a

1322
01:12:55.560 --> 01:12:58.319
<v Speaker 2>ticketed event. Do you know anything about getting tickets to that?

1323
01:12:59.239 --> 01:12:59.680
<v Speaker 1>I do not.

1324
01:13:00.000 --> 01:13:01.840
<v Speaker 6>I think that's something I should be on top of.

1325
01:13:02.039 --> 01:13:03.960
<v Speaker 2>Well, when you find out, let me know and I'll

1326
01:13:04.000 --> 01:13:05.600
<v Speaker 2>share it with people as well. I know we will

1327
01:13:05.600 --> 01:13:09.239
<v Speaker 2>as well, social media being what it is. Mark, thanks

1328
01:13:09.239 --> 01:13:11.199
<v Speaker 2>so much for your time. I know it's a busy time,

1329
01:13:11.479 --> 01:13:15.239
<v Speaker 2>but congratulations on the project and getting it done well.

1330
01:13:15.279 --> 01:13:17.520
<v Speaker 6>Thanks Dick, Thanks for having me and thanks for the

1331
01:13:18.039 --> 01:13:20.359
<v Speaker 6>interest in races, games and Olympic drink.

1332
01:13:20.960 --> 01:13:23.560
<v Speaker 2>Definitely putting that one on the summer reading list. Right now,

1333
01:13:23.560 --> 01:13:28.319
<v Speaker 2>I'm juggling two books, both by media people, the late

1334
01:13:28.359 --> 01:13:31.000
<v Speaker 2>Dick Enburg. I'm reading his book. I've had it for

1335
01:13:31.039 --> 01:13:32.640
<v Speaker 2>a while. I don't know why I never started it,

1336
01:13:32.680 --> 01:13:35.359
<v Speaker 2>but I did and I'm really enjoying it. Also, and

1337
01:13:35.399 --> 01:13:39.800
<v Speaker 2>this came after the D Day anniversary Indy Rooney. I'd

1338
01:13:39.840 --> 01:13:43.359
<v Speaker 2>forgotten that the great commentator from CBS and a great

1339
01:13:43.399 --> 01:13:47.880
<v Speaker 2>writer had written a book about his experiences in World

1340
01:13:47.920 --> 01:13:50.680
<v Speaker 2>War Two. It is just called My War and it

1341
01:13:50.800 --> 01:13:54.600
<v Speaker 2>is fascinating. So juggling those two, and when I finish

1342
01:13:54.720 --> 01:13:57.840
<v Speaker 2>one of them, I will fold in Tom's book. And

1343
01:13:57.880 --> 01:14:00.680
<v Speaker 2>I haven't got my hands yet on John Walk's murder

1344
01:14:00.760 --> 01:14:04.760
<v Speaker 2>mystery with the background of college athletics. So it's been

1345
01:14:04.760 --> 01:14:07.600
<v Speaker 2>a good summer for books. I also just got Charlie Hussell,

1346
01:14:08.119 --> 01:14:10.319
<v Speaker 2>the new book about Pete Rose. The author was on

1347
01:14:10.359 --> 01:14:13.239
<v Speaker 2>the show a while back, so lots to catch up on,

1348
01:14:13.359 --> 01:14:15.720
<v Speaker 2>but it is enjoyable. When we come back, we will

1349
01:14:15.720 --> 01:14:18.479
<v Speaker 2>wrap up this edition. But Heroes, fools and flakes here

1350
01:14:18.479 --> 01:14:20.960
<v Speaker 2>on the Big Blue Insider six point thirty eight WLAP

1351
01:14:22.880 --> 01:14:25.800
<v Speaker 2>Welcome Back. We thank our guest tonight, Chris Doring of

1352
01:14:25.840 --> 01:14:29.359
<v Speaker 2>the SEC Network, Jack Gibbons from the UK Sports Network,

1353
01:14:29.399 --> 01:14:32.880
<v Speaker 2>of course, and Mark's story from The Hero Leader. We

1354
01:14:32.920 --> 01:14:35.039
<v Speaker 2>will close things out as we often do it Heroes,

1355
01:14:35.079 --> 01:14:38.680
<v Speaker 2>fools and flakes. My hero tonight, and I'm sure there's

1356
01:14:38.720 --> 01:14:41.319
<v Speaker 2>more than one person anybody who had anything to do

1357
01:14:41.920 --> 01:14:45.199
<v Speaker 2>with the Big Ten Conference and the Chicago Cubs getting

1358
01:14:45.239 --> 01:14:49.800
<v Speaker 2>together to plan a pair of college hockey doubleheaders at

1359
01:14:49.840 --> 01:14:53.199
<v Speaker 2>Wrigley Field. This is going to happen in January of

1360
01:14:53.199 --> 01:14:56.840
<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty five. It's coming January, and of course Wrigglely

1361
01:14:56.880 --> 01:14:59.439
<v Speaker 2>is known as the Friendly Confines, so they're calling this

1362
01:14:59.720 --> 01:15:04.520
<v Speaker 2>the Confines Big Ten Hockey Series. I'm not a huge

1363
01:15:04.520 --> 01:15:07.119
<v Speaker 2>hockey fan, but I really like playoff hockey A lot

1364
01:15:07.119 --> 01:15:09.119
<v Speaker 2>of you do. But I also like it when they

1365
01:15:09.119 --> 01:15:12.680
<v Speaker 2>play outdoors, especially if it's snowing. I just think that's

1366
01:15:12.760 --> 01:15:16.319
<v Speaker 2>really impealing and engaging. And what they're going to do,

1367
01:15:16.479 --> 01:15:20.159
<v Speaker 2>is we said, is play a couple of doubleheaders, three

1368
01:15:20.319 --> 01:15:25.520
<v Speaker 2>Big Ten men's hockey games plus a Western Collegiate Hockey

1369
01:15:25.600 --> 01:15:29.920
<v Speaker 2>Association women's game. It's the first weekend of January the

1370
01:15:29.960 --> 01:15:32.920
<v Speaker 2>third and the fourth at Wrigley Field. The Big Ten

1371
01:15:32.960 --> 01:15:36.199
<v Speaker 2>Network will carry all four games. So I don't get

1372
01:15:36.199 --> 01:15:37.880
<v Speaker 2>the Big Ten Network, but I'm hoping I can see

1373
01:15:37.960 --> 01:15:42.520
<v Speaker 2>highlights somewhere. So anyhow, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan,

1374
01:15:43.119 --> 01:15:47.079
<v Speaker 2>Wisconsin involved as well as is Michigan State. So as

1375
01:15:47.119 --> 01:15:49.840
<v Speaker 2>I said, whoever put their heads together made this happen.

1376
01:15:50.159 --> 01:15:53.720
<v Speaker 2>They are our heroes this week are full tonight and

1377
01:15:53.760 --> 01:15:55.439
<v Speaker 2>once again we'll have to give it out to more

1378
01:15:55.439 --> 01:15:59.359
<v Speaker 2>than one person, anybody who had anything to do with

1379
01:15:59.520 --> 01:16:03.000
<v Speaker 2>Rachel Gun appearing in the Olympics. She is ray Gun,

1380
01:16:03.000 --> 01:16:06.520
<v Speaker 2>the breakdancer. This is a story that won't go away. Sadly,

1381
01:16:06.640 --> 01:16:10.000
<v Speaker 2>she says, she is being harassed. She has been the

1382
01:16:10.119 --> 01:16:14.840
<v Speaker 2>topic of countless viral internet memes. You know, look, this

1383
01:16:14.920 --> 01:16:18.119
<v Speaker 2>is the chance you take when you put yourself center

1384
01:16:18.239 --> 01:16:23.520
<v Speaker 2>stage literally in a situation like this. She knew that

1385
01:16:23.760 --> 01:16:26.960
<v Speaker 2>she would be judged harshly. She had to know. But

1386
01:16:27.640 --> 01:16:30.640
<v Speaker 2>I also don't blame her as much as whoever it

1387
01:16:30.800 --> 01:16:36.399
<v Speaker 2>was with the Australian Olympic contingent. Somebody I'm reading decided

1388
01:16:36.520 --> 01:16:42.039
<v Speaker 2>not to send whatever breakdancer was best qualified and instead

1389
01:16:42.600 --> 01:16:47.079
<v Speaker 2>played special favorites with ray Gun and sent her instead.

1390
01:16:47.119 --> 01:16:49.880
<v Speaker 2>I have no idea what they were thinking. Clearly they

1391
01:16:49.920 --> 01:16:53.079
<v Speaker 2>weren't thinking ahead and now she is suffering for it.

1392
01:16:53.640 --> 01:16:56.079
<v Speaker 2>But she had a hand in this as well. So

1393
01:16:56.760 --> 01:17:00.760
<v Speaker 2>why do this and subject yourself to the kind of

1394
01:17:00.800 --> 01:17:04.640
<v Speaker 2>ridicule that your country, as well as this woman are feeling.

1395
01:17:04.720 --> 01:17:07.680
<v Speaker 2>Right now, our flake tonight back to the Olympics. This

1396
01:17:07.800 --> 01:17:11.640
<v Speaker 2>is just a weird situation with Jordan Shiles having to forfeit,

1397
01:17:11.720 --> 01:17:15.520
<v Speaker 2>or at least order to forfeit, her bronze medal because

1398
01:17:15.600 --> 01:17:18.680
<v Speaker 2>of some sort of mix up in the appeal process,

1399
01:17:19.199 --> 01:17:23.439
<v Speaker 2>and now the Court of Arbitration for Sports standing by

1400
01:17:23.960 --> 01:17:27.600
<v Speaker 2>it's ruling that the medals should go to the Romanian gymnast.

1401
01:17:28.560 --> 01:17:32.800
<v Speaker 2>There is controversy over whether the US appeal was turned

1402
01:17:32.800 --> 01:17:38.159
<v Speaker 2>in in time. The CIS says everybody agrees that it

1403
01:17:38.399 --> 01:17:41.640
<v Speaker 2>came four seconds too late. I have not read the

1404
01:17:41.720 --> 01:17:44.800
<v Speaker 2>US saying that that's the case. But now the US

1405
01:17:44.800 --> 01:17:49.720
<v Speaker 2>officials are saying that critical information about the process was

1406
01:17:49.840 --> 01:17:52.680
<v Speaker 2>emailed to the wrong address. And we've all been there,

1407
01:17:53.119 --> 01:17:56.840
<v Speaker 2>haven't we. They say the CIS sent them information that

1408
01:17:56.880 --> 01:17:59.680
<v Speaker 2>they desperately needed, but sent it to the wrong address

1409
01:18:00.319 --> 01:18:03.439
<v Speaker 2>or up against the gun to put together the appeal.

1410
01:18:03.600 --> 01:18:05.960
<v Speaker 2>It's just a big mess and it should never have

1411
01:18:06.039 --> 01:18:08.760
<v Speaker 2>come to this, so uh yeah, there's a fool in

1412
01:18:08.800 --> 01:18:12.479
<v Speaker 2>there somewhere, but that's our flake for tonight. That's going

1413
01:18:12.520 --> 01:18:14.680
<v Speaker 2>to do it. Thanks so much. We'll talk more Kentucky

1414
01:18:14.680 --> 01:18:17.079
<v Speaker 2>football next week. Have a great weekend. That's a good

1415
01:18:17.159 --> 01:18:22.359
<v Speaker 2>night from the garage in Lexington, fighting with.

1416
01:18:22.319 --> 01:18:24.520
<v Speaker 5>The album No Garlic.

1417
01:18:24.560 --> 01:19:00.680
<v Speaker 2>Clarkson E. S.