Welcome to the Big Blue Insider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Thursday edition of our program, as we take one step closer to college football. We're going to chat a lot of college football tonight. Coming up in our very next segment after the break, we'll hear from the football Wildcats, they made them available to us earlier today. Also,
we're going to chat with Walt Wells of EKU. The Colonels open up with an SEC opponent at Mississippi State same Saturday that Kentucky opens up here in Lexington, and then after that the Colonels the following week play at Western Kentucky. So last year they opened up at Cincinnati and then at Kentucky, and they'll do it again this season with a tough one to two punch before they get into conference play.
But you might recall last year EKA you crushed.
At U, saying on media day, Walt Wells admitted he said, we got boat raced. But then we talk then and we'll talk tonight about how they turned things around in time to throw a scare into the Wildcats. So that's coming up at the bottom of this hour, and our number two we're gonna I'm sorry that's coming up in our number two with wal Wells.
Bottom of this hour, Corey Peters is going to join us. He is one of the new.
Members of the UK Athletic Hall of Fame. So Corey Peters coming up in just a few minutes, and then leading off our number two wal Wells followed by Kim Shelton, the new CEO of the Lexingingon Sporting Club professional soccer here in Lexing and it's moving up a league starting
next season. And if you haven't been out Richmond Road which turns into Athens Boonsboro Road, that huge construction project that's been going on for at least a couple of years now, that's where the new seventy five hundred seat stadium will be for LSC. So it's growing and it's moving and it's all happening quickly, and we'll talk about
that coming up as well in our number two. We talked last night with Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, which we do every week, and we talked a lot about the fact that players today, these kids today, but it bothers me and it bothers him, and he's a former player. I've covered the program since the mid seventies. But I just it bothers me. And this is even before the portal and Ni Ellen all that players who come through Kentucky not everybody, and of late, it doesn't seem like many,
if any, really appreciate They talk about tradition. But to them, tradition is we want to hang a ninth banner. And that's great. They know that obviously eight came before them, but who did it? Most players don't really know unless that kid you're asking him about, that young man is in the NBA.
They don't know.
About the great players who came before them. And if you're of a certain age, you'll shrug that off. It's no big deal. But if you follow Kentucky basketball for much of your life, you might agree with me that that's important. And I tease Cameron Mills all the time about that because he knows a little bit, probably more than you're a player. But to me, I don't think he knows enough, especially given the fact that his dad played.
But I told him, I said I one day, I said, I'm going to give you the media guy, or you should take the media guy and just study it, open it up and read it like a textbook. I bring that up because Shawn and I also talked last night as we often do, Sean being a former head coach at the college level, and I got to think he'll do it again. He's taking a sabbatical this year, but nil, and he is so frustrated. Sean is by the recruiting process, and it's what can you do for me? You know,
it's basically a bidding war for the top players. And when you think about Shawn's level, you know where he coached, he coached at Moorhead State, Mississippi Valley. The smaller schools, he is having to re recruit guys coaches at that level, and well, every coach really has to re recruit, but those kids that players who come through the smaller schools, you know, it's probably easier to lure them away. They were just a little more money.
You don't need to come up with a couple million for players like that. So it's got coaches really in an uproar right now.
And you feel for him, and you know what Mark Stoops said about it, and he's been criticized for talking about it. But Sean, by follow up, we had a conversation of via text. He sent me this clip off of TikTok courtesy of DraftKings, which sponsors The Big Podcast.
That's Shaquille O'Neill's podcast. And Shaq was talking to his former Orlando Magic teammate Penny Hardaway, now the head coach at Memphis, and Memphis has got some deep pockets and Penny has used them legally and some say illegally at times. You know, they did get nailed by the NCAA back
before NIL and everything seemed like everything became legal. But the bottom line is Penny Hardaway's facing the same issues Mark Stoops is facing and he talked about it with Shaquille O'Neal and a possible solution.
The kids, and he's in iol deal. How do you as a coach, how do you deal with all these agents and NIL players and all that stuff, because it's kind of driving me crazy.
It's very difficult because you gotta do it. We're in a world right now where it's happening. It's here, there's nothing that we can do about it. It's survival of the fittest. It's a whole thing now and it's not about hooping anymore. Shaq, who knows what you would have gotten from LSU coming out right now, they would have been crazy numbers. But at the end of the day, think about now the foundation that we laid and even
the guys before us. For these young men, they're able to get these type of numbers in NIL and it's just a part of the college life now, man.
And it's very.
Difficult because instead of talking to a guy about what you can do for him from a basketball point of view, of helping him become a young man to a man, it's instantly talking about the number that everybody else is offering, and what can you do?
You think we should have some type of NIL governing body because the only thing I don't like about it is, let's just say I took three hundred thousand from University of Memphis and me and you don't get along. Now I can go back in the portal and get some new money. You think I should be able to say, Okay, if you're gonna sign with Penny Hardaway and he gives you three hundred thousand, you at least got to stay two or three. Do you think there needs to be like an NIL governing body?
There should be a governing body because I think that what's making that donors and the boosters around the country. Frown is because they could give a guy by six, seven, eight hundred thousand and he could have the best year of his life. But if someone offers him two million max, sure he's gone.
It's just that simple.
You could go anywhere anytime, it seems, for any amount of money. And the reason is there are no guardrails, as people said, and the schools were forced or agreed at least to jump into this because there was a lack of leadership involved. You can either say it was from the president of the NCAA committee, members, presidents, chancellors. They didn't listen to coaches or ads. And now it's a mess and they're going to have to come up with something. You can call it a contract, you can
call it a different letter of intent. But it used to be scholarships bound you for X amount of years. And this is ironic because the coaches and administrators did away with that. It used to be when you sign, you signed for four years. I mean that was on the dotted line. That was that was on the paper you signed. Then they cut it back to one year. Because coaches and ads and universities were having to live with scholarships that didn't work out.
Jerry Clayburne used to.
Talk about why he never signed kickers, He only took walk ons because one year at Maryland we signed a kicker to a four year scholarship and he wasn't any good. And I'm paraphrasing a guy apparently couldn't kick or whatever, couldn't couldn't get the job done, and they were stuck with him for four years on scholarship.
So that changed.
They are one year deals now, and you think a kid signs for two, three or four years, No, technically he signs for one year and they can quote run him off after that. Well, now it's backfired. He signed him for one year and if it takes a million or two to get him, hey, that's the way things go these days, because next year he can go find money. As Penny hardway he just said somewhere else. And Sean Woods has talked about that at length, and he's quite
open and frank about it. You won't hear as many coaches talk about it the way Penny did because they don't want to sound like their poor mouthing. And that's exactly what has happened with Mark Stoops that all happened while I was on vacation and I came back and I've been following it on social media and Stoop's getting blasted for the comments he made to Daryl Bert, and he was quite pointed with Daryl. But that's essentially where it started and ended with this latest round of comments.
The problem is everybody and their brother picked it up and ran excerpts of it on their website in their publications, talked about it on the air, and it made it sound now and I keep hearing Mark Stoops keeps whining, no, he doesn't. He did it the one time he has referred to it. Yeah, but the really pointed comments, and he wanted to talk about it with Darrylt to talk about it more than he wanted to talk about his football team, because he had a point to make and
he made it. But now, just because everybody else is weighing in on it, the story itself, it still pops up and Stoops is catching flak for it.
And I'm not here to carry his water. He doesn't need me.
I just find it kind of annoying that the second cycle of this is Mark Stoops keeps complaining no, people keep running his comments, but they're the same old comments from the middle of the summer.
Anyway.
It ain't going away, folks, and changes have to be made. There's no question. Well here from the Football Wildcats. On the other side of the break bottom of the hour, Corey Peters and hour number two Walt Wells and Kim Shelton of LSC here on the Big Blue Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Bluinsider. Coming up at the bottom of the hours. It's a few minutes away. Corey Peters, warmer Kentucky defensive lineman, thirteen year career in the NFL and now being inducted into the UK Athletic
Hall of Fame. Our number two Wald Wells EKU head football coach and Kim Shelton the new CEO of the Lexington Sporting Club. We'll talk about pro soccer both men and women here in Lexington. Speaking of defensive lineman, Dion Walker has been named to yet another preseason All America team, as has Barrion Brown. Sporting News and USA Today have put both of them on the first team by Sporting News,
second team by USA Today. Walker was also named to ESPN's first team and of course Brown as a kick return specialist, and Dion is one of the best and biggest defensive linemen in the country and another awards list basically potential for Brock Vandergriff. He's on the Johnny Andanidis Golden Arm Award watch list. If he says, hell, sure he's got a shot at it, given Bush Hampden's office. But he will not rack up huge numbers. But if he can, you know, put up decent numbers and has
a good touchdown to turnover ratio. And the key here is ken Kentucky win a bunch of games. If Kentucky wins like ten games or more, he'll have a much better shot. You don't see these awards very often go to somebody playing with a team that's only won seven or eight games, although Tim Kautz was mentioned. Tim Kutch was a Heisman finalist for a team that only won seven regular season games, So it can happen. But yeah, preseason awards and lists, the players will be the first
to tell you they don't mean anything. Got to go ahead and win and something that will help the Wildcats win this year. Of course, the plan is defensive line, and that's what we talked about a lot today with the Wildcats their coaches.
Kendrick Gilbert, the backup nose.
Tackle, got to stand up in front of the media at the podium, talked about his progress and talked about the bonds that the defensive line is building both on and off the field.
Yes, sir, so we actually have a close bond in D line room, you know, group chats and just like I said when we were on in the field, we really try to help each other, like get better in It's really no selfishness in the group and all. Coach Stule's really great with us as well with teaching us, teaching us life lessons as well that go on more than just football. So we really do have a good connection in the.
D line run.
Gilbert, as a red shirt freshman, only played in the first and last game last year because of an injury, but he is learning learning very quickly. But the veteran Octavia Saxendne also talked to us today about chemistry and as the guy who's been through the wars, he knows how vital that can be.
I feel like it definitely is because sometimes we communicate down the line and there's some things Coach always says before you get down, take that.
Pre snap picture.
And I feel like us with the veteran room and the veteran guys, like we can definitely take that pre snap picture and get a lot of things set in line before the play even starts. And I feel like that just comes with, like you said, the chemistry and us being around each other. We know the communication, we know how coach wants is to talk to each other. So it definitely, it definitely is a blessing to have that type of communication and connection in the room.
So what do you look for in the pre snap picture.
Honestly, we're just looking for anything, any tales, coach Tara Taylor, is any clues, any tales how the office linemen look, where the split back is, stuff like that. So honestly, we just try to get our football IQ better and just and they tell you look think about the play before it snets.
The defensive line coach is annear Stewart played at Kentucky and well under Bill Curry, then went on to a nice career in Canada. Uh played for a long time up there and got into coaching winds up in Kentucky. And I've mentioned this before. I don't know that I've ever heard of another former Wildcat who became a position coach who has gotten more praise from his ex teammates and just former Letterman and Anne war Stewart. They have taken notice of what he's done and how he's doing it,
and they're very, very impressed with what he's doing. So we talked to Anwar today about a number of things, including the chemistry, the bonds that his charges the guys on the defensive line are building.
Well that's huge, you know, the camaraderie.
You know, you got to be a unit, and so you got to make everybody feel like, you know, they matter.
Everybody has a role to play, and so that's huge.
You know, they spend time and I told them, man, like, you've got to spend time outside the building together, right, go ahead, you know, hanging out.
You know, they play the video games. Apparently Khalil likes to cook, so they go over.
You know, they love to eat, so they all go over and they eat and they have a good time. And that's what it's about, you know. And then you know they watch film together. All that's gonna pay off for us, and so you know, I just keep speaking it.
Coach White.
You know, coach Toop's always talking about, you know, the camaraderie of the team and their attitude and stuff, and you got to have that in our room and there there's no hating, there's no division.
We're all one unit and we're all going to do it together.
Brad White, of course, is the defensive coordinator. He has taken note of the links that the d linemen have made, the bonds they've been forging, and he has noticed the improvement on field during summer camp.
So much is about communication and and energy. And so when when guys are talking, when they're flying around, when they're you know, good bad are in different you know they're gonna go to their team, they're celebrating their the good things they do. They're they're coaching them on the on the things that they've done wrong. You feel the communication coming off the sideline. So the guys on the side are getting mental reps because they're engaged, uh, you know,
watching the guys, especially the older guys. They're watching the younger guys trying to be you know, an extra set of eyes you know for those guys, because as a coach, you know you're watching the next group and you can't always make the you know, the corrections. And so to have a veteran group that young guys walk off to and they hey, you know, hey JJ, what about this?
You know?
You know, hey Max resign, what about this?
You know?
It's great for those young guys and it helps speed their development, you know, and we're gonna need those guys. There's some young guys out there. You know that I'm not gonna you know, mention, but that I'm really looking forward to see playing this fall.
Mentioned Dion Walker earlier another preseason All Conference or All All American football team. You know about him and because of him, the other d lineman as they say, they should be able to eat, they should do well if indeed he is commanding the double teams that you expect him to command. So Octavius Oxen dot I remember when he first got started. They expected so much of him and we talked a lot about him. Now he gets
to fly a little bit below the radar. That's what's kind of cool with a guy like Dion Walker up front. One of the questions I put to Brad White, just in a general sense, is we know that they're not satisfied. There is still time to work. But how does he feel about what he sees with the defense right now in camp?
Huh?
I would say that I'm glad that we still have a couple of weeks left, but I've been I think the energy, the intensity is there, you know, the way they go about their business is there. You know, we're still in that. You know, we got to just clean up some of the small things, you know, and clean up some of the technical things. But I think we're we're right about where you should be at this point in camp.
You know.
I think if you every year, you know, somebody's asked me that question, it's probably been about the same. Like as a coach, you never quite feel ready. I mean, it'll be it'll be that, you know, whatever it is Wednesday, I guess is when we talk on defense before for Southern miss and You're I'm gonna be saying I can't wait for us to have these last three practices, you know,
I just you feel like you need everyone. I think our guys are ready, Like if we had to play this weekend, you know, are we as polished as we need to be? No, But with the energy level, with the way they fly around, you know, I'm pleased with where they are at that point.
White also said, and he kind of reiterated what he's been saying preseason all along, that a couple of things they obviously have to do. Get off the field on third down. Every defense needs to do that. But one of the problems for Kentucky specifically last year giving up
big plays, especially on third down. They got to get back to what they did in twenty twenty two, which was statistically be one of the top teams in the country at avoiding those what they call explosives that give the other team new life and oftentimes too many points.
So we'll keep an eye on that for you and so you I know, Excat.
Corey Peters is up next to new Hall of Famer here on six thirty WAP welcome back to the Big Blue Insider and joining us now on our Celebrity hotline is a guy who talked with us last when he retired from the NFL. Not Corey Peters is going into the UK Athletic Hall of Fame, one of six name the other day.
Corey, Congratulations, thank you.
I appreciate it man, It's an honor and I believe Blue. I'm a huge Kentucky guy and following all sports programs and so it was really exciting for me to get that call.
And the class you're going in with man not to your bed right.
Right, I mean Olympic medalist Jody Meets is one of my favorite basketball players, a shooter.
You know, it's awesome.
You know, I'm really humble by it, and I'm thankful to be a part of the class.
Yeah, Coach Crop has always been one of my favorites.
So yeah, uh, I.
Was talking on the earlier in the show, Corey about I remembered specifically the day you signed with Kentucky and came out of Louisville because, as we all know youI vel have been doing pretty well, but you.
Made that decision.
You helped turn things around in terms of recruiting out of the city Louisville, if not the Rich Brooks era.
What do you remember about that?
I really just remember the relationships with Coach Brooks, Joker Phillips at the time, and just the love that everybody on staff really showed me how comfortable they made me. And it really was an easy decision for me. And then you put that with the fact that we got a couple of guys in the class that we've been talking for a while, Josh Minton, Michael Johnson, a couple of other guys. Justin Jeffery is a Louisville guy who was my roommate there, and that just made me even
more comfortable. So it was a really exciting time and I'm very thankful that I made that decision.
You signed at a time when it wasn't super popular to go to Kentucky is you know, they were dealing with the NCA penalties and lack of scholarships. But then you became part of that class corey that turned things around. Four straight ball games under Rich Brooks, three wins when people really doubting you guys could make it happen. What did it mean to you to be a part of that process?
Oh, it was huge. You know, we worked incredibly hard. You know.
Coach Brooks was an excellent motivate, always reminded us of you know, what people thought about us outside the building, and so to see it go from where it was to you know, being able to go to all those Bowl games. The excitement of that first that very first Music City Bowl, which may not be much to some but for us and where we had come from. It was huge. The turnout was amazing, and you know, like I said, I'm very thankful for those experiences at a
lot of big wins in that time. We beat LSU when they were number one here, they won a national experimionship, and you know, I was really grateful to just be a part. I played with so many great men at Kentucky, guys that I still talk to today, Guys that I respect greatly.
You know, I'm glad you mentioned that Music City bawl because there is a lot of criticism and second guessing about so many ball games and people who try to dismiss ball games if it's not part of the playoffs, it's not important.
But I always remember and I direct them to the video and.
The photos of you guys celebrating that Bowl game and Rich Brooks jumping into your arms and what that entire process meant to you.
Guys. That'll never go away.
Will it? No, not at all.
I mean, you know, when you work hard and you're really grind blood, waiting tears, you know, we were super thankful for that opportunity to compete. And I don't care what anybody says if we keeping the score.
You know, we want to win.
So if we're playing, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. You know the person I am, I always want to win. It could be monopoly, we could be playing flag in the back are and I'm gonna go hard. I'm gonna try to win, give it everything I got. So, like I said, we really enjoyed that time. And you know, having an opportunity to go to a different city with your teammates and really just enjoy some time together. Man made it all work for them.
It's one more one more game. You get to pull the pads on one more time that year, right.
Yeah, absolutely, I mean you only get so many of those. And you know the boat games are a little bit different in the sense that you know, we got to travel down on our own a lot of US road trips, and you know, really had some great memories from just you know, spending time in the car together, spending time in the hotel, you know, being in a different environment which kind of forces you to kind of lean on each other. So I'm really grateful.
For all those experiences.
One other side note on that Music City Bull trip in six we were of course in downtown Nashville for the TV station doing specials and live shots, and Corey all over town, or at least all over downtown. There were these pictures, these posters tacked up on street corners, you know, and then power line power pols and in bars and restaurants of this young I guess she was sixteen year old blonde haired singer trying to make a name for herself named Taylor Swept and she did okay.
Moving down there from Pennsylvania with her mom. And I'll never forget that.
Man that week, those posters were everywhere, and now of course she's everywhere. So just just a happy coincidence. As we talked to Corey Peters, former UK defensive aligneman and a thirteen year NFL veteran, now a member of the UK Sports Hall of Fame, and he's going in later this season, so I guess, well, you'll be able to take a break from your job as a scout for the Jaguars.
How are you enjoying that It's going.
Well, you know, it's a new experience, so I'm learning as much I can and you know, taking my knowledge from being a player and trying to apply it where where it fits. And you know, I'm really grateful for the opportunity to stay close to the game while also being able to kind of spend some time at home, and so, you know, I'm just I'm just looking forward to whatever else God brings my way.
You were very keen on academics and social work at Kentucky. You won the Jerry Clavern Award for Academics and Team Attitude, part of the SEC Academic Honor Roll three years in a row. I know that was very important to you, obviously. Is that something you look for now as an NFL scout?
You know, I tend to believe that how you do anything is how you do everything. So you know, obviously we were putting the premium all finding good players, you know, but in this business, you got to take care of business all across the board. So, you know, I feel like a lot of doing well in school and doing well in colleges speaks to your organization and your effort frankly, you know, and how important it is to you. So although it's not the end.
All be all, you know, we love to see well.
Rounded prospects and guys that take, you know, all aspects of their development.
Seriously.
You spent a season in Jacksonville as a player. So Josh Allen, now Josh Heinz Allen was your teammate. It's got to be fun for you as a Wildcat to see a fellow Wildcat excel and landed the big contract. And he's got himself with a young family as you do. What was that like being his teammate for a little while.
Oh man, it was awesome.
I didn't know Josh previously, so I had only you know, kind of been a fan from watching UK play and then his early days in the league. So that opportunity to go to Jacksonville and be teammates and getting to know him on a personal level was excellent. Watching him work, his work ethic and how he approaches the game each and every day something special, and I'm really happy for him. I think it's deserved and I'm looking forward to what's next.
You know.
Obviously, he had a career year last year. I think he had seventeen packed something like that, and you know, so I think this is he's just scratching the surface of, you know, what he can be. So, you know, I'm looking forward to what he can do next.
We're talking to Corey Peters he is one of the new members of the Kentucky uk't Athletic Hall of Fame, the former NFL D lineman and All Conference Kentucky d lionon.
We'll come back with more in just a minute. Here on the Big.
Blue Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back.
We're talking with Corey Peters.
Corey, of course, the former Wildcat defensive lineman, All Conference performer, thirteen year NFL veteran, now a scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he is one of the newest members of the UK Athletics Hall of.
Fame class of twenty twenty four.
You mentioned two of the Olympians you're going in with, Jasmine Camacho Quinn and of course Sidney McLauchlan li Rome.
Did you have a chance to watch much of them?
I know you're on the road a lot, but did you get to check them out in the Olympics.
Yeah, I always you know, I love track and field, so just being able to watch it on replay was quite amazing. And you know, Sydney is you know, I mean, I think we all knew she was going to win long before. It's just really amazing how she keeps pushing the limit and you know, world record at the world record. So you know, I always root for the Kentucky people
look for them in all sports. So it's great to see them representing that Kentucky at such a high level at a you know, really a global level with the Olympics.
You mentioned Jody Meeks earlier. You all were on campus at the same time. Did you get a chance to know him at all?
No, I don't.
I don't really know him personally, but you know, obviously just being there and you know, he had some amazing performances a collegiate athlete and just scoring a lot of points and going off. So I'm a huge fan of his game, and so it's just an honor and hopefully I'll get a chance to, you know, kind of speak to him and chop it up with him when we go down for the ceremony.
Well, what do you think of what you see in Kentucky football? I know, when you're when you're in the NFL, you can't follow as much as you like.
Now.
Of course you've got your eye on him as a as a fan and as a scout, But watching the Mark Stoops Aeron for you were part of something special when Rich Brooks was there.
What do you think of what's been happening under Mark Stoops.
I think I think coach Toops has done an amazing job. I think he's kind of taking that success we've had and taken it to another level, you know. And I think that he's building the that's respected nationwide. And I think, you know, when Kentucky football comes up, it's a different feeling than it was, you know, twenty years ago, fifteen years ago. So I'm really grateful to have him and you know, see what he's done. I look for that to continue to grow. I think the next step for
us is, you know, trying to push for that playoff. Obviously, expanding the playoff to twelve teams, it makes it so that it's really wide open, you know, and I feel like any team that plays well has an opportunity to kind.
Of get in.
So I look forward to this year. I know we got a lot of talent, and hopefully we can put it all together and continue to take steps and see these see these guys win ten eleven games, you know, and get the opportunity to make that playoff.
And of course, the d line we were talking before went on the air is going to be a real strength. And we heard from some of the players earlier on the show Show and Brad White, But I'm sure you agree, Corey that if you're gonna win in the SEC, it starts with a D line, doesn't it. I mean, the old line is important, but if you can't stop the other people, and you were part of a pretty good D line, but uh man, the SEC trenches.
That that's where it all happens.
Isn't it right?
You know, the Southeastern Conference a lot of big boys, a lot of really talented guys. I think we have guys that are just as talented as anybody in the country, and I'm really excited to see what they put together and how they perform. It's going to go a long way, and it's really going to depend on our success, you know. I think we're going to go as the Lions go both both ways, offensive and defensive. So I'm really looking forward to seeing how they come out and perform, and
I'm expecting success. So I can't wait for the season to start. I'm really excited about this team and their possibilities.
College football college sports in general, though, have changed quite a bit of course, since you played with the Portal and the Nil. What are your thoughts on on how that's been unfolding, Because you know, it's great for players to have more latitude, but then on the other hand, guys are coming and going like free agents, aren't they.
Yeah, I mean I'm torn.
Obviously, I want to see guys, uh, you know, maximize their value getting paid as much money as possible. But I do think there is value. And you know, this is college athletics, and part of going to college to play football is your personal development. And and some of the things that's been happening as far as the transfers and you know, guys getting into facing some adversity and being running from it, just transferring schools here or there.
I'm not sure that that's the best thing in all situations, you know, And sometimes I think the best for a young person's development is to stay through and face those challenges and overcome them. So, you know, I don't think it's perfect, but I do love the fact that the guys are able to put some money in their pockets, are able to help their families and maximize their value.
So I love to see some.
Kind of situation where, you know, maybe it is corralled in a little bit. But at the same point, you know, I think it's important that you know, the players have the freedom to you know, market themselves how they see fit, and if that comes with money, then that's great.
Do you recall having to overcome adversity or doubt you might have had as a player. I got to think most players, especially at the highest level of college football, ask themselves, you know, am I really in the right place? Can I really get this done? Do you remember going through that?
Oh? Absolutely.
One of the reasons that I tolse Kentucky was, you know, I knew I'd have an opportunity to compete for time on the field as a young player, and I kind of worked my way into that rotation as a freshman, and you know, obviously playing as a freshman, playing as a sophomore, starting as a sophomore, you know, sometimes you come up against an opponent that you know, maybe a little bit ahead of where you are, either physically or just with experience, and so it really forces you to
kind of get out of your comfort zone and growth. And so I'm really thankful for those experiences. There are lots of times where you know, I wasn't sure if I could get the job done or you know, I was, you know, kind of wavering on my confidence as far as you know, you know, can I beat this guy? But pushing through that and having those challenges and then overcoming them, I think it's really helped me and as a professional, you know, really got my confidence a point where.
You know, I know that I belong on to field with anybody.
How much did it help being able if you wanted to to talk to a guy like Rich Brooks. I know you had your position coach, but it was really interesting to me, especially given the fact that when Rich Brooks was hired there were people who were so critical of the hiring because of his age. Yet I could tell from producing his TV show and being around you
guys how much you liked and respected him. And I know position coaches have a more intimate relationship, but I could tell, just like I said, from being around how much you guys cared for Rich Brooks.
Yeah, you know, I love Coach Brooks and despite his age, you know, especially at that time, Coach Brooks had.
A lot of fire. Yeah, and he would get after you.
So you know, I don't I don't think I ever really you know, categorized him as an older coach. But the one thing that I would say about Coach Brooks is he always made sure that we knew that he cared about us, that he loved us, and you know, he loved on us quite a bit. So I think when you do that, it gives you some leeway to be hard on guys and to push guys.
You know.
I'm really thankful for that relationship, thankful for that experience, and I think he was the right man for the job.
You know, John Crop, who's going to be part of your your Hall of Fame class, and a couple of other of your teammates, uh since then have told me that rich Brooks could drop into any position group and teach technique and fundamentals equally well at all of it. Do you remember that.
Yeah, I definitely remember him, you know, being hands on with us. You know, I can't speak to the other groups, but definitely for d Line, you know, And and that's that always goes a long way when you know the head man is really spending that personalized attention with the group, and it also enforces the importance of you know, executing and.
Doing well well you're going to go into the Hall of Fame.
It's not the first time you've you've gone into a Hall of Fame, But uh, do you have a speech prepared? Are you going to I think I guess they've already told you if and winning for how long you're going to speak?
Yeah, I haven't prepared anything as of yet, but I'll have something prepared, and you know, it'll really just be gratitude. I'm just extremely thankful. Like I said, man, I'm a huge Kentucky sports fan. I follow all the teams, so I'm just grateful to you know, have this opportunity and you know, have a reason to go back.
And celebrate a little bit.
So we'll try to make a weekend out of it and taking a game and spend some time. So I'm really looking forward to it.
Well, congratulations once again, and congrats on the new twins in the house or are you getting any sleep at all?
A little bit?
You know, they sleep a little bit, but you know, they definitely want to eat and they don't really care what time it is.
So it's been a huge blessing.
I'm really thankful for them, and they are good babies, you know, But we are functioning off limited amount of weak.
Well, thanks again so much, looking forward to seeing you when you come down here to be honored, and again congratulations all. I think Corey Peters now living in Pittsburgh. He was of course a star out of Louisville Central High School, but originally from Pittsburgh, and that's where he's living now, him and his family, and he is, as I mentioned earlier, already at Hall of Famer. He went into the Kentucky NFL Hall of Fame back in twenty nineteen and now in the UK Athletic Hall of Fame
coming up. He'll be honored next month. I Renumber two is on the way. We'll talk EKU football with Weal Wells and we'll talk about the election and sporting club the soccer program.
Here on the other side of the newsbreak, Cerny w ib.
Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. Joining us now is a guy we love having on the show. We love talking football with e k U head coach Walt Wells and coach. We were talking before we went on the air about how the off season anymore seems like it races by.
Doesn't it.
Oh, it just flies by. I mean you get it, you get one really good solid week in the summer, and unfortunately for us most of the time, that week is the second session of summer school. So you're worried about that. And but you know that's part of the process.
That's you.
You're just dread and Barrett, and you know, with the new things and the new way college football is right now, it takes a lot of your time.
Yeah, well, let us talk about your schedule first of all. And everybody in Lexington knows when the team over here starts, so you start the same day and you started in the SEC. You guys open at Mississippi State. We talked to some of your kids on media day and they know it's a heck of a challenge, Walt.
But they're excited about this, aren't they.
Oh they are. I mean, it's it's an opportunity to go measure yourself against an SEC opponent, both individually and collectively as a group, and you know, to see where where you're at, and uh, to bring some reality to to what your situation is and to realize, you know, who all's out there that you're fighting against to get to the dreams and goals and aspirations that these kids and coaches and everybody has and so uh but that being said, you still got your line that you put
the ball down in between the white lines and you go out there and play in And that's what I try to stress to them, like, you know, hey, I
get it. You've probably played against these guys at one point in time in high school and maybe even had a great game against Yeah, now you just got Now you got ten or eleven of them on the same team and going against you, and you just, you know, we got to decide, you know, are we gonna go out there and fight or we're gonna go out there and you know, let what happened, what everybody thinks is
going to happen, happen. And uh, you know, my been in a lot of these games as a G five SCS coach and and and just tell them all the time, Hey, just get the game to the fourth quarter. That's all you gotta do. Be in reach in the fourth quarter. If you're in reach, you got a chance.
Odd media day, you were very frank about what happened last year with the opener at Cincinnati, and you said we got boat raced, But then you guys came back and took Kentucky into the fourth quarter. So again we were talking to some your kids in you about how do you skip that step, you know, where you stumble through the first game and get to that Clearly that's
the obvious question. But I got to think, well, even though you like to put stuff in the rear view mirror, that's going to have to help you.
I would hope.
I hope it does. I hope it lets them know that they had to prepare a certain way and then go out there and have belief in themselves and each other to even have a chance. And I think that's what happened is is you know, we went to Cincinnati. It was you know, it was extremely hot for them, just like it was for us. We had some younger players or probably not younger, but inexperienced players playing, and
you know they they got a little overwhelmed. Yeah, and you know, and so coming back to next week, just told them, like, guys, you know, you have to go out there and be your best version of yourself, not what everybody thinks you can be. You just got to go be you and be the best version of yourself. And if we'll all do that together, we'll give ourselves a chance. And you know, I think you saw that
in the Kentucky game. I mean it was it was, you know, seven to seven at halftime, we come out, we drive down the field and go ahead, and then they come back and make a run. Then we come back and make a little run. And in the end, you know, obviously they were better than us and they
beat us. But you know, never excited about moral victories at all, be quite honestly, because we're still going to going into our first home game and last year, and but you're proud of the improvement that you make from week one to week two, and that's what everybody talks about. And I think you can continue to improve as a year goes on, as long as you stay healthy and people are are getting comfortable with what they're doing on the field.
Talking to ek, you head football coach Wald Wells, one more question about Mississippi State before we start talking about your team. The one thing from and you know I've covered the SEC for quite a while, You've worked in the SEC many years.
We all know. I don't know what it is.
Maybe it's because of all the Jucos in the state of Mississippi. Their linemen, Wald are always huge on both sides of the ball. And when it's not a really good Mississippi State team, they're they're just not very athletic. But Mississippi says had some really good teams with linemen who can fly. Have you already seen that in the Bulldogs?
Oh yeah, their defenses, their defenses big and mean, and you know they brought in some transfer offensive linemen on that side. And so just saying a little bit of them besides going back and watching their individually their tapes from where they came from. But yes, they're I mean, the state of Mississippi has big people and Mississippi State as opposed to you know, I don't know old Missus doing a better job. And that's what their philosophy is now.
But Missippi State always had that philosophy. I remember playing them when we were at UK and and you know, that's the first time I really ever had seen them up close in person because I never got to plan when we're at Tennessee. And so they are some large, big humans, and you know that that's gonna be a
tall task for us. We know that, and we're gonna have to to be stout and what we do, and we're gonna have to play with great leverage and great you know, great eye control and putting our eyes where they need to be, and you know, straining for sixty minutes to stay in our gaps on defense and to just try to get a good push, you know, on offense. And you know, it's like facing the big Walker kid
up there last year. I mean there was times he got in the backfield, and there was times that we were able to just maintain him so we could get some rooms and then know when certain ones are going out of the game and try to attack it that way.
Let me ask you the question that I'm sure you have been asked at least two hundred times during the off season about going into the sea.
He's in minus.
One of the most talented quarterbacks in EKU history, Parker McKinney. You told us after the spring game Walt did it was a three man race for quarterbacks. Do you know any more about who's gonna win that job or has he already wanted or is that going up to right before game week?
Well, I think it'll go uh, it'll go into uh as we're getting prepared for game week. Uh. You know, it's hard for me to sit here and say we had one scrimmage so far, both kids, cam Herget and Matt Morrissey are competing really, really hard. We've narrowed it down to two and they're they're competing, and you know, it's a it's a good thing. I wish it would be easier for me to just for one of them to just you know, be playing that much better than
the other one, but it's not. I've had one quarterback race in my five years as a head coach and we fortunately picked the right one. And uh, and hopefully we'll be able to do that again. But whoever wins the job, Uh, you know, we expect to go out there and play and and and give us the chance to win the game. And you know, just I think we'll end up playing both of them some. I think
that's just how it'll go. Uh and uh, but I think, you know, we will determine a starter and let him get his feet wet and get in there and get going. Because I'm not one to believe that you can just rotate quarterback. It's fur that and some other people and had success with it, and I get that, but you know that's just not I don't think that's where we're at.
So when we have the opportunity, we've got scrimmage coming up, we've got a couple more days here that we'll do some things and in a couple of days next week that we'll look into it, and then we'll probably sit down and make a decision. And you know, it's like I told somebody I was talking to the other day, Uh, you know, we'll let everybody know because I think that's right for the kid, for his leadership. I think it's uh, there's so much information out there nowadays. I don't think
it's that big a deal anymore, you know. I mean not like Mississippi State and their defensive staff hadn't got all the film on Matt from Western Illinois and all the film from on camp from here in high school, and they figured out who they are. You know, yeah, you know, so.
Was rotating quarterbacks, Walt, they were, whoever the quarterback was was surrounded by future NFL players.
So Spurrier could get away with that, as you know.
Uh, they throwed up, Oh man, before I hit the break, when you got started in coaching, I got to think, where were you all still swapping film? I mean flying film? Canisters back and forth or were you in the video age by then?
No, we were in We were in the sixteen millimeter, finishing out the sixteen millimators, going into the UH, going into VHS and man, we would drive halfway across the state to meet and meet at every truck stop between here and Murray or here and you know, Semo and different places. You know. My I was three years at Cumberland and then University in leven in Tennessee, and then you know, I came up here and sometimes I would take those trips just so I didn't have to be
in a staff meeting. I'm bolunteer. I'll go, you know, so they get to get out of the staff meeting, especially if we lost. I didn't want to have to do that.
That's smart.
And coach wasn't very happy on those days. So I'd be the one that was dripped up wherever we drove there. You know a lot of times it was bars town or some places like that. We you know, we'd actly, oh, he's late, he's late, and you know, I'd sit there and just hang out. You know, he didn't have a cell phone back then, so you just hung out.
Walt Wells is my guess. He is a head football coach at Eka. You will come back with more questions for Walt in just a minute on the Big Bluing Sider six thirty w Lap Welcome back to the Big Bluing Sider. We're chatting with Wald Wells. He is a head football coach at Eastern Kentucky, which opens it season August thirty first at Mississippi State. And well, looking back last year, we talked about Parker McKinney, but your entire
offense really began to click. You got after that slow start, and then six of your next seven games you scored at least thirty points, and it just you. You guys were so exciting to follow. I know, a new QB and all, but oh, do you think we'll see a similar kind of attack, a similar tempo this year or do you need to adjust given the fact that you will have a new QB.
I think some of the skill sets that our new QB will have, whichever one it is, will require us to adjust anything we do. Because Parker had a unique scrambling and running ability along with his ability to you know, to see the field clearly and make the right decisions and so our attack will you know, will grow as the quarterback grows in our system. Like I said, one of them play college ball before. One of them has really not. But they're both just competing hard. So I
think you'll see a little age in it. But now you know, we are who we are and we're gonna try to be who we can be. It's just how comfortable they are with it as we move forward.
Parker, by the way, got an NFL free agent offer?
Was it the Vikings?
The Vikings?
Correct, they just lost JJ McCarthy. You know if he's still in camp?
No, Parker, did you know he got the mini camp invite deal?
I don't know.
I haven't talked to him in about two weeks, so I need to check in with him and see. But as of then, he hasn't gone anywhere, but he's making himself available. Yeah, of course, u AC and the Canadian League are often for him right now. And uh, you know, he's got two degrees. He I think he's in love and he's got a great job. So you know, I
don't know, you know, Parker is uh. I think he'll continue to fight to play, don't get me wrong, and he deserves it, right, But I think he's also got his head on straight and he's he's probably got a job somewhere doing some some good things. You know, it probably picked up a job since the last time we talked about that point.
Well, with McCarthy going now, maybe they call him back, So who knows. We talked so much about your offense, but on media day we talked to some of your veteran guys back from the defensive side of the ball, and I know you struggled at times on defense last year, but what do you see on that side of the ball coming up.
Well, I'm really impressed with in training camp where we're at right now. Our defensive line has really grown and uh, you know, we got we got four seniors upfront that have played a lot of football for us, and they're starting to take over. And I really like saying that because you know, you're only as good as as you are upfront on both sides of the ball. So I mean, I think it's important that those guys continue to play
at a high level. I mean you're talking Ryan Jackson, Darian Baker, Both those guys have been here since they signed in my first class, and then marve on Field was a transfer from from Elon and he's done a nice job. And Jeremie has done a nice job, and Gabe Fletcher.
Has come on.
So we've got about four anywhere from four to six guys up front that are really starting to play at a high level I think, and will be trouble for some teams, especially in SCS. And then, uh, you know, we're we took a head at linebacker are he hasn't played here, So when I say we take a hit,
poor young man Tylan Robinson. He's been here three years and every year he's had a season INDI injuries, you know, one knee, then one shoulder, then the other knee this year, and so we took a hit there in our death to Kyle Kelly from Northern Kentucky is doing a great job transfer from Ohio. You and uh, and and then we've got Marcellus Maddox from Miami who's a true sophomore who came on strong last year at the end of the year. So you know, I like where we're going.
And then our secondary we made, Uh, we've really picked up some talent in that area. And uh, you know, I like Mike Smith Jr. We've got a ton of scout coming in here to see Mike Smith junior, Yeah, as well as Peyton Collins are left tackle, but they've been running in and out of here, so I'm excited about him and he's having a good camp. And then you know at corner we've got Jordan Thomas, Trey Goodins who's been here for a while, and then Vito Tisdell.
You know, Mike told us on media day that the number one goal now is finished games that you guys would would battle into that fourth quarter we talked about, but you just had trouble finishing. What has to happen this year, Walt to make that occur.
Well, I think if you look at our season last year, you know we were and that's been our criss since you know, we sat down and came back in January. It was finished, you know. And and but what does finish mean? Well, you know, finish to me means taking care of the details to be able to overcome whatever obstacle they put in front of you. And you know
we're at we're at Central Arkansas. We finished offensively, we score with twenty thirty seconds left, but getting on the hell merrit and one guy did one thing wrong and the ball bounced right to him, you know, And some people can call that dumb luck. For some people say, hey, if you'd have been standing there, that might not have happened. And that's where you're supposed to be standing, and it still could have happened. We don't know, but we'll never
know because you aren't standing there. And those are the things that we have to understand are important little things, and you know, I've been stressing those and trying to expose those to situations. We've done a lot of situational work this off season, this spring, summer, and now in training camp, and we're just trying to make sure that they understand, Hey, if you're in the position, you've done everything you can do and the play is just made by another guy and it's just a great play by
that other guy. That happened. That's football. We can't do a whole lot about that, okay, you know, but if you're not in the position and either us as coaches haven't covered it enough or you haven't been detail oriented enough to remember it, then we have to improve on that and we have to focus on that and make sure that when those moments come, which some of them, we know, like a Till Mary situation. Obviously, then we'll take them. But you know, you can't. You've got to
understand issue situation. We're playing Austin Pe and it's the last portion that we're in the overtime. We've got them third and third and longs and we bite on a play fake, yeah, you know, and which opens up a window. And it's just little things like that that we can't. We can't make that mistake because if you're where you're
supposed to be, his eyes go somewhere else. And literally, if his eyes would have went somewhere else, we would have sacked him and it had been forced down and they would have had to kick a field gun and so and then we'd have went into another over time.
Yeah, it ate it.
So you know, it's those little things that you know, I'm not trying to sit here and place blame, but I'm trying to fix the prog right right, And because you know, there's blame for there's enough blame for everybody. It's just whether or not you're in there at the end when it matters. And you know, but then there's opportunities. We had to make those plays and we did against Tartleton State and other people where we won games, of
Southeast Missouri State where we won games like that. So you know, college football is going to come down if all things are equal, which most of them are are going to come down to four quarter games more than likely. And I think we know how to play in those and get to those. Now we've got to continue to realize how to finish.
Those before I let you go just real quick.
I know you guys don't look ahead, but big picture EKU fans know you guys played Western Kentucky over in bowling Agreen, but that's back on the schedule.
That's fun.
Oh, Battle of Blue Drafts is a great game. I was fortunate enough to be on both sides of it, and uh, you know, I've seen the The I saw the eastern side was uh with coach Kid, and then it got to see the western side with obviously David Elson, Willie Taggart or excuse me not uh yeah, just David Elson really and because we didn't play them with Willie and so, uh you know it's went down there under Jack Harball.
Uh.
I never got to a season with him, so it's uh, it's a great rivalry. And like I said at media days, I think it was for so many years it was the game in Kentucky because Kentucky and Louisville didn't play, and quite you know, frankly, you know, Eastern and Western at third heights of SCS were two of the top teams in the nation, and so, uh, you know, it
was always a packed house. It was always fun to play, you know, fraternity sororities, everybody got involved in different things and uh and it was just a neat, neat experience. And I'm hoping that those that that situation, it will be the same when we roll into Bowling Green the second week of the season and you know, we aren't looking past them, but we also know they're on the schedule and like every time, you know, we work on both teams that we're gonna play first two games in
training camp. And so we've looked at Western and we've looked at what they do, and Tyson's done a great job down there, and it's got them rolling. They get the big quarterback now and and you know they've you know, they've always got somebody, uh that is, you know, somebody you got to know about. They're going to be drafted or something like that. They've got players, you know, like malacat Corlou last year, and so it's, uh, it's going to be a great atmosphere. It's gonna be a great game.
You know, I'm quite frankly like you said, you know, I've got more people wearing me out about that game than the other games. You know, won't tickets, won't an RV passes, want and all the things that you get, which is awesome. I want to do it. I want to make sure we take care of everybody. But uh, and you know, and I know that week of practice coach buried right there about our practice fields, and you know, I know I will hear your voices from the past and excited about you know here notes.
Nobody wanted to be well Wku more than Roy Kid. We know that, coach.
Thank you so much and I know we'll talk before them, but best of luck with the season opener.
Thank you very much, thanks for having me up.
Next.
Professional soccer in Lexington is moving on up. We're back to talk about that in just a minute. Here on the Big Blue Insider six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big bluon Sider. Joining us now is a former colleague of mine. We work together at IMG a few years ago and now Kim Shelton is the new CEO of Lexington Sporting Club. People who are soccer fans and know all about this and Kim a former soccer player at UK yourself, good morning, welcome.
Good morning, good morning. Thanks for having me.
You've been working in the business world, but it's usually had something to do with sports, and of course you were, you know, a key part of the UK network for many years. But as we went on the air we were talking about Kim, this seems like such a great fit for you.
I got to think you're really excited absolutely.
You know, when the ownership approached me about leaving the club, it really was kind of a culmination of all things in my past, whether my playing days, my coaching days, on my work in the business of sports, and to bring that all together to do something that I believe will really have a positive effect on the community was a bit of a no brainer.
You were a part of the first women's soccer team at UK when you got here in nineteen ninety two. What does it mean to you to seise the sport grow like this not just a UK now they had a terrific program men's and women's at UK and now you've got the Lexion sc happening right now. That's got to be a real thrill for you.
You know, it has been a thrill and it's been a journey for sure, but to see the game grow from a collegiate perspective. You know, the number of teams in the SEC when when we started, I think was four or five teams in the SEC. By the time I finished my playing days, we were up to a full a lotments. All all the schools in the SEC had women's soccer, so you know, had the opportunity to
watch it grow from that perspective. And now to see what's happening on the professional side with women's soccer, you know, the addition of the Super League providing more opportunities for for more women to have the opportunity to play after college and to be a part of that. It's just a thrill.
How good is the soccer league in which election and competes right now, and how challenging is it to bring in players?
You know, it's interesting. Uh and Dick, I'll ask you you're talking about on the women's Uh yeah, yeah, So it's interesting. The Super League is brand news, so as we as we look ahead to the upcoming season, it's a bit of a mystery, right who will be up against We certainly know the players and we're beginning to know or you know, they're just beginning to see some scrimmages out there and you're beginning to see the results. And but it is going to be really interesting to
watch as the league. As the league grows, I think that I think the competition is going to be fierce. These are women who, you know, in some cases had been overlooked by other professional leagues and other cases are coming right out of college ready to play and having an additional opportunity to play. So it's going to be fierce competition and we're going to grow with it.
You know, it's interesting we talk about women's soccer and then now the Olympics just concluded. It's really funny that, uh, I know, that's a good thing. I guess that America knows more about the US national women's team because of their success. Does that surprise you, Kim.
No, No, not at all. You know, I've I love the fact that the women have in our country really in some ways taken the lead. Yeah, and the success that we've had on the women's side, you know, dating back to the nineteen ninety nine Women's World Cup, when when the women's game took the world stage and that event hosted the you know, the finals in the in the rose bowls. Ninety thousand people watch these women play and and and that game was was quite a show. I was blessed to be able to be in the
stands for that for that match. So it doesn't surprise me at all. And now to have our women's national teams bring home the gold and to be back at the top of that pedestal, I think just draws a lot of attention to everything that we're doing in our country from a women's sports perspective. I think you've looked over the past couple of years, you see the spotlight
shining brighter on women's sports. And so to have the opportunity to participate in that right here in Lexington, and have you know Lexington's first professional team launching at about the same time, at all of that excitement is peaking is a real opportunity I think for our community to demonstrate our support for women playing in the professional game.
Talking to Kiv Shelton. She is the CEO of the Election and Sporting Club. And on your resume was the work that you put in, uh for on the FIFA Women's World Cup. You worked in Chicago with that event, did you not?
I did?
I did?
And you know that was an absolute thrill. Many don't know that when that event was initially pitched, Marlon Metting, who was the CEO of the Women's World Cup, was approached to host those games in small venues across the country and she she pushed back against that and hosted those games in the largest venues in the country, right in Chicago the field my men earlier.
In LA in the.
Rose Bowl and and you know, maybe to some surprise, those events all sold out to watch our women play. And so then taking that success and then building upon it, it was an incredible experience for me. I think it was great for our young girls who saw the spotlight shown on women playing at the highest level. And I think that's part of how we've seen the game grow.
The men's program, the men's team part of USL League One.
Now what does that mean for Lexing and Sporting Club?
You know right now we are part of League one. We announced earlier this week that going into next season will be playing in the Championship League, and and what that means for our club and our community and for our state is that we pland at the same level as the city. We'll have that rivalry right down right down the road. So we're really looking forward to what we can do with that and how our state will will embrace will embrace the game.
You've got this brand new facility going up seven field, state of the art at Athon's Boonsboro Road, and Kim, I hadn't been out there in a little while, and I had seen them kind of moving earth and everything, but I hadn't been out that way in about a month. It's impressive. How often, or if ever do you do you ever drive out there and just gaze at it.
We sure do right now.
We drive out there and look at it and make sure that everything's moving along for our home opener on September the eighth. So you know, at this moment in time, we don't have a lot of time to just stop and gaze, yeah, because we're moving pretty hard to be prepared for September the eighth, and you know, when we
get there on September eighth, with the with the stadium. Look, we'll we all have things moving around, right as with construction, you're kind of always under construction, and we'll have some moving pieces for sure. We have fans to be patient with us. We're working to be prepared to host that game and we will do that. But yeah, I mean, it's amazing what our ownership has invested, not just on the professional side, but this is in many ways for
ownership about the youth side. Right, like you said, there's there's seven high end turf, fully lit field for our
young people to compete and to play. And now the addition of the stadium, with the you know, with the move the Championship League and with the Super League playing at you know, the highest level of the USL pyramid, our young people have the opportunity to play on their home field and then look just down the hill at an amazing seventy five hundred seat stadium where you know, where they might perceive themselves to be able to take
their dreams. So for our ownership, for our club, it is about that to kind of give our young people the chance to see what can happen when your dream big.
What do you think of how Lexington has accepted and opened its arms to professional soccer.
Yeah, you know, I think we continue to work at that. We continue to educate Lexington about, you know, what we're doing and who we are. Every conversation I have, I hear excitement, right, I hear people express their excitement for what we're doing, not just from the soccer perspective, but just from the community perspective and what we're developing with
this facility. And I see Lexington embracing everything that we're doing, and not only just on the soccer side, but also and we think about the day, when we think about what we're putting together, we're really working to make sure that what happens out there is an experience, making sure that when you come out to a match that yes, you get to see a really high caliber of soccers, but also you're able to have a great time.
You've got a match coming up this Friday, do you know I'm reading do you? Yeah?
We do, we do, and every match right now is important.
You know.
In the league, we're not where we want to be. But interestingly, in the in the USL and League One, we have the a Ormeister Cup within which is kind of the tournament within the season.
Uh.
And we're on the cuffs of having an opportunity to participate maybe even host this semi final match. So you know, every game is important to us at this state of season.
And you are on the road actually Friday, but you're back home, Uh what on the twenty fourth, Right back.
Home on the twenty fourth and on the thirty first, and those two games will continue to be held in Georgetown. You know, we're we're very thankful for our hosts in Georgetown up there. We're also anxious to get get down into into the stadium. You know, the men's home opener, if you looked on a previous schedule, it was on September the fourteenth at seven o'clock. But you know, there's something else going on in Lexington on September the fourteenth at seven o'clock, so we did move that game to
that Friday night. So we're going to open the men will open at the stadium on September the thirteenth, Friday night, seven smart.
Well, that's marketing one.
On one, right, that's right, that's right.
Tell me a little bit about your attendance numbers. I know you always want more, but Is it what you hoped it would be so far?
Yeah, you know, it's interesting. You're right, it's never what you hope until you're sold out. It's never what you hope that it would be. But quite candidly, as we look at going into the new stadium, we want to make sure that we're providing the best experience. So yes, we want everybody to come out. We want to build the house, and I think as people learn more about what we're doing and they get to have the experience that we're going to put on, I think more and
more folks will will come out. I think the drive up to Georgetown was an obstacle for some folks and we appreciate so greatly appreciate the fans that have been very loyal to us up there, but look forward to getting to Lexington and making it easier for our fans and Lexington to get out to the stadium and watch the men and the women's play.
So the USL Championship move happens next season.
Right, that's correct, Yeah, that's correct.
Kim, Thank you so much.
That's Kim Shelton, the CEO of Lexing and Sporting Club, and we're back in just a minute. Here on a big Boon sider six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue and Cider final segment of our program. And it is hard to believe we always say that this time of the year, though, doesn't don't We two weeks from Saturday season openers for a lot of teams, including Kentucky and e KU and the talking season makes everything, I believe, go faster.
But I think the last.
Few days leading up the game week seemed to crawl a little bit. But it's going to be right here and it is going to be a momentous I believe season four Kentucky. We've talked about this a lot, but there's a lot on the line after back to back somewhat disappointing seasons for the Wildcats, so of course you'll follow it all right here on six point thirty WLAP. I wanted to take a look though, as I often do it. You know this day in sports and things
like that. I've tweeted this earlier. It was Joe Cally's birthday. Joe from Lexington and played five or six years in the Biggs before he ran into some injury issues. But while he was at his best, he was pitching for the White Sox one year and had a no hitter back in nineteen eighty six. I think, so Happy birthday to Joe. But also one of the notes out of last night action is Aaron Judge hits career home run number three hundred and reached that mark faster than anybody
in the history of the game. It came against the White Sox, and believe it or not, they walked pick your poison, Juan Soto to get the Judge. It made the most sense, you know, in terms of baseball strategy, but to have to walk Sodo to get to Aaron Judge, who had his forty third home run, and it came in his nine hundred and fifty fifth career game. That broke the major league record previously held by Ralph Kiner.
It his first three hundred home runs in one thousand and eighty seven games, so he is just destroying this pace. Came in at bad number three thousand, four hundred and thirty one, quicker than Babe Ruth, quicker than McGuire. You know, baseball love stats like that, but it is pretty amazing.
However, Aaron Judge is thirty two years old. You wonder how long will he play?
And you go back and look at guys like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. Aaron Judge has already played nine years in the Big This is his ninth year at age thirty two. Hank Aaron played twenty two years, Babe Ruth played twenty two, twenty three. No, twenty two years because he played his last year in Pittsburgh in the National League.
Otherwise all the others were in the American League.
So will Aaron Judge be around long enough and stay healthy long enough to top those marks? And of course Barry Bonds. Bonds played twenty two years as well and retired with seven sixty two. That's the record. Tainted or not, I'll leave that up to you. But it's pretty amazing
what Aaron Judge is doing right now. Somebody out there on the Internet and Internet world has been compiling and posting information about Tony Gwynn and how tough it was to strike him out and just comparatively speaking, you know today's players gwin against pictures of his era. Things like that. Really fascinating. But somebody else has really hooked on to
Nolan Ryan. I'm not sure why I came up. Maybe it's because of the Nolan Ryan documentary that was out there, and it's still out there if you go find it.
It's really terrific.
But of course the strangest stat of all, one of the strangest in the history of baseball, was that Nolan Ryan for all of his accomplishments, and it was on this day in history that he retired with three hundred and twenty four we pitched his last victory, three hundred and twenty four seven no hitters, zero cy youngs. But he has also tied with Bob Feller for the most one hitters with twelve, so he could have had as many as nineteen no hitters and by the way, another eighteen two hitters.
Now.
On the other hand, Nolan Ryan struggled at the beginning of his career, walked a lot of guys and did not play for really good teams. So a, that may be why he was not a cy Young winner, and b it may explain why he played into his forties because he finally got him so healthy and turned things around. And again, baseball is a game of numbers, and that might be why some people don't find it all that intriguing anymore. But the numbers are out there. If you
take a deep guy, that's kind of fun. That's going to do it for tonight. Thanks so much of my guess, Kim Shelton Wald, wells Corey Peters.
That's it. Good night for the garage and Lexington. A A ron?
Where are you?
Where is AA ron?
Right now?
No?
A ron?
Huh? Well you better be sick, dead or mute.
A ron here? Oh man? Why didn't you answer me the first time I said em? Huh, I'm just you know, I'm just asking you.
I said it like four times, So why didn't you say it the first time?
I said A A ron?
Because it's pronounced it aaron.
You domb messed up A ron