Welcome to the Big Bluin Sider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Wednesday edition of our program. Much to discuss tonight both basketball and football, a little baseball as well, but coming up tonight at the bottom of the hour, Chris Fisher of the Cat's Pause part of the two four seven Network. We'll talk about UK schedule basketball that is basketball recruiting, and we'll talk some football recruiting with Chris.
And in our number two, Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard, joined us every Wednesday, so naturally we'll talk basketball with Sean, but we'll also talk football with the former UK point guard and Western Burea chief Gary Moore with us. So we'll preview the college football and pro football season with Gary coming up in our number two. Ten days until Kentucky plays football against Southern Miss. Now there is college football this week, some low profile games leading up to
Saturdays season opener. Officially seems like this is the one everybody talks about, with Florida State playing in Dublin, Ireland against Georgia Tech. Florida State expected to be a real contender, Georgia Tech is not. I heard some talking heads going over this game and one of them said, it's going to be a great game. It probably won't, but it's going to be great because it's going to be the beginning of officially the college football season ten days away.
And on Corey Price's countdown on Twitter. Corey Course is our statistician on the UK Sports Network for football. A picture of Moe Williams number ten and he is playing against South Carolina and it looks to be because it's a road game, perhaps the game where he set the single game record for rushing yards forty carries, two hundred and ninety nine yards, four touchdowns, but it was a close game. Now Kentucky wonted thirty five to thirty. The picture,
it looks like is being played in decent weather. But if it is the same game, the heavens opened I think in the second quarter, if memory serves yeah. I was there on the sideline and it absolutely poured down. Rain manager or equipment manager, Tom Kalanowski came to my rescue and handed me a rain suit, and later on I went to give it back. He goes, keep it. We're getting new ones next year, which they did. I still got it, but he saved me. But because it
was an official UK rain suit. I was able to stand at the fifty yard line among the coaches in the coaches box, and nobody challenged me. Well, the security guys had fled. They you know, they didn't care, and nobody on the UK sideline had any interest because it was raining so hard. But it was a big game, which Kentucky, as I said, ended up winning thanks to Moe. But four hundred and twenty nine all purpose yards two
hundred and ninety nine on the ground alone. It broke her show records mark at the time of two hundred and nineteen yards set in nineteen eighty two hundred nineteen rushing yards. And the reason Moe's number was where it was because one of his biggest plays was would look like a swing pass, and I saw this when it happened. He was behind the quarterback when he caught the ball, which immediately makes it a run play. So they changed it from a reception to a run play, and the
officials called it immediately. There's a signal they put up that signifies it to run, notw of pass. So they added that to Moe's rushing total and he had a phenomenal game. Wildcats put up a total of four hundred and forty seven yards that day. I'm not sure who got him, but there were eleven other rushing yards and Mo had two hundred ninety nine of them. So that's why I took special notice of Corey's photo that he
included today. Ten days away, Moe Williams number ten. Before we get back to football, real quickly, just looking at Kentucky's basketball schedule, you guys have been discussing it on social media talking note. Not about the Duke game on November twelfth, not about the Louisville game on December fourteenth, no subject of discussion. February one, Arkansas comes to Rapperena. You know who they had coached now, and it reminds me of when Patino came back. And much will be
written prior to this game about that game. And remember, now Caliperry's not going to do this, but Patino crossed up the Kentucky fans. They kept their eyes trained on the little tunnel area where the opposing team was coming out, and all the players came out that way. They kept waiting for Patino so they can unleash their torrent of booze. Betino came out at the other end. He came out at the Kentucky end, and later on he tried to cover it by saying, I got confused. I was just
so used to coming out that way. No, and he kind of had a twinkle in his eye when he said it. I gave him full credit for somewhat diffusing. He still got booed, but not nearly as bad because people didn't notice at first. Then it's all of a sudden, Oh, oh, there he is, and so it wasn't that torrential downpour of booze. I think we'll hear some of that when Caliperi comes out. But I also think people will applaud him because, look, he did great things here. It just
kind of fizzled out at the end. But when he got here. Do you remember what it was like when he got here and what he did right away? You need to remember that. So I think that's the way things will play out all right. Back to football, USA Today has ranked every team in D one football from top two one thirty four. Kent State, by the way, is rated at the very bottom. Talk about low expectations, and naturally, Georgia ranked number one, just ahead of Ohio State,
Texas Oregon and Alabama. Look for the Wildcats. You will find them at number thirty nine. I think Kentucky underappreciated right now because of the mystery with a new starting quarterback and a new offensive coordinator. So that's okay, play with a chip on your shoulder, sneak up on people. That's fine. But it's weird to see Kansas rated ahead of Kentucky, and really oddly right now, Nebraska, which has been really mediocre of late, ranked ahead of Kentucky. They're
twenty four to twenty five Kansas Nebraska. But Louisville getting a lot of preseason love. Jeff Brom's team is ranked number eighteen. They got a mystery quarterback, they got a guy coming into his seventh year starting a quarterback. So none of it means anything right now, but it'll fire up the players. But you think about this. Georgia on the UK schedule, Texas number three on the UK schedule, ole Miss number ten on the Kentucky schedule, Tennessee fourteen,
Louisville eighteen. Man, it's tough, but welcome to the SEC. Speaking of rankings, Tom Brady has ranked his top qbs in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes naturally number one, multiple Super Bowls, Josh Allen of the Bills, number two, Lamar Jackson number three, Joe Burrow number four, and you know those fifth Aaron Rodgers, which tells me two things. Number one, Brady's got respect for Rogers and high expectations. But number two, other than
Aaron Rodgers, who do you rank there? There's a bit of a drop off I think from those top five QB spots to the rest of the NFL quarterbacks. Before we hit the break, a little bit of baseball for you. But this is kind of funny. This came from the Giants broadcast last night of the San Francisco VERSUS Chicago White Sox game, and the White Sox catcher Cory Lee took a foul ball off a spot where you just don't want to take a foul ball, even though he's
got protection there. Ouch, we're talking about a major league fastball that's fouled off. And Kruco took exception as a former catcher of some things that you hear from the fans in a situation like.
This, Oh, Cory Lee, the catcher vidys of time.
You know one thing, I was a catcher.
And there are certain times you get hit and you know somebody in the stands will yell out walk it off, and you just want to go up there and bunch it right in the forehead. Yeah, certain things you can't walk off, and that was one of them. Mike Dolinsky's not helping him out either by telling him they'll jump up and down.
Yeah, well, I don't who came up with that.
That didn't work either.
So it's oh and two.
He is deed time talk about six days. Six days is right. We'll talk more UK football next six thirty wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider. Coming up in a few minutes Chris Fisher of the Cat's Pause part of the two four seven Network. He'll talk Kentucky basketball recruiting, but we'll also talk football with Chris. Same deal with Sean Woods, our unforgettable guard joins us every Wednesday. He'll be with us in hour number two.
He'll talk basketball and football. Haven't had a chance to talk much football as Sean, but he was a three sport guy in high school, so we will have a chance to find out what he thinks. And of course
now we're number two as well. Our West end Bureau chief Gary Moore, but Kentucky football the matter at hand as they prepare to the Wildcats for their upcoming season opener with a new offensive coordinator, Bush ham Dan, who spoke with us recently and told the media about just right about now is when the Wildcats are basically cleaning up their act, taking care of details, getting ready for situations in ball games, and cutting down on every mistake they can head off.
It's never easy right to take the anxiety of week one when the situations actually occur. But for us, it always is going to come down to two minute, end of half, end of game, four minute scenarios, last plays. You know, certain things with the clocks, so there's just so many things. It's almost like a hidden hidden plays that it's could come up at any point about fifteen to twenty of them, and we got to do them as much as possible so the guys can go execute them.
Now, you can't work on those things every day, but you have to put in some work obviously and just be ready, as he said, or whatever comes up in whatever game you're playing, whether it's a conference game or your non conference season opener, which is of course Sutthern miss a good team. We asked him a little bit about players who might be flying a little bit under the radar, and he went immediately to Fred Ferrier, a wide receiver, and also Anthony Brown Stevens who went by
AB but now goes by ABS. But evidently those are two guys, despite the fact that they're behind Barrion Brown and Dante Key, those are guys we need to look for.
He said, Yeah, both those guys have done a tremendous job. They really have. Fred's probably been one of our most consistent wide receivers throughout camp. You know, runs precise routes, makes plays on the ball. It's tough on the perimeter. We're surely fortunate to have him. You know, Anthony Brown's one of the best ball in hand guys we have. I mean, he's got electricity on the outside carrying the football.
So again, we just we're gonna use a lot of those guys in and out, and we're excited to use them all.
Barrian Brown made it a point when he was talking about Fred Ferrier, and Abs said the same thing. He's a very quiet guy, doesn't brag much, doesn't talk much, but lets his action speak, and yet he is talented enough to do that on a consistent basis. So watch for Ferrier, watch for Abs making plays this year from the wide receiver room. We all know that Chip Train hims out with a broken hand. He won't play in
at least the first couple of games. Hampden talked about the fact that's sure when there's an injury like that to a guy who figured to be a key performer, your power running back going into the season, and that's going to change the way you call plays as an offensive coordinator.
If it was possible to be the video game and everybody take off injuries, that would be awesome.
But that's not our world.
So there's contingency plans. Obviously, when guys go down. It's the next man up philosophy with every team and who we need to get those next guys up ready to go because we got a serious schedule ahead of us.
So you I talked about this a little bit yesterday about the young guys who are behind Demi, Seymour, Karnbay, and they're talented, obviously, unproven, untested, but there's nobody else on the roster who will remind you, at least not right now of Chris Rodriguez or Benny Snell or Ray Davis. But all that does is make you appreciate even more how good those guys were, how effective they were to step into the sec as all three of them did
and produce immediately. I mean, Benny didn't start every game right away, It's part of a rotation, but you could see it in him, and he was the power guy as a freshman. You know, they had Jojo, they had Boom Boom Williams, but Benny was a power guy from the day he got here and got even better. And Rodriguez played behind Benny and then took step right in, took over for him. We weren't sure about Ray Davis, but for all of his versatility, he got power yards
when they needed him. So the question is, without train them, can Kentucky get the first down when it's a tough third and one, third and two, or in the red zone get into the end zone. So that's going to be a big question right now. One of the bigger questions right now for Kentucky is can you play clean?
Every coach wants that. Mark Souops was talking about that after the scrimmage on Saturday and that's why he scrimmaged to clean up any possibility of a pre snap penalty and hamed and talked about how vital it is to take that step as they close down camp.
Yeah, I think it's a great question. I think the operational part is the number one thing. You know, we always tell our guys all the time. Before you can, you know, go win games, you got to figure out how not to lose them. And I think in those Week one opportunities again with the anxiety up, they haven't been in front of you know, seventy thousand people. It's the operational stuff. Making sure the signals from the snap count to the communication is the most critical thing.
And and that's it.
It's it's the uh, you know, win the pre snap for us. Everything we're trying to get done in the pre snap to get a line, we like to do a lot of different things. And then certainly making the routine plays routine.
You know, when we talk about baseball, it seems like we always talk about dominating the routine play. You know, the basic ground ball it's hit to the middle indfielder or you know, just the routine throw across the diamond, things like that. But Honestly, you could make that case in any sport. Now with football, there are few, if any routine plays, But there is a routine, as Hamden was just saying, and that's what you have to nail down.
The way plays are brought in, formations, snap count, everything up to the moment that the ball is snapped is a routine. So you could call it routine with the way you have to get things done. And there are reps for that reason over and over, and we've talked here during camp and you've heard about it and read about it. The helmet coms, you know, the radio and the helmet for the quarterback, for the lead player on defense.
You got to get that down now. Stoops said they went over to the stadium the other night simulated a real game just with how they sent plays in, how they sent substitutes in, getting special teams on and off the field. I will never forget when Rich Brooks was here, Kentucky actually came down that they lost a game because of a penalty on a special teams play because alignment went in for the first team or the guy got hurt.
The first team guy got hurt, second team guy goes in and then the next thing, you know, in fact, this guy was on defense. So there they held Kentucky held the other team. The other team lines up to kick a field goal and Kentucky gets caught for too many men on the field because the guy who had subbed in on second or third down. He knew that the guy he replaced was also on the special team,
but he was not. He had never played a down of special teams in his life, so he decided, well, I just need to be out here, and Kentucky get called for twelve minute on the field. The opposing team, instead of a field goal, took it in for a touchdown and cast Kentucky the game. That's the kind of
mistake that causes coaches to pull their hair out. And I remember Brooks saying that this kid had never played a down of special teams in his life, but thought he was obviously doing the right thing by staying out on the field. That's why you go through pre snap routine, all right. When we come back, Chris Fisher the Catspaws joined us here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty wlap. Welcome back. We're chatting with Chris Fisher of the Cat's Pause.
He is a veteran to covering UK sports and sports in general two for seven Sports, but basketball recruiting is one of his specialties. Chris, how are you.
Well?
Thanks?
Hey, I got to ask you. First off, Kentucky lands Malachi Moreno, and I I know what, it's an important signing. He's local, he's a big but given the fact that you know, Mark Pope just landed his first UK recruit, and I think, Chris, this was a had to have him kind of signing, wasn't it.
Yeah, I think so. I think it was a big first addition. It was a natural addition, you know, adding an in state guy as the first commitment for twenty twenty five, and with you know, things not looking too bright for Jasper Johnson, I think all of that kind of adds up to a must have for Mark Pope. I mean, he's a you know, a six foot eleven center, really really talented, high upside that's from the state of Kentucky, that plays the position that Mark Pope played, and so
I think there's kind of a natural synergy there. And Mark Pope has made no about the importance of keeping Kentucky guys at home. You know, obviously, Travis Perry signed with Kentucky before Mark Pope came on. But Mark Pope played a big part in, you know, keeping his commitment and keeping him on board. And then he adds Trent Noah in the spring as well, and so it was a big commitment I think for to get Kentucky on the board for twenty twenty five. It's still early. It's
only August. The early signing period is still months away. But to get that first one out of the way and to have it be a Kentucky guy, to have it be a top twenty five prospect nationally, I think it's a big deal for Mark Pope in Kentucky.
Yeah, I'm glad you brought up Trentoah because Travis was going to come here, you know, with Calip Perry here, I think whoever they had hired, Travis would have still come. But Trentollah flipped on his commitment to South Carolina, which is nothing to be scoffed at. But I also I think christ and we'll get back to Malick in a minute, I really believe Trendonoah maybe as much as Travis Perry is going to play a vital role in Kentucky basketball,
maybe not this coming season. But I don't know how much of a chance you got to see either in person, are on video trendoah play in the Sweet sixteen. But this kid can play. And I think he's going to be important, don't you.
Yeah? I think again, as fans and as media, we need to rewire our brains when it comes to recruiting and what success on the recruiting trail means at Kentucky. The days of having four and five five star guys and a single recruiting class are over. That's not going to happen here. And that's not how Mark Pope wants it to happen. He wants the third of his guys coming from the high school ranks. He wants the third returning players. He wants a third coming from the portal.
That's going to give Kentucky balance that it hasn't had in fifteen years. And so you know, when you look at these guys, you can no longer look at them in terms of what they can offer you strictly as a freshman, right, You have to look at them in terms of what they're going to be able to contribute
over the course of three or four years. And I think when you look at guys like Trent Noah, Travis Perry, and even Malachai Morano, because we all know that big guys develop a little bit more slowly than the smaller guys.
Do.
You have to look at them what in terms of what they're going to bring to the table in three or four years, and I think all three of those guys are going to be very, very good college basketball players before their careers at Kentucky are over and there for so long I was I was jealous of schools like North Carolina, Villanova, Kansas that you know, they may get, you know, a top fifteen, top twenty guy sprinkled in here and there, but for the most part, their recruiting
classes were made up of top thirty five to top seventy five guys that probably weren't going to leave for the NBA after one year, and they were going to stick around for two and three years. And then by the time they're done, you have a very nice, little composite mixture of talent and experience, and those are the guys that go on to be really, really good college players.
I mean, you think you know Hunter Dickinson, RJ. Davis, Armando Baycott, all the guys that Villanova had on and on and on, and you look at the teams that you look at the success that those teams have had in recent years, and they were always it felt like contending for a national championship.
Talking to Chris Fisher the Catch Bass two four to seven Network about Kentucky recruiting and what we're going to touch on football a little bit later on. But Chris specializes in basketball and basketball recruiting. I'm glad you mentioned with Malachia Moreno, the fact that the bigs do develop a little more deliberately, don't they. But if you got a chance to see him play last year and you're gonna get a chance to see him this year, you can see the skills are there, not just the size.
But he's one of today's big man, isn't he. I don't know that he's gonna well in Pope's offense. He might in high school. You don't see him step out and shoot threes very often. But he's a guy who can run the floor and he's got good feet. So you got to like what you see, right.
Yeah, there's a lot to like about Malachim a Reno. The building blocks are there, I think physically, he has a lot of what you can't teach. I mean, he has versatility and mobility at six foot eleven, he runs the floor really well. He has soft touch around the rim. He pursues rebound with two hands. He's a very dependable rebounder. I thought I thought he needed a big spring in summer on the travel circuit, on the Showcase circuit, going
against some of the best of the best. You know, being from Kentucky, you have that reputation, well, well who is he played again? But he went against the best for the best of the spring and summer and absolutely lived up to his reputation. Led his travel team to the championship of the Adidas three SSB Travel Circuit, had a really big playoff series there, and so I think really proved that he's a top twenty five prospect and one of the best big men in the twenty twenty
five class. And when you're talking about Mark Pope's offense, especially the big guys, you have to be able to be able to handle the ball out on the floor. And that's not just put it on the deck. That being able to facilitate the offense, being able to shoot reliably from the perimeter, and then when you add to that his soft hands around the basket, his size, his mobility reminds me a little bit. I mean, Willie Caley
Sign was a freak. I think people forget that. They know he played a wide receiver in high school, but athletically he was really really gifted. I don't think Malachaim Moran is quite on that level, but he moves really really well for a big guy and can do a lot of different things. So there's a lot for Mark Pope to work with there over the next two or three years.
You know what it's like when when a kid commits to Kentucky, much less a Kentucky kid. So now this coming high school season and probably through that period of time you just described people I'm sure were going at Malachi and are gonna go at him. They're gonna go at him anyway, But now that he's, you know, a Mark Pope guy, he's gonna have to learn to deal with that. And I got to think that can only help you.
Agree, Yeah, I think when you wear Kentucky across your chest at any level before and after, you're gonna have a target there. And so I think Malachi Mareno is certainly going to have that in the state of Kentucky this year. And I heard them talking about the Revenge Tour coming up this season to try and finish what they started, you know, making it to the Sweet sixty, but you know, falling to Harlan and not quite making it to the championship. And so I think he's going
to have his chip on the shoulder. I think that team is going to have a chip on their shoulder to finish what they started and and prove that they're the best in the city.
Did you get to see him in the Sweet sixteen or just a video?
Yeah, I saw the I saw the highlights yet.
Yeah, and what did you think when you saw him?
Yeah, I mean he I think he's exactly what I described. I think he runs before really really well. You're not gonna see him at the high school level step out on the perimeter as much as maybe you'll see him at the college level, because you know, when you're six to eleven and you're playing against other high school kids, it probably is in your best interest to stay close
to the basket where you can dominate. But I think his high school coach said that he's turned in something like sixty seven double doubles in a little over one hundred high school games, and so, like I said, he's a very reliable rebounder. He goes after every rebound, whether it's in his area or outside of the area, and can obviously dominate at high school level. But it was good, I think, to see him prove it at the highest level in the spring and summer and the travel circuit
in the different showcase camps. Was one of the absolute best players on the floor at the NBA Top one hundred camp in Orlando, and Mark Pope made him a priority from day one. I mean, he flew around the country to see him called in the first day, took the job back in April, and now those two are are coming together.
We're talking to Chris Fisher of the Cat's Pause part of the two four to seven Network. We'll come back and talk about Kentucky's basketball schedule, among other things on the other side of the break here on a Big Move Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Chris Fisher, who specializes in basketball basketball recruiting for the Cat's Pause part of the two four to seven network.
And the schedule is that We've already known most of the opponents, Chris, I guess they just find the dates. But it's a challenge, as every Kentucky schedule is. But I kind of like the way it lays out for this team. Couple of the exhibitions, including the defending D two national champion Minnesota State man Cato, a couple of regular season games before they head for Atlanta and Duke. We're gonna find out a lot about this team very quickly, aren't we.
Yeah. I really like the decision by Mark Pope to schedule two very highly competitive Division two teams in the exhibition season. You know, these aren't going to be teams that Kentucky beats by fifty and sixty points, right you mentioned Minnesota Mikato, the bigining Division two national champions, Kentucky Wesleyan is always competitive at the Division two level, and so I think Kentucky will get an early test as
far as the exhibition games are concerned. And they need that because they open the season with Duke and the Champions Classic. And you know, Cooper Flag has been receiving a ton of offseason hype, played really really well against the Olympic team in Las Vegas. And I'm sure that's going to build up his confidence more and more. Some people are thinking he's going to be the premier player in college basketball as a freshman this season. So Kentucky's
going to be tested early and often. But you know, I like some of the fresh matchups. I like Clemson going to Clemson in the inaugural ac C SEC Challenge. You have Kansas in Ohio State kind of looming there as well, so it'll be a fun non conference And that's even before we get into the SEC schedule, you know, with obviously John Caliperry returning with the Reporena with Arkansas, and then you have you know, Kentucky playing at Texas at Oklahoma for the first time as members of the SEC.
So it's shaping up to be a really fun regular season schedule.
Yeah, and almost immediately after they get back from Clemson, they get on a plane go to Seattle for again Zaga, So that's going to be a heck of a trip. You know, it's interesting you mentioned Arkansas back in the day, well just last year. When schedules come out, UK fans immediately look to find the Louisville game, which is December fourteenth. This year in Lexing, and but you're right, everybody instantly went to February one, and that's when Arkansas comes to
rupp Arena and the debate is already underway. You've probably seen it on social media. Do you boo or do you not boo? I think we all know the answer to that question, don't we.
Yeah, you know it's too soon not to boost, right. I mean, if this was if this was four or five years down the road, or he was at a school that wasn't in the SEC, I could you know,
I could maybe see that. But just the way things ended, and you know John cal Perry kind of leaving of his own polition for another league team, I just think, you know, you might hear a smattering of cheers or you know, silence or whatever, but I think for the most part, he's gonna hear booze when he walks into the refereena on February first.
Yeah, I'll tell you another game I think could be vital if not in the SEC standings when you're jocking for a bracket space. Is the Auburn game, which is March one. I mean it's toward the end of the regular season. Chris and Auburn by all accounts, is going to be pretty strong.
Yeah.
I think I think the SEC will be as strong as it's ever been this season. I mean, when you talk about Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, A and M at the top of the conference, that's that's that's really really high Cotton, I think right there. And I think that's why you're seeing the varying preseason rankings and kind of where they have Kentucky. Some have them, you know, or the top around two or three. I saw John
Rothstein had them as low as nine. And you know we saw last season with Arkansas, when you bring in a ton of transfers, the talent may be there on paper, but it may not end up coming together. Right. The cake doesn't always rise when you put it in the oven for one reason or another. And I think you know, Arkansas was a preseason top fifteen last season and just never quite came together for them for a number of reasons.
And so there's so many more X factors, I think, especially when you're bringing in twelve new scholarship players and how those guys are going to fit together and mesh together and compliment each other, But I do think this is a roster that compliments each other really, really well. In the first season under.
Markfolk got a few minutes left with Chris Fisher of the Cash Pause, you mentioned Jasper Johnson, and you didn't sound too optimistic. Everything I'm Hering's Alabama, I'm marrying Nil is deeply in play. Obviously, they offer all these recruits, but Malachi Moreno made his pitch to Jasper, didn't he.
Yeah, I'm not sure how much sway Malachi Moreno's decision will have over Jasper Johnson. It certainly couldn't hurt having, you know, another elite talent there with you in that recruiting class. But to me, I think Kentucky's always been kind of playing catch up with Jasper Johnson, even under the previous administration. I'm not sure how hard they were really recruiting him, even him, you know, being a UK legacy, with all the Kentucky connections that he has. I think
in the beginning it was more North Carolina. I think he grew up a North Carolina fan, and then at you had Alabama come on late. I think I think he likes what he's seen at Alabama under NATO's in terms of the success and going to its first ever Final four last season, in developing some of the guards that they've had into lottery picks draft picks. And also I just think Jazz kind of strikes me as a kid that wants to do his own thing, you know.
I think it goes both ways. Sometimes you want to follow in your family's footsteps, and sometimes you want to do something completely different. And I think that's, you know, somewhat of the case that's going on here. I think Kentucky has put its best foot forward. I think now that all three schools kind of have the lay of the land in his recruitment, they're kind of putting their best foot forward and making their best and final offers, if you will, coming here down the stretch. But in
my mind, I still think Alabama is the favorite. I think Kentucky's maybe put themselves into contention, but it's still just hard to see with the way his recruitment is gone, Kentucky being able to kind of flip this in the twenty fifth hours.
A couple of minutes after Chris Fisher of the Cats Paws, and as I mentioned, Chris specializes in basketball basketball recruiting. But you posted a story recently on the website about the fact that UK landed two players, not just one, but two on the ESPN list of Top one hundred in college football. Of course, Dean Walker is one of the tops, but Maxwell Harston makes the list. I think people might have expected Barry and Brown, and maybe he belongs on there as a return man, but Harston really
rising at everybody's polls. But again, you're a recruiting specialist. That says a heck of a lot about the recruiting that Mark Stoops has done through the years. I mean, you go back to a time, Chris as do I when Kentucky putting one player on a top one hundred list would have been cast for celebration, much less two.
Right, Yeah, I mean, it really is remarkable what Mark Stoops, and you have to mention Vince Marrow in that conversation as well, has been able to do it Kentucky. I think it's something like fourteen straight top forty recruiting classes at Kentucky, which is almost on I mean, it's unheard of when you consider the position the program was in when Mark Stoops took over, and I think especially when you look at the last two years. You know, they were flirting with or were inside the top twenty five
last year. I think they'll be flirting with another top twenty five class this year. The top end talent is there, especially you know, for a program like Kentucky whose home state doesn't produce the kind of talent that other SEC schools rely on in their home base. It really is remarkable. And you look at you know, Dean Walker and Maxwell Harrison.
I definitely think Barrian Brown for his ability every time he touches the ball, whether it's as a returner or a receiver on an end around or a jet sweep or whatever. His explosive playmaking ability certainly deserves to be in that top one hundred. But it doesn't get much better than Dion Walker. I think you could have placed him even higher on the list than he was. And then the turnover machine that Well Harston turned into last
season and what he projects this year. I think we could see another situation like Drew Phillips where you know, played himself into into a high draft pick. I think we could see the same thing with Maxwell Heerson.
And to me, the most amazing thing about this is both of these kids. Walker and Harson are from the Detroit area. You know, you could see Ohio, you could see obviously Kentucky. But getting into Detroit and getting kids away from Michigan right now is pretty amazing. Chris Fisher of The Cats Pause is part of the two four seven network. In fact, follow him on Twitter or ex at Chris Fisher two four seven. If you haven't subscribed
to The Cat's Pause, you need to do so right away. Chris, thank you so much, and we'll see you down the road, all right, you bet coming up and I'm a number two. More basketball talk with the unforgettable guard Sean Woods. We're also going to talk football with Sean as well, and our Weston EUROA chief Gary Moore here on the Big Blooming Sider six point thirty lap. Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider are joining us now as he
does every Wednesday when our schedules align. On our celebrity hotline. Is Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard and a veteran of the college coaching Wars, taking a bit of a sabbatical this year. But I do want to talk some football with you first, though, I need to talk a little
bit about a couple things involving your beloved Wildcats. They released their schedule, they finally got dates nailed down, and it's interesting, Sean, were usually people right away look for the SEC opener, They look for the Louisville game, But the first thing everybody looked at is when does Arkansas come to town? Which is February first. What do you think is gonna happen when John Caliperi arrives.
Well, I hope to think that, you know, people don't get nasty and belligerent, because the man did come here and he did a heck of a job, and he won a national championship, and he made history and he kept Kentucky relevant no matter you know, the outcome in the last few years as far as getting to the final fours and getting knocked off. You know, but the guy was a heck of a coach here, and I just hope that they treat him like they did coach Patino.
You know, he's from he's coaching Arkansas, so you know, he's a nemesis now, but you know, still appreciate what the guy did for the University of Kentucky, and you know, let's be professional about it. But it is gonna be an anticipated game, no doubt about it. Not only is Kentucky fans anticipating it to Arkansas fans anticipated pretty much because John Pelfrey, I mean, John Telfrey, John Cali Perry's known all over the country. It's gonna be a national anticipated.
Yeah. And he's gonna have a good team, isn't he.
Oh my goodness, This team he has an Arkansas may be better than the team he had at Kentucky this past year.
Yeah. Oh no, I think there's no question about that. But obviously the obvious question is use him?
How does he use them?
I mean, you know.
This transfer reporter has has has has has made it to the point where everybody has to play. You know, we're going back to the Little league now. That's the reason why most of these kids are leaving, and also for money and so on and so forth. But you know, he's gonna find a way, and you know, he's competitive and and I think because of what happened here, just coming from an experience standpoint, he's going to be ripped up.
And I think his juices are flowing again. And I think, you know, leaving Kentucky was a wake up call for him. From a professional standpoint, you know, sometimes you get kind of complacent. You know, you're still coaching at Kentucky. You're at the number one place in America, so you at the Mecca college basketball as a coach too. You get inducted to the to the Natesmith Hall of Fame and you're still coaching three you get a lifetime contract, so where else is there to go?
That's true.
And I tell people all the time, John Calipari is human, and I think he got complacent a little bit, which some people do, and that's what happened. But I still think that he has a lot of coaching left and I think he's gonna become a better coach just because of this situation.
Well, and you got to wonder. You and I have talked the last several months about the fact that his final UK team was not indicative of the way he coaches defense. You were a player, you were a point guard, but you were known as a good defender, and your teams you've coached were good defensively. And I know how surprised you were that this pass Kentucky team was easily Cali Perry's worst defensive team and might have been his best offensive team. That was so confusing and frustrating.
It was and you know, to the fact that I went to practice and he never really worked on defense, that was surprising me. You know that he never really paid much attention to it, knowing that that was the weakest part of his team. That was that was really what was kind of you know, surprising.
Eye open.
Yeah, you know what I'm saying. But I know he can coach defense because his teams are always known as one of the best defensive teams in the country. But he's always had shot blockers back there. He's always had had the Willly College the people like that, and big guards. I don't think he had that first se this year. But still, when you got a bunch of young guys every year, the main thing you got to focus on, especially in the summertime, is defense.
Well, now, Mark Pope has a veteran lineup for the most part, a veteran roster really with this challenging schedule, but he went out and got guys known for their defense. When when you're trying to pull a team together and you never had to really do that as a head coach, you were able to do it in a more conventional way, But to go out and build through transfers.
At least your own dick got most of my time. I had to get transferred, is that right, Yeah, because at the level I was that a really good high school player. So you maybe get one, yeah, maybe two, But other than that, I was getting transferred. That that's I had to build my bill to.
Well even better. What's it like trying to build a team with the continuity and the communication challenges of playing good defense.
Well, I always got guys, you know, I recruited strategically. I got guys that played my style of play. I got guys that were tough, you know, that were rugged, defensive players that rebounds the ball. You know, my teams were top ten every year defensively field goal percentage. Also, we've crashed the glass, so I always was top five in offensive rebounding. So I always got those type of guys with big stroll guards that can sit down guard and the way we played defense. But you know, you
got to get that. And if you're going to do transfer porter you got to get well if they were good at that place where they're leaving. You know, if you need a score, then you're trying to get a transfer that can score. If you need a shot blocker, you try to get a transfer that can shop, that can block shots. If you're trying to get an a ball defender, lockdown defend, and that's if you're going to go in the transfer reporter, then that's what you're getting.
That's what you're looking for. So when you do get that, you already getting an experienced guy who already is pretty good at what you need him to do when he comes to your team.
You had teams that played a lot of tough road games at the level at which you were coaching. Kentucky doesn't have to do that obviously quite as much. But early in the season, regular season, a trip to Atlanta to play Duke. That's going to give Mark Pope and a big Blue nation a chance to really see what they've got. What do you think it's going to be like? And what is it like Sean as a coach to take on an opponent that good that early in the year.
Well, this is Kentucky, So you know they should be saying the same thing about us. Yeah, so you know we can't, you know, just because Mark's taking over the job and you know this thing is new We're still Kentucky. So from that stamp point, you know, we're used to play out, you know, we're used to playing a tougher schedule than this. To be honest with you, you really only got two top twenty five teams on the schedule preseason, and that's Duke and Gonzaga. I don't see anybody else.
You know what I'm saying. That's, you know, a typical Kentucky schedule.
Right now, non conference, you know, yeah.
Yeah, non conference. I think this is you know, a first year for a first year coach that you don't know how good he's going to be, type of schedule, just so he can get some wins and some confidence under his belt going into the SEC Conference.
Well, and in the SEC you got Alabama twice, and that's the popular pick by some to go back to the final four and even win it. You got Tennessee twice. I think people sometimes oftentimes underestimate how tough the SEC is. I think they were doing that shown back when you played. You know what I mean.
I'll tell you what I mean, tell me a conference from top to bottom, this is as good as the SEC. Yeah know, old mention is not an easy out. You know Vanderbilt, especially going to Vanderbilt is not an easy out. You know, you know how good Missippi State can be at times. You know, George has been the one that's at the.
Bottom right now.
But I foresee them being a little bit better this year, just from a standpoint of getting some better transfers, some older guys to help them. So, you know, LSU is going to be a lot better. They say, some really good kids. This league is tenacious and it's unforgiving, and you have probably some top to bottom, you know, the best coaching conference in America.
Do you think fans take the SEC for granted? Though everything you just mentioned lines up with what I think. But I think Kentucky fans have seen these teams for so long, for so many years, and you guys dominated while you were playing. There have been stretches where Caliperi's teams dominated the league. But I sometimes think Kentucky fans just kind of look past the SEC for some reason.
Well, because we've been so successful, as you know that that's that's why we're the epitome of college basketball. Because of what you just said. You know, there's not too many teams in America that can come in and win as many games consistently, especially SEC championships, whether the tournament
or regular season. The Kentucky you know, that was one of the downfalls of cal you know, his last few years, you know, not making it to Sunday at the SEC tournament, you know, ending up fourth or fifth place in the regular season. That's not what Kentucky fans are used to. And you know, not only you know, not even considering the national deal when you get to the NCAA tournament and not you know, and not being at least a
two seed going into the tournament. And the reason why we haven't been is because our league has gotten much better and it's getting even better with the teams that are coming in. So it's not gonna be an easy out for football or basketball as far as the SEC is concerned. And uh, you know that's why we got to really rally behind Mark and and uh Mark Pope and and and and rally the truths because this thing is not gonna be easy. You know, you got some
teams already there. You know, they're not rebuilding, they just reloading. We're rebuilding, and we're starting from scratch, new coach, new system, new type of players, new everything, and this is new to even Mark being in the SEC, being at this level of competition. So you know, we we got to stand strong and be his backbone and give him some encouragement because it's not gonna be an easy role starting off,
because there's not one easy out in the SEC. And hopefully this, this this schedule, pre conference schedule, can give him some confidence and find out some things that he needs to find out about his team quickly before January starts, when the SEC begins.
Before I shift you over to football. One final basketball question. Kind of an obvious question, but as a veteran of the recruiting trail, tell me about the importance of Kentucky landing Malachai Marino, a local guy and a big guy at that kind of a must get for Mark Pope obviously, wasn't he, Oh.
No doubt about it.
You can't let guys like that out of the state of Kentucky because they come, they're very rare to get out to get out of the state. And that was a great get for him, no doubt about it. You know, his brother was a really good player that Easton had a couple of injuries, but he was a really good high school player too, and for the young fellow to come up and grow and be a seven footer and
he's real skilled. I saw him play probably four or five times this year, and the one thing I liked about him was most big guys when they're playing against smaller guys, they kind of they're out of their element a little bit. But he's so skilled, especially with the ball, that he was able to do what a seven foot is supposed to do in high school. He's got great hands. He blocked every shot but he was supposed to block. He finished every bucket underneath that he was supposed to finish.
He ran the floor. He can make moves against young, smaller guys that are much quicker. That really impressed me. And uh, I think he's a competitor. I think he's a winner, and and he comes from great jeans. I mean,
his brother, you know, laid the foundation. I really think a lot about his his brother, and for him to come right behind that's a young one and be seven foot and to have that type of ability and also toughness because he's top five big in the country, not only just one of the big, probably the best big in the state of Kentucky. But he's top five in the country as far as Biggs are concerned, and that's what you want. You can't let that get away.
Now.
The question is are we going to get Dennis johnson Son Yeah, Jeffs No, that's the number. That's one of the top five players in the country. Can we solidify him as an n State kid? You know that's the question right now.
Sean Wood's my guess, the unforgettable guard. We'll come back and actually talk football with a coach in just a minute. You're on a big Moonsider six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking to Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard and veteran of the college basketball coaching wars, but a football fan as well. You're excited for this upcoming UK football season.
I'm always exciting. Reason why I'm excited, man, because I've been going twenty five years, Dick and I've never had a tailgated or been to a tailgate since I left here. So I got a chance that Dwayne Casey came intown one that one day and we went to the Tennessee Kentucky football game, which was a great game.
We won.
So that's the only game I've been to it, So I'm looking forward to being around more often tailgating and taking in being a former UK not just student, but I mean UK athlete, but also a former student and alumni. So I'm looking forward to it. Mark Students has done a great job and I think he's going to continue to.
You know, the road is tougher because the teams that are in the league now, but uh, you know, as far as I'm concerned, you know, there's no better guy for the job and what he's done on a consistent basis.
Did you play football growing up or are you strictly bad? Did you know?
I played football and baseball, and I was just as good at both both of them. I was just as fast. You know, I was a receiver. You know my high school won state championships. I played with guys that are in the pros. You know the Blame Bishops of the world that played defensive back for the Tennessee Titans. You know the Derrick Brownlows who just got inducted to the high school Hall of Fame that you know, it was a second run up to the Buckets Award at Illinois.
More Gardener, who was nose guard at Illinois and played those guard for the Atlanta Falcons for ten twelve years. I've back football has been in my blood, Baseball has been in my blood, and that's so happened. Basketball was more excited. You know.
Yeah, I knew, I knew you played baseball, but were you a guy who went over the middle as a receiver.
I did what I had to do. I played defensive back too, so you know I gave more hits than I got, which was good for me.
Yeah, oh that's excellent. Yeah. Why do you think Stoops has been so successful here at Kentucky when other guys failed Because he's.
Relentless, you know, and hats off to Vince too, you know what tomorrow because he's they they've gone out and really gotten some guys. They found their niche, you know, and over in the Ohio area and places like that where and also now that the transfer portal has been so you know, they're they're able to get quality quarterbacks. Yeah, you know, and if you've got a great quarterback, defense has been a key. You know, he's putting pros left, just as many pros in the NFL on the defensive
side than anybody else in the SEC conference. So you know, they found their niche. I think their coaching philosophy is great. I think he's hard nosed. I think he's just as smart as any coach in America. You know, Kentucky has their facilities of second to none to anybody, and now they're starting to race. You know, playing in SEC is playing in the SEC. And you know, I think he's now being able to get some continued to get some skills.
You know that a second tier guy at Alabama is just as good as the first tier guy at Kentucky, which can compete against the first tier guy at Alabama. Yeah, so it's so much parody now, especially when it comes to football. You know, it comes down to speed, agility, and you know when you line them up shoot. Now it just comes down to coaching schemes.
Yeah, and you mentioned stealing guys. I mean Rock Vandergriff couldn't quite couldn't quite be out Carson Beck, who's everybody's favorite quarterback now and now he gets a chance to show what he can do a Kentucky. I think that's really intriguing.
And you're getting guys with chips on the show. Oh y, what better recruit and better transfer to get than a guy that's coming in that's hungry and ready to prove himself to the from the to the place to where he left. So I think they're very they're very strategic on that and that's why they're continued to be successful. Plus, you come to Kentucky, you know, even though it's football, it's still hard to say no, you know, because there's not too many places that is nice as Lexington, Kentucky.
And you're gonna get treated just as good here as you will at any other university in America.
Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, we travel him each and every Wednesday. Coach, thank you so much, and maybe we'll see you in the parking lot on football game.
Day, no doubt about it.
Man, Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard. His jersey hangs in the rafters rup and we talk with him each and every Wednesday. As I said, when our schedules aligned. Coming up next, it's our West End Bureau chief, Gary Moore. We'll have a chance to talk some baseball, football and basketball with Gary on the other side of the break here on the Big Blue Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Sider. Joining us down our celebrity hotline guy Guy, He's a celebrity, whether he likes
it or not. The longest time covered sports at KALOS Radio in La was our West Coast bureau chief. Now at the other end of I sixty four as our West End bureau chief, Gary Moore, enjoying this nice, cool weather.
I know, I love it. That's absolutely great. How about yourself?
Yeah, it's wonderful.
Here in the garage, it's two guys in a six pack, two guys six topics. Here we go our first sip. As we say, Dick, I bring you good news right off the bat. Our long national nightmare is over. The drought has ended. Last weekend, the last one without college football or basketball until April twelve, twenty twenty five. We
have a two guys in six pack. Hope that you've enjoyed the time with your families wherever you may be listening to this now that they're going to be once again on the social back burner until Sacrify five absolutely idios because Saturday, This Saturday, ESPN high noon, Eastern live from a Viva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, Number ten, Florida State, I guess number nothing, Georgia Tech kicking off the twenty twenty four college football season. Bigora, It's back sort of.
It's like the one big game of the days. Now. Some may wonder how come Dublin gets the opening honors again, Well, duh, because, like the rest of the free world, when I think of Ireland, I automatically think, oh, yeah, Seminoles and let's see that acclaimed engineering school which has a nineteen thirty Ramlin rec model, a Coop mascot, who doesn't think that there's actually, unfortunately, no fighting Irish this year in the Dublin unless they're gonna in the stands when the Guinness
runs out. By the way, I asked, will you be watching with or without a case of Guinness and maybe some Jamison? And are you, Dick Gabriel so desperate for college football? You'll accidentally tune into some of those other games on Saturday, like Montana State a New Mexico or SMU at Nevada.
I may watch some of the games on Thursday, you know, Southern Utah and Utah, that kind of thing. But yeah, the highlight game, the highest profile, is the game in Dublin. But before I knock it, remember you're talking to a guy who once worked a game in Tokyo. So this was back in the eighties. So there is a market for college football overseas. And then, trust me, and this is not a knock on the Japanese. Find people in Japan.
They didn't even understand what they were seeing. They had to explain it on the big board, and they still loved it. So yeah, as long as there's an audience, why not. And I would love to cover a game in Dublin.
Yeah, I bet you would, so would I for that matter. By the way, speaking of games, I've completely forgot about those games on Thursday for a good reason. Our second sip, speaking of football with paid athletes, Two more NFL practice games exhibition games? What do you want to call them? That you can try and endure on a screen near you tomorrow night. First at eight eastern on Amazon up I seventy five. You got the Colts at the Bengals.
Then at a twenty the rumored next coming of Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears versus the actual Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on the NFL Network. Dick, I've already watched enough NFL practice games this year. That's time I'll never get back in my life. And I can safely say that the quality of football that I have witnessed these past couple of weeks, to quote Chevy
Chase from Caddy Shack, it's really really awful. Actually, race is the question, why even play some of these games? Why not use the untelevised team versus team scrimmages that they have all the time to decide the rosters, then hit the season running with games you can actually count in the standings, like gee, I don't know college and high school teams do every year?
Or is it?
And this may be the answer in the question, is it just all an NFL owner money grab for the TV though associated with those practice games?
So I think you know the answer to that one. Although the TV though isn't quite what it is regular season, because these are games that are broadcast by the local affiliates and then picked up by the likes, of course, of the NFL network or whatever. But the worldwide leader
jumps in there every now and then. To your point, I think it'll come to that what you said with the practice games or the controlled practices with two teams, despite the fact that they often lead to fights, but I think the players prefer that, and the players are going to have to agree, as we often say, to whatever happens. But yeah, and you're cheating your viewers. And
here's how bad it is. Gary. I tune in for my beloved Packers, part of which I own, as you well know, I turned it off because, for one thing, our backups, the Packers' backups, weren't playing very well. But for another reason, I don't even know most of these guys, So why bother? You're wasting my time? And I got to think now, what it does is it helps backups make the team. But I gotta think they could do that in practice as well.
Absolutely, And I think also because the owners now require if you're gonna get season tickets, you have to get the tickets to pay for these games as well. And I don't think there used to be a trend. I don't think it was back in the sixties and seventies. I think maybe some of those might have been optional. I don't really know for sure, but now it's definitely if you get season tickets for any NFL team, you have to go to these practice games as well. In
your whole budget. Our third swig in the six backs. Speaking of crummy practice football, there are many reasons, Dick, why I'm glad I'm not a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, but two main reasons come to mind. The reasons being Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, two supposedly veteran quarterbacks, and one Wilson even won a Super Bowl, but neither one seems worthy to even start. So we have so many mediocre quarterbacks, obviously again in the NFL, trying to become number two
or whatever in these practice games. So that means, right on, cue the name Colin Kaepernick pops up again, especially when you've got stiffs like I don't know, proven stiffs like Tim Boyle and Zach Wilson still in the mix to get on the rosters. Some say, hey, Tennessee signed Shane Ray. That's a linebacker, hadn't played in six years in the NFL,
so why not get cap as a backup somewhere. Somebody's got to use him, right, Well, it's a good question, But then again Ray went up to the Great White North, humbled himself and played on the Gray Cup champion Toronto Argonauts of the CFL for two years. Yeah, Kaepernick has refused to do that or even anything like that. So after not playing since the twenty sixteen season and now he's thirty six, here's another question. Do you think Kaepernick's own worst enemy these days?
Yeah? I do, and I think you know, how do you feel about what he did initially? It's what happened after that that disappointed me. He had multiple opportunities to come back and be a part of a team and for whatever reason turned it down. Maybe it's because Nike went ahead and put some money in his pocket and he didn't need to do it to survive. But with every year, you got to hope that the discussion about him is over. And he even turned out a coaching opportunity.
So I'm ready to put that topic to bed. Yeah. Same here. By the way, the two names you chose Tim Boyle, former EKU colonel for a year and Zach Wilson, a guy I thought was going to be a home run higher to mix my metaphors. So it's interesting that you go there because Wilson may be the biggest disappointment at quarterback in the last five years.
He may not be a third behind of bo Nix and uh the stead of the other guy.
Oh No, I firmly believe that.
Our forts Wig and the six pack. An update on Lexington's Walker Buler, a good guy who we both like a lot. He made his tenth start of the season
last night against Seattle. I stayed up way way late watching the Dodgers, as I do most nights anyway, But it was his tenth start of the season last night against Seattle, and his second start since Walker returned from a hip injury, and that was after missing almost two years with his second Tommy John surgery that happened two years ago this very month, as a matter of fact, and Dick, I wish I had better news. It was
not a great outing for Walker. Only four innings, eighty two pitches, three runs, seven hits, all earned runs, three walks, and a really telling stat only one strikeout, which for Walker is strange anyway, but against the worst strikeout team in the majors, Seattle that averages over ten strikeouts a game, is really telling. Walker could get guys to two strikes, couldn't put him away. His confidence seemed really off. Even the announcers, the play by play guys were talking about that.
I don't know how many more starts the Dodgers will give him, but they got to have him right if they're going to go deep into October, because there's not a whole lot of choices left. Walker's health issues are endemic to the Dodgers' entire team. If you haven't been paying attention, They've lost both pitchers and position players all season. Third baseman Max Munsey just returned after an oblique injury that kept him out for three months.
Now.
He's had two home runs in his two games back. Mookie Wilson, former MVP, just got back after a broken hand sidelined him for a couple of months. As for pitching, may have heard about this. The Dodgers have eleven starting pitchers on the il. Three have undergone Tommy John surgery, to add to the two others still recovering from those surgeries in the last two years. The cruel joke around Major League Baseball is, hey, join the Dodgers, get a
free Tommy John surgery. Baseball Prospectus says no other team has lost more days in production to the injured list than the Dodgers. And yet, and yet they have the second best record in the National League, second overall in the majors. What does that say to you about their chanceers and their chances in the postseason if they end up staying all healthy.
Well, literally as good as anybody's because practically everybody has a shot right now. I saw a listing where there are twelve or thirteen teams when you look at their one loss records separated by only seven games. You know, seven games in the one loss records. So I guess parody is caught up with baseball, except in the case of the Dodgers, which looked like a machine preseason thanks
to the money they spent. But to your point, you got to stay healthy and poor Walker, I mean, Henry Clay Blue Devil went to high school with my kids. His wife grew up next door to my children. So yeah, as far as you and I are concerned, he's the home team here in Lexington, or at least one of them. So just get a few of those pictures healthy and maybe the Dodgers can disrupt all that parody.
By the way, the unicorn Shoheyo Tani that has been leading off is his average four months of August. Hopefully that will change for them. If not, they can have some big problems. Our fifth swig in the six pack, Dick. We can't talk about baseball this time year without reminding everyone the Little League World Series in Williamsport is into its home stretch. I hope you caught that great MLB game, some wonderful moments with the kids Sunday on ESPN with
the Yankees and Tigers. This is becoming one of my favorite games to watch every year, where they sit in the stands and they do a lot of fun stuff, go down the hill in the cardboard with the kids. Little League Baseball, and it is really baseball for me in its purest forum. You and I played it. It's the launching pad for some great memories, if not for
some famous MLB careers. But it's also been the starting point for many pitchers in the pros who eventually end up with these arm problems we're just talking about once they begin throwing as hard as they can for too many innings. Over use in teenage years is now cited as a huge problem, with pioneering orthopedic surgeon doctor James Andrews saying more Tommy John surgeries are now happening not in the majors or minor leagues, but in youth baseball.
He says, quote, these kids are throwing ninety miles an hour their junior year of high school. The ligament can't withstand that kind of force. The Tommy John ligament matures at about age twenty six in high school. The red line where the forces go beyond the tensail properties of the ligament is eighty miles an hour, unquote doctor James Andrew.
So now you probably saw this. Major League Baseball is floating the idea of making starting pitchers go at least six innings, with a couple of exceptions to that rule, forsing teams and players to kind of rethink throwing as hard as they can for as long as they can. I like the idea of it, but you think this would ever happen?
Help not. But to your original point, and I've talked to college coaches about this, you're exactly right. They were saying, kids feel like they have to throw as hard as they can on every pitch, and something's got to give. Literally, that's going to be that ligament. But I think right now parents are looking at college and the expense and thinking if we can just get our kid, and kids are thinking it too. Get myself a scholarship, and now
they're going to be more scholarships available. Just get me a scholarship and I'll be on my way. So yeah, if I can throw high eighties low nineties in high school, someone's gonna sign me. But no, it's a bad idea, Gary, I think simply because you're going to force managers and pitchers to go deeper into games. They shouldn't be throwing. I mean, if a guy's not right, he shouldn't be forced to stay out there for six innings. And I don't know what the answer is, but that ain't one of them.
Sixth and final swig on the six pack. USA Men's basketball in Minnesota TEMPERBWLS outstanding guard Anthony Edwards gave an interesting interview to The Wall Street Journal the other day, and he also proved why some people aren't at JPL in Pasadena building rockets and comparing today's players to those who had the temerity to live and play in the association before him. Edwards said, and I quote, I didn't watch it back in the day, so I can't speak
on it. They say it was tougher back then than it is now, but I don't think anybody had skill back then, unquote, Edwards goes on to say, Michael was the only one who had skill. Now everybody has skilled. Yeah, that's why Detroit and Washington Portland were so great this year, isn't it, Dick. They had so much skill on those teams.
I wonder if he ever saw any film of guys like I don't know, Bill Russell, Will Chamberlain, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdil Jabbar, Larry Byrd, etcetera, etcetera.
No, the answer is no, and there's no excuse because if he really wants to be a student literally of the game, that thing in his hand, that phone, it's the gate to all kinds of stuff on YouTube. Now you could sit here Gary all night and mention the players we have quote unquote skill. But what he would see if he bothered to look, is it was skilled match with physicality. The game today is not nearly as brutally tough as it was back in the day when Larry Bird and Doctor j got into a fistfight and
neither was ejected from the game. The Bad Boy Pistons. You've seen the video Leam Beer Jabbar clocking Kent Benson. I mean no, this young man has got skills, but oration is not one of them.
Well, I think, and that's endemic for a lot of younger Yeah, general back in the day to him as the nineties. Well, and plus I used to get it at the radio station. You know, it's like the Beatles. What was that great about the Beatles? Okay, there's the door right there. Let it hit you where the good Lord split you? Okay, see you.
I agree. We'll come back and talk more sports. But Geary, our Western Bureau chief here in just a minute. Hot Reed's on the way on six thirty WLAP.
Welcome back.
We're with our West End bureau chief, Gary Moore. We've gone through two guys in a six back, couple of hot reds to throw at Gary. We were reminiscing about the good old days before the break. How about this ESPN is bringing back the granddaddy of them all, the sports reporters. That's the show that got all these talking head fests going sports writers sitting around in a semi circle basically talking about topics of the week and not necessarily shouting at each other. Gary so great. I remember
when they dropped it. I'm like, what, Yeah, Well, now they're talking about bringing it back, but streaming only. Sometimes a worldwide leader can't get out of its own way, you know what I mean.
Well, they're so obsessed with these shows where you've got ex athletes yelling at each other, yeah, over nothing that matters. And we've talked about this before. It's like the dog chasing his tail, going around and around, not accomplishing anything, not making any points. It's all just conjecture and opinion
and all that. But I enjoyed that show. I enjoyed like hearing somebody like a Mike Lupica from New York talk about certain things and get the load down, and God, you got to do it while we still have some sports reporters at some of these papers.
Yeah, yeah, I agree, But like I said, it was the one that got things started, and for whatever reason, they dropped it. Our second high raid about the WNBA, which took a break during the Paris Olympics and then came right back with a fever. If you will, Kaitlin Clark in the Indiana Fever. They beat Seattle on ABC Sunday, and Gary averaged two point two to three million viewers. That's the fifth largest audience for the league over the past twenty years plus, and all four events ahead of
it took place this season. Gee, I guess Caitlyn Clark does have something to do with it. And I renew my objections over the way she's being treated, like her or not. If you're ANWNBA player, you need to embrace her because she's putting money in your pocket. Does that surprise you those numbers?
No, it doesn't. And a lot of people who are going against her need to wake the f up. She is and I've said this before, the Taylor Swift of basketball, not just men's but of all basketball. She's bringing in people who normally wouldn't give a rats rump to watch women's basketball. Well, they want to see her. There's something about her. She is this social zeitgeist, if you want to put it that way, that's bringing people in there. They haven't had this kind of excitement ever in the NBA.
They've had some great players, obviously, and they've had some good teams that have gotten some ratings, but nothing to this level. And it's great. I think she's a great ambassador for not just women's basketball, but basketball period and sports. And she's really great with young women and young girls. They all love her. It doesn't matter what color you are either.
By the way, yeah you know, And a lot of the WNBA veterans are saying, we were playing here long before she got here. Yeah yeah, yeah, what were you drawing numbers? Some of the African American players are saying this is only because she's white. Well maybe that's so, but money's green. And again it's going into your account. So be a good business woman. And I'm not saying keep your mouth shut, say whatever you want, but be sure you cash that check because it's a rising tide lifting everybody.
Right, She's not just another player. She's the greatest scorer ever in college basketball.
Right.
You can't leave that out men or women. So there is a market for this person to come to your town and see what we got to go see Caitlin Clark.
And that's the key word. That's the key word marketing, no question about it. Gary Moore is our West End bureauchie. We visit with him each and every week and you can find him on X.
At at nine five five. Gary, you're also on that thing.
Where are you again? That's a big booing cider one. Thank you, So enjoy enjoy your college football I will see it. That'll do it. Thanks to my guest Gary Moore, Sean Woods, Chris Fisher, that's it. Good night from the garage and lexingon.
What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard.
At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.
I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.