Yes, it is hump Day. Welcome to the Big Blue Sider. Dick Gabriel with you on a Wednesday edition of our program and coming up once in future Wildcats, We're going to talk with Sean Woods at the bottom of the hour. He is, of course, the unforgettable guard who talks with us each and every Wednesday. Jay Schidler will talk with us as well, former Kentucky guard and remember, just in time for Christmas, you can pick up his book Blonde
Bomber The Ride with Shide. So we'll talk to Jay, get caught up with him in our number two as well as our Western Bureau chief Gary Moore. It is awards season and a UK signee, a future Wildcat, Montavin Quizonberry. They all purpose star from Boyle County High School, mister Kentucky Football. Voted by the Kentucky Football Coaches Association. He swept the commonwealth's top awards. He won the Paul Horning Award from the Louisville Quarterback Club and also Gatorade Player
of the Year five nine, one, seventy three. And people look at him, think about Wandale Robinson and what a yard, what a career he had eight thousand total offensive yards, running the ball, catching the football, passing the football, special teams. Touchdowns, yeah, thirteen of them and eight interceptions. One of the best all around players in the history of football here in the Commonwealth. So future Kentucky Wildcat, Well, he's already signed.
Montavian Quizenberry is mister Kentucky Football. Lamont Butler National Player of the Week, No surprise. He leads the fourth rank Wildcats to that win over the Louisville Cardinals in spectacular fashion, a career high thirty three points. And nobody really mentioned this, but it was kind of a I hate to say it,
Christian Latner kind of game. Ten for ten from the field, six for six from three point range, thirty three points, second highest total in the history for a Wildcat of the uk UFL series, and it tied for third best ten for ten in program history. Rodney Dent went twelve for twelve against Morehead back in ninety three. Kenny Walker went eleven for eleven against Western Kentucky. That was in
the NCAA tournament back in nineteen eighty six. And the only person I still have a hard time you may have seen this believing the only person who hit from the behind the arc. Any better was winy In Gabriel. That's right, my cousin who was seven for seven in the NCAA tournament one day. That beat his six for six. So Lamont Butler versus, according to the Basketball writers, the national Player of the Week. And again, no real surprise there, nor was it a surprise that two Wildcats have been
named Coaches All Americans. The Americanvolleyball Coaches Association AVCA has voted Brooklyn Delay and Emma Grome All Americans. Delay, of course, is a finalist for Player of the Year. She's first Team and Emmigrom. This is the fourth straight year. Can you imagine every year you're playing college sports you make some sort of All American status four straight years She's
second team. Delay was an honorable member last year as an All American when she was Freshman of the Year, and now she jumps up and becomes the twentieth UK volleyball player to be named first, second, or third team since the program's inception. And of course it was one of two UK players named SEC aw Conference, and she
was one of two SEC players named First Team. The other, of course, Kennedy Martin from Florida, Emmigrom, by the way, as I mentioned I think earlier this week, now the all time assist leader at UK for the Rally scoring era, and she was one of four players on the second team.
And also that team also included Madison Skinner from Texas, a former Kentucky Wildcat, UK joining pitt Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford, Creighton, Purduing U of L as the only teams in the nation with two or more players on the first two teams come by. As you heard last night, Ladamian Washington is the new receivers coach for Mark Stoops and his staff, and we will endeavor to have Coach Washington on the show.
He comes from South Florida, where he did a lot of good things for the Bulls down there, and he takes over a Kentucky team that, for the first time in three years, does not have the dual threat of Dane Key and Barrion Brown. But he's got a lot of good young talent. Question is who's going to be thrown to these guys, Cutter Bowley or maybe Zach Calzada, the kid from Incarnate Word who was on campus today in Carnal Word in San Antonio. They are also looking
at Malik Murphy from Duke. So all that's going to play out in the next few days. So as they say, stay tuned. More football coming up, news about coaches and quarterbacks. Here on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. Coming up our conversation which we do each week with unforgettable guard Sean Woods. We'll talk with him about the Wildcats win over Louisville and the trip to New York to play in Madison Square Garden, a
trip that he might have made. Sean might have made with the Wildcats, but they fell a little short in the preseason n T. So we'll talk about that in playing in bigger arenas like that, and not that Madison Square Garden is bigger than rup, but it seems larger than life. It's just a great, great atmosphere. A little bit later on our Western Bureau Chief Gary Moore and
Jay Schiler, the former Wildcat. He's got that book still out there that he actually wrote a couple of year years ago, and they started moving that moving the product back in twenty late twenty twenty two to twenty three, but just in time for Christmas. The Blonde Bomber. It's a book you need to have in your UK collection.
So that's coming up a little bit later on Lots of NFL news, a lot of quarterback news, as you might expect, the Falcons making the biggest headline benching Kirk Cousins, the guy they backed up the truck for Kirk Cousins, who was having a good time in Minnesota, but his time there came to an end. Signs a huge deal with the Falcons and this year has struggled. The Falcons aren't as good as the Vikings. And look at what Sam Darnold's doing with the Vikings. He had bounced around
the league finally finds a home. I don't know if he's their permanent answer, and as a Packers fan, I hope not, but I have to give them credit. Cousins played well, led the Vikings to a lot of wins. Donald's doing the same. He didn't get the job done in Atlanta, and now Cousins has been benched and now Michael Pennix Junior has been promoted to starter in Atlanta. Meaning of the first twelve picks in the twenty twenty four draft, it included six quarterbacks, five are starting with
checkered results. Caleb Williams first overall going to the Bears. He has had some real struggles down the stretch after getting off to a really good start. Commanders Jaden Daniels Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU. They've won nine games. They were terrible last year. Bo Nicks twelfth overall. Talked about him yesterday, washed out at Auburn. He didn't really play that poorly, but he kind of got run out of town, if you will, by fans, by media, coaches,
gave up on him. Ends up in the Pacific Northwest, does a great job, and now he's doing a great job. I think you got to be a rookie of the year quite frankly in Denver and Drake May who took over for mac Jones. He was the third overall pick by the Patriots and they finally got around to starting him in week six and he's done well. And I've talked about this before, by the way, the only guy who hasn't played, JJ McCarthy, the tenth overall pick out
of Michigan, led the Wolverines to a national title. He hasn't played because he had a knee injury in the preseason, but he wouldn't have played anyway because Darnold's playing well. But I've talked about this before. The days when you could groom and develop a rookie quarterback are long gone. And I go back to the Carson Palmer days in Cincinnati when the Bengals drafted him with their number one
pick and they basically red shirted him. They let him sit or made him sit, depending on how you look at it. He didn't make a big deal out of it. They had a journeyman quarterback named John Kitna who actually led the Bengals to a surprisingly good eight and eight record, and they played well enough to where a kid that complained the next year that he should have been given a chance to start again. Bengals were like, now we're good,
we got our guy, Thanks goodbye. But that allowed Carson Palmer to learn how to be an NFL quarterback, and when he took over, he did really well, and I think he would have had a superb career, but he suffered that terrible knee injury in the playoffs against the Steelers, was never quite the same, had a good career, ended up in Arizona. But because he was able to kind of work his way through all the things that a
rookie quarterback might encounter. Thanks to the fact that, yeah, he made a lot of money, but it's not crazy money like it is now. The Bengals were not under the gun to play him right away. You're paying this guy all this money, you gotta play him now and sell tickets and all that. So now they rushed these rookies in now Atlanta. I didn't have to because it had Cousins, And a lot of people blasted the Falcons for paying all that money to Kirk Cousins only to
draft Michael Pennix junior. But now we'll see if it pays off, because he's going to be your starter. Michael Vick, a former NFL star, says he's taken a head coaching job in Norfolk State. Another former NFL player who was becoming a star. I thought it was Teddy Bridgewater. He was off to a good start and then had that horrible, horrible knee injury that nearly cost him his life. And he came back and he played for a while, but he retired, and he just recently coached Miami Northwestern in
Florida to a state championship. His alma mater, but he told the NFL network that he's planning to come back to the NFL. He said, that's the plan. My team knows that's the plan. We wanted to win a state championship and then coach goes back to the league sees what happens. He said, then come back February and the offseason and continue coaching high school football and we'll see how it plays out. So I guess he'll go and negotiate and work out for teams and see if that works.
And if it doesn't, he's got a job back at his alma mater, which now is a defending state champion in the state of Florida. Other coaches on the move. Ohio has promoted Brian Smith to its head coach head coaching job. He replaces Tim Albin, who's going on to Charlotte, and I bring this up, he goes. Ohio was one of the teams the Wildcats beat earlier this year when
things were going well. That Ohio team went on to win the MAC and claim its first conference title since nineteen sixty eight, and they played Jacksonville State Friday and the Staff DNA Cure Bowl in Orlando that Bobcats team led the back in scoring, yards per game and rushing this season. But Kentucky had everything going when it beat the Bobcats earlier in the year, and it looked like Kentucky might be able to get seven or eight wins.
But we all know what happened after that. Liberty's Cayden or Kiden Salter, a quarterback, is transferring to Colorado, which needs a QB to replace the Shudor Sanders led Liberty to an undefeated season and a Fiesta Bowl appearance last year, and he made some headlines. So now he's got a chance to play for coach Prime out in Colorado. A
couple other notes, one other from the NFL. You know, when all this stuff about who the Steelers should start, whether it's Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, and it's good that they're going with Wilson. I completely forgot Kenny Pickett when he drafted out a pit tried him as their starter, didn't work out, he signed with the Eagles. Well, guess who gave his new team tips on how to beat the Steelers. Recently, the Eagle's now giving them all kinds of credit for some tips on how to beat their
arts rival. While we're talking UK football. By the way, I saw these guys walking around with these huge cameras. I thought it was just a crew from SECTV. Evidently Netflix is producing a reality series on the twenty twenty four SEC football season that will be ready by this summer. Same production company that had made the apparently very popular Formula one Drive to Survive series eight forty five minute episodes.
And the schools that declined to participate Alabama, Georgia, Ole, miss Oklahoma, Texas, but the schools that did participate include Kentucky and Unfortunately for the Big Blue Nation, cameras were all over the place during the build up to the team's home field loss to South Carolina, and they were here before and during the U of L game, So you might want to skip the episode coming up this summer that includes the Wildcats because it won't be pretty.
One other note from the NBA. I didn't see this when it first happened, but the Charlotte Hornets are doing some damage control. There was a young Hornets fan who thought he got Christmas wish when he was gifted a PlayStation five in front of a raucous crowd during Monday night's game, but backstage, the team took it away from him. Crushed this kid. Alexi Phillips told the local news station that he took his thirteen year old nephew to see
the Hornets play the Sixers. At the start of the game, a member of the Hornet staff came up to them and said, you don't be on the court. Would you like to be on the court with the team's mascot, Hugo, you know the big cartoon look at Hornet and they're like, well yeah. So they were standing next to Hugo. He was dressed in a Santa costume. An announcer of reads what appears to be a Christmas letter and he says, Dear Santa Hugo, I've been working hard all year in school.
I've been working on my jump shot, but my shot in NBA two K needs some work. I really want to PlayStation if you have one PS A PlayStation five and a Hornets dancer walks onto the court with a large gift bag with a PS five in it. The team gets all excited. Hugo hands him the gift. Happy
Holiday's friend, the announcer says, crowd goes nuts. They go backstage and Hornet's staffer walks up joint yanks it away from him, and the guy said it got pretty awkward because the staffer had to make it clear he wasn't joking, so they told the news station. Right before he went out under the court with his nephew, the staffer whispered to him that the kid couldn't keep the gift and
would get a jersey instead. Later on, the Hornet said, well, the encourse get missed the mark because they took so much flak when it all got out when it went public, and so the team finally reached out to Phillips and his nephew's parents offered the kid APS five as well as a VIP experience to another game. The team said included bad decision making and poor communications. Simply put, we turned the ball over and we apologize. Look, who thought this was a great idea. That's what kills me about
situations like this. Generally you talk something like this through and was nobody brave enough to say, hey, this is gonna look awful. That's the first thing that would have come to my mind. I'm not saying I would have been a hero, but I would have said it to somebody, do you have any idea how this is gonna look? And in this day of social media, how long is it gonna take to get out? About a minute and a half. It's gonna be on Twitter before this kid
leaves the arena. How stupid can you get? And yeah, the hornet's made good by the kid. But boy, they lost you talk about a turnover. They lost a lot in pr moves right before Christmas. I'm forget Reguard. Sean Woods is next here on six thirty w l P. Welcome back to the Big Moe Cider. It is Wednesday, which is when we visited with our unforgettable guard, Sean Wilts, whose jersey hangs in the rafters of Rupp and Sean, back when you were playing, went back and look, you
played in Indianapolis, you played in Cincinnati. I don't notice you ever got to play a Madison Square garden, did you or anywhere like that?
No, we missed our chance, Dick. Remember the first year we were playing, because our senior year we were playing in the preseason n I T and we got upset by Pitt at home.
Right. Yeah, you were looking forward to that, weren't you.
Uh?
Well, the coach was looking forward to it more than anybody. And then when we got beat, we had all that time off man and things were going on at the coliseum. We had I'm talking about some of the rigorous practices at the Seaton Center for about a week and a half or so. It wasn't fun, you know, not being able to go to the garden.
Yeah, you played Indian big arenas.
We played in the Hoosier Dome. You know, we played Notre Dame, We played Indiana in high school. You know what was big for us was you know, I got a chance to play every year at Hinklefield House, Oh, because that's where that's what tournament was. Yeah, and that's what who who's your hysteria started?
Yeah?
But I got a chance to play my section those regionals, a semi state there, So I was fortunate a little bit. But you know, those are the biggest arenas that I played in throughout my career. We were at Kentucky, you know, we played in the Big Four Classic at the Hoosier Dome. That was the thing as a guy.
Well let's go back to Hinkle because I covered a game there and then that You're right, you can just when you walk in that building. You can just feel it. And I know how much we all love the Sweet sixteen here in Kentucky, and I know you've been to that, but I think Indiana still until they screwed up their tournament. I thought Indiana had it made when it came to the their state tournament. What was that like playing at Hinkle, Well.
You know, it's a tell all all because of the history. You know, you're talking about some of the greatest players high school basketball players to ever play in the state of Indiana played in that building, you know, and and back when I played, it was still old. You know, you had to go down in the basement, and you know, you had the locker room which wasn't a locker room,
which was a locker room. You come up and you play on a kind of you know, a floor that's raised above so when you sit down on your bench, you got to step down, so it's like you were playing on the stage. And I mean it was nice. It was six blocks from my house. Wow.
Yeah.
I grew up right there, right around the corner, you know, right around Butler University. So you know, I didn't move to Indianapolis until I was in the eighth grade. So I didn't get a chance to go to a lot except for when East Chicago would play down there in the state tournament. Roosevelt Chicago, Washington Chicago, Roosevelt Girls. So you know, high school basketball in the state of Indiana's
like here. You travel a lot. You know, the town shuts down when you involved in the state tournament and you dry and you travel like the movie Hoosiers. That's every that's every city in town who gets an opportunity to play. See in Kentucky, you got sixteen teams that play in your state tournament. Back then you only had four teams.
Who made it the state tournament.
Yeah, and you played at Hanko And then when they stopped playing at Heinko, they moved it to Mark Square Arena where the Pacers play. So you know Damon Bailey, you know who was like a richie farmer at that time. Uh, when he played in the state championship and won it, they moved it to the Hoosier Doom and it got so big that the Hoosiah doll was sold out to watch Damn Bailey.
Clay what town was he from?
Bedford, North lawnch right outside of.
Blooming Yeah, because I remember when way back in the day when k Wood Leedford was still with us. Uh, there were a couple of seasons where we traveled in a in a motor home, UH to some of the football games, including Kentucky at IU. And I was driving, took my turn driving, and we came back shown there's a state road if you don't want to go on the Interstate from from Bloomington back through Louisville, there's that state road to drop straight down.
Yes, I don't know what's the number of the road, but.
He goes through all those little towns.
Right, oh yeah, yeah, And I.
Remember we pulled up that's exactly right, and I'm I'm I'm driving, and here we come up to Bedford and there's a huge sign home of Damon Bailey and I can't imagine. And we actually stopped because kay Wood Leftford. You'll appreciate this. Kay Wood was a was a barbecue officionado and he was in the front seat and he sat up straight, just shot up and he goes barbecue because he smelled it. So I pulled that r V into a bank parking lot and we all went pouring out.
This was after the game, Kentucky got their butts kicked, I think, but we went off. We got barbecue chicken and cole slaw and you know, everything you'd want for four bucks because it was town Day in Bedford, Indiana, and we had the best time in the home of Damon Bailey.
Yep, I played there. His he's three years you know, two years younger than me. So when all the hight came out about him, he was in the seventh grade, you know Bob knighte sev so that that raised and enhanced his his profile, his image, Yeah, his profile because of what Bob Knight said. So here's this kid, you know, everybody's looking, you know, want to see and we played them. So his freshman year, which was my junior year, we played him at our place, which we didn't have a home.
I didn't have a home court. I had to go play at Marshall High School or are into high school play our home games.
So we played them.
At Marshall High School jam Pack, and we killed him. I mean we really we destroyed them. It wasn't even the game.
Wow.
So the next year my senior year, were ranked fourth to third in the state and you know they're ranked or whatever because of him, and I had four files within five minutes of the First War.
Oh my god.
So there was no way they were going to let us win. And uh, they beat us. But that was my first time going to Bedford North Lawrence. And if you ever been to a high school game in Indiana like the Anders at the Wigwam or the Marion Giants place, or you know, we have some of the largest high school arenas in America. You know, Newcastle High School with Steve out for play, is the largest high school gym in the United States. So that gym is like a mecca.
You know, there was no small high school gyms and his for a small town like that, I'm thinking we were in playing a little cracker box. His gym was amazing and it was nothing but red, white and blue. And you know down there in that part of the state, you know, down by Martinsville, you know, it's tough place and they got it. They got us good. But yeah, Bedford is a is a historical place, specifically because of
Damon Bailey. It was just like you know, if you go to Clay County, it's the home of Richie Farmer. You know, you go down there and you play that place and not too many people come out of there would win. I don't know if Richie Farmer ever lost a game at home, but anyway, and I don't think Damon ever lost a game at home. But you know, he had some tough teams to play around. You know, you have Blueton South, you know, with Pat Knight and
Chris Laws and all those guys. So you know he was surrounded by, you know, good teams and good players and things like that. But yeah, you know, arenas in the state of Indiana I was used to, so I you know, playing in a big arena like rut really wasn't you know that intimidating because I've been playing you know, large arenas in high school, you know, for four years.
How upset were you? Or disappointed? I guess is the word. When they screwed around with the format and ruined the Indiana State Tournament.
It's still bad.
You know, it lost every all of them. A speak of who's your hysteria, you know, and they were talking about, well, we did it because some of the small schools could have an opportunity to win. Well, that's who was winning the state tournament. Smaller towns it wasn't the Indianapolis that you know, the Monsies. You know, you were munsies, not even big town. You got Mussey south of Mussey Central, yeah, you know, but and you got one town, Marion. You know,
that's just you know, one school. So those were the schools that were winning the state tournament. It wasn't the city schools. It wasn't Indianapolis, it wasn't the Gary, it wasn't you know, the Fort Wayne's right, And so you still have rivalries. You had each Chicago Washington versus Chicago
worlds a belt. Then they merged that. You know, you had the North Central Conference with Newcastle which had Steve Afford and Marion had James black Man, and the City who had Troy Lewis and Michigan City Rogers who had del Ray Brooks. You know, you had the city schools. You know that you had George McGinnis going up, you know, the downings, and you know, you just hear the stories go on and on and on. Now the rivalries aren't
the same, they're not in the same class. The crowds have kind of decimated, and it's just not the same kick anymore. So you know, it's just changed, and it's unfortunate they're making more money. I think Indiana high school basketball from a historical standpoint, it is still strong. I think the.
Indiana high school basketball compared to Kentucky basketball just I was just so disappointed, Like I tell people all the time, at how Indiana.
You know, being a Kentucky All Stars that you know you're going to play at the Indiana All Stars has just gone down.
You know.
I went to the game at like I said, at Lexton capl this past student in the Kentucky All Star Game, and they weren't five hundred people now, and then you go to Indiana and that's still six seven thousand. That's right, that's showing up at the Indian of Kentucky.
Office and we all like to brag about our high school basketball here, but no, you're you're absolutely right.
Uh.
And they've tried, they tried through the years to screw up our tournament. And thank God for the al Ah because the All a has been a resounding success. I've worked telecast, I've seen teams win and celebrate like like it's Christmas morning. Uh. That's huge for the small schools, No pun intended. They all I think saved the Kentucky Sweet sixteen. We could go four hours on that, but I got to get back to the Wildcats with Shawn Woods. We'll talk about that on the other side of the break.
Here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back, we're talking with Seawan Woods, the unforgettable guard. We kind of got off in a tangent, but I love talking about high school basketball, especially with a guy who played at the highest level in the state of Indiana and Nola and Kentucky. Sean knows both sides of the river. But I got to ask you about the Wildcats. You and I talked last week about the Louisville game. It's just another game, but it's important before we talk about what's coming up with
Ohio State. What did you think of that game, Sean? Because UFL was down some players but made it competitive and shot the lights out from three point land, which they hadn't done all year.
Well, you know they were gonna get it. They got a fiery coach, you know, who really wants to be in the mistique of.
The state, and.
He really wants to be a really good coach and have a really good program.
At the university law I think the world of it.
I think he's a you know, I think he's a hard worker, and I think in time, you know, they're going to be pretty good. You know, Kentucky's just on another level right now. I mean, mark popas his team playing as good as anybody in America. You know, even when they're playing bad, they're playing good. You know, they're they're winning games and not playing great. I mean, you know what I mean. But it's just how he has
these guys going from a mental standpoint. You know, when he first got here, he's saying, you know, banner number nine, You're thinking, okay, yeah, you know, it's exciting. He's just getting a job. He played here, right you know, you know, but he's he's getting it done.
You know.
I mean, like I said before a couple of weeks ago, Kentucky is playing more continuity, more together than any other team in America, you know, and that's because of what he does and his system. He's coaching his system and not he's not worried about players yelling with each other. He's worried about players buying into what he does and the way they play. And he struck lightning in a battle with the personnel from a personality standpoint, He's got all good guys and on the outside looking in you
thought you were thinking they were too nice. He's too nice. You know, you go to practice, you don't see a fiery guy. You don't see you know, a lot of rye ride. You know, you see nothing but positivity. And like I tell you before, times have change. Then you got to be able to relate to these kids. And you know, if there's so much negativity with social media and things like that going on in the world, that
Marcus kind of going totally opposite and it's working. And you know, I'm telling you right there, if there's a team that's more happier and more cohesive than to tell a Wildcats they're cheating because this guy as pure as ivory snow, and his team is pure as ivory snow. And while everybody is trying to figure it out and this and that, they're just going on alone and beating everybody that comes in front of them. And it's very impressive.
You were talking about how things have changed, coaches have changed. One of my favorite stories about Rick Patino involves you and I don't even know if you remember this, but you and I were at Rupperina during the Inside Tournament in twenty oh seven. It happened to be the year that Billy Gillespie's A and M team upset Louisville, but the two days prior to that, Louisville had won, A and M had won. So I went into the Louisville
locker room to get a couple of interviews. You went in to say hello to coach Patino, and he hadn't seen you in a while, and at first it took him a second to recognize you. But I remember we walked in together, and I remember you told me later on you heard one of the Louisville players holler across the locker room, Hey, coach, what time does the bus leave? And you said you instinctively ducked. You remember that, You kind of you you flinched. You thought, Oh, this guy's
gonna get it good. You thought, this guy it doesn't know when the bus is leaving, and he's going to hear it from coach p and Patino shrugged. He goes about fifteen minutes, and you thought to yourself, Wow, things have changed. I don't know if you remember that story, but that is stuck with me. You talk about people changing.
That was huge, it was you know, and he's changed even more now what he tolerates and you know what's important, what's not important.
Nowadays, you know, you can't be sticker with everything. You know, it's so much going on, and these guys got so many things going on. I mean, you know, when I played for coach, it was you win, you lose. You put your clothes on, you take your shower, you get your hat. On the bus, you know, you may say something to your parents about four or five minutes, even if it's a rope. I mean, especially on the road, because you were so scared.
Of being late.
And nowadays you know, he's just whatever. You know what I mean. Okay, you guys ready to go? Okay, you're not okay? Okay, you know he'll sit there. Whereas if he beats you on that bus you left and then you're gonna get a tongue lash and whenever he got to you.
These have changed.
But you know, going back to Mark Pope and the way he does things, you know, it's just so refreshing. I'm a coach and I'm only where I've been, you know, and I I played under coach Patino and I knew that motivated us. I knew that, you know, being tough, you know, putting kids in situations to when the get to make the game easier. And those days are over for the most part, you know, except for like you know, a couple of coaches, you know, the Calvin Sampson's and
the Danny Hurlees of the world. They can still get away with that, you know. But Mark is just a positive guy and it just loves through his program with his coaches, his players, and you know the thing that he's just harping on more so than anything.
And these guys.
Who are actual strangers to Kentucky basketball coming from different places, have they bought in to the tradition of Kentucky basketball and what's that state? And they're just buying in to try their best to win a national championship. I just think that it's.
It's scary for other teams, it really is, because their deal is is they are playing for the name on the front of their jersey, where a lot of kids, especially at the high majors, are playing for the enough letters on the back of their jersey trying to get to the NBA.
Yeah, I've only got a couple of minutes left. But you were talking about how well Kentucky is playing together. Uh, you got Ohio State coming up. But do you got a couple of teams in the SEC sean that are playing together really well? And that's Auburn and Tennessee when you look ahead. I don't know if Kentucky has more talent, but I do believe the way Kentucky plays will give those teams all they want.
Do you agree, No doubt about it. You know the only thing that scares me about those two teams is they can finish games. I didn't think that. The reason why you know, I predicted us being Duke because I thought Duke was too young to finish.
The game, right.
The reason why I thought they'd beaton Zaga is because I thought the point guard situation. I really am in love with Butler. I think Butler is the most underrated point guard in America, and he's definitely the most underrated point guard in the SEC, and teams are going to you know, God forbid he has any more injuries. I just think he's gonna win the point guard battle against everyone. And when you win the point guard battle nine times out of ten, you're gonna win the game. So that's
my reason for them. And it's gonna go back to the Ohio State situations. Ohio State good, yeah. Are they one of the top teams in the Big then, probably so. But are they better than Kentucky? No? Are they are, as can he COHESI as a Kentucky team. No. Only way you get Kentucky is some way if you're gonna
be in the game and you're winning the game. I told Mark this last time I went to practice, was teams are scared of you now simply because they know that, no matter what the score is at halftime, sooner or later, you're gonna come. And it plays mind games with them, I thought, because Zaga just stopped playing, you know, I thought, Duke, you know, for the last minute and a half, they didn't stop playing, but there, you you know, kind of
you know, took over look. And if you the only two teams in our league that are like that right now are Tennessee in Auburn. I think they're tough enough to finish games down to stretch with everyone else. I think Kentucky can get you know, I bet on Kentucky ten out of ten times. Tennessee and Auburn you know that's a toss up. But if they played twice, I
think Kentucky can split with both of them. And that's what's gonna make the SEC Tournament that much more interesting, is because those are gonna be the top three teams at the deal. I think Kentucky's gonna get buys and fans are gonna get the state till Saturday and hopefully Sunday.
Sounds good to me, Coach, Always a pleasure. I enjoyed the talking about high school basketball with you as well, and we'll do it more down the road. Thank you, coach. Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Dick.
Talk to you so litery.
I remember two with JR. Van Houston, West End via Chief. Gary Moore is up next here on the Big Blue Sider six point thirty. Wlap joined us on our Celebrity Hotline as a guy he's been on our show before and I've known him for a long long time. He is Jay Schiler, who of course played for the national championship team back in the late seventies. You know him as White Lightning. You also know him as an author, A Blonde Bomber A Ride with Shied his book. We'll
talk about that in a few minutes. But Jay, I've been following you on Twitter, and you like what you see in this Kentucky team, don't you.
I do, Dick, I really do.
First of all, just I want to say thanks for getting me involved this afternoon, But no I have. I haven't got to see, you know, all the games from start to end, but I've seen enough of the of the games that I really like what I see. I mean, you know, to take some guys that nobody really virtually ever heard of, which is different in the past, but he's got him going, man, and I really like what I see.
I like the way they play it.
Yeah, you tweeted about Lamont Butler after the Louisville game, and I guess he might have been the highest of profile because he played in the Final four. But you know, with all due respects San Diego State a guy known for defense, So yeah, he wasn't you know, on everybody's radar, But you like you like him a lot, don't you?
I do?
I do, And he had a great game against Louisville. But I just like, you know, I like the guys that they seem to be working really hard for Coach Pope and they look like they're having fun playing with one another. And uh, you know the car kid, I like, I like his intensity, I like his effort up and down. They both ends of four, but the top you know, four or five guys. I mean they've got six guys average in double figures, So you know what does that
tell you? But I love the way they're sharing the ball. It's it's like they really don't care who gets it, just as long as they get it, you know.
Yeah, And as you mentioned, this was a bunch of guys who were good players. No one was superstar, and he had to kind of cobble this team together and it's it was a first in a history of Kentucky basketball. That's kind of hard to imagine, isn't it.
Yeah, it is because most of the people that that go to Kentucky. Of course, you know, you've heard about him for a year or two. And that's not taking anything away from these guys, now.
I mean you know that.
I mean they've had good years and stuff. And like you said, the one the brother kid played in the Final.
Four a couple of years.
Ago or so, so, but you know it's just, uh, Mark has has has has shown that he doesn't need the one and done's the big name people, the five star recruits, and these guys probably were coming out of high school, a lot of them. But you know, it's it's it's been very impressive the way he's got him playing and the way he's got him motivated.
You played back in the day before there was a three pointer, before there was a shot clock. Even though people may not realize, your coach joe By Hall was a great proponent of both because he would coach, as you know, over in the clinics in Europe, and he came back and he had he loved the big man attack and he hated to see defenses crashing on his bigs, and he thought a three pointer would open up the game,
which it has. But this is a coach Jay who wants his team to shoot thirty five threes a game. You would have loved that, wouldn't you.
I was not much sneezed at that. No.
You know, Mark played for Patino, and you know he had a pretty wide open system, you know, and everything, and they had the guys to be able to do that, and and of course we.
Had guys back in the day to be able to do that too. But you know, coach was.
Was more of a I think he leaned more for a European type thing, get it down low, get it to the big guys, which we had, you know, Mike and Rick and Sam and those guys through the four years.
So but you know, we could play any.
Style basically, especially the championship year, it didn't matter. We had enough talent to be able to slow it down or run or you know, and and teams, teams had to adjust to us more so than we have them to adjust to them. But no, I mean, you know, Coach Pope, it's wide open thirty five you know, once thirty five threes.
A game, and that's fine. I mean they're knocking them down.
I mean they're you know, they're shooting thirty five thirty six percent from threes, and they're shooting fifty percent from the field as a team almost, So it's really been fun to watch.
You're a bit younger than I am, but I know you're an old school basketball guy, or are you? How do you feel about analytics because Mark Pope constantly refers to them, and sometimes I think analytics are a reflection of what has gone on, but sometimes they can help you decide on what you want to do. Where do you come down on that?
Yeah, I'll agree with that.
You know, I don't really know that much about it, and of course, you know, we didn't really look to that any at all, uh in the past. But uh, it's you know, it's it's today's game, and so many people are looking those those kind of numbers. And I guess you know, right when he gets right down to it,
numbers on live. But you know, I hate to rely on that, but you know, like I said, a lot of teams are looking at that now and and uh, the successful teams like like Kentucky this year are h are proven that it's you know, it's something to think about.
Talking to Jay Schiler, former Kentucky guard, he is, of course the author of Blonde Bomber, we're going to talk about his autobiography, which actually came out last year but just in time for Christmas. But we are talking about this Kentucky Wildcats team. Uh, when you were playing in the SEC, there were tough teams in this conference. But sure, of course Texas and Oklahoma weren't there. At Arkansas, South Carolina weren't there.
But right Missouri wasn't that's right.
Missouri wasn't there, You're correct, But man, this conference, right, I don't know if you've looked at the latest Power rankings or just the AP rankings, but the Southeastern Conference is crazy tough this year, isn't it.
It is? You know, and and even even the preseason, I think a lot of those teams were in there. But guys, I mean you look and you've got five SEC teams in the top ten. You've probably got what eight or nine in the top twenty five if not ten. Uh, But it's it's it's not really people want to look at it as a as a football conference, but I think the last few years and over the years, I mean you look at some of some of the teams
that have come out. You know, Tennessee's been always been strong, LSU has always been strong, Gramma, you know those guys. And now you've got Texas and Oklahoma and Missouri and and like you said, you no, South Carolina wasn't wasn't in the in the conference back then.
Either.
But it's you know, the conference conferences, it's pretty strong. Maybe it's home as it's ever been, and it's been strong over the years. But I mean it's pretty impressed. And to see those teams in the top five ten, uh, that sort of thing, and the whole conference is looking really good.
It's got to eat yep to Tennessee's number one right now. I know it's killing Jack Gibbons, but uh, you know, you get your chance to knock them off. But you know what's interesting, Jay, is teams are now doing what Kentucky's done for years and years, and that's invest in basketball. You guys lived in the lodge. You guys played in Ropperena. I believe you were part of the team that opened up Rupperina and you make your career and rup Now
you've got much better facilities. You've got you know, you know, better salaries for coaches and assistants. So they're still trying to catch up with Kentucky, aren't they?
I think so? But you know they're You're right.
Some of the programs have have invested a lot started to invest a lot of money in the basketball program. Course, you know, football always takes precedents that make money in the university than any other sport. But no, and you can tell you know, and now with nil money and everything, the talent across the country has been spread out over the last it has gotten better over the last twenty years. It's not twenty five years, you know. And it's just not your top top five or six handful of blue
blood schools anymore. And which makes it great. I think, you know, I love it that everybody's got a chance. Now it's not just you know, you don't have your Cinderella so to speak. Yeah, there are some come to the tournament, but I mean, there's nothing like college basketball. And we were fortunate, you know, to have the things at Kentucky. Like you said, we lived in the lodge and that sort of thing. But more programs are.
Putting that money into the program, and it.
Tells getting back to the way this team plays. Before I rang you up, I got to think it about I think about this every once away. Your team, your championship team, and really, uh, the team you had later on when you were a junior and senior was Sam Bouie and some of the other guys. But that championship team you Kyle Truman, klater Jack Tim Stevens coming off your bench, Rick Roby could shoot the three. I mean, I can can you imagine if you did have a three pointer?
Oh my gosh, we might have We might have averaged one hundred and fifty points. Well, yeah, I mean, you're right myself, Truman, Kyle, Tim Stevens coming off the bench, Well, we could shoot it.
Mike Phillips could shoot it either. He thought he was a point guard.
You know, Mike thought he was a point guard anyway, and he liked it getting out there in practice and shooting.
What would have been beyond the you know, behind the art and Dwayne you know, I mean it goes right on Milan, you know, it was one you know, it was uh uh.
It was tough to say how would have gone since we didn't have it, but uh, it would have been kind of interesting to see how we would have how bad we would have beaten the show state.
Yeah, you might have. You might have won another trophy. And before I hit the break. I don't know if you've had a chance to watch segments of the game, they haven't done it very often. He did it against Gonzaga. But I asked Jack Givans about this. They go one three one, Kentucky goes one three one, and I told Jack immediately thought about you guys, And I told Jack, I thought about Jay schiler running the baseline. They had
a big pope had a big on the baseline. But that was your job in a one three one running from corner to corner, wasn't it?
Yeah? It was?
And and and actually priding that I loved playing down there underneath, covering from corner to corner, or at least trying to.
Uh. But yeah, I mean we we would coach.
Hall, especially that team and most of his teams, and we had to play zone was always one three one hard they ever did it, you know, a two three or anything, but we had it, you know, especially the seventy eight year. I mean, we had we had the one three one zone down to the science. And and but I you know, I did enjoy playing down under underneath and and because you've got to have I know, you said Mark had had a big guy underneath there.
And that's fine, you know, if if if he's mobile enough, and these guys nowadays.
Are are are able to get from corner to corner, but you know, you've got to be able to get cover a lot of distance, more distance than anybody else in his own you know.
So we had to have a We.
Felt like we had to have a coach Hall.
Felt like we had to have a smaller guy down there to be able to cover that distance. And you know, it worked out pretty well for us, and for me, I say.
Yeah, it did work. Uh, but I know every time you come out of it, he gave you a blow. So that was that was merciful. We're talking to Syler.
Go ahead, No, I was just going to say thank God to that.
Jay Syler, former Kentucky gar We'll come back and talk about Jay's book just in time for Christmas. Here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty w LAP Welcome back. We're talking with Jay Schyler The Blonde Bomber, which is the name of his auto biography which came out actually almost two years ago. Uh. Blond Barmber a ride with Shy that you wrote with Paul Coreo from here in town, and we thought we'd bring it up again just in time for Christmas. Good stocking stuff for the best way
to find it really is on Amazon. You can get it hardcover, paperback, Kindle. And I've talked to you since the book came out, and I know you're back in your hometown and you sold some books up there. What was that like, Jay, when you came home and you really opened up in that book and it went back to your childhood. What was that like when people would ask you about it?
Well, you know, Dick.
Paul and I worked on it really hard, obviously, and I wanted it to be turned out the way I did, you know, I wanted to. I pretty much buried my soul in it. And and and a lot of people didn't didn't understand some of the things that I talked about in there, which is fine, you know, I just wanted to tell my story. And and coming back here in the reception that it got back here in southern
Illinois was just incredible. I've been so many places, so many little towns and and uh so many smaller schools around here Southern Illinois and Central Illinois that uh, people were very receptive of it, and and uh, you know, there were some questions about a few things, but you know, hey, that's why I wrote the book, you know, to try to some of the people's questions that they may or
may not have had. So uh, it's been it's been received very well, and and uh it's a good time, like you said, to to get a copy that for a stocking stuff for this time of year, and and
it's been you know, it's been going pretty good. Uh but you know, it was just I wanted I've just felt like I needed to tell my side of things and and and and take ownership of the things, the mistakes that I made, and just you know, basically tell my side of the story and and and let some people in on some things that they may or may not.
Have known about.
Yeah. And it wasn't easy, was it.
No, it wasn't. It wasn't remember some of the things, and then and.
Then kind of beating myself up again over some of the things that I did wrong, and you know, but it was it was it was cathartic, you know, and I'm glad we did it and it turned out the way that it did.
You know, as I was reading it, I knew a little bit here and there, but of course, uh not everything. And it was fascinating to me. But I just kept thinking to myself, you know, people, I'm sure who were following Kentucky basketball when you were playing, this is a great lesson that you know, these guys are more than athletes. They're people. They've got their ups, they got their downs. Yeah, they're they're on a great ride, but that ride eventually ends,
you know. And everybody's got issues, everybody's got problems. It's it's a great lesson for everybody to learn, isn't it.
Well it is And and my story is not unlike a lot of other people's story in the same position. You know, I can guarantee, you know, But being being as the program of Kentucky and the and the and the exposures that you have there, You're right, a lot of people don't see us in that uniform and don't really see us as as human beings, so to speak.
But everybody has their issues. Everybody's got to go through their stuff.
Uh, you know, you're you're you're you're a teenager when you get to college and you're in your early twenties when you get out, and and the changes that you go through and then and then after you stop playing, Yeah, everything comes to a halt and and and now you've got to you've got to with life as a normal human.
Being, so to speak.
And uh, it's it's hard for some people. It was hard for me to make the adjustment and everything, but uh, you know, I had to go through it. God put me through it for a reason and and and you know, I'm glad that I'm I'm here in this position that I am today to be able.
To talk about it.
I remember hearing Steve Young, the former quarterback Hall of Famer who's with the Niners, super Bowl champion, all that stuff. Uh, and yet he talked about when his career was over. I don't remember if you was wave cut, walked away, retire, whatever, but he said, one day, literally, one day, you're part of this fraternity, you're part of this very tightly knit club,
and the next day you're not. Uh, you know, and and I know, I guess being a college basketball player is a bit broader than being an NFL quarterback, of course, but it's similar, isn't it. And that you know, you live the life and then one day, like you said, you just got to move on and that that can't be easy.
No, it's not.
I mean, you know, you get used to living a certain way and and and and having certain things at your fingertips, so to speak, and then all of a sudden you don't have that and you're in the real world, and and it takes it takes a certain kind of person to be able to get through that, and to fight through that in my you know, in in my situation to be able to you know, to uh uh stick yourself up by the bootstraps and move on. And
you get knocked down. But you know, being the athlete that I was, uh, you know, I never quit anything, and so you know it was I would you say it was easier for me to you know, to pick myself back up every time I got knocked down.
And I got knocked down plenty.
Uh.
But you know the bottom line is is that you you know, you find it somewhere in your heart, you lean on God and you get through it somehow.
Well, as we wrap this up, you were a tremendous athlete in high school and in college, played a little bit of pro ball overseas. Uh yeah, you know according to the book. And I knew this about you when you were signed at Lawrenceville High School and growing up you were good at everything. So now at your tender age, what do you do? Do you do anything? You play golf, played tennis? How do you stay active?
I don't stay that active anymore. I played golf up.
Until probably eight or ten year years ago, and and the arthritis and my wrists and.
They got to that. Uh.
I even played.
Paid a little basketball up until maybe six seven, eight years ago, and and that that got to be a little tough. But uh, you know, like you, I've had some health issues in the last year ago. So but you know, I came through that fine knock on wood, thanks, you know, thank the Good Lord for that. And and uh, I'm pretty much back to being as healthy as I was before.
So but I get much exercise. I try to walk.
A little bit and and that sort of thing. This time of year is kind of tough because it's kind of cold India. I never liked that, but uh, you know, we we get by.
I'm glad that I'm here.
I can go to some high school football and basketball games and see some of my open classmates and stuff.
So it's been really.
Good being back up here. I I do miss Letchington and I do miss the university, but you know, it is what it is, and and and life's moving. Life moves on, and you may deal with the best what you got, you.
Know, yep. And like me, I'm sure when the weather is nicey, you appreciate it. Our age with our health history, you appreciate a good walk. So nothing wrong with that Jay Siler. His book is Blonde Bomber, A Ride with Shide. Pull it up on Amazon and there's plenty of time, but don't wait too long. Makes a great Christmas gift. Jay, thanks so much. I hope you get back to town soon and stay healthy.
Man. I'm going to try Jacon.
You do the same, and I'll let you know when I'm making back election, hoping I can get back there before this season's over.
So I appreciate your time.
But welcome back to the Big Blue and Cider. Joining us now as our West End Bureau chief formerly our West Coast Bureau Chief, and Gary Moore joined us from Los Angeles, where I worked for many years covering sports for the likes of KALOS Radio, now the West End of I sixty four. Hey man, he's got a lot on his mind. I can tell you that. Well.
Two guys in a six pack and we'll get right to it here because I'm little perturb about something. Let's go back to last week. Dick Marshall football coach Charles Huff left the school in a version of his last name to become the head coach at another Sunbell school, Crummy Southern Miss After his Marshall team won the conference, they were headed to a bowl game with Army. So this guy bolts for a one to eleven team, It's
okay money Whorr. Then, as was the case, as the rule state players on teams that lose their coach in the offseason, he got a thirty day window to transfer. So what happens on top of the portal? So many players applied to transfer. Marshall down to forty five to forty eight players. Not impossible to go to a bowl game with that few of players. LSU did it a couple three years ago, but they had to cancel bowl. People scrambled to get nearby LA Tech to save the day.
Dick.
If ever, there was a time for the NCAA to a number one close the portal till a team's postseason bowls, it's over and done with, even when a coach leaves, this would be the case. This would be the time to do it. And while they're at it, I got another idea for him. Why not do kind of what the NFL does no interviews with coaching candidates until after said candidate's team is done with the playoffs or in this case, the bowl games. I mean if you really
care about the student athletes, he said smirkingly. And here's a big middle finger to all the Marshall players thinking their power five. All power five players are gonna get picked up by all these great teams. Stiffing not only just another football team. You didn't just stiff a football team, guys, You stiff men who are going to defend our country and maybe pay the ultimate price for doing it more than you can say, or we could say, for a bunch of selfish quitters. Okay, I'll sit down now.
You also stiff your fans. Yeah, you know the people that you spend the entire season pointing out after you score a touchdown and sign an autograph. Oh we love the fans. Yeah, how about that? And again, this is a Marshall football program that came literally from the ashes. You know, it has that tradition going forward. You know, then entire program wiped out by a terrible plane crash back in the seventies, and they shouldn't have to carry
that weight. But being able to play there, and not only has Marshall come all the way back and the one Double Abel on the one Double A level was a championship level team. It was gone d one and the reward for players and fans is the bowl game. I still like bowl games. I know how a lot of people feel about them, but yeah, I'm with you.
I think in lieu of prohibiting maybe one group of players from not being allowed to go into the portal, change the calendar, move the portal date until after, because if you change it for some, you get to change it for all. Or hey, we can't get into portal, but these guys can. They're going to get all the good schools. I think it's got to be the same for everybody, but make it, like you said, all that's got to come after the season's over.
I don't think I'm the only one or you're we're the only ones who think this.
Either coaches agree with us.
Yeah, second swig in the six pack. We're gonna talk more about the Bountiful Bowl season in a bit, but of course, the history making weekend ahead first ever twelve team college playoffs. But as you and I know, something similar has been going on for decades. What we used to call the one double A schools now the FCS programs. In fact, my Toppers were in it for several years. Eastern Kentucky has won it before. Toppers I think got to finals in seventy three and won it in two thousand and two.
Whither one A.
Or FBS colleges begin this weekend with four playoff games. The FCS is down to the semifinals on Saturday afternoon and those are on TV. Biggest games, though, of course, begin Friday night. South Bend Notre Dame a seven point favorite over IU for Hoo's your state supremacy and the joy of getting to face Georgia in the next round. Look, I used playing with house money. We're not even supposed to be there, so I say the pressure, all the
pressure is on the Golden Domers at home. Then on Saturday, in order, starting at high noon, you got SMU eight and a half point dog at Penn State Clemson and eleven and a half point dog at Texas that are in school down nine to seventy five, seven and a half point dog at Ohio State. There's two games on ABC two on TNT check your listings. I'm gonna take Texas. I'm gonna take SMU at Penn State. Wow, take the I'm going to take the Valls to beat the buck guys and yes, I got the IU Hoosiers to shock
the naysayers. If Indiana can hold Notre Dame to under two hundred yards rushing.
Well i'll give you that. If they do, I think they got a great shot at winning. But I take Notre Dame in that one, no offense. I kind of hope Indiana wins. That'd be a great story. Yeah, I happen to I like Penn State. I hate to say it. I grew up a Penn State fan, not a huge James Franklin fan. And you know, working in ill Southwest Conference, I'd love to see smu win. I'm with you about Texas and I'm with you about Tennessee. That's going to be all orange toward the end of the day.
Third swig in a six pack. Okay, let's go back to a borgus a Smorgas board of bowling. Easy for me to say right now on one of the local cable channels, WKU Hilltoppers into the second half against James Madison. That's down in the Boca Ratone Bowl tomorrow night at Crumming, New Orleans Bowl. Doesn't stand a ratings chance against Thursday Night Football. What a great game this is going to be Broncos at the Chargers Friday at noon in Orlando.
You got the Cure Bowl, Ohio, it's Jacksonville State. Then at three point thirty, this is a nice appetizer before I you and Notre Dame Tulane in Florida in Tampa's Gasparilla Bowl. No bowl game Saturday and Sundays. Who has to not compete with college playoffs NFL games on both of those days. Monday the Myrtle Beach and Idaho Potato Bowls. They're neither neither one of those are worth watching. I don't think unless you're really desperate. Hawaii Bowl, same deal.
That's Christmas Eve. None on Christmas Day, and then things pick back up the day after Christmas. But I want to give you a heads up, Dick Gabriel, your personal favorite.
The pop Tarts Bowl.
Yeah, one week, one week from Saturday, the twenty eighth in Orlando. Two teams in this one that had field of twelve aspirations now relegated to a bowl whose trophy actually features a working toaster that they'll be popping some pop tarts and honestly, god, I've got a picture of this. Posted at nine to five to five, Gary on Twitter,
Iowa State and Miami. And as funny as it sounds with that trophy, it's nowhere near as funny as Jerry Seinfeld's Unfrosted movie celebrating said pop tarts the funniest movie of the year. I don't care what any critics said who didn't get over the top comedy. Watch it if you don't want to watch the football game.
You know, I just watched that again. I just pulled it up just Doug, Netflix or wherever it is outstanding. Yeah, you're right. How'd you like to be the Bowl officials who? I don't know why. I think they were stuck with that time slot. The worst NFL games on Thursday outdra all the best college football games. But that's where we are.
You know, this Ohio team turned out to be really good, had a really good season, and this is a team Kentucky destroyed back when Kentucky looked like it had some promise. That's gonna be a head scratcher until next year begins. How much would you love to see John Sumrall, the head coach at TWU Lane, knock off Florida because John I don't believe John was playing when Kentucky had snapped that string against the Gators. So wouldn't it be great if he could beat Florida as a coach And you
talk about a hot property, He's already hot. But if he could beat Florida, oh man, And yeah, I thought the Pop Tar Bowl. And by the way, it depends on how many players play for Miami. If they show the I think they'll be that's a good Iowa State team. But I just can't get over last year toward the end of the game when the pop tart, a huge pop tart, lowered itself into a toaster and tweeted, this is the big, greatest day of my life and everybody's like, you're killing yourself.
Sacrifice, sacrifice for the greater good.
Tremendous marketing.
I loved it, okayt wait to see what they're gonna do for this one. So that's a week from Saturday now our fourth swig in the six pack. Tonight, I mentioned NFL playing on Saturday. Nick, What a weekend to get nothing done around the house. Honey, there's too many games I gotta watch, so I'll know what to talk about with Dick coming up next week on the six pack. Actually, a line I've used before, to be honest with you.
Excellent one o'clock Saturday at NBC Kansas City two point two and a half point favorites at home against the Texans. Then four point thirty on Fox on Saturday Ravens six point favorites at home against the rival, hated, despised Steelers. Gotta be watching that. One Sunday, I will have the Red Zone with Scott Hansen, Crank and all afternoon as I usually do. I'm only interested really a couple of
games this Sunday. You got the Eagles going for win number eleven in a row at Washington, they'll probably make it. And my Seahawks at home with Gino thankfully back at quarterback, probably losing though by more than the two and a half points spread to Minnesota at home Monday night Saints at your Packers pack definitely rolling as we saw, and you and I were texting about that Sunday night during the game.
By the way, lunch is on me whenever you're over it is.
Pack have got the three most important parts of a team, really rolling defensive line, offensive line, quarterback, three parts in absolutely horrible shape for my Seahawks. So your guys are looking really, really good.
Do you realize there are four teams in the NFL that have not yet scored thirty or more points in a game. Three teams have records of like three and eleven or four wins or whatever, and the fourth is Kansas City. I did not know that, and yet has lost just one game. Thank you Instagram for that meme. Baltimore should win that game, right, But Pittsburgh seems to have Lamar Jackson's number, kid, I don't know why. Maybe home field will carry him there, but just just tip
your cap to Mike Tomlin. I do think Baltimore wins that, but I think Lamarro will have his typical ugly game against the Steelers, but they'll somehow get it done. Washington's gonna upset Philly, that's my that's my prediction to you. And I would love it if your boys could be Minnesota. That would help my boys, so would I. Oh, and my guys will kill New Orleans because of the weather. They playing that nice dome at sea level. No, they're going down.
Yeah, I don't think there's gonna be a problem with that at all. Our fifth swig quick swig of college hoops actually number four, UK not playing again until Saturday evening five point thirty of the CBS against unranked Ohio State up in Zoo York City Madison Square Garden. U of L also off until Saturday afternoon. They're gonna be playing an ACC game Florida State on the CW network. That's at two o'clock Saturday. You and I haven't talked since the Cats beat the Cards at RUP on Saturday.
Really good game. There's a little spice added to it. There a little pushing going on. Of course I've seen pat Riley once set up seemed more pushing in the men's room. But a rocking house, and uh, you know, I think it would have been It would have been kind of nice to see Louisville at full strength like UK pretty which was they hadn't been hit by uses. But I think the rivalries back. It's good for not
only the state but college hoops in general. And I wish I could say the same for Western and Murray. That was an overtime game on Saturday, Dick, but only about thirty seven hundred people showed up at Diddle Arena on Saturday. Of course the college was out. There were a lot of students around there, but still come on
bowling Green metro area. There used to be fourteen you know, at one point they got fourteen thousand people in Diddal Arena when it was configured that they've really figured Yeah for that was that was in seventy one when the Western was you know, in the top ten and went on to be in the.
Final and every game was not on TV. Right well, yeah, the Kentucky O House date, I will be up there in the garden. I don't know what to make of Ohio State because Auburn just you know, sliced and diced him. But I think if Kentucky plays as well as it did against louisvilley're a shot. If Louisville could manage the knockdown threes the way it did, I guess Kentucky mean that came from out of nowhere. That's why it was a great equalizers, a three pointer. But it's always amazing
to me. At Florida State, Leonard Hamilton, a long time head coach, down their former Kentucky assistant. The guy recruited Fly Williams to Austin p He just keeps cranking out winning, winning teams and never looks like he gets any older.
Sixth and final swig and speaking of UK, U of l rivalries, and he would have, could have, should have apartment had UK beaten Pittsburgh last Saturday, we'd have the Cats Cards in game one tomorrow night of the volleyball Final four over here Downtown Young Center instead, though it's overall number one seed pitt against hometown Cards six point thirty tomorrow night on ESPN. Then you got Penn State ticking on last year's runners up Nebraska thirty minutes after
Pitt and UK. Louisville played pitt twice this season, home and away, lost both. In fact, they've lost four in a row to the Panthers going back to last a year ago November twenty twenty three. Does pitt make it five straight over the Cards?
I say, nay, nay.
I say the Cards advanced to the finals on Sunday.
Louisville's awfully good. But maybe it's because I watched Pittsburgh be Kentucky, I do think. And plus Pittsburgh, this is a third straight year in the Final four, cut off from a championship each of the last two years. I just think this team is so driven. I think the Panthers win it. But it's cool that the season is ending where it began for big time college volleyball back in August, late Off says, you know, I was at that abcavent Loruisville and the Young Center is a great
place to have the final four. Welcome back with some hot reeds for Gary in just a minute here on the Big bloom Sider six thirty WLAP welcome back. We're chatting. Went to our West m Bureau chief Gary Moore, as we do every Wednesday. He has tossed up two guys in the six packs of now time for a couple of hot reeds. First of all, you kind of made a little wise crack about student athletes earlier, which is why I'm bringing up. And I don't blame you for that,
because too often there are sham's out there. But Travis Hunter, your Heisman Trophy winner, is also quite the student athlete. Gary Fall of twenty twenty three has a four point zero follows that up in the spring of twenty twenty four with a three point nine to oh eight academic First Team All American And no, he's not majoring in recreation or whatever. Anthropology. How about that? That was in
the press release from the school. But in my opinion, not nearly enough is made of that in situations like this when you think about the class work, I mean, people made a big deal out of it, as they should have with Josh Dobbs when he was at Tennessee because he was studying literally to be a rocket scientist, you know, and now he's in the NFL. But he can go on after that to build rockets when he's done.
But not enough, in my opinion, is made of that, especially by people in our line of work who enjoy making cracks about the guys who are the frauds, but they need to make a just as big a deal out of the guys or anything.
But I completely agree with you one hundred percent. Not enough goes. And you know there's probably some more four point zero guys out there eight three point nine s. People are talking about, well, these guys are ever going to get a degree? They keep going to all these different schools and all this other stuff. Well why don't you just concentering on how well they're doing when they are at these schools? First of all, yeah, because it's hard to do. I mean, the football is a full
time job. Every sport, Yes, every sports a full time really is, and you got to be a full time student at the same time. You just can't do three hours here or there. Maybe there's something to do that, but I think most schools have got a requirement. You've got to take x amount of classes to be able to play and pass those classes. At the same time.
When people pass judgment like this, they have a tendency to think just about the guys and gals who are going pro because they, of course command more attention. But ninety seven percent of college athletes do not go on to play professionally, right exactly, And those are the ones you finish their degree and then you know, do a good job at it. So yeah, I think we're in
agreement on that second hot read. Speaking of athletes who have bounced around a little bit, Will Levis from Penn State to Kentucky made the most of it there, but it's not made the most of his time as the starter for the Tennessee Titans and evidently is being benched this week. It's not been confirmed yet by the head coach, but it looks like Mason Rudolph because Levis, who has
thrown for twelve touchdowns. Also has thrown twelve interceptions, no sixty four percent of his passes, which back in the day would have been brilliant. Now that's the you know, on the low end. But yeah, he's thrown four almost two thousand yards. But he keeps giving a ball back to the other team, not to mention fumbles. I don't know if he'll ever come back from this, Dick.
He had four turnovers alone on Sunday, Yeah, three lost, Yeah, he lost a fumble, yeah, and threw for three interceptions. He's got four he leads the league and pick sixes. He's got four interceptions return for touchdowns this year. You know, I don't know if there's something about the game. He probably does need to take some time away from it. But I got two words, Sam Darnold. Some of these guys coming in takes two or three, four years whatever. Maybe he needs to go to another team, Maybe he
needs to work with another quarterback whisperer or somewhere. But I don't know if he's going to stay there for very much longer. And maybe you'll go in the reclaim pile on a next year or maybe then maybe we'll be traded this year. Who knows somebody has got a rocket for an arm, that's for sure.
And he has the same problem he had at Kentucky in two phases number one, a poor offensive line yep at Tennessee. But he just tries to do too much. I think you're exactly right. I think if he does go to the same Darnold route, go to a team that's better suited for his skills, with someone who can teach him. Jameis Winston's cut down for crying aloud on his turnovers. If he can cut down, I think anybody can so true. Good boy Gary Moore is our west
End bureau chief. Finding him on Twitter or ex at at nine to five to five, Gary, where you're at Big bloom Insider one, see you next week. Have fun in the Apple. That's it. Good night from the garage and Lexington White Master.
It might be dangerous.
You got first.