Welcome to the Big bluon Sider.
Dick Gabriel with you on a Wednesday edition of our program, and this is one of the rare Wednesdays where we're not talking about a basketball game for the Wildcats last night. This is kind of the open week for Kentucky to
catch of course, on Saturday down at Vanderbilt. It's a game you'll hear right here on six thirty wlap UK women play this week on Thursday night per usual, down at Texas A and M. A tough road trip for Kenny Brooks's team, trying to remain perfect in the Southeastern Conference. His team has lost just the one game and coming up an hour number two, we're going to talk with Amelia Hassett, who is one of the several international imports
for Kenny Brooks's team. She is from New South Wales, Australia, and she has been one of the pleasant surprises, well not really to Kenny Brooks, because she scored a lot of points and grabbed a lot of rebounds, blocked a lot of shots on the junior college level last year. She was a juke call American last year. But with Clara Strack having such a big year, and Georgia Aymore really putting herself in the player of the Year discussion.
Some people might overlook a little bit Amelia Hassen, so I thought we would talk to her a little bit, find out more about what she thinks about her ball club. So that's coming up in our number two. At the bottom of this hour, Sean Woods will join us. We'll talk about Kentucky the lost to Alabama. Going to get into this, Jason Williams, Seth Greenberg mess a little bit here coming up in just a minute. We'll also talk
to Sean about it. And then in our number two, it's Wednesday, so that means West End Bureau Chief Gary Moore. Last night in the Southeastern Conference, there were not There was not a rash of upsets as there has been lately.
But I mean that's college basketball, you know this.
But SEC teams, nationally ranked SEC teams did okay last night. Number four Alabama at home with Vanderbilt wins one three to eighty seven. Tennessee knocks off Mississippi State sixty eight to fifty six. First half a disaster for the Bulldogs. That's a good team, but Tennessee outscored State thirty four to sixteen in the first.
Half and then cruise to the win after that.
Also in the SEC, there was one upset, if you want to call it that, Missouri, which was four and one in the league going in loses at Texas sixty one to fifty three to the twenty second ranked Tigers, falling for just a fourth time this year.
Texas really needed.
Something good to happen. Longhorns now two and four in conference play. So for the most part, SEC powers did okay last night. I'll tell you who else did okay last night. Louisville Cardinals ranked twenty fifth, the first time they've been ranked in four years, and they proved that they were deserving of the attention of the voters, at least last night they did. They beat SMU ninety eight seventy three down in Dallas, and the first half Louisville
outscores SMU fifty to twenty seven. Second half was even from beyond that point, But who cares. Louisville looking pretty good right now. But that also means it's more valuable the fact that Kentucky beat Louisville earlier in the year, so that helps Kentucky's strength. The schedule keep an eye on Iowa State six and one in the Big twelve, third rank beat UCF one O eight to eighty three. You don't hear enough. I don't think about Iowa State,
but that looks like a team. Now watch them play a little bit that you're not gonna want to see an NCAA tournament. Oh Speaking of Kentucky's record and strength to schedule, Ohio State pulled an upset last night at eleventh rank per Due, which had a thirteen point halftime lead. Buckeyes killed him in the second half and won at seventy three to seventy. So again Kentucky's strength to schedule up and nine. Because of course, the Wildcats loss to an Ohio State team is now eleven and eight, three
and five in the Big Ten. When do you like see Kentucky play Ohio State again with a better idea of how to handle them? Oh here's a couple of scores from the Big Ten Oregon wins at home against Washington eighty two seventy one, Oregon rank fifteenth and UCLA responding.
I guess to Mick Cronin's rants, he's been ripping his own players publicly, but in another Big Ten matchup the Bruins at home beating number eighteen Wisconsin eighty five to eighty three last night, to me the most interesting score of all. Yukon needed overtime to beat an eight now eight and eleven Butler team one in seven in the Big East. Butler took Yukon to overtime, Husky's winning eighty
to seventy eight. And there were eclipse out there on the internet and the internet of Dan Hurley losing his mind. So now you're up to speed on not just the conference play, but on Kentucky's strength to schedule getting better. And I heard Tom Leishon and Cameron Mills earlier today on Tom Show. And by the way, Cameron shamelessly plugging the fact that our nineteen ninety six documentary we actually
aired it in twenty seventeen. But documentary on the ninety sixteen will re air on Wkwatty at five o'clock Sunday, And that documentary, just by coincidence, features a lot of Mark Pope. Mark is a great storyteller, as you know by now. And I put that thing together. I physically did the editing, and it was really tough when it came time to deciding on what to put in and what to leave out. For all of these guys, they were telling great stories. Mark might have been the toughest of all.
Dad.
It's so it's a lot of fun and I urge you to watch on Sunday at five on WKYT. It's called The Team, and that was Cameron's idea. Cameron was the executive producer, which means he pulled the funding together to make it happen. But Cameron came up with the name, and he was very specific about it because that's how they want it. And in fact, I will share with
you right now a comment from an twin Walker. He was on the five twenty Club podcast recently and he was telling the hosts why he believes that the ninety six team was the best team he thinks in the history of college basketball.
I will say this.
In the documentary, Rick Bettino says the same thing, although he does what I think.
You've got to do. He basically goes all the way back, but stops at the back end of the John Wooden era.
I would say, go through the Wooden era to the Leueul Cinder teams. I think the sixty eight team might be the best ever. But I would love to see that team play the ninety six Wildcats. But here's Antoine Walker and the host asked him about the twenty fifteen Kentucky team that had that long win streak behind Carl Anthony Towns and more.
I think we're the best team ever in COSS basketball. But I'm not saying that to be, you know, being being biased. I'm just I'm one. I would say the march in the victory, we won, but like twenty four to twenty five a night, So when you look at our numbers, you'd be like, oh, he was cool. But I ain't played the last seven eight minutes of games. But you know what I'm saying, So a lot of people don't even understand that. That's so our numbers look a little crazy. I let the team in minutes at
like twenty seven twenty eight minutes a night. You know what I'm saying. Most team, most guys are playing thirty five thirty six, So our numbers could be totally different if we got a chance to play. But most games, but just man, we had nine pros.
Man.
Our practice, to be honest, was harder than our games. I'm not gonna even fun Oh, what's the pros on your team? Myself, Tony Dill, WALTI McCarty, Derek Anderson, Jeff Shepherd, Mark Pope, pops right, uh huh, Jeff Shepherd, h I played in Atlanta, Mark Pope the coach. You know, you played four or five years with Indiana and in Denver, and I feel like I'm missing one more to make the knife. One will probably pop up to me. He shortly.
But yeah, we was, we were strong man. Y'all forgot about Scott Pageant, but so you'll think you better than.
Book who else?
They had the two twins twins Tyler, Yeah.
They were, they were good. I would They had a squad and they did their thing. I was, I was. I wanted to watch a lot of those games. I was very supportive of him. And then they have a book as your six man speaks value, so I'll see where you at with it. But no, well, we've been people.
Oh superstar and especially that time period.
The competition around that time was crazy too.
Us.
Well, but you.
Gotta think about me something different. We think when you think about us, you think about UNLV at ninety teen. Yeah, the Jordan team, you know what I mean?
North Carolina.
You don't really put that Kentucky team in that same.
Because they ain't win. I think that team beats the twenty fifteen team. I really do, and one of.
The biggest reasons was the guy with the microphone, Antoine Walker. I think he is what set that team above the others. He was the best player on the team and as he said, only played about twenty eight minutes a game. That's all they needed. But to me, he was a matchup nightmare for everybody. He was so big. I mean he's fat now quite frankly, sadly because you know it's a health issue.
But back then he.
Was six eight sixty nine. He considered himself a guard and had him had guard skills. He could shoot it, not as well as some of the other guards, but he he could shoot it from the outside, but was strong enough to play inside, quick and strong in all that stuff. He was the X factor to me on that team, and they had a lot of different X factors. He was the capitol X factor, if you will, and that's why I think against the twenty fifteen team, that
would have been a great game. They talk about Devin Booker, remember now, the Devin Booker who's scoring thirty forty to fifty eighty points a game in the NBA. That was not Devin Booker back then. Of course he was a freshman, but he was a really good player. Tyler ewis really good player, even better than next year and the twins. They were good. But I'm telling you who guards Antoine Walker?
Who guards Dereck Anderson? Anthony Epps I think would have handled whichever Harrison was running the point, which was Andrew at the time, Aaron was a shooter. It's a great argument, great discussion. And Karl Anthony Towns great college player, but again a freshman back then. Oh, I can understand. And it's not just pride. I think it's the basketball guru in Antoine Walker talking about that. When you break down those teams, you talk about depth, Ron Mercer coming off
the bench. Mercer is the guy he forgot when he was talking about the pros and he mentioned Scott Paget. Scott didn't play for that team. He practiced, but he didn't even play for that team. But he was such a key in the ninety eighteen and the ninety seventeen it went to the finals. It's a fun discussion, but see for yourself. Sunday, five o'clock on WKYT. It's the
team looking back at the ninety six championship team. And I'm telling you that documentary there are so many great stories from all those guys and memories.
Mark Pope spinned some pretty good yarns, all right when we come back.
Should John Caliperi even worry about what Kentucky fans are saying? ESPN commentator thinks that that's part of the mix as to why Arkansas is having problems. Bottom of the hour, Shawn Woods on six thirty WLAP, Welcome back to.
The Big Blue Sider.
Coming up in a couple of minutes, Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, will join us. We're gonna ask Sean a little bit about what's going on with John Caliperi in Arkansas, and that has been a topic of conversation on the ESPN anchored desk.
I don't want to go too deeply into this.
Simply because I do obviously see Kentucky fans some who take pot shots at Caliperi and whatever, and of course conveniently forgetting what Caliperry accomplished here and how happy Caliperi made the Big Blue Nation for several years when he first got here, but of course his productivity really plummeted toward the end of his stay at Kentucky. Now just a miserable time at Arkansas, where the Razorbacks have lost five straight conference games, losing to a poor LSU team.
But I mean every night is a battle in the Sez. Losing to Tennessee Ole, Miss Florida at home, lost at Missoo last time I boogie Fland has hurt. He is their best player. But coming up tonight at nine o'clock, they played Georgia at home. But still it's Georgia, which is really good. I don't think they win that one. Then they get Oklahoma at home before they come here a week from Saturday. After that they go to Texas.
After that they're home with Alabama. So I mean, it's just one thing after the other for Caliperi and I talked about this the other night. People forget about the fact. First of all, they wrongly think that he left Mark Pope.
With a bunch of talent. We know there was an empty roster, but.
That's what Calipari inherited at Arkansas, and he had to throw a team together. But I do agree with some of the guys that Jeff Goodman, the veteran basketball writer, spoke to the pieces don't fit properly for Arkansas. But he had that problem. Calipari had that problem here at Kentucky. And one of the things that really I think hurt Caliperry here. I'm no expert, but you know, I mean, I've covered a lot of basketball. He was stubborn, and I think he's stubborn right now at Arkansas. Now, there
are some misconceptions. Goodman wrote that with the Arkansas payroll and excess of seven million dollars, which is one of the things that lured him to Arkansas, of course that that gives a coach some freedom. But Goodman writes with that kind of money, he could have brought in pretty much whomever he wanted. That's wrong. Yes, he brought in a do thero DJ Wagner brought in Big Z. Only only Tharro has played. Really, I think up to his potential,
Wagner's been hurt again a little bit. But you know, ten points a game from your point guard. Big Z wasn't what I think a lot of people thought he might be. But he's got Boogie Flann and Carter Knox and Billy Richmond. They were all supposed to come here, but other than Flann, Knocks and Richmond haven't turned out to be what we thought they might be. But getting back to a Goodman Road, he could not bring in
whoever he wanted because they weren't available. And I'm not trying to make excuses the Calip Perry, but you know what I felt like, Jason Williams was making excuses when he pointed fingers at the Big Blue Nation and tried to draw parallel as to why Arkansas was struggling.
This is courtesy ESPN.
You know, look, this is Arkansas, and all the things that you said and Jay Billis said are correct. They have to get tougher, learn how to close out games defensively after they bat Like, yo, every time you're playing, you're in the national spotlight, and the biggest microphone is Big Glue Nation.
Let's keep it a buck.
So like every time John Caliperry fails, he's going to go viral.
Everybody on Big Blue Nation.
Is going to say, you see those offensive lasses that they have, you see.
That lack of toughness. This is what we experienced.
For our time here at Big Glue Nation in Kentucky, and it makes life difficult.
And he's the biggest talking what we're gonna have or one of the biggest talking points in this sport. I guess I'm just a duller because I don't get the connection.
Why. Why is what as some fans not all of Big Blue Nation? That's a big microphone. Yeah, but are you trying to tell me that all of Big Blue Nation is pointing fingers and making fun of Calipariy in Arkansas. No, we know that's not the case. So why is that a factor right now? When really it's about how the roster was constructed and how they're playing. And they kept talking about this, and Greenberg, of course took up for his buddy.
John Cali Perry understands that, seth. It's the life that comes along with the territory of being Caliperry and making that in conference move and then having that perceived an il budget.
It's what comes along with it.
He's gonna handle it.
I think he's gonna be okay.
It's just gonna be a fight.
You think it's too much for the players, He look, this is Calvin Can had a coach. No hold on, I said, calvinf cat had coach last year eighty nine points a game, there was seventh in the country, and offensive efficiency number one in the SEC and offensive efficiency. Their roster construction is not good and he's responsible for that and some of the things that you mentioned. Having said that, all right, this is his roster, this is his schedule.
You cannot change that.
So where is the fix?
And the fix is real simple.
It's not simple, but it's something he's got to look at.
One, it's struggling.
Rebound in the ball. So what can they do.
They can go to a big lineup.
What don't mean by a big line.
They can play Theoro at four, at three, play Brazil and play one of the other seven footers.
Two.
They can go some zone because if you play big, you've got a big backlas set. You're talking about in game adjustments.
It's not a game adjustice, but this is in season adjustice. How good coaches have agility. You take your roster and say, wait a second, right now, this roster, what we're doing and how we're doing it and why we're doing it doesn't fit our personnel. So you've got to have some agility. You've got to make adjustments.
If you continue to do the same thing, you're going.
To get the same results.
So really, Greenberg kind of contradicted himself. No, Cali Peri hasn't forgotten how to coach, But Cali Perry has forgotten. I think what made him successful, whatever he was doing at Kentucky when he was successful, he ain't doing it now. And it's more than just throwing players out there and rolling the ball out and letting them play. His best teams at Kentucky were combinations of raw talent, the rookies
and veterans, and if he leaned more. And it's tougher to put a roster together like that now with the portal and all. But remember when he first got here, should have gone to the should have won it all his first year. But he had Patrick Patterson and other veterans. His twenty fifteen team, the Harrison Twins were sophomores, and
he had this day and age, those are veterans. But you can't just you know, he got I think he got a little bit fortunate at the one year he was starting five freshmen by the end of the year, But that was by the end of the year they'd accrued some and they were good enough to make it work. But whatever it was that Caliperi was doing, and you know, he's not the greatest Ex's and o's guy, but you've got to give him his props for what he accomplished
in his early days at Kentucky. And as I said before, if not for miss free throws, John Caliperry's got as many as four national titles on his resume. And no, we're not even having this discussion. He's not at Arkansas. But that's just the way college basketball works, It's the way he sports work in general. So I'm not going to talk much more about Caliperi and the Big Moon Nation and all that. We'll talk obviously about it the
week that Arkansas comes. But the fact that the notion that UK fans are partly to blame for his struggles is ludicrous, ridiculous, and we shall move on. Shawn Woods is next here on six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big bullon Cider. Joining us on our celebrity hotl as he does every Wednesday, is the unforgettable guard Sean Woods. The jersey hangs in the rafters of RUP and he talks about and breaks down UK basketball each
week with us and the coach. First of all, I hope you got the heater going full full blast, because this is some dangerous weather.
Man.
This is I mean, I grew up in it, you know, in Gary, Indiana, but man, living in the South for the last twenty five years, it hurts.
Now.
My body can't take I remember playing basketball in it, playing football in it, walking to school backwards because the wind from the lake was just so harsh and the swift. Now I can't stand to be out there twenty seconds.
People have no idea.
And I've only been up there once when the weather's really bad in the Chicago area. And that's Gary. How cold that wind gets coming off that lake. It's amazing, isn't it.
It is amazing. And my mom when I was growing up, because she's from right here in Lexington and my dad is from West Tennessee. You know, you get cold weather, but you don't get that weather, you know. I remember my dad waking up in the morning going to uh Youngstown steel mill, and my uncle's going to Inland still and my mom getting up going to you know, doing hair and things like that, and me and my friends
out there just playing. And we come back in and she's like, I just can't believe that you're out there playing football in this freaking one degrees outside or three below zero. But we did it. Now, I can't stand it.
No, no, me neither.
But that's the I don't know that that's I don't want to say old age, but I think that's the wisdom of years.
I appreciate you don't see kids out there now.
No you don't. You really don't. You know, Well, they're just used to playing video games.
Yeah, exactly, exactly.
All right, Well, let's get to the basketball course. Kentucky coming off a tough loss all of Obama. That game could have gone either way, but in the last five minutes Alabama executes Kentucky does not. I think, first of all, you got to tip your cap to Obama. That's a really good team, final four team. Last year's got the best best player in the league. I say that, what do you think of Mark Sears?
I told you before the only way that Kentuch twos is if they lose the point guard battle. Yeah, and we ran up against the best guard in the league. So you say, and that's one of the main reasons we lost because the point guard battle they won, you know Butler. I'm not knocking Butler, but he was just you know, the best point guard in the league. Helped helped Alabama win the game. And that's why Alabama is Alabama because of great point guard play, and it has
been for the last two three years. And Kentucky's you know, shouldn't hang their hat or anything like that. You know, we we got one of the best too, So that's why I lock our chances even in the SEC and even maybe it's gonna be tough for playing them at Alabama next time, but I foresee, if we meet in the SEC tournament, I gotta roll with my guy, you know, Butler, because I'm pretty sure he knows how to play him the next time.
That's a great point because he has so much experience and is so well schooled defensively that he will make a study of that game, won't he.
Oh, no doubt about it. You know he's gonna but he needs help from his teammates, now, you know what I mean, Because the kid is really good and really savvy of coming off ball screens. If you go under, he can shoot the three from deep. He really wants the switch when a big has to take take him on defensively and he's going right by him. And unfortunately we don't have a backup because every time Travis Perry came in the game, he went right at him and
embarrassed him a couple of times. So, you know, we need a complete team effort when you guarden a player like that, and not only that, you know, when you guard a good team like that and Kentucky battle. You know, we missed some easy shots. We missed some some wide open shots that we normally miss down the stretch. But you know, like I tell you before, I don't care how good your team is. If you don't have a great point guard, you're not winning the NTAA tournament or
being highly successful. And that's one of the reasons why Alabama's so good, and that's one of the reasons why the SEC is so tough, because yeah, there's so many big time point guards in our league. Right now.
I will say this about Butler and man, you talk about respect for a guy who's been battered and bruised and bounced off the floor, and it's playing hurd But I really felt like Sean a rare mistake by Butler in judgment was when he shot a step back three. I think there was four or five minutes of but it's a crucial juncture of the game, and it was fairly early in the shot.
Yes, right there in front of Mark Both.
Yeah, as he went up, I said a lot, I went I would know and and you know things went downhill from there. You remember the moment obviously, did you did you have the same reaction?
Well, you know, they were having a hard time scoring, you know what I mean. I mean, you know, we couldn't we couldn't get anything. So you know, he took the best shot that he thought, you know, being a point guard, you know, trying to make a play for his team, because nine times out of ten when he has taken a shot, he's made it a big three. And he just made one not too long not too long before that, so you know, it was a tough shot.
I don't think that was the losing part of the game, but you know, when you can't get anything off and the other team is scouting you, That's been the question about Kentucky is when they can't get those threes off in their offense or in transition, how can they score. Yeah, and Alabama made them take tough shots, which they made
Butler take that one, settle for that one. That's the reason why Alabama really won the game, not because of that shot, just because they posed their will enough defensively and didn't let them get anything off that they normally would like to get off. I mean, you know, I took my hat off to him. I really respect Alabama the tough basketball team. And you know, I watched two SEC games last night with Tennessee and and somebody else
playing the SEC last night. Yeah, it's just so brutal they to me defensively, and you know that that goes to show you how how prolific our offense is. But we got to find a way to defend. And that's just you know, when you're in last place in every defensive category mm hmm some sooner or later, that's gonna wear on you. And uh, that caught it with us the other day.
Yeah, they got work to do, no doubt. We're talking to Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard point guard for the Wildcats as we were talking, and you were one of those guys who was strong defensively but still got it done when it came to distributing the basketball. You averaged more than four assists per game at least your senior year, and I think about every year. And so clearly your
defense didn't cost you on the offensive end. And I wonder about how you balance that because it's defense, as you know, it's such a mental game as well as physical. And yet you got to make that switch from one end of the floor to the other instantaneously. Tell me about that challenge.
Well, I was always a playmaker. I was a past first guy. Special Coach Patino got here, and you know, either I was gonna get all the way to the rim, or if I didn't get to the rip that made somebody else had to help and I was kicking it and that was just natural for me. Or I was making plays for others. So you know, back then, point guards were to shoot thee step back three. The game has changed because of the step step Perry. So I would have never I would have never thought about taking
a step back three. I still be getting the repercussions from Coach Patino on that one right about now. But not to say I didn't think about taking one, but I was smart enough not to. But you know, he's made on these you know, he's enhanced his shooting ability and you know it's the best shooting year he's had
in his career, and he's made some big ones. But we need him sometimes to look at the rim as a point guard because he's the only guy really that can break his man down and create something for himself. So you know, sometimes you got to take the bit of the sleep. But you know, nine times out of ten,
he's made the right place. Just that day that that that particular game on that shot, you know was tough, but you got to credit Alabama for forcing him to mentally to have to feel like he had to do something like that.
Shawn Woods.
My guess we'll come back and talk more Wildcat basketball on the other side of the break with the unforgettable guard here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We are talking with Sean Woods, whose jersey hangs in the rafters of rupp And I said, Sean a member of the
UK Athletics Hall of Fame. And of course we talk each week about the basketball Cats, but one of the topics of discussion on the ESPN anchor desks this past weekend, it's kind of silly really, I think Sean, but Seth Greenberg a big John Caler Perry fan and friend, and he and Jason Williams going at it, and Jason, of course I played the sound bite earlier talking about it.
I couldn't exactly understand the correlation, but he felt the need to bring up the fact that when Caliperry struggles at Arkansas and I'm late, it's spend every week they're they're winless in the league. Williams, it seems like he's including as part of the reason the reaction. He says, Big Blue Nation. What he's talking about is a small fraction of fans who will tweet at Arkansas people.
Hey, you know, we tried to tell you blah blah blah.
But I find it fascinating that a guy sitting on the ESPN anchor desk is kind of pointing the finger at Kentucky fans for some of the problems they're having in Arkansas, you know what I mean?
Ah, yeah, I saw that. I don't know if he's blaming Kentucky fans. I just think that, you know, with social media and young kids and things like that, you get a lot of that. Now you can't run away from it, and everybody responds to social media. So when they say when he said that, you know, Kentucky fans are you know, tweeting that alb I mean Arkansas fans saying that. We try to tell you, you know, you're going to get some of that. That's natural, you know
what I mean. And you're going to get some people to respond to that. You know. Unfortunately, and you know, let's face it, John Caliperry likes being in the spotlight. He likes talking and sometimes you know, you got to take the bid of the suite when you're out there like that, and that comes with it. And you know, for whatever it is, you know, people respond to that. You know, just go coach your team. When Tubby left here, he didn't say a word. He went to Minnesota. He
didn't go to Arkansas. He went to one of the worst programs in the Big Ten and he still was solid enough. Or was he a national contender?
No?
Is John Caliberry a national contender at Arkansas?
No?
Does he have players, yes, but he's got young players. Everybody else is older in this league. John caliber Perry is really in a rebuilding stage just because of youth.
That's kind of what he was doing at Kentucky seemed his team until he he tried to go with the portal to you older players. That didn't seem to work. But it just seemed like his teams are always kind of young.
Yeah, but here's the deal. Though, he got the Arkansas kind of late, and he didn't get the one and done and the top twenty five like he wanted to. He got Boogie Flaan, but that's about it. You know, he he doesn't have any Anthony Davis's and things like that right now. That eventually probably he will. I mean, you know he's gonna get some players now, you know. That's what he does more better than probably anybody in the country. But right now, his team's just not that good. No,
let's just face it. Yeah, they're not that good. They're not that talented, they're not that deep, you know. So yeah, you can beat him up right now, and he's an easy target just because of the way he left. But they're not that good, they're not that talented.
So about what about the people? Sean, And you can speak to this so much better than I can. Who say that what he does is you know, his offense this and that is outdated and I do agree when they say none of their pieces seem to fit. I get that, and that's that's a product of what you were just talking about having to throw a team together. But he's had that knock on him for a while that what he does is outdated. But then Seth Greenberg points out rightly that last year they were one of
the best offensive teams in America. So it's hard for me to assist.
They they were almost exactly like Kentucky's team. Now, they were really good offensively, but they were one of the worst defensive teams in America last year. And we all stated that, Yeah, that was their biggest achilles here was they were not guarding anyone defensively. They were bad, but they weren't laugh but they were bad. You know, he was average. You know, he was leading the country and
offensive efficiency and things like that. We're doing that right now, you know, except for we're playing a little bit more defense. I think we're scoring at maybe four or five more points than they did last year. But it's just a different deal, you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, Mark Pope guarding Mark Pope's offense hires you out. You know, it's a different. Look, you know, ball movement, player movement. With Cal's just basketball movement. One guy jilling the air
out of the basketball where everybody else is watching. So from a defensive standpoint, you don't have you don't get tired. He's not putting pressure on it. Just look up and watch one guy. Everybody's just standing still. So you're not getting fatigued, Well, garden Mark, Pope, you're gonna get fatigued
just guarding all that action that he wrote. So it comes down to style of play, right, and and and to be honest with you, you know, coming out of timeouts and things like that, Mark's been a little bit better because he runs stuff. You know, he makes you think a little bit. You know, how to guard this action, how to go to that action. And three, you know, everything is more off the past than off the bounce. You know, you had you know Reed Shepherd and and Dillingham.
Everything was off the bounce with dealing Ham, you know, with his leading scores. Now everything's off the past.
Well, Pope needs that because he doesn't really have, like you said, and either one and done candidates who are really adapted taking people off the bounce.
Right.
No, but you know you're getting more team actions. You know, you're getting more continuity, more so than than than Cal was getting sorts of different style of play and sometimes style of plays. You know, it is the factor more soda and anything else. You know, the numbers could be you know, deceiving at times, but it's really the style of play. And that's what separates Mark Folk's team this year from from Cow's teams the last four or five years.
A couple of minutes up with Sean Woods, we're breaking down, of course, the basketball catch you take on Vandy down in Nashville. And I was talking to Jack Gibbons the other day, Sean, and he said he really liked playing in that In that gym, it's different, as we all know. It's unique to the SEC, the way everything's laid out. I remember I covered the game down there. I don't remember. I think you were playing when Rick Patino was ejected from a game down in Nashville.
But yeah, given it. This one of the few Wildcats that liked playing in that gym.
Okay, so you didn't like it.
I hated it. I'd never played well there. It was so uncomfortable, not uncomfortable as just you know when I did it. You know, being a point guard, right, sometimes you want to run your own stuff. You know, you want to run a high pick and roll. So my my bread and butter play was a player we call power. Which team's running now is just a high pick and roll with Darren Feldhouse, and either I get to the rim,
I kick it out. If darrenfeld House is man, if I drag him along, I throw back the house for three instead of us running continuity kind of take me out of the game a little bit. So when we were down that other end, I told coach, I said, Coach, I can't hear you too. I can't look back at you because this guy is guarding me. So I got to go for what I know. And it worked. You know,
he agreed with me. You know what I'm saying. He gave me two or three things to call, especially if it got you know, kind of hot style a little bit. But man, it's just a different look. It was always a grind because we never shot the ball well there. And two we never got to go whistle either. You know, Patino got thrown out. But you know, it's just it was just never a smooth deal because you're never going to play in a place like that.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's almost like you you're on Broadway, you know what I mean, and you're and you're just part of a play because you're looking down. Only thing that looks normal is behind the basket, but your benches behind that truck.
If it's funny, because I've talked to some kids, you liked it simply because the coach who was yelling at him is.
At the other end of the court and you're running away from him.
But you make a great point in that you as a point cau you needed to be able to communicate, especially with a guy like Rick Patino.
So we'll see if Kentucky can adjust.
I suspect the wild Cats will, and whatever happens, we'll talk about it next week with Shawn Woods, the unforgettable Guard.
Thank you so much, coach, Stay warm.
Hour number two is up next with Amelia Hasset to the UK women's basketball team in Western Bureau Chief Gary Moore, you're on six thirty w Lapager, Welcome back to the Big Blue and sider were joining now Amelia Hassett from the UK women's basketball team.
I got to ask you.
Amelia, you're from Australia, but you played juco ball in Florida.
How are you holding up with this cold weather?
Yes, sir, actually this is my first kind of experiencing this. That's cold weather. Definitely hanging in there.
Yeah, well that's good to hear.
Oh well, let's talk right away about the success of your team and when you signed on with Kenny Brooks, you knew he was a successful coach. I'm sure you studied the roster, but did you have any idea in early workouts your team could be this good.
I definitely thought that we were going to be good. Obviously, everyone's so talented and just coming in with all these girls, it was just yeah, it was so good to kind of see everyone working out and the connection kind of was there straight away, like off the court we got along so well, and then when we started having team workouts, you could just see that everyone was kind of connecting and like, yeah, you could definitely see that we were going to we're going to be something.
We talked to the players and you and on media day.
But since then, of course, you've you've been in a lot of games, a lot of practices. Tell me about Kenny Brooks and what makes him such an effective head coach.
Yeah, he's he's such a great, great coach. He really knows a lot about basketball. Like we could be doing one play and then he makes a little tweak to it, so it like gets you open again, and it's just like, how did you know to exactly do that? So it's just like he just knows so much about basketball and he really cares for each and every one of us, so that really makes it like why he's the way he is sort of things.
Yeah, you've been one of the key elements for this team. And in fact, one of your teammates was on the radio the other night with Darren Hedrick and said, I think it was Georgia and said, you were one of the maybe not a surprise player, but you've been one of the girls who was so effective with how well you're playing.
How do you feel about the way you're.
Playing, Yeah, I definitely feel good. Obviously, coming in from Duco was going to be a big change coming to play in the SEC, the what they say is the best conference, so it was definitely I guess it wouldn't be a surprise, but it was definitely shocking to me. But it's just, yeah, just working hard and just my teammates being there and supporting me, and everyone just having confidence in me really helped the transition easily.
Well, you had a successful career in JUCO at Eastern Florida. Your average nearly fourteen a game and almost ten rebounds a game, Amilia, So you know, I don't know if you're able to pick up where you left off, but that had to give you confidence, I would think going into SEC.
Play, yeah, it gave me a lot of confidence. Obviously having two years at DUCO definitely helped, kind of be away from my family and just getting used to the college lifestyle. So definitely, yeah, I did help a lot. And then obviously playing there and experienced that definitely helped.
I don't know if you remember, but on media day I spoke to you about the fact that you are far from home, and I thought back to when I was at Kentucky at UK and kids in my dorm from Louisville were so homesick they went home every weekend.
What is that like me?
And you're not the only one, I guess that helps. Georgia is far from a lot of kids are far from home. Do you sort of commiserate a little bit? What's it like dealing with that.
Yeah, obviously it makes it a lot easier having a few internationals on the team, but yeah, it does get hard some days. But just always being around the team and just being being with everyone kind of helps. So it's like it's good that we're always around each other. Becauld then forget about being so far from home.
We're talking with Amelia Hasset's she of course center. UK basketball teammates are having a terrific year. They are sixteen and one, five and zero in the Southeastern Conference. Got a tough one coming up this week at Texas A and M.
And you'll hear that game.
Right here on six thirty WLAP. It's a seven o'clock tip, six forty five pre game. Are you looking forward to going to A and M because that's always a tough place to play.
Yes, I've never I've never been there, so it'll be it'll be fun to go there and have another away game. They're always road games are always difficult, but no, it would be fun.
Well, you've talked about playing in the Southeastern Conference. Is it as tough as you thought it would be?
Yes, it is very very tough, very physical, and you really sticktly have to play for the whole forty minutes if you, I guess want to get away with the win, like no one goes away and no team is gonna it's out by so much. No team is just going to cruise like they're always going to come back. And yeah, it is very, very tough.
One of the things you brought to the Wildcats is three point shooting. That's not all you do, but you've been pretty good at it. Is that something you did on the JUCO level?
Yes, so I definitely did start doing that when I was at JUCO. Obviously now just continuing to work on it and it's definitely improved since then, so I'm very happy about that. But yeah, just just continuingly to work on my shot for over the years when I was at JUCO, and yeah, it's definitely improved, which I'm glad.
I mentioned Georgia and she's really special. I mean, she really is the coach on the floor. Tell me a little bit about playing with her and what she brings to the team. It's got to be a comfort to have her out there.
Yes, it's very much a comfort. She's such a great player and she just knows exactly where each of us is going to be and she knows exactly what to do. Like her and coach Brooks have such a good connection that she kind of knows what he wants from her and what he wants from the rest of the team, which makes it easier for all of us because then she can kind of tell us and tell us what to do and where to be and all that kind of the little things. I guess you could say, but no,
she's such a great player. It makes it life very easy when you're out there on the call with her.
And to have a point guard like that running a team that basically was built recently, how big a plus? Because you can't just throw kids together and expect them to play and to have a floor general like that.
How big is that?
Yeah, it's a very big plus. Obviously he page Brooks built the team the way he built it, and he's very good at recruiting own players. So yeah, it was just everything just kind of jelled and with her being the point got it. Yeah, it made laugh a lot easier and made everything so much better.
I haven't yet been to Australia. It's on the bucket list. My brother's man, he loved it. She is from Victoria. You're from New South Wales. Tell us geographically how that shakes out? Is that are they close to one another or what?
Yeah, so actually we leave around you could say, maybe five six hours away from each other.
Did you know her before from any basketball related activities before you both came here.
I did know Alta. She is a little bit older than me. But yeah, I've definitely heard all time. And then when I was getting recruited, I guess by coach Brooks, then yeah, I definitely got to know her a little bit.
More more with Amelia has said on the other side of the break here on the Big Move Insider six thirty, your Amilia Hassett as my guest. She is a part of the UK women's basketball team that's having a terrific season. The Wildcats take on Texas A and M on Thursday down in College Station, and we've talked a little bit about how tough the Southeastern Conference is really women's basketball and generally is enjoying.
I don't know.
If we can say it's exploded, but it just seems like it's getting more and more popular over here.
Caitlin Clark a big help. We talked to you folks.
On media day about moving into the new Memorial Coliseum. You never played in the old one, but I got to think you're impressed with that facility, aren't you.
Yes, very impressed. I hear stories of people saying that was no air conditioning and the old ones it was starry, harding that, but no, it's just it's such a great place to play in and the fans fill it nearly every game, so it's it's yeah, it's just exciting to be in there and having get to playing there is great.
What is it about your team in terms of the way you play that has led to the success? Can you put your finger on one or two things?
I guess you could just say being us all being connected as we progress each and every game, like on the defensive end and offensive end. You can just tell that where we just understand each other a lot more now, which definitely helps. It helps the flow of the game. So I would definitely say that that is a big facto.
There is a definite flow.
I'm glad you use that word because I was trying to put my finger on it the last time I was.
At one of the games. And the ball movement.
I think Amelia is so sharp, and I think perhaps some of that is because you all are veterans.
It's a team that was pulled.
Together, but there there's a lot of experience out there. And of course we talked about Kenny Brooks. You all clearly know what you're doing, but the ball doesn't. The things don't bog down, do they. The way the ball moves around is so key. It looks like am I seeing that right?
Yeah? No, that is one hundred percent correct. One of the things that coach Brooks always tells us before the game is we have to play for each other. So that just being I guess stuck in our heads all the time, it just makes it so much easier for that ball to just not stick and keep moving and it's disrupting the defense. And yeah, that is definitely a skill that helps.
We talked a lot about Georgia and about your game, but tell me about Clara Strack and how she is just really blossomed this year.
Yeah, obviously hearing that her coming from Virginia Tech and all the all the stories about her and everything, but no, she's definitely blossomed into such a great player and she's she's very physical and she knows exactly what to do and it. Yeah, she's just amazing to watch, let alone play.
With the last game I was at, I watched her. I guess because of the way defenders were guarding, she ended up bringing the ball up the floor. I mean, she can do a little bit of everything, can she.
Yeah, she can do a little bit of everything. I remember the one day in practice Prince Brook said to her, yeah, you can you need to play the point guard and she kind of looks at him like what are you thinking? But no, Yeah, she definitely can do a bit of everything.
She's a point forward.
And then on the other side of the floor generally from you, is Daddah Lawrence, who was an All Conference player last year at Charlotte. But man, when she gets hot, you know, she can fill it up. How great is it having her on the opposite side of the floor. That's got to create opportunities for you as well.
Yeah, definitely she can let that thing fly from wherever, and it always looks like it's going in. Having her on the other side now, it's definitely fantastic. And obviously not only the defense have to worry about her, like it does give opportunities to me. So and I guess those vice versus you could say, but having her out there, yeah, and her being such a veteran player as well definitely definitely helped.
Well.
We talked off air about the fact that your journalism major, Why did you choose that as a major, and what do you want to do with your with your career whenever basketball is over.
Yeah, So I definitely chose this major just because it was I'm kind of interested in staying in sports, and I see over when I'm watching TV, like on ESPN, people talking about like the basketball games or commentating the games, and that was just something that I was kind of interested in. So I'd definitely like to like to do something with that and just maybe commentate a game or like be be on the thing on SPN, like something around those lines.
I guess that sounds good.
And there are so many more opportunities now with so much more TV out there. And I will tell you a quick story of a friend of mine from earlier in my career went to Missouri, but he played pro ball in New Zealand and wound up working in television and he actually was a basketball commentator for the Olympics for the Worldwide broadcast every country in the world saw that broadcast except for the US.
But there's so much.
Out there right now, and there's so many opportunities as well in basketball. I know professionally, obviously you'll pursue that as much as you can, right.
Yes, I definitely want to pursue that.
Yeah.
And the fact that that you're well traveled that helps prepare you, doesn't it.
Yeah?
I think I think it very much does. Just knowing that being away from family and just obviously flying such alongside it helps you get prepared for anything.
Well, I've been to Japan a couple of times, but I think it takes even longer to get to Austria. So well, all right, I got I can't let you go without asking. I'm sure they're cliche questions, but first of all, are you and Georgia able to speak to each other in terms of Australian terms or whatever to the point where your teammates can't understand you?
Yes. So there are some words that we say and our teammates are like, oh, what are you saying? And then one of us is like, oh, Georgia, like do you know what it means? And she's like, yeah, I know exactly what that means. So sometimes, Yeah, it is nice having had to kind of support what you're saying.
I guess well.
And you have a head start because you've played a couple of years at Juco ball. But have you had a difficult time understanding people in Kentucky at times? We have a bit of an accent, as you've noticed.
Yes, one of our managers is very I guess country Kentucky.
Yes, Eastern Kentucky.
Yes, I think so. So definitely that accent change, like is something that I haven't really heard. And then obviously Cassidy Rode her accent is also very country. So I think it's it's cool to hear these different accents.
Yeah.
Oh, I'm a big I'm a big fan of accents, I really am. And way up in the hollers of eastern Kentucky, believe it or not, you can if you listen carefully, there's a little bit of an Irish brogue because that's where a lot of the Irish settled.
Way back in the day.
Uh.
Well, I'll let you go with this. Tell me about food.
Tell me about maybe something that here in the South or Kentucky that that you didn't know about, or you or you were encouraged to eat to try. Is there anything that hasn't been put in front of you and you're thinking, what is that?
Oh?
That that is a hog question? It definitely. I would say this really shows me that here in America, you guys don't really eat like roast lambs much.
Not much.
Nope, yeah, yeah because that card Like with my family, we used to eat that at least maybe once a week. Kidding that that definitely did surprise me.
Yeah. What about grits, Oh yeah, grits.
That that is definitely something that I do not eat.
That.
That is something that kind of scares me a little bit.
Well, I really like grits, but you got to dress them up. You can't just take him straight, you know. It's like it's like porridge, man, you just you just gotta add stuff to it. But did you try him here when you're done?
In Florida?
I think I tried them here. I was a little scared to try them in Florida. But one time I guess we went out for breakfast or something and someone got them and that I tried them. But the texture really just.
Yeah, I get it. It's a shock.
The first time I know that but I kind of eased into him, but I can fully understand.
I think I'm the only person in my family who likes him so perfectly understandable. Listen, thank you so much.
I know you're very busy, but we kept you out of the cold for a few minutes. And best of luck down at Texas A and M. And congratulations on all the success this year.
Yeah, no, I thank you for having me.
Kentucky, Texas A and M. Thursday.
You'll hear it right here, six forty five pregame with Darren seven pm. Tip as the Cats try to remain perfect in the SEC. Western Bureau Chief Gary Moore up next on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue and cider. As mentioned earlier, this being Wednesday, that means we visit with our Western Bureau chief, Gary Moore, who I believe was telling me it's just about as cold and his end of the interstate as it is on our end of the interstate, colder than.
My prom date.
If you went, oh wow, got it, that's getting there anyway.
Yes, it's time for two guys and a six pack frosty mugs, oh sports with you and me today and we got a lot of stuff to cover here. Let's get into it then our first swig here on the six pack Dick. In these days of inflation and shrinkflation, you know as well as I do, you don't always
get what you paid for. But there are two championship exceptions to that, one being the team that I've covered since nineteen eighty six, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who ended up, by the way twenty twenty four, the highest payroll in MLB. I don't know if it started out that way, but they ended up with a three hundred and fifty three point three million dollars payroll, if my numbers are right. Seem to do well however, when it counted back in October,
probably again this year. And the other most recent example well Monday Night, Ohio State, which spent seventy two point four million dollars on football alone in the twenty three
to twenty four fiscal year. The Buckeys, get this, enjoy an athletic budget of two two hundred and seventy four point nine million for their thirty five sports, according to Sportico, and that's about one hundred million more than the average Big Ten school at one seventy four point three and way above the average FBS school that has about one
hundred point seven million. I did some digging over here, dick U of L has an athletic budget of one hundred and forty five million for the twenty twenty five fiscal year. That does not count the extra twenty million next year that they got to cough up for the antitrust settlement money. That's I think almost all the Power
five schools have got to do. Twenty four point four million for football, a mere fifty million less than Ohio State paid, and nine point three million in basketball for U of L. Oh and even though Notre Dame lost on Monday Night, they get to keep that twenty million that they made in college football playoff money since they don't split it with other conference schools. Yep, So no wonder they want to stay independent.
Oh yeah football, Yeah, well I cut that deal with NBC what thirty up ten years ago.
I'll never forget that or forget it.
And yeah, I.
Mean people keep trying to nudge them into a conference. But why, Like you said, in case you're wondering, UK's athletic budget is one hundred and seventy six million. It last look So yeah, Ohio stayed with a cool one hundred million more, and there are going to be many many power schools looking at the Buckeyes and see, hey, just how can we get in on that kind of stuff.
Here's a clue, you can't if you're not Ohio State.
Second swig in the six backs. So we're fresh out of college football to watch, well, except for those All Star Game audition thinkings that they do, and we'll have more on that in just a little bit. So there's only three pro games left, including the two conference championships this Sunday. You remember, not so long ago, it's all about the NFC North and how it's going to be well, lines and Vikings and Packers, two of those are going
to be in the final game. Right then you got Dan Campbell saying to Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell see you in a couple of weeks after the Lions beat him in week eighteen. Of course, he was meaning the NFC Final this weekend, not seeing him two weeks later at the Cancun Hyatt, which both are now free to enjoy. Okay, So first up on Sunday, an all NFC East Final Washington six point underdogs at last check at Philly. That's on Fox Oh God with Brady at three o'clock Sunday afternoon.
And then at six point thirty Buffalo at Kansas City, Chief's two point favorites. That's with the Nansen romo. And of course, as you've noticed, we've all noticed, all four of those teams have mobile quarterbacks, unlike the Rams and Lions, for example, who are going to be home or in some tropical location watching Washington and Buffalo, according to me, advanced to Super Bowl licks or fifty nine.
That's what I come with you.
Yeah, Jalen Hurts is banged up. If he were one hundred percent, I would take Philly. But we have seen what a healthy Jaden Daniels can do, and he does more than just run the football.
I think.
I think what he's doing is what people thought justin Fields will be able to do it, and maybe someday with the right coaching, he can.
But Jade Daniels is.
Doing it yesterday, today, and tomorrow and and and Hurts is a terrific quarterback, but he's not one hundred percent, and you've got to be one hundred percent. I like Philly's defense, but I'm you know, we also we've seen it. Daniels is the secret sauce.
I'm like you.
I like Buffalo. I've rooted for the Chiefs since I was a kid. I am rooting for the Bills though because of Ray Davis. It's not going to like. But I also think it's it's their time. And I also think it's interesting Gary that we experts and I don't know how much stock you put in this, you know knowledgeably in toned Well. The windows closing for Buffalo, they kicked it open this day. They took a hammer and busted out all the panes of glass.
Man. They're making their own window.
And a footnote to all of that, here's another reason that Buffalo might end up finally getting to the Promised Land again. Last week, referee Clay Martin was the referee for the Chiefs. Did you see this? Klay Martin? Every game that he's riffed for the Chiefs in the Mahomes era, they've never lost this Sunday though. Clete Blakeman's the ref and the Chiefs with Mahomes are five and six When it's Cleete's crew, and they like to throw a lot of flag. They throw a lot of flags Kalete's crew so.
Well.
The Chiefs have played eleven playoff games over the last four years. They have not been called for more penalties than their opponents in.
Any of those eleven games.
But I remind people good teams are good because they know how to play better than their opponents. Duh, and they don't commit as many penalties.
Yep, I'm making many mistakes. And I love how Eightman was like, oh, come on, yeah, roughing the passer right, that was bad. It was our third swig and six pack. And look, by the way, you knew the Lions were jinxed, at least I did when photos started appearing on social media of some moron who got a Lion's twenty twenty five Super Bowl Champs tattoo a couple of three weeks ago. Those never end, well, those can't wait until the game every year? Why you can't wait until the game is
beyond me? And as if that was bad for people like me whore?
Why because they're want to say how smart they are.
Yeah, I already had this one.
I already knew exactly. That wasn't bad enough.
For people like me pulling for Detroit who did not get tatted comes the news that Tom Brady's going to be back in the Fox booth next season and beyond still learning on the job obviously, unless, of course, the NFL steps in and says, Okay, this is too much of a conflict of interest being part owner of an NFL team as you are, So, hey, why don't they just get Jerry Jones is sitting with Tariko and collins
Worth if this is going to be like the norm? Now, Okay, Tom didn't even talk up Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson during the game on Saturday. Why because Ben Johnson was a candidate for Tom's raiders. Good thorough color commentary there, Tom, So then you had some Fox Sports suit I don't
know if you saw this. Brad Zaeger, guy who said the criticism of Tom's quote unquote ridiculous, said that to the athletic, pointing out his own ill conceived conflicts of interest like Herb Street calling Ohio State games and Dodgers announcer Joe Davis on his own Fox network calling LA games in the playoffs in the World Series. Would you like to straighten this guy out on the differences between Brady being an owner and these other guys just being announcers.
Yeah, but obviously an owner's got so much more of a vested interest. But you know, and it's also interesting that he's just not real good. I mean, he's okay Rady as a color guy. He's not better than old whom he replaced, and maybe he will be someday. And as I said, when he first started and was catching all kinds of flak, who of us in this business?
Me?
You anybody would put up your very first example of your work and aircheck from your first time and let it stand twenty five years later.
No way.
But for an insane amount of money, Brady's allowed, of course, to ease into this job. And I can't imagine anybody again tuning in ooh Brady's doing.
The game, or fill in the blank, ooh Gary Moore is doing the game. Dick Gabriels, Yeah, I'm.
Gonna watch or look now, they will leave if they don't, if you're annoying. So I just got to wonder, dude, does Fox really think it's worth it?
And I guess they do.
I like Olson, but Olsen seems to talk in all caps a lot. He seems to really it's all caps all the time. It's just okay, man, just yeah, you did it. But you remember when back in the World Series day, some of us are old enough to remember when Cardinals announcer Harry Carey got to do some of the play by play for the World Series games, like in sixty eight. Yeah, and the same thing happened with the with Ernie Harwell, who got a chance to take
turns doing that sort of thing, stunt casting exactly. Our fourth swig, one last NFL note. The greatest NFL game in history according to you, Dick Gabriel is okay.
Well, I'm going back to that overtime.
Game when.
Gosh it was was it the Dolphins when they carried a tight end off the field.
I can't remember.
Dolphins and the Chiefs that double over the longest game in history. Yeah, that seventy one. I think that's when they I'll give you mine. January twelfth, nineteen sixty nine, Super Bowl three Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida Broadway. Joe Willie name pro Football's white cleated rock star. In New York Jets, the much maligned afl Over, the heavily favored Baltimore Colts of the alleged mightier NFL sixteen to seven, after Joe even guaranteed it. But Sports Illustrated Dick says,
not so fast, my football fanatics. That's only number three in their list, which probably explains why they have some problems. February February twenty twenty five, spokesperson in the Issues got their top fifty number one, number one all time greatest NFL game. You were Green Bay Packers New Year's Eve nineteen sixty seven, lambeau Field thirteen below Pack twenty one.
How about the Top Boys seventeen? Yeah, onto a Super Bowl too, where they'd win another World championship against the raid Is.
Well, it's so subjective, of course. I think your choice is maybe the most important because it helped facilitate the merger. Yeah, you know. And by the way, Joe Namas brother went to UK, Joe Namath thought about going to UK. We want to play for Bear Bryant and Joe Nama I found this out. The d one of only two quarterbacks ever to win a national title and win an NFL champions As Super Bowl, the other being Joe Montana.
How about that.
I don't think Montana ever wore a ankle link fur coat.
Though did he not yet.
Our fifth swig and the six pack for bluegrass bowlers across the Commonwealth. Your eyes do not deceive you. UK and U of L are both in the AP Top twenty five pole this week, first time since the final poll of the disastrous well the weight ended up was disastrous the twenty nineteen twenty season before COVID canceled everything. They were both in there at the very last time.
So last night, the number twenty five Cards down in one of your former addresses and cities in Dallas, Texas, celebrated being back in the poll by absolutely eviscerating at that time the top shooting percentage team in the ACC SMU ninety eight to seventy three, and I believe Vegas
even had the Cardinals a two point underdog. I don't even what are you guys even watching this team as it's gone on this eight game winning street nine in a row for the Cards now, who like UK, have got a week between games, rest up, work on some stuff. They'll return home to play an upstart Wake Forest team next Tuesday. Meanwhile, Number nine UK, as you've talked about, will be on the road and on ESPN Saturday afternoon at two thirty at Vandy. They've needed this breather to
rest and work on some defensive stuff. And oh, by the way, one other game on Saturday I'm watching. This will be interesting. Belmont and Murray State, these two former OVC rivals now in the Moe Valley Conference. They still get after each other. Oh yeah, and they always have a full house down to Murray. It's like the old Murray and Western rivalries kind of used to be. And that'll be on ESPN Plus if you got that to watch.
Bellmont is a sneaky good program. Yeah, you know, you're never surprised when Belmont pops up in the NCAA tournament. Maybe does some damage. Boy, the ACC, I mean just last night you mentioned Wake Forest beats North Carolina, Yeah, which is really in a bit of a spiral now Tailspinuh, but you got to wonder about you know, Duke's obviously very good, but top to bottom, how good is the ACC?
And Louisville is coming along at just the right time.
And by the way, for it with every win UK fans, that makes Kentucky's win over Louisville even more valuable when it comes to the postseason.
Sure does and boy, the Louisville guys are really jelly. You can see how how they're getting closer in the court. They really like each other. This team, if they keep going up, this is going to be an interesting you know, the only five wins away from a twenty win season. Already about that? How about that six and final swig of the six pack? Did you get enough bowl games over the past month? Good, because ball season is not over.
Two college All Star Bowl games. First, the East West Shrine Bowl, the oldest all Star game by the way, it supports the sh Ryer's Hospitals. Of course, that's a week from tomorrow at and T Stadium down there in Arlington, Texas. And then you got the Senior Bowl two days later in Mobile. As usual, Super Bowl fifty nine February ninth,
New Orleans. But my favorite right before the Super Bowl, Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl this year, featuring not one, but two two shelter pups from the Kentucky Humane Society right here in Louisville in the bowl. Yeah, there's going to be a Colonel the Beagle pup and Julip, the first ever Saint Bernard mix in Puppy Bowl history, vying for their teams to bring home the Lombardi Trophy. Uh Kentucky Humane or Kyhumane dot org has all the deeds and even have t shirts to support either Team Colonel or
Team Julip. That's Kyhumane dot Org. If you've ever watched these things, are you not always entertained?
Well?
I love the Lombarkie Trophy because well, for many reasons, but one of them being my dog, who was asleep right here at my feet, is named bark Starr. You go after the famous Packers quarterback. But yeah, I don't remember how long they've been doing this, the Puppy Bowl, but it's when it's them. I think it's probably that and the Budweiser. Clydesdale's.
Yeah, the most successful idea for.
A Super Bowl spot since they started really spending insane money on him.
I think it's been going for like about twenty years or so.
Yeah, it's gotta be who doesn't love puppies and then puppies and beer come on?
Yeah, perfect combination, you and me both.
He's our West n Burea chief Gary Moore.
We'll come back and talk some hot reeds right here on the big Mollon Sider. Six point thirty WLAP Welcome back. We are talking with our West End Bureau chief, Gary Moore, formerly the West Coast Bureau chief and now some hot reeds for Gary. And we went through two guys in a six pack and we didn't talk about I'm kind of surprised you didn't include this, but you had a lot to talk about the Hall of Fame each ye ro oh goes in. Not unanimously one person did not
vote for this guy. I love the stat And then he had bringing up maybe once a year in his tenth ab in the major leagues here in the US, his base hit put him over the three hundred mark.
He never hit below three hundred ever.
Again, maybe Biggs, he is absolutely phenomenal. But the fact that he was not a unanimous choice once again screams for transparency from the voters, and generally journalists are the ones demanding transparency in sports, in politics and government. I'm amazed Gary that we still haven't got that, aren't you.
Yeah, And I don't know who the coward is that not only didn't vote for him, who also there's one guy maybe it's the same guy or woman who didn't vote for Derek Jeter. Yes, Mariano Rivera. Rianna Rivera is the only unanimous Hall of Fame entrant so far. Get this?
Are you?
Are you sitting down? Babe Ruth was not unanimous in the Hall of Fame. Yeah, he's eleven vote shy. Hank Aaron was nine votes shy. Willie Mays was twenty three votes shy and maybe the most amazing of all of these besides Babe Ruth, did you know Joelton Joe DiMaggio was snubbed on the first ballot. It took three years for Joe DiMaggio to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If this doesn't tell you the mentality some of the people in the Baseball Hall of Fame, the baseball writers,
I don't know what does. I've been in many a baseball press box, and you have two some of the most miserable some of the nicest guys I've ever run into in sports, and yet some of the most miserable.
Guys, Yes, I've ever run into.
Well, and what you just talked about Aaron Ruth Demagio not being voted, that's the excuse you often hear from somebody. Well, if Babe Ruth wasn't a first ballot, How can I make each year or whatever.
Just because people back then were stupid doesn't mean you have to be stupid. Drives me nuts, drives me crazy.
Our second High Red, SEC and Big Ten Athletics directors will be discussing a lot of key issues at a February nineteenth meeting in New Orleans, including the.
College football playoff playoffs.
And that's the second time the conference's ads are getting together to talk about college athletics in general and the playoffs in particular.
But that comes a.
Week prior to college football playoff commissioners getting together in Dallas to talk about their or to continue their discussions from the week. I know some people are not happy about the fact that ME included Ohio State underseated, Notre Dame underseated. They're talking Gary about maybe going to a fourteen team format, not this coming year, but maybe a
couple of years. Four automatic bids each for the Big Ten in the SEC, two for the Big twelve, and ACC whatever they do to me, Like I said, it's all about the seating, right it's I think they're gonna make even more mistakes before they actually will they ever settle into something.
Everybody likes.
Probably not. And you could almost tell as soon as the seedings were announced this year. You know, you don't even have to be a football expert to go why are they getting a buye? You know, there was that sort of a thing. It should have been more along the lines of the record of the.
Team or just but that was a lockdown ahead of time, right predetermined, which is nuts.
And I think that's gonna have to change at some point, don't you.
Absolutely.
And I like the fact that there's some you know that you're doing some of this on the college campuses, but at the same time, don't do the automatic stuff before you even get the team in there.
Well we talked before. I think a team that gets a buye should not necessarily.
Get a home game as well. That's rewarding them twice. And you talk about stacking the odds. That would really take care. But I do think, though I'm a Bowl Games guy, they need to protect.
The bulls and screw that up as well. Though.
All right, well that'll do it. Thank you so much, sir. We're going to look for you on Twitter.
Knee x at at at nine to five five Gary, where you're at.
I'm at Big Blue and cider once stay warm over there.
Same to you go Buffalo, Go Washington.
My thanks to Gary Deshaan Wood was to Amelia hass it. That's it, good night from the garage in Lexington.
I don't want.
Anything without spamming it well, span, egg sausage and spam. It's not much spam in it. I don't want spam. Walk on.
You have egg, bacon, spam and sausage.
It's spam in it as much as spam, egg sausage and spam.
Nang