Welcome to the Big Blue Insider.
Dick Gabrielle with you on a Friday edition of our program, heading into a big weekend already underway. The baseball Wildcats are playing down at Belmont, weather permitting, so keep an eye on that. We pre record, so keep an eye on that. And of course you came men on the road tomorrow at Alabama. Tough, tough assignment. Alabama came up here and beat the Wildcats. Different looking Kentucky team. You know about the problems with the injuries, but Kentucky playing better.
The bigs are playing better, Andrew Carr is healthier, the freshmen have played better. That is going to be one tough challenge down there. That is a difficult place to play lately. Used to be Alabama for basketball, but now when Natos gets down there and introduces an exciting brand to play defense three pointers of Final four caliber team last year, fans show out and show up. And back in the day it was like a lot of road
games for Kentucky. There'd be almost as much blue in the stands in Tuscaloosa as there was red or.
Crimson, whatever you want to call it.
But now it is a brutally tough place to play, but not a game the Wildcats cannot win. But they're gonna have to be at their best and we'll have it for you right here on six thirty WLAP the UK women with Senior Day coming up Sunday against LSU.
Kim maulke yep, she knows how to win championships. What does she have?
Four and the Wildcats are in the running for the better slid. I'm not gonna win the SEC, but they want the best slot. Obviously they can get in the SEC tournament, So this one's big. They're all big down the stretch, but you're talking LSU Tennessee, South.
Carolina for Kentucky.
So it's big that the Wildcats came back last night and beat Missouri. Watching that game listening to Darren, it was back and forth for much of the game, but the Wildcats, who were down at the half, win at seventy three sixty five. Clara strack At a huge, huge game bounce back after a subpar performance against Texas where she got in foul trouble, but she gets twenty two and twelve. She played really, really well, so did Georgia Amore of course, as usual, nineteen points five assists, only
two turnovers. George Amore played all forty minutes and by the way, hit two really clutch free throws down the stretch. And imagine what kind of shape she's got to be in to have her legs under her well enough to snag those free throws when they mattered the most. Still a problem for Kentucky. Rebounding Strack had twelve, team had twenty seven. She had almost half Kentucky's rebounds.
Unusual.
Tony Key only had five rebounds. She got in some foul trouble, only played twenty eight and a half minutes, and she is usually just wicked tough on the boards, but foul problems hurt her. She had six turnovers. Not a great game of forteany j didn't have thirteen points, But they're going to have to be better down the stretch. On the boards, we're out rebound of thirty nine to
twenty seven. Kentucky got only five offensive rebounds, and it's not because the Wildcats were hitting everything, although it seemed like for a while there they were. They hit fifty four point five percent in the second quarter, and Kentucky when it took command of the game in the third quarter, hit seventy to almost seventy eight percent. Took nine shots, hit seven of them, including two out of three from distance. So for the game, Kentucky hit fifty three percent.
Still, though you.
Got to do a better job on the boards. That's something Kenny Brooks talked about after the game when for one thing he talked about, and this has come up before, physicality of his team. Kentucky not the most physical team. That's been a knock on his ball club, but he has seen progress.
We're doing enough to win back games. And obviously it's not our m it's to be the physicality, but we can play with it and we've proven that we can beat teams who try to be physical with us. So it was really good, really good effort. You know, it wasn't always exactly what you wanted, but I don't know how many games you go through and you have what you want. But we played well enough to win.
And while the Wildcats are working on becoming more physical, they have been and still are really good on defense. That has been one of their calling cards. They had seven block shots last night and a couple of steals, so defense has shown out for the Wildcats and Didding in last Night.
Proof is in the numbers. You know, some things we don't do well well with. There's some things we do exceptionally well. And you know, we continue to hold people, you know, to their average or under tonight. But they got a little bit, maybe a little bit under their average. But you know, we're just a ben don't break type defense and we understand the philosophy, we understand our assignments. They do a really good job of listening to the scout.
So we mentioned the LSU game. That's a four o'clock start. It is sold out. It's gonna be on ESPN. It's gonna be on the mothership ESPN. Darren will have the pregame for you three forty five tip off at four, so you can sink your TV and radio, I hope. But it will be on ESPN. It's not gonna be on any of the Plus channels or whatever. It's gonna be on ESPN. So check it out at four o'clock. Now. The following Thursday at the Coliseum, Tennessee comes to town.
That's Pandemonium Night. That's gonna be on the SEC Network. And then the Wildcats finish up a week from Sunday with South Carolina in Columbia. That game is on ESPN. That's a two o'clock start, So two of Kentucky's next three games are on the main ESPN channel.
But I can tell you this.
I've covered UK women's basketball since the early eighties, and I will tell you this is the toughest stretch of games that I can ever recall, and it's probably the toughest ever in the history of UK women's basketball. Down the stretch, you gotta play ls you Tennessee and South Carolina. Thankfully for them, two of the those first year are at home, but l s U Tennessee and South Carolina. As you're playing for wins and seating for the SEC
tournament and the NCAA Tournament, it's tough. But think of the advantage you'll have.
Just just win one of them. But if you can.
Pick up a win or two, what that does for you going into the postseason. And that's how Kenny Brooks was looking at it.
Yeah, I like my chances when we got to play at home. Uh, just like anybody in the SEC. And uh, you know, and and it's once some people will look at that situation as a gauntlet, but we're looking at it as an opportunity and we're gonna go out, We're gonna play. If you want to if you want to be the best, you gotta beat the best.
And that's what the SEC is all about. And by the way, since we're talking about numbers, I didn't talk about this last night, and I should have. But what about Mary Williams and it's perfect game, Basegue. He became the first Division one or NBA player to put up numbers like this since Paul Gasol did it for the Lakers back in twenty ten. It's being called a quote unquote perfect game. Six to six from the field, five of five from the free throw line, four block shots,
no fouls. Just an incredible night for him. And now he is what tied for second, no second in an eight way tie of UK players who put up numbers like that. The best by a UK player Rodney Den. He won seven for seven against South Carolina back in nineteen ninety three, three for three from the free throw line. Rick Roby went six for six against Alabama in the championship season seventy seven seventy eight, also six or six
from the free throw line. They don't mention whether or not either I doubt if either one of those guys didn't have any fouls. I doubt with all due respect if either one had as many as four block shots. But either way, phenomenal night from Mary Williams and let us remember. And I was one of them who wondered, is this guy made of what it takes to play inside, playing the paint in the sec And there were of course people online, the overreactors, who were asking that he just be left on the bench.
Can we get rid of a Mario? Are we done with him?
Can we please be finished with the Mary Williams, let us please not overreact. I mean, the worst, the dumbest one of all this year, I can tell you the dumbest one of all was a quote unquote UK fan who on that great arbiter Twitter acts whatever you want to call it. After the old mis loss which was bad, which was puzzling, which was ugly, this clown says you got to do it now, get rid of Pope, got to get rid of him now, don't wait, just cut and run. Now take your losses, you know, get rid
of Mark Pope. Now, please think before you hit send or not, and show yourself out to be a fool and I think a lot of us clearly were wrong about Williams. But as we mentioned last night, and Pope has talked about this, it has taken him a while and I'm paraphrasing, to figure out what he can get away with.
And he talked about it last night. We had him on the show talking about it, that.
He just needed to figure out how physical he could be. Because I don't mean to sound sexist here, but the SEC is the men's league. You know, I'm borrowing that phrase from Pat McAfee. That's how he talks about the NFL, and he compares college players to the pros. Now you're in the men's league. Well, in some ways, that's the SEC. And that's more about not manliness, but just about how games are officiated because players are bigger, faster, strong, just
a little bit just enough in the SEC. And yes, there are kids in the mid majors quote unquote who can play that way, but it's more consistently played that way in the SEC. And that's what Amari Williams is doing, playing more consistently that way. And look, he may lay and egg tomorrow for all I know, but he's clearly better than he was when he got here, and doesn't that mean he's worked hard and accepted coaching.
I think it does all right.
When we come back, people keep throwing labels around like face of the league and greatest of all time and all that, and former players from different pro leagues are taking vocal and verbal issue with that. We'll hear about it on the other side of the break. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, Derek Terry from Batcat Center,
we'll talk Kentucky baseball season underway. Our number two Keith Elkins, longtime sportscaster here in Lexington and now work in high school games as well as doing interviews for the WUKY podcast and also later on West n Bureau chief Gary Moore with us here on six point thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Moonsider. As I mentioned, there is discussion out there, and there always is because everybody wants to have the hot take, the instant take, the lists,
all that stuff. The greatest of all time is a tired argument. But somebody the other night on an NBA telecast was talking about, apparently that Victor wimban Yama now is the face of the NBA, the new face of the NBA. That did not set well with my man Charles Barkley, who has really become the voice of the NBA. He and Kenny the Jet Smith and Shaq and Ernie Johnson on the TNT studio show, which is great, and they're going to try to hold it together as the NBA moves to.
ESPN.
But anyhow, Charles Barkley on set the other night TNT wearing a USA hockey sweater.
He loves hockey. Uh. He had a real problem with somebody, be it a player or.
An im media person, just anointing a youngster as the new face of the NBA.
First of all, you don't give anybody the face of the league, Am I right? Shack Shaq took being faced with Mike, when Matty Johnson, Lara.
Bird came in.
They're like with the new sheriffs in town. Shaq took it, Kobe took it, Lebron took it, Steph took it. But I get so annoyed when I hear these guys like you don't give somebody something. That's one of the problems we got. These idiots won't play an All Star game. We've given them so much, they don't have no respect for the history, but you don't give anybody the face of the game.
You take it.
And I love what he said, and he's talking about becoming essentially the man. You know, you can be.
The face of the league if you're the guy front center and all the promos that the network's run and things like that, But in terms of being the guy, being the lead.
Dog, the alpha male in the league, you do that on your own.
You could be talking about the w NBA as well, be in the alpha, the lead in that league. Just because somebody says, you know, well this person, you know, ok, is Caitlin Clark the face of the WNBA.
Well she is the face, but is she.
The lead the lead dog if you will not necessarily no when it comes to promos. Yeah maybe, but as Charles Barkley said, you got to take that, and Clark hasn't taken it yet.
I don't know she ever will. But I thought it was interesting that it came.
Up, as well as Barkley's reference to guys who aren't playing in the All Star Game skipping the All Star Game and things like that. And yeah, I know the w or the NBA All Star situation is becoming a joke, but it was really cool when the PK Suban, who is a former player in NHL six zero at one
time the defenseman of the Year. He is now a very outspoken broadcaster, and the other night during the Hockey covers the Four Nations coverage, he went almost ballistic when he talked about people who want to be or have been anointed as the greatest. He said, the standards now have got to be a lot tougher. And the first part of it, he said, is you got to show up.
If you're really about sports, then you're about two things, your teammates and the fans. And I'm sorry, it doesn't matter how much money you're making. When you do not show up to play, you're letting your teammates down. When you do not show up to play, you're letting the fans down that are paying you forty fifty sixty million.
I don't care if you're getting three hundred million, congratulations, But these people in here are paying twenty five hundred dollars at ticket five grand that are blue collared, hard working people. If you don't get your head wrapped around that, you shouldn't be in pro sports, because how are we gonna grow. How do we expect you to be an example? Well, guess what you don't want to be. You are one. You're on the biggest stage. You just said it. They
make the most money. You're an example. You gotta show up. You got to take that on. I'm sick and tired of making athletes greats, all time greats that aren't the best examples. Those are the people that we want our kids to follow. That we want athletes to follow. That helps us in our game.
Stephen A.
You want athletes to be educated on this and understand this. They got to understand the importance of showing up to the All Star Game and being on the court and playing banged up sometimes and playing injured maybe at times, thank you, and participating. Because here's the thing. Because you're making one hundred two hundredree hundred million, you should be out there banged up. You should be That's why we pay you.
Is to max out.
We talk about greatness in it being the longevity of somebody's career. I don't care if you play fifty years. I want your best ten. I want you on the court dominating.
I want you to go all out.
I want Michael Jordan, I want Kobe. That's what I want in every sport. That's the guy that I follow. You're a different version than that.
You don't get my respect.
I can't tell you how much I like that. And everybody there was like Stephen A. Smith and three other people on the split screen with him, and they were all nodding. I think they all agreed with him, of course, and a couple of them spoke, but nobody was quite as outspoken as he was.
And this is a guy who was a little bit.
Of a journeyman. He played thirteen seasons, one of the few African Americans. Actually he is from camb was born in Canada, and that's kind of a misnomer because he's neither an American nor are As people maybe way back when they were, but his mom and dad are from the Caribbean. So anyhow, And this is a guy I saw on wiki who at one point, and I remember this was engaged to Lindsay Vaughn. They split up before they got married, and they say they remain friends.
But I'm like, good on you, man.
But anyhow, I love the fact that Barkley and subon Marek Barkley, better known of course in the States, are using their platforms though to almost shame current athletes who are paid so much money and they don't begrudge them the money. But what Barkley and Subon and both said about different topics essentially at the same time, get out there and earn it and show the people who are
paying these extravagant ticket prices that you give a crap up. Next, Derek Terry to Talkentucky Baseball six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Lu Insider and joining us now is a long time friend of the show and a guy who was on the UK beat for quite a while. Get into the private sector but couldn't quite stay away, so Derek Terry created Batkat Central. You can be a subscriber. We'll tell you more about that a little bit later on.
But I know so many people, and you among them, got a kick out of the World Series run last year, and who wouldn't for Kentucky baseball. But in this day and age, man, it's really hard to kind of follow up and build on success because of the turnover in general in college sports, especially college baseball.
Am I right?
You're right, yeah, this was a line up on Friday. If you maybe hadn't paid too much attention to the offseason, but maybe he had gotten into Kentucky baseball last summer and during the World Series run that they're just turned out a whole lot of familiar names in that lineup. The other day, you had a James McCoy, who I thought that was kind of surprising, made a start in
right field. He was Kentucky's right fielder for most of last season, but the expectation kind of from what I had been told, is that he would be pitching a lot more this year. But he got to start in the Petrick Herrera, who was a bench player for the most part last year, who started a third and outside of that, it was a whole lot of New States.
So they got down to Lipscomb and and really kind of had a series that brought off the bat was you know, started off very well to win eleven to zero and have a mercy role, but Game two was not quite as good, and then he ended up in a spot with the weather that they only get two games in down the air, and then you can't get
the midweek game in. It's a frigid here in Lexington this week, So heading into the second weekend, with just two games under their belt, so I'll be curious to see and too kind of unfortunate no no ESPN Plus or anything this weekend either, So I'll be falling along on the radio. If you're going to be following along with baseball this weekend.
It's going to be tough too for both teams because obviously their weather is our weather.
But yeah, you know, I mean that's that's the.
Nature of college baseball. But getting back to the lineup, I was not that surprised that McCoy started because I have a feeling they're going to try to run through Nick minjeone and Dan Roselle as many of their pitchers as they can that that they.
Really need to find out about it.
And they know about McCoy, uh, you know, from from fall ball and from last year, but they need to to see what they've got, you know what I mean.
They do. It's kind of unfortunate too. Fre Ethan Walker he was going to be the third game starter. H he I'm sure he was ready to go and helped the way extra week uh for that. But they got a strong start from Nick McKay there to start off, and then ideally it's nice you know in a series. In game one they only had to use two pictures. Uh, Scott Rouse came in after him, but uh, game two
they worked at a little bit more. He probably saw a little bit more true idea of what they would be looking at if if uh, you know, it was a normal SEC Saturday when when Vin Cleaver got his start, and then that's why they got was Hogan and Buyers and TV and gregorson. I would say probably the main core of what you would expect the bulletend to be. You saw a lot of those arms in game two, and I wrote I was going to be curious to be for Friday night. Who else would have to come in
there outside of routes? You know, with Rouse pitching because the game was more lop sided, is this going to be the spot for him? Is following up after McKay? You know who what some of those guys have been moved up a game, the guys that throw in game two, what they have been pitching in game one had it
been a little bit more competitive. I think here going into the second weekend and we there's still, at least in my mind, kind of a lot of unanswered questions in terms of the overall depth of this bullpen where guys might be used.
Yeah, and you could probably say the same for practically every team in America right now. Pitching depth, which of course leads into the bullpen. And that's what came through for Kentucky last year, both the starters, but especially the bullpen, and Hogan was such a big part.
That's why I was kind of surprised.
I mean, it's way early, but he did not pitch well last weekend. Bobby Spins did not. But I think he'll be fine. Obviously we've seen what he can do. But that's always the great mystery, isn't it the depth of the bullpen?
It is it is, And you know, Hogan, I felt like he had a box where it was maybe just a little bit worse. He was not good, certainly not. He was giving four wild pitches out of the Twelvey three, which obviously looks horrible on the box store. It's one third of the pitches for little wall pitches a couple
that were there. What was really I think that's a funny for him, was that he came in in a spot where you know you're hoping he can come in and gets them out to keep that run off the board and he got a head o two to that second hitter and he ended up losing them. The command just wasn't there. And those are two walks and when they he loose them and they'll drive you crazy. Uh But you don't have to single him out, but everyone else really, I mean through pretty well, honestly, Sleeper, you know,
it was okay, he was through three innings. He was good at that fourth ending, got in a little bit of trouble, but not not a bad adding when I for his first start either of the season. So the pitching depth like another thing too, Dick. I'm really curious about some of the younger arms, you know, with any of the younger guys about now on Sunday to follow up Walker, you know, I've heard some really good things in the fall and then two in the I guess
the early winter here leaning up. I'm Nate Harris, one of the freshmen. You also have Layton Harris, who's a local kid. But Nate Harris at Illinois Variety, I think he was at to ninety five is at one point in the fall. So they've got a freshman class of arms that I think the don't want to bring along slowly,
I'm sure, but as the season progresses. I mean, that's the one area of this Kentucky baseball program, especially with Dan Rosell here, They've always found a way to get out, but they've almost always too had, you know, a little bit of mixing and matchingg ains the season went along. Guys that emerge that didn't start out in that role to begin the season. I mean, gosh, if you're to go look at their Friday Night starters through the years, I mean, how often has it changed. It feels like
almost every year it ever started the first game. You know, last year, Trey Pooster would not have been your first option. Travis Smith was, but by the end of the year, Pooster was their top guy. And can you go back a few more years of Sean Harney kind of being that guy. So still still a lot to figure out, I think with the pitching staff, but I generally steel
pretty good about it. But you never know in these arms, and then competition will get a little bit better, a little a lot better in the SEC and you know, either kind of think or one at that point.
Talking to Derek Terry is the publisher of Batcatcentral dot com and of course, uh, we'll be keeping an eye on UK baseball this weekend. But as Derek said, each to the last two games the Wildcats were scheduled to play. They lost to Weather, but opened up successfully last weekend in Nashville where they are tonight to Lipscombe, and of course Cole Hage had the home run, a.
Three run bomb. H You know, he did well in the fall.
Tyler Bell at shortstop, one of the storylines to follow, had a nice stop in the last scrimmage before the Wildcats regular season and then acquitted himself. Well, I thought down in Nashville that that is one kid that I
think is fascinating, Derek. He was the highest rafted player to not go pro and to play college ball, and he signs with Kentucky, which gives Wildcats now potentially their fifth consecutive year with You know, they hope more to come of an outstanding shortstop, Ridder for a couple of years, a goal Glover, Grant Smith who should have been a Gold Glover, and now Tyler Bell. This is quite a run for Nickmnjione.
It is you kind of wonder how much how much good fortune they got from that. How many years do they get to go now where you know, they can't really complain about any bad breaks that might happen to
get a kid like that to show up. I mean, that was a tremendous development in one and just quite frankly, you don't really see ever happen, especially you know, guys that get drafted that high under these new roles, not so new rules anymore, I guess with the MiB draft, but the way the bonus full money works, I mean, most of these teams have that mapped out well in advance, and you're typically the odds are just not good that
you get him. And I thought he had some good at bats, he didn't get a hit, the kid in center field made a tremendous play, and yeah, probably the probably the best offense to play the weekend, at least down in Nashville, to rob him of not only his first career ahead, but it would have been an RBI as well. And like you mentioned, Age came through as a home run there right after, so kind of stepped up.
But and I thought Bell at least offensively, I mean, I think he looked really good in the fall, you know, out there on that turf they think they normally do at this level, and I think he bounced, so I can't remember he was rolled with an air or if they give to somebody else. But you know, I thought he looked fine, just fine. I mean, he'll get a lot better as it goes. I don't know if there
are any nerves there or not. He don't play poorly by any means, but uh, I'll be curious to see kind where he settles in the lineup switch hitter that you know, he's patient at the plate, I would say, and the times I saw him in the fall and the one thing I haven't seen from him though, And I don't want to ask like I was out there all the time, but I was. I was up there a little bit more frequently than I had been in the past. Haven't really seen him tap into his power
too much. He had a great scrimmage one of the days I went to, Yeah, and it wasn't hard, but they were all kind of line drop singles, which is fine. I mean, you'll take that, but I'll be curious to see. You know, he wasn't really even a guy in high school that they hit a lot of home runs. But he's someone that maybe not this year, but but by
next season. I'll be curious to see how he's developed physically and if he can tap in and you know, be a guy that can hit the double digit home runs at some point, because I think that would be you know, for his draft probiles. He's a guy that part of the reason he probably did come to schools because he knew he could re enter the draft in a few years. So that'd be a great thing for Kentucky to be able to get a kid like that one.
I mean, they've they've got the hard part. They got him to school, but now, you know, can he develop him like he developed some of these other guys and get him drafted highly because you know down the road you'll have something to show pase recruits that they're kind of on the fence about coming to school.
Derek Terry is my guest publisher of bat Cat Central. We'll talk more Kentucky baseball on the other side of the here in just a moment on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Derek Terry. He is the publisher of Batcat Central, and that's where you need to go if you want to follow Kentucky baseball along with UCA Athletics.
Dot Com. But Derek does a nice job.
Covering the program and did when he was a journalist now back in the private sector, but came up with the website and a great way to follow Kentucky baseball. Of course, we're talking about the opening series of just two games last weekend down at Listscom. The Wildcats with
a weekend series here at Belmont back in Nashville. One of the positions that I think is going to be really interesting this year, Derek is catcher because they went out and they signed Rafael Peltier and then Devin Brooks decided that he's a Devin Berkshuder decides he's coming back, you know, which is a plus. I mean, he's a
great leader and was preseason all Conference. Did struggle last year offensively, a little bit defensively at times, but they they split shared the two games, I should say, last weekend, but Peltier was with a good glove and a pretty good bat. I'm curious to see how they share that time, you know what I.
Mean, yeah, very much. I mean, Peltier was one of the guys that I thought performed very well leading into the season. I mean, this was a guy that, like you mentioned, I mean clearly was you know, whenever he committed to Kentucky out of the portal at the time, I mean, it was widely assumed, I mean even by the coaching staff that you know, Devin Burts should not be back, yeah, for another season, So he was brought
in to be the starter this year. In my opinion, did nothing in the fall to suggest that he really shouldn't be in the running. I mean, I think he performed in a way that I was comfortable, at least from watching them, thinking that you'd be fine, you know, handling that you always want to have more than one catcher just because of the toll that that position can
take over the course of the season. And Bert's was really I know, he was all sec part of the preseason voting is in some a susponding guys that people familiar with, and on paper it makes sense, right, I mean, he is a returning player and on a team that made it to the College World Series last year. But you know, for people who maybe haven't kept up as much, Devin didn't really play much in the offseason. He played some defense, but he didn't really bad at all on
the live scrimmages. He had surgery once ball was over. You know, he's not someone who you know, coming off of a tough year, has really even probably got to make many adjustments. So he hit third the other day in that second game. You know, I thought it was a vote of confidence there from the staff that they believe in him coming off of a tough year, that he can still get the job done. And he had one ball that did pretty well. That's a short start. Yeah, just kind of hit it right where he.
Was really needed it. He put a good swing on the ball.
But yeah, well you take that over some of the outcomes that they have some some other guys you know, went down swinging or watching in some cases. You know. The thing with the catcher spot to on her Menjion is they've really kind of whoever the starter has been for the for the most part, I wouldn't say this is always in the case. For the most part, they they kind of ride it out with one guy a lot. I mean, they'll and Burks is someone who's logged a
lot of innings for Kentucky. So but I will be curious to know it's healthy a you know, I think if you're going to call him a backup or whatever, he's much better than than many of the backup catchers. I mean that Kentucky's had.
Yeah, there's no question about that. Uh.
And one thing you know they love about Devin is the way he handles pitchers, especially young pitchers. They have made no secret of that. There have been other catchers on roster, on the roster who might hit a little better, but even and that's how he kind of broke into the lineup. If you'll recall a couple three years ago, towards the end of the season, you know, and it was just a way that he carried himself. And you know, he's they call him the happiest man in baseball.
For a reason.
But I really am curious to see how that's going to play out. We're talking with Derek Terry Batcats Central about the Wildcats, who opened up splitting a series last weekend of two games with lifts coming. Of course, they've got Belmont in Nashville again this weekend.
We've gone a while before.
We've talked about second base and Luke Lawrence wins the starting job, leads off both games, has a couple of hits and three runs batted in in the series opener. You talked about some huge spikes to fill with. Keep three moving on, man, But they do like him a lot, don't they.
They do. You know, he's a guy too. Whenever they signed him at Illinois State, he played several positions. You know, we talked about how they f I'm Peltier coming as a starter. He could probably say the same thing about Lawrence. He might have been their shortstop, you know, had they'll not come to school. So he gives Kentucky another good defensive piece up the middle, and he's an the lead
off hitter. He played that role in the fall, and he carried that right end of the season where he he's setting the tone for him a good experience veteran player. And another thing too that I like. I mean, these days he kind of the whole program building aspect that still exists, but early it's kind of just year to year now. But the biggest thing that I like about Luke is you know he's got He's got another year after this, so you know, if they do it in
a way that uh, he's back next year. You know, this middle infield of bell And and Lawrence could could have sixty something games or whatever potentially under their under their belt. This year and come back next year, and he's sold bit better about the long term outlook. But I mean, I think that the third base spot is really that is really the one that as opposed to UH. In addition, I guess to catcher, you know who's gonna play third He's seen her air, He's seen Hindle, so
it started. I think Garget could be a guy that UH plays over there too, So we'll see. These are positions they were so close coming out of the fall that you had to expect that. You know, a couple of guys are going to get their opportunities. And I do like the long term outlook for a guy like and handled, but your hero has just stayed in the program and he's kept developing and when he's gotten this chance, you know, I've always felt like he was a guy
who could help them. So we'll see. Everything else looks pretty settled, but the catcher spot in third base, So those are the two that I think as the season goes, who's going to step up? And will someone take control of those spots? And ended up being their leader at those positions.
Yeah, they they've had some question marks. It seems like at at third base for a few years now. I mean Jace Felker, uh for a while there, you know, good stick, but you kind of you had to wonder about his glove a little bit. And uh, I remember a couple of years ago Isaiah Buyers came in and they thought he would be the guy and and and had the physical skills, but got hurt and you know, they they ended up just kind of trying to patch
work the lineup together. But you know, but it's college baseball. I mean, it's it's it's always question marks like that. And uh, I don't know. I think the things kind of leveled off last year in a good way for the Wildcats, so you can only hope the same happens this season. But you bring up a great point about the future and with so much consternation about the portal and nil, you know, and now the Skyllie numbers are going to go up and finally be a lot healthier
for college baseball. But it's kind of ironic to me, Derek, that college baseball coaches have had to deal with a revolving door for years and years. Can as you recalled, for a while, there might have been back when you were in college if you transferred in college athletics, you had to city year unless you were playing women's basketball or baseball, and you can play it right away. So you know, the constant movement was just a constant, if
you will. In baseball now it seems like baseball you sign a kid and he's going to be there for two or three years. It seems like baseball now, oddly enough, is more secure than the other sports, you know what I mean.
Yeah, No, I think it's a great big picture to look at it. I mean, this is a sport that is very difficult to understand. I mean I still have covered it for a while, still don't know that I fully like drafts, everything about some of the kind of inside baseball stuff. A scholarship advantages depending on financial aid for certain states. You know are in Kentucky we have keys money, but other states have some other systems that
make it a little bit easier. You want to recruit more kids in state that you can not have to allot some of your eleven point seven on those guys. So going to whatever the scholarship numbers end up being, I'm still waiting to kind of get the full details on that before diving in a little bit more. You know what I think is interesting, and this is not me commenting saying it's right or wrong. Kentucky still sign a pretty what I would consider to be a pretty
large high school class coming in next year. Any of the draft that might take some of that, and we'll see if they make any kind of adjustments this on thirteen and moving forward, I think rosters are going to be right around thirty five. That's a pretty big number because I think you see in some other sports football, that's what it means all rectatinos quoth the other night that they're not even going to recruit high school players
for this upcoming year. So for Kentucky to make that decision, you know, they might still be trying to keep that long term. You know, get guys if they like, from high school into the program and develop them there for
a few years. So if there is a payoff there, if you're able to do that, well, but what's the short term Unless you're signing thirteen guys that you think can all help you that one season, it's pretty big chunk of of you know, scholarship capital, but you're putting on young guys, so it cuts you down in some other areas. I'll just be fascinated to see. Is that what they're planning going to be moving forward? Do they want to keep tilling double digit numbers? I believe. I
saw Georgia might have only signed four or five guys. Yeah, for this upcoming class, they're going to keep recruiting portal guys. And it's kind of different than what you would think, right because Kentucky has been so good with the portal and baseball, ude might think they will leave a little bit more space. So we'll see. That'll be one of the areas I'm really curious to see how to they adjust that year every year moving forward.
Yeah, what Derek's referring to as Rick Pattino basically flat out said, we're not recruiting high school kids. We got to replace X, Y, and Z right now, and you can't do that with true freshmen. So they're going to hit the portal. Plus he also said in that documentary series Money's No Object or something like that. So they've got at least one or two sugar daddies for Saint John's who are going to pony up the nil up there in New York.
Derek Terry is famous famous Kentucky football and ile downer right.
Oh yes, Derek Terry is the publisher of Batcat Central. Batcatcentral dot com is where you can subscribe. Derek, we'll be talking again.
Thanks so much, all right, thanks for having me on up next hour.
Number two with longtime lexingon sports boys Keith Elkins and West End.
Bureau chief Gary Moore. That's all I add. You're on the Big Boom Sider six thirty lap.
Then teatact given, then.
Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider joining us now is a longtime friend and a guy whose voice is very familiar here in Keith Elkins, formerly the sports director at w l e X, longtime radio voice of the Lexing and Legends. You can hear his podcast the Sports Page on w UKY, the UK campus station, and also if you're a high school basketball fan, you can see him and hear him on YouTube on the glack cod broadcasts of a high school basketball girls and boys here in Lexing.
You know, for a guy, you're like me. For a guy who's retired, Keith, you're pretty busy.
Well, I think in retirement you try to stay busy, but maybe a little more on your own terms. But it is it is fun to stay active and maybe with a little more limited schedule, but I'm enjoying it very much.
I see you at the basketball games, the men's games Kentucky. You bump into each other, and of course you covered that program for a long time. Things have changed so much since you and I work those games regularly. But it's a little bit of a throwback this year, isn't it. Where You've got guys who came in and a lot of them will just be here for the one year the Big Blue Nations really wrapped its arms around this team, hasn't it.
You can feel that at rep Arena. I think the atmosphere has lifted this year. There seems to be more energy inside the arena, and they've really embraced this team
and of course this coach. After the initial doubts, everyone seemed to be on board just within forty eight hours or so of Mark Cope's hiring, and that doesn't seem to have changed, even though there have been a couple of bumps in the road in this season, but overall, it's been great and it's been a lot of fun to watch, and they seem to be enjoying playing that style for him, and we only hope that things will get better as they go on, and they've been pretty
good this year, so he's off to a great start and it is a terrific atmosphere. Good to be a fan right now.
As a guy who has covered this team and has just been able to sit back and watch as well. You know this though, expectations from Kentucky fans, I don't care who's out there are always sky high. And you covered some of the best teams, you know, and it's understandable that people expected the best. And I think that the early wins by this team over the likes of Duke and some others suddenly that people thinking not just ooh, if we could just be five hundred in the sec
you know, then it became much more than that. But injuries have caught up with them. What do you see in terms of the postseason for this team. I'm not asking to make predictions, but you know, what do you think fans should expect?
Well, I think obviously the fans are going to want a win or two in the NCAAA tournament after what's happened over the last few years. But I think it's realistic to expect some success in the NCAA tournament, but it's so tough that you could I can see them beating anybody in the field, but it's hard to see them winning five or six in a row against really good competitions. So if you can get past the first weekend,
I think that would keep the excitement going. You definitely need a way to avoid having the atmosphere turned down a little bit, But I think it's fair to expect a win or two from this team in the NCAAA and also the SEC tournament. Yeah, gets showing there too, And what to feel that is. I hear people saying that it's a tougher path to the SEC final than it is to the final four, and that may well
be true. So it's an incredible year in SEC basketball, but that will be an especially tough tournament to play in. But they'll be looking for some success there too, especially after the opening statements that Pope made it his initial press conference about putting more emphasis on that. So people are looking forward to that. Expectations are high as always.
I agree.
I mean, it's common sense it's going to be tougher to win to get to the SEC championship game, perhaps than the nca tournament, just given how well the SEC has shown out this year. But on the other hand, what better preparation for the nca tournament than this brutal slog of a schedule that all these SEC teams are playing.
You know, it's true, and each time that the home game would come up, and I'm going as a fan now and here's another good game. There's another good team against the top twenty five team, and you head on the road, and any SEC win on the road is a good win. But this year it's especially tough because all these teams have accomplished so much themselves. So you talked about having a five hundred record in the SEC, Well, that may turn out to be a pretty good performance.
You've turned in a lot of good games to get a five hundred record. It's just incredible, and it's got to be I would think a good training ground or a good proving ground for later play in the NCAA tournament. But at the same time, you might get beaten down a little bit too. So I think they can draw on the experience, and we've seen that too, but I think they can draw on the experience and be even more ready for NCAA tournament. Play having been through this.
Talking to Keith Elkins. He is a semi retired sportscaster, but extremely busy and as I mentioned earlier, one of his duties is I doubt if you think of it as a duty as hosting the sports Page podcast for WUKY.
Through the years, You've probably been asked this more than once, but did you have you had any and I don't want to put you on the spot, but any podcast interviews that I don't want to call him a favorite, but one that turned out maybe you better than you thought, or one that you had really worked like heck to get and finally were able to nail it down.
Well, there's probably been a few that would fall into that category. I would say, maybe, speaking more generally, the ones that I seem to have had the most fun with anyway, and I've enjoyed them all of course, But the ones that have seemed to have been the most fun are talking to the guys who played back when we were in school, back in the early seventies. And it was very nice to see that nineteen seventy five
team honored recently at Rapparta. That was a great team who'd gone through a very interesting career with their freshman class and then the thirteen and thirteen year and then bouncing back with the final game appearance in seventy five. So talking to guys from that era like Jerry Hale or Jim Andrews, that proved to be the most fun for me because that brought back the years of being in the colisseum and watching those guys play, and they were really fun to watch and so glad to see
them get that attention at this reason. I can't believe it's fiftieth anniversary, but that's what it was, and so fifty years since then. I know you were a part of that as well, and it was good to see those guys out there on the floor and acknowledging the applause. So I'd say probably from that era has been the favorite. I enjoyed really talking with Marty Brenneman back last year.
That was fun. I mean I did baseball for on a different level, of course, but for a long time and get to talk to him and get some of his insights. The main thing about the podcast is you get to talk to people for thirty or forty minutes and you get into a conversation as opposed to trying to grab a sound bite and put it together for a newscast. So that's been the most enjoyable part about the broadcast. And there have been several favorites, so it'd
be hard to pin down one particular favorite. But as far as the era is concerned, I think talking to those guys who played I was in school, and it goes for football too. I talked to Joe Beettersfield and that was a lot of time because I watched him play in the early seventies, and he talked about had they have to get dressed over in the basketball locker rooms memorial colisume and walk over to stall Field, and so I thought, well, things have changed a lot there,
but that's the way it was. That was life at a at a basketball school in those days.
You also talk to Art Still, and you can go back and listen to these in the archives at w u K Y excuse me, dot Org. Art is a character you know whenever you and I love talking to him, but you gotta you gotta kind of keep the reins in on him, don't you.
You have to try, But I'm not sure anybody is really successful in doing that with Art Still. You asked a question, and I'm just reminded of the old Brisco Darling lion on the Andy Griffiths Show. If you were a fan of that, when they get ready to play, and Brisco Darling would say, just jump in and hang on. That's right, and that's and that's what you feel like when you're when you're talking to art Field, just jump in and hang on because the interview.
Is not going to go.
You can make some notes that maybe have some more questions ready, but you they have no idea whether an interview is going to go. But what's funny is.
To talk to you. Though.
I got finished with that and I thought, I'm not sure what happened there, but I know we got to talk for thirty or forty minutes.
That's all right.
We'll talk more with Keith Elkins on the other side of the break here on the Big Boom Sider six thirty WLAP.
Welcome back.
We're talking with Keith Elkins, longtime sports cast here and lexing in at WLX.
He worked lexing in Legends games.
For several years, a host of the sports Page podcast for wuky dot org, and also you can hear and see his work on YouTube. As he works high school games for Black cod along with Sean Woods, who you hear right here on my show every week. Anybody in the particular caught your eye in terms of the high school kids, boys or girls this year. I know you see a lot a lot of kids appear in front of you, but has anybody jumped off the page at you?
Well?
I did get to see the Great Crossing team play at Henry Cicky a couple of weeks ago, and of course they have Malachai Moreno who is headed for UK and it was really nice to get to see him play. What an athlete he is. He's very smooth even in his high school years. He's a bit thin right now, but that's going to change, of course as he gets into a college program. And he looks like he just
has all the skills you need. We didn't see too much of outside shooting like you do from the big men these days, but he can really get up and down the floor and handle the ball well. And he has a nice touch the free throw line, which would indicate that he could eventually increase his shooting range too. But they've got another guy, Vince Dawson, who hit the winning shot in the regional final last year, and I believe he's headed for Morehead and what a terrific shooter
he is. And he's about six five, but he seems to have almost unlimited range out there. And that's probably been the most impressive team that I've seen. But it's fun to what's the local schools here too, seeing a lot of the Lexington schools. Bryan Station has a fun team to watch. They like to pressure the ball, get up and down the floor, and score and Mario Owens
is their standout player, their leading scorer. And it's just been getting back into the high school scene and you forget about having seen you get to see such good athletes on a regular basis. And it's really been a lot of fun to do football and basketball with Glycott. And you mentioned working with Sean Woods on some of these games, and he really brings the energy to the broadcasts.
And so whatever audience you're broadcasting to, Dick, as you well know, and I'm sure you could approach it this way. You want to do your very best possible job. So it's been fun to work at this and try to do the best job I can on the play by play. And it's still As we said earlier, it's nice to be active. It's nice to be doing some things, but maybe on a little more reduced schedule. But this high school thing has really been fun. We're looking forward to at tournament.
Time, Keith.
Recently there was a survey of media people here in town who voted the top high school players of all time, which is a fool's er and really because how do you compare eras? But it was kind of fun for me going back. You and I would go back essentially
the same amount of time. But you know, Jack Gibbins was voted the all time great player coming out of election, but just in the time you and I have covered election in high schools, I mean, I never got to see these great teams from the fifties and sixties play, but it is pretty incredible. And I don't know if UK set the tone or vice versa. You know, just the incredible high school players that have come.
Out of this city.
Oh yes, there have been just a great number of them. My time in lection goes back to the seventies, and of course during that time they were regularly playing high school games a Memorial Coliseum scheduling. Then it wasn't just like a last minute thing where suddenly somebody had a good recruit coming in or something and you moved it.
These were scheduled at the beginning of the year. It would indicate on I'll say a Lafayette scheduled that Lafia would play Bryan Station at Memorial Coliseum, and so it was just a great era at that time. Dirk Minifield was probably the best that I covered during that time at nineteen seventy nine Lafayette team. For those old enough to remember those of a certain age, that's probably the best high school team I've seen in person. And I really enjoyed watching those guys play, and Dirk was the
leader of that team, as you know. And then of course Jack Gibbons and James Lee were there at the same time at Jacket Bryan Station and James Henry Clay and there were some other great players around the city too at that time. So I guess maybe we have a tendency to go back to when we were young. But those guys that would certainly get a lot of the support from me if I were voting in that poll. But there have been some great ones down through the years that seemed to be a particularly good Ere.
Yeah, I'm glad you brought up that seventy nine team. And you know, they had some of us voters come together and they put a TV special together our discussions about the high of the kids that we all voted on.
Of course they had to edit it down.
One of the comments I made that didn't make the show was I mentioned Minifield's Lafayette team, and I'd love that team. I covered that season start to finish, and we probably I worked at WVOK at the time, probably broadcast a third to a half of their games when you factor in the Sweet sixteen and the regional and
district tournaments. But that, as you well know, that team saved the Sweet sixteen in my opinion, because it was the first the Sweet sixteen format as we know it, so the first time it was played in Rupp Arena, and as you know, the crowds really turned out. And then two years later when it rotated back with Vergie and Mason County and those teams, I mean, it was
crazy the crowds. But that's seventy nine team with mister Basketball who was going to Kentucky, sold a ton of tickets and it really I think revitalized the Kentucky State Tournament because there were factions that won class basketball. You know, the way they tore up the Indiana State championships. They ruined it in Indiana and they've tried to go back
to it and they can't. And now what I think, Kentucky and Delaware are the only states that have, you know, the format where even the smaller school can jump up and win, and that has happened. It happened with Lion County last year. But yeah, that was a that was a great moment, I thought, and a vital one in the history of high school basketball.
It was very important at that time because things were beginning to shift. And Indiana a few years later did go to class basketball. And I don't talk to many fans anywhere near my age who like it at all. So I think they've lost they've lost something special. I grew up in southern Indiana, so I know what the tournament was like when I was growing up in our sectional time, which comparison to district here, that was just the community just stops to follow basketball. And so that's
just the way it was. But the tournament here, with the success of the and the attraction of that nineteen seventy nine Lofia team that really did, I think, keep things in place for a while. And it was it was more than just a good team. It just seemed to be a team that you just couldn't you couldn't turn away from. Jock Sutherland was the coach, and yep, he was a character as we all know, and he had his what do he called the jail house junk defense and it helps, you can call it whatever you want.
When you got Dirk Winnifield and Junior Johnson and Tony Wilson to protect the rim, and they just had a
great team full of great athletes. One of the reserves on that team was Jeff Parrott who went on to a long career in the Big League and yeah, it's for UK, but so they had some great athletes and it all came together for him that year and they played an important role in keeping the tournament where it is and the atmosphere at that time and the crowds at rough I mean, it was just really something to see and something to experience.
And you know, one of the teams that Lafayette had to get past, as you know, it was Brian's Station with Melvin Turpin, and they had more than just Melvine.
They had kids who went on to play Leroy Byrd who played Contempt. He was on that team.
So just imagine high school basketball back then. A couple of minutes left with Keith Dilkans, I did mention that you were the voice of the legends, and that is a tough grind doing those minor league games, I know.
And now they're the legends again.
I got to think that when they were the counter clocks for a while, and that's that's part of I think some of the charm of minor league baseball's names of change and merchandising and all that.
That was just pretty awkward, though.
I got to think, you're you're relieved because you were a legend that they are the legends once again.
Oh absolutely yes. There are nicknames around the minor league baseball like the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the and some of the others, some things called the sat Poodles, I think, and all sorts of odd names. It's part of it is part of as you say that the charm and marketing of minor league baseball and minor league baseball's about
the fans having fun. But sometimes, to borrow baseball metaphor, you swing and miss, and I think they swung and missed with the with the counter clocks, and now back to the Legends is a good thing. They don't have the affiliation anymore, which which I kind of miss. I always enjoyed looking at on the field and thinking three or four of these guys, whether it's the Legends or their opponents, are going to be in the big league
someday and we'll all enjoy watching them play. I mean, Bryce Harper hit his first professional home run at this ballpark, and so you have that kind of good working for you when you have an affiliation. So I do miss having an affiliation. But it's great that they're back, and great that they're the Legends again. I think that's a good thing.
Yeah, Hunter Pence came through here. There are a lot of Jose l two V games through here. They're just it's all part of the fun.
Yeah.
J D.
Martinez is three hundredth home run in the major leagues this past season, was a legend. You know, a few labor teammates in twenty ten.
Yeah, Keith, thank you so much as always, and keep an eye on w uky dot org. If you haven't heard the podcast, go back and listen to the archived episodes. I promise you you'll find them entertaining. And I hope to see you at a high school game soon.
I'm sure we will meet up soon, Dick.
Thank you up next, Western Bureau Chief Gary Moore, as we wrap up the week here on six thirty WLAP, Welcome back to the Big Boon Cider. It is Friday, but we were bumped Wednesday by Bashky Boo. So our West End Burea Chief Gary Moore is joining us to wrap up the week basically, and he is on the other end of sixty four.
And I guess you had to throw another couple of logs on the fire.
That's a chili one out there, isn't it. Yeah, Buddy wind Child even in here, well, we got two guys in a six pack, you and me, and six things to talk about.
We'll lead off with the beauty of seeing spring.
Training return yesterday on an MLB network near you.
And I was so into I was.
Just loaded with good vibes yesterday, Dick, until about the second inning when former Louisville pitcher Bobby Miller, who's trying a comeback this year, took a comebacker off of his forehead at about one hundred and five miles an hour. And if you saw that, but man, you talk about it, that's always a scary scene, especially with somebody that you kind of know. And he got up. He's in concussion protocol right now, but man, that.
Was scary for a while.
Anyway, It's good to see baseball back. Also, it was yesterday Dick was the debut of the automatic ball strike or ABS challenge system. We've talked about it before, now in the majors sort of. Now it's in the minor league's Triple A teams have been using it for the last couple of years. Sixty percent of MLB spring training parks have this ABS, including the Dodgers obviously in Arizona.
It seemed to work okay the couple of times that I saw it kind of reminds me of like if you're watching Wimbledon or some of the tennis, you can see when they challenge a ball being in or out. It's kind of the baseball version of that. It only takes about ten to fifteen seconds to do it, so it's done very very quickly. Dodger pitcher Landon Nax's seen it himself the last couple of years being in the minor leagues and said that it seems to be calibrated.
The strike zone seems to be calibrated from park to park. In the minor leagues, that might be something to look at. But you, being a former umpire, do you like this now coming into vogue in the majors.
Well, quite frankly, no, But I cannot defend and professional umpires anymore. My brother has been one for fifty he's been an umpire and filled in on the Triple A level at one point. No, I can't because simply because the strike zones have become so wildly inconsistent.
Yeah, and they are not called per the rule book.
If they were, I firmly believe that it would speed up the game, you know. But it's just incredible when you see pitches that are, you know, two to six inches off the plate called strikes. You cannot defend that, even the guys at the highest level anymore so. And of course, Gary, this is one door. When you go through it, it's gonna slam shut. You're not gonna go back.
You get to Each team gets two challenges, and if you keep winning the challenges, you get to keep the challenge, so it's not like you lose the challenge even if you win or lose. So yeah, but only two is good, right,
so it's not overdone. Are a second swig in the six pack, also with the arrival of spring training, and it's actually been the case all winter, incessant whining about payroll disparity with the Dodgers world champion, Dodgers leading the way, the Mets in second place so far in opening day payrolls, Smaller market teams and their fans complain, well, we can't compete, even though every team is worth at least a billion dollars, and others can spend the money however they want to
spend it or not spend it. Last year, the Mets had the biggest payroll on the opening day. Now, how did that work out? And how soon people forget dick that? Arizona, Arizona. The Diamondbacks got to the twenty twenty three World Series with the twenty first highest payroll. But it's true eight of the last ten World champions are top ten in payrolls.
Dodgers are paying about one hundred and sixty million in luxury tax these this year, which is about the combined total payrolls of the regular players for the White Sox and the Marlins. But look, people want to see stars. Okay, Dodgers are paying for stars. Team in Pittsburgh or Cleveland or Cincinnati can get stars. That's what people come out and want to see. And I give you the minor
league example of that. Whenever there's a minor league player, or whenever the major league player going to the miners to rehab, whether it's a Kershaw or maybe a Joey Vado here in Louisville, attendance goes up normally. Why Because they're stars. People want to see stars, and you can pay for them no matter what market that you're in.
Look if the Kansas City Royals can jump up and win the World Series, yep, it can happen. But it's hard to argue against the payroll driven teams. But you know what the Dodgers also showed us is at least for a while there last year you got to say healthy. Yeah, you know, so that's also a factor you got to go. But I'm glad you brought up the Mets because and I'm really curious to see what they do this.
Year with Juan Soto. Now, but you know, as you.
Said, money talks, but everybody has it. And because you're in a smaller market, yes, you don't get as much TV and radio revenue. We're going to talk about TV here in a minute. But your overhead isn't it tough either, right, So it can't happen. But I think for the good of the game, a team like Cincinnati or Pittsburgh jumping up and making a run would really help Major League Baseball.
And here's the thing about the luxury tax. Some of that money goes back to the small market exactly, and how they want to spend it or put it in their own pockets is up to them, right. But when the Dodgers are paying a big chunk of that because oh there can't believe they're paying this guy so much money, well, some of that money maybe going back to your team in luxury tax tax. Good wisely, yep, third swig in the six pack for major League baseball. Let's go to
college baseball. This week, Mother Nature beat UK Louisville and Western altogether. All three had to postpone or cancel games because of well to step outside that weather that Canada sent us some sort of payback for that fifty first state nonsense.
I guess yeah.
The number twenty three Cats, as we speaker in Nashville for three with Belmont. Western was to play the first of three in Bowling Green with loafeyet the day, but they've kind of compressed those into tomorrow and so. And as for Louisville, same deal with Western Michigan Game one tomorrow, two on Sunday. The wrap up things on Monday. And by the way, in case anybody missed it, Louisville unranked to open the season. They opened with a four to three win over number seven Texas we could go today.
Then they lost to number thirteen Oklahoma State twelve to three. Then they whipped number twelve Arizona thirteen to one. Not bad to come out of that weekend with a two to one record. It's too early, obviously to tell if he's turned things around, but we've talked about this before. Do not count out Dan McDonald and his staff.
No, those were big wins because for one thing, I clearly they instill confidence, sure, you know, and I always go back to the first series Nick Minzione. Ever coached as the headman at Kentucky when he took his team to North Carolina, ranked tenth in the country, got swept, but each game went to the ninth inning, and he spent forty five minutes after the third game explaining to his players, guys, you can do this.
We're good. We have a good team.
I don't know if McDonald needed that level of confidence building, but he certainly has it at his disposal. The look he's the fifth all time winning his coach since he arrived of active head coaches at u of L five College World Series.
Guys, knows what he's doing. You know.
Yeah, they dipped last year, but don't be surprised if they come back now. You know, dollars are being spread out in college baseball a bit more equitably now, and frankly, U of L had some advantages that other schools had for quite a while. But if anybody's going to figure it out, it's him, and I really look.
Forward to the UK versus u of L this year. Said something I was just thinking about. I was thinking about the UFL players and their minds are thinking, hey, we can do this. Yeah, yeah, a number in front of our name right now, we can do this.
We just think that the other thing at UFL though, is the guys there's you know, they're standing on the shoulders.
Of guys who have done it. Yep, just like the UK players.
It's a great legacies there, all right, our fourth swig, we're talking college stuff. Let's talk college hoops, and let's dedicate one to the ladies.
Dick.
Last night, number fourteen, UK wins at Missoo. Not an easy thing to do, men or women. That's their second road win and actually their second win in a row after they lost to in a row.
Put it that way.
Number seven Luca's in town Sunday, Dick, Yeah, little miss Liberaci wardrobe. Number seven LSU. That's a four o'clock on the ESPAD mothership. Also last night, number eleven, Duke goes down at Cameron Indoor. Unranked, but not for long. Louisville is now nineteen and seven after beating the Duchies. That's two road wins in a row over ranked teams with the cards who get number nine Cara, North Carolina here at the Youum Center two o'clock. That'll be on ESPN
just before UK and LSU. So you got your Sunday afternoon, already scoped out for you. And on down I sixty five my WKU Lady Toppers eighteen and seven. They're third in Conference USA. And did you know, Dick Gabriel, the third best scoring team in women's hoops is right here in the state of Kentucky. It's not UK, not Louisville Western, my hometown, Murray State Racers eighty seven eighty seven points, seven points per game behind Tennessee and number one Florida State.
The Racers are seventeen and seven. They're third in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are coached by a former Murray High alum. My high school alma mater, Rochelle Turner. Watch out for them in the tournament. They will be there in March.
That's great info.
Good for them, And it's not easy building a program, as you know at Murray, you know, it's kind of out there.
But they've had good baskets.
They've had great basketball, both men's and women's in the past.
That was kind of a cool stat They just need more support, as all of the women's teams do in basketball. Now for the dudes, number seventeen UK, what Mark Pope has and you've talked about this, a brand new team or less goes against the very pissed off number four Alabama. It's lost two in a row. Tomorrow night, six o'clock ESPN mothership Bama is fit to be their name after Miszoo rang up one hundred and ten on them on Wednesday.
And we know.
Exactly about shootouts with these guys, especially at RUP. A month ago, Cats lost by five at home against Bama, which, by the way, shot fourteen more free throws, as you've mentioned than UK did in that game. Something to keep an eye on tomorrow and upside, of course, the Cats are five and two against teams with winning SEC records. On the downside, Cats have only played seven games fully healthy. And so here's another one in it's gonna be against
the number one scoring team in the country. And overhere Dick number twenty five Louisvill'es had the whole week off. They'll face sixteen and ten Florida State high noon tomorrow, Young Center c W Channel Cards are twenty and six second in the ACC. They're winners of fourteen of their last fifteen. They just keep rolling. And speaking of the Cats and the Cards, and if.
You've seen this you've talked about.
The Vice Channel has two shows documenting Patino and Caliperie that are worth watching.
I know if you've seen them.
I mean, there's nothing really edgy or controversial about them by design, by the thanks to the coaches, of course. But Rick's return to the Top ten glory with Saint John's has been pretty interesting despite the differences in the team's trajectories that you're seeing on TV. I kind of liked the Caliperi when better. The Razor's Edge is the name of it because fewer cuss words are getting bleeped out,
so already I like that. And the one really good episode that just ran think the latest one with John. It covered his return to rupp Arena. Yep, and all the kids that are out front.
Well we're going to boom him. Yeah, we're gonna but we can't wait to boo him.
Hey, Junior, you were in Huggies when Cal was here, saving the program that you're now a part of. Okay, so how about a little spec for the Karmen next time?
Okay, buddy, That's just not the way social media works now, does it. But you're right, you know, if you had been here I think the people were saying, let's be civilized. Are the people who were front and center when Kentucky was the thing again in college basketball. I mean, you talk about instantaneous. You remember how Kentucky went from irrelevance under Gillispie to back to the top of the mountain, not just trying to get there, the top of the mountain.
And Caliperry did it and it was fun. But yeah, the people who were doing the loudest, they weren't even aware of that.
And Rick did it too. Sure did took him a little longer, but not nearly as long as people thought it might.
No, even the first year was entertaining, that's true, because he got him in condition and they shot threes. That was one thirteen games, and we didn't think he'd wins six final swig in the six pack. Just because a college coach gets a big paycheck doesn't mean they're mature, responsible men or women, Because with those megabucks comes a number of duties, one of which is doing those old antiquated radio shows dick where they get paid and sometimes
get paid extra bucks to do them. Most are happy to sing like canaries after when we know that, But after a tough loss when fans in the media really want to know what went wrong and.
How are you going to fix it?
Some head coaches, as we know, send out an assistant or an assistance assistant. Cali Perry did it more times than I can count because I was bad at math Dick. But there's a couple of that come to mind. Well, last year after losing to that team from Knoxville at Rupp Arena, then you had that course he was Mia after that loss to Saint Peter's three years ago, and of course there was the only questions from social media.
Deal.
Of course that was a pre recorded show, so at least he did one of those. But I bring this up because up at Indiana, lame duck coach Mike Woodson has stopped all together doing post and pregame shows with their k wood lad for Don Fisher, even though Woodson's contract allegedly requires both. I say, if you don't want to talk after a game, then don't take extra dollars. If you take the dough man up or woman up speak when you lose, evolve, it's unfortunate. I'm glad you
brought the contract is because it used to work. This way head coaches men and women would sign their contract with the school, then to sign a contract with the media, partners, with the apparel companies, with the shoe companies, and they get a variety of paychecks. Now it's all funneled into I'm talking about a Kentucky now, but I'm sure it has other places.
It's all funneled into.
One big pile, and they get one fat paycheck. So you can't hold them responsible. I can tell you this for a fact, on more than one occasion, more than one UK coach heard from Jim Host or whoever saying, look, don't do your show. That's fine, you don't get paid, and it worked, trust me on that. Gary Morre is our West n barrel chief. We'll come back with a couple of hot reads for in just a minute here on the big bloon Sider six thirty wlap. Welcome back.
We're talking with our West End beer chief, Gary Moore. We have gone through two guys in a six pack. Couple of hot reeds will throw at Gary. Hey them, you New York Yankees finally are going to be allowed to wear beards. They have to be trimmed, you know, closely cropped or whatever. But they are relaxing a rule that George Steinbrenner Big George big Stein instituted in nineteen seventy six. Gary, they've been able to wear mustaches. I mean, gidry without a mustache. Come on, David Wells had an
angry mustache. But now they can wear beards. That's gonna help him win, isn't it. Goose gossage?
Yeah, Thurman Munson, you can tell Thurman Munson you got a shave.
Good luck with that.
Yeahdays, but they was back then it was stash only.
Yeah.
Yeah, Well, Garrett Cole has worn a beard for a long time until he got to the Yankee.
So you gotta be comfortable play the game. It's not high school.
Remember in high school, all the guys got their their basketball haircuts, at.
Least at our high school did. Uh.
So he didn't look like some kind of a hippie running down with you know, he's got hair and a shirt collar.
Get that, get that cleaned up. Who was the one of the Phillies who has like a duck dynasty beard? I can't never remember, but oh yeah, I'm not a Phillies fan. So when everybody you know you saw him in the playoffs. Like, wow, I can't imagine playing quote unquote the summer game with that kind of hair. I mean, you remember, I had a beard for a long time,
but I kept it pretty close. But we had a guy on our adult league baseball team it's actually a hairdresser, had a big full I mean, dark hair, beard and hair down to his shoulders.
Didn't bother him, and he was a hell of a hitter. M was it hot in the summer for you? Not really, buddy.
If you keep it clean, you know you're in good shape. I can't speak for others, but that's where I was. Our second hot read. Uh, this is probably going to impact more people than beards. Major League Baseball in ESPN are breaking up. I saw that rob Man and Fred has said that he thinks they're going to be better off going elsewhere because apparently he's not pleased. And I'm
quoting with the quoting of the New York Post. Well, the minimal coverage Major League Baseball has received on ESPN's platforms.
Over the past several years outside of actual.
Game coverage, so I guess they're not hearing enough about baseball on Sports Center.
I guess, well, they don't who baseball to night really anymore? And must watch TV, And then they spent so much money on NBA and football that this is just going to kind of take a back seat. Plus MLB has kind of farmed out some stuff to like well Apple TV.
Well now they're going direct to consumer.
Yeah, yeah, I think I heard Comcast NBC with Peacock might be a possibility on this.
I don't know that.
The It just seems weird because ESPN has set has been set well, he've been with him since nineteen ninety.
Yeah. Yeah.
Do you think losing Baseball Tonight, which baseball fans adored, that you had to I guess that was the last straw?
Maybe, well, and then they kept watering down Sunday Night baseball.
Yeah.
I'm not a fan of Jessica Mendoza at Wardo Perez, so I miss Joe Morgan. Joe Morgan and John Miller were the best.
Yeah, rest in peace, Joe Morgan. John Miller sensational, But you know, he's he represents one of the dumbest moves ever made by a local team when the Orioles let him walk and he.
Goes to the San Francisco Giants.
But yeah, I'm a big fan of his, well, not just for his impressions. ESPN is gonna slide college baseball into Sunday night into that time slot, which is great for the college game.
Maybe Kentucky pops up.
I don't know how that's going to be accepted, but we'll be able to see.
A lot of good young talent. I watch it.
I have MLB, I have MLB Network, and I've got the the games on my phone as well.
Yeah, with the program.
So there you go.
You gotta wonder about the.
College games if you're on the road and you're playing a Sunday night game getting back for that Monday morning class.
Good luck with that. He is Gary Moore.
Follow him on Twitter and the X at at nine five five, Gary, the same joint you're found at at Big Blue Insider one.
Stay warm over there, my brother, Back at you, brother, and that's going to do it.
Thanks to Gary, Thanks to Derek Terry and Keith Ewcans.
A reminder, Kentucky basketball tomorrow, the guys take on Alabama. That's a six o'clock start on ESPN. We'll have it for you with local coverage of three point thirty network coverage four thirty Tom and Jack with a call for you at six o'clock as the cats try to come up with a big one over the Crimson Tie. Gonna leave you now now with a movie or TV clip, well with a little song about genealogy. This is a tune from nineteen forty seven. To try to follow along.
It's called I'm my own Grandpa. That's right, thanks so much for joining us. Stay warm out there, everybody. That's it.
Good night from the garage in the Lexington.
Many years ago, when I was twenty three, I was married to the Winner, who was pretty asking me this switter had a grown up daughter, had hair of red. My father, Benny, love with her and were when this made my dad a son in law and changed my very life. My daughter was my mother, No, she was my father's wife. To complicate the matter, even though it brought me joy, I soon became the father of.
A fountain baby boy.
My little baby then became the brother in law to death, and so became my uncle, though it made me very sad or if he was my uncle, and also made him brother all the Winner's growed up daughter, who of course was my stepmother. I'm out grandpa, He's his own dampall. It's out funny. I know, Buddy really is a he had a grandpa.
Such seat, such stakes taking the show, anything, anything on such back stain. I think the thin tap. Then do don't do