Oh, oh, guess what day it is.
Guess what day it is?
Huh anybody, it's hump dya, Yes, it is hump Day. Welcome to the Big Blue and sider Dick Gabriel with you on a Wednesday. It's a big week because we have college basketball behind us, but the Masters ahead of us. We also have football ahead of us. On Saturday, Kay, we'll fling open the gates and allow fans to come in and take a good look at this year's Wildcat team. Must say a good look. It's not a blue white game, but we'll talk about that more in our next segment.
We'll also hear from Mark Stroops and one of the Wildcats. One more look at college basketball, and we'll keep you posted as best we can on the portal because again we pre record, so things happen late in the afternoon and we can't bring it to you in a timely manner, sadly, but we'll keep an eye on what's going on with players coming and going. And ESPN has a mock draft that includes Kobe Brea. He has worked his way into the second round. They're predicting he'll be the fifty fourth
player taken by the Indiana Pacers. So if that's the case, good for him. But he did that, of course with his incredible shooting, but also his ability to guard. Now he's shown people that he's a good enough athlete to get out there and guard. Of course they're saying Cooper Flagg goes number one. Interestingly, Rutgers, and we talked with Aaron Gershan about this earlier in the season. Rutgers, it
says here will have players go second and third. Remember when Kentucky had players go one and two back after the twenty twelve national title team. Well, it says here, Rutgers will have players going one and two. But Rutger
has nothing after that. Rutgers finished fifteen and seventeen this season with two lottery picks projected, lost three of its last four in the Big Ten, now to Michigan, to Purdue, beat Minnesota in overtime to close out the regular season, and then lost to Southern cal in a great Big Ten matchup in the tournament in the Big Ten Tournament in two overtimes, and that ended the season for Rutgers.
In fact, Rutgers lost six of its last nine. And this is with these two kids who supposedly will go second and third, but you know you got to have people around him. Trey Johnson of Texas had a big game against Kentucky. Projected to go fifth. Jeremiah Fears from Oklahoma, another SEC player going sixth. We mentioned Cooper Flag Well, two other dookies going it says here in the top ten,
including Kanka Nipple. You've got Maloche at number seven, Canimple number eight, and another SEC going tenth, Colin Murray Boyles. So a lot of familiar names in that top ten. No Wildcats this year, Maybe next year we'll see. You may know by now Kenny Brooks has a big time transfer. It could be a big time transfer. Josie Gilvin six foot guard. That's big for a guard. Now, six foot guard out of Sacred Heart over in Louisville, where they know how to play, had a great year at Western Kentucky.
Thirteen points in game, six and a half rebounds, two and a half assists, and two and a half steals per game. One of the best defensive players in Conference USA, helped Western Kentucky to a twenty three to nine record, thirteen and five in the conference, got to the conference tournament semifinals. She was All Conferenced Second Team and All
Defensive Team. So she gives Kenny Brooks some toughness on the perimeter and that's going to be important obviously coming up this season with Georgia Amore gone and they got some holes to fill. Tough night for the baseball Wildcats. If you heard Darren Hendrick Hall, you might have seen it on the ACC Network. But for the second straight outing and third time in their last four games, Kentucky
played overtime but lost it when it had it. Kentucky took the lead in the tenth inning, but then Louisville comes back and scores two runs in the bottom of the tenth and beats Kentucky four to three at Jim Patterson Stadium. The Cats now eighteen and twelve on the year, and who's coming to town this weekend only the second rank Texas Longhorns. For the longest time, last night it looked like what it had. In fact, it did what had happened over the weekend with ole miss carried over
for the Baseball Wildcats. Pitching in defense, they made big play, they made big pitches. They were down two to one, got a timely hit to tie things up, but Unlike last year when the two teams scored thirty runs, this one was two to two through nine and in the bottom of the ninth. I was amazed that this happened, not that he made the play. Rafael Peltier started the game. He has been the backup to Devin Burks. They were sharing the position until Peltier began to struggle a bit
at the plate. But he got to start last night and had paid off for Nick Minjion. Louisville had the winning run in the ninth inning on second base. A kid doubled to open up the inning and he picked him off. Peltier picked him off. I think there was a misbunt and the kid wandered off the bag and Peltier picking Tyler Bell, made a great scoop of the throw and tagged the kid out. Now, ultimately there was another kid who doubled with two outs and he tried
to steal third, going against baseball convention. You had two things working against you there. Number one, you don't want to be the last out of the inning at third base. That's not a cliche, that's just smart baseball. But this kid was a great base dealer, and Peltier threw him out. But here's the thing. He had just watched Peltier pick his teammate off second base, and there a base HiT's going to score him with a winning run. But for some reason he tried to steal third and they gunned
him down. So in the tenth Inny Griffin Cameron with a great bunt and Louisville threw it away, so he winds up on second. A bunt later, cole Hage on a two strike pitch dumps went over the third basement's head in the left and the Wildcats take a three to two lead, but the bullpen just couldn't hold it. That's been a problem this year. So now you got Texas coming in. You've already lost two home series in the SEC. You got to get this one. You got to win two out of three. But it's a really
good ball club coming in. We'll have it for You're right here on six thirty WLAP and Aaron Hedrick's got the call. SEC Networks got the first two games SEC plus, but Doug Flynn and yours truly as the third game. I found this online. You might have seen this. This is really fascinating. If you win the Masters, what do you get. Well, you get a green jacket, which is a tradition that started in nineteen forty nine, and there's an engraved gold nameplate inside. You can take that nameplate home,
but the jacket stays at Augusta. You get your name on the Master's Trophy, but that stays at Augusta, and you get a smaller version forty percent the original size of the original. You also get a Master's Gold medal that dates back to nineteen thirty four. You get an engraved gold locket, which I guess goes see to your wife or your girlfriend or your mom whatever. Invitation to the Champion's Dinner, which started in nineteen fifty two after
Ben Hogan's first Master's victory, that's on Tuesday. Honorary membership to Augusta National. You can't beat that. You get a locker in the Champion's locker room. You get access to the Champion's only range, lifetime invitation to the Masters three and a half million dollars that'll work, and a five year major exemption that's huge, a five year PGA Tour exemption.
Those exemptions are just gold on the golf tours. You get a special tea time each year, every past Master's champ is allowed to bring a guest to play on a Sunday before the Masters. The Scheffler brought his mom. So my advice to you is take up golf and go out and win the Masters. Get a lot of cool stuff. Coming up at the bottom of the hour, David Sisk will join us from Cats Illustrated. We'll talk
college basketball naturally. We'll talk about the final four of the championship game and just how Florida was able to come back and pull it off against Houston. A little bit later on Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard and Gary Moore, West n Bureau Chief. Up next, Mark Stoops talks about tight ends. We'll also hear from one of his best tight ends, and that's heart hitting Willie Rodriguez. That's coming up next on a Big Blue and Sider here on
six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big bluon Sider. Coming up in just a few minutes to David Sisk of Cats Illustrated, part of the Rivals Network. A little bit later on our number two, Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard. We talk with him each and every week, as well as our West End Bureau Chief Gary Moore, who is back from MCALI, so we will resume our chats with him. If you're a Kentucky football fan, you've already got your
calendar marked for this Saturday, ten am Kroger Field. It's the spring they're calling it the Football Spring Showcase, practice segments, interactive features for fans. You're not going to see a lot of full gameplay, but you will get a better look at what you've what you've got coming up for the coming football season. You can learn about the Wildcats. So yeah, ten am at Kroger Field this Saturday. Not
a blue white game. And you know what, You're not going to see many blue white games anymore, I'm guessing because coaches are going to want to protect their rosters. If you put a blue white game out there, it'll be on TV somewhere, there will be video everywhere. And kid, you know, kids that you're trying to kind of hide on your depth chart, they may get coach, they may end up leaving, just like Kentucky had a d back last year, but a great spring game and next thing
you know, he's on another team. So anyhow, check it out this Saturday. One of the things I'm going to look for and we always look for it, don't we. Every year is tight end. Look, Kentucky said, so many talented tight ends come through and just not catch as many balls of late that we thought they would. I guess you got to go back to CJ. Conrad. So the last tight end, it was really a weapon, and he didn't catch as many as we thought he might.
But really, to me, the biggest is not the only reason, but the biggest reason is because the old line has struggled for the past three years, and that means you've got to keep a tight end in to block and they're not going out on design routes. Maybe they released after they've chipped or even taken somebody on straight up. But you've got the new offense with Bush Hampden. You've got some talent in the room once again. And we talked to Mark Stoops about is the last time after
the practice when he allowed the media to watch. And if you look at the Kentucky depth chart, you'll see probably eight new names in what would be the starting lineup, most of them on the old line. Jimory Macklin is there,
Jalen Farmer they think might start at left guard. You know they work Jagger Burton at center, but he's been working primarily at right guard, where he's listed behind Joshua Broun new QB new starting running back very likely, although you may see Jamaran Willcox move into the starting lineup before the season opener. But one of the starters they've got coming back you've got to be certain is Josh Katis at tight end. He's a senior. I can't but it seems like he just got here. But he's a senior.
You've also got a new face in a tight end, or more than one. But the biggest target is Henry Boyer, who's a transfer six foot seven. You'll see him out there, easy to spot. Transferred in from Illinois. He's listed right now ahead of Willi Rodriguez, but I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a lot of Willi Rodriguez. You're going to see him all over the field, special teams, offense. Mark Stoops really likes him primarily because of his toughness.
Will's just tough, you know, just a tough guy.
You know good?
You know again, I love everything about Willie, you know, he just it's one of those guys you want on your team. You know, plays hard, tough guy, you know, has some really good ability. So yes, we'd like to get him the ball. And I know everybody would like to see him get the ball. My mother, God rest her soul, Silvi. We you know, you know that, you know the joke you guys that cover me all the time, my mom used to get.
That's a comment that referred to a question that Stoops answered a year or two ago about using the tight ends more. And Mark pointed out, and he's right, everybody wants to see the tight ends use more as receivers. And my theory on this is, and I've asked coaches about it, they'm kind of shrugging, like maybe it seems like whenever tight ends catch the ball, it's because they might not ordinarily be the number one target, so it takes a little longer for the play to set up.
Or you've got to give them a chance to beat their defender, which is generally a linebacker who's not as fast as they are. So when they do catch a ball, everybody's on edge, get rid of the ball, get rid of And then they do and there's a tight end. Everybody's like, oh my gosh, they got it off to the tight end and he might already have a step on a defender. So now it's exciting. Think think back to Jacob Tammy catching football after football when when Rich
Brooks was here. So yeah, everybody loves to see the tight end catch the ball, including Mark Stoop's late mama used to ask her son, why do you got to throw the ball on the tight end more Well, he really likes Willie Rodriguez, as you just heard, so we asked Rodriguez a few minutes later to comment on Stoops's remark about wanting a guy like Willy on his team.
Yeah, so that's awesome here. I mean, that's that's what I want people to say about. I mean that's what I you know, I want to be known as a team player. And this guy that's here from the team, and what's somebody that you want on your team? It makes I think it's everything. I think it's got to be on and off the field for someone you want
your team. I think it's in the locker room, trying to be a leader everywhere everywhere you go in the community, and also when you get out on the field, being the leader and being the league the whole team that, yes, sir, yeah, yeah, obviously being physical and you know when you put the helmet off, it's obviously an old different person than off the field, but I think that should be known. But I think, you know, you put the helmet on, you I complete a different person on the field.
Which he is. Hey, remember Rodriguez delivered the hit that forced to fumble on the first play of the game on the kickoff down there at Old Miss this past year now in review, it was reversed in a ball went back to Old Miss, but it kind of set a tone and it was Willie Rodriguez who made it happen. And he's made a lot of things happen on special teams.
So maybe we'll see him more on offense. And he believes that because they're in the second year with ham Dan, things will go could see will be a lot better.
I think it's having year two in the offense. This big thing, you know. I was talking to Josh Gattis, He's obviously had three different offensive coordinators. He said, coming back year two on this offense is very big, and especially for me just come back. I feel really comfortable. I feel like I know the concepts a lot, and I feel like, yeah, coming back in your two offense is big for sure.
So keep an eye on Willie Rodriguez when you're at the football open practice on Saturday starts at ten am, and then you can move on over to Kentucky Baseball, the Wildcats taking on the Texas Lawnhorns. As I mentioned earlier, I do want to throw in a couple of person notes. First of all, a big thank you to anybody who
reached out. It's a very nice ceremony last night in reception for the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame, I was so fortunate enough to be included in this year's class, so grateful, so humbled and surprised, and as I mentioned in my speech, thanks to UK Assistant ad Tony Neely, who oversaw football sports information for so long. Now in the capable hands of Susan Lax. But Tony's been promoted.
But Tony was the one who first approached me about nominating me, which again was a surprise, but very grateful. But to anybody and everybody who's reached out, I say thank you very very much, and it's a huge thrill and a great honor. Number two, just on a personal note. I had a little skin cancer taken off today and I've just you know, a public service announcement, and I
get checked every year. It runs in a family. My mother had issues with skin cancer, and it just seems like it's harder and harder these days to protect yourself out in the sun. It was on the side of my face, on my temple, and I use sunblock, but I guess I must have missed it made too many times on that part of my face. I won't any more. But please get yourself checked because, as you may well know, skin cancer that might just be. This thing was tiny.
I couldn't see it. The doctor saw it, the dermatologists saw it. You know, I never saw in the mirror. I still didn't, never saw it until they really pointed it circled and pointed it out. But as you know, and the form I had, basil cell, was the least serious of the skin cancers, but any form can go bad on you. So please get yourself checked out. Thank you so much, we need you out there. Up next, David sisk if Cats Illustrated six. Welcome back to the
Big Blue and Cider. Joining us now as a guy we love talking basketball David Sisk of Cats Illustrated, part of the Rivals Network, And before we talk about Monday night's game, let's talk about Jaden Quainton's who committed yesterday. A top five pick, originally signed in twenty twenty three, but spent twenty this past season at Arizona State. What do you know about him? Coach?
Well, he's a man child. And you know, after watching you know, some of these teams in the final four, all four of them really, and seeing just the physicality and what they had inside, I mean, you've got to have guys like this, and I think, interestingly enough of Arizona State, he's only the philth freshman in history to make the All Freshmen team and All Defensive team in the Big twelve and the other four our NBA draft picks in the first round, you know, who have already
gone out, and he's definitely got that pedigree. He didn't play a ton of minutes, and I mean, you know, he played I don't know, I think eighteen to twenty minutes something like that. So when you look at his stats, they're not going to be gaudy, but you know, the things that he bring. Number one, he's just he's one of those. It's just a beast, you know. He has that look, just just explosive, strong, and you look at him and you said, there's no way he's a nineteen
year old kid. He looks like he's up there like twenty nine one of those. But if you look at his analytics, if you look at his and I'm big going into percentiles, the things that post player needs to have, So I'm not gonna look and say, Okay, so this guy's sixth grade slow or this guy's three point shooting percentage whatever, and he did I think, step out make simon, and I think he shot up in high thirties. He didn't you in percent he didn't shoot a ton of them.
But if you look at the defensive impact, rebounds, block shots, I mean he's up like ninety fifth ninety six percent tile on up although up to ninety nine percent TILE. So he may I'm tell you what, he checks a lot of boxes, you know. And I was thinking, you know, as Tuesday morning when he committed, you know, and then you think about Malachi Marino. They've really gotten in the last two classes. One took a little bit longer. He
had to go through Arizona State and come back. But they've gotten really two of the top centers in each or the top center in each class. Almost Malachi Marino is is I think just barely behind. In most rankings, He's the second high ranked center and close to being first. And I would have to go back and look to see who was ahead of Clayton's plaints was in everybody's
top ten. I think Rivals had him eight. So you're talking about two of the top you know, centers and back to back classes in the country that are going to be wearing Kentucky BLUENX.
Well. To your point, yeah, he only averaged about nine points a game, but it rebounds, two and a half blocks, all defensive team in the Big twelve, and of course an all freshman player and bringing in these bigs David. It kind of reminds you of old school basketball. But Pope's offense is anything but. Right.
Well, that's true, but I think people kind of get lost in the shuffle of how much he's playing two bigs. It's not like he's playing five out small ball lineup. But you think about how much they went to high Low last year in between car and.
True.
Yeah, and it seemed like every game in the second half, his adjustment would be get the Boss into the post. I mean, you know, they would play for kind of free flow in the first and they started posting feeding all of locker room. It seems like they did it a lot. You know, when I was a year ago, when I was watching this stuff from BYU, I thought it was going to really be a just like I say, Small Boss Spread, Golden State Warrior, Boston selling at forty three is a game. I was amazed how many high
low to post action that they ran. So I think, you know, and then you throw in ham a debaute, you know, that came in and I think he may play some three, but he's about six seven, but his wingspan, he's so fiscal. He plays like he's six ten, and you know, you could I think, really he's more of a four offensively, but maybe a three defensively. So you know, they're putting a lot of pieces together and they're going
to be deep, and that's the one thing. They got a lot of players on that roster right now, so they're going to be able to just shuffle in different hooks in different lineup.
You cover recruiting for UK and North Carolina. Uh so obviously that's your your area of expertise. And it was interesting when Pope got here. There were some obviously a lot of people who knocked the choice. But uh, they wondered, you know, could he build a program at Kentucky because they were judging him based on what he had done at Utah Valle State, of course, and it bring him young, but uh, it was pretty obvious with the Kentucky brand behind him, Yeah, he was going to get it done.
I mean, how do you feel like things have gone so far? I mean, I mean, could UK fans hope are much better right now?
Well? I think if you're Kentucky you can almost you can always help her better, that's true, and expect better. So you know, but but I gave him. I gave him an eight minus last year we had to do grades and the only reason I don't think he could have done any better than he did. But unless you're at Kentucky, Kansas Duke of North Carolina, that's an a
A plus job that he did. So I just look at it and say, Okay, at Kentucky, your expectations can't be they're not sweet sixteen, you know, nobody's gonna throw a parade over that. But you've got to understand the situation. He was in a short period of time, and I thought he did a tremendous job coaching the team.
Then you get the set.
With all the injuries. Yeah, and I don't think you could do any better what he's done. And now he goes into the portal and he's really doing well there. So I know fans are already excited about next season. So you know, and that's a big thing too, if you want to kind of have a bitch mark where your programs at. What kind of optimism does the fan base have? And I think that's pretty strong.
Yeah, And there's already chatter on the internet and debates and arguments. What happens now in Garrison? Do you think he leaves? Do you think they tell him, hey, there may not be many minutes for you. What do you see in his future?
I don't think Brandon Garrison is a guy, and I think he might be best for him to realize this. If they would have said, Okay, we're just going to sit back and rest, Brandon Garrison's gonna bear a guy next year, I would have I would have severe reservations. Yeah, I just don't see it. He shows flashes, but I don't see it. I wouldn't depend on him for that. He needs to understand that. You know, he may not get
thirty five minutes a year next year. But I don't think you even if he was the man, you could expect that to Kentucky. I mean, Pope's going to go into the bench a lot. So that's one thing. But every thing is this. I know through my times in coaching, the guy came up under when I start out there, you he always insisted on having four post players. Really, and that was from the Dean Smith. He wanted to go too deep at the center. He wanted to go too deep and the power forward you could. You had
depth in the depth in the post was huge. You had fowls to give, you could wear the under teeth down, you had the size. And I watched Florida and one thing I've said, it's appeared to me that Todd Golden went back to the deep Smith Botto and said, look, I'm want to have four solid post players. And he did. And and if I'm curious and I want to sell at the garrison, if I'm garous, I'm thinking, hey, I can hang around here. You know, it's there's a job
out there. I don't think they've promised a starting job to Quainton, so it's mine to lose a mind to get that fight for this thing. But I just think that when you've got more inside depth and you've got some bigs in there, and you've got athletes, you've got some of those things, I just think it makes your team better, better and better. And you know, I'm a post player. I want to be a part of that.
David Sisk is my guest from Catch Illustrated, part of the Rivals Network. Covers Kentucky and North Carolina recruiting. We'll come back and talk about those Florida Gators, a new reigning national champs. On the other side of the break here on the Big Moon Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back. David Sisk is my guest. We check in with David every once in a while. He is part of the
Rivals Network, works for Cat Illustrated and other publications. As such, Man the Final four, all three games, David couldn't have been much better. You must have been as a basketball coach and Officionado digging what you saw for the weekend.
I did, but if you I don't know if some solid A couple of days back on Saturday, I tweeted, does anybody else feel like the Final four is just like a partial break for the Transfer Portal for a version, And that's that's how exactly how I felt. In fact, while they were I was top and out two stories what game was going on about potential Transport Portal players.
So that's dominated my life the last few weeks. I'm afraid it's going to for the rest of a month at least, but yeah, it was tremendous, and I think that's what happens when the best four teams are in it. I think the Portal has kind of done that, especially in Al, has done that where you know the strong are going to get stronger. And I know people want cinderellas that first weekend, but sometimes you pay for it on down the road. And we had a true final four.
I think I don't look at it and say like there was in the last couple of years, like it was Yukon and everybody else. I picked Florida to win, actually, and I had three of the final four, so I'm proud of that.
I first worked got right years.
So but I didn't look at Florida and say, Okay, it was them and then everybody else.
I mean, you had.
Four really good teams, and if you played it four times, you might have four different winns. So it was, yeah, it was. It was a tremendous ny I think you just had four teams stood out. I think you really had six teams among the best, and then but the Flows were clearly the best four. And you know, we were rewarded with a great weekend of basketball.
We really were. And just the comebacks by Florida, I mean, you know, and in that game, the championship game Monday, it was played absolutely the way Houston wanted it played, needed it played. And Florida beat them at their own game, didn't they.
They did, And I'll be honest, it was it was just early on, even when it was closed, I said, I do not think that Florida's big and stand up to this really because yeah, I mean, if you watched the inside, was sex were really exception exception of Thomas House. I felt like the rest of those guys are really just it looked at me like when they were inside, they were just fighting off a swarm of bees or something, just fleling around, and I'm just like, these guys are
not strong enough. And you know, you saw some rebounds early on where Florida's got the rebound and their position and they don't go get the ball, and some of Houston guy just like he shot out the cannon somewhere, goes and gets it. And I'm like the difference in chensity and what they can do physically is different. But you know, Florida kind of hung around. Houston had their chance.
You know, they got the lead, like you said, but then Florida made a run there and they got Clayton got going and you know, come back and they tied the game up I think at like forty two forty two, and they never could take the lead. But I felt like the bigs inside started matching up because Houston, you know, would never get it. We ever come a ball went
inside on either and it was and they had combat. Yeah, but I thought felt like Florida had really a good job of doubling down on post and the guards were able to get down there and smack some balls loose and create some turnovers and really help. So I thought they adjusted well right there, and I think Florida's big suggested, so you know, I really didn't know if Florida was going to win to the final horn found and I felt like it was Houston. But I think Florida didn't sell in.
Well, yeah, I agree, And I was shocked that Houston didn't even get off a shot at the end. You know, I wasn't surprised they played for three, but I was a little surprised they didn't give themselves any opportunity to even get off a shot.
How did you get?
You know, it was really weird. On that last play number one, there was if you watch it when it first starts, there was a beautiful hedge of recovery over on the wing. I mean, because it looked like a head so hard it almost look like they switched, but they didn't. Then they recovered back and you've got to have help and you've got to sprint so long to get that the recovery. I thought Houston might get them early,
and they didn't. And then when they threw the ball out top it was guarded well and then a good closed out. It was really interesting, the very same kind of play that cost Auburn against Florida when Chad Baker Mazaarre, if you'll remember, they got to steal on the press and Chad Baker Mazaar dribbled out to the three point line. I think it would have cut it till one. There were five hundred and twenty five seconds left, and you remember they closed out and he jumped on the shot
and then he came down with the ball. This time he used to let it go. So Florida really had two huge, deep maybe their two biggest defensive stands of the year when the three point shooter left the ground and then came back down with the ball.
Yeah. Well, speaking of deepense, let's back up to Saturday. How surprised were you the duke kind of folded?
Well, I think Barry obviously, But you know, it's really weird you're talking about these games. Florida could have lost to Auburns easily in the same way. I mean, they were not steady against that press at all. They got up eight and then you know, they can't get the ball to Clayton and the other guards. You could tell they didn't want it. They had turnovers, they had loose balls against the pressure. They missed like two front ends of one and one, and it was the same way
we'll do, you know. But I think the pressure, you're just not used to seeing it. And I just wonder too, Duke playing any acc the league was so bad they never had any pressure on them all year, and that makes a difference. But I think Kevin Sampson pointed that out, you know, indirectly would have been twelve wars.
But uh, just plays.
I think about the play where Duke had to run out against the press, never getting ready to go up eight. They got to lay up in the full court and the Houston guy comes out of nowhere, SWAT's it. They come out down hit to Floy's. Instead of being an a an a point game, it's a three point game. I mean, it's just a matter of second. So things like that, plays that you had to have happened. You have a really good bowl shooter on the line. This is uh, it's just while we love basketball, yeah.
Yeah, you know. And the defensive play on the inbounds, to me, I thought was just I mean I sat up straight and just kind of I didn't know what to make of that except that it was an incredible defensive play. And that's the way Houston played all year.
Yeah, and you know it was weird. I was looking at this morning. I knew it would go on today, and I went back and looked, and you know, it's easy to getting enamored when up and down basketball and free flowing offense. And I think we were all excited about Markope. I'm an a Oats guy and I make no apologies for that. I love to watch teams play like that. Becky McMillan coming in the Texas A and
M I just enjoy that. But if you look at the final eight teams, six of them in pace, I think there's three hundred and sixty three teams and maybe in Division one sixty eight or one hundred and thirty eighth or below in pace five or one hundred. I think Auburn was one eighty three. Five of the eight or one eighty three or lower four were two hundred or so one eighty three you're looking if you got three sixty three, you're looking right at the middle of
the fiftify percentile. So five of the eight that we're in we're in the lower half. So Houston and Duke, they were way down in pace and they played half court. They played fiscal, so he came down to it. This year, we're talking about playing the skyle of games. It seems like teams were older through the portal, they were fiscal. Defense won out over offense this year. Really and well, you know, we all thought the game was going to hold different directions.
Yeah. Absolutely, But you know it's a cliche because it's true. Defense wins championships. And at the end of the championship game Monday night, it was a defensive player there were.
But you've got to have you've got to have some offense. Oh yeah, absolutely, So yeah, you know, I felt like I think going into the game, I had tweeted this Monday, Houston was two and three when the team scored over seven seventy or more. They were thirty three and one
when opponents scored sixty nine or less. So you think about that thirty and counting Monday night, thirty five and the forty teams in Houston had never got to seventy points on them there you go only five times, and but you know, because you've got I felt like, why look at that, I said, Houston's got to get I mean, Floder's got to get to seventy if they get and I kept watching through games they hit and get the seventies that played Houston face it's down to low sixties,
like you said. But Houston when it came, they had to have it in the second half. They just couldn't get. They just couldn't score. You've got to be able to score. Rick Barnes will faced there for years, yep. And you've got to be able to score something.
That's right, that's right. And the last four possessions for Houston they came up empty. And meanwhile Walter Clayton came to life and that was it for the Gators. So you know it's it's.
Houston never got a Houston had two turnovers all possession. I never hit a ram with it, So that's big.
Another empty trip for the Cougars and another title for the Southeastern Conference. Coach David Sisk, we love to see his work and cats illustrated and chat with him here. Thanks, coach, we'll talk to you soon.
Thanks for having me.
I've enjoyed it.
Up. Next hour number two with Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard and wistam your chief Gary Morris back, You're in a big Moonsider six thirty.
W latnaut.
Tactus can anything.
Only welcome back to the Big Blue Sider, joining us now as he does each and every Wednesday as our unforgettable guard. Sean Woods, his jersey hangs in the raptors of Rup And we have been talking coach about the final four, about the NC tournament, about the brackets for weeks and one of the teams you loved, and you said this going into conference tournament play was Houston, and not just because they were the hottest team in the country for a while there, but just because of the
way they played. And sure enough they get all the way to the championship game. Before we talk about that, talk to me about the Duke comeback. That was unbelievable.
That's just who they are. And then it was almost identical to the Duke Kentucky game earlier in the year. You know, you know the kid just you know Cooper Flagg. You know, even though he's eighteen now, he was seventeen when he played Kentucky, but he acted like a kid who just you know, I mean, he's a dominant kid. He's a a generational talent, but he kind of you know, they ran out of gas. But man, Houston is just
so relentless. Then they played to the last drop, They played to the last second, and that's exactly what happened. And you know, the two teams that ended up in the National Championship were the two toughest teams on both ends of the ball. And that's Florida, who doesn't give up to the last second? And do I mean and Houston you know the same thing. You know, I thought Saint John was in that boat, but Saint John just couldn't shoot like those two teams. And that's the reason
why those two teams were in the championship game. And it was a historical game just the way it ended. I mean, you know, wow, yeah, well we'll get to that in a minute.
But when Houston came back on Duke, the fact that somebody described this more than once on TV. The first thirty minutes they played it was essentially the way Duke wanted to play, but the last ten minutes was played the way Houston wanted to play. I guess you're not surprised they were kind of able to turn it on when they needed couch, Like you said, that's who they were. What what did Duke do to take them out of their game at first, well, Duke.
Was just so flamboyant. And you know the way you beat a great defensive team is you got to make shots and you cannot turn the ball over. And I thought, you know, for the first little bit, that's what Duke did. They were making shots, they didn't turn the ball over, they didn't subside to Houston's pressure and physicality on defense, and it was it was everything they made. Everything was
going right for him. But man, you get to that thirty minute mark, that that ten minute mark, in that second half, of the eight minute mark, in that second half, if you if you not their shape like they are, you're they're coming back. They're coming to get you. And that's exactly what happened.
Yeah. Yeah, And it just turned into just a real dog fight, didn't it. I mean, I'm I mean, it was on I don't want to say it was like a playground game, but like you said, it just came down to the toughness.
They went to the gutter, they left the street, and they went down in one of those little fox holes. And Houston lives in the fox holes.
Yeah that's true.
So Houston got a chance to bring them down to where they're comfortable at and Duke wasn't comfortable with that. You gotta remember, now, Duke didn't have a close hadn't had a close game in two months, That's true. So when it got down to you know, cutting time, Duke never been there before. You know, they've never been you know, okay, they they've always been punching down. But when somebody finally
started punching up, they didn't know how to respond. And Houston didn't stop, you know they you know, you're thinking, okay, with ten seconds left or whatever, that we're up six, we got this game. No you don't.
Yeah. So you think the ACC, the lack of quality teams in the ACC, a lack of toughness in that league, came back and haunted him.
Yeah, because you you know, you only is good as especially down the stretch when you get to the final Florida of you only as good as what you've been, what you've gone through. And it's car experience, you know what I mean. They've never been in that type of situation before, and for the first time, they really didn't know how to act. I mean, they were out of
their element for the last minute. To be honest with you, they were just holding on, and you know, and and when you're trying to hold on and the other teams steady making shots and the shots not going there for you, You're like, whoa, you know what I'm saying. You miss a free throw here and there, you miss a block out here there, hey, and now you ended up you know what I'm saying, looking on the other side, and that's that's that's where that thing went down.
Well, and you mentioned Florida being a team that's not going to come back or they's not going to be denied.
With all the.
Comebacks Florida had. Amazing that Florida had to come from behind in four of its tournament games, including the championship game, which meant I gotta think that boy, the SEC couldn't have prepped Florida any better, right.
No, And when you got the Mariarra Rivera of college basketball, you know, he's the best closer I've seen in all time. And you know, and I'm talking about the shots that he's made in the NTA Tournament were not easy shots, and they were super clutch shots. And you know, Florida has gone through the gauntlet of the SEC. You know what I'm saying, They were physical enough, they were offensively gifted enough, and they had the best point guard in
the tournament. And you know when you have those deals, hey.
Oh yeah, and really interesting. I thought, Sean, that Golden benched him for a few minutes. As a guy who's made a lot of decisions under the heat of battle on the sidelines, have you ever had to do that, like you're a warrior, your leader. It just wasn't happening for him. For whatever reason. You got a credit, Houston. Maybe he was pressing a bit. I mean, this Golden knows this guy inside and out, by the way, guy who started his career with Rick Patino, as you know
in Iona. But what did you what did you make of that when he benched him?
Well, you got to bench your guy, you know what I'm saying. Justin getting going, okay, sit down a little bit, you know, gay yourself, see what you see out there. You know, sometimes the game has to slow down for you. But you got to credit Houston. I mean, host did a great job from a defensive stand taking him out of the game. But just like Houston did duke this guy here, man just turned it on when he needed
to turn it on. And Houston made two critical mistakes, and the two mistakes that made it wasn't It's just it wasn't what Florida did. It was just they slipped and failed.
Yeah, yeah, they failed.
You know what I'm saying. So, and he took advantage of it. He's the guy that you can't give him a splip and you give him an inch and he's gonna he's gonna make you pay. He couldn't get a shot off up until the late in the second half, and that you got to credit Houston for that. And then when Houston kind of let off the gas a little bit, boom, Yeah, there he.
Goes well and he goes in and gets the old fashioned three point play with a shot from the left side. I mean, kle Lee, you know, you knew he was gonna get something somewhere. But that couldn't have been scripted any better, you know.
No, they did a good job of really you know, creating that mismatch. And he got on with a big and he took that big to the cleaners. Yeah, and had to finish with a tough fish, you know. And that was a tough finish with the left hand. And that was really his first bucket of the game.
Amazing, just amazing. There's there's one other thing that you got to talk about when you talk about that game, and that's the foul on the free throw. They got flagged for going over the back. And you know, people, you know, why do you make that call and that kind of thing. But I believe that, and you could see it on the replay. If he didn't foul, then
the play would have unfolded differently. The Houston player would have gotten the rebound, but instead, because he went over his back and became a loose ball, they had to call that.
Well, here's the deal. The ref if I'm thinking the thing is straight, the ref almost try to help him because luckily, he said to the line, he just happened to make both of them. He in a great free throw shooter, that's true, kind of gave they tripped. It backfired on him because he made the free throw.
I hadn't even thought about that. You're exactly right, that guy. You thought, oh, maybe he'll make one. Holy cow, I hadn't even thought about that.
So you make Calvin Sampson happy by giving him a chance, but you put his worst re throw shooter that was in the game at that particular time on the line and he happens to be happens to go make both of them. And hey, it didn't work out the way you wanted to, but the ref gave you a chance, Duke, because he saved you in the offensive rebound. Maybe I'll put back and maybe could have got an end one
in that situation. Wow, But he stopped to play put the worst free throw shoot on the team, and he just happened to make both of them.
Sure did. Sean Woods is our guest. We'll talk more basketball with a coach on the other side here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Sean Woods, the unforgettable guard. He joined us every Wednesday. Who and Sean also has coached in the NC Tournament. Was that your greatest thrill so far?
Yeah? As a coach? Yes, yes, God just planning this well. He got to remember now when I played, when we played in the ncaatament, we played in the in the playing game, Barack Obama came to our game.
That's right. I remember watching that game. That was cool. Did you to meet him?
And we lost the game? We lost the game, just like Duke get Did you know what I'm saying we were up on Western the whole game, up fifteen with like three minutes ago, and I only had seven players and three of them three of them five out, especially my point guard. And you know Western walked us down and beat us in overtime.
I remember that. Yeah, did you get to meet Obamas?
And we're supposed to play Kentucky next because Kentucky and us, they had the longest winning streak in the country. We had the second longest winning streak in the country, and that's the year they won the national championship.
Man, it's all coming back to me now. But did you get to meet the president?
I did, and I'll tell you what. It took us an hour by the time we got off the bus to get to the gym because of all the security. That was the only that was the only thing I didn't like about it was, you know, it took us forever because of the security deal and that's the security things like that. But got to shake his hands, say hello. You know, we were the only all you know, HBCU school in the in the tournament. And you know he was a you know, African American president of candidate time.
He wasn't the president that's right, So it all kind of made sense and I was happy to meet him and very cool. Unfortunately, we you know, he left before the game was over with. It's probably why we lost.
Well there we were talking before the break about benching Walter Clayton Junior, the move that paid off for Florida. But you talked about it, and we talked about your former coach, Rick Patino. We didn't have a chance to talk about this last time, you know, I chatted, but he had to bench R. J. Lewis. It is always going to be controversy and Lewis is now talking about it the best player on his team, but he was three for seventeen and he was I don't know if
you saw any of the game. I watched the week and he was clearly pressing or rat or whatever you want to call it. As a coach, what did you make of that move by your former coach who benched It wouldn't have been the same as benching at Jamal Mashburn, but still, and this this kid's had his problems up and downs Lewis, but he's a big East Player of the year and he benched him at crunch time.
What did you make of that two things one coach knows best, two they got. I thought that RJ must he must have said something, you know, to make coach because you know, but if you watch that game, he was all out of whack. I mean, coach was right, and he wasn't great on defense, you know, giving up offensive rebounds. He was just out of it. It was like he took some drug or something. And it was like, man,
this dude is not in the same person. And so Coach just like, yo, you're embarrassing yourself, You're embarrassing us. I know, I got to keep you, you know, I want to keep you in the game, but we have no chance on winning because you're going to dominate the ball and the where you're going. What happened in that game was the other kid didn't play great. Didn't play
great either. The other guard, yeah, the big guard. So but the thing about it is that every game, especially coming the last six or seven games that could that that Saint John's played, Lewis didn't really get going until the last two minutes of the game, and this time coach didn't give him a chance, just didn't think that
he had it at all. I was shocked that he didn't give him a chance the last two minutes, like he you know, he's won some games coming down the stretch and you're thinking they were just out of the water. He came and hit some threes, hit some shots, but for some of our reason, coach saw something in them. And then I looked in his eyes watching him on the bench. He didn't have it. He wasn't there. If you're a big time player and you feel like you can help the team, you be nipping at the bench,
nipping at the bitch. You know what I'm saying. Coach put me back in Okay. Talking to the assistant Carlin Stevie mad he sat there in a daze like he knew he didn't have nothing. He had nothing less, like he wasn't even there.
Yea, that was Coach.
Patino is a Hall of famer. He's dealt with I mean, he's dealt with the best. And if Jamal Massburn was playing that bad and it was out of it like that and hurting the team, he would have sat Jamal mashmur He was set anyone, So that that doesn't matter. That's just who coach is, no matter what. Yeah, and everybody saying with this guy, you know, you're supposed to
ride with him to the end, so on and so forth. Well, coach has made some crazy decisions that has won him some games when you think that it shouldn't have and even this year. But for him to do that right there, he knew that that kid had nothing left in the tank. He knew and granted the kid probably didn't have anything in the tank because he's worn out. He's put these team on the back of the last three minutes of
the game every game. I mean, that's what got him there, and just didn't have it that night, and coach felt it. And you know, we could say, well, that's the reason why he's transferring. No, the reason why he's transferring is because he can get more money too. He's stressed in the waters in the NBA. Saint John can't. I don't think st I don't think he was making a whole bunch.
Yeah, but Micropoli there, benefactor, that guy's a billionaire. But I guarantee you, you know, he and Patino talked like, here's our number. That's how far we're going. I guarantee, yeah, you know.
Afford it when you can go get some more money and don't have to really deal with Coach Patino's raft. Because Coach Patino coached these guys. I mean, and I say, he gave him his pinky toe, his his his his big foot toe he puts. He got every ounce of perspiration out of these guys.
He did.
And I just think that they had nothing else left. That's what I believe. When you can't shoot the basketball and everything is predicated on you making spectacular plays on the defensive end, just over exaggerating and overachieving, sooner or later you go run out of gas. And I just think Saint John just ran out of gas.
Yeah, I agree with you. I got about two two and a half minutes left. But the number one seeds all make the final four. Some people believe that's the end for Cinderella's because of the nil But two years ago Cinderella's were everywhere and they had nil money. Uh, I you know, I don't see it that way to.
You tell you what, if you ain't got no money, you're not You're not.
The No, You're not going to be able to compete. But I think I.
Think you know Cinderella's and it's going to be I'll tell you this. I'll say this Dick, it's going to be much harder because Cinderella's were what these teams have become. Cinderella's were the mid majors that had older players.
Right now, all.
These all these teams that were Cinderella's, these mid majors, these players aren't staying till their seniors. You're not, because they're they're going to the hot majors. They're going to the highest bidder. So that's the reason why it's it's it's going to be hard for the Cinderellas and the mid majors anymore.
That's true.
Uh.
And you know, now, maybe somebody will show himself as a younger players to make an impact on a game, but he'll be gone a year later, won't he.
There's no way the way this thing is going right now that kids are going to good players are gonna stay at their mid major places. It's too much money.
You do have to wonder, though, whenever they make that ruling on the lawsuit out in Oakland, where schools will start divving up money, if that might slow some of the movement. I don't know that it will. I think it'll just mean that kids are asking for even more, you know, what I mean.
If you think the thing about it is this that there's no loyalty in basketball anymore, it's just you can throw that out the window. We you know, it's not about the education anymore. It's not about the retention anymore. It's not about any of that. It's about money. And you know that everybody's not gonna be a pro, but you can create generational wealth and not being there be a player now in college basketball, and that's what it's about. Now,
you know what I'm saying. It's not about the relationship because even as a coach, if I can't give this kid, I only can give this kid ten, twenty thousand whatever, and he has a great year for me, helps me win my conference and helps me get to the NCAA tournament, or even if he's just all conference, I know I'm losing him. That's just the way. I mean. No, and you can't stop a kid or his parents or his family from taking more money. You got to understand it.
Yeah, I get it.
You just have to. You know what I'm saying. And that's what it is. That's that's what this is all about. Now that all those teams that won, Okay, Florida's guard is a two million dollar man. They paid two million dollars for him. Saint John's was not going to give him two million dollars leaving Iola, so he went to the highest bidder and it worked out. Okay, that's what this is all about. Now, you know what I'm saying, Mark Pope, Right now, I don't care how good of
a coach is. I just heard the other day it's fifteen million. Now that's their deal. They got fifteen million dollars to DV eight in the transport part. We are Kentucky. I know, with the pride that I have and these people have in the state of Kentucky, they're not gonna let nobody outbid us because we will still want to be the cream of the crop. And it's going to take that to stay at the cream of the crop, you know. And every coach can go back to their ad and say, hey, you want me to be at
this level. You just saw all these number one teams, right they had the highest budgets. Auburn, all grown men money, Houston. The only team that's not like that is Houston. Now they getting paid a lot, a lot, But Calvin Simpson keeps his guys. They got a couple of transfers. Most of those guys, especially the guy who hit the free throws. He's been there since he's a freshman.
Sean. We're out of time, but we can all like this forever. We can talk about it. We can talk more next week about it. There's gonna be news between now and then. Thank you, thank you so much.
No problem, Jack, looking forward to it.
Man Western Buera chief Gary Moore is up next on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider, and we say welcome back to our West n Bureau chief, Gary Moore, who was out on the Left coast where he was our West Coast Bureau chief for many many years. Now back in LA's a Louisville area, and he's got all kinds of wonderful things to share with us.
Well, two guys in six pack.
By the way, this first time you and I have talked since not only the final four, but since you are a Hall of Famer.
Well yeah, Kentucky Journalism Hall of Famer.
Congrats, bro, thank you, thank you. Couldn't have done it without you.
I know it took him so long, but I'm glad you're.
In thank you. Very nice ceremony last night. Oh that was great.
I saw the pictures on your Facebook.
Peo were there family, There was great.
Very well deserved.
Thank you and you go back to my early roots man, you were. My first job was at a different radio station where you worked. So yeah, yeah, you go back.
You had that badass beard too, Hi, I was afraid to shake your hand.
I'm new here. Get out of here, kid, Hey, quick, before I get into the swigs.
We have, you know, six swigs and some fun hot reads I think later on. But a quick shout out to a big blue nation. I just want to say that the joy for UK fans that saw a heralded duke player miss a last second shot last weekend, that joy shall be everlasting from now on as long as they keep showing the laate Ander lucky shot at the end. We got to endure that every March show, the show the flags. Yeah, god, it was beautiful. I just I'm still just basking in that. Okay, our first twigger, you know.
And going back to we haven't talked really since our brackets. Mine was beyond the help of FEMA. After the first day. I think we may have talked about that but I did pick the final four number ones to meet, and I didn't have Florida winning it all in the first bracket that I filled out.
Yeah, I was pulling for Houston at the end. I was hoping they would win him.
Two final thoughts for you in March Madness, see which you think. Of course, you were also right about louisvill getting screwed in the seating.
That was an another thing, but number one, the number one thing.
It is time for me, I think to ditch the three announcer.
Tag teams in coverage.
Always seems like there's one pie hole too many of these, and it's obvious why networks continue to do it.
I think it's well, the.
More pronouncers, the more special the game wrong, and especially I know what they're trying to do. They're trying in vain to recapture the magic of Dick Enberg, al maguire and Billy Packer, which will never happen again. You want to make any game special, have Kevin Harlan call it.
Okay, he's the best in the business.
He elevates every game, unlike Eagle and Raftery and Hill, nice guys. Nothing special about those three. Number two the commercials saturating the March. Madness games get worse every year. This year they were so miserable and so devoid of new ideas. One insurance company, you may recall, brought back again and again and again after game after game that awful pig.
We wie wing all the way home from years ago. It was awful then, even worse now.
People at ad agencies, if you're listening, watch some episodes of mad Men and get some better ideas.
Okay, I'll sit down now.
Well, I was reaching for the mute with the pig the first couple of times I saw no. Okay, you know, especially the kicker at the end. You know, thanks miss see. But yeah, like you said, after the eighth or twelfth time, please, and you get so turned off by it you can't even remember what they're selling, which is the antithesis of what you're trying to right there. I'm a big Kevin Harlan fan. I'm like you. And by the way, he calls Green Bay Packers preseason games.
Which is worth watching right there.
Yeah, yeah, I will push back a little. I'm an Iron Eagle fan, but I'm with you. The three person booth, you know, it just seems like they're trying so hard to make room for one another, and you absolutely nailed it. You know what made the Edinburgh McGuire Packer group so special was and this isn't a knock on any of the playmate play guys, but Mberg was the master of just getting out of the way and letting and the other two guys, their chemistry was genuine from the first day.
And I happened to work that broadcast as a student statistician, or I might have been out of school by then. When Packer and McGuire worked together and they had McGuire in the back in a small room of the green screen, Billy Packard, to his credit, said, for the next game, we gotta have all out here with us. We have to have al out here with us. And that's how that started. To Billy Packer's credit, it's.
A great lineup. I don't know if you'll ever have anything like that again.
You can't create that.
Second swig headlined in yesterday's Courier Journal from sportswriter cl Brown, I don't know if you saw this or not. It said quote Louisville and Kentucky basketball will be back in the NCAA final four very soon unquote okay, define very soon, Brown says, within the next two seasons. Book it now, book it now, he said, okay, Dooley nod, I have you already talked about it. I know UK's transfers, those
coming back, whoever's coming back. As for Louisville, they're ranked number one at last look in the portal by twenty four to seven. Sports got one five star commit two four stars so far. Same with UK, even though there's somehow ranked number three behind Michigan in U OFL. With the same star rankings, Vegas odds makers have Louisville in the fourth betting place to win it all next year seventeen to one. Houston's leading the pack so far at nine to one, Duke ten to one, yukon fourteen to one.
Cats are in the seventh spottle, though I would up that they're at twenty to one right now.
Now.
Can argue that all you want. I know, the Vegas odds makers picked I think two out of the four this year to get to the final four. But my favorite unfact about all of this this year's final four fifty of the four teams Auburn and Florida lost in the first round last year. Yes, and just like that that became one seeds and one win a championship within a year.
How about that Auburn losing to Yale.
Yeah yeah, Colorado beating Florida, Well.
You know, every season the new season, which is obviously which is why I find the Vegas eye even more fascinating, because how in the world do you handicap with all these players coming and going. The portal door is a spinning door. It's not just in action. I mean, it's unbelievable. So I'm sure there's some great eyes out there. I wouldn't even know where and how to begin to handicap.
Third Swig and the six back onto baseball and specifically Cats and Cards baseball.
Last night seeing this.
Oh yeah, Jim talked about a little earlier.
Jim Patterson Stadium wins Chill in the third one hundred and twenty fifth meeting of the Battle for the Bluegrass Year between the Cats and the Cards took ten innings, Number eleven, Cards walked it off four to three amid some fabulous middle finger salutes from both sides. There was no player had shake, obviously, except I think the coaches had a handshake line.
Yea.
But all in all a pretty good game.
Pitcher's duel, some dumb base running by Louisville, intense animosity between rivals.
It's what you want. I loved it.
Get your popcorn ready for the Lexington rematch in two weeks April twenty second. Cat's course getting number two Texas this weekend, and after Louisville missed the field of sixty four for the third time in four seasons last year, you and I speculated that Dan McDonald would get things
corrected or else, and he has so far. Last year, the Cards pitching era six point fifty, the worst in McDonald's eighteen years, and now it's better four point nine to six the last check and the hitting Louisville number nine in the nation with a three twenty five average. At the beginning of the week, you were out there calling the games, what's wrong with the Cats so far?
Well, last night it was what was good for the Cats last weekend? Relief pitching the Kentucky bullpen against Ole Miss was really really good. Was the best it's been all year, and it was good for a while last night. But Robert Hogan for summery, he's just off. He was the man down the stretch last year, one of them they had two or three and he just isn't right. I don't know what it is. But until he gets himself straightened out, they're gonna have that hole in their bullpen.
But you're right, it was a fun game. As I mentioned earlier, Raphael PELTI, MAT's some huge throws. Oh man, the catchers are yeah. Uh, And I not surprised you. But here's the thing that surprises me the most. Maybe it shouldn't, Gary, because we've seen this rivalry in all sports for so long. You know, UK's got like twenty nine to thirty new players, and most of them are from out of state, and yet this rivalry is already ingrained in these guys. Yeah, that's how to hear about
it from their teammates, from their classmates, from fans. So it makes it fun. And I'm sure it's the same at the other end of the interstate.
Oh, we mentioned that Louisville is number nine in team batting. Our fourth swig here guess who's ahead of Louisville at number eight in batting average? To go down I sixty five by Alma Mater wku is a three to twenty six clip.
How about that, Hilltoppers and it just gets better.
Hilltoppers are number twenty five and the latest Baseball America rankings after taking two out of three down at Well then number seventeen Dallas Baptists last weekend, and before that they took number sixteen Vandy to extras before they lost five to four last week Toppers are twenty two and oh at home, best start in school history twenty eight and five overall. They play three at Fallwell Finishing School aka Liberty this weekend and it's a number twenty five
ranking and the eighth best hitting team in America. The WKU pitching staff has the number one e er in D one Nikes two point five to nine with six shutouts. Pitchered Jack Bennett fourth in the country one point five o e r A outfielder Ryan Widman seventh, best batting average in the country four fifty one. And yeah, let's be honest here, full disclosure being being an alumn here. The Toppers have loaded up on the Ekus and the UT Martins and the Central Michigan's and so forth.
They're two and two.
Against ranked opponents next Tuesday night here in Louisville against number eleven Louisville, and then on the twenty ninth they get UK down at WKU.
Who saw this brewing at BG?
Did you no? Not at all?
You know.
Meanwhile, their arch rival EKU is really struggling this year. But it's fun to see Western Kentucky excel and playing the higher ranked teams. You gotta have when it comes time, as you will. That's just like basketball strength Schedule RPI and all that. Good luck to them.
Fifth swig speaking to baseball. As we mentioned last week, I was out at my former home away from home, Dodger Stadium. It was a great opening week for the world champs. Some of you've ever gone to an opening week of a world champion, but the buzz and the excitements off the charts, and it was nothing like the opening week back in eighty nine after their eighty eight championship. I covered that one as well. Dodgers, as you know,
went eight and oh to open the season. They included three a sweep of the Braves that I saw last week, and in the final game that they won, a torpedo bat Dick had a role in the Dodgers six to five comeback win.
Check this out. Dodgers Slugging third basement.
Max Munsey tried out a torpedo bat, did it in batting practice, and then he went zero to three in the game. Then he switched back to his regular stick boom, two run, double tie the game. Max would later say in the Foul Territory podcast, quote, my whole I've swung the same model and the weight is all the way at the very end of the bat. You changed that to be more in the center. It just felt way off to me.
Unquote.
I don't know is it the wizard or the Wand still our friends over here at Louisville Slugger Factory cannot make these torpedo bats fast enough.
It's great for the economy.
And I'm just wondering if you've heard of these are going to be in college ball at any time sooner.
Maybe they already are.
Well obviously college they use metal bats, but they will figure out how to make that technological adjustment. I'm sure they've got to have specialists working on that. Right now, you would have to think anything that gives you an edge, it's going to happen.
Sixth and final swig.
By the way, if or when you make it out to a major League ballpark and you want to try something some kind of new quote unquote food during the game because you're bored with the same old heartburn from say I don't know, a dodgery dog, and a soft pretzel.
Try these three if you dare. If you're going to.
A Texas Rangers game, they now have a broomstick burrito made from a twenty six inch tortilla, rice, beans, cheese, meat, et cetera, twenty five hundred calories that cost you thirty five ninety nine. It takes two people to carry it back to your feed trough of a seat. Or if you go up to Toronto to see the new half billion dollar player Guerrero Junior, Blue Jay, fans can attempt to stomach cotton candy, French fries, regular fries topped with cotton candy, and some sort of blue sauce.
Oh Canada.
That's one, two, three strikes your oot up in Toronto, and maybe the weirdest at least by American belly bursting standards out at where else Dodger Stadium, the tokoyaki dashi, battered octopus fritters, mayo sauce, fish powder, scallions. Arigatto, but no arigato. My apologies to anybody who hasn't had dinner yet.
I bet those fly off the shelves at Dodger Stadium, I really do. I bet they fly off the shelves. You know, I was in Toronto two seasons ago, but I don't think I would have ordered that at that park. By the way it is. I'll never forget when I was out there visiting you and we went to an Angels game and they just opened that ballpark out there many moons ago, and I'm looking at sushi stands and baked potatoes, and you know, I'm like, what is all this? And they left that in the dust.
Taters are good, I know. It's like, so that's so nineteen fifties. Yeah, yeah, maybe that's a sushi. But yeah, I'm not sure that ballpark sushi is something I would go for though.
No.
He is Gary Mories, our Western Burreo chief, will come back with a couple of hot reds in just a minute. On the Big Blueing Sider six thirty w Welcome back to the Big Blueing Sider. We are chatting with our wester n Bureao chief, Gary Moores, we do each and every Wednesday when he's in town and he's back from LA. So a couple of hot raids coming your way. You and I also went to a hockey game I think once upon a time out in LA and I know
you keep an eye on it. But man if I had a team in the NHL, it would probably because Dallas didn't have a team when I was living down there, it would be vancous because I have so many cousins up there Vancouver. Last night, in the last what couple of minutes they had pulled their goalie, they score three goals and stunned Dallas. This was on the road and beat the Dallas Star six to five in overtime. Three
goals in the last minute or so. Where does that fit in the pantheon of greatest comebacks of all time?
Well, it's got to be probably up there, definitely, regular season kind of comebacks. I haven't I can't recall ever seen something like that. I mean, that's what you go for when you're pulling the goalie and you've got you know, that's like the best case scenario obviously, but for a pro hockey that's like something maybe out of I don't know, junior hockey league or something. You wouldn't expect to see that in the pros at all. I saw on the replays of that man and then just like, what are
you guys doing out there? And it's almost like it was it was sort of similar like what happened with Houston at the end of the Duke game. There was such a flurry to score and the other team's kind of like, well, we can't stop them right right, just the way it was, and it happens.
It goes across all sports.
Well, speaking of Houston, that's our second hot read. Houston just comes roaring back to beat Duke. But Florida came roaring back to beat Houston, which could not get off a shot in the last nineteen plus seconds. What was your reaction as you watch that.
I don't know that they it was like they were going to try and force one particular play no matter what happened. It didn't seem to be very well organized. I mean, and plus you know Florida's defense, Oh, you know, they got You got to give them a lot of the credit. There's so much length and they is so on it. The way that Houston normally is and played defense pretty much up to that point as well, especially on Clayton.
And what amazed me was Houston's inbound plays, especially against Duke, was so well conceived and executed, and yet they couldn't get off a shot when they needed it the most.
Yeah, it's you sometimes wonder about there's got to be something in your back pocket as a great coach to have is like, Okay, we got to save this. This is our last you know, And I'm sure they practiced. You know that we had ten seconds to get it in, last second shot kind of stuff. You do practice that sort of stuff.
Oh yeah, but the guy Florida blew it up Florida.
Yeah, yeah, they did, and there was no other choice. And I think sometimes Houston. I love watching Houston play, and I hope they get back to the Final four again.
It's it's almost like kind of.
A a glorified, really more kicked up version of street ball in a way, whether when they play sometimes you know what I mean, You know, you got to the you go out to the to the asphalt courts or whatever, and you see these guys just balling at it, and these guys Houston was just they would the way they would save some of the out of bounds, the balls going out of bounds and stuff and any Yeah, that Lucy and the.
Reb just fantastic. I was.
I was really kind of sad to see them lose, but Florida was just amazing.
Yep. Well it's gonna happen again in a little less than a year and can't wait. We'll be all over it. He is Gary Mario is our West End bureau chief. You can follow him on Twitter or ex at.
At nine five to five Gary, same joint you're at.
At Big Blue Insider one. Thank you sir, good to have you back in this end of the country.
Good to be back.
Congrats again, hr weberd And that'll do it for now, thanks to my guests David Sis, Gary Moore and Sean Woods. That's a good night from the garage in Lexington.
Mister Speakcole It that'sn't in the game. You're ripping the car, Yeah.
Bud, what's your problem?
Such stata showing anything? Then sat Sun change tack and back from taps in them.
Don't the