Welcome to the Big Blue and Sider Dick Gabriel with you on a Monday edition of our program. We're gonna be with you till seven thirty. That's when we will make way for the Nick Menze own Show with Darren Hedrick, the radio voice of the baseball Wildcats, and of course, lots to talk about with the UK head coach. Because Kentucky knocked off Tennessee convincingly on Sunday, the rubber game of a three game set and clinched the series victory
over the Volunteers. Ranked second, ranked fourth, whatever poll you're looking at, d won Baseball I think has them second. That's a huge series win for the Wildcats, only Kentucky's second series win of the year. And what's weird about it, They've both been on the road against really good teams
and Tennessee one of the best in the country. But the Wildcats, who had an early lead as usual on Friday, lost the opener, bounced back in one on Saturday thanks to an incredible pitching for performance by Nick McKay, and then Ben Cleaver followed up with another great performance. Cleaver went seven innings, gave up just a two run homer
walked only one, struck out seven. Simon Gregorson closed things out with a pair of scoreless innings, and between the two of them Clever and McKay fourteen and two thirds innings, they gave up just three runs, one of them was unearned on seven hits. They walked only four and struck out nineteen. When you have a strikeout to walk ratio like that, you've got a big chance at winning, no
matter who you're playing, no matter where you're playing. So the Wildcats come back home now for a non conference game, doesn't get any easier, though, Louisville's coming tomorrow night. But UK now twenty two and fifteen, eight and ten in the SEC. Those were two huge quadrant wins. When you look ahead to the nca tournament, Yeah, Kentucky's had a lead and they played eighteen SEC games. The Wildcats they've led in seventeen of them. They've only been able to
hang on to eight for wins. But that tells you how close they are. And you saw what they could do if they executed for the most part over the weekend. Now they did not bunt well again, they could they could have. I don't know if they would have won Friday would have given themselves a better chance. But they could have blown Tennessee out really Saturday and Sunday if they had just executed with bunts. They keep bunting back
to the pitcher. Now, there was a great bunt, more than one laid down yesterday, and we'll get back to that in a minute. But what really helped the Wildcats was running on the base. Pats at Tennessee just didn't even seem interested in trying to stop them. Kentucky yesterday was six or seven in steals, sixteen of eighteen over the weekend, and it was just phenomenal how many bases the Wildcats picked up. We'll talk to Darren Hedrick Moore about that a little bit later on in the show.
But again, Kentucky Louisville tomorrow night, six point thirty start. Darren has the pregame at six point fifteen and you'll hear it right here. Doug Flinn and I will have it for you on SEC Plus so you can watch it on your mobile device and you can listen as well right here on WLAP. Some other UK news over the weekend, A little bit of recruiting news for you. You probably already have heard that Kentucky maybe now is done with the portal as it comes to running backs.
Mark Stoops and his staff got another commitment, the third of its type in the spring transfer portal cycle on Easter Sunday, Seth McGowan of New Mexico State is transferring to Kentucky. Three star transfer rated as the number twenty five best running back in the portal six one two twenty as one year of eligibility. He's from Mesquite, Texas. That's a suburb of Dallas. McCowan originally signed with Oklahoma as a four star kid coming out of high school.
Jay Bullwear who's now at UK, of course as the running backs coach, was his primary recruiter. According to Aaron Gershan of the Cats Baws, when the kids signed with Oklahoma, so as a freshman, ran for three seventy three touchdowns, averaged six and a half yards per carry, and caught thirteen passes out of the backfield. Then he ran into some personal problems, some off the field issues with legal things and did not play football for a couple of years.
Worked through all of that, served a year of probation, and came back and played at Butler Community College. In Elder, Kansas, then bounced to New Mexico State last year and now he's a Wildcat. And by the way, he played behind Kentucky's offensive tackle, the huge Chiaz Pete, and ran for eight hundred and twenty three yards one hundred and fifty two carries, three touchdowns, twenty three catches, and three receiving touchdowns.
Second team All Conference USA. So another running back for the Wildcats in the fold and that's an area where the Cats definitely needed some added depth. No news as we speak on basketball transfers. Oh yeah, one more a bit of football news. Kentucky's going after a kid named Keelan Marion. He's a wide receiver kick returner from Brigham Young entered the portal on Saturday and a lot of
schools won in Arkansas, Arizona State, SMU, Oklahoma, Miami. He's from Lawrenceville, Georgia, and originally signed with Yukon broke his collarbone when he was up there, entered the portal, landed at BYU, put up good numbers, then jump back into the portal. Now Kentucky's already signed four wide receiver transfers
here in the off season. Kendrick Law looked pretty good in the spring, Troy Stillado from Clemson, JJ Hester from Oklahoma, and of course they just got Harley Gilmour back from Nebraska. Still waiting to hear about True Edwards from Louisiana Tech, but everything I've heard about him is not good that they probably will not get him. So anyhow, nothing new on the basketball front as we speak. Once again, we pre record, so things may have happened before you guys
hear this. After I get done putting the show together, I will tell you this. Tennessee just got a lot better. Tennessee signed a top five forward, Nate Ament. He is the highest rank recruit of the Internet rankings era for Tennessee and Rick Barnes. He throws the balls over UK, Arkansas, Duke,
and Louisville, which should tell you something. Keep in mind, there was no Internet ranking system when Tennessee signed Alan Houston or Dale Ellis or Bernie or Ernie, so it makes you know, technically makes this guy the highest rated recruit they ever gotten. Now, all of those guys I just mentioned had great college careers and really good pro careers, So we'll see what this kid does. We'll see if
he stays more than a year. He's six foot nine from Warrenton, Virginia and his highest ranked player to commit to Rick Barnes since Barnes got to Knoxville. So, like I said, they got better. And his quote is Rick Barnes wants me to come in and take what's mine, wants me to be the Nasmith Player of the Year and all that said, he's done it before with Kevin Durant. And he said, guys like Chaslanier and Dalton connect. So he said, tremendous success with individual players. That's what a
men said. So it's a good get for Tennessee. Makes life a little tougher for everybody else in the Southeastern Conference. Before we hit the break at tip of the BBI captain Mitchell Daily, the former Wildcat. Remember he played three seasons for the Texas Longhorns transferred to Kentucky. It was a key element in the Wildcats run to Omaha. In fact, remember he had the home run that basically won the game for the Wildcats, not basically it over NC State.
Ryan Nicholson tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and then Daily's home run his seventh of that season. Won the game for the Wildcats, gave Kentucky's first College World Series victory, and Daily, of course, drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. He's been promoted to Triple A. He was playing for Empire in the Class A League, the High eighth League, and it was kind of odd because he was only batting one to eighty one. So he might have been moved up just because they need an infielder.
He's listed as a second basement, third baseman and shortstop. But whatever, he's in a good spot right now. That proves that he's on their map. He's on their radar, and they like him. And what's not the like? And I'll tell you this, Salt Lake City has got a great ballpark. He's got an incredible view of the mountains. Doug Flynn and I did a minor league game there ten years ago and it is spectacular, you know. And you're sitting there behind home plate and looking out. I
think they're the Wahsatch Mountains. Pretty cool. So I hope he gets a chance to show himself and prove himself at the TRIPAA level. So good luck to Mitchell. Daily. Back in just a minute to talk baseball with Darren Headrick. A little bit later Ken Spencer talking Kentucky football in six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. Coming up in a few minutes, Darren Headrick, the boys
of UK Baseball. We'll talk with us about the great weekend the Wildcats turned in down in Knoxville, and a little bit later on Ken Spencer of WHS, we'll talk
with us about college football and the Wildcats. But I wanted to talk a little bit about some of the things that happened over the weekend, and one of them was a golf tournament won by a Kentucky and JT Justin Thomas, who took the RBC Heritage Championship at Harbor Town and he needed a playoff to beat Andrew Novak and it ended a three year drought for the Louisville Natyve went to sin X and interestingly, as he was walking up to the eighteenth green at Harbortown in the
playoff with Novak, he said to his caddy, Joe Griner, he said, I've never made a putt basically of any length to win in the final hole. He's had some tap ins for victories, He's won fifteen events, but He's never had anything longer than fourteen feet four inches. That's how long his winning putt was in twenty nineteen at the BMW Championship. Now he won that by three shots, so he did drain the long putt to win the tournament to end the tournament, but that wasn't with the
tournament on the line. The longest putt he had ever made came back in twenty fifteen, he hit a four footer to win his first PGA Championship. But yesterday Justin Thomas dropped in a putt of twenty one feet two inches. This is the way Jim Nance called it on CBS.
Is it the winning putt?
Here it comes, Yes, it is Justin Thomas.
Back to the winner circle. The tears are going to be pouring.
He's got his first win as a father.
Of course, his wife was there with the new child and his dad and it was pretty dramatic. But what's interesting as well in the follow up coverage was a story about the fact that he went to Xander Shoffley last year. Thomas had lost his touch, his putting touch, you know, when he was at his best in twenty seventeen, twenty eighteen. Back then and he just wasn't putting very well. So he goes to Xander Shoffley, who is known as
one of the best putters in the game. Thomas had been a top fifty putter early in his career, but he dropped the one seventh and strokes gained putting last season. So he goes to Shoffley, say's going to pick your brain. They went out to the range and for two or three hours they just plotted golf balls and talked fundamentals, and Thomas said he realized he just had to get back to what he was doing when he was most successful. He was overthinking, I guess and so many people in
sports can do that. You know, they start overthinking what they what they've been doing, even though it's been successful, and start tinkering and you know, changing things and the next thing you know, it don't look anything like they did when they were at their most successful. So, yeah, congratulations, even though he went to San x congratulations to at Kentuckian. Justin Thomas for a big day at Harbor Town with
the Bambino on site. Had been more than a thousand days since he won a turn tournament, and good for him. A bogie free sixty eight. Not a bad day. And how about this a check for three point six million dollars.
That'll work. Lots of NBA coverage over the weekend, and I always check and see what might have happened on the postgame show the NBA on TNT with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neil, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and of course there's a little back and forth about championships because they were reading off the names of award winners for the NBA and they get to the Defensive Player of the Year award, which is named for Keem Elijah On. Not a bad choice,
hell of a defensive player. And he played with Kenny Smith or Kenny Smith played with him, and Smith was on those Houston teams that won a couple of NBA titles. This is back when Jordan was off playing baseball. Shaquille O'Neil has the most on the anchor desk, he had four, Kenny Smith has two, Charles Barkley zero. That's in one
of those Capital one commercials. They referenced that. And he's a good sport about it, but he's always needling Kenny about how literally did for those rocket teams that they were all about a chem Elijah Wan and of course Kenny comes right back at him. Here it is courtesy T n T. How about for the defensive player of the year. Oh so you don't read this, you know.
This is and this is appropriate because it's the chem Elija won troph the guy.
Who got you your two trophies, who got you.
He just bought him.
Silence, silence, silence, Golden who helped you winning championship.
Nobody thank you. It's always funny when they get into it. And again Barkley is uh, just a good sport about it. But I do remember Barkley criticized. I don't remember who the player was for moving from team to team trying to win a championship. Might have been Lebron, but Barkley did the same thing. Barkley left Philly. I don't remember the exact order, but he left for Houston. He left
for Phoenix trying to chase a title. Pete Merovitch did the same thing when he signed with the Celtics and finally realized that it was a fool's errand but I do enjoy it when they get into Barkley over the weekend somebody posted from the SEC office on one of their Twitter accounts it was a happy birthday shout out. Yesterday was Steve Spurrier's birthday. And of course he's one of those guys UK fans love to hate. But I got news for you. Every team in the SEC as
fans who loved hating Spurrier. And there was a segment on a piece about Spurrier that runs about three minutes long about how and why Pete disliked Spurrier. It included a segment from an interview he did many many years ago, back in the nineties. I guess was Roy Firestone, who had a great interview show on ESPN, and Firestone kind of challenged him a little bit about some of the antics Spurrier would pull at times. You say stuff and it speaks of vanity, and it speaks of a lack
of humility, ego, paranoid, cocky, arrogant. Sometimes I dig at guys a little bit.
FSU Freeshoes University.
That's a low blow. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that is that really nobody else was a brutally frank or honest, you know, with their opinions, with their equips but here's the thing. It's like they say, it's not bragging if you can back it up. And Spurriyer, I had great teams in the nineties, won a national championship in ninety six, probably should have won more than one, but didn't. But Kentucky fans, you know how, we used
to run it up. He hated Bill Curry, and he would run it up and say things like, well, we knew Kentucky had a good punter, and he had a comment about some of the and that's not the only comment he made about Kentucky or other teams. I've been accused of saying things right after games that some people felt like was a knock to our opponents, and they were interpreted the wrong ways. How else are you going
to interpret something like that? For instance, there are people in Knoxville who can't stand him, couldn't back then, still can't. And Pat Dooley, the longtime beat writer for the Gainesville Son, talked about that in the piece, and then it was followed up by a comment from former Tennessee wide receiver Peerless Price.
I remember going to Knoxville in ninety six, went and talked to a bunch of Tennessee fans about Steve and it was just nasty. Spur didn't like it. I'd written that story. He goes, what'd you go find some guys under a bridge to write that story? And I'm like, no, coach, people don't like you?
How good you like him? When he making comments like you can't spell stitchers without ut They saying, yeah, Tennessee's gonna win eleven games, but they're gonna lose to us and end up in the Sitters Ball and we're gonna be in a national championship. Stuff like that.
You can't forget. That's peerless Price, a really good receiver at Tennessee on some really good teams, but they just couldn't get it done because back then Florida was better. And through that piece, they had a shot of Peyton Manning back when he was playing for Tennessee, just this horrible look in the space because they were about to lose to Florida. So if you want to try to find that piece, go to Twitter and type in sec
and it'll come up for you. But it's it's kind of entertaining, but you can understand clearly why people just didn't like Spurrier. But man could he coach college football, not in the pros, but college football at a place like Florida where you got all kinds of recruiting advantages and he did a great job down there. Yeah, you can understand it all right. Coming up next, we'll talk Kentucky Baseball with Darren Hedrick on six point thirty WLAP
Welcome back to the bag Bloon. Coming up at seven thirty, it's the Nick Benji Own Show, hosted by our own Darren Headrick. Our own because he of course is the radio voice of UK Baseball and he's on our celebrity highline back from his native state of Tennessee, his alma mater, ut but he is the voice of the Wildcats. And had you had a good time of the weekend, didn't you? I'm sure you saw family, friends and some Kentucky wins, didn't you.
Oh, no question, Gabe. It was a terrific weekend to go back home and see some family and like you say, just kind of have a little mini vacation over the weekend, but also going to the ballpark every day and seeing Kentucky come away with a huge series win over a very talented Tennessee team, and man I just got finished talking with Coach Minzion and what a pitching performance they had this weekend.
You're gonna hear the Nick Minji Oones show, as I said, coming up at seven thirty. But let's start with that pitching, because it was good on Friday, not quite good enough, unbelievably great on Saturday, and again great on Sunday. And the bullpen came through both times as well, didn't it.
Yeah, they did, And I mean you've got to start with Nick McKay on Saturday, seven and two thirds, twelve strikeout, one unearned run allowed. And then that followed over Ben Cleever on Sunday when seven innings, only gave up a couple of runs and just a phenomenal effort. And I really think it started for them with the fastball. And this is something that I talked to Coach Menzion and Coach Rozel about and from the press box it made it look like Tennessee really had a hard time seeing
the breaking pitches from both of those guys. And then you mentioned the bullpen. It's been great to see Simon Gregorson in the month of April turn into the guy that we thought he would be when he transferred here from Indiana State. You know, Evan Byers made another appearance for the Wildcats over the weekend. Robert Hogan, I'll say this, this kind of got lost because it was in a defeat on Friday, but Hogan went two innings to finish
that game, only allowing a run. And if he gets back to where he was when he was a huge piece of the bullpen last season, and then you factor in Simon Gregorson looking like he has in recent weeks, the dynamics of this bullpen completely changes and Kentucky all of a sudden becomes a far more dangerous team than a lot of people were giving them credit for.
There's no question, excuse me, And because Hogan and Gregorson are such different types of pitcher, aren't they?
Yeah, they are. With Hogan, you start off he obviously everything flows off a fastball for any pitcher, but with Hogan, that slider in particular can look like two different pitches. It can be firm, or he can throw it more like a slurve, if you will, a softer breaking pitch, and so the rate on his breaking ball is a huge weapon for Hogan, and when he's on the attack, he gets a lot of swings and misses, and then
Gregorson just hads an arsenal. He can throw three or four to five different pitches up there and mixing match. But again, everything starts with that fastball for Simon, and he has been on the attack and getting strikes early, and that's a huge key for Simon.
Well, let's back up to when they got there Friday night, and of course, once again the Wildcats take the lead. Devin burks with a two run shot, and he is swinging a bat better this year than he was last year. But going in we talked about as you and me and the coach and Doug Keith Madison and Doug last week about going into Tennessee, which is a launching pad, and yeah, Tennessee, you got some long bombs. Kentucky got a couple, but it wasn't a homer fest. I was
afraid it might be. Again a tribute to the Kentucky.
Pitchers, right, I think so. I completely agree with you on that. The fact that they held Tennessee to four home runs for the weekend and only one after Friday just speaks to the level of competitiveness and execution that this staff worked with and they had Tennessee frustrated and flummaxed all weekend. And you know what, credit to coach Rozelle.
If you think back, Dick to the last time Kentucky was at Lindsay Nelson Stadium in twenty twenty three, Darren Williams was on the mound for a ten nothing shutout.
Yeah.
So Kentucky's won three of the last four against Tennessee in Knoxville and have held the Balls to a total of three runs in those three wins.
Yeah, you mentioned that on the air, and I had forgotten about that. That was an incredible day down there. And by the way, Lindsey Nelson, I don't know how much you've ever got to hear tape of him or recordings or whatever, or I think you're too young to remember when he was on the air, but you clearly you're a you're a connoisseur of great sports casters. And how cool is it to be in a press box
named after him? People? Maybe you know he was a national figure, but went to the University of Tennessee and loved that place, didn't he.
Yeah, you know what, it's really special for me just because he was the father of the Vall Network at the University of Tennessee along outside general neland it was Lindsay Nelson who created the network for Tennessee football and
later basketball and baseball and the other sports. But the fact that I get to sit in that press box knowing that Lindsay Nelson was the first to sit in that chair among a great line of announcers there at the University of Tennessee, it's really neat, and you know, it ties in on the baseball side of it, with his name being on the baseball press box, you know, the first voice of the New York Mets and a long time Major League announcer, and so you sort of
get motivated to try to be at your best knowing that, Okay, I'm sitting in the press box named after one of the greatest baseball announcers ever. I better be on my game this weekend, just in case his ghost is still hopping this ballpark.
And of course you've got the statue out front, Casey at the bat statue, so it's and of course they've renovated it and they're going to put more money into it. But they had great crowds there and they went home disappointed. Two out of three days, didn't they?
Yeah, it was. It was interesting to look down there in the eighth and ninth innings on Sunday and see that ballpark, how fast it emptied out, And you know what, there was a pretty good smattering of blue way down the left field line, towards the corner, and they were pretty much the only ones left there when the final out was recorded.
Were the fire trucks over there beyond the wall. When I filled in for Neil Price several years ago at ut and maybe it's been built up so that they can't well, but there were these fire trucks that had pulled up the road behind or some parking lot, and the firefighters were sitting up on top of the trucks watching the games. Can they still do that?
No, they weren't there anymore. And they filled in the ballpark to the point where it's kind of hard to sit and watch. You know. They've added the terrace seating beyond left field and everything is under construction. The street that used to run between the ballpark and the football complex is now a giant pit where they're about to add even more suite level. They're calling it the Tower, and it's going to be some sweeps that go in. That ballpark is going to rival duty Noble when it's done.
Wow, isn't it interesting, Darren? The growth of facilities in the SEC and all it takes is a little bit of success. Now KPP was on the boards, gosh in the mid twenty thirteen fourteen. Gary Henderson worked tirelessly on the blueprints and then they break ground once Nick got here. But for the longest time, you know, a sea ballpark was kind of forgotten about, wasn't it.
It really was just one of those things down there where every time it was on the on the ticket, every time it got next in line and the queue for renovations, football needed something and so it was a new practice facility or upgrades to Kneeland Stadium or whatever. So it felt like every time the baseball stadium got to where it was next in line for renovations, oh nope, coach Former or coach Jones or now coach Hypel, somebody needed something and it got put on the back burner.
It went back to the end of the line. But now they're finally doing some upgrades to it, and you know, the miracle of all miracles, when they're finished there will be elevators. Oh, it goes to the press level and the suitet level.
Yeah, that one that one time I went. I had my foot. I think I had a bone spur. It was in a boot and I had to walk those five or six flights of steps with my quick boxes, just like you do. So anyhow, all right, we'll talk more baseball with Darren Headrick on the other side of the break here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're
talking with Darren Headrick, the voice of UK baseball. You'll hear him coming up at the bottom of our next hour with Nick MinJe On on the Nick Minjeone Show, of course, talking about the weekend with the Wildcats down in Knoxville taking two out of three from the Balls and you and again coach Madison who works games with you when he can, and Doug Flynn, my partner. We've
talked all year long about how this team. I don't know if it was missing something, but it just it seemed like it was right on the verge, you know, and again many many new faces. We all know that any brutal schedule, do you think this weekend, Darren, is what's going to put them over the hump. We'll find out tomorrow night, But are you getting any signs that it's finally starting to click.
Yeah, I definitely can see that. And you know, the thing is like this weekend, you lose Ethan Hindle with the injury, and you insert Ryan Schwartz. Well, here's a freshman who steps up, and all of a sudden he has four hits to lead the team in the weekend series. And I just think, Yeah, there's been moments where they had all of these close losses. They were right there against Old Miss Louisville and Texas, but they couldn't quite get over the hump to win those games or win
those series. And you're like, man, it just feels like they need one more piece, if they just had one more something, whether it was an ability to make a pitch or get that hit. But against Tennessee this weekend, it all came together. And the thing for me, during that tough stretch, as frustrating as it was, the pitching
kept them in those ballgames. Well, this weekend we saw the pitching take a little bit more of a step forward to where they're not just keeping them in games now they're dominating, their imposing their will and now we're seeing confidence coming back to this offense. And the fun thing for me, Dick is, as much as I hate the injury to Ethan Hindle, because that young man was just getting going, finding a rhythm, he was getting on base,
to see the youth movement in this lineup. Now Schwartz a freshman, Tyler Bell a freshman, Hudson Brown a red shirt freshman. Those guys were the leading producers this weekend offensively, and then you throw in Patrick Herrera, who's been steady. Dylan Coons's back continues to come around like it has this week, He's going to make that lineup deeper. And you know, with Carson Hanson hitting well against Tennessee this weekend, maybe this lineup was starting to click and things are
coming together. I also think Gabe looking at the back half of the schedule now that Tennessee's behind them, those last four weeks as tough as they are in this league, and I don't want to disrespect the opponents, but it's not top five teams one after another, that's right. These are winnable series if Kentucky can execute and play at the level that we saw them play at.
Tennessee one hundred percent. I mean, the top half of the scheduled brutal. But yeah, and now just in time, Vandy's kind of coming to life. So you can't discount anybody in the SEC. But all these young guys, now they've seen SEC breaking balls. They're still freshmen. They're still incorporating, uh, stuff they learn into their games, and they're still seeing things for the first time. But uh, there's a lot
to be said. They've played a lot of baseball, and there's a lot to be said for what they've learned. We're talking with Darren Hedderick, the radio voice of the Baseball Wildcatch. You'll hear them with Nick Manjione coming up at seven thirty on this Ferry radio station. The Cat's taking two out of three from Tennessee. Louisville comes in, and you know, it's amazing to me, Darren that, and I know it has been a source of frustration to you, to the team, to the coaches, how well Kentucky's played
in the SEC games, even a series they've lost. And yet the midweek games sometimes they look like a different team, don't they. Maybe not against Louisville when they got brilliant pitching up until the very end. But just those midweek games have been weird.
Yeah, they have. And we've seen teams in the past that for whatever reason have struggled with the midweek games. Xavier was a really good team that came in here. Obviously, Louisville is a friend's top ten team. They may even be ranked in the top ten this week. But for you faced some really tough teams. But you're right, they had a close game there with Miami of Ohio, blew the three run lead and then ended up walking that one off on a bunt, scoring Kyles Garget from third.
But yeah, these midweek games, and I think that's just maybe it could simply just be a young team that you know, they're coming off the high of the of a hard competition in these SEC games and they haven't quite locked in like they should. Who knows, But yeah, these midweek games can sometimes be traps. But that's the way it goes for anybody. You know. Last year, Tennessee's a national champion and they lost to Lipscomb and Tennessee Tech on the midweek, So you know, it happens to
the better teams. I think for me, it underscores how difficult these SEC series are and how much that it takes out of these guys mentally and physically. I mean, just from a broadcaster standpoint, I'm just sitting in a booth watching and talking about baseball, and by the end of an SEC series, I'm drained just from the emotional roller coaster that these guys are on in these series. So it takes a lot out of these guys to
compete at that level. And you know, it's sometimes it may just be as simple as it's tough to rebound a day later and and play somebody who doesn't have that SEC logo beside him. But you still got to do it, and you still got to find a way to win well.
And just as it did last year, it got chippy with Tennessee, which I guess is the way it ought to me UK Tennessee. But that's emotional as well, isn't it.
Yeah, that made it even more fun is the way that one got salty down there in Knoxville this past weekend. And that's just that's what makes the rivalry fund though. And I'm sure Kentucky and Louisville tomorrow night at Kentucky Proud Park, I'm sure it'll be a lot of energy in the in the ballpark for that one as well.
Yeah, you know, the coaches, they're good with each other. But it's amazing to me the players who might transfer in or sign as freshmen, and it's almost instantaneous, isn't it uku of l because they hear it from their classmates, they hear it from their friends, don't they.
Yeah, that's exactly right. And I think another great example is in women's basketball. You had a brand new coaching staff, but hey, they played Louisville yearly because they were in the same conference as the Cardinals. And I don't want to say it wasn't a big deal to play Louisville because Louisville and women's basketball is a tremendous program. But for them, it was just, Okay, this is a really
tough conference game. But that's all it was. And now they're at Kentucky and it's like, okay, well this game means a little bit more now. And I remember Georgia Amore after they beat Louisville at historic Memorial Coliseum. She's like, Okay, I get it now, I see what this means, and we're really excited that we could win this one. For them, And so, yeah, you're right. These guys that are new faces on the baseball team found that out in the
Derby City. And I'm sure they're anxious to get round too at Kentucky.
Brown Park, especially the way that one got away just a minute or two left with Darren Hedrick. But yeah, had to feel great for Georgia Amore. How surprised were you that she went maybe through four picks earlier than we all thought she would.
You know, it's interesting you asked me that because as I was watching that draft unfold and the Mystics had all those first round picks, and I kind of thought the Valkyries might take Georgia, and I think that would have been the fifth pick. Yeah, but anyway, the Valkyries kind of shock everybody and take an international player. And I looked at somebody I was watching the draft with and I said, wait a minute. The Mystics have taken a forward, and now they've taken a shooting guard and
they've got a third pick. I said, what do you need with a forward and a shooting guard. You need a point guard. I said, I bet they take Georgia. And about that time, the WNBA commissioner announced her name, and I was really excited for and I'll be calling baseball when it happens. But man, I wish I could be in Washington, DC to see the Mystics and Georgia Amore take on the Atlanta Dream and Ryan Howard in that season opener.
A lot of people are going to make that road. That's gonna be fun. He is Darren Hedrick. He is the radio voice of the Baseball Wildcats and UK women's basketball. You'll hear him coming up at the bottom of our next hour with Nick menje On on the nickmnjeone Show and calling the action as the Wildcats take on the Cardinals tomorrow night at KPP pregame six fifteen, first pitch six probably six thirty two. If you can't be there, tune it in. Thank you brother. We'll see at the ballpark of.
Course, anytime a man appreciate it.
Darren, of course, is a native of Maryville, Tennessee, which is due south of Knoxville and due west of Pigeon Fords and Gatlinburg. Kind of a triangle there if you use those three points. And again went to ut but knows where his bread is literally buttered. That's where the paycheck comes from from doing Kentucky games. But yeah, it's fun going to Tennessee now that they care about baseball, even more fun than the Wildcats pull out the wins.
Our number two well a half hour coming up with Kid Spencer next in six thirty WLFP.
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Welcome back to the Big Boone sider joining us now is a longtime buddy and a friend of the show. He was a dope TVQ for many years and now as the sports director whas over in Louisville. Kent Spencer and uh, it's derby time, so you've got your hands full of Kent, But I do want to talk with you about college football. Always point out that Kent and mister Pecoro are the only guys on the beat who really know what it's like to get hitting them out
in the college football game. Let me ask you about about Kentucky, and I'm gonna get you to give me a little scating report on what went on at U of L as well. But with so many new faces Kent in camp in spring, it's got to mean that these summer weeks coming up and really every day until what they call August camp begins. Is they're vital, aren't they these guys getting to know each other and becoming a team.
Yeah, and let me say this too, Dick, Like, over time things have changed so much where you know, you really couldn't you know, coaches really couldn't get with their kids over the summer, right, you know, that was the that was the role. So you know you had, you know, after spring practice and until people showed up for camp. I mean that's months and months and months that coaches really can't spend time and work with their kids. Well that's that's changed, and now coaches get a lot you know,
you can have a lot more of that now. You know, it's not a twenty four to seven thing, but at least it is. You know, you can you can be better prepared for the time that Paul Camp rolls around.
And especially in this day and age of the of the transfer portal, you know, and and and we've even seen it in the last week right since since spring practice as has has ended, you've got kids still coming in, you've got kids still going out, and so these next few months are because I mean, by the time Paul Camp happened, you get a month essentially you get ready for your season, and so you know, that's just.
Not enough time.
That's why these these months important for the times that the kids can be with the coaches, but also the times that the kids can be with themselves, getting an extra workouts, whether that's you know, self organized seven on seven, whatever it takes. This is this is that key moment.
Tell everybody, as a guy who's done that, what those off the field moments are like and how vital they are. You know, the locker room stuff. I mean, you know you don't you don't bond with with your teammate, Well, you kind of do on the field, but it's off the field stuff maybe just as are more important, isn't it.
You know, it's so funny that you mentioned that because last night my wife and I were out for dinner and we were celebrating our eighteen year wedding anniversary. Yeah it's actually it's actually today, but we had to do it last night because A my work schedule and B my son has a baseball game, and so you know, are our son has a baseball game.
So we had to settle it.
And she asked me the question. She goes, you know, you know it was one of those questions, like do you even remember, you know, life before you know, we were married and together. And I actually looked at her and I said, yeah, I do. But it's not like you would think. I said, you know, I still remember like it was yesterday, certain moments with my team.
Sure, and I.
Remember, you know, like I still like to this day. I remember the place that we would go out the quarterbacks and the wide receivers on Friday night, the night before a home game, Like I remember those kind of moments and the things that we did them. So those are the things that stick with you forever. You know, so many people you remember moments on the field, But the things that you miss and the things that you share more than anything are is the is the locker
room moment. The things that you remember is it's the team dinners, It's it's the it's you know, going out and doing things or you know, messing around in the locker room.
You know, the little things.
Like that, Like that's what you that's what you miss, and that's when you when you see a former teammate. Those are the things that are the reason why you give each other the biggest bear hugs in the world. So that's why like this stuff coming up and just the extra stuff that they mean the world that that that those are the reasons while you'll go into you know, and it's a it's a it's a bad term, but you'll go into the fox hole with that dude every single time.
I was talking earlier in the show about Kentucky's run to Omaha with baseball and and those guys that made that happen, they'll have they'll share that bond. But many of them were together for just the one year. But something doing something extraordinary will help these guys, like I said, be bonded forever. But I wonder Kent about these guys that have, you know, a resume that includes four or
five six teams. You know, they'll never and it sounds kind of modern, but they'll never realize what that feels like. Will they to build those kind of relationships?
Yeah, you know, and part of it is I honestly, Dick, I don't know. And look, it can be done. You know, we see it, and we see it with what we watched and from my point of view, which we what we watched with Kentucky basketball and Louisville basketball this year, right and you know, in the last what fifteen years with what are done is with Kentucky basketball. You know, you see that where people say, you know, there can't be a connection, but then you're like, well, actually there can.
There can be, but everybody has to be completely bought in for that year. And with this thing becoming so transactional, you still got to maintain it may be harder than ever to be able to build those relationships and get that done in but that's also about making sure that you're bringing in and recruiting the right people, you know, because some of these guys that are that are four and five year people and it's just transactional. You're not
trying to bring in mercenaries here, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, you know, you're trying to bring in the right people that you can still create a culture. Yes, money is going to be at the forefront of everything, but after the business is done, can you be bought in to what the team content is?
Yeah, Pope and Kelsey clearly did a great job of that. Tougher for a football coach when he's got to bring in so many more, uh, you know, new players or or you know, like you say, guys, you don't want them to be mercenaries, but they're they're almost nomads. Talking to Ken Spencer from w h AS about Kentucky football, Louisville football, and U Kentucky, once again, it looks like cannot be surprised if a transfer wasn't the starting quarterback.
And as you know, this this goes back, this revolving door really goes back to the day they shigned Drew Barker he was the future and when he went down prematurely with the injuries, now here come the Juco transfer is the d one transfer that that revolving door, and I just wonder are they going to be able to break this cycle anytime soon? You know what I mean?
Well, I mean look, I mean, you know I would say with that, and you're right, but I would say, you know, Cutter Bowley, you know, last year was just his true freshman year, right, And so you know, we like to everybody likes to rush quarterback into the starting role. And so I'm I'm a huge proponent, especially if you're a quarterback that's playing in the SEC. Don't rush it. Yeah, doesn't have to be rushed. I mean, look at Art Manning at Texas. You know, he doesn't have the job
right now. He's competing for the job right now. He was the number one player in the country when he came out of high school and he still hasn't been the starting quarterback at the University of Texas. You don't have to rush it. It's just when they're ready, they're ready. And you know if if Cutter Bowlie needs another year before he's ready, he showed flashes last year, and then in the Lobo game he showed not ready. And and by the way, it just wasn't that just wasn't a
Cutter Bullie problem. That was an entire football team. That was an entire offensive problem, specifically in that game. But if calls out of the guy, then he's going to be the guy this year. But and it's okay for Bowllie to be behind that and to learn behind that, and then you know, then the next year, if they feel confident and development, then you just give him the
keys and you go all in. I don't think it's a I think that helps fix the problem in my opinion, But sometimes you have to find the right young guy who wants to stick within the program, you know, and then still be able to have a couple of years of being the starter of being the guy. But it takes patience. That's no longer you know, I'm gonna go in Football is harder, but let's go back to basketball. A Kitaan Lewis de commits from Kentucky because there wasn't
enough minutes for him for a true freshman. And by the way, it's not that wasn't just a Kentucky problem. That is that Yukon just had a freshman do the same thing. Like these things are starting to pop because coaches are bringing the veteran guys and and freshmen are they They do not want to wait, They do not want to say, hey, look, I could really growing to this role, but this isn't going to be available for
me here. I'm not going to get the minutes that I want to get as a true freshman, so I'm going to go. So I'm going to go somewhere else. Patience is no longer a thing in college athletic, especially with young guys. And when you do find one that wants to go about it the right way, and my opinion, chances are they've got a chance to be really successful well.
And one of them, perhaps is Colin Chandler, who I think has a really bright future and shook off the rust and had a really nice back half of the year for Kentucky. And he said he's coming back, And you tweeted a gift when he announced he was coming back, didn't you.
I don't even remember the one that I tweeted.
You think you? I think you shared it or you retweeted what he tweeted, and that was John Wick saying yeah, I think I'm thinking I'm back.
Oh yeah, that No, that one was.
That's perfect.
And I honestly like when it when it comes to jailor coming back and it because you know that that's just that decision. Like I think that kid's going to be a monster.
Max agree.
And the reason why I think he's going to be a monster is because you almost had to whatever you got from him offensively the first year, but you know, after two years, you know, being gone on his on his mission trip and coming back like at this level and especially the conference that he played in this year, you you you saw defensive growth much quicker than you saw offensive growth because when you take two years off of basketball and then you are thrown into shark infested waters.
I mean you're like a deer learning how to walk for the first time, you know what I mean, Or like a horse that was just for Yeah, and it takes some time for you to get those legs, backs and legs, and.
It takes it.
It takes so much time for you to truly get that coordination back. But guess what, you saw it at the end of the right and you saw it, and you saw it in flashes, and now we have a whole summer to work with that. I think that kid's going to have a massive breakout season.
I'm with you. I'm with you, Ken Spencer. My guess we'll come back and talk more with Ken on the other side of the break here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back with chatting with Ken Spencer. Sports director whas over in Louisville. Who's been out at Churchill Downs? Have you picked the Derby HORSEHD? Or are you somebody who likes to see them all work or at least gallup before you pick a horse?
Yeah, I like to see them all on the track. I like to kind of see their mentality, you know, you know, how they're handling everything. You know this week, you know, especially early on in the week, you know, Churchill downs in the boarding. It doesn't feel like Derby time yet, you know what I mean, like, oh yeah, it doesn't have that, it doesn't have that buzz, right, that'll that'll start taking place later this week, but of
course all next week. And so I want to see, you know, kind of how all of these horses are are starting to kind of handle the bit. I like to see them over the over the dirt before I before I picked one. So I've got at this point, there's so many. I think it's kind of a wide open field to be honest with you, uh, you know, heading into this thing, you know, I don't think there's a for for me. There's not somebody that that truly
stands out above the pack. Yeah, so I'm I'm gonna be patient this year.
Got a boy. When you got into this line of work, obviously you love covering football, you played it, you grew up in Kentucky, so you're gonna love covering basketball and all. Were you a racing fan? Because to me, I love horse ran and grew up in Louisville. I've I've been to you know, a zillion derbies, but to me, the toughest sport to cover is horse racing because it has a language of its own. Uh, it can be intimidating. You know, of people you try to talk to, you
aren't used to being interviewed that kind of thing. And some of the real hardcore beat writers, you know, they'll give you a dirty look or whatever, for whatever that's worth. But what was it like for you when you started covering horse racing?
So my first it's so funny because Kenny Wright, this was back when I was working in Lexa, didn't going out and doing things for the for the first time. And then I went and did a Derby story one time and Kenny Rice hooked it up and it was with Todd Fletcher nice and this was this was early on, and so Kenny was Kenny was great for me because you know, at when when I was at thirty six, he was he was the old sports director at thirty six, and so he was he was just so welcoming and
really kind of helped me out of that regard. But it is it's a it's a whole new world when you go to the backside for the first time. You know, now, I think it is it is a highlight of the year, and this is the reason why because it is completely different than anything that we do during the course of a year. And I enjoy talking to the trainers, you know, from case in point, like last year, Brad Cox has a son and my son was in the same baseball league.
Now different age groups. So last year, like at the baseball field, like Brad and sat down with me and my son and we just shot the bull for thirty minutes just about stuff. And that's one of the most We're now on the first trainers in the world right now, and so it's just so different that I love it and I've been able to kind of figure it out. And obviously I've been doing this, you know, a hot minute, and I love the different stories in the human interest
stories that you can find on the backside. I find get different, but I almost find it very refreshing, you know, after you get off the rigors of a college basketball season.
I agree. Just it's just a completely different feel. You're out in the you know, for whatever it's worth, you're out in the fresh air. You get it for it. Getting up early is not fun if you're not used to it, but I mean it gets you going on your day. But I think the most important thing too, is, uh, do a little homework, do a little research, you know, And I know you do because when you go to talk to a brad Cox, you know, if you go in there with what color is a gelding kind of questions,
you're going to lose somebody. And that's an over exaggeration, but that question has been asked, not by one of us. But you got to be ready, don't You got to do your homework.
Yeah, I mean you've got to know, you've got to know about the horses that you're talking about, you've got to know the you've got to know the language. And some of that takes time, you know, to to kind of get a really good feel of out that. But but generally speaking, you know, most of the people that you that you talk to and and I've seen you know, maybe you know some some younger, some inexperienced folks come
back there. But you know what, even the people that make mistakes a lot of it, A lot of the trainers, especially nowadays, they're a little bit more understanding, and you know, they kind of help you along, they kind of help them along the way.
That's right. They cut them some slack. Yeah, I think trainers more and more, especially the younger guys like Brad Cox, but really Wayne Lucas kind of led to charge on this. They realize it's marketing. You know, horses can't talk, obviously, so it's up to the trainers and some of them would rather just keep their head down and go about
their business. But most of these guys realize in this world today, you know, the the better they can present themselves and their horses, it makes them look better than their clients, doesn't it.
Well, and think about it, like the competition that you have for for people and eyes, for people to have a certain and different things. You got it. You have to be accommodating today or there's no interest in the sport. And so you know, obviously there's there's always going to be a certain amount of betting interest, but and that's a and that's a big part of it. But you know, you need to be you need to reach out to
the other side of things. And I think more and more traders are starting to pick up on that.
Oh I couldn't agree more. He is Ken Spencer. He is the sports director at w H A s tell everybody how to read you on Twitter or.
X at w H a S eleven Kent, just that simple.
Hey, brother, be looking for you at the racetrack. Thanks for your time.
Hey, can't wait to see your face, Bubba.
All right. I'll never forget how Kent filled some of his sportscast time during the pandemic when there weren't any organized sports to cover, shooting video of his children playing sports in the backyard and covering the event quote unquote, as though it were you, a real sporting event that was absolutely brilliant. All right. Coming up next, it's the Nick benji Owne Show with our man Darren Hedrick. You
heard Darren's side of things from Knoxville. Now you'll have a chance to hear Nick Benjione talk about Kentucky's series victory over the then second ranked Tennessee Balls, maybe putting the Wildcats back on the track they need. That's all ahead here on six thirty wlapping.
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