2025-05-27 - BBI

the garage. But I've known Chuck since the early eighties when he worked with us on the old Southwest Conference radio network. He was a sportscaster on KRLD Radio in Dallas, an all news talk station which back then was the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys. The rights have since changed, I think a couple of times, but that's what KRLD was best known for. And Coop came down from Sportsphone in New York City. He's a New York native, and man, he's got a great voice, but could talk a mile

a minute. And some of you may remember this back pre internet. Now, if you wanted to get all the scores. You could call a number, a nine hundred number, and it costs you. And these guys would get on the phone and rattle off these scores primarily for betters for gamblers. I mean you could barely understand them. They were talking so fast, and if you missed your score, you had to keep listening for them to go through them all

over again, costing you more money. Well, Coop was one of those guys and landed a job at KLD, and we you know, you always need more people. I needed studio hosts, and because we broadcast all the games for all the teams, so we had to have guys doing halftime, in pregame, scoreboard drop ins and things like that all the time. And I had a couple of guys, but I needed one more. So I reached out to the new guy at the radio station and Coop came over, and long story short, he went to work for us,

and we've been buddies ever since. Don't talk a whole lot. We keep up on Facebook and things like that. But he eventually, gosh, it took almost twenty years of him and he did ball games. He did college football. After I left, he was doing Southwest Conference football Westwood One Radio.

He had worked games in rupp Arena, Kentucky games for Westwood I was a stats guy and you know, just hung in there and did a lot of great, solid work, and the next thing you know, the job was open, and he landed the Dallas Mavericks radio job in twenty oh five and he's been their voice ever since. Won an NBA Championship ring calling the Mavericks games. But we're gonna talk today about the Luca Donsige trade for Anthony Davis,

one of the greatest players in UK history. But we'll also talk sec ball in basketball, but Chuck because he is a proud Florida Gator, So that's coming up at the bottom of this hour. We will also naturally talk college baseball with Darren Headrick, the radio voice of the Wildcats, because they're going and I have to admit I was convinced when I turned that show on the Selections Show yesterday that they were not going to get in. And I have a hard time remembering a basketball season that

was similar. I think you may have to go back to Joe Bees last year when the Wildcats kind of struggled and they were surprise to get in to the NCA Tournament and then pulled off a couple of upsets beat a good UNLV team, not one of the great teams, but a good one, and a really good University of Washington team that had two future NBA players on it, including Debtliff Shrimp. So the baseball Cats through strength to schedule, thank you see and RPI and all that, it's all

tied together. They get in and we got a couple of comments from Nick Menzioni and his players. Coming up in our next segment, wild Cats take on West Virginia on Friday at noon. You'll see the game on ESPNU, but of course you'll hear it right here on six

thirty WLAP with Darren Hendrick. Pregame eleven forty five, first pitch, probably a minute or two after high noon as the Cats take on West Virginia, a team that was here two years ago in the regional, not last year, but the year before, and a team that plays a very similar style to Kentucky. So we hear from the Cats coming up shortly now, speaking of West Virginia, saw this cross the wire Mary lou Retton, who is a native of Fairmont, West Virginia, which happens to be my late

father's hometown. It's about ten miles south of Morgantown, which is where WVU is located. I knew Mary lou Rehtton was from Fairmont, and I hate to say this, but it's one of those decaying cities where people just keep moving away, and when you go there, it really has that feel. When my brother and my buddies and I go to Saratoga, we drive and a couple of times we've taken a really slight detour off the interstate I

think it's seventy nine and gone into Fairmont. And the last time we drove to my grandmother's house and looked at it and that thing's falling apart. But anyway, Mary lou Retton apparently lives there now and was arrested and jailed on a misdemeanor charge of DUI. She was arrested

in Fairmont back on May seventeenth. The report came out a person in a Porsche driving erratically, spelled of alcohol, slurred her words, failed to field sobriety test, refused a roadside breath test and blood test, and paid a fifteen hundred dollars personal recognizance bond. No comment from her attorney. She was sixteen years old when she became the first American female gymnast to win the all around gold at

the eighty four LA Olympics. Also won two silvers and two bronze medals and really made gymnastics something big in the US. But remember this. Back in twenty twenty three, her family disclosed that Retin was recuperating from a rare form of pneumonia and she was in intensive care. Doctors found her oxygen levels dangerously low. They were thinking about putting her on a ventilator. She was getting worse, but

went on some kind of oxygen treatment. She was in a hospital for a weeks, but she improved well enough to be sent home. Well, she's in a little bit of trouble now, but I was rooted for her, being from Fairmount, West Virginia, where I spent parts of several summers visiting the grandparents. College Basketball Michigan got some good news. I guess it's Yaksel lendeborg As withdrawn from the NBA draft. Otaga Away has not done this yet, but this kid has.

He's going to play for Dusty May and the Wolverines next year. That's what he told on three dot com. He was ranked a number one player in the transfer portal. Remember this is a kid who had a great year last year at Alabama Birmingham Defensive Player of the Year average nearly eighteen points, eleven and a half rebounds, four assists, almost two blocks, and almost two steals per game. That's why he was the number one player in the portal.

The most recent NBA mock draft said he would be he would go with the twenty sixth pick, But now he's heading for ann Arbor. You gotta think that with a kid who transferred in from UCLA, they got one from Illinois, they got one from North Carolina. They're gonna be probably top five preseason. They also got a couple of big time incoming freshmen. Michigan won the Big Ten last year beating Wisconsin. Remember that got to the sweet

sixteen before they lost to Auburn. And they're gonna be really, really good if it all falls into place and everybody stays healthy this coming year. By the way, I mentioned Anthony Davis. Remember the trade for Luka Doncic Well, Donsich evidently showed up in a photograph from a soccer match overseas and I saw the picture and I, you know, I don't pay a lot of attention to his physical appearance, but even I can tell this guy's in much better shape.

You know. That was that was the criticism about his fitness. Wait, will he stay in shape? Get in shape and stay in shape? Will he work with Lebron? Well, he's doing something right because his physical condition played a role in the MAVs willingness to trade him. But now he's playing alongside Lebron and apparently more serious about getting leaner, getting healthier. And they're calling it his revenge body. But he was at a real Madrid match and somebody wrote, slim Luca

will have this league shook. If that boy gets in shape, the league is in trouble. When we come back to baseball, Wildcats about it the hour, Chuck Cooperstein, Dallas Mavericks radio voice, around six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. Coming up at the bottom of the hour just a few minutes, Chuck Cooperstein, radio voice of the Dallas Mavericks, whose roster now includes Anthony Davis, the center point literally of Kentucky's twenty twelve INTAA title team Top of the Hour,

darreon Hedrick Radio, voice of the baseball Wildcats. They opened play in the nca Tournament on Friday against West Virginia, a game you will hear right here. Nick Benziona the players talked earlier today and Nick reiterated everything Kentucky had lost from last year's team, everything but the starting catcher and at part time starting right fielder. Everybody else went pro. And then from the pitching staff they lost their entire

starting rotation and top two relievers. Everybody went pro or graduated. And from the position players, the center field and Nolan McCarthy went through the portal, but everybody was gone except for two regulars, so they had to rebuild thirty one I think it is brand new players and Benjione talked about the fact that they kind of had to start over and accomplish what they could in a year immediately after a trip to the College World Series.

and had more teams. And the thing that I'm appreciative about is the rest of the country knows and they understand, maybe now at a higher level. And when you just look at our non conference winning percentage, it was over eight forty. I think it was eight forty this year, up from a year ago.

offensive line coach Eric Wolford. UK has given him a contract extension plus a one hundred thousand dollars rays for twenty twenty five, So now his contract is worth nine hundred thousand dollars. That's the going rate for veteran coaches. However, this is a guy the coaches a position that's been under a lot of fire, a lot of scrutiny, and

will have to come through this year. If Kentucky's going to do anything to bounce back from a disappointing season last year, that offensive line has got to get better.

Chuck Cooperstein next in six thirty WLAP welcome back to the Big Blue and Cider and joining us now in our celebrity highline is a guy I met when he walked through our studio doors in Dallas at the Southwest Conference Network GOSH back in the early eighties, and since then, Chuck Cooperstein has done an awful lot, but more than anything, he is own as the radio voice of the Dallas Mavericks and a buddy since like I said, Gosh, just coop. It just seems like it was yesterday, doesn't it.

Let's put it this way. I thought I was training you. You said, at about ten fifty you ready to go. I didn't. I didn't know the format, I didn't know anything. So so Dick, so Dick Gabriel unnamed, unnamed went in and did the pregame show that day. Until I can pick her out what was actually going on?

I mean that only it only partially assuages the issue, you know, because this team was you know, the franchise as we know it was built on dirt, nabiski and twenty one years and never leaving, you know, his statue with what loyalty never fades. And then Luca was you know, the heir apparent at the one cross over year before he took over and did things then no Mavericks player had ever done. And that was ripped away from the fan base and fortunately now they have the chance to

fall in love with another player. Sure, but at the same time, you know, given how everything is played out in the NBA playoffs this year, you know, the Mavericks believe going into the season that they had a team that was capable of winning the championship, that they just needed to make some tweaks around the edges. And they did that. And you know, until Luca got hurt on Christmas. They were nineteen and ten, they were just fine. And then he got hurt, and then he got traded, and

then everybody got hurt. It all fell apart down.

he's never healthy. Now granted, you know the last couple of years he was more healthy, but he's never really been a particularly healthy player. And he's, uh, you know what he's going to be what thirty three next year? You know, he played what fifty eight games this year? I mean, he has a hard time playing sixty games. And if you know, if he's not going to be around, I mean, even Luca, who generally misses somewhere between twelve

to fifteen games a year prior to this year. He's playing more games, he's more he's been more impactful now again. You know, Nico Harrison will tell you if you watch that game we played against the Rockets back in mid February, the first game after the trade, Anthony Davis was unbelievable. That's one of the greatest has of basketball I've ever seen. I mean, seriously, it was. It was unbelievable. But he

got hurt. He got hurt in the third quarter and missed the next twenty games, you know, and then he came back and he had some really good games after that, but he was hurt. I mean, he understands the pressure that comes with this trade that he's got to be able to perform. But the interesting part about the whole trade, Dick was, you know, the Mavericks team this year was

built around Luca. They got played. They got Klay Thompson, specifically because against Boston in the finals last year, the Haafricks couldn't score one hundred points in any of those games. They needed they needed more shooting. Klay Thompson would give them shooting. And on the other side, the Lakers were built around Anthony Davis and so so now they these guys switched teams and they're in really bad situations because

they're not in situations that enhance what they do. So in a lot of ways, it was a lose lose, although in fairness, now you know Luca when he got there and you know, finally got healthy. I mean, the Lakers did finish third in the West, and the West is really good, so and they just did not play well in the Minnesota Series and wound up in a really bad matchup for them, which the playoffs always exposed.

You know, if they if they had Anthony Davis in that series trying to match up with Gobaron Randall and those guys, maybe they're maybe they're better off. Maybe they're better off doing it that way. I mean, who knows. But that that's the interesting thing about it is that now both of them have so much to prove going into next season to be able to justify the trade.

bottomless pit that we have to fill. So now comes to the speculation that the MAVs trade to pick and there's only one guy you would even think about, I think trading for. And that's the honest But that's been put to rest. Right, it's going to be Cooper Flag.

you know our window is three to four years. Well, you know, Kyrie Irving got hurt a month after the trade and he won't be back probably until late January or February, you know, so you know what are and then he really won't be at his best until the following years. So you've already lost the year there, but they're still there. And a but at the same time, you now have this this uber talent who's not even nineteen years old yet, which is just absolutely astonishing, and

you're you're working on these parallel paths. Now, how do you how do you build your team? Do you build it for the future and do you build it around Cooper Flag or are you doing it to try to win in the short term? And especially when the general manager has said that he doesn't figure that he's necessarily long you know for the Mavericks, wants his contract expirers.

So it's it's a really fascinating conundrum that they find themselves in, you know, from a team building standpoint, and then from a coaching standpoint, how Jason Kidd and his staff you know, work Flag into the mix where they're a little top heavy at the four and certainly at the moment anyway, not nearly strong enough at the point guard spot.

But how happy were you? I mean, were you over the moon you had to be when your Gators jumped up and won the NCAA title.

it was. It was great. It was you know, they were you could tell early in the season they were really good. But once they got into conference play and even though they lost to Kentucky, you know, to begin conference play in what was you know, certainly one of the top two or three games in the SEC the entire year. I mean, it was just an amazing game.

clearly did that. Uh. I mean he was incredible looks even in the even in the title game where he had nothing going for the first thirty minutes of that game, he found a way to get it going when they when they needed him and obviously made the biggest defensive play of all Oh man, he what.

play an NBA style. Uh. And And in fact, in many ways you know he's he was ahead of the curve as far as you know, not just shooting a whole bunch of threes and whatever. You know, the three true outcomes of basketball. But he loves side. He I mean, you mean look at I mean, look at that team. I mean you look at you know, Thomas Hawk and look at content and look at the hand hand glotting, and that they got the seven nine Canadian kids. You know who sat out last year, you know Olivier Leo.

You know who's who I guess is going to be, you know, attempting to play this year and get himself into the rotation. And and size was so important to Florida's success. Had a really hard time matching up with them because they would just they would just dominate the boards and you know, get offensive rebounds, get extra opportunities, kickouts, three pointers, that kind of thing. But it seemed like in a lot of ways he was ahead of the curve as far as you know, that type of recruiting.

But at the same time also knowing that you know, you've got to be able, you know, to shoot a certain number of threes. Now, last year he had a team that was a terrible three point shooting team, and they you know, sometimes you wonder and this is not just with him, but this is with everybody. Like on nights when you don't have it on nights, when you're

not making threes. I mean, I understand the shooter mentalities that the next one's going to go in, but at times like the coach has got to say, fellas, we've got to find a different way to score. And I think Todd last year probably did not do that enough with his team. And I think this year, and especially with Clayton and his ability not just to shoot, but he's you know, able to drive it, get into the paint and make things happen, they were much much more

balanced in that way. And I don't think he's, uh, you know, he's he did a really really good job with that team, and obviously that team believed in him because I mean, how many times did they have to play from behind, especially in the NCAA tournament, how many times they had to play from behind against really good

teams and they were able to rally to win. Now, you know, he's he's lost a couple of coaches to head coaching jobs, has to replace some staff and we'll see how that goes going forward.

you know, from U A. B. To Michigan. You know a lot of people thought was gonna go into the draft, and he just declared that, you know, he's gonna he's gonna go to Michigan and play next year, which makes them really good because because Dusty, because Dusty May has really used the portal well, uh to to keep that team up. Uh. So I mean, well, I think what it goes to show is that, you know, there are

a lot of really good players. But at the same time, it's it's kind of a shame that the you know, the mid majors are are sort of being used as a as a proving ground for the for the hie majors to see, you know, do we want to bring this guy in or not? Because as I think, you know, Mark Pope's done it. Uh, I think, uh, you know, Golden's done. I think generally speaking, the philosophy in college basketball now, with very few exceptions, is to get old and staled.

They went six to four and one, and really that's why Doug Dickey got fired the following year, even though he did a better job coaching a four and seventeen than he did a sixty four and one team. But after that, yes, it took a long time for Kentucky to beat Florida. But you know, I think Kentucky is Kentucky's kind of over the last years anyway, has really

figured some things that they've been far more physical. I mean, and even there were, you know, several games that they lost where it's like, at the end of the day, how did they lose that game? Had it or how did Florida win that game? I think it was more of how Kentucky lost the game. I mean, so it had been because because Mark Stewkes does coach a really physical style football. But I think Billy Billy was just

about done. I was in Gains both for the A and M game last September, and that was just disastrous. You know, on the heels of the of the Miami game. It was the Miami game all over again, except A and M wasn't nearly as talented and the game was basically over at halftime. And uh, you know, to his credit, uh, you know, and again to their players credit, Uh, they they hung they hung in there. They played a really good game against UCF, won that game, played a really

good game against Tennessee. They should have won that game, absolutely should have won that game, wound up losing it overtime. And then listen, they had Georgia on the ropes. If if DJ Lagway doesn't get hurt, they're gonna be Georgia that day, because Georgia was not interested in playing. And and you know, now, as it turned out, Georgia had a lot of games this year where they they probably

were not interested in playing for whatever reason. Yes, yes, in fact, that was that was the day of the A and M game in games Goal, so I watched most of that game. And yes, Rock Bander, if Rock Vandergrift could have completed a pass, maybe maybe Kentucky wants up winning the game. But but you know, the November was really good. It was a really good finish to the year. Uh, the Lagway didn't do much in the spring because of his shoulder, but he's gonna be fine. Uh,

you know, he really from again. All indications is recruited well, he's done well in the portal, so you know, the expectations are high. But at the same time, the schedule was really hard. It's you know, pretty much the reverse of what they had last year. But you know that means you're you know, you're still having to play. You know, at least you get Tennessee at home, you get Texas at home, and hopefully that that makes a difference.

I do appreciate talking with you. I'd love listening to you on serious XM radio, and I'm rooting for the MAVs, my brother.

one of our studio anchors. And not long after I left Dallas, he really began to make his climbing and five became the radio voice of the Dallas Mavericks. Did a lot of other stuff, but that's how he's best known now. I re Number two is up next with Darren Hedrick, and we'll talk about the SEC Commissioner taking up again for SEC football, which you would expect him to do and how Kentucky figured in to a little bit of a controversy last year when it came to

the college football playoff. That's next. You're on six thirty of a do you like to welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider joining us now on the Celebrity Hotline. He was in the garage last week with the rest of the Chain gang, but Darren Headrick, the radio voice of the baseball Wildcats, is with us. And I gotta admit, Darren, that as optimistic as we tried to be when you and the other guys were in the garage as the selection show unfolded, brother, I thought, well, that's it, you know.

And they were down to like the last two possible regionals and they got in. And I talked to Patrick Herrera before the press conference earlier this morning. He said, yeah, man, they made it tough on us. We had to wait. But you were as optimistic as anybody. And of course you see every game virtually, and so you were right in the middle of that sec action. Is that what kept you positive? Seeing how tough that league is day in and day out.

and two in the regular season against them. And Kentucky did not get the benefit of playing Missouri when they had one of their worst seasons ever, So you know, I felt like that helped Kentucky ass. I think going on the road and beating Tennessee and Knoxville wait a lot towards helping their resume. I think having a win over Louisville and Texas as well. And the biggest thing

for me though, is Kentucky passes the eye test. They compete so hard and they play so close with these teams, and it's like coach Menngiona has talked about, they can beat anybody on any given day, but with the margin of era, they can also lose some of those games. And we saw that plenty of one run defeeds should have won the series at Vanderbilt. But you credit the number one overall seed for hitting the walk off home runs to earn the sweep. So no, I think this

team deserved it. And even though the trends were going the wrong way Sunday night, from a lot of the experts and publications, I thought Kentucky deserved being in.

of the last four teams end that shock. You were surprised.

these are it's getting pretty tight. And Arizona State is a team that was way behind Kentucky and the rpiously finished fourth in the Big Twelve, and the Big Twelve was the number three RPI conference this year. Obviously, by the way the brackets unfolded, the ACC was not highly regarded. The ACC regular season champion is not hosting, and their

tournament champion wasn't even a top five seed. I don't think are a top four, So clearly the committee did not care for the ACC as much as they did the Big Twelve.

the overall number one seed. It was amazing.

maybe you know you're three to zero. But I thought overall, Kentucky did a great job in that series, and the way Vandy's playing now, we'll see. I for one, think this tournament's wide open, just like I think this regional and Clemson is going to be wide open this weekend.

stumbled down the stretch and got swept at Kansas. Clemson is really good at home, but they're mortal as all teams are, and so I think this thing could be wide open in the postseason. This is going to be a fun postseason baseball experience.

the SEC tournament. But you know, getting in when a lot of people didn't think you would. That can lift a team, can it?

They've been to Georgia. There's players on this team that have been to the box at LSU, and they've even talked about that. So you know this, this is not anything this weekend they have not already seen and they should be ready for it.

he's right. Nobody else cares. I mean that the team cares. You care, I care, but you know, everybody deals with injuries. But they were so fortunate each of the last two years just to be healthy at this time completely, and now it's frustrating to talk about the guys who aren't available, and yet, hey, everybody's got to deal with that, right.

foot injury sideline him for the year. And then they have some pieces on this pitching staff that haven't appearing on the mound and all this spring due to injuries that were expected to be major contributors. So it's you know, and then there are times they've had to patchwork the lineup. Against Mississippi State, they were down to their fourth and

fifth options at third base. It's just a part of going through a thirty game SEC schedule and they're fortunately, I think they're coming out on the other end of it now and starting to get guys back and healthy for this run in the postseason.

Virginia Mountaineers. And by the way, you need to pull up the Inside Kentucky base Ball podcast with the two Darrens, mister Hedrick and mister Williams, the former Kentucky pitcher. They he'll prep you for the upcoming tournament. And Kentucky did not play West Virginia this year or a last, but we all got a chance to watch the Mountaineers play in the tournament two years ago in a Lexington similar style as Kentucky. They try to create chaos on the base pass.

two punch. We'll see how they decide to pitch. I'm assuming we're going to get their best on Friday to try to get off to a good start in the regional. If that's the case, then it's likely kern Ki r N. He's got ninety two strikeouts on the season and an ERA in the mid threes. So they do have some good pitching on that respect, but just a solid team. I will be curious to see how the styles clash

because the Big Twelve, it's a different style they've got. Well, their geography stretches from West Virginia to Arizona, so you're talking about different climates for the ball. Why is a lot different. So you go down to Baylor or Arizona or Texas Tech, and the ball flies a lot different than it does in West Virginia. So we'll see how these styles clash on Friday. It should be a really interesting matchup.

one to oh in all those regionals. So get off to a one and oh start and then see what happens on that Saturday, and hopefully by Sunday you're playing with house money, and like coach Manda says, you're three wins away from a Super and five wins away from Omaha.

swept five to one. And we all know how hard it is just to sweep, much less win four straight against a top ten team. But I don't anticipate that kind of effort or lack of same. Not that it was a lack of effort, they just they just kind of, as I said, just kind of flattened out at the plate laid against Oklahoma. But I don't think we'll see that on Friday.

on Kentucky's schedule. How about that, although thankfully for the Wildcats both in Lexington and you know, people forget that they took one off of Texas and the Game three of that series was a one run game, right, and then nobody, I don't think nationally expected Kentucky to sweep Oklahoma, but that series Texas Tennessee kind of signaled to the rest of the country that, oh, wait a minute, Kentucky's kind of waking up, you know what I mean?

And I always like to remind people, you know, people kind of scoff oh, thirteen league wins. Well, thirteen gets you in the tournament, as we know, fourteen you're solidly in the field, and fifteen you're in the conversation to host a regionals. So you get one or two of those one run losses to go the other way, and we might be playing at home this weekend.

the SEC championship. But that's baseball, isn't it. I mean, you know what, A lot of a lot of teams can say that, But so what, it's still true, right, yeah?

five feet to the left or right. It's a game winner. You look at the Vanderbilt series, there's two the two walk offs, there's two right there. So you know there's four wins right there. Just if the you make the pitch or make the defensive play, or make or get the hit, then you're sitting there looking at seventeen league wins instead of thirteen. So it is that close. That's

the margin, and that's what he keeps referring to. And a lot of those close plays went their way the last two years and this year not not as much.

play the eventual national champion. I don't think anybody really expected them, although they played well down there, but they carried that experience into the following year and played well enough to host as they won the conference, host a super and we've talked about that so much as they could just host a Super and not go to Louisville or not go to LSU and it all paid off. This year's team had to kind of condense all of

that into one season, didn't it. Thirty one new faces, guys who had played at other places and had some individuals success but not so much as a team. Some had had some had been to the NCAA tournament, But they had to squeeze it all into one year and develop as a potential, you know, winning ball club. That ain't easy, is it?

stretching to twenty twenty four. Now it's twenty twenty five, stretching into twenty twenty six, you're going to get Tyler Bell and Luke Lawrence and Ryan Schwartz and Hudson Brown and all these guys are going to be back for you, Kayas Gargett Ethan Hindle and so you get those guys and then an outstanding freshman class in the future is

looking really bright. And like you mentioned earlier today in the press conference, you've made three straight regionals and now for a lot of the guys coming up in high school, Kentucky is a brand that a lot of players are going to want.

I'm one of those lucky people. I don't know why, but my name keeps coming up. It's come up probably half a dozen times. And I talk to people all the time who have never been called I don't know why that is. I don't mind it. It's just, you know, it's part of being an American citizen. That's all well and good, but you got to rearrange some things in

your life now. I am semi retired. I am not currently involved in calling games because my job with the UK Baseball games, the streaming telecast that's behind me for a couple of weeks now and college football. I assume I'll be back with a network. Can't really say for sure. You never know until you get the contract in the mail. But if I am, I don't have to worry about that until late August. So just doing this little radio show out of my garage is it keeps me busy.

But if I'm tied up much of the day down at the courthouse, well, I've just got to present the best of and then you wait and see if you're selected. You have to call a number every day for five straight days to see if your during number, duror number is mentioned. And then when you go to report, you see if you're one of the people selected. And I'll be honest, I've never been selected for one reason or another, but you still have to go down there, go through

the process. That's all well and good, that's fine, that's all part of it. But as I said, you just got to make arrangements, and I'll be making arrangements for the best of the Big Blue Insider tomorrow. And I do have vacation coming up as well, so we'll replace some of those classic bbis coming up this summer. Anyhow, it's not going to be long before we're talking about

the college football openers. And as I mentioned in the very first part of the show, first or second, lots of chatter about the college football Playoff and whether it will be. It will not be this year. But as I mentioned the other night, they're changing the seeding, which means that the supposedly weakest of the teams that get in will not receive buys as they did this past year.

But Greg Sankey was rattling some cages down at the SEC spring meetings and it caught the attention of a columnist for cbsports dot Com, Tom Fornelli, and he took note of comments that Sankie made down in Florida. Sankie doing his job, and he does it well. I remember when he was named the commissioner, we weren't sure who was going to be the next one. But he quickly showed that he was dealing from a position of strength,

wasn't afraid to do so. And he has done a great job because look at what the SEC is doing now everywhere, not just football, how good basketball is now. And throughout the nca tournament there was a lot said and written about why the NCAA or I'm sorry, why the SEC has become so much better at basketball. The entrants money, it's always money, but how have they spent it? They have hired good coaches and good assistant coaches, and

that's a reflection of the head coaches they hire. Schools of plowed money into facilities, and let's face it, the SEC network has provided so much money, but it wasn't all dumped into football. It went to basketball, went to women's basketball, went to baseball, went to everything. SEC is good in everything. They're spreading the money out and now it makes it tougher on the people who are trying

to come up with the college football playoff recipe. And Sankee was still complaining essentially indirectly but directly about two teams that did not get into playoffs, even though it be Georgia, and he said this, it's clear that not losing becomes in many ways more important than beating the University of Georgia, which two of our teams that were left out did. All right, he's referring, of course, to Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina. They were three loss SEC teams

left out because Indiana and SMU had better records. Okay, Alabama and ole Miss, as Fornelli points out, did beat Georgia. But in many of you knew this from last year, it's what else happened to those teams? Yeah, Alabama beat Georgia, huge game, big win. Then what happened? They lose to Vandy. All due respect to Andy year six and six. That's great for Vandy beat Alabama, huge win, but you know it is Vandy a team you hang your a win that you hang your hat on. No, and if you

lose to Vandy, my gosh. So Alabama loses to Vandy and Oklahoma, which wasn't any good and in SEC games alone, those two teams combined for a three and eleven record in games not against Alabama. All right, now, you're gonna you're gonna like this one. Kentucky fans Ole Miss jumps up and beats Georgia, Lane Kiffin beats Georgia. What happened next, Well, they lose to Florida. Not bad, do you respect to

my friend mister Cooperstein. Florida did finish eight and five, went three and four in SEC games, not against Ole Miss. But what killed Ole Miss? Losing to Kentucky at home? Remember that heck of a game, twenty to seventeen. The Wildcats win it, and it was the only SEC win of the year for the Wildcats, and it very likely kept oh Miss. I would say it definitely kept Ole Miss out of the playoff. It's other seven games all losses by an average of fourteen and a half points. So, yeah,

you beat Georgia. Is that the golden ticket? Not this year? No, And Kentucky got to play spoiler. And you know, you look back on that game. I keep saying this, what happened to that team? Where did that team go? They fought, they clawed, they scrapped, they did not everything right, but they overcame whatever mistakes they made and out played the rebels.

And this was a great day for a college football game, great crowd, weather cooperated, and Kentucky made some really big plays, so did ole Miss and the Wildcats win it and spoiled their party. Now, South Carolina played the toughest non conference game of those three and beat Clemson on the road. No bad losses for the game Cocks, but did lose to Alabama and ole Miss. So if you don't put them in the playoff, you don't put South Carolina in

the playoff. But keep in mind is for Nelly pointed out, then an at large spot disappeared when Clemson won the ACC and qualified for the College Football Playoff because otherwise it was not going to go. So, yeah, Sankee's doing his job when he talks about how not losing is more important in some areas than beating a team like Georgia. But man, if you're on that committee that's looking at the big picture, you gotta look at the overall body

of work. However, keep in mind Indiana went eleven and one, but still finished behind Tennessee which was ten and two and four other two loss teams, and that's why Indiana had to play Notre Dame on the road in the first round. Strength to schedule it matters, So keep an eye on his College Football Playoff, but understand, keep an ear on Greg sank. He will never stop and nor should he pushing for the sec but you got to look beyond a glittery win over a tough team like Georgia.

We'll come back and again talk more Kentucky baseball on the other side of the break, hering the Big Moon Sider six point thirty Wlap Welcome back to the Big Blue in Side. Eric. A couple of other baseball notes for you. Then we want to talk about the transfer portal in football. Buddy of mine who's from Lexington who now lives in Reno Nevade moved from Los Angeles to Reno retirement home. Right. Well, he's a big NBA but fan, and he's always bugging his wife when he's watching NBA games,

pointing out the UK guys. You know, there's so many of them now in the league and must get tiring for her. So anyhow, for whatever reason, he's not a big baseball fan, but he just moved to the Reno area and he dragged his wife to this minor league game, Reno Aces versus Albuquerque Isotopes. So he said, we left early because this guy from Albuquerque kept hitting home runs and I guess it became a route I emailed him. He told me the story and I emailed him back

and said, hey, that's a UK guy. It was Ryan Ritter. You may have seen this or heard about this. But Ryan Ritter, former Gold Globe I think I mentioned this, former Gold Glove winning shortstop for the Wildcats, promoted to Triple A. Hit three home runs in one game for Albuquerque for the Topes when he was at Kentucky. Of course, his glove was phenomenal, but he was working on his offense and he's finding his stroke now, at least in

the minor leagues. They ended up winning fourteen nothing. That's why my buddy left early. But Ritters are now twenty four years old and Reno. I'm sorry. Albuquerque is the Triple A team for the Colorado Rockies book, could they use some help. You might see him in the biggs before this season is over. And that three home run game took him to eleven straight games a hitting streak with a franchise record ten straight games with an extra

base hit. So huge day for Ryan Ritter in front of I don't know how big the crowd was in Reno, but one person there was a UK grad. No idea that Ritter had been a wildcat one. Another note from the miners, Jack Cagleone's also getting it done. He was a two way player for Florida, not a great picture of what a hitter, and now playing for the Omaha Storm Chasers in Salt Lake where I guess the thin air may have had something to do with this. Hit home runs at went one hundred and thirteen point six

miles per hour four hundred and ten feet. The next night one hundred and eleven miles per hour exit velocity four hundred and forty one feet. On Saturday, hit one that was out of here at one hundred and seven miles an hour. They didn't have the distance. And on Sunday one hundred and eight miles an hour, four hundred and fifty nine feet. That was in the first inning. Then in the tenth inning hit one out one hundred

and seven miles an hour. Kind of cool because Doug Flinn and I when we did minor league baseball for a couple of summers, we did games both in Omaha and in Salt Lake City, two great ballparks, and boy, Salt Lake City, the backdrop phenomenal, just great scenery as you might expect, and we also saw the Albuquerque Isotopes, not in Alberka, No, yeah, we did. We did do a game in Albuquerque, and if you're a Simpsons fan,

you know that's the Springfield team, the Springfield Isotopes. Homer works at a nuclear plant and the ballpark has statues of the Simpsons all over in Albuquerque. We couldn't show them on TV because we were working for CBS Sports Network, and of course the rights to the Simpson owned by Fox, but we could talk about it and we did. Now about the portal, there's a study that was published by

cbssports dot com. This may effect, This may slow the traffic when it comes to football players jumping into portal. Elite recruits are having trouble being drafted after going through the portal. Seven years of data. They've been studying and they have watched as former highly coveted high school recruits enter the transfer portal and they have more and more trouble being drafted. They looked at the classes four seasons from the twenty eighteen class and beyond three hundred seven

players drafted. Of those three to zero seven, only sixty one of them were transfers. That's a rate of eleven point four percent. Non transfers from the same top two four to seven classes drafted fifty three point six percent of the time. So again, the odds are if you ended a portal, your odds of being drafted are much lower than if you stick around. As you might expect. Quarterbacks transfer far more often sixty nine point eight percent of the time in those four years twenty eighteen to

twenty twenty one. Sixty four percent of the transfers wide receivers, fifty nine and a half percent running backs, and so on and so on. Go to cbsports dot com if you want to read the whole story, and click on the NCAA football But what I find interesting and a little surprising was that interior offensive alignment transfer thirty seven point three percent of the time, defensive tackles thirty six

percent of the time. You would think they would command top nil dollar, but apparently they all stay put and they broke it down to offensive tackles. Only thirty two point five percent of those classes from twenty eighteen to twenty twenty one were offensive tackles. No surprise about quarterbacks, right, But interestingly, only two of the one they were looking at the multi time transfers. Guys you transferred more than once, Only two have been drafted so far from twenty eighteen

to twenty twenty two. Actually only two multiple transfers, and one of them you saw beat the Wildcats. Tyler Shuck U of L started off at Oregon, then went to Texas Tech and then U of L and that's where he really blossomed. But in all fairness, he stayed healthy there, so much of his off the field movement was a result of injuries, and then the other guys took his job. Tyler Baron, who had a nice season at Miami, technically transferred twice, but he did so in the same off season.

Remember he went from Tennessee to Louisville to Miami in just five months. There's a lot of reasons to transfer. Some guys transfer up, and you can look at cam Ward, who is of course a big timer now quarterback started off at Incarnate Word, then Washington State and then Miami. In Carnate Words. One double a FCS Josh Simmons transferred from San Diego State to Ohio State, basically moving up.

But these are the numbers, including especially i'd say, the draft stuff that you gotta think every coach in America is arming himself these numbers. When guys come in and say, I'm going to hit the portal a quarterback. That's kind of different. Only one guy can play quarterback, but some of these other positions. Even if you are a quarterback, they can pull out this research and these are like elite players. The top players is rated by two four

to seven sports, and they can show the numbers. These are the guys who are drafted, and these are the guys who are not. Those are some sobering figures. If you ask me finally, well, this isn't exactly the same thing, but it's about a player who's going to be on the move. Perhaps Aaron Rodgers has still not said anything, at least as I record this, about where he's going. Everybody believes it'll be Pittsburgh. Somebody asked him, would you ever join the Bears Bears rivals of course of my

beloved Packers. He said no. What he said, I believe there's a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip. I don't know, not sure. Got to check it out. Well, the Steelers Jeff Drummond and Keith Farmer play the Bears Seek twelve on November twenty three. Seven other teams do as well, but he's just making Pittsburgh weight, making him want it, and we're all getting tired of it. Thanks to Chuck Cooperstein, thanks to Darren Heddrick.

That's it, good night for the garage and Lexington.