Think when we are getting off our show, idiot, the kids are playing or tail off.
The coaches are screwing it up.
Gold Play Inner Murals, Brother, Goldplay Inn Murals.
They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not. Who's the kid here?
Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me?
Now?
Here's Nick Coffee?
All right, let's get it started here one of our final shows of twenty twenty four. Coffee and Company. That's the name of the show. My name is Nick Coffee, and you guys are the company. I'm here along with the one and only Austin Montgomery as we take you up until six o'clock. Hopefully you had a good weekend. It is Monday, doesn't feel like a Monday. And I've
said this many times over the years. I'm somebody that is very much in need of structure and consistency, and with the holiday schedule, and it's nice to have time off, especially during the holidays. And it's something you always know, is I mean, you're never surprised to wake up on Christmas. Oh, I don't have to go to work to do like you know, but with me doing has in the morning's filling in for Tony Cruz and then also doing this.
It's just been, it's been. It's been wild, and I don't really know what day it is, but I mean I do it's Monday, but I kind of feel like it was because I know we've got New Year's Off coming up in a couple of days. It doesn't really feel like a Monday, which I guess is a good thing. But I'm running on fumes. Do you ever get so tired, Austin that you're like slap happy oh all the time?
That's me and I'm not. I don't feel tired, but I have like this weird energy that's kind of I mean, I feel like the vibes are pretty good right now to get this thing started. But I got up at four o'clock this morning to do the show on HAS and it's been great filling in and being able to be on the big stick as they call it. I mean, didn't. I mean, I'm not saying this because I mean, I feel like we're all we're all company men here, we're all on the same fee, we're all we're all on
the same team here at our heart. But you said the big leagues is what I got called up to and I guess it kind of feels like that.
Yeah, so it's a flagship, right.
It's been it's been fun. Uh and it's been it's been a good experience just to kind of tryt something different and and it's different.
You're familiar with the Big Stick.
Oh, that's absolutely that's I think that's why they asked me. I think that's what led to them kind of being like, hey, big stick got an opening in the morning, hight as well go with the Big Stick guy. I think it's kind of how it all. And again, that's the kind of thing I couldn't say on the Big Stick, you know what I mean.
We can we can get coffee, we can get in the.
Mud here, and it's it's probably not gonna, you know, raise a lot of red flags. I mean, maybe it does, and if so, then you know, I'll apologize.
I mean, look at some of the other talent the w H A. S has and look what they get away with that. Have you heard the name Tony Vanetti? Yeah, you know, the guyed White Wave.
I was gonna say it might be the other one, but the guys are which by the way, Tony is totally because he is a very uh how do I describe it. I he's he's more polished on h as, he's more sophisticated. He's still then, but like it's a different version, it's and it's a good version. It's a great version. I don't know of a bad version of
Venettie now. But with Dwight as his as his guy, their partners on the air, like Tony looks like the choir boy at times, yes, and Dwight can only be Dwight right, Like we don't want it, We don't make we don't want any adjustments. We don't want to make any changes. Dwight is perfectly Dwight is himself. We don't want to newter Dwight exactly, because then you don't then then what do you get? Right? Like Dwight is Dwight is is the best thing going around here.
So you know, Tony Vnetti went to Trinity. I are you sure you heard that?
Are you sure?
Yeah? He's in the Hall of Fame.
I feel like if he went to Trinity, he would have talked about Trinity more. Yeah, I kind of I kind of feel like if he would have went there, then we would maybe know never I mean, I've never even I mean it just speaks to how he's become so humble in his uh in his I mean with all those state championships in football and there league. Yeah, like he's you'd think he'd bring it up. But again that's just the humble man that is, that is Tony Venetti.
Yeah.
But anyways, we're here until six clock. We're gonna have some fun and I am looking forward to it. I can tell you that a lot to get into. But I I've had a tough time. Have you ever had Do you have issues sleeping at all? Let's just have an open, an open therapy session here. Do you have trouble sleeping at night? It depends little myself.
It depends sometimes if I if it depends on when I want to get to bed. And like I recently, actually before the holidays, I was going to bed at like two three o'clock.
Not good, not healthy.
But if I can get in bed at like eleven twelve at midnight, I'll be fine. But my ADHD, I guess that's what you want to call it. It, I don't know what it is. It's like a fomo, a fear of missing out, like I have to be like the last one up in the world before I go to sleep, I got a scroll Twitter. I gotta scroll Instagram to make sure every stone is is covered, nothing's been changed.
Like you're not gonna call it a day until you feel like, all right, I'm calling it until until I know you're gonna miss out.
Nothing's gonna happen under my watch while I'm asleep.
No, I got you. I got you.
And then and that leads to me just kind of slogging into work the next day and kind of being like you just a little bit slap happy to start the day. And not that I love that, but there's something peaceful about staying up at night and kind of being the last one.
To go to bed. I don't know what it is.
I'll tell you this. I have for the first time since I used to work mornings on this station many I say many years ago, cause it's been roughly two years ago exactly. But so I've not been a I've not been in the mindset of like you need to go to bed because you have to wake up early, because I get up normally. Sometimes I get up really early and I'm just up. So I get up and I'm up like an hour and a half before my
wife and kids get up. That's rare. But usually I can roll out of bed at like, I don't know, seven fifteen, seven thirty, and I'm not too tired. I got enough sleep, and I'm not in a hurry, like I can kind of just casually start today. So what I'm getting at is I've not been in the mindset in the evenings of you need to go ahead and you need to be mindful of when you go to
bed because you have to get up early. I've not been in that cycle for a couple of years now, right, So I've not really been where I've got a like I got to get the kids to school on time and daycare on time, but I usually like that's such a late start, Like Mason has to be at daycare by nine thirty, We're good there. Maya has to be
at school by nine. I'm good there. So like I'm just not it's not a point and by the way they wake up to where like if I was going to try to sleep and I wouldn't be able to. So I've not been in the mindset of needing to go to bed early enough because I need I need to be mindful of the amount of sleep that I get. But I've also never had to get up and be like, all right, let's get ready quickly and get out the door because we're going to start our day. Yeah, which,
by the way, I kind of missed that. To be honest with you, it's been kind of it's been kind of enjoyable the last few days, just because you know, it's when I get up whenever, like there's no alarm clock, I just know I'm going to wake up. I'm very fortunate to be able to do that. But also like it makes me just kind of feel like I'm lazy, although you know, I am doing the mister mom stuff getting the kids ready, and that's something I'll I'll always cherish.
But since I've known, like, hey, you you've got a show that starts at five am, you need to be like, you need to go to bed. So then when I try to go to bed, what do I do think non stop fall asleep, fall asleep, fall asleep, And what does that do that makes me not fall asleep?
If I fall asleep, now I'll get exactly exactly twenty seven minutes.
That's been my mind for like the last the last few nights. I've done it. Yeah, And last night I just laid there and I fell asleep at like two fifteen, got up at four, and I wasn't that tired. But I think it's because I never really fell into like a deep sleep. So after the show this morning, I went home and I tried to like catch a quick nap, not a nap. Guy can't do it because I just can't. I can't relax enough to just kind of crash out.
So I laid there, wasted an hour trying to fall asleep, and I'm like, look, if I fall asleep now, I'm going to be dragging. So I'm I'm when I say I'm rolling on fumes, I'm rolling on fumes. And that means that one that's probably going to be a little loopy today. I may get a little slap happy. I'm kind of already there, I feel like. But also when that crash shits, like, I don't know what to expect because you know it's coming.
You bring a monster in today, I have one. There.
You go and open that it helps here, but we shall see. Let me take a little drink here to get to get the juices flowing.
Well, let me go ahead and ask you like Are the kids relatively good with waking up or do you have to go? Like REMI Maya Moose like, all right, I tried waking up three times already.
Are they just are?
Are they trained enough to kind of get ready and get out the door whenever they have to?
So for the most part, it depends on where they're going that day. That's the first thing they ask me when they get up, and usually it's I mean, they've asked me that recently because they've been out of school and daycare was closed for a week for Moose. So we're lucky that Maya loves school to where she wakes up and I'm like, hey, you're gonna go see your friends and I mentioned some of their names, and she's excited.
She's ready to go with Moos, it just depends on did he stay up late watching too much TV with dad? Because he'll once he's up, he's good, but like the getting him awake and out of bed, like he's already turned in at four years old as the guy who's like just gonna keep faking that he's sleeping. But here's an issue that maybe you could help me out with. And I'm not even kidding, So he is. He's really become in and I didn't really wasn't anything I did,
but he's really into wrestling. Yes, he wants he wants to watch wrestling all the time on Peacock. Because we were on Peacock one time watching like a true crime thing, not me and him, but me and the wife, and he saw, like you know, I was scrolling through and I ended up on the WWE tab of course, like there's everything there, and he was like, man, like, can we watch that? Dad? Can we watch that? Dad? And
I'm like why not? And then I'm realizing, wait a second, Like I could go pull up old Monday Night Raw from when I was a little kid, and I'm like, this could be really nostalgic. So sure enough, like we've we've at times just put it on and he always asked to watch it, and it's nostalgic for me. And it's wild to see what that era was, like the attitude era in professional wrestling, Like I feel like I got I feel like everybody feels like they're era of everything, Like, man,
you know we had it better. We you know, we were the best. Oh yeah, and I think you know our era is the best. But I also feel like we were lucky because that was something you'll that'll never
be recreated again. And I don't know how in such a PC culture, like it's such a you know, such a woke world we live in now, and I don't I'm not even really saying that, like, well, take it how you mean it, but like there's things that I really thought was enjoyable, that like that was funny, that like I knew kind of maybe I shouldn't be watching,
but like it was awesome. And I don't mean just because you know, like women had nothing but like something very small covering their nipples on television, and you know, Jerry the King was horned up NonStop, and you know, the the the I mean just some of the things
like that. I'm just thinking now whenever the Big Boss Man showed up at The Big Show's dad's funeral, hooked the chains up to the casket and drove a drove off with the with the Big Show's dad in the back of the end chasing after all, and as a kid, I'm thinking, like, you know, there's no doubt in my mind at that age, like that's real, Like damn, I don't know what they got me messed up if somebody does to my dad like I'm you know, and it was it was a fun ride, but we were lucky
to be able to because there's no way they could ever pull that off in any way. And to be honest with you, the former leader of the WWE, I mean, he's now in some hot water for a variety of things, but it's really none of that, you know what I mean. Like they were able to get away with it. You can go pull the footage and see it. It's probably some of the things have been removed from the cloud that they're on on Peacock, but like we all know, it was there and they got away with it, and
like nobody cares. Like to me, it's a sign of can we you know, I understand we need to be respectful and not go out of our way to insult people or be disrespectful or offend them, but like also like can we not take ourselves so serious? Like that to me speaks to that era. So the reason I'll bring all this up often is because when he watches it, he won't sleep, like like he'll you know, I'll be like, all right, one more match, one more match, and he
doesn't really get into the promos. He just wants to watch him wrestle. Oh okay, old school, but like, you know, all right, one more match. It's eleven o'clock. He should have been a bed of two hours ago, but like, you know, I'm kind of that dad, Like if he wants to stay up and stay with me, we kind of have our own time. But then I go put him in bed, and like he'll come two hours later, like, hey Dad, I can't sleep, And I'm like, you haven't been to sleep, but all he's like no, So like
he watches wrestling and then he doesn't sleep. So I don't know, Like I don't know what if there's anything that they can be done about that, but he's he's certainly into it.
I was kind of I was kind of the same way because that stuff was just fascinating, the draw of wrestling, Like everything's so colorful, Like the characters are just kind of like out of this world and you're just like drawn to him. Does does he have any favorites that he likes watching or does he have anybody that he that he that that like kind of sticks to him just yet or is he just like so he said he doesn't watch the promos.
You sometimes that's the best part.
You would be you would know this more than I would. Yeah, when Jeff Jarrett initially and maybe this was just a Jeff Jarrett thing throughout his time as a wrestler. I know he's been everywhere, but at one point in the WWF now the WWE, he had a guitar.
Yeah, that's all right.
Moose thought that was cool as hell. So that's his guy business. Pat Paul plays guitar and he just cool. Yeah, double j Jeff Jarrett. So he likes him, uh, and he's he's a bandwagon guy, like you know, he gets mad dad who we like whenever they start and I'm like, uh, we like this guy, and I try to guess who's gonna win because whenever we get to the end of the maschi and if they lose, he yells at me like why do we pick him?
He seaks.
He just he's he's only once the guys that are going over and that's what he's that's what he's all in on.
So that's great.
So I was just about to ask, like, when do you do the the cover of his eyes when you know something raunchy's coming up, like something with a diver.
Do you just kind of like let him have it?
No, So that now that you say that, I kind of feel like they have like the stuff that might have been like super riskue like super revealing for like women. I don't we we either we haven't got there yet or it wasn't as it might have happened like twice, but like it's what you remember when you're a kid, because you see Sable, you see Denbrah Yeah, oh yeah, I mean that was that was that was my era.
So I haven't seen any of that in any of the ones we've watched, So maybe we just haven't hit it yet, or maybe they maybe they didn't include that, because like I've seen pictures of stuff that, like I know I watched on TV and I'm like, oh my god, like and well, never mind, we'll move on. This isn't has But I was about to go down a path that I probably shouldn't show.
I mean, it's Monday night, you're getting the wrestling fans True Wrestling, and the.
Next Monday it'll be on Netflix.
Right, It's it's the last time of them on actual cable television for a while because they're switching to Netflix and they've been rolling that whole promotion out like crazy, with like the whole Christmas game and everything like that.
They're having the promos on Netflix whenever you log in, but try to get as much as wrestling content as you can because there's a lot of a lot of speculation that they're not going to transfer like the full library over and it's gonna be a little bit limited when it's on Netflix, So get as much as you can.
So Peacock still owns like their contract's not running out because I don't have They just don't care anything live, right, Yeah.
They they usually do carry like like the pl e s what it's called the new pay per views, like okay, something on Saturday. Well, most of the pay per views now are on Saturday, and they're not called pay per views anymore because you're obviously not paying for them just to view it. So if you stream it then that's what's So as far as I know, everything switching over Netflix, and I know at the beginning of the year, that's when Peacock is losing the WWB library.
Okay, I didn't know they were losing it. That makes that makes more sensus. The whole relationship with Netflix and honestly, I mean, I know there's so many people listening right now that don't watch or care about wrestling, and that's totally fine, but that was a humongous component for their subscription service. They're there incentive because they don't have a ton of local programming they do have or not local.
They don't have a ton of original programming, and they they have some like they they end up is it NBC stuff that ends up there a lot, yes, yeah, and some of it ends up on Hulu or whatever. But like, I kind of feel like Peacock's going to have to step their game up because I remember doing a deep dive on this just because I'm an nerd for it that that really like that that made Peacock a competitor with the others is because they had the
ww library. It's viewed as a niche thing to a lot of people, and I guess technically it is, but the people who love it really love it, and that alone is why they were subscribing. And if you don't have that, I think you're probably gonna lose a lot of those people unless there's just like this segment of Peacock content that Peacock content sounds bad, doesn't it?
Content on the Cocker.
Yeah, Like, you know, unless there's some original programming they have that's great that I just don't. I'm not aware, but I can't think of any original Peacock like series that I've watched that like was really good. Like I don't even know of any, to be honest with you.
Technically, NBC since they had the only reason that I subscribed to Peacock was one it's generally more cheap than some of the other ones, Like it was four dollars when it started out. Now it's gone on to like six seven dollars, but it's strictly because of the ww network and to watch The Office. I'm a huge Office fan and I could watch that series like one hundred times, so I love being able to log and watch that. Once WWE leaves at it's going to be it's do
I want to pay this much for The Office? And I probably still will because I love that show. But they have other stuff on there too, like King of Queen's other like other NBC content, But that's I think that was originally I'm pretty sure The Office first aired on NBC, and for the longest time, The Office was on Netflix and then a few years ago that's when it went to Peacock.
Yeah, so there are some shows that end up on Netflix first that left there to go to Peacock and Hulu. That that really was a big was a big investment from those streaming services to try to get subscribers because they felt like that alone, those two shows specifically, and I'm sure there's more than those two. I know, like Parks and Rec's a big deal. I'm not sure where that's at now, but I know when Seinfeld and uh the office were moving around from where they were like that.
Those are shows that even if you've seen every episode multiple times, people will I mean, I kind of feel like it's crazy to say, but maybe not. I think people will pay, specifically that monthly subscription to be able to watch any episode of those shows anytime they want, because they're arguably to the most popular shows of all time. So this show has been a very unusual start today. But again I told you, I'm a little loopy. I'm running on fumes. But we're gonna have some fun. There's
certainly a lot to get into. We got to talk about Louisville's game against dKu, a win but man, they were fortunate in that game, and I've got some thoughts on it. I'm not gonna harp. I mean, I'm not gonna act like, you know, we need to be super. That's just a reminder that this team, if they don't play well against good teams and if they really have stretches of bad play against maybe anybody, they're going to
be vulnerable to a loss. Also, Louisville in action tomorrow in the Sun Bowl, which man, I'm excited to watch. I have no clue what to expect, which I think has kind of led to a lot of people kind of being like, yeah, we'll tune in, let's go go cards, but nobody has a clue what to really expect. Right In a way, I'm trying to convince myself that makes it fun. I don't know if I'm lying to myself or not, but either way, it's tomorrow two o'clock. And then another thing we got to get into is the
story out of Florida State today. I mean, my goodness, the the nil situation. You know, I said it not that long ago. I think it might have been one of the last things that came up on this show last week. Before we got out of here for the weekend. There's really no story in college sports that pertains to the portal or nil that'll surprise you. And today we have another one that is you know, I don't know if anybody expected it, but if you think about it,
it's not shocking. Florida State's got five former basketball players suing Leonard Hamilton for him promising them a bunch of money through NIL and maybe you get any of it. I mean it's been I mean again, like this is not sustainable, and that's the most obvious statement of all time. But what is the answer. What's the solution? And I don't know if anybody can provide one, And that's what's kind of scary, to be honest with you. So we got a lot to get to. Thanks for you know,
letting me just, you know, wake up here. I was basically waking myself back up here as we get the things started. So stick around, don't go anywhere. It's coffee and company, and we are feel about Thorton's right here on Sports Talk seven.
Ninety from the Fox Sports Studios in Los Angeles.
Here's Steve Desiger.
In the Sunday night NFL game in Washington. The Commanders in overtime beat Atlanta.
Now back to Coffee and Company. Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine.
Day, I was gonna say that the performance from Louisville on Saturday against e KU was the worst performance of the Pat Kelsey era. But I really don't know if that's accurate. You know, they won, and they've had some losses along the way, but all the losses were to good teams. But yet the good teams that beat you, some of them beat you really bad to where it's like, yeah, you lost to a good team that's better than you, meaning you play them ten times, you're gonna lose more
than you're gonna win, may lose them all. But to lose by the amount a loss to to Ole miss and Tennessee, you know, obviously that's you know, that's that's that's not a good look. But again, it's not a loss where it's like, how the hell did that happened? Had you not held on against KU, you know what that would have been, that would have been a how the hell did that happen? Loss? So I've not had a feeling like that in a long time, where I know that they were so fortunate to be able to win.
And I don't feel like better about the team after that game, but I was just so relieved to know that they avoided a very embarrassing loss like that would have. And look, I know there's already people using the game as ash and I shouldn't even I shouldn't have prefaced it as if they're they're in the wrong, Like yeah, if you're somebody who's you know, just wanting to gain. By game kind of checked the pulse of the momentum that this team has as far as can they can
they find a way to the tournament? Can they find a way to the bubble? That was not a good game against dKu, But it's also kind of a weird game. And I'm not gonna make any excuses. I'm not going to tell anybody that their concerns about Saturday are like wrong, But I just know that Louisville can't have many stretches of poor play against really anybody and expect to be
able to win. And I think Eku. Maybe this is going to be me, you know, being a homer here and saying it, but like, I think Eku was as much of a factor in their ability to hang around and put themselves in a position to win. Like again, if ek you can do that to you, then yeah, that's concerning that. That's not good. However, like I'm not I knew going in that Louisville not I didn't think they would end up in the position they were in
where they needed a last minute Noah waterman bucket. And by the way, like he'll still get made fun of by Louisville fans and he'll still be the guy that people just when people are frustrated, Like, here's what I think happened. I would never I'm gonna hold you to that.
Yeah, I would never, so me.
So you're your back on, So you're on your you're you're pro Noah now knowing that, like he saved us from an embarrassing loss to where it would have been unbearable to hear from Kentucky fans forever about that.
Now, I've always been okay, it's right, yeah, oh yeah, it's right.
I gotten mixed up with somebody else.
Yeah you're.
Yeah, yeah, that's what it is. Yes, But with Noah, he like I don't think anybody truly has any I mean they they you can find the nastiest people on the Internet, and it doesn't take you very long and it's not very difficult to find them. Like people, they'll
just say the meanest stuff. But I think deep down people realize, like, even though this team has had some beatdowns and they've at times not looked great, but like they're they're playing hard, they've got a good head about him despite how unlucky they've been with injuries, and even when they do have a dud game, they usually come ready to play the next time out, And I think
people do appreciate that. But as Louisville fans, there's really no no scenario where we're are going to get used to losing to Kentucky and it feel like, well I shouldn't say used to it, we should be used to it now, but like it's never gonna feel good. It's never gonna be something you just kind of like are
numb to. And then when you get beat down by teams, like there's still despite what happened the last few years, how bad it was, there is still like a level of like, we're Louisville and we need to at least be respectable. And when you get blown out, like fans kind of lose their mind a little bit, And I get it. That's what makes us crazy, that's what makes us,
in my opinion, special. But my point is when you don't have it, when they don't really know who to direct it out, they're like, well, Pat Kelsey, man, I wish you would have won, But man, I kind of love that guy. And then most of the players on this team, I feel like people have a hard time like wanting to be like overly critical for or critical love. But the one guy that they have no problem throwing it all at is no Waterman. And I don't know if it's because of his I don't know what it is.
I mean, he's clearly had times where he's not played well, and he was brought here to do a variety of things. Most importantly they'll be a shooter, and at times he hasn't shot it well. But I know I'm not alone and realizing that fans are not everybody, But like, if you want to if you're a if you're seeing a fan being really angry and I guess critical and at times in a personal way about a player on this team, I bet nine out of ten times, maybe ten out
of ten times, it's no waterman. And again I kind of get it just because you know, when he's out there firing it up NonStop, because that's kind of what he's supposed to do, and he can't make it like he's struggling, Like it's a tough look, like he's the guy people think get him the hell out of the game. But yet you know at times he plays well and he helps you. But he helped me like that that game.
I mean, I'm not saying he's a different player now than he was before that game, but keep in mind he went and got a bucket that kept you from having that kind of loss, because like you may lose teams, you may lose to teams in the ACC this year that aren't good at all because the league's down, But that Akau loss would have been would have been something that got brought up like by everybody, like for a long time, and it would have been I mean, it
would have been an excusable And with saying that, I guess you could say like their performance would be like if they can win that way and we can excuse it, then how could we say a loss would be inexcusable? I get it, but that's what makes sports crazy, That's what That's why winning and losing should have more value than it does in these metrics. Right, Louisville one against dKu, but they dropped ten spots in the net, nine spots in the kN palm, and I knew going in that
was gonna happen. It was a metric loss, and that that that hurts. But you should still get way more value in just winning than you do. And you know, even though when it comes to like the resume, when it comes to like the vibes, Saturday was an l but let's not act like it wasn't a miraculous like ability. There wasn't a miraculous ability there to avoid what could have been. I mean, I don't think I'm out of
line here. I feel like that, like deep down, that would have been one of the more embarrassing home losses for Louisville basketball. Like, let's let's just be real and call like it is. That would have been as bad as any loss Kenny Payne had. That was a real game. Kenny Payne really did himself no favors by losing to Leonora Ryan and Kentucky Wesleyan. But those games technically don't
count their exhibitions he lost to. I mean last year was Chattanooga got Ham, Arkansas State, Gotham, and in the year before that they lost to Gosh. Now I gotta look it up and not I got to go relive this nightmare. So no, only and I'm not doing it to like pick on Kenny again because you know that
wouldn't be fun. Oh, Bellerman. I actually happened to think Bellerman is the most embarrassing regular season loss this team's ever had, this program's ever had, just because of the scenario Bellerman, who was in D one at all, and you know, the thought of Bellerman ever beating Louisville in a real game just didn't seem realistic because for so
long it wasn't possible because they weren't Division one. Well then they became Division one and then they came in and gotcha the Right State loss and app State loss those and to be honest with you, to Kenny's I guess defense if you will. They did play a really, really tough schedule in his first year, but he also lost his first three games to Bellarmin, Right State and app State. I happened to think that as far as just like perception, and look, Pat's done way more in
this year than Kenny didn't too. So it's not like I'm saying that. I'm just what I'm trying to do, and I probably didn't go about it the right way. We should be thanking Noah Waterman for avoiding what would have been a disastrous thing for everybody involved. I have no doubt if they would have lost, they still would have come, like ready to play against North Carolina on Wednesday. Doesn't mean they're going to win, but like I they
could have lost that game. Put it this way, them being in a close game like that and still winning doesn't change the way I feel about Kelsey even if they would have lost, because I just, you know, I know the situation. Like everybody says its excuses, and you can view it that way if you want, but it's really an explanation like they they really like you know, people, people keep claiming, well, why are they so bad at home?
Look who's beat them at home? Like context is is really not like something you got to go look for. I think it's pretty obvious. I know they got blown out by Tennessee at home, and they got blown out by Old Miss at home, but the home. Some teams that they've lost to are Tennessee, who's the number one team in the country, and to Ole Miss, who did take their second loss of the season. But still like
that's a good team. And also, I don't think you'll see Louisville shoot as poorly as they did in that game. And I think coming off of that three game stretch in the Bahamas, you return and the day you play Ole Miss, you find out you've now lost Casein and Coraan Johnson for the entire year. You can say that they shouldn't no excuses, come ready to play fair enough, because I know that's what their coach says. But I'm also aware of like the human element in sports, it matters.
So I think that they were like that was just a bad night for everybody involved. Nine o'clock tip on a Tuesday. I mean, it was dead and they couldn't make a freaking shot. I would be shocked. I would take action, not much, but I would bet that they won't have a shooting night as bad as that win against Ole Miss. So again, I'm not trying to shine it up like it wasn't a really bad loss, But my point is context, it's always important. So I don't
think there's some terrible team at home. I think they have beaten I mean most of their wins have come at home, and the teams that beat them at home are good teams. One of them really really good. They played Duke at home and they lost, but you know what, they outplayed them for thirty minutes in that game. That doesn't mean they won. I'm not trying to convince you
that it's a win rather than a loss. But like they could play Duke ten more times at home, you know what, They're probably gonna lose a lot more than they're gonna win because it's Duke, who, by the way,
is the number two team in the kin pong. So like when people like again I I had a little bit of like self reflection, like whenever I would when I would just when I would acknowledge obvious things about the previous regime, and people would act like I'm manufacturing reasons to be negative, and I would lose my mind on this very radio show because I would think, to myself, are people out of their minds? There's nobody watching and realizing what's happening here, And maybe some people are saying
that now about me with Kelsey. But if you are like again, we can disagree, but I want you to know you're wrong, because Pat Kelsey clearly is doing way more than I would have expected with what he has to work with. Like the injuries here are a real factor, and yet these guys still I'm ready to play, and even when fully healthy, this wasn't going to be a team that had like the talent to where they could play poorly and beat really good teams, because that's mean.
It's a team with a bunch of guys who have played college basketball for a really long time, and it's because they you know, they they can now and they can make money. And I think most of these guys are appreciate him to be here. So the UTEP game that could have been a loss, and the e KU game, which I I mean, I know Pat probably wouldn't like hearing anybody say this, but I'll say it like that should have been a loss. You get credit for winning.
It's not like you it's not. And I'm trying to be really careful how I worded, because again them being able to stay locked in and Noah having the you know, the confidence to to to take it to the rack and just try to get a bucket Like that's a that's a guy who just was trying to make a play, not overthinking it not. I mean it wasn't in any way like a beautiful play, but like it got it. You got it done and you needed it. So credit
to him. But they know they're lucky to survive that uh, and they're able to I think hopefully learn learn through a win rather than would have been a devastating loss. So I think if you really look at it, and again I know it sounds like I'm making all these excuses, I look at it as more of an explanation. I'm not here to tell you that you're wrong, because because I don't think we're arguing here, I'm not telling you
evolves great. But for those who claim, and that's what really irked me a little bit, is all the why are they so bad at home? That's my one issue with Pat Kelsey. He can't get these guys to play well at home. Well, again, they they won, and I know it wasn't against great teams, but like they beat the hell out of Bellerman, Winthrop and Moorehead stayed at home and they lost to Duke and all miss at home. I don't like that, but you know those are good teams. UTEP was a dud for sure, but it was in
between Duke and Kentucky. Again, the human element is real, Like, yeah, you can tell yourself, we got to treat this like it's Kentucky. But then you get out there and you know it's not. You're playing in front of a very light crowd on your home court, and you've got the rivalry game coming up on some you know, within a few days, Like it's you can tell yourself, Like it's like when football teams go out there against Popcorn State and the opener, Like they can tell themselves, let's go
out here like we're about to go winn a conference championsh. No, you know you're about to go play a team that you can take off plays and probably still win by forty. So with EKU, I'm not going to say it's the same exact thing as you TEP because I want to give coach A. W. Hamlton a lot of credit. I
love Coach Hamilton, always have love his story. Kid who grew up in Kentucky, played at Scott County High School and Georgetown had a hell of a career playing in the Sweet sixteen for Billy Hicks and went on to play Division one basketball. Started his career at Wake Forest, ended up at Marshall, got into coaching, was under coach Keats's wing at Hargrave Academy and really did well there and turned that into the EKU job, and they're lucky
to have him. I think he would do really well at a program with better resources, in a program that wasn't so vulnerable to getting hit by the portal. They lost some of their best players that have gone on to be really good, and nobody like ever acknowledges they played at EKU. One of Bruce Pearl's better guards at Auburne a couple of years ago came from aw Hamilton. So I thought he did a great job at knowing that, Hey, we know they like to play fast, but that's what
we do too. So in a weird way, they actually sped the game up at times where they were a little more comfortable than Louisville was, and they had some dudes out there that were just making really really tough shots that like, I don't know if you could have
defended any better. Now. Sometimes that wasn't the case like the three late that James Scott kind of fell asleep on that wasn't well defended, but some of those shots were just really tough buckets, and Kelsey knew ahead of time they had some guys that could potentially, in a one on one situation, really exploit Louisville, because you know, Louisvill's got guys that let's just be real here, like there's no pros on this team, there's no there's no
there's nobody with like a talent level when it comes to well, I'll say it's Chucky and I don't know if he got hit in the eye and he kind of never really recovered, but you know, Chucky's a really good defender. Chucky's a really good talent to where at times I kind of feel like he could do something to where you feel like, Okay, we've got something here. We need to rely on this a lot because even if it's good teams, you'll realize Chucky's a little different.
But everybody else, I think you're getting about the most you can get out of them, and that's not ideal. That's probably something that has you worry for good reason that like maybe you don't become a tournament team. But I just can't. I can't manufacture anger when I don't feel like at times like they're struggling because they're poorly coached or they're not trying. This team just is who
it is. And again, when it comes to athleticism talent, you know guys that in many situations, you know the opposing team is gonna kind of have to worry about, right because like that guy's pretty good. He's he's a like Korin Johnson and and Casein are those guys like Corn was the six Man of the Year in the PAC twelve four star recruit Like he's talented. He could have played for anybody. Maybe not been like a prominent guy, but he could play for anybody because he's talented, he's
and he's he knows who he is as a player. Casein, I mean, I think I've learned that they missed him a little more than I thought they would, just as far as his athleticism, his his his ability to kind of be above the rim more than some other guys. But he's also just a mismatch problem because he's six ' ten and can dribble like he's a true wing. So you know, I'm not surprised and I'm not like annoyed by most of like the criticism from Saturday's game. I would just kind of, you know, I would tell
fans this, feel how you feel. Don't don't feel like I'm trying to change your mind about anything, and be you like, don't you know that's how fan fans should always just be a fan whichever way they want to be and don't try to, you know, change their opinion based off of the majority or based off you know, anything. Just come to your own conclusion and ride with it.
But I would just encourage you to just kind of keep in perspective when this team ends up having some shortfalls and maybe you look at Saturday as a shortfall because it was a near a loss in a game that you won, but yet it kind of killed you in the numbers. You know, they should have been better. Right, If you can play Duke way you did, you can outplay Kentucky, you can play Kentucky the way you did,
like you shouldn't have been in that situation. But like there could be a few plays here and there to where like the game gets flipped because that's just that's just who they are. And they still play it like, man, this is probably not a good to get into it, but like I still believe, and I know people will throw stats at where these guys are now in my face, like you're way wrong. Last year's team had more legitimate athleticism and god given talent than this team, and this
team's getting way more out of it. And I have a hard time being like disappointed when I see that every night, like they could get another big injury. God willing that hopefully didn't happen, but like they could. And I think they're still gonna come out here and not make excuses and play hard and just me myself not telling anybody how they should feel. I'm just being honest with you.
I love that.
I'm gonna continue to support this team. I'm not telling you they're great. I'm not telling you that you're you're crazy if you're being critical. I just I like watching them play because I think they play really hard. And Saturday was like a Saturday we know what it did, Austin. It let me know that I'm in love.
With this team because me too, because I was so relieved that they avoided what would have been like I mean that kind of loss around here, Kenny Payne, Pat Kelsey, Rick Beatino, could have been John Wooden or Phil Jackson.
That's one fan don't really forget about, right, Like Rick didn't have those losses, you know what I mean? Right, Dinny did, but he also had a couple of titles in his back pocket when he did, and then he won after that. So I'm happy they avoided it. But I get why people are a little, you know, concerned about what they saw. Quick break. We'll come back and wrap up, wrap it up, wrap up the hour. On the other side, don't go anywhere, keep a lock right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
Now back to coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day.
That's right, coffee and Company fueled by Thornton's that's us here on Sports Talk seven ninety. Don't forget you could take us with you wherever you go. Listen live on the iHeartRadio app. Also listen live at seven ninety Louisville dot com. I do want to let you know that after the end of this year, which of course you know is not far away, we'll be back to hopefully
a pretty normal schedule slash routine. I mean, they always tell me, like, don't go out of your way to let people know that this show may not be live at all times. And I get why, you know, because that's not something you should just throw out there if you don't need to. But I have, I've got a complex, like you know, I whenever that happens, and we've had to repurpose some content just because of the schedules and
because of the holidays. I mean, but the holidays, it makes sense because you know, we do get days off, but other times you've had to make some adjustments because of just my filling in for Tony Cruz on has and Austin really being thrown in and being a being a trooper and you know, being our full time producer, but also having another full time job where he he's I mean, he's he's a guy, that's you know, he's got a what do they say, where's a lot of hats?
Yeah, that's that's funny.
It's some people, especially when I introduced myself, they ask, so like, what do you like?
What do you do at?
Uh?
What you do at iHeartRadio.
I'm like, well it's you should say how much time you got? Yeah?
Yeah, it's it's I really don't have just one job. I guess what technically under like my W two thing it has me as a broadcast producer, doesn't have me under promotions or doesn't have me under office assistant.
What I've had to play and which I don't mind.
I love doing all this stuff, but like they should just create a role specifically for me and just call it the Austin role.
Yeah, the all like we need know, we need to we need to find a way to really make it sound like there's like it's the most and it is a special position because I don't know many that could pull off where you're pulling off with all these different
things that you're doing. But you know those jobs that like they'd really doctor up the title of it to make it like I know a janitor who Bob, who tells people his job is he's a custodial engineer, Like come on, bro, Like you know, like hey, and I love people who do whatever job it is, regardless of what it pays, regardless of what society views it as, and if they're gonna be happy to do it and they're gonna give it, they're all I gotta I love that.
I mean that like if you're and I've not seen it as much lately, but like even before, people who you know, worked retail and whatnot seem to just hate their lives in a major way. I mean, if I went to Taco Bell and there was somebody in the drive through that like, I felt like there was no better place for them to be working than Taco Bell because they're just out they're just like they are giving it.
They're all they're courteous, they're polite or you know, jobs that you wouldn't think people are signing up to do, but you see people out there doing them and they love it and they're having a good time, they're taking it serious. I love that stuff, man, I think that's great. So I'm not trying to act like if you do have a job that maybe people don't view as a good job, maybe they look down on it. If you can doctor up your title, then do it, you know.
But like also people who worked at Subway, they were sayingwich artists, that's right.
I also love selfishly doing the adding whatever I can to my resume, just so you know that little signature that we have at like the end of our emails. Yeah, I just I love adding to that, and it makes me see when I email people, I'm not much more important when I say I'm an event specialist, a broadcast producer, podcast host, office assistant, a little bit of everything. I will say this, I sleep management because I gotta. I
have to be the one that keeps tracked. Yeah, like yeah, all the vans, who do.
I reach out to when I need a company vehicle? It's it's Austin feel like that's he's he's the he's uh, you know, the fleet supervisor or the you know some something like that. We can we can doctor it up. And it is important to be honest with you. What we've what's happened around here is we've had we've had some cuts, we've had some changes, some adjustments that have been made, and everybody's doing their best to try to, you know, get through and and and and you know
adjust That's what that's what happens. That's that's there's a lot of career, there's a lot of jobs out there. Industries. I should say that they evolved like you got to you got to be able to make adjustments and adapt. And I think we're doing uh, we're doing the best that we can. But what's happened is that you know, there are people right now that I mean, I'm I'm talking to one of them to you, like, if you
weren't here to do it, we would be screwed. And I know I appreciate that, and I hope that our superiors do. I assume they do. But like, of course, you know, it's it's it doesn't go unnoticed with me because you know, Austin, he's always wanted to do this and it's been fun. But like he's he's also like he just absorbed this role when he was already doing another full time job within the company. So it's been weird the last couple of months, to be honest with you.
And I'm hoping that once we get into the twenty twenty five year we have a little bit more. I mean, one thing I know it's going to be better is that are just we're not going to have these holiday breaks.
And I don't know about you, but I'm not burning up a bunch of vacation in January and February, so like we'll be here and there may be some times where Austin's got to run early because of a because of a production that he's got a promotional event he's got to be at, or maybe he's got to go shake hands, kiss babies, be a man of the people.
Yes that he is.
But I think we'll have some things in place to where like that won't impact the show. And I mean, this is what I hate, like when that when you when you're pulled to do your other full time job that you had before the one. I can tell that at times you kind of feel bad for me, and I hate it because you shouldn't. It's not you at all. And I don't know, like it's in my career and I shouldn't even say career because like this really has nothing to do with the industry that we work in.
But this is the first time in my in my life as like a you know, an employee at a company to where like everybody for the most part is doing everything they can to kind of ride out the end of this year as we kind of adjust to some changes that were made. And it's been it's been difficult at times. I mean I can tell you first ten I've been real frustrated at times, but I quickly realized there's nobody that I work with that had any role in this like, this is an ideal. Nobody wanted
it to happen. It just was something that was out of our control, and we're trying our best to, you know, to get through. Or maybe I'm just talking crazy because I've been up since three fifty am and I'm running on fumes.
I still have a lot of vacation left on the table from this year that I'm pretty sad I didn't use.
Are you serious? Yeah?
I had like sixty hours a sick time and a whole two weeks of.
Doesn't really like you know, no, you're not sick, you don't.
I mean what, I worked from home because I worked, I bet.
But I bet like you probably have comp days. You probably have vacation that you didn't use.
Well, sure, that's it's a lot, well a lot. This the first half year, I just worked from home. And usually when I don't want to go to work, that means I just want to be at home. But if I'm already at home anyways, there's no reason of using a vacation.
Yeah.
Oh, and I'm with you, Yeah, I'm with you. Well, No, that sucks.
I just wish we got paid out for it. That'd be pretty cool.
Yeah, that man, that went away a while back.
Okay, so it was a thing.
Oh, it was a thing in society. It was one just thing. Here's the thing everywhere. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's gone everywhere now.
I had it at UPS.
Yeah, I could see that that kind of company. It would make sense because they got to it. They've got incentivized people a little bit differently just because of you know, what that job is, and they have the means to do so because you know, at UPS.
Yeah, and they got a union too.
All right, quick break coffee and company. Feel about thorns right here on Sports Talk seven ninety