5.23: Weekend Ready H2

kind of how things are. But I'm going to see if I can get the show on the road at some point next week to you know, just have a party, as it'll be the last week for me here at seven ninety and if not, we'll still have a party here via the airwaves. But I am going to try to see if I can make something happen, and if so, I'll let you know as soon as I can, and maybe you can come out and and you know, celebrate

with us. I don't really know what we're celebrating. I mean, it's actually kind of sad be honest with you, I'm gonna miss being a being a part of the station. I've been a part of this station for over nine years now, and it still doesn't seem real that I'm not only going to be able to make the move to eight forty whas and step in for Tony Cruz who's retiring, but it also doesn't seem quite real that I've been able to do this for as long as

I have, and it's been a lot of fun. Really, you know, not to overdo it and be you know, dramatic, but it really has been a dream for me, and I am going to make the most of these last these last shows that I have and again reminder, I'm not I'm not I'm not moving away. I'm not really going anywhere other than just down the hall and up your radio dial right seven ninety to eight forty.

shut up, all right. It's Coffee and Company we are feeling about Thornton's. If you are a member of their Refreshing Awards program, you're gonna save money at the gas pump every single time, and you'll also save up the twenty five cents per gallon once per week. A lot of people, I guess it depends on your routine how

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a little bit earlier about the Pro Football focus. Running back rooms is what they describe it for those who don't really understand what that means. Your running back room is just your running back position, meaning how good you are, how good your running back room is meaning how good you are top to bottom at that position. And Louisville came in at number four, which isn't a big shocker. Considering the two true freshmen last year both coming back,

Duke Watson and Isaac Brown. I know Louisville has continuously done well in the portal this new world, but getting guys back is just as much, if not more valuable than who you can bring in via the portal. And I probably shouldn't say this, but it's just the truth. It's just my honest opinion, and I'm glad I was wrong.

But if you'd have told me towards the end of last season that Louiville would be able to bring back both Duke Watson and Isaac Brown, who clearly could have got a lot of money elsewhere, and I'm sure they got a lot of money here and they deserve it, but they also probably could have I mean Duke Watson specifically, I mean he's already behind a guy as far as reps and production as a true freshman to where it would just think I think most would assume like he

could love Louisville, he could have a big offer as far as money, which he probably did, and it wouldn't have shocked me if he decided to leave, because you know, he wants to be the guy and look who knows maybe he is the guy this year and he steps ahead of Isaac Brown. Who knows how that shakes out. But both are proven to be really good running backs, and I think getting both the them to come back and not leave else to go elsewhere for maybe a.

I mean, there have been some guys that did leave in the portal that I didn't want to leave, and that's just where we are right now in college athletics. But getting Watson and Brown back certainly a big deal. But what I want to look at now is the athletics. Stewart Mandel's then want to put this together the top twenty five college football programs of the two thousands, so really the last twenty five years Louisville, Kentucky, nobody locally

came in. And the reason I bring this up is because I'm just curious where Louisville may may have fallen if they went to thirty, like would they be in the top thirty. And it doesn't look as if I'm scrolling through here at the Athletic it is behind a paywall. But I do have a subscription here to The Athletic.

top twenty five wins. They have four top ten wins and thirteen conference titles and four BCS Slash New York six New Year's six Bowl games, not New York New Year's Sorry, I saw in why and just said New York apologies. So at number twenty one is Oklahoma State. They won sixty three percent of their games, They had four losing seasons. They spent forty seven percent of the of the last twenty five years. In the top twenty five.

Utah is at number twenty two, Iowa is at twenty three with just two losing seasons, Washington is twenty four, and Michigan State is twenty five.

the last twenty five years. Since two thousand, I'm gonna guess they've had eight losing seasons and I'm just completely guessing.

was coming off of the first season of sadderfield. They went eight and five with that win against Mississippi State and the Music City Bowl brought back a lot of players, and Sat was hyped, as you know, I mean, he won ACC Coach of the Year in his first year, you remember, and then obviously never really took off after that, and in fact, his worst season was his second season where they only played ACC teams along with that one

game I think it was against WKU. So when it comes to what Louisville could have done to get in the top twenty five. I mean, they have four losing seasons. The only teams in the ranked twentieth through twenty five that have less losing seasons is Boise State, who I mentioned, And I'm just going to say it like they're not. It's hard to look at them the exact same way that you look at everybody else. Now you can also

say the same thing about Louisville. You got to keep in mind a little it and enter the Big East until what two thousand and five. I think it was so those first four years of the twenty of the two thousands, Louisville was in Conference USA, although Conference USA wasn't great and also wasn't terrible. In fact, I think you could make the case that it's better than what Boise He's played in the last couple of years. Maybe I'm wrong.

A long time ago so I feel like we could have been in this top twenty five and it would not have been viewed as like how the hell they put them there? And again maybe I'm biased in saying that. Now we don't have actually do we have any conference titles? I mean we have I'm sure the Conference USA titles in the late years of Louisville's time there top ten wins. Again, when you look at the criteria that would have left Louisville,

it's got to be top top top ten wins. It's got to also be maybe the percentage of the weeks that you've been ranked. But I feel like if Stuart Mandel was to give us top thirty, Louisville would have to be there. Maybe I'm wrong again When it comes to BCS in New Year's Eve, New Year six Bowls, I mean, you've got the two BCS Bowls, and then I guess, really that's it because you didn't play in and you haven't played in one since the Sugar Bowl. But also you look at you know, you look at

other teams. I mean, Iowa only has three, Oklahoma State has three. So I guess that's probably where you really fell short of those that just made the top twenty five. Is that? And by the way, I'm gonna I'm gonna guess that Louisville also does not have have that many top twenty five wins. I mean, I can think you know, and again what what you never know? And it's a very important factor when you talk about ranked wins wins

against the top twenty five some people. I feel like most people count if you played them and they were ranked and you beat them, and they then that that's what counts. But I mean, you could also get credit for beating a team in Week three that was ranked in the top ten and get a top ten win, and that team might finish three and nine. And if so, what did you actually like? What did you actually accomplish?

So says your Louisville In the last since two thousand, Louisville has let's see, they beat West Virginia, Wake Forest, NC State, Notre Dame, So yeah, that would probably that would probably be one of the factors that that that kept you out. And look, who knows what they would have done had they played a lot more ranked teams. But I think in your time in the in Conference USA, in the Big East and in the ACC even like, you really haven't played that many ranked teams. So here's

what's probably likely. Would Louisville have more ranked wins than they currently have right now had they played a tougher schedule, Yeah, probably. They also probably wouldn't have the sixty seven point five winning percentage though, So look, lou I feel like, I have no identity crisis when it comes to Louisville football, and I've been pretty content for many years. I know some people get mad when you see empty seats at the stadium.

factor in him leaving Louisville. But nonetheless, we went from being a team that played in a baseball stadium that almost got kicked out of Conference USA to.

would say, how could it be? They played in you know, Conference USA, and you know, the schedule wasn't great, and you're right, there's really no way to know. But I watched that team and they were really, really, really special, and that was a conference championship.

them beat and that team had how many NFL players. It's gonna make me sad going back thinking about that. But nonetheless, I feel like if we did get a top thirty, Leisvelle would probably appear so where between twenty six and thirty. But as far as the most successful programs. It's hard for me to say I totally agree with this, but it's also hard for me to look at the

numbers and say that this is incorrect. But stru Mandel has Ohio State at number one because they have three national titles, nine Big Ten Conference titles, thirty nine Top ten wins, only one losing season, which I'm not even sure when that was. That had to be around the time that Tressel was on his way out or something.

So he's got Alabama number one. I'm sorry, Ohio State number one, Alabama number two, and Oklahoma number three, Georgia number four, LSU number five, Clemson is at number six, Oregon is number seven, USC is eight, Texas is nine, and Florida is ten. And I would say just judging from the comments at the Athletic and just looking at the comments on Twitter, I would guess that Oregon is

probably the most controversial, which I don't know. It's like it kind of reminds me of Gonzaga, and maybe they're not. Maybe it's not a great comparison, but like Gonzaga, not as much now, but for a while they were clearly in the top tier of the college Basketball world. They just hadn't broke through and won a national championship. So I understand if you don't want to put somebody as a top tier program until they've actually broken through and

won at all. But I mean, they were right there and you know, just fell short a couple of times. But Oregon, they don't have a national championship, but they have been to ten BCS New Year six Bowl games, They've won eight conference titles, all those being in the Pac twelve. So I really don't have much of a problem putting Oregon number seven. But again, if you do, I can't say I'm surprised. All right, let's get to a quick break. We'll come back on the other side.

Something that came out. I believe that they see the last week of the week before, which was just really exciting news. And I can't wait for the NBA to return to NBC. But Michael Jordan is going to be a part of the NBC coverage of the NBA, which will just be so nostalgic for somebody like myself. And I kept thinking, Okay, this is awesome. I'm not complaining, but man, what's making Michael Jordan want to emerge from

the background. He's never he's Michael Jordan. He's never going to be you know, off the radar and unknown like he's Michael Jordan. But he's really been in the background in every aspect since he stopped playing basketball. Right He's owned an NBA team, but he's not real visible. You don't hear from him a lot. He doesn't do much of anything. He stays to himself. He's heavily involved in

like NASCAR and whatnot. So I kept thinking, Okay, wonder, I wonder what made Jordan decide to do this, given the fact that he could have done this at any time and he never did. What's changed things now and we now have the answer. We'll talk about that next Right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. It is four thirty two here on a Friday afternoon and coffee and company,

fueled by Thornton's. We're halfway through and then we're out of here for the long weekend, the holiday week and hopefully everybody has a good weekend, stay safe and enjoys themselves. So the Michael Jordan addition to the NBC NBA coverage was I feel like one of the biggest surprises we've had in I guess broadcast additions, right, like former players celebrities are really just you know, broadcasters. You know, I

feel like it was kind of a big deal. Maybe I'm just nerding out on it because you know, I'm a nerd for sports broadcasting or whenever the whenever the was it the NBC crew that essentially got traded to Monday Night Football. Either way, it's it's not important, but Michael Jordan really doing anything on camera on Mike is rare, and he's never needed to because he's printing money. I mean,

he's a billionaire. Obviously, he's throughout his career which ended long ago, that he's I mean, he's the best basketball player of all time. So he's never, to my knowledge, shown any interest in doing anything when it comes to broadcasting. But whenever NBC announced that he was going to be one of their contributors to their coverage and sort of.

I wouldn't imagine. I mean, I don't know his spending habits or his lifestyle, but he could spend a lot of money every day, an insane amount of money, and probably still not run out because you know, he's Michael Jordan.

down forty million dollars to do anything. I mean, I say that tongue in cheek, but forty million dollars can have you considering doing things you would never do, I'm sure. And this is Jordan just you know, talking about the game that he clearly knows and loves, and he could be. Here's here's what's so different about Jordan than anybody else. I think, because he's been away so long, we've all like the Jordan we think of, meaning people like my

age who are old enough to remember him playing. And obviously there's people older than me that remember him playing. And if you're younger than me, maybe you do remember. But I feel like my age range is right around. Like I was pretty young during his heyday with the Bulls. I was under ten years old or right around ten years old whenever he got finished with his tenure with

the Bulls. So I'm very lucky that I have the And again, it's weird for me because, as I've talked about a lot this week, I'm a big Pacers fan, but Jordan was Jordan, So I pulled from my Pacers when they would play against Michael and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals or the Semis whenever we got there. But like, it was impossible I think for kids to not like Michael Jordan because he was Michael Freakin' Jordan.

So forty million dollars, I mean, it's probably something that was hard for him to turn down because again, forty million is a lot to anybody. But it's not like he's having to do something that's considered you know, painful or a lot of work. I mean, he's Jordan. Therefore, I think he could show up and by every aspect as far as how we judge and evaluate who is good and who is not at broadcasting, Jordan could do whatever and we're going to say it's great because he's

Michael Jordan. That's just that's the effect that someone of that status can have. And while we're talking about Jordan, this is another story that I wanted to mention, so his longtime agent, David Falk, He was, I think doing an interview with the Sports Business Journal recently about the goat debate, which is a never ending, really stupid debate.

And I shouldn't say stupid, because it's not. I mean, if you go back and forth and you know, you debate folks about it, or maybe you just debate yourself internally thinking about who you consider the goat, Jordan or Lebron or maybe somebody else. I mean, it's really just there's no way to prove it.

They've also I mean, no matter how you look at it, both Jordan and Lebron are, in my opinion, the top two based off of what most would assume are the most important factors in how you determine this rings. Obviously, Jordan's got more, but Lebrons has plenty, and individual accolades, they both have a lot. I mean, they've both been

insanely successful. But I do think David Falk again, the former agent of Michael Jordan, when he was asked about it, he made a pretty obvious observation that for me really kind of not that I've ever really debated it. I've always felt like Jordan was the best of all time, and I think you can have the best of all time and a guy that I think is the most talented of all time. I think Lebron James is the most talented athlete I've watching any sport. And that's just

my opinion. Clearly, I'm sure there's many of you that don't agree, and I'm content with that, I understand. But I just think as far as what he's been able to do at the age that he is now, how long he's been able to do it, and the fact that he's a physical specimen, I mean, like, I think, I think Lebron James is the most talented athlete I've

ever watched in anything. But I think Michael Jordan is the best basketball player I've ever watched, just because of his accomplishments, his competitiveness, and clearly he's pretty talented too. But this quote, really, I think, does make it to where it's hard to claim that anybody could say Lebron had a better career, at least as of right now.

really really good players. In fact, I believe there are NBA players who are legends, but they don't have many, if any rings to show for it because at the time they were at their best and the franchise they played for was in their window of potentially winning an NBA title. They had to face Michael Jordan and the

Chicago Bulls. Now, clearly Jordan had some help, but the older I get and this is just my opinion alone, Jordan benefited from good players, including Scottie Pippen, but they also benefited from Jordan being on their team, you know, taking away attention from them because everybody had to focus on Jordan. Phil Jackson is a great coach, but I think also Phil Jackson, you know he I mean, he's he coached the team.

That's usually because people are complaining about them and they want them byed. Now again, if you have a good GM and things are going well, clearly people know who you are as far as your name, and you get credit, but never to the extent that players and coaches get and I think you just have to you have to

be able to accept that. And I think Jerry Krause is somebody that was so badly bothered by the fact that everybody thought that that great phenomenal dynasty that was the nineties Bulls was Jordan and Phil Jackson, and it was those guys were clearly a part of it. But you know, he built it, and that's why he wanted the Bulls run to come to an end because he just, you know, he wanted to move on from Phil Jackson, and you know, that thing, it just it could have

gone on for many years longer. Maybe I always give this guy a lot of credit because I'm not comparing the Warriors in their run, their dynasty to the Bulls, although some probably would. I wouldn't, But it's just me. Bob Myers. You now see him on television. He's part of he's part of ESPN's NBA coverage. He's a studio analyst and does a good job. But Bob Myers is the GM that built the Warriors and drafted phenomenally with Steph when others passed on Steph. By the way, Draymond

a second round pick, Klay Thompson. I mean, I don't know if he deserves all the credit, but hey, he's the GM and he got it done. They pulled off signing Kevin Durant away from the Thunder, but he was somebody that like a lot of people, even the NBA fans that aren't necessarily big Warriors fans. They may not know Bob Myers if he walked into a room, but yet he's the one who kind of put it all together.

So anyways, back to the conversation about the goat, I think Jordan clearly benefited from having good players around him. But imagine if you put Jordan alongside Shack in the Orlando Shack, or maybe he had a big man like a Keem or even Ewing for that matter. I mean, no offense to the to the big fellas that played for the for the Bulls in the nineties, Will Purdue,

Luke Longley. I mean, they had good players. And I was about to say, well, and those guys didn't do anything after Jordan, but that's not really fair because back then players didn't run the league. Players didn't just up and leave all the time like they do now. Players have so much control, and I like to believe that back in my day when I watched the NBA as

a kid growing up watching it in the nineties on NBC. Man, it's nostalgic thinking about it, but I like to think that they were just built different to where there was never it was such a competitive thing, to where there was never any thought about, hm, we fell short in the playoffs, let me go join this team that just beat me. I like to believe that they were just build different. They were so competitive they would never do

it ever. But I don't know. Maybe if the league was then what it is now as far as players having all the power, all the control, maybe they would have. I don't know, but you probably didn't need any added factor to determine Michael Jordan as the goat over Lebron, because I still think Jordan, probably, especially people my age and older, they just they're always going to probably side with Jordan more often than not. But it doesn't make

Lebron any less of a great player. But you know, if Lebron stayed in Cleveland throughout his entire career and just had to deal with you know the way it was back then, where you know, you could make trades and you had free agency, But really rosters were mostly built by who you drafted and developed. If Lebron never left Cleveland and he had as many rings as he does now, I think it would be a different conversation.

But he obviously bailed on Cleveland after not being able to get him a ring, went to Miami, and Miami Lebron was scary. That was when I think Lebron was actually at his very best kind of embracing a villain role, I think, for the first time in his career at a young age. Then of course he realized, oh yeah, I'm I'm not mister popular right now. People think I was a real scumbag for the decision and how that

played out. But he got a couple of rings in Miami and then obviously got the one in Cleveland won the bubble ring in LA. But had he stayed in Cleveland the whole time and he had four, he probably still wouldn't be viewed as the goat compared to Jordan, because some people are just gonna never look at anybody

being better than Jordan as any possibility. But I do think, you know, if Jordan was bouncing around, I mean again, maybe this is just the kid in me thinking about Jordan in the nineties, I feel like if Jordan could pick a different team every few years, whoever got him was going to win a title. I mean, that's just the way I's That's how I remember Jordan and just how dominant he was. Believe it or not, he did misshots.

He wasn't perfect, but he was special. And he's gonna make forty million dollars to talk about the NBA next year, and I'm looking forward to to to to. I mean, again, as I said a moment ago, he could be terrible, but I don't know if I would even notice it because he's Jordan.

that really keeps up with baseball a whole lot. But even if you don't keep up with baseball really at all, there's certain teams that are on such a great streak, having such success that it's at least on your radar because you follow sports and you're gonna hear about it. The same thing could be said for teams that are really, really bad, and that's what's happening with the Colorado Rockies, who are eight and twenty four, I'm sorry, eight and forty two to start this season here in their first

fifty games. That, of course, is one of the worst starts you'll ever see in baseball. In fact, it's the worst MLB start in one hundred and thirty years. And as somebody who, again not a baseball guy, but I do you know, I love sports, and I'd like to think I'm at least pretty knowledgeable when it comes to sports in this city, in this area. I did not know that there was ever an MLB team in the city of Louisville. Am I the only one that didn't know that? I can't be the only one? Right? Maybe

I am? But apparently back in let's see what year was it. It was a long, long, long time ago, but this is the worst start in Major League Baseball.

League Baseball has existed this long. But the Colonels they played in the American Association of the MLB, and they were in existence for ten years from eighteen eighty two to eighteen ninety one. And yeah, they weren't very good. I'm looking here at old like pictures. I mean, again, I probably shouldn't admit this, but like, I didn't even know. I mean, I didn't know anybody was playing baseball in the eighteen eighties. But it's America's pastime, right, I guess

there's a reason they call it that. But yeah, the Louisville Colonels started seven and forty three and eighteen ninety five, which is the worst fifty game start still, so they hold that record, and the Colorado Rockies just ahead of them at eight and forty two. Yikes says here that the Rockies are on pace to lose one hundred and thirty six games this season, which would pass the eighteen ninety nine Cleveland Spiders, who were twenty and one thirty four.

That was the most losses ever by a Major League baseball team.

have that much respect for one another. I have no issue with that because for me, it's really all about fans. Fans are what makes rivalries great. Because we are fans. Forever coaches players they come and go. We'll never get it to the level it was with Rick and Cal and that's just something that we all need to accept. But Mark Pope. You know, he tried to really exaggerate it, but he you know, he respects Pat Kelsey, and Pat

Kelsey respects him. And it's not even that they respect each other, because I think even between like believe it or not, there's probably a respect level between cal and Rick, but they also just hate each other. These guys, they don't hate each other. Also, we can take a look at the first school at least that I've seen from the power level that has come out and said, because there's going to be revenue sharing moving forward in college athletics,

they're going to have to trim their athletic department. And you've got Oklahoma in the SEC for that matter, laying off staffers, and I would imagine and they won't be the only school to do that. And then also at some point I want to try to get to these anonymous quotes from SEC football coaches about Kentucky's upcoming season, which I would imagine, regardless if you're a Kentucky fan or not, with these coaches in the league have said

about Kentucky in this twenty twenty five season. For Mark Stoops, it probably probably won't surprise you. And last, but not least, we may start off the five o'clock hour with this, but with high school coming to an end for a lot of people, in fact, I know there's a lot of graduations going on. In fact, I think some have

already taken place. There are some senior pranks that are making the news, and I think, if you're really really delicate, a fine line, I should say, as far as a senior prank being just good enough to wear, okay, not controversial, not dangerous, probably something that would be against the rules, but it's a senior prank, so everybody's cool with it. And then there's some that have just like what are you thinking, Like, yeah, that's that's a prank, I suppose,

but you know it's also illegal. So we can get into all that. We'll finish strong here in the five o'clock hour. It's coffee and company. Feel about Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety