5.23 Weekend Ready: H3

hell yeah, I'm sure you're having fun. Least I hope you are. I haven't looked outside in the last two hours and some change, because you know, I've been here in my cave in the back studio here, Studio B. But it was beautiful when I got here, and I hope that it still is.

to that. And you can hear that Bats game right here with the voice of the Louis of Bats, Nick Currn on Sports Talk seven to ninety. All Right, so a lot to get to before we get out of here.

But with high school coming to an end, really the school year coming to an end for a lot of people, if not already, probably within the next week or so, I would imagine I'm starting to see more about these these senior pranks, which I remember senior pranks being a thing when I was growing up, when I was a kid. It was, in fact, nineteen years ago that I graduated high school.

But anyways, I don't remember any thing we did in my senior year as far as a prank, And if we did something as a class, I probably wouldn't have participated because I was always scared of getting in trouble for stuff. And I could be making this up, but I think there was some type of like there was something set up outside the school that somebody put on, like the roof, and I think like that was that was our senior prank.

made the news and anybody got arrested. But you know, in the smaller community that I grew up in Bullock County, it word got out that they went to one of our rival schools, Mount Washington, full at East High School, and I think they stole a goat.

safe and not scared. And I kind of feel like that probably happened at the perfect time to where it was still seen as relatively harmless. Maybe it was not popular, but I feel like if that happened now, it would

make news. People would get arrested, and you know, not to say that they shouldn't, but obviously the reaction to things over the years has changed quite a bit the last in the last twenty years, and I don't I'm I'm gonna do a little quick Google search here because I know this is something that happened recent recently, and I know it. I think it either it went viral online or yeah, WK why covered I knew, I knew

I had seen it other than just on Facebook. But our partner's over at WKY they covered a recent senior prank that North Oldham students pulled off and it caused traffic delays because kids drove they rode bikes to school. Says here that drivers in Oldham County may have run into some delays. Thursday morning, seniors in North of Oldham High School decided to have a little fun and and and bike and scooter to school for their senior prank.

This prank cost some temporary delays for drivers along Highway thirty two. That to me, like, I don't really think that's a prank, but like that that that that works. That's you know, I'm sure if you're sitting in traffic and you're running late to work, you're probably you're probably pissed because you're thinking, you know, have real funny, I'm gonna be late to work.

That like, you know, even though your kid and you're you're not quite I guess mature enough or aware, you don't have the self awareness to understand that, like, yeah, that might get a laugh, but really pro and pros and cons here, is it really beneficial for me to do this? Even if I get a few laughs, probably not worth it if it ends up, you know, getting

me arrested or ruining my future. And that, in fact, has has happened over the years this was in It looks like this actually wasn't just one isolated area, but in the last few years there have been multiple different

senior pranks that were involving live animals. I guess this is similar to what I just referenced that happened in Bullet County long ago, which I guess I can't be too judgmental here, but students would bring and release chickens pigs or goats in school, and of course, you know, I guess some people found it funny, but obviously, you know, for health and safety reasons, you know, you probably shouldn't

do that. That's probably again, I think the senior prank, it's a delicate line, right, like, are you going to because I think what I just mentioned that north Oldham did this year, In fact, I think it was yesterday. That to me is like the perfect balance of okay, far from controversial. Might have been annoying to some people, but you know, you probably laugh it off. But bringing live animals to school and letting them loose, that's probably

not you know, and what's probably not worth it. This one's really funny.

lean into it, but that's a good one. And I'm also surprised that the mariachi band took him up on it. Like I can see a mariachi band thinking like, yeah, you know, I get what you're trying to do here, but I don't want to go and you know, get arrested for trespassing on school grounds where I'm not supposed to be.

But in twenty seventeen, a high school in Florida students somehow got a small car that I guess was disassembled prior, and then they reassembled it on the roof of their school overnight. So they actually put a car together, and when people showed up, there was a car on the roof, Like, that's good work. There was a lot of you know, a lot of national and local coverage because of the

engineering work that went into that. But also, you know, like anything, there's people that claim, well, they could have hurt themselves.

the controversial ones. But I actually think that's pretty creative. This was actually I remember this making the news back in twenty twenty two in Missouri, somebody went through the process of listing the actual school property for sale on Zillo. I'm looking at it here and it does look like a legitimate Zillo posting that somebody can purchase the property.

And what makes this creative and well done in my end, at least from my perspective, is that you can't just go I mean, you have to somebody who probably works in real estate has to help you get that posted. So I'm sure there were some resources used to make that happens.

So apparently somehow they had half a vehicle and they put like bricks, tape and black tarp around it to where there was actually no damage.

I'm just happy I was able to graduate. That was probably my main focus at the time, just making sure I got what needed to be done in order to be able to actually, you know, finish high school. All right, let's see what do we want to get to here. I don't want to get to a break just yet, because we got a lot of things I want to

run through before we run out of time today. But yeah, this isn't new information, but to see that Indian Animated official they announced that they're going to be playing at Ropperena this year on December thirteenth. That that's a game that should always happen. Indiana and Kentucky I mean, it is a rivalry, but if you are somebody around my age or certainly younger, I kind of get it that you don't. You don't really see it as a rivalry because I feel like when it was it, it's heyday.

It was back honestly long before I was even around Bob Knight, Joe b those guys, and they played a lot in my childhood.

But you know, the one that comes to mind for me, not as a child, but the twenty what was it twenty the twenty twelve game whenever they you know, the Watford shot, which Indiana still celebrates like it was a national championship moment, which is really embarrassing. And I've defended Indiana a lot over the years because I do believe they're just one coach away. They've got all the resources that you would need to be really, really good at

basketball and win national championships. They just have yet to get it right since they fired Bob Knight, which was a long time ago. But what really reminds you of, I guess their humongous gas up and being you know, successful, is the way in which they really like go overboard about a regular season win against a team that, look, they were good. That Kentucky team's one of the best teams you'll ever see in college basketball in twenty twelve, right, and.

bigger thing than it actually was. And I think the biggest component as far as like what makes that just seem so lame for them to do, to just go overboard and celebrating that, is that that same Kentucky team that they beat on the last second shot ended their season in the NCAA tournament, Like you can't really dunk on Kentucky whenever you went one and one against them, and then they won the game that mattered, Like it just to me, it really made me aware that, man,

these Hoosiers have not had many big moments in a long time. And look, they haven't won a title in my lifetime. Their last one was in eighty seven. Now clearly they've got five of them, and not many can say they have that many. But anyways, Indiana has always just been a coach away from being really really successful. And who knows, maybe that guy ends up being Darian Devrees,

but he'll be in rupt this year. And Louisville playing Indiana, Kentucky, Memphis, and Cincinnati all in the same season next year is awesome.

to have some games against those kind of teams. But if you know, like I just think it's wild. But to this, like the Louisville's basketball schedule is not complete, but let's just say they've got Winthrop on the schedule. I'm only guessing Winthrop because I know Winthrop will be probably an annual opponent because of Pat Kelsey's history there. Obviously he got his head coaching start at Winthrop and

his mentor, the late Skip Prosser, his son. I believe Mark Prosser is the head coach at Winthrop, so I wouldn't be shocked if they're on the schedule every year, and I have no problem with that. But let's say they play this year on a Wednesday in December at nine o'clock at night on the ACC network. I mean, like, I feel like you got some real gall to like criticize fans who decide not to go. I mean again, I know we sometimes are wired and we compete with

one another. Is who can be the biggest fan, who's the who's the most die hard fan? That kind of stuff, And I guess it's nice to have that competitive energy because you really love and support your team that much. But I mean, I just don't have the I can't. I can't with a criticize somebody who decided, yeah, I'll watch that one at home. So again, you're always gonna

have some games like that. But the more you play teams that aren't nobody's and that there's history rather it be a rivalry or just a team that you have a lot of history with, that's a much better scenario to get a full crowd, a good atmosphere, and probably a better TV Number two. So Indiana and Kentucky renewing their rivalry. And that's the way it should be. These teams should always play. All right, let's get to a

quick break. We'll come back on the other side. Let you hear what Mark Pope had to say about Pat Kelcey. I think, I mean, I wouldn't call it a bromance, but the two clearly like each other and it seems natural and I've got no issue with it. But I guess I can understand if some people are bothered by it, because I guess best case scenario is that you know your coach hates the rivals coach, vice versa, but you

can't force it. You can't force it, And I just don't really see a scenario where these two specifically don't have seemingly a good relation like a friendship. Even so, we'll let you hear that, And we got a lot more we'll get into before we get out of here, So stick around. It's coffee and company. Feelbout Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety All right, thank you big thanks to big time Carl Blatten for getting us ready

for the weekend. This This song used to be an annual Friday thing and then it kind of just faded away. I guess I could have forced it, but I didn't. But thank you, Carl, I forgot this used to be our Friday sendoff, and now it's back, and I was already ready for the weekend. Now I'm even more ready, So good stuff there. It also kind of made me think back on all the you know, the years where

every Friday that was that was a staple. And again next Friday, a week from the day, it will be my last day here at seven ninety and I'm gonna make the most of the time we have left. And this weekend we've got an extra day, so a long weekend. I'm going to try to get a plan together as far as really what I want next week to look like.

I mentioned this at the beginning of the show. Don't know if it's gonna actually happen, but I'm going to try to find a way to get us out next week at some point to do the show somewhere and have a sendoff. And you know, as soon as I know if we can do that, I'll share info with you and hopefully you guys can can come and join us. All right, let's finish strong here about thirty minutes left before we get out of here. The love fest, if

you will. I don't think it's a LoveFest necessarily, but I heard it described as that, and I can't say that that's an outlandish thing to say. But Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope, I think, not only do these guys respect one another, they don't have the exact same background. One is very tall, one is very not. But they got opportunities to take over programs that probably always were viewed as dream jobs for them, especially Mark Pope at Kentucky, Whereas with Kelsey, I don't really know what his dream

job is. Obviously, he's got history with Cincinnati, that's where he played. I'm sorry with Xavier. He hates Cincinnati. He's a Xavier Musketeer and that's a big rivalry. But he's from Cincinnati, played at Xavier. That's where he really got his start in coaching under Skip Prossers. So I don't know if Louisville was viewed as a dream job, but I think he's certainly went out of his way to make people realize that. He sometimes can't believe he's actually

the coach here. So another factor with these two guys is that you didn't see it as much this year because Louisville early on had so many injuries to where they did not reinvent themselves or change identity. But the way Pat wanted to play, he really wasn't able to because he didn't have the bodies. When you lost case In Pryor and Corain Johnson at the beginning of the season,

you really were limited in what you could do. And then of course there were some other injuries throughout the year as well, and then with Kentucky they had injury issues as well.

at it. But the real, I mean, the calling card is going to be offense and honestly, three point shooting in rhythm threes, spacing to where you can get to the rim or get to the free throw line. That is, That's what both these guys seemingly won. As far as how they've coached their entire careers, I don't think it was a coincidence that the season prior to both these guys taking over at Louisville and Kentucky. I believe both were in the top three as far as three point

field goals attempted in a season, Charleston and BYU. So they're similar in a lot of ways. And I asked, you know, if I thought Mark Pope had something about him that made him unlikable, I would tell you. I mean, it wouldn't be personal. I don't know him, but you know, you're gonna be more willing to find somebody unlikable or irritating to you if they're the rival, because you want that right. It's more comfortable for you if you find the opposing coach of your rival unlikable. Cal was great,

perfect villain. He's actually just a great villain overall in college basketball, in sports. To be honest with you, I learned that whenever Kentucky would lose to teams like Saint Peter's in Oakland. Kentucky fans certainly upset and distraught after those kind of performances and those kind of results, But like cal losing with all that NBA talented teams like that, it seems like everybody celebrated outside of Kentucky fans.

comes to rivalrying with Louisville basketball fans. You know, they'll make fun of path for being short, or they'll make fun of his glasses or something. But other than that, I mean, that's you know, anytime you get into like personal appearance, that's almost an admission that you've lost the battle, right you've lost the war. When you start taking shots at somebody's personal appearance, you've lost the argument because that's

what you turn to. But anyways, Matt and the KSR crew had to sit down with Mark Pope earlier this week.

when Louisville plays him. But outside of that, like, I think he's a pretty good coach myself, and I find him to be pretty hard to dislike. In fact, I kind of like him, if I'm being honest.

But but here's the thing. I actually, the one thing I would say is that that I actually think I think that this that this Kentucky Louisll thing is just gonna get heated and heated. You know, it's gonna get heated because it's gonna be back to being like one verse four in the contrey.

be honest with you. It doesn't get the national love that Louisville and Kentucky and certainly the love that Duke and Carolina get. But that's a real heated rivalry. So I think both have always understood it. But you know, they're not gonna They're not gonna fake it. And I think even it wouldn't shock me at all if during the recruitment of maybe not with with Ali Khalifa, because I think Pope clearly wanted him to come to Kentucky,

he chose Louisville. But I'm sure pat probably asked some questions to Mark Pope about Noah Waterman, who also played for for for Pope before transferring to Louisville. So, you know, I think it'll be fine. It'll be a little it'll be a little unusual early on, it'll take some getting used to just understanding that these two guys actually do respect one another. But it shouldn't really impact us, because again,

rivalries are about fans. That's that's always been a argument when it comes to college basketball's rivalries ranking, like when they rank the best rivalries in the sport. I'm clearly biased, hand up guilty of that, but I think Louisville and Kentucky every aspect of it. I think you could make the case and it's not even really that difficult to do that it's the best because of the components, right, I mean, you didn't play each other for a long long time, and just the history of it, every bit

of it makes it, including the Caliperi Patino element. I mean Rick going to Louisville and then cal already being kind of his personal rival, and then him taking over at Lexington. I mean, the dynamic of this entire thing. I think, I think it absolutely is the best rivalry in college basketball. And I always say this, why not say it once more? In the city of Louisville, there are so many on both sides that coexist together to

where we're around each other. I mean, I guess everybody's different, everybody's situations different, but more often than not, you probably work with live with maybe a Kentucky fan if you're a Louisville fan, and vice versa. So again, everybody's different, but there's a good chance that you are very much into your diehard fan of one or the other, and you're oftentimes around the other side. Probably not during games, because that wouldn't be safe for anybody, I would assume,

but that's what makes it special here. I don't think the rivalry is the same anywhere else in the country, certainly anywhere else in the state than it is right here in Louisville, and we only play once a year and more often than not. It's just about bragging rights, right in basketball, If both programs are historically where they where they have been, you know, you just take the consensus success, the average success over the last forty years

of the two programs. Both are pretty good, right. Kentucky's pretty damn good. Louisville's not far behind. I mean, they don't have the accomplishments, but clearly Louisville, more often than not, is a pretty good program. So if they're there on any given year, that win is not gonna hurt you a whole lot, and it's probably not going to do a ton to elevate you. I mean, it's certainly good to have. If you beat Kentucky when they're good, that's going to help you on selection Sunday. Same thing on

the other end. But if the teams are already pretty good, that's not like one that's not one isolated data point that's going to get you in the tournament or jump you up a seat or two. I mean, I guess that could happen on occasion, but it's really just about bragging rights with the fans, and that's why I always

think that. I mean, again, I did see a side of the Duke in Carolina fans coexisting when I went to Brooklyn for the ACC tournament, also when I went to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament, and you could sell there's some real there's some real rivalry energy there. So again, I'm sure more than anything is just the biased and if you it all depends on how you want to because I do think there's two different ways to view what makes a rivalry the best and how you want

to rank them. Are you talking about just the heated hatred between the two fan bases and the history.

So we're not there, as far as you know, the two collectively being great compared to Duke and Carolina because it's Duke Carolina. And there was a crazy stat that I'll have to look up during the break because I do want to. It almost doesn't seem real, but at one point the two teams had played each other. However many times it was over like a twenty five or thirty year stretch. If you add up the total scores

from all the games. When they were going into one of their games recently in the last few years, it was tied. Think about it that like that. Not only are they great historically, but they're super competitive with one another and that makes the rivalry great. And again, if you're going to give the top spot to Duken Carolina, I certainly can't argue against that. And if Louisville wanted to,

you know, do their part. I mean, again, let's be real, Louisville has not been as competitive in this series as as we would like. That's the very nice way to put it. I'm hopeful that that changes. But to Pope's point, I mean, I think if it does get competitive and Louisville starts getting some wins here in this rivalry, which I believe they will. I don't think it's going to because Kentucky fell off a cliff. I think it's going to because both teams are really good and sometimes you're

going to get him, sometimes you're not. So I don't it's I'm already seeing on the text line here like it. It is a little unusual to like Kentucky's coach, and I can't lie to you and say that I don't. I mean, I like the guy. He's he's he's a likable guy. Of respective, I think he's a good coach. I think Kentucky's success in year one had more to do with him than anything. Like I don't think they

were athletic last year. They certainly had injuries. Just when it looked as if they were going to get, you know, beat bad and really maybe.

so they won't be the last to do it. But I will say I was not expecting a school from the SEC to be the first to say that they're going to start eliminating positions because they now know again there's now an annual twenty million, actually north of twenty million dollars that you have to pay because you've got to share revenue. Now. I mean, that's of all the things that have changed college athletics in recent years, that's

that's a big one. And then sticking with money, pennies the penny is apparently dead, as the US Treasury has announced it will officially stop manufacturing the penny in twenty twenty six. I mean, I'm not bothered by this, although it could get kind of tricky as far as you know if you cause, I think they could stop producing it and we'll still have plenty of them to where you're going to get them and you can still use them.

just annoying to me. Like I've probably got I feel like I've got too many pennies in my cup holder, in my car and my dash, but like as many as I have, I bet I probably don't even have more than a couple of bucks, maybe because again it's one cent.