It's time for Coffee and Company, fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven nine day. Holy crap, I don't know who the hell we think we are. Get off our show, idiot.
The kids are playing or turn at the countries are screwing it up. Gold Play Inner Murals, Brother, gold Play Inner Murals. They're supposed to be mature adults, but they're really not.
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Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me?
Now? Here's Nick Coffee?
All right, let's get it started here, Coffee and Company, thanks for joining us at Kentucky Oaks edition of Coffee and Company, as always, fueled by Thornton's putting the finishing touches on Derby Week.
Well, I guess the work week of Derby Week.
Obviously we've got tomorrow's big day and I do want to remind you. I know I've mentioned it a lot this week, but it's worth mentioning a lot. So that's what I'm doing. We will have all day coverage from
the everywhere Churchill Downs. I was going to say, backside, I think we actually do start off the broadcast with our Derby coverage on eight to forty, whas with some backside coverage, but I mean it's all day and we will be set up in the grand stand where I believe we've been for every year that I've been a part of our Derby coverage.
But also.
You will get to hear the sounds and we'll kind of set the scene of pretty much everywhere at Churchill Downs. That's kind of what our annual Derby coverage is, and again I'm really happy to once again be a part
of it. And it's something that I will say, I think early on I kind of took it for granted, meaning I didn't realize, you know, it's pretty cool to be able to be a part of the coverage of a huge event, the biggest event that we have here annually in this city and in this state, and it's one of the biggest sporting events of the entire year all over the entire world. So again getting closer and closer, but tomorrow's big day. We'll have all the coverage for
you on News Radio eight forty. Whas I do feel a little as if now that we're here and we are, you know, a day away from the Kentucky Derby, we've got the Oaks today that maybe I would start to, you know, shift into really doing more more content of a horse racing. But I'm just I'm not going to do it every year. I get the I have that moment where I'm like, man, what are you doing? This
is Derby Week? We should be talking horse racing. But I feel like, again, it's just a better move to talk about what I at least can can yap about. I mean, I'm not sure if it's great radio, if it's entertaining, certainly not really informative, but you know, just talking about everything that comes with Derby rather than talking about horse racing specifically, that's that's that's my comfort zone.
And I wish, you know, I wish I had a little more range when it comes to you know, Kentucky Derby stuff, but I don't.
I don't.
But we do have a handful of Derby profiles you will hear throughout the day today because our man jodymling Uh, former colleague of ours here at I Heart, he still helps us out every year during Derby time, and he is as good as it gets when it comes to handicapping races.
He is a horse racing.
Expert slash insider, so much so that it's not just you know, something he does around here locally. He is somebody that's CBS Sports has has worked with. I mean they've they've hired him every year, uh for as long as I can remember, to be a part of their Derby coverage. And one of the things he does for us is he will give us a profile of each and every horse that is in the field. And foolishly, I have neglected that throughout the uh, throughout the the week.
So we're gonna take advantage, right, I mean, I can't give you a whole lot of info on any of these horses, and I could, I could lie to you and act as if I, you know, have some some some insight into what I think will happen in this race. But Jody's the man who is again the expert, so we'll we'll, uh well, we will rely on on him and utilize the resources that that we have. But again it is Coffee and Company. We are fieled aout Thornton to make sure you sign up to become a member
of the Refreshing Awards program if you haven't already. He'll save money at the gas pump and you can save every single time, you know, if you go and get gas every day.
I mean, that would be odd, I think, but hey.
That's what you do. That's what you do. You're gonna save each and every time. However, once per week you're gonna save up to twenty five cents per gallon, so that that is the real incentive.
I know that there are a lot of other I guess, you know, competitors.
I don't really think Thornton's has any competition, but you know other businesses alike that offer a similar type of program you can sign up for and you can maybe save some money, but you know they're not giving you twenty five cents off per week because.
You know they're not as good as Thornton's. Nobody is.
And one thing that I I mean, I talk about Thortons a lot. You guys know that right clearly. It's a big part of this show. And know I've always been really appreciative of the appreciative of them partnering with me, and they've been doing it for a long time now.
So what I'm trying to get to is, I'm sorry Thornton's because again here I am yapping and gassing them up about things that you know, you typically hear me talk about but I did not realize that they have now got their bakery back open, so therefore their fresh, delicious donuts are back. And I don't know the details. I'll certainly get it because I think they may have had a transition at some point, or maybe it was during COVID, I don't really know, so again i'll get
the details. But their donuts really really popular, and I don't know if they decided to go with something different in the meantime, meeting in like the last few years or whatever. But you know, my friends at Thornton's let me know, Hey, we really need you to start pumping up these donuts because you know, the bakeries back open, and these things are made fresh and they're delicious, and you know, I remember hearing Thornton's has always had great donuts,
and I never heard that they had bad donuts. But clearly there was some kind of of a change that they made for reasons. I'm sure that made sense at the time. But again, they're wanting me to let you know that their donuts are back, the bakeries back, and if you forgot, or maybe you weren't aware of how delicious Thornton's fresh made donuts.
Are no better time than now to go to go get some.
All right, So a lot to get into here today, and I'm not really sure where to start, but I feel like this is going to be a thing for many, many many years to come, this time of year where we talk about something that we didn't talk about for decades prior. And what I mean is, once you get to the end of the college basketball season, that's whenever everybody's attention shifts to the portal and NIL, because NIL has led us to players sticking around in college basketball
longer than they ever used to. And there's some real numbers that I want to get into here in just a moment that I think really makes me feel more confident in what I've been saying for a while, and that is that the new world here with NIL and the transfer portal, meaning now you get paid to play, and now with the portal, you can go wherever you want, seemingly.
As many times as you want.
So what that has done is that has made college basketball a much better product, not only because you know, you got guys sticking around longer, but because you got you've got free agency essentially where you can just you know, build a team from scratch, just like Pat Kelsey did a year ago. Like that, that's good for the game. And yeah, there's the downside of it where you don't
get guys to stick around for four years. The four year player is going to be a real rare thing moving forward, and that is and you know that sucks.
However, I still believe that if you're.
Just looking at the pros and cons, I mean, it's way more beneficial for college basketball.
This new world is than detrimental.
And I you know, I'm somebody who loves college basketball, so I certainly appreciate that. So again, I don't see any change as far as what I guess late March and really all of April is and that is where you get a feel for what your team's going to
look like the following season and the NBA Draft. I mean, you used to have guys that would go to the NBA Draft knowing like they would turn pro, enter their name and draft and know that they didn't have any real chance of getting drafted, right, but they just decided, look, I don't want to stick around in college anymore. You know, I can come back and get my degree whenever I'm twenty one years old, and I want to go ahead and start my pro career now, because you know, when
you're a professional athlete. Let's be real, in most instances, you can't do that for the same amount of time that folks can do most jobs that they have, right, like God willing, I won't need to have any athleticism or be in great shape to do this for as long as they allow me to do it. If you're a basketball player, you got a window. And if you spend four years in college, yeah, it would probably be a great experience. I doubt anybody would ever regret that experience.
I'm sure there are some examples, and yes, you would get an education and you'd live a good lifestyle, right if you're I mean before an il, before anybody was getting paid to play as far as you know, name, image and likeness, they were still living a pretty good life, right they've got I mean, these college athletes have nice facilities they live in, they don't pay for health insurance. I mean they're fed, and you actually even get like
a stipend, like the cost of attendance stipend. So like even before that, you were still living a great lifestyle. It wasn't as if you were out here just you know,
doing manual labor and being tortured, nothing like that. So you know, like it would make sense that you would decide, hey, you know, I'll come back and get my degree, because again, why not go ahead and start making money and instead, let's just say you've got a ten year pro Let's say you're going to play till you're thirty two years old, and by the time you get thirty three or just you know, your your body's not what it once was.
You no longer are playing at the level to where you can earn a living doing it, G League.
Europe wherever.
So if you left college at twenty you would have had twelve years to do it. You leave college at twenty two twenty three, you have less time. So again it's not that big of a difference. But now you've got guys that are turning down the NBA knowing that they would get drafted, albeit maybe late first round, second round. They're now turning that down to come back to college because they're going to make more money. So Draft Express
put this out earlier. Today, they're only one hundred and six players that have entered the twenty twenty five NBA Draft. According to the NBA's latest release, this is the lowest number of early entrants since twenty fifteen.
And it's down.
Yeah, it's down from a peak of three hundred and sixty three in twenty twenty one. Think about the timing here, in twenty twenty one, that was right before the NCAA's NIL era officially started. So again, these numbers probably don't really surprise you, but I just thought it was worth sharing because again, I think of all the sports that have you know, impact, been impacted differently with this new world, I don't even think it's I don't think it's close.
College basketball has benefited from it more than any and it's not.
Just because of the obvious right that guys.
Stick around in college. You now have you know, guys that are twenty two, twenty three, sometimes even older than that playing and they're mature their experience. Maybe they don't translate to the NBA, but you know, the product of the game is good, and when you've got the portal, you can go add guys that are twenty two that have played a bunch of college basketball that can come in and really help you, you know, make a big improvement from the year prior, or maybe even you know,
just sustain what you did the year prior. But let's go back to where college basketball was before this happened. I think I think it was suffering in a big way. I mean, I'm gonna always love college hoops because you know, that's just what we do around here. I mean, I know not everybody probably is obsessed with it like I am, but we're clearly a big college basketball market, both programs here in town. I mean, I think, let's I mean in the state, I should say both Louisville and Kentucky.
Like when people think of our athletic programs, they think of basketball, and I don't really see a scenario where that we'll ever will that will ever change.
But you know, when you've got top twenty.
Five recruits coming in for a year leaving if they're one and dones, or guys that stick around for a second year, because that's that's what this wasn't. I mean, it wasn't widespread, but it was, but it was growing. And what I'm talking about is guys who weren't good enough to be you know, one and Don's right out of high school because they weren't maybe they weren't develop yet. Maybe they were still just you know, all about potential. It wasn't about anything they were actually ready to do
and produce. So then you would have guys that would come back for a second year. And if you're a top twenty five recruit of McDonald's All America and you're American and you're coming back for a sophomore season, and it's because maybe your freshman season, like you didn't you didn't really have a big role because you weren't ready. Like it was almost as if like you got to
go pro after that year. Because at that point, if you keep sticking around in college like you had no time to develop, I mean you.
Did, but you didn't want to.
You would you would just move on because guys who stuck around in college that were really really highly regarded players. I mean it was viewed if you it was viewed that you were a bust if you didn't leave early. And I just think, you know, you go back to guys like BJ King, Jalen Johnson for Louisville, I mean even EJ. Montgomery for Kentucky. You know, clearly those guys
weren't great. I think they knew they were never going to make it to the NBA, but they just decided to move on from college and start their pro career.
And look, maybe they don't regret doing that, But there's also I think some level of being worried that you're The longer you stick in college, the more people were going to bring up the fact that you were a McDonald's All American or a top twenty five recruit, and if you're still in college, it was just viewed as a bad thing, that you were a bust and you're you know, you know.
Your story's over.
Yeah you're you're all right, you're decent, but hey, they were really wrong about you. Will now, I mean, you've got time to develop. I mean, because let's be real, if you're not ready to play as a freshman and you're at a high level, you're probably going to transfer after your freshman season a to a program where you can have a bigger opportunity.
So I just think it's.
It's beneficial for literally everyone involved in college basketball. I mean, I guess those that would probably say, hey, you're out of your mind, this is killing us.
It's probably the.
Mid majors, right, the coaches that are recruiting players and developing them for a few years and then they're about to enter a special season that they've been building for. But then they're two best players. They leave because they can go elsewhere and make more money, and they'd be foolish not to do that. So yeah, I guess from that aspect, there are some signs there are some downsides of it, but they'll adapt, right, I mean, that's what
they have to do. I mean, it just sounds like something unheard of, but I really don't think that we're that far away from it being a very public sales pitch from mid major and low D one programs that we're selling you to come here and we'll give you an opportunity right away and then you can get the hell out. I mean again, think about that, a coach selling you come here, you'll only be here for a year and then you can go to a better program.
Like that's just unheard of, and I'm sure that's not going to be directly how it is, but that that's probably a good to an extent, I think that's probably a good sales pitch because you know you can sell that. Hey with with coaches at the high majors now being able to reload and add to their roster with grown, experienced players that are twenty one, twenty two years old. Most coaches are choosing to do that, and I think
that's a trend that's only going to grow. So, you know, if you're coaching at the low D one or mid major, you can you know, you use that against those coaches, right, like, hey, yeah, I know they offered you a scholarship, but let's be real, you're going to have to sit and wait for a long time because they've got this guy back and that guy back, and oh, by the way, they brought in two guys that play on the wing just like you.
So why don't you come here.
Yeah, it's not the SEC, it's not the Big ten, it's not the ACC. But you'll get minutes, you'll put up big numbers, and then when you hit the portal the next year, you'll have everybody calling you again. I mean, I doubt that that will be like the direct sales pitch, but I feel like that's what you should do if you want to, you know, I mean, if you're gonna make this work, because if you just try to, you know, I mean again, you could try whatever you want to
keep guys to stay, but it's just not realistic. You can't pay, and I the NIL situation is just gonna be just gonna be much different. So, I mean I used to kind of worry about the future of college basketball because you know, the product wasn't great and you needed guys like Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis to really bring eyeballs to the sport because you know, of the product, meaning guys that everybody knew were probably gonna be stars in the NBA. And you can tell when you watch
them play for programs like Duke in Kentucky. But you know, you don't get those guys very often. That's a pretty rare thing. Well, now maybe you don't have I mean, Cooper Flag was certainly a big, big deal this year.
But I think even.
Though you know, you may not have a guy that's viewed as just this can't miss NBA.
Prospect like Cooper Flag was the product.
When I say product, I mean the game like it's competitive, you have you know, and there there's a lot of parody too. I mean that's another factor that I think makes it a benefit to college basketball, meaning the new world that we are that we're in now, with nil and with the portal. So I just thought, you know, I just thought that number. I mean, that's pretty crazy to see only one hundred and six players enter the draft when just four years ago, right before you get
paid to play three hundred and sixty three innered. And another thing to keep in mind, of the one hundred and six that have entered this year, there's many of them that know they're coming back to school or at least probably expect to come back to school because they're just going through this process to get the experience and maybe get some good feedback from the NBA, like, oh, take it away at Kentucky. I mean, I think the expectation is he's back for Kentucky next year, but he's
considered in one of those one oh six. And also there's also guys from across across the pond in Europe and other countries, international players that have entered the draft. So again, I don't know if this proof. I'm sure some would say, you know, they don't notice much of a difference, but for me, like this is this is a good thing. And yeah, it's not really college basketball anymore. It's professional basketball, just a you know, a different version
of it compared to the NBA. All Right, a lot we're gonna get into today, so make sure you stick around. It's Coffee and Company feel about Thornton's on Sports Talk seventy and seven ninety.
All right, welcome back in. It is Coffee and Company.
Field about Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety at Kentucky Oaks Day edition of the show. As we continue to get you set for Kentucky Derby one point fifty one, I haven't really done a whole lot of looking other than in fact, you know, I'm now a little bit more familiar with the field because of our Derby profiles
and whatnot. But I'm still sticking with Rodriguez. But I don't have anything to add other than earlier this other than what I mentioned earlier this week, as far as you know, the story as to how Rodriguez got its name, and it's based off a documentary that I think is one of the best, honestly that honestly that I've ever seen. So I'm still rolling with Rodriguez, my son for anybody who cares he's for he's the horse racing fan and maybe even you know, expert, certainly an expert when it
comes to, you know, comparing to his dad. But my son Moose, he is still all in on American promise. So that's one with not as much. The odds aren't grade thirty to one. Therefore, you know, maybe that would be a decent payday if it comes through. What we'll do is my wife Chill end up picking a horse. I don't know what she's thinking or if she's even
looked at the field just yet. But then we'll have each of us will draw out of like a hat and see which one that you know, see which one we get, and then we'll probably put together like some type of bet that has all four of them combined, and you know, it'll probably have insanely terrible odds and you know, probably won't win, but if it does, you know, that'd be cool, and hey, we'd make some money. So anyways, thanks for joining us here on a Friday in Kentucky,
Oaks Day edition of the show. All Right, so the ACC yesterday, well it n't officially announced it, but it came out yesterday from a variety of different reporters that were discussing something that the ACC is looking to do to to help the basketball side of things. So CBS Sports Brandon Marcello is the first that I saw that put it out there, and I'll just read directly from
his write up. It says the ACC is strongly considering shrinking its conference basketball schedule to help boost the leagues NCAA tournament profile, and the increasing expectation is it'll be done.
Per sources.
So I see this yesterday and I'm thinking, Okay, this
is this is this is good? Meaning, you know, last last year, right before the season started, I was in Charlotte for the ACC basketball media days they call it Operation Basketball, and I was there for the first time in a couple of years, and I remember kind of, you know, on my there on the flight, thinking, Okay, I wonder what the the real you know, vibe is going to be given the fact that the league has taken, in my opinion, significant steps back as a basketball conference
in recent years. And the expectation this year wasn't that the ACC was gonna be that good. And sure enough, that's exactly how things played out. And if I'm being real, the ACC can get better next year. But how much better I don't know. So I thought maybe they would challenge other teams. Hey, we gotta. We got to collectively get better and improve to start, you know, getting some
respect back. I mean, it's not as if it's the worst league in the country, but it's fallen quite a bit in the last decade.
And other leagues had gotten better.
So instead of hearing the commissioner and maybe other coaches during their you know, their entire experience at the ACC Basketball Media Day is kind of talking about, Hey, let's get better, let's let's get back, let's let's get this thing back on track. It was more of a hey, what can we do to to convince the committee that they're wrong? What can we do, uh, to you know, get more teams in the tournament? But not because like we need to get better, but like we need to
just sell ourselves that. And I'm thinking, okay, you got you gotta, you gotta. The first issue here is you got to address the fact that you're the league is not what it once was. To me, it was like they were in denial and didn't want to acknowledge that
the league had taken big steps back. They just wanted to act like it was all the committee's fault and uh, in fact, they were having Lonardi like, I mean, if you remember the whole thing, Liken, they they were they had Lonardi come and talk to the AC.
It wasn't at basketball media days.
It might have been one of the spring or fall meetings for the league where like Lenardi was talking to coaches telling them what they can do to better improve their resume. And I'm thinking, first of all, Lonardi doesn't have anything to do with the tournament, and you know him having three four teams in in his bracketology in
late February, like, I mean that that wasn't that far off. So, I mean, I was bummed to know that instead of acknowledging that the league has fallen a little bit, they were just in denial, acting as if they were being
picked on. Well, then you hear that they're going to make a change to the ACC basketball schedule as far as how many games you're going to play against conference opponents, that's I mean, maybe they won't say it out loud, but that's full on proof that you're well aware that when you play twenty league games, I mean, that's going to leave you having a huge you know, I guess that's I think it's four more than some conferences.
I know some do eighteen.
Some do sixteen, but the ACC does twenty, and they added to it was eighteen and they went to twenty when the ACC network launched, just because they needed the inventory, but because the ACC has fallen so much. I mean, Louisville was a perfect example. They went all through January winning games and it wasn't their fault, but like they got nothing out of winning those games because the league was down week actually, and again you can't control that.
I guess they realize now that you could have another situation where and I still think Louisville was incorrectly seated this year, and in fact, I still would be convinced you could convince me that the committee just flipped Louisville and Memphis and put them in the wrong spot. I mean, that's like the first conspiracy theory that I'm getting closer and closer to just believing and not even thinking it's a conspiracy theory.
That's just what happened.
But anyways, if you are like just just next year's expectation, right like Carolina, maybe they'll be a lot better or maybe they'll be a bubble team again, because you know that wouldn't shock me.
Duke is gonna be Duke. They're gonna have talent. Louisville.
I mean louisll went eighteen and two in the league and got a two seed or I'm sorry, got an eight seed.
Clemson.
There's no scenario they're able to sustain what they've done the last couple of years because I mean, they had a special group that had a good run for Clemson and now they're kind of starting over.
Miami certainly can get better because they were awful.
Will Wade at NC State, I guess it really depends on what kind of roster he has when it's all said and done, but they'll get better with him.
He's a good hire.
Ryan Odam at Virginia, I mean, he's not Tony Bennett, but I think that may actually be a good thing.
Just because they need some new life.
And I think when you've got players that can transfer any time they want, it's going to be tough to get guys to stick around in Virginia and play the style that Tony Bennett played. So again, like maybe the ACEC is a lot better next year, but we could certainly be in the same situation we were in this past year, where you've got some teams that have good
records and they're out of conference. I mean, Louisville actually is the perfect example as to why they should do this, because again, Louisville in the non conference, they didn't have any losses against teams that you would say are bad losses. I mean, in fact, every team that beat them in the non conference made the tournament, and they actually had you know, a few decent wins in the non conference as well, and then you get to ACC play and they went eighteen to two. So I still think the
committee got it wrong. But in the real issue with the with how they seeded the tournament with the ACC is that they just weren't consistent, right, Like Carolina getting in is something that probably shouldn't have happened. Clemson getting a five seed, was it or a four seed one of those two getting a one. It's like they didn't see the ACC consistently right. The things that got Clemson their seed and that got Carolina in, like the things that they got credit for to get where they were,
Louisville didn't get credit for that. So anyways, playing more non conference games giving you a chance to go out there and add more valuable opponents, meaning that there's something, there's something to gain if you win, and if you lose, it's not really a real hit unless, of course, you know, you get blown out. So they're going to go from twenty to eighteen. I wish they actually would go from
twenty to sixteen, to be honest with you. So this is this is full on confirmation and it's actually kind of a I mean, I'm happy they're doing it, but it's also kind of sad because I think if you really consider what they're doing here is like they know they want they need and want to get more teams in the tournament, But if everybody's playing twenty games, it's gonna leave you to have a not not a real high ceiling as far as your seed line, because I mean,
like the only real valuable win and I mean like real value that that you were you were getting, and I guess everybody's you know, barometer is different. But like a resume win, a signature win, the only one that existed in the ACC this past year was Duke.
That was it.
If you beat Clemson, that's a good win, that's that's a solid win, that'll you know, it has quad one value. But like outside of that what other win are you getting in league play that that is going to help you on selection Sunday. So you know, this is the ACC confirming they realize their league is not what it once was, and look, it could get back there. And you know, I still think the potential is there for the league to have seven, eight, maybe nine teams.
In the tournament.
I mean, that's not something that's crazy. I mean we got to take baby steps, I suppose, because you had Carolina as the last place team in Louisville as an eight, Clemson as a four or five, whichever it was, and they lost to McNee state, and then of course Duke was a one seed.
So you know, this is a good thing. Now.
What I don't like is the latest report from David Teal, who does a great job covering the ACC for I believe he works for the UH Well. I think he retired from writing for one of the newspapers in Virginia, in Newport News, Virginia. But he's as connected as anybody I can think of in the ACC. And here is what he put out there this morning. I'm sorry last night.
He says, if indeed ACC Men's basketball reduces the league schedule from twenty to eighteen games where you play just where you're going to play just one rival twice a season. Here's so, I guess you'll play every team once and then one team twice with that add up to make sense. So who is Louisville's rival in the ACC, you may ask, I don't think we really have one, and I'm not real big on creating rivalries, but I can tell you what this is the school that there's like zero connection with.
Like that makes no sense if you were you know, there's no ryt We over use the word rivalry in sports way too much as it is. But if you don't have a rival, what would you do? You would pick a team where you have history with. Louisville apparently would be paired with SMU and I just one. I would rather play one of the really good teams in the league, which you know, I know there haven't been many lately, but like Duke and Caroline are clearly going
to play each other twice. N C State and Wake Forest, FSU, Miami, Clemson, Georgetown, cal Stanford, Boston College, Notre Dame, pitt and Syracuse, SMU and U of L.
So that is how they have it. Laid out here.
According to David Teal, so like SMU and U of L put together just because of like being you know, being outsiders.
I mean, louisll has been in the ACC for a decade. SMU's brand new.
I think you could put Louisville in Notre Dame together and it would make better sense. I think you could put Louisville in Syracuse together because these are good basketball programs, like basketball schools, and you could take Pittsburgh and SMU and who would care? And you know, Boston College Notre Dame. I guess, I guess there's some history there just as far as the two teams to an extent, But I
just wish it would be somebody different than SMU. But either way, getting rid of the twenty game league schedule what it's going to do. And I'm sure they'll have this conversation with with each member of the league. You know, we're doing this, and that means you can't go add
Popcorn State to take these two games. You've got to go at, you know, try to find somebody that will play you to where you have a really really you know, competitive game where there's not a whole lot to lose if you do slip up, and sometimes just playing good teams and you lose. As we've learned, it can actually benefit you. You could beat a team by thirty or lose by five to a really good team, and your resume is better from the loss against a good team than
a win against nobody. All right, stick around, It's coffee and Company or fuel bout Thorntons right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
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Steven who said that me down here?
What are you a yellow booger?
I'm a banana slugs Steven? Well, oh what are you doing in my room?
And you sense an adventure?
Don't you remember me?
Don't you know that we miss you?
Miss me? Who misses me?
You know? All your friends in the forest, the trees, the pond, that little fort that you made at the branches. We all miss you.
Mom took me to the forest last year.
I miss slug Stephen.
It took me a long time to get here.
Oh, I guess that makes sense.
This forest is not that far away.
Have an adventure today.
I'm sure your mom would take you. You're right, I should get out.
I want to have fun, plant puddles, catch frogs and clun trees.
Hey Mom, yeah, Stephen, what is that in your hand?
It's my sense of adventure?
Mom.
It's told me we need to get out of the house, and that's some fun in nature today. Come to the forest where the more adventurous you lives.
Check out discoverthforest dot Org for cool places nearby.
Brought to you by the US Forest Service and the ad Council.
Great party, huh, guys, by these days on myself.
Hey, did you know that birthday parties actually help build confidence in kids?
Yeah?
I did know that.
Did you know that giving kids less sugar before bedtime helps them sleep better?
Right of course, yeah, I knew that.
Did you know that strollers have the right of way on sidewalks?
Oh?
Yeah, knew that.
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
Did you know that friendly kids statistically have more friends?
Everyone knows that.
Oh yeah, it's pretty obvious.
Yeou Hey guys, did you know that most people think they're using the right car seat for their kid, but they're not. I didn't know that.
I think I knew that.
No, I didn't. Parents who really know it all no for sure that their child is in the right car seat at the right age and size. Visit safercar dot gov slash the right Seat to make sure your child is protected. Brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the ad Council.
A Kentucky Oaks Day edition of Coffee and Company rolling along here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. Appreciate you hanging out with us. And because I'm not very good at really knowing anything about horse racing, as I have had to let you guys know in many ways this week, I'm sure we're going to lean on somebody who is an expert, somebody who knows what he's talking about. So let's go to Jody Dimmling for a couple of our Derby profiles.
Now look at the Kentucky Derby field.
One by one American Promise Virginia Derby winner. American Promise is one of the biggest and best looking entry in this year's Kentucky Derby field. The chestnut son of Triple Crown winner Justify, has raced nine times in his career for Hall of Fame trainer d Wayne Lucas. American Promise is owned by BC Stables and will be ridden by Derby newcomer Nick Warez. De Wayne Lucas has won the
Kentucky Derby four times. He will be starting a horse in his thirty first Derby, with his first win coming back in nineteen eighty eight with winning colors, his last in nineteen ninety nine with charismatic Could d Wayne Lucas do it again with a long shot? American Promise raced three times as a two year old at Churchill Downs, but only finished in the money one of those three races. It wasn't until the sixth start of his career that American Promise broke his maiden. He did that on December
twenty ninth at Oakland Park. Then it was a sixth place finish in the Southwest Stakes. In late January, a fifth place finished in the Risen Star. Lucas then opted to ship American Promise to Colonial Downs for the Virginia Derby, and the colt rewarded his trainer with a seven and three quarter links score and a ticket to the Kentucky Derby. Lucas had thought about running in the Lexington Stakes, but instead opted to train American Promise up to the Kentucky Derby,
meaning he has seven weeks in between his starts. Lucas isn't worried and thinks he's got a big chance. He's had a really really good month. Isn't three yet, so he's just getting into that frame. He's growing under that frame and must learned that baby fat. He's a seventeen hand harsh, you know, and it takes them a little wild.
But he is respining really well for very well.
The Virginia Derby winner American promise. Now look at the Kentucky Derby field one by one East Avenue. One of the more intriguing entries in this year's Kentucky Derby is east Avenue, a bay son of Medallia de Aora. He finished second in the Bluegrass Stakes, beating the nose right on the wire by Burnham Square. East Avenue was one of the hottest young two year olds last year, winning his first two starts. Going into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile as a nine to five favorites, but he stumbled at
the start and finished ninth in that race. Owned by Godolphin Stables, trained by Brendan Walsh, East Avenue began his three year old campaign in the Risen Star in early February at the fair Grounds. He finished tenth a very disappointing effort in that race, but that disappointment didn't mean he was off the Derby trail. Walsh continued to train him for the first leg of the Triple Crown, pointing for the Bluegrass Stakes, where he ran a huge race
and barely got beat by Burnham Square. East Avenue Sire Medallia Deor was fourth in the Kentucky Derby in two thousand and two. East Avenue all three of his races in the state of Kentucky have been in the money, two at Keenlan and one at Ellis Park. He has
two wins and a second in five career starts. East Avenue looks like he wants to be on the front end of the pace, but Walsh believes his versatility will help him in the Derby, and he also thinks east Avenue learned a lot in the Bluegrass Stakes.
Sometimes you have to lose sometimes, I think, to learn
your lessons and develop. I mean, you see an awful lot of horses that have won the Derby back through the years, you know, Dave, their seasoned horses have at the battle and and and what have you in races and they get beaten, you know, one, two, three times before they win a Derby, and and you know, maybe we were lacking that, you know, but I feel he learned a lot in the blue Grass It was great to see him fight the way he did and if he if he learned the lessons that I think he did,
then hopefully he said to make another step forward in the derby, and if he does, then he should be very, very competitive