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 when we.
Are get off our show, idiot.
The kids are playing and turning off. 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. Who's the kid here?
Who's the kid here?
Are you kidding me? Now? Here's Nick Coffee? You know?
When I hear that promo there right as the show starts, tune in three o'clock for Coffee and Company with Nick Coffee, I'm like, that's me. I'm that guy, and I am that guy. My name is Nick Coffee and I'm here with you today for another edition of Coffee and Company. Fuel about Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety. Appreciate you hanging out with us. Don't forget you can take us with you wherever you go. Listen live on the hour, Ordy. We have listen live at seven ninety Louisville dot com.
As you heard, as you likely know. In fact, I'm sure a lot of you already know this. We are fueled about Thortons. So make sure if you have not signed up to become a member of their refreshment Awards program, you do that. You should. I mean again, I don't know how people go home to their families at night knowing they've not taken advantage of all the perks that
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If not, now you do, all right. So I'm fired up today here on Thursday, back in studio, my first time here in studios since Monday, and we got a lot to get to. We're gonna have some fun. Kent Spencer from WHAS eleven will join us coming up at four oh five, and I will continue to be interactive. I think yesterday relying on the text line and really needing the text line to come through. Just because of the day that I was having, they came through, So
we'll continue to do that. It was a reminder for me, Oh yeah, you should definitely be as interactive as possible on this show. So we're gonna do that. I mean, I still out other things I'm gonna get into that. Really, to be honest, reactions not needed for it. But maybe you know, once I share some thoughts I want to share, talk about some things that I want to talk about that that leads to reaction from you guys. So again, the open invite is there five O two six five
three zero seven ninety. It's the LNN Federal Credit Union text line, and you can also give us a call five oh two, five to seven to one seventy nine hundred. Now that I'm back in studio, much easier to be interactive on the phone line. So again, we're taking you up till six o'clock, and I hope that you guys stick around. One of the reasons I'm fired up today has to be because it's the first day of the Kentucky State Fair. I have no plans to go to the today. I mean, I'm gonna be there probably at
least a couple times before it ends. But man, there's just I can never put into words why I love the fair as much as I do. You know, I could, I could, I could off the cuff here, give you some bullet points that make the fair a fun thing for me to be a part of and go to. But it wouldn't make the fair look good. If that makes sense? Am I making sense? John?
Yeah?
And I think I know what you're referring to, people watching the characters you see. I mean, it's just it's again I said this the other day. We were talking about how our concert lineup at the Kentucky State Fair compares to other states. Was it Iowa that had a badass lineuph Yeah? Yeah, that was wild games. Yeah. So you know I could go and not go to any concert, not you know, not stopping partake in any of the events. No, not riding rides, not eating the elephant ear or the
burger with donut as a bun. It just walk around And I could do it every day and still say it was a great experience because it's the most it's the most beautiful place for people watching. So the fairs here, I'm fired up and again John you've only been in the fair what a couple of times?
Maybe, yeah, and most of those times were.
For concerts, so that kind of didn't count, to be honest with you.
So there was one time I went with my wife just to walk around for We were there for maybe an hour, hour and a half and we didn't really get into a bunch of different things, but we tried some food, and you know, it was a good time.
So you know, you're somebody who hasn't experienced it a whole lot, very little, And here I am telling you how great it is. And I want to be able to be like, hey, John, let me tell you this is what makes it great, this is why you should go. But I can't do that and it has nothing to do with you. But I feel like, you know, for me to really dress it up, like this is why I love it, this is why it's great. I think a lot of people would say, how does that make it great?
I do feel like a lot of people who love going to the fair, And maybe you're not one of these people. It's because they grew up going as a kid and not just as part of their family tradition is going back each and every year.
I can't use that as an excuse. I'm not sure my parents ever took me to the fair, okay, now that I think about it, I mean, I think my first experience at the fair was what I was like a teenager whenever we went and got dropped off, which my god, I would never do that now if I was a parent of a teenager, but different times back in the day, and it was just like it was almost at that point, I didn't really know what it was. I just felt like I was at an extension of
Kentucky Kingdom. That's what I felt like, you know, because I didn't go into the West Wing and see like all the boosts and all that kind of stuff. So I am an absolute nerd for the State Fair. So I won't be there every day, certainly not going to go to day on the first day. But I feel like the vibes for me are just going to be enhanced in these next ten days because it's fair season, folks. And also that means we're closer to football, doesn't it.
It does, so that's exciting. Or speaking of exciting, I'm going to share something with you guys really quickly here because I feel like what I'm about to share is something most people would not be excited about. They would look at it as an inconvenience. They would look at it is all crap, just my luck. I'm looking at it as a duty as a citizen of Bullet County. I've been served to do jury duty. I've been asked to do jury.
I don't know.
I guess I'm not being asked. I'm being summons job.
That's how it works.
Have you ever been? I mean, sure you haven't, right, You're.
So, I haven't unless I just missed that opportunity to the mail. But I'm pretty sure youre getting some big trouble if you missed jury.
Oh gosh. I mean I have a duty to my community and to my to my you know, my country. I mean I don't act like I'm serving the country, but you know, hey, jurors are important. That's how we decide who's good, who's bad, right, who's guilty, who's innocent. So it says, dear perspective, juror, you have been selected to serve as a juror in the Bullet County courts. You are summoned to a peer the following place, date, and time. Failure to appear may result in a finer
jail time. They probably said, they probably send this to everybody, but they added that in there for me because they know how much I'm scared of going to jail. They know I'm going to be there even if you believe you are disqualifed from serving, so I can't say serving I'm serving. Are asking to be excused from jury service, or are asking that your service be postponed. You must complete, sign, and return the enclosed jury qualification form within five days
after receiving this summons. Keep this page and bring it with you when you report for jury. So it's Wednesday, September twenty fifth at nine am. Like I'm gonna go, but like what do I do about the show? Like how does jury duty work? Am I expected to be there for a couple hours? Could I be there for a couple of days? Like I don't know what very well could be anywhere in that range. Yeah, but like if it's if it's for multiple days, like I'm curious.
Do Like, I mean, you should ask our buddy in he had jury duty. I don't know if it was last year, but since we've moved into this building, he's had to be off for jury duty at least once.
Yeah, Like, so my schedule is obviously different than most because I mean, believe it or not, I do work more than three hours a day. But like I could do jury duty at nine am and still do the show. But like, should I go ahead and let the brass here know that I've been served to be a good citizen of my community and they're gonna have to have arrangements? Like I don't know how that works because I would like to do both, but I don't know.
Like if it were me, I'd probably just say, hey, I've got jury duty. Don't know, you know kind of the time constraints, but you know it may interfere what.
Kind of case you think I'm gonna get? We're talking like, I mean, there's a lot of hard, hard crime in Bullet County, guys.
I mean, it could be that dude that you saw a while back who was who was fixing not fixing, but he had the lawnmowers in his trunk that were kind of falling out.
Maybe they finally called him or something.
What did he do? He just's he's carrying six lawnmowers in the trunk of a Ford escort. Is that a crime, John, So you know, I we'll see, but you know, I'm not going to jail guys, So I'm going to report for Jerry. Like, do I have to send this in?
Here's one thing, it's very archaic, the way that they let you know that you have jury duty, the fact that you get a piece of mail that you have to sign and send back. It seemed like you should be able to use the QR code or something on the form that they give you and do it online and just be done with it.
Yeah.
So I guess there's a website here that they have mentioned that I can learn a little more about it. But it says report of the day at the time instructed above. This is the only notice you will receive. Failure to comply with this summons is punishable as contempt of court Krs twenty nine a one point fifty. Imagine me getting thrown in the slammer. What are you in for? I didn't show up to jerry duty and I can spare a lot of people off, wouldn't it.
I'm very bad about checking my mail. I'd do it maybe once a week and sometimes not even that often. So if I ever got a jury duty letter, there's a decent chance I wouldn't see it.
That's not good.
I know, that's what I'm saying. Maybe I need to change my way.
Since jury service begans on the date shown in this summons, jury service may be served on consecutive days or over a period of several months has determined by the Chief Circuit Judge or designee, and can last up to thirty court days. If selected to serve on a trial, plan to spend a full day in court for the length of the trial. Dress jurors are and are officers of the court. You're that I'm an officer of the court, John, Oh, yeah, as much as judges and other court personnel. You're expecting
to dress accordingly while performing this serious duty. Look, I'm gonna wear a suit. I bought a suit for a wedding I was in last year. I'm gonna wear it.
What do I show up?
We're in a suit. They're gonna they're gonna think, are you Are you a criminal defense attorney? No, I'm here to do my duty as a bullet counting native to serve on the jury for you know, a nineteen year old kid that got caught shoplift in candy.
If it was a serious enough case, you would have to potentially like be away from your family and be in like a hotel for a specific amount of time, so you don't have to so you don't reveal any information to the public.
I doubt you're gonna be on a case like that.
John, don't doubt me.
But that's an extreme.
I am going to be I'm going to be an upstanding jury juror, and I'm going to make sure that you know I'm gonna be the alpha with the other jurors too.
By the way, they're gonna be the one that reads the verdict.
Yeah, oh dude, that'd be so bad ass. That'd be so bad ass to read the verdict in a case. Are you kidding me?
So?
Look, a lot of would you say, a lot of people are I got jury duty?
No?
Not me. I'm I'm a proud member of the Bullet County community, born and raised. And if I'm called to serve, which I have been called, I've been summoned, I'm going to show up eager and ready to represent.
But what happens.
So that's that's the same weekend leading up to the Notre Dame game on the Road.
Yeah, and I just saw that Notre Dame sold out that game, okay the way, so look, hey, my duty comes first. But then again, like you know, I think Shan did Shannon get out of it? Recently? Shannon was talking about Jerry duty at one point on KSR, and I feel like he either was away because he did it or he found a way to get out of it. And I could be wrong here, not that I'm trying to, but I do feel like if you really ever want it, if you didn't want to do it, you could get
out of it, right, Like, maybe I'm wrong. Like I feel like there are people who I know that don't legitimately have a good excuse. They just you know, they mentioned something and they they're not needed. I guess I'll find out. So like again I'm asking John, like he's
gone through this ten twenty times. I guess I'm really asking those of you that have been through this process before when it comes to like do I need to send anything or do I just show up like I've been summoned so I've got this, So I show up? Do I need to? Like, you know, I don't want to get I don't want to get a warn out for me for KARS one. But yeah, you know.
They'll be right outside the studio. Yeah, on September twenty sixth.
If you're not there, I didn't know you got paid. You'll receive, as set by state law, twelve dollars and fifty cents for each day of jury service. I mean that's that's a raise. I mean, come on, it says here the law says an employer shall not to private employee of employment threaten or course and employee regarding jury service. So you hear that, iHeart. Don't you try to bully me out of my duty to the fine folks of Bullet County.
Like that.
It's my document they gave me. The last time I got some serious document in the mail from you know, you know, from the government, was when I got the Code Enforcement called on me. You know that story.
Oh yeah in your neighborhood.
Oh yeah, I still get pissed about that thinking about it. But you know what, I handled it professionally like a mature adult, which has led me to you know, probably the way I dealt with that with their coat, with the the Code Enforcement sending me a violation for having a flat tire on a vehicle, in my driveway for
less than forty eight hours. They probably you know, respected how I handled it and put me up the ladder board or the leaderboard there to be a prospective juror because they trust that I'm going to make the right decision when it comes to, you know, jury duty. And honestly, I'm talking about it on the show to put it out there in the world that way. As we get closer, maybe somebody reminds me if I forget, because I would be that guy they just like, oh crap, I got
to go to Jerry duty. But anyways, most people probably would be dreading that. For me, I'm excited about it. Something else I'm excited about. And I've known about this for a few days, but I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to, you know, put it out there and then like it not happened. And I guess that could still happen. But we're a week away, and the communication back and forth leads me to believe that, you know, it's on. I'm gonna be throwing out the
first pitch at the Louisville Bats game next Thursday. John, Oh, really yeah, And uh, I'm excited. I'm nervous. I feel like I won't do terrible, but then again, like you stand to benefit from the experience more if you, in fact do put out there maybe the worst pitch anybody's ever seen.
Right, you'll definitely get more attention.
Yeah, but I'm not going to do that to the bats. You know, they're one me to put it right across the plate forms they get set for a big game next week on Thursday, Thursday, Thursday, that is, so you know, maybe I might be working i'd be working on the arm in the next week or so to make sure, you know, I can, I can get it there.
You should walk out with a bush light in your hand. Yeah, to chug after that.
I'm pretty sure that if they've got an official beer that they're partnered with, you know, that probably wouldn't be you know, I'm probably gonna wear a Batch jersey and I'm gonna you know, have to tell the crowd many times, hey, let's calm it down. I know you're fired up to be here, sold out crowd for me to throw out the first pitch, but let's let's like, you know, let's get this done and let these guys get on the field, and and and get it, get a win. But I am.
I am very nervous because I you know, if I if I worried about how I looked doing it, you know, worried about like you know, getting that getting that knee up and winding up like you know, looking as much like a natural although I'm not as possible. I feel like that would make make it to where I would probably not get close to the plate and it would
be really embarrassing. But if I just you know, make sure I got enough strength behind it and it's you know, within not the strike zone, but you know, to where the guy who's catching doesn't have to you know, run for it, then I feel like I'll be okay. But it is an honor, so I appreciate the bats including me, and uh, you know, maybe they'll back out because they realize that, you know, I'm not worthy of said honor
to throw out the first pitch. But hey, yuh, until they tell me y'ar out, I'm gonna I'm gonna be you know, I'm gonna be working on my arm, making sure i'm ready to you know, to perform. So there you go. When's the last time you threw baseball?
It's a really good question because I do not know the answer, like that.
I've thrown an underhand to my four year old son when we're practicing outside, but like actually throw. I mean again, I've never I mean I never played baseball growing up. In fact, all of my close friends played baseball all throughout their life. I only played one sport that was basketball. So like, I've been around baseball, but I remember being super insecure in pe class in high school because I never even like I didn't even some people play a
lot of sports, but they only play. When I say play as a kid, I mean like you'll go play in the neighborhood, you'll go play with friends, but when it comes to like a sports, you're pursuing to like try out for your team in school and make it like people like for me, that was basketball. But I had a lot of friends who I would play basketball, but they didn't play for the school, but they just played when we played like pick up and whatnot. I
never picked up any bat. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't do anything athletically other than basketball from the time I was like five years old and at the time you know, until you know till ever, like I never played any other sport. So you know, whenever I trust me, I don't say this to brag because it's not really
worth bragging. But like, and when I was in high school, by the time I got to be a senior, you know, I was, I had some accolades to where you know, I was, you know, I was that people knew I played basketball, and you know, I was probably overrated substantially, But I guess that just led certain people to think that I would be athletic in others sports. But when we got to PE three, that's like you know, junior senior year PE, where it's really just like a waste
of a class. I mean it, you know, you do like baseball, flag football, archery, golf, like it's actually kind of fun. But I was the worst in my class in PE at every sport other than basketball. Like when I would like, like when I would like play flag football and I would throw the football, people would be like, what was that? Have you ever thrown a football? And I'm like, you know what, I don't really think I have,
not in like a real way. And you know, I mean I struck out in will football and PE as a as a high school junior. Like you know that's a tough look to take. Oh hell yeah, it's a core memory, you know, cause I'm super competitive. But it was only in one sport. It's the only you know, in my addictive personality, it consumed everything of me to where I didn't have any interest, didn't care, didn't participate
in any other sport. And you know, oh dude, I remember running around playing soccer like you know, no joke, just like instincts like I just picked the ball up one time. I mean, just like I have no natural instincts when it comes to sports at all now, but like when I did as a kid, it was just basketball. So anyways, I'll try not to embarrass myself too much.
But I have had people telling me, you actually stand to make the most of this experience if you go out there and you are awful at throwing the first pitch. But I'm not gonna make it about me. It's about the Louisville Bats and the great organization that they have there. Shout out to Greg Galliet, who has consistently made the Bats the premiere franchise in tripa A Baseball with all
their great promotions that they do. You know, So again, looking forward to that and if you want to come heckle me.
Have at it.
That could actually make it a lot of fun. We're gonna have the camera roll, and that's really what it is. It's a social media appearance thing with the Bats to where I'm there, I'm probably gonna embarrass myself and I'm gonna share it with everybody to laugh at me. So assume that's why the Bats are interested here.
Card boy becomes bat boy.
Yeah, Like what if I did, like put it over the plate and it was like impressive, not happening. Don't think it will. Don't think there's a scenario that it does. But like if it did, like maybe maybe that turns into like the career change from.
You think instincts kind of just kick in and you just do one of those like Kulk type of I don't even want to call them growls or whatever.
You just kind of get excited that you threw a good pack, like if I'm bringing the gas. Yeah, like in the pitcher or the catcher, I'm sorry, I don't even know the positions. Again to give you my knowledge of baseball, you know, And I mean this was more just me flustered because I was, you know, I knew I was not equipped to be a umpire for the Chris Mack softball game where the basketball team played softball, But I was an umpire and instead of calling it
second base, I called it second plate. So that you know, that tells you where I am as far as as far as baseball. But like, imagine the catcher like rip it. Maybe I'll maybe I'll give them a fifty or something and half him once. If he catches it, take the glove off, and like act as if your arm is your hand is hurting because I've brought the heat. Like that would be fun. He probably wouldn't want to do that. But anyways, all right, we got a lot to get
into today. I'm anxious to talk a little more about the expectations for Louisville football in this season specifically, and what I mean by that is we've exhausted all different you know, discussions you can have as far as this scenario, that scenario, toughest stretch of the schedule. You know, what would be considered staying, you know, maintaining what bronded in year one, what would be viewed as a step back,
will be viewed as a step forward. But you know, expectations really are are forgotten about once the season starts and you kind of get a sense for really where you are. But I think the portal has made it to where fans, myself included, are a little more hesitant to really throw out legit legitimate expectations, the legitimate bar to meet because we all know when you have a new team and little don't have a brander team, they've
got a lot back that I'm excited about. But when you have like so many new players that you're going to be depending upon in a major way that are transfers, like you just never know. I mean, the reality is you never know how good any team's going to be. Could that could have been said before the portal existed, right, Like teams are expected to be good they're terrible. Teams are expected to be terrible they're good, Like you just never know. That's not something that happens that often, but
occasionally you can be way wrong about a team. But now, like, I think it's just gonna be like the off season narrative, the off season rankings and the preseason chatter and all that, like it'll still always be there, but I think people are gonna put much less into it because we're all gonna realize with free agency, you just you have to wait and see are guys going to be able to do what they were brought in to do? Are they going to be able to get acclimated to a higher
level if they're transferring from FCS or G five. And I think from now until the end of time, you're gonna have examples of of everything that doesn't give you a real feel for what you know. Like, for example, there'll be guys this year that you didn't expect to be a big, a big addition for a school because they came from a G five and their numbers weren't that impressive, but man, they're flourishing in this new role with this program. You'll have guys that you felt like,
oh wow, this dude, he's gonna be special. Like who's the kid at Oklahoma that transferred to UH to Oregon who had played at Central Florida initially Dylan Gabriel. Gabriel, Like, you know, he was good everywhere, He's been good everywhere he's been. Maybe he goes to Oregon and he stinks. You know, you just never know. I'm not saying he will,
but I'm just using him as an example. So with all that said, I feel like, you know, people want to hate, they better get nine and three or it's a failure or they if they if you know, and I get why people do that. I'm not telling you not to do that, but I just think there's more and more awareness from fans as far as like you just never know. Also, we got a real acc basketball off season ranking to reference from the Athletic much different
than John Rothstein's. So stick with us. We're loaded the rest of the way again. Kit Spencer from WHAS eleven is going to join us at four h five. Right here, it's Coffee and Company Field. Beth Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety. Are we Notre Dame Super Bowl? I mean Notre Dame just announced that they've sold out the September twenty eighth game against Louisville, encouraging everybody to wear green. Louisville fans invaded, and I mean absolutely invaded South Bend.
And I won't claim like it was something they've never never seen before, because I'm sure when they have the chance to host a big opponent, and I'm not seeing Louisville some huge opponent for them, but they did sell it out, and I don't even know. I'm not even sure how often that happens this far ahead, but that was something I'll always remember, is seeing how many Louisville fans in twenty fourteen made the trip to South Bend for that game, which of course was a big win
at that time. Reggie Bonifin, as you're starting quarterback. And since then Louisville has I guess gone one in one since since then. They played them in two thousand and it was Satterfield's first year. They were competitive, I guess no, no, I'm sorry. Now they're two and two all time. They played them in fourteen and and one lost two games. One in eighteen was sadfields first year. I think it was. Yeah,
I lost that one. Played him in twenty twenty in the COVID year, which was a weird twenty twenty one, I should say, excuse me, or no, it was twenty twenty, wasn't It was that that long ago when we played football with like no fans. There was that four years ago. Yeah, gosh, that's crazy to me, but yeah, nobody, I mean fans. I mean, I guess maybe some fans could go but if you remember, there was like nobody there because they didn't allow full capacity, so that game Louisville was competitive.
It was a bad year for Louisville overall, and expectations were high and they ended up competing but fell short. And then of course last year a big win for him. So that'll mean that'll be your first chance to I think, really see where you are on thede Notre Dame. As of now, Notre Dame is a top ten team preseason, so I guess depending on what they do against A and M and their opener that But I mean, what
is Notre Dame rank? Now? Let me pull it up here, because they are in the top ten I believe, unless I've made that up, but yeah, here we go. The Notre Dame is number seven in the country right now, which I gotta be honest, I don't know I believe that, but either way, that's where they are. So they could lose to A and M, which I don't think they will, and they'll still be ranked right like they're not gonna I mean they clearly if they lose to A and M,
they won't be top ten. And if they end up in their fors like For example, here's something that you know is unavoidable, but you know you can't control it. I mean, it's it's you know, I'm not angry about it, but it's just the reality of the situation. If A and M was to beat Notre Dame and then Notre Dame beats Northern Illinois, Perdue, Miami of Ohio, and they're still ranked after that, because right their loss was at Kyle Field and College Station, A and M somehow is
a top twenty team. They probably, you know, if they lost a close game at A and M, and they beat Northern Illinois and beat Perdue and beat Miami of Ohio, which they're going to, they're probably looking at, I don't know, being ranked seventeenth or something. That's just a guess. Wouldn't you say that'd be somewhat reasonable, John.
Somewhere between that and maybe at the highest like thirteen, depends on how the rest of the field shakes up.
So then if they lose to Louisville and their losses are Louisville at A and M, whereas Northern Illinois, Perdue and Miami are their wins, no one is going to give Louisville any credit for beating them. They're going to start talking about how their head coach is in over his head and this is this is the because I've said that when Notre Dame has come up all off season, not that we've spent a lot of time talking about them.
This is a huge year for their head coach. Why can I think of his name, Marcus free Yes, Marcus Freeman. It's a huge year for him because he's not been terrible, but he hasn't really had a great moment or a great season yet. Now this is year three, right, so therefore or it's relatively early, but I think year three because Notre Dame doesn't accept mediocrity, and mediocrity for Notre Dame is quite honestly, exactly what he has done recently. People could say what they want about Brian Kelly. He
was good at Notre Dame. He was really good there, and they got their ass kicked in the playoff when they made it. They got their ass kicked in the National Championship game when they made it. But that doesn't mean they didn't deserve to be there. That means they lost to a team that, to be honest with you, if you go and look at the teams that beat them in the postseason, there were usually teams that we
knew were flat out better than them. So I'm a little worried about that, But again, you can't control it. Like I talked about it last year, not to say that I can predict the future, but let's be honest. We looked at Louisville schedule a year ago and we could see just be prepared. Louisville's going to be winning games,
and we thought they'd be blowing some teams out. They didn't do that right because some of the games, like even Georgia Tech, although they blew them out in the second half, that game was a little close for comfort. They were down at halftime and they still ended up winning and they didn't have to sweat it out at the end. But you know, that was a game you probably thought you'd have no trouble with and you were in trouble for you know, a stretch of that game. Indiana.
I don't think anybody knew at the time Indiana was going to be a three win team, but Indiana was at four wins. I'm sorry those three was it three? So Indiana, you know that was a close game. I mean that's a game, to be honest with you, you could have easily lost. I mean, Indiana wasn't good, and yet they came out at halftime, did they do an onside kick to start to have and that switched, That flipped the momentum in a major way. And really it was
the defense making plays. You know, got a big stop. I believe in the that the goal line, and that led to you know, Louisville being able to hold on and get the win. So sure enough, they ended up starting the season five. And oh and whenever there's talk about Louisville, you know, before that Notre Dame game, I kept telling everybody, look, they're gonna be five, and oh they might be ranked around that time, which they were.
I think they just snuck in the rankings when that happened, and everybody's going to be claiming, oh, wow, their schedule stinks. They haven't played anybody. I mean, I think I even I mean, and again, it ended up playing out where you're only lost before you got to Kentucky was Pittsburgh, which is easy to think about, but I remember looking at the schedule last year and just knowing what we
were in for. Meaning let's say you get to the Kentucky game and you are ten to one, but your only loss is to Notre Dame, who ended up being the only ranked team you played. Everybody's going to crap on your schedule. What we didn't know is that Duke would be ranked when you beat him twenty three to nothing, and in the end, NC State ended up being a good team. That win had more value at the end
of the year than you would have expected. Miami not really sure what was where they were at that time, but you know you've been to Miami and you won, So just be prepared. Louisville fans, I know a lot of us are sensitive to those that you know play the whole Hey, you know, and that's really not just Louisville. I'm sure it's a common thing everywhere in college football. When you want to discredit a team who's winning a lot, you find their schedule and pick apart teams they've beat.
Is if that means well, even though they've won nine of ten games, they can't be good. Look who they've played, like. That's just part of it. But I'm telling you, if LIU, and that's why I want Notre Dame to win. I want notred to be undefeated and maybe a top five team when you go to South Bend on September twenty eighth, which is possible. I mean, they're gonna be favored over Texas A and M. Right, is there an early line
on that game? I need to look because I'm not a believer in A and M at all this year, and I'm not really a believer in Notre Dame as far as you know, being a team that could contend for a national championship. But in fact, that'll be a good game just because it's the first game for Elko and with Freeman, it's a big opportunity for him to get a top twenty five road win against an SEC team in an atmosphere that is believed to be one of the best in the country.
Early line is minus two Texas A and M.
Okay, well, I'm taking Notre Dame, although I probably shouldn't because I don't trust I don't trust Freeman. I mean, he's handsome as hell, he seems like a really good dude, looks like he could still play right now. But like, I don't know why they gave him that job. To be honest with you, like Notre Dame. I mean they could. I mean, in fact, I do remember at the time that job opened up, I really thought that Notre Dame would call Jeff Brown, and I remember thinking, like, that's
an old brainer. They should pick up the phone and call him and he would go there. And like I remember thinking, well, if he's at Notre Dame, he didn't leave a Notre Dame for Louisville. Luckily they didn't want him. And now Marcus Freeman is oh to one about to be er to two against Jeff Brohm this season.
Do you hear?
I said that with some confidence, had some fire, So I was. I saw the tweet from the Notre Dame football account about Notre Dame, and it reminded me. I knew there was something very memorable from the vibe check
at the Notre Dame game. So I went to my media library here and I found this interview that like, I hope somebody can help me link up with these two young men in South Bend, these Notre Dame fans that came to Louisville, who, I gotta be honest with you, I trolled them as good as I've ever trolled anybody. Here's the clube did you ever meet Manti tales girlfriend? Did not?
Did not. She's not a thing.
She's a dude. Remember, are you serious, sir? Your way the documentary? You're telling me the Manta Tao's girlfriend is not real.
She is not real.
It's like the cats in the school. Excuse me, like like like the like how people dress up as cats in school?
Like they're fake?
Who dresses up as cats in school? Everyone? Not me? Weird? Well yeah, but like the old you know what I'm saying, But you are real. Fanta Tat's girlfriend is not real. That's correct.
She was fake.
There's no way you're telling he's strolling us.
We are not trolling. So what happened?
Uh?
He said he had a girlfriend. He didn't.
It was like, who hasn't done that? Right? Exactly? Come this way, they're gone when you get hit by a car. But you guys know in school, you're like, oh, yeah, I got a girlfriend. She goes to different school. That's kind of the Manta Tato thing. Yeah yeah yeah, so like he was Mantaitao was like just wanted people to think he had a girl, but he did. Yeah right, yeah, I feel bad now.
There's part of me that thinks at least one of them wiknew that you were trolling.
No, they're so young though you didn't see the visual. If you see the visual, I think you would, you would, you would, you would probably think I'm a Jersey.
Think they're younger than me.
Oh yeah, I would bet they're like twenty one or something like that. That'd be my guess. But uh yeah, that that's an old timer for me, just because, like, if you again the visual, will I think confirm that these kids had no clue that like I was, I was, you know, trying to make a joke. They thought I thought, man Tatio's a good friend was real. But then again, with them being as young as they are, let's say they were twenty one last year. That happened when they
were nine. That was so like the may Titao fake girlfriend thing. It is still, in my opinion, one of the most unbelievable things that's ever happened in sports. And I mean that that's not hyperbole. Like the entire country is mourning the death of somebody that doesn't exist because they think that she's the girlfriend of the guy who is the face of college football at the time. And all it took was a little bit of internet slothing to figure out that it's not real. And that was
that's what really stood out of the documentary. But the documentary from Netflix last year about or maybe it was two years ago, about this this entire scandal. Whenever it was like whenever they released it, there were a lot of people again like young, like do you remember that at all? Like you you're twenty.
I was six middle school.
I remember that being like a joke that we would mention in in class and stuff like that.
Like I didn't know any of the details.
It became a national story. But I feel like if you'd asked me last year when that happened, I just said, I don't know. Six seven years ago, I don't think I would have remembered that Mantaiteo had not played college football since two thousand and eleven. Like it's a long time ago. So anyways, notre name games sold out. So if you got tickets as a Louisville fan, show up, show out, I'm sure you can get them on the secondary market if you want to.
Make the trip.
All right, quick break, we'll keep it rolling along here, don't forget. Coming up at four oh five, we will talk with Ken Spencer from WHAS eleven some bad news for the Kentucky football program as far as injuries. It doesn't sound like it's too serious, but they're running back they brought in to kind of be you know, the guy take Ray Davis's role. Sounds like he's gonna be
out a few weeks to start the season. So we're not hearing a whole lot about the players that have transferred in from Kentucky or to Kentucky into Louisville in fall camp. And I think some people are starting to worry, like, way, why I'm not hearing more about Tyler Shuck And I just think again, to go back to what I talked about earlier, I think we all just know, hey, what to wait and see, like you just never know? All right, quick break, It's coffee and company. Feel about Thort's right
here on Sports Talk seven ninety. You guys have heard me talk about it, you know, pretty pretty consistently. As far as Pat Kelsey since getting the job at Louisville, I mean, he hadn't coached your game yet. He can't give us results for us to you know, truly assess, because you know the season hasn't started and to be
honest with you. I mean, you know, results are really the only thing that matters in the grand scheme of things, but there's other things that well, I need to find a better way to package that up as a statement because ultimately results matter more than anything and they're the ultimate factor in your sustainability as a coach. But other things do matter too, and I think we learned that as a fan base during the last couple of errors,
to be honest with you. So until Pat Kelsey can give us, you know, a couple of years to really get a feel for how well he's going to do here. He's done everything right right that he can do as far as energizing the fan base, getting fans not only excited, but getting them to open up their wallets and donate to the faboh two circle. I know a lot of local business leaders that have had a chance to chat
with Pat Kelsey and they feel great about him. You know, he put together a great roster, by the way, which you know, that's why fans are excited right out of the gate for year one. So today he's doing something else that I just think is another reminded that this guy gets it right. We'll see if he can win enough, because that's something only time will tell. But him showing up, I don't know if today's moving day or not at u of L. If it was, it wouldn't shock me
because you know it's August fifteenth. But he's on campus interacting with students that are there. He's sharing social media videos with them, I mean, or making social media videos with him, and like that's just again, like he understands engaging your students is only going to help you. He did that in a major way at Charleston and at Winthrop,
and I'm not sure really any coach has. I mean again, I'm getting little ahead of myself here, but just the video that I'm showing here, I'll let you guys here, this is Pat Kelsey interacting with one of the with a handful of students that are over there on campus at u of L today.
Hey, you know this is coach Kelsey.
This is not my phone.
Who's going?
Is this Chuck's phone?
Chuck?
Who's my guy here?
Will? Will?
Who's my guy here? Who's my guy here?
All right, we're gonna move in.
And they stopped me on social media.
I saw a thing months ago where after my press conference on their fraternity to put a.
Big sign up.
Its at God's house, if you know, you know, if you know, you know, right.
So, so he asked me to say something, and I'm gonna say it anyway.
Hold On, don't tell me.
Hey rush five tall.
Rushy Tall, whatever that means. These are my guys. They said they're gonna come to games. They said they're gonna tell other students about it. Uh rush by Tall, Hey, the revival.
It's real.
So I don't want to present this as like the coolest thing that's ever happened, because it's not. But it's not something I've seen from any of the other coaches. I know Chris Mack was a round students here and there, but you know, he just didn't have the personality that is, you know, he's a little bit of a what do you call it, an introvert like and that like that's not what Pat Kelsey as. It doesn't see, I'm gonna
introvert myself, Like, I'm not super outgoing socially. And when you're the head coach at U of L in basketball, like you don't either have to be like a larger than live star in that in that world like Rick Matino and Diddy Crumb or you've got to be somebody that really understands your job. Your duty as a head coach is to not just coach and win games. You
gotta be in the community. You got to get people excited. Now, if you win at a really high level, that makes sto where you don't have to do a lot of that stuff because it's it's not as needed. However, look at what Pat Kelsey inherited, meaning a program that's coming off of three disastrous seasons and not many wins. I think the fan base was lifeless before he arrives, so continuing to do these kind of things. Again, I don't want to overstress it as if it means he's gonna
be the best coach ever here. But he gets it, and that is a huge part of it. Up until you know, you get a chance to really show what you're gonna do as far as wins and losses, and even you know, first couple of weeks. I mean, that's we're gonna overanalyze everything. That's what we do. It's while we're such a crazy college basketball fan base. But I don't know, I just i'd love to know, and maybe I'll find out over time as I get to know some people a little bit closer that are attached, like
I would love to know just for my curiosity. Didn't matter, Like if somebody's urging him to do this and they're letting him know how important this kind of stuff is. Given the timing and circumstance, that wouldn't change it. He's still doing it and it helps and it matters. But like there's a part of me that thinks he's not being told he just this is kind of who he is, which again, outside of winning and losing, because that's what
matters the most. Like, we need somebody like this, somebody that you know is going to not only promote the brand in a major way, but also make it quite clear that they appreciate the fact that they are the guy that is rep that is you know, that has that logo on their polo, if you know what I'm saying. So good stuff there, All right, we got two more hours left. We're gonna talk with the one and the only spencer here on the other side. He'll join us at about four oh five and we'll keep the party
rolling along till six o'clock. It's coffee and company. Feel about Thorntons right here on Sports Talk seven ninety