It's time for coffee and company. Fueled by Thornton's on Sports Talk seven ninety Holy crap, I don't know who the hell we think when we are getting off our show.
Idiot. The kids are crying or trail off their 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? All right?
I was a little worried there for a second.
Only one only sound was coming out of one of my headphones, not the other side. But we're good to go. I guess it didn't have it plugged in all the way. Little things like that, in a weird way, can set me in a panic. I mean, it wouldn't have been the biggest deal if I had to use just one side, the right ear only hearing things, and I could have grabbed another headset. But you know, I guess the nerves
that are there before a show starts. I mean that always reminds me that I really do like what I do. I enjoy doing it, and I want to do as best I can, so you know, I was a little nervous, but I think my nerves, more than anything, are are for tonight where I'm gonna throw out the first pitch at the bats game. And I had not had any feeling like this at all until about an hour ago. And I don't really know why, you know, because it's
not like I'm out there to impress anybody. I'm not gonna throw a pitch that's gonna look like I belong on a baseball field. But I guess now that it's here, maybe I've just been like mentally trying to not overthink it to where just it'll be, it'll be, it'll be whatever.
Right, it'll be fine.
And then now it's here, and it's like, oh, let's let's try not to embarrass ourselves too much. Anyways, let's get it started. It's a Thursday coffee and company. We are fuel about Thornton's here on Sports Talk seven ninety Nick Coffey, that's me the company man, mister John all On alongside today. There's always a lot to get into. Are you good today, John? Yesterday you told me when the show started that you you honked at three different people on your.
Way in I did say that, didn't I I'm a lot better. I don't think I was in a bad mood yesterday. But sometimes traffic on the way here, as you've expressed many time before as well, it can just kind of put you in a foul space for a few minutes. But I'm in a lot better headspace as we get things started today.
Yeah, rarely.
I mean, if I'm like really late for something, that's like a totally different thing. But once I am away from traffic, it usually never even like reappears in my mind, you know what I mean. Like, it's just once you're there, you're no longer sitting around or sitting in the road trying to figure out why the hell you're being delayed and why you're sitting in traffic. Which that's the worst
that actually happened today. I didn't I didn't sit for a long time, but I guess there was just congestion, as they say, on sixty five north right as you're getting close to downtown. And I don't know why I have this obsession whenever I do sit in traffic, I have to know why. And sometimes you end up just kind of slowly making your way through, and then you're moving at the speed limit or faster and you never see as to what held you up, and it makes
no difference. You were held up right, knowing what caused you to hit traffic. Knowing what might have made you late doesn't change anything. But for some reason, I think it is a worst case scenario to be in traffic and then not know what caused that. But the last time there was a big time traffic nightmare situation, we discussed it on the show. We then went to break and found out it was because there was a dead body laying on the interstate. So hopefully whatever did you know?
I don't think it was anything crazy again, I didn't even see a rack or anything like that. It was just, you know, probably a lot of people at the same time in the same spot. That's usually how traffic works. I mean, we we've talked about this before, but when it comes to traffic, Louisville is pretty I mean, for as big of a city as we are, and we're not humongous, right, We're not you know, New York City, LA, or anything like that, But for the Louisville metropolitan area,
I feel like you can get just about anywhere relatively quickly. Now, Obviously, if you're gonna go from the South end to the East end, that's gonna be a pretty big haul, right, That's not like you're just you know, you can't walk there.
You're gonna have to obviously make a trip. But if there's not construction or a wreck that has closed a lane, I feel like we're we got it pretty good here, And I have to remind myself of that pretty often, because, you know, any little inconvenience that makes me have a ten to fifteen minute longer commute, I just feel, I guess, like a victim and being in Atlanta traffic, before being in Chicago traffic, before being in Miami traffic, before you know, I gotta I gotta go back to there.
Not me.
I mean I I would love to go back to those places, but I gotta go back on those trips every now and then mentally just to remind myself, hey, it's not that bad. It could be a lot worse. So anyways, where do we start? I mean, I think the Amari Huggins Bruce situation is worth a quick little check in here. I mean, I can't lie to you and act as if I you know, if I know any major update, but it still continues to be very
I mean, I think it's real. I said yesterday, I didn't want to call it a rumor anymore.
But there still isn't really.
Any any type of official report that like they're trying to make this work or that here's the plan. Now they wait to see what the NCAA is going to do. So I mean, I don't know, like if this ends up all being for nothing, then it'll end up being one of those things that we look back on and say, wow, we probably spent way too much time on something that was, you know, not real at all. But it sounds like the South Carolina folks have essentially accepted that he's no
longer with them. I mean, I'm reading that right now from the South Carolina SI website, and you know, their headline here says South Carolina Football News, what's going on with the Mary Huggins Bruce And they go on to say that he has been missing from practice the last
three days. Again, it's just, you know, when I say rumor and subliminal tweets, like, it's not like I'm calling anybody out for making stuff up or acting like they're in the know when they're just guessing like all of us, although that probably is the case with a lot of people. I mean, I saw somebody post that he's here, he's arrived, he's in Louisville, and maybe there's proof of that, like on an Instagram, but I don't think I follow him
on Instagram or any social media. So it has certainly become a big talking point throughout the week, and I hope they can make it work out right, Why not give you some more depth at a position that you just lost a guy for potentially, you know, six to eight weeks. He knows the offense. He's not a star by any means, but he's been productive. I mean it would make sense if in fact you can make it work. But as we discussed yesterday, I just don't know how
you could make it work. But if he's in fact here or on his way here, as some are saying or speculating, then I guess that means that you know they're gonna try to make it work. But to go back to yesterday's conversation, when it comes to like doing something that could get you flagged by the NC double A,
I mean it didn't worth it, no offense. I mean, again, if you can make it work great, But I just don't see a scenario where you just, you know, put him on the field and hope the NC DOUBLEA doesn't notice or say something like, you know, as much as.
We don't want to.
I mean, I've said it many times in recent weeks. I don't think that the NC DOUBLEA has ever been less you know, feared when it comes to their constituents, those that, of course are underneath the ncuablea's umbrella. Not that everybody's out there just blatantly breaking rules and you know, double bird in the NC DOUBLEA, you know, in their face saying hey, you don't like it, come do something
about it. Like it's not to that point. But it just doesn't seem as if people are worried about the NC doublea's wrath like they once were, because the recent trend is that you hire a lawyer, they're gonna lose, meaning the NCAA. I mean, heck, Congress has stepped in and be like, yeah, you can't do that. You're you're not You're not allowed to rule like that, Like what you're doing is in fact illegal. If you don't let these players make money, if you don't don't let these
players transfer it's illegal. So anyways, and I'm already it started yesterday. I'm already to the point where I kind of feel like, I don't know, I kind of feel like, just because of this unusual situation where he just randomly decides he doesn't want to be at South Carolina, the guy who essentially replaced him on Louis's roster gets hurt. Like, I just think then the overall situation itself is interesting enough to where it would be, you know, something worth discussing.
But I think it's also sort of put a little bit of a it's it's made people, I think, believe that this guy's actually gonna if he is here, that he's gonna be able to do more than what he'll actually do, if that makes sense. Like I don't want to I'm dancing around because I don't want to say that the guy isn't talented because he has made plays.
But like, if it all works out, it would be like, Wow, that's awesome because of the timing, because of the circumstances, But as far as like what he brings, like, it doesn't change a whole lot in regards to Louisville's expectations, for their offense while they wait for Colin Lacy to get healthy. Now, maybe he proves me wrong and he ends up being a guy that is making plays, is really productive, and you think to yourself, Wow, it's gonna be tough for Colin Lacy to get that spot back
because Mariy Huggins Bruce is killing it. So you know, still getting ahead of myself here because who knows what's going to happen. But if in fact it is true that he's here, I guess now you just wait to figure out if he's going to be able to walk onto the team and be able to play immediately without ever entering the portal because the portal is closed. I mean, you're an objective outsider here, John, You've heard me discuss this current situation. I mean, what are your thoughts on it?
Again?
Take way like what he can do as a player, because obviously you're not real familiar with him, I'm sure, but just again, a guy practicing over the weekend at South Carolina and then four days later he's back at his old school trying to become eligible without actually getting released because he can't enter the portal.
Like it's just it's a lot here.
It's weird, and I know I shared a thought yesterday that I hope people didn't take the wrong way, and I hope it's not like a personal issue that like he just can't kind of get his mind straight with where he wants to be, how he wants to kind of I guess cement his legacy in college football in general, because whenever you're flip flopping around, and I know, you know you can transfer whenever you want, it just kind of shows indecisiveness, at least to me, and that maybe
it's tough for you to kind of commit to where you want to be.
And again, I'm probably overthinking.
The way players do this type of stuff because I know they are kids, But that's just the way that I look at situations like this.
Yeah, I mean, I I mean, it's just hard to see this just randomly aligning to where, Oh, wow, what do you know, He's unhappy at South Carolina, he wanted to come back to Louisville. Oh, Colin Lacey's hurt, He's just gonna walk on, and Nil is going to pay for his scholarship. I mean, it's just to me, it's just so far fetched to where you'd see him on the field next Saturday when Louisville starts their season. But again,
I guess crazier things have happened. There's also the other question, which is, if in fact this does happen and he's he's he's good to go by the opener, would that sort of make people more concerned that by doing this they must really be worried about their offense because a guy who wasn't even close to being one of their best receivers last year, he's available and they're doing a lot to try to get him back. Somebody asked me that yesterday on the text line, and I think it's a fair question.
However, I think it.
Really like I don't I don't believe that Louisville was out there trying to Again, this is not me saying, well, no, they would never do that because they would never tamper, they would never break rules, and I'm I'm assuming they wouldn't. They don't, They're not out there trying to break rules. But me saying this is not to act like Louisville would never break rules. It's more so because like I
don't think that they would. Like when Colin Lacy went down, I don't think there's anybody on Louisville's staff that went to to you know, to do a check in on the depth chart at South Carolina to see if this kid was starting or not as he first string, and if he's not, maybe we can you know, talk to his high school coach and see if he might want to come back. Like I would be really shocked if it was Louisville in fact that kind of put a
plan in motion to pry him back here. My guess would be it would be more him wanting to come back, because again, he loved Louisville like this was I mean this, He had no bitter feelings when he left. On his way out, he made that quite clear. And from what I understand, he was really close to just accepting that he'd been recruited over and not leaving because that's how
much he liked it here. Now he is from South Carolina, and obviously I'm sure he knew that he had a chance to end up on their radar if he hit the portal and you know, as they say, you know, going back home. So yeah, he's from Dylan, South Carolina. So maybe the only reason he hit the portal is because he knew that he could get he could get a scholarship, and he would be somebody that South Carolina would be interested in, and it's it's giving him a chance.
To go home.
So anyways, I I think people are on the edge of their seat trying to figure out if, in fact, you know, this is really happening, and if it does, it's wild. It's a crazy, you know, circumstance. But again, for me, it's not like, uh oh, everything's okay now, louisll was going to be just find a receiver. It look, they maybe just find a receiver. Regardless of Amari Huggins Bruce right, they maybe find a receiver, even if it takes longer to get Colin Lacy back than what you would have expected.
So again, I.
Feel silly even leading the show with that because I just it's I just still have I just still considering all the loops, the hoops that you got to jump through to make this happen. It to me, it still just seems as if it's something that will will probably not work out, Meaning if he is here, I still think it's going to be a really, really big hurdle for him to be able to get clear to be eligible. Now, if he's back and he wants to sit out, that
just makes it even more weird, doesn't it. Like if he knew coming back that it's an extreme long shot to be able to play and that he would have to sit out a season because of the portal window and all that, then that makes it even more weird to me that he you know, he must really love it here, you know what I mean? Just does he just wants to be back in louisvill which isn't the craziest thing ever. But anyways, I don't feel like I have much more of an update today as I did yesterday.
But again, it's still being talked about and there are there are more and more. I guess what's the best
way to describe it. I guess subliminal texts or not text but subliminal tweets, like people sharing old videos of him catching touchdowns, like trying to give a I don't believe anybody truly knows what the hell's going on, but there's always going to be a desperation for people to want to make it clear that they're in the know and that they've talked to people, and I I don't do that because honestly, I don't talk to many people.
I just I don't have those I don't have those those relationships and the ones that I do, it's just not really in my nature to, you know, go out of my way and ask or maybe even beg for info. So anyways, there's your update on Amari Huggins, Bruce. We'll see if there's any like legitimate update that is confirmed by one of the Capitol j's out there in regards to what's really going on. All right, So we're loaded
today here on a Thursday afternoon. We're gonna be joined coming up here on three thirty by the one and the only, Kendrick Haskins, looking forward to catching up with him from Way three Sports. College football season is here. We've been saying it all week. Obviously, we've got another weekend until Louisville and Kentucky and Indiana the local teams play, but we've got week zero matchups in just a couple of days. And I don't know about you, but I'm excited.
Not because you know, I can't wait to see Georgia Tech in Florida State play and SMU and Nevada, but hey, it's real college football and it's games that I can bet on and that makes me makes me very very happy. All Right, some other things we'll get into today. Uh, there is a suspension for Kirk ferentz Uh and his wide receiver coach for I guess it's tampering and what
I'm curious and we can get into it. Did they just decide to Okay, they probably got something on us that says we did, in fact tamper with our quarterback that we brought in via transfer. So let's just fall on the sword. We'll, we'll, we'll, we'll, we'll self impose a suspension here against you know, maybe they maybe they got a butt cracked state butthole tech on the on the schedule. I don't know, But this is this is sort of a counter to what I've been saying for
a while now. Is anybody really fearful of the n c double A. Well, if Iowa decided to just self impose a one game suspension, you know, maybe that's a sign that the NCAA still can put people in their place. But I just feel as if the trend has been for a couple of years now, really, especially the last year. Hire a lawyer, take the n s Douaa to court and they're gonna lose or they'll just cave. Also, I
don't I mean, drama is always interesting to me. And there's I wouldn't even call it drama, but just some beef, some tension here. I mean, some of the things that we now know that Lane that Nick Saban has said about Lane Kiffin, I mean tells you that, like those guys didn't like each other. And I kind of love
that because I can see it happening. You know, there's gonna be a lot of lot of hype, a lot more attension, even more so than usual for Lane Kiffin this year at ole Miss, because they've got I mean, there are a lot of people are projecting them to
be a playoff team this year. Well, now, Nick Saban, of course, he's he's working for ESPN cover in college football, and like I can see Sabin taking a jab here and there at Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, and I can see Lane Kiffin firing right back, and I think
that could be entertaining. In fact, I know it'll be entertaining. Also, Rick Patino has found himself back in the news because somebody broke into his office at Saint John's apparently a burglar and stole a bun to memorabilia and he's upset about it.
He's sharing that on Twitter.
But what in fact they took and the value of some of these things is what got my attention. So we can certainly get into that, and you know, we'll talk about a lot of things. Let you guys be a part of the show. We didn't get to finish all of these candid coaches stories that are out there at CBS Sports. We did talk about which programs are believed to be in the best shape when it comes
to college basketball nil. But there's also a rundown of what college basketball coaches had to say when they were asked about who would be the best player in the country this year, who would be the best team in the country this year, and which programs hired the best coaches this past offseason. So again, we are loaded the rest of the way. Hopefully you guys will will stick with us. I mean, why would you not? What else
are you going to do? I mean, I know there's a lot of a lot of things you could be doing right now, but I mean, what's better than the coffee and company experience on a Thursday afternoon, another day where the weather is just absolutely beautiful outside.
And I do believe, unfortunately, that that nice weather is going to come to an end. I don't know if you've looked ahead the next week, Nick, but the nineties, the mid nineties, as a matter of.
Fact, coming back, I didn't see next week. I did see this weekend that we're looking at like ninety one ninety two, and that, you know.
Is that that bad?
Like I feel like that's hot, but for some reason, it doesn't seem like it's that hot.
I think we are used to it at this point. But at the same time, when you add in if there's gonna be you know, a boatload of humidity, it's gonna feel like a sauna outside, then that adds, you know, to the misery of it.
Yeah. And another thing is.
The low seventies are perfect, right, especially whenever you get like low humidity and a breeze, or.
When you get to the evening. I mean, it's perfect. Like last night.
I went out to the State Ferrigan last night, and I mean it. I mean I had long sleeves on. I mean, like you couldn't. I mean, the weather is absolutely beautiful, but I feel like the seventy three in like seven. You know that's a five. There's five degree difference there, right, is it three?
Okay?
Yeah, I'm sorry. Yeah, I can't count today. I'll blame it on the nerves for my first pitch. But you know, low seventies and high seventies. Again, it's not a big difference. It's still in the seventies, but I feel like it's a world of a difference when it comes to like, like how comfortable you are. Yeah, that makes sense, like Sonny and seventy nine and Sonny in seventy one, even if the humidity is relatively the same, Like, I just feel like there's a big difference there. So here I
am looking at like ninety and ninety one. I'm like, that's not too bad. But I'm sure I'll be sweating my ass off this weekend and I'll probably be complaining and wanting to get inside and be in air conditioning because I'm over the hot weather now.
I mean, and we are officially right at a month, I believe, from the start of fall, if I'm not missing, But even when we get there, it can still be like it can points, but at least at that point you know you're on the downside. Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, I mean I'm look, bring me fall weather, Chili, football, leaves, Halloween.
I want to all John, I want it now.
I know you mentioned you saw somebody with a Jackie Lander and I saw somebody with somehow on their ports the other day too.
It's grown.
People are ready for people are itching, people are riching for it. One of those one of those times where I just visualize somebody at that exact second tuning into the show. People are riching. What are they itching? Well, they're itching for fall You perverts. Get your head out of the gutter. All right, we'll come back on the other side and welcome him in. He is Kendrick Haskins
from Wave three Sports Again, it's coffee and company. Feel about Thornton's taking you up till six o'clock on Sports Talk seven ninety. It's right coffee and company rolling along here on a Thursday afternoon here on Sports Talk seven ninety. We are fueled bout Thorton's. Make sure you sign up to become a member of the Refreshing Awards program if you haven't already.
It's free, it's easy to do.
Just download the app on your Android, your iPhone, and you will be good to go. We're now good to go because we've got our man, mister Kendrick Haskins from Wave three Sports joining us. Kendrick, are you driving around Louisville to see if Amary Huggins Bruce has returned. I'm assuming that's what you're doing right now this afternoon.
We've put out the bat signal. We'll see if he responds.
What do you make of all this stuff?
Man, I'm not even sure if you're keeping up with it as much as you know, someone like myself is just because you know he's a good player. But like just the the the overall process of this actually happening to where he'd be back without going through the portal, walking on and being able to suit up, like it does appear that there's at least something going on, but I just met to me, it seems so far fetched for that to be able to happen.
I mean, it's so much smoke that you gotta think there's fire somewhere.
But oh, if it wasn't true at this point, we would be we would know.
Right, yeah, it would have been debunked by now. It's just crazy how it just came out of nowhere. It was just one of those things out of that I was just scrolling through Twitter and just saw that, and I was like, where did this come from? But like, yes, it hadn't been debunked yet. But at the same time, though, there at the point now where they're tired of talking to us, Yeah, yeah, which I don't blame, so we're
probably not going to really hear anything about it. And unless it actually happened, when it could be a thing where it's still semantics.
And they And here's what's weird is that because the portal's closed, I mean, for U of L to even comment on him or acknowledge that he's a real human being that exists, he'd have to be cleared. And you can't really be cleared if you don't go through the portal. Like it just to me seems just so uni mean, as you said, I don't know, like it really did
kind of come out of nowhere. But like right after the news of Colin Lacey's injury came out, if somebody would have just walked up to me and said, hey, well maybe Mary Huggins Bruce who transferred who played slot receiver, Like maybe he didn't win the starting job, and maybe he wants to come back to Louisville. I would say, well, yeah, but like that, that's not realistic. And sure enough, here we are four days later, and again it hasn't been
debunked yet. What made me realize something was really going on was whenever the South Carolina reporters were acknowledging that he's not been at practice all week.
That and going back to what you were saying, it could be a thing where they can't comment, yeah, because he's you know, he can't be in the transfer portal, and so how would he get on the team. Would it be a walk on situation? And how does that work with nil and all that stuff. So it could be a thing that it could be very well be true and everything's in the process, but they can't comment on it until I guess he's enrolled in school and how's that work as school's already started.
Yeah, and we're a world now.
Where as it stands with college athletics, I think there's so many people that have been in that industry in college sports, with compliance and you know, coaching and all that for many many years that I think there's never been this type of you know, of I guess curiosity as far as like, Okay, what's against the rules and what's not? Like I think whenever Florida State got hit with a violation notice of allegation from the NCAA because a coach said, Hey, I can't talk to you about
an IL. You're gonna have to go over the collective like whatever. They got in trouble for that, I feel like everybody within college sports said, wait a second, that's.
What we're all doing, right.
It's like there's no consistency in anything when it comes to rules, which is kind of been the n C Double a's m anyway. But I really wish, and I'm sure the coaches feel the same way, that there were some set guidelines, some set rules, because it feels like if something new comes up every day that either the nc Double A didn't plan for or what. But it feels like everything they went into everything with nil without planning, without a real plan of how to operate it. They just did it.
Yeah, And they they fought for so long to try to keep that archaic, archaic amateurism model in place to where now you know they are trying to implement some rules and keep people in line, and then sure enough Congress steps in and says, oh, yeah, you can't do that, You're not allowed to. So they're they're kind of flying by just seeing what what they you know, they're putting things in place, at least attempting and being told they're not allowed to just because of you know how archaic
it really is. So it's a it's a mess, no doubt about it. I want to question real quick on the louisvill football stuff before we move on. Obviously, Jeff Brown the last couple weeks not not been thrilled with
his offense, was also very complimentary of defense. Can you get a read on Jeff as far as you know, does he do you think he's really concerned about the offense or do you feel like maybe this is more just a coach kind of you know, continuing to let his team know he expects more and he wants them
to get better. I mean, because if I just read the quotes and even listen to the clips themselves of him talking about his offense, not necessarily as much the week before, but especially this past Saturday, it would be concerning. But I get the sense that, you know, that's kind of just what coaches are going to do at this point make sure that their guys know, hey, no matter what, we always got to be striving to be better.
I think it's a combination of that. I think it's a combination of this is an offensive coach who's had spectacular offenses, so his standards are going to be extremely high. So it could be a thing of where they're not up to his standards, but it's probably okay, you know what I mean. Sure, it's like like the offense isn't gonna go out there and just put up one hundred and fifty yards a game. But I think he has a standard that he wants them to live up to,
and they haven't lived up to his standard yet. And it could be you know, a lot of coaches, nobody's ever going to live up totally to this standards. Like Rick Fotino, you know what, it never felt like the team ever lived up to what he thought they could be, which is a good thing because the team on the toes, nobody's getting too comfortable to get better, right, And it could be a little bit of that. But I do
think he is wanting more out of this offense. You could feel it last year even though they had some success, but it's not the way that he usually has success on offense, because you know, this high flying and throwing the ball down field, getting chunk plays, and that really was in the offense last year, and I really think he wants to get back to that. Sure.
I mean, it was successful last year, no doubt, but it did not You're right, it did not look the way you would have typically expected. You know, if you told somebody Jeff Brom's gonna come win ten games in his first year, I think a lot of folks would have said it would have been done by lighting up the scoreboard, and that really wasn't the case. They relied heavily on a good defense, and the running game was
was really the strength of the offense. And I think also this is probably the best defense that Jeff has had his offenses go up against during camps as.
A head coach. Ever.
I mean, think about Western End Purdue like this, and that's not to say Lowell's defense is dominant, but they should be pretty damn good this year. And that's another component that I oftentimes just don't really think about. If the offense is struggling, yeah, that's never good to hear, but it could be because the defense is that good.
That's and that's what makes this time of the year so hard to gauge.
You said it, brother, Gabby.
Hard to gauge on their end too, because it's like, okay, oh, the defense is played rate yay, But what's that say about the offense and vice versa? And so until you actually start getting out there in new games.
It's so hard to gauge right now, no doubt about it.
Kendrick Haskins of Way three Sports is our guest joining us here on Sports Talk seven to ninety. We found out earlier this week the date that John cala Perry is going to be returning to Lexington to take on Kentucky. It'll be February first, which is a Saturday. It'll really depend on I think what each team looks like in February when that game takes place. But just as of now, would you who would you?
Who?
Would you say? There's more pressure to win that game. I think it's no doubt about and if you disagree, please tell me. But I think the pressure would be more so on col than Mark Pope as far as that of winning that game.
Oh for sure, because I mean, at this point, it's Pope's first year, and you know, he's the Kentucky kick coming home. So he'll get that little bit of a grace period. Now he can't go out there and it's about twenty five points, but I think he'll get a little grace period, especially when Cal's team that he has coming in as you know, a lot of the kids that were at Kentucky and they were coming to Kentucky, which was gonna make them a top five seam coming
into the country. And so I think the pressure is squarely more on Caw than it is on Pope.
Yeah, and I get the sense that that with Kentucky fans, you know, their emotions are probably you know, it's probably big question mark for them because although he is the enemy now at least because he's at Arkansas. I'm not to say the Kentucky fans are always gonna hate him or they hate him right now, but I mean, he's a competitor. He wants to beat your brains in. He's trying to, you know, get his legacy back on track
and and win another title. And if he does that, I'm sure he'll it'll feel good for him, but it'll also feel good for him to be able to tell Kentucky, don't you don't you miss me?
Right?
Don't you wish I was still there because you didn't. You guys weren't happy with me. But I just if Arkansas is struggling and Kentucky is rolling at that time, I think it's really a toss up as far as
what kind of booze and whatnot he gets. But if if if Col's being swaggy cow and he's he's you know, they're and they're rolling through looking like a potential one seed in Kentucky's you know, looking like a middle of the pack SEC team, I feel like at that point they're gonna boo his ass out of the arena.
It is hard to gauge because on the one hand, you know, he did so much for that program. He made them the cool program for the time he was there, kind of like North Carolina was when I was a kid, you know, with Vince Carter and Shutaffs all those guys. But at the same time, he has his welcome had grown thin with so many people, and plus, don't forget Arkansas is a rival. It wasn't like, yeah, he left went to California, somewhere he went within the conference against the team that those are.
I think those are the two biggest basketball program fan bases in the SEC. I don't even think there's a close third, to be honest.
With you, you know, I hadn't thought about it like that, but she might be right.
Maybe like musselm Like Musselman reminded us how much Arkansas does love basketball when they're good. They just had such a weird, like twenty years of just irrelevance, right, and.
So you know, the the rivalry we could take. You know, it goes back to Nolan Richardson back in the nineties with Nolan and Patino and all that stuff. And so there is a rivalry there because think about when Arkansas first came into the SEC. You know, they came in there, they was rolling at that point, and sure UK was the big dog at that point. So yeah, there is some rivalry there. So you wonder what it's going to be like, I do think, like you said, I do think a lot of it depends on how each one
of them season is going. But if UK wins that game, no matter what's going on, ruff Arena going to be as loud as it's been in a long time.
No doubt about it.
All right, So you guys got have touchdown Friday night, getting started here with a high school football action, just to just day away from from the game starting. I'm curious how often do you guys get complaints from parents or maybe even coaches, not to like you directly, but you know, people calling Wave three wanting to know, hey, why didn't you put my son's touchdown in your highlight mix? Why wasn't the chopper, Why why didn't you have your
reporters at this game like you guys do it. There's so much work that goes into it, and you know, it's all I mean, I think it's still so cool these kids get a chance to to you know, come home after the game and see if their highlight made it.
I mean, it's I mean, it's corny to some, I'm sure, but I think it's really cool that these kids still get this experience and there's so much work that goes into it from everybody on your team, and yet you're always gonna have people complaining that, you know, why didn't you show us some love?
Right if I and I will go on record like I've never had that complaint from a kid.
Parent, right, an adult acting like a kid.
Always, it's always apparent, because it's rarely even the coach his parents, and so usually what happens when that happens, it is a team that kind of came out of nowhere, and so they're like, nobody respects us, no worries, and no matter how much we show them, it's not enough. Because I'm not gonna call anybody out. But I can remember specifically a team that won state one year that we covered them more than we covered our major needs, and we still got calls and complaints.
But that's you can't make everybody happy, right, right.
And so you know you do your best, and it gets harder and harder every year because these teams are getting better, so you know you only have so many resources, so somebody's gonna get left out some weeks, and so it's harder every year, but you know, you make it work and most people are happy with it.
So that's all you.
Can ask for, all right, Kendrick.
Tonight, I'll be throwing out the first pitch at the Louisville Bats game. As someone who has never played baseball competitively, I've probably thrown a base ball sixty feet maybe once or twice in my life.
Been warming up the arm a little bit. Do you have any advice, being as I.
Have never thrown out a first pitch, you should do it for me tonight.
You should take my place so I don't embarrass myself.
I say, just worry about getting it there.
Yes, that's the that's the ultimate thing.
I'm not worried about throwing it right down the middle, just getting it across the plate to where the guy catching it doesn't have to do like some gymnastic move to catch the ball, like if it's just within the vicinity and he can he can get it in his mitt, then I feel like I at least you know, that's good.
Enough for me, right, because no matter what you do, you're not gonna get caught up to the ridge tonight.
Yeah, so no scenario.
I'm gonna be going through a change when it comes to careers after tonight. So and if so, it would because maybe I embarrassed the brand here at iHeart so bad they just kick my ass to the curve.
Maybe that's what it is.
I say, just make sure you get it to the plate and you're good with that, all right.
I'm hopeful that I can do that.
I'm not gonna guarantee it anybody, because again, you never, you won't know until you're out there. You know, maybe my nerves will kick in and I'll just, you know, maybe throw it ten feet, which would be really bad.
But uh yeah, I've got faith.
I've seen I've seen you jump shot.
I know you.
I know you can.
You can hit it from deep, you can throw it.
Okay, I like it. I like it.
My confidence is growing as we speak real quick, since we're talking baseball. Last thing, I'll ask you some big news. Yesterday, legendary former Cincinnati read Joey Vado is going to retire. Uh just thoughts on his overall career, A guy that most people say is for sure going to be heading to the Hall of Fame.
My hope is he gets into broadcasting because he's one of the funnier baseball players we've had really in our time, because he never took himself too seriously. He was great whenever he had to come down. When you ever have rehab with the bats, I remember one time.
It's got a good sense of humor.
Yeah, And he had to rehab with the bats, and you know, in the minor league, baseball. The bat as some kind of crazy jersey night going on, and you look over and you see the future Hall of Famer, naturally a MVP. It's when one of those crazy jersey arms and he takes it with stride. So he's always been one of the better guys in baseball just as a person. So wish him nothing but the best, And I'm praying just for our sakes and our entertainment that he gets into broadcast.
It's hard to find people that are just naturally funny when they don't try, and he seems to have that type of sense of humor. And I feel like, regardless of who you're a fan of, because of the personality that he's shown throughout his career, like he's he's he's really likable, but just about everybody, which I actually think supports what you're hoping happens, is that he does get a call to maybe get into the broadcasting booth.
Yeah, he's just one of those guys that, you know, even Saint Louis Cardinals fans have to like him, you know, do us despite their rivalry. He's one of those guys that you just like, you know, the uku of l rivalry, like a UK fan will say they like Lamar Jackson even though they hate U of L. Sure, I think a lot of fans will say they love Joey Vodo either they didn't like the Rich.
Well, we love Kendrick Haskins, and we appreciate you taking some time to join us each and every week. So again, and I thank you for giving me a little bit of confidence I needed that. I'm feeling much better about stepping up to the mound than I brother. Thank you, brother, take care of man, all right. See that's Kendrick Haskins from Wave three Sports. Always appreciate him making some time for us.
I needed that. I need something I needed. I mean I could.
It wasn't just what he said, John, you could You could tell by how he said it. He does, in fact have faith in need to get it done tonight.
I need to get it done. I need Thank you. I like it.
The power of positivity strong. All right, quick break, we'll come back on the other side. It's coffee and company. Feel abou Thorton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety.
So.
Rick Pattino has been robbed of memorabilia. This is from the New York Post. That's Saint John's basketball coach Rick Patino's office robbed of memorabilia. Cop says, so uh, Apparently, two unidentified men ran off with three hundred and seventy five dollars worth of goods from Rick Patino's office at at Saint John's, including basketball, including a basketball, a bullhorn, which is odd, but I mean bullhorn, like is he using that in practice? And it just happened to be
in his office? Says here that they did it at the Carnessa a Carnaseca arena, which is where his office is. It's the floor above the basketball court. According to two reports, there actually is a picture of these guys and it shows them carrying a small bullhorn. I can't tell what's in the hand of the other guy, but a signed basketball and a ceremonial dagger. This is an odd burglary.
Do you think these guys just ended up in there and was seeing what they could find that would be valuable and it ended up being a random assortment of things.
I mean, it is strange. I mean because you weren't they weren't.
This wasn't a heist where they're planning, like we got to get in there and get that bullhorn, we got to get in there and get that ceremony, that dagger.
I mean, there's no there's no chance this was staged right.
Now, I mean, like, well, it's probably they Here's my guess, not that I've ever been a detective before, John, but my guess is that they are probably just roaming around in places they know they shouldn't be and seeing if anybody notices and stops them. Yeah, and then they realize, oh, we're in Rick Patino's office, let's see what's in here. And you know, wasn't like a safe full of cash, probably and they just happened to just grab what they could.
And it's a bullhorn as signed basketball and the item that I couldn't seem to identify now I can tell it is a dagger.
Could you imagine being caught by Rick Patino?
Like, wouldn't you be scared, old ass man? But like you like he would be scary, wouldn't he He.
Looks very ghastly as it is.
And he always said it's like because there's always been this like belief that he's connected to the mob. I mean not really, but yet, like it's not like I don't think he's a mob guy by any means, there's never been like any evidence that shows that. But you know, he's a typical New Yorker, you know, an Italian guy, So like it's one of those things that people say jokingly, like just you know, and some people say it like
trying to make fun of him. But like if you ever later did find out he was connected to the mob, like who'd be surprised? Probably nobody, right, So you're like I could just see him walking in and seeing these guys kind of ransacking the place, seeing what they can get, and they see him and they're kind of fearful, but he doesn't move. He just snaps his fingers and then like his goons appear and just take out these guys. Like,
you know, but that's a movie scene, is it not. Yes, So it says here that Patino himself is listed as making the complaint to NYPDG this is like bizarro world, like Rick Patino picking up the phone calling NYPD saying, Hey, I've been burglarized, can you come down and make a report. So apparently the Post did reach out to him for comment.
He declined to give him a comment, but he did post some stuff on Twitter discussing you know, his displeasure with being being burglarized, and he also says this is something he later clarified as a joke, but he said, taking my memorabilia is one thing. But the nineteen eighty five six l Petris Pomero has me like, what is that? I don't even know what that is.
It sounds like if like again it's a car.
It's wine.
Okay, see it's wine from France that is three thousand dollars a bottle.
So uh that.
You know, Rick on Twitter is still relatively new, so like it's hard to know when he's joking when he's not. He has shown a sense of humor on Twitter that I did not know existed just from hearing him only you know, in press conferences and interviews, because he's never been a social media guy before. Now he's doing podcasts and stuff with people. I mean, he's he's rebranded a
little bit. But he did later say I would never keep that at my desk, saying that one in a wine cellar to open after the Johnnies go to the final four.
I like that. See Rick is He's he's still not.
Relatable, but social media has made him appear to be slightly more relatable than he once appeared, if that makes sense. But yeah, hopefully they catch these criminals who got away with a bullhorn, of signed basketball and a dagger. Very odd, very odd. We got two hours left, so stick with us. It's coffee and company. We are fueled by Thornton's right here on Sports Talk seven ninety