March 30, 2025 • 29 mins
Are you considering purchasing a new home in 2025? CBS News Senior Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger shares valuable insights to help guide your decision. Additionally, congratulations to Great Crossing High School on their Boys' Sweet 16 Championship! But why do the Boys' and Girls' Sweet 16 tournaments hold such significance for basketball fans—and even those who aren't fans—across the Commonwealth? Is NIL, coupled with the transfer portal, detracting from the excitement of March Madness? Legendary broadcaster Dick Gabriel offers his perspective. All this and more in this week's Kentucky Focus with Scott Fitzgerald.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Kentucky Focus s. I'm Scott Fitzgerald. Coming up
this week as the Kentucky Boy Sweet sixteen takes place
in Lexington, we'll take a look back at the history
of Kentucky basketball and the state of owning a home.
Will ever improved? That is much more coming up in
this week's Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to Kentucky Focus on the Kentucky News Network, the
show that looks at issues affecting the Commonwealth and its citizens.
We cover state politics and history, human interest stories, sports,
and even entertainment. It's Kentucky Focus on kNN.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You said you'd never buy your kid candy from the
checkout aisle, or forget extra diapers, and never give into
a meltdown. You'd never lick your thumb to clean their face,
never let them have too much screen time, and never
bribe them for just one more bite. You say you'd
(01:01):
never let them out in public without their hair brush,
never ever become a minivand mom, and you'd never give
them your phone for a quiet dinner.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Falling boss work phone.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
So when you say you'd never leave your child in
a hot car, no, it can happen. Cars get hot
fast and kids can be at risk in temperatures as
low as sixty degrees fahrenheit. Never happens before you leave
the car, always stop.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
Look Luck.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Brought to you by Nitza and the AD Council.
Speaker 6 (01:36):
The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be.
So we ask kids, what do you want your parents
to hear?
Speaker 7 (01:44):
I feel sometimes that I'm not listening to I would
just want you to listen to me more often and
evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success.
Speaker 8 (01:53):
We're not adults, so just just be there and like, listen.
I just want someone to yap too, and I just
feel like I'll be fine. Like if someone just cares
me talk and talk and talk and talk and talk.
Speaker 9 (02:05):
And talk and talk. You're doing a really good job.
And I don't think that's so.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
I don't know, and I know sometimes we get into it.
It's just hard on both of us.
Speaker 9 (02:16):
But I'll try to understand me more and I'll try
to do the same. Listening is a form of love.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
Find resources to help you support your kids and their
emotional well being. A sound it out together dot org.
That's Sounded out together dot org. Brought to you by
the AD Council and Pivotal.
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Well.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
At one time, low interest rates and relatively easy credit
made homebuying easier for most, but since the pandemic things
have changed dramatically. Will it ever improve?
Speaker 5 (02:46):
CEB has.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Senior business analyst Jill Slessinger took a look at the
state of the housing market and has some thoughts.
Speaker 10 (02:52):
Housing is such a sore subject because somehow or other,
the idea of owning a home has become synonymous with
the American dream. You know, the reason that the housing
market exploded was sort of this weird COVID confluence of
people really wanting more space and mortgage rates being really low.
People left a lot of the central cities and stopped
(03:13):
renting and said, oh, I could buy a house, and
this is great, and we thought that, you know, there
was a whole generation of people who would never buy homes,
and of course they would, it would just be about price.
So price is up over the last five years by
forty five percent median home prices. That's incredible in five years.
At the same time, mortgage rates basically doubled in those
five years, which means housing affordability stinks. Now, the good
(03:36):
news is that house price increases have slowed down. You know,
we have seen the market kind of settle in a
little bit. It doesn't look like a crazy hot hot market.
It looks like they're no longer. I mean, of course
there are some, but the general theme is not like
there's massive bidding wars. Houses are basically selling for about
(03:56):
two percent under their list prices nationally. Okay, so I
know your neighborhood could be different. So this could be
a moment everyone take a deep breath where maybe you
are actually going to be able to crack into the
home buying market.
Speaker 11 (04:12):
You have to run the numbers to do it.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
You know.
Speaker 10 (04:14):
I know I'm so boring when I say these things,
but it doesn't mean that you have to. I'm just
saying you might be compelled that, like, hey, maybe I
can do this now. And if that's the case, make
sure you run the numbers. Talk to all your friends
own homes and let them tell you. Oh, you know what,
I'd rush to buy a house and I didn't realize,
like maintenance really stinks and it's a pain in the
(04:34):
neck to own a home.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
And Jil says, you don't have to stretch yourself when
looking to purchase that new home.
Speaker 10 (04:39):
You know, I have a young woman, like a twenty
seven year old who ran this research. Her name is
Kyla Scanlon, and she said, you know, she's my generation.
All I keep telling them is, you know, if you
just take the money that you would have had for
that down payment, so it's a four hundred thousand dollars house,
that eighty thousand dollars or whatever, forty fifty sixty eighty
thousand dollars, if you that money over the long term,
(05:01):
if you've got money freed up, that's not going to
your roof for your fixing up and your property taxes
and all. If you take that money and you actually
put it in your retirement account, you're gonna gather up
a lot of money.
Speaker 11 (05:13):
Now. I know that some people just want to buy
a home. I get it.
Speaker 10 (05:17):
You can be a little patient, let the market settle in.
There's no reason that you have to get caught up
in a frenzy. And just to be clear, you don't
want to put yourself at risk either. If it's risky,
if you're stretching. You know, people, oh, my parents stretched
and when nineteen sixty and now their house is worth
ten times more. Okay, that was a different time. We've
just seen prices go up by forty five percent in
(05:40):
five years. You don't have to stretch. You can still
find a way to find some like peace of mind
to say, I.
Speaker 11 (05:47):
Don't have to stretch right now, I'm putting money in
my four oh one K. Life's good.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
We're hearing from CBS News senior business analyst Jill Slessinger,
who is talking about the state of housing post COVID.
You can read more at jillnmoney dot com. So will
we ever see interest rates at say three point three percent?
Speaker 11 (06:03):
I think it's highly unlikely.
Speaker 10 (06:05):
The thing is, when we had these low mortgage interest rates,
just think anywhere between say two and a half and
three and a half like those numbers, even four that
was really extraordinary, and it was because the Federal Reserve
had interest rates basically at zero because we were in
a crisis.
Speaker 11 (06:20):
I'm not rooting for a crisis.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
That's that is still a chance we could get two
interest rate cuts.
Speaker 11 (06:26):
I don't know if we're going to get two cuts.
Speaker 10 (06:27):
We'll see there's a real unknown hanging over the economy
right now. Right so tariffs, will they slow down economic growth?
Economic growth was already slowing down this quarter first quarter
of this year. But are these fear of the tariffs
slowing people down? Are people scared? Are they not spending
as much money? How long do tariffs stay in place?
Maybe there's not going to be the big announcement on
(06:48):
April second. Maybe the tariffs are going to be more targeted.
So all these things play into what happens next.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
That CBS News Senior Business Analyst Jill Slessinger and you
can read more at jillnmody dot com.
Speaker 12 (06:59):
Coming out up.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Kentucky is no stranger when it comes to basketball.
Speaker 13 (07:03):
This tubmey y'ar.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
But could and I on the transfer portal be CUsing
fans to lose interest? I'm Scott Fitzgerald and you're listening
to Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 14 (07:12):
I never realized that I'd be taking care of a
two year old and a nine year old on my own.
I think men can be a little stubborn sometimes, where
pride gets in the way and they may want the help,
they may not know how to ask. With my traditions,
with the family support in line, and just with my
mind frame, I was able to turn a negative into
(07:34):
a positive. I knew I needed more tools on my toolbox.
To take care of these little girls that just lost
their mother. It's time for me to be that father
that I knew I could be. I think just being
that good role model as well. That model's good behavior
in front of them, going to work every day, coming
home and being able to put on that smile. The
(07:55):
biggest reward about being a dad is sitting back and
watching your kids be happy.
Speaker 15 (08:02):
Never stop being in dead. That's dedication. Find out more
at Fatherhood dot gov, brought to you by the US
Department of Health and Human Services.
Speaker 14 (08:10):
And the AD Council.
Speaker 16 (08:12):
Imagine home. The smell of coffee, the sound of a lawnmower,
the sun's warmth on your face, Free to be yourself,
surrounded by love that helps you grow. This is a
place to call home. That's an American dream we all deserve.
But in fifty percent of US states, you could legally
be denied housing if you are LGBTQ.
Speaker 17 (08:34):
Plus.
Speaker 16 (08:35):
Get the facts and hear real stories at Love Has
No Labels dot Com. Brought to you by Love Has
No Labels and the AD Council.
Speaker 11 (08:42):
Michael Eric Dyson for the Bail Project.
Speaker 18 (08:44):
Our founders drafted the Eighth Amendment to prohibit excessive cash bail.
They never meant for it to hold people in jail.
They knew excessive bail would create one system of justice
with the rich and one.
Speaker 13 (08:56):
For everyone else.
Speaker 18 (08:57):
But today cash bail traps people in jail before they've
even had their day in court. That's why the Bail
Project helps those who can afford it while fighting to
end cash bail because freedom should be free.
Speaker 7 (09:10):
Brought to you by the ad Council.
Speaker 13 (09:17):
Welcome back to Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I'm Scott Fitzger. Leave little doubt that fans throughout the
Commonwealth love their college basketball, especially in March, but could
name image and Likeness or better known as NIL, have
others losing interest. Some fans are looking back at a
weekend of basketball they felt well short of anything resembling madness,
and somethink the NIL and Transfer portal era.
Speaker 13 (09:40):
Might be to blame.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
One fan even went as far as having a belief
that NIL is the very reason that Cinderella teams are
going to be even harder to come by in the future,
leaving some to think tournament expansion is probably a bad idea.
To back that up, consider this stat The net rating
is the measurement of a team's point differential per one
hundred possessions calculated by subtracting the defensive rating from the
(10:03):
offensive rating. Well it said. That said, going into this
year's tournament, the top twenty five teams had just one
loss in quads three and four.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Last season, there.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Have been nine losses between teams in those same rankings.
That leads many to conclude that the talent gap between
teams is expanding and will continue to do so in
an erawear cash for talent reigns. Supreme legendary Yukon women's
head basketball coach Gino Arima was asked recently how he
would fix an eel in the transfer portal.
Speaker 19 (10:32):
It's a test for do we keep the charade of
student athlete and amateurism or do we call it what
it is, you know, semi professional pay for play sports.
So either keep the charade of student athlete. You know,
teams wouldn't be going three thousand miles to play conference
(10:53):
games if it had anything to do with student athlete welfare.
That's number one. So we obviously through that in the
garbage can. So let's just call it what it is.
We're going to pay these guys to play basketball, lay
play football, or play them to play you know, any
sport at the university. And then let's be to make
it a business and figure out how do we manage
this business. Other sports have done it, pro sports, they've
(11:17):
done it. They sign kids to contracts, and you're bound
to your contract, and let's honor the terms of the contract.
Speaker 12 (11:24):
Let's do it.
Speaker 19 (11:25):
You already got kids, hold now right, you already got
guys playing and going. I ain't playing anymore until I
get more money. So we've become professional sports. Let's say
it and let's act it, and let's stop the charade
the portal. How about we teach kids how to make
a commitment and stick to it. All right, I get it.
You want to leave, fine, leave no penalties. How many
(11:47):
times you get a chance to leave? No penalties? Coach
can leave any time he wants, I can.
Speaker 12 (11:53):
I have a buyout.
Speaker 19 (11:54):
That's a great idea. Let's sign kids to contract and
let's put a buy out it. Let's make it a business,
because that's exactly what it is that would fix it.
And let's have a salary cap, which I think is
just twenty percent, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Whatever it is.
Speaker 19 (12:08):
I think that's what it is. Right, So they're getting close,
but they got to start calling it what it really
is and not be ashamed of it. The kids aren't
ashamed of it. Hey, you student athet You an amateur?
Yeah I am, but you get paid a lot of money.
I know, let's not.
Speaker 9 (12:25):
Talk about that, but I like it.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
What is the future, halt, No one really knows, but
one thing is for sure. It's not going away anytime soon.
And like bourbon and horses, you can bet basketball fans
in the governt while the paying close attention. Coming up,
it's boys high school basketball sweet sixteen weak and we'll
take a look at the history of this historic institution
with the guy who's been to many I'm Scott fitzgerald A.
You're listening to Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 20 (12:50):
My name is Sadiyad. When I arrived in the US
at nineteen, I struggle to find job opportunities without my
high school diploma. My entire life changed when I took
a chance and got my high school diploma at age
twenty two. Everything I have, my education, my career, my marriage,
I owe to the Adult Literacy Center and my teachers.
(13:10):
They were with me every step of the way, helping
with my English and man making sure I pushed through
all the challenges.
Speaker 18 (13:18):
Adrielle, your success proves that what I'm doing as a
teacher has real meaning.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
It was an honor helping you achieve your greatness. Now
you're helping others achieve theirs. It inspires me.
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Education was the key that unlock all my opportunities.
Speaker 21 (13:37):
When you graduate, they graduate, find free and supportive adult
education centers near you at Finish your Diploma dot Org,
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Speaker 17 (13:48):
Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable,
but it could save a life. Here's a way to
start a conversation. Your family is going over to your
neighbor's home for dinner the first time. How would you
ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home.
Speaker 12 (14:05):
Hey, hey, we're so excited for it tonight. Before we
come over, ask a few questions.
Speaker 21 (14:11):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 12 (14:13):
Do you have any pets, Yes, we have a dog. Great.
Do you have a pool outside? Nope, just a big
old backyard. Nice. Another question, are there any unlocked guns
in the home?
Speaker 9 (14:28):
Are guns restored securely locked in a safe that the
kids can't access? Oh?
Speaker 12 (14:34):
Awesome? Yeah, now, let's just talk about what we can
bring for dessert.
Speaker 17 (14:40):
Learn how to have the conversation at agree to Agree
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the AD Council.
Speaker 14 (14:48):
The Native Community's big for me. Makes me feel good
to pass on our Rapo traditions. My kids love going
up to the sundance. I like to tell people the
Sundances about family. It's about the tribe. It's not just
about the dancer. It's kind of like life as a
sun dancer. I'm just one spoke in the wheel. I
need my family there, I need my role models. I
(15:10):
need my people there, especially my children. No coming in
that door, my family is ready to see me, and
they believe in me. Before I'd never seen that from
my people. But now when I walk in that door
and I see those smiling faces and they're happy to
see me, that's special. With my four kids, all I
(15:31):
ask for them and wrap a ways is health and happiness,
nothing more and nothing less.
Speaker 15 (15:38):
Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more
on fatherhood dot gov. Brought to you by the US
Department of Health and Human Services and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
We're joined by the Great Dick Gabriel, the legend, the
broadcasting legend here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky on the
Sweet sixteen weekend. And there's no greater authority on the
Sweet sixteen than a man has called so many of
the games himself.
Speaker 13 (16:00):
He is Dick Gabriel.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Dick, how are you, buddy?
Speaker 13 (16:03):
I'm good, Scott? How you doing?
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Very good?
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Great to catch up with you before we get into
the Sweet sixteen talk.
Speaker 22 (16:07):
What's Dick Gabriel up to nowadays?
Speaker 23 (16:10):
Well, actually working to Sweet sixteen this week for the KHSAA,
obviously keeping an eye on the ENSA Tournament, Kentucky Baseball,
just whatever comes down the pike, producing my radio show
here in my garage every day.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Look at you going strong for sure? Well, Dick, it's
so great to hear your voice again. Now tell me
the boys Sweet sixteen. It's ranks some legendary status here
in the Commonwealth. What is your greatest memory of all
the Sweet sixteens you've called?
Speaker 13 (16:37):
Wow, that's a great question.
Speaker 23 (16:41):
Probably Paul Andrews hitting a shot from like seventy five
feet away they give Laurel County to win.
Speaker 13 (16:49):
I want to say it was eighty three. Yeah, I
have to look that up.
Speaker 23 (16:52):
But you know, I was working at for a radio
station here in town, and we thought we were heading
for overtime at North Heart and it was already a
really good game. But he threw that shot in and
immediately you think that's a heck of OI to lose
a game.
Speaker 13 (17:08):
But man, you talk about drama.
Speaker 23 (17:12):
I mean, there have been so many, but it was
just a stunning, stunning shot.
Speaker 13 (17:18):
I don't know if it'll ever be topped.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
We're talking with the great Dick Gabriel who joins us now.
Of course he's called many a Sweet sixteens in the
past on this Sweet sixteen weekend, talking a little bit
about the history and what the Sweet sixteen means to
the commonwealth. Dick talk about the environment inside Roperina. When
you get these sixteen teams together, Can it be matched
like anything else in high school sports?
Speaker 23 (17:39):
I doubt it, because very few tournaments are are formated
like this anymore. And it depends on who's playing, obviously.
If you've got a couple of small schools. Danvil Christian's
got seventy eight kids in a school, you know, And
I've covered the girls' tournament too, and they had a
nice crowd because fans and family showed up.
Speaker 13 (17:58):
But you go back to the early eighties.
Speaker 23 (18:01):
I know I'm going back aways, but when Mason County
started to show up, when Vergie brought everybody in town
to rupp Arena, I mean there were people hanging from
the rafters when Mason County the running gag was last
person out of the county turn off the lights. It
was just something that was phenomenal. The first rupp Aerna
Sweet sixteen Scott was nineteen seventy nine. Dirk Minifield, mister Basketball,
(18:25):
had signed with Kentucky or committed from Lafayete High School
and they had one of the best teams in the country.
And again that place was packed every night because people
wanted to see the future Wildcat but also wanted to
see Lafayette play. And it turned out Lafayette didn't disappoint
it won the state championship. So it just depends on
what schools are there. But the great thing Scott is
(18:46):
there's walk up. You know, people who may not have
a team to root for, they just show up because
it's a great event.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Right did Gabriel joins us now in the Sweet sixteen
week talking to us about the history of the Sweet
Sixteen and what it means. I'm sure there's some folks
that come in from maybe the rural parts of Kentucky,
maybe the other side of the state, that have only
seen something like Roperena through games on TV or heard
them called through radio. And when they finally get to
what really is a mecca of college basketball for fans
(19:14):
here in the Commonwealth, what's their general reaction when they
see it for the first time.
Speaker 23 (19:18):
That's a great question, because you're right, there are folks
who just are Kentucky fans, let's face it, and have
only seen it through the prism of television cameras. So
their chance to come in and just walk around. And
you know, I've talked to people who have had that experience.
And I grew up in Louisville. Man, I love going
to Freedom Hall and watching the Sweet Sixteen there.
Speaker 13 (19:39):
And this was before the renovation.
Speaker 23 (19:41):
That's old, I am and once they renovated it, it
was even better.
Speaker 13 (19:45):
Of course, that's what renovations do.
Speaker 23 (19:47):
But for some reason, and I never understood why people
just didn't show up the way they do it reperina
and quite frankly, the parking is so much easier around
the old Freedom Hall than it is Reperena. But I
do believe it's because of people's allegiance and loyalty to
the Wildcats and they just want to get in Reperena
because at least back in the day, it was almost
impossible to get decent tickets. Now, so you can go
(20:10):
to the Sweet sixteen and sit right up front watch
great basketball.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
We're talking to legendary Dick Gabriels called many a Sweet
sixteens in the past. He obviously has the call this
weekend as well. What will turn out to be a
great tournament? And Dick, speaking of players that were born
and raised here in Kentucky, went to Kentucky, went to
one of the local schools. Now we're in this day
and age of NIL and the transfer portal, and we've
seen changes underway in Lexington. I mean, who thought we'd see,
(20:36):
you know, coach John Caliperry and Arkansas gear or even
the former Kentucky player Mark Pope back to coach his alump.
What is is there any answer to nil or the
transfer portal and how will that affect Saint Kentucky basketball
moving forward?
Speaker 23 (20:52):
Well, that's a big question for a guys sitting in
his garage and lexon, Kentucky.
Speaker 13 (20:55):
But they do need guardrail, Scott.
Speaker 23 (20:58):
I mean, and you know, I saw a quote somebody
said this was the worst rule implemented or whatever. But
I always go back to, at least on my show,
who didn't see this coming?
Speaker 11 (21:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 23 (21:09):
I mean when these rules were announced, when when the
portal more than anything? And and I but when the
portal opened up or the concept of it, first words
out of my mouth were, what about tampering?
Speaker 20 (21:21):
Uh?
Speaker 23 (21:21):
You know, because that just opened the way for that uh.
And I said, it's it's the end of college sports
as we know it. And unfortunately, now with all the
big money that's going to be coming from the schools
to the athletes and these dollars thrown around, you're going
to see and you're already seeing it, programs dissolving, programs
going away, are dropping from D one to D two
(21:42):
because schools can't afford this.
Speaker 13 (21:44):
And now I.
Speaker 23 (21:46):
Think, sadly we're going to have a super conference. And
what has made March I worry for March madness. Everything
is driven by the college football playoff. I worry for
March Madness. Anybody I think living in Kentucky or Indiana
does too. They're going to screw this up if we're
not careful. But they may have no choice if they
go to.
Speaker 13 (22:05):
A super conference.
Speaker 23 (22:06):
John Caliperry several years ago was talking about having the
then five conferences with a total of sixty four teams coincidentally,
have their own tournament.
Speaker 13 (22:17):
Everybody's in, everybody.
Speaker 23 (22:18):
Plays, And I said, John, what about the Cinderellas that
aren't going to get a chance to show up? And
it stumped him and he thought for a second. He said, well,
maybe they can have their own tournament and then winners
can play a.
Speaker 13 (22:27):
Blah blah blah. That's terrible, but they've got to figure
this out.
Speaker 23 (22:31):
But the problem is, you've got one hundred and twenty
schools playing football, you've got three hundred and thirty schools
playing D one basketball. How do you get everybody going
in the same direction. Because that's what the NCAA is.
It's not a bunch of people sitting in Indianapolis. It's
the membership.
Speaker 13 (22:47):
It's the schools.
Speaker 23 (22:48):
They decide on everything together, they vote on everything together,
but they just can't get it together when they have
because everybody has a different mission and they're all going
in different directions.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah, you're right, You're absolutely right, well, said Dick Gabriel,
legendary broadcaster, spending a few minutes with them talking about
the Sweet Sixteen and the future of college basketball. And
when you look at what you just mentioned there this
separation of powers. Do you think from what you've seen,
because you covered this a lot, do you think this
impacts all this expansion talk we've had at the NCAA
(23:22):
men's basketball Tournament.
Speaker 13 (23:23):
Yes, sadly, it's a money grab.
Speaker 23 (23:26):
It will be, and part of it is there's a
victim of its own success. I truly believe that, for instance,
the SEC getting so much better in basketball, and so
many schools investing money in facilities and head coach of
salaries and assistant coaches salaries in recruiting budgets. I firmly
believe it's because when the NCAA Tournament began to really
(23:49):
grow in.
Speaker 13 (23:49):
Front of our very eyes.
Speaker 23 (23:51):
And in a backhanded way, you can thank ESPN for this,
because ESPN made a bid for it, and I kept
an eye on this because for the longest time I
worked for a CBS affiliate here in we were scared
to death.
Speaker 13 (24:01):
We were going to lose the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 23 (24:03):
Our station and all the CBS stations that are interested
in basketball make a lot of money around nca tournament time,
obviously with pregame and postgame specials and adjacent spots and
all that stuff, you know the drill. But ESPN made
a run at the tournament, offered insane money and said
we've got all these channels, we can put every game.
(24:24):
We can go to the OHO and put games on
the air instead of restricting what viewers are seeing. That
forced CBS to partner up with TBSTNT True TV.
Speaker 13 (24:35):
Now we get to.
Speaker 23 (24:35):
See every game everywhere. And I firmly believe that presidents
and chancellors, we're seeing the George Masons of the world
moving on getting all that publicity. You know, it's the
front porch of the university sports. Why aren't we doing that? Well,
it takes money, and so now they've invested, and everybody wants.
Speaker 13 (24:56):
To be a part of that. So how do we
appease everybody? Let them in? And all that does is
dilute the product.
Speaker 23 (25:02):
Let's have more teams involved, and you know what, that
gives you an extra weekend or two of mediocre basketball.
Speaker 13 (25:08):
Don't screw it up. It's my message.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Hey man, Dick Gabriel preaching the gospel, that's for sure. Dick,
I know you're a busy guy, especially this time of year.
We're looking forward to your calls at the Sweet sixteen.
We're looking forward to all your coverage in Lexington. You
are a broadcast legend here in the Commonwealth and we
all thank you for taking time.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
To join us.
Speaker 13 (25:25):
My friend, my pleasure brother.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Again, a big thank you to Dick Gabriel. Appreciate you
as always my friend. We're back to close things out
after this.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be.
So we ask kids, what do you want your parents
to hear?
Speaker 7 (25:41):
I feel sometimes that I'm not listening to I would
just want you to listen to me more often and
evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success.
Speaker 8 (25:50):
We're not adults, so just just be there and like, listen.
I just want someone to go too, and I just
feel like I'll be fine. Like if someone cause Newtomic
and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk
and talk.
Speaker 9 (26:04):
You're doing a really good job. And I don't think
that's so.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
I don't know and I know sometimes we get into it.
It's just hard on both of us.
Speaker 9 (26:14):
But I'll try to understand me more and I'll try
to do the same.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Listening is a form of love. Find resources to help
you support your kids and their emotional well being a
Sound It out together dot org. That's Sounded out Together
dot org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal.
Speaker 22 (26:32):
From ABC News Tech Trends. Robots are getting in on
March Madness.
Speaker 24 (26:36):
We just thought it would be fun to have the
robots do something a little out of the ordinary, take
a break from writing handwritten notes to writing brackets.
Speaker 22 (26:44):
David Wax is the CEO of Handwritten, a company that
develops robots designed to replicate human handwriting.
Speaker 24 (26:50):
Then go online, design your own card, choose the handwriting style,
or choose your own write that note, include your own signature,
include a gift card, stamp it and mail it.
Speaker 22 (27:00):
But this month they're using the robots to fill in
March Madness brackets with the help of different AI large
language models.
Speaker 24 (27:06):
And we're kind of comparing AI providers on who they
think is gonna win the bracket.
Speaker 22 (27:11):
And like any good office pool, there's a prize involved.
Speaker 24 (27:14):
Taking the bracket they've generated and we've taped it to
the rack they're on. And then the little joke is
if the robot wins the bracket, it will get moved
to the higher shelf where it's gonna sit there and
write out hand rid notes.
Speaker 22 (27:25):
Anyway, Wax says, you can see how each robot is
doing on the company's website with tech Trends. I'm Mike Debuski,
ABC News.
Speaker 12 (27:35):
I get lost in the music. I'm like to isolate
each instrument, the rhythmic base, the harmonies on the piano
with sticky melody.
Speaker 9 (27:46):
Hey, hey, hey, care for bad there's someone crossing the street.
Speaker 12 (27:51):
Sorry, I didn't see them there.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
If you feel different, you drive different.
Speaker 14 (27:56):
Don't drive high.
Speaker 13 (27:57):
It's dangerous and illegal everywhere.
Speaker 11 (28:00):
A message from NITZA and the ad Council.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
And that's a wrap on this week's Kentucky Focus. Thank
you CBS and your business analyst Jill Slessinger for talking
to the state of home sales in twenty twenty five
with us, and if you want to read more, simply
visit Johnbunny dot com. Also, thank you to the legendary
dig Gabriel for taking some time to talk high school hoops.
It's always nice to catch up with Dick and we're
certainly going to keep nine not only on high school hoops,
(28:25):
but of course that nil. As we all know, fans
in the Commonwealth of Kentucky love their basketball. For all
of us here in Kentucky Focus and the Kentucky News Network,
I'm Scott Fitzgerald saying, make it a great weekend. We'll
talk to you next time on this Kentucky News Network station.
Speaker 25 (28:42):
If only life had a remote control, you could pause
or rewind little well, life doesn't always give you time
to change the outcome, but pre diabetes does. Take the
one minute risk test today at do I have prediabetes
dot Org brought to you by the AD Council and
it's pre Diabetes Awareness Partners.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Here's the deal. We've got to set up ourselves up. See,
retirement is the long game. We gotta make moves and
make them early. Set up goals, don't worry about a setback,
just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's
put ourselves in the right position pregame to greater things.
(29:18):
Start building your retirement plan at This ispretirement dot Org,
brought to you by AARP and the AD Council,
Welcome to Kentucky Focus s. I'm Scott Fitzgerald. Coming up
this week as the Kentucky Boy Sweet sixteen takes place
in Lexington, we'll take a look back at the history
of Kentucky basketball and the state of owning a home.
Will ever improved? That is much more coming up in
this week's Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome to Kentucky Focus on the Kentucky News Network, the
show that looks at issues affecting the Commonwealth and its citizens.
We cover state politics and history, human interest stories, sports,
and even entertainment. It's Kentucky Focus on kNN.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You said you'd never buy your kid candy from the
checkout aisle, or forget extra diapers, and never give into
a meltdown. You'd never lick your thumb to clean their face,
never let them have too much screen time, and never
bribe them for just one more bite. You say you'd
(01:01):
never let them out in public without their hair brush,
never ever become a minivand mom, and you'd never give
them your phone for a quiet dinner.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Falling boss work phone.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
So when you say you'd never leave your child in
a hot car, no, it can happen. Cars get hot
fast and kids can be at risk in temperatures as
low as sixty degrees fahrenheit. Never happens before you leave
the car, always stop.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
Look Luck.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Brought to you by Nitza and the AD Council.
Speaker 6 (01:36):
The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be.
So we ask kids, what do you want your parents
to hear?
Speaker 7 (01:44):
I feel sometimes that I'm not listening to I would
just want you to listen to me more often and
evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success.
Speaker 8 (01:53):
We're not adults, so just just be there and like, listen.
I just want someone to yap too, and I just
feel like I'll be fine. Like if someone just cares
me talk and talk and talk and talk and talk.
Speaker 9 (02:05):
And talk and talk. You're doing a really good job.
And I don't think that's so.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
I don't know, and I know sometimes we get into it.
It's just hard on both of us.
Speaker 9 (02:16):
But I'll try to understand me more and I'll try
to do the same. Listening is a form of love.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
Find resources to help you support your kids and their
emotional well being. A sound it out together dot org.
That's Sounded out together dot org. Brought to you by
the AD Council and Pivotal.
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Well.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
At one time, low interest rates and relatively easy credit
made homebuying easier for most, but since the pandemic things
have changed dramatically. Will it ever improve?
Speaker 5 (02:46):
CEB has.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Senior business analyst Jill Slessinger took a look at the
state of the housing market and has some thoughts.
Speaker 10 (02:52):
Housing is such a sore subject because somehow or other,
the idea of owning a home has become synonymous with
the American dream. You know, the reason that the housing
market exploded was sort of this weird COVID confluence of
people really wanting more space and mortgage rates being really low.
People left a lot of the central cities and stopped
(03:13):
renting and said, oh, I could buy a house, and
this is great, and we thought that, you know, there
was a whole generation of people who would never buy homes,
and of course they would, it would just be about price.
So price is up over the last five years by
forty five percent median home prices. That's incredible in five years.
At the same time, mortgage rates basically doubled in those
five years, which means housing affordability stinks. Now, the good
(03:36):
news is that house price increases have slowed down. You know,
we have seen the market kind of settle in a
little bit. It doesn't look like a crazy hot hot market.
It looks like they're no longer. I mean, of course
there are some, but the general theme is not like
there's massive bidding wars. Houses are basically selling for about
(03:56):
two percent under their list prices nationally. Okay, so I
know your neighborhood could be different. So this could be
a moment everyone take a deep breath where maybe you
are actually going to be able to crack into the
home buying market.
Speaker 11 (04:12):
You have to run the numbers to do it.
Speaker 5 (04:13):
You know.
Speaker 10 (04:14):
I know I'm so boring when I say these things,
but it doesn't mean that you have to. I'm just
saying you might be compelled that, like, hey, maybe I
can do this now. And if that's the case, make
sure you run the numbers. Talk to all your friends
own homes and let them tell you. Oh, you know what,
I'd rush to buy a house and I didn't realize,
like maintenance really stinks and it's a pain in the
(04:34):
neck to own a home.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
And Jil says, you don't have to stretch yourself when
looking to purchase that new home.
Speaker 10 (04:39):
You know, I have a young woman, like a twenty
seven year old who ran this research. Her name is
Kyla Scanlon, and she said, you know, she's my generation.
All I keep telling them is, you know, if you
just take the money that you would have had for
that down payment, so it's a four hundred thousand dollars house,
that eighty thousand dollars or whatever, forty fifty sixty eighty
thousand dollars, if you that money over the long term,
(05:01):
if you've got money freed up, that's not going to
your roof for your fixing up and your property taxes
and all. If you take that money and you actually
put it in your retirement account, you're gonna gather up
a lot of money.
Speaker 11 (05:13):
Now. I know that some people just want to buy
a home. I get it.
Speaker 10 (05:17):
You can be a little patient, let the market settle in.
There's no reason that you have to get caught up
in a frenzy. And just to be clear, you don't
want to put yourself at risk either. If it's risky,
if you're stretching. You know, people, oh, my parents stretched
and when nineteen sixty and now their house is worth
ten times more. Okay, that was a different time. We've
just seen prices go up by forty five percent in
(05:40):
five years. You don't have to stretch. You can still
find a way to find some like peace of mind
to say, I.
Speaker 11 (05:47):
Don't have to stretch right now, I'm putting money in
my four oh one K. Life's good.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
We're hearing from CBS News senior business analyst Jill Slessinger,
who is talking about the state of housing post COVID.
You can read more at jillnmoney dot com. So will
we ever see interest rates at say three point three percent?
Speaker 11 (06:03):
I think it's highly unlikely.
Speaker 10 (06:05):
The thing is, when we had these low mortgage interest rates,
just think anywhere between say two and a half and
three and a half like those numbers, even four that
was really extraordinary, and it was because the Federal Reserve
had interest rates basically at zero because we were in
a crisis.
Speaker 11 (06:20):
I'm not rooting for a crisis.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
That's that is still a chance we could get two
interest rate cuts.
Speaker 11 (06:26):
I don't know if we're going to get two cuts.
Speaker 10 (06:27):
We'll see there's a real unknown hanging over the economy
right now. Right so tariffs, will they slow down economic growth?
Economic growth was already slowing down this quarter first quarter
of this year. But are these fear of the tariffs
slowing people down? Are people scared? Are they not spending
as much money? How long do tariffs stay in place?
Maybe there's not going to be the big announcement on
(06:48):
April second. Maybe the tariffs are going to be more targeted.
So all these things play into what happens next.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
That CBS News Senior Business Analyst Jill Slessinger and you
can read more at jillnmody dot com.
Speaker 12 (06:59):
Coming out up.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Kentucky is no stranger when it comes to basketball.
Speaker 13 (07:03):
This tubmey y'ar.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
But could and I on the transfer portal be CUsing
fans to lose interest? I'm Scott Fitzgerald and you're listening
to Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 14 (07:12):
I never realized that I'd be taking care of a
two year old and a nine year old on my own.
I think men can be a little stubborn sometimes, where
pride gets in the way and they may want the help,
they may not know how to ask. With my traditions,
with the family support in line, and just with my
mind frame, I was able to turn a negative into
(07:34):
a positive. I knew I needed more tools on my toolbox.
To take care of these little girls that just lost
their mother. It's time for me to be that father
that I knew I could be. I think just being
that good role model as well. That model's good behavior
in front of them, going to work every day, coming
home and being able to put on that smile. The
(07:55):
biggest reward about being a dad is sitting back and
watching your kids be happy.
Speaker 15 (08:02):
Never stop being in dead. That's dedication. Find out more
at Fatherhood dot gov, brought to you by the US
Department of Health and Human Services.
Speaker 14 (08:10):
And the AD Council.
Speaker 16 (08:12):
Imagine home. The smell of coffee, the sound of a lawnmower,
the sun's warmth on your face, Free to be yourself,
surrounded by love that helps you grow. This is a
place to call home. That's an American dream we all deserve.
But in fifty percent of US states, you could legally
be denied housing if you are LGBTQ.
Speaker 17 (08:34):
Plus.
Speaker 16 (08:35):
Get the facts and hear real stories at Love Has
No Labels dot Com. Brought to you by Love Has
No Labels and the AD Council.
Speaker 11 (08:42):
Michael Eric Dyson for the Bail Project.
Speaker 18 (08:44):
Our founders drafted the Eighth Amendment to prohibit excessive cash bail.
They never meant for it to hold people in jail.
They knew excessive bail would create one system of justice
with the rich and one.
Speaker 13 (08:56):
For everyone else.
Speaker 18 (08:57):
But today cash bail traps people in jail before they've
even had their day in court. That's why the Bail
Project helps those who can afford it while fighting to
end cash bail because freedom should be free.
Speaker 7 (09:10):
Brought to you by the ad Council.
Speaker 13 (09:17):
Welcome back to Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
I'm Scott Fitzger. Leave little doubt that fans throughout the
Commonwealth love their college basketball, especially in March, but could
name image and Likeness or better known as NIL, have
others losing interest. Some fans are looking back at a
weekend of basketball they felt well short of anything resembling madness,
and somethink the NIL and Transfer portal era.
Speaker 13 (09:40):
Might be to blame.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
One fan even went as far as having a belief
that NIL is the very reason that Cinderella teams are
going to be even harder to come by in the future,
leaving some to think tournament expansion is probably a bad idea.
To back that up, consider this stat The net rating
is the measurement of a team's point differential per one
hundred possessions calculated by subtracting the defensive rating from the
(10:03):
offensive rating. Well it said. That said, going into this
year's tournament, the top twenty five teams had just one
loss in quads three and four.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Last season, there.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Have been nine losses between teams in those same rankings.
That leads many to conclude that the talent gap between
teams is expanding and will continue to do so in
an erawear cash for talent reigns. Supreme legendary Yukon women's
head basketball coach Gino Arima was asked recently how he
would fix an eel in the transfer portal.
Speaker 19 (10:32):
It's a test for do we keep the charade of
student athlete and amateurism or do we call it what
it is, you know, semi professional pay for play sports.
So either keep the charade of student athlete. You know,
teams wouldn't be going three thousand miles to play conference
(10:53):
games if it had anything to do with student athlete welfare.
That's number one. So we obviously through that in the
garbage can. So let's just call it what it is.
We're going to pay these guys to play basketball, lay
play football, or play them to play you know, any
sport at the university. And then let's be to make
it a business and figure out how do we manage
this business. Other sports have done it, pro sports, they've
(11:17):
done it. They sign kids to contracts, and you're bound
to your contract, and let's honor the terms of the contract.
Speaker 12 (11:24):
Let's do it.
Speaker 19 (11:25):
You already got kids, hold now right, you already got
guys playing and going. I ain't playing anymore until I
get more money. So we've become professional sports. Let's say
it and let's act it, and let's stop the charade
the portal. How about we teach kids how to make
a commitment and stick to it. All right, I get it.
You want to leave, fine, leave no penalties. How many
(11:47):
times you get a chance to leave? No penalties? Coach
can leave any time he wants, I can.
Speaker 12 (11:53):
I have a buyout.
Speaker 19 (11:54):
That's a great idea. Let's sign kids to contract and
let's put a buy out it. Let's make it a business,
because that's exactly what it is that would fix it.
And let's have a salary cap, which I think is
just twenty percent, you know.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Whatever it is.
Speaker 19 (12:08):
I think that's what it is. Right, So they're getting close,
but they got to start calling it what it really
is and not be ashamed of it. The kids aren't
ashamed of it. Hey, you student athet You an amateur?
Yeah I am, but you get paid a lot of money.
I know, let's not.
Speaker 9 (12:25):
Talk about that, but I like it.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
What is the future, halt, No one really knows, but
one thing is for sure. It's not going away anytime soon.
And like bourbon and horses, you can bet basketball fans
in the governt while the paying close attention. Coming up,
it's boys high school basketball sweet sixteen weak and we'll
take a look at the history of this historic institution
with the guy who's been to many I'm Scott fitzgerald A.
You're listening to Kentucky Focus.
Speaker 20 (12:50):
My name is Sadiyad. When I arrived in the US
at nineteen, I struggle to find job opportunities without my
high school diploma. My entire life changed when I took
a chance and got my high school diploma at age
twenty two. Everything I have, my education, my career, my marriage,
I owe to the Adult Literacy Center and my teachers.
(13:10):
They were with me every step of the way, helping
with my English and man making sure I pushed through
all the challenges.
Speaker 18 (13:18):
Adrielle, your success proves that what I'm doing as a
teacher has real meaning.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
It was an honor helping you achieve your greatness. Now
you're helping others achieve theirs. It inspires me.
Speaker 20 (13:33):
Education was the key that unlock all my opportunities.
Speaker 21 (13:37):
When you graduate, they graduate, find free and supportive adult
education centers near you at Finish your Diploma dot Org,
brought to you by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the
AD Council.
Speaker 17 (13:48):
Talking about guns with others might not always feel comfortable,
but it could save a life. Here's a way to
start a conversation. Your family is going over to your
neighbor's home for dinner the first time. How would you
ask if there are any unlocked guns in the home.
Speaker 12 (14:05):
Hey, hey, we're so excited for it tonight. Before we
come over, ask a few questions.
Speaker 21 (14:11):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 12 (14:13):
Do you have any pets, Yes, we have a dog. Great.
Do you have a pool outside? Nope, just a big
old backyard. Nice. Another question, are there any unlocked guns
in the home?
Speaker 9 (14:28):
Are guns restored securely locked in a safe that the
kids can't access? Oh?
Speaker 12 (14:34):
Awesome? Yeah, now, let's just talk about what we can
bring for dessert.
Speaker 17 (14:40):
Learn how to have the conversation at agree to Agree
dot org. A public service announcement brought to you by
the AD Council.
Speaker 14 (14:48):
The Native Community's big for me. Makes me feel good
to pass on our Rapo traditions. My kids love going
up to the sundance. I like to tell people the
Sundances about family. It's about the tribe. It's not just
about the dancer. It's kind of like life as a
sun dancer. I'm just one spoke in the wheel. I
need my family there, I need my role models. I
(15:10):
need my people there, especially my children. No coming in
that door, my family is ready to see me, and
they believe in me. Before I'd never seen that from
my people. But now when I walk in that door
and I see those smiling faces and they're happy to
see me, that's special. With my four kids, all I
(15:31):
ask for them and wrap a ways is health and happiness,
nothing more and nothing less.
Speaker 15 (15:38):
Never stop being a dad. That's dedication. Find out more
on fatherhood dot gov. Brought to you by the US
Department of Health and Human Services and the AD Council.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
We're joined by the Great Dick Gabriel, the legend, the
broadcasting legend here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky on the
Sweet sixteen weekend. And there's no greater authority on the
Sweet sixteen than a man has called so many of
the games himself.
Speaker 13 (16:00):
He is Dick Gabriel.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
Dick, how are you, buddy?
Speaker 13 (16:03):
I'm good, Scott? How you doing?
Speaker 5 (16:04):
Very good?
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Great to catch up with you before we get into
the Sweet sixteen talk.
Speaker 22 (16:07):
What's Dick Gabriel up to nowadays?
Speaker 23 (16:10):
Well, actually working to Sweet sixteen this week for the KHSAA,
obviously keeping an eye on the ENSA Tournament, Kentucky Baseball,
just whatever comes down the pike, producing my radio show
here in my garage every day.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Look at you going strong for sure? Well, Dick, it's
so great to hear your voice again. Now tell me
the boys Sweet sixteen. It's ranks some legendary status here
in the Commonwealth. What is your greatest memory of all
the Sweet sixteens you've called?
Speaker 13 (16:37):
Wow, that's a great question.
Speaker 23 (16:41):
Probably Paul Andrews hitting a shot from like seventy five
feet away they give Laurel County to win.
Speaker 13 (16:49):
I want to say it was eighty three. Yeah, I
have to look that up.
Speaker 23 (16:52):
But you know, I was working at for a radio
station here in town, and we thought we were heading
for overtime at North Heart and it was already a
really good game. But he threw that shot in and
immediately you think that's a heck of OI to lose
a game.
Speaker 13 (17:08):
But man, you talk about drama.
Speaker 23 (17:12):
I mean, there have been so many, but it was
just a stunning, stunning shot.
Speaker 13 (17:18):
I don't know if it'll ever be topped.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
We're talking with the great Dick Gabriel who joins us now.
Of course he's called many a Sweet sixteens in the
past on this Sweet sixteen weekend, talking a little bit
about the history and what the Sweet sixteen means to
the commonwealth. Dick talk about the environment inside Roperina. When
you get these sixteen teams together, Can it be matched
like anything else in high school sports?
Speaker 23 (17:39):
I doubt it, because very few tournaments are are formated
like this anymore. And it depends on who's playing, obviously.
If you've got a couple of small schools. Danvil Christian's
got seventy eight kids in a school, you know, And
I've covered the girls' tournament too, and they had a
nice crowd because fans and family showed up.
Speaker 13 (17:58):
But you go back to the early eighties.
Speaker 23 (18:01):
I know I'm going back aways, but when Mason County
started to show up, when Vergie brought everybody in town
to rupp Arena, I mean there were people hanging from
the rafters when Mason County the running gag was last
person out of the county turn off the lights. It
was just something that was phenomenal. The first rupp Aerna
Sweet sixteen Scott was nineteen seventy nine. Dirk Minifield, mister Basketball,
(18:25):
had signed with Kentucky or committed from Lafayete High School
and they had one of the best teams in the country.
And again that place was packed every night because people
wanted to see the future Wildcat but also wanted to
see Lafayette play. And it turned out Lafayette didn't disappoint
it won the state championship. So it just depends on
what schools are there. But the great thing Scott is
(18:46):
there's walk up. You know, people who may not have
a team to root for, they just show up because
it's a great event.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Right did Gabriel joins us now in the Sweet sixteen
week talking to us about the history of the Sweet
Sixteen and what it means. I'm sure there's some folks
that come in from maybe the rural parts of Kentucky,
maybe the other side of the state, that have only
seen something like Roperena through games on TV or heard
them called through radio. And when they finally get to
what really is a mecca of college basketball for fans
(19:14):
here in the Commonwealth, what's their general reaction when they
see it for the first time.
Speaker 23 (19:18):
That's a great question, because you're right, there are folks
who just are Kentucky fans, let's face it, and have
only seen it through the prism of television cameras. So
their chance to come in and just walk around. And
you know, I've talked to people who have had that experience.
And I grew up in Louisville. Man, I love going
to Freedom Hall and watching the Sweet Sixteen there.
Speaker 13 (19:39):
And this was before the renovation.
Speaker 23 (19:41):
That's old, I am and once they renovated it, it
was even better.
Speaker 13 (19:45):
Of course, that's what renovations do.
Speaker 23 (19:47):
But for some reason, and I never understood why people
just didn't show up the way they do it reperina
and quite frankly, the parking is so much easier around
the old Freedom Hall than it is Reperena. But I
do believe it's because of people's allegiance and loyalty to
the Wildcats and they just want to get in Reperena
because at least back in the day, it was almost
impossible to get decent tickets. Now, so you can go
(20:10):
to the Sweet sixteen and sit right up front watch
great basketball.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
We're talking to legendary Dick Gabriels called many a Sweet
sixteens in the past. He obviously has the call this
weekend as well. What will turn out to be a
great tournament? And Dick, speaking of players that were born
and raised here in Kentucky, went to Kentucky, went to
one of the local schools. Now we're in this day
and age of NIL and the transfer portal, and we've
seen changes underway in Lexington. I mean, who thought we'd see,
(20:36):
you know, coach John Caliperry and Arkansas gear or even
the former Kentucky player Mark Pope back to coach his alump.
What is is there any answer to nil or the
transfer portal and how will that affect Saint Kentucky basketball
moving forward?
Speaker 23 (20:52):
Well, that's a big question for a guys sitting in
his garage and lexon, Kentucky.
Speaker 13 (20:55):
But they do need guardrail, Scott.
Speaker 23 (20:58):
I mean, and you know, I saw a quote somebody
said this was the worst rule implemented or whatever. But
I always go back to, at least on my show,
who didn't see this coming?
Speaker 11 (21:09):
Yeah?
Speaker 23 (21:09):
I mean when these rules were announced, when when the
portal more than anything? And and I but when the
portal opened up or the concept of it, first words
out of my mouth were, what about tampering?
Speaker 20 (21:21):
Uh?
Speaker 23 (21:21):
You know, because that just opened the way for that uh.
And I said, it's it's the end of college sports
as we know it. And unfortunately, now with all the
big money that's going to be coming from the schools
to the athletes and these dollars thrown around, you're going
to see and you're already seeing it, programs dissolving, programs
going away, are dropping from D one to D two
(21:42):
because schools can't afford this.
Speaker 13 (21:44):
And now I.
Speaker 23 (21:46):
Think, sadly we're going to have a super conference. And
what has made March I worry for March madness. Everything
is driven by the college football playoff. I worry for
March Madness. Anybody I think living in Kentucky or Indiana
does too. They're going to screw this up if we're
not careful. But they may have no choice if they
go to.
Speaker 13 (22:05):
A super conference.
Speaker 23 (22:06):
John Caliperry several years ago was talking about having the
then five conferences with a total of sixty four teams coincidentally,
have their own tournament.
Speaker 13 (22:17):
Everybody's in, everybody.
Speaker 23 (22:18):
Plays, And I said, John, what about the Cinderellas that
aren't going to get a chance to show up? And
it stumped him and he thought for a second. He said, well,
maybe they can have their own tournament and then winners
can play a.
Speaker 13 (22:27):
Blah blah blah. That's terrible, but they've got to figure
this out.
Speaker 23 (22:31):
But the problem is, you've got one hundred and twenty
schools playing football, you've got three hundred and thirty schools
playing D one basketball. How do you get everybody going
in the same direction. Because that's what the NCAA is.
It's not a bunch of people sitting in Indianapolis. It's
the membership.
Speaker 13 (22:47):
It's the schools.
Speaker 23 (22:48):
They decide on everything together, they vote on everything together,
but they just can't get it together when they have
because everybody has a different mission and they're all going
in different directions.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah, you're right, You're absolutely right, well, said Dick Gabriel,
legendary broadcaster, spending a few minutes with them talking about
the Sweet Sixteen and the future of college basketball. And
when you look at what you just mentioned there this
separation of powers. Do you think from what you've seen,
because you covered this a lot, do you think this
impacts all this expansion talk we've had at the NCAA
(23:22):
men's basketball Tournament.
Speaker 13 (23:23):
Yes, sadly, it's a money grab.
Speaker 23 (23:26):
It will be, and part of it is there's a
victim of its own success. I truly believe that, for instance,
the SEC getting so much better in basketball, and so
many schools investing money in facilities and head coach of
salaries and assistant coaches salaries in recruiting budgets. I firmly
believe it's because when the NCAA Tournament began to really
(23:49):
grow in.
Speaker 13 (23:49):
Front of our very eyes.
Speaker 23 (23:51):
And in a backhanded way, you can thank ESPN for this,
because ESPN made a bid for it, and I kept
an eye on this because for the longest time I
worked for a CBS affiliate here in we were scared
to death.
Speaker 13 (24:01):
We were going to lose the NCAA tournament.
Speaker 23 (24:03):
Our station and all the CBS stations that are interested
in basketball make a lot of money around nca tournament time,
obviously with pregame and postgame specials and adjacent spots and
all that stuff, you know the drill. But ESPN made
a run at the tournament, offered insane money and said
we've got all these channels, we can put every game.
(24:24):
We can go to the OHO and put games on
the air instead of restricting what viewers are seeing. That
forced CBS to partner up with TBSTNT True TV.
Speaker 13 (24:35):
Now we get to.
Speaker 23 (24:35):
See every game everywhere. And I firmly believe that presidents
and chancellors, we're seeing the George Masons of the world
moving on getting all that publicity. You know, it's the
front porch of the university sports. Why aren't we doing that? Well,
it takes money, and so now they've invested, and everybody wants.
Speaker 13 (24:56):
To be a part of that. So how do we
appease everybody? Let them in? And all that does is
dilute the product.
Speaker 23 (25:02):
Let's have more teams involved, and you know what, that
gives you an extra weekend or two of mediocre basketball.
Speaker 13 (25:08):
Don't screw it up. It's my message.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Hey man, Dick Gabriel preaching the gospel, that's for sure. Dick,
I know you're a busy guy, especially this time of year.
We're looking forward to your calls at the Sweet sixteen.
We're looking forward to all your coverage in Lexington. You
are a broadcast legend here in the Commonwealth and we
all thank you for taking time.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
To join us.
Speaker 13 (25:25):
My friend, my pleasure brother.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
Again, a big thank you to Dick Gabriel. Appreciate you
as always my friend. We're back to close things out
after this.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
The more you listen to your kids, the closer you'll be.
So we ask kids, what do you want your parents
to hear?
Speaker 7 (25:41):
I feel sometimes that I'm not listening to I would
just want you to listen to me more often and
evaluate situations with me and lead me towards success.
Speaker 8 (25:50):
We're not adults, so just just be there and like, listen.
I just want someone to go too, and I just
feel like I'll be fine. Like if someone cause Newtomic
and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk
and talk.
Speaker 9 (26:04):
You're doing a really good job. And I don't think
that's so.
Speaker 5 (26:07):
I don't know and I know sometimes we get into it.
It's just hard on both of us.
Speaker 9 (26:14):
But I'll try to understand me more and I'll try
to do the same.
Speaker 6 (26:19):
Listening is a form of love. Find resources to help
you support your kids and their emotional well being a
Sound It out together dot org. That's Sounded out Together
dot org. Brought to you by the Ad Council and Pivotal.
Speaker 22 (26:32):
From ABC News Tech Trends. Robots are getting in on
March Madness.
Speaker 24 (26:36):
We just thought it would be fun to have the
robots do something a little out of the ordinary, take
a break from writing handwritten notes to writing brackets.
Speaker 22 (26:44):
David Wax is the CEO of Handwritten, a company that
develops robots designed to replicate human handwriting.
Speaker 24 (26:50):
Then go online, design your own card, choose the handwriting style,
or choose your own write that note, include your own signature,
include a gift card, stamp it and mail it.
Speaker 22 (27:00):
But this month they're using the robots to fill in
March Madness brackets with the help of different AI large
language models.
Speaker 24 (27:06):
And we're kind of comparing AI providers on who they
think is gonna win the bracket.
Speaker 22 (27:11):
And like any good office pool, there's a prize involved.
Speaker 24 (27:14):
Taking the bracket they've generated and we've taped it to
the rack they're on. And then the little joke is
if the robot wins the bracket, it will get moved
to the higher shelf where it's gonna sit there and
write out hand rid notes.
Speaker 22 (27:25):
Anyway, Wax says, you can see how each robot is
doing on the company's website with tech Trends. I'm Mike Debuski,
ABC News.
Speaker 12 (27:35):
I get lost in the music. I'm like to isolate
each instrument, the rhythmic base, the harmonies on the piano
with sticky melody.
Speaker 9 (27:46):
Hey, hey, hey, care for bad there's someone crossing the street.
Speaker 12 (27:51):
Sorry, I didn't see them there.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
If you feel different, you drive different.
Speaker 14 (27:56):
Don't drive high.
Speaker 13 (27:57):
It's dangerous and illegal everywhere.
Speaker 11 (28:00):
A message from NITZA and the ad Council.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
And that's a wrap on this week's Kentucky Focus. Thank
you CBS and your business analyst Jill Slessinger for talking
to the state of home sales in twenty twenty five
with us, and if you want to read more, simply
visit Johnbunny dot com. Also, thank you to the legendary
dig Gabriel for taking some time to talk high school hoops.
It's always nice to catch up with Dick and we're
certainly going to keep nine not only on high school hoops,
(28:25):
but of course that nil. As we all know, fans
in the Commonwealth of Kentucky love their basketball. For all
of us here in Kentucky Focus and the Kentucky News Network,
I'm Scott Fitzgerald saying, make it a great weekend. We'll
talk to you next time on this Kentucky News Network station.
Speaker 25 (28:42):
If only life had a remote control, you could pause
or rewind little well, life doesn't always give you time
to change the outcome, but pre diabetes does. Take the
one minute risk test today at do I have prediabetes
dot Org brought to you by the AD Council and
it's pre Diabetes Awareness Partners.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Here's the deal. We've got to set up ourselves up. See,
retirement is the long game. We gotta make moves and
make them early. Set up goals, don't worry about a setback,
just save up and stack up to reach them. Let's
put ourselves in the right position pregame to greater things.
(29:18):
Start building your retirement plan at This ispretirement dot Org,
brought to you by AARP and the AD Council,
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