5.23: Weekend Ready H2

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
All right, two more hours left before we get out
of here.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
For the weekend. I'm sure for many of you the
weekend has already started. If so, hell yeah, salute. We
were out on Monday. I'm assuming most people are aware
of that. If not, now you know, So after we
wrap up the show today, we'll be back on Tuesday,
and then it's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm going
to see. I don't I don't have a whole lot

(00:25):
of confidence that they'll be able to make this happen.
And it really won't be anybody's fault. It's just you know,
kind of how things are. But I'm going to see
if I can get the show on the road at
some point next week to you know, just have a party,
as it'll be the last week for me here at
seven ninety and if not, we'll still have a party
here via the airwaves. But I am going to try

(00:47):
to see if I can make something happen, and if so,
I'll let you know as soon as I can, and
maybe you can come out and and you know, celebrate
with us. I don't really know what we're celebrating. I mean,
it's actually kind of sad be honest with you, I'm
gonna miss being a being a part of the station.
I've been a part of this station for over nine
years now, and it still doesn't seem real that I'm
not only going to be able to make the move

(01:08):
to eight forty whas and step in for Tony Cruz
who's retiring, but it also doesn't seem quite real that
I've been able to do this for as long as
I have, and it's been a lot of fun. Really,
you know, not to overdo it and be you know, dramatic,
but it really has been a dream for me, and
I am going to make the most of these last
these last shows that I have and again reminder, I'm

(01:31):
not I'm not I'm not moving away. I'm not really
going anywhere other than just down the hall and up
your radio dial right seven ninety to eight forty.

Speaker 1 (01:40):
It's just just.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Really one station up. I don't know if there's a
station that's AM that's between seven ninety and eight forty.
I'm as I'm going to assume that there's not. But yeah,
I hope a lot of you will be able to
join me in the mornings and still be able to
get a little bit of what you get here not
going to be the same thing, certainly, but I'm sure
there will be some nonsense here and there in a

(02:01):
good way. Maybe I shouldn't say that. Maybe they'll change
plans and not give me the opportunity, so I'll just
shut up, all right. It's Coffee and Company we are
feeling about Thornton's. If you are a member of their
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(02:23):
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get gas once per week and that usually is enough
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I'm getting twenty five cents off, and that's I mean,
that's who would pass that up. I know that may
not seem like a big, a big amount of money
as far as savings to you, but I bet it

(02:43):
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(03:06):
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Speaker 1 (03:10):
All right, So the.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
College football offseason content is in full force right now.
We've talked a lot about that throughout the last couple
of weeks. The CBS Sports College Football Coaching Rankings as
they rank power coaches from sixty eight. From one through
sixty eight, Jeff Bromp came in at number seventeen, Mark
Stoops at number thirty six, Kurt Signetti was inside the
top twenty five as well, And then we also talked

(03:33):
a little bit earlier about the Pro Football focus. Running
back rooms is what they describe it for those who
don't really understand what that means. Your running back room
is just your running back position, meaning how good you are,
how good your running back room is meaning how good
you are top to bottom at that position. And Louisville
came in at number four, which isn't a big shocker.
Considering the two true freshmen last year both coming back,

(03:55):
Duke Watson and Isaac Brown. I know Louisville has continuously
done well in the portal this new world, but getting
guys back is just as much, if not more valuable
than who you can bring in via the portal. And
I probably shouldn't say this, but it's just the truth.
It's just my honest opinion, and I'm glad I was wrong.
But if you'd have told me towards the end of
last season that Louiville would be able to bring back

(04:17):
both Duke Watson and Isaac Brown, who clearly could have
got a lot of money elsewhere, and I'm sure they
got a lot of money here and they deserve it,
but they also probably could have I mean Duke Watson specifically,
I mean he's already behind a guy as far as
reps and production as a true freshman to where it
would just think I think most would assume like he

(04:38):
could love Louisville, he could have a big offer as
far as money, which he probably did, and it wouldn't
have shocked me if he decided to leave, because you know,
he wants to be the guy and look who knows
maybe he is the guy this year and he steps
ahead of Isaac Brown. Who knows how that shakes out.
But both are proven to be really good running backs,
and I think getting both the them to come back

(05:00):
and not leave else to go elsewhere for maybe a.

Speaker 1 (05:03):
Bigger payday or a bigger role.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
That speaks to the culture that Jet Brohm has in
place right now. And again, getting a new weapon, a
new player I should say, not a weapon, but a
new player in the portal rather it be basketball, football, whatever,
it's really exciting because it's new and it's you know,
it's somebody that you know, you hope can really really succeed.

(05:26):
But sometimes getting good players back is a bigger deal
than anything, and Louisville has been able to do that.
I mean, there have been some guys that did leave
in the portal that I didn't want to leave, and
that's just where we are right now in college athletics.
But getting Watson and Brown back certainly a big deal.
But what I want to look at now is the athletics.
Stewart Mandel's then want to put this together the top
twenty five college football programs of the two thousands, so

(05:49):
really the last twenty five years Louisville, Kentucky, nobody locally
came in. And the reason I bring this up is
because I'm just curious where Louisville may may have fallen
if they went to thirty, like would they be in
the top thirty. And it doesn't look as if I'm
scrolling through here at the Athletic it is behind a paywall.
But I do have a subscription here to The Athletic.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
Not to brag.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
I mean it's not like it's you know, but it's
worth it. I say that to let you know you
should sign up and subscribe to because they do really
good work.

Speaker 1 (06:20):
But they have the top.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Twenty five, and again Louisville's not in it. But when
you look at twenty through twenty five, at twenty you've
got Boise State. They have an eighty percent win percentage.
Since two thousand, they have been ranked as high as
number two. They have no losing seasons, and they have

(06:42):
spent forty three point three percent of the last twenty
five years in the top twenty five. They have eighteen
top twenty five wins. They have four top ten wins
and thirteen conference titles and four BCS Slash New York
six New Year's six Bowl games, not New York New
Year's Sorry, I saw in why and just said New

(07:05):
York apologies. So at number twenty one is Oklahoma State.
They won sixty three percent of their games, They had
four losing seasons. They spent forty seven percent of the
of the last twenty five years. In the top twenty five.
Utah is at number twenty two, Iowa is at twenty

(07:25):
three with just two losing seasons, Washington is twenty four,
and Michigan State is twenty five.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
I'm not going to run through all the.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
Numbers for each of those five, but when it comes
to Louisville, they're winning percentage in the last twenty five
years is let me see, I just had it pulled
up sixty seven point five. That's pretty good. In fact,
as you can tell, that's better than some of these
teams that are ranked in the top twenty five. So

(07:53):
my gut as far as losing seasons, how many losing
seasons as Louisville had, I'm gonna guess they've had in
the last twenty five years. Since two thousand, I'm gonna
guess they've had eight losing seasons and I'm just completely guessing.

Speaker 1 (08:09):
I could be way off.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
Let's see if And by the way, this is the
power of chat GPT because you can simply put this
in there and they'll tell you which. By the way,
I'm embarrassed how wrong I was. Louisville's only had four
losing seasons in the last twenty five years two thousand
and eight, two thousand and nine, and then twenty and eighteen, which.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Was Bobby's last year. That really was a bad, bad year.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
And then in twenty twenty they went four and seven,
was probably one of the more underwhelming years based off
of what expectations were. That was the year where Louisville
was coming off of the first season of sadderfield. They
went eight and five with that win against Mississippi State
and the Music City Bowl brought back a lot of players,
and Sat was hyped, as you know, I mean, he
won ACC Coach of the Year in his first year,

(09:00):
you remember, and then obviously never really took off after that,
and in fact, his worst season was his second season
where they only played ACC teams along with that one
game I think it was against WKU. So when it
comes to what Louisville could have done to get in
the top twenty five. I mean, they have four losing seasons.

(09:22):
The only teams in the ranked twentieth through twenty five
that have less losing seasons is Boise State, who I mentioned,
And I'm just going to say it like they're not.
It's hard to look at them the exact same way
that you look at everybody else. Now you can also
say the same thing about Louisville. You got to keep
in mind a little it and enter the Big East until

(09:42):
what two thousand and five. I think it was so
those first four years of the twenty of the two thousands,
Louisville was in Conference USA, although Conference USA wasn't great
and also wasn't terrible. In fact, I think you could
make the case that it's better than what Boise He's
played in the last couple of years. Maybe I'm wrong.
A long time ago so I feel like we could

(10:05):
have been in this top twenty five and it would
not have been viewed as like how the hell they
put them there? And again maybe I'm biased in saying that.
Now we don't have actually do we have any conference titles?
I mean we have I'm sure the Conference USA titles
in the late years of Louisville's time there top ten wins. Again,

(10:27):
when you look at the criteria that would have left Louisville,
it's got to be top top top ten wins. It's
got to also be maybe the percentage of the weeks
that you've been ranked. But I feel like if Stuart
Mandel was to give us top thirty, Louisville would have
to be there. Maybe I'm wrong again When it comes

(10:49):
to BCS in New Year's Eve, New Year six Bowls,
I mean, you've got the two BCS Bowls, and then
I guess, really that's it because you didn't play in
and you haven't played in one since the Sugar Bowl.
But also you look at you know, you look at
other teams. I mean, Iowa only has three, Oklahoma State

(11:10):
has three. So I guess that's probably where you really
fell short of those that just made the top twenty five.
Is that? And by the way, I'm gonna I'm gonna
guess that Louisville also does not have have that many
top twenty five wins. I mean, I can think you know,
and again what what you never know? And it's a

(11:30):
very important factor when you talk about ranked wins wins
against the top twenty five some people. I feel like
most people count if you played them and they were
ranked and you beat them, and they then that that's
what counts. But I mean, you could also get credit
for beating a team in Week three that was ranked
in the top ten and get a top ten win,
and that team might finish three and nine. And if so,

(11:53):
what did you actually like? What did you actually accomplish?
So says your Louisville In the last since two thousand,
Louisville has let's see, they beat West Virginia, Wake Forest,
NC State, Notre Dame, So yeah, that would probably that

(12:19):
would probably be one of the factors that that that
kept you out. And look, who knows what they would
have done had they played a lot more ranked teams.
But I think in your time in the in Conference USA,
in the Big East and in the ACC even like,
you really haven't played that many ranked teams. So here's

(12:40):
what's probably likely. Would Louisville have more ranked wins than
they currently have right now had they played a tougher schedule, Yeah, probably.
They also probably wouldn't have the sixty seven point five
winning percentage though, So look, lou I feel like, I
have no identity crisis when it comes to Louisville football,
and I've been pretty content for many years. I know

(13:02):
some people get mad when you see empty seats at
the stadium.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
And what happened with Louislle football.

Speaker 2 (13:07):
We got thrown in the microwave. I mean we did
we were. I mean when Tom took over Tom Jurch,
I mean that was around the time where Conference USA
was about to kick us out of the league because
of just how bad football resources were. Obviously, they were
independent for a long time, and clearly Schnellenberger didn't want that.

(13:28):
He wanted to or he wanted to stay independent. He
din't wanted to join the league, which was a big
factor in him leaving Louisville. But nonetheless, we went from
being a team that played in a baseball stadium that
almost got kicked out of Conference USA to.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
I guess.

Speaker 2 (13:45):
I mean, there was many winning seasons since that happened
before we got to two thousand and four. But in
two thousand and four, I still maybe this's just a
kid in me because I love watching that team, and
I wasn't I wasn't a little kid. I was, I guess,
like a teenager at the time, but Louisville's two thousand
and four team still feel like that was Louisville's best
team they ever had. I know a lot of people
would say, how could it be? They played in you know,

(14:06):
Conference USA, and you know, the schedule wasn't great, and
you're right, there's really no way to know. But I
watched that team and they were really, really, really special,
and that was a conference championship.

Speaker 1 (14:20):
By the way.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
They went eight to zero league play and the only
loss they had was of course that loss at Miami
when Miami was you know, the U Legitimately that game
in October of twenty twenty four felt just felt just
I mean that had you won that, I mean, you
would have been undefeated, and you probably would have still

(14:41):
been on the outside looking in when it comes to
a chance to play for the BCS National Championship because obviously,
you know, you were in Conference USA, but you had
them beat and that team had how many NFL players.
It's gonna make me sad going back thinking about that.
But nonetheless, I feel like if we did get a
top thirty, Leisvelle would probably appear so where between twenty

(15:01):
six and thirty. But as far as the most successful programs.
It's hard for me to say I totally agree with this,
but it's also hard for me to look at the
numbers and say that this is incorrect. But stru Mandel
has Ohio State at number one because they have three
national titles, nine Big Ten Conference titles, thirty nine Top

(15:24):
ten wins, only one losing season, which I'm not even
sure when that was. That had to be around the
time that Tressel was on his way out or something.
So he's got Alabama number one. I'm sorry, Ohio State
number one, Alabama number two, and Oklahoma number three, Georgia
number four, LSU number five, Clemson is at number six,

(15:44):
Oregon is number seven, USC is eight, Texas is nine,
and Florida is ten. And I would say just judging
from the comments at the Athletic and just looking at
the comments on Twitter, I would guess that Oregon is
probably the most controversial, which I don't know. It's like

(16:05):
it kind of reminds me of Gonzaga, and maybe they're not.
Maybe it's not a great comparison, but like Gonzaga, not
as much now, but for a while they were clearly
in the top tier of the college Basketball world. They
just hadn't broke through and won a national championship. So
I understand if you don't want to put somebody as
a top tier program until they've actually broken through and

(16:27):
won at all. But I mean, they were right there
and you know, just fell short a couple of times.
But Oregon, they don't have a national championship, but they
have been to ten BCS New Year six Bowl games,
They've won eight conference titles, all those being in the
Pac twelve. So I really don't have much of a
problem putting Oregon number seven. But again, if you do,

(16:51):
I can't say I'm surprised. All right, let's get to
a quick break. We'll come back on the other side.
Something that came out. I believe that they see the
last week of the week before, which was just really
exciting news. And I can't wait for the NBA to
return to NBC. But Michael Jordan is going to be
a part of the NBC coverage of the NBA, which
will just be so nostalgic for somebody like myself. And

(17:13):
I kept thinking, Okay, this is awesome. I'm not complaining,
but man, what's making Michael Jordan want to emerge from
the background. He's never he's Michael Jordan. He's never going
to be you know, off the radar and unknown like
he's Michael Jordan. But he's really been in the background
in every aspect since he stopped playing basketball. Right He's

(17:35):
owned an NBA team, but he's not real visible. You
don't hear from him a lot. He doesn't do much
of anything. He stays to himself. He's heavily involved in
like NASCAR and whatnot. So I kept thinking, Okay, wonder,
I wonder what made Jordan decide to do this, given
the fact that he could have done this at any
time and he never did. What's changed things now and
we now have the answer. We'll talk about that next

(17:55):
Right here on Sports Talk seven ninety. It is four
thirty two here on a Friday afternoon and coffee and company,
fueled by Thornton's. We're halfway through and then we're out
of here for the long weekend, the holiday week and
hopefully everybody has a good weekend, stay safe and enjoys themselves.
So the Michael Jordan addition to the NBC NBA coverage

(18:17):
was I feel like one of the biggest surprises we've
had in I guess broadcast additions, right, like former players
celebrities are really just you know, broadcasters. You know, I
feel like it was kind of a big deal. Maybe
I'm just nerding out on it because you know, I'm
a nerd for sports broadcasting or whenever the whenever the

(18:39):
was it the NBC crew that essentially got traded to
Monday Night Football. Either way, it's it's not important, but
Michael Jordan really doing anything on camera on Mike is rare,
and he's never needed to because he's printing money. I mean,
he's a billionaire. Obviously, he's throughout his career which ended

(19:01):
long ago, that he's I mean, he's the best basketball
player of all time. So he's never, to my knowledge,
shown any interest in doing anything when it comes to broadcasting.
But whenever NBC announced that he was going to be
one of their contributors to their coverage and sort of.

Speaker 1 (19:16):
What that looks like.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
He'll be in studio, I think he may do some
stuff at games. You know, I was excited, certainly, not complaining,
but wondering what made Michael Jordan want to do this?
What made Michael Jordan decide that he, you know, wanted
to be a part of covering the sport that he
is probably the best that's ever played it. And it's

(19:38):
money again, He's he's certainly not in need of money.
I wouldn't imagine. I mean, I don't know his spending
habits or his lifestyle, but he could spend a lot
of money every day, an insane amount of money, and
probably still not run out because you know, he's Michael Jordan.

Speaker 1 (19:54):
But there are some new details.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
That have emerged in regards to the contract that NBC
offered him, and they're gonna give him forty million dollars.
He has become the highest paid sports analyst in history,
and it's not really a surprise. That's you know, that's
that's how you that's how you get Michael Jordan to
decide to do something that he's probably never wanted to

(20:16):
do and may not even want to do now. But
you know not, I mean, how many people are turning
down forty million dollars to do anything. I mean, I
say that tongue in cheek, but forty million dollars can
have you considering doing things you would never do, I'm sure.
And this is Jordan just you know, talking about the
game that he clearly knows and loves, and he could be.

(20:39):
Here's here's what's so different about Jordan than anybody else.
I think, because he's been away so long, we've all
like the Jordan we think of, meaning people like my
age who are old enough to remember him playing. And
obviously there's people older than me that remember him playing.
And if you're younger than me, maybe you do remember.
But I feel like my age range is right around.

(21:00):
Like I was pretty young during his heyday with the Bulls.
I was under ten years old or right around ten
years old whenever he got finished with his tenure with
the Bulls. So I'm very lucky that I have the
And again, it's weird for me because, as I've talked
about a lot this week, I'm a big Pacers fan,
but Jordan was Jordan, So I pulled from my Pacers
when they would play against Michael and the Bulls in

(21:21):
the Eastern Conference finals or the Semis whenever we got there.
But like, it was impossible I think for kids to
not like Michael Jordan because he was Michael Freakin' Jordan.
So forty million dollars, I mean, it's probably something that
was hard for him to turn down because again, forty
million is a lot to anybody. But it's not like
he's having to do something that's considered you know, painful

(21:43):
or a lot of work. I mean, he's Jordan. Therefore,
I think he could show up and by every aspect
as far as how we judge and evaluate who is
good and who is not at broadcasting, Jordan could do
whatever and we're going to say it's great because he's
Michael Jordan. That's just that's the effect that someone of
that status can have. And while we're talking about Jordan,

(22:04):
this is another story that I wanted to mention, so
his longtime agent, David Falk, He was, I think doing
an interview with the Sports Business Journal recently about the
goat debate, which is a never ending, really stupid debate.
And I shouldn't say stupid, because it's not. I mean,
if you go back and forth and you know, you

(22:26):
debate folks about it, or maybe you just debate yourself
internally thinking about who you consider the goat, Jordan or
Lebron or maybe somebody else. I mean, it's really just
there's no way to prove it.

Speaker 1 (22:38):
Like some of.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
The most I shouldn't even say controversial, but some of
the most talked about, and I guess, I guess they're
called debates, I suppose, but it's really just your opinion,
it's your preference. There's no official way, there's no scientific
way to determine who, in fact is the best at
really anything. I mean, obviously there's there's some real obvious

(23:01):
results that do factor in, and both of these guys
have a lot of rings, right, I mean, that counts.
They've also I mean, no matter how you look at it,
both Jordan and Lebron are, in my opinion, the top
two based off of what most would assume are the
most important factors in how you determine this rings. Obviously,

(23:24):
Jordan's got more, but Lebrons has plenty, and individual accolades,
they both have a lot. I mean, they've both been
insanely successful. But I do think David Falk again, the
former agent of Michael Jordan, when he was asked about it,
he made a pretty obvious observation that for me really

(23:45):
kind of not that I've ever really debated it. I've
always felt like Jordan was the best of all time,
and I think you can have the best of all
time and a guy that I think is the most
talented of all time. I think Lebron James is the
most talented athlete I've watching any sport. And that's just
my opinion. Clearly, I'm sure there's many of you that
don't agree, and I'm content with that, I understand. But

(24:07):
I just think as far as what he's been able
to do at the age that he is now, how
long he's been able to do it, and the fact
that he's a physical specimen, I mean, like, I think,
I think Lebron James is the most talented athlete I've
ever watched in anything. But I think Michael Jordan is
the best basketball player I've ever watched, just because of
his accomplishments, his competitiveness, and clearly he's pretty talented too.

(24:30):
But this quote, really, I think, does make it to
where it's hard to claim that anybody could say Lebron
had a better career, at least as of right now.

Speaker 1 (24:41):
Quote.

Speaker 2 (24:41):
This is from David Falk, again, the former agent of MJ.
I really like Lebron, but I think if Jordan had
cherry picked what teams he wanted to be on and
two other superstars, he would have won fifteen championships. We'll
never know but I can't say that that's a wild
thing to say. Maybe it's just my childhood, my era.

(25:02):
But like in the nineties, there were a lot of
really really good players. In fact, I believe there are
NBA players who are legends, but they don't have many,
if any rings to show for it because at the
time they were at their best and the franchise they
played for was in their window of potentially winning an

(25:23):
NBA title. They had to face Michael Jordan and the
Chicago Bulls. Now, clearly Jordan had some help, but the
older I get and this is just my opinion alone,
Jordan benefited from good players, including Scottie Pippen, but they
also benefited from Jordan being on their team, you know,

(25:44):
taking away attention from them because everybody had to focus
on Jordan. Phil Jackson is a great coach, but I
think also Phil Jackson, you know he I mean, he's
he coached the team.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
That was built by is it Jerry Krause?

Speaker 2 (26:01):
Is that his name? The former GM of the of
the Bulls, which, by the way, the Last Dance documentary
was a really great watch.

Speaker 1 (26:07):
But that what I.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Learned that I had really no awareness of it all
in watching that ten episode documentary was that you know,
Jerry Krouse built the Bulls. He built the nineties Bulls.
That was, of course, you know, the best dynasty I've
ever seen in basketball. And what was his downfall is
that he wanted to break it up because he wanted

(26:31):
to show that he's the factor in their success.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
And it's you know, he is a GM in sports.

Speaker 2 (26:38):
I think you have to you have to understand that
it's a pretty self it's a pretty I don't say selfless,
but you're never gonna be the guy that's on billboards
in your market. You're never gonna be I mean, you
may be a guy that, like, people won't even know
you when you walk into the room, but you built
the team they cheer for. Because gms a lot of
times aren't really in More often than not of a

(26:59):
GM is out in front of a fan base a lot,
and they're talked about a lot within their fan base.
That's usually because people are complaining about them and they
want them byed. Now again, if you have a good
GM and things are going well, clearly people know who
you are as far as your name, and you get credit,
but never to the extent that players and coaches get

(27:20):
and I think you just have to you have to
be able to accept that. And I think Jerry Krause
is somebody that was so badly bothered by the fact
that everybody thought that that great phenomenal dynasty that was
the nineties Bulls was Jordan and Phil Jackson, and it
was those guys were clearly a part of it. But
you know, he built it, and that's why he wanted

(27:41):
the Bulls run to come to an end because he just,
you know, he wanted to move on from Phil Jackson,
and you know, that thing, it just it could have
gone on for many years longer. Maybe I always give
this guy a lot of credit because I'm not comparing
the Warriors in their run, their dynasty to the Bulls,
although some probably would. I wouldn't, But it's just me.

(28:04):
Bob Myers. You now see him on television. He's part
of he's part of ESPN's NBA coverage. He's a studio
analyst and does a good job. But Bob Myers is
the GM that built the Warriors and drafted phenomenally with
Steph when others passed on Steph. By the way, Draymond
a second round pick, Klay Thompson. I mean, I don't

(28:28):
know if he deserves all the credit, but hey, he's
the GM and he got it done. They pulled off
signing Kevin Durant away from the Thunder, but he was
somebody that like a lot of people, even the NBA
fans that aren't necessarily big Warriors fans. They may not
know Bob Myers if he walked into a room, but
yet he's the one who kind of put it all together.

(28:48):
So anyways, back to the conversation about the goat, I
think Jordan clearly benefited from having good players around him.
But imagine if you put Jordan alongside Shack in the
Orlando Shack, or maybe he had a big man like

(29:09):
a Keem or even Ewing for that matter. I mean,
no offense to the to the big fellas that played
for the for the Bulls in the nineties, Will Purdue,
Luke Longley. I mean, they had good players. And I
was about to say, well, and those guys didn't do
anything after Jordan, but that's not really fair because back
then players didn't run the league. Players didn't just up

(29:31):
and leave all the time like they do now. Players
have so much control, and I like to believe that
back in my day when I watched the NBA as
a kid growing up watching it in the nineties on NBC. Man,
it's nostalgic thinking about it, but I like to think
that they were just built different to where there was
never it was such a competitive thing, to where there

(29:51):
was never any thought about, hm, we fell short in
the playoffs, let me go join this team that just
beat me. I like to believe that they were just
build different. They were so competitive they would never do
it ever. But I don't know. Maybe if the league
was then what it is now as far as players
having all the power, all the control, maybe they would have.

(30:12):
I don't know, but you probably didn't need any added
factor to determine Michael Jordan as the goat over Lebron,
because I still think Jordan, probably, especially people my age
and older, they just they're always going to probably side
with Jordan more often than not. But it doesn't make
Lebron any less of a great player. But you know,

(30:34):
if Lebron stayed in Cleveland throughout his entire career and
just had to deal with you know the way it
was back then, where you know, you could make trades
and you had free agency, But really rosters were mostly
built by who you drafted and developed. If Lebron never
left Cleveland and he had as many rings as he

(30:54):
does now, I think it would be a different conversation.
But he obviously bailed on Cleveland after not being able
to get him a ring, went to Miami, and Miami
Lebron was scary. That was when I think Lebron was
actually at his very best kind of embracing a villain role,
I think, for the first time in his career at
a young age. Then of course he realized, oh yeah,
I'm I'm not mister popular right now. People think I

(31:15):
was a real scumbag for the decision and how that
played out. But he got a couple of rings in
Miami and then obviously got the one in Cleveland won
the bubble ring in LA. But had he stayed in
Cleveland the whole time and he had four, he probably
still wouldn't be viewed as the goat compared to Jordan,
because some people are just gonna never look at anybody

(31:38):
being better than Jordan as any possibility. But I do think,
you know, if Jordan was bouncing around, I mean again,
maybe this is just the kid in me thinking about
Jordan in the nineties, I feel like if Jordan could
pick a different team every few years, whoever got him
was going to win a title. I mean, that's just
the way I's That's how I remember Jordan and just

(31:58):
how dominant he was. Believe it or not, he did misshots.
He wasn't perfect, but he was special. And he's gonna
make forty million dollars to talk about the NBA next year,
and I'm looking forward to to to to. I mean, again,
as I said a moment ago, he could be terrible,
but I don't know if I would even notice it
because he's Jordan.

Speaker 1 (32:15):
It's Michael Jordan.

Speaker 2 (32:17):
All right, quick break, we'll come back and wrap up
the four o'clock hour as we take you up till
six o'clock before we get out of here for the
holiday week, and keep it locked right here on Sports
Talk seven ninety. If you've listened to this show even
a little bit, you probably know that I'm not somebody
that really keeps up with baseball a whole lot. But
even if you don't keep up with baseball really at all,

(32:38):
there's certain teams that are on such a great streak,
having such success that it's at least on your radar
because you follow sports and you're gonna hear about it.
The same thing could be said for teams that are really,
really bad, and that's what's happening with the Colorado Rockies,
who are eight and twenty four, I'm sorry, eight and

(32:58):
forty two to start this season here in their first
fifty games. That, of course, is one of the worst
starts you'll ever see in baseball. In fact, it's the
worst MLB start in one hundred and thirty years. And
as somebody who, again not a baseball guy, but I
do you know, I love sports, and I'd like to
think I'm at least pretty knowledgeable when it comes to

(33:21):
sports in this city, in this area. I did not
know that there was ever an MLB team in the
city of Louisville. Am I the only one that didn't
know that? I can't be the only one? Right? Maybe
I am? But apparently back in let's see what year

(33:42):
was it. It was a long, long, long time ago,
but this is the worst start in Major League Baseball.

Speaker 1 (33:49):
Eight and forty two.

Speaker 2 (33:50):
Since looks like nineteen I'm sorry, not nineteen, It was
since eighteen ninety five. In the Louisville Colonels. They started
seven and forty three. That's worse, of course than eight
in forty two, so we still have that. I mean,
I was gonna say going for us, but I didn't.

(34:11):
I literally didn't even realize that there was a Louisville
Colonel's baseball team. And it's probably because again, it was
a long long time ago. I didn't even realize Major
League Baseball has existed this long. But the Colonels they
played in the American Association of the MLB, and they

(34:32):
were in existence for ten years from eighteen eighty two
to eighteen ninety one. And yeah, they weren't very good.
I'm looking here at old like pictures. I mean, again,
I probably shouldn't admit this, but like, I didn't even know.
I mean, I didn't know anybody was playing baseball in
the eighteen eighties. But it's America's pastime, right, I guess

(34:55):
there's a reason they call it that. But yeah, the
Louisville Colonels started seven and forty three and eighteen ninety five,
which is the worst fifty game start still, so they
hold that record, and the Colorado Rockies just ahead of
them at eight and forty two. Yikes says here that
the Rockies are on pace to lose one hundred and

(35:17):
thirty six games this season, which would pass the eighteen
ninety nine Cleveland Spiders, who were twenty and one thirty four.
That was the most losses ever by a Major League
baseball team.

Speaker 1 (35:30):
So there's that. All right, let's do this.

Speaker 2 (35:34):
Let's go ahead and get the tables set here for
the five o'clock hour. A lot I want to run
through before we get out of here for the weekend.
We'll let you hear what Mark Pope had to say
when he was talking with Matt and the KSR crew
about Pat Kelsey, because I think it's just more evidence
that you're really going to have to force it if
you want there to be a rivalry between the coaches here,

(35:55):
because I think Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey really just
have that much respect for one another. I have no
issue with that because for me, it's really all about fans.
Fans are what makes rivalries great. Because we are fans.
Forever coaches players they come and go. We'll never get
it to the level it was with Rick and Cal
and that's just something that we all need to accept.

(36:17):
But Mark Pope. You know, he tried to really exaggerate it,
but he you know, he respects Pat Kelsey, and Pat
Kelsey respects him. And it's not even that they respect
each other, because I think even between like believe it
or not, there's probably a respect level between cal and Rick,
but they also just hate each other. These guys, they

(36:37):
don't hate each other. Also, we can take a look
at the first school at least that I've seen from
the power level that has come out and said, because
there's going to be revenue sharing moving forward in college athletics,
they're going to have to trim their athletic department. And
you've got Oklahoma in the SEC for that matter, laying

(36:58):
off staffers, and I would imagine and they won't be
the only school to do that. And then also at
some point I want to try to get to these
anonymous quotes from SEC football coaches about Kentucky's upcoming season,
which I would imagine, regardless if you're a Kentucky fan
or not, with these coaches in the league have said
about Kentucky in this twenty twenty five season. For Mark Stoops,

(37:18):
it probably probably won't surprise you. And last, but not least,
we may start off the five o'clock hour with this,
but with high school coming to an end for a
lot of people, in fact, I know there's a lot
of graduations going on. In fact, I think some have
already taken place. There are some senior pranks that are
making the news, and I think, if you're really really delicate,

(37:44):
a fine line, I should say, as far as a
senior prank being just good enough to wear, okay, not controversial,
not dangerous, probably something that would be against the rules,
but it's a senior prank, so everybody's cool with it.
And then there's some that have just like what are
you thinking, Like, yeah, that's that's a prank, I suppose,
but you know it's also illegal. So we can get

(38:06):
into all that. We'll finish strong here in the five
o'clock hour. It's coffee and company. Feel about Thornton's right
here on Sports Talk seven ninety