11.11: SALUTE - Hour 4

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
People, including yours, truly about when the game is being played.
It's too early, it's during the week, it's before the
football game. It just feels, it feels off, but we
can't do anything about that. The days here, I'm ready
and I hope you are ready too, because it's going
to be round two between Pat Kelsey and Mark Poe,
Louisville hosting Kentucky in a matchup that really turns a

(00:21):
lot of us into lunatics for a couple of hours
when this game is going on. And maybe I'm including
more people to make myself not feel like I've got
such an issue, but I think you know what I mean.
This game is just different and we have no control
over it. Right, We have no control over the outcome.
We'll be pacing, sweating, there'll be nerves and anxiousness throughout

(00:44):
your workday on a Tuesday, but we're not actually competing
in the forty minute game. And for most this will
not have any impact on our livelihood, regardless of who
wins and who loses. But it's all about the bragging rights,
and the stakes are high when it comes to bragging
rights within this state, within this city specifically, because there's

(01:05):
so many on both sides that coexist together. Louisville fans,
I mean, their program is back to life again. The
future is bright, but you also have to start pulling
some weight in this rivalry. There's no doubt about that.
And seemingly there's no better time to take advantage of
that than now. Because you've got a good team, you're
at home tonight, You're favored now. Kentucky fans. Mean, while

(01:26):
they're used to winning in this rivalry, right, they've got
some confidence that is deserved. They've been really successful, but
it is a new era and they're not a team
every year that's just going to have dudes that you
can't account for. Right the John Calipari NBA factor, NBA
factory is relocated, and even if cal is still here,

(01:48):
it'd be tough to assemble some of the rosters that
he used to just because college basketball has changed a lot.
But nonetheless, this is a new era still and it's
only here two between these two coaches, and I'm ready.
I wish they could start it right now, because the
rest of this day, once I wrap up the show
and I move on with my day, I'm just going
to be probably pacing I'll try to do some things

(02:10):
to keep myself busy to not think about it. But
this is me being very transparent with you that I'm
a lunatic for this stuff, not to where I'm gonna
act out of character and do something stupid. But I
watched this game alone for good reason, not by myself,
but not in public. My wife, my kids, my dad.

(02:31):
That's usually the crew that I have when the game's on,
because you just you never. I mean, it's not like
I'm going to do something that would get me in trouble,
but you know, I also wouldn't act that way in public.
But I've always made the argument that this rivalry in
Louisville is different than anywhere else, and I think it's
for obvious reasons, because there's so many Kentucky fans and

(02:53):
Louisville fans in this city and there's no other city,
no other place where you have that balance in that
many of us, and that is just generated so much animosity,
so much passion within the rivalry. That's the nice way
to put it. I don't want to say hatred, but

(03:14):
I guess at a sports level it is hatred. But
we all go to work together. Some of us live
with somebody. We're married to somebody that's on the other
side of the rivalry, and you live with them every day,
and we all care about college basketball around here. So
it's just different here because again, there are people right

(03:34):
now at work that when they go get something out
of the fridge and the break room, or maybe they
make a trip to the bathroom, they're going to see
somebody that they know is on the other side, And
I don't know what kind of dialogue those two will have.
Might be trash talk, might be Hey, we usually exchange pleasantries.
Not today. We don't need to discuss it. We don't
need to look at each other. Today's a day where
we just we move on about our day and we

(03:56):
wait till tomorrow. And I've always argued that the emotion
that comes with this from a fan standpoint, feels great
when you beat him, and it really hurts and it
sucks when you lose to them. I think the stronger
emotion is the loss. You you want to win more
so because you just want to avoid what it feels

(04:18):
when you come out on the losing end, and also
you don't want to have to I mean, like there'll
be people that dread going to work tomorrow because they
gotta they gotta face the music, and they gotta you know,
they gotta deal with the obnoxious fan on the other
side that's able to kind of rub it in your
face that their team won. So I wouldn't have any

(04:39):
other way. Some of you are listening and I'm and thinking,
this guy's this guy's absolutely off his rocker, Like this guy, Look,
we like sports, but this guy is he's a lunatic.
And You're right, and at least I'm admitting it. At
least I'm honest with you. That's that's that's what this
this rivalry does to me. But back to what I
said a moment ago, Louisville has to start pulling their weight,
and I think there's no better time to start doing

(05:01):
that than now. But easier said than done. Kentucky's a
good team, and I don't think anybody's gonna be stunned
if they come out with a victory tonight, because again,
they've got good players, and I think it's a fairly
even matchup now for Louisville. I think right now it's
clear they've got a strength when it comes to three
point shooting that Kentucky has yet to show. That's I
think the early talking point from Kentucky is that up

(05:23):
to this point they play a style that's going to
generate a lot of three point shots, but they've not
shot it that well overall. Doesn't mean they won't get
hot tonight. Wouldn't shock me if they do. As far
as Louisville, they've got a lot of depth, They've got
a lot of weapons, and they shoot the ball well.
Now on the on the front court, you've got some
guys adjusting to the college game at this level. Sinandra

(05:44):
Fru also big z Zugris, the big fellow that comes
off the bench for Louisville that does brand new to
the college game. You know, they they they up to
speed enough to where they can they can do what's
needed in the front court. On the Kentucky side, they've
obviously got some experience, some good players all over. I mean,

(06:04):
both teams are viewed to have a lot of depth,
and who knows the rotations just see tonight as it's
the third regular season game for both teams. May be
different when you get to later in the month of November,
certainly when you get to conference play. So again, eight
o'clock tonight, and should be one of the best atmospheres
you've seen at the m Center for a basketball game

(06:25):
in quite some time. And that's expected when you talk
about a rivalry matchup, which by the way, is one
of the biggest rivalries in all of sports. And yes,
I said that in all of sports. So right now,
Louisville favored by last I checked, it was yeah, still
at four and a half. So it opened up at
Louisville minus three and a half at DraftKings. Now it
is Louisville minus four and a half, all right, So

(06:47):
real quick. When it comes to the argument about the
best rivalry in college basketball, I know that Duke and
Carolina will always be the default, first choice for most people.
And I really can't say that's wrong. I can't say
that that is that that is that that is incorrect,
because they've got more national championships collectively than anybody, and

(07:11):
they've been super competitive with each other throughout. And what
I mean by that is, I think it was a
few years back. If you if you add it up
the total from every game they've played from like a
thirty year window, it was tied, meaning you take the
total the final score that Carolina had and Duke had
I mean that that just speaks to how competitive it is.

(07:34):
And again they're both two of the best programs of
all time. Louisville and Kentucky can say the same thing.
But if you're going duo, clearly Duke and Carolina would
have the edge. But what makes a rivalry fans? Fans,
That's what Rivalry is not created without fans, especially around here.
Players come and go, coaches come and go. This is

(07:54):
forever to us, and this game will be viewed as
likely a value will win on Selection Sunday for whoever
gets it tonight. If things play out the way both
teams expect, this will be a game when you get
to your seed line on Selection Sunday. There's value there.
So I don't want to act like it means nothing.
But if you lose, it doesn't really hurt you because

(08:15):
you're losing to a good team. It's not a conference
game either, has no impact on where you finish in
your league. So what's really on the line to night.
It's for the fans. It's the bragging rights Carolina and Duke.
They play twice a year. I'm sorry, I think that
kind of doesn't make them a less awesome rivalry. It's
just when you play twice, it's different. There's not as

(08:37):
much on the line in game one because you've got
game two to make it up. This is it. This
is just one chance these two teams play. It's early
in the season more often than not, very early this year,
of course, and it's just for bragging rights for fans
to hold their head up, chest out a little bit
more for an entire year if their team wins. And
I just think the fan element, especially here in Louisville,

(09:00):
that is where that is my biggest piece of evidence
that I would use to make the claim that if
you really understand that rivalries are all about fans, that's
why I think this is the best rivalry in college basketball.
But again I understand most would see that as me
being very you know, being biased. But also I can't
say that Duke and Carolina is not a great rivalry.

(09:22):
So tonight eight o'clock ESPN. If you have YouTube TV
and you've just not watched sports because you don't typically
watch sports unless it's a big time game like this,
you don't have ESPN, so you might want to make
arrangements and figure something out, all right, Traving a weather
updates on the way. We'll get to a sports update
with Scott Fitzgerald before too long. Also, Rory O'Neil's set
to stop by at about eight thirty five, so stick

(09:44):
with us right here at news Radio eight forty whas