11.12: Respect the Rivalry - Hour 3

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Every time I check back in on social media, mostly Twitter,
I see different images or clips from the celebration from
Louisville last night, Pat Kelsey and his team getting a
big win over their rival, and it was nice to
see from a Louisville fans perspective, a group that understood
the significance of this game. They came ready to play.

(00:23):
They were the more physical team. I think they were
the more aggressive team, and that doesn't always mean you're
going to end up winning, but Louisville really was better
overall from start to finish. That's not to say that
if the game's played again, you couldn't get a different result,
but Louisville a couple of different instances where the lead
got up to eighteen and twenty points, and credit to

(00:45):
Kentucky for still hanging around, still fighting, getting it to
I think is as low as a four point lead
in the second half, and again Louisville continued to leave
the door open for them with a bunch of misfree
throws late. I think it was six or seven consecutive
miss at the line, and still Kentucky couldn't couldn't quite
get themselves in a position to where they were going

(01:05):
to tie it up or take the lead in Louisville
holds on to win, and uh, what an atmosphere, what
what a what a what a great great look it
was for the city of Louisville and really this rivalry.
If you tuned in to watch anywhere, it was noticeable
that that place was juiced. And if you didn't already know,

(01:26):
now you know we are college basketball crazy around here
and last night was a good sign of that. But
back to the pictures and video clips, I'm seeing, Uh,
Pat Kelsey dislocated his finger during the celebration. I guess
that's just what comes with it. Don't know exactly how
he did it, but uh, he had a he had
he had a splint on it. Uh, and you can

(01:48):
see it almost looks like it's broken because of the
bandage and and and what he's got wrapped around it.
But there's a picture of Donovan Mitchell with his arm
around him as a different players man. Josh Hurd is
just to the left of Donovan. So this is actually
on the Louisville men's basketball Twitter kind of you haven't
seen it yet, but what a night for Louisville fans.

(02:10):
Been a long time coming. This is just a step
in the process of making this a more competitive rivalry,
and I think we will see a very competitive rivalry
moving forward, because I think both programs are in great
shape with Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey. But again, Louisville fans,
it's nice to not only get a win, regardless of

(02:30):
how you get it done, but to see your team
just again look like the better team. This moment wasn't
too big for anybody. And Louisville has lost this game
over the years a lot of different ways. They've also
at times lost and it's a tough pill to swallow,
but it's just the truth. They've lost this game more

(02:51):
often than not because they just play a Kentucky team
that's better. Not every game. I can think of a
couple of games specifically that Louisville was there, had the
better team seemingly and they just they couldn't get it done.
But when John Calipari was in Lexington, when his teams
that he was assembling, especially in his first six to

(03:13):
seven years, when they were playing well, playing close to
their full potential, it was gonna be tough for anybody
to beat them, no matter how good you were, because
that's just the type of talent that was in Lexington.
That's not the case anymore. Didn't mean Kentucky can't still
be good, And that's not even a knock on Mark Pulp.
College basketball has just changed a lot with the transfer
portal and with players now being able to be paid

(03:36):
and what you're willing to pay them has a big
impact on where they decide to go play. But I
don't know how. If you watched last night's game, you couldn't.
You couldn't come away with Louisville just being better at
every spot. And that's not again to say Kentucky stinks
all their players are bad, but when it comes to
guard play, Louisville should have the advantage over just about anybody.

(03:56):
They play. The duo, I guess, really the trio of
mckel brown Jr. Isaac Mcneilllye and Ryan Conwell's that's a
that's a tough group. You're talking about three guys that
at any moment can get five threes in a game.
And then mckl brown Junior is just a different kind
of player than we've had around here in a long time.

(04:17):
And last night as a reminder why it's important to
go get guys like that. He's here said than done,
of course, but he was somebody Pat Kelsey prioritized in
a big way and having him paid off big time
last night, because it was quite clear this guy has
so much talent and he's got all the tools, and
he's still a nineteen year old kid. I mean, he's

(04:38):
still very much raw and not even close to being
done developing physically. I mean, he's not a child, but
he's not far from it. So he's only going to
get better. And it was it was concerning to see
him struggle so much against Kansas in Louisville's exhibition game.
But that's why those games are valuable. You get it

(05:00):
chance to kind of see where you stand. And maybe
he got that out of his system, or maybe he
realized in that moment, hey, I'm playing too tight. Let's
let's just let's just play care free and go out
there and and and have fun. I mean, he looked
like he was having fun last night. It almost looked
like he didn't break a sweat. They kept mentioning that
over and over when they would show him throughout the broadcast.

(05:21):
Is you know they're getting a close up shot of
him on the bench or checking on him at the
free throw line, talking about his stat line and how
well he's playing, and it was Billis I believe that
couldn't resist in saying, I'm not sure he's broke a
sweat yet. And then in the front court that was
a worry for me. Not because I thought Kentucky had
a front court that that was just too much to handle.

(05:43):
But Louisville's very much just unknown. Right you haven't seen
extended minutes from Ali Khalifa. Sonny frew a big unknown
until last night. I think he could make the case
he might have been maybe right behind mckel brown junior
as far as just being somebody that was just very,
very valuable, and the stat line showed it. But it

(06:04):
was more than just that. He was the physical presence
that the Kentucky couldn't account for. I mean, he made
Diabate and especially Brandon Garrison look bad to put it,
to put it bluntly, so again Louisville making it a
more competitive rivalry, taking a step towards that process last night.
Louisville fans walking into work today, wherever you're going, feeling good,

(06:25):
chest out had held up high, and it's a good
feeling to have, and it's been a while since since
we've been in that situation. If you're a Kentucky fan,
you're now reminded of what it's like to come out
on the losing end. Still a team that's probably gonna
have a really good season, but certainly some issues that
are glaring at for last night's last night's loss, But again,

(06:46):
what a good look overall for this rivalry. And we
needed it and Louisville needed to do their part, and
last night was a big step in that. I became
a version of myself that I forgot about a lunatic
calling my dad with like four minut it's left. Well,
I'm just gonna go to bed. I'm not gonna watch
it because we're gonna lose. I mean, this is I
should have known. Just that's that, and I haven't been
I haven't been that that guy in a while. But

(07:09):
last night, with Louisville clearly looking like the better team
and having two big leads just disappear, I was. I
was unhinged. Also, I've got like two hours of sleep.
You think we think I went to sleep easily after
last night? You kidded me, But I'm riding high this morning,
I don't feel tired, because that's what this win does
for you if you're on the winning side of it.

Speaker 2 (07:29):
All.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Right, let's let's get a quick time out out of
the way. Trafficking weather updates coming up right here for
you at news Radio eight forty whas I'm seeing many
many fans reference the twenty two million dollars that was
reportedly spent on the Kentucky basketball roster, and that's that's
rivalry trash talk, right, because there were folks that reported

(07:52):
the Kentucky's roster not only was it twenty two million,
but it was the most that anybody spent on a roster.
And if you lose, that'll be weapon against you and
used his ammunition to make fun of you. Right, Wow,
twenty two million dollars, and that's what you get. And
I and I totally get it. I'm all for the
rivalry back and forth, but I also just think that's

(08:12):
gonna be that that's now a new element to how
we talk, how we talk trash to each other in
college sports, because now it's it's clearly a huge part
of it. And if you if you had great it's
almost just like having a preseason top five team. That stinks.
You know, you're supposed to be good and you weren't. Well,
you had this layer to it as far as just
money that's spent and the expectations are naturally gonna be

(08:35):
higher because that's that's a big investment for what you
hope is a big payoff, and the payoff last night
not there for Kentucky. But again, I still think they
can be a good team. They're gonna get Jaden and
Quayton's back and he'll he'll give them something. Although he's
not some he's not he's not a real weapon offensively.
He's just more of a physical presence. But he's physical,
athletic and a guy that has a lot of NBA

(08:56):
upside according to scouts. But they needed him last night.
That that is for sure. All right. It is Coffee
and Company, and we are field about Thornton's here at
News Radio eight forty whas real quick. This is something
that I can't say I'm surprised to see just because
the ones that are near me, I rarely see people
going there. But Wendy's is going to close hundreds of locations.

(09:17):
John Old, when's the last time you went to a Wendy's.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
Actually, I don't know if you've seen a lot of
their new advertisements for their new chicken tenders, but pretty recently,
because I wanted to try those and the thok they
are pretty good. They're good, They are pretty good.

Speaker 1 (09:27):
And chicken has taken over the fast food world and
it really has and I'm here for it.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
But before, but before all the ads that I've seen
for the tenders, It's probably been months since I've been
to a Wendy's.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
I have no I have nothing against Wendy's. I've not
had a bad experience. I wouldn't say that I don't
like their food. It's just one that easily get gets
just left out for me when it comes to if
I'm looking for fast food. Now again, I don't eat
a lot of fast food, and when I do, it's
usually one of two places. It's McDonald's Otaco Bell. So uh,

(10:01):
maybe I'm not. I'm not somebody that every day hits
a fast food spot for lunch to where I can
have a good a good amount of of data to
tell me which ones I like the most. But Wendy's
is just it's never it's never been in my in
my rotation, and I guess if I had to give
him any if if there was any specific reason for that,
it would be just because there's not really anything of

(10:21):
theirs that I think, Oh wow, that's again I don't
dislike it. But their fries. They've made changes over the
years and and I think the latest change they made
was a good one, but not enough to where I'm
I'm picking them over other restaurants. And the burgers are
good too, but again same thing, Like I just know
that I like a burger at McDonald's or even Burger

(10:41):
King better. But yeah, they're gonna, uh, they're gonna close
down a lot of locations. It says that the the
mids says mid the in the interim CEO is ken Cook.
He said mid single digit percentage of Wendy's roughly six
thousand US restaurants will close, So it looks like between
two hundred forty and three hundred and sixty locations are

(11:02):
going to close down following a four point seven drop
in same store sales and two point six global systems
declined last year. So that'll do it. That'll lead to
you downsizing whenever you're not getting the business that you
used to get all right, let's get to a trafficking
weather update, y'all. We also we've got a sports update
coming your way, so don't go anywhere. Keep it locked

(11:22):
right here. It News Radio eight forty whas. With about
five minutes left in last night's game, I looked at
my wife and I just said, with a level of desperation,
I'm not well. This isn't normal. I shouldn't. I shouldn't
feel this way about a basketball game that will really
have no impact on my life. But if you know,

(11:44):
you know, as the kids say, it's just different around here.
We are college basketball crazy. I think in Louisville specifically,
the rivalry is at its best because there's so many
Kentucky and Louisville fans that all coexist together. Some of
you are together right now at work, and one of
you is having a much better morning than the other.

(12:06):
Maybe somebody didn't show up. They were supposed to be
there at seven, they're not there. Maybe you find out later.
They called in took a PTO day because they just
they just needed a day to to to process what
it what it does to you when your team comes
out on the losing end. And I started to become
numb to losing to Kentucky, because let's be real, They've

(12:29):
dominated this rivalry for a while now, and Eopen Louisville
was really good. Final four good, National championship good, They'd
still find themselves more often than not losing to their arrival,
and it sucks. Kentucky fans reminded of that feeling today,

(12:49):
and I'm sure some are able to quickly move on
and say, well, you know, I guess they were due.
I guess I guess it's about time they found only
win one and make it more competitive. Those are the
things that you will probably hear from some Kentucky fans today,
and I don't fault them for saying that, but that's
just that, that to me, is a way of coping.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
Now.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
Any you know, I can't speak for anybody but myself,
but I always try to encourage folks to not not
be delusional. We don't need to hide how crazy we
are about this rivalry. We don't need to act like
it's not a big deal. It is. It's a big
part of our culture. It's it's what makes this rivalry.

(13:35):
And again, this state, this city known for college basketball,
and last night Louisville fans reminded of what it's like
to experience the win against your rival, and Kentucky fans
reminded of something that they haven't felt in a while,
especially when you consider, i mean, look at it this way,
the rivalry in the lack of competitiveness for quite some

(13:59):
time now. There's a generation of fans that really never
got to see it where it's both teams good, both
teams realistically able to see themselves winning this game and
having a good season. You know, Louisville won it in
twenty twenty, which was the twenty twenty twenty twenty one

(14:20):
season where they played with the glass barricades up because
of COVID and front of two thousand people at the
YOUM Center. I mean, that was a weird year, and
it counts you one, but that was that. That's such
a blur of a season overall. That's the year Kentucky
also went on to win like eight games. I think
it was in the year before that, though the last
time I'm sorry, Louisville won the game before that was

(14:41):
in twenty seventeen, which was a long long time ago.
So in a normal year where both teams are good,
and Louisville comes out on top. That last happened in
the twenty sixteen to twenty seventeen season when Donovan Mitchell
and Dingadel and Quentin Snyder were here, So that doesn't
seem like that long ago to me. But if you're
you know, if you are a nineteen twenty year old guy, girl,

(15:05):
think about how young you were when that happened. Like
the age range where you really get into it and
you become sick as some may say, hand up here,
I'm a sick oh for this. I just I there's
no way that I should There's no way that this
game should do to me what it does just just
being transparent with you. But when you develop sort of

(15:28):
that emotion, that'll stick with you forever, and it's a
special thing. I think it usually happens in that age
range that for again, people that are young adults, they
hopefully they were still able to enjoy and really embrace
being a Louisville fan. But you didn't get any real

(15:49):
payoff as far as wins over the rival, and who
knows how many more you get moving forward. But right now,
Louisville basketball last night was a moment for Pat Kelsey
to where the guy showed up and in year one
brought this program back to life in a big way.
What a turnaround it was. And in year two, different situation. Right,
You have expectations and last night was assigned was an

(16:13):
opportunity to show if those expectations are going to be delivered.
And look, it's your three games into the season, so
it's very early, but so far, so good for Pat
Kelsey in year two, and you could tell he and
his team knew what was on the line here, what
was at stake, and they played with that level of
intensity and it was it was nice to see from
a Louisville fans perspective. As for Kentucky, I just think

(16:38):
they played against a team that was better, better in
the front court, better in the back court. But what
can't be ignored, and I do think throughout our conversation
this morning about the game, it's been mentioned, but you
can't overemphasize the dud of a night from SEC preseason
player of the Year Otega Away. You know, I don't

(16:59):
think Kentucky went and got a guy that was wanted
by everybody, that was just a game changer when it
comes to the recruit to the transfer portal. They got
a collection of good pieces and they could still be
a very good team. I'm not acting like Mark Pope
went out and got a bunch of bums, but they're
not really star players. They can take over a game.

(17:20):
They can just go get you a bucket any minute.
And that wasn't necessarily needed because you brought back Otega
away right Getting him back is your biggest win of
the offseason. It is because if he hits the portal,
he's a top five player of the Portal. But he didn't.
He stayed, so you don't have the desperation to go
find a guy like him because you have him. But

(17:42):
last night, that was not the same guy that was
a big part of Kentucky's success last year. He was
almost unplayable at times. And I'm sure he'll bounce back
and look a lot better than he did a night ago,
but that is something to monitor because there's no doubt
about it. They were a better team when he was
not on the floor, and that's not a good recipe
for Kentucky if they're going to reach their potential. The

(18:02):
scenario where Kentucky's a Final four contender, I can't see
that being a scenario where he's not heavily involved in
a big time factor in that. All right, stick with us,
we got a lot more to get into. It is
a Wednesday morning, it is coffee and company, and we
are fueled by Thornton's right here at news Radio eight
forty Whas.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
It was a week ago today we.

Speaker 1 (18:23):
Were reacting to the tragic plane crash that took place
and took fourteen lives and the victims' families still going
through a process that I just cannot imagine what it's
like to go through set process and just just a
tragic situation all the way around, and the knowing that

(18:44):
the person, the loved one that you were looking for
that was unaccounted for, that you fear or maybe you know,
was in the area where the crash took place. That's
a scary, scary situation overall. But now that time has passed,
certainly seems as if those folks have been notified that
their loved one is presumed dead and will be one

(19:05):
of those bodies that the one percent to confirm the
identity of. But that process can be lengthy depending upon
just the type of injuries that each of these victims suffered.
But our partners over WLK why they talked to Mayor
Greenberg yesterday and here is the latest from him on
the families of those victims.

Speaker 2 (19:28):
You know, on Tuesday night, they were still in a
state of shock, which is totally understandable and normal. Just
lots of questions that at that time we could not answer.
We've been able to provide some answers since then. Hopefully
once they have finality of that final confirmation from the coroner,
they can then begin the healing process.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
So if you are needing help, do not hesitate to
reach out to the resources that are there. And they
have opened a new call center that's been launched for
those impacted by the And you could be impacted in
a lot of different ways here. It's not just losing
a loved one or losing somebody that you know the
impact that this can have on you just by being

(20:10):
near it or knowing that you were supposed to be
where this took place. But for just random things that
take place in life that you never even think about.
Some of those things can, as we know, they can
be the difference in you living or not. It's just
it's a crazy thing to think about. So again there's
all kinds of different ways you can be impacted and

(20:31):
be a victim in this, and don't hesitate to reach
out to somebody and talk about it if you need to,
because that can only help. But again, this new call
center is going to be open from seven am to
nine pm daily except on Sundays, and it's connecting residents
with assistance and counseling resources and whatever in whatever way

(20:51):
that they needed. So there's going to be a community
resource center open later this week that's going to provide
on site help for victims, families, and affected workers. That's
another layer to this is there's many many out of
work right now because where they would go to work
every day is forever changed. Or maybe they'll be able
to get back in it, just they haven't been able

(21:12):
to get back in yet because of the cleanup and
just everything that goes with the problem, everything that goes
into something like this, and a lot of us would
never know what, truly the process is for something like
this until it happens. And unfortunately, it happened here and
it's something we'll remember for a long long time. All Right,

(21:32):
let's get to a weather and traffic update. We've also
got a sports update coming your way. We are just
seven minutes away from eight o'clock, so you've got a
news update coming up as well. Stick with us as
we continue to do what we do here, keep you informed, hopefully,
keep you interested and entertained. And today we're talking about
Louisville beating Kentucky and getting this rivalry competitive at least

(21:54):
taking a step in that direction. All right, stick around
right here, it's news Radio eight forty whas