July 19, 2024 • 42 mins
Alyssa Lang joins Ryan, Drew, and Shannon talking TBT, sideline interviews, and SEC Football Media Days.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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(01:04):
here's Matt Jones all right, welcome back our number two. Ryan,
Drew and Shannon joined our special guest Alyssa Lang here
today and I'm only gonna give away the Kentucky branded
tweeted today. Okay, I'm only gonna give it, give it
away because it says, can we go ahead and book
Alyssa Lang to host every year? She's killing it? So
there you go. That's from keV Miller. So we got
your you're on you're on on the clock.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Well, I appreciate that y'all are doing the heavy lifting.
I am just happy to be along for the ride.
So I'm so happy to be here, genuinely.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I do.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I do, And did feel a little bit bad when
Matt Jones put out his tweet and said, Okay, who
wants to guest host this summer?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Who do you?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
And I have been kind of been asking Matt for
a couple of years now, when are you gonna have
me on KSR? We ran into each other at a
derby in uh at the Belmonts Takes a couple of
years ago when I was giving him grief, then when
are you gonna have me on KSR? And so I
publicly kind of called him out in response to that
tweet when I said, Matt, please stop making me bag
(02:01):
and so I feel like I sort of backed him
into a corner. But you know what, squeaky wheel gets
the oil and I'm here with you fine folks.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
So I'm happy that I did it.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Now, Matt just posted a picture and he's at sea.
He's on a boat. Is he driving the boat? I mean, well,
first of all, Alyssa, just to get him on a
boat I think is pretty big.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
No.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
And to let somebody else drive the boat that's pretty
big too. But somewhere Matt is.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
On the sea or a cruise ship.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I haven't seen this.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It's it's on his Instagram. He's been posting photos of
his entire trip on Instagram. It's it's really been kind
of cool to see these beautiful places he've been and uh,
some of the events he's been to you.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
He doesn't even have his floatings on.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Look at him, no white, no floaties. Wow, He's in
a boat somewhere. But he doesn't say way. He says,
I'm at sea. Does look nice? I'm very jealous, Alyssa.
Have you ever known anybody to get two months off
ten weeks get ten weeks off? At a time. Have
you ever known anybody that happened?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
It's so funny because when he tweeted, you know, his
kind of goodbye for the summer.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Hey, I'm out, I'm on my trap. I thought to myself, Man,
I want to be Matt Jones what I grew.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I'm in because I'm hat Media Days.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
This week and everybody rightfully so it's the unofficial start
to college football season. Rightfully, so everyone's going. So you're ready,
You're ready for the season to start. And I'm always
ready for the season to start. Don't get me wrong,
but it's been a really busy summer for me. Women's
College World Series to the Men's College World Series. I've
got some other opportunities just within ESPN and just been
(03:37):
traveling a lot, and then boom, media.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Days are here. I have yet to take a vacation
this summer, truly.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I did go with my future in laws up to
Ocean City, New Jersey, which I have a lot of
things to say, a lot of poor things to say
about New Jersey beaches ever since going for the first time.
If you want an add for me, you will not
get it. So I can't even count that as a vacation.
So I'm sitting here, long story long going, Yeah, I'm
ready for football season, but I need to take a trip,
(04:05):
and I a.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Two month trip. I mean, how do you pack everything
in in two months?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
You know, it's it's really gonna be tough for him
to get the relaxation that he needs within two months
of time off.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Well, you haven't been vacationing, but you mentioned you've been busy,
and I had this as one of the first things
I wanted to ask you today because two weeks ago
I turned on ESPN and there was one of the goats,
Linda Cone. They're right there at the Sports Center desk
where she where she's been since I was a child.
But Alyssa Lang was right there next to her, and
I thought that was such a cool moment for you.
(04:39):
Even did some hot dog coverage. But what was that
like sitting next to Linda Cone, who really paved the
way for women in broadcasting on Sports Center.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
She really did. It was surreal. I am kind of
glad that it was not my very first Sports Center
also alongside Linda, because going back to the very first
one I did back in May, I am I'm not kidding,
I really didn't even think I could get to this place.
But I was so physically nervous before that game started.
(05:10):
I felt sick. I felt like I was going to
be sick before that first Sports Center. It's just it's
so surreal, right like you said, we all grow up
watching it. It feels even being pretty close to the opportunity,
it always felt like out of reach. It's SportsCenter, I'm
i'm me, I'm mimn Sports Center. And then when it
finally happens, I'm sitting here going, oh my god, this
(05:33):
this is the pinnacle, This is the dream. This is
why we get into this business to be able to
have a shot at doing something like this.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
So I'm glad I got the first one under my belt.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Before then the hurdle of meeting the goat, Linda Cohne,
who was so much lovelier than I could have even
imagined in person. And that you guys know this from
being in media and being around a lot of folks.
Sometimes veterans who are the status of Linda Cohne aren't
(06:03):
always super nice, and especially when a newbie comes in
and oh.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
They don't know what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
They've only done a couple of shows, sometimes they're even
less nice to somebody in a position like I was
coming in into La.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
She was so gracious, she was so helpful, just such a.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Personable individual that it is genuine what you see on TV,
certainly when she's communicating her love of hockey and doing
these interviews. Sometimes people can turn that on and off,
but not Linda, and I just was so so happy.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
It was one of those do meet your hero moments,
and I was so glad that I got to do that.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I was actually texting with her yesterday because I'm hoping
that we have an opportunity to do some more coming
up together in the future. But I did have that
moment you mentioned the hot dogs where I'm cheersing a
hot dog with her before we get into the hot
dog eating contest highlights.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I'm going to saw that I just cheers.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I just cheers the hot.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Dog with Linda freaking Cone.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
So are like, I can die now, i can retire, now,
I'm good to go after this.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
So it was really really cool.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
You know, a pinch me moment for you? It was
Drew and I are going to have a pinch me
moment on Monday because they own the big star Myron
Metcalf is actually going to be here in Lexington and
host the show with us at ks Bar and Grill.
You got any good Myron stories we can get him on.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I don't have any good Myron stories. I've only kind
of talked to him in passing doing various radio. But
I will say the Kentucky connections just continue to run deep.
Because as I'm sitting here thinking about my my Sports
Center experience, there were two Kentucky moments that I sort
of had. So going back to the first one in Bristol,
I hosted with Michael Eaves.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Huge Kentucky guy, huge Kentucky fan.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Say my hometown, same hometown as Drew.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, same hometown.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
So we were sitting on the desk and Michael also
I can't say enough good things about him too, for
it being my first one and me being that nervous,
he was so incredibly kind and helpful, and I was
kind of saying, hey, we all little wildcat gamecock connection
here on Sports Center.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I think we need to make this happen more often.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I had some sort of close to home in
the SEC experiences there with Eves. And then when we
were getting ready for that July fourth show in LA
with Linda. The producer came to me the day before,
the producer of the Sports Center show, and said, how
would you feel about eating on television? And I'm kind
of thinking, like, does he know sort of my background
(08:28):
of some of the things that I have done on television?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Maybe he doesn't.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And I said, well, you know, expand because eating on television,
I'm like, I do that by mistake when We're coming
back from a break and I'm getting caught by a
camera like I might still be chomping on something. He said, well,
how do you feel about eating a hot dog on TV?
And I said, boy, do I have news for you.
I have eaten a banana with appeal on it on TV.
(08:53):
I have drank coffee with mayonnaise in it on television.
And it was funny because then one of the folks
who worked on the show turned around and went, oh
my god, that was you. And it was like, all
these moments that I feel like I've had with the
Kentucky fan base in Kentucky football all culminated in getting
ready for Sports Center and being like, yeah, I think
(09:13):
eating a hot.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Dog on TV is probably going to be pretty easy.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
For me at this point, while we're talking about your career,
I've always been interested in what it's like when you
go into a town. You know you're there for most
of the week before college football game, you're having meetings.
Use lectioning as an example. Say this Saturday, we're playing Tennessee.
What would that look like for you if you're coming
in to be the sideline reporter, and how the build
(09:36):
up to that goes.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So for my crew, Taylor's Oarser, Matt Stinchcomb, and myself,
the football is first. The food is second. So we
spend all week getting ready for the football part of it,
and that doesn't stop leading up to kickoff.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
But we are very, very dialed in on what reservations
are going to be made across town. And funny story
about that side.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Note and and keep me honest and cycle back to
getting ready for a game in Lexington. I mentioned doing
the Bourbon Trail a couple of years ago. So we
ended up picking up some other friends who kind of
live in the area. One of my fiance's college friends
and his wife also big Kentucky fans. They recently moved
from Charlotte back up to the area, so they said
you know, we'll meet you at one of the distilleries.
(10:21):
We'll get dinner in Lexington. We ended up staying Saturday
night in Lexington before driving back to Cincinnati, where he lived,
and flying back out of there. And I had been
telling our little group.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Guys, we gotta go to Tony's. We have to go
to Tony's.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
We go to Tony's every time we go to Lexington,
so I make a reservation a month in advance. We
have the table at Tony's, which, as y'all know, not
always easy to do, especially for the last second. So
I've been hyping up Tony's for years to our friends
in Charlotte who are going with us some of the
best steak in the SEC. I get so much grief
from my friends and family for the steak pictures that
(10:56):
we poast on Friday night around various restaurants.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
It's much grief. So now I'm finally feeling good.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I can take my friends to one of these places
that I raved to them about every time I come home.
The guy who lives more local to Lexington, part of
their friend group goes, yeah, well there's this other place
that's that's really I think a little bit better, and
it's kind of down the street from Tony's. It's on
the same drag and I'm digging my heels in at
(11:23):
this point. No, no, no, no, we need to go
to Tony's. But the group, well, they've known him longer.
I'm kind of the newcomer as a significant other of
one of the guys in the college group. They end
up listening to him. We go to this restaurant and
I actually don't even remember the name of it. It
was good, but it was not Tony's. We get to
the end of the meal, the guy who made up
(11:46):
ended up making us pivot from Tony's, leans back in
his chair and he goes, yeah, maybe we should have
gone to Tony's, and the whole group just jumped on him,
and ever since then, no one has questioned my food
decisions when we've gone on group trip together, and they're
still mad that they haven't gone to tony It's one
of my favorite places in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
But back to your original question.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Usually we fly in Thursday night, but we've spent much
of the week, Especially since the COVID season, a lot
of our meetings are done on zoom now, so sometimes
the away team will want to actually meet on Zoom
on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, which is interesting for
us because I've got studio shows throughout the week, So
i can't tell you how many times I'm getting to
(12:28):
the SEC Network office set eleven am, getting ready for
our show at six or seven. We're putting segments together,
I'm writing scripts, I'm helping make sure what the video
that we have is there, and then I'm taking a
step into a conference room and doing an hour meeting
with the away team of our game that week, and
kind of juggling a couple of different assignments at one time.
(12:51):
Then we'll get in on like I said, Thursday night. Friday,
usually we go to the home team's facility, so we
would go straight to the football facility, meet with coach, tuopes,
meet with the coordinators, meet with the coach, or meet
with a couple of the players.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And that usually takes a couple hours.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Sometimes, if there's something new to see, they'll walk us around,
or we'll get to see some things that maybe we
hadn't seen since the last time.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
If there's a facility edition, we'll do.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Our fine bomb hits. We'll tape some things for the
Friday night show. If SEC Nation needs an interview, I'll
walk out to the field and do that with Coach
Stoops or whoever it is.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
We'll have our production meeting all day Friday.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
It's constantly changing, and I can't tell you how many
times we've gotten to twenty minutes before kickoff and we
have learned a piece of information that maybe a coach
has withheld from us until twenty minutes before kickoff. Maybe
something has changed since our Friday meeting that changes the
entire course of the show. So truly, it is being
(13:48):
like Plato molded all the way up until the red
light comes on and we're on the air, and even
then sometimes it's changing in a live environment. So a
lot goes into those games from the lead up standpoint,
and then obviously once the game starts, you have no
idea what's gonna happen from there, so it's a lot
of preparation and it never ends as soon as the
game's over.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Though.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
For me, that's when it really gets probably to be
the most challenging part of my week, especially early in
non conference play. So if I'm in Lexington and they're
playing a non conference opponent, I'm at my game all
day Saturday. I'm dialed into what's happening with this game.
Maybe you're seeing some other things from across the country
and across the conference, but not super in depth. I
will get on my plane and start going.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
All right, I gotta watch everybody else. I gotta watch
the other.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Thirteen now fifteen teams with us having sixteen, so that
I can go back to the studio and talk about
all sixteen of them if I need to the very
next week. So my Sunday is spent watching condensed YouTube
versions of games, the games that I DVRD and putting
it on two X speed. So it's a football packed weekend.
But I mean, beat's working for a living, so I'll
(14:54):
take it.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
She is Alyssa Laying and she's here on Kentucky Sports Radio.
The day we got Gary's on the line again. Here
we come back after the break. We got a couple
of phone lines open eight five nine two ah two
to eight seven. That's the Clarks Puppe Shop phone number
eight five nine two a oh two to eight seven.
Ryan Drew and Shane with the Lissa Lang. Let me
be right back can on Kentucky's Ports Radio. All right,
welcome back Kentucky's Ports Radio, Ryan Drew and Shannon joined
by our special guest, Alyssa Lang from ESPN the SEC
(15:18):
Network and listen, we're gonna I'm gonna give out another
Kentucky branded tweeted the day. This one says Alyssa may
be right about the stakes at Tony's, but she ain't
had a cheese log till she goes to Chaos Bar
and Grill.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Oh I have not been and Grill, but I have.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I will say one of my other favorites in Lexington
is Dad's favorites.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Oh yes, go.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
There for lunch. So ye, maybe maybe that earns me
some Browning points as well.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Now we mentioned the big tvt tournament starts tonight, Alyssa
and the Kentucky team's got a lot of former Kentucky
players on it. We had them all on the show
on Wednesday. Uh Drew, who do you think is gonna
end up being the Nate Sustena scored thirty eight in
the charity answer who's the leading scorer?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
And looking ahead to tonight's game when we play the
three h five dollars which I can't name anyone, Uh
Nate Sestine In these highlights has been looking like prom Kobe.
I'm not exaggerating. He I don't know if he's taking
it more serious than everyone else, but he had thirty
eight in a scrimmage. When they put out these videos,
I feel like I'm just watching Nate Sustina score all
the time. So I'm watching him tonight. That's the guy
(16:22):
that's my MVP pick. As we mentioned when we had
him on the show Eldier this year, he was on
the team that got his season cut short by COVID,
so he's excited to be backing up, and I think
he's a man on a mission.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
So if Draft Kings has a parlay, you got Nate
Custine as the MVP.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
We don't think our friends at DraftKings tbt betting. It'd
be pretty tough to set some lines. You don't know
what kind of shape these guys are in. But if
you wanted to bet, go to Draftkings's promo code KSR.
I'll set the line tonight at We'll go. Law Familia
is a I'm a little worried to be honest, man,
but law Familia is a eight and a half point.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Favorite unless they got you know, Willie Khley Stein James Young,
Eric Bledsoe, the Harrison Twins. I mean a lot of
familiar names are on on this team they're gonna play tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I was gonna say, I'm looking up the rosters right
now because I don't know how y'all are. But when
I am in the thick of media days, it's like
nothing else is going on.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I have no I don't know where I am.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
I don't know, Yeah it is.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I don't know, like if there's if there's something happening
in my family, I don't know about it. So I actually,
since y'all have been talking about it, have been reading
up on this game tonight, and these rosters look awesome.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I mean, if if I were in the area, I
would be there for this game because this is incredible.
Is it televised?
Speaker 1 (17:30):
It is.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
It's on Tonight's game is on FS two. It might
change as they continue to other games, But on Wednesday,
Ryan and I did a two hour radio show with
the entire team. We had thirteen of them in pairs,
just eat segments, so we got to talk to all
of those legends. It was so much fun. Now we're
just excited to see what they still have left in
those legs in reperina. I think conditioning will decide how
(17:51):
far they go.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Conditioning's the key.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Best interview, Oh, it had been so long since we
had talked to a lot of them, like a Willie
Cowley Stein it's.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Been ten years. The hair hair wins really all of
the interviews.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
We hated that the commercial break was cutting us off
because the next two were due up, but I'd say
Willie was my favorite regardless. UK fans are just excited
to see these guys back in Lexington and I hope
they have a long run through the tournament. It's gonna
be a fun night over there.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Now you had a chance to interview maybe the next
Kentucky football superstar. We haven't really got into it yet,
but Dion Walker, as everybody projects me, maybe one of
the best defensive players in the SEC. What was your
takeaway from being around him this week?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah, you know, I got to chat with him really
briefly off camera. It was actually while coach Stoops was
up at the podium and he walked over. We have
so many great sids within the SEC, but Susan Lax
is among the.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
She's the best. Another gas so I was.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Randall Cobb and I were actually sitting next to each
other on the set, both texting Slacks. Make sure you
come over to the setate because she was not with
Stoops yesterday Tony was uh. And sometimes with the timing
it doesn't always work out that we will act see
each other if I'm strapped to the desk and she's
running around with players.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
So she brought Dion over. He looks good, man. He
looks good.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
The size that he brings to the table, with the
speed that he brings to the table, the athleticism. Last
year he was a problem. Just to think that he
could take a step forward under Brad White this year
and be even better when it comes to an NFL
prospect is just horrifying to think about. And you look
(19:28):
at the Kentucky defense and some of the other names,
pop Johnson coming over in the transfer portal from Georgia.
This is a side of the football that I really
wonder is going to cause some problems this year. Brad
White is one of the most under talked about defensive
coordinators in the country with what he does consistently on
(19:49):
that side for Kentucky. The player development, with sending guys
to the NFL and then being successful at the next level.
Dean Walker is going to be a guy that draft
boards if they're not already salivating over, will be just
because of the measurable standpoint. But I can't wait to
see what he puts on tape in twenty twenty four.
And another player we were kind of talking about, sort
of in that same light, but just hoping that this
(20:11):
could be the breakout years JJ Weaver. We were expecting
him to really take that step forward in twenty twenty three.
Can he do it in twenty twenty four? And you
look at all three phases of that defense. If it
is what we expect it to be and if the
development is there, that is gonna be a really fun
group to watch in twenty twenty four this season. But
Dean Walker is gonna make himself a lot of money.
(20:33):
I don't know if you guys saw the chain that
he was wearing yesterday, it was out of this world
the bear head because he's a bear. And then Slack
said that the bear had a crown on it because
his mom calls him king. So I like that tells
me all I need to know about a defensive lineman,
just the language on the chain. He's gonna have a
big twenty twenty four. I cannot wait to see it.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Yeah, we're pretty excited about him. Not many people like
that exist in the world, and Kentucky hasn't had many
defensive players like that over time. And also he just
has a great personality. At the end of seasons, you know,
guys are flirting with the portal or sending out tweets
about playing time. There's little drama here and there. Dion
Walker the minute last season ended tweeted like, all right,
running it back. I'm Kentucky. I mean, that's a guy
(21:14):
who likes being here and we just love everything about him.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, and you know, I saw I think he did
an interview with Andy Staples and I saw that they
kind of talked about just his loyalty to Mark Stoops
and like we talked about earlier with kind of the
flirtation with Texas A and M and what would end
up happening there. I said this on the on the
Studio show yesterday. We talk a lot about Lane Kiffin
and what he can do in the portal, but we
(21:39):
don't talk again, we don't talk about Kentucky enough in general,
but we don't talk enough about what Mark Stoops does
in the portal. We don't talk enough about the player
retaining with nine starters, I think on the defense from
last year to this year. I mean, in the age
of the portal, that's really difficult to do to have
that kind of carryover from from last season into this season,
(22:00):
as well as being able to address some of the
needs within the transfer portal as well. So I feel
strongly about the fact that we don't give nationally. I'm
gonna say we not me because I talk about coach
Stoops in this light all the time, so I'm not
putting myself in that category. But I just feel like
he doesn't get enough credit for building these teams in
(22:21):
the way that he does compared to some other coaches
who do it. And yes, I understand that maybe a
seven and five season isn't the sexiest two years in
a row, and there's a reason why there's not a
lot of offseason chatter there. But I feel like they're
just so close with this Stoops formula to putting it
together and I really hope that this year is that
(22:43):
step towards some of the momentum that we saw a
couple of years ago. That's kind of fallen off in
the last two seasons.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
She is Alyssa Laying and she's here to answer your
football questions. Got a couple of lines open. I want
to get some calls on if you want to ask
Alyssa about the upcoming season and what she sawed on
set Football Media Days eight five nine two two two
eight seven. That's a Clars Puppe job phone number. You
can also hit it up on the Avis and Glass
Tech Machine five O two seven three five three six
Aight ozho, Ryan, Drew and Shannon with the Lissa Lang
here taking your calls. Kentucky's Sports Radio. Matt's out at
(23:11):
sea somewhere. Alert the authorities. He's in a boat, out
in the water somewhere and on a boat. I'm on
a boat.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
I'm on a boat man.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
We'll be right back. This is Kentucky's Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
TJ Smith Personal injury attorney. Call TJ. He'll make them pay.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Now more Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's
Matt Jones. I've said many many times, we don't play
enough sticks on this radio show. We need to play
more sticks, no doubt about it. Ryan lem and Drew
Franklin shann the dude here with the Lissa Lang. And
if you're maybe you say you're you're engaged in you're
a jet staying across the country and you're looking for
a place to build a home and start your home
(23:50):
buying needs lexxing in Kentucky. Lissa, that's your answer, and
you can get all your financing done through Stockton Mortgage.
So if you're shopping for that new home, don't be
afraid to reach out to Stockton or they're all over
the place. They are in over twenty five states. They've
got over like fifty locations on the statewide nationwide. So
Stocktor Morgans they can help you with all your pre
qualification home by needs Stockton dot Com in MLS A
(24:11):
two five nine equal housing lender. All right, Alyssa Lang
joins us. Now we got another thirty minutes to go,
and Gary's been holding for a while, so let's get
Gary on to talk. Gary, you're own with Alyssa Lang.
Go ahead, Alissa. If Paul Fine Bob wanted someone on
the show but the producer didn't, who would win?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Oh Paul fine Bob every time. I mean he's a.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
King, right, he says he says he wants mad on
the show, but the producer won't allow it.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Oh see, now you trapped me there. Yeah, you asked
that question and.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Be tricking our guests.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
What you did there?
Speaker 2 (24:47):
You know, I don't know, I genuinely I'm being honest here.
I don't know what the drama is. I know there's
some kind of drama between the two parties because I've
seen people tweet about it, But I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Well, originally he said something about the Missouri coach who
was no longer. No longer there.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Paul did, and that was the problem.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Matt Matt did. Matt said something about Kwanzio Martin. I
think it was back in the Quanzo Martin days and
Matt and I.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Would host fan baumb in the summer during the college
baseball when I think a lot of ESPN people were
off and there was I guess maybe everything we said.
But yeah, we're off friends.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Everything's fine, you know, I'll try to get to the
bottom of it next time.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
I see.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
We don't want to put you on the spot with
your employers. You don't have to speak on behalf of
the show. It's our own problem.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, we talked we.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Talked about just a little bit that Lane Kiff and
Paul Finebaum thing that happened this week. I mean, they're
they're throwing Miley Cyrus under the bus. I mean, do
you think that was a lot of show or is
that a little personal? I think right there, I.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Will say, uh, oh, I think those two it's it's
hard to tell. I think those two understand that they
make really good TV together, so they kind of, you know,
you sit up a little bit.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
But it is funny.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
You know, we talk about all the things that you
do in a calendar year. And someone tweeted this at me.
We were talking about Sports Center a few minutes ago.
Someone tweeted at me after the first show, they said,
will you host the Paul fine Bomb Show? So everything
else has to be easier after that, right, just with
the crazy calls that you get and some of the
crazy stories.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
So that show is an absolute ride.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
And I remember being really intimidated the first time that
I guest hosted that show. You were just talking about
it during the summer when Paul takes some much needed vacation.
I remember thinking, nobody's gonna call, nobody's gonna want to
participate in a show. I'm so nervous I'm gonna fil
four hours by myself. I have a blast when I
(26:44):
go on that show because it is just the as
real and raw as it gets, which I always appreciate.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
But I'll try to.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Get to the bottom of the match own situation if
I can, and if I can't, then then that's that's tough.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
For me and to just carry out as it is.
We have a question from our KS board from Mss
Tyler Thompson. She wants to know if there was like
an exact moment or when you knew you wanted to
get into sports broadcasting.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Ooh, that's such a great question. And she does such
a great job too. I love reading the stories that
she puts out for KSR. When I was a kid,
college football was kind of my happy place. My parents
were always big college football fans. I actually grew up
in an acc household, believe it or not, as crazy
(27:31):
as I am for the SEC now. I grew up
in a mid to late nineties Virginia Tech Michael Vick household,
and that was what helped me fall in love with
college football. I looked forward to Saturdays every single week
when it was the off season. I watched every off
season show that was on the website. I collected newspaper clippings.
(27:54):
I was just obsessed with college football. I loved everything
about it, the pageantry, the excitement that tailgating. I was
a little bit spoiled with the very first team I
ever pulled for being Michael Vick led Virginia Tech Hogies,
who were constantly winning and in the ACC championships and
in national championships at the time. And I just remember
one day my dad saying, you know, you could do
(28:17):
this for a living if you wanted to. You could
talk about this and get paid for it. And it
was just such a novel concept to me at the
time because I remember the faces growing up watching that
I looked up to didn't necessarily always look like me,
and I think Aaron Andrews was really the only female
aside from Susie Colber at the time that I remember
watching consistently.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
But it just never really.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Dawned on me that I could do this until my
dad just mentioned that one day, and it kind of
just snowballed from there. I started writing for the school
paper and I did the morning announcements on TV for
the school and got various internships.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
When I was in high school.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
I was able to get an internship with the Speed
Channel here in Charlotte when I was sixteen. It was
more observational, but I got to do some writing and
practicings and I just fell in.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Love with it.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
You get bit by the bug of live sporting events
and broadcasting when the light turns on really trying to
make I kind of look at it as art in
a way. Your your show is a piece of art,
and you're trying to make the best show possible alongside
your friends and analysts, and it's just adrenaline pumping with
the best sport on earth when it comes.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
To college football. So it was sort of a slow
burn for me.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
But I have been a college football fan and a
sports fan really ever since I can remember any stream of.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Consciousness in my life. So it's been a long time coming.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I think let's go back to the Clark's pumpish ot
phone number. We got BJ up next, Go ahead, BJ.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
Yeah, what's up?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Guys? Hey?
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Let's how you doing good?
Speaker 3 (29:46):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (29:47):
I'm good, I'm good. I'm calling. I'm here from I'm
a Kentucky basketball fan from New Orleans. I call it
in a few times, and I also like L two football,
so I was wondering what was it like working with
were roam In Harper.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Oh my gosh, Roman is one of my favorite people ever.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
I did Roman Harper's audition, I think it was and
you just knew immediately that he was going to be
a star. Every media days, we always try to compete
with each other with who's gonna have the coolest suit.
He always wins, but we always take a picture anyway,
despite him having the coolest suits in the game, but
he's the best. Roman is truly one of those people.
(30:24):
And I was just telling someone this the other day.
Roman is somebody who if you just met him on
the street and you didn't know anything about him, you
didn't know anything about his career or his life, you
would just think he's just a regular dude who wants
to be your friend and wants to have a great time.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
You'd have no idea that he would have this deep,
rich NFL.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Career, that he's won super Bowls, that he's been as
successful as he has been, because he's just such a
down to earth, funny, humble dude. And I love doing
shows whenever I can with Roman Harper. He's truly one
of my favorites to work with.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Got one more from the Avision Glass text machine for you.
It says, how are Kentucky fans? When She's on the
sidelines at Kroger Field, you get a lot of interaction
with them, good or bad.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Kentucky fans are so nice to me. Genuinely.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
I love this fan base so much, and I don't
know if it's because I feel like I became part
of the family. After the banana eating incident a couple
of years.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Thank you, I think you did get hurt.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
I don't think it hurt my relationship with Kentucky fans.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
You know, I remember the first Kentucky basketball game I got,
the first Kentucky football game I got. I had never
really been around Kentucky sports and the way that I
am now. Obviously always watched as a fan, but like
I said, I was in local news in South Carolina
and then again in Florida, so I just never really
covered them up close. But I'd heard about I knew
about the fan base, and I knew about Big Blue Nation,
(31:49):
and I knew how just insane of an environment basketball
season is, and the high standards that they hold everybody too,
So I was a little bit nervous, but seriously so
of the nicest, most hospitable fans, But that also extends
to everyone you work with on the staff as well.
Like I said earlier, Coach Stoops truly is one of
(32:11):
my favorites because of everything I just said about Roman
Harper also applies to Coach Stoops. Down to earth, humble,
happy to talk to you, wants to have a human interaction.
He's not just trying to wash his hands of you
and you know, move on to the next interview. Everybody
that I have come into contact with in the state
of Kentucky, whether it's at RUPP in Nashville, at the
(32:32):
basketball tournament at Kroger Field, they're just so genuinely nice,
happy to be there, happy to pull for the Cats,
and they're some of the most passionate people that you
can meet. So I truly, I'm not trying to suck
up when I say this. I love going to Lexington
and I love doing Kentucky sporting events because they.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Just they are what college sports are supposed to be.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Nice fan base, YEP.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
A lot of those Kentucky fans, including myself are packing
up the weekend before Thanksgiving and going to Austin, Texas
for the debut game there. We'll have to wait to
go to Oklahoma. But do you know if you have
any of those schedule yet and are you looking forward
to a couple new cities you'll be adding to your
travels moving forward.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Yeah, I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
You know. I've talked to a lot of fans from
various fan bases as well, who have said, you know,
I have hit every single stadium in the SEC, and
now I get to add two more to my list,
you know, whenever my team ends up playing them. So
not only am I excited for the new trips, but
I also think there will be some new rivalries developed
as well.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Right with the.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Schedules changing and no divisions, I get a little sad because,
as you guys know, we all at the network have
our own affiliations and we like to smack talk each
other a little bit. And Chris Doring, who also I
know is a Kentucky fan base favorite sometimes sometimes over the.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Last couple of years.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Yeah, he's a very nice guy.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Actually, actually funny story about CD and I just for
I just remembered this, so I was talking about my
friend who just had a baby this week, a loyal
KSR listener, Evan. He and his wife my best friend Taylor.
They're huge Panther fans here in Charlotte, and they have
a tailgating spot. They've got a group that they tailgate
with every single Sunday and it's a blowout. I'm usually
(34:15):
traveling back from a game on Sunday, so I rarely
get to make the tailgates. But last season, I got
to get back on Saturday night get a full night's sleep.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
And I said, I meet at the tailgate. Chris Doring
was in town from doing the Saturday shows in Charlotte
and he stays on Sunday for his sec this morning
on Monday, which is on TV.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Here in Charlotte as well. And I said, well, when
do you come to the tailgate with us? When I
show up, and Evan and his family, like I said,
all Kentucky fans realize that I've brought Chris Doring, who
broke a lot of their hearts decades.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Ago, to the tailgate.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
It was so funny to watch because he's also been
loving on Kentucky so much as it was sort of
a bittersweet interaction as my friend Evan's dad, who, like
I said, lifelong Kentucky fan, bleeds blued. I think they
ended up taking a picture together and now I think
they're friends. But that's why I say, I think he's
(35:07):
sort of, you know, become part of maybe a little
bit of a friendly rivalry there. But anyway, I was
talking about the schedules, like South Carolina and Florida don't
play each other this year, So that's one of the
things that's kind of bittersweet about some of the changes
is some of the rivalries that we've become accustomed to
with in divisions we don't have anymore. But to your point,
Kentucky Texas, hopefully Kentucky, oh you in the years to come.
(35:32):
I'm just so excited about some of the newness that
decades from now, we could be talking about, Oh remember
when that Kentucky Oklahoma rival reformed, and you know, maybe
in twenty fifty it's this big knockdown, drag out Saturday
that we all look forward to.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
I think the prospect of that is really cool.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
I have a similar Chris Doring story real quick before
we go to break. Years ago, Kentucky basketball played at
Atlantis and the Bahamas, and we're at the Cove, the
adults only pool. There are Kentucky fans everywhere. We have
every cabana, every recliner, every everything you can have. We're
doing cats chance and then at some point goes that's
Chris Doring in the pool. He was there on vacation,
(36:09):
and once we realized who that was, we're all interacting
with him, and he couldn't have been nicer. It was
such a funny signing there. But we had fun playing
along with that as a random siding there in the Bahamas.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
So funny you.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Say that, because I was just in the Cove a
week and a half ago. We went there there for
two or three days. We were scouting some potential destination
wedding venues and that is potentially on the list. And
I'm sending pictures to Dooring and He's like, Oh, I
own that place. That's funny, nay there, and everyone's coming
to my cabana.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
So I can imagine it was a great time.
Speaker 4 (36:43):
I can vouch for him on that.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
That was That was a fun day.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
At the pool.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Yeah, all right, we got we gotta take one more break.
We got one more segment we'll come back wrap it up.
Phone lines will be open if you want to go
on real quick with the LISTA Lang eight five nine two,
eight oh two to eighty seven. Ryan, Drew Shannon and
Lisslang will wrap it up here on Kentucky's Port Radio.
You know there's there's another word that could Hucky fans
throw in. I was wondering if you can restrain yourself
from saying yeah, yeah, listen. We'll just let that go.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
Best part of the song.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin, shan to do with the list
of laying we've let Phone lines were open if you
want to call you got it real quick and you
need to call right now. Eight five nine two eight
h two to eet seven. We've talked a lot of football,
but Lits, I have to ask you about basketball because
our guys Read and Rob actually played against each other
last night. Didn't start till eleven. I'm old. I couldn't
stay up and watch much of it, but Reid finished
with twenty. Rob finished with fifteen, and I did see
(37:32):
the highlight he hit a three. Write in Reid's face.
We're so excited about these two guys. What about you?
The outsider looking in on Reading Rob.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Yeah. I had such a great time covering them and
their short careers. I know that we wish it could
have been a little bit longer selfishly, but glad to
see what they're achieving at the next level. I remember
getting to a game at some point the season, right
after the song had come out, and Tom Hart was
the first one who told me about the Reading Rob song.
And I can't say that I'd ever stood on a
(38:03):
basketball court at you know, Tuesday morning listening to a
YouTube link of Reid and Rob and Read and like
it was just I was like, dang, this is really catchy.
And then the next week I remember asking him, you know,
have you have you heard the song? And they just
had the biggest smile on their faces, like, yeah, people
played it for us a few times, but they were
just such a pleasure to not only watch from a
(38:25):
basketball perspective, but to talk to. One of my favorite
stories actually I got to tell at the SEC tournament.
I was talking to Read just about obviously his dad
and that story that had been so well documented throughout
Reid's entire career and what his dad meant to Kentucky
when he was in Lexington too, and I said, well,
(38:45):
you must have gone to a lot of SEC tournaments
so over the course of your childhood, not only with dad,
but with the family. And he told me a story
about a tournament I think. He said it was in
Atlanta at the time, and him and his dad had
a box and they were watching games all day long,
and I guess the box had a couch in it,
and he said, we sat down, you know, the last
game of the day. It's a four game day and it's,
(39:07):
as you guys know, very long day at the SEC tournament.
He said, they fell asleep and by the time they
woke up, it was two or three in the morning
and all the lights in the arena were out and
nobody was there, so they had to try to find
an exit and work their way out of the arena
at the time, and I.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
Said, how does that happen?
Speaker 2 (39:26):
How does nobody come in and you know, sweep up
the suite and see that you guys are just asleep there.
He said, I have no idea, but you know, we
made our way out of the arena two three in
the morning and came back the very next day. So
I was one of my favorite fun stories that we
got to tell this past year about Reid.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Well, they were obviously great crowd favorites, both of those guys,
and everybody's very anxious to see how they do, you know,
in the NBA. But Reid has been like the darling
of the Summer League. I mean, he's the He's the best,
one of the best players I've ever seen in that
Summer League.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
It's so funny too, because you know, you talk about
the measurables, and you talk about, you know, build a
basketball player, and of all the talented athletes who have
come through Kentucky basketball, Like I remember standing next to
Oscar Shebway years ago and being like, man, this kid
is just he's got size, he's got athleticism.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
It was just talking about Roman Harper.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
And if you walked up to him all on the
street and you didn't know, I don't know what you
would think if you didn't know what Reed Shepherd's basketball
career had looked like to this point, if you just
met him for the first time, he is just he
checks all the boxes, obviously from from a basketball standpoint,
and what he brings to the floor from a shooting standpoint,
just the unbelievable vision and accuracy that he has, but
(40:41):
also just from a teammate standpoint, from somebody that the
media enjoys talking to, there's no question that he would
be a darling of the Summer League and that the
NBA and his fan base is going to fall in
love with him, but that that's honestly, one of the
best parts about being in the SEC is seeing those
guys who you know their pro teams and the pro
(41:01):
team's fan bases are going to be buying their jerseys,
They're going to be chanting their names on nights that
they're in the arena, and Reid Shepherd's just one of
those guys that you know is going to have absolutely
no problem at the next level from a game standpoint
to the rest of the fanfare that comes with being
a pro player, and I'm so excited to watch the
rest of his career develop.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
So next year, Melissa Media Days head in Atlanta. That's
much closer to Charlotte. Should we just go and pencil
you in for the Friday after that all ends. I'm
sure you'll just have you easy drive home, no more complications.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
I love it. Yeah, it's being back in Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
From a travel standpoint, Will definitely be nice because to
your point, you can drive from Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
I think it's only three and a half hours or so.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
So the last few years that it's been in Atlanta,
I've definitely made that drive. And any time I can
come on with y'all, I will be here to let
me know. I know, I know there's some rankings and
Tom Hart is at the top. I understand that, but
I'm trying to dethrone Tom hartwaye.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
It gos to.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
A misunderstanding there. Tom just won't leave. Everyone thinks we
keep inviting me. He just keeps showing up. It's more
on Tom's in than us. But we love everyone over
at network.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
It makes a lot of sense that Tom just keeps
reappearing rather than you know, being invited.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Tom. Tom and I have.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Gotten ourselves into some trouble out and about in the
SEC and then we show up to the game that
we're calling the next day and we look at each
other and we go, yeah, we're not feeling so good,
but let's go call a game. So I have plenty
of Tom heart stories for this.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Give it up for Alyssa Lane. Good job, we appreciate it.
Thank you very much. Been a great week Myron's in
Lexington on Monday Mondays with Myron at Casbarn grayl for Ryan,
for Drew, for Shannon. A big thanks to Lissa Lang.
This is being thank you Sports Radio. Have a good
weekend everybody,
Looking for a mortgage bank to help you make your
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Housing Lender NMLS, Consumer Access dot Org. Welcome to two
of Kentucky Sports Radio present it by Stockton Mortgage. Now
(01:04):
here's Matt Jones all right, welcome back our number two. Ryan,
Drew and Shannon joined our special guest Alyssa Lang here
today and I'm only gonna give away the Kentucky branded
tweeted today. Okay, I'm only gonna give it, give it
away because it says, can we go ahead and book
Alyssa Lang to host every year? She's killing it? So
there you go. That's from keV Miller. So we got
your you're on you're on on the clock.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Well, I appreciate that y'all are doing the heavy lifting.
I am just happy to be along for the ride.
So I'm so happy to be here, genuinely.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I do.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
I do, And did feel a little bit bad when
Matt Jones put out his tweet and said, Okay, who
wants to guest host this summer?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
Who do you?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
And I have been kind of been asking Matt for
a couple of years now, when are you gonna have
me on KSR? We ran into each other at a
derby in uh at the Belmonts Takes a couple of
years ago when I was giving him grief, then when
are you gonna have me on KSR? And so I
publicly kind of called him out in response to that
tweet when I said, Matt, please stop making me bag
(02:01):
and so I feel like I sort of backed him
into a corner. But you know what, squeaky wheel gets
the oil and I'm here with you fine folks.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
So I'm happy that I did it.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Now, Matt just posted a picture and he's at sea.
He's on a boat. Is he driving the boat? I mean, well,
first of all, Alyssa, just to get him on a
boat I think is pretty big.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
No.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
And to let somebody else drive the boat that's pretty
big too. But somewhere Matt is.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
On the sea or a cruise ship.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I haven't seen this.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
It's it's on his Instagram. He's been posting photos of
his entire trip on Instagram. It's it's really been kind
of cool to see these beautiful places he've been and uh,
some of the events he's been to you.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
He doesn't even have his floatings on.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Look at him, no white, no floaties. Wow, He's in
a boat somewhere. But he doesn't say way. He says,
I'm at sea. Does look nice? I'm very jealous, Alyssa.
Have you ever known anybody to get two months off
ten weeks get ten weeks off? At a time. Have
you ever known anybody that happened?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
It's so funny because when he tweeted, you know, his
kind of goodbye for the summer.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Hey, I'm out, I'm on my trap. I thought to myself, Man,
I want to be Matt Jones what I grew.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
I'm in because I'm hat Media Days.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
This week and everybody rightfully so it's the unofficial start
to college football season. Rightfully, so everyone's going. So you're ready,
You're ready for the season to start. And I'm always
ready for the season to start. Don't get me wrong,
but it's been a really busy summer for me. Women's
College World Series to the Men's College World Series. I've
got some other opportunities just within ESPN and just been
(03:37):
traveling a lot, and then boom, media.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Days are here. I have yet to take a vacation
this summer, truly.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I did go with my future in laws up to
Ocean City, New Jersey, which I have a lot of
things to say, a lot of poor things to say
about New Jersey beaches ever since going for the first time.
If you want an add for me, you will not
get it. So I can't even count that as a vacation.
So I'm sitting here, long story long going, Yeah, I'm
ready for football season, but I need to take a trip,
(04:05):
and I a.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Two month trip. I mean, how do you pack everything
in in two months?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
You know, it's it's really gonna be tough for him
to get the relaxation that he needs within two months
of time off.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
Well, you haven't been vacationing, but you mentioned you've been busy,
and I had this as one of the first things
I wanted to ask you today because two weeks ago
I turned on ESPN and there was one of the goats,
Linda Cone. They're right there at the Sports Center desk
where she where she's been since I was a child.
But Alyssa Lang was right there next to her, and
I thought that was such a cool moment for you.
(04:39):
Even did some hot dog coverage. But what was that
like sitting next to Linda Cone, who really paved the
way for women in broadcasting on Sports Center.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
She really did. It was surreal. I am kind of
glad that it was not my very first Sports Center
also alongside Linda, because going back to the very first
one I did back in May, I am I'm not kidding,
I really didn't even think I could get to this place.
But I was so physically nervous before that game started.
(05:10):
I felt sick. I felt like I was going to
be sick before that first Sports Center. It's just it's
so surreal, right like you said, we all grow up
watching it. It feels even being pretty close to the opportunity,
it always felt like out of reach. It's SportsCenter, I'm
i'm me, I'm mimn Sports Center. And then when it
finally happens, I'm sitting here going, oh my god, this
(05:33):
this is the pinnacle, This is the dream. This is
why we get into this business to be able to
have a shot at doing something like this.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
So I'm glad I got the first one under my belt.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Before then the hurdle of meeting the goat, Linda Cohne,
who was so much lovelier than I could have even
imagined in person. And that you guys know this from
being in media and being around a lot of folks.
Sometimes veterans who are the status of Linda Cohne aren't
(06:03):
always super nice, and especially when a newbie comes in
and oh.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
They don't know what they're doing.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
They've only done a couple of shows, sometimes they're even
less nice to somebody in a position like I was
coming in into La.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
She was so gracious, she was so helpful, just such a.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Personable individual that it is genuine what you see on TV,
certainly when she's communicating her love of hockey and doing
these interviews. Sometimes people can turn that on and off,
but not Linda, and I just was so so happy.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
It was one of those do meet your hero moments,
and I was so glad that I got to do that.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
I was actually texting with her yesterday because I'm hoping
that we have an opportunity to do some more coming
up together in the future. But I did have that
moment you mentioned the hot dogs where I'm cheersing a
hot dog with her before we get into the hot
dog eating contest highlights.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
I'm going to saw that I just cheers.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
I just cheers the hot.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Dog with Linda freaking Cone.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
So are like, I can die now, i can retire, now,
I'm good to go after this.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
So it was really really cool.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
You know, a pinch me moment for you? It was
Drew and I are going to have a pinch me
moment on Monday because they own the big star Myron
Metcalf is actually going to be here in Lexington and
host the show with us at ks Bar and Grill.
You got any good Myron stories we can get him on.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
I don't have any good Myron stories. I've only kind
of talked to him in passing doing various radio. But
I will say the Kentucky connections just continue to run deep.
Because as I'm sitting here thinking about my my Sports
Center experience, there were two Kentucky moments that I sort
of had. So going back to the first one in Bristol,
I hosted with Michael Eaves.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Huge Kentucky guy, huge Kentucky fan.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Say my hometown, same hometown as Drew.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, same hometown.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
So we were sitting on the desk and Michael also
I can't say enough good things about him too, for
it being my first one and me being that nervous,
he was so incredibly kind and helpful, and I was
kind of saying, hey, we all little wildcat gamecock connection
here on Sports Center.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
I think we need to make this happen more often.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
So I had some sort of close to home in
the SEC experiences there with Eves. And then when we
were getting ready for that July fourth show in LA
with Linda. The producer came to me the day before,
the producer of the Sports Center show, and said, how
would you feel about eating on television? And I'm kind
of thinking, like, does he know sort of my background
(08:28):
of some of the things that I have done on television?
Speaker 3 (08:31):
Maybe he doesn't.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
And I said, well, you know, expand because eating on television,
I'm like, I do that by mistake when We're coming
back from a break and I'm getting caught by a
camera like I might still be chomping on something. He said, well,
how do you feel about eating a hot dog on TV?
And I said, boy, do I have news for you.
I have eaten a banana with appeal on it on TV.
(08:53):
I have drank coffee with mayonnaise in it on television.
And it was funny because then one of the folks
who worked on the show turned around and went, oh
my god, that was you. And it was like, all
these moments that I feel like I've had with the
Kentucky fan base in Kentucky football all culminated in getting
ready for Sports Center and being like, yeah, I think
(09:13):
eating a hot.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Dog on TV is probably going to be pretty easy.
Speaker 4 (09:16):
For me at this point, while we're talking about your career,
I've always been interested in what it's like when you
go into a town. You know you're there for most
of the week before college football game, you're having meetings.
Use lectioning as an example. Say this Saturday, we're playing Tennessee.
What would that look like for you if you're coming
in to be the sideline reporter, and how the build
(09:36):
up to that goes.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So for my crew, Taylor's Oarser, Matt Stinchcomb, and myself,
the football is first. The food is second. So we
spend all week getting ready for the football part of it,
and that doesn't stop leading up to kickoff.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
But we are very, very dialed in on what reservations
are going to be made across town. And funny story
about that side.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Note and and keep me honest and cycle back to
getting ready for a game in Lexington. I mentioned doing
the Bourbon Trail a couple of years ago. So we
ended up picking up some other friends who kind of
live in the area. One of my fiance's college friends
and his wife also big Kentucky fans. They recently moved
from Charlotte back up to the area, so they said
you know, we'll meet you at one of the distilleries.
(10:21):
We'll get dinner in Lexington. We ended up staying Saturday
night in Lexington before driving back to Cincinnati, where he lived,
and flying back out of there. And I had been
telling our little group.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Guys, we gotta go to Tony's. We have to go
to Tony's.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
We go to Tony's every time we go to Lexington,
so I make a reservation a month in advance. We
have the table at Tony's, which, as y'all know, not
always easy to do, especially for the last second. So
I've been hyping up Tony's for years to our friends
in Charlotte who are going with us some of the
best steak in the SEC. I get so much grief
from my friends and family for the steak pictures that
(10:56):
we poast on Friday night around various restaurants.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
It's much grief. So now I'm finally feeling good.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I can take my friends to one of these places
that I raved to them about every time I come home.
The guy who lives more local to Lexington, part of
their friend group goes, yeah, well there's this other place
that's that's really I think a little bit better, and
it's kind of down the street from Tony's. It's on
the same drag and I'm digging my heels in at
(11:23):
this point. No, no, no, no, we need to go
to Tony's. But the group, well, they've known him longer.
I'm kind of the newcomer as a significant other of
one of the guys in the college group. They end
up listening to him. We go to this restaurant and
I actually don't even remember the name of it. It
was good, but it was not Tony's. We get to
the end of the meal, the guy who made up
(11:46):
ended up making us pivot from Tony's, leans back in
his chair and he goes, yeah, maybe we should have
gone to Tony's, and the whole group just jumped on him,
and ever since then, no one has questioned my food
decisions when we've gone on group trip together, and they're
still mad that they haven't gone to tony It's one
of my favorite places in the SEC.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
But back to your original question.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Usually we fly in Thursday night, but we've spent much
of the week, Especially since the COVID season, a lot
of our meetings are done on zoom now, so sometimes
the away team will want to actually meet on Zoom
on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, which is interesting for
us because I've got studio shows throughout the week, So
i can't tell you how many times I'm getting to
(12:28):
the SEC Network office set eleven am, getting ready for
our show at six or seven. We're putting segments together,
I'm writing scripts, I'm helping make sure what the video
that we have is there, and then I'm taking a
step into a conference room and doing an hour meeting
with the away team of our game that week, and
kind of juggling a couple of different assignments at one time.
(12:51):
Then we'll get in on like I said, Thursday night. Friday,
usually we go to the home team's facility, so we
would go straight to the football facility, meet with coach, tuopes,
meet with the coordinators, meet with the coach, or meet
with a couple of the players.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
And that usually takes a couple hours.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Sometimes, if there's something new to see, they'll walk us around,
or we'll get to see some things that maybe we
hadn't seen since the last time.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
If there's a facility edition, we'll do.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Our fine bomb hits. We'll tape some things for the
Friday night show. If SEC Nation needs an interview, I'll
walk out to the field and do that with Coach
Stoops or whoever it is.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
We'll have our production meeting all day Friday.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
It's constantly changing, and I can't tell you how many
times we've gotten to twenty minutes before kickoff and we
have learned a piece of information that maybe a coach
has withheld from us until twenty minutes before kickoff. Maybe
something has changed since our Friday meeting that changes the
entire course of the show. So truly, it is being
(13:48):
like Plato molded all the way up until the red
light comes on and we're on the air, and even
then sometimes it's changing in a live environment. So a
lot goes into those games from the lead up standpoint,
and then obviously once the game starts, you have no
idea what's gonna happen from there, so it's a lot
of preparation and it never ends as soon as the
game's over.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Though.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
For me, that's when it really gets probably to be
the most challenging part of my week, especially early in
non conference play. So if I'm in Lexington and they're
playing a non conference opponent, I'm at my game all
day Saturday. I'm dialed into what's happening with this game.
Maybe you're seeing some other things from across the country
and across the conference, but not super in depth. I
will get on my plane and start going.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
All right, I gotta watch everybody else. I gotta watch
the other.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Thirteen now fifteen teams with us having sixteen, so that
I can go back to the studio and talk about
all sixteen of them if I need to the very
next week. So my Sunday is spent watching condensed YouTube
versions of games, the games that I DVRD and putting
it on two X speed. So it's a football packed weekend.
But I mean, beat's working for a living, so I'll
(14:54):
take it.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
She is Alyssa Laying and she's here on Kentucky Sports Radio.
The day we got Gary's on the line again. Here
we come back after the break. We got a couple
of phone lines open eight five nine two ah two
to eight seven. That's the Clarks Puppe Shop phone number
eight five nine two a oh two to eight seven.
Ryan Drew and Shane with the Lissa Lang. Let me
be right back can on Kentucky's Ports Radio. All right,
welcome back Kentucky's Ports Radio, Ryan Drew and Shannon joined
by our special guest, Alyssa Lang from ESPN the SEC
(15:18):
Network and listen, we're gonna I'm gonna give out another
Kentucky branded tweeted the day. This one says Alyssa may
be right about the stakes at Tony's, but she ain't
had a cheese log till she goes to Chaos Bar
and Grill.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Oh I have not been and Grill, but I have.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
I will say one of my other favorites in Lexington
is Dad's favorites.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Oh yes, go.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
There for lunch. So ye, maybe maybe that earns me
some Browning points as well.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
Now we mentioned the big tvt tournament starts tonight, Alyssa
and the Kentucky team's got a lot of former Kentucky
players on it. We had them all on the show
on Wednesday. Uh Drew, who do you think is gonna
end up being the Nate Sustena scored thirty eight in
the charity answer who's the leading scorer?
Speaker 4 (15:59):
And looking ahead to tonight's game when we play the
three h five dollars which I can't name anyone, Uh
Nate Sestine In these highlights has been looking like prom Kobe.
I'm not exaggerating. He I don't know if he's taking
it more serious than everyone else, but he had thirty
eight in a scrimmage. When they put out these videos,
I feel like I'm just watching Nate Sustina score all
the time. So I'm watching him tonight. That's the guy
(16:22):
that's my MVP pick. As we mentioned when we had
him on the show Eldier this year, he was on
the team that got his season cut short by COVID,
so he's excited to be backing up, and I think
he's a man on a mission.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
So if Draft Kings has a parlay, you got Nate
Custine as the MVP.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
We don't think our friends at DraftKings tbt betting. It'd
be pretty tough to set some lines. You don't know
what kind of shape these guys are in. But if
you wanted to bet, go to Draftkings's promo code KSR.
I'll set the line tonight at We'll go. Law Familia
is a I'm a little worried to be honest, man,
but law Familia is a eight and a half point.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Favorite unless they got you know, Willie Khley Stein James Young,
Eric Bledsoe, the Harrison Twins. I mean a lot of
familiar names are on on this team they're gonna play tonight.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I was gonna say, I'm looking up the rosters right
now because I don't know how y'all are. But when
I am in the thick of media days, it's like
nothing else is going on.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
I have no I don't know where I am.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
I don't know, Yeah it is.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I don't know, like if there's if there's something happening
in my family, I don't know about it. So I actually,
since y'all have been talking about it, have been reading
up on this game tonight, and these rosters look awesome.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
I mean, if if I were in the area, I
would be there for this game because this is incredible.
Is it televised?
Speaker 1 (17:30):
It is.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
It's on Tonight's game is on FS two. It might
change as they continue to other games, But on Wednesday,
Ryan and I did a two hour radio show with
the entire team. We had thirteen of them in pairs,
just eat segments, so we got to talk to all
of those legends. It was so much fun. Now we're
just excited to see what they still have left in
those legs in reperina. I think conditioning will decide how
(17:51):
far they go.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Conditioning's the key.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Best interview, Oh, it had been so long since we
had talked to a lot of them, like a Willie
Cowley Stein it's.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Been ten years. The hair hair wins really all of
the interviews.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
We hated that the commercial break was cutting us off
because the next two were due up, but I'd say
Willie was my favorite regardless. UK fans are just excited
to see these guys back in Lexington and I hope
they have a long run through the tournament. It's gonna
be a fun night over there.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
Now you had a chance to interview maybe the next
Kentucky football superstar. We haven't really got into it yet,
but Dion Walker, as everybody projects me, maybe one of
the best defensive players in the SEC. What was your
takeaway from being around him this week?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
Yeah, you know, I got to chat with him really
briefly off camera. It was actually while coach Stoops was
up at the podium and he walked over. We have
so many great sids within the SEC, but Susan Lax
is among the.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
She's the best. Another gas so I was.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Randall Cobb and I were actually sitting next to each
other on the set, both texting Slacks. Make sure you
come over to the setate because she was not with
Stoops yesterday Tony was uh. And sometimes with the timing
it doesn't always work out that we will act see
each other if I'm strapped to the desk and she's
running around with players.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
So she brought Dion over. He looks good, man. He
looks good.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
The size that he brings to the table, with the
speed that he brings to the table, the athleticism. Last
year he was a problem. Just to think that he
could take a step forward under Brad White this year
and be even better when it comes to an NFL
prospect is just horrifying to think about. And you look
(19:28):
at the Kentucky defense and some of the other names,
pop Johnson coming over in the transfer portal from Georgia.
This is a side of the football that I really
wonder is going to cause some problems this year. Brad
White is one of the most under talked about defensive
coordinators in the country with what he does consistently on
(19:49):
that side for Kentucky. The player development, with sending guys
to the NFL and then being successful at the next level.
Dean Walker is going to be a guy that draft
boards if they're not already salivating over, will be just
because of the measurable standpoint. But I can't wait to
see what he puts on tape in twenty twenty four.
And another player we were kind of talking about, sort
of in that same light, but just hoping that this
(20:11):
could be the breakout years JJ Weaver. We were expecting
him to really take that step forward in twenty twenty three.
Can he do it in twenty twenty four? And you
look at all three phases of that defense. If it
is what we expect it to be and if the
development is there, that is gonna be a really fun
group to watch in twenty twenty four this season. But
Dean Walker is gonna make himself a lot of money.
(20:33):
I don't know if you guys saw the chain that
he was wearing yesterday, it was out of this world
the bear head because he's a bear. And then Slack
said that the bear had a crown on it because
his mom calls him king. So I like that tells
me all I need to know about a defensive lineman,
just the language on the chain. He's gonna have a
big twenty twenty four. I cannot wait to see it.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
Yeah, we're pretty excited about him. Not many people like
that exist in the world, and Kentucky hasn't had many
defensive players like that over time. And also he just
has a great personality. At the end of seasons, you know,
guys are flirting with the portal or sending out tweets
about playing time. There's little drama here and there. Dion
Walker the minute last season ended tweeted like, all right,
running it back. I'm Kentucky. I mean, that's a guy
(21:14):
who likes being here and we just love everything about him.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, and you know, I saw I think he did
an interview with Andy Staples and I saw that they
kind of talked about just his loyalty to Mark Stoops
and like we talked about earlier with kind of the
flirtation with Texas A and M and what would end
up happening there. I said this on the on the
Studio show yesterday. We talk a lot about Lane Kiffin
and what he can do in the portal, but we
(21:39):
don't talk again, we don't talk about Kentucky enough in general,
but we don't talk enough about what Mark Stoops does
in the portal. We don't talk enough about the player
retaining with nine starters, I think on the defense from
last year to this year. I mean, in the age
of the portal, that's really difficult to do to have
that kind of carryover from from last season into this season,
(22:00):
as well as being able to address some of the
needs within the transfer portal as well. So I feel
strongly about the fact that we don't give nationally. I'm
gonna say we not me because I talk about coach
Stoops in this light all the time, so I'm not
putting myself in that category. But I just feel like
he doesn't get enough credit for building these teams in
(22:21):
the way that he does compared to some other coaches
who do it. And yes, I understand that maybe a
seven and five season isn't the sexiest two years in
a row, and there's a reason why there's not a
lot of offseason chatter there. But I feel like they're
just so close with this Stoops formula to putting it
together and I really hope that this year is that
(22:43):
step towards some of the momentum that we saw a
couple of years ago. That's kind of fallen off in
the last two seasons.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
She is Alyssa Laying and she's here to answer your
football questions. Got a couple of lines open. I want
to get some calls on if you want to ask
Alyssa about the upcoming season and what she sawed on
set Football Media Days eight five nine two two two
eight seven. That's a Clars Puppe job phone number. You
can also hit it up on the Avis and Glass
Tech Machine five O two seven three five three six
Aight ozho, Ryan, Drew and Shannon with the Lissa Lang
here taking your calls. Kentucky's Sports Radio. Matt's out at
(23:11):
sea somewhere. Alert the authorities. He's in a boat, out
in the water somewhere and on a boat. I'm on
a boat.
Speaker 4 (23:17):
I'm on a boat man.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
We'll be right back. This is Kentucky's Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
TJ Smith Personal injury attorney. Call TJ. He'll make them pay.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Now more Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's
Matt Jones. I've said many many times, we don't play
enough sticks on this radio show. We need to play
more sticks, no doubt about it. Ryan lem and Drew
Franklin shann the dude here with the Lissa Lang. And
if you're maybe you say you're you're engaged in you're
a jet staying across the country and you're looking for
a place to build a home and start your home
(23:50):
buying needs lexxing in Kentucky. Lissa, that's your answer, and
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So if you're shopping for that new home, don't be
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(24:11):
two five nine equal housing lender. All right, Alyssa Lang
joins us. Now we got another thirty minutes to go,
and Gary's been holding for a while, so let's get
Gary on to talk. Gary, you're own with Alyssa Lang.
Go ahead, Alissa. If Paul Fine Bob wanted someone on
the show but the producer didn't, who would win?
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Oh Paul fine Bob every time. I mean he's a.
Speaker 5 (24:32):
King, right, he says he says he wants mad on
the show, but the producer won't allow it.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
Oh see, now you trapped me there. Yeah, you asked
that question and.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Be tricking our guests.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
What you did there?
Speaker 2 (24:47):
You know, I don't know, I genuinely I'm being honest here.
I don't know what the drama is. I know there's
some kind of drama between the two parties because I've
seen people tweet about it, But I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Well, originally he said something about the Missouri coach who
was no longer. No longer there.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Paul did, and that was the problem.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Matt Matt did. Matt said something about Kwanzio Martin. I
think it was back in the Quanzo Martin days and
Matt and I.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Would host fan baumb in the summer during the college
baseball when I think a lot of ESPN people were
off and there was I guess maybe everything we said.
But yeah, we're off friends.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Everything's fine, you know, I'll try to get to the
bottom of it next time.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
I see.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
We don't want to put you on the spot with
your employers. You don't have to speak on behalf of
the show. It's our own problem.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, we talked we.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Talked about just a little bit that Lane Kiff and
Paul Finebaum thing that happened this week. I mean, they're
they're throwing Miley Cyrus under the bus. I mean, do
you think that was a lot of show or is
that a little personal? I think right there, I.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Will say, uh, oh, I think those two it's it's
hard to tell. I think those two understand that they
make really good TV together, so they kind of, you know,
you sit up a little bit.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
But it is funny.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
You know, we talk about all the things that you
do in a calendar year. And someone tweeted this at me.
We were talking about Sports Center a few minutes ago.
Someone tweeted at me after the first show, they said,
will you host the Paul fine Bomb Show? So everything
else has to be easier after that, right, just with
the crazy calls that you get and some of the
crazy stories.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
So that show is an absolute ride.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
And I remember being really intimidated the first time that
I guest hosted that show. You were just talking about
it during the summer when Paul takes some much needed vacation.
I remember thinking, nobody's gonna call, nobody's gonna want to
participate in a show. I'm so nervous I'm gonna fil
four hours by myself. I have a blast when I
(26:44):
go on that show because it is just the as
real and raw as it gets, which I always appreciate.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
But I'll try to.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Get to the bottom of the match own situation if
I can, and if I can't, then then that's that's tough.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
For me and to just carry out as it is.
We have a question from our KS board from Mss
Tyler Thompson. She wants to know if there was like
an exact moment or when you knew you wanted to
get into sports broadcasting.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Ooh, that's such a great question. And she does such
a great job too. I love reading the stories that
she puts out for KSR. When I was a kid,
college football was kind of my happy place. My parents
were always big college football fans. I actually grew up
in an acc household, believe it or not, as crazy
(27:31):
as I am for the SEC now. I grew up
in a mid to late nineties Virginia Tech Michael Vick household,
and that was what helped me fall in love with
college football. I looked forward to Saturdays every single week
when it was the off season. I watched every off
season show that was on the website. I collected newspaper clippings.
(27:54):
I was just obsessed with college football. I loved everything
about it, the pageantry, the excitement that tailgating. I was
a little bit spoiled with the very first team I
ever pulled for being Michael Vick led Virginia Tech Hogies,
who were constantly winning and in the ACC championships and
in national championships at the time. And I just remember
one day my dad saying, you know, you could do
(28:17):
this for a living if you wanted to. You could
talk about this and get paid for it. And it
was just such a novel concept to me at the
time because I remember the faces growing up watching that
I looked up to didn't necessarily always look like me,
and I think Aaron Andrews was really the only female
aside from Susie Colber at the time that I remember
watching consistently.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
But it just never really.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Dawned on me that I could do this until my
dad just mentioned that one day, and it kind of
just snowballed from there. I started writing for the school
paper and I did the morning announcements on TV for
the school and got various internships.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
When I was in high school.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
I was able to get an internship with the Speed
Channel here in Charlotte when I was sixteen. It was
more observational, but I got to do some writing and
practicings and I just fell in.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Love with it.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
You get bit by the bug of live sporting events
and broadcasting when the light turns on really trying to
make I kind of look at it as art in
a way. Your your show is a piece of art,
and you're trying to make the best show possible alongside
your friends and analysts, and it's just adrenaline pumping with
the best sport on earth when it comes.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
To college football. So it was sort of a slow
burn for me.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
But I have been a college football fan and a
sports fan really ever since I can remember any stream of.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Consciousness in my life. So it's been a long time coming.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
I think let's go back to the Clark's pumpish ot
phone number. We got BJ up next, Go ahead, BJ.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
Yeah, what's up?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Guys? Hey?
Speaker 5 (29:44):
Let's how you doing good?
Speaker 3 (29:46):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (29:47):
I'm good, I'm good. I'm calling. I'm here from I'm
a Kentucky basketball fan from New Orleans. I call it
in a few times, and I also like L two football,
so I was wondering what was it like working with
were roam In Harper.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Oh my gosh, Roman is one of my favorite people ever.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
I did Roman Harper's audition, I think it was and
you just knew immediately that he was going to be
a star. Every media days, we always try to compete
with each other with who's gonna have the coolest suit.
He always wins, but we always take a picture anyway,
despite him having the coolest suits in the game, but
he's the best. Roman is truly one of those people.
(30:24):
And I was just telling someone this the other day.
Roman is somebody who if you just met him on
the street and you didn't know anything about him, you
didn't know anything about his career or his life, you
would just think he's just a regular dude who wants
to be your friend and wants to have a great time.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
You'd have no idea that he would have this deep,
rich NFL.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
Career, that he's won super Bowls, that he's been as
successful as he has been, because he's just such a
down to earth, funny, humble dude. And I love doing
shows whenever I can with Roman Harper. He's truly one
of my favorites to work with.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Got one more from the Avision Glass text machine for you.
It says, how are Kentucky fans? When She's on the
sidelines at Kroger Field, you get a lot of interaction
with them, good or bad.
Speaker 3 (31:09):
Kentucky fans are so nice to me. Genuinely.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
I love this fan base so much, and I don't
know if it's because I feel like I became part
of the family. After the banana eating incident a couple
of years.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Thank you, I think you did get hurt.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
I don't think it hurt my relationship with Kentucky fans.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
You know, I remember the first Kentucky basketball game I got,
the first Kentucky football game I got. I had never
really been around Kentucky sports and the way that I
am now. Obviously always watched as a fan, but like
I said, I was in local news in South Carolina
and then again in Florida, so I just never really
covered them up close. But I'd heard about I knew
about the fan base, and I knew about Big Blue Nation,
(31:49):
and I knew how just insane of an environment basketball
season is, and the high standards that they hold everybody too,
So I was a little bit nervous, but seriously so
of the nicest, most hospitable fans, But that also extends
to everyone you work with on the staff as well.
Like I said earlier, Coach Stoops truly is one of
(32:11):
my favorites because of everything I just said about Roman
Harper also applies to Coach Stoops. Down to earth, humble,
happy to talk to you, wants to have a human interaction.
He's not just trying to wash his hands of you
and you know, move on to the next interview. Everybody
that I have come into contact with in the state
of Kentucky, whether it's at RUPP in Nashville, at the
(32:32):
basketball tournament at Kroger Field, they're just so genuinely nice,
happy to be there, happy to pull for the Cats,
and they're some of the most passionate people that you
can meet. So I truly, I'm not trying to suck
up when I say this. I love going to Lexington
and I love doing Kentucky sporting events because they.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Just they are what college sports are supposed to be.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Nice fan base, YEP.
Speaker 4 (32:54):
A lot of those Kentucky fans, including myself are packing
up the weekend before Thanksgiving and going to Austin, Texas
for the debut game there. We'll have to wait to
go to Oklahoma. But do you know if you have
any of those schedule yet and are you looking forward
to a couple new cities you'll be adding to your
travels moving forward.
Speaker 3 (33:11):
Yeah, I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
You know. I've talked to a lot of fans from
various fan bases as well, who have said, you know,
I have hit every single stadium in the SEC, and
now I get to add two more to my list,
you know, whenever my team ends up playing them. So
not only am I excited for the new trips, but
I also think there will be some new rivalries developed
as well.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Right with the.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Schedules changing and no divisions, I get a little sad because,
as you guys know, we all at the network have
our own affiliations and we like to smack talk each
other a little bit. And Chris Doring, who also I
know is a Kentucky fan base favorite sometimes sometimes over the.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
Last couple of years.
Speaker 4 (33:51):
Yeah, he's a very nice guy.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Actually, actually funny story about CD and I just for
I just remembered this, so I was talking about my
friend who just had a baby this week, a loyal
KSR listener, Evan. He and his wife my best friend Taylor.
They're huge Panther fans here in Charlotte, and they have
a tailgating spot. They've got a group that they tailgate
with every single Sunday and it's a blowout. I'm usually
(34:15):
traveling back from a game on Sunday, so I rarely
get to make the tailgates. But last season, I got
to get back on Saturday night get a full night's sleep.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
And I said, I meet at the tailgate. Chris Doring
was in town from doing the Saturday shows in Charlotte
and he stays on Sunday for his sec this morning
on Monday, which is on TV.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Here in Charlotte as well. And I said, well, when
do you come to the tailgate with us? When I
show up, and Evan and his family, like I said,
all Kentucky fans realize that I've brought Chris Doring, who
broke a lot of their hearts decades.
Speaker 3 (34:45):
Ago, to the tailgate.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
It was so funny to watch because he's also been
loving on Kentucky so much as it was sort of
a bittersweet interaction as my friend Evan's dad, who, like
I said, lifelong Kentucky fan, bleeds blued. I think they
ended up taking a picture together and now I think
they're friends. But that's why I say, I think he's
(35:07):
sort of, you know, become part of maybe a little
bit of a friendly rivalry there. But anyway, I was
talking about the schedules, like South Carolina and Florida don't
play each other this year, So that's one of the
things that's kind of bittersweet about some of the changes
is some of the rivalries that we've become accustomed to
with in divisions we don't have anymore. But to your point,
Kentucky Texas, hopefully Kentucky, oh you in the years to come.
(35:32):
I'm just so excited about some of the newness that
decades from now, we could be talking about, Oh remember
when that Kentucky Oklahoma rival reformed, and you know, maybe
in twenty fifty it's this big knockdown, drag out Saturday
that we all look forward to.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
I think the prospect of that is really cool.
Speaker 4 (35:49):
I have a similar Chris Doring story real quick before
we go to break. Years ago, Kentucky basketball played at
Atlantis and the Bahamas, and we're at the Cove, the
adults only pool. There are Kentucky fans everywhere. We have
every cabana, every recliner, every everything you can have. We're
doing cats chance and then at some point goes that's
Chris Doring in the pool. He was there on vacation,
(36:09):
and once we realized who that was, we're all interacting
with him, and he couldn't have been nicer. It was
such a funny signing there. But we had fun playing
along with that as a random siding there in the Bahamas.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
So funny you.
Speaker 2 (36:20):
Say that, because I was just in the Cove a
week and a half ago. We went there there for
two or three days. We were scouting some potential destination
wedding venues and that is potentially on the list. And
I'm sending pictures to Dooring and He's like, Oh, I
own that place. That's funny, nay there, and everyone's coming
to my cabana.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
So I can imagine it was a great time.
Speaker 4 (36:43):
I can vouch for him on that.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
That was That was a fun day.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
At the pool.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Yeah, all right, we got we gotta take one more break.
We got one more segment we'll come back wrap it up.
Phone lines will be open if you want to go
on real quick with the LISTA Lang eight five nine two,
eight oh two to eighty seven. Ryan, Drew Shannon and
Lisslang will wrap it up here on Kentucky's Port Radio.
You know there's there's another word that could Hucky fans
throw in. I was wondering if you can restrain yourself
from saying yeah, yeah, listen. We'll just let that go.
Speaker 4 (37:08):
Best part of the song.
Speaker 1 (37:09):
Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin, shan to do with the list
of laying we've let Phone lines were open if you
want to call you got it real quick and you
need to call right now. Eight five nine two eight
h two to eet seven. We've talked a lot of football,
but Lits, I have to ask you about basketball because
our guys Read and Rob actually played against each other
last night. Didn't start till eleven. I'm old. I couldn't
stay up and watch much of it, but Reid finished
with twenty. Rob finished with fifteen, and I did see
(37:32):
the highlight he hit a three. Write in Reid's face.
We're so excited about these two guys. What about you?
The outsider looking in on Reading Rob.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Yeah. I had such a great time covering them and
their short careers. I know that we wish it could
have been a little bit longer selfishly, but glad to
see what they're achieving at the next level. I remember
getting to a game at some point the season, right
after the song had come out, and Tom Hart was
the first one who told me about the Reading Rob song.
And I can't say that I'd ever stood on a
(38:03):
basketball court at you know, Tuesday morning listening to a
YouTube link of Reid and Rob and Read and like
it was just I was like, dang, this is really catchy.
And then the next week I remember asking him, you know,
have you have you heard the song? And they just
had the biggest smile on their faces, like, yeah, people
played it for us a few times, but they were
just such a pleasure to not only watch from a
(38:25):
basketball perspective, but to talk to. One of my favorite
stories actually I got to tell at the SEC tournament.
I was talking to Read just about obviously his dad
and that story that had been so well documented throughout
Reid's entire career and what his dad meant to Kentucky
when he was in Lexington too, and I said, well,
(38:45):
you must have gone to a lot of SEC tournaments
so over the course of your childhood, not only with dad,
but with the family. And he told me a story
about a tournament I think. He said it was in
Atlanta at the time, and him and his dad had
a box and they were watching games all day long,
and I guess the box had a couch in it,
and he said, we sat down, you know, the last
game of the day. It's a four game day and it's,
(39:07):
as you guys know, very long day at the SEC tournament.
He said, they fell asleep and by the time they
woke up, it was two or three in the morning
and all the lights in the arena were out and
nobody was there, so they had to try to find
an exit and work their way out of the arena
at the time, and I.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
Said, how does that happen?
Speaker 2 (39:26):
How does nobody come in and you know, sweep up
the suite and see that you guys are just asleep there.
He said, I have no idea, but you know, we
made our way out of the arena two three in
the morning and came back the very next day. So
I was one of my favorite fun stories that we
got to tell this past year about Reid.
Speaker 1 (39:43):
Well, they were obviously great crowd favorites, both of those guys,
and everybody's very anxious to see how they do, you know,
in the NBA. But Reid has been like the darling
of the Summer League. I mean, he's the He's the best,
one of the best players I've ever seen in that
Summer League.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
It's so funny too, because you know, you talk about
the measurables, and you talk about, you know, build a
basketball player, and of all the talented athletes who have
come through Kentucky basketball, Like I remember standing next to
Oscar Shebway years ago and being like, man, this kid
is just he's got size, he's got athleticism.
Speaker 3 (40:16):
It was just talking about Roman Harper.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
And if you walked up to him all on the
street and you didn't know, I don't know what you
would think if you didn't know what Reed Shepherd's basketball
career had looked like to this point, if you just
met him for the first time, he is just he
checks all the boxes, obviously from from a basketball standpoint,
and what he brings to the floor from a shooting standpoint,
just the unbelievable vision and accuracy that he has, but
(40:41):
also just from a teammate standpoint, from somebody that the
media enjoys talking to, there's no question that he would
be a darling of the Summer League and that the
NBA and his fan base is going to fall in
love with him, but that that's honestly, one of the
best parts about being in the SEC is seeing those
guys who you know their pro teams and the pro
(41:01):
team's fan bases are going to be buying their jerseys,
They're going to be chanting their names on nights that
they're in the arena, and Reid Shepherd's just one of
those guys that you know is going to have absolutely
no problem at the next level from a game standpoint
to the rest of the fanfare that comes with being
a pro player, and I'm so excited to watch the
rest of his career develop.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
So next year, Melissa Media Days head in Atlanta. That's
much closer to Charlotte. Should we just go and pencil
you in for the Friday after that all ends. I'm
sure you'll just have you easy drive home, no more complications.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
I love it. Yeah, it's being back in Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (41:36):
From a travel standpoint, Will definitely be nice because to
your point, you can drive from Charlotte.
Speaker 3 (41:40):
I think it's only three and a half hours or so.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
So the last few years that it's been in Atlanta,
I've definitely made that drive. And any time I can
come on with y'all, I will be here to let
me know. I know, I know there's some rankings and
Tom Hart is at the top. I understand that, but
I'm trying to dethrone Tom hartwaye.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
It gos to.
Speaker 4 (41:59):
A misunderstanding there. Tom just won't leave. Everyone thinks we
keep inviting me. He just keeps showing up. It's more
on Tom's in than us. But we love everyone over
at network.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
It makes a lot of sense that Tom just keeps
reappearing rather than you know, being invited.
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Tom. Tom and I have.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Gotten ourselves into some trouble out and about in the
SEC and then we show up to the game that
we're calling the next day and we look at each
other and we go, yeah, we're not feeling so good,
but let's go call a game. So I have plenty
of Tom heart stories for this.
Speaker 1 (42:27):
Give it up for Alyssa Lane. Good job, we appreciate it.
Thank you very much. Been a great week Myron's in
Lexington on Monday Mondays with Myron at Casbarn grayl for Ryan,
for Drew, for Shannon. A big thanks to Lissa Lang.
This is being thank you Sports Radio. Have a good
weekend everybody,
Host
Matt Jones
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