December 23, 2025 • 22 mins
Ryan Lemond and Jack Pilgrim do a quick 30 minute dive into Christmas and UK basketball live from KSR Bar before the UK-Bellarmine game
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Comedy Up Broadway in Lexington invite you to celebrate New
Year's Eve with Lexington's own Lee Kemberroll for two shows
only on December thirty first, then from Netflix.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Is a Joke.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Catch Ray Low January second and third, and January eighth
through the tenth. Don't miss AGT finalist Aaron Blyle for
tickets to all Comedy Up Broadway shows called eight five
nine two seven to one joke, or visit Comedy Up
Broadway dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Comedy Off Bay. This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by
Stockton Mortgage.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Now here's Matt Jones.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
This is Kentucky Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
How about it?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We are now want less than forty eight hours away
from Christmas, and we're less than three hours away from
tip off pre Kentucky and Bellaman on this edition of
Kentucky Sports Radio. Ryan Lemon and Jack Pilgrim here for
you this morning, as always, tex Sports Radio sponsored by
the t J. Smith Lows called TJ. He'll make them pay.
We've got the Clark Publish opp phone numb eight five
nine two eight zero two two eight seven Jack kind
(01:04):
of abbreviated schedule today, We're gonna have KSR from ten
to ten thirty. But then at ten thirty we have
to start the pregame show because Kentucky and BT'M and
tip off at one o'clock in the afternoon down here
at Repperina today.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Weird, right, it's very weird. Uh. Before I left, Katie
said the my wife, Katie said the Uh, the traffic
shouldn't be too bad. It's a Saturday. I said, it's no,
it's too it's Tuesday. But I think just the scheduling
of this is just throwing everybody off. It's a very
very weird time. But hey, I'm for it. Nothing like
a matinee.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
These games that will get into a lot of the
basketball game itself and during the pregame show. But these
games at Roperena before Christmas usually has a really good
crowd because the people come in for the holidays. Maybe
mom and dad gives somebody gives their family the tickets,
so it's usually a pretty decent crowd, even though it's
one o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah, I think the the local factor with Bellerman, it's
an it's a name brand for for US locals where
some alums can come in and you know, celebrating and
you know, cheer on their their their former schools. So yeah,
I'm excited. I think it's gonna be and I think
there's a lot to be excited about with how they
won against Saint john to get the debut of Jayden
Quaintan's there's a lot of other stuff that went into
(02:13):
just kind of the feel good bringing the feel good
vibes back to Kentucky basketball.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So our thirty minute edition of ks are we're kind
of like the pre pregame show You and I will
do it. Matt his course down in New Orleans getting
ready to call his first ever play by play on
national radio of a college football play bowl game down
in New Orleans today.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I am very excited to see how that goes goes
for him. I've loved hearing, you know, being on the
plane and doing a little whispering the play by play
under under his breath, watching NFL games and stuff. But yeah,
he's gonna crush it. But I don't know how I
would react if I were in his shoes, So I
wish I wish him nothing but the best.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I told him, I said, dude, once you get going,
you'll settle in and you'll get into a flow and
it'll be all right. But I can tell you he's
legit a little nervous about it.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
What would the interesting thing is is memorizing the rosters
and how all you know the team dynamics and all
those things. Like he's got some homework to do, Like
I hope, I hope he's brushed up and he's studied
up and he's ready to go.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
So that'll be later today the UK basketball games at one.
Then we'll the pregame show will probably get over about
five ish, and then I think kickoff for his game
is at five thirty, so to kind of bleed all
in together. So it's a long day of listening to
the radio all day to day. But what else you're
gonna do? Man, it's a Christmas? Are you ready for Christmas?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
In two days? I am one of the most festive
people that I know. I had your I'm I very
much enjoy it. I'm the dude that puts my Christmas
decorations up on November first. As soon as we get
post Halloween, I'm all in on Christmas. But December just
flew by. Man, It just it feels like we snapped
(03:51):
our fingers and it's here. So I'm trying to figure
out that's why I'm wearing what I'm wearing today, just
because I'm trying to force myself into just the you know,
a dramatic, exaggerated version of my fastus self because I'm
not feeling it doesn't feel like it's forty eight hours away.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Less than forty eight hours away. Now your little boys
will be getting up going crazy at six am in
the morning. Casana came to the house. Man, that's a
special time on you got little ones at the house.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
This is the first Christmas that Billy, my two year old,
grasps it. Understand. We walk around the neighborhood and he
sees all the Oh, there's Big Santa, there's the Nutcracker,
there's the Polar Bear. Like he is getting obsessed with
all of the decoration. So that's definitely added. When you
get older as a kid, it's the most magical thing
in the world. And then once you get kind of
(04:38):
you know, twenties and thirties, it you know, kind of
lose some of that magic and then the kids bring
it right back. So I very much enjoyed just the
magic pind of this year.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And then there's people like me that I have to
go shopping after the postgame show because I still have
stuff I have to buy. My parents are coming down
this afternoon and I have not bought them anything. I've
not been to Kroger, I've not bought groceries. I'm that
guy to the last minute. Billy R Sports. I think
it's the same way. We're out tonight and tomorrow on
Christmas Eve, finishing up.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
I have a couple of things that I see. My
wife just does a great such a great job with
hitting every cousin and aunt and uncle and grandpa and
grandma like she does all of the immediate family for me,
like she mean, she does it back in November. She's
so prepared. But I still have to do my own
personal some some of those things that I you know,
(05:27):
I'm I'm the procrastinator. She's definitely the early bird.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
So since we're gonna get into basketball during the pregame show,
I ask you some other questions. Did we able to
watch the volleyball tournament on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Man? I did? It just sucked? You know, it just
sucked how they won on Thursday. It kind of felt like, Okay,
well they got the ugly. You know, got knocked the
rust off. You know, the big moment was it felt
a little big on Thursday. In that first one, it
gets Wisconsin, but they overcame it, and all right, well,
now you're taking on a team that you've already beaten
and you can feel good and hopefully bring itchampionship back
(06:00):
to Lexington. And then just came out flat self inflicted
errors over and over and over again. You felt, okay, well,
just got the ugly first set behind us, that'll be fine.
And it kind of felt like M got the momentum
and said, oh well, this stuff is sweet, like we
can not only beat them but kind of dominate them,
and just never were able to respond. And it's just
it sucks. It doesn't take away from the magic that
(06:23):
was the season. I watched more volleyball this season than
I ever have. It was so fun watching this team
and rallying where around these girls. But I wish they
got it across the finish line.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
It's like after they they jumped out of that first
lead in the first set, and once Texas A and M
caught them and then won that first set, it's like
they were never the same after that. They just didn't recover.
Like you said, hitting serves out of bounds, hitting serves
into the net, returns easy returns, hitting them out of bounds.
There was just like they just were thrown off a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
It seemed like momentum is just so real in volleyball,
where it's just one point turns into three and turns
into five, and once it just kind of get unravels.
It's really hard to kind of put the toothpaste back
in the back in the tube. So they've done a
great job eight and one and on the year up
to that point and in matches where you fall behind
one one to oh, so that this is a kind
(07:10):
of comeback cat team. But they just they just didn't
have it. You know, sometimes you just got to give
credit where it's doe Texas A and M to steam
roll the entire field, and you know sometimes that happens.
It's that was the team of destiny and unfortunately it
wasn't wasn't Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Well it's like you said, it's still a great season,
face national runner up. But Texas A and M. They
beat three number one seeds in a row. They beat Nebraska,
Pitt and Kentucky back to back to back. They kind
of earned it.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Man, after reverse sweeping Louisville to kind of start the run.
So you're right, So you know, it's like Yukon and
basketball that twenty you know twenty eleven. Sometimes just those
teams they go on runs and you just have to
tip your cap and say, hey, that's sucks that we're
not that we're not in your shoes, but but you know,
what can you do?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So we'll, like I said'll get into basketball after the break.
I want to talk a couple of football questions. You
kind of got your finger on the pulse with uk
basketball right now. Have you been able to keep up
with will Stein's staff and who he's hiring and you
bringing the guys he's bringing in?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, I mean we got to feed the studs somehow,
right and that this that this team, you know, we
gotta we gotta go bowling. Man, We're not sitting next
to you know, we're we're setting the expectations high. There's
there's good vibes and Lexton with football again. So yeah,
I've been following it super closely. I'm very excited for
the portal to open up next week and really kind
of see him take this thing and run with it.
(08:27):
Seeing seeing all right, got a couple of late steals
in the high school recruiting class. But what can you
do that late in the game. You're you know, you're
hired the day before National signing Day, Like you can
only do so much. Getting Darby to sign on the
dotted line was was big enough as is, but this
is where he can he can really kind of show
his game off a little bit as a recruiter and
(08:49):
kind of a hey, let's go build something specially. It
reminds me I go back to when when Stoops first
got hired and just kind of selling the dream, like, hey,
we don't have anything to work with right now, but
come believe in me and let's let's makes something special.
And we saw what that turned into with Stoops and
hopefully with the floor raised thanks to what Stoops was
able to do, U will will Stein's able to not
just get high three and low four stars to start
(09:11):
his his tenure. We'll we'll be able to get will
Stein to bring in some some foreign five star dudes studs.
So are you in the boat?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You're kind of hoping Oregon we get beat to get
will Stein on campus. Are you in the boat. You
want Oregon to succeed, to miss the make him look
even better, and then talk about UK every time they
talk about the Oregon Oregon offense.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Go Ducks, Baby, No, we are, we are, we are
rooting for them all the way. I mean, uh, Texas Tech,
I think so. I just I thought, how you look
it up?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I'll look it up while you talk.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I I We did this exact same thing when
Stoops got hired. I mean, Florida State was in the
middle of their national championship push and we kind of
saw like, hey, our defensive coordinators coming from a you know,
national championship winning program. How fun is that? Like, I
mean that that's some real tangible success that we can
kind of hang on to to build build off of. Yes,
(10:03):
it would be nice to get a little headstart on
the portal and he wouldn't be so distracted if he
got you know, knocked out. But we're talking long term,
the momentum in general, with the attention on the program,
with will Stein at the podium being able to say
whatever he wants about Kentucky and hey, you see what
we just we just put put up fifty points in
five hundred yards. Do you want to come do that
for me next year, come do it in Lexington. It's
(10:23):
it's I will take the long term success even if
it means that, you know, some short term hiccups with
juggling the portal with it.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
I'm with you. I'm the same way they do play
Texas Tech by the way this weekend. And I think
that's why his staff was still important. Have guys here
with boots on the ground in Lexington working on that
kind of thing while he's got to fly back and
forth ween here in Oregon.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Yeah, and you got Joe Sloan, he's, you know, ready
to go. We got you know, Texas saying and we
you have guys with boots on the ground here now
A and war Stewart, you know, offering guys yesterday announced
that he was coming back yesterday as well, so that
you you can feel confident in the foundation with the
guy to kind of relay the message to the people
that need the message relay to them while will Stein
(11:04):
it takes care of business up up in Eugene.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
You mentioned Anne wash Stewart, former player been on the
Stoop staff, that he's retaining him, He's retaining Mike Hartline
and I think that's good because he had to believe.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Mike Hartline just took good job at USF.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I thought he was staying.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Think he just left.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Well, that takes away what I was getting ready to say.
Never mind them. So when we come back from the
break though, I want to ask you what is Will Stein?
What's on his Christmas list? What's he's asking Santa Christmas?
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(12:04):
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All right, we'll take our break, come back. We got
one more segment of KSR, then we'll start the KSR
pregame show. Kentucky and Bellerman coming up. This is Ryan
and Jack right back. This is Kentucky's Ports Radio. I
(12:27):
thought you were getting ready, say you're gonna play Chuck
Berry's Christmas song here. Gus thought you asked us what
we wanted to hear in we Jack said, okay, gotcha,
oh gotcha?
Speaker 3 (12:40):
All right?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So Ryan Lem and Jack pilke them here. We are
live at Chaos Bar and Grill. We are now open.
We opened at ten o'clock this morning. We're serving breakfast
because Kentucky's playing Bellerman at one o'clock. We opened a
little hour early and it filled up. We got a
good crowd here already. Like I said, a lot of
this these right before Christmas games get a lot of
a different crowd. You see some different faces. People kind
are in for the holiday, and we're seeing that already
(13:01):
here as a Chaos bars filling up. And the breakfast
here is really good, by the way, So come on out,
you know. Commonwealth Causes is creating a better Kentucky by
shining a spotlight on local charities and inspiring generosity across
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while give you back. The Queen of Hearts Raffle happens
every Thursday, and the next ultimate Bourbon Collection Raffle will
be January twenty ninth. Your ticket doesn't just give you
a shot at twenty thousand dollars worth of bourbon or
(13:23):
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Kentucky's charities. Today, Commonwealth Causes is donated nearly six hundred
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So grab your tickets now at Commonwealth Causes dot org.
That's Commonwealth Causes dot org. Follow at ky Causes on
social media, download the app and play and win and
(13:44):
support Happy Holidays from Commonwealth Causes. All right, you had
a little minute to think about it. Will Stein's crawing
up on Santa Claus' knee. Sanny asks what he wants
for Christmas? What's will Stein ask? What's on his Christmas list?
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Oh? Well, if I were will Stein, I'd say we
got we got to get some studs, and I think
the quarterback room is going to be fine. I think
there's so much to He will have his pick of
the litter for for quarterback, whether it's Cutter Bowley, whether
it's somebody else that he wants to hand pick. I
think those questions are being had right now. Those conversations
(14:16):
are being had right now. But you got to have
whoever it is, have somebody to throw the ball to.
And I think we saw the value of that this year,
the lack thereof not having kind of a go to
superstar on the outside for for a Cutter. I'm pushing
all my chips on on on the best receiver will
Stein can get his hands on two or three. I mean,
(14:36):
the hit reset on that receiver room. Bring bring back
the talent from last year, the DJ Millers, the you know,
Harley Gilmore's of the of the world, and you know,
go find a true wide receiver number one.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
You know, they've lost every single offensive lineman. Now they
had four seniors and with Farmer committing to the NFL,
going to the NFL, they've lost all five of them.
And they hardly played anybody in uh and in rotation
at all. I mean, they've got to That's one thing
that's got me in his Christmas list.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
I think there's gonna be a lot of presents under
the tree, Like I think, I think we need to
understand that this is a total reset. I yeah, I
was more selfishly talking about the the explosion of the
will Stein offense and getting carried away in that regard
that I just personally want to see selfishly want to see,
uh a superstar wide receiver, but uh A resetting the
(15:27):
offensive line room is is make or break for year
one for will Stein. So that's probably that that needed
to be. Like the like pre Christmas like that was Thanksgiving,
like we gotta we gotta set the foundation there and
then Christmas is kind of you know where you can
get get a little selfish there. So yeah, I think
those are priorities ABC D through Z.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
What is on Mitch Barnhardt's Christmas list?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Probably for me to shut up probably if I had
I guess just you know, I don't know. I think that's.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Definitely wants a winning season for football, or definitely or
only some success in the football, And this is his hire,
you know, will Stein's his maybe his legacy.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Higher, and I think a turnaround to get because also
the mark Pope higher was his legacy higher as well. Ye,
he needs this thing to turn around and continue to
build upon what we've seen work over the last two
weeks for this Kentucky basketball team as well. We kind
of heard him unfiltered a little bit on the show
(16:29):
that the last one I was on pre Indiana, where
he talked about just kind of the you know, hey,
you know, the money is where it needs to be.
We like the foundation with JMI and you know, the
deals that were able to secure, but it's up to
the coaches to build rosters that are going to compete.
It wasn't a shot at Pope, but it was like
a hey, we are holding up our end of the bargain, Pope.
Now it's on you to make sure that the twenty
(16:50):
two million dollar roster you put together as a championship
quality one. So I think seeing I bet Mitch Barnhart
was just as excited as anybody to see Jaden Quainton's debut,
to see that vision maybe come together a little bit
more clearly.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
You know, it seems like they're the attitude of Big
Blue Nation definitely has changed after beating Indiana and beating
Saint John's because it was as much as low as
it's been in a long time after the Gonzaga loss,
and you were there, you witnessed it. Crowd was into it,
electric loud, and they just got waxed.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
And that's there are two extremes with this because that
product was totally inexcusable, totally unacceptable. That was a losing
brand of basketball. I don't care who was in, who
was out, who was hurt, who was available, I don't
care that effort, the passion, the want to all of
those things. When you have DeMarcus Cousins publicly tweeting, these
guys don't have I know what Hart looks like playing
(17:41):
for the University of Kentucky. These guys don't have it.
When you're publicly called out by a legend like that,
and you have Mark Pope at the podium saying, hey,
I'm a former player too, and I'd be mad at
the coach if you know right now as well. So
when you hit rock bottom in that way, not just
the score, but the how they got there compared to
what has made these last two games so enjoyable with
(18:03):
the passion and the diving for loose balls and you know,
crashing the offensive glass and just playing hard, tough basketball.
It's that they're easy to root for. Again, so you know,
got to meet in the middle somewhere. It's probably not
sustainable to play this style of basketball. You gotta make
shots eventually, but you also just can't play a losing
brand the way that we saw leading up to this
little little stretch.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
And you're the guy that asked a question the DeMarcus
Cousins quote, You're the one and asked that, kudos to you,
by the way, Well.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
It's it's the the idea that that that generation of
player was known as that, oh, these guys don't care
about the school. They they only care about being here
for eight months and making you know, nowadays it's being
here for eight months and making as much money as
you can win n IL before going to the draft.
But for their generation of kids, it was I'm using
(18:54):
this program as a stepping stool to get to the NBA.
And the old generation of Kentucky and viewed that as like, oh,
that's not real. You know, they don't care about the
name on the front. They only care about the name
on the back. That guy is saying that these guys
didn't care for his program. You know, it was kind
of ironic and kind of a full circle moment that
I think that was. That was pretty revealing. I was
pretty telling when when a guy like DeMarcus Cousins, a
(19:16):
fan favorite in the one and Done era, is saying
that these guys don't have heart.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Draft Kings big sponsor of Kentucky Ports Radio as well,
and I'm gonna go over some Draft Kings Odds day.
You teo what you think Kentucky Overbellman is a thirty
five and a half point favorite.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Hammer it, baby, yeah, hammer it. Feel good about this one.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
We'll get into it more. But as Jalen Low play today.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
He did not practice yesterday and there's no shoot around today.
So I'm just my educated guest here is that they
will correctly make the decision to hold him out. I
would wrap him in bubble wrap and shove him away
as keep him away from the basketball floor practice, do
not let him get touched for the next fourteen days.
Just just leave him be. We saw plenty in this
(20:00):
second half against Saint John's. Keep him health, Keeping him
healthy is probabority number one from our pope.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Why not, like you said, there's a big drought now
before they play Alabama again, there's you know they playing
what January third or.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Fourteen day gap between Saint John's and so Wild.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Why not why not just sit him right now against
Bellerman and let that shoulder he heel up because it's
going to get bumped again once the SEC starts you.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
This is touch and go this, I mean you're going
to have to delicately, delicately handle Jalen Low the rest
of the season. H Pope said last night and as
Collin show, that he does expect Jalen to be available
the rest of the season like that. He doesn't think
that this is something that's gonna linger and it's gonna
take him off the floor at some point. He thinks
that they can manage this, which I'm all in on.
(20:45):
But you gotta be able to manage it. You got
to be able to pick and choose the ad as
needed spots with Jalen Low. You can't just throw him
out there and say, hey, thirty five minutes a game, buddy,
go go let her rip like pick and choose your
spots when to use this very very valuable tool for
your team.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So you say, hammer the over at thirty five and
a half on Draftking, the over under is one fifty
six and a half. Oh, I'm going I think Kentucky
will score a lot of points. Will Will Bellerman score
enough points to get over the get over the over?
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Well, and I don't want to share my secrets for
the pregame show, but I'm picking a big, big win
that doesn't involve Kentucky's scoring enough points to make However,
many Bellerman scores not matter as much, so I'm still
slamming the over on that one.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
That Kentucky may hit one hundred. So will Bellerman get
fifty fifty five? There's your question right there, So yeah,
well we'll get more into that again. We're open here
at Chaos Bar and Grill. Nice crowd, kind of people
coming in.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
I am getting salivating looking at some of these plates
that are coming out with the eggs and bacon and biscuits.
It's it's looking pretty darn tasted.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
The breakfast is actually very very good here at Case Bar.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
It's kind of rare.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
We don't do it all the time. Sometimes we have
an early football game Monico open up a little early
and needs to breakfast, so we're.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Doing it here.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
A lot of new faces here, and that's what's kind
of cool about these holiday games.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I'm enjoying seeing some of the morning beers as well.
We gotta get we gotta get some excitement at Rupparena
for a one o'clock Tuesday game.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
So that does it for this edition of KSR. Thirty
minutes gone, but stay tune. We're gonna start the Citral
Kentucky Chevy, the Other's KSR pregame show with Jack Pilgrim
Kentucky and Bellerman coming up.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
So stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
We're right back talking basketball here on Kentucky's Port Radio.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Goodbye,
Comedy Up Broadway in Lexington invite you to celebrate New
Year's Eve with Lexington's own Lee Kemberroll for two shows
only on December thirty first, then from Netflix.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Is a Joke.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Catch Ray Low January second and third, and January eighth
through the tenth. Don't miss AGT finalist Aaron Blyle for
tickets to all Comedy Up Broadway shows called eight five
nine two seven to one joke, or visit Comedy Up
Broadway dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Comedy Off Bay. This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by
Stockton Mortgage.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
Now here's Matt Jones.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
This is Kentucky Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
How about it?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We are now want less than forty eight hours away
from Christmas, and we're less than three hours away from
tip off pre Kentucky and Bellaman on this edition of
Kentucky Sports Radio. Ryan Lemon and Jack Pilgrim here for
you this morning, as always, tex Sports Radio sponsored by
the t J. Smith Lows called TJ. He'll make them pay.
We've got the Clark Publish opp phone numb eight five
nine two eight zero two two eight seven Jack kind
(01:04):
of abbreviated schedule today, We're gonna have KSR from ten
to ten thirty. But then at ten thirty we have
to start the pregame show because Kentucky and BT'M and
tip off at one o'clock in the afternoon down here
at Repperina today.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Weird, right, it's very weird. Uh. Before I left, Katie
said the my wife, Katie said the Uh, the traffic
shouldn't be too bad. It's a Saturday. I said, it's no,
it's too it's Tuesday. But I think just the scheduling
of this is just throwing everybody off. It's a very
very weird time. But hey, I'm for it. Nothing like
a matinee.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
These games that will get into a lot of the
basketball game itself and during the pregame show. But these
games at Roperena before Christmas usually has a really good
crowd because the people come in for the holidays. Maybe
mom and dad gives somebody gives their family the tickets,
so it's usually a pretty decent crowd, even though it's
one o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah, I think the the local factor with Bellerman, it's
an it's a name brand for for US locals where
some alums can come in and you know, celebrating and
you know, cheer on their their their former schools. So yeah,
I'm excited. I think it's gonna be and I think
there's a lot to be excited about with how they
won against Saint john to get the debut of Jayden
Quaintan's there's a lot of other stuff that went into
(02:13):
just kind of the feel good bringing the feel good
vibes back to Kentucky basketball.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
So our thirty minute edition of ks are we're kind
of like the pre pregame show You and I will
do it. Matt his course down in New Orleans getting
ready to call his first ever play by play on
national radio of a college football play bowl game down
in New Orleans today.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
I am very excited to see how that goes goes
for him. I've loved hearing, you know, being on the
plane and doing a little whispering the play by play
under under his breath, watching NFL games and stuff. But yeah,
he's gonna crush it. But I don't know how I
would react if I were in his shoes, So I
wish I wish him nothing but the best.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I told him, I said, dude, once you get going,
you'll settle in and you'll get into a flow and
it'll be all right. But I can tell you he's
legit a little nervous about it.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
What would the interesting thing is is memorizing the rosters
and how all you know the team dynamics and all
those things. Like he's got some homework to do, Like
I hope, I hope he's brushed up and he's studied
up and he's ready to go.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
So that'll be later today the UK basketball games at one.
Then we'll the pregame show will probably get over about
five ish, and then I think kickoff for his game
is at five thirty, so to kind of bleed all
in together. So it's a long day of listening to
the radio all day to day. But what else you're
gonna do? Man, it's a Christmas? Are you ready for Christmas?
Speaker 3 (03:31):
In two days? I am one of the most festive
people that I know. I had your I'm I very
much enjoy it. I'm the dude that puts my Christmas
decorations up on November first. As soon as we get
post Halloween, I'm all in on Christmas. But December just
flew by. Man, It just it feels like we snapped
(03:51):
our fingers and it's here. So I'm trying to figure
out that's why I'm wearing what I'm wearing today, just
because I'm trying to force myself into just the you know,
a dramatic, exaggerated version of my fastus self because I'm
not feeling it doesn't feel like it's forty eight hours away.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Less than forty eight hours away. Now your little boys
will be getting up going crazy at six am in
the morning. Casana came to the house. Man, that's a
special time on you got little ones at the house.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
This is the first Christmas that Billy, my two year old,
grasps it. Understand. We walk around the neighborhood and he
sees all the Oh, there's Big Santa, there's the Nutcracker,
there's the Polar Bear. Like he is getting obsessed with
all of the decoration. So that's definitely added. When you
get older as a kid, it's the most magical thing
in the world. And then once you get kind of
(04:38):
you know, twenties and thirties, it you know, kind of
lose some of that magic and then the kids bring
it right back. So I very much enjoyed just the
magic pind of this year.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
And then there's people like me that I have to
go shopping after the postgame show because I still have
stuff I have to buy. My parents are coming down
this afternoon and I have not bought them anything. I've
not been to Kroger, I've not bought groceries. I'm that
guy to the last minute. Billy R Sports. I think
it's the same way. We're out tonight and tomorrow on
Christmas Eve, finishing up.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
I have a couple of things that I see. My
wife just does a great such a great job with
hitting every cousin and aunt and uncle and grandpa and
grandma like she does all of the immediate family for me,
like she mean, she does it back in November. She's
so prepared. But I still have to do my own
personal some some of those things that I you know,
(05:27):
I'm I'm the procrastinator. She's definitely the early bird.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
So since we're gonna get into basketball during the pregame show,
I ask you some other questions. Did we able to
watch the volleyball tournament on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Man? I did? It just sucked? You know, it just
sucked how they won on Thursday. It kind of felt like, Okay,
well they got the ugly. You know, got knocked the
rust off. You know, the big moment was it felt
a little big on Thursday. In that first one, it
gets Wisconsin, but they overcame it, and all right, well,
now you're taking on a team that you've already beaten
and you can feel good and hopefully bring itchampionship back
(06:00):
to Lexington. And then just came out flat self inflicted
errors over and over and over again. You felt, okay, well,
just got the ugly first set behind us, that'll be fine.
And it kind of felt like M got the momentum
and said, oh well, this stuff is sweet, like we
can not only beat them but kind of dominate them,
and just never were able to respond. And it's just
it sucks. It doesn't take away from the magic that
(06:23):
was the season. I watched more volleyball this season than
I ever have. It was so fun watching this team
and rallying where around these girls. But I wish they
got it across the finish line.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
It's like after they they jumped out of that first
lead in the first set, and once Texas A and M
caught them and then won that first set, it's like
they were never the same after that. They just didn't recover.
Like you said, hitting serves out of bounds, hitting serves
into the net, returns easy returns, hitting them out of bounds.
There was just like they just were thrown off a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
It seemed like momentum is just so real in volleyball,
where it's just one point turns into three and turns
into five, and once it just kind of get unravels.
It's really hard to kind of put the toothpaste back
in the back in the tube. So they've done a
great job eight and one and on the year up
to that point and in matches where you fall behind
one one to oh, so that this is a kind
(07:10):
of comeback cat team. But they just they just didn't
have it. You know, sometimes you just got to give
credit where it's doe Texas A and M to steam
roll the entire field, and you know sometimes that happens.
It's that was the team of destiny and unfortunately it
wasn't wasn't Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Well it's like you said, it's still a great season,
face national runner up. But Texas A and M. They
beat three number one seeds in a row. They beat Nebraska,
Pitt and Kentucky back to back to back. They kind
of earned it.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Man, after reverse sweeping Louisville to kind of start the run.
So you're right, So you know, it's like Yukon and
basketball that twenty you know twenty eleven. Sometimes just those
teams they go on runs and you just have to
tip your cap and say, hey, that's sucks that we're
not that we're not in your shoes, but but you know,
what can you do?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
So we'll, like I said'll get into basketball after the break.
I want to talk a couple of football questions. You
kind of got your finger on the pulse with uk
basketball right now. Have you been able to keep up
with will Stein's staff and who he's hiring and you
bringing the guys he's bringing in?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, I mean we got to feed the studs somehow,
right and that this that this team, you know, we
gotta we gotta go bowling. Man, We're not sitting next
to you know, we're we're setting the expectations high. There's
there's good vibes and Lexton with football again. So yeah,
I've been following it super closely. I'm very excited for
the portal to open up next week and really kind
of see him take this thing and run with it.
(08:27):
Seeing seeing all right, got a couple of late steals
in the high school recruiting class. But what can you
do that late in the game. You're you know, you're
hired the day before National signing Day, Like you can
only do so much. Getting Darby to sign on the
dotted line was was big enough as is, but this
is where he can he can really kind of show
his game off a little bit as a recruiter and
(08:49):
kind of a hey, let's go build something specially. It
reminds me I go back to when when Stoops first
got hired and just kind of selling the dream, like, hey,
we don't have anything to work with right now, but
come believe in me and let's let's makes something special.
And we saw what that turned into with Stoops and
hopefully with the floor raised thanks to what Stoops was
able to do, U will will Stein's able to not
just get high three and low four stars to start
(09:11):
his his tenure. We'll we'll be able to get will
Stein to bring in some some foreign five star dudes studs.
So are you in the boat?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
You're kind of hoping Oregon we get beat to get
will Stein on campus. Are you in the boat. You
want Oregon to succeed, to miss the make him look
even better, and then talk about UK every time they
talk about the Oregon Oregon offense.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Go Ducks, Baby, No, we are, we are, we are
rooting for them all the way. I mean, uh, Texas Tech,
I think so. I just I thought, how you look
it up?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I'll look it up while you talk.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I I We did this exact same thing when
Stoops got hired. I mean, Florida State was in the
middle of their national championship push and we kind of
saw like, hey, our defensive coordinators coming from a you know,
national championship winning program. How fun is that? Like, I
mean that that's some real tangible success that we can
kind of hang on to to build build off of. Yes,
(10:03):
it would be nice to get a little headstart on
the portal and he wouldn't be so distracted if he
got you know, knocked out. But we're talking long term,
the momentum in general, with the attention on the program,
with will Stein at the podium being able to say
whatever he wants about Kentucky and hey, you see what
we just we just put put up fifty points in
five hundred yards. Do you want to come do that
for me next year, come do it in Lexington. It's
(10:23):
it's I will take the long term success even if
it means that, you know, some short term hiccups with
juggling the portal with it.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
I'm with you. I'm the same way they do play
Texas Tech by the way this weekend. And I think
that's why his staff was still important. Have guys here
with boots on the ground in Lexington working on that
kind of thing while he's got to fly back and
forth ween here in Oregon.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Yeah, and you got Joe Sloan, he's, you know, ready
to go. We got you know, Texas saying and we
you have guys with boots on the ground here now
A and war Stewart, you know, offering guys yesterday announced
that he was coming back yesterday as well, so that
you you can feel confident in the foundation with the
guy to kind of relay the message to the people
that need the message relay to them while will Stein
(11:04):
it takes care of business up up in Eugene.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
You mentioned Anne wash Stewart, former player been on the
Stoop staff, that he's retaining him, He's retaining Mike Hartline
and I think that's good because he had to believe.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Mike Hartline just took good job at USF.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I thought he was staying.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Think he just left.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Well, that takes away what I was getting ready to say.
Never mind them. So when we come back from the
break though, I want to ask you what is Will Stein?
What's on his Christmas list? What's he's asking Santa Christmas?
So all right, still looking for last minute gifts? Yes, well,
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(12:04):
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All right, we'll take our break, come back. We got
one more segment of KSR, then we'll start the KSR
pregame show. Kentucky and Bellerman coming up. This is Ryan
and Jack right back. This is Kentucky's Ports Radio. I
(12:27):
thought you were getting ready, say you're gonna play Chuck
Berry's Christmas song here. Gus thought you asked us what
we wanted to hear in we Jack said, okay, gotcha,
oh gotcha?
Speaker 3 (12:40):
All right?
Speaker 2 (12:41):
So Ryan Lem and Jack pilke them here. We are
live at Chaos Bar and Grill. We are now open.
We opened at ten o'clock this morning. We're serving breakfast
because Kentucky's playing Bellerman at one o'clock. We opened a
little hour early and it filled up. We got a
good crowd here already. Like I said, a lot of
this these right before Christmas games get a lot of
a different crowd. You see some different faces. People kind
are in for the holiday, and we're seeing that already
(13:01):
here as a Chaos bars filling up. And the breakfast
here is really good, by the way, So come on out,
you know. Commonwealth Causes is creating a better Kentucky by
shining a spotlight on local charities and inspiring generosity across
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while give you back. The Queen of Hearts Raffle happens
every Thursday, and the next ultimate Bourbon Collection Raffle will
be January twenty ninth. Your ticket doesn't just give you
a shot at twenty thousand dollars worth of bourbon or
(13:23):
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So grab your tickets now at Commonwealth Causes dot org.
That's Commonwealth Causes dot org. Follow at ky Causes on
social media, download the app and play and win and
(13:44):
support Happy Holidays from Commonwealth Causes. All right, you had
a little minute to think about it. Will Stein's crawing
up on Santa Claus' knee. Sanny asks what he wants
for Christmas? What's will Stein ask? What's on his Christmas list?
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Oh? Well, if I were will Stein, I'd say we
got we got to get some studs, and I think
the quarterback room is going to be fine. I think
there's so much to He will have his pick of
the litter for for quarterback, whether it's Cutter Bowley, whether
it's somebody else that he wants to hand pick. I
think those questions are being had right now. Those conversations
(14:16):
are being had right now. But you got to have
whoever it is, have somebody to throw the ball to.
And I think we saw the value of that this year,
the lack thereof not having kind of a go to
superstar on the outside for for a Cutter. I'm pushing
all my chips on on on the best receiver will
Stein can get his hands on two or three. I mean,
(14:36):
the hit reset on that receiver room. Bring bring back
the talent from last year, the DJ Millers, the you know,
Harley Gilmore's of the of the world, and you know,
go find a true wide receiver number one.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
You know, they've lost every single offensive lineman. Now they
had four seniors and with Farmer committing to the NFL,
going to the NFL, they've lost all five of them.
And they hardly played anybody in uh and in rotation
at all. I mean, they've got to That's one thing
that's got me in his Christmas list.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
I think there's gonna be a lot of presents under
the tree, Like I think, I think we need to
understand that this is a total reset. I yeah, I
was more selfishly talking about the the explosion of the
will Stein offense and getting carried away in that regard
that I just personally want to see selfishly want to see,
uh a superstar wide receiver, but uh A resetting the
(15:27):
offensive line room is is make or break for year
one for will Stein. So that's probably that that needed
to be. Like the like pre Christmas like that was Thanksgiving,
like we gotta we gotta set the foundation there and
then Christmas is kind of you know where you can
get get a little selfish there. So yeah, I think
those are priorities ABC D through Z.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
What is on Mitch Barnhardt's Christmas list?
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Probably for me to shut up probably if I had
I guess just you know, I don't know. I think that's.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
Definitely wants a winning season for football, or definitely or
only some success in the football, And this is his hire,
you know, will Stein's his maybe his legacy.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
Higher, and I think a turnaround to get because also
the mark Pope higher was his legacy higher as well. Ye,
he needs this thing to turn around and continue to
build upon what we've seen work over the last two
weeks for this Kentucky basketball team as well. We kind
of heard him unfiltered a little bit on the show
(16:29):
that the last one I was on pre Indiana, where
he talked about just kind of the you know, hey,
you know, the money is where it needs to be.
We like the foundation with JMI and you know, the
deals that were able to secure, but it's up to
the coaches to build rosters that are going to compete.
It wasn't a shot at Pope, but it was like
a hey, we are holding up our end of the bargain, Pope.
Now it's on you to make sure that the twenty
(16:50):
two million dollar roster you put together as a championship
quality one. So I think seeing I bet Mitch Barnhart
was just as excited as anybody to see Jaden Quainton's debut,
to see that vision maybe come together a little bit
more clearly.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
You know, it seems like they're the attitude of Big
Blue Nation definitely has changed after beating Indiana and beating
Saint John's because it was as much as low as
it's been in a long time after the Gonzaga loss,
and you were there, you witnessed it. Crowd was into it,
electric loud, and they just got waxed.
Speaker 3 (17:19):
And that's there are two extremes with this because that
product was totally inexcusable, totally unacceptable. That was a losing
brand of basketball. I don't care who was in, who
was out, who was hurt, who was available, I don't
care that effort, the passion, the want to all of
those things. When you have DeMarcus Cousins publicly tweeting, these
guys don't have I know what Hart looks like playing
(17:41):
for the University of Kentucky. These guys don't have it.
When you're publicly called out by a legend like that,
and you have Mark Pope at the podium saying, hey,
I'm a former player too, and I'd be mad at
the coach if you know right now as well. So
when you hit rock bottom in that way, not just
the score, but the how they got there compared to
what has made these last two games so enjoyable with
(18:03):
the passion and the diving for loose balls and you know,
crashing the offensive glass and just playing hard, tough basketball.
It's that they're easy to root for. Again, so you know,
got to meet in the middle somewhere. It's probably not
sustainable to play this style of basketball. You gotta make
shots eventually, but you also just can't play a losing
brand the way that we saw leading up to this
little little stretch.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
And you're the guy that asked a question the DeMarcus
Cousins quote, You're the one and asked that, kudos to you,
by the way, Well.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
It's it's the the idea that that that generation of
player was known as that, oh, these guys don't care
about the school. They they only care about being here
for eight months and making you know, nowadays it's being
here for eight months and making as much money as
you can win n IL before going to the draft.
But for their generation of kids, it was I'm using
(18:54):
this program as a stepping stool to get to the NBA.
And the old generation of Kentucky and viewed that as like, oh,
that's not real. You know, they don't care about the
name on the front. They only care about the name
on the back. That guy is saying that these guys
didn't care for his program. You know, it was kind
of ironic and kind of a full circle moment that
I think that was. That was pretty revealing. I was
pretty telling when when a guy like DeMarcus Cousins, a
(19:16):
fan favorite in the one and Done era, is saying
that these guys don't have heart.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Draft Kings big sponsor of Kentucky Ports Radio as well,
and I'm gonna go over some Draft Kings Odds day.
You teo what you think Kentucky Overbellman is a thirty
five and a half point favorite.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Hammer it, baby, yeah, hammer it. Feel good about this one.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
We'll get into it more. But as Jalen Low play today.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
He did not practice yesterday and there's no shoot around today.
So I'm just my educated guest here is that they
will correctly make the decision to hold him out. I
would wrap him in bubble wrap and shove him away
as keep him away from the basketball floor practice, do
not let him get touched for the next fourteen days.
Just just leave him be. We saw plenty in this
(20:00):
second half against Saint John's. Keep him health, Keeping him
healthy is probabority number one from our pope.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Why not, like you said, there's a big drought now
before they play Alabama again, there's you know they playing
what January third or.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Fourteen day gap between Saint John's and so Wild.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Why not why not just sit him right now against
Bellerman and let that shoulder he heel up because it's
going to get bumped again once the SEC starts you.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
This is touch and go this, I mean you're going
to have to delicately, delicately handle Jalen Low the rest
of the season. H Pope said last night and as
Collin show, that he does expect Jalen to be available
the rest of the season like that. He doesn't think
that this is something that's gonna linger and it's gonna
take him off the floor at some point. He thinks
that they can manage this, which I'm all in on.
(20:45):
But you gotta be able to manage it. You got
to be able to pick and choose the ad as
needed spots with Jalen Low. You can't just throw him
out there and say, hey, thirty five minutes a game, buddy,
go go let her rip like pick and choose your
spots when to use this very very valuable tool for
your team.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
So you say, hammer the over at thirty five and
a half on Draftking, the over under is one fifty
six and a half. Oh, I'm going I think Kentucky
will score a lot of points. Will Will Bellerman score
enough points to get over the get over the over?
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Well, and I don't want to share my secrets for
the pregame show, but I'm picking a big, big win
that doesn't involve Kentucky's scoring enough points to make However,
many Bellerman scores not matter as much, so I'm still
slamming the over on that one.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
That Kentucky may hit one hundred. So will Bellerman get
fifty fifty five? There's your question right there, So yeah,
well we'll get more into that again. We're open here
at Chaos Bar and Grill. Nice crowd, kind of people
coming in.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
I am getting salivating looking at some of these plates
that are coming out with the eggs and bacon and biscuits.
It's it's looking pretty darn tasted.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
The breakfast is actually very very good here at Case Bar.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
It's kind of rare.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
We don't do it all the time. Sometimes we have
an early football game Monico open up a little early
and needs to breakfast, so we're.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Doing it here.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
A lot of new faces here, and that's what's kind
of cool about these holiday games.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
I'm enjoying seeing some of the morning beers as well.
We gotta get we gotta get some excitement at Rupparena
for a one o'clock Tuesday game.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
So that does it for this edition of KSR. Thirty
minutes gone, but stay tune. We're gonna start the Citral
Kentucky Chevy, the Other's KSR pregame show with Jack Pilgrim
Kentucky and Bellerman coming up.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
So stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
We're right back talking basketball here on Kentucky's Port Radio.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Goodbye,
Host
Matt Jones
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The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.