2025-06-2 - BBI - Big Blue Insider with Dick Gabriel

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Big Bloon Sider. Dick Gabrielle with you
on a Monday edition of our program, Coming to You
Live on Tape. We recorded from the garage, as we
usually do, and I bring that up because that might
not be the case later in the week. I have
Jerry duty. So if I am summoned, it'll be the
best of the Big Boon Sider. But we will be
with you tonight and tomorrow night here from the garage.

(00:20):
Baseball season is over for the Wildcats. You know that,
of course. By now it's Kentucky and a painful, painful
loss fell to West Virginia, my dad's alma mater last night,
thirteen to twelve, in one of the wildest and when
it comes to what was on the line and how
they lost, it the most painful loss that I can remember,

(00:43):
maybe ever in at least recent UK baseball history. I
wasn't around. Well, I was around, but I wasn't there
when Keith Madison's best team, which was in nineteen eighty eight,
was about three innings maybe from the College World Series.
And this is back before they took sixty four teams.
It was so much harder to get into the world series,

(01:05):
and he lost. His team lost to Stanford and Mike
Messina had him down and again a couple of innings away,
then lost, and then the next day they ran out
of pitching. So that was painful. I remember reading about
it back in nineteen eighty eight. There wasn't any radio
or TV on it. But this one was worse to

(01:26):
me because the Cats had it against West Virginia, a
team they should have beaten in the opening round, and
then they lose. They lose that one by a run,
then they lose again by a run to West Virginia,
and it was frankly because of errors. And yes, I
know West Virginia made a bunch of errors as well.
It doesn't matter if you're making errors, you're blowing it.

(01:50):
And the Wildcats, of course, in Game one, made an error.
Luke Lawrence made an error that opened the gates for
West Virginia and the Wildcats lose at four to three.
Wasted a great pitching performance by Ben Cleaver, the Slim Reaper.

(02:11):
He gave up three runs, only one was earned, and
then gave up an unearned run. When Simon Gregorson was
on the mount, he gave up one hit, one unearned
run and lost to West Virginia four to three. So
now you got to battle back, and they did. They
come back. They beat USC Upstate, which was a good team,

(02:33):
not a great team. And then they got to play Clemson,
which had lost to West Virginia, which came from behind
and beat Clemson. So now the Wildcats have got to
play the Tigers on their home field, and they destroyed Clemson,
had a six run fourth inning and just had a
big time, had what thirteen base hits, good pitching by

(02:59):
Nate Harris, six innings, three runs, and the bullpen got
it done havn Byers, Nile Ad cock Leydon Harris. So
now that sets him up to play West Virginia again,
and you know what happened. Cats jumped out to a
four to one lead, made it five to one, made
it six one, then gave up six runs in the

(03:22):
fourth inning. Another error cost him Tyler Bell. And I'm
not picking on these two guys, Luke Lawrence and Tyler Bell,
because let's face it, Without those guys both offense and defense,
Kentucky's not here. Kentucky's not in the postseason. But they
made errors on routine plays at the worst possible time.

(03:44):
Still Kentucky bounced back after giving up the lead and
watching West Virginia tie it at seven to seven, and
did what good teams do immediately answered, got two runs
in the fifth, got three more in the sixth, and
another in the eighth. Right, so now they're up twelve
to seven. And I'll be honest with you, I knew

(04:07):
how deeply Kentucky had gone into his bullpen, which had
been somewhat of an issue all year, up and down,
and I thought, man, I don't know if they can
hold this lead. Even though West Virginia made five errors,
I don't know if Kentucky can hold this lead. And
it couldn't. Cats just kept either walking people or hitting people.

(04:32):
And they walked seven, gave up runs with two outs,
and they lose another one run game. Lost a dozen
one run games this year. But I've got to be
honest when I got to thinking about it, when I
calmed down, I said to myself, at the beginning of
the year, knowing or not knowing what I knew about

(04:55):
this team, which is to say, I didn't know what
they were going to be like, I didn't know who
was going to play what. To the coaches, they thought
they had to figure out figured out in the fall
and preseason. They were changing the lineups, they were changing
position players, some of them mostly in the outfield, but
some at first base. They dealt with injuries to keep players.

(05:16):
At one point they were down to their fifth third basement.
They had James McCoy playing third base, which he'd never played,
and of course McCoy spent a lot of time this
year at first base, which he had never played. So
they just kept juggling and tweaking and trying to fix thing.
Lost their starting center fielder early in the year. They

(05:38):
lost key relievers this year, and remember last year they
were almost completely healthy going into postseason, same the year before.
Not making excuses. You got to deal with it. Everybody
deals with injuries. But those were some of the challenges
that they had. And after the game, Nick Minjeone, talking

(06:02):
to the media said, yeah, this is this is gonna
bother him for quite some time.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
I'll be thinking about this game in these moments for
a long time, because you know, when you have a
team down and you gotta you gotta put him away.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
Proud of our.

Speaker 2 (06:19):
Team for the their ability to add runs. You know,
obviously we we got down and then we responded and
we kept adding to the lead. And just man, this team,
very few people even gave his team a chance, so
to be in this position, the leadership that we got
from our seniors was absolutely incredible.

Speaker 1 (06:40):
It was interesting. He never directly commented on the collapse
of the bullpen, because every time it seemed like his
thoughts took him to that, he fell back on how
proud he was of the team, how proud he was
of the senior class, of what this team went through
just to get here. Think about this now, with all
the one run laws this year, and with all the

(07:02):
mysteries surrounding this team that lost almost every starting player,
including a reliever and starting pitcher, from last year's World
Series team, they had one regular back. McCoy was a
part time regular, if there is such a thing in
right field. Devin Burks was the only position player back

(07:22):
from last year. And again, including the rotation, the top
relievers and all, and still they were one went away
from playing for a shot at the Soupers again for
the third consecutive year. I didn't see that coming, did you.

Speaker 4 (07:38):
No.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
Every once in a while you'd see potential when they
swept Oklahoma, when they went to Knoxville and beat Tennessee.
Ole Miss has planned for a super slot tonight against
Murray State. Kentucky beat Ole Miss in one game, lost
a couple of one run games to the Rebels, so

(08:00):
you saw the potential there. They just couldn't quite nail
it down during the regular season and last night against
West Virginia. But again, as Minjiones said, very few people
gave this Kentucky team a shot at doing anything this year.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
I told him, there's not a lot of people that
gave them a chance a chance. So when I look
back and I think about what this team has done,
the amount of time, effort, energy, and the buy in
that they just literally just bought into everything we were doing,
it was truly remarkable.

Speaker 1 (08:38):
Truly remarkable. And still, by the way of those comments
courtesy of on three dot com, still Kentucky should have
won the game, and if West Virginia had lost, the
Mountaineers would have said we should have won the game.
That's just the way it went. But you got to
take advantage. And Kentucky had so many opportunities to win

(08:59):
that one, and really opportunities to get through this regional
without a loss. But just missed it. So this is
something when I think back on this season, I will
think about all those one run games, midweek games, SEC games,
and yeah, it's another tough year for the league. It's

(09:21):
not going to be quite as formidable as it was
last year when half the field, well maybe it will
be half the World Series field was SEC teams. But
you got all missed playing as I said tonight for
with Murray State in Oxford for a shot at hosting
a super Wake Forest at Tennessee tonight. Little Rock Arkansas,

(09:45):
Little Rock at LSU tonight, beat LSU last night. How
about that in the box and forced another game at
alex Box Stadium tonight. Oklahoma SEC team is at North Carolina,
a team Kentucky swept, but then not Kentucky out of
the SEC tournament. But it's an incredible year so far.

(10:08):
Georgia done, Mississippi State done, Vanderbilt the overall number seed,
number one seed done, beaten by Right State, Texas done,
beaten by UT San Antonio. It's phenomenal. Now Auburn is

(10:29):
gonna host the super or move to the Supers. Arkansas
moves to the Supers. Auburn's a team to beat Kentucky
early in this year. Arkansas did not play Kentucky the
typical strong year in the SEC, but I think we'll
agree Wildcats should still be alive. Coming up at the
bottom of the hour, we're gonna talk with Jeff Picoro

(10:51):
of the SEC Radio Network. We'll talk baseball, football, basketball,
Our number two Derek Terry of Betcat Central, of course,
has covered Kentucky baseball year long, and our New York
City Bureau chief Mike Sephoznik. I'm going to check in
with Mike on two fronts, number one to take the
pulse of New York Knicks fans, and I think I
already know the answer how they're treating Karl Anthony Towns.

(11:14):
Remember now it's New York. But also Mike is about
as wild eye a Kentucky fan as you'll ever want
to meet. That's all I had on the Big Boon
Sider here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the
Big Boon Sider. Coming up at the bottom of the hour,
Jeff picorol the UK Sports Network, and coming up tomorrow
night we'll talk to Darryl Bird. It's it's kind of

(11:37):
a tradition the SEC people get together in Destin, Florida
and meet and talk and all that. And Darryl is
I believe the only local person, the only person on
the UK beat who goes down to Florida covers the meetings.
Takes a little time, he and his wife, but he
gets a chance to sit down with Mark Pope and

(11:58):
Mitch Barnhart. The off times, would sit down with whoever
was Kentucky said football coach at the time. Obviously Mark
stoops right now, but now he waits until he gets
back and sits down. Might have talked to him before
the meetings, but they sit down and talk with each
other with an eye on the Cat's Balls pre season
football yearbook coming up, and you've heard us talk to

(12:20):
Aaron Gershan about that. So we'll have a chance to
talk to Daryl about that tomorrow night and catch up
with him on what's been discussed. I know looking at
the website that at the Cats Ball's website that he
had a good sit down with Mark Pope and with
Mitch Barnhardt. So we'll find out what's on their mind
tomorrow night. Speaking of Jefpiicorel a long time with the

(12:42):
Cincinnati Reds the network and there's a really bittersweet story
about the Reds. Elie Della Cruz had a home run
yesterday and this came right after he learned of the
death of his sister. According to the story, obviously, playing
in Chicago with a heavy heart, Red's lost seven to three,

(13:04):
but Dela Cruz had a two run homer and scored
two runs. And this is after he had found out
that his sister had passed away. And Terry Francona, the manager,
said Dela Cruz insisted he wanted to play and said
the team would support him, and in fact, the fiftieth
home run of his career came. Dela Cruz patted his

(13:27):
chest as he took his final steps toward the plant,
pointed to the sky and bang, knock one out of
the ballpark. So, Ellie Dela Cruz right now is dealing
with tragedy. Didn't talk to reporters on Sunday, Reds didn't
offer any more details, but the home run was number

(13:49):
twelve on the year for Elie Dela Cruz. And while
we're talking tragedy, John Brincus remember him Sports Science, Remember
that feature on ESPN. He was the co creator in
the host. He died at age fifty four. There was
no cause of death given in the story that I read,
but it dealt extensively with depression. It said Brincus had

(14:13):
been dealing with depression. According to the announcement of his
death on social media. I can only assume he took
his own life because he admitted that he had attempted
suicide earlier in his life and had second thoughts. Obviously,
but he sold his company and Sports Science that feature,

(14:38):
and he said after he did that, he spiraled into
what he called a deep, deep depression. He said he
had a noose around his neck was ready to do it,
but his dog named Zeppelin, tugged on his genes and
pulled him out of what he called his suicidal funk.
Then he sought help and said that he was in

(15:00):
much better shape in terms of his personal life than
he had ever been before. However, he is gone now
and they keep talking about the depression from which he suffered.
Sports Science was such a great feature, and as the
story said, it aimed to uncover sports biggest myths and
mysteries using cutting edge technology, settying things like momentum friction,

(15:26):
the laws of gravity. The series won six Emmy Awards.
It started on Fox Sports in twenty oh seven and
it moved to ESPN. I thought it was such a great,
great feature and a great idea, and I was I
was sad when it went away. We talked last week

(15:46):
with Kenny McPeak and his horse Mystic Dan and won
the Derby. Want to raise the Churchill Downs on Saturday,
So congrats to Kenny, who says Sovereignty will win the Belmont.
He told us that when we were at his barn
Friday morning, journalism will be entered. That's final. Now. Michael

(16:08):
McCarthy worked his horse, breezed him yesterday. Breezing means train
like he's racing, you know, going all out. And in
fact the jockey for journalism when Berto Rispoli was actually
in town from California yesterday morning and this was the
only workout for journalism since the May third Kentucky Derby

(16:30):
course Journalism finished second. But in case you're interested, he
went a half mile in forty seven and five. That's
pretty good, folks, opening quarter twenty three and change galloped
out one minute four five furlongs one twelve and change
for six. That's according to New York Racing Association clockers.

(16:52):
Those are really healthy times. So Journalism appears to be
ready to go after winning the Preakness, and even though
he was bumped in traffic coming down the stretch, he's
doing well up in New York. He's going to try
to win that Preakness Belmont double runner up in the Derby.
Winner of the Preakness will be the lone horse to

(17:13):
compete in all three jewels of the Triple Crowd in
twenty twenty five, and in fact, if he wins, he'll
be the first horse to complete that Preakness Belmont double,
not including Triple Crown winners since a Fleet Alex in
twenty oh five. Sovereignty did work a half mile, so

(17:36):
he's ready to go. Good to go. Bill Mott's Colt
skip the Preakness, as you know, but recorded his third
workout since the Derby on Sunday morning when I half
mile and forty eight and change almost forty nine over
the Oklahoma training track that's across the street from the
main track at sarah Tooga. It's so weird picturing the

(17:58):
Belmont at sarah Toga, but it's a good track. They'll
get a great crowd and it's going to be a
really good race, I think, with both sovereignty and journalism
hooking each other again. Also training Sunday morning, a cult
named Crudo. He's the son of Justify, a Triple Crown winner,

(18:21):
and a horse that won the Sir Barton Stakes on
the Preakness undercard, so he'll get some play. Finally, in
case you track such things, and you may already know
this if you're a Madden fan, but on the cover
of Madden NFL twenty six, EA Sports announced earlier today
and released an image Saquon Barkley and it's the photo

(18:45):
from when he leaped over a player earlier this year.
It was probably the greatest moment regular season for the
Eagles when he did that. There had to be a
zillion photos taken. And that's what's on the cover now
of Madden. And if you believe in the Jinks, bet
against the Eagles. I'm not going to bet against Saquon Barkley.

(19:06):
Not me. Jeff Pacarl's next year on six thirty WLAP
welcome back to the Big Moon side of joining us
now in our celebrity online Mister Jeff Picayl, color analyst
on the UK Football Radio Network, also sports director WTVQ
here in election and much to discuss right now though, Jeff,
as we move into the summer months, which can be

(19:27):
challenging for local TV sports. But and you know you
worked in TV sports back in the day. You've been
a TVQ now for a little more than a year,
I think, right.

Speaker 5 (19:39):
Three, you've been there three years.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
On your second years, they go around wow.

Speaker 5 (19:45):
Three.

Speaker 1 (19:45):
Well, then, you know, summertime, it seems like is getting
smaller and smaller when it comes to getting yourself ready
for the upcoming football season and stuff like that, isn't it.

Speaker 5 (19:57):
Well, you know, like Robin asked the other day, aren't
they out of school? Why are they still playing baseball? Yes,
they are the only guys on campus and the softball
is the only.

Speaker 4 (20:09):
Girls on campus right now.

Speaker 3 (20:11):
So yeah, but you track.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
Athletes scattered out there, but they're not on campus.

Speaker 5 (20:17):
Right yeah. So yeah, it's getting shorter and short as
you say, And you know, I don't see me into it,
but you know you have to. If you're baseball, you've
got to play the games and softball.

Speaker 1 (20:27):
So you know. Part of this too, though, is we
are keeping an eye on transfers for all sports, most
recently basketball of course, still some football out there, and
then we start hearing about football what you guys used
to call summer camp. I guess it's still camp technically
in the middle of August, so you know, just the

(20:50):
days are getting shorter.

Speaker 5 (20:52):
Yeah, I mean you look at that, they've got basically
about well two months thirty about sixty days they're practicing,
and they start practicing because remember it's a little earlier
this year. The first game is August, like the first
of August, so yeah, they'll be in there at the
end of July practicing. You know, it's kind of weird
because most of the guys are there. This is the

(21:14):
time where when when I played, we worked at I
worked at Clavern Farms in the summer for John Sosby
with the farm manager there, and Seth of course was
our big boss. But you know, we worked there for
about five weeks and that was the only money we
got back in the day. And everybody did I mean

(21:34):
you talked to Derek and Felix and those guys, they
all did it as well. You could work there. You
worked at the pepsi plant over there on that for
sales road road. Yeah, you just loaded trucks. That's what
she did in the summer.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
Can I assume that your job at Clayburne was not glamorous,
that you might have been working at one end of
the horse that people try to avoid.

Speaker 5 (21:58):
Well, we actually did. And there was two things. And
the one was okay, you you you'd get about twenty
guys and you'd stand about five feet apart, and all
of us had a hoe that had the two prongs
on one end and the hoe on the other side.
You just walk the fields where the you know, the
pat they're different little paddocks or whatever you want to

(22:19):
call their little acre.

Speaker 1 (22:20):
Lots and stuff.

Speaker 5 (22:21):
And yeah, and you had to get all the thistle out,
all the all the you know the thing, because they
could eat those and callacky or they step on them
and jump. So that's all you did, was just cut
the weed mile Frank hare Cam Jacob to me, David, Tom, Yeah,
a bunch of us worked out there. Then the other
thing was, yeah, then when it got a little bit
later and you had to bail Hey, and they had

(22:45):
a flatbed truck and you'd walk behind it and pick
up the veils. They were forty and eighty pound bails.
Two different guys and Tom up on the truck and
guys stacked them on the truck.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Yeah. Yeah, it's basically work out for you.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
Yeah. I wonder if Folds were doing that now. I
think I know the answer.

Speaker 6 (23:04):
Well you mentioned.

Speaker 1 (23:07):
I know. It's like it's like at the station. When
we used to have interns that were we were allowed
to actually tell them to do stuff. You know, Now
things changed legally, so basically all interns could do when
I was still working TV was sit there and watch.
I mean, we sneak them a little work now and then,
but it was, you know, it was ridiculous. Anyway. We
could go on all night about that. But much to

(23:29):
discuss various sports. Let us start with baseball. I know.
I mean, I've tried to qualify that game last night, Jet,
but that had to be the weirdest, uh oddest, saddest
game that I think I've ever recovered in UK baseball.

(23:50):
I wasn't there when Keith Madison's best team in eighty
eight got knocked out of the tournament because there were
there were three innings from the world's He's back when
it was even harder to get there. I wasn't there
for that one man.

Speaker 5 (24:04):
Well, I think I think What makes this hurt the
worst dick is the fact that you know, and I'm
not blaming one player, you can't do that because this
was a full team breakdown. But you know, and Tyler
Bell was playing on a on a hurt knee. I mean,
he got drilled right in the kneecap, missed the game before.
But he comes back, he's he's your best player.

Speaker 1 (24:26):
Face that.

Speaker 5 (24:27):
I mean, the guy is unbelievable. He makes really two
areas only gave him one, but he makes two errors
and if either of those, which one was a routine
double play, you're at the inning. He doesn't get it.
They score five runs after his after his error, he
just bobbled the ball coming up the transfer to try to,

(24:49):
you know, flick it over to second base. And they
score five runs, you know, And then how many the
thing I didn't look at yet, and you and Dougie
and Darren I'm sure have done this, but how many
who runs that they score with two outs? There had
to be eight or nine or ten.

Speaker 1 (25:05):
Those are the most frustrating.

Speaker 5 (25:06):
I mean, they just couldn't get that third out. You know,
they hit two different innings.

Speaker 1 (25:10):
And this is microcosmic of the entire season. I mean,
what a dozen one run losses? You know they may
they could play another fifty years and that not happened.

Speaker 5 (25:21):
Yeah, you know, here's the thing too, And I've said
this about football, so and I'll say it about baseball.
There's two positions, one in football and one in baseball
that you just simply can't find enough of these. And
football it's offensive defensive line. You just can't find six
foot six, three hundred and fifteen pound guys growing on trees.

(25:42):
Baseball you can never have enough arms. And I would
spend every dollar I had on nil whatever they have
and try to get pittried, because all you need was
one guy to step up yesterday, just one to get
you to today. And I thought, I hope they played
Clemson on Saturday because I thought they could beat West

(26:04):
Virginia twice, and you know, because I thought, you know,
they beat Clemson pretty east handily and really should have
beat West Virginia the first game and the second game.

Speaker 1 (26:15):
Well, and again, an intern an in turn, an error
on a routine play opens the door. But you know,
it takes all phases. And this has been a decent
Kentucky defensive team. I think I told you uh, not
as good as some in the past. But yeah, when
you get all three phases like you did in that
blowout of Clemson and then you make it look easy. Yeah,

(26:38):
and I didn't see that coming either, blowing out Clemson
and West Virginia, in all fairness, did win the Big twelve,
but I thought Kentucky was better, but not not when
it came to when West Virginia needed to shut things down.
They had enough arms to do that because one of
my concerns, Jeff, was that this Kentucky team might flatten

(26:58):
out the way it did in the SEC two. That
was the most puzzling game to me of the year,
you know, going to sleep against Oklahoma and they were
destroying the ball down in Clemson. I was pleasantly surprised
by that.

Speaker 5 (27:12):
Well here's the bottom line to this, and I don't
know what the answer is, but really, if you take
the last what was it eight games they played, they're
one and seven.

Speaker 3 (27:23):
Yeah, you know that's not good.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
Right after they sweep Oklahoma, Yeah, wellhich wasn't long after
they went down and could have swept Tennessee here.

Speaker 5 (27:34):
Yeah, I mean I thought the Vanderbilt series, you know, again,
a game they are a series. They really could have
won all three games, and instead they lose all three
and I think you're just like, well, we're done. And
I think that maybe some of those guys who were
a little surprised you weren't you always say that thirteen wins.
I hear you guys talk all the time and your

(27:55):
your chain gang guys at thirteen wins is the uh,
you know kind of that probably the floor magic number. Yeah,
even though they're thirteen and seventeen. And I'm one that
says I don't think you should reward a team for
being under five hundred to get into postseason. But that's
just me. But you know, I just thought that was
a tough way to end the season, and especially one

(28:17):
where you brought in thirty new guys and now how
many of those guys are going to stay next year?
You know, That's that's the big problem in baseball, there's
such a turnover.

Speaker 1 (28:27):
But some of the best players on this team are freshmen,
that's the good news, or sophomores like Ben Cleever. So
he's Jeff Coorrol. He's a sports director WTVQ and color
analysts on the UK Football Network. We will shift to
Kentucky football on the other side of the break here
on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking to Jefficorrel
of WTVQ and the UK Sports Network, and before long

(28:49):
we'll be calling. I assume we'll get the contracts in
the mail. Jeff, you never know Kentucky football coming up.
You mentioned earlier how you would spend whatever you could
to bring in linemen. Well, Mark Stoops did that. I
don't know the particulars you might of what they're spending,
but O line, as we all know, has been a

(29:10):
huge issue. We're not going to beat that dog anymore.
But it is going to be interesting. You talked about,
you know, guys getting to know each other, and here
in the offseason, receivers and quarterbacks and running backs to
a point, can't go out and throw the ball, get
to know each other. Yeah, what do linemen do at
this time of year?

Speaker 5 (29:30):
This is the time when they're really lifting weights and
just getting bigger and stronger, chause they're going to lose
ten to fifteen pounds as the season goes on from
wear and tear and beating down. You can't lift as
much weights and stuff. But there's really not a whole
lot you can do. Look, I always talk about offense
the blind as being like a dance. You know, everybody

(29:53):
has to take the right steps and the only way
to do and you can't do it with four guys.
You can't do it with three. It has to be
all five, and a lot of times it has to
be six because the tight end is so integral. Now
in Kentucky's offense right blocking scheme, I should say not passing,
let me how you make that straight. But you know
they really have it. They have to all five beat

(30:14):
together and the only time you can do that is practice,
and so it's hard for them in the off season
to get the five guys or six guys together and
just do steps. So they don't really do that. But that,
to me is the biggest thing, is repetition because it
has to be second nature to these guys. And now
as fast as the defensive linemen have become with the size,

(30:38):
if you take one bad step, if you take a
drop step instead of a jab step, or you take
a crossover step, your beat and you know, these guys
have to learn that, and some of them have to
learn it with starting with your right foot. Anna left
the guys that flip both sides, So it just takes time.

Speaker 1 (30:55):
You are a wide receiver back in the day, and
you've got a wide receiver room now with some guys
who came back, but also some new faces, you know,
and I don't know what was going on in terms
of the dynamics over the last couple of three years
with Dane Keene Barrian Brown. They were clearly clearly the
best players and made some big plays, they really did,

(31:17):
but just something just seemed off. I don't know what
it was. What do you expect, what do you anticipate
this year?

Speaker 5 (31:25):
Well, I think it's additioned by subtraction. To tell you
the truth, I think that those two guys were and
I have to say, let me try to put this
in the best tone I can. They were really good players.
I don't know how great the teammates they were. How
that you know, you have to be cocky, you have

(31:48):
to be self assured. You know, you're like a fighter
pilot out there when you're a quarterback and you're a
wide receiver, right, you got to want the ball and
but you also have to do other things. And you
also don't out in the huddle, and you also don't
yell and scream at your coach and things like that.
I really think that this team is better now they've

(32:10):
got they've got some guys and that I think will
really help. And I did want to correct you on
one thing. I wasn't a wide receiver, Dick.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
I was a downfield anfield blocker. That's right. I'm sorry,
coach wherever you are, that's right.

Speaker 5 (32:23):
Yes. But and I do want to say this. I
really think that I don't think you're going to see
any problems with the receiving room.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
I really do.

Speaker 5 (32:30):
I like. I like the dynamics they have there. You've
got a quarterback with Annon for an arm. The big
difference is going to be to make blackform. And let
me put it bluntly to you. This you you said
about an offensive lineman, a good a just a good,
not a great. A good offensive lineman these days is
going to cost you about two hundred to two hundred

(32:50):
and fifty thousand dollars. Just how about that?

Speaker 1 (32:53):
Yeah, I believe it, Lowick.

Speaker 5 (32:57):
I can't fathom that as a college kid. It just
doesn't make sense to me. And I understand the people
who said, you know, we're still wearing tim Couch jerseys
and they're still buying Tim Couch jersey and he didn't
get a penny for that.

Speaker 3 (33:12):
You know, I.

Speaker 5 (33:13):
Understand that, I do. But they've opened this and we
could talk at nauseing about this. I just don't know
where the end's going to be because this is in
a professional situation here. Where are they going to get
the money? I mean, you brought in five guys that
cost you know, on that offensive line, that cost you
well over a million dollars just for the offensive lineman. So,

(33:35):
you know, I just don't know, and it's just amazing.
We didn't have anything. You know this, you didn't have
anything when you were in school. We worked on the side.
We got twenty bucks, you know, Derek Graansey. Then we're
upset because they only got fifteen. We got twenty, but.

Speaker 4 (33:52):
That was it.

Speaker 1 (33:52):
Why did you get.

Speaker 4 (33:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (33:55):
But now to walk around, why why did.

Speaker 1 (33:57):
You get the works? Why did you get twenty in
Rambley at fifteen? Did they drop it?

Speaker 5 (34:01):
I think no? I think it was a you know,
what do you call it? A cost of living increase?

Speaker 1 (34:08):
Oh? Wow? No kidding?

Speaker 3 (34:10):
Yeah, well yeah, but.

Speaker 5 (34:13):
And so those have there going. Why did you get
twenty bucks? The r our dining hall was in the
building wasn't open on the weekend, so we had to
eat on our own, right, and some kids don't have
any money, So the university was allowed to give back
then a small stipend to eat on the weekends, and
it was fifteen twenty dollars. So that's what we got,

(34:35):
which went.

Speaker 1 (34:36):
A longer way back then, but still it was Oh yeah,
goes to you guys. You guys need you guys needed
more fuel than the average man. A few minutes left
with Jeffercorrel. We spent and I interviewed your buddy Kenny
McPeak last last week. I know you all were hanging
out at a concert not not long ago, but Mystic
Dan wins on Saturday, the Kentucky Derby winner Kenny McPeek.

(34:59):
Jeff as a, I knows your buddy. You guys have
been from bud since high school. But in terms of
what he does for the sport, obviously we know horses
can't talk, and guys like Kenny, who who are good
at it, really advances through ABD racing, which you love
as much as I do.

Speaker 5 (35:16):
Yeah, he really has and I think that you know,
for those that don't know. Horse Racing now is an
app that you can get on your phone. It's free,
which is amazing. It does have ads, but it's free.
And that's something that he thought of.

Speaker 4 (35:30):
He wanted.

Speaker 5 (35:31):
You know, he was a guy that years and years
and years ago, was let's open up our signal to everybody.
You know, and you know, I know understand that racing
was afraid of gambling and all that kind of stuff
on the side, but you know, why not open it up?
And now they finally have. But that's beside the point.
He's a Hall of Famer now from what he's done

(35:51):
wi him and Derby and the Oaks. He's won everything
except the He's won the Prietness, he's won the Belmont,
he's won Bader's Cards. Yeah, he's just never won the
Breeders' Cup, uh Classic, the Classic. But he's won the
Distaff and he'll be in the Hall of Fame. That's amazing.
But yeah, he's he's done great. And Mystic Van the
first Derby winner to come back to Churchill and Winter

(36:12):
Race since Silver Charms. How about that?

Speaker 1 (36:14):
I did not know that. I know he won what
was it Saturday Friday?

Speaker 5 (36:18):
Yea, he won the Blak Friday, he won the Blame,
which is yeah, that's called Stephen Yeah, the Stephen Foster
Undercard they call it. For the weekend. I'm sorry, it
was Saturday. Saturday he won the Flame. You know, it's
a nice race. It's a it's a graded race. It
was a really nice deal. He wasn't the favorite post
time was post time, finished third. But he did the
same thing he did in the Derby Brian Hernandez nos

(36:40):
his horse and took the turn and really kind of
cut the corner and just ran away from everybody. So
he looks to be back. And you know, now they're
hoping that Torpedo Anna can get back on track as
well in her next race up in New York.

Speaker 1 (36:52):
Well, and I can't recommend enough the series you know
on Netflix about Racing to the Crown. I mean, you
talk about an inside look, but also as people who
work in TV, you know what I think about someone
who's done a few documentaries of my day? How many cameras,
how many people, how much behind did they spend? And

(37:13):
it's brilliant And and Kenny's run center, isn't he Yeah?

Speaker 5 (37:17):
You know he did a Yeah, he just lightning in
a bottle for him too, because since that series and
since his horse, his horse is when the Oaks and
the Derby, his business is now better than it's ever been.
He's opened a new string up in New York, so
he has a ton of horses up there with Jimmy Jerkins,
of course, his dad one of the all time great trainers,

(37:39):
Allen Jerson being second Pario twice. Jimmy's running that the
string of horses up in New York for Kenny. So
he's got him in Florida at at his farm down
there is where all the babies go. That's where they
get broke and everything he bought. He bought paddle with
stables down there, and it's a beautiful facility. Then he's
got him in New Orleans, he's got him in Oaklawn,

(38:01):
He's not him in Kentucky. He's got him at Churchill
and at his farm at Magdalena. And then he's got
the big string up in New York. So he has
literally hundreds of horses now in training. And you know,
it couldn't happen to a better guy, and.

Speaker 1 (38:16):
Wishing well, yeah, and we're going to make our annual pilgrimage.
My brother and my friends and I are going to
go up there this August as we have the last
three or four years, and last time up there we
got a chance to see therpeda Ana out on the track.
Kenny unfortunately was ill that day, so we didn't get
a chance to talk to him, but she is a
true superstar and she is in great hands as we know.

(38:38):
He is Jeff Picarel of WTVQ. Jeff Picarel on Twitter
or x Very simple and watch morehum on thirty six.
Listen for him on the UK radio notework. Thank you, sir.
Thanks ed up next our number two with Batcat Central's
Derek Terry and our New York City Bureau Chief Mike Sephazni.
That's next on six thirty Like Bag.

Speaker 6 (39:13):
Take Back, Welcome back to.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
The Big Moonsider joining us down our celebrity hotline is
a guy who's been covering the baseball Wildcats all year.
Bat Cat Central is the name of the website. Derek
Terry is the name of the writer, and Derek, you
were down in Clemson up until Sunday until yesterday. I
had him make it back, of course, because you have
a real job today. But uh, it's just crazy how

(41:07):
that regional basically encapsulated the entire season for Kentucky.

Speaker 6 (41:12):
Isn't it?

Speaker 4 (41:14):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (41:15):
And unfortunate Kentucky. But that's how it. Uh So that's
how it ended, you know, the end of season of
what is it, dick twelve won round offices this year,
I think ends up being the final number. And uh,
you know this one, Uh, this one stinks. I mean
you're up two times by five runs in this uh,

(41:36):
in this final game against West Virginia and you know,
unable to hold it and use a lot of pitchers.
If you if you look the box score, it looks
a lot like some of those midweek games with some
of the names that are out there, you know, just
really having to go deep into the pen. And uh,
you know there were some errors in there as well

(41:58):
that led to that, which on one hand, West Virginia
committed five errors themselves. You know, they didn't play very
plain either And at the end, you know what you said,
I think is probably true. That really kind of encapsulates
the season. Just a lot of really close calls, a
lot of really hard losses and season ends and in

(42:21):
pretty brutal fashion. It's hard to see a season end
like that.

Speaker 1 (42:26):
You know, Minjeone likes to talk about doing things they've
never done before. I don't remember them losing a game
like this, especially one that brings the season to an end.
You know, it's just it's nuts. But you mentioned errors,
and I will always look back and I'm not pointing fingers.
There were so many mistakes made. But the middle infielders

(42:46):
for Kentucky, Luke Lawrence, Tyler Bell, during the regular season,
they committed only four errors a piece. They were you know,
they took up where Grant Smith and Amelian Petrade left off.
They were one of the best middle infield I think
one of the best middle infielder combos in the SEC,

(43:08):
if not the country. And yet Luke Lawrence in the
first game against West Virginia a routine play, Tyler Bell
in the game last night, a routine play, and they
both led directly to Hugh Jennings. Never saw that coming,
you know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (43:26):
Yeah, you know that is that is a tough way
to go out. I mean, both these games against West Virginia,
especially Sunday's game Friday, you know, I think they played
that well. I don't think either team played very long Friday.
I don't know if it was just postseason nerves. Starting out,
both teams committed air as he mentioned Lawrence Is that

(43:46):
brought in two runs, and I believe West Virginia shortstop
also made their that led the UK scoring two runs.
So it was just kind of some sloppy play. He
won't use this as an excuse. I'm not sure when
he'll talk to media again if he if he did
last night, I don't think Bell ever really got over
that what happened Friday to start off. He just didn't

(44:08):
look the same, you know, is that leg I plot
him for fighting through it, but I think it was there,
you know, bothering him that whole time. So you know,
I don't think his range was as good. But just
be told him that er, that's a pretty much a
roostine ball, and he's made that play basically all year

(44:30):
and he didn't there and they led to health lead
he should say to a really big inning.

Speaker 1 (44:39):
You know, there is a bright side to this, believe
it or not, in that some of the young guys
made big plays, big ad bats. You know, it seems
like Derek most of the quality on his team as
the younger guys, you know what I mean, Does it
look that way to you.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
Yeah, you know, Belle great Sea and you know he
didn't go out the way he'd want, but this was
you know, he's it's been a long time. I mean,
I'm trying to think, Dick, when was the last time
that you remember a freshman just clearly being the best
player on a team. Because I thought that was the
case this yere cole h had a last year a
senior transfer from Columbia, But I really just think all around,

(45:19):
Bell was by far the best player, and you don't
see that all the time with the freshman. So Hudson
Brown is a guy that will leave that regional feeling
much better about probably his standing of where things are.
I mean, he was excellent those last few games. Lawrence
can come back. Schwartz a starter, he can come back,

(45:42):
So a lot to build around. And then on the
mountain tooth leave Nick Harris give a great outing against
Clemson some Sunday, So there's plenty of the build arounds.
So have some freshman come in next year too that
I think can help right away. But you know, like always,
now know it's probably going to come down to how
well you do in the portal to kind of to

(46:04):
build around the edges a little bit, and I think
this team can. I think he liked the bones of
the roster pretty well. But h I said, they need
to go to the portal and and find at least
two or three difference makers, hopefully put them back and
probably regional competition for hosting a regional you know, contention
for that next year.

Speaker 1 (46:24):
Yeah, because that is something that you know, Kentucky fans
have gotten used to used to doing.

Speaker 3 (46:29):
And you know, well when they when they've advanced, it's
been when they've held up themselves. It's it's hard when
you go on the road and to try to win
a reasonable.

Speaker 1 (46:38):
You know, your point about the best player being a freshman.
Technically you can go back to the COVID season when
John Rhodes was the national national freshmen of their code,
but they only played seventeen games, so you know, that's
kind of got an answers by it. But and you
know now he's in an Orioles chain played you know,

(47:01):
left early. But anyhow, Yeah, I mean, there's there's a
lot to like, but this was the most maddening season
for those losses, and I can remember and it just
seemed like Derek had never got any better.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
You know, no it didn't. I mean if you think
back to the Vanderbilt series when it's easy to say
now because they weren't even among the last four teams
they got in. But yeah, when you were kind of
sweating it out there on selection, you know last Monday
Memorial Day for the selection show, you could point towards
you know, two straight walk off home runs for Vanderbilt

(47:40):
and then in similar fashion, it wasn't a one run loss,
but they held a three run lead I think in
the sixth inning of the final game and ended up
not being able to hold it. So that was just
one series, But there were others. I mean Auburn or yeah,
I think it was Auburn they lost back to back
eight to seven games. Texas they lost their one run game,
I mean, what an SEC game. But the MIDWEK against

(48:01):
Woolville they lost. You know, they had to lead in
that game and lost. So when you have that many,
I don't think there's just one thing you can point sphere.
I'm sure there were situations where the coaches felt like
they could have made some better decisions. You know, there's
plays that the players could have done better thinking. I
think it was against auebign right. I can't remember if

(48:22):
it tied it or if it put or if you
k would have won, or if it just led to
it been tied. But Bell I think dropped the pop
up in the infield really early on in the season,
and you know, so there's enough flame to go around.

Speaker 7 (48:37):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (48:38):
I would say the goal now for the coaches will be,
you know, the portal opens today Monday, and from from there,
you know, they'll spend the next few days, I'm sure
evaluating what they thought went well, where they need to
get better and try to identify things within their roster
that you know, maybe led to this and to the

(48:59):
end this kind of season. But overall, I mean three
straight tournament appearances. This is a team that, as strange
as it's kind of the outcomes were in terms of
how disappointing it was, I feel like they had expectations
and I know people are going to it is a
bitter loss, you know, to lose that way, I think

(49:19):
it'll haunt people for a while so are involved with
that game. But to get back to a regional in
a season like this where they had to replace so
much from a College World Series team, I think they
really showed a lot to be honest, that this was
not some kind of one off kind of thing last
year or you know there you know, Mark excuse used
to talk about it after that twenty eighteen season that

(49:41):
they just didn't want to have a good team, they
wanted to have a good program. But I think for
baseball it was similar this year. You know, you didn't
want to go two or three more years after you
made it to the World Series before you had a
shot to really have a team that you felt like
would be good again. So in that sense, you know,
you were cruising Sunday night, I felt like you're going
to being a Game seven of the regional tomorrow you

(50:02):
Monday night for that whenever the game was going to
be played at some point on Monday, and it didn't
fall that way. But uh, I don't think you look
at this program and see it as one that's just
so far off from getting back to Omaha. Really not
a guarantee by any means. Yeah, I think if they
can go to the make the right kind of editions,
and uh absolutely it should be it should be a

(50:23):
team that isn't hosting conversation and that's probably something we
can talk about later in the summer after the drafts
and and what we kind of see how a better
idea of what the roster is looking like. But I
feel like I keep a yeah, no, I was gonna say.

Speaker 1 (50:35):
I also think and I keep reminding myself. And you know,
Minjion never used as an excuse. They had a significant
number of injuries this year, two important players, and one
of them was to Robert Hogan. You know. The bullpen
collapsed Sunday, uh, you know, and they had trouble with
it all year. Robert Hogan pitched briefly this year and

(50:56):
wasn't right when he pitched. And this is a guy
they thought, and I thought they had every right to
expect that based on what he did down the stretch
last year. He was one of the reasons they got
to Omaha, and they knew they could lean on him,
a veteran pitcher who had really good SEC caliber stuff.
And he just wasn't there. And he wasn't the only one.

(51:17):
There were four or five six players that they were
really counting on and that didn't happen last year. And
men Geone kind of mentioned this down the stretch that
last year and really the year before prior by the
time they got the tournament play, everybody was healthy. And
I throw in one more thing we forget unless we
sit down and just think about it. Last year Kentucky

(51:40):
had a left fielder who was putting together a first
round draft pick kind of season, you know, which was
as important as anything that happened for that team. So
I think this team had to scrap a lot more
and just kind of ran out of gas.

Speaker 4 (51:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (51:57):
I told Daniel Hager, who covered it for ks Are
that you know, I felt like they maxed it out
this year. I mean, I really did. This was a
team that I don't know that It's depends on how
you want to look at it. Because when he played
as many close skins as they did, it's it's easy
to look at the record and look at these individual
games and say they should have won some of these

(52:20):
we add those up. When you add those up, it
could have been a sixteen or seventeen win team in
the SBC. But I guess if I it's kind of
hard to quantify this. I don't know if I feel
like that was their talent level though, I don't know
if I feel like they were a seventeen type. I
mean that's pretty good, you know, if you can get
the seventeen wins in the league. I mean, that's a

(52:40):
clear regional host type team, and you can play with
the numbers to say that that was a possibility. So
I don't know. I mean, that's a good point on
Hogan though, because with how little he was used, you
more or less kind of throw him in the in
the category of like lost production from last year because

(53:01):
he just never really did anything. And you know, it
wasn't even an option on the stretch with his injury.

Speaker 1 (53:08):
No, And yeah, the thing is you thought you had him,
you know going into the season. That that was one
of the toughest things about it. You know, he only
appeared in nine games, so yeah, you know, and we
can talk what it should have could have And I
thought I thought Benjie and broke it down pretty well
when he talked about how, you know, games come down

(53:29):
to individual moments, individual pitches, plays, and they were and
I felt like the same thing with all these close games,
they were really close to being I don't know if
it was seventeen wins, but being better than they were.
So this is one man we're going to scratch our
heads about for a long time, aren't we.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
He I'll be curious to know kind of how this
season is viewed in the long run, because really, I
don't think we'll be a forgettable team. I mean, I
think they did a good job to get back, but uh,
I don't know, no, no real defining moments outside of
that Tennessee series. I think where they kind of turned

(54:09):
the season around and well, Oklahoma, Yeah, that was a
good sleep. I was actually out of town that weekend,
so that doesn't doesn't stick out in my mind as
much as they it should have. You know, there's something
game too. I mean, this was one where you send
out the number eleven team in the country, probably played
you know, tied of school record for runs in the postseason.

(54:31):
So that was a good thing. And had they held
on and won last night and found a way to
pull it off, and I think they very quickly would
have become you know, kind of a lovable group that
was just scrapping through the postseason found the way to
win some games. But as it was, you know what
other element, Dick and I don't know much more time
you got, but just how will the guys that are

(54:54):
on this team that come back, you know, what what
lessons will they take from this year? How will these
you know, really painful losses It all the time, you know,
teams that come up a little bit short, they have
really painful in to their season. It's a long way
until they play again. And you know, I don't know
how much that will drive guys in the offseason or anything,
but I guess kind of what mentality will got to
take from this year that we're here and saw how

(55:16):
close they were and and really probably how disappointed they
are that it turned out the way that it did,
with with with how close they were to getting back
to forcing a winner take all games in that regional,
I mean, a lot to build on. I think that's
if you want to take an optimistic view, they're they're
I mean, they have a legitimate superstar. I think a

(55:38):
Bell who should come back next year and leave the
way Schwartz took a step up. We mentioned Brown, Ethan
handle got hurt. He's a guy that I think they
love that. You know, Ethan's one of those guys that
the production of this point's probably not matched. What kind
of player he is. I think he's better than why
he's shown. I think the coach is still that way,

(55:59):
and I'll get him back from injury. So I think
it will be a very exciting off season adding to
this group. And I fully and again, well we'll want
to play out. But just as the season ended, in
my view, someone that keeps up with it a lot,
I feel like it's reasonable to think they're going in
the next season that the expectation could be that there'll

(56:22):
be one of those top sixteen teams again and then
hosting a regional one.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
I agree with you, and again that's the standard now,
so it makes it kind of fun. He is Derek Terry.
He produces the website Batcats Central. You can sign up
Batcats pluralcentral dot com if you want to follow Kentucky baseball.
Thanks so much, and we'll talk to you down the road.

Speaker 3 (56:44):
All right, thanks for having me on coming up.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
At the bottom of the hour or New York City
Bureau Chief Mike Sefasnik, you'll talk about the Cats and
the NBA on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the
Big Blue Side, and just a quick segment here ahead
of the bottom of the hour. We will chat. But
Mike Safaznik, he is the producer of the Mike Saffo
podcast where he talks sports and he likes to talk

(57:08):
to authors, also traveling. He is a guy who's been
He's trying to visit every country in the world, so
we'll get caught up with him there. But the reason
I talked to him is he is such a UK fan.
I call him a New York City Bureau Chief. In
his real job, he is actually a New York City
police officer, but he goes by Mike Saffo on the podcast.

(57:29):
And he's a UK fan because when he was a kid,
when he was twelve, he went to a watch party
in New York City, where he's born and never lived
anywhere else, and he was the only UK fan watching
the Kentucky Duke game. And we all know what happened
in that game, but Mike was stubborn. He picked Kentucky
the underdog. He even had a white T shirt and

(57:50):
he wrote UK on it or Wildcat or something, made
it his own special jersey, and of course, with three
seconds or two seconds or whatever left in the game,
ought his team at one. We all know what happened
after that, and Mike ran home crying. But he's been
a Kentucky fan ever since. And he somehow reached out
to Cameron Mills. I think they get him on his
podcast and they became fast friends. And that's how I

(58:13):
met Mike. We've been up in New York visiting with
him and things like that, and he's been on my
show several times as our New York City bureau chief.
So we'll chat with Mike coming up, and I want
to know what's going on right now, and I think
I already know with Knicks fans and Karl Anthony Towns
now that they've lost in the playoffs, So we'll talk
about that, but we'll also talk about Mark Pope and

(58:35):
the Wildcats in the upcoming season. You got to talk
about that right with the New York City Bureau Chief
here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to the Big
Blue Insider. Joining us now, we haven't chatted well. We
need to check in every now and then with our
bureau chief. We have a few up in New York City.
Mike Sephoznik of the Mike Staffo Podcast is my NYC
bureau chief. How are you, sir?

Speaker 4 (58:56):
Dick Gabriel Always a pleasure and this is one you're
the best.

Speaker 3 (58:59):
To what you do?

Speaker 4 (59:00):
You know to call me or get me all when
I'm so down and disappointed with sports and stuff. So
you get me really animated. This is why you're a genius.
You never called me when things are good.

Speaker 1 (59:10):
Well, the Yankees are doing okay right.

Speaker 4 (59:12):
Well they lost eighteen two nights ago, but yes, they
won last night, so we're doing okay. We're in first place.

Speaker 1 (59:17):
That's good. Aaron Judge is healthy, that's the important thing.
But I needed to make sure you weren't out on
the Brooklyn Bridge thinking about doing something drastic after your
knicks locked. And we talked prior to the season about
Karl Anthony Town's the big trade to send Julius Randall
to Minnesota. They have their issues, but it looked like
Towns was doing everything you all needed them to do

(59:39):
until you guys ran in to the Indiana Pacers, who,
by the way, I hated when I was growing up
because they kept beating my Kentucky Colonels. But just how
do people feel about Towns today?

Speaker 4 (59:52):
Oh, Dick Gabriel keys public enemy number one? Knicks fans, Yeah,
what Knicks fans like me? We're out of control of
noxiously rational. They love cats. And remember here's what I
always tell you New York sports fans, they're not the
biggest college basketball guys, so they didn't watch Kat at Kentucky,
so they didn't know much about him. Then he went
to Minnesota and all they see is his great stats

(01:00:14):
and he's a big dude. So when he came here,
we think we're getting not me. The fans here like
we're getting old school big man who can pound, he
can bounce down below, he's gonna bump, and they think
they get like this Charles Oakley who can score. They
see Cat like, okay, we like this naess and what
do we talk about when he came, they're gonna love
when he drops forty eight on a Thursday night against Milwaukee.

(01:00:37):
But the playoffs came, he is unfortunately public enemy number one.
Dictate every call to every sports show, every article. They're
done with Cat. They're like one and done trade him.
And of course we want the new shiny toy. We
want Giannis that they're done with Cat. Unfortunately, they're done
with the dumb styles. They turned on him real quick.

Speaker 1 (01:00:57):
It's bad and to be expected it being New York.
I know it's the city you love, the city's so nice.
They named it twice. But yeah, it's it's it's to
be expected. He had to know that going. He grew
up in New Jersey, right, yes, yes, so he.

Speaker 4 (01:01:11):
Kind of make the most one block one block. Jalen
Brunson had most blocks than him. They hated the random three,
you know, they forget he dropped twenty and that's great
comeback when. But Dick, they're done with him. Like I
listened to all the podcasts Anthony Nick Laws, My Long
Lonely Walk Yesterday alone, not worry. If I was get
hitten by a boss, I wouldn't care. Everyone's still a cat. Unfortunately,

(01:01:33):
they've tied it with them. It's bad right now. I
don't love it. But they're like, he doesn't play defense,
he was targeted. We don't want him. This is what
mansouta got ridy. We need Randall that. It's so believable.
That's just crazy right there.

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Though they want Randall back after they do they want
Randall that, but that's sports, and that's sports in New York. Uh.
The franchise doesn't hate him now, right, I mean, you
got the building blocks right right?

Speaker 4 (01:02:01):
I think, so listen obviously without getting two in depth,
we need a vet, you know, the Pacers just kept
running nine guys out there. Tims. He's known for using
the same six guys. We need defenders, that's what it is.
And I think we weren't sold, you know, a fusse item.
There was no sweet baiton switch. We knew what we
were getting with Kat. A lot of the real nick

(01:02:21):
fans didn't. They're not watching Minnesota West Coast games at
ten o'clock, so they think they're getting this bruiser. They
think a guy and all the time it's like, wait
a minute, our center is just shooting threes. He's not
even a center. I think one caller told the great
he says, he's not a big man.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
He's just a.

Speaker 4 (01:02:35):
Toll man, Like he's not a Knicks big man. You know,
you're thinking Ewing Oakley Mason that.

Speaker 1 (01:02:41):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:02:41):
They we try to hold on to the glory days.
But unfortunately they're not the biggest fan of Colle Anthony
Towns right now.

Speaker 1 (01:02:46):
But it's amazing to me when I was I was
playing cards the other night with some friends and we
were watching one of the games, and one of the
guys college fan dismissed they don't play any defense in
the NBA. Said, Oh my gosh, yes they do. The
Pacers beat the daylights out of him when he was
in the paint. And I know there's been so much
said and written about the fouls you know that are

(01:03:08):
called and not called in the playoffs. Indiana is amazingly
physical and Karl Anthony Towns took the brunt of that, didn't.

Speaker 4 (01:03:15):
He He took it and they knew what they were doing.
They would do a pick and roll, and they just
took advantage of him. Listen, Brunson doesn't play defense either,
but all we cared about was mak. You know, it's
old school basketball mentality. Robinson a logo on Matumbau. We
want our big guy to block shot. Yes, we want
to be the chef and that's not Kat and they
just took such advantage of him. And listen, we were

(01:03:36):
out coached. And the one thing Nick fans we don't
we won't accept it seems better than us. The Paces
are a better basketball team than us, and we would
accept that. So we have to find the reason. And
the reason now on today's tongue is Carl Anton Towns.
He's the reason we lost. If we had Randall, Randall
would have bumped yeah, so's it's typical of New York

(01:03:56):
sports talk radio. I don't want to say nonsense over.
Yeah that's what it is.

Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Yeah, yeah, that's what I was afraid of. I knew
that was the case, but needed to get it from
my bureau chief in fact. So now all you've got
to look forward to is next year. But you do
have a former Kentucky wild well, once a whilecat, always
a wildcat, as you know in Shake Gels of Alexander.

(01:04:21):
Will you even allow yourself to root for another team? Right?
Do you just root for him with Oklahoma City?

Speaker 4 (01:04:27):
I am basically I might bring out my Seattle SuperSonics
old gear. I am the biggest thunderstand because I like you.
Reggie Miller broke my heart. I've always hated the Piecers.
I don't like to stay of Indiana as a Kentucky
basket plan as well. And then when Halburton did the
choke still and then you wore black to like the
funeral in game six, and I am the biggest thun

(01:04:49):
defan you've ever met. Right now, I am SGA. I
might go to the MD store on Fifth Avenue to
Bida's jersey. Yeah, so I am usually I don't watch.
You know, when Kentucky loses, I'm done. I don't want
the rest of the tournament. I don't care, you know,
I am all in appointment watching. I need to stund
it to embarrass the pieces because we should. They embarrassed us.
I need like another bully. We got bullied. I need

(01:05:10):
a bully to come take the take over them.

Speaker 1 (01:05:12):
Well, now Halliburton is trying to make people believe that
he was slighted and that he's better than SGA and
all that. Of course, you know, uh, the kid in
Minnesota was doing the same thing. So I think that's
going to be a really interesting matchup if they go
at each other.

Speaker 4 (01:05:28):
Well that's what it is. SGA, I don't know if
he's even gonna be going. SGA is going fun on
a show, of course, but Halliburn's doctuing playing and then
part will be Yeah. So Halliburn just tossed listening when
he did that choke signed, dick you if you would
have still my neighbors must have. I was worried they
were going to pull the fleet some of the things.
I was screaming at him when he did the choke sign.

Speaker 1 (01:05:48):
And for those listening who aren't NBA fans. The chokes
sign was basically an homage to Reggie Miller because that
a big Pacers win over the next many many years ago,
Reggie Miller did the exact same thing.

Speaker 4 (01:06:00):
So uh, and he pointed, Reggie mill Is on the broadcasting.
You know this, Reggie mill Is broadcasting it. He does
it chokes and points to Miller.

Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
I'm like, as you pointed back at him too. I
gave Reggie Miller credit for not being all in on
the Pacers. I know he had to be excited inside,
but uh, you know, you've got to maintain some level
of professionalism, especially at that level on tn T. But
he did a good job. By the way, I don't

(01:06:29):
know much of the NBA on TNT. You watch, I'm
a big fan. I run clips from Barkley and Shack
on my show. But you know, they have been so
great for the best studio show on television, and I'm
gonna miss it.

Speaker 3 (01:06:43):
I don't know about you any sport.

Speaker 4 (01:06:46):
It's not just the best best one it is. Yes there,
they're dynamic, and you know what I love about it.
And you know that you're a big sports guy, the NFL, MLB,
You're always changing it. You're bringing in a row, you're
bringing in this one, You're that status thing. Their relationship,
their dynamic, it was so pure. I was so broken
when they were starting it off. How is this? This
is the this was it? This is the NBA. I'm

(01:07:07):
so upsetentive. I love everything they did, really, even when
your team's down and they talked. Honestly, I love it.
I think it can be very missed on that whole.
Like you know, it's part of your life, it's how
you watch the game. Tune it for them too.

Speaker 1 (01:07:21):
And Ernie Johnson is the perfect guy and has been
for that group. And he reminds me of Dick Enberg,
who was the perfect guy when they paired him with
Al McGuire and Billy Packer, and he knew when to
shut up and let those guys go. And it was
TV gold and there just isn't enough of that. Mike
Sephaznik is my guest. He is our New York City

(01:07:42):
Bureau chief, a huge UK fan podcaster in his own right.
We'll come back and talk Kentucky sports in just a
minute here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back. We're talking
with Mike Sephaznik, the Mike Saffo podcast is available. Can't
recommend it enough, especially if you like books about crime
and if you like travel and things like that. I
know you just got back from another country you checked

(01:08:05):
off your list? Where were you?

Speaker 4 (01:08:08):
I went to Lebanon and then Syria. Yes, I spent
the week in Syria. So that was a wild one.
And I'm actually going on. It's actually, besides North Korea,
a country called Turkmenistan. It's actually the most difficult country
in the world to visit. And after four years, I
just got my visa three days ago. I'll be going
there in two weeks. So yes, that's the next one.

Speaker 1 (01:08:30):
And you try to get to North Korea for how long?

Speaker 4 (01:08:34):
Oh, Dick, I'll tear the quickest story. I had the
opportunity to go there eight years ago. I was invited.
I said, yes, And what do you think happens if
we're supposed to go in March? And I said, listen,
I can't go in March because of obviously marching edne
Kentucky basketball, so I don't go. We rescheduled for October.
I won't go to the Yankees and the playoffs. And
then the next time it was when unfortunately the Ottawamberg

(01:08:56):
situation happened, and the USA stopped issuing visas, like we
stopped going there. So the two chances I had my
friend's way, I didn't go to the Kentucky and I
wouldn't go to the Yankee. So typical Mike's spasmic ware spots, rooms,
you know, other great opportunities to me.

Speaker 1 (01:09:11):
I do need to double back to the Knicks real quickly.
I forgot to ask you about this. Mike h is
very good friends with Cameron Mills, and that's how I
met Mike, and we do the text chain thing as well.
And the other day you sent us some photos of
you at the next game with with Walt Frazier and
other dignitaries, and uh, you were there as part of

(01:09:32):
the security crew. You must have been like a kid
on Christmas morning.

Speaker 4 (01:09:36):
We go there, didn't went out getting two into the
whole story. I had to go there for work reasons,
for police reasons, right, and they're like, hey, listen, here's
the deal. You have full access. I need you to
know basically, look out for this guy, this guy, this
guy Mike. The one game there's no picture. I'm like, yeah,
obviously they're not working. So, you know, John Stalks walks
by me, like, all right, hey guys one Alan Houston,

(01:09:56):
Helen Houston. But I'll let that one go. And then
I see well plots for Agil. I'm like, you know
what I'm done, mister Fraser boom, five minute conversation. I
see Bill Bradley, and then I'm digging. She reaped out
do her a game Latrelle's free. Well it's Chris Child.
If you dribbled the basketball, if you were over six
to two. I was taking this picture with you. Hey, Mike,
don't take pictures on the floor. I had my toes

(01:10:17):
on the blue just pin up a set. The guy
no self control. And finally the guy I was working with,
he thinks Omark like, bro, we gotta get out of here.
I'm like, is everything the right to prow I see
where this would go. Let's go. So, yeah, I got
my pictures. You know, no self control, But yes, it
was one of the coolest experiences watching the game from
the floor. Was happened to beat that? Yeah? The only
thing that they're very lucky. I couldn't get it for

(01:10:39):
us to meet Kylie Jenner and Bench Stiller and those
guys that was my next.

Speaker 1 (01:10:42):
Move, and I should have pointed out Mike is one
of New York City's finest, but deep down he's a
kid at heart like we all are. All Right, well,
let's talk about the basketball Cats. You've kept an eye,
I know, and I'm certain you've peppered Deb Moore or
whoever what's request to have Mike Mark Pope on your podcast,
But you've watched him rebuild this team. We talked this

(01:11:02):
past season about the joy that you took and how
well Kentucky played still though finished in around the middle
of the pack in the SEC. How confident are you
and what's coming up?

Speaker 4 (01:11:13):
Well back to last year, how fun was it because
maybe my expectations were lower, and I'm like, you know what,
let's just have a buying season. And I remember Cameron
calling me you jow Hood even reached the guys like, bro,
give us a chance. You're going to love the way
this team plays and then you fall in love with it.
And it was something we always asked. And yet these
guys aren't going to be here four or five years.
But getting these transfers over and these guys who proved

(01:11:36):
it seems love Kentucky beast well not that the old
guys didn't. And I'm not going to have no rebusiness history,
you know, but I just love the way he's playing.
You know what, twenty four and twelve we looked good.
We weren't great in the conference, but out come, yes,
he was stacked. She really could expect. The one thing
that's weird because the NBA Draft's coming up soon and
I never miss it and we might only have like

(01:11:57):
a guy drafted. When was the last time we went,
have me twenty years that we didn't have a cat
drafted in the first rounds? Right, So that's a weird
thing to not have this superstar. But how can you
not be excited about to see.

Speaker 3 (01:12:08):
This coming up?

Speaker 4 (01:12:08):
I think Polk's can do like the greatest job. Like
everyone's bought into his game, right, his system.

Speaker 1 (01:12:14):
You know, it's interesting that you mentioned that about not
having a first round pick, but I think it's a
it's a bit of a win that Kobe Brea played
himself into the second round. He was expected just to
be a free agent, you know, and he played well
enough for Kentucky. So yeah, I mean it's it's odd,
but it was more of a group effort.

Speaker 3 (01:12:32):
Wasn't it, Well, it's the team.

Speaker 4 (01:12:34):
And all we said is so whenever we lost them
at it, if it was the Saint Peters or in
the Leit eight, we're not a team. We're players that
want there's mostly me saying and not you because you're
a reasonable fan. It was we're not a team, you know, overreaction.
My wife said that not made. But we finally played
at the team last year week. You know, injuries, obviously
I want more defense, so everyone in I bet I

(01:12:55):
know we see the theme the Knicks, Kentucky, anything with
a K. We don't play defense. We play a little defense.
That's calling of what I want a little more defense
to take that next step now you know, next step
is the Elite eight, and then you know we're building.
It's one year.

Speaker 1 (01:13:08):
To me, that was one of the more interesting chapters
in the story this year was when they played at
Ole Miss And I'm sure you watched that game at
their live on as your kids used to say on tape,
and uh, they were so terrible and they looked like
they weren't even interested, and Pope and company doubled down
on defense. The next day he talked about Bray himself.

(01:13:30):
He said he literally threw himself and so I could
see him in my mind's I thrown himself on the
floor at the Craft Center. But the defense amped up
and they were I won't say a different team, but
a much better team, weren't they after that?

Speaker 4 (01:13:44):
It's exactly what Cameron said when Cameron's like, listen, Mark
Polpe will not go to coch coach Pope will not
make you run through the wall with him. He'll grow
through the wall first and then you follow. He's a
perfect leader. And I loved when Cameron said that. I
got pumped up, of course, and then I bought and
pulled out my old ninety six. Yeah, Kentucky sug but
they're buying into his whole thing, and you're excited again

(01:14:04):
and again. Expectations of Holly where I think the pre
rankings with maybe fifteenth or sixteen maybe can's work. So
the expectations of Holly again because we're Kentucky, very similar
to noticing, you know, one of the blue bloods, one
of the elites. But I think we have another great season.
Like I just love this whole team aspect. I kind
of want one or two of the superstar studs. That's
just because like the shiny new toys. But I'm going

(01:14:26):
to trust Coach Pope on this one.

Speaker 1 (01:14:28):
Well take away could fit that bill and he's coming back.

Speaker 3 (01:14:31):
But what I find early, guy yea goo.

Speaker 1 (01:14:33):
What I find the most interesting about the way Pope
has built this team is he's done it with returning players.
He's done it with portal players, and he's done as
good a job just about as anybody with that. And
he's doing it with true freshmen with recruits. Because your
neighbor Rick Patino, the Saint John's coach, has said this year,
at least for this year, he's not even looking at

(01:14:54):
high school players. He's going to do it through the portal.
Of course, when you have Mike Ropoli, you know, the
Vitamin water billionaire, you can buy whatever you need if
they are if they're going to take the money. But
I just like to mix that Pope is put together,
you know.

Speaker 4 (01:15:09):
And again I never not coach cal you know how
much I loved him. But he would just say the
ten best players, give me the ten bests. I don't
care if six them play, you know, play the three.

Speaker 1 (01:15:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:15:18):
It seems that and it could be wrong on wrong
a lot. It seems like Polk's like, Okay, we need
to let's find the best number two.

Speaker 3 (01:15:24):
He's not.

Speaker 4 (01:15:24):
He's strategically recruiting from everywhere, and he's doing it the
right way. Listen, we all want, you know, ten great things.
We don't need ten Mercedes in your driveway. Like I
think he's just doing any piece we need. We need
to We need a big man. Let's go get him.
We need, we need a good go. He's running the bench. Listen,
he's running a great program. Is only good things coming up?

Speaker 3 (01:15:44):
And I love it.

Speaker 4 (01:15:45):
No one I don't want to say turned on him.
You know, you lose the Tennessee in the you know
in torment, that's stucky. But everyone still loves him.

Speaker 3 (01:15:52):
That's what I love.

Speaker 4 (01:15:52):
I hate when everybody just overreacts, which I'll usually do.

Speaker 1 (01:15:55):
I sell one overreaction Twitter tweet after some loss, when
somebody's get rid of him, now, don't wait, get rid
of him, I'm like, what are you drunk? A few
minutes left with Mike Saffo, Kentucky fan or New York
City borough chief and a terrific podcaster in his own right,
What about Patino? What what had that done? Because man

(01:16:17):
playing in the garden and I love coming up even
though Kentucky lost. I love covering games in the Garden.
I first did it in seventy six when Kentucky won
the n I up there there's no place better. And
for him to get that place rocking again. And he
was one of the great stories in the NCATE tournament
this year until Cali Perry brought it to an end.
But what that What has that been like? Watching him

(01:16:39):
breathe new life into the college team in New York.

Speaker 4 (01:16:43):
It's so great. Like I said, unfortunately college basketball here
isn't huge, but it was huge back in the Big East. Yeah,
with Carni Seca, with Chris Mall and those guys, even
to Felipe Lopez. So Katino comes from he was at Iona.
Oh you know, there'll be a story here and there.

Speaker 1 (01:16:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:16:57):
But halfway through the year when there were no more
game to Carni Seca because too many fans were going there.
And like Frances and New York Sports radio is talking
about Saint John's. They never got discussed. You would get
a call randomly if they made a tournament. No one
told me. Now they were kind of leading some story.
And listen, Patino is just a magnet when Coach P

(01:17:19):
does anything, and now the team's going on a run,
and of course the story with Calipari. But Patino up
here bringing games now to the Garden, now playing Kentucky
this year. I know it's in Atlanta, I believe, But
now he is. He is the story. They're talking about recruiting,
and I don't think the last time we talked about
recruiting if he was like a Felipe Lopez.

Speaker 3 (01:17:38):
Recruiting twenty thirty years ago.

Speaker 4 (01:17:41):
And so anything Patino's doing now, like I got his
name the guard who he sat in the second half?

Speaker 3 (01:17:48):
Was it really?

Speaker 4 (01:17:50):
Unfortunately I forgot the Saint John's guard that would never
be discussed and it was a lead story. I'm like, wow,
what Patino's doing? So people care about Saint John's basketball? Now,
what's your be good? Anytime he talk basketball is great.
But anything Coach P does up here now is a story.
So he's got the Garden, He's on the jumbo tron.
Anything Patino does, he got the dinner. He's making the
newspapers and he lost it too. Yeah, now just he

(01:18:13):
is a stafle theer. Probably we'll city on sport's so
great and they want a Tino coach, and Nick, I'm
telling you it's gonna be crazy to deal with him.
They adore him. They lost him up.

Speaker 1 (01:18:21):
Here, no doubt. And here's so old I am. You know,
I'm older than dirt. But I covered that Saint John's
team that played in the final four in lexingon Kentucky
in rupp Arena back in nineteen eighty five, and by coincidence,
Felipe Lopez, his Saint John's team was upset by Detroit
Mercy in the NCA Tournament. I had that game for

(01:18:42):
INCA Radio, so I got a chriss cross with Saint
John's throughout my career. Anyhow, we are out of time, sadly,
but we're talking in Mike Saffo the Mike Saffo Podcast.
Check it out. He is our New York City Bureau
chief and it's crazy about all things UK basketball. And
you're on Twitter. Tell people who had to find you on.

Speaker 4 (01:19:01):
Twitter at Mike's STAFFO m I k E s A.
Fol Please do not go to my Twitter after Nick's lost,
Kentucky lost, Kentucky Yankees lost, Giants loss. Whenever my sports
team lose, don't go I overreact sometimes and I apologize
in the morning, though I apologize, Yes.

Speaker 1 (01:19:16):
Don't when he said when he tweets my life is over,
don't take it literally. He'll be back. Thanks sir, you're
talking to you.

Speaker 3 (01:19:24):
Thank you, sir, and that'll do it.

Speaker 1 (01:19:26):
Thanks to my guest Mike's Shaffo, Jeff Mcorol and Derek Terry.
Good night from the garage and Lexington.

Speaker 7 (01:19:32):
It's like I picked the wrong week, Chris Smoker.

Speaker 6 (01:19:34):
It's like I picked the wrong week.

Speaker 4 (01:19:35):
Quick Drink, It's like I picked the wrong week.

Speaker 1 (01:19:38):
Quit on peta means picked the wrong week.

Speaker 7 (01:19:40):
Christas Blu tact.

Speaker 8 (01:20:24):
Tact anything canning the back takes to tson it, don't, don't,

(01:21:24):
don't notting to the

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