2025-11-20 BBI

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Big Boon Sider. Dick Gabriel with you
on a Thursday edition of our show. We will be
bumped tomorrow night by Kentucky basketball as the Wildcats take
on Loyola of Maryland. It is not, of course, the
team that is anywhere near as challenging as Michigan State
or Louisville, but a chance for the Wildcats to bounce
back a little bit and try to put that embarrassing

(00:22):
loss behind them. Tom leach and Jack Gibbons will have
to call for you right here seven o'clock tip time.
Pregame begins at five point thirty on the UK Network.
Mark Pope talked to the media today about the loss
of Michigan State, looking forward to the rest of the
season quite frankly, and Pope sounded like a guy who

(00:42):
was in much, much, much better spirits than he was
after the loss. If you heard his postgame press conference
or heard him talking to Tom leach Man. He takes
these losses hard, and I'm shure you and his staff
are working feversly to figure out what to do. First,
they know what's wrong, they think they know how to
fix it, but how do you do it? In successive order.

(01:06):
You know, how do you attack these things in practice?
And what are these things? Well, reporters today try to
figure that out by talking to Pope, and he just said,
it's a variety of.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Things, and it's a lot of things. Like it's it's
our guys still learning that those principles matter and they
actually work. It's a little bit of like always will
be the case, there's always this tension between me play
calling and us playing, and it might be a little

(01:38):
bit of me trying to grab the reins a little
too much or a little too loose. There might be
some you know, just slippage in the game. You know,
it's all those things we'll figure out.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, and keep that in mind. This is a new
team compared to last year, not just in style but
in personality. The guys having to mesh and learn how
each other plays, that kind of thing. And somebody asked
Pope to address whatever rumors there were. I don't know
if this was because there was the so called barking

(02:09):
in the huddle late in the game, which to me
is a good thing. I read that on Twitter that
some of the players were yelling at each other, and
like I said, that's a plus. To me, that's positive
because if they were just sitting there, not saying anything,
not doing anything, not caring, if they were unemotional, I

(02:31):
would think that's a problem. But because they care, because
they want to get things done properly, when they want
to do things right. Yeah, they might have been yelling
at each other. It could have been happening again in
the locker room after the game, but that's not necessarily
the way things are said Pope. He is absolutely certain
that there is not a chemistry issue on this team.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
We've had a couple really discouraging losses. That's not what
we're going to be. It's not who you are, and
I don't think it's I don't think it has anything
to do with chemistry. I think has to do with
playing well and playing the game all and understanding how
to play the game on and believing and how to
play the game well. So I think this team, actually,
I think these guys care about each other. I love

(03:15):
each other, they've served together. I would I would say
that we have a really special foundation of a team
with great chemistry, and we're going to continue to evolve.
So I should have said that more concisely, but I
don't think that's our issue at all right now, I
wouldn't say that's even close to our issue.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
I did like that answer. I did, indeed, because it
reminded me of what Mike the Course he said to
me when I was filling in for Tom Leacher replayed
some of his comments on the Big Boom Sider last night,
and Mike said it just looked like a team that
didn't have a lot of confidence. And when he said that,
I thought, yeah, that's right, because they don't have their

(04:00):
best point guard on the floor right now. So the
ball is not moving the way it should, the offense
is not operating the way it should. They're thinking too
much as opposed to just playing. We go back to
the fact that it's a new team and these are
guys who are complimentary players last year in a lot

(04:21):
of different places, including Alabama and Florida. The guys they
have Aberdeen and Moda Bote coming in, they were not
twenty five to thirty minutes a game guys. So they're
learning how to fill those roles, and Aberdeen's learning to
play the point more than he ever did in Florida. Now,
Jalen Lowe carried a big load for Pittsburgh and when

(04:45):
he's finally healthy again, when he does play, he's gonna
need to know he doesn't have to put up as
many shots, doesn't have to hunt as shots, just be
a facilitator on offense, which clearly this team could have
used the other night against Michigan State. And that performance
has a lot of negativity oozing out of the Big

(05:07):
Blue Nation finding its way to the teams, to the coaches,
even if it's just a vibe because they're not studying
social media, but they know what's what. And to that end,
Mark Pope has reiterated he is far from losing faith
in this team he has.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
I have an unbelievable amount of confidence that we're going
to have a great season here, and I also know
for a fact that we have an extraordinary amount of
work to do. This is the best stuff actually for me.
I know there might be some consternation out there, but
I love it, man. I love it when you have
to dig and deep and find your way through and
where guys are like forced to really not just look

(05:49):
at each other and love each other, but lean on
each other and count each other and have each other
bail each other out like this is the great stuff,
and we have guys that are gonna be able to
compiscrate stuff. So that's the process of scraping ourselves up
and going and do it. It's pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Of course, that's not what UK fans are saying right now,
but he's not. They're not saying, oh, this is this
is a pretty cool opportunity. No, but they're also not
hearing from Mark Pope, nor would they, nor did I
think they would. They're not hearing this. Okay, here's what's wrong, A,
B and C. Here's how we're gonna fix it. It's

(06:28):
it's a bit more complicated than that, for better or worse. Uh,
Pope has a kind of a complicated way of doing things,
doesn't he. You kind of got to sift through what
he says. But the basic premise is there. The basic
model is he hasn't lost faith in his team and
he still believes they're gonna have a special season. And

(06:50):
I know there's a faction right now of Kentucky fans.
They're not really fans quite frankly, who've already given up.
But I think that are the people who revel in
feeling like this. I really do, And a lot of
these people. We're all over Mark Stoops a month ago,
and now they're on the verge of another bull bed.
And we're gonna talk Kentucky football in our next segment.

(07:12):
We also here from George Plaster, Nashville radio personality about
the Commodore's Billy Rutledge will join us and our number two,
but for now, basketball fans Mark Pope says he's on
top of it. Stay with him. You're gonna like this team.
More to COOM on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to
the Big Blue and Sider Coming up in just a
couple of minutes, George Plaster will join us from Nashville

(07:35):
to give us some of the low down on the
Vanderbilt Commodores. He's been covering sports down there for about
as long as I've covered sports here in the Leccidens.
We're from George, our number two. We're gonna hear from
Billy Rutledge. He will make his NFL picks because well
we're bumped tomorrow, so he makes his picks on a Thursday,
just as we did last week. But also we're gonna

(07:57):
talk Kentucky volleyball with Hunter Mitchell, who covers the sport
of ballots about as well as anybody here in town.
And of course the Cats heading for the SEC tournament
at the end of this week. They've got the double
by and they go in with the Player of the Year,
the Freshman of the year, the center of the year,
I mean, the coach of the year. Kentucky not quite
a clean sweep, but a lot of awards this year

(08:19):
for the undefeated SEC champions. Saturday, Kentucky Vanderbilt, three thirty kickoff,
one thirty airtime for US with Christy and Ricky and
Logan and then Tom and Jeff and I have to
call the Cats and the Commodorees. It's gonna be tough
because yeah, they got Diego Pavia. But Brad White, UK's
defensive coordinator, said that not only do they run the

(08:42):
ball well, which they did last year, they're throwing the
ball more and they're doing it better this season.

Speaker 3 (08:48):
They've really expanded the past game and you know, the
route concepts and the pass game is at a completely
different level.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
Than it was last year.

Speaker 3 (08:59):
So now they have the ability to run and run
the ball well, but then they also have it when
they want to throw. They can throw the ball really
well and so's that's a lethal combination. It's why they're
you know, top ten in points. It's obviously Pavi has
thrown the.

Speaker 1 (09:13):
Ball really well.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
You know, in terms of completion percentage, he's up there
at seventy percent. I mean, it's they just do so
many things that'll puts stress on you.

Speaker 1 (09:24):
Defensive coordinators like to use the word stress. You hear
it from Mark Stoops all the time, and that's appropriate
because when you've got a guy like Pavia who can
break the pocket, throw in the run, throw accurately on
the run, move the chains himself, you talk about stressful,
you better believe it. But he's also got the guys
around him that he needs. He's got a good O

(09:45):
line which includes not one, but two really good tight ends.
We know about Eli Stowers, maybe the best tight end
in the country, certainly I think the best in the
SEC at six four to two thirty five. Great hands,
a lot of experience, but according to Brad White, a
tight end they'll use on the other side, the guy

(10:06):
named Cole Spence. He's even bigger than Stours six seven
two fifty five. You know, it might not be as
good as Tours, but he gives them that lethal one
two combination. But Stowers is such a handful eli.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
Is you know, he's a matchup issue, right. He's so big,
he runs so smooth. If you put a smaller body
on him, he can big body you if you put
a bigger body on him. You know, the athleticism, the
catch radius, it makes it, you know, easier on a quarterback.
When you have those two tight ends and you feel
a defender on the inside hip, well, I'm gonna just

(10:41):
throw it high in a way to the outside. It's
either going to be an incompletion or it's going to
be a catch, you know. And it's wild that it's
The interceptions are way down, you know, there's only five
interceptions that they've thrown on the year. And because they
have those big targets, he can throw it, you know,
away from defenders and more often than not to catch

(11:01):
because they go up and get it.

Speaker 1 (11:03):
And it always seems that the tight end is the
safety valve guy, the guy who comes to the rescue
for the quarterbacks. So even if Kentucky's closing in on Pavia,
just keep an eye on one or two of those
big tight ends because they could hurt you. Tight end
will be one of the headaches for Kentucky's safety ty Bryant,
but he believes they've got a pretty good game plan

(11:26):
going in to this matchup with Vandy and with Pavia.

Speaker 4 (11:30):
I would say it's pretty hard, but I mean at
the end of the day, I feel like we've got
a great game plan going into it on Saturday. So
I feel like if everyone just does their assignment. You know,
the D line has to rush, we got to stay
in coverage in the back end, We're gonna We're gonna
be just fine.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
That's it right there. D line has got to do
its job, has got to contain Pavia, put pressure on him,
and not many teams have been able to do that,
and then they got to cover while all of that's
going on. Otherwise it's gonna happen again. They're gonna lose
to Vanderbilt, which happened last year year and it's a
bitter memory for tyd Bryant.

Speaker 4 (12:03):
I just remember they won. It was a bad feeling
for us. I mean we walked off that field and
you know there was, yeah, just just.

Speaker 5 (12:11):
Bad feelings all around.

Speaker 4 (12:12):
And I mean some of the guys that had came
here last year, they never lost the bandy and then
they came in here and they beat us. So just
just bad feelings, the.

Speaker 1 (12:21):
Kind of bad feelings that stick with you, obviously, and
you might recall speaking to good feelings. Two years ago.
Kentucky goes to Nashville and beats vander bro This seems
like such a long time ago because not only did
the Wildcats beat Vandy, but they followed up with the
win over the Florida Gators, and that made five straight

(12:42):
wins for the Wildcats. Kentucky was five and oh too
and zero conference play, and then the bottom fell out.
They lose to Georgia. They lost that game inelection into Missouri,
which was just a backbreaker, the tight one to Tennessee.
They did beat Mississippi State and lost. Obama lost the
South Carolina by three. Did beat Louisville two years ago

(13:05):
and then lost a bowl game to Clemson. But yeah,
have completely forgotten, quite frankly, that the Wildcats started that
season five and zero and beat Vandy forty five twenty
eight and two touchdowns from Max Harriston. Remember that Maxwell
Harrison had a pair of pick sixes. So the Cats
played well on the road. They have played well in

(13:26):
conference play on the road this season they did down
at Auburn, and ty Bryant said, what a lot of
players say they like going on the road. They like,
you know, knowing that it's all for one, one for all,
us against the world, kind of a feeling pulling together
and trying to silence the opposing crowd. He kind of
relishes those moments, he always has.

Speaker 4 (13:48):
I do, honestly, I do, leading back to even high school, Like,
I love road games just for something like you just
get to go in there and no one's cheering, like
cheering you on, and then you know, no better feeling
than just just to hear the crowd roar at the
beginning of the game, then be quiet at the end
of the game because you just want and then in
our case, for Bandy will hop back on the bus
and just have a great time riding back to lace team.
But yeah, I do like that. Man backs against the wall.

(14:10):
I mean, all only thing we can do is just fight.

Speaker 1 (14:13):
So they'll be fighting for a win at Vandy, they'll
be fighting for ball eligibility. And Mark Stuups said his
news conference Monday, was asked do they talk to the
players about it, and he quickly abruptly said no, No,
one game at a time. But you know they're thinking
about it, because, look, players love going to ball games.
We can talk about the fact that there are too

(14:33):
many ball games, and a lot of my brethren in
the media think they ought to be done away with
which I don't agree. I love bowl games. There are
too many. I think if you show a Bowl game
on TV and there's nobody there, that's it. Next year
that game needs to be elsewhere or off the map,
because if teams aren't going to sell tickets and show up,
why play the game. But I really do enjoy Bowl games,

(14:56):
partly because we went here as fans, media players whoever
so long in election and without going regularly to ball games.
And then Rich Brooks spoiled us, didn't He and Mark
Stoups took it a step further. Well, eight straight and
all those wins and warm weather ball games and all that.
But Brooks pointed out to us, and remember this how

(15:17):
much the players look forward to it because, for one thing,
they got a cash stipend while they're going to Bowl games.
They do, they get a daily per diem, but they
also get the stuff. They get a backpack full of gear,
they get bragging rights, and they're high school teammates who
went to other schools, you know, come back during the holidays.

(15:37):
They're showing off their bull squag. I remember Joker Phillips
talking about that, about how he was so pleased that
the Wildcats finally would get gear, would get maybe a
bowl game ring, a pullover, a sweatshirt, whatever they could
show off when they go home. That's big to college ballplayers,
and Ty Bryan admitted as much. He can't wait.

Speaker 4 (15:58):
I can't stop thinking about it. Honestly, I'll be going
around the facility. Coach JV he always says like it's
the dash for the cash, So I mean, I'll be
going around the facility saying that and like like if
we went we're in. But yeah, I'm just I just
want to get that win under my belt so you know,
we can.

Speaker 5 (16:11):
Go bawling again.

Speaker 4 (16:12):
Because last year, obviously, you know, we didn't make it.
We were home for Christmas and stuff like that, and
I got a lot of friends to play at other schools,
so they were there a way, so I just felt
like I was just here by myself. So I mean,
I'm just ready. I just want another win. We can
do it this week and next week hopefully, and then
heah go balling.

Speaker 1 (16:30):
I'll be honest. I love it when ballplayers are honest
like that. You know, you could say no, no, no, we're
not thinking about that one game at a time. Come on,
you're human. He's thinking about it, but why not? That's
great motivation. And like I said, I don't care where
they go. I'll enjoy covering a ball game if the
Wildcats can get there this year, because face it, you

(16:52):
and I a month ago, we didn't think this was
going to happen, did we, But they're right on the
verge of making it happen. Starting Saturday in Nashville, we'll
talk about what's happening with the Commoers next with George
Plaster on six thirty WLP. Welcome back to the Big
Blue Sider, joining us now as an old friend of mine,
not that he's old, but we go back quite a ways.
And if it's happening in Nashville and it comes to sports,

(17:14):
George Plaster knows about it. He has covered Vanderbilt sports
for many, many years. And uh, George, I got to
ask you. You've you've covered a lot of let's let's
call it mediocre to bad football down there? Sadly, what's
it been like lately? You've got to be having a ball.

Speaker 6 (17:31):
Well, it's been a shock. You know. It took me
probably longer than a lot of other people to kind
of look up and say, whoa, they really are this good.
And you know, I told somebody, I said, forgive me.
I said, I've watched fifty five years of bad stuff.

(17:52):
So if if I was, you know, having a hard
time believing it, you know, I've given myself a free path.
But yeah, it's been pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (18:03):
Why so skeptical? I think I know the answer. But why.

Speaker 6 (18:07):
Well, because for so long the school really was not
committed at all, And you know, it started to change
a little bit when deer Meyer got there. Two chancellors
Ago Gordon Gee, I think, wanted to be positive to athletics.

(18:30):
And then they hired Nick Zeppos, who talked a good
game and did absolutely nothing and allowed it to go
in the ground. Zeppo's when he got Zeppos. Deer Meyer
when he got here, realized very quickly how far behind
they were in the arms race, so he gave him

(18:51):
some fairly substantial money to at least get the ball
rolling a little bit. The football stadium, as you know,
been a complete eye sore, and they have really done
some things. You know, it's certainly not Niland stadium holding
one hundred thousand, but it's probably what Vanderbilt need and

(19:14):
it's a much better look. And you know, it's funny
what winning can do. The atmosphere in that stadium has
been light years better.

Speaker 1 (19:23):
Oh yeah, winning helps, right, sure does. Yeah. And I
remember down in Texas when I was there a couple
of years seeing high school and junior college in no
disrespect to Vandy, but high school and junior college stadiums
that were worth more and better facilities than what they
had at Vandy. What caused Vanderbilt to finally get off

(19:47):
its rear end and plow some money into facilities? And
it's not just football, is it?

Speaker 5 (19:53):
No?

Speaker 6 (19:53):
But I think it was. I think it was deer
Meyer in all honesty. I think he walked in and
I think he was embarrassed by what he saw and realized, Okay,
I've got to at least give them, you know, some
starter money, started up money, and hopefully that that would
create some momentum. And if you're in the press box,

(20:18):
the end zone to the left, has this facility now
that is a women's and men's basketball facility called the
Huber Center. And then if you're in the press box
and you go to the to the end zone to
the right, they've done a really good job with sweets.

(20:41):
It just it looks considerably better, and you know it,
at times it feels like the house that Diego Pavia built.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
Yeah, but it's not just him. As we know, they
made a good hire and they made a decent here
before say, which will about James Franklin. He won games
at Vandy, but they made a good hire. And then
he turned around Clark Lee and made good hires, didn't
he and built a good staff.

Speaker 6 (21:09):
Yeah. You know, I think when when he was able
to go take half of New Mexico State, he really
got some pieces that were badly needed. The truth of
it is that Clark's staff had settled on Nate Johnson.
They were paying Nate Johnson like eight hundred grand and

(21:32):
I can throw football better than he can. That that
was not going to work. And I think they were
very skeptical of Pavia. When Jerry Kill and Tim Beck
were like, man, you need to see this guy, and
they went into to you know, the fall practice sessions,
telling everybody that he and Nate Johnson were even well.

(21:56):
I had seen Pavia at New Mexico State and I
knew he would mop the floor with Nate Johnson. So
that competition ended, you know, about three days later, and
I think the other thing that went on, Dick and
I don't have any proof of this, but knowing what

(22:17):
I think I know about Pavia because he's certainly got
one of these alpha kind of personalities. I think he
walked in one day a year and a half ago,
and I think he sensed a losing mentality in their
locker room. Losing's okay, you know, losing doesn't hurt, you

(22:39):
just have to go through the motions. And I think
he said, screw this, I didn't come here to lose.
And I think as big a contribution as he's probably
made on the field for them, I think more of
it has been the off field. I'm not going to
put up with what used to go on here.

Speaker 1 (23:00):
No kidding. That goes a long way, doesn't it.

Speaker 6 (23:05):
You know it does. I can remember Dick when I
was there play by play announcer in the late nineties.
One of the most disturbing things for me was a
trip we took to Notre Dame when they were not
quite the powerhouse. They were a little down, and they
ripped into US forty one to nothing. And I remember

(23:27):
when I got on the plane afterwards. I mean, it
sounded like a fiesta. And I remember turning to John
Gromo's my color announcer, and I said, you show me
a plane that's happy when you lose, and I'll show
you a bunch of losers. And you know, I learned
that first from CM Newton as a young guy in

(23:51):
my twenties, that you know, when you lose and you
play like crap, the flight home needs to be quiet.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 6 (24:01):
Now you might say, well that's fake and that's phony,
but that's just the way it is. And you've been
on a lot of flight with teams that didn't win,
and you know exactly what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (24:13):
Yeah, oh yeah, you know it's funny you say that.
Because I've become good friends with Jeremy Jarman. You might
remember it was an All Conference d tackle that Kentucky
played the NFL back in town now, and you know
it's been a part of our network up until this year.
Jeremy always tells the story. At least he's told it
to me a couple of times. Yeah, when when the

(24:34):
mark not mark, when the Rich Brooks program did its
turnaround in twenty oh six. That year they lost at
LSU forty nine to nothing. George and and you know,
we've all been, at least some of us, you and
me others have been part of a broadcast of games
like that that cannot end soon enough. I remember standing
on the field watching that game, thinking they are so overmatched.

(24:57):
This night cannot end soon enough. And on the plane
ride home it was very quiet, and I'm, of course
in the back of the plane as I'm sure where
were you? And Jeremy told me he had to talk
with himself. He said, I wondered, am I good enough
to play at this level? What am I doing here?
He had all kinds of self doubts before you went
to sleep on the way home, long flight, and they

(25:21):
had an open date the following week. Brooks put him
through the tortures of the damned. And then they went out,
won a bunch of games, and went to a ball
game and went the Bowl games from then on. But
it was it was moments like that on a plane
ride like that that do matter. It's not fake, is it.
It matters at least the teams that.

Speaker 6 (25:41):
Matter, right, sure, And it's you know, losing, there has
to be some hurt to losing. But I can also
remember conversely, and this was in the eighties and I
was a little twenty five year old tour you know,
wondering how in the world did I ever get in

(26:01):
the position that I was in, And I remember Coach
Newton grabbed me. We had gone down to Gainesville and
we were badly overmatched. Laurida had I want to say
Livingston Chapman at the time for people that go back
away that can remember this, Yeah, and we played the
daylights out of them and got beat like eighty five

(26:23):
to eighty one. And I remember he grabbed me on
the flight on the way home and said come on
up with me, and he then held court. It was
Will Purdue and go Heen and some of that group,
and you know, kind of got into some war stories

(26:44):
and I think it was him saying, listen, this is
one night. I can't fault anything. Y'all done. But you know,
a coach has to know when's the right button, you know,
and all that kind of stuff. That's the psychological stuff
they go through.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
Yeah, yeah, I remember that was a really good Vanderbilt
basketball team. George Plaster is my guest, veteran sportscaster from
the city of Nashville. We're talking about UK Vandy coming
up on Saturday. We'll talk more on the other side
of the break here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back.
My guest is George Plaster, veteran sportscaster from Nashville. Has
been part of the Vandy broadcast crew from time to time,

(27:26):
and on his talk shows through the years, has covered
Vanderbilt sports, and of course we'll be keeping an eye
on Kentucky Vandy this coming Saturday afternoon. Tell me about
Clark Lee because I really enjoy listening to him speak.
He's he doesn't sound like a football coach, which I
guess is why I like him. Nothing against football coaches,

(27:47):
but you know, there's not a lot of coach speak
with him, is there? And Mark Marx Troops always talks
about it. I know that's coach speak, but so he's
cognizant of it. But Clark Lee's kind of a different animal,
isn't he.

Speaker 6 (27:59):
Yeah, And I'm laughing a little bit as you say
all that Clark's dad was the Nashville Sounds at the time,
the Double A franchise. I guess it was the Yeah,
I guess it was the Yankees at the time. And
I was a nineteen twenty year old play by play announcer,

(28:23):
So I knew Clark's dad before I ever knew Clark,
before Clark was ever born. Wow, And I can tell
you that Clark's dad is having so much fun with this.
After they beat Bama last year, I walked into their
press conference and when Clark the coach walked in, I

(28:46):
said to him, I said, look, I'm happy for you, congratulations,
but I am delirious for your dad. And he and
I have had so much fun talking about his dad
and how much his dad gets into this. Yeah, but yeah.
The stuff he says, you know, at times goes way

(29:09):
over a simpleton like me's head, and you're like, boy,
this doesn't sound like any other coach.

Speaker 1 (29:17):
But whatever he says is winning over recruits, you know.
And it's not just a Diego Pavia show, is it.
I am so impressed with the line play I've seen
on both sides of the football from Vanderbilt. Does that
get lost sometimes in the glow and glitter of Diego Pavia.

Speaker 6 (29:37):
Yeah, and I think you're dead on right. First of all,
their offensive line is bigger than any Vandy offensive line
I've ever seen. I can remember some great Kentucky teams
that you've looked and you're like, oh my lord, this
is not gonna go. Well, yeah, big size differentials. I
think the other thing that's going on is the they've

(30:00):
been able to rotate way more people on the defensive side,
and there's not nearly the drop off there used to be.
You know, you would get past you would get past
the starting twenty two and players twenty five through forty.
In a lot of cases, we're closer to OVC levels

(30:23):
and he seems to have been able to take care
of that. Here's the thing that I don't think it's
talked about at all. I think in the portal that
they have hit on a way higher percentage then probably
they even have a right to expect. There's some guys
making some contributions for them. A kid like Richie Hoskins,

(30:48):
kind of a possession receiver that I'm guessing wasn't bowled
over by a bunch of offers. I just think in
the portal they seem to be on a run right
now where they've hit on a bunch of them, no kidding,
And yeah, maybe you know, I don't know, maybe that
goes into spurts where you have a run where everything

(31:11):
you touch turns to gold. It kind of feels like,
right now, that's happening a little bit.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
Well, when you put a team together, it's all about,
you know, putting the roster together, however you do it.
And as you said, in this day and age, it's
the portal, it's nil. And I'm curious. I've got to
think there are nil dollars that are coming in a
little more freely now that Vandy is seeing success. And
it's interesting to me that it's kind of backward. You know,

(31:38):
they need your nil dollars the most when they're struggling,
but everybody wants to be a part of something successful.
Do you have any feel for the nil program, if
you will, or the coffers, because Nashville it's a pretty
good town. There's some money in that city, but it's a.

Speaker 6 (31:54):
Proton I yeah, honestly, I think he's getting more of
it out of Texas. Here's here's what's kind of funny.
I went to school with Ross Pero junior. What now.
To his credit, Ross never gave you the air of

(32:18):
I'm a paro, but they'll give you some of an
idea of some of the people you know that ended
up going there, which then begs the question, how the
hell did I get it. I think that they have
been able to tap into some rich alums on the
basketball side. And I don't know much about the Huber

(32:39):
guy that gave him the five million dollar gift. I
need his address, because frankly, I could use one of those,
and I'll be glad to split it with you.

Speaker 1 (32:52):
Yeah, it's such an interesting chapter in the history of
college football these days, and it's coinciding with success by
the Vanderbilt Commodores, you know. And then when you hear
their quarterback. I heard him early in the year talking about,
we want to win a national championship. Yeah, and then

(33:12):
you know they keep winning. I'm like, wait a minute,
and the playoffs coming up?

Speaker 7 (33:16):
Well.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
I really hated George. I hated seeing the league do
away with divisions. I know why they did it, but
it was always interesting because Mark Stewps had Kentucky two
or three times at least in the conversation about winning
the SEC East. You've been to the SEC Football Championship,
I know more than once. I did it for fifteen

(33:37):
years with the SEC radio number because as the producer,
it was one of the greatest events in the world.
It's lost a little bit of luster now thanks to
the College Football Playoff, but you know, there was a
point where Vandy would have been looking at the SEC
East title this year.

Speaker 6 (33:53):
Still, yeah, who thought that? And Dick, we're at it.
I'm really happy that Kentucky has had some success here
in the last month because people need to understand that
Mark Stoops created a level of excellence at Kentucky that

(34:16):
really nobody had ever done. And I don't know if
he was ever close to being shown the door, but
that guy is a little bit like David Cutcliffe at Duke.
Has earned what I'd call a lifetime achievement award and
should be treated that way no matter how it all
goes down eventually.

Speaker 1 (34:38):
Interesting to hear you say that because you have kept
an eye on a SEC sports for so long, and
I agree with you, But when you look at how
old I am, how old you are, how long we've
been around, and yeah, we started when we were young.
But there's at least like a generation, maybe a generation
and a half of Kentucky fans who didn't know the
misery that the older fan is new for so long

(35:00):
when they had no shot of being good. And I
always go back to something that ODIs Singletary, who many
years ago was the Kentucky president. He was very when
Kursey he hired. Frank Cursey fired him too, But he
once said to me, I don't expect us to win
every game. I just want to come to the stadium
on Saturdays not knowing ahead of time who's gonna win.

(35:21):
And I think that's fair. I think it's fair for Kentucky.
I think it's fair for a Vanderbilt, don't you.

Speaker 6 (35:27):
Yeah. And you know it's funny you bring all this
up because take away this little two year run by
Bandy for us notice to use the word veteran, which
was a nice way of saying.

Speaker 1 (35:41):
How about vintage.

Speaker 6 (35:43):
Oh I like that vintage. But for the group that
doesn't remember it. Kentucky and Vandy used to be in
the same football gutter, and Stoops was a huge part
of getting them out of that. Now there's some other
you know that had brief moments, but Stoops is the

(36:04):
guy that's done it for the longest period. I don't
pretend to know him. I know I'm sounding like his agent,
but I work for him. Yeah I do.

Speaker 1 (36:15):
Yeah, well, I mean, it's amazing what he's done. And
it's also amazing how people believe up here on this
side of the border that Kentucky should and does win
this game every year. Same thing. We've talked about this
before in your neck of the woods, can Vandy fans
pencil in Kentucky is an automatic winn And yet the
series right now stands at forty eight forty four and one,

(36:40):
and at one point when Rich Brooks was here, it
was dead even with four ties Brooks. I remember Brooks saying,
you know, it seems to me it's really interesting that
people think we got to win this game every year,
and after all these years, decades of football, it was
dead even with four ties. So that's just where we are.
But it also makes it fun, you know.

Speaker 6 (37:00):
Yeah, you know, I didn't realize that you want one
of the great moments in Vandy Kentucky football history.

Speaker 1 (37:06):
Please.

Speaker 6 (37:07):
When I was doing the games, we were dreadful. We
had to be one of the five worst offenses in
college football. We had a segment at the end the
Star of the game. We had gotten shut out of
like twenty six nothing. Commonwealth Stadium felt like it was
about twenty below that day. You know, late November, we

(37:27):
named our punter as the Stars game.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
Oh my gosh, oh man, you realize this is five
minutes of interview that the listeners will never get back. Yeah,
and I was a kid who wanted to be anywhere,
but uh, you know, his one shot at talking to
George Plaster on the Vandy Network, and he just wants
want to grab his chicken box and get on the

(37:52):
bus and go to the airport and go home.

Speaker 6 (37:54):
So and get the heck out of Dodge exactly right.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
He is George Plaster, and he is a longtime friend
and veteran sportscaster from Nashville. George, thank you so much.
Will we see you Saturday? Can I Are you gonna
be in the stadium?

Speaker 6 (38:06):
I soon, absolutely, And I will make sure to look
you up good because you know, when I think about Kentucky,
one of the real pleasures is the fun you and
I have had Over the years. We have attempted to
solve a lot of the world's problems and truthfully have
solved none well.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
And we worked on some broadcasts together too, So yeah,
we'll mix it up Saturday.

Speaker 6 (38:28):
Thanks man Hey, talk to you up next.

Speaker 1 (38:32):
Our number two, we will talk to UK volleyball as
a Wildcats head into the SEC tournament with an eye
on the NCAA tournament and a possible national championship. Plus
Billy Rutledge NFL picks on six thirty WLPT.

Speaker 8 (39:01):
Such stating don't show anything, can they think anything?

Speaker 9 (39:43):
Then?

Speaker 8 (39:45):
Sat don't don't change.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
Welcome back to the Big Blue and Cider and as
we mentioned earlier, Kentucky Volleyball just killing it when it
comes to awards. Hunter Mitchell covers UK volleyball really better
than anybody. He has a podcast with Leah Edmund, courts
out with the Cats, takes pictures at every match. Hunter,
you told me the last time we talked. I said,

(41:00):
did you know this team would be this good? And
you flat out said yes, But I mean, did you
expect a sweep of the awards like this? This is
pretty incredible?

Speaker 10 (41:11):
Well, I certainly didn't expect the sleep of the SEC,
even though I did ever really look good.

Speaker 6 (41:14):
The SEC was so talented.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
I would have.

Speaker 10 (41:17):
Thought they're going to have at least one lost, maybe
two or three, just because the league has gotten so
deep in the layers since you know, even Leah played.
So I didn't expect that the SEC awards, I don't
think I at the beginning of the year, I knew
that Evil would likely be in contention for Player of
the Year. But none of us knew that Cassie was
going to do this, right, We all kind of her.

(41:38):
The center position was up in the year. We didn't
know if it would be Cassie even playing. We thought
maybe it could be able to thor off of the
gut that not all years. So I definitely didn't expect
Cassie that he gets the Freshman of.

Speaker 6 (41:49):
The Year award.

Speaker 10 (41:50):
But I think early in the year Carrie Spears of
Texas was the early front runner, and rightfully so, she
was a big reason why Texas won a lot of
their games early. But man, when Cassie got in the
league play, she really hit another gear and took off.
And I was talking to Current about this and the
match on Sunday, just what's so impressive about Caffie is
it's not just her assists numbers, and the way she

(42:12):
runs the offense. Now it's things like blocking and playing
visits to the back row like stuff. At the beginning
of the year, Craig was saying, we've got to get
her stronger defensively. Man, she's leading the team that blocked
some nights like it's the physical blocker that Again, I
don't think Kntucky's had a blocker like that at the
setting position in a long time. If a girl mad one,
they were good blockers, especially for their size. But Kafi

(42:35):
is a bigger setter and so offers more size out there.
And man, she is so so competitive, like you can
tell that part of the game. She is really working
on and really wants to be in the league blocker,
and I think it's showing. So I was not shocked
this time once the awards were renounced, just because you know,
the league play has been so strong. But the beginning
of the year, yeah, I would have been really surprised.

(42:56):
If you would have told me the Caffie in one
freshman the year, I would have said that that is
something that Craig would have been thrilled with because before
the season started.

Speaker 1 (43:04):
Yeah, and then at six p'in one you would expect
somebody of that size to be good, if not really
good at defense, but a freshman learning away, learning the ropes.
Obviously you know great in high school with a much
faster game at this level. But explain to people, and
by the way, Hunter is also a coach, explain to
people the challenges becoming a good blocker. Because you can

(43:26):
jump up, you can throw your hands up, but that
doesn't mean you're going to get a block. What's what's
the tough part about learning to do that as an
elite player.

Speaker 10 (43:36):
Well, part of the hardest stuff for Cassy with her
position as being as better. You're blocking the right side
of the court, so your right side and the other
team's left side. So you got to realize those are
the outside hitters who are usually the best pen hitters
on the team and on the court. Not always the case, right,
but for the most part, a team is going to
send their best hitters on that left side because the

(43:57):
left side gets most of the swing. So as a
block it's hard to line up because so many of
the sets that go out there are different kinds of sets.
You've got highballs out of system that are coming from
the very back of the court. You know on a
garbage ball, but you've also got the balls that are
perfectly passed to the setter and they're sending fast tempos
or high tempos or something called a ripset where you

(44:19):
set the ball inside of the block. Like, there's just
so many different kinds of sets that can be set
out to the outside. Also, because the setter is facing
the outside, so she can see where she's putting the
ball a lot easier, So it's just a lot more
difficult to block on the right pen you see it
more frequently because the outsides get more swings, but still
it doesn't make it easy. And also in college when

(44:39):
you're playing vs. To see all of these hitters, they
don't see blocks and fear the block. They see blocks
as an opportunity. Lee Edmond says all the time on
the podcast, like she loved playing against teams that had
big blocks, which sounds so counterintuitive, but in her eyes
and a lot of elite hitter's eyes, it's the block
is a chance for me to swing high off their hands.

(45:01):
For the back line can't pick the dig up right,
so they don't look at the block as an obstruction.
They look at it as a tool to use. That's
why there's a term in volleyball called tooling the block.
It's where you use the blockers' hands to score. So
it's hard. It's the setting position, especially to be an
elite blocker, because you're having to go up against the
other team's best hitter usually And again, to Casi's credit,

(45:23):
I just think she's done such a good job of
managing that part of the game because again, as a freshman,
you're being asked to run the offense and also, oh,
by the way, you've got to go be a strong
force defensively at the net and defensive in the back.
Like it's it's so much being thrown at you. And
the way that she's adjusted and really settled into the
rhythm of the college game is incredible as a freshman.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
And you know, that's one of the things I love
about this sport is that while players have specialties, if
they're the big swingers, the pen hitters like the Brooklyn Delays,
the Eva Hudsons or the Molly Tuzzo's Avasarova's defensive players
you know, who have to reserve steven, you know, and
pass the ball and play defense. They got to play

(46:06):
both sides of the game got to play offense and defense.
You really can't really specialize. Even if you come in
to serve, you know, then the next thing you know,
you're a defender. So that's a great point about Cassie
O'Brien and doing it as a true freshman. I said
there was a sweep, and in all fairness, Mally Tuzzo
was not the Libro of the Year, which is a

(46:27):
bit of an upset when a Kentucky player is not
the Libro the Year but still an All Conference player
second team. Did that surprise you the Muzou's kid won
Libro of the Year?

Speaker 10 (46:37):
No, because Tim the very spread it my fans, is
arguably one of the best digging liberos in the country.
She's ridiculous the number of balls that she picks up.
Her insane kid Ducky, you've gotten a bit of voter
fatigue in the libero position. They won eleven and twelve,
like they had a ridiculous run in the teams where
they basically want to every year, And I do think

(46:59):
there's been some league in that regard. But I will
also give the league in the coaches a little bit
of like it's okay in the sense that Mollie has
never been a high dig number libero, And that sounds
like I'm almost backhand and complimenting her.

Speaker 9 (47:13):
I'm not.

Speaker 10 (47:14):
I think Mollie's outstanding at libero and she's the exact
kind of libero that this kind of Kentucky see means.
But what Molly does so well is keep your offense
and system, whether it's digging the ball out of system
or what she is really good at is covering those
balls from hitters go up and swing and they get blocked.
She picks up so many balls those don't count as
digs in the stat book, so there's no statistical category

(47:36):
for the number of balls that you pick up off
of the block in the box score. So Molly does
that kind of stuff really well. She's never been a
lovero of its tad. You know, you will never look
down and see Molly with twenty eight digs like that
just doesn't happen. And in large part Craig has talked
about this, because Kententucky kills the ball so much, you
aren't getting into longer rallies where you have more opportunities

(47:56):
to pick up digs, like you're siding out so quickly
that there's not a chance for you to get two
or three digs in one rally the way that some
other teams that don't have elite pins or as many
elite pins as Kentucky does. Blekham is very for example,
they can get into more of those longer rallies, and
so there's opportunities for you to pick up five or
six digs in one rally. You know what I mean,
It was long enough. So Maya Stands is a horrific

(48:20):
liberro and I do think that she deserves that. But
that's not to say that what Molly has done from
a digging standpoint, but then also just the way she
keeps the ball of the offense and system out of
system situations like that's incredible.

Speaker 7 (48:31):
So not shocked.

Speaker 10 (48:33):
Unfortunately, I would love to see her get awarded without
award before she graduates, hopefully next year she can speak
in and get it, just because I do think that
since she got here, she's never won it. But I
think she's been one of the best ble Baro's Quick
has ever had, and so I would love for her
to be awarded with that just to kind of honor that.
But my gosh, Maya Stands is so good. When she
played Kentucky, there were so many swings where I was like, man,

(48:55):
how did she pick that ball up? So not shocking,
but he had to think that they going to get
Ki ducky all of those well, and as.

Speaker 1 (49:03):
You say, it just so happens that Molly Tezzo happens
to be playing at the same time when Kentucky has
two of the best, the most elite pin hitters in
the country, not just the one. You know, a lot
of players are lucky to be playing with one, and
she's playing with two. So the ball doesn't stay in
play very long. To your point, And you know, when

(49:25):
you were saying that, I was thinking about that Tennessee match.
That's when the crowd showed up at the behest of
Craig Skinner, who jumped on a desk and climbed to
the rafters and jumped in the water, and the crowd
and the fans responded. And I really loved it, Hunter,
when the crowd responded to the long rallies. I know
they drive players crazy and coaches crazy, but long rallies happen,

(49:49):
as you know, because of great defense. And I always
love it when big crowds show up and I'm thinking, boy,
there are some new fans here, you know. And in
those long rallies, yes, exactly, And in those long rallies
they see the incredible defensive plays, and as often as
not for Kentucky, it's because Molly Tuzzos chased down the ball,

(50:11):
laid out parallels to the ground like a wide receiver,
and not only kept it alive, but made a good pass,
you know. And that's what I think, and that when
I think about.

Speaker 10 (50:20):
Her, and even this weekend when they play Oklahoma in Arkansas.
Oklahoma game was obviously a longer match, but even Arkansas,
she had a feat of those for years, Like how
is she ticking those up? And it's funny. The National
Finding Day was obviously last Wednesday, and they have a
lovera coming in Stany Early, who honestly reminds me a
lot of Molly in that regard, Like she will come

(50:40):
flying out of nowhere and pick a ball up that
it just dig does not make sense like it does not.
It defies human logic of how should that ball come up?
So that's kind of how Molly's always played, and she
got here. The thing the coaching staff has said to me,
literally every single off season is we are just trying
to find more ways to take advantage of Molly Tuggle
athletic because she can touch so many balls that are

(51:02):
swung at that you just don't have any business reacting
in time to get it. Only seems to be able
to do it. And like you mentioned, like it's so
cool to have a lebaro. That's that exciting when you're
trying to attract a crowd like that, because honestly, the
Tennessee match is call out obviously the Arkansas match for
Senior Day. I was so impressed with the crowd that
they got for that senior Day. Obviously it was a

(51:24):
senior day and it was even you know, day to
honor her and celebrate Nasty championship. But like, that's the
kind of crowd that, especially as Kentucky prepares to go
in this instantially tournament they're probably going to host until
potentially the final four, they need that sold out, loud
crowd every single night because they got a chance something
really special this year. And that because here's the deal,
when you won the national championship, it was the COVID

(51:46):
year you didn't get to take advantage of in that
of the top four seed. That wasn't the thing. They
were all in one little bubble and a law. This
is the first time where really you have the chance,
if you can keep winning, to play for a Final
four on your home court. And man, that crowd could
be really really cool to be able to see that
if they can get there.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
And you're right about the Arkansas crowd on Sunday. But
you know what even pressed me more was actually the
Friday night crowd with Oklahoma because there was a men's
basketball game literally right down the street and I was
talking to it to Leah, she worked a broadcast with me,
as you know, and she wondered about the crowd. I said,

(52:23):
they're going to be fine, and she kind of looked
at me and said, look, we've seen this before. We've
seen basketball and volleyball go head to head, and volleyball
has done well because the regulars show up. And then
it was the regulars plus more with Arkansas and of
course with Tennessee. So that made me happy, and I
just I feel good for the people who watched UK

(52:46):
volleyball in person for the first time. Hunter Mitchell is
my guest. Hunter covers UK Volleyball will come back and
talk more about the awards and the upcoming SEC tournament.
On the other side of the break, here on six
thirty WLAP Welcome Back, we're talking with Hunter Mitchell. He
covers UK volleyball his podcast Courtside with the Cats with
Leah Edmund. You can listen to each and every week

(53:06):
and follow him on Twitter as well for his coverage.
And we talked about all conference players Cassie O'Brien, Molly Tuzzo,
Brooklyn Delay of course first team, not the Player of
the Year though she lost out no surprise to her
teammate Eva Hudson. Where did you just think of Senior Day?
She was the lone senior. Great video produced by UK Volleyball.

(53:26):
She was in tears and then fittingly turned around and
got the first kill of the day. That was perfect.
It wasn't it?

Speaker 7 (53:33):
It was?

Speaker 10 (53:34):
And honestly every year you usually have, you know, usually
two or three seniors. She was so cool that she
was the only senior, Like I just felt like it.
It epitomized what Eva has been to this program this year.
She deserved to have her own day where the fans
and the team and the coaching staff could just celebrate
and love on her, so honestly, I loved that it
was just her by herself. And then you know, you

(53:56):
mentioned her getting the first kill and just how cool
that was. She got rewarded with the two thousand and
career kills ball before the match. She's surpassed the career mark,
which does not happen, Like that's so hard to do
at any level, but especially collegiately. Again, you remember she
played in the Bay Ten and for Purdue for three
years and still had that many kills playing against Nebraska

(54:18):
in Wisconsin and then you know, all those teams every week.
So just so impressed with her and that you could
tell in the celebration before but then even after as
they're loving on her, like how much she means for
this team. And I was talking with Molly the too
Molly's last week on the podcast, just about her impact
with the team, and you know, I kind of mentioned
it feels like as competitive as Eva is, that has

(54:39):
kind of rubbed off on all of you. You all
have always been competitive, but I feel like now across
the entire team, we're seeing more of the fifth pumping
and the pumping each other up. And they both said, like, yeah,
she's really bled that competitive spear into all of us,
and now we've always wanted to win, but now it's
just we get amped so much easier and we are
just fighting and scrapping for every single point. And see

(55:00):
that that's kind of the way Craig always likes for
his teams to play. But I think there's something different too.
Let's say that we play that way, but it's then
really like you can see it in every single interaction.
This team, Man, they picked themselves off the mat and
they play every every game that way. And and get
even that Oklahoma game, like gosh, Oklahoma had them. I

(55:20):
thought they were gonna sweep Kentucky at home. They had
a Kentucky in that third set, and man, this team
and Eva Hudson, they just they do not get down.
Like you get them down on the mat and you
better finish them or they're going to find a way
to get up. And even in that match like that
was so Eva driven, but really team driven because she
has really kind of instilled that competitive fire into all

(55:41):
of them. So so impressed with her and what she's
brought to this whole program this year. But I thought
Sunday was a really really cool way to send her
off with.

Speaker 1 (55:49):
Tennessee or Oklahoma, where she turned her Anklenesse Tennessee early.
I think, maybe even in the first set. And anybody
who's done this in a basketball game knows how ain't
for that can be when you come down on somebody
else's foot and you roll your ankle, uh, you know,
all the way to the floor. And she was in
a lot of pain. And I found out later on that,

(56:10):
you know, they took her to the sideline, they took
her to the back, you know, and they suggested to
her that maybe she sits out the rest of the match,
and at the top of her lungs, she said no,
and I cannot repeat what she said.

Speaker 10 (56:24):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (56:24):
And then of course, you know, they wondered, gee, you
know what can you can you go against Oklahoma or
do you don't wait until Sunday? And once again uh huh.
She wasn't having that, and watching her limp around, it
was just incredible. I had to be inspirational to her teammates. So,
you know, when Craig Skinner made a great point on
her after the match on Sunday when they finished up
his undefeated champs, he said, it's not easy to come

(56:45):
in here as a senior, you know, and play one year,
earn the trust of your teammates and carry the load
that she did. Now, obviously they love the results, but
that has a lot as much to do maybe more,
with her as a person that is an athlete, didn't
you think?

Speaker 10 (57:03):
Yeah? And again I think that was that was one
of the biggest reasons why when she announced that she
was coming to Kentucky and you know, on Twitter, I
can't think ask, well, you know, how does she play?

Speaker 7 (57:10):
What was she like?

Speaker 10 (57:11):
And that was one of the biggest things that I
thought was so impressive with her, was like, you're you're
bringing me in a player like Eva Hudson, who, yes,
the talent is what you know, sort of immediately jumps
off the page at you. But it's the fact that, man,
she just leaves like she's a leader and she can
can do really anything on the spot. And so having
a player of her caliber, yes, has the talent to

(57:32):
back up what she does, but also just genuinely wants
to get every single point for her team, like you
see that. Like again, I tweeted after that Tennessee match,
like the only ever player I had ever seen, honestly
in any sport have that level of competition and fire
and will is Leah Edmond. And to have that kind

(57:52):
of a comparison to a player in Leah who has
played professionally, is still playing professionally, has one MVP of leagues,
I mean that that's an incredible comparison to have that
on the floor at the same time as a player
like Brooklyn Delay. Like I think Brooklyn Delay has gotten
honestly forgotten in some ways. And that's the weird word
because everyone knows that she's there. But what I mean
that someone asking me today, like, well, how many kills

(58:14):
to Brooklyn average this year? If she didn't win player there,
she still averaged four point seventy six kills per set,
Like she was still ridiculous. It's just it goes to
show like it's Eva's kill per set numbers, But it's
also the way she leads defensively. She's a great blocker,
she's a great back line defender. It's the way that
she leads in her competitive maturity.

Speaker 1 (58:34):
It's all of it.

Speaker 10 (58:35):
It just goes to show like she has been an
unbelievable asset to this team, and honestly, I think she's
her impact is going to go beyond this year, like
that's going to bleed into Cassie and Brooklyn even next
year and even the years after. Like she is not yet,
she's a one year player. But I think what she's
brought to this program, I do not see that competitive
fire going anywhere anytime soon.

Speaker 1 (58:56):
Well, in the last minute or two we have let's
talk about this SEC tournament real quickly. You know, they're
obviously the one seed, their favorite to win it. They
ran the table in the regular season, but you got it.
You still gotta win three matches in three days. Although
I think in terms of depth, and you know more
about the league than I do, but I think Kentucky's
got the depth, maybe better than anybody to win that

(59:18):
many matches in a short amount of time.

Speaker 10 (59:21):
They do because again, you have hitters on your on
your you know bench who really haven't played a lot
this year. So if for whatever reason, if you need
to sub somebody in because their arm is tired or whatever,
and a Benjamin, I think again, I think fans are
gonna get introduced to her more fully next year. But man,
I'm so excited for what she could be this team.
Georgia Watson hasn't played really a whole out this year.

(59:42):
We got to see Book Baltimore for the first time
in several matches last last match, so like they do
have the depth. The funny thing is that the team
that they very likely could play Sunday could be the
Oklahoma game. So are you gonna let's see how that
plays out, do you?

Speaker 2 (59:56):
You know?

Speaker 10 (59:57):
I think they're gonna respect them. They respected them Friday.
I just thought, Oklahoma, man, they play such a different
style of volleyball. It's so hard to play and scout
for them. So I think this time they'll be more
ready for that. But like again, that's another challenge that
I honestly, I love that Kentucky gets his kind of
post season experience before the tournament because no other school

(01:00:17):
is getting this except for SEC schools, so they're just
gonna have to go straight into the Instuby Tournament. They
sure Kentucky will have a little bit of that like
win or go home experience I really love and I
think it's gonna be a big benefit for them going
into the Instuble Tournament.

Speaker 1 (01:00:29):
And that's exactly why the SEC coaches are not the
only reason, but one of the biggest reasons they voted
yes to this tournament. It's an additional load for their athletes,
but to your point, it gets them ready for and
it's even tougher. The format's even tougher in the NCAA
tournament format. Yeah, it's going to be interesting. He is

(01:00:51):
Hunter Mitchell. He covers Kentucky volleyball and if you want
to learn more about it, follow him on Twitter and
your address. What is it Hunter Mitchell fourteen?

Speaker 10 (01:01:01):
It's at h Mitchell fourteen on.

Speaker 1 (01:01:03):
The Mitchell fourteen. And when did your podcast drop?

Speaker 7 (01:01:06):
You and Leah?

Speaker 10 (01:01:07):
We usually do every week. We kind of vury the
days based on when we get players and coaches on.
We try to have coaches or players on as much
as we can, so we kind of have to go
by their schedule. This week, Leah and Zim are all traveling,
so probably won't have one this week, but we'll probably
try and get one out next to Wednesday.

Speaker 6 (01:01:23):
Ish.

Speaker 1 (01:01:23):
Sounds good to me. Hey, thanks a lot, We'll see
you at the tournament.

Speaker 6 (01:01:27):
Yes, sir, see there up.

Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
Next Billy Rutledge. Yeah, we have no show tomorrow night,
so we got to get our NFL picks in. You'll
hear them next on six thirty. WLAP welcome back, joining
us now in our celebrity hotline as he does every
week Thursday. This week, as we're preempted tomorrow night when
we usually do NFL Picks with Billy Rutledge, but that
doesn't slow us down. Billy, the NFL marches on. Although

(01:01:51):
you had a rough week last week, it was me
the prior two weeks, but last week you went one
and five. I actually went four and two. So we
can go over that later. But there are games, of
course that we need to talk about for this weekend,
starting with the Jaguars. Liam Cohen taking his team in
Josh heinz Allen to Arizona where the Jags Billy are

(01:02:15):
giving two and a half. Jacksonville is actually a road favorite.
I don't know I've ever seen that, but they are
this week by two and a half.

Speaker 7 (01:02:23):
Yeah, and Jacksonville looked really good last week versus the Chargers,
be winning that game thirty five to six. He kind
of didn't know how that Jacksonville team was going to
respond after they blew that game versus the Texans a
couple weeks ago. So Liam Cohen got his team backup
on the mat. Meanwhile, Jacobe Brissette taking over at quarterback
has been good. I mean he completed what forty something

(01:02:45):
passes the other day. There's a chance Trey Benson returns
from injury reserve, so Arizona definitely has some positives going
for them. But this is much more about Jacksonville than
it is Arizona. For me, I think Jacksonville is a
team that could make the playoffs, with Indianapolis probably pinch
up that division. Jacksville's really got to start playing well
and can keep playing well right now.

Speaker 6 (01:03:07):
So you know, despite them.

Speaker 7 (01:03:08):
Being a road favorite, I'm gonna go with Liam Cohen here,
our guy, what do you think?

Speaker 9 (01:03:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
I agree. Arizona's given up eighty five points in its
last two games, really poorous defense, So I'm gonna go
with Liam Cohen and Josh Hayin z Allen. I'm with
you on that. Next up, Indianapolis, Indiana Jones and the
Coles at Kansas City. Indianapolis seems to be rolling, but
the Chiefs are three and a half point favorites Billy,

(01:03:33):
although they are one of the worst defenses in the
league right now against the run. However, they're four and
one at home, one in four on the road. This
this though, I think stacks up as a big game
for Jonathan Taylor. In in games against some of the
worst defenses in the league, he averages one hundred and
thirty five yards a game. Can Kansas City stop him?

Speaker 7 (01:03:56):
This is an interesting one with Kansas City five and
five on the it looks like they're gonna finally lose
the AFC West. They've only won it nine straight seasons
after they lost to Denver last year, so they're gonna
have to fight and win some of these last two
games to get back into the playoff hunt. I don't
know if it's gonna happen this year, Dick. I mean, Xavier,
you're worthy, just he hasn't been as impactful as I

(01:04:17):
thought he might be. That even though Travis Kelsey is
playing well, It's just it seems like it's a it.
We've seen this product before and it's not at its
potential right now. You're right about Indy playing bad on
the road, but they're coming off of a bye. They
did they take on a bad Chiefs run defense. Like
you said, Jonathan Taylor has a chance to have I mean,
if he has one of these three touchdown performances, Dick,

(01:04:39):
I do really like Indy's chances on the road to
get the win.

Speaker 6 (01:04:42):
I know it's a narrowhead.

Speaker 7 (01:04:43):
I know it's Daniel Jones, but I'm looking at the
quality of these teams this year and I'm going with Indy.

Speaker 1 (01:04:49):
What do you think? You know, I have a hard
time taking Daniel Jones against Patrick Mahomes. I know it's
not these two guys going in obviously, but body of
work Bud Jones I think was misevaluated and underused in
New York. I think he's showing the kind of player
he can be. I think it's just gonna come back
to the good old run game. I'm like you, I

(01:05:11):
think Jonathan Taylor could have a huge game, even if
it's not three touchdowns. It's Indianapolis controlling the clock with
a run game. So I'm gonna go with you on this,
and I'm going to take Indiana Indianapolis against Kansas City.
Another interesting road favorite, Philly in Dallas, and the Eagles
are laying four and a half and could be without

(01:05:33):
their starting center, without a starting right tackle, but Dallas
is coming in off a short week. Even though Dallas,
the offensive least, is playing well. Right now, you know
how much I hate the Cowboys, but I am kind
of torn on this one. Four and a half is
a lot to lay to a home team, don't you think.

Speaker 10 (01:05:52):
It is?

Speaker 7 (01:05:52):
But I'm also surprised to a degree it's not a
leaven a little bit more. I could see this as
Philly minus six and a half in a altar that
universe maybe won a couple of weeks ago. You know,
I think Dallas reaped the benefits of that Quinn Williams trade.
He looks good in that game versus the Raiders. So
can this Dallas defense improve the second half of the season. Sure,

(01:06:13):
but they're also still one of the worst defenses in football,
specifically pass defense. And we see when Philly can when
they do throw the ball to AJ Brown and Devonte Smith,
they can have some big games. Now that's a big iff.
I mean, sometimes they just decide not to throw the ball.
AJ Brown has just been so dramatic this season and
really over these past few weeks, talking about if you

(01:06:35):
have them on my fantasy team, trade me. It's a
bleep show here, Like it's just like it's just not
there's a lot of trouble in paradise right now in Philly.
But I'm taking the Eagles on the road here. I
think this has the potential for Philly to just to
run away with it. Dak has had a good season
so far. In a great game versus the Raiders, but
Philly's got a much better pass defense. I'm taking the

(01:06:56):
road favorite again.

Speaker 1 (01:06:58):
I am too, and there's one big reason. In the
last couple of games, the Philly defense has given up
a total of sixteen points against my Packers and the Lions,
two teams that are pretty good offensively. So, yeah, Dak's
having a big year, good receivers, but I'm gonna take
Philly now. Four and a half's a lot, but I'm
going with you. So right now we're in lockstep on everything,

(01:07:20):
including road favorites, which is unusual. Got another one, another
road favorite, the Patriots at Cincinnati, No surprise. Seven and
a half is kind of a big number. But you
could see this being a two score game, am I right?

Speaker 7 (01:07:38):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:07:38):
I could.

Speaker 7 (01:07:39):
But I want to pick Cincy like I want to
believe that their defense isn't that bad, that Joe Flacco
can keep them within any game, that New England has
played a really easy schedule so far, and they have
an easy schedule.

Speaker 6 (01:07:51):
The rest of the way.

Speaker 7 (01:07:53):
But I can't deny how good New England is this year.
I mean, we could get a New England Indianapolis afcchampionship
game like the Double Days about.

Speaker 6 (01:08:02):
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Speaker 7 (01:08:03):
But yet it's Daniel Jones and Drake May. You know,
I just got to tip my cap to Mike Rabel
what he's done with that Patriots offense and defense. You
know that Cincinnati was a really bad rushing defense. Takes
on Trevion Henderson now, who has just exploded after these
last couple of weeks, after people were wondering if they
were going to use him correctly. I don't like this

(01:08:24):
trend of all these road favorites stick, but I can't
pick Cincinnati over New England. After the Patriots beat the
Bucks a couple weeks ago.

Speaker 1 (01:08:33):
England, give me Mike Rable. Travian Henderson killed me in
fantasy football last week. My opponents is yeah, I think
he got like thirty points or something. New England. Yeah,
you're right about the schedule, but New England has taken
care of business. In games where it's favored by five
points or more. Of the Patriots are three to zero
to one against the spread. Cincinnati's defense may be the

(01:08:57):
worst in the league. They're gonna make gotta make changes
at the end of the year. Seven and a half
is a lot. But Drake may has been I think
the surprise, maybe even more so than Daniel Jones of
the NFL this year. And Vrabel. You got to pull
for Rabel the way he was unceremoniously dumped out of
Nashville when truly the problems were in the front office.

(01:09:20):
So yeah, I'll lay the seven and a half. Not
that I have anything against the Bengals. I root for him,
but they're just having a nightmare of a year. All right,
We're gonna come up to our teams. Now, Minnesota in
Green Bay. My Packers are laying six and a half.
They've lost two straighted Lambeau and the Pack is three
and seven against the spread. Minnesota, you know, it's shown signs,

(01:09:46):
but it still put its faith in a young quarterback.
Six and a half. Is that too much? It is?

Speaker 7 (01:09:53):
I don't have any doubt that Green Bay is gonna
win this game. But and JJ McCarthy has not been great,
justin Jefferson showing his frustrations throughout these games. Now throwing
his helmet down, and I understand. But they also kept
it close against a very good Bears team.

Speaker 6 (01:10:07):
I know that was at home.

Speaker 7 (01:10:09):
This one in Lambeau a little bit different circumstances. Green
Bay out without Josh Jacobs.

Speaker 6 (01:10:14):
It looks like it.

Speaker 7 (01:10:15):
Looks like Emmanuel Wilson is going to be getting that start.
You know that Josh Jacobs not ruled out for the
rest of the year so he could come back. It
just seems like Green Bay struggled sometimes. You know, they
did lose that game to the Browns earlier this year.
Sometimes uncharacteristically playing poorly at home. I think Minnesota keeps
it close.

Speaker 6 (01:10:32):
I don't think they win.

Speaker 7 (01:10:34):
Maybe we'll differ here for one pick today, Jake, So
I'm taking Minnesota.

Speaker 1 (01:10:38):
Well, my boys are struggling. That is true. This game
is billed as Micah Parsons versus JJ McCarthy. You know,
let's hope it comes down to that if you're me.
But the Vikings did not render a sack against Chicago.
There's a lot to be said for that, and still
JJ struggled. In fact, in his last three games, Billy,

(01:11:00):
he's only hit about fifty one percent of his passes.
And on paper that might seem nice fifty to fifty,
but in the NFL, elite quarterbacks hit seventy percent of
their passes. I'm really torn on this. I do think
we're gonna win this game, we being the Packers, and
much as I dislike the Vikings again, I'm gonna go
with you and say six and a half is too much.

(01:11:21):
Could be a kick in the air to win this game,
but I do believe the Packers will defend the home
frozen tundra and not lose a third straight. Your beloved
Buccaneers are in sunny southern California. They are getting five
and a half against those Rams. What do you think?

Speaker 7 (01:11:40):
Yeah, it's It's not been a great slide for Tampa.
They've competed in some of these games versus New England
and Buffalo, but they have been on the wrong side
of it. Their schedule will get much easier as the
season ends, including two of their last three versus Carolina,
which will probably decide the division at this point.

Speaker 6 (01:11:58):
The Rams, meanwhile, have been fantastic and a big win against.

Speaker 7 (01:12:02):
Seattle twenty one to nineteen last week where they turned
over Sam Donald four times. We got bad Sam Darnald
in that game. Matthew Stafford has been terrific. There was
a stretch where he had four touchdowns and zero interceptions
for three straight games that had never been done, or
at least not since the merger. So Matthew Stafford, for
all the back issues that he had before the season started,
he looks like a spry young chicken right now. So

(01:12:25):
give me the ram only the last few times that
I think Tampa has a really tough game before their
schedule gets easier, I think LA will win it in
prime time.

Speaker 6 (01:12:32):
Another reason to pick against the Bucks. They're always bad
when the lights are bright.

Speaker 1 (01:12:36):
We agree once again, we have all week long. The
defense for LA second best in the league. Stafford twenty
seven touchdowns, two picks, hasn't thrown a pick at home yet,
His passing passer rating is won twelve point seven, and
your boys have given up the six most passing yards
per game in the league. Is going to be a
rough day for your beloved Buccaneers. Billy, thank you so much.

(01:12:59):
I hope you have a wonderful weekend along with Kentucky Vanderbilt.
You have a good weekend up next. Sir Charles speaks
out again that's next on six thirty WLP Welcome Back,
final segment of our show, final segment of the week,
as we're preempted tomorrow night for Kentucky basketball. I did
want to talk here a little bit about the NBA.
And I know that in this market there are not

(01:13:19):
a lot of NBA fans, probably more than we think,
and people look in on the NBA to check up
on guys like Reied Shepherd and some of the kids
who come out of UK. But it's an odd time
for the league with all this talk of load management,
and now steven A. Smith is talking about it, and
so is Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden

(01:13:40):
State Warriors, about the all the injuries, and there's so
many theories about it, you know, and the old school
guys are saying it's because they're not playing enough, and
the current people are saying it's because they're playing too much.
Kerr has talked about this, and steven A weighed in
on this about number of and it's per game because

(01:14:01):
the pace of play is faster now, more possessions, so
there's more strain, more load on players than steven A.
Smith actually suggested that the league mandate a maximum amount
of minutes at thirty three minutes a game. He threw
that figure out players should be limited. He said, the

(01:14:21):
thirty three minutes a game, and teams should be forced
to play ten to eleven twelve players instead of the
eight players that a lot of coaches use. Right now,
it's just crazy where the game is now. Against the
backdrop of all this money, players are paid an obscene
amount of money. NBA players by far have the best

(01:14:41):
contracts compared to baseball and football, and you know, they
get these millions and millions, tens of millions, even if
they're hurt, even if they don't play, And so it
infuriates people like Charles Barkley, who is one of my favorites.
I play comments from him all the time. He was
on a podcast with Jason Kelsey the other day in

(01:15:03):
front of a live audience, and Kelsey hit a nerve, what.

Speaker 2 (01:15:07):
Do you think of the current landscape of what's happened
in the league.

Speaker 5 (01:15:10):
I don't like the current landscape at all.

Speaker 9 (01:15:15):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:15:17):
Listen, man, we're not field workers. We're not teachers, we're
not nurses, we're not somebody in the service. If you're
going to to make thirty four to fifty million dollars
to play basketball two days in a row. If that's
too much to ask, please tell me. And like I say,
and I've always said the same thing, I admire teachers

(01:15:39):
and firemen and policemen, nurses, aintybody who's in the armed service.
Those are like real jobs. But we're so lucky and blessed.
And in my day I'm made five million dollars, which
is a ton of money. Now these guys are making
fifty sixty million, And I'm like, are y'all serious right now?
Are a series? Y'all can't play basketball tuesdays in the

(01:16:02):
row for sixty million dollars?

Speaker 2 (01:16:05):
You know?

Speaker 5 (01:16:06):
Yeah. I always tell these guys, you know, because they
talk about Zion's weight. Yeah, let me tell you something.
He's making, like forty million dollars. I'd be anoresstic for
forty million dollars. They'd be like, Charles is too skinny,
we need to give him up, like they and so
stuff like that annoys me. We're the luckiest people in

(01:16:28):
the world to play a sport. We make more money
in a week than most people are gonna make their
entire lifetime. And you should be appreciative of that. That's
just my personal opinion.

Speaker 8 (01:16:38):
It's a prison.

Speaker 1 (01:16:40):
One of the many reasons I like Barkley so much.
I do really love his take on Lebron versus Michael
versus MJ. I won't show. I don't have time to
share that today, but I will share something from twenty
years ago, and Michael Jordan said he and Barkley were
on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and again many years ago

(01:17:01):
when the money was getting out of hand, and Michael
Jordan had a problem with it.

Speaker 9 (01:17:05):
You get paid off of potential rock starre you have
to be good, you know what I mean? You get
paid off for potential in our support?

Speaker 4 (01:17:13):
Oh really yeah, because every game is about the potential.

Speaker 9 (01:17:16):
Well even then if you if you come in now,
mostly our young kids come in there. We don't know
how good, how great they're gonna be. But yet they
got five year guaranteed millions of dollars, admirations of many.

Speaker 5 (01:17:25):
But don't you think that's partly because of you.

Speaker 9 (01:17:28):
Partly interpreted totally wrong? And I would say say that
with straighten me out? Will straighten probably.

Speaker 5 (01:17:36):
No, let him straighten me out? For why why? Why?

Speaker 1 (01:17:38):
Why?

Speaker 9 (01:17:39):
I mean he dominates everything.

Speaker 6 (01:17:40):
No, I want you to tell me why.

Speaker 9 (01:17:41):
The reason is it when you look back in that era. Yeah,
you know Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson's, Larry Bird, Charles Barkleys.
We earned what we got. That means when when the
corporate people became there. But I don't I don't mean
to you mean the young kids, because I think it's

(01:18:02):
something that they have to learn and hopefully they will learn.
That is that when the corporate America came to us,
we had a game that could validate their admiration and.

Speaker 1 (01:18:12):
What sponsorships and all that.

Speaker 9 (01:18:14):
Yeah, now they get that before they played one game.
So you rolling the dice to see if this kid's
ever going to be good or not. So in essence,
you're paying the kid off of potential that he may
be great.

Speaker 10 (01:18:26):
You don't think that's good.

Speaker 9 (01:18:27):
No, Because that said, I think it sets bad work
ethic when you get something so easily, you're not going
to work as hard.

Speaker 1 (01:18:34):
That's Michael Jordan on The Oprah Winfrey Show twenty That's
Michael Jordan, the all time Greatest, on The Oprah Winfrey
Show twenty years ago. I mean, imagine what the money
was like then compared to now and Michael had a
problem with it, but he wasn't wrong, was he? And
Charles Barkley sat right next to him on that show

(01:18:56):
and to this day has the same opinion. And you
just heard Barkley talking about the fact that he's been
saying it for a long time that the money's crazy
compared to what they made. And then you go back
to the Will Chamberlain, Bill Russell days. You know, I
don't know what was fair then what was fair now?
But I love hearing guys like Barkley and MJ talk

(01:19:19):
about things like that and go ahead and apply that
to other sports. Does make one wonder, doesn't it.

Speaker 6 (01:19:26):
I don't do it.

Speaker 1 (01:19:26):
Thanks to all my guests Tomorrow night, Kentucky Basketball here
on six thirty WLAP. That's a good night from the
garage and Lexington White Master.

Speaker 8 (01:19:36):
It might be dangerous.

Speaker 10 (01:19:39):
You got fressed.

Speaker 8 (01:20:00):
Tact taking anything Canning sat tact.

Speaker 7 (01:21:03):
I think.

Speaker 8 (01:21:05):
Too don't like to tips and it don't don't don't

(01:21:30):
tou

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