Sunday Morning Sports Talk - February 2, 2025 - Hour 3

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the home of the Wildcats.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Six thirty w LAP cannot blame them name the best
act of twenty twenty two. Good morning, mister Hamilton. How
is it going.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
It's going great, It's going great. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Oh, we appreciate you for joining us. Is this big
Blue Nation? And I guess the venues in Lexington, Kentucky,
you guys are frequently here. Is this one of your
favorite venues or can you name a better one?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
No question?

Speaker 4 (00:30):
I mean the fans in the UK, I mean, whether
it's women's game, men's game, it's always a pleasure in
the treat I mean we get extra excited gearing up
to come.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Down to Lexington.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
I mean it's just one of those moments where it's
like that, you know, it's almost like that thing on
the calendar you circle tell you tell yourself, hey, you
can you can mess up or have poor shows, any
of the show.

Speaker 3 (00:54):
But these shows you bring your a game.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
And how is it for and how was it for
the firecrackers when they perform? Is that something everybody doesn't
get to perform? A reperena or uh really reperena, but
you do. Memorial has also been renovated so that is
a great place to perform. Do they realize the magnitude
of performing a reperena historical venue like that.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
Yeah, you know, we try and let them know.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
We actually watch different videos about, you know, the history
of UK basketball.

Speaker 3 (01:26):
And the iconic significance of it.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
So they walk in with a pretty good idea of
this is not your average running the mill, you know,
college game day. You know, this is this is historic,
this is this is a place where you know, champions
are made, champions are bred, and to be able to
step on the same floor or some of these great
you know athletes of yesterday and today.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
They soak it all in. I mean you should see
him in the back.

Speaker 4 (01:51):
I mean they're they're going through all the motions and
they're you know, one of our everything you love to
do is no other game. We come out and actually
watch the player introduction. We make it a point to
come out and watch the player introduction, the national anthem
only at the UK.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
And you've you performed, how do you get your schedule together?
You performed ten times ten times in January. It looks
like you have another ten in February. It's like a
rock start schedule. Are you you turned down a lot
of opportunities because you guys are so sought after, But
you guys do perform an awful lot.

Speaker 4 (02:26):
Yeah, there are some there are some gigs we do
turn down. For example, what what we'll do is, well,
there's there are certain groups like UK that we say
no matter what we're talking and so those are kind
of those anchors like hey, and we.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Kind of work around that.

Speaker 4 (02:42):
And but you know, we get calls for during this
time of year and say hey, can we come?

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Can you guys come? Like, well, sorry, we're already committed
to the UK that week.

Speaker 4 (02:52):
But yeah, you know, our our superintendents at the un
at the at the at the school here, they do
an amazing jobs scheduling us get with a lot.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
Of phone calls.

Speaker 4 (03:02):
But but there are there are groups that we say,
you know what, We're coming back to this.

Speaker 5 (03:06):
Group no matter what, Sean what what laid the you
guys for the first time coming to a Kentucky women's
game this year, Well you.

Speaker 4 (03:16):
Know, you know, you know, I've been choreographing the team
for almost almost almost twenty five years, and like when
I took over as head coach, you know, I talked
to our schedulers and I said, who are our biggest supporters?
You're out here and they said, Sean, no, no doubt UK.
And I was like, yeah, I've heard that all the years.
I said, you know what if UK, if we can,

(03:36):
if we can be there at UK and help support
you know more than once, let's do it.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
And so you know, our scheduler he looked at it.
You know, he told me about it. He said, Sean,
you want to go back to back. I said, heck, yes, UK,
let's go.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
I mean, you know, you take care of those, take
care of you. That's I would look at it.

Speaker 6 (03:55):
And we we got.

Speaker 5 (03:58):
I was going to say, and what did you think
the reception at the women's game? Like I say, the
Memorial Coliseum is a little bit more intimate setting. You
were there for the game where it was it was packed,
and I thought it was a huge ovation. You got
in that gym, which is a little bit smaller. So
I was wondering how you and the team like that
compared to your experience in rupp Arena.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
Oh it was great. I mean that was fantastic.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
You know we first got there, uh you know, we
were actually running the lake because of traffic, and weather
it was. It was pretty hectic by the time we
walked in. Uh, it was all right, let's get down
to the gym and let's let let's get going. But
then we said, oh, we're in the wrong spot. We
had to go back up to like the lobby just
to get warmed up.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
So it's a crazy thing. We didn't have a lot
of time to prepare walked on the floor. Guess what
best show.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
Of the season in terms of number of misses, best
show of the season, Like, we're down to like eleven
missus totals. So think about this, seven and a half
minutes over. You know, easily fifteen thousand jumps are taken.
They only missed eleven times. Best show of the season. Wow,
until last night, only nine minutes of single digits.

Speaker 3 (05:04):
I mean, so wow, you can't. We love going to UK.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
We bring our head game and you and we look
looking at your schedule February. I guess you've already started
off with the Arkansas win or I mean the Arkansas game.
It was not a win, but you guys have a
long schedule. Are you guys taking more acts or are
you are you guys solidified just because of the way
your scheduling are. Like I said, I'm looking at your

(05:29):
schedule and from January and February you are rock stars.

Speaker 6 (05:32):
You guys are on the road.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, we get we get pretty hectic.

Speaker 4 (05:36):
I mean, what we'll do is if a request comes in,
I'll sit down with with with.

Speaker 3 (05:40):
Our with our superintendent. We'll have some discussions.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
We'll figure out what's best for the team, what can work,
what can't work.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
We got a call from the Big Ten, so we'll
probably do that this year again.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
But yeah, I mean, so we at this point of
the season unless it's something that's going to elevate the
program and not just the program, but elevate the event
that we're going to, because you know, we want to
be a blessing and not just you know, take a blessing, right,
So if we want.

Speaker 3 (06:06):
To if we can go and contribute, we'll.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
Actually think about it and say, hey, this makes sense
or you know what, this doesn't make sense.

Speaker 2 (06:13):
Right now, let me ask you this really quickly before Larry,
Yesterday's game was monumental for many reasons. There was a
lot of pressure and I know you all are just
there to perform.

Speaker 6 (06:26):
You guys are should be.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
You don't have a side don't have a dog and
to fight you does you do you feel any type
of anxiety or motivation to try to get the crowd
more involved because it was it was tense for at
moments that you know, Kentucky wants to win and the
Caliperi thing, or you guys just there to perform a
show no matter what, like we're just here to do

(06:49):
our thing, or is there something about, hey, look, we
got to get this crowd involved because they're invested.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
Absolutely. Actually yeah, I mean, trust.

Speaker 4 (06:59):
Me, we know the game because if the team is
losing the home ten, if the home team is not
doing so well, oh we feel it. Oh we know it.
So it's one of those these we're like, man, we
hope they're winning going.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Out there, so we retally take that into account.

Speaker 4 (07:17):
And then at the same time, one thing I always
tell the teams like, listen, you got to bring your
own energy.

Speaker 3 (07:21):
You know what, who we are. We change the.

Speaker 4 (07:25):
Temperature in the room. We just don't absorb it, right,
So we change the temperture in the room.

Speaker 3 (07:29):
So we love it with the crowd is already awesome,
and we go out there.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
The crowds in the good mood, you know, we're up
by ten, you know, hometown's up by ten.

Speaker 3 (07:38):
That's that's a great show. If it's not that, okay, hey.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
It's time to you know, change the tempture in the room.

Speaker 5 (07:46):
Seanta's all the tricks and all that you guys perform
and for a gat, I mean, I can't even jump
rope once, so I can't start to understand. What's the
most difficult thing that your girls are your performers do
during a show. Is there one that's just you sit
there kind of hold your breath hoping, Okay, we don't
have those misses on this one, or is there one

(08:07):
that just kind of stands out?

Speaker 6 (08:10):
Actually?

Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (08:11):
So you know, so I've been jumping rope for almost
what thirty five thirty six years. I'm a former world
champion myself, the US national champion and a world champion.
I'm literally the president of the International Jump Rope Federation
over the world, so trying to get us far into
the Olympics. So I've seen jump rope at every single level.

(08:32):
I was a grade school performer just like these kids
are now to literally being a world champion, being the
literally the best in the world.

Speaker 3 (08:39):
So I've seen it all. One the trick that I
still hold my breath on.

Speaker 4 (08:45):
It's towards the end, at the very end, you might
notice it where one of our athletes she steps on
the backs of two people and then she flips off
of them and she goes into a rope that seeks
once is I hold my breath because I know it's
that sequence that can that will take this show to

(09:06):
the next level if we nail it, or if we
do majority of it right. That's always like my breath holders, like,
oh my gosh, let's make sure we get that. The
other one is what we call stacks or in the
technical terms called travelers.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
Towards the beginning.

Speaker 4 (09:21):
It's where the one person has the rope and the
bunch of them come together in twelve and they have
to jump. So there are thirteen people jumping one single rope.
I always hold my breath thought now one, because I
know it's possible. However, we usually have kids are out
here in front of you know, thousands of people, and
they have to know the count on beat on time

(09:43):
and do it exactly right.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
That's the tall order to ask, right, so, and we
know the crowd goes nuts whenever we hit it, and
guess what. There's sometimes we don't.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
So it's it's one of those things where we're like, okay,
come on, guys, you can do it.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
You can do it.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
And last night they actually hit it, and it was
it was actually both games to hit it and.

Speaker 6 (10:01):
For you got to do Go ahead, Larry.

Speaker 5 (10:04):
I was gonna say, it's pretty amazing. And I know
from Thursday night, from coming back and talking to you
guys after you perform one, it was amazing to me that,
like you say, you only had such a small number
of misses. And that's what a couple of your performers
were talking to you about that they knew exactly what
they had done. You were kind of saying, well, it's okay,
nobody really noticing the right and most of us don't
even notice if you do miss. But the other thing

(10:26):
I heard some concern about how were your second and
third graders going to handle going out on the rep
arena court And it was already gonna be ten to fifteen,
almost ten thirty and all, so how did those youngest
jumpers do last night with that late night performance?

Speaker 4 (10:41):
Well, you know, a great question, and here's where here's
where the coaching comes in.

Speaker 3 (10:45):
You know a lot of people think, oh, you just
teaching them the tricks.

Speaker 4 (10:48):
Well, you know, coaches got to think about schedules, they
got to think about peak performance.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
How do we get another peak performance?

Speaker 4 (10:54):
And yeah, we got some fourth graders you know, didn't
take a fourth of ten pm.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
They're usually sleep by now.

Speaker 4 (10:59):
Right, so you know, so sure enough, you know, I
had to think about, okay, how do we how do
we get this done? So before the game, you know,
on the way up and the bus, uh, we had
them sleep, hey, get some rest, get some rest, take
a nap. And then uh, when we got there, we
had more time. So what we did was, I said,

(11:20):
no jumping.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
For a while.

Speaker 4 (11:22):
I want you to get I want you to get
your peak ready to go. And so it was it
was a managing the circumstance.

Speaker 3 (11:29):
Situation that we had to get through.

Speaker 4 (11:32):
And sure enough, I'm looking at some of my fourth
graders and they're yawning. They're I'm like, oh gosh, come on,
come on. So when we try to play, you know,
we were trying to figure out the way to get
them at their best key performance. And again, best show
of the season still happened.

Speaker 3 (11:47):
So yeah, it's you know, you have to. You have
to manage those things. You have to think about those
things because.

Speaker 4 (11:52):
You know their kids at the end of the day,
their kids who are being asked to do an amazing thing,
and so proud of them last night and also the
night before they did.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
And my last question kind of piggybacking off what you
just said. I know how AAU now is now with
media and everything around. How do you guys practice? Is
it kind of AAU? I think they just show up
on certain days, maybe the day before they have a walkthrough.
But for you guys, your choreography to be so tight
and have to have everything in tune. How like, what

(12:24):
is a practice schedule? How do you guys prepare for that?
Is it a five day a week practice schedule?

Speaker 3 (12:30):
Literally?

Speaker 4 (12:31):
Yeah, oh wow, we're usually four to five days a
week two hours of piece. You know, when we were
making the routine and we're getting all that together, it's
four or it's literally four or five days a week.

Speaker 3 (12:43):
It's it's two hours of practice.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
And so for example, we had the UK game on Thursday,
the women's game Friday. We had practice Friday night, five
thirty seven thirty. We had practice next day. We're on
the bus, so we were correct acting pieces and things
that we knew we could do better going forward. And
that's the one thing that we try and do as
we kind of come to clothes in this whole conversation,

(13:09):
is that we know we can do better. Right, We
push ourselves to do better, and we love the crowd.
We feed off of the crowd, right, and that's always
something we strive to do.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
We love that element.

Speaker 4 (13:21):
At the same time, what I tell them is this, guys, Hey,
even if the crowd, you know, gives you.

Speaker 3 (13:27):
A standing ovation, love that.

Speaker 4 (13:30):
Know that, but then also remember what could I have
done better?

Speaker 6 (13:34):
Right?

Speaker 3 (13:34):
Because you can always get better.

Speaker 4 (13:35):
We have a chance.

Speaker 3 (13:36):
We always say why do we practice get better? Do
what get better? Do what get better? And how do
we get better? Work?

Speaker 4 (13:44):
And when you look at kids growing up now in
terms of trying to be better, the message you're sending,
the lessons you're learning, if we can leave with that
legacy and that lesson that, hey, we can always get
better and it takes work. That's what fire Cracker is
all about right there. And we love going out and
showing people the work we put in and spread joy

(14:07):
across you know, every every audience that we come in
contact with.

Speaker 2 (14:12):
Well, Sean, we appreciate you Big Blue Nation, and whenever
you guys perform here in Lexing, Kentucky, the fans really
appreciate you all and everything you do.

Speaker 6 (14:22):
So we're glad for you join us. Appreciate your join
us this morning.

Speaker 3 (14:26):
Absolutely, it's always a pleasure. Love being on. Thanks again
for the opportunity.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
Alrighty, well, we'll be back after this. You are listening
to Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk on news radio
six thirty WLA.

Speaker 1 (14:40):
This is the home of the Wildcats six thirty w
l a p Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
I'm Anthony White along with Larry Vaught. Stockyards Bank is
your trusted partner since nineteen o four, so head on
over to syb dot com for all your banking and
financial needs. Thanks to Sean Hamilton of the Kings Firecrackers
for joining us. It is always a pleasure when they
come to town. Brings a smile to your face, whether you're
winning or not. And that was pretty It was pretty

(15:12):
neat to find out that they kind of feel the
pressure of performance depending on the the polarity of the game,
which direction the game is going, Larry Vaught, anything you
learn about the Firecrackers in the interview, I've.

Speaker 5 (15:28):
Been pretty fortunate to have a good relationship with them
over the years they've I've got to enjoyed a lot
doing a lot of things with them. Tried to rump
jump rub bump that one time. Couldn't couldn't even couldn't
even do that, but it's fascinating. But I had no
idea there was almost fifteen thousand stunts that they performed
during the jumps and all during the course of that performance.

(15:51):
And I also didn't want I meant to ask Shop.
I don't think he would have known. Ribb been a
coach the whole entire time. But I'm pretty sure that's
the first time they performed a rup when Kentucky hadn't won.
Oh dear record of Kentucky winning when they were there.
But regardless, their show is incredible. I thought it was

(16:13):
remarkable at Memorial for the women's game, maybe because you
were packed in a little bit tighter and I got
to go talk to it all after the game and
or after they perform, and you just go and look
at the age as some of those performers and you
see the things they are doing out there. But I
mean they are intense because, like I say, after they
did that performance at Memorial, that's back in there with them,

(16:34):
and they were really hard on themselves because what he said,
they missed eleven, had eleven misses, had a fifteen thousand,
and that's all they were talking about was the misses
that they had, what they could do to make it better.
So but they are just incredible, just incredible. If you've
never seen them, I hope you get a chance to it.
Just sometimes a shame the TV or whatever can't show

(16:56):
their halftime performance because I think folks would love it
if you get to see it.

Speaker 6 (16:59):
I'm sorry, go ahead, both, No you good.

Speaker 7 (17:02):
I was telling Sean in the break that is the
one halftime show during the Kentucky basketball season where you
just don't have a bunch of fans getting up and
going to the concession stands and out to the concourse.
The majority of op arena stays in their seats for
the firecrackers.

Speaker 5 (17:20):
Yeah, they're not good for the concession stands.

Speaker 6 (17:25):
It is funny, and it is funny.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
He was talking about, you got a little nine and
ninety ten year olds who's supposed to be in bed,
and like you said, there's adults watching them, and you know,
but I guess if you let a kid stay up
late at that age. I don't know how much energy
I wound up in myself at that age. I think
you have limited amount of energy. But like you said,
the focus and ability to be up that late at

(17:49):
that age, I didn't realize that they were that young.

Speaker 7 (17:52):
In front of twenty thousand people yesterday, I'm happy at
my age that I can jump rope and do ten
without any misses.

Speaker 5 (18:00):
What well, well, then next year, Bow, we're gonna set
up if you get a chance to warm up with
them a little bit when they get down here.

Speaker 7 (18:06):
Actually, I picked up my way to jump rope the
other day because I'm trying to get back in shape
and lose a little bit of weight and jump rope
and really helped me out a few years ago. It's
been a while since I did it, and I was
actually able to get through one hundred without a miss
and then like one O two, one O three, I quit.

Speaker 5 (18:23):
Mark this down, Anthony, We're gonna set this up for
next year.

Speaker 6 (18:26):
We we I'll do it. We absolutely we have to
get to break but Larry Vault. We do.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
I do want to set up next time they come
in town so we can go over there and try.
I'm willing to try. We don't see bow, you know.
That is just when they come in town, when they're
doing their rehearsals or whatever. See if we can set
up some time to go over there with ithing makes
some videos. See how good a White can do with them.
I want to see what's up. We'll be back after
this year. Listening Stockyards Bank Sunday one a sports thought
on news radio six thirty WLAP.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
This is the home of the Wildcats. Six thirty WLAP.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday one of sports Talk. I'm
Anthony White along with Larry Fought and apparently Bou Robinson
is doing whatever he does with the music in the background.
But this iri is still brought to you by a
country boy brewing and Bo Robinson. I have a whole

(19:19):
lot of not knowing what that song meant about this show.

Speaker 6 (19:23):
It's Groundhog Dag. Oh my god.

Speaker 7 (19:26):
Yeah, so you know the movie, right, No, Groundhog Day.
It came out in the nineties.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
So I was supposed to watch TV in the nineties.
I watched less TV in the nineties because I was
an active teenager.

Speaker 7 (19:40):
It is the best movie about Groundhog Dag and Bill
Murray is a TV reporter and he's just doing Bill
Murray things. He's just snarky. He doesn't want to cover
punk Satani Phil and the whole plot basically is him
waking up doing the same thing over and and everybody

(20:00):
in this town is doing the same thing over and
he keeps reliving the same day. Well, when his alarm
goes off in the morning, it always goes to Sonny
and Share. I got you, babe, because that's what the
radio alarm clock. It's on a certain station, and that's
what they start off with every morning. So to save
everybody just a little pain, because I know we're suffering,

(20:22):
we aren't some pain after.

Speaker 6 (20:24):
Last night's loss.

Speaker 7 (20:25):
My original goal was to just play Sonny and Share
over and over for three hours, but I decided not
to stay away from it. So just one time, it's
all I can handle.

Speaker 5 (20:37):
Yeah, I watched the movie again. It was all night
before last bow when I said and watched it probably
for the fifty six.

Speaker 7 (20:43):
I don't think Bill Murray, yes, we know how great
he is, and stripes and Ghostbusters and everything that he's done,
but Groundhog Day might be one of his most underappreciated roles.

Speaker 6 (20:56):
Could be true.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Speaking of appreciation, Larry Vaught, I guess bo as well,
but either one of you, because and I appreciate everyone
who listens to this show. We all appreciate you all.
That's why we started the show off the way we did.
But Pam Edmunds Baker, she sent a message about over
an hour ago, and we've been taking calls, and we've

(21:21):
been trying to get the calls we got with Jack
Pilgrim didn't get a whole lot of airtime. Larry Vaughan,
I want to know what you think about this. And
the funny thing about this show, and the funny thing
about all of us, is that she's right. She beat
me up, and she was right, but the reason she
beat me up was not accurate, but she was still right.

(21:43):
So the point is she says, I was at the game.
The fan base in the atmosphere was unbelievable. I'm sick
of people bashing us. People have even said that the
sound of ESPN on the TV is never as loud
as it is in the ridia and as it is
in the arena. Please mention this on the show because
she drives there from Padoka. Now, Larry Vaught, I may

(22:05):
be wrong, and Pam seems like she's probably not a millennial.
She may be my age, maybe slightly older. She could
I'm gonna say she's my age. I don't She's a woman,
and I don't want to predict any ages. But Larry Vaught,
I'm very careful. But she was polite. She wasn't polite
off the beginning because I do like her that comment,
but she added me. She added me because she thought

(22:28):
I was avoiding making her comments. I was gonna bring
her comment up, but we just were bogged with you know, calls,
and we had to respond to the calls. And I
knew this part of the segment is where we kind
of get off the rails and we talk about different things,
which I wanted to talk about UK gymnastics and give
Kenny Brooks some But I'm going to spend a little
bit of this addressing Pam, not in a negative way,

(22:51):
as I told her on social media. She was absolutely right.
But Larry Vaught when she said I avoided making her
comments because I opened the sho show up saying it
was the booze I heard. I did say specifically because
I said the history and the culture of UK sports
in general. I pinted on the millennials because I like

(23:14):
beating up on the millennials. I did pin it on
the millennials. She's obviously not a millennial if she's my
age or whatever. But do you think she was right
to attack me? Said I was scared to admit that
I was beating them up, don't. I always give you
UK fans kudos for when they stand up for the team,
So I think she was right by saying she didn't
like me beating them up. But I didn't beat her

(23:36):
up because she was one of the ones cheering and
also gave you an opportunity to say whether you were
cheering or where you were boing, But she did. But
I think she took my comments the wrong way, or
somebody paraphrase what I said to her and she took
it the wrong way.

Speaker 5 (23:52):
Yes, I know, Pam. She's as die hard fan as
they come. I will tell you that. So Pam chastising
you a little bit kind of pay attention because it's
words of wisdom, So it may not have came out
the way that you thought it did or something to her.
But she's a very level headed and loyal UK fan.

(24:12):
I've talked with her and she follows Kentucky all over
and all like that. So but again, I'm kind of
with you. I think it's and sometimes, as I said earlier,
I think it's hard for a fan base to stay
inspired when they don't feel like the team is playing inspired.
Because I thought the atmosphere at the start of the

(24:33):
game was great. I thought it sounded to me like
the Kentucky fans tried whenever Kentucky gave any sign of life.
They were trying to inspire what they could in the
second half. But I don't know about you, but I
just reached a point with about ten minutes ago in
the game, Anthony, I just felt like there was no
way Kentucky could win because Arkansas was just going to
keep scoring every time because the Calipari's credit, they quit

(24:55):
shooting threes. They just drove to the basket and neither
scored or got fouled. And I thank you, it was
just pretty obvious Kentucky had no answers for him.

Speaker 2 (25:03):
I'm with you when it got to the ten minute
point and at the ten monting point. I I was
watching with coach Stu and Or I was watching it
with him and some friends, and at the ten moning point,
I said, if we if we don't rally, if we
don't rally off two or three buckets and get some stops,
which gets is down like five points, you know, get
within a ten point game, get it down to at

(25:24):
least six to five points. And then like you said,
we scored, they come back and score. They we score,
or we don't score and they score two. And at
that point, was it gotten down to about six minutes
and we hadn't cut into the lead enough.

Speaker 6 (25:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (25:37):
I was kind of like, yeah, this is it because
we're not showing any ability to be able to, you know,
to crunch the lead down, get it down to a
couple of possessions where a three pointer might make it interesting.
They just kept answering and we didn't show any solutions.
And like I said, one thing we've given Pope a
whole lot of credit for was making adjustments of finding

(25:59):
out the weaknesses, are taking advantage of them in our weaknesses,
hiding or masking them, and we just except we played
crazy lineups. I'm gonna go back to this. You remember
me saying this on the show years ago, and I
don't know fan base, all of my friends realized that
I do say this.

Speaker 6 (26:15):
I think sports are fixed.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
I'm not saying that Mark Pope's fixing nothing, but none
of this makes sense on a team that is one
and six after we just beat Tennessee and Knoxville, that
we just do this dumb crap. And and Noah doesn't
play at all. When he played a great game show,
he showed, he showed glimpses, glimpses of him being able

(26:42):
to contribute to this team, especially in the absence.

Speaker 5 (26:47):
To me, I think that was the most surprising thing
of anything, because, like say, he made big plays at
Tennessee at big times, and he did the same against Alabama.
Came in and at least he had some toughness and
stuff about him, and Kentucky needed that last night. They
needed some energy, they needed a spark. And I don't
know what was going through Mark's mind. And again he'll

(27:11):
be the first. Had I heard him talk about if
he could run some things back, he probably would have
done them different. And I think that's honest to admit that, Yeah,
maybe I didn't do the best coaching job either. I
think that's what I heard him say after the game.
But it was just a really perplexing thing. I mean,
I got tickled. I was following Jay Scheidler, the former
UK basketball players on the nineteen seventy eight national championship team,

(27:31):
and he was he was live on Twitter. I mean,
he was really out. But the best line I thought
he had was that Kentucky was making DJ Wagner look
like John Wall, and they were. I mean, and we'd
watched DJ Wagner enough last year. No, he's not John Wall,
but last night he looked like John Wall because he
just exploded by everybody and fairness. He made a couple

(27:54):
of tough shots, but nobody could stop him from getting
to the basket. And I think, again, if you talking
about this team, and as you mentioned earlier, if Lamont
Butler's not back soon, then this is going to be
a problem because every team's gonna have guards. You can
do this, and it also makes you wonder again why
Tennessee shot forty five three point shots against this team

(28:16):
instead of just going inside like Cala Perry did. I mean,
I heard John say after the game that probably twenty
five threes might have been too many, but yet at
least they were making them. Tennessee was shooting. Wasn't he
even making Nobody also said there's no way they were
going to shoot forty five of them, and in the
second half, think they only shot six for the whole
half because he didn't have to. They're gold to get
to the basket.

Speaker 2 (28:36):
And what's call it? Pope is a cerebral coach, and
he understands the game. And the one thing you just
stated that may the only way for us watching DJ
Wagner for one year. The only way DJ Wagner is
going to affect the game is getting downhill to the bucket.
Why do you think the whole time Larry Vault, the
whole time he was here, all he did, every team

(28:58):
sagged on. They did him like it did severe with her.
See go ahead, you can shoot that jumper if you
walk to the only thing we are not gonna lie.
The only thing he can do to affect the game
is get to the bucket the layup.

Speaker 6 (29:13):
So how did we allow him?

Speaker 2 (29:15):
And Mark Pope is a person who knows every player's
flaws or whatever. I ain't saying that he fixed the
game or he's in with the fix. I just think
sports are fixed, and there's a lot of uncharacteristic things.
And if Mark Pope knows everything about players, which I'm
sure he does, only as you just stated, the only
way DJ Wagoner was going to hurt you was getting

(29:36):
to the bucket.

Speaker 5 (29:38):
Yeah, it was perplexing. I'm not gonna go along with
Mark Pope fixing games.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
No, I didn't say that. I didn't say Mark Pope.
I just think sports are fixed in general. How do
you think Vegas knows what that the line is going
to be at the end of the day, although the
line was completely reversed with Vegas thought it was gonna
be right.

Speaker 5 (29:55):
Yeah, it sure was. But if I do as a
breaking news for you, I've already heard back from the
fire Crackers and they've got a spot for bow next year.

Speaker 7 (30:02):
When they kept down, uh oh, I would need some
additional training to level up to their talent. So let
them know that I'm practicing in my driveway every day
and if I can get up to fifteen without misstepping
and falling over, then we'll see what happens.

Speaker 5 (30:22):
Well, they got The next time we're gonna do is
get on the balance me even one of the gymnastics mates.

Speaker 7 (30:28):
Look, I need all the help I can get. So
if there is a firecracker jump rope challenge the next
time they are in town, I'll step up and do something.

Speaker 2 (30:37):
Okay, So I'm there for and Larry Vaught. Pam and
I have mended our differences because you stepped in, and
I think you know what's one thing I love about
this show that everybody can be right. Two things can
be right at the same time. She was right about
her assessment on what I said, and I was right
about we did hear booze, she says She All she

(30:59):
said is it wasn't her and it wasn't the long
time ticket holders. She did not listen closely enough for
me to say it's the new era of listeners or
the new era of UK fans who want to have
these opinions and disrespect the big Blue nation and disrespect
our culture.

Speaker 6 (31:17):
No, we never boo anybody.

Speaker 2 (31:19):
We applaud everybody because if we don't want to, if
we don't want to have to boo, then we don't lose.

Speaker 7 (31:26):
I'm a little disappointed that y'all have not asked me
what I did when John Cali Perry was introduced I.

Speaker 6 (31:32):
Was going to go to volley.

Speaker 2 (31:33):
I mean I was going to go to gymnastics, which
we're going to do at the last. Okay, tell me, no,
what did you do?

Speaker 6 (31:37):
What did I know? What you did? Yes? What did
you do? Both?

Speaker 7 (31:41):
I did not boo okay, but I did not clap either.

Speaker 6 (31:46):
Okay.

Speaker 7 (31:47):
I had my hands on my phone recording all the
boots in the ovation for him, because I felt like
if I booed for some reason, it was going to
come back and get us.

Speaker 2 (32:00):
Yeah, so you didn't tell you didn't tell those other
what what? Eight thousand? I'm not going to millennial all
them how to fan? I tell people how to fan
in a minute.

Speaker 7 (32:09):
I wasn't going to do that because how's little a
me going to stop at six foot three, one hundred
and ninety pounds. How am I going to stop that
many people doing the repp arena or do whatever they want.

Speaker 6 (32:19):
You can care. You can add advice, like, look here.

Speaker 7 (32:22):
Nobody's going to listen to me.

Speaker 6 (32:24):
People we have what what they say?

Speaker 2 (32:26):
We have eight hundred and ninety thousand people listen to
us every Sunday morning.

Speaker 7 (32:30):
But I'll tell you this. I did use some colorful language. Afterwards,
on the right home.

Speaker 6 (32:35):
Oh, on the right home. I thought you used in
the public. No.

Speaker 7 (32:38):
No, But the one thought that kept crossing my mind
throughout the game was which Kentucky team do I prefer
the one with the do Thierio, DJ Wagner, the ones
that we would have seen this year or the current
crop of Cats?

Speaker 6 (32:52):
Well? Remember they are two of six and SEC.

Speaker 3 (32:55):
One.

Speaker 7 (32:55):
I know, but just what I was seeing in front
of me presently, I was singing in front of me. Right,
I wouldn't trade this team. I wouldn't trade Mark Pope
for anything, right now.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
See, Pam, we are still on board. Even if I
do call out the millennials and you get offended, then
Pam take that. But we'll be back after this. You're
listening to Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk on news
radio six thirty WLAP.

Speaker 1 (33:20):
This is the home of the Wildcats, six thirty WLAP.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
Welcome back Stockyards Bank Sunday Morning Sports Talk. I'm Anthony
White along with Larry vapp Uh here to close out
this edition of Sunday Morning Sports Talk. I was going
to get to gymnastics really quick. We're going to get
to gymnastics really quickly because I enjoyed what we said.
But Larry Vaught, someone asked me on Twitter to talk

(33:46):
about on the show about what's up or Red. I
don't know what Red they were talking about. I didn't
know they're talking about Willis Reed, whoever they were talking about,
but apparently they were talking about Reed Shepard, our trustee.

Speaker 6 (33:59):
Put a bug in my ear.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
And you mean to tell me, Larry Vaught that Reed
Shepherd wore an Arkansas shirt on the day of the
Arkansas Kentucky game.

Speaker 5 (34:14):
He wore an Arkansas shirt in Kentucky.

Speaker 3 (34:16):
Jim Schartz, Oh, they ain't.

Speaker 6 (34:19):
Nobody said that he wore Kentucky shorts.

Speaker 5 (34:22):
I think Reid was just trying to have a little fun,
as probably you're prone to do at his age. I
think it probably didn't come across quite the way that
he thought it would when he said he was trying
to support his coach and support his team both and again,
I think if Kentucky had won the game, maybe it
wouldn't have been so received so poorly by so many fans.

(34:47):
And again on social media, sometimes it's hard to tell,
but it certainly is upset a lot of Kentucky fans.
And I'll just kind of leave it at that, and
I think Reid was just trying to have some fun
and never dreamed it would probably be the reaction that
it did.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
He should have known better, Jeff should have known, should
have known better. And the problem, the other problem I
have with the Larry walk before we finish up with
a little gymnastics, is that he had Arkansas on top
of Kentucky. On top of that, why not wear a
Kentucky shirt, have Kentucky on top of Arkansas and wear
Arkansas shorts. Maybe he doesn't own Arkansas shorts because it's
harder to come across Arkansas shorts than it is come

(35:24):
across a shirt. But he is a millionaire, so I'm
sure he could have got whatever he wanted. But he
had Arkansas on top of Kentucky and that was distasteful. Jeff,
I blame you, Jeff.

Speaker 7 (35:32):
Well, this is why the NBA needs a dress code
going to games.

Speaker 6 (35:37):
No, I ain't gonna go into that.

Speaker 7 (35:38):
Here you go, man, man, I would have been okay
if he walked in with a Kentucky T shirt on
eating a barbecue sandwich.

Speaker 6 (35:45):
Ah, I could have dug.

Speaker 7 (35:48):
But I didn't know about any of this until I
woke up this morning. I was so depressed and just
out of it. After the game, I went straight to bed.
I just shut down everything. I'm not going to listen
to anything, I'm not going to get online. And then
I see all this about Reed Sheppard. I'm like, what
does Reed Sheppard have to do with what we saw
at Repparena? And then I saw the picture. It's like,
oh okay, hell Reed still like you man, but and

(36:12):
a question his wardrobe choices.

Speaker 6 (36:15):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
Larry Vat really quickly Coach Garrison and the Young Ladies
has six thousand people in attendance. You are you and
I were part of that six thousand people in attendance
at Memorial Coliseum to see our Kentucky wild Cats beat Auburn.
Any comments actually less than thirty seconds now, but any comments.

Speaker 5 (36:36):
It was just awesome to see the all the ones
had been in studio with us, and then we'd been
at the karaoke event fundraising event that they had to
see him perform and do so well. And it's a fun,
fun event. It goes in about an hour and a half.
Some people can't thinking it might last three hours. Had learned,
had learned that it doesn't last that long, but you
had to educate the fan base. But it's really fun.

(36:58):
Tim was great to talk to and again the city
come back on with us and get somebody's athletes back
on with us. So looking forward to that.

Speaker 2 (37:05):
That is the great Larry Vault. Thanks to Sean Hammelton
other fire crackers. Thanks to Jack Pilgrim for bonus time.
Thanks to Bob Robinson keeping us on Larry Vault for
being my main man. I'm Anthony Whiten. This has been
Stockyards Bank Sunday Winning's Ports Hawk on News Radio six
point thirty WLAP