transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:02] This is Kentucky Sports Radio, presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now, here's Matt Jones.

Speaker 2:
[00:08] Welcome, everyone. It is Kentucky Sports Radio, Thursday, April the 20th.

Speaker 3:
[00:13] Here we go.

Speaker 2:
[00:14] I am Matt Jones, here at the KSBar & Grille, where we have a beautiful day outside. And the Owen County media class is here for their annual visit. They put on a television show, including, they have segments, one of which we may re-create here in the second hour. We'll see what happens. But you can give a shout out to Clark's Pumping Shop phone line, 859-280-2287. AVision Auto Glass Text Machine is 772-774-5254. And this edition is sponsored by the TJ. Smith Law Office. If you call TJ., he'll make them pay. Ryan Lemond is here with me. And we didn't, a little bit of a surprise. We are joined, everybody give a round of applause, to new father, Drew Franklin, who is, with Avery Rose, how old, nine days?

Speaker 4:
[01:00] Nine days. Thought she needed to go see KSBar. Nine days is, you know, that's enough time to rest. Let's get her in here.

Speaker 2:
[01:06] We ID'd, she's good. Abby is here as well. And so nine days in, how's fatherhood?

Speaker 4:
[01:13] Nine days, about nine hours of sleep in that window. But other than that, it's been awesome. Obviously, I'm very in love and obsessed and loving dad life.

Speaker 2:
[01:21] Are you really?

Speaker 4:
[01:22] Yeah. And honestly, the stuff people say is rough. It's not that bad. You can change a diaper. I've changed several. It's fine. It's just, I wish I could sleep a little more. But overall, I'd say it's been very, very fun.

Speaker 2:
[01:31] What's the night of sleep that you usually get?

Speaker 4:
[01:34] A couple hours here and there. I count Abby's up the most, but I've had a few 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. shifts where I'm just sitting there, holding her and just giving her a little bounce, just staring at her for four hours. But those start to add up.

Speaker 2:
[01:48] Abby, the pictures of you all, it's all like something you would see in an album. Like you're sitting there staring at her, and it's colored in a certain way.

Speaker 4:
[01:58] She likes a good dad nap.

Speaker 2:
[01:59] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[01:59] In the aesthetics, I think we use a filter.

Speaker 2:
[02:01] You feel like, it seems like you're completely embracing dadness. You're wearing a dad hat.

Speaker 4:
[02:06] I got my Air Monarchs on. Of course, I'm all in.

Speaker 2:
[02:10] I already got dad shoes. Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[02:12] I've never taken these off. By the way, these are the most comfortable shoes ever. Dad's had this figured out a long time ago. I know they don't look that cool.

Speaker 2:
[02:18] We've been making fun of Ryan for wearing those shoes for a decade. Now, you're going to start rocking them.

Speaker 4:
[02:23] Now, you can make fun of me.

Speaker 2:
[02:25] All right. Fair enough. Well, you seem happy and both of you, the mother and daughter, and you all look wonderful. It's nice of you to be by here. You've missed a lot.

Speaker 4:
[02:35] I've mostly stayed off my phone because she's in my arms. I can't even reach for it. I'm using both hands. Every time I check in, something seems to be on fire.

Speaker 2:
[02:43] It's been rough.

Speaker 4:
[02:43] So my paternity wasn't well-timed. Or maybe perfectly timed.

Speaker 2:
[02:47] I think it was perfectly timed for you, maybe not for the rest of us, but that's okay. And what's the birth date so that I can write it down and never remember?

Speaker 4:
[02:54] 4-14. We didn't hit Master Sunday. It was two days later.

Speaker 1:
[02:58] 4-14.

Speaker 2:
[02:59] Okay. So my mom will write that down so that I'll get a text on her birthday every year or else I'll forget. Well, congratulations. You want to sit this first segment with us here for a second? I can be frank if we need to. Yeah. Yes. Well, I don't know.

Speaker 3:
[03:11] It's been a minute.

Speaker 4:
[03:11] We're actually on our way to the board meetings. Avery, she's going to go Frankie Franklin with me over there.

Speaker 2:
[03:15] Speaking of that, I have some, I don't know, I have some scuttlebutt that maybe drifts in the scoop.

Speaker 3:
[03:24] I heard you. I saw your tweets. So you can tease this with a little bit.

Speaker 2:
[03:26] So I'm not, this is going to be one of these. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

Speaker 3:
[03:31] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[03:32] Don't be surprised if in the next day or two, it's announced that the Mitch deal gets ripped up.

Speaker 3:
[03:43] I didn't see that coming, what you're getting ready to say.

Speaker 2:
[03:45] Well, I mean, I'm not saying, I'm just saying that there's been a big push and it would not surprise me if we hear that in the very near future.

Speaker 3:
[03:55] They get from all the outside pressure.

Speaker 2:
[03:57] Without question. I mean, these knuckleheads that started the whining. And then, of course, the governor weighs in two days ago. I would not, I think there's a decent shot, which let's say that happens. What do we think of that?

Speaker 4:
[04:16] Does he still get to sit in the rocking chair and eat hay or is the hay out gone too?

Speaker 2:
[04:20] I think could be like, it just ends. Not just that, at least some of the deal is altered, even if it, whether it maybe it's the money structures are altered or something, but maybe just nothing, but like the whole sort of sweet deal, maybe no longer a deal.

Speaker 4:
[04:39] Well, you know, I'm all for that because I thought it was ridiculous from the beginning. I hope taking away the 10 tickets is part of it.

Speaker 2:
[04:44] I don't know if I haven't heard of the 10 tickets.

Speaker 4:
[04:45] I think that is outrageous as the money.

Speaker 2:
[04:47] You really, you were very upset about the tickets.

Speaker 4:
[04:48] If you do the math on those tickets, and I've talked to some donors who were telling me how just they're almost just as upset about the tickets as they are.

Speaker 2:
[04:55] Do you think those tickets are worth like what, 50, 75 grand total?

Speaker 4:
[04:59] They're forever, or for the lifetime. Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[05:01] Yeah. So I think that would be an amazing change if it ends up happening. And also showcase, Ryan, that like, sometimes it feels like public outcry doesn't matter. This would be a case where this would be a public outcry. I mean, like, this started as, you know, it wasn't just us. There were other people, but just a handful of people going, wait a minute, what's going on? And then it keeps getting building louder. And then the governor gets involved. I mean, it is kind of, even in today's world, where it feels like sometimes things are out of the fans' control, this would be one where I actually think it made a difference.

Speaker 3:
[05:40] I think it made a huge difference.

Speaker 2:
[05:42] If it, again, if it happens, if it happens, I'm just telling you the scuttle bud.

Speaker 3:
[05:47] You know, I'm seeing, feels like they're CYA a little bit, but if they do that, it is a good PR move on behalf of Kentucky, University of Kentucky. Like, we're gonna rip this up. We realize we made a mistake. We're gonna correct it and rip this up.

Speaker 2:
[05:59] Well, I'd be interested to see what the legal, like, I mean, if they signed that deal, like, I don't know what ripping it up means. I mean, it may have to, I'd be interested to see the mechanics, because, you know, if you signed the deal, you signed the deal. I don't know exactly how that works. You know, maybe they'll characterize it as Mitch volunteering to not, although how many people just give up $5 million? I don't think there's a lot of people that do that. So I don't know. I don't know how it's going to play out, but this is just what I hear is likely to be, very likely to be the end result.

Speaker 4:
[06:32] Yeah, I don't know how that worked, because we've seen the contract. It's got Eli's big signature, Mitch's. I mean, it looks pretty official and finalized.

Speaker 2:
[06:38] But this was like, this was entirely predictable. When you make a decision to you youngsters out there, you end up working in PR. When you make a decision that affects a lot of people, and then when people ask you about it, you tell them to shut up, and you say, you know, we get to do what we want, and you have no explanation as to why. It's not crazy to me that this would be the result. I think they thought this would just go away. I think they thought like, oh, it's a short attention span. People will move on. And people didn't move on. And then I think the final straw is when the governor gets involved. Because when the governor gets involved, and all of a sudden this decision, which was made in a room, I mean, think about this. This was made in a room with Mitch Barnhart, Eli, and then whoever Eli had. I don't know who was there, but there were three or four of them. They got no approval from anybody. And they probably thought, we're going to sneak this out, and then it's going to be gone. And then you go, and a month later, it's one of the headline stories on ESPN. It's in the New York Times. Like all of a sudden you go, but see, if they had just done a press conference and dealt with, I think it probably goes away. People might not be happy about it, but they handled it so poorly that you end up with this result.

Speaker 3:
[07:49] You're right. They have a news conference to announce the details. Reporters get to ask questions.

Speaker 2:
[07:53] But then they move on. It would be a difficult 45 minutes probably. But then people would have probably moved on. But by not doing it, it's the, you know, the drip, this is the thing. When you have something bad happen from a publicity standpoint, rip the band-aid off. Just deal with it. It's the drip of just constant, like Mike Vrabel and Diana Rusini. I don't know if the thing with the coach and the reporter dating. If they had just dealt with it, then it could go away, but they didn't do anything and then it drips and drips and drips and drew. That's how you end up with a bad decision.

Speaker 4:
[08:32] Yeah. For a while, we were bringing it up a lot and, you know, people around here locally were talking about it. I was in shock the other day when the Governor's Tweet started it and then ESPN.

Speaker 2:
[08:43] ESPN had it as a headline.

Speaker 4:
[08:45] Mitch had to have been in his rocking chair just like, oh my God, like this is going to get taken away from me.

Speaker 2:
[08:50] I do wonder though, here's what, can I give you the, this is not Scuttlebutt, this is Matt reading Scuttlebutt.

Speaker 3:
[08:57] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[08:57] This is just my interpretation. I think they want to save Van Tatenhove as the law school dean, and they're just throwing Mitch to the side. No, I mean, I think they're like, okay, the only reason anybody cares about this law school thing is because he threw in Barnhart. Just get rid of the Barnhart thing and then we'll just move on, and people will stop paying attention on law school, and I think that's what's going to happen.

Speaker 3:
[09:19] So the meeting is today. Does this take place today?

Speaker 2:
[09:24] I don't like to put days on things, but you're right. The board meeting is today.

Speaker 3:
[09:29] It could be a very eventful board meeting today.

Speaker 2:
[09:32] Now, all right, so we got, that's my scoop in Scuttlebutt. I want to go back to you for a second.

Speaker 4:
[09:36] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[09:37] Do you feel like, you know, people say when you have a child that it comes out, is that the right terminology?

Speaker 4:
[09:43] She did come out.

Speaker 2:
[09:44] It comes out, and then all of a sudden.

Speaker 4:
[09:46] It's she, by the way. I heard people telling you last Friday.

Speaker 2:
[09:49] I need to stop saying it.

Speaker 4:
[09:50] It's okay. She.

Speaker 2:
[09:51] She.

Speaker 4:
[09:53] She's right there. She can hear you.

Speaker 2:
[09:57] She comes out, and then like people say your life changes. Like at that moment, like Ryan always says this. Do you think that is that what happened? Could you feel a change in that moment?

Speaker 4:
[10:08] You know, everybody said that so much. I expected more for them. I'm clearly in love with her, but like I don't feel like just arms the air. Life is completely different now. Like I said, other than sleep, it doesn't feel.

Speaker 2:
[10:18] You don't feel like you're a different person.

Speaker 4:
[10:19] I mean, I love her to death. I feel that. And I know I'm responsible for this human for the rest of my life.

Speaker 2:
[10:24] Is that nerve wracking? Because I mean, I've known you at times in life, you couldn't be responsible for yourself.

Speaker 4:
[10:29] You know, I've thought many times, if I had to do this at 25 instead of 40, it would be a different upbringing for that baby.

Speaker 2:
[10:35] When I met you, I would not, I wouldn't have let you watch my drink, much less a child.

Speaker 4:
[10:39] Yeah, so I have had thoughts of, you know, 40 is a little late of a start, it's becoming more normal these days, but it's a little later than I anticipated. But I think of what it would have been like if I had her in my 20s, and she's in a much better spot.

Speaker 2:
[10:50] Yeah. Well, are you now like ready for a second?

Speaker 4:
[10:55] Let's get through second week. So far so good on second week, so I have a lot to learn.

Speaker 2:
[11:01] What is the thing that's difficult for you? You said the diapers were easy.

Speaker 4:
[11:07] Yeah. I mean, she's thrown up on me a few times. I just laugh at it.

Speaker 2:
[11:10] I don't know if you're laughing at her.

Speaker 4:
[11:12] Well, I put on a Titans t-shirt the other day and she immediately threw up on it. I washed it, I put it back on, and then she threw up on it again. So I think she's already telling me what she wants to like. No, really, I don't want to say it's been easy, easy, but it's been easier than I expected with all the warnings I've got.

Speaker 2:
[11:27] Now, you have a lot of friends. You've probably had everybody trying to contact you. I know people have sent messages.

Speaker 4:
[11:33] I'm sure you're grateful for all of those. I can't thank everybody enough. I'm still catching up on messages. We've been sent so many flowers and gifts that it's all piling up. Truly grateful for everyone that's reached out.

Speaker 2:
[11:44] I have a gift on the way, Abby, by the way. I ordered something.

Speaker 4:
[11:48] Okay.

Speaker 2:
[11:48] Yeah.

Speaker 4:
[11:49] For it?

Speaker 2:
[11:50] For it. I ordered a nice present for it. And when you get it, you'll be like, here you go.

Speaker 4:
[11:58] We're excited. But really, just holding it. She likes a good dad, Nappy. There's even times where Abby can't get her to stop crying.

Speaker 2:
[12:05] So you're saying you have a better ability than Abby does.

Speaker 4:
[12:07] Can I confess to something?

Speaker 2:
[12:08] Yes.

Speaker 4:
[12:09] Can I tell them what I sing?

Speaker 3:
[12:11] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 4:
[12:12] So I quickly learned I don't know nursery rhymes. Like I know there's an itsy bitsy spider, but once it gets to the spout, I don't really know what happens from there. The black sheep and have you any wool? I don't know the lyrics to that one either. So one night to get her to stop crying, I wrapped the lollipop remix and she instantly went to sleep. Kanye and Lil Wayne.

Speaker 2:
[12:33] Wait a minute. You did the lollipop remix?

Speaker 4:
[12:36] Well, I don't know nursery rhymes and she was crying a lot. It was in the building.

Speaker 2:
[12:39] Aren't there some dirty words in that?

Speaker 4:
[12:41] I understand it's not the perfect song to sing, but it worked. Okay.

Speaker 2:
[12:45] So can you give us, I mean, I'm not going to recreate and act like I'm avarie, but could you give us a little bit of the rap?

Speaker 5:
[12:53] I'm trying to...

Speaker 2:
[12:55] No, that's not how you do it.

Speaker 4:
[12:56] Okay. I better not on the radio.

Speaker 2:
[12:59] So wait a minute. You sing things to your baby you don't want to say on the radio.

Speaker 4:
[13:02] Well, I kind of edit it and I do a voice, but at first I thought it was funny and I couldn't wait to tell Abby that she fell asleep to the lollipop remix. It's now Five for Five and it's kind of our thing. Wow. I've done a little Young Jeezy. It's not only that one, but I quickly learned that I wasn't prepared to do nursery.

Speaker 2:
[13:18] You're doing Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy instead of Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Speaker 4:
[13:22] Well, I don't know the words.

Speaker 2:
[13:22] Do you wonder if when she's like 18 and she goes off to college and she goes to a college party, that'll come on and it'll be in the recesses of her brain and all of a sudden she'll be like, why am I so loving this?

Speaker 4:
[13:35] Well, we got in the car the other day. I had picked up food the night before without her and Big Moochie Grape was playing.

Speaker 2:
[13:41] Not a Big Moochie Grape.

Speaker 4:
[13:42] She kind of liked it. She was kind of bobbing her head. So she's clearly gonna.

Speaker 2:
[13:46] So you're creating a rap fan.

Speaker 4:
[13:48] Yeah, she's Abby's identical twin, but she can chug the heck out of milk. I think that came from dad and she likes a little bit of hip hop. So I at least know that I contributed that.

Speaker 2:
[13:59] Well, Drew, it's great to see you.

Speaker 4:
[14:00] Thanks for letting me crash the party.

Speaker 2:
[14:01] Abby, it's great to see you and it's nice to see you as well and get some rest and we'll see you when you come back.

Speaker 4:
[14:08] I probably won't get rest, but I will see you when I get back.

Speaker 2:
[14:10] All right. Drew Franklin, everybody. There we go. Thank you. All right. Well, you're going to take a break. I have some scolding to do with Ryan and we're going to make Mario come and sit here.

Speaker 3:
[14:21] Bring it on.

Speaker 2:
[14:21] That's going to be right after the break. This is KSR. Shannon, that's got to be the song, right?

Speaker 1:
[14:29] I feel like it does, yeah.

Speaker 2:
[14:31] Yeah. I mean, every Rose.

Speaker 3:
[14:34] Perfect.

Speaker 2:
[14:34] Why are you sitting so far away from me? Because you're worried about what I'm going to say?

Speaker 3:
[14:38] Because I'm barring out on the same team right now. We got to team up.

Speaker 2:
[14:41] Shannon, they have moved. They are up here, they're like squeezed up next to each other, leaving me all the way over here on the other side.

Speaker 6:
[14:47] Why are you sitting like that, Ryan?

Speaker 3:
[14:49] Because he's about to try to get mad at us. We're going to be on the same team.

Speaker 2:
[14:52] I'm not going to get mad at you, but there's-

Speaker 6:
[14:54] I can't be mad.

Speaker 2:
[14:55] There's a little bit of a criticism coming. All right, so first, so 859-280-2287, the text machine 772-774-5254. Last night, Shannon and I just go to dinner. I'm enjoying myself and all of a sudden, I'm doing something I'm trying to do more of, which is just put my phone down for a little bit of time.

Speaker 6:
[15:12] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[15:13] I pick up my phone and I have all these messages going, what's Ryan and Mario's deal? What are they trying to- are they trying to mess with people? What's going on? So then I go and look at it, and I see that both of you all, not one of you all, but both of you all put up the eyeball emojis that like something crazy is happening. Something is cooking. And-

Speaker 1:
[15:35] God's up to something. God was up to something.

Speaker 2:
[15:37] That's exactly right. And then of course, everybody gets excited because it's recruiting time and people are thinking, oh, Tyron Stokes might decide any day. People get excited. And I look at it and I go, come on, because I know you all don't know one way or the other. And then people got mad and people were yelling, once again at me as if I had done something because you did that. Why did you all do that?

Speaker 6:
[16:04] Well, we thought-

Speaker 2:
[16:05] Well, don't anyway, make the old man talk first. Why did you do that?

Speaker 3:
[16:09] Maybe we know something.

Speaker 2:
[16:11] Like, hang on. Do you know something? Yes.

Speaker 6:
[16:15] We heard some stuff and then I confirmed it with, it's not about Tyron Stokes, by the way. I don't know anything about Tyron Stokes, but I confirmed it with another source and they said they heard the same thing.

Speaker 2:
[16:27] So that was not just about your bowling last night.

Speaker 6:
[16:30] No, no, no, no, no, no.

Speaker 3:
[16:32] I was cooking bowling last night, too.

Speaker 2:
[16:33] But that wasn't what the eyeballs are. So you all are sticking by the eyeballs.

Speaker 6:
[16:38] Absolutely.

Speaker 3:
[16:39] 100 percent.

Speaker 2:
[16:40] So you are eyeball-rific.

Speaker 3:
[16:42] I might eyeball again today.

Speaker 2:
[16:45] Same eyeballs?

Speaker 3:
[16:46] Maybe the same eyeballs. Maybe I'll do two eyeballs.

Speaker 2:
[16:49] Okay. So you did that, but you gave no explanation.

Speaker 3:
[16:53] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[16:54] And then, of course, nothing happened that night.

Speaker 3:
[16:55] Right.

Speaker 2:
[16:56] Would you like to say what the eyeballs were?

Speaker 3:
[16:58] I don't think so. I think I'll just wait, see how it plays out today.

Speaker 6:
[17:02] I mean, I said it already.

Speaker 3:
[17:03] Oh, you did say it?

Speaker 2:
[17:04] What did you say?

Speaker 6:
[17:05] I said it was about McBride and his visit.

Speaker 2:
[17:08] What about his visit?

Speaker 6:
[17:09] Going really well, went really well.

Speaker 2:
[17:12] But we've had a lot of visits go well, we didn't get the players. What are you saying? We're getting McBride?

Speaker 6:
[17:17] Saying there's a high chance. As far as what I heard, he committed already.

Speaker 2:
[17:23] You're saying he committed already.

Speaker 6:
[17:25] This is what I've heard. He committed already. He's got to knock out paperwork. That's what I heard. I don't know if that's true or not. This is just what I heard.

Speaker 2:
[17:32] But you two understand, I know Ryan understands this. I need you to understand this. Although he's just as involved as you are at this point.

Speaker 6:
[17:39] Of course.

Speaker 2:
[17:40] We have a responsibility. Whether we should or not, people give us a credibility.

Speaker 6:
[17:47] Absolutely.

Speaker 2:
[17:47] That we can't just say things.

Speaker 6:
[17:49] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[17:50] Ryan messed it up last year with Lamar Wilkinson, but I understand what happened. It happened.

Speaker 6:
[17:56] Anything can change at the last minute.

Speaker 2:
[17:58] But when you guys both put eyeballs out, you're basically saying, this is happening.

Speaker 6:
[18:05] We have a strong...

Speaker 2:
[18:08] There's no, you can't be caveat.

Speaker 6:
[18:10] I have confidence in my source. I seen it and Ryan showed me and then I was like, all right.

Speaker 2:
[18:14] So you did you all get two different sources?

Speaker 6:
[18:17] Yes. I got two.

Speaker 2:
[18:18] So somebody told you.

Speaker 6:
[18:20] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[18:20] And somebody different told you.

Speaker 3:
[18:21] Correct.

Speaker 2:
[18:22] Okay. Well, that's that's positive.

Speaker 3:
[18:24] All right.

Speaker 2:
[18:25] You've been around long enough. You know kind of what is and what isn't strong. Do you feel good that they're going to get this just a McBride kid?

Speaker 3:
[18:32] I think as soon as he says, I think Shannon says, he says, I think, or do you know?

Speaker 2:
[18:38] The preacher in Vail County says, do you think so or do you know?

Speaker 3:
[18:43] So I think in this portal world area, a verbal commitment can change overnight.

Speaker 6:
[18:50] It can.

Speaker 2:
[18:51] So then why put out the eyeballs?

Speaker 3:
[18:52] Because something's cooking.

Speaker 6:
[18:53] Something's cooking and it's something to look forward to, is positivity.

Speaker 2:
[18:56] I mean, but it's not positivity if we don't get them.

Speaker 3:
[18:58] That's why we didn't say the link the name.

Speaker 2:
[19:00] But you now have.

Speaker 3:
[19:02] I didn't.

Speaker 2:
[19:07] Okay, but do you understand what I'm saying?

Speaker 6:
[19:09] Yes, I do. I do.

Speaker 2:
[19:11] You cannot play with these people's emotions.

Speaker 6:
[19:15] I wouldn't say I was playing with them. I would say something that you're looking forward to. Eyeball emojis, something to be a little bit excited for. BBN hasn't been in the best mood lately.

Speaker 2:
[19:24] I understand. And if we get this person to be better, but if we don't, you will have made them worse.

Speaker 6:
[19:30] I would say I'd make it worse. I think things can change overnight. I mean, I've seen these guys on the visit. I've seen McBride on the visit yesterday. They were at Kroger Field, driving around with Mo Williams and Coach McLean. So I'm confident.

Speaker 2:
[19:45] I just want you to just realize, it's fun to us, but there are 100,000 people who follow you.

Speaker 6:
[19:54] Yes, of course. I know that.

Speaker 2:
[19:57] All right. So you two are saying we're getting McBride.

Speaker 3:
[20:01] I didn't say that. I said something's cooking.

Speaker 6:
[20:03] Something's cooking.

Speaker 2:
[20:05] All right. Shannon, thoughts?

Speaker 1:
[20:08] No.

Speaker 2:
[20:11] See, just for the listeners, this is what I have to deal with. Because the moment I started going back and I had all these people saying, this is the kind of ship Matt Jones runs, and I didn't know what y'all were doing. I knew you were bowling.

Speaker 1:
[20:22] I can't be responsible for everything these guys do. I can't, but I am.

Speaker 2:
[20:27] That's the thing they don't understand. Even though I can't be responsible to the public size, I am.

Speaker 6:
[20:32] I think that's unfair. I would say that that is unfair how people will message you, because everybody is their own person.

Speaker 2:
[20:39] Everybody is their own person.

Speaker 6:
[20:40] Just because we say something, it's not his fault.

Speaker 2:
[20:42] But you two also have to realize that if you do something, it's going to reflect on me.

Speaker 1:
[20:48] There's a lot of responsibility in those eyeball tweets.

Speaker 2:
[20:51] Yeah. Look, I'm not saying don't do it, but if this kid doesn't come, the person that will get the criticism is me.

Speaker 3:
[21:00] Yeah. I wouldn't have put it out there if I didn't feel good about it.

Speaker 2:
[21:04] Okay. Now, I like that. So you have that level of confidence.

Speaker 3:
[21:07] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[21:07] Okay. All right. Then I'm good.

Speaker 3:
[21:10] I think it's awful too. A caller will say something and they attribute it to you.

Speaker 2:
[21:14] I was in Amsterdam last year when you did the Lamar Wilkinson thing and I got blamed.

Speaker 3:
[21:18] It's your fault. It's your fault.

Speaker 2:
[21:22] All right. So let me go to the Mitch thing. What do you think if that ends up going away today?

Speaker 3:
[21:28] Like I said, I'm proud of the University of Kentucky if they're going to do this. I think it may be CYA, but they're going to make the effort to make it right from a mistake they made, I think is good PR.

Speaker 2:
[21:40] All right. Now, Tyron Stokes, number one player in the country. I look, every Owen County head popped up right there when I said that. He, a lot of national people are going to say is going to decide this week. What do you make? All right. So I'm now to the point that sometimes I can't tell what's AI and what's not. Was that tattoo? That tattoo is real. That tattoo on his leg is real.

Speaker 3:
[22:05] Yeah, that's real. I think he did an Instagram live with somebody.

Speaker 2:
[22:07] He did a tattoo of like Muhammad Ali and Louisville and Fievel. That was real.

Speaker 3:
[22:11] That was real.

Speaker 1:
[22:12] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[22:14] And he had a UK game on in the background.

Speaker 6:
[22:16] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[22:17] I mean, is he just screwing with us?

Speaker 1:
[22:19] I don't know.

Speaker 6:
[22:20] No one knows.

Speaker 2:
[22:21] Or is God up to something?

Speaker 3:
[22:25] I think it's a heck of a troll move.

Speaker 2:
[22:27] Well, we'll talk about Stokes and then we'll take your calls. 859-280-2287. It's KSR.

Speaker 4:
[22:33] TJ Smith, personal injury attorney. Call TJ.

Speaker 1:
[22:36] He'll make him pay. Now more of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Here's Matt Jones.

Speaker 2:
[22:42] Welcome back, to Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287, text machine 772-774-5254. One person writes, Matt, you guys don't worry about if they got it wrong. You've got many recruits wrong in the past. I don't think that's true. Is that not true? Well, I don't think so. I mean, because I rarely say somebody's definitely coming because they will change their mind. I mean, like the Freeman Rancic thing, I wrote that UK can have either one of them in the next 36 hours or can have one of the two, and that was true, and then they fumbled it, right? So like that can happen. I understand that. But like, that's why I don't say so-and-so is coming because it's very, the only time I've ever said that was I was very confident the Harrison Twins were coming for reasons that I'll say one day in my retirement book. But you just got to be careful because things can all change. Do you regret it, Ryan? I don't know. Well, you don't need to regret it. I'm giving you partially a hard time. We'll see what happens. All right. So the Tyron Stokes thing, it was so he gets a tattoo. It's all Louisville stuff. It's the Courier Journal article. It's Muhammad Ali, 502. He's watching an old UK game in the background.

Speaker 3:
[24:00] That's what's crazy to me.

Speaker 2:
[24:01] I mean, I will say if he ends up not coming here after watching a UK game in the background on a picture, that's going to be like, are you kidding me? But I will say to you, I said this the other day and it's 100% true. UK still thinks they can get it. Like this is not like I know that no one in the recruiting world thinks that. And I'm not saying they're getting him because I have no idea. I have no, but I can tell you for a fact that UK still thinks they have a very good shot and they are still like doing everything they can. To the point that they're still chatter about them saving that other coaching spot for potentially if they get like, that's all still out there.

Speaker 3:
[24:45] That's awesome to hear.

Speaker 2:
[24:46] That doesn't mean they're getting him, but I just, UK has not given up. Now they haven't read things the best recently. So I'm not saying that they know, but they haven't given up on it.

Speaker 3:
[24:55] Like I said, awesome to hear because a lot of the national pundits have him trending back towards Kansas. So to hear maybe that Kentucky feels still pretty good about where they are with him. I can see him getting the 502 tattoo. I mean, if he grew up in Louisville, he's got Louisville ties, why not? But playing that Kentucky game in the background, that's...

Speaker 2:
[25:13] I mean, that's a pretty strong move. If you play the Kentucky game in the background and then you don't pick Kentucky, that would be a pretty strong move. So Owen County is here. They have a regular newscast, I'm told. The anchors are sitting over here. They have a hot seat segment, where they put someone on the hot seat. We may bring that host on here to put us on the hot seat in the second half.

Speaker 3:
[25:39] Oh, nice.

Speaker 2:
[25:40] And see if Owen County can put us on the hot seat.

Speaker 3:
[25:42] I like that. They've got different little segments they do in their newscast. They do it every Monday morning. So yeah, the hot seat segment is kind of like the... What was that newspaper article call we liked so much back in the day?

Speaker 2:
[25:52] Speak Your Peace.

Speaker 3:
[25:53] Speak Your Peace.

Speaker 2:
[25:54] Yeah. Speak Your Peace, Shannon. You remember Speak Your Peace in the Mountain Eagle? You could just call and leave a message and whatever you said, they'd print it in the newspaper?

Speaker 1:
[26:01] You remember, I once called in and got in on Speak Your Peace.

Speaker 2:
[26:03] Speak Your Peace was a great thing. Awesome. The Mountain Eagle was what it was in in Whitesburg. That's right. Shannon, this feels like a quick question for you. Mike Vrabel, the coach of Tennessee. If you remember, there were pictures of him holding hands with a woman that wasn't his wife. That's a reporter, Diana Racini. They had interlocking fingers. They said, hey, nothing was happening here. We were each with our friends and we were hanging out at the pool. So apparently, people said, all right, where are your friends? We saw no pictures of the friends. Zero. Yesterday, even more pictures came out of them eating breakfast together and sitting close with each other. A couple of things here. First of all, Shannon, clearly, that was a private investigator, right?

Speaker 1:
[26:47] Absolutely.

Speaker 2:
[26:48] With all of those pictures, that had to be a private investigator.

Speaker 1:
[26:51] Probably hired by one of their significant others.

Speaker 2:
[26:53] You think it was hired by one of their spouses?

Speaker 1:
[26:55] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[26:56] I think that's got to be what it is.

Speaker 1:
[26:58] I do too.

Speaker 2:
[26:58] Because there's no way somebody has that many pictures zoomed in from that far away.

Speaker 1:
[27:03] Who's following around Mike Vrabel?

Speaker 2:
[27:05] And who cares? They're not famous enough to be followed around by paparazzi. That's a private investor. Totally agree.

Speaker 1:
[27:11] Yes.

Speaker 2:
[27:11] OK, so Racini resigns for her job. Mike Vrabel comes out today in a weird statement, says he's going to skip day three of the draft. Not day one and two, day three of the draft to go get counseling and to work on his marriage. So Shannon, I find that to be the most bizarre result of possible. OK, if you need counseling, why are you waiting till day three of the draft? And if you're going to get counseling on day three, why not just wait till the draft is over and go the day after Shannon? Day three of the draft is the weirdest result it could be, isn't it?

Speaker 1:
[27:53] First of all, if you're being drafted on day three, your head coach is telling you, you don't matter. And then secondly, yeah, can the guy not wait just a couple of more days? Is the urge to cheat on your wife again so strong that you can't wait till after day three of the draft? I mean, he can't wait till Sunday?

Speaker 2:
[28:07] I would understand if he'd go, I'm stepping away right now. But no, I'm going to be here for a couple of days. And then I'm going to step away.

Speaker 6:
[28:16] Got some plan for day three.

Speaker 2:
[28:18] Do you think he had a date Saturday night and he's trying to skip it? Like what is that?

Speaker 3:
[28:23] Day three is Saturday.

Speaker 2:
[28:25] That's what I'm saying. So why is he, that makes no sense to me. I've got to get counseling to work on my marriage, but it doesn't have to start till day three of the draft.

Speaker 6:
[28:35] What's going on on day three? I don't, do you have some plan?

Speaker 3:
[28:39] You know, it's like he's saying, I kind of need counseling, but I don't really need counseling. So I'm just going to do day three on a Saturday, but he's going to go do...

Speaker 2:
[28:46] So there's no doubt these two at this point, Shannon, there's no doubt they had a thing.

Speaker 1:
[28:50] Of course, you don't get counseling if you're just hanging out with friends.

Speaker 2:
[28:53] They had a thing.

Speaker 1:
[28:53] You're admitting that you have a thing by going to counseling.

Speaker 2:
[28:55] And they lied about it.

Speaker 3:
[28:56] Yes, made it worse.

Speaker 2:
[28:57] And it made it worse. They had a thing, right?

Speaker 6:
[29:00] Well, they got a date set up.

Speaker 2:
[29:02] And I hate this because Diana Rossini used to come on my radio show. Like she's never been anything but nice to me. Like on ESPN, she was on with us those first couple years. She'd be on with us every single week. So like, I like her, I got nothing against her, but they couldn't have handled this more poorly.

Speaker 1:
[29:17] No.

Speaker 2:
[29:18] Because nobody is holding fingers with someone that's not there. Like that's not, you don't do that with somebody unless you have a thing.

Speaker 1:
[29:25] You and Calipari didn't hold hands? Calipari and I never held hands.

Speaker 2:
[29:28] No. I mean, I have seen Alan Cutler and Billy Gillespie, they held fingers one time. But I mean, clearly they had a thing, right?

Speaker 3:
[29:37] There's no doubt. And obviously one of their spouses was in on it or knew their spouse was about to meet somebody in Sedona at this resort.

Speaker 2:
[29:44] Hired the private investigator.

Speaker 3:
[29:45] Hired the private investigator to follow him around.

Speaker 2:
[29:46] And it worked.

Speaker 3:
[29:47] And it worked.

Speaker 2:
[29:48] And then they sold the pictures to the New York Post.

Speaker 3:
[29:52] Wow.

Speaker 2:
[29:52] So, all right, who's up next?

Speaker 5:
[29:54] Let's go to Paul.

Speaker 2:
[29:55] Paul, go ahead, Paul.

Speaker 5:
[29:58] Hello?

Speaker 2:
[29:59] Yes, go ahead.

Speaker 5:
[30:00] Hello. Hello? Yes. So, yeah, yeah, just to make sure you heard me. I want to talk about the Barnhart situation. I don't want to comment on how they handled it. I want to speak as somebody who worked under four ADs. I did two different stints at UK Athletics under four ADs, starting with Cliff Hagen, great guy, okay? CM. Newton, great guy. Larry Ivy, good guy. Then we come to Mitch Barnhart. So when Mitch Barnhart, what he took over is a one-trick pony athletic department. UK Basketball won. The other teams were mediocre to lousy. Facilities were average to pathetic to nonexistent. What Mitch Barnhart did was borderline miraculous. He did more than the other three previous ADs combined times a thousand to build UK Athletics across the board. I've heard you talk about this, Mitch.

Speaker 2:
[31:03] Yeah, listen, hang on just a second, sir. I agree with all of that. Mitch Barnhart was a great athletic director who made University of Kentucky, I think that's right, from a one trick pony school to a school that won a national championship in volleyball, became competitive in football, good in women's basketball, good in track. I mean, you can go through the sports. No one would dispute all of that. Where my issue is, is how it ended, and specifically, how this contract happened. And those two things are not mutually exclusive. We live in this world where we seem to suggest that you either have to, when you support someone, you have to support every single thing they do, you have to ride or die no matter what. Or if you like someone, you cannot criticize them. I just refused to live in that. He was a wonderful AD, but this deal at the end stunk to high heaven and shouldn't have happened.

Speaker 5:
[32:00] Well, let me ask you this, Matt. Considering what he did, considering the millions and millions and millions of dollars that he brought in, he built the big movement.

Speaker 2:
[32:09] That was his job. He was paid for that. That was his job. That's what he was paid for while he did it. I do not believe, listen, I do not believe that at the end, if this deal was so good, sir, then why did they have to hide it? And throw, and not get approval? Why did they have to do it in a back room? Why? If it was so good, sunlight is to disinfect it, then put it out in the public, let everyone know, let the board of trustees vote on it, and then that's that.

Speaker 5:
[32:40] Okay. That's a good question, but I would like to ask you another one. Given that everything he did, does it not make perfect sense to keep him in the fold?

Speaker 2:
[32:51] To do what? We don't even know what his job is. They created a job that, at this point, they created the head of an institute that doesn't even exist. And when you ask people in the job description, they couldn't even say what it is. They were like, he's going to help create sports jobs. What does that even mean? Like that doesn't even mean anything. So and then when he was asked about it, he was like, yeah, don't worry. I'm not going to be around athletics. But then the athletic department is paying for it. What does that mean? And then they switched later and said the undergrad, the regular university was going to pay for it. But then at the same time, they're cutting money from other parts of the university. It just stunk. And so again, that doesn't mean he wasn't a great AD, but he can be a great AD and this deal can still stink. Both of those things can be true.

Speaker 5:
[33:46] Yes, I would agree. But my point is, would you not want to keep a guy who did that much and is that talented? Would you not want to keep him around and would you not, given the money he made, want to pay him a good amount of money?

Speaker 2:
[34:00] No. To answer your question, no. John Calipari was a good coach here, but if he retires, that doesn't mean you just keep him around to do a job that has nothing to do with coaching. They were going to have Mitch Pardenhart do a job that wasn't athletic department. I mean, he essentially was going to become a career counselor. Do you think career counselors deserve a million dollars a year and ten season tickets to every game?

Speaker 5:
[34:33] Well, you know, you've got details that I wasn't aware of, so I can't say that I really can't address it. Given what you're saying, it doesn't sound like it makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I was looking at it in terms of...

Speaker 2:
[34:47] That was my only point.

Speaker 5:
[34:49] Okay. Well, did I just... One more thing that I'm just wondering... The other factor is you had this guy, this booster, I can't think of his name, who kind of blew the whole thing up from my perspective, who, you know, kind of gets with a reporter. Brett Setson.

Speaker 2:
[35:05] By the way, as we're speaking, just released another article in The Herald Leader.

Speaker 5:
[35:09] He did. Well, there you go. So one final question to you. Do you think it's appropriate to have some, you know, fat wallet booster be able to come along and I think it is as appropriate. UK is going to hire.

Speaker 2:
[35:25] Here's what I would say to you. Do I think boosters should get to decide everything that happens at UK? Not at all. But do I think a person that has donated to UK has the right to publicly speak out about a contract they think is wrong? Yes, just the same way I do. I mean, if I can talk about it, and Ryan can talk about it, and Mario can talk about it, then why can't Brett Setzer talk about it? You can talk about it, sir. Everyone should get to have a voice on it.

Speaker 5:
[35:56] Matt, let me ask you this. Do you think there could have been friction between him and Mitch? I'm sure there was.

Speaker 2:
[36:02] This was a good opportunity to stick it to him. But let me tell you a general rule I have that I think applies to this. It applies to Bashir's comment. By the way, it applies to a lot of people. Don't judge people's motives because we'll never really know what they are. Judge their actions. I'm not saying anybody's motive is pure. Judge their actions. Is Brett Setzer's motive pure? I don't know. I don't know Brett. But is his argument wrong? I would argue his argument was correct.

Speaker 5:
[36:35] Well, okay. I still think. All right. Thank you, Matt.

Speaker 2:
[36:39] Appreciate the call. Does that make sense? Like did Bashir release that statement for political reasons? Yeah, probably. But is his argument wrong?

Speaker 3:
[36:48] No.

Speaker 2:
[36:52] I'll give you an example in politics. Donald Trump, I don't trust his motives on anything. But if he does something I agree with, who cares about his motives? It's that you agree with what he's doing, right? If we only judge people's motives when we don't like them, we'll just dismiss everything they do. And I don't think that's right.

Speaker 3:
[37:13] I'm okay actually with the motive of giving Mitch Barnhart some sort of a bonus for his service he made. Not that big of a bonus. And I would have had a press conference to take questions on the bonus. But I'm actually okay with giving him a little parting gift.

Speaker 2:
[37:28] Maybe.

Speaker 3:
[37:29] Not this big.

Speaker 2:
[37:30] But isn't your parting gift that you worked there for? I mean, if they want to give him a watch, that's fine.

Speaker 3:
[37:35] But why not?

Speaker 2:
[37:36] But ten tickets for life?

Speaker 3:
[37:37] Yeah, a watch and a couple tickets to the soccer game, maybe something like that.

Speaker 2:
[37:41] Hey, April is pet adoption drive days at Don Franklin. For every new vehicle sold, Ryan, Don Franklin is going to donate $50 to local Kentucky Animal Shelters.

Speaker 3:
[37:50] That's awesome.

Speaker 2:
[37:51] Don Franklin Certified Difference, 5-year parts warranty, 500,000 mile powertrain warranty. It's Don Franklin, donfranklinoutdoor.com. Also, they have boats and campers, whatever you want. donfranklinauto.com or donfranklinoutdoor.com. We'll take a break and be right back. It's KSR. Welcome back, Kentucky Sports Radio, 859-280-2287 here with the Owen County Media Group and lots of folks here. We're opening for lunch in 10 minutes. Come on in. I've got some good news for you, Ryan Lemond. I feel like this is the kind of thing that would make you and Shannon happy.

Speaker 3:
[38:28] Let's do it.

Speaker 2:
[38:29] Red Lobster has announced they're bringing back the endless shrimp.

Speaker 3:
[38:34] Let's go. Now, if I'm not mistaken though, didn't that what got them in trouble to start with?

Speaker 2:
[38:38] They lost a lot of money on the endless shrimp, so they said they're going to price it at a level that makes more sense, which means it'll be more expensive. But nevertheless, they are still bringing the ability to get endless shrimp.

Speaker 3:
[38:50] Yeah, be careful. That's what got you in trouble. You forget people, the amount of money they can consume.

Speaker 2:
[38:55] How much they can eat.

Speaker 3:
[38:56] Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[38:57] Shannon, you like endless shrimp at Red Lobster?

Speaker 1:
[39:00] I'm wondering if Manchester has a Red Lobster. I might go there tonight. That's right.

Speaker 2:
[39:04] We're going to be in London tonight. Are you excited about that? We're going to be in Manchester tomorrow.

Speaker 3:
[39:08] Right.

Speaker 2:
[39:10] Me and Shannon and Ryan and Mario are spending the night in London tonight.

Speaker 6:
[39:14] Ryan, are you going to be there?

Speaker 3:
[39:15] Ryan's still working the details out.

Speaker 2:
[39:17] All right. So me and Shannon and Mario, do you think the city of London is ready for us tonight, Shannon?

Speaker 1:
[39:22] No, it's not. We're going to tear the town up. Where are we going first is what I want to know.

Speaker 2:
[39:25] I don't know. We got to move. Where's the spot in London to go watch the draft?

Speaker 1:
[39:29] Wherever we go is going to be the spot.

Speaker 3:
[39:31] Dude, one of the best nights I've ever had with you was in London, Kentucky.

Speaker 2:
[39:33] That was a lot of fun when we did carry it with us.

Speaker 3:
[39:37] On a Thursday night and it was packed.

Speaker 2:
[39:40] We need to go. What was that? We need to go back there.

Speaker 3:
[39:41] It's called the Back Porch.

Speaker 2:
[39:42] Back Porch, Shannon, tonight. That's right.

Speaker 1:
[39:44] I'm ready for some Back Porch. Let's go.

Speaker 2:
[39:46] Back Porch.

Speaker 3:
[39:47] That was awesome.

Speaker 2:
[39:49] But yes, the Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster. I was trying to think, where are the Red Lobsters that are still open in Kentucky?

Speaker 6:
[39:55] We got one in Lexington, don't we?

Speaker 2:
[39:57] Where?

Speaker 3:
[39:58] By the mall, down here on the end of Nicholsville Road.

Speaker 2:
[40:00] So that one's still open.

Speaker 3:
[40:01] In front of Gaddy Town? Yes. Yeah.

Speaker 2:
[40:03] Is that the only one in Lexington?

Speaker 3:
[40:04] Yeah, because the one out of Hamburg ain't closed.

Speaker 2:
[40:07] Oh, the one in Hamburg closed?

Speaker 6:
[40:09] One of them is closed down.

Speaker 3:
[40:10] I think it did.

Speaker 2:
[40:11] All right. So Shannon, where are the ones in Louisville?

Speaker 1:
[40:14] There's one on Breckenridge, I think, like in St. Matthews.

Speaker 2:
[40:18] Oh yeah, I know that one.

Speaker 1:
[40:19] And then there's one, I think, on Outer Loop.

Speaker 2:
[40:23] Oh, there's one on Outer Loop? I never get out to Outer Loop.

Speaker 1:
[40:26] Over by like Jefferson Mall area?

Speaker 2:
[40:28] Oh man, Jefferson Mall. You forget that place exists.

Speaker 1:
[40:31] I think most people have.

Speaker 2:
[40:33] Is Jefferson Mall still open?

Speaker 1:
[40:34] It's hanging on by a thread.

Speaker 2:
[40:36] Wow. It's hanging by a moment here with you. All right, who's next?

Speaker 3:
[40:39] Elizabeth Town had a Red Lobster that was really popular.

Speaker 2:
[40:41] I know. That's where Cal went. Who's next? Let's go to Brad. Brad, go ahead, Brad.

Speaker 7:
[40:49] Good morning, guys. Man, I had a lot to say until that last caller called and that was tough.

Speaker 2:
[40:55] We just got a minute, so go ahead.

Speaker 7:
[40:58] Remember how John Wall's dance kind of transformed the way people came to Kentucky and the way we loved our players? Tyron Stokes and what he's doing right now, he's either going to be the most loved player that ever come to Kentucky because of this or the most hated player that didn't play for us.

Speaker 2:
[41:17] There's a lot of truth to that.

Speaker 7:
[41:18] It's exciting for all of us.

Speaker 2:
[41:20] There's a lot of truth, yeah.

Speaker 7:
[41:21] But BBN needs to kind of pick that up a little bit because obviously we want him, we just hate not knowing. Last thing, while I was on hold the advertising commercial for the Wesley Financial Group, maybe UK got into a little something they'd in Wesley to help them out of.

Speaker 2:
[41:39] I don't know. I appreciate the call. Let's just imagine for a second that Tyron Stokes were to pick Kentucky this week. Would it just be like crazy? It'd be crazy.

Speaker 3:
[41:48] Overnight, our attitude completely changes.

Speaker 2:
[41:50] It would completely change everything.

Speaker 3:
[41:54] It does.

Speaker 2:
[41:55] Overnight. We'll take a break. Restaurant's opening. Come back. Hour 2 is KSR.