Jeff Piecoro is in to host the show with Drew and they're joined by Keith Madison and Coach Jay Boulware.
Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes David Lucas June sixth through the eighth, Then catch Josh Blue June twenty and through the twenty second, and don't miss Rocky Dale Davis June twenty eighth and twenty ninth. Comedy Off Broadway opened in downtown Lexington in nineteen eighty seven, and they're still bringing the best in stand up comedy to the area thirty seven years later. Call E five nine two seven to one joke or visit Comedy Off Broadway dot com co Offway.
This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now Here's Matt Jones.
Where's Matt Jones?
Somewhere in the world. I'm not even sure, grease and that's just it.
He's somewhere in the world. I'm Jeff Picoro. So it's great to be here at KSR Bar and Drew. It's great to have somebody sitting next to me instead of be doing this flying solo. Of course, happy to be here with you, so that's cool. Look, we're gonna open this up to you guys, because we could talk about a lot of things. We do have some est today that we're gonna talk to We're gonna talk to coach Madison here just a little bit, the Hall of Fame, former baseball coach here at the University of Kentucky about the great success that UK has had this year, and what is coming up this coming weekend, and is you and we were just talking about this trying to get a ticket to this game Saturday and Sunday. This is ridiculous. Band are you can't find them?
I was up early this morning looking on secondary markets, see anything popped up. Not looking good. I'm actually considering taking a little folding chair and just sitting outside the stadium and listening if I have to. But it is it is an event that is hard to get into if you're trying. If you didn't get that first round of tickets.
I'll tell you what it is really cool. It almost gives you cold, cold chills because you think UK basketball, it's like, Okay, we're going to the NCA turmy, you know, or the SEC turm, whatever we do. That football has become okay, we're going to a bowl game. But with baseball, it's almost like this is a new thing that people here have never experienced before.
No, I mean the Park's five years old, but its first couple of years open right for cod it didn't get what it deserved. Last year it finally got that postseason. They won the region, went on. The Supers didn't go as well. But now you've tasted it a little bit, a lot of the team has had a little bit. Now you're hosting the Supers and your two wins away. I've been excited for the baseball team, the players, but the fan base has really bought in, as we're saying yet the ticket prices. It's been very cool to see over there. I set through every pitch and every rain drop all three games last weekend. Had so much fun with the fans. It's nice to see an energy over there that deserves.
You know what I like. And you could expound on this because you go to a lot of games at different places too. With the addition of being able to purchase beer, you've got now adults, college kids and adults that are able to buy, but they still have that kids feel to it because you still have that big area in the grass where they the kids are out there throwing the ball and rolling around and they can get a snow cone and ice cream and everything else, So they got something for everybody, and I think that's what really to me, kind of sells it a little bit. That makes it so nice as they do have all these areas where you can go and hang out and not feel like you're just jammed into it like you used to be at Rupperena in the upper deck, you know.
Yeah, And I'll admit I attended more games since they added the beer. You know, i'd go to the postseason whatever, but I went to a few random Tuesdays and afternoons and had a beer. And I haven't been to every game, but as far as I've seen, there have been no issues adding that to the experience, and it's just I think it's brought more people in. Like you said, overall, there's just so much they got the Food Truck Park over there. I ran into you at the Food Truck Park did Sundays. Yeah, I would encourage people to get out there, but that'd just be taking one more seat that I'm trying to get.
But dude, this is the most unbelievable fact that I found about UK Baseball. So you know, obviously they've never been do mall. Every single team in the SEC, everyone and you say, most usually would go, well, Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt was a powerhouse in baseball for years. Every team in the SEC, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missing Me, missip Me State, South Carolina, everybody's been to that. The last one is Alabama has been to the World Series five times. Kentucky's never been. Everybody in the SEC except Kentucky has been to the World Series. Think about that for a minute. You think wow, and you think about what coach Madison did, won over seven hundred games yet never made it to the World Series. That is a crazy fact that you wouldn't even think about that. In basketball, it's like they're always going, you know. If they don't, it's like the chicken little the sky's falling. But baseball's never been. That's wild to me. So we're gonna have coach Madison on. Yeah, then we're gonna have another Hall of Famer, coach bullwear that. A lot of people don't know this, Jay Bow. He was just put in a Hall of Fame, So I'll ask him about that. But we're gonna talk a little football with him, only because camps are going on now and I know you guys are big with this at KSR.
Oh.
Yeah, but a lot of people ask me all the time when I see him on the street. You know, they talk about camps. What is a football camp now? Because when I played, they didn't have that, and now they have these invities only camps and things where you're basically showing off. You're bringing all these kids that are juniors and seniors in to show off what you've got. And now Kentucky's got a lot to offer. So you're showing in the Craft Center in the practice area, and you're and you're bringing him over to the stadium and you're playing on there. So we'll talk to him about that a little bit and what he foresees for this season, obviously, and then finally at eleven o'clock we'll talk to Kenny McPeak, the trainer of of not only Mystic Dan, the derby winner that's going in the Belmont Saturday, but also Torpedo Anna, who won the Oaks and would have been going in the Belmont had he not run Mystic Dan, but she will be running today in the Acorn, which is kind of the second leg. I'm sorry, the third lady of the Phillies Triple Crown, so we'll talk to him about that. And Kenny from right here in Lesnon, Tates Creek. Yeah, we have known each other who were six years old. We lived in the same neighbor go off Tates Creek Road and went to Lansdowne and Tates Creek Junior, Tates Creek Senior and UK together. So it's yeah, I've known him since forevers. We've been in each other's wedding, so well, it's kind of cool.
Well hear how happy he was, but quickly as his friend, what was it like.
I was, because you know, I was in It's a little bit different for me than a lot of the guys that we grew up with, only because I'd done so much in horse racing. You know, the reason I went to Cincinnati wasn't for the Reds. I went to Cincinnati to started a horse racing show there that was a national show that we did out of Turfway Park, And so Kenny and I have had that side to things. That's a little bit different. But to be a friend and see what he's gone through from the days when he and Sean Greeley and Todd Boston and some of these guys that Sean Greeley's dad was the president of Keenland and he was he went and ran Dubai, you know the racetrack there. Todd Boston is one of the top blacksmiths in the in the business. They all used to Dale Romans now used to share an apartment up there in northern Kentucky at Turfoy Park. I remember back to those days. So to see him go from that and running at River Downs in three thousand dollars races to winning now he's won all three, the Derby, the Preakness and the and obviously the Belmont. You know, the next thing would be to win Breeders Cup Championship. But other than that, you know, he's none at all. So it's it's really cool, and it was, Yeah, it's pretty emotional. Then we went we went up to Baltimore with him too, and got to stay up there for three or four days. And yeah, it's just it's special when you got a friend that does something like that. You know, it would be anything if he had a friend that was an NFL player or a baseball player. It's just cool to see that side of things and to see it from the you know, behind the curtain. You know, everybody thinks Bob Bafford or Wayne Lucas or the you know, your competitors. Bafford's at his barn. They're sitting there, you know, just bsing with each other and I'm like, it's by Bafford man, and he's like hey, I's yeah, yeah, hey Bob. And then you know, the dogs running around and things, and Baffort's dogs running around and you know, and then then here comes Wayne Lucas and you're like, here comes God, you know, as he strolls down, Hello boys. And but yeah, that that's the cool part. And you know, we and I'm including you in this, we get to see behind curtain and a lot of things, you know. We get to see how the how the bread's made, or whatever however you want to say it. And that, to me is the coolest part of the job. It isn't the games. To me, it's leading up to him see how they get a horse ready to run, to see how you know, a guy takes batting practice in the cages and stuff, to see how what kind of drills guys are doing to get better. That, to me is is the cool part of what our job is. Where we get to go and see stuff that that other people just simply can't do.
Oh, we're very lucky, very very lucky.
And I never take that for granted.
I'm excited to hear from him. I don't think we've had a Derby winner on here before. We've given a lot of inaccurate Derby picks before the derby, but I think this will be Ksr's first Derby winner on the broadcast.
I've never Kenny and all the years he'd say, man, my horse has got a really nice shot, I've never heard him as positive as he was leading especially to the Oaks with with Thorpedo Anna. He said they can't beat here. I said, he told me about five weeks before the Derby is Jeff, I've got the best Philly I've ever had. My said, no, you know, Swiss skydivers the best he is. This horse can run circles around her. And I said, there's no way, and she was something else. I mean, she's she's really good. He would have ran her in the Preakness or the Belmont had Mystic Dan not running either of those. So he's not afraid. He just doesn't want them running against each other. So we'll see how he's feeling heading into the Belmont, which is yeah, yeah, they're redoing you know, just like they're doing a Keenland, but unfortunately they're doing stuff with the track as well. So this year and I think next year too, the Belmont will be run at Saratoga, so it's the same distance as a Derby, because you know, each track is a different circumference. Uh, if you run a mile and a half race at Saratoga, they'd have to start way real close to the first turn, so you don't want Tom coming right out of the gate and having to hit a turn to go all the way around. They'd have to go around twice, so it would actually be like a four turn race, and that you just don't do that because a horse isn't a horse isn't bred to know. I know, I'm going one turn or two turns, but not three year you know, it's so.
Cute, this Mario. This is more horse racing I think we've ever had.
Yeah, so it's just just because of that. So it's it's only gonna be a mile and a quarter so not the mile and a half grueling race. You know that extra quarter mile is we could just ask Ryan, you know, because he's such a great runner.
Well, when you were mentioned your friend Kenny and how you're seeing someone achieve something, have this big opportunity. I was thinking to my friend Ryan, how this summer Matt just left him with the radio show for two months. And it's kind of like when in the Derby. Ryan has this big microphone in front of him that not many people will get to have.
It's not here.
Yeah, I already took a day off, Mario. It's week two and he's already taken a day off. He's somewhere in Missouri State.
And how cool is that though, too, because you've got to see that kid grow up? Oh yeah, you know, that's the cool part.
We had an unfortunate injury last season set him back at Douglas in the receiver rotation, but he took I think he's done with basketball. I want to speak for him, but he's been working hard on getting that uh that arm back ready for football and he got his first offer at Wesleyan. And now I guess once you get that one offer, Ryan now every weekend is going to a camp to try to get more driving. That that is where they are today. While Ryan's away Josiah's off.
I want to say.
I believe he said Missouri State is where they were.
That's cool, That's that's a decent school. I mean, you know, we'll see, we'll say. Because this is the time camps right now, this is when you want to go. You get to go and you get to see, you know, all the facilities they have. Uh, you get to see the support that they have. This is this is a real important People don't realize this. This is a very important time for football because all these recruits are coming through. Kentucky's got him every day over there, and I know that Nick has been, Oh yeah, they've been over every day's shooting at all. And they're some big dudes. They had a picture yesterday, I think Nick had of some lineman from Ohio and he towered. He was talking to Vince Marrow and it looked like me talking to Vince Marrow, but the other way. This dude was four inches taller than Marrow and he was like a junior. Where are they building these kids? Man?
Yeah, as you'll get to bulwear later. This is when it's kind of it's happening in the dark over there with baseball around a lot of people didn't realize you're parking for baseball last weekend and then Reilbird's going on. But inside the football stadium there was some big moves being made with offers. We talked about Evan Hampton from Owensboro, a baseball player, getting a football offer. That was an interesting twist from the week. But this is when they're really setting the roots for the future.
Well, I'll tell you what, Why don't we take a quick break because we got to come back and talk with coach Madison about that. How's that?
Let's do it all right, Let's let's run through. Uh, let's make sure one calls us at eight five, nine to eight oh two two eight seven, Shannon. This first segment and the whole show was presented by TJ Smith KOs our personal injury lawyer.
What will what will we do?
Shanne?
Yeah, you call TJ.
He'll make them pay.
Also throughout the throughout the show, we will do the Whiskey Thief Song of the day, the Kentucky branded tweet of the day, and the Don Franklin auto call of the day. And we're gonna give away those last two Tim McGraw tickets. At some point, I just remembered that we've ever seen him before.
Uh, not a really good show. Yeah, he great show. I was. I was really really impressed. And you gotta remember, dude, it's been doing it for a long time. So he's got songs back there, you know, Indian Outlaw and all that stuff like, oh, yeah, that was here. It's pretty cool.
Oh, he's a big deal. You'll have to at some point, we'll have to come up with the contest for these last two tickets. H So we'll get those away throughout the show. We'll be back after this.
Breakcome back in. I'm Jeff Picicoro along with Drew Franklin. We are lying at KSR Bar and you guys can come join us at about forty minutes. The bar opens at eleven o'clock. And got a lot of great food here. Of course, we had a lot of great talk and the phone lines are open if you want to jump on those lines and give us a call as well. Most of you to have this written down and tattooed on your forearms from most of your callers that I hear you have. Eight five nine two eight oh two two eight seven is a number here in town locally to give us a call. But before we go to the calls, got a a dude that has I've known this guy since nineteen eighty one and he's a Hall of Famer and our first guest of the day, and that is the former coach whose number hangs out next to the American flag at Kentucky Proud Park, and that is coach Keith Madison. Coach. How are you?
I'm great? Pick how you doing, buddy.
I'm doing fantastic. Thank you so much. I want to talk baseball. But before we get into this, there's a story that you tell, and I hope you'll you'll tell the story to the people because it just shows you the respect that some of the other coaches that UK had for you. Please please, please tell us the story about Joe Hall when you were getting ready to go on a road trip and his generosity to you guys in the baseball team.
Oh I'm talking about Yeah, I think I think this the story you're talking about I think is UH. I was. I was raising money for UH to improve UH shyly feel and UH later known as Clef Hagen Stadium, and man, I had I we were putting up lights and I had I think I had to raise like two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which was enormous back then, especially for a coach and to know what he was doing. So I got I got down. I needed about fifteen thousand more dollars and I was racking my brain. I thought, man, people are going to be hating me because they they see me coming, they're going to turn turn and go the other way. And so I called Coach Hall. I said, Coach, you have any ideas about how I can come up with this last bit of money. And I said, mister Hagen's not going to let me start this project until until I come up with all this money. And he said, let me think about it. So he called you back and he they had money left over from when they originally built the Wildcat Lodge and he said, I met with I can't remember that group, but he said, I met with these guys and they think you need this money so you can finish this project. So and here's the thing, Eddie Sutton gave me the first thousand dollars in that project and then Joby Hall came up with the last fifteen thousand. Is that not cool?
That that just shows you the respect that people don't realize how much that you You guys. When I say this, I mean the coaches got you guys actually have a lot. I'm sure you got. You got to go to practice, They come to your practice, they come to the games. Things like that. There's a great bond between you guys, wasn't there.
Oh yeah, Like Coach Hall loved baseball and we would talk baseball a lot, and and I loved basketball too, and so I would get to spend a lot of time with him, and sometimes we meet over in Bill Kiteley's equipment room. Eddie Sutton was the same way. Rick Bettino was not. He wasn't. I mean, I had a good relationship with Rick, but it was a he didn't hang out in Bill Kiteney's equipment room with me.
I'll say that, oh lord, but yeah, And you know, coming from uh, from the time that you were there, the era that you were there with, as you call it, mister Hagen, who just loved baseball.
Well gave me. He gave me an opportunity as a twenty six year old baseball coach to coach at the University of Kentucky in my home state. And I'll always be thankful for that, And even though it wasn't the greatest of circumstances at the beginning, it was an opportunity. And not many twenty six year old guys get to coach at an SEC school. So I'm very thankful. And you know, back to Eddie Sutton real quick, Jeff, this is kind of cool. He would you know, the coach. Hutton was under a lot of pressure a lot of the time he was here, and sometimes he just needed an outlet. And sometimes he would call me up and he said, hey, meet me over in Kiteley's equipment room. And so I would meet him over there. It might be ten o'clock in the morning or nine o'clock in the morning, and he just wanted to talk baseball. He was a big Cardinals fan, and of course mister Kiteler was a due Reds fan, and he just wanted to and you know, he and his wife went on their honeymoon in Saint Louis at a Cardinals game. Tells you how much that guy loved, you know, love baseball. And then and then later on Tubby, you know, Tubby and I would meet over there too and had some great talk. Uh, there's so many interesting things and great stories told there in that old equipment room and Memorial Coliseum. It was just fantastic.
People don't realize what mister Kitely was like. He loved baseball. Used to come to the Reds games all the time with Luther Deaton and Tubby Smith, and I remember they would come all the time and they would come up into the TV booth and then they'd go into Marty's booth, and you talk about I don't know how Marty did a game with those guys in there most of the time, because if there were a few beers let's just say there was a few beers up there in that booth, and how Marty did the game when those guys are there, I don't know how they did it.
Hey, if anybody could do it, Marty could do it.
Though. Yeah, that's true. That's true. Hey, I do gotta ask you one question before we get onto this year's team. Are you amazed now that some of these players are making more money than you did when you coached and I'm talking college.
Yeah, yeah, I am. But you know it's a good thing. I don't you know. I I see both sides of it, you know. I hate to see college athletics change so drastically where you know, I don't want to see players loyal to money instead of University of Kentucky. I'm really naive. I'm I'm old school about stuff like that, you know. And but at the same time, coaches leave for more money all the time. And yeah, and that's uh and then and who does who does the grunt work the players do? Right? Right? Right?
Coach?
Don't get me wrong.
Yeah, yeah, I was going to say, Uh, you know, coaches work hard, don't get me wrong, But it's a different kind of work. I mean, the the players are leaving blood, sweat and tears on the fields and on the courts every day.
Coach, I think anyone that listens when you're on with Darren knows, or when you're on with Me or Dick or on the television side, knows how much you love Kentucky and Kentucky baseball. But how excited are you for this team, about what they're about to do and what they're getting ready to get into here over the next four days.
Yeah, I mean, my excitement and pride is off the charts for this group. And it's a really classy group of players. I mean, you might you might see him doing all their shenanigans in the dugout, but it's the phenomenal thing to me is that they compete. I mean they're they're they're on every pitch where they're in between the lines, They're focused, they're great competitors. And then at least when I've been around them off the field, they are absolutely great young men. Just a phenomenal group of people that have really come together. You know, some Nick recruited out of high school, some from the transfer portal. But with Knick's leadership skills and his ability to bring people together, these guys really care about each other and compete for each other as well as for themselves. So it's a special group and I'm very, very proud of them.
Coach. It's a bottom of the hour, and I got to get to a break. I appreciate you coming on, short and sweet, but I love talking to you and I can't wait to see a Saturday evening.
All right, pick, I appreciate you talking to me and we'll go cats.
Okay, thanks buddy, talk to you, so thank you. That's the Hall of Famer Keith Madison. We'll be back with more right after this. The bottom of the Hour on KSR.
TJ Smith personal injury attorney.
Call TJ. He'll make him.
Pay now more Kentucky Sports Radio present it by Stockton Mortgage.
Here's Matt Jones.
Well it's Jeff Picoro sitting in for Matt Jones. Drew and Mario here at the KSR bar and grill coming out and join us. Eleven o'clock. Got a lot of TVs here. You get all your sports, watch the memorial, the golf tournament and stuff. But uh yeah, every time I hear the TJ. Smith commercial, I just see him as the wildcat or as a cheerleader when he was at UK. I can't take the dude. Seriously. He's a great dude, great guy. Don't get on a golf course with him because he will take your money. Oh yeah he will. Maybe he just he'll take your money. He'll make you pay.
And you'll have a lot of fun as you take your money. I've tilgated with him a few times. Guy knows how to have fun. Yes, he does sponsor the show too.
Good guy all around. All right. We got a couple of callers, so why don't we go to the line Shannon, who we got?
All right?
Let's start with Mickey, Mickey, what's going on Sun.
Hey guys, first time caller, a long time listener, I want to talk a little baseball, if that's okay. Known as coach Marshall around the city, I have coached a long time and met a lot of great coaches. I wanted to let you know, Jeff, at an early age, I learned from one of the best watching and that was your father, your father, coach, the legendary Southeastern Cubs. I watched him do a play taught me two things. He was intentionally walking a kid supposedly when the pitcher threw the ball, the catcher squatted down and took strike three and struck that kid out. And it taught me that you had to one take a risk and two have a trick up your sleeve. So I just wanted to tell you that story that a lot of kids learn as a youth about the love of the game, and guys like your father taught a lot of kids. So I just wanted to make that statement to you. With baseball going on being so big this.
Weekend, well thank you so much, Vicky boy. He had dad had a great time coach, and my father played that I don't know if you knew this. He played to Ohio State. The first baseman was a guy named Frank Howard, pretty dark. Yeah, hall of famer. Second baseman was a guy by the name of John hablechik Oh Hall of famer in basketball. And my dad was the backup catcher to Johnny Edwards, who was a great reds catcher. Uh for the time. But yeah, I had some great teams up there, and dad loved coaching. And that one year, one year Mickey when that the All Star team had Norton and and uh uh gosh, I can't remember all these things, Ryan Sparks, Dusty Man. Yeah, and they lost the are you ready for this? They lost in Tampa, Florida. They would have gone to Williamsport. They lost to a team that had Gary Sheffield and Derek Bell on the same team that they lost in extra innings. Well, you know, I'm twelve years old. Yeah, yeah, so man, that's crazy. Yeah, there's some great There are some great coaches of Mickey back there in Southeastern and in South Lexington. Mike Dotson, who's a great friend of all of us. Here is a wonderful coach over to South Lexington. Coach Austin Kerns and all those guys. But you know that that's the one thing, Mickey you brought up. There were some great coaches here in the city for youth baseball and high school baseball back in the day. Trip your a coach Trip who just just passed away from Henry Clay. Uh you know Ron Cole over at Tates Creek, Barry Pointer.
I mean the.
Really good coach. Yeah, great coaches.
Yeah, yeah, we won.
Appreciate the phone call, thanks, Mickey, that was a great first call. How about that? Thanks make appreciate it.
I want to butt in with a question from the text machine because it fits in line with that. The text machine, I have a Scott Woodhall who says he knows Mickey and wants you'd explain why Creek, an alumnus from eighty to nineties, ruled the world nineteen nineteen ninetyd with all that Tates Creek over there, Well, I'll tell you, especially in baseball, we won the state championship.
My sophomore and senior year. Had some really good ball players who went on to play in college ball and stuff. But Woodall and his brother, I think Scott's daughter just won a year ago the Tommy Bell Award, which which the Rotary Club gives away for the top female scholar athlete. So I think she if I'm I don't. I can't remember his lefe. She went to Lexan Catholic with Lexi Chrishner. Maybe he was Sayir. I think it was Sair now that I'm thinking, But anyway, you know this Creaker stayed together. Man bat Well, you got to remember this too. There were only four high schools back then. Well you include Sayer in that, but Tate's Creek, Lafayete, Brian Station, Henry Clay. They only Onesto played football. Lexan Catholic didn't have a football team. They didn't start football till I think like ninety or ninety one. So, and Dunbar wasn't around yet. Frederick Douglass wasn't around yet, So it was it was real interesting. Lafayette had an unbelievable basketball team. Uh. They had five guys and I got college scholarships. Jeff Parrett was the sixth man who played ten years Major League baseball. Uh. So it was a great time to grow up in the city.
And I want to be clear. The woodhalls are licensed Catholic.
Yeah, okay, okay, okay, all right, Uh before we go to the callers, I think we got another Hall of Famer is going to join us right now from the UK football staff, Coach will Ward, how are you?
I'm doing good? How you doing?
So?
You got to tell me a little bit bit this man we got We've we've already had one Hall of Famer on now we got another. We congratulations.
I appreciate it, and I appreciate Irving Schools, Irving I f B. Which is where I grew up in Texas, for nominating me for that uh and giving me that blessing in my life. Man, it was, it was. It was nice to get back and touch friends and family who I haven't seen in a while.
Well, you're going to see a lot more now that Oklahoma and Texas or or are in the SEC, and we're going to get a chance this year.
Right Yeah, well uh yeah, we go to we go to Austin this year. But that's in Austin, not DFW.
That's true.
Yeah, we're looking forward to that trip as well too. I think our fans should be excited about that that trip as well. Uh, hit me up, DM me if y'all want to know where what place is to go eat? That's that's uh, that's home.
There's a lot of.
You just took the words right out of my mouth. The barbecue in Texas to try I love try tip and you can't get that a lot of places, but man, you can get it in Texas.
That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And then you know there's some of the legendary guys. Aaron Franklin's restaurant is there, and you got to get there super early, or you got to order it before you go to doing the town so that you can pick it up when you get there. But it's I mean, that line starts at six am, man, and they don't open to eleven.
That's awesome, that's awesome. All right, let's talk a little bit of football, and obviously you were brought in here and kind of throw it into a little bit of a tough situation because a lot of people think football games are offensive defense. But there's three teams. There's offensive defense and special teams. And when you're a great team, the difference between winning eight or nine games and ten or eleven or twelve games a lot of times comes down to special teams and you know, I'm just go throw it out there. Special teams wasn't great before you got here, but last season was phenomenal. And I'm not just trying to blow you know what up your backside, but you had the best returner in football. You had a field goal kicker that was fantastic and he's coming back this year. And the other thing that I see when I come to practice, when Tom and I go to practice and Drew, it's amazing. We used to have kicking practice at the practice was over and then they say, okay, kick a team pum return punt. That's not the way you do a coach. You guys have a period right in the middle of practice and you go after.
It, right, yes sir, yes, sir.
Yeah.
We start off every practice with the special teams period. That's where our field goal field gold and field goal blocked teams get their work. So that's so we actually start the top and then at the bottom, and then we don't have anything at the end. At the end, it's just for offense and defense and then coach stops called up. So it is a priority for us very much. So we were brought in here to to change the trajectory of where our special teams were headed. And I really feel like we did that. You know, we we climbed up from you know, c AI is the analytics, right everybody's looking at analytics. It's the book that we all talk about. Well, we we went from eighty third in the country to twentieth in the country. We were third in our league. And special teams efficiency, that's what it's all about. It's not about man. I want to go out there and see you know, for example, I read all the comments. Man, I see people talk about I want to I want I want us to punt further, and this that and the other. We messed our punter up and all this, and you know, all this type of talk. And I'm here to ask people right now, you have any idea how many big plays that we gave up last year with our same punter and eighteen rollout punts, we gave up two thirty plus yard returns, you know what I mean. And this you know this year he started for us full time. So if you do the math, you know we had sixty something punts. If I do the math, you know that's somewhere around six or seven of those bad boys just explosive returns against us. Well, that's not the way we do business. That's not the way the University Ducky is. We want to eliminate the big plays from our opposing teams. We don't want to give teams any momentum. We preached E four on our special teams. We want to have energy, we want to energize our football team, play with an edge, and we want to execute. And for the most part, you know, we did that. We had a physical mentality to us. You know, we went down to Mississippi State and you know, I'm just gonna talk about our kickoff team because our kickoff team was one of the areas that let me down toward the end of the year. Once we got a bunch of guys heard guys were talking about the transport port of the last two games of the season, and so we we we missed some of those guys, and we went on the road into Mississippi State, the number one kick return team in our conference the year before, and every one of our stops were inside the twenty yard line, every one of them, you know what I mean. And those got out did it with a physical nature.
Man.
We took that on the road and dominated a really good kick return team who a week later took one to the house against Texas A and m yep yep.
We call that the hidden yardage. You know when you talk you when you start a drive inside the twenty or up at the thirty, those you know, that's a first down. That's a whole first down that you're taking away from that team that they have to earn against our defense. Right, that's right, coach. Let me ask you this question because a lot of people I'll say, you know, you go out and get an Australian kicker, but you wanted to stay in the pocket, so to speak. What is the difference coverage wise for a punt team when you have the whatever you want to call it, Australian rollout kicker, whatever it is, and a guy that stays in it, does it change things for the for the coverage team?
Well, here's what changes things. Right, if you have a great punter. You have a great punter. He can do whatever, you know what I mean. I mean, he can roll out, he can pocket punt, he can do this, that and the other. The difference for us is when I looked at the tape on us from the year before. It's not that we don't roll out punt, because we do. We do have it in our scheme. We didn't do it last year again because for that same reason. You know, of the eighteen rollout punch that you know that we had with our punter Wilson Barry last year, two of them, had two of them with thirty plus yard returns, one of them in the Iowa game. Right, think about that. All the fans remember that I was hired already, I just wasn't part of the I just wasn't coaching yet. But I remember watching that man like man when that dude caught that ball from Iowa. Man, he had nothing but space. You know, we want to eliminate ball in hand plus grass from the punk returners. And we only had one situation last year where I felt like, you know, oh man, he kind of got out out in front of us a little bit in terms of against a great returner against Georgia, but we got blocked in the back and we were able to hold that one out. We didn't give up any thirty plus yard returns last year. Zero. And that's that efficiency thing that you're talking about, just because I can punt it further. You know what I mean with lower hang time doesn't mean that's what we should be doing. And that's what some rollout punts do for you if you're not able to put the ball in the air with their appropriate hangtime so your coverage units can run underneath it. In this league, man, when you get against some of these great return mans, you have to be consistent at ball placement, hang time, and distance. And if you're consistent with hangtime in distance which will allow your coverage units to get downfield and make that play, then you can eliminate whoever's across from you. You know, I've been in this league before, man, I mean Honey Badger, Patrick Peterson. I mean, you know, be at the cob kid here. I mean there's there's been some guys here man. I mean you give that you put the ball in their hand, plus some grass man, and it's it's over.
You know what I'm saying.
True, I got it's trouble.
You got one. You got one on your return team number seven the same way too.
Yeah yeah, berry On Brown Man, let me tell you what and and and and I don't want to take anything away from him, but I do want to speak on that whole unit as you know, as a whole right, as a collective. Man, those guys, man, do you realize the first two return mans? I think I even heard you say it on on online. He wasn't even touched. He wasn't even touched, you know what I mean? I mean, yes, that's what you said. That's what you said. Man. It's like, man, these holes that these guys are executing on that unit. That's a great unit. That's not just a great individual. Not saying that Burryon is not a great individual, because yeah, these fastest men in college football, but there's a whole bunch of teams that got fast guys all over their team and can't can't do with that what that kickoff return did team did last year? Three kickoff return teams for touchdown deven teams all time in kickoff return average is what Barry arn Brown did last year. So that's all time, you know, that's that's the history books, that's what that's what was done last year on special teams. And our guys realize that despite all the you know, you know, we got to close out the noise, any negativity. Anybody that wants to comment on what we're doing and don't really know the fabric of our room.
Man.
You should see those guys. They all come up to us all the time. Man, I'm excited to be back on special teams. I love the energy. You make it fun. You know, all those type of comments. That's when we know we're playing winning football.
Yeah, yep. I've always said you've got to want to be on special teams to be successful.
Hey, that's exactly right. I'd rather have volunteers and hostages, you know. I don't want anybody on those units man, that don't want to do it. They don't want to do it with everything that they got to represent the University of Kentucky in a first class manner, and we want to be the best in the country. I don't care who we're playing against or who you know who. That guy is back there, man, we want to drop that ball in his hands and set his butt down. That's what we're all about.
Well, coach, I know you've got camps going on and you got a scoot. I appreciate you taking a couple of minutes with us, and I'll see you soon, all right.
Yes, sir, y'all take care of appreciated.
Thanks coach coach Ja Boltware. He's a special teams coach and running backs coach. You didn't eve get to talk about chip training. But man, why do you see this guy you talk about a body? Wow, this guy is built like herschel Walker. I mean he's gonna be something else. Telling you that the portal, it looks like he is something else. All right, we got to hit a break. It's ten forty coming out and join us. We open up at eleven o'clock. Come in here. We got phones open. We'll get to those when we return. Right after this. On KSR Radio, we are back at KSR. I'm Jeff Pickoor along with Drew Franklin, Shannon, the dude in the studio running the commercials and everything. The only guy happy about the game last night, I think was Shannon, Big Boston Celtics fan. Hey, I know we have a couple of callers, Emily and Brad. I think it is online. I don't want to jipy out of any time because we're kind of up against the top of the If you hang on, we'll get to your first first thing coming out. But Shannon, I guess you're pretty excited about a win last night you won by twenty oh.
Look great, Porzingis could not be stopped. I mean he had been out for quite a while and came back in didn't miss a beat. So yeah, very happy. They're up one to oh and hopefully they could take care of business for the next game, which is again in Boston, and then we'll see where it goes from there. But the duror of the DraftKings, Yeah, he's not happy.
Not happy. Yeah, And I think there's a lot of people listening that aren't happy.
Before I'm aware, I'm not I had to cast blame on anyone else. This is on me. I made the picks and it didn't win. We lost money because of me. However, this is two games in a row, a blowout has thrown things off, and a former Cat didn't make a three pointer. There you go, Shannon, remember this moment. It is June seventh, at ten to fifty five, am. I Drew Franklin will not put former Cats hitting threes and he parleys moving forward. This is two in a row. We've lost his former cats and three pointers. Specifically, I knew better on this one. I did it anyway, hand up, This is all on me. Anyone that bet it. Do not blame PJ.
Washington.
He had nothing to do with this. This is on Drew Franklin. No more former Cats than the parley is moving forward.
I like that.
I'm not mad at you because yesterday I fully backed it.
We know we went through this leg by leg.
It looked good, it sounded good.
Got his assists by halftime. Yeah, I mean they were gonna blow by that over if they didn't put the the end of the bench in. But no excuses. Will be better next time. It's a tough loss for the parley.
So yesterday was the real deep day and then last night was we Unfortunately.
Man, I'm glad she had team one. It's not all about gann his team one. That's more important. Gambling's just fun entertainment purposes. Use Draft King, do it responsibly. But I am sorry for including a former Cat. No more moving forward, Shannon, you remember this you.
Cat something today?
We'll have something for game two. It won't have a former Cat, but it'll be on Draft Kings, crown as yours, all that good stuff. Use promo cok sor if you sign up. Did you have a team in the you got an NBA guy? You team care about Celtics or MAVs.
I was never a Celtics fan growing up, only because I love the Sixers back when Julia Servine and all those hits. And then I love the Lakers when it was Michael Cooper and Magic first got in there and stuff. I just thought they were kind of cool, you know. And then when Moses Malone and Darryl Dawkins and Irvine, I mean that that was just they were cool, and the Celtics were like, come on, man, they were just kind of square, you know, and their fans you just hate it. It was like I had all the time, I hate the Steelers because of that. They're too good at Boston was too good, so I always wanted them to get beat. So anyway, yeah, so there you go. All right, Hey, one hours of the Books. That was quick. We'll talk to Kenny mcpee coming up this hour, and you the callers too when we come back. Come on out and join us here at KSR Bar. We'd love to have you, of course. Be yep. Hour number two coming up after this