Boomo Bugg Show 040926

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the tie, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in to the world's largest tea party.

And speaking of the state of Georgia, guess who's in first place in the National League East. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Thursday to you. Yes, the Braves are playing well. They won the final game yesterday, 8-2. We'll talk a little bit about them today and tomorrow, along with several guests who will get us ready for A-Day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Saturday afternoon. Yeah. Randy Burns, Athletic Director for the City of Florence Parks and Recreation, will tell us about some big events coming to the Sportsplex starting today.

And BB is here right now to recap the National Championship game Monday and talk about a very expensive men's college basketball portal. And that's not all. Bill Benner's got it all covered there. The National Voice of the Sporting News. Bill, welcome in. Have you got one eye on talking to us, or in this case, an ear and one eye on the opening round of the Masters? Are you a Masters fan? I'll watch. I haven't got to it yet, but I'll definitely, you know, just kind of been peeking at the scoreboard, or leaderboard, rather, and then we'll try to watch some this afternoon.

But wrapping up some of the, you know, like I said, March Madness coverage, and actually have an eye toward the NFL draft, and obviously getting into college football. So it is a fun and busy time of year. So other than that, and not to mention a dozen or so, probably spring games breaking up like the daffodils this weekend. Bill, let's talk a little bit about it. The ribbon is on. I don't think anybody's shocked that Michigan is the best team in college basketball this season. And what do they do?

They keep the flags flying in the Big Ten. Bill, what's in the sauce in Big Ten country these days? Well, I mean, you know, that's getting, I don't think it was criticized, but the question about the five transfers. You know, five transfer starters. And my reaction to that was, well, you're allowed to do that now. And it wasn't to me that they had five transfers. It's the way he developed those guys, like Yaxel Lindberg, and Adey Mara, Marez Johnson, Elliott Cadeau. Elliott Cadeau was, you know, kind of left for, not dead, but let go, essentially, by North Carolina.

And he turns into the most outstanding player in the Final Four. I thought UConn did their best to hang, but we had talked about this on your show a few weeks. Michigan had looked like the best team in the country for a long time. They showed it, and it was a very dominant run through the tournament. Yeah, and you alluded to it, the transfers, Linda Borg from UAB Cadeau, as you mentioned, North Carolina. Mara, the 7'3 dude from UCLA, and Johnson from Illinois. And you touched on this in your article about the winners and losers of the national championship game.

That now is called roster building, and I know a lot of people don't like where it's going, but unfortunately, it's a fact of life. I saw a stat this morning that was amazing. In 2023, there were just 10 NCAA athletes across all sports whose NIL earnings exceeded $1 million. Today, there are over 50 earning seven figures, with some of them making upwards to $5 million annually. Bill, it's just the world we live in. And the money, like Carol was saying, the price tag on NIL is a lot in college basketball.

The number of Division I basketball athletes in the quarter is a lot. But, you know, I think it'll still be a mix moving forward. I've always said, when we talk about it on the football side, I think if you want to be successful, you're going to have to have a mix of really good recruiting, really good development. You're always going to need a couple four- or five-star recruits, more than a couple in football. And then, you know, you have to use the portal. Everybody has to use the portal.

You can't be stuck in. You just got to add the right guys and try to retain the right guys. And I still think developing guys in the NFL, that was Nick Saban's best USA this time of year, is how many Alabama guys would get drafted. And I think Ohio State kind of has that going on right now for a third-string season under Ryan Depp. Bill, to me, the recipe is very simple. Well, you hit on some of it right there, I guarantee you. You got to have a lot of people coming in from the portal who are talented.

[5:15] You got to have a coach who knows how to evaluate that talent. In other words, squeeze the most value out of every dollar. It's not just a matter of throwing money out there. You got to know how and where you're spending it. But you also got to convince the big boosters, the guys with the deep pockets that keep on writing the big checks. And I think if you listen to the Alabama fans and all the fans down here, their inbox is constantly flooded with, hey, buddy, old pal, can you give us some money?

At what point does the money dry up? And what about the Big Ten compared to the SEC? You guys, I mean, you're up there with all that big money, Bill. Are you in that club with all that big money up there in Big Ten country? Me? Me personally? No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're up there wearing a bike bridge, right? Yeah, we understand. Me personally, no. You know, I work hard and, you know, provide for my family and all that. But it's, yeah, I'm definitely not in that club where we can throw that kind of money around.

But, yeah, I think you touched on it, though. The NIL and places established schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, yeah, I mean, it's been there. And I think it will dry up everywhere, though. And that's why I think, you know, certain schools are willing to put more into it than others. It does feel like Major League Baseball, where, you know, the Yankees and the Dodgers and the Red Sox, certain teams have a lot more than others do, you know. I'm a Padres fan, and it's always been frustrating.

They actually spend money now, but it's not quite as much as the Dodgers, right? So, I think that's where we're at on some level. Bill, you can't get away. You're a San Diego fan. You live in Columbus, Ohio. Help us connect the dots here. Well, that's an easy, easy, easy, easy explanation. So, I'm a lefty. I grew up lefty. And, you know, when I was a kid, and you could watch baseball as a kid, my favorite player was Tony Glenn. So, it's not so much Padres fan that I was a Tony Glenn guy.

Okay. I'm actually looking at a Tony Glenn shirt that I own. But that's good timing. Today, he was always somebody, and at .2 with my kids, I was like, that's a loyal guy. Played 20 seasons in the same place. The Padres were, trust me, I've watched a lot of last-place Padres seasons. But, you know, he was one of my favorite athletes, still is. There were about six or seven major college basketball coaches who received a raise and an extension thanks to North Carolina. A lot of people thought they may go with Dusty May or Tommy Lloyd.

Billy Donovan was certainly a name banded about. They did get an NBA coach, but he's not Billy Donovan. Were you surprised at the final decision by North Carolina? Yeah. When you do those lists, and as you guys know, I do a lot of those coaching replacement lists over the years. It's very rare, and I'm not saying, I try to put every possible name. So when a name pops up and they hire somebody that was nowhere near that list, and I don't think he was on too many lists, that catches you by surprise.

You know, Malone, obviously, won an NBA championship. It is an experiment of sorts. It is the first time that North Carolina's broke away from a Dean Smith guy. I think that's the significant piece of this in a lot of ways. And we'll see if it works. And, again, it kind of ties to what we were talking about earlier with the money. You have to hire coaches that are used to players who are making money, coaching players who are making money. And from that standpoint, maybe it will work with Malone because North Carolina is that type of program.

Bill Bender, the National Voice of Sporting News, we alluded to it earlier. We were there in Columbus, Ohio. There's a team down the street called The Ohio State University making news this week with some waves down there in the neck of the woods. First, James Smith came out and said it. And this week, Earl Little came out and basically echoed the sentiments. Basically, I won't go through all the details, but in effect saying the culture there at Ohio State is much tougher as far as getting ready, the weight room, et cetera, than the one that they left at one point in Tuscaloosa.

I know Little went from Tuscaloosa to Florida State now to Ohio State. Smith, direct flight up to Columbus. Your reaction to these guys taking some shots, if you will, at Alabama? Well, I don't read too much into it. Most of the time when guys say something from the school they left, if they have a reason to unload, you can say something like that, that it's more competitive and all those things. But it's not like Alabama doesn't practice in the spring or lift or have an intense regimen as they get into the summer, fall camp.

[10:18] I will say this. I know Ohio State just being around the program, yeah, it's super competitive. They have a very competitive culture. It's why they produce the results that they do. But, you know, when you have players come in, and they've had a lot of Alabama players over the last few years, not just those two. I mean, Caleb Downs, the one thing about Caleb, he never really said anything negative about Alabama. You've yet to hear Julian Sayan say anything but good things about Nick Saban, for example.

He didn't really, as you guys know, he wasn't at Alabama very long, as I'm saying was, after Saban retired. So I just think that cuts both ways. I mentioned it earlier, A-Day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Saturday, Florida's got a spring game, quite a bit of these popping up now that we've got rid of the April transfer window. A lot of these games are not on, at least live TV, and it's going to take us a little while to get used to it. Anything you're looking forward to, I didn't know how many Big Ten spring games there are, three or four in the SEC.

Isn't it amazing, spring games are Saturday? They are, and it's, man, it comes up on you quick. Now, I think the importance of the spring game and how we overreact to them has changed in the last 10 years that I've done this at Sporting News because of the season so much longer. But it is fun. They're supposed to be fun to me. They're supposed to be a little tease of football. If you go day-to-day or the Ohio State spring game, you get to see some new players, look at the program, those type deals.

But I don't know that there's anything significant that will come of them other than you get to see some guys play. I don't ever remember. I was actually telling Grant last night, we were talking in the car, about Joe Burrow in the Ohio State spring game, and then he ended up transferring the next couple weeks. Bill, quickly, where can we jump online and get the latest with you, buddy? Yeah, I'm at Bill Bender92 at Sporting News. I know you've got a Masters update coming, so I'm going to go get my own, too.

Thank you, buddy. It was straight out there, my friend. Speaking of the Masters, you know, over the years, BB, we've run through all these big, long names from Timbuktu. Isn't it refreshing? The leader at the top of the board right now is one that I can handle. I'll take this one. Sam Burns, that sounds familiar. Yes, the SEC can play golf, too. He's out of LSU. Sam Burns right now. He is tied to the top with Reed. As a matter of fact, they're just getting underway.

So what is the latest as far as the complete board and the rest of the story? The latest in the opening round of the Masters. This update on the 2026 Masters is brought to you locally by Alabama Health Guidance. Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along. Which is why you should try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash free.

ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you. It finds them for you. It's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So, while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, ZipRecruiter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the haystack. See why four out of five employers who post a job in ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. ZipRecruiter, the smartest way to hire. And right now, you can try ZipRecruiter for free.

That's right, free. From the Augusta National Golf Club, Westwood One Sports presents this special report on the Masters. I'm Ted Emmerich. Defending champion Rory McIlroy kick-starting his first round before making the turn. An excellent look from seven feet for birdie at the ninth to get to two under par. Starts the ball on the right-hand side. That's dead. Look out. Rory McIlroy back-to-back. Birdies at eight and nine. He makes the turn in two under par, 34. Carl Paulson, the call on SiriusXM. McIlroy has been inaccurate off the tee, but still three birdies on that first nine.

A bogey at three, the only blemish so far. Rory is doing just fine. He's two off the lead. As he heads to the second nine, Sam Burns and Patrick Reed, the co-leaders, at four under par. You're listening to coverage of the 2026 Masters on Westwood One. This is the story of The One. As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products, from disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more.

And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe, and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. With Fidelity Wealth Management, a dedicated advisor gets to know you and your goals. To build a comprehensive plan to help grow and protect your wealth. Backed by a team of specialists, they'll analyze all your accounts, even the ones they don't manage. To keep an eye on taxes, and provide proactive portfolio insights that can help you unlock your wealth's full potential.

[15:46] Learn more at Fidelity.com slash wealth. Investment minimums apply. Fidelity Broker Services, LLC. Member NYSC SIPC. 67 degrees at Augusta National here in the first round. Still plenty of players in extra layers on the course. And we check the leaderboard. Sponsored by Grainger. Golfers lean on a go-to club. Businesses lean on Grainger. For next day delivery of industrial-grade products that help keep your operations moving forward, click grainger.com. Sam Burns and Patrick Reed share the lead right now. Both at four under, working through Amen Corner. Burns is now through 13 holes, actually.

Reed is through 11. Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, just the second player in Masters history to eagle both par fives on the first nine in the same round. The second and the eighth, Henrik Stenson, did it in 2015. Christopher Wrighton from Norway making his Masters debut at 28 years old. Three under through 14. One back, but he lands in the water at 15. Wrighton about to tumble down the leaderboard. Tommy Fleetwood a bogey moments ago. He is three under as well through 11. Nick Taylor, Akshay Batia, Xander Shoffley among those at two under.

From Augusta, I'm Ted Emmerich, Westwood One Sports. This update on the 2026 Masters has been brought to you locally by Alabama Health Guidance. Hi, this is Ike Fowler with Alabama Health Guidance. Whether you are looking for a Medicare health plan or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options, Alabama Health Guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs. Our local agents make it simple, so stop by our office at 885 Florence Boulevard or give us a call at 256-648-5710. Again, that's 256-648-5710.

Springs the season to plant, grow, and glow up. Save on gardening staples from Lowe's during Mulch Week with Stay Green Premium 2-cubic-foot mulch. Five bags for $10 and select one-pint annuals for $1. Plus, rewards members get five times the points on an eligible mulch purchase because you know how we roll. Members get more at Lowe's. Valid to $4.15, while supplies last. Selection varies by location. Excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Point boosters subject to exclusions and more terms apply. Activation required. What if your instincts could pay off? With Robin Hood Prediction Markets, you could put your sports IQ to work on the games you know best.

It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. Buy or sell your predictions all game long. Trade every play with Robin Hood. Visit RobinHood.com slash predict. That's RobinHood.com slash predict. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood Derivatives LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. No one likes having to choose. That's why with America's best lineup of hybrids from Hyundai, you get the best of both worlds.

Like the reliable and efficient Tucson hybrid with America's best warranty or the stylish yet capable Santa Fe hybrid with the power to navigate the toughest terrain. It's like having your cake and eating it too. But, you know, better. Hybrids from Hyundai. It's the best of both worlds. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. You've said it before. This will only take a second. Just a quick glance. A fast reply. But on the road, seconds don't wait for you. They decide everything. Who stops.

Who doesn't. Who makes it home. So, next time your phone lights up, ask yourself, is this distraction worth a ticket or even a life? Put the phone away or pay. Paid for by Nitzel. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. We know if the Azaleas are blooming, it's time for the Masters and also time to get busy out at the Sportsplex. Randy Burns, I think, would agree with that. He is the Athletic Director for the City of Florence Parks and Recreation.

Randy, welcome in. How are you? Doing great, guys. Thank y'all for having me all today. You're more than welcome. Good, man. You probably get a little busy here, Randy. Talk to us about it. It's that time of the year again, as we mentioned, when the Azaleas are blooming over in Augusta. It means you guys got to get busy down at the Sportsplex. What you got on the menu? Well, today we kick off the Lauderdale County Tournament, which I want to say this is our 18th year hosting.

So, one of my favorite tournaments that we do because most of our local teams, our county, Florence High School and Mars Hill, are all in the county tournament. So, it's exciting. This kicks off our tournament season. This is the first one we've had this year. So, we're looking forward to it. Great weather. You know, the last three years, it's rained for this. And so, luckily, it looks like we will have three perfect days. You've got some really good teams in here. I know Central's 26 and 4. They're number 10 in Class 4A.

[21:08] But you mentioned some of them. Lauderdale County, Morris Hill, Waterloo, Florence, Brooks, Rogers, Lansington, and Wilson. And this is a double elimination tournament. And I know a lot of parents and grandparents are going to be there. Randy, talk about the schedule today, the next couple of days. And certainly, parents, grandparents, and just spectators who want to come out and want some tremendous softball. Where can they get online or walk up to the gate and get tickets? Well, if they come to the sportsplex, they can walk up to the gate and get tickets.

I know the games are going to be played on fields five through eight, the lower softball fields that we have. Schedules. I mean, we posted some schedules. You could probably go to Florence Parks and Rec website or reach out to your school that you're part of, and they can send them to you. But it kicks off today at 2. I think there was two games at 2 o'clock today, a JV and a varsity game. And then at 3.30, I think it's four varsity games. At 5, it's JV. And then at 6.30, it is varsity games.

And then I think we'll kick off again tomorrow at 4 o'clock. Randy Burns, always rocking out of the sportsplex. He's the AD for the City of Florence Parks and Recreation. Tell you what, this is a great way because you bring in the local folks. You've got the Lauderdale County flavor there, and then you kind of broaden it out. Coming up next month, correct me if I'm wrong, but you've got the Alabama High School Athletic Association and Softball Regional out there. You've got the sportsplex, I guess, what, basically about almost a month from today.

Yes, sir. So, you know, we've got this year and one more year on our contract. So, my high school people will be here tomorrow. We've got a meeting at 10 o'clock. So, I think Tanya Peoples, who I'm pretty sure most folks know, a local person. So, she took a new position at the AHSA. And so, she'll be here tomorrow, and we're going to go over the schedule and everything for that. So, and then next week, I want to throw this out there. We've got the Florence High School Bash, which I think is like 45 teams right now.

So, that's next Friday and Saturday. So, but we look forward to all these tournaments, especially this one this week, next week, and then the High School Athletic Association one, and then also the World Series we'll have in July and August. Yeah, I was going to ask you about that in a minute. I covered the North Regional Softball Tournament for AL.com for years when they were in Huntsville. And I know Florence has won the contract for many reasons because of you and your staff and all of the people, volunteers that work under there.

Listen, there's some tremendous talent at the Sportsplex playing the next three days. And we've talked with you about this. That North Regional is the top girls' teams in North Alabama, and you're talking about SEC players. You're talking about D1 players. And, listen, they can pitch, and they can hit the ball. Unbelievable. They are. There's some amazing athletes that play softball. You know, my good friend Patrick Murphy at Alabama, they're number one right now. So, you know. That's right. And he recruits. He's got some kids that has played at the Sportsplex during the North Regional Tournament.

I know a girl from Curry. I think one from Hartzell is down there. So, yes, well, I'm telling you, if you've never seen it, you need to come and watch it. I mean, we're very fortunate. We've got a great place to host stuff like this. And we always set the attendance record every year. I think this will be our ninth or tenth year hosting this. And our ticket sales here for the High School Athletic Association has always been the top. 2,000 or more people come to this one before any other attendance.

And so, you know, I think that's another reason. You know, I think the North people, I'm not saying the South people don't, but I think the North region does a great job following their teams, whether it's softball, baseball, basketball, or football. I really believe that. Yeah, I guarantee the folks in Montgomery, they take a second look at that. I promise you that. Randy, obviously, it takes a village to put this on. Talk to us. Do you have a number in mind of how many folks it takes to orchestrate all these tournaments?

Well, I can tell you this. For the high school regional, every day when gate workers, maintenance, schoolkeepers, bookkeepers, there's about 100 people that have to be there to volunteer. We shuttle our shuttle drivers that shuttle umpires to and from fields. So it takes a lot of people, and it's close to, I feed about 100 people three meals a day during that thing because they cannot leave the park. I mean, you just can't leave a game end, and then they're going to say, where's your maintenance, guys? We've got to turn a field over.

[26:43] And, you know, so, and a lot of people don't understand that. Those guys, they might be sitting at that time because we never know when the games go in, but as soon as the game ends, they've got to flip a field in six and a half minutes and get ready for the next game. So, you know, it does. It takes a lot of people to do this. And, you know, and I appreciate everybody that volunteers. We have people from the city that are from other departments that come out and help us at the gate, maintenance people from Park and Rec, other areas, whether it be veterans, McFarland, Cox Creek, they come and help us.

So it takes a lot of people to do this. And, you know, my maintenance guys work hard during the week, getting the park, looking good. And they do a tremendous job, too. So, but it takes a lot of people. And, you know, but I think we really enjoy it. I think everybody enjoys coming. It's just a different atmosphere. And just a, you know, it's challenges. But I think we've always met them head on. And I think that's one reason we keep this tournament. And hopefully in the future, we'll keep it for a few more years.

Let me ask you before we let you go. I know you're very proud of the World Series, the Babe Ruth, Cal Ripken. You've been on their board for, I believe, 15 or 16 years. It started in 2024. Tell us about the dates. I believe it's in late July in August, eight, nine-year-olds. Something you're very proud of, the World Series coming back to Florence again. Yeah, so July the 23rd, I think softball teams will start arriving. We'll have check-in at the Marriott Conference Center this year for that. Softball teams will be here from, like, the 23rd through August the 2nd.

And then they'll depart August the 2nd. The baseball teams arrive. We'll do check-in for them. They'll start games, I want to say, on the 3rd. And they'll depart on the 10th of August. So, you know, you're looking at about 20-something days that we'll have probably anywhere from, I figure softball, I'll have 60-something teams this year since we moved the date back a week. And baseball, I think we'll have more than we've had because eight-year-old, we're doing an eight-year-old coach pitch. It's never been done before. This is the first year that we've ever had an eight-year-old coach pitch World Series.

Randy, a lot of people are proud of you for bringing this. It's incredible, the economic impact. We'll be talking with you two or three times in the next couple of months about this. But, again, congratulations on how you have grown the sportsplex to host these incredible events and bring in a lot of money economically to the shows. Buddy, great to talk to you again. Let's do this again real soon, certainly before the North Regional in mid-May. Yeah, that's fine. Thank you all for having me on.

Appreciate what y'all did. Thank you so. Hey, thank you so much, Randy. And it looks like the big thing right now, Randy hit it on the top of the interview there, great weather for three days. That itself is rare in North Alabama. What do you say we go to Michael Southern talking tide next. Stay with us. Hello, my name is Deborah Bell Passour, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passour, Medley, and Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law.

Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Do you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt or personal loans? With credit card debt at all-time highs, Debt Relief Advocates is urgently notifying consumers of debt relief now being made available, designed to aid consumers with out-of-control credit card debt. Those who qualify and enroll for this relief program will only have to pay back a fraction of what they owe.

This is not bankruptcy or a debt consolidation loan. This is a relief program that credit card companies would rather you not know about, as it ends your debt nightmare and saves you lots of money. Consumers owing at least $10,000 in credit card debt or personal loans can now take advantage of this debt relief as the cost of living skyrockets. Debt Relief Advocates has established a relief hotline for you to call to learn what debt reduction you may qualify for, so don't wait. For this free information, call the relief hotline at 800-499-6744.

800-499-6744. 800-499-6744. Debt Relief Advocates presents the Blizzard Double Flip Deal. For a limited time, when you buy one Blizzard treat, you get a second for just 99 cents. That's two Blizzards, two spoons, two flavors, and two flips. So don't miss out on the Blizzard Double Flip Deal, available only for a limited time and happening now at Debt. Because the only thing better than a Blizzard treat is a second Blizzard treat for just 99 cents. It's a deal to flip for. The Blizzard Double Flip Deal. Get it in the app.

[32:07] Participation may vary. This is Riley Green with Boot Barn, sharing a deep respect for the cowboy way. Growing up, my dad and granddad showed me what a true cowboy spirit looked like. They'd be up before dawn working with their hands. They taught me to grab the heavy end of a job and always do the right thing and shake hands like you mean it. That grit, that honesty and pride, that's what it means to be a cowboy. Riley Green and Boot Barn, proudly honoring the cowboy way.

Hey, sports fans. The ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place. The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events, ESPN shows, and originals across every ESPN network in service. And now you can check if you already have ESPN Unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional cost. Visit activate.espn.com to learn how to access your account or sign up. Then start streaming in the ESPN app. It's all of ESPN all in one place. Sign up or activate now.

I'm Boomer Esiason. My mom died from cancer. She was only 37 years old. She didn't have life insurance, and that was devastating for my family. That's why having life insurance is so important to me. Ethos makes it fast and easy. Get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. You can get up to $3 million in coverage with no medical exam. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash play. That's ethos.com slash play. Paid spokesperson. Time span on application may vary. Online health questions required.

Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. Atlanta Braves yesterday were winners in Anaheim as they beat the Angels 8-2. Eight hits in the victory for the Braves. Grant Holmes earned the victory for Atlanta. He's now 1-1. The Braves are 8-5 on the season. The Braves are off today, but they're back home tomorrow as they start a series with the Cleveland Guardians. Bryce Elder is scheduled to get the start for the Braves. He's 1-1 on the year. College baseball action tomorrow. 8th-ranked Alabama will host No. 22 Arkansas.

15th-ranked Auburn is at home tomorrow. The Tigers play host to the Kentucky Wildcats. North Alabama is on the road tomorrow as they play at Austin Peay. South Alabama is at Georgia Southern. And Troy will play at Texas State. Bundle auto and home, renters, or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. Something big is happening at Macy's. 60% off diamonds, 30-50% off the latest spring sandals and shoes, plus thousands more deals across the store. This is Macy's biggest spring sale, and these are some of the best deals of the season.

The kind where you walk out wondering, how did I get all that? Really, don't sleep on this. Macy's biggest spring sale. Today. Savings off select prices. Exclusions apply. Exclusions apply. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. You talk about busy times down the road in Tuscaloosa these days. I would imagine if it's your job to keep up with the tide, this is one of the busier weeks because it's a thing called A-Day Game on Saturday, the portal busy in the hardwoods.

Michael Southern is co-host of the Blue Collar Podcast, basketball contributor for Locked on Bama Tide, Hoops History, the Tide Machine, formerly there with Tuscaloosa News and the Gas and Tines. Michael, if you're not so busy, are you carving out time to be with us today? How are you? I told you Michael's a busy boy these days, BB. Your thoughts quickly on the portal. Right now, I think that's kind of the focus before A-Day. As far as any surprises so far to you, and I think it's important to realize that some of these guys who announced, that's not automatically, the door is not automatically shut.

Yeah, Michael is with us now, Harold. Okay. Michael Southern, again, co-host of the Blue Collar Podcast. He's busy there with Locked on Bama. Michael, welcome in. We were just joking there. You are a busy boy. How are you? I'm doing well, guys. How are you doing today? Hey, man. Hey, man. We're doing all right. Last we mentioned, you've got A-Day Game Saturday with football. But first, before we get into that, your thoughts as far as some of the misconceptions. If people don't follow college basketball like some of the other sports, yeah, you announced that you're heading to the portal, but that doesn't mean that the door can't be reopened down the road.

If you follow it every day, you know the answer to that question. But for the casual fans, it's a little bit different than some of the other sports. Yeah, no, no. That's 100% correct. I mean, just because someone says they're going to enter the portal or they actually submit the paperwork and go into the portal, that is not 100% guaranteed that the door is closed for them coming back. Now, you know, let's be honest, guys. You know, a lot of times when people say they are entering the portal, that does mean there's a tangible offer from probably another program that they're very interested in.

[37:22] So I definitely would say, like, there's no guarantee that they can't come back. But, you know, let's be realistic. There is a reason why they're jumping in the portal most of the time. Either they've got an offer from another program or maybe it was a mutual decision by both parties, but from the coaching staff and from the player that, you know, maybe both sides would benefit better with a change of scenery. So it kind of goes both ways. I appreciate you bringing it up, Michael, because a lot of folks, again, think it's all about the player.

But sometimes if I go out and I say, OK, I want player A, and they come in, we pay you a million dollars and you're either injured or you get two points a game. That's what, about a half million dollars a point there. It goes both ways, does it not? If you can expand on that. And I think you're seeing some of that with Alabama right now, as well as a lot of other schools. Well, the prime example of what you're describing is just look at what's happening at Kentucky right now.

So you have a roster that they constructed for $20 million plus and you saw the results. They went out in the round of 32. They were not competitive for an SEC championship and they really never had an identity. They paid for a lot of players that didn't fit together. They paid for players that were injured. So it was just kind of a mess. And I think they're seeing them trying to lose set. I would anticipate Kentucky spends the exact same amount again, but they are shedding or trying to shed.

I think a lot of people that entered the portal, it was mutually agreed upon, hey, you know, you're not going to get this next year if you're going to stay. And I'm not saying that about Alabama. I think people are going to surmise that maybe you might be talking about Taylor Bobo and Jalel Bethea. Don't know for a fact for that. I mean, we know the talent of Jalel Bethea has athletically, he's off the charts, but the injury putting back, he never got a chance, you know, in those fall practices or in the important non-conference schedule to really find a role in the team.

And once the SEC schedule started, it was really hard to get him in there for minutes that would help develop him. And that's a shame because you could see the athleticism with Jalel Bethea. So I wish him well. I hope he goes somewhere, gets a starting role and has a great career someplace else. Michael, I've seen about 15 potential names for Alabama that they're looking at. I know Omar Yellen, a lot of people are saying, well, you know, he may go the same route. You know, some of the players the last couple of years, LeBaron Filan, Mark Sears, put his name in the NBA draft and then maybe withdraw it at the end.

Aiden Schrell's the other one. But two names I've heard quite frequently this week, and you mentioned Kentucky. Jasper Johnson, a guard at Kentucky, didn't have the year wanted, scored about five points a game. And then Cade Phillips, John David Phillips' son at Tennessee. I believe he played 10 games, got hurt. Not a great shooter. He's a very good rim protector. Jasper Johnson and Cade Phillips, your thoughts in their chances of coming on this roster? Yeah, there's been a lot of speculation centered around those two for obvious reasons.

You have the connection with Cade Phillips. His parents played for Alabama. We know John David Phillips, former quarterback, his mother Reagan, former women's basketball player, and his uncle Brody. Jasper Johnson, Alabama was like the finalist in the recruiting for him. I would say that there's probably a good chance definitely for Cade Phillips. I think that Alabama at least is a strong contender for Jasper Johnson. But the one thing I will say is this, though. Until it's announced, you never know. Simply because if there's one thing this coaching staff has proven, when it comes to the portal, these guys are like ninjas.

You have no idea what they're doing. They work in the shadows. And they do a fantastic job of all of a sudden you'll see something from Yay Alabama or Joe Tipton that says so-and-so player X is committed to Alabama, and you're sitting there going, wow, I didn't even know Alabama had any relationship or connection to them. Because that's how they operate. I mean, they are extremely quiet. They are very cards to the vest, and they do a great job just surprising people. I suspect that there will be at least two, probably three players when it's all said and done that come to Alabama that everyone was like, I had no clue Alabama was even talking to those guys.

Because, again, they target players months in advance based on analytics, looking for players who fit the style, the profile of what their ones do, and that they can sell on the fact that if you played in our system, your productivity would be increased by 35%. That's what they did with Latrell Reitzel. That's what they did with Aaron Estrada. That's how they got those players. Michael, we've got a Masters update coming up in just a couple of minutes. Will Amari Allen be on this roster next year? Oh, man, that's a tough question because I would be very surprised if Amari does not say he's going to declare for the draft and just test the waters and then say obviously leave his options open or returning.

I mean, right now, that's a tough call. I would say it's 50-50. I mean, you know, I've seen some mock drafts where Amari Allen is projected as a lower first round. And then I haven't seen very many where he's like second round, but I've seen a few with the first round. So that's a tough call, guys, because remember, if you fall into the second round and you stay in that draft, that is not a guaranteed contract. You're subject to all kinds of things and being cut.

[42:38] And you would do much better financially by staying in college. If you have that type of talent, you will make far more than trying to be a second-round draft pick. You're exactly right. More people need to listen to your advice. Tell us real quick, Ty Dupe's history, where can we get online and get it? Yeah, just come to X. We are at Fama history, Ty Dupe's history. And, yes, still things going on right now, and we'll give as many updates as we can as we proceed down this crazy transfer portal and Alabama tries to finalize the roster.

And if you make the A-Day game Saturday, make sure you pack the sunscreen, all right, Michael? Yeah, absolutely. It's going to be like, I think, mid-80s if you get Saturday. Yes. It's going to feel like the opening weekend of the fall instead of mid-April. I guarantee you, Michael Southern will huddle with us. Coming up, it's day one of the Masters. As we mentioned earlier, Sam Burns out of LSU. Patrick Reed, top of the board at 4-under. How's that changed since the last time? The latest from the opening round of the Masters.

Right ahead, you're on 93.9 The Score. This update on the 2026 Masters is brought to you locally by Lost Pizza. From the Augusta National Golf Club, Westwood One Sports presents this special report on the Masters. I'm Ted Emmerich. Scotty Scheffler striding to the tee at hole number one. The number one player in the world has not finished in the top ten since a tie for fourth at Pebble Beach in early February. Scheffler has set the standard so high he's actually looked mortal the last couple of months. The 2022 and 2024 Masters champion playing in a group with Robert McIntyre and Gary Woodland.

Bryson DeChambeau definitely mortal at hole number 11. He needed three shots to escape the greenside bunker at 11. Ended up with a triple bogey seven. DeChambeau is three over par and seven off the lead, which belongs to Sam Burns and Patrick Reed, both at four under par in this first round as they now play the second nine. You're listening to coverage of the 2026 Masters on Westwood One. Remembering great moments in golf history, sponsored by Prevagen. Prevagen, made for your brain. The legendary Jack Nicklaus won his third green jacket at the 1966 Masters.

The Golden Bear ended the fourth round at even par, tied with Tommy Jacobs and Gabe Brewer. The 26-year-old Nicklaus shot a 70 in the extra round to become the first ever back-to-back Masters champion. With this great moment in golf history, I'm Scott Graham. Pop up the volume. Business moves fast. Orders roll in, deadlines close in. When you ship with USPS Ground Advantage, you can keep up with confidence. Every package stays in our secure network from dock to door. And with nationwide reach, dependable tracking, and upfront affordable pricing, you get built-in peace of mind.

You run the business. We run the routes. Visit usps.com slash ground advantage to learn more. It's the first round of the 90th Masters, and let's check the leaderboard. Sponsored by Prevagen. Prevagen, made for your brain. Sam Burns now has sole possession of the lead with a birdie at 15. He is five under today. Burns playing in his fifth Masters, and he's got three birdies in the last four holes at 12, 13, and now 15. Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, is one shot back, four under through 13 holes. There are three players at three under, two back.

Kurt Kitayama, who is now playing 18. Shane Lowry is through 14. And Aaron Rye, the par-three contest winner from yesterday, three birdies in the first four holes, so just getting going. Of course, remember the stat. No par-three contest winner has ever won the green jacket in the same week. A host of players at two under, including Nick Taylor, Jason Day, Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Shoffley, Rory McIlroy, last year's champion, as well as Fred Couples, now 66 years old. He birdied the first two holes. From Augusta, I'm Ted Emmerich, Westwood One Sports.

Hello, I'm Eddie Buckley. Hello, I'm Eddie Buckley, president of Certified Alarm. No matter where travels take you, Certified Alarm will help you be worry-free. Our security systems have all the latest technological features. Certified Alarm has North Alabama's only UL-listed central station. Our halo alarm transmitters give the fastest and most secure monitoring available. Certified Alarm, since 1960, keeping the Shoals secure and in touch. Call 256-383-1225 or online at certified-alarm.com. This update on the 2026 Masters has been brought to you locally by Lost Pizza. Shoals drop everything.

[47:44] This is not a drill. Lost Pizza Company Shoals is running the full cork press. The full cork press Cuban sandwich, inspired by Coach Tony Pujol. This sandwich brings championship flavor, and it's only available at Lost Pizza Company Shoals. And coming off the bench hot, our brand new buffalo chicken dip. Creamy, spicy, straight-up MVP material. Run the full cork press at Lost Pizza Company Shoals, where every bite beats the buzzer. Do you owe $10,000 or more in credit card debt or personal loans? With credit card debt at all-time highs, Debt Relief Advocates is urgently notifying consumers of debt relief now being made available, designed to aid consumers with out-of-control credit card debt.

Those who qualify and enroll for this relief program will only have to pay back a fraction of what they owe. This is not bankruptcy or a debt consolidation loan. This is a relief program that credit card companies would rather you not know about, as it ends your debt nightmare and saves you lots of money. Consumers owing at least $10,000 in credit card debt or personal loans can now take advantage of this debt relief as the cost of living skyrockets. Debt Relief Advocates has established a relief hotline for you to call to learn what debt reduction you may qualify for, so don't wait.

For this free information, call the relief hotline at 800-477-1462. 800-477-1462. 800-477-1462. My name is Christine, and I'm a widow. My husband, Ryan, was a healthy 34-year-old, and three months later, he was gone. Thankfully, he had life insurance. Ethos made it so easy. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. 100% online, no medical exam. Life insurance didn't take away the loss, but it did give us the space to just grieve. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game.

ethos.com slash game. Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. You've said it before. This will only take a second. Just a quick glance. A fast reply. But on the road, seconds don't wait for you. They decide everything. Who stops? Who doesn't? Who makes it home? So next time your phone lights up, ask yourself, is this distraction worth a ticket or even a life? Put the phone away or pay. Paid for by Netsight. Adam Schefter here. You know the feeling when a candidate just stands out?

Not just the resume, but their energy. That makes a difference. If you're hiring, you want a candidate who's passionate. But you can't get that insight from a resume unless you post your job on ZipRecruiter. Their matching technology finds qualified candidates fast. And ZipRecruiter has a new feature that shows you the most interested qualified candidates first. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash sports. That's ZipRecruiter.com slash sports. The closed primary bill is now being considered in the Alabama Senate on the last day of its legislative session.

The bill was offered by State Representative Ernie Yarbrough, and if passed by the Senate and signed by the governor, would first go into effect in January of 2027 on the other side of the midterm elections. If the state Senate passes the bill as it's written without adding any amendments, it will go directly to the governor's desk. Otherwise, it'll have to go back to the Alabama House for a concurring vote. This bill would require voters to register within one of the two state parties before they can take part in primary voting.

Any eligible voter in the state can take part in the general election and not have to disclose their party affiliation, but in order to take part in a primary election which elects the party candidates, they must be registered. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. The news cycle can be overwhelming, to say the least. Andrea Tice cuts you all the noise with the daily detail from 1819 News, Alabama and national news in just 10 to 15 minutes. What you need to know before you start your day.

Find the daily detail wherever you get your podcast. Governor Ivey says that participation in the Choose Act program here in the state has doubled for the upcoming year compared to last year. The deadline for applicants was at the end of this past March and now there are 49,000 students who want to take part in the school choice program. In the second year of the program, families who apply must have an annual income that does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level. That income threshold will be lifted by the third year of the Choose Act program.

Soon to be 93-year-old country music singer Willie Nelson is coming to Alabama to perform. He will be at the Avondale Brewing Company in Birmingham on April 22nd and the Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach on May 16th. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. You're not there, baby. Is Willie Nelson going to write a book on healthy habits to make it to age 93?

[52:54] Well, Willie's healthy habits, Harold, are not exactly healthy, but it's amazing he's 93 years young. Yeah, I think he goes to the herbal garden and quite all the stories. BB, what a difference the year makes. They say that you can't win a championship in April, but you might be able to put yourself in a position to lose it. What a difference the Braves made last year. Atrocious. And guess who's in first place right now in the National League East? Yeah, they had a four and three road trip.

They beat the Angels yesterday. You heard that game again on 93.9 yesterday afternoon, eight to two. They're going to be playing the Cleveland Indians. I know they're the Guardians, Harold, but being old school, they're still the Indians to me, Bryce Elder. The other thing the Braves lead the National League in is ERA for pitching. They're doing very well, but yes, the Braves have gotten off to a much better start. Nothing tonight for the Braves. You're on 93.9 The Score. We'll pick it back up tomorrow night against the Cleveland Indians slash Guardians.

Take your pick. Again, that's your 93.9 The Score. In the meantime, in the next hour, going to be setting the stage for a day in Tuscaloosa with Ryan Fowler, Ryan Callahan talking big orange, and Logan Fowler talking about those Auburn Tigers. It's all straight ahead. Stay with us. Baseball season is back, and there's no better place to catch every inning than Sam's Sports Grill in Florence. For 26 years, we've been bringing you quality food, consistent favorites, and service that feels like home. From wings and ribs to ice cold beers and game day specials, we've got everything you need from first pitch to final out.

Grab your crew, find your seat, and don't miss a moment of the action. Sam's Sports Grill in Florence. Make our place your place. Make the most of every lawn with Kubota commercial landscaping equipment. From the productivity-boosting Z700 mower to the reliable SVL track loader, it's a lineup built to get the job done right. Because when your reputation is on the line, you need equipment that will never let you down. Visit your local Kubota dealer today. Stop by Brown Equipment, located at 826 North Military Street in Loretto, or visit them online at brownequipmentcompany.com.

Hello, my name is Adam Burchill, and I'm an attorney with a law firm of Johnson, Passure, Medley, and Burchill. Why use an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law. Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today.

It's a daily update on Bama sports, and it's brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on Tuesdays and Thursdays on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's Crimson Drive, we'll be joined by Alabama baseball shortstop Justin LeBron. I was actually born in New York in the Bronx, but I moved to Miramar when I was about like four-ish and kind of just like started ever since there. Baseball was just something that I played on my free time.

Never really thought it would turn into this. I was always very undersized, very skinny, and just like just loved playing the game. And it wasn't until probably like my high school, like senior year, I'd say, that I kind of thought, okay, this is something that I could probably turn into a profession and really just like enjoyed the people around, enjoyed the friendships, always respected the game, and it kind of repaid me in a very good way. I was actually prior committed to Rice, decommitted, came to Alabama, just kind of came here and knew that there was an opportunity to play as a freshman and just kind of took it and ran with it.

Yeah. I'll have more in a moment. Hey, Bama fans, each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central join us live for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. This live streaming talk show features the latest on Alabama athletics with exclusive conversations with Tide student-athletes, coaches, and media members giving their perspective on the Crimson Tide. You can watch on YouTube, Facebook, and X with all conversations archived as well on the Alabama Insider Podcast. Roll Tide with Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. We've got you covered for Saturday's Golden Flake A-Day game at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Our radio coverage from Saban Field will begin at 12.30 with the kickoff coming up at 1 p.m. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Someday, self-care starts with nature-made gummy vitamins, a deep breath, and a little encouragement. Mom, I'm really nervous. Me too, honey. But we've got this. Repeat after me. I'm going to have a good day. I'm going to have a good day. I choose joy no matter what comes my way.

[58:07] I bring joy wherever I go. Quality gummy vitamins from Nature Made. The number one pharmacist-recommended vitamin and supplement brand. Based on a survey of pharmacists who recommend branded vitamins and supplements. Spring is in the air, and a leaf's long-lasting pain relief is here to keep you moving. The days are longer, and the flowers are blooming. Whether it's gardening, yard work, or just spending more time outdoors, spring has a way of getting us moving despite any body pain. That's where a leaf can keep you going. With just one dose, a leaf gives you long-lasting body pain relief for up to 12 hours.

From sunup to sundown, a leaf's got your back. Try a leaf. Use as directed for minor aches and pains. WITK Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shoals. Sports Radio 93.9 The School. Valley Broadcasting Corporation. It's a new season and a new fight. Atlanta, it's time to rise. And your 2026 Atlanta Braves are ready. Swinging in a drive to left center field. That ball, and gone! He did it again! Tomorrow night, the Braves are back in town and Truist Park will be rocking as they square up against the AL Central Cleveland Guardians in Atlanta.

Braves Radio goes on the air at 6 p.m. Central on the Braves Radio Network. Brought to you locally by The Law Firm of Johnson, Pesher, Medley & Virtual, J.C. Hammonson, First Metro Bank, Nationwide Insurance Agents Michael Doe and Bill Cochran, Medford Jewelers, Valley Credit Union, Certified Alarm, Lost Pizza, and Alabama Health Guidance. Atlanta Braves Baseball tomorrow night versus the Cleveland Guardians on 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather. Today sunny with a high around 75. Tonight clear with a low near 50. Tomorrow sunny with a high around 80. Tomorrow night mostly clear with a low near 50.

Ampere Saturday, sunny with a high around 85. Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a street ride around the Tennessee Valley.

Coming up in a short opening day at the Masters. We'll get to the very latest just moments from now. But first, what do you say we head on down to the plains and talk to Logan Fowler. He's got the Auburn Tigers covered there with 1819 News and Tailgate Auburn. Again, that's T-A-L-E Gates Auburn. Logan, welcome in. How are you? Doing very well, guys. Enjoying a little first-round coverage of the Masters. A beautiful day, so I can't complain. How are y'all? Wouldn't it be nice to go over and just have on the bucket list at some point in the season, I know it's a snob club, that the only people in the world can still charge a dollar and a half on the sandwich and still make money, so that's how much money they got.

But wouldn't it be nice, Logan, on the bucket list just to go over and just play one hole before all is said and done? Oh, that'd be a dream come true. You know, you sit there, I was listening to Jack Nichols talk about it this morning. You know, the first trip over there was in 1959. He said the drive up to Augusta never changes for him. It gets him every time. So, special place, special tournament, and, you know, I'm just, I'll enjoy from the TV, unfortunately. You know, if you've ever been by there, Logan, you'll miss it.

I remember when we was on the route to cover some football up in South Carolina and happened to go through there through Atlanta up through Augusta and up in South Carolina country and it's nondescript. I mean, if you don't know where it is, you'll drive right by because they got all these hedges and, of course, they're in a different class. They don't want you to know the sign. It's one of those if you know, you know type situations. But, Logan, let's talk a little bit of Auburn sports here by saying, well, Alabama's been, had a lot of talk about Alabama spring game, why not Auburn?

Well, the reason is Auburn won't be playing this weekend. It's next weekend to the extent that you're hearing the information. What's the latest so far in camp, Logan? Yep. Sounds like all things are going well for Alex Golesh in this first spring. You know, I think not necessarily on the field itself. There's a couple of things to, you know, take note of and that's just the returning, you know, former players, the alumni that they've had on campus, Cam Newton, you know, Derek Brown was there today, just tons of guys, you know, formerly played for Auburn and have been back on the planes and that's been something really special, not for just the players and the coaches to see, but for, you know, the fans and the Auburn faithful alike to see some of those guys get back on campus and speak so highly of Auburn.

[1:03:29] So that's one thing to note, not necessarily on the field, but on the field it seems all things are going well, rotating a lot of guys on that front line, on the offensive line, Stanton Ramil still kind of injured, working through an off-season injury and has not been in the fold. You know, 10 days through spring practice, they've, you know, rotated a lot. Joe Simmons is getting a lot of work on the left side, left tackle, seems like Derek Plass, the big transfer from Miami is just going to be too, you know, too big and too athletic to keep off the field right now.

Skinner and Cole Best from UCF seem to have a couple of those spots in the middle locked up and tons of rotation going on in the front line and then obviously Byron Brown taking control of the quarterback room but Tristan Tia seems to be, you know, stepping up as maybe that quarterback too on the offense. A lot of zip on the ball looks very athletic. Definitely can, you know, make the throws on the field, you know, anywhere on the field. You know, there's been lots of talk of Bryson Washington, the running back from Baylor coming over.

It seems like it's going to be a 1A, 1B type situation with him and Jeremiah Cobb. I would expect Jeremiah Cobb to probably carry the load for that room but you talk about a room really from, you know, 1 through 4, 1 through 5 with all the transfers that they picked up. That's a lot of production sitting there for Larry Porter's room on the offensive side of the ball. You know, if you can, I really hope that last year Jeremiah Cobb and Damari Austin when Damari was still with the team, you know, that they would split the workload evenly.

and then once they got into SEC play, you know, Hugh Freeze and that offensive staff kind of shied away from running the ball. I hope that, you know, Alex Golesh has talked heavily about how they're going to run the football and I think that he's got really two strong options in Jeremiah Cobb and Bryson Washington. It sounds like the defense, you know, they scrimmaged last week under the lights in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Defense kind of maybe won the night. You know, hearing what happened there, it sounds like Xavier Atkins is just, you know, Xavier Atkins, right?

When the lights come on, he's going to play his best. And then there's been lots of talk about Cody Sigler on the front line there, the Arkansas State transfer. So lots of, you know, lots of news coming out of camp. You know, it's going to be interesting to see what A-Day looks like. They're obviously, Alex Golesh is talking about going good on good a lot. So it'll be interesting to see what, you know, the ones versus the ones looks like next week. It's supposed to be a beautiful day, beautiful weather incoming.

So I don't know. I'm excited to see what the first A-Day looks like under Alex Golesh. Logan, another unit I've heard that has gotten a lot of compliments and praise from the coaches is the secondary. I know some of those guys are young, but they're talented of the known commodity, Rayshawn Pleasant, Blake Woodby, Eric Winters, Harris, Fegans, Sylvester Smith, and Nichol, Andre Jordan. I've heard a lot of good comments about that group so far. Yeah. Yeah, you know, you talk about the safety. I think when you look at this defense, you probably are like, okay, linebacker.

Linebacker's probably like the strongest position group on the entire roster led by Xavier Atkins and Elijah Melendez and some of those freshmen who are coming up, Bryce Diaz. But when you look at the safety room and specifically with the returnings of Caleb Harris, you're going to get Champ Anthony back hopefully for the fall. Again, like you mentioned, Eric Winters and Anquan Fegans who flashed their potential last year's true freshman. Sylvester Smith, you get Jacoby Matthews back who's a former four-star recruit a couple classes ago. That's a strong room that's returning a lot of production and obviously you get Fred Gaskin out of the portal from UCF and then you get Jack Luttrell.

You've got some guys and you've got some pieces and some talent. Tim Banks obviously is coaching the safety room and Demarcus Van Dyck has been highly spoke of for that cornerback room where you mentioned Andre Jordan stepped up. Blake Woodby has been raved about this offseason and obviously can you get Rayshawn Pleasant to step up and be the leader maybe of that room? That's going to be big but I do. I think that if this safety room takes a step up from where it did last year you know specifically I'm going to be looking for Caleb Harris to maybe take a step forward.

He was the top returning tackler on Auburn's roster last year from his freshman campaign and he didn't necessarily live up to the hype not to say he had a bad season but it just wasn't it wasn't all the way there for Caleb Harris last year. Can Tim Banks kind of unlock all that you know potential that Caleb Harris has and can he kind of serve as the leader in that room? I think that's going to be huge and then Anquan Fingins Fagans and Eric Winters coming back I think those were two huge offseason retentions I guess you could say recruiting battles for DJ Durkin and Alex Golesh to get those guys staying on campus so all in all I think that secondary is going to be good very strong and then you pair that with a disruptive front seven I like where Auburn's defense sits.

[1:09:02] Well good fella I got it all covered there at 1819 news and tailgate Auburn again T-A-L-E gate Auburn one thing about it that every AD has got in common if you're going to compete for championships you better have some deep pockets not only to retain players and coaches but also the facelifts talk to us about the Auburn Board of Trustees saying yay to 323 million total dollar upgrades to Jordan-Hare Stadium Yeah you know that was something that has been in the works since John Killing got to Auburn a couple years ago it's something that he spoke very highly about obviously they completed the video board last year so last year was the first season with the new video board in the north end zone the previous one had been there since like 1987 right so it was a bit of an eyesore but all in all this thing's going to be I believe seven stories 323 million dollars you're going to use this as you know a multi-purpose hall and ballroom game day kitchens flexible dining and concessions you're going to have suites it's going to enhance the experience in Jordan-Hare Stadium I think it's going to make the stadium as a whole look a lot better from the outside looking in you know I'm not a huge fan of where we sit in the press box now like the look from the stadium there's obviously been lots of talk about that but I think that this is going to make you know the stadium look a whole lot more complete it's obviously going to fill in the space now that the video boards left you know on the east and west side of that north video board so I think it's going to fill in the stadium a lot and all in all it's just going to enhance the game day experience for Auburn fans and then you know obviously not just athletics but you're going to get a whole lot of usage out of it for other events on campus for you know student events and such things as that so I really like the move I think that John Cohen's got some good vision and plans for the future of Auburn football and you know Alex Gold has got to do a lot of winning on the field and bring Auburn back to relevancy so that we can you know see some see some butts fill up in these in these suites and in these stadium seats in Jordan-Hare Stadium in coming years yeah Logan that's what I mentioned earlier was the amount of money Auburn can make out of community events weddings receptions dinners in the ballroom etc so yeah that should really certainly come in handy for them we'll get into more detail we've got a master's update coming up in a few minutes and particularly about basketball when the NIT of course we're beginning to find out who's going to come and who's going to go as far as the roster is concerned where can we get online and get the absolute latest football basketball recruiting I know you've got it all covered yes sir you can check me out at 1819 news and tailgate auburn you can also give me a follow on x at loganffowler logan lots on your plate but don't forget to enjoy some masters on the tube okay we'll do we'll do we'll do you guys have a good one you too boganfowler again 1819 news here's what's interesting about the masters on the opening day everybody's talking about the SEC being strong in football and basketball and baseball how about in golf right now as we mentioned that last report Sam Burns leading the way at 500 he's out of LSU he's a stroke up on Patrick Reed he's out of the University of Georgia I'm sure Bill Shanks should like that what is the latest from the masters day two we'll take you there next you're at 93.9 the score hello my name is Leslie Johnson and I'm an attorney with the law firm Johnson Passeur Medley and Birchall why call an out of town lawyer when you can call our law firm which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law check us out first by calling us at 256-766-3131 no representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers this update on the 2026 masters is brought to you locally by Alabama Health Guidance from the Augusta National Golf Club Westwood One Sports presents this special report on the masters I'm Ted Emrick the sun is shining at Augusta National haven't had a drop of rain all week and the course is fiery in the first round Patrick Reed just found out the 2018 masters champion was putting a nice round together four under through 14 Eagles at two and eight hoping for another at the par five 15th and from 265 yards in the fairway he smashed his wood twirled the club even the ball landed on the green and just kept rolling and rolling some more beyond the green and into the water beyond the tee box at 16 so Reed in a lot of trouble right now at the moment he's one shot back of Sam Burns who leads at five under only one slip up so far from the former LSU Tiger bogey at six Burns is now playing 18 you're listening to coverage of the 2026 masters on Westwood One hey doc nice office quick question if you had to choose would you give yourself a root canal or run payroll run payroll no question seriously have you run payroll before paying my team with Gusto couldn't be easier Gusto gives me unlimited payroll runs next day direct deposits and automatically files my taxes saves me time wow that's nice over here doc can I run payroll too choose payroll without the pain visit gusto.com slash radio to sign up for free working as a dedicated fidelity advisor I always ask what's important to you a look at those priorities and goals alongside your full financial picture to build a comprehensive plan designed to help grow and protect your wealth with proactive portfolio insights and an eye on taxes I'm here to help you make the most of your money I'm Laura Maxwell and I'm a dedicated fidelity advisor learn more at fidelity.com slash wealth investment minimums apply fidelity brokerage services LLC member NYSE SIPC two time masters champion Scotty Scheffler off to a great start here in the first round an eagle at two a curving left to right putt from about 15 feet there at the par five to open up his day and so Scheffler two under and three off the lead as we check the leaderboard sponsored by Gusto Gusto is online payroll and benefit software built for small businesses Sam Burns at five under playing the last Patrick Reed one back for now at four under through 14 Kurt Kitayama in the clubhouse at three under a 69 for Kitayama who had birdies late in his round at 15 and 17 Shane Lowry Jason Day Tommy Fleetwood Aaron Rye also at three under right now at two under and three back along with Scheffler Nick Taylor Xander Shoffley Rory McIlroy who is through 12 the defending champion from Augusta I'm Ted Emmerich Westwood One Sports This update on the 2026 Masters has been brought to you locally by Alabama Health Guidance Hi this is Ike Fowler with Alabama Health Guidance Whether you are looking for a Medicare health plan or you are under 65 and exploring individual health care options Alabama Health Guidance can help you find the plan that fits your needs Our local agents make it simple so stop by our office at 885 Florence Boulevard or give us a call at 256 648 5710 Again that's 256 648 5710 Rich Eisen here For small businesses every hire counts and so does your time Hiring can quickly become overwhelming from sorting applications to figuring out who's truly qualified That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro helps It streamlines the process so you can focus on connecting with the right candidates not managing the noise Hire right the first time Post your job and get $100 off towards your job post at LinkedIn.com slash Eisen That's LinkedIn.com slash Eisen Terms and conditions apply My name is Christine and I'm a widow My husband Ryan was a healthy 34 year old and three months later he was gone Thankfully he had life insurance Ethos made it so easy You can get a quote in seconds apply in minutes and get same day coverage 100% online no medical exam Life insurance didn't take away the loss but it did give get your free quote at ethos.com slash game ethos.com slash game paid spokesperson time spent on application may vary online health questions required The Score Now back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score Welcome back in from the Augusta Green to the Big Orange of Tennessee Ryan Callahan with us visit there Go Vols 24-7 Ryan welcome in how are you?

[1:18:56] Hey there doing well how are you? Hey Billy We have a question Ryan have you decided to try to join the Tennessee women's basketball team which means you would be a unique company you'd be the only one on the roster last report have things changed since last report for the Tennessee women Ryan Well they've gotten their first edition from the transfer portal to start to patch things up there and assemble a roster for next season they do still have one signee that is planning to come right now so that gives them a couple players and a lot more work to do but yeah it's been a fascinating start to the offseason definitely not a huge surprise in a sense because of the way Tennessee's season went on the women's basketball front but still just kind of shocking to see a team with such history have to go to those lengths to rebuild its roster but in a way it may be what's needed they struggled down the stretch this season just did not have the year two that they expected under Kim Caldwell and perhaps a fresh start with a lot of these players you know just completely unfamiliar to Tennessee maybe that's what this program needs because they kind of needed to hit the reset button with the way things went this past season and it clearly was not the right mix of players and personalities I think that Kim Caldwell was expecting well to your point you look at what they're where they're playing and on the court it says Pat Summit Court so that tells you right there how big women's as far as tradition is there how did it get into shape and Ryan your thoughts about Holly Rose normally not a controversial sports figure coming out and basically calling out Danny White to paraphrase in effect saying Danny helped lead to this your thoughts about that we're down here you're up there how legit are her comments and one thing we do know it's come a long way down from the heyday of Pat Summit well you know they did still make the NCAA tournament this year and they've had plenty of moments since Pat Summit where they were kind of in a similar situation just kind of a first round exit in the NCAA tournament things like that so they've been at basically the same point they're at performance wise right now in the past over the past 15 years or so so that part's not you know not unfortunately for them not a huge fall from where they've been they've not been a final four type program in several years so they've got to get back to that point but yeah to your point it's just the way that's perceived but we maybe just have to readjust the way we think about these things I mean so many programs across the country have dealt with similar things on the men's and women's sides you know just rosters are such a year-to-year thing in college basketball now so I think that's you know in some cases it might not even be a bad thing and we'll see if Tennessee is able to recover from that but it was obviously not the way they wanted to end the season and to see them have to undergo this type of roster attrition in just a very short time span not what anyone's wanting to see and you know it's a tough place to be after year two but you know after year one under Kim Caldwell everyone was thinking hey the Lady Vols are headed in the right direction there was a lot of excitement not the same feel after year two and on the same token the comments by Holly Rowe you know I think she deleted that tweet not long after probably a little bit unfair you know because it shows you there's just a no-win situation for athletic directors on one hand he got Danny White caught a lot of flack for on the baseball side maybe contributing to Tony Vitello's exit by not committing enough resources to baseball on the revenue sharing front and they thought that the thought at that time was he was favoring the women's basketball program with the division of revenue sharing now he's not devoting enough whatever to you know not doing enough to fix women's basketball situation so you got to do everything well as an athletic director and I think that statement kind of just goes to show that sometimes you're in a no-win situation in that position one thing Rick Barnes has had interesting offseason himself since the loss to Michigan Amari Evans a freshman has entered the portal or announced he was Kate Phillips John David Phillips son JP Estrella Bishop Boswell Jalen Carey Troy Henderson how many have now left the program and your thoughts on where the roster construction is for Rick Barnes yeah I forget what the total is now I think I think they're back down to five that have entered the portal because Troy Henderson announced yesterday that he was staying at Tennessee and decided not to enter the portal after initially indicating that he was going to so that Tennessee did manage to get one of those outgoing players to stay so that will help a little bit but a similar situation comparable to the Lady Vols where they're going to have a very different looking team next year not quite starting from scratch but pretty close Dwayne Brown the freshman post player from Alabama he will he will be back he's the other returning guy that contributed this year so gonna have very little to start from and we knew they were gonna have to go to the portal to find scoring help you know obviously Jacoby Gillespie on the way out Nate Amant widely expected to go to the NBA draft and and they've got to rebuild the post now essentially with with you know JP Estrella and Cade Phillips and and Jalen Carey all on the way out and obviously they lost Felix Octara as well so they need they need everything basically now it's pretty much where they're at so they're they're at least not completely starting over the way the Lady Vols were where every single returning player decided to exit the program but definitely a very similar situation and again maybe a little reminder that helps the women's basketball fans feel a little bit better knowing that Rick Barnes coming out three consecutive Elite Eight appearances has to deal with something very similar where he really doesn't know right now what is starting five going to look like at any position next year right Calhan got it all covered there go ball 24-7 Ryan talk to us about the other sport these days Tennessee football your thoughts now we're getting deeper and closer closer to the big spring affair the scrimmages are pretty much in the books for the most part what have we learned so far yeah this has been an interesting spring you know as you said kind of the other sport there for a while with the basketball attention on the Elite Eight run but but yeah people starting to come back that's coming back into focus now for fans and I think that there's now a little bit more in some places maybe some some pleasant surprise in the sense that Tennessee's defense seems to have been seems to have come along farther than you would have expected maybe and installing the defense and getting up to speed there under a new defensive coordinator in Jim Knowles it sounds like the installation of his system has gone really well to this point and there have been very few hiccups to speak of this spring but the the disappointment on a couple different fronts one that the that the quarterback competition is really a competition that there's a real chance that you could see Faison Brandon as a true freshman win that starting job because George McIntyre at least to this point has not been overly impressive this spring kind of kind of a rough start for him so far it is just spring practice it has just been a couple scrimmages so we'll see if they look better if McIntyre in particular looks better during Saturday spring game but not an ideal spring for him to this point needs to put up continue to put on some weight and just when when they're out there in team periods and in scrimmages they've he's not been consistently moving the offense they've got a couple returning receivers they really like and Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley got a lot of offensive linemen back but we're hearing reports of McIntyre holding onto the ball too long not necessarily seeing things well not processing things quickly enough we thought that year of experience in the system would give him kind of a leg up and so far that's that's not been the case and Faison Brandon has made some freshman mistakes but his talent has been hard to ignore and has become harder to ignore I think as the spring has progressed so that's a fascinating competition now and Brandon is probably been the better guy to this point and that makes things really interesting going into the spring game and then on the defensive side the biggest storyline emerging might be one that that's a guy we're not really going to get to watch possibly Saturday depending on if anything changes but Chaz Coleman that one of their star additions from the transfer portal Penn State edge rusher transfer has not been out there a lot lately it's been a been a weird spring having some you know personal or health things that he's some people in the program you know think he maybe needs to push through a little bit more he wasn't out there earlier this week we didn't get any access today to see if he was out there today but a lot of concern about that situation right now and not sure what they're going to get out of him at this point so that's a that's a less than ideal situation because Tennessee really doesn't have any proven edge rushers coming back so some good some bad and that's kind of what you expect in spring ball but a couple of the question marks Tennessee has going into the spring game are pretty big ones with Tennessee needing some edge rusher help and having a quarterback competition that's very much wide open yeah I have heard Xavier Gilliam Gilliam from who transferred from Penn State has been a stand out and I'm sure some of the Penn State who that they're familiar with the Jim Knowles system has certainly helped them I know Tennessee also picked up their sixth verbal commitment Keyshawn Bowman from Brentwood Academy very talented 2027 wide receiver a lot of accolades about him very interesting going on spring football around the corner at least the spring game the roster reconstruction recruiting Ron where can we get online to get all the great stuff from you yeah plenty to check out this week baseball and softball still in full swings a lot going on and the basketball transfer portal especially fired up this week a lot going on on that front so great time to check out govols247.com got a sale going on to coincide with the hoops transfer portal activity 60% off an annual subscription so great time to join the site and get all that coverage and much more but it'll definitely be a busy week with all that going on in addition to all the standard stuff got it all covered keep up the good work Ryan and thanks for your time today absolutely thanks a lot guys thank you Ryan Callahan govols247 speaking of Ryan Ryan Weathers busy even as we speak out of Loretto and the man from the New York Yankees against the Athletics through four very good numbers so far no runs five strikeouts no walk three hits is ERA lower to a mere three so a good start for Ryan Weathers for the New York Yankees and speaking of the Ryan Express to Tuscaloosa we go next and Ryan Fowler he's on deck stay with us hi everybody I'm hello I'm Eddie Buckley president of Certified Alarm no matter where travels take you Certified Alarm will help you be worry free our security systems have all the latest technological features Certified Alarm has North Alabama's only UL listed central station our Halo Alarm transmitters give the fastest and most secure monitoring available Certified Alarm since 1960 keeping the shoals secure and in touch call 256-383-1225 or online at Certified-Alarm.com a lot goes into taking care of your property you need equipment with more reliability and versatility built in like Kubota BX and L-Series compact tractors that get the job done right Z-Series mowers that deliver a quality cut and sidekick utility vehicles where durability meets speed visit your local Kubota dealer for a demo today stop by Brown Equipment located at 826 North Military Street in Loretto or visit them online at brownequipmentcompany.com Finding great candidates to hire can be like well trying to find a needle in a haystack sure you can post your job to some job board but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along which is why you should try ZipRecruiter for free at ziprecruiter.com slash free ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you it finds them for you it's powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job you get qualified candidates fast so while other companies might deliver a lot of hay ZipRecruiter finds you what you're looking for the needle in the haystack see why 4 out of 5 employers who post a job in ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire and right now you can try ZipRecruiter for free that's right free at ZipRecruiter dot com slash free that's ZipRecruiter dot com slash free ZipRecruiter dot com slash free ZipRecruiter you're sitting you're sitting at a red light or stuck in traffic and your phone lights up maybe it's a text a video call a new post or a quick notification you think you can check in a second it feels harmless but the truth is once your eyes leave the road you're not really driving anymore and traffic doesn't pause just because you do that split that second of distraction can throw off everything your reaction time your awareness your ability to avoid someone else's mistake you could damage your car injure yourself or hurt someone you care about or you could get pulled over for a reminder that your phone isn't worth the risk so before you start driving make it easy on yourself put your phone on silent toss it in the glove box set it to do not disturb put the phone away or pay paid for by NHTSA Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score College baseball action tomorrow 8th ranked Alabama will host number 22 Arkansas 15th ranked Auburn is at home tomorrow the Tigers play host to the Kentucky Wildcats North Alabama is on the road tomorrow as they play at Austin Peay South Alabama is at Georgia Southern and Troy will play at Texas State Atlanta Braves yesterday were winners in Anaheim as they beat the Angels 8-2 8 hits in the victory for the Braves Grant Holmes earned the victory for Atlanta he's now 1-1 the Braves are 8-5 on the season the Braves are off today but they're back home tomorrow as they start a series with the Cleveland Guardians Bryce Elder is scheduled to get the start for the Braves he's 1-1 on the year bundle auto and home renters or condo and save with Progressive I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score Staples presents that was easy so I opened a restaurant and needed everything menus signage catering brochures everything and then some I went to Staples they printed it all and even suggested takeout menus one money pit with a side of fries but now at Staples you get up to $125 off custom print orders $125 off now you're cooking brand your business in a big way at Staples that was easy shop Staples and store online or in the app by 442 unlock exclusions apply visit staples.com slash print for details Progressive's Home Quote Explorer helps you easily find and buy the right coverage for you it's everything you've always wanted well I mean you know as far as a website that lets you shop quote and buy insurance in one place but hey maybe that is everything you've always wanted you know yeah people have different types of dreams and if all you've ever been searching for is a website that helps you choose home insurance rates and coverage boy do we have great news about Progressive's Home Quote Explorer Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third party insurers comparison rates not available in all states or situations prices vary based on how you buy The Score now back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score Welcome back in afternoon to hook up with Ryan Fowler getting the latest out of Tuscaloosa before we get down there BB to the Masters we go and right now we know this there's a good chance that after the opening round an SEC golfer could be heading to the clubhouse as the top man Sam Burns now through for the day he's at five under out of LSU and he has a two-stroke lead over a host of folks including Kudayama the other one that I think is interesting is Patrick Reed BB he's also at three under two strokes off the lead he's lost a stroke down the stretch what makes this interesting is he's out of Georgia wouldn't it be something if a bulldog there in Athens and if you know the geography over there that's pretty much I guess a good what maybe two iron shot from Athens to Augusta wouldn't it be something if you grow up you play for the University of Georgia you go down the interstate and you could wrap up a green jacket at Augusta well I saw a Twitter post earlier today there were six former Georgia players in the Masters there are two from Alabama and you mentioned one from LSU I think there are two from LSU so the SEC is well represented on the leaderboard for the Masters you know who makes a good living off of this is Justin Thomas out of Alabama he may not win a lot of titles but here's the key to golf if you can get in and you can finish in the top ten you can buy some gravy man and right now Justin Thomas he's at 200 he's only three shots off and let's face it realistically how many times does the opening day leader have what it takes to finish the deal on Sunday but you've got to take this live day at a time but right now Justin Thomas is at 200 he has had a very interesting career and I would imagine Nick Saban benefits more than anybody else as far as lessons would you agree yeah he has been shown sitting chatting with Nick Saban at Alabama basketball games and giving Nick Saban some pointers as if Nick Saban needs any on any particular topic but he does with golf and Harold I think the biggest storyline for the Masters this week was no rain I cannot remember a Masters tournament in recent memory to where they did not have at least one day of rain wouldn't it be nice if whoever takes care of the yards there comes to your house would that not be nice just the backyard you don't need to do all of it just the backyard and the gutters and all that stuff I mean there's nothing wrong with that stuff over there people asking why aren't you talking about the hometown boy Stuart Sink well here's why Stuart is opting out I don't know there's all kinds of fine print there he's not playing amongst other reasons because he is making so much money on basically the senior tour I think they call it the champions tour as far as marketing he is racking up on that basically you know life is good when it's hard to fit in the Masters because I think if I'm not mistaken Stuart has won three of his last five seniors events so he's doing pretty good on that side of the ledger BB yeah he is I know he's won too and I think he finished second in another but he is tearing up the senior tour this year we're going to be trying but if he ever has a window there we'll be talking to the pride of Florence Country Club at the first opportunity but in the meantime BB we promise trying to get down to Tuscaloosa it is the Thursday before the Saturday how are you as far as the vibe coming out of camp it's been very very quiet at least from one man's perspective here relative to the past few years well it's been very quiet across the SEC and again a lot of these teams have been in the NCAA tournament I don't think that's by accident again coaches love to practice in the spring in obscurity but Harold we'll talk even more about this tomorrow about what we're looking forward to seeing for Alabama and the one thing that I've heard a lot about the first thing that I want to see again everybody wants to know about the quarterbacks I want to know about the offensive line and the defensive line has brought in a lot of power science athleticism length Terrence Green the Oregon transfer all 6'6", 330 of him Devin Tompkins from USC is a mere 6'5", 300 Jeremiah Beeman I think he's going to be playing I don't know if he's going to get much he's been out with the injury but also interesting to see how much Edrick Hill has improved Steve Eum as I call him Boa Boa and Isaiah Faga now he didn't practice yesterday but I think that's the one area and Rodney Orr had this on his tighter insider even a guy from Nebraska transfer Leslie Black which a lot of people didn't know about the Washington transfer and I know a lot of people want to see Caleb Woodson the Virginia Tech linebacker again I know LLM is a little short of experience but Luke Mance Duke Johnson Abdul Sanders I've heard a lot about but winning the line of scrimmage we haven't got into the offensive line but I want to see what these guys look like Harold on the defensive front well I want to hear the comments on Sunday morning certainly on Monday morning there's one thing you're almost guaranteed Alabama fans are not going to be happy because there is a quarterback battle if one outshines the other they're going to say oh my gosh here we go the other one's going to transfer out if they both do bad you know it's pretty predictable BB your thoughts what is realistic and are we as fans sometimes do we overreact because let's face it these coaches they can control a lot about these games the way they do the rosters the plays they call the signaling this is not a regular game they can pretty much dictate in so many ways at least a flow from unlike a regular game but your thoughts just about what can the fans realistically expect starting with the quarterback battle this weekend well they're both being black jerseys or all four of them will be and they'll be limited with what they can do but Harold I think a lot of it is decision making again this is a very talented secondary we talked a little bit earlier about Auburn's secondary Alabama's secondary I think is the best in the SEC decision making precise throwing with these two quarterbacks now Kellen DeBoer is not going to name a starting quarterback in fact he may not even do that through summer camp but I think a lot of people again for Mack Austin Mack this is his fourth year in the system he knows it very well Keylon Russell I think most people feel like well maybe Austin Mack starts the season and Keylon Russell takes over about mid-year we'll see where that goes but I think for the quarterbacks Harold again they're going to be limited no contact but again short routes decision making precise throwing making good decisions in the pocket you bring up a good point because we just got done talking with Ryan Callahan and if you missed it sometimes fans just go ahead and write in how things are going to go they were talking about George McIntyre right now is struggling for that very reason holding on the ball too long and a lack of making decisions if you have to rely on a pure freshman quarterback what kind of vibe does that give you as far as confidence going into the season BB well that's always a concern Harold but again I know these guys are very talented but they've got to have some experience and believe me there are a lot of SEC defensive coordinators in this league who are not they don't care if you've got four days or four years they're going to bring it to you but yeah I wouldn't be surprised if the Tennessee freshman does end up starting that first game for the folks who are wondering BB your thoughts back to Alabama 8-8 game give it up for the folks that come to the table as far as time and if you miss it you can catch it here on 93.9 the score yeah 12-30 we'll mention this again tomorrow the pre-game 12-30 they're going to go for two hours be through a little bit after 2 o'clock but yeah if you can't make it down you can listen to 8-day the interviews on the field and some play by play starting at 12-30 of course on 93.9 the score in the meantime same place get the latest from the Masters right ahead this update on the 2026 Masters has been brought to you locally by Lost Pizza from the Augusta National Golf Club Westwood One Sports presents this special report on the Masters I'm Ted Emmerich world number one and two making moves in this first round first Scotty Scheffler at the par 5 second this is outside the left lip as he settles his feet and takes another look Scotty strokes this out to the left down the hill to the hole turning right in and he's got it an eagle for Scotty Scheffler to jump start his Masters looking for a third Masters title John McGinnis the call on Sirius XM Scheffler two off the lead defending champion Rory McIlroy further ahead at the par 5 13th this ball barely getting on its way it's on a good line picking up some speed and he's got it McIlroy with a little fist bump gives a wave to the patrons and he is 3 under par and just 2 back Amelia Duran the call McIlroy followed with another birdie at 14 so Rory in solo second now at 4 under Sam Burns leads the way at 5 under he's in the clubhouse you're listening to coverage of the 2026 Masters on Westwood One Liberty Mutual customize this song for you like your car insurance it's custom too yeah Liberty Mutual's got the covers that could save you money thanks to Doug and Lehmu well now you can go and take that cruise this is the story of the one as a maintenance tech at a university he knows ordering from multiple suppliers takes time away from keeping their arena up and running that's why he counts on Grainger to get everything he needs from lighting and HVAC parts to plumbing supplies all in one place and with fast dependable delivery he's stocked and ready for the next tip off call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done a postcard day at Augusta national temperatures just now creeping to 70 degrees sun splashed afternoon and very little wind we check the leaderboard sponsored by Liberty Mutual Liberty Mutual customizes your auto and home insurance so you only pay for what you need a clinical 5 under 67 from Sam Burns is good for the lead right now he had only one bogey on the card at number 6 Rory McIlroy one back at 4 under 4 holes to play at 3 under Kurt Kitayama in the clubhouse with a 69 also at 3 under Jason Day now playing 18 Patrick Reed with 2 holes left Aaron Rye Ludwig Oberg and Scotty Scheffler Bryson DeChambeau 3 over through 15 8 back triple bogey at 11 without getting wet needed 3 shots to escape the bunker from Augusta I'm Ted Emmerich Westwood One Sports this update on the 2026 Masters is brought to you locally by Lost Pizza Shoals drop everything this is not a drill Lost Pizza Company Shoals is running the full court press the full court press Cuban sandwich inspired by Coach Tony Pujol this sandwich brings championship flavor and it's only available at Lost Pizza Company Shoals and coming off the bench hot our brand new buffalo chicken dip creamy spicy straight up MVP material run the full court press at Lost Pizza Company Shoals where every bite beats the buzzer DQ presents the Blizzard double flip deal for a limited time when you buy one Blizzard treat you get a second for just 99 cents that's 2 Blizzards 2 spoons 2 flavors and 2 flips so don't miss out on the Blizzard double flip deal available only for a limited time and happening now at DQ because the only thing better than a Blizzard treat is a second Blizzard treat for just 99 cents it's a deal to flip for the Blizzard double flip deal get it in the app participation may vary this is Riley Green with Boot Barn sharing a deep respect for the cowboy way growing up my dad and granddad showed me what a true cowboy your dad showed me they'd be up before dawn working with their hands they taught me to grab the heavy end of a job and always do the right thing and shake hands like you mean it that grit that honesty and pride that's what it means to be a cowboy Riley Green and Boot Barn proudly honoring the cowboy way we expect our information in real time US Med carries continuous glucose monitors which provide real-time readings of blood glucose levels US Med is an approved provider for Medicare and over 500 private insurers so call 888-665-0696 today for a free insurance and Medicare benefits check as easy as that's 888-665-0696 1819 news the Alabama House has passed a bill that would ban certain items from being covered by benefits within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program the items that would not be paid for by SNAP would include junk food candy soda and energy drinks SB 57 was offered by State Senator Arthur Orr it requires the Alabama Department of Human Resources to apply for a waiver from the US Department of Agriculture which funds the SNAP program Democrats in the Alabama House are opposed to the bill calling it terrible and calling Republicans hypocrites for wanting to take away candy from hungry people who are on the program this bill has already passed the state senate so it now heads to the governor's desk for signature 22 other states have already passed similar legislation I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this did you know that 70% of people experience a potentially traumatic event in their lifetime and that 6 out of every 100 adults face PTSD every day help us bring hope to these survivors by signing up for your Alabama distinctive PTSD awareness license plate today the great thing is you can sign up no matter when your current plate renews and the first year is complimentary all you need is your VIN number on hand drive awareness drive hope and customize your plate today at at ease.org Governor Ivey has signed a bill into law that is designed to increase safety at camps throughout the state the Sarah Marsh Heaven 27 Camp Safety Act requires staff to develop an evacuation and safety plan for a variety of natural disasters the bill is offered in honor of eight-year-old Sarah Marsh of Mountain Brook who died last year in flash flooding in Texas when she was at summer camp the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld a lower court's decision to not overturn a death sentence for Roderick Bird in the triple homicide conviction he received in 2007 Bird has been legally seeking relief from his capital murder conviction and death sentence since 2012 the death sentence against Bird is from the 2005 fatal shooting of three people at a Birmingham hotel I'm Andrea Tice for more news affecting Alabamians go to 1819news.com and while you're there subscribe to the daily newsletter The Score Welcome back again quickly in case you missed it Sam Burns of the LSU your clubhouse leader right now at the Masters he is at 500 got a couple of strokes lead over a host of folks BBR are you a big Masters fan?

[1:51:28] Well I think any casual golfer is going to tune in and particularly this weekend when they go to CBS Jim Nance who's been doing it for what now going on nearly 50 years but again it's just the it's the golf course tradition you know this is golf Super Bowl yeah and a buck and a half a minnow sandwich I think that needs a lot of talk as well BBR right now even as we speak Ryan Weathers on the mound for the New York Yankees taking on the Athletics the good news for Ryan is he's through five no runs he struck out five which is basically obviously good math there Harold and now make it six he struck out better than a batter and inning his ERA down to a mere two five seven the good news is he's giving up five hits the bad news is his Yankees they have yet to get one hit it's hard to win a ball game if your team is basically facing a no hitter BBR would you agree?

still gonna score at least one more run I think he's gonna have a tremendous year if he can just stay healthy in his catcher not hit him in the head trying to throw the ball back to him no score Yanks Athletics again no Braves game tonight here on 93.9 the score they'll pick back up again tomorrow against what is it the Cleveland what BB? the Cleveland Indians thank you very much or some will regard him as the Guardians take your pick it's gonna take care of guys for now on behalf of BB Greg James Blair the entire crew here Harold Bach thank you so much for your time today let's do it again tomorrow noon at two for the boom old bug show back here on sports radio 93.9 the score