Boomo Bugg Show 061626

[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 Story. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in. We're a big sack on the Texas Tech quarterback.

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Tuesday to you and the listeners. By the way, James, great promo with Bill with the one and only Bill Shanks. Brendan Sorensby, the debacle is finally over, Harold Bugg. The Big 12's devastating legal complaint in the middle of the night, Sunday night, turns the tide. Texas ends Alabama's baseball season with a 14-2 win, but the 2026 season was a big success for the tide. Good friend Freddie Kirby joins us now to talk some Alabama recruiting and baseball's finish to the 2026 season.

Freddie Kirby has a lot of hats in the closet. He wears them all there as regional supervisor, general manager, Southeastern Athletics Incorporated. Freddie, welcome in. How are you? Doing just fine, guys and everything. Been doing a lot of traveling here lately. They'll put one card in the grave and had to go buy another one. They'll put 5,000 miles on it in five weeks. Freddie, it's the off-season. What are you doing out there? It's June. What are you doing putting that many miles on that ride in June?

Well, we're going to do a little bit more because I'm going to drive out to Lubbock, Texas and let Cody Campbell know I am available to pick up that check that Sorsby's leaving around. But unlike Sorsby, I don't think I even got a supplemental draft. Well, we'll see what we can do on a GoFundMe basis here for you, Freddie. But your thoughts about that? I mean, obviously a lot of folks are going to say, well, they tried. They went and got Sugar Daddy to write a big check and influence the judicial system out there.

And for a cup of coffee, it worked. And finally, is it safe to say, if you took the court of public opinion as opposed to that local court, this is the right verdict. Would you agree? Oh, I think it's beyond a shadow of a doubt. The number one verdict is it should have been all along. And everything, but in my opinion, he shouldn't ever be able to play football again. And because you know the rules before you do it and everything. And all these kids want to cry foul like their life's in jeopardy and all this stuff here.

And if all you want to do is bet on the games that you're going to be playing, it ought to be your jeopardy. And so that's just the way I see it. I don't think he deserves a second chance. Somebody will give it to him. What's going to happen now to Texas Tech? And the other thing, too, is can you imagine, Freddie, if this thing had slinked through, how are you going to tell the next guy and the next guy and the next guy once they do the very same thing, apples to apples, that what they did is wrong, but what they did here is right?

In other words, if you've ever been friends with a lawyer, you know there's a word called president. And once you've said it, it's hard to go against it. Well, lawyers are about 99% of the problem involved in here a lot of times and everything. They had to pass a bar exam, which is a British approval registry. And I think it's time we got our American approval. Thank you. But it's a situation where this is all falling back, and it's going to bust a lot of schools right in the face when it's all said and done, because they're going to let you figure out going out here and having to buy your football team is not going to make you successful.

You'll win a few ballgames, but you're not going to win the big ones very often. If you don't have your program cemented in high school sports, athletes, and everything, and you have to buy them, buy them, buy them every year, eventually that money is going to run out and so is your job. Yeah. Yeah. That's right. That's exactly correct. Let me ask you about Alabama baseball before we talk recruiting. Obviously, you can't sugarcoat losing 14-2 and 9-0, but when you look at the overall season, again, Rob Vaughn brought this program back from embarrassing 2023.

They were able to reach the postseason, finish 18-12 in the regular season, had a very good run in the regional, in the super regional, and just really could not handle the big stage. But, Freddie, when you look at the overall picture of the entire season, it was a tremendous restart for Alabama baseball. Anytime you make it to Omaha, there's no such thing as a disappointment. Yeah. And, yeah, they didn't play where they wanted to, but it comes down to the fact that their arms wore out a little bit and everything.

[5:05] Those three pitchers that they went on Friday, Saturday, Sunday with got them to this destination, and he'd done this in three years. And he took over for Brendan Sorsby's agent, who decided he wanted to bet on his own team to lose in baseball and everything. And Alabama was under enough disadvantage without the lottery and all that, without him doing that and everything. But now, in three years, he's put them in the final eight, and everything. How can you not call that a successful season? Absolutely. And everything, especially when they were picked to finish, what, middle third?

Yeah. In the conference. And they won 18 games in the hardest conference that there is. And they were like, yeah, they run out against some very hot teams. And Oklahoma may be the hottest team in America right now. Yes. And everything. And the two teams they lost to may end up playing for the national championship. And, no, I think they've got to play to see who gets there. But those are two very, very strong baseball programs and everything. But Rob Vaughn has been a total 100% success at Alabama, and I think he's only going to continue to get better the more he gets more bodies in there and everything.

But it's been a great year for the team and for the university. Guarantee you, Freddie. If folks down there want to sit here and throw the barbs at him and criticism, somebody will take him yesterday, I guarantee you, in some place across the country. Freddie Kirby hooking up with us, Southeastern Athletics. Freddie, let's talk Alabama football recruiting. Very interesting situation compared to a fellow by the name of Saban back in the day. Two different animals, NIL versus Nick Saban being one of the master recruiters slash salesmen of all time.

Freddie, where are you with the things where they are right now with this class? A good combination of three stars and five stars. Well, the last two years has set this year's class up to be very small and everything. But Alabama's not your typical go out here and buy all these players and give them everything they want. If it was just natural, everyday recruiting, a bunch of sales would already be committed to Alabama. But he's taking all these schools and wanting to dish out a bunch of money and everything, which tells you that these kids are not going where they want to go, where their hearts are.

They're trying to follow the Benjamins. But it's a situation where the board of them have a system in place that's best for Alabama. They believe in bringing these kids in and investing in them and getting them where they want them, reinvest in them to show that they believe in them. Instead of going out here paying somebody else's problem, they reinvest in their own. And I think that pans out in the end because eventually when they do finally put guardrails on all this stuff, everybody else is going to go back to doing what he's doing.

He's testing in the high school kids, getting the ones he wants and everything, but he's not going to overpay to get somebody that's not worth it. And I agree 100% with him. Because right now, the eight players that he's got are very, very good at everything. They're already set at running back. They're set at quarterbacks. They're set at tight end and everything. They've got to go out here and get a couple of offensive linemen. And I think the boy from A-Rab, whose name is slipping my mind, is going to be one of them here for too long.

Willis, Fred. Yeah. And then Osani Gales appears to be going to jump on board. By him, canceling Tennessee and Notre Dame visits said a lot to me. Yeah. That it ain't all about money for him. But Alabama's taking care of him in a way. Cedric Simmons, I think, could very well possibly be the other wide receiver unless Munchon Sells does go where his heart's at. And so then you flip it over to the defensive side of the ball and everything. You've got three defensive backs that are all very, very good at everything.

If you could just let them one or two of them, you're in great shape with what you've already brought in. And then you've got to get Mitchell Turner on the defensive line and everything. And then it comes down to linebacker. And they had a young man committed that flipped to Tennessee on the weekend, who was a legacy. And Danny played for Phil Fulmer, which tells you up front, that they was looking for money and wanted to just bargain with Tennessee is all it was. And Danny was afraid he was going to lose his job.

And if I'm every school in America, I quit recruiting Brentwood Academy High School and everything. I don't let Tennessee have them. I wouldn't even bother going to recruit any of their kids because they're going to sell them to Tennessee in the end. That high school's been mentioned a lot. You're saying it's an overrated school? Well, they went out here. They brought in about eight kids from all across the United States. One of them was from Arizona that are all top-level prospects and everything. But all they're doing is making it a bargain and chill for Tennessee is all they're doing.

If I would, if I was the rest of the schools in America, I wouldn't even recruit the schools. You're wasting your time. But Alabama's got a young man from Hillcrest High School that I think they're going to take and everything. There was a teammate of Zahaw this past year, which I watched the kid play against Florence and everything. He was really, really good. And then there's this younger kid out of greater Atlanta, out of Norcross, Georgia, and everything. I love his size, his 6'4", 225. He's got bigger size and range and bigger possibilities than Simon did.

[10:29] Simon was strictly one-positioned player. This kid could play linebacker, edge, or outside. And I think he could grow into an edge because he's already 225. They say he can carry 250. And so he's a young man that I think could see jump on board as well. And then there's a situation there, and there's a kid at Louisville, Mississippi, that's a teammate of Mitchell Turner. Yeah. That's also jumped into the picture here, Coleman. And I like what I see on film of him. But these are players that Alabama's made a killing off in the past years, over the years.

People like Fernando Davis comes to mind, linebacker types. But there's one down there right now, Luke Metz, that I think is going to steal the show this coming year anyway. And so I think it don't have to be a superstar class this year. They just got to get the right pieces to fit in with what they got. I wish we had another 30 minutes left with you before we let you go. One of the reasons you've been traveling all over the country is you help families. You do a lot of the legwork as far as film work for softball.

You do pretty much all the sports, boys and girls, with Southeastern recruiting. Freddie, tell us in a couple of minutes exactly what you do for a family. Well, what I try to do is do a lot of the legwork to get you seen by college coaches because the colleges are no longer going to come find you. And somebody's got to let them know you're here. And a perfect example of that is a young lady that I took Sunday. She's already graduated. Normally I won't even take a senior at this stage of the game.

But most of my seniors have already signed. So I had room that I thought I could give some kid a chance. And I put her profile out yesterday at 1 o'clock. She's got nine hits from college coaches this morning wanting her to come visit. And she's already graduated high school. And she's one of eight kids in her family. The family couldn't afford to put her in all these big tournaments and all this stuff here. But right now she's got nine opportunities that she didn't have two days ago.

And that's what we try to do is make you visible to the college coaches, put your talent on display, and try to see if we can help your parents pay for your education and everything and make it a lot less financially straying on them. We've been here. This is our 41st year, my 41st year to do recruiting as well and everything. And right now we've had 87% of our kids sign scholarships in this company at all sports together. And I'm hitting at 98% personally. And I've had on my girls' side, I've had 1,367 girls sign scholarships.

We do the leg work. And I put a lot of miles into it. As you can tell, I'm on my fifth car in this. But it's one of those situations. When they sign that dotted line, it's worth every mile I put into it. We're located in Russell, Alabama. The home office number is 256-332-5513. My personal cell phone is 256-227-6986. And it ain't going to cost you anything to give us a chance to sit down with you. But you see the value that we can offer you and everything.

Then we can look at what package best suits you to get your kid out there. And our motto is you pay us a little. We try to save you a lot. Absolutely. Freddie, we're all men. We're slow. Could you repeat your cell number again, please? 256-227-6986. And I've got that on my side most of the time. And if I don't answer you, leave a message. I will be back with you in a very short period of time. Sounds great. Like my friend over in Fort Payne, Alabama, would say with that 98%, that's close enough to perfect for me.

Keep up the good work. And safe travels out there. Say hello to Mr. Goodwrench when you see him, okay? I will and everything, and I'll check it in the mail, right? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Keep looking for it, Freddie. Keep looking for it, okay? Freddie Kirby hooking it with us. Southeastern Athletics. Speaking of Tennessee, let's just go there next with the V-Man. Vince Rohr on deck. Stay with us. Is your business insurance tailored exactly to your individual needs? Are you getting the best coverage for your money?

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How are you? I am good, gentlemen. Not necessarily in that order, right? Like Daphne is priority, and then work and covering the balls comes after that, even though it's very enjoyable. You guys are a team, are you not, V-Man? Because you take care of Daphne, but when you go on walks, does Daphne ever bring over, say, the ladies and say, oh, what a cute puppy, and you just kind of happen to start the conversation? Does Daphne do her part in that regard? Well, you know, being that I'm single, we're kind of still, it's a work in progress.

Right. You know, we can, she can elevate her game in helping dad out in that regard. So, we're basically in training camp for that. So, hopefully we'll be ready for the start of the season here at some point soon. Yes, an extra treat if Bingo happens to be the game. V-Man, good luck with that game. Let's talk about Tennessee. We saw the other day that Alabama went and stole a prize from the state of Tennessee. And can you confirm or deny that Tennessee has come back and stolen one of their own, a legacy player by the name of Simon's back, back to Tennessee?

[21:18] Yeah, Kenneth Simon II, the son of former Tennessee players, as you alluded to, Kevin Simon. And Kevin has, I've done high school football games with Kevin. He has been one of our primary fill-ins on our morning show, Sports Talk, 5 to 8 a.m. Central Time. So, he's done, he's filled in on almost every show on our station, does game day all day stuff. So, he has been around and a friend of ours for sure. And I was, I guess I was, I wasn't too surprised that he picked Alabama because I know he had a great relationship with that coaching staff.

I was probably more surprised that he flipped to Tennessee and did so pretty quickly, exactly. He spent time in Knoxville and, you know, his teammate, Keyshawn Bowman, probably, I think, Tennessee's highest rated player that's committed right now in the 2027 class. You know, he was in town on a visit, so we spent time with him. And then, I think his little brother had a baseball tournament in town and just kind of got to, you know, really spend even more time in Knoxville and reminded him that this is where he was, you know, most comfortable.

So, it probably was that relationship initially won out and then, you know, he was swayed by being around Tennessee. I don't think this is a, oh, Tennessee just upped the NIL offer. I don't think that that is the case. I know that's the natural thought process. He didn't make an NIL decision to begin with, so that would surprise me if someone that doesn't make an NIL decision then suddenly is swayed by NIL money. You know, if you're making an original NIL, taking the highest offer, and then someone comes and brings you more money, that's the kind of player that would, to me, would make a new money decision and move to the new place.

That's not, he made it for football reasons. And I think also, you know, the coaching staff probably assured him of his role, how much they really liked him, and, you know, they had a pretty good relationship also. So, the comfort as well as, hey, they are going to prioritize me and utilize me and develop me. I think that's one of the great things, one of the things he really liked about Alabama is the development. They have a long track record of that at Alabama to the NFL.

So, I, but the key, even though fans are very critical of his dad, Kevin, because he didn't force the kid to go to Tennessee to start with, you know, a lot of those people, I'm sure, will soon send their, hey, just kidding, sorry about that, welcome back, post on social media. But he didn't, he wasn't involved in trying to steer him any one direction at the start, and he wasn't involved in steering him any one direction. I don't even think that Kevin knows kind of the, all the people that were complaining to his dad about it.

Like, it's not something that was, you know, just out there that they were, that everybody knew. So, I think, I think it was, you know, him being comfortable and being around Knoxville, and, you know, we still got a long way to get to the finish line, but it, he's a really good prospect. To tell you how good he is, he, in a game against David Gabriel Georges, who probably is the best back in the country, he had 10 solo tackles against him in a game. Like, getting that guy on the ground is nearly impossible, much less 10 solo tackles.

So, really smart, good player. So, yeah, I'm fortunate for Alabama, for sure. But, you know, he is from here, he's been with his life here, so it is a little bit more understandable. The, Kenneth Simon is one of five other players who have picked Tennessee in the last eight days. In fact, they've got six commitments. Got another kid, Q, Maury Hudson, an offensive lineman from Virginia. I picked up a North Carolina kicker, failing Dylan Haley, a Georgia defensive back from Flowery Branch, Georgia. Christian Mays, the big 6'4", 250 defensive tackle for Northeast Mississippi.

Malik Howard, a tight end. Tennessee been rolling the last week. Yeah, no doubt. And Malik Howard, I called a number of his games. Just like I called before he moved to Brentwood Academy, I called a bunch of Kenneth Simon's games. In fact, I called a number of Kenneth Simon's games with his dad as my color analyst. So, that was a crazy dynamic. No, Malik Howard is a tremendous player, and he is a catch-first, move, split-out, mismatched type of tight end. And obviously, he had big schools that were after him.

[26:28] And, you know, I thought Notre Dame would be the toughest to keep him away from, even though Tennessee's in his backyard. I thought with a track record of Notre Dame with tight ends, that that would ultimately sway him. I mean, he was one that stuck with, you know, the comfort. And, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if NIL was a factor there also. But, you know, really, really good players. So, yeah, that was a big one. And then, you know, a number of those players, like Mays and the kicker feeling, a number of those guys, they also have a long snapper.

Like, some of the services don't even have ratings on those guys. So, even though they're up to 16 commits, I don't think fans are overly enamored with where their team ratings. Like, rivals has Tennessee at 26 right now. Last I checked with 24-7, Tennessee was like in the upper 30s. So, that's not going to get it done for fans or when you're competing with everyone else in the top five, top ten in your league. So, they got more to do. And they've hosted a lot of players recently.

So, I think that could definitely continue. But you want to see them get some of those elite guys because they don't quite have that. They have a handful of four-star guys and some really good players that need positions. But there's not quite the star power just yet. V-Man got it all covered there. 99-1, the sports animal in Knoxville. It's been a while, I think, since the last time we chatted. The updated schedule is out as far as starting times. V-Man, your thoughts overall starting. Let's just cut to the chase here.

Is Tennessee ready in 81 days to take on Furman? Well, probably as ready as most of the rest of the league that has a similar first-day matchup. At least eventually they're going to get rid of Cupcake Weekend. And it was kind of a fun exercise we did on our show where we were all those flex games, as you know. We're looking at them. And then just compared them to what else was going on in the league that week. While everyone else has Cupcake Weekend, it's Lane Kiffin returning to Knoxville to take on Tennessee.

So, that's going to be one of the more intriguing matchups that weekend. So, I just can't wait. And then also, whenever you look at these kind of announcements on times and things like that, it's just another time for you to look at the schedule and say, man, this is awesome that we have nine SEC games that we've been hoping for for so long. So, you know, count down to SEC football media days. Can't wait to get down to Tampa so we can really dive in into more detail on a lot of this stuff.

But, really, you know, and then the biggest thing for Tennessee, real quick, is they have a couple of night games, one at home, already set. Last year, they had to wait for the flex to come out before, you know, if they would have a night SEC game in Neyland Stadium. And the atmosphere is too good to not have on some of those. So, they'll probably get one or two more. And that's where, you know, Tennessee's atmosphere is peak, which is similar to a lot of other amazing venues around the league.

V, I always get amused at schedules when they come out. September the 26th is Texas at 11 a.m., and it's going to be 105. November the 28th is Vandy at night when it's going to be 35. I always get amused when I first see the schedules. Great stuff, V, man. Prayers to Daphne. I know she's having some issues. God willing, you find out a little bit more on Thursday. But where can we get online and get your stuff and the teams? Yeah, I appreciate that. They did not send a questionnaire to the media on, when would you like kickoff time?

I did not get that in my e-mail or in my snail mail. But you can follow me on all the socials, at Vince Sports, V-I-N-T-E Sports. So, yeah, I appreciate the thoughts on Daphne, some neck issues, bladder, stones, all those unfortunate things. But, yeah, hopefully we get some good news at the dock on Thursday. So, thanks so much, guys. Make sure you tell Daphne we're pulling for it, okay, V-Man? I will do that. I appreciate it. We'll hug out for you. Thanks, guys. The V-Man, Vince Perron, 99.1, the sports animal in Knoxville.

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Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9, the score. In the College World Series yesterday, Alabama was knocked out as the Crimson Tide fell to Texas 14-2. Today, there are two elimination contests. Troy will play West Virginia this afternoon, and Georgia meets Texas tonight. The Bulldogs yesterday beaten by Oklahoma 4-3. The Atlanta Braves are back at home tonight at Truist Park when they take on the Giants. The Braves are 46-25. Grant Holmes will start for Atlanta. He is 4-2 with an ERA just above 4. The United States is preparing for its second matchup in the World Cup.

They will play on Friday afternoon in Seattle, and the U.S. takes on Australia. Both teams open the World Cup with a victory. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and safe with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93.9, the score. Straight Talk Wireless presents Pickup Truck Wisdom. If you're only good to your new friends, you're not going to have any old ones. Straight Talk gets it. That's why new and existing customers get free 5G phones on Verizon's 5G network. Pretty simple, really.

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[36:42] Roar. Switch and see if you could save with Progressive. And treat yourself. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in, Brett. Quick question. When's the last time you spoke with an award-winning reporter? I don't remember exactly, but I believe we're about to do it any second now. The anticipation is killing us. Let's go ahead and get to it. Ben Thomas, envelope please, may be the answer. He's got it all covered from north, south, and all points in between when it comes to the state of Alabama there at AL.com.

Ben, welcome in. Congratulations. First place, best column in the state of Alabama. Congratulations, VT. Oh, I appreciate it, guys. I felt a little sarcasm there, Harold, when you said the anticipation of killing us. No, no, no, no, no. I can't even spell sarcasm. But, yeah, I appreciate it. I mean, I guess even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then, as they say. But it's always good to be recognized, and we had a lot of good writers, a lot of good athletes recognized this weekend at the Alabama Sportswriters Convention.

Ben, and that's not, I said it sincerely because here's one of the reasons, and I say this because been there and done that, it's easy to sit here when there's a major story and you just happen to cover it better than the other guys cover the major stories. But I've always said you're great reporters, the ones who can take nothing and make something out of it. And you covered the Fruitdale High athletes, Sid Hobbs, you, of course, quarterback Phillip Rivers, what a story there, the private-public split with the High School Athletic Association, and Williamson beating Murphy 100-0.

To me, you've got to have an eye for what is a good story, and then you've got to write it to where it connects with people. And that, to me, is a sign of a good reporter. Well, I appreciate it. Yeah, that's a lot of different, varying stories that we covered in 2025. But, you know, I have a good platform. I mean, obviously, a lot of good things happen in Alabama high school sports, and that's why they're still paying me every two weeks to do it. I hope they continue to do that for a while.

We talked about this on Friday with Doug Segrist, one of the 50 legends. But we talked about the fact that we've lost four icon journalists. Some of them actually did a little radio over the years, but Harold and I knew John Pruitt very well. Philip Marshall switched over to Auburn at the end. Reuben Grant, or Minister Reuben Grant, as some people called him, or the preacher. And Mike Bolton was one of the most versatile journalists I've ever seen. He was, I guess, known more for his outdoor riding, hunting, and fishing, but he could handle any stories.

But I was pleased to see the Alabama sports writers have a special segment to honor four icons we lost in the last year. Yeah, well, Doug Segrist is an icon himself in the industry and a good friend of mine. Yeah, we did, you know, we didn't elect, we didn't even vote on a possible Hall of Fame member this year just because I felt like, well, we felt like as an executive committee that it didn't feel like, you know, putting somebody in that when we had these four legends pass away since last June.

And we were, I thought it was a really nice tribute. We invited, basically we invited some other journalists who knew these guys well to speak for a little bit on them. And so we had Kevin Scarbinsky and Ray Mellick, you know, Mark McCarter, all Hall of Famers, and then Jason Caldwell talking about Philip Marshall. And they each shared a little bit about each one. One of my favorite stories, Mike Bolton, who most people knew as the outdoors rider, but as you mentioned, could cover anything. They, he famously named his boat on assignment.

And that was, have you guys heard this story? And that was, so if somebody called, if his boss called his wife looking for him on a particular date, she could say, I'm sorry, Mike is on assignment. Right. That's good. That was a great story. And my favorite story about Reuben Grant, I've written about this before. Reuben Grant was, you know, generally one of the nicest persons, people I've ever met in, in or outside the industry. And we were covering a regional game at Jacksonville State, regional basketball game.

And Altamont was playing somebody. I forget who they were playing, but they were up, you know, about 10 or 15 points. And then in a timeout, a young man from Altamont, a player comes over, I'm sitting next to Reuben and he tells Reuben, Mr. Grant, I really admire your work, which I thought was neat. But then what he didn't think was neat was the other team then went on a massive run and ended up winning the game. So, of course, I had to needle Reuben a little bit.

[41:49] I would say, hey, Reuben, it's 10-0 since that guy admired your work. It's a 15-0 run since that guy admired your work. But I did admire Reuben's work and I admire all those guys. I got a lot of stories and learned a lot of lessons from all four of those guys. And so I just, you know, I was, as I've told you guys, I was very fortunate, blessed me to come into this industry at a time when I could still learn from Jimmy Smothers and Bill Lumpkin and all the guys we just mentioned, along with Kevin Scarbinsky and Ray Millick and so many others.

So it's been a good ride for sure. And that's the nice thing about tennis backstories, just about John Pruitt and the back story. Back in the day, there would be competitions amongst the media. And one time they had this competition. We got in for our work, was in competition with the Huntsville Times in the Putt-Putt Tournament. It's a 36-hole tournament. We were smoking them. After 18 holes, we were like bragging, you know, just throwing their chest like a rooster in the yard. The Times came back, and John never let me live that down.

So back in the day, people could get along. It was good-natured fun. I don't know where the industry is now. Do you, Ben? Well, I mean, there's still good, you know, the positive thing is there's still young writers coming into the industry. There are less of us than there used to be, obviously, because of the change in the newspaper business. For the most part, we don't get a morning newspaper every day of the week like we all grew up with. But, yeah, the times have changed.

I mean, John Pruitt, I got to know John Pruitt really well because he was best friends with Jimmy Smothers, who I worked with twice. And because they always rode to different games together, I would oftentimes get to ride with them. In fact, I came, John Pruitt and I, without Jimmy, came, drove through a snowstorm back from Indianapolis after Auburn had played in the NCAA tournament one year. Wow. But, you know, it's changed, obviously. You know, the convention itself that we have has changed, but so good to, you know, to get back with the guys that are still living and we still learn lessons from the ones that have passed as well.

Let me ask you about some of the player awards. I know a very good article that you wrote about the 10 best high school baseball players for 2026. And when you try to narrow it down to 10, that's a little bit of a challenge. Hoover's Will Adams, reigning 7A player of the year in Mr. Baseball. Hartzell's Asher Doppel. I bet we've talked about him 10 times in the last two years. I know they were honored some of the other super All-State selections besides those two. Garrett Reed, boy, that's a surprise around here from Dessler.

Still, in my opinion, the best three-sport athlete I've ever seen in North Alabama. Cameron Jenkins from Bob Jones. Brody Johnson from Westbrook Christian. Jonah Inman from Coleman. And BT, to try to narrow it down to 10, I'm going to guess, was a challenge. Yeah, that's a pretty good list, isn't it? Yep. A lot of seniors on that list, obviously. We named Mr. Baseball on Sunday night. It was the guy you mentioned, I believe. Yeah, Will Adams. From Hoover, who is signed and committed to play baseball at LSU, but likely will be a first or second round draft pick and may never make it to LSU.

A lot of good players on that list. It was hard to narrow it down. The All-State team came out, I think, Saturday. And then we announced Mr. Baseball and the Super All-State team on Sunday night. And then, actually, today we have 10 candidates to beat Mr. Baseball next year. Yep. And we're also going to have 10 candidates to beat Mr. Softball. So, we're already looking ahead to next year, guys. Just look at the World Series. Three teams in the making to go to the World Series. Two did.

Auburn, Alabama watching the upstart. How about those Troy Trojans? Your thoughts on that, Ben? And let's not forget, as far as giving verbal bouquets to Miss Softball in the state of Alabama. Yeah, Corey Gogetz from Hewitt Trustpull helped Hewitt Trustpull to the state championship. She's the second player to be Miss Softball, Kenley Cahalan, who went to Alabama and now is transferred to another school. Won it just, I think, in 2022. So, a good player she's going to Ole Miss is Corey, I believe. So, we'll look forward to following her career.

And I can't remember what you asked me. What other part of that you asked me? Just as far as how rich the talent is to high school level in baseball, Alabama, Auburn, and Troy all making the regionals. Bama and Troy making the World Series, and Troy is still kicking. Yeah, all making the super regionals, right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, unfortunately, Alabama, you know, they just maybe ran into better teams. They're teams that were a little bit hotter than them in the World Series. But, Troy, we've got Troy playing today, I believe.

[46:55] I'm looking forward to watching that. And what a great story, you know, for those guys. You know, and Jacksonville State had a great year in baseball. They made the regionals and were two wins away from hosting a super regional. So, it's definitely been a great year for college baseball in the state. And I think that trickles on down to the high school level. BT, just to mention the ladies, the top ten. Arden Breedlove from Austin only hit .589, 14 doubles. And McKaylee Davis, Harold and I, I talked about her, she had a phenomenal year with Colbert County.

0.77 ERA. She had a 40-6 overall record. Here's the kicker. 576 strikeouts. Wow. 576. And, oh, by the way, she batted .382 with 19 doubles on the hitting side. Katie King from Orange Beach, 4A player of the year. Brayland Pope from Hackleberg. They had a very good year. She only hit .612. I mean, some of these things are video numbers. 109 total hits, 75 RBIs, and you just go on and on and on. But softball in the state of Alabama, BT, is very, very good. Yeah. I mean, we have a post on that broken out that Thomas did on those top ten players and what their stats were.

Incredible. You know, Corey Gogetz, I mean, our missed softball, hits .618. Yeah. Yeah. 29 home runs, 14 doubles, 11 triples, and 91 RBIs. Oh, my goodness. And she scored 109 runs. Yeah. For the state champions. Katie King, obviously, as you mentioned, had a great year for Orange Beach. Crazy that Orange Beach has won six straight state titles, never lost, and has yet to have a missed softball. And that tells you, number one, how good just the players they have. They have multiple good players. And then how good the other players are around the state.

Yeah. McKinley McCracken from Lawrence County, 27-2 with a 1.84 ERA. I mean, it just goes on and on and on. She struck out 185. Great stuff. Listen, as much as we enjoy kidding you sometimes, you're one of the best. Also, the two, Harold alluded to it, but also the article you got awarded for was the one about your dad's death. It's tough to, that's like writing an obituary about your father. That's one of the toughest things I've ever had to do. You've been there before, but again, congratulations.

The way you handle yourself on and off the field is incredible. But tell us what is going on the rest of the week, and where can we get it? Well, that's very nice of you to say, Brett. And I appreciate you guys, and I appreciate y'all always having me on. So we're also in the process of voting for our People's Choice softball and baseball winners. Baseball round two will start tomorrow. So we'll have a story on that, and I think softball the next day. So look for that.

Randy Kennedy will have his next watch list on Thursday, and I think he's linebacker. I can't remember what position, maybe defensive backs. I'm not sure what position he's at. But he will have that Thursday afternoon, and we will leave our date for debuting the next best in Bama, which is our list of top recruits in the state, regardless of class, the first week in July. And also, congratulations to Randy. He was named the Bill Shelton Award winner this year in the state, which is obviously we all know Bill Shelton.

So when you guys have him on next, make sure you… Absolutely, Ben. Shelton, listen, man, thank you so much. I echo Brett Sinema there. Congratulations. There you have it. The BT Express. Ben Thomas, AL.com. Coming up the next hour, it is a full plate. Going to be checking in. Bama fans, you're looking for the next big huddle to North Alabama. Rick Rose is going to give you some tales on that. Joe Cox covering the entire SEC. Matt Michelle covering the entire nation. And Elbert Pierce, he's got you covered right here in your shows with a good drive.

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Westwood One Sports presents this world soccer update sponsored by Progressive Insurance. Progressive Insurance makes building home and auto easy. Learn more at progressive.com. Day six of the World Cup begins in an hour. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. That's where the championship game will be played on July 19th. It's a group I game between France and Senegal. France, the champion in 2018, the runner-up in 2022. To be followed by a group I game in Foxborough, Iraq, and Norway. Norway's first World Cup game since 1998. Iraq's first since 1986. That's their only previous experience.

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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 here. Now, I'm here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a ride around the Tennessee Valley. And, baby, what do you say we take a little road trip to the Tennessee Valley? Let's do it. Say hello to Rick Rohn.

He's the chapter president of the Jackson County, Alabama chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. Rick, long time. Welcome in. Have you been? And how are you? Absolutely. We're all busy as ever. I mean, things are happening in Jackson County. I don't know if y'all heard, but we just had a huge announcement yesterday that Google is expanding at the tune of $1.5 billion. So, things are happening up here. Rick, tell me, you sold the land on that. Or did somebody finally get richer than Shannon Teary over in Jackson County, the founder of Rivals, Lawn3.com, you name it?

I don't know if that happened or not. That's a lot of money. A lot of money. A lot of money. So, there's some good things happening over here and a big event Monday night. That's what I want to talk about, Rick. First of all, congratulations on that. When you get something like that, that means jobs, and that's always good for everybody, the tax base, et cetera, the schools, you name it. Rick, let's talk about your event. Where do you start breaking it down? Because, yes, it's, to me, one of the most beautiful golf courses on the Tennessee River.

And if you've ever been there, I don't think you could argue with me. But let's talk about your event a little bit. Well, I'll tell you, it's exciting that we're having Coach Kalen DeBoer come to our barbecue Monday night. I don't know how we could get any bigger than that. In fact, the last three, this year, we got Coach DeBoer. Last year, we had Greg McElroy. The year before last, we had Nate Oates. So, I think I need to retire because I don't think I can top those three years.

[1:02:16] Hang on, let me Google that and see if anybody's ever topped that. Okay, Rick. Yeah, we got an exciting event. We've already sold almost 450 tickets. And it's all about raising money for scholarships for Jackson County students to go to the University of Alabama. That's what it's all about. That's the only reason we do this. And we have a lot of great volunteers that help us each year. And it's always a great event. Rick, I was going to ask you about that. I've been to about five of these.

And that Huntsville contingent, we're coming over again on Monday. I know last year or two years ago, it was $62,000 to graduating seniors. Talk about the scholarship fund. You have one of the best. This is one of the most active chapters for Alabama as far as the Alumni Association. And you're exactly right. It's an incredible amount of money you've raised for scholarships over the years. Absolutely. We have 19 endowed scholarships, but we've got six right now that we're endowing. So, we're going to have 25 scholarships after we get these last six endowed.

And we are one of the top chapters in the state. This year, about two months ago, we had our scholarship reception. We gave out $92,000 in scholarships to Jackson County students. In fact, it's exciting now. A lot of times, scholarships only go to incoming freshmen. But we've built up so many scholarships now that we give scholarships to incoming freshmen. And then if you return as a sophomore, a junior, or a senior, you're going to get a scholarship from the Jackson County Bama Clubs. Because those expenses don't end after that freshman year, that's for sure.

Asking any mama and daddy out there, I guarantee you, Rick. Talk to us. I'm sure, speaking of mamas today, just saying, okay, that sounds good. But this first time I'm hearing it, how do you get into the loop to kind of get in the running for one of those coveted scholarships? The number one way is an incoming freshman and, of course, the returning sophomore juniors and seniors have a Bama account at the University of Alabama. So you go into your Bama account and you register and apply for scholarships through that.

And that automatically, the university sends those names to us. And that's who we give the scholarships to. So all they have to do is go into their Bama account and make sure that they apply. And it's a done deal. And then we can give them scholarships every spring. Let me ask you about your fundraising for this. Obviously, you're selling tickets. You've sold close to $450 now. You've had a silent auction in the past, a live auction, and your auctioneers have been a hoot nearly every year. And also, you do your golf tournament, which was held May 15, of course, at Goose Pond.

Talk about how you make money for the scholarships. Absolutely. We have two major events every year. One of them is the golf tournament. Generally, it's the second Friday in May. This year, we made it the third Friday because they were punching the greens. And we had about 20 teams. And so we have registration fees. But the biggest way we make money on our golf tournament is through whole sponsors and sponsorships. We had a big presenting sponsor, Sir Pro of Jackson and DeKalb County. And then we had almost 55 whole sponsors for that tournament.

So the whole sponsors is just pure profit. We pay for our meals and for renting the course from the registration fees. And then the whole sponsors and the sponsorships is where we make our money on the golf tournament. So we were able to raise several thousand dollars for that. And then, of course, our Roll Tide Barbecue. That's the biggest event of the year. I've been doing it for many, many years. In the last few years, we've been hot on our speakers. Because the turnout is determined strictly on who that speaker is going to be.

If you can get a big-time speaker, you're going to bring in a lot of people. I think for Coach Nate Oates, we had 560 people. We had to get special permission from the fire department to put that many people in the building. And we'll probably come close to that again this year. Then we also, like you said, we have an auction. Jerry Jeffery is going to be our auctioneer again this year. And you're right. He's a hoot. He's making a lot of fun. And then we've got a girl coming this year that she took over her mother's frame shop.

And even though she's an Auburn fan, she had tons and tons of Alabama prints from years back. And she's going to be set up selling those prints. So we're excited. We'll get a portion of that. And then, of course, we'll have a little raffle at the end where we'll split the pot and let some people, somebody win some money. And then we'll keep the rest of it for scholarships. And then, of course, I have to encourage people, buy an Alabama tag. Anybody can buy an Alabama tag.

Anybody can join the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. You don't have to be a graduate. Anybody can join. But the tags, that's where all the proceeds from the tags go to scholarships to students to attend the university. So everybody, all these Alabama fans should have an Alabama tag on their vehicle. You might want to say that Auburn fan won, too, while she's at it. She's telling us to get a tax deduction out of it, Rick. Absolutely. Absolutely. But then also, along with, by the way, Coach DeBoer is coming, also the new president of the university, Dr. Peter Mueller, is coming.

[1:07:31] Dr. Mueller is going to be here. They're going to be flying into Scottsboro Airport. And we're going to pick him up at the airport and give him a police escort down to the Civic Center. And he's coming in at 5 o'clock, an hour before the program actually starts, to do like Coach Nate Oates did and sign autographs and take pictures with everybody. So we encourage everybody to come early. And we're going to start serving at 5 o'clock. That way we can get everybody served through the line. And we'll start the program at 6, and it'll be a great night.

Not only that, it's a good time of the year, because people are starting to heat up. They've gotten through some of the holidays. They've got the fourth to come up. But after that football season, it's a good time for these coaches to come up and relate one-on-one to these guys. And, Rick, I know you're in Scottsboro, but obviously the lion's share is going to come by the neck of the woods. But I'm assuming, folks in the shows, it's not that long a drive over in the Athens area, Decatur, even over in the Madison-Huntsville.

Talk to us about just the doors are open, I would assume, for anybody. You don't have to be from Scottsboro to come to this event. Absolutely. We welcome everybody. Heck, we even have some Auburn fans come to it. And I tell them all the time, hey, we'll take your money and give it to Alabama Scottsboro. There you go. But it is open to everybody. NIL, come on, man. That's right. That's right. But we do invite anybody from the Shoals, Athens, Decatur, Huntsville, anybody that would like to drive over.

Like you said, Brett, there's always that contingent that comes every year from Huntsville. And we appreciate that. In fact, I saw Greg Patterson last Friday at our high school golf tournament, and he said he's coming again. And then we have a group that comes from Coleman, the Coleman ladies. They come every year. So, yeah, we welcome anybody that would like to come over because it supports a great cause to send students to the university. I'll tell you one thing, Dr. Mueller is really quite a president.

They actually did a slick clip on him, literally walking to the top of Denny Chimes. He's done a lot of great PR stuff, and he seems to be a tremendous president. By the way, I'm going to bet Greg Patterson about who is the first person in the audience to stand up and ask Kaelin DeBoer, are you going to run the dadgum ball this year? Oh, that's quite a challenge right there now. Listen, tell us again. I love it. Tell us again. I know you've still got a few tickets left.

Give us the who, what, when, and where, and where can we get online to purchase some tickets. Absolutely. If anyone that would like a ticket, they can call me. Everybody and their brother's got my cell phone number. It's 256-628-1212, and I'll hold some tickets for you. You can just pay us at the door. We'll have them waiting on you. You can go to my email address. It's rick at mountainlakes, with an S, chamber.com, rick at mountainlakeschamber.com, and let me know how, give me a name and how many tickets you need, and I'll put them in an envelope and have them waiting at the door also.

So we'll try to make it as easy as possible, and you can order some tickets. That's great, Rick. It's good to catch up with you. Thank you so much. Let's hope we can get you some good weather for that event as well, okay? That's what we're hoping, and thank y'all. Y'all are wonderful to help us promote this great event, and we appreciate that, helping us get the word out, because it's certainly for a great cause when we can help these students. We hand out these scholarships, and it's unreal to see some of those parents coming up there, literally tears running down their cheeks, because they're saying that there's no way that their kid could go to the university without this help.

So we appreciate y'all's help promoting that. You're more than welcome. Glad to do it. Invest in the future. Rick, thanks so much. Absolutely. Rick Roten with us. Thank you, Rick. He's the chapter president of the Jackson County, Alabama chapter of the University of Alabama National Alumni Association. Coming up all over the SEC with Joe Cox on deck. Stay with us. It's summertime in the shoals, which means sunshine, hot weather, and a lot more bugs. Ants, mosquitoes, termites, they love this time of year just as much as we do.

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Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Update World Series losers bracket. Troy, West Virginia. Right now, it is in the top of the first. Troy, by the way, the home team. West Virginia is threatening. Got runners on the corners. First and third. There are two outs, so there you have it. Again, no score as they get underway. Now, it's runners in the second, third. It just throws second base, so scoring position for the Mountaineers there. Got a fitting our next guest. Got an eye on that and everything else.

When it comes to the SEC, Joe Cox, fine columnist, Saturday down south. His book is called The Fine Team Man. Joe Cox, welcome in. How are you? Doing well. Can't complain, gentlemen. I hope everything's going well down there. Well, they were until they went to Omaha as far as Alabama baseball, Joe. It's one thing to lose, and it's all about perspective on this. Alabama's come a long way since the dark days of Bohannon, the scandal there. They go to the World Series, but you can't ignore the fact that they lost back-to-back games, the worst margin of defeat back-to-back since 1957 for a team out there.

[1:18:05] You can either take that side of the fence, or you can say, look how far Alabama's come from its dark days just a couple of years ago. Your take on this Alabama team. I'm definitely in the camp that says, look how far they've come. Yeah, I know it's disappointing to take some ugly losses, and they did, but how many teams would give their eye teeth to be there to take the ugly losses, including one in-state that I think we thought might have a better chance? But, yeah, I did not foresee Troy carrying the banner last for the state, but, you know, that's why they play the games, and, yeah, for the Tide, it's a really successful season, and things are looking bright in the future there.

But, yeah, you've got to kind of salve your wounds and look forward to next year, I guess. I remember asking you about three weeks ago about Oklahoma being a surprise team. They lost three out of the last four series. They were not playing well. Alabama beat them in early April. Of course, again, both those teams improved dramatically. But ask Georgia how good Oklahoma is now. That was the first loss, let me see, loss for the first time in 10 games. Georgia had won 20 of their previous 21 games.

Wow. They're 52 and 13. Oklahoma jumped on them last night and had to hold the dogs off. Jackson Willits, Brendan Brock played very well. McCurus did a tremendous job of pitching. Joe Cox, Oklahoma has taken control of Branket, too. Yeah, they really have. And the thing that stood out to me in that game, I mean, getting ahead was a big advantage. But at the same time, holding Georgia to three is surprising. Holding Georgia to three single-run innings might be even more surprising. And that, I think, was kind of the hidden key there.

Georgia just was not one of those teams that put together one run and got stopped. They put up big, crooked numbers. And you've got to tip your hat to that Oklahoma pitching staff. You know, holding them to three obviously is a big deal. But, again, making them do it drop by drop even when they did score, that's just not the way the Bulldogs have played this year. And, yeah, the Sooners are sitting pretty, and they get to await whoever survives out of round two of Georgia-Texas.

Yes, you see, loving coming in to the number of teams thanks to the, quote, expansion, the aforementioned Sooners from Oklahoma. What about the other team, Texas? They've known back in the day for making this trip on a regular basis. They had a guy by the name of Roger Clemens back in the day. They've had some good runs up at Omaha from Austin. Your thoughts about Texas now that they've got a new life? You know, I thought Texas might take Georgia down in the first game because of Dylan Volantis on the mound.

But Georgia did a fine job with him and then benefited from some surprisingly bad defense from Texas. But certainly the Longhorns are capable of ending this amazing run for Georgia. But, you know, I picked the dogs to make it to the finals, and I'm going to stand by my pick. But Texas, you know, it's a tougher matchup than Georgia thought they would be facing today. I'll put it that way. Let me ask you about Troy. They have received, obviously, a lot of attention. One of the Cinderella's in the tournament.

They beat Ole Miss. Ole Miss looked like, Joe, the other day, they were going to take that game and run away with it. I think got out 5-2 or 6-2. And their pitcher, their top pitcher, had a balk. And that seemed to rattle him. And they were never the same after that. Yeah, Elliott. And Troy came back. Janicki has been really good. Boroff is quite a story. And, of course, they've got a rematch with West Virginia, as Harold mentioned. Joey, your thoughts on the Troy Trojans.

You know, got to be impressed, one, that they even managed to make it here. But, two, yeah, that they're taking advantage of their moment in the spotlight and getting some big hitting. I'd imagine that's going to be key today. This West Virginia team, you know, I've heard the update from Harold is my last knowledge. But they're certainly capable of putting together a lot of runs themselves. And it feels like it could be a lot like that Ole Miss game in terms of a big number versus a big number.

And, you know, the Trojans just might be the ones left standing at the end. You're such a nice guy, Joe. I'm going to give you that update right now. It's still scoreless. Troy worked their way out of a jam. They had two on, two out. And they worked their way out of it. Scoreless, the Trojans now batting in their half of the first inning. They've got a one-two count, nobody out. So, we'll see how that goes. One thing that's been noticeable about showing the difference between the sport of baseball in college and football, number one, you'll never see Troy, I don't think, in the final four of the college football playoffs, their final eight, whatever.

[1:23:10] The other thing is, you see a lot of young guns in baseball. You look at the freshman pitcher there at Oklahoma. It's amazing how in baseball, if you are a good coach with an eye for talent, basically how you can go out and, if you will, steal one as opposed to go on the transfer portal. Baseball is a different bird. Your thoughts just about how these freshmen in this day and time seem to both see so mature and ready to compete even on this big stage.

Yeah, it has been kind of an uptick for baseball in that it was a sport where it seemed like you usually had to kind of bide your time and pay your dues. And even the talented freshmen were going to be mostly on the bench and, you know, might see some action against some of those weaker teams you play early in the schedule or the midweek games. But, yeah, I think the transfer portal is kind of an equalizer here. It's a way of saying, you know, that's one route you can go, but the other route you can go is get these young guys out there a little quicker, give them a shot a little sooner.

And, you know, they're taking advantage of it. Some of them, I'm afraid, will take advantage of it and then make a big transfer portal jump to a paycheck somewhere else. But that will just clear the room for more freshmen, I guess. We talked about rematches with West Virginia and Troy. Got another one tonight, Joe. Georgia and Texas. Georgia's power, they are never, again, it just seems like they're one bat away from tying or taking the lead. But believe me, this is not Slossnagel's first rodeo. Quite a game tonight, Joe, in the elimination bracket.

Who is going home after tonight? Well, I'm going to stick with Georgia to win, but I will say, particularly after that Oklahoma game, they really need to get some runs up early. They need to not play from behind for a second game in a row because Texas is perfectly capable of beating them. And if you get Texas a couple run edge, their pitching staff could make it hold up. So I'm picking Georgia, but it's going to be a battle. And, boy, if you're a Georgia fan, watch those first couple innings.

Say, let's put up two or three or four runs early, and then you can breathe a little bit. Joe, before we let you go, speaking of breathing, I think every college football fan in America is breathing easier today now that this Brendan Soarsby debacle is behind us. Again, the Big 12 took the bull by the horns and more or less forced Texas Tech. He is now going to the NFL supplemental draft. But, Joe, has there ever been a topic that more people wanted to see go away than this one?

No, I don't think so. I admit, when I heard that news, I thought, well, boy, that makes everything so much more convenient. Yeah, the Big 12 certainly liked it. I would say probably the SEC and Big 10 in their heart of hearts like it because we can kind of continue business as usual. And that was a potential threat to the whole hierarchy of the sport that now is just kind of swept under the rug. And, you know, hopefully that young man can turn his life around and make something positive out of this.

But it really could have been, you know, the straw that broke the camel's back on our current configuration of college sports. And now it's not. Absolutely. Listen, great stuff. Tell us where we can find Joe Cox, Adam Spencer, and a whole bunch of other folks online to get the absolute latest in football, baseball, and basketball. We'll be keeping up with it Saturday down south. As soon as that finals matchup is set, I'm going to write a column and say, here's who's going to win. And, you know, hopefully somebody from the SEC will hold up their end of the bargain and take care of business.

But we will see how it comes down. We appreciate you taking some time out for us. We'll let you get back to Troy and West Virginia World Series happening even as we speak. Joe, listen, man, thank you so much. Have a great week. Okay? All right. You guys take care. Thank you, bud. Joe Cox, Saturday down south. Coming up, Matt Murchell from the Big O on deck. Stay with us. The final out has been called. The dugout cleared. And now your team is starving. There's only one place to go.

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Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93-9, the score. The United States is preparing for its second matchup in the World Cup. They will play on Friday afternoon in Seattle, and the U.S. takes on Australia. Both teams open the World Cup with a victory. In the College World Series yesterday, Alabama was knocked out as the Crimson Tide fell to Texas 14-2. Today, there are two elimination contests. Troy will play West Virginia this afternoon, and Georgia meets Texas tonight. The Bulldogs yesterday beaten by Oklahoma 4-3. The Atlanta Braves are back at home tonight at Truist Park when they take on the Giants.

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I'm doing well. How are you guys doing? Hey, Boone. Hey, we're doing all right. Maybe June, Matt. Who says you can't sack a quarterback in June? What about the news out of Lubbock, Texas today? Sorry about that. You guys still there? Yeah, we're still here. Yeah, go ahead. Absolutely. We thought we'd got an injunction with you there, Matt. You're reacting to the news out of Texas Tech Country today. Yeah, you know, I think it's interesting. You know, there was really only going to be one way that this situation was going to wind up and it was going to come down to whether or not Brendan Sorsby really wanted to continue with this process and go and play and have basically, you know, a legal system kind of hanging over his head, legal trial hanging over his head, or, you know, there was going to come down to the fact where he was going to say, I'm done with this and I'm going to go, you know, try to get into the NFL.

[1:34:14] And so I think once yesterday happened, once the Big 12 filed its federal lawsuit, you know, and really kind of stepped up and said, yeah, said, you know, this is what we're doing. I think that kind of made everything just kind of loose at this point. You know, I think Texas Tech then sat down with Sorsby and Sorsby realized, listen, this isn't going to happen if I don't want to cause Texas Tech any problems to the point where maybe they would, you know, have to, you know, vacate wins, you know, maybe have to give some sort of punishment if he was there.

And I think he made the right choice by saying, listen, I'm going to go off to the supplemental draft and we'll move on from this. So it seemed like, you know, a lot of buildup to this point, but I think in the end it was actually what probably was the best move that probably could happen for all parts. Man, I don't know the answer to this question. Maybe you don't either, but I think a lot of folks are wondering. From our understanding, he had like a full million dollar NIL package there at Texas Tech.

What happens to that part of the game? Well, you know, Cody Campbell said yesterday, you know, I think after this, after the Sorsby kind of announced he was, he wasn't going to, you know, push this, that they would, they would honor that NIL deal. You know, they would still give him money. And so, you know, I mean, again, that's, that's entirely up to Texas Tech. If Texas Tech really wanted to, they probably could have said, no, you know, we're, you know, you, you know, because of all the situation, because of the gambling and you admitted to gambling that kind of violates whatever contract maybe they have, maybe there's some sort of morality clause.

I'm not sure, you know, some, some of these schools work with that. And, you know, they, they, they're willing to honor it. You know, when you have Texas Tech money, it's easy to happen. Part of that could also be that maybe that was part of the deal. Maybe Brendan Sorsby sat down and they said, listen, if you're going to do this, let's go ahead and we'll, we'll give you the money and we'll, you know, make sure that you're taken care of. So, um, it's, it's going to be very interesting because it's not a guarantee that Sorsby is going to get picked by an NFL team.

It's not, it's, it's, there are going to be a lot of teams that are going to still have the same issues that the college game has. They're going to look at this and say, do we really want to bring aboard a quarterback who for this most part, isn't going to start at all or see much action this year, who's going to be a developmental guy. And we're going to have to sit there and babysit and make sure this guy isn't out there gambling, um, you know, and, and, and betting on FL games, you know, and have to deal with all that.

So, um, I think the, the bigger issue on all this front is going to come back to the big 12 and how do they kind of move on from this? Because you've got one member that's clearly not liked by the other 15 members and you've got, uh, you know, and that one member basically is, is probably the most powerful member of the conference in terms of money. And, and, and, and, you know, really is going to be one of those deals of, are that going to really bring this league together?

Can, can your market, this league to get, to get, uh, to get back together after everything has gone off. I think two things on that, Matt, number one, what's happened down the road is somebody else signs a big deal. They get in trouble. They cash out, you know, they can't lose. And then the other thing, the name that I have not heard mentioned during this whole ordeal is Ryan leaf. I mean, towards me, it's not exactly the rookie when it comes to this game. Remember Ryan Lee from Washington state.

Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I mean, at this point, you know, when it comes down to, you know, if someone else would this happen down the road, I think obviously that's got to be addressed. This is kind of the, one of the reasons why we're, we're in the middle of, of, you know, trying to get the government to step in and do the protect college sports act, you know, and try to get that passed, you know, cause they want to try to avoid this. I think Swarsby situation is kind of unique.

He was the starting quarterback at Texas Tech. He was going to be the starting quarterback at Texas Tech. There is no, no way that wasn't going to happen. I think, you know, if someone else comes about and this happens and you'll say you're a backup running back or you're the first string offensive lineman, I don't think a lot of schools are going to honor that agreement. I think a lot of schools wouldn't pay the money. I think they would make sure that that, you know, that listen, they'd say this is not going to happen and you move on.

And, and, you know, again, you saw how Texas Tech really came forward and wanted to support this, whether that was good or bad. And a lot of people's lives, um, it was a PR nightmare in a lot of ways for what's happened. So, um, I think, you know, moving forward, it's how do you, how do you make the sport better? I mean, how can you avoid this kind of situation? You really can't at this point. Um, you know, again, there are going to be some, some people who are going to, this is the blueprint to how to gamble.

And if you get caught, how to find a way to get out of it. But, you know, I think you also saw how difficult it was going to be. And if you really want to get into that situation, you know, do you really want to get to a point where you want to go the legality route, you know, and, and, and have a lawsuit or anything, I think it's going to be a lot tougher than that. And, and, and I think Brett or Mike was able to say that and the, and the rest of the big 12, we're not, we're not messing around.

This is what we're going to do. Man, that's what I was going to say. The, the, uh, the big 12 filed a federal complaint at 1am Monday morning. And they basically called Texas Tech's bluff on this. And they had three, I'm not going to go through the legalese. Ross Dillinger of Yahoo had a really good article about, about how this came about. But Texas Tech read the complaint. And one of the big deals, one of the main three points, uh, was called a commerce clause, which prevents state governments from enacting laws that impact competition across a variety of states.

[1:39:36] This goes back to Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general. But that's in essence, what Brett Yormack and the big 12 did that they call Texas Tech's bluff that in Texas Tech bow down. And again, I'm sure it's family of sores to be said, well, our next route now was to go to the NFL supplemental draft, but yeah, uh, kudos again to the big 12 and Brett Yormack for calling their bluff. Well, I will say the interesting thing about just my understanding is this, this wouldn't have probably happened if the Texas, you know, attorney general, Ken Paxton, doesn't get involved in that.

That's exactly correct. If he doesn't threaten the big 12 and that's the key, threaten them lawsuit litigation, that opens the door now to file their lawsuit and say, okay, so you in the state are doing that. I'm not, we're not going to take that federal government. And that goes back to something I was talking to someone earlier today about this idea of like, it's great when local, when state politicians want to get their, their, their name out there in the press and want to do something and make some bold statement until they realize that this blew up in their face.

Cause on Texas Tech, I'm looking at the guy going, man, you really, that really kind of put us in a bad spot. Cause once they did that, there was no, there was nothing else that could have happened. You know what I mean? Once they get to that federal level, it's gone. And so I think that was an interesting thing about that. And you saw, again, as you mentioned, a lot of the other attorney generals from some of the states in Oklahoma and Nebraska coming out and saying, we're not, we're going to support this, you know, we're going to support the big 12 and we're going to do that.

All of a sudden you realize, okay, this isn't going to work. We got to figure out a way to kind of, to make this, you know, that make this happen. And I just like you to say, I don't think there was much that they could have done that Sorge being his family could have done. And at some point, do you really want to be the person that just, you know, creates the strife and divide, divide in the conference. And I think eventually he just decided it wasn't worth it.

Especially as they give you $4 million to walk away. That's not a bad consolation prize either. Matt Merchel hooking it with us. The Orlando Sentinel, that's in the state of Florida. Matt, the University of Florida looks like they're going to be doing the Hollywood thing, doing a facelift to the tuned to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium of $1.45 billion. That's with a B. Matt, could Florida have done this without Matt Merchel's contributions? Matt Merchel, I can give no money to Florida, believe me. I got it. I've got it.

I'm not an alumni. I have no, you know, listen. I can't afford to be an alumni there. Can you? Yeah. I don't even give money to my school in Ball State up in Indiana. So what does that tell you? So listen, I think that this was another situation where, you know, a lot of schools are spending a lot of money to upgrade their facilities. And I know right now that discussion is all about, you know, revenue sharing and NIL and paying for the players and getting them.

But I think a lot of schools realize, listen, we've still got to find ways to continue to make money. And to do that is by upgrading your stadiums and upgrading your venues. And that's what Florida's trying to do. You know, you obviously build, you know, it's all about premium seating now. Everything is bling, bling. Luxury boxes, club seating. And also, too, you know, Florida has been one of the schools, like a lot of schools in this country, that are starting to use their stadiums for concerts, starting to use them for hosting events.

Soccer matches. Soccer matches, exactly. Try to make additional money. And I think this is where Florida looks at it and says, okay, we can raise this money. We can find a way to get this money. We're going to go ahead and go and make these additions to Florida. And having been to the swamp many, many times, you know, it is a facility that is wealthily lacking in things that needs to be upgraded. And I think, you know, rather than just tearing it down and building a modern-type stadium, which when you say the figure $1.49 billion, you think, okay, well, you could do that.

But I think it's just going to be one of those deals where you just continue to upgrade and upgrade and make it as more comfortable as possible. And that, to me, is where I think you're going to see a lot of Power 5 or Power 4 schools really try to work on is upgrading facilities and making sure they can use those for events like that. But, Matt, how do they look, the average, I'm not talking about the guys who have more money in the crack of their couch than most people to make in a lifetime.

How do they look at Joe's six-pack with three kids at home and ask them for more money when they're spending this kind of money? We get the investment. We get that. But let's face it, you're also asking us to keep pouring money out of our coffers into your pocket while you're spending money to the tune of billions. It's what every college athletic administrator has told me they're dealing with right now. I mean, it's hard. You could say that right now and say, well, Joe's six-pack, how can you ask me for more money?

Right. But it's not just Joe's six-pack. It's boosters. Boosters. Yeah, right. There's a little bit of being, what do they call it, fatigue, booster fatigue, where you're asked three times a year, please give, please give, please give. Until it hurts. And you said, I've given what I'm supposed to be giving you, and then you move away. I mean, not every school has a Cody Campbell. I mean, they'll ever have someone who can write a check and just be like, here you go. I mean, there are a lot of schools that have to fight that.

[1:44:44] And so the challenge is you have to find a way to offer things that maybe that person, like a family of three or family of four, maybe it would make the experience, you know, something that is unique. And, you know, I know a lot of schools are trying to, they're working on, you know, with how they're doing packages, you know, some sort of, you can buy a couple of game tickets for a couple of games and you get a discount on another game. And maybe they do things with, you know, when it comes to concessions or they do things where they offer fans more opportunity to see, you know, to get into seats and meet the team and meet players.

I mean, it's a difficult challenge right now because you're asking people for money and when the economy's tight, people don't have that kind of money. And especially with TV where you can watch a game at home, and I've heard this from a lot of people when I speak in public, they could sit at home on their couch, watch a football game and get the same experience and get good eyesight and see the game and do everything and not have to worry about parking and fighting your way in and doing that.

So it's been a challenge that, you know, ADs have fought for a long time, but, you know, you can't just stay stagnant in one thing. You can't just sit back and say, okay, we can't, we're not going to do any upgrades because we're afraid to raise ticket prices. They're going to raise ticket prices no matter what. And you just have to find a way to make sure you don't hit that tipping point where you lose the fans and eventually you find yourself trying to cater to the corporates, corporate America.

Matt, just to close on the Sorsby situation, another big picture question, and I've seen a lot of people ask this. In the last 24 hours, FanDuel and DraftKings provide a lot of ad revenue for sports, and particularly for the NFL. You know, it's going more and more into college, and I know they do it for TV stations, radio stations, et cetera. I'm going to be curious to see where this goes now because there are a lot of journalists saying the hypocrisy, again, the addiction of sorts, I'm glad he's reached out to get some help.

But I'm going to be curious to see how this coming season in college football, in the NFL, how they handle some of the ads for the gambling organizations. And I'm not saying these guys are bad, but it's going to be interesting, Matt, to see how this is handled moving forward. Yeah, you know, I would hope that there would be some good thought going in that. Unfortunately, I don't think there probably will be. I'm assuming that there's a lot, like you mentioned, there's a lot of money going into advertising by these, you know, and the hypocrisy to me is, you know, you watch all these talking head shows, you know, where people debate these topics, and they're on ESPN or Fox or whatever.

And like you said, they're sponsored by, you know, they're sponsored by a sports betting site. And it's, it's really difficult to sit there and talk about how gambling is horrible and it ruins people's lives. And then you go to commercial and it's an ad for, you know, for sports bet site. So I would like to believe that maybe some of these networks would sit down and have conversations about it. But when it comes down to it, it's all about money. And they're going to, they're going to be told, this is what's going to happen.

ESPN, you know, if you guys remember, really kind of fought that for a long time about really going out and putting up, you know, point spreads and stuff. And then they just kind of fully embraced it. They have a guy basically who's on, on, on site, you know, on game day that basically talks about the over and the unders and all that stuff. And they talk about that. So I would hope they would have a bigger conversation about that, you know, because I think it is tough.

I mean, there's, I think one of the things that's fast hurting our young, you know, people is, is the fact that there are a lot of sports gambling out there and it's become an addiction and people are still trying to deal with that. So you would hope you'd be better about it, but I think that train has left the station. I mean, I think honestly, you mentioned the NFL has really embraced it. The NBA has embraced it. I think college football is trying to kind of, you know, make sure that it helps, you know, keep that they do a good job of making sure people, athletes don't have these issues, but Sorgeby has basically proven to us that it exists and there's ways to get around it.

And I know talking to schools, they say, well, we're, you know, we're working to make sure none of this is, you know, there's no way that we can, we can figure out, make sure that there's nobody doing this on our campuses. It's hard to do. I mean, in the Sorgeby case, he had friends and family making bets for him, you know, and, you know, and, and there's no way a school can monitor that. So it's, it's going to be really difficult to see how they can kind of, if they can find a way to kind of really limit the, that kind of situation.

I think it'd be better, but I would hope there'd be more discussion, but I, I just feel like once this has kind of died down in the next month or so, it'll probably just kind of fade to the background again. Yeah. And of course, betting has changed from decades ago to where you called your local bookie. Now, now all you need is a smartphone and you make a hundred bets, a hundred prop bets about games, uh, but you know, sitting there watching the game and you're right, unfortunately becomes an addiction for some.

[1:49:53] Go ahead. Well, and you, you mentioned bookies. I mean, I, I was talking to someone about this. I mean, you know, I'm a generation. I remember that. I remember, you know, someone, if someone didn't pay their money, someone came to your door and told you, you know, it's just, they were going to make you pay your money. You're worried about that. So that doesn't happen nowadays, but you know what I mean? It's so much so, so, I mean, that's, that's the challenge of how everything has changed and it's so much easier for gambling to take place.

Man, I remember when my brother and I were young, we'd go get a haircut in this particular business and the phone just rang constantly. And I'm thinking now, are they, are they coming over here? Are they that popular to, to cut somebody's hair? I found out a little bit later, they were bookies. They were getting all these calls. They were hippies. They were getting all these calls. I need 10 on Alabama Saturday. And we figured it out. We figured it out a little bit later, but yeah, they've come, they've come a long way from the end.

Yeah, for sure. No one's, no one's coming to your door to knock on, you know, threaten you to make sure you pay. Yeah. Always enjoy it, baby. Where can we get online to get your good stuff? You can go to orlandosentinel.com and check out the latest. Or you can, uh, you can follow me on social media. Oh, it's Matt Merchelle. Matt, you've been warned. Next time you go see Floyd and Mayberry, be careful who you talk to, okay? All right. Thanks a lot, Matt. Thank you, bud.

Matt Merchelle hooking it with us. Nothing like gambling in the barbershop in Jasper, Alabama. Omaha, Nebraska, update Troy, West Virginia, third inning, no score. West Virginia runner at second, one out, 2-2 count. So, no score there. Texas, Georgia tonight. And the Braves with a giant game of their own tonight, BB. Yeah, they've got the Giants. Uh, Tony Vitello coming back to his former neck of the woods in Knoxville. Braves got to get some folks healthy. I think Drake Baldwin comes back tonight. Yep. Grant Holmes on the mound tonight.

You can hear the game on 93-9 score. How good is Baldwin? He's coming back tonight. By the way, he's been missing since May 18th, and he's still the leading National League boat catcher and catcher. So, Drake Baldwin already with a good season. Good to see him back behind the plate tonight. And you can catch it again right here on 93-9, the score. It's going to take care of us for now. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today.

Let's do it again tomorrow on noon to two for the Boom on Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93-9, the score.