Boomo Bugg Show 041726

[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 Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. 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 where the Tide and Tigers and the portal party on the hardwoods while Arma gets ready for a spring fling this weekend. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you?

Happy Friday to you and the listeners. The Madison City Council has officially approved the SEC Softball Tournament to be played at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama beginning next season through 2030. That is an incredible addition as far as an athletic event for North Alabama. Alabama and Auburn, as you alluded to, pick up a basketball transfer order out of the portal. Jimmy is here right now to recap Alabama A-Day and the basketball portal for the Tide. Jimmy is Jimmy Stein, co-host of Locked On Bama, part of the Locked On Network. Jimmy, welcome in. How are you?

Oh, doing great, guys. Hey, Jimmy. Appreciate you taking time out, Jimmy. Last weekend, Alabama had your spring game. Auburn's got there this weekend. Are you going to go down there since you love spring games? Are you going to Auburn this weekend to witness that one, Jimmy? Oh, I can't be late to the Morgan Wallen show Saturday night. I'm just going to have to read about what happened. All right. There you go. Give you a rain check on that one and hope it doesn't rain for the concert.

Jimmy, let's talk a little bit about the Tide spring game. What did you learn from it? Obviously, the big story was quarterback. Keelan Russell played extremely well. You know, there's three scrimmages in the spring. First scrimmage, second scrimmage. The third one is A-Day. And I think what you can see is an absolute clear progression here, whereas per observers that were there, of course, I was not. Scrimmage number one, Austin Mack, had maybe a better day than Keelan. And that's to be expected, right? I mean, it's the fourth or fifth practice of the spring. Austin's an older kid. We're just getting started.

Second scrimmage, Keelan probably catches him or passes him a little bit. I mean, most people felt from the second scrimmage that Keelan had the better day. But it was certainly closer than it was scrimmage one. Now, scrimmage three, Keelan had a monster day. The best day of any of the quarterbacks in all three scrimmages. And at the same time, to be fair, Austin was dinged up. We know this from the amount of reps he took, which were less than Keelan for the first time. And then Keelan DeBoer tells the assembled media when A-Day is over that Austin was dinged up.

And that's why he didn't finish the scrimmage and maybe why he struggled just a bit. But Keelan had a monster day, regardless of Austin Mack's day. So you can see that clear progression where Keelan started out maybe a little behind, catches him, then passes him. And this is basically, I would say, obvious that it was going to happen. I wouldn't go as far to say it's obvious it was going to happen this quickly. But it appeared to happen sort of quickly. Now, no one is naming Keelan Russell the starter.

It's not fair to do that to Austin Mack, who was dinged up, you know, in that final week. And I don't think the fans that were there at A-Day got to see Austin Mack at full go. And he's been good this spring. So it's going to carry over into the fall. But it sure feels like Keelan is advancing rapidly. He's playing really well. And the Keelan Russell we saw in A-Day is going to be very difficult for Austin Mack to beat out this fall. Jimmy, let me ask you about the offensive line.

There are quite a few of these position groups that had a very positive day. The offensive line had mixed reviews. We know it's still a work in progress. This defensive front seven that Alabama has, I believe, is depth-wise and talent-wise has improved very significantly. But across the front, Jackson Lloyd, William Sanders, again, we'll see how that goes at left guard. Others have worked there during the spring. Rayson Delgani, Michael Carroll at right guard, and Javon James at right tackle. Jimmy, your thoughts on the progress of the offensive line through the spring?

[5:00] Well, it wasn't great on A-Day, but I don't know that that was a fair expectation. I think what everyone should look for or hope for this fall for Alabama is improvement over last year. The idea that they're going to have all these brand-new parts and a lot of young guys. For instance, there are 16 offensive linemen on scholarship at Alabama right now, and zero of them are seniors. I mean, so this is a fairly young group, and this is their first time playing together. I think expectations can get completely out of whack when that's the case.

But I also think it's fair to want to see and expect to see a line that performs a little better than last year's group did. And I think they're on track for that. I think the positive take, guys, is that these spots that were up for grabs have been won even before we get out of the spring. I know myself, speaking for myself, I assumed, much like quarterback, that three or four offensive line spots, there would be competition that extended into fall camp. I don't think that's the case here at all.

I think Jackson Lloyd is nailed down left tackle. Del Gotti is nailed down center. We know Michael Carroll is going to start at either right guard or right tackle. And while the other two spots, to me, sort of remain up in the air a little bit, I mean, you're 60% of the way towards solving this thing. And there's some pretty good evidence as to who's going to win these other spots. We haven't even seen Will Sanders. And the staff believe, even before you go through a spring without him, the staff believe he's a likely starter.

We haven't even seen him yet. So there's a lot of reason for optimism. But I think the expectation should be set at just being better than they were a year ago. Jimmy's time to lock down. Well, Jimmy, we have the privilege of talking to a lot of folks at the SEC, and almost without exception, when you ask the biggest concern for Team X, Y, or Z, it's the offensive line. So the point being, I think Alabama is facing a lot of unknowns, but it's all equal.

I think there's going to be some exceptions that don't come to mind right off the top of my head. But for the most part, most teams have, because let's face it, they're a premium. Everybody's shopping. So even if they're good, they're probably going to be new to your system. So that's going to be across the board there. But, Jimmy, your thoughts about back to reality, as they say, the show has to go on with or without Noah Carter. Obviously, he's good. I think we'd be naive to say it's not going to have an impact.

But you look down the line and open up some opportunities this past weekend for some of those young guys, and I think they answered the bell. Jimmy, where are you with the wide receiver spot, at least for, looks like anyway, a pretty big chunk of the season without Noah Carter? Yeah, even with Noah out, I still like the first five guys, and that's based on everything we've seen from them to this point, including A-Day, where Cedarian Borgen, the freshman from Alexander City, and Derek Meadows, a sophomore from Las Vegas, they had exceptional A-Days, capping good springs for both.

Alabama's got five guys that look really good, even without Noah. That's obviously Ryan Coleman-Williams, Lotseer Brooks, to Darren Morgan, Derek Meadows, and Rico Scott, who was really a first-team player a year ago. Those five, when you're like, gosh, that's only five, that is thin. It sounds thin, and it is thin, but realize that last year's sixth receiver was Cole Adams. He caught five balls for the whole year. So you can play with five. I think where Noah's injury is scary is don't lose any of those five.

Thank you. Now you've got a problem. If there's one more loss, you've got a problem. As is, they're in good shape. Noah might be able to return halfway or later in the season, maybe, but you can't count on that. What you can count on is the guys that are there, and those five look like really good ballplayers, and they really only used five a year ago, with Rico Scott being the fifth guy, and he caught just 11 balls a year ago. So especially in a season, guys, where I'm expecting, it's not going to look like 2021 because it's a different situation, but in 2021, Jamison Williams and John Mechie, it seems, caught every ball from that Tidewater team group.

It's not going to look like that, but I do think Ryan Coleman Williams and Lachier Brooks are going to be targeted far more frequently than the others, and I think both are primed to have monster years, both of them. Jimmy, as we alluded to at the top of the show, Nate Owens has picked up two, not one, but two transfer portal dudes in the last couple of days. Jamarian Davis Fleming, who Alabama actually scored 10 points, I believe, against Alabama, had a really good game in Tuscaloosa earlier in the season, but they picked up Cole Cloyer, I believe, C-L-O-E-R, transferred, he got hurt in high school, enrolled early at North Carolina State with Will Wade, did not play last year, but all the clips I've seen of him, he's 6'7", has an impressive skill set, but the one thing Nate Owens said, we want to get bigger.

[10:40] I mean, the final night of the press conference against Michigan, we want to get bigger. Well, he started to do that. Brandon Garrison is 6'10", Davis Fleming, 6'10", Cloyer is 6'7", and these three phenoms he's got coming in, Samuels at 6'5", Bowie at 6'6", and Jackson Richardson at 6'6", too. We'll see the transfer portal deadline is next Tuesday. Still a lot of stuff going on here, Jimmy, but your thoughts so far as far as getting bigger? Yeah, it's a long, long team. I wonder if Stanford will let Alabama borrow their tree mascot next year for basketball season, because it's going to look like a bunch of trees out there for the tide.

I mean, this is going to be a long, tall basketball team. Still, I think, first of all, these pickups were exactly what Nate said he would do. He said, we need to be bigger and more physical. That was his diagnosis following the Michigan law, and they immediately went and got two 6'10", 250-pound guys that are big and physical, so he did exactly what he said he would do. Cole Cloer is more in line of what Nate has always thought, which is athletic wings who are long, who can shoot.

That's what Nate signed from day one. So it's more of the same with Cole Cloer, and it's exactly what Nate said he was going to do the night of the Michigan loss with the Kentucky kid and the Mississippi State kid that are just bigger guys. Now, I think right now when you're talking about the roster next season, so much of it hinges on two guys that as of today, you don't know whether they're going to be there, and that's obviously Aiden Holloway and his legal situation and Amari Allen and his NBA situation.

You don't know today whether you have them for sure, but if you do get both of them back and have these additions from the portal and this freshman class and Cloer, it looks like another really good roster. Now, if you don't get Holloway or Amari Allen back, particularly if you don't have both, Alabama has more work to do to get the roster better. So I think we've kind of reached that fulcrum, really, where this is big. It's like, well, if you have Holloway and Allen, you're good with what you've got today.

But if you don't have them, you need another add or two, and it needs to be difference makers, because there's no doubt that Holloway and Amari Allen are difference makers. If those two are back next year, you could be talking about maybe, arguably, the best backcourt in college basketball with Holloway and Amari Allen at the one and the two. But without both of them, boy, you've got more work in the portal. So it's real tricky for Nate going forward. Absolutely. I know they're also looking at Alex Wilkins, a freshman 6'5 guard from Furman who averaged 17 points last year.

We'll see where that goes. Jimmy, great stuff. Football, basketball, you name it. You and Luke Robinson have got it covered every day. Recalp of spring basketball portal. Jimmy, where can we get online to get the best coverage of Alabama sports on the planet? Yeah, thanks, Brett. Locked on Bama. You can find us on YouTube if you want to watch the show. Or you can just listen on audio wherever you get your podcast. Locked on Bama, part of the Locked On Sports Network. Jimmy, enjoy yourself some concerts this weekend there in Tuscaloosa, okay?

I will, guys. Y'all have a great weekend, too. All right. Jimmy Dine, co-host of Locked On Bama, part of the Locked On Network. Coming up all over the SEC, watch, shaking, blatant love with the latest. Stay with us. Do you owe back taxes or have unfiled tax returns? The IRS won't quit until they get your money. Here's great news, fresh from those in the know. Major changes have happened at the IRS. If you owe more than $10,000, you may be eligible for a 99% reduction of what you owe.

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It's a daily update on Bama Sports and it's brought to you by the Good Feet Store. Helping people get back to the life they love without their feet getting in the way. Start your journey today at GoodFeet.com. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On Thursday's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we were joined by Alabama baseball outfielder Sam Christensen. But no, it was fun. When I got here in Alabama, it was kind of just like, Alabama is just a cool place to be at.

So I was like, this is cool. And then me and my teammates, we'd walk around the campus and stuff. And the facilities at the baseball field were sweet. And I was just like, dang, this place is awesome. And I remember playing, I told the coaches this on my visit when I was playing here. I remember just like sitting in my dugout and then looking over and seeing Rob and Mo and, and all these coaches just like kind of like firecrackers. Like they were just like, as in do it as everyone else was.

And I was like, that kind of fires me up a little bit. And I remember just like getting to the point last year when I was planning on hitting the portal, I was like, Alabama is where I wanted to go. So I was very fired up when they gave me a call. I'll have more in a moment. This is Christian Miller for the Good Feet Store. I know from playing football at Alabama and in the NFL that if you have foot, knee, hip, or back pain, it can be a huge challenge.

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Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by the Good Feet Store. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in to be in Blake Stans. We're busy. Blake Lovell got the entire Southeastern Conference covered there at Southeastern 16 as your book is called Blue Ribbon and his podcast, Establish the Past. Blake Lovell, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you? Yeah, doing well, guys. Good to talk to you as always.

Hey, Ben. Got a lot rocking and rolling. Going to get some basketball hopefully in a short. But football, spring flings all over the place, including your backyard, the up-and-coming Vanderbilt Commodores. Is it true that Diego will show up with his grandkids for his ninth season of eligibility for that game? I know. It's going to be an unusual sight for many people when they look out there and they're just like, he's got to be there somewhere, right? He's got to switch numbers. He's playing a different position.

[21:34] He's got to be on the field somewhere. So, no, but it will be interesting. Obviously, we've talked about it before. You know, when you have a Jared Curtis stepping in, you know, it's not every offseason we're talking about Vanderbilt flipping a top quarterback from Georgia or anything like that. And so, I think that that's where, you know, all the attention is going to turn to because as good as Pavia was, I mean, that was the thing. It's like Vanderbilt has sort of kind of revamped the quarterback position.

And they've proven that with their coaching staff, they know what it takes to get the most out of the most important position on the field. And so, I think it's going to be a lot of anticipation to see what it looks like for Curtis and company. Let me ask you this. Obviously, the joke back in the day was the visiting team always had more fans in the stands, it seemed, than the home team Vanderbilt. Will they ever get done, at least for the foreseeable future, repaying, Diego?

I think the buzz is back. Your thoughts, what are you hearing from just a business standpoint of what this man has meant for this program? Yeah, I mean, he certainly, you know, meant a lot. And I think just having more eyeballs, I mean, that is something where, again, yes, you're going to. You're going to take the good with some of the controversy that came along with it. But, I mean, at the same time, I mean, it is just a program that needed something, I mean, for the longest time, right?

I mean, decades upon decades, like they needed a different energy. And I think, you know, whenever we knew that we were about to start moving towards, you know, paying players and all that kind of model in college sports, I mean, it was easy just to sit there and say, well, Vanderbilt's going to be in trouble, right? I mean, they've got no chance because they're going to place all this focus on academics and they're not going to put the resources they need to, from a financial standpoint, to be competitive.

And what's happened, right? I mean, winning changes a lot of that. And all of a sudden, you go out and you put the money into it and you start winning games. And, again, you're not going to all of a sudden say, well, you know, we need to start spending less money. And give credit to Candace, Story Lee, and everyone, like just from an administrative standpoint at Vanderbilt, who have really understood the value of having someone like Diego Pavia and really trying to just change the entire image of not only just the football program, but just the school in general.

And, like I said, winning helps a lot of that. Before we get into basketball and portaling, Texas, I haven't heard a lot about them. They've been, of course, with Goalich at Auburn. They've got spring game tomorrow. They've upgraded their rushing attack with Relique Brown, Hollywood Smothers, who was in Alabama for about 12 hours. And, of course, Arch is going to be the summer of Arch, but Will Muschamp is back. Now, I don't know if he's going to put his hand through a whiteboard on the sidelines like he's done before, but at least for Texas, they've kind of been in the background a little bit this spring.

It's going to be interesting to see what they do, what they show tomorrow. Yeah, and like you said, I think it's always, of course, it's kind of the way we've adjusted the schedules when it comes to the spring games, and now we're just calling them open practices and all this kind of stuff. Like, you just, you never really know exactly what you're going to get out of some of these, but what you can't deny with Texas is the talent is there. And, you know, it's never really been a question in this era, again, where we're paying guys, and we know that Texas has plenty to go around.

And like you mentioned, I mean, I think the biggest storylines are having Will Muschamp back in the mix to kind of revamp what you're going to do, you know, on that side of the ball. And, of course, we know kind of the role he played in helping Georgia, you know, several years ago, just kind of, again, really establish what they can do on the defensive side of the ball. But then, you know, you're certainly looking at, you know, the storyline of Arch and what that looks like, but you're adding Cam Coleman, and, you know, you're adding a really good running back group, I think.

And so, there's a lot of those things where I'd be surprised, honestly, if Texas is not right there as, you know, kind of a top five team regularly throughout the season. I mean, that's where they should be based on the strength of this roster. And so, yeah, I think that the biggest eyeball is, like you mentioned, they're on the defense, under Muschamp, and really just seeing how many of these new playmakers they add to the mix. It can make, the expectation is that they're going to help them make a big jump and be way more consistent offensively.

Get it all with Blake, Blake Love, Southeastern 16. Let's talk Auburn, which is going to be bigger, Blake? The eyes on a new era of Auburn football with the spring game this weekend, or Auburn's basketball lineup going forward next year. They're fresh from adding a 7-1 tree from what Santa Clara, Bucky, or Boy, if I pronounced it right. That's after getting a seven-footer from over, across the pond. I want the Kroger mill budget on this thing. They said get bigger. I think Stephen Pearl took them literally, didn't he?

I was going to say, man, it's like, you know, we knew this would be the offseason of size, and I think one of our commenters in Southeastern 16 is sort of named the era of bigflation is what it is, because he's a big man. But yeah, Auburn's got one of the biggest teams in the country right now, when you look at their front line there, and yeah, just adding more seven-footers to the mix and all that. Not many teams can say that right now in terms of their overall roster.

[26:42] But as we mentioned, too, you know, I mean, I think for them to play the way they did in the NIT, they're building some momentum as a program. You've got plenty of new pieces. Now you're keeping some of those guys for next year, so I think they're off to a good start. But, you know, again, we're talking about new, right? And, I mean, that's where you look at the Auburn football scenario under Alex Golesh, and I think there's plenty of intrigue now as you start to really look at this group and know that they're hiring this guy to really see if he can, you know, be the answer offensively.

And I think, you know, like we said, there have been promises that have been fulfilled. Some have not been fulfilled for Auburn fans when it comes to what their offense can be and will be as a program. And I think that's where you're going to see, like, as, you know, what does the defense look like? Of course, that's going to be a big thing, too, in terms of, you know, the passing defense and all that. But I think that, you know, as we mentioned, sometimes it's just easy.

Like, you don't have to think too much about these, but really just where does the offense stand, I think, is the biggest, you know, question you have for Auburn. Heading into this portion of the year. And, you know, under Alex Golesh, I think there's just a lot of optimism as to what they're going to be able to do there. Let me close with Tennessee basketball. Rick Barnes lost about seven players. Brown from Hoover is about the only one who stayed. And people are wondering what in the world Rick Barnes is going to do.

Well, he's gone out and got Day Day Ames from California, 17 points a game. Jalen Harrison from Notre Dame, 16 a game. Tyler Lundblade from Belmont, 16 a game. Miles Rubin from Loyola, Chicago. Terrence Hill has been visiting from VCU. But, once again, Rick kind of outsmarts a lot of people. He's got a pretty good port of class already and wants to add to it. Yeah. You know, Tennessee was the team that was hit the most by the transfer portal at the start in terms of having really key guys exiting.

And a lot of pieces that were on that Elite Eight roster are not going to be there next season. But, I think if you look at how quickly they've replaced these guys, I mean, they are moving fast. And, you know, we even did our kind of, of course, just for fun, we're like, okay, where would you rank teams in the SEC right now so far? If you're having to pick at this moment, we're like, well, I believe they don't even have a roster right now, so you can't put them in the mix.

But, if you want to pick the teams that have made additions, like, I think Tennessee is no worse than, you know, second or third right now. When you look at Florida being the number one team, given their retention and the guys they're going to have, you know, coming in as well. But, you look at Tennessee and the way they've quickly been able to revamp this thing, it's been very impressive. And I mentioned to you guys a couple weeks ago, I mean, there were some theories out there that maybe Tennessee did not have the NIL that people thought they have, or we're going to put that into it.

But, I think they're starting to prove that wrong here with this group they've put together. Yes, they do. Or, they whipped the credit card out, and believe me, it's working. Great stuff, as always. One at a time of the year, football, basketball, NFL draft next week. Baseball, I know Chris Lee and his folks are doing it. Where can we get online and get the absolute incredible podcast for all three sports? Yeah, I always appreciate it, guys. Check us out over at Southeastern 16. Yeah, lots of SEC basketball transfers, stuff, baseball.

We're doing football win total, so you can find it all there. And everything else, yeah, follow me on Twitter, slash, X, that's the Blake Lovell. That's great, Blake. Listen, stay safe out there, and have a great weekend, all right? Thanks, guys. You, too. Thank you, buddy. Blake Lovell, welcome. Well, this is Southeastern 16. So, is the new home for baseball the state of Georgia? What about the Georgia Bulldogs in college? And, oh, by the way, those Atlanta Braves in the MLB? Mr. Georgia himself, Bill Shanks, on deck.

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Explore more than 135 degrees and certificates in business, cybersecurity, and more. Apply now and save with no application fee. Classes start May 13th. Learn more at UMGC.edu. Certified to operate in Virginia by shelf. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. The Atlanta Braves are back in action tonight with the Braves play on the road in Philadelphia against the Phillies. The Braves are 12-7 on the year. Martin Perez will start for the Braves. He's 0-1 with an ERA above 3. Tywon Walker starts for Philadelphia. He's 1-2 with an ERA north of 7.

Auburn Tigers fell in Gainesville yesterday on the baseball field. They fell to Florida 6-3. Those two teams will play game number two of the series tonight. Also tonight, game one, as North Alabama plays host to Lipscomb, Alabama. Crimson Tide on the road. They will play at Texas starting tonight. South Alabama is at home tonight as they host Marshall. Troy will entertain Louisiana this weekend. 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.

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Bill Shanks, host of The Bill Shanks Show on 93.1 FM in Macon. Online at thesuperstations.com and on the tube at 41NBC. Bill, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you? I'm doing great. How are y'all? Hey, buddy. Yeah, we're doing all right. Bill, we're confused. You got Georgia baseball, Atlanta Braves baseball. Does Georgia still have any talk when it comes to football this spring? What can you tell us about the Dawgs spring 2026, Bill Shanks? G-Day game tomorrow at 1 o'clock. You're hearing all the superstations. And, you know, we're looking forward to seeing what all happens in that game.

And they already had a couple of injuries they've had to deal with. We had a transfer from Auburn that tore his knee. I really kind of think it's a plant from Auburn. I don't trust them people over there. I don't know what could have happened. But, you know, they're just taking our money and getting hurt and leaving. It's a big injury because he was probably the biggest name from the portal that they were able to get. And so that's quite a shame, unfortunately. But they've got a couple of teams.

[37:10] And, you know, they're going to be careful. They're not going to do very much. They're not going to show a whole lot. I mean, we don't see very much. It's just a scream. It's kind of a glorified scream. So we'll see how it goes tomorrow. Bill, talk to us about Kirby's approach to this modern era of football. We know he's still got a lot of nick in him. And we know what that means. But what you hope is he doesn't have a lot of dabble in him.

Where is the right balance? Where's Kirby trying to adjust to college football 2026 going forward? Well, I mean, I think he knows that the support's always going to be there. You know, like the basketball coach in Georgia. I mean, he's pretty confident that when the people in this state are going to be asked about giving money, they're going to know what account to put it in, so to speak. And, you know, so, I mean, I think that's a pretty good feeling for a head coach to know what the priority is at your university compared to others, that maybe there's some ambiguity about that.

But I think he's trying to navigate through it. I think he's tried, at least for this year, to truly invest in the players that he originally brought in. And, you know, there were some players that you'd ask me in November. Are they going to be with Georgia in 2026? I might have said, no, there's no way. They're going to probably leave and jump in the portal. And, you know, they didn't. They were kept, and they were a priority. And it was made sure by the coaching staff that several of those kind of players were kept and developed and prepared for the next step.

So, I think he's taking the approach of, all right, if we get these kids out of high school, we truly see that there is potential moving forward for the long term, not just in year one. We're going to invest in them. And, you know, that may bite him a little bit. We don't know. You've got to kind of play with it to see what works for your own program. And some are going to say, no, if we don't see it in the first year, we're cutting bait and going in another direction.

And Kirby's saying, no, I'm going to, you know, see what these kids can do and develop them and go from there. Mark Slabock of ESPN had his annual way too early top 25 and mentioned Georgia has 17 starters returning this fall, which quite frankly, in this day and age of football is remarkable. And that's a credit to the staff and the checkbook that talk about that, being able to get that many coming back. And Georgia's got a defensive tackle by the name of Valdine Son or Soni from Sweden.

I'm not talking about Sweden, Georgia. I'm talking about the country. 6-3, 3-15, another one of these Georgia defensive tackles that is going to play in the NFL. Confirmed that 17 number and tell us about your Swedish boy. Well, he's gotten a little buzz at spring practice, which is good. He's had people talking about him a little bit. And he seems to be the type of freshman that you can perhaps look to and say, well, he's got a chance to contribute. You know, I think that's one of the fun parts of spring practice is that you want to have the opportunity to have some people who can kind of generate a little bit of buzz going into the summertime, even as true freshmen, because the freshmen come in today, I'm early now, right?

That's kind of part of it. We used to have like one or two early enrollees. Now, if you're not an early enrollee, what's wrong with you? So it's going to be interesting to see if he can contribute. And you know what? Look, that's the other thing about it is that if you get a kid in there that does make an impression on you, even in his first spring practice, maybe before he's even taken a class for all we know, you know, you got you got to give him a shot because if not, he'll be gone by the end of the year.

Absolutely. You know, and so he has generated a buzz. He does look like a big kid. And so it's going to be interesting to see come August if he continues to be in that discussion. And, you know, Kirby Smart has shown in his 10 years that he'll play young players. And so that's another calling card for him to be able to attract a talent like this kid. You know, change these two prestations dot com. Let's stay with Georgia baseball going jeopardy on you, Bill. Name the top team in the SEC baseball standings right now.

And what's the secret of the sauce? Well, it's Georgia. They got beat last night by Arkansas in the first game of a three game set, six to three. But they are a very good team. And I mean, there's I don't know who the bad team is in the SEC. I'm sure there is one of the 16, but not many of them are. They're all really good, to be honest with you. It's competitive every week. You know, Georgia went to Mississippi State two weeks ago and swept them, which never happens.

[42:32] They had lost the home game all year long, and they got swept by Georgia. Georgia came back home, lost two or three from Florida. Florida lost two or three the week before that from the Ole Miss. Now Georgia's playing Arkansas. And, you know, it's every week, you know, if the teams can get through this conference, if Kirby Smart thinks the college football playoff stuff, he ought to be a baseball coach in the SEC. It's brutal. I mean, it's every one of these programs are so good and talented and deep and strong.

So Georgia's got a good team. They've improved their pitching a little bit. And, you know, they've got a coach that's a pitching coach in West Johnson who was at LSU and also the big leagues as a pitching coach before he got back into college. So that's what they hope can be the difference because they're scoring a lot of runs like a lot of teams are. Let's switch to the Braves. I know you've got to be happy. The Braves, they've got the biggest lead of any division leader, three, in Major League Baseball.

The pitching has been out of sight. They lead Major League Baseball in ERA at 2.93. The National League at 2.84. The four relievers, .86 ERA. That's not bad. Your favorite pitcher, Bryce Elder, and I told you yesterday, I take back about half of everything, bad thing I've said about him. 0.77 ERA. I mean, we could go on and on and on, but there is no question. You talk about a difference a year makes, but it has. Well, they were 6-13 going into game 20 a year ago, and now they're not.

They're much better. They're 12-7, and they obviously are playing much better ball. And it's a big deal because they couldn't recover from what happened last late March and early April. And, of course, part of that was the suspension of Jerickson Profar. But for them to get off to the good start, which follows up, by the way, as I said on this show and others, you know, the great spring they had. They were really successful in spring down the Grapefruit League, which I think was important. I mean, they were able to really kind of set the tone for what they needed to do to not have the same type of beginning of the season they had a year ago.

And that made a huge difference for them. I mean, there's no question about that. And so it's been a good three weeks. They play the Phillies tonight. The Phillies are three back of Atlanta. Mets are tumbling. They've lost eight in a row. They're five back of Atlanta. So that's always – that's why the sky is real blue today is because God don't like the Mets. And he's made sure that the sky is real blue. So, you know, it's a really good start. That pitching has been really the surprise to me.

I mean, I thought they were going to score some runs, Brad, and I'm not surprised about that. But, boy, that pitching has just been a great thing for sure. Bill Shane's taking up with us. You know what's refreshing about that? The Mets and the Dodgers, they break the bank. The Dodgers, they get a return on their investment. But the Mets, if I'm the Braves, I'm subsidizing that management team up there to keep on making those decisions. But speaking of that, your thoughts just about the brain trust with the Braves basically keeping this roster together, a lot of poo-poo in the offseason, naming Walt Weiss was a bit of a gamble.

But your thoughts just about that standpoint and especially compared to the Mets? Well, I think Walt was a good choice, and I said it when they made the choice. I really do. I mean, I think he's kind of continuing the Brian Snicker and Bobby Cox trend of having someone that knows what that uniform is all about, knows what the front of the uniform is compared to the back name on the uniform, unlike some people that play right field for the Braves. But nonetheless, I think the – I mean, they're cheap, don't get me wrong.

They're still not spending the money they should compared to all the money they're making in that stadium. It's ridiculous, I think, of how cheap they are. And I'm telling you, if anybody in Alabama is kin to Elon Musk, get him to buy the Atlanta Braves because they need to be in the hands of someone else instead of that publicly traded stuff that they did, which is just not good. And it's – tell you what, maybe you don't know about this, but because they're a publicly traded company, they've got an additional tax on their payroll, and I don't know what the exact rule is, but it's something about the number of millionaires you have on your payroll when you're a publicly traded company.

Well, h***, for the Braves, that's awful. That screws them horribly bad. They're going to have to pay a huge tax bill that is not going to have to be a worry with other baseball teams because of their stupid decision to go public with this team, which, you know, to me, that takes away from the desire to be a winner first. We've got to make sure our shareholders are happy. Thank you. You think Ted Turner gave a d*** about it? He didn't have any of that. He wanted to make his fans happy because he wanted to win.

[47:52] And these guys are just – so don't get me started. We'd preempt fine bomb, and, I mean, that ought to happen anyway, but still. You bring up a good point, Bill. For anyone who's ever worked for a big corporation, it's real simple. It ain't complicated. They live in a 90-day world. They come out and they tell Wall Street what the number is in this quarter, and if they don't hit it, then they're down here with us fishing for Brim on the bank of the lake because they can't afford a boat.

So everything comes back to squeezing that dollar in that 90-day period, and if it works fantastic, as long as they hit their numbers, they really don't care. I'm not saying it may be the case there. I'm not familiar, but I work for big corporations, and that's what it's all about. Oh, it is. And to have a baseball team under that umbrella like that, I mean, look, I'm sure that when the decision was made to do that, I understand about, all right, the more money we make, the more money we can put in the team, but now the consequences of that tax are going to be pretty impactful because, well, instead of spending another – I don't know how much it is, but let's just say it's $20 million.

You know, a $20 million tax a day you're going to have from the IRS that other teams aren't going to have because they're a publicly traded company. Well, if you had to bid a publicly traded company, you could have spent that $20 million on a d*** starting pitcher. Thank you. Speaking of pitchers, your boys in the minor leagues, J.R., Ritchie, and Fuentes, threw seven games in AAA, 4-0, 1.64 ERA. May, does that also make you feel good? Well, the pitching's in really good shape now. I mean, Spencer Strider had a rehab appearance last night, Brad, and so he's, you know, a couple weeks back, and they think early May, that's what Walt said earlier this week, but that's two weeks away, so he's going to have a couple more rehab starts, and if the oblique continues to be okay, then he'll be fine.

That means you're going to have a pretty good rotation as long as those five, Sell, Strider, Holmes, Lopez, and Elder can stay healthy. And then you've got, at some point coming back, you know, you've got Spencer Schwellenbach, you've got Hurston Waldrop, you've got A.J. Smith-Schalber, who is starting to throw down in Florida now from recovering from Tommy John surgery. And then you do have Fuentes and Riley, so, you know, that's a great luxury to have. I mean, they still still sign the starting pitcher, but I think they rolled the dice on it, and so far it's worked out well.

I hope it'll continue for them, but, you know, I'm still a little concerned about Holmes and Lopez surviving. You know, they've made four starts. Can they make 26 more? I don't know the answer to that. So, that's a big question that they have about that. But I think right now we've got to look at the situation and say, okay, are they okay in Atlanta right now? Yeah. Are they going to be better in two weeks with Strider? Yeah. Could they be better after the all-star break for those injured players?

Yeah. Could they be even better if Riley, I mean, J.R. and Didier Fuentes come up? Yeah, you know. So, I mean, that's a lot of positives that can hopefully negate any type of injury that pops up because you know it will at some point. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Well, listen, Harold and I and the majority of our listeners are certainly glad to know Georgia's going to have a competitive football team. Yes. This coming fall, good luck with the spring game tomorrow. The Braves hopefully will have a good weekend in Philly.

Now, if any of our listeners would like to call in and give their opinion of Georgia football, baseball, the Braves, or how bad Alabama's going to beat Georgia in October at Bryant-Denny Stadium, where can they go? Well, I tell you, I think that all your listeners ought to listen to my show because I'm going to be talking about the Atlanta Hawks, and they obviously aren't going to hear that on this show, which is really a disappointment. I'm so sure we have a breakdown of the Hawks and Knicks, and so, I mean, I guess y'all aren't going to be watching tomorrow at 6 o'clock, but…

Maybe not. Yeah, I know. I know you're not. TheseSuperstations.com, we'll be on. We'll be talking a little Braves. We'll be talking a little spring football, and we'll talk Hawks, too. Well, you mentioned the Hawks. You're right, Bill. We could talk more hockey talk, but we'll work on that, okay, Bill? Yeah, those Blackhawks are playing well right now, aren't they? Oh, me. The one, the only, Bill Shanks. Check him out at TheSuperstations.com. BB, quickly, good news for North Alabama going forward when it comes to softball in the SEC.

Harold, we'll talk about this more next week, but the Madison City Council literally voted this morning on the resolution to bring the SEC softball tournament to Toyota Field beginning in 2027. It also helps to be five minutes away from an airport, but that is absolutely incredible deal for North Alabama, the city of Huntsville, in Madison to be hosting the SEC softball tournament, and we'll discuss it more in detail next week. I call the Field a toy because it's Toyota Field, but if you've ever been there, you know it is a jewel for a fan.

[53:17] Easy in, easy out, and a great venue, so congratulations to the city of Madison. Coming up the next hour, we're going to be talking the Auburn Tigers on the day before the spring fling with Justin Ferguson. Doug Seger is going to be talking about everything when it comes to Titan Tigers, and Larry Vaught. Are they blue in bluegrass country? We'll check in with Larry on that and more straight ahead of the Boom Up Bug Show. Stay with us. A lot goes into taking care of your property.

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Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. 1819 News. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville is calling out ActBlue, which is the online fundraising platform for the Democratic Party. Tuberville was on Fox News on Thursday when the ongoing question came up about ActBlue's illegal foreign donations. You know, there's people that have been interviewed that said, hey, your name was on ActBlue. Said, I've never heard of it, but you gave, you know, $20,000 in a two-year period over months and months, and so I've never heard of that.

It is a complete scam, but there's no possible way they can raise the money they've been raising unless they go out of the country, use foreign money. You know, they don't want to clean up their voting rolls. They don't want the Save America Act, no voter ID. This is just another piece of the puzzle of what the corrupt Democrats do when it comes to elections, and ActBlue is crooked. The problem is nobody will do anything about it, and they'll continue to do it. So why complain about it if we're not going to put anybody's feet to the fire and make them pay the price for breaking the law?

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. The principal at Berry Middle School in Hoover has returned to work after being arrested this past January. Shontaria Culpepper was charged with a DUI by Birmingham police on January 1st.

The spokesperson for the Hoover City Schools told WBRC News that the administration is aware of the case and that it occurred off campus and outside of work hours. Oak Mountain State Park is offering the newest way to camp, which is called glamping. This week, the Timberline glamping tents with a safari theme were officially opened up for use by the public at that park. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores.

[58:49] Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. Boomo Bugg on 93.9, The Score. What do you say we go to, literally, the home of the champions? Wife wins national championships in football. Husband wins national championships in basketball. Andrea Adelson from ESPN. What's in the water at the Adelson House, though, in Orlando, Florida? How are you? Well, I'm doing great, fellas. You know we're home to the two best universities in the whole entire world. I've heard that. I've heard that. It's natural that those schools win championships, fellas. By the way, you may not have heard this, but Arch Manning is the starting quarterback in Texas.

You can confirm that? What? You can confirm that? The summer of March. You heard it first here. The summer of March. Hey, Reese Davis, take that. Oh, baby. Yeah. The Boomo Bugg Show, weekdays noon to 2 on 93.9, The Score. 93.9, The Score weather. Today, sunny with a high around 90. Tonight, mostly clear with a low near 65. Tomorrow, partly sunny with a 50% chance of afternoon showers and a high around 85. Tomorrow night, mostly cloudy with a 70% chance of showers overnight and a low near 45. And for Sunday, mostly sunny with a high around 70.

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 ride around the Tennessee Valley. Maybe it's time to say hello to the man who's busier than the horses at Churchill Downs these days.

In Kentucky, Larry Vaught, 30 keepers. Slash websites up in the Bluegrass State, on at WPBKFM, on UK Sports Minute, on radio stations for Edge Media. They're at WLAP and also the feature man at Topps Magazine, Larry Vaught. Welcome in. How are you? I'm doing fine. And I just want to warn you guys, go ahead and enjoy poking fun at me and having all you can for the next few months. But this fall, a basketball player from Huntsville is going to be attending Center College, and I'm going to find out all about you guys from him.

I'm going to get all the insights that I don't know, but I'm not on air. We've got Tripp Mason coming up here from, I believe it is, Whitesburg, I believe it is. That's correct. Yeah. We're looking forward to having him. Yeah, in that case, Larry, it's been nice knowing you today. Have a good one, okay? I want to tell you what, Larry, this is no joke. Huntsville may be the sleeper when it comes to, pound for pound, for high school talent, this place. Brett, I don't think you would disagree with that.

I'm not saying it's the best in the world. I'm just talking about apples to apples. It's loaded over the years, Larry. Yeah, it's true. I remember my first trip to Huntsville was to see Marvin Stone. That's right, Grissel High School, back in the day. Larry, let's talk a little bit about this Kentucky basketball team. The commings and the goings, and obviously, some name from your neck of the woods caught some eyes of Alabama fans over the last few days. Brandon Garrison leaving the Bluegrass State for Tuscaloosa.

What can you tell us about one Brandon Garrison? I thought you were going to actually have two. I thought for a while Jasper Johnson might be coming also, but I don't think that has quite worked out at all. But Brandon Garrison, he's a guy that you can love, hate, and love all in the same game. He can be spectacular at times. He can be just, for lack of a better word, just lazy, getting up and down the court at times. And he can turn right back around and be spectacular.

I mean, he can really guard all five positions. And while he's not an outside threat, he can step outside. And if you just ignore him, he can make the three-point shot or two. And he'll probably get to take more of them with Alabama than he did at Kentucky. And he's a good rim protector. And I actually think that Nate Oates will probably be a better coach for him because I think when he does some of his, if he tries some of the lollagagging and laziness that he got by with under Mark Pope, I just don't, and maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't see Nate Oates putting up with that.

And I think that'll light a kind of a spark in Brandon. And I think he could be terrific in Nate's system. Does that not drive you crazy as a fan? For the life of me, if I had that much talent, I'd say, my goodness, thank you, good Lord. I can't imagine having that much potential, that much talent. You can't be on the SEC hardwoods, even on a bad team, and not have some talent. Does that not drive you crazy? What does it take, especially in this era when these kids, I like what John Somerhal said, the new Florida football coach says, your employees, get busy, earn it.

[1:04:11] Yeah. Yeah. Of course, it's kind of funny coming from coaches when I read their contracts and what they're making, what gets me. Let's say you get a coach and giving him $500,000, which my coach is true. Salary's hidden. But get this, if Kentucky makes the NCAA tournament or makes the Sweet 16 or makes the Elite Eight or wins the SEC and all, he gets bonuses. Yeah, well, they do a painting to lose 14 games. That's right. That's what you're hired to do. Absolutely. Mike, that'd be like saying, if you guys do your radio show, we'll give you extra.

How do you spell extra, Larry? Larry, let me ask you about one more in basketball that, according to some reports, Alabama, Kentucky may be battling for him at the portal. Alex Wilkins from Furman. He's a 6'5 shooting guard. I believe he was averaging 16 points a game at Furman. And supposedly, at least there at Alabama and Kentucky may be in his top two. I don't know who the others are. Larry, what have you heard about Alex Wilkins in a, quote, battle between Alabama and Kentucky? Well, up here, the thinking is there's not a battle.

The thinking is that Kentucky's got him. Kentucky's going to be a national championship team. Now, if he picks Alabama or somewhere else, he won't be that good anyway if we want the scenario that the Kentucky Panthers will be. But, yeah, I think Kentucky is really, really high on him and likes their positioning with him. But, again, I think it's like some others. Once he gets away from campus and doesn't commit, Kentucky's had a hard time closing deals. I mean, it's the same with Donnie Freeman out of Syracuse.

They felt good about him. But they haven't closed the deal yet. So, I've still got to see it to believe it. Because if you just look at the systems and what system you think would fit Wilkins better, I mean, I'd be going to Alabama. If I'm a three-point shooter, I'm going to Alabama. Because they've shown me they're going to get me three-point shots. To me, it's not still shown he's got to run an offense that'll help you get open to get shots. So, I don't know.

Kentucky's got a lot of eggs in his basket right now. Because if they don't get him, the big blue nation is going to be really, really upset with what's going on. They're putting a lot of faith in a player from Furman. And he may turn out to be the greatest thing ever next year. But to think that you're sitting here as a Kentucky fan, and right now you're feeling like the fate of your next year's team is hanging on a transfer from Furman. Well, Larry, of all of all views, to your point about the three-point philosophy of Tuscaloosa, you get called out and benched if you don't shoot it.

That's a true story. That's not an exaggeration. But, Larry, you mentioned that. Let's face it. I would assume the honeymoon is definitely over in your backyard for Mark Pope. There's no mulligans going forward. Would you agree with that? If he doesn't hit the numbers next year, what happens to Mark Pope? No, the divorce court's already open. There's already been inquiries made about what it would take. I mean, they're going to have a new athletic director that will be announced sometime in the next few months, which would make it a lot easier for an athletic director that didn't hire you to let you go than what it would be for the athletic director that did hire you.

So, yeah, I think Mark knows he just can't come in and lose 14 games again, no matter what he pays for the payroll, whether it's the highest paid, the 48th highest paid, or whatever. He just can't do that and have the disconnect that he has with players. And it's just some people don't want to believe it, but it's just a fact. He just had a disconnect. Now, what you don't know, is it a one-year thing, or is that a trend when he tried to go out and recruit a little bit higher-quality guy than what he did the year before?

It just didn't work out with him. And so that's why I'm anxious to see what he's going to end up doing right now. I mean, he's got Zoom Diallo from Washington, who's been a really good player out there two years, but they've had losing records. So it's not like you're going into a top-level team and lured somebody from there. So I don't know. They've only got one out of the transfer portal so far, and it's been open a week and a half. So you're starting to kind of see other guys go other places, and the candidates are getting fewer and fewer.

So if they lose Wilkins, then I think a lot of people up here, because he seems like he's kind of their top target right now. Larry, spring football tomorrow. In fact, there are eight games in the SEC. A lot of people get to see Will Stein's offense. I know they're excited about that. Larry, one of the things that I've noticed was the transfers got a lot of offensive linemen, two defensive linemen, one for Purdue and South Alabama, but they got Lance Hurd from Tennessee, Max Anderson from Tennessee, Shibola from Ohio State, Ola Selina, and I'm guessing they're trying to put the big blue wall back together again.

[1:09:15] Larry, what have you heard about the spring so far? Kenny Minchie from Notre Dame. Tell us his progress, and what are you hearing about this team in spring? Well, I'll be surprised if Kentucky loses a game. Just based on what I'm hearing from spring, I mean, I don't know how they're going to lose. There you go. I mean, it's just kind of, but I imagine it's that way everywhere, so it's just kind of, but they definitely are bigger in the offensive line. They pass the look test.

Whether they pass the play test or not, we'll see, but they pass the look test. Kenny Minchie, we've heard great things about him, but let's be honest, the last two years we've heard great things about Van de Grift and Calvada, and that didn't exactly play out. So, supposedly we get to see some things tomorrow in the spring game. That'll give you a little bit better idea, but they've got 15 guys on the disabled list tomorrow, so you're not going to see some of the players that they're counting on the most, but the best thing they've got going right now, I think, is the momentum they've got in recruiting.

You haven't played a game. You can kind of live off what Stein did at Oregon. You can live off what Joe Sloan did at LSU. You can live off what Jay Bateman did at Texas A&M, and they're getting some pretty good, really good players in. I mean, they got Tank Proctor that flipped from Auburn to Kentucky yesterday. I mean, how can you not want a football player named Tank? I mean, we've never had Tank at Kentucky, so I'm all for it. I like having a tank on my team.

I mean, it just sounds like he can play. And they got the commitment from the number two quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class a couple days ago, and that's going to help them, I think, a bunch. But still, can Kenny Minchie play or not play? That's why we really won't know that until probably the second game of the season when they play Alabama, and that's going to be probably the biggest game of the year for Kentucky. And I would like to think they're going to be better.

But at this time, really, if you try to be realistic and look at their roster, there's no reason today to think that their team is any better than what the team was last year at this same time. Now, that team last year kind of tanked, for lack of a better word, and it didn't play very well because the quarterback played, didn't start out very well. At this year, if Minchie comes out hot and is really good, maybe they'll be better. Because, I mean, I think the offensive line has to be better.

And I've got to think that Minchie may not be better than Cutter Bowley, but he's going to be better than what Zach Calzada was when they started the season. And that's what I'm so far behind. I could never dig out of that hole. Well, listen, that's the minor sports. I know you're going to see the sport at Kentucky now, volleyball tonight. I know you're excited about that, to say the least. Larry, great stuff. Always a joy to talk with you. It's going to be interesting to see where Kentucky ends up in the portal.

And I know there are a lot of people, unfortunately, it's not on TV, would like to see what Kentucky does tomorrow. But where can we get online to get all your great stuff? Well, you can follow me on X at VoxFuse. My website is, you can go to either VoxFuse.com or YourSportsEdge.com. And that's ironic, Kentucky scheduled their game for 11 o'clock. Believing that was going to give them the chance to get on TV. And now it didn't, so they're still sitting there with an 11 a.m. spring game time.

But probably in your ideal time, but it is what it is. Larry's always good to hook up with you. It's September 12th. The tides should be rolling into town. But first, enjoy yourself some Kentucky Derby. What's that, a couple of weeks? That's all. If I'm looking at the calendar right here. So, a lot on your plate, man. It's time to start drinking some mint juleps just to get in shape. Larry, is it true that they say it's never too early in Kentucky, right? Never too early.

That's exactly right. Hey, Larry, listen to that. In the meantime, have a great weekend, all right? All right, you all too. Thank you, Larry. Larry Vaught, amongst other places, Vaught's Views. Coming up, the Hall of Famer's Views. Doug Sigrist on deck. Stay with us. 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.

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His book is called A Storm Came Up. Doug, welcome in. How are you? I'm good. We've lost basketball. We've had at least, you know, a few spring football games. I have moved on over to Braves, following the Braves, and just loving on them again because they're good. Do we realize what that team means? I'll say this, Doug. My late mom, and I've heard others since then, while we're on that topic, it's not necessarily the wins and losses. For a lot of folks, especially those shut-ins, and the fact that the Braves are on, for a lot of these folks, they adopt them as their sons, as their neighbors.

[1:19:57] Do people realize what this team means? And a credit to Ted Turner. We talked earlier with some of the folks who are on the inside. They're not big fans of the current model because it's now a publicly traded business. Ted Turner, back in the day, said, what do I need to make them a winner? Write them a check. If I have to get in the dugout and be the manager, I do that too. But this team is more than just a team for a lot of folks, is it not?

Yeah, I mean, this is a generational connection. You know, when we were growing up, the Braves on TBS, the Cubs on WDF. You know, they were the only national regions out there, and that's how I grew up. I actually became a fan at seven years old because I was living in Mobile, and I noticed that the Braves had a right filter for Mobile, Alabama. What was his name, Doug? Henry something, and it turned out to be pretty darn good. So, I kind of caught on at the right time.

Doug, I think a lot of fans in the South fell in love with the Braves in 82 when they won 13 consecutive games. And people say, hmm, we don't have any other teams in the South, so maybe I need to start looking at it. Now, there are some bad years after that, but I agree with you. Auburn A-Day tomorrow. Yeah. We have a first look at Alex Golich's offense, and they seem to know their identity. They're going to primarily run the ball, play action, passing. Byron Brown is a tremendous addition to them.

I'm still trying to figure out the offensive line, et cetera. Unfortunately, it's not on TV, but what do you want to see from Auburn tomorrow? I want to see a little explosiveness. I think when all is said and done, they'll be able to run the ball. I think they'll be able to put a confident offensive line together. The question is, what can they do through the air? Because, listen, he's a great dual-threat quarterback. Now, even the game where South Florida gave Alabama a scare, he did it with his legs.

You're losing the best receiver in the portal. Just where are you going to find the big plays without Cam Coleman? So, that's kind of where I'd focus. You know, defensively, I mean, they've taken some hits in the draft and graduation the last few years. But they really haven't missed a tick, so I'm not as worried on that side of the ball. What's going to be considered, in terms of the fans, a successful year, numbers-wise, Doug, for Auburn? I know this sounds underplaying it, but I think you've got to be realistic.

I think 7-5 and getting to the ball again. You know, you've got to look at these schedules. I mean, this nine-game schedule is a big chunk. Yeah, I mean, we've seen how tough it is the last few years just with eight games. And with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, I mean, you've just got an extra potential loss there. So, what would have been eight and four or five years ago, you know, might be a decent season at 7-5. You know, if you get 9-3, you've got to shut at the playoffs.

And that's how he's talking. I just don't think that's realistic. The schedule's tough. I just think you've got to walk before you can run. So, let's stay on that theme. What would be a successful record in the eyes of Alabama fans on the other side of the state next season, Doug? Again, they're not going to want to hear this, but I think 9-3 puts you in position again. You know, Alabama's, I'm not sure Alabama's schedule top to bottom is quite as difficult, but there's like a five-week stretch where everybody's a top-25 team.

And, you know, one key injury, one bad break, and all of a sudden, you know, you're heading to November already with two losses. So, I just think, just being realistic, yeah, I think 9-3 is about what you shoot for. And then you hope it breaks better. What that stood out to you last week for Alabama AD? Obviously, Keelan Russell was the star of the show, 240 yards, four touchdowns. But, again, that was one scrimmage of 15. Alabama seems to have found a kicker from Ireland who had three of three nearly effortlessly.

One of the things that stands out to me is they have quietly built a lot of depth on the defensive front. Terrence Green, Devin Tompkins, the kid from USC, London Simmons, Steve Bolo. They may have the best secondary in the SEC, one in the country. They still got to run the ball. They still got to develop an offensive line. What did you learn from Alabama last Saturday? I think Keelan Russell can do special things. At the same time, I don't think he – I think we go into the fall and probably maybe the first game of the season where both are still playing and still determining things.

[1:25:04] Because I think Austin Mack gives you maybe a little more sense of security there. Because he's seen more. He hasn't played a whole lot, but he's seen more now at two different programs. And, you know, the offensive line is going to be the biggest concern. You know, they've got to be able to run the ball, and it starts up front. And there wasn't much we saw last week that would convince you that it's fixed yet. But, you know, I think once you get healthy and you continue to develop that depth, we'll see if that changes.

Because that's the biggest question, more so than quarterback. Doug Seeger is looking up with us, amongst other places, named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Doug, you're right there in the backyard, and who better to answer this question today than you? Hoover, in the backyard, everybody says the SEC baseball tournament's in Birmingham. Things down in Hoover, they say, no, it's not. It's in Hoover. Today, the news broke that a bedroom community of Huntsville, Madison, will be hosting the SEC softball tournament starting next season into 2030.

Your thoughts, what has the SEC baseball tournament meant to Hoover in terms of revenue, putting it on the map? And your thoughts about the reaction of Madison, the future home of the SEC softball tournament. It's been a big economic driver for Hoover. And even with the Barons moving downtown, a lot of people thought that would be the death knell for the Hoover Met. Instead, they've kind of created this whole sports complex there now, and they've, like, tripled the number of homes. It's just been a great economic windfall and something, you know, you look forward to.

People come from all over, and I think Huntsville has the same thing, has the potential to do the same thing with the softball. You know, you've got fans coming from Texas and Oklahoma, all over the traditional SEC. And now that they know they're going to be there, you know, you develop relationships, and you know where to stay, you know where to park. And it becomes a destination, and I think this is really huge for Madison and Huntsville. No question about it. Let me just add a curiosity.

You're there. A.J. McCarron, Alabama's former quarterback, now the head football coach of the Birmingham Stallions, getting his feet wet there. Doug, how are they doing? How is the league doing? Again, I will watch a little bit of it later in the year once, obviously, the spring football and basketball is over with. But what kind of job is A.J. doing? What are you hearing? Well, normally, when Skip Holtz was here, I mean, they were one of the – they were either the team to beat or one of the top two teams.

And I think they're more middle of the pack now. I don't know if that's because of A.J. I think they've just put an emphasis on, you know, developing new territory. So, they've got a game Saturday. This is their, you know, fourth week, but it's their home opener and expect a good crowd. But, you know, they're going to play an undefeated team. And I think Dallas and Neuheisel. And, you know, it's just – they've been in every game. They pulled out the first one. They let the other two get away late.

So, I think it's going to be a little bit more of a nail fighter this year. You know, it's not a foregone conclusion that they're going to get the best season. Absolutely. But I'm interested to see, you know, what the crowd is because there's been a real emphasis by the new president of the league. You know, you've got to pack the stands or they'll go elsewhere. I mean, Louisville, Columbus, et cetera, Dallas, you know, they have moved franchises that weren't performing. Yeah. Well, that's going to be interesting to see, again, if Birmingham and the surrounding areas will continue to support them.

Always enjoy the conversation, whether it's the Braves, baseball, or football, it is always fun with Doug Segrist. Listen, have a great weekend. Let's do this again real soon. Thanks, guys. Y'all have a good one. You too. Doug Segrist ready to put his game face on for Auburn's spring game this weekend. Speaking of Auburn, more details with Justin Ferguson on deck. 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.

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Those two teams will play game number two of the series tonight. Also tonight, game one, as North Alabama plays host to Lipscomb, Alabama. Crimson Tide on the road. They will play at Texas starting tonight. South Alabama is at home tonight as they host Marshall. Troy will entertain Louisiana this weekend. The Atlanta Braves are back in action tonight with a Braves play on the road in Philadelphia against the Phillies. The Braves are 12-7 on the year. Martin Perez will start four. The Braves, he's 0-1 with an ERA above three.

Tywon Walker starts for Philadelphia. He's 1-2 with an ERA north of seven. 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. I checked Allstate first and saved hundreds on my car insurance. Really smart. Unfortunately, I didn't check if I took the gas hose out of my car's tank. Ooh, not smart. And I drove off while still attached to pump number three. Yeah, checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds.

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The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. What do you say we head on down to the plains and say hello to Justin Ferguson. He's busy there covering the Auburn Tigers at the Auburn Observer. Justin, welcome in. Happy Friday to you. How are you? I'm doing all right, yo. Hey, we're doing all right. Are you ready for some football in your backyard this weekend? Yeah, looking forward. It should be a really interesting A-Day game. You know, the last couple years has really kind of diminished.

[1:35:45] It wasn't even really a game last year at all. And, you know, this comes out with so many new faces and so many new pieces. They want to really, you know, get fans excited about a new era. It's going to be free admissions. It's going to be a lot of new players out there. So, I think we have a fun day tomorrow. Let me ask you about the format. It seems to be a regular scrimmage game, four 15-minute quarters, actually a 20-minute halftime. I know the scoring is the offense can get extra points for explosive plays and first down and the defense for tackles for loss, turnovers, et cetera.

Your thoughts on the format tomorrow, and will it be first-team offense versus first-team defense? It probably will be, yeah. First, you know, I would expect one versus one action, at least early on, to kind of give, you know, kind of the best-to-best kind of look. Yeah, I think the format makes a lot of sense for what Auburn's trying to accomplish today. Pretty much every position, except for a couple of them, have sort of injury concerns. So, it's kind of tougher to say, okay, we're going to switch in between first and second-team, you know, and do it twice.

Offense versus defense makes a lot of sense. I think, yeah, the score may be a little bit different. It might be something that you need to kind of get adjusted to. But, you know, I think it's definitely a good way to kind of measure up what this team looks like right now because of, you know, some depth, some depth issues just with guys here in the spring, playing a minute, you know, if you're sitting or anything like that. Justin, I'll tell you what, let's do. We're having a little bit of a hiccup as far as a connection.

Why don't we try to reconnect with you? Stay right there. We'll be trying to reconnect with you so we can get a little better connection there. That's Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. In the meantime, BB, to me, the early word, the gut feeling that you get is this, that the offense at Auburn should be ahead of the defense for reasons that are pretty obvious, bringing up a ton of guys from South Florida. Basically, it's the same playbook that is going to be putting on a different jersey.

So you've got to believe that tomorrow for the fans going to be watching this game, and again, no TV, welcome to 2026 football, right? But the offense should be a step or two ahead of the defense. Well, I think the other thing, and I mentioned earlier, is the Auburn offense knows who they are. They know who their identity is. I don't know if Hugh Freeze ever figured that out, but they know they're a running team. We'll see. There are a lot of new faces. They're mixing and matching a little bit on the offensive line, and they've had some injuries on the offensive line.

They're going to do some play-action passing. But, yeah, it's going to be curious to see it. That's the number one thing, Harold, that I think most fans realize DJ Jerkin is going to put a good defense on the field. They're just going to see if the offense has turned the corner. You know, and the other thing that's always fun to me when you bring in a brand-new coaching staff is guys who have been on the roster. You know the guys coming in, how the coaches feel about them.

But if you've been on the roster and you've stayed on this team, it's going to be interesting to see of that group who's going to be raising their stock with this regime because, let's face it, Hugh Freeze, especially now when you reflect, I think even in real time, I think he had a greater focus on the golf course, wasn't really focused. He didn't like going out working extra. And let's face it, spring, like anything else in life, is work. It's going to be interesting to see who wants to sit here and raise their stock with this coaching staff when they couldn't basically get any significant playing time under the old staff.

Well, I think that's another good thing about a new staff is for some of these players who've been there for a year or two, it's kind of starting over. They've got a chance to impress the coaches, and certainly they've been able to do that during the spring and for the spring game tomorrow. So, B.B., I think a lot of people have been asking as far as position focuses. Everybody knows that Brown is going to be the starting quarterback. Hello. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Tell me something I don't know. To me, the big question is who's going to be the backup quarterback and as far as the competition from that standpoint, because let's face it, as long as your quarterback's healthy and they live up to expectations, life, as I said back in the 60s, groovy, but what happens if you have to go to the bullpen, so to speak, and bring in number two. To me, that's going to be one of the more interesting things to focus on tomorrow. Well, I think that's what spring games are for, Harold, is to see who the backups are.

Number one, again, I think everybody realizes what the pegging order is for the running backs, and I think Justin is joining us again. We can ask him that very question. Justin Ferguson, let's hope that everything, we've got the big iron out, got the wrinkles out, Justin Ferguson again, the busy there with the Auburn Deserven. Justin, are you back with us, buddy? Obviously, we've still got the iron steel is not hot enough to get that wrinkle out, but while we ever to get him back, your thoughts, everybody's focused on this Auburn offense.

[1:41:10] Your thoughts about the defense, because it seems like that this coaching staff didn't go and cast checks at South Florida to bring up folks on that side of the ball, but the fact that they did, if you look at it on paper, it looks like that the defense is in good hands, BB. Well, I think that, well, with Durkin, as I mentioned earlier, it is. Cody Sigler has had a tremendous, the transfer from Arkansas State. It's 6'2 and 3-0-2. I think he's going to be certainly one of the leaders there.

And Quan Feagans, who had an amazing three interceptions in the practice last week. I think the secondary is going to be good. The defense, the front seven, I've been pleased with. Again, the biggest issue to me is going to be the offensive line. Derek Platt has shown a lot of people that he could play. And also, Aaron, Andre Jordan, the transfer from UCLA in the secondary. No, I think with D.J. Durkin and the kids they brought in, I think this defense is going to be very solid.

We'll get that and more with Justin. Hopefully back with us now. Justin Ferguson, again, the Auburn Observer. Justin, are you with us now? Yes, sir. There we go. There we go. We got that iron out. I got the wrinkles out. We're just talking about some of the more interesting battles to the folks who make their way down because there's no TV. You got to see it in person. As far as position battles, obviously, like any camp, you're going to have them all over the board. If you're going to sit here and ask maybe the three position battles that you'll be watching, what would they be, Justin, tomorrow?

I think the big one is kind of who separates themselves on the offensive line. So you kind of group them into one group. You know, no Stan Rimmel right now, the Michigan State transfer because he's been banged up. But, you know, Derek Plath has had a really good spring, you know, potentially a starter at left guard. Ty Buster's done a really good job as well of some of the young guys. You know, Joe Simmons, Cole Best are probably your best candidates to start of those transfers.

So, yeah, just who kind of separates themselves. You've heard different names, guys moving out with the ones and the twos. I think that's going to be a pretty big thing there. You know, elsewhere, I'm really interested to see kind of who establishes themselves a wide receiver behind the USF guys. You know, Keyshawn Singleton, Jeremiah Coger, Chaz Nimrod, I think, are a clear top three for this group. But who else? You know, Deshaun Spencer has had a really good freshman, you know, as a freshman, did a really good job here this spring in the slot.

Brian Williams Jr. has had a great spring as well, another freshman. You know, guys like Bryce Kane and Duke Smith are still around. Could they kind of establish themselves? So I'm really interested to see that. And I think the other one would probably be the safety battle, the battle there, the two safety spots and the nickel, because you've got a wide variety. You have Sylvester Smith and Caleb Harris coming back. You won't see Champ Anthony probably tomorrow because he's been, you know, kind of healing up from the injury he suffered late last season.

But then you've got, you know, Eric Winters and new boy Fagans have done a really good job kind of building off their really good freshman years. You know, and I think those are guys who could potentially start for this crew this year. Fred Gaskins thrown in a nice wrinkle in safety as well. So there's a lot of options there. It's a good problem to have when you have all that kind of depth at those spots. So I think it's just a matter of who separates themselves.

Let me ask you about the defensive front. We've talked about that throughout the spring. Cody Sigler has been a bear throughout the spring. He's had a really good one. Dallas Walker, St. Farrier, Malik Altry, Will Crawford, take a step forward, Deshaun Womack, Jared Smith. There are some numbers there. There's some depth, and there's a lot of talent. Your thoughts on the progress of the defensive front. Yeah, I mean, I think they've got the veterans that they wanted to kind of build around this year. Cody Sigler's been really impressive, like you said.

You know, getting Dallas Walker back for another year was big. Deshaun Womack's been advertised since he's jumped over from Ole Miss. You know, you've got Chris Murray back, you know, which I think is going to help them out at the edge rushing room. But it's that second wave of those younger guys that I think are going to really determine the ceiling of this unit. You mentioned Jared Smith. He's had a great spring. I really have been impressed with Darian Smith as well. He was more of an edge rushing, you know, kind of defensive end, pass rushing specialist as a freshman.

He's kind of rounded his game out a little bit better. To be more around a guy this sophomore year, I like him a lot. And then, you know, Jordan Crawford and Malik Autry are just really super talented, physical young kids. It's just a matter of just, you know, getting more experience, more time there. So, it's a good group because you've got experience you can lean on, which I think, you know, gives you a pretty high floor for that defensive front. It's just a matter of how high the ceiling is going to be.

And it's going to come down to, I think, those young guys taking a step forward this year. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. Before we jump off, it is Auburn in the basketball building. They got to raise the door jams to get everybody in. I mean, my goodness gracious, you've got some trees on the way. Yeah, so I was looking at this. This will be the first time I think maybe ever Auburn's had three seven-footers on the roster at the same time for next season. You know, Bruce Pearl only had two seven-footers his entire time at Auburn.

[1:46:39] You know, his son went out and gotten two already. You know, they get Narcisse Ngoi from France, a big, physical, just kind of traditional, you know, power guy, you know, at the five spot. And then today, Sanabuki Aboye from Santa Clara led the nation in two-point field goal percentage this past season. Really good shot blocker as well. I think if he can kind of cut down the foul rate he had at Santa Clara, he's going to be a really good weapon because he's a great rim runner, very athletic, jumps super well, just a great athlete for his 7'1 frame.

So Auburn needed to do this. They needed, you know, their biggest weakness this past season, didn't have the rim protection, didn't have the big man presence consistently that they'd been used to having in the past. So their first two pickups they go, they go and get two of the biggest guys out there. So I think that's a really good sign for this early kind of portal socle here for the Auburn basketball program. I've been pleasantly surprised at so many other teams that didn't have this luxury of the core of this group coming back.

Everton, Petterford, Williams-Adams, Walker, of course, from Huntsville, Aporum, and again, we'll see the transfer portal to enter it is next Tuesday. But that has got to make Steven Pearl feel much better. I know he's glad to bring these transfers in, but to have the core of that NIT team return is tremendous for him. Yeah, 100%. I think if you look at the best teams in the SEC this past season, Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, they all brought back multiple key guys from their previous years, and Auburn didn't. They only brought one guy back.

So I think a lot of teams are hitting the reset button in the SEC this offseason. Auburn can get their starting two guards back. They can bring back a guy in Sebastian Williams-Adams, and it'll be very interesting to see, you know, Elijah Freeman jump into the portal. He hadn't landed on a spot yet. I mean, the door is still open for him to potentially come back to Auburn, and that would be a big-time pickup because he was such a good wing for them this season. But, yeah, it's just that continuity, that stability, that consistency, the chemistry that you get from returning players is big, and Auburn just didn't have that this past year.

But that shouldn't be a problem for them. They're going to be one of the more experienced and kind of continuous teams in the SEC next season because those guys decided to come back. Absolutely. Auburn baseball going on. I know you've got some guests who cover that for you. By the way, the Board of Trustees approved the $323 million refurbishment of the stadium, which, again, for multi-purpose events, which is huge for future revenue. But basketball, football, pre-game, A-Day, post-game, spring game, 6 a.m. emails, Friday mailbag, podcast. Where can we get online to get all the great stuff?

Yeah, AuburnObserver.com. Check it out there if you subscribe here. In the next hour or so, I'm going to have a full breakdown on Buki Aboya, who we talked about from Santa Clara. That will go out to subscribers. We'll have A-Day coverage all weekend and podcasts go up to date talking a lot of football. I've got plenty of notes and observations from Football Brightness this week. And then we have a roster tracker in basketball as well to make sure you keep up with everything. So, AuburnObserver.com, running our sale through the rest of the weekend.

So, it's a great time to jump on, $40 a month or $4 a month for your first year of the Observer. Just go to AuburnObserver.com and check it out. Another busy weekend in your backyard. Enjoy, Justin. Thanks so much for your time today. Yep, appreciate it, y'all. Thank you, bud. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. By the way, the weather, 85 and cloudy, maybe a little partly cloudy. So, there's your forecast for tomorrow down in the backyard of Toomer's Corner. B.B., your thoughts about the Atlanta Braves tonight.

They're playing well, but, Harold, this is going to be a test for them. They've had a very manageable schedule so far and won the series against the Marlins. In fact, they haven't lost a series the entire season, but the Phillies are a different animal. In Philadelphia, it's going to be a good test for them to see if the momentum will continue. Walker on the mound for the Phillies. Perez on the mound for the Atlanta Braves. And it's going to be on 93.9 The Score. Check it out later on tonight.

It's going to take care of us for now. On behalf of B.B., Greg, James, Blair, the entire crew here. Parole Buck, thank you so much for your time today. That's doing it again Monday, noon to two for the Bumble Buck Show. Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score.