Boomo Bugg Show 042426

[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 Tide, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us the ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where over 300,000 people show up to watch a man in almost a suit read from an index card for hours.

Good afternoon. Welcome in. It's called the NFL Draft. Were you one of those over 300,000 attendance in Pittsburgh last night? Happy Friday to you and the listeners. No, I was not one of the 300,000, but I'll say this for the broadcast. Boy, it went a lot quicker, didn't it? When you cut it down to about 87 or 8 minutes, they got through it in about three hours. And one of the results of it was Alabama's record of consecutive NFL droughts with a first-round pick continued as Caden Procter is drafted number 12 to Miami.

Ty Simpson right behind him at number 13. Heldrick Fogg gives Auburn his first number one pick since 2020. Bill Shanks talks about the Braves' great story on the season. But Jimmy is here right now to recap another historic night for Alabama, coaching salaries, and will Alabama get a commitment from the number one quarterback in the nation tomorrow at 1130? Well, Superman has his Jimmy, and we've got hours. Let's move over to Jimmy Olsen. Time to say hello to Jimmy Stein. He's called us to the Locked On Bama, part of the Locked On Network.

Jimmy, welcome in. How are you? Hey, doing great, guys. Appreciate you all having me back. We appreciate you coming on with us. The question before the draft, would Alabama have the streak continued to want 18 with another first-round draft pick? The answer is yes. Not one, but two. Nobody really surprised, I don't think, of Caden Procter going in the first round. Maybe at number 12. That means to Ching. I think the big surprise was at number 13, the L.A. Rams. You're talking about a perfect scenario, in my humble opinion, for Ty Simpson, but is it true that head coach of the Rams, Sean McVay, is in a padded room today?

How are you? I don't know. That's an interesting story out there. It would want to be understandable on the surface, right, where the head coach is more in a win-now mode than maybe the front office and the ownership, which plans on sticking around. The head coach wants to win right now, and I think this split of opinion between the front office and the coach probably happens way more than we ever know as the public. It would only make sense. There would be disagreement, right? All the mock drafts look different.

Why would the opinion from an organization all be the same? So, it wouldn't be shocking to me if Sean McVay wasn't 100% on board, but that's what you do when you're the coach. I mean, the GM builds the roster, and then you coach what's out there. And, hey, maybe the Rams, a year or two now, will be pretty grateful that they drafted Ty Simpson. Because I think we all know Matt Stafford is near the end of his Hall of Fame career. He's near the end. And, boy, what a great guy for Ty to learn from.

Yeah, it was a surprise to me that he went at 13. I'm not surprised that he went to the Rams because it's such a great situation for Ty. But at 13, that was a big surprise, no doubt. It shows how important Ty was, at least to the Rams' front office. Yeah, it wasn't McVay who was saying today, yes or no, sir, may I have another. But, you know, you're right about looking at it through the eyes of Simpson. Number one, the good news is if you're the number one draft pick, you're going to obviously catch the biggest check in all likelihood.

But it also means you're going to a terrible team. That means your knees, your legs, every ligament is going to be at risk. You go to a team like the Rams, overall, they've got good management. He's going to be sitting there. And I thought his comments, he being Ty, was telling. He said in his post-draft interview, one of the things he appreciated was being able to sit on the bench and learn. If I'm the Rams, I want somebody who understands that. And Stafford, it can tutor him.

It gives him a chance. And to me, Ty Simpson, see if you agree, Jimmy, he was two quarterbacks at Alabama. He was healthy, Ty Simpson. He was not healthy, Ty Simpson. He didn't have, I think most people agree, a great line to play behind. So he had to be a quarterback who could do it all. Under center, shotgun, et cetera. Your thoughts just about looking at it objectively. It is, that's a good observation, Harold, about, you know, there's really a Ty 1.0 and a Ty 2.0. And 2.0 was ugly.

[5:18] And what the NFL had to figure out, what the Rams had to figure out was why. And there was an explanation, starting with Ty's health. But that wasn't even the full explanation. I do think if the season wore on, Alabama became a little bit easier to defend in the sense that they didn't have a run game. That was pretty well known by the end of the year. Alabama became just simply easier to defend. Also, who you're playing at the end. You know, when you make the postseason, you're playing nothing but elite football teams.

And when you're already banged up and a little one-dimensional on offense, it might not look pretty all the time. But when Ty was healthy and Alabama had the threat of a run game, there was a stretch of the season where many analysts out there at the time thought Ty might be QB1. I mean, that was a discussion during the portion of the season that Ty was healthy and playing really well. I think the Rams did their homework on Ty, obviously, and feel that Ty's struggles late in the season were more related to his health and the Alabama offense.

Yeah, after the injury, South Carolina-Missouri, he actually threw for about 80 fewer yards per game. 17 touchdowns, one interception, and Ty 1.0. Jimmy, how many players come Sunday afternoon? I've heard 8-10 for Alabama again. Jeremy Bernard would probably be picked tonight. Justin Jefferson, him, Tim Keenan, L.T. Overton, Parker Brasford has fallen. Deontay Lawson, I still think Josh Cuevas is going to get a look. How many players from Alabama get picked when everything's said and done? I think it can be up to 12. I think that's the home run for Alabama is 12, and I do think 12 is possible.

But there will be guys at the very, very end, like, for instance, a Jan Miller is a good example. I'm not going to be surprised if Jan Miller is undrafted because he's got a lot of tape out there that says, don't draft me. But there's also this. Jan Miller has a lot of the same issues Ty had. He had multiple injuries, especially in the final year at Alabama. He had a broken collarbone. He missed time. He had to come back and play through the collarbone issue.

And then there was a three-game stretch when he was pretty healthy. It was Alabama's three best games all year from the running back position. Basically, three games that Jan was healthy in 2025, Alabama actually ran the ball. He even had a 100-yard game. They even got the concussion. It was a significant concussion. And then he was never the same after the concussion and just kind of had a lost season. So, Jan may be drafted. I think if there is a team out there that did a deep dive on him, maybe he is a sixth or seventh-round pick.

He's just a good example of Alabama can get to 12, but it would take guys like Jan being taken late. And let's face it, the NFL lacks that scenario because they can pick him up a lot of potential by NFL standards at a bargain price. So, that's what you're always looking at. It's called business across the board. Jimmy Stein hooking up with us, Locked On Bema. Jimmy, let's talk contract extensions for both size balls, basketball and football. I saw a trivia question. If you ever make it to Jeopardy, name the college in America with the highest paid football-slash-basketball coaching staff, and that would be Alabama.

Let's start with football. Jimmy, your take on the contract extensions this week. Well, the reaction from it has been pretty noisy. You spend any time on Alabama message boards or on Alabama social media sites or Twitter or Facebook, wherever. The reaction has been pretty noisy. I really think it's the timing, guys, more than anything. In terms of when the decision was made that this was going to happen, let's say that during the midst of the DeBoer to Michigan stuff, when it was all over the place, and it was 100% true that Michigan wanted Caelan DeBoer and was offering him a good deal and more money, had Alabama announced at that point we're going to extend DeBoer two years and give him a raise, I don't think it would have been quite as loud, even though that was during the time that Alabama was getting their doors blown off by Indiana.

I mean, I still think it had been announced around the time of the Michigan fear that it wouldn't have been quite as noisy. Instead, it was announced during a quiet time of the offseason, whereas the message could be sent that, hey, this was a decision that Alabama reached this week or two weeks ago. And really, it's a decision born out of what happened with the Michigan situation in January. So, I think the timing of it being made public is what led to a lot of the eruption over it.

[10:36] But when a school like Michigan is offering your coach more years and more money to become their coach, and it's from a part of the world where Caelan DeBoer is from, quite an established blue blood program. When you've got a coach that's in that level of demand, I don't know why anyone is surprised at the extension. And the Rays, however, based on accomplishment to date, in terms of what Caelan DeBoer inherited at Alabama, I certainly get why some people feel like it wasn't warranted. But, boy, talk about a loud reaction.

What if Caelan DeBoer had left and gone to Michigan? There would have been a pretty loud reaction then. He probably would have taken half a roster with it. Yeah. Yeah, and I think Greg Byrne understood that and wanted to get out in front of it. Jimmy, tomorrow at 11.30, the number one cornerback in the nation, Elijah Haven, is going to be announcing between Alabama and Georgia. Which one is he going to pick? I believe he's picking Alabama. Quite confident of that. Have been for a while. In terms of why, why would Alabama sign three five-star quarterbacks in back-to-back classes?

How is that possible? Well, the answer is, as to how Alabama can do that, the answer is Jalen Hurts, Tua Tungvaloa, Mack Jones, Bryce Young, Jalen Milrow, Ty Simpson. The run that Alabama's on producing high-draft quarterbacks is making college football history. And that's how you do this. Also, DeBoer himself. Thank you. Yeah, DeBoer himself produced the number eight pick in the draft, a quarterback in Michael Pennant. Yep. DeBoer and Grub can show off of that as well. That, hey, it's not just what they've been doing at Alabama.

It's what we were doing at Washington before we got here with Pennant. So, Alabama just recruiting that position as well as anybody, not just as well as anybody in college football, guys. This is college football history. You can't find many. I've only been able to come up with one instance I can find of a school signing three five-star quarterbacks in a row. And that was Georgia a while back when Georgia signed Fromm and Fields and Eason, I think, from Washington. They've done it too. So, it's not a first.

But it certainly feels like a first. It's amazing. And Haven is an amazing prospect, like most five-star quarterbacks. Big, strong kid, 6'5", 225, which is amazing size for a guy that is not even a senior in high school yet. But what's impressive about Elijah, he's a thrower first and foremost. This is a big, strong, tall dude who can really wing it. But he'll also pull the ball down and run 70 yards for a touchdown, too. There's some real athleticism he's got that goes with the unbelievable size and strength.

Well, back to your, before we jump off, back to, you mentioned the timing of the board. Would it be surprising to say maybe we need to get this thing out there right on the eve of Haven making his announcement? Because, let's face it, you just don't wake up one day and sign somebody. This is all about relationships. So, they don't want to put any question marks in front of his decision, I'm sure. Yeah, it didn't hurt. It didn't hurt at all. And I'll tell you what's really impressive as far as Cael and DeBoer's relationship with Elijah Haven.

Haven was a lean to Alabama for so long that he was leaning to Alabama when Nick Sheridan was the QB coach. As you know, Nick Sheridan left Alabama back in January to become the offensive coordinator at Michigan State. Alabama hired a new quarterback coach, Brian Ellis, who happened to be the tight end coach. They moved him to the quarterback position, and Elijah Haven never blinked. So, Alabama changed position coaches for Elijah Haven mid-recruitment. It wasn't even a hiccup. That's how I think locked in Elijah and his family are to Alabama.

Well, I think that's a great point. Speaking of locked in or locked on, in your particular case, Jimmy, where can we get online with you and Luke Robinson and other guests throughout the week and hear about football, basketball, recruiting, the NFL draft, in other words, the best coverage of Alabama sports on the planet? Appreciate that, Brett. Locked on Bama. You can find us on YouTube, or if you just prefer the audio podcast, you can find Locked on Bama wherever you get your podcasts. We have a new show six days a week.

There's a brand new 30-minute show, and we will go on live after Elijah Haven's commitment is made known tomorrow around 1130. Jimmy, thanks so much for your time, Dave, and you have a five-star weekend, okay? Appreciate that, guys. Y'all have a great one. Thank you, Jimmy. Jimmy Stein hooking up with us there at Locked on Bama. He's locked on the entire SEC. He's plate level, and he's next. Stay with us. Since 1952, J.C. Hammond Sons has been keeping the Shoals comfortable year-round. As the oldest family-owned heating and air business in the Shoals area, they've built a reputation for a reliable service you can trust, whether it's for your home or your business.

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[21:21] Yeah, doing well, guys. Kentucky, as always. You too. I'll tell you what. If anybody knows what it's like living in a city where they host the NFL draft, it's you. What does it mean? I mean, back in the day, Nashville, in some ways, they kind of got this ball rolling, did they not? This has always been a big deal for a lot of the hardcore fans. But it's like when it went to Nashville. They saw that this can spread across the board. You're bringing a lot of folks last night to the NFL's credit.

You can criticize them all you want, but they know how to turn a buck. They moved this thing around. Over 300,000 last night. We were joking earlier, Blake, to show up and watch a man almost in a suit read from an index card for hours. But your thoughts on what this means to a city? Yeah, it's something, isn't it? Like you said, I think you remember back when they kind of made such a big deal of it here. And, yeah, it kind of felt like it was sort of the point that started the domino effect.

You have everybody trying to sort of up, you know, how do we beat this number and how do we get this many people here? And you saw what it could be. And I think just, you know, when you have the world-class presentation, you know, broadcast-wise, and it can appeal to so many people to say, all right, I want to be part of that. And, yeah, you kind of got that vibe in Nashville. And then, you know, you look at the places it's been to since, whether it's Cleveland, whether it's Pittsburgh and Green Bay, so forth.

Like there's just so many, you know, different options that you have. And now, like this is something where you can simply rotate this, you know, everywhere and just get all the way back around again and just keep doing it that way. And, yeah, it just becomes a big party, right, in kind of what becomes that slow part of the season for the NFL, which there really never is any of that. It's been interesting at the social media talk today. If you listen to some of the national opponents, I don't know why the SEC needs to even play this year.

With the Big Ten finally surpassing the SEC by the number of draft picks, the Big Ten at 10 and the SEC 7, which broke, I think, what was it, a 15-year stranglehold on that. And some of the reasons for that, and a lot of people haven't mentioned this, Ohio State gets four when they normally get two. Indiana got two when they normally get zero. Georgia had one when they normally get two or three. Tennessee had zero when they normally get one or two. Texas had zero. And, quite frankly, a lot of the players in the SEC, and Alabama is a good example of this, stayed one more season because they're making more money or as much money in NIA.

L, as they would be going to the NFL draft. Is the Big Ten now taking over college football and the SEC needs to just not play this fall? Yeah, like you said, I think there's some context that's very important there when it comes to just the nature of how different it is now versus the way it used to be. And like you said, there are some players who have no reason to go to the draft because they're going to earn more money staying in college. And, you know, as you mentioned, it's not as though the entire Big Ten has just taken over the SEC.

It's just, yeah, the top of the Big Ten this past year when you have Indiana win the national title and they've got the number one overall pick. And, you know, you've got an Ohio State team that gets four guys going in the top 11 of the draft. And you just keep kind of looking at those. Again, these are outliers. These are not the norm. And so I think from that perspective, like, yes, you're looking at, just as we've said over the past, you know, a couple years now.

Like, sure, there are certainly a lot of resources going into these top-level Big Ten teams. And, you know, again, results will vary season by season depending on which group comes together, which group doesn't. But, again, in the SEC, I think there's always going to be a situation in this era where you're going to have top players who have that choice to enter the draft and will be getting paid more to stay versus if they were somewhere in the middle of the Big Ten or something like that.

I think that's just the nature of how much that the SEC is putting into it. So, yeah, maybe a little early to declare that this thing is over. But, again, there are some contacts required for that. A little hooking up with us. The most intriguing, I think it's safe to say, was Ty Simpson. A lot of folks said, what's this kid doing? He turned down and reported over $6 million in NIL deals to go elsewhere in the college ranks. His signing bonus loan is in the neighborhood of $14 million, $15 million.

Overall, it could end up being $20 million to $30 million. So we know financially he's going to be okay. You can live in UT Martin on that and didn't have some change left over back in the day. But your thoughts, to me, this is one of those deals where this is great for Simpson because he's going to Los Angeles. He's going to be being able to tutor with one of the greats. But the coaching staff may, at least on body language alone, may make this an uncomfortable marriage.

But your thoughts about Ty Simpson to L.A., at least right now, the head coach doesn't look like he's got warm arms out to embrace him. Yeah, I think it's certainly one where, you know, you kind of understand the scenario you're working with, with Matthew Stafford. And I think from that perspective, you know, if there's one thing we know about NFL teams is that they are always, always looking for the future. And yes, they were certainly focused on the short term, but they are going to, at every turn, protect themselves for the future when it comes to just building their roster.

[26:51] And so I think with this, like, sure, it's going to be kind of a pick that most will see as one of the sort of biggest wild card choices of the first round. But, you know, at the same time, we've seen this with NFL teams when it comes to those kind of choices. Usually quarterback is factored in there when you're talking about the top positions that maybe catch you off guard, because there are going to be teams that go out and identify certain guys and say, I don't really care where they're at on anyone else's board.

Like, we see the vision for how they're going to fit in with our head coach, with our offensive scheme, and, again, kind of the other pieces of the roster that we've already put together. So time will tell on Ty Simpson whether, again, it works out there or not. But, I mean, you mentioned it, Harold. I don't know how you could have a better situation than playing for Sean McVay and sitting behind Matthew Stafford. Like, that's a great spot to be in entering the league. Before we talk a little basketball, can you confirm the Dan Patrick rumor that Nashville, Tennessee will host the Super Bowl in 2030?

Wow. Listen, I do think there has been talks of that certainly before, you know, that came out. I think we had even mentioned it when we talked about, you know, when they made the decision on the new stadium and they were kind of putting everything into it. Like, there was, at the time, like, a lot of belief that you were looking at, to me, I think the three things I heard the most, the three big events, and that was the Super Bowl, that was WrestleMania, and that was the Final Four.

And, like, those were the three big things that Nashville was really pushing for. And, you know, and again, it's kind of fitting because there was also a report this week, I saw just around here in Nashville, and I think it was from the Fox station or whatever, that, you know, yes, like, that was kind of the original plan, is that Nashville was supposed to host WrestleMania next year. And so, if you think about the way they were going to stagger that, okay, so that goes into 2027, you're looking at Final Four options, then, of course, you're going maybe a year or two later with the Super Bowl.

Like, that was kind of their plan. It was to really just kind of domino all these big events. So, I think, yeah, it's probably going to happen. And, again, I don't think that's going to be the only big one here. I think, like I said, I could certainly see the Final Four being a realistic option, you know, on the women's side, men's side, soon enough as well. I think that's probably to come, and many other things here. Brett and I said, oh, we remember when the Grand Ole Opry was a selling card when it came to entertainment in Nashville.

Blake, your thoughts as far as the transfer portal going to basketball, who comes out the big winner, the big loser, and your thoughts about Nate Oates. He wins the lottery with a contract. Yeah, certainly. I think it's well-deserved based on, obviously, the success he's had there. And I think when you look at, you know, what they've done this offseason, I feel like they're one of those teams that you're kind of in wait-and-see mode maybe more so than usual with Alabama. But, you know, they've got some pieces that are still to be determined, I think, on next year's roster.

And, you know, some of it honestly comes back to the Aiden Holloway situation. And you just kind of are curious to see exactly, you know, who's going to be where. And I think Alabama's one of the more intriguing teams coming out of the portal so far just because you can see kind of what they're trying to put together. But they're also going to have some guys, I think, that take a pretty significant step forward in their system. I would say the biggest winners, believe it or not, you're going to have to head to the Lone Star State because I think Texas and Texas A&M have both been huge winners in the transfer portal.

I mean, I think you're looking right now at Texas. In all honesty, I think Texas is a top 10 preseason team at this point. I think A&M looks like a top 25 team to start off with. I mean, both of these teams. And remember, we had this conversation last year. They both had new coaches. And I said, I said, they are going to have their worst rosters in year one because they're going to wind up getting the money and resources they need. So, Texas, Texas A&M, big winners.

I think Vanderbilt and Tennessee, also two big winners in this thing. And then, honestly, guys, I put Auburn in there. I think Auburn's done a really good job of kind of just, you know, kind of revamping their roster a little bit with what they need. So, to me, those are the ones that certainly have stood out the most. As far as replenishing offense, Tennessee and Rick Barnes are there. In Florida, to be able to get that front court to come back, Chinyu Liu, I believe, entered the draft like Amari Allen did.

And we'll see if he comes back. But, boy, I tell you one thing, if that front court from Florida comes back, I know who the preseason number one's going to be in the majority of the polls. Great stuff. So many stuff going on. I know y'all have got a recap of the NFL, all the football spring games now. No, I think Arkansas's got one. The remaining one, SEC baseball going down the stretch. Where can we get online and listen to the great podcast for all three sports?

Yeah, I always appreciate it, guys. Yeah, find us over there at Southeastern 16 on YouTube or any podcast app you use. Yeah, of course, we've got lots of SEC baseball stuff this weekend, a lot of transfer stuff, and, yeah, reaction to spring football. So, yeah, find us there, Southeastern 16 on YouTube. The last weekend of April in Joya, Blake. Thanks so much for your time today. Thanks, guys. You too. Thank you, bud. I love looking over there at Southeastern 16. Coming up, golly, he's probably loving the Braves a little bit more than the Falcons right now.

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[37:33] Other things try to do this, but they really don't. Like the touchscreen at fast food places. It's not like you save time because it takes you longer to use a touchscreen than, I don't know, someone who works there. And another thing, you'd think it would save money because they're not paying a cashier, right? But no, same price. Also, why is there an option to tip? Who am I tipping? Exactly. Anyway, even if you can't save money and time with some things, you could with a Progressive Home & Auto Bundle.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers not available in all states or situations. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9, The Score. The Score. Welcome back in. What better way to say hello to the final Friday in April to say hello to Mr. Friday. Also, Mr. Peach from the big state of Georgia. Bill Shanks, host of the Bill Shanks Show on 93.1 FM in Macon, online at thesesuperstations.com, and on the tube at 41NBC. Bill Shanks, welcome in. Did you watch with laser beam focus, Mr. Goodell getting his 20,000 steps from the backstage to the podium last night for the NFL draft?

Or were you busy reflecting on the team with the best record in the National League and, overall, the Atlanta Braves? How are you? Neither one. I'm doing well. I was with the Atlanta Hawks game. The Hawks are up 2-1 on the New York Knicks. I know y'all already had a whole segment about that. We want to talk about it. You're listening. We appreciate you listening. I didn't say I was listening. I just assumed y'all were having a segment already. Okay. There you go. There you go.

There you go. You want to say if you write that word down as soon. Bill, your thoughts about to raise. Here we are coming up on the last weekend in April and a show of hands. And be honest, we're not politicians here, so we can be honest. How many folks had the Atlanta Braves penciled in as not only leading the East, but with the best team in all of Major League Baseball? Not many, and not many people also had the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets in the last place in the National League East.

I said today, I said, looking at the Braves in the first place is like having a great big cake. And then the icing is the fact that the Mets and Phillies are bringing up the rear and the National League East, which is just the best cake you'll ever have. But it's been an incredible start. I don't think the Braves could be in a better position than what they are in right now with their record, with the fact that their best rivals or biggest rivals are in last place, in fourth and fifth place, respectfully.

And also the fact that everything's in good shape. I mean, yes, they lost their clothes earlier this week to an injury. Hopefully he won't be out long. They've got the one to step right in. They had someone come up from the minor leagues yesterday, whom I've been speaking about a lot over the years, J.R. Ritchie, had a tremendous debut. They've got pitchers coming back with Spencer Strider in May and, of course, others after the All-Star break. And they're in good shape. Let's land another layer to that, Bill, because it's still April.

There's plenty of time left on the clock. But here's the bottom line. If the Braves just play a respectful ball, it's hard to dig out from an eight-and-a-half in the case of the Mets, nine-and-a-half in case of the fields. That means they've got to get hot. The Braves have got to go cold because if they're just sitting there in tennis terms holding serve, they can't catch up realistically barring the Braves collapsing. You're right. I mean, it's the same thing the Braves went through a year ago, right?

I mean, they were 0-7 to start the season, and you felt by the second week of April, heck, when the Braves were done, they're out of this. Because when you put yourself in that much of a hole, it's just so, so difficult to get out of it. And so, yeah, I mean, again, you just can't be in a better spot than what the Braves are playing well, first of all. The record shows that, but they're playing well. They've got more people. I mean, look, they've got $35 million of their payroll coming back in the next couple of weeks with Hoffman Kim at shortstop and Sean Murphy as the catcher.

Well, I mean, you can make a case that they don't need you to bag on one of them. I mean, the catcher they've got that's taken over, Drake Baldwin, is about the best in baseball. And Mauricio Duvall, nobody's going to want to see him get fewer at-bats because of the situation with the, you know, I mean, he's just been great so far. So, no, it's been really good so far. And, you know, I mean, the thing that they kind of rolled the dice on the pitching staff.

And, look, I said in spring training when I was criticizing Alex and Thomas for not getting another pitcher, which I still think he should have, I said, well, I do believe that I think he is counting on J.R. Ritchie to contribute. And because Alex likes J.R. a great deal. He always has, as I have. And I think he rolled the dice on that. And we saw some of the results of that yesterday. The Braves, just to reinforce all this, the Braves have 18 wins, the most in the major leagues, not just the National League, major leagues.

They've got 248 hits, 150 runs, 3.12 ERA, which in modern-day baseball is exceptional. They have outscored their opponents to date by 62 runs, which is tremendous. And I go back and reinforce what you said. And people scoffed at you about this when they laughed, Wes, and it's not a big deal. Yeah, it is. They got off to an amazing start in the spring. And that has been a springboard for them to utilize this. And I thought, Richie, after the first pitch, was marvelous. But I go back again. All of this started back in March with the exhibition games, and they've carried it on.

[43:20] You're right. You're right. I understand. I mean, and I don't think it was – I don't think Walt Weiss called a team meeting and said, okay, if we don't win 20 games, I'm going to fine every one of us. I think he just – I think the team – and I'm not cutting Walt short, don't get me wrong. But I don't think it was a concerted effort. But I think that they had success early on in spring training, and they're like, okay, this is what we need to do. We need to play well in spring training.

We need to play good ball in spring training. We need to have a good record because – and again, history does show us some things sometimes. And I go back 44 years to when Joe Torre did make it a concerted effort. He said – 82. And it was different circumstances, right, 82, and it was different circumstances. I mean, the Braves had only had one winning season under Bobby Cox's four years, and his first tenure as Braves manager, it was 81-80. But that was it. They had a losing record and a disappointing year in 81, and Joe Torre came in and said, you know what, this team's been in Atlanta for 16 years.

They've had like four winning records. We need to have a good spring to carry that. Well, they won 13 in a row in the beginning of the season, and if not for that, they wouldn't have won the division that year. So how you get off to a season does matter. And I think the same situation was in place of the new manager this year with Walt Weiss. Phil Shanks, the Superstations.com. Let us not get too carried away because baseball can be the kindest yet the cruelest game in the world because when you face each other head up, one or two things can happen.

And that is, like, tonight the Braves take on the fields. If the fields sweep, all of a sudden that lead is cut to six and a half. That's manageable. But what happens to the Braves sweep, they're 12 and a half up come Sunday night over the fields. Even if the Braves take the series two out of three, they still get a game. So they're still 10 and a half up. So, to me, this is a very important weekend just to keep the momentum going in the right direction.

Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, well, they ought to smell blood in the water, right? I mean, they look at the Phillies' running streak, and even if the Phillies snap that at some point this weekend, take two or three and win series. I mean, that's been the trademark of the year so far. They're 7-0 and 1 as far as series. They haven't lost a series so far. They split one four-game series with the Diamondbacks in the early part of the season. So it's like, keep it going. Don't stop.

Win series. I mean, that's been the trademark of this team going back to bombing is win series. That's what you have to do. And not that you're going to win two out of three every single year. You are going to win 108 games. You want to be as, you know, I was thinking last night when I was watching the basketball game. It's like, you know, one thing I've never heard out of a coach's mouth in basketball, we need to win quarters. We need to, the most quarters we win, I guarantee you, and it's something that I don't think I've ever seen stand on.

It's like, if I go back, for example, and look at, all right, 82 games for the Atlanta Hawks, for example, and you can do this to college, high school, 82 games for the Atlanta Hawks, times four, whatever that is, what, 328, whatever. How many of those 328 quarters did the Hawks win? And I guarantee you, considering the fact they won 46 games, they won a pretty good number of them. The more quarters you win, it ought to help you win the game of basketball. And the more series you win, it ought to help you win, have a great season in baseball.

And we've seen that happen over the years. So they just need to win the series against Philadelphia and move on to the next one and do the same thing. We talked about the NFL draft in the last segment about now that the Big Ten, since they've got 10 in the SEC seven, that they've taken over college football, and we've listened to that all year long. And again, I give the Big Ten credit, Ohio State, Indiana, Hoosiers won the national championship. But Georgia only had one player taken last night.

Georgia normally has two or three. Texas had none. Tennessee had none. Indiana had two when they normally have zero. Ohio State normally gets two. Alabama had two and so forth and so on. And it's all over social media this morning. I know you've looked at some of it. And again, a lot of these kids decided not to go this year because they make more money in NFL. Your thoughts on the movement sweeping the country that the Big Ten has just completely taken over college football? Well, I don't know if I'll go that far.

I mean, I think there's a proof in the pudding of what the numbers showed last night. We'll see about the draft, how many players in the SEC. That'll be an interesting thing to see. There's no question about that. And I think that the NIL is going to spread it out a little bit where it's not as dominant as the SEC as it used to be. I mean, you know, there were years where Tennessee had that tremendous advantage over even Georgia and Alabama for that matter. And, you know, so it's cyclical for some reason.

But I want to tell you my big thing of the NFL draft is if Ty Simpson pushes Stetson Bennett out of a job, the war is on. Why would that be, Bill? Why would that be? I mean, where did he play college ball? It was obvious that Sean McVay was about as comfortable as a daggum, you know, church. And he had to go and explain about Ty Simpson and look at their left knee as he was trying to explain all that c***. But then he's like, I want him to come out and say, well, I don't know where the heck he's going to play.

[48:47] We may see him down in my league, so Stetson's our number two. So, you know, but that was one of the interesting things about last night for certain. You know, one of the names I thought about last night, back to what Brett alluded to, there's people like Carson Beck, he hates the NFL, does he not? Your thoughts about some of these kids? Did we ever think we'd live long enough, Bill, to see a guy take a pay cut from going from college to the NFL? Yeah, you know, there was a rumor earlier this week that Carson was going to sneak into the late first round.

I didn't really buy that. We'll see if he goes tonight in two or three. But, yeah, well, I tell you, and I predicted this, we're seeing the NBA with the NBA draft. I mean, let me tell you, Florida, you can go ahead and crown them national changes. Yeah, absolutely. That's right. They got Thomas Hawk going back. They got Owen, the Condon kid going back. The big center is contemplating it, too, I believe. Yep, yep, that's correct. But they say that Hawk is going to be the highest paid player in college athletics next year by Florida.

And, look, they're loaded. I mean, I laughed a couple weeks ago after the championship game when they did that not-too-early top 25 list. I'm like, you better wait on that and see who's going back to their school. That's right. Because there's going to be some players that are going to, and sure enough, it's like, if you don't look at college basketball right now and say that Florida's number one by a lot, you ain't looking at the right thing, brother. Brother. Bill, the other thing that I wonder last night with Ohio State, why didn't Ryan Day win a national championship last year?

He had an NFL team, what, four of the top 10, 11 or so? I mean, why did he not win? I bet Ohio State fans are asking that a lot. Yeah, sure they are. When you adjust that much just for men, Harold, it just doesn't do your body good. All right. Let me ask you about Michael Harris. He's playing like we've talked about his capability for the last couple of years. He's hot as a firecracker, and they took him out yesterday. He seems to have a quad issue.

Thank God it's not a hamstring. Tell me he's not going on the disabled list or whatever they call it now. Well, I don't, I don't, I'm not sure, but I mean, he said after the game yesterday, he's going to be good to go tonight. That's all we can go on until otherwise. Okay. I mean, he said he was fine, Brett. So I kind of take that for what it's worth. And, you know, they had that game in hand, so they just took him out there for the very end.

But I think he's going to be fine. He's been on a great run, and, you know, that's what's making the lineup so great is Harris has had a great week, obviously. Again, Dubon not showing the power necessarily, but he's not a power hitter, doing great. You've got Baldwin continuing his early season mastery of the National League and baseball in general. And, you know, Olsen's unbelievable so far. And so, and heck, they're 18 and eight, and Ronald Acuna's got one home run. Wow. Listen, I saw a comparison today between Matt Olsen and Freddie Freeman for the last five or six years.

And of those 12 categories, Matt Olsen is ahead in nine of them. Listen, we all love Freddie. I'm like you. I'd be glad he came back tomorrow. But, listen, Matt Olsen is one of the most underrated players in Major League Baseball. Well, at the end of their careers, Matt's going to have better numbers in this time period than Freddie is because Freddie's older. I will caution to say, though, that it is worthwhile of a question, though, that if Freddie had not left, would they have won another World Series in the last couple?

That is a legitimate and fair question. That's not a knock on Matt. It's just saying that, hey, Freddie was a special part of his team. And, you know, I go back 30 years ago when John Sherald traded to David Justice a year after they had won the World Series in 95. I don't think that team was the same after that. I mean, they kept on winning division titles. But, I mean, Justice was full of p*** and vinegar, and he was just a big part of that early 90s success.

And then you traded him away, and then you didn't win another World Series. Well, maybe it's because you traded away a good piece of that puzzle. And, of course, the moronic owner of the Atlanta Braves let Freddie Freeman walk away because of the next year. So, look, I'm glad Matt's on the team. Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to be negative. But you will always wonder, especially if the Braves do not win a World Series in this window that they're in, if they had kept Freddie, if they would have.

Absolutely. All right. What are you talking about on the show today? I know some of our loyal listeners want to call it. You know, again, you keep talking about the Hawks. I'm talking about the Braves. I'm looking at the NFL. You keep talking about the Hawks. Where can some of our loyal listeners get online and call in the show and discuss any topic they wish? They better call about the Hawks, and they better know that Dominique Wilkins got traded 33 years ago, so they'll call up and ask number 21 to do it.

[53:55] That's for sure. DSuperstations.com will be on the air in about an hour, and we'll be talking about the draft. We'll be talking about the Braves, and we'll be talking about the Hawks. There you go, Bill. Well, we echo those sentiments. As Brett and I always say, go Hawks, okay? Yeah, I can hear it from over here. Have a good weekend, Bill. See you, Bill. All right, guys. Thank you. Bill Shanks, Mr. Hawk himself. Coming up the next hour, we're going to be talking about the Auburn Tigers finally breaking a drought with Justin Ferguson.

Zach Patters checking out what's shaking in the shows. And Mike Huganen, he's got everything else covered straight ahead of the Bumble Bug Show. Stay with us. We'll be right back. Where every bite beats the buzzer. You not know about as it ends your debt nightmare and saves you lots of money. Consumers owing at least $10,000 in credit card debt or personal loans can now take advantage of this debt relief as the cost of living skyrockets. Debt Relief Advocates has established a relief hotline for you to call to learn what debt reduction you may qualify for.

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No guesswork, just leveling up. Check out the drop by GNC for what's new, what works, and what's next. 1819 News. Standing in for Andrea Tice, I'm Garrison Hardy. The Alabama Department of Corrections has terminated its billion-dollar prison health care contract with YesCare. State officials say the agency has now entered into an emergency agreement with Birmingham-based NAFCARE to continue inmate medical services. The original contract, worth more than $1 billion, ran through 2027. YesCare recently faced criticism after reports of late employee payroll payments and concerns over financial troubles in other states.

Lawmakers say the change could create new costs and challenges for Alabama's prison system. I'll be back with more Alabama news after this. Are you enjoying 1819 News? If so, consider joining 1819 News as a member. As a non-profit news organization, we depend on the support of Alabamians like you. Memberships start out as little as $5 a month, and you'll get access to exclusive content only offered to our members. You'll be supporting independent journalism done by people who cherish Alabama values. Become a member today by visiting 1819news.com and clicking Become a Member.

That's 1819news.com and click Become a Member today. A 15-year-old Alabama boy is battling aggressive bone cancer and asking for help after saying treatment options are running out. Will Roberts of Ralph, Alabama says he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in January of last year and has continued fighting even after losing part of his leg. In a video shared online, Roberts asked that his message reach President Donald Trump or Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying his family has learned of a possible new drug they hope could help.

[59:20] The emotional video has spread quickly online, drawing widespread support and attention. Congressman Barry Moore says he is working to help get the message to federal leaders. For 1819 News, I'm Garrison Hardy. 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. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. This season isn't a reset. It's a reminder. The champions don't disappear. They reload. And the 2026 Atlanta Braves are ready. And a piercing shot to deep left field.

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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. Come back in, hour two of 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. And for Mike Hugenin, taking time out of his busy schedule and joining us, Mike, National College football slash basketball analyst down in Orlando, Florida. Mike, welcome in the day after the first round in the way of the NFL draft.

How are you? Doing quite well. Hey, Bill. You look at the draft last night. It's always a fun topic. The day after, I think it's pretty safe to say the biggest surprise of the draft. But overall, your reaction to that surprise, which is pretty obvious, and the proverbial winners and losers from day one. Yeah, I don't know why the Rams selected Todd Simpson. You're a team that is in win-now mode, and you drafted a guy who's going to be on the bench for at least a year, if not two.

I was surprised. I'm a huge Jeremiah Love fan. The Cardinals spent in this offseason to keep a free agent, James Conner, and to bring one in, Tyler Alger from the Falcons. I don't know why you take Jeremiah Love as well. I think the best first-round pick was the Cowboys. They needed defensive help in the secondary. They got Caleb Downs. Yeah. I think Caleb Downs is going to be a coach on the field. He's made last some top-flight athleticism, but he's an extremely smart player. I thought that was a really good pick.

I did not like the Caden Proctor pick. I don't think he can play tackle in the NFL. Reuben Bain dropping to the Bucs. I follow the Bucs closely. Their pass rush is atrocious. So, Bain doesn't have the measurables that a lot of teams want in their edges. His arms are too short, all that kind of stuff. But the first-step quickness helped him a lot at Miami. We'll see if it does the same thing with the Bucs. Mike, did the Giants actually, the Giants and the Jets, I know a lot of people are talking, a lot of positive stuff.

But the Giants, with the Jets, with David Bailey, your thoughts, did they finally have a good first round? Yeah. David Bailey, to me, I like Arbel Reese better. I think Bailey has the higher floor. But I think in the NFL draft, picking at that spot, you're drafting for ceiling. And I would have taken Arbel Reese. I think Baylor can be a solid starter for a long time in the NFL. But I think Reese has all-pro potential. And Bailey certainly can be an all-pro. I would have taken Arbel Reese.

[1:04:42] I thought that – but it's certainly not a bad pick. The Giants, I thought, did fine as well. But the huge caveat with franchises like the Giants and the Jets, they are not run well. So – and the Cardinals are another one. If you're going to that team, you're going to a team that's extremely dysfunctional, it has a lot of bad front office folks, and you may be labeled a bust even though you're really not a bust. You just went for the wrong team. I think there's a lot of teams like that in the NFL.

But the Jets, Giants, and Cardinals, I think, are right at the top of bad front office. Along with the Browns, of course. The Browns are in a league of their own. But the Jets, Giants, and Cardinals – again, the Cardinals, I don't know why. Jeremiah, I love the great player. Given what you did with your free agent money, though, was he really the best pick? Mike, 10 transfers, I was wondering – I was looking for this last night and I found it this morning. I was wondering how many transfers were actually drafted in the first round.

You followed this for a couple of sites for years, and there were 10. Of course, starting first with Mendoza, David Bailey, Mansoor Delane from LSU, who I think is a very underrated player, Caleb Banks, et cetera. Did you think it would be less or more than 10? I thought it would be closer to half of the first round. Yeah. You know, that's the prevailing conventional wisdom. Every team relies so heavily on transfers. All these transfers are taking over college football, and then you look at the draft, and one-third of the first round was transfers, which in this era I don't think is a lot.

Ohio State had four of the top 11. The first three Ohio State picks were all like homegrown guys. The other one that wasn't was down. So, I still think that there is a place. Transfers are fine. They're here to stay. But I still think that coaches who rely so heavily on the transfer portal in the end aren't doing themselves any favors. And I think the draft last night showed that. You can get good players and develop them on your own. To me, it's either hit it out or strike it out when you go that route.

Mike, we were joking earlier. How in the world did Ryan Day not win a national championship last year? He basically had an NFL team in the making of his core. And two ways of looking at it, you know, a lot of these fans, they say, wow, we had four first-round draft picks. That's good. But come next year, you better have somebody on the bench waiting to fill those big shoes. The other side of the corner is say Texas had none. Put another way, they didn't lose anybody to the first round.

Your thoughts just about where we are in the modern era. And, again, I mean, if you're an Ohio State fan, what are you saying to Ryan Day? With Ryan Day, he did win the national title in 2024. And it's not like they win 84. They were in the national title mix with a first-year starting quarterback. And not a guy like Will Howard who transferred and then started elsewhere saying was a legit first-year starter. So, plus, I think the idea that if you're Ohio State, you're selling that to recruits both from high school and in the pool, produce NFL players.

The Texas thing, that's an incredible stat to me, I think. Given the amount of money Texas spent on its roster, the fact that they had no first-round picks. And, you know, they were a mild disappointment last year, but they certainly weren't bereft of talent. And your point about, well, all these dudes are coming back is right. They're going to have guys taken in the later rounds. But I think that if you're a Texas fan, the amount of money Sarkeesian is spending on his roster, you would have figured one guy on that roster last year was getting enough money to play extremely well to make himself a first-round pick.

And, yeah, there wasn't one. Yeah, it amazed me between Texas and Texas A&M. They had one chosen in the first round, KC Concepcion. The Big Ten finally broke the SEC stranglehold, Mike. They had 10, four from Ohio State, two from Indiana. The SEC had seven. I said 15 earlier. It was a 19-year streak. And there are a lot of players in the SEC who decided to come back for another year. It's been big fodder on social media this morning about the Big Ten having more than the SEC for the first time in 20 years.

[1:09:57] Mike, your thoughts on that? Tennis had three consecutive national title winners, three different schools. They finally broke the stranglehold on the most draft picks, which is, to me, a very legit topic to discuss. Because the SEC, for two decades, basically, has been able to say, we have the best players in the NFL draft, and that proves it. I don't think the SEC can crow about being the best league anymore. Three titles in a row for the Big Ten. The Big Ten had more players taken in the first round.

And if you look at the men's and women's basketball titles, both won by Big Ten teams. The number one ranked team in the baseball poll, a Big Ten team. The Big Ten is a very good athletic conference. Now, granted, UCLA was the winner in the women's championship, and UCLA is the baseball team in training number one. And it's still, it's UCLA truly a Big Ten school. But they're in the Big Ten. So, I think right now, if I'm Tony Petitti, I might be calling up Greg Sankin and saying, hey, Greg, we're better than you are.

And we have proof, not only on the field, but in the draft. So, I think the SEC has some work to do. And, again, 20 years in a row having the most number one picks is incredible. But, while they were crowing, you can't all of a sudden say, well, that's really not a very good indicator. Well, for 20 years, you've been saying it is. And it is a good indicator. The Big Ten had better players last year. Mike, obviously, day two coming up for the draft, two is going to be the biggest bargain today.

And your opinion, we mentioned some of the badly run NFL teams. What is the best run organization? I still say that back in the day, the Steelers were as good as anybody. They stole a lot of guys from HBC schools, including one from our neck of the woods. We're actually friends with John Stallworth, now in the Hall of Fame, out of Alabama A&M. Who is the best run organization right now in the NFL? Makai Lemon, to me, was the best receiver in this draft. I think he is a full step ahead of Carnell Tate.

And he was, Makai Lemon was the third receiver pick last night, went to the Eagles. And I think this means that A.J. Brown's gone from the Eagles, which I think is a net positive. But I think Makai Lemon is going to be extremely productive right away and for a long time. I think that's a very well-run franchise. They do well in free agency. They made the gamble on Jalen Hurts a few years ago. It paid off big. They made the gamble on Saquon Barkley. It got him a Super Bowl.

Howie Roseman, who was a Florida alum, who roomed with Washington coach Jet Fitch while he was at Florida. I think the Eagles are an extremely well-run franchise. And you mentioned the rest of the draft. There are so many good players still out there. I think there's a lot, a lot of linemen who are going to be plug-and-play starters as rookies on both sides of the ball. I also think there's a lot of receivers. I don't think it's a very good quarterback draft. But I think if your favorite team still needs receivers and linemen, rest easy.

You're going to be able to find it. You're exactly right. Well, listen, we had to talk to you today about the NFL draft. I know that intrigues you, and you're right. It is an indicator. There's no question. Always enjoy the conversation. Have a great weekend. Let's do this again next week. Excellent. Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. Thank you so much, Mike. Mike, you've been checking in from Orlando. And I think it goes back to the wisdom of Ty Simpson's family, baby. Life is all about timing. Why wait and have to go up against guys like Arch Manning and a host of other quarterbacks that could be if they live up to their potential coming up next year for the draft?

So go ahead and cash in when the chips are good. So I think that was a very, very wise move, not to mention very profitable for the folks of UT Martin, Tennessee. Coming up, watch Shaking in the Shoals. Zach Panners on that and more straight ahead. Stay with us. Straight Talk Wireless presents Pickup Truck Wisdom. Trust is earned. That's why I've stuck with Straight Talk. Same price since 2009 on Verizon's 5G network. Because, shoot, anyone can make a promise. Keeping it for years, that means something. Now plans starting at $25 a month with four lines.

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Certified to operate in Virginia by shaft. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama sports, and it's brought to you by the Good Feet Store. 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 yesterday's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we were joined by Alabama baseball third baseman, Jason Torres. I feel like just keeping it simple the same way, you know, and hitting, putting the bottom play, and same thing we've been doing, doing our job, move the runner over, sack fly, there's a run on third, less than one out, less than two outs, and just playing baseball, really not trying to do too much.

I feel like that's what we've all been doing lately. And that's why it's going well, drawing our walks when we can, staying in the box, taking our hit-by pitches, making sure we got guys on base every inning. And I mean, defensively, it's just making the easy plays, you know, you don't have to make nothing spectacular, you just got to make the easy plays that are right at you. So I think we're going to be good. And I mean, I've only been here two years, but it means a lot to me too.

But it's fun when you see everybody that's just bought into the same thing, and it's really exciting. 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. The Good Feet Store is designed to personally fit you with arch supports that alleviate and even eliminate your pain altogether. Try them before you buy them during your free, no obligation, personalized fitting, and you can wear them home the same day.

[1:20:09] So if you're looking to improve your game, the Good Feet Store has you covered. Stop in for a free, personalized fitting today. Roll to victory at goodfeet.com. That's goodfeet.com. Roll Tide. 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 again without looking. No cheating, baby. You know what happens eight months from today? Uh, well, I know it's not Christmas.

Um, wait, what, what could it be here above? Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, eight months. I didn't say nine months. We know what happens in nine months. Eight months. Well, and, and, and speaking of special times, if you are a student in high school or better yet, a teacher, anyone who works in the education system throughout the entire Shoals area, it's about to be Christmas. It's only about a month away. Yep. And you can get away from those little critters and have some summer vacation. Or, if you are a high school baseball slash softball fan, it's Christmas right now.

Just ask Zach Pounders. He's got it all covered here in the Shoals. Where else? At the Shoals Sports Report. Zach, welcome in. How are you? Doing good. How are y'all? Hey, man. We're doing all right. Fun time of the year if you're a high school baseball slash softball fan, is it not, Zach? Yes. So, where do you start in breaking it down? This is the time of the season where you start getting a payoff on all that hard work. Who's hot and who's not right now?

Well, we'll start with the most drama. Last night, the playoffs, mostly, Deshler and Goodhoof. Deshler had a two-run first inning in game two. Now, five runs second inning in game one. Take those away. They're both one-run games. And Goodhoof would have won the second game if they didn't allow two in the first inning. It was two to one rest of the game, Deshler. But in the playoffs, anyone knows pitching will always outdo all wins. Yep. Yeah, you're exactly right. Dylan Olive, I believe, was in the first game.

He had a complete game, seven innings. Garrett Reed, complete game, seven innings. Bryson Williams had two RBIs. Their depth just absolutely amazes me. Let me ask you about a 4A team you've seen quite a bit. Central sweeps West Morgan Thursday. And again, a lot of these games, and I certainly understand, with the impending weather coming in tonight or late afternoon, a lot of the teams scheduled the doubleheader yesterday. And if they split, they got a final game today. But Central sweeps West Morgan yesterday, 11-6 and 16-6.

Cullen Barnes, six RBIs. Tell us about Central sweep of West Morgan. Yeah, when I did research on this playoff series for Central on Deshler this weekend, I really found West Morgan was a better job for Central than Good Hope was for Deshler. West Morgan was under the top 100. Hadn't been knocked into nothing in February. So, you look at the extra details behind it. West Morgan should have been the area champion. She came to Deshler last night. Or, no, Good Hope showed up in the area. West Morgan should have been a Deshler last night.

But, stuff happens, and Deshler had the mismatch, I think, in their favor. Won 11-5 first game. And Deshler went the third inning. And then, the sixth game, they walked off to the visiting team. It's not going to be on the scoreboard in game two. So, it went 16-6. And their head is playing. Zach Patterson, this is the Foundry Network of the Show Sports Report. Let's talk about the number 10 team in the state, Russellville. And you mentioned about the weather and how it's influencing things. A lot of situations where they're playing a doubleheader.

That's good and bad because it can tax your pitching staff. It's very interesting what happened with Russellville and Sardis. Russell wins the first one 10-1. And then, they give up all the runs in the second game. And they can't get on the scoreboard 7-2. So, that's split. Your thoughts about Russellville and Sardis. And how this change, if you will, schedule affects these coaches and the pitching staffs. Well, the schedule aspect of it really plays in earlier in the week. Because a lot of things on the playoff, we don't play Monday or Tuesday to get one last game in.

But for the playoffs, it's for the regular season. And once the playoffs started, you couldn't play any games during the week because it's playoffs only. But, I know Central and Lardot County played Tuesday. Both sides threw each pitcher about an inning, 1.2, 1.1 innings. Number one, 25. Due to the fact of pitch camp rules. And if you had Wednesday and Thursday, you're playing against the two days. You're going to have everybody against it. So, the schedule aspect of it plays in that aspect. But also, the schedule aspect is in the sense of if it's a school night and it is weekdays.

[1:25:13] And Sardis is around the area of a thing. So, it's not like it's 30 minutes away or an hour. I think it's an hour and a half, maybe. Something like that. That's conservative. It's between Boaz and down the mountain there at Gadsden. It's off the mountain there. Right. So, it depends on if he's going to stay overnight in the area or not. I know I went through the mountain and played red bay at two a lot today in game three. I played last night in game one and two.

I don't know where he would stay at red bay. I think if he was going to rush, I wouldn't stay anywhere at red bay. But, that whole overnight aspect plays a big part because some things don't stay overnight this year in the season. Some things go to the beach. Some things go to the mountains. Some things go to Oxford or Atlanta plays and stay overnight and get that experience in. Stay overnight out of your own bed, out of your normal routine, and you've got to play a game season-wide in five hours or whatever it is.

Yeah, good point. Let me ask you a little bit about 3A Convert Heights at Collinsville later this afternoon. I believe it's 4.30 starting. They have not moved that up. But, Lauderdale County sweeps Whitesburg-Christian yesterday 11-9, 9-7. Heston Parker's got four RBIs. Curtis Ritter scored four runs. Lauderdale improves to 21-15. And then the baseball is Phil Campbell's sport. I know we talked with you about that a little bit last year. Geraldine and Phil Campbell split a doubleheader yesterday. Geraldine winning the first game 4-1. Phil Campbell rallied to win the second game 13-3.

And there seems to always be a Raper playing there. Hank and Raper scored four times. Your thoughts on Lauderdale County's sweep and Geraldine and Phil Campbell with the split. Yeah, Lauderdale County survived game 2. They were up 9-3 in the 7th. I think Whitesburg scored four in the 7th to come back and make a threat. Heston Parker threw all of the 119 pitches. That's all you can throw in high school as a junior. Wow. They could get 120 per day. But Jeremiah Huggins came in for the last inning and got the three outs to advance.

Whitesburg got another run on Pat Fly. But Lauderdale survived. And they get to either play Piedmont at home, who is number two in the rankings, or Vindemont on the road, which is around Coleman. And then Phil Campbell, Russell, and Red Bay all split yesterday. It's very odd to see a local area like that have three series all split in the first round. But they're all three playing teams who are far off. I don't know if you went back last night and came back today, or stayed overnight in the Russell area, or maybe even multiple shows.

I know Waterloo is going over to the skyline today, and they're staying overnight regardless. So, whether they win or lose, they'll be that experience at the stadium or not. But it's very interesting playoff time. We call the overnight athletes, and they have to travel for two hours on the bus. Do you eat? Do you go somewhere and go to that field? There's 10,000 ways to get a cat. And the same thing here, coaches have different velocities on this. I'm in the camp of be on the bus, go about an hour and eat, go up there somewhere, and then go on the rest of the way.

Yeah. I was a little bit surprised. I was going to ask you, in defending champion Heckelberg, who is ranked number seven, they got swept by Anderson Thursday, 6-5 and 9-3. Ross Hudson was one of the stars for Heckelberg. But the defending 1A champs out after being swept by Anderson. Yeah. With Heckelberg, you win state last year. I don't know how many seniors they had. But for Dashler, it's very rare to have a team win state and all returns. So, I haven't involved them last year. That plays a part in it.

But also, most of those together, Heckelberg and Addison are, they probably have played before in the season already. I think Addison walked them all in game one. You know, a walk-off win in game one or game two, even. That doesn't have a debilitating effect on the next game of the series. Yeah. It's not like they're palatable. Dashler walked off palatable in game two on the road. And in game three, it was like 12 hours later. I walked out of the stadium thinking, Dashler winning the series tomorrow.

And in the first game, it was like 2-0 Dashler and then they won. Yeah, great point. It's still a mental aspect of it. No question about it. Listen, I know you had a live recap, I think, this morning. And also last night, you've got the scores. You've got the updates. Again, check. I would encourage anyone who's planning on going to a game, you may want to call the school and just double-check the time for these. Again, a lot of double-hitters yesterday. In fact, Mars Hill, he's got one scheduled this afternoon.

[1:30:27] Where can we get online and get updates as far as the scores, players of the game, and the schedules going into second round? Mars Hill played yesterday. But I will say, call the schools, check the website, check Facebook, whatever, because baseball playoff times are made by the teams and schools, not the state until the championship series. So it's all blue with the weather and the way the sun goes. But Facebook, show sports report, Twitter, at lowercase, S-H-O-A-L-S-P-O-R-T-S. Busy month ahead on the Diamonds, respectively, baseball, softball.

Zach, thanks for your time today, and have a great and safe weekend. All right? Yep. Thank you, Ben. Thank you, Ben. Jack Hinder, show sports report to that end, BB. I've seen all kinds of weather forecasts. Just kind of put it under one big umbrella, part of the pond here, since we're talking weather, and keep an eye on the sky this weekend, and particularly on Monday. But we don't have to wait that long to get the take from the plane. Justin Ferguson, that Morris, but ahead, stay with us.

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We hope you'll join us. Visit TakeBackSports.org to learn more. Progressive knows sports brings people together. But you gotta feel bad for people who don't even get it. Some people will never know what it's like to see their favorite team's hopes decided by a ping pong ball to draft the next superstar. Or not. I mean, sure, it's silly for your happiness to hinge on the success of a 20-year-old entry-level employee, but you just can't help yourself. The stress is exhilarating. Progressive can't bring people together like the draft, but we can bring your home and auto insurance together with a bundle.

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[1:35:33] That's LinkedIn.com slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9. The score. In college baseball action yesterday, 13th right down. Alabama went to Knoxville and beat Tennessee 12-8. Two teams combined for 21 hits. Alabama is now 29-14 on the year. 10-9 in the SEC. Game number two of the weekend series is tonight. South Alabama home tonight. They'll host number 18 Southern Miss at Stanky Field. South Alabama is 10-8 in the Sun Belt. North Alabama is on the road tonight. They'll start a series at Eastern Kentucky.

Auburn Tigers are home tonight. They'll host Oklahoma. The top 15 matchup. Game one of the weekend series. Troy is on the road this weekend. They'll play at Marshall. 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. Help DEA keep our community safe and healthy by participating in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, Saturday, April 25th. Take action right in your own home by cleaning out your medicine cabinet of unneeded medications. Keep them safe.

Clean them out. Take them back. Find a collection site near you at DEATakeback.com. Do your part to lower overdose deaths and prevent prescription drug misuse before it starts. That's DEATakeback.com. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back in. Quickly, baby. Some news to share before we jump into the middle here. With Justin. Tim Tebow announcing that his dad has passed away at the age of 78. He suffered Parkinson's disease. And I thought it was very interesting how Tim put it. Heaven ushered in a hero of the faith.

And he said he asked his dad, you know, just last week what he was looking forward to. And he said, Jesus. Can't wait to see him face to face. Praise God. His wait is over. Death has been swallowed up in victory. He's healed and whole now. So we don't mourn as those with no hope. See you soon, Dad. Tim Tebow's dad, Bob, passed away at the age of 78. He was an amazing man. Tim Tebow came to the Great Iron Men's Challenge at the Von Brown Center a couple years ago.

Which, by the way, Tebow's coming back again Father's Day weekend. And he was talking about the many things that his dad done. And believe me, my dad passed away from Parkinson's, too. He's got my deepest, deepest sympathy. It's amazing what happens when you have the faith of one Tim Tebow and his family. Coming up, it's a pleasure for us to say hello to Justin Ferguson. He's got it all covered when it comes to the Tigers there at the Auburn Observer. Justin, welcome in. How are you?

I'm doing all right. How are y'all? Hey, man. We're doing all right. Safe to say the drought when it comes to the NFL draft is over, Justin, for Auburn. It is. Cutter fall going in the first round last night at the Tennessee Titans. It was interesting. You know, he kind of fell below where some people would expect it. But I think with a guy like Keldrick, you know, edge rusher, he's not an elite pass rusher compared to other guys, but he's a really good run stopper.

Makes a ton of sense for what the Titans are going to try to do to bolster up that defense up front under the new coaching staff. So, yeah, Keldrick Falk was, you know, I was thinking about it last night when he got drafted. I remember covering his first practice at Auburn. I remember watching him on the sled, and I'm like, this kid is different than other ones that I've seen here. You know, I thought he had first-round potential. Obviously, he showed it, and I'm interested to see what he does moving forward in Tennessee.

What's the old saying in the modern way that's kind of a buzz phrase out there now? The optics, just from an optics standpoint, just getting somebody in, even though it's what, 31 out of 32, still, what's the old saying? Well, they call someone in med school who makes 70. They call him doctor. He's in the first round. Just from an optics standpoint, it has to be big for this program. Oh, for sure. I mean, the Auburn's had some good guys go in the second and third rounds these last few years.

I mean, Roger McCurry was the second-round pick. Garrett Hall just won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks as a second-rounder as well. So, they've had some guys. But getting that first round, it had been a while since they had had that kind of first-round run. And, you know, I think Keldrick was a really special player. And, you know, we'll be interested to see kind of what happens the rest of this draft and kind of moving forward. I think there are, you know, a couple guys who didn't, you know, there's a guy who didn't go yesterday in the first round.

People saw it in Colton Hood, you know, that started at Auburn and ended up at Tennessee. You know, that's a really talented guy. And then, obviously, I think we all can look and see, you know, Cam Coleman's probably going to be a first-rounder next year coming out of Texas. So, it'll be interesting to see just kind of how much talent Auburn had at its disposal over the last few years, looking at the NFL and just kind of how they weren't able to get over the finish line with them and get over the hump.

[1:40:36] And that's why, obviously, you've got a new coaching staff out. Where is Conor Liu going to go? Even though he had the mid-season ACL, Mel Confer's got him as the number one. He's number one center in the draft. Crawford is another one. Could both of those guys go tonight? It's possible. You know, I think Conor Liu, even with the medical, you know, the injury that he had, he's a guy that's been widely projected, like you said, as a top center. I don't know who all necessarily needs a center, other than I know the Packers have been looking at centers a lot here in this draft cycle.

So, that's the one I kind of have had my eye on most of all. And for Gear on Crawford, I think, you know, he's a really special talent. Like, you know, there's a lot of really good edge rushers that went off the board in the first round. So, you get in that day two, and it's just, you know, edge rusher's so important. And I think he's a guy that's got really good athleticism, really good, you know, dimensions. Obviously, he was productive when he was at Auburn.

So, you know, it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up being a day three guy just because of the way the board shakes out. But I do think there's a chance that you can see what those guys go tonight. Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I think it's safe to say, and you bring up a good point, and I think a lot of folks do, and that is, after the spring game, don't sit here and coordinate your team as a national champion.

And at the same time, don't say they're not going to win, they're going to go 0-12 in the regular season. Justin, now that the dust has settled a little bit, where do you come in as far as the spring that was on the plains? Yeah, I think this spring was big for Auburn to kind of set the tone and kind of establish who they are, their identity. It's kind of the style. You know, Alex Golis has talked a lot about, you know, kind of just defining, hey, this is how we're going to do things, this is how we're going to play.

And I think you saw in the spring game with how disruptive the defense was, forcing turnovers, getting into the backfield. You know, Auburn's defense was really good last season, but they didn't force a lot of turnovers, they didn't get a lot of negative plays. I think that's kind of the next step for this defense, and you started to see some of that more in the spring. And that falls in line with the way Golis likes to play, and honestly, why they kept D.J. Durkman, just aggressive kind of mindset in all three phases.

And I think on offense, you know, obviously, Byron Brown didn't have a great day, but that was like one of 15 practices, and the rest of the 15 practices, he did really well. He just had kind of an off day. It happens from time to time. So, you know, I think people don't need to kind of focus on that too much, but what instead they can focus on is, you know, some of the younger guys, up-and-coming guys who had good days, Deshaun Spencer was big, Duke Smith, I thought the running game, a lot of guys contributed there.

The offensive line played fairly well against that defense. So, you know, Tristan Tia, the backup quarterback who could, you know, maybe end up being a guy that could start for Auburn down the line, had a really good day as well. So, I think it was just kind of a sense of, okay, here's who we are, here's how we're going to do things. And I thought it was good to kind of see that development and that kind of light click on, especially for some of these young guys on offense to, you know, really take advantage of these opportunities that are given.

Yeah, it wasn't amusing, but I know I've heard several people say, well, Byron Brown, seven of 14 for 85 yards, my goodness, that staff's looked at him for three years in key games, my goodness gracious, let's don't get carried away there. You mentioned the receivers, Deshaun Spencer, I knew he was going to be good from Sarah Land, 9-4-93, Singleton, three catches for 58. Chase Nimrod did not have a great game either, but they know what he can do. You mentioned Duke Smith, and Brown is going to be a very good quarterback, and I think he's going to have some weapons to throw to.

Yeah, 100%. I mean, I think people need to remember that, you know, Cam Newton went three for eight in his 8-8 game. We saw how that happened in the fall. So, you know, I think you don't want to overreact for sure, but I did think it was, yeah, good for some of those younger guys to kind of go up. I think that the thing with Deshaun Spencer is he's been a guy we've heard about a lot since he arrived. He just gets open. He's just really good at getting open, very smooth with it, and look, you mentioned he came from Sarah Land.

You know, obviously Ryan Williams was a big product out of there, Bayless Jones as well when the staff was at Tennessee. So, you know, that program produces really good receivers, especially in the slot. So, you know, I think he's got an opportunity to crack that too deep and provide some kind of spark that you know what you're getting out of the USF guys. It's a matter of finding that kind of next wave. I think Spencer and Smith were two guys that really showed out on Saturday.

Justin, it's an impossible question, but it's a fun question to ask at this point. As far as a two-parter here, where were you with the numbers before the spring game, realistically, as far as number of wins and losses next season? And now that the camp is over, how have you adjusted those numbers one way or the other? Yeah, I don't think my view of this team has kind of changed a ton. You know, I think, you know, seeing these guys up and close, you maybe have a different view of, like, who might be doing it for you.

[1:45:40] But I think Auburn's talent level and their schedule and just kind of the mindset this coaching staff has, I think there's the potential for this to be a 7- or 8-win team this year. And, you know, not, you know, throw a parade good, but it's better than Auburn's been the last several years. I think they have that kind of potential in them. Do I think they're going to be a team that wins 9 or 10 and, you know, flirts for the playoff spot? Probably not. The schedule is pretty tough, and this is year one.

We're in the reset. But I do think, Alex Gullish, one of the things that I thought should be really encouraging for Auburn fans here this spring is to hear Alex Gullish talk about how, like, the urgency behind it. Like, you know, it's just a, hey, we need to win. We need to get this thing, you know, rolling. We got a lot of work to do. And I think under Hugh Freeze, there was a lot early on of, hey, just wait until we get our guys in.

Just wait until we get that kind of, that recruiting class in. And it didn't pan out, right? So I think it's kind of refreshing for Auburn to, you know, come out and say, all right, you know what, let's go win right now. And I don't think they're going to be a championship contended team by any means, but I look at their schedule, the non-con, they could, you know, go 4-0 there again. And then, you know, or I guess a 3-0 there again. And you look at, you know, the schedule in the SEC, I think they could, you know, win a decent amount of those games.

You know, I think this defense has the potential to be outstanding, especially if they take some steps forward and get, you know, get more disruptive. And I think the offense, just by virtue of what we've seen from Gullish and Brown in this track record, I think it's just going to be better right off the bat. There are going to be some bumps. There's going to be some bruises. There's going to be, you know, some inconsistencies. I think it's just kind of the nature of the beast when you're kind of resetting the culture.

But, you know, I do think this team's got the right mindset and the right personnel to go out and, you know, be a bowl team this season, which, you know, again, don't throw a parade. But, hey, it's a step forward, which is why Alex Gullish is here. I think every time we've talked to you and some of the other Auburn media this spring, there's one name that comes up on the defensive line at some point in the conversation, and that's Cody Sigler. Was at West Alabama.

He's from New Hope High School in Madison County. Went to West Alabama. Then transferred to Arkansas State. Was an all-sun belt player. Then transferred to Auburn. Finished A-Day. Four tackles, one tackle, four loss, and one sack. Just a guy who had just played his butt off in the spring and one of those guys coming from a small school that is just everywhere he goes, he just works hard and is successful. I think he's going to have a very good season. Yeah, no, he was fantastic. I mean, you look, pro football focused on him as a top-10 defensive tackle in the country last season in terms of his production.

He was really, really good. You know, I'm really impressed every time I watch him. You know, even at practice, you just watch him and just see this guy. He just, he gives it all on every drill and every play, and you just see that kind of work ethic. And I know this is about football, but, you know, it kind of reminds me, Auburn picked up Thomas Dowd from Troy this week. And I think they're very similar guys in basketball because, you know, it's just, hey, you get an in-state kid that had to start at a small school and work his tail off and, you know, might not be the biggest and fastest and most athletic kid in the world, but if you play hard with every opportunity you got, good things happen.

And I think both of those guys are really good examples of just kind of what this football team and really this basketball team needs more of. So, yeah, Sigler, really impressive. The one tackle for a loss he had at 8-8 was an incredible play. I mean, he just shook off the offensive lineman that was blocking him like in like half a second and got into the backfield quickly. So, he's a really impressive player, and I think Auburn's going to really rally around him this year. Let me finish with basketball, and you alluded to it, Thomas Dowd, who I think's a good player.

I've heard a lot about him. Sebastian Williams-Adams exited at the last minute. Stephen Pearl didn't spend too much time, picked up South Alabama transfer Adam Olson, and then Thomas Dowd, as you mentioned. Do you still anticipate one or two more gets from the transfer portal for Stephen Pearl? Probably one more until, yeah, this past week. I guess since the last time I talked to you guys, they had Bukio Boye. They got Owen Freeman from Creighton. They get Thomas Dowd from Troy, Adam Olson from South Alabama.

And then one really interesting, Vanderbilt kid, George Kimball III, really good combo guard. He didn't play last season, but he was really good at Eastern Kentucky. It's a really good kind of group. I think they need one more guy, and I think it's probably going to be a wing. And the name you've heard the most connected to this is, I'm going to butcher the last name because I continue to do it, Mantis Rubistanchovic. He is not in the transfer portal. He's an international kid. Lithuanian wing, 6'8", really good shooter, good secondary playmaker.

Kind of reminds me a little bit in play style-wise of Chad Baker-Mazzara when he was at Auburn. Just kind of a long shot maker who can do some really good stuff for you on both ends of the floor. I would think that's probably where Auburn ends up now. The interesting thing with him is he's currently playing overseas, and I don't know when he's going to get over here. Remember last year, Auburn had Filipjovic, and he didn't come in until late. That might be the kind of situation you have here with him, but he seems to be the guy.

[1:51:01] They need just one more wing to really round out this roster. I think he's a guy, you know, older guy, probably will start from day one. That's going to be the move. If it's not him, the name you've heard the most is Dwayne Aristode from Arizona. He's taken other visits this week. I feel like Auburn's kind of on Mantis a little bit more than Aristode, but both those guys, international, you know, 6'8", 3&D type of wings. So I think that's the last piece they really need, and I would say right now, if I had to bet, it's just going to kind of be a wait-and-see moment with Mantis.

They feel good that they can get him in. It's just going to be a matter of time. A whole lot of paperwork and hoops to jump through when you deal with these international guys. Yeah, you got that right. I'll tell several people this week, be a little more patient because we've still got a ways to go here with as far as finishing up the basketball rosters for next season. Absolutely. Well, listen, I'm guessing this will be a little bit less baseball still going on, of course, and you're following all the football and basketball behind the scenes, 6 a.m.

The emails, Friday mailbag, podcast, all sorts of good stuff. Where can we get online and get it? Yeah, AuburnObserver.com. Check it out. Did a podcast today talking a lot about these basketball pickups Auburn's had. We've done a lot of big, like, deep dive breakdowns into these guys' film and stats you can check out at the Observer this week. Got some 8-8 stuff from this past weekend you can check out as well. And our pal, pal Henry Patton, is going to be covering Auburn baseball this weekend as they play Oklahoma in another big series.

So, got a lot of stuff going on. AuburnObserver.com. Check it out there. Sounds great. Listen, man, Justin, thanks so much. Have a good weekend. All right? Yeah, y'all too. Thank you. Thank you, bud. Justin, the Auburn Observer. Let me quickly give a shout-out to the trio of major league baseball pitchers from in neck of the woods. Braxton Garrett at a foreign tie. He threw a no-hitter. Are you ready for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp? That's AAA of the Marlins. He's trying to work his way back to the bigs from an injury.

Blaine Tinwell out of Loretto. His ERA with the Giants under one. And speaking of Loretto, Ryan Weathers goes tomorrow for the New York Yankees at the Houston Astros. Not a bad group of folks in our neck of the woods, BB and the MLBs. Yeah, and I think Ryan and his family had a new addition here recently in the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Our good friend Roger Hoover used to be their play-by-play guy years ago. In fact, that's where my brother met him. And so, again, a lot of things, Braves playing this weekend with the chance to put even more of a cushion on those Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves, the Phillies tonight, they'll start tonight 9 1⁄2. It'd be sweet Sunday night. That lead went to 12 1⁄2. Seahack goes starting tonight. Where else? Right here at 93.9 in the score. Going to take care of this for now on behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, and the entire crew here. Harold Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again Monday, noon to 2 for the Boomer Buck Show back here on Sports Radio. from 93.9 The Score.