Boomo Bugg Show 052826

[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. New 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 free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where it looks like we can say goodbye to Cupcake Weekend of the SEC.

And guess what? We can say hello to in a mere 100 days from today. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. I'm guessing you're probably talking about the kickoff of college football, Harold Bugg. Yes, smart. Amari Allen announcing that he is returning to Alabama basketball for another season. The SEC meetings in Destin are wrapping up today. What in the world did they get done this week? We'll talk about that throughout the show. But BB is here right now to talk about SEC meetings in his top quarterback rankings for the SEC.

And we don't have to wait much longer for that, do we, Brad? Can we just go ahead and jump right in right now? Yes, we can. WBS, Bill Bender, the National Voice with East Sporting News. Bill, welcome in. Hope you had a great and safe Memorial Day with all the sparklers and other high-risk fireworks out there. How are you? Hey, I'm doing well. How are you guys? Thanks for having me on. Man, we appreciate you taking time out. Brent just asked a question. What in the world did they get done at the SEC meetings?

Well, besides putting on sunscreen and putting 10 toes in the sand, one of the things, Bill, get your reaction to this, because we know you're in Ohio, but the news that looks like it's going to be the gospel is going to affect college football across the board, and that is goodbye to Cupcake Weekend. If you don't know what we're talking about, it's the weekend that somebody like Alabama would play Western Carolina before playing Auburn, and Auburn would play Texas State or someone like that, getting ready for the big game.

Bill, your reaction to the news and the new-look SEC away with Cupcake Weekend and nine games on the SEC schedule? Guess what that's going to mean, Bill? It means that, you know, I think it's going to be good. I think you guys are going to enjoy it, and I think the fans are going to enjoy it. Instead of a partially filled stadium watching the, you know, pick your SEC team, blow out an FCS school, you're going to get another conference game. I remember going through this when the Big Ten added a ninth one, and I had worries because you're like, man, the schedule's going to be tougher, we might lose more games, but it's worth it.

And I think the SEC, which is going to try to champion a strength of schedule model, their strength of schedule, this is only going to help that argument when you play that extra conference game. Bill, with everything going on in Sandestin, Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, bipartisan legislation called the Protect College Sports Act, and I haven't read through the 111-page bill, but I did catch a few things, and actually some of this makes sense. Now, I know everybody jumped on it and poked holes in it, and I get that, but coaches have to remain with teams for the entirety of the season and not leave early for jobs.

Agent registry for individuals wanting to represent players. The preservation of historical rivalries, well, everybody's in favor of that. And protection of women's sports in Olympic sports. Now, not too many people can argue with that. How we get there, and again, we know how bills in Congress have gone, but I didn't know if you had looked at this yet. Your early thoughts. Oh, it's good. You know, it's bipartisan, tells you one thing, because we can hardly get along on anything anymore. And if you're poking holes in it, it's because you don't like somebody.

I mean, most of the ideas on here are pretty good. Five in five years, great idea. Transit portal reform, awesome. Trying to save those Olympic sports, yeah. And the cost of this was very high with football anymore, and we're trying to make the game better. There are a lot of things that need to get done. I know that's all they discussed down in Destin all week. But, you know, will this actually matter? I'm curious to see if it does. But when the highest level of government is trying to reform the sport, and I think that shows that there's some care, that it's certainly an issue.

[5:06] I know there are a lot larger issues in our country right now. But, you know, it doesn't hurt to get the ball rolling this way. Bill Bender is always on the ball with the sporting news. Bill, let's talk a little bit about your list, the SEC quarterback rankings, one through. And everybody says, well, who's after Arch Manning at Texas? Not so fast, my friend. Who is at the head of your class for SEC quarterbacks this coming season? I mean, I think Trinidad Chambliss is the guy right now, right?

He gets an extra year, and coming off that playoff run, I mean, I had thought last year watching him, and you weren't sure, but the way he played against Georgia the first time, you're like, yeah, this guy can play. And you watch him play against Oklahoma, and you're like, man, he can make NFL throws. If he were 6'3", or 6'4", he'd be the number one pick in the draft. And I still think, I was saying to you guys on the show, I like him as much as some of the other quarterbacks in this year's draft, let alone next year.

So, I think Trinidad is a guy. They give him a sixth year. He could have a huge year for Ole Miss this year. And I look forward to seeing him play in college for one more year. Let's talk about number two, since we didn't put him at number one. How much pressure is on Arch Manning? Thus, how much pressure is on Steve Sarkeesian? He's got the quarterback in the eyes of a lot of folks. He's got the money. He's got the lineup. He's had control to sit here and be the architect of this team.

How much pressure is on Arch? How much pressure is on Steve? You know, I didn't really think about it until you said it that way. I could make the argument there's probably more pressure on Sarkeesian right now. Now, because Arch, Arch's progression is kind of what I thought it might be. And I say that in terms of, yeah, he struggled a little bit. Well, his first start was against the Ohio State team that had just about everybody drafted on that defense. He went through some bumps.

Florida start was bad. But back half last year was pretty good. And I think this year is going to be pretty good. But to your point, if Arch is very good and they don't win big, then that's going to fall on Sarke. So, I think there's more pressure on Sarke going into this year, especially with a Texas team that was right on the cusp. I still think they were a playoff caliber team. They're going to be expected to be one this year. I'll tell you something.

I mentioned this yesterday that stood out to me when I looked at your list. Now, the starters for half the league have got a lot of experience. Bauer and Brown at Auburn with 32. Arch 15. Trinidad Chambliss 13. But nearly half the league, their starters or their two backup or their two players fighting for the position, about half the league, zero. Now, some of the backups have got one start, et cetera. But, again, the starters for the league, when they've got experience, is quite impressive. But I tell you, there are six to seven teams in the SEC to where their top two quarterback options have zero to one starts.

Yeah, bottom third is an interesting one. And I like that, but there's some guys I like. Kenny Minchia, Kentucky, is very interesting to me. You could have a huge year. You played in limited spots at Notre Dame. But to your point, yeah, there's a mix. And you see that across that. And it's a mix of experienced guys, guys like Alabama, for example. These guys have been in the program. And then there's a couple interesting first-year transfer starters. So, yeah, Byron Brown, being at the top of that list, obviously led the nation in total offense, had 1,000 rushing yards.

And now, how will he do in this new – it's a level up. You know, he played Florida and Miami last year. But he didn't play, you know, a power four opponent every single week. What I like about it, Bill, you know the talk down here is who's the Alabama starting quarterback going to be? I'm looking at, what, number nine of the list. And according to Bill Bender, it is – I'll let you fill in the blank for Alabama starting quarterback on the list. Well, I mean, did I put off the knack?

I said an either or, right? Do I still have it there? Or did I make a – Kilon Russell started, Bill. Oh, no, I did do that. Yes, you did. Oh, look, what am I doing? Killing DeBoer's not going to like that. You know, but the either or – I never tell you another secret, Bill. Well, you know, so – well, I think Russell's got some tremendous talent that, you know, I know you guys are excited about his. Yeah. But Mac, if they do go with Mac, you know, there's experience in the system and could play well.

And I don't care who the starter is. You've got to trust what Kilon DeBoer's been able to do with these quarterbacks in recent seasons. You know, his last three have been drafted. You've got to assume that this – whoever starts will be developed into at least an NFL player, perhaps a first-round pick. So, I think you guys should be optimistic. I hate it when you guys don't have your starting quarterback name because if it was defined, it would be easier to bump them up a little bit.

[10:23] So, that's kind of us taking it – playing it safe a little bit. Well, the point you made is also legitimate. Let's take Alabama, for example. Kilon Russell, even though no starts, no career starts, two years now in the system. Austin Mack's been in Kilon DeBoer's system four years. So, again, you're right. They don't have the experience, but they sure do have some potential. Yeah, and that's what makes it exciting. And the receivers are going to be good. And I think this offense will be better than it was last year.

So, yeah, I mean, but in this conference. And, you know, another guy I do like more than others, and I think he's a little underappreciated, I do like Gunnar Stockton. He's a baller. I think he plays well. He plays well in big games. Played well against Tennessee. Played well against Alabama. He played well in the loss against Ole Miss. So, I think there's a guy there that I hesitate to use the stats and better comparison, but I think he has some elements in his game like that.

But he can play. Fun fact of the day, Bill, you saw the Arkansas feedback about the schedule that came out. They've got to go local time. They play at Utah at 9.30 at night for the opening game. And then they won't get back until they talked about getting back late, maybe Sunday night, whatever. And then they've got to turn around the next week and play at 11 o'clock against a team called Georgia. Every time we talk with their friends from Arkansas, they say they get the shaft every year when it comes to schedule.

That is pretty interesting, is it not? I saw, yeah, I saw Hunter George's comments on that. I saw today, and I think this is true, there was a tweet that Army and Temple play at 4 p.m. on a Friday this season. Wow. So, I mean, there's all kinds of scheduling quirks that you have to catch up with. That, obviously, with Arkansas, is certainly a quirk in the schedule. And, you know, you can complain about it, but at the end of the day, they're going to make them play.

Certain teams, you see, they might complain because they have too many night games. You've seen that over the years. So, there are various quirks in the schedule. Yeah, and Alabama fans are complaining. I don't know how you understand this, but the first game of the season kicks off at 11 a.m. Now, think about how hot it's going to be in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at 11 a.m. the first Saturday in September. And, yes, I've heard quite a few complaints about that, including the co-host of this award-winning show.

Great stuff, as always. Where can we get online and get your stories in the teams? Well, I think 11 a.m., by the way, is the first time I've seen the sun in Ohio in about two weeks today. There you go. We do have one, but, yeah, you can check us out at sportingnews.com. We've got all the quarterback rankings. We've got analysis, all that kind of stuff. And, by the way, our Sporting News preview yearbook, it's new. There you go. There you go. Nobody knows that better than the other half of the beer boys.

Brent, he's got probably a whole closet full of them. Bill, keep up the good work, and thank you so much for your time, Dave, buddy. No problem. Thanks for having me on. Thank you, bud. WB, Bill Bender, hooking up with us, busy there at the Sporting News. By the way, speaking of schedules, it's now a starting time. We talked about Alabama and Auburn and the rest of most of the SEC kicking off 100 days from today. How about in 93 days, UNA's opening day over in Huntsville against Sanford.

They now have the starting time for that. It is a 6 o'clock deal for UNA. Brent, you might want to talk with the folks over at UNA and trade that 11 o'clock for a 6 o'clock. Well, you got that right. Yes, sir. Coming up, watch checking here in the show is going to be checking in with Caleb Suggs on deck. Stay with us. Hey, Mom, now that I have an after-school job, I think I want to buy a drum kit. Okay, rock star. Let's look at your account. When kids start making money, Chase has easy-to-use tools and expert bankers to help them learn how to manage it.

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Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that they're finally out of school, my friend? It has a lot to do with that, Harold. But another way, that's the good news, the bad news. High school sports pretty much now into mothballs. Caleb Suggs knows that better than anybody in this conversation. He's got it all covered there with the Decatur Daily. Caleb, welcome in. How are you? I'm doing good, guys. How are y'all? You too. Caleb, before we get into some of the specifics, your thoughts in trying to sum up the year that it's hard to believe now was in north central Alabama sports when it comes to the high school guy games.

Yeah, I think, Tim, it's like every other year. You know, sometimes I feel like north Alabama gets underrated when it comes to compare it to Birmingham area or down south. But there's a lot of great athletes and a lot of great teams. And, you know, a lot of players that have excellent seasons and a lot of teams that won state championships and, you know, put on some dominating efforts. And I think more and more each year, the north Alabama has really started to reassert itself as a great place for athletics.

[21:16] And even if it's schools that aren't in my coverage area, I always love to see that because, you know, like I said, a lot of love gets thrown towards Birmingham and south Alabama. But we got good teams. So it's always fun to see that. Absolutely. One of them is Hartzell softball. Of course, the entire athletic program. Be that, 11th blue mount for Hartzell. Brad Phillips getting back-to-back. We talked to him a couple weeks ago and he said, you know, guys, we got off a little slow.

We had a tough schedule. We were 11-11 the first 22 games. What did we do after that? We won 22 in a row. They were 10-0 in the postseason. Hits off again to Brad Phillips in an incredible Hartzell softball program. I mean, a baseball. Yeah, baseball. Yeah, I mean, I think you look at it. I mean, obviously, Hartzell baseball is, you know, one of the top programs in the entire state. It's not been that way since the 90s. But I think you look at what they're doing, it's just really incredible.

I mean, they've been to the state finals now five of the last six years. And, you know, Coach Booth was always the one that credited for that program. And, you know, even before his passing, you know, he was dealing with sickness. So he wasn't as involved as, you know, as he had been. And they, you know, still have just kind of built it and kept it going. I mean, I think people really wondered whether they'd be able to keep it going when he left. And here you are, you get Brad Phillips that comes in.

I mean, Jake Miles did a great job taking him to the state finals the year he took over while Coach Booth was dealing with, he really dealing with sickness. And then, you know, they came runner-up and then Brad Phillips comes in and he's won back-to-back in his first two years. And, I mean, I just don't. I mean, they've got good young talent coming in the program. And I don't see it stopping anytime soon. I mean, they are the cream of the crop right now in the state.

I mean, they, you know, they hold the record for most playoff wins, I think. And they're second now in state titles behind GW Long. And, I mean, they just keep going and going and going. And so, I mean, what you've got to see there, I mean, I think if you're on the outside looking at it, you're hoping this program would take a dip after Coach Booth left. You're sorely mistaken. It's certainly not looking that way. Caleb Suggs, sticking up with us, the Decatur Daily. Caleb, it's obviously they've got a tradition-rich thing going on, making folks in Morgan County proud when it comes to baseball.

But, literally, they're neighbors from Lawrence County doing something else. They're making those folks proud, literally, with Lawrence County in softball. Unlike Hartzell, this is a first to bring home a blue map in softball. Yeah, and I think that's such a great thing for that community. You know, I worked at the, before I was at Decatur, I worked at the Molten Advertiser. So, you know, I was really entrenched. And I lived there, too, so really entrenched in that community. And they're just great people down there. And they don't get a lot of love.

You know, back in the day, Lawrence County used to be known for us athletics. I think that's kind of fallen by the wayside here lately. But they still love their sports. And the fans there, they give so much to support. And there's good athletes there, too. And I think I'm really glad that, you know, Lawrence County and the school and also the county in general are starting to get some love again. But, yeah, they had a great team. They've had a great team for a few years now.

They've just kind of been knocking on the door. And for them to finally win it, it's just impressive. I mean, Houston Academy, you know, they basically beat the doors off of them two games in a row. I mean, just dominated them. And so that was really impressive. So, Coach Graham, you know, coming in his first year, he's been the head coach there before, comes back. And, you know, they're going to be really good next year. Catherine, the MVP, she's back. Bella Cross is back. There's a lot of great players on that team who are coming back.

So, they've got a chance to add some more to this. So, it's going to be a real fun program to watch. But, again, yeah, I'm really thrilled for that team, that program, and that community that definitely deserves it. Absolutely. Some coaching news before we let you go. Dakota Heritage, with some changes, alumnus Brayden Kyle is the men's basketball coach. Jason Marshall is moving over to baseball. So, Kyle, again, who was a walk-on quarterback for UNA, is the men's basketball coach, Jason Marshall, who was now the head baseball coach.

But a lot of this, as you noted in your article, Steve Meek set such a foundation for Decatur Heritage, 10 years, retired, and then came back and retired again. But some coaching news with Decatur Heritage this week. Yeah, I mean, I think that's significant. You look at, you know, Jason, he's been the basketball coach for 13 years, brought a lot of success, won a state championship, been in the Final Four multiple times. So, I think that's really significant. And then I think you want, I mean, he's really just coached basketball, so you wonder what he's going to bring to baseball.

But he's really a baseball guy at heart. Now, he loves basketball, and that's what he's been doing. But I think he's going to be really good for that program. And I think he's happy with the move. He wanted a little bit less stress as he's gotten older and his kids are getting older. So, I think he feels good about the move. And I think he really feels good about, I mean, talk about Brayden Kyle. I mean, he's really just a legacy there, not just a football and basketball star.

[26:24] But, I mean, his whole family, Tommy Kyle, you know, used to be the head coach there. So, I mean, Brayden's been in Decatur Heritage gear since he could, you know, before he could walk. So, you know, this has kind of been a thing in the making for a long time. And Brayden's a really smart kid. He's a great basketball mind. I think he's going to do a good job. I'm sure there will be some bumps in the road because he's young and he's going to have to learn how to run the program.

But as far as his basketball, IQ and everything, I think he'll do a good job. You know, I know he loves Decatur Heritage. To jump off here, listen, man, thank you so much. We've got an eye on you there at Decatur Daily. Keep up the good work. And thank you so much for your time today. Up next, the big upset of the French Open. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. It seemed all set up for Yannick Sinner to win the French Open. The only Grand Slam he has in one to put away the memory of last year's final in Paris when he blew a two-set lead in three match points.

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Very important game. The first one couldn't hold, and then it went a bit downwards. The women's top seed is Irina Sabalenka. She's playing now. She's won the first set. Coco Gauff just won her match. John Stashauer, Westwood One Sports. At Fisher Investments, we may seem like other money managers, but we're different. What makes you so different than the rest of us? We ensure clients receive unparalleled service at every step of the relationship. Tell me more. Our investment counselors focus on service over sales, prioritizing clients' needs.

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[31:44] So even after he was gone, he was still able to provide for us. And that's why I have life insurance. For my family, ethos.com, they make it fast and easy to get covered. It's 100% online. You get a quote in seconds. You can apply in minutes. You get covered the same day. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's ethos.com slash game. Paid spokesperson. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. Rates may vary. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

Welcome back in. Really appreciate free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Baby, it's that time of the year when folks kind of huddle and say, when are they going to tell us what time these games are going to start? Again, starting for the most part in 100 days from today. You're going to have some folks who are going to get the party started a week earlier than that. But the first big weekend is exactly 100 days from today. Your thoughts. I know you're in love with the first game for Alabama's starting time there.

But here's the bottom line, baby. You can put the moonshades on the back shelf for a while this season, can you not? Well, at least for Alabama in September, the, heaven forbid, 11 a.m. opening game to begin the season. Kentucky and Langston, I didn't know. I thought it might be 2.30 or 6. It's going to be 2.30. Right. Approximate kickoff from that. And then the Florida State game, I thought would be a night game, but it's 2.30. So the first, the times and June 10th is going to be another day to where a lot of the kickoff times are going to be unveiled on ESPN or the SEC network.

But Alabama is 11 a.m. to begin the season and the next two games will kick off at approximately 2.30. Your thoughts about that, BB. I know you're not a big fan of the 11 o'clock kickoff. We know in this modern era, you, you really don't have the final say because the people who sign the big checks are going to make the final call and that's TV. They're trying to maximize their interest and get that, that primetime game. And in their view, those are not exactly primetime games. So 2.30 back in the day, 2.30 was a primetime game.

So they're going to be looking at that, that 11 o'clock game. They're going to give that kind of a low priority, but your thoughts about having back-to-back in a way, I kind of like that because the first part of the season, humans are creatures of habits. So at least kind of ease into the season and have a familiarity there at 2.30. I think last year, just, I think Alabama got off the tracks early. I don't think they were ready for that. They were out of their comfort zone, but your thoughts just about the psychology of having back-to-back 2.30 games, by the way, on ABC.

Well, Harold, when you look at going down there, and I've said this for years, I've been down there so many times, you've got a lot, eight to 12 hours for a college football game. Right. No matter if it's in September or November. Now, we're so used to a 2.35 kickoff on CBS. Right. With Brad and Gary. And of course, this changed now to ESPN and ABC. Harold, the positive about it is you're not getting home at 2 o'clock in the morning for a night game. If you've got to travel over two or three hours, you may get a chance to watch a little bit of the opening kickoff of the first game.

But if you live, you know, it's over at six, and it still takes two hours to get out to Escaloosa, but you might be able to get home. That's the only positive to me about 11 a.m. game. If you get home late afternoon, you can see the night games. Yeah. Everybody talks about the heat, and obviously that's true, but here's the old saying, it's hot on both sidelines. So a lot of that has to do, I've been watching some of the tennis over in France, and these guys, it's late May, and I can't imagine being any hotter this May.

And all the Mays in the past, they've been doing that a few years now, and all of a sudden I'm seeing these guys, they're falling on leaves off a tree in the fall. I'm just saying, it just seems like a lot of times these guys, maybe they're not as tough now as they were back in the day, but that's where you've got to get in shape to get ready for that. It's 100 days away. You've got time to kind of get in condition for that. Still, it's going to be hot, but at least break out the boy scout thing and be prepared.

By the way, Auburn fans saying, hey, what about our starting times? Well, let's reiterate that opening game against Baylor is at 230, 72 degrees. We already know the forecast for that game, BB. Yeah, it is considering it's going to be in Atlanta. All right. Auburn's opening kickoff. We'll talk to Caleb Jones about this a little bit later in the show. Baylor in Atlanta at 230. Week two is Southern Miss, of course, at Auburn. That kickoff is going to be at night, either 630 or 645. And then week three, I thought this was going to be the case.

Florida at Auburn. Big, big, big, big primetime game, six o'clock. So Auburn at 230 and 72 degrees. The other two, a little more tolerable. Southern Miss, 630 or 645 kick in Florida at 6 p.m. Are you a fan of the schedule, the way it shakes out for Auburn? The first four games, correct me if I'm wrong, are at home again. That's the two-edged sword, is it not? Well, I think Auburn fans consider Atlanta to be home. At least, yeah. It is. I mean, they've got more fans in Atlanta than they probably do in Auburn.

[37:16] Well, some sporting events, they do. I've never been a big fan, though, Harold, of asking fans to come to three or four consecutive games in September. It's just too dadgum hot, and you need to space it out some. So anyway, as the time's coming, we will be unselfish and share that with you. In the meantime, BB, it's World Series time tonight. I saw earlier today the start of that Texas Tech-Mississippi State game. It looks like Texas Tech is getting a return on their investment. In case you missed it, this mega booster who's got money and ego spent a million dollars on a softball player and is paying off.

They were up on Mississippi State big time early on. I don't know the final score or the updated score, but it looks like Texas Tech was going to have their way in the opening round. But coming up tonight, interesting matchup between Alabama, how about this, the number one overall, taking on UCLA, and those Bruins, they got some sticks, BB. Harold, they're amazing as far as their offensive power. UCLA leads the nation in team batting average 385. They lead the nation in home runs, home runs per game 3.3.

They're averaging an incredible 10.8 runs per game. That's a lot of runs in softball. Slugging 8.36 on base percentage, 4.96. Now, they've got two ladies, Harold, who have hit close to 90 home runs. My goodness. And we're going to talk to, a little bit later, the voice of Alabama softball, Gray Robertson, and he'll talk about this. Where Alabama's got the big advantage, though, is pitching. Alabama's got incredible. Briskey is the pitcher of the year. Now, as far as pitching is concerned for UCLA, they're good, but they're not great. They're not anywhere near their offensive.

Now, these games, one of these games, if they play them twice, may need to be 10 to 8. Taylor Tinsley is the number one pitcher for UCLA, but their ERA is 4.32. They slugged the ball and hit it out. But, again, Harold, this time of the year, we talk about it all the time. Pitching and defense win games. And, really, for UCLA, both pitching and defense are subpar. Well, it's the old action, you know, just like you said there, pitching usually trumps it. We're going to see which one gives the night.

Keep in mind, this is a double of limbs, so it's not over tonight. But, B.B., when you lose that first game, you better have some miracle workers in your bag going forward, especially when the competition is this good and this even. It's huge to win the first game. Get in the winner's bracket. Harold, if you win the first couple of games, you'll get a day or two off. That's right. And, again, I think it takes a game to get accustomed to playing in that environment again and also the stadium.

But when you lose an early game, you've got to crawl out of that winner, and sometimes you're playing two games a day. That's tough in the heat. I like what Patrick Murphy, the Bama coach, said. I don't want to see a crooked number on either side of the scoreboard, meaning he doesn't want it to be that 10-8 or that 11-10 game. He wants to keep it low scoring, and you see why with, at least to date, the pitching staff that they've got. And here's some more good news for you.

If you wanted to witness this game, save you money. You don't have to go all the way to Oklahoma City. We've got to be covered right here on 9-3-9, the score later on tonight. In the meantime, B.B., same place you can catch Alabama Buffet, if you will, softball tonight, baseball tomorrow night. If you're on 9-3-9, the score. Harold, Alabama plays Alabama State. Now, they've beaten Alabama State twice. The first game, 2-1, a pitcher's duel, which tells you how good Alabama State is. I know a lot of people are overlooking Alabama State.

Oklahoma State's the two-seed in the region. Then Alabama won the second game, 13-4. Same thing we were talking with Drew DeArmond yesterday. The bats have come on. Hines, Liam, Fowler. Alabama, I think, has got one of the best starting pitching rotations in the country. With Upchurch, Tyler Fay, who threw the no-hitter against Florida, and also Zane Adams, Alabama's Achilles heel is defense. I remember that Tennessee series. They just, the ball bounced all over the infield. If Alabama can play defense, I think they should win this region and probably be matched up with Florida State in the Super Regional, which should take place in Tuscaloosa next weekend.

But if Alabama can be clean as far as fielding the ball, I think Alabama's going to win the regional in Tuscaloosa. That's a $64,000 question. I think another one, BB, is what's your take on LeBron? I mean, here's a kid coming into the season, had all the verbal bouquets, as we put it here. He was going to go high in the draft, and I think he still will because these major league guys don't always look at the same things as we as fans do. They see natural talent there.

[42:37] And in baseball, if you've got the five-tool potential, in other words, I won't go through all of them, but you've got power, you can hit for average, you've got the strong arm, you can play defense, etc. They're going to take a chance on you and dole out the big bucks. But in your mind, obviously, if he gets hot, I think it's safe to say Alabama's chances are exponentially off the board. But your thoughts, I guess the best way to say this is your thoughts about the inconsistency of LeBron this season.

Well, he's a superstar, Harold. And again, we talk about Ronald Acuna and other major league baseball stars who don't quite live up to their potential. Now, he's been injured twice. I know he got clotheslined at first base and had a concussion. But, Harold, when he's playing well, when he's catching the ball, again, shortstop's a tough position. But when he's got it all together and he's healthy, and he may be a top-ten pick in the Major League Baseball draft later this summer, he's going to be a key here.

But again, for Rob Vaughn, a lot of these guys have come on, and particularly Fowler and Vaughn at first base. Again, Harold, if those guys can be consistent, and I think Alabama wins it. In fact, I think they sweep the regional in Tuscaloosa. Well, you can find out firsthand again tomorrow night here on 93.9 The Score. And speaking of stars wearing crimson, BB, obviously, Amari Allen milked it about as long as you could. I don't think anyone is shocked with his ultimate decision, and I think it's a smart thing.

I think it's a wise thing, and business-wise, based on the information we had, to me, this was a no-brainer. It was just a matter of making it formal, and he did yesterday or into the night last night, BB. Harold, I've been asked, why did he take so long? Because he basically was six hours away from the deadline. He wanted to go to the NBA. Yeah. Well, he tried out for about four teams, and I think tried to get one on Monday, and it was too late, more or less, to do that.

I think most people thought he was coming back. He more or less took the template that Phylon had last year. Again, go get your strength and weaknesses. Be able to work on that during the summer and during the season. We'll talk to Ryan Fowler about this a little bit later in the show. But I think he makes, hopefully when we get Blake Lovell on tomorrow, too, and we were going to ask him about this roster. Where does that put Alabama? Top 10, top 15? But he's going to be handling the ball primarily.

Now, they've got some other guards on this team. But I think that was huge when he said, and I'm like you, I thought he was coming back from day one. But he went through the protocol of trying out for four or five NBA teams just to give it a shot. Well, I think it was more of a business decision than anything else because he saw he could make more in NIL. And you know he had, to me, he had strong conversations with Phylon. How much money did Phylon make by making the same similar decision last year to this year?

A lot more money. And also, you look at, on the football side, Carson Beck down at Georgia slash Miami. No one's going to take a bigger cut going pro than Carson Beck may be. So, you know, this stuff gets around to some of these kids when they make their final decision. Well, it does, and I'm sure he talked to Phylon about that. And, again, LeBaron mentioned himself a couple of times. The best decision I made in my career was coming back to Alabama. Right, right. And we'll see where he actually ends up in the NBA draft.

I've heard a lot more about Amari Allen's performance than Phylon, but I still think Phylon would be a top 15 pick. Of course, that takes care of one puzzle for Nate Oates and the basketball team in Tuscaloosa. The other was what about Aiden Holloway? And I think a lot of ears and whatever else perked up when they saw Greg Burns saying, I've got an update on Aiden Holloway. And what? That's it. Basically saying, I pretty much know what you know. He's still got, to put it mildly, in a metaphorical way, he's still got some hurdles to overcome, baby, before he gets the final green light to come back.

Well, he does, Harold. As I've said several times on the show, only God and the judge knows where this is going to go. Again, this being his first offense, as far as I know, I think that will help him. But, again, we'll see where it goes. He's still got a ways. And, again, we may not know whether or not he's going to be on the team until late September or October. Well, what is the holdup on that, baby? Is it just to say you've got a family of attorneys?

Is it just the docket? They can't get the thing on the docket, move it up? Is that it? Or are there other reasons? Well, my dad was a judge, district and circuit judge, for 16 years. And even in Walker County, it took time to go through a docket. That's more or less what this is, Harold. You just got to be patient. Now, his attorneys will try to get him on. But, yeah, it's just the docket, Harold, and all the cases in front of him. Ken, to get off with your final comments, everybody's talking about the meetings down in Sandestin.

[47:43] And I know they say Destin, but if you've ever been there, you know it's got to go over the bridge to Sandestin. Destin is nice. Sandestin, you better take two credit cards with you. It's on that side of the bridge. But your thoughts about one of the more salient points that came out, and that is we're doing away with Cupcake Weekend, BB. Well, what that means is Alabama's not going to be playing Eastern Illinois game 11. And I know Bill Shanks talks about that certainly during the fall every year.

No, that part of it is good. And, Harold, again, they did a lot of talking. And I know these two senators who brought out the latest bill, the Protect College Sports Act, a lot of people are punching holes in that. But I keep saying this. Somebody put something on the table. I'm a little bit disappointed that Sankey did not say. Now, he once again said, we want 16. As far as the playoffs, more or less, you know, this is what we're looking at. We're five for five, play five years.

You know, we want these suggestions changed in the transfer portal, an early signing date, week zero, and just go down a litany of a list. This is where the SEC is coming from. I think that would have made some people feel a little better. Do you ever get the impression, just to tell it like it is, that Greg reminds sometimes of, you go to the grocery store and you see this parent and this kid that's just raising all kind of you-know-what, and the parent says, I want you to behave.

And then you go down to the next aisle, I want you to behave. And then you go down to the next aisle, I want you to behave. You get the impression sometimes, Sankey says, I want 16. Greg Sankey makes the world of college football as much or more money than anybody. Why doesn't Greg Sankey go in there and say, by gosh, we're going to 16, or we're going to take our toys and go home? Well, I think that's the direction he's going to have to take. Greg Sankey's done two great things.

He saved college football in 2020 with COVID, and he brought in Oklahoma and Texas into the SEC. After that, quite frankly, I'm a little skeptical. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall, or maybe not, to hear the discussions between he and the folks at ESPN and other TV check writers. I think that's the end of the day. To answer your question, that would probably be a big piece of the puzzle for that. Speaking of Tuscaloosa, the man who's got the inside track, Ryan Fowler, is going to be on board.

And nobody has a better seat for Bama softball than Greg Robertson. We'll talk about that. And conversely, the man knows the Auburn Tigers as well as anybody. Caleb Jones, he'll lead off the second out of the Wumo Buck Show here on 93.9, The Score. Mattress Firm Sound familiar? At Mattress Firm, we understand there are many problems that can keep you up at night, like snoring, aches and pains, or sleeping hot. Our sleep experts have the unrivaled know-how to match you with a mattress that can help. And now at Mattress Firm, upgrade to a Tempur-Pedic and learn how you can get 3% back plus an instant gift.

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A Dothan woman is in trouble with the law after four of her children tested positive for narcotics in their blood system. The Houston County Department of Human Resources found that a juvenile and three children under the age of five were exposed to marijuana by 35-year-old Jessica Edenfield. The woman is now facing charges for chemical endangerment of a child. And investigators in Jefferson County now say that arson is the reason why a mobile storage trailer was burned up near the Love Lady thrift store. That trailer was full of donations for the store to sell.

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It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93-9, the score. Welcome back in. Our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. And, B.B., what do you say we open the door and say hello to Caleb Jones? We've got the Auburn Tigers cover there at auburnsports.com.

Caleb, welcome in. Happy Thursday to you. How are you? Oh, it's a beautiful day here in Auburn, Alabama. I'll tell you that. Going to be even more beautiful when the diamonds get to shining. It's always good to keep the lights on this time of the year. Caleb, talk to us about Auburn baseball selected as a regional host in the NCAA tournament. And I'll go ahead and tell you, we've been talking with a lot of folks across the country, and they lack Auburn's chances to keep on trucking.

Oh, yeah. Auburn is the number four overall seed this year in the tournament, hosting a regional for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Looking to advance to the College World Series for the first time since 2022. You've got a good field here. You've got UCF, NC State, Milwaukee. Auburn, of course, playing Milwaukee tomorrow at noon. Butch Thompson, we just talked to, he announced Jake Marciano getting a start kind of as expected for Auburn. So, big regional coming up for Auburn here. And just a good opportunity for Auburn to do it in front of their home crowd, which has been phenomenal all season.

Caleb, let's talk about that. Two things you touched on there. Number one, home cooking is always sweet. I'm sure they love to have been able to play under the lights instead of the matinee, but TV has a thing or two to say about that. And your thoughts, especially in these short series, Auburn, they've pretty much been living off their pitching staff. Your thoughts about the health and how the pitching staff stacks up coming into this part of the schedule. Yeah, Auburn's pitching staff has kind of been the strength of this team over the last couple of weeks here.

And if they can keep it going, keep it rolling, they have a really good shot of advancing to a super regional and then even into that college world series that everybody is after. Auburn is actually 4-14 when they score three runs or less. They're 34-5 when they score four runs or more. So, on that opposite side of pitching, the bats have to kind of be there as well to give that run support that that pitching staff needs. But that's kind of what Butch Thompson was looking for as far as he wants to see that pitching staff continue to be dominant, to continue kind of what they've been doing.

And he wants that offense to be good situationally. That's kind of what he talked about earlier this week. And he's still kind of figuring out what the best lineup is going to look for. He's going to be looking at all kinds of analytics and things before kind of figuring out who he wants to put where against Milwaukee tomorrow at noon. Caleb, that's what I was going to ask you. You followed him. You just got through listening to Butch Thompson talk about the setup for the regional.

He got Auburn through a little bit of a tight spot, obviously, early in the SEC calendar. I know Alabama swept them. They struggled offensively. The pitching, I think, has been there this year. What makes Butch Thompson one of the best managers in the SEC? I think it's just his resume speaks for itself. You know, he's a guy that he supports his guys. He just got done talking about how throughout this whole season, this is a place where this is a team that he's just had so much fun.

Just being their coach. And he thanks the guys every day is what he just said, you know, just for the amount where he still gets so much joy out of coaching these guys. And they're receptive. And I think that goes a long way in kind of being the leader of a program. The guys really buy into it. And you're seeing the results of it. Ken, I'm John. I'm with us. AuburnSports.com. In some ways, it's almost a mirror image of what Alabama's softball team is going to be facing tonight with UCLA.

[1:03:09] UCLA's got the sticks. Alabama's got the arms. On paper, in a way, it looks like Milwaukee's got some sticks. But it looks like Auburn's got the arms. Oh, yeah. It's going to be an exciting matchup for Auburn. You know, Milwaukee's actually one of three teams in the NCAA tournament that entered with a losing record. But, you know, Butch Thompson just talked about they've got a tremendous amount of respect for Milwaukee. They've won eight in a row and won the Horizon League tournament. So this is a Milwaukee team that, you know, they're coming in hot.

They're coming in, riding a lot of momentum. And baseball is all about adversity. The sport is. Butch Thompson talked about adversity. It's going to be what wins the regional. He said the team that deals with adversity the best is probably going to be the champion of the Auburn regional. And so we'll see what Auburn's able to do tomorrow against Milwaukee. Of course, you know, they are the favorites going into this regional. But, of course, like you said, home cooking always helps. I can tell you right now, there's a lot of seats here.

Auburn has put additional seating up for this regional. So it's going to be a packed crowd tomorrow at Plainsman Park and throughout the rest of the weekend. I know earlier this week, obviously, the meetings in Sandaston have been on a lot of people's mind. John Cohen there, Alex Golich. By the way, they revealed, and Harold mentioned this earlier, week one, Baylor, a 2.30 central time game for Auburn and Baylor. Week two, 6.30 or 6.45 against Southern Miss. And then a big primetime game, 6 o'clock against Florida. I thought Caleb Alex Golich had a good comment.

You know, all this back and forth about 16 or 24 that's been going on with the leagues. And he said, you know, for us to be successful in year one, just to lay an actual foundation for the program is my number one goal. And he said, quite frankly, the number of teams in the playoff is bad as fathers in my mind. He said, I'm concentrating on having a good year. I mean, I think that's, I think he said exactly what you need to say in that situation. You have to be focused on establishing the foundation.

And you can see it in recruiting, you can see it on the field. They're so invested in establishing the culture that they envision for this program. They brought a lot of, they brought 13 guys over from South Florida to kind of help, help establish that. I think that that goes a long way too. Golich talked a little bit about, you know, just having guys that have been in the system before. They've been in that culture before. They know what the process is like. And it goes a little further when you have players in the same room, players in the locker room talking about, hey, just trust this guy.

Like, he knows what he's talking about. Everything that we're doing, that's intentional. So Golich kind of touched on that a little bit. And then, like you said, they're so focused on establishing their culture that the quote is, the college football playoff is literally the last thing I've thought about since I took the job at Auburn. Which, you know, some people are going to maybe take that in the wrong sense. But I think you just have to literally take it one game at a time. You take it one off season at a time.

And you just kind of play what you want to do. And then where the sticks lie, that's where they lie. I think Golich has his head where it needs to be right now, which is just establishing what he wants in Auburn. Kevin, your thoughts, obviously, first impressions mean everything. You win that first one, and everybody's already starting to buy tickets for the national championship. Whether it's Auburn, Alabama, any school, that's just fandom. But it can go the other way, too. Florida State last year was in that mindset, and we saw how that wound up.

Your thoughts about Auburn's schedule, how it shapes up. The first four at home, that's good to go ahead and establish some confidence in front of the home crowd. But at some point, you've got to pay the piper. It all balances out of the menu. Some folks like to have a home, a way, home, away, that type thing. The players have no control over that. But your thoughts just about how Auburn's schedule is shaping up. Man, I love this schedule for Auburn fans because I think I've talked with a couple of people about it, and I feel like this schedule is a very traditional Auburn schedule, meaning you're going to have a lot of those meaningful games back in a schedule.

You've got Florida. You've got Tennessee. You've got both Mississippi schools. You've got LSU and, of course, Alabama and Georgia. I mean, that's some phenomenal rivalries there. That drips Magnolia. It's just fantastic as far as for the game itself. But as far as Auburn's schedule and the way that it kind of lines up, those first four games at home, Auburn, I think, has a really good shot with all four games. And, of course, you know, the game against Baylor, that's in Atlanta, but that'll feel like an Auburn home game up in the West 80s.

But those first four games, I think Auburn's got a fantastic shot to win and execute. As far as the next four games, October, man, that's a tough, tough schedule. Road contest at Georgia, Tennessee. Your only home game is LSU. And then you go on the road to Ole Miss. I mean, that's going to be where I think this team figures out where exactly it is as far as where it lines up and where it sits with the rest of the SEC. It's kind of been October.

[1:08:31] And then, of course, you finish out the season with those games against Mississippi State. And then, of course, the big game over in Tuscaloosa at Alabama, where Auburn's looking to win for the first time since Cam Newton was in town. Yeah. Caleb, I was going to ask you, you may not know this, but the offseason schedule, most of the players right now are off. They've gone back home or they're training somewhere else. But, again, with you in around the corner next week, I'm guessing a lot of the players are coming back in.

Basically, the coaches turn over the program to the strength and conditioning staff for about six weeks, certainly during the summer. What have you heard as far as the offseason conditioning program? Does it technically get started next week? I'm not exactly sure on the dates of when players are going to be back here. But I do know that Zolish has talked a little bit about this summer. And this is a really important summer. This is the only summer you get. So you have to make it worth that time.

And, you know, this whole workout session, all these workouts, this is where these teams, this is where you come together as a team. That's where those bonds are built. This is where it really does become a player-driven program, you know, when it's no longer just, you know, a strength and conditioning staff member telling you to hit that last rep. It's your teammates that are gathered around the bench, gathered around whatever you may be doing and just really trying to get the most out of you. Those summer workouts, this is where that championship mentality is really built.

I guarantee, Kayla, the coaches are going to be talking to the coaches in the house here because this is, to me, where you find out your leaders. And those who get up there when nobody's watching, there's no cheerleaders cheering, no crowd rooting you on. You get up on a summer morning when everybody else is at the beach. And if you go in, that to me is a natural leader that shows they're hungry. So you know those coaches are going to be in constant contact with the folks on top of it.

But, Caleb, one other thing that the fans are going to be watching, and that is the recruiting. Obviously, it's prime time for the young guys to come in. Your thoughts about the next addition, and in your opinion, who may be the next addition to the class? Yeah, you've got a huge slate of official visitors coming in this weekend. You've got about 15 guys, really important guys that are coming in for Auburn that are trying to… Some of these guys have decision dates, commitment dates already set. And these official visits, they go a long way in kind of setting the tone and kind of placing Auburn either at the top or figuring out where Auburn's going to finish in their recruiting.

So these official visits, they're a huge opportunity. A couple of guys coming in this weekend. You've got a five-star cornerback, Joshua Dobson. He's down to Auburn, Michigan, South Carolina, LSU, and Texas A&M. Texas A&M is kind of a presumed favorite in that one. But we'll see what Auburn can do there. Another cornerback, wide receiver, so athlete to play on the other side of the ball, is K. Walden Jr. coming in. He's actually switched up his schedule. He's coming in to visit Auburn instead of Clemson this weekend.

And then you've got some in-state guys, Isaac McNeil, a linebacker out of Figer High School. He's got a commitment date set for June 2nd. He's down to Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Georgia. And, of course, his teammate who goes by Chicken, Ed Rusher. He's down to Auburn, Texas, Miami, Florida. And then, excuse me, not Miami and Florida, but Miami and Florida. And Texas A&M. Those are considered to be kind of the top four schools right now. He's not officially narrowed it down or anything like that. But you've got some, I mean, you've got a bunch more guys that we can see here and talk about all day.

But those are kind of the main guys that I'm looking at for this weekend. And then as far as, you know, the next guy that they could potentially add to the class, Nash Johnson, former Alabama commit out of Atlanta. Auburn's been on him for a long time. He's going to, he's expected in town this weekend for his official visit. And sometimes, sometimes when you feel like guys are real close, all it takes is a good official visit for them to say, hey, you know what? This is where I want to be.

And so we'll see if Auburn can get that one done this weekend. Caleb, let me double check with you before we let you go. Now, tomorrow, again, the regional begins. And a lot of people think, well, Auburn's going to be playing at night. No, they're playing at noon. I believe that's on ESPN+. Now, if they win game one, the game one winner and game two winner will be playing Saturday night, I believe, at 7 or 8. Are those times correct for the first two games? Yeah, so Auburn will play tomorrow at noon against Milwaukee.

And then should Auburn win, they'll play tomorrow night at 7 p.m. Central time. If Auburn loses to Milwaukee, Auburn will play at 2 p.m. on Saturday. And an interesting thing, we talked to Butch Thompson, and he was asked about the noon start time. And it was basically one of those where it doesn't really matter. It doesn't affect him at all. They're going to play whenever they get told to play, and they're going to be ready to rock and roll. So he said it could end up being a blessing.

[1:13:46] Should Auburn go and win game one, they're going to have a little bit more time off in between games. So, I mean, if Auburn can get it done against Milwaukee tomorrow, they're looking at about, you know, a full 24 hours plus of recovery for game two. Should Auburn win tomorrow against Milwaukee? Absolutely. Well, listen, great stuff. As always, as you know, we talk to Brian Matthews about it every other way. We've been putting up the Brian Matthews for a long time. Caleb, where can we get on line to get all the good stuff?

Yeah, absolutely. So everything that I just went over, and then even more stuff, we've got it all at auburnsports.com. I mean, we've got football news, football recruiting, basketball news, basketball recruiting, softball, baseball, women's basketball. And then, of course, we've got two really fantastic message boards, just a really, really good visual of what the Auburn family really looks like. So come check us out, auburnsports.com. Everything, anything you want to know about Auburn, we're going to have it, auburnsports.com. The eyes of the Auburn nation is on you, Caleb.

Thanks so much for your time today, and let's do it again soon, okay? Thanks, guys. Thank you, bud. You too. Caleb Jones, auburnsports.com. We've been with Brian so long, he's now shaving, baby. Did you know that? Coming up, he's the man with the best seat for tonight's World Series adventure for Alabama. Gray Robertson next. Stay with us. Since 1952, JC 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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[1:19:05] Gray Robertson, voice of the Alabama softball team. Gray, welcome in. How are you? I am good. It has been a busy day already. We've already got one game down here at OKC. And I'll tell you what, when you're here with a team, you never know where you're going to be needed. Or other duties as assigned really comes into play when you're on the travel party. So, it's been a busy day, but we're all ready to go tonight. It's always fun when you get another shot, as they say, the shootout, the OK Corral.

Gray, what's it like being the guy, do those girls treat you all right? Because they can have some personality, can they not? Oh my gosh, this team is so much fun, and we all have such a blast. Even today, I went down to get coffee, and I ran into Jocelyn Briskey and Ailey Johnson, and the line was out the door, and I said, oh my gosh, is this the line? They said, yeah, but Jackson, one of the managers, was up there. So, I texted in my order, and then we all waited, and we got to joke around and talk.

I mean, that's just the vibe. I mean, we all enjoy each other's company, and getting to know them throughout their careers and throughout a season is one of the biggest blessings of this job that Tom and I have. Great. Talk about that, because sometimes you can be one thing when you're playing the regular season in front of a half-full house. You're playing relaxed, and you get some athletes, when they get on this platform, they're the same athlete, but mentally and emotionally, they tense up. They try too hard to overdo it.

Your thoughts just about the attitude overall of this team coming in. I think they're done with all of the pre-nonsense, and they just want to get on the field. I mean, the vibe last night at dinner, I had a couple players that were just like, oh, I'm ready to go play. Like, media day is really long. You have to go through all these interviews. You talk with ESPN. You talk with Westwood One. You talk, I mean, if there is a media conglomerate here, there's the press conference.

I mean, everyone is being pulled in a million different directions. And the energy last night at dinner was just, let's just get on the field. And I think that that's what a lot of these kids are feeling. And you've got players like Jocelyn Briskey and Marley Giles and Christian Wyatt who have experience of playing here that can make sure that if there are any nerves, it's tampered down. Because at the end of the day, the dimensions of Devin Park are the same as Rhodes Stadium. It's still 60 feet to first base, 60 feet to second, still four balls, three strikes, three outs, all that jazz.

It's just the same game, but in front of more people. Gray, I've been listening for the last couple of days about how great UCLA is. They're a very good team. There's no doubt about that. They're 52-8. Jordan Woolery is the Softball America's National Player of the Year. Megan Grants hit 40 home runs. They lead the nation in 10 offensive categories. I get all that, but they're not playing an SEC schedule, and they're pitching. Their ERA is 4.32. Taylor Tinsley may be their best pitcher. Look, I know on paper how intimidating their offense is, but Alabama's pretty good, too.

I think that, I've said this for a couple weeks now. I think, well, weeks, we knew the matchups last week, but I think the most compelling matchup of day one is Jocelyn Briskey against Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant, because I've gotten to know Jordan really well. We actually called a game together this summer up at Alliance Travel Ball in July, and I got to really pick her brain and kind of hear about her process at UCLA. She's a very smart kid who loves her school, and she's really worked hard to get the numbers that she's putting up this year.

She and Megan Grant play off of each other, not just on the field. We've interviewed them on Softball America a couple times together, and it is like give them a comedy hour. I mean, it's really great, the friendship that those two have built. But what makes UCLA dangerous is not just those two. It's everybody else in the lineup. I went through and calculated how the entire starting lineup did against SEC teams this year, and you've got kids like Kaniah Bragg, who hit .500 this year with 15 RBIs against SEC teams.

Brie Alejandre, who's an exceptional, exceptional freshman. Alina Garcia, who got hurt last year early in the year, came back. Now she's performing, protecting Jordan and Megan of the lineup, making them really potent. But the area that you can get to UCLA is indeed their pitching staff, because with the way that the portal kind of changed things for them, Kaitlyn Terry, who just finished the game for Texas Tech earlier today, left UCLA, and they weren't able to really replace her. So it's kind of Taylor, Tinsley, your bust.

And if Alabama can get to Tinsley, then there really isn't a backup plan for the Bruins. What Tinsley has going for her is there are about seven or eight things in the arsenal. So while different staffs have this pitcher who's great at, you know, rise and change, this pitcher who can work east-west, Tinsley's got all of it. So Alabama's got to be very, very secure in what they're hunting when they see her today, because she will be getting the start. I haven't spoken to Kelly, I, but I will proclaim that Taylor Tinsley's getting the ball today.

[1:24:10] Gray Robertson on the Alabama call. Gray, obviously it's amazing. What one run in the postseason, that's outstanding. But I know Pat Murphy's going to say, guys, that's great, but you haven't had a lot of adversity. You haven't had to come from behind. How important is it to get out, set the tone early, because like you said, UCLA is susceptible. No matter what the lead is, you're still in the game if the numbers hold up. But the fact that that's a two-edged sword, you haven't, you've got a tremendous pitching style stat-wise, but psychologically this team in the postseason way hasn't had to come from behind yet.

That's true in the postseason, and I think that that's why you draw upon the experience of what you did before that. You know, Alabama's seen everything this year. They've seen the elite arms. They've seen Carlin Pickens. They've seen Teagan Caban. They've seen offenses that can slug. They've shut down teams like Arkansas in the SEC tournament and in the regular season. Alabama is not going to be surprised by anything that they see today, and drawing upon that past experience is going to be crucial because there will come a moment today, and if not today, then Saturday or Friday or whatever day, where it gets hard.

Like, this is the one that's called World Series. No one has ever just breezed through this. As great as Oklahoma has been for the last decade, they have had hard days. They have had games where they lost or been up against it. So you've got to trust each other, play for each other, believe in the culture, believe in yourself, and just go out there and execute. And that is where Alabama's thrived this year. They have had their backs up against the wall at times, and they've responded beautifully.

And it starts with the preparation that they put in this week going into this matchup and then being ready to answer when things get hard today if they do. Absolutely. Listen, we've got to run to a French Open update here in a few minutes, but thank you for taking some time. Listen, I know you've got your head cut off running around, doing a lot of other things. By the way, congratulations on another great year. I hear so many very positive comments about you and the broadcast team, and I know they get a chance to hear it the next couple of days on 93.9 The Score.

Where can we get online to get all the good stuff, Gray? Well, the Varsity app is easy to access. You just download that through Learfield and Search Alabama, and Tom and I will be there at 545 Central tonight and ready to rock and roll. I mean, this is the best time of the year. I know I'm going to get emotional walking into the radio booth. I do every time. And it's just a blessing to be here and to be a part of the ride. And thank you so much for having me on to talk about it a little bit today.

We can't wait for the encore later on tonight. There you have it. Gray Robertson getting ready for the call. Alabama-UCLA World Series Game 1 at the OK Corral. Later on tonight, you're on 93.9 The Score. But first, today's biggest upset on the play at the French Open. The tail straight ahead. You're on 93.9 The Score. Westwood One Sports presents the special tennis update. The French Open men's singles is now up for grabs. No Carlos Alcaraz. He's injured. And no Yannick Sinner, who's the first top seed to lose in the second round in 26 years.

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[1:34:41] Casualty insurance company and affiliates. Not available in all states or situations. Coverage subject to policy terms. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Looking back in, he drives you home every afternoon to a place called Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ryan Fowler, host of the game on Tide 109 down in T-Town. Ryan, welcome in. You've got softball, baseball. You've got basketball. Do you have any time to talk Alabama football these days, Ryan? How are you? We are 100 days away. Absolutely. Listen, I learned many, many years ago, if you're going to do a radio show in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, every show, every show, not most shows, not some shows, most shows must involve Alabama football.

If not, you're going to be a very lonely individual. You can talk to yourself, and we've had hosts that have tried that, and it didn't work out very well for them. But, yeah, it's one of those things that 100 days, today we're going to give 100 reasons why Alabama can compete for a championship. Do you want to add a couple to those? I mean, no, I'm just kidding. But, yeah, softball certainly is dominant. You know, baseball, Rob Vaughn has built this program up, and it's starting to momentum drive.

But, really, we get a lot more phone calls about softball. I mean, we get it. You know, Patrick Murphy has rejuvenated. And, really, they never lost that energy, but he has really rejuvenated this program. And I feel like that they pulled a lot of those baseball fans over to softball because they compete for a lot of the same eyeballs, right? It's on a different – it's on a similar day. So, it's hard to make both. But, no, when you look at softball and you look at Coach Patrick Murphy, he's rejuvenated.

And they got a chance to go win a national title, which is pretty awesome. The word is, again, and to me, what Patrick Murphy does is something that DeBoer and every coach can learn from. I don't care if it's softball or football, what size and shape he is, and that is know how to identify talent. He's pretty consistent with that. He knows how to bring in hot shot, not only folks from all over the country, but locally knows how to blend it. In other words, to me, he is a very good talent evaluator.

And he's learned how to adapt, too. I think when you look at the rules and look at the way the talent has moved and changed, I mean, he's really changed the way that he has projected. You know, the way that he is – you know, and we asked him about this last week, and we talked about it. He said he is adapted, not adopted, but adapted. And he kind of focused on that word, that he's adapted to the change. I think that's what great coaches are able to do.

I think when you look at his softball program, he's been there every single year, even as an assistant coach there for two years, and then for the last, what, 27, 28, whatever the number has been, that he's been there. He's built this program, I mean, from an intramural field – no, I'm sorry. It was a rec league field at Socal Park to where it is now. And the atmosphere is just unbelievable. And it comes across on the television side of things, too. Yeah. I mean, you can watch it from a game perspective, and you see how packed that Rhodes house is.

And look at the weather, okay? How many fans would have stayed around for hours? And it had two different weather delays, where they had lightning strike, you know, close to the stadium, seven miles, and they stopped it. But then that fan base made it back to Rhodes Stadium. It was pretty incredible, and that shows the dedication and passion of those Alabama softball fans. Ryan Fowler has not been hesitant to give some, I would call, constructive criticism with the commissioner of the SEC, Greg Sankey, on our show for years.

And I've been saying the two best things he's ever done was he dug his heels in and kept college football playing during COVID, and he brought in Oklahoma and Texas. Now, he had the podium this week, had a real opportunity to say this is what we feel like the SEC favors. We know it's not going to be 100% across the board for ADs and coaches. And, you know, the SEC wants five years to play five, changes in transfer portal, early signing date. I didn't hear a lot about that, Ryan.

What grade would you give Greg Sankey at Destin this week? He's losing power, and you can see it. You can really, you can hear it, you can feel it. When you listen to him the way that he doesn't stand up there with that same confidence. And maybe I'm the only one seeing it, but I just think that from a leadership standpoint, he has taken a couple steps back. And I think the Big Ten, I think they're working circles around him. I feel like, you know, from a momentum standpoint that they have it, and the SEC right now, the only thing the SEC can counter with is what we opened up our conversation with.

[1:40:20] Counting down the start of college football, the passion of the Alabama, excuse me, the SEC fans. I think that's where the SEC can counter this rebuttal. Right now, that's because the eyeballs, the eyeballs are important. Because if you say, well, hold on, I thought TV was important. But if they don't have the eyeballs, TV doesn't do anything. And to me, when you look at the region, it's still predominantly college football. Yes, you've got the Atlanta Falcons, you've got the New Orleans Saints, you've got the Tennessee Titans, and those draw our attention.

But for the majority, the passion still goes around college football. It's still about, you know, that's the only thing I look at right now. And I think the nine conference games, when I heard the couple of coaches, some are always one. And I'm trying to think of the other one that said that they feel like they were misled when it got to nine conference games. So I think when you really begin to study it and look at it, I think he's losing power. And I can feel it.

That's just, that's my opinion. Losing is worth what you pay for. But it just feels like that he's been a step behind the Big Ten commissioner in many different moves. And this one feels no different. Ryan Fowler is host of the game, tied 109 FM in Tuscaloosa. Ryan, is it safe to say the days of an unbeaten team from the SEC have gone the way of the eight-track tape? More news, obviously going to a nine-game SEC schedule and doing away with Cupcake Week. That was almost two things.

A guaranteed win to get ready for the big game, the rivalry game across the board. And it also gave a chance for younger players to get out and get some experience with live bullets flying over their heads in a real environment for a game day. But, Ryan, your reaction to the elimination, I can see both sides. But what's your reaction to the elimination of Cupcake Weekend? I think from a national standpoint, it helps the conference, right? I mean, it really is something that right during the middle of college football rankings, they begin to evaluate and they begin to throw darts.

And the only thing that you can throw darts on the SEC schedule is that second to last weekend. That's the only thing. You can't throw darts at the schedule any other way. I mean, you just can't. And I think when you really look at it, it's something that needs to be removed a long time ago. But for some reason, they didn't get to this position. And they should have got to the position. I just, I understand the grind of the SEC schedule. But sometimes the court of public perception matters.

And it does. Because it's the only thing that they could throw at the SEC was this particular non-conference weekend. And so, I look at it. It's not a big move. But, I mean, is that really the takeaway? I mean, is that really what we're going to counter the Big Ten with? Is this particular, I mean, do you see what I mean? I mean, this is, we're throwing pebbles at a battleship. I mean, we're not really, we're going to have to counter with some big moves. And, you know, I know Greg Sanky's rebuttal about the strength of the league.

And I believe in, I have no doubt that he's got top to bottom better football. But right now, from a leverage standpoint, I feel like the Big Ten, am I the, do you guys agree? Well, the facts bear it out. I mean, who's won the last couple of national championships and who's got the most money right now? So, you know, the facts bear it out. And you're going to get pushback from these coaches. They want that cupcake because that's almost an automatic win for their resume.

But to balance that out, if they expand the playoffs and they go from 12 to 16, heaven forbid, to 24, doesn't that in itself dilute the impact of a potential loss that normally would have been an automatic win? Yeah. And so, as the coaches said, you know, going to nine, I think we're going to see this show up. I think we're going to see this play a mega role with impact. What did we get last year in the playoffs? Did we get four teams or five in the 12s?

It was four, I believe. Was it Alabama, Oklahoma? Georgia. Georgia. Who else? And the other one. Ole Miss. Ole Miss. Ole Miss. It was four. Okay. So it was four out of the 12. I'm going to be willing to bet here, as we close down the month of May, we will have less teams next year in the college football playoffs because of the one game. And you say, well, that's not valid. Go look at the monetary value of this. It is going to be significant when you look at it.

[1:45:21] I just think we're going to have to counter, and I think it starts at the top. We're going to have to counter with better leadership, whether that comes from Greg Sankey or whether that comes from somebody else. We're going to have to counter with making quality decisions. But it's going to have to also take the Big Ten giving up some leverage. Do we have that right now? I don't know. I don't know what we counter with other than fan passion right now. Brian, one of the other things that was not reported as much was the college football playoff had a committee report to the coaches, and they were trying to explain their wins and losses that call so much wailing and gnashing of teeth last year.

And they were talking once again. One of the coaches literally said, I felt worse after the Selection Sunday than I did, I mean, after this week than I did Selection Sunday. They used Texas Tech, whose schedule was three cupcakes. But there were some of the SEC coaches who were livid after that college football playoff committee when it came again to wins and losses, thinking, well, this hasn't changed one bit. Oh, and I think that evaluation, when you look at the college football playoff selection committee, it, I don't, there's something about it that I just don't trust.

And if you want to create more trust, give me more transparency. Yeah. Don't mean who voted for who, who voted for what. I mean, I mean, give me transparency. Listen, we put a videotape, a video camera, a camera in everything. Everything. No camera in there. What do you got to hide? What do you have to hide? Nothing, my friend, Ryan. Man, this is always your brain. We got to jump off, got to brace, got an early game there. For the folks quickly who want to jump on and get your show, where can you take us?

Tide109.com. Tide109.com. We do it every day, two to six. I appreciate you guys so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Ryan. Ryan Fowler hooking up with us. Be sure to have 109 FM in Tuscaloosa. Coming up, brace, pregame. And after that, balance softball, all the straight ahead. You're on 939, the score. Stay with us.