Boomo Bugg Show 060126

[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 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 a ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in. The first day of June where the Tide and Tigers are saying those famous three words, play ball, y'all.

And plus, Alabama adds to the recruiting hall. Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Monday to you and the listeners. And by the way, be weather aware today. Some strong storms coming to North Alabama within the next hour. As you alluded to, Alabama baseball rallies to beat Oklahoma State 9-7 to host a Super Regional for the first time in 20 years. Auburn baseball rallies win three consecutive games to play a winner-take-all game today at 5 p.m. against Milwaukee. And always delighted to bring in Adam, who's here to recap SEC media days in San Destin.

And to talk about an article about SEC football coaches losing six after the upcoming season. Adam Spencer is busy there. It's Saturday down south. Adam, welcome in. Hope your week is off to a super start as well. How are you? I'm doing great, guys. We're only a couple of months away from college football now, so it's going to be better. Under 100 days. Obviously, baseball season is still rocking and rolling. We want to get to that. But as Brent alluded to it, the latter part there, anytime you start talking about coaches, I start seeing things now.

And I'm sure these coaches have always gone back and forth. But I think now, would you agree, Adam, these coaches, they're not as afraid to come out. They've got money in the bank. They've got contracts. They've got buyouts. So if they want to think something and say something, they're more apt to do it. Adam, your thoughts about where the SEC coaches are. What was the vibe you got down in San Destin from them? Yeah, I mean, I thought that, yeah, I think you're right that, you know, with all the money and all the potential money that they have, they get fired.

You know, they are, you know, speaking their minds. And, you know, nobody more so than Kirby Smart, who also has the two national championships and back-to-back SEC championships on his resume. So he gets a little bit of a longer leash, so to speak, than just about anybody else in the college football space. So, you know, he says, you know, to talk about the SEC seceding and stuff. I mean, that's interesting. You know, he's saying what people have been talking about all along. And, you know, maybe that is the model.

I mean, you know, I think we might ultimately be heading towards a situation where, you know, the Big Ten and the SEC break away and do their own thing for a couple of years. And then it becomes, you know, kind of like an NBA and ABA or an AFC and NFC thing. And they finally decide, like, hey, here's what we're going to do. We're going to play each other. And then our two champions are going to play, like, some sort of, you know, a bowl, a Super Bowl, maybe, you know, something like that.

You know, maybe that's where we're going. And, you know, I think that maybe that would be something that that's just going to be what happens under this current model, unless we can get things under control. You know, to your point, long-time football fans remember the NFL. You had the NFL and the AFL. And then they went to the NFC and the AFC. And their respective winners do play in the Super Bowl. So who knows? But, Adam, we know what fans in general think about. You know, Greg Sankey.

No one's going to come out and say this verbally. But what's the vibe you get as far as the collective feeling from ACC coaches about the direction that Greg Sankey's taking this league? I think there's a lot of confidence in him. I mean, I think that most people recognize that this is kind of uncharted territory. And we haven't really been here before. And there's a lot of new money flowing into the sports. And, you know, we've talked in previous weeks about, like, well, just how long can this unfiltered spending last?

You know, how much longer do these deep-pocketed boosters, you know, want to continue supporting this? I mean, I think we'll see a case model for this for Indiana. You know, the Mark Cubans and the largest alumni base got their national championship. So, you know, do they still have the appetite to spin that big? You know, we'll see how it goes. It could be the answer is yet. But, yeah, I think the SEC coaches, they see that Greg Sankey is, you know, defending the value of the league and defending, you know, some of the shots that the SEC has been taking over the last couple of years.

[5:07] So, I mean, I think there's still a lot of confidence in him as a commissioner. So, I don't think that there's any hesitation there to support him. Adam, I thought it was also interesting. Two words that a lot of people are afraid of in college football. Collective bargaining reared its ugly head in Sandestin. Ross Dillinger of Yahoo.com mentioned that several of the athletic directors, I know Danny White of Tennessee is for this. Most people thought two years ago, heaven forbid, that's never going to happen.

Adam, I'll be honest with you. I think there really is two or three years down the road a possibility of that happening. Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised either. I mean, that's part of the pro model where, you know, you have your, you know, the MLB PA meets with the MLB owners and the commissioner, the NFLPA, the APA. You know, all these professional leagues have collective bargaining and, you know, a union. So, why shouldn't, as more and more money flows into this sport, why shouldn't players have a council and a representative group that tries to get as big of a slice of the pie as they can?

I mean, it all makes sense. And, you know, the traditionalists among us can rant and rail about it until we're blue in the face. But, you know, these kids, if there's going to be millions and billions of dollars in the sport, they deserve to try to get as much of it as they can. And that's the American way. I just said in your folks, they hear the CB term collective bargaining. A lot of folks know what it is. And, of course, a lot don't. Just to kind of sum it up, it's a negotiating process between employers and a group of employees, including negotiating wages, working hours, benefits, workplace safety, blah, blah, blah, grievance, procedures.

And, as you said, possibility of being represented by a union. You can see both sides of this. But right now, who do you think in this battle is winning? Would it be the colleges or the kids? Because right now, where are the parameters? I don't see a lot of parameters for the kids. They pretty much drive the bus. And I've always wondered, how much in taxes do these kids pay when they get this million-dollar deal? How much of that goes back in taxes compared to the typical employee?

Yeah, I mean, this is all stuff that's going to have to be, you know, weighed. Because if you do start collectively bargaining, then there's probably going to be some, you're going to have to have some give and some take, you know? Right. You know, like with the NFL, the players really don't want more regular season games. Like, to get it expanded to 17, the owners had to make concessions. But, yeah, there's just, there's always give and take there. And, you know, they wanted, owners want 18 games ultimately.

And so I think that it's going to be tough to get there. But, yeah, I mean, like, if you start collectively bargaining at the college level, then, I mean, it's going to cost probably some freedom of movement. There's probably going to be, you know, these conferences in these schools are going to want to limit transfers so that they don't have to re-recruit their roster. every single offseason. So, you know, that's just one example of, like, a thing that players, if they want more money overall, they might have to give up some of that freedom and some of the, you know, the kind of handshake deals that you have here going on.

So it'll be interesting to watch. But, you know, I think that anything could happen right now. Like, I don't know which side is leading. I don't have a good feel for that. Like, you know, Congress is involved. You know, there was that proposal from Ted Cruz and somebody else the other week. And, you know, but there's already, theoretically, some guardrails in place that just seem to be being ignored. So, you know, I don't have an answer for you on that one. The players want to agree to this, and there's a carrot that they can get more.

But the other side of the coin is, what happens to a tax-paid scholarship? Is that going to be forfeited? And what happens if the coaches say, you know what? You're a big boy now. You're out of here. I know that you signed a million-dollar deal. I know that you got a lot of promise. But there's the door. Hit it, just like anybody else in any common workplace. In other words, they got pretty much a guaranteed deal now, collective bargaining. As I understand it, they now have the option of being shown the door like everybody else.

Yeah, and, I mean, that's the tradeoff that you have to make. If they have to decide as a group, is that worth, you know, a 15% increase in the, you know, quote-unquote salary pool or whatever ends up coming out of it. So, I mean, you know, at least, you know, with some of these colleges, you'd have the Stanfords, the Northwesterns, the Vanderbilts of the world. You've got some bright minds in the college ranks that could potentially help with this. But, yeah, we'll see where it goes. I mean, I don't know.

It's going to be interesting to see what this sport looks like in five years. Adam, you wrote an interesting article about another ESPN article with their wild predictions about six SEC coaching jobs open up at the end of 2026. I don't think we're going to be close to six, but it is interesting. Shane Beamer, what happens, Adam, if he follows up a four-and-eight campaign with a five-and-seven? Josh Heupel, if he goes seven-and-five with a tough schedule, inexperienced quarterbacks. Brent Venable, who had a very good year last year, followed by a not-so-previously a not-so-good.

[10:31] And you're right. Mike Helco, Clark Lee at Vandy, Eli Drink with the Missouri. Somebody may just come in and give them a better offer. It won't be six, but I'll say this, Adam. I don't think it's going to be zero. Yeah, I would agree with you on that one. I think that probably right now the way I'd rank him is the hottest jeep in the SEC would be Beamer. I think he's got to get up to seven wins minimum to keep his job. I think that second would be Jeff Levy.

I mean, I just don't know how much longer you keep going with that if there's no… I mean, he did show signs of improvements last year, but if you don't take another big step forward and win multiple SEC games this fall, I don't know if you give him another year. And then Kalen DeBoer. I think that Alabama fans, their expectations have been warped over the years by having Bear Bryant and also a guy named Nick Saban. And Kalen DeBoer is the guy that's following Saban. So if he doesn't make the playoffs this year, then I think that it's done.

But, you know, I think that he has the talent to do that. It's just how far can he get in the playoff? Can he avoid a 38-3 loss like last year to Indiana? You know, we'll see. Because there was a lot of lopsided losses last year for DeBoer. And, yeah, I think that one wild card would be Steve Sarkisian. I don't think that he would get fired. But let's say, you know, Texas wins the national championship this year or something. You know, could he pull a hardball?

I mean, and pull a hardball with less scandal, you know. But, you know, could he go to the NFL? Well, you know, that is something that I think he could do, especially if, like, the team that is in position to draft Arch Manning needs a head coach, you know. Like, that's just something, a wild card to consider. You know, I don't think there's any leaning either way right now. I don't have any inside information on that. But when you get, like, Drinkwitz or Elko leaving for a non-SEC job or, you know, a Sarkisian making the jump to the NFL, that's where you can add up to six really quickly.

But if it's just performance-based firings, you know, I don't think that there's any chance that the SEC gets to six firings this year after that many last year. Adam, five SEC teams have already made the regionals. I thought Kentucky was going to make six, and they blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning. Five winner-take-all games today. I thought the SEC was just done, according to some of the Big Ten pundits. But they've done rather well in baseball and softball and great stuff. We always enjoy the conversation.

But where can we get online to get all the good stuff? Yeah, SaturdayDownSouth.com, Saturday Tradition. We have you covered. You know, we're going to be doing some fun stuff this summer with football on the horizon. And, of course, we'll have you covered all the way through the College World Series here. That's great, Adam. Mr. Man, have a great week, and thanks so much for your time today. Yeah, thanks for having me, guys. I always appreciate it. Absolutely. Adam Spencer, Saturday down south. Coming up way down south of the Sunshine State, and John Fauri on deck.

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Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9, the score. The Atlanta Braves fell yesterday as the Braves lost to the Cincinnati Reds 6-4. Two errors for the Braves in the loss. Spencer Strider drops to 3-1. Braves are 40-20. The Braves have the day off today. They're back at home tomorrow as they take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Bryce Elder is set to get the start tomorrow for Atlanta. The Alabama softball team will play tonight in the Women's College World Series. Alabama takes on Texas Tech. Alabama is one win away from the championship series.

The Alabama baseball team is on to Super Regionals. Alabama awaits the winner between Florida State and St. John's. Those two will play today. Auburn Tigers beat Milwaukee last night. Those two will play again today. Winner on to the Supers. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash presented by Progressive on 93.9, the score. With the new My Lowe's Pro Rewards American Express card. Earn three points per dollar spent on Lowe's qualifying purchases for the first six months after card account opening.

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A lot going on, including the always proverbial topic that's always in season. And that's Alabama football recruiting over the weekend. At least according to the so-called experts, they pick up a big one at the running back spot. Youkirk, Harold, Nigel, and Youkirk, a four-star running back who ran for about 1,400 yards last year as a junior. By the way, he's from Gainesville, Georgia. Yeah. Which Matthews is from Georgia and in Alabama. That's starting into a pipeline for Georgia. And we'll talk to Andrew Bone at about 135 if the weather cooperates with us.

But yeah, that was a big pick-up. I knew Alabama would get someone after the big weekend. And I thought Youkirk was kind of leaning toward Alabama, and he pulled the trigger last night. You know, and of course, you know how recruiting fanatics are. It's like, that's great. But Brett, when are the offensive and defensive linemen going to come in? Well, Harold, again, most of these guys have got four more official visit weekends coming up. And they're not going to, again, Alabama's offensive line class. Barry out of Mississippi is going to be one.

And we'll ask Andrew Bone about that again. Now, defensive linemen, I think Alabama's got a good chance to pick up three or four of these guys. But again, Harold, patience is a virtue in Alabama. Recruiting fans need to remember that. No, they're not going to remember that, Brett. Come on, man. Be fair. Now, here's the bottom line. Now, these guys, when you are a premium lineman, you're driving the bus. So, they don't have to make up their mind in late May, early June. They can take this thing as far as they want because they got options.

[21:27] You remember what our old friend Keith back in the day said? He was the eternal bachelor. And you remember how he asked the question, Keith, what is your secret? Remember what he said? I have land, yes. I have land. Yes, I remember well. And these linemen, they have land. So, in other words, they can pretty much do what they want when they want to do it. And they'll wait until that bottom line comes in. It's the juiciest worm on the hook, I guarantee you. That would be the one they bite at in most cases.

The other thing that is kind of flying under the radar that's really a big, big, big, and that's the College Baseball World Series. We talked about the regionals. All the boys are trying to get to where the girls already are. And a big one tonight for the Alabama Crimson Tide at the OK Corral. Yeah, you can hear that game on 93-9. The score, Alabama with a big win over in Nebraska. They got off to a huge lead. That really is critical. That, to me, is the difference in this Alabama softball team this year are the bats.

The defense has been pretty good, even though they had a miscommunication in the outfield late in that game that could cost them. In fact, Patrick Murphy talked about that a little bit, that there was a lack of communication. The outfielder should have caught the ball. And I believe the second baseman backpedaled, and she had the ball in her glove and dropped it. But other than that, Briskey has been absolutely incredible. Now, a lot of people are asking, will Patrick Murphy go with Briskey again tonight or bring in Vic Moulton?

That's going to be very interesting. But they have done a very good job, Harold, as far as getting a lead. The pitching has just simply been dominant. Well, I mean, to me, it's the most amazing thing in the world is the pitching. Because it's like Bear Bryant one time said when you play defense, and you hold the team scoreless. The worst you can do is tie, you can't lose. But back to your point there about the faux pas, that's not the first time that that's been seen.

But there's a lack of communication, which at this point in the season, and at this level, it's kind of a head-scratcher because it's really, it's baseball 101. And here's what I mean by that. If you guys played baseball, you know this. The player that's coming in, it's automatically that player. When you're going out, the odds are against you. As good as you may be, the odds are against you making that play cleanly. You can make it maybe 89% of the time, but that one or two times you've messed it up can open up.

It's amazing. When you give the other guys a little red cross, a little charity, like an error, how many times that can turn into a big inning. So I got a feeling Pat Murphy is going to say in the pregame, anytime there's a question about a ball in that situation, let the guy coming in, in this case, the girl coming in, make the call. And if they don't make it, then that's on them. But amazing what that pitching staff has done. And you look at the numbers, baby.

It's absolutely incredible. So as far as Alabama and Auburn baseball, let's start with Auburn because they're still playing for their lives. I think when we left you, what was it, Friday, Milwaukee shell-shocked Auburn. We said at the time, go ahead, take your licks, kind of go back, hit the reset button and come back. Don't burn up a lot of pitchers because it's still a double of limbs. So you still got breath. You don't want to sit here and go all in in this game. They did make a game of it, but the bottom line is it's still not good enough.

They're fighting for the life. In case you missed it, they're going to take on, ironically, Milwaukee again tonight at 5. And I got a feeling, baby, we're going to see a different Auburn team tonight in the winner-take-all game. Well, they got embarrassed here on Friday. We were actually following the game, of course, while we were doing the show and got behind 10-0. But they got out front. They got out front again yesterday. They literally started the second game after they beat Central Florida 9-3. The NCAA decided to start the game at 10-10.

Wow. So they were through with that game at about 1 o'clock in the morning. Auburn beat Milwaukee last night, 8-1. But it's more or less handling the pitchers. That's the key. And Brian Matthews is going to be coming up next to talk a little bit more about it. But I'm going to be curious to see who they start tonight. All hands on Dak. He may want to go with five pitchers. We'll see what he comes up with. But really, the Auburn pitching staff was able to cobble four, five, and even six innings in the three games they've won.

I think Auburn wins this game tonight. Yeah, I'd be surprised otherwise, B.B. But I think it's like a game seven of the World Series. You'll see somebody start, and then you'll see a prime reliever come in, maybe the third inning, fourth inning, you know, and try to get three, eat up at least two or three innings, then bring in the second or the third person on the food chain. I think I'd be shocked if that's not the case. Alabama, meanwhile, B.B., last night, I think Rob Vaughn is tickled to death with the crowd, the way it responded late last night.

[26:29] He's been disappointed with the turnout down there for this regional. That's a big event. And I know it's on a weekend, and last night was a Sunday night. But your thoughts about Alabama going forward? Harold, they literally rattled last night to beat Oklahoma State 9-7. They've had good pitching. Brady Neal with the three-run homer to put Alabama ahead 9-6. In fact, they held on to win the game in the 11th inning. Same situation there. Now, Jason Torres, John Lim came through. Holt had a good game.

Justin LeBron managed a couple of hits, along with a home run. But really, I thought Alabama had not – I wouldn't use the word weak, but it was a manageable regional. They had the lead, the pitching played well, pitch well. But the defense, I thought, Harold was really what helped them out. Now Alabama goes on to face the winner of the Florida State Regional. That's coming up a little bit later on. But first, the latest in the French Open. Stay with us. West 1-1-4 presents this special tennis update.

This French Open has been filled with marathon five-set matches. Nothing longer than the one two days ago when Matteo Berrettini won a fifth-set tiebreaker. 15-13, a match that went over five hours. Berrettini back against Juan Manuel Cerundolo. He followed his five-set stunner of Yannick Sinner by winning a five-setter where the last four sets all went to a tiebreaker. Berrettini won today's straight sets. He had to fight off two set points in the third. Felix Auger-Aliassi in the Canadian seeded fourth. Also moving on, FAA over the Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.

Javier Cobali has advanced to the quarterfinals, and so has on the women's side Diana Schnader for the first time in a Grand Slam. She took out Madison Keyes, 6-3, 3-6-6-love, which means the only American still playing in Paris is Francis Tiafoe, his fourth-round match. It's coming up. With this tennis update, John Stashauer. Western 1-4. With the new My Lowe's Pro Rewards American Express card, earn three points per dollar spent on Lowe's qualifying purchases for the first six months after card account opening. Plus, save 5% every day on eligible purchases at Lowe's and earn points on eligible purchases everywhere else Amex is accepted.

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Is that an oxygen mask? An official team oxygen mask. Well, I can kind of see the feel. Your senses are still sharp. You're going to need them for phase two if you're set. Don't save money by sitting in the nosebleeds. You can save hundreds by switching to Progressive. Get a quote at Progressive.com. 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. Welcome back in quickly, baby. Obviously, one of the benefits of being a truly local show as opposed to being popped in from Timbuktu.

We'll keep an eye on the sky for you. Nope, you're busy out there. So, here's the bottom line to kind of put it in a nutshell. If you've got travel plans for northern Lauderdale, Colbert, Limestone, Madison County, or southern Wayne, Giles, Lincoln County, anywhere up in that neck of the woods, you might want to keep a close eye on the sky over the next few hours, BB. Yeah, I was going to say, Harold, just stay put for the next hour or so. You may want to have lunch at your desk.

But, yeah, there's some bad storms coming in. The good thing about it is once this gets through, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday is going to be much cooler than what we've experienced the last two weeks. Can we come out of the ark at that time, by the way? Yeah, maybe. We'll see. In the meantime, it was a bad, bad start for the Auburn Tigers in the regionals. Milwaukee flooded the scoreboard with runs. But, as they say, there's always Lazarus and get a resurrection going. Brian Matthews, I think, would agree with that.

He's a senior edge for AuburnSports.com. Brian, welcome in. How are you? I am doing great, guys. Hey, buddy. Thanks for having me on. Hey, man. We appreciate it. How would you describe the last few days for Auburn baseball, Brian? Pretty wild, really. You know, you lose that first game, and that puts you in a really, really, really difficult position. Yeah. And Auburn has really battled back since then. You know, they had to beat NC State in an elimination game Saturday. They had to beat UCF in an elimination game that was delayed a bunch yesterday and finally got going, you know, last night.

And then, you know, after 10, they started a game against Milwaukee, which they had to win to force a deciding winner-take-all game today. So, it's been a wild run here for Auburn, but they've really stepped up batting and scoring a bunch of runs, and the pitching has been marvelous. And I thought what happened yesterday with three pitchers combined for 18 innings, Ryan Heser, you know, saving the first game and then starting the second and doing what he did was just really, really impressive. That's what I was going to say.

We'll get to Chase Fralick and his heroics in a few minutes with a bat. And L.J. Cormier, who's Lance Cormier's son, former Alabama player, Ryan Hitzler, just had an incredible—and, B. Matt, you're right. When you lose that first game and you drop into the loser's bracket, you've got to fight and scratch. It's all hands-on deck. But to be able, after giving up 13 runs on 16 hits Friday, and to hold those guys to one run, struck out 14 and only four hits, that was incredible last night.

It really was. It was just incredible. And, you know, Hetzler came back after throwing three innings, saving that game one through four innings, allowed just one run on three hits. You know, I think he had six of the strikeouts, I believe. I think he threw 104 pitches total over both games. And then Cormier, you know, he gave up four runs to Milwaukee on Friday, and I think, you know, around two innings. And then he bounced back to give up just one hit in the final five innings to get that win.

[36:49] He is a real competitive young man, likes to really get after him. Reminds me a lot of his father, if I can remember. Is that Lance coming in to play some part with Alabama and just really shoving it, you know, down Auburn's throat there in some series back in the day. And, you know, I think LJ has the same type of mentality, which is fun to watch a pitcher like that. Brian Matthews, senior editor at auburnsports.com. Brian, obviously now comes either you win and move on or you lose and you stay home in this case.

Your thoughts about the strategy tonight, Brett and I were talking earlier, it's basically pretty simple as far as pitching. It's a Game 7 World Series mentality. Everybody on deck is available. The bullpen, I would assume, probably, everybody's going to be in a short leash, keep bringing in a fresh arm. Yeah, and I do think we'll probably see some guys that threw Friday against Milwaukee come back. Yeah. And I think what happened yesterday, which is three pitchers going, really saved that bullpen for today. Now they've got more options.

You know, I think Jake Marciano could throw again today. You know, got beat up a little bit. But he's been, you know, one of the best pitchers in the SEC all season. So he certainly can bounce back. Abe Chanson, Marcel Kulich, Jett Johnson also threw Friday and all could come back for an inning or two as needed today. But I think the one guy to really watch, you know, I don't know if they'll start him or save him for the big moments in the game later.

But Jackson Sanders, he threw Saturday against NC State. He threw 42 pitches in 2.1 innings. I think he'll be available for at least two or three innings. Maybe more. You know, this is that time of year where guys can really stretch themselves out. But, you know, I think he will, whether he starts or whether he comes in, he's going to be the most important pitcher today for Auburn. Auburn, he had six solo home runs. Yeah. Beating at Central Florida 9-3. And then Chase Fralick had, listen, he might as well be named the MVP of the regional right now.

He's got five home runs, 13 RBIs. Boy, he has been on a heater. He really has been. And those two numbers you mentioned, the five home runs, 13 RBIs, are Auburn program records for a regional. So, and Auburn's had some pretty good hitters. You know, a couple that are with the numbers hanging on the wall. There are a few. So, that's just incredible what he's done. And in conjunction with that, he has caught, I guess it's all 27 innings, right? No, he's caught 36 innings so far. Right. So, four games in three days.

He's been the catcher for every single pitch of those four. And I talked to him last night, and he's ready to go for a fifth. So, he'll be doing that along with being Auburn's most dangerous hitter right now. Brian Matthews, he's a senior at AuburnSports.com. Your thoughts about the umpiring, not only there in your backyard, but across some of these regionals. We saw the crazy ending to the NC State game with Auburn. Your thoughts on that. Did you see the one with Georgia, where Trey Phelps hits a go-ahead home run?

He's running around the bases, and the umpires eject him. They throw him out of the game because, in their opinion, he was celebrating too much. Skipper later said, no, he was just sitting here and acknowledging his family in the first row. I've seen several snippets where umpires are not taking anything. You're talking about abiding by the rules to the letter. They are across all of these regionals. Yeah, I'm afraid I've not seen that highlight. I've seen a lot of people talk about it. I haven't had time to go back and seek that out and see what happened.

But I just think, but I can't comment on the play against NC State that basically ended the game. I don't care if it's a pitch cut violation or not. I just, you're talking about Elliot Avent, a 30-year veteran, one of the greatest baseball coaches, you know, of all time. And the ambassador. Right. Yes, and a good dude, too. And, you know, I just don't want to end his career like that. Right. You know, I don't know. I just, I didn't like that at all. I think, I don't think NC State and, you know, Coach Avent appreciated that, too.

I don't even think Auburn, I think I'm trying to remember back. I'm pretty sure Bush Thompson may have said something about that, too. Maybe I'm just getting him and Coach Avent backwards there. But I don't think anybody enjoyed the way that one ended and didn't like that call. Right. Let me ask you, Bill, the, you know, according to Big Ten pundits, the SEC overall is pretty much dead. Oh, by the way, there are five teams from the SEC already in Super Regionals. Kentucky should have been there last night.

Auburn's included. If all five teams win today, they can have 10. Now, they probably won't be 10. They'll probably end up being something like seven. But, B, Matt, getting six, seven, eight teams from the SEC in Super Regionals, that's not too bad. No, it's just an incredible conference. It's so competitive. And I think, you know, when you look at the SEC this year, you can legitimately look at the top seven or eight teams in the conference and feel like any one of those teams can get high at the right time and make a run and win championship.

[42:19] I think it's six or seven straight SEC teams have won the national championship. I don't know. I don't know exactly what it is. But it's a lot, you know. And, you know, if Auburn wins this regional, it'll be going up against Ole Miss, which ran it, I think, maybe three years ago or so. Right. And then they were a team that was the last one in, and they got hot, you know, and they made that run. And I think there's every one of those teams, you know, that are still in it can make that run and do something special.

They've all got great players. They've all got great coaches, and they're all, you know, really coached well. So, yeah, I think it says a lot about the baseball in this league. It's absolutely fantastic. And it's gotten better since the arrival of NLI and, I'm sorry, yeah, and the transfer portal. So, I think more people are coming to this conference. More players are staying longer in this conference because they can get paid now. So, it's really, really up the competition even more. Brian Matthews, again, AuburnSports.com.

Let's go from baseball to football since the last time we talked. Now, under 100 days to kick off, and it's always recruiting season. Brian, for the folks who have been busy and keeping up like some of us, what's the latest on the recruiting trail for Auburn football? Yeah, and it's been hard for me to keep up, you know, minute by minute because I'm covering, you know, a lot of baseball. But, yeah, Auburn had a big recruiting weekend this weekend. It was really their first round of official visits.

I think it was around 14 that came. And they've got two commitments so far. Nash Johnson is a really talented cornerback from a key turn over there in Atlanta. I think he was originally committed to Bama. He's 6'1". So, he's got that length and that height. He really loved it at cornerback in today's game. So, I think that was a really nice pickup for them. They got Noah Ash, a kicker from Ponte Verde, Beach, Florida. And I don't know a lot about Noah, but most SEC teams, when they sign a kicker on a scholarship, he's a really good kicker.

And Auburn had a really good run of really good kickers. So, I would imagine that he'll be competing for a spot here fairly soon. I would also predict, Brian Matthews, that Chicken will at some point commit to Auburn. Jabaris Gerrard from Vigor. I think James Pace, the edge from Maryland is another possibility. And Joshua Thompson may be another one. I mean, again, Auburn's got as many prospects as all the other schools. And, again, I mentioned this to you before. Nico Compass was in over the weekend, the 6'7", 270-pound offensive tackle from Germany.

Went to the NFL Academy. That's going to be an interesting source for teams down the road. But, yeah, those two are not going to be the last for Alex Gullin. No, no, they're not. And, actually, I guess it was yesterday, over the last 24 hours, Alex Gullin tweeted out his little thing where he gets commitment. He tweeted out seven of those Eagles. So, Auburn's got seven commitments. Two of them are public now, but there's five more to come. And I don't know when exactly those will all be public.

But, yes, it was a very, very good weekend of recruiting. I think Auburn's up to nine commitments now, something like that. Maybe it's ten. I think it's ten, actually. Yeah, yeah. And, you know, I think they're going to 18 to 20, somewhere in that range. So, this was really, really an important weekend for them. So, before you get away, your thoughts, any notes about the big powwow down at Sandestyn? How it might or might not affect Auburn? And now, game times, you can go and get your party planner ready for the first three anyway.

2.30, Baylor and Atlanta. Then, 6.30 or 6.45, either way, it's going to be late compared to the early kickoff against Southern Miss and Florida, also six. Have you got the moonshades ready there, Brian? Well, you know, I don't think anything really happened at SEC meetings, but there are some important things, I think, that were talked about. And one of the things that I think it's way past time, that's finally being talked about, at least, is that they are looking now into possible collective bargaining. They're still, you know, dreaming of and trying to find a way for Congress to save them, which I still do not think is going to happen.

But at least they're talking about this now. And I think there's also a push to do something different because they're looking at January 2nd, which is the opening of the transport portal in 2027. It's kind of like a deadline. They have to get something done because they realize that the cost of doing business is going to rise a lot on that day. And they feel like it. The NCA, I mean, the college presidents in the 80s feel like it's going to be unsustainable if they don't do something before then.

So we'll see. You know, they may or may not be right, but this is the way they're operating now. So I think there is going to be a strong push over the next seven months to get something done. Are you for it or are you getting it as far as the CB, the collective bargaining? Oh, I've been for it for a number of years. I think they've wasted a lot of time. And money. And not just time. Right. They've spent a lot of money on, you know, lobbying.

[47:38] But just think about the massive amount of money that they've given away in bargaining positions. Because if you go back six or seven years, the cap that you can present to players is so much smaller than it is now or that they're going to want here, you know, in six months or whenever. So it's just amazing how, you know, the people who are supposed to be in charge, the people who are supposed to be so smart and understand things could not see this coming, could not understand that the only real answer to this was collective bargaining.

And the quicker it gets done, the better it is for college athletics. And they failed, I think, tremendously in that area. I thought Alex Gulledge had a great comment. I mentioned this twice last week. And all the coaches asked, do you want 16 or 24? And Alex Gulledge, you said, look, guys, I'm here when I'm concentrating on is building an actual foundation for year one. The last thing on my mind is expanding the playoffs. I thought that was a good answer. Yeah, I mean, I think he probably does have some opinions on it, right?

I think that, you know, he is saying that because he understands that nobody at Auburn cares about what he thinks about the playoff right now. And that's nothing against him. I just think, you know, when you lose five straight, five straight losing seasons, you get a new coach in, you just want to hear about this team and them getting ready for the season and them taking a step forward here on the football field. And not getting involved in any off the field stuff. So we'll see how it goes.

But I think that was the right answer. I think that's what Auburn folks needed to hear from him, for sure. Absolutely. Still a lot of stuff going on. Maybe a nap in your future since you probably got to bed at 2 or 3 o'clock. 5 o'clock, again, is the starting time, I believe, barring another weather delay. Recruiting, baseball, a lot of stuff going on, my friend. Where can we get online to get it? Yeah, check us out, AuburnSports.com. You can follow me on Twitter, such as X at BMATAU.

Game is at 5 tonight, ESPNU. And I'll be there, and Caleb will be there to provide full coverage of this winner-take-all game to go to the Super Regional. In the meantime, can you do something we haven't seen in a long time, Brian? Can you keep the sky dry for a while okay down there? I will very much try my best. Very much be open for that, too. Very much appreciate it. Thanks so much. Brian Matthews, Senior Editor, AuburnSports.com. BB, we've got a busy night ahead here on 93-9 to score, did we not?

Yeah, Alabama softball going to be playing Texas Tech. The Braves are off tonight. In fact, they lost yesterday to Cincinnati, but they won the series, which they've done a tremendous job. By the way, Ronald Lacuna has shown up again, hit his franchise-best 39th career leadoff homer last night. Wow. Braves got Toronto tomorrow night, and once again, the Braves have the best record in Major League Baseball. First to hit 40. We'll see how that is affected when the Braves take on the Jays again tomorrow night. In the meantime, the latest on Alabama recruiting with Andrew Bone.

Vince Rawler talking about a disappointing weekend on Rocky Top. And Ben Thomas got everything else to cover when it comes to the state of Alabama from north to south, and all points in between. It's all straight ahead. Stay with us. The final out has been called. The dugout cleared. And now your team is starving. There's only one place to go. Lost Pizza, home of the Monster Pizza. So loaded with cheese, so massive. It's basically its own sport. Whether you're little leaguers, travel ball champs, or rec league legends.

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And Bishop believes that Wall is the best candidate to lead the state. He says he will work on issues such as the education system, taking care of our military veterans, business growth, and addressing the problems within the Alabama Department of Corrections. Wall says he is honored to receive this endorsement from Bishop. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Did you know that 70% of people experience a potentially traumatic event in their lifetime and that six out of every 100 adults face PTSD every day? Help us bring hope to these survivors by signing up for your Alabama distinctive PTSD awareness license plate today.

The great thing is you can sign up no matter when your current plate renews, and the first year is complimentary. All you need is your FIN number on hand. Drive awareness, drive hope, and customize your plate today at atease.org. There are two new U.S. attorneys working here in Alabama after being recently sworn into office. Phil Williams is the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. He's a former state senator, military veteran, attorney, and host of Right Side Radio. Thomas Govan is now heading up the Middle District of Alabama as the U.S. attorney.

Govan has been leading the criminal trials division within the Alabama attorney general's office, and before that, he worked as the assistant U.S. attorney in the very same office that he is now leading. Two of four inmates who escaped the correctional prep center in Perry County over the weekend have now been located by authorities. Johnny Bush Jr. was taken back into custody after he was found in a stolen vehicle in Selma. Jaden Maxwell turned himself into police on Sunday night. The search continues for Kevin Gunn and Marquavius Billingsley.

I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com. And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Fathers are the faces of American grit. For them, the best gifts are the ones they'll put to good use. Denim that survives layers of dirt. A hat that brings shade during long hours in the sun. Leather boots that hold up over hard-earned miles. At Boot Barn, we carry western wear intended for a life of grit. This Father's Day, visit your local Boot Barn and find the gift worthy of their undertaking.

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Potential savings vary. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates. Northbrook, Illinois. YTK, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, the Shoals. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. Valley Broadcasting Corporation. It's good to be a Bama baseball fanatic. Swing and a fly ball lifted high in the air. Deep left field. A go-ahead new run. Homer over the high left field wall at Auburn. Alabama's favorite pastime plays right here on your home for Alabama baseball. The Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Everybody, Bill King, Bill King Show. Listen to me. Nine until noon.

[58:25] 93.9 to score Monday through Friday as we talk college football like nobody else does. Because he listens in Florence. Our show's, Charlie, our show's on down there. Bill King Show. Monday through Friday. Nine until noon. Every league, every big topic is covered. 93.9 The Score. 93.9 The Score weather. Today, a 40% chance of showers, possibly a thunderstorm with a high around 85. Tonight, partly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers overnight and a low near 65. Tomorrow, mostly sunny with a high around 85. Tomorrow night, mostly clear with a low near 60. After your Wednesday, sunny with a high around 85.

Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. 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 three rides around the Tennessee Valley and keep an eye on the sky. We'll try to do that for you. In the meantime, BB, quickly, we know Alabama has stamped their ticket to the Super Regional.

So, who do they play? That is being decided even as we speak. It will be the winner of Florida State and St. John's. Florida State right now trailing 4-2 to an unranked St. John's team. If that holds a serve, BB, Alabama will be taking on St. John's. How many folks predicted that one, huh? Yeah, wouldn't that be interesting? And, Harold, two other teams in the state of Alabama, Troy, throttled Florida yesterday. And then Jack State went all the way to the regional semifinals. So, there are some teams, not only Alabama and Auburn, doing well in baseball regionals, but Troy and Jack State.

Some folks have got all the teams that did well and not so well from one end of the state to the other. It's Ben Thomas. Got it all covered there at AL.com. BT, welcome in. How are you? Doing good. How are you guys doing? Hey, buddy. We're wet, Ben. Is it raining as much down there as it is here? And is it true that you've seen an old man with a long gray beard putting animals in a boat in your backyard, too, over the last few days?

Well, I don't know about that because I was on a boat myself. Yes, you were. You're one of the saved, right? You're one of the good guys. Yeah, we saw a lot of water. So, I just got back, took a little vacation after baseball, softball, and went on a cruise and just got back yesterday. But it did, it came home and cut the grass, and then it rained right after that. Of course. Yeah, it's been raining, but it's nice down here right now. Hopefully, you got your sea legs back.

It's always fun coming back. That boat rocks and rolls. You don't even know it until you get back on land. So, hopefully, you got that and the perfect look in the rearview mirror. Ben, before we look ahead, your thoughts about trying to recap the season it was in high school sports across the board from one state line to the next? Well, I mean, just in general, I guess. I mean, you know, if we look back at what I call the 25-26 athletic year, I mean, obviously, the overwhelming story is the public and private school restructuring.

You know, I think that's what we'll remember most. I mean, obviously, there's some great championship runs along the way in multiple sports. I mean, it'd be hard to recap them all. I mean, since we're just coming off baseball, softball, the Orange Beaches run to six straight state softball titles. They've never been beaten in the state tournament comes to mind. But, yeah, I think the overriding thing is this was the year that we decided to separate public and private schools in the playoffs. Now, whether that lasts indefinitely or just for the next two years or whatever, we don't know.

But, you know, we have talked about it. You and I, all three of us have been in the media in Alabama most of our lives or certainly the last three or four decades. And it's been an ongoing conversation from the time I was in Gadsden to the time I was in Montgomery about this is going to happen. And we were always able to put it off. But this year it did happen. And so as we start the 26th school year, you know, it'll look a lot different in every sport.

Have you seen more changes this year? You've covered this for decades. Have you seen more changes this year than any year you've ever covered high school sports? Probably just because that public-private change is so big and so all-encompassing, you know. I mean, every sport. And every sport will have a different look. And new champions. And, you know, some of these teams, I was looking at it. I think I wrote in the newsletter a couple weeks ago, if you look at just what happened. Actually, this was in my regular column two weeks ago.

[1:03:51] If you just look at the state baseball finals, I think there were five private school teams in the baseball finals. Four of those might be in there again next year maybe, but they'd be playing each other. You know, that alignment is going to look a whole lot different. You know, another big change is, for the first time ever, we'll have the high school football championships down here in Mobile at South Alabama in December. And, of course, that's going to look a lot different as we add, you know, where we've got now four flag football games and two private school championships.

And, you know, we take 7A away. That's another big change. And just have one through 6A. And it'll be a Tuesday through Saturday event rather than, you know, traditionally it's just been Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. So, I do think, I have to think about that topic, Brett, but it would have to be near the top, I would think, as far as the changes we've seen this year. Yeah, I've seen a lot of Ben Thomas there at AL.Con. And it's just a season when the coach's shuffle goes on, school A, picks up a coach from school B, et cetera, across the board.

And it's always going to be a question to ask how that's going to impact both ends of the spectrum. To me, one of the more intriguing scenarios in that case is Mars Hill and Russell. With Daryl Higgins leaving Mars Hill after an incredible run, Russell's got a proud tradition, but they've been up and down on a roller coaster. He inherits a model. I've worked with a lot of guys in his business over the years, and they always said the smart ones were the ones that said, this station is struggling, but they've got a strong foundation.

If I go in and put the brainpower and talent and the hard work in, it's a short trip to get it back on top. You see what I'm saying as far as Russell. Your thoughts just about the impact Daryl Higgins' move has on Mars Hill and on Russell. It'll be interesting to see because, obviously, we know Coach Higgins can coach. Russell is a proud program that's had a lot of success over the years. I think they'll do fine there. I think it's more interesting as to what happens at Mars Hill.

I mean, my guess is they'll be good like they are in every other sport. I mean, I hate to float Brett's boat there, but, you know, they're just every sport you cover, it seems like they're a factor in the state championship. And so, my feeling is that they'll continue to be a factor. I think Russell will be a factor in the Coach Higgins because we know he can coach. I don't know a lot about Chris Hill at Mars Hill, but my feeling is, you know, it's just so hard.

Once you've been winning, you expect to win. Right, yep. And it's hard to take that away. You know, Spanish Ford had that for a long, long time down here, especially in football, whereas until the game was over, they thought they were going to win no matter how far they were down. And I think it's kind of dissipated there the last couple of years. But places like Mars Hill, like Thompson, you know, these players are used to winning, and they think they're supposed to win. And I think there's so, you know, a lot of those athletes at Mars Hill played two or three sports.

So, they're going to be surprised if they don't win. So, I would expect it to continue, maybe not at the rate that Coach Higgins had it, but it'll be fun to follow. You mentioned that you invoked to Thompson. Your expectations, I think I know where they are, but I'll ask you just to make it a formal thing anyway. But to me, I'm extremely impressed. Not only what this kid's done, Trent Seaborn, over the years, winning a state championship at that level as an eighth grader, but to me, equally impressive.

We've touched on this before. We saw another chapter being written over the weekend. To be invited to the Elite 11, you've got to be pretty doggone good. And the school is always envious of having won. They actually had two of the Lodge of Havens going out there and representing Alabama. But the thing that impresses me about Seaborn, he, and we've touched on this, for the folks who might have missed it, a lot of these kids want to run from competition. He's used to it at Thompson. He is one of their most active recruiters.

This kid just exudes confidence, but not cockiness. Is that your take on Trent Seaborn? Yeah, I really like him. You know, obviously, I've known him, you know, talked to him multiple times. I met his parents who are very down-to-earth. I think last time I talked, this may have changed. This was a couple years ago, that his dad, I think, ran his social media account. Really? You know, he wasn't out there posting a bunch of stuff on social media. Right. Very level-headed guy. And we've talked about it before.

I mean, he's going to hold some records that nobody's ever going to pass as far as the games he started at the highest level of classification, which, you know, up until this year was 7A. And now it's going to be back to 6A because of the realignment. But he's started more games, you've got to think, than anybody will ever start at that level. Now, maybe somebody at the 1A or smaller school level has more, could achieve more. But at the 7A level, for him to start as many games as he has, starting in the playoffs of his eighth grade year, and assuming he doesn't get injured this year, going through another schedule that will likely have them again in the finals, or at least going deep in the playoffs, it's an amazing story.

[1:09:07] It's really intriguing to me to think about what he might be at Alabama, you know, because they've got so many other quarterbacks, they've got a couple of other committed, so is he going to be their guy at some point, or is he just going to be a backup guy? With his work ethic, it's hard to believe that he's not going to be in the mix to be the starter at some point there. And he's grown a little taller. You know, I think that some of the concerns at first was that he was just not tall enough.

He's grown a little bit. And obviously, you know, you play for Mark Freeman, you know offensive football, and certainly Trent does. Let me ask you about some of the penalties the Alabama High School Athletic Association has levied in the last couple of months against teams, and you had a really good article about this. And Harold and I, of course, in light of our listeners, heard the same thing. You know, private schools are cheating, and they need to come down on that. Well, again, we see the private-public split.

But there have been several schools, Mary Montgomery, Pell City, that were hit with severe penalties for alleged football recruiting violations. There were three softball teams that missed the regional tournament because of violations. And your point is the Harmon, Heath Harmon, the executive director, and the council, they get hammered that they don't come down enough. And then they get hammered because the violations are too much or the penalties are too much. And as you said, it's a no-win situation, and you can't make everybody happy. One thing is clear, though, BT, the Alabama High School Athletic Association is looking at this issue much closer.

And from what I hear, there may be other schools penalized this summer. Yeah, I've heard the same thing, Brett. We'll see about that. I was glad to see. I checked emails a little bit on the boat to see if there were any HSA alerts. Right. I mean, there wasn't any, but I have heard they might be looking at some other schools. We'll see. Yeah, I mean, if you think the Pell City and Mary G. Montgomery infractions were maybe the hardest we've seen since we've been doing this.

I mean, you suspend a coach for a year. Yeah. You're out of the playoffs. I think there might be a possibility that some of that gets restored, you know, generally speaking, if you file a plan about how this is not going to happen again. And what you're going to do to ensure it to move forward. I think there may be a possibility before the central board that, you know, maybe the playoffs would get restored in either one of those cases. I don't think the suspension of the coaches is going to get overturned.

And I don't think the fact that they've declared some of these players ineligible at that school will get overturned. You never know. I mean, probably we'll see some lawsuits out of it. But they were harsh penalties. And, you know, it is frustrating to me to see on social media just, you know, you've got people complaining all the time, well, the HSA never does anything. And then when they do anything, well, you're punishing the kids. You know, but the rules are the rules. And, you know, it's up to the adults in those specific schools to follow the rules.

Now, I haven't seen, you know, the evidence in either case. So I'm not proclaiming guilt or innocence in either case. But I'm just going by what the HSA released. You know, the adults of those schools have got to make sure they follow the rules or else kids are going to get hurt. And that's what's happened here. Absolutely. By the way, I talk about the polls a lot. And particularly on Thursday, the most valuable player for the softball or baseball, let me see, baseball, garnered 9,300 votes. People think, well, you know, there are a couple of hundred people who vote in these polls.

I would call 9,300 voters significant. And congratulations to you for that happening. A lot of coaching changes, you know, even though it's, quote, the offseason and a lot of schools, of course, are out. Still a lot of things going on, BT. Glad you got away to get a little bit of a break. I know it's a labor of love, but doing high school and baseball is a lot of work. Where can we get online? What else do you got going on this week and where can we get online to get it?

Yeah, so we're still, Raina Kennedy will have another Best in Bama watch. I think he's doing linebackers this week. That'll be on Thursday. We're voting this week on all-state baseball and softball teams. That'll be coming out the following week. And then on June 14th, that's two weeks from yesterday, we'll announce Mr. Baseball and Miss Softball at the annual horse rider convention in Jacksonville. So, I think it's a really good competition. I have no idea who either one of those is going to be heading into the voting this week.

[1:14:13] So, I think that's really up in the air. So, yeah, follow me on the Twitter or the X at BenThomasPreps and, of course, on AL.com. Check out our newsletters if you haven't enlisted on those yet. We think those are really cool, especially the Thursday one. So, we're going to keep at it this summer. We'll see if any more teams get penalized or what the next big story is. Ben, welcome back from your cruise. The biggest adjustment usually is going from filet mignon to peanut butter and jelly at the dinner table, right?

Yeah, I just had a Chick-fil-A salad. There you go. Back to reality. Back to reality. Ben, have a great week, okay? All right. Thank you guys. Thank you, buddy. BG, BenThomas, AL.com. Let's go to TN, Tennessee, and talk with the V-Man. Vince Rara on deck. Stay with us. Is your business insurance tailored exactly to your individual needs? Are you getting the best coverage for your money? That's what the Michael Know Agency is for. They're your local independent insurance agency that specializes in helping you protect your business, including liability and property, commercial, auto equipment, and workers' compensation, all while ensuring you're getting the best possible rate.

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V-Man, welcome into the show today, buddy. How are you doing? I'm good. Thank you. Always the treat of the week to be on with you. Fine. Professionals and gentlemen. Hope you're doing well. He just thought you'd done away with me. I was out walking Daphne, so she said to tell you, okay, where have you been, V-Man? She wants you to walk or not me. Can you make that happen? I will make it happen because she's the boss. There you go. You're a smart man. V-Man, Tennessee baseball fans are just not happy, are they?

No. They weren't happy to begin with before the season ever started, and that's because Josh Seelander is not Tony Vitello. But then again, there's a lot of people in this world that are not Tony Vitello. So, you know, some were all for it, and some, you know, were skeptical because they're like, oh, we need to go, you know, back up the brink truck to bring in the most experienced coach, not a first-time coach. Even though plenty of national championship winning coaches do it at their first shop.

So, but, you know, so, yeah, Josh Seelander is totally different than Tony Vitello. So, those that have formed that opinion didn't see anything to change their mind. And then Tennessee had never failed to win a game in a regional before. And this is the first time since 2018 they didn't play into June. And, you know, just seeing them go, too, and barbecue is, you know, not up to the standard after you win a national championship. The bar will be raised. I get that. But, you know, this is a roster limitation issue more so than a Josh Seelander issue.

I think he will work to get better, not only for him, but in how things operated. He was willing to make changes during the year. But, you know, they just needed to be better in some key situations when they didn't have a margin for victory. There were a margin of error. There were one for 17 with runners in scoring position in the two games of the regional. Including a 14-inning game. Couldn't lay down a bunt. You know, line drive and then double play. Things like that. And they just didn't have the depth of pitching.

They didn't have the power arms. They didn't have power is the name of the game with this team that they did not have. They had home run power, but they didn't have the elite level power or the power arms on the mound. Those things could be erasers for you. And they were for plenty of years in the past. And they just didn't have enough of that. And then, you know, the freshman class that was so good and so heralded last year, not enough of them took a step and a jump this year.

And when you're the youngest team in the SEC by numerous metrics and your freshman class that becomes sophomores doesn't make that big jump after so many of them being really good as freshmen, it holds you back. So, you know, it was a combination of things. But Michael Early struggled at Texas A&M his first year. They were ready to shove him out the door. And then, you know, A&M had a great year this year. We'll see what they do today. But, yeah, it's not unusual for a first-year coach after all the success the program had.

[1:24:41] I was hoping Tennessee softball, since the SEC's dominated baseball and softball regionals, but in the seventh inning, Tennessee got the bases loaded down 5-1 to another SEC team in Texas. But, again, congratulations to the ladies softball to get this far. Yeah, and, you know, as far as I know, it is still bases loaded with two outs at the bottom of the seventh. And Emma Clark, who had the walk-off home run yesterday, is at-back. So, and she's just singled at the middle. So, it's 5-2 now, Texas.

So, the game continues with the bases loaded there. And now the tying run is on, and the winning run is up. And Elsa Morrison, who, Elle Morrison, who is, you know, she had a home run, a three-run homer against Texas to give them a three-run lead. So, you know, Elsa Morrison has been phenomenal as a true freshman for them this year. So, we'll see if they can come through trying to rally and get into that championship series. And the last time Tennessee started 2-0 was when they were in the championship series against Oklahoma back in 2013.

But the team that forces that, if necessary, game has the advantage, you know, going into that, if necessary game, if they're able to force it. So, it'll be both of the aces if it does go to that final game. Very interesting. You're right. Yeah, Tennessee trying to make a comeback now with the bases loaded. V-Man, always great stuff, my friend. Still a lot of things going on as the athletic year winds down. Danny White making a lot of noise as far as he likes collective bargaining.

And 24 teams in the college football playoffs. So, we'll talk about that a little bit more next week. We've got a French Open update coming up. V-Man, where can we get online to get all the great stuff? Yeah, I appreciate it. And those are things he's talked about on our show. It's just everyone else is hearing about it and talking about it around the country. But, yeah, you can follow me on the socials, at Vince Sports, V-I-N-T-E Sports. And then, you know, Chaz Coleman is back on campus.

We'll see if he gets back with the team. That's a big football off-season story. So, appreciate you guys. Always great to be with you. Thanks for having us take the lid off the month of June. The V-Man, Vince Ferraro, 99-1, the Esports Animal. Quick update, Alabama's opponent will be St. John's of Florida State. St. John's leading 5-2. But Florida State has the tie run at the plate as they play in the seventh inning. We'll update that. And the latest on the play at the clay, the latest on the French Open straight ahead.

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Welcome back, and quick update on the Tallahassee Regional. And you say, what the heck are you talking about, Tallahassee? Well, the winner of the game happening even as we speak. We'll pack their bags for Tuscaloosa later on this week in the Super Regionals. And right now, that would be unranked St. John's. They worked their way out of wiggle there. Florida State had the tie-and-run at the plate. Runners at second, third, two outs. St. John's got out of it, so they preserve a 5-2 lead, they bet.

That is St. John's in the bottom of the seventh. So, if that holds true, it'll be Alabama and St. John's. Speaking of Alabama, nobody knows the tie better than Andrew Bone. He's a fine columnist, recruiting coordinator for BamaOnline.com, parts of the On3.com family, and the fine author of The Road to Bama. A.B., welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. Doing great. How are we doing today? Good. Man, been fantastic. Have you been able to survive all this baseball? We know we got recruited, and we're going to get to that.

But what a spring it's been for Alabama baseball and softball, Andrew. Yeah, it's great to still be watching both of them in the month of June. So, you know, things are going pretty well, and you're still playing right now. So, yeah, last night was a fun experience to watch the rest of that game. It kind of came down to the wire, and I'm sure there was a lot of stressful fans out there, especially those that were in the stadium last night, including both of my parents.

So, I know they all had a good time down there last night. So, cool to kind of see, you know, where they're at now and see what happens over the course of the next few days. Absolutely. Just a quick update, too, Harold. Texas 5, Tennessee 2. Tennessee had the bases loaded, got one run in, but could not do anything else, struck out. So, the Texas Longhorns are going to advance to probably play the winner of Alabama and Texas Tech in that series a little bit later this week.

[1:35:28] Andrew, we knew recruiting, this was a huge recruiting weekend. I know you previewed it for months. Alabama did pick up a commitment, Nigel Newkirk, four-star running back from Gainesville, Georgia. Yeah, that Gainesville, Georgia, that's kind of turning into a pipeline for Alabama. Four-star, 5'11", 200, ran for nearly 1,500 yards, 19 touchdowns for the Red Elephants. So, he is now a verbal commitment for Alabama. Yeah, now the Crimson Elephants. That's right. I think that, yeah, this is a kid that we have talked about for such a long time, ever since, you know, really received an offer from the coaching staff last summer after football camp.

Of course, any time you get offered as a junior at a football camp, there's still an evaluation process. You've got to be seen during your junior season, and you've got to evaluate other players. So, you know, the board can completely shift one way or the other throughout several months. And Newkirk really remained right at the top of Alabama's wish list at the running back position throughout the year. This is a kid that had a tremendous junior season for one of the top football programs in Georgia, and made it all the way to the Class 5A state championship game.

And he ended up suffering an ACL injury in the semifinals. And I know that was tough for him probably. You know, when it happened, probably he was concerned that a lot of schools might start to back off. But, you know, as we've seen with ACL injuries, they're a lot different these days than they used to be as far as the recovery time. And he's well ahead of schedule. He's expected to be a full go this upcoming season. And I think a lot of schools, especially the ones who were really zoned in on him, like Alabama and LSU, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, they wanted to kind of monitor his progress throughout the year, especially this spring when they all were back on the road seeing these kids in person.

And I think after seeing him, everybody was comfortable with where he was at. He was training. He was running full speed. Didn't go through contact just as a precaution during spring practice. But I think all those staff saw him and said, hey, you know, this is the same kid that we wanted from the get-go. So Alabama brought him in this first official visit weekend. And we had a feeling that there was a good chance that he would go ahead and commit despite having a commitment date for July the 1st and visits coming up over these next three weekends.

It felt like Alabama was in a good spot there. They were in the lead for months. Two of his teammates, former teammates, Xavier Griffin and Jamarian Matthews, who signed with Alabama in last year's class, had been recruiting them, and he had a good relationship with those guys. So it really wasn't going to be a shock if he jumped on board. So that was a great commitment for Alabama. They've had a really good run with their last three guys. They've jumped on board with Elijah Haven, Ken Simon, and now Nigel Newkirk.

So I know that they were happy to get him on board this weekend, and we'll kind of see how these next, you know, possibly few days, but over the next few weeks for sure, shake out with a lot of these other guys. Andrew Ball, BamaOnline.com, part of the On3.com family. Again, the book's called The Road to Bama. Speaking of Bama, Andrew, what's the latest with Bama on the recruiting trail? I think with Monshu and Sills, the five-star wide receiver, number one receiver in the country from Indianapolis, had a fantastic official visit this past weekend.

We're still kind of waiting to get some additional quotes from him about the trip. But if anybody was watching on social media with all the photos and videos that were posted, I mean, it certainly seemed like it couldn't have gone any better. Alabama treated him, you know, I don't want to say better than anybody else, because they treat all pretty much the same, especially the top guys. But you saw the entire family in Tuscaloosa. Now, it wasn't an entire family of people that flew in from Indianapolis.

You know, these are family members that live in Birmingham. His parents obviously were there, but a lot of his family from Birmingham, grandmother, aunts, nephews, I mean, they were all on campus. We know that with being the number one wide receiver in the country, that's going to attract a lot of major financial offers from some of these big schools that, you know, certainly want him as a part. And, you know, Alabama, they're going to be competitive. They're going to make as strong of an offer as they can.

[1:40:31] But they also want him to choose Alabama if he does, because that's where he feels the most comfortable. That he feels like, you know, that's where, you know, home is. And it was home to him growing up. He was an Alabama fan his whole life, always dreamed of playing there from Birmingham before he moved to Indiana as a young kid. So I think they really knocked things out of the park with him this past weekend. Now, he's already taken an official to Indiana. He's got some other trips coming up, including Miami and also Texas.

So those are certainly some big schools. Ohio State also involved there. So we'll kind of see how these next few trips go. But I think Alabama has certainly made their mark with him this weekend and nicknamed Bama. So we'll see if he ultimately chooses Bama or if he ends up, you know, potentially going somewhere else. But I don't think it could have gone any better with him on his official. Andrew, let me ask you about two defensive linemen that we've talked with you about. They were in this weekend.

Mitchell Turner from Louisville High School in Mississippi, considered by many to be the number three defensive lineman in the country. I know Alabama seems to, according to sources, have the lead on him. And I'm sure this past weekend didn't hurt that at all. Four-star edge Antoine Jackson, close to Memphis. Collier, Tennessee is another one that they're considered to be very highly close to him. Andrew, and again, I know they're not, they're only going to sign a limited number this year, in particularly linemen. But Mitchell Turner, Antoine Jackson, I know we've talked with you about, and I'm guessing they had good visits this weekend.

They did. You caught me at a good time, because right before you guys called me, I was on the phone with Mitchell Turner and his father talking about the weekend in Tuscaloosa. They're actually on their way to LSU right now. And high school recruiting is a little bit different than transfer portal recruiting, because when these kids come in via the transfer portal, everybody's kind of waiting to see if they commit on campus. Because if they end up leaving campus without a commitment, oftentimes they're going somewhere else.

So you try to get that commitment done as quickly as possible. With high school recruiting, especially the guys that are priority targets for these staffs, they're not really pressing them to commit, because sometimes that can backfire, and you have plenty of time with those guys to make decisions. Mitchell Turner is one of those kids that they would have loved to have gotten him on board this weekend, but didn't press him to go ahead and decide. They want him to be ready when he's ready, and he's going to take the visit to LSU, leave Ole Miss, and then Texas.

Mississippi State's also scheduled at the end of the month. But I think they're going to probably around mid-June make a decision as far as when they're going to announce a commitment, which I would expect after their last official visit. Alabama still remains in the driver's seat there. He's had Alabama at the very front, really ever since they were the first school to offer him last December, and we've seen that with a lot of these, or a few of these Mississippi defensive linemen who've signed with Alabama the last couple of years.

They were the first offer for Nolan Wilson, ends up being a top 100 guy. They were the first power four offer for London Simmons, who obviously made an impact as a true freshman in Tuscaloosa. And London actually was Mitchell's official visit host this past weekend. It was actually the first time they had met, but spent a lot of time together and really hit it off well. And Freddie Roach, defensive line coach, has done just a tremendous job with that relationship with Mitchell and his family. And it would be a big reason why he ultimately commits to Alabama, if that were the case.

So I think that he's going to take these visits, kind of see if anybody really kind of stacks up to Alabama and kind of where things are at. But I really like Alabama's position with Mitchell Turner after that trip. And then with Antoine Jackson, another guy that they offered back last fall, I think it was early November when he first got that offer. And one of the first schools also to get involved there. They've been at the top for several months. Now there's some other schools that are really pressing hard to get him, including Ole Miss, Tennessee.

Those schools have been really doing everything that they can to get him on board. And Alabama, once again, did really well on their visit with him. Now I think the biggest question with Antoine is if he's going to continue to follow through with these remaining visits. I think there's potentially a chance he could decide as early as this week, but also would not be surprised if he waits it out and takes these remaining visits and then makes a choice. But he's a big kid. He's 6'5", about 260 pounds right now.

[1:45:51] He's an edge guy. I was talking to Alabama linebacker commitment, Ken Simon. I mean, Antoine was the first guy that he mentioned to me as far as he was like, man, that guy looks like an NFL player already. If he comes to Alabama and gets in the weight program, he could be a first-round draft pick in the next three or four years. He said he looks as good of a prospect as Simon had seen before. And he's seen a lot of guys through the years with his dad playing at Tennessee and being around that program for such a long time.

So, I think things went really well with Antoine. We got an interview with him online. They're online right now. And we'll obviously have a lot of other interviews popping up here within the next few hours from other guys that were on campus. And with those kids in the Memphis or Tupelo area, it's a straight-shoot drive for parents who want to go to a game now. The interstate runs to a place, I believe, called Jasper to Birmingham to Tuscaloosa. So, it's an easier drive than back in the day.

Andrew, talk to us about the power of having a guy, not one, but two guys at the Elite 11. How many schools have one, let alone two, with Elijah Havens and Trent Seaborn? And not only are they competing, they're busy recruiting for Alabama. Your thoughts just about having those guys in the house already and what they represent to their peer group via social media. Well, I know that they were excited to be at the Elite 11. They were probably even more upset that they weren't in Tuscaloosa this past weekend to help recruit some of these top receivers who were on campus.

But I thought that, you know, based on some reports, even though Trent, it was the Elite 11 finals, but 20 players from across the country get invited to the Elite 11 finals. And then they announced the Elite 11, the guys who are the Elite 11 of the country. And then they'll name an overall MVP at the opening in Oregon later on this month. So, Haven made the list. He had a great performance. I think he was top three each day, according to the Elite 11 coaching staff. So, you know, you're not just out there watching these guys throw and compete in different quarterback competitions.

I mean, they're in the film room, you know, with these quarterback coaches that have been at these events for all the years. They're going through, you know, diagnosing plays and all that kind of stuff and getting quizzed, you know, by these coaches. So, that all kind of comes out in the overall rankings from the Elite 11 staff. Now, what you might see from, you know, the different websites that are out there watching, you know, those guys are only watching the actual, you know, camp portion of the event.

So, I thought that Haven, getting a lot of good feedback from him was a good thing for Alabama. Trent Seaborn didn't make the Elite 11, but we saw some reports that were really positive still from his performance. So, I mean, Jet Tamala last year, you know, ended up not making the Elite 11, and he ended up being a five-star recruit and certainly one of the best, you know, quarterbacks in the country. So, yeah, I think it was good to have those two guys out there. I read something the other day, and it said I wasn't sure how it was because I didn't, I just hadn't kept up with it that well.

But Alabama was number two as far as having the most number of signees who had been invited and participated in the Elite 11. And the number one school was Georgia. You wouldn't think that Georgia would be in that league considering, you know, I think Matthew Stafford may have been the only first-round draft pick there. But that was kind of surprising. But Alabama is the only school to ever have two quarterbacks participate in the Elite 11, two quarterback commitments participate in the Elite 11 three times. So, I thought that was pretty cool, and, you know, it's a very rare thing for that to happen is most schools don't have two quarterback commitments.

So, good for Alabama to kind of, you know, showcase that when they are recruiting other offensive players, especially at the wide receiver position. Absolutely. Listen, we appreciate you coming on with us today. I know you've been interviewing a lot of the prospects who came in, parents, as you mentioned a little bit earlier, Mitchell Turner. You also had an article today, Stafford Willis, a three-star offensive lineman from A-Ralb. They've got two offensive linemen from A-Ralb who are considered D-1 prospects. He's visiting along with Jeremiah Beverly, a three-star defensive lineman at Hillcrest.

[1:50:52] His teammate is A-Hall, who Alabama signed last year. Great stuff. I know you've got a lot of interviews, looking at Chris DeBall with some of these guys a little bit later. Talk about where can we get on Bama online and get all the good stuff. And June is here, young man. You need to be reading The Road to Bama while you're at the lake, the ball game, or on the beach. Where can we get a copy? Yeah, that's right. Go get you a copy of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million.

And that's a great book if you want to learn more about history of a lot of these Alabama former players that, you know, from all the way back to 1960 to just in the late, I guess in the late Saban era. So go get you that copy. But go to Bama online. We've got a 50% off annual sale going on right now. I think it's just a 24-hour sale. So go pick that up right now. I've got a lot of great stuff on BOL. Interview with Hayden Stepp, five-star cornerback.

We've got a lot of other stuff coming out later today, including our interview with the signing Gales, top 100 wide receiver, who came in for the official visit this past weekend. But we'll have stuff throughout the rest of the week, throughout June. So come check us out, BamaOnline.com. Sounds great, Andrew. Listen, man, keep up the good work. We know you're busy, and thanks so much for your time today. Appreciate you guys. Thank you, Bone. Andrew Bone, again, On3.com. BB, the latest from the Tallahassee Regional.

St. John's three outs away now, basically, from heading to Tuscaloosa for the Super Regionals. They lead 5-2 as they come to bat in the bottom of the eighth of the home team, even though it's hosted there in Tallahassee. So we'll see how that goes. And later on tonight, we'll see how the World Series story goes for the Alabama women, BB. Yeah, I think, again, Harold, they've got everything they need to get into the championship series. We'll see tonight. And let me mention this before we go.

James Moody, producer extraordinaire, got my attention again. Northeast Alabama Community College. They won the National Junior College National Championship, beating Temple, Texas, 7-3. They finished the season 56-4. Their coach is Joe Guthrie. What's even more amazing about this story, it's their second year of existence in the program, and they win a National Junior College Championship in softball. Congratulations to Northeast Alabama Community College. Echo those sentiments. The big tip of the stats to the folks over in Rainville, Alabama. That's going to take care of us for today.

On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here, Harold Buck. Thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow. I'm doing it too for the Boomer Buck Show, back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 The Score.