Boomo Bugg Show 060326

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the tie, Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9. The story. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brett Beaird, welcome in where the goat from Tuscaloosa huddles big time in D.C.

Good afternoon. Welcome in. How are you? Indeed, Nick Saban testifies for the Protect College Sports Act in Washington. He has some very interesting comments that we'll discuss throughout the show. We're going to be talking a lot about the Super Regionals, and particularly with the SEC teams. And I can't think of a better person, Harold Bugg, than Kentucky Joe. To begin the show and review and preview those SEC teams this weekend. Is it safe to say that Joe Cox rocks when he comes to the SEC? He does.

He's busy there at Saturday down south. His book is called A Fine Team Man. Joe, Kentucky Joe, welcome in. How are you? Well, guys, I missed my normal Tuesday spot because I was out water parking and roller coaster riding. And the good news is twofold. One, I'm still here. And two, from the muscle aches I have, I'm pleased to report I apparently still have a few muscles to hurt. So we'll take the positives where we find them. Well, what's the old saying, Joe? As you get older, you find out that now you've got hair where you used to be bald and bald where you used to have hair.

Is that a safe statement, Joe? My friend, I'm long on that train. Joe, let's start with the, we talked about the GOAT, Nick Saban in Washington, D.C. today. Bottom line, we won't bore you with all the details and all that stuff. He's basically saying it's like right now, college football is like having a Ferrari that goes 150 miles an hour. It's headed for a cliff and there are no breaks. In other words, he's going to put some guardrails into the sport, the Big Ten. And by the way, the SEC disagree.

They want what they've got right now. So how ironic is it that Nick Saban and the SEC, who's made each other a lot of money over the years now, it looks like they're on, like, just speaking of Kentucky, the Hatfields and McCoys on this issue. Yeah, absolutely. It's funny what a difference being on the outside as opposed to the inside will do. And to me, you know, that's going to be the dilemma here. I've talked to friends throughout this process and said, you know, usually when you have a situation in sports where there's some kind of big-picture bargaining issue, it's because one side isn't making enough money to be happy.

And they drag the other side to the table. The problem is everybody who's in the race likes the Ferrari going 200 miles an hour. The coaches are making money. The players are making money. The schools are making money. So I really am curious to see how this is all going to work out just because, you know, everybody has a momentum and they need to keep hitting the gas. And everybody on the outside is going, slow down, slow down, slow down. And something's got to give, you know.

Joe, that's a great point because a lot of the schools that are arguing the most about this, the 20.5 revenue share, they want it to be about 40.5 revenue share is really what they're mad at. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we're in a situation here. I'm going to go ahead and throw the wacky idea out here. If push comes to shove hard enough, you could see a situation where you could see, I think, a breakaway from the NCAA. If the NCAA just bites its lip and says, we've got to have these guardrails, the Big Ten and the SEC, hey, there's a lot on the line to say, you know what, we're just fine the way it is.

And if you don't like it enough, then two-team Super League, we'll let you govern everybody else. So, again, there's a lot in play. I hope it goes in the best way for everybody involved, but experience teaches me it probably won't. And the bottom line is, if the SEC and the Big Ten could get in the huddle and put the third leg in that tripod called ESPN and TV in general, if they would sign up on that, I think they'd gladly say goodbye to the NCAA. Right now, you hit the nail on the head.

It's all about M-O-N-E-Y. Joe, let's talk about something else. Speaking of the SEC, representing well in the regionals and now in the super regionals, but a wild and crazy path to get here, Joe. Your thoughts about the SEC baseball teams in the postseason so far. Well, let's take one second and say something big picture that I think needs to be said. The last couple of NCAA basketball tournaments have been fairly dull in terms of big-time drama, Cinderella schools of upsets. I think baseball might have captured all of that.

[5:20] This past weekend, I genuinely had to talk, guys, and being in Kentucky, you know we're all about hoops up here. I've grown up around it. I'm not sure that the opening weekend of the NCAA baseball tournament is not now the best TV viewing experience of any of the major sports, you know, playoff opening or NCAA tournament opening that there is. And that was the big picture takeaway. What a fascinating time. But, yeah, the SEC, a lot of the big dogs managed to hang in there and stick around and have pretty good paths moving forward, I would say.

Joe, just to reiterate your point, I agree with you. There's a March Madness part of me that comes out when you've got Cal Poly, Little Rock, Troy, and West Virginia, and Kentucky blew a three-run lead late, or they should have been in there. Now, I'm delighted there are seven SEC teams, and we'll talk about them in a second. But, Joe, I'm like you. I'm delighted to see Troy, who just whilped Florida, 16-11 and 10-2, West Virginia, Little Rock, and Cal Poly. There's some excitement there. There really is.

It's a lot of fun. You know, we got a little taste of that when Murray State made the trip to Omaha here recently. Yeah, I think all of this could work out to be a big-picture improvement for college baseball. I think all the television has been helpful anyway for the sports growth. But, you know, with the way this is going, we may have some unforgettable team that goes to Omaha and just spikes attention on baseball, and here they come. Joe Cox is coming at you from Saturday down south.

Joe Field indulges us here. Everybody had it scripted. All the smart people had Alabama and Florida State squaring off in the super regionals. What happened on the road to Tuscaloosa for Florida State and Alabama? And, oh, by the way, what fun St. John's is bringing to town. That's it. St. John's in here, you know, they get swept under the rug a little bit, but let's not forget them as a number four seed to come out of the area. And the funny thing is they did it in two completely different ways.

They edged out Florida State by a run each time they played them. And in between, they put up a 21-8-something on northern Illinois. You know, if this works out really nicely for Alabama, I think St. John's is a great story. And, obviously, they need to be prepared to show up and play a good super regional series. But if you had given them their druthers, they'd be much happier, first, hosting it, of course, and then, second, not having to take on Florida State. Let's talk about Auburn.

You're talking about the long and winding road, going back to some old music there. Auburn took it. And it's a classic case, Joe. I think a lot of folks said Auburn might have overlooked Milwaukee, not the Brewers, the Panthers. But once the coffee started perking and they woke up, it was a whole different ballgame. Your thoughts about Auburn and what lessons they've learned being able to survive into the super regionals. Oh, absolutely. You know, the good thing about it in a double elimination tournament, you're going to have some adversity sooner or later.

So, Auburn just went out there and got it out of the way in the first handful of things that they played. You know, really got themselves behind the eight ball, but then came back and played well. I think the surprise there was that the pitching out of the gate just really struggled in that opening game. But then the longer they played, the more they looked like the Auburn we knew. I mean, those last three games, you give up a total of seven runs over three games.

I think that was a little more what we all expected to see from them coming in. And, you know, they have shown now that they can get knocked down and they can hop back up and keep going. Joe, could you make a case for the most surprising of the seven SEC teams to me is Oklahoma. They beat Georgia Tech eight to seven. Tech was number two. Nobody wanted to play Georgia Tech. And I know we can, yeah, everybody thought Florida would be there. Florida State would be there.

Florida would be there. But, Joe, to me, Oklahoma may be the biggest surprise of the conference. Oh, absolutely. You started that question and I'm kind of mentally thinking along. And you said Oklahoma and I thought exactly that's it. Because Georgia Tech was the number two national seed. They won their first two games. They played in their region 31-8 and one of those was over Oklahoma. And then, you know, here come the Sooners. And, you know, Tech got their moment of adversity and they didn't react appropriately.

And Oklahoma just outlasted them. I think it bodes well for Oklahoma to put up all those runs. They get that Kansas team now and they can certainly hit. That Oklahoma-Kansas, you know, again, you're reluctant because you say there are two great hitting teams and watch it be 2-1. But that's one of those. I'll say that. They seem like two teams that are going to score a lot of runs. So, yeah, we'll probably have a 1-0 and a 2-1 game. Joe, the good news is Alabama, or I should say Alabama, the SEC is guaranteed two teams going to the World Series.

[10:40] The bad news is the SEC is guaranteed two teams will not. And that's because there's two games involving an all-SEC showdown. Your thoughts about Auburn and Ole Miss and the Battle of the Bulldogs, Georgia, and Mississippi State. You know, I like where Auburn is just, again, having survived kind of some initial struggles there. But I have to tip my hat to Ole Miss to have won three close games and have played their way in here. They're obviously playing well in close games. So, I think my key for Auburn would be to do the opposite of what they did in the region, to get off to a hot start.

If you can get ahead of Ole Miss and kind of say, okay, this is not going to be the same script as last week, I think that would probably be a really big development for Auburn. And that's, you know, game one, I think, will be key. And maybe the first five innings of game one would be key. The other one, boy, what a tough matchup here. And the funny thing, you talk about two teams that we thought we knew what we had, and then we got something else.

Georgia is all about the hitting, all the hitting, the hitting. In three games, they give up five runs. So, here's their pitching staff carrying them. And then Mississippi State, if you'd said, well, you know, somebody's going to be pitching and somebody's going to be hitting, we would assume State would have been the pitching staff. Well, they score 39 runs in their three wins. So, you know, here we are. Georgia's pitching, Mississippi State's offense, backward of what we've seen. But until somebody shows me they can hang with, I was going to say with the Bulldogs, but, boy, that's the cop-out answer.

With the Georgia Bulldogs, I'm going to have to think they're going to do pretty well. Georgia, the state of Alabama's got more teams in the Super Regionals than any state. I know Mississippi's got two. California's got two. Am I crazy to say this, that three teams from the state of Alabama may be playing in the College World Series when you include Troy and Little Rock in that conversation? Oh, absolutely. You would think Troy's a pretty solid favorite. It's a three-seed and a four-seed, so there's an element of how much do we really know here.

But, yeah, Troy, I think would – I'd put Troy's chances probably in between Alabama's and Auburn's at this point. I'd say if somebody's got the hardest path of the three, it's going to be Auburn, and I'd put Troy in the middle with Alabama having the easiest run. Joe, of the seven, how many advance to the World Series? I think five is entirely plausible. I mean, as Harold noted, we can't see more than five because, you know, you've got two league-on-league matchups. But I think five is what we'll see.

That would be my pick. Oklahoma's probably got the toughest path with Kansas. Yeah. But if they can score enough runs to outlast Kansas, I think you get five. I know you and I mentioned Dave Van Horn, and I thought maybe something – I thought they might be able to get out of the Kansas Regional, but they could not. But another year, Arkansas fans were saying, yeah, maybe next year he can finally do that. Joe, great stuff. We appreciate you coming on with us. Glad the family had a lot of fun at the water park yesterday.

Joe, where can we get online to get your stuff and the teams? Well, Saturday down south, I'm working on one today. I'm going to lay out my predictions for the Super Regionals for all the SEC teams. So come see how wrong I end up getting it all. Joe, thank you. Now, two words, heating pad, okay? Hear that. Joe Cox is going to win this video there at Saturday down south. His book's called A Fine Team Man. Well, Alabama softball heads home. Andrea Adelson leaves hers to go to the World Series on the road with AA next.

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The Braves and Blue Jays are back at it tonight at Truist Park. Grant Holmes will start for Atlanta. He's 3-2. College baseball Super Regionals getting underway this weekend. The Detroit Trojans will host Little Rock with game number one set for Friday evening. Auburn will play at home this weekend. They'll host Ole Miss. Game number one is Friday night. And Alabama's at home against St. John's. Game one of that series is Saturday night. Winners of the Super Regionals head to the College World Series. Bundle auto and home renters or condo and save with Progressive.

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We did, too. I'm a little surprised, guys. Oh, my goodness. Andrea, obviously, I think a lot of folks were shocked. Isn't it amazing? And you looked at that game and that young lady, Vandergriff, I think, you had to feel for her because you know on another day she'd have made that play, perhaps. At this age, you don't sit here and take one play and beat up on somebody. But be that as it may, where are you with just – we talked about this. You look at Texas Tech and you look at Texas.

[21:17] They're playing within the rules. We get it. But, Andrea, I looked at some of the numbers behind this team, and you got one player making a million herself. I think the overall NIL budget is, like, coming up on $4 million. Who can hang with that? The team they're going to be facing in the championship series. Texas, they've got basically the same NIL package. And you look at Alabama, and I couldn't find any numbers for NIL. Now, the kids can go out and sell their name, image, and likeness, basically, if you will, a commission-only job.

But your thoughts just about that game and where we are in the world of sports and what that matchup right there itself can be the poster child for. Well, fellas, I believe Coach Saban is testifying before Congress about what is happening in college sports. And we can sit here and say that this matchup is a small microcosm of it, right? I mean, there's all this, like, Olympic sports are going to go away. But if you have schools like Texas Tech and Texas who have given money to their Olympic sports to allow them to have a chance to win championships, all is well.

But not every school can do that, obviously, right? And so you've got a situation where you've got schools that have all this money floating around and most of the others that do not for their Olympic sports. And that's why we're in this situation right now. You feel for Alabama. I thought they were the most complete team coming into Oklahoma City. That was my pick to win it all. And, obviously, they were number one, so I wasn't going out on a limb there. But, again, you know, when you pay your star player in Texas Tech a million dollars last year and this year, and then you fail last year to win a championship having made that splashy move because you didn't have enough around her.

Well, what did they do? They went into the portal and they spent money on hitters and another pitcher to help Kennedy out. And that's exactly why they're in this situation right now. They're hitting a lot better. And even though Kennedy has been up and down, we saw her best in that game, too, against Alabama, right? And it came down to that pitching duel. Well, guess who won? The young lady that's making the most money in the sport right now. So, it just speaks to where we are.

And you're right. They are playing within the rules as they're set out. There may be some funny math involved in all of it, but softball in this matchup isn't the only one, right? Miami spent a lot of money on their roster. They made it to a football national championship. Indiana spent a lot of money on their roster. They won the national championship. We can sit here and go down the list. It doesn't always work out. Texas Tech did the same thing with their football program. They lost in the quarterfinals.

But the fact remains that you're going to sit here and shell out some money. You want some sort of return on that investment. More often than not, the teams that are shelling out that money are playing for championships. Absolutely. Double A, as you mentioned, Nick Saban testified this morning, along with the Notre Dame athletic director and others, about the Protect College Sports Act. Isn't it ironic? The Big Ten and SEC release a combined statement saying they're not, that they're against the Protect Sports Act yesterday. But Double A, when you look at this, and we've all looked at options, this is not a perfect bill.

Everybody seems to take shots at it. But when you look at one-time transfer, five-year eligibility, five years to play five, 5% max agent fee. They don't want a super league. I still think that may happen sooner or later. The Lane Kiffin rule, which is rather humorous. And, again, we know a lot of people don't like some of it. People like all of it. But I wish we could just simply sit down in a rational way and look at all this and say, let's look at one through 20.

Take out a few. Let's put this together and try to get something done. Without congressional intervention, right? And you would hope that the folks within the NCAA, i.e. the schools, right, which are in charge of what the NCAA does, could come together for the greater good. They have not. That's why they're in front of Congress right now, basically saying, someone help us, right? And so I think where we're at right now, it just continues to show it's every school-slash-conference for themselves. That's why the SEC and the Big Ten are against this, because they've got all the money and the power right now.

They don't want to see some of that watered down or stripped away based on whatever may come out of this because they disagree with some of the things. And I think the pooling of television rights is obviously probably number one on that list in terms of not wanting something like that to happen because of where they are, the advantages they've built with the television contracts that both of those conferences have. I don't necessarily know that this thing is going to get passed in the manner in which it is because there are too many people who disagree with parts of it, as you just mentioned.

[26:18] But the fact that they're sitting here in front of Congress, once again, is just ludicrous because they should have been able to fix, slash, anticipate all of this. They did not have the ability to do so, not just the ability, they didn't have the want to, to do it. And, you know, it comes back to when we heard this from coaches last week in Destin, right? And I think Mike Elko said it perfectly, right? We want rule until those rules apply to us and then, wait a minute, hold on, who said we wanted these rules?

I'm not in favor of these rules, right? So, you know, it's hard to see an equitable way out of the situation that we're in. I agree there has to be something to be done with eligibility. But in terms of trying to restrict compensation and pool television rights, I feel like both of those are probably going to be non-starters. And if they are somehow passed, they're going to be challenged in court once again. Absolutely. Listen, I always enjoy catching up with you. Have fun with the World Series.

Double A, where can we get online and get your story about the World Series and some of your other great stuff? Appreciate that, fellas. ESPN.com, our softball coverage will be up on the front page tonight. I'm going to try and spend some time with Jason Williams, whose daughter, Mia Williams, plays at Texas Tech. Wish me luck with that, fellas. And then we'll have our complete championship coverage later this week. Depending on who wins this thing. I haven't made a pick yet. I don't know who's going to win it on the fence.

But it should be a great series, fellas. Safe travels to and from. Enjoy your time at the shootout at the OK Corral. K-double A. All right, fellas. Thanks again for having me. Thank you, dear. Andrea Adelson with us from ESPN. What do you say we go all the way to Gay Paris and check out the latest from the French Open? Stay with us. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. There's now going to be a first-time major winner on the women's side at Roland Garros.

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How about you guys? Good, man. We're busy, but I know you are, too. You got some baseballs wrapping up on softball. But, Rodney, it's always, as I said, in the world of jello, room for one more when it comes to football. Your thoughts about the latest pickup on the recruiting trail this week, of all places, Gainesville, Georgia. Yeah, well, let's start there. Gainesville, Georgia, of course, the home of Blake Sims, but also a couple of guys that Alabama signed in last year's class. Xavier Griffin, the five-star linebacker, and also Jamarian Matthews, a four-star rated player, is outstanding prospect in his own right.

So Alabama has a little bit of a connection there at Gainesville, and Nigel Newkirk, the running back, is obviously one of Alabama's top running back targets. The first running back to commit in this class, and I think they take two, because I know that, you know, based on some conversations with people, Alabama seems to have a private commitment from another running back right now. I'll let him announce that decision, but I would probably keep an eye on Ty Phillips from Irmo, South Carolina, as that running back.

But, you know, I thought it was a really good weekend overall, Harold and Brett. Ron, let me ask you about the defensive line. We talk about this all the time, that this is going to be a smaller class, 12 to 15, maybe one or two on the offensive line, and two or three defensively, but I think we may know two of the defensive linemen already, or technically, because Antoine Jackson is more of an abandoned or an edge, but Mitchell Turner, we've talked about, from Louisville, Mississippi, from all indications, had a very good visit.

Antoine Jackson from the Memphis area, basically, Collierville, Tennessee. Rodney, did Alabama have a good weekend hosting both? I think they did. I think Mitchell Turner is obviously a top-notch prospect, 6'2", 280 or so, out of, like you said, Louisville, Mississippi. And he's at LSU right now. He goes to Texas coming up. Obviously, Ole Miss, Mississippi State are very prominently in that as well. So, we'll see what happens with him. I would be a little surprised right now if he ended up somewhere else. Well, I shouldn't say surprised.

Nothing would really surprise me at this point. But let's just say this. Alabama's been kind of the leader because they identified him really early in the process. So, but we'll see. Certainly, these other teams are after him really hard. And then also, you mentioned Antoine Jackson out of Collierville, Tennessee. And 6'5", 240, I think he grows into a bandit defensive end eventually. You know, Ole Miss is in there. Mississippi State's in there as well. A couple others. I think Missouri may be in there as well. But, you know, I think right now Alabama's in a good position with him.

[36:44] We'll see. But, yes, I think it went very well with both of those guys. And I do think, like you said, that probably right now the aim is three defensive linemen. Rodney, you're looking at what this is, TiterInsider.com. Rodney, interesting story about the nation's, I guess, what many consider to be the number one wide receiver. Manchon Bama Sales had a vision over the weekend. And it's one thing, fans sit here and say, why does this kid choose this school and not that school? Well, maybe there's more to it.

Maybe the family could influence it. Did anybody have more family? Ironically, this kid now lives in Indiana. But, correct me if I'm wrong, from everything we're able to gather, Rodney, he had mama, daddy, and more importantly, maybe even grandmama on the visit because they're right up the road in the Birmingham area. Your thoughts about the visit of sales and what's the latest and maybe what kind of timetable are we looking at here before he makes his final. And I know Indiana's big in it because they got money and marked Cuban, but what's the latest here and there?

Yeah, well, you know, what I would say, Harold, is, you know, speaking to some people really, like, really close that were actually there on the visit, quite honestly. You know, their feeling was, and I want to be careful here because I don't want to mislead the listeners thinking that he's privately committed or anything. But I will tell you that people that were there, you know, told me that they think he ends up at Alabama. Now, does that happen remains to be seen. I mean, we've seen highly recruited players.

He's got a visit coming up, supposed to have a visit coming up to Texas. I think it's this weekend. You know, like you said, he's been to Indiana. There's a lot of pressure to go there, but Alabama, it was a team early on for him, and I think the home influence certainly plays that role, and I think he had a great visit. All of those things combined certainly work in Alabama's favor, and again, we'll see where he ends up, but I actually, in my Sunday report, said that, you know, according to a source that was there, that's very close to the situation, he thinks he ends up at Alabama.

So, we'll see. I'm not predicting it, just saying, sharing that information. Ronnie, one thing we do know is the University of Alabama does an incredible job of recruiting defensive backs. Moe Lindquist is Yoda when he comes to that. Alabama, too, again, Hayden Stamp of Las Vegas, we've talked about him, a four-star. I know Oregon, Cal, Georgia are in the fight, too. Darius White, another one of these 6'3 freaks they find everywhere, 6'3 to 6'5". I never thought we'd see 6'5", 6'3 corners, but Darius White from Fairburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina State.

Et cetera. But once again, the train continues to roll as far as recruiting defensive backs. Yeah, you know, I kind of say this, Harold and Brad, does anybody recruit the secondary better than Alabama? No. I'm not sure they do. I mean, if they recruited across the board, and they almost do, they practically do, but if they could recruit all the interior line positions, like they could recruit everything else, you know, they'd be the number one recruiting class basically every year. But, you know, it's, yeah, Hayden Stamp out of Las Vegas is a, you know, obviously a tremendous prospect.

I think he had a great visit. Now, you mentioned the schools. I mean, I think it's certainly a lot of competition there. It'd be a huge pickup. He's another tall, you know, 6'3 plus corner. So, we'll see. Now, he is a friend of, of course, highly acquainted with Derrick Meadows, the freshman receiver, and to be a sophomore this year at Alabama. And then also, you mentioned, maybe, I think you mentioned Darius White over in Fairburn, Georgia. Yeah, he's another 6'3 guy, a corner. So, you know, they like that link.

Oh, yeah. And so, but he's a fantastic player. You know, when he makes a decision, I'm not sure. I know Georgia Tech's been in there, NC State, a few others, Cincinnati, I think, with him. But he's probably a little underrated right now, but he's a fantastic prospect as well. Yeah, well, that is some of those guys. They might want to go over there and play basketball for Nate Oates. That's the question, Rodney. Speaking of basketball, what is your take on the news this week from Aiden Holloway's camp?

Yeah, no, I think that's great for him. I mean, I think it's the, I guess, the courses that he would have to take, the programs that he would have to complete, the hours, the community service, and all of those things certainly, you know, give him an opportunity to get that off of his, not only off of his record, but, you know, move on. Harold and Brett, and again, this is not something that, these programs that are offered are not something that are limited to athletes at the University of Alabama.

[41:57] I mean, this is across the board. We see this happen, you know, to non-athletes all the time. First-time offenders is the bottom line. Exactly, and it's, so, I, hopefully, yeah, he completes it, and I think, you know, given the things, the comments I read from him, I think he's really committed to doing that, and hopefully he does, because he's not only a fantastic basketball player at Alabama, you know, he's a young man, so hopefully he gets that done, and I think, if you look at it in terms of basketball, I mean, obviously, it's huge.

I mean, you get one of your premier three-point shooter back, and a guy that's your point guard, he directs your team, so I think that would be really valuable if that were to be the case. Ronnie, when you look at athletics in Alabama this year for the athletic year, it has really been quite a year. Greg Byrne, the athletic director, needs a tip of the cap. Now, again, we hear all the wailing and gnashing of teeth and all of the other stuff you do every second on the board, but when you look at football, there was some improvement there.

11-4, 7-1, won a playoff game. Men's basketball, 23-9. They get to the Sweet 16 again, lead the nation in scoring with 92 points a game. Women's basketball, 23-10. They had a 14-game winning streak to begin the season. The softball team literally comes within one game of playing in the National Championship Series. The baseball team is still going on in the Super Regionals, hosting one for the first time in 20 years. Even women's soccer went 9-4-2 and had a good year. And, again, I know that we didn't cover track and field and golf, but, Ronnie, when you look at the overall picture for 2025-26, Alabama had a pretty good year.

They did, obviously, all around. And, you know, in most cases, I think it would be something that right now everybody would be lauding Greg Byrne and probably should be right now. But that's not necessarily the case. I mean, and part of that, guys, is the unrealistic times, unrealistic expectations in football. And, you know, I think the 38-3 blowout or whatever in the Rose Bowl, you know, the blowout in the SEC Championship game, losing to a really bad, even though we didn't know it at the time, FSU team in the opener.

Those performances team with some of the ones the year before, you know, have a lot of fans uneasy. And, you know, football sets the tone. And I think that's the one reason why right now that, you know, probably Greg Byrne's not getting the credit he deserves with the overall program. But you're right. I mean, I think it's been incredible what they've accomplished in all of these sports. Rodney, to your point, coming up this weekend, the checks continue to come in. Here it is June, and Alabama baseball is still playing, which means folks in Tuscaloosa, businesses, et cetera, have a chance to make even more money in a so-called offseason.

I saw, if I'm wrong, even the mayor, Walter Maddox, got out and made an appeal to the fans. These guys have earned the ticket. Come out and support this team this weekend in the Super Regionals against that mighty powerhouse St. John's, Rodney. Guys, I hate to tell you this, but probably until about two weeks ago, I didn't even know St. John's had a baseball program. Yeah. Breaking news. You get it all right. I'm not being disrespectful to St. John's. I know their basketball. I respect their basketball greatly, obviously.

But, yeah, I mean, surprised that, you know, they have been as successful as they are and that they've won this regional and they're now headed here. But, listen, I'm going to tell you point blank. With all that said, I take zero for granted. I don't think anyone should. Thank you, Rodney. I mean, you know, these things can slip up on you really quick. And this Alabama baseball team is a good roster. It's not a great roster by any means. But, now, listen, they're really good. And I say that only to say that I'm really impressed with the job Rob Vaughn has done.

Yeah, yeah. And the accomplishments that they've had. They've overcome a lot of adversity. They've had some ups and downs this year. But to go 18-12 in the SEC. Yep, yeah. And, again, I'm not knocking the players that they have, but he does not have the roster that some of these other schools have. Right. And so, he has done a phenomenal job. The players have done a phenomenal job because they've bounced back from adversity. But, also, you know, they've hung in there. They've been gritty. They've made mistakes.

They had six errors the other night. One of the games that was against USC Upstate, I think it was, still won the game 7-5. And then they hit the home run to seal this game, this last game that sent them to the Super Regional. I mean, they're timely. I mean, you know what I'm saying? They're clutch. So, you know, hopefully they'll take care of business against St. John's and get to the College World Series because I know that's something that's a real goal. But let me say this, too.

[47:22] If you mention goals like that to Rob Vaughn, the first thing he says is we're not thinking about those goals. And I think that's really what's helped them get this far. Their focus is let's play our best baseball and not worry about let everything else take care of itself. And I think that's one of the real keys to their success. Well, what he's doing right there is basically what we all can do in life, do the next right thing. And like Nick said, don't look at the school board.

You take care of the step-by-step process, the school board will take care of itself. That's a great point, Harold. And I do think it's true in every aspect of life. And certainly we've seen it there on display, I think, with this baseball team. Rodney, I had a friend of mine ask me to ask you about the summer schedule. And I know you don't have that in front of you, you may not know it, but obviously school has been out. But summer school will begin soon. And also the, quote, official off-season conditioning program for the team.

Does that begin officially with the strength and conditioning staff next week? Rodney, do you know what the calendar for that is? I don't have a calendar. And, you know, they're really guarded about that kind of thing. But obviously, yes, they've already started. I'm pretty sure. I know that they're out there already. They're out there doing those player-led only practices already. So that's already going. I'm sure they're already doing the weight stuff and the speed conditioning and all of that. Whatever they all do that encompasses everything, they've started that.

And, again, I do know that they've been having those afternoon player-led only practices. So that's where they are on that. And, again, to be clear, I mean, those things are shut down. It's not like the media is allowed access. Alone with practice, too. Let me show you guys a quick story. Go ahead. With that said, to show you the difference, you guys probably remember when Arch Manning was recruited. He came down to really three visits, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. And one of the Texas writers did a thing that, you know, when he went to Texas, there was a parade almost.

You know, there was media people everywhere waiting, and they had video of it, of all the media people interviewing Arch on his visit and all this stuff. And, you know, he says, just look at the difference. Look at the energy. Look at the enthusiasm around the Texas media, the Texas program, that they're here. And you compare that, contrast that to Alabama where nobody showed up. And I had to inform the guy, hey, listen, if you allowed the media to show up here, it would be a zoo.

And they don't allow that here at Alabama. So it's not that Alabama, the media, is, like, neglecting some of this stuff. It's just that here at Alabama, it's just a little bit different in terms of the media availability. And so is the trophy case for Alabama and Texas. Yeah, that's right. Championships in football. Rod, before we pull the curtain here, we've got to give a shout-out to this Alabama softball team. They have to be humming Elvis' old song, Heartbreak Hotel. Yeah, really disappointing. But I say that just from the standpoint of not advancing to the College World Series championship because, you know, really was looking forward to that.

And I feel sorry for Van de Grift because, I mean, you know, it just happens. It happens. And I know she's caught a lot of grief. I mean, you know, just a great player and, you know, teammate and all of those things. So I hate the fallout from that, from that play. But, yeah, I mean, listen, they were preseason number nine in the SEC. And what they achieved, I think, you know, Patrick Murphy, a lot of people have been kind of on his case a little bit the last few years that he didn't have the same fire and passion that he used to have.

But I think you saw with this team, it was – I think you saw something special. And I think he did an outstanding job with that team. Yeah, Ronnie, it was a great season. It was a disappointing day. But it was a great season that they overachieved. Speaking of fire and passion, that 24-7 message board, they're so shy in telling everybody their thoughts about Alabama sports. As you well know, tell us about TITV, the 24-7 message board, that we can get all that great stuff at a nominal price.

And these five stars, on and off the field and on the beach, Rodney, where can we get online and order the book? Well, you know, those people on Titer and Sider, they just don't like to step on anybody's toes. No. Kind of delicate there. Oh, yeah. But, yeah, it's TiterInsider.com. It's only $48 a year, and you can get instant access with your credit card. If you prefer, there is an address there to send a check. It gives you all the premium stuff. But also, as we mentioned, our all-sports forum there on TiterInsider.com.

[52:28] It's nonstop. And then you mentioned the book, Bigger Than Bama, and it's available, RodneyOr.com. Or you can go to Amazon. Either one, RodneyOr.com or Amazon. You can check out all the details there. I appreciate you mentioning it. Sounds great, Rodney. Listen, man, have a great. Should be a fun weekend in your backyard with the Super Regionals rocking and rolling against St. John's. Have some fun, and let's do it again soon, okay? Okay, guys. Appreciate it. Take care. RodneyOr.com with us, TiterInsider.com. Coming up for the next hour, we're going to be checking in with Double D.

Drew Jarman is going to be on board. And what about the Auburn Tigers squaring off against an old nemesis from Oxford, Mississippi, and the Super Regional, Jason Caldwell. On that and more, straight ahead, here on the Boomo Bugg Show. I keep seeing celebrities' posts, me in the 90s versus now. While the person staring at me in the mirror is definitely not the same person that could pull off bootcut jeans. Time creeps up on us so slowly. You don't see it until suddenly you do. Same thing goes for your bills.

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Lower bills based on Harris-X billing snapshots from Q321 to Q425 compared to average AT&T and Verizon bills. Comparison excludes discounts, credits, and optional charges. Price guarantee on talk, text, and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply. See T-Mobile.com. I keep seeing celebrities' posts, me in the 90s versus now. While the person staring at me in the mirror is definitely not the same person that could pull off bootcut jeans, time creeps up on us so slowly. You don't see it until suddenly you do. Same thing goes for your bills.

A dollar here, an uptick there. It's a slow burn until one day you realize the price you're paying now is way higher than when you signed up. But at T-Mobile, customers had the lowest wireless bills versus Verizon and AT&T over the past five years. And with T-Mobile on their experience plans, you get a five-year price guarantee, so you know exactly what your plan price will be for the next five years. So at least that's one thing that won't change over time. I can't guarantee you'll still look good with frosted tips, but T-Mobile can give you a clear guarantee on your wireless plan.

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Online health questions required. Evan Cohen here. In life, as in sports, the pros make it look easy. That's why pro golfers like Jason Day, Ben Griffin, and Patton Kazire trust the pros in lawn care. True Green. They have the experience and expertise to give you a lawn worthy of the PGA Tour. And since True Green does the work for you, you get more free time, or more tea times. So stop stressing over your lawn and start loving it. Sign up now at TrueGreen.com because nobody makes it easier to get a golf course quality lawn than True Green, the official lawn care treatment provider of the PGA Tour.

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Alabama can continue forward with using the congressional district map that was created by state lawmakers in 2023 rather than the court-ordered map that came about from a lawsuit in 2024. That lawsuit was filed by Democrat plaintiffs who sought to create a second congressional district that would have favored Democrat voters and would have been based entirely on the race of the constituents. The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled on a similar map case out of Louisiana that this type of district delineation was nothing but racial gerrymandering and therefore unconstitutional.

[57:28] A three-judge panel in Alabama sought to defy the effects of this U.S. Supreme Court ruling by putting a stay on the implementation of the old map, arguing that there was not enough time to do it ahead of the midterm elections. However, the Supreme Court justices ruled 6-3 on Tuesday in an emergency appeal from the Alabama Attorney General that the state can use the 2023 map or the upcoming midterms, and this map gives Republicans the advantage with six congressional districts over the one Democrat-held congressional district. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this.

The news cycle can be overwhelming, to say the least. Andrea Tice cuts to all the noise with the Daily Detail from 1819 News, Alabama, and National News in just 10 to 15 minutes. What you need to know before you start your day. Find the Daily Detail wherever you get your podcasts. Ford Motor Company is recalling over 400,000 vehicles due to a seatbelt issue that could cause injury during a crash. The recall involves the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator with model years 2018 to 2022. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.

And while you're there, subscribe to the Daily Newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. The Atlanta Braves are on a mission. And night after night, they are making their case as one of the best teams in baseball. Swung on and hit with massive force. Tie game on a two-run homer by Ronald Acuna. Tonight, the Braves and the Toronto Blue Jays are at it again from Truist Park. As Ozzie Albies and Atlanta look for a win in the heart of Atlanta.

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Tomorrow's sunny with a high around 85. Tomorrow night, mostly clear with a low near 60. And for your Friday, 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. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the tie. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back in. Now we'll turn to the Boomo Bugg Show.

I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Baby, obviously a lot to unpack. Going to be talking more about the respective super regionals and a host of, if I say, a sundry of topics. But before we jump into that, your thoughts for the folks who might have missed it and the significance of Nick Saban going to Washington. Isn't it interesting that basically what Nick Saban did for the SEC in Alabama and what Alabama and the SEC did for Nick Saban.

Yet, basically, at this point, in this particular game, let's call it what it is. It's a political game on both sides. And Nick and the SEC disagree, BB. Well, Nick, one of the things Nick Saban said in the speech this morning or the presentation was, I'm not here for a particular school or a particular conference. I'm testifying for the good of the sport. Overall. And he said something else I wanted to clear up, and he's only said this 20 times in the last three years. I am in favor of NIL.

I have always been in favor of name, image, and likeness because I want the kids to be able to take advantage. But he means it in the purest sense. He said, what I'm not in favor of is pay for play, which has been going on for years. And he also mentioned, literally, just talked about the Debo Sweeney situation, the tampering with Ole Miss for the Clemson player. He brought that up. But he also said, and I thought this was revealing, his first year at NIL, with NIL at Alabama, he said our NIL budget was $2.7 million.

[1:02:40] Budget overall. The first year overall. Then he said it went to $10 million the next year. And, of course, he said, then I retired. And then the collective moves to $17 million. And then last year, it was $24 million. And that's one of the biggest issues right now with the revenue cap or the revenue share, which is, again, technically $20.5 million. A lot of these schools are mad, and they're not willing to agree to the Protect College Sports Act. They don't want $20.5 million. Harold, they want $50 million. And they're not going to be willing to settle for $20.5 million.

Now, there's a lot to this, as we talked about with Andrea a little bit earlier. But that's what the crux of a lot of this is. These guys basically just want an unlimited budget for NIL. Well, they do as long as you and I and everybody listening right now keeps on turning the couch over and giving them that money. The point is going to be, and I think this is what Nick's trying to say, use some common sense here. At some point, it's just in life and in business, what's it called?

The Peter Principle. You rise to the level of your competency, and you see people who fail because they had a great resume, maybe as an assistant coach, but they're not qualified to be a head coach. And I think you see it all the time. So, I think what Nick is doing is he's saying, look, it's good, and I don't understand where you're coming from, but long-term, how much more can we keep going and getting all this money? Maybe what they need to do is go down to Auburn and talk to Jason Caldwell.

He's just got that sound you're hearing in the background. That's where Fort Knox gets all their goal. When Jason's not busy, they're following Auburn with Auburn Tigers inside the Auburn Tigers. JC, welcome in. How are you? I'm good, guys. How about y'all? Man, we're doing all right. Jason, would you agree that Nick Saban says, life is good? He's in Washington testifying. As we just alluded to there, Jason, I know he's the former nemesis, but now, in a way, I think a lot of Auburn fans are agreeing with, I thought we'd never say this, with Nick Saban, there's got to be some guardrails somewhere in this thing called college sports.

Yeah, I mean, listen, it's just too much. I can't listen to the talk because nothing's going to get done. I just don't think it is. To me, this is just a big waste of time until they're going to have to be employees. They're going to have to collect a bargain. They're going to have to find a way to do that because when they try to impose something on it, somebody's going to go, well, I'm just taking you to court. And that's all this has turned into.

And, well, I don't like it. I'm going to take you to court. They win, and nothing changes. So there's a lot of talk. And, look, I like some of the ideas. I love the five for five and the no transfer after two years. I love those things. But the jar is open now. You're not closing it. You're not putting the toothpaste back in the tube. You're going to have to make employees because, listen, I'm all for it. But if I was a college athlete right now, there's no way I would want to change.

No. Because they've got it made. Sure. They've got it made. They can go anywhere they want to, anytime they want to. Yeah. And they don't pay bills. They get money on top of scholarship. Yep. I mean, I don't know that people realize that, like, if you're a college football player at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, wherever you are, get a full scholarship, whatever NIL money you get, they still buy you meals, you want to massage, they still pay for that. Shoes. Like, shoes, clothing, whatever it is. You got a housing supplement, like, insurance.

Like, it is not real life. No. And if they want to, look, there's got to be either, it can't be both of them, and that's what we've got right now. Hopefully it'll change. I just don't think that anything anybody says in Washington, D.C. right now is going to matter. Amen. It's also true that those guys also get first choice of dates on campus. I haven't confirmed that yet, Jason, but if you can look into that, maybe get back with us. But one thing we do know, this Auburn baseball team, do they love drama or what?

Was this all part of the script, Jason, taking this road to get to the Super Regionals? Yeah. I don't think it was part of the script. Right. Well, you know, I tried to explain to people, like, everybody has a football mentality. That's it. A four seed in a 64-team football bracket is not going to be the one seed. It's not going to happen. But in baseball, it can happen. That's right. And we just saw it. It happened twice. Alabama gets to face St. John. You know, you look at Little Rock winning in Hattiesburg, like, it can happen in baseball.

It's starting to happen a little bit more in basketball. We never thought that was going to happen. It's not happening in football. Still not happening. And so you look at it and you go, man, you run into a hot team, they jump on you early and get momentum. And the thing about baseball that's so different, because if that was a one-game scenario where you lose and you're out, then you would have thrown every pitcher you had to avoid losing that game. And it probably doesn't get to that score.

[1:07:53] But when you know it's double elimination, you go, look, you can't burn all your bullets knowing that you've still got to win four games. And that's what happens sometimes. And hey, to Auburn's credit, they made the right call, they made the right moves, and it got them to the finish line. J.C., speaking of talking, I don't know if anything will ever get done about this. This is not the first year we've done this. But a game begins at 10-10, instead of going over the next day.

You've got pitchers. Butch Thompson was not happy about a lot of this. He has criticized the regional format. As he put in a quote, the regional format is really concerning me if we're talking about what's best for the student athletes. Again, you're starting games past 10 o'clock, and then one of Auburn's pitchers, Ryan Hetzler, pitched the final three innings of the Auburn 9-3 win over Central Florida, and then comes back to pitch again against Milwaukee. And listen, he's not the only coach. I think the Texas coach went off on this a little bit, too.

J.C., what is the answer long-term for this? Yeah, the answer would, in my opinion, which has talked about for years, look, all season long, baseball is a series sport where it's best two out of three. That's how you play the game. And then you get to postseason, and it changes. And it kind of reminds me a little bit of golf, watching, you know, like Auburn has been the best team in the country all year long. And they win stroke play, but yet you've got to survive match play, which you do twice a year.

So the rules change, and it's the same thing in baseball. You go like, well, it's different. You get the NCAA tournament and a single elimination, and they use ABS, and then you get the NCAA tournament and it's double elimination. Now you get back to a series and a super regional. It's every bit of it. And look, there's common sense has to play out at some point, and that's not the NCAA strong suits to use common sense. And look, I know brackets are involved, but, you know, one side of this bracket now, super regionals start Friday.

And in every one of these super regionals, you had at least one of the teams that played on Monday night. On the other side of this bracket, you have two of the entire super regionals that neither team played on Monday. They finished on Sunday, and they don't start until Saturday. Like, because some later common sense goes, you know what, hey, let's just flip those brackets to try to help as many teams as possible be at full strength. But that doesn't happen. And so, hey, we know why.

TV controls everything. And that's what we saw this past weekend. They moved games. Well, we're going to wait on this one because we're supposed to play it. You know, Auburn originally, it might have worked out to their benefit. Originally, Auburn said, hey, we want a night game. And TV said, no, well, we want to watch. We want to put NC State UCF on TV, so you're playing at noon. So, Auburn hosted a regional and did not get to say when they wanted to play a game.

So, that's where it started. And it just continued from there with, we had, you know, a three- or four-hour cloud delay. Auburn had, you know, six delays that went on and probably a total of 30 minutes of rain. So, wow. That's another rule that might want to be looked at. It's called common sense. Jason Caldwell inside the Auburn Tigers. Whatever the road is, they are there. Everybody right now is the master of their own destinies in the super regionals, including Auburn, taking on, ironically, a team that knows Auburn and a team that Auburn knows as well.

Your thoughts, Jason, where do you start breaking it down, the Tigers and the Rebels? Yeah, and, you know, it's crazy that, you know, they're in the same league and didn't play this year. Didn't see each other one time. But they know each other really well. These guys have competed against each other as head coaches for years. And you watch other teams all through the season. So, you know, you've seen Ole Miss pitch, you've seen Ole Miss hit. And so, for them, Ole Miss will be the same thing.

They've seen Auburn because of the other teams they scouted. Look, there's a lot of familiarity when you look at Ole Miss. I mean, they've got a bunch of guys back that have played a lot of baseball there. Hunter Elliott. So, like I said, it feels like he's been pitching since 2010. And I know you say that a lot about a lot of guys in a lot of sports. It's been there a long time. Yeah. But then they're a wait-for-the-three-run home run offense. That's what they do in baseball.

It's old school. They don't hit for a lot of average strikeout a bunch. But they've got two guys with 20-plus home runs. And that's what they want to do is swing the bat and get the big home run. So, you know what you're up against this weekend. Really talented, big, physical roster. Yeah. Yeah. Their pitching is pretty good, too. In fact, you had a very good preview. I certainly recommend our audience looking at the Auburn Ole Miss Super Regional preview. There are a lot of things about them that don't stand out.

[1:12:56] One thing that does, I think these are two of the best coaches in the country, certainly in the SEC. And as you mentioned, Ole Miss really sparkles in pitching. That they've got some guys who are really good. Listen, you know this league well. There are so many SEC teams in Super Regionals that four of them have got to play each other. Ole Miss at Auburn, Mississippi State at Georgia. And what we talked with our guests about this this week, a lot of them think 4-7 advance to the World Series.

JC, how many of the seven teams advance, in your opinion? Yeah. Well, like I said, we know two. So that's right out of the gate. You know at least two of them. And so from those series, I mean, like, look, Alabama, St. John's is hot. But you would think Alabama would be a heavy prohibitive favorite against St. John's. I looked, and St. John's has two quad one wins this year. Both of them came last weekend against Florida State. That's the first quad one game they've won this season.

So you would think for Alabama that's a huge advantage for them coming into this one. Texas-Oregon is interesting. Oregon's a talented team. They've got some pretty good pitching. But this Texas team, if you get Ruger-Riojas back healthy, they were the best team, I thought, top to bottom, that I saw this year. I thought Georgia was right there with them. I thought Texas' pitching separated them a little bit more. So I think you've got to like Texas' opportunity there. Oklahoma has – they're just gritty. Yeah. And, look, they've been there a couple years ago and played for a national championship a couple years ago.

So I think you've got to feel good about them going to Kansas as well. So I think you can look up easily and see, you know, five teams in Omaha after this is over with. If you can go to Georgia Tech and knock off that team on the home diamond, you're a pretty doggone good team. Jason Caldwell inside the Auburn Tigers. Jason, yeah, baseball is good. Everything else is good, but it's always recruiting season. Jason, what kind of grade would you give this staff here on, what is it, June 3rd in their first cycle?

Yeah, you've got to go probably pretty heavy B-plus or so right now for them with what they've done and get numbers. Look at getting some talented guys. Look, you can see the plan, which has been kind of a complaint for years. It's just like, is there a plan, or are you just signing top-rated guys and then trying to figure it out? I think you can see a plan. They want to run the football, go out and get two four-star running backs. They've recruited the offensive line since they got here in December.

They've made offensive a lot of priority, so they've added a couple of those guys. And then long athletic guys on defense. That is it. You can see a plan. Even a quarterback, you look and go, he's not the highest-rated guy, but he's a guy that looks like it fits exactly what they want to do on offense. The system. And so I like it so far. Can you finish out? Can you continue to add guys on the line of scrimmage? I think that's the goal. But I think so far, you look at it, and you've got to like the pieces that they put together to this point.

J.C., we've talked with a lot of our Auburn guests the last couple of months and have asked them. Again, you're limited with what you can see in practice, and certainly you can interview players and assist the coaches. But we keep hearing accountability, a plan. They know what they're doing. You mentioned this. Gullich came in from day one and said, look, we're going to run the heck out of the ball. I think everybody realized that if Auburn would have done that the last two or three years, they probably would have had a much better record.

Your observations on Gullich, interviews on the practice field, what do you see? Yeah, I think it's just straightforward, kind of no-nonsense guy. It kind of feels like that's a good fit. Like I said, you never know. You never know what will happen and how things will work out. But it feels like an old-school, like 80s fit when you start talking about what he's doing. We're talking about it. But, like, I would say, except for probably 1997 that made it to the SEC championship game because of Damian Craig, Damian Craig, every Auburn football team that's been successful has done it when they run the football play defense.

That has been the recipe at Auburn. And you've got to throw it. And you've got to be able to do those things in a passing game. But I think you look and go, what's been the recipe? And it's been running the football, being physical, being tough. That feels like what he wants to be. And so I think that's been the messaging so far is, look, here's who we are. This is who you've got to be. And that's enough. I think that's the thing. Like, hey, just be that guy.

You're just talking about it. Look, even with the numbers and what they've said and the lack of what they've done, I think it's six or seven losses by less than a touchdown the last few years. And you go, just three of those games. Just go take three more wins the last two years and how different it might feel. So can you do that? Can you go find a way to win close games? And I think that starts with being able to run it. And when you get down to the red zone, finish with touchdowns.

[1:18:03] You do those things, and normally it's going to help you out. Absolutely. Listen, great to catch up with you. I know you've been shoulder deep in baseball. Great coverage. Preview of the Auburn-Ole Miss game recruiting. Nathan Keene does a pretty good job, too. J.C., where can we get on line to get all the teams? Good stuff. Yeah, check us out at auburnundercover.com, part of the 24-7 network. Yeah, and also got a golf team, one for the National Championship this afternoon as well. Chris Clemente's been all over that and doing recruiting.

So, a busy time. So, come find us there at auburnundercover.com. And tell James Spann to keep the disguise dry this weekend, okay? Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much, Jason. Jason Caldwell coming in, talking to the Auburn Tigers. Coming up, what was so long in making the decision for Alabama's top-shot quarterback? Got that more spread ahead here on the Boomo Bugg Show. Stay with us. My name is Whitney Allen, and I'm a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought we'd ever have to use life insurance, but the unexpected happened.

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Just go to Medicare.gov to get the real facts about Medicare. Paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. College baseball Super Regionals getting underway this weekend. The Detroit Trojans will host Little Rock with game number one set for Friday evening. Auburn will play at home this weekend. They'll host Ole Miss. Game number one is Friday night. And Alabama's at home against St. John's. Game one of that series is Saturday night. Winners of the Super Regionals head to the College World Series.

Atlanta Braves were winners yesterday. They beat the Blue Jays 4-3. The Braves had six hits in the win. Bryce Elder earned the victory. He improves to 5-3. Braves are now 41-20 on the season. The Braves and Blue Jays are back at it tonight at Truist Park. Grant Holmes will start for Atlanta. He's 3-2. 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. Business moves fast. Orders roll in. Deadlines close in. When you ship with USPS Ground Advantage, you can keep up with confidence.

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So shelves stay stocked and buildings stay ready. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger. For the ones who get it done. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back to the Ant-Pop Quiz time, Brett Beer. When I say the name Elijah Havens, what comes to mind? Well, he's a very talented five-star quarterback. And where you're referring to as we went to the break, his decision to go to the University of Alabama. You listen well, my friend. I don't care what the ladies say about you.

A lot of folks said early on, he was high on Alabama. So fans being fans, if you're that high on Alabama, why don't you just go ahead and pull the trigger? Well, one word, BB, of all the things we've heard over the years of what factored into a decision, spreadsheet. Stay with me, okay? His name is Kwame. He broke out the spreadsheet. And on that spreadsheet, he basically broke out the pros and cons. He's a five-star quarterback, probably the best in the entire country on the board out of high school.

So, in other words, he had his pick and choice. But every time they took a visit, they came back and did the pros and cons, talking about the obvious, everything from the style of play, the dorms, everything that you could possibly throw in there. And they put it in a spreadsheet. And then they threw everything in the blender and took the teams that are still in the running. They started by eliminating teams that were not in the running. Now, also, at the end of the day, it was Auburn, Georgia, and Alabama was in the running as well.

Florida, I think, was in there. The team that was not in there, ironically, was LSU. That's ironic because he's from LSU, if you will, Baton Rouge. But really and truly, they were never in it. But the second thing that came into play, you've got to believe that, yeah, they're going to take into consideration all the things we just mentioned. But the other thing that kind of rocked the boat a little bit was they had formed relationships with some of the assistant coaches and some of those coaches left.

That caught the attention of the family. Are we comfortable with this? And to Kevin DeBoer's credit and whomever else he hired, they were able to sit down and quieten those fears with the family. So, after they did all of that, they went back to the spreadsheet and said, oh, spreadsheet, tell us what to do. And they said, roll tide, baby. Well, that's an interesting way to do that. I've been, when I have a decision to make, Harold, sometimes I just pull out a legal pad and write pros and cons on the legal pad and just write down and figure out which one is best for that.

And you mentioned losing coaches. Coach Kalp was the, Kampalik was the offensive line coach for Alabama. Now, again, I've heard this from several sources. He was an ace recruiter, but as far as developing offensive linemen and in the course of the game, it left a little bit to the imagination, which is the reason why he's now coaching at Auburn. And, again, the Alabama staff had to go back and not so much repair, but develop relationships with Coach Clem. Now, I think he's come in and won a lot of these guys over with.

And I'll tell you something else you and I talk about a lot. You better get mama and grandmama on your side. If you do that, that's about 50% of the battle sometimes. You need to clarify something. If I understood you right, you said when you have a decision to make, you break out your legal pad, do pros and cons. Brett, we all, come on, man, be square with us. You just ask your wife. Come on, man. I mean, just square with us, okay? That's a manly answer, Harold.

Just do well. You can save money by going to Home Depot. Don't put any more bushing in that legal pad business. Just go ahead and do what the rest of us guys do, and that is consult the boss of the ranch. Coming up, we've got more with you. Drew DeArma is going to be on board. The latest, what a week for Alabama baseball. Softball and, of course, basketball with the news about Holloway. Double D is going to be talking about that. But first, we're going to be talking about the very latest place called the French Open.

That's all straight ahead. You're on 93.9, the score. Westwood One Sports presents this special tennis update. World number one, Irina Sabalenka, is out at the French Open. A stunning three-set loss to Deanna Schneider in the quarterfinals. Schneider was down 4-1 in the second set, then won 12 of the final 13 games, and she's in her first Grand Slam semifinal. For sure, super happy. You know, overall, I feel like I'm still, like, in the process of the emotions and everything, you know. It was a tough match, and I'm just super happy and super proud of myself, the way I handled the emotions and the conditions today.

[1:28:50] Yeah, just the fight that I put in and the work. Schneider will face Polish qualifier Maja Walinska, the 114th player in the world who has won eight straight matches at Roland Garros to get to her first Grand Slam semifinal. With this tennis update, I'm Brad Heller, 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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But what a state month. For the baseball teams across this great state. Alabama, Auburn, and Troy. And what a run for Jack State. Do people give enough credit to the respective baseball teams in the state? In fact, Harold, I mentioned that a couple of times. In fact, D2 has joined us. The state of Alabama has got three teams. California has got two. Mississippi's got two. But, Jack State had a tremendous year. In fact, they beat Auburn twice and nearly got into a super regional themselves. But, no, it's incredible to have Alabama, Auburn, and Troy, three teams from the state in the super regionals.

[1:34:28] I wish you hadn't said that about California. They go to Washington and cry and complain. Yeah, they can top Alabama now. So, thanks a lot, B.B., for giving California that fodder there. And, thanks to Double D. Drew DeArmond is going to be with us. He's host, Talking Ball, and Hustle's 97.7 FM The Zone. Drew, welcome in. How are you? I'm good, guys. And let's not forget, all three of them are hosting super regional. And, you know, it was nearly Troy versus Jack State, which would have been something to see.

I have no doubt about it. And, unfortunately for Jack State, they were so good that Steve Beezer is now the head coach at Grand Canyon. But, you know, they're going to have to find a new head coach. But they had a tremendous year. They beat Auburn twice, as you said. And Alabama only beat them by one run twice. So, they had a really good ball club, no doubt. As a matter of fact, I thought they were under-seeded. I thought they deserved the two instead of a three-team.

The thing about it, Drew, that very point right there, talking about teams like Troy. And Troy's going to be taking on a hyphenated team. Arkansas, Little Rock. We can go up and down the list. The things you see in college baseball in the postseason, I don't think we'll ever see in football. Maybe once in a blue moon, one of those guys will sneak in there and get this deep into it. Which is another way of saying, Drew, your thoughts about Alabama. We saw Auburn over the past weekend.

They saw Milwaukee and said, we're playing at home. We've got a good pitching staff. And boom, we saw what happened. Up against the ball and they came back. Your thoughts about Alabama getting ready to take on St. John's. Let's face it, not exactly a household word, but they did knock off Florida State at Florida State. No, well, you know, they beat them twice and they went through that regional undefeated. You've got to give St. John's a lot of credit. And if you look at the Big East, UConn's been really dangerous the last few years.

And, you know, they were in Creighton's a good baseball program. It's been to the College World Series, you know, on, you know, it's been back in, I think, the 90s. But still, they've had success and gotten to that level before. So, the top of the Big East is pretty good. Now, you know, it's not a power four league, but it's good. And like I said, I've told people already, you saw what happened with Milwaukee. You saw what happened with Murray State last year. You've got to go away to Omaha.

And then in 2008, Fresno State was a four that won the national championship. Now, a lot of their issues were injuries and they got healthy at the right time and hot. But you can't assume anything. You know, Alabama does have a golden opportunity at home. And they're going to be favored to get to Omaha. But there's no guarantee there. They're going to have to be a really good team. And they're coached by Mike Campion, who's been there forever as an assistant and head coach. And, again, you've got to give them a lot of credit for going over into that environment in Tallahassee, and having to wait through all the weather, too, and to take out a Florida State program.

Coach by Lane Jarek had a really good pitching staff. So, I guess St. John's a lot of credit. Now, Alabama's going to have to play really good, clean baseball until they advanced to Omaha this weekend. D2, talk about some of the guys you saw last weekend who are playing well. They certainly have got a very solid rotation. One of the few teams across the country who've had the same three starters. They're a little inconsistent with the bands. But, boy, Brady Neal helped with that three-run homer.

Roger Hoover called. Eric Hines has been playing well. He's been on the heater. Jason Torres, John Lim, and friends. The defense, I think, they played a little bit better there, and particularly after the Tennessee region. D2, your thoughts on this Alabama team? Well, you know, they played good defense for two of the three games. You know, I got the second game against the UCF State. You know, it's just a take a drink every time they booted one. They had six errors in that game. I've never really seen a team win a game making six errors.

But they did, because they also made some really good plays. And, you know, I pointed this out to Rob Vaughn after they won the regional. But he didn't make the all-tournament team. But he didn't have a really good game at the plate the last game. But he made two or three really good plays in helping them turn two big double plays and making some big-time stops at first. And that's Luke Vaughn. And I've been watching this team all year. And he's really a catcher by trade.

But they converted him to first base because of the pop he's got in his bat this year. And they wanted to get him on the field. And he's a big-time leader. He's not the captain of the team, but he's on the short list. Certainly the captain, we all know, is Will Plattner. But he's a guy that they count on. He's a roommate of Justin LeBron. And he's an interesting story because he hurt his shoulder when he got to Alabama, red-shirted. And he's really missed two years.

This is his first full year of playing. And he's really been swinging the bat well until that final game on Sunday for the last month. And he's been barreling a lot of balls up. He's been swinging it well. He's got nine home runs. The thing he's really done is from the first game against Washington State, who ironically also made a regional, to now is he's improved dramatically at first base defensively. And I think he's really become a guy that you can count on. He's very dangerous in that eight-hole defense of his power.

[1:39:36] And so he's a guy that I really think has come a long way. I thought he had a really good tournament, even though he didn't get any hits on Sunday. And I thought another guy that's really, I think, starting to come into his own a little bit. He pulled his hand, and so we'll see if he's available. At least it sounded that it looked that way. Peyton Steele started swinging a little bit better. And, I mean, they were, Ortiz, the third baseman that certainly at Oklahoma State robbed him of what would have been a double or a triple late in that ball game.

So I think he's starting to come around a little bit. But, you know, the usual suspects have to play well. I mean, Justin LeBron had a really good regional. He's got to keep that up. He's got to continue to make contact, get on base and disrupt. And then you've got to have the guys, you know, like a Brady Neal. And Brady showed a ton of tough guys. I mean, you guys probably heard about it. But Brady, I mean, he dislocated his thumb late in that game.

He got it reset. And after he got it reset, he went on to throw a guy out at second that ended up being a huge play in the game. And then he went on to, as you know, hit the three-run number that decided. And then John Lim, he's playing with a broken finger that he suffered that earlier in the regional against UC Upstate. So these guys are showing a lot of toughness. They're gritty. They're not pretty. But all that matters now is winning. That's what they've got to do.

They're two games away from Omaha. Maybe they need to go play football in Alabama with that kind of spirit. I guarantee you. Then double D's Rudy Harmon hooking up with us. 97-7 FM is on. Auburn, Ole Miss. Who hits the road to Omaha, Drew? Well, I mean, it's going to be – I think the two best series are Mississippi State and Georgia. And I know Georgia won all four. But State's got their ace back. And all the games were closed. So I think that will be a great series at Foley Field.

I've still got to favor Auburn at home. But, I mean, Ole Miss is very talented. They can get the ball out of the ballpark. And the ball has been jumping out of Plains and Clarks. You saw that. They have the power. They have really good starting pitching. Rave has really increased his stock. It would be a top-two-round guy now. So they've got three really good starters. Hooks is a really good closer. So they've got a chance to beat Auburn. I think it will be a great series.

But I would take – even though, you know, I know the State lost all four. I'd still say – I'll still take Georgia, but I'll say two games to one. They'll have to go to a third. And I would say the same thing. I think Auburn wins, but I think it's two games to one. And I think those two series are going to be outstanding. And, of course, you know, you can't get any better than SEC versus SEC because it's the best league in the country. Absolutely. D2, a tip of the count to Patrick Murphy and the softball team to literally get within one game of being in the National Championship Series.

Listen, it was an incredible year. They were going into the season picked by the, quote, experts to finish ninth in the league. I know they lost to Texas in the tournament championship game. But they had a great season. I know they had a disappointing day with Texas Tech. D2, I thought if they'd won that first game that Alabama would have won the National Championship because I think they could have beat Texas in three games. But, again, disappointing end of the season, but it was a great season.

It was a great season, no doubt about it. I was very proud of the young ladies. I thought they competed hard, no doubt about it. It was a tough ending, you know, to lose, you know, five to four the way they did. Did he come back? I thought they hadn't had a chance to steal that one and march on. And then, I mean, but, unfortunately, they just came up, you know, Texas Tech, Kennedy just pitched their best game of the year, I thought. In that last one, you know, they only got two hits.

They didn't put a ton of pressure on Texas Tech. That was unfortunate. But, again, they lose the game two to nothing. So, you got to, you know, give Texas Tech a lot of credit. But Alabama was picked ninth in the SEC. They weren't picked to be a lot to get to Oklahoma City. They didn't get to OKC the year before. And so, there was a lot of people that had a lot of questions about them. You know, the freshman class and the transfer class, both, you know, with the Anna Romans of the world.

I think Moten is freshman. They both did great things. And you had Brooke Wells. You had certainly Jenna Young. All those young ladies that you brought in, the new blood into the program, made a big impact. And, you know, I think Palazzi is going to be really good in the future. They got a lot of them coming back. Certainly, they're going to need more and more consistency out of Audrey Vandegrift. I think she had as good a year as she can. And certainly has some improvement to make in the outfield.

But she's very talented. And, again, they've got a chance with the recruiting class they brought in. They signed the number one catcher in the country out of Phoenix, Arizona. And that's probably going to be their biggest loss. No disrespect. Alexis Papilla was tremendous. But Marlee Giles was a captain. She had a really good year to play and behind it. So, she's going to be a big piece to replace. But I think she should be able to, you know, with that young lady coming in for Phoenix, they've got a chance to replace her.

[1:44:53] And we'll see if they decide to add anything in the portal. I don't think they need any pitching. They're only losing Ailey Johnson. But certainly, if the right piece becomes available, I'm sure they would be aggressive. But, again, they've got a really good team. It was a really young team. And Jocelyn Brist can just improve tremendously. And if she continues to get better and Moten gets better, Alabama's going to be tough to handle in the future in softball. Not only that, you can't put a value on the experience of going to the World Series.

That in itself, from an intangible standpoint, is priceless. Drew DeArman, your thoughts, your reaction to the news, obviously, this week. Nate Oates getting some headlines as well with Aiden Holloway. Where do you start in breaking it down? Well, I mean, it's the first big legal step. I mean, he's already been welcomed back on campus for classes and to be back on campus by, you know, the advisory committee. But this was a big step in the legal process. If he continues to go and do the things he's supposed to do, then everything will be expunged from his record.

Now, sometimes that can take six months. But from what I understand, we talked to Nick Kelly this morning. His attorney believes everything can be wrapped up by September, which is before official practice starts. So, probably won't see Aiden Holloway around the guys this summer. But hopefully he can get fully reinstated and the legal situation get resolved so he can be back in September and be ready to roll for his senior year at Alabama. Because I think they're definitely holding a roster spot for him. I still think Henderson Diaz could be reclassifying because they need another guard anyway.

And then he could spend the five months maybe getting some of those reps that certainly that Aiden would have gotten. And then he could get stronger with Henry Barrera and the strength staff and hopefully be ready to go. I know he doesn't announce he's reclassifying, but I still think there's a very strong chance that happens. And, of course, the biggest piece is Amari Allen. I mean, he has a chance to make a LeBaron-by-line type jump. He's got a guy that's an All-American and a block, you know, top half of the first round kind of guy.

And he had a really good session year like LeBaron did the year before. But he can, you know, LeBaron made great, great progress, as you all know, with his sophomore year. And hopefully they can do the same thing with Amari Allen. But I think that situation with Aiden Holloway, I think he handled everything the way he's supposed to. He's never been in trouble before. Hopefully he won't get in trouble again. If he doesn't hit and snagged, then I think without question that he'll be back for Alabama for his senior season and his third year under Nate O's.

Yeah, absolutely. Number one, tell us, certainly, where can we get online and get the expanded talking ball with you and Scott Tyson? Number two, quite a hire. At Hazel Green High School, young man, David O'Connor, he really had done a tremendous job at Giles County in Tennessee. I covered him when he was at Buckhorn for AL.com. Buckhorn, I mean, Hazel Green Baseball. Basketball has really had some very good years. Football, I think David O'Connor can do a little bit about that. Your talk, your thoughts on a big hire in Madison County and where can we find your show?

Yeah, it was a good hire for David O'Connor. He did a good job three years at Buckhorn. They were very competitive. People forget he was also the offensive coordinator under Don Thomas and then head coach at Lee. He had a good run there. He had coached some cat named Billy and ended up being a pretty good athlete. He's a pretty good player and Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos. Certainly, he had 17 years in two students at Giles County, won a state title. They were a perennial playoff program.

He had a lot of guys on his staff, especially this year. Jeff Pugh and Clint Legg had joined his staff. One of my old coaches spent quite a long time with him, both at Buckhorn and there, and John Kirk. He knows a lot of people, both in the Huntsville-Madison County area and, of course, over in Tennessee. He's a Lincoln County guy, but he really knows how to run a program and build it. He actually was closer to Hazelden, Hyde, and he's in Gonzales County. It will be a really short commute for him.

There's going to be, of course, as you know, a 6A program. This is going to be a challenge, which is the old 7A. But, you know, he did a great job at Lee's. He's really the last coach that won there consistently. He won at Buckhorn, so he knows the formula. He knows how to build a program. So, I thought, you know, it's tough to lose to Juan Simpson, but, of course, his kids are over at East Limestone in that school system. So, he went over there.

But, certainly, I thought a really nice bounce back and a nice hire by Hazel Green. If they want to catch talking ball, certainly they'll be able to do that. Or, if you missed the show, we're on SoundCloud at 97.7 The Zone. And, of course, we're on live on WGN-TV and, of course, on 97.7 The Zone each and every day from 7 to 10 a.m. And we look forward to, you know, having a great rest of the week. And summer basketball is about to be cranked up. I'm over here at Huntsville High.

And we're going to be over at JAH team camp tomorrow. So, it's going to be a good month of June with a lot of basketball. And a busy weekend just ahead. Enjoy and stay safe out there, Drew. Thanks so much for your time today, buddy. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Thank you, bud. Double D, Drew DeArma, 97.7 FM The Zone. BB, I'll tell you what, the Braves, I'm looking at some of the stats here. This is incredible. Here it is, what, June the 3rd. They're 41-20. Guess what team is the winningest team record-wise in all of baseball?

[1:50:18] National League. It doesn't matter if it's National League or American League. The Braves are 41-20. They're 9.5 up on the field. Okay, we'll talk about what's up next. But let me put this thing in perspective. Okay? The number one team in the American League Central are the Guardians. If the Guardians were the same division as the Braves, they would be six and a half games out. If they were the same league with the Mariners, they'd be roughly eight games ahead of the first-place team from the American League West.

That puts it in perspective, BB. No question. They've had a phenomenal year, and it started with spring practice, spring training. I know Bill Shanks says that a lot, and it's exactly true. They beat the Blue Jays last night. Four to three. Matt Olsen homered. Bryce Elder, who I take back 70% of all the negative things I've ever said about him. His 80 last week. Well, you know, it kind of fluctuates. It comes and goes. But they've got another game tonight with the Blue Jays' Grant Holmes on the mound, and you can hear that game on 93.9.

Let's go. Holmes with a three and two slate today. His ERA just under four at 395. Braves, Jays tonight. You're at 93.9. The score, as you say. It's going to take care of business for now. On behalf of BB, Greg James Blair, and the entire crew here. Peril Buck, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow, noon to two, for the BMO Buck Show, back here on Sports Radio, 93.9. The score.