Just The Cats · Michael T Bennett

Just The Cats 03-06-26

March 6, 2026·1 hr 35 min·7 clips

Longtime UK broadcaster Dave Baker explains why JMI let him go, citing a shift to more television production from their campus studio.

March 6 starts with Matt Childress missing. Michael Bennett opens to Big Blue Nation, says Matt Childress is too busy to make it, and admits the show is better when Matt is around. Justin is still carrying yesterday with him. Matt's handpicked stats got his blood too high, and Michael cannot stop enjoying the smirk he heard on replay. That little grudge gives the show its spark. They argue because they like arguing, and it works because neither voice backs away. The phones stay open. Michael gives the call and text lines, sets up listener texts after the break, and keeps the show moving even when it takes the scenic route. Then the music steals the wheel. A country song about a bug in a margarita sends Michael into a memory about loving the song for years and searching for it under the wrong title. From there, he gets to the family story: his parents meeting Alan Jackson after his dad called him Randy Travis. His mom lands the line, Alan Jackson laughs, and Michael tells it like a story he has told before because he still likes telling it. Basketball eventually drags everyone back. The closing stretch is pure Kentucky unease. Florida sounds too good, too ready, and too likely to ruin the last game at Rupp Arena for the season. Justin still leaves Kentucky a little daylight and picks Florida by seven, 88 to 81. Michael has no hope at all and expects Kentucky to lose by fifteen. Nobody dresses it up. The week signs off with jokes, side roads, Big Blue nerves, and a Monday return an hour earlier.

As heard by us

A loose Kentucky basketball hangout that mixes teasing, tangents, and Florida concern into an easy Friday listen.

Matt Childress gets the teasing started, but the piece keeps circling back to Kentucky hoops and the uneasy pull of Florida. Michael Bennett and Justin swap barbs, drift off into a country music detour, then land on a warm memory of Randy Travis and Alan Jackson.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Matt's out, but the teasing stays hot, and Florida is still waiting at the finish line.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Just The Cats