BTI's Rants and Ramblings: The History of KSR

We should have probably posted this several weeks ago, but Kentucky Sports Radio just celebrated its 5 year anniversary in November.  So, I thought we should give you the timeline of how exactly we all became worldwide superstars and the events that shaped the mega supernova known as Bryan the Intern  Matt Jones. 

(This will, without a doubt, be the longest post you may ever read, so be prepared to spend 10 minutes getting through it.)

November 30th, 2005: Matt Jones publishes the the first article ever on the site.  In it, he proclaims the site to be a great place for basketball and football recruiting news from Rob Gidel and Matt.  The site was paired with a “radio show” hosted by Matt and Rob, which is actually a basement made podcast.  He also introduces us to the original “fun” writers of KSR: The Intern (John Wilkinson), Duncan Cavanaugh, Josh Dickson, and Turkey Hunter.  Safe to say, the site has changed dramatically since that day, both in writers and content.

January 16th, 2006: Tomlin posts for the first time on KSR, writing about daydreaming during a UK basketball game.  The post gets a total of 16 comments.  Christopher Johns strives for this comment count to this day in honor of Tomlin.

June 19th, 2006: Mosley enters the fray for KSR.  Although not a consistent KSR poster, if you have read the blog long enough, you know of the legend of Mosley.  Sometimes known as crabs.

July 14th, 2006: From what I have seen, no post got more comments than this one, posted about the myth known as Oh Napier.  This posted collected 3,154 comments.  BTI holds the next 7 spots for highest comment count.

October 22nd, 2006: The first time that the News and Views nightly wrapup post is in honor of somebody.  In this case, Matt chose Nikita Koloff, who I guess is a wrestler.  Kentucky has had 45 All-American basketball players, and Matt picks a wrestler almost nobody knows.  And you don’t think this website is ridiculous?

November 1st, 2006: Matt and Gidel enter the radio world in Louisville, starting the Sports Mob on 1570AM.  Only a matter of time before BTI graces that show.

December 3rd, 2006:For long time readers, the infamous Marshall County Hoopfest takes place.  Not only do we get a glimpse of AJ Stewart but also of Bing Bang Kol, or whatever his name was.  Really doesn’t matter.  What does is the podcast created that day was so vile, its release had to come years later.

January 2007: This was the year that KSR really started to explode.  And it started to explode with 2 names: Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas.  KSR began following these guys on an almost daily basis after a tournament in Indianapolis, and as you will see, we owe much of our success to two high school seniors.  As if we were not lame enough already.

February 21st, 2007: Tomlin writes his first edition of “Need to Know Wednesday”.  Ironically enough, the first edition was written on a Monday and published on a Thursday. 

March 22nd, 2007: Tubby Smith leaves Kentucky.  KSR not only crashes but crashes every other site on the same server.  Largest hits day up to that point.

April 6th, 2007: Billy Gillispie hired at Kentucky.  KSR immediately berates hire as awful choice, claiming Gillispie has history of putting players in toilets.  Tomlin immediately has drink in honor of Gillispie.

April 8th, 2007: For the first time, many readers see the man, the myth, the haircut known as Matt Jones on television during the Billy Gillispie introduction press conference.  Matt uses this opportunity to ask the hard-hitting question to Gillispie, “Uh coach, what do you think of Sanjaya?”

May 10th, 2007:Marc Maggard writes for KSR.  A deep friendship…..nay….brotherhood develops between Marc and Matt.  (No seriously, Marc actually wrote for this site for 18 minutes or so.  Then he decided not to be in the media and quit.)

May 16th, 2007: Patrick Patterson picks Kentucky.  Kentucky fans pick KSR to hear news.  Easily the key day in the growth of this site. 

July 14th, 2007:KSR introduces us to a guy named Kige Ramsey.  Initially, Matt had some trepidation of the possibility of Kige taking all the ladies away the writers, but he relents and Kige has since become a Hall of Famer. 

September 13th, 2007: The Turkey Hunter posts what is still likely the most INFAMOUS post in KSR history, a poem leading into the UK-UL football game.  The poem was read over the air of a popular radio show, and that host was suspended because of it.  On that same day, somebody named Shawn Bridwell began writing for KSR and does so for the next 5 months.  Also known as pulling a Kate Martin shift. 

November 27th, 2007:Rob Gidel officially leaves KSR to join the Lexington Legends.  Some would call that a step down in career.  Rob decided to call it “making money”. 

December 3rd, 2007: Bryan the Intern begins his time at KSR.  The site suddenly has a spike in women readers.  Specifically, fat women readers.  SHUT UP!!!  They need loving too.  Tell them Turkey Hunter.

January 18th, 2008: Matt Jones asks if Jon Hood is the “future face of Kentucky basketball“.  Besiner responds with a resounding yes. 

January 21st, 2008: Matt begins new radio show on 93.9 The Ticket in Louisville.

February 11th, 2008:John Wilkinson, the original Intern, is voted 2007 KSR Top Blogger with 30% of the vote.  Amazingly, the people of Florida still voted for Pat Buchanan, robbing Tomlin of the crown. 

February 20th, 2008:  Two words:  Poop Tooth.

March 14th, 2008:Matt lives through the tornado at the Georgia Dome.  In the process, he pushes an old man out of the way of a falling piece of debris.  That old man turns out to be Jerry Tipton.  KSR loses readers in droves, barely survives. 

April 9th, 2008:The site undergoes it’s first major expansion, merging with Wildcat Blitz to add superstar writer Evan Hilbert to the KSR family.  As part of his contract, he agrees to join site only if one of his less talented writers, TJ Beisner is also included.  Matt agrees, only if he is allowed to call him Thomas and mispronounce his name. 

April 21st, 2008:KSR begins its barnstorming tour with Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford.  The first stop: The Booming Metropolis of Hopkinsville.  (Insert Price is Right Loser Sound Effect here)

July 9th, 2008:  The phrase “Kragthorpe, how’s my ass taste?” enters the KSR vernacular.

July 14th, 2008:Hunter McClintock.  Greatest Player Ever.

August 8th, 2008:Matt releases this groundbreaking story of his run-in with future #1 draft pick  perennial NFL back-up Brian Brohm.  Matt will contend he won that fight with his proper use of the words “poopy pants” compared to Brohm calling him a “dork”.  

August 12th, 2008: Boone’s Butcher Shop makes it way on KSR.  Matt Boone becomes next Sam Walton.

September 8th, 2008: KSR reveals that 306 people have visited the website after googling the term “Ryan Kelly Poop Tooth”.  Some of us begin to question humanity as a whole.

September 17th, 2008:KSR starts its first “Who Wants to be a Blogger” contest.  Initially, the contest was to last a couple weeks.  If you believe that, I have a T-shirt to give you from any other KSR contest. 

October 2nd, 2008:Fake Gimel Martinez joins the KSR staff.  Rumors speculate if it is the real Gimel, making BTI jealous he did not choose the name Fake Carlos Toomer.

November 28th, 2008:Beisner takes the 2008 KSR Top Blogger title away from the Original Intern, garnering 34% of the vote.  Matt continues to wonder why he is not most liked on the website he created.  BTI finishes behind Hitler in voting.  

December 15th, 2008:Hunter Campbell is announced the winner of the first “Who Wants to be a Blogger” contest, a mere 3 months after the damn thing started.  Hunter immediately retires, citing old age and fatigue from the grueling contest. 

January 12th, 2009:Tennessee Hate Day.  Maybe the greatest collection of 1-day posts in site history.  Tony Harris sends complimentary uzi to every KSR member for the day.  Jodie Meeks shows his love by pouring in 54 against the Vols that night. 

February 9th, 2009:Aaron’s links begin appearing on KSR.  Many wonder if his last name is Tipton.  Aaron wonders if people have a life. 

March 27th, 2009:Billy Gillispie canned at Kentucky. The highest hits day in KSR history at that point.  Still ranks as the 3rd highest hits day.   

March 31st, 2009:THE LARGEST HITS DAY IN KSR HISTORY.  Also known as the day Calipari was hired.  But honestly, who remembers this guy Calipari?  People absolutely remember the largest hits day in site history. 

May 13th, 2009:With Matt not able to travel the world following high school juniors, KSR finds a scout basketball recruiting guy named Dustin Raumbaugh to fill that void.  Rumbaugh hails from PRP High School in Louisville, proving that, along with BTI, only brilliant people come from PRP.

June 22nd, 2009: Matt opens up the 2nd edition of “Who Wants to be a Blogger”.  Entrants go down significantly after reports of Hunter Campbell being abused surface from the Courier-Journal.  Hunter denies reports, but does so with a wired jaw.   

July 8th, 2009:The first ever KSR baby is born, this one to Tomlin.  Despite KSR strongly pushing for the name Landanian (think about it), he chooses Christopher, almost guaranteeing the baby will become gay.  Well done, Tomlin.

July 27th, 2009:KSR readers choose Jamal Mashburn as the moved loved modern UK basketball player in a landslide vote over Tayshuan Prince.  Proves that UK fans have been miserable bastards since 1993. 

August 13th, 2009:KSR gobbles up another blog, stealing Drew Franklin from the HoraceGrantReport for the high price of 0 dollars.  Drew begins his tenure with a story about bartending and waiting for the moment to pounce a 16-toed baby on the KSR nation. 

August 15th, 2009: Evan Hilbert ends his tenure with KSR.  Most people wonder if he will name his first child Dilbert. 

September 17th, 2009: The first edition of Tomlin’s “FAQ” post appears, previewing the UK/UL game that season, giving you all the information you didn’t need to know and might not be accurate.  On that same day, KSR writers execute their 2nd Hate Day, this time on Louisville. 

October 16th, 2009: Drew Franklin releases the first edition of the KSR Body Issue.  Ummmm, Rick Pitino and Pat Forde naked.  Thanks for that Drew.

October 30th, 2009:Will Lentz is declared the winner of the 2nd Who Wants to Be a Blogger contest after a 4 month quest.  But, in a stunning move, Matt also invites the 2nd and 3rd place finishers, Chris Johns and Patrick Barker to join as well.  KSR nation says in 1 voice “Why the hell did this take 4 months?”

November 1st, 2009:Although the site was started due to podcasts, Matt officially starts podcasting with the entire crew on this date.  Jeremy Jarmon and Woo were early guests.

November 3rd, 2009: Katie Martin starts writing for KSR, giving it a female flavor.  She tries to dunk basketball to show off to the boys, but falls on her ass, injures her back, and her time at KSR becomes short lived.

January 1st, 2010:Drew Franklin wins the 2009 KSR Top Blogger contest, beating defending champ Beisner by 2 percentage points.  Franklin responds by drinking himself into a coma.

February 18th, 2010:Matt and the crew head out with CBS Sports for a road trip to see mediocre college basketball.  In the process, Matt realizes that Jaime Dixon hates him, people in the midwest are “frumpy” and sometimes it snows in the winter.

March 8th, 2010:BTI starts his Rants and Ramblings post, which greatly excites the creators of Deadspin, who were tired of him straight copying their website.

March 22nd, 2010: Drew Franklin nearly ruins KSR by diving into the world of pornography and Samantha Ryan.  But, proving we are just like a mafia family around here, he eventually suffocates her with his eyebrows and the problems go away.  But, we now know that Ryan does not partake in bourbon. 

April 14th, 2010:Brandon Knight and Michael Gilchrist both commit to Kentucky on this day, marking the 2nd highest hits day in site history.  It’s probably the 1st highest talent commitment day for UK though.  As a side note, the site did NOT crash this day. 

April 30th, 2010: Terrence Jones keeps UK fans up late, then decides to go to Washington.  And then doesn’t decide to go to Washington.  And then decides to wear a red tie to prom.  The 5th highest hits day in KSR history.

July 26th, 2010:Matt Jones begins covering, live and in person, the trial of Rick Pitino-extorter Karen Sypher.  Over the course of the next 10 days, Matt becomes to go-to guy for blogs and radio who choose to cover the trial. 

July 27th, 2010:KSR begins inducting it’s first ever Hall of Fame class.  The first 5-man class includes The Door, Kige Ramsey, Bomani Jones, Patterson-Lucas, and Jorts.   

August 15th, 2010: The KSR crew makes it’s way to Canada for the summer basketball tour.  Drew Franklin makes his way back to Detroit and nearly dies.  People wonder what is the biggest story.

August 22nd, 2010:Clear Channel in Louisville announces the new KentuckySportsRadio show to begin. 

September 24th, 2010:Eric Bledsoe grades are dissected from the Birmingham School Board.  KSR fans flock to the site worried about potential ramifications to the program.  A top 5 hits day for KSR.  

November 15th, 2010:After the departure of Kate Martin, Matt brings in the new token girl, Tyler Thompson.  She immediately impresses by being able to dunk a basketball and talk flirtatious to the boys. 

November 29th, 2010: KSR makes it’s way into the television world as IC2 actually allows Matt’s haircut to be seen by statewide viewers twice a night. 

December 13th, 2010:Matt Jones, after just over 5 years of running KentuckySportsRadio, hands the reigns over Thomas Lamar Beinser III.  Matt takes a position with cbssportsline.com, as he tries to brainwash people outside of Kentucky with his liberal agenda that will lead us into a socialist nation.  Or maybe it was just a better position.  Opinions differ. 

January 5th, 2011: Matthew Hays, Nathan Gower, Chris Thomas, and some guy named Evan Hilbert join KSR to fill the void left by Matt Jones.  All 4 immediately jump BTI and Patrick Barker in likeability.  None of them jump Tyler Thompson.  Boom.  Roasted. 

I know I speak for everyone who is writing or has ever written for KSR when I say how enjoyable it is to add any sense of entertainment to your lives.  Matt Jones doesn’t have any of the successes he has attained without you all.  I don’t have any of the death threats I have attained without you all.  But in all seriousness, thank you for your passion for UK and thank you for spreading the word about KSR.  Hopefully we can continue to add memories to this list for at least the next 5 years.