Matt is joined by Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance to discuss Vance's observations of Appalachia.  A Middletown, Oh. native, Vance's time in Eastern Kentucky primarily occurred during summers with his grandparents in Breathitt County.  After serving as a Marine and attending Yale Law School, hear his sociological analysis in this discussion with Matt, that includes:

--  The hardest part for Vance when he went to Yale.

--  The similarities and differences in their upbringings.

--  How disenfranchisement led to the rise of Donald Trump.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

If you'd like to read Hillbilly Elegy, check it out on Amazon.

Matt is joined by talented broadcaster Ian Eagle to talk about his career that extends into college basketball, boxing, tennis, golf and the NFL.  Eagle shares stories from throughout his extensive career and much more, including:

--  Eagle's unique relationship with Calipari while calling the Nets' play-by-play.

--  How Tony Robbins was involved when Calipari was fired by the Nets.

--  What it's like when you're dad is a stand-up comedian.

--  The strangest events Eagle has ever covered.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

Freddie, Jared and Nick of the KSR Football Podcast join Matt to prepare the BBN for the 2016 football season.  The crew goes through every position to help you understand what Mark Stoops has to work with entering his fourth season.  A few of the topics they cover:

--  How Eddie Gran and Lamar Thomas will make a difference.

--  A position-by-position analysis of the roster.

--  Jared's offseason negativity.

--  The defense's most important player.

--  The most important games on the schedule.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

Today's episode is all about "Last Chance U," the Netflix documentary that follows  the football program of East Mississippi Community College. The star of the show, academic advisor Brittany Wagner, joins Matt to discuss her life at the Junior College.  After speaking with Wagner, Matt gets perspective from another viewer, Mark Ennis.  Highlights:

--  Life behind the scenes, away from the camera crew.

--  The time Wagner spent with UK players before they came to Lexington.

--  Ennis discusses how he thinks the UofL football team will fare this season.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

After traveling all around the country, The Matt Jones Podcast returns with everyone's favorite guest, Tony Vanetti.  Capturing the Olympic spirit, USA Today's Dan Wolken calls in from Rio to provide an Olympic update.  A few highlights:

--  Tony has officially become an old man.

--  Will Tony miss Matt when he moves to Lexington?

--  How one covers the Olympics on a day-to-day basis.

--  Does Dan feel any danger in Rio?

--  Can the USA Basketball team lose?

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

A fan favorite from the early days of KSR, former UK point guard Ramel "Smooth" Bradley joins The Matt Jones Podcast to discuss his time at Kentucky and what he has going on now.  Freddie Maggard and Nick Roush join the podcast to talk football after spending four days in Hoover for SEC Media Days.  Some of what you'll hear:

--  How Smooth thinks The Bluegrass Boys will fare in The Basketball Tournament.

--  A surprise appearance from Joe Crawford.

--  Is Mark Stoops worried about Drew Barker?

--  Where Kentucky football stands compared to the rest of the SEC.

--  Can Matt Elam and players like him still be effective in the SEC?

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

The Golden Anniversary of the podcast celebrates one of Kentucky football's greatest accomplishments.  Two of the four Kentucky Wildcats that helped integrate the SEC, Nate Worthington and Wilbur Hackett, join the podcast to discuss their journey.  Before they're immortalized with statues in front of Commonwealth Stadium, hear their story.  Highlights:

--  How the Governor convinced Northington to come to Kentucky.

--  Were there African-American UK fans in Louisville in the 60s?

--  How Northington handled Greg Page's tragic death.

--  What it was like to travel to the South for SEC football games.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

Tony Vanetti hasn't been back on the program since Matt went on vacation, and today he returns with a bang ahead of the podcast's 50th birthday.  They discuss all of the news stories from the last month before ESPN's Ryen Russell joins the program.  Highlights include:

--  Hear both sides of the infamous story about Matt's ESPN suit.

--  Matt doles outs some Peach Jam advice for yours truly.

--  How Russillo got the part at ESPN and how he transitioned after SVP's departure.

--  What it's like to work for ESPN in Bristol.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

It's a high-powered podcast, bringing Kentucky native and NASCAR legend, Michael Waltrip, onto the program.  Before that interview, Matt discusses the insanity surrounding NBA Agency with Alex Kennedy of BasketballInsiders.com. Just a few highlights:

--  What KD's move means for the rest of the NBA.

--  Waltrip's 2012 National Championship experience, with a little trash talking to Clint Bowyer.

--  Waltrip discusses how he got into NASCAR and previews the race at Kentucky Speedway.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.

Matt is celebrating his return vacation by returning to the podcast, starting with Joe Sonka of Insider Louisville.  Joe helps Matt catch up with what happened around the state over the last two weeks (hint: it's A LOT).  Some of what they discussed:

--  The nuts and bolts of what's happened with UofL's Board of Trustees.

--  Ramsey's position as President and member of the Foundation...is it actually in jeopardy?

--  The potential consequences of Matt Bevin's latest moves.

You can have every podcast delivered straight to your phone by searching for “The Matt Jones Podcast” on iTunes and clicking “subscribe.” It doesn’t get much easier than that. If you aren’t an iTunes person, you can also stream every podcast on Podbay or check it out on the Stitcher app.