August 23, 2024 • 11 mins
Mo talks Reds/Pirates with Alex Faust from Apple TV, on ESPN 1530!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Twenty two after four ESPN fifteen thirty moneggor more on
the Bengals Tony Pike in twenty minutes, as we put
a bow in the preseason, I want to ask about
a position in particular. We saw Trayvon Williams last night
show some flashes, wasn't enough That coming up in just
a bit, plus Joey Evado on the moment he decided
to retire, on the moment he decided I'm done. This
(00:23):
is really good stuff coming up in just about ten minutes.
But first, speaking of well, Joey Vado's former team, which
I really wasn't but they do play tonight against the Pirates.
They're the Apple TV Friday Night game. Alex Faust is
the play by play voice for Friday Night Baseball and
Apple TV. These game broadcasts are really good. They're clean,
they're modern, they're visually really cool. They're kind of broadcast
(00:47):
from a different perspective. You'll get some really cool sights
tonight of panc Park, which is awesome. So Alex, I
appreciate the time, and I have a game tonight. I
would imagine, you know, you have two teams right now.
Let's le's call it what it is. The Pirates have
completely fallen apart here in August, the Reds are six
and a half games out. These are not playoff bound teams.
(01:08):
They are teams with a lot of really promising young players.
They are teams that also appear to have a ways
to go, and I would imagine that's going to be
a big part of what you guys talk about during
tonight's broadcast.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, first of all, thank you for the kind words.
You know, we've worked really hard to try to make
these broadcasts, as you know, clean as possible, and you know,
we listen to a lot of the viewer feedback and
certainly we appreciate the kind words. I mean, yeah, I
think you're you're right on with these two franchises and
where they're at right now. What's interesting about both is
(01:42):
that while both feature very young teams and we're going
to be focusing a lot on you know, the two
star shortstops and O'Neil Cruz and Ala de la Cruz,
I think there's also a sense from both clubs that
there's something that's missing here. And as you know, much
as you want to use youth as a crutch sometimes
(02:04):
as an excuse, sometimes I think there is real frustration
too of Okay, they're young. Okay, we've seen them take stride,
but can they get to the next level and what's
it going to take for them to reach that point
where they're not just a nice story and they've got
these you know, kids who individually are fun to watch.
(02:24):
But you know, we'll dive a little bit deeper. And
you know, as much as Elie de la Cruz, you know,
sixty stolen bases, defense is an issue as much as
o'meo Cruz and his crazy you know, exit velocity and
how you know when he connects, he just is otherworldly.
But he's got massive defensive problems that they're trying to
(02:45):
sort through in Pittsburgh, and frankly, it affects the future
of both clubs, you know, how they address both of
those things.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, I've said that often here this summer. You know,
last year, as you might imagine, was so much fun. Right,
they lose one hundred things into they twenty two, and
then last year they're in first place as late as August.
There's this just NonStop infusion of youth and energy and
upside and it's terrific. And we're still saying some of
the same things, wondering when true, genuine contention is going
(03:15):
to arrive. And I get frustrated because as as far
as the franchise has come, it still feels like they're
ways away. And if we're having the same conversations a
year from now about youth and upside and boy, it's
it's coming, I'm not sure that's gonna work.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, I think that's the crux of the matter. And
for the Red they at least have a few more
baked in, you know, excuses or challenges that they've had
to deal with this year with all the you know,
the pitching injuries and you know, even position players. You
think about, you know, Matt McClain being out. I know,
we got some good news this week, you know, clear
to start swinging. But you know they've they've been kind
(03:54):
of hampered from day one this year in a lot
of different ways. You know, to see Hunter Green your
ace go down in the last little while, and you
know it's the pitching staff hasn't been great in the
last little bit. I mean, sixteen homers over the last
seven games. I think it's catching up to them. Perhaps
the lack of depths that they have and so I
(04:16):
think there are some interesting questions. You know, relatively speaking,
the organization's in a good place right because they have
developed all these guys and they are set at so
many different positions. I think there are more questions with
the Pirates, frankly, of where they're at and all the
questions that they're facing with who's going to play where.
Their pitching staff obviously is in really good shape. But
(04:39):
as we've seen with the Seattle Mariners and their fall
from grace out of the division lead in the American League,
with yeah, you can have a terrific pitching staff, you
can have the best pitching staff in the league, and
it's still not enough. You still need to be able
to produce and limit mistakes and play fundamentally sound baseball
to win games.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
You know, we've enjoyed like the entire Delacruz experience. I mean,
just even the last couple of nights, right. He gets
picked off last night, two nights ago in Toronto, six
nothing game, third down, six, He tries to stretch a
single into a double, he gets thrown out. In between
all this, you see the speed, you see the twenty sixty,
You see some of the things he can do on defense,
(05:18):
and boy, the upside is immense. We tend to I
think here and this is what happens when you watch
a guy every single day pick apart the warts and
pick apart the deficiencies. From your perspective, what's it like
watching Ellie dela Cruz. I hate to say, take the
baseball world by storm, but become here in Cincinnati for
a team that's not winning, one of the most talked
about players in the game.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Well, he the phenom. There's no way around it. You know,
when you have sixty stolen bases and you're in August
year and nobody's close. The best staff that I've seen
lately is take away his steals of third and home
and he'd still lead all of baseball and he's still
on bases. It's pretty remarkable. There are only two shortstops
(06:00):
all time in a single season with twenty homers and
fifty stolen bases. Hanley Ramirez is the other. Ellie de
la Cruz has reached that mark this season. I think
you're kind of hinting and winking at there are some
works in there, and I think that you can just
look up the standings a little bit at a team
like the Brewers who are similarly young, and Jackson Curio
(06:23):
is a great player in his own right, a phenom
in his own right, maybe doesn't get as much attention
because he's not the same pure athlete with just who
is as electrifying in every game as only De la
Cruz might be. But you think about they play a
very similar brand of baseball to what the Reds are
(06:43):
trying to do. They are very aggressive on the basse pats,
they don't use the home run as much as other
teams to win games, and yet they play really fundamentally
sound and that's the real difference. I was just calling
the Brewers Cardinals game the other night for for Fox Sports,
and that's the first thing that jumps out to me
(07:04):
is Wow, Yeah, they're really aggressive, but they limit their mistakes,
their sound defensively. Day don't, as you say, you know,
go for an extra base here or there where perhaps
they shouldn't. And I love that David Bell, you know,
gives his team the freedom to try and be aggressive,
and you know, it shows this is an entertaining product
(07:25):
when it works, but you still have to win games,
and you know, the Reds being where they are four
games under five hundred. Great. Realistically, it was one awful
month that something. I mean, if you take away the
month of May, you know they're right in the wild
card hunt. But you know that's the mark of good teams,
right as they're able to put it together over one
sixty two. And that's why it's hard to make the playoffs,
(07:46):
even as expanded as they are in baseball.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Right now, Alex faust Is with US has the call
tonight Apple TV, Reds and Pirates at six forty. I
would imagine, and you can correct me if I'm wrong,
You're going to spend some time sometime tonight on Joey Vado.
And you know, this is been kind of a weird
week because you know, we knew the Reds were gonna
be in Toronto, and you know, all right, is Joey
going to get to to Toronto? Is he going to
make the Jay's He's going to start producing a triple A?
(08:09):
Are they going to call him up? You know, sort
of independent of his lack of production in Buffalo. What's
it going to be like? And then he retires and
so you know, obviously the last couple of days a
lot of memories of Joey Vado. You know, even some wistfulness,
could could it have ended here? Should it have ended
without him trying to make the Blue Jays that sort
of stuff from your perspective, watching his career unfold, watching
(08:32):
him become the kind of beloved personality that he has
turned into, certainly over the last couple of years. I
know you're going to tap into that. Give me an
idea of some of the things you're gonna discuss the
night when it comes to a guy that, for my money,
is going to be in Cooperstown one day.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, I think that's going to be part of the discussion.
Is is just, you know, how does his Hall of
Fame credentials stack up? But I'm glad you raised that
point too. You know, there is some sort of poetic
justice in that he never did play in a major
league game with the Blue Jays organization. I think for
his own sake, I think he's happy that he gave
(09:06):
it a shot with his hometown team, you know, to
have a chance to represent Canada, and he's one of
the great Canadian baseball players all time. It'll be, you know,
when when he gets back to Cincinnati and when he
has his day, whether it's the Jersey retirement and or
a Hall of Fame in Shrineman and I have a
(09:28):
feeling you know both will happen before long. It's going
to be an amazing day for the franchise. I mean,
you think about this way, he's top five in Red's
history and homers, hits, walks, and wins above replacement. You know,
you look at where he ranks in the Reds alone.
I mean, he's right along with Rose and Bench and Larkin.
(09:51):
He's second all time and on base behind Joe Morgan.
He's second in ops all time Red history behind Frank Robinson.
He led the main three times, in on base top
ten of the National League, and slugging eight times. I
think those numbers speak for themselves. He'll be, I believe,
in Cooperstown one day. He also, I'm glad you recognized
(10:17):
that his personality was allowed to flourish and especially the
later years of his tenure in Cincinnati, and I think
represented all that was good with the game of acknowledging.
At the end of the day, it is still a game,
and we are still kids at heart trying to be
able to be part of it on a day to
(10:38):
day basis. And for seventeen years. He was able to
do that in Cincinnati and certainly has his name up
there with the all time greats in Red history.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, that's well put, I'll let you run. I do
appreciate the time. Have a great call tonight. We'll be watching.
Hopefully we can do it again. Man, Thanks so much,
you got it. Thanks man. Alex Foule's voice Friday Night
Baseball and Apple TV has the call tonight Reds and Pirates,
a game that you could, of course hear live. On
seven hundred WLW, we talked about Joe Evado Joe Evado
(11:09):
Today discuss the moment where he realized I'm done. You'll
hear it next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati's
Twenty two after four ESPN fifteen thirty moneggor more on
the Bengals Tony Pike in twenty minutes, as we put
a bow in the preseason, I want to ask about
a position in particular. We saw Trayvon Williams last night
show some flashes, wasn't enough That coming up in just
a bit, plus Joey Evado on the moment he decided
to retire, on the moment he decided I'm done. This
(00:23):
is really good stuff coming up in just about ten minutes.
But first, speaking of well, Joey Vado's former team, which
I really wasn't but they do play tonight against the Pirates.
They're the Apple TV Friday Night game. Alex Faust is
the play by play voice for Friday Night Baseball and
Apple TV. These game broadcasts are really good. They're clean,
they're modern, they're visually really cool. They're kind of broadcast
(00:47):
from a different perspective. You'll get some really cool sights
tonight of panc Park, which is awesome. So Alex, I
appreciate the time, and I have a game tonight. I
would imagine, you know, you have two teams right now.
Let's le's call it what it is. The Pirates have
completely fallen apart here in August, the Reds are six
and a half games out. These are not playoff bound teams.
(01:08):
They are teams with a lot of really promising young players.
They are teams that also appear to have a ways
to go, and I would imagine that's going to be
a big part of what you guys talk about during
tonight's broadcast.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, first of all, thank you for the kind words.
You know, we've worked really hard to try to make
these broadcasts, as you know, clean as possible, and you know,
we listen to a lot of the viewer feedback and
certainly we appreciate the kind words. I mean, yeah, I
think you're you're right on with these two franchises and
where they're at right now. What's interesting about both is
(01:42):
that while both feature very young teams and we're going
to be focusing a lot on you know, the two
star shortstops and O'Neil Cruz and Ala de la Cruz,
I think there's also a sense from both clubs that
there's something that's missing here. And as you know, much
as you want to use youth as a crutch sometimes
(02:04):
as an excuse, sometimes I think there is real frustration
too of Okay, they're young. Okay, we've seen them take stride,
but can they get to the next level and what's
it going to take for them to reach that point
where they're not just a nice story and they've got
these you know, kids who individually are fun to watch.
(02:24):
But you know, we'll dive a little bit deeper. And
you know, as much as Elie de la Cruz, you know,
sixty stolen bases, defense is an issue as much as
o'meo Cruz and his crazy you know, exit velocity and
how you know when he connects, he just is otherworldly.
But he's got massive defensive problems that they're trying to
(02:45):
sort through in Pittsburgh, and frankly, it affects the future
of both clubs, you know, how they address both of
those things.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, I've said that often here this summer. You know,
last year, as you might imagine, was so much fun. Right,
they lose one hundred things into they twenty two, and
then last year they're in first place as late as August.
There's this just NonStop infusion of youth and energy and
upside and it's terrific. And we're still saying some of
the same things, wondering when true, genuine contention is going
(03:15):
to arrive. And I get frustrated because as as far
as the franchise has come, it still feels like they're
ways away. And if we're having the same conversations a
year from now about youth and upside and boy, it's
it's coming, I'm not sure that's gonna work.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, I think that's the crux of the matter. And
for the Red they at least have a few more
baked in, you know, excuses or challenges that they've had
to deal with this year with all the you know,
the pitching injuries and you know, even position players. You
think about, you know, Matt McClain being out. I know,
we got some good news this week, you know, clear
to start swinging. But you know they've they've been kind
(03:54):
of hampered from day one this year in a lot
of different ways. You know, to see Hunter Green your
ace go down in the last little while, and you
know it's the pitching staff hasn't been great in the
last little bit. I mean, sixteen homers over the last
seven games. I think it's catching up to them. Perhaps
the lack of depths that they have and so I
(04:16):
think there are some interesting questions. You know, relatively speaking,
the organization's in a good place right because they have
developed all these guys and they are set at so
many different positions. I think there are more questions with
the Pirates, frankly, of where they're at and all the
questions that they're facing with who's going to play where.
Their pitching staff obviously is in really good shape. But
(04:39):
as we've seen with the Seattle Mariners and their fall
from grace out of the division lead in the American League,
with yeah, you can have a terrific pitching staff, you
can have the best pitching staff in the league, and
it's still not enough. You still need to be able
to produce and limit mistakes and play fundamentally sound baseball
to win games.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
You know, we've enjoyed like the entire Delacruz experience. I mean,
just even the last couple of nights, right. He gets
picked off last night, two nights ago in Toronto, six
nothing game, third down, six, He tries to stretch a
single into a double, he gets thrown out. In between
all this, you see the speed, you see the twenty sixty,
You see some of the things he can do on defense,
(05:18):
and boy, the upside is immense. We tend to I
think here and this is what happens when you watch
a guy every single day pick apart the warts and
pick apart the deficiencies. From your perspective, what's it like
watching Ellie dela Cruz. I hate to say, take the
baseball world by storm, but become here in Cincinnati for
a team that's not winning, one of the most talked
about players in the game.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Well, he the phenom. There's no way around it. You know,
when you have sixty stolen bases and you're in August
year and nobody's close. The best staff that I've seen
lately is take away his steals of third and home
and he'd still lead all of baseball and he's still
on bases. It's pretty remarkable. There are only two shortstops
(06:00):
all time in a single season with twenty homers and
fifty stolen bases. Hanley Ramirez is the other. Ellie de
la Cruz has reached that mark this season. I think
you're kind of hinting and winking at there are some
works in there, and I think that you can just
look up the standings a little bit at a team
like the Brewers who are similarly young, and Jackson Curio
(06:23):
is a great player in his own right, a phenom
in his own right, maybe doesn't get as much attention
because he's not the same pure athlete with just who
is as electrifying in every game as only De la
Cruz might be. But you think about they play a
very similar brand of baseball to what the Reds are
(06:43):
trying to do. They are very aggressive on the basse pats,
they don't use the home run as much as other
teams to win games, and yet they play really fundamentally
sound and that's the real difference. I was just calling
the Brewers Cardinals game the other night for for Fox Sports,
and that's the first thing that jumps out to me
(07:04):
is Wow, Yeah, they're really aggressive, but they limit their mistakes,
their sound defensively. Day don't, as you say, you know,
go for an extra base here or there where perhaps
they shouldn't. And I love that David Bell, you know,
gives his team the freedom to try and be aggressive,
and you know, it shows this is an entertaining product
(07:25):
when it works, but you still have to win games,
and you know, the Reds being where they are four
games under five hundred. Great. Realistically, it was one awful
month that something. I mean, if you take away the
month of May, you know they're right in the wild
card hunt. But you know that's the mark of good teams,
right as they're able to put it together over one
sixty two. And that's why it's hard to make the playoffs,
(07:46):
even as expanded as they are in baseball.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Right now, Alex faust Is with US has the call
tonight Apple TV, Reds and Pirates at six forty. I
would imagine, and you can correct me if I'm wrong,
You're going to spend some time sometime tonight on Joey Vado.
And you know, this is been kind of a weird
week because you know, we knew the Reds were gonna
be in Toronto, and you know, all right, is Joey
going to get to to Toronto? Is he going to
make the Jay's He's going to start producing a triple A?
(08:09):
Are they going to call him up? You know, sort
of independent of his lack of production in Buffalo. What's
it going to be like? And then he retires and
so you know, obviously the last couple of days a
lot of memories of Joey Vado. You know, even some wistfulness,
could could it have ended here? Should it have ended
without him trying to make the Blue Jays that sort
of stuff from your perspective, watching his career unfold, watching
(08:32):
him become the kind of beloved personality that he has
turned into, certainly over the last couple of years. I
know you're going to tap into that. Give me an
idea of some of the things you're gonna discuss the
night when it comes to a guy that, for my money,
is going to be in Cooperstown one day.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, I think that's going to be part of the discussion.
Is is just, you know, how does his Hall of
Fame credentials stack up? But I'm glad you raised that
point too. You know, there is some sort of poetic
justice in that he never did play in a major
league game with the Blue Jays organization. I think for
his own sake, I think he's happy that he gave
(09:06):
it a shot with his hometown team, you know, to
have a chance to represent Canada, and he's one of
the great Canadian baseball players all time. It'll be, you know,
when when he gets back to Cincinnati and when he
has his day, whether it's the Jersey retirement and or
a Hall of Fame in Shrineman and I have a
(09:28):
feeling you know both will happen before long. It's going
to be an amazing day for the franchise. I mean,
you think about this way, he's top five in Red's
history and homers, hits, walks, and wins above replacement. You know,
you look at where he ranks in the Reds alone.
I mean, he's right along with Rose and Bench and Larkin.
(09:51):
He's second all time and on base behind Joe Morgan.
He's second in ops all time Red history behind Frank Robinson.
He led the main three times, in on base top
ten of the National League, and slugging eight times. I
think those numbers speak for themselves. He'll be, I believe,
in Cooperstown one day. He also, I'm glad you recognized
(10:17):
that his personality was allowed to flourish and especially the
later years of his tenure in Cincinnati, and I think
represented all that was good with the game of acknowledging.
At the end of the day, it is still a game,
and we are still kids at heart trying to be
able to be part of it on a day to
(10:38):
day basis. And for seventeen years. He was able to
do that in Cincinnati and certainly has his name up
there with the all time greats in Red history.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Yeah, that's well put, I'll let you run. I do
appreciate the time. Have a great call tonight. We'll be watching.
Hopefully we can do it again. Man, Thanks so much,
you got it. Thanks man. Alex Foule's voice Friday Night
Baseball and Apple TV has the call tonight Reds and Pirates,
a game that you could, of course hear live. On
seven hundred WLW, we talked about Joe Evado Joe Evado
(11:09):
Today discuss the moment where he realized I'm done. You'll
hear it next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati's
Mo Egger News
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