March 26, 2025 • 16 mins
Chad Dotson is one of our favorite writers. He and Chris Garber have revised their book, The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the Cincinnati Reds. It's a must-read for every Reds fan.
He also writes Reds columns for Cincinnati Magazine and his newsletter, The Riverfront, is also outstanding.
Chad joined us to talk about the book, the 2025 Reds, and tons more on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
He also writes Reds columns for Cincinnati Magazine and his newsletter, The Riverfront, is also outstanding.
Chad joined us to talk about the book, the 2025 Reds, and tons more on ESPN1530.
Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
That's after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty on
Moeger Opening Day, Eve Reds and Giants to be playing
twenty four hours and right now, barring some sort of
weather event. One of my favorite people over the years
to talk with about the Reds and to read read
their work about the Reds is Chad Dotson. He has
(00:23):
a preseason column up at Cincinnati Magazine dot com right say,
a regular Reds column for that publication has a newsletter
which is terrific, The Riverfront, which you should subscribe to
that and he has also released a second edition of
one of my favorite Reds books, The Men and Moments
that Made the Cincinnati Reds. He co authored this with
(00:43):
a guy by the name of Chris Garber, and the
first edition came out in twenty eighteen. Since then there
have been other men and other moments, and so there's
an updated version. I have it in my hands. I
have Chad on the line. That's a long intro. It's
great to have you, Happy opening day.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
How are you.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Good to talk to you again? Mode? Just getting ready
for this baseball season.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Here's what I hope. I hope this season and I
hope the coming seasons. I hope the rest of this
decade compel you to have to do like the Big
one hundred. I hope the next four or five years
are that memorable, that meaningful.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
I hold out hope.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
How about you.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Oh, I want to update this book as often as
I can, to add all the new.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Championships and all the new exciting moments.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
So you know, it's a line I used in my
column this week was that that hope is undefeated in March,
and so that's I'm in that hopeful mode right now.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
It is the season getting ready to get started.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah, I think we all are, and we'll get to
that here in just a second. You were kind enough
to join me when you and Chris put this book together.
The first time which I looked it up today was
twenty eighteen, and I told you then what i'll tell
you now. I like the fact that this isn't necessarily
a countdown of moments, right. I think there are books
(01:58):
who have done that, any of us can do that.
I like the fact that there are plenty of moments,
but it's really about the individuals, and that, to me
is what I like most about what you and Chris
have done.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Yeah, you know, we didn't want to be just a
straight countown either, but sort of fifty important men and
moments that every Reds fan needs to know more about it.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And our approach to this was.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
We need to pick the big men in moments, but
also for every one of those moments, each chapter needs
to be If you're a brand new Reds fan, you
can dive in and you're gonna learn.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
All about it.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
But even if you're a hardcore, long time Redspan we
wanted something every single chapter that we learned and there
were plenty of things in doing the research, so there's
something for every level of Redspan and we're really pleased
with the final product.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, no, as you should be. And I think I
said this to you seven years ago. There's lots of
stuff in here that when I saw, all right, they've
done a chapter on this, you know, or they've done
they've done a chapter on this moment or player that
I thought I was really familiar with that in reading
what you wrote about it, I learned something that I
didn't know.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, we went to a lot.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Of primary sources, original newspaper columns, you know, I mean,
we really did a deep dive on everything and talk
to people interviews, and so yeah, that's my hope is
that whoever thinks they're the most well read or knows
more about the rant history than anyone, you will find
something in this book you didn't know, I guarantee you.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
And the primary example of that for me is, and
this is maybe a little bit of a deep cut
for some of our listeners, is the chapter on the
nineteen nineteen World Series because I think, in large part
because of the movie that came out in the late eighties,
I think that entire ordeal and that entire series, I
think the Reds roll in it and why they should
have won anyway, even if the other team wasn't on
(03:50):
the take.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
It's totally obscured by history.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yes, And that was a fun one to research and
to learn more about it because that was the same
way because that's a narrative that we've been said our
entire lives, and so just to go back and look
at who the team actually was and that they were
a legitimately good team under manager.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Pat Moran and had you know, Hall of famers, and.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Just it was. It was not what it is portrayed
to be. Because the narrative of the Black Sox took control.
But I probably learned more myself in researching at Chris
and I writing that chapter.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Than maybe any other chapter.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I also like the fact that you include a chapter
about when you think of the Reds and you think
of their history, you don't think pitching first. Right, Like,
if we were to sit down and come up with
a list of like the ten to fifteen most identifiable
figures in franchise history, we're talking offensive players for the
most part. There are exceptions, And so you had a
chapter on flamethrowers, and there are other chapters about Ann,
(04:50):
Tom Severs, No Hitter and other seminal figures in this
franchise's history. I love the fact, though, that there's a
chapter devoted specifically to the men on the Mound, because
those are not the guys you think of first when
you think of this franchise.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
You're right, And and that's actually a chapter that it's
new in this uh, in this the revised updated edition
of the book.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Because we liked folks a little bit on flamethrowers, because
there have been a lot of them, uh over Red's history,
and you know, Hunter Green is the most recent, uh obviously,
and we wanted to talk about Hunter Green and just
uh because I last year he established.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Himself as an ace and he's a he's a big
name of this organization.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
But but you're right, we don't focus a lot on
on the pitching, and so uh to to that point,
probably my favorite chapter in the entire book is a
chapter on Yule Blackwell, the wit they called him, you know,
and uh, just I learned so much about him in
writing it, and it was it was fun to listen
(05:51):
to and read about the different things they called called
him back to the all kinds of all kinds of
crazy nicknames.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
So we did.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
We we tried to folks some some things that were
important in history and maybe a little underserved sometimes.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And by the way, I think there are a lot
of teams that are underserved, right, Like you know, the
twenty twelve team. You have a chapter on them, and
obviously that goes back to the first publishing of the book.
But when everybody thinks twenty twelve, they think of blowing
the two to zero lead. I think of a ninety
seven win team that might be the best Reds team
of my adulthood. I think of the ninety nine team,
which if you talk to a lot of folks, my
(06:27):
age is like the one that brought them back to baseball.
A lot of people to this day, more than a
quarter century later, say that's their favorite all time team.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I love.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I love things like this that give those teams their
due and for more than just how it ended, whether
it was with success or disappointment.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Well, and I guess maybe that's the generational thing with us,
is that we haven't had as much. You know, I
was a teenager when they won the World Series. But
you know, maybe my favorite team is ninety five or
ninety nine, and definitely twenty twelve.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
You know, twenty twelve is the teams that we.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
All remember, the Buster Posey Grand Slam and blowing the
two ole when they came back home. But what I
really remember from that is we had an actual team
that year, all year long, that was a legitimate World
Series containder. No, they didn't get there, but I had
a lot of fun over one hundred and sixty two
games with that team. Some great personalities and great performances.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
It's a team that doesn't need to be forgotten just
because they didn't get past get to the ultimate goal.
We wanted them to get there, so we thought it
was important to include them.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, I would agree with that.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
The Big fifty, the men in moments that made the
Cincinnati Reds, Chad Dodson, Chris Garber, revised and updated it is.
Do you like it when people say it's available wherever
you get books? So, do you have a place you
want people to go?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Well, no, it should be available in bookstores around the area.
It's also available all online retailers, so no, just pick
it up. I guarantee you're going to find something there
to enjoy.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I would concur with that.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Let me talk with you about this year's team as
I read your Cincinnati Magazine column and it kind of
hit the sweet spot where I am and where a
lot of us are, where I could look at data
and I've read every projection, and I've read all the
smart people who objectively sort of bring the mood down
(08:19):
and tell you this team's ceiling is not that high
and the most likely outcome is they finished closer to
the bottom of the division than closer to the top
of the division, and they throw cold water over our
playoff expectations, and like, nobody wants to read or hear
that in March or April. I genuinely do think, Chad,
(08:39):
that this team has more potential than the one that
came before it, and the one that came before that one,
and certainly the one that came before that one. I
would imagine, and this is more than just you being
a Reds fan, because you could, you could put some
more thought into this than I can.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
I would imagine that you agree.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Well, you know, it's it's easy to just say, oh,
the Reds are going to break our hearts.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
They always do.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
But I absolutely one agree with that, and I don't
believe it's just my sort of annual spring fever about
the Reds and spring optimism, because there are significant differences there.
I think we have a little more depth on the
pitching staff than they've had in recent years. We have
another year of growth with the kids. You know, Elie's
(09:24):
Alien Hunter Green are established All Stars now, but you
know Mclaim's back, and you.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Know we're hopeful about being Canrossi on strand and so.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
But the piece of it that really is different than
any and I'm so eager to see how this manifests
itself in the regular season is the Terry francona piece
you know, Francona has a not just the history of winning,
but history of winning with rosters that are somewhat similar
to what he's gonna have here this year, next year,
the year after. And so I'm as eager to watch
(09:54):
the development of this this roster, in this organization in
the next you know, thirty days, ninety days year, two
years than.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
I have been in a while. I think there's a
real chance of turning a corner.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
And so so I don't want to believe the data either.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I'm choosing to be optimistic and.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
The data doesn't account for and frankly I can either
that the data doesn't necessarily account for how many wins
a manager is going to be worth.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Well, it's exactly right. And you know, the data really doesn't.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
It's it's a computer, it's it can't talk about how
much is Ellie daily cru is going to be even
more transformational this year? You know?
Speaker 3 (10:31):
And it says what the numbers say it should say.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
But I think things like that, and especially frank ConA,
how much if he if he's a I don't want
to put a number how many wins, but any wins
that he provides that we wouldn't have had otherwise.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
He starts looking a little bit differently because it's going
to be a fairly tight division.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
I mean, the Cubs are supposedly improved, but no one
else really stands out to.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Be So there's an opportunity here.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, I would again, I would agree with that. Chad
Dodson with this for another couple of minutes. I'm a
fan of The Riverfront, which is your newsletter, and the
most thought provoking piece for me that you wrote this winter,
I think came on a weekend. I have always been
kind of ambivalent about the Hall of Fame case for
(11:18):
David Concepcion, right like, I didn't grow up watching him play.
I grew up when he was an aging player on
the Reds, playing some first base.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
You know, late eighties.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I don't remember him in his prime, and so I've
always appreciated and honored his place in Red's history.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I've never been particularly.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Moved by his Cooperstown case, but I love a good
Hall of Fame argument. So you write this piece about
David Conceptscion, and by the end of it, not only
was I convinced, I started to think that David Conceptsion's
omission from Cooperstown is egregeous. So Number one, awesome piece,
because I love things that make me think and make
me sort of change my point of view. Number Two,
(11:57):
if this is something you want a champion moving forward,
I'm right there.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
You this has to happen, so.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Let's do it. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I've changed my mind over the years on this as well.
You know, I was the same as you. You know,
I saw Conceptsy at the end of his career and
he was one of our you know, links to the
Big Red Machine obviously, but I thought he was in
the Hall of very good We would say, you know,
a really good player, but maybe maybe not quite a
Hall of Famer. So then you start looking at a
(12:25):
couple of things. And what really got my mind changing
on the subject was when Harold Baines was elected to
the Hall of Fame a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
And I'm a Hall of Fame guy.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Always loved the Hall of Fame arguments, always has when
that happened, and Harold bains was a good player, but
Harold Baines was not my idea of what the Hall
of Fame had traditionally been. And so in my mind,
I said, well, if Harold Bains is a Hall of Famer,
and he is at this point, then what arguments are
there to exclude a guy like Dave conceptcy owned conceptci owned.
(12:58):
Unlike Harold Baines, was considered to be an elite player
at his position during his career, multi Gold Glove winner,
he could hit more than people realize, and when you
look at it, you can compare him to Ozzie Smith.
The only thing Ozzie Smith really has over Dave Conceptsion
is that Audie Smith to do backflip. I just if
(13:21):
you look at the context of a bigger haul, which
is what the Hall of Fame is now, when we're
including guys like Jack Morris and Harold Baines, I just
don't see if there's any way to keep Conceptsion out.
And I think probably his case gets diminished a little
also because he played with a bunch of legitimate legends
of the game, and so maybe that diminishes the way
(13:43):
he looks some.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
But I'm all about I'm ready. I'm ready to try
to make the case and take this on of the call.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, I'm with you too, And I think people also,
and you made this point as well, like I think
people don't realize how dreadful. Most shortstops were offensively in
that era, and so Davey really stood out because there
were very few peers.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You mentioned Harold Bains.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
So I'm excited for this year because I'm a huge
Dave Parker fan, right, like one of my absolute favorites
growing up, and he got Cooper's Towns call this year.
And what really made me feel like, you know, what
Dave Parker should go in is when Harold Bains went.
And my argument was maybe a little bit less nuanced,
but my thing was Harold Bains became a full time
(14:25):
DH of twenty seven. Dave Parker was a two way
player with five tools and robbed of some prime years
because of injuries and other things in his early thirties
when he was playing out his time in Pittsburgh. But
if Harold Bains, basically a one dimensional player for the
most part his entire career, can get in, then Dave
Parker can get in. And this year he does, so
I'm stoked.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Well, I'm exactly the same way.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
And there are similar arguments to Parker, except Parker was
at one time the most fearsome.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Hitter in the league.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Yes, and then if you've never seen the throw he
made in the All Star Game from right field. He
was a very definition of a five tool player. So yeah,
I mean, clearly, if arab mind's the whole netword, Parker
should be slammed up because.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I'm the same way.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
When he came to Cincinnati, he quickly quickly fell in
love with his game and watching him play and his personality.
And so I'm thrilled to see him going in.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Yeah, thrilled that he goes in and thrilled that he
gets a chance to be there to enjoy it. I
enjoyed the Big fifty, the men in moments that made
the Cincinnati Reds. Chad Dodson along with Chris Garber a
terrific read. A great sort of listen to the ballgame
with the background and read about the Reds maybe one
weekend in the coming weeks. This is really good. I
(15:39):
always love having you on, man, Let's do it during
the season. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Well.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
I appreciate the kind words and as you know, always
happy to come on and talk about the Reds.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
So what you should do is you should subscribe to
his newsletter, The Riverfront. You should also read his column
at Cincinnati Magazine and you should buy his book. Chris
Garber the other guy who wrote it with him. Chris
is very good in his own right. The Big fifty,
the men in moments that made the Cincinnati Red sports headlines,
and we got poll questions and injuries to talk about.
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center for National Doctor's Day,
we honor the UC Health physicians who are leading breakthroughs
for better tomorrows. Learn more at UCHealth dot com. No
accidents right now, but traffic stomp and go stunthbound seventy
five between the Western Hills Viaduct and Fort Washington Way
five to ten minutes. Slow down there sathbound two seventy
(16:38):
five down to one lane. That Fort repairs on the
Carrol cropfer Bridge with slow traffic. Back from US fifty
on that Ezelak with traffic.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
This report is sponsored by Stay
That's after four o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty on
Moeger Opening Day, Eve Reds and Giants to be playing
twenty four hours and right now, barring some sort of
weather event. One of my favorite people over the years
to talk with about the Reds and to read read
their work about the Reds is Chad Dotson. He has
(00:23):
a preseason column up at Cincinnati Magazine dot com right say,
a regular Reds column for that publication has a newsletter
which is terrific, The Riverfront, which you should subscribe to
that and he has also released a second edition of
one of my favorite Reds books, The Men and Moments
that Made the Cincinnati Reds. He co authored this with
(00:43):
a guy by the name of Chris Garber, and the
first edition came out in twenty eighteen. Since then there
have been other men and other moments, and so there's
an updated version. I have it in my hands. I
have Chad on the line. That's a long intro. It's
great to have you, Happy opening day.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
How are you.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Good to talk to you again? Mode? Just getting ready
for this baseball season.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Here's what I hope. I hope this season and I
hope the coming seasons. I hope the rest of this
decade compel you to have to do like the Big
one hundred. I hope the next four or five years
are that memorable, that meaningful.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
I hold out hope.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
How about you.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Oh, I want to update this book as often as
I can, to add all the new.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Championships and all the new exciting moments.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
So you know, it's a line I used in my
column this week was that that hope is undefeated in March,
and so that's I'm in that hopeful mode right now.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
It is the season getting ready to get started.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Yeah, I think we all are, and we'll get to
that here in just a second. You were kind enough
to join me when you and Chris put this book together.
The first time which I looked it up today was
twenty eighteen, and I told you then what i'll tell
you now. I like the fact that this isn't necessarily
a countdown of moments, right. I think there are books
(01:58):
who have done that, any of us can do that.
I like the fact that there are plenty of moments,
but it's really about the individuals, and that, to me
is what I like most about what you and Chris
have done.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Yeah, you know, we didn't want to be just a
straight countown either, but sort of fifty important men and
moments that every Reds fan needs to know more about it.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And our approach to this was.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
We need to pick the big men in moments, but
also for every one of those moments, each chapter needs
to be If you're a brand new Reds fan, you
can dive in and you're gonna learn.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
All about it.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
But even if you're a hardcore, long time Redspan we
wanted something every single chapter that we learned and there
were plenty of things in doing the research, so there's
something for every level of Redspan and we're really pleased
with the final product.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, no, as you should be. And I think I
said this to you seven years ago. There's lots of
stuff in here that when I saw, all right, they've
done a chapter on this, you know, or they've done
they've done a chapter on this moment or player that
I thought I was really familiar with that in reading
what you wrote about it, I learned something that I
didn't know.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, we went to a lot.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Of primary sources, original newspaper columns, you know, I mean,
we really did a deep dive on everything and talk
to people interviews, and so yeah, that's my hope is
that whoever thinks they're the most well read or knows
more about the rant history than anyone, you will find
something in this book you didn't know, I guarantee you.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
And the primary example of that for me is, and
this is maybe a little bit of a deep cut
for some of our listeners, is the chapter on the
nineteen nineteen World Series because I think, in large part
because of the movie that came out in the late eighties,
I think that entire ordeal and that entire series, I
think the Reds roll in it and why they should
have won anyway, even if the other team wasn't on
(03:50):
the take.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
It's totally obscured by history.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yes, And that was a fun one to research and
to learn more about it because that was the same
way because that's a narrative that we've been said our
entire lives, and so just to go back and look
at who the team actually was and that they were
a legitimately good team under manager.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Pat Moran and had you know, Hall of famers, and.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Just it was. It was not what it is portrayed
to be. Because the narrative of the Black Sox took control.
But I probably learned more myself in researching at Chris
and I writing that chapter.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Than maybe any other chapter.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
I also like the fact that you include a chapter
about when you think of the Reds and you think
of their history, you don't think pitching first. Right, Like,
if we were to sit down and come up with
a list of like the ten to fifteen most identifiable
figures in franchise history, we're talking offensive players for the
most part. There are exceptions, And so you had a
chapter on flamethrowers, and there are other chapters about Ann,
(04:50):
Tom Severs, No Hitter and other seminal figures in this
franchise's history. I love the fact, though, that there's a
chapter devoted specifically to the men on the Mound, because
those are not the guys you think of first when
you think of this franchise.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
You're right, And and that's actually a chapter that it's
new in this uh, in this the revised updated edition
of the book.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Because we liked folks a little bit on flamethrowers, because
there have been a lot of them, uh over Red's history,
and you know, Hunter Green is the most recent, uh obviously,
and we wanted to talk about Hunter Green and just
uh because I last year he established.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Himself as an ace and he's a he's a big
name of this organization.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
But but you're right, we don't focus a lot on
on the pitching, and so uh to to that point,
probably my favorite chapter in the entire book is a
chapter on Yule Blackwell, the wit they called him, you know,
and uh, just I learned so much about him in
writing it, and it was it was fun to listen
(05:51):
to and read about the different things they called called
him back to the all kinds of all kinds of
crazy nicknames.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
So we did.
Speaker 4 (05:59):
We we tried to folks some some things that were
important in history and maybe a little underserved sometimes.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And by the way, I think there are a lot
of teams that are underserved, right, Like you know, the
twenty twelve team. You have a chapter on them, and
obviously that goes back to the first publishing of the book.
But when everybody thinks twenty twelve, they think of blowing
the two to zero lead. I think of a ninety
seven win team that might be the best Reds team
of my adulthood. I think of the ninety nine team,
which if you talk to a lot of folks, my
(06:27):
age is like the one that brought them back to baseball.
A lot of people to this day, more than a
quarter century later, say that's their favorite all time team.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
I love.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
I love things like this that give those teams their
due and for more than just how it ended, whether
it was with success or disappointment.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
Well, and I guess maybe that's the generational thing with us,
is that we haven't had as much. You know, I
was a teenager when they won the World Series. But
you know, maybe my favorite team is ninety five or
ninety nine, and definitely twenty twelve.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
You know, twenty twelve is the teams that we.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
All remember, the Buster Posey Grand Slam and blowing the
two ole when they came back home. But what I
really remember from that is we had an actual team
that year, all year long, that was a legitimate World
Series containder. No, they didn't get there, but I had
a lot of fun over one hundred and sixty two
games with that team. Some great personalities and great performances.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
It's a team that doesn't need to be forgotten just
because they didn't get past get to the ultimate goal.
We wanted them to get there, so we thought it
was important to include them.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, I would agree with that.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
The Big fifty, the men in moments that made the
Cincinnati Reds, Chad Dodson, Chris Garber, revised and updated it is.
Do you like it when people say it's available wherever
you get books? So, do you have a place you
want people to go?
Speaker 4 (07:44):
Well, no, it should be available in bookstores around the area.
It's also available all online retailers, so no, just pick
it up. I guarantee you're going to find something there
to enjoy.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
I would concur with that.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Let me talk with you about this year's team as
I read your Cincinnati Magazine column and it kind of
hit the sweet spot where I am and where a
lot of us are, where I could look at data
and I've read every projection, and I've read all the
smart people who objectively sort of bring the mood down
(08:19):
and tell you this team's ceiling is not that high
and the most likely outcome is they finished closer to
the bottom of the division than closer to the top
of the division, and they throw cold water over our
playoff expectations, and like, nobody wants to read or hear
that in March or April. I genuinely do think, Chad,
(08:39):
that this team has more potential than the one that
came before it, and the one that came before that one,
and certainly the one that came before that one. I
would imagine, and this is more than just you being
a Reds fan, because you could, you could put some
more thought into this than I can.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
I would imagine that you agree.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Well, you know, it's it's easy to just say, oh,
the Reds are going to break our hearts.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
They always do.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
But I absolutely one agree with that, and I don't
believe it's just my sort of annual spring fever about
the Reds and spring optimism, because there are significant differences there.
I think we have a little more depth on the
pitching staff than they've had in recent years. We have
another year of growth with the kids. You know, Elie's
(09:24):
Alien Hunter Green are established All Stars now, but you
know Mclaim's back, and you.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Know we're hopeful about being Canrossi on strand and so.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
But the piece of it that really is different than
any and I'm so eager to see how this manifests
itself in the regular season is the Terry francona piece
you know, Francona has a not just the history of winning,
but history of winning with rosters that are somewhat similar
to what he's gonna have here this year, next year,
the year after. And so I'm as eager to watch
(09:54):
the development of this this roster, in this organization in
the next you know, thirty days, ninety days year, two
years than.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
I have been in a while. I think there's a
real chance of turning a corner.
Speaker 4 (10:05):
And so so I don't want to believe the data either.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
I'm choosing to be optimistic and.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
The data doesn't account for and frankly I can either
that the data doesn't necessarily account for how many wins
a manager is going to be worth.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Well, it's exactly right. And you know, the data really doesn't.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
It's it's a computer, it's it can't talk about how
much is Ellie daily cru is going to be even
more transformational this year? You know?
Speaker 3 (10:31):
And it says what the numbers say it should say.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
But I think things like that, and especially frank ConA,
how much if he if he's a I don't want
to put a number how many wins, but any wins
that he provides that we wouldn't have had otherwise.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
He starts looking a little bit differently because it's going
to be a fairly tight division.
Speaker 4 (10:51):
I mean, the Cubs are supposedly improved, but no one
else really stands out to.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Be So there's an opportunity here.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, I would again, I would agree with that. Chad
Dodson with this for another couple of minutes. I'm a
fan of The Riverfront, which is your newsletter, and the
most thought provoking piece for me that you wrote this winter,
I think came on a weekend. I have always been
kind of ambivalent about the Hall of Fame case for
(11:18):
David Concepcion, right like, I didn't grow up watching him play.
I grew up when he was an aging player on
the Reds, playing some first base.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
You know, late eighties.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
I don't remember him in his prime, and so I've
always appreciated and honored his place in Red's history.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I've never been particularly.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Moved by his Cooperstown case, but I love a good
Hall of Fame argument. So you write this piece about
David Conceptscion, and by the end of it, not only
was I convinced, I started to think that David Conceptsion's
omission from Cooperstown is egregeous. So Number one, awesome piece,
because I love things that make me think and make
me sort of change my point of view. Number Two,
(11:57):
if this is something you want a champion moving forward,
I'm right there.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
You this has to happen, so.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Let's do it. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I've changed my mind over the years on this as well.
You know, I was the same as you. You know,
I saw Conceptsy at the end of his career and
he was one of our you know, links to the
Big Red Machine obviously, but I thought he was in
the Hall of very good We would say, you know,
a really good player, but maybe maybe not quite a
Hall of Famer. So then you start looking at a
(12:25):
couple of things. And what really got my mind changing
on the subject was when Harold Baines was elected to
the Hall of Fame a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
And I'm a Hall of Fame guy.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
Always loved the Hall of Fame arguments, always has when
that happened, and Harold bains was a good player, but
Harold Baines was not my idea of what the Hall
of Fame had traditionally been. And so in my mind,
I said, well, if Harold Bains is a Hall of Famer,
and he is at this point, then what arguments are
there to exclude a guy like Dave conceptcy owned conceptci owned.
(12:58):
Unlike Harold Baines, was considered to be an elite player
at his position during his career, multi Gold Glove winner,
he could hit more than people realize, and when you
look at it, you can compare him to Ozzie Smith.
The only thing Ozzie Smith really has over Dave Conceptsion
is that Audie Smith to do backflip. I just if
(13:21):
you look at the context of a bigger haul, which
is what the Hall of Fame is now, when we're
including guys like Jack Morris and Harold Baines, I just
don't see if there's any way to keep Conceptsion out.
And I think probably his case gets diminished a little
also because he played with a bunch of legitimate legends
of the game, and so maybe that diminishes the way
(13:43):
he looks some.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
But I'm all about I'm ready. I'm ready to try
to make the case and take this on of the call.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, I'm with you too, And I think people also,
and you made this point as well, like I think
people don't realize how dreadful. Most shortstops were offensively in
that era, and so Davey really stood out because there
were very few peers.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
You mentioned Harold Bains.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
So I'm excited for this year because I'm a huge
Dave Parker fan, right, like one of my absolute favorites
growing up, and he got Cooper's Towns call this year.
And what really made me feel like, you know, what
Dave Parker should go in is when Harold Bains went.
And my argument was maybe a little bit less nuanced,
but my thing was Harold Bains became a full time
(14:25):
DH of twenty seven. Dave Parker was a two way
player with five tools and robbed of some prime years
because of injuries and other things in his early thirties
when he was playing out his time in Pittsburgh. But
if Harold Bains, basically a one dimensional player for the
most part his entire career, can get in, then Dave
Parker can get in. And this year he does, so
I'm stoked.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Well, I'm exactly the same way.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
And there are similar arguments to Parker, except Parker was
at one time the most fearsome.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Hitter in the league.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
Yes, and then if you've never seen the throw he
made in the All Star Game from right field. He
was a very definition of a five tool player. So yeah,
I mean, clearly, if arab mind's the whole netword, Parker
should be slammed up because.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I'm the same way.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
When he came to Cincinnati, he quickly quickly fell in
love with his game and watching him play and his personality.
And so I'm thrilled to see him going in.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Yeah, thrilled that he goes in and thrilled that he
gets a chance to be there to enjoy it. I
enjoyed the Big fifty, the men in moments that made
the Cincinnati Reds. Chad Dodson along with Chris Garber a
terrific read. A great sort of listen to the ballgame
with the background and read about the Reds maybe one
weekend in the coming weeks. This is really good. I
(15:39):
always love having you on, man, Let's do it during
the season. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Well.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
I appreciate the kind words and as you know, always
happy to come on and talk about the Reds.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
So what you should do is you should subscribe to
his newsletter, The Riverfront. You should also read his column
at Cincinnati Magazine and you should buy his book. Chris
Garber the other guy who wrote it with him. Chris
is very good in his own right. The Big fifty,
the men in moments that made the Cincinnati Red sports headlines,
and we got poll questions and injuries to talk about.
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 5 (16:16):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center for National Doctor's Day,
we honor the UC Health physicians who are leading breakthroughs
for better tomorrows. Learn more at UCHealth dot com. No
accidents right now, but traffic stomp and go stunthbound seventy
five between the Western Hills Viaduct and Fort Washington Way
five to ten minutes. Slow down there sathbound two seventy
(16:38):
five down to one lane. That Fort repairs on the
Carrol cropfer Bridge with slow traffic. Back from US fifty
on that Ezelak with traffic.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
This report is sponsored by Stay
Mo Egger News
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.