Cincy 360 Live from Smoke Justis on Reds Opening Day -- 3/27/25

Happy Opening Day! Tony Pike, Mo Egger and Austin Elmore talk all about the Reds ahead of the season opener against the Giants.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chile since he three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Skyline Chile. Stop by Skyline Chili
for a three way or cheez Coney today, feeling good?
It's Skyline time. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, here we go. We are live at Smoke Justice,
a block and a bridge away from a great American
ballpark for Cincy three sixty ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
One of I think the funnest shows we do of
the year on the best day in Cincinnati of the year.
Here with Mulagger, Rowdy to Less in the house, Austin Elmore.

(00:43):
I'm Tony Pike. We're here for the next three hours.
Excited to be a part of this. It happens every year,
and I think every year it gets.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
Better and better. Are these people asleep?

Speaker 2 (00:54):
It feels like what are we doing? We changed this
set up a little bit, Keny what Smoke Justice?

Speaker 4 (01:01):
Anybody there?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Are we live?

Speaker 3 (01:02):
Is anybody excited?

Speaker 5 (01:04):
Anybody there?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
We go?

Speaker 5 (01:06):
Anybody?

Speaker 3 (01:06):
All right? Wow?

Speaker 5 (01:08):
We got a long way to go.

Speaker 4 (01:09):
Maybe too many bourbons already.

Speaker 5 (01:10):
Maybe not enough bourbons.

Speaker 4 (01:12):
Maybe that's what it is.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Not enough bourbons.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
Yeah, like you realize you're you're here to have fun? Right?
Are we broadcasting from a sales meeting or something?

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Is?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
What is going on?

Speaker 4 (01:25):
What's going on?

Speaker 3 (01:25):
All right? We have to do something about the energy
in this place.

Speaker 5 (01:28):
We'll work on it each break.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
We will see what we can do. We have giveaways,
will that help. We've got Billy Joel tickets. Yes, we've
got merch from sports Investments.

Speaker 5 (01:37):
We've got a since he shows a pair of gift cards.

Speaker 3 (01:40):
We've got tickets to go see Disturbed zz Top.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Yes, I mean come on now, Jeff Taate.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
And we're here.

Speaker 5 (01:47):
Yeah, what else do you want?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
We got awesome food, the best bourbon selection you will
ever find, and plenty of ice cold beer. Plus we've
got the outdoor block party happening.

Speaker 6 (01:59):
You guys don't then it is the bourbon room. Yeah, okay,
I got a concerned maybe there all the reds injuries?

Speaker 3 (02:06):
Are some of you folks like here against your will?

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Like, raise your hand if you're against your will here? Okay?

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Okay?

Speaker 6 (02:13):
Behind the bar, Behind the bar, he's wearing a Will
Benson jersey, which is questionable.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Did you put that on on your own volition? Will?
Will Benson. We got the home run in Dayton. That's
very good.

Speaker 5 (02:27):
Maybe they're nervous with all the injuries the Reds have.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
Can't blame him.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Maybe they're nervous because, as Austin told us before one
on air, Terry frank Cone had to go the dentist
this morning had a broken veneer. What early this morning?

Speaker 6 (02:39):
Charlie Goldsmith reported that Terry Francona had a broken veneer
at two o'clock this morning.

Speaker 3 (02:44):
I don't even know what that is.

Speaker 6 (02:45):
It's a fake teeth, and then grind it away and
then he had to go to the dentist at six
am to get it fixed.

Speaker 4 (02:52):
But now he says he's ready to go.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
You wake up suddenly with a broken tooth. Yeah, that's
how he was grinding his teeth because he was so
ready to go. Last nervous about who's gonna play the outfield.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Perhaps could be.

Speaker 6 (03:03):
It's gonna be Gavin Luck, believe it or not, batting fourth,
playing left field. Every year there's one surprise in the
opening day lineup.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
And today Jake Vossler or someone like that.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Who hobard opening day one of the heroes, and he
was working in the kitchen here a month later, he's
in Uh, he's overseas playing baseball now. I looked him
up last night.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
I'm in Mike Ford.

Speaker 5 (03:26):
I think, why, why is.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
It I'll talk about this this week in this city,
in particular?

Speaker 5 (03:32):
Why is Opening Day the way it was? Because I I.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Remember growing up and and we should be remissing I
I know you will as well, uh to mention the
great Jim Scott and the Opening Day parade that is
taking place right now. They they they named the street
after him. But when you think of so much a
Red's Opening Day, I think of Jim Scott. I think
of uh, the impact that he's had. I told Austin

(03:56):
this during the week. Very rarely does everyone like somebody
like people hate this show. People don't like me, they
don't like Dawston, they don't like you. Very rarely. I've
never met and I never will meet someone that doesn't
have the best things to say about Jim Scott. And
so much about Opening Day to me is about him

(04:16):
as well. Yeah for you, well, what is it about
why it's so special in Cincinnati? Because every player that's
a part of this always says the same thing. It's
it's different here. I've never seen anything like it. Why
is that?

Speaker 3 (04:29):
Well, first of all, I'll echo everything you said about Jim.
This is probably the first opening day in Cincinnati without
Jim since nineteen sixty seven. Even last year he was
stricken with als. He got a chance to be a
part of the Finley Market opening day parade, and it
feels nobody loved this day more. It feels weird without him.
Here's the example that I will give you. I went

(04:50):
to Cardinals opening day in twenty thirteen.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
We just lost to you.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
To break my own venear, I went to a Cardinals
opening day thirteen. They opened a week later, they had
started on the road. They played the Rets, and my
buddy lived in Saint Louis. So I drive out there.
We're gonna go see the Reds. It's opening. It's basically,
you know Saint Louis. You hear about the best fans
in America, all that crap. So we're riding like the
mass transit. We got our red stuff on. There's some
people with Cardinals gear on, and a guy looks at

(05:18):
us and goes, are they playing today? On Opening Day?
There is not a human being in this area who
had asked that question. It is just different. And it's
easy for us to say, but when you talk to
people who have been, who lived to other places, or
maybe experience Opening Day somewhere else, or even played for
other teams, they will tell you it's different. It's easy

(05:39):
for us to go, yeah, it's special. We know it's special.
It is it is, it is incredibly unique. Like this
sounds really hokey, but I was thinking about this this morning.
In this day and age, we can't agree on anything. Yeah,
Like we find people with the debate like what color
the sky is? You can't find people to agree on anything.
We're really divided. But like today's day, we can all

(05:59):
agree on this same thing. This is awesome. Whether you're
a hardcore Reds fan or you couldn't name three players
on the team, we love this day. It brings everybody
together and there's not enough stuff like that.

Speaker 6 (06:09):
Well, I'm one of those people who didn't originally grow
up here. I'm from an hour and a half away
up in Sydney, and you always heard all these great
things about Opening Day, and my dad and my uncles
and everybody would go all the time. My first Opening
Day was twenty eleven, and so I've heard all this hype,
all this hype over and over again about how great
Opening Day was. The weather was great, the parade was awesome,

(06:30):
and then Ramon Hernandez HiT's a walk off, three run
homer and the magic of the day, Like the game
lived up to all the hype. Yeah, and I was
hooked from that point forward. Not every Opening Day goes
that way, but it always feels like there's a moment
on opening Day, whether it's Nick martini'z two home runs
from a year, a year ago, or whatever.

Speaker 4 (06:48):
It might be Derek.

Speaker 6 (06:50):
Patrick in twenty nineteen, that unbelievable twenty nineteen Reds team.

Speaker 3 (06:54):
Kevin greg giving up like six runs in the eighth
inning Pirates a few years ago. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (06:59):
So, like, always something strange or something funny that happens
on Opening Day, and it almost always meets the high.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
If you go to anybody in this room, the folks
who are actually awake can say the name Joe Random.
They're gonna go Opening Day against the Mets in two
thousand and five. Dude was here for four months.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (07:14):
If you say to somebody, you know years down the road,
Nick Martini, they're gonna go, oh, opening Day, what.

Speaker 4 (07:19):
Year was that?

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Twenty twenty four, Like it does. You're right. He creates
these moments that you know, Joe Randa could hit a
home run in game number sixteen on a Tuesday night.
It's cool. Yeah, nobody remembers that, right, you remember those
little moments on opening Day?

Speaker 2 (07:32):
I think two, it's for me. It's what today signifies,
like the jumping off point of what baseball is in
Cincinnati and baseball is as a whole. I was thinking
about this last night, like it literally becomes the sound
of my life going forward. Like I remember growing up,
every time I would be at my grandparents' house or

(07:52):
out on the back deck, the game is just on
and not all the time are you listening the whole time,
but the game is always on the radio and it's always, oh,
what just happened there? Or you know, we grew up,
we'd go to games, we'd go back to my grandma's pool.
We listened to the end of the game and like
just little stuff of memories like that that the start
of today and what it signifies going forward and a

(08:12):
lot of those years it hasn't been good years, yeah
for the Reds, but it's always on and it's always
part of that background noise, and for me, I remember
I pull up to my parents and my grandparents live
next door. They're sitting out front and they got the
radio one. Oh what's going on? They go, how they
just gave up three? Or this just happened. And to me,
so much of the excitement today also snowballs into what

(08:35):
we get now going forward.

Speaker 3 (08:37):
Yeah, no doubt about it. I mean, it's very interesting.
We can debate how good they're gonna be. But I
was thinking about this walking across the bridge and I
was passing families walking over and you see kids dressed
in their reds gear and you know, granted I don't
stop and talk to them because that's weird, but you're thinking, like,
maybe it's that kid's first opening day like that that

(08:58):
dude is you know, we always like talking about, like
the guy who's been like forty straight opening days. That's
really cool. I always get a kick out of, you know,
watching kids. My daughter, we're not quite there, we're gonna
do opening day, but I can't wait to take her
one year. Yeah, And could you carry that with you?
And that's kind of what you know years from now
when they talk about, Man, why is opening days so cool.

(09:18):
They'll remember today or they'll remember their first day, and
I'm sort of jealous.

Speaker 6 (09:22):
Yeah, you know, I'm going through that today because I
have a huge group of my friends with me, and
many of them it's their first opening day, right, and
like I'm trying to feel in the pressure.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
Of like I want this to go well for them.

Speaker 6 (09:32):
I want everything to didn't do experience as much as
they can, just because you know, the other thing about
it too, is it's kind of a free pass to
be overly optimistic.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
Huh.

Speaker 6 (09:41):
We always talk about hope springs eternal with baseball and
opening Day, Like, listen, by the end of the show today,
I'm gonna be talking about this team going one hundred
and sixty two, and.

Speaker 4 (09:49):
Oh, that's what I do.

Speaker 6 (09:51):
I said that one hundred and forty times last year.
It's like Friday night before I use football exactly. Like
we're negative of maybe throughout the week and he got
the injuries, all the years of you know, thirty years
going on since they won a playoff series.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
But on opening Day, you know, screw all that the regime.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
I will find myself all day today figuring out how
they go wire to wire. There are already two games
ahead of the comes to the lost column. So they've
already got that going for them. But it is a
year and we'll dive in all of this today. It
is a year that has question marks. Yeah, it is
a year that they don't start again for the second
straight season with a full complement of weapons. Now, Jim

(10:28):
Day came on the show yesterday and said, look, the
injuries they were facing last year at the start of
the year were more devastating and detrimental than what they're
facing this year. Rightfully so, and it's good today we'll
get into the lineup. Spencer Steere is batting in the
lineup today on opening Day, He's going to be the
DH But I I look at the frank ConA effect

(10:49):
and I said this today, and we'll dive into the
Francona effect today. But this guy is a Hall of
Fame manager. He's won at the highest level. He's won
the ultimate goal in this sport. He's retired, he's spending
time with the family, he's spending time with his grandkids,
he's on golf courses, he's on vacations. He chose to
come back, he said, he picked this. I have to

(11:13):
believe that if he chose that, then he sees something
in this team, whether everyone else does or not, that
he genuinely sees something in this team, because I have
a hard time believing that Terry Francona, accomplishing all he's done,
would want to come back and put himself out there
to go five hundred. I genuinely that's what I get
caught up on today. We'll talk the lineups and whatever.

(11:35):
I genuinely believe that Terry Francona is here because he
genuinely believes that there is something special.

Speaker 3 (11:41):
With this team.

Speaker 6 (11:42):
I think that's the source of most of the excitement.
It's not just that Terry Francona is the manager. Is
that Terry Francona chose us. Yeah, and people believe, Okay, well,
if he sees something, then maybe there really is something
here in some organizational alignment with the manager like that
can lead to good results immediately.

Speaker 4 (11:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
And by the way, I think he's right. Yeah, there's
some high end dudes on this team. We can certainly
go out of our way to wonder out loud are
there enough of them? But it feels like the farm
systems in a really good place. It feels like there's
a lot of guys with upside. It feels like this
is supposed to be the year that the Cincinnati Reds
provide a payoff for all the years of waiting. You know,

(12:21):
I've talked about this a bunch. This is an enormous
year for this franchise because this process started if you
really think about it, after twenty twenty Dick Williams left
and you know, remember the twenty twenty year they made
the playoffs and the shortened season, but then they let
some relievers walk, didn't do anything to the team, and
it was clear at that point where they were going,
and then after twenty one they kind of dismantle things

(12:43):
start from scratch. Well, okay, you're starting from scratch with
the idea of being good down the road. To me,
down the road started in twenty twenty five. Here we are.
I think if by the end of the season we're
talking about another seventy seven win team, it's gonna feel
like they're running in place. But my first thought when
they hired Terry Francona was he's not taken this job

(13:05):
the last time it was opened, when David Bell got
it October of eighteen. He's not taken that job. He's
not taken this job when Brian Price was the manager.
He's taken a job that has upside. He doesn't need
to do this. And let's be honest, whatever he accomplishes
or doesn't accomplish here is not gonna tarnish his legacy.
But can you think about how cool it would be if,
like the punctuation mark to this like awesome career, this

(13:30):
is he gets the Reds into the playoffs and advances
them for the first time in thirty years, and maybe
down the road hoisted trophy like he's done in the
conversation legitimately of the greatest manager of all time?

Speaker 5 (13:43):
Did they rely on that too much?

Speaker 2 (13:45):
Because I remember when Frank Conah got the job, I thought, Okay,
this is the first domino they're gonna go all in. Yeah,
and then he got the job and they've not really
made many big time moves since, are they or have
they relied too much on Terry Frankconer Well, from.

Speaker 3 (14:01):
A roster construction standpoint, it feels like it feels like
an incomplete team. Yeah, you know, we've each said it.
I wish they would have made one more move, one
more move. I don't know if that's relying too much
on Terry Francona. I just think I think they were
close on Luise Robert. I think the Chicago White Sox

(14:22):
asked way too much, and I think the Reds balked.
But in the absence of that, there wasn't that one
more move there were a good move. I think Austin
Hayes is a good pickup. I like the two relievers
that got brady'son. They got guys from winning teams. Kevin
Lux played every day for the World Series champions last year.
It just feels like one more move could have changed

(14:42):
how we feel about this. We're already wondering who they're
gonna get at the deadline.

Speaker 4 (14:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (14:45):
Oh, if we're wondering that now, then they should have
done a favor. Yeah, they should have added that piece
in January and stead of July. So I don't know
if it's relying on Francona. I just they just they
the offseason felt one move away from deserving of let's
saying a grade.

Speaker 6 (15:01):
And my problem with that is, yes, I agree with
the sentiment that Terry Francone is going to make them
a better team. He is, you know, we Tony reference
our conversation with Jim Day, Jim refers to him as
a ten war manager, like he might be good for
ten more wins over the course of the season.

Speaker 4 (15:16):
That's great.

Speaker 6 (15:17):
That still doesn't get you in the playoffs in the
National League, And that I think is the overarching issue,
is the organization still not quite putting the roster on
the field that can compete at the highest level with
the National the rest of the National League. Now, they're
never going to compete financially with the Mets and the Dodgers.
There's really nobody in the National League that can. But
can you at least get on that level to where

(15:39):
you can make the playoffs and be a threat in
the playoffs? And I don't feel like they're there yet.
I feel like they could be, but they're not there yet.
And we'll see how long it takes Terry Francona to
figure out what buttons the press.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
It puts the emphasis on the NL central. Yeah, we'll
dive into that here nowur Number one.

Speaker 3 (15:56):
Can I ask this question, Yes, somebody asks us question,
when is the like once the moment where the honeymoon's
gonna end with Terry Francona. Yeah, Fourth inning today, contact play,
I'm out, Ellie gets at home. I can't well, Elly's different.
But like if we're sending Jacob Herd a bees, which
it will be lucky if he's even on third base,

(16:16):
but balls hit to the third base on balls hit
at the third basement and he's thrown out by you know,
that's all.

Speaker 4 (16:21):
It takes eight yards Like.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
Tito, okay, I thought things were gonna be like that.
Nobody has asked him, how do you feel about the
contact play David bell Is probably probably woke up.

Speaker 5 (16:31):
This morning thinking about it with a full.

Speaker 3 (16:33):
Set of teeth, thinking, like God, I wish I was
in a dugout so I could call the contact play man. Like,
so that's what I want to know. Is Tito a
contact play guy? Maybe we find out today.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
We find that out today. We're at Smoke Justice till
three o'clock. If you're here, it's just a block and
a bridge to the ballpark. Yeah, we've got awesome giveaways.
The food is unbelievable. Uh, drink specials. The bourbon what
is it the bourbon bar. But there's a ladder. Anytime
you're in a spot that has a ladder to reach
higher bourbon you know you're in the right spot.

Speaker 3 (17:04):
Well, I wanted to see if somebody who's.

Speaker 5 (17:06):
Gonna have us climbed the ladder today.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
Well, I would love to climb the ladder, but I
don't think anybody wants that. Can Can we can we
get someone to climb the ladder for us?

Speaker 5 (17:15):
It's a great question. Nice we'll find out that more.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
That's happened before.

Speaker 6 (17:18):
Maybe Will Benson'll do it.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
Since he three point sixty Smoke Justice here ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, he Alexa, who got cut getting
ESPN fifteen thirty from iHeartRadio.

Speaker 3 (17:34):
College Hoops, Oakley Green, Great back to the dish.

Speaker 4 (17:37):
This one lifted high indeed right center field. I think
he got it.

Speaker 3 (17:40):
He did. Oh my goodness, Nick Martini, have an opening
day a three run shot it it is seven don
that thing runs my, oh my, they better order out
some more firework, Nick Martini. You know that's some really

(18:01):
good analysis by Tommy throw.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
One of uh one of the two from Nick Martini
last year's opening day. One of the great memories of
Opening Day. Since he three to sixty here at Smoke
Justice Live on Opening Day. We're here till three o'clock
block and a bridge. We are, uh, we're waiting to
see if someone's gonna climb that ladder to get us
a poor.

Speaker 3 (18:22):
Who would like to climb the ladder?

Speaker 2 (18:24):
Okay, so maybe maybe it's a lower one. We're starting
on the lower starting start from the boss, starting lower
and getting to the top. Yeah, no, real quick, we
have we have time right now for today's Postman Law
injury report delivered by Postman Law.

Speaker 5 (18:39):
If you're injured, Postman delivers, Well.

Speaker 3 (18:42):
Unfortunately, Austin Hayes is injured. Oh, he is going to
start the season on the injured list. Now they backdated
a little bit, so he may only miss six games.
It's a left half. The issue with that is yet
calf issues last year. Yeah, and he apparently hurt his
calf on a flight, Like he got off the airplane
and I got my calf hurt.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
I got so many questions about that too. I've got
a lot of flights.

Speaker 6 (19:06):
The same thing happened at Joe Burrow's wrist, right. He
had to sleeve on his wrist after an airplane flight.

Speaker 2 (19:10):
What are they doing on planes? Are they doing calisthetics?

Speaker 3 (19:13):
Russell Wilson, does I know what I on planes? I
sleep or have a cocktail. Yes, neither involved my calf.

Speaker 5 (19:20):
Yeah, I don't understand it.

Speaker 3 (19:21):
The Tyler Stevenson thing to me is troubling because oblique
issues it just seemed to be really sort of always
up in the air. Yeah, and he plays catcher and
he's so important to this team.

Speaker 6 (19:32):
It does seem, though, like a good piece of information
that he's only on the ten day injured list to start.

Speaker 2 (19:37):
Sure.

Speaker 6 (19:37):
I mean, I would think my thought was when that
injury happened, that we won't see him till May, just
to be safe because it's an injury because you're a catcher. Yeah,
But the fact that they put him on the ten
day injured list and it was considered a low grade
strain of the oblique, that I feel like is good news.

Speaker 4 (19:52):
No doubt.

Speaker 3 (19:54):
Andrew Abbott is on the injured list. He pitched on
Sunday and threw very well, dealt with shoulders arness which
kind of pushed back his spring. Uh, there's a real
sense that he'll be with the big club soon. Rhett
Lauder never appeared in a Cactus League game. A guy
who got called up last year and and did a
great job when the starting rotation kind of fell apart

(20:14):
he was slowed down by an elbow problem. I'm really
interested in Spencer's tier. Yeah yeah, because two years or
two days ago he was he's gonna be on the
injured list, and.

Speaker 4 (20:23):
Now yeah, sure. I thought it was a big deal.

Speaker 6 (20:28):
When they go to Dayton and all of a sudden,
he's going to DH and they make it a ten
man lineup, I was like, Okay, that's a good sign.
And then when Hayes gets hurt, it was kind of
an act of desperation. Say all right, Spencer, we didn't
want to do this, but you're healthy enough to hit,
so we're gonna put you into DH.

Speaker 4 (20:44):
And he's in the lineup today.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
That is today's Postman loll injury report delivered by Postman
Law injured call eight four to four Postman. So let's
take that, and then let's take today's opening day lineup. Here, Okay,
you ready to do this? Is gonna play center and

(21:06):
lead off. Matt McClain is gonna play second. Elie de
la Cruz is your shortstop. Gavin Loos clean up left field,
Jamber Candelario third base. There's Spencer Steer. Dhing Cees is
playing first. Jake Frayley, who Howard in Dayton is playing
right field? And you got Jose Travigno behind the dish.
Hunter Green is your starting pitcher. Take that back to

(21:29):
one year ago it was India, Benson, Cees, Jamber, Jake Frayley,
Ellie de la Cruz, Spencer Steer, Nick Martini, Tyler Stevenson.

Speaker 5 (21:40):
Which opening day lineup was more potent?

Speaker 3 (21:45):
Well, Ellie de la Cruz is hitting higher in the
batting one, yes, so that's good. Matt McClain is in
that lineup, yes, and that's good. And I think Christian
and Karnassi on Strand is healthy and that's good.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
We think.

Speaker 4 (21:57):
Serious fracture of the wrist that shows up.

Speaker 3 (21:59):
That's a great quest. And you talk about somebody who
holds such a huge key to this season. I'll take
this year's team, by the way, not Frankie Montas on
the hill. So I got Hunter Green this year too.

Speaker 2 (22:11):
We didn't make it much about Jonathan India had a
good spring at Kansas City.

Speaker 3 (22:15):
Sure, yeah, how much?

Speaker 2 (22:16):
If so?

Speaker 5 (22:16):
Do they miss India this year?

Speaker 3 (22:18):
Well? I do think, I mean, I think they Gavin
Lucks is a more versatile version of Jonathan India. What
what I'm kind of curious. Is Jonathan India kind of
decided I'm the leader of the team? Remember that in
spring training two years ago? Like, who's going to be
the leader? Oh? I will, And I'm not sure that's
how it works. I think that that sort of thing
happens organically, and I admire him for trying. I don't

(22:42):
know that it ever really took. So who does it
become this year?

Speaker 6 (22:45):
I think there was a bit of a power struggle
at times last year for who the leader of the
clubhouse was going to be a little bit of Jonathan India,
a little bit of Luke Mayley, maybe some of the
younger guys. I think without McClain being there, I think
he can be that guy that it just organically shows up, Hey,
this guy's the leader of our team. Also saw Hunter
Green this spring say some things that make me think, Okay,

(23:06):
that guy can be a leader. But can you be
that impactful of a leader when you're playing every five days.

Speaker 4 (23:12):
I don't know that you can.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
I don't know that you can't.

Speaker 6 (23:14):
But it's a topic we've talked about repeatedly for the
last fifteen years.

Speaker 4 (23:18):
Who's the leader?

Speaker 3 (23:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (23:19):
I also feel like with at least this lineup there
should be more consistency. You remember last year, it was
like they were constantly looking for a leadoff hitter, constantly
shuffling the lineup, who's batting. Where I think going into
start this year, freedom McLain Elliet is about as good
as you could do. One two three Now where things
fall into place, Hal Spencer Steer bounces back. I know

(23:39):
we've talked about big year from Cees potentially, but I
think one.

Speaker 5 (23:44):
Two three are really solidified.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
It's the questions and the rest of that lineup, and
I think a lot of those questions deal with injuries.
A lot of those questions deal with maybe some outfield
questions that we still have. But I think I do
feel at least more confident how they're gonna run out
last year.

Speaker 6 (24:00):
The biggest thing I'm circling in today is Gavin Lux
playing left field. He barely played the outfield in spring
I think one or two games, yeah, maybe a time, yeah,
maybe a total of six or seven innings in the outfield. Now,
at the end of spring training he was probably their
most consistent and best hitter. Just doubled a couple of
days ago in Dayton as well, and in the second

(24:21):
half of last season, was one of the best hitters
in the National League for a World championship team in
the Los Angeles Dodgers, So we know what he can be.
But defensively, playing a game at Great American Ballpark as
a starting left fielder, which for the first time, whether
we don't know what it's gonna be.

Speaker 4 (24:38):
It could be some rain, could be some clouds.

Speaker 6 (24:40):
What that looks like from a defensive standpoint, I think
is gonna be a big part.

Speaker 3 (24:43):
Of the Yeah, it's being done out of necessity because
you don't have Austin Hayes. But it also does amplify
the questions about the outfield and the criticism that they
didn't do enough to address it. I look, when they
acquired Gavin Lucks, a lot of us said he's gonna
sort of have to play all over the place. That's
what I hope he does. Yeah, because that means the
team is healthy. It means they're trying to find ways

(25:04):
for him to play. What you don't want is one
hundred and ten games of Gavin Lucks and left field, Yeah,
because that means you're more ideal. Guys out there are
either hurt or they've fallen off a cliff and you
have no choice. Today, I almost have no choice but
to play Gavin lucks. No big deal. But if if
this becomes the norm and not the exception and he's
not moving all over the place, that's a problem.

Speaker 6 (25:26):
Specifically about today's game. You've got the Ace of the Giants,
Logan Web, you got the Ace of the Reds Hunter Green.
I expect this to be a low scoring game. So
the way that you played defense, which was something we
talked about a lot with this team last year, whether
it's Gavin Luxon Left, Elliott Short, whoever else, defense is
gonna play a big role in this game.

Speaker 3 (25:44):
Well, low scoring games are close games, right, So what
did the Reds suck at last year?

Speaker 4 (25:49):
Close games?

Speaker 3 (25:50):
One score game, fifteen and twenty eight, fifteen and twenty
eight in one run game. So it comes down to
a play, comes down to a defensive play, comes down
to a base running decision or a mistake, or you
know a guy who successfully is aggressive and takes the
extra bag. That sort of thing like this game, it's
one of one sixty two, could be a little bit

(26:12):
of a case study for how do they shrink or
widen their margin for air. We've talked about it a lot.
The base running has to get better, the defense has
to get better, and as a general rule that's true.
But in a low scoring game that's likely to be close,
those things again get amplified.

Speaker 2 (26:29):
I saw Chris Wells posted today a couple stats from
last year fifteen to twenty eight one run games against
Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. They were nine and seventeen.

Speaker 4 (26:38):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
And there were forty four starts made by starting pitchers
on last year's team that aren't on the roster this year.

Speaker 6 (26:44):
Seventy percent of the roster this season is turned over
from a year ago.

Speaker 5 (26:49):
Yeah, in the right way or the wrong way.

Speaker 4 (26:51):
Well, we don't know yet.

Speaker 5 (26:52):
Terry Francona is gonna let us know.

Speaker 4 (26:54):
Terry Francona apparently is going to let us know.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
Let's do that. We'll get back. Let's talk a little
bit about the Terry frank ConA effect. Let's talk a
little spring training fallout and uh, the n al central.

Speaker 3 (27:02):
Is he gonna be wearing like a retainer, like one
of those mouthpiece mouthpieces.

Speaker 2 (27:05):
Nobody, you gotta fix mouthpiece.

Speaker 3 (27:08):
I gotta I got a fake tooth?

Speaker 2 (27:10):
You really, I do? Right here?

Speaker 4 (27:12):
Can you pull it out.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
I don't even know that h big tooth.

Speaker 3 (27:14):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (27:15):
The National League as a whole is dominant, a lot
of emphasis on the NL Central. We'll get to that
here now. A number one, don't forget.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Not even all interested in my fake tooth.

Speaker 6 (27:22):
I would have never guessed a lot of people with
fake teeth, So it's kind of a you know, but I.

Speaker 2 (27:26):
Would have never guessed if Peop would have told that.

Speaker 3 (27:27):
The next question is had you why do you have
a fake tooth?

Speaker 5 (27:30):
Has it ever fallen out?

Speaker 3 (27:31):
That is no, it's like welded in there. I have
apparently a better dentist than Terry Franco or whatever they do.

Speaker 4 (27:37):
How did you get a fake tooth? Went to the
dentist's back to you in the studio?

Speaker 2 (27:44):
Esp fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sport.

Speaker 1 (27:47):
Hey Alexa, who got.

Speaker 7 (27:48):
Hurt getting ESPN's fifteen thirty from iHeartRadio?

Speaker 3 (27:57):
How about this already?

Speaker 4 (28:00):
Where's Connie smith Mann?

Speaker 3 (28:04):
Hit like crazy?

Speaker 2 (28:06):
One of my favorite traditions at the ballpark.

Speaker 3 (28:08):
That's one of my favorite traditions. On touch tunes, Yes,
oh yes, touch dunes.

Speaker 5 (28:13):
I don't know my lifetime stats on touchdownes.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
How much money I've spent just to play my song next.

Speaker 5 (28:19):
Set three sixty where it smoked justice.

Speaker 4 (28:21):
What is your song?

Speaker 2 (28:23):
I like to just make it weird for everyone involved. Okay,
you ever heard of a tiny tim tiptoe of the toolips?

Speaker 5 (28:29):
Oh boy, oh boy. I don't know what's going on
at the bar.

Speaker 4 (28:34):
What song do you think of when you think of
opening day?

Speaker 2 (28:37):
Connie Smith?

Speaker 3 (28:38):
That's it?

Speaker 4 (28:39):
Mostly no, no, nothing else.

Speaker 3 (28:41):
Okay, I think of the national anthem?

Speaker 6 (28:43):
Yeah wow, I do too, on the Orlanto Van Hoo's.
That's every year we're gonna hear from me one awesome.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
She's awesome.

Speaker 3 (28:50):
She was sending every year for the rest of my life.

Speaker 6 (28:52):
Her and that fireman have sung more national anthems at
Cincinnati sporting events. I can't remember his name, John Winfrey
or something.

Speaker 4 (28:59):
Those guys.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
Unbelievable.

Speaker 2 (29:00):
Captain the disturbed tickets. Disturbed tickets are gone. Okay, they're
off the board.

Speaker 3 (29:06):
Disturb went before Billy Joel.

Speaker 2 (29:07):
Disturb went before Billy Joel. We've got Billy Joel tickets.
We've got uh who else do we have got to some.

Speaker 3 (29:13):
Of the stuff we have from sports investments? Unreal, unbelievable.

Speaker 6 (29:17):
There is a Homer Bailey two no hitters, like photograph
ticket stubs from each game autographed by Homer Bailey. There's
a Joey Vado one, Johnny Bench one, Sincy shirts, gift cards,
everything you can.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
Imagine right here.

Speaker 5 (29:32):
You gotta come sign up.

Speaker 3 (29:33):
I spoke Justine and uh and bourbon and bourbon, and
I put down the burger in like three minutes before
we went on the air. You gotta get the Federal Burger.
That's awesome.

Speaker 6 (29:41):
I just had the Buffalo Chicken rat for the first time.
My life's not the same top notch. Oh yeah, unreal.

Speaker 3 (29:47):
That's the opening day in the Cove Block party. This
is the place to be every year.

Speaker 2 (29:51):
All time. To get here first month of the year.
We always talk about fast starts with the Reds. It
also coincides with a couple injuries. Not at full strength.
Different parts of the year from a schedule standpoint, are
more winnable.

Speaker 5 (30:06):
Other parts are very tough.

Speaker 2 (30:09):
When you look at the first thirty Austin and I
did the first thirty two yesterday, a couple days ago.
I had them, I believe seventeen and fifteen.

Speaker 4 (30:17):
You had them at eighteen and fourteen.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
Eighteen and fourteen, well, is five hundred no acceptable?

Speaker 3 (30:23):
No, if you these are just projections, if you get
a Baseball Prospectus to look at their Pakoda projections. In
April alone, the Reds are gonna play six teams or
have six series against teams that are projected to be
below five hundred. And then they start the month of
May with the Washington Nationals, who are gonna be dreadful
this year. They play the Giants in two series. They

(30:46):
play Pittsburgh, Miami, the Cardinals who are going to be bad,
the Rockies who are going to be awful, and the
Washington Nationals. So this to me combines two themes. One
can they take care of business against bad teams? And
can they get off to a good start. We do
it every year. Just once since twenty nineteen have the
Reds gotten to April thirtieth with a winning record. It

(31:06):
was actually last year. Yeah, so we do this all
the time. Got to get off to a fast start.
The schedule is giving you a chance. They've got to
take advantage. You have to beat the dregs of the league.
And again you might go, wellmo, maybe the Giants are
better than the computers are expecting them to be, or
maybe the Marlins are better than the computers, expect them
to be. Whatever.

Speaker 2 (31:25):
When you say take advantage, though, what's that look like.

Speaker 3 (31:28):
When series those are seven series, win all of them,
not to sweep them when those are that's twenty one games.
When fourteen of those twenty one games, like sounds extreme,
But like, if we're gonna do this thing every year,
we talk about them getting off to it's not get
off to a fast start, it's avoid the bad start. Look,
that's cool. How about for once we get to like
Mother's Day and the other teams in the Central have

(31:50):
to play catch up? Yeah, and the schedule sets them
up with a chance to do that.

Speaker 6 (31:56):
Is it different because of the injuries to say five
hundred is more excepted?

Speaker 3 (32:01):
No, you had a chance to build death, You had
a chance. I injuries are not an excuse. Look the
Milwaukee Brewers last year had every starting pitcher get hurt
ran away with the division Like, no, man, you build
a roster with the idea that we can withstand who
we may lose. So no, I again, they're not playing

(32:21):
the Dodgers, they're not playing the Mets, they're not playing
the Atlanta Braves. They're not even playing the Chicago Cubs. Yeah,
So to me, April is enormous. If you want to.

Speaker 6 (32:30):
You can use to strengthen your point by saying those
teams are on the schedule later, so you got away
good now because you are gonna play the best teams later.

Speaker 3 (32:38):
So I looked at that, and then I looked at
this stretch in July, right before the All Star break.
Four against Miami here, three against Colorado here, then the break,
then the Mets on the road, but then three against
the Nationals. That could be when we're trying to figure
out buyers or sellers, because they come out of that
and it's raised Dodgers, Braves, Cubs. Those three of those

(32:59):
teams are projected win their divisions.

Speaker 2 (33:00):
But I looked at that same piece right there before
the break, thinking, wouldn't it be nice if the conversation
in Cincinnati were, Man, they've got a chance to extend
their lead going into the break, and now pick apart
what needs to be done with this roster instead of well, man,
if they could just make a run and then they
get back to you know, maybe they're only four out

(33:21):
of the wild card at the All Star break, it
would be nice.

Speaker 5 (33:24):
As we've said with the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (33:25):
Yeah, as we said this year with the Bearcats, get
to February and play for seeding. It would be nice
to get to July and start playing with an opportunity
to maybe extend a lead with a weaker stretch.

Speaker 4 (33:36):
You remember twenty eighteen.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
I think they started one and eight, one and nine,
and then they played okay for a stretch, and there
was this always this like, you.

Speaker 5 (33:45):
Know, if they didn't start one in eight, they would
be he.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Since April that's twenty six, they had the second best
record in baseball. It's like, yeah, awesome, if opening day
were April twenty six, that would be I want to
get rid of that, and I want to get rid
of what you just referenced, which is the you know
what if they could just get to June first game
under five hundred, they could just get to July first,
you know, at five hundred. The way you do that
is to start fast, and again, the schedule is giving

(34:09):
them the opportunity to start fast. The other thing with
this team is that got to be better at home. Yeah,
thirty nine and forty two a GAVP last year. I
really do not want to have those conversations again.

Speaker 2 (34:19):
It was visible.

Speaker 4 (34:20):
We did it every day.

Speaker 5 (34:21):
It was like every Friday.

Speaker 6 (34:22):
Was probably the most frustrating season I can remember last year,
because you knew that the talent was there, but they
never really seem to put it together, or they do
something stupid here or there, whatever it was. They just
can't put themselves in that position moving forward.

Speaker 4 (34:38):
So, yeah, you're exactly right.

Speaker 6 (34:39):
And also I will lose my mind if we're having
that conversation on this show.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
Doing Friday shows and saying, well, if they just went
tonight and then Saturday and Sunday, think of what we're
talking about on Monday.

Speaker 5 (34:50):
Well, I just want to I want listen.

Speaker 2 (34:54):
It's at the Cubs for Brewers Division right now in
your pigot, because at the point yesterday, Milwaukee is the defense.
They've done it. They've lost a lot, but they keep
finding ways. Chicago on paper looks to be the team
to beat. Who's your team to beat that you want
to keep pace with?

Speaker 3 (35:08):
Well, I think it's a three team race. I think
the Cardinals are going to be bad. I think the
Cardinals are in like their first rebuild in forty years.
They didn't do anything this offense, nothing they know I
had a trade away Nolan Aeronato and couldn't get that done.
I think the Pirates might look like me at the
plate collectively, really offensively. I think they're going to be dreadful,
and they've lost their number two starter, So I think

(35:29):
it's a three team race. I will defer to the Brewers,
but I wonder, like, you can only keep losing guys.
So last year it was Corbyn Burns. Now it's Willie
Adamas and it's Devin Williams. But I think Pat Murphy's
a really good manager. Christian Yelich had a better year
last year than I think people realize. Jackson Curio comes

(35:49):
back for another season. Kyle Tucker is a very good player.
But like anytime you mentioned the Cubs, it's like, well,
you know what they added Kyle Tucker, Yeah, to an
eighty three win team. Does he turn him into an
ninety three win team? I don't think so. So I
think it's gonna come down to Cincinnati, Milwaukee or Chicago.
But like Tony, you've talked before about like the normalization

(36:10):
of losing, how do you end the normalization of losing?
Go fifteen and five? Let start winning, like legitimately, like
we do this every year where they dig themselves a whole.
If things are indeed different, then April is different. Into
their credit. Last year they did start nine and six,
which is good six hundred baseball, right, so they were okay,

(36:30):
But like, for once, I'd like to get to I'd
like to get to Oaks Day. Okay, Oaks Day, the
first Friday in May, Oaks Day, and go. The Reds
are in first place. By two games, they're four or
five over five hundred. They've kind of set the pace
and they've built themselves a little bit of a cushion,
not necessarily in the division, but for when those summer losing.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
Streaks comes, and it just reminds you of the city
and how they rally around it. I got I don't
remember what it was leading in, but they were on
a little bit of a winning streak and then the
Tigers came in. Yeah, and I remember being down here
for the first night of that series and it was
unbelievable and the Tigers swept them move and then it
was it was south from there. But I just, you know,

(37:12):
the other thing is so much fun when they're winning.

Speaker 6 (37:14):
Talking about the record against Milwaukee last year and how
they had never seem to play well against Milwaukee. One
of the big reasons for that is because Willie Damas
just killed the Reds. He's one of the all time
Reds Killers. Well, he's in the lineup today for the
San Francisco Giants, So we'll see how that goes. But
in and of itself, Milwaukee lost one of the biggest
quote unquote Reds killers.

Speaker 4 (37:35):
Can you take advantage of that?

Speaker 3 (37:38):
All?

Speaker 5 (37:38):
Right, something we'll find out.

Speaker 3 (37:40):
Let's take the division is I think the overrich started
to interrupted you go to break. The division is very
much there for the take. I don't think anybody wins
this division with ninety two ninety three wins. Yeah, so
like can you get to eighty seven? Can you get
to eighty eight? And that may do it here? Like
that's that's part of my frustration with the offseason. It's
like you're watching the Cardinals do nothing. You're watching the

(38:02):
Pirates offseason nothing. You're watching the Brewers lose guys, you're
watching the Cubs make a big addition, Kyle Tucker's very good,
Like sometimes life is about timing. I heard Marty Brenneman
say this once, like, sometimes you don't choose when to contend.
Contention chooses you. I think contention can choose the Reds.
I wish they would have seized on that a little

(38:24):
bit more this offseason.

Speaker 2 (38:25):
Terry Francona. We'll finish up hour one when we get back.
You know, it's not just about Hey, four sweet sixteen
games tonight, good good slate of basketball, and we are
five days away from the crown, sir A.

Speaker 3 (38:39):
Better times, Terry Francona had a crown this morning, right,
better time at Cincinnati than right now. That's why most
the best three o'clock Tuesday. I gotta think the atmosphere
in this city is gonna be similar. Oh yeah, places
are gonna be passed here. What we're gonna be broadcasting
from If you own a business next Tuesday, forget about it. Well,
I'm not gonna be broadcasting from anywhere because we're carrying
the game.

Speaker 2 (39:01):
We'll be back.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
We'll wrap up the first hour here at Smoke Justice.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
They think of my show until three o'clock.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
I guess listen on THEESB at fifteen to thirty cent
Tonati Sports station.

Speaker 7 (39:12):
Until Kwise Cincinnati.

Speaker 8 (39:14):
Make us the number one pre sent on your car
radio and on the free New and improved. iHeartRadio ad
free never sounded so good.

Speaker 7 (39:21):
ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (39:23):
Hey, it's Tony Pike here for my friends at Apollow Home.
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(39:45):
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Speaker 7 (39:58):
Excuse me, I know you.

Speaker 6 (39:59):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty an iHeartRadio station. Oh gosh,
it just feels like we're at the ballpark.

Speaker 3 (40:15):
I feel like I should Afford Jersey. Yeah, that kind
of lame that you didn't my wife, I don't have
them Modern Jersey I have too. Dave Parker, Yeah, Cobra
goes into the Hall of Fame this year, and I
have Barry Larkin. Like the world series American Flag World series.
My wife hates when I wear them. Why she thinks
I look like a dufis.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
I don't really have any Reds gear, do you outside
of my jacket?

Speaker 3 (40:40):
So I put on the Dave Parker today because I'm like,
it's opening day, Cobra's going into the hall. And my
wife just looked at me and she's like nope. I'm like,
you know, you're not You're not going with me, and
she's like huh huh. She's like, so her rule is like,
if you take Rosley my daughter, yeah, wear the jersey.
If you want to look like a little kid, great,
you're with a little kid. So now I'm like, you

(41:02):
guys have jerseys on.

Speaker 6 (41:03):
You have Elie Dela Cruz and you have your own
Yeah yeah, but that's worse than anything.

Speaker 2 (41:07):
This is like one of the only Reds things that
I own outside of had I have a budget.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
I feel like I would look cool if.

Speaker 2 (41:14):
This is a first pitch jersey. By the way, yes
it's the first pitch jersey.

Speaker 6 (41:19):
That's the authentic, like yeah, yeah, yeah, that's they took
that out of you know, the Stow locker.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
Room the election they did and put your name we
have plenty of giveaways.

Speaker 5 (41:28):
We're here till three o'clock, justin.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
Leonard forty four.

Speaker 4 (41:31):
That's a custom What do you feel about, ye customer?

Speaker 3 (41:34):
You know what, as long as you're happy, I don't care. Okay,
I like that guy. I bet you. Yes, someone in
his life is like nope, and he still did it.

Speaker 7 (41:40):
Me.

Speaker 3 (41:40):
I'm worried about what my wife thinks and she's not
even here. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (41:43):
I referred to her earlier as your current wife, so
that would that would suggest that there'll be another one later.

Speaker 3 (41:49):
No, it's no. Because I was telling the story to
my guy over there that I went to high school with,
and I was referencing our last high school reunion. I said,
was that with mye we get it.

Speaker 2 (42:01):
Yeah, I I'm firman. I do not buy a jersey
of a current player. Likewise, it's gotta be a it's
gotta be a player in the past and and a
and a reason for it.

Speaker 6 (42:12):
I only do it with players that I know are
all time greats.

Speaker 2 (42:15):
For a particular ass has got one on the guy's
gonna be bought it.

Speaker 6 (42:18):
This year, This particular jersey was a regular one and
seventy five dollars. It was on sale for forty three
to ninety nine, so I bought. Gotta get it, you
have to get it.

Speaker 3 (42:26):
How do we feel about your lukewarm ontom the alternates
that they warn't Dayton the other night.

Speaker 4 (42:30):
I don't like.

Speaker 5 (42:31):
I think it's how you accessorize it.

Speaker 6 (42:32):
Yeah, Matt McClean looked all right, high red sox, red cleats,
red sleeves.

Speaker 3 (42:38):
I think they look okay.

Speaker 6 (42:40):
They need the number on the front, yes, like those
and the sea on the front does not match the
numbering in the lettering on the back.

Speaker 4 (42:47):
You're right, that's mismatch.

Speaker 6 (42:48):
Yeah, so there is no uniformity to the uniform.

Speaker 3 (42:52):
All right.

Speaker 4 (42:52):
They look like practice Jersey.

Speaker 2 (42:53):
Get to smoke justice, have yourself a bourbon, get some food.

Speaker 4 (42:57):
One block.

Speaker 2 (42:57):
We're here to one bridge, now, bo, you could attest
to this. In the span of a block and a bridge,
there's a lot you can get done. Yeah, probably finish
a whole cigar.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
Uh, I gotta have cigar done between there and here.

Speaker 5 (43:08):
Yeah, is the bridge part of the Dora.

Speaker 3 (43:11):
I got another one on opening datas grip.

Speaker 2 (43:14):
So you got a trip, smoke a cigar, make the walk.
If you're lazy, you can get one of the rickshaws
or the golf carts, and these people.

Speaker 3 (43:21):
Are working really hard. Support those folks, the laziness about.

Speaker 5 (43:24):
It to those that jump in like I did last year, I.

Speaker 4 (43:29):
Felt I needed one away last year.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
We're back top of our number two next sixty three
to sixty ESPN fifteen to thirty, Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 7 (43:38):
Kwise, Cincinnati.

Speaker 8 (43:39):
Make us the number one pre set on your car
radio and on the free knew it improved, iHeartRadio app
Free never sounded so good.

Speaker 1 (43:46):
ESPN fifteen thirty, Tony Pike Here for c Chi Roofing.

Speaker 2 (43:49):
Let's be real, no one gets excited about having to
get a new roof. But if like the spring and
like baseball, those storms come in quick and problems can
arise in your room quicker than those fastballs are gonna
come into the play today, a roof is a half two,
not a one two, So when you need to you'll
want the pros. At Chi Roofing. Rob Montanas and his

(44:10):
team are the best in the business. They're fair, honest,
and get it done right the first time and right now.
Get ten percent off any new roof. Visit seven to
three to one roof dot Com to schedule chi roofing.
They nail it every time.

Speaker 7 (44:23):
Prohibition, it's no secrecy.

Speaker 1 (44:24):
Shirts since E three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati, sponsored
in part by Cincy Shirts.

Speaker 7 (44:32):
Cincy Shirts all since E all day.

Speaker 1 (44:34):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, our.

Speaker 5 (44:40):
Number two thanks to Sini Shirts. You got Sidy shirts gift.

Speaker 2 (44:43):
Parts to give away here today.

Speaker 3 (44:44):
I'll tell you what if you walk with so much
you want red shirts all sincey shirts dot Com.

Speaker 2 (44:49):
You know they got the La jersey. Yep, looks like
the old school fools jersey. I'll buy that jersey. Yeah. Uh,
it's opening day. Is anyone even excited for opening Day?

Speaker 4 (44:58):
Hello? Who's here?

Speaker 5 (45:00):
A little better than our one?

Speaker 3 (45:02):
Wait, we've done better? Yeah, this is good.

Speaker 5 (45:05):
We're going to start drinking more.

Speaker 3 (45:06):
We're going in the right direction. More drinks.

Speaker 4 (45:08):
Harry carries in here. Harry has made it.

Speaker 3 (45:11):
There's a guy up here on stage talking to you
who looked like the before version of Sean Connery in
the Rock. I don't know, I don't know.

Speaker 5 (45:21):
If I could trust that guy.

Speaker 2 (45:21):
He said.

Speaker 5 (45:22):
My dad's one of the hardest workers he's ever.

Speaker 2 (45:23):
Worked for, working at what my dad here, he said,
he's always working. I said, he's always at home.

Speaker 3 (45:29):
Your dad even had a job. Unbelievable news to me.

Speaker 5 (45:32):
We're here till three smoke.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
Justice is an awesome place, not just for opening Day, anytime.
They got a great bourbon bar, food and drink awesome,
second to none. It's only a block of the bridge
from the ballpark, and we've got awesome giveaways. We've talked
a lot in the last week or so about the
National League as a whole and why this year it

(45:55):
is vital to win the NL Central.

Speaker 5 (45:57):
The goal every year is to win the Central.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
But in most years you'll probably sit back and say, well,
if you compete in the NL Central extra wildcard spot,
you probably got a good chance to still make the playoffs.

Speaker 5 (46:10):
I don't know if that's the case this year.

Speaker 3 (46:12):
No, the National League's has three teams that look like
they can win night games, and the National League West
has two teams that I think LA is gonna win
maybe one hundred and forty.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
Yeah, A lot of.

Speaker 5 (46:22):
People high on Arizona too.

Speaker 3 (46:23):
A lot of people are high in Arizona world serious
two years ago, and I think folks are underselling the
San Diego Padres yep. I think it's very unlikely that
a National League Wildcard team comes out of the the
NL Central.

Speaker 6 (46:36):
You said something earlier that you think Washington and Pittsburgh
are going to be terrible, but Washington's going to be terrible.
I've read some stuff that people believe they're going to
be better than they were a year ago. Now they're
relying on a lot of young talent and guys, much
like the Reds were a couple of years ago, which
they surprise some people when they win five hundred. Is
there anybody that you feel like in the National League

(46:57):
is going to be a surprise.

Speaker 3 (47:01):
It's a good question, I think relative to like if
you look at Vegas over unders and stuff, I think
people are underselling the Padra.

Speaker 2 (47:08):
What about this team today San Francisco probably not right
around that eighty eighty one projection. Yeah, from a lot
of folks.

Speaker 6 (47:15):
I don't want to bring up bad membery, Like what's
a surprise like gets to the postseason, like Arizona was
a couple of years ago, nobody really expected them to
be competing and that they snuck in and went all round.

Speaker 2 (47:26):
Let me, well, you can say it's not it's not
gonna be the Rockies. It's not gonna be the Nationals.
It's not gonna be the Marlins. It's probably the pirates
of the Cardinals.

Speaker 4 (47:34):
Marlins finally got their best picture back.

Speaker 3 (47:36):
How surprising would it be if the Reds made the postseason?

Speaker 6 (47:42):
I personally would be surprised, but I think most people
nationally expect them to be in the conversation, yeah.

Speaker 3 (47:47):
I feel like there's two different schools of thought. There's
the computer and fangrafs. Baseball Prospectus don't have the Reds
winning more than eighty games. I think Fangrafts had them
winning seventy fe But when you read Keith Law, Buster Olney,
et cetera, they all expect this team to be in
the hunt. And so I think the Reds in the

(48:08):
postseason is a surprise, but it's not a shock, like
I've said all along, and I think you guys would agree.
I will be unsurprised if the Reds lose ninety games.
I will be unsurprised if the Reds win ninety games. Yeah,
like I certainly prefer winning ninety. I don't know that
it's that stunning if they are that team.

Speaker 2 (48:28):
But nationally, what's the conversation if it's not Ellie or
Terry Francona that makes this team.

Speaker 3 (48:35):
Contending elite starting pitching.

Speaker 5 (48:37):
Brady Singer, Nicolodolo healthy.

Speaker 3 (48:39):
Yeah, I mean you would agree, right, Yes, it seems.

Speaker 6 (48:42):
To be the The deal that people go back to
past Terry Francona immediately is Brady Singer because he's been
everything that Red starting pitchers have not been the last
couple of years, which is he eats a bunch of innings,
he pitches deep into games, and he is consistent and
he's healthy. And the Reds haven't had that from their
starting pitching for the most part, and when they have,

(49:04):
those guys have run out of gas at the end
of the season, like Andrew Abbott. So that I think
is like it was the first move made in the
offseason and kind of the move that people have forgotten
about because it's like, oh, yeah, here's a bona fide
starting pitcher that can pitch a lot of innings.

Speaker 2 (49:18):
Is there a player on this team that doesn't get
I mean, Ellie's numbers through spring were unbelievable, a lot
I think match the height. Is there a player on
this roster, in your opinion, that we're not talking about enough?

Speaker 3 (49:31):
My answer to that question is the same as it
was a year ago. Tyler Stevenson. Okay, Like, Tyler Stevenson
is good. He's a good catcher. I think unfortunately number
one injuries early. I think there was this discussion and
I used to champion it and then I backed off quickly.
You know, he should play first base. He doesn't hit
enough to be a first base he doesn't hit enough

(49:53):
to be an outfielder. He has plenty to be a catcher.
He's improved offensively. He has been durable to last couple
of years, which you know stinks now because he has
an injury.

Speaker 6 (50:02):
But I like he had the best offensive season the
Reds catcher has had since Johnny Bench last year.

Speaker 3 (50:07):
He is I don't think people realize how good he is.
He's the longest tenuredd Red Like we were talking about leaders. Yeah,
it's got to be healthy and on the team, but like,
why why not Tyler Stevenson. And I remember I was
talking with Sam Lekeure on our show about this a
year ago, and I go, you know, it wasn't that
long ago. We were wondering, when's Tyler Stevenson going to
be an All Star? It feels like we've we've put

(50:28):
that to bed, and then he responded by having a
very good season. He wasn't an All Star, but like,
if he's healthy, if he can come back by May first,
they have one of the best catchers in the National League,
who I think, as an offensive player and a defensive player,
still has really better seasons in front of him.

Speaker 6 (50:47):
My answer to Tony's question is his backup pose a Travina. Sure,
he is a much better player than Luke Maylee. He's
not significantly better offensively, but it's hard to be worse
than Luke Maylee was. He's a Platinum Glove winner, he
has postseason experience. He's pitched and caught big name pitchers
and big name environments over and over again, and defensively.

(51:09):
We talked about the importance of that for this team
this year.

Speaker 4 (51:13):
Just him.

Speaker 6 (51:13):
When you talk about improving in the margins, Jose Travino
is the definition of improving in the margins. Y, you
traded away from Ando Cruz for him, who was getting
older and was falling apart. I think a lot of
people thought, and then you get a much better defensive catcher,
a guy that can be a little bit of a
veteran leader that you can rely on with some of
these younger pitchers that the Reds have come.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
It's something really interesting with him. They traded for him
and then two weeks ago gave him a contract extension
and they they do the announcement and all of his
teammates were there. Yeah, and well, I keep name dropping
Tommy thral On yesterday and I got like like, like
that tells me like I'm gonna really out like this guy.
He's like dude. The pitchers love him like everybody loves

(51:53):
And he said to me, he's like the thing with
him is like he knows who he is. He knows
he's the other catcher who now has to be the
catcher that's a luxury look. Mainly is a nice kid
and a local kid and a good defensive catcher. Jose
Travinho is younger and better.

Speaker 2 (52:07):
Hunter Green said about him yesterday, he's got a slow
heart rate. Yeah, the moment just doesn't get too big.
He's been in the big moments. I was torn between two.
How does Santiago or Santiago Espinal get used on this roster? Yeah,
because he has proven that he should get some playing time.
And oddly enough someone we spent so much time talking

(52:27):
about last year. I don't think we've brought him up
or I brought him up all spring training. Jamer Candelario. Yeah, like,
what is this season? Remember how excited people were about
Jamer Candelario and all the money they paid him and
all those doubles and how he's always raked in Great
American Ballpark.

Speaker 5 (52:43):
There were flashes of that last year. But that's a
big part of this roster.

Speaker 2 (52:48):
We talked about a team that didn't make a lot
of moves that was one of their bigger moves the
year before, And I don't think I've spent one segment
of spring training talking about Jamer Candelario.

Speaker 6 (52:58):
Like candelario season last year was the definition of the
entire season, where he could just never get it straightened out,
and then he would get hurt, and he was playing
different positions. He was going first and third in DH
and just felt like he never got into a rhythm.
If he just returns to a semblance of what he
was when they signed him, that's a huge part of
this team that we're not talking a ton of about.

Speaker 3 (53:17):
I think the most difficult part of the team to
pin down is the bullpen. Yeah, yeah, and more so
now without Alexis Diaz to start the season, it feels
like sort of just a collection of dudes, you know.
I think it was Charlie Goldsmith or Seat Trend, I
don't remember which one who wrote pretty good chance they're
better arms in spring training are going to start the

(53:38):
season in Louisville. At the same time, I like Rogers
and Barlow, who they acquired this offseason. I like Brent Souter.

Speaker 2 (53:44):
They seem to be high on Tony Santa In.

Speaker 3 (53:46):
Jebou is back, and you know, as much as people
love to make fun of him, Ian Jebbo was effective
in twenty twenty three.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (53:52):
I you talk about like a wide variance. I could
see that being a strength of the team, and maybe
in part because Terry Francone uses it really well, right,
I could also see it being something that costs this
team and games.

Speaker 2 (54:04):
And how he uses it. Jim Day talked about the
bullpen yesterday because we asked about closer, which is obviously
a question mark. He said, to be honest, I don't
think Tito dos fair because you know, and I think
he made the point, let's say it's a let's say
it's seventh inning today, two to one, one out, one
run game. You don't really have an obum. You go

(54:25):
to your best guy. So I don't think they even
have a semblance of an idea yet who that's gonna be.
Most teams have that luxury of eighth inning, it's this guy.
Ninth inning, it's that guy. And I feel like, to
a point every year I watch the playoffs, I'm I'm
wild by like the names that come out of the
bullpen and their eras. It's just sub three, sub three,

(54:47):
sub three. Once you get past the sixth inning, it's over.
And here we are again talking about we don't even
know how they'll handle first out of the bullpen, second
out of the bullpen.

Speaker 5 (54:57):
Who's gonna close for this team?

Speaker 6 (54:59):
One of Terry francone A calling cards is how well
he handles bullpens. When people get excited about Terry Francona,
it's about that and how well he has done at
that over the course of his career. My thing is,
are they gonna be able to bring guys in from
the bullpen that don't immediately walk the first guy?

Speaker 3 (55:14):
Oh? Rap?

Speaker 6 (55:14):
They had to lead the league in that over the
last two or three years. And I don't know what
the cause for that is, but it was maddening to watch.

Speaker 3 (55:21):
Yeah, every team has a good closer. Yeah, I mean,
for the most part, every team has a best reliever
who pitches the ninth inning. To me, the strength of
your bullpen is first guy out, if your starter has
given you a six and the game is still in doubt,
who's that guy?

Speaker 2 (55:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (55:35):
And then options you have over those final over those
next six outs until you get to the ninth inning.

Speaker 4 (55:41):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:41):
You could tell me that's gonna be a strength of
this team, and Tito Francona is gonna use those guys appropriately,
And I'd go yeah, And I'd be unsurprised if that
kind of blows up in their face, Like that's the
part of the I think they're gonna be at best
average offensively, and I think they're gonna have really good
starting pitching. And I think they improved defensively that bullpen
total wildcard.

Speaker 6 (56:00):
Mentally, that might be the direction they have to go.
And Rick Brory in the house. Mentally, Richard Buckets.

Speaker 2 (56:09):
What does it do for starting pitching when that's the issue,
Because then all of a sudden, your mindset is pitch
count going deeper into games, maybe you handle innings differently
than than what you normally would. I think that weighs
on a starting staff if the bullpen doesn't carry the weight,
and then maybe leaks into the locker room a little
bit of I just wasted another six inning to run

(56:33):
outing and we blew a lead in the eighth inning.
That that's got to wear on you too. Instead of man,
I went six, I went five and a third. I'm
turning the ball over and I know we're good after this.

Speaker 3 (56:42):
I think more than anything, though, like two years ago,
and I know nobody wants to talk about David Bell,
I thought David Bell was marvelous. Great teeth, Yeah, good teeth,
novin air problem now, but like staying in every night,
he was having to go into the bullpen in the
fourth or fifth any Yeah, and that's that's not sustainable
and it fell apart at the end of the year.
I think the hope is this year they have enough

(57:03):
guys who can give them six in the era we're in,
that's what you expect, Yeah, who can give them six,
so that even before the game, Terry Francona can kind
of like map out, like here's what I want to do.
And in recent years, because of inexperienced starting pitching all
the injuries, like the manager hasn't had the luxury of
being able to do that. So what I what I

(57:23):
hope is the bullpen is better because it's a little
bit easier to navigate the last nine outs and not
the last fifteen outs. And even you know, at four
o'clock in the afternoon, he could sit down and go, Okay,
if this happens, here's what I'm doing. If this happens,
here's what I'm doing. If this happens, here's what I'm doing.
Because the starting pitcher is going to take care of
the first eighteen outs on a frequent basis.

Speaker 2 (57:44):
Yeah, I think that's one of the bigger question marks
obviously of this team going forward. Let's take our first
break of hour number two. Look at this, that's up.

Speaker 4 (57:52):
Wow, that's fantastic. Our guys, Steve in.

Speaker 6 (57:55):
The house, let's talk good on more airplanes than god
knows what over the last twenty four hours.

Speaker 2 (58:02):
Would be careful on airplanes?

Speaker 3 (58:03):
I date age, Yeah, lives in Hawaii. Him.

Speaker 6 (58:07):
There's two Strato tankers flying over today. Some might say
his excited. Rod's driving from.

Speaker 5 (58:13):
Hawaii yeah at this point, just so what.

Speaker 3 (58:17):
You can do get the cards? He if it flows
our number.

Speaker 2 (58:21):
Two just underway where it Smoked Justice. We're blocking a
bridge away from the ballpark. Awesome bourbon, awesome cood. We've
got awesome prizes. If you've not signed up, come up
to the States.

Speaker 3 (58:30):
SI giveaway rowing from Musketeer Report dot Com is here.

Speaker 2 (58:34):
Rick Brory walked by and said he will take anyone's
questions about Richard Patino Junior. He's right up here in
front of the stage. Well, if you want to talk xavior,
if you want to talk NCAA college.

Speaker 3 (58:45):
He obviously didn't know because Sean Miller's coming by. Oh oh,
and just say goodbye to Cincinnati. Wanted to see if
Rick was going to be here, had some some things
he wanted to run by him.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
All your xavior questions while getting to here about opening
here at Smoke Justice sixteen three sixty, ESPN fifteen thirty six,
a NATI sports station.

Speaker 1 (59:04):
It's an episode of since E three sixty here every
show at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com.

Speaker 2 (59:12):
I am Organ. You're a big Organ guy.

Speaker 3 (59:17):
I'm a big Organ guy. Yeah. Organ in the ballpark,
I like yeah, I'm old school.

Speaker 2 (59:21):
Okay, Uh, let's get this is sixty three sixty it
is where at Smoke Justice.

Speaker 5 (59:27):
It's opening day. It's the best day of the year
in the city.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
Let me ask you, if you are leading off for
the Reds today, what's your walk up music looking like?

Speaker 3 (59:39):
So you know, I I would be the music guy's
like biggest nightmare, okay, because I'd have five new songs
every day. It would be based on mood, like I'm told.

Speaker 4 (59:50):
That's what Brandon Phillips used to do.

Speaker 3 (59:51):
Yeah, but like he would give them these songs where
they would be like the rapper doesn't go more than
three seconds without dropping an F bomb. Yeah, so they
would have like but he would do that, yeah, because
like I don't listen to the same music every single day,
Like there are days I feel a certain moon that
I have, so like my my bat routine would sort
of and I'd send like hidden messages.

Speaker 4 (01:00:11):
About yeah, what's your what you are leader? In hidden messages?

Speaker 5 (01:00:15):
What's your flavor today?

Speaker 3 (01:00:17):
So if I'm leading, this is gonna be really cliche
and stupid. If I'm leading off and it's the first
game of the season, We're going to start me up
by the Stones. Okay, Okay, yeah, okay, big Stones guy, Okay,
Boston Gosh.

Speaker 6 (01:00:32):
My answer to this change is all the time. My
normal run of the mill answer has dropped the world.
By Lil Wayne the first verse where he says he's
got love in my mind.

Speaker 2 (01:00:42):
Here it's way different.

Speaker 6 (01:00:44):
Yeah, ice in my veins, blooding my eyes, hating my
heart and love on my mind.

Speaker 2 (01:00:49):
Man, I don't even know. I would honestly go like,
I'm into like the country mode right now, right I
feel like a Morgan Wall and Luke Combe something like that.

Speaker 4 (01:00:56):
You would be a walling guy that or I.

Speaker 2 (01:01:00):
Always thought it'd be good like taco putting on the ritz,
huh and just kind of strut up to the plate. Oh,
use the bat as a cane, one of those.

Speaker 3 (01:01:09):
Here's what I would do. I would actually say, like
what if I had none? Just to see, like what
the mood in the ballpark would be if like I was,
let's say I'm doing up fifth and you know, the
first four guys have come up, maybe it's all been
in the first inning, whatever it is, and suddenly there's
silence and they announced my name and I was like,
where's the That would be my thing.

Speaker 6 (01:01:28):
Or the Michael Myers theme song, and I would just
take as slow as I could, but walk to the place.

Speaker 2 (01:01:34):
There's a lot though, like I catch myself in games,
like my mood for a bat change is based on
the music.

Speaker 3 (01:01:40):
And there are songs that I will hear like and
I'll go, oh, that was that coz Art song. Yeah,
I don't really know what the song is it black
Joey Vana. When I hear fly Me to the Moon
by Frank Sinatra, I think of Todd Freeze.

Speaker 4 (01:01:52):
I saw Todd earlier today. He was walking around. I
just saw Joey Chestnut is in town as well. One
of the time greats.

Speaker 3 (01:02:00):
Is he coming here?

Speaker 4 (01:02:01):
And I hope so he's invited not to sit on
stage with me. Well he can. He can take your
seat and run around.

Speaker 3 (01:02:08):
He can eat hot dogs. Uh, what I hear?

Speaker 4 (01:02:12):
You're not gonna pooh pooh on the hot dog eating contests.

Speaker 3 (01:02:14):
Oh, it's disgusting.

Speaker 4 (01:02:15):
It's the American way, America.

Speaker 6 (01:02:17):
I'm gonna try to get Are you gonna do the
nine to nine nine challenge today?

Speaker 3 (01:02:20):
The American way not today. The American way is gluttony.
I understand, Yeah, that's fine, right, I don't want to
watch some dude wolf down two hundred hot dogs in
like eight minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
You'll throw away five hundred beer cups on a cup snake,
fine hot dogs.

Speaker 3 (01:02:33):
I don't understand the allure, and I really don't understand
the people who are like I could do that, like cool,
you probably could, but even if you could, like, what
do you want?

Speaker 6 (01:02:41):
Have you ever done the nine nine nine nine beers
nine hot. I've not done nine hot nine innings.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
I've not done nine hot.

Speaker 4 (01:02:48):
You've probably done like the twenty and nine.

Speaker 6 (01:02:52):
I like, uh, remember when the resident says, yes, how
much money do you think you've spent on beer at
that ballpark?

Speaker 3 (01:03:00):
I've paid for a player? Which player? Well, I mean
you know Brian Lavarnway was on my dime.

Speaker 4 (01:03:09):
Yeah, Scott Feld had him. He started on opening day.

Speaker 3 (01:03:12):
I think Guy's subsidizes one year contract. They really you know,
I remember, you know, like a bar and you know
they'll have like a stool for a guy who like
comes in every night. I like a little bronze Yeah,
I want that in the bow tie bar. G.

Speaker 4 (01:03:25):
Yeah, that's that's smart.

Speaker 3 (01:03:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:03:27):
We were trying to figure it out this week because
Marty Brenneman is getting a what the Reds described as
a sculpture.

Speaker 3 (01:03:34):
I did not understand statues verse sculptures.

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
I have no idea.

Speaker 6 (01:03:37):
What do you call the figures outside of Great American
Ball bar statues?

Speaker 2 (01:03:41):
Me too, because Marty's gonna be any different. They described
it as a sculpture.

Speaker 3 (01:03:47):
It's a statue.

Speaker 2 (01:03:48):
That's what I do.

Speaker 3 (01:03:49):
Maybe, like when it's in the process of being made,
you're sculpting it, so it's a sculpture once it's done.
Like nobody ever says the sculpture of Liberty. Yeah, right right,
it's a statue. Yeah, who is the next We've done
this before. Who is the next Red's player Larkin to
get a statue? Barry Larkin has to be why does
he not have one yet? Because I like, I understand

(01:04:10):
kind of being selective with that stuff. They have a
lot of players to honor. They have a lot of
different ways of hottering players. Barry went into the Hall
of Fame in twenty twelve, got his jersey number retired.

Speaker 5 (01:04:19):
Like, what's the statue cut off?

Speaker 2 (01:04:22):
Davis get a statue, Joey Vodo get a statue.

Speaker 4 (01:04:25):
I don't think you can get a statue if your
number is not retired. U.

Speaker 3 (01:04:31):
I'm trying to think of the guys who have statues.

Speaker 5 (01:04:33):
Todd Fraser's Derby get a statue.

Speaker 6 (01:04:35):
Ernie Lombardi, Ernie Lombardo, Knucksall, Yeah, Ted Klezuski, Ted Klezuski,
Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose is Ted
Klezuski's number retired, Frank Robinson is up there as well
as he should be.

Speaker 4 (01:04:47):
Kuski is retired, He's retired.

Speaker 6 (01:04:48):
Yeah, all those guys numbers are retired, I believe, except
Ernie Lombardi.

Speaker 3 (01:04:53):
But Lombardi said the Hall of Fame. Yeah, uh, I'm
fine with that.

Speaker 4 (01:04:57):
And obviously Knuxsall is not as well.

Speaker 3 (01:05:00):
What his microphone is, right, Yeah, A.

Speaker 4 (01:05:01):
Little bit different, you know, Concepcion.

Speaker 3 (01:05:08):
Concepcion's jersey number is retired. But like, okay, if they
put one out there, would you poop on it? I
mean no, they're not. David Conceptsion is so like, I mean,
it's not like they're going Jeff Reid's getting a statue
like Davy Conceptsion is a Cooperstown case. That wouldn't bother me.

Speaker 5 (01:05:23):
Does Joey Vono ever have one?

Speaker 4 (01:05:25):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (01:05:25):
I think he will what would his be depicting Canadian Mounty.
I don't hate that, No, I his batting stance something
like that.

Speaker 2 (01:05:37):
But I've thought of this at times in the offseason
because lark Att is deserving. But there were so many
times where Ellie was going the things that he was
going last year. Yeah, where he would be put on
a list and there would be three or four names
on the list, and almost all of them had Eric Davis. Sure,
And I don't know if I or if we I
don't celebrate how great Eric Davis was.

Speaker 3 (01:06:00):
It's funny because he was, but I feel like it's
taken some time for people to realize how good he was. Yeah,
I mean, I I fully remember the Eric Davis experience,
and I remember the crap he took because there were
a lot of people who thought he didn't care. You know,
he's hurt all the time, and I'm as a kid,
I'm like the dude who's like scaling walls to rob

(01:06:20):
home runs and lacerating his kidney, Like we think that
guy doesn't care. And I feel like I feel like
those people have gone away, which is good. One of
the most iconic moments in the history of this franchise
is bottom of the first inning Game one nineteen ninety
World Series set the tone. I mean, it's it's the
most memorable moment. Like if they put an Eric Davis

(01:06:41):
statue up, would you be like, ah, No, he's not
a Hall of Famer. It's in the Reds Hall of Fame.
But like Larkin leaping in the air after they won
the World Series is like, that's iconic. That's iconic. But
I think Larkin's gonna be the next one. Yeah, it
feels like.

Speaker 6 (01:07:00):
You interviewed Speaking of nineteen ninety, you interviewed Chris Abo
this morning. I did the Grand Marshall throwing out the
first pitch tonight. Yeah, what did you learn from your
conversation with Sabo?

Speaker 3 (01:07:09):
That he is the lone man in America still going
with the buzz cut flat top.

Speaker 6 (01:07:19):
Look, that's not true. Landon Davis is here is he
got one very soon, much like the guy from Falling.

Speaker 3 (01:07:24):
Down rom Now what I what? I I didn't really
learn much.

Speaker 4 (01:07:31):
But I know that you You just interviewed him a
couple weeks ago too.

Speaker 3 (01:07:33):
Yeah, I asked him a lot of the same questions.
You know, you talk about like somebody like people don't
realize how good. Yeah, he was chris able, like they
know Spuds, But I mean he was an All Star
multiple times, huge part of that ninety teen that won
the World Series.

Speaker 4 (01:07:49):
They went wire to wire that year.

Speaker 3 (01:07:50):
Yeah, it was an all My favorite Cris Ao moment
was in the eighty eight All Star Game. It was
old at Riverfrod. He didn't bat and the crowd was
losing its mind, and then he ran, I think for
Gary Carter and everybody in the ballpark knew he was
gonna steal. And he's toole successfully. Just a nice guy.
And I think in part because he watches his daughter

(01:08:11):
on TV. He watches the Reds every night, so very
in tune with what the team is doing.

Speaker 6 (01:08:16):
Now, have you ever heard that story about him working
at McDonald's in spring training? No, there was, I forget
where I heard this story, but basically, when he was
coming up with the Reds and they were down in Florida,
he you know, wasn't making very much money and in
spring training got a part time job out of McDonald's
down there, and one night all the coaches come in

(01:08:36):
to get McDonald's and they see Chris Sabo behind the
bar and he's flipping burgers and everything, and they're like, Saves,
what are you doing? Yeah, I don't that could be
a rime, that could be a fuzzy memory of the story.
But yeah, that's one of the crazier stories. Let me
double check. I know we're about to take a break here.
This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the seventy five team.

Speaker 2 (01:08:57):
Uh huh.

Speaker 6 (01:08:58):
We sometimes make fun of them in the Reds and
the win and Doubt trot him ountin thing. But with
the passing of Pete Rose, and with it being the
fifty year anniversary of the first Big Red Machine title,
do we give them a pass this year to just
celebrate all those guys.

Speaker 2 (01:09:13):
Well, make fun of them, but you'll be celebrating that
and all the wins that are happening.

Speaker 4 (01:09:18):
Yeah, of course.

Speaker 3 (01:09:19):
But I think there have been times in the franchise's
history where they've pushed the nostalgia button a little bit
too frequently that seventy five team might be the greatest
of all time. Yeah, we don't have Joe Morgan anymore,
we don't have Pete Rose anymore. Like, let's say they
didn't do it and we lost another one of those guys. Yeah,

(01:09:40):
you feel like, well, what the hell are they doing? Yeah, man,
of course, Like I think it would be really fun
if it happened in the context of a fun year
where the Reds are are are in it. But I
mean that's an iconic team. You can't you can't not, man.

Speaker 6 (01:09:57):
Yeah, I mean the Reds Hall of Fame's doing the
exhibit this year. They're honoring Pete a couple of times,
obviously after you just passed away. Like, no matter what
happens on the field, I know people are gonna, like,
you know, at some point bring that up, and I'm
just like, I'm taking a break from making fun of
them for I.

Speaker 3 (01:10:12):
Want them to bring back the ninety five team to
celebrate the last Reds team to advance in the postseason.
Thirtieth anniversary. In fact, John Smiley, Pete Shuick, Reggie Sanders,
Ron Gan, Jerome Walton, Thomas Howard rock Dant was a
man to bring Jeff Brantley out of the boat.

Speaker 2 (01:10:26):
Come on September sixth, as the last bobblehead night of
the year, Fans can vote on the bobblehead. Did you
vote no, you get Andrew Abbott, Jamer Candelario, ce S Santiagoes,
but all or Nick Martinez, who would get your vote?

Speaker 3 (01:10:41):
Ces?

Speaker 5 (01:10:42):
Okay, go, I said Andrew Abbott.

Speaker 3 (01:10:45):
I mean if they're here long enough, they're all gonna
have bobbleheads.

Speaker 2 (01:10:48):
Yeah right, I got I got it.

Speaker 3 (01:10:51):
I got a lot of those bobbleheads. And sometimes I
walk past him going they gave him one. It must
have been late in the year that guy got a
bobble What year was that? Okay, that makes Sleepe Lopez
I have a Fleepe Lopez bobblehead. Like really, we thought
we thought he was good enough.

Speaker 2 (01:11:07):
We'll take a break. We are worth a halfway back.
Todd Coffee bobblehead really smoke justice, Ricky Karcher, sinty three
sixty Opening Day twenty twenty five. Plenty of giveaways still happening,
plenty of burbets.

Speaker 4 (01:11:19):
Still to be had.

Speaker 5 (01:11:20):
We gotta play catch up a little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:11:22):
We were halfway done with the chill.

Speaker 5 (01:11:23):
Yeah, we gotta play a little catchup. We'll do that
over the break.

Speaker 2 (01:11:26):
We're back next to the SPA fifteen to thirty Cincinnati
Sports station check disupply knows.

Speaker 3 (01:11:30):
That a winning season fifteen thirty.

Speaker 6 (01:11:39):
Welcome back, sinty three to sixty ESPN fifteen thirty. We
are live at Smoke Justice, just one block and one
bridge away from Great American Ballpark ahead of today's opening
day game with the San Francisco Giants.

Speaker 4 (01:12:00):
Thank you for rejoining us and turning the volume back up.

Speaker 2 (01:12:02):
I was talking to him. See how long you talk
to himself? We have made it.

Speaker 7 (01:12:06):
I was.

Speaker 3 (01:12:06):
I'm talking exactly. Hear a lot of people going, yeah,
turn turn it up. Yeah, missing you.

Speaker 6 (01:12:11):
I'm told that the folks in the back are having
a bit of a problem hearing us, but we do
appreciate their presence here.

Speaker 5 (01:12:17):
Here's how they excited about the game.

Speaker 3 (01:12:18):
Here's what you do if you're in the back. Yeah, ready,
move up, Move up to the front. Move to the front.

Speaker 4 (01:12:24):
How about that?

Speaker 6 (01:12:25):
Much like they did when Luke Mayley came to the
plate last year, everybody took a few steps in dango.
I'm gonna take today your girlfriend or something. No, I
just you know, I try to take shots at Cuff
Cat best I can. Sorry to Joe Daniman, but everybody else,
I'm just trying to take shots.

Speaker 4 (01:12:42):
The best I can.

Speaker 5 (01:12:43):
Sorry to Sorry to Cuffcat.

Speaker 4 (01:12:45):
Yeah, you're welcome.

Speaker 3 (01:12:46):
It's a great Northern Kentucky Institute.

Speaker 4 (01:12:48):
It is sure.

Speaker 5 (01:12:49):
I mean it's no Scott, no nothing else.

Speaker 4 (01:12:52):
Okay, nobody, nothing is.

Speaker 3 (01:12:54):
Our three.

Speaker 2 (01:12:55):
I want to get into like some props and maybe
even though we don't have locks, that's fine, but we
can still talk maybe some some bets or props that
we like from a from a national league standpoint as
a whole. Who do you have as your division winners?

Speaker 3 (01:13:10):
Well? I like Atlanta because they get two key acquisitions
Spencer Stryder and Ronald Acuna. You no get, but I
mean those are those are two. A Mat mcclean's a
huge addition for the Reds this year, and they got
a guy to play left field that I wish the
Reds would have signed in Jerks and Profile. Yeah, it's
a good condition. It's three teams that can win ninety games.

(01:13:34):
My money's on Bryan Snickers team. I think if you're
just looking at if you're just looking at the talent,
if you're just looking at the teams themselves, I think
it's fair to say the Cubs are the favorite in
the Central. I also think it's fair to default to
the Milwaukee Brewers because of their track record and because
they have a lot of really good players. I think

(01:13:55):
it's also fair to have reasonable division title hopes for
the But this is if you're asking, like, bet money
on one of the three teams and feel good about
your return, I would say Chicago Dodger.

Speaker 6 (01:14:08):
How big is the gap between the Cubs and the
rest of the National League Central? No, the rest of
the National League pretty substantial, substantial. So then how big
is the gap between the Cubs and the Reds.

Speaker 2 (01:14:21):
I think it's closer than people think. They're not huge, Okay,
I think a lot of the sports book, if you look,
there is a substantial gap where you can get a
a good odds of the Reds over the Cubs and
the Brewers in the NL Central, Right, I think that
gap doesn't equate to just how close this really is.
Because I'm with you, Hey, I've watched that Cubs team

(01:14:44):
a lot last year. I never walked away thinking, man,
that's one of the best teams in baseball. And I
look at them now, and we talked about the acquisition,
I still don't look at them as running away with things?
Is it the cig? Are they talking about Creig Council
like we are? Terry Francona.

Speaker 3 (01:14:58):
They were last year. I think it was interesting about
the the Cubs is they they sort of remind me
of the Reds in terms of what they did during
the offseason because they went out and got Kyle Tucker
and then Alex Bregman was out there and I'm thinking, like,
if I'm a Cubs fan, i am screaming, go bring
that guy in. And it felt to me like, acquire
Kyle Tucker and then they didn't make that one more move.

(01:15:18):
We're good that I think could have put a little
distance between themselves and the other two teams in the division.
The Rats are not going to be a wildcard team,
but they're a wild card because, like, the starting pitching
has such huge upside.

Speaker 2 (01:15:33):
Who has better starting pitching one through five? Retric Cups
Cincinnati Monaga was great last year. Yeah, but justin Steele
Jameson Talon, like, I'm not right not fearing them going
into a game. You get legit top ed stuff with
Brady Singer.

Speaker 4 (01:15:49):
The only person you're afraid of is yes, right.

Speaker 2 (01:15:54):
In the Reds, I think you can get something from Singer.
I think you can't get something all beeat he stay healthy.
There are times last year Nicolodola looked absolutely filthy.

Speaker 6 (01:16:02):
Sure, most of the time you would ask players that
play for the Reds who's the nastiest pitcher, and they'd
all say Nickelodola, And it's just a product of him
being able to stay healthy, yes or no.

Speaker 4 (01:16:14):
The other thing is, I don't know that.

Speaker 6 (01:16:16):
I can name a Brewer starting pitcher right now. Freddy Peralta,
they're all hurt. Does he start today?

Speaker 5 (01:16:20):
They're all holder They're on different teams, on different which.

Speaker 4 (01:16:23):
Is kind of crazy to think about.

Speaker 6 (01:16:25):
You know, again, when come back to improving in the
margins and just kind of opening daylizing with the rest
of the division.

Speaker 2 (01:16:31):
Opening day, Freddy Peralta is the starter. Brandon Woodruff is
on the IL. They went and got Desta.

Speaker 3 (01:16:37):
Cortes, traded away their closer.

Speaker 2 (01:16:40):
Aaron Savali, and Tobias Myers, who is currently out, their
fifth starter, starts the season out.

Speaker 5 (01:16:45):
Woodroff starts on the IL.

Speaker 3 (01:16:48):
Again.

Speaker 2 (01:16:49):
I know that the lineups are different, starting pitching wise,
this should be the Reds Division.

Speaker 3 (01:16:55):
If I can get thirty one starts from Hunter Green,
thirty one from Nickelodolo, and you know, thirty one from
Brady Singer, I'll feel really really good about their chance.

Speaker 6 (01:17:04):
What year was it like nine or whatever it was
where every starting pitcher made every start for the Reds.

Speaker 3 (01:17:10):
Well, it was twenty twelve, twelve, and then game one
of the postseasons Johnny Quato came out after eight picture.

Speaker 2 (01:17:15):
Yeah, yeah, I just like I look at and this
might be the part of the show where we start
talking ourselves more and more into the Reds winning benl
Central because here we are doing it. But from a
starter standpoint, I legitimately think they have the top end
guys that can compete at the difference. As Chris Rowls
tweeted out earlier, forty four starts last year were made

(01:17:38):
up of guys not on the roster, and because that
a lot was injury, that a lot.

Speaker 5 (01:17:41):
Was shuffling, and how they were gonna use the starters.

Speaker 2 (01:17:44):
But if they can find any type of consistency with Green,
Singer and Logolo and then do with the rest, would
you want? They paid Nick Martinez a lot of money
not to be a fringe guy, but and he looked
good in the spring. I thought, sure, Nick Martinez had
a good spring. Can Andrew have it take the next step?
They have young pitching that's waiting. Yeah, I think one

(01:18:04):
of the other storylines for this season. Do we see Chase.

Speaker 5 (01:18:07):
Burns at any point?

Speaker 3 (01:18:08):
Correct?

Speaker 5 (01:18:09):
Yeah, this is a week a week where we're.

Speaker 2 (01:18:11):
Seeing a twenty two year old make the roster for
the Astros, the Rangers have a guy that did not
pitch one ending in minor league baseball, or the Angels
on their opening day roster. We see that more and
more in baseball today. Is this the year that Chase
Burns helped his team as well?

Speaker 6 (01:18:25):
I think speaking of the Devil, it was just announced
earlier today. I think kind of surprising Chase Burns are
gonna start in Dayton. Yeah, Yeah, which I think a
lot of people kind of expect them to take the
Red Louder route, which, you know, I guess he could
still very quickly move through the system.

Speaker 4 (01:18:39):
I think that's the expectation.

Speaker 6 (01:18:40):
But him starting in Dayton, I think is they're gonna
take their time with Chase Burns.

Speaker 3 (01:18:45):
You know you said before Austin that last year's Red's team,
I think he said, it was the most disappointing of
your lifetime. Yeah, And the reason why it was disappointing
was the starting pitching was good. I mean, it was
the ironic thing about last year. The thing that went
wrong the year before, any year where they want eighty
two games, they fixed the starting pitching was exponentially better,
and yet the team was worse. All right, So they

(01:19:08):
have good starting pitching like that, that is established. Do
they have guys who can stay healthy? That remains to
be seen. But I think if you were to ask
Craig Counsel of Pat Murphy, would you like to have
some of the Dudes and Reds having their staff versus
and Cubs and Brewers have they would. I'm just they
would tell you they'd rather have with the Havens.

Speaker 2 (01:19:25):
Since an half I'm thinking, and I don't want to
bring negative to it, but don't you dare Bengals one
of the most disappointed seasons I can remember, right the
individual seasons that were wasted. Red's last year one of
the most disappointing in my lifetime, the most disappointing barricat
basketball season I've ever been around.

Speaker 4 (01:19:43):
Something.

Speaker 3 (01:19:45):
Season's not over basketball, you see basketball seasons not over.

Speaker 4 (01:19:49):
So I got on the crown.

Speaker 2 (01:19:51):
Rick Bryn's here.

Speaker 6 (01:19:51):
Why are you talking about him in the past ten
So Jermaine Burton was the Jermaine Burden of the Bengals.
Dan Skillings was the Jermaine of the Bearcats. Who's gonna
be the Jermaine Burton.

Speaker 4 (01:20:02):
Of the Reds?

Speaker 2 (01:20:02):
I did not have that on the list today.

Speaker 6 (01:20:06):
Sean Miller was the Jermaine Burton of the Muscle Series. Wow,
who's gonna be the Jermaine Burton of the Reds.

Speaker 3 (01:20:13):
Honestly, the answer is in Louisville, nolleve Marte.

Speaker 4 (01:20:18):
The other day he did it. He didn't, He didn't,
he didn't.

Speaker 3 (01:20:21):
But you know, you talk about like somebody who in
his star has fallen so swiftly into the twenty three season,
that dude did nothing but hit. Yeah, and then pedes
eighty games, plays eighty games, and he's terrible, looked awful.
And if I would have said to you on the
last day of the season, he took.

Speaker 6 (01:20:37):
That suspension, seriously, no baseball activity for eighty games.

Speaker 3 (01:20:41):
If I would have said to you or anybody else
last day of the season twenty twenty three, that opening
day twenty twenty five, noelve, Marte will not even be
on the roster, you would have said, there's no way.

Speaker 6 (01:20:50):
Yeah, and yet here we are. I thought he was
going to get traded this year. I thought they were
gonna try to trade him.

Speaker 2 (01:20:55):
I'm gonna say, Jacob herdabes, he's the He's the Burton,
Jermaine Burton, Jacob to be and I'm going on on
the limb there.

Speaker 6 (01:21:01):
Yeah, you're on a Jacob Herby's is a military. Yeah,
he's a West Point guy.

Speaker 5 (01:21:05):
I like Jacob, but what I don't like about that
is going to go.

Speaker 3 (01:21:08):
I was listening to the broadcast talk about him, and
somebody brought up Jacob hernabies and instead of mentioning like, oh,
you know what, he's got good opposite field power or
it's got a cannon for an arm it's like, oh,
you know, he's in the military. It's like, yeah, that's
neat anecdote. That's not what should start the story.

Speaker 2 (01:21:24):
He's'ts a blind date, and the blind date has a
great personality job.

Speaker 6 (01:21:30):
He's already like the most successful Army grad to ever
play in the major leagues.

Speaker 4 (01:21:35):
Like he's already that, which is pretty amazing.

Speaker 2 (01:21:37):
He got there.

Speaker 6 (01:21:37):
Yeah, yeah, here's the other guy, played like six games,
pitched in six games.

Speaker 2 (01:21:41):
We'll have just a couple of minutes to close out
hour two when we come back. I want to know
when we come back. How do the Reds replace the
production of Stuart Fairchild into twenty twenty fives and next
sixty three to sixty Live from Smoke Justice on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (01:21:57):
Wise see three sixty continuesny ESB in fifteen thirty Cincinnati's
Sports station.

Speaker 5 (01:22:07):
Welcome back in an hour too.

Speaker 4 (01:22:10):
We're here till forty o'clock. We get a whole nother
hour still to go.

Speaker 5 (01:22:13):
Well, in the next hour, do you think that the
drinks on the table would be finished?

Speaker 7 (01:22:19):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:22:19):
I hope they're not adding to That's that's my here.
I'm not so much worried about finishing what we have.

Speaker 2 (01:22:24):
We're backed up.

Speaker 3 (01:22:25):
I'm worried about the backlog that is starting to build.

Speaker 2 (01:22:28):
That is my concern. Yeah, but the backlog is great
because it's all drinks coming from Smoke Justice. I've yet
to really see anyone climb the ladder to like that
fourth or fifth shelf. Yet.

Speaker 3 (01:22:40):
Well still, wait, we have we haven't been an hour
to go. Yeah, you know, you would have thought, like
the family of people that won prizes from us.

Speaker 5 (01:22:46):
Yeah, you wouldn't just take the prizes and leave that.

Speaker 3 (01:22:48):
They would say, you know, what, that's a pretty good
haul for us. What some prizes?

Speaker 2 (01:22:52):
Thanks? What can we do?

Speaker 3 (01:22:52):
Sports investments? And the Andrew Brady Music Center the other day?
You know, that pretty good day for us. Let's climb
the ladder. No, but that's okay, take the money and
run and everybody can have the amount of integrity that
I do.

Speaker 6 (01:23:03):
I think the biggest upset of the day is that
Renee Davis was our first winner and she did not
go after the Billy Joel tickets. She instead went and
saw Disturbed, which you can see Disturbed this Saturday night
at Heritage Bank Center. Tickets are on sale now at
Live nation dot com and Heritage Bank Center dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:23:24):
Disturbed.

Speaker 4 (01:23:25):
Renee's gonna go see I'll be there. Imagine this.

Speaker 2 (01:23:30):
The the announcement has made The Billy Joel Concert is
coming to Cincinnati, Billy Joel and with Rod Stewart and
Austin says, I have no idea who Rod.

Speaker 3 (01:23:39):
Stewart is, but why should he? Thank you got some
good stuff, no doubt about it. But like, Rod has
some good stuff that all came before Austin was born.
Yeah Springsteen, right, but I'm a Bruce Springsteen guy. But
like when if somebody Bruce's keep keeps making albums and touring. Like,
but if somebody's like I don't know a lot about Bruce,
I go, you know what you're You're ten? Why should

(01:24:00):
you check?

Speaker 6 (01:24:01):
I know people from like the Reds and the Bengals
in the seventies, but I don't know Rod Stewart.

Speaker 3 (01:24:06):
Remember when Billie Eilish is like she had never heard
of van Halen? Yeah, I love van Halen. I wasn't like,
how do you feel about Billy Eilish couldn't care less?
But my take was like, what has van Halen done
in her lifetime to make her pay attention?

Speaker 4 (01:24:18):
Fair?

Speaker 2 (01:24:19):
Right?

Speaker 4 (01:24:19):
So I feel the same thing. I was like a
lot of Reds fans.

Speaker 2 (01:24:22):
True, it is thirty seconds from each year before we break.
Do you how do you make up for the production
of Stuart Fairchild?

Speaker 4 (01:24:31):
I'll start you play with the team you have done.

Speaker 3 (01:24:34):
I'm not even try have anything to say about that.

Speaker 4 (01:24:37):
Stuart Fairchild.

Speaker 6 (01:24:38):
Stuart Fairchild made a bunch of good catches last year
because he was so bad at reading the ball off
the bat that he had to make up ground.

Speaker 3 (01:24:45):
He's like Jim Edmonds.

Speaker 4 (01:24:46):
He dove for balls. He didn't need to die for
to make it look cool.

Speaker 6 (01:24:49):
Jim Edmonds is a fraudulent Gold Glove winner, and I
stand by.

Speaker 4 (01:24:52):
The wow wow, yes, yes, I got people that agree
with me. Jim Edmonds is a fraud.

Speaker 5 (01:25:00):
Don't don't despair something and hit a home.

Speaker 3 (01:25:04):
Run in his last act back and then got hurt
rounding the base and the way the medical stand right,
which might be Stuart Fairchild looks like he's twelve years old.

Speaker 2 (01:25:14):
That's all I can tell you.

Speaker 3 (01:25:15):
It looks like a very it looks like a kid.

Speaker 4 (01:25:17):
His wife is a very popular TikToker, and I wish
them the best.

Speaker 5 (01:25:20):
That is the kind of breakdown you want to get
here for.

Speaker 2 (01:25:22):
Our number three four?

Speaker 4 (01:25:23):
Have you ever watched a TikTok?

Speaker 7 (01:25:24):
Mo?

Speaker 3 (01:25:25):
The only tiktoks I've ever watched are come from you
or my cousin Jared right there. Yeah, And then when
I can imagine Jared's big on whenever he'll send me
a TikTok and it's like they don't have.

Speaker 6 (01:25:36):
That watch it well nowadays ever, since you know the
government control everything, you have to have the apter so
which I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:25:43):
So then I always feel like a nerd going can't
watch it Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:25:46):
The trick is to save the video and then send
it and then you got to good. Yeah, fine, too much.

Speaker 3 (01:25:51):
Look man, I got Twitter, I got Instagram.

Speaker 4 (01:25:54):
Thank you for no no, no, no, no, thanks for
calling it Twitter. It's always Twitter.

Speaker 3 (01:25:58):
It's always gonna be Twitter.

Speaker 2 (01:26:00):
X we gotta.

Speaker 3 (01:26:02):
You're a big X guy.

Speaker 4 (01:26:03):
I know sixty three six Twitter webs he just refuses to.

Speaker 2 (01:26:08):
On ESPN fifteen to thirty six Sinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 7 (01:26:11):
The Harlem Guilded Chatter's twenty. This is Pennstation East Coast Subs.

Speaker 1 (01:26:14):
Since he three sixty ofbout Cincinnati from Cincinnatis s pontered
in part by Penstation East Coast Subs, handcrafted hot grilled subs,
fresh cut fries and lemonade.

Speaker 7 (01:26:25):
It's all about good taste. Penn Station East Coast Subs
order online today.

Speaker 1 (01:26:30):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:26:35):
All right, let's do this. It's a third and final
hour here of sixty three sixty We're live. Let's smoke justice.
Is anybody excited about opening days? Let's go, let's go, Yeah, anybody?

Speaker 6 (01:26:49):
The former president Ronald Reagan is here, he's got his
since he shirts on fashionably late. Yeah, fashionably late as
every president is.

Speaker 5 (01:26:57):
You're right, You're right.

Speaker 4 (01:26:59):
Listen, he's four feet away from us and didn't hear us.

Speaker 2 (01:27:03):
Attention?

Speaker 3 (01:27:04):
Is that what they mean?

Speaker 2 (01:27:08):
We're just in a world of our own up here.
Let's do this because it's two hours into a show
and we've not spent a lot of time on Ellie
da La Cruz.

Speaker 5 (01:27:18):
It is uh, it's insane. I I caught this last
year because you.

Speaker 2 (01:27:22):
Know, July August rolls around and I could be the
father of the Year and take my kids to the
ball games and they can run around and sit wherever
they want. I'm hoping that's not the case this year.
But I came last year and I brought my son,
and he's he loves Ellie. He watches Ellie highlight tapes
three times a week on on TV. But I just
remembered everyone around the ballpark talking about Ellie, and Jeff

(01:27:46):
Carr was was at the game and date and the
other night, and I remember he tweeted out the silence
that happens before Ellie swings or Ellie's a bad happens.
It is it's something unlike you see everywhere in Major
League Baseball. And then he comes out in spring training,
not just for a three or four game stretch, but
the length of spring training. Hits four oh nine, four

(01:28:08):
home runs, twelve RBIs, he's stealing bases, his walk numbers
are up, his strikeout numbers are down. What's the ceiling
this year for Ellie de la Cruz? We mentioned on
the break he's on video game covers. Yeah, he is
already everyone's favorite player in Cincinnati. Every kid wants to
be Elie. Like I said that, the noise in the
ballpark when he's batting, everyone is at drawled with everything

(01:28:32):
he does. And he has spent one.

Speaker 5 (01:28:33):
Full season in Major league baseball? What is the ceiling?
What does that look like for Ellie de la Cruz?

Speaker 3 (01:28:39):
This year doesn't exist? It's limitless. And that's not me.
I think that's every educated evaluator who's ever you know,
really studied him. We'll tell you the The Ellie de
la Cruz hype started before he ever got to Cincinnati.
When it was written, and I think it was Keith Law.
But I can be wrong about that. He has the

(01:29:01):
potential to be the best player in baseball. Now that's subjective,
but not one other evaluator was like, nah, right, like, now,
what's remarkable about Ellie is he is all those things
you just said. Led the league strikeouts last year, led
the leaguean errors, got caught stealing more than anybody else,
and yet still he was an All Star. And yet

(01:29:23):
still he was the best player I think on the
team last season, and yet still he is must watch.
And so you know, my hope this year, I think
is the same as you guys. He goes from must
watch to like bankable, dependable, everyday superstar where he combines
the consistent production with the moments that go viral, and

(01:29:44):
he gets rid of those moments where you go, Ellie, yeah,
when he gets picked off, or when he tries to
be a little bit too aggressive on the bass pass,
when he boots the ball in the infield. But the
talent and the production or the talent is unlimited. Does
the production sort of look like a guy who has
unlimited talent?

Speaker 6 (01:30:03):
When he first got to the big leagues, me and
my friends were like, Hey, we're going to go to
the game, Like we're going.

Speaker 4 (01:30:08):
I left work.

Speaker 6 (01:30:09):
We got there and it was like, this is a
guy I want to see play and I've never seen.
I was at Jay Bruce's first home game. I was
at you know, a lot of these big moments. I've
never seen a standing ovation for a player. They're first
at bat in the big league and he's delivered over
and over and over again, and he's really young, and
he's got all these kinks in his game and he's

(01:30:30):
got to work out. Think back to the first game
of spring training this year, they're playing Cleveland. He goes
deep and there is a noticeable difference for those of
us who pay attention, a noticeable difference in his right
handed swing, where it's like, oh, that's different, Like that
is a clear step in the right direction from a
year ago, and it's like, Okay, I'm just curious to

(01:30:52):
see if this happens over the course of spring training.
When he hit that home run, I immediately pulled out
my gambling app of choice and placed a wage. I'm
not kidding on Ellie da La Cruise to win the
National League's MVP Award. And so now over the course
of spring he's done that repeatedly, struck out less, walked more,
and he was asked, what are you trying to do

(01:31:12):
this year?

Speaker 4 (01:31:13):
And he said, take good at bats.

Speaker 6 (01:31:15):
How many times you ever hear a superstar say, I
just want to take good at bats, and that to
me is a sign of maturity. A guy who's now
comfortable in the big leagues. He's got all these brand deals. Yesterday,
he's doing charitable work, he's on the cover of a
video game. But also he understands the same thing you
just said, which is, I have a really, really really
high ceiling that might not exist.

Speaker 4 (01:31:36):
I can get better and better.

Speaker 6 (01:31:37):
And when you understand that and then put the work
into that, that is really exciting.

Speaker 2 (01:31:43):
And it's so hard when you reach superstar status to
keep that same work ethic and hunger to just take
it to the next step. For a lot of for
a lot of guys like which you know from your time,
it's absolutely get it, get it to Carolina, cruise Control, whatever.
But for Ellie, it's like all he does. He's not
a one trick guy. What he does in the field

(01:32:04):
wows you. His arm wows you, his speed wows you.
The pop and the sound of the ball off his
bat wows you. The way he takes extra bases, you know,
the scoring from first on a single or like all
that stuff. And I think more than anything, this is
where the Terry Francona effect comes into play even more

(01:32:26):
right because say what you want about David Bell, a
lot of people view David Bell as the non confrontational,
non accountability to the players. Francona loves these guys. When
he took the job, he flew to c Ellie, Yeah,
but he's gonna hold you accountable. And you have a
guy in place now that is going to make sure
you get the most out of your superstar, and that

(01:32:47):
he's getting the most out of himself, and not just
for Ellie, for Matt McClain, for Cees, for Spencer Steer,
for so much of this young talent that we've kind
of hitched our wagon to in Cincinnati.

Speaker 5 (01:32:59):
That's the Terry Frank Coda effect.

Speaker 2 (01:33:01):
When I think about what he does for the Reds,
not just Ellie, but all those things, I think the cool.

Speaker 3 (01:33:05):
Thing is, you know, you do this long enough. I'm
not a beat writer. You know, I'm not in the
clubhouse every day, but like you hear things, and I mean,
you know, after a while you get to kind of understand,
like who's a good guy, who's a bad guy, who
works hard, who sort of dogs it. I've never heard
anybody around that club say anything. But Ellie Dela Cruz
works his ass off and takes this seriously and takes

(01:33:29):
coaching and wants to be as good as he can be.

Speaker 4 (01:33:33):
Like you, hear things.

Speaker 3 (01:33:34):
You know, he's only been here for you know, less
than two seasons. But like you, after a while, you
get to hear like who is a bad teammate? You know,
who's who's kind of mailing it and that sort of thing.
I've never heard anybody say anything like that. All I've
heard is like it matters to this guy. Also, he

(01:33:56):
has dangling in front of him the carrot enough he
might be Baseball's first one billion dollar play.

Speaker 2 (01:34:02):
Yeah, but there's a I talk a lot about it
in sports all the time. Confidence It would be easy
for a young baseball player who had a lot of
airs and who struck out and whose team wasn't going
anywhere to just kind of pack it in.

Speaker 5 (01:34:15):
Like you don't see any of that from Ellie.

Speaker 2 (01:34:17):
That's like you build a different way if you can
take negatives as a young player and just keep busting through.

Speaker 6 (01:34:23):
Where does he rank among the biggest superstars that have
ever played for this team? Like national popularity, like talked
about constantly He's in graphics from Major League Baseball all
the time. They promote him, there's commercials, he's on a
video game, Like, has that ever happened with a Red before?

Speaker 2 (01:34:44):
This personality? Yeah, than the great drug. Aaron Judge is great,
not a huge personality. Chojeo Tani's unbelievable and a huge personality.

Speaker 6 (01:34:53):
This might be a small thing to some people, but
the fact that he at his age said hey, I
want to learn English, yeah, to try to help to
try to help people connect with me. I don't know
if he got that in advice from somebody but or
if he made that decision on his own. But either way,
following through with that that helps you connect with a
fan base and with the country.

Speaker 3 (01:35:12):
He's unique. There hasn't been anybody like him. I mean,
like the Reds have had, you know, Jay Bruce came
up with a lot of hype, and Johnny Quato came
up with a lot of hype. Joe Evado a little
bit less. So Atlie de la Cruz is somebody we
have been talking about since well before he took an
at bat for the Cincinnati Reds, right, I mean, so

(01:35:33):
like a part of it is like we know more
about minor leaguers. We read more about them, we could
watch their games, but like there was this hype train moving,
which hasn't hurt and which I think he's he's kind
of lived up to. Yeah crazy, Like you talked about
his first game the second day he hits the home
runners of I mean like within his first month, he's

(01:35:53):
stealing all the stadium, right, Like there have been moments
of frustrating God knows. I mean there are times last
year where it's like, dude, yeah, you.

Speaker 7 (01:36:04):
Know, but.

Speaker 3 (01:36:06):
There's never been anybody that there. There's not been anybody
in my lifetime that I could equate him to the
They've had popular players, they've had better players, they've had superstars,
not really been anybody like this man. To me, he's
like for all of baseball's issues, there's a really awesome
group of young players that, like I think fans gravitate towards. Yeah,

(01:36:30):
but it also feels like Ellie gets promoted, but he's
not a self promoted you know what I mean. Like,
dude played in one hundred and sixty games last year. Yea.

Speaker 6 (01:36:40):
All he puts on his Instagram story is highlights of
Steph Curry, right, just like Steph Curry.

Speaker 3 (01:36:45):
And like you, you know, you could like buy into
this some of this stuff too much, but like I
always like to watch athletes when their teammates are doing well,
Like he's always the first guy agree to guy.

Speaker 6 (01:36:53):
When he hits a home run, like celeb when they're
interviewing in the you know, in the dugout and he's
playing around in the background.

Speaker 2 (01:36:59):
Right.

Speaker 6 (01:37:00):
Everything about Ellie is that the Reds found him on accident.
They went to a Dominican game to watch somebody else
and they see this guy and they think, holy cow.

Speaker 3 (01:37:09):
He request Jeff Carr has to go up Hi, Jeff
make furniture. So I just really quickly wanted to give
him a shout.

Speaker 4 (01:37:17):
Jeff's got a strong lid on today.

Speaker 3 (01:37:19):
Look, if you put overalls on him, you would think
that guy lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Speaker 4 (01:37:24):
Which, you know.

Speaker 6 (01:37:25):
The thing about Jeff is good for him. He grew
out the beard to stop getting compared to Ted Cruz.
He looks like the mascot for Cracker.

Speaker 5 (01:37:33):
Barrel and Jim today, not flip flops.

Speaker 4 (01:37:35):
Yes, thank you Jeff for not putting the dogs.

Speaker 2 (01:37:38):
On his feeling today.

Speaker 3 (01:37:39):
That guy just came to hang out, say, highly just
destroyed the dude for and he's the night literally the
nicest human being in the world.

Speaker 5 (01:37:46):
And I love all his work.

Speaker 3 (01:37:47):
Yeah, the show, but I mean, you know that everybody
gets their turn.

Speaker 4 (01:37:54):
He's smart enough to get out of it.

Speaker 3 (01:37:57):
As anybody, as anybody we there's a whine. None of
our coworkers are here. They're all gone the other place.
There's a reason why none of them came here, because
everybody gets their turns. Poor McMahon's running the show.

Speaker 4 (01:38:09):
Yeah, he's gonna get his times coming, don't worry about it.

Speaker 2 (01:38:12):
But we got plenty more still to go.

Speaker 4 (01:38:15):
Sorry to get Jared. He wasn't even paying attend, which
now he wakes up, couldn't hear us? Unbelievable The Ellie.

Speaker 3 (01:38:21):
Seylokside the mascot for fleet Feet.

Speaker 2 (01:38:25):
There it is sean sorry man, oh Ellie. Ellie has
a there's a legitimate chance every time you go to
the ballpark to see something you've never seen before.

Speaker 3 (01:38:33):
Yes, there's a legitimate chances. Cool Ellie Dela Cruz. Ellie
Dela Cruz is gonna be an MVP caliber player.

Speaker 2 (01:38:39):
One he was like, He's gonna do something today that
you walk away tonight's I've never seen that before.

Speaker 6 (01:38:43):
I went to a Reds Brewers game last April and
there was like four hundred people there and he hid
an inside the park.

Speaker 4 (01:38:49):
Home run was awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:38:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:38:51):
But here's the thing. And and every time his name
comes up, well, you gonna pay him, gotta keep him. Look,
he's probably gonna play for some one else in twenty thirty.
Win while you have him, Yes, and if you want
any prayer of getting him to go, ye'll stay in Cincinnati.
Don't finish in fourth place every year.

Speaker 4 (01:39:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:39:10):
And and to me, that's the most the biggest organizational
failure in my lifetime is wasting Joey von yep right.
They wasted an iconic and they've they've let some other
players not win nearly as much. Do not do this
with Ellie de la Cruz and Hunter Green, et cetera.
Like that's why this is such an important time you
have these sort of players.

Speaker 4 (01:39:30):
It can get really good, really quick.

Speaker 6 (01:39:32):
Chase Burns, Ret Louder, Ellie de la Cruz McLean, like,
it can get really good, really cool.

Speaker 3 (01:39:37):
So Ellie de la Cruz is again, I've resigned myself
because I have a brain. He's probably gonna play for
someone else in twenty thirty. But if you are clinging
to the idea that he'll play for the Reds for
all of eternity, well, when it comes time for him
to make a decision, let him go. You know what,
I've been on the postseason stage here, I can win here,
Chason T.

Speaker 4 (01:39:57):
Higgins correct, perfect.

Speaker 3 (01:39:58):
That's so. It's fun to talk about Ellie, and it's
fun to talk about some of his teammates, but I
gotta win while you have those guys.

Speaker 2 (01:40:07):
We still gotta get to some of the projected numbers
for this team, maybe some some wagers we like for
this season as well. We'll predict some NL Central, We'll
predict some National League, some wild Card, and a lot more.
Maybe some more perbon between now and the minute, maybe
some more people we know roll in and no chance.
Now last them, they were walking to the door, they
all turned around and went the other way. Tespon fifteen

(01:40:29):
to thirty Live from Smoke Justice. I'm blocking the bridge
from the ballpark. ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (01:40:35):
Since c chew Next Friday Night, you got an sec
tattoo of Gary then win ahead and died your mustache
Georgian Blue Chicks. Like every game day you meet at
Washington Park to beat here.

Speaker 7 (01:40:46):
Drum and prepare to march.

Speaker 2 (01:40:48):
Do you have no trouble.

Speaker 7 (01:40:49):
Spotting a true fan because they know the worst.

Speaker 2 (01:40:52):
All of the chance.

Speaker 3 (01:40:54):
Tell the DGA to play. Mister Brightside, will all be
dancing into bailing the night.

Speaker 2 (01:41:02):
Cindy set Tony Pike here for Chi Roofing. Let's be real,
no one gets excited about having to get a new roof.
But if like the spring and like baseball, those storms
come in quick and problems can arise in your roof
quicker than those fastballs are gonna come into the play today.
A roof is a half two, not a one to two.

(01:41:22):
So when you need to you'll want the pros at
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Speaker 1 (01:41:40):
I'm an Alsie is back on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
sports station.

Speaker 6 (01:41:48):
Oh Man feels like we're back at the ballpark. Sincey
three sixty live from Smoke Justice Today, we've been giving
out prizes all day long and a shout out to
the Andrew Brady Music Center. You can catch zz Top
at the Inrew J. Brady Music Center coming up on
April eighth. Tickets are on sale now Ticketmaster dot com
and Bradymusiccenter dot com. You can also see Jeff Tait

(01:42:11):
at Queen's Rich at the Taft Theater April twelfth. Quit
Tickets are on sale now Ticketmaster dot com, Taft Theater
box Office.

Speaker 4 (01:42:19):
Oh and by the way, it's Queen's Reich.

Speaker 2 (01:42:21):
What did I say?

Speaker 3 (01:42:23):
What did I say?

Speaker 4 (01:42:23):
It's Queen's Rich Queen's What happens when you try to
read too fast?

Speaker 6 (01:42:27):
You know?

Speaker 3 (01:42:28):
Weird for you, Tony that Austin and I are now standing.

Speaker 5 (01:42:30):
I was wondering, am I supposed to be staying?

Speaker 3 (01:42:31):
I gotta stretch my legs sitting all day?

Speaker 4 (01:42:33):
Man?

Speaker 2 (01:42:34):
Should I be standing?

Speaker 6 (01:42:35):
I'm sitting in a or I'm My tickets for the
game are in an area of the ballpark that is
labeled general admission.

Speaker 2 (01:42:43):
Yeah, nothing wrong with that.

Speaker 4 (01:42:45):
Time you ever sat up in the fiber optics.

Speaker 5 (01:42:48):
Thing whatever they call that everywhere at that Ballpark by.

Speaker 4 (01:42:51):
Optics what are they call it? Fi optics by optics.
You ever sat up there, it's like half standing half sitting.

Speaker 3 (01:42:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:42:57):
Good, that's the only place I could get tickets.

Speaker 3 (01:42:58):
You're in place, you're in the park.

Speaker 4 (01:43:00):
One of those.

Speaker 2 (01:43:02):
One of the nicest places I went last year. It
was in July and we sat up in the top yeah,
and it's like there was at the time, there was
not many people up there, but you get great views,
you get a nice breeze coming through, and you can
literally see the whole game.

Speaker 4 (01:43:15):
Is nice.

Speaker 5 (01:43:16):
There's not a bad seat in the place.

Speaker 3 (01:43:18):
I sat in the very top row behind the plate
for the twenty twelve playoffs, which it didn't go so well,
but like you see everything we see like you can
almost see the like Augusta, Kentucky.

Speaker 2 (01:43:30):
Oh really split a bourbon today from Augusta, Kentucky and
we did that was that was That was my shit.
This is weird. That was my most miserable time in
my life as a Reds fan. I was out all
three of those. So I remember I had a buddy
that was living at the banks at the time, and
I brought a back down and I stayed with him
the whole three days, and it was I remember, because

(01:43:54):
the first game ends and it's like, all right, we'll
be good tomorrow. They lose the second day, it's like, well,
I don't think they've lost three in a row all
season at home, and then they did.

Speaker 4 (01:44:03):
It was I'll never forget that.

Speaker 2 (01:44:05):
It was one of the worst but also fun at
the time because it was playoff baseball in the city
and downtown was electric, pregame and all that, But it
was I lost the Posy Grand Slam. Man, I'll never forget.

Speaker 3 (01:44:17):
I remember a lot about that, you know.

Speaker 4 (01:44:21):
I remember we all complained that.

Speaker 3 (01:44:22):
They remember they added the wildcard team late, the second
wildcard team, so they had to adjust the playoff format,
which meant instead of two to two one, it was
two three. We complained about it. Then the Reds won
the first two games, and I remember the vibe before
game three, man, and I remember the vibe before Game four.
It was a little bit different. It was like, Okay,
we didn't just let this fish get off the hook,

(01:44:43):
but hell, we got two more. I remember the vibe
the morning of Game five. That wasn't excitement, No, that
was like if they if they blow this, when are
we getting back. Yeah, but the Buster Posy home run.
I remember the epic Jay Bruce in the ninth inning
with the bases loaded, where he flew out to left field.

(01:45:04):
I remember Scott Rowland striking out.

Speaker 5 (01:45:06):
And it didn't make it easier that they went on
to win it all.

Speaker 3 (01:45:09):
Well, if you remember this, the Giants won, and then
they weren't sure where they were going to go next
because the Cardinals and Nationals played, So, if memory serves
me correct, they were either going to go home to
play the Cardinals or go to Washington. So they had
to stay in Cincinnati, and they arranged a workout the
day after Game five. So these poor Red staffers had

(01:45:30):
to like get the ballpark ready and accommodate the team
that just came back and broke their heart brutal and
I remember running into Bruce Bochie on the Purple People
Bridge and I wanted to throw them in the Ohio River,
but then I thought, like, I probably would lose that battle.

Speaker 4 (01:45:45):
Yeah, I remember, I remember that day clearly.

Speaker 6 (01:45:50):
I was still in high school and in the midst
of a terrible football season for the City Yellow Jackets,
and we had practice while the game was going on,
and so practice ends, run back to my uh, to
my locker and I turned the game on the iHeartRadio
app or the MLB app at the time, and it

(01:46:10):
was just me and my friend Caleb, Caleb Martin sitting.

Speaker 4 (01:46:13):
We were the only two.

Speaker 6 (01:46:14):
Players left in the locker room, listening to the ninth
inning and hearing Marty Brennaman call the end of that
twenty twelve red season. Yeah, I turned it off. I
silently just walked to my car. It was hurt, that hurt,
but I was the opposite of the time. I was like,
we're right, we'll be back.

Speaker 5 (01:46:29):
No, that's how you think about a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:46:31):
But I hate that so many of my fond Cincinnati
moments of like I remember exactly where I was, came
on heartbreaking times.

Speaker 6 (01:46:39):
I just keep going back to the twenty twenty one Bengals.
It's the best time in my life.

Speaker 3 (01:46:43):
Literally.

Speaker 2 (01:46:43):
I remember when Kenyan, I remember where I was at
when Kenya got hurt. I remember where I was at
when the Nevada game happened. I remember where I was
at at Game five when Buster posey, Like I just
there are way too many of those, and that's why
this is the year we've We've been down for too long. Yeah,
let's just go wire to wire this year. Well, let's

(01:47:03):
go win the whole again.

Speaker 3 (01:47:04):
Like in twenty twelve. The lesson was when you have
a chance, you gotta take advantage. And I don't think
this team is as good as that team was in
time twelve, but like when when you have a chance,
that was my whole thing in twenty twelve. When they
lost Game three, I'm like, look, they can't let this
get away. You don't know when you're coming back. A
lot of these guys aren't gonna be here in a
couple of years. Like there's a ninety seven win team.

(01:47:27):
I'll be very happy if the Reds win ninety seven
games this year. But there was like that four year
window where they made the playoffs three times and they
didn't take advantage. Are the Reds entering that kind of window?
Maybe maybe not?

Speaker 2 (01:47:39):
But are they one guy off? Like the name and
I saw him tie to the Reds again yesterday of
a player that will be on the Reds before the
season is over, Luise Robert Jr. If Luise Robert is
on this team, does that make them a contender for what?

Speaker 3 (01:47:54):
Like?

Speaker 2 (01:47:55):
Is it a contender for the Central is it contender
for the NL? Is it a World's Series contender?

Speaker 6 (01:48:00):
Life the contender for the Central because they're not good
enough to compete on paper.

Speaker 4 (01:48:04):
Games aren't played on paper.

Speaker 6 (01:48:05):
Right, but they're not enough to go heat with. Yeah,
a couple of years ago, it's crazy. Now the goalposts
have moved. The goal is to hey, let's be the
Diamondbacks from.

Speaker 4 (01:48:13):
A couple of years ago.

Speaker 6 (01:48:15):
That it almost feels like the only viable way to
compete if you're the rest.

Speaker 3 (01:48:18):
It feels like there's going to be a moment you
berentioned twenty twelve. Twenty twelve was the moment where the
front office said, ef it, We're going for it. Yeah,
and we might have to overpay a little bit, And
so what do they do? Matt Lato's for four guys,
three of whom became All Stars, Yeah, and one guy
who won two World Series games. Like they said, we're
we're going for it now. They traded for Shawn Marshall,

(01:48:40):
gave up Travis Wood, who pitched in an All Star
Game for the Chicago Cubs. They went out and got
Ryan Ludwick. Like they got to a point where they said,
now's the time. When is that time? Coming here because
two years ago.

Speaker 5 (01:48:54):
If they get Luise Robert, is that that it would
have to.

Speaker 3 (01:48:57):
Be because I think the asking price is going to
be high. But I two years ago it frustrated me
to no end. The Reds are in it, and I'm like, go,
go get a piece. And the pushback was, well, you
can't mortgaget the future. I asked, Then I'll ask now,
what move would you have made that would have mortgage
the future? Okay, fine, you're gonna hold onto your pieces.
Kind Of did the same thing last year, kind of

(01:49:18):
to a degree, did the same thing this offseason, although
they gave up a pretty good prospect for Gavin Lucks.
When is the moment where Nick Crawl, with the blessing
of ownership, goes efit. We're going for it. But and
if that means we, because if it's Louise Robert, you're
gonna have to give up a lot. My understanding is
Chicago White Sox as for Can Collier and Chase Petty

(01:49:39):
and another prospect. And I understand not wanting to meet
that asking price right now, but there is going to
be a moment in this period of time we're in
where the Reds are.

Speaker 4 (01:49:51):
Gonna have a choice to make.

Speaker 3 (01:49:54):
Do we keep kind of kicking the can down the
road and hoarding our prospects, or do we go screw it,
Let's go, let's go right, try to win.

Speaker 6 (01:50:00):
It is the price for Luis Robert gonna go up
between now and the trade deadline are down.

Speaker 3 (01:50:04):
I think it depends on how he performs.

Speaker 6 (01:50:06):
But either way, there are teams out there that might
have more to give the White Sox than the Reds do.
Right now, I'd move on from Camp Collier, I'd move
on from Chase Betty, I'd move on from Noelvi Marte,
and I'd draw the line at Edwin Royo.

Speaker 3 (01:50:19):
But I don't know. Yeah, but there's those are eaches.
What about All's.

Speaker 6 (01:50:24):
I'm fine with it, move on from all But like
you guys changed my opinion from a couple of years ago.
You mentioned the Marty quote. Earlier contention chooses you. If
you remember, you guys were all like, go get somebody
right now. I was saying, build this thing for the future.

Speaker 3 (01:50:39):
I regret that.

Speaker 4 (01:50:40):
I wish they would have been all in.

Speaker 6 (01:50:42):
I changed my mind on that scene now with Terry Francona,
you know, since was not strong and Francona loved the guy.
We don't know about his health. Can he do that
over the course of an entire season, I don't know.
And Ellie dey la Cruz, as you mentioned, is not
going to play here in five years.

Speaker 4 (01:50:59):
Go for it.

Speaker 5 (01:50:59):
He's losing teeth on Game one.

Speaker 4 (01:51:02):
That's not it.

Speaker 3 (01:51:04):
It's fair and it's valid, and you want to, like,
we can sometimes obsess over this guy might be really
good down the road. You don't want to give him up.
But there is something that sends a surge of energy
through a fan base locker room when in a locker
room when a team says, screw it, now's our time, right,
And in my lifetime as a Reds fan, there have

(01:51:25):
been a handful of those moments, and granted it hasn't
achieved the results that we would like, but like I remember,
in nineteen ninety five, they said, screw it, we're going
for We're going for it. We're gonna acquire David Wells
for CJ. Nikowski and like it did it work? Not really?
Again twenty twelve they did the same thing to a
much larger degree. There is going to be a time

(01:51:46):
in this franchise's history, and I hope. It's this summer
where Nick Kral has to look at his team and go,
now's our time. Yeah, and it might cost a lot,
but now's our time.

Speaker 2 (01:51:55):
Getting Gavin Lucks is not mortgaging getting Luis Robert.

Speaker 5 (01:51:59):
Yeah, that's mortgage.

Speaker 2 (01:52:00):
And that's that's a move that sends.

Speaker 3 (01:52:01):
But if your shop system and I know, we got
a break, if your farm system is really that good,
then you are willing to, you know, trade from a
surplus of prospects. If the farm system is that good,
then they can move on from some players and still
be okay.

Speaker 5 (01:52:17):
All right, Oh Rockney, we gotta take a break.

Speaker 2 (01:52:20):
Oh home.

Speaker 3 (01:52:23):
Some Reds speak in my language.

Speaker 2 (01:52:26):
Some Reds over unders.

Speaker 5 (01:52:27):
And maybe some props we like for the season. When
we get back.

Speaker 2 (01:52:30):
Sixty three sixty at Smoke Justice on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports Statement.

Speaker 7 (01:52:34):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty iHeartRadio Station.

Speaker 2 (01:52:42):
Let's go. We are fifty balls at NAE time, Yes,
seventy three to sixty and Spoke Justice. We're blocking a
bridge from the ballpark. On ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Nation.
Awsubourban selection is amazing food. We are so thankful to
Smoke Justice for hosting another year of our opening day show.
Here SINTI Shirts. We got to talk about our guys

(01:53:05):
at Cincy Shirts real quick. They donated two fifty dollars
gift cards. Baseball is back, so make sure you get
your gear at Cincy Shirts. Check out their full line
of vintage baseball t's of all and all your current
favorite players. Visit Cincy Shirts dot com. We also would
be remiss mo not to thank our friends at Sports Investments.

(01:53:25):
They are the Tri States leader in the finest memorabilia
you can find. Check them out of Montgomery Road in
Montgomery and at sports Investments dot com. They had some
amazing pieces down here today that went in our giveaways
very quickly.

Speaker 3 (01:53:37):
Really quick. You you heard Sean play that baseball tonight
theam Yes, I'm older than you guys, but like the
fourteen year old version of me, would hear that song?

Speaker 4 (01:53:48):
Ready to go?

Speaker 2 (01:53:49):
Ready?

Speaker 3 (01:53:50):
Yeah, ready to enjoy?

Speaker 2 (01:53:51):
Now all snot bubbles, everything in between?

Speaker 3 (01:53:54):
What being alone? It's one stage with two rock and
roll icons. It's Billy John Rod Steward at pay Course
Stadium on September the twentieth. Tickets are on sale now,
oh my Livenation dot com and ticketmaster dot com. Mom,
I need ten minutes. Baseball Tonight's on.

Speaker 4 (01:54:12):
I used to fall asleep to Baseball Tonight every night.

Speaker 3 (01:54:15):
Yeah. Used to be one at ten o'clock and one
at midnight. Yeah, like you'd want. And Peter Gammons would
come on and like, huh, you know, man, the Royals
are going to trade away Jeff Montgomery. And it was like,
holy crap. I think I'm the only one at school
that was that. I love that show. I should show
Baseball Highlights.

Speaker 5 (01:54:30):
Oh my gosh, did you know?

Speaker 2 (01:54:33):
Uh, this is our last segment.

Speaker 5 (01:54:35):
This is our last segment.

Speaker 4 (01:54:36):
This is it?

Speaker 3 (01:54:37):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (01:54:37):
Did you know that there is a bet out there
that you could make mo that the odds right now
are plus twenty five thousand. Really, a one dollar bet
would land you two hundred and fifty dollars. Here's the bet,
will the Yankees avoid a shutout for the entire season?
And you might think of that and say one hundred
and sixty two games? No, wonder, those odds are pretty high.

(01:55:01):
They weren't shut out one time in the regular season
last year. That bet would a cash plus twenty five thousand.
You want to lay a little sprinkle on that a dollar, Yeah,
ten dollars.

Speaker 4 (01:55:11):
I'll throw one American, right plus.

Speaker 5 (01:55:14):
Twenty five thousand, and they weren't shut out.

Speaker 2 (01:55:15):
Once last year.

Speaker 4 (01:55:16):
Now, might throw five American on that.

Speaker 5 (01:55:18):
Now they don't have won Soto this year.

Speaker 2 (01:55:20):
Right, Maybe a little bit different, but hit her friendly park,
hitter friendly ballpark. Are there any reds or baseball props
in general that you've looked at and that have just jumped.

Speaker 5 (01:55:30):
Out to you as oh, I gotta go after that?

Speaker 2 (01:55:33):
Austin told us earlier he sprinkled immediately in spring training
on Ellie to win in Now.

Speaker 6 (01:55:38):
Normally, in the past lives, we've had locks of the
Night in which I have used that to determine my
baseball future betting, and you guys have done well by me.
But because we didn't have that this year, I haven't
really put down any futures. The only one I put
down was Ellie to win an LMVP.

Speaker 2 (01:55:54):
Do you still subscribe to the home dog strategy thanks
to Mike?

Speaker 3 (01:55:58):
Yeah? We just met somebody who loves it when Mike, Yeah, yeah.
The home dog strategy is very simple, profitable home dog
first game of a series, bet them if they win.
You don't bet anymore if they lose, double down, if
they lose again, double down. The idea here is sweeps
are infrequent. You're betting against a sweep, So Reds related

(01:56:19):
cees over seventeen and a half home runs. I took
that out Ellie to win. MVP was at plus one
thousand when I got it. Terry Francona NL Manager of
the Year plus five hundred. You gotta figure if the
Reds are good and even if they don't make the playoffs,
all those writers love them. The bull for Terry Francona,
I do have a few others that I like. Are
you ready al MVP? There's great value here. I think

(01:56:43):
with Vladimir Guerrero Junior plus eighteen hundred, he is in
a contract year. Interesting, here's the hesitation. He could get
traded to a national league team at the deadline, So
then hedge it by good value play Gunnar Henderson plus
seven to fifty. Basically, what we're doing is were betting
against Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Junior. You can bet

(01:57:04):
on those guys and get plus odds, but if it's
not one of those two, I think it's gonna be
Gunnar Henderson, Mike Trout over twenty two and a half
home runs. I'm betting on health, be healthy. Can he
play in one hundred and ten games?

Speaker 5 (01:57:16):
If he does that, it goes way over Zach.

Speaker 3 (01:57:19):
Wheeler, NL Cy Young last year two fifty seventy ra
a a great strikeout to walk ratio led the league
zero point nine to six whip plus eight hundred. Dylan
cees you could also buy a plus twenty five hundred
is interesting. One other reds one I go. I go
Reds over seventy eight and a half. It's simple. They

(01:57:40):
have to win two more games in last year if
to get to seventy nine wins, I think it's doable.
I bet on Bobby Wit to be al MVP, just
because I feel like it's his time. Jackson Jobbed to
be the rookie of the Year in the American League.
Folks who have seen him just slobber over him. Logan
Gilbert to be the league sy Young winner, and then

(01:58:03):
along with Zach Wheeler, I think you're you're stupid if
you don't go ahead and bet on Paul Skans.

Speaker 2 (01:58:07):
You know you can get. You could get Paul Skins
under era of three for plus one ten skill. I
think he's that good. You mentioned earlier mode that you
think the Reds could lose ninety or win ninety. If
you think they could win ninety or more, that's plus
two plus four seventy that you can get that for
ninety or more ninety or more. I don't mind that,
just because I do think that this team has a

(01:58:29):
chance to win a lot of baseball games if if
they've got the best rotation in the No. Central and
they can improve verse Milwaukee and Pittsburgh, which they have
historically struggled with, if they can just do that and
they can be in the running around July. You mentioned

(01:58:51):
that stretch right before the All Star break. If they
are in the running and they add Luis Robert, all
of a sudden, that number looks even better for the
Cincinnati Reds.

Speaker 5 (01:58:59):
So I do like I like the over seventy eight
and a half.

Speaker 2 (01:59:02):
I struggle to find a way that they don't hit
the over unless this team is plagued by injuries, unless
the starter struggle. At least we're we're talking. Elie takes
a step back, McClain takes a step back. Do we
really think Terry Francona is coming out of retirement to
coach a seventy eight win team. I think I think

(01:59:23):
he's coming out because he thinks they can they can compete.

Speaker 3 (01:59:26):
How many games is he gonna have to miss for dentures,
losing teeth?

Speaker 2 (01:59:32):
What is that?

Speaker 6 (01:59:34):
Managing next week's game because of the crown, is what
I'm told.

Speaker 4 (01:59:38):
I don't know if that's true.

Speaker 2 (01:59:40):
Well, that's because he's going to Vegas.

Speaker 6 (01:59:42):
I don't know if it's because of the crown or
because of a crown, but yeah, Terry Francone, man, I like.

Speaker 5 (01:59:47):
All of Elie's props.

Speaker 3 (01:59:49):
The ELI props are so much fun, Like thirty eighty.
You can buy lead the League in steels, MVP, lead
the League, strikeouts, I mean you can buy that.

Speaker 2 (02:00:00):
You can see so much of the prompts too, like
Spencer Steer's home runs, McLean's home runs. Yeah, if this
team's doing what we hope they're doing, they're not going over.

Speaker 4 (02:00:08):
Are there any notable Hunter Green props?

Speaker 6 (02:00:10):
Because it feels like in the national conversation Hunter Green's
kind of been left out.

Speaker 4 (02:00:14):
A little bit.

Speaker 3 (02:00:15):
Yeah, you can obviously buy him to be the cy
Young Award winner. You can buy him to be an
All Star. I haven't seen others. I think you can
buy him to lead league strikeouts, but last year he
cut back on the strikeouse.

Speaker 2 (02:00:25):
He has been egregiously left out of so many pitchers
that can win a cy Young list, and I don't
understand it well.

Speaker 3 (02:00:33):
I think everybody says get through thirty starts first, but
I've mentioned this a bunch of times. His last nine
starts last year, hitters batted one thirty against him. E
Ra was one O two.

Speaker 5 (02:00:46):
You're You're essentially on the Hunter Green.

Speaker 4 (02:00:48):
That's my guy, like that is you.

Speaker 3 (02:00:50):
I love love everything about him. We talk about like
Ellie Deyler Cruz's makeup, Hunter Green is, but that was
the thing about him when he got drafted. Like this
dude is mature beyond his years. He has gotten better
every year. He is electric to watch, but I think
he has learned how to pitch. He's added to his repertoire.
I love everything about that dude. I you know, we

(02:01:12):
always play by the imaginary stock game. I bought it
all last year. I'll buy it again. I'm a big,
big Hunter Green guy. But he does have to get
through a full season healthy.

Speaker 2 (02:01:22):
Just a couple of minutes left two minutes left here.
Final thoughts for Opening Day.

Speaker 4 (02:01:26):
I think the Reds will win today. I think there
will be some magic.

Speaker 6 (02:01:29):
I think Hunter Green will pitch it Jim and somebody
unexpectedly will come up with the hit.

Speaker 3 (02:01:35):
Maybe Bostin wins.

Speaker 6 (02:01:36):
Just maybe it's Spencer Steer DH today that comes up
with the big hit. The Reds win today, the Reds
win ninety, they sneak into the playoffs, and for the
first time since I was just five months old, the
Reds win a playoff series in October.

Speaker 2 (02:01:54):
I hope the Reds win ninety. I hope they win
the NL Central. More importantly, I hope everyone enjoys today,
because there's so much about today that is so much
encompassing on how great this city is. We mentioned at
the start of the show remembering the great Jim Scott
and what Opening Day meant to him.

Speaker 5 (02:02:09):
I hope everyone enjoys today.

Speaker 2 (02:02:11):
I know sometimes the game becomes kind of the background
noise because of what everyone is doing and enjoying so much.
But I hope everything goes so well and the game
is fun. They find a way to win. I hope
Arizona beats the hell out of Duke tonight and I
can't wait for the Crown.

Speaker 5 (02:02:27):
To get underway next week.

Speaker 3 (02:02:28):
Arizona number is big. I also like by you all right.
I like Florida's Night Big. Just locks of the night
right now kind of locks day tomorrow. Tomorrow's headline lose
a tooth, win a game.

Speaker 4 (02:02:44):
That it sounds like something with myrawould right.

Speaker 5 (02:02:46):
Thank you, Thank you so much again, to Smoke Justice
comes playing.

Speaker 2 (02:02:51):
We appreciate.

Speaker 3 (02:02:54):
First Piget Wrigley.

Speaker 2 (02:02:55):
You recognize this guy after he's Thank you so much
to Smoke Justice. Thanks to all of our giveaways. Thanks
to Sean for producing. Thanks for double dipping today.

Speaker 3 (02:03:06):
Mo, You're very welcome.

Speaker 2 (02:03:07):
Now let me go enjoy the rest of your day.

Speaker 3 (02:03:09):
I will love you. Light up a cigar, enjoy the
block blocking a Bresee guys tomorrow. We'll see you tomorrow
for the hardest day of the year.

Speaker 2 (02:03:18):
Thank you for listening, Thanks for being a part of
sinty three sixty. Enjoy opening Day. We'll do it again tomorrow.
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station