Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
From Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Cincy Shirts A Cincy Shirts,
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Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome back. It's our two thanks to Cincy Shirts, we
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up in just a few minutes before any of that,
It's Friday. It's one o'clock. That means it's time for
Charlie Goldsmith's anybody to join us live right now? What's up, Charlie, Tony,
how you doing, Charlie? I'm great, but uh, before we
(00:33):
dive into anything with the Reds or the Bengals. Joe
Danman was on with us earlier in the week. He
broke some news. You followed it up with a tweet
for those that may have missed it. Can you share
with the listeners the next step of your career in
what you're adding to the resume?
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm now he contribute on the unbelievable team that is
Fox nineteen. You'll be able to find Charlie's chalkboard on
Fox ninety and you'll still be getting it on sub
stacking in your email. But it's also going to be
screaming with them. You'll see me over the air as
if contribute. You'll see me on a digital show that
Joe and I are working on. So a lots in
the work there. You guys know how good friends, You
(01:12):
know how good the people are over there at Fox nineteen,
and how I'm excited to be a part of it.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So happy for you, Charlie. I look forward to all
the content coming out. Speaking of content, went into this
week not knowing how much content we'd have from a
Bengal standpoint outside of the schedule release. And then the
Trey Hendrickson quote from Adam Schefter happens on Monday. And
then he shows up to practice without any Bengals gear
on on Tuesday, and he holds his own media scrum
(01:38):
for twenty five minutes while practice is going on, just
before we even get into the content of what he said.
Just how how unique is this situation that we saw
unfold this week with Trey Hendrickson.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I think here's been the most fun way to explain
it as I think about it myself, Like the Reds
are always talking to me about the Bengals. They have questions,
they like the team, they like the NFL. I've gotten
more questions from the Reds about the Trey Hendrickson situation
than I've ever gotten about anything else. The Jamar stuff,
the Borough, the contract stuff. Put all that combined, and
(02:12):
that's kind of how strange, unique, jarring, attention drawing situation
this is. And it's something you really don't even see
a lot in sports. An athlete basically getting on a
flight to talk to us beat writers. What I'm going
to remember the most about Tuesday was the scene of
Hendrickson being a literal distraction. You know, I showed up
(02:33):
to watch the defensive players do their things, and I
end up talking to Hendrickson. We can talk more about
the content too. At the end of the day, all
that matters is the Bengals probably aren't going to change.
Is Hendrickson going to either decide to take a deal
that he wouldn't be happy with now? Is he going
to be willing to play on this deal or is
he going to not play? Those are kind of the
(02:54):
decision points we rest at now. I don't think Hendrickson
changed anything. He just brought a bigger spot like ont
of this situation.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Do you believe Trey Hendrickson at this current point when
he says he's willing to not play on the current.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Deal everybody plays. I don't now I think why Henderson
wanted to talk to us. I don't think we're going
to hear from him for a while now. Kind Of
my guess and my interpretation is Hendrickson wanted to answer
every question so that by the time it's August and
you know, we'll still be talking about Trey Hendrickson. I
(03:27):
would assume, you know, we'll be like, oh, what about this,
what about this? What about this? Well, from Henderson's perspective,
he can now say I've answered all the questions. So
I think that's what Trey was trying to get out
in front of I mean, I still think he plays again,
just because everybody plays eventually. But Hendrickson, I do think
was trying to set the then for planning your flag.
(03:49):
Here's going to be my stance that I'm going to
stick with for a long time.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
How do you think Burrow will handle those questions next week?
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I guess only one person knows, right. I've never felt
like Hendrickson was in the same bucket and p I've
never felt like that's been the case from the Bengals
side clearly, and I've known that. From burroughside, I don't
really know, but I feel like from Burrough's side, Henderson
isn't quite in the same pier as as Key. But
(04:18):
we'll see. I'm sure Burrow will say, you know, we
want Hendrickson. I'll probably say all the similar stuff that
he said about like Joe Mixon and Jesse Bates probably
be a great comparison. Burrow always wonted Bates, but he
wasn't making national news with his comments about the Baits
contract situation, So I would expect kind of again, more
of a bas more reserved as opposed to a I
(04:41):
know something, you don't plan a flag staff like he
took with t Higgins. But but I guess we'll see.
Maybe Burrow's changed his mind with that too, and maybe
he does kind of go nuclear In terms of supporting
Trey Hendrickson next.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Week, how do you view because there's so many people,
Charlie that I'd say, well, I'm on I'm on the
Bengal side on this, or I'm with Trey Hendrickson on this.
When when you look at the details and everything that's
been presented, do you lean a certain way, and maybe
I don't know if who's at fault is the correct
way toward it. But do you do you lean the
Bengals side on this? Do you lead with Trey Hendrickson?
(05:13):
How do you feel about that? Down the middle?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
They both made major slip ups, mistakes, whatever you want
to call them. The Bengals should have just charted their
course in March. They either should have said you value
Tray enough to pay and keep them on what the
market is for these players, or because you had so
many needs on the roster, trade Henderson and you guys,
remember I said it on this show. I was in
(05:37):
the trade Henderson camp up until the draft. Now there's
just no opportunity, no window to kind of recoup enough
from what you could use with your cap space. You'd
lose by trade or you'd open up by trading Trey Hendrickson.
You'd almost need some pass rush help back in that trade.
But the Bengals should have made their decision in March,
as opposed to being too patient and unaggressive like they
(05:59):
always are in these contract situations. Henderson's mistakes signing the
extension a couple of years ago. You know, I think
there it's always productive to talk to the media, and
I appreciate Trey and his honesty and his transparency meeting
with us. But there's a reason why Jamar Chase didn't
do the same thing last year. So that was probably
something out of less field that might have been handled
(06:20):
differently or handled better in terms of what really would
make an impact with the Bengals. So you know, both
sides can be at faultier. Whichever way you lean, I
guess is up to you. But it shouldn't be here,
that's for sure. Like this can't happen being where you're
at right now. We're very interested.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Also happening this week was the NFL schedule release. We
already knew the teams and where they were going to play.
Now we know when. Any big takeaways that you had
when you saw the schedule released on Wednesday night, Well the.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Headline right is at Baltimore on Thursday night. Again, my
take is that's good. Multiple Bengals told me this last
year when Bengals were kind of hovering around trying to
stick around. One of them told one of the prominent ones,
told me, smim what we need. It's like he said,
we so I'll use the wee kind of quoting the
player here, Like in twenty two he said, we went
into Baltimore and we beat him significantly, and burrows on
(07:13):
the sideline saying, I think we can win it all.
He continued, Like in twenty twenty two we hosted Kansas City,
he said that shaid, all right, we're good, we're set up,
We've got everything we need. In twenty twenty three, on
the road, shrouncing the forty nine ers meant everything to
this team, And what the player told me was we
need an everyone gets a game ball game, and the
(07:34):
Bengals didn't have that last year. And I think, frankly,
if they would have made the playoffs, they would have
been an underdog. They would have been kind of feeling
like that, you know, we still don't know what we have.
Will kind of in here because we've beaten up on
a bunch of bad teams on the schedule and kept
losing these winnable statement making opportunities they need and everyone
gets a game ball game, and for a team that's
still accomplished stuff like the Bengals have, you know you're
(07:57):
not going to have that by by beating the Browns
on the road or by beating the Steelers at home,
or you know, by winning against the Dolphins or the Cardinals. No,
like the way to do that is I guess the
Bills too, but then the Ravens as well, Like, those
are your chances to really make that type of statements,
maybe against the line, but that game's at home, so
(08:18):
it's a little less degree of difficulty. But I think
this Bengals team needs to remind itself or show itself
that they can be anyone, anywhere, And you know, Baltimore
would be a great opportunity to give truly momentum that
could carry on through the entire playoffs.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Do you see a team a couple of years ago
I made the reference of the Houston Texans and CJ. Stroud.
They kind of burst onto the scene last year. Obviously
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. Is there a game on
this schedule this year that we may not be talking
as much about, but you could foresee becoming a very
tough game based on maybe the nucleus or the roster
that's being built for these teams.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Yeah, I know how much Zach Taylor affects Ben Johnson,
and I think Ben Johnson can make a big impact
in chicag I like a lot of the young pieces
that they've invested in on that defense. I think bringing
in experienced coordinator there will give that unit a bar
and then looking Johnson do plus some real premium investments
from a skill position, players standpoint like there's something there
(09:15):
and helps Jalen Johnson their cornerback. Him in twenty twenty
one gave the Bengals more more troubles than any other
cornerback I think I've ever seen against the Bengals. So
he's a player that seemingly matched up well against them
on the outside. So I mean that's a formula for something,
and that's a game on my.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Radar, Charlie. The Reds also were in action this week.
The Chicago White Sox came into town, not a good
baseball team, and they took two out of three from
the Cincinnati Reds. From a sheer positive standpoint, it's hard
in losses to find positives, But in that three game set,
is there anything you can point to for the Cincinnati
(09:55):
Reds that can be a positive going into the Ohio
Cup this weekend?
Speaker 3 (10:00):
Start with this, Like you said, it can't happen when
you've already lost series recently to the Rockies and the Marlins,
and you haven't played well against the Braves and the
Ashtros and all these opportunities, and then you lose the
series against the White Sox. I mean, that's that's how
you create an uphill climb which the Reds have in
front of them now to do what they want to
(10:20):
accomplish this season, which which has gotten more unlikely from
POD's standpoint, I truly believe that going back to the
Atlanta series, Matt McClain has been looking like himself. I
think that going back to the last Saturday, you're seeing
more aggressiveness and more confidence and also less I've got
to win the game with one swing from Millie Hilla
Cruz and then will Benson right like who knows? Who
(10:40):
knows that he'll even be in the lineup when Jake
Freiley returns, and then ideally you know Friedo will be
back as well over the next couple of days for
both of them. But the Reds need upside and if Benson,
who has completely different mindset, approach, and I think it's
really an intangible story, in addition to the swing adjustments
that he's made, if Benson can be the eighth best
(11:03):
hitter on this Red team. Like that's the type of
piece they're missing too, because of how he can change
a game with one swing. So there were some nice
moments in a discouraging series versus White Sox.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
When you look at the health of this team, there's
every team in baseball is going through injuries. But from
a health standpoint, we know the players that are out
are the Are the Reds closer today to getting some
of these players back or is it a lot of
still of an unknown.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Brayley's the big one. He shooter. He could be coming
back in the next couple of days and he's eligible tomorrow.
He's been very aggressive, kind of doing agility on field
running work, and he seems to be really ramping up
in the right direction after that, Like it'll probably take
some time to the next way. The guys like Cees
is out in Arizona, just starting baseball activities. Candelario was
(11:50):
just playing a light game of catch yesterday, so he's
doing stuff. But he might end up going to Arizona
two to try to ramp up with someone on one instruction.
Miley and Loud and Triple A on their rehab assignments,
but they I think both need several starts to really
kind of break their elbows in coming back from elbow injuries.
That's kind of how Milways framed it. I think is
relevant with Rent as well. Maul and Jabau were closed.
(12:14):
There are some interesting like bullpend decisions that have to
be made on the back of this roster. I will
get into those weeks, but that's an interesting conversation that
they're probably having right now. That's about it from a
guy who can be back in the short term.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
How do I separate the frustration I feel about the
way the organization allocates its resources towards winning and the
frustration I feel about the way the product on the
field has performed to this point. And is it possible
to separate the two.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
It's funny, like I mean, like to some extent, Red
the Reds front office at the end of the day
has to just live with the fact that they know
that the Reds aren't going to be a high spending
team that's going to be investing in a way that
can keep them going stride for stride from an investment perspective,
as say the Cubs. But but also the Reds have
to be more like a team like the Brewers that
(13:09):
does more from a player development at the big league
level standpoint to win consistently at the big league level. Obviously,
the Red time't done a good enough job this Season's
kind of stuck in my craw about this year's team
is that every single young guy except for Roldie Marte,
who we barely saw has been playing worse than you
expected at the start of the season. That's tough. So
(13:30):
there's plenty of blame to go around, and you know,
we could spend all day talking about what does it
show the fact that Ellie hasn't quite been the guy
this year? What does it show that Jake Fraley or
you know, we could keep going down the ross, you know,
through through a bunch of these guys cees like as
low as you'd like on this depth chart their example
specifically on the position player standpoint that you can point
(13:53):
to and say, the Reds have to have a better
situation for these guys to have their potential maximize. And
then also, yes, they need to invest more the team.
So that's life for a Red team that's stuck not
even in the middle, but but stuck below the middle.
Right now, and they've got a breakthrough, and they're not
going to be investing a whole lot more in this roster.
Typically there's not much you can do this year from
a payroll standpoint, you know, a free agency in the
(14:15):
off season, and I don't expect the payroll to skyrocket
in the off season either, So that's kind of life
right now.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
How do you just the inconsistencies of this team? They
have now I believe, scored seven or more runs ten
times this year. They've also scored zero, one two runs
far too many times this year, and they haven't consistently
followed up the big scoring out burst like yesterday in
the next game they played there four and six following
(14:44):
those ten games where they've scored seven or more, how
do you view the inconsistencies of this offense? And is
there a way around that for Chris Valaka to get
more out of these guys?
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Christ of all, I want to go there, like Chris Vilaka,
a very interesting conversation to have right now. Are there
things that it could be doing in the lab working
with these guys, adjustment process in game game planning that
could be a tick better? Absolutely, But like is Elie
Dela Cruz hitting more ground balls this season because Chris
Blake told him to. Like, the organization comes up with
(15:16):
the view and the stance that they want or the
really the vision that they have for a particular player.
When you when you play the blame game and you
look at kind of the vision being placed for players
and how that's being expressed and how they play. I
do look at the front office and the manager for
shaping that vision more than I do the hitting coach.
(15:37):
The hitting coach is just more about like executing that
vision from a pitch to pitch standpoint. When, like you know,
they bring in a left handed to the levee with
a good slider, Well, how does the vision look? Then?
That is where I see Balaka as but organizational identity
and how specific players are trying to find the archetype
(15:58):
for themselves. Like that's a bigger picture conversation to me
that the Reds have to be better at. Now why
are they soon consistent? I think I and the inside
the Red view this differently. I look at it kind of.
I mean, they're a very analytical organization. I look at
it more analytically as well. It's a bunch of hitters
who aren't quite as good as they should be right now.
(16:21):
So when they have six runs one day, but there's
still a bunch of two to ten hitters, well, they're
going to have a tough night the next night because
because they're two ten hitters right now, and they all
need to improve and they all need to develop. So
when the dice rolls more in their favor just by
being better. I think the message I keep hearing kind
of from in the clubhouse around the organization is kind
(16:44):
of a more don't try to do too much. Understand
the identity of this offense as a unit that's trying
to They'll say, create chaos, put pressure on you, not
win the game with one swing, situational hitting. I think
those are four areas that the Reds are talking about
really needing to improve at. And I think, I mean,
that's right, that's a great perspective to have. I do
(17:06):
look at it more as like Spencer Steers got to
be better, McClain's got to be better, Elie Stevenson, a
bunch of these guys and when they get better than
this offense will be more consistent.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
Charlie are the best man. First pitch for tonight's Guardians
and Red's game has been moved to five to ten
due to the weather forecast in Cincinnati. The Ohio Cup
takes place this weekend. Very winnable series against Pittsburgh. After that,
does it feel like before we let you go here?
Does it feel like it's the time and the schedule
in which they've they've got to start making a consistent
(17:39):
push before things can get out of hand.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
So past this was the point in the schedule they're
supposed to make consistent push. Now now this is also
a Red team that what did they won the series
against the Dodgers last year, the Phillies last year, the
Yankees last year. Like, there's a good enough team in
there to where they can win any series they can.
That talent is in there. But you know, so they've
(18:05):
kind of missed the opportunity to kind of pounce on
a weak point of the schedule. Except for the Pittsburgh series,
Cleveland's really good. After that, it'll get harder. The Reds
can meet that, but they'll have to play a lot
better certainly to do that.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
You're the best, Charlie again, congratulate something everything going on
from Fox nineteen. What can listeners do to follow along
with everything you have going on right now and all
your coverage of Cincinnati sports.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Yeah, just stay tuned with what we've got going on
Fox nineteen on their digital site, on their digital platforms
and over the air. And then we're still running the
Charlie Shockborg contents on Charlie Shockboard dot subseat dot com,
so you can subscribe.
Speaker 4 (18:44):
To that as well.
Speaker 3 (18:45):
I'll also give a plug to us a power Stack
my Reds podcast with Brian geness Law. We did d
Will Benson Deep Dot today and you'll hear from Benson
and it was a really fun show. I hope to
check that out.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Awesome. Always always recommend checking out everything you got going on, Charlie.
Have a great weekend. We'll do it again next week.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
Thanks Charlie.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
How good weekend, guys.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
There he is Charlie goldsmith Man. You knew Austin. It
wasn't going to take Charlie long to figure out what
was next, and he is crushing it as he always is.
Happy for Charlie, happy that we're at talkbacks. Your chance
to contribute to the show right now next on ESPN
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Speaker 3 (19:26):
Now your chance to win one thousand dollars entered