Cincy 360 w/ Tony Pike & Austin Elmore -- 5/19/25

Tony and Austin recap the Will Benson weekend and the Reds sweep, check in with Mo Egger, breakdown the Trey Hendrickson contract details, take your calls and TalkBacks and more on ESPN 1530!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
About Cincinnati from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Skyline Chile.
Stop by Skyline Chili for a three way or cheeze
Coney today. Feeling good, It's Skyline Time. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome, Welcome in Happy Monday, Hitt Cincy three to six
the ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Thanks to our
friends it's Skyline Chili. Thank you for listening to start
the week with us right here on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports Station or via the iHeartRadio app. If you're
using that app, you may know what to do, you
may not. If they're a there's an opportunity, hit the microphone,

(00:41):
leave us a talkback. We'll get to the talkback and
hour number two best talkback of the week that we
save all throughout the week and then vote on on Friday,
gets a Cincy Shirts gift card. Talkback is your outlet.
You could use it to talk about Trey Hendrickson, which
we'll do today now that we know a little bit
more of those offer details from the the Cincinnati Bengals.
It's a big week for the Bengals. Workouts your underway,

(01:04):
and we get Joe Burrow and Zach Taylor audio tomorrow.
Ownership meetings are happening this week, so there's plenty to
get to as it relates to the Bengals and to
Trey Hendrickson. Obviously, still some thoughts about the schedule release
that happened last week as well. We also have, of course,
the Reds to talk about. Yes, the Reds who Austin.

(01:24):
We delivered part of a eulogy on Friday for the Reds.
We urged talkbackers to deliver their eulogy for the Cincinnati Reds,
and then the Reds came back and swept the Cleveland
Guardians this weekend, which means as we sit here today
at twelve oh one on a Monday afternoon, the Reds
are back to five hundred baseball. I believe this is

(01:46):
the third or fourth show we've done already Austin where
they've gotten themselves back to five hundred on a Monday.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Yeah, that sounds about right and allows.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Us to just kind of tease the idea of what
they can be now for the Reds. An opportunity this
week because you got three against the Pirates. It's on
the road, but that three game set starts tonight and
for the second time this year, the Cincinnati Reds and
a series against the Pirates will avoid Paul Skens. Paul Skeens,

(02:14):
just over the weekend came off a complete game outing
where he gave up one run and took the loss.
If you want to know how things going with the
Pittsburgh Pirates, that's about where things are at with them.
So you could leave us to talk back about the
red You could obviously leave us to talk back about
Will Benson, but we'll talk all of that. A lot
of Reds an hour one as we get later in

(02:35):
the show, more Cincinnati Bengals. But that's kind of the
way we chart, at least this Monday. Bengals early Reds,
early Bengals late, and a whole lot in between, including
your phone calls five to one to three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty. Shout out to Scotti Scheffler. He's done it again.
He wins the PGA Championship that was hosted in Kayle

(02:58):
Hollow over the weekend. As they made the turn. He
opened the day with a three stroke lead, did Scotty Scheffler,
and that three stroke lead was windled to nothing. John
Rahm had played fantastically over the front nine, and as
you got into the early stages of the back nine,

(03:19):
John Rahm and Scotty Scheffler were both at nine under tied.
After that, Scheffler finishes at eleven under John Rahm, who
absolutely blew up went plus five over his last eight
holes to finish at four under Scotty Scheffler, a winner.

(03:40):
Harrison English and Bryson Deschambeau tied for second place in
that as well. As always Austin is, this happens whenever
one of their athletes wins a major tournament. Nike comes
out with their advertisement and there's this time was just
a beautiful picture of Scotty Scheffler swing and hitting a driver,

(04:01):
and it said best golfer in the world question mark
and followed that by just the term guilty. Well done.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
Nobody meets the moment better than Nike when it comes
to the marketing of their biggest and brightest stars. They
nailed it with Rory at the Masters, They've nailed it
with Scotti Scheffler. They nailed it with Jalen Hurtz and
a jump man Jordan Brand After the super Bowl, it
was awesome. Man, I didn't get to see as much

(04:27):
of the tournament as I wanted to, but to see
him just kind of make the most of what happened
on the back nine Sunday was really cool. And I'm
trying to appreciate it a little bit, you know, because
he's on pace to be one of the greatest ever
and he is right now already I think, one of
the greatest ever. And just to kind of see this

(04:49):
dominant run that he's on and I think he was
using a backup driver yep, if I'm not mistaken, and
to be able to do that and beat that course
up the way he did. To watch.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
There is a feeling about these live golfers Austin that
the fact that they play three round tournaments is hurting
them in the majors because they are not finishing the
fourth day. Bryceon Deshambo just went through that at the Masters,
John Rohm falls off at the end. I think there
is something to it though, early on at what not

(05:24):
playing four rounds in these golf tournaments is doing to
these live golfers.

Speaker 3 (05:27):
You know. Bryson Deshambo said that he needs to find
a golf ball that flies more straight man, You and
me too, Like no kidding you.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
And I spent some time on the links this week.

Speaker 3 (05:39):
All yeah. I got back on the course this way
back on the course, played in the Andy Rams Memorial outing,
and you had a good old reading. Had about a
twelve hour notice from Tony hey man, we need you
to play yep. And you know, at first I was hesitanting.
I didn't want to embarrass anybody, certainly didn't want to
embarrass myself, right, And you know what, I go out

(06:02):
there and we were at glen View beautiful, and I
got out there a little bit early because I wanted
to get loose, right, So I go out to the range.
I get a small bucket of balls, and I'm telling you,
ton it's the best. It's the best. I don't know,
thirty golf balls I've ever hit in my life. Sure,
I'm driving it straight and driving it strong. The irons
are there, chips, well, my gosh, I might actually be

(06:25):
okay today. And for the first five holes I was
halfway decent, and then I looked like a guy over
the final thirteen never played golf before. And that is
the beauty of the game. The best part about it,
the best part about it for me is I've never
seen you play that badly in your life.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, you were awful about the second time. A third
time I've played this year. I think I was much
better than you, And it could tell could also be
a couple of the drinks that that were had. Maybe maybe,
but really, anytime for me on a golf course now
is just time to relax and have fun. Got to
enjoy that, and.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
I'm not interested in fun.

Speaker 4 (07:06):
Man.

Speaker 3 (07:06):
Fun to me is winning.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
I had some fun. Well, it wouldn't matter if we
had Scotti Scheffler on our team. We weren't gonna win
that out. But it's funny because how that came about.
They ended up canceling the Zach Brown concert on Friday night.
So our good friend of the show, Josh Need text
me from Cinci Shirts and he says, hey, I saw
your tweet. Do you still have a babysitter? You know,

(07:30):
when you got kids and you got a night planned
and you got a babysitter, that's a lot of planning
that goes into that. And so I said, yes, we
still have the sitter. He said, well, I'm opening for
Jim gaff again in a couple hours down at the
Taft Theater. You want to come down. So I got
down there, and as the show is getting ready to
start is when I was texting you about being able
to play in the outing, and the wording was messed

(07:52):
up because I said, you know, hads like had a
late bailout. Anyway, you can play in the outing tomorrow,
and I think you took originally that I wasn't going
to play. Do you want to take my spot?

Speaker 3 (08:03):
Yeah, you're known as being a little bit flaky, yeah,
and I thought you were bailing and you were asking
me to take your spot. I'm like no, So.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
As that's happening, the show is starting and they're like
strict no phone policy, so I'm trying to coordinate with you,
and next thing I know, I get the final warning
from the usher. Usher says, if your phone's out one
more time, you'll be asked to leave the premises. And
I'm like, man, this is serious, like this is big
time business. But the ushers all throughout the show it

(08:33):
wouldn't matter. Like I get like if I'm holding up
trying to video the show, I was just sending a message.
They were on one. I had to leave my chair
at one point to go out in the lobby and
finish texting. It was that crazy, but we had a
good time golfing. Josh Need was fantastic with Jim Gaffigan.
All of that was fun. Could not be any more

(08:54):
fun though than watching the Reds sweep to Cleveland Guardians,
and what we'll talk about in great detail other things
that happened over the weekend. We found out Austin that
when it comes to hell, there are there are no winners.
There are no real winners when it comes to hell,
and for something to find as hell is real, there
was no winner, right, There was also no loser. And

(09:14):
I think if you're of f C Cincinnati and you
had won six of seven and then you go on
the road to Columbus, I think going out with a
drawl is a more positive outcome than what you could
hope for.

Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yeah, you know, I got a text from a couple
of my buddies over the weekend, my Columbus crew friends,
you know, talking about you being a one to one draw,
and I had to say, listen, boys, it's a long season,
all right. Well, always gonna take one point on the road,
especially up there in that dump in Columbus. Yep, you
get another matchup coming up later this year on the

(09:45):
West End, and I'm sure we'll see them in the playoffs.
Oh yeah, So to me, Pat noonan masterclass. Don't show everything,
Take a point from them at their place.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
And head back down seventy one.

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Keep it moving.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
I like it. Yeah, we are set in the National
Basketball Associate with the conference finals. These conference Finals get
underway Tuesday. The Timberwolves and their beating of the Golden
State Warriors advance to take on the Oklahoma City thunder
who in seven games dispatched of the Denver Nuggets. That

(10:15):
is Tuesday, and then Wednesday. I am looking so much
forward to this game and this series between the Pacers
and the Knicks because of the history between these two
teams and now they're meeting in a conference final setting.
The first game is going to be uh Madison Square Garden.

(10:36):
Knicks have the home court in that. But from an
NBA standpoint, Austin, I had this conversation yesterday. I like
the fact that it's not the normal who's who from
an NBA standpoint, you know what I mean? Yeah, Like
the Knicks or Pacers are going to play in the
NBA Finals, that's cool, And the Timberwolves in Thunder, two
teams that again Minnesota was there close last year they

(10:57):
got ousted by Dallas in this same seeriales setting. But
I like the fact that one of those four teams
is gonna.

Speaker 3 (11:03):
Be the NBA champion. Yeah, and only one of them
has an NBA Finals title to their name, and that
was the Knicks fifty years ago. The Pacers won back
in the ABA days. If I'm not mistaken, Oklahoma City.
They haven't won since they were in Seattle, so I
don't know that that really counts in Minnesota has never
won one. So it's gonna be fun, you know, some

(11:24):
new blood. And what I'm fascinating with too, is like
Anthony Edwards still doesn't really want to be the face
of the NBA and it's kind of open about that,
Like I'm not your role model. I'm not going to
be this guy doing all this stuff. I mean, he
does his Adidas commercials and stuff, but like, don't be
like me. Is essentially who he is. He does not care.

(11:46):
And I'm just fascinated by that dynamic because if you've
ever watched him play, he's you just you lean in
watching him play because he's so fun. So Elee, so explosive. Uh,
and to be on the big stage again. I'm kind
of rooting for Minnesota to get to the finals, kind of.
I had a future on the Thunder. Should I cash

(12:10):
out my future happy hedge?

Speaker 5 (12:11):
Man?

Speaker 3 (12:11):
Should I cash out my future happy hedge? Okay, all right,
I don't really know how to hedge, Like, what does
that mean? So you guys always say that, So if you.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
Were to have the if you have the Thunder to
win a championship, yeah, then you would go ahead and
look at Okay, what were the odds? What does that
pay out? And then I would take like a number
right in the middle of that and just turn around
and and and put that on the Timberwolves, so that
one of the teams is at.

Speaker 3 (12:39):
Least going to be there just to win the West.

Speaker 2 (12:42):
Well, if it's the NBA Championship, you can wait and
to see what both teams are are there. But you
a hedge is simply just taking what could be a
win and then guaranteeing you win at least something by
taking one of the other teams.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
Interesting, I have to.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
Uh, I have to give a shout out to to
Larry Calmas. You know who Larry is.

Speaker 6 (13:03):
I'm not aware Larry is is the man from the Preakness,
and he sits in that room by himself and he
watches with binoculars and he's calling the race as it's happening.

Speaker 2 (13:15):
If you didn't get a chance to watch any of
the Preakness. People are calling this one on Larry Thomas's
best calls of his career. People are saying it's one
of the best individual races from a horse that they've
ever seen. Journalism went in as the favorite and he
was pretty much boxed out the whole race. I don't
even know if Perry Huts would have won on Journalism

(13:36):
on Saturday. But this is the same horse that came
in second at the Derby, so everyone assumed that he
was going to be one of the names to watch.
But the way he was able to fight and literally
like fought off other horses that were closing in on them.
But some of the calls from Larry were quote, He's

(13:57):
beyond a wall of horses looking for a place to go.
He's got nowhere to go, and then he bumps another
horse and then the other horse that's winning is running
the race of his life. He said, he's back in second.
He might have won it. Oh my goodness, he's won
the Preakness in a performance like you read about. It
was one of the I always think horse racing is

(14:18):
absolutely electric from start to finish because of the energy.
But to see what journalism did, and I didn't get
to watch it live, but going back and watching the
replays if you've not done so yet, NBC Sports to
actually tweeted out a video where you can watch the
race side by side with Larry making the call as
it's happening. It is awesome. It's one of the best
videos that I think you can you can see when

(14:41):
it comes to the Preakness. So shout out to to
journalism who won the Preakness. And then this Austin. I
save this for last and segment one because I want
to get your thoughts on it. But you know, the
WNBA got back in action this weekend.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
I saw that, and Caitlin Clark announced her presence back
in the wa WNBA by doing what she does best.
She dominated a game against the Chicago Sky in which
they won ninety three to fifty eight, so she didn't
need to score as much. She dropped a triple double

(15:14):
in her first game of the WNBA season and the
Indiana Fever, who have revamped their roster, they got a
new coach this year. They came in against Angel Reese
and the Chicago Sky and they absolutely dominated him. But
there was a moment in that game Austin where Angel
Reese shoves an Indiana Fever player in the back, goes

(15:36):
up and gets a rebound offensively, and Caitlin Clark is
watching this all happen. She wants to know why the
foul wasn't called, and instead of letting Angel Rees have
a free layup, she hacks at Angel Reese and then
Angel Reese comes at Caitlin Clark and the two have
to be separated. There's a flagrant foul that's called. Multiple
technical fouls were called. The only thing that I don't

(16:01):
like about what's happening, at least at the start with
the WNBA is that like all players associated, all sides,
the teams, they all had to make a statement about
what happened. How many times Austin are flagrant fouls called
in the NBA A lot? And you don't have to
see teams making issued statements to apologize. You don't have

(16:23):
to see the players. It's part of the game. Caitlin
Clark's fallen Angel Reese wasn't egregious. She was not allowing
a player to have a free layup and probably founder
pretty harder. But it's not grounds of a flagrant too.
It's not grounds of ejection or anything like that. I
don't like that they had to come and apologize and
make this big thing about a moment where tempers flare

(16:46):
on a basketball court while one team's winning.

Speaker 3 (16:49):
Weren't the statements based off like the things the fans
were saying, Like there was this accusation that there was
a bunch of racist stuff said, which I don't think
that would come from the fever or the players on
the court. I think it was more about, like the
players yelling at Angel Reese while this was happening. I'm

(17:10):
assuming that's where it's coming from. I haven't gotten too
deep into the woods on it, into the weeds on it.
I looked. I watched the play, so, as you mentioned,
one of the Chicago Sky players basically tackles in Indiana
Fever Fever player and that clears out of space for
Angel Reese to get the rebound. When Reese rebounds it,

(17:32):
Clark realizes she's got a free basket and goes and
fowls her on purpose to prevent her from an easy two.
And for whatever reason, Angel Reese took exception to that.
Here's here's what it boils down to. Angel Reese hates
Caitlin Clark, absolutely she does. Like it's that's nothing. I

(17:54):
wish you would just be more open about it, like, hey,
I don't like her, I hate her, I don't want
her around, I don't like playing against her. Whatever, And
every little thing Caitlyn does is going to set Angel
Reese off. She just sees red when she sees Caitlin.
And I don't think Caitlyn likes Angel either. And I
think she also understands how easy it is to get

(18:16):
under her skin. Yes, and you know, I think Caitlyn
can get away with a lot of stuff, and I
think that's kind of what she does, especially when you
know the other person's going to react way worse than you.
And I think that's what she did. And I think
she comes out of this looking a lot better than
Angel Reese. And then all of a sudden people start

(18:37):
crying about you know, racism and stuff like that. But
I don't think that came from the players on the court.
It may have been from someone in the stands or
something like that, which of course is unacceptable.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
But Robert Griffin, the third has has tweeted a lot
about this. He said, Austin angel Reese is the WNBA's
Draymond Green, Caitlin Clark is Michael Jordan. He's like that,
that's what it is now. And I agree Angel Rees
hates Caitlin Clark. That's fine. But in basketball at the

(19:08):
highest level, don't we talk about that hate and that
passion as being good for the game at times? Yeah, Like,
make no mistake, when the Bengals and Steelers play, there's
a rooted hate there that makes for must see TV
for sure. There is a hate in Indiana and New
York and those two teams that are going to play
in the Eastern Conference finals, those rivalries. There's a hate

(19:30):
between UC and Xavier on a basketball court. They should
lean into it. You don't have to like everybody. I mean,
you don't have to apologize every time a flagrants called
or every time you get into the face of others.
But that's part of the game, and so is hate
and whatever else you want to call it. It's good

(19:51):
for basketball at any little men's women's pro college. I
don't care. That's a good part about the.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
Game, and I think that's where the WNBA kind of
screwed up its handling of all this. Right, It's like, listen,
you should be leaning into that. You should be leaning
into making this a rivalry. Caitlin Clark needs a villain,
and Angel Reese seems more than willing to play that role,

(20:17):
not just to Kaitlin but to the rest of the league.
That's her temperament, that's her mentality. That might be what
she uses to kind of get up and get hyped
for games, much like we've seen with other players in
the past. Dylan Brooks an example of that, Draymond Green
an example of that. Lance Stevenson an example of that.
And those players have roles and can make for good

(20:38):
rivalries and great moments and must see TV. You know,
I saw people saying they believe that the WNBA might
be paying Angel Rees on the side just to be
right the instigator here. Maybe that's true. I don't know,
but listen, we just spent five minutes talking about the WNBA,
and that's a good thing.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Yeah, that is how we get started on Monday. We'll
start with the Reds when we get back and everything
that has happened over the weekend. We'll take some phone
calls five one, three seven. Also some major NFL news.
We've got NFL news just coming through. I'll tell you
I want we would go. Red's next segment.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
The Philadelphia Eagles ton have agreed to a long term
contract extension with head coach Nick Siriani Okay, CEO, Chairman
and CEO Jeffrey Lourie of the Eagles said, Nick has
embodied everything we were looking for in a head coach
since we hired him four years ago. His authentic style

(21:39):
of leadership, football intelligence, passion for the game, and growth
mindset have helped to bring out the best in our team.
I am excited for what the future holds for the
Philadelphia Eagles. So Nick Sirianni gets a long term extension.

Speaker 2 (21:52):
Good for that.

Speaker 3 (21:53):
I would imagine about a year from now, with the
confetti still falling in Cincinnati. Yeah, Zach Taylor with a
Lombardi Trophy under his belt, we'll get another long term
extension as well. Red's next. What's so funny your phone
calls now?

Speaker 2 (22:09):
I hope it laughing at I was just I was
just thinking ahead to the confetti phone, something funny and
what we would be doing. Pole question is out. I
got two poles, multiple pole questions that you could vote
on as well while you're you're waiting for break.

Speaker 3 (22:23):
Yeah, go check him out and we'll read them to
you when we get back.

Speaker 2 (22:26):
Cincy three to sixty thanks to Skyline Chili on ESPN
fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (22:31):
Now your chance to win him.

Speaker 7 (22:36):
Yeah, this is back to the plate now with the
two pitch to Benson swing and he hammers this one
deep right.

Speaker 3 (22:42):
Field dead goes goodbye. Well, Benson's done it again and
Chris guess what the pitch was? They I'll never learn.
It was a slider knee high on the inner part
of the play and he turns on it and hammers

(23:04):
it out of here on an O two pitch.

Speaker 2 (23:09):
Will Benson a one man wrecking crew against his former
team in this series. Nothing better than riding a heater
like Will Benson and doing so against your your former team. Beaman,
Beamanman is unbelievable. Right now, the start calling him Bill
since he three sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
William E.

Speaker 2 (23:32):
Beaman Cincinnati Sports State Station. Thanks to Skyline Chili. Thank
you for listening. We'll take your phone calls five one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty. Uh. Before we dive into that, Austin, let's uh,
let's dive into our poll questions today.

Speaker 3 (23:45):
First, our Revive fitnessystem dot Fitnesssystems dot com poll question
brought to you by Revivefitnessystems dot Com coach PJ. Street.
We've got two of them. Question number one, With your
life on the line, you need one at bat to
hit a home run? Who were you sending to the plate?

(24:06):
Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Ken, Griffy Junior, Will Benson?

Speaker 2 (24:12):
Oh gosh, what are you picking?

Speaker 3 (24:16):
Who you pick? Who you send it to the plate? There?

Speaker 2 (24:18):
Bill Benson?

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Yeah, I mean that's the only right answer. First of all,
one of those guys is dead, two of them are retired,
I mean, and the other ones hit five homers in
four games. I'll take Will Benson. He's tied for second
right now, him and Hank Aaron both at seventeen point
fifty percent of respondents have chosen the all time home
run leader Barry Bonds, and a disappointing fifteen percent have

(24:42):
chosen Ken Griffy Jr. Meanwhile, Poll question number two. We'll
get into this a little bit later on. New details
have emerged about Trey Hendrickson and the offers the Bengals
have made to him. So quite simply, I asked how
long of an extension should the Bengals offer to Trey
Hendrickson A one year deal, a two year deal, a
three or more year extension, or don't extend him at all?

(25:05):
Oh right now? Fifty nine percent say give him two
more years, which would be three years from now. He's
donezo Wow. Fifty nine percent say that, eighteen percent say
don't extend the dude. Wow, eleven percent say one year,
and ten percent say three or more years. Two YI,
have fitness systems done.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
I'm go to by the way, Will Benson May tenth,
he was recalled eleven for twenty six two doubles, five
home runs, eleven RBIs and a stolen base. He's also
walked three times, and in those twenty six at bats,
he has struck out just five times. He has been
unbelievably hot right now, and I know that we're going

(25:45):
to get into these games in particular, but a lot
can also be said about the pitching. Andrew Rabbit was
fantastic again. I worried yesterday Austin with the first inning
that Abit had, I'm like, man, he's only gonna go
three four innings maybe, and then he controlled the pitch
count he got through five. The team leaned on the
bullpen again, which we'll get to as we recap these games.

(26:08):
But there is so much to like about the sweep
of the Guardians. They also boast out to the Reds
the longest winning streak in Major League Baseball at just
four games, but it is the longest currently in baseball.
But Will Benson is giving something to this lineup that
they didn't have. I want to dive into that. I

(26:31):
want to dive into the managing of Terry Francona yesterday
in particular, and going for the win and not thinking
about the one hundred and sixty two game season, but
thinking about the game right in front of you. I
applaud what Terry Francona did. We'll talk about him. The
injury latest for the Cincinnati Reds, and I think it's
fair to have a Tyler Stevenson question. We'll dive into

(26:52):
all of that today while we have a minute or two.
Let's grab these phone calls. Mark the florist from Florence.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
Mark, Hey has going up lost.

Speaker 8 (27:04):
Okay, that's my that's my new name.

Speaker 9 (27:06):
Okay, I got it, I got hey. Will Benson gave
the Reds what we've been talking about all year, that
he gave him some power over the weekend. So I'm hoping,
I'm hoping that he can make one more adjustment that
that fastball that runs away from him high and outside

(27:27):
that he files off all the time, or he swings
and misses, if he can figure out how to get
to that pitch and drive it to left center field,
because he has power to that part of the field.
And we're talking about thirty five forty home runs if
he can make that one adjustment. So keep my fingers
crossed on that one. But before I get off, I

(27:51):
gotta reach Hines question. And Tony Pike gonna make it
make sense because he hit the home run Saturday night,
and you know I've been asking for him mm hm,
and he was on the bench Sunday. So I'm gonna
get off and you're gonna make it make sense. And
I'm gonna listen, all right.

Speaker 2 (28:09):
Mark, appreciate it. Have a good Uh, have a good Monday.

Speaker 10 (28:12):
You know.

Speaker 2 (28:12):
The the Reese Hind side of things, I think is
fascinating Austin, because you know, we've seen and we've seen
this from Will Benson too. And Jeff Carr, friend of
the Show, tweeted something out earlier today about how impressive
Will Benson's stretch has been. But there are things you
can see that that would lead you to believe obviously
he's gonna cool down at some point, but that would
lead you to believe he's not just gonna fall off

(28:33):
a cliff, that that there is something substantial to back
up what he's doing. We'll get into that from a
Reese Hines standpoint. We saw him burst on the scene
last year, and then we saw the struggles from Reese Higins.
He's still just hitting one seventy six on the year.
But let me ask you this, for a team that

(28:56):
is void of an ability, it seems at this point
through forty seven games to really generate runs, you know
what I mean, Like get a man to second, hit
him over sackfly, generate runs that way. I've said earlier
in the this is one of the worst situational hitting
teams I've ever seen, would that lean for you to

(29:19):
give rhese Hines more opportunities? Because if everyone on the
team's a bad hitter, why not run out there more
consistently a bad hitter that has a chance to leave
the ballpark every time he makes contact.

Speaker 3 (29:29):
I think that's a fair thought, especially because of how
bad they've been with runners in scoring position. You know,
there was a point this week where they kind of
shifted their mentality just trying to play small ball, just
to try to push some runs across and get something going.
I think when you have someone on a run like
Will Benson, I mean who I think he drove in

(29:49):
six of the runs that they scored over the weekend
against the Guardians. Everybody else I think had three RBI
something along those lines. Like when you see that, it
reminds you of how important it is to have a
power bat in the lineup because how many times did
they get a runner on third or a runner on second,

(30:11):
or a lead off walk and then a stolen base
and that runner never comes around to score. They strike out,
they pop out, they line into a double play, they
get picked off, whatever it might be. But then you
have a guy at the plate like an Austin Hayes
or a Will Benson that can hit the ball out
of the ballpark and all of a sudden, there's two runs,
there's three runs. Like, the importance of having that threat

(30:34):
in your lineup is huge. And one of the many
reasons why I have been very critical of Nick Krawl
and his inability to build this roster is that they
have not been able to generate power hitters. They haven't
signed him Austin Hayes, yes, but he's been hurt half
the season, and they haven't been able to develop them

(30:55):
over the last several years. I mean, hell, Ellie de
la Cruz is hitting ground balls sixty percent.

Speaker 2 (31:01):
Of the time.

Speaker 3 (31:02):
Yeah, there's a major issue with this team's ability to
develop hitters that can take advantage of the ballpark and
more importantly, on a night by night basis bail you
out from bad hitting situationally that can put a run
up on the board. Is Reese Higin's the answer to

(31:23):
that question. I don't know, Probably not. However, he's hitting
the ball hard, seemingly every time he comes up to
the plate, and he's hit home runs off two really
good pitchers, Tanner Biby and Russell Iglesias already this year carries.

Speaker 2 (31:36):
So I'm glad you said bye because I don't want
the guy that complained about it on a Friday to
get an ad about that.

Speaker 3 (31:41):
Who cares about that, dude? Well, either way, like you
do have to consider that if you continue to hit
poorly with runners in scoring position.

Speaker 2 (31:50):
And my thing, my last on Rees Shigns, who is
by far a better option than him right now, right
it's it's not like they are so loaded in the
outfield that you got to barely give him at bats
an issue I think, And that's one thing Will Benson
we don't talk about enough. He's played a great outfield.

Speaker 3 (32:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:08):
Defensively he's been awesome as well.

Speaker 3 (32:10):
Yeah, to the point where I'm like, hey, could we
maybe think about moving TJ. Friedel to a corner outfield
spot and allow Will Benson his athleticism to maybe save
you some runs over there. And that's nothing against TJ.
He's a fine player, but he's just not defensively what
Will Benson is Either way, though, like I think we've
all seen a little bit more Connor Joe than we

(32:30):
thought we were going to see when he was acquired.
Thought he was just like Hey, let's have this guy
just in case. Connor Joe has not been terrible. He's
gotten a few hits, he's played all right defensively, he
can play infield outfield. But when you ask me to
choose between Rhyese Hines and Connor Joe, that's not a

(32:52):
good choice, a choice I want to have to make.
But it feels like that's kind of what we're talking about, right.

Speaker 2 (32:57):
Yeah, but again and not said it. I'll take the
upside of resigns, I guess and being able to leave
the ballpark. This is the conversation we can continue. We've
got plenty of time to do so today along with
your phone calls five on three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty,
let's actually go through Friday, Saturday, Sunday, how they won
the games, detail each, recap each and then we'll get

(33:18):
more into this conversation as we go. Thanks to Skyline Chili,
thank you for listening on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (33:24):
Still skwise Cincinnati, make us the number one pre set
on your car radio and on the free new and
improved iHeartRadio app. Free never sounded so good. ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (33:34):
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Speaker 3 (34:28):
Hey it's Mowager. Next time you're having people over me.

Speaker 2 (34:39):
Welcome back. Since he three sixty PSPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station thanks to Skyline Chili, Austin. This is a
hell of a lot more fun than what we were
doing last Thursday and Friday. Remember that feeling after they
had just lost two or three to the White Sox.

Speaker 3 (34:55):
It was over, Johnny.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
This season is done. Talk about these Reds. Let's talk
about the winds over the Guardians. It started on a Friday.
They moved the game up because of the impending weather
and Will Benson, what do.

Speaker 3 (35:11):
You think of that weak sauce?

Speaker 2 (35:14):
There's nothing worse, man, nothing worse than than than canceling
an event and then the weather just doesn't follow.

Speaker 3 (35:21):
I get where you're coming.

Speaker 2 (35:23):
I know you're aaron on the side of safety.

Speaker 3 (35:25):
But like when you look at what happened in London, Kentucky,
Like if anything like that would have happened and there
would have been a bunch of people inside that stadium,
it could have been a catastrophic That's why they do it, gotcha,
That's why they do it.

Speaker 2 (35:40):
Gotcha. There was a lot of folks that said, well,
Kenny Chesney was in a monsoon last year at t
Quo Stadium in the show.

Speaker 3 (35:45):
Mon Soon's different than a tornado?

Speaker 2 (35:47):
Manyeah Okay, Anyway, good thing that moved the game up
on Friday night allowed uh Will Benson just to start
hacking a little bit earlier than than what normally scheduled.
Will Benson home in the UH the second inning start,
Espinall got himself an RBI single, and then Austin Hayes
also homered. At one point after three was five nothing

(36:11):
and that guy who reached out to us on social
media about how we were pronouncing names got really quiet.
He didn't say much after his guy gave up ten
hits and four runs over six innings pitch, but nonetheless,
Brady Singer I thought was good, not great, five innings,
three runs, only allowed three hits on the night Tony Santition,

(36:31):
which is going to be a little bit here of
a topic and a theme going forward. Singer Rogers ascraft
Santion Pagan combined to go nine innings of four run
baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. They out hit the Guardians
eleven to five on the night that included multi hit
nights from Will Benson, Gavin Lux and Austin Hayes, all

(36:53):
joining in on the fun That carried over until Saturday,
when again the Reds needed to find a way to
piece together a pitching performance in Austin. I know we will.
We'll get into another Benson homer, Reese Hines hit a

(37:14):
home run, Austin Hayes had an RBI, Espinal had another RBI.
By the way, some of the stuff espinall's doing Austin
when he when he showed bunt, pulled it back and
still got the line drive. He hits the ball to
the right side of the field so well. Santiago Espinal
is a major League baseball hitter. You can count on
him most of the time. He's gonna make contact. He's

(37:36):
gonna put the ball where it needs to go. But
as fun as what Will Benson and Reese Hines were
doing at the plate, how about getting to win Austin
when you go Brent souter Lyon, Richardson, Luis May Graham, Ashcraft,
Tony santi On, a Emilio Pagan. Have we said enough
good things about Brent Souoter yet this year? Because what

(37:56):
he was able to do on Saturday to start the
game and go three innings and not give up a run,
and then Lion Richardson to go two more and then
of course Luis May, who I loved what they've seen
from him. And then again Ashcraft Santion Pegan, that same
rotation that came out on Friday came back out again

(38:17):
on Saturday, and then that led to yesterday, another electric
day from Will Benson, his fourth home run in the
three game set. Reds win it three to one, but
again Santion and Pegan finish out the game. Andrew Abbott
bases loaded with one out after he hit about her

(38:38):
and then walked to in the first inning. I think
his pitch count was almost that at forty early on
in the game. He still got five innings, four hits,
struck out five. Barlow came in Luis May, who again
I know he gave up a run yesterday, but for
the most part he has been awesome. Taylor Rogers, Tony Santion,
Emilio Pagan all combined for another Reds win, another sweep.

(39:03):
Nine hits, three runs for the Cincinnati Reds. Will Benson
had three of those nine hits. Connor Joe had two
of the hits. So now you can't figure out who
to play Connor Joe or Reese Hines or Will Benson.
We didn't think we'd be talking about that problem for
the Cincinnati Reds. But as much as we talk about
Will Benson, and rightfully so Austin, how about the job
of the bullpen and how about the decision of Terry

(39:24):
Francona knowing guys are a little bit taxed and not
just punting and saying, you know what, it's a long season,
but making sure you had the guys to win the
game yesterday, Yeah, worry about today today.

Speaker 3 (39:35):
Incredibly aggressive. I mean, one of the big things with
Terry Francona when he was hired is how well he
manages a bullpen and how well he knows his guys
and the feel he has for the game. It's part
of why he is a Hall of Fame manager. And
what he did this weekend obviously got some great performances

(39:57):
from Santian, from sus Richardson looked good. And the way
he was able to just kind of turn that into
something and push all his chips in and say we
are going for this sweep, we need this, We got
to get to five hundred. We'll worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow,
and there might be some roster moves today. Sam Moule
might come back, Ian Jabou might come back, and he

(40:18):
maybe knows that as well. But being able to ask
that from your bullpen and get the most out of it,
knowing just what buttons to press, I thought was a
very impressive performance in handling the pitching staff from Francona.

Speaker 2 (40:34):
You know, this is really the first time, Austin. We
always bring the comparison to David Bell. How many times
in the tenure of David Bell did it feel like
he waved the flag in a game? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (40:46):
Many times?

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Right, And Terry Francona yesterday and what they didn't have
the luxury of winning by eight. Every out mattered yesterday
and the idea to say, you know what, it's going
to make early than this week interesting, and it will.
We'll follow along with that today and tomorrow. But the
feeling that you got from Terry Francona yesterday was how

(41:11):
much the game mattered, and to not just kick the can,
to not just concede and say, well, two out of
three we couldn't throw those guys anymore, but to say no,
we need to, we need This win is about as
good as it gets. All in all, it's the first
sweep of The Guardian since June of twenty twenty, twenty twelve.

(41:35):
Will Benson did something that hasn't been done since Joey
Vado in twenty twenty one. That's five home runs in
a four game stretch. The bullpen fantastic. I saw Lance
McCalister with the stat that over the series the starters
pitched ten innings and gave up three runs, and the
relievers pitched seventeen innings and gave up just three runs.

(41:58):
Just all in all, you could still walk away and
said they're just not consistently a good enough hitting team.
But you saw all over the weekend Austin that this
pitching staff, if they can continue to do what they do,
legit give you a chance to win a lot of
the series you play in, it's just been the offense
has been that bad. But an emergence of Will Benson
power opportunities from Rhese Hines, Santiago Espinal. You start finding

(42:23):
different pieces that maybe can contribute in different ways, and
now all of a sudden you're back to five hundred.
You got a three game set with the Pirates where
you're gonna avoid Paul schemes. Maybe you give yourself some
more opportunities. Let's take one final break in hour number one.
Let's look at that Pirate series and a couple of
the loose ended topics here as we get into our
number two, it's Sincy three to sixty on ESPN fifteen

(42:44):
thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, a service of Skyline Chile from
the now.

Speaker 11 (42:48):
Getting ESPN fifteen thirty from iHeartRadio.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
Welcome back. Wrapping up our number one since he three
to sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station thanks
to Skyline Chile. Looking ahead real quick, starting tonight in Pittsburgh,
it is a week that we'll see a road trip
to Pittsburgh, an off day Thursday, turn around for Friday, Saturday,

(43:24):
Sunday against the Chicago Cubs at home, and then it's
a road trip to Kansas City, a road trip to Chicago,
and then those pesky Milwaukee brewers that come into town,
and then here come the Arizona Diamondback. So this is
a this is a tough stretch that's gonna pick up
here for the Cincinnati Reds. Getting outside of the Pittsburgh series,
Lodolo Martinez, Singer is how things are shaping up right

(43:48):
now for the Cincinnati Reds in this three game set
against the Pittsburgh Pirates. You just go back to the
mentality now, Austin to win in a series. Obviously, it'd
be nice to sweep the Pirates, get three games over
five hundred going to that home series against Chicago, but
I think at the very least win a series, come
back home on Friday night with a winning record with
your division rival coming into ten, give yourself an opportunity

(44:11):
in that sense. Yeah, especially with Chase Petty set to
be the starter on Friday night. I know we'll dive
in really yes, I know we'll dive into this as
well later, But preliminary wise, it does feel like there
are some good injury updates that are happening with the
Cincinnati Reds, in particular with Hunter Green, and that is

(44:32):
certainly something to watch. Questions that this team still has
roster makeup roster questions, I think is something that we
can dive into to kick off our number two and
then we'll get to talkbacks and obviously a lot more
bangals after that. Along with your phone calls five to one, three, seven, nine,
fifteen thirty. Hour Number Two's next on ESPN fifteen thirty

(44:53):
Cincinnati Sports Station thanks to Skyline Chile.

Speaker 1 (44:56):
Wise Cincinnati, make us the number one pre set on
your car radio and on the free new and improved
iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 5 (45:02):
Free.

Speaker 1 (45:02):
Never sounded so good. ESPN fifteen thirty. You want to
see basketball Cincy three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Cinci Shirts. Cinci Shirts, All Cincy.

Speaker 3 (45:16):
All Day.

Speaker 1 (45:17):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (45:24):
All right, welcome back our number two, thanks to Cincy Shirts.
Thank you for listening on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
We have your talkbacks coming up in just a few minutes.
Here segment two of our number one. We'll dive into
everything going on with the Cincinnati Bengals. They're back on
the practice fields today. There's more on the Trey Hendrickson

(45:44):
rumored offer that was made by the Cincinnati Bengals, and
we can dive into all of that. The question remains
and at the root of this, and we'll get into
an hour three can you win a Super Bowl? Which
is the goal if Trey Hendrickson is not on the
roster's that's deep down what I need to know. What
I want to know from a Bengals standpoint. Ownership meetings

(46:05):
are happening. There's a list of remaining free agents out there.
Do any of those make sense for the Cincinnati Bengals?
And as of right now, Austin, as of right now,
we get Joe and esact tomorrow like we don't, but
they do are They are scheduled to speak to the
media tomorrow. Is that correct? Yes, Okay, so if that happens,

(46:28):
that's a good thing. We'll get to hear that tomorrow.
So all of that coming up in our number three.
As we get into our number two, I want to
get back into the Cincinnati Bengals. We'll take a phone
call here, it's Don Is calling in. Hey Don, Don,
how are you.

Speaker 8 (46:45):
I'm doing fine?

Speaker 12 (46:46):
How are you good?

Speaker 8 (46:48):
Good? I just had a comment on the Caitlyn Clark situations.
I like Clayton Clark. I think she's a great player.
If you can shoot, you can play, you can play.
I don't care what race you are. I heard you
all say it's not about racism. It's not always about racism,
but it's always about race, and that there are certain

(47:08):
special privileges that people who are not of color git
and so because of that, she gets all the attention
and she can get away with certain things that others
can't get away with. Say it was Agel Reese and
another black player, there would be no conversation that will
be brought. But since it's not that way, there's always

(47:30):
going to be a problem with that. And so that's
the whole thing. And when she was invited to the
White House by Joe Biden, nobody else has ever been
invited to the White House that were losers. So therefore
that that's what the situation we're in today. And that's
just not just in basketball and sports, but that's just
the way it is in life, and that's you know,

(47:50):
Angel Reese and black people's mentality.

Speaker 2 (47:53):
Okay, don thank you for the call, man. I appreciate it.

Speaker 8 (47:55):
Yeah, no problem.

Speaker 2 (47:57):
Yeah, I don't. I don't know. I I don't think
it's as much of race side. I do think that
Caitlin Clark's the best WNBA player out there. She is, like,
you know, I don't think there's ever been a player
in the sport as captivating as she is.

Speaker 3 (48:13):
I don't know that Angel Reese would have reacted the
way she did if it was any other player. I
don't know that we're talking about this if it's any
other player. But there are certain players that move the needle.
Caitlyn Clark moves the needle. She is the needle. She
is third all time in triple doubles in WNBA history,

(48:35):
and she's played forty one games. Like she is the
face of women's basketball, and you could argue the face
of basketball in the United States right now. She's everywhere.
She's in Nike ads, she's in Gatorade ads, she's on
the sides of buildings, she's everywhere. And so when she's

(48:58):
involved in a play like that and someone reacts negatively
towards her and they already have a built in rivalry
from their time in college, it's going to generate headlines.
I don't know how. And maybe race is involved in
some way of kind of pitting these two against each other,
and maybe it's media and social media or whatever it is,

(49:20):
but it's noteworthy. And yeah, her going to the White
House and being invited, I thought that was weird. But again,
she's a needle mover, and if you want to blame
that on or that sort of stuff on the fact
that she's white. Okay, sure, maybe there is something to that.
I don't know exactly how to navigate those conversations in

(49:43):
the best way, especially on the air, so I don't know.
But when we're looking at it from a basketball standpoint,
she had a smart play. She forced Angel Reese to
go to the line instead of getting an easy layup,
and then everything went crazy.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
Yeah like that. And I think that's the problem that
gets overblown is that we it as a media, oftentimes
caused that. I mean, Caitlyn Clark after the game said
it was a good takefoul. Either Angel Reese gets a
wide open two points or I send her the foul
line or she has to earn both. Nothing malicious about it.
Every player knows that. That's what she said after the

(50:23):
game about it. And then it does spread like wildfire,
and it does build up. But I don't I don't
throw race into the cards when when it comes to
I think someone in Caitlin Clark that did more for
the WNBA in one year than it has in it
since its existence.

Speaker 3 (50:42):
I think that's that's what a lot of people have
a problem with the idea that hey, this has been
a good league for a long time with a lot
of good players, specifically black players, but you guys didn't
pay attention until Kitlyn Clark got here, and now you
start paying attention, and that, I think is is maybe
part of the rift. I don't know. I'm not an

(51:06):
expert on the w n b A and the viewers
in the in the players and and all that sort
of stuff, but.

Speaker 2 (51:13):
I know I tune in and watched the w n
b A because of the growth that they've seen him.
Not just for that Angel Reese, I mean I Juju
Watkins now getting ready to come out and rehabbing from
her injury.

Speaker 13 (51:27):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (51:28):
There there is more eyes now on women's basketball than
there ever has been.

Speaker 3 (51:31):
I think that's a good thing. The best comparison to
Caitlin Clark is Tiger Woods to where exploded onto the
scene and became musty TV all the time. And you know,
Tiger didn't win every tournament, but he felt like he
was for a while, and even if he didn't, he
was playing really really good and giving you memorable moments

(51:52):
and almost kind of like Steph Curry too, in the
way that she plays the game that We were obsessed
with Steph a long time. Yeah, change the game, change
the game completely. Caitlyn Clark was born out of what
Steph did to basketball, and so these these it's not

(52:13):
new like this has happened many times before, where someone
comes into a sport and plays unreal and captures the
country's attention and there's a lot of people that can
relate to her, and there's a lot of people that
want to follow her, and you know, that's where that
happens a lot. It happened with Tiger, it happened with Steph,
It's happened with other players in other sports. I don't know.

(52:36):
I don't see what the big deal is.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
Yeah, I don't either. Let's get back to this a
couple more minutes to kind of wind up with everything
we talked about with the Reds. There was this conversation Austin,
and we talked about, you know, the good of this team.
Here's kind of where things stand now. Elie de la
Cruz as this team has played forty eight games, has
played in all forty eight games. He's hit two forty six,

(53:03):
second in Major League Baseball in strikeouts. He's also now
second in Major League Baseball in steels and he's up
to eight home runs, so we've seen the power number increase.
He stole a couple bases, still striking out way too much,
but you know, Ellie is is doing Ellie things, leads
this team in RBIs in many other categories.

Speaker 5 (53:22):
TJ.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
Friedel is comfortably at two sixty five. For what it's worth,
the players that we've talked about, I think the most
Matt McLain and Spencer Steeer. Spencer Stee's hitting two o eight,
Matt McClain is hitting one eighty three. If you could
say trending, though, Austin are you are you viewing as
trending in the right direction when it comes to Spencer

(53:43):
Steer Matt McLain are just still inconsistent.

Speaker 3 (53:45):
To go uh. I still think Spencer is going in
the right direction. I kind of feel like that McClain
has maybe plateaued a little bit, just kind of evened out,
but it feels like Spencer Steer is heading in the
right direction.

Speaker 2 (54:03):
Yeah, Gavin Lux has seen his average dip a little
bit to two ninety one, but Gavin luck Man eleven doubles.
He's tied for the team lead with Jose Travino. Austin
Hayes is still hitting three thirteen. We still see the
power numbers with him. What I think is the interesting
now conversation Austin Tyler Stevenson forty six at bats. In

(54:26):
those forty six at bats, he has struck out now
twenty two times. He is hitting one ninety six. The
other two catchers on this roster, Austin Wins and Jose Travino,
are both hitting above three hundred. I mentioned Travino is
tied for the team lead in doubles. At what point
would you start to have more of a Tyler Stevenson

(54:47):
conversation and some of the struggles we've seen, again, not
even fifty at bats on the season yet.

Speaker 3 (54:52):
I just kind of feel like he needs to go
fifty to fifty with Jose Travino, and maybe even sixty
forty with Jose. And I don't know that I would
really want to put Stevenson in is the d H consistently?
I mean, I know you have a lot to look
back on, a lot to you know, say, all right,
this guy can can hit at this level, and he
can hit left handed pitching, and and there's a lot

(55:14):
here that that we believe is not that far off
and he is still just getting his legs under him.
But he just doesn't look good at the plate right now,
doesn't look strong and isn't putting the ball in play,
and that's the big thing. Like he had a nice
double over the weekend, hit one off the top of
the wall, but he's not putting the ball in play.

(55:36):
I mean, those strikeouts, those numbers are awful. And when
McClain is dealing with that and Steer is dealing with that,
and you know, the lineup is going through its own struggles,
it kind of feels like there's a hole there. And
at the very least Travino doesn't strike out hardly at all,

(55:56):
and Wins has been has done a good job of
putting the bat on the ball.

Speaker 2 (56:00):
Yeah, and I believe, I believe we saw not that
this relates to Stevenson. Was Reese Hines taking reps at
first base practicing.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
He was okay, And that still comes off just ends
have both, you know, played a little bit of first base.
Connor Joe plays first base. I don't know exactly what
that means. Yeah, uh, unless they're trying to put Steer
in the outfield a little bit more frequently. I don't
know what that would mean for Gavin Lux.

Speaker 2 (56:22):
Yeah, but yeah, starting rotation wise, well, we'll get into
the injury standpoint after talkbacks, but from a starting rotation standpoint,
are you good with where everything has been up to
this point? Is there is there somebody that has been working?
I know they they moved Rhet Louder to triple A.
We've talked about what Chase Burns and been able to

(56:45):
do up to this point. But from a pitching standpoint,
especially starter wise, good with where things are at right now?
Abbott's been fantastic. Martinez, I think has been better in
his last couple outings. I think this is an interesting
one tonight for Nickelodolakodola has been good, but I think
like there you feel like there's more there for Nick
Lodolo that we haven't seen yet.

Speaker 3 (57:05):
Lodolo just doesn't seem comfortable. He never seems to be
able to get into a rhythm, and I would like
to see him attack hitters more, go after the strike zone.
You know, he will sometimes get a guy to two
strikes and then it's just nibble, nibble, nibble, and try
to break him, strike him out with a breaking ball.

(57:26):
I'd like to see Lodolo go right at guys, especially
using his fastball. I feel like I haven't seen enough
of that. I'm extremely skeptical on Chase Petty, you know.
I mean, obviously the Hunter Green news it seems like
it is heading in the right direction. But Lodolo, I

(57:46):
just need him to step up. I need him to
be Hunter Green. I need a dominant outing, especially tonight
going on, going up against a bad team. Your bullpen
needs help desperately, So you know, can you step up
and be the guy to give some length to your
team tonight? For Nicklodolo would be big.

Speaker 2 (58:05):
His start at the end of April against Colorado, he
only threw ninety one pitches and went seven innings in
an eight to one game. I mean, that is like
the blueprint you want tonight, because we've seen other outings
four and two thirds, five and a third, five and
a third, five and two thirds where he's just not
getting deep enough into ballgames. And I think the way
you put it, I think is fair. I think at

(58:26):
times he looks uncomfortable, and when you see Abbot in
that rhythm, and surely you see Hunter Green, they just
look comfortable. On the mound. Lodolo just it doesn't feel
like he's gotten to that point yet, and I think
tonight is a great opportunity for a fresh start for
that to kind of get the taste out as he's
coming off and outing. Or he only gave up three

(58:47):
runs but did get the loss in and out and
against the Chicago White Sox. But I think it'll be
interesting to watch coming forward now with Nicklodolo what he's
able to do, especially with where this staff is is
and the bullpen is right now as a whole. We'll
take a call before we get to a break in
your talkbacks. Greg is calling in.

Speaker 14 (59:07):
Hey Greg, Hey, Tony, Hey guys. You know I can
give a retch you know what about women's basketball, But
I will say about the Caitlin Clark things.

Speaker 12 (59:18):
I don't think it's so much.

Speaker 15 (59:19):
About race as it is.

Speaker 14 (59:20):
Women don't like each other, women are jealing with each other,
women are petty, and I think that's more about it
than race. Now, of course, is them being white and black.
It always makes it more noticeable store to speak or
make it look like that's.

Speaker 3 (59:36):
What it's all about.

Speaker 14 (59:38):
I think it's just women and petty female nature more
than race, and I just wanted to put out put
that out there, all right.

Speaker 2 (59:46):
Greg, thank you, I appreciate that. Yeah, there's just listen.
Regardless of where you're out on this situation, it is.
It is my opinion, and you can agree or disagree
with this. That hate and I'm not using to hate
and that. But when there's a genuine dislike between teams

(01:00:08):
or members of that team, I think it adds fuel
to the fire of a matchup standpoint, and from a
sports standpoint, it creates must see TV. And there are
enough professionals where we talk about these rivalries where once
the game ends, you know, you give them a high five,
you can talk to them after the game. You don't

(01:00:28):
have to talk to them, you don't swap jerseys if
you want, whatever else you want to do. But during
that game, you can sense when there is a little
bit more on the line than just to win and loss.
You can sense when there is a genuine dislike. Whether
that's from an organizational standpoint or just a player by
player standpoint, you can sense that. And and I feel

(01:00:52):
like you you sense that with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
And what's that make for Austin? When those two teams play,
you want to watch because it brings more to the game,
It brings more to the sport. I'm trying to think who,
off the top of your head, other are there hated
rivalries that you can think of from a sports standpoint,

(01:01:15):
like players or teams that just don't like each other?

Speaker 3 (01:01:18):
Yeah, I was trying to think while you were talking.
I don't know. I know there are, but I'm I'm missing.

Speaker 2 (01:01:25):
I'm in Ohio State and Michigan. Yeah, what makes that game?
What makes that game other than the fact that both
teams are normally pretty good. Those teams hate each other,
the fans hate each other.

Speaker 8 (01:01:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:01:34):
I always always try to say that that rivalry is not,
you know, built off of football. That rivalry is built
off of hatred. Yes, Duke North Carolina was like that,
Lakers Celtics back in the day. Yeah, back in the day.
I mean, and then there were certain like rivalries like
Magic and Bird was a rivalry, but they ultimately respected

(01:01:56):
each other. I think the difference here is that I
don't know that there's a respect between the two, yeah,
which makes it a little bit nastier, which brings in
a lot of differing opinions. And stuff like that. I
mean Dylan Brooks a year or two ago in the playoffs,
him and Lebron, right, you could tell those people were tired.
They were tired of one another, Trey Young and Knicks fans, right,

(01:02:21):
and then they started fights going on and off the floor.
Emir Garrett in the Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (01:02:28):
Girts, Red Sox Yankees.

Speaker 3 (01:02:29):
Red Sox Yankees, Alex Rodriguez and Pedro and Jason Veritek
and those type of things. It's one of the things
about sports that we love now that the hatred on
the field between two players different than the hatred off
the court that I think is a bigger part of
this conversation. That's not really what I'm talking about, but yeah,
it happens. It's happened over and over and over.

Speaker 2 (01:02:49):
But more often than not, you want to tune in
for those matchups. For sure.

Speaker 3 (01:02:53):
It's joan for the WNBA that we are talking about
this rivalry still. And you know what they knew what
they were doing. That was their opening day game. Yep,
it was Chicago Dad.

Speaker 2 (01:03:04):
In the middle. Yeah, smart, it was smart. Let's take
our first break here now re number two. Your talkbacks
coming up next right on the iHeartRadio app, leave the
grab the microphone feature, leave us at talkback. Whatever you
want to talk about you get to do so. Next
and the best talkback as voted on Friday of this week.
We'll go home with the Cincy Shirts gift card. That's

(01:03:26):
next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Thanks to
Cincy Shirts.

Speaker 1 (01:03:30):
Now you're back on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 16 (01:03:37):
All right, bo let me hear you good loud, oh
wld A too, oh free.

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
Let's listen to sub to back.

Speaker 16 (01:03:52):
Let listen to the clouds. Get me a bud of
Supproud Gord Jones. We hope those other two diver come back.
It's route for totally all dohing comes close to the show.

(01:04:16):
We got hag right, Hello the stars over Yes back show.

Speaker 2 (01:04:27):
Thank you, Harry, appreciate that. That is the intro for
our talkbacks today. Best talkback of the week. We'll save
our best ones. We'll play them again on Friday. Best
talkback gets a CINTI shirt gift card on Friday to
go home with. Yeah. Yes.

Speaker 3 (01:04:41):
This one was left at five twenty six am.

Speaker 17 (01:04:43):
I means ready to go right on Earth, but I'd
be up earlier on my off day. My eight year
old wanted to watch the sunrise with me this morning,
and well, I can't say no as a dead doesn't.
We have to make it sat pleasant of an experience.
I got up early. I hid the fruity pebbles. He
can have plain cheerios, which sure not everybody's favorite. I
had to get a rain dance in, so maybe we

(01:05:04):
can damp in that sunrise a little bit. But why
am I sharing this with you because the early talkbacker
gets to recycle the joke first.

Speaker 2 (01:05:12):
Will Bentson bangs and wow, look at that. Let me
tell you what.

Speaker 3 (01:05:17):
Five twenty six, he's got talkbacks on his mind.

Speaker 2 (01:05:19):
Let me tell you what if you got a little
one and that little one can appreciate a sunrise or sunset,
you're doing things the right way. I reckon that was
a daylight day last week. We're driving over to my
parents' house. They got a deck on their back of
their house. You can see the sun going down back there,
and my daughter, as we're driving over, says, dad, look
at that sunset. I bet Papa would love that. I'm like, see,

(01:05:42):
if we're recognizing sunsets, we're doing things the right way
because we're just we're enjoying the little things.

Speaker 3 (01:05:46):
Yeah, enjoy it. Happy Monday, Roddy. We all know the
famous line from the Godfather, and leave the gun, take
the cannolligue.

Speaker 16 (01:05:52):
Walt Kim Corleone there from Italy says, I'll leave the
talkback and take the gift cards.

Speaker 3 (01:05:58):
You can. Wow, bock party got paid.

Speaker 16 (01:06:02):
What that said is this middle name now sitting take
care of who they are nicely.

Speaker 2 (01:06:10):
By the way, Ken Ken tweeted at us earlier a
picture of him at the Vatican and good to mention
from Ken read to undefeated since his conversation with the Pope.

Speaker 3 (01:06:20):
Yeah, hard to think that's a coincidence.

Speaker 15 (01:06:23):
Tony Austin alex Is silber toon Wow, Tony, the week
is here, The three or three Memorial Basketball Week is here.
And as I am the acting general manager and coach
of ball in a Easti's three and three team, I
think I know what our problem has been in the past,
and that is we've been focused.

Speaker 18 (01:06:38):
On getting out in the first round.

Speaker 15 (01:06:40):
But this year we're just focused on one thing and
one thing only that's looked in the trophy. And so
you better lock in, Tony, because we got playmakers we
got shooters, we got it all, and we got a
great coach this year.

Speaker 2 (01:06:52):
It's good. We need some competition down there.

Speaker 5 (01:06:57):
All the Scuy's growing up and over the Rand and Clevens, Cleve.

Speaker 15 (01:07:03):
Yeah, our city's got damblin Pete Sling and Laura's.

Speaker 19 (01:07:07):
Lean Beep going Clevelands. The events, the evns Plea and
the evens, the evens, the evens even oho oho Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
It was a Drew Carrey show back in the day
and hailed that.

Speaker 3 (01:07:26):
Man.

Speaker 20 (01:07:27):
Hey, guys, Jeff and your Richman, Happy Monday to you.
Had a pretty good weekend the Reds, of course, getting
the sweep against the Guardians FC Cincinnati looking like garbage
and tying up in Columbus. I'll take that as a win.
I turned fifty on Saturday and still haven't really processed

(01:07:49):
that one yet. So anyway, I hope you guys have
a great afternoon.

Speaker 2 (01:07:53):
Take care. Happy fiftieth, Yeah, happy fiftieth.

Speaker 3 (01:07:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 18 (01:08:00):
One more win then one more go close my eyes
and dreaming, So.

Speaker 5 (01:08:07):
One more four or five hundred, you know in Cincinnati, Hio, Cincinnati,
yow Yo, Dancinnati where the Guardians one goes Billy Bencinnanna,
my boy returned lost his way.

Speaker 14 (01:08:27):
More teams that go.

Speaker 2 (01:08:29):
Wow, Cincinnati Johnnie Smith two point zero.

Speaker 3 (01:08:34):
Right there, Since it's well done.

Speaker 21 (01:08:36):
Hey, guys, are you going listen? Just calling to give
all the little advice on his Green Bay trip. My
son's a Pakist fan, been to seven or eight games
their great experience through the stadium tour.

Speaker 3 (01:08:48):
Like you said, I would stay in Green Bay.

Speaker 21 (01:08:51):
I stay at the Tundral Lodge when I go there,
a beautiful indoor water park at the place, go to
a Pigley Wiggly, buy some back that I'm made fresh,
and hook up at one of the tailgates.

Speaker 3 (01:09:04):
But stay in Green Bay. Yeah, it is trips already booked.
I gotta stay in Appleton, Green Bay and the Tundra
lodges a little bit out of my price range, but
I was looking at it.

Speaker 2 (01:09:15):
Is that what's called the Tundra of lones called Tundra
of Lodge.

Speaker 3 (01:09:19):
It's like a resort and everything. It's pretty cool. Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
What's up, Tony, what's up? It's your boy A one
on the beat.

Speaker 22 (01:09:27):
We got a quick question dealing with the Angel Reese
Caitlin Clark situation. I want to know what you guys
think about it being okay to fight in some sports
and then it's demonized in other sports.

Speaker 11 (01:09:44):
What's you guys's thoughts on that. Thanks, that's a good question. Yeah, Hockey,
it's welcome. People love it, people love it. I don't
know if it's just because.

Speaker 3 (01:09:56):
Hockey is not a mainstream and so less people are
viewing it, and I think most people kind of consider
hockey players to be crazy. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:10:07):
That's a good question. I've never really thought about that.
Like hockey, they literally like back up until someone hits
the ice, and in.

Speaker 3 (01:10:13):
A way, it's kind of like praised in baseball benches
clearing and yeah, it's not loved, but it is. I
love a good baseball fight.

Speaker 2 (01:10:25):
I do too.

Speaker 3 (01:10:27):
My dad's been sending me Instagram reels of baseball fights
from the eighties for like the last two weeks. That
doesn't happen as much anymore, though, Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:10:37):
It's It's referred to in hockey as the code, which
is basically, players police each other when they feel like
rules have been broken, our lines have been crossed, So
essentially that is, hey, we know we're policing this. Once
someone hits the ground, it's over. But we're gonna let
someone throw hands here a little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:10:56):
I think it's also you're a little bit evened out
because you're on all right, a little bit harder to
fight when you're on skates, So maybe that's part of it,
as opposed to people just running around a cord or
a field constantly.

Speaker 12 (01:11:09):
M it's God, Yes, it is a happy Monday.

Speaker 11 (01:11:14):
Talkbackers.

Speaker 12 (01:11:15):
Way to broom it up, Reds, way to broom it up.

Speaker 2 (01:11:19):
Let's go broom it up.

Speaker 3 (01:11:21):
He said, broom it up, Way to broom it up.

Speaker 10 (01:11:26):
Go happy Monday, gentlemen. I am having the best May ever.

Speaker 2 (01:11:32):
Oh.

Speaker 10 (01:11:32):
My granddaughter was born five weeks early, making me a
first time grandmother. Everything's all spectacular. We're down here visiting her,
and I would like to point out she was born
on the day the Red started winning.

Speaker 2 (01:11:48):
Oh this is okay. Please, well congratulations, Yeah, Congrad. We
appreciate what you've done for the baseball team as well.

Speaker 3 (01:12:01):
Your contributions are not go unnoticed.

Speaker 6 (01:12:03):
He that fella baby, he's a bomb after neck calling
baby the boom.

Speaker 2 (01:12:11):
Dang on bomb.

Speaker 3 (01:12:13):
Mhmm.

Speaker 10 (01:12:16):
I'm going to double. She's going to be my little
Red fan in training, and she already has a baseball
name because they're calling her Roof or Ruthie, so she's nice.

Speaker 3 (01:12:30):
Love it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:31):
I like that, love it.

Speaker 6 (01:12:36):
Just wanted to give a big shout out to the
dear Lacrosse for winning their first ever playoff game in
school history on Saturday.

Speaker 20 (01:12:46):
So let's keep it up and go to the to
the next round.

Speaker 2 (01:12:49):
Love the show, all right, congratulations.

Speaker 3 (01:12:51):
There we go. I did not realize that Lacrosse was
still going.

Speaker 23 (01:12:57):
Tony an audience Nick from Dayton Hey Hey graduation party
over the weekend, because it's that time of the year.
My youngest daughter was sitting with me and I was
scrolling through X and that picture of you guys on
the golf cart popped up and my daughter said, who
are those guys? I said, you know what, those are
my friends here. Good to say that. So yeah, I
just want to say thank you guys for being great dudes.

Speaker 3 (01:13:19):
Let's go. Let's have a week can I there we go? Nick,
you're being added to the hopper?

Speaker 2 (01:13:24):
Can I share real quick? And something that happened Friday night? Yeah,
my dad shared with me. Sure, And I don't know
how to feel about this, but you know, my dad
went to a local restaurant on Friday night to see
Jeff Henry play. Jeff Henry plays music at a restaurant
every Friday night. And my dad went up with with
my mom and some friends and he's sitting there and

(01:13:48):
a gentleman comes up and says to him, it's not
every night you get to meet your hero. Oh, and
then proceeds to tell my dad, thanks for everything you've done.
That passed to Bins will go down in history as
the best thing I've ever seen. And my dad says, well,

(01:14:11):
do you get the wrong man. That's not me, that's
that's my son. I'm Tony's dad. And this guy says yeah,
and I'm twenty years old, like not believing that my
dad is actually my dad and it's not me in
disguise at the restaurant. So my dad says. The guy
ends up leaving, and you know a few minutes later,
sends a beer over to the table for my dad.

(01:14:33):
Wow comes back over and says, I just want to
let you know as well that I love what you
and Austin do on a daily basis. You guys are great,
listen to the show every day. How do you even
respond to something like that?

Speaker 3 (01:14:47):
Thanks? Yeah, appreciate it. I'll I'll pass along the message to.

Speaker 2 (01:14:51):
Here's the thing. If you're listening and it sounds like
you do. That was in fact my father on Friday night. Yeah,
you know where you were. You know where you are,
and he appreciates the beer. Yeah, but you had the
wrong man. You know, there are times you and Big
Steve it's kind of hard to tell you apart.

Speaker 4 (01:15:12):
I thought he had a great weekend and enjoyed that
golf outing. I'll start with FCC. They went to Hell
and they came back with the point. That's pretty good
plus one in Columbus, a better result than most come
out with rowing in that back line barely ever give
up a goal from open play anymore. I feel like
we're just lacking in the goal scoring department, just a
bit still at the top of the table. Ron out

(01:15:35):
in Zona. That's why he's called the Benson project, taking
his time to develop.

Speaker 3 (01:15:41):
Yes, it's a project.

Speaker 2 (01:15:44):
Today.

Speaker 3 (01:15:44):
I already got a tweet from Ronnie ron at All Caps.

Speaker 18 (01:15:48):
Yeah, I don't understand Trey one been at all. What
thirty year old NFL player says. No, I don't want
twenty eight million because it's not for enough years and
I'm gonna also pass up the sixteen million you were
supposed to give me this year. And how did his
agent let him think that way? Maybe his agent got
too many hits. I'm not sure. Hey, Skyline out to

(01:16:10):
call that Skyline dip burrito a walking party favor.

Speaker 2 (01:16:14):
I like that. I like that. We will dive into
the Trey Hendrickson dilemma here now our number three.

Speaker 3 (01:16:20):
Are we going to dive into those new toledos man,
because that looks yep? I mean, come all with it,
bigger yep.

Speaker 4 (01:16:27):
Last thing, Austin, do not cash out on that OKAC
bet just yet if you want to hedge it in
the finals when they play the Knicks. Okay, I hear that.
But Okayse's got home court the whole way. They got
easily the most depth out of the final four teams left,
and that's huge at this point in the playoffs, and
they have the MVP. So there's a reason you made

(01:16:47):
that bet at the beginning of the year. Shout out, MO,
shout out Locks of the Night, Rest in peace, Locks
of the Night, keep it alive.

Speaker 2 (01:16:55):
Just think that's what you're missing, MO. Put the date
is July first on it. He said, if locks aren't
back by July first, he's taking it elsewhere, all right.

Speaker 24 (01:17:03):
It's just taking comparison of how Mark Seifeley of the
Winnipeg Jets was treated by Dallas Stars players in the
handshake line last night after he lost his father, scored
a goal and took the penalty that eventually cost him
the game, and the respect between the players on that
end and all this, Caitlyn Clark Angel Reese, nonsense.

Speaker 2 (01:17:23):
No, no, there is a respect in athletics. I'm just
saying that that's not always the case. There is legitimate
hate in sports.

Speaker 13 (01:17:34):
White black right, Ray Hurple Awkwada.

Speaker 2 (01:17:44):
Can't even understand that. I wish I could. Hey, guys,
big big hand.

Speaker 13 (01:17:48):
I just wanted to say, watching watching the games this
weekend just was it was fun to watch for a
long time. We haven't actually seen great baseball. You know,
there was ups and downs, but the games were good.
You know, they felt aggressive, and if we can play
like that for the rest of the season, then it
looks up.

Speaker 17 (01:18:07):
You know.

Speaker 13 (01:18:08):
Yeah, I know they give us a little hype and
we feel good, but they really looked good.

Speaker 1 (01:18:15):
Okay, okay, yeah, this is nineteen fifty calling for.

Speaker 20 (01:18:23):
Greg We just wanted to ask for our views and
opinions on women back.

Speaker 3 (01:18:29):
If you could send those our way, we appreciate it. Yeah,
thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:18:32):
Oh just like good's that's good.

Speaker 3 (01:18:36):
Yeah, thank you for that.

Speaker 2 (01:18:39):
I appreciate that. That was our list. Oh my gosh,
that's good. Let's take a break, let's come back.

Speaker 3 (01:18:45):
What do you have in right now?

Speaker 2 (01:18:47):
I don't have anything. Okay, let's let's actually, uh, let's
dive into this injury report for the Cincinnati Reds and
what I think is some promising news around some prominent
players getting back sooner rather than later. We'll do that
on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station thanks to Cinti shirts.

Speaker 3 (01:19:06):
He said.

Speaker 25 (01:19:06):
ESPN fifteen to thirty. Cincinnati Tax Resolution Orange ed black
schedule breakdown Cincinnati Tax Resolution powered by Tove five to
one three, five to one three t oph Now your host, Moeger.

Speaker 7 (01:19:21):
For the first time since two thousand and eight, the
Bengals will play the Steelers on a Thursday. The first
of two meetings between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh this season will
take place Week six at pay Corps Stadium. Cincinnati and
Pittsburgh split their meetings last season, with each team winning
on the others field. The Steelers quarterback situation is a
question mark, but the possibility exists that we could see

(01:19:43):
in Aaron Rodgers versus Joe Burrow matchup in prime time
and it would be worth wondering. Can the Bengals overcome
an always physically tough Pittsburgh team on a short week.

Speaker 16 (01:19:53):
It'll be the.

Speaker 7 (01:19:54):
Bengals and Steelers in Cincinnati on Thursday night, October sixteen.

Speaker 25 (01:20:00):
Moe has more on ESPN fifteen thirty, the official home
of the Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:20:07):
This is the.

Speaker 2 (01:20:15):
Welcome back since he three to sixty. Thanks for listening
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, or via the
iHeartRadio app for a service of our good friends at
Cincy Shirts. A little over the halfway point here an
hour two, which means it's time for today's Postman Law
Injury report delivered by Postman Law Injured Postman delivers. How
about the updates here from a Cincinnati Red standpoint Austin.

(01:20:37):
We talked last week a little bit. Jamercandelaarrio was playing
catch at Great American Ballpark last Thursday. That was reported
by Charlie Goldsmith, and then I believe the following day,
Rhet Louder was moved to Triple A Louisville. Four runs,
four hits in one walk, striking out one over a
third of an inning in a rehab starting Triple A Louisville.

(01:20:59):
So Rhet Lao continues to progress from the forum injury
but perhaps the most promising injury updates for the Cincinnati
Reds are that of Noelve Marte, who had a scheduled
MRI follow up moved up one week. We often hear
these things move back Austin. Marte's MRI was moved up
one week because the team's medical staff is pleased with

(01:21:21):
his progress. That is according to MLB dot com reports
and as reported on this coming as early as today
with Charlie Goldsmith Hunter Green yesterday through a thirty five
pitch bullpen session. I got that reported by Charlie Goldsmith
as well. So when you hear those injury updates Austin,
obviously that is promising news. Not as much still on

(01:21:43):
Jake Fraley on Cees. We still got Sam mal Ian, Jabou,
Wade Miley, some more, Jamer Candel already to talk about.
But at least from a Marty and Green standpoint, it
feels like things are trending in the right direction.

Speaker 3 (01:21:55):
Yeah, And Jim Day said on the TV broadcast yesterday
he thinks that Hunter Green will come off the injured
list as soon as he is able to, which I
believe is about ten days from now. I'm not mistaken.
Maybe less than that, I don't know. I can't remember
when he was actually put on the list. Maybe five
days from now, four days from now. So you know,

(01:22:17):
that was just Jim's speculation. He said he wasn't reporting that,
But you know that sounds like good news all around.
If you're able to miss basically the minimum amount of time.

Speaker 2 (01:22:25):
And really if you look at when Hunter Green left
and where this team was Austin, you know, to be
at this five hundred mark and to ideally go on
a nice little run with the three game set against
the Pirates, if you could somehow make up ground or
gain ground while not having your race, that is a huge,
huge jolt when you do eventually get Hunter Green back
into the lineup. Obviously, something to look forward to that

(01:22:48):
is today's Postman Law into a report delivered by Postman Law.
If you're injured, call eight four to four Postman. We'll
be back after this we'll wrap up our number two.
A lot of Bengals to get to an hour number
three along with your phone calls five, one, three, seven
thirty at Cinty three sixty thanks to Cinti shirts on
ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 1 (01:23:03):
Thirty Wise Cincinnati make Up Boards Station.

Speaker 2 (01:23:19):
Welcome back Cinty three to sixty thanks to CINTI sharts.
Thank you for listening on THEESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
What did you make Austin? This is just random because
we're gonna get int the bangals here. What'd you make
of Rory skipping out on the media over the weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:23:37):
I thought it was pretty lame, Like he didn't talk
to him one time.

Speaker 2 (01:23:39):
Yeah, skipped all four days.

Speaker 3 (01:23:41):
There was like questions about one of his drivers. I
guess was that he wasn't able to use. It was
his first major after winning the Masters and completing the
career Grand Slam, and I was like, come on, man, yeah,
it'd be nice, It would be nice to talk. I mean,
you're one of the faces of golf. I think you know,

(01:24:02):
Rory's talked more than just about anybody over the last
couple of years, and maybe he's just tired of it.
But still you don't talk at all during a major
over four days. That's kind ofly Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:24:16):
Other news we mentioned Hell is Real over the weekend
and f C Cincinnati they go to Columbus, they do
get a drawl. Philadelphia won their match over the weekend.
So right now in the East, Philadelphia and f C
Cincinnati both sit a top of the Eastern Conference standings
at twenty nine points. That's also tops in all of MLS,

(01:24:38):
as the Vancouver white Caps lead the West with twenty
eight points. So Philadelphia currently holding a lead. I believe
they have a win against f C Cincinnati as well
earlier this season. But as you look at what FC
is doing, I also turned to a team that's struggling Austin.
This team I think was by many can today favorite

(01:25:00):
if you follow along the MLS at all Miami Inner Miami.
They lost three to zero over the weekend to Orlando City.
It's five losses in the past seven games for Miami,
which has conceded twenty goals.

Speaker 3 (01:25:16):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:25:17):
Over that set, it's got Lionel Messi talking saying it's
a complicated time. We've got to stay united. We're a
team in difficult times because when everyone wins. It's easy,
but now difficult times are coming. That's when we have
to be more united. But I don't think that was
expected from an MLS standpoint of Inner Miami being vulnerable,
especially on the defensive side of the ball. And if

(01:25:37):
that's the case, that even more so opens the door
at the top for a team like FC Cincinnati, who somehow,
some way as it comes to power rankings, is still
not being talked about amongst the top. I mean, think
about this. Right now today's MLS power ranking, the Vancouver

(01:25:57):
white Caps are at number one again in the West.
They have twenty eight points. They're leading the West. Hard
to argue that Philadelphia, who is tied with FC Cincinnati
Minnesota United who is second in the West at twenty
five points. And then after that, somehow the Columbus Crew
are still ranked ahead of FC Cincinnati. FC Cincinnati, tied

(01:26:20):
for the lead in all of the MLS, is ranked
five right now. They did jump up two spots they
were seven in last week's power rankings. They have jumped
over Inner Miami and others, while the Columbus Crew fall
from two to four in the power ranking standpoint. But
maybe a little vulnerability at the Top for Inner Miami
creates more of an opening for FC Cincinnati to try

(01:26:44):
and go do some big things there. You go take
advantage not that strike, while the Iron Top take advantage
of an opportunity. And I think that kind of will
segue us into what we want to do here in
our number three because so much of but has encompassed
these conversations, and really anyone when talking about the Bengals,

(01:27:05):
both from a local standpoint and a national standpoint, will
consistently right now go back to the Trey Hendrickson conversation,
and rightfully so, because he was the sac leader in
the NFL last year and he wants more money and
he wants a new deal, and he said, hey, by
the way, I'm not going to take a disc I'm
not going to play on my current deal. I'm not

(01:27:30):
going to play on what I'm currently getting paid. That
has sparked the conversation around the Cincinnati Bengals, and there
are reports that have hinted at what Trey Hendrickson's offer
from the Bengals was. That would be kind of the
first time we get to put a number to everything
that we've been hearing. But it is interesting you hear

(01:27:50):
a number tied to Trey Hendrickson. You take in everything
that he has said, You're taking everything that the Bengals
have said or done. I believe Austin. The Bengals have
brought in a player today that they are are working
out as Montrevius Adams is visiting the Cincinnati Bengals, the
former Pittsburgh Steeler, but a twenty nine year old, former

(01:28:13):
third round pick. It is a position of need on
the defensive line. So Bengals are still trying to actively
get stuff done. But it raises one question that I
keep going back to with Trey Hendrickson, and that is
are you willing to call his bluff? Are you willing
to say if you're going to sit out games, then

(01:28:34):
feel free to sit out games. Because as the Bengals
were not budging on this, and we'll dive into that
as we talk about the contract numbers what was reportedly offered.
But you know, it comes down to are you willing
to call him on his bluff? And do you think
that you can reach the pinnacle, that you can reach
the mountaintop, that you can win a Super Bowl. Trey
Hendrickson's not a part of the team that to me,

(01:28:57):
as complicated as this situation can become as complicated as
we talk about Trey hendricksonside the Bengals side, it ultimately
comes down to do you believe you can win a
Super Bowl without him? And do you genuinely believe that
he's willing to sit out games? Those are the two
questions if you're the Bengals, I think you have to answer.
When we get back, we'll discuss those questions. We'll talk

(01:29:20):
about what this offer reportedly was, how it pertains to
Trey Hendrickson, and much more on the Bengals as we
get into our three. Will also take your phone calls
five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty phone lines
are open all of our number three. That comes next
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station thanks to Cinti Shirts.

Speaker 1 (01:29:36):
Live baseball coverage Okleingdon eastco Subs since e three to
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(01:29:58):
Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:30:00):
Welcome back our three since e three sixty on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, a service of our good
friends at Penn Station. Thank you for joining us as
we get started on our number three. We've talked a
ton of reds up to this point. We'll also take
your phone calls five to one, three, seven, four, nine,

(01:30:21):
fifteen thirty. Let's talk Trey Hendrickson Austin. It was so
much of the story from last week from an offer standpoint, Uh,
do we know who originally broke the the the initial
offer that the Cincinnati Bengals made to Trey Hendrickson. Mike
I read the Mike Florio piece on Pro Football Talk
and it said this, Hendrickson's due to make sixteen million

(01:30:44):
this year. The Bengals, we've heard, have offered roughly twenty
eight million dollars per year. Whatever the amounts and more importantly,
the structure he wants more than that. He had a
chance to get it when the team gave him permission
to seek a trade. That went nowhere because no one
was willing to give him what he wants, especially since
they already would have to give the Bengals something in return.

(01:31:06):
Now twenty eight million per year is one thing. Whether
that's a one, two, three four, I don't know the
length of that deal. When you saw that number, Austin,
what was your initial thought.

Speaker 3 (01:31:18):
That's what I've been saying, so I said from the
very beginning, that's the fair. I don't know if it's fair,
but I didn't expect the Bengals to go more than
that that twenty eight million dollars a year. And you know,
Trey said when he met with the media last week
that the Bengals are pushing a short term extension pretty hard,

(01:31:39):
which tells me that they're probably wanting to do one year.
So he plays this year, I think his cap hit
is twenty one million dollars total. Next year he gets
twenty eight. Maybe it's something right around there, and it
equals out close to sixty million dollars or fifty million

(01:32:00):
dollars or something along those lines. It's kind of what
I've expected them to be doing this whole time.

Speaker 2 (01:32:06):
To put it into perspective, if it were twenty eight
million per year, that would slot him eighth in the NFL.
Miles Garrett makes forty, Daniel Hunter thirty five point six,
Max Crosby thirty five to five, Nick Bosa thirty four,
Josh heinz Allen of the Jaguars twenty eight point three,
Brian Burns of the Giants twenty eight point two. TJ.

(01:32:28):
Watt makes twenty eight million, So somewhere right around TJ
Watt money just from that standpoint, Austin as the top
pass rusher from a SAX standpoint last year. Is that
too low from just a sheer ranking standpoint, because that's
a hard thing. Like you could say, Man twenty eight,
that's a lot of money per year. If you factor
it in, you're essentially being said, we're gonna pay you

(01:32:51):
as the eighth best edge rusher in the NFL. When
I'm sure Trey Hendrickson wants to be paid as a.

Speaker 3 (01:32:54):
Top three Yeah, And he's made it clear that he
thinks he's a top three edge rusher in the NFL.
He thinks he's both. So he thinks he's Garrett, he
thinks he's those guys. And I don't blame him for
wanting to get as much money as he can. He
should do that. And I've heard you know, if it
gets to thirty million, then that might be enough for Trey,

(01:33:16):
which would put him at what.

Speaker 2 (01:33:17):
That would put him fifth highest in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (01:33:20):
Okay, Garrett, that makes a little bit of sense, but
I just don't see the Bengals doing that. And I'm
assuming what Trey wants is two years, thirty million a year,
sixty million total. We've kind of seen that floated out
on social media quite a bit by saying, you know,
the Bengals don't have that much on the books for

(01:33:40):
the next couple of years. They could easily make this happen.
And with the built in restructure ability of Burrows contract,
it would create even more space. And I get where
people are coming from, and if it was that simple,
I would do that, right. But Trey has kind of
bet on him twice and won both times. The Bengals

(01:34:04):
are probably doubting that he can bet on himself a
third time and win, especially if it's a long term deal.
And to me, I'm assuming long term for the Bengals
is anything more than one year, which would be this
year and next year. Trey seems to want more than
one year. And you know it's part of our Revivefitnessystems

(01:34:26):
dot Com Pole question today poll question number two. How
long of an extension should the Bengals offer to Trey
Hendrickson fifty nine percent, say two years, So a lot
of the fans here still think Trey's got two years worth,
which would put him three years down the line. Yeah,
an extension is this season, twenty twenty six and twenty

(01:34:47):
twenty seven. I don't personally feel comfortable doing that, especially
if there's a ton of guaranteed money for Trey, and
you know, the Bengals have changed a lot and they've
put a lot of gear team money. But even if
you kind of get down into the weeds on the
t Higgins contract, there were people criticizing Higgins for the

(01:35:07):
type of deal he took because it gives the Bengals
some wiggle room. That's what they do.

Speaker 2 (01:35:14):
And the thing is here, players and agents don't care
about the rest of the organization when it comes to
getting paid. Sure, like you could argue with Miles Garrett
and Cleveland, that's all that Cleveland has is Miles Garrett,
Daniel Hunter, c J. Stroud is going to be eligible
for his extension after this upcoming season, so they could
pay a little bit more Max Crosby.

Speaker 3 (01:35:35):
Pretty much, they don't have a hard and soul of
the Raiders.

Speaker 2 (01:35:38):
Nick Bosa, now he got paid not as recent but
they just paid brock Party. But the Niners able to
do everything because they had that. The Giants, the Jaguars,
they can do this because of how their teams are structured.
It's one thing to say, well, Hendrickson's he's the best,
pay him the best. Every team's situation is different. Yeah,

(01:36:00):
when the Bengals pay Burrow and Chase and Higgins is different.
So as an agent or as a player, sometimes that's
hard to take.

Speaker 3 (01:36:09):
You know. One of the things we talked about a
lot when it was trying to figure out what the
future of Higgins and Chase were is, Yeah, they can
do it, but should they do it? Should they pay
two wide receivers that much money? Because of the trickle
down effect that it could have on the rest of
the roster, and you know, the pressure puts on the
draft and so on. Well, they could sign Trey Hendrickson

(01:36:32):
to a two or three year extension, probably two years
at the max, and give him a decent amount of money,
give what they people think is fair to him, or
what he thinks is fair, whatever it might be. But
I would pose that same question, should they right?

Speaker 2 (01:36:50):
But I think if you're Trey Hendrickson, that's where the
that's where your agents optimism may have hurt you, because, yes,
Hendrickson then says, well, okay, that the Bengals aren't going
to give this to me because of what's up. Well,
there's another team out there that has more money available
that will surely give me that. And next thing, you know,
no one was willing to do that. That's now what
makes it hard because for Trey Hendrickson, your pride's probably

(01:37:11):
hurt a little bit too. You thought you were going
to go out get an off or you'd be playing
somewhere else, you'd get a max type deal. Now you're not.
And the last thing you want to do is come
back and say, well, I'll just settle on the sixteen then,
and I'll be quiet, and I'll just play and I'll
show up because I signed the contract. That's a prideful
thing as well. So I am a little shock that's
seen twenty eight was declined and really interested to see, Okay,

(01:37:35):
how far off are the camps and what would the
length of that contract be as the biggest question.

Speaker 3 (01:37:40):
I think it's interesting what Mike Florio wrote. I want
to read it, It says. While we strongly believe that
players should fight for every dollar they can get, no
player should overestimate his value or his leverage. Hendrickson has
real value, but he doesn't have much leverage. It's one

(01:38:00):
thing for a rookie who was stuck in a take
it or leave it wage scale deal to take a stand.
It's another for a veteran who signed a contract as
a free agent to get to the later years and
realize he did a bad deal. When a player outperforms
his second contract, that means the player and his agent

(01:38:21):
failed to properly gauge his eventual value, or to include
devices that protect against over performance, such as significant incentives
or escalators tied to, for example, consecutive seasons of seventeen
and a half sacks. Florio continues. Hendrickson is due to
make sixteen million this year. The Bengals, we've heard have

(01:38:43):
offered him roughly twenty eight million per year. Whatever the
mount and as importantly the structure, he wants more. He
had a chance to get it when the team gave
him a permission to seek a trade. That went nowhere
because no one was willing to give him what he wants.
Especially when they would've had to give the Bengals something
in return. Finally, Florio says, now Hendrickson is stuck. His

(01:39:06):
options are simple and few. One take the team's best off,
run a new deal. Two, play for sixteen million to
become a free agent, or three and hope three hold
out and hope the Bengals will cave. Here's the problem
for Hendrickson. The Bengals will not cave.

Speaker 2 (01:39:24):
So you mentioned that the Floria article. Did you see
the part where he goes on and actually talks about
Hassan Reddick and what he went through last year. Sure,
because that's one thing that Florio in this piece kind
of warns is that you know you don't want to
take the Hassan Reddick mode and use that as a
cautionary tale if you. If you remember last year, Hassan

(01:39:44):
Reddick missed ALI training camp, missed the first six games,
holding out for a better contract. Along the way of that,
he got dropped by his agency agreed to a rework
short term deal. Florio throws in, I'll read this quote
because it highlights the son Reddick. It also talks about

(01:40:05):
the options. But also, and it's noted in this some
unnecessary Mike Brown related criticism, but Florio's quote said this quote.
If Hendrickson wants to skip mandatory mini camp and be
fine by the team, They'll be fine with That'll be
fine with Bengals owner Mike Brown. If Hendrickson wants to
give up fifty thousand per day to hold out of
training camp, Brown will gladly accept that gift. And if
Hendrickson hopes to sacrifice eight hundred and eighty eight thousand

(01:40:28):
dollars per game to stay away in the regular season,
plenty of Angels will be getting their wings as the
Cincinnati cash register rings and rings.

Speaker 3 (01:40:37):
He also said this, which is pretty funny. One are
the benefits of the Bengals unique brand of dysfunction in
situations like this, it's not a bluff. If a player
wants to stay home and increase the organization's profit margin
along the way, they're fine with that, and at some
level they might even prefer it. You know, there are

(01:41:02):
times in this business where I will have a take
on something. I feel really strongly about it, I feel
really convicted about it, and I just that's the way
I feel. And there are people that I respect in
this business that I go to and bounce ideas off
of and offer these takes to. And they'll disagree with

(01:41:22):
me at times, and that will, you know, sometimes cause doubt.
But normally, if I'm convicted about something, I'll stick with
that take. I feel very convicted about the way I've
stood on the Trey Henderson thing from the very beginning.
And all those people, colleagues, peers, everyone in this business

(01:41:43):
that I've talked to about Trey, they all feel the
same way I do, including Mike Florio here, which is
the contrarian of all contrarians when it comes to the Bengals.
So to me, if everybody is kind of saying the
same thing, with the exception of the very loud segment
of the fan base that criticizes me or others for

(01:42:06):
quote unquote siding with billionaires, not siding with billionaires, I'm
siding with doing what's right by the team, then it
makes me feel like the Bengals are actually in the
right here, is it? I would love for them to
get Trey. Do I want them to sign Trey Hendrickson

(01:42:26):
to a two year extension so that for the next
three years he's going to be making a ton of money.
I don't know that I want that, And if history
were to suggest that Trey will eventually cave, then that
makes sense too, that you're getting a really good player
on a bargain. The only caveat to that, though, is

(01:42:49):
how do you spend that extra money? And we're sitting
here with thirty million dollars in cap space wondering why
didn't they do more? Yeah, that's the issue.

Speaker 2 (01:42:57):
That's the thing. If they had done more and they're
making this statement that they're not paying Tree, then you
already know what the answer is. When they still have
the money, you wonder why why not make the necessary
additions when you had the opportunity when more players were
out there on the market. This comes down to two
things for me, and you can essentially tie the two
things into one if you need to, because it's the

(01:43:19):
question I come back to. If you believe that the
Cincinnati Bengals are in the small group of teams that
have a legitimate chance to win a Super Bowl, And
there was an audio on Pat McAfee last week with
dan Orlovsky and dan Orlofsky was they were talking about
this situation, and it was after Trey showed up in
the golf attire and talked for twenty five minutes to

(01:43:40):
the media. Dan Orlofsky, in talking about the situation from
a whole, said it comes down to one thing. In
his opinion, the Bengals cannot win a Super Bowl if
Trey Hendrickson's not on the team. If he is not
on the team, they can't win a Super Bowl. He said.
If Trey Hendrickson is on the team and he's playing,

(01:44:00):
then they are one of the handful of teams in
the AFC that going into the season you can say
can win it all. So that that to me from
a fan standpoint, from someone that wants this team to
win a Super Bowl and from someone that's covering the team,
that to me is is the end all be all.

(01:44:23):
There is something out of the twenty five minutes where
Trey Hendrickson said, I Am not going to play on
my current deal, and you could say, well that that's
not it's not a distraction, that's only may and you
could say that you know he'll fold. Everyone folds eventually.
You're not gonna throw all that money away. If that's

(01:44:43):
your take is the Cincinnati Bengals and you say, okay,
then don't play and you call his bluff and he
eventually shows up, then we move on our day. But
if if you call his bluff and he actually does
never show up, I don't think this team is built
to win a super Bowl without Trey Hendrickson. They didn't

(01:45:04):
make a splash in free agency. They drafted some high
upside guys, but some guys that you feel like aren't
necessarily ready game one to play every single snap or
to impact the game yet in year one. They could
be good pieces, but not a Trey Hendrickson tight piece.
He was hands down the best player on a terrible
defense last year. If you call the bluff and it's

(01:45:25):
not a bluff, I don't think you're from a roster
standpoint defensively winning a super Bowl.

Speaker 3 (01:45:30):
I don't think him not playing means they can't win
the super Bowl, truthfully.

Speaker 2 (01:45:37):
I mean that's the point that you and I differ on.

Speaker 3 (01:45:39):
It, right, But also I don't know that him playing
means they can win the super Bowl. Like I don't
think he's that big of a piece. I mean, if
you look at the last ten Super Bowl winners, none
of them had the NFL sack leader on their team. None.
You know, Trey Hendrickson won it last year, TJ Watt
the year before that, Nick Bosta the year before that,
TJ Watt the two years prior to that. In one

(01:46:01):
of those years, Steelers did't even go to the playoffs.
Shack Barrett for Tampa and twenty nineteen, Aaron Donald in
twenty eighteen, Chandler Jones in Arizona in twenty seventeen. But
I think he sniffed the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (01:46:15):
But I think with that they were good defenses, yes,
like Daniel Long. And I think the the Orlowsky point
that hits home with me is if you look at
how the Bengals played last year, the defense was so
bad that it wasn't like teams were playing from behind
to beat the Bengals and throwing seventy times. Teams were
running the ball, running their normal offense, controlling the clock,

(01:46:37):
setting up play action because the Bengals weren't good against
the run either, And he still had seventeen and a
half sacks. Imagine if the defense were better and the
offense puts you ahead by multiple scores and then a
team has to throw more, he might have eclipsed twenty sacks.
Last year.

Speaker 3 (01:46:52):
He was And if you look at the you know,
the games in which he did most of his damage.
That was the case. Yes, you know again a four
SAC game against the Raiders, they were awful. The Bengals
were ahead of them, and you know that game didn't
go as planned for the Bengals on offense, but they
forced the Raiders to have to pass the whole time.

(01:47:13):
And you know, I guess you could say I always
kind of bring up the Philly game about how he
was a no show, a game was kind of out
of hand in the second half. Was just a team
who runs the football in and of itself. But like,
I see what you're saying there. It makes a ton
of sense. And where did the Bengals immediately improve their
defense this year?

Speaker 2 (01:47:32):
On paper? Against the run, against the.

Speaker 3 (01:47:34):
Run, right, yeah, we don't know what it looks like
on the field yet, we got to wait a couple months.
But they invested in linebacker, they invested in defensive end,
they invested in defensive line. They're trying to improve that
part of their defense just in and of itself to
maybe steal a possession or two a game, which they
feel like with their offense is enough. I get where

(01:47:58):
people are like, yeah, Trey and in that style of defense,
a couple more possessions and you're forcing teams to throw
can really be a major problem. And I agree with that,
But do I think him not being there means they
can't be productive, they can't be a good defense. No,

(01:48:18):
Like you talked about it, those teams with all those
sack leaders, they all had really good defenses, right, yeah,
they did. They had good players at all levels. They
had good secondaries, they had good linebackers, they had good
players on the defensive line. With those sack leaders, I
think the Bengals are better. I think Shamar Stewart will
have an impact. I think Joseph Osaia will have an impact.

(01:48:39):
I think Miles Murphy will have an impact. I am
putting a lot on Jerry Montgomery and Al Golden and
a revamped linebacker room to create pressures and stunts and
turn a lot of what if and potential that has
been on the defensive line in the last couple of

(01:48:59):
years into actual return on investment.

Speaker 2 (01:49:03):
But the issue is if you do that but you
don't have the individuals to get home, who do you
then put pressure on on the back end your secondary?
Of course, and that's a position that we also question
the point I'm trying it relates to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speaker 3 (01:49:15):
You question it more than I do.

Speaker 2 (01:49:17):
You think the secondary is good.

Speaker 3 (01:49:18):
I don't know that I'd say it's good. I don't
think it's as bad as people think. Okay, I think
it was bad last year because there was nobody else.
And I think I think again, it's on paper, we
don't know, we don't know what it's going to look like.
But I'm putting a lot. I'm kind of trusting what
the Bengals are saying here. I'm kind of reading between

(01:49:40):
the between the lines that it was a lot of
Al Golden Or, it was a lot of lou Ana Umo,
it was a lot of Marion Hobby.

Speaker 2 (01:49:48):
There's a lot of James and the Ana Roumo side
is just so crazy because years before it was gosh,
we can't lose Luena Arumo. Yeah, he's a genie. But
I but I will say it to your point on
the Trey Hendrickson, if you do look at those games
where teams that historically run the ball do so last year,
the argument against Trey Hendrickson is there. Right against Baltimore,

(01:50:10):
they ran it thirty four times against the Cincinnati Bengals,
Trey Hendrickson had three total tackles in the game.

Speaker 3 (01:50:15):
He didn't have a single sack against the Baltimore Ravens.
In two games.

Speaker 2 (01:50:19):
Against the Philadelphia Eagles, who came in and ran it
thirty nine times, Trey Hendrickson had four total tackles, and
that is including half tackles where you just kind of
get thrown into things. Against the Chargers, a team that
again ran the ball over twenty five times, Trey Hendrity one, yeah,

(01:50:41):
one solo tackle. So you know, if the Bengals are
a team that can get out in front and force
teams to throw and Trey Hendrickson gets more opportunities, great,
But one of the knocks that we've talked about with
Trey Hendrickson is him against the run. And that's and
all of a sudden, you're gonna play against teams all
over the AFC North and on this schedule that want to.

Speaker 3 (01:51:01):
Do what run run the ball, and that's part of
the issue here with Trey. He's a below average run defender.

Speaker 2 (01:51:06):
He didn't get on the box score against the Steelers
in Cincinnati.

Speaker 3 (01:51:10):
Part of the reason why Trey Hendrickson to me, is
not in the same class as those other guys is
his inability in the run game. Part of the reason
why the Bengals were poor against the run was because
of Trey Hendrickson. Now he's not the sole reason, absolutely not.

Speaker 2 (01:51:29):
But if teams are like again, Jayden Daniels was twenty
one to twenty three against the Bengals, which means they
ran the ball successfully thirty two times in the game,
Trey Hendrickson one sack right like So, if and that's
why I go back to Orlowski's point, if you make

(01:51:49):
the whole defense better and it's not as easy to
run the ball against the Bengals, then Trey Hendrickson can
get more opportunities to sack because they're scoring. No one's
questioning the Bengals ability to score points. But can you
can you keep other teams off from doing what they
want to do, which is control the clock, run the narrative, balance,
run pass, play action and do those things you're not

(01:52:10):
gonna stop anybody.

Speaker 3 (01:52:11):
Can you read off that list of the highest paid
edge rushers again, do you do you still have that
in front of his Miles Garrett.

Speaker 2 (01:52:17):
Miles Garrett forty million, Daniel Hunter thirty five point six,
Max Crosby thirty five to five, Nick Bosa thirty four,
Josh Allen of the Jags twenty eight point three, Brian
Burns twenty eight point two, TJ.

Speaker 3 (01:52:28):
Watt just over twenty eight. Every single one of those
guys up until you get to TJ. Watt and you
could maybe what not what he used to be, but
could maybe lump him in in his earlier years into
this or freak athletes like insanely athletic players, really really
good athletes. Is Trey Henderson one of those?

Speaker 2 (01:52:51):
Yeah, that's a good question.

Speaker 3 (01:52:53):
Like you know, there are there are players out there
and you see and you're like, Okay, that's a different person.
Miles Garrett, Derek Saquon Barkley, Lawrence Taylor, Aaron Donald. It's like, Okay,
that's different, Jamar Chase. That's a different type of athleticism,
and you're willing to invest and take the risk. The

(01:53:15):
New York Giants weren't, but the Philadelphia Eagles were on
Saquon Barkley. I look at Trey and I'm like, if
it's one thing to be a complete freak athletically going
into your thirties, it's another thing to be a normal,
solid NFL athlete going.

Speaker 2 (01:53:33):
Into your thirties, like the freak style of Garrett Is
the socks, but also the ability to stop the run,
bite his hands on passes, and play every part of
the defensive line.

Speaker 3 (01:53:45):
And again, Trey, I don't know that twenty eight is
that big of a deal for Trey, but it's the
year year, yep, And that I think is a fair
sticking point for the Bengals. And Trey probably wants that
fully guaranteed, sure, and the Bengals are like, dude, we're
not gonna do that. We've already taken care of you. Yeah,
And you know, I do you think twenty eight millions fair?

(01:54:09):
I do?

Speaker 2 (01:54:09):
I do too, And then it goes back to you know,
all guaranteed how many years? That's the Trey Hendrickson dilemma.
But in kinds of to.

Speaker 3 (01:54:18):
Florio's point too, if if Trey believes he's this dude,
then can't the third year be loaded with incentives? Right?

Speaker 2 (01:54:26):
Bet on yourself?

Speaker 3 (01:54:27):
And by the way, he talked about this at the
Super Bowl in New Orleans that he didn't want a
bunch of incentive based parts of his contract. Well, buddy,
you're getting older. They're investing in you. It's got to
be fair to both sides here, especially if they're going
to give you twenty eight million dollars and let's say
forty five of the next three years is fully guaranteed whatever,

(01:54:51):
or the next two years is fully guaranteed, and you
have an incentive with okay, if you make a Pro
Bowl blah blah blah blah blah. Like, there are ways
to negotiate that, and Florio writes about if you're who
you think you are, put those incentives in right.

Speaker 2 (01:55:07):
I think it's fascinating. It makes obviously for fascinating conversation.
That conversation just getting started. We'll get ourselves back on time.
We'll take some phone calls five one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty and look at some of these remaining free
agents in the NFL as well. It is a cinty
three to sixty thanks to Penn Station on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (01:55:26):
Now your chance to win one thousand dollars.

Speaker 1 (01:55:28):
Enter this sneakback on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:55:39):
Welcome back, cinty three to sixty. ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati
Sports Station, thanks to Penn Station, Thank you for listening.
Happy to have you along as we just get the
week started here on a Monday after noon. Real quick, here, Austin,
we'll get to a break and we'll grab a couple
of phone calls in our next block. Best free agent

(01:56:02):
players remaining in the National Football League saw this list today.
Julian Blackman is still out there, still open to adding
a safety for the Bengals. Sure, JK. Dobbins is still
out there. Russell Douglass at corner is still out there.
Mike Hilton is yet to find a team a Sante
Samuel Junior Justin Simmons. So there is ample, ample secondary

(01:56:27):
help still remaining on the free agent market. That could
Austin be part of that thirty moon in cap space
that the Bengals have that they haven't spent up to
the date. Zadarius Smith edge rusher is also a name
that's out there. Kazier White linebacker a name that is
still out there. It's actually funny. On this list for
ESPN dot Com, they put together did Matt Bowen the

(01:56:50):
best free agent fits and the best trades still available?
They listed Trey Hendrickson on the trade standpoint with the
Green Bay Packers, but Trey Hendrickson's name will obviously be
continue to be floated out there. But I think that
the main point in this there is still above average
players left. From a free agency standpoint. At some point,

(01:57:11):
you would think the Bengals will spend some of that
money that they have, whether that's on another offer to
Trey Hendrickson or revamping part of the secondary, or revamping
the defensive line. I don't know who, but I something
tells me I don't feel like the Bengals are done
at this point. I still feel like there is an
addition or two to be had, whether that's on defense

(01:57:33):
or at guard, that the Bengals can make now between
the start of the season. Let's get ourselves a break
when we come back. Your phone calls five one, three, seven,
four nine, fifteen thirty centy three to sixty thinks the
Penn Station on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station are
your monthly.

Speaker 1 (01:57:48):
Built Since E three sixty continues on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati's Sports Station, Welcome.

Speaker 2 (01:57:59):
Back Cintree six. Thanks to Penn Station on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station got a couple of phone calls. Let's
grab these before we get to Mulwagger. Jim is calling.
What's up, Jim.

Speaker 26 (01:58:11):
I'm just saying, Trey Hendrichon, where's he going to make
twenty five million dollars doing anything else? Yeah, I mean,
it's just stupid he didn't signed for it.

Speaker 2 (01:58:20):
Yeah, I was at twenty eight. Again, if you're you're
mad about sixteen, you're bumping up twelve more million dollars.
That's more security for your family, which you've talked about,
your your your child. It just I don't know how
far off you could be at that point when that
numbers that high.

Speaker 3 (01:58:38):
I mean, he never shuts up about his family and
giving them like peace of mind and knowing where they're
gonna be. About twelve extra thirty. You play in the NFL.
You played in the NFL for a long time. You
got to know there's a possibility that maybe you're going
to play for a different team. You could get traded.
And also you made more money than anybody else, correct,
Like you can just get up and go if you
want to. It's crazy to me.

Speaker 26 (01:58:59):
Well, I've never made five million dollars in my lifetime,
so twenty million or twenty five million.

Speaker 8 (01:59:06):
For one year.

Speaker 26 (01:59:08):
They certainly take care of your family. Yeah, I mean,
unless you're fine the miles araties every year. Yeah, I
mean it's just stupid. So, I mean, the money has
gotten ridiculous in the NFL, and I'll pro sports, but
but to sit there and cry about not getting board
twenty five or twenty eight million dollars is ridiculous because

(01:59:31):
go out in the real world and you're not gonna
see it. You're never gonna see.

Speaker 2 (01:59:35):
That's fair, Jim, thank you for the call.

Speaker 3 (01:59:37):
Yeah, I mean, we can't treat athletes like normal people
because they're not.

Speaker 2 (01:59:41):
But that Austin, but that is Remember at the end
of the the Jamar Chase side last year, you started
hearing more and more of that, you know, I mean,
at sixteen twenty eight million dollars, what are you gonna do?
You're not gonna do that, Yeah, and jama fans start
to turn on your Lamar again.

Speaker 3 (01:59:55):
Very different because you know, he had millions and millions
of dollars in the future and his is futuristic.

Speaker 17 (02:00:01):
You know.

Speaker 3 (02:00:01):
With Tray, it's a part that has always kind of
come off as tone deaf to me that he talks
endlessly about his family and giving them like I can't
think of the word he always uses, but like peace
of mind and knowing where we're going to be. Like, buddy,
you can live here or you could live anywhere else

(02:00:23):
you want to. You are a multi multi millionaire. Yeah,
I mean the guy just picked up and came to
Cincinnati last week. You can do that. And by the way,
Zach has been very generous with you and allowing you
to go and he missed workouts a couple of years
ago because you want to be around his family. It's like,
I get it, family's really important to you. But to

(02:00:45):
act as if you don't know where you're going to live, like,
come on, man, that I don't. And teams also assist
you with that when you go to a new place,
So there are systems built in.

Speaker 2 (02:00:59):
I always thought that was that's that side of it
is bs from Trey Hendrickson, Mike, what's up, man? How
are you?

Speaker 13 (02:01:07):
I don't know that.

Speaker 12 (02:01:08):
I'll be glad when Hendrickson's craps. We're just like with
Jersey Bates. Oh my god, you guys must be getting
sick of it.

Speaker 2 (02:01:15):
It is the crazy is it literally came out of
nowhere last week and has been NonStop since then.

Speaker 12 (02:01:22):
Yeah, I don't see any and to it either, unfortunely. Yeah,
you know what's gonna happen with these clowns here eventually
is the average person is just going to turn on them. Man,
everybody says that will never happen. No things are meant
to change. Someday. This will happen because people that spend
work their butts off to be able to go to

(02:01:42):
a bunch of football games over you know, eventually they're
going to get tired of hearing these little shifty baby
as his cried when the guys and the girls out
that pend in our country will never make a glimpse
of that kind of money. So let's talk about priorities
and what's really well, they're entertainer. I don't give a
crap what they are. What we're talking about importance. But
let's look at this Bengals defense last year. This is

(02:02:06):
teams the NFL opponent team points per game Philly first,
Charger second, Denver third, Minnesota fourth, Green Bay fifth, Kansas
City six, Pittsburgh seven, Baltimore eight, Miami nine, Houston ten,
Detroit eleven, Buffalo twelve, Seattle thirteen, Chicago fourteen and the

(02:02:28):
Rams fifteen. The Bengals were twenty fifth in points all out,
so we got ways to go. But you know that
a lot of those teams were pretty good ball clubs
and they don't necessarily have the top sack artists like
Austin was mentioning Earlis, which brings up another point. I

(02:02:49):
was listening to a guy I've been hearing on the
radio for years. His name is rich Herrera. He's been
all over this country for years sports talk hosts. He's
on Infinity Sports now, and he was talking about the value.
What's really the value of a quarterback is a quarterback
that can overcome whatever problems the team is having and
produce a winner. And he said it really gets down

(02:03:12):
more to being a game manager. You know, when your
defense isn't good, run the ball more, short, pass more.
Just speak of the quarterback and needs to figure out
a way to overcome the shortcomings of the team. Do
you agree with that?

Speaker 2 (02:03:25):
Yeah, I think it's the quarterback, and I think the
offensive coordinator plays a big role into it. I mean
the personality Jalen Hurts if he had to go out
and throw the ball forty five times a game because
the running game wasn't good. I don't think Jalen Hurts
would be as successful. I think that's the perfect system
and Justin and Jalen Hurts thrives in that role. And
he also had a defense that gave up seventeen point

(02:03:47):
eight points per game. So you're not asked to do
more with Joe Burrow. When you're giving up twenty five
and a half points per game, You're asked to probably
put a little bit more on your shoulders and you
may be a little bit more one dimensional. I always
think is the best. But yes, those elite teams, they
have the quarterback that can put the rest of the
team on their shoulders when need.

Speaker 12 (02:04:07):
Be and just figure out a way. Yeah, years and
more cloth not.

Speaker 15 (02:04:12):
Yeah.

Speaker 12 (02:04:13):
Yeah, it's pretty complex really.

Speaker 2 (02:04:14):
When Josh Allen decides to use his legs, you know,
that's a big role based on when he decides to throw,
I mean, or throw the ball away or tuck in
and try to get an extra four or five yards.
Every play is different. But yes, the best in the
game have a knack for lifting everyone else up.

Speaker 12 (02:04:31):
That's all I had. Thanks you, guys, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (02:04:33):
Have a good day. Yeah, I agree, and I think
Burrow is To be clear, I think Burrow is one
of those guys at the highest level in the NFL.
I think he can hide more than most every other
quarterback in the league. Big day tomorrow, Oh boy, Burrow tailor,
since he three p sixty and more.

Speaker 3 (02:04:52):
But first, Moger, who's bigger than both quick hits?

Speaker 2 (02:04:57):
Moeger coming off a weekend where he had an eighth
day party for Crosley Taylor Swift themed I want to
hear from mo about that and so much more next
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, Cincinnati.

Speaker 1 (02:05:10):
To make us the number one pre sient. He continues
on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's Sports station, It's time for
Cincy three sixty quick hits on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (02:05:24):
He's not even in here. He did not even hear
in this. He don't even get to hear this right now.
That's disappointing. Jeez, man, had that lined up. We're right
on time.

Speaker 3 (02:05:36):
I said. I went out there. I said, what if
I told you two minutes? He said, I'll be ready.
I said, okay, two minutes.

Speaker 2 (02:05:40):
Man, you had it queued up.

Speaker 3 (02:05:42):
I was ready, just trying to support my guy had
it queued up. I was fired up for him.

Speaker 2 (02:05:46):
Ready to go Eastern Conference Finals week Yep.

Speaker 3 (02:05:51):
Now he's just late to his own don't ask him
about it at all. He's late to his own segment.

Speaker 2 (02:05:54):
While we're waiting for Mo, was looking for Mo. Yep, yep.
Try to replace that. Today was something cool. That's what
you get. He's in here now looking for You missed
Austin's intro. He's very big with the New York Nick.
We were celebrating the Eastern Conference Finals. We very busy.
You look well. You're coming off a weekend Taylor Swift

(02:06:18):
themed eighth birthday party for Crossley.

Speaker 3 (02:06:20):
Massive success.

Speaker 2 (02:06:21):
Seems like you not only you didn't survive it, you
thrived in We thrived.

Speaker 7 (02:06:24):
We had a really good uh eighth birthday weekend. The
Red swept, the Guardians take the lead in the Ohio Cup,
Nicks or in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Speaker 3 (02:06:32):
Life is good.

Speaker 7 (02:06:33):
Will Benson's a superhero, My guy. Will Benson's a superhero man.
The question is is he Arristed is a Chino or
is he Jay Bruce? Is he Reese Hines or is
he Dave Parker.

Speaker 2 (02:06:46):
If you're gonna be if you got somebody that needs
more at batch right now, you want Connor, Joe or
resigns to get him.

Speaker 3 (02:06:51):
It's a great question. It's a great question.

Speaker 7 (02:06:54):
But it's remarkable where things were, you know, Wednesday night,
like post Pete Rose Knight and I was doing extra
innings and people were calling in crying, apologizing to the
Rose family for how the Reds played, and it felt like,
you know what, this season's teetering on the brink. Now
you can't get swept by the White Sox. They win
that game, they win the next three, and now here we.

Speaker 2 (02:07:13):
Go, longest winning streak and major League Baseball.

Speaker 7 (02:07:16):
Now here we go. They play the Pirates, who aren't good.
Then the Cubs come here this weekend. It's gonna be awesome.

Speaker 2 (02:07:20):
Get to skip Paul Skeins again. Yeah, they don't have
to see him. What do you got coming up on
the show today.

Speaker 7 (02:07:25):
Well, we are gonna discuss whether or not Will Benson.
How are the Reds gonna honor him? Because there's lots
of different ways, statues, Jersey retirements, Hall of Fame, they
do Bobblehead. But there was something bigger about this weekend
that we have to talk about. And I'm offering my services. Oh,
I'm offering my services. I do this often. I offer

(02:07:48):
my services to the Bengals as the director of common sense.

Speaker 2 (02:07:51):
Yes.

Speaker 7 (02:07:51):
The director of common sense is typically used for, you know,
let's throw the challenge flag here, Let's not go ford
on fourth down here, Let's go a ford on fourth
down here, let's not call a time out.

Speaker 2 (02:08:03):
Here, not taking out of Burrow's hands here.

Speaker 7 (02:08:04):
The director of common sense can also be used in
contract negotiations. I'm offering my services to the Bengals and
Trey Hendrickson immediately as the director of common sense slash mediator.

Speaker 2 (02:08:15):
Yes, that's what I want. I want Bengals brass at
one side. I want Hendrickson's team and the other and
I want you send it the head of it, me
in the middle, you mediating all of it.

Speaker 7 (02:08:25):
Just sitting there like in Wedding Crashers when they had
Rebecca de Mornay and Dwight Yoakam sitting there right I
could I could be Owen Wilson.

Speaker 2 (02:08:35):
Can I just ask one question on the Hendrickson side?

Speaker 3 (02:08:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (02:08:37):
Sure, Do you believe right now the Bengals are one
of the teams that can contend for a Super Bowl yes,
do you believe they are if Trey Hendrickson doesn't play us,
not for them? So then it comes down to do
you if the Bengals, are you calling his bluff that
he will or won't play?

Speaker 7 (02:08:51):
And I think he is, Like if last week didn't
make you go, boy, this guy's different. Yeah, I don't
know what to do for you. So like I say that,
and it's not a criticism. I like different most athletes,
most people, I would go, at the end of the day,
you're not giving up the money. But and I guess
if push comes to shove, I'll still believe that Trey

(02:09:14):
isn't going to give up the money. But I take
the threat a little bit more seriously because I think
we are talking about a different kind of cat here.
And if you hear that and shake your head, were
you not paying attention last week? Because what he did
was dramatically different. The question is, if you're the Bengals,
do you want to repeat of that?

Speaker 2 (02:09:32):
And you also have a lot of money. If you're
the Bengals, it's not like you're strapped, right, And if
you're not doing it with Hendrickson, then you go back
to the point of why not be more aggressive in
the early free agency.

Speaker 7 (02:09:40):
You know what the Trey Hendrickson should do, He should
hire that attorney. The Bengals just had to fire. Oh man,
isn't that what happened? You talk about something like as
I ensconced myself in the little cocoon of sports and
shun stuff, I haven't been paying attention. But a lawyer guy,
the lawyer was working for the county or the Bengals.

(02:10:03):
I think he was working for the county. I would
go hire that guy if I were.

Speaker 2 (02:10:09):
Can you imagine?

Speaker 3 (02:10:11):
I think I think he was like working for the county,
but skewing more towards the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (02:10:17):
And the county said no, The county.

Speaker 3 (02:10:19):
Fired him, and then you know there's another guy at
the Bengals. Very interesting.

Speaker 2 (02:10:23):
We like to obviously have Do you have a take
on on this this backlash and outrage between Angel Reese
and Caitlyn Clark.

Speaker 3 (02:10:29):
No, because I don't know what happened.

Speaker 2 (02:10:32):
You know, a a flagrant foul was called on Caitlin Clark.
I mean Angel Reese went up for a rebound, got
the rebound, was going to have a lay up, and
Kitlyn Clark denied her from having the lay up. A
little push, little shove. Some contexts, angel goes at her
and now like the Indiana Fever have issued us like
I don't need to hear apologies. I think some hatred

(02:10:53):
in sports is what makes sports great. It's what makes rivalries,
in my opinion, what they are. There's a genuine dislike
between you Ian Xavier basketball, right, Ohio State Michigan, genuine dislike.
You can go to Individual Jordan and the Pistons. Yeah,
hated each other. Yeah, and it made it for must watch.
Like Austin brought up the point the first day of
WNBA season, they put the Sky and Fever on the

(02:11:14):
schedule for a.

Speaker 3 (02:11:15):
Reason, for a reason. You're exactly right.

Speaker 2 (02:11:17):
So lean into it, right, make it a rivalry. I
don't think the two are on the same level. I
think Caitlin Clark from a I mean, I think Robert
Griffin the third said, Angel reesis Draymond Green and Caitlin
Clark is a Michael Jordan.

Speaker 3 (02:11:30):
It's okay for competitors to not like each other. That's it.
It's okay.

Speaker 7 (02:11:33):
And I feel like on the men's side, we want it,
and on the women's side there's something wrong with it. Correct,
It's okay for competitors to not love each other. Now,
you want good sportsmanship and you don't want, you know,
some of the stuff that was apparently coming out of
the stands in Indiana you don't want, right, But I
I almost expect two people who are like if you
watch any of these NBA playoff series, my favorite part

(02:11:54):
of any NBA playoff series is when you get to
like Game three or Game four and the two sides
are just tired of each other and something always happened.
I expect that on the women's side too, and it's
okay when it happens.

Speaker 2 (02:12:06):
What's your thoughts going into the Eastern and Western Conference
Finals in the NBA this week?

Speaker 7 (02:12:12):
Well, I think from from the East, Indiana should be
they're not. They should be considered slight favorites because I
think of how they come at you and waves offensively,
and they played really well against the Knick this year, so.

Speaker 2 (02:12:25):
Did the Celtics.

Speaker 7 (02:12:25):
Sure, what Indiana did against Cleveland was was pretty remarkable.
They just come at you in waves offensively. So the
question for me is can New York get stops? And
which team's third, fourth, fifth, sixth guy is better than
the other team's third fourth, fifth, sixth guy. You and
I talked after Indiana won Game one and we said, like,

(02:12:46):
Indiana can win the East. They certainly can now, and
the Knicks have lost some home games here in the postseason.
I think, okayse is going to beat Minnesota reasonably, comfortably.

Speaker 2 (02:12:57):
Yeah, we had Anthony Edwards conversation. I just like the
I mean, you want to talk about hatred in games? Yeah,
he doesn't. He goes at anyone he plays against.

Speaker 7 (02:13:06):
But you know what, it's We're gonna have a different
champion for the seventh consecutive year.

Speaker 3 (02:13:09):
We talked about that they have Middle America. Like the
NBA's remade its rules.

Speaker 7 (02:13:15):
So for the people who wind and cried the DAANA
like super teams, which I thought was stupid, people who
whined and cried about that, you must like this version
of the NBA where it's basically impossible to have a
Big Three.

Speaker 3 (02:13:26):
Parody is the rule.

Speaker 7 (02:13:27):
And this is a league, like we talk all the time,
like in baseball, if you're a small market, you can't win.
The NBA's final four includes a team from Indianapolis, Yeah,
Oklahoma City, and Minneapolis, which is pretty awesome.

Speaker 2 (02:13:40):
It's fascinating as well, you want to talk about a
hatred and riote. Pacers and Knicks have that built in history,
and I yea, I go back and I think you
could all in different venues playoff basketball with the Knicks
at Madison Square Garden something that it's almost like you
have just witness it to well.

Speaker 3 (02:14:01):
I understand and the Knicks Pacers thing.

Speaker 7 (02:14:03):
People are going to bring up the nineties and understandably so,
and I expect TNT to make Reggie Miller the big
piece of it all like that he's an announcer.

Speaker 3 (02:14:10):
He's not playing in the game.

Speaker 7 (02:14:11):
Right Like last year, if you watched the semi final
series which Indiana won, you would think Reggie Miller was
playing in the game. I gotta there's cameras on Reggie Miller.
Reggie Miller, I think it's a decent analyst. But this
isn't the Reggie Miller Shower's.

Speaker 2 (02:14:24):
Reggie is Jalen Bruns in a top five nick of
all time? That's tough can he be? If they beat
the Pacers in this Yeries one.

Speaker 3 (02:14:36):
He's trending in that direction.

Speaker 7 (02:14:37):
I'll say that to me, you got to get to
the finals was to me the top five Knicks of
all time are all players who competed in finals.

Speaker 3 (02:14:45):
Okay, but it's people are going to bring up the nineties.

Speaker 7 (02:14:49):
They had a playoffs series last year and it was
one you know, The Knicks was kind of a battle
of attrition. But to me, there's there's some built in
bad blood there. I think it's gonna be a great series.
That's gonna be a really really fun series. I think
two really likable, fun teams to watch.

Speaker 3 (02:15:05):
Be interesting. Well I get beat up in came four.

Speaker 2 (02:15:08):
You're going, I'm going cannot wait? Well, I get beat
up a Game four now unless yay, Well, I don't know.
I've seen you at some games. So we'll talk about
that later in the week.

Speaker 7 (02:15:16):
Had the me that was hanging at about eleven thirty
on Friday. If that guy goes to game four, yeah
you're in trouble.

Speaker 3 (02:15:21):
He might he might need.

Speaker 2 (02:15:23):
A body that's moager. He's next on The Mowiger Show,
Nickelodolo on the Mound for the Reds Tonight, Big One
for Nickelodolo and the Reds. Mo is next on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Have a great rest of
your Monday. Diamond Jewelry is about to get