Cincy 360 with Chad Brendel and Drew Westerheide -- 5/26/25

Chad and Drew fill in for Tony and Austin on this Memorial Day edition of Cincy 360!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
This is Skyline Chile. Since he three sixty about Cincinnati
from Cincinnati, sponsored in part by Skyline Chile. Stop by
Skyline Chile for a three way or cheeze Coney today.
Feeling good, It's Skyline time. This is ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Here we go, since he three sixty.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Happy Memorial Day to everyone out there in since he
three sixty Land, No surprise, no Austin and Tony today,
but I'm here and by my side none other than
the incomparable Drew Western Heidi on the Ones and twoes.

Speaker 4 (00:48):
Drew, how's your holiday going so far? Oh, it's going
pretty well, Chad. A happy Memorial Day to all the
people out there. Thank you to all those who have
served in the past, are currently serving, we're planning to serve.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Of course. It's uh, it's kind of a depressing time. Yes,
right now. As Chick Lovewig would call it, a solemn weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:09):
If you're a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, we will
have a lot of Reds talk today. But Drew, the
leadoff for me is very easy. It's very simple. The
Reds and the Cubs a couple of years ago, we're
in very similar places kind of starting over, starting from

(01:30):
the bottom. And now we're here and watching those two teams,
listening to those two teams, I've got a I've got
a confession to make here in a minute, Drew that
that ties into this larger overarching point about the state
of the Cincinnati Reds. Cubs are better. Yeah, Cubs are

(01:50):
better pretty much across the board, Like, Yeah, the Reds
pitching is excellent starting pitching, so is the Cubs. The
Reds bullpen has been good up until a couple games
this weekend where things have fallen completely apart. But then
you get into the roster and you start looking at

(02:12):
the numbers.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Cubs are better. Cubs have done this better than the Reds. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (02:18):
The quality of baseball team, the difference of quality between
the two teams that played yesterday Great American Ballpark, was very,
very apparent.

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:28):
Look, Reds are up what four runs twice on Friday,
they give up eleven unanswered runs and get blown out.
Reds are up five runs yesterday, eight to three in
the sixth inning and give up eight unanswered.

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Runs and Saturday had to hold on for dear life.

Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, Cubs almost walk them down on Saturday. Like They're
back at it again today at four in Kansas City,
in Kansas City, and and I don't know how you
can feel good about this team right now. The ultimate thing,
the reality is, we looked at this team a lot

(03:09):
of us at the beginning of the season and said
about a five hundred team, they had a chance to
be better than a five hundred team. And the front
office said, our move this offseason was Terry Francona. Great
no qualms about hiring Terry Francona, but great managers largely

(03:33):
are great managers in part because they have great teams,
because they have great players, because they are working with
a full deck. It doesn't even have to be a
stack deck, but they're working with a full deck. And
this is becoming increasingly agitating because we've seen teams like

(03:58):
the Cleveland Guardians went Harry Francona was there, they gave
him a lot to work with. They're not a high market,
high spending, big dollar club. They are still moving and
trading away critical pieces that they then replace and continue
to compete. Guardians twenty nine twenty three, one, three or

(04:21):
four over the Tigers on the road over the weekend.
The Cardinals are in year one of a rebuild. They
are two games in front of the Reds. At this point,
the Reds are six and a half games back of
the Cubs, and the Cubs have simply done this better

(04:42):
and the Reds.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
It's funny. I was.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
This morning as did a little did the Memorial Day
parade in erl Anger today. Drew hung out with family.
That is a Brendle family tradition for most of my
forty seven years, go to the Erlanger Elsmere Memorial Day parade,
kind of standing around waiting for the parade, looking through

(05:09):
my phone, and I got an ad from the Athletic
and the ad was from an article that was dated
back in March, and it was like based on ownership
and roster and whatever, like the tiers of the NFL,
and one tier was like super Bowl contender and the

(05:30):
next tier was like all in to get there. Basically
like this is the next group that's right below the
super Bowl contender group. And the Bengals weren't in either
of those two groups. You know what group the Bengals
were in? Tell me content to compete yep. And it
feels like that is exactly where both franchises are right now.

(05:53):
The Reds are content to hover around five hundred, to
have their name be in the wild card conversation. And
as you look at it right now, and this is
you know, it's a it's a different animal in the
National League right now because the East and the West

(06:13):
are so strong. The Reds are four and a half
games out of a wild card spot. There's three wild
card spots, and the Reds are also behind the Cardinals
and the Diamondbacks four and a half games out. But
they're content to be right in that group as long
as they as long as they playoff is on the horizon,

(06:36):
and they can talk about contending through the summer, being
quote unquote in the race into August and September, and
they can do what they did this weekend, which is
pac Great American Ballpark. They're content. There's no urgency, there's
there's no desire to capitalize on having a young or

(07:01):
by surrounding them with a couple of veterans and not
just hey, we're going to go find a couple guys.
Of course, you're going to go find a couple guys.
Talking about guys that can come in and help you win,
Guys that can come in and help establish a culture
in your in your dugout, and the Reds don't have that.

(07:21):
I asked that question in late March.

Speaker 4 (07:25):
Who's the leader of this team. Who's the guy that
everybody looks to? Uh? And who's the guy that when
they make these miscutoffs and bad defensive assigned like reads
and and they're terrible on the base pass. Who's the
guy that goes into the locker room kicks over a
bucket of water and lets guys know that this isn't acceptable,

(07:49):
that this isn't a good brand of baseball.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
I don't think there is that guy.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
And it's a rudderless ship of We're perfectly happy to
go eighty one and eighty one one because it means
that we were in the conversation. But there's no go
for the gusto. There's no This division was there for
the taking. This division was there if you were aggressive

(08:18):
in the off season to be right there with the Cubs.
And instead they stood pat added a couple marginal pieces,
you know, pieces in the in the boundaries. They didn't
go for it. They did the same thing that they've
done forever. It feels like we're good, We feel like

(08:39):
we feel like we've got it. And now you're looking
at Connor Joe. Yeah. And you know, Blake Dunn has
been on this roster, you know a couple of times,
and how many times I really like Santigo Espinal for
who he is as a solid you know, piece of

(09:02):
this puzzle. That's an eight hitter man, Yeah, that's an
eight hitter. And what keeps happening? You keep getting these
key late game situations, much like yesterday eighth inning, two
on Ellie on deck, Santigo Espinal at the plate.

Speaker 2 (09:22):
What how?

Speaker 4 (09:27):
Yeah, it's it's frustrating, it's maddening. And you know, you
look at what the you know, what the Cubs do
in the offseason. They trade three highly thought of players
in their organization for it to go out and get
a player like Kyle Tucker. And the Reds are content with,
you know, signing Austin Hayes, who's had a tremendous season
when he's been on the field. But sure, you signed

(09:49):
him to a one year deal. If the things keep
going at the rate they are, he's not going to
be on the team come August. They've played fifty four games,
Austin Hayes has played twenty eight and that that's expected.
That guy had an injury history coming in. It was
not a guy that there was nothing in his profile
that said Austin Hayes was going to play one hundred

(10:09):
and forty games, right, nothing, And he's the He's kind
of the perfect signing for the Reds because he was
a one time All Star. Yeah, he was coming off
a down year and everybody, you know, you go, oh,
Austin Hayes, like could he find the And again when
he's been on the field, he's been really good. But
that like the difference in quality of signing Austin Hayes
to one year contract and trading three of your top

(10:32):
you know, prospects in your organization for Kyle Tucker, one
of the best hitters in baseball who's won a World Series,
is the difference. As I said, the difference in quality
of those two moves kind of described the entire weekend
of baseball Great American Ballpark.

Speaker 3 (10:49):
And instead the Reds did what they put the pressure
on Spencer Steere and Matt McLain, right, two guys in
their third year, two you know, and Matt McLain really
in his second year because he didn't play it all
last year.

Speaker 2 (11:00):
Two guys I like a lot.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
Two guys I think over time are going to develop
as long as they stay healthy, going to develop into
exceptional major league hitters. But guess what Spencer Steers ops
is six point thirty one and Matt McLean is six
h six. Those are what you put the hopes of

(11:22):
overachieving on.

Speaker 5 (11:24):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (11:26):
You also did it with a guy like Christian Ncarassio
and Strand who was barely hitting his weight before he
went onto the injured list.

Speaker 2 (11:32):
Eight one fifty eight, and Noel V.

Speaker 3 (11:35):
Marte, who you know it looked like he was starting
to break out, but the sample size was small. He's
only played nineteen games, Strands in Karnassia and Strands only
played fifteen games. And I've talked about this a lot,
like they did this to themselves because Strand and Marte

(11:57):
are kind of the I know Marte came up as shortstop,
but if you look at him, his build, the way
he plays, the way he hits projects as like a
corner infield or outfielder type guy for sure. But as
answer me this, go through the Reds minor league organization

(12:17):
and for go back four years and then look now,
which will tell you what's up coming for the next
four years. How many corner guys are there projected, because
all they've done is draft shortstops in second basement.

Speaker 4 (12:33):
Yep, I mean really, you have Sal Stewart who has
been moved to second base pretty much. Yeah, you have
Cam Collier who projects to be a corner infield. But
after that, not until you get to Ricky Cabrera, who
is the tenth ranked prospect in the organization, do you
find another potential corner infielder. But the again with him,
he's also listed at second base, so they probably see

(12:55):
him as more of a second basement. So it's a
lot of shortstops. It's a lot of second basement and
you know.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
Pitchers as a general, The crazy thing is, to me, Drew,
they got pitching right, yep. Like they went out and
they got a guy that could handle not only the
development of the major league pitching and Derek Johnson, but
how to structure the levels down to make sure that

(13:22):
it's it's continuously replenishing itself. There are two, three, four
guys at the top of this organization as pitchers that
you look at and say, these guys are going to
be really good when they get here for sure.

Speaker 4 (13:36):
And when you're a team like the Reds and you
play in a ballpark like Great American Ballpark, you have
to hit on young pitching, yes, because you are not
going to even if the Reds wanted to give, you know,
one hundred and fifty two hundred million to one of
the top end pitchers in free agency, the pitchers would
take one look at Great American Ballpark and go, I
A'm playing there. I'm not making a You know, however,
many starts at Great American Ballpark, so you have to

(14:00):
kind of make drafting, starting pitching a focal point of
your organization.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
That's where they've done a great job with.

Speaker 4 (14:07):
That, and they have, and that's what drives me crazy
about them not willing because playing at Great American Ballpark
should be the easiest sell in all of baseball, short
of playing in Colorado, which no one wants to do.
You bring in a like Kyle Schwarber is a free
agent this offseason, and we're the Reds aren't even going
to have a shred of a hope to sign him,

(14:29):
but they should. Can you imagine going to Kyle Schwarber
and going, look, you can come back home. You know
from Middletown, the hero of Middletown. Everybody brings that up
whenever they talk about Kyle Schwarber. He's mashing home runs
for Philadelphia right now. You know you could play eighty
one games at Great American Ballpark and road games at Wrigley,
you know, your old stopping grounds where he mashed the ball.

(14:50):
But the Reds aren't going to have a shred of
a chance because they're gonna cry poor. They go, oh, well,
we can't afford them, and you know we're just gonna
be stuck in this cycle over in over and over again.

Speaker 3 (15:01):
Two great comments on Twitter, and I appreciate you guys
listening at Chad Brendle phone lines are open. Two guests today.
We've got Jeff or excuse me, Klayce Noden, sorry, Klayce
Notden joining me at one, and then Kegan Nicholson will
join me at two as hopefully we get a chance
to discuss where the Batcats, where the fun baseball team

(15:23):
in this city, is going for the NCAA Regional. We'll
also keep an eye on Xavier. They are a bubble
team according to all projections, an outstanding non conference, but
the Big East is not a baseball league, and it
did them no favors, So they are right there on
the cut line. I know there were two bids basically

(15:45):
stolen yesterday by smaller conference teams winning their conference championship
and getting an automatic berth. So all the projections seem
to have uc In pretty comfortably. Xavier right there on
that cut lie. So we'll see there. But you know,
we'll get to that. But Twitter Vienna, Jeff says Dansby

(16:08):
Swanson's the perfect example of an acquisition the Cubs go
out and make and the Reds won't. Uh solid veteran
clubhouse guy that has made a big difference on that team.
That's I've been banging that drum since this group came in.
And the Reds tried to sell us on Jonathan India

(16:30):
being a leader in his second and third year in
Major league baseball.

Speaker 2 (16:35):
You can't.

Speaker 3 (16:36):
It's not humanly possible to lead a clubhouse, mainly because
you're still figuring out the major league game if you're
that young, and and even with a great pedigree as
Rookie of the Year, we saw Jonathan India's ups and downs,
like you can't put the weight of leading a young

(16:59):
clubhouse on a guy that is part of the young clubhouse,
you had what what you know what fifteen years ago?
What kind of changed that trajectory for that group? They
brought in Scott Rowland, and Scott Rowland showed those young
guys the way, showed them what being a big leaguer

(17:19):
was all about. What where is that on this team?
Where is that when this team was being structured in
the offseason?

Speaker 2 (17:28):
Where is that power hitting? You know? First? Third, right left?

Speaker 3 (17:34):
The second comment that I got from Steven of the
nineties Garrett Hampsen, Hampson is starting at third base today.
That sentence summarizes this entire conversation. Garrett Hampson, Who I
couldn't pick that guy out of a police lineup if
you gave me his picture.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
What what do we do?

Speaker 3 (18:01):
So we got a lot of reds to get to
It is very frustrating because you know, I think we
all felt and I'll get to this in more detail
on the next segment. I think we all felt like
the Brewers run, they had leveraged a lot, they had
given away a lot, Like the Brewers are going to
come back to the field this year, and the NL
Central was there for the taking and the Reds let

(18:26):
the Cubs be the aggressor.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
And now.

Speaker 3 (18:32):
One team is eleven games over five hundred playing six
hundred baseball and the other is twenty six and twenty eight. Yikes,
you're a basketball guy. I want to have a conversation
Drew about the playoffs. If you're watching, if you're paying attention,

(18:53):
if you are a basketball purist, I don't know how
you aren't absolutely in of with the way that the
game is being played in the Eastern Conference, in the
Western Conference finals. Is it flashy? Sometimes? Are there big names?
Not if you're if you're not a diehard, you might

(19:15):
not know all these guys. But the model basketball, like
everything else, is copycat. The model for success in the
NBA has flipped. It is no longer the three man
super team. It is now a more cohesive roster, a

(19:35):
deeper roster with rim protection and shooting and perimeter defense
and seven, eight to nine guys that can come in
and contribute at any time. And we started to see
that trickle down into college basketball last year. And I
think it's worth talking about that if we are witnessing
a shift in the basketball paradigm as these teams rise

(20:00):
to the top of the NBA that are built in
a different way than what we've seen over the past
thirty forty years in the NBA. We'll get to the
Bengals and Sal Stewart. The Bengals again damaging their perception
around the league by wanting to take but not give

(20:25):
when it comes to their number one pick and getting
him on the field for rookie Minnie Camp and getting
him up to speed for what is a very important
season for Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Like I said,
we will get to a bunch of the UC baseball stuff.
Keegan Nickoson will join us at two. FC Cincinnati falls

(20:47):
last night four to two in Atlanta. Nick Hagland said
his name, yes Hagland. I wanted to make sure I
pronounced right. Nick Hagland broken rib and internal damage after
what looked like a dirty play but wasn't whistled. No foul,
no red card, no nothing, So Cincinnati falls. FC Cincinnati

(21:10):
falls forty two to Atlanta. They stay in second place,
had a chance to jump up and grab first place
last night, but let it slip away.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
Let's take a break.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
Phone lines are open if you want to vent about
the Reds now is the time to do so, because boy,
they make it easy. More after this, this says, since
he three to sixty on Cincinnati Sports station ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (21:33):
Give us three minutes save up to twenty five percent
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Stations.

Speaker 2 (21:49):
New York's three, I'll come back.

Speaker 6 (21:55):
There.

Speaker 2 (21:55):
You go call the Call of the day. Who's that
brought to you to us?

Speaker 6 (22:00):
Fine?

Speaker 2 (22:01):
I believe we're waiting for sponsorship the call of the day.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
They don't leave me anything in here for the reads
or anything, so we just wing it.

Speaker 2 (22:13):
Yes, we do that.

Speaker 5 (22:14):
We do.

Speaker 3 (22:16):
Our one is skyline Chili, right correct? Okay, good, just
making sure that I haven't done three sixty in a while.

Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yes, our friends a skyline Chili.

Speaker 3 (22:25):
All right, Uh, talkbacks, get them in. It's Memorial Day.
But I know you guys are out there. Give me
your your your state of the reds speech. At this
point in time, honoring, honoring what has been totally predictable.

Speaker 4 (22:46):
Is the problem an entirely avoidable. Too predictable and avoidable.

Speaker 3 (22:51):
And I'm gonna be honest, this is where I'm I'm
interested because because of the TV stuff and and because
of the way that all went down. The Reds are
not on standard cable at this point in time. If
you want the Reds, you had you have to pay extra.

(23:13):
I did not, true, I don't mind. I did not
generally going through that first month or so of the season,
like when the transfer portal is going on and we're
doing it, still doing you know, a ton of UC
related content. We're going through, uh spring football at that time,

(23:35):
Like Bearkat journal is really busy in April, and I
just didn't really have the thought to like sit down
and order FanDuel Sports because it's it's not something that
in April I have much time to watch.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
So I didn't. And now things have slowed down a
bit in May.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
It'll pick back up as we you know, get closer
and closer to the start of camp. But I have
not felt inclined at all to pay the one hundred
and thirty dollars or whatever it is. Could I Yeah,
it's not a it's not a I can't afford it problem.
It's I have no interest in spending money on something

(24:20):
that is not all that entertaining, something that is not
that captivating, because this is you know, play the Dennis
green line. They are who we thought they were. This
is even the most optimistic Even jefff Car here's the
most optimistic Reds fan in the world, is looking at

(24:43):
this and going said, what I thought, this isn't This
isn't you know, And when we talk best case, this
is really far from it. They're just not that compelling.
They're not that interesting. I I I follow along on
the radio. I have the game cast up regularly. But

(25:03):
it's not a product that I deem worthy for extra funding.
It's not a product that I don't have other ways.
You know, the good plays, I see the highlights. The
bad plays, I see the highlights. But baseball is a commitment.
I talk about this all the time, six months, three

(25:24):
hours a day, every day. Being a baseball fan is
a massive, massive commitment for people. And if you want
them to care, you better show more than the Reds
when it comes to roster construction. When it comes to
building your minor league system, there's nobody in the minor leagues.

Speaker 2 (25:47):
Ready, we get excited.

Speaker 3 (25:48):
You named a couple names earlier on young guys that
you know potentially project to the major leagues, but there's
still two years away. That are two years down the road,
they went through the top of their farm system. Those
guys are now in their third year Drew, third year
on this roster, and there is still nothing behind them

(26:12):
in the minor leagues as far as the position players go.

Speaker 2 (26:16):
Pitching, Yeah, they've got them lined up.

Speaker 3 (26:19):
That's another thing that that just drives me insane, as
they've got half of that operation on track and the
other half is just aimlessly wandering through the damn woods.
Let let's let's talk about this. This is sobering. Would
you say, is this fair Drew Coming into the season,

(26:39):
These were the names that were counted on to carry
the Reds. Spencer Steer, Matt McClain, Elie de la Cruz,
Fridol Freiley Candelario, Marte Stevenson.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
Yes, I would say that is a fair assessment.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
Steer batting two twenty three, on base under three hundred,
slugging three forty three. Matt mcatt McClain batting one eighty four,
two eighty seven, on base percentage, three point nineteen slugging
Ell he's fine, he's hitting two fifty. The power's down,

(27:25):
but he's getting on base.

Speaker 4 (27:28):
At least at a great clip compared to the rest
of this team slugging four seventeen, which you'd like to
see him a little bit higher, but his ops is
seven forty.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
He's fine, is he? Is he a superstar right now?

Speaker 7 (27:43):
No?

Speaker 4 (27:44):
But he's not hurting this team, right, And I would
like to be fair to Spencer Steer. He had an
all time bad start to the season, and then his
last fifteen games or so, he's really started to hit.

Speaker 2 (27:55):
It's getting better, right.

Speaker 4 (27:56):
And I just just to be fair to him because
when you look at his overall umbers, they don't look good.

Speaker 2 (28:01):
But from what what.

Speaker 4 (28:02):
They were, from where they were to where they are
now they are, they're very good. And it looks like
he is starting to ascend and he's improving. I just
wanted to get that on record. But the hood counts right.

Speaker 3 (28:15):
April happened, correct, Like I love that he's on an
upward trajectory, but his numbers are his numbers. He's still
slugging three forty three, right, His ops is still six
thirty one.

Speaker 4 (28:27):
I'm with you. I just wanted to that's fair. Put
it on the record that year is ascending. So I
don't think that those numbers will stay that low if
he keeps on the trajectory he's currently on now.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
Matt McLean, it's not good. TJ.

Speaker 3 (28:44):
Friedel solid two eighty five, three sixty seven on base
seven sixty five ops.

Speaker 2 (28:52):
Solid. Yeah, he can. He can play on my team
any day. Yes.

Speaker 3 (28:56):
Frailey two O five three fifty nine, slugging three nineteen,
on base percentage six seventy eight ops.

Speaker 6 (29:07):
Not.

Speaker 3 (29:08):
It's not a corner outfielder on a winning team. It's
not a corner outfielder on a winning team. Noelbe Marte
has been hurt. He's only played in nineteen games. Tyler
Stevenson has been hurt. He's only played in eighteen games.

Speaker 2 (29:21):
Uh. Stevenson, hitting one seventy seven, has been particularly good
in those eighteen games, either.

Speaker 3 (29:25):
Slugging three zero six five ninety eight ops. Christian and
Carnacion Strand one fifty eight UH one point eighty three
is his OBP and two ninety eight is his sluggingf Yeah, woof, woof.
Those are the guys that were supposed to be carrying

(29:47):
this team. There's two guys that to date are having
okay seasons. Elie de la Cruz TJ. Friedel. The other
six by and large Stink Steer is coming on, Yes,
but okay, even then, that's two and a half guys

(30:10):
and the problem is what do you do behind them
to make up for it. Now, look the Jose Trevino
signing outstanding, outstanding. I'd play him every day or close
to every day.

Speaker 4 (30:26):
At this point, I think it's time to start having
that conversation about just putting playing Travino a catcher four
out of the five days of the week.

Speaker 3 (30:34):
Yeah, But other than that, Espinall's all right. Like I said,
he's a he's an eight hitter, seven eight hitter, good defender,
Like everybody needs a utility guy like Espinol. Sure, but
he's not a utility guy here. He starting this every
day and hitting in the two hole. Gavin Lucks has

(30:55):
been a great, you know, kind a Swiss army knife offseason. Addition,
Hayes has been good when he's been in the lineup.
But Blake Dunn, Will Benson, everybody loves him. But you know, Connor, Joe,

(31:16):
Jacob Herdebies, Tyler Callahan, Rhyese Hines, who's hitting one fifty eight,
Garrett Hampson, Garrett.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Hampson, this is not a major league contender. It's not.

Speaker 3 (31:30):
And that's a shame because when I scroll down, I
see Nicolodolo with a three thirty nine era, Nick Martinez
with a three forty three era, Hunter Green two fifty four,
Andrew Abbott won seventy seven. You can't be two games
under five hundred when you're starting.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
Pitching is giving you that you can't be.

Speaker 4 (31:55):
And it just seems like the Reds just cannot marry
when the pitching is off, the offense, you know, picks
them up, or when the pitching's really good, the offense stinks.
It just seems like they can't marry when those two
things are going good together right into that extended period
of you know, eighteen games where you go fourteen and

(32:16):
four or something like that, or thirteen and five even,
and they just can't because the one thing that you
see a lot with frustrating baseball teams are when they
will win four in a row, then they'll lose five
in a row. Then they'll win five in a row,
then they'll lose seven in a row, then they'll win,
you know, and the Reds have just kind of done

(32:36):
that the last four weeks. It's just been two steps forward,
four steps back, and a good baseball team. When you
have a team in the position that the Reds have
the Cubs in all weekend, good teams finish those games
off and have a weekend sweep against the team in
first place in their division. Instead, the Reds give up
twenty one runs over the seventh, eighth and ninth inning

(32:59):
in the three games the weekend lose the series, have
to go on the road to a good Kansas City
team who has been playing really good baseball since you
know about the halfway point of April, and then you
have to go too Wrigley to play those same exact
Cubs next weekend.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
You know, this could get the Reds.

Speaker 4 (33:14):
Realistically, could be out of contemption nine and a half
back by the time Tony and Austin take these seats
next Monday.

Speaker 2 (33:21):
Unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (33:22):
Let's take a break. The bear Cats are in Oh yeah,
how about this. They're in the Tennessee Regional number one seed, Tennessee,
number two seed, Wake Forest, number three seed, Cincinnati, number
four seed, Miami of Ohio. Ooh, intrigue, intrigue, out of

(33:49):
the Knoxville Regional.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
Let's take a break.

Speaker 3 (33:53):
If you want to get it off your chest, talkbacks
are open, so get your talkbacks in Also, phone lines
are open five fifteen thirty. We will get to more
after this. Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 7 (34:07):
If you're like so many Americans these days, you're focusing
on your health and you're determined to kind of get
beyond steroids and pills and surgery to feel your best. Right, well,
mullegar here, run and run along.

Speaker 3 (34:29):
Hour number one since the three sixty A service skyline Chili.

Speaker 2 (34:43):
Did Xavier get in? I don't see him.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
It's unfortunate, they they It's the tough part, you know.
You see dealt with this in basketball a lot in
the American comm difference playing in a conference that's not
exactly a power. Really, there were only three high level
teams in the Big East Xavier, Yukon, Creighton, and I

(35:13):
don't just trying to scan this real quick, I don't
see Yukon in either, so that I mean only one
Big East team got in.

Speaker 4 (35:29):
According to on three dot Com, Yukon was one of
the first four out. Yeah at Southeast Louisiana, Troy, Yukon,
and Virginia were.

Speaker 3 (35:37):
The last four hours. So Xavier wasn't even one of
the last first four out.

Speaker 4 (35:41):
Nope, and last four in Arizona State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and.

Speaker 3 (35:45):
USC the Big Twelve rolling deep in the last four
in but that's the difference. Drew got a chance to
pick up more important wins when you're in the Big Twelve.
Then the Big East that like I said, they've got
three really good teams, but but the rest of the
conference not up to UH, up to standard, and it

(36:09):
looks like that that cost Xavier. They dominated Cincinnati the
two times that they played this year, dominated Cincinnati the
two times they played this year. So unfortunate for them.
They played one of the I think their non conference
strength to schedule was a fourth in the country and
they they did a good job handling their business in

(36:29):
the non con but that Big East slate and and
lost a couple late that UH that it looks like
ended up biting them in the keyster when uh, when
the Chips were down. So unfortunate for the Muskies. I
thought that was a UH is a good team, a

(36:51):
fun team to watch, and boy they they they spanked
the Bearcats a couple of.

Speaker 4 (36:55):
Times, and Right State made it again. Yeah, they won
the fourth tournament in five years.

Speaker 3 (37:01):
Yeah, first time for Miami since two thousand and five.
But Wright State has become kind of a kind of
a regular.

Speaker 4 (37:09):
Nine NCAA tournament appearances since twenty ten. Yeah, that's pretty
that's pretty remarkable for a school you know that size,
and you know, so you shout out right state. They've
got quite a a quite good baseball program they have,
and you know, kind of like how Xavier took it
to U See this year that Wright State takes it
to Daton pretty much every year they play at day

(37:29):
Air Ballpark.

Speaker 2 (37:30):
So shout out to the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (37:32):
Red's tonight today, four o'clock start in Kansas City.

Speaker 2 (37:38):
Up couple.

Speaker 3 (37:42):
I'm afraid of this one, Drew, because it a little
revenge action for two guys today as the Reds go
up against the Royals. Michael Lorenzen on the bump for
Kansas City and leadoff hitter for the Royals, Jonathan India.

Speaker 2 (38:04):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (38:04):
And we do have a Red lineup out for today,
So let's go through that leading off playing center, TJ.
Friedel batting second, playing first, Spencer Steer batting third, shortstop
Elie de la Cruz, your designated hitter, Austin Hayes batting
fourth in left field, Gavin lux hitting fifth, Tyler Stevenson
behind the plate hitting sixth, Will Benson and right hitting seventh,

(38:26):
Matt McClain playing second and hitting eighth and playing third,
the number nine hitter Garrett Hampson with Nick Martinez on
the bump. Once again, it's freed Ol, Steer de la Cruz, Hayes, Luck, Stevenson, Benson, McClain,
Hampson with Nick Martinez on.

Speaker 2 (38:45):
I wish I could say it felt like a win.
It doesn't.

Speaker 4 (38:49):
Well, you know, if Nick Martinez goes out and seventh scoreless,
they may have a chance to win.

Speaker 2 (38:54):
I'm not gonna say they will win, but they may
have a chance.

Speaker 3 (38:57):
If Nick Martinez goes out and spins seven scoreless, there's
a good chance they lose one to nothing.

Speaker 2 (39:02):
There, it's very very real possibility. Unfortunately.

Speaker 3 (39:06):
I mean, it's just hard to get your head around.
The team has talents. It's not the most talented team
on the planet, but with the starting pitching the way
that it is, and when you look at that lineup
and what it should be, it's hard not to be frustrated.

(39:29):
It's because it is and this is I think like
the people that are you know, I've seen people you know,
calling for Terry Francona's head, or he's not the guy,
or you know the silliness of like this is his
retirement job.

Speaker 4 (39:46):
He's just here collecting a check. I don't think any
of that at all. No, if Terry Francona wanted to
stay retired, he just would have stayed in Arizona. If
he would have had a retirement job, he just would
have stayed in Arizona and played golf.

Speaker 3 (39:57):
Or he could have very easily, like gotten work as
somebody's you know, roving instructor in the Arizona League where
he deals with the young guys and guys coming back
from injuries. And there's a million things Terry Francona could
have done, uh if he if he didn't want to
coach baseball and still made a very good living. And

(40:17):
I'm pretty sure Tito's got enough put away he didn't
need to come back and manage.

Speaker 2 (40:23):
But there's only so much a manager can do.

Speaker 4 (40:27):
And I remember when you and I had these kinds
of conversations last season about David Bell.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
Yeah, there's only so much he can do. If if.

Speaker 3 (40:37):
You think you're packing a nine millimeter glock and somebody
put Bebi's in it.

Speaker 2 (40:43):
You're not You're not shooting the gun you thought you
were shooting.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
It's the one area that I that I do feel
a little frustrated, Drew, is it feels like a man,
a manager of his caliber, should be able to cut
down on some of the really boneheaded, dumb stuff that
we still continue to see. And what was even more

(41:12):
frustrating is you play that Cleveland series pretty much about
as clean as they have played hell and what three
four years. Yeah, Like, that's what it looks like if
this team is at the top of their game.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
But we saw it for three games and it's it's
already gone.

Speaker 5 (41:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (41:36):
And then they followed that up by going to Pittsburgh
and losing two of three without seeing Paul skeins right.

Speaker 2 (41:41):
And now you're playing a Chicago team that just.

Speaker 3 (41:44):
Looks significantly better than you, looks significantly constructed, better than
anything close to where the Reds are at right now.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
I was thinking about this last night.

Speaker 4 (41:57):
If you took the eighteen you know, hitters and yesterday's
game between the Reds and the Cubs, and you had
to make a nine man lineup, would it be seven
Cubs and two Reds only seven. The only two from
the Reds that I that I picked over the Cubs
were Ellie and maybe Austin Hayes. And you could talk

(42:18):
me into somebody else in the Cubs lineup into being
eight to one, maybe maybes. And that's a maybe. That's
a large maybe. Trust me, it's a large maybe. But
if you were constructing a nine man lineup in your
draft pool, was the eighteen hitters in yesterday's game, seven
or eight of those players would be in the Cubs lineup.

Speaker 2 (42:36):
That's insane.

Speaker 4 (42:37):
You would have Tucker, you would have Suzuki, you would
have Crow, Armstrong, you would have Horner, you would probably
have Swanson. Well, with the way that McGuire, dude swung
the bat yesterday in his first game as a Cub,
hitting two home runs, he probably would take him too.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
Oh my had hurts. Let's take the final break. Some basketball.
We're gonna get there in a little bit. We've got
Clay coming up at one. Let's take a quick break.
We'll close the hour out here in a minute. This
is since he thirty sixty a service of Skyline Chile, Cincinnati,

(43:23):
closing it up our number one here on this delightful
memorial day, beautiful day outside, Drew, incredible, incredible day outside.

Speaker 2 (43:34):
Do you have plans for after?

Speaker 4 (43:36):
Oh, you gotta do red I am producing the Reds
on the radio on seven hundred WLW after we conclude here.
But I might go up and have a nice little
deck sit when I get home from working the Reds game.

Speaker 3 (43:48):
I've got to do this, then I've got to go
do family stuff, and then I've got a podcast at
eight tonight.

Speaker 4 (43:53):
So we just two men working on a holiday. Chad, Hey,
it's what we are.

Speaker 6 (43:57):
Love.

Speaker 2 (43:57):
We do it for the people.

Speaker 3 (43:58):
When you work in sports, this is what you sign
up for, nights and weekends and holidays.

Speaker 2 (44:02):
That's that's the truth. Again. Congratulations to the UC bear Cat.

Speaker 3 (44:07):
Yes, they will play Friday at one o'clock on ESPN two.
They will take on wake Forest, So drama in the
Pike household on Friday. Tony's brother played for wake Forest
in football. Tony of course played for Cincinnati, so so

(44:27):
there will be a friendly wager involved. Yes, I'm sure
that is going to be a heck of a time.

Speaker 4 (44:37):
Yeah, do we know, like how the matchups and everything
and like times and all.

Speaker 2 (44:43):
All starting to come out.

Speaker 3 (44:44):
I know U se plays at one on Friday against
Wake Tennessee will play the Miami RedHawks in the same regional,
so there's a chance we could a good chance at
some point we could get Cincinnati versus Miami, either you know,

(45:06):
in a in a massive game between two teams that
have just pulled upsets, or a little bit later either
in the the winner's bracket or the loser's bracket in
the in the regional. So looking forward to it.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
It is.

Speaker 3 (45:20):
If you're looking for coverage, I know I've got Keegan Nickoson,
Jeff General, and Tim Adams along with JP sponseller from
the Road to Omaha podcast. I got four of the
Bearcat Journal crew at the selection show.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
Today.

Speaker 3 (45:36):
We will be we'll be talking to Kegan Nickoson at
two to get all the details from Fifth Third Arena.

Speaker 2 (45:45):
Just take a break.

Speaker 3 (45:45):
When we come back, Clay Snowden kicks off our number
two from Just Baseball.

Speaker 2 (45:51):
I'm afraid to hear what Clay has to say about
the Rets.

Speaker 3 (45:54):
So first up, by the way, first time Cincinnati has
been an at large selection in the NCAA Baseball Tournament
since nineteen seventy four.

Speaker 4 (46:03):
Gokats baby Jordan Bischel is a dude more active.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
This Cincy three sixty right here in Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (46:13):
Ucky Cincinnati, Make us Cincy three sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Cinci Shirts, Cinci Shirts all Cincy,
all day. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Here we go our number two, Cincy three.

Speaker 3 (46:37):
Sixty efforting place Noden.

Speaker 4 (46:45):
Work in progress. Sometimes that's, uh, that's how it goes
in the radio business. But uh yeah, it's it's disappointing
to be where the Reds are right now. And we've
spent the whole hour on it, and you know, I'm
sure we'll we'll spend more. We've only got two talkbacks.

(47:06):
Talkbacks people two two. I know it's a holiday. I
know most of you are out of your normal routine.
We get the talkbacks in entertain us. Let us know
what's on the grill for a Memorial Day. What are
you cooking up? Is it a you know?

Speaker 3 (47:29):
Is it a simple because it's like the the unofficial
kickoff for summer? Is it a simple.

Speaker 6 (47:40):
Menu?

Speaker 2 (47:42):
Is it is it complex? Are you? Are you firing
up the smoker? What's ideal for you? Drew?

Speaker 4 (47:53):
Is are you a uh, you know, get some ribs
on or is it like burgers?

Speaker 2 (47:59):
And Okay, Clay's good. We got Clay, Chad.

Speaker 8 (48:08):
I had to call you all this time. I don't
know what's going on. Last time we had issues with
the phone. Now we're having issues with the phone. Let's
go back to the land lines.

Speaker 3 (48:16):
But yeah, I mean we're on a landline. I think
the problem is you.

Speaker 5 (48:24):
Man, how are you?

Speaker 2 (48:26):
I'm delightful. How about yourself?

Speaker 6 (48:28):
Man, it's a beautiful day. The Reds.

Speaker 5 (48:31):
You're dealing with the.

Speaker 3 (48:32):
Red Zoo best playing five hundred baseball just below five
hundred baseball.

Speaker 8 (48:37):
Yeah, they stink it up for a week.

Speaker 6 (48:40):
Then they went up you in a.

Speaker 8 (48:41):
Row against mediocre bad teams and they blow leads.

Speaker 2 (48:46):
Helped me make sense of this.

Speaker 3 (48:47):
Why why aren't any of these this core that that
they are so excited about and and rightfully so, these
are dudes with talent. Why are they not developing Clay
like we're not seeing Spencer Steers is starting to come
around a little bit, but Matt McLain and obviously injuries
with Martin and Karnaci and Strand, but just up and

(49:10):
down the list. It feels like this you know, this
promising young core that was ready to compete in twenty
twenty five and carry this franchise for a couple of years.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
It's disappointing.

Speaker 3 (49:23):
It's not what we envisioned by any stretch of the imagination.

Speaker 6 (49:27):
Right right. I think it's two things.

Speaker 8 (49:30):
Part of it has to be players just develop at
different paths, and we would love if it was one
year and every year they get a little bit better,
and that's just not always the case. So that's probably
part of it for some of these guys. But you've
got to look internally and say, what is going on
with the development side, with the hitting coaches, through the

(49:52):
entire system, because it looks like even players who were
taking steps forward last year now taking steps back, and
the players who are for sing or players who they've
kind of brought in from the outside, right like in
Altin Hays or somebody that it's a little strange how
the most important players to this Reds team are kind

(50:12):
of taking a step back and at least not taking
a step forward.

Speaker 3 (50:16):
I mean, to your point, you could very much argue
the three most effective players on this team so far
this season have been Trevino Hayes and Lucks.

Speaker 6 (50:27):
It's weird.

Speaker 8 (50:28):
It is so strange, and part of that is okay, Yeah,
they did a good job of identifying some off season
talents and like, you know, I want to give them
their props there, but it wasn't quite enough. If those
are your best players, that's.

Speaker 6 (50:42):
That's not a good situation.

Speaker 2 (50:43):
That terrible sign.

Speaker 8 (50:45):
Those guys are brought into be you know, your fifth
you know, Luck's your fifth best player. Maybe he's a
platoon bad he doesn't bring much defensively, like he was
supposed to be kind of near the end of the lineup,
but a solid player who raises the floor. And instead
he's kind of looking like one of the better players.
And that's just a sign of where the Reds have

(51:05):
gotten to. And you know, at some point, we have
about a month to decide. You know, I don't think, Chad,
if we're being serious, I don't think they're going to
be buyers right or at least not to a larger stand.

Speaker 6 (51:18):
But are they going to be sellers? Ultimately, they're a
month to figure it out.

Speaker 3 (51:25):
Ultimately, they're doing exactly what management wants them to do, right,
hanging around five hundred, hanging right around wild card contention.

Speaker 4 (51:34):
Like they're not going to make a wildcard game. Let's
not fool ourselves.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
But you know, they can say we're four games back
or whatever it is, you know, essentially two months into
the season. Of course, what's that mean If four months
into the season, then you're nine games out of the
wildcard if they keep it up at the pace that
they're at. But this is what ownership wants. It's what
they have shown us they want for how long play?

Speaker 8 (52:00):
Yeah, and I think that that's exactly it is part
of it. Even people like me, who I would say
I'm a lot more on the optimistic side than most,
but I also try to be real with what's going on.
And even I'm getting to the point where it's like
I'm watching the Cubs go from the World Series to
rebuild to halfway rebuild to rebound and watching them have

(52:22):
a top prospect system, watching their young players develop, and
it's like, what have we done in that period of time?

Speaker 6 (52:29):
Nothing? Nothing.

Speaker 8 (52:30):
It feels like we have not made any ground over
the past several seasons, even after the rebuilds. And I
wrote an article today about Suarez and his production. I
don't know if you realize he's about to hit his
three hundreds, home runs ten away and he plays every
single day, and he's.

Speaker 6 (52:50):
Still on that Reds contract.

Speaker 8 (52:52):
The option was picked up for this year, so theoretically
the Reds could still have him. Now I'm not saying
that's you know, hindsight's twenty twenty and whatnot. I mean,
when you look at it, you're they they could.

Speaker 5 (53:05):
Now.

Speaker 8 (53:06):
That one's a little different because of the money and
if you would have wanted to say, you know that
that one's a little bit trickier. But Suarez is still
playing on the deal that the red signed him to.
And you know, I just think when you look around
this line, if you ask yourself, are we starting to
change our projection on Matt McClain, Yes, even to an extent. Ellie, Like,

(53:26):
I don't know, he's still so young and whatnot, But like,
is he going to be a year and year out
six plus war player?

Speaker 6 (53:34):
I don't know yet.

Speaker 8 (53:36):
And at some point, like I said, you've got to
look internally, say what's going on with the hitting coach
and the development of the minor leagues.

Speaker 3 (53:44):
The development of the major leagues, I think is just
as big a part. Like there's just it's not happening
it's not happening yet, right Unfortunately, you know what, Ellie's
starting to feel a lot like O'Neil Cruz.

Speaker 8 (53:59):
Well, Ohneil Cruz is putting up better numbers than Ellie
this year.

Speaker 4 (54:03):
I'll say that, I know, but like you know, just
that that everybody when Cruz came in, it was like,
oh my god, this is the next guy.

Speaker 2 (54:09):
He's okay, at he's good, He's all right, it's good.

Speaker 5 (54:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (54:14):
But and that's the thing. You can't put all of
your eggs in one basket. Of Ellie's gonna have to
win us all these games, because if Ellie becomes O'Neil Cruz,
that's a great outcome still, but you got to find
more than.

Speaker 6 (54:28):
One of those guys.

Speaker 8 (54:29):
And right now it feels like the Reds are hinging
on Ellie de la Cruz being the superstar that he
potentially could be and hoping the rest of the guys
or league average enough that they can win some games.
You're gonna need more than that. You're gonna need to
find three four players who are, you know, at least

(54:50):
twenty percent above league average, fifteen percent above league average.

Speaker 6 (54:54):
And they just have not been able to do that.

Speaker 3 (54:58):
You mentioned the Cobs. We're seeing with the Cardinals as well. Like,
I think we all anticipated that the Brewers were gonna
fade like that. They weren't gonna be a force per se,
for you know, they weren't structured to sell and continue
to win at the highest level. But they were structured
to sell and be pretty good still. Like they're right,

(55:22):
they're tied with the Reds, I think, and they would
say that's wildly disappointing, even though they probably anticipated that
at some point this run of ninety win seasons was
gonna was gonna tail, but the division was there for
the taking. The Cubs said we're gonna take it, and
the Reds said, yeah, I think we're good.

Speaker 2 (55:43):
Like what we like what we got.

Speaker 8 (55:46):
Come on, even the Cardinals, I mean, we're talking about Cardinals, Brewers, and.

Speaker 6 (55:55):
Cubs.

Speaker 8 (55:55):
All three organizations are just run better than the Reds.
It's that simple. So when the Cubs of the past
couple of years have been slightly down, you could have
taken opportunity of that, and they didn't. Now they've surpassed
the Reds in leaps and bounds. The Brewers are down
this year, they're going to bounce back.

Speaker 6 (56:14):
They always do.

Speaker 8 (56:15):
They have a great pitching development system, and the Cardinals
are a good organization. Year and a year out, they've
taken a step back and now they're kind of starting
to sling shot forward. And the Reds instead of getting
out in front of the pack, they kind of staying
with those teams that are all taking a step back
the past couple of years, and now they're not doing

(56:37):
the movement forward. And it just comes down to, for me,
it's ownership. It's the way that the whole.

Speaker 6 (56:45):
Organization has ran.

Speaker 8 (56:48):
You know, Garrett Hampsen being brought in, Like, come on, man,
that's just.

Speaker 6 (56:52):
A horrible move.

Speaker 8 (56:54):
Santiago Espen on the two hole, Like we've got to
move on from these old school approaches and realize that
we need players who can at least hit the ball
out of the ballpark, because right now the Reds don't
have many.

Speaker 3 (57:06):
How can you not have players that can hit the
ball out of the ballpark when you play in one
of the three or four most homer friendly ballparks in
baseball for eighty one games and they haven't. Did they overcorrect?
Because I did have a problem for a while. It
was like a lot of Beer League softball type guys

(57:29):
that it felt like that they brought through and tried out,
and then they said two years ago they were going
the other way right, like speed and on base percentage
and get them on, get them over, get them in,
and now that's out the window. They don't really do
any of that anymore. But they don't do any of that.

Speaker 4 (57:48):
Coupled with they don't have any power hitters in a
park that you should be hitting home runs, you know,
fairly regularly.

Speaker 3 (57:56):
It's almost the pitching and the way that they do.
The pitching from draft to development two major leagues is
amongst I think the best in baseball, and I just
don't understand how the hitting can be amongst the worst,
how the position players can be amongst the worst in

(58:17):
the same organization.

Speaker 2 (58:18):
It makes no sense to me.

Speaker 6 (58:20):
Yeah, they don't have any identity.

Speaker 8 (58:22):
If someone said, like, describe the Reds offensive identity, like,
there's no answer. They want to be this kind of
old school, put the ball in play approach, but they
don't have the players who do that right. They also
don't have the players who hit many home runs. And
when you hear and yeah, I get Terry Francona has
this awesome resume, and I was excited about him too,

(58:43):
but man, he sounds geriatric when he's talking about the
other day he said that Santiago Espinal is one of
their best hitters. We have legitimate, proven stats that he
is far from a good hitter, but yeah, Terry Francona
has this built in his mind, the Espinol this awesome hitter,
all because he.

Speaker 6 (59:02):
Slaps the ball around on occasion. Like, we got to
move on from this mentality.

Speaker 8 (59:07):
I get it, like if you did have a player
who did that well, Like I get wanting.

Speaker 6 (59:12):
To use them in a certain way, but Espinoll's not
that guy.

Speaker 8 (59:15):
He may look like the profile of that guy, but
he's simply not in the way that they're using him
in the two hole. Yeah, he's going to get the
second most at bats on the entire team. This guy stinks, Chad,
Why do you want him to get the second most
at bats on the entire team? And I get the
other options aren't great, but at some point they're going
to have to change the way that they approach this.

(59:38):
And I just don't know, Like I've been really disappointed
in Terry Francona's end game managerial decisions and lineup construction.

Speaker 3 (59:48):
Yeah, but there's only so much chicken salad you can
make out a chicken, you know what. And the thing is,
I don't even blame Nick Krawl like all that. Like
I think Nick Krawl has done an admirable job given
the recent lack of resources that he has been forced
to work with. But I don't know, man, I just

(01:00:10):
the thing is, like I the one thing I will
say on Espinol, given this team's propensity to strike out,
I'm guessing there's a piece of Terry Francona that says,
at least I know this guy's gonna get his dang
bat on the.

Speaker 9 (01:00:22):
Ball, Yeah yeah, And you know that that holds value
lower in the lineup. He's an eight hitter, hitter, yeah yeah,
And he is a fine bench piece.

Speaker 8 (01:00:37):
They're asking him to do too much. And when you
call it resigns, who I have plenty of reservations on resigns.
But at least he can leave the ballpark. At least
he can spark an offense. They rarely play him. Then
they send him down for Garrett Hampson, who is more
or less just you know, too similar to espinall. And
I don't know why you want to load this lineup

(01:00:58):
with as many theoretical slap hitters as possible, especially when
if she's not working, like it's proven, it's just not
working for this team.

Speaker 3 (01:01:06):
Well, for the slap hitting thing to work, the guys
in front of them have to get on You have
to steal bases, you have to put pressure on a defense,
and there's just no pressure on a defense. And how
do I know that you have to put pressure on
a defense because I see teams do it to the Reds,
and more often than not, the Reds crumble. They misplay

(01:01:28):
a ball, they throw it to the wrong cutoff man,
or the positioning is wrong. Like you know, there's a
million mistakes the Reds make because the opponent puts game
pressure and the Reds just I think you said it
best at the beginning.

Speaker 2 (01:01:42):
Offensively, there's no identity none.

Speaker 5 (01:01:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:01:46):
I just think that this team is closer to a
disastrous rebuild than it is to contending at this point,
and there's still plenty.

Speaker 6 (01:01:56):
Of time to change that and turn that around.

Speaker 8 (01:01:58):
I'm not saying it's all doom and glue, but I
think they're closer to a bad outcome than they are
to Just a player or two away.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
And that's insane. It's insane.

Speaker 4 (01:02:10):
You look at the edge of these, you know, like
the what should be the core of this roster, the
five guys that they counted on being the core, Steer, McLain, Daylight,
Cruz Marte and carnaci O and Strand twenty five, twenty three,
twenty three, twenty five, and Steers the old man at
twenty seven, and there's already talking we might have to

(01:02:32):
blow this thing up because it's not working.

Speaker 8 (01:02:36):
Yeah, and it's yeah, I think the prospect system is okay,
but a lot of the guys who I'm more excited
about are twenty twenty one years old, like years away, yeah,
multiple years away, and then multiple years of growing pains
in the major So it's not like the timelines are
lining up with the players you just mentioned, and you're.

Speaker 6 (01:02:58):
Looking at a roster that may have to get.

Speaker 8 (01:03:02):
You either have to get really creative or you have
to start spending some money, and I just don't necessarily
see the latter happening.

Speaker 3 (01:03:11):
I don't either at least the pitching's good, right, or
at least the starting pitching's good.

Speaker 6 (01:03:15):
Oh, it's been great.

Speaker 8 (01:03:16):
And Andrew Abbott's looking like a star, and I wrote
an article about him and why he is improving and
what's next? Now it's okay, you've looked great. Can you
do this for an entire year or will you fade
in the second half like.

Speaker 6 (01:03:30):
He has each of the past two seasons.

Speaker 4 (01:03:33):
The light at the end of the tunnels a train,
isn't it?

Speaker 2 (01:03:35):
Clay?

Speaker 10 (01:03:36):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:03:37):
It might be.

Speaker 5 (01:03:40):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
I'll let you get out of here. How do they
find you?

Speaker 8 (01:03:43):
Just baseball dot Com on x or Twitter whatever it's called,
Clay underscourse, Snow.

Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:03:50):
Appreciate your brother. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend? You
got anything going on the grill?

Speaker 2 (01:03:55):
Later?

Speaker 8 (01:03:57):
We did a big thing on Saturday. Today he is
watching baseball and crying about the Reds.

Speaker 4 (01:04:03):
I didn't I must My invite must have got lost Saturday.

Speaker 6 (01:04:06):
It's in the mail. Okay, they don't deliver on today.

Speaker 5 (01:04:09):
Do that?

Speaker 4 (01:04:09):
Oh you're right there, you're right. I'll probably get it tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:04:14):
Yeah, that's right, thanks, cleag See your brother. There you go.

Speaker 4 (01:04:18):
Klay snoton from Just Baseball and uh boy, Clay is
Clay is a very optimistic guy. That is not an
optimistic picture, he said. Rebuild already true. Yeah, that that's uh,
it doesn't didn't make me feel any better. That was
sobering because he is sobering segment. Wow, we'll talk, geez,

(01:04:43):
let's take a break. Get your talkbacks in. Do we
get more? We currently have four? I think they're from
two people.

Speaker 3 (01:04:50):
Guys talkbacks? Ready go? This is since he three sixty
since that he's ESPN fifteenth three.

Speaker 1 (01:04:58):
On ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:05:34):
All right, here we go, talkback time now, Drew.

Speaker 3 (01:05:36):
I want to say, a couple of weeks ago, our
guy Trags, who I believe is in after me from
Moeggar at three o'clock from three to six today, our
guy Trags.

Speaker 2 (01:05:50):
Didn't do talkbacks one day.

Speaker 4 (01:05:52):
He didn't and I'm assuming it's probably because there weren't
talkbacks or there was very few talkbacks, and it's hard
to commit to that.

Speaker 3 (01:06:02):
So it's kind of on the people that leave the talkbacks.
If you want talkbacks to be a thing. When Tony
and Austin aren't here, you gotta leave talkbacks or else
we don't have anything to play.

Speaker 4 (01:06:16):
I don't know what the record is for shortest talkback segment.
We might be threatening it today, here we go.

Speaker 2 (01:06:23):
Hey, I heard your Allen on commercial.

Speaker 11 (01:06:26):
I think I might need them because as a Cincinnati
sports fan, I'm really getting tired of every single team
in this town when it comes to like all they
gotta do is X and whatever X is, all you
gotta do is X, and you will like really get

(01:06:46):
an advantage and they can't do it. None of our
teams can take an advantage.

Speaker 3 (01:06:53):
I think there's something to that. The other thing that's
that's probably more frustrating to me, Drew, is development. Like, look,
it's Cincinnati. You're not New York, you're not LA, You're
not Chicago. There's gonna have to be some development, some some.

Speaker 4 (01:07:14):
Moneyball, uh if you will, maybe not all the way
to that extent, but you.

Speaker 2 (01:07:18):
Get what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:07:18):
You're gonna have to draft the right guys in the NFL,
in a major league baseball and then you're gonna have
to develop them and turn them into stars. If you're
a UC or Xavier, You're you're not you don't have
the money of Kentucky or Kansas or Duke. You're gonna
have to do it a little bit differently if you're
gonna be successful, and man, it feels like recently the

(01:07:41):
development part has been a big swing and miss across.

Speaker 2 (01:07:46):
The board in this city. Yeah, I agree, I do
agree with that.

Speaker 4 (01:07:51):
It does feel like you get these players in and
you're excited about the potential that they have, and they
just never really seem to reach that level of potential.

Speaker 5 (01:08:01):
Sarry All guy double dipping.

Speaker 11 (01:08:04):
The thing I'm so tired of with Cincinnati Sports is,
you know, we got hopium for the Reds to even
get to five hundred.

Speaker 2 (01:08:14):
Please with the Bangles.

Speaker 11 (01:08:17):
They end up like nine and eight, and they're on
the bubble and we're hoping them and that they get
into the playoffs, and then FC Cincinnati always loses in
the first round of the playoffs after having a great season.

Speaker 2 (01:08:30):
I'm tired.

Speaker 3 (01:08:33):
Look, I almost made the comparison. I didn't do it, Drew,
but I almost made the comparison. This Reds team feels
a lot like the UC team.

Speaker 2 (01:08:41):
From last year. Yep.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
You know you're bringing back a cors You added a
couple of nice pieces around that core. I mean, like,
I think if McClain and Steer and cees and and
Marte Stevenson, we're playing well, and you had Ellie and
then you added in Lux and Hayes and Trevino like

(01:09:06):
that would be a pretty dang formidable team, especially with
the starting pitching the way the starting pitching has looked.
But instead nobody has developed NOP the core philosophy being
retention and development, and all they're getting right is retention
in regression.

Speaker 2 (01:09:27):
A lot of rees, a lot of.

Speaker 5 (01:09:30):
What's up, Chad, what's up?

Speaker 2 (01:09:32):
Brian from LA.

Speaker 5 (01:09:34):
I feel your pain.

Speaker 10 (01:09:35):
I'm working cardiology at the hospital, so weekends, holidays, on call,
all that good stuff got to do it for the people. Yep,
horrible weekend for the Reds. They're not going to blow losses.
Our bullpens sucks. Nothing can be cohesive when our hitting's great,

(01:09:57):
our pitching sucks.

Speaker 5 (01:09:59):
Have a good day.

Speaker 4 (01:10:01):
Yeah, And that kind of goes back to my point
how the Reds just can't seem to marry their two
sides of the ball playing well at the same time. Yeah,
when I mean, look, the bullpen had a bad weekend,
and that's gonna happen in baseball. They you know, for
as bad as they were this past weekend, the weekend
before against the Guardians, that bullpen was lights out all weekend.

(01:10:23):
So I'm not that down on the bull Like I said,
you're gonna have times like that, and you know the Cubs.
That Cubs lineup is no joke, man. It's probably a
top five lineup in baseball. And what it's a it's
a top three late game. And I did see it
was their fifth four plus run comeback of the season.

(01:10:44):
So it's not like this was an aberration for this
Cubs team to come out and do stuff like that.

Speaker 3 (01:10:49):
I mean also though, like things that leave you scratching
your head. I know, it's like innings and needing somebody
fresh or this that and the like Lion Richardson gets
sent down with a one thirty two.

Speaker 4 (01:11:04):
You're right, yep, it's you know, that's that's a management
question there. That's a management for the for the offices
in the suits.

Speaker 2 (01:11:12):
Yeah, I mean, I just.

Speaker 3 (01:11:15):
I don't know, Like I'm not gonna say the bullpen
sucks because they they have been pretty solid. They have
done admirably. They've done the yeoman's work, i'd say, trying
to get this team to the finish line of games.
How many of they lost one nothing, right, two to nothing,
Like they're there, it's there for the taking. But eventually,

(01:11:41):
if your offense continues to sputter like the Reds have.
And I know it's hard to say give them what
they did in the three games against the Cubs, but
if your offense continues to be inconsistent, at some point,
the pitching is not going to hold up all the way.

Speaker 10 (01:11:57):
Oh sorry, I forgot to add some Ain't that last one?

Speaker 2 (01:12:03):
Chad Brindell, There it is, there it is.

Speaker 3 (01:12:09):
Look he actually called in one time and said he
just enjoys messing with me. And look, I will say this, Drew.
You know I am a bit of an antagonist on
the social media at times, but I would I would
be uh, I would be one of them, quote unquote
if I could dish it out and not take it correct,
I can take it.

Speaker 2 (01:12:30):
Yes you can.

Speaker 12 (01:12:32):
Yeah, Chad, good to hear you today. I got you brother,
so much yard work to do. The Warden's on me hearts.
I can't listen today hardly, but.

Speaker 2 (01:12:43):
Have a good show.

Speaker 12 (01:12:45):
Shout out to Karl Anthony Townsend the Knicks. I didn't
think they had it in him. I'll say a prayer
for the Reds bullpen they needed after this weekend. Hope
you see baseball doing okay.

Speaker 3 (01:12:58):
Yeah, you see Baseball's loud talkback guy.

Speaker 4 (01:13:02):
They are in in a big win for the Knicks
last night, big win for Moegar. That would have been
a tough, tough weekend for Mo if the Knicks had
not gotten that Doe.

Speaker 3 (01:13:12):
I mean, can you imagine when they were down twenty
what he was going through us most poor wife and
child at that point in time, it's gonna to take
another drive.

Speaker 4 (01:13:21):
Yeah, all right, here we go. Unless we get one
at the buzzer, this will be our final one. Oh,
come on, people, hello.

Speaker 13 (01:13:30):
I just want to get your opinion if the Reds
due decide to tear this thing down and start over.
Other than Allie and the starting pitching, is there anybody
else that is untouchable?

Speaker 5 (01:13:44):
Thank you?

Speaker 2 (01:13:44):
Absolutely not.

Speaker 4 (01:13:45):
And I'd argue of the starting pitching, the only one
that would be untouchable, and that crop would be Hunter Green.

Speaker 3 (01:13:51):
Yeah, because you've already got him locked up through his
arbitration years.

Speaker 2 (01:13:55):
Yep, and at a really really good rate. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:13:59):
Here the problem if there was to be a tear down,
you're selling low on.

Speaker 2 (01:14:05):
Yes, you're selling on a lot of people.

Speaker 3 (01:14:07):
I mean you could you could probably get a good
return for Andrew Abbott Nicolodolo. Yeah, but you're selling low
on everybody else, everybody else, and and right now, this
isn't just like you know, a temporary like well that
you know, given a month, and we could sell high

(01:14:28):
on these guys like you've got last year and you've
got this year where none of these guys really you know,
maybe Spencer Steeer if he continues to keep building up.
But like I said earlier, Spencer steers twenty seven, Like,
you're not trading a controllable twenty two year old twenty

(01:14:49):
three year old.

Speaker 2 (01:14:51):
It's a little bit older guy. So how much are
you going to get in return on that? Right?

Speaker 3 (01:14:57):
It's the state the franchise right now. And I know
it can be looked at as there're two games under
five hundred, it's a bit of an overreaction, but we're
a third of the way through the season and there
is nothing I've seen that indicates this team has what
it takes to not only go on a run, but

(01:15:18):
then sustain the momentum that they built on that run.

Speaker 4 (01:15:24):
Yeah, they got to have a like I talked about earlier,
like that fourteen and five stretch.

Speaker 2 (01:15:29):
Right, and then play five hundred after and.

Speaker 4 (01:15:32):
Then yeah, and then you know, yeah, don't have the
the six and fourteen stretch.

Speaker 2 (01:15:37):
You know that things like that.

Speaker 3 (01:15:39):
It's not even that man like you go, you go,
you know, fourteen and five, right, and then and then
you go one in four or one in five over
your next two series, you've already given away most of
whatever you.

Speaker 4 (01:15:51):
Gained, right right, Well, I'm happy to report we did
get one one here at the buzzer.

Speaker 2 (01:15:56):
All right, so let's let's get to this one.

Speaker 14 (01:15:59):
Hey check, Hey, Drew, Jeff and New Richmond. Thanks for
filling in today. You guys sound great. Happy Memorial Day.
And as far as the Reds go, you know, what
we really need is a Saudi prince, somebody that has
unlimited resources that will go out and buy the players
that we need to win championships. Until we get that,

(01:16:23):
this is what we're going to have, you guys have
a good day.

Speaker 2 (01:16:28):
Is red like a like a sacred color over there?

Speaker 4 (01:16:32):
I have no idea we should try and we should
try and plant that it is.

Speaker 3 (01:16:36):
I mean, that would be the end, right Like you
could like, if red is a sacred color in the
Saudi world, you guys could buy the Reds. You could
own the reds. I think that's probably more like Soviet Russia, right, China.

Speaker 2 (01:16:55):
Yeah, probably something like that. Yeah, I don't think it's
gonna happen.

Speaker 4 (01:16:59):
A lot of stuff that's over over my head. It
sounds great in theory, It sounds great in theory.

Speaker 3 (01:17:05):
Oh no, Banana Bob, please like you got like it's
like four billion dollars as the valuation. Just make your money,
let the kids go do whatever, and let us Saudi
Prince run this deal. My goodness, give it one more refresh,
one more refresh. We're fresh out, fresh out, all right.

(01:17:26):
I mean we tried. You can't call in on talkbacks
tomorrow and say, Drew and I didn't give it all all.
We left it all out on the field for talkbacks
to that.

Speaker 2 (01:17:36):
Yes we did.

Speaker 4 (01:17:37):
And shout out to the people who got who got
some in throughout that segment. That that extended us out
a good bit there, Thank you. I would worry that
was going to be a two minute segment. I can always, right,
we can always fill, but you know what I mean.
All right, let's take a break. That was talkbacks. This
is Sincy three sixty on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
Hey, Cincinnati's former.

Speaker 1 (01:17:59):
Bunny ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 5 (01:18:10):
Now I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:18:16):
Drew had been, you know, kind of kind of pressuring
me on when we were gonna do this basketball call,
but he.

Speaker 4 (01:18:24):
Didn't say why. I thought he was just excited to
talk Paul. I am excited to talk Baull. But you
also wanted to work this in.

Speaker 2 (01:18:30):
Oh yeah, a little round ball rock Well.

Speaker 4 (01:18:34):
I figured, with you know, NBC getting at the NBA
once again next season, they're bringing this back, I.

Speaker 2 (01:18:39):
Figured why not. No, I don't hate it at all.
It's a legendary tune. Legendary and especially lets Chaser's going on.

Speaker 4 (01:18:48):
Wait for it, Darry.

Speaker 3 (01:18:53):
It's it's been fascinating this. I mean, it's been I
think one of the better NBA playoffs I can recall
over the last ten to fifteen years, mainly because even
going in there wasn't a heavy favorite. You had the

(01:19:14):
Thunder with the best record in the West, the Calves
with the best record in the East. The way the
landscape had laid out it was it felt unlikely, especially
when Steph got hurt, that the Warriors were going to
make a run. The Lakers didn't feel stable enough after

(01:19:35):
trading Anthony Davis for Luca, and you know, not really
having the right pieces of the puzzle in place yet
for Lebron and Luca to challenge for a championship.

Speaker 2 (01:19:47):
And what you've seen is this evolution back to.

Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
Team basketball passing something that so for those of you
that don't know, Cincinnati this offseason has hired a scout
named Corey Evans, who for the last five years or
so has worked with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been
a part of building that Thunder team. And one of

(01:20:19):
the words he mentioned I thought was fascinating to me,
Drew was the importance placed on what he called processing,
which is ball in the air past coming your way
with the length and size and athleticism on the defensive

(01:20:40):
end in the NBA and in college as the college
game has evolved, if you catch it and hold, the
defense resets and you're kind of screwed because now they
can load up and figure out what you're trying to do.
And you know, the scouting reports are so detailed now

(01:21:01):
that you have to have great processing. And I think
for the most part, all four of these teams are
teams that process at a high level. You watch college
basketball last year, all teams that processed at a high level.
The ball didn't stick, the offense wasn't stagnant, it wasn't

(01:21:24):
one guy dribbling, which basketball had become one guy dribbling,
waiting for a high ball screen and then playing off
the high ball screen. I know people get frustrated that
the regular season is harder to watch in the NBA
now because it's just a lot of ball movement and
shooting threes and dunks, because that's what the analytics say.

(01:21:44):
But boy, when I watch these four teams that are
in the conference championship right now, Drew, I feel pretty
excited that we might be seeing a new trend in
basketball that has gone away from the isolation and you know,
uh one on one era to a more aesthetically pleasing

(01:22:07):
game to watch.

Speaker 4 (01:22:08):
No doubt, and I completely agree with that assessment and
how the game is being played. And what I found
very interesting I saw this before the start of both series.
Eleven of the twenty starters in this series for the
four teams were acquired via trade, three were acquired via
free agency, only six were acquired via the draft. So

(01:22:29):
it just goes to show how teams are constantly making
moves to evolve their roster to build around, say, a
star player, because it feels like all four teams the
one thing they have in common is that they have
like the one star that everything revolves around. The Thunder
have Shay Gilgess Alexander, the Pacers have Tyrese Haliburton, the

(01:22:51):
Knicks have Brunson, and the Wolves have Edwards. And then
they go they identified this one stalwart player that go, Okay,
we are going to construct this roster around this player's
talents to maximize all of the remaining players on the floor.
And another interesting thing is that where these guys were drafted,
there's only two number one picks on the floor in

(01:23:14):
these two series, there's a number two pick and a
number seven pick, and everyone else we're kind of taken
in the teams or the twenties or in one not
you know, undrafted player. And so it's it's pretty remarkable
how much the NBA has shifted, even in only what
the last six years since you know, the those Cavs

(01:23:37):
teams with Lebron and the Warriors with Kevin Durant, and
how different the NBA game is played, and you're right
with when you watch it, how and you know NBA
Playoffs and NBA regular I've said this before, but it's
two entirely different sports. It's so hyper focused when you
get into the postseason that you got to have you
got to have twelve guys on the roster to where

(01:23:59):
you can whittle down to play nine. You know, some
series you may play these three guys off the bench,
another series you may play these two others. So I
just find the roster construction fascinating of these four teams
and how different that is from just you know, five
to six years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:24:15):
Well, the beauty of it is, Drew is I think
you know, people got smart and they said, look, we're
not there's not enough superstars, yeah for everybody to build
a super team. So San Presty and Oklahoma City, and
I think what the Pacers have done has been remarkable.

(01:24:36):
The Calves aren't at this stage, but you know what
they have done and building that roster around Donovan Mitchell
kind of the same philosophy. I think it's a credit
to the thinking of forward thinking of those teams saying
we can't do it this way, so let's focus on

(01:25:00):
develop a star and then surround that star with a
ball handler and some shooting and some rim protection and
some some guys that have got, you know, some some
dog in him that can go get on the glass,
uh and and really make an impact. Like Josh Hart
last night was a monster on the two huge rebounds.

(01:25:23):
And that seems to be a lot more feasible than
this kind of takes you to the college level, Drew.
But it's a similar principle. I when Cincinnati beat Baylor
back in February, if you were if you recall, uh,

(01:25:44):
Baylor was playing their their starting center had gotten injured
and lost for the season, and Scott Drew kind of
was was piecemealing that roster together. They had a guy
named norche had Omer who was a great four. They
had to move him to the five, and it kind
of messed up the way that the roster was constructed.

(01:26:04):
And I asked Scott Drew about it, National Championship coach,
and he said, you know, five six years ago, I
would have had a backup center. But with the nil era,
we're paying so much money at the top of our
roster that I wasn't able to be eight ninety. I
was able to be six or seventy. And it just

(01:26:25):
so happened that the one area that we weren't protected
was at center. Well, you can look at this and say,
what we want to do is make sure we've got
one star, like one Batman, maybe one Robin, and then
you build the rest of the team around them. All Right,
We're going to go get these two guys for shooting,
this guy for rim protection, this guy for perimeter defense,

(01:26:48):
and you actually build a team as opposed to we
have the three best players, or we have three Hall
of Fame players on our roster and then we're filling
them with mid level and roster exemptions and trying to
win that way. Like, I'm just I love that there's
there's more strategy, there's more work that's required this way, Drew.

Speaker 4 (01:27:11):
Yeah, And it does separate, you know, because I feel
like the middle ground of the NBA. There wasn't really
a whole lot of middle ground in the NBA. This year,
I felt like the top eight teams really separated and
how they constructed their teams and how you know, those
bottom eight teams are still trying to figure those things out.
So you're really it's weird because the NBA always wanted parody.

(01:27:32):
I feel like I heard a lot of fans of
the NBA back when you know, it was Cavs Warriors
every year and they would go, oh, the NBA wants parody,
the NBA wants parody. Well, I'm pretty sure that since
twenty nineteen, or since twenty eighteen, rather, I think we
will have a different NBA champion every single year since then.
It'll be seven champions in seven years. So it's harder

(01:27:54):
than ever to go back to back in the way
that this game is designed in with the financial rules
that the NBA is implemented with you know, going over
the salary cap and the luxury tax in the second
apron and all that, and that's you know, we don't
need to get into all those minutia and details, but
it makes capitalizing on your short window within the roster

(01:28:16):
that you have very very important, uh important update, Drew,
breaking news, breaking news. I don't I don't know if
you paid attention yesterday, but uh as Elie de la Cruz,
I think it was the seventh run of the game.
As he crossed home plate, the camera caught him looking

(01:28:38):
a touch uncomfortable, a little sore.

Speaker 2 (01:28:42):
Maybe.

Speaker 3 (01:28:44):
Well, he has now been moved from shortstop to designated hitter,
in today's game. So De la Cruz goes to DH,
Hampson goes to shore, Gavin Lux goes to third. So
it's now freedom and center leading off. Steer at first batting, second,

(01:29:06):
day La Cruise the DH batting third, Hayesen left batting cleanup,
Lucks at third, batting fifth, Stevenson behind the played Benson
and right. McLain at second, Hampson batting ninth at short.
Something to monitor Drew Ellie d La Cruise no longer

(01:29:28):
in the field in a DH roll today. I'm sure
Terry Francona will address that later. So stay locked in
to these very iHeartRadio stations.

Speaker 4 (01:29:40):
YEP seven hundred WLW three forty pre game. I'm sure
Terry Francona will mention that with Tommy and Tommy Thralls
interview with him. So if you're out doing yard work
or out by the grill and you want to throw
something on the radio, why don't you throw the old
red legs on on the radio. First pitch four to
ten again on seven hundred w LW.

Speaker 3 (01:29:59):
All right, let's let's take a break. Are we are
we done for the hour or are we uh, We're
gonna do a little touch and go.

Speaker 2 (01:30:05):
We can do a little touch and go here an
there we go back after this Sincinaty's ESPN fifteen thirty w.

Speaker 1 (01:30:11):
CKY, Cincinnati, make us the number one pre seid.

Speaker 5 (01:30:13):
On your time.

Speaker 3 (01:30:18):
All right, two hours in the books, our number three
coming up. We've got Kegan Nicholson from Bearcat Journal dot Com,
a fine publication will be joining us. He is fresh
off of the NCAA selection show and the Bearcats being
named the three seed in the Knoxville Regional. That and

(01:30:39):
some Bengals talk all coming up in our number three.
Since the thirty sixty Sincinaty's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:30:51):
Since he three sixty of Abound Cincinnati from Cincinnati, sponsored
in part by Pinstation East Coasta handcrafted hot grilleds up,
fresh cut fries and lemonade.

Speaker 5 (01:31:02):
It's all about good taste.

Speaker 1 (01:31:04):
Pennstation East Coast subs order online today. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 3 (01:31:14):
All right, here we go our number three on this
glorious Memorial Day Monday here in the Queens City. As
it's a big day for the Cincinnati baseball program. Two
offseasons ago they hired Jordan Bischel to come in and
steer them into the Big twelve. Last season just on

(01:31:35):
the outside looking in. Maybe needed some work to do
on the non conference schedule and picking up some wins
before they got into the Big twelve. Maybe needed to
do a little bit better in the Big twelve. But
they were on the cusp a year ago and they
have answered that this year with an at large berth
in the NCAA Tournament the first time since nineteen seventy four.

(01:32:00):
Nicholson admirably taking over the reins along with Jeff Jennal
and Tim Adams and JP Spondseller. The Bearcat journal crew
was deep today at Fifth Third Arena as the Bearcats
were announced into the NCAA Tournament field. Kegan, how the
heck are you?

Speaker 5 (01:32:20):
I am doing excellent. It is a very sunny day
and the nerves are over after waiting. I think it
was fourteen regionals to hear Cincinnati's name go on the
selection show. So it was a bit of the edge
of the seat there for a little bit, but they
got in comfortably when it was all sudden done.

Speaker 2 (01:32:41):
When did that start?

Speaker 3 (01:32:42):
Like you get through eight, does it start to people
start looking around because everybody had Cincinnati in everybody felt
that the Bearcats had done enough to earn an at
large berth. But was it about the middle of the
show that people started looking around and going are we sure?

Speaker 5 (01:33:01):
I'd say it was after the I think it was
the Tallahassee Regional that was in the second half of
the show. It might have been the eleventh or twelfth
one that was called off, and when they weren't and
there I started seeing some of the players kind of
looking around, just looking behind, seeing how other people are reacting.
And then the Knoxville Regional comes up. I think it

(01:33:23):
was the fifteenth one, and you know, they once they
saw Knoxville, they all started cheering. This is before they
even knew that they were going to Knoxville and that
they had been selected, because everyone was super excited about
the prospects of playing in Knoxville, at being close, being
able to play against Tennessee. And their name was called
and they erupted, especially because they get to play in

(01:33:45):
a regional with Miami, Ohio possibly against Tennessee, and then
also a really good Wake Forest team. So there were
definitely some nerves, but everyone had a big, collected, deep
breath and it quickly turned into locking in for pre
operation for Wake Forest.

Speaker 3 (01:34:01):
You you had a chance to talk to coach Bischel,
talked to a couple of the guys, including Carrington Cross.
What was the general feeling at the third Arena as
they were, you know, now that selection was over and
it's time to start getting ready for Friday.

Speaker 5 (01:34:19):
I think it was a mix of mission accomplished and
you know, we can't be satisfied. I think Carrington Cross
said his whole Cincinnati career is worth it just seeing
that name pop up on the screen and how much
it meant to him. You could tell that, you know,
the big faut Player of the Year stuff was awesome,
unanimous first team section was awesome. But they really really

(01:34:41):
wanted this honor to be able to play in the
NCAA tournament. And I actually asked coach Fishell, you you know,
he went to a regional with CMU, but you know,
the teams that have success in the postseason, asked them
what do they do consistently? What's the difference maker? And
he said, you have to make sure you're focusing on
the next game at hand, and you can't look past

(01:35:04):
Wake Forest to Tennessee Armaia of Ohio, And you also
have to play to your identity. You don't want to
have the moment impacted that much, have the atmosphere impact
to you. You want to play the game the way
that you've had success in the entire season. So I
think I think Nathan Taylor, Loudon Brooks to Cincinnati guys

(01:35:24):
have a lot of pride for this. We got to
talk to them as well, and they're set up pretty
well to have a decent amount of success in postseason play.

Speaker 3 (01:35:35):
Any feel for wake Forest that it looks like a
team that they get on base. They they've got some power,
a little bit of a middle of the road pitching staff,
but they do things a little bit different than Cincinnati.
But offensively they're really good.

Speaker 5 (01:35:50):
Yeah, there's no Red Louder Chase Burns for the Reds
to poach this time around, but they do have a
first team All acc pitcher and Blake morning Star, and
then a second team position player in Kate Lewis, and
then Merrick Houston a shortstop. But a lot of people
were shocked that he was third team just based off

(01:36:11):
of the season that he had for the Demon Deacons.
It's Southeast baseball is really really talented. When they popped
up the map of all the regional hosts and it
was free west of Texas and that everybody else was
basically in the Southeast outside of Texas alone, So you know,

(01:36:33):
the culture of baseball is great. Coach Bischel said that
when he was a Central Michigan Central Michigan, he played
against wake Forest coach a lot, so they're pretty familiar.
He kind of knows how he plays the game and
what he values and how consistent he is. So it's
going to be a tough matchup against the two seed,
and they got they got to try to upset an

(01:36:53):
ACC team, which they've done already once this year.

Speaker 3 (01:36:57):
And then you know, not looking ahead, but if you're
going to advance and get to the super Regional at
some point, it's probably gonna involve taking on the defending
national champions on their home turf in the Tennessee Volunteers.

Speaker 5 (01:37:11):
Yeah, and probably the best atmosphere in all of college
baseball up there with Arkansas, LSU and Texas. I mean,
it's it's gonna be an amazing and amazing atmosphere. And
coach fisial joke that you see should have eight thousand
people in the stands and just turn into a whole
home game. And then he very quickly recanted and made
clear that he was joking because he knows that's not

(01:37:33):
going to happen. But it's gonna be a tough one.
Tony Vitello really really talented head coach, probably one of
the hottest head coaches in the country after winning the
national championship. A lot of players love playing for him.
That's kind of the number one thing I hear about him.
And then you see, also it's a chance to get
some revenge in Josh Reynolds, who who left you see

(01:37:55):
to be Tennessee's pitching coach after last season. That was
one of the first things Carington cross ed. I asked him,
was that his preferred destination. He goes, I would have
liked to go to the Vandy Regional, but we get
to get back at JR. So that that's enough for me.
So it's there's multiple storylines of this, but the biggest
one being you know, Cincinnati was expected to make the

(01:38:18):
tournament and they took the necessary steps, and now Jordan
Mischell wants to make this a consistent thing. He talked
before the show about how difficult of a decision it
was to leave Central Michigan because it was one of
the first homes that his family that had had with
his wife and his kids, and then making it today

(01:38:39):
really vindicated his decision to leave Central Michigan for Cincinnati.
So now he's just hoping to build on it the
rest of this season and also going forward.

Speaker 3 (01:38:48):
Did you have a diet mountain dewke counter at the
selection show? How many of those did he go through?

Speaker 5 (01:38:53):
You know, I didn't see any, but he had one,
So he's obviously got some sources inside the facility just
constantly having diet mountain dew on hand or maybe as
a fridge in his office, and he just came down
with it. But yeah, I was searching it out because
I'm a big diet soda fan myself, but all we
had was water, and Jordan Bishell was walking around with

(01:39:15):
the diet mountain dew. So I'm assuming he's important.

Speaker 3 (01:39:17):
I mean, I know there was. There's somebody in that
athletic department. I won't name names. He he might be, uh,
somebody that's a guest on this show.

Speaker 2 (01:39:27):
Since he three sixty.

Speaker 3 (01:39:28):
From time to time but I know he used to
have a cooler with doctor Pepper on standby at all times,
and if that cooler ran out of doctor Pepper, somebody
was gonna have to answer some very difficult questions. So
I imagine Coach Bischell has somebody on the ready with a

(01:39:48):
diet Mountain Dew whenever he feels necessary.

Speaker 5 (01:39:52):
I wonder if that's in their contract, like you're in
charge of this position and this part of practice and
also consure of diet mountain two is I'm already yeah,
But it wouldn't surprise me if it was.

Speaker 3 (01:40:04):
Look that man loves diet Mountain dow as much as
any of us love anything. And there was there was
a shot at the Big twelve Baseball Championship where one
of the assistants took his Diet Mountain Dew off of
the railing and I thought there might be a fight.
I thought he was going to come out of the
dugout chasing after that diet due.

Speaker 5 (01:40:25):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:40:27):
Yeah, Miami also in the mix here. Cincinnati played them
twice this year. Once was a twelve to three victory
back on March eleventh, early in the season, and then
in Oxford back at the beginning of April April first,
Cincinnati won six to four. So if they do play

(01:40:47):
the RedHawks, the dreaded Kegan tough to beat a team
three times in a row.

Speaker 5 (01:40:54):
Yes, very very tough. It's it also shows to the
allen of baseball in Southwest Ohio that you can have
two teams so close to each other be able to
make that regional. I know Miami had had a really
good season and they're very talented, so looking back at it,
those two wins might have been some of the most

(01:41:15):
important games that you see played this year, kind of
building up their RPI. But I was talking to Tim
Adams today at the Arena. He said, you know, Miami
and UC fans should team up and just agree to
wear red so you can kind of drown out the
orange in the crowd and whatever game. Yeah, so that'll
be interesting to be able to see that happen. Yeah,

(01:41:36):
probably not, no, but it'd be a really fun game.
And really, any of these matchups are really fun if
you're playing wake forward like they are. If you end
up playing Miami, that's got storylines and then obviously the
leader of the regional in Tennessee and the opportunity to
knock off one of the one of the best baseball
teams and baseball programs in the country.

Speaker 3 (01:41:59):
Let's switch gears for a few moments while I've got you.
I don't know if you have caught this or not.
One of the most coveted transfer portal guys still left
on the market, PJ. Haggerty has signed with Kansas State
this morning. So the Big twelve again getting stronger. As
jokingly for those of you that aren't junkies. Darien Williams,

(01:42:23):
who was at Texas Tech, Kansas and NC State got
into a bidding war for Darien Williams. N C State IE.
N C State was also in the mix for Haggarty,
which paying for Williams probably put a dent in the
war chest. And Haggarty ends up at Kansas State. So

(01:42:43):
Cincinnati has had a good offseason in the transfer portal.
They have kind of restructured and reconfigured the way that
the lineup is built, with Corey Evans as the general
manager now kind of helping you know, Wes Miller in
the roster construction phase. I think Cincinnati's in a good spot, Kegan,

(01:43:04):
but this is a brutal league and everybody's got money
and just because you had a good offseason doesn't ensure
that you get across the finish line next April or
March whatever.

Speaker 5 (01:43:18):
Yeah, and to go back to Haggarty just for a second,
I really admire Jerome Tang's strategy of just waiting as
long as possible and paying as much money as possible
for the hottest name of the portal, like he did
with why can't I remember his name? Car Coleman Hawkins

(01:43:39):
at the end of the last portal cycle. But yeah,
you see, I think the roster makes sense for the
first time since West Miller has been the head coach,
and I think the Baba Miller edition kind of late
when you could have said, and you know, even I
said that they are probably done in the portal. Being
able to flip him from someone who was likely going

(01:44:01):
to end up back at FAU and get him on
the roster is huge because he doesn't take anything away
from anyone. He's really just a plug and play and
he can do his thing and it doesn't really crowd
up minutes all that much when you look at who
else is on the roster, because you can get creative
with how you use Bobba Miller as maybe a five

(01:44:23):
or at the four where he'll mainly be used, maybe
even at the three sometimes. But he's a really, really
talented player. But I think I still think the most
important addition, just as a signal of where they want
to go with how they play, is Jalen Haynes just
a huge guy in terms of size, and then also
plays very, very physical. I think he had seven to

(01:44:46):
nine technical fouls last year, and there were at times
when a lot of fans would have liked you see
these players to be picking up more technical fouls. So
just that flip and attitude, that flip and culture of
seeing how I State played, seeing how Houston plays, knowing
you have to get to that level of physicality. Jalen
Haynes really says that well. And then obviously Mustafa Sham

(01:45:08):
one of the best players in the portal, and then
the high ceiling guys and Sincere Harris and kerk Risa
also helped a ton as well.

Speaker 3 (01:45:16):
Yeah, I just I didn't feel like, for whatever reason,
and I liked last year's team in terms of the
personalities and the people, but it didn't feel like that
team had much nasty to it. It didn't feel like
that was a group that hated to lose more than
they liked to win. I think Cincinnati specifically went out

(01:45:38):
and and tried to look for some guys that had
a little bit of that you know what the kids say,
now key and you got that dog in him and
that dog in him, okay. And I think Wes Miller,
you know, did a much better job not only finding
some guys with that, but constructing a roster that made sense,
Guys with some versatility, Guys that you know, you're not

(01:46:03):
going to be one dimensional when I don't think this
team is going to get to a point where they're
going to have to tell Gisel James and Daydae Thomas
just go get yours like it nothing else we've been working.
Here's the ball, you two go figure it out. I
don't think that's going to be the case with this team. Shouldn't.

Speaker 5 (01:46:20):
No, they have so many options to go to, like
Kurt Crisa, and then obviously Seana Bayev is another guy
who's expected to be a massive part of the offense.
And then everything that we've heard from a lot of
people is that Keishan Tillery is expected to be a
really really good player as well. So I don't think
it'll be as simple as last year of let's throw

(01:46:43):
the ball to his ease at the top of the
key and then the defense can kind of sag and
then just let as he stand there until he passes
it to someone like the big that they have now
can can dribble, they can kind of create, and they
can finish at the rim. It's a and have to
be a lob. And then the amount of versatility at
the from one to two and three is also huge,

(01:47:07):
So it's he Wes Miller can get a lot more creative.
He doesn't have to be kind of constrained to a
certain way of playing. And like you said, hoping Gessel
James and Data Thomas, one of them can go for twenty.
That doesn't really have to be the identity of the
offense anymore. But Jesse James kind of getting to that

(01:47:28):
point where he's averaging eighteen nineteen points a game and
being that Alipha on offense would definitely help.

Speaker 3 (01:47:36):
Looking around the league, it's interesting because you know, Houston
is expected to be very good again, but it's gonna
look different. They're going to have three freshmen, three five
star freshmen kind of at the center of that roster
they do. You know, they've they've got the veteran, the
the old guys returning, but.

Speaker 2 (01:47:55):
Not as much old guy b Yu is going to
be young.

Speaker 3 (01:48:00):
A lot of money spent on that roster, but not
a lot of experience at the top of that roster
to go with it. I think Arizona still has a
chance to be really good. But I think the biggest
difference Keegan, when I look at the conference going into
twenty twenty five, the bottom is going to be I
don't think the bottom is going.

Speaker 2 (01:48:21):
To be great.

Speaker 5 (01:48:24):
So you're saying there are going to be some off
nights and when when you can not have your best
stuff and so come out with a win.

Speaker 3 (01:48:29):
Yeah, I mean I just felt like, yeah, I felt
well the AAC it was like after three, uh there
were three teams and then everybody else was kind of
an off night. But you know, I like, I think
Colorado is going to struggle. I think Arizona State is
going to struggle. I don't think Central Florida is going
to be good. It does feel more like there are

(01:48:50):
a you know, a group of teams at the bottom
of this league where you can hopefully, hopefully rack up
some wins so that you're not as stressed to perform
against the top. So I think it's going to be interesting.
And you know, let's let's be honest, whether it's I
don't buy as much of the fans sentiment that Wes

(01:49:12):
Miller's on the hot seat, but boy, they spent a
lot of money on this roster. It would behoove you
to make the tournament in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 5 (01:49:23):
Yeah, And I think in terms of the competition at
the top of the roster, maybe the most interested I
am in the team is Houston, because where do you
go without Juwan Roberts, who's been there since two thousand
and five. I mean, I mean him and Calvin Sampson
have been through thick and thin together. And you know,

(01:49:45):
I'm not saying I don't know if he was ever
the best player on that team, but just the past
who yes, exactly, And just how the whole team on
both sides of the ball could go through him at time,
and how he could play the right way and kind
of spark their physicality and their energy. How they move

(01:50:06):
on without him will be very very interesting, And that's
something I'm going to be paying attention to because if
Houston is not going to be one, then there's going
to be a few teams that are vying for that
one spot, when in the last two seasons, Houston has
kind of been comfortably one, and then everyone else has
kind of been trying to catch up to him.

Speaker 2 (01:50:24):
They went what eighteen and two.

Speaker 5 (01:50:27):
I think they might have went nineteen and won. Last
year was.

Speaker 2 (01:50:32):
Nineteen to one, whatever it was.

Speaker 3 (01:50:33):
It was absurd because we all looked and said, five,
if you lose five games, you got a chance to
win this conference. And Houston said, no, that's incorrect. Sorry,
we're also going to play for a national championship too.
But football wise, anything exciting going.

Speaker 5 (01:50:48):
On now, anything exciting going on? Ball and brew has
been interesting. I'm not sure if they're going to do
any more of those events. I think they did three
or four last year. They might be constrained to two
this year. They had it at fifty West and then
Buckeheads before which. It's really fun to talk to the
fan base and kind of get a feel for what's happening,

(01:51:10):
and you know, as doom and gloom as a lot
of people think it is. I've talked to some people
who've been season ticket holders for twenty plus years, twenty
five plus years, and they said they have not even
thought about not renewing their season tickets, like they are
ride or die with the Bearcats. So I think it's
all gonna come down to quarterback play. I understand the

(01:51:33):
amount of turnover on the offensive line. I understand the
amount of turnover in the defensive backfield. But I just
think the pressure is on Brendan Soresby and to be
that guy who can pare his talent and potential with
also playing smarter and knowing when and when not to

(01:51:56):
take risks, because you saw him last year and the
West Virginia game just comes to mind when he had
the horrible pick six when he just tossed the ball forward,
when he had the fumble when he tried to throw
it away too late, which those two plays cost Cincinnati
the game because they got seventeen points off turnovers in
that game. So it'll be interesting. I think he's going

(01:52:19):
to take a big step forward. I talked to Tony
Pike at fifty West and I said, Hey, what was
the difference between your year one and year two? And
he said, look, Brian Kelly, he controlled everything in year one.
He told me where to throw the ball, when to
throw the ball, who to throw it to, and then
in year two he gave me a lot of freedom.
So I'd be interested to see how much freedom Brendan

(01:52:41):
Sourzy has in the system to kind of play his
way or Scott Saderfield kind of just wants him to
do what he wants to do and kind of have
it segmented.

Speaker 3 (01:52:50):
I don't know that Brian Kelly told Tony to throw
it to four Virginia Tech Hokies in the Orange Bowl,
but just saying, appreciate it, Thanks for the great coverage.
Where can they find you and where can they find
more about the Bearcats in the NCAA Tournament.

Speaker 5 (01:53:09):
Follow k Nicholson forty two on X, Follow Bearcut Journal
on X and then make sure you subscribe to Barricut Journal.
Should have a story up from selection day here in
the next hour or two, and then also will be
coming out with a lot of my football coach positional
previews over the next couple of months, and also coverage

(01:53:30):
of UC's trip down to Knoxville will also be consistent
on the website and on Twitter, so make sure you're
following along.

Speaker 4 (01:53:37):
All right, appreciate you man, have a good day. Enjoy
your Memorial Day.

Speaker 5 (01:53:41):
Absolutely you too.

Speaker 3 (01:53:42):
All right, there you go, Keegan Nickolson, my trusty right
hand manned at Bearcat journal man, Why did I put
a d on mand right hand man?

Speaker 2 (01:53:54):
I need a breakthrew, Let's send it to break then?
All right, says it at E's ESPN's fifteen thirty Lowegar.
Reality is they're probably not good enough.

Speaker 5 (01:54:04):
He dissects the local sports scene.

Speaker 2 (01:54:05):
They're not consistent enough.

Speaker 12 (01:54:07):
The way up fourth grader dissects across not reliable Loweger
today at three on ESPN fifteen thirty, Hey.

Speaker 2 (01:54:15):
Do you run a small business? Are you unsure where
to even start?

Speaker 1 (01:54:18):
When it comes to sin C three sixty is back
on ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's sports station, rolling.

Speaker 4 (01:54:33):
Right along in our number three.

Speaker 3 (01:54:37):
Almost time to get out of here. I'm some of
us for me, just for me. That's I'm only concerned
about me right now, with true as you usually are.

Speaker 5 (01:54:46):
Chad.

Speaker 2 (01:54:47):
That is not true. Surprise there, that is not a
that is not true. That is not true. How was
your launch?

Speaker 4 (01:54:53):
My guy brought My guy brought me a very very
good sub from an unnamed source. Since they do not
sponsor the show. But it was tasty, I mean, much appreciated.

Speaker 5 (01:55:04):
Chad.

Speaker 2 (01:55:04):
You always take care of your producers. I do.

Speaker 4 (01:55:06):
That's if I want a good show. Part of having
a good show, it's having a happy, engaged, connected relationship
with the producer.

Speaker 5 (01:55:16):
That's right.

Speaker 4 (01:55:17):
You do a fine, fine job at that. But yeah,
I'm getting out of here quick as you should. I'll
be I'll be in the car by three oh one.

Speaker 2 (01:55:27):
On my way.

Speaker 3 (01:55:28):
My cousin's having a little, a little cookout action. I
was up until eleven thirty last night preparing my side
dish for the party.

Speaker 2 (01:55:39):
What do we got? Al Graton potatoes speak my language there,
So you.

Speaker 4 (01:55:45):
Know what I did. I have a really really good.

Speaker 3 (01:55:50):
Macarani and cheese recipe, and uh one day I was like, man,
I do make the mac and cheese a lot. I'd
like to mix it up a little bit. So I
made the cheese sauce that I used for my mac
and cheese and just put it over the top of
you know, thinly sliced potatoes.

Speaker 2 (01:56:09):
Oh yeah, that sounds good. It's delicious.

Speaker 3 (01:56:12):
But I we went to Taste Cincinnati yesterday, had a
great time. Actually, we got out of there right at
like six point thirty, which was perfect because you could
see as we were walking out there was like a
small line of people leaving and a horde of people

(01:56:33):
walking in. Because I are you a taste Cincinnati guy?

Speaker 5 (01:56:37):
I went?

Speaker 2 (01:56:37):
I went last year.

Speaker 4 (01:56:39):
I was wrapped up with work all weekend this weekend,
so I didn't get a chance to go down this weekend.

Speaker 3 (01:56:43):
Traditionally, it feels like it's usually like ninety degrees. It
tastes Cincinnati. It's usually hot and hot with large crowds,
like I'm irritable. I don't know if you can humidity humidity.
I'm just I get cranky and I don't like large
groups of people. Funny for somebody that works in sports

(01:57:07):
around large groups of people all the time. But that
this year was kind of cool, the nice, nice cool
breeze was able to walk around through taste and and
not get like uncomfortably hot. Had some really good stuff
and uh it had some uh some mini fluffy pancakes

(01:57:29):
with nutella and strawberries that was pretty good. Had some
chicken and sausage gumbo, had a uh a short rib.

Speaker 4 (01:57:40):
And panada Oh yeah, with like kind of had like
an aoli like a Chipotle, aoli on top that was
that was outstanding.

Speaker 2 (01:57:50):
A shrimp fritter, it was really good, Like I did.

Speaker 3 (01:57:53):
That's I love going to taste and just getting a
bunch of little different things there were. There was only
one thing I wanted to get and I couldn't. It's
called a soul roll, and essentially it's like, uh, an
egg roll, but with like comfort food, like Southern comfort
food stuffed into the egg roll.

Speaker 4 (01:58:12):
But the line was like, uh, this is like an
hour long. So I didn't get the soul roll, but
I got pretty much everything else I wanted.

Speaker 2 (01:58:19):
Well, that's good. I love the Taysa.

Speaker 4 (01:58:22):
Cincinnati's one of my favorite things about this town since
I moved here five years ago or six years ago.
So unfortunately I couldn't make it this year, hoping to
make it next year. Missed it, definitely missed it. A
lot of my friends went down said it was great.

Speaker 3 (01:58:37):
Yeah, I'm sure it was slammed last night because it was.
It was great weather for no doubt for an outdoor festival. Again,
it looks like today is gonna be phenomenal if you're
if you're headed down that way, And I was proud
of the people of the city.

Speaker 2 (01:58:52):
True.

Speaker 3 (01:58:54):
This is I'm not going to name any names because
I don't wanted this to come off as a shot,
but like, there's some local chain in town that are
very good, very good. Not the sponsor of the First Hour.
I'm not talking about skylind Chile. I'm talking about other places. Skyland.

Speaker 4 (01:59:10):
I didn't see Skyland down there. I don't know if
they were involved this year or not.

Speaker 3 (01:59:14):
Uh, but the local like chain establishments that people go
to all the time were a little slow, and people
were focused on the more you know, the smaller, the
mom and pop type places. Yep, that's why you go
down there. You don't go down there to have the
same thing you could get. I always had this argument
with my daughter on vacation. You understand this later in

(01:59:36):
life when you have kids and you deal with this.
They want to go out of town, like you're ten
hours away, you took a plane to get where you're going,
and they want to eat McDonald's in Chick fil A
and Chipotle. I'm like, over my dead body, find something
similar that they serve here in this town and we'll
go try that. There you go, but I'm not eating

(01:59:58):
fast food on vacation. I'm kind of like that it
taste Cincinnati too.

Speaker 4 (02:00:04):
Yeah, and you know rightfully, so if I'm going down,
I'm very much that way, Like I can I can
have that you know, unnamed place, you know whatever I feel,
But you know, I don't. I've never tried this, you
know whatever this particular establishment is like, let's let's give
it a whirl and then you know, if you like it,
and you know, then you go back and yeah, it's
a great way to attract uh, you know, business to

(02:00:26):
to your establishment.

Speaker 2 (02:00:27):
Do you do you.

Speaker 3 (02:00:29):
Pay attention to like the best of taste, little notifications
like ooh that place had the best appetizer.

Speaker 2 (02:00:36):
I gotta try that.

Speaker 4 (02:00:37):
Not particularly, I like to just kind of go in
into an environment like that and just kind of go.

Speaker 2 (02:00:43):
Okay, that looks good. Yeah, what like what is my
I finding? What it like? What stands out to me?
I would like to try that?

Speaker 5 (02:00:49):
I don't.

Speaker 2 (02:00:50):
I really don't.

Speaker 4 (02:00:51):
I'm that way with like movies and TV shows too,
where like I don't like to read reviews of movies
or TV shows.

Speaker 2 (02:00:57):
Or anything like that.

Speaker 4 (02:00:58):
I I'm always like, Oh, this show or movie seems
interesting to me, I'm going to go see it.

Speaker 3 (02:01:03):
Are you influenced by the line depends. There's two ways
to be influenced by the line. I'm interested to hear
how you're influenced.

Speaker 4 (02:01:12):
So if I'm going somewhere and there's a very long line,
the chances are I'm not waiting in it. But if
somebody like through word of mouth while I'm there, so
somebody goes, oh, no, that place is really good, like
you should make it a point to go to it.
It's one thing to like read it in a publication
or from someone I don't know. But when you know

(02:01:32):
one of my friends tells me, someone that I trust,
onequivocally tells me these things, I go, Okay, maybe this
is worth But when I see a long line, I'm
eighty twenty not eighty percent, not getting in line to
wait for whatever it is.

Speaker 2 (02:01:46):
I think.

Speaker 3 (02:01:46):
One, I think, and this is hard to do. You
need to get a feel for how quick the line
is moving. Sure, because we did get in one line
that was pretty long yesterday, but boy, we were at
the front of the line in like five smooth operation,
had everything set bang bang bang, like it was it
was a It was a very smooth operation. But the
long line also tells you place. Probably pretty good, Yeah right,

(02:02:10):
probably pretty good.

Speaker 5 (02:02:11):
Yep.

Speaker 3 (02:02:12):
That's why the long line is there. So you get
that temptation of like, I probably should try this.

Speaker 4 (02:02:18):
I bet that soul role was incredible. Oh I've had them, so, uh.
I travel a lot. For those that don't know part
of how this business works, Like you go on you know,
recruiting trips where you're you're watching like AAU basketball or
like seven on seven football where you're watching you know,
the high school kids that are that are coming up.
So I've traveled a lot through the South, and uh

(02:02:40):
I found this place, like I think it was like
twenty five minutes from the gym that we were at,
out like on a back road somewhere in rock Hill,
South Carolina, and they had soul roles and I had
never had one before. But the concept to me is
like that sounds exactly like something I would like. And

(02:03:04):
I got them.

Speaker 3 (02:03:04):
And I think I went there three times in the
four days that I was in rock Hill, South Carolina.
I kept driving twenty five minutes out of my way
to go to this soul food place and get soul rolls.

Speaker 4 (02:03:15):
Well, that's always where the good stuff is. Yes, those
twenty minutes away. You got to take a couple back
road turns, like one lane road.

Speaker 3 (02:03:24):
It was in like a house, like like on a
side road, like ten minutes off the expressway. In it
like a converted house, and it was heaven.

Speaker 5 (02:03:34):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (02:03:35):
Those establishments are batting about nine to fifty in yebook.

Speaker 3 (02:03:38):
That's always like if we drive by somewhere and the
parking lot is full, but you know, the place looks
like it's not exactly you know, fine dining, but the
parking lot's full.

Speaker 2 (02:03:50):
I'm pulling off the road and going there. Yep.

Speaker 3 (02:03:53):
The locals all eat there. I want some of that too.
All right, let's take a break. That was talking food
on Sincy three sixty. Got to keep up a little
of the irreverence of Tony and Austin, and I'm kind
of fat.

Speaker 2 (02:04:07):
I'll talk food all the time.

Speaker 3 (02:04:10):
Since three sixty, a service of Penn Station right here
in Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 4 (02:04:17):
For over one hundred years, Apollo Home has kept your
home ready for whatever weather.

Speaker 2 (02:04:25):
So it goes out to the.

Speaker 3 (02:04:26):
Baby Mama's baby Mama's mama's baby Mama's mamas. Since three sixty,
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty, it wouldn't wo. I probably would

(02:04:48):
not be asked back to do three sixty if I
didn't do at least a Bengals segment. We're probably in
the quietest period of the year on the NFL calendar.

Speaker 5 (02:04:57):
At what.

Speaker 3 (02:05:00):
Mandatory mini camps start in a week or two? Yes, OTAs, yep,
mandatory OTAs whatever it is, those start in a week
or two. So you know just this, The NFL doesn't
let up, man, there is They give you very little
time to breathe in the news cycles. So there will

(02:05:21):
be more coming soon. But the biggest thing right now,
obviously outside of Trey Hendrickson.

Speaker 2 (02:05:27):
Which I mean, I don't know how many more.

Speaker 4 (02:05:30):
Words I have left on that situation, and better find
them because you're gonna be talking about it for a
long long time.

Speaker 3 (02:05:36):
I know, as the current news cycle goes. I don't
know how many words I have left on what has
happened to date, correct, because there's gonna be more I
will say about this. I don't know if if you
I haven't been on since Burrow addressed the media. I
did not get the tone in Joe Burrow's voice that
I heard when it came to Jamar Chase and t Higgins.

Speaker 2 (02:06:00):
I certainly would agree with that.

Speaker 3 (02:06:02):
I heard. Look, I'd like if they got it done.
Tray's a really good football player. We're gonna be better.

Speaker 4 (02:06:07):
But I got my two guys paid, and if sacrifices
have to be made, I understand.

Speaker 2 (02:06:14):
That's kind of what I got from Joe Burrow.

Speaker 3 (02:06:17):
Maybe I'm wrong on that, but he was not standing
on the table demanding ownership do what is needed to
get done for Trey Hendrickson, which leads me to believe
if the Bengals have offered twenty eight million, they will say,
we believe that is a fair deal. We don't believe
that we need to go any higher for a player

(02:06:38):
entering his you know, going into his thirties, and it's
twelve million more than you were going to make this year.
And if you're not happy with that, then you can
play for sixteen and we will move along, keep it
moving after the twenty five season. But Shamar Stewart I

(02:07:00):
the Bengals have the reputation they do for reasons like this. Essentially,
Stuart the first round pick, number seventeen pick in the draft,
is looking for similar language that was in the contract
of amarius mens a season ago and by that meaning

(02:07:20):
voided years, how the voided year structure is worded. If
there are voided years, if something happens. The Bengals have.

Speaker 4 (02:07:34):
Had one way of doing things all the way up
to this negotiation, and in this negotiation they are trying
to flip to a language, to a process that is,
you know, kind of being more adopted across the NFL.

Speaker 2 (02:07:51):
Here's the difference.

Speaker 3 (02:07:52):
The teams that are changing this language on how voided
years are handled are offferring more upfront guaranteed bonus money
for the players as the language is being adjusted. And
the Bengals have very, very rarely understood the phrase give

(02:08:16):
and take. It's usually just take and take. There's very
little giving with the Bengals in contract negotiations unless Joe
Burrow gives you atomic wedgie and hangs you up on
a hook in a locker, and then there's a little
room for negotiation. But this is why their image is

(02:08:40):
what it is. If you're going to change your course
of action, if you're going to change who you are
and how you operate, there are concessions. You can't just
say we've decided to change this language and You're gonna
do it, whether whether you like it or not. If
it means more guaranteed money upfront, then that's what it means.

(02:09:05):
That's the give to the take more guaranteed money upfront
so that the player has a little less protection on
the back end. You don't get both. You don't get
to have your cake and eat it too. But very
clearly Mike Brown loves cake, chocolate fudge cake from what

(02:09:28):
used to be Frishous for example, and mock turtle soup.
But that's the thing, Drew. They want everybody to give
in to whatever it is they feel is necessary, but
they don't want to meet anybody halfway. And that's no

(02:09:50):
way to run a pro sports organization.

Speaker 4 (02:09:54):
Yeah, I completely agree, And it's interesting that they feel
like they haven't had any trouble getting their first round
pick signed the last several years with Miles Murphy and
amaranusmim So I find it very puzzling that they, yeah,
that they changed it up on Shamar Stewart, and you know,
credit to him for you know, kind of sniffing it
out and kind of calling him out on it and

(02:10:16):
being like, look, you know all these guys got this.

Speaker 2 (02:10:18):
Why am I the one that is being.

Speaker 4 (02:10:22):
You know, I don't know if this is necessarily the truth,
but or how he feels about it. But it kind
of like, why am I the one that's being singled out?
For lack of a better phrase. See, But that's the thing.
I don't think it's being singled out. I think it's
it's something that's becoming more common in the league, these
new contract structures for draft picks and the language on
voided contracts. It is going more towards where the Bengals

(02:10:44):
want to go. But the other teams are conceding in
order for us to do this, you're going to get that.
And I think if they would have done that, they
would have said, Okay, we're adding this language in this
is you know, this is our new policy going forward.
And since it doesn't look like the deal that we
did last year and we're asking stuff from you, we

(02:11:07):
need to give you something as a part of the negotiation.
It's called a negotiation for a reason, right, And the
Bengals aren't negotiating again.

Speaker 2 (02:11:22):
It's annoying.

Speaker 4 (02:11:24):
I wish like I don't want to hear on the
radio how often the Bengals have screwed something up or
how bad they treat the players, or like all of
that stuff.

Speaker 2 (02:11:33):
I'm tired of hearing all that stuff.

Speaker 3 (02:11:35):
But when they continue to do stuff like this, you're
giving the Chris Canties of the world more and more ammunition.
One last break, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (02:11:52):
Wise, Cincinnati, make us the number one PRESEC since the
three sixty continues on ESPN fifteen thirty, Incinnati's sports station.

Speaker 3 (02:12:09):
Winding down, not ready to turn it over to Mike
Petralia filling in for mo Egger, And I'm going to
get out here and uh and go hang out with
some family. Red's coming up at four o'clock. Nick Martinez
on the mound for the Reds, facing old friend Michael

(02:12:33):
Lorenzen on the bump for Kansas City Martinez two and
five three forty three e R A uh Lorenzen Martinez
two and five three forty three e R Lorenzen three
and five three seventy seven ERA. So a couple of
guys that uh pretty evenly matched, and uh, we'll see

(02:12:56):
the Reds. Uh put out a line up earlier. That
lineup was changed and Elie Dela Cruz was moved from
shortstop to designated hitter have to wonder, Drew, he looked
a little, a little GIMPI at the end of scoring

(02:13:19):
in the I.

Speaker 4 (02:13:20):
Think seventh inning, seventh inning yesterday, seventh three, eighth inning yesterday,
as the Reds took an eight to three lead and
then stayed in the game.

Speaker 3 (02:13:31):
So I thought, maybe just something that quickly went away.
But I meant, gotta be a little bit worried here, Drew.
The Reds don't have a whole lot of guys playing well.
It's certainly not nothing.

Speaker 4 (02:13:49):
But what you can take solace in is that they
probably went through the pregame workouts today and they deduced
that while he doesn't need to be completely scratched from
the lineup, it's probably best just to give a day
from the field. I think this will be the first
time he has not played shortstop this year, so maybe
an excuse to give him a day off in the field,
let him dh for a day, kind of rest that

(02:14:09):
a little bit. So we'll something to monitor, certainly, and
we'll see what happens when first pitch rolls around at
four ten.

Speaker 2 (02:14:16):
Yeah, it's something to keep an eye on.

Speaker 3 (02:14:18):
Nick Haglin FC Cincinnati just released a statement that he
is doing well. He's in an Atlanta hospital. He had
two broken ribs and as a result, a punctured lung,
which scary. Luckily they you could tell if you watch
the video of it. When it happened, something wasn't right.

(02:14:39):
It got took a little cheap shot from behind and
not called. For all the fouls that are called in soccer,
how is the one where a guy breaks two ribs
and punctures along while he's standing by himself without the ball.

Speaker 2 (02:14:53):
Has that not called.

Speaker 9 (02:14:56):
That?

Speaker 2 (02:14:56):
Yeah, it sounds like a football.

Speaker 4 (02:14:57):
It sounds like American football related injury there for Nick,
that's a that's a tough one.

Speaker 5 (02:15:03):
Yeah, but all.

Speaker 2 (02:15:04):
Right, we gotta roll. We'll see you next time.

Speaker 3 (02:15:06):
That is, since the thirty sixty, since Anty's ESPN fifteen thirty,
until you see

Speaker 1 (02:15:22):
K wise, since