Cincy 360 with Chad Brendel and Drew Westerheide -- 8/28/25

Chad and Drew fill in for the guys on this edition of the show. They discuss the Reds being swept for the first time and preview the UC-Nebraska game tonight. Chad talks with Jeff Carr and Keegan Nickoson and Mo Egger joins for Quick Hits from Kansas City

Episode Transcript

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

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Here we go Cincy three sixty.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
Rad Here on Cincinnati Sports Station ESPN fifteen thirty. Chad Brindle,
Drew Wester Heidi filling in for the boys today. Drew,
how the heck are you? I'm doing all right, Chad?

Speaker 4 (00:38):
Excited for the beginning of actual college football tonight and
this weekend.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
I am two Big one tonight, Big one tonight.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
We're gonna talk a lot about the Bearcats and the
corn Huskers nine o'clock kickoff. You can join me down
at the Holy Grail since he Light will be there.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
We'll have some.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
Giveaways since he Light drink specials. Gonna be a great time,
should be a great crowd. Was just was just checking
in down there, and they are excited for the evening
as the Bearcats take on the corn Huskers, and Drew,
I think it's gonna be a pretty close game. I've

(01:18):
I think I was.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
A little more.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Nebraska lean before this week before I started digging into
their roster, before I started really looking at the corn Huskers.
And that's not to say that, like, you know, I
think Cincinnati's gonna win easily. This is to say I
think a lot of the hype on Nebraska one is
because they have a pretty easy Big Ten schedule. Two,

(01:46):
they've got the quote unquote star quarterback in place in
Dylan Rayola. But Dylan Rayola last year was good as
a true freshman, but ultimately through thirteen touchdowns and eleven interceptions,
and Nebraska is completely changing their offense. They were pretty
tight end heavy last year. They brought in Dana Holgerson

(02:09):
through the middle of last season, he ran the offense
that was in place, so they are running a different
offense this year. They brought in some talent at wide
receiver and including a name some of you guys will
know out there and Dane Key from Kentucky who's kind
of like a Swiss Army Knife talented guy had success

(02:29):
at Kentucky. They brought in another wide receiver transfer from
cal that had a really good freshman season, so they're
looking to be a little bit more dynamic through the
air this year. They don't have a great running game,
They've got questions all along their front seven. Defensively, there's
talent there, but a lot of guys that haven't played
a lot of football. I think their secondary is really good,

(02:52):
which will be interesting because Cincinnati's looking to open up
the passing attack this year. But the more and more
I've looked at Nebrass, I think these two teams are
fairly even in terms of talent. I'd give Nebraska a
slight edge based on they probably have quite a bit
more like raw pure talent on the team if you

(03:15):
look at like recruiting rankings and things of that nature.
But Cincinnati's got a lot more experience than them. And
Cincinnati also has a good quarterback. A quarterback if you
put side by side with Dylan Reyola. Last year, stores
Me had a better year, soars Me some more of
a threat with his legs. He was just as good

(03:36):
with his arm. They both had about the same number
of yardage. Shores Me through for more touchdowns, less interceptions.
So I think it's going to be a fascinating game tonight.
Now it's gonna be very pro Nebraska in Arrowhead Stadium.
What do you think of the troll job Drew. Are
you aware of the troll job that's happening tonight? I

(03:58):
am unaware of this. What's Nebraska's kind of battle cry?
Go big red?

Speaker 5 (04:05):
Right?

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Correct?

Speaker 3 (04:07):
Cincinnati's wearing all red? Okay, that stadium is gonna be
all red. Nebraska fans are going to wear red to
this game. And when you look out on the field,
Cincinnati's gonna be in red helmets, red jerseys, and red pants.

Speaker 6 (04:21):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
So I kind of like the troll job here. I
like that.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
I almost always want if given the opportunity, Cincinnati is
the home team, it's gonna be like eighty five fifteen.
The split in the stands like heavy, heavy heavy Nebraska lean,
but Cincinnati's gonna be wearing red.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
I kinda like it. And they're the home teams Nebraska,
I call the coin top.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Right, Cincinnati's the home team, were in a stadium that's
gonna be eighty five percent Nebraska. Kudos to the people
that put this event on at Arrowhead, that offered Cincinnati
an amount of money that they essentially just couldn't turn
down to move the game there. Knowing Nebraska's got a
huge fan base. I'm sure Nebraska is a pretty heavy.

Speaker 4 (05:04):
I think Kansas City is a pretty big alumni, yeah,
for Nebraska as well.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
So it's about two and a half hours from Lincoln
to Kansas City. It's it's going to be packed with
Nebraska fans that nobody is expecting anything different there. It's
not going to be a surprise.

Speaker 6 (05:21):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
But but they're going to show the stadium and it's
going to be all red, and Cincinnati's going to be
the team wearing red. I would if I had my
Druthers Drew, they'd always be in black. Yeah, like any chance,
because they're the home team you get to pick, I
would always have them in black. But I don't know
if you know this about me, I kind of I

(05:43):
appreciate a good troll job. Oh yeah, it's part of
my entire online presence.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Uh so I can't.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah, it's what I've been told. The the Blue Blob
people across town. Uh don't like me for it. They
they they're not fond of me for those Just.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
No, I'm in that foxhole with you every time you
go to war with that, I know, I love it.

Speaker 3 (06:05):
But I think it's gonna be a good game. Do
I think it probably comes down to the wire.

Speaker 5 (06:11):
Yes, do.

Speaker 3 (06:12):
I think that's the main reason I'm picking Nebraska to win. Also, yes,
because I just don't have that confidence level. The Scott
Sadderfield era has shown me a team that can be competitive,
but through two years, more often than not, when the

(06:33):
chips are down, there has been a big mistake, there
has been a turning point moment that swings the tide
in the other direction. And until I see them change that,
until I see them reverse that narrative, you know it
goes back to our old old pal, Marvin Lewis Drew.

(06:54):
I see better than I hear. I hear this Cincinnati
team is ready to turn the tide on those type
of things. But I gotta see it. I gotta see
it happen on the field tonight in Arrowhead Stadium. I've
got to see Cincinnati when the chips are down, Cincinnati

(07:16):
makes the play, Cincinnati forces the turnover, Cincinnati has something
happened on special teams that they create in their favor.
And until I see that, I'm gonna lean in the
other direction. In these type of what I would consider
kind of a coin flip game, Nebraska's a six and

(07:38):
a half point seven point favorite.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
Yeap that time at this moment, it is that six
and a half Nebraska is a favorite.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
Yeah, and that line really has been about the same
for weeks. Like you have not seen movement. There are
not people with a lot of money that feel like
this Nebraska team is significantly better than Cincinnati because you
don't see big lines in the NFL. Right college football.
You see big betting lines. Oh, yes, college football. They

(08:07):
are not afraid. If they think it's gonna be a
fourteen to fifteen seventeen point game, they will put the
line there and that's where the money will go. The
money says that this game's going to be close. And
they built all those pretty big buildings in Vegas on
the back of being right about these things. So I

(08:28):
think it's gonna be a close game. We're gonna get
into the brass tacks, the nuts and bolts as we
go throughout this show. We're gonna hear from Kegan Nicholson,
who is boots on the ground in Kansas City with
the team. We'll hear from Moegar at the end of
this show for quick hits. Moe is also there. He's
gonna be broadcasting from three to six live from Arrowhead Stadium,

(08:52):
I'm gonna pull the rare double Drew. I'm gonna do
this show and then at four twenty, I'm also on
with mo.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
Oh there you go.

Speaker 3 (08:59):
I was wondering that because it is Thursday Thursday. All yeah,
so I get my normal Thursday spot. But I'm interested
in what you guys think. Talkbacks are open. We're gonna
do talkbacks. I'm not like some hosts that come in
here when Tony and Austin are gone and they don't
do talkbacks.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
It's talkback Nation. I respect talkback Nation. So we're gonna
do talkbacks.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
Get your talkbacks in with your thoughts on the Bearcats
and the corn Huskers and really due, I'm just trying
to fill a buster so I don't have to talk
about the other thing.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
Yeah, I think we should try and talk about as
much as you see Nebraska, as much of it as
we can today, so we don't have to discuss the
very large red elephant in the room.

Speaker 3 (09:41):
We'll do it now. It's the opening of the show.
I oh, Dalton Reisner. We have not had an official
word yet, have we We're on official we are on watch.
We are on Reisner watch to see if that is announced.
Officially at any point in time here before practice today.
But the Bengals appear too, especially if you go off

(10:04):
of his wife's TikTok, who was dancing around in Bengals
gear yesterday excited that they were headed to Cincinnati. I
hope she opens her parking pack. I hope she understands
and reads the rules and regulations about parking for her
spouse at Peykur Stadium.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
But a solid edition.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
Although I had Richard Skinner on yesterday, he kind of
threw water on it a little bit true, kind of
said he thinks that is being brought here is a
depth piece as it currently stands that the Bengals chose
Lucas Patrick over Dalton Reisner in the in the earlier
in the off season, that Patrick is the guy that

(10:48):
they wanted for that spot, and that is gonna have
to come in now. Obviously, you wouldn't expect a guy
that gets signed today to be arting on Sunday in
Cleveland next week. But we'll see how things go. We'll
see how that progresses. But I tell you this, if

(11:12):
he comes in here and he doesn't start, or he
comes in here and it's made clear today, we'll hear
from Zach Taylor, who talks at one o'clock today, talks
in about fifty minutes. If he comes in here and
Lucas Patrick starts and is not good, these airwaves going
to be.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
Loud, Drew, very, very loud.

Speaker 4 (11:31):
And I honestly do think I, like you said, I
don't think he'll be starting week one, but I would
be pretty surprised if they bring him in and he
isn't starting by week three or four. I thought sin
Patrick like really really exceeds his expectation.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
I thought the same, and then I talked to Skinny yesterday.
I saw the lengthy tweet from Charlie Goldsmith, like both
of those guys were conditioning this fan base that this
franchise sees rise there is a depth piece and not
as we brought him in here to be our starting guard.

Speaker 4 (12:07):
I don't necessarily disagree with that line of thinking, you know,
I think if they could have a homegrown player be
that starting guard, I think the Bengals organization would prefer that,
and then you have Reisner as a backup. But I
also do think that it's on the table for Reisner
to win that starting job.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
Right It's just gonna be interesting because I think the
fan base when they thought about the signing of Reisner,
it was he's going to come in here, give him
a little time to get acclimated, and then he's plug
and play to protect Joe Burrow. And the reaction from
the people that cover the team as closely as those
guys do seem to indicate they felt otherwise.

Speaker 4 (12:47):
And the other thing is is if Reisner is this
great guard, you know, people have pointed out he didn't
give up any sacks last year in a regular season. Well,
if that's the case, why did it take till August
twenty eighth potentially for this guy to get signed?

Speaker 6 (13:01):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (13:01):
I mean that where like what? That's what doesn't That's
what doesn't add up to me in this whole situation.

Speaker 3 (13:06):
Some of it, I think from talking to Skinny yesterday,
some of it sounds like injury concerns. He's thirty, you know,
so how durable is he? We we joked about thirty
in the NFL being being ancient. Now nobody wants to
touch a guy that's out of his twenties. But I'm
with you, why was this guy there on August twenty seventh?

(13:27):
Because they said for two years. He hasn't allowed a
sack for two years, he hasn't been called for a
penalty like that. Seems like a guy that would do
pretty well on the open market, and yet he was
on the open market the entire offseason and didn't get
signed until August twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
And it's probably going to be making vet minimum.

Speaker 3 (13:45):
I think it was. It was, Yeah, it was. It
was not much money. One year, not much money. So
I don't know that that's gonna be fascinating to me.
Trey Hendrickson is is locked and loaded, ready to go.
I don't think we have a ton more there to
talk about until the ball gets rolling til we get

(14:06):
to game week next week. The good on the Bengals
to get that done and out of the way and
not drag that out into next week. I think it
was critical to get it done, get him in house,
get him back out of practice, let him get his
legs underneath him a little bit, and have him ready
to go week one in Cleveland instead of the old like,

(14:27):
you know, we signed him three days before the first
game and we're just gonna throw him out there. There's
a difference between in shape and game shape. Yes, what
else we have to talk about anything.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
No, go to break.

Speaker 4 (14:40):
We could go to break, and then we could talk
about the debacle in Los Angeles the past three ninths.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
Reds get swept. Thank god. Yeah, the dumbest. It just
made me irrationally angry every time they escape the series,
lose the first two games, win the third, or heck,
you'd see it as we got later in the season,
they'd win the first game of series and everybody were like, oh,
they're not gonna get swept, right, what are we doing.

(15:10):
That's not a modicum of success. If you are sitting
on August twenty eighth at sixty eight and sixty six,
that's an embarrassment that you hadn't been swept until today
or yesterday and your two games over five hundred with
twenty eight games to play.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
I hated it. I hated it.

Speaker 4 (15:30):
Yeah, I'm with you. Earlier on like mid July August
I was like, oh, cool, Like yeah, you know, that's
kind of a nice fit. And this is when the
Reds were playing some good baseball. They were right in
the thick of the playoff hunt. And then as we
got further into it, you know, the Diamondback series is
a great point of that, when the Reds won on
Sunday to avoid being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, yeah,

(15:52):
they're like, oh, the streak continues. I'm like, yeah, but
you also lost two to three to a team that
is not in the playoff hunt at all, even a
little bit.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
They almost played the Diamondbacks back into contention. There were
Arizona media types that were like, uh, gake a, look,
get a little scoreboard watching in now, Like they lose
five to one. They weren't competitive really at all. Nope,
threatened a little bit late, but all with two outs
and then did nothing with it. But all singles, Like

(16:20):
this team has no pop, this team has no juice. Offensively,
they had six hits yesterday, one home run, one home
run by Marte Boy, would have been nice to see
him swing the bat two nights ago and not bunt
the guy that the guy that has the only live
bat in your entire lineup. They have five singles. Outside

(16:41):
of that, they left eleven runners on base, zero for
six with runners in scoring position. This offense is laughably bad,
laughably bad. Sho heey Otani goes five. He had not
gone five in any of his starts. Yet this season,

(17:04):
he goes five, he gives up the home run.

Speaker 5 (17:06):
That's it.

Speaker 3 (17:07):
The Red strikeout nineteen times. Nineteen. It was the most
strikeouts by a Dodger pitching staff in at least one
hundred and twenty five years.

Speaker 4 (17:21):
Yep, they snapped that record at seventeen and then added
two more on top of it.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Un believable.

Speaker 4 (17:28):
And I'm glad you brought up strikeouts because I do
want to point out this stat The Reds are seventh,
tied for seventh in baseball this year as a team
with eleven hundred and sixty five strikeouts.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
Where do you think they rank in home runs hit
twenty eighth.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
They're twenty fourth, so they're top ten in strikeouts, but
they're you know, bottom ten in home runs.

Speaker 3 (17:48):
True, we did not work this out. I'm glad you
brought that up because it occurred to me last night.
We have gone from Remember the the Reds wanted to
get away from being a three outcome team, right, strikeout, walk,
home run. They wanted to get away from that. We
want to distance ourselves from being a three outcome team.

(18:08):
Here's the unfortunate reality, Drew. They are still a three
outcome team. Just the home run isn't one of those outcomes.
It's a single, strikeouts, walks, and singles. That's the three
outcomes for this team. Far more often than not. Thirty
times this year they've scored zero or one run. What

(18:33):
five months of the season, one whole month of the
season is this team scoring one or zero runs.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
They're dead, They're done.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
We're gonna take a break, and we're gonna come back
and talk about the reality of this situation. The reality
of this situation is, I'm going to say it right
here on the air, Drew, this team is more like
much more likely to finish under five hundred than they
are to make the playoffs. Let's take a break. I

(19:10):
usually don't rant like this on the radio. I'm usually
pretty pretty fun loving and free spirited on the radio.

Speaker 4 (19:17):
Well, this Cincinnati Reds baseball organization will do that to him. Man,
it's got me in my fields, Drew. I'm a Reds fan,
have been a Reds fan my whole life. I watch
the Reds win a World Series. I know what it
should feel like, and it doesn't. It feels like we're
gonna be okay, average too, slightly maybe sometimes above average.

(19:42):
And you're a fan, and you're gonna deal with it
where you're gonna go. We're gonna go to break, but
I'll be back more after this. Cincinnati ESPN fifteen thirtyeth
Service of Skyland, Chile.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Hey, Alexa, who's out for the season?

Speaker 6 (19:58):
Bro Hi towering pop up into the Twilights Guy. I
don't think anybody sees it.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
Now Here comes Hays and he makes the cat.

Speaker 7 (20:07):
Wow, a sliding grab. I keep Bryan Hayes in the
grash behind the mound. Natt McClain lost in the Twilights Guy,
it's hard to see it. I don't think keep Brian
Hayes on initially either, but he found it in time
to make his spectacular sliding cat.

Speaker 3 (20:27):
Do we just name that like the the Key Brian
Hayes Play of the Day instead of like the Call
of the Day.

Speaker 4 (20:32):
We might have to for the rest of the season,
because that guy does some cool stuff nightly Nightly.

Speaker 2 (20:37):
He's a wizard. Can he play short? I think he's
fine exactly where he's at.

Speaker 3 (20:46):
That's not what I asked I play short. I bet
he could. I bet he could too.

Speaker 5 (20:52):
I bet he could too.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
I'm gonna I'm gonna try to keep my blood pressure low.
And I'm gonna take a couple of phone calls as
we get out of the gate. Here these two guys
chomping at the bit to talk rads Mike in La Mike,
I hope you enjoyed the last three days. They were miserable.
At least there was one saving grace from yesterday.

Speaker 6 (21:14):
Mike.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
Yeah, that the game started.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
Two hours early and I didn't have to stay up
until one am to watch the reds loose.

Speaker 8 (21:23):
Oh well, I know that's a big deal early in
a lay for a lot of folks that got to
get up early and stuff. I was happy for people
in the Natty myself.

Speaker 2 (21:31):
Thanks.

Speaker 8 (21:32):
People think I hate Cincinnati, It's my freaking hometown. I
just happened to become a Dodger fan because I've lived
in LA for thirty five years, thirty seven years. So yeah,
you tend to adapt to where you live unless you're
just an idiot. You get that off my chest right now.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
You're feisty like me, Mike. We're all feisty today.

Speaker 8 (21:52):
Well, I'm tired of hearing these people call in and
criticize me because I bring up the Dodgers just in
the first time all year. Of really friends.

Speaker 5 (22:00):
Look, Mike, length of time brought.

Speaker 8 (22:01):
Up the Dodgers.

Speaker 3 (22:02):
Mike, you've listened to this show for a long time.
People call in and criticize me when I haven't even
been on the radio for weeks.

Speaker 8 (22:10):
Yeah, I know that.

Speaker 5 (22:11):
You get used to it.

Speaker 8 (22:11):
They got they got a Woodie for this hometown stuff,
which is fine. But you don't criticize fans that are
fans of other teams. Why why would you do that?

Speaker 9 (22:21):
Why?

Speaker 8 (22:21):
What's It's just ignorance the show. They looked good last night.
But see, the thing is Munchy hasn't played. He's been
to Sketchy off and on all year. He's their second
best power here. He's the thirty thirty five homer guy
a year that really played much this year.

Speaker 3 (22:36):
Huh, I said, what's that like having a thirty thirty
five home run guy on your roster?

Speaker 2 (22:40):
Haven't seen that since? What Jay Bruce?

Speaker 6 (22:44):
Probably?

Speaker 8 (22:46):
Yeah, it's been quite a while. And uh And it's
just showed the value of their bench in that bullpen.
All them guys came up through the miners except for
Tanner Scott they've gotten free agency, but all the other guys.

Speaker 5 (22:59):
Thank you.

Speaker 8 (23:00):
Odd form in the minors because everybody else got hurt.
But everybody's starting to come back little by little. So
all I got to say is watch out, because they
are going to be a good situation. So I'm looking
forward to the catch tonight. But i wanted to ask
you a question, Chief, so I'm here for Hey, has

(23:20):
there been aptathy that's set in?

Speaker 5 (23:23):
No?

Speaker 8 (23:23):
Not yet, since since since Sadderfield came in.

Speaker 6 (23:28):
No.

Speaker 3 (23:28):
I mean I think, Look, I think some I think
the vocal minority would lead you to believe that. I
think the rational portion of the fan base, which is
the majority of the fan base, understood that this jump
to the Big twelve was going to be more of
a challenge than some wanted to anticipate.

Speaker 2 (23:49):
Now I think it's fine.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
I think it's fine to look at some of the
games because I've done the same, look at some of
the outcomes and go that they like West Virginia last year,
that need that should have a million percent been a
Cincinnati win. Soresby makes a couple of mistakes, they made
a critical special team's mistake, and they give it away

(24:14):
like there's been.

Speaker 5 (24:14):
Too much of that.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
But there was going to be a period of adjustment
into a new league. There always is for almost everybody,
and this should be the year that they're able to
compete at a much higher level.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Now, the question is I need to see it.

Speaker 3 (24:35):
Show me funny that the game's being played in Missouri tonight, right,
Show me, Mike, Show me that you can go in
against a team that is pretty even in talent and
win the damn game.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
Win the damn game.

Speaker 8 (24:51):
Their quarterback, like you're alluded to, he's not really that impressive.
Thirteen and ten last year was his CDs to intersect.
That's that's nothing.

Speaker 3 (25:02):
He was okay for a freshman quarterback. But some of them.
The hype started in high school. He was seen as
like an elite recruit. He had a okay freshman year.
Does he take a jump? Maybe he takes a jump
this year and becomes really really good. But again, I
gotta see it. I want to see it before I
I I just jump up and say, yeah, he's going

(25:23):
to do that.

Speaker 7 (25:25):
Well.

Speaker 8 (25:25):
I took the points, but you know, it's not even
a matter of the bet and the points. It's a
matter of I just want to catch to start winning
again so I can be proud of them. I think
we're all looking for are It's not that they've ever
been a football powerhouse necessarily except for a few times
off and on. But still it's been very respectable. And
and uh, and I don't wish Sadurfield any any bad

(25:48):
luck or anything. But is this his do or don't
ear and then shed?

Speaker 3 (25:52):
Probably not, okay, I mean, if if it bottoms out, maybe,
but year three in a new league, I think he's
got a little bit more grace than that. But if
you know, if they're four and eight, like John Cunningham
is gonna have a tough decision to make, that's for sure.

Speaker 8 (26:11):
Yeah, yeah, one more quickly, if you allow me just
to go back to the red. So what do you
do now? What do you do now? Two of your
three headed monsters, you're a great starter, and they're all
good starters, great starters they did. Two of them just
got whipped and Ada got whipped before they left Arizona.
So what are you going to do now? All three

(26:31):
of your aces have have fallen short in the last
five games or so.

Speaker 3 (26:35):
Mike, what did we talk about yesterday? We talked about
this in February. They have a rotation that hasn't pitched
more than one hundred and thirty one hundred and twenty innings,
so I injuries whatever, like the innings may not be
that high because these guys have missed out. The point being,
the Reds don't have anybody really in this rotation that

(26:57):
has experienced meaningful base in August and September, and these
guys are going to take their lumps learning that like that,
that's part of the process.

Speaker 8 (27:09):
And I feel sorry for the fans in Cincinnati just
because of my age. I lucked out and watched the Reds,
who were the dominant team along with the Oakland A's
in baseball for ten years in the seventies. Yeah, and
then and then since then except for snagging that one
from Oakland, So the drought has been terrible, like for
guys like Austin and Drew probably his age.

Speaker 4 (27:28):
And I haven't seen win a playoff series, Mike. I've
never seen the Reds win a playoff series in my lifetime.

Speaker 8 (27:34):
That's terrible. So do you hold that against them during
a review? Just emphasize with them.

Speaker 4 (27:40):
I hold that against them because I think this is
a team and an organization that's you know, steeped in
history and should be one of the premieer You know
clubs in baseball, and yet the front office and ownership
they just want to trot out a team that's just
good enough to hang around, you know, hover above five hundred,
stay in the in the hunt graphic for lack of
a better term, and then just do nothing with it.

Speaker 2 (28:01):
And it's a shame.

Speaker 4 (28:03):
And like me and Chad talked about, and me and
Chat talked about in the first segment, you know, getting
swept by the Dodgers is one thing, you know, that
that can happen. It's that makes losing two of three
to the Diamondbacks, splitting two of four with the Pirates,
losing a series to the Nationals, getting swept by the
Dodgers makes those series hurt more than just getting swept.

Speaker 8 (28:23):
Right, Yeah, no, you're You're absolutely right. And don't tell
me small market teams can't win World Series. The Kansas
City Royals did it a few years ago. And there's
a matter of.

Speaker 2 (28:32):
The Brewers make the playoffs every year.

Speaker 10 (28:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (28:35):
And for the San Francisco Giants, believe it or not,
are kind of a small market team compared to the Dodgers.
For sure, they are. Their fan base is not nearly
as big as a Dutch in the Arizona one one
a few years ago. Back in ninety nine, the Marlins
won one. So they don't tell me you can't win
with a with a low payroll. You can't. The race
did it in the World Series a couple of weeks

(28:56):
I don't know how many years ago, so it can
be done. And this is what just pisses me off.
And I wish Castellini would just bow out and sell
out and go somewhere. Thanks a lot, you guys.

Speaker 6 (29:05):
I gotta go. I'm getting too.

Speaker 3 (29:07):
Mike, Mike, Mike, get that blood pressure back in check.
But we'll come back and talk to Mark more after this.
Since Anty's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 11 (29:13):
Hey, it's my leger. You've heard me talk about OTR
premium cigars, right.

Speaker 6 (29:24):
I like it.

Speaker 3 (29:30):
Welcome back, Sincanati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Chad Brendall sitting in
for the boys since he thirty sixty. Let's go back
after the phones. Mark in Florence.

Speaker 6 (29:39):
I'm sorry, Mark, I'm relieved.

Speaker 2 (29:43):
You're relieved.

Speaker 12 (29:44):
We can get on with the seat. Yeah, we can
get on with the season now. They finally got swept,
so now we can bring up souths.

Speaker 3 (29:51):
The dumbest thing we should they never bet, I mean,
who cares?

Speaker 12 (29:59):
Yeah, but I think the way this organization operates, it
was gonna take some kind of meltdown for them to
see that. Okay, let me let's do what we should
have done weeks ago. Yeah, let's do it now because
we you know, we got a third basement that could
play good defense, but he can't.

Speaker 3 (30:19):
Hit the question mark. Well, oh look, Cabrian Hayes is
at third base. Like if South Stewart comes up, it's
not going to be as the everyday third baseman. They
are going to play Sol Stewart at third base? Are
they're going to play Cabrian Hayes at third base?

Speaker 2 (30:32):
They?

Speaker 3 (30:33):
I mean, we've seen it Soala Stewart's played second, he's
played first, he's played right over the last couple of weeks.

Speaker 2 (30:38):
He is not playing third.

Speaker 6 (30:41):
Oh man.

Speaker 12 (30:42):
This organization continues to bring guys up and then move
them around everywhere and the defense and it sucks.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
I mean, Mark, you know what it is that doesn't work.

Speaker 3 (30:55):
It's an organization that doesn't have a plan because it like, okay,
here's the thing, the drafting shortstop thing, right, Okay, use
shortstops are the best athletes.

Speaker 2 (31:04):
Okay, so you draft a shortstop, well.

Speaker 3 (31:05):
Guess what what you do at that point in time
is you project where you see that player in the future,
and then when they get into the minor league system,
you play them there. You don't play them at shortstop
all the way up to triple A and then just
throw your hands up and go, I will figure it out. No,

(31:27):
you have a plan. You draft that shortstop with something. Okay,
we see that guy as a third baseman, we see
that guy as a right fielder, we see that guy
as a left fielder, and when they get in your organization,
you put him in that spot and you train them
to be that. You don't play them as a shortstop
all the way through the beginning of their professional career,
and then when they get to the highest level you

(31:47):
start screwing with them.

Speaker 2 (31:49):
Who the hell thinks that's a good idea.

Speaker 12 (31:52):
Yeah, that'd remind me of Nick Sinzill. I mean that's
what they did to him. So yeah, and we saw
and we saw how that worked out. So we've seen
and I think Jose Barrero, I mean we seen that
that doesn't work.

Speaker 5 (32:07):
But in this regime, this is.

Speaker 6 (32:10):
The way we do it.

Speaker 12 (32:11):
And and like you said, they just want to be
five hundred. But like I said, that got swept. I
was relieved, So now we can get on with the
season now, because that was the only team that was
keeping hope alive or we didn't get swept. We didn't
get swept. So let me make a Bengals point and
then I'll get off. I was glad they that they

(32:35):
came to an agreement with Trey Henderson, but I look
at him and I think he still screwed himself over
when he signed that extra year because he has to
have a good season this year for him to cash
in on what he could have cast in on this year.
So keep your fingers crossed. I mean, you think he'll

(32:59):
get SETeven teen sacks this year because offenses are going
make it a point to maybe put a running back
over there the chip him. It's gonna be hard for
him to get that again. So I just I wish
he hadn't a sign that that extra year so he
could have cast in this year because I think it's

(33:20):
gonna be hard for him to get seventeen sacks yeah
again this season. And uh, you know, because the other
team's offense know that hey well, we just put an
extra blocker or extra guy. We're here to block him,
and we ain't got to worry about nobody else. Nobody
else on that line draws a double tap.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
Yeah, so true.

Speaker 3 (33:41):
But the last two years and he's still he's led
the league in sacks.

Speaker 12 (33:46):
So okay, yeah, well yeah, we'll see what happens this year.
But I'm yeah, yeah, so I'll built a holy grill
to night and I'll look. Yeah, I'll look for you,
because you know you, Chad Brindle, So I got to
find every Brenda is.

Speaker 3 (34:03):
Thanks, Mark appreciated. Let's go one more call. Let's go
to Jeff in Virginia. Jeff, what's up man?

Speaker 13 (34:09):
Happy Thursday, Chad, Big night for the UC Crewise. Yeah, Mike,
Mike made me think about something. Who would you rather
have sell the team? What's more important the Browns for
the Castellinis.

Speaker 2 (34:22):
Well, see, here's the problem.

Speaker 3 (34:23):
The Castellinis can't sell the team.

Speaker 5 (34:26):
You know that, right, I didn't know that.

Speaker 2 (34:30):
There's like twelve owners.

Speaker 3 (34:32):
There's an ownership group that owns the Reds, so the
Castellinis have the controlling share, but they do not own
a majority of the team. So I do so yeah,
like you want the Castellinis to sell. They're just they stink,
don't get me wrong, but they don't really like. They
don't have as much oomph as like the Browns, the

(34:55):
Browns and the Blackburns. Do they they own the Bengals,
the Castellinis, we have the controlling share of the Reds,
but there's an ownership group that would all have to
agree to sell the Reds.

Speaker 6 (35:08):
Well, and here's the contrar to that.

Speaker 13 (35:10):
Let's let's assume the valuation of the Bengals that three
point seven billion is somewhat accurate. I think you could
offer them five and they wouldn't sell.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
I don't think they would either.

Speaker 6 (35:18):
It would either.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
It's the family business.

Speaker 13 (35:21):
They're not the type of people to build a house
on turks and caicos and drink umbrella drinks all day long.

Speaker 2 (35:26):
Look, I'll tell you this confidently, Jeff.

Speaker 3 (35:30):
If someone offered me one billion dollars for Bearcat Journal
dot com, y'all would never see or hear from me again.

Speaker 13 (35:39):
Well, you play the power Nobody hit the power ball
last night, there we go exactly.

Speaker 3 (35:45):
So if somebody does hit the power ball this weekend
and I go missing, you know I wouldn't tell people,
but there would be signs. Yeah, the sign would be
you'd never see or hear from me. Ever again goes Ohio.

Speaker 13 (36:00):
Lets you claim it anonymously, Virginia?

Speaker 2 (36:02):
Does I believe so?

Speaker 5 (36:06):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (36:07):
I don't know for sure. I live in God's country.
I don't live in Ohio.

Speaker 13 (36:11):
Well, if you have to stand in front of the camera,
you got to wipe out all your social media disappear.

Speaker 6 (36:17):
You have to disappear.

Speaker 3 (36:19):
I'm going I'll get gone. There will never there won't
be a trace of me left.

Speaker 6 (36:24):
Yeah, exactly. Quick change to your subject. I left this
in a talkback the other night. Who gets more off
the field camera time this weekend?

Speaker 13 (36:33):
Travis and Taylor tonight, Archie and Cooper on Saturday, McConaughey
on Saturday, or Belichick's girlfriend on Monday.

Speaker 2 (36:42):
Travis and Taylor. They just got engaged. She drives.

Speaker 3 (36:48):
Engagement on content more than anyone in the history of content,
but she had The engagement post was the largest post
in the history of Instagram. There's never been a more
viewed post in the history of Instagram.

Speaker 5 (37:03):
I believe.

Speaker 2 (37:04):
The New Heights podcast also said a Guinness World record.
They set a couple of them.

Speaker 3 (37:08):
One of them for the most concurrent viewers in the
history of YouTube, one point three million people watching that
podcast live.

Speaker 13 (37:15):
Yeah, that may keep me from watching your game tonight, unfortunately.

Speaker 6 (37:19):
And just like.

Speaker 13 (37:21):
After the nine milving shot of McConaughey on Saturday, I'm
gonna be like, come on now, guys, he's not even
playing in the game.

Speaker 3 (37:28):
All I have to say to that, Jeff is all right,
all right, all right, exactly.

Speaker 6 (37:37):
Welcome luck to your boys tonight. Chade. Your late night
at the Grail pays off.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
Appreciate it. All right, Let's take one more break for
hour number one. We'll come back to close it out.
This is Sincy three sixty service of Skyline Chile right
here on Cincinnati Sports Station ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati.

Speaker 14 (37:56):
To make it.

Speaker 3 (38:11):
Rolling along, closing out our number three around number one. Sorry,
I got ahead of myself, Drew. I'm ready to get
out of here. We wish it was our number three.
Had a long day, man, I had a long day,
long day. Got a Sincy three six here, get home.
I got a couple of guest spots to do one

(38:32):
including here with my egger. My daughter has a volleyball game.
I am also the the public address announcer for Simon
Kenton Varsity girls volleyball. So I've gotta I've gotta stay
after the daughter's JV game, do the UH starting lineups
and get things started for the varsity game. Then get

(38:54):
down to the Holy Grail watch the Bearcats take on Nebraska.
Then get back home immediately after the game and do
the post game show with Aaron Smith. That should take
me to about three in the morning. That's a full
day right there. Two days actually, if you want to
be taking I mean it's it's into the second day,
You're correct, And it had all started at like six

(39:14):
thirty this morning, getting up and taking the daughter to school.

Speaker 4 (39:17):
Yep, that's a that's a full You're gonna sleep good
tonight when it's all said and done.

Speaker 2 (39:22):
Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to circle back.

Speaker 4 (39:24):
I discussed how the Reds were seventh in total strikeouts
and twenty fourth in home runs. Here's a list of
teams that are top ten in both of those statistical categories.
Are you ready ready? The New York Yankees lead Major
League Baseball and home runs. They are seventh in strikeouts.
Playoff team probably the Seattle Mariners are third in both

(39:45):
categories definitely, you know, playoff team the Angels fourth and
home runs first and strikeouts, So those guys, they they
are a true two outcome team. They either strike out
or they hit the ball over the fence. The Athletics
are sixth in both, and the Detroit Time playoff team
are ninth in home runs and fourth and strikeouts. The Reds,
for comparison, are seventh in strikeouts and twenty fourth in

(40:07):
home runs.

Speaker 5 (40:09):
You can't be see that.

Speaker 3 (40:11):
It's the problem with the entire philosophy of the organization
going wrong right correct, because they decided, Remember, for the
longest time they were drafting like Beer league softball guys.
They wanted corner infielders and outfielders that swung for the
fences and looked like, you know, they could play at
Rumkey Park in a random Wednesday night men's league. And

(40:36):
then they said, okay, we're gonna switch that. We're gonna
be contact pitching, you know, get them on, get him over,
get him in.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
They swung the pendulum too far the other direction.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
Well, they kept the strikeouts and erased the home run
right exactly like when you do that when you move
the needle in that direction, the goal is cut down,
the strikeouts, increase the runners on base, increase contact, increase
your ability to create runs. Well, here's the problem. True

(41:09):
baseball changed. Yep, baseball changed. Strikeouts are right now ingrained
in the fiber of the game because the pitching is
too good, flat out, the pitching is too good, So

(41:31):
strikeouts are going to be high. So this philosophy, if
you're gonna do it, it has to look like what
the Reds were doing when all these guys came up
two years ago, when they were running relentlessly. We're gonna walk,
we're gonna get the second, and hell, we might even
end up at third. And it's a lot easier to

(41:53):
bring a guy home from second and third with a
single than it is to bring him home from first.
But that away last year, Yep, for some reason, they
took that and scrapped it, and they got rid of
the part that could have allowed them to construct this
offense as they they are designing it on the back end.

(42:16):
They're designing it on the back end to focus to
emphasize players that don't hit home runs.

Speaker 2 (42:23):
They've set it out loud.

Speaker 3 (42:25):
They do not want home run hitters because home run
hitters are expensive and they don't have the money to
play that game.

Speaker 4 (42:33):
Yep, that's all well said. One bonus one here, the
Blue Jays are tenth in home runs. They rank thirtieth
in strikeouts. They strike out the fewest in baseball, and
yet are top ten in home runs. If you're wondering
why the Blue Jays are seventy eight and fifty six.

Speaker 3 (42:49):
Yeah, I mean, and how many stres? What's the disparity
between the Blue Jays strikeouts?

Speaker 11 (42:53):
Like?

Speaker 3 (42:53):
Is it a wide gap between them and the middle
like the middle of the pack.

Speaker 4 (42:58):
So let's see here, the Blue Jays have struck out
nine hundred times. The Chicago Cubs are twenty seventh, and
they've struck out over one hundred more. Yeah, the Cubs
are at ten hundred and thirty two and the Blue
Jays are at nine hundred. And that's the gap between
thirtieth and twenty seventh.

Speaker 3 (43:17):
The Blue Jays have clearly, clearly put an organizational emphasis
on contact in an era when that is very hard
to do, very hard to do. It is hard to
hit a baseball in twenty twenty five. They're throwing it
one hundred miles an hour, it's moving, and then they're
dropping it down to eighty six miles an hour and

(43:39):
it's moving even more.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
It's a guy laughed yesterday.

Speaker 3 (43:42):
The guy got mad at me, but I laughed yesterday
at a guy on Twitter that that is of the
uh when we were talking about the bunt from Marte.
Bunting is easy. These guys are professional. They should Bunting
should be easy. Go up there and go. I would
implore you, if you ever have a chance, go up there,

(44:02):
stand in a bunning position and let somebody.

Speaker 2 (44:05):
Throw eighty eight, right, eighty eight.

Speaker 3 (44:09):
I'm not talking one hundred and one, I'm talking eighty eight,
and see what that looks like. And then tell me
that that should be something that's easy to do. Hitting
a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports,
the hardest, single, hardest thing to do in sports.

Speaker 2 (44:27):
And the Reds have decided we're not.

Speaker 3 (44:30):
Gonna cut down on our strikeouts, but we are gonna
cut down on our home runs. And what has happened
the offense, far more often than not, is not good. Yes,
they have nights. Yes, when you get into a series
and you get into a team's fourth and fifth guy,
and you get into their bullpen, you have a good

(44:50):
inning here, you have a good inning there. But I mean,
if you've watched this team at all, you have watched
this team fail to hit over and over and over
and over again this season with any regularity. It's frustrating,
super frustrating. You know what else is gonna be interesting? True,

(45:13):
we are gonna open our number two with maybe the
most optimistic guy in Cincinnati, our.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
Man Jeff Carr.

Speaker 3 (45:21):
And he did not He sounded like he was going
through it at about eleven forty five last night. We're gonna,
We're gonna, We're gonna gauge how bad this is, how
bad this truly is. When we hear from Jeff Carr
at the top of our number two, let's take a break.
Our number one in the books, Let's keep it moving.

(45:42):
Cincinnati is ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (45:44):
Until you see KWY Cincinnati, make us the number one
preset on your car radio and on the free knew
it Improved, iHeartRadio ad Free never sounded so good, ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Texting Privacy Policy and Terms and.

Speaker 1 (45:56):
Since e three sixty about Cincinnati from cincinnat sponsored in
part by Cinci Shirts, Cinci Shirts all since the all
day This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
Here we go our number two Cincinnatis ESPN fifteen thirty
gets your talkbacks in. We'll go to those in the
next segment. But first, most importantly, we're gonna go out
to a former employee at this station, one of the
most optimistic humans I know, and somebody that I'm frankly

(46:36):
a little bit concerned about. Ten days ago, this man
was on top of the world. The Reds were in
a wild card hunt. They were chasing down the Mets
with vigor. Everything looked positive, and ten days later they're
four and a half out of that wildcard spot. The
team that's in front of them got things back on

(46:59):
track and is playing extremely well, and the Cincinnati Rads
not so much. Jeff car from Locked on Rads joins us, Jeff,
it seemed like a rough one last night. How have
you recovered this morning? Did you sleep it off?

Speaker 14 (47:16):
Like?

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Where are you at this morning?

Speaker 5 (47:19):
Sleeping helped? Chad?

Speaker 2 (47:21):
Yeah, I should have tried that.

Speaker 5 (47:24):
I should have tried that.

Speaker 10 (47:27):
It's so frustrating to watch because it's a systemic failure,
Like everywhere you look, they stop pitching, they stopped fielding,
they stopped hitting they it w wasn't like it's one
thing and like we can really focus in on how
bad they've been with runners in scoring position, but that's
also fed into by everything else.

Speaker 15 (47:46):
And it's so frustrating to watch this team right now.
Those three games in Los Angeles just felt like a
a absolute just dumpster fire floating down the river and
then some big old crane just like smashed it.

Speaker 3 (48:01):
Unfortunately, it's felt like so many trips to Los Angeles
for this team over the last twenty five years, Like
it just feels like it's every August September like that
there is this trip west that look, it started out
pretty good, right They won the first two like okay,
and then they won one more the rest of the trip.

(48:23):
They finished the trip three and six. They're now four
and a half out of the wild card. Jeff, I
have to ask you, what's more likely this team makes
the playoffs. This team fails to win eighty one games.
This is going to break your heart. I don't think
that they've finished under five hundred.

Speaker 15 (48:43):
I really don't, so I think it's more likely between
the two that they make the playoffs. But that's just
because I don't think they they finished under five hundred.
I still think they win eighty four ballgames, which is
not enough. It's not going to get you in. It's
not going to catch the nets unless the Mets have
more really, really bad collapse in them. But I feel
like they've kind of figured some things out, and so

(49:05):
the Reds are gonna have to play over their heads
right now for the rest of these five weeks. It's like,
you know, Tito told the press yesterday after the game
that he went down and he talked to the team
and he said, we're gonna have the best five weeks
of our baseball lives, so long as we remember what
we've talked about and completely put everything behind us.

Speaker 3 (49:25):
It's like your family, your religion, and the Green Bay Packers.

Speaker 5 (49:32):
It just literally wipe your brain of everything else that matters.

Speaker 15 (49:36):
But yeah, I just I have such a hard time
believing that they're going to play over their skis that much.
But I also have a hard time believing that they're
gonna continue this collapse. I think they're gonna write the
ship just in time to have a winning season and say, gosh,
gollie g we're gonna get them next year.

Speaker 3 (49:55):
And that's part of the problem. I almost want them
to finish under five hundred at this point because I
think there needs to be some soul searching in this organization.
That's not gonna happen if they finish over five hundred.
I think if they finish over five hundred, they say, man,
we were close. Some things didn't go our way. Another
year of development for these guys, like we're on the

(50:15):
right track. Things are, things are almost there, and I
think if this thing falls flat at the end, I
think they do have to ask some questions and they
have to look inward and say, how do we fix
this offense because it is broken. They strike out too much,
they don't hit any any home runs. Jeff, I've I've read.

(50:35):
I don't know if you heard earlier. This is a
three outcome team. Jeff walks, single, strikeouts and singles.

Speaker 5 (50:45):
That's not it.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
That's not the formula, brother.

Speaker 5 (50:48):
No, that's that's definitely not.

Speaker 15 (50:51):
And I mean it's it's ironic in that one of
the few hits that they got in the finale in
Los Angeles was a solo home run, because up until
that point they were twenty six in games where they
hit a home run. So it's like just hit home runs,
but for whatever reason, that doesn't seem to be part
of the of the recipe with this team. And I

(51:11):
think that that's the tough part too, is that when
you look around this roster and the fact that they
felt the need to play noelvi Marte in centerfield on Tuesday,
that just really underscores the problem here, and that is
they have put together a team that they feel confident
can win eighty three to eighty four games and if
everything goes right, then they're in the playoff race. But

(51:34):
their goal was eighty three or eighty four wins, and
so they're on pace to hit that. They're on pace
to hit their goal. So they're going to go into
the offseason feeling really good about what they did.

Speaker 5 (51:43):
The question is gonna be does that.

Speaker 15 (51:46):
Improve or do they look at everything that they've done
and they say, noelvi Marte has outfield experience, we don't
need an outfielder. We're getting a bunch of pitchers back
from injuries, so our pitching staff's gonna be fine, and
we can move guys into the bullpen who don't fit
into our starting rotation, so we don't need to.

Speaker 5 (52:02):
Go rebuild the bullpen. Although they are.

Speaker 15 (52:04):
Losing Emilio Pagan and they're losing a couple of other guys.
So there's definitely a realm of reality where those who
would go super scorch strength negative about this team kind
of have a point. And it's really hard to dive
into the optimistic side of things and how this team

(52:24):
is growing when you look at some guys and you say, boy,
the main thing that I'm looking at with.

Speaker 5 (52:29):
Him is hope.

Speaker 15 (52:31):
Because the other part of this, and I know that
it'll be an off season discussion. I'm sure we're going
to talk about it a lot over the next six months,
and that is do you move Elie de la Cruz
to the outfield? That doesn't answer anything, It just moves
one question to another place.

Speaker 3 (52:49):
But here's my only Like, this is the point I made,
I think last week, Jeff. The problem with Elliot's short
right now, as it currently stands, they have made it
clear they are not gonna spend big on a bat
like a on a true thirty five forty home run guy.

(53:11):
If they produce one internally, great, but they're not gonna
go into the open market and do that. If you
don't do that, the offense is regardless, going to be
in a similar position next year as it is this year,
because you're not able to completely overhaul things in a season.
If he can't fix his issues in the field, it's

(53:36):
costing them games. Like we are past the point he's
going into year four next year, we are past the
point of going he'll figure it out. He'll figure it out,
He'll figure it out. I have been the most staunched.
Ellie's a shortstop guy that I know, but I'm looking
at it now and saying, if they are going to
force the air the margin of error to be this small,

(53:59):
I have to wonder what his future is in the field.

Speaker 15 (54:03):
The only problem because I like the idea of exploring
other options with him, but the only problem with that
is you then open up two question marks. Number One,
can he fit in the outfield, because we've seen two
different outcomes with that with shortstops moving into the outfield.
Fernando Tatis looks like a Platinum Glove candidate for the

(54:26):
National League, and O'Neil Cruz you just hope he catches
the ball because he's very mediocre in center field, but
he doesn't work at shortstop. And if that's what the
Reds solution is to move Alli de la Cruz to
the outfield. So, okay, you open up that question of
what type of field or will he be out there?
How healthy will he be out there? And then the

(54:48):
second question that you answer that you bring up is
who's going to play shortstop now? Because you've moved everybody
else away, right, And if it's if Matt McClain is
your answer, then you have to answer ask, you know,
is he gonna hit? Is he gonna figure things out?
Because I want to believe that this is a sophomore slump.
I want to believe that this is you know, he's

(55:09):
still coming back from the injury. But it's a large
sample size now that we've seen of him, just very yeah.

Speaker 5 (55:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 15 (55:21):
So so do you move Noel v Martelle back to
shortste Well, I don't know that he's much in the infield.
I think we're liking what we see potential wise in
the right field.

Speaker 5 (55:30):
So then do you call it? Edwin Arroyo?

Speaker 15 (55:32):
Guy has no power whatsoever, like less than the Reds won.
So it's it's so frustrating right now to look at
that because it does feel like the first solution that
the Reds will seek out to fill other positions. Of
need is to move guys around, and that has not
worked for them because they have not trained those guys.

(55:54):
Those guys have not developed at that position. They developed
at the position that the Reds drafted that and then
they got up to the major leagues and went ogi.
We can only play one short stop, so we got
to move all these other guys.

Speaker 3 (56:07):
It is part of the I suggested this earlier. It
is part of the fix to this. If they are
going to stick to this, we're drafting the best athlete.
We're drafting shortstops because shortstops are the best athlete. Then
you know what you wh when you make that decision
to pull the trigger. You make a decision where do
we see this guy, and you make that move early

(56:31):
in their career so that they spend those years in
the minors in development. If you want him to be
a corner outfielder, play him at both spots, figure out
which won their best at. If you want him at third,
play them at third. If you want him at second,
play him at second. But enough of this, We're gonna
play him at shortstop, ride them all the way up
to the major leagues, and then when they get to
the highest level of the sport, then we'll decide what

(56:54):
to do with them.

Speaker 15 (56:56):
Yep, that's dumb, you know, it's it's one hundred percent
what's happened, and that's what we're looking at this problem,
and they refuse to go actually acquire the position players
that they need. Like, you cannot continue to just keep
moving outfielders or infielders into the outfield and saying we
fixed the outfield because you just ask different questions of

(57:17):
guys that you had questions about on the infield. Right,
So then you move into the outfield and the questions change.

Speaker 5 (57:23):
They don't go away.

Speaker 15 (57:24):
You're just you're you're It's a lateral move right now,
like Nabi Martet to right field is a lateral move
that it seems to be ticking up a little bit.
But don't start telling us that he's a center fielder
now because he played a game out there in Los Angeles.

Speaker 2 (57:39):
He's got experience in center field. I saw it, je I.

Speaker 5 (57:43):
Saw Kyle Farmers a catcher thing right like.

Speaker 15 (57:49):
I just it's so frustrating because there is so much talent,
but it feels like it's very mismanaged and very misplaced.

Speaker 3 (57:57):
I agreed, agreed, here is no matter what happens, Jeff,
I think this is a critical next twenty eight games,
and I'll tell you why I think it is a
critical next twenty eight games because when we get to February,
January and February, I do not want to look at
the pitching staff and say, I.

Speaker 5 (58:18):
Trust these guys.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
I know they're good, but I also know none of
them have pitched into August in September. I know none
of them have been in high leverage situations. I know
none of them have seen their innings count go one
forty one to fifty. Outside of Brady Singer, everybody else
has been below that mark. I need this group to
get to the finish line because if this isn't the year,

(58:44):
and it's looking very much more likely that it's not,
I don't want to have the same questions about pitchers
I think are very good and I trust, but I
always what is that one thing that sticks out? And
the one thing that sticks out is they have four
starters that had never thrown more than one hundred and
sixty innings, and injuries might prevent like the actual number

(59:08):
from getting up there. But I need to see these
guys finish this, and I expand that to the whole team.
I have one expectation for them the rest of this year,
and it's something they haven't done, and it's something that
looks really hard for them to do. But for the
rest of this year, and I'm not saying a little

(59:29):
bit here and then not so much there, the rest
of this year, play clean baseball and let's see what happens.
You know, I don't know that that's going to get
them where they need to go, because clean baseball could
still mean that they get eighty four, maybe eighty five wins,
and then you really are hoping for a collapse from
the Mets or the Padres or even the Phillies. The

(59:49):
Phillies seem like they're collapsing right now and they've lost
their race to a crazy, crazy blood clot issue. But
at the same time, like all of that being said,
take care of what you can take care of, because.

Speaker 5 (01:00:02):
They haven't done that.

Speaker 15 (01:00:03):
There's been so many points in this season where we
just scratch our heads as though it looks like you
can make some sort of you could try to throw
some sort of excuse out there and be like, well,
it's early, it's no longer early. It's not being early
about two months ago and we're still seeing the same
early mistake. So just play clean baseball and let's see

(01:00:24):
what happens the bullpen.

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
Is it time to panic kind of about where the
state of the bullpen as we get into.

Speaker 5 (01:00:32):
This last month.

Speaker 3 (01:00:34):
I had felt I felt pretty good about it coming
out of last year. I felt pretty good about it
for a good chunk of this year. But boy, the
wheels have been wobbling for a couple of weeks.

Speaker 6 (01:00:46):
Now.

Speaker 15 (01:00:47):
I am hopeful, but I'm hopefuls. Let's go with that,
because I think that Graham Ashcraft is going to return
at some point, but that's not the reason I'm hopeful.
I think he could be replaced by Maxwell or Phillips,
one of the two, and maybe it's a little bit
of both, because those guys stuff, the stuff that they

(01:01:12):
have is just so fantastic. And I think that we
have seen, and Cowboy has said this on the broadcast
a couple of different times, we've seen a little bit
of maturity in the way that Connor Phillips pitches, and
he's a little bit better at commanding, and then if
the command falls apart, he's able to right the ship
on the next step, Matt, because in twenty twenty three
when we saw him, and in twenty twenty four in

(01:01:34):
the minors when he got sent to Arizona to like
figure some things out, when he lost command, he lost
control of the game. But we saw it in Los
Angeles he lost command where he walked two guys in
a row and you're like, oh boy, here we go.
But he was able to buckle down and finish that
any And I really think there's something to these guys
that they could improve the B squad side of this

(01:01:57):
bullpen and help out the A squad and Pagan and
Santion so that they're not half in the pitch every
other day, which we haven't seen them in a few days,
just because the Reds haven't played that well. And so
I think that ultimately, I'm still hopeful that the bullpen
can hold its own the rest of this year.

Speaker 3 (01:02:13):
Is it gonna need work in the off season or
do you look at it and say, we think, like
you said, Pegan is probably gonna be gone out. It
would be a surprise to see them pay what he's
probably gonna command in the open market. But future wise,
do you look at this thing and say I feel
confident with the foundation of the bullpen.

Speaker 15 (01:02:36):
They definitely need well, yes, I feel confident about the
foundation of the bullpen.

Speaker 5 (01:02:39):
They're gonna need to fill in the margins.

Speaker 15 (01:02:41):
They're gonna need to make sure that they really support
the guys next year, because I don't know that Graham
Ashcraft has pitched his way into the closer role like
we thought in one year. I think we're gonna need
to see this one more year to see if the
experiment's gonna work. I'm okay with the idea of he's
Santem being the closer, but I think that they need

(01:03:02):
to really bring in a strong setup man to lead
into him because if you let Agan walk, which like
you said, I agree with you. I think that he
gets a big deal somewhere else, then you're going to
have to replace that spot on the A squad.

Speaker 5 (01:03:19):
There's nobody that's really.

Speaker 15 (01:03:21):
Jumped up for me to be like, yes, that guy
can be trusted in the biggest of situations. Maybe Scott Barlow,
but again, he's becoming a free agent too, so do
you bring him back? And I would like to see
that because I think they've ran that dude into the ground,
and yet he's still pitching pretty well. So I ultimately
there's definitely going to be some open seats that they

(01:03:42):
have to fill through free agency or trades or whatever.

Speaker 5 (01:03:46):
But yes, I do agree. I think I like the
bullpen foundation moving forward.

Speaker 2 (01:03:51):
JAB Who you got tonight?

Speaker 6 (01:03:56):
Well, Bearcats?

Speaker 5 (01:03:57):
Obviously you got.

Speaker 2 (01:03:59):
Any breakdown of the game.

Speaker 3 (01:04:00):
Have you researched any you got any insight, you got
any feelings about it?

Speaker 5 (01:04:05):
I think they're going to control the ball well.

Speaker 15 (01:04:06):
I think that we're gonna see a nice running offense
that really takes the pressure off of you know, Brent Sorsby,
and I think that he's going to ultimately make the
plays he needs to make. I feel good about the
Bearcats winning a low scoring affair.

Speaker 3 (01:04:22):
You're gonna come down and join us at the Holy
Grail watch the game. I think Taren Blant's coming down there.

Speaker 12 (01:04:28):
I might.

Speaker 5 (01:04:28):
I might have to see if I can.

Speaker 15 (01:04:30):
I know, we got a lot going on with the
Lockdown Network, A big squad show going on tonight, So
we'll see what.

Speaker 3 (01:04:35):
I kick off not until nine o'clock, Bro, We're gonna
be there till past midnight.

Speaker 2 (01:04:40):
We're gonna be there for a while.

Speaker 5 (01:04:42):
I'm gonna tell you what. He's late game.

Speaker 15 (01:04:44):
That's, you know, from a completely fan perspective, I'm at
the West Coast road trip is over me.

Speaker 3 (01:04:50):
Well there's another one coming in another week and a half,
so get ready for it. Jeff, Thank you so much.

Speaker 8 (01:04:54):
Man.

Speaker 2 (01:04:54):
Where can I find you?

Speaker 15 (01:04:56):
You can always follow the Lockdown Reds podcast everywhere you
get your podcast, including the iHeartRadio app. You can also
watch us on YouTube and follow me on the Socials
on x and on TikTok at Jeff car with three.

Speaker 3 (01:05:07):
F's appreciate you, Jeff ff Cary. There you go, Jeff
car I drill. That man's unflappable, unflappable. That's the that's
the perfect word to describe Jeff Carr. That man is
one night of sleep and we're right back, right back
on it, baby, right back on it. I love it.

(01:05:27):
I love it because I feel like I'm being cynical
about the Reds right now. I need Jeff Carr's shot
of optimism. Speaking of shots of optimism, talkbacks next.

Speaker 2 (01:05:42):
Since he three sixty Cincinnati's ESPN fifty thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:05:45):
Here every show at ESPN fifteen thirty, dot Com.

Speaker 2 (01:06:20):
Talkbacks, talk back Huts, get to it.

Speaker 6 (01:06:24):
Drew.

Speaker 16 (01:06:26):
Hey, guys, it's the common talkback batters guy. And I'm
just so happy that Tad you're in and Drew you're in.
I mean, obviously we like the other two as well,
but it's so refreshing just to get a different side
in the story. So with that being said, the red suck.

(01:06:48):
The management sucks. They knew all along that they sucked,
and they didn't do nothing again this year to address
the bopper.

Speaker 2 (01:06:56):
No argument there. We talked about it the entire offseason.
They knew.

Speaker 3 (01:07:01):
That's the thing that look if we knew, they knew,
and they decided not to do it. They decided not
to address it, and they decided that it would be
okay if they didn't, and it's not, and it hasn't
been all year.

Speaker 17 (01:07:19):
Hey Joe from case here, I know you get a
lot of stuff, Chad, but I do love when you host.

Speaker 5 (01:07:24):
Thank you.

Speaker 17 (01:07:25):
Secondly, of all, the Job's troll job is probably my
second favorite. And then as far as you see goes,
i'd like to get your opinion on mister Corleoni on
the D line. I know he's had injuries and stuff,
but I just feel like he's not as disruptive as
he could slash should be. I don't know what's your

(01:07:47):
thoughts of him.

Speaker 3 (01:07:48):
I think if you actually really watch, he is insanely disruptive.
I think the problem is they haven't had adequate talent
around him to make teams pay for what they do
to try. I mean, you are not guarded. You are
not blocking Dante Corleone with one guy ever a Dana Holgerson,

(01:08:09):
who's the court the offensive coordinator at Nebraska now. He
joked around earlier this week drew that in one of
the games against Houston when Dana was at Houston, that
Dante Corleone retired three of his offensive linemen in the
first series and that somebody, what do you mean by that?

(01:08:29):
He was like he killed them, Like he he just
ate them alive because they tried to go one on
one with him. And that is supposed to open up
everybody else, but Cincinnati hasn't had anybody else that has
fully taken advantage of having Dante Corleone in the middle.

Speaker 4 (01:08:50):
Yeah, I think he's gonna have to play a big
role tonight if you see wants to come out on top.

Speaker 2 (01:08:56):
The guys around him.

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
Jalen Hunt, Micah Coleman, J McCrae, the Virginia Tech transfer,
Mark west Parker, the sophomore from Memphis. Those guys have
to take advantage of the attention that Dante draws because
guess what I just told you. The offensive coordinator from
Houston is very familiar with Dante Corleone, and Dante corleon

(01:09:21):
used to eat those Houston offensive lines alive. But can't
anybody else do anything with it? You're gonna get singled.
Go win, go win the snap.

Speaker 9 (01:09:33):
Hello, this is former president Ronald Riggan Ronnick Will. Does
anyone here think that Burrow, Chase Higgins and Hendrickson Will
all have the same stellar seasons this year that they
did last And even if they do, it wasn't good
enough last year to get into the playoffs. What have

(01:09:54):
the Bengals done to make up that difference for this year?

Speaker 5 (01:10:00):
Where is the hope? That that's the big question?

Speaker 2 (01:10:04):
Up with hope?

Speaker 3 (01:10:05):
Damn with dope? Uh, that's the big question. Forty one percent, Drew,
do you see that number today? I did not forty
one What do you think that number is? Forty one
percent to make the playoffs? Some guys, No, that is
the percentage of the cap being consumed by Joe Burrow, T. Higgins,
Jamar Chase and Drey Hendrickson forty one percent. Four guys

(01:10:27):
get forty one percent. Forty nine guys get fifty nine percent.

Speaker 2 (01:10:32):
That's wild.

Speaker 3 (01:10:33):
And I don't know how Joe could be better, Like
maybe he maybe he does, maybe he is. Like I'm
not going to rule it out, but he was amazing
yep last year and it wasn't enough.

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):
It's a good question, mister President.

Speaker 18 (01:10:51):
Hey, guys, Jeff and New Richmond death Thursday two yet
not even guns talk about the Reds, but just say
that the season is over as far as you see tonight, Chad,
I am very nervous. I don't think County Duty is
a good coach, never thought he was. They're gonna get
exposed tonight. I mean, I go to Nebraska thirty five

(01:11:13):
to twenty and let the lynching begin to remove him
and cutting Ham.

Speaker 4 (01:11:20):
Okay, how do you really feel, Jeff, that's gonna be
a tough show to do tomorrow for Kats lose thirty
five to twenty.

Speaker 5 (01:11:30):
It's gonna be a tough and while nevermind.

Speaker 19 (01:11:33):
I'll tell you what if you don't like what the
Reds are doing, right now, then you just don't like
Reds Baseball. What they have done this year is exactly
what they want to do every year going forward. They're
not always gonna have the bats, they're not always gonna
have the arms. But what they always want to do
is hover around five hundred, eliminate peaks and valleys, stay
relevant through the summer, sell half a stadium's worth of

(01:11:55):
tickets on Friday nights, maybe make the playoffs once or
twice a decade. If they're lucky, Good luck where you're
gonna go. He's right, Yep, he's exactly right.

Speaker 3 (01:12:05):
I mean, how many concerts have we seen scheduled for August?

Speaker 2 (01:12:09):
A lot? They know, Like they're not stupid, they know.

Speaker 20 (01:12:16):
I just want to remind Mike from LA that he's
calling into Sency three sixty, not LA three sixty.

Speaker 2 (01:12:26):
I think he knows that.

Speaker 3 (01:12:27):
I think he's also listening every day from Los Angeles.
Kudos to that man. The Padres move Tatist Junior to
the outfield. The Pirates moved O'Neil Cruz to the outfield.
The Reds need to move Ellie to the outfield. He's
been there for three seasons at shortstop. Defensively, he's not

(01:12:49):
gotten much better at all. If this team is really
serious about winning, they have to bring in somebody from
inside or outside the organization to play shortstop at a
higher defense of the level next season.

Speaker 4 (01:13:02):
Well, and it's like Jeff Carr pointed out, he used,
obviously the two obvious the examples there if Tatis and
O'Neal Cruz, one O'Neal Cruz is not the example. Yeah,
one one is playing platinum glove defense in the outfield. One,
as Jeff Carr said, you wonder if he's going to
catch the ball.

Speaker 3 (01:13:19):
He's playing aluminum glove defense in the outfield. That's not
the that's not the standard bearer that I think you won.

Speaker 8 (01:13:29):
Drew. Always good to have your host in the show.

Speaker 5 (01:13:31):
Thank you, La Mike.

Speaker 2 (01:13:33):
You can call in whenever you want.

Speaker 21 (01:13:35):
I want to hear you break down the Padres farm
system sometime.

Speaker 12 (01:13:40):
Now.

Speaker 11 (01:13:40):
Talk about that.

Speaker 5 (01:13:42):
Lakota.

Speaker 2 (01:13:43):
You see math tells me.

Speaker 4 (01:13:46):
Nebraska is closest to Kansas City than Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (01:13:49):
But we're the home team. But I guess that's just
for financial reason. Correct.

Speaker 3 (01:13:55):
The game was originally so there was a game scheduled
for uh Nebrassu in twenty twenty and COVID nicks that
because they didn't play non conference games that year. That
changed the process. So the game was at Nippert was
supposed to happen this year, it got moved to a

(01:14:17):
neutral field, initially Lucas Oil Stadium, and then this group
from Kansas City came in and offered a significant portion
of money to move the game to Arrowhead because of
revenue share and and needing to have that extra twenty
million dollars to play the players this year, Cincinnati kind

(01:14:38):
of was in a position where they had to say yes.

Speaker 2 (01:14:40):
But what what What did I do to loud talkback guy?

Speaker 12 (01:14:45):
He just.

Speaker 2 (01:14:47):
I thought I was good with loud talkback guy. Apparently not.

Speaker 4 (01:14:51):
You might need to have a little sit down together
and figure figure some stuff out.

Speaker 2 (01:14:55):
I'm upset. Maybe a lot of talk talkback guy will
be at Holy Grail tonight.

Speaker 3 (01:14:58):
A loud talkback guy s and Kelly Flowers at the
hospital when she was sick, like I.

Speaker 2 (01:15:04):
Maybe he was.

Speaker 4 (01:15:05):
He thinks you already you already know that he knows
he likes it when you host, and he was just
giving me some props.

Speaker 3 (01:15:11):
I don't mind have given you props, But I like
I feel like chop liver. Now s all right, you'll
get through it. I'm gonna be okay.

Speaker 22 (01:15:19):
This is just a recap for anybody you missed the
first half hour of the show with La Sports a
day for Mike, the Dodgers are getting hot, so they're
a team you should watch out for. Yes, the team
was the best odds by double to win the World Series.
Who have the best player baseball that's won three of
the past four m vps and are the reigning World champions,
and also had the highest payroll in baseball by ten

(01:15:41):
million dollars. So if the Dodgers weren't on your radar,
wash out, they should be.

Speaker 2 (01:15:48):
Mike is catching just catching.

Speaker 3 (01:15:51):
I don't think there's strays like I think I actually
are a little bit more direct. They're direct, like they
are aimed.

Speaker 5 (01:15:58):
Hey, ched excited about the game. Thanks?

Speaker 23 (01:16:00):
Just quick question, what do you think is more important
for you see the basketball program or the football program.
I'm thinking basketball. I mean that's I think that's their identity.
But I'm curious to hear what you have to say.

Speaker 3 (01:16:14):
It depends on what you're talking about. Financially, it's football.
Football drives the bus. But Historically, this is a school
that was built on its basketball program. So when you
talk about like fan support and deep rooted ties and
passion and desire, it's U see basketball. But when it

(01:16:37):
comes to college athletics in twenty twenty five, football makes
the money. So it's an interesting dynamic that that you
don't have in a lot of places.

Speaker 12 (01:16:50):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (01:16:50):
But I think the university is aware that football drives
the bus, but also that basketball in this community. The
U see basketball is is ingrained in this community. There
are you know, decades and decades and decades of people
that grew up around and loving you see basketball. Do
you see football program essentially is twenty five years old,

(01:17:11):
So it's just a different conversation.

Speaker 20 (01:17:15):
Hey guys, it's it's and I have a short collection
of poetry today.

Speaker 2 (01:17:19):
All right, here we go. Feel indulge me.

Speaker 5 (01:17:21):
I'm gonna get killed for some reason.

Speaker 2 (01:17:22):
I feel like row hosts ro hosts.

Speaker 20 (01:17:25):
Wherefore art thou offense?

Speaker 6 (01:17:27):
Row hosts? Here?

Speaker 20 (01:17:29):
I sit all broken hearted. McLean tries to hit, but
Stuart should have started Red's Are Red, Dodgers Are Blue?
That series was garbage and Nick Krawl.

Speaker 2 (01:17:42):
Is too, thank you.

Speaker 3 (01:17:45):
I thought I was going to take as stray. Nick
Kral caught one. Look, it's well done. It's well done.
I'm not as down on Nick Krawl as others because
I think Nick Krawl does a decent job operating with
the restrictions that he is. Uh, given what these shackles
placed on him from his ownership group, I thought he'd

(01:18:06):
when you look at like what he was able to
go do without spending any money really at the trade deadline.
Pretty impressive. Yeah, pretty good. Honestly, I feel the exact
same way about Nick Kral. He's he's the easy target,
but I'm with you. I think for what he did
with the constraints that he had on him to go
and acquire three players who have have been impactful for

(01:18:27):
the Reds since they've acquired them, and to tell Key
Brian Hayes and Andrew Harrw I know, nursing a bit
of a sore squad right now, which is why you
didn't really see him.

Speaker 4 (01:18:35):
Much in the Dodger series. So, uh yeah, I give
him credit there. Obviously he's not without fault either, but
uh yeah, I don't really. Nick Kral doesn't get a
lot of my vitriol.

Speaker 2 (01:18:46):
Most of the time.

Speaker 24 (01:18:48):
Repping my city out here, Sonny Hotz, what my g man?
I love a bump of music. Keep on pumping player, yo,
Mike Mark, Yeah, I'm giving you guys, y'all flower, y'all
some passionate fans. I love the energy. I love of negativity.
I love the positivity of boat. That's what you are.

Speaker 2 (01:19:02):
When you're diehard fan.

Speaker 24 (01:19:03):
You always got to represent your city, call your organization out.
They're acting like bums and that's what they are doing
right now. Reds got swept, wear the white flag, Bengals
make the Super Bowl run.

Speaker 2 (01:19:14):
This is our time and you see do me a
favorite beat?

Speaker 5 (01:19:16):
Nebraska? Well said, Well said.

Speaker 6 (01:19:20):
Ron Chad Brindle.

Speaker 2 (01:19:27):
I got you first. You might want to wipe after
that one. That wasn't it. I got your first, though,
Yes you did.

Speaker 5 (01:19:38):
Hey guys, this is Ryan.

Speaker 3 (01:19:39):
Ryan Pats won in twenty nineteen on the road home game.

Speaker 5 (01:19:45):
That makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 25 (01:19:46):
And the Reds took all my forks because I stuck
all my forks in them.

Speaker 12 (01:19:51):
Good day.

Speaker 2 (01:19:55):
The guy was never mind, I'm gonna just go the
next one.

Speaker 26 (01:20:00):
Dolls, Mike and Mark need a sponsorship at this point.

Speaker 6 (01:20:04):
Can we just make from.

Speaker 26 (01:20:05):
Like quarter till one till one third time, so I
know to tune out, because every time it seems like
I'm about to tune in, I hear their droning, boring
takes on things, and and then I just turn it off.

Speaker 5 (01:20:24):
Can we just can we stop with the everyday calls? Please?

Speaker 3 (01:20:28):
It's not my it's not my show. I'm just I'm
just the steward of this show for the day. Yep,
we call in, We talked to them. That's how that's
how it goes when Chad and I are are in
the seats.

Speaker 6 (01:20:41):
This is also Mike from l A. That's lower Avondale.

Speaker 21 (01:20:44):
And you know how about them Dodgers to sleep in
the reds and you know their season might be done
at this point, but you know, I'm getting excited for
football season. Talk a little Rams, talk a little Chargers,
and you know, let's take from there.

Speaker 6 (01:21:00):
I'm pumped. Even college ball.

Speaker 4 (01:21:02):
U c LA, let's go, baby, Even people and even
people in LA don't talk about the Chargers or or
u c l A. Yeah for sure, all right, last
one unless one comes up with the buzzer.

Speaker 5 (01:21:13):
Shout out Mike from LA. Everybody needs to leave him alone.

Speaker 6 (01:21:16):
He's a loyal listener. He's a good man.

Speaker 5 (01:21:18):
He's a good boy.

Speaker 25 (01:21:20):
We're all just jealous because he's out there winning championships.
He's got good teams and organizations are roof for and
we're sitting here stuck in the same old trash.

Speaker 6 (01:21:28):
Where are you gonna go?

Speaker 5 (01:21:31):
Not wrong?

Speaker 3 (01:21:31):
Heavy heavy mic in La day. I mean you know
that Mike kind of look. I love Mike, Mike, Mike
is you know, I hold Mike's friendship dearly. But when
you go off like that, you're asking for people to
react to it. You're absolutely right, and that is all
the talkbacks for today. Let me let me give advice
for people out there. If you don't want the smoke,

(01:21:54):
don't ask for the smoke, like if you just if you,
if they don't think that it's getting to you, people
will stop coming at you. If they know that it's
getting to you, you're gonna get six talkbacks taking a
shot at you.

Speaker 5 (01:22:09):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:22:10):
It's just you know, I like the smoke, so welcome.
I fan the flames like I can give it. I
can take it like I'm good. But you know, if
it bothers you, then just don't let people know it
bothers you, and they won't they won't do it anymore.
Let's take a break, a little touch and go and
we get done there after this.

Speaker 2 (01:22:29):
Yeah, probably what it is. Okay, we'll touch and go. Cincinnati,
ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:22:33):
On ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station, Close it.

Speaker 5 (01:22:45):
Out Hour number three.

Speaker 3 (01:22:47):
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zach Taylor was at the podium
about forty five minutes ago. Let's let's go down to
pay Corse Stadium to hear what he had to say.

Speaker 5 (01:22:58):
Was spent kind of besting kind of the skill positions.
Was the whole thist offseason?

Speaker 6 (01:23:02):
How important is that.

Speaker 27 (01:23:03):
Been for you over Well, it's I mean, those guys
are going to play important roles for us at some point,
and so we're alls, you know, Jamar and t They're
not gonna play every snap. There's gonna be times where
they got to be out and the other guys have
to be able to step up. And so in terms
of second team, you know, he wasn't really out there
with the second team. He was out there with some
receivers that are you know, maybe are our three, four

(01:23:24):
and five, which is gonna happen over time, whether that's
due to injury or whether it's just due to the
plan and give them guys a break, And so that
was something he had talked to me weeks before. You know,
I really want to play with these guys and make
sure we get real reps with them, and which we
do in practice, but I think in the in the
game it's it's meaningful as well that.

Speaker 16 (01:23:42):
You have What does that do for you as a
play caller and an offensive designer and.

Speaker 27 (01:23:46):
All that kind Yeah, we don't want to we don't
want to miss a beat and that not everyone's Jamar
and t but those guys have worked really hard to
make sure that it's not a clear distinction if if
the Bengals are missing a receiver, still have a really
deep core that we trust in the tight end room
is a huge part of that, and those guys all
play a significant role for us in the passing game.

(01:24:08):
And and you know the running backs as well. You know,
it's it's Chase is the most explosive of them. But
Samaj is extremely reliable. He and Joe have have a
great rapport in terms of what Joe needs from him
in terms of the passing game. And Taj has done
an excellent job coming in here in such a short
notice and being a guy that we can trust as well.

(01:24:29):
So collectively as a skill group, it's a it's a
very deep, deep group.

Speaker 11 (01:24:34):
You mentioned as work out how he impressed.

Speaker 15 (01:24:36):
But when you bring in a better especially in offense alignment,
what are you looking for in that stage.

Speaker 27 (01:24:42):
Of Yeah, just to make sure they've been doing something,
you know, and and and he had, you know, and
he was gung ho to do it. Some guys probably
would have said, no, I'm not doing that. You can
sign me or not.

Speaker 14 (01:24:50):
And he was.

Speaker 27 (01:24:51):
He was kind of over the top, like I want
to do this and if you want me to run
a forty, I'll run a forty him and he was
just over the top. You could you could get a
feel for his mindset. Is a erinus and so we're
happy to.

Speaker 28 (01:25:01):
Have him mentioned when he walked in. But obviously a
big game tonight, Nebrasky. You see you have ties on
both sides.

Speaker 6 (01:25:08):
What do you like?

Speaker 27 (01:25:09):
Yeah, you're trying to get me. I mean, you can't
ever go against your alma mater. That's that's my alma mater.
I've really come to appreciate coach Sadderfield. You know, he's
he's been a good friend to me, and and I've
got to know him very well, and so I'm you see,
it was great to me during my time there. So
I always support them. So sometimes you get caught in
a no win situation here. Pete Thomas is another guy,

(01:25:33):
you know, he's the quarterback coach there. I remember Pete
when he was a senior in high school. He came
to the Texas Elite Quarterback Academy at Texas A and M.
And one of our first campers. He came with a
couple other guys, and so I was a ga talking
to the quarterbacks. I remember it was a big deal
to get Pete Thomas to come to the camp. And
he ended up playing at I think Colorado State and
Nancy State and and uh had a good college career.

(01:25:53):
But he's a quarterback coacher.

Speaker 28 (01:25:55):
Do you pay attention much to your alma motum nazi
of so much other stuff going on around here, But
you play much to do?

Speaker 6 (01:26:02):
You know?

Speaker 27 (01:26:03):
I took my son's there in January because they had
never gotten a chance to really go see the facilities there.
So we went to a basketball game and and toward
the football facility. They're huge Nebraska fans, you know, I
want them to have a team that they can latch onto.
They're big into pro sports, which I wasn't as a
kid because I'm from Oklahoma. But obviously they're in the
pro football more than anything. But I think it's really

(01:26:24):
good for for kids to have a college to latch
onto and pool for in all sports. And so they're
they're very invested in football. And we watch all the
basketball and I mean one of my friends just got
the volleyball jobs, so we're watching every Nebraska sports.

Speaker 28 (01:26:37):
Trust me, what was their impression of Lincoln.

Speaker 14 (01:26:41):
We went in January. They loved it.

Speaker 5 (01:26:47):
What's in the decision of the decision to bring him
onto the practice squad.

Speaker 27 (01:26:52):
Yeah, a guy that we've tracked for a while, always
had a high opinion of, and so last year he
was leaving Chicago, we were aware of him. This year
leaving Tones Soto, we're aware of him seeing him play
in Denver, you know, years ago, and in La So
guy we've always liked, thinks he's a really good fit
in our room, and statistically, we just wanted to have
the high school the greatest high school quarterback room of

(01:27:14):
all time because if you look at the stats and
at him up.

Speaker 14 (01:27:16):
It's it's it's unbelievable.

Speaker 27 (01:27:18):
Can anybody tell me how many touchdowns they combined to
throw a foreign.

Speaker 14 (01:27:21):
College and high school? I mean high school. Anybody give
me a guess? Five two?

Speaker 27 (01:27:29):
I think I through nineteen my senior year through five two. Jake,
Jake has every national record. Brett has most of the
Washington high school records. I believe brote, Kellen Moore's. I
don't know where Joe. I know Joe threw fight eleven
five hundred, which I think is third. I think the
kid at Moeller's breathing down his neck here to break

(01:27:51):
that and be behind the two mock brothers that were
at Kenton High School calling their own plays back in
the day. So it's it's it was a good football state.
So there's been a lot of great quarterbacks through all
three of those states, and our group has done as
well as anybody.

Speaker 5 (01:28:04):
It's really weird on uhi.

Speaker 29 (01:28:10):
And went on what yep, yep, yep. I don't know
what i'd but yeah, you're right. They've known each other,
they've known each other for a long time.

Speaker 6 (01:28:21):
They've been battling.

Speaker 5 (01:28:22):
I mean it seems like they've always.

Speaker 27 (01:28:23):
Been Yeah, they've they've you know, they're not from the
same spot, but they've obviously been aware of each other
for a long time. I mean, I didn't honestly know
that going into this, but I've been wearing that over
the last forty.

Speaker 5 (01:28:35):
Are you go?

Speaker 2 (01:28:35):
Zach Taylor.

Speaker 3 (01:28:38):
Pay Course Stadium earlier this afternoon, about an hour ago
on the mic.

Speaker 4 (01:28:43):
And court a little bit at the end there a
little bit chopping it up.

Speaker 2 (01:28:46):
I like that.

Speaker 3 (01:28:47):
That's that's not a normal Zach Taylor thing. He's he's
not a chop it up guy.

Speaker 5 (01:28:55):
By the way.

Speaker 3 (01:28:56):
Uh, it is official. Dalton Riisner a Cincinnati but there
are some corresponding moves, including Eric Gregory, the defensive tackle,
was waived. He was a rookie out of Arkansas signed
as a college free agent in May. They've also added
offensive tackle Javon Foster to the practice squad and safety

(01:29:19):
Russ Yeast to the practice squad. Offensive tackle Devin Cochrane
released from the practice squad. He played nine games for
the Bengals last year.

Speaker 2 (01:29:29):
So take a break.

Speaker 3 (01:29:30):
Kegan Nickolson live from Kansas City, Missouri. Coming up next
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. This is since he three to sixty.

Speaker 1 (01:29:40):
East Coast Subs since he three to sixty of Bout
Cincinnati from Cincinnati spontered in part by Pennstation East Coast Subs.
Handcrafted hot grilled subs, fresh cut fries, and lemonade. It's
all about good taste. Pennstation East Coast Subs order online today.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 2 (01:30:10):
Here we go, hour number three. Sorry, Drew, I was
there's Texas Roadhouse rolls to go and get some of
that Texas Roadhouse in the break room. We Texas Roadhouse
rolls in the break room.

Speaker 5 (01:30:23):
I finished chewing this one up.

Speaker 2 (01:30:24):
I didn't know we were back so quick.

Speaker 3 (01:30:28):
Well, the other show that I do, the breaks are longer,
especially like the top of the hour breaks.

Speaker 4 (01:30:35):
The Moeger radio show has the Sports Center updates at
the top of every hour.

Speaker 3 (01:30:39):
Right, So I and my I internally had like an
extra like forty five seconds before I had to get
back in here.

Speaker 5 (01:30:47):
You made it.

Speaker 3 (01:30:48):
I made it. I came in and I heard the music,
but I was chewing the role. I was like, oh boy,
and those Texas Roadhouse rolls they're a little chewy.

Speaker 5 (01:30:56):
That's I know.

Speaker 2 (01:30:57):
Keegan's big on Texas Roadhouse rolls.

Speaker 25 (01:30:59):
Right, Keigs, you're you're the deacon of professionalism. You know
it comes back mouthful of food on the ESPN radio
station that you shouldn't expect anything else.

Speaker 2 (01:31:12):
Well, I didn't plan that.

Speaker 3 (01:31:13):
I thought I had an extra forty five seconds to swallow.
But then the bumper music was ending as I sat
down in the chair. So the the biggest like faux
pas in radio Kegan is dead air. So it was
either dead air and finish my my mouthful of role
or it would start talking with my mouthful of Texas
Roadhouse roles.

Speaker 5 (01:31:35):
I be glad.

Speaker 25 (01:31:35):
I speak for everyone we would have if I waited
that air.

Speaker 3 (01:31:40):
Yeah, yeah, Keikan nickoson Bearcat journal dot Com live from
Kansas City.

Speaker 2 (01:31:47):
Keegan has a trip going.

Speaker 6 (01:31:48):
So far, it's going awesome.

Speaker 25 (01:31:52):
I was told to leave my apartment room a little
bit earlier than I thought I was supposed to, so
or my my hotel room a little bit earlier I
thought I was supposed to.

Speaker 6 (01:32:01):
And so I'm still in here.

Speaker 25 (01:32:04):
So if you're knocking the door, it's probably me being
pulled out physically. So we're taking chances.

Speaker 3 (01:32:11):
I mean, you would think you'd get a late checkout,
like the game is not till nine o'clock.

Speaker 6 (01:32:17):
You got a lot.

Speaker 25 (01:32:18):
I'm not making demands.

Speaker 6 (01:32:22):
I go, I go as I'm told you have.

Speaker 3 (01:32:25):
You have consumed how many Nebraska fan podcasts in advance
of this game?

Speaker 6 (01:32:36):
Probably five or six?

Speaker 25 (01:32:38):
So I hit about ten percent of the whole market.

Speaker 3 (01:32:41):
Like maybe one percent of the whole market. Maybe there's
a lot of Nebraska fan podcasts. And you opine that
podcasting equipment should be more expensive, like it should be
more doing a podcast should be harder than it.

Speaker 25 (01:32:54):
Is, yes, or if you're going to do a podcast,
do a cursory amount of research on the team that
you're supposed to be doing research on.

Speaker 6 (01:33:05):
So I think the effort level.

Speaker 25 (01:33:07):
Was what I was I was concerned with and saying, yeah,
I don't really have much on these guys. Been talking
about a certain position should never be a standard, But.

Speaker 3 (01:33:16):
When you're doing an apronent opponent preview, the line should
not be I don't know, Well, can you tell me
about Cincinnati's quarterback? I don't know. Good take, good take.
When you look at this game, I've looked at this game.
We're at a point. I've looked at this game eight
ways from Sunday. I don't think these rosters are that

(01:33:39):
far off, Like, do you get the same kind of
sense that both teams have some questions, both teams have
some strengths, Like this is going to be a game tonight,
It's going to be between two teams that are on
paper at least fairly similar.

Speaker 25 (01:33:57):
Yeah, it's almost like the spread isn't twenty points and
it's only six and a half. That's that's the biggest
point I have and kind of rivaling all the Nebraska
fan base kind of thinking that they're going to have
third stringers and second stringers in at the start of
the fourth quarter. No, that could possibly happen, but I

(01:34:17):
think that would be uc coming out and playing absolutely horrible,
throwing interceptions, fumbles, just complete system failure. I think there's
two similar and comparable quarterback to gun slingers. I think
UC's is a little bit more mobile, but I wouldn't
I wouldn't go as so far to say as Storesby's

(01:34:39):
better thrower than Royal. I think he's one of the
best peer throwers in the entire country. Other parts of
his games is what he needs to work on, and
as a true sophomore, I think it's fair to expect
him to develop a little bit more.

Speaker 6 (01:34:51):
But outside of that, I think there's a lot of.

Speaker 25 (01:34:55):
Question marks on both sides just because of what both
teams law to the transfer portal, and they had to
bring in a lot of positions on both sides.

Speaker 6 (01:35:04):
Of the ball.

Speaker 25 (01:35:05):
So I'm expecting this to be a fun one, to
be a shootout, but I agree to evening match teams.
And Arsen Greeth what you said last night about if
Nebraska wins that bowl or if Nebraska loses that bowl
game last year and they're six and seven instead of
seven and six, I feel like the discourse around this
team is a little bit different. So I think I

(01:35:29):
think that Nebraska might be being a little overhyped, overrated
coming into the season as one of the media darlings
of the Big Ten.

Speaker 3 (01:35:37):
What has to go right for Cincinnati at twelve thirty
Friday morning to walk back to the locker room victorious
in Arrowhead Stadium, that's going to be probably at minimum
eighty percent Nebraska fans.

Speaker 25 (01:35:54):
Yeah, I think, pull down two interceptions and don't throw
any yourself, and I think it'll be an in a
pretty good spot.

Speaker 6 (01:36:01):
Dylan Row had a thirteen to.

Speaker 25 (01:36:02):
Eleven touchdown interception ratio. When teams started playing man against
him last year, they really he really struggled, and you
see as primarily his own defense. I don't know if
that's going to change much based off of, you know,
getting into more exotic schemes and calling more exotic plays
like Tyson Biden and Scott Sadafield have said that they're

(01:36:24):
planning on doing. But I think you have to pull
down interceptions, you have to force turnovers, and you got
to get to the quarterback in some way, and it's
probably going to be from the linebackers. I expect to
see Jake Goldey in the backfield a few times, but
I don't think you want to get into a shootout
with these guys. I think it's to be a seventy
point game. I think that Nebraska will probably come out

(01:36:47):
on top if you can keep it more, you know,
twenty seven twenty. I think that score would be uce
winning and the defense taking a huge step forward.

Speaker 3 (01:36:57):
What happens if it goes wrong? What happens if Nebraska
does win by ten like what misfunctions for Cincinnati.

Speaker 25 (01:37:04):
If that happens, I think it's interceptions by Brendan Sowersby,
and I think it's the offensive line proving to be
a much bigger question mark than we thought they were.
Nebraska doesn't have a ton of experience in the defensive line,
but they do have Desaun mccallo, former Indiana guy, former
five star, really physical freak, very very fast coming off

(01:37:27):
the edge, so he's going to be able to get
after the quarterback. He's very talented, and I think if
you see loses, I think it's going to be because
they weren't able to protect the quarterback and that might
force Brendan Sowersby into some interceptions like it did last
year when he threw some of those really bad picks,
and it's just all going to trickle down from there.

(01:37:49):
So Tyson Bite said it in his press conference on Tuesday,
a lot of this game will come down to the trenches.
So whoever gets after the quarterback more, whoever can force
more takeaways, I think is is gonna come up victorious.

Speaker 2 (01:38:03):
It was pointed out to me by one of the many.

Speaker 3 (01:38:08):
High IQ Nebraska fans on the Internet that Arrowhead Stadium
has set the record for the loudest stadium in the country.
I don't know if that still stands in a Seattle
is the Seahawks stadium is right up there as well.
How important is it for Cincinnati to start fast and
at least mitigate that a little bit, because I think

(01:38:31):
if Nebraska starts fast, if Nebraska's up ten to three,
like that place is going to be insane.

Speaker 6 (01:38:42):
Yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 25 (01:38:43):
I think if you see can get out, so maybe
a little two position lead, maybe a ten o lead
after the first two series, I think that's gonna the
crowd's going to be a little bit more quiet, and
it's also going to force Riola to try to force
some things, like he might get a little rush, he
might press a little bit, try to force something and
then throw throw a couple of picks and you see he.

Speaker 6 (01:39:04):
Can really do that.

Speaker 25 (01:39:05):
But you know this is gonna be basically like it's
in Memorial Stadium in Nebraska.

Speaker 6 (01:39:11):
Be louder. Yeah, yeah, it could be even louder.

Speaker 25 (01:39:14):
So that is something that I think that they have
to address. If you win the top, I think you
have to take the ball because I don't think that
it's going to do anything well for you to have
this this crowd cheering on the Nebraska offense, which is
expected to be really good. They go out and score
and you're fighting from behind from after the first series.
So I would expect them to take the ball.

Speaker 2 (01:39:36):
Never take the ball. Never take the ball.

Speaker 6 (01:39:39):
Take the ball.

Speaker 3 (01:39:39):
Never is a situation you take the ball. I disagree.
I disagree. What if you give them the ball and
then you get.

Speaker 5 (01:39:46):
To stop, Yeah, do that, But.

Speaker 3 (01:39:50):
I just don't like taking the ball. I'm not a
big take to take the ball fan. I want it
in the second half. I want that chance, like the
thing for is Key, and we've seen so many times
last year Cincinnati had something they messed up going into halftime,
the other team comes out with that momentum and swings
the game. Like I just I would like to have

(01:40:13):
the ball to start the second half. I get it
in terms of trying to like we're gonna come out there.
The one thing I will say, I don't think we've
talked about enough in the lead up to this game.
Scott Saderfield is usually really good with the opening script.
We saw it last year against Pitt, We saw it
the year before against Pitt. Like they come out and
those first series or two and the script is really

(01:40:36):
really good and they're able to get some momentum. Now
the first year against Pitt, they were able to hang
on late as Pitt came back. The second year, Pitt
completed the comeback and won the game at the end,
but Cincinnati started fast. That would be for your argument.
Take the ball, like the Scott sadderfield has shown, the
script is pretty good to him early.

Speaker 25 (01:40:58):
Yeah, And I think it can all so kind of
set the tone for what you know you can do offensively,
Like if you can attack them on the first series,
whether it's through the air on the ground, set the
tone and smack them in the face. It makes them
play on their heels. It quiets the crowd down a
little bit. And if you're confident in your defense, you
should be confident in your defense when you're up seven

(01:41:19):
to nothing, and that would really start, That would really
get the momentum going. It reminds me of the Texas
Tech game last year in the fourth quarter when Manny
Kobe takes that seventy one yard touchdown and then you
see gets two stops in a row, and all of
a sudden you're only down three with a minute and
a half left, and that place was pretty.

Speaker 6 (01:41:37):
Quiet and they were really.

Speaker 25 (01:41:38):
Really happy up two scores, and then you get two
stops in a row. So I would love to see
them take the ball, go get seven points and then
you know, let the defense handles in there.

Speaker 3 (01:41:51):
And I mean there was tortillas flying everywhere. Just wasn't safe.
The worst tradition in colored sports, the dumbest tradition the
college sports. Just throw tortillas around, like make me a burrito.
At least geez. Special teams doesn't get enough love. It
is a very important factor. I think for Cincinnati this season.

(01:42:13):
I think they brought in a very skilled special teams coordinator.
They have what I think is going to be a
Raygue finalist punting the ball. They have a place kicker
that did not miss a field goal last year. I'll
be at a different level, but kicking field goals is
kicking field goals, and Stephen Rusnik was was pretty good
what we watched throughout the lead up to the season.

(01:42:34):
Cincinnati special teams was bad last year. Nebraska's special teams
was bad last year. Both teams have new special teams coordinator.
Nebraska is going with a freshman Australian punter in his
first game ever. Cincinnati has Max Fletcher. Mason Fletcher's brother,
Max played two years at Arkansas he was second team SEC.
Could special teams swing this thing for the Bear Cuts.

Speaker 25 (01:42:58):
I think it could swing it huge because I think,
you see, special teams is going to be better than
Nebraska's full stop. Not a lot of people have noticed this,
but Nebraska actually brought over Steven Russnack's backup from Charlotte,
who I think he made ten to fourteen field goals
last year, and you know, he committed to Cal out

(01:43:21):
of the portal after the season, and then in the
spring portal came over to Nebraska.

Speaker 6 (01:43:26):
I think from the last I heard, there.

Speaker 25 (01:43:29):
Was still some some up in the air about you know,
who's going to be the starting kicker, Who's going to
be the starting place kicker. I would expect it to
be Kyle Kumanan who they brought in from Charlotte and Cal.
But you know, I would much rather be where Cincinnati
is from a special team standpoint. Like you said, Max
Fletcher is.

Speaker 6 (01:43:47):
One of the best punters in the country.

Speaker 25 (01:43:49):
Steven Russnack made twenty five to twenty five field goals
last year, So I think it will play a huge
part because that's that's what can swing momentum in a
big way. You saw it in the first game with
Kansas State and Iowa State first series. Get a stop
and then you muff a punt and then you give

(01:44:09):
the ball to Iowa State on like the five yard line.
So if that happens tonight, that's a huge momentum swing.
If it happens against Cincinnati, it's going to be tough
to recover from that.

Speaker 6 (01:44:19):
Like we've seen in the past two seasons.

Speaker 3 (01:44:23):
What is the importance of this game for Scott Saderfield,
Because I've had a couple of conversations about this. It's
not if they lose, it's not the end of the world. Like,
there's still plenty of time, especially if you lose a
close game in Arrowhead against Nebraska. You've got a couple
of games and then a bye week you Bowling Green
and then Northwest State or the East Podunk Mississippi, whatever

(01:44:46):
it is, and then a bye week before you get
into Big twelve play. There's time to get it right.
But if you don't win this game, getting back into
the national consciousness, getting back into the conversation in twenty
twenty five is going to be really really challenging. What

(01:45:07):
is the the how high are the stakes for Scott
Sidderfield tonight in Arrowhead.

Speaker 6 (01:45:15):
I think it's huge.

Speaker 25 (01:45:16):
I think this would be by far the biggest one
that he has at Cincinnati if he's able to get it,
and I think he immediately puts you on the map
as a contender in the Big twelve if you come
basically on the road in front of the Nebraska crowd
and be one of the highest ceiling teams in the
Big Ten. Not highest ceiling, but a lot of people

(01:45:39):
are saying that.

Speaker 3 (01:45:40):
They've gotten easier, They've gotten easier schedule in the Big Ten.
They don't run a gauntlet like some of the better
teams in the Big Ten are going to do. I
think that's where that comes from. The door is open
for them to be a playoff type team.

Speaker 25 (01:45:55):
Yeah, and a lot has been made about Matt role
in his third year.

Speaker 6 (01:45:59):
It is called stops.

Speaker 25 (01:46:01):
Everything is working against you, and you move this game
from home to Arrowhead and then you just say, you know,
I don't care. I think we're more talented, and then
you come in and get a huge win. I think
if they win, it's going to be this defense is
a lot better than we thought it's going to be.
Brendan Soresby is one of the better quarterbacks in the country,

(01:46:21):
being able to go off against a quarterback to a
lot of people think is already one of the best
in the country and is a dark horse Heisman candidate
this year.

Speaker 6 (01:46:30):
And still has another year. So no, no.

Speaker 30 (01:46:34):
One, he's done count him out. I'm going bear Cats.
I'm going Bearcats. He can just change my mind.

Speaker 6 (01:46:46):
He's a value pick right now. He's like plus twenty
five hundred. It makes sense. That's hilarious.

Speaker 25 (01:46:53):
No, but I think that it does so much from
a national standpoint, it's just so much for recruiting. I mean,
you go into two straight home games, get some more
recruits on campus, and it just sets the tone for
a big twelve that after week's ear let's even more
wide open than we saw.

Speaker 5 (01:47:10):
Who you got?

Speaker 6 (01:47:14):
I slip flopped on this.

Speaker 2 (01:47:16):
I have too. I want to pull the trigger on U.

Speaker 12 (01:47:19):
See.

Speaker 3 (01:47:19):
But I just need to see them not make the
critical mistake, not not make the the wrong play at
the wrong time for me to go Bearcats.

Speaker 2 (01:47:29):
But I'm tempted.

Speaker 25 (01:47:30):
Man, I will I will take Nebraska thirty five to
thirty three. But it's basically a coin flip game. It
is not something where you say, wow, Cincinnati got their butt.
Bet it's going to be the same thing for the
last two years. It's it's one play that it could
come down to. It's a drop on either end. It's

(01:47:54):
it's a field goal late, either a miss or a
make by Nebraska. I think it's a week one shootout,
coin flip game. I just think if you get to
close to seventy points total, it's going to work in
Nebraska's favor a little bit more so. I'll go corn
Huskers and the home crowd maybe a couple more false
starts than.

Speaker 6 (01:48:14):
You're used to with the Cincinnati line. That's also another
huge test.

Speaker 25 (01:48:17):
I mean, you have Joe Cotton didn't play in front
of a lot of crowds last year, Evan Tengsahl getting
his first experience as a starter, Taran TiO didn't play
in front of a lot of huge crowds last year.
How did they react to seventy thousand Nebraska fans screaming
their throats out? And you know, is it going to
be like Iowa State last year where there were seven

(01:48:39):
false starts and it basically doomed the team the entire
game and killed any momentum. I think that's something you
should really look out for.

Speaker 2 (01:48:45):
Do you think the uniform choice is a troll job.

Speaker 25 (01:48:50):
I think I'm not gonna go after anyone's intelligence with this,
but it's extremely questionable to one wear red. I think
two they told the fans to wear red. They told
the fans to wear red. I don't get that at
all fry players standpoint.

Speaker 6 (01:49:10):
From a players.

Speaker 25 (01:49:11):
Standpoint on the field, I feel like it would be
a sense of comfort to look in a little sliver
of the stadium and see a group of people dressed
in black and kind of know that you have any
Like like if the fans at Notre Dame were black.
When they went to Notre Dame and were black and
it wasn't to see a red, that would be a
really different picture.

Speaker 3 (01:49:30):
There was like forty U see fans at that game.
It's gonna be like fifteen percent U see fans tonight.
Like the difference is drastic.

Speaker 25 (01:49:39):
It's I just I don't get it. It's a trouble
job that's not going to do anything for you. I
think it's playing the Jerseys go big red the same
the jerseys much more than the fans wearing red.

Speaker 3 (01:49:50):
I don't think the fans are going to matter, Like,
I just don't think there's gonna be enough UC fans
for it to really like like do anything. But the
go big red fans having to look down and see
the other team in red, I think is hoh, hilarious.

Speaker 25 (01:50:06):
That's yeah, I understand that. Plus here you're one to
debut and new helmet in week one.

Speaker 6 (01:50:12):
I completely get that. The fans wearing red.

Speaker 3 (01:50:14):
I'll never understand the team is wearing red, so the
fans wear red. I know, No, the team wears red
and the fans wear black, like then you mismatch.

Speaker 6 (01:50:27):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:50:29):
I know it doesn't like I just I was just kidding.
I just I think it's funny that, like Nebraska's identity
is red, and because Cincinnati's the home team, they get
to call what they want to wear and they say
we're going with red.

Speaker 2 (01:50:44):
I just think it's hilarious to me. I think it's
it's super.

Speaker 6 (01:50:46):
Yeah, I get that too.

Speaker 2 (01:50:49):
All right, thanks man, I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:50:51):
Have a wonderful afternoon, and you only have six hours
and thirty nine minutes until kickoff.

Speaker 25 (01:51:00):
Can't wait. I'm taking off the clock. Don't get another textas.

Speaker 2 (01:51:04):
Roadhouse role Are you going to Joe's.

Speaker 25 (01:51:09):
No, that's a little too expensive and I don't want
to be in a coma in the press box.

Speaker 3 (01:51:13):
So I mean I can say, if you want to
go to Joe's, I'll venmo you money right now.

Speaker 5 (01:51:19):
That's how good of a boss I am.

Speaker 6 (01:51:21):
I mean, you can venmo me money. I'm just not prompting.

Speaker 3 (01:51:23):
I'm only doing it if you're going to Joe's. Argus,
it's one of the two.

Speaker 6 (01:51:29):
No, I'm good.

Speaker 3 (01:51:30):
All right, Well, you have a good afternoon, Kegan. And
uh where where can they find you for content tonight?

Speaker 6 (01:51:38):
Yeah?

Speaker 25 (01:51:38):
Follow kay nickoson forty two on X. Make sure you
subscribe to barcut Journal. There will be a live game thread.
If you don't want to put all your really irrational
and crazy thoughts about the game on Twitter in front
of the public, you can go on our thread and
put everything in there. And also, I've got a content
thread on Twitter of everything that's been posted on barcut
Journal that was let's post it on Twitter. So go

(01:52:01):
ahead and check that out for your pregame six.

Speaker 3 (01:52:04):
And if you like, Bearcat Journal, by the way, is
free all day today, so if you want all the
Keegan's content from the week. Everything on Bearcat Journal is
free today, so you can go to Bearcat Journal dot
com and check out Keegan's content.

Speaker 2 (01:52:16):
Thanks brother, Thank you sir.

Speaker 3 (01:52:19):
All Right, there we go, Keenan Nickoson live on the
ground from Kansas City. Stick a break. What are your
thoughts the Bearcats win tonight? What are you expecting to
see from Arrowhead Stadium? Or I can complain more about
the rets one of the two we'll see after this,
since that he's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:52:39):
Sixty is back on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 2 (01:52:54):
You're trying to make me dance him here, Drew, maybe
it's working. Get your back up off the wall. Love it,
love it.

Speaker 3 (01:53:10):
But we've gotten to a lot of bear Cats today,
which is great. We needed this with what went down
last night in Los Angeles. It's done. I just I'm
not gonna pretend that they still have a chance.

Speaker 2 (01:53:25):
They don't.

Speaker 4 (01:53:25):
I had a thought while you were having a conversation
with Keegan Nickoson about wearing the red uniforms, on how
the fans have been instructed to wear red. Maybe it's
a psychological move for the players to be wearing red
and then look all around the crowd.

Speaker 2 (01:53:37):
And see red and all they see is red, And yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:53:40):
Maybe maybe then it feels, you know, make it feel
more like home instead.

Speaker 3 (01:53:44):
You know, it's gonna be depressing if you look around
that eighty thousand Seed stadium and you see like forty
six Bearcat fans in black, right, like, you're gonna feel
incredibly outnumbered.

Speaker 4 (01:53:55):
I was gonna say when Keegan like pointed that out,
I was like, actually, I'm kind of in on this site.

Speaker 5 (01:54:00):
I like it.

Speaker 3 (01:54:01):
I think it's like a like it's like a Jedi
mind trick kind of. But speaking of Red Nick and
Miamisburg wants to talk about the Reds.

Speaker 31 (01:54:16):
I was cracking up when you had the comment to
Jeff Carr about the amount of concerts that we have
in August down there. And we we my wife and
I took the fan we went down when they when
Snoop Dogg was in town. Yeah, and you know, I mean,
and you're absolutely right, because I turned to her even
at the game and I said, you know what, like

(01:54:38):
this this probably like this is a total move by
the front office just to try to get down here
at this point and there, Yeah, exactly right.

Speaker 3 (01:54:47):
Here's what it tells you, Nick, they expected to be
out of it.

Speaker 31 (01:54:52):
Absolutely, yeah, this and like you said before, they're they're
not dumb. They know exactly what they're doing. And my thing,
you know, Jeff, was you and Jeff were talking about,
you know, noel Vie Marte playing right field. You know
that's fine, but my issue with how things have been
managed the last several years is that they keep this

(01:55:15):
front office keeps wanting to look at guys that come back,
either back from injury or guys that they move around
and say, hey, we're filling that need. You know, you
think back two years ago when Lodolo and Green were
down and they did nothing at the trade deadline because
that's okay, we're going to get them back this year.
You know we need a bat. That's all right, We're
going to get Matt McClain back from injury. And you

(01:55:36):
know we've seen how that's taken place, but they are
not until they front the money. We're going to keep
seeing the same thing. And it's the definition of insanity
over and over again.

Speaker 3 (01:55:47):
But here's the thing, and I think both franchises it's
a very stark contrast from if you remember, you know,
you go through ten, twelve, eleven, twelve, thirteen into fourteen,
and then in twenty fifteen they bottomed out and everybody
stopped showing up. And at the end of the Marvin
Lewis era, the Bengals bottomed out and everybody stopped showing up,

(01:56:10):
and that hit the bottom line and both of you know,
then they get lucky, the Bengals. A couple of years,
you know, a couple of years later, the Bengals get
lucky and get Burrow, the Reds get Elly and Hunter
Green like they there was a reward for bottoming out.
But instead of saying our championship window is open, the

(01:56:33):
Reds and the Bengals ownership went awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:56:35):
We're not going to be terrible. Great, that's exactly all
we want.

Speaker 31 (01:56:40):
Yeah, and you know, maybe maybe I'm one of the
people that's at fault because you know, I paid for ticket.

Speaker 25 (01:56:45):
I went to hell Cool, I'll get to see Snoop.

Speaker 31 (01:56:49):
You know, maybe you're right, Maybe it's gonna take this
fan base to.

Speaker 6 (01:56:53):
Stop showing up for stuff.

Speaker 31 (01:56:55):
I mean, how many how many big Red Machine reunions
can we do?

Speaker 2 (01:56:58):
That's work running out of big Reds.

Speaker 5 (01:57:03):
Right like that?

Speaker 3 (01:57:04):
That the going back to that well is only gonna
last for so much longer, unfortunately, But those guys are
getting up there. You're not gonna be able to go
to that well? Are we going to the ninety Reds
well after? Like that's the Nasty Boys and Eric the
Red and Barry Larkin, Like those are gonna be the
next the next group that they're going to trot out
there uh three times a year to get a pop

(01:57:24):
like it's it's it's it's pro wrestling, bringing back like
a star from twenty years ago to get the pop.

Speaker 5 (01:57:31):
That's that's what they do.

Speaker 31 (01:57:33):
Yeah, and the even the ninety guys, at some point
they're gonna be They're gonna they're getting up.

Speaker 3 (01:57:39):
There too easy easy, I was a lot easy.

Speaker 2 (01:57:43):
I'm not that much younger than those guys.

Speaker 9 (01:57:46):
I was.

Speaker 31 (01:57:47):
I was down there at uh, I was down there
at the Fountain Square when they won in ninety two pain.

Speaker 3 (01:57:53):
I touched the trophy maybe maybe Eric to be maybe
in the rambunctious that I was, I slithered through the crowd,
made it all the way to the front and touched
the World Series trophy. Probably should have got I would
have got arrested.

Speaker 31 (01:58:08):
Now, Oh yeah, well, you know what, though, what a
good memory have You might never get that opportunity again.

Speaker 6 (01:58:14):
In fact, the way.

Speaker 2 (01:58:15):
Things, Yeah, must be nice.

Speaker 3 (01:58:18):
Appreciate it, Nick, great call man. Appreciate that. That was fun.
See that was fun. Yes, Jeff, we're all miserable, but
we can be miserable with a smile on our face together.

Speaker 2 (01:58:30):
And I have touched a Red's World Series trophy. Must
be nice. I probably should have gone to jail, but
I did it.

Speaker 4 (01:58:38):
I was like, well you didn't. You took a chance
and you got to touch the World Series trophy. Yeah,
they'll never be able to take that away from you.

Speaker 6 (01:58:46):
I have. I have.

Speaker 3 (01:58:48):
All right, let's take uh, let's take a break. We'll
be back after this. Since Any's ESPN fifteen thirty. This
is Jeff for Tri State Men's Health.

Speaker 5 (01:58:55):
Were we.

Speaker 2 (01:59:04):
Down the stretch? We come.

Speaker 3 (01:59:11):
Moegger coming up next. You're in about ten minutes on
quick Hits. So excited to talk to MO live from
Kansas City. Finish up our bear cut conversation for the day.
I'll finish this segment out on the Reds. Look at

(01:59:33):
the schedule, look at who they got left. You think
that's a team. That's the way that they're playing right
now is primed to finish this season about five hundred.
There are two games over. And here's the problem with
the the yo yo nature of what we saw or

(01:59:58):
what we've seen so far in twenty twenty five. They
never built a cushion. They never put themselves in a
position to get eight, ten, twelve games above five hundred,
where if you go on a little skid, if you
have a couple days a week where your things aren't

(02:00:20):
going well, you can recover from it. There is no
better example than the Mets right drew like the Mets
lost thirteen of sixteen games or something like that, and
they still stayed ahead of the Reds the entire time
it got to half a game, and the Reds never
caught them because the Mets had in May and June

(02:00:44):
and July had built some equity. This team didn't built
any equity. They screwed around from five games under to
five games over for four and a half five months. Congratulately,
you didn't get swept all season. What else did you accomplish.
That's like going to forty NCAA basketball tournaments and never

(02:01:06):
making a final four.

Speaker 2 (02:01:11):
Somebody done that before. B Yu I think b Yu, Yeah,
by that team, that blue color team.

Speaker 5 (02:01:19):
I wonder.

Speaker 3 (02:01:20):
Second, I wonder who's gone to the second most NCAA
tournaments without a final four?

Speaker 2 (02:01:26):
Who could really say you're the producer?

Speaker 4 (02:01:27):
You should look that up, man, I got twenty more
minutes to produce this show.

Speaker 3 (02:01:34):
But look Saint Louis, Toronto, New York, San Diego, Chicago, Milwaukee,
that's what the last month looks like.

Speaker 2 (02:01:43):
This team's going over five hundred.

Speaker 3 (02:01:45):
Come on, they struggle, They'll struggle against the A's, They'll
struggle against the pirates like this is who they are.

Speaker 2 (02:01:53):
It's frustrating. It's just frustrating. Drew Like, Hey, I'm right
there with you.

Speaker 3 (02:02:02):
I've been a diehard Reds fan since I was a
little kid. Like the UC stuff, I've had to separate
a little bit with the media stuff. I'm still a
ucy guy, still a fan, but I've separated a little
because of my position.

Speaker 2 (02:02:14):
And you just get kind of numb to it all.

Speaker 3 (02:02:17):
The Reds are the one thing I want to love,
right and they won't let me.

Speaker 4 (02:02:23):
Well, at least you got to touch that World Series
trophy that one time. I was five years away from
being on this earth. When that happened. So I haven't
seen much winning baseball in my lifetime, and like you,
I have loved the Reds since I was a little boy.

Speaker 3 (02:02:36):
You want to hear a funny story. So that day
it was a school day. So that day we knew,
like the vice principal is a really close friend of
our family at the middle school that I went to.
So he sends me to school with a note that's like,
please excuse Chad from school today.

Speaker 2 (02:02:51):
He's going to the World Series preade.

Speaker 3 (02:02:53):
Love that And I took it in and I said
it on her desk and she was like, Chad, take
this back outside to your dad and tell him you
have a doctor's appointment. Decided to walk back outside, give
my dad the note, have him redo the note, take
it back inside, and then we went down.

Speaker 2 (02:03:12):
It was all good, and it was all good.

Speaker 6 (02:03:13):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (02:03:13):
I thought that was a fund stuff.

Speaker 3 (02:03:16):
All right, Let's let's take our final break when we
come back. Moager live from Kansas City for quick hits
right here on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (02:03:27):
This is since he three sixty.

Speaker 1 (02:03:30):
Ucky Cincinnati three sixty continues on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati's
Sports Station. It's time for Cincy three sixty Quick Hits
on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (02:03:44):
All right, Quick Hits.

Speaker 3 (02:03:46):
Moager joins us live from the press box at Arrowhead Stadium. Mo,
were you also at the nineteen ninety World Series parade?
I was not at the parade. No Oh, Nick and Irig,
the previous caller, were there. I touched the World Series
trophy trophy, and if I did that today, I definitely
would have been arrested.

Speaker 11 (02:04:06):
I was listening to you guys talk about it. It
jogged a lot of memories and I already look forward
to the thirty sixth anniversary of the nineteen ninety World
Series being celebrated next year.

Speaker 3 (02:04:17):
Does that require because you know how I know there's
a concert like I always look and if there's a
weird start time, I'm like, oh, they had to make
some money tonight. What are the odds that this team
finishes with eighty eighty two wins?

Speaker 6 (02:04:33):
Mo?

Speaker 11 (02:04:35):
If you were setting the year, they're sixty eight and
sixty six.

Speaker 2 (02:04:39):
Yes, they're two games over.

Speaker 11 (02:04:43):
So they would have to win fourteen of their last
twenty eight to finish with a winning record. Yeah, they'd
have to play five hundred Baseball.

Speaker 3 (02:04:51):
Five hundred baseball. They've got the Cardinals, the Blue Jays,
the Mets, the Padres, the A's, the Cardinals, the Cubs,
the the Pirates, and the Brewers.

Speaker 11 (02:05:02):
I don't love their chances just because I feel like
somebody's gonna hit a wall. Like the starting staff has
carried this team all season long, and I just I
wonder that collectively that group hits a wall.

Speaker 3 (02:05:17):
Do you think it's good if they maybe do finish
they're not. I don't think they're gonna make the playoffs.
If you're not gonna make the playoffs, you might as
well do something to jog your ownership group into maybe
thinking a little bit differently. I think if they finished
with eighty two to eighty three wins, they go, we
were close. Run it back, like maybe maybe seventy eight

(02:05:38):
wins does something.

Speaker 2 (02:05:39):
I don't know that it does.

Speaker 3 (02:05:40):
But I'm grasping for straws here mo because I want
them to be.

Speaker 2 (02:05:43):
Good so bad.

Speaker 11 (02:05:45):
Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think there's some
validity to that. I guess I was joking with somebody
last night. You know, they had a winning record in
the short in twenty twenty season. They had a winning
record in twenty twenty one, they had a winning record
in twenty twenty three, if they finished with eighty two wins.
I'm already looking forward, already hearing about how they've had
a winning record in four of the last six years.

Speaker 8 (02:06:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (02:06:04):
Uh, that's something that Yeah, like I I don't know,
I don't know what the next step we could talk about. Well, look,
let's do this. Let's find a guy who can hit
home runs. Right, I certainly, I certainly believe in that,
But like so many dudes that we thought, not for sure,

(02:06:24):
but that we thought, Okay, these are the guys you
built around. How good is Ellie de la Cruz gonna
be right? He's gone through a summer long Batty's batting slump,
He's had a hard time defensively, Matt McClain's had a
poor season. Cees is currently playing in Louisville. I think
we feel pretty good about Noelve Marte. But it's like,
by now, I think you were supposed to know about

(02:06:44):
so many guys that we don't know a lot about.
So what do you do with them? Who do you
add from outside? You gotta stop constructing your your lineup
in a way that you just stiff arm home run hitters.
They've they've gotta they've got a play fewer games where
they're just you know, let's try this guy in right field,
and let's try this in center field, Like, how about

(02:07:05):
go get actual outfielders. I think the frustrating thing for
a lot of us is, even though we thought this
team this year had a chance to be okay, some
of the issues we thought they would have back in
February and March presented themselves as issues back in April, May, June, July,
and here in August. And so is there going to
be another offseason where it's easy to identify what their

(02:07:26):
deficiencies are at the end of it, and then do
those deficiencies become a problem all season in twenty twenty six.

Speaker 3 (02:07:32):
I mean, in twenty twenty three we said, what twenty
five like the twenty five, the window is open. These
guys are probably a year ahead of schedule. Hopefully they'll
make a little improvement in twenty four. Like twenty twenty five,
the window is open. I hate looking ahead to twenty
twenty six already, but looking at the last month of

(02:07:54):
this season and looking at that window, I'm questioning things.
Where's the wind though?

Speaker 11 (02:08:01):
Now this isn't working the idea, this process that has
culminated in the Reds being sixty eight and sixty six
going into the last couple of days of August. This
process started in November of twenty twenty because that's when
they let Rice e Iglesias walk for nothing, and that's
when they gave away Archie Bradley. And you knew at

(02:08:22):
that point what they were gonna do at the end
of the following season is punt and cut payroll and
start fresh, which they did. So that's why they lost
one hundred games in twenty twenty two. We thought, okay,
and they told us you're gonna have to endure some hardship,
but wait till the future. The future to me was
middle of the decade. Twenty twenty five is middle of

(02:08:43):
the decade. I'm not enjoying it. So we always beat
on the Reds for not having a plan or not
sticking to a plan. They've stuck to it. They've had one.
It hasn't worked. So now what now? What for twenty
twenty sesis And by the way, the clock is ticking, dude.
We talk all the time about I'll sign Elie Delacruz

(02:09:05):
long term and like, this seems likely to be one
more year where you don't win with those guys, and
that's deeply frustrating, and it puts you at a point
where as the front office is currently constructed, it's fair
to wonder what next?

Speaker 2 (02:09:18):
Where are you gonna go?

Speaker 5 (02:09:20):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (02:09:21):
Uh, tonight in Arrowhead Stadium? Though, what is your read
on this game? The more I dig into Nebraska, I
think they're a pretty even team with Cincinnati. Like I
am not overwhelmed by what I have looked at. As
I've gotten a better grasp of the picture, I.

Speaker 11 (02:09:39):
Feel the same. You know, there have been a lot
of games early in the season when they've played at
Michigan you knew they had no chance.

Speaker 6 (02:09:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (02:09:47):
Oh, they played at Ohio State, you knew they had
no chance. Arkansas, I felt like they had a chance
and frankly probably should have won the football game. But
there have been a handful of those games early in
the season where you're like, all right, collect the check,
take your beat, and go somewhere else. Win games in
your conference that's not today. I think they've got a
shot to Chad here. You've watched a lot more of

(02:10:08):
training camp than I have and probably really anybody else.
I can go by what I've seen, and I can
go by what I hear that there's more athleticism, there's
more team speed. I think they're better upfront. I think
they're going to be more difficult to run the ball against.
I guess what I wonder is their corners. Are they
gonna hold up? And are the track stars they have
in the outside going to be able to make plays?

(02:10:29):
And can Joe Royer be the best player on the field,
because frankly I think he should be.

Speaker 3 (02:10:33):
Yeah, it's a big game for this team. It's a
big game. I don't think they have to win it.
I don't think the season is lost if they don't,
But I do think it's an opportunity to kind of
wiggle your way into the national conversation.

Speaker 15 (02:10:49):
MO.

Speaker 3 (02:10:50):
And if they lose, even if it's close, if they lose,
the path to being relevant in twenty twenty five is
long and winding.

Speaker 11 (02:10:58):
I think it's an opportunit for them to wiggle themselves
in the local conversation.

Speaker 2 (02:11:02):
Sure.

Speaker 11 (02:11:03):
I mean, I think there's gonna be a lot of
people who go, Okay, i'll give you tonight, show me something.
Yeah right, I'm not talking about diehards, but keep talking
about folks who's casuals and who make up most fans
of any team. Okay, it's a Thursday night. They're playing
a team i've heard of. Go do something besides, you know,
either get blown out, which I don't think is going

(02:11:24):
to happen, or come away with some sort of moral victory.
This is year three of Scott Saderfield. It's year three
of the Big Twelve. They're playing Nebraska, which is a
big name. They're not playing Oregon or Penn State or
Ohio State or a big ten power. They're playing a
team that I feel like in Nebraska, the ceiling is
nine to ten wins, have a chance to be pretty good.
Nobody is talking about them winning the league. So you

(02:11:46):
have a chance to win a winnable game with more
people paying attention that I think will not be paying
attention a week from Saturday if they lose the game tonight.

Speaker 5 (02:11:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:11:56):
I mean, I just think for this group, for this program,
I don't know when an opportunity like this circles back
around Game one of the season National TV. You've got
a good quarterback, you've got a draft pick, defensive lineman,
You've got maybe the best tight end in the country. Like,

(02:12:17):
you've got a lot going for you if you're this
Cincinnati team.

Speaker 2 (02:12:21):
It feels like a moment.

Speaker 3 (02:12:23):
An opportunity that if they let slip, I don't know
when that comes back around in terms of early season.
You know, I don't like to say this because there's
state fans listening instead, like planting your flag on the
twenty twenty five season, this feels like a golden opportunity
to go get it done tonight.

Speaker 11 (02:12:44):
I think it's we've all made the comparison to that
UCLA game in twenty eighteen. They it feels very similar
that that team the year before was awful and look,
they ended up playing a UCLA team that I think
won three games there bad. But you but you watched
the team that night and thought, not did they win,
but they look like they're going to get better. College
football has changed. Like then you were looking at it

(02:13:05):
through the lens of who's going to be here for
the next you know, two, three, four years. But this
is a very similar dynamic. The Bearcats were fifteen and
a half point dogs in that game. They're a touchdown
six and a half point seven points dog. Depending on
your book, it's a winnable game. You only get so
many opportunities like this. Scott Sadderfield's team has a chance

(02:13:26):
to change the conversation about him and the overall direction
of the program. It certainly isn't going to necessarily mean
that they can tend for a Big twelve title, but
I think you'll have more people pay attention to their
chase for one if they can take care of business tonight.

Speaker 5 (02:13:39):
And it's important for the league.

Speaker 2 (02:13:40):
The league needs to win some of these games.

Speaker 3 (02:13:42):
Baylor and Auburn, TCU, North Carolina, Colorado, Georgia Tech. They
need to win some of these games. MO, what's coming
up over the next three hours here in Cincinnati ESPN
fifteen to thirty.

Speaker 11 (02:13:54):
Well, because you know UC's playing tonight, we have this
guy named Chad Brendle coming on at four twenty. Thanks,
So we have to figure out a way to have
the same conversation we're having right now, just differently.

Speaker 2 (02:14:05):
Just revert you asking me the questions that I asked you.

Speaker 11 (02:14:09):
Yeah, Roddy Jones is calling the game tonight for ESPN.
He's going to join us at three point fifteen. We're
looking forward to that Lee Sterling is going to try
to make us some money. This weekend in college football,
our buddy Dan Klaskins, we'll touch on Dalton Reisner being signed.
Tony Pike's going to join us every hour. We'll talk
Bearcats and Bengals with him, and I will echo many
of the frustrations you have expressed over the Reds.

Speaker 2 (02:14:31):
Appreciate him. Moe, did you get Joes?

Speaker 11 (02:14:34):
I got Jos and it was spectacular. I got the
burnt ends and amdged dinner with a vat of banana pudding.

Speaker 5 (02:14:41):
Amazing. MoU's next, since I he's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 1 (02:14:49):
Wise, Cincinnati, make us the number one pre set on
your car radio and on the free, new and improved iHeartRadio.
AD Free never sounded so good, ESPN fifteen thirty