1/14/26 - The Mo Egger Radio Show

The Bengals are the only team remaining in the AFC North with continuity at the Head Coaching position. Is that a good thing or bad thing? Mo previews the night of college hoops for UC and Xavier, TJ Friedl on Redsfest and so much more.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, bye that for three ESPN fifteen thirty Moeger,
thank you for listening. Hopefully you're having like the most
awesome Wednesday ever done early today five thirty, We're finished
not forever. UK basketball tonight at seven pregame at five
thirty Wildcats at LSU. We got a lot of college
troops to talk about today, Rick Browing in forty minutes

(00:22):
on Xavier and the NKU The Musketeers in Action tonight.
Full show preview is available now on Twitter at Moegar.
Thanks to share Facts Credit Union, you know what you
should do start the new year by becoming a member
of the greatest credit union on the planet, share Facts
Credit Union. Become a member today. Learn more at share

(00:44):
facts dot org. We got TJ. Friedel on the show
in the four o'clock hour as well. Great great grammar
by me. My thanks if you have been in the
audience this week, really the last week and a half
for putting up with me. I talked to yesterday about
how I needed about fifteen hours of sleep. I didn't
quite get that much, but I got a lot. I

(01:04):
think I'm operating at about seventy percent. We're getting there,
so thanks for bearing with me this week is a
inch closer to ideal health. It's been a combination of things,
neither of which are really that important to anybody besides me.
It is an interesting sort of contrast in the AFC North.

(01:26):
So the big NFL news obviously Mike Tomlin stepped down.
We found this out just over twenty four hours ago.
And I've read a lot of things about his legacy,
what's next. Apparently he has signaled that he's not necessarily
looking to jump back into coaching. Maybe he's gonna do TV.
I've read about his Hall of Fame case, which he

(01:47):
has won, but the Hall of Fame has made it
harder for coaches to get in. What's most interesting about
his departure for me, though, is what it means here.
Danner talked about this a little bit yesterday and you
can find that conversation on the iHeartRadio app. But it
is an extraordinary dichotomy because in the AFC North you

(02:09):
have three teams that the early portion of their offseason
has been defined by change. They're changing coaches, and in
the case of Pittsburgh and Baltimore, like dudes who have
been there forever, guys who have been there for a
long time, guys who are seemingly institutions, super Bowl winning coaches,

(02:32):
and then, in Kevin Stefanski's case, a guy who had
one arm tied behind his back because he works for
the Browns or worked for the Browns, but still a
guy who's getting interviews, a guy who's highly regarded, a
former coach of the year, a guy who's had success,
a guy who's gotten a lot of acclaim those three
franchises moving on, or in Pittsburgh's case, the coaches moved

(02:56):
on from them franchises. They're off seasons being defined by change.
The Bengals their off season so far defined by continuity.
Now there will be changes. Hell, maybe they need a
new offensive coordinator because perhaps Dan Pitcher is going to

(03:16):
be the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns, and
maybe there is an assistant somewhere on Zach Taylor's staff
that gets an opportunity to be a coordinator somewhere. And
the NFL makes you draft seven players, or they at
least give you seven draft picks. You can choose to
trade them. But it's impossible in the NFL to have
a quiet, just totally serene, completely consistent offseason because of

(03:41):
the draft, but so far the offseason has been defined
by continuity. Duke Tobin talked about this at length on Friday.
That was the theme of his press conference in sixty
three minutes. There was a lot of stuff there, a
lot of content, lots of stuff to chew on, but
the main theme of it was continuity. Change in Cleveland,

(04:07):
change in Baltimore, change in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, continuity. It's continuity
versus the division, continuity versus the world. Okay, want to
look more foolish than you already do as an organization
by wasting Joe Burrow, by not making the postseason each

(04:29):
of the last three years. Want to look even more
foolish than you already do. Have your continuity fail in
the face of change everywhere else. It's been pointed out
a few different places, the number of new head coaches,
head coaches new to their respective teams the Bengals will
be facing next year. And I'm sure in some cases

(04:51):
we'll be talking about first time head coaches, and in
some cases we'll be talking about new head coaches who
have had experience and maybe success elsewhere as head coaches.
But this is it, man, Like this this is the
continuity test. How does your continuity work when there's no
continuity anywhere else against the teams you're measured by against

(05:12):
two teams that were better than you in your division
this past season. If it works well, then the Bengals
are probably going to have a leg up on a
lot of the teams they play, and on at least
some of the teams in the AFC North. Look, because
you're changing coaches doesn't necessarily have to mean your team
is going to take a step back. The Baltimore Ravens

(05:33):
I think have the best opening in the sport right now,
in large part because they've got a two time MVP quarterback.
They've got Lamar Jackson, they have a good roster in place,
and a front office with a great track record. There
is every reason to believe that the Baltimore Ravens should
be at least competitive next season. Doesn't feel like it's
going to be a rebuild, but there is an adjustment

(05:57):
period that maybe a build in. There are some hiccups
that can come with change, especially when you're swapping out
a coach who's been there for nearly two decades. Same
dynamic applies in Pittsburgh, where they have no idea who
their quarterback is gonna be. It feels less likely that
Aaron Rodgers is gonna come back next year than it
did late on Monday night. So if it's not him,

(06:20):
then who, Because it doesn't matter who they have tried.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have sort of been stuck in the
upper reaches of the NFL's middle class. That's not really
where you want to be. They have a coach who's
leaving after nineteen years, regarded as one of the NFL's
great leaders. It would be natural to assume that there's

(06:42):
gonna be some sort of hiccup, some some sort of
adjustment period. Maybe baked in. Doesn't mean the Steelers can't
be competitive, doesn't mean the Steelers can't be good, but
you would assume that there's gonna be maybe growing pains
for a first time head coach, maybe the daunting task
of taking over for a towering fire like Mike Tomlin's
gonna be a little bit too much. And then in

(07:04):
Cleveland it's new head coach and a whole bunch of
baked in issues like the Deshaun Watson thing still being
a thing, and at least going into the offseason, some
quarterback uncertainty here boy, it's it's what we've talked about
the Bengals having as a prime asset, right, It's the

(07:24):
thing we've talked about why Duke Tobin's job is pretty enviable.
You've got to fix one half of the team, and
you've got to take a team that already has Joe Burrow,
Jamar Chase t Higgins and Chase Brown and put it
in a position to be in the postseason. You have
to take a team that is pretty much set on
one side of the ball and get it to the

(07:46):
playoffs next year. That's pretty good, but it's also to me,
the ultimate test, right And if it doesn't work whole
boint number one, how bad are you gonna look? Number two?
How hard of a time next year are you going
to have telling people that continuity is best when other

(08:08):
teams in your division have changed things or been forced
to change things and they're having more success. We'll see,
We'll see. It is the ultimate contrast in this league
right now, one team not changing, the other three changing,

(08:29):
and the team that's not changing telling the world having
Duke Tobin tell the world continuity is why we're going
to be better and achieve better results in twenty twenty six, uh,
thirteen minutes after three o'clock five point three, seven four
nine fifteen thirty can get you in eight sixty six
seven h two three seven seven six works as well.

(08:51):
You know what the most overrated trope in sports is
will play any anywhere, anytime. How many times have you
heard a coach or a player say that we'll play
anybody anywhere any time. Now, in pro sports you could

(09:14):
say that and you might mean it. But in professional sports,
the schedule is dictated to you. Pro sports teams don't
make their own schedules. The New England Patriots have been
criticized this year for having a lot of success against
a not great schedule, in some respects a historically not
great schedule. I don't know if it's criticism. There's skepticism

(09:37):
about the Patriots, and it's fair, it's justified. I'm not
sure beating the Chargers and their dilapidated offensive line is
going to make anybody change their mind about their championship bonafides.
The good news is they get a chance to prove it.
They get a chance to prove that. You know, the
skepticism about our championship bonafides based on our schedule. It's

(09:58):
not legit because well, here's what we do in the postseason.
We'll see college sports a little bit different because when
it comes to non conference teams have a little bit
more control over their schedules. The Miami RedHawks won again
last night, eighteen and zero. Eighteen and zero. This is

(10:19):
an offensively at least terrific RedHawks team, ninth in the
country and scoring offense, they have the highest field goal
percentage in all of a Division one men's college basketball.
Last night, they didn't just win, they absolutely throddled Central Michigan.

(10:39):
Won by thirty nine points, hung one hundred on a CMU,
a bad CMU team that is now five and thirteen
with just one win in the back. The RedHawks are
eighteen and zero. For what it's worth as it relates
to their NCAA tournament resume, only fifteen of those games count,
so you may see, hey, the RedHawks are fifteen and er.
Whoever is mentioning that is, well, they're they're discarding the

(11:02):
games against D two schools or lower because those games
aren't under consideration. We don't put that as a part
of your resume when judging whether or not you're gonna
make the NCAA tournament still fifteen and oh eighteen and
oh overall six and oh in the MAC on the
fringes of the AP top twenty five. There's obviously a
huge movement online to rank them. Scott Van Pelt, the

(11:23):
best broadcaster in the United States, on his show last night,
made the case for the Miami RedHawks to be ranked
one of four undefeated teams. You feel for him. You
feel for him. And this is not me uncovering new
ground by any stretch of the imagination, because this has
been a lament for decades. They can't get anybody to

(11:45):
play him anywhere, anytime. They can't get anybody to play
them anywhere anytime, and god knows they've tried. What you
hate about it is that schedule is gonna work against him.
According to ken dot com, their strength of schedule ranking
three hundred and sixty third in the country. There are

(12:06):
three hundred and sixty five men's Division one college basketball teams.
And so the next time you hear one of these
college basketball coaches say we'll play anyone, anywhere, anytime, well,
imagine Travis Steele raising his hand, going okay, well, what
about well about us? What about what about us over

(12:28):
here in Oxford where I had a good team last
year that came this close, should have won the MAC
Tournament title game last year, came this close to making
the tournament last season, did not this year. And you
hate it. You hate it because it feels like, and
I could be dead wrong about this, we're gonna get
tarn get our guy, the Nky Brackett guy on the
show this week. It feels like if they don't win

(12:51):
the MAC Tournament, even if they do go undefeated, that
they're at least still gonna have to sweat things out
on selection Sunday. I don't believe we've had a MAC
team make the tournament as an at large since Miami
did it in nineteen ninety nine. I remember that they
lost the MAC Tournament title game, made the tournament, then
Wally zrbia I took him to the Sweet sixteen where

(13:11):
they lost to Kentucky. You feel for him because here
they are enjoying this basketball renaissance. That program should be good.
If you are roughly my age, maybe a little bit older,
maybe a little bit younger, you remember in the nineties
when it felt like Miami basketball mattered, and for much
of this century it has not. It mattered so much

(13:33):
last night that on the best sports show we have
in this country, the RedHawks were a talking point. Should
they be ranked? Maybe if they keep winning, they will be.
But the problem is if they keep winning, that doesn't
guarantee they make the NCAA tournament. And while that's a
statement about how this process works and how the tournament works,
and man, I don't want to see them expand the

(13:54):
field at all. It stinks because here on January the fourteenth,
a team like that that is being celebrated and should
be celebrated. You still can't help but wonder are they
going to take care of business those handful of days
in Cleveland two months from now? And if they don't,
how much of this that they've done this season is
going to be forgotten. We'll see, We'll see. But they

(14:16):
keep winning and it was fun watching last night. I
passed out early because I haven't felt good, and I
woke up. I had fallen asleep watching college hoops. I
woke up and Van Peltz on the year talking about
the Miami RedHawks, and I thought that was pretty cool.
We'll have teams that make the tournament happens every year.
Who lose eleven times, twelve times, thirteen times? North Carolina

(14:39):
lost thirteen games last year played in Dayton. It's never
really about the most deserving and that's no knock on Carolina.
We'll have them every year. Teams that lose eleven, twelve,
thirteen games. Miami could lose two. Miami might not lose
any and if they lose in the MAC Tournament, perhaps
still on the outside looking at that should not be

(15:00):
the case. Twenty minutes after three o'clock on ESPN fifteen thirty,
your phone calls are coming up, Rick Boring. Later on
this hour on as Xavier, As Xavier on Xavier and NKU, TJ.
Friedl is going to join the show at four thirty five.
Is the Verizon issue solved? As are phones working? Like?

(15:20):
Can folks who have Verizon? I guess in the United
States of America that was a Verizon outage? Do we
know if TJ. Friedel uses Verizon. I'll have to figure
that out. He is supposed to join us at four
thirty three Today. I live my life by just a
handful of rules. I'll live my life by one of them.
Next on ESPN fifteen thirty, twenty five after three o'clock.

(15:48):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm guaranteed human, and today
I almost feel like this is ESPN fifteen thirty. We're
finished early today at five thirty. Kentucky versus LSU. Busy
college basketball tonight here locally, Rick Brooring. In twenty minutes,
you see plays tonight against Colorado the Bearcats. Bearcats are

(16:09):
eight and a half point favorites tonight, and I'm not
sure I completely understand that the Buffaloes are twelve and
four on the season. Cincinnati, this team badly needs a win,
and not so much for the metrics, not so much
for the NCAA tournament. I think just I can imagine.
I know what it's like when your best efforts go unrewarded.

(16:32):
I know what that's like in life, and I know
what it's like in sports. And for all of the
heat that's on West Miller, for all of the anger
and frustration that's out there, a lot of which is
very very very justified, much of which I feel, I
don't think you could have any issue with the effort

(16:55):
put forth by the players as a collective, and I
just as a fan. I want to see that get rewarded.
More than anything else, I'd like to as somebody who
cares about this program, and like I do, as somebody
who cares about this program, and if you care about
the program, then I think, yeah, at least kind of

(17:18):
care about the people who play for it. I want
to see their efforts get rewarded. Tonight's game is going
to occur against the backdrop. I guess of some people
trying to wear paper bags this has been written about.
I guess you're not allowed to wear a paper bag
because it violates you see his clear bag policy. I

(17:39):
don't live my life by that many rules, but one
of them is to each their own. You do you,
I'll do me. If you're not harming anybody, if you're
not putting somebody's safety or enjoyment in peril, I do
not care. I don't believe in there are being rules
for being a sports fan. I don't believe in there

(17:59):
being obligations for being a sports fan. If you want
to be the sort of fan that paint your face
and wears every piece of gear and you have your
Twitter handle, is you know, reflective of the team you're
root for? And that's all you can talk. Fine. And
if you want to be an extraordinarily casual fan and

(18:20):
just watch a handful of games and you never really
want to go, and that's okay too. Like you do you,
I'll do me, and we'll get along as long as
you're not harming anybody. And so if you're going to
the game tonight and you want to wear a paper bag,
and you can get away with it, because again it's
apparently against arena rules, okay, fine. And if you don't

(18:43):
want to do that, okay, fine. Like everybody has their
own method of being a fan, and everybody has their
own ways of expressing frustration or discontent, and I think
all of those methods are subject to criticism. If you boo,
some people aren't gonna like the fact that you don't boo.
If you decide, you know what, I've bought tickets, but

(19:05):
I'm not gonna go, people are gonna take issue with that.
If you decide, you know what, I'm not gonna buy
tickets anymore, people are gonna take issue with that. If
you decide, you know what, not only am I not
gonna go, but I'm not gonna watch or listen. You're
gonna find folks who take issue with that, well, you're
not a real fan. I just for me. Man. You
fan the way you want, I'll fan the way I want.
I've never used this microphone to tell people to go

(19:27):
to games or not go to games. Now I'll use
it to say, Hey, if you're gonna go to a
game and just yell f bombs all over the place
and make somebody somebody else who's got their kids with
them cringe, don't do that. Don't get into fights with people.
Don't act like an a hole, one of my other
general rules in life. If you don't act like an
a hole, we are gonna get along. So if you

(19:49):
want to wear a bag to the game tonight, go ahead.
Here's why I wouldn't. Now I'll be at the game tonight.
I work on the UC broadcast. It is the coolest
part of my job because I get to work on
the broadcast for a program that I have been a
die hard fan of since I was twelve years old.
There are times that I wish I could be in

(20:10):
the stands drinking a beer yelling, but what I do
is a pretty nice alternative. So I don't have the
option to wear a bag, but I wouldn't wear one
for this reason, because I think the players are playing
hard and people wear paper bags the Bengals games. Let's
be honest, that atmosphere is not as intimate. There is

(20:32):
sort of an intimate feel to a college basketball game,
and there's I think a connection that fans seek with players,
and it's harder to in this day and age that
you don't necessarily have in the NFL environment. I'm frustrated,
We're all frustrated. But I have had no issue with

(20:55):
the effort put forth by the players on the team
this season. I don't know anybody who's had any issue
with the effort put forth by the players on the
floor of this season. Last year a different story, because
I thought toward the end of the regular season the
effort had been compromised, and we talked about it, and
we talked about it vociferously and extensively on this show.

(21:18):
To me, you wear the bag, that's a message. And
it may be a message that it's intended target is
administration or the coach, but it's also the unintended target
of the players. That might not matter to you. And again,
if you can get away with it and you're not
harming anybody do what you gotta do, like to each

(21:39):
their own. I have no interest in a back and
forth of fans screaming at each other about what they
choose to wear to a basketball game. If it's me,
I'd have a hard time looking at some of those
dudes going coming to watch a play. But I'm gonna
wear a bag over my head because I'm embarrassed to
watch you try to win a game. It's just me,

(22:00):
and that's to me, that's part of the message. Like
sometimes you send messages and you know the intended message
isn't necessarily what's received. How we just listened to a
sixty three minute press conference by a football a de
facto GM, and that entire time he was sending messages.
Some of them were well intended, some of them were

(22:22):
well received, some of them maybe not so much. To me,
the message you are sending the players is not so
much you're not good enough, but your efforts aren't good enough.
And as agonizing as this season has been, as much
justifiable frustration is out there as much as Wes Miller,

(22:44):
I think, by his own admission, would say, you know,
deserves a lot of criticism for just the results his
team has achieved. I don't believe lack of effort has
been a reason why. And so if it's me, I'm
not wearing a bag for that reason. You want to
wear a bag to the game tonight, they're gonna tell
you to take it off because it's against arena rules.

(23:05):
That's an entirely different story. It's pretty simple for me.
If you have a clear bag policy, pay player bag.
You're not gonna able to put a clear bag over
your head. That's a dangerous b sort of defeats the purpose.
But fan how you want to fan? I've watched former
players sort of sound off on this, and I actually
think that's going to lessen whatever the actual bag movement

(23:29):
was going to be tonight. But you fan how you
want to fan. I talk about this with Bengals fans
all the time, Like, dude, if you want to be
a super fan, be a super fan. And if you
don't really care about free agency in the draft, you
just know, for like seventeen Sundays or Thursdays and Mondays
a season, I like watching the Bengals with my family.
That's okay too. You do you let other people do

(23:50):
themselves as long as nobody is being Harmed. I can
only tell you what I would do if it's me.
I wear the bag. I think I'm sending a message
to those players, and I don't think those players deserve
that message. Sports Headlines, our next phone calls are coming up.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty and fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

(24:11):
Sports Headlines are a service at Kelsey Chevrolet, home of
lifetime power train protection and guarantee credit approval from their
family to yours for life kelseyshow dot Com. I just
saw this. Two former Bengals among the inductees of the
twenty twenty six College Football Hall of Fame class, Kajohn
Carter and Peter Warick, along with Garrison Hurst and Terrence Newman,

(24:37):
one of my favorite all time Bengals to interview. New
honorees will be inducted into the College Football Hall of
Fame during the sixty eighth annual NFF Annual Awards Dinner
presented by Las Vegas on December the eighth. Long time
to wait for those guys, but congratulations Nonetheless. College hoops

(24:57):
and you See looks for its first Big twelve win
of the season as the Bearcats host Colorado tonight. Tip
off at seven pm. You can hear the game live
on seven hundred WLW. Xavier, coming off a win at
home over Providence, takes on Butler tonight. That game at
the Centas Center starts at six thirty. Coverage on fifty

(25:18):
five KRC begins at six pm, and Kentucky hits the
road in SEC play to battle LSU. That game will
start at seven pm. Pregame coverage on ESPN fifteen thirty
at five thirty. The Wildcats coming off their victory first
SEC victory of the season on Saturday night over Mississippi State.

(25:39):
LSU's team still looking for its its first SEC victory
this season. If you miss anything on this show, like
Paul Danner Junior yesterday, who was terrific as always, go
listen to it anytime anywhere on the iHeartRadio app. It's
cliche for coaches to say anytime anywhere because they never

(26:01):
mean it. I do mean it. You can listen to
our show, whether it's live or after the fact, anytime
anywhere on the iHeartRadio app. Also good to my page
at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com. Podcasts of this show
are a service of Longneck Sports Grill. If you're thinking about,
you know, going out to watch the games tonight, nice

(26:22):
and warm inside long necks, tons of TVs, great food,
and so much more. Wilder Hebron and Rich with a
new Hebren location. It's going to be open here very
very soon. I don't want to squeeze anybody, and so
I'm gonna get a break in. We'll talk to Rick
Brewing and then hopefully hear from you next on ESPN
fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station Redsfest. Redsfest is going to

(26:46):
be happening at the Cincinnati Convention Center, and TJ. Friedel's
going to join us to talk about it and so
much more. At four thirty five on Wednesdays, we chat
with our guy, Rick Brooring, Musketeerreport dot com color man
for NKU Radio broadcast. We talking about the Musketeers and
the Norse and last week the Miami RedHawks. We'll see

(27:08):
if that comes up this week. Hi, Rick, Hey, how's
it going doing well? How about you? Oh wonderful? I
went to the Xavier basketball game on Saturday against Providence.
What'd you think? Well, here's why I bring it up,
because there were three things I thought would happen or

(27:29):
not happen at the game. One would be that I
would be asked more than two and a half times,
what are you doing here? Because that's what happens when
I go to the Cinta Center and I got four
of them, I got four? What are you doing heres?
I thought they would be able to get off three
point shots against Providence because the Friars are awful defending
the three point shot. I did not have the Musketeers, though,

(27:50):
getting out in transition the way they did against Providence
was that as surprising to you as it was to me.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
I'm I'm not sure that you know the specific matchup
made it surprising, But I do think that that was
a good sign for Xavier that they were able to
get that transition offense back on track because when well,
let's face it, when they're in the half court, they
don't have a lot of firepower to just set up
and either throw it into a post player or beat
you with one on one matchups. It's a lot of

(28:21):
slinging the ball around, shooting threes, playing with their still
and that's a lot easier. You can do it before
the defensive set and get out and transition and score quickly.

Speaker 3 (28:31):
So it was definitely a good sign for.

Speaker 1 (28:36):
Do we lose? Do we lose? Rick? Is Rick?

Speaker 3 (28:38):
There? Is Rick?

Speaker 1 (28:38):
Okay? Do we lose? Rick? Rick's phone called? Does Rick
have Verizon? Is this a precursor of things to come
when we talk to people on the fun Is Rick there?
I heard something?

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Hi?

Speaker 1 (28:49):
Rick? Rick? Are you there? I can hear you fully clearly?

Speaker 3 (28:53):
You know hear me?

Speaker 1 (28:53):
Well, now I can, But you broke up for a second.
Please please finish your thought. You kind of broke up
there after you talked about it being easier to do
what they want to do offensively when you can run
up and down the floor.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yeah, I just think you know, Providence wants to do
that same thing. They want to play a full court
game and get up and down, and so that allowed
Xavier to do it a little bit more. And I
think it's something you'll see them continue to try to
do going forward. In Biggie's play, they.

Speaker 1 (29:18):
Play Butler tonight. Are the Bulldogs any good?

Speaker 2 (29:23):
They're better or last year? Especially on the defensive end. Now,
the interesting thing is you mentioned Xavier being able to
shoot threes against Providence. You thought that that would be
able to happen, And I think the same thing in
this Butler matchup where last year because of Butler's style
of play on the defensive end, they play more health defense,
they collapse on drivers. Xavier was able to penetrate kick

(29:47):
and get off clean shots and they swept the Bulldogs.

Speaker 4 (29:50):
In that series last year.

Speaker 2 (29:51):
Xavier this year, as much as we thought the style
of play was going to be different switching from Sean
Miller to Richard Patino, they're really running the same style
of offense. And because the big men that they got
in the transfer portal haven't worked out, they are really
similar in terms of their ten and seas and who
they match up well and don't match up well with.
So I think it's another game where you feel like

(30:14):
you can maybe get some ball movement going on the
offensive end and generate some clean looks from the perimeter,
and maybe it's another pretty good matchup for the Musketeers.
But based on the analytics and vetting odds, it looks
like another complete boss up game at the Centas Center.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
It's a home game against the team that has won
once in its conference. When you have upcoming a game
at Creighton, we know what the Blue Jays did here.
The next one is against Saint John's. I wonder what
the main storyline everybody's going to talk about for that
one is going to be. But the Red Storm are good.
They go to Seaton Hall. The Pirates are good. They've
lost to the Paul. They play them again. Then they

(30:50):
have to go to Yukon and to Saint John's. If
the idea is to finish somewhere in the middle of
the pack of the Big East, it seems to me
that they cannot afford to lose the Knight's game. Yeah,
and you know what does that actually mean?

Speaker 2 (31:05):
Like, I don't think anyone's calling this a must win
game when there's no nothing to really play for it necessarily.
But to your point, I don't know how many wins
there are left in the Big East slate. You played
some of your easier games in the early portion of
the conference schedule. It's going to get really difficult. This
feels like a winnable one for the Musketeers. I'm not

(31:25):
sure how many times we'll be able to say that
while we're doing these interviews in the coming week. So yeah,
if you're a Xavier fan, you'd like to see them
get this one.

Speaker 1 (31:32):
Rick Brooring is with US Musketeer report dot Com. NKU
Radio was the Norse loss on Sunday the toughest one
of the season.

Speaker 2 (31:42):
I think the Purdue Fort Wayne I might put as
tougher loss only because they had the big lead. They'd
run out to a big lead on the road and
then they saw it trickle away. This came at green Bay.
I mean, you got to tip your captain green Bay
to some extent, like you could leave them all wide
open and let them shoot with.

Speaker 1 (32:02):
No defense in the gym, and they.

Speaker 2 (32:03):
Shoot, you know, seventy percent from the field and eighty
percent from three point range, and that's pretty impressive. So
the way they shot the ball to start that game
and put MKU in such a look it was going
to be a disaster type day for the Norse. And
they battled their way back and they had so many
chances down the stretch to win it, and they just

(32:23):
couldn't make that one extra play needed. That was the
frustrating part of it is. I mean, they got the
exact type of shot you'd want with their best three
point shooter, Cal Robinson, top of the key off a
kickout at the end of the game to win it,
and it just didn't go down and that was after two, three, four.
Other opportunities that they had right before it that they
had spoiled. So yeah, it was a difficult finish to

(32:45):
the game for sure.

Speaker 1 (32:46):
Should they come out of this mini homestand seven and three,
I think so.

Speaker 2 (32:52):
I mean, I think that's the way you feel with
the way that they've been playing, hopefully because of the
success that they've had a bit more of a home
atmosphere and home crowd advantage in these games, and anytime
they're playing at home right now, I think you feel
pretty good in this conference. I mean, we've talked about
how close a lot of these teams are, whether it

(33:12):
be at the top of the conference or even the
team at the bottom of the conference not being as
bad this year. When you go on the road, it's
tough to get wins for everyone. We've seen that across
the league. So you want to hold serve at home,
and I think k using a good spot to do that.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
It's always awesome to have you and we'll talk to
you next week. Thanks. Well, that's our guy, Rick Brooring.
Rick Boring Musketeer Report Time. A very business like, very
business like segment there by, aside from the phone issues
which are not his faults, very business like, straightforward meat
and potatoes college basketball analysis, not a lot of not

(33:49):
a lot of fluff, not a lot of hyperbole, not
a lot of bs. He didn't want to play grab
ass for lack of a better term. Just good, I'd
say good. Six minutes and four seconds of just hardcore
nuts and bolts college basketball analysis. And the best part
about it is it was all absolutely free. All right now,

(34:14):
it's air turn. We're guess fridol four thirty when TJ.
Friedel joins us? Do we think TJ. Friedel's phones is uh?
Are the is the Verizon issue that plagued the entire country?
Has that been resolved?

Speaker 2 (34:26):
No?

Speaker 5 (34:27):
No?

Speaker 1 (34:28):
I I am a Verizon customer. I've I've gotten two texts.
Do we think I can? Should I try to make
a phone call. I'll try to call the radio stations.

Speaker 6 (34:37):
M that's that is his history here.

Speaker 1 (34:41):
This is missus me calling. It's ringing, that's it.

Speaker 6 (34:45):
Yeah, I'll try to put you on the air.

Speaker 1 (34:47):
Go ahead, see what that sounds like? Hey, all right,
well at Verizon, I'm a Verizon cstomer just made a
phone call. We have folks who are waiting while I'm
just wasting everybody's time at moeggor on Twitter, you could

(35:07):
always send a tweet thanks to our friends at Delta Dental.
Delta Dental is building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all
good at Delta Dental, Oh dot com. I have a
question that we have to get to in the next
hour as well about Dan Pitcher, the Bengals offensive coordinator,
who apparently, according to a one NFL insider, has like

(35:31):
a legit shot to be the head coach of the
Cleveland Browns. We'll spend some time on that. I have
another question about the Reds and their call it what
it is failed pursuit of Kyle Schwarber, which involved the
Reds trying to sign a guy who had fifty six
home runs last year. It obviously didn't work because Kyle

(35:54):
Schwarber decided to resign with the Philadelphia Phillies, but I
do have a question about it. I will ask it
if the four o'clock hour as well. Five point three seven,
four nine, fifteen thirty is our phone number. We are
coming up on four o'clock. Your phone calls are coming up.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports Station. Oh oh,

(36:15):
what's what's the word, what word? What word? Happy? Happy?
I tell you, I'm happy to tell you that I
have a new microphone, somewhat new microphone for the last
and this is maybe why I haven't been feeling all
that good. The microphone we have been using stunk. I

(36:40):
can't even describe what it's smelled like. It was craddy,
it was nasty. Right now. I don't know if this
is a brand spankadoo microphone, but it doesn't smell and
I see no crud. That will probably change between now
and five thirty the uh I I put it in
the So we have four microphones in here. We never

(37:02):
have three people on in studio at a time. Tomorrow
in studio we do have Andrew Abbitt, an Ameliopa got
I gotta make sure those guys don't talk and into
this one here. But the one position where there's never
anybody talking into it. I've put the old Kruddy microphone there,
and I've positioned it in a way that when you
walk up to it, you see it's got just a

(37:22):
lot of gunk on it. Don't talk into that one.
So tomorrow will have Andrew and Emilio on microphones that
don't smell. And then if they happen to have a
third person, whoever that guy is, whoever that person is,
I'll just have them share a mic with me, because
I could just throw it away. That would be a
waste of resources. That would probably I get I'd get
written up for that. But more important to me than

(37:45):
anything else is the microphone doesn't have a bunch of
junk on it. It doesn't stink and like to hear
that's happening. That's that's the brand new microphone, the pseudo
brand new microphone. TJ. Friedel is not going to join
us in studio, but he will join us on a
phone that hopefully works, coming up at four thirty five.
Show's over at five thirty today. We have a lot
of ground to cover between now and then. But but

(38:08):
to this point in the broadcast, we have not taken
a phone call, and we have folks who have been
waiting patiently. Starting with Lou, Lou, thank you for your patients.
You're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon, Good.

Speaker 4 (38:20):
Afternoon, thanks for taking my call. I'm on in Florida,
so obviously it's down here.

Speaker 1 (38:26):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (38:28):
I have a couple questions and comments regarding the draft,
and then I'll put them out there and then I'll
sit back and listen. Yeah, I don't know how we
can keep hendrickson another year. No, I don't see that.
I also, I'm starting a question can we afford to
have two number one wide outs? I love Tea, but

(38:50):
I'm just questioning. You know, if somebody called us and said, hey,
we're going to give you a second round and a
sports or fifth round pick for him, what we entertain that?
And then the last two things are do we have
any trade bait to get some more draft picks on
our roster today? And if not, if you guys are

(39:12):
managing it, would you trade down to get more picks
with that comments?

Speaker 1 (39:18):
So there's a lot there that you gave me. I
don't think the Bengals are going to trade T Higgins.
I don't have a problem with them not trading T Higgins.
To me, he's exactly the type of person you want
to build around. They have plenty of money to spend
despite paying Jamar Chase and T Higgins. So if you're
looking at it from a player a player quality perspective,

(39:38):
who you're going to get that's better than T Higgins?
At his position, and number two, the money they're paying
those guys is not prohibitive towards making the team better elsewhere.
I would rather have T Higgins than whatever's behind door
number two. Let's say it was a second round pick.
I would rather have whatever's behind door number two is
a second round I'm sorry, I would rather have T

(39:59):
Higgins than whatever behind door number two as a second
round pick. And if the primary motivator is clear, the
salary what they're paying jamar T and Joe is not
prohibitive towards making the rest of the team better. In
free agency, they got a lot of money to spend.
So there's number one, number two, Trey Hendrickson. I think
the writing's on the wall. I think it would be
shocking if Trey were back with the Bengals for this

(40:20):
simple reason. They had no plans for him to begin
with for twenty twenty six. He wasn't in their twenty
twenty six plans. What changed? He had a year where
he got injured. Why wasn't he in their twenty twenty
six plans? Because he was going to be an older player,
and the older a player gets, the more you run
the risk of injury. So their fears about Trey Hendrickson
proved to be valid. Now you could say they should

(40:43):
have traded him last year, that's very fair, But they
hesitated to give Trey Hendrickson a long term deal because
of his age, because when players get older, they're not
as productive and they're more likely to get hurt. Well,
this year, Trey Hendrickson wasn't as productivity, was hurt, so
why would they then reverse course and bring him back?
So I don't think he's coming back. I'm with you
there in terms of trade bait. No one is going

(41:06):
to like this. No one is going to like this,
and this is probably not what they're going to do.
I think the most interesting tradeable player is Chase Brown
because I think you can replace him. Now, that's no
knock on Chase, but you know, he is a running back.
He is a running back in his system that's always
going to be pass first. In that pass first system,

(41:28):
I think you're always going to be able to find
running backs that can thrive just because of how you
have to defend the Bengals. That doesn't mean that a
Chase isn't a valuable player. It doesn't mean it can't
help the team. Next year. But could I add a
pick and then use one of those picks on Chase
Brown's replacement and then I don't have to pay Chase
Brown long term. It doesn't become a thing this offseason

(41:50):
if I don't sign Chase Brown long term, and then
you know, I have extra draft capital to use on
the team elsewhere. I'm not envisioning that becoming a realistic scenario,
But if you're looking at the current roster through the
lens of who could they flip for picks? To me,
that's the first name that comes to mind in terms

(42:11):
of them trading down. They're in the top ten. I
think you at that point look at it in terms
of quality over quantity. If they do what they're supposed
to do in free agency, I think it's going to
lessen the need for more picks in the draft. And
if you have an opportunity to get a top ten
player at number ten and that guy can make an
immediate impact on the team this year, I have no

(42:33):
issue not trading the pickdown. Does that answer all your questions?

Speaker 4 (42:37):
Yes, sir, thank you for the insight. It's just tough
to sit here and miss the playoffs again and be
looking at the draft and still have the same people
and management driving it. Tobin, I don't know. It's just
I'm with you when you made the statement that you know,
the good news bad news is good news. We're going

(42:58):
to be the only team that as continuity. The bad
news is we're going to be the only team of continuity.
And I don't know that I have a lot of
faith in the fact that that we're going to do
it in the off season. Got my fingers crossed. Yeah,
that we do, but it's based on past years. I

(43:18):
don't have that faith. But I'm always rooting for him.

Speaker 1 (43:23):
Lack of faith is totally justified. Lou hope we hear
from me again. Man, thanks so much. You bet yeah
on that Chase Brown thing. Like Chase Brown is a
very good player, he is also a running back that
is never going to be a run first offense. They
maybe should lead into the run game a little bit
more than they do. But if you are looking at
let's just say the class of twenty twenty three, and

(43:44):
you're going, okay, well, we can't sign all of them,
positional value does become a part of the conversation, and
I this isn't so much about trading Chase Brown because
I don't I don't think there's anybody on the roster
they have right now that they're going to trade for
more picks. I don't look at the draft this year
through the lens of add more picks. I look at
it through this lens, and maybe this is the wrong one.

(44:06):
I look at it through the lens of nail it
in free agency and then draft seven players. If you
nail it in free agency, if you address all the
position groups on defense you need to address in free agency,
then you're not going to need to trade down. And
that doesn't mean there's not going to be an opportunity
in the draft once it's underway to trade down. But

(44:29):
I don't know that I need to trade establish players
that I like that have value for draft picks. If
I'm going to do a good job in free agency,
I would rather have money allocated toward Let's say it's
work and I'm overly simplifying this, or maybe I'm overly
complicating it. I if it's me and you said you

(44:51):
could you could add up a draft pick somehow and
use that pick on a linebacker, or go sign and
experience Ant's linebacker who knows how to be in position
who might not be a star, but as a starting
caliber player who's more reliable than Barrett Carter or Demetrius Knight.
I'd rather have the free agent so I kind of

(45:14):
view it as if they do what they're supposed to
do in free agency, you'll be more than happy with
the allotted picks they have. I do think though, when
you start to talk about extensions, Miles Murphy is trending
toward one. They don't have to give him on this
offseason because of the fifth year option, but he is
trending toward being a guy that you want to sign
long term. DJ Turner isn't just trending. He is a

(45:36):
guy you want to sign long term. I think they
have finally found a home for Dax Hill. Dax Hill
obviously being in the twenty twenty two class. Like I
think you could realistically say the two starting corners, the
two outside corners they want for twenty twenty six, we're
on the team this year, and now you want to
be on. I don't know how huge of an appetite

(45:59):
they're going to have for extending Yoshavas. We'll see very
good pick relative to where he was taken. I'm looking
for upgrades at every position, but you could certainly you
could sell me on there being a world where they decide,
you know what, we've gotten as much out of him
as we're going to get or as we need, and
now we'll look elsewhere. But the interesting guy to me

(46:22):
is Chase Brown because of the value of running backs,
because of his his importance to the offensive collective where
he is important. Right, he's an important guy. But there
are a pass first offense, and I feel like there's
a lot of dudes who could do what Chase Brown does,

(46:43):
not like Chase Brown was a first or second round
pick himself. Chase Brown was taken in the fifth round.
Is there a version of him in the twenty twenty
seventh draft? Hell, is there a version of him in
the twenty twenty sixth draft. I'm gonna guess they're interested
in signing Jordan Battle. I don't know about Charlie Jones,

(47:04):
but Chase Brown's interesting. Now. If they did say we
want Chase Brown back, that's cool. He's a good player.
But as we talk about like offensive weaponry and what
they're paying like, they're a pass first team. So give
me the best wide receivers pass first team as good
as Chase is, And again, man like who doesn't want
him on the team next year? Who would be angry

(47:24):
if they signed him long term? But if it's about
difficult decisions and you factor in how the players are used,
what the overall core philosophies of the teams are, what
the strength of the offense is, and the overall value
of the position, Like, maybe Chase gets squeezed. I don't know,
but I don't look at the draft through the lens
of they need to add more picks number one on

(47:48):
the offensive side of the ball. They're set. They got
to get the Dalton Reisner thing done. And if they don't,
then you know what's planned. B. But one half of
their team is good. They also have money to spend
in free agency, the Chase Higgins thing. If the players

(48:09):
are good, okay, then you look at the money. The
money does not make it prohibitive toward making the rest
of the team better. If they would have done what
they should have done last offseason, there would have been
money spent on free agents and draft choices that made
an immediate impact. ESPN Today ranked all thirty two rookie classes.

(48:33):
The Bengals were twenty third. That can't be the case.
Called Dimitrius Night their best rookie. Maybe he was, I
don't know. Dylan Fairchild might have something to say about that,
but the point being if they had a good draft
class and that class of guys made a positive impact,

(48:54):
nobody's talking about what t Higgins is making. Nobody's talking
about what Jamar Chase or Joe Burrow are making. Those
three guys like it's not making it prohibitive toward making
the team better this year. There's money to spend in
free agency, and if they spend it wi wisely, not wildly.
They don't need the most expensive player at every position.

(49:14):
But if they spend it wisely, Okay, now he gets
seven picks, use six of them on defense or five
of them on defense. I don't think we have to
make this offseason more complex than it needs to be.
The Bengals are really good at making off seasons complex.

(49:36):
And so you wonder, like which player will there be
a long protracted standoff with which player will there be
an unnecessary offseason distraction with what will they do to
screw up the draft? How aggressive will they really be
in free agency? All very fair questions because of their

(50:00):
recent and not so recent history. But you know again,
to me, I am set on offense because I've paid
those guys. I need an overhaul on defense. The good
news is there's money to spend. There's money to spend
to get the sort of players they need. Would you

(50:20):
love for I don't know. Would you love for the
best player at every position to be available and you
can sign them? No, I need a new version of
Dj Reader. Was Dj Reader a big star when the
Bengals signed him? No, Now they overpaid him. I kind
of feel like they're not in a position anymore where
they have to overpay. They're gonna be competitive. Is there
a new version of him? Is there a new version

(50:42):
of Trey Hendrickson, who is not a star when the
Bengal signed him. Is there a more established version of
what they got from Logan Wilson during his best years?
Is there a new version of Mike Hilton of Von
Bell not even should obe a woozie? Like, none of
those dudes they had on the defense in twenty one
and twenty two were like uber stars. They weren't multiple

(51:05):
time All Pro players, multiple time Pro ball players. You know,
Bona fide household names good players. Fans in the cities
where they left were probably disappointed to see them leave.
Can I find that class of player across multiple positions
and spend on them. Yes, I think so. And if

(51:26):
you do that, okay, I don't need a thousand draft choices.
I need the one the league's the picks. The league
gives them the caveat to that would be you know,
let's depending on how draft night goes, the interesting guy
is going to be Caleb Downs. I saw mel Kiper's

(51:48):
first big board had him as the sixth best player.
They need a safety, depending on what they do in
free agency, may still need a safety if the six
best players there at ten, or if you have him
on your board and he's the top five player, three
player and he's there at ten, I think you take him.
If he's gone and now at ten there hasn't been
a run, a run on edge rushers or three techniques,

(52:12):
and you know you can get a guy who can
make an impact like I don't know, twelve or thirteen, Well,
then maybe a trade down and at a pick like
you can be creative on draft night, depending on how
the draft board goes, what we don't know on January
the fourteenth is how the draft board is gonna go.
But I don't look at the draft through the lens

(52:33):
of the nade to add as many picks as possible,
because you can nail it in free agency, and if
they do then have a quality draft, you're gonna spend
most of your time, effort, and money on defense. There's
no reason why that defense can't be in a position
to put the team back in the postseason next year.
I do think the Chase Brown conversation is interesting, and

(52:54):
whenever you do this, you get accused of not liking
a player, and I'm sure the first time Chase Brown
has a good game for the Beatles next year, I'll
get the you want to trade him. I don't necessarily
want to, but I do think there's a conversation about
where he would be in the pecking order of players
that you want to sign to be on the team
past twenty twenty six, and at the top of the

(53:18):
list of players that you don't necessarily have earmarked for
past twenty twenty six. I think you're at least open
to listening to conversations about trading them. We are way
late twenty one minutes after four o'clock. TJ. Friedl is
going to join us in fifteen minutes on ESPN fifteen
thirty Cincinnati Sports station, Well twenty five helps to turn

(53:40):
the microphone on twenty five minutes after four o'clock. This
is ESPN fifteen thirty TJ Friedel in just a few minutes.
Five one, three, seven, four nine fifteen thirty is our
phone number, along with eight sixty six seven oh two
three seven seven six. TJ is supposed to call us

(54:02):
right at four thirty, So we're going to do a
quick segment here and make time for him, and then
when TJ's done, you and I between now in five thirty,
I am going to throw out a pole question here momentarily,
and it's a pretty simple one about the AFC North
next year. We started the show by talking about the
sort of contrast where you've got three teams changing, some

(54:25):
by their own volitions, some maybe not, but three teams
changing in relation to the Steelers and the Ravens changing
ahead coach is seismic change because it never happens. And
then over here the Bengals maintaining status quo. And so
I'm kind of curious as to who you think the
favorite for the AFC North in twenty twenty six should be.

(54:48):
We'll get to that as today's poll question on Twitter
thanks to United Heartland Insurance. Here in just a bit. TJ.
Friedel is scheduled to join us next on ESPN fifteen
thirty since that esports station. Sports headlines are a service
Kelsey Chevrolet home of lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit

(55:09):
approval from their family to yours for life kelseyshev dot
Com College Troops. Tonight, Busy Night locally you See is
hosting Colorado the Bearcats, looking for their first Big twelve
victory of the season. Tip Off is going to be
at seven o'clock tonight. You'll hear the game live on
seven hundred WLW. Cincinnati zero to three in Big twelve

(55:33):
play so far this season, Taed Boyle's team is two
to one twelve and four overall, having lost its last
game to a really good Texas Tech team by two
Bearcats last I looked on FanDuel eight and a half
point favorites. Meanwhile, Xavier looking for back to back Biggiaest
wins as the Musketeers host. Butler of that game will

(55:53):
start at six point thirty. You'll hear it live on
fifty five KRC. Excuse me. Also tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats
on the road against LSU Pregame coverage on ESPN fifteen
thirty begins at five thirty, and tip off will be
at seven pm, twenty seven. Away from five o'clock ESPN

(56:14):
fifteen thirty, we were in a holding pattern, so to speak,
waiting for TJ.

Speaker 3 (56:19):
Now.

Speaker 1 (56:19):
I tested. Apparently not all Verizon customers were affected, because
I got through when I called the radio station. But
maybe maybe TJ. Friedel is a Verizon customer. He is
supposed to call us right now, and maybe he's not.
I have no idea. Maybe he just forgot, maybe something
else came up. Maybe he's like, I could do two

(56:40):
things at four thirty four on a Wednesday afternoon. I
can call Moe's radio show, or I could do almost
anything else, and perhaps almost anything else was a better option.
Maybe he's simply a minute or too late. We don't know,
but we hope to hear from him tomorrow. We are
expected to have in studio Andrew Abbott and Emilio Pagan

(57:02):
while we wait for TJ. Terren. Should we take a
phone call or two?

Speaker 3 (57:07):
Why not? Why not?

Speaker 1 (57:08):
Ron and Milford? Go ahead, you're on ESPN fifteen thirty
of TJ Friedol calls. I'm gonna hang up on you abruptly.

Speaker 3 (57:13):
Okay, Oh come on though, you're not gonna do that, Tron.

Speaker 1 (57:18):
Probably not, Probably not.

Speaker 2 (57:21):
Mo.

Speaker 7 (57:22):
Everyone, including the talking heads on ESPN, and we know
they got to be doing it sarcastically, are talking about
how lucky the Bengals are to have their system in play.
I don't know myself, really, we know how the system works.

Speaker 3 (57:35):
Why are we so fortunate?

Speaker 1 (57:38):
I don't know. I don't know if it's system or
half of the team in place. I think in that regard,
they're pretty lucky. Like there's a lot of teams that
need to do better next year. How many of them
have a genuine a list or at quarterback and a
to do list that isn't as long as the Bengals.

Speaker 7 (57:55):
Well, I give them that because, like you said, I
give the offense and a plus. I think they're hopefully
gonna sign Rise or if not, they'll try to unfortunately
plug in rivers there at right guard, I guess, or
maybe they'll go the cheap route and put in Lucas
Patrick as a scrub. But as we know, like you said,
I gotta spend all seven picks met on defense unless

(58:16):
there's somebody that wows them in the sixth and seventh
round that they weren't surprising to be there on offense.
Otherwise I gotta.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
Go all defense.

Speaker 7 (58:24):
And then, like you said, I gotta also throw all
the money on free agency on defense too, because I guess,
as Duke said, we've got to be able to rush.

Speaker 1 (58:34):
The passer, and we got to be able to Yeah, look,
you can never have enough offensive lineman. And so if
there's some attention and some resources devoted to adding to
offensive line depth, and that's a big deal. It's a
big deal because A, as I said, you can never
have enough offensive line depth. B you're looking at maybe

(58:54):
a long term replacement for Orlando Brown. And also they
had really good offensive line hell this year, and from
one year to the next, you know, it's not that
likely that that carries over. And so if if there's
a pick or a free agent signing devoted to an
offensive lineman, that doesn't break my heart. I would imagine
that they're going to look for next year's version of

(59:14):
Noah fense somewhere, you know, because that's what they've done,
whether it's been Hayden Hurst which worked out, IRV Smith
which did not, Mike Kasiki, which has worked out, No
offense which mixed results. Uh, They've always looked at that position,
tried to find a veteran I would expect them to
do that. I think beyond that everything should go to

(59:38):
the defense. And there aren't many teams and I think
this is where Duke Tobin is in a pretty enviable spot.
There aren't many teams that the to do list or
that the the things they have to get done are
that streamlined. Now within that streamline to do list, there's
a lot of things. There's a lot of items they
got to They have a lot of things go right.

(59:58):
But I think if you compare a Duke Tobin's task
this offseason to any of his peers who are overseeing
twenty twenty five non playoff teams, I think most of
those dudes would agree that Duke Tobin's in a pretty
enviable spot.

Speaker 8 (01:00:15):
Well, GASICKI is this off season's Geno Stone and the
fact that I feel like they're gonna ask him to
take a pay cut based on the fact that he
was unhealthy and new look, he didn't put up that
big numbers.

Speaker 1 (01:00:28):
Maybe, but I guess with Geno Stone, we didn't know
who Plan B was. My guess is if they tell
Mike Gisicki to take a pay cut, they have a
Plan B in mind.

Speaker 7 (01:00:39):
Well, we know the Plan b's on on the team
because Noah Fense.

Speaker 8 (01:00:44):
I think all three of his bumbles got returned for touchdown,
so we don't need to see that action anymore.

Speaker 7 (01:00:50):
And Drew Sample, well, it's Drew Sample.

Speaker 3 (01:00:53):
It needs to take a pay cut.

Speaker 7 (01:00:54):
As we know, he's just the blocking tight end. And
we love blocking, but I feel like we got to
be able to find someone block.

Speaker 1 (01:01:01):
You want to ask Drew Sample to take a pay cut?

Speaker 7 (01:01:06):
All he does is block, right, I mean block and
catch two passes the year.

Speaker 1 (01:01:10):
And what's wrong with blocking? Like end?

Speaker 3 (01:01:17):
Come on now?

Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
If his job is well, there are different types of
tight ends. I mean, look look around the league. You'll
find a lot of teams that have tight ends that
they want in the field when what they're doing calls
for a blocking tight end. And then they'll have a
tight end who's on the field who's maybe a little
bit less of an inline tight end that they're more
likely to throw the ball to like I don't have
in front of you with Drew Sample's number is if

(01:01:39):
they're so hard up financially that they have to ask
Drew Sample to take a pay cut, that then there
are more dire straits than I think. We we've even discussed.

Speaker 7 (01:01:49):
I'm only making like Mike Brown, which is cheap.

Speaker 3 (01:01:51):
As we know, we're just thinking like Mike Brown. You
gotta think like, you know, where can I.

Speaker 5 (01:01:56):
Save a penny?

Speaker 6 (01:01:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
But I mean all right, so they saved the issue
with Gino Stone was not asking him to take a
pay cut. It's if he said, first of all, was
already a player who was bad last year to begin
with number two? What were they gonna do if he
said no? We never got the answer. I believe Ron
we have TJ. Friedel. I have to go.

Speaker 7 (01:02:16):
I take it easy mode.

Speaker 1 (01:02:17):
Say hi to him from Ron I did. I'll definitely,
I'll definitely make sure that we pass along your regards.
Twenty one twenty now away from five o'clock. This is
ESPN fifteen thirty. TJ. Friedel is coming off a season
where he played in one hundred and fifty two games.
I'm getting I'm doing the intro assuming that we have him, Tarran,
Is that TJ. Friedel on line seven? Break all right,

(01:02:39):
Arren says, break live rate. See this is not what
happens on podcasts. This is live baby. We may or
may not talk to TJ. Friedel next on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Been eight years since we've called it the DL eight.

Speaker 6 (01:02:54):
Maybe ten, golso know's what happened eight years ago?

Speaker 1 (01:03:00):
What else happened eight years ago? That's right? The Minneapolis miracle.
How do you celebrate, Tarn.

Speaker 6 (01:03:06):
I'm just wearing a mon Podkings hoodie.

Speaker 1 (01:03:08):
I understand.

Speaker 6 (01:03:09):
Very good, only positive thing about that playoff Roun. We
got smoked the next.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Week against Philadelphia thirty four to seven. Yeah, I remember.
What do you think TJ. Friedel's doing right now?

Speaker 6 (01:03:20):
I'm not sure?

Speaker 1 (01:03:22):
Is do we know if he has been affected by
the Verizon outage? I just I looked at Verizon. Verizon
is acknowledging that there's been an outage affecting some customers
and maybe TJ. Friedel is one of them. Just to
address some things we talked about there with with Ron
the Drew sample thing. Drew sample was maybe not worth

(01:03:47):
using a second round pick on. But he's been a
good player in the role specifically designed for him, been
a fine player. I mean, maybe there's only so much
of an impact that a blocking tight end can have.
But when's the last time you watch a Bengals game
and thought man Drew Samples, Drew Sample's been been a problem,

(01:04:08):
or Drew Sample's out of position, or Drew Sample's not
blocking the guy'sposed to block. He's making two point eight
three million dollars. If you have to ask him to
take a paycoat, what are you doing? What do you
got that's better in his role specifically than Drew Sample. Now,
I think at tight end, and you certainly wouldn't put
all your eggs in this basket. But at tight end,

(01:04:29):
the variable that you have to at least consider is
Eric All And like, you hated for this dude because
you know he got hurt in college, he said, multiple
knee surgeries since he became a pro. But there was
that glimpse in twenty twenty four where he was like

(01:04:53):
the tight end of our dreams, like could block, could catch,
kind of remade how they did things offensively. But because
of his injury history, but because it's been so long
since he actually played. It's a variable, and he's a
guy that you hope at least gets a chance physically
to show what he could do at this level. But

(01:05:15):
I don't know that you count on him. I think
they're okay. Like theirm has been find a find a
tight end, and the hit rate has been at times
pretty good. Hayden Hurst was a good player. I KISSICKI
has been a good pick up, although I think he's

(01:05:35):
been used more as a pure receiver than tight end.
Noah Fan had his moments. Unfortunately, when you think of him,
you think of fumble sixes. It feels like he's not
going to be somebody they bring back. But there's versions
of him that you would imagine. They go and try
to find a veteran tight end that you think, in

(01:05:56):
a good year is going to catch forty to fifty passes,
be a security blanket, add to the weaponry. Not the
centerpiece of the offseason. But getting back to the original
comment about the Bengals being lucky, I do believe this

(01:06:16):
that if you were to ask most of the other
general managers, including gms of teams that did make the
postseason but were eliminated last week, of which there were
obviously six, and you say, okay, you gotta do better
in twenty twenty six. You got to get to work
on the team being in a better position to compete

(01:06:37):
for a championship. How many of them have with the
Bengals have offensively, even if you want to say, well,
the Chiefs, they still have Patrick Mahomes number one, You
sure he's going to be ready week one. Number two,
they've had Patrick Mahomes, and yet their offense in recent

(01:06:57):
years has been very uneven, even when last year they
won fifteen games and made the Super Bowl. Very uneven.
There's a lot there to rebuild the Chargers. There's a
lot to work on with regards to Justin Herbert and
that offensive line. And Duke Tobin does sit in a
very enviable seat. This does not mean that you should

(01:07:19):
trust him. This doesn't mean that it's guaranteed to work.
It doesn't mean that there's not very reasonable skepticism about,
excuse me, maintaining the status quo and preaching continuity like
all Legit all very fair, but still a pretty damn

(01:07:40):
good place to start your off season. I got Burrow,
I got weaponry, I got a good offensive line. All
I gotta do is sign Reisner, add a piece here
or there, not making priorities, and then I can devote
all my time and energy to the defense. They should
all always be looking to add offensive linemen. Then you

(01:08:02):
should always be looking for players that represent good fits upgrades,
And so you don't expect him for a second to
totally ignore the defense, but you do expect the overwhelming
amount of time, energy, resources, free agency dollars and draft
choices to be used on the defense. That certainly doesn't

(01:08:25):
guarantee that they'll get it fixed. But yeah, man likes
as much as a lot of folks don't want to
be even remotely optimistic about this team, and god knows
I've spent the last four months complaining about what they
didn't do last offseason. You have one of the great

(01:08:45):
variables in all the sport and a quarterback do it
at the most important position, who, when healthy, has claimed
to being the very best at his position. That doesn't
mean he is, that's subjective, but come on, you can't
have the conversation about who handles the ins and outs,
who handles the nuts and bolts playing quarterback best without

(01:09:08):
talking about Joe Burrow. So yeah, I think to a
degree they are lucky. Like that is the most important
status quo you look in this division, man, The Cleveland
Browns have been looking for a solution to quarterback since
their reintroduction to the league. The Deshaun Watson contracts still looms.

(01:09:31):
The Pittsburgh Steelers. Your guests as good as mine. Lamar
Jackson is still Lamar Jackson, and my money would be
on him having a bounce back season, but he played
on evenly this year. There was weirdness with his health
and not practicing. Like you know, ask ask a Steelers fan.

(01:09:54):
Don't know who your head coach is going to be.
And Mike Tomlin has been as much of the identity
of the Pittsburgh stal And there's a lot of good
to that and a lot of bad to that for
a long time. What else you got offensively? What are
you gonna do next year? And by the way, that
defense that they spent a lot of money on, I
thought at times this season was woefully underwhelming. So there's

(01:10:17):
a lot of work to do, and in Cleveland, man,
a lot of work to do. So yeah, I think,
relatively speaking, Bengals are pretty lucky. I have lived through
a lot of off seasons and the to do list
at times, to go from one off season, or to

(01:10:39):
go from one season that was really bad to the
next where you hoped it would be really good, it
was almost an impossible task. There was so much work
to do, so much of an overhaul needed to be done.
That ain't the case here, man. And by the way, like, yeah,
they have a lot of problems. They don't need for
there to be cat casualty, so to speak. There may

(01:11:02):
be players they simply don't want to keep or move
on with and decide to use the money elsewhere. But
they're not in a situation where they've got to make
the team better. But they need to cut guys to
get under a certain number. There's tons of money to spend.
They're set on one side of the ball. They have
all their picks. Yes, that's that's a pretty damn, pretty

(01:11:25):
damn good place to start an off season, an important offseason,
a vital offseason, but a pretty good place to begin
this process. So yeah, I think Duke Tobin to a
degree is the the the envy of a lot of
his peers who would would love to He's got some
first world problems we'll we'll put it that way. Five

(01:11:48):
point nine fifteen thirty is the number in an eight
sixty six seven two three seven seven six. It's interesting.
I talked about the Miami Rerdhawks at the top of
the show and just how I want to even say unfortunate,
because this is how it's been for a while. If

(01:12:08):
you're rooting for a high major college basketball team and
they're having a special season in January, there's excitement, and
the excitement is over watching them play in March. If
you're a Miami RedHawks fan, there's excitement. And I think
the thing we talk about least that we should talk
about the most in college basketball are regular season conference championships.

(01:12:30):
I've tried to make this point. I tried to make
this point when you see was winning conference championships, But
I think winning a conference championship is so undervalued by
many fans, not all, maybe not most, because I think
who emerges at the top of a league throughout the
course of the grind of the regular season having to
play road games, is you know, the real sort of

(01:12:52):
I don't know that really proves who's the toughest, who's
the best, which roster is best constructed, which teams are
in some case says get the luckiest. But you're looking
ahead to March with excitement when you're a team that's
fifteen and oh or eighteen and oh counting the D
two and lower level wins in the MAC, there's apprehension
about March because it's not promised more after this, maybe TJ.

(01:13:19):
Friedel on ESPN fifteen thirty, pay four after five, ESPN
fifteen thirty, Moelegger, thanks for listening. Hopefully you're having the
most awesome Wednesday of your life. We're done early twenty
six minutes away from the end of the show. Kentucky
basketball the Wildcats battling Ls here tip off at seven pm.

(01:13:43):
We are we giving up on TJ. Friedel was supposed
to join us. I know the folks that the Reds
have reached out. They're trying to get a hold of them.
They don't know what happened. So maybe maybe maybe TJ
will call in between now and five thirty. If so,
we can't wait to talk to him. If not, you know,
we'll live. Oh wait a minute, wait a minute, line

(01:14:04):
seven is ringing. Now I got to do the little filibuster.
Now I got to do a little thing where I
sort of do the dance. Here, I'm getting a text
saying he should be calling. Now I see him on
line seven. Tarn is talking to somebody. The line is white.
As soon as it turns green, it's going to mean
that we could put the collar on the air. If
it's TJ. Friedel, we will be talking with the Red

(01:14:24):
center fielder. If it's not TJ. Friedel, then we're going
to talk to Mike from Los Angeles. It is TJ. Friedel,
TJ Hi Mouager, ESPN fifteen thirty. How are you hey?

Speaker 3 (01:14:34):
Good?

Speaker 5 (01:14:34):
How you doing?

Speaker 1 (01:14:35):
I'm doing? Is everything okay? Is everything all right?

Speaker 3 (01:14:39):
Everything's good? Always sitting around and I thought.

Speaker 6 (01:14:42):
Waiting for a call, and then here here you are.

Speaker 1 (01:14:46):
I understand. Well, it's say you made it. You made it.
It's awesome to have you excited for Reds Fest this week.
I want to look back before we look ahead. You
have been a part of this franchise since twenty sixteen,
part of the big league club since twenty twenty one,
so you've had a front row seat for so many
of the things that have gone on on and off

(01:15:07):
the field with this franchise. You were part of the
team in twenty twenty two. Yes, you would have loved
this past October to have a longer stay in the postseason,
but to get there from your perspective, what did it mean?
Meant the world?

Speaker 5 (01:15:22):
You know, ever since I've gotten caught up, the goal
is to win a World Series. In first steps to that,
you got to make the playoffs. Kind of like you
touched on being with the team in twenty twenty two
and going through that rebuild year and then seeing twenty
twenty three the progress we made, and you know, this
past season, just finally being able to pop champagne with

(01:15:45):
the guys you've been grinding on hundred sixty two games
with was incredible and it's good we got a little
taste of it. Like you said, it wasn't as long
as we were hoping for. You know, we didn't end
up one of the whole thing, but you know, we
know what it tastes like now we know what it
takes to get there. So for us, I think that
was the biggest thing. Adding Gavin Lux and Travino, a
couple of guys who were in the World Series the

(01:16:06):
year before, who know what it takes to get to
the playoffs and what it takes to get that experience
and then for all of us to do it ourselves
was phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (01:16:15):
What was it like playing in so many of those
games down the stretch where you know, we kept calling
the guys the cockroaches, right, you couldn't kill them. But
there were so many games where, yeah, there were so
many games where it felt like, man, if they take
a loss tonight, that's it, and you would bounce back,
you would win every single time.

Speaker 3 (01:16:30):
What was that like?

Speaker 5 (01:16:33):
It was? You know, it's it's why you play the game.
Meaningful baseball is what I call it. That's the word
I use for it, playing meaningful baseball, playing games that matter.
In September twenty seventh, twenty eight, twenty nine, thirtieth, you know,
coming down the stretch there and going into every game
knowing that, hey, you know, this could be it and
do or die. We got to make the most of it.

(01:16:53):
And you know, I think we're in a position there
where we control our own destiny for a little bit.
And then we kind of lost stat and we were
chasing scoreboard watching, so then we kind of got ourselves
back in the driver's seat for that Brewers series and
gave ourselves the best chance to to get in and
that's all you can ask for, is just like I said,
to play meaningful baseball on the stretch.

Speaker 1 (01:17:15):
How does oh we have company everything? Okay, I can say,
I'm not sure.

Speaker 5 (01:17:19):
If you hear my son talking to I got my
five month old son, he's on the phone. He wants
to talk to you guys too.

Speaker 1 (01:17:25):
So I understand, I understand. How How does how does
that experience from September last year payoff? When you think
about twenty twenty.

Speaker 5 (01:17:31):
Six, Well, you know, like I said before, I think
it's just now we all know what it takes to
get there. We all got a taste of that champagne
for the postseason, and now we know down the stretch,
you know, three one hundred and sixty two game, what
it's going to take because you know, for me personally
playing a couple of seasons now for full hundred sixty

(01:17:54):
two games, that was my first season where like we
talked about, down the stretch, you know, the game's meant
a lot. Twenty twenty three, we came I think a
game two games short, came right to the end. So
to be on the other side of that last year
and to clinch on the last game of the year
was it was incredible. And I think it's that experience
that comes with it. Not like I said, now we
all know what it takes to play a playoff baseball,

(01:18:16):
which a lot of us in that clubhouse never felt before.

Speaker 1 (01:18:19):
Your season, I think that's really important. Your season, your
individual season. You know, the previous year you had the
wrist injury at the end of spring training and so
you play half a year. Last year you get through
the full season, you play the full one sixty two,
you appear in one hundred and fifty two games, and
so I would imagine the first thing is health. But
when you reflect on your season individually, what things come

(01:18:41):
to mind?

Speaker 5 (01:18:44):
Yeah, I think, like the like he touched on, the
biggest thing for me was just staying healthy, thing available
for you know, just being ready, being there every game
and being available throughout my name in that lineup every day.
That was the most important thing for me. And then
outside of that, you know, really recovering put my body
in the best position to play every day. Outside of

(01:19:04):
that came like knowing my role, knowing who I am.
Like I mentioned before, Tito, Me and Tito had a
good conversation last spring training, just about very transparent what
he expected of me. You know, who I am, my
role for the team, what I'm going to be, what
he wants from me, and you know it was my
job from that day to go out there and do it.
And so for me, you know, I was just getting

(01:19:25):
on base and trying to get on base two times
a game, whatever that may be, and just set the
tone for the guys behind me.

Speaker 1 (01:19:32):
Where did beyond what we get a chance to see
And I'm not talking about like in game decisions, you know,
who to pinch it, when to take a picture out,
but sort of out of public view, where did Tito
have the biggest impact on your team last year?

Speaker 3 (01:19:49):
That's a good question.

Speaker 5 (01:19:50):
I mean he had impact alsoughout like, but I think
the biggest thing was was in the clubhouse and just
his presence. You know, we get a Hall of Fame
manager coming in and you know, after dB was gone,
it was kind of like a big question mark of
you know, it was going to come in. And I
remember last off season in the news that we got

(01:20:10):
Tito and I was like, wait, what, that's incredible?

Speaker 1 (01:20:14):
How do we pull that off?

Speaker 5 (01:20:15):
And got talked on the phone and just his excitement
to be back around the game and his excitement to
be managing the Reds and what that meant to him.
And then we all really felt that in the spring
training too. We felt his excitement and like you could
hear it in his voice, and I think that just
got the rest of us like rallying around each other,
playing for each other. And then I think individually, he

(01:20:37):
really did a good job of letting everybody know what
he expected of each individual one of us so that
we could really perform as a team. And I think
everybody playing their role and doing what they need to
do helped us as a team come together.

Speaker 1 (01:20:51):
As somebody who has been the father of a five
month old before, I think I know the answer. But
but what has your off season been like?

Speaker 3 (01:20:58):
Uh?

Speaker 5 (01:20:59):
Full dad mode? It's been great. Uh just getting to
come back home and then the first month or so
just letting the body rest, recover, do nothing. And yeah,
so my son, Jonah was born end of July, so
it was tough not getting to see him for a
little bit. And then I have a four year old
as well, So just getting to come back home and

(01:21:20):
just dive into full dad mode and be with the
boys and hang out with a family and spend down time,
and then take about a month a month and a
half off and then it's right back into it, right
back to training, working out, hitting all that stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:21:33):
So does does that ram I.

Speaker 3 (01:21:36):
Can get to be with them?

Speaker 5 (01:21:37):
I just trying to be president.

Speaker 3 (01:21:38):
Yeah no, now with the kids.

Speaker 5 (01:21:39):
Didn't be as present as I can.

Speaker 1 (01:21:41):
You got dad time now and you have me interrupting it,
so I I I appreciate it. Doude do to the
next couple of weeks? Is that a ramp up? Do
you take a little time off before you get things underway?
In goodyear? What are the next few weeks beyond Redsvest
look like?

Speaker 5 (01:21:54):
No, no, it's it's full go uh And I think
red frest is I think this is I mean, for
me personally, this is the first time it's ever been
in like the middle of January that I can remember. Yes,
only that's the caravan time. But I was kind of
excited that it's middle of January because I feel like
this is a big like build up for spring training,

(01:22:16):
and it's like, hey, guys, it's baseball season, you know,
big red fast downtown. Since you get everyone excited spring
training right around the corner. So I'm excited. I'm excited
to see the guys again, get together with them for
the weekend and just get to steal the fans, interact
with the fans, and be back in Tinsey.

Speaker 3 (01:22:32):
It'll be a good time.

Speaker 1 (01:22:33):
Well, you know, last year, every dispatch from Goodyear was
about the vibes and it was an off season and
a spring training defined by newness. Right, new manager, a
lot of new coaches, a lot of players as you
mentioned before that came from other organizations, and they had
been a part of the postseason, had played in Kevin
Lux's case, had won the World Series. There have been
outside editions. But it feels like this year in spring

(01:22:56):
training isn't going to be defined as much by newness.
So what do you anticipate the vibe being in good
Year in a couple of weeks.

Speaker 5 (01:23:04):
Yeah, No, you're right. I don't think it's going to
be the first couple of weeks of getting to know
people and getting familiar with some faces. And I think,
you know, we have so many returning guys and added
a couple of really good pieces this offseason. I think
it's more so just gonna be a We're gonna hit
the ground running. You know, we had a good year
last year, but we didn't finish the way we wanted to.
So how are we going to make the most of

(01:23:25):
this year? And you know, fully expecting it to be
a couple of days getting back together with everybody and
good year, Hey what's up good this year? And then
boom straight the business.

Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
I know, I can't wait. I'm sure you guys can either.
Reds Fest this weekend is going to be a lot
of fun, and then we'll flip the calendar here very
soon and you guys will be in good year before
we know it. As somebody who knows the dead time
is precious, I can't thank you enough for taking some
time out of your schedule to give us a few minutes.
We'll let you get back unless he has something to say,
because we're all ears.

Speaker 3 (01:23:57):
I know, I think you want to talk.

Speaker 5 (01:24:00):
It's any word yet, but you want to say something.

Speaker 1 (01:24:01):
I know it it's you know, it's kind of like me,
so I can relate. TJ enjoyed the rest of your offseason,
Have a blast of Reds Fest this weekend, and best
of luck in twenty twenty six. Thanks ma'am. I appreciate,
but I think that's a TJ. Friedel. He will be
among the eighty that's right, eighty current or former players

(01:24:22):
or broadcasters or coaches who are going to be at
Reds Fest this weekend, everything benefiting the Reds Community Fund.
Cincinnati Convention Center Friday from three to ten thirty Saturday
eleven am till six thirty. You can get tickets now,
there's all sorts of stuff happening.

Speaker 8 (01:24:38):
Well.

Speaker 1 (01:24:38):
Obviously last year we did not have Reds Fest because
they were renovating the convention Center. This year in January.
TJ's right, it's typically early December, but this year in
mid January, and it's sort of like is the preluded.
It leads you right into spring training, which starts in
just a couple of weeks. Tickets available right now, reds
dot com slash Redsfest, Reds dot com slash RedFest or

(01:25:02):
thanks to a Tjfriedel. Tomorrow in studio, we will have
our our I was going to say our friends. We'll
have Andrew Abbott, who was an All Star last year,
and Emilio Pagan, the newly re upped Reds Closer with
us in studio at three thirty tomorrow. All right, it's
sixteen minutes after five o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty,

(01:25:23):
Cincinnati Sports Station. All right, twenty two minutes after five o'clock.
I just didn't hear amusing myself. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
We're done in like seven minutes. We got UK basketball
coming up our thanks to a TJ. Friedel and his son.
Let's see here, Mike, go ahead. Thanks for hanging on,

(01:25:45):
Mike as always here on ESPN fifteen thirty. Go ahead.

Speaker 3 (01:25:48):
I love those one on one interviews with the players.
They're really you know, you feel like you get to
know the player a little better.

Speaker 1 (01:25:55):
So thank you, mom, You're very welcome. Thank you. Thanks
to TJ. Friedel.

Speaker 3 (01:26:00):
Yeah, absolutely good way to go, TJ.

Speaker 1 (01:26:02):
Way to go. TJ and his son.

Speaker 3 (01:26:03):
Get busy, Get busy. You hit three hundred this year,
big boy, that'd be great. Okay, uh okay. First, I
want to talk a little bit about college basketball because
I got a question for you about that, and then
I want to do another. I did my rant on
the Breads yesterday. I'm going to rant on the Bengals today.

(01:26:24):
See what your reaction is.

Speaker 1 (01:26:26):
Nobody has ever done that. On this show, Mike, So
I can't wait.

Speaker 3 (01:26:29):
Yeah, very innovative. Okay, I'm looking at the AP Top ten,
and you're a big, big, big on Houston. They ain't
shown in the top ten. Brother. Then I'm looking at
the NCA network over there either.

Speaker 1 (01:26:45):
They're currently ranked seventh in the AP Top twenty five pole.

Speaker 3 (01:26:50):
Well, then what was this on? I mean, I just
googled it today.

Speaker 1 (01:26:54):
They're twelfth in the net and in the latest AP
Top twenty five pole their seventh. And they did and
they didn't hurt themselves by blowing out West Virginia last night.

Speaker 3 (01:27:04):
No they didn't. But I'm still not as big on
Houston as you. I think they're a little bit slow
and they're not gonna win the national championship. I don't wi.

Speaker 1 (01:27:14):
Okay, and that's so? So what is that? So they're
not gonna win a national champ Well, neither are three
hundred and sixty four other teams. I'm big on that program.
I'm a huge admirer of that. I don't think that
I don't think they had the best team of the
Big twelve. Arizona is an absolute wagon. Iowa State I
think is better, though Iowa State got it handed to

(01:27:36):
him last night by Kansas. My thing with Houston is
it's more about the program. In an era where the
players are swapped out every year, it's really hard to
have a program identity. But Kelvin Sampson's done it. Like
in your mind's eye, you know what a Houston team
looks like. You know what a Houston player looks like.

(01:27:57):
Every single year. Their teams lead the league in play hard,
They're awesome defensively, they run good stuff in the half court.
And the evolution of that program. You know, when Houston
a number of years ago first started really to challenge
Cincinnati at the top of the American Athletic Conference, their
offense was throw it against the glass and they'll go
get it. And I hate that people still think that's

(01:28:18):
what Houston basketball is because it's not. They run good stuff,
like I am. They are to me, a version of
what the Bearcats used to be. I love that program.
I am a huge admirer of that program. The caliber
of team they have this year is good, might not
be as good as last year's. But will you be

(01:28:39):
able to talk about the NCAA Tournament and the Final
Four without running the conversation through Houston. Absolutely not.

Speaker 3 (01:28:48):
Well, we'll see and so you like Kelvin Sampson. Here,
here's what I don't understand, though, maybe you can clarify this.
So the AP doesn't have the one I'm looking at.
They didn't have the Michigan in the top ten, but
the NCAA net has Michigan number one.

Speaker 1 (01:29:03):
Michigan's currently number four in the AP top twenty.

Speaker 3 (01:29:06):
Five, but they're one in the net. So I haven't
seen Michigan play this year. If you are they really
what's great about Michigan I'm dying to know.

Speaker 1 (01:29:18):
Well, the first time I watched Michigan play, they they
actually they lost to Cincinnati in an exhibition game. What's
great about Michigan is Yaxel Landenborg, Like that's that to me,
That's what's great about Michigan. They have a player named
Yaxel Landenborg who came from UAB who a lot of

(01:29:41):
Bear Bearcat fans dreamed of getting. He to me, if
you start with Michigan, he is what's best about him?

Speaker 3 (01:29:47):
And then Kansas blew Oklahoma state out last night?

Speaker 1 (01:29:50):
Really bit Kansas blue? Kansas Blue. I was stayed out
last night.

Speaker 3 (01:29:54):
Oh I was state my bit I uh, I thought
I heard this, but maybe I'm wrong. That's why I
want to ask you. I thought I heard the guy
on ESPN. It might have Bene Van Pelt say that
that Kansas had the number one pick coming up in
the NBA Draft. Am I missing something who he's talking about?
Or did I misunderstand?

Speaker 1 (01:30:16):
I don't know what you heard.

Speaker 3 (01:30:19):
Okay, So right now, do you know who's considered like
one of the top two or three guys that are
considered NBA number one this year.

Speaker 1 (01:30:29):
Well, Darren Peterson from Kansas is regarded right now, according
to most experts, as the guy who's most likely to
go number one. He's averaging close to twenty three points
a game. He's his when he has been on the floor,
and he hasn't always been available to the Jayhawks, but
he was on the floor last night. Last night. He

(01:30:50):
was effishing. I think he had sixteen and five. I
watched him in that game against TCU that went to
overtime that they won by four or five. He scored
thirty two points. He's the guy that is being referred to.
He is the guy that has clear cut the consensus
number one pick in this year's draft. According to most obviously,
there's still a lot that can happen between now and then.

Speaker 3 (01:31:12):
Is he a power forward or a guard or.

Speaker 1 (01:31:14):
No, he's a guard. He's a combo guarden. Okay, okay,
thanks Mike, I got, I got what the show's about
to end. I gotta run.

Speaker 3 (01:31:22):
Okay, Well, thanks, thank you very much. I appreciate it,
very welcome.

Speaker 1 (01:31:27):
It is truly with Micah Box of Chocolates, and that's
why we love him. We have to go shut We're
back tomorrow. We're back tomorrow, and uh, I can't wait.
Have a great night. Thank you so much for listening.
Thanks to Tarren Bland for producing. Uh don't forget Tony
Pike since he three sixty at noon. We return at
three zero five tomorrow. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati

(01:31:49):
Sports Station.