1/16/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cincinnati's sports station.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Damn straight, what's up? Good afternoon, Moedgar, ESPN fifteen thirty.
Thank you for listening. It's Thursday, right. You know, we're
kind of at the stage of the year because the
weather hasn't changed, that sun never comes out and the
snow doesn't go anywhere like the days run together. So
that's why I have to ask questions like that, what
day is it? It's Thursday? How we're having an awesome Thursday,

(00:25):
A great afternoon. I had a good night last night,
and my spirits needed this. I hate to admit this.
I hate to admit this because this should not be
the case. But more than any other team, the UC
basketball team's fortunes affect my mood, and so I watched

(00:47):
last night. I watched last night hoping that my mood
would would brighten. I needed it for my spirits. Last night,
Cincinnati wins the game they go to Colorado. It was
not it was not pretty. It did not come without
some anxious moments. It did not come without some frustrating moments.

(01:08):
But they won for the first time in twenty twenty five.
I could say this. The Bearcats won last night, sixty
eight to US sixty two over Colorado. I think that
how you react to the game and your immediate takeaway
and maybe even not so immediate takeaway is based on
is based on how you went into game, what you

(01:30):
were looking for last night, how you were watching last night,
which we're gonna get to here in just a bit.
They do go in the road and win. They end
the four game losing streak. They do come home for
consecutive games against Arizona State and Texas Tech, starting with
the Sun Devils on Saturday afternoon. They had to start
from somewhere. They had to get off the schneid. They

(01:51):
had to end the losing streak, and then once they did,
if they did so with some time to spare, then
we could talk about where they go from here. They
had to start with a victory, no matter how it came. Frankly,
more than anything else last night, that's what I was
looking for. Get a win, How you do it, Who

(02:12):
the heroes are, who plays? If it's a high scoring game,
a low scoring game, a game where you have to
come back, a game where you jump out to a
big lead and pull away and never look back. A
game where, like last night, you blow a lead and
had to overcome yourselves to still win the game. However
they did it. Whether you needed the other team to

(02:33):
miss free throws, whether you needed to make free throw,
however they achieved victory last night. They needed one more
point than Colorado. It could have been eleven to ten,
It could have been one hundred eleven to one ten.
It did not matter to me. That was a much
needed win for a thousand different reasons, emotionally, mechanically, from

(02:53):
a standing standpoint, from a metrics standpoint, a badly needed
I cannot imagine. I can't imagine what it would have
felt like to go to bed last night and sit
here today and talking about a team that was oh
and five in the league, sitting on a five game
losing strink. Fortunately we don't have to do that. A
much needed win. Here's Wes Miller on that topic after

(03:15):
the game last night. You know, proud of my guys tonight.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
It's been a tough start for both us in Colorado
and last couple of weeks, but proud of my guys
tonight that they they kind of found a way to
stay together and we had a lot of guys contribute
to a win tonight. We played ten significant minutes. I
thought our depth was a factor, and uh, you.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Know, it was good. It was good to get a win.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Colorado made a really nice run to get back in
the game, made a couple over the top, capitalized on
a couple of our defensive airs. We missed a couple,
a couple around the basket, but it was nice to
see us pull one out a close game on the road.
That that's something that we haven't been able to do
here the last couple of weeks home more away, and
it was good for our team to do that today.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, I'm pretty remarkable. Their first win since before Christmas,
which feels like forever ago sixty eight to sixty two.
Last night it was you know what, It was fun
last night watching them make free throws, especially make free
throws down the stretch. It was fun for once to
watch the other team not make free throws. I want
to talk about free throw shooting today because I have

(04:21):
one wish before I die. Before I which hopefully doesn't
happen for a very very long time, but I have
one wish when it comes to a sports team before
I die, and I'll tell you what that is a
little bit later on. But they were good from the
free throw line last night, and some good free throw
shooters for Colorado did not come up big, and so
that was kind of fun last night. I think how

(04:43):
I think how you reacted to the game, and maybe
your takeaway or analysis I think has to do with
where you were coming from last night when you turn
the game on, your expectations going in. If you watched
last night or listened last night, or as I did,

(05:03):
you know both. If if you watched the game last
night looking for UC to be what they haven't been
all season long, which is this incredibly efficient, prolific scoring
offensive team, hitting the Buffaloes from a bunch of different areas,
beating them to the punch in the fast break, knocking

(05:26):
down open shots from behind the arc, making contested shots
from both inside and outside the arc, unleashing hell on
the Buffaloes offensively. If you were hoping for style points,
if you were hoping for a blowout, if you were
hoping for a big point total, if you went into
the game last night looking for those things, well there's

(05:49):
a decent chance you walked away from the game at
least a little bit disappointed. If you watched it looking
for the Bearcats to start somewhere, to to build a
starting point. Well, then I think you're at least a
little happy. That's what I was doing last night, like

(06:10):
texting somebody about an hour before the game, and I'm like,
I don't care how it comes. This is a game
that I don't I I don't even care to really
break down the nuts and bolts of it afterward, Like
get a victory and start somewhere, start somewhere. However, you
have to start it, and they did now within the
game itself. For some things that I think you you

(06:31):
might be clinging to if you're a bear Cat fan.

Speaker 4 (06:34):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
Number one is they got semas Lukasha's going at least
a little bit sixteen points last night, made some shots
from behind the arc. Look, this team's offensive ceiling is
much much much much much much much lower than we
wish it was. If semos Lukasia's isn't a bigger offensive factor.
And you're watched, you watched last night, at least I

(06:55):
did hoping you know what that's that's maybe the beginning
of things going in the right direction for him. Maybe
that's something that he can build on. You saw them
get some okay bench production Dade Thomas I thought was
good last night. I thought for the second straight game. CJ.
Frederick gave them some pretty good minutes. Arrington Page did
some decent things last night. They weren't perfect by any stretch,

(07:16):
but there were some things to build on there, and
on a night where they shoot less than thirty seven percent,
they figure out a way to defend just well enough.
Their perimeter defense was good, their overall defense was alright.
They forced fifteen turnovers. Obviously some of those were unforced.
But you know, you go back to their last road
game against Baylor last week. The issue for me wasn't

(07:38):
so much they scored forty eight points. It's that the
defense was porous and Colorado's not very good. Colorado's actually
pretty dreadful. They might be the worst team in the
Big twelve, but they figured out a way to get
it done on a night where they didn't shoot it well.
And that's something they're going to have to do. It's
something they did in December. It's something they did when
they beat Xavier, something they did when they beat Dayton,

(07:59):
It's something they did last night. It's not something they
did when they were smoked in the last ten minutes
by Kansas when they were housed by Baylor. This team
has to figure out a way because there are going
to be a lot of nights. Unfortunately, offensively, right now,
they don't appear to be that good. There's a large
sample size of them offensively not being a very good
shooting team, a very good offensive execution team. You still

(08:21):
have to win. You win with defense. Last night they
won with defense and making their free throws. And so
now now maybe we could talk about where things go
from here, because when I think of last season, which
I thought was for the most part a success. No,
they didn't make the tournament, but what I was looking

(08:43):
for last year was just fit in look like a
big twelve team, and they did talked about it a
lot last season. They lost one game by more than
ten points. But the problem with last year was they
lost a lot of games that were there for the taking,
especially at home. So the previous year all we any sport,
with any team is it always serves to be a

(09:03):
bit of a reference point as you compare what the
current team is doing. Right so last year, we're hoping
that they build upon what they did last year and
do better this season. That starts with conference games at home.
Last year's team went to the Big Twelve Tournament knowing
they had to basically win it to make the NCAA Tournament.
Because they finished seven and eleven in the Big Twelve. Obviously,

(09:28):
there's two more Big twelve games this season, seven and eleven.
Why did they go seven to and eleven because they
went just four and five at home. They lost some
games they shouldn't have lost. They lost some games that
were there for the taking. So far in Big twelve
play this season zero and two. This team this year

(09:48):
must be better at home. Chad Brenda and I have
talked about this bunch. Chad's gonna join us in just
about twenty five minutes. They must be better at home
again to start in the league. And yeah, it was cool.
They came back from down nineteen against Arizona and made
it a game. And I guess if you want to
cling to something from that Kansas game, it's that they

(10:10):
gave up just fifty four points. But they have to
be better. They have to win more at home. They
can't finish below five hundred, so they got to do better.
That has to start, has to start on Saturday afternoon.
You see versus Arizona State, and it's got to continue
to Tuesday to play a Texas Tech team that frankly

(10:32):
had Iowa State beaten. That would give the Bearcats a
Q one win right now if Cincinnati beat Texas Tech.
I really believe that in many respects, their NCAA tournament
hopes and how we talk about them come down to
these next two games. Because if you're going to be
better at home than you were last year, well you

(10:55):
can't start zero four and you really can't start one
to three. So last night the beginning, laying down something
we're gonna start from here. We got that win, losing
streaks over. Now, where do they go? Well, the answer
is by winning these next two games. Then I kind
of feel like it's game on. We start to then

(11:16):
talk more for the first time maybe in a while,
about what they can do to have their name on
the screen on selection Sunday. Lose one of the next two,
I think it gets really hard to do that, lose
the next two conversations entirely different, but it had to
start somewhere. Hopefully last night was where it starts. Sixteen

(11:39):
after three o'clock on Moegar five one, three, seven, four nine,
fifteen thirty is our phone number eight six six seven
oh two three seven seven six UH is how you
get ahold of us as well at moegar on X
thanks to Delta Dental. Delta Dental is building healthy, smart,
vibrant communities for all. Good to Delta denteal oh eighth

(12:01):
dot com. More on the Bearcats throughout the course of
the afternoon. If you miss Terry Nelson yesterday, he was awesome,
lots of like good sort of x's and o's, nuts
and bolts basketball talk with Tenel yesterday he joined us
from Boulder. If you missed that, go get it on
the iHeartRadio app. Thanks to our friends at Long Necks
Sports Grill.

Speaker 5 (12:19):
I have.

Speaker 2 (12:21):
I have a way the Reds can keep Ellie de
la Cruz long term. At least maybe it doesn't guarantee
that they keep Ellie de la Cruz long term, but
it will help their cause, it will help their chances.
We'll get to that coming up in the four o'clock hour.

Speaker 4 (12:35):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
We lost an icon I think today and somebody I
want to spend a few minutes on when we come
back on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 6 (12:46):
Well in New York down May did it and the
crew will we'll have it in here tonight. Really a
crushing end to what was a fabulous season for the

(13:07):
Milwaukee Brewers.

Speaker 2 (13:08):
And I'm telling you that one had some sting on it.
That is the final words of Bob Buker at the
end of the Milwaukee Brewers Wild Card Series lost to
the New York Mets, which if you recall it was
three three and a half months ago, that was best

(13:29):
of three series. They have Game three and they're up
to nothing going into the ninth inning and they lose
Pete Alonzo with the Mets. It's a three run homer
off Devin Williams and New York advances, and the Brewer season,
which they had a great year, obviously comes to an end,
and Bob Buker signs off and what would turn out
to be his final game as a broadcaster. We found

(13:49):
out today that he passed away at the age of ninety.
This is an iconic figure in broadcasting, an iconic figure
in baseball, and I think and I figure in American culture.
And when I saw that he passed today, I thought
of Marty Brendan, and I thought of a couple of
things that I said when Marty was getting ready to

(14:10):
hang it up, and they apply to Bob Buker. The
first thing was that I believe that no broadcaster, no
type of broadcaster, and there's obviously lots of different types
of broadcasters, no type of broadcaster makes the kind of
impact that a local baseball announcer does. Nothing against talk

(14:33):
show hosts, news anchors, sportscasters, men or women who do
other sports. I don't think there's anybody who makes the
kind of impact. They're there every single day. It's fun
and games. They're great storytellers, they provide the soundtrack of summer,
whatever cliche you want to use. I don't think there's anybody, especially,
you know, somebody who does it for such a long time,
like Marty did here for nearly five decades, or like

(14:56):
Bob Buker and Milwaukee over five decades. I don't think
there's anybody, any type of broadcaster who makes the kind
of of impact with his or her audience and in
their city and region the way a local baseball announcer does.
And I also I talked about this and it's it's
almost hard to believe. And you know, Tommy Thrall has

(15:17):
done an awesome job. He's terrific in you know, filling
Marty's very large shoes. But at the time I said
that part of what made me so sad wasn't just
that I wasn't gonna get a chance to hear Marty anymore.
But I'm of a certain age where and I'm admittedly
I'm a nerd because my interests growing up were baseball

(15:41):
and radio. So I may be a little bit skewed
compared to some. But for a lot of us, especially
who love baseball, there was a time when you could
name a city, and chances are even if you were
talking to somebody who had never heard that city's play

(16:03):
by play announcer, they could still name them. Like if
I said Ernie Harwell Detroit, I'm sorry, yeah, Ernie Harwell Detroit,
or Saint Louis, Jack Buck or Philadelphia Harry Callison and
Richie Ashburn. And when I was a kid, Baltimore, John
Miller and the Dodgers, la Vince Scully and Cincinnati Marty

(16:25):
Brenneman and Joe knuxall, Like there was this era that
I kind of taught, I kind of caught maybe the
tail end of where the announcer was synonymous with the
team and the city, and maybe even more so than
some of the players, and there aren't that many like

(16:45):
that anymore. Denny Matthews in Kansas City, John Sterling just
retired in New York with the Yankees. Howie Rose has
been doing Mets games for a very long time now.
John Miller calls San Francisco Giants games now and has
for a long time. Charlie Steiner with the Dodgers. Bucher,
you say Milwaukee. There's lots of things you could say
about the city of Milwaukee from a sports perspective of

(17:07):
the state of Wisconsin. But Bobyker and fifty four years.
Think about this. The Brewers came into existence in nineteen seventy.
They moved from Seattle, They were the pilots for a year,
and then they go to the Milwaukee at almost the
last minute in nineteen seventy. Bob Buker has been calling
their games since nineteen seventy one, literally every year of

(17:32):
their existence except the first year, and doing so as
this cherished local figure who became a national celebrity. You
could have a lot of fun going down a YouTube
wormhole of watching Bob Buker in some of these garish
seventies outfits on The Johnny Carson Show or The Tonight

(17:55):
Show with Johnny Carson deep into the eighties, and all
the beer commercials. And he was on Mister Belvedere, which
you would have folded me until I read it today,
was on the air for one hundred and twenty two episodes.
He did national TV games, He did Monday Night Baseball,
He did the Baseball Playoffs in the late nineties and
through two thousand with NBC with Joe Morgan and Bob Costas,

(18:19):
and then you know, obviously he was the voice of
the Indians in Major League one and two. And yet
he's this huge national celebrity, a guy who was as
funny as any stand up comedian you would watch on
Comedy Central or HBO. And yet he's still doing Milwaukee
Brewers games every single day all summer long. That's that's remarkable.

(18:44):
That's remarkable. And so that I'm not a Brewers fan,
I'm not from Milwaukee for whatever reason, just hit me
really hard. Today. I retweeted this Marty's last game, the
last series was against Milwaukee, and so the second to
last game Bob Uker joined Marty and Tom. And if

(19:04):
you remember, they were broadcasting from this area sort of
up top of the lower stands, down the third baseline,
I think that's by section one nineteen and they were
broadcasting from there, and Bob Buker sat in for an
inning and it was awesome. And the Reds put it
to their credit the next night or the next day,

(19:27):
the next morning, maybe the night of, and put it
on their Twitter feed at the time. And I went
and found it and retweeted it, and it is it's Marty,
it's Tom Brenneman was obviously broadcasting with Marty that night too,
because it was second to last game. But it's these
two broadcasting icons Ford Seed Frick Award winners, great storytellers,
and two men who represent are represented at the time,

(19:49):
a dying breed of these iconic local broadcasters who had
been in place for decades, sharing a microphone together, calling
a game, telling story and laughing, and it was awesome.
So go listen to it. I mean, it's it's the
best thing you'll listen to today. It'd be the best
thing you listen to in quite a while. And so

(20:10):
that I watch and I've talked about this before and
we'll move on to other stuff here. But I watch
and listen to and this is, I don't know, maybe
illustrates how nerdy I am. But I watch and listen
to a lot of a lot of local baseball broadcasts.
So a couple of nights a week, I'll do work

(20:34):
and you know, try to answer emails or if you know,
if I'm writing, I'll write late at night, you know,
after we put our daughter to bed, and I'll do
stuff I have to do for the show. And I
don't do it every single night, but I like staying
up late. And so what I've done for years and
years and years is, especially during the spring and summer,

(20:55):
I'll do work in my home office and on MLB
Dot TV or on the MLB app, I'll find a
West Coast or TV broadcast or a West Coast radio broadcast,
and so I watch or listen to a lot of
local baseball. Or I love sitting outside at my fire
pit during the summertime listening to Reds games on the radio.

(21:16):
And then oftentimes the Reds game will be over and
I'll go on the app and just find another game.
Because I love baseball on the radio. I perhaps should
admit this, but I have a serious XM subscription, and
the primary reason why is I can listen to every
baseball broadcast want. I love listening to baseball on the radio,
and so over the course of so many years, whether

(21:41):
it be hey, the Reds are off, and find someone else,
and hey, the Brewers are in the seventh inning, and
so I'll listen to the last couple of innings there.
And Bob Bucker is not called many Milwaukee road games
in recent years, so you would have to find him
at home or you know, And this drives my wife
nuts sometimes, but I'll sit there with a cigar and
a drink and a fire and just find a good

(22:03):
local radio broadcast to listen to. And for a long time,
it's it's often been if the Reds aren't on, I'll
listen to the Brewers, and I'll listen to the Brewers
because Bob Bucher's on and it is an unbelievable combination
of storytelling, humor and just solid baseball play by play.

(22:23):
And so I've listened to hundreds of those broadcasts over
the years, and it's always a treat, it's always a joy,
and every time I've listened in recent years, I've thought like,
there's only so many more of these left, and there's
only so many more broadcasters like this, And there are
a lot of people who don't know Bob Buker is
the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, saw I'm on the

(22:43):
tonight show, or know that the beer commercials are you know,
mister Belvedere major League. But this is an iconic American
figure and a great broadcaster, and legitimately, like somebody know
a lot of folks in baseball and know a lot
of folks in baseball broadcasting. I never heard anybody say
a negative word about so I wanted to spend a

(23:05):
few minutes on him and again, like tonight or later
today or hell, while we're on if you want go
find that inning that is the sixth inning that night.
I believe Marty Tom Bob Buker. It was awesome, and
it made me so sad because we just don't have
many people like that anymore, which is why we're gonna
have to do everything we can to protect Marty. It

(23:29):
is twenty away from four o'clock. Chad Brendle coming up
in just about ten minutes on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station and Audio deadlines are a service of Kelsey
Chevrolet Home of lifetime power train protection and guaranteed credit
approval from their family to yours for life, kelseyshev dot com.

(23:51):
Dre Harris of SSI reports that the Bengals have narrowed
down their search for a new defensive coordinator to two finalists,
Patrick Graham, the Raiders defensive coordinator, and Al Golden, Notre
Dames defensive coordinator, who is a Bengals linebackers coach for
a couple of years. Meanwhile, the Reds and the Dayton
Dragons have announced that the Reds will play a game

(24:14):
at day Air Ballpark in Dayton on Tuesday, March twenty fifth,
which will be the final exhibition game of the season,
two days before Opening Day. It's a night game. It'd
be the Reds taking on a team of Red's minor
league prospects. That's pretty cool. Tarren just said this to
me off air. How do we broadcast from there? I

(24:34):
love that ballpark. I've not had a chance to go
to a Dayton Dragons game in quite a while. I
like it when big league teams do this sort of
now that the game itself is gonna last like an
hour and forty minutes, like dudes will be hacking at
the first pitch. You need to look into that. That
is on Tuesday, March the twenty fifth College Basketball Tonight

(24:56):
the West Miller Show eight o'clock from the original Montgomery
In on seven hundred wl HO. You could eat some ribs,
you could talk about last night's you see victory over
Colorado and hockey. Tonight, the Columbus Blue Jackets, in search
of their sixth consecutive victory, host the San Jose or,
as they say in the English language, the San Jose

(25:16):
Sharks Tonight. Puck will drop at seven o'clock. We have
to get to a couple of pole questions. We'll throw
up on X here momentarily. Thanks to our friends that
United Heartland Insurance. I'm gonna help the Reds keep Ellie
de la Cruz long term. I'm gonna help. I cannot
guarantee anything, but I'm going to help. But by the way,

(25:40):
that the al golden thing. Like when this job came open,
I think a lot of folks had visions of Robert
Sala dancing in their head. Robert Sala is interviewing for
head coaching jobs and sign me up if he would
have been the guy. But just because the guy they
may end up getting isn't Robert Salad doesn't mean it

(26:00):
can't be a good hire. I know obviously a little
bit more about Al Golden than I do Patrick Graham.
I am not going to hold against Patrick Graham the
fact that he coached the Raiders last year, but with
Al Golden specifically, Al Golden's a good coach. I mean,
I think if his time here is Bengals linebackers coach,
is the only time, maybe in my life, the Bengals

(26:21):
have had really good linebackers. That's not true, because they
did have Vontez Berfect, it might be the only time
in my life they've had good linebackers play really well
and make an impact where one linebacker wasn't getting five
personal foul penalties per game. I'm exaggerating. Al Golden did
well in that capacity here, which would resonate with you
if you were looking to fill a position and this

(26:42):
guy is potentially available. And also we've talked a lot
about and this isn't to say that Patrick Graham can't
do this. We've talked a lot about the new coach
is going to have to really do a good job
communicating with, resonating with, and coaching up younger players, because
that's what the Bengals are going to do on defense.
Not that they're going to ignore free agency, but if

(27:02):
the Bengals are better defensively in twenty twenty five, it's
gonna come largely on the shoulders of younger players they
already have, or younger players they draft. Well, a dude
who has spent so much time in college football, including
in college football right now, coordinating possibly though perhaps not likely,
a national championship defense, that would be a guy worth

(27:25):
looking at. Like I I'm gonna be totally honest with you,
whoever the new defensive coordinator is, I'm not going to
do a bunch of Cartwells, a bunch of cart wheels. A.
I can't do cartwheels. B. I'm more interested in who
the players are. But even if Al Golden's not the
sexy pick or the big name pick, and there's some
you know, a little bit of a reshread field to

(27:46):
it because he's been here before, that's a guy who
I think is a good coach, has a good reputation,
and if I'm looking for I need somebody who can
communicate with and relate to young players. By the way,
is coached against some of the dudes to be drafting,
like sign me up. So if he ends up being
the guy, great, And if Patrick Graham ends up being
the guy, that's fine too. I admittedly know a little

(28:08):
bit less about him. I did chat with somebody who
covers the Raiders on UH. I'm a big DM guy
and we DMed about Patrick Graham and what he wrote
was solid dude, smart guy who knows he's really smart.
I know a lot of people like that. Chad Brenda,
we'll talk about the Bearcats with us. Your phone calls

(28:30):
are coming up and will help the Reds keep Eli
daylor Cruz long term. In the four o'clock hour on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 7 (28:37):
Nation, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 8 (28:41):
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(29:05):
off onto the left shoulder and traffic stop and go
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Speaker 2 (29:14):
Away from four. I'm Alegar. This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Chad Brendel joins us on Thursdays, and it's it's more
fun to talk with Chad after the Bearcats win, which
they did last night, and so now everybody's in a
good mood, including me Bearcat Journal dot com. I like
it when they make free throws, Chad.

Speaker 9 (29:34):
Free throws and late threes and the offense got I
used a different terminology for it last night. But they
got back on track, at least at the very end.

Speaker 4 (29:46):
Of the game.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
At the very end of the game, yes, yes.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
But for thirty six minutes not so much. But the
last four better.

Speaker 2 (29:53):
Yeah. I don't know when I was more convinced they
were gonna lose, when they were up twelve after CJ
May to a three free throws, or when Colorado finally
took the lead. I'm not sure when I was more
convinced they were gonna lose, either when they were up
twelve or down one.

Speaker 9 (30:09):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (30:10):
For sure. Down one, I was like, you gotta be
kidding me.

Speaker 9 (30:15):
Up twelve, like yeah, there was still that fear that like,
look they're up twelve, there's a drought coming and you know,
next thing, you know, all of us was were dying
of dehydration. Uh.

Speaker 1 (30:28):
The thirst was very real for a basket though, yep.

Speaker 9 (30:33):
But down one it was like, yeah, like they they
have completely let any and all.

Speaker 1 (30:39):
Momentum slip away. The offense again looks clunky. They can't
get out of their own way.

Speaker 9 (30:44):
They're they're they're not getting great shots, they're missing the
open shots they do get. They're not the thing that
kind of you know, maybe it's when they have put C. J.
Frederick and Josh Reid on the floor. It has stood
out even more because the ball doesn't stick with those
guys and you actually see like sparks of like oh

(31:08):
hey there's guys cutting and and moving the ball quickly.
Like I think that's the thing. Outside of I would personally,
I would eliminate the the hide ball screen to initiate
the offense.

Speaker 1 (31:22):
I'd just take out because it's not working.

Speaker 9 (31:26):
So I would do something else to initiate the offense
because that thing is not working. But then a lot
of times you know that there's not a lot of movement.

Speaker 1 (31:35):
That you know they're they're not the ball.

Speaker 9 (31:38):
One of the cool kids say, oh, the ball is
not popping right, And that was the case again for
large portions last night.

Speaker 2 (31:46):
What was the most encouraging thing about the performance, aside
from the fact they scored more points than the.

Speaker 9 (31:51):
Other team, Sima sitting a couple of late threes on
good offense. That like stuff that we saw last year
towards the end of the year, where they ran good stuff,
they set good screens, they executed well. The ball found
him at the right time and he was able to
knock down the shot. That was such a you know,

(32:16):
catalyst when they played pretty good offense at the end
of the year last year, and if they can get
that back just a little bit. The other thing I
would say would also be Siemos related driving to the
rim and you know he had to play early in
the game that I tweeted about. He drove right down
the middle of the lane, the defense stayed with the lob.

(32:40):
All he had to do was lay it up and
he threw the log in his turnover. Why but he
didn't do that in the second half, he was actually
aggressive attacking downhill. You know, he was really the only
one that wasn't impacted by the Kimbe Matumbo on the
back line of Colorado's defense, who.

Speaker 2 (33:03):
That at one point they tried to throw a lob
over and that didn't work either.

Speaker 1 (33:08):
What are we doing?

Speaker 2 (33:09):
I don't I don't know. There are times, there are
times where offensively it feels like they're playing shorthanded when
of these bandego is on the floor. How do they
rectify that?

Speaker 9 (33:21):
I mean, the main the main part is mo Like
those two plays that we're talking about, A these has
impacted the defense. Right There's a driver coming down the lane,
and instead of stepping up to challenge the driver, the
guy guarding his ease had stayed home on his ease.

(33:43):
They're not taking the easy baskets. That is the end. Like,
that's the biggest impact right now. When teams are so
held bent on taking away the lob.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Score right there, and then you know.

Speaker 9 (33:55):
What happens That guy has to step up and now
these is a and then you can throw the lob again.
Like the defenses are treating asease as a major weapon
in Cincinnati's offense and the people with the ball are
ignoring it and still trying to force it to his
ease instead of taking what the defense is giving them.

(34:18):
And that's something that's not just specific to his ease.
Like they run this baseline cut with the big guy
right that the big guy flashes open and generally he's
wide open on the low block. I think I've seen
four in the last two games where they didn't throw
it to him. Well, the entire play design is for

(34:39):
that guy to come open in that spot, like that's
the whole philosophy of that play, the whole design of
that play. The guy comes open and then he just
stands there for two seconds and nobody throws.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
Them the ball.

Speaker 9 (34:54):
You've wasted the whole play like that. They're not taking
what the defense is giving them. And for me watching it,
that's the most frustrating part. And I would guess that's
probably why West was frustrated last night and didn't sound
like he was having a lot of fun after a win.
Is because the design of stuff still looks pretty good.

(35:15):
The execution just looks dreadful at times.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
Is this team still good defensively, yes, but.

Speaker 9 (35:24):
You're here's the you know, here's the dirty little secret
about being a great defense.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
Though you're playing in one of America's best conferences and
are good players.

Speaker 9 (35:35):
And they're going to get baskets at times, Like you know,
you're not holding every team to forty mo now rare
it is for a team to score forty in a
college basketball game.

Speaker 1 (35:45):
It's pretty rare. Wells say something like that, right.

Speaker 2 (35:48):
So here's here's why I asked. Because they the stretch
of Big Twelve games, right, I hated what I saw
from them defensively against Baylor. That's what was most frustrating.
It wasn't the forty eight points. The other including last night,
I've had like I could really nitpick and pick a
possession here. And you can talk about some of the
things that happened late against Arizona, But for the most part,

(36:09):
I've been pretty pleased with how they were defending, which
was the theme of the games they won that mattered
in December, and I feel like I feel like what
we are seeing is we I think we know what
they are offensively. Hopefully they make improvements, maybe see Moskeet's going,
and that's great. They're gonna have to win winnable games
with their defense. I think that's I think that's mostly

(36:33):
doable against the heart of the schedule, especially the teams
they have coming up in the next two home games.

Speaker 9 (36:42):
Yes, but still the other team is going to have
good offensive play, sure, so so you can play great
defense and guys sometimes are just gonna make shots. And
that's the You know, if you're somebody that has been
like my guy Justin Bird, who has been frustrated for
thirty five years because their identity has always been defense,

(37:05):
the main reason is that, like when you're playing really
good teams, it doesn't matter how great the defense is,
They're still at times going to be able to make
shots and your offense has to keep up.

Speaker 1 (37:17):
So yeah, I think the defense.

Speaker 9 (37:19):
Especially there were some times in the second half last
night that I thought it got a little lackadaisical. And
if Dan Skillings runs into the heart of another screener,
I'm going to lose my mind. He's reverted back to
last year like he had gotten pretty good at managing
getting over those screens.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
Onside.

Speaker 2 (37:43):
Somebody knocking on the door.

Speaker 9 (37:46):
There might be a delivery guy outside or something that's
usual when they go next.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
They love the Amazon guy. I'm going to close the
door and try to get him shut up.

Speaker 9 (37:58):
But you know, Dan is making offense easy for who
he's guarding by being a little bit lackadaisical and being
able to get screened pretty I mean, the Kansas game
was dreadful, mo. I mean, Hunter Dickinson drilled him like
fifteen times and Dan never corrected it. You got to

(38:18):
avoid the screen, go over it, go under it. This
isn't a video game. You're not allowed to.

Speaker 1 (38:23):
Go through it because of physics. That's not how it works.
Don't run into the guy in the middle of the
guy's chat.

Speaker 2 (38:30):
Before the season began, you talked with me about the
need to be better at home in the Big Twelve.
Last year, four and five lost a lot of close games,
lost to some teams they should have beaten. So far
this season, oh to two. So I view these next
two as massive for that reason, because you can't say, well,
they've got to be better at home and then watch

(38:51):
them go one and three or zero to four in
the league at home and and kind of shrug it off.
They have to win these next two, can they?

Speaker 9 (38:58):
Well one, Arizona State is talented, but they're young and
they have been bad on the road. So you cannot
let a young team that has struggled to win games
on the road come into your gym and win. You
just can't like that. That is a you know, look, two.

Speaker 1 (39:20):
And four still not great. One in five, like the
swim upstream is.

Speaker 9 (39:28):
Damn near impossible. So yes, you have to beat Arizona
State Texas Tech.

Speaker 1 (39:36):
That's one of those.

Speaker 9 (39:37):
You know, if things get back on track, you're going
to be in the middle.

Speaker 1 (39:41):
Of the Big twelve with Texas Tech. So if you
want to.

Speaker 9 (39:44):
Prove you're legit, you got to win that game two.
Then you're at three and four. Yes, that's a tough
road trip out out to Utah for Utah and BYU,
but those are also winnable games, and you can get
this thing.

Speaker 1 (39:59):
Back on the RAIDO one in one.

Speaker 9 (40:03):
I mean, I guess you can can survive going one
and one over these next two. But what did we
talk about all year last year, Mo, You're just creating
another road game you have to win. To get to
five hundred in the league, I think you've got to
be ten and ten, especially now that Dayton has decided
that they don't play basketball at.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
That school anymore. I mean, yikes, to get to ten
and ten.

Speaker 9 (40:27):
That means you got to win now three road games.
Do you feel great about.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
That right now?

Speaker 2 (40:32):
No?

Speaker 1 (40:33):
No, me neither.

Speaker 9 (40:35):
So I would advise, if I was an advisor, a consultant, MO,
I would advise this team to get a win Saturday
and then again on Tuesday and at.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
Three and four sign me up. No, yeah, yes, Look
guess what.

Speaker 9 (40:52):
Arizona is really good and they are finding their stride.
Baylor is really good, Kansas is really good. So those
three losses while coming back to back to back, we
all knew that was possible. But now you've got to
pick yourself up on the mat, off the mat and

(41:13):
get some momentum from last night and get that winning
you know, feeling back in your system, and go out
there and rip off a stretch wins because that's the
only way you can make up for it after losing
four in a row.

Speaker 2 (41:27):
I've got like a minute here, I want to switch gears.
Give me your perspective on what it's like to watch
Marcus Freeman coach for a national championship.

Speaker 9 (41:38):
It's very satisfying for me because I, you know, like you,
I got to know Marcus really well, and I you
couldn't make me say a bad thing about that, Like
he was such an easy human to work with and
to like and pull for. And you know, plus I don't.

Speaker 1 (41:58):
And this may be crazy. I don't know if you
agree with me or not.

Speaker 9 (42:01):
Mike Denbrock is in the like top three of people
I've ever dealt with in my almost.

Speaker 1 (42:06):
Twenty years being at U see mm hmm, Like I
love that man.

Speaker 2 (42:09):
Yeah, I would see him. I would say the same.
I could not agree more.

Speaker 9 (42:14):
Like, Mike Denbrock was just personable and friendly and funny
and like never never big time to you. He's still
Like I texted him after the semi finals and he
texted me back on the bus on the way to
the airport, like, yeah, he's just a good dude. Mike Pickens,
same thing. Chad Bowden say, like I love those guys.

(42:36):
Marcus especially though, is just somebody that's easy to root for.
He was easy to deal with. You could tell he
was a good human being. So seeing this for him
is awesome.

Speaker 1 (42:47):
I love it. Yeah, God, I hope they'd be no
high estate aum on it.

Speaker 2 (42:50):
I you know, I said this to somebody on social
media when they played Indiana. I the Hoosiers were a
fun story but I said I'm rooting for Marcus Freeman
and that that has nothing to do with Ohio State.
I'm rooting for Marcus Freeman because every reason you just said,
By the way you mentioned Mike Denbrock. In all the
years I've been doing the pregame show, he is the
only coach who has emailed me after the fact thanking

(43:12):
me for having him on. So I mean all of
them on top notch. So I'm I. You know, Justin
Williams has a piece at the Athletic today about the
Cincinnati connections to the to the Notre Dame staff. But
Marcus Freeman I am. I am thrilled for him. And
the thing is, like, you know what, everybody I've asked
that question to the one that I just asked you,

(43:33):
I said the same thing, Like I can't find anybody
who's like, ah, not sure, Like everybody is genuinely thrilled
for him and rooting like hell for him, including folks
he has encountered in Columbus, which says something Mark mo.

Speaker 1 (43:48):
I hated Notre Dame my entire life.

Speaker 9 (43:50):
There's never been anything I've ever liked about Notre Dame,
and now they're like my second favorite team because of
all those guys.

Speaker 1 (43:57):
So I wish them nothing but the best Monday.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
All right, man, awesome stuff is always. Thanks so much,
appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (44:04):
Thanks all.

Speaker 2 (44:04):
Chad Brendel, Bearcat Journal dot com. We are way late.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty. All right, it's at six
after four. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. I appreciate you
listening today. I'm Alegar. This is our show. You're listening
to it. Thanks. As the late great Jim Scott would

(44:27):
say a lot of different things so you to listen to,
and you chose me. Thanks, And whenever he used to
say that, I used to like make fun of him
because that's what I did. We I got to post
a couple of poll questions. I'm busy sometimes during the
breaks and so I didn't get a chance during that one.
But we have a few spicking up poll questions. I'm

(44:48):
going to respond to to one that they had on
SINCY three sixty earlier today about the the NFL playoffs.
I am gonna help. I like helping people. You know,
there there are there are radio hosts. There are people
who do what I do for a living, and they
complain a lot, and God knows I do that, and
they identify problems but fail to come up with solutions.

(45:10):
And God knows, I certainly do my fair share of
identifying and pointing out problems. But you know, I think
sometimes you have to offer a solution, you have to help,
and so I am going to try to help because
I we're getting ready for the baseball season pitchers and
catchers twenty five days away. We're getting closer and closer.
I'm watch an interview today with Tommy Thrall, and I

(45:32):
know when the season starts, one of the main storylines
is going to be can Ellie Dela Cruz make the leap?

Speaker 1 (45:38):
Right?

Speaker 2 (45:39):
Can he make the leap from star All Star, exciting player,
viral player, player with a lot of upside, entertaining player,
sometimes frustrating player. Can he make the leap from all
that to superstar? And then along with that, we're going
to continue to wonder, God knows every single day I
listen to this past baseball season, well, can they sign

(46:00):
him long term? What happens when he leaves, which for
the most part, I don't worry about for a couple
of different reasons. One is I just assume he's going
to leave number two. I'm more interested in how you
win with him, but I'm here to help. I'm here
to help. Maybe nothing's guaranteed, maybe at least increase the

(46:24):
odds that Ellie signs here past twenty twenty nine. I'm
here to help, and I will offer that help coming
up in just about ten minutes. Earlier this year, when
twenty twenty five started, we said we were going to
resolve to do something this year. I had a handful

(46:44):
of New Year's resolutions or goals, because I like New
Year's resolutions. So far, I have stuck with mine. One
of them was I was going to significantly pair down
the list of people that I went above and beyond
for and I think some of those folks who are
no longer longer on the list are starting to know this.

Speaker 1 (47:01):
It's fun.

Speaker 2 (47:05):
I was going to be more judicious with my time
and not give as much to it to people who
waste it or don't compensate me for it. And I
know some of those folks that are no longer on
that list are paying attention. Resolution one was I want
to get I want to find an outlet where I
can do sports betting content this year, like to make

(47:25):
that happen. But the goal for the show was we
were going to incorporate a wider array of voices. We
have a lot of folks on this show that we
there are go tos. You just heard one of them.
Chad Brendall joins us every Thursday during football and basketball
season because he's awesome. We've got our regulars, right, and
you know, Tony and Austin have their regulars. I think

(47:47):
any good show has their regulars, their go to people.
They're experts, they're built in folks. And and I've been
thinking a lot like we need we need to expand
our list of We need to expand the voices and
incorporate more people. And that should and hopefully does include guests,
but we want to invite a larger variety and array

(48:10):
of phone calls and not like you don't sit down
to do a talk show thinking, hey, we're going to
take you know, twenty five phone calls today. You don't
design a talk show around phone calls because you can't
control whether the phone rings or not. You can control
what you talk about and connecting to the audience and
sounding coherent. I usually fail at those things. But because

(48:30):
I've had folks say like man during football season, it
feels like you do so many people, you kind of
squeeze out the audience. Well, all right, we're going to
sort of re engineer things a little bit and include
more people, include the audience a little bit more. And
I think we've done that. And not only have we
done it, we've heard from a lot of folks and
I gotta be honest with you, a lot of voices
that I hadn't heard before. So it's been awesome. So

(48:52):
we have stuck to that resolution, that goal and then
the fifth one. I'm not going to mention on air. Ah,
that's that's just for me and the people who care
about me most. So there you go with that being said. Nick,
you're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Good afternoon, Nick. How are
you apparently not so good?

Speaker 1 (49:14):
Nick?

Speaker 2 (49:15):
Are you there?

Speaker 1 (49:18):
All right?

Speaker 9 (49:18):
No?

Speaker 2 (49:18):
I try one more time, Nick, let me do this,
Let me do do the thing here that Nick? Are
you there? In sad?

Speaker 1 (49:25):
Nick?

Speaker 4 (49:25):
You're on?

Speaker 2 (49:28):
This is great? This is good. You know what, I
think I take back the goal. I think I take
back the promise I heard myself back and then know, Nick,
you know what, scrap it. We're not gonna take phone
calls anymore. We're gonna walk back the resolute. See, I'll
make the resolution. We'll talk to more people. But when
we go to you, number one, be ready. Number two.

(49:51):
I mean, can you have your listening device turned down?
Because you know how this works. I said new voices.
This is not one of them. But hi, Mike, Mike,
how are you doing.

Speaker 4 (50:08):
Sorry to disappoint you, wasn't a new voice.

Speaker 2 (50:10):
That's all right. You are always, always, always, always welcome
on this show.

Speaker 4 (50:15):
Yeah, I'm your probably your most loyal caller over the
last unteen years, and proud of that. I might add
proud of it why because I recognize and enjoy good
entertainment and that's what you and tear and provide.

Speaker 2 (50:31):
Well, I would dispute that pretty emphatical, but I do
think you are our most loyal caller, and you are
possibly and I probably our most loyal listener. But this
show's entertainment, quote often is, is not what it should be,
and that's that's my fault.

Speaker 4 (50:49):
I think it's really cool that you've taking a more
callers now, No, I do. I always was hoping you
would do that, but you know, it's your show. You
do what's best for your show. But I think it's
wonderful that you're incorporating more folks in and I hope
it works out for you, okay, and doesn't make you
nuts or backfire on your bother Taran or whatever.

Speaker 2 (51:10):
So well, you know, here's the thing I was thinking
about this, you know, Mike, I had a lot of
time off towards the end of the year. I burned
my vacation days, and I was thinking, like, you know,
you often listen to you hear people ask like, what
are your callers saying about this? And I go, you know,
in the time that I've been doing this, we are
not a we have never been a caller centric show,

(51:31):
meaning like I came up in this business, you know,
kind of being trained like you never you never gear
the show to getting phone calls, and so you have
to be comfortable not getting them, and you have to
do a show assuming you're not going to get them.
And there are days where I will say like, hey,
I'm really interested in hearing from you. But I was

(51:52):
thinking about this not long ago that in the time
that we have been doing this show, I have always
felt like, and I'm not doing this to patronize the audience,
but I have. I have always felt like our show,
compared to others that I hear, the people that call
in are usually pretty on point, pretty smart, They're not irrational,

(52:13):
They're willing to have a disagreement, but it doesn't turn
into a fight, like you can disagree without being disagreeable.
And I was thinking about that, and I'm like, well,
if that's the case, then you should encourage more folks
like that to chime in. Now the thing that I wish, Mike,
we could accomplish. And I believe this about this business
as a whole. I think folks are less inclined to

(52:33):
talk to somebody they disagree with, and I think that
about life. I mean, you now have people who are
searching real estate listings to find out if the person
they might move next to voted for the same person.
Like that, people just for whatever reason, they want to
insulate themselves against opinions that don't mesh with theirs, which
I do not understand. And so I've always thought like

(52:54):
that the show would be a little bit more better
if we could occasionally hear from folks who enjoy engaging
in a discussion where they took the opposite side and
then at the end of it, we say cool, talk
to you later, have a good day. And it feels
like there's less and less of that in this business
as a whole.

Speaker 4 (53:13):
Yeah, I mean when you listen to Petro's and Money
and some of these other guys. I listened to a
lot of them, you know, later on in the evening,
I don't listen to Lance ever. I'm not proud of that.

Speaker 1 (53:24):
I just don't.

Speaker 4 (53:25):
Well, because I've got there's a bunch of other shows
that I've just gotten into a habit of doing that.
Once Tony's over, once you're over, and then I'm over.

Speaker 1 (53:34):
Basic. Do you know what?

Speaker 2 (53:35):
You know what my listening habit is, Mike. I listened
to Lance MacAllister every morning. Okay, I got you because
I listened to Petros and Money on the way home,
because it's a little bit of a change of pace.
It's my favorite radio show, Petro some Money out there
in Los Angeles, who have been great kind of keeping
things light in the in the middle of all the

(53:58):
chaos it's been unfolding out there. And then I don't
think I've ever said this to Lance or disclosed as public.
I listened to Lance McCallister every morning I watched, you know,
I watched Good Morning Football, and I watched Quick Pitch
during the baseball season. And then when I'm done with that,
about nine o'clock, I sit down and I listen to Lance.

Speaker 1 (54:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (54:15):
At one point years ago, when my dad passed away
and I came back to Cincinnati, and I ended up
seeing here about a year there. About a year I
got in. I was bored because I wasn't working. I
was telling me retards, and so I was listening to
Tim Lewis and Lance and Schleister and all them guys.
Yeah and uh, And I went down started answering the

(54:39):
phones for Lance, you did, and for Tim, for Tim Lewis.
It was fun.

Speaker 2 (54:44):
Yeah, Tim Lewis was. Tim Lewis was was on another
frequency when I was in college, and uh, and then
did the morning show on this radio station right around
the time that our show was just starting out, and
for years worked in our newsroom. Very very nice man.
But I listened to him. IM remember listening to Arch
Schleister on thirteen sixty, the first ever all sports talk

(55:05):
radio station in this town. He was doing sports talk
radio while he was playing for the Cincinnati Rockers, and
while he was also accumulating quite the gambling debt. But
I remember I know a guy who produced for Archleister
during those times who could write a book. So I
remember that. I remember that time well. But now the
Petros and Money my favorite sports talk radio show on

(55:29):
the air every day in Los Angeles Afternoon Drive that
I listened to every day when we get done. I'm
a little bit down on them because Matt money Smith,
the voice of the Chargers. When the Bengals played the Chargers,
we tried to get him on and he said no.
So I'm a little bit upset with him. I'm a
little bit pissed off at Matt money Smith, this guy

(55:49):
whose work I revere a fellow, iHeart, colleague, a radio host.
You know, I'm of the belief, like, if you're in
this business and your job is based on doing interviews
with people, that when you're asked to be interviewed, you
should say yes. So I I want you to do
me a favor because you call these shows.

Speaker 9 (56:07):
Mike.

Speaker 2 (56:07):
I want you to call Petro some Money and tell
Matt Smith off for me and say, your biggest fan
in Cincinnati is very upset that you wouldn't go on
a show to talk Bengals Chargers.

Speaker 4 (56:15):
Not to mention your peer, my friend.

Speaker 2 (56:18):
My peer, my my heart media. Yeah, I want you
to do me a favor. Maybe maybe get on today
when I'm I'm driving I'm driving home. Uh uh. And
I could hear you call Matt Smith of Petros and
Money and say, like I I was so looking forward
to getting him on because I love his work. He's
the co host of my favorite show. He's the voice

(56:39):
of the Chargers. And Tarren reached out and Matt Money
Smith big time him. So you know what, say, you know,
what the hell with him? I'm gonna listen to a
Lance Live now every day at six o'clock.

Speaker 4 (56:53):
Hey, I didn't mean to get off on a tangent,
but I find it interesting. I thought Don Burrows was
really good.

Speaker 2 (56:59):
Don Brols used to be on when I was growing up,
was on Channel twelve.

Speaker 4 (57:03):
Yeah, the Big Redhead and Timmy Timmy Lewis. The problem
Tim had was being able to get in and out
of the studio door.

Speaker 2 (57:13):
The large man fat too. So what the hell I mean?
You know, he's a Utah He's a Utah guy.

Speaker 4 (57:24):
What are the what what are we going to do
about ds? What are we going to do is it.
I heard him say earlier today that when Francona comes
in the writer for the Reds, I guess he's been around.
I forget his name, begged my pardon. But when Tony
and them guys interviewed him today, he said no, by
no means is Alexis Diaz is going to get handed

(57:45):
the keys. He's going to have to earn it. I
want to hear, because I think that's a critical factor
the closer on this team, well on any team.

Speaker 2 (57:53):
Uh yeah, Now, I think that the good news is
that later in the season Alexis Das last year was
better than he was in the first half, and he was.
He didn't have a great year last year by any
stretch of the imagination. I don't think anybody on a
team that finished with it a below five hundred record,
beyond one or two guys should be guaranteed any role

(58:14):
and then includes Alexis Das. And so I heard that,
and I was encouraged by the fact that Terry Francona.
Now a lot of managers say that in January and
then late February comes around and well, there's no real competition.
But yeah, Alexis d as for what he has accomplished
and for what he has done for this organization in

(58:34):
the past. Should not be guaranteed anything on a team
that was below five hundred last season, the seventy seven
win team shouldn't have many guys who are guaranteed roles,
and that includes Alexis ds.

Speaker 4 (58:48):
Yeah, and I also heard him saying, today we're different
topic baseball about mo Tony was asking Austin. Austin was
asking Tony about your favorite baseball stadiums and what have you.
And I know you've discussed this many times, but I
do know Joey Bodo used to say Dodger Stadium was

(59:09):
his favorite stadium to plan and I thought I heard
Ellie say that, but that I may be wrong about that,
and that I just thought maybe that's a precursor. But
did I miss your secret potion for keeping Ellie? Did
I miss that? Well to the bathroom.

Speaker 2 (59:27):
No, No, it's it's coming out. I was going to
do it now, but I talked to you way too long.
So at four thirty five, I'm going to tell you
how I think the Reds can keep Ellie Dela Cruz
for a very long time.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
Okay, can't wait.

Speaker 2 (59:41):
There you go look forward. Okay, Mike, have a good afternoon.
It's twenty two after four o'clock. How much of that
conversation Arran was interesting? I was actually talking to somebody else.
I'm sorry, there you go. Nothing but the best twenty
two minutes after four o'clock ESPN fifteen thirty since an Sports.

Speaker 7 (01:00:00):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN.

Speaker 2 (01:00:03):
Fifteen thirty on Oeger. If you miss anything on this show,
go get it on the iHeartRadio app. Rick Rooring was
awesome yesterday talking about the Xavier Musketeers and Ryan Conwell's
performance against Villanova on Tuesday night twenty eight in the
second half an x US win Musketeers getting set to
go to Milwaukee to play Marquette on Saturday, and Rick

(01:00:26):
and I talked about that and the season to date
and so much more. We also spend some time on
NKU basketball. The Norse crushed last night in Cleveland by
Cleveland State by eighteen points, and an NKU team that
looked like maybe not the favorite, but in its typical
position of being able to contend for a Horizon League title,
suddenly has lost three consecutive games. Go get that conversation,

(01:00:49):
Rick and I on Xavier and NKU on the iHeartRadio
app or the podcast page of ESPN fifteen thirty dot com.
Also really good stuff from Terry Nelson yesterday on and
the Bearcats. If you like good nuts and bolts basketball,
like we almost had a whiteboard, that's how good it was,
go find that podcast of the show. A service of

(01:01:10):
Long Neck Sports Grill with three locations in northern Kentucky.
There's no better place to post up and watch college
shops or the NFL Playoffs this weekend or the College
Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday. Long Neck Sports Grill, Wilder,
Hebron and Richwood. Obviously, much of the conversation with Terry
yesterday still tracks, as they say, still plays because they

(01:01:33):
got to figure out some stuff. Offensively, they were at
least good down the stretch from the free throw line,
I think they made with thirteen of their last fourteen
to close the game. They put his East Van Daego
at the line late he made both. Dylan Mitchell was
better from the free throw line last night. Five of
seven they shoot sixty or shoot a seventy six percent
sixteen of twenty one, but they made him when they

(01:01:54):
had to down the stretch. I don't have this in
front of me because I'm a disorganized Yes, but I
think someone stole it last season. At some point during
the year, some point during the college basketball season, you
see was struggling from the free throw line. And I
went back and I looked as far back as I

(01:02:14):
could to see every single year what U See's national
ranking was in free throw shooting percentage. Last night on
the ESPN Plus broadcast, they said they were like three
hundred and fiftieth, which whether it was three fifty or
three thirty big, it doesn't matter. Not very good. And

(01:02:35):
I was able to get this going back to the
two thousand and two thousand and one season, so essentially
the twenty first century, and I jotted down and I
remembered like mentioning it on our show or maybe with
Tony and Austin on Sincy three sixty. And I had
it at my desk, and for some reason it's not
there anymore, and God knows what happened to it. But

(01:02:59):
in the twenty first century, and again this was midway
through last year, there's only been one year where you
See is ranked in the top one hundred in free
throw shooting. Percentage. It was the two thousand and one,
two thousand and two season, the year they were a
one seed, they were ninety fifth. That team had Steve

(01:03:21):
Logan who was a great free throw shooter, and he
was great at getting to the free throw line, and
he was also making a bunch of free throws lad
in games when they were trying to ice the game,
and he was awesome, and so they cracked the top
one hundred. They were ninety fifth. I remember that every
other year, and I think, with a few exceptions, every
year like two hundredth or worse. I have a lot

(01:03:42):
of things I want to see before I die in
life and in sports. I'd love to see a Super
Bowl parade. I'd love to see the Reds win the
World Series again. Obviously, I would love national championships for
UC football and basketball. I'd like to see the Knicks
win the NBA. There are a lot of championships. I'd
like to see, maybe a Dayton Flyers team with the

(01:04:02):
players actually like each other, because that sure as hell
doesn't look like a group of guys who like each
other right now. Beyond that, one time in my life,
I want to see a UC basketball team that's can
I push it and say, top seventy five in the country.
Is that too much to ask for? Like not an

(01:04:25):
okay free throw shooting team, but like a good one,
a legitimately good, good enough that like when I go
to NCAA dot Org, or when I go to team
rankings and I'm looking to see where they rank nationally
and free throw shooting, I don't have to keep clicking
on the thing that says next, and they're right there
on page one or two. One time in my life

(01:04:46):
this century, one time in the top one hundred, they
were ninety fifth. One time just in top eighty. I
want to see that before I die. Ian and Ron
and the Unknown Caller online to five one, three, seven,
four nine. You want Eli de la Cruz to sign
here long term? Okay? I got an idea. On ESPN

(01:05:09):
fifteen to thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 7 (01:05:10):
Station Cincinnatis eight Sports.

Speaker 2 (01:05:14):
Headlines service to Kelsey Chevalet Homov lifetime powertrain protection and
guarantee credit approval from their family to yours for life
at kelseyshev dot Com. SI s Drey Harris reports, Al
Golden and Patrick Graham are the two finalists to be
the Bengals defensive coordinator Golden the DC at Notre Dame
they obviously play on Monday Night in the College Football

(01:05:36):
Playoff National Title tilt, and Graham, the defensive coordinator of
the Las Vegas Raiders. The Reds have announced they will
play their final exhibition game of twenty twenty five, two
days before Opening Day in Dayton at Dayton the Dragons
at their home field, the name of which I'm not

(01:05:57):
paid to mention. The Reds will play a bunch of
props in Dayton on Tuesday, March twenty fifth, two days
before they play the Giants in the game the Counts
on Opening Day at GABP. Get your tickets now. The
West Miller Show is tonight at eight o'clock from the
original Montgomery in on seven hundred WLW, and the Blue
Jackets look for a sixth consecutive victory. Columbus skating and

(01:06:22):
playing hockey against San Jose pol Questions on this show
are a service of United Heartland Insurance. Go to uachiants
dot com. The average insurance renewal has increased twenty to
fifty percent. If your business has five or more commercial
fleet vehicles and you want to save money, contact John
the Commercial Fleet Expert at United Heartland Insurance. Check them

(01:06:43):
out online at uchis dot com. That's John Turner, the
commercial fleet expert at United Heartland Insurance uchis dot com.
Three three countum three poulp questions on x at Moeger.
One of them is about Al Golden, one of them
is about the UC basketball team, and the other is

(01:07:03):
about the Freezer Bowl and people who went to that
game telling you stories about it. Because this came up
on social media yesterday twenty three away from five o'clock,
will update the results throughout the course of the afternoon.
I spent some time yesterday talking about t Higgins, and
that's no surprise because I've spent time almost every single

(01:07:24):
day for the last month and a half talking about
T Higgins. What happens with T Higgins and the Bengals
in twenty twenty five is that ball is very much
in t higgins court. He may decide I want to
stay here no matter what. He may look for the
most money, he may try to find a better football situation.

(01:07:44):
Who knows, but he has at least remained publicly at
least open to staying here. And one of the reasons
why I'm sure is they've had team success, not they
obviously haven't won a Super Bowl. Higgins has gotten a
chance to play in a Super Bowl with the Bengals,
with Joe Burrow, with Jamar Chase, with Zach Taylor's that's happened.

(01:08:07):
That's a thing. And they obviously played the following season
in the AFC Championship Game, and so they've come this close,
painfully close, agonizingly close to winning the whole thing. I
would be willing to bet that over the course of
the last five years, if the Bengals were consistently achieving

(01:08:27):
losing records, or hadn't made the postseason, or hadn't won
a playoff game, then T would be at least publicly
singing a slightly different tune. But I'm sure part of
the poll, part of the reason why he's at least
willing if he indeed is to stick around, maybe even

(01:08:49):
take less. It's sure he can enjoy some incredible statistical success.
And maybe it is easier being T Higgins when you've
got Jamar Chase on the other side of the field.
And maybe it's better passes from Joe Burrow than any
other quarterback he can be catching passes from. But I'm
sure the box has been checked. Can I win here well,
based on what's happened before, Yes, we can win here.

(01:09:12):
No guarantee that they will, So we'll see what happens
with T Higgins. Baseball season is going to begin here soon,
and we're gonna be watching to see if Ellie de
la Cruz can make the leap to superstart him. Can
he do this year what Bobby Witt did in Kansas
City last year and be a guy that you look
at and go, dude, MVP caliber player. We'll see, I hope.

(01:09:33):
So we're gonna be watching for that. And then every
time he has a good game, someone is gonna bring up,
when can they get something done? Why don't they get
something done? Go ahead and sign him, now, give him
a blank check. Now, I've talked about this before as well.
I think it's smart to operate under the assumption that

(01:09:55):
Ellie Dela Cruz is no longer going to be here
starting with the twenty thirty season. I'm going to assume,
and I'd be willing to bet money on this. Number one,
Ellie Dela Cruz will probably play for another team at
some point during his big league career. Chances are when
that happens, he's still in his prime. My guess is

(01:10:16):
he leaves via free agency, or perhaps the Reds trade
him before he hits free agency. I think we would
agree that's where the smart money is. If I was
Ellie Dela Cruz, I would have a goal to be,
if not baseball's first one billion dollar player, a one
billion dollar player that's very much in play for the

(01:10:36):
next crop of free agents or players who are aiming
to get too free agency. Right because of what Juan
Soto signed for with the Mets, something that was unimaginable
is now almost inevitable. Juan Soto signs for like seven
hundred and fifty mili total. Someone's going to sign for
a billion dollars. It's going to happen. And that's the

(01:10:57):
sort of thing like fifteen years ago, nobody ever would
have imagined it. You might argue five years ago, nobody
ever would have imagined it. It will happen. Will it
happened with Ellie Dela Cruz. I have no idea, But
if I was Elie Dela Cruz, and maybe if you
were Ellie Dela Cruz, you'd be going, Dude, I want
to sign for a billion dollars. That'd be cool as hell.
That's rarefied air. Maybe I'll be the first, and that

(01:11:20):
in itself might make it more difficult for the Reds.
Here's what will make it even more difficult if, over
the next couple of years, the Reds continue to finish
in fourth place, third place, fifth place, with eighty wins,
seventy seven wins, eighty one wins, seventy four wins, and
continue to not make the playoffs. We've talked a lot

(01:11:44):
about don't waste greatness, don't waste high end talent, don't
waste Joe Burrow, don't waste Jamar Chase, you wasted Joey Vado,
don't waste Ellie Dela Cruz. But also, these guys like
to win. I think we've forget about that sometimes because
we see the money. We see the dollar figures. Like

(01:12:04):
these are insanely competitive dudes. They're also really concerned with branding.
Your branding takes a hit if you're on a team
that never wins. Your branding takes a hit if you
never get the stage of the postseason. I think to
a large degree, you know, people know Joey Vado and

(01:12:24):
have come to know him in recent years because he
has shown us more of his personality and he's done
stuff on TV, and he's embraced social media. I saw
on his Instagram last night he was getting a tattoo.
I don't know if it was his first or not,
but Aiger's A lot of people like really don't completely
understand how good at baseball the guy was because he
never saw him or rarely saw certainly didn't see him

(01:12:47):
in the playoffs over the course of his last decade,
aside from the Mickey Mouse twenty twenty season, Like, these
guys want the big stage. These guys want to build
their brands. It's easier to build a brand when part
of your brand is connected to team success and winning.
These guys want to do that. So you want to
have the conversation about Ellie again. I operate under the

(01:13:07):
assumption he ain't gonna be here in twenty thirty. That
might sound pessimistic. I think it's realistic. I'm preparing myself
for that, and I'm okay with it. But it's probably
more than just about money. I'm sure money is huge concern,
maybe the number one item he's concerned with, And that's okay.
It's okay to prioritize money, but these guys also want

(01:13:31):
to win, so what they can't control are the economics
of the sport, which will maybe change with the next CBA.
I doubt it does, because owners never fight for what
they're looking for and they never really offer the players
anything of substance to get a salary cap. So I'll
assume that's not going to happen if the economics remain
the same. You can't do anything about what big markets

(01:13:52):
can spend that you'll say you can't. What you can
do a better job of controlling is how hard you
try to win and how much do you win? Because
if I'm Ellie Dela Cruz, I am certainly looking ahead
to thinking like can I be a billion dollar player?
But also like, hey man, am I going to attach
myself for even longer than I have to to a

(01:14:14):
team that's never playing in October? That doesn't give me
the big stage to be able to show what I
can do in games that really really matter. We talk
all the time about like don't waste greatness, but also
keep greatness by building around greatness and taking advantage of
it and having the great players feel like, you know

(01:14:36):
what I can win here. I could have team success here,
and then I can get all the individual attention and
accolades and endorsements and financial windfall that comes with it.
Maybe it happens. But if I'm Elie Dela Cruz on
top of looking down the road financially, I'm really paying

(01:14:57):
attention to what's happening around me. And you might argue
he's too young of a player, maybe too immature of
a player, not a complete enough player to really be
thinking about what's happening around him, But I don't know.
Let's say, over the next two seasons the Reds continue
to not make the playoffs. I certainly hope that's not
the case. Let's say it is, and the Reds get

(01:15:19):
to a point where it's like, all right, we'd ru
like to go ahead and buy out the rest of
your years of team control and your arbitration years, and
we want to sign you even beyond twenty twenty nine.
If you were Ellie, win should be going yeah, but
we haven't won anything here. Well, I never play in October,
were never in nationally televised games. I play an obscurity

(01:15:43):
on a team that doesn't finish better than seventy seven
and eighty five. Like, these guys want to win. So
here's a novel concept. You want to have a prayer
of keeping Ellie Deyla Cruz. You want to have something
that you can point to, point to winning, playing in
the postseason, and perhaps when the time is right, And

(01:16:06):
one might argue now is that time? One might argue
now is not that time? But perhaps at some point
show a burning desire to do whatever it takes to win,
whether that be financial or otherwise. Because I'm sure he's
gonna be watching like the worst thing to be would
be Ellie leaps and this season, huh, he is a

(01:16:28):
bonafide superstar. And it's not just because he does some
cool stuff. It's because every day he's putting up numbers
that are absurd. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn't. There
are a lot of people who think it can. The
worst thing would be that happens and the team is
still below five hundred and still not going anywhere, and
a great season is wasted. A, you're wasting greatness. B.

(01:16:50):
If you're Ellie, you're going Okay, how many more years
is that gonna happen? These guys want to win, These
guys want the big stage. These guys want to compete.
These guys want to be considered the best in the world.
What they do, they want to be paid to. The

(01:17:12):
money part is one thing. The other part matters too,
so to me, like that's as we do this this year,
and it's gonna come up almost every single day. Can
they sign Ellie? Will they sign Ellie? Will Ellie sign? What?
What can they do to make it happen? What's it
gonna cost? Why don't they try? Should they? It's gonna

(01:17:32):
come up. What I would counter with is can Ellie
win here? Because if I'm asking it, I'm sure he
is too, So perhaps this year they can answer that
question in the affirmative. Yes, Ellie, you can win here.
We'll see your phone calls are coming up twelve away
from five o'clock, five, one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty,

(01:17:54):
we will update our poll questions and uh, you see
one last night my mood is brightened. I'm feeling encouraged,
and now we're we're gonna break the glass earlier than
I wish, but we're gonna break the glass anyway. Coming
up at five oh five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati

(01:18:14):
Sports Station Monstert. I liked one side of it, and
it's not Philadelphia. This is going to be a short
segment because we have to get back on time, and
then we'll talk to some folks five, one, three, seven, nine,
fifteen thirty. We'll address our pole questions. Tony and Austin
had one about what is the best story in the
NFL with the the eight remaining playoff teams, and like

(01:18:36):
it feels like for much of the season, the Lions
were kind of America's team, and there's sort of the
NFC Bengals. They've never won it, haven't won a Super Bowl.
Everybody likes Dan Campbell, and you know the Bills, the
people jumping through tables and it's Bill's mafia, and you know,
franch lost all those Super Bowls in the early ninety
I think the Commanders are the best story. This is

(01:18:59):
a franchise that was defined by maybe the worst ownership
in all of sports for a very long time. And
not just a bad owner, but if you knew anything
about Daniel Snyder, a rotten human being who happened to
own a football team and essentially held it hostage. Like
there's owners who don't win, there's owners who have outdated philosophies,

(01:19:24):
and then there's really bad human beings who owned sports teams.
It filled to me, it felt to me like Dan
Snyder qualified as that. So this franchise moves on from
this awful person who is an awful owner, and they
have not instant success, but almost instant success, and it
feels like they're gonna be pretty good for a while

(01:19:45):
because they've got their guy quarterback. That's an awesome story,
Like as stories go, here's this fan base, passionate fan
base just caught up in this awful ownership. Magic Johnson
and his guys takeover and the team is not only good,
really fun to watch. And Jane Daniels, to me, is

(01:20:05):
an easy guy root for. I think that's the best
remaining story. Your phone calls are coming up five away
from five ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 10 (01:20:13):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 8 (01:20:19):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. Don't let injuries slow
you down. The uc Health Orthopeutics and sports medicine experts
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Eardle northbound seventy five, an accident onto the right shoulder
that between Town Street and Paddock Road. I'm at EAZELK
with traffics.

Speaker 9 (01:20:49):
Like ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati's sports station.

Speaker 2 (01:20:53):
All right, it's four minutes, four minutes for five o'clock.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty on Oleager. Thank you, thank
you for listening today. Hopefully you're having an awesome Thursday.
I know we are. You're gonna hear from Derek Johnson,
the Reds pitching coach, DJU. You're gonna hear from him
in just a little bit on guys like Hunter Green

(01:21:14):
and Nicolodolo and more not coming up in just about
fifteen minutes. Lots more on the Bearcats and their win
last night as well. Had to start somewhere. If you
watch the game hoping, you know what, I'm gonna see
a team that I haven't seen now in six weeks.
That wasn't gonna happen. If you were watching last night
thinking that this team was all of a sudden gonna

(01:21:34):
unleash this torrent of offense that we haven't seen since
the Georgia Tech game. That wasn't gonna happen. If you
were watching last night simply hoping they could figure out
a way to get a victory, break a four game
losing streak and perhaps be a jumping off point to
something better and look for one or two glimmers of hope.
Well that then last night was a success. Seamous lukasha

(01:21:57):
shot it better last night, Semas Lukashia's better shots as
the result of better offense, and that's what I will
cling to. But they set themselves up now they have
to be better at home. They have to be better
at home. I think of last year's team seven and
eleven in the league. By the time the Big Twelve
Tournament got here, they'd win five games in five days

(01:22:19):
to make it. They made a run, but didn't come
close this year. Where do they have to be better? Well,
you might say beat Xavier, they did that. You might
say beat Dayton, they did that. That Dayton win looks
less and less good. By the way. As a quick aside,
if you're a UD fan, what I love most about
basketball is it's a very transparent sport. I've never seen

(01:22:39):
a team with worse chemistry. Like you watch that team.
They look like dudes who just don't enjoy playing with
each other. That's not what it looked like in Maui.
But that win looks less and less good. So you
did those two things. Now what from last year do
you have to do better? In conference play? You have
to be better at home. Last year they went four
and five in home. They didn't lose a game by
more than nine points, lost some heartbreakers, they lost some

(01:23:01):
games to teams they should have beaten. This year, they're
off to an zero to two start at home in
Big twelve play. They have to win their home games.
They have to win. Winning on the road is gonna
be tough no matter where they go, no matter who
they play. For this team to finish ten and ten,
nine and eleven, somewhere in that range in a twenty
game Big twelve season, they have to be substantially better

(01:23:24):
at home. Their next two games are at home. They
should be favored on Saturday against Arizona State. Not sure
they will against Texas Tech. That Texas Tech game right
now stands to be a Q one opportunity. They've got
to get these next two. I'll break the glass. I'll
go must win. They must win these next two. We'll
see if they do. We're not even talking about that

(01:23:46):
if they don't win last night, which they did. We
spent some time on the Bengals defensive coordinator search today,
which various reports suggest that they've narrowed the list of
finalists to two. Patrick Graham, who was with the Raiders
last year, and Al Golden, who's preparing for the National
Championship game with Notre Dame. So we will see. We

(01:24:10):
will see more on that coming up here in a bit.
We'll update our poll questions as well. But folks who
have been waiting and waiting patiently, and I don't like
making people wait. Ian you're on ESPN fifteen thirty, Thank
you for your patients, Good afternoon, How are you great man?

Speaker 11 (01:24:29):
Three points, and then you can comment. I'll make it
real short. Yes, yeah, I got some others to get
to OK one. I couldn't envision a world with the
Reds and that energy, that vibe that they had from
the past couple of years of that small ball, hustle team.

(01:24:50):
I feel like barring that CS can hit like I
think he can, and he stays healthy and Matt McClain
the same, So they should focus on keeping those guys upright.
Third third point on that is, if they could just
get two fifty to two seventy hitter, they could pull

(01:25:10):
somebody in, like they're talking about this money freed up
from the new deal, that would be amazing. And then
later in the year, if they're kind of in it,
they might have some guys that they could trade when
you know, all these big contracts are happening and they
can't compete with that that those teams are desperate now

(01:25:33):
they have, you know, some of those pitchers in the
minor leagues that could get them across the finish line.
That's my dream scenario. Point two the Bengals shouldn't they
focus on with Duke Tobin some extra focus, the more odds,

(01:25:53):
some more talent behind the scenes on these draft picks.
I don't know if it was you or someone else
yesterday that said the Rams like through the book it
getting a bunch of guys in the middle rounds and
it worked out for him, like something of that nature.

Speaker 1 (01:26:08):
Tries something a little different, focus on that talent.

Speaker 11 (01:26:12):
And then number three, how are you as a.

Speaker 1 (01:26:17):
College basketball team?

Speaker 11 (01:26:20):
You know, the bear Caps not able to shoot. I
don't understand how do you get on a college basketball
team and you don't have That just blows my mind.

Speaker 1 (01:26:30):
So I'd like to hear your comments on those three.

Speaker 2 (01:26:33):
Things, all right, So number one on the Reds energy
and vibe being carried over from two years ago, I
certainly believe that that is possible. I certainly believe that
this team can take advantage of the current rules and
force the issue on the bases, and maybe Terry Francona
can help them avoid crossing the line that exists between

(01:26:55):
aggressiveness and stupidity, which we saw them cross often last year.
I would love to see Matt McClain play one hundred
and forty five games. I'd love to see ces play
one hundred and forty five games. I have a clearer
idea of what that looks like. If Matt McClain does so,
then I do Cees. But I think we are both
really excited about the upside for those two players. I'm

(01:27:16):
here for that. I understand, like, well, maybe wait to
the deadline and we'll spend the whole summer talking about that.
If they're in it, right, Like, what are you gonna go?
Get it? The deadline. Two things about that. Number One
is this finally gonna be the year where we go, Okay,
stop talking about what you're gonna give up and be
worried about mortgage in your future, and go get the guy.
I hope the answer is yes. But number two, with that,

(01:27:39):
why not go get that guy now?

Speaker 12 (01:27:41):
Like?

Speaker 2 (01:27:42):
Why do we have to wait till July thirty First,
they're gonna play two thirds of the season before then.
If you think you're gonna need that guy, then you
need him now, go get him now.

Speaker 1 (01:27:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 11 (01:27:53):
I mean I feel like a two seventy two sixty
hitter could could be enough with what else they did
with pitching, and you know.

Speaker 2 (01:28:01):
What I mean, I'd like to see a guy. I'd
like to see a guy who had a little bit
more pop. And look, hitting two seventy now is like
hitting three hundred twenty years ago. As much as people
don't want to hear that, but they need they need
offensive help. I think they need a guy who can
hit the ball out of the ballpark. And if I
get that with the way they should be able to
play a little ball, I'll be okay with that. But
I don't understand why if you go you know what,

(01:28:23):
that's what they're gonna need on July thirty first, why
not go get it on January sixteenth?

Speaker 1 (01:28:29):
Right?

Speaker 2 (01:28:31):
Do I believe the Bengals should go and add draft choices? Sure?
You know the Rams had two threes and two sixes.
I'm sorry they had two threes and three sixes last year.
I'm all for acquiring as much draft capital as you
could possibly get. The easiest way to get draft capital
is trade Trey Hendrickson. Beyond that, I don't know who

(01:28:52):
you deal to get I don't know who you deal
to get significant draft capital back?

Speaker 11 (01:28:57):
Like could you in a world Let's say you do
it because they don't want to worry about guessing on
a draft pick for a you know, a replacement for
t Higgins sign of the ass and then throw the
book at it like the Rams did with They need
some something different than what they've been doing with Duke

(01:29:18):
cobinh identifying. You know what I mean is if they're
going to live in this world where the money is
what it is, then.

Speaker 1 (01:29:27):
That's just my opinion.

Speaker 2 (01:29:29):
They have to be better at drafting defensive players. Like
if you look at the reason why the defense performed
the way it did over the last couple of years.
It's because they haven't been able to get instant impact
from the players they've drafted. On defense, Miles Murphy has
given them next to nothing. Dax Hill has given them
next to nothing. Those are back to back first round picks.

(01:29:52):
Dax Hill was hurt this year, but back to back
first round picks. We're still waiting for something. Miles Murphy,
you know, you can tell me all you want about
pass rush win rate. I don't remember him making any
plays this year. He had as many sacks as I did.
And then you add to it, Cam Taylor Britt was
miscast this year as a number one corner. You know,
some of the other guys, Joseph Osai really hasn't materialized

(01:30:14):
in the type of player that we would have hoped.
Jordan Battle, I still don't know. So they've got to
be better drafting defensive players that must start this year.
And you're right if you think they increase the likelihood
of doing that if they have more picks. But there's
only so many ways to get him, and really it's
limited to trading Trey Hendrickson. As for college basketball players

(01:30:34):
not being able to shoot, it happens what you hope
is they don't have a lot of guys or most
of the guys on the same team who can't shoot. Unfortunately,
it feels like this year's team does. That's okay if
A you can design an offense that figures out a
way to get guys the easiest possible shots, and B
you can lock down teams defensively and score off your defense.

Speaker 11 (01:30:58):
Yeah, man, I'll leave you with it. I just think
that the whole these guys leaving and getting cherry picked
is ruining.

Speaker 1 (01:31:06):
I don't think it's long term. There needs to be
a major change. I don't think it's good for.

Speaker 11 (01:31:13):
I understand giving these guys professional like they're due because they're.

Speaker 1 (01:31:18):
Talented, but it kind of wrecks the.

Speaker 11 (01:31:21):
Balance across the board in my opinion, Like it's not
it's unfair.

Speaker 1 (01:31:26):
The way I mean you could pay.

Speaker 2 (01:31:28):
Who's always opportunities? Who's it unfair to?

Speaker 9 (01:31:33):
Uh?

Speaker 11 (01:31:34):
Well, I just look at like what's transpired with the Bearcats,
like going to get guys, I mean the new the
new rules.

Speaker 2 (01:31:45):
The new rules enabled them to bring in Dylan Mitchell
from Texas, who I think everybody would have wanted, an
Arranton Page from USC who a lot of people would
have wanted. The new rules have allowed C. J. Frederick,
who helped last night to come from the University of Kentucky.
They've helped them get Seamoss Lukasias Like, who's it unfair to.

Speaker 11 (01:32:06):
Yeah, I guess I'm off on that.

Speaker 4 (01:32:07):
But well, just one more question that I'm going to just.

Speaker 1 (01:32:11):
Jump off and listen to you.

Speaker 11 (01:32:14):
Is it possible that with the shooting and in the
UH deficiency that I'm seeing that they can through practice
in the next month, like it could change and they
could be more consistent or is it kind of like
dreaming at this point. No, Look, I don't understand.

Speaker 2 (01:32:31):
I look, they they can't be much worse than they
have been, right, I mean, they're not going to score
They're not going to score forty points in the game again,
and if they do, that's a problem. But my guess
is they're not going to have another game with a
score forty eight. So do I think they'll improve? Yes?
And I also do think they have some offensive players.
Seamos Lukasia's has been in a shooting slump. Part of

(01:32:52):
that has been the way teams have defended him. Part
of that has been he's missed some good shots, and
part of that has been the offense hasn't worked. I
think you saw a little bit better stuff in all
three phases of that last night. Like they can't improve,
I mean, I've watched a lot of college basketball teams
who are in early March not what they were in
mid January, including some UC teams, So it can improve.

(01:33:15):
But I think we would all agree that the offensive
ceiling for this team is lower than we thought it
was going to be at the beginning of the year.
So you're gonna have to figure out ways to account
for that. And again, for me, I've talked about like
I'd like to see him run more. I didn't really
do that last night, like to see him play really
good defense, better than they did against Baylor. They have
the last two games, and I do think they have

(01:33:36):
to figure out ways to score off their defense. They
did grab him in offensive rebounds last night. They've got
to continue to be a good offensive rebounding team. But
do I think there's room for improvement, Sure, I mean
there's still two months left in the season. They're really
good teams continue to get better. Hopefully this team is
good enough to do that. I I've enjoyed it man,
thanks very much. Yeah, Man, good to talk to you.

(01:33:59):
Seventeen after five o'clock. The freedom of like I understand,
it's frustrating, like there is as a college basketball fan,
you know the days of The primary example is Kenyan Martin.
Like we all love Keny Martin. When I loved about
Keny Martin was four years, every single year watching him
get better, from year one when you could not put

(01:34:19):
him in the game, to year two when he could
dominate a game by not touching the ball, to year
three when he was becoming a factor on offense, to
year four when he was the best player in the country.
You don't get that that much anymore. It's rare, and
you become attached to a player and you're excited about
what he can do, and then he leaves. But like,
everybody's playing under the same rules, so it's fair. It's
fair to everybody. You might not like it, and you

(01:34:40):
might believe there should be more regulation, and I'm kind
to here for that, but it's fair. You see, he's
benefited from it. You see he's gonna lose guys because
of it. Everybody will. I think it's leveled the playing field.
I think the freedom of movement has leveled the playing field. Nil,
I think is leveled the playing field and both college

(01:35:00):
basketball and college football. Eighteen after five o'clock, more of
your phone calls and play some Derek Johnson Audio two
on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Pole questions the
service of a United Heartland Insurance Go to uhi NS
dot com. If you got commercial fleet vehicles, you got

(01:35:21):
to insure them. Let United Heartland Insurance do that for you.
Contact John Turner. He is the commercial fleet expert at
United Heartland Insurance. Go to UHIS dot com. Our questions
are on x at moegar. The three of them vote now,
first one, what if the Bengals new defensive coordinator is
Al Golden? Four choices ready, Al Golden Baby LFG. That's

(01:35:44):
number one, Number two Al Golden, okay, Number three, Al
Golden really? And number four? Who's Al Golden? Right now?
The second choice leads the way with forty nine point
eight percent. Number two, we'll UC men's basketball qualify for
the NCAA. Two them in sixty nine percent of you
say no. And I brought this up on social media

(01:36:05):
yesterday to kind of joke around. So yesterday the temperature
is dipped into the single digits. It was really really cold.
But if you if you have lived in this town
for any amount of time, you know how it works
when it's really really cold, especially if a sporting event
is involved, and you you might make the remark that
it's really cold and maybe you were out in the elements.

(01:36:27):
You get shouted down. If somebody who was at the
Freezer Bowl forty three years ago, here's you talk about
how it's gone, and they'll tell you like, you don't
know what cold is. I was at the Freezer Bowl
and it's it's really kind of annoying. And then invariably
they'll decide to tell you about how they were at
the Freezer Bowl. And then then when they start doing that,

(01:36:53):
I my eyes start to glaze over and I get sleepy.
Do you find stories of what it was like to
attend the Freezer Bowl interesting? Fifty eight percent say no,
I'm with you, mainly because I've heard them all. We'll
hear from Derek Johnson, who's more interesting than Freezer Bowl
stories coming up in just a second. He's the Reds
pitching coach. You'll hear him on Nick Ladolo, who has

(01:37:16):
to stay healthy this year in Hunter Green who has
to stay healthy this year? But I don't want to
make people wait anymore. Ron in Milford, you're on ESPN
fifteen thirty. Thank you for your patience. How are you?

Speaker 13 (01:37:26):
Ron? It's Ron and me.

Speaker 14 (01:37:29):
I just talked to you on Monday about the Bengals,
but now.

Speaker 13 (01:37:31):
I'm on the Red oh Man. Yeah, I know here.
I know you wanted a new guy, but you're stuck
with Ron from Milford.

Speaker 2 (01:37:38):
I like Ron from Milford. You always make sense.

Speaker 1 (01:37:41):
Ron.

Speaker 13 (01:37:41):
Go ahead, Well I'm not too You're right.

Speaker 14 (01:37:45):
They have to make a move before the season starts.

Speaker 13 (01:37:47):
You look at this lineup and tell me this is
me just running two things quickly. Friedel's in center field
leading off.

Speaker 15 (01:37:53):
I got McLean at second base, Del Cruz at shortstop
batting third. I guess based on his RBI production, Spencer
Scarer batting clean up, and left field, the candy Man
Dhing Stevenson catching the seventh spot. I have it right
now with Cees at first base, Gavin Lutz at third

(01:38:16):
base batting eighth, and I guess the combination of Freiley,
Benson or fair Child in the ninth spot playing right field.

Speaker 14 (01:38:26):
Who in that lineup impresses you. Nobody really, no one's
a threat there for I mean that would actually scare you.

Speaker 2 (01:38:33):
Correct if you're a starting pitcher and you've got to
get through that lineup twice or three times, I mean,
who are you like? You know what? We can't let
this guy beat us. I don't think there's anybody. I mean,
there are some guys there who might have nice seasons,
But as you rattled that off, no matter what order
you want to put those guys in, does that sound

(01:38:55):
like the lineup of a team that's going to sail
into the postseason right now? I don't think the answer
is yes. And so maybe one guy doesn't dramatically change that,
but could certainly help. And so far they haven't gotten
that guy.

Speaker 14 (01:39:11):
No, And it's just I mean, like you said, one
guy and that'll help a little bit. I mean quite frankly,
I feel.

Speaker 5 (01:39:18):
Like too, because who there mo has a proven If
you look at that, and we've talked about this before,
who has a proven baseball card in that lineup? Nobody,
because no one's put together more than a season. I mean,
we hope that Ellie, like you said.

Speaker 16 (01:39:32):
Is going to be on the ink on the Upcline,
but no one else, I mean has a proven track runner,
even the candy Man. If you look at his stats,
I mean two thirty, two forty. I mean it's not
like he's an outstanding hitter.

Speaker 2 (01:39:45):
Who's an All Star? I mean, just look at it
that way. Who's who's an All Star? And I'm not
talking about based on popularity. I'm talking about based on
being one of the best three in the National League
at their position. Now, Ellie I think has a very
good chance to be an All Star. He was last season.
I think Tyler Stevenson, who I think kind of quietly
had a good year last year, I think can be

(01:40:06):
an All Star this season. Who else is an All Star?
Is Jamer Candelario an All Star? Is Gavin Lux an
All Star? Is Spencer Steer an All Star? Like, don't
get confused for a nice piece or a guy who
put up respectable numbers with All Star And so, I think,
have it kind of cool to get a guy and

(01:40:27):
I know they cost a lot, and you might say, well,
they're out of their price range. I think it'd be
cool to have somebody that I looked at and said
that could be a guy who's an All star because
I don't see that many. I don't see that many.
And with Stevenson it's it's catcher, So the bar is
pretty low. Like some guys that you could say could
be even not one of the best three at their position.
How about top five?

Speaker 14 (01:40:49):
Yeah, I mean, just anything that, you know, give the
other team something to think about. I mean, right now.

Speaker 13 (01:40:56):
We're smart down in a big in a bad.

Speaker 14 (01:40:59):
Part that's meant for home run power, and we're trying
to play small ball and we fall how the offense
was last year. I mean, I have a lot of
friends that just assume that Terry Franconah's going to add
fifteen wins to this team.

Speaker 13 (01:41:14):
Well, I mean I don't make that assumption.

Speaker 14 (01:41:16):
And like you were talking about, I think when I
called about the bigs on Monday, take the under because
that's the way it's got to be.

Speaker 13 (01:41:23):
I mean, I don't see Terry and Francona. He's going
to add someone, sure, but that to score some runs.

Speaker 2 (01:41:30):
Yeah, Terry Francona being higher doesn't solve their biggest issue,
which is an overall lack of offensive production. Now, Terry
Francona can solve a lot of different things and I'm
betting on him doing that. But again, I look at
the team, even like we're all excited to watch Matt
McLain this year. Matt McLain had an awesome rookie season.
And if I get that across a full season, dude, yes,

(01:41:53):
But I don't know. I don't he missed all of
last year. And there's like the words Matt McClain and
setback are unfortunately too deeply connected. I don't know, and
so I just offensively. I got questions, I got concerns.

Speaker 1 (01:42:12):
Ron.

Speaker 2 (01:42:12):
Good to hear from you, man, Thank you.

Speaker 13 (01:42:14):
Yeah, well, take care of my friend.

Speaker 2 (01:42:15):
All right, there you go. Uh Brian and Glendale. Brian,
you're on ESPN fifteen thirty. How's it going?

Speaker 1 (01:42:22):
We How are you doing? Buddy?

Speaker 2 (01:42:24):
I've never been better? How about yourself?

Speaker 17 (01:42:28):
Likewise, Hey, you were talking about Ellie and signing him
and inevitably not.

Speaker 1 (01:42:34):
Being able to sign him.

Speaker 17 (01:42:36):
Are we are we going down the same road.

Speaker 4 (01:42:39):
With Ellie as we did with Chase this year.

Speaker 17 (01:42:42):
Not signing him early, allowing him to become the superstar
that he is, whether we win or lose, costing us
more money down the road. Why wouldn't they try to
sign him now to a long term contract and basically.

Speaker 1 (01:42:57):
Roll the dice.

Speaker 17 (01:42:58):
I hate saying that because it's the Reds, it's Cincinnati Sports,
but aren't you able to when you be able to
get him maybe on I hate saying the word on
the cheap, but getting him cheaper than it's going to
cost us down the future, like what happened with Chase
this year.

Speaker 2 (01:43:16):
No doubt. I think if if if the Reds could
sign him right now, they would. I think I think
the Reds, if you said, like Ellie wants to come
to the negotiating table, make him an offer between the
time it takes for you and I to finish this
phone call, they would have a proposal in front of him.
I don't think this is a matter of what the
Reds would like to do or I think they very
clearly would love to say to Ellie, here it is,

(01:43:38):
take it, and we'll sign you for the rest of
your arbitration years so we know what you're going to
be getting, and then we'll buy out a few of
your free agency years. I think it's Ellie understandably so
thinking I'd like to hit free agency and see what
could be out there. Post twenty twenty nine, and his
agent driving that conversation as much as any understood.

Speaker 17 (01:44:01):
Hey, one quick question for you, and I'm gonna hang
up and listen to what you have to say.

Speaker 1 (01:44:06):
Your choice, you on the Bengals or you on the Reds.
Which one is it?

Speaker 2 (01:44:12):
I'm an NFL team. NFL team would be first move.
I wouldn't do anything, hire some folks to run it
for me. You know, I don't know that I would
have like a Which team? Am I buying the Bengals?

Speaker 4 (01:44:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 17 (01:44:34):
You said the Bengals?

Speaker 9 (01:44:35):
Right?

Speaker 2 (01:44:35):
Yeah? So I mean if I had the kind of
money to buy the team, that would mean I had
the kind of money to do my own stadium upgrades.
That's what I would do. I would believe strongly in Okay,
I'm buying the team. It's my stadium. I benefit most

(01:44:56):
from it. We're gonna move into the second quarter of
the twenty first century with a new stadium, and I'll
be on the hook for it. Because if I had
the kind of money to buy an NFL team, I
would either have the kind of money or possess the
ability to raise the capital to pay for what was
next with my stadium by myself. I know that's not
the answer that a lot of people want to hear.

(01:45:18):
I would go dumb, I would go retractable roof, I'd
go Lucas oil. Yes, I'll see what I can do.
And when I when I asked, when I asked, my
boss is here for for a raise, Thank you very much, Brian,
when I asked, my bosses here for a raise, I'll
see if I can get it to the point that
I could buy a I mean, nobody goes broke owning

(01:45:39):
a baseball team. Nobody goes broke owning an NFL team,
But you go your your chances of going of making
even more money. The NFL is more profitable right now,
Let's put it to you that way. So yeah, I
would own an NFL team, that would be my answer.
And if it was the Bengals, like whatever they do

(01:46:02):
with the county is what they do with the county,
and that those conversations are boring. But I mean to me,
if if you if you had the kind of money
to buy an NFL team, then you would I think,
have the kind of money to pay for the stadium
upgrades and you would make that money back instantly.

Speaker 9 (01:46:19):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (01:46:19):
And I'd also make the tickets much more affordable Arry,
we have time playing Derek Johnson audio, Yes we do,
all right, we do it now, get a break in,
Get a break in, all right twenty five from six,
ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 10 (01:46:32):
Thirty Sinnetti's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.

Speaker 8 (01:46:38):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. Don't let injuries slow
you down. The U see health orthopedics and sports medicine
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(01:47:00):
and Mount Carmel Tabasco Road and eastbound two seventy five
after seventy four reports of pedestrians on the highway on
that EAZELK with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:47:09):
This reputs twenty one away from six. Derek Johnson was
on the Reds Hotstove League Show last night. He is
the Reds pitching coach. Red's got to keep their starting
pitchers healthy, got to keep Nick Lodolo healthy. Here's DJ
on the approach to keep Nick healthy during the twenty
twenty five season.

Speaker 12 (01:47:27):
You know he was one of the guys that came
into last spring and really didn't get to train because
of his foot, and so I think he just he
lost a training year and he was healthy enough for
us to pitch for him to pitch at the beginning,
and I just think he was kind of trying to
cast checks that ultimately he couldn't cash and it caught

(01:47:47):
up with him and that's why he got hurt. So
he's had a full off season of training. He says
he's stronger than ever. We've had guys down there with him,
you know, from time to time too, checking in on him,
and so like, I'm just looking forward to seeing what
happens when you know he's all right. I've gone through
this before, I've trained for the entire winner. I'm as
strong as I can possibly be. You know, I'm looking

(01:48:09):
forward to seeing that version of Nicolodolo, because I'm not
sure we've seen that just based on some of his
injury history from the past.

Speaker 2 (01:48:16):
But you know, you kind of forget Hunter Green was
an All Star last year, was really really good, had
a great year, unfortunately didn't finish it because he got
hurt again. But he grew a lot, like a lot
of growth and I don't think he's any taller, but
a lot of growth. Here's Derek Johnson on Hunter Green's
growth last year.

Speaker 12 (01:48:36):
I think some of the things that we're talking about,
I mean, you know, again another kind of one hundred
mile an hour guy. The command was I think probably
just okay. He learned how to practice, he learned how
to work. And when I say he learned how to practice,
I mean his bullpens are much different now than what
they were, you know, three years ago when he and
I first met. And it's a tribute to him, for sure,

(01:48:59):
but it's just it's kind of slicing a little bit
at a time away. It's you know, players and fans
and coaches probably for that matter too. You know, we
want results right away, and players are probably worse than anyone.
But you can't get what you want, you know, unless
you put it in the work and the right kind
of work. But here's kind of how I think of it.

(01:49:19):
You know, he's grown, and you know, I think we
saw kind of the best version of him, maybe the
most mature version of him this past year. And kind
of going back to what I was saying, like you know,
with Brady's comment this this past Sunday. You know, maybe
he's learning how to be a champion. You know, maybe
he's kind of figuring out. Okay, now I know what
to do, I know how to do it, but I

(01:49:40):
guess the last thing is I need to figure out
how to win.

Speaker 2 (01:49:44):
Got to learn how to be a champion. Derek Johnson,
reg Red's pitching coach. Chad Brendle is a champion, he
joins us next. Well, I heard this is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Chad Brendel joins us on Thursday, isn't It's more fun
to talk with Chad after the Bearcats win, which they
did last night, and so now everybody's in a good mood,

(01:50:07):
including me. Bearcat Journal dot com. I like it when
they make free throws chas.

Speaker 9 (01:50:14):
Free throws and late threes and the offense got I
used a different terminology for it last night. But they
got back on track, at least at the very end
of the game.

Speaker 2 (01:50:26):
At the very end of the game. Yes, yes, but for.

Speaker 1 (01:50:29):
Thirty six minutes not so much. But the last four better.

Speaker 2 (01:50:33):
Yeah. I don't know when I was more convinced they
were gonna lose when they were up twelve after CJ
makes a free to a three free throws or when
Colorado finally took the lead. I'm not sure when I
was more convinced they were going to lose, either when
they were up twelve or down one.

Speaker 1 (01:50:50):
For sure, down one, I was like, you gotta be
kidding me.

Speaker 9 (01:50:55):
Up twelve, like, yeah, there was still that fear that like,
look up twelve, there's a drought coming and you know,
next thing, you know, all of us was were dying
of dehydration. Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:51:08):
The thirst was very real for a basket.

Speaker 2 (01:51:10):
Though, yep.

Speaker 9 (01:51:13):
But down one it was like, yeah, like they have
completely let any and.

Speaker 1 (01:51:19):
All momentum slip away. The offense again looks clunky. They
can't get out of their own way. They're they're they're.

Speaker 9 (01:51:27):
Not getting great shots. They're missing the open shots they
do get. They're not the thing that kind of you know,
maybe it's when they have put C. J. Frederick and
Josh Reid on the floor. It has stood out even
more because the ball doesn't stick with those guys and
you actually see like sparks of like, oh, hey there's

(01:51:48):
guys cutting and and and moving the ball quickly. Like
I think that's the thing outside of I would personally,
I would eliminate the the high all screen to initiate
the offense, I'd just take out because it's not working.
So I would do something else to initiate the offense

(01:52:09):
because that thing is not working. But then a lot
of times, you know, there's not a lot of movement
that you know they're they're not the ball.

Speaker 1 (01:52:18):
One of the cool kids say, oh.

Speaker 9 (01:52:19):
The ball is not popping right, And that was the
case again for large portions last night.

Speaker 2 (01:52:26):
What was the most encouraging thing about the performance, aside
from the fact they scored more points than the other.

Speaker 9 (01:52:31):
Team, uh Sima sitting a couple of late threes on
good offense. That like stuff that we saw last year
towards the end of the year, where they ran good stuff,
they set good screens, they executed well, the ball found
him at the right time and he was able.

Speaker 1 (01:52:50):
To knock down the shot.

Speaker 9 (01:52:53):
That was such a you know, catalyst when they played
pretty good offense at the end of the year last year,
and if they can get that back.

Speaker 1 (01:53:04):
Just a little bit.

Speaker 9 (01:53:05):
The other thing I would say would also be Siemos
related driving to the rim and you know he had
to play early in the game that I tweeted about
he drove right down the middle of the lane.

Speaker 1 (01:53:17):
The defense stayed with the lob. All he had to
do was lay it up and he threw the log
in his turnover. Why but he didn't do that.

Speaker 9 (01:53:29):
In the second half. He was actually aggressive attacking downhill.
You know, he was really the only one that wasn't
impacted by the kimbae matumbo on the back line of
Colorado's defense.

Speaker 2 (01:53:42):
Who there? At one point they tried to throw a
lob over and that didn't work either. I don't I
don't know. There are times, there are times where offensively
it feels like they're playing shorthanded when of these bandego
is on the floor. How do they rectify that?

Speaker 1 (01:54:00):
I mean, the main part is mo like.

Speaker 9 (01:54:04):
Those two players that we're talking about, Azz has impacted
the defense. Right there's a driver coming down the lane,
and instead of stepping up to challenge the driver, the
guy guarding his ease has stayed home on his ease.
They're not taking the easy baskets. That is the end, Like,

(01:54:27):
that's the biggest impact right now. When teams are so
held then on taking away the lob score right there,
and then you know what happens That guy has to
step up and now his these is open and you
can throw the lob again. Like the defenses are are
treating a ease as a major weapon in Cincinnati's offense,

(01:54:50):
and the people with the ball are ignoring it and
still trying to force it to his ease instead of
taking what the defense is giving them. And that's something
that's not just specific to his ease, Like they run
this baseline cut with the big guy right that the
big guy flashes open and generally he's wide open on

(01:55:11):
the low block. I think I've seen four in the
last two games where they didn't.

Speaker 1 (01:55:15):
Throw it to him. Well, the entire play.

Speaker 9 (01:55:18):
Design is for that guy to come open in that spot,
Like that's the whole philosophy of that play, the whole
design of that play. The guy comes open, and then
he just stands there for two seconds and nobody throws
them the ball. You've wasted the whole play, Like they're
not taking what the defense is giving them.

Speaker 1 (01:55:40):
And for me.

Speaker 9 (01:55:41):
Watching it, that's the most frustrating part. And I would
guess that's probably why West was frustrated last night. It
didn't sound like he was having a lot of fun
after a win. Is because the design of stuff still
looks pretty good. The execution just looks dreadful at times.

Speaker 2 (01:55:59):
Is this team still good defensively?

Speaker 9 (01:56:03):
Yes, but you're here's the you know, here's the dirty
little secret about being a great defense. Bough You're playing
in one of America's best conferences and are good players,
and they're going to get baskets at times, Like you know,
you're not holding every team to forty mo Now rare
it is for a team to score forty in a

(01:56:24):
college basketball game.

Speaker 1 (01:56:25):
It's pretty rare. Well, let's see something like that, right.

Speaker 2 (01:56:27):
So here's here's here's why I asked, because they the
stretch of Big Twelve games, right, I hated what I
saw from them defensively against Baylor. That's what was most frustrating.
It wasn't the forty eight points. The other games, including
last night, I've had like I could really nitpick and
pick a possession here. And you can talk about some
of the things that happened late against Arizona, But for
the most part, I've been pretty pleased with how they

(01:56:50):
were defending, which was the theme of the games they
won that mattered in December, and I feel like I
feel like what we are seeing is a we I
think we know what they are offensively. Hopefully they make improvements,
maybe see MOSC get's going and that's great. They're gonna
have to win winnable games with their defense. I think

(01:57:11):
that's I think that's mostly doable against the heart of
the schedule, especially the teams they have coming up in
the next two home games.

Speaker 9 (01:57:21):
Yes, but still the other team is going to have
good offensive play. Sure, so you can play great defense
and guys sometimes they're just gonna make shots. And that's
the You know, if you're somebody that has been like
my guy Justin Bird, who has been frustrated for thirty
five years because their identity has always been defense, the

(01:57:45):
main reason is that, like when you're playing really good teams,
it doesn't matter how great the defense is, They're still
at times gonna be able to make shots and your
offense has to keep up.

Speaker 1 (01:57:57):
So yeah, I think the defense.

Speaker 9 (01:57:59):
Especially there were some times in the second half last
night that I thought it got a little lackadaisical. And
if Dan Skillings runs into the heart of another screener,
I'm gonna lose my mind. He's reverted back to last
year like he had gotten pretty good at managing getting.

Speaker 1 (01:58:19):
Over those screens.

Speaker 2 (01:58:22):
They flowing on outside, somebody knocking on the door.

Speaker 9 (01:58:26):
There might be a delivery guy outside or something that's usual.
When they got they love the Amazon guy. I'm going
to close the door and try to get him shut up.
But you know, Dan is making offense easy for who
he's guarding by being a little bit lackadaisical and being
able to get screened pretty I mean the Kansas game

(01:58:49):
was dreadful, mo I mean Hunter Dickinson drilled him like
fifteen times and Dan never corrected it. You got to
avoid the screen, go over it, go under it. This
isn't a video game. You're not allowed to go through
it because of physics.

Speaker 1 (01:59:05):
That's not how it works. Don't run into the guys
in the middle of the guy's chat.

Speaker 2 (01:59:10):
Before the season began, you talked with me about the
need to be better at home in the Big twelve.
Last year four and five lost a lot of close games,
lost to some teams they should have beaten. So far
this season oh and two. So I view these next
two as massive for that reason, because you can't say, well,
they've got to be better at home and then watch

(01:59:30):
them go one and three or zero to four in
the league at home and and kind of shrug it off.
They have to win these next two, can they?

Speaker 9 (01:59:38):
Well, one, uh, Arizona State is talented, but they're young
and they have been bad on the road. So you
cannot let a young team that has struggled to win
games on the road come into your gym and win.

Speaker 1 (01:59:53):
You just can't like that. That is a you know, look,
four still not great. One in five, like the swim
upstream is.

Speaker 9 (02:00:08):
Damn near impossible. So yes, you have to beat Arizona
State Texas Tech. That's one of those you know, if
things get back on track, you're going to be in
the middle of the Big twelve with Texas Tech.

Speaker 1 (02:00:23):
So if you want to.

Speaker 9 (02:00:24):
Prove you're legit, you got to win that game two.
Then you're at three and four. Yes, that's a tough
road trip out out to Utah for Utah and BYU,
but those are also winnable games, and you can get
this thing back on the raidos.

Speaker 1 (02:00:42):
One in one, I mean.

Speaker 9 (02:00:43):
I guess you can can survive going one and one
over these next two.

Speaker 1 (02:00:49):
But what did we talk about all year last year?

Speaker 9 (02:00:50):
Mo, You're just creating another road game you have to
win to get to five hundred in the league. I
think you've got to be ten and ten, especially now
that Dayton has decided that they.

Speaker 1 (02:00:59):
Don't basketball at that school anymore. I mean, yikes.

Speaker 9 (02:01:06):
To get to ten and ten, that means you got
to win now three road games.

Speaker 1 (02:01:11):
Do you feel great about that right now?

Speaker 2 (02:01:12):
No?

Speaker 1 (02:01:14):
No, me neither.

Speaker 9 (02:01:15):
So I would advise, if I was an advisor, a consultant, MO,
I would advise this team to get a win Saturday
and then again on Tuesday and at three and four.

Speaker 1 (02:01:27):
No, yeah, yes, Look guess what.

Speaker 9 (02:01:32):
Arizona is really good and they are finding their stride.
Baylor is really good, Kansas is really good. So those
three losses while coming back to back to back, we
all knew that was possible. But now you've got to
pick yourself up on the off the mat and.

Speaker 1 (02:01:53):
Get some momentum from last night and get that winning
you know, feeling back.

Speaker 9 (02:01:58):
In your system and go out there and rip off
a stretch wins, because that's the only way you can
make up for it after losing four in a row.

Speaker 2 (02:02:07):
I've got like a minute here, I want to switch gears.
Give me your perspective on what it's like to watch
Marcus Freeman coach for a national championship.

Speaker 9 (02:02:18):
It's very satisfying for me because I, you know, I
like you. I got to know Marcus really well, and
I you couldn't make me say a bad thing about that,
Like he was such an easy human to work with
and to like and pull for. And you know, plus
I don't And this may be crazy. I don't know

(02:02:39):
if you would agree with me or not. Mike Denbrock
is in the like top three of people I've ever
dealt with in my almost twenty years being at UC.

Speaker 1 (02:02:47):
Mm hmm, Like I love that man.

Speaker 2 (02:02:49):
Yeah, I would see him. I would say the same.
I could not agree more.

Speaker 9 (02:02:54):
Like, Mike Denbrock was just personable and friendly and funny
and like never never time to you. He's still like
I texted him after the semi finals and he texted
me back on the bus on the way to the airport, like, yeah,
he's just a good dude.

Speaker 1 (02:03:11):
Is Mike Pickens? Same thing, you know, Chad Bowden sat
like I love those guys.

Speaker 9 (02:03:16):
Marcus especially though, is just somebody that's easy to root for.
He was easy to deal with. You could tell he
was a good human being. So seeing this for him
is awesome.

Speaker 1 (02:03:27):
I love it. Yeah, God, I hope they'd be no
higher state Monday.

Speaker 2 (02:03:30):
I you know, I said this to somebody on social
media when they played Indiana. I the Hoosiers were a
fun story, but I said, I'm rooting for Marcus Freeman
and that that has nothing to do with Ohio State.
I'm rooting for Marcus Freeman because every reason you just said,
by the way you mentioned Mike den Brock. In all
the years I've been doing the pregame show, he is
the only coach who has emailed me after the fact

(02:03:52):
thanking me for having him on.

Speaker 1 (02:03:54):
So I mean, great, got all of them are top notch.

Speaker 2 (02:03:57):
So I'm I. You know, Justin Williams has a piece
at the Athletic today about the Cincinnati connections to the
Notre Dame staff. But Marcus Freeman, I am thrilled for him.
And the thing is, like, you know what, everybody I've
asked that question to the one that I just asked you,
I said the same thing, Like, I can't find anybody
who's like, ah, not sure, Like everybody is genuinely thrilled

(02:04:19):
for him and rooting like health for him, including folks
he has encountered in Columbus, which says something Mark mo.

Speaker 1 (02:04:28):
I hated Notre Dame my entire life. There's never been
anything I've ever liked about Notre Dame.

Speaker 9 (02:04:34):
And now they're like my second favorite team because of
all those guys, So I wish them nothing but the
best on Monday.

Speaker 2 (02:04:40):
All right, man, awesome stuff is always. Thanks so much,
appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (02:04:44):
Thanks mall.

Speaker 2 (02:04:44):
Go Chad Brendall with the cameo from his dog Bearcat
Journal dot com. You see coming off their win last night.
We'll host Arizona State on Saturday. That is a two
o'clock tip off. We are done. We're done. Shows over,
got to go. Anything you might have missed you can
find on the iHeartRadio app. You can also find on
my page at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com. And when
I say anything you might have missed, you you might

(02:05:06):
have missed most of this show. Well in mere minutes
it'll be on the app and to be on the website.
Or you might have missed yesterday's show or some interviews
from yes or maybe you want to relive everything you've heard.
I don't know, whatever it is, you can go get it.
Podcasts of this show are a service of Long Neck's
Sports Grill. I think we're done. My thanks to A.
Tarran Blant for producing and to you for listening. We

(02:05:29):
return tomorrow at three oh five. Have a great night.
This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports station.

Speaker 8 (02:05:38):
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