1/19/26 - The Mo Egger Radio Show w/ Chad Brendel

1/19/26 - The Mo Egger Radio Show w/ Chad Brendel

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Here we go the Mowagger Show MLK day here in
a freezing cold Cincinnati.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
My goodness, it's cold outside.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
Thank you for choosing me. We have a ton to
get to today. Taran and I both with full bellies.
That was a good new addition to the list. Taran,
I agree, I I personally and I don't think Arran
either had ever had Taglios. And we tried the Detroit style,

(00:58):
a little spicy attack outstanding. It's it's on the list now, Darren.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
I expected to be in rotation whenever you're in for
Friday Fridays.

Speaker 1 (01:09):
Yeah, we had, like you know, we we had a
staple a go to that we always did Italian at
uh Kramer's Italian at in Silverton. We found a couple
here lately that have that have infringed a little bit
upon that. But yeah, Taglio's is uh is gonna It's

(01:31):
going to go at the top of the list now.
It was very good and and everybody was coming out
of the woodwork, hey can I can I try a.

Speaker 4 (01:37):
Little bit of that?

Speaker 3 (01:40):
And being the nice guys that we are.

Speaker 4 (01:41):
We let them. We let it.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
We shared.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
I'm glad we did because we would have eaten that
whole thing, and then this show would have been a
lot to the energy on this show would have been
a lot different. You'd you'd have caught us coming back
from a nap, just dead air for like thirty seconds.
Oh what hey, Oh we're on Live Mike. Okay, let's go.

(02:05):
Is very good. So yeah, winners go first, right Tarn.
That's the theme around here, That's.

Speaker 3 (02:12):
The motto on the show. Winners go first.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Cincinnati Bearcats the big winner this weekend. And boy, it's
been a while since we could say that, Like October
was the last time we could really say that.

Speaker 3 (02:27):
I say, back to back wings.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Yeah, I mean, they get Colorado at home, which Colorado's
not very good, so you need to especially when you're
rowing three in conference, you need to get that one.
But I think people looked at Iowa State and including me,
including me, hand up, I'll own it, didn't think there
was a snowball's chance, and you know what that they

(02:51):
were going to be able to knock off Iowa State
at home. They did a lot of things well and
really outside of if if Monchilovich Milan Montchilovich for Iowa
State doesn't go out of his mind in the final
five minutes. This is this like a Paija Stoyakovich. I

(03:15):
heard I heard them bring up paysia uh in the
when they were during Since he three sixty not a
bad I mean, just shot ready at all times, doesn't
need space. I mean, the man is shooting fifty two
percent from three on the year on the year, and
it's not like he's taking them like toes at the line.

(03:37):
A couple of those on Saturday were deep. But if
he doesn't go nuclear, Cincinnati wins that game by fifteen seventeen,
twenty points. They were up seventeen with seven minutes left
and really played well down the stretch this time, like

(03:58):
we've seen them give away leads and usually they give
away leads and were like, what the heck was that?
That was terrible? Now they played pretty well down the
stretch and Mamchovich still was able to give Iowa State
a chance. But give Wes Miller's squad credit. They've been resilient.

(04:18):
They have played extremely hard for him. They have not
let the circumstance impact their effort. They've played five Big
twelve games. They have three losses by a combined ten points.
They've won the other two so this is a team
that was not good in the non conference. Let's make

(04:40):
no mistake about this. They were not good in non
conference play. But if you start at the point that
Gisel James returned, this has been a much better team.
Is it going to be good enough to erase the
mistakes and the issues that they had non conference? Probably not.

(05:04):
The Big twelve's too difficult. It's two loaded there. You know,
there are some chances to pick up wins, but the
problem is you're still looking at a lot of games
against the best teams in the country. You get Arizona

(05:26):
on Wednesday night, you still have to play Houston, you
still have to play BYU, you still have to play
Texas Tech, you still have to play Kansas. You're gonna
have to win two or three of those for this
team to fully get back on track, and that's unlikely
at best. If you look at kem pom right now,

(05:49):
Arizona's two, Houston's five, BYU or Iowa State's eight, BYU's fifteen,
Kansas is nineteen, Texas Tech is two one. That's six
of the top twenty one teams. The only one that
Cincinnati doesn't have to play between now and the end

(06:10):
of the regular season is Iowa State because they just
played them, So are things is? Is there a window
for this team to get into the tournament? I mean,
at least it got cracked on Saturday because you now

(06:32):
have what should hold up as a marquee signature win.
The problem is your record at ten and eight puts
you in a position that you got a lot of
hill to climb and you're still looking at you know,

(06:55):
the loss is potentially piling up, and generally third team
is usually that number. If you have more than thirteen
losses in the regular season, you're not getting in. I
don't know how this team stays under thirteen with what
we just talked about. So there's still a lot of

(07:16):
work to be done, a lot of work to be done.
But this fan base needed that. That's more than anything
seeing this fan base get to enjoy that type of victory,
see this fan base get to exit fifth Third Arena

(07:39):
with that feeling of getting your seats, getting to witness
your team do something like that, beat the number two
team in the country. There has not been enough of
that over the past five years. Like you really want

(07:59):
to know why this fan base is so grumpy right
now or at least going into these past two games.
I think a lot of it stems from too many
times walking back to that car after a big game, upset, angry,
ticked off, mad, and that builds, and that builds, and

(08:23):
that builds, and then your base, your diehards of eight, nine,
ten thousand people start to turn on you because they're
spending their money, they're giving you their time, they're giving
you their hard earned money, they're giving you their effort,
and it wasn't being rewarded. But Saturday it was. There

(08:48):
was a buzz and more than anything, obviously happy for
the players, obviously happy for Wes and his staff, but
for this fan base, that was the cathartic moment that
I think they needed. Now they go out and they

(09:09):
go ZH and two on this Arizona road trip, they're
going to come back to an angry fan base again,
but at least for a moment in time, at least
for a weekend, they got that feeling of we played
a really, really good team and walked out of their happy.

(09:33):
So we will get to we will get to plenty
of UC stuff. Today. We'll talk to Kegan Nicholson at
three forty five to talk about the win, talk about
what comes next, talk about football a little bit, as
the transfer portal class is complete, they're mostly complete, and
eyes turned to spring practice here in six weeks or so.

(09:59):
We'll also talk a lot of Reds today, a lot
of Reds today. As Reds Fest was over the weekend,
the ramp up has begun for spring training. What are
we tearing three weeks from the start of spring training? Yes,
roughly three weeks from the start of spring training. Yes,

(10:20):
pitchers and catchers reporting you hate baseball season? Tearing just
from what we have to do here, right, that's yeah,
like did every night until eleven o'clock, twelve o'clock at night. Yes, yeah,
I'm sure those five months where there's no baseball season
are much much a great relief. And then it comes

(10:41):
back around and you go, oh boy, here we go
back on the grind. Now they're good this year than
I wouldn't mind it. Well, yeah, but that's that's the thing,
like being being good? What what what constitutes good is
eighty three wins good win one lose one win one
lose one? Like is that the type of thing that

(11:03):
we're going to see this year from this Cincinnati franchise?
And I don't know about you, tern Are you, I mean,
are you a Reds fan? Like from growing up? Were
you're a Reds fan?

Speaker 3 (11:18):
Yes, first team baseball team. I rooted it for.

Speaker 1 (11:20):
Okay, I have always I was a diehard Reds fan
growing up. Remember I was twelve thirteen years old when
they won the World Series in nineteen ninety. It was
just I can't remember when it ended, but I was
just about to turn thirteen during that World Series. So, like,

(11:42):
you know that that is a heavy influence on you
when you're that age and you're picking your teams. I am.
I want to say I'm excited for this season, but
in many ways it is difficult because I think everybody

(12:03):
knew what this team needed to do to take the
next step. I mean, Terry Francona with Lance McAllister from
Redsfest this weekend, basically said out loud, we know we're
not going to have a good offense. We know we're

(12:27):
not going to score a lot of runs. If you
know that, and this isn't Francona's fault, but if you
know that, if your manager knows that, everybody who in
the organization knows that, and you look at it and
you say, Okay, what are we going to do to
fix this problem that we have where we don't have

(12:51):
any real threat in the middle of the lineup, And
the answer is middle relief. Boy, we're really a double down.
I'm making sure our middle relief is better this year
than it was last year.

Speaker 3 (13:04):
Is that an old school mindset way of thinking.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
It's a cheap way of thinking, Arran, because you can
go out and you can get pretty good middle relievers.
The three four, five, six million dollars a year, you know,
it costs a lot of money. Thumpers in the middle
of the lineup, big bats. I like big bats, and
I cannot lie Tran.

Speaker 3 (13:29):
That was awful.

Speaker 4 (13:31):
I'm sorry for that.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
I played well along with you, I know, thank you.
I appreciate you humoring me there. But okay, great, the
middle relief will be more reliable. Awesome. Your starting pitching
is really good and to an extent, I do get this.
Maybe the best asset they have in that organization is
Derek Johnson, who has proven to be an outstanding pitching coach.

(14:00):
So give him as many options weapons, whatever you want
to call it, and you know, try to ride the
hot pitching hand. But you knew going into this offseason
that you needed significant help on offense and they didn't
do it.

Speaker 3 (14:20):
And how much does it have to even wait on
like just pitching in general, A lot of this gym
of a game and we still don't have no runs.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
Yeah, you're you're trying to win a lot of games
two to one, one to nothing, three to two. I mean,
it makes it very hard to buy in. It makes
it very hard to really see what they're trying to do.
What's the vision, what is the goal? The goals to

(14:51):
win a bunch of two to one games? Those are
coin flips.

Speaker 3 (14:58):
It was it David Bills, Like last year we sucked
in one run games.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
Yeah, because they don't have enough offense. The pitching is fine.
The pitching is going to hold teams to three and
a half maybe four runs a game, But if the
offense isn't up to snuff, you're gonna have a very
hard time getting past eighty one, eighty two, eighty three

(15:24):
wins where they were last year. So I'm gonna complain
about the Reds. We'll talk about the NFL playoffs that
finished up the divisional round over the weekend. We will
talk about the college football playoff tonight Indiana and Miami.

(15:46):
Who's gonna come out on top. Maybe we'll talk to
Keegan about that a little bit too, being that he
is an IU alum and all in on this Hoosiers run.
But uh, all that more, we'll work some Bengals in
as well. But let's take a break. Let's get to it.
Phone lines are open, a lot of phone lines today

(16:08):
if you guys want to use them. Only got two guests,
King and Nixon three forty five. Klay Snowden from Just
Baseball at four thirty to talk Reds. Other than that,
it's just me and you. Let's have an afternoon. Let's
have them Monday ready, ear in Cincinnati, ZESPN fifteen thirty.

(16:29):
All right, let's get this thing underway. A piece of
Bengals news that it's kind of gaining some traction. Dan
Pitcher now interviewing for the offensive coordinator job in Tampa.

(16:50):
Good for him, Good for him if it happens. I
think we all know exactly where things would go if
Pitcher was to exit, and that's Bran Callahan comes back
and takes over that role. But essentially Zach Taylor giving
Pitcher permission to speak to teams with play calling offensive

(17:12):
coordinator opportunities, So giving Pitcher a chance to spread his
wings as a play caller, because that is not something
Zach Taylor is willing to give up. That part, to
me is at least the interesting part of this. Let's

(17:34):
go out to the phones. Mike, what's going on, my friend?
How are you?

Speaker 5 (17:40):
Hey? Chad? Can you come back to me in a
little bit, whether they're doing something weird at the hospital.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
Okay, yeah, I'll come back in a little bit. Yeah,
no problem, all right, best of luck, Mike. I hope
Mike's okay. Let's go to Anthony. Anthony, how you doing, Chad?

Speaker 6 (17:58):
To you explaining something mean? I mean what you just
said about the Bengals. That's the great lead way and
to the question that I'm gonna ask you.

Speaker 4 (18:06):
Okay, over the last week or so, but all.

Speaker 6 (18:11):
The coaches who have been terminated in the NFL, especially
in the f C North, all those guys have better
records than Dak Kumba ya tell. And with the Bills
just releasing their coach, it just behoos me, why do
we still have this guy? He's he's terrible in time management,

(18:35):
he's terrible and calling plays. I just, for the life
of me, I've been a Bengals fan all the way
back to when I was a little boy, was blessed
to be able to see Paul Brown, Greg Cook, Tommy Casanova.
I can go on and on. And this guy, he
he's he had, he had. I don't understand why the

(18:57):
Bengals keep rewarding me deocracy. They gave him a contract
extension and they kept it quirt because they knew the
fan base guy like me, but just went pulled this
hair out because when he should have been the first
guy on that list of coaches that should have been terminated.
But yet we gotta sit back and wait another year

(19:20):
and a half if they're gonna terminate this guy, Anthony,
because I guarantee you yeah, I.

Speaker 4 (19:26):
Have a question.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
I just have a question. How long I'm not that's
not it's not saying I'm agreeing with this point I'm
about to make, but I'm still gonna make it. Okay,
how long was Marvin Lewis the head coach of the Bengals?

Speaker 6 (19:43):
Was it seven or eight years?

Speaker 4 (19:44):
I forget longer than that, wasn't it?

Speaker 6 (19:49):
Perhaps I think I can't remember? But but follow me
on this with that coming, this is this is my
follow up to that Leacy did get it to the playoff?

Speaker 1 (20:01):
How many it was? Nine years? Or yeah, nine years? Sorry,
fifteen years?

Speaker 6 (20:11):
Oh, I didn't know he was here that two.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
Thousand and three to twenty eighteen. He was the head
coach of the Cincinnati Banks. Fifteen years. How many playoff
games did Marvin Lewis win? None? Not one? But Anthony,
let me you know where I'm going. You know where
I'm going. Zach Taylor coach this team in the Super

(20:36):
Bowl and in an AFC Championship game. To the Brown family,
to the people making the decisions, yes, that is going
to buy you a lot of equity when it comes
to getting things back on track when they do something

(20:56):
like don't make the playoffs for three years. The other
thing is what we know about Mike Brown is he
does not like to pay people not to work. And
Zach Taylor has two years remaining on his contract, so
you know they weren't going to let him go. He's
got equity from the two playoff runs and he's got

(21:17):
two years on his contract. Now, I will say them
calling out Zach Taylor and Duke Tobin by name Zach
and Duke have to be better. Essentially when the season ended,
tells you that at least they're coming around to your
way of thinking. But it wasn't gonna happen this year.

(21:40):
It just wasn't.

Speaker 6 (21:44):
I you know what, I'm not disagreeing with you, understand
all the points you have made, but again it just
kept fuses.

Speaker 4 (21:52):
I get it.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
Like I said, I'm not saying I agree with it.
I'm just telling you their line of thinking.

Speaker 6 (21:58):
Right, I understand that that's what that's That was so
frustrating because you know, and and correct me I from
Rome when he when we went to the Super Bowl
with Joe. Was it something that Marvin Lewis draft picks
still left over on that.

Speaker 1 (22:17):
Roster a little bit? But if you remember, that was
the off season that they hit free agency heavily, Chidobi,
a Woozy, a Mike Hilton who was the Hendrickson von Bell.
There was a defensive lineman in there that was really good.
That name is slipping my mind, DJ reader, Thank you, Tarren.

Speaker 4 (22:40):
So.

Speaker 1 (22:41):
That was the year that they hit free agency hard
and they had a lot of wins defensively in free
agency on guys that fueled that two year.

Speaker 4 (22:51):
Window that's okay, you're right.

Speaker 6 (22:55):
You're right.

Speaker 1 (22:55):
So it wasn't necessarily as much of a Marvin Lewis
influence as it was. Duke Tobin did a really good
job with those two rosters. But then but then they
have to enter the next phase, which is pai Joe
Burrow phase, pai Jamar Chase phase. So they started drafting

(23:17):
young on defense with the plan of we'll go young
but talented, spend almost all of our first and second
round and third round draft capital on defense. And it
hasn't worked, and they've been one of the worst defenses
in the history of the NFL over the last three years.

Speaker 6 (23:38):
Two And at this point, I you know, I want
I'm watching to see how long Joe continues to sit
on his frustration. Me too, because we only have so
many years, because he wants to win and he's tired
of the excuses, and you know again, I'm I'm waiting

(24:02):
to see how long he gonna stay around.

Speaker 7 (24:04):
Well.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
The the interesting thing also to me though, is Anthony,
a lot of these decisions are based on what Joe
Burrow wants. He's had a hand and a lot of
these decisions. A lot of this is the Bengals allowing
Joe Burrow to very much be a part of the process.
Joe got paid, Jamar got paid. They were gonna let

(24:26):
t walk. Joe said, absolutely not got paid. Now there's
no money left for defense. So they say, well, there's some,
but there's there's not money to go get a star.

Speaker 6 (24:42):
Well, you know, Chad, it's not so much a star,
but get people that are service of players that still
have something in the tank. Man, you can keep going
and getting these You can't keep going and get these guys.
The reason why they're out there is because other teams
that have a better evaluation of talent said, these guys

(25:03):
are done. And then the Bengals sea ward they can't
be done.

Speaker 4 (25:06):
He hurt.

Speaker 6 (25:07):
They played extraordinary good against us.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
Here here's an interesting thing that I don't hear a
lot of people talk about. Anthony. Okay, they have this
philosophy in free agency. Okay, they don't want anybody they
sign to be under contract when they hit thirty, so
you're taking But this is the philosophy that worked for

(25:33):
that Super Bowl group and the AFC Championship group. They
went out and they found a bunch of guys entering
their second contract that maybe were overlooked on their previous
roster or didn't get as much of a chance as
they wanted on their previous roster. So they want guys
that are like twenty five to twenty seven, twenty eight
years old going into their second contract, that have a

(25:57):
hunger to them if you hit. That is a phenomenal
philosophy for today's NFL. The problem is there's not enough
guys in that window to consistently fuel that philosophy because teams,
you know what, teams don't like to do, Anthony, They

(26:18):
don't like to let go of really good players that
are entering their prime.

Speaker 6 (26:23):
That's true.

Speaker 1 (26:25):
So the Bengals are looking at guys that are have
been let go, have been discarded, have been deemed this
guy doesn't fit under our cap space. He wants more
than we're willing to pay him. You can find some
diamonds in the rough there, but most of the time
you're just grabbing lumps of coal.

Speaker 6 (26:47):
Like I like that, You're right, it's so true. I
like how you how you put that.

Speaker 4 (26:52):
That's right.

Speaker 6 (26:53):
And lately and lately.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
A lot of coal, Anthony, A lot of coal. All right, man,
I gotta take a break, thank you. I appreciate a
good call. Man, you have a wonderful week A week
I'm so used to weekend, Arin, I'm always here at
the end of the week. I am not here on
Monday very often, throwing me off a little bit. Let's
take a break. We'll get back to more after this.

(27:18):
This is the Moegger Show on Cincinnati ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 8 (27:32):
I don't on it on. You can't understand how it
lasts so long, I might saying, powers five thousand hours.
Get ejaculated, dude, Man, I've made a thousand songs.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
That makes you moving, all right? I was three hundred months.
I make sixteen hours with me on the front. It
was on a little bit of a too short kick
this weekend, nothing wrong with it.

Speaker 8 (27:55):
Two singers and taking pdns, and I'm still don't yelling
every time.

Speaker 1 (28:02):
It's so good, I asked Taren. We can ask Kegan this, Kegan,
what is my reaction every time this plays at football practice?

Speaker 9 (28:17):
If you start walking weird, I think, like your steps
start to get really short or maybe.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
Really long, and really like I don't even know is
he trying to like do a dance key?

Speaker 1 (28:30):
Definitely?

Speaker 9 (28:30):
He usually got He usually goes hat backwards if it
was forward, and then just starts like doing a little
crip walk that kind of thing.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
It's not really a crip walk. It's it's the Bay Area,
so it's not like the it's not the same, but
it's like a variation of the crip walk.

Speaker 4 (28:45):
Tarn.

Speaker 3 (28:47):
Okay, you're gonna have have an assignment for you next
year football practice. Please record this.

Speaker 4 (28:53):
Yeah, I'll do that, Arran.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
They play it at every football practice, you know, like
when the team lines up to do stretches, they play
this to let everybody know that it's time to line
up and do stretches, they play blow the whistle instead
of blowing the whistle.

Speaker 4 (29:09):
Fare.

Speaker 3 (29:09):
I'm surprised you haven't went why we're already yet.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
Keegan hasn't caught me, So yeah, and you know, I
don't care, Like I'll dance more aggressively if I know
he's recording than if not. So yeah, it's a possibility, Tarn. Kegan,
how the heck are you?

Speaker 9 (29:31):
I'm doing excellent?

Speaker 10 (29:32):
How are you?

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Was it a different feel? Saturday night into Sunday into Monday.
After the Bearcats get the signature win of the West
Miller era, beating number two Iowa State at home.

Speaker 9 (29:47):
Yeah, I think a lot of people were confused because
they hadn't felt that feeling, probably since you see beat
Iowa State in football, So it had been a little
bit since they've been able to be extremely excited and
had won a football game that they are wanted, just
athletic contest that they probably weren't supposed to win. So

(30:08):
credit to West Miller and his team. But you know,
I don't know how many college basketball teams have ever
beat number one in number two and back to back games.
But they've got a chance to.

Speaker 11 (30:17):
Do something pretty rare coming this Wednesday, something that hasn't
been done since two thousand and eight in the NCAA
Tournament by Kansas, and that's beat number one and number
two in back to back games.

Speaker 1 (30:30):
What for you was the difference in this Cincinnati team?
Not only and they had a seventeen point lead, and
with seven and a half minutes left, Mili Montchilovitch got
scorching hot and was able to make it interesting. But
ultimately Cincinnati controlled that second half and they got across

(30:53):
the finish line with a nine point win. What was
the difference for you?

Speaker 9 (30:58):
There's a couple things and you might disagree with me,
but I think the biggest yeah, my tenure. I think
the biggest thing is having the seventh and eighth guy
step up kind of outside of that usual six name
rotation that they use at the starting five. And then

(31:18):
Jalen Celestine, Keishan Tillery and Tyler McKinley played some really
really valuable minutes and they didn't like blow up the
stat sheet by any means, but they made big plays
on defense, and they scored the basketball when they had
it in their hands even the few times they did,
and they didn't make any catastrophic plays like turnovers or

(31:40):
anything of that nature. And like, you don't see the
output from them a ton, but you also don't see
Iowa State taking advantage of them being on the floor
and going on ten oh runs and then completely flipping
the momentum, So I think that was huge. And then
actually making three point shots, like you talked about it
before the game. You thought Celestine was going to make

(32:03):
four or five frees just because of how he was
shooting in warm ups, and he delivered. Dayda Thomas was
really good from three, and I think him getting more
involved offensively and just being more aggressive was a huge
boost for you.

Speaker 1 (32:14):
See, I actually agree with most of those points. I
will also say the other big Thingkegan for me was
Dayda Thomas and Gigsel James hit their mid range shots. Yeah,
you know they had They each had one late in
that game that helped stem that push from Mom Chilovich,
and I would say the difference was they were both

(32:37):
and I hate mid range jump shots, you know that,
Like I how much do I yell about mid range
jump shots every time they take them?

Speaker 9 (32:44):
Yeah, it's true.

Speaker 1 (32:45):
They took step in mid range jump shots a lot
of times. If you watch they're dribbling sideways. You know
they're they're they're trying to like hesitation, dribble and create space,
and they're going side. Their body's not square, they're kind
of floating. Both of those mid range jumpers they took

(33:06):
in those late game situations were move the defender, but
then step into your shot and shoot with a good base,
shoot with you know, a normal shooting platform. And they
knock both of them in the thing about Tyler McKinley,
I'll give him an incredible amount of credit for for

(33:26):
the last big portion of that game. Iowa State put
Josh Jefferson at the five. Jefferson is one of the
more versatile, efficient, effective big men in the country. It's
got a triple double earlier this year, flirts with a
triple double on a regular basis. And Tyler McKinley Keegan

(33:49):
came in and held his own against Jefferson, and I
really thought that opened the door for Cincinnati, especially in
that middle part of the second half where they pulled away.

Speaker 9 (34:00):
Yeah, and I think just actually and Wes mentioned it,
and he didn't. You kind of thought it might have
been a closer role, which it's what it was.

Speaker 1 (34:08):
It wasn't this game three eight.

Speaker 9 (34:11):
Yeah, and kind of Wes said, Yeah, that's that's the
good thing about having depths, and like actually having those
guys and having them healthy where you can play them
in those spot minutes is huge, like where you can
kind of cherry pick. But also credit to the offense
for being able to put them in that position to
where you can put a guy in before he knows

(34:32):
good defensively, but isn't going to give you a ton
of offense just to shut down one of their best scorers.
So yeah, I mean, I'm just I'm happy. Tyler McKinley
is seeming to be healthy and he's going to be
able to play more than the eight minutes a game
that he was playing in Big twelve play before the
guy was tacking.

Speaker 1 (34:51):
And now it eases up for Cincinnati. Right, they take
down number two at home. The next up, the unanimous
the new a the pe pole is out. Also, congratulations
to Travis Steel and the Miami RedHawks. They're in at
number twenty five as they continue their undefeated run at
nineteen and zero. But you go from number two on

(35:14):
your home floor to the unanimous number one on their
home floor. Easy peasy, Right, you just go take care
of Arizona and keep it moving.

Speaker 9 (35:26):
Yeah, you get a full weekend out west, so they'll
be able to get familiar with the warm temperatures and
not be out of the or they'll be out of
the cold that I don't know, I probably don't have
much of an impact. So yeah, Arizona is a really,
really good team and it's going to be extremely tough.
I mean, I was asked before the Iowa State game
if I thought there was a path, and I really

(35:47):
didn't see one. But I feel like if you see
plays like they played, I'm gonna drink the kool aid
and what Wes Millier has been saying. They can play
with anyone, like they can beat anybody if they take
care of the ball as they did, if they make
the shots that they did, especially as TJ. Lzberger talked
talked about it, it was timely shots, like when Iowa

(36:09):
State was putting together a little bit of momentum, they
made that shot to kind of quell anything. So, I mean,
Arizona is super super good, and I'm I would be
I'm gonna be taking Arizona to win that game. I'm
not saying you See is gonna go in and win
by any means. But I just think if you play
that consistently, you play to your identity like you see

(36:30):
can play with a lot of teams, So you know
it's gonna be interesting and it should be a fun game.

Speaker 1 (36:35):
Here's the wild part about that, Kean on ken Pom,
I think it was like five point difference predicted in
that Iowa State game. Iowa State was predicted to win
by five points on ken Pom. Yeah, how much do
you think? What do you think? Ken Palm predicts the
final score to be Wednesday night.

Speaker 9 (36:57):
I'm gonna guess eighty three to sixty.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
Eight, really close, eighty two to sixty five. They predict
a seventeen point Arizona win on Wednesday night.

Speaker 9 (37:11):
That was funny because after the game, Kelsey's sitting in
the media room and she goes, Dad, are they gonna
beat Arizona? And you just we both look at her
like no, Like there's a there's a pretty big leap
between one and two and the eight people. So yeah,
it's crazy.

Speaker 4 (37:28):
I mean, they are.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
They are as well rounded as any team in the country.
They've got three guys that are star level guys, Burry's
Bradley Coepete, and then they've got del Orso and they've
got a Waka and a couple four and you know,
floor spacing guys. I'm not going to try to say

(37:52):
their names because just I'm not going to, but they
they are and they can play ten and feel like
they're not missing a beat. Like Tommy Lloyd has just
got a beast of a team this year. They I mean,
they're fourth in the country on offense, they're fifth in
the country on defense. They're way up there in effective

(38:13):
field goal percentage, offensive rebounding percentage, defensive rebounding percentage. How
about this, when's the last time you've seen a team
fourth in offensive rebound percentage and eleventh in defensive rebounding percentage.
They are not elite on one side of the glass.
They are elite on both sides. They are outstanding. I

(38:34):
mean the task You're gonna have to hope, like they
have the off night of the season on Wednesday for
Cincinnati to pull this one out.

Speaker 9 (38:44):
Yeah, and it'll probably be a thing where you see's
gonna have to turn them over a ton and score
on like every one of those possessions where they get
a turnover. You're gonna need multiple guys to four and
five to three, like Bobby Miller is gonna have to
have twenty and fifteen and Dayda and Joz that we
are going to have to be really really good.

Speaker 1 (39:03):
But you know, and you still might lose by ten.

Speaker 9 (39:05):
Shown Yeah, you still might lose by ten. I still
might cover. Yeah, but you know, the I don't know
if they're beating iwa State if it was in Hilton.
So like going into Arizona is going to be really
really tough. So they've got a lot of stuff working
against them.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
Uh, the key on this trip is obviously going to
be the second game. You can't lose both. You got
to beat Arizona State.

Speaker 12 (39:28):
Key.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
Thank you very much, much appreciated. Good sir, and enjoy
your week and we'll see how things go Wednesday night.
Where can they find you?

Speaker 9 (39:36):
All right at Caniguts and forty two on X and
make sure you subscribe to Barricott General for a bunch
of great time, bunch of great content from our team.

Speaker 1 (39:46):
All right, thanks gig, appreciate it. Let's take a break.
YEP hour number two coming up after this. This is
the Moegger Show on Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Here we
go our number two Sincinati's ESPN fifteen thirty. This is
the Mowagger Show. I am not Mowager. Chad Brendel, Bearcat
Journal dot Com filling in for today. Thank you for

(40:15):
spending your Monday with me. MLK Monday, MLK Monday, Taran
and I enjoying. I've got the door open, Tarran. There's
nobody walking around talking and it's pretty quiet around here,
like I like the holidays in this place. It's it's

(40:42):
conducive to doing radio. It's not a lot of hustle
and bustle. Nobody's stopping in wanting to talk to you
get your take.

Speaker 13 (40:52):
That.

Speaker 1 (40:52):
You know a lot of people around here, Tarran, they
wait for the sports guys to come in so they
can get their sports takes, so then they can take
them home to their friends. Exactly what do you guys think?
I want an informed opinion so that now I'm informed
and I can look like the smart guy at the
bar tonight watching Miami and Indiana. We'll get to that

(41:13):
one an hour number three. I'm messed. I should ask Kean.
He's going to have a completely biased take. We know
that should ask Kean about tonight's national championship game as
a Hoosier alum. But we will get to the college
football playoff in our number three hour number two. We've

(41:34):
got Klay Snowden coming up at four thirty, so we'll
talk some reds. But before then, let's take a look back,
Tarn at the NFL results Divisional round? The conference championships
are set? Is it what you thought it would be?

(41:56):
Broncos Saturday over Time get the thirty three point thirty
win over the Bills. It comes with a very high cost,
as bo Nicks breaks his ankle on the last drive
and is out for the remainder of the playoffs. As

(42:18):
the Broncos advanced, Josh Allen four turnovers. He did have
two hundred and eighty three yards passing three touchdowns, but
four turnovers for Josh Allen.

Speaker 3 (42:30):
Was that an interception?

Speaker 6 (42:33):
Was that?

Speaker 3 (42:33):
Was that an interception?

Speaker 1 (42:35):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (42:36):
It was?

Speaker 1 (42:37):
You got to complete the catch like it's It's not
just as simple as his knee was down and the
play stops. The guy from Denver completed the catch. He
made an incredible interception. Is that Josh Allen's fault? I
mean no, but he gets credit for the interception. He

(43:06):
fumbled three times, he lost two of them. He threw
two interceptions in the biggest moment maybe of his career.
No Burrow, no Mahomes, no Lamar Jackson. Josh Allen was
the big man on campus in the NFL playoffs other

(43:29):
than what maybe Stafford yep. This was his chance. This
was the window wide open for Josh Allen to carry
his team at least to the super Bowl. And instead,
two interceptions, two fumbles, and you lose in overtime on

(43:52):
a walk off field goal. I think it was a pick.
I think you have to complete the catch. It's not
as simple as my knee is down, the play is over.
If that was the rule, then the rule would be
a catch. But you have to complete the reception. You
have to complete it to the ground. And he did
not complete it to the ground. It got taken away

(44:17):
and Denver wins the game. I want to be careful
how I say this. I don't get the media infatuation
with Josh Allen. He has been turnover prone his entire career.
Outside of last year. He was a little bit better

(44:38):
at it this year, but he's been turnover prone his
entire career. He has proven in the big moments he
has not been able to get his team over the hump.
He has not been able to take down the guys
that are kind of ahead of him on this list.
And now in a situation where he can carry his

(44:59):
team to the AFC Championship game, he has a game
like that. QBR of forty eight Terran Yeap forty eight
was his QBR bo Knicks, three touchdowns, one pick. He

(45:19):
had a better game. He got outplayed by bow Knicks.
And give the Broncos credit. Their defense wasn't you know
the standard level of great that we have seen from
this Denver defense. But they did enough and they got
across the finish line. They go to the AFC Championship Game,

(45:43):
but they're gonna have to do it with Jared Stidham,
who has not thrown a pass this year. Tarn has
not thrown a pass this year to starter in the
AFC Championship Game. Now, that defense is good enough that

(46:04):
there's a chance that the Broncos. You know, I don't
think that New England offense is incredible. I do like
Drake May a lot, But if they can keep this
thing close, I think there's a chance that even with Stidham,
that the Broncos can get to the Super Bowl. Now,
if they do, I think they're in big trouble.

Speaker 4 (46:26):
They have.

Speaker 3 (46:27):
Yeah, Broncos have a good formula, and I mean, like
I say, you play great Divisi and they can run the.

Speaker 1 (46:31):
Ball, and they get a Patriots team that kind of
is built like them. Now, obviously you have the difference
between Now it's May versus Stidham as opposed to May
versus Nicks. So we'll see. The team I think is
the favorite right now, I think has to be the Seahawks.

(46:52):
Injuries Finally, caught up with the forty nine ers. The
Seahawks take back the opening kickoff. They never look back.
They dominate San Francisco for already one to six. Party
had a bad game. I mean, I don't think there's
anybody you can look at on that San Francisco team
and say that they played well. This was Michael Irvin
belt to ass pretty much from the opening kickoff the Seahawks.

(47:16):
You didn't even really have a reason to watch that
game if you didn't like have to for work and get.

Speaker 3 (47:22):
Away for Seattle to protect Sam Darnold he was dealing
with obleaku injury. Yeah, only had to throw the ball
seventeen times.

Speaker 1 (47:30):
Look, I mean, and that was that could have been
devastating because that happened in practice, what on Thursday, Wednesday
or Thursday potentially like your quarterback is compromised. That Seahawks
defense is a lot of fun. And I'm gonna be
honest if I've got I've really only got one rooting
interest in this thing, tarn I want to see my

(47:54):
boy Kobe Bryant get a Super Bowl. I was at
say yay, Kobe, I want to see my boy Kobe
Bryant get a Super Bowl. Of all the Bearcats in
the Luke Fickle era, there were none that were as accessible,
that were as likable, that were as you know, about
the right things as Kobe, and I would love to

(48:16):
see him get a chance to put on that Super
Bowl ring hoist the trophy and you know, kind of
cement his legacy. So Seattle dominates San Francisco and that
one Patriots twenty eight to sixteen over the Texans. Zer

(48:36):
roough day for your boy, CJ. Stroud tear zer roof day.
You talk about seeing ghosts. Four interceptions in the first half.
New England tried to keep them in it with fumbles.
At one point I think there were eight turnovers, five
from the Texans, three from the Patriots. Drake maylost to

(49:03):
but you get a couple of pick sixes. You you
put yourself in a situation where you did enough on offense.
I don't think right now New England is running it
very well. Ramandre Stevenson sixteen carries, seventy yards, Trey Young
Henderson twelve carries twenty five yards in total, thirty two

(49:26):
carries for one hundred and five yards three point three
yards per rush. I don't think they're going to be
able to run the ball against Denver.

Speaker 3 (49:34):
Got a question in that game, if you if you
were Demiko Ryans, would you have made to.

Speaker 1 (49:39):
Switch Probably, I mean four picks in the first half.
I don't know how you didn't honestly, unless you just went,
look like, we don't trust what we have at backup
to be any better.

Speaker 3 (49:56):
I Do's because he's proven it.

Speaker 4 (49:59):
Yeah, I know.

Speaker 3 (50:00):
Oh, because, like you said, the game was right there
for saying going to the fourth quarter it was twenty
one to sixteen.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
Yeah, and really they were never out of it. In
the first half. It was twenty one to ten. It
felt like with those four interceptions and the returns on
those interceptions like factored in, that should have looked like
the Seattle game. And somehow the Texans, because their defense

(50:32):
is incredible, was able to hang around. I I'm surprised
they didn't. I'll just say that, I'm surprised they didn't
at least try something different. You want to talk about
bad running game, Houston ran it twenty two times for
forty eight yards. That's the only saving grace for Stroud.

(50:55):
I mean, he had no time, So I don't know
if it mattered what quarterback you had in there. That
offensive line was getting decimated. Run and pass?

Speaker 3 (51:09):
What about it? Our former bank was Joe Makeson wishing
I was playing.

Speaker 1 (51:16):
He didn't touch the ball. Is he active? No, he
wasn't active.

Speaker 4 (51:23):
No he wasn't.

Speaker 3 (51:25):
Yeah, they showed him down earlier earlier this year.

Speaker 1 (51:27):
Oh, I did not keep up with Houston, tell you
that much.

Speaker 3 (51:31):
He didn't play at all this year.

Speaker 1 (51:32):
That's crazy. And then finally last night, Rams and Bears,
the magical run for Caleb Williams comes to an end.
Although that might have been one of the best throws
I've ever seen to send it to overtime, My god,
fifty one yards momentum going backwards for defenders in his

(51:56):
face and drops a fifty one yard dot to the
corner of the end zone on fourth down to send
it to overtime. But they can't get home the Rams
twenty to seventeen, Stafford two fifty eight, no touchdowns, but

(52:16):
no picks. Uh did get sacked four times? Like I mean, Tarren,
Is there a quarterback that had a good game in
the divisional round? Nope, Williams as good as he was
two fifty seven and two touchdowns. He threw three picks.

(52:40):
I mean, the Bears ran the ball better than anybody
else did this weekend. But yeah, I mean that's if
we're if we're bringing it all full circle to the Bengals,
I don't know how how they get back to where

(53:01):
they want to get back to. Watching the defensive performances
we saw this weekend, that defense is so far from
looking anything like what we watch the winning teams put
on the field this weekend. And I guess you could
argue the Bills defense maybe wasn't great, so the Broncos

(53:24):
took advantage of a Bill's defense that was susceptible, But
Bears seventeen, Texans sixteen forty nine or six. The story
in the NFL right now are these aggressive, multiple fast,
physical defenses that are kind of, you know, the pendulum swings.

(53:47):
We saw the pendulum swing for a while on the
side of offense, and it feels like gets back towards defense.
And maybe that is a sub product, a byproduct of
not having Mahomes, not having Lamar, not having Burrow in

(54:08):
these playoffs, but defense has fueled the teams that are
going to be playing next Sunday. Defense has fueled those
teams to that point, and I don't know that that's
gonna change in the two games next Sunday and in

(54:30):
the super Bowl, because that's the identity of these four
teams that are left. You got to have a quarterback
that can make you a play. But none of them
are significantly other than Stafford. None of those teams are
quarterback dominated, and all of them are nasty defensively. Also,

(54:58):
how dumb do you feel if you are the front
office for the Tennessee Titans. You fired Mike Rabel, but
a season after two seasons after he had you as
the number one seed in the AFC, you fire Mike Rabel.

(55:19):
He comes back and in his first season back a
team that last year, going into last year, everybody thought
Taran remember that first Bengals opening game, everybody thought the
Patriots had the worst roster in the NFL. One season later,

(55:42):
one coaching change later, the guy that Tennessee had and
that they fired is now coaching to go to the
super Bowl. That's the big loser of anybody in the NFL.

Speaker 4 (55:57):
Over the weekend.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
All right, let's take a break more when we come back,
since nat he's ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 9 (56:03):
Thirty here, you let's get done.

Speaker 1 (56:11):
There is is it a mic requestion.

Speaker 3 (56:21):
No no, no, no, you was saying earlier than I
just thought about it.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
I know, I'm guessing Mike's down with this one. Mike,
what do you think, Mike?

Speaker 4 (56:40):
Mike?

Speaker 1 (56:42):
Uh, all right, well, Mike Earth to Mike. Sounds like
Mike's having a rough day, Tarn. We'll put Mike back
on hold. Klayton Notten coming up here in a few

(57:03):
minutes and we're going to talk some Reds and I
Redsfest is over. The next thing is spring training. The
next thing is pitchers and catchers report. We keep hearing
something else is coming. This team understands. They understand where

(57:24):
they're at. They understand it's the roster isn't exactly where
it needs to be. There needs to be some power added,
probably in the outfield. We saw that with the pursuit
of Kyle Schwarber, even though Schwarber at this point is

(57:46):
more of a designated hitter. They have they have told us, essentially,
the answer is not adding a power bat. The answer
is improving the bullpen, improving the the versatility and the
options in the middle relief corps. I agree that that

(58:10):
was necessary. I agree that it got to a point
last year where it felt like they only had two
or three relievers that they could really rely on when
the going got tough, and that makes it very difficult
as you're going through August and September trying to compete
for a playoff spot. But they didn't address the biggest need.

(58:35):
They instead said, we trust that the back of the
baseball card of these guys on our roster is going
to change. And in some ways, I'm guessing they will
be right. There will be guys that did not have
a good year last year that have a better the

(58:57):
year this year. But what their philosophy doesn't account for
is there will also be guys that had a good
year last year that won't be as good this year.
That's the nature of the beast. You're very very very
very rarely ever going to get improvement across the board

(59:22):
with nobody regressing, nobody missing three four months to an
injury that you were heavily counting on. So now we
are to believe. Now we are to buy in the
buy in The belief on this team is we would
have been one of the better teams in baseball, but

(59:46):
we just weren't good enough in the middle of our
bullpen and now that we fixed that, now everything's okay.
Even with Terry Francona saying to Lance on Friday night,
we're probably not gonna hit. We know we're going to
struggle to score runs. What I know, Terry's not picking

(01:00:11):
the roster, he is managing it, and he does look
at it and realize we're not good enough on offense.
And your front office didn't go do anything about it.
And now you want me to be excited leading into
the season. That's not how any of this works. Just

(01:00:36):
take a break, Clayson, Noteen, just baseball up next, since
that he's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:00:50):
Here we go, Yo, here we go, Yo.

Speaker 1 (01:00:52):
So here we go, Yo, here we go, Yo.

Speaker 4 (01:00:57):
Here we go.

Speaker 1 (01:00:58):
Yo knows this and Clay knows that. Play don't know, Jack,
because Clay can't wrap you. What do you think about that, Clay?

Speaker 4 (01:01:07):
Oh man, I love it.

Speaker 12 (01:01:09):
I wish you would have played the Bust Rhymes parted
at the end, though I.

Speaker 1 (01:01:13):
Think the fifth part is better than the Buster Rhymes part.
This is maybe my number one five verse of all time.
Electric Relaxation. He's right there too, I agree.

Speaker 12 (01:01:25):
But something about about that Bust Rhymes part is just awest.

Speaker 5 (01:01:29):
Well, yeah, it just gets you hype.

Speaker 12 (01:01:30):
It's what's better than to get hype before you talk
about the Reds.

Speaker 1 (01:01:33):
It's the first ever bust of rhymes, like like debut
like that was. That was the start of buster rhymes.
Scenario tribe called quest Wow Wow like a dungeon dragon.

Speaker 12 (01:01:45):
After he did that verse, they all went back and
redid theirs because they were like.

Speaker 4 (01:01:49):
We were not going the right that was.

Speaker 1 (01:01:52):
That was better than we did. Uh, Doodoo Brown, get
back into the studio, put the headsets back on and
let's figure this out. What a great song and one
of the great music videos of all time as well.

Speaker 12 (01:02:04):
Oh phenomenal.

Speaker 1 (01:02:05):
All right, that's talking Reds with Clayce, Notden Clay, Thanks man, Claisnoden.
Justbaseball dot Com. Clay is one of the best in
the business covering the Reds and does it, you know,
from a little bit more of a ten thousand feet
view than a two thousand feet view of the mundane

(01:02:28):
day to day Clay, you had a good article that
you put up yesterday, zips projections for twenty twenty six.
The Reds are a young team that should be ready
to take a step forward. What does ZIPS have to
say about the chances of that happening. What is ZIPS
for the layman and what does it say about the

(01:02:50):
twenty twenty six Reds.

Speaker 12 (01:02:53):
Yeah, ZIPS is really a in depth kind of equation,
if you will, But just to kind of give you
the overview, it's span Grafts projection system and a little
bit of a caveat is with younger players, it's it's
harder to predict because they don't have this sample size
as you know, more established players. But what it tells

(01:03:17):
you is exactly kind of what we think, which is
the offense is not good enough. There's a lot of
fine players, there's a lot of players that project to
be around league average, but.

Speaker 4 (01:03:31):
It's just not enough.

Speaker 12 (01:03:32):
And on the pitching side of things, it's looking good
like it's kind of what we expected and what we
saw last year. Maybe some slight regression from someone like
Nick Lodolo, but overall, Hunter Green's projected to be awesome,
and Andrew Abbott is as well. In Chase Burns is
really looking like he's going to break out according to

(01:03:54):
these projections.

Speaker 1 (01:03:56):
I mean, that's the thing. But if you look at
just those four guys, Green, Abbott, Lodolo Burns. The Reds
could have day in and day out one of and
Singer in there as your fifth guy. Really, that should
be one of the better starting rotations in Major League Baseball.

(01:04:19):
Then they go out and they build around an already
pretty strong bullpen and make it at least on paper,
because bullpens are really volatile. And I do like the fact,
Clay that they took some of those high ending guys
from last year moved on from them, because that's usually

(01:04:39):
like bullpen regression, right, Like if a guy throws pitches
in eighty four games, like look for the next year
for him to maybe struggle a little bit. I think
they've relied on Derek Johnson, maybe their strongest asset in
the organization, but it also looks like they're potentially relying
on that too much because there's only so much you

(01:05:01):
can do when these games are two to one, three
to two, one to nothing, and the margin for error
grows slim, and there's not enough bats going up and
down the Cincinnati order to navigate a lot of these
these close type of games.

Speaker 5 (01:05:19):
Yeah, and I like what they did.

Speaker 12 (01:05:20):
With the Bullton bringing back to john That was a
good move and Pierce Johnson, there's just been somebody who's
been productive. Same with Caleb Ferguson and Rock Burke, They've
all been productive. Now, what you're getting at here is
exactly how I feel, too, is okay, great?

Speaker 9 (01:05:39):
Good?

Speaker 12 (01:05:40):
What about the offense? And did you use too much
money building the bullten and not enough pushing for offense?
You know, they added JJ blaeday and I thought that
moves like fine on the surface.

Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
It's a move they make every year. They add JJ
Bladay every offseason.

Speaker 12 (01:06:00):
Yeah, and you know, I just am looking at the
lineup and saying, where is the impact? At what point
is a pitcher intimidated by the lineup or scared you
could say, Ellie. And maybe at some point Sal Stewart
will get there. But outside of that, there's really not
a ton that I would be, you know, putting any

(01:06:23):
fear in the eyes of the other team.

Speaker 1 (01:06:27):
Noel vi Marte is an interesting one for me because
it felt like at times last year and when he
was here, like it felt like it was closer it was.
He's on this trend to become a really good offensive player.

Speaker 4 (01:06:43):
Do we.

Speaker 1 (01:06:45):
Do you see that as a possible trend that continues.
Do you see regression or do you see him kind
of leveling off as like he's a slight plus offensive
player a little bit better than replacement.

Speaker 12 (01:07:00):
I think that he's athletic enough and has enough tools
that you can say that there's more there.

Speaker 9 (01:07:06):
You know.

Speaker 12 (01:07:06):
It's not somebody like TJ. Friedel, where you think he's
a good player, but he really doesn't have what it
takes him physically to get you to the next level
of player. I think the issue with Marte is so
far the and I know we don't all love advanced
metrics and whatnot, but he really is not put on

(01:07:27):
a show or anything. He did have a really good
hot stretch last year and then fizzle down down the
end of the season, but overall, and I don't know why,
I typically don't go with my gut feeling that much,
just because it's too often wrong, but I have a
good feeling about him this season. I think what he

(01:07:48):
showed last year being able to bounce back was huge
learning a new position with a difficult in season change.
I really hope that the organization stops doing that just
in its entirety, but I do think he'll settle into
right field and at least be a plus bat with
more room to grow. This is still a young and
inexperienced player.

Speaker 1 (01:08:08):
At the end of the day, who other than Marte
do you look at and say there's still quite a
bit of room for growth here. Is it McLain just
because of how bad last year was or are you
skeptical with him?

Speaker 12 (01:08:25):
I think he is a player that is town he
I mean he has talent. Yeah, he's also going to
be a year further removed from a shoulder injury, and
we know shoulder injuries. We saw that with Suarez when
he had a down year the year after his shoulder surgery.
I think McLean can be good. I don't think he's
going to be a high average kind of do everything player,

(01:08:47):
kind of like what we saw in his short stint.
I think he's more of a lower batting average but
will have some power, good defender. Like I think his
role is not as vast as or his offering is
not as vast as we thought he could be when
he first came up. But I do think he can
be a useful player. The biggest issue is if he isn't,

(01:09:09):
what's playing b at second base? Are you gonna put
sal Stewart at second base? Is Spencer Steer gonna play
second base? I just don't love the plane b If
mclan looks like he does last.

Speaker 1 (01:09:20):
Year, I have a very important question given that answer,
how in the hell has this team drafted four thousand
shortstops And there's no answer behind Matt McLain at second base?
Like is it that the easiest? Like shouldn't there be
a bunch of gott middle infielders trying to get on

(01:09:41):
the field at the major league level that they could
plug in at second base?

Speaker 12 (01:09:45):
Yeah, and they have a couple that are still young
that were just added to the forty man The most
notables Edwin Arroyo who came over, and that Louis Castillo trade.
And I've never personally been all that high on Edwin Arroyo.
He too is coming off of injury and trying to
work back to full strength and switch hitter, know more

(01:10:05):
for his glove, it doesn't have a ton of pop
or anything, but I think he could at least be
like a fine backup infielder if they need him this year.

Speaker 5 (01:10:16):
But we'll see.

Speaker 12 (01:10:17):
But like you're saying, it's it's pretty bad how it's
looking right now, and That's why I thought an infielder,
at least a veteran backup infielder would be added. And
I'm worried that they're just gonna call up Santiago Espinal
and say, hey, show up to spring training and be
ready to you know, get a jersey again.

Speaker 1 (01:10:39):
Is he coming back on the same in the sun, Like,
are they him in Candelario sharing a cab?

Speaker 5 (01:10:45):
Oh gosh, I sure hope not that that would be.

Speaker 12 (01:10:51):
That would be awful.

Speaker 1 (01:10:52):
I'm kidding. I hope that's not the plan. But everybody
that is covers this team, it feels like keep saying
the Gavin Lux move show something else is coming. Something
else is coming. There's a bat that's going to be
added before this team makes it to Cincinnati to start

(01:11:13):
the season.

Speaker 4 (01:11:13):
Do you see that?

Speaker 1 (01:11:14):
And if so, who what would maybe be the possibilities.

Speaker 12 (01:11:21):
I think there's multiple names, can Gober I'll just choose to.
I think Luis Uryes as one, you know, former batting champ.
I think he's just kind of the upgrade at Gavin Lux.
No defensive home, more of a DH. But he is
the best ball bats ball guy in the league, and
this team and Tito obviously want that type of player.

(01:11:43):
That's why they went out and got Gavin Lux. Well,
this guy's just better than Gavin Lux at what he does,
so I think that's a possibility, especially if his market
doesn't materialize and the Reds can get him cheaper than expected.
I think that's a good fit if you want something
with a little more juice. I think and Casts from
the Red Sox is somebody who would be a great

(01:12:03):
trade target. First Baseman, of course, has dealt with injuries,
but he just does not have a place to play
in Boston right now. Former top one HUNDERD prospects, and
he's he's a very good hitter with power lefty back,
exactly what this team needs. The roll of the dice
is he's been injured, and when he's been healthy, it's

(01:12:23):
looked bad due to his injury. So are you willing
to trade what it takes to get a talented player
who needs a change of scenery. I don't know if
they will or rumped, but I do think that that's
the type of player that they should be targeting.

Speaker 1 (01:12:38):
Outside of espinall, is there anybody else that was here
last year? Long, stay, brief, stay, whatever that you could
maybe see back in the mix.

Speaker 12 (01:12:48):
You know, Andrew harr is a name that a lot
of people are brought up just because of how good
he was. I think him being a righty bat who
is a little limited defensively. I don't think he's going
to play third, so it's either first DH or leftfield.
I still think that's a possibility. I don't think that
he will get a huge contract or anything, but his

(01:13:11):
name is starting to pick up with other teams as well,
so I don't know if the Reds will be there
or not. And Austin Hayes, of course, is another one
who could fit. I just think it's signed for something
different than Austin Hayes. He's just struggled to stay healthy
for multiple seasons now and it just kind of feels
like you need something different than hay so I would say,
and de Var is the top of the ones that

(01:13:34):
could return.

Speaker 1 (01:13:37):
One of the things that has perplexed me is that
in the design of building this offense, this group of
position players, the talk has been, well, we don't want
to waste our time essentially developing a bunch of power guys,
because the power guys get expensive quicker, and we're not

(01:13:58):
going to be able to hang on to him. So
we're gonna go contact, We're going to go speed, We're
going to go small ball. Except they don't make a
lot of contact, and last year they didn't steal any bases.
So what actually is the offensive philosophy or is it
just we're hoping it works. Whatever it is, we've got

(01:14:21):
these guys, we're hoping it works, make it makes sense
to play.

Speaker 12 (01:14:26):
It's a great question that they have not shown us
the answer to, because last year it was very evident
that they wanted to go some kind of small balls,
contact oriented, and they showed that by not playing Will
Benson hardly at all down the stretch and even taking
Salz Stewart in a weird direction playing time. And you know,
players with more power were not getting treated like priority.

(01:14:49):
And then there's a quote this past week or so
about Tito saying that Will Benson could get more reps. Now,
is that just no one's on the team right now
that fit that answer, So he has to go with
the guy on the team, And who cares if that
guy gets cut in a month, No one is going
to remember it. But I thought it was intriguing to
hear the guy that he benched down the stretch and

(01:15:10):
did not play, was an answer to one of his
questions for the twenty twenty sixth season. So to me,
I don't know. If they were going after Schwarber, then
they are obviously were not focused on contact oriented small ball,
so that that's what I'm saying. There's just so much
contradiction in what they say and what they do, and
I feel like that's been a theme for a while

(01:15:30):
now that it's hard to predict this team in their
offseason moves. And it's likely because they're cheap and they're
not willing to trade prospects, so it kind of you know,
whatever falls in their life is just going to be
the direction.

Speaker 5 (01:15:43):
They're going to have to take.

Speaker 1 (01:15:45):
Are there any young guys Rodriguez? Are there any young
guys that could potentially be a factor as we break
camp or get into camp.

Speaker 12 (01:15:55):
I think Hector Rodriguez is the number one guy to
keep an eye on. He looked so much better last
season in the minors. He used to be a free
swinger like Christian and Cronossian streamed and he reeled it
in a bit, made huge strides. Twenty one year old luckfielder.
I would not want to see him in center or right,

(01:16:16):
but brings a little bit of everything, and he is
a He makes a ton of ton of contact, so
I could see an avenue. Bladet doesn't work out, Benson
doesn't work out. Tito just really likes the idea of
this younger kid who can put the ball in play,
and you know he's caught up pretty quickly.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
All right, man, Well that I think that touched on
just about everything. Are you excited for Camp? I'm not.
I'm struggling to build excitement because I just don't. I
don't think they did enough to address the offense to
change eighty three wins to ninety wins.

Speaker 12 (01:16:56):
Every year. You and I feel the same way at
this exact point in a couple of weeks, when we
see that first video of a picture Soft tossed a
catcher in Tonny, Arizona, we will be so back in
and you know it happens every year, those first videos
of catch.

Speaker 1 (01:17:12):
I will tell you, Clay, I did not do it
last year. I did not get the the fan duel
sports app. I did not get the season. I listened
on the radio. I caught it when I had a chance,
but I didn't think they did enough, and it turns
out they didn't, so we'll we'll see. I want to

(01:17:32):
be impressed, and so far this offseason I've been okayed.

Speaker 12 (01:17:40):
Yeah, I feel about the same. I think they have
to do something else that is looking like a low
chain surprise right now in order to make me feel
like there are anything above a you know, a graded
Sea off season.

Speaker 4 (01:17:54):
How can they find you, Clay, Just Baseball.

Speaker 12 (01:17:57):
Dot Com, Clay Underscore, snow on x or Twitter or.

Speaker 4 (01:18:01):
Whatever you call it.

Speaker 1 (01:18:02):
All right, appreciate you, brother, we'll talk soon.

Speaker 9 (01:18:05):
Have a good one.

Speaker 1 (01:18:06):
All right, there you go, Clase note and Just Baseball
one of my favorites to talk Reds. Let's take a break.
Our number three coming up since Snati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

(01:18:30):
Here we go our number three, The Moegar Show since
Snati's ESPN fifteen thirty. I am I'm not Moegar. Chad
Brendle filling in mo will be back tomorrow. Phone lines

(01:18:51):
open all of our number three. We do not have
any guests for our number three, so the phone lines
will be open. If you want to talk about Reds,
you want to talk about the Bearcats and the big
win over Iowa, state. You want to talk about the
Bengals and the off season and important offseason for them

(01:19:14):
to fix this defense, because when I look around the NFL,
I see great defense. I see great defense advancing in
the playoffs. The Bengals got better, albeit against lesser competition

(01:19:35):
as the season wore on, especially down the stretch, but
for a minute they were tracking to be the worst
defense in the history of the NFL. That means they
have a very long way to go to enter this conversation,
even with Joe Burrow. So any of those things you
want to talk about. Phone lines are open. Let's get

(01:19:56):
to it. Let's try Mike for a third time. Are
you there.

Speaker 5 (01:20:02):
I'm very appreciative of the patients of you and mister
Taron Blant, so thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:20:06):
You're welcome, Sir. I wanted to hear from you. Is
everything Okay, not really, but we're not going to talk
about that, Okay, appreciate Let's talk some sports.

Speaker 5 (01:20:19):
It's seventy three degrees in Dana Point with twenty one
percent humidity, so I gotta love it in your nose
a little bit.

Speaker 1 (01:20:24):
Well it's twenty it's twenty one here, but it's just
twenty one degrees.

Speaker 5 (01:20:32):
Plus the wind.

Speaker 1 (01:20:34):
Yeah, it feels like it feels like six.

Speaker 5 (01:20:38):
Oh nice, that's so good.

Speaker 1 (01:20:40):
Yeah, it's great. It's wonderful. The low tonight, the low
without the windshill tonight. Mike is listed to be seven
seven degrees tonight.

Speaker 5 (01:20:51):
Well, Huntington Beach is calling Chip it is.

Speaker 13 (01:20:55):
It is.

Speaker 5 (01:20:58):
Play a beach Boy song in your ahead. All right,
it's good to talk to you, and I hope things
are well, Taren Bland to hope things are well with
you as well, sir. Listen. John Sadak is really coming
up in a bro Listen. He did a great job
on the radio broadcast last night of the Rams and
the Bears game. John Sadak is killing it on the radio,

(01:21:20):
killing it.

Speaker 1 (01:21:21):
I did not get to hear that, but I'm glad
to hear. He is broadening his horizons. I like him
on baseball. I imagine he is very good on football
as well.

Speaker 5 (01:21:30):
I think he's a little bit too much of a homer,
a little bit because he'll make a ground ball sound
like it was the seventh out of the World Series.
But that's okay, that's better than.

Speaker 1 (01:21:38):
Being But remember he's also paid by the team, so
like that's that's built into the job of being a
little bit more than Like when you're a national guy,
you don't have to you don't have to cook that
in as much.

Speaker 5 (01:21:53):
Yeah, unless you're at Marty's stature or right and it's
gully where you just do whatever.

Speaker 4 (01:21:58):
You want to do.

Speaker 1 (01:21:59):
It took more pready a long time to get there.

Speaker 5 (01:22:01):
Oh yeah, I'm afraid to tell you this, brother, but
Tommy Lloyd is going to spank West Miller and putting
to bed.

Speaker 1 (01:22:08):
Okay, they've got a much better team than Cincinnati. Why
would you hate to tell me that. That's not a surprise.

Speaker 5 (01:22:14):
No, but I just I was hoping that the Cats
could maybe, but they.

Speaker 1 (01:22:18):
Just beat Iowa State, Mike. Can we not enjoy it
for a little bit.

Speaker 5 (01:22:22):
No, I'm just saying it was an impressive win. It
was before I'll tell you that Arizona team is scary.
They are scary.

Speaker 1 (01:22:29):
I mean they're one through ten, one through ten, they
are rockside. They got Toby Owaka o Waca waka waka
coming off the bench putting up double doubles on the
regular like that. They are incredible.

Speaker 5 (01:22:42):
Yeah, they are incredible. And Tucson is such a wonderful town.
It's it's really a nice place. I always have had
a good about my heart for for US Tucson. Okay,
these four games and I got a red to wrap
it up with the four NFL games of the weekend.

Speaker 4 (01:23:00):
Yep.

Speaker 5 (01:23:03):
I didn't realize, but the Pats spent three hundred and
fifty million dollars in free agency last year, three fifty
Nobody spent more than the Pats.

Speaker 1 (01:23:13):
They had the worst roster in the NFL a year ago.

Speaker 5 (01:23:17):
Unreal. You see the Bengals doing it.

Speaker 4 (01:23:20):
They need to.

Speaker 1 (01:23:22):
They won't, but they need to, Yeah, they do.

Speaker 5 (01:23:26):
And if Houston had a quarterback, that game could have
went the other way.

Speaker 1 (01:23:29):
Mike. My take all along was the Bengals, if they
had any intelligence at all, should have done everything in
their power to get Mike Grabel as their head coach.
And they didn't do it.

Speaker 5 (01:23:44):
You're right, You're right. I really didn't think on it.
But you're right, Why why not Ohio guy? All that stuff? Yeah,
I don't get that team. But anyway, I try not
to talk about the uh San Francisco. They were just
you know, Coleshunahan's to be Coach of the Year because
that team was just decimated with injury all year, just
decimating him.

Speaker 4 (01:24:07):
Good.

Speaker 5 (01:24:08):
See I have a really good defense and playing well
on offense. And I think and Jigma now has taken
over for this year. Is the premiere receiver in the
NFL over Jamar Chace for this year.

Speaker 4 (01:24:22):
Yeah, you could see that guy's on real dude. I
could see that he is.

Speaker 5 (01:24:29):
I heard a good interview with him the other day
and he started out as a slot guy and he
just said, I'll do whatever you need.

Speaker 12 (01:24:36):
Me to do.

Speaker 5 (01:24:36):
But really good, really good young man with his head
screwed on. Right, Josh Allen gets up there after that
game with that cry baby crap. I was like, come on,
NFL quarterbacks, don't get up there and cry. Bro stop it.
You threw the game away. You can cry and be
mad at yourself. You cost him the game.

Speaker 1 (01:24:58):
Yeah, I think he knows it. I think that's why
he was emotional. That was that was the window. No Mahomes,
no Jackson, no Burrow, wide open path to the super Bowl,
and it falls on him. He couldn't get the job done.

Speaker 5 (01:25:11):
He jacked it off completely.

Speaker 4 (01:25:12):
He did.

Speaker 5 (01:25:13):
Sorry, but that's what happened.

Speaker 6 (01:25:16):
I UH.

Speaker 5 (01:25:18):
Last night that rams and Uh in Bear's camp that's
throwed by Caleb. Listen, it seems like the last three
or four weeks on the on the ESPN highlights, the
greatest throws are with Caleb.

Speaker 1 (01:25:31):
He makes ridiculous through. I mean, that throw last night
is as good a throw as you will ever, ever, ever,
ever see.

Speaker 5 (01:25:38):
I couldn't believe it went that far.

Speaker 1 (01:25:40):
Fifty one falling backwards, fifty one yards falling backwards, four
defenders in his face, and he puts it like you
could not have thrown a better ball under any circumstance
than the ball that he threw to tie that game.

Speaker 5 (01:26:01):
No, Karen, were you blown away by that? If you're listening,
he might be busy in the Okay, never mind, Yeah,
that that that truly blew my mind. But so I
got to get my boys from La a credit. They
were that cold weather and did what they had to do.
So well, we'll see, but it's going to be a tough,

(01:26:22):
tough road tore to.

Speaker 4 (01:26:23):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:26:24):
I hate to tell you, Mike, I got to be
a Seahawks guy.

Speaker 5 (01:26:29):
You know why, I don't know why. I want you
got to some allegiance to Samsio.

Speaker 1 (01:26:34):
I've got allegiance to my guy Kobe Bryant.

Speaker 5 (01:26:37):
Oh yeah, you said that earlier.

Speaker 6 (01:26:39):
My bad.

Speaker 1 (01:26:39):
I'm sorry that that's my guy, Kobe. Kobe was one
of the best guys and I've been doing the UCB
for nineteen years, one of the easiest, most accessible, best
guys to cover in my nineteen years of covering U see,
so to see him find a home, to see him

(01:27:00):
in that position that he is in on that defense,
like I'm really pulling for Kobe to get one.

Speaker 5 (01:27:07):
Yeah, and we're and named after the one of the coolest,
classiest guys ever, Kobe, the Kobe Bryant. Right, that's pretty cool.
I'm with you, brother, I'm with you. Okay.

Speaker 9 (01:27:17):
The Reds.

Speaker 5 (01:27:19):
I got you know, we keep talking about they can't
score runs, but but what I did was hold on,
just give me ten seconds. Ten seconds? Why I googled
total I googled total runs scored the rankings of all
thirty two Uh huh. Guess where the Reds were again?

Speaker 1 (01:27:38):
I think they were middle of the pack, like nine, eighteen, seventeen, eighteen,
something like that, fourteen fourteenth.

Speaker 9 (01:27:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:27:44):
The problem, Mike is that they have these these outbursts
and then that's all the runs they'll score for the week.
They'll they'll have one game with twelve runs and then
the rest of the week is one zero, two, one three.
And that's ultimately the problem is they have not built

(01:28:07):
a batting order that consistently scares you, like go through
here's here's the proof is in the pudding type thing,
Like go through all the other top seven eight teams
in the National League and go through their one through nine,
and then go through the Reds one through nine and
those other teams, the Brewers, the Dodgers, the the Giants, whatever,

(01:28:32):
the Cubs, and you'll find four, five, six guys where
you're like, man, like this, this stretch of two or
three guys, this stretch of two or three guys, four
guys is really really tough, night in and night out.
And then you pull up the Reds starting nine, and
it just doesn't exist. It just doesn't. There's not enough power,

(01:28:52):
there's not enough pop uh to really make you night
in and night out worried about this Reds off.

Speaker 5 (01:29:01):
Yeah, win a game in the late innings with a
long ball. Because I'm looking at the first to top
three teams in runs scored. There's only three teams that
scored over five runs a game. The Yankees were first,
Toronto was second, Dodgers were third, Arizona four point eight
eight at fourth, Milwaukee fifth, uh, Chicago six. Right around
that's been Boston and then Philly. But what so the problem,

(01:29:24):
like you're saying, Chid, the problem is there's not a
big threat or a clutch one or something right right
in the late innings.

Speaker 1 (01:29:35):
There's nobody that like. Okay, the Reds are coming up
in the in the bottom of the eighth and they've
got three four, five coming up teams. Look at that
and go, we can get those guys out. We can
get those guys out.

Speaker 5 (01:29:50):
I love you, Chid, You're the best.

Speaker 4 (01:29:52):
I know.

Speaker 9 (01:29:52):
You got to go.

Speaker 10 (01:29:53):
Brother.

Speaker 5 (01:29:53):
Thank you for taking my call and let me talk
so long. You're the best. Appreciate my sec you take
care of Karen.

Speaker 1 (01:30:00):
Great to hear from you, brother, and we'll talk soon.

Speaker 4 (01:30:02):
Okay, yeah, my best of your family.

Speaker 1 (01:30:05):
Thanks you too, Mike. All right, let's go to Dick
and Dayton. Dick, how you doing, brother?

Speaker 14 (01:30:11):
How are you doing?

Speaker 5 (01:30:11):
Chad?

Speaker 14 (01:30:12):
Happy to know year, buddy.

Speaker 1 (01:30:13):
If I was any better, I'd be twins.

Speaker 4 (01:30:14):
Dick.

Speaker 14 (01:30:16):
Yeah, yeah, you know these games that of the playoff
game were kind of good, weren't They they were interesting day.
They made you meant it on the seat and everything.
They they were pretty good, weren't they.

Speaker 1 (01:30:28):
I was, you know, outside of the Seahawks forty nine
ers that was over in about seven minutes. It felt
like the rest of the games were very entertaining. They
at least kept you captivated through the three hours.

Speaker 14 (01:30:45):
Yeah, they did, they really did.

Speaker 9 (01:30:48):
You know.

Speaker 14 (01:30:48):
I didn't get a chance, but I was bested two
Austin today. Did you get to go to the Reds Caravan?

Speaker 1 (01:30:55):
I did not get to go to Reds Fest. I
had the uc Iowa State game on Saturday, which kept
me locked up for a while, and then dad duty,
the single dad, teenage daughter combo dick does not allow
for a whole lot of outside activities, unfortunately.

Speaker 14 (01:31:15):
Yeah. Yeah, I just you know, I'm thinking too. You
were mentioning two about were you surprised they brought Zach
Taylor back? Do you think it was his fault? They
didn't win games? But we needed Joe Burrow when he
came back, and he won a lot of games. But
I'm hoping this year that do you think I really
say they need somebody for the defense, don't they? The

(01:31:37):
defense was.

Speaker 1 (01:31:38):
Yeah, I'm not surprised at all that they brought Zach back.
I talked about it earlier. He's under contract for two
more years. Yeah, Mike Brown does not like to pay
people not to work, especially for two years. Maybe for
one year, but especially not for two years. And I
think the bigger problem was Duke Tobin. I think the

(01:31:59):
biggest problem that disfranchise faces right now is that the
roster that Duke Tobin built top to bottom is not
good enough. And I don't know what Zach is supposed
to you know, I don't know how Zach is supposed
to overcome a roster that went is puts you at
a disadvantage in most games.

Speaker 14 (01:32:21):
Yep, yep, I'm taking you hope that you think the
Reds will be good this year?

Speaker 1 (01:32:27):
Do you think I think they'll be okay. I think
they'll be right around that that five hundred line for
most of the season. I really like their starting pitching.
I like what they've done with the bullpen to give
themselves some more length, give themselves a couple more guys
that you feel like you can rely on late and close.
I don't think they did enough on offense, and because

(01:32:48):
they didn't do enough on offense. I don't know how
they string together enough wins to get into I mean, ultimately,
for me, Dick, I think this is a team and
that's capable of eighty to eighty four, eighty five wins.
I do not see an offense that can get them
from that point to ninety wins, and I think the

(01:33:11):
Cubs and the Brewers are gonna be at ninety wins,
ninety plus win.

Speaker 14 (01:33:16):
Speaking of the Reds, well, listen, happy new.

Speaker 12 (01:33:19):
Year, Happy new Year, Buddy appreciated, Dick, Yeah, I appreciate you.

Speaker 14 (01:33:23):
Bye bye.

Speaker 1 (01:33:25):
That's ultimately the thing, like I think, to be a
threat to win this division, you need to be in
a position to win ninety ninety two to ninety three games,
because I think that's what the Brewers and the Cubs
are capable of. I think that's where they're going to
end up. So if this is once again a roster

(01:33:46):
that max is out at eighty five wins best case scenario,
then you're begging for a wildcard spot as the third
place team in your division. I don't feel great about that.
If you listen to me talk about UC basketball before
the season, said, I don't feel great because I don't

(01:34:07):
have any faith that this can be a top six
team in this league. The top six teams in the
Big twelve are all Top twenty teams, and if you
can't be one of the top six teams in the league,
then you're perpetually on the bubble. Because you've got seven
to eight games with those top six teams, you're probably

(01:34:27):
going to lose most of them, and that puts you
in a position where at best you're fighting to play
yourself into the tournament and off the bubble. I think
the Reds are in a very similar position. I don't
think they can win the division. I don't know that
I feel confident saying they can compete at the top

(01:34:50):
of this division for much of the season. We'll get
into more of that. Phone lines are open for the
rest of this hour. I'm four nine, fifteen thirty. I'm
Jared Brenda and form Oegar. This is ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 10 (01:35:08):
Big So the bag like, what's uploading windows out of frames?
Putty one to pull up big So the bag like,
what's uploading windows? Other frame? Is punny one? Pull up
big so.

Speaker 1 (01:35:22):
Teary and I have a question to pull up when
when I was on my uh my too short kick
a little bit. This weekend, E forty came up. The
girlfriend who is very very uh eclectic music wise, likes
a lot of different things. She was unfamiliar with E forty. Okay,

(01:35:48):
is it like, is he regional enough where I shouldn't
be mad about that? Or is it like, uh? Is
that like a warning of like you didn't know who
E forty was?

Speaker 3 (01:36:00):
I don't know now now you gotta be deep into
the game to know E forty.

Speaker 1 (01:36:04):
Okay, that's fair. I needed an outside judge of that
because I'm pretty deep in the game, so I'm very
familiar with E forty, But I tend to forget sometimes
that he was more of like an Oakland thing for
the longest time, like he was not mainstream per se.

Speaker 3 (01:36:21):
Correct, Like if she didn't know like Snoop Dogg or
ice Cube Dan, that's the problem.

Speaker 1 (01:36:27):
Too short, she knew too short?

Speaker 3 (01:36:30):
Wait, hold on, now she knew too short that she
should have knew E forty.

Speaker 1 (01:36:33):
I mean, I guess there's a difference. Too short made
it more mainstream than E forty.

Speaker 4 (01:36:38):
Did I think?

Speaker 3 (01:36:40):
I think they about neck and Egg?

Speaker 4 (01:36:41):
Do you?

Speaker 1 (01:36:43):
I don't know she knew too short. She didn't know
E forty.

Speaker 3 (01:36:47):
She knew the blow to Whistle song, right of course. Yeah,
see that's the name. Like, what would you say, forty's
like biggest song.

Speaker 9 (01:36:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:36:54):
I was trying to pick something out to play for
that I thought she might know, and it was like, no,
I don't think you'll know this one. And then it
kind of hit me. I was like, Wow, maybe E
forty isn't something that the general music connoisseur will be
familiar with.

Speaker 4 (01:37:10):
I'll let her.

Speaker 1 (01:37:11):
I'll give her a pass on this one. Let's go
out to the phones. We got Steve. Where are you from,
Steve Sharonville? Okay, what would you like to talk about?

Speaker 4 (01:37:22):
Steve?

Speaker 13 (01:37:23):
Well, first, I want to compliment you guys. You guys
do a good job on the radio.

Speaker 4 (01:37:27):
And.

Speaker 13 (01:37:29):
I'd like to see you on instead of some of
the other people they currently have long Well, that's another story.
As far as the sinety sports, so, so here's the situation.
As far as the Reds, you can forget it. The
Reds and Bengal there are totally different situations.

Speaker 9 (01:37:44):
Uh.

Speaker 13 (01:37:45):
The Reds are victims of this uh ridiculous economic system
in MLB. So uh that being said, I don't think
Bob Kestell has done a great job as an owner.
But you know, uh, the Reds are never I'll be
able to compete with the Yankees and the Dodgers and
the Pillys and so on and so forth. So and

(01:38:05):
less than TILMLB fixes the economic system, the Reds have
zero chances.

Speaker 4 (01:38:10):
Do you think that.

Speaker 1 (01:38:11):
I'm curious, Steve, do you think the Brewers have a chance?
Not really, No, No, I mean they're a team that
regularly puts up ninety plus wins. They have sold on
guys that were at the top of the sport, and
people expect them to take a step back. They still
find a way to win ninety ninety five games. Now,

(01:38:32):
are they able to match up? You know, nobody's going
to be able to match up with the Dodgers. But
I would counter if a franchise like the Brewers has
figured out how to do this year in and year out,
then it's not out of the realm of possibility. Possibility
for the Reds to be a regular eighty seven to

(01:38:53):
ninety two win team.

Speaker 13 (01:38:55):
Well, I don't know. We'll just disagree on that, and
the Brewers might be, but the small market teams in general.
You know, you can pick a unicorn, Brewers whatever. They
don't stand a chance. But anyway, I mainly called to
talk about the the Bengals, all right, So for any
fans that want to have any intelligence out there, if

(01:39:15):
you don't think ownership and you don't think coaching matters,
look at the New England Patriots's all you have to
look at. Okay, And the problem is puts in any fans.
If you look around the NFL, all the coaches that
had franchise top quarterbacks that underperformed this year got fired

(01:39:36):
except for one. And why didn't the one get fired?
Because Mike Brown doesn't want to fires coach because these
coaches family and you host the families, and well, what
kind of nonsense? People? You know, the fans of this
city get the teams they deserve because let me pay
us something. You do want to say that fans don't

(01:39:57):
have any power. If all the if the Sea ticket
holders banded together and said, okay, we're not we're done
playing games. Mike Brown, either you bring in some competent
people that run this help run this franchise, or not,
we're renewing our season tickets. You think things wouldn't change.
But people people in this city are just too laid back.

(01:40:19):
They're not nobody's going to take the bull by the
horns and do anything. So the fans get what they
deserve as far as I'm concerned.

Speaker 1 (01:40:27):
But they did do that. They did do that at
the end of the Marvel Lewis era, and the front
office listened because people stopped showing up. There was thirty
five forty thousand people in the seats instead of seventy thousand,
and the front office made a change. So you make
a good point there.

Speaker 13 (01:40:45):
Well, that's just that's the way I feel about I
just feel that, you know, the fans when I hear
people say I'm gonna support the Bengals no matter what. No, no,
you're gonna support the Bengal. You're gonna afforce the Bengals.
So do put a competent front office that puts a
good product on the field, not going to just support
them no matter what.

Speaker 1 (01:41:06):
Well, Duke Tobin said something last to Whenever that was
two weeks ago, that that epitomized where the Bengals are at,
and he said he's not he doesn't think that his
scouting department. I don't know if you know these specific
numbers or not here Steve, but I'm going to give
them to you. The average scouting department in the NFL

(01:41:28):
is twenty four to twenty six people. The Bengals have
eight nine people in their scouting department, So.

Speaker 4 (01:41:37):
They are working numbers.

Speaker 13 (01:41:38):
But yes, I know that they're a way on your
staff there.

Speaker 1 (01:41:41):
They are working at a fifteen person different disadvantage in
their scouting department. Let's say ten of those scouts are
college scouts. Right, the Bengals say, Duke Tobin says, we
have all the information necessary. We don't need anybody else.
So you're taking these ten scouts that you don't have,

(01:42:02):
and you're sending him on the road for one hundred
and fifty days. Right, So ten scouts one hundred and
fifty days. Think of all the schools that those ten
scouts would go to. I don't think what people understand, Steve,
is that when these scouts go to a school and
they watch a practice. You know what they do after
the practice, Steve? No, I don't they sit with the

(01:42:25):
strength and conditioning coach. They sit of all the play
all the draftable prospects on that team. So like if
they came to Cincinnati to watch the Cincinnati Bearcuts practice.
They would sit with Nico Palizeti, who's the strength and
conditioning coach, and then of all the guys Joe Royer
and Dante Corleone and Brendan Soresby and Jake Golday and

(01:42:46):
Jeff called Well, they would individually sit with every position
coach okay, and then they would sit with the training
staff and hear about how this guy is when he's
recovering from injury. Right, So ten coaches, one hundred and
fifty days. Think of all those conversations that the Bengals miss,
and you wonder why on draft Day everybody looks at

(01:43:09):
the Bengals pick and goes did they not know? Did
they not do the work? Did they not know that
Shamar Stewart was going to have an idiot for an agent?
Because they don't. They believe that what they're doing can
be done with eight people, and everybody in the NFL

(01:43:31):
does it a different way because they want all the information,
and the Bengals are not interested in all the information.
If they tell you they are, they're lying.

Speaker 13 (01:43:40):
Well, I know, but here's the scent. I mean, ultimately
arrest with Duke at least Duke Taban and Mike Brown,
they're making the decisions. Yeah, so let me ask you
a question. In sports, and step such thing as a
good player.

Speaker 4 (01:43:56):
But what do you mean there's lots of good places?

Speaker 13 (01:44:00):
Is there such Is there such thing as a good
or a great player? Is there such thing as a
mediocre player? Is there such thing as a bad player?

Speaker 4 (01:44:12):
All right?

Speaker 13 (01:44:13):
Why can't the same be said for the front office
specifically Duke Coben.

Speaker 1 (01:44:18):
Yeah, he's bad at his job for sure.

Speaker 4 (01:44:23):
That you're making my point because his dad.

Speaker 1 (01:44:25):
Was best friends with Paul Brown or Mike Brown.

Speaker 4 (01:44:27):
That's why he's still there, exactly.

Speaker 6 (01:44:30):
That's my point.

Speaker 5 (01:44:32):
That's my point is that.

Speaker 13 (01:44:34):
Mike Brown, the way he runs this franchise, it's a joke.
And and the fans of this town accept it. They
don't demand they don't demand better. And that's why the
same thing year after year after year, because the Bengals
fans accept this mediocrity and accept Mike Brown's incompetence. And
that's that's what you know, the fans could stop this.

Speaker 1 (01:44:57):
Wow, I don't know that. I honestly, I don't know
that they could steve it might get a head coaching change.
But people not showing up are not going to cause
the Brown family to change the way that they structure
internally the football because they believe that they know I
got to run, Steve. I appreciate the call.

Speaker 13 (01:45:14):
Thanks many, good job, thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:45:17):
I don't know that they believe that. I think you
can get them to change the head coach. I don't
think fans not showing up is going to get them
to fire Duke Tobin is going to get them to
restructure the scouting department. I don't think that's how it works.
Let's take a break more after this. Since An E's
ESPN thirteen thirty, please attention, please just stip feels like

(01:45:43):
the whole entire quaw to lapse. Yeah yeah, yeah, put
your hands up. Mo Yeah, special gas on my own show,
on your own show. I love when that's this happens.

(01:46:04):
It is I get to be the host of you
on your own show. It's it's interesting because some people
say that this should be the format me and you together,
and then you know, now, nobody's ever said that less
work for me? Right, Yeah, I'm here. I I welcome Moager,
most of them the Moagger show, this show, I said

(01:46:27):
in response to Saturday, I was. I was really happy
for the team. I was thrilled, really happy for Wes.
I was thrilled for me, but more importantly for the fans. Yes,
I was outside crushing a heater before the post could
before the postgame press conference, and that buzz outside the
building after a big win is something that hasn't happened

(01:46:47):
enough in the last five years.

Speaker 7 (01:46:50):
You know, I'm used to my phone going nuts towards
the end of games for the wrong reasons. So it
was I was thrilled for everybody you mentioned. I think
it is significant and admirable that with all the noise,
these dudes have looked focused. Yeah, they don't execute the
way we would like all the time, but I think

(01:47:11):
even counting the UCF game where they played well enough
to win but didn't make plays down the stretch, then
the last two I don't think you could accuse this
team of having a lack of focus. You couldn't accuse
them of lack of effort. And especially in this day
and age, that's been my concern with like all the
stuff going on, Like, at what point is the negative

(01:47:32):
energy and the negative energy is largely justified, when does
it seep.

Speaker 1 (01:47:36):
Into the team. Yeah, that hasn't. May still happen. It
hasn't happened yet. You know they're in Bartrovic since Gisel
James returned. You know what their rank is, their team
rank No. Twenty seven. Wow, So bringing him back was
the right thing. It was Oh, okay, it was okay.
I was told it wasn't. You and I were both
told that it wasn't. I was told it wasn't. I. Look,

(01:47:57):
it was an act of desperation. Sure, yes, but guess why. Yes,
sometimes desperation like produces results. It was an active desperation.

Speaker 7 (01:48:07):
But it's like if I would have if I would
have said, any fan of any team, hey, uh, second semester,
we're gonna add a guy who led a Big twelve
team in scoring last year?

Speaker 1 (01:48:18):
Do you want him?

Speaker 7 (01:48:19):
Who would have said no? And as much as we
romanticize over all these guys who are part of the
program last year, Gigsel James led the team in scoring
last season. That's not the only metric he used to
turn how good a guy is, But like, just at
face value, and if.

Speaker 1 (01:48:34):
That guy was Pop Isaac's I probably would have said no.
Everybody else I probably would have said.

Speaker 7 (01:48:39):
Yes, here's a guy who I think it was thirteen
and a half points a game last year, average thirteen
and a half for a team in the Big Twelve
last year, has two years of high major experience. Would
you like him on your team? I think everybody would
have said yes, And I'm glad it's worked out for Jigsel.
I'm glad they won the game. I have focused solely
on Saturday because.

Speaker 1 (01:48:58):
I don't want to think about Wednesday.

Speaker 4 (01:49:00):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:49:00):
I mean that Arizona team is absurd. They're nine ten
deep with like real players. A lot of teams like
to say they're nine or ten deep. They're not.

Speaker 5 (01:49:10):
Not.

Speaker 1 (01:49:10):
Anthony del Orso, who's he would be a starter for
Cincinnati is like their eighth guy.

Speaker 4 (01:49:16):
I am.

Speaker 7 (01:49:17):
The most impressed I've been by a college basketball team
this year was Arizona against Alabama.

Speaker 1 (01:49:22):
Yeah, which was a game played in Birmingham.

Speaker 4 (01:49:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:49:24):
And you know you're watching it through the lens of
a UC fan and you're like, when's that game again?
You're gonna play him twice or once?

Speaker 1 (01:49:31):
Just once? Well, I will say the most impressed I
was by a team all year was Iowa State at Purdue. Yes,
and that It was not the Iowa State team, not
even close that Cincinnati played. I pointed this out on
your show. Sometimes Otts's teams go in little lolls and
that maybe that game that lost the first one was

(01:49:54):
the sign of a lull, And it turns out it was.

Speaker 7 (01:49:56):
TJ Osselberger looks like a guy who really enjoys a
good protein shake.

Speaker 1 (01:50:00):
Oh man, does he have anything butt protein check? He
looks like a guy.

Speaker 5 (01:50:04):
No.

Speaker 7 (01:50:04):
I've never been to a GNC, which won't surprise anybody,
but if I did go into a GNC, he looks
like the guy that would greet me when I walked in.

Speaker 1 (01:50:14):
I'm curious. You have a great seat. Do you remember
anybody that works officials like I mean he was. He
was sending guys to the scorers table to check in, Yeah,
so he could talk to the officials and then pulling
the guy back and not letting the like. Everything he
did was centered around And this is coming off last

(01:50:34):
year where he took two minutes at halftime to stop
an official that you're not supposed to do.

Speaker 7 (01:50:39):
So what I saw on Saturday something I've never seen,
which is the officials come over to tell everybody but
the coach to sit down.

Speaker 1 (01:50:47):
Yeah, and an assistant coach refused.

Speaker 7 (01:50:50):
Yeah, Like the dude comes over, the one of the
officials comes over, but they get three warnings.

Speaker 1 (01:50:54):
Three bench warnings. You're supposed to get one.

Speaker 7 (01:50:56):
Right, waives everybody to sit down, and the one assistant
coach basically tells him to f off and just keeps
like talking to the player that he was talking to.
The the best I ever saw at working the officials
or Calhoun, Yeah, I mean it was. And I watched him.
I watched him once tell Mick Cronin to sit down,

(01:51:19):
Like I watched he sit down. I watched him do
this once where Jim Calhoun, the former Hall of Fame
coach at Yukon make is up. Calhoun's up and Jim
Calhoun looks over at Mick Cronin and says, he did
just say sit down, tells him to sit down, and
like Mick just looked at him and it was like,

(01:51:40):
did he just say that to me? Like told him
to sit down. He was the most annoying that I saw.
Beheim was Beheim just whine.

Speaker 9 (01:51:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:51:50):
Now some are gonna say Hurley, I love Danny, but god,
I love Dan. Hurley's a friend of the show, and
I won't say anything that can have better.

Speaker 1 (01:51:58):
I love that man, you got you know it? I
love that man. NFL Divisional Round weekend. Any overarching Bengals
related takeaway, mine was defense has played at a very
high level at this stage, and the Bengals are a
long way from any of the four winning teams on

(01:52:20):
Saturday and Sunday.

Speaker 4 (01:52:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (01:52:22):
For me, the overarching takeaway is when you score in
the closing seconds and you are two yards away from
the winning points and the other team's defense is shell shocked.

Speaker 1 (01:52:33):
Take them for two. Yeah, go for two.

Speaker 7 (01:52:37):
I have on my Twitter bio some things that I
just believe in, Like, you know, I don't believe in
taking your best player out, or any player out just
because he has two fouls in the first half. I
don't believe in sacrifice bunts, and I believe in the
closing seconds, when you're down a point, you should go
for two. Ben Johnson should have gone for two, and
then he doubled up on it by not taking the
ball first.

Speaker 1 (01:52:57):
A guy that's insanely aggressive. Yeah, put the aggressive away.
And I'm like rooting like hell for Chicago.

Speaker 7 (01:53:03):
Good friend of mine's a Bears fan, losing her mind,
and I texted her, and you know, at the risk
of being annoying, I'm like, go for to go for
to go for two. Defenses on its heels, even if
they call time out, go for two, you're two yards
away from the winning points.

Speaker 1 (01:53:16):
Go for two. Coaches don't do it. Frustrates me, frustrates
the Bengals. There was enough time the Bengals would have
given up. Sure a score.

Speaker 7 (01:53:23):
Zach Taylor did that in the same scenario last year
and twenty four in Thursday night against Baltimore when it
was the right call.

Speaker 1 (01:53:29):
Yeah, and there were like.

Speaker 7 (01:53:29):
Four penalties on that play that didn't get called. I
don't know that I had like a takeaway from a
Bengals perspective, per se, but the one that you had,
I think is the correct one. That these are championship
caliber defenses.

Speaker 4 (01:53:44):
Also, like.

Speaker 7 (01:53:47):
Quarterback play in this league, like quarterback play deep in
the playoffs in this league is still very suspect, and
it's frustrating that teams with dudes who are the best
didn't even come close.

Speaker 1 (01:53:57):
Yeah, like our team because the money's allocated wrong.

Speaker 7 (01:54:02):
No, just because they can't build a roster the right way,
can't figure out a way to protect him and keep
them mouthy. Yeah, because the defense was historically bad for
much of the season. I'm watching CJ. Stroud just try
to give a second consecutive playoff game away.

Speaker 1 (01:54:15):
God, you got tonight Miami and Indiana. I meant to
talk about it more. I didn't get to.

Speaker 7 (01:54:20):
Yeah, so it feels like Indiana is gonna wins. From
a wagering perspective, there's too much value in Miami plus
two to eighty for a team that physical.

Speaker 1 (01:54:32):
So I took the Hurricanes. My question is how many
times is Carson Back going to make an error that
is super costly?

Speaker 7 (01:54:41):
Yeah? I think the thing is an already not explosive offense.
I feel like that plays right into Indiana's hands. Yeah,
but I don't know eight and a half point dog
on the money line on a national championship game playing
it it's playing at home, Yeah, what it's worth. Yeah,
I think the value on that's insane.

Speaker 1 (01:54:57):
Although if you add, if you ever you're listening, the
crowd outside of the stadium, oh yeah, is very Indian like.
They've this is it for them, They've taken over.

Speaker 7 (01:55:08):
This is awesome, man, Like, I I love this story
and as a UC fan, Like it's not apples to apples,
but it's fun being the outsider who crashes the party.

Speaker 1 (01:55:20):
If they do it, is this the biggest sports story ever? Indiana,
the worst college football team in the history of college
football wins the title year two of their head coach, it.

Speaker 7 (01:55:30):
Might be, and like doing it as the one seed, right,
not like while we snuck like we we are a one.
We're gonna play Alabama and v Rose Bowl. Throttle them,
play Oregon, right, not a blue blood but a mainstay.

Speaker 1 (01:55:45):
Throttle them like it is.

Speaker 7 (01:55:49):
It gets like this, it gets colored like they're this
like plucky thirteen seed the tournament, the best team.

Speaker 1 (01:55:55):
It won the Big Ten, beat Ohio State in.

Speaker 7 (01:55:58):
The Big Ten title game, and so I am rooting
for them emotionally. Financially though Miami on the money line
would be great, So.

Speaker 1 (01:56:07):
I can't lose. I've got Keegan iu Alum, Brett Young
Brent Young Iu Alum. Brent's going to the game. Very
good friend of mine is married, two friends of mine.
She is a Miami alum.

Speaker 7 (01:56:22):
He is a diehard Tennessee fan, and he's like, she
didn't care about college football and now she's all she's
always been about IU basketball, and now she's all into
the Hoosiers.

Speaker 2 (01:56:32):
It's cool.

Speaker 1 (01:56:33):
It's fun.

Speaker 7 (01:56:33):
I gets fun when a lums and fans of a
school or of a program that has not been on
anybody's radar have a chance of something like this.

Speaker 1 (01:56:42):
What's the line for UC Arizona Wednesday night fifteen? I
was gonna say twelve and a half the Ken Palm, Yeah, seventeen. Okay,
it's gonna be higher. I don't love it. No, it's
not gonna be a fun night. I don't think can.

Speaker 7 (01:56:55):
Maybe the Arizona State though, Yes, okay, yes they stink
split split narra's Yeah, that's.

Speaker 1 (01:57:00):
Gonna do it. Thanks mo, Thank you so Moegar Show.
Moager will be the host tomorrow boy since i ZSPM
fifteen thirty night, Thanks my god. And I'm listening to
the radio.