1/7/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Conference Friday at one pm. Ben Way in with your
reaction on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Wow, the official home of the bank Runner promos for
a press conference.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
I love it. What's up? Five minutes after three? This
is ESPN fifteen thirty. Thank you for listening and hopefully
you're having like the greatest Wednesday ever.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm Moegar. This is our show, The Rundowns.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
Available on Twitter at mulgar thanks to my friends and yours.
At Shaffac's Credit Union, you can become a member just
like me.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
Go to sharefax dot org.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Rick Brooring is going to join us in just about
thirty five forty minutes to talk Xavier and NKU basketball.
We've got some Reds and Bengals stuff we got to
get to a little bit later on. We are done
early today. There's a UK broadcast at five thirty the
Wildcats taking on Missouri, tip off at seven o'clock live
on ESPN fifteen thirty. A game last night in Morgantown

(00:59):
for the UC Bearcats that followed pretty familiar script. Unfortunately,
another game there for the taking and another close loss,
this time to the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Bearcats fall
to eight and seven on the season. Another heartbreaker last
night for the UC Bearcats. Another game there for the taking,

(01:20):
and I think a moment last night. Where as pessimistic
as this may sound, I think it's grounded in reality.
Bearcats led by five last night, about four minutes to go,
and they had the ball. Now, if you score there,
the game is obviously not over. Teams have come back
from down seven or eight points with just under four

(01:41):
minutes to go. But boy, you're in the driver's seat.
You're in the driver's seat less than four minutes to
go if you score up five. And as it turned out,
they didn't even get a shot off Boba Miller with
a turnover on a pass into the corner. And be
honest with me, be honest with me. If you're a Bearcat,
that moment there knews spelled doom.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
From there.

Speaker 3 (02:04):
More turnovers, some shots, some I have no issue with
being taken. Some like Boba Miller, who's an eleven percent
three point shooter, lifting one from the top of the key.
There's a foul committed when a foul didn't need to
be committed. There's a foul with the guy shooting a three.
There's the tracin eagle staff prayer three in front of

(02:27):
the West Virginia bench. There's the play that Gisel James
makes to give the Bearcats a shot, but instead of
taking a couple of dribbles and giving himself a better look,
a better shot, he throws up a desperation heave and
the Bearcats lose another just gut punch of a game
to West Virginia, sixty two to sixty the final score

(02:47):
last night. And you know, we talked about a familiar script,
and it's it's been that way for this team all
season long. For the most part, every single one of
their losses has been for the taking in the second half.
Maybe a little bit less so the Louisville game, because
the Cardinals very quickly erased a halftime deficit in that

(03:10):
game downtown. But for the most part, when they have lost,
they've had chances to make plays to win the game
in at least the final ten minutes and in a
couple of cases the last few minutes, and well, in
the case of their last three losses, in the closing seconds.
And there have been some common themes, right, like lack
of execution, like some let's call them what they are

(03:31):
relatively low basketball IQ plays. The result is familiar, the
feeling is familiar, and each subsequent loss drowns out whatever
you want to beat your chest out about when it
comes to effort right like, we're we're seventeen. We're fifteen
games into this. Sorry, my math not good. We're fifteen

(03:52):
games into this. It's seven losses during a season that
was looked at as one where you either thought the
Bearcats could make the tournament or you thought, you know what,
the Bearcats must make the tournament, and maybe a thought
both for this team to already have seven losses and
at face value, there is nothing wrong with losing at
home to Houston, and there's nothing wrong with losing on

(04:15):
the road in conference play to a team that is
one of the best in the country defensively, and West
Virginia at least from a points per game perspective sixty
two per coming into last night pace of play does
have a lot to do with that. But still, you'll
lose sometimes in conference play in what are basically fifty
to fifty games, and a lot of the losses in
a vacuum not a big deal. Losing to Louisville no

(04:37):
big deal. Losing to a good Georgia team, no big deal.
Losing to Clemson, no big deal. Even losing at Xavier
in a year where the Musketeers call it what it is,
not that good, you know, forgivable hell, losing a by
game to Eastern Michigan. They happen. But when you add
them all up, and you add them all up in

(04:58):
a season that is supposed to be really find by
one thing and one thing only, and it's January the seventh,
and you're staring at seven losses and you know some
of the games they still have in front of them, well, then.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
There's a really.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
There's a real sense that the season has reached its
conclusion before we even get to February. Now, Wes Miller
is not going to want to hear that, And I
can understand why what coach is gonna want to hear
someone say, like, you know, the season feels like it's
over when it's not. They got sixteen regular season games
to go. What happened on the floor last night in Morgantown.

(05:37):
I feel like for most it's taken a little bit
of a backseat to the postgame show. I do not
have time to play it in its entirety Tony and
Austin did By. Now, if you're a Bearcat fan, or
I guess even if you're not, you've you've at least
heard about the postgame show. Dan Horde called in at
one o'clock on Tony Pike since he three to sixty,
to talk about the postgame show last night and play

(06:00):
a bit of it here for you. This post game
show last night for Morgantown, frankly was a lot like
the postgame show on Saturday after they lost to Houston.
Here is Wes Miller with Dan and Terry last night
on seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 4 (06:18):
Coach Miller has joined us now courtside here in Morgantown. Coach,
I feel for everybody in that locker room.

Speaker 5 (06:24):
Uh right now, you've got a great don't feel. Don't
feel for us. We get to come out and play basketball.
I don't care about the noise, Dan, I don't care.
I don't care what people think. I only care about
my team and I care about my program. And you
know what, it's almost comical. We'll get a break. We
just got to stay together and stay brilliant. It's us
against the whole world. We know that we're gonna get

(06:44):
a break. We're gonna keep going, period.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Period.

Speaker 5 (06:47):
I'll answer any questions you guys want. Everybody can quit
on us. Everybody, I hear it. Everybody keep go go ahead,
us against the world.

Speaker 6 (06:55):
Come.

Speaker 4 (06:56):
I only feel I feel for them in the sense
that they put themselves in a great position to possibly
win the game with less than four minutes to go
and couldn't finish, unfortunately, for the second game in a row.
Tell us what you were looking for offensively in those
last four minutes.

Speaker 5 (07:10):
Just a good look to get it on the rim,
not to turn it over. You know. Last game, we
couldn't get those looks. At least we didn't turn it over.
Trying to get chances for our guys to go make
big time plays, you know, and we got a couple
of queen looks we just didn't make.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
From your perspective, how did they get away at the end?

Speaker 5 (07:29):
I don't think it's like takes a perspective. I think
we fouled a three point shooter at the end of
the shot clock on a really good possession. Correct, they
throw in a prayer at the end of the shot defense.
They fell in an absolute prayer. There's there's seven points.
That's how you lose the game. Those those seven points,
and then we don't convert on that stretch.

Speaker 2 (07:49):
That's how you lose the game.

Speaker 5 (07:50):
I mean, come on, man, you can't make the mistake
and foul the three point shooter for the end.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
One can't do it.

Speaker 5 (07:56):
Can't hit them on the elbow. I saw it clear.
DA can't even argue that. And then they fell the
prayer in. We still are still in good position, and
I feel a prairie. That's how you lose a game.
So there, I mean, I'm not coming at you, guys.
I'm not coming at you guys. Hopefully y'all will stay
with us. Hopefully you two will stay with us. But
if you want, anybody can jump off. We're gonna stay together.
He got off to a slow start, but there you go.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
There's Dan and Terry with Wes Miller last night on
seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
And again that.

Speaker 3 (08:24):
Was not that dissimilar from the postgame show on Saturday
after the loss to Houston. Just just to sort of
outline how it works in the postgame show, and a
pretty good chance you know this, but you know, typically
the game ends and the coach, whoever it has been,
will go and talk with their team and sometimes stay

(08:45):
for a long time talking with their team, and sometimes
talk with their team and then go do something else.
But it's it's always been a bit of a cooling
off period, and so much so that on the radio broadcast,
when the game ends, we do news update from the
news room and then we do scores, and oftentimes the
person doing the scores is me and then go back

(09:06):
to Dan and most of the time it's you know,
him doing the final stats and he and Terry doing
a recap of the game, and then the coach joins us,
and by the time the coach has sat down courtside,
it's anywhere from ten to fifteen with some coaches, not WES,
but it's been twenty twenty five minutes before they come out.
And the format has been that way since Tony Yates

(09:27):
was the head coach, so there's a bit of a
cooling off period. I think it would make sense for WES,
as it would for every other coach, to take advantage
of that cooling off period because what you heard there,
and if you were listening on Saturday, what you heard
on Saturday was a coach who came out of the
locker room mere minutes after the game. A tough game,

(09:51):
an emotional game, came to an end, and so I
guess the first thing would meet for me would be
to I don't know, just tell Wes moving.

Speaker 2 (10:00):
Forward, win or lose. Maybe it would.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
Make sense to go somewhere and catch your breath, collect
your thoughts, and put yourself in a position where you're
maybe not quite as emotional.

Speaker 2 (10:13):
Look, I'm a fan.

Speaker 3 (10:15):
If I had to do a show right after games
like that, I'd probably be pulled off the air, be
by the FCC or the company that I work for.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
I get it.

Speaker 3 (10:30):
Many have said this, and it's true. I think you
are hearing somebody who clearly feels pressure, and why would
he not. Right year five season is not going well.
He doesn't have a lot of past big time success
here to hang his hat on. Fans are angry, he
hears the booze. There's lots of conjecture about his job,

(10:53):
like I'm sure it feels like almost physically, like the
walls are closing in.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
I can empathize with that.

Speaker 3 (11:02):
In terms of what he kind of had to say
there at the beginning about us against the world and
don't quit. And he's referenced people taking shots, and later
on in the postgame show, he would reference social media.
I don't know who he's coming at. I don't know.
I don't know if he's coming at fans. And if

(11:24):
that's what he's doing, you're not gonna win doing that.
I don't care what coach you are, what sport you coach,
I don't care what team it is, what school it is,
professional college, If you're a coach who has years and
years and years of success or somebody just getting into
the business, coming after fans is a fool's errand it's

(11:45):
you're not gonna win. I don't know. If it's somebody
in the media, I do not know. I don't know
if it's somebody on the Bearcat beat. I don't know,
if it's somebody on the broadcast crew.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
I don't know. If it's somebody who works here. I
don't know.

Speaker 3 (11:59):
If it's me, I don't know. I don't know who
he's coming at. But two things. Number One, if the
idea is to get people to believe that this season
and this program are going to be turned around soon,

(12:20):
I don't know how helpful those postgame comments are. And
when I say those postgame comments I mean Saturdays and
I mean Yesterdays, both of which have made the rounds
on the internet, few of which, by the way, have
given the station credit seven hundred WLW. I don't know
how coming after folks from the outside, especially if you're
not referencing specific examples. I simply don't know how helpful

(12:44):
that is. And I understand where he's coming from. I
think even if if you're the biggest Wes Miller detractor,
you understand where he's coming from. He's emotional, feels the pressure.
There's a lot there. But I don't know that any
of that is helpful. I don't know, and maybe he
truly doesn't care. I don't know if if you're trying

(13:06):
to win people over, if you're trying to get people
to not bail, don't I don't know that coming at outsiders,
whoever you're coming after is is gonna achieve anything.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
I also believe this.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
Wes Miller is in his fifth season as the head
coach of the University of Cincinnati. And maybe you disagree,
and my phone lines are open at five point three
seven four, nine, fifteen thirty. Maybe wes Miller himself would disagree.
I believe that for the most part during his tenure

(13:44):
at UC, whether it be from fans or whether it
be from folks in the media, people who have microphones,
newspaper columns, blogs, podcasts, people who are on tell I
think he's been treated pretty fairly. I think fans have

(14:07):
exhibited a lot of patients with this program. This is
year five. This is the first year that I could
really recall there being real, real public eyre aimed at
west Miller. And there was some exasperation toward the end
of last season, and I think a lot of that
was to be expected, but I think there was for

(14:30):
the most part, the consensus was, all right, last season
went awry, the pieces really didn't fit. Try again. But
if you don't get it done this year, then the
conversation is going to be a little bit different. And
the conversation has gotten different. I think over the course
of four and a half years, there's been a very
long and deserved grace period afforded to west Miller. You

(14:53):
know what, year one it was tough man got the
job in April, not the most ideal set of circumstances,
and then you know, after a couple of years achieved
some stability. But here comes the Big twelve, and there's
gonna be some issues, some growing pains in the Big twelve,
and there have been, and I think all along, you know,
for the most part, I think fans have been supportive.

Speaker 2 (15:12):
And I'm you know, in any sport, in any realm.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Hew, I see it, you get, you know, people who
don't reveal themselves on social media taking shots. I'm sure
that's happening with some of the players, and that's not excusable.
But I didn't gather that what we heard last night
was him taking issue with that.

Speaker 2 (15:27):
I don't know who his.

Speaker 3 (15:29):
Issue is with. I genuinely don't, and honestly, I'm not
even really sure I care that much. If I knew,
I'm not sure the conversation changes all that much for me.
As I've watched fans engage with this program, as I've
watched and listened to coverage of U see basketball, and
as I have participated in the public discourse about UC basketball,

(15:54):
I'll be painfully honest, I think everybody has been very fair.
I don't recall any anybody's saying that Wes is running
his program in a way that's bringing shame to the university.
I don't think anybody is accused Wes of not working
his ass off. I don't think anybody has ever made
it personal. I don't think anybody has ever talked about
his or his player's off court behavior. I think all criticism,

(16:18):
some of which has been heated in tone, has been
almost primarily focused at the on court product, at the
win loss record, at what is being achieved.

Speaker 7 (16:33):
And so.

Speaker 3 (16:35):
I think what's I don't know sad to me about
last night is it sounds like he's coming at folks
that I believe, whether they're fans or whether they're media,
that have treated him in his program very fairly. There
have been criticisms. I'm sure he doesn't love. There have
been criticisms I'm sure he would tell you he doesn't
agree with. But we're in year five. The winning to

(17:02):
the degree that everybody is hoping for hasn't come. I
don't know what anybody is to expect when it comes
to fan reaction. I know he hears the booze. I'm
sure that's not fun, but you know, it's what happens
when you don't win, and it's what happens when you
don't win after an extended period of time, and I

(17:25):
think most would agree four and a half years is
an extended period of time.

Speaker 2 (17:29):
And so I feel for Wes. I genuinely feel for him.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
And you know, maybe last night you didn't hear an
exceptionally sympathetic figure.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
I heard one, and I genuinely.

Speaker 3 (17:41):
Feel bad for him because I think he's worked his
ass off. I think he's recruited good guys. I think
he has done things in an above board way. I
think he has tried as hard as to adapt to
the changing times in college sports. I think his teams
do play hard. I think so much much about this
program is extraordinarily well run. I think this guy has

(18:05):
done everything he can to get this program back to
the level that we all expect it to be. It
just to this point, it hasn't worked. And so I
hear a guy who's kind of flailing, kind of drifting aimlessly,
not a whole lot of people showing public support Like
that's he's in a really tough spot. But I don't

(18:27):
know that the post game performances are going to help.
And maybe he doesn't care. But I also think like
he's coming at folks who I believe. And again, if
there's an example that I've missed that sort of flies
in the face of this. I'm all ears five point
three seven four nine, fifteen thirty. I think folks have

(18:47):
treated him very fairly here by the way.

Speaker 2 (18:49):
I mean.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
I've seen coaches, I've seen players who I think at
times have not been treated very fairly. Mick Cronin for
a long time I thought was treated exceptional unfairly. I
don't think that's been the case with Wes. Have folks
been unhappy with not winning? Yeah, that's part of sports.

(19:13):
So that was my big takeaway from last night.

Speaker 2 (19:16):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (19:18):
Again, I have no idea specifically, if he's mad at
one person, one outlet, if he's just mad at everybody
in general, if he's pissed at fans, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (19:30):
I don't know. I am a and you know this
if you listen to the show.

Speaker 3 (19:36):
I'd love UC basketball more than almost anything else, more
than any sports team that I root for. I've asked myself, like,
have I said, have I tweeted? Have I done anything
that could be categorized as unfair by the way. I've

(19:56):
often taken stock of things that I've said and that
I I've written, and that I've tweeted and that I've
put on social media, and that I've put on this
radio station when people in the area sports landscape get
mad at me. And there have been times where I've said,
you know what, probably shouldn't.

Speaker 2 (20:13):
Have said that?

Speaker 3 (20:14):
Are you know what that tweet ad the probably shouldn't
have sient that one like it happens. I'm a fan
first and always will be. I can't speak to anybody
that I work with, I can't speak to anybody that
I know, I can't speak to any fan.

Speaker 2 (20:28):
I believe me.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
I think I've handled this season and this regime with
the utmost fairness. I hope to hell they would win
the game last night. I hope to hell they win
the game on Sunday, And if they do, I'm sure
the postgame tone is going to be different. If it continues,
then a season that still has right now sixteen regular

(20:50):
season games left is going to turn ugly, very very quickly.
And I say that as if that hasn't already had happened.
Twenty five after three, I am way late. Phone lines
are open five one, three, seven, four nine fifteen thirty
is our phone number, eight six six seven oh two
three seven seven six. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati

(21:12):
Sports station. Since the not long, so I'll be quick
to here and then we'll take a phone call or two.
We're done at five thirty today, so we don't have
as much time as usual. I cannot speak for anybody else, man,
And like I'm not a journalist remotely qualified to be
a journalist. I am a fan with a microphone, and

(21:34):
so I talk like one. But the one rule that
I've done this show by, I've done this show by
two basic rules.

Speaker 2 (21:42):
Number One, sports are fun. That's it.

Speaker 3 (21:44):
Sports are fun, and so we're gonna have fun with them.
Number Two, never make it personal. And uh, I might
not have a great track record when it comes to
a lot of things, but I have a good track
record when it comes to that.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
And so and I believe most two talk about sport.

Speaker 3 (22:01):
Yeah, man, you find people on social media that violate
that role every day, about every single thing. So I believe,
whether it be from this chair or the chairs of
my colleagues, or others who cover the team, or most fans,
I think the criticism has been solely aimed at performance,

(22:22):
which is always fair game, always fair game.

Speaker 8 (22:30):
You know.

Speaker 3 (22:32):
I've not seen anybody suggest that Wes Miller hasn't poured
himself into this job. I have not seen anybody suggest
that his team doesn't play hard. I have not seen
anybody suggest that he was unqualified for the job. I've
not seen anybody suggest that he recruits bad kids or
guys who don't, you know, hold up their end of
the bargain academically or socially. So the criticism of performance

(22:54):
is always fair game, always fair game. The criticism of
what's in public view on the floor, or on the field,
or on the ice, always fair game. Your phone calls
are next after sports headlines on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 9 (23:10):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 10 (23:13):
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Call five one three nine three nine two two sixty three.
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(23:35):
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Speaker 5 (23:44):
This report is sponsored by Progressive Insurance.

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Progressive Insurance p.

Speaker 10 (23:50):
Fifteen thirty Wine Cincinnati's sports.

Speaker 3 (23:52):
Station headlines are a service to Kelsey Chevroliah, home of
lifetime powertrain protection and guaranteed credit approval from their family
to yours for life kelseyshev dot com. According to Diana
Russini of The Athletic, the Cleveland Browns have requested an
interview with Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for their head

(24:13):
coaching vacancy, which I would wonder if Dan Pitcher got
that job, should he just sell his house to Brian Callahan. Meanwhile,
college basketball tonight, Xavier's on the road against a five
and ten Marquette team. The Muskies, coming off a loss
in Chicago to De Paul on Saturday, tip off at
seven pm on.

Speaker 2 (24:31):
Seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 3 (24:32):
Also, Kentucky, coming off their loss on Saturday to Alabama,
is battling Missouri tonight. That game will tip off at
seven point thirty and pregame coverage on ESPN fifteen thirty
will begin at five o'clock. By the way, we had
a good conversation yesterday with Paul Danner Junior about his
take on the Bengals, and I understand not everybody subscribes

(24:56):
to every publication, so you know, you might not read
Paul Danner Junior's work in The Athletic because you don't subscribe,
although I would highly encourage you to because I think
it's a great site. I think Paul's coverage is worth it.
I think see trans coverage of the Reds is worth it.
So there you go. There's my endorsement for that website.
But I think a lot of folks read the headline

(25:17):
that Paul tweeted out, which he makes the case for
Zach and Duke coming back, and I don't agree with
Duke Tobin coming back, but I think his premise makes
a lot of sense. We talked about it in great
detail yesterday afternoon, and if you miss that conversation.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
It's available. We record stuff, we put it on the internet.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
It's on the iHeartRadio app or my page at ESPN
fifteen thirty dot com. Podcasts of this show are a
service of Long Neck Sports.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
Grow by the Way.

Speaker 3 (25:46):
Between the college football playoff tomorrow and Friday, two NFL
playoff games on Saturday, three NFL playoff games on Sunday,
one more on Monday, and all the college basketball. You
can pretty much live at Long Next for like five
straight days. They won't let you spend the night there,
but you can sleep in the parking lot if you want.
Long Next, Wilder, Hebrin and rich Wood. All right, we'll

(26:08):
talk to as many as we can.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
Ian. You're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Ian, Good afternoon.

Speaker 11 (26:12):
How are you hey?

Speaker 8 (26:14):
Brother?

Speaker 12 (26:14):
Happy Wednesday? Yes, two things. Man and I talked about
this like a year ago, because I'm not an expert
about ANIL and transfer transfer portal, but I'm going to
group them together, okay, And it's just just my opinion
from what I see, And I think this comes into

(26:35):
play with like, I don't a team like the Bearcats
the football and the basketball team before there was a
transfer portal or nil money, it was already like kind
of like hit or miss when these teams would.

Speaker 7 (26:53):
Have good runs.

Speaker 12 (26:54):
It's hard enough for this town the way it is,
and with the way I'm not I'm I agree with you,
like I want to see talent get paid. I'm not
opposed to that, and them moving around not necessarily a
bad thing, but the way it's set up. I see
a pattern that's kind of like chronic.

Speaker 5 (27:16):
Man.

Speaker 12 (27:17):
For one thing, small schools like this, you got source
Bee just jumping ghosting. It's already hard enough, you know.
And then another example is you hand an eighteen year
old of Ferrari.

Speaker 13 (27:31):
I'm just using that.

Speaker 12 (27:32):
For an example that doesn't Let's just say they don't
have much respect and are they gonna do everything that's
required to be responsible.

Speaker 10 (27:43):
Some will, but a lot won't.

Speaker 12 (27:46):
Man, And it just they need to really dig into
this stuff and take it seriously and make adjustments with
both of those things. As far as money and transferring, I.

Speaker 2 (27:57):
Just don't think it.

Speaker 11 (27:58):
I think it creates a huge.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
Bat Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (28:03):
I don't disagree. But in the absence of collective bargaining,
how do you achieve that?

Speaker 11 (28:08):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (28:08):
See, that's the thing I don't know about like all that,
you know what I mean. But I just know that
it's something seriously needs to change.

Speaker 13 (28:17):
Mike Yesterday.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
Yeah, I think all of us, you, me, and and
many many, many others. It's very it's very easy to
identify the problems, right It's it's very easy to identify
the things that have have swung the balance of power
and favor of the players too much. And I am
the quintessential like pro labor, pro player guy, but things

(28:39):
have gone too far in their direction in the absence
of collective bargaining, which I don't know how you do.
In the absence of collective bargaining, I don't know how
we craft rules that achieve some semblance of order that
is sorely lacking in college sports.

Speaker 11 (28:57):
Yeah, I got just one, but.

Speaker 3 (28:59):
I but I don't think, but I don't think that
has anything to do with UC's problems. I mean, at
the end of the day, maybe not everybody's playing with
the same A ward chests, but everybody's playing under the
same rules. And by the way, for what it's worth,
when it comes to UC basketball, in neither of the
last five seasons has anybody said, you know what, they
better make the sweet sixteen. In neither of the last

(29:21):
five seasons has anybody said, you know what, it's a
Final four or bust. In neither of the last five
seasons has anybody said they must win a conference championship.
I think there's two things most fans have asked for
one eventually over the course of these years, get to
the tournament hasn't happened right now, doesn't look like it will,
and also perform better against her arch rival, and they're

(29:44):
one and four. I don't think, you know, I don't
think number one. I don't use the portal and nil
as an excuse for any program when the coach has
been in place for a number of years. And number two,
you know, Mick Cronin at the end was dealt with
a fan base that, understandably so was tired of not

(30:06):
making the sweet sixteen. I don't think people fully appreciate
how hard it is to get to the sweet sixteen,
but was tired of not getting to the sweet sixteen.
He was winning conference championships, he was making the tournament
every year, but he wasn't getting to the sweet sixteen.
I've heard no one over the last five years say
Wes Mus get to the sweet sixteen. All I've heard

(30:26):
is just have your name called on selection Sunday. That's
not a very high standard to clear when you're talking
about somebody who's been in their job for four or
five years, and you know, maybe there's some sort of
miraculous turnaround of the season. But that kind of gets
to my point that I feel like Wes is coming
at fans and media or one or the other, whoever

(30:48):
it is that I believe, for the most part, has
treated him very very fairly. And that's what makes a
postgame show like last night so disconcerting to me. I
think there are coaches that I think at times haven't
been given a fair shake. I think there are players
who at times haven't been given a fair shake.

Speaker 2 (31:07):
I think West has. And so when you come.

Speaker 3 (31:09):
At people that I think have given you a fair shake,
you're not gonna win. And right now, in the court
of public opinion as well as the you know, the
court that's ninety four feet long, he's just not gonna win.

Speaker 2 (31:20):
And I gotta run, man, Thanks so much. Oh okay,
I appreciate the phone call.

Speaker 3 (31:25):
You know, everybody's operating in this very weird it's weird, man.
There are some very significant discussions that should be have
and are being had quite frankly about you know that
the lack of structure in college sports ends as as
somebody who has wanted to see the pendulum swing towards

(31:46):
the players for his entire life, like I do not
want to go back to anything resembling the old way
of doing things. But this current model is just it's
not as enjoyable. Like the games are still awesome, but
following college sports is not as enjoyable, at least for me.
But that has nothing to do with you see basketball,

(32:07):
and I think why fans are upset, And again, like
last night, there's the game itself. But you know, it
didn't seem like Wes wanted to talk about the game
itself last night, and so he made the conversation about
a lot of outside noise. And I don't know, man,

(32:27):
it just from where I sit and I don't consume everything.
I feel like folks have treated him fairly. Uh, switched gears.
More of your phone calls coming up, but it's Wednesday.
That means Rick boring on the Muskies and the Norse.

Speaker 9 (32:42):
Next Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 10 (32:49):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. You see Help's Weight
Loss Center offer surgical and medical obesity care and expertise
called five one three nine nine two two sixty three.
That's nine three, nine two two six three southbound seventy one.
An accident has now been cleared out. That was at
Fort Washington Way on westbound Columbia Parkway a new accident

(33:09):
in at Delta Avenue and Central Parkway. It's an accident
at Finley northbound seventy five. Slow traffic between Norwood Lateral
and Paddock. I'm at eazelic with traffic.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
College Basketball World is going to be the state of
Wisconsin tonight. Xavier's taking on Marquette in Milwaukee. On Friday,
NKU plays Milwaukee. That is an eight o'clock tip off,
and then they stay in Wisconsin the North Dude to
battle Green Bay coach by Doug Gottlieb, who's not a
radio show host anymore. That's going to be a Sunday

(33:40):
afternoon game. Rick Boring will be in Wisconsin for two
of those games and writing about the other for Musketeer
Report dot Com.

Speaker 2 (33:48):
Hi, Rick Hemo, how's it going.

Speaker 7 (33:53):
Going?

Speaker 8 (33:53):
Well?

Speaker 14 (33:53):
How are you?

Speaker 2 (33:54):
I'm wonderful. I'm wonderful. Can Xavier beat Marquette?

Speaker 15 (33:59):
Yeah, I definitely can. I mean, you're talking about two
of the worst teams in the Big East. So it
looks to be another competitive game, just like the DePaul
matchup was. The thing for Xavier is just like we
saw it to Paul. If it comes down to a
close game in the final minutes. They're going to have
to clean up their late game execution from what we
saw at Win Truster Ina in Chicago, because they missed

(34:22):
seven straight three pointers down the stretch of that game.
I think DePaul made six of seven shots down the
stretch and they end up losing by what they what
they lost by I think nine points. So it was
a game that could have gone either way with about
three minutes to play, and then it was a decisive
to Paul victory by the time the final buzzer sounded.

(34:43):
I expect the Marquette game to be very similar today
in terms of coming down the final minutes. I think
it'll be close. The question is does which team is
going to make the plays on the offensive end because
both of them have been struggling to execute here.

Speaker 3 (34:57):
Yeah, defense has been an issue Ken at this stage
in the season. Can Richard Patino fig Xavier's defense?

Speaker 11 (35:05):
Yeah, I mean the.

Speaker 15 (35:06):
Issue they have on the defensive end from what I've seen,
is that they're playing a style that doesn't really suit
their personnel right now.

Speaker 11 (35:13):
You know the.

Speaker 15 (35:14):
Style that they play, which is to get overextended on
the perimeter, trying to hunt turnovers and be disruptive in
ball screen situations requires you to have someone at the
rim protecting it and not giving up easy layups and
dunk at the back end, and they don't have that.
It just hasn't worked out with their big men. They've

(35:34):
been playing a smaller lineup that lacks that defensive presence,
and in fact, they don't really have much of a
post defender at all right now, at least at the
center spot. So I think it's going to be difficult
for them to be a really consistent defense when they
don't do a really good job of protecting the paint
and limiting opponents two point field goal percentage. But I

(35:54):
definitely think that's something that they're focused on and they're going.

Speaker 11 (35:57):
To try to keep getting better at.

Speaker 15 (35:58):
And there are there are mental things that you can
improve in terms of you're you're getting the better ball pressure,
doing a better job of making passes difficult, and taking
away so those easy passing lanes that the teams have
been able to find on the cuts to the basket.
Because when you look at their analytic numbers, it really
it really stands out that they're giving up such a

(36:19):
high percentage and such an efficient percentage to opposing teams
on cuts to the rim and those plays at the basket.
So I think that's what it comes down to more
than anything on the defensive end.

Speaker 3 (36:31):
Rick Boring muskets Herereport dot Com, NKU Radio. What is
more likely to happen to Wisconsin Xavier wins one or
NKU wins two.

Speaker 11 (36:41):
I'll go with the ladder.

Speaker 15 (36:42):
I think NK used playing well right now. I think
you look at the Green Bay game as though they're
playing well right now too, and it's a tough game.
It's a game that you feel like, if you're one
of the best teams in the conference, which I think
NKU does, that you should win. And then the Milwaukee
game is going to be a real test. I mean,
Milwaukee is the one type of team that I don't
think NKU has really seen yet in league play, and

(37:06):
that is a team that's physically able to match up.

Speaker 11 (37:09):
With their athleticism.

Speaker 15 (37:10):
I think they've really punished some teams offense and their
ability to just be better athletes than the other teams
in the Horizon League to this point in a lot.

Speaker 11 (37:20):
Of these games.

Speaker 15 (37:21):
But Milwaukee, you're not going to be able to do
that against them because they're equally athletic or at least
very close. So I'm very interested to see how that
game plays out. That should be a really good matchup.
And you know, I mean, ZIGG certainly has a chance
to win at Marquette. Marquetz lost six in a row,
Dagers lost a couple in a row, so they're both
trying to get off a losing s kid here. But
if you're asking me to put my faith in one

(37:43):
of the two, I think I'll roll with the team
that's playing good basketball right now, and that's NKO.

Speaker 3 (37:46):
How many teams in the Horizon League have a guy
coming off the bench as averaging sixteen per.

Speaker 11 (37:53):
That's a good question.

Speaker 15 (37:54):
None of the other teams do. Donovan O'Day is the
guy you referred to for NKU, who who's tied for
as like the team's leading scorer right now at sixteen
points per game?

Speaker 11 (38:04):
I think they have three different.

Speaker 15 (38:05):
Players averaging sixteen points, with LJ. Wells and Dan Grezker
being the other two, and Cal Robinson is is right
there in the mix somewhere in there too, like fifteen
or fourteen, I believe. So all of those guys have
really been scoring well. But to have a guy like
Donovan O'Day, and don't get me wrong, he could easily
be a starter for this team, but the lineup they
have has been working for them and getting that spark

(38:27):
coming off the bench, especially with his athleticism and his
entertaining style of play. I mean, he's already had two
plays that were one actually did make Sports Sports Center's
Top ten and the other one easily could have the
other night against Youngstown State. So he's been fun to watch.
This team has been really entertaining and fun to watch

(38:48):
with some of the highlight reel plays, and it's been.

Speaker 11 (38:51):
A good little run that they've been on.

Speaker 3 (38:52):
Can I ask you about a program that is neither
Xavier or NKU.

Speaker 7 (39:00):
Let me ask you this.

Speaker 15 (39:00):
Did any one request that you asked me about that program?

Speaker 2 (39:03):
No?

Speaker 3 (39:04):
I just wanted your thoughts on whether you find it
surprising that Travis Steele is coaching arguably the best team
in the country in Oxford.

Speaker 11 (39:13):
Did Jed de Musey put you up to this?

Speaker 2 (39:15):
No? No, not at all.

Speaker 3 (39:16):
Another an awesome story. I'm Travis is very very nice
to me. It has been over the years, and I'm
thrilled for his success. You covered him for years, you know,
college basketball better than anybody, you know, the local landscape.

Speaker 2 (39:26):
I'm just I'm asking about the RedHawks.

Speaker 11 (39:29):
I got you well.

Speaker 15 (39:29):
Jed de Mussey has been giving me content grief because
we're talking about Miami enough on my podcast.

Speaker 11 (39:34):
You notice I am.

Speaker 15 (39:37):
I am really impressed, but I'm not surprised with what
Travis has done at Miami. I think the one thing
that you know, Xavier fans have been spoiled over the
last thirty years with the success that they've had in
the postseason, success that they've had, that they felt like
being a middle of a pack team in the Big
East was rock bottom.

Speaker 11 (39:54):
They thought that was like as bad as it could
possibly get.

Speaker 15 (39:56):
I don't think, you know, Travis gets credit for going
through the early years of the NIL, where teams were
already starting to pay players hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They hadn't gotten to the point where it is now
where guys are getting millions. But you know, most rosters
had a guy that made two hundred three hundred, maybe
even up to half a million on their team during
those first few years of NIL, and Xavier was just

(40:19):
basically acting like it didn't exist. So Travis was going
out there on his own kind of figuring it out
how to put together a roster and fund the early
years of the NIL at Xavier. And I don't think
he gets enough credit for how competitive he was during
those early years of NIL in the Big East at Xavier.

Speaker 11 (40:35):
And to find out, you know, that he goes to
Miami and.

Speaker 15 (40:39):
Has revived that program and been able to consistently put
together really good rosters in the MAC does not surprise me, really,
because he's always.

Speaker 11 (40:47):
Been a great recruiter and I.

Speaker 15 (40:50):
Think he had a couple of difficult years where he
was learning how to be a head coach while also
trying to deal with a completely changing landscape that the
university hadn't fully acknowledged at that point, and it was
a tough deal for him, no doubt.

Speaker 11 (41:04):
But he landed on his feet and he's doing really well.

Speaker 15 (41:06):
And I don't think it surprises the people that were
closest to the program and saw him work.

Speaker 2 (41:11):
Which which program? Did you think? I was going to
ask you about Miami?

Speaker 11 (41:15):
But I thought Jed de Musi had put you up
to No.

Speaker 3 (41:17):
I like Jed, and maybe Jed's listening and he'll be excited.
And I just said to Taran like we're overdue to
have Travis on. Maybe Jed will enjoy that, but I
just you have an interesting perspective about Travis, and so I.

Speaker 2 (41:30):
Nobody put that putting me up to that.

Speaker 3 (41:32):
As I was sitting down this morning preparing to talk
to you, that's something I wanted you to address and
you did, so thank you.

Speaker 11 (41:38):
Yeah. No, I mean it is a good story, and
I mean.

Speaker 15 (41:41):
Let's face I think, like everyone is wondering, the record
is really impressive, but it wasn't a tough non conference schedule,
so it's like, what will they be able to sustain
this the entire length of the season and win their
biggest games? And so far the answer that question has
been yes, they pulled out some big wins when they've
had to.

Speaker 3 (41:57):
Well, I guess my question, and I know, I know
you're not a bracketologist, but did well there. I don't
know when the last time the MAC had an at
large team at the ACAA Tournament. Yeah, sorry, I don't
know when the last time the MAC had an at
large team. That's obviously very easy to look up, but
I wonder what it would take for Miami to do
that and how much the battle is even more uphill

(42:20):
than usual because from a metrics perspective, their non conference
schedule did leave a lot to be desired.

Speaker 11 (42:26):
Yeah, it's going to make it tough, you know.

Speaker 15 (42:27):
I mean, they just don't have the resume wins that
you typically need coming from a conference like that. But hey,
you go undefeated, you don't have to worry about it.
So they just keep doing what they've been doing. They'll
be just fine.

Speaker 3 (42:38):
Check out Rick's website muhalk talk dot com also a
Musketeer Report dot com and hear them on Friday when
NKU battles Milwaukee.

Speaker 2 (42:46):
Thank you as.

Speaker 11 (42:46):
Always, Thanks Bo, appreciate it all.

Speaker 3 (42:49):
Right, there you go, Rick Browing Musketeer Report dot com.
It is coming up on four o'clock. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 9 (42:55):
Here's a each to the draft and everything in between.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
We've got that angles off season covered on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the official home of the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (43:09):
That's us. It's four oh four ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 11 (43:12):
Mowigger.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
Thank you for listening. By the way, you could send
a tweet during the show thanks to Delta Dental. Delta
Dental is building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all kind
at Delta Dentaloh dot Com done early UK basketball five thirty.
We have folks waiting, We'll get to them. We'll get
to you five p one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty.

(43:32):
In fact, let's do that now and then I'll abboviate
about a few more things. Let's see here. Who's been
waiting the longest? Brian, You're I think waiting the longest.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
Hell, who knows? Brian?

Speaker 3 (43:43):
You're on ESPN fifteenth three. I can't even see the screen.
My eyesight sucks so bad. Hi, Brian, you're on ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (43:50):
What up, Maurice? How's a Cohen?

Speaker 8 (43:54):
I think you got a guy in Wes Miller who's
free falling and finally broke from the last press conference.

Speaker 5 (44:02):
I do.

Speaker 8 (44:03):
Before I get to my question, want to congratulate you
on the stay hot streak with the struggle for the steak.

Speaker 3 (44:09):
That's where nine and a half points. I think I've
extended my lead to five.

Speaker 8 (44:14):
So part of the main reason I would listen to
the postgame show was for the struggle for the strict steak.
And now it's now get a. I feel bad for
west Man. It's it's sad as a as a person.

Speaker 2 (44:28):
I feel bad.

Speaker 8 (44:29):
I try and it's it's just sad. I just think
he's finally broke and he realizes it. But what are
the rest of these games going to look like? After
we're coming? We're coming, and now all of a sudden
you blow up after after a game?

Speaker 2 (44:46):
Where do you go from here? I don't know?

Speaker 8 (44:47):
And hopefully it gets better. But here's my question. Yeah,
you got these three coaches. You keep Westviller, or you
have Travis, or you high Travis Steele, which personally I
don't think is a good fit, or is it grossy
from accurate?

Speaker 2 (45:08):
I think frankly, it would be neither. Yeah, I mean
that's my guess that would be out there.

Speaker 8 (45:15):
But where do you go.

Speaker 2 (45:16):
That would be? My guess is it would be it
would be neither.

Speaker 3 (45:21):
You know, I think Travis Steele has coached himself into
a situation and if you're a Miami grad, please don't
take this the wrong way where he's going to attract
interest and I certainly could understand why. I think with
John gross there's a little bit of a retread field
to it, you know, sort of his hat is shot
in a Power five. I'm going to guess that if
they move on from Wes Miller, that they and I'm

(45:44):
just guessing. I haven't even started to think about what
this could look like. My guess is the net would
be cast wider than that.

Speaker 8 (45:52):
Could you I don't think Travis would be a good fit,
but could you imagine?

Speaker 3 (45:59):
Well, it would be interesting. You know, nobody has ever
coached UC Xavier and Miami, you know, I am, but
it would, it would it would add an element of
interest to it. Look, if it got to that point,
you know, folks are going to bring up coaches with
all sorts of local ties and and not that any
of them wouldn't be good fits, but I'm going to

(46:19):
guess that they would cast a pretty wide net.

Speaker 8 (46:22):
So the other thing is is does the current ad
castle wide net?

Speaker 2 (46:26):
Or do you bring in a new ad.

Speaker 8 (46:30):
To go after his folk on who he wants in?
What comes first?

Speaker 2 (46:36):
Yeah, I'm going to go or I don't know.

Speaker 3 (46:38):
I understand that question because you know, John Cunningham hired
Wes and he's hired Scott Saderfield, who's not exactly working
with a very high approval rating. Right now, I don't
gather and I can be dead wrong about this. I
don't gather that they have any interest in replacing the
athletics director. I guess the dynamic that I'm kind of

(46:59):
curious about is if they did move on from the
basketball coach, would the general manager stay and what role
would he have Corey Evans in hiring a new coach?

Speaker 8 (47:10):
Mm hm, you know, yeah, I think you've got last
wu after these games, you know, kind of trying to
grab every tree branch on the way down though, who's
had more injuries this, that and the other. And now
it's finally like, I just think you've seen a complete
breaking point last night. And I'm sitting there in the

(47:31):
require by myself and I'm just like, oh man, this
is awkward.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
Yeah, this is bad, And like, you know, you said
something that I think is interesting. It's January seventh. There
are sixteen games to go. Like, if I'm sure they're
going to win some games, but if this continues, is
that what it's going to sound like every time? Is
that what it's going to sound like if they lose
a game by a lopsided final score. Is that what

(47:57):
it's going to sound like if they lose another game
like they wont the one they lost to Houston where
there's you know, loud booze as the team comes off
the floor like that. That sounded like the sort of
thing that you hear at the end of a season
that's gone awry. There are, if you count the Big
Ball Tournament, seventeen games to go. And so if that's

(48:17):
going to be the tone after more losses, this season
is gonna go. It's going to turn uglier than it,
frankly is already.

Speaker 8 (48:25):
There's two and a half three months left, and you
can't just keep saying like, I believe in these guys.
I believe that these guys were coming like okay, now
what yeah, oh we played hard, everybody had fun and
we're gonna well when do they when do they go
back to a dodgeball tournament?

Speaker 3 (48:42):
They did the dodgeball thing last year, they did it
before they beat UCF. There maybe you know what they
could do is and invite some of the people that
maybe Wes hass issues with, and we could do like
a dodgeball tournament with Wes and the players versus the
people that he's mad mad at.

Speaker 8 (49:00):
We could do a struggle for the sake on that.

Speaker 3 (49:01):
Wait good, yeah, wait could and if we did and
if we did I'd win that one too, Brian, thanks
for the phone calling.

Speaker 2 (49:08):
Yeah, I mean I said this at the top of
the show. I feel bad for.

Speaker 3 (49:12):
Him because, number one, I think I think he's put
as much into this job as you could ask. There
have been coaches who have fallen out of disfavor, you know.
I hated how things went down Tommy Tubberville's last year.
But what I didn't really love about that whole regime

(49:35):
was it just it felt like he wasn't fully invested
in the job. That might be an inaccurate portrayal, but
it felt like he wasn't always completely invested in the job.
And I well, he had two good teams out of
the three that he had. I kind of felt the
same about Butch Jones. I don't know anybody who has
ever questioned Wes's commitment to this job.

Speaker 2 (49:59):
I think he is bored his heart into it.

Speaker 3 (50:02):
I also think like he's in a pretty lonely spot
right now, Like who's going to be the person to
raise their hand and stick up for Wes?

Speaker 7 (50:11):
Right?

Speaker 2 (50:12):
You know?

Speaker 3 (50:13):
Even and if you recall, things kind of got weird
years four and five with Mick cronin Patients was running
Finn the Lance Stevenson year kind of devolved late even
the year they finally made the tournament and beat Missouri
in the first round. You know it, it got kind
of dicey there in February. But perhaps owning to the

(50:34):
fact that Mick is from here, owning to the fact
that he had a lot of former players on his side,
it sort of felt like publicly he always had allies.
It feels like publicly, at least, you know, he's had
a lot of former players. I don't know that there's
a former player with enough you know, sort of gravitas
or cachet with the fans to raise his hand and go, hey,

(50:56):
Wes is the guy. And maybe that's a part of
the you know, cyclical nature of this sport where there's
you know, players, just a NonStop turn of players coming
in for one year or two and then leaving. But
I'm sure where he is feels very lonely, and that's
kind of why you do the US against the World thing.
But I'm I'm sure to a degree like it's a

(51:17):
very lonely place that he's coming from. You're you're taking
you know, what you perceive as a lot of shots
from outsiders and you know there it might feel like
nobody has his back and so like, I think he's
in a really tough spot.

Speaker 2 (51:29):
But at the end of the day, like you gonna
win games.

Speaker 3 (51:33):
So you know where he is as a coach in
his fifth season who hasn't won big yet here, I
think the criticism that he is getting is fair, and
I think it's it's it's come from a very fair
place when it comes to fans, Like I'm not talking

(51:56):
about you know, Rando's on Twitter, who with no consequences
tweet things that are unfair or tweet things that are profane.
I think, by and large, like they they've played very
poorly this season, right in a lot of big games.
They had nearly twelve thousand people in the gym on Saturday.
Now Houston being the opponent might have had something to

(52:18):
do with it, But they've played in front of really
good crowds and enthusiastic crowds. Like fan support is. I
talk about fan support, I remember mixed for a few
years or three thousand people in the gym, Like there
were times I could like look at the lower bowl
and like count people. That has not been the case.
Fan support has been good. I think people's commentary when

(52:39):
it comes to public forums has been fair, and so
you know, I'll keep saying this. I think last night
what just was so striking to me is I understand
the bunker mentality. I can appreciate us against the world.
I can certainly appreciate using outside criticism to fuel your team.

(53:00):
I have a ton of empathy for Wes and I
feel for him because I think he's probably in a
very lonely place while you're feeling the walls closed in
like that, that's that's a hard spot to be in, man.
But what was so striking about just what he said
about outside noise? There are two things about it. One
is he's made a point of kind of stating publicly

(53:22):
that he doesn't pay attention to the outside noise. He's
gotten rid of social media on his phone. Okay, well,
if you don't care about the outside noise, then it's
it's it's not something you bring up twice after really
hard losses. And then number two, I just I feel
like his ire is being aimed collectively at a large

(53:44):
group of people, and I'll lump fans and media into
the same group that I think have been fair to him. Again,
I'm all here for examples where you know, somebody went
off and said a bunch of unfair things about Wes's players,
about Wes himself, made it personal.

Speaker 2 (54:04):
I simply do not think that's happened.

Speaker 8 (54:08):
You know.

Speaker 3 (54:09):
I remember when our show is starting off, you had
fans who were accusing Dusty Baker of batting Corey Patterson
lead off because he was dating Dusty's daughter. And I
remember going like, We're not even gonna talk about that.
That is so stupid, it's so off base, it's so unfair,
We're not gonna do it.

Speaker 2 (54:28):
There hasn't been nothing. There's been nothing like that.

Speaker 3 (54:32):
I used to take phone calls from fans who were
mad because Mick, you know, he was too short to coach.

Speaker 2 (54:37):
I took those.

Speaker 3 (54:38):
Phone calls and I remember going like, not even gonna
engage it, not even gonna talk about it. Like there's
been none of that. It's been about the performance. It's
been about strategies, it's been about outcome. It's been about personnel,
it's been about usage. It's been about you know, the
performance of the team and the results achieved by it.
And I think that's where MOS criticism commentary has been

(55:03):
pointed at, and as long as that has been the case,
then the as far as I'm as far as I'm
concerned him from where I said, then he's been treated fairly.
Sixteen minutes after four o'clock, more of your phone calls,
plus my very very very very important commentary about Baltimore
ravens uh and firing their head coach John Harball coming

(55:25):
up on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 9 (55:27):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 10 (55:32):
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(55:54):
It's an overturned vehicle on Glen Way near Rapid Runpike.
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Speaker 2 (56:04):
This three quartem thirty. I'm owager, thank you for listening.

Speaker 3 (56:09):
Five three nine fifteen thirty is our phone number. Yesterday
during the show, we saw that John Harball has been
let go by the Baltimore Ravens, and like the obvious
contrast is the Bengals with a head coach who is
not as acclaimed and hasn't accomplished as much as John
Harball maintained the status quo with an MVP caliber quarterback

(56:34):
in the Ravens with the head coach who had been
there eighteen years, who has a Super Bowl win on
his resume, with an MVP winning quarterback decided to move on,
and that dichotomy is striking. I will just say this,
and this is not meant as a defense of Zach Taylor.
Oh No, we talked about like the lone loneliest gig
in Cincinnati is is is maybe more lonely than West

(56:56):
right now is being the guy's going to defend Zach Taylor.
But I haven't watched every snap of every Baltimore Ravens game,
but I've seen enough, and I've watched them in enough
close games.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
That, in my admittedly.

Speaker 3 (57:20):
Elementary opinion, I've often thought, you know, the Ravens don't
look particularly well coached, especially on offense, especially in close games.
That doesn't mean that John Harball hasn't been a terrific coach.
It doesn't mean he shouldn't be at the top of

(57:40):
the list for teams looking for a head coach right now.
But just watching them in recent years, and they've had
some awesome teams. I mean, they hosted the AFC title
Game a couple of years ago. They lost two games
in twenty nineteen, they were a botch two point conversion
play away from going back to the AFC Title Game.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
Won a lot of regular season games.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
I've watched the Ravens and you know, even this year
Thanksgiving that against the Bengals, why aren't you giving it
to Derek Henry had times this year watching them going
why aren't you giving it to your Hall of Fame
running back. It just it has felt to me they've
had a lot of games that they lost in the
fourth quarter, blowing big leads, and just watching them through
no other lens than football fan, it's like, man, it
just doesn't feel like that team is all that well coached.

(58:24):
So that combined with just I don't know, I listened
to a lot of sports talk radio and other markets,
the disaffection that John Harball seemed to be involved in.
When it comes to Ravens fans, it wasn't as stunned
yesterday as I think a lot of other folks were. Obviously,

(58:44):
when an NFL head coach is blowing out after eighteen years,
it's jarring.

Speaker 2 (58:49):
And he had been there that long.

Speaker 3 (58:51):
And again, John Harball's probably gonna be in Canton, and
if I had a vacancy, hell, yes, I'd want to
talk to him.

Speaker 2 (58:58):
And clearly a positive there, like.

Speaker 3 (59:02):
John Harbaugh has had an awesome career, but in recent
years watching them with that ross drive, often thought they
just don't see all that well coached. Uh, And apparently
the owner agreed seven nine, fifteen thirty. Let's see here, Dustin.
You're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Dustin, thanks for hanging on.

Speaker 2 (59:24):
How are you?

Speaker 11 (59:26):
I'm good, mo?

Speaker 2 (59:27):
How are you wonderful? What's up?

Speaker 16 (59:30):
Hey? I just uh, I wanted to be the first
one really to congratulate you, okay, because I have a
feeling I have a feeling there's a big announcement coming
tomorrow in Duke's conference. Yeah, he's gonna finally hire you
as the director of common sense. I feel like, you know,
they say there's gonna be a big announcement.

Speaker 2 (59:50):
Mo Oh.

Speaker 16 (59:52):
We've been asking for it, the fans have been clamoring
for it. We know it's needed. Mindly, we're gonna have change.

Speaker 3 (01:00:00):
Dream come true of being the Bengals director of common sense.
Nobody has reached out to me. This is awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
Oh so hey, I spoiled it. Wow.

Speaker 3 (01:00:08):
You know you would think we would negotiate, But that's okay.
I'll gladly accept. You know, my my asking price has
always been that I want my own hotel room. I
don't want to have to go to work there on
non game days. I want to be able to fly
on my own, and I want as much sideline gear
as I can get my hands on.

Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
Other than that, I'm happy to do it.

Speaker 16 (01:00:29):
The bottom line is is you're cheap. I think that
that's right. They're going to push it over the line.

Speaker 3 (01:00:34):
The reason I've worked here for as long as I
have worked here is because I'm cheap.

Speaker 16 (01:00:40):
Well, I think that we can all agree that, you know,
it is kind of something that work. I would say
I'm looking forward to it, which is a weird thing
to be looking forward to your defacto GM press conference.
But you know, there's been questions asked, well, what would
you ask you know, what would be your topics? And
of course, you know, you come up with all of
these things like well what about this and what about that?

(01:01:02):
In the years of losing and then the up and
the down, and you you know, when you pay a quarterback,
you don't seem to be able to sustain success. Yeah,
And I think for me, it comes back to a
couple of things of I would want to know, do
you feel like you have ultimate job security?

Speaker 2 (01:01:18):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (01:01:19):
You know, do you feel like that.

Speaker 16 (01:01:21):
If you don't perform in this coming year you will
have a job with the Cincinnati Bengals next year? I
would be because I think that kind of ties it all.

Speaker 3 (01:01:28):
In, right, Yeah, I would be willing to bet that
that question is asked.

Speaker 8 (01:01:33):
Right.

Speaker 3 (01:01:34):
I've seen folks on social media say, well, nobody's going
to ask any tough questions. I think good questions are
going to be asked. Now, you might view good questions
as not tough questions. A lot of folks when they
hear tough questions, they think confrontational. I don't think anybody
is going to be confrontational. But like, there's two things
I'm interested in and I believe both of these will

(01:01:54):
be asked. One is just because I think it's interesting
Duke's perspective on why they went wrong. Hey, look, prior
to the season, you seem to insist that your plan
for the defense was gonna work, and it didn't. Why
do you think this went wrong? If you could go back,
are there some things you would have done differently? And
I would imagine the answer to that is going to
be yes. But just his perspective on why this season

(01:02:17):
went sideways. The other one that I'm interested in is,
all right, Duke, this is a different step for you
and for this organization. Is this going to be the
norm instead of having Zach Taylor stand up there say
which one about Zach? But instead of having Zach Taylor
and Joe Burrow have to take questions, you know, every week,

(01:02:37):
often about things that they're not responsible for. Is this
going to usher in a new era of a little
bit more transparency where instead of me being made available
once or twice a year, you know, you come out
and you talk to the media at the buy and
you do something on your own during training camp, and
you do something like this when the season comes to
an end. I would be interested in hearing him talk

(01:03:01):
about why he is so infrequently available and whether or
not that's going to change.

Speaker 16 (01:03:08):
Well, absolutely, And I think that you know, I know that,
you know when you heard hurt him any mee before.
He knows how to do a press conference. He knows
how to control the narrative. Sure, he knows, you know,
when a question is asked, he knows which direction to
spend him in and to be honest with you, when
you've been with an organization for what is nineteen ninety nine,
and I believe so what we're going in your twenty

(01:03:29):
you know, twenty six years, you you are, you are
through and through Bengal. And so I think that knowing
what to do and doing what to say, he's going
to know will we get many answers? I think people
are maybe hoping for that. You know, you want to
temper some expectations, but hey, at least you know, at
least this is something here, Maybe something will come out.

(01:03:50):
Maybe there will be some you know, I'm sure you
watched Jim Mersey's daughter and what she you know, what
she did and came out and said that press conference,
she said, listen up, this is it. You you all
have one more year and then this isn't But these
are the expectations and after that, you know, you better
better fill out the LinkedIn. You know, you better get

(01:04:10):
the resumes ready because you know you can tell they
I mean, they traded two first round picks during the year.
They they know that it wasn't good enough. And I
think that's some of the things is you want to
see that tone. You want to see Duke and the
organization seem to care as much as the fans and
all you folks that cover the team.

Speaker 3 (01:04:30):
Yeah, I you know, the difference is Duke isn't an owner,
But yeah, I what what the message that has been
sent this week, intentionally or.

Speaker 2 (01:04:39):
Not, is that not winning is good enough.

Speaker 3 (01:04:42):
I want to walk away and I think a lot
of fans would be happy to walk away from Friday
thinking that the message the message is instead, uh, not
winning is not good enough. And if things don't change
in terms of our job performance, then different people are
going to be doing our jobs.

Speaker 16 (01:04:58):
Absolutely, And you know I've said this. The best and
worst thing that happened to the Cincinnati Bengals is they
went to the super Bowl and then they went to
ANFC championship. Because that just told them that, you know, look,
we can do it. We can do it the way
we do it. We can catch lightning in a bottle.
We can get this quarterback. But now here we are,

(01:05:21):
you haven't been able to sustain that. And so I
think this is you know, people, I mean every season,
it's the biggest offseason, you know, just like you said,
I'm getting tired of hearing about average defense. You know,
like I just fixed the dame thing, you know, just
just fix the thing and we can you know, like
the old line right, right, Mo, how long did we
ask him to sign Dalton Eisner?

Speaker 15 (01:05:41):
Right?

Speaker 16 (01:05:41):
We've been asking for this Mike my case stater Man,
my wildcat.

Speaker 7 (01:05:44):
You know, we've been asking for this guy for how
many years?

Speaker 16 (01:05:47):
And guess what, you finally sign him, and you got
some stability now at that guard position that you haven't
had since Frankly what Kevin Zeiler and Clint Bowling. So
I think it's one of those things that I mean,
my other thing to do is to say to just
pass this along. We just want you to be normal.
We just want you to be a normal franchise. We're

(01:06:07):
not asking for the Philadelphia Eagles here. We just want
you to operate in a normal fashion of how a
normal franchise, and you know what, with the quarterback and
the receiver at some of the talent you go on
the roster, it just.

Speaker 8 (01:06:20):
Might just might be enough.

Speaker 3 (01:06:21):
Yeah, and how about don't ignore the obvious? How about
make like the Dalton Reisner thing for me is obvious.
You've had a hard time filling this position. This guy
filled this position, filled it well and has stated publicly
he wants to play here and he's not going to
cost a ton like that is painfully obvious. It's painfully
all right, sign him, get that done. Last year's defense

(01:06:43):
was atrocious. It cost Joe Burrow and that offense a
chance to play in the postseason when they were otherworldly
der in the regular season. But they ignored the obvious,
and so the results this year to a large degree,
mirrored last season. Uh is is there going to be
a change just in terms of you know, you talk
about like twenty twenty one. In twenty twenty two, they

(01:07:03):
got to the Super Bowl a yesterday, drafted Joe Burrow
B they built aggressively built the roster around him. Now, yeah,
they blindly you could say, threw money in a bunch
of guys and happened to hit on them. But at
the end of the day, they were aggressive in remaking
their team. Why can't they be more aggressive in remaking
half their team? And if they do and they're successful,
then this guy's the limit.

Speaker 16 (01:07:26):
I'm completely on board with that.

Speaker 3 (01:07:28):
That to me, being the common centence coach Dustin is
always good to hear from you, man, I think so much.

Speaker 16 (01:07:32):
All right, take care.

Speaker 3 (01:07:33):
By the way, you could hear Duke Tobin's press conference
live on ESPN fifteen thirty Friday at one pm. More
of your phone calls are coming up. We are We're
guest free. Guest free until five point thirty when UK
basketball comes your way on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 9 (01:07:48):
Cincinnati Sports Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

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Speaker 3 (01:08:29):
Excuse me of Kelsey Chevrolet home of a lifetime powertrain
protection and guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours
for life kelseyshev dot com. According to Diana Russini of
the Athletic, the Cleveland Browns have requested an interview with
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for their head coaching vacancy.

(01:08:52):
Pitch has been the Bengals ocee the last two seasons.

Speaker 2 (01:08:56):
College Troop Tonight Xaviers at Marquette.

Speaker 3 (01:09:00):
The Musketeers coming off that loss on Saturday to DePaul Shaka.
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(01:09:21):
The Wildcats taking on a Missouri team that is eleven
and three overall Kentucky had their four game winning streak
come to an end after losing to Alabama on Saturday
eighty nine to seventy four.

Speaker 8 (01:09:33):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:09:34):
That's something I was going to mention, and I forgot
what it was, So instead we'll talk to one of
the many folks we have waiting on hold. We go
in order, Mike, go ahead. You're on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 13 (01:09:48):
Thank you, mom.

Speaker 2 (01:09:50):
I'm well, man, what's up?

Speaker 7 (01:09:55):
Well, you know, all these guys who coaches, Wes Noah
and this woman, that one with horble and all of them,
I know they put their heart and soul into their job.
They should for the money they make, they should put
every bit of it into it. So when they have
a chance to be cut loose or something, you think
I feel sorry for any of these guys, Not even

(01:10:17):
a little bit. I feel sorry for a guy on
the street that drives a bus for the City of
Cincinnati that loses his job, that's losing, you know, living
paycheck to paycheck. But I think we get lost in
this sports world of all this big money and start
feeling really empathetic to these guys that are set for life.

Speaker 3 (01:10:36):
Well, sure, I think we're sort of putting this in
not real world terms. If you ask me who do
I have more sympathy for somebody who is going through
legitimate financial hardship or someone who, if they lose their job,
is going to walk away with millions of dollars. I'll
take the former, But as a general rule, like my

(01:10:57):
point is this, Mike, when it comes to Wes, I
think on a human level, and at the end of
the day, I don't think it's hard to relate to
even well healed people on a human level. I feel
bad for somebody who has poured their heart into something
and isn't achieving the desired results. I don't care if
that's a basketball coach. I don't care if it's somebody
working at a bakery. I think anybody who legitimately, like

(01:11:20):
you know, my overarching point with Wes has been that
I think the heat that he has gotten has been
based solely on performance and outcome. I don't think anybody
has criticized his effort. I don't think anybody has criticized
his dedication to the job. I don't think anybody has

(01:11:40):
criticized his anything about his personal life. I don't think,
and he's given us no reason to right. I think
he has held himself, for the most part up in
an honorable way. He has done the job and worked
at it as hard as he can. And so I
don't care what you're making. Anybody who pours themselves into
a job and doesn't get out of it what they

(01:12:02):
put into it, I feel for I feel that way
about people in our business. I feel that way about
people in the coaching business.

Speaker 7 (01:12:12):
Of course, I agree, but there are various degrees. Anyway, Anyway,
you mentioned Tommy Tuverville, that Scarleton piece of dunga. I
have great distaste for that man, and he further emphasized
his moral inaptitude when he went into the Senate of

(01:12:32):
all places. Oh my god, that was dangerous. Anyway, Tampa
Bay is not cutting top Todd Bowles. He's not going anywhere,
he said, lois paid head coach in the NFL. He's
making eight and earlier year. He's got two more years
on his contracts. But the Glazier family is not firing
Todd Bowles because they're gonna have to pay way more

(01:12:52):
for another coach. So Bulls will be there. You see
down the stretch in that game last night. Mother, I
just took a lot of really bad shot.

Speaker 3 (01:13:03):
I don't know how with the game on the line,
coming out of a timeout, you have Boba Miller take
a three point shot, a dude who's an eleven percent
three point shooter, you know, Celestine taking outside shots, no
major issue with you know, one of them was, you know,
sort of a step back twenty eight footer. But coming
out of a timeout, I don't know how Boba Miller,

(01:13:26):
you know, between that, between them committing a foul when
there was a seven second differential between game clock and
shot clock, when they had already led about fifteen seconds elapse,
that didn't make a lot of sense. You know, Gisel
James makes a really nice play to at least give
them possession with one point nine seconds to go, but
then he rushes the shot like it was a series

(01:13:46):
of bad things. But the shot selection, the one that
kind of stuck in my crawl was the Bobba Miller three.
Because as good of a player as he is, and
he's been awesome on the glass and he does a
lot of really good things this season, He's made a
leve percent of his threes, that's not a guy in
that situation you want taking a three point shot.

Speaker 7 (01:14:05):
Now, let me ask you this, do you, unlike other,
in my opinion, very disciplined teams. Do you see you
see having discipline and running plays for situations or not.
You're right there at court side, you would know.

Speaker 6 (01:14:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:14:20):
I don't know if it's discipline. I don't know if
it's organization. I don't like the game on Saturday, right
I watched Houston. Houston takes up a lot of time
on the shoplock. The Bearcats take up a lot of
time on the shotlock. When I watched the Bearcats take
up a lot of time on the shoplock, you often
see these sort of rushed threes, these out of rhythm shots.

(01:14:43):
With Houston, it always feels like they burn a lot
of time and then they get a good shot and
then if they miss it, they go get the offensive rebound,
which they did in the second half. I certainly do
agree with something that Dan Horde said to Tony earlier today,
which was they don't have anybody who can beat anyone
off the bounce. They don't have anybody who can create
their own shot. They don't have anybody who can go

(01:15:03):
into the lane, draw some contact and finish, or get
fount or both they lack that. So when you lack that,
then the system's got to create looks. And for whatever reason,
the system just does not create enough good shots. And
I watch Houston, admittedly with better players, but I watch
Houston and it feels like their system creates good looks.

Speaker 7 (01:15:24):
And it's killing me because you know, you guys have
been basket UC fans for long time, and I've been
watching them since I was five years old. In nineteen
fifty seven, I saw Austar Robertson play. I mean, the
little tyke. I don't know really what was going on,
but at least I was around. And then the championship
teams and stuff, and then the Hugs and everybody. I
just this stuff is just breaking my heart to laugh
since Nick left, and I don't know what we're gonna

(01:15:47):
do about them.

Speaker 11 (01:15:48):
What are we gonna do?

Speaker 12 (01:15:49):
Well?

Speaker 3 (01:15:49):
I think if the current trajectory of the season continues,
then we're gonna be talking about somebody else coaching the
Bearcats next year.

Speaker 8 (01:15:56):
Mike.

Speaker 2 (01:15:56):
I appreciate the phone call, man, Thank.

Speaker 7 (01:15:57):
You, thank you, buddy.

Speaker 2 (01:15:59):
You know, I I think.

Speaker 3 (01:16:03):
As a UC fan, it's almost hard to fathom that
we are talking about in all likelihood a seventh consecutive
year not making the NCAA tournament. Obviously, the first year
POSTMIC was COVID and.

Speaker 2 (01:16:18):
Maybe they would have made it.

Speaker 3 (01:16:19):
We'll see. But seven years forever for a program that
went to it, what twenty three out of twenty nine.
Huggins went fourteen straight, Mick went nine straight, twenty three
out of twenty nine, twenty three out of twenty eight, whatever.

Speaker 8 (01:16:32):
It was.

Speaker 3 (01:16:34):
Like a long stretch, and in many cases teams that
were pretty highly seated. I with this season, with this
season with the Bearcats, I didn't hear anybody say they
need to make the tournament with the top six seed,
or they need to make the tournament and run to
the sweet sixteen, or it's time to end the Final

(01:16:57):
four a drought, like I think most most have set
the bar reasonably low. Make the dance play in Dayton,
and so like, sometimes it's fair to push back against
unreasonable expectations, right, Like, that's legit. Sometimes it is legitimate

(01:17:18):
to push back against unreasonable expectations. I don't think most
people's expectations have been unreasonable.

Speaker 2 (01:17:29):
This season.

Speaker 3 (01:17:30):
Make the tournament, and again kind of comes back to
my original point, which we'll double down on here at
the top of the hour. Wes was very upset last night.
He clearly is upset at some sort of criticism that
he is getting. Whether it's all the criticism piled on
top of each other, or maybe one or two people

(01:17:52):
that are hammering him in his program, I do not know,
but I believe, and maybe he would disagree, maybe you disagree.

Speaker 2 (01:18:02):
I believe.

Speaker 3 (01:18:04):
He's been treated very fairly. I think the expectations have
been reasonable. I think folks have been patient. I think
people have been willing to apply context to the job
and the seasons, and so to hear him and like,

(01:18:24):
you take it with a grain of salt, because it
is emotional, it is raw. It's right after they lose,
the walls are closing in.

Speaker 2 (01:18:33):
Like, I get it, but I just I would be.

Speaker 3 (01:18:39):
I am so curious as to what criticism he is
hearing out there that he takes issue with, whether it's
a specific person's specific criticism, a general theme, a general vibe,
whatever it is. And you know, I talk sports for

(01:19:00):
a living, I talk to sports fans for a living.
I cheer for the Bearcats unabashedly. I hear a lot
of unfair things said about Zach Taylor. Hear a lot
of unfair I hear a lot of unfair things said
about Duke Tobin, Like you know, folks who are in
the crosshairs right now.

Speaker 2 (01:19:16):
I'll be painfully honest. I I just don't. I don't,
I don't. I don't gather that. For four and a
half years, folks have been.

Speaker 3 (01:19:28):
Unfairly taking shots at Wes Miller in his program now,
criticizing performance, criticizing outcomes, and expressing displeasure with them. Those
things aren't fair. They're part of being a sports fan,
and they're part of covering a team.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
You love it. Away from five o'clock ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 9 (01:19:50):
Thirty Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 10 (01:19:56):
From the UCE Health Traffic Center.

Speaker 4 (01:19:58):
You see.

Speaker 10 (01:19:59):
Health's Weight Law Center offers surgical and medical obesity care
and expertise. Call five one three nine nine two two
sixty three. That's nine three nine two two sixty three
southbound seventy one seventy five after twelfth of the left
lane blocked off from a disabled vehicle. Police are there
on scene. Another accident on eastbound two seventy five between

(01:20:19):
Taylor Mill Road and the Double A Highway Springdale Road.
It's a crash over at Flat Top Drive. I met
Ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:20:27):
This report is spossible, really believe that.

Speaker 3 (01:20:29):
By the way, Caesar's sports book Over Under came out
yesterday eighty three and a half. Eighty three and a half. Wow,
I'm not making a wager. I bet the over on
the Reds every year.

Speaker 2 (01:20:42):
A hit last year.

Speaker 3 (01:20:43):
I've done the over wager on the Reds every year
since twenty eleven, because, uh, even if the season goes poorly,
when I have something to root for in September, Uh,
no team has hit the over less this century than
the Reds. By the way, but over hit last year
eighty three and a half. I'm gonna see where that
number goes. I kind of feel like it's only gonna
go up, but we will see. Eighty three and a half.

(01:21:05):
Vegas is telling you they're basically the same team as
last year. Remember, by the way, Duke Tobin has said
about the Bengals said about the you know, last offseason,
I don't want to pay for the same team this year,
and then that's kind of exactly what he did. Like,
Duke Tobin's not working for the Reds right where they
spend the entire off season, you know, basically keeping the
same team around, and it right now is the same team.

(01:21:30):
JJ Bledet maybe an unbelievable off season acquisition.

Speaker 2 (01:21:34):
Caleb Ferguson was a good pickup. But it's the same team.

Speaker 3 (01:21:39):
Last year they won eighty eighty three games, right, Vegas
is telling you with that over under they're the same
team eighty three and a half.

Speaker 2 (01:21:54):
And this all I get it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:55):
The off season's not over, but spring trainings what five
weeks away? Reds fast, this is next weekend. You know,
there's still some time to do some stuff. But the
season ended October first, It's been more than three months.
They basically have the same team. They finished last season
fourteen games out of first place. They finished nine games

(01:22:19):
out of second place. Is the same team that won
eighty three games gonna win like ninety five this year?

Speaker 2 (01:22:27):
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:22:29):
They're in lies the question all right, we were done early,
We're done at five thirty UK basketball. I'm up against
the top of the hour. We don't have any guests,
so I am going to shut up and do nothing
more than talk to folks who are waiting patiently. And
we have two local lines open at five, one, three, seven, four, nine,

(01:22:50):
fifteen thirty. So there you go a half hour of you.
We got to take the commercial break at sixteen past,
but there you go. And it looks like mainly on
West Miller and the Bearcats and the loss last night,
and where the program goes for here from here and
the frustration that everybody feels and why he's mad, and
I just I do wonder there's sixteen regular season games

(01:23:13):
to go. If this is what it's going to sound
like after every time they lose, it's going to be
very unhelpful. I don't know that coming after outsiders is
helpful at all. But that has been them after each
of the last two games, and winning will solve it.
The question is are they going to win? On ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 1 (01:23:30):
Thirty Latest Bengals off Season News on ESPN fifteen thirty,
the Official Home of the Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:23:43):
All right, we'll do that.

Speaker 3 (01:23:44):
It's four minutes after five o'clock, ESPN fifteen thirty, bud
Light five o'clock, have the hour. UK Hoop's coming up
in twenty six minutes. Wildcats in Missouri ship off at
seven pm. When the postgame show that goes so like midnight.
What if Mark Pope's postgame show has been like, we

(01:24:08):
have folks who have waited patiently all afternoon, and we uh,
we're gonna get to everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:24:12):
We don't like making people wait, but full lines today.

Speaker 3 (01:24:17):
Uh, Darryl and Clifton, thank you for hanging on your
on ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:24:21):
Good afternoon.

Speaker 8 (01:24:23):
Hey, how you doing well?

Speaker 2 (01:24:24):
I'm good man? What's up?

Speaker 8 (01:24:26):
Yes, sir?

Speaker 6 (01:24:28):
I think, uh, we have to give back to what
us to backtball used to be. I think the biggest
mistake that this athletic uh where he is. I think
the biggest stake he made was probably not giving her
at Martin his job. I think we need to get
back to what UC basketball used to be. The defense,

(01:24:50):
the pressure, me, the offense. We need to get back
to that man, and I think he.

Speaker 7 (01:24:56):
Does he.

Speaker 6 (01:24:57):
I think he needs to go back to the time
and here's somebody that plays uh they played for the
school before, to bring uh stopping back of this program
that's been missed.

Speaker 15 (01:25:09):
Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 13 (01:25:10):
I disagree.

Speaker 2 (01:25:11):
Well. I like Eric Martin a lot.

Speaker 3 (01:25:15):
You know, among among among folks who have been a
part of the quote glory days, he is I think
the first name that would come up. You know, he
he coaches at a tough level where you basically spend
half your season traveling the country and taking losses.

Speaker 2 (01:25:28):
And so he's two and fourteen this year. I would
wonder if I would wonder.

Speaker 3 (01:25:33):
If if folks looked at him, if the folks in
the hiring capacity would say, there's there's a level that
he's going to coach at before he coaches in the
Big Twelve. But I think the overarching theme that you
just touched on is important. There is a lack of
program identity. Now folks are going to say that in
this era, it's hard to have one, and admittedly it's harder,

(01:25:54):
right Like it's it's harder to put a team on
the floor every single year that has the same identity
as the one you had last year.

Speaker 2 (01:26:03):
But Houston does it.

Speaker 3 (01:26:05):
Like I am ade, I have become an enormous fan
of Houston because I feel like they are what UC
used to be, even in this era where the players
cycle through, Like there are guys who just look like
Houston players. In my mind's eye, I could see what
a Houston player looks like. I want that to be
the case with UC Bearcats basketball. Yes, agree, and thanks Daryl,

(01:26:32):
I appreciate it. I don't know that you have to
hire a former Bearcat in order to achieve that. But
I I think if there's been one sort of common
criticism over these four and a half years, and again
I cannot emphasize this enough, I think most criticism has

(01:26:53):
been fair. Folks have continued to wonder what's the identity
or when will we know the identities? By the way
this team defends well, I mean, say what you want
about what they do or don't do on the offensive end.
From a metrics perspective, from an eye test perspective, this
team does play good defense. That's what stood out in

(01:27:13):
the first half against Louisville, That's what stood out on
Saturday against Houston, and it's why they had a puncher's
chance yesterday. Like even the play where the dude throws
the heave up in front of his bench, they could
not have defended that any better. So this team has
been able to show a level of proficiency on defense
that you would like to hang your hat on. They

(01:27:33):
just haven't executed offensively in the second half. And as
good as they've been on defense, I could see Trey
Carroll going off on them now because they didn't double
team them.

Speaker 2 (01:27:43):
But as a.

Speaker 3 (01:27:43):
General rule, this team has defended. But as a larger
general rule, I think most would agree, or most would
say that an identity has not been carved out over
the last four and a half years. Sam in Independence,
You're on ESPN fifteen thirty, go ahead, hey don't.

Speaker 2 (01:28:01):
I'm well man, what's up?

Speaker 3 (01:28:04):
Uh?

Speaker 13 (01:28:08):
I've the last week of sports here have been annoying.

Speaker 2 (01:28:16):
That's a word you could use, Yes, just it.

Speaker 13 (01:28:24):
I don't even really have words like that makes sense anymore.
Just how annoyed I am with Like I mean, you
see just last night's donk and Saturday really spunk.

Speaker 11 (01:28:39):
With what the Bengals have done.

Speaker 8 (01:28:41):
It just it.

Speaker 13 (01:28:43):
I honestly, I've been a Bengals fan for for decades.
Outside of the years where I guess, like two thousand
and two twenty nineteen, where you knew they were going
to just be awful and they were. They went two
and fourteen both of the years, I've never I don't
think there's been a more just beautile, miserable, just completely

(01:29:10):
just a Bengals season that made me as just angry
as this season.

Speaker 2 (01:29:17):
I was angrier last year.

Speaker 13 (01:29:22):
That's fair because they had they could sing.

Speaker 2 (01:29:25):
Yeah, they had Joe for seventeen games last year, Yes,
and he was.

Speaker 13 (01:29:29):
The best quarterback in the NFL. Jabar Chase won the
Triple Crown at nine to eight, and because they played
terrible defense, right, But it's just it felt I say,
this one's more annoying because everyone could tell they didn't
really do anything to improve. You know, we drafted Schaman Stewart, okay,

(01:29:52):
and they signed some for their there their big free
agent acquisition was t J. Slaton, Like you knew this
was going to be the result. It was because they
simply said, well, it's I want to do the same
thing next year, but maybe it'll work this time.

Speaker 11 (01:30:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:30:09):
Even you know, as optimism, as much as optimism sort
of prevails in the summertime, it still felt like everybody
agreed the ceiling wasn't that high, right. I don't recall
anybody talking about the Bengals legitimately being championship contenders. I
think most said, well, if Joe plays seventeen games, there's

(01:30:30):
no way they'll miss the postseason again. And by the way,
I agree with that, but there's no way they'll be
on the outside looking into the postseason, but it still
doesn't feel like they have a chance to be in
that absolute upper tier of teams in the AFC or
the NFL. And so for the most part, and there
are exceptions when the ceiling isn't that high, then the
floor tends to be pretty low. And you know, granted,
it's not like they only won three games this year,

(01:30:52):
but the floor that they arrived at this year was
lower than last season.

Speaker 13 (01:30:58):
Yeah, and and that's sort of just dovetails into UC basketball.
I'm not trying to get on tangent here, but it's
when it felt like and again, I I do feel
bad for west Miller. I do in a way because

(01:31:21):
it's you want to you like him and you want
him to do well. He's a likable guy. He's he's
really a like wel guy. He's legitimately a good guy,
and it sucks that he's not doing well.

Speaker 11 (01:31:36):
But and.

Speaker 13 (01:31:41):
So him having an outburst last night just doesn't really
makes sense to me because it was all the criticism
about him. I don't know who exactly angry at, whether
it's the radio people or people at the Inquirer, people
on Twitter, but when when you're criticizing a team's performance.

(01:32:02):
That's okay, that's and is sports fair. No, Wes Miller,
I would you believe he when he said I put
everything I have into this every day. I believe him.
I think he really does. When you're not winning, I'm sorry,
it's it's I'm sorry, it's not fair. It's college sports

(01:32:22):
aren't fair. It's again, it's not fair that another team
in UC conference can can take their quarterbacks for five
million dollars.

Speaker 6 (01:32:31):
That's not fair.

Speaker 13 (01:32:32):
That's the way it is. You have to deal with that.

Speaker 2 (01:32:36):
Yeah, Like.

Speaker 3 (01:32:39):
You know, my my point at the top of the
show at three h five above and beyond, just the
way the game unfolded is Wes after the the two
most recent games, in the postgame show has made allusions
to things that folks are saying or posting about his
team from the outside. And and again, I don't know

(01:33:00):
if he is angry at one or two people specifically.
I don't know if he is angry at the vibe.
I don't know if he is angry with fans. I
don't know if he's angry with the media. I certainly
understand he feels the walls closing in. I certainly feel
I certainly understand he is he's he's reacting emotionally right
after games. He legitimately should take advantage of a cooling

(01:33:22):
off period that is built in. But I believe when
it comes to fan expectation, fan reaction, media coverage, and
reaction from folks who have microphones, radio shows, podcasts, blogs,
time on television, I believe Wes has been treated fairly.

(01:33:45):
And I again, I don't read, see, or hear anything,
and look, some of it has come from a heated place,
But I think every every ounce of criticism aimed at
U see basketball has been solely about when and losses
and performance, and there have been times where there have
been sports figures in town where that hasn't been the case.

(01:34:07):
I thought for years Mick Cronin was treated unfairly. I
thought for years there were fans that didn't even give
him a chance. I thought for years there were fans
who talked about how tall he was. I thought for
years there were fans who repeated some of the things
that Bob Huggins would say about him on the banquet circuit.
I thought for years there were fans that just simply
did not want to give him a chance because they

(01:34:28):
were upset at things that he had nothing to do
with that was unfair treatment. He had every right to
be pissed at things that were said about him that
were unfair. Now, if you criticized the performance of his team,
at least in my in my experience, there were never
issues when you got to things that were totally unfair,
there were issues with Wes.

Speaker 2 (01:34:48):
I've seen or heard nothing like that.

Speaker 3 (01:34:50):
I've not heard folks criticize the personalities of his players,
or the background of his players, or his work ethic
or their work ethic. Nobody has delved into their personal lives.
Nobody has talked about their academics. Nobody has talked about
Wes off the floor.

Speaker 15 (01:35:07):
None of that.

Speaker 3 (01:35:08):
None of that, at least as a general rule when
it comes to fans and folks who talk about this team,
and so him getting angry at outsiders is number one,
not helpful if the idea is to convince people that
this team can turn its season around. Number two, I
think it just it flies in the face of I

(01:35:29):
think what he has gotten for the most part, which
are folks who have either criticized the performance of his
team or people who care about the performance of his
team who have reacted emotionally because they don't like the results,
and that's what comes with sports.

Speaker 13 (01:35:51):
Yeah yeah, yeah, I'm still here about it, and I
can understand, like human level, I.

Speaker 8 (01:35:59):
Said this, I.

Speaker 13 (01:36:05):
Fans come to the games and they pay to do it,
and they have the right to boo the team. On
a human level, I do have an issue with the
forty year old doing the eighteen year old. That's fine,
Like that's that's on a human level. I understand that.
But the people pay their money and they can move
the team when they move. Uh, that's that's their right.

(01:36:26):
They've paid the money to come there and they can cheer,
boo or leave or do whatever they want. But it's.

Speaker 15 (01:36:35):
I just.

Speaker 8 (01:36:39):
Like what you said.

Speaker 13 (01:36:40):
I've been listening to your show for years, and fifteen
thirty four years. I remember when people would call it
and say that Nick Crodin was too short to ever
be a chance a coach that can win the Biggist right,
because because short ball guys can't be good basketballs. That's
that's stupid. I mean that the gat her short ball,

(01:37:01):
he went blocked.

Speaker 3 (01:37:01):
But look when when when folks go down the road
of talking about things that don't have that much to
do with you know, outcomes, performance results.

Speaker 2 (01:37:10):
You know, Number one, you lose me.

Speaker 3 (01:37:12):
Number two, the subject of of that has every right
to be pissed and has every right to come out
and defend himself. And not that Wes doesn't have the
right to defend himself when he feels he's being criticized,
But like, they lose a game last night, and I
feel like there was an opportunity to talk about how,
how how the team did bounce back emotionally and put

(01:37:35):
themselves in a position to win after losing that game
against Houston, and take us inside the strategy of the
last few minutes and why things unfolded the way they
did and instead focusing on things that at the end
of the day don't matter. And then when you focus
on them, is only going to alienate you further. Like Wes,
Wes has a lot of detractors. Wes has a lot
of people who are skeptical that he should remain the

(01:37:57):
head basketball coach. Wes has a lot of people that
have run out of patients with him. If the idea
is to win some of those people over him, maybe
it's not, But I don't know that it's helpful to
alien alienate those people even further. And and I think
that with every rant aimed at outsiders, he's only going
to do that more. Sam, I gotta run, man, Thanks

(01:38:18):
so much, Thanks both, all right. Nineteen after five ESPN
fifteen thirty.

Speaker 9 (01:38:24):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.

Speaker 10 (01:38:28):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. U See Health's Weight
Loss Center offers surgical and medical obesity care and expertise.
That's nine three, nine two two sixty three. On Liberty Street.
There is an accident at Dalton Avenue, Springdale Road, another
crash at flat Top Drive, and on River Roads. Still
an accident between Hillside and Illinois Avenue southbound seventy one.

(01:38:52):
Traffic is stop and go from Martin Luther King to
Fort Washington Way on at Ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 3 (01:38:58):
This report is sponsor or. By now, we got like
four and a half minutes. We got to get out
of way, out of the way for a UK basketball.
So we'll try here. We'll try to get through as
many as we can. Joe and Bridgetown, you're on ESPN
fifteen thirty. Go ahead, Hey, how's it going to wonderful yourself.

Speaker 2 (01:39:16):
I mean, I'm here.

Speaker 14 (01:39:17):
I mean it's gonna be one of them stretches where
I think and I think the next not so much.
The next couple of months are going to tell us
a lot about this team, because I mean, in all likelihood,
their season's over. But the one thing I will say,
I understand people get on the coach and you know
what they did it with John Brandon, they.

Speaker 6 (01:39:34):
Did it with Mick, they did it.

Speaker 7 (01:39:36):
What they're going to do with Wes.

Speaker 14 (01:39:38):
Yeah, you get at some point, though, when are we
going to look at the guy who's made the last
three major hires John Cunningham has not done a good
job as athletic director.

Speaker 3 (01:39:51):
Yeah, you're ultimately judged by the UH, by the the
hires at the most high profile sports.

Speaker 14 (01:39:57):
And I think that, and I think the question for
the fans, and I know everybody wants to fire, Let's
go ahead and fire him April first, paying four point
six million dollars. Who are you bringing in to replace him?
And do you trust John Cunningham to make that higher?

Speaker 3 (01:40:10):
Yeah? I think right now most UC fans would say no, no, And.

Speaker 14 (01:40:14):
I think the other caller before with the Eric Martin thing,
I'm telling you right now, No, as much as I
agree with you, I would not hire Eric Martin. I
think that's where they're going to go because it's a
softball hire. The media will loving, he'll he won't get
any criticism, He'll be here for five six years, doesn't
have to make the tournament. They'll never fire him because
he's a former UC player. And that's the worst scenario

(01:40:37):
that could happen for them.

Speaker 2 (01:40:38):
Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 3 (01:40:40):
I mean, all I can do is go by John
Cunningham's track record hiring his basketball coach, and he hired
outside the family and outside the city, so to speak.

Speaker 14 (01:40:49):
So and if it were me, I would look at
Jared callaher He's the one guy I would look at,
and I wouldn't look at anybody else.

Speaker 2 (01:40:56):
Utah State with Cincinnati Times, Yes.

Speaker 14 (01:40:59):
Yes, perfect, higher could fix it really fast. I just
think Eric Martin. Eric Martin can probably do a great
job and you see long term.

Speaker 13 (01:41:07):
But I just don't.

Speaker 14 (01:41:08):
I don't trust because what if he fails, They're not
going to fire him. It's not going to fire him.

Speaker 2 (01:41:15):
Well, they they once upon a time ran his former
head coach out of town.

Speaker 14 (01:41:20):
So yeah, and that's The whole thing is that a
lot of people will need to remember.

Speaker 7 (01:41:26):
As dark as this is.

Speaker 14 (01:41:28):
Now, social media back in that time wasn't like that.

Speaker 13 (01:41:31):
Back though, it was worse with that.

Speaker 2 (01:41:35):
Yeah, no, the toxicity then.

Speaker 3 (01:41:37):
I mean, you know, I would imagine and thank you
for the phone call, Joe, the UC's next home game
will be very well attended. Back in seven and eight,
not so much. All right, Jeff, you can have the
last word. You're on ESPN fifteen thirty, got about ninety seconds.

Speaker 2 (01:41:52):
What's up.

Speaker 12 (01:41:54):
A not a whole lot?

Speaker 14 (01:41:56):
Thanks for having me?

Speaker 13 (01:41:57):
Ay, So, I think as we.

Speaker 17 (01:42:01):
Look at moving forward with this, I agree with the
last caller. I think you have to get rid of
Cunningham first. You cannot allow him to make another major
higher here because if you do, you're just, you know,
spinning your wheels and doing the same thing. As far
as West Coast, I'm a thousand percent in agreement with you.

(01:42:24):
Seems like an incredible guy.

Speaker 18 (01:42:26):
He just hasn't made it happen, and the fan base is.

Speaker 14 (01:42:30):
Tired of it.

Speaker 7 (01:42:31):
You know.

Speaker 17 (01:42:32):
The standard is the standard, as they say. So that's
kind of my feeling on where we're at with it
that I just wanted to see you know you said
earlier in the show that you didn't think that it
looked like they were ready to move on from the
athletic director. I'm just curious that's vibes.

Speaker 18 (01:42:53):
That you've gotten, or is that you know somebody's come
out and said, no, his job's not jeopardy, because if
you're looking at the at the whole body of work.

Speaker 8 (01:43:05):
Here, especially with football and basketball, you know.

Speaker 17 (01:43:09):
If I'm Larry Shapely on that board and I'm seeing
how bad things are going right now.

Speaker 18 (01:43:14):
And then I just dumped a bunch of money into
a futable facility, I'd be pretty.

Speaker 8 (01:43:19):
Upset right now.

Speaker 3 (01:43:20):
Yeah, I, Jeff, thank you for the phone call. I
just don't get I don't get the sense. Doesn't mean
it's not going to happen. I do not get the
sense from folks that I've talked with that there's an
enormous appetite from the people who would do such a
thing to move on from the athletic director. We'll talk
more about this tomorrow. UK basketball is next. Thanks to

(01:43:42):
Taran for producing, and thanks to you for listening.

Speaker 2 (01:43:44):
Have a great night. This is ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 9 (01:43:47):
Thirty Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 10 (01:43:54):
From the UC Health Traffic Center. You see Health's Weight
Loss Center offer surgical and medical obesity care and expertise.
That's nine three nine two two sixty three. River Road
still got an accident between Hillside and Illinois Avenue and
also a crash on Liberty Street at Dalton Avenue. Traffic

(01:44:15):
is slow right now. Eastbound on two seventy five between
Lebanon and Loveland Madeira Road up to a ten minute delay.
I'm at ezelic with traffic

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