May 6, 2026 • 37 mins
Are the Reds in danger of having their biggest flaw exposed?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Four minutes after four. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm boager,
thanks for listening today. Brendaman and Jones on baseball a
little bit later on this hour and Daxel might have
to move again, should he? That incredible sports talk radio
topic is coming up. Plus our guy Joe Wilson, why
(00:21):
is money sports from Omega Wealth Private Capital coming up
in just about thirty minutes. Got something for him that
may impact the University of Cincinnati that is thirty minutes away.
Your phone calls are coming up. The Amelio Pagan injury
and the latest bullpen issues the Reds have had, which
(00:44):
is not confined to Amelio Pagan. Tony Santien has slightly
turned into a pumpkin. I love how Tito used Connor
Phillips last night in the sixth inning. Not sure I
would have brought him back out for the seventh, but
he did pay out of trouble after giving up a run.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
The bullpen was a strength.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Now it's not so much a strength, and maybe it
goes back to being a strength. And I think there's
reason to believe that some of those guys well by
the end of the season proved to have had quality seasons.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
The starting pitching.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Is in flux, and there's a lot to like, Like
Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott might not have been awesome
last night, but he didn't give up any runs. It's
kind of what you're looking for from a guy in
Andrew's position. And Nicolodola is coming back on Friday, and
that can't help but be a positive, assuming he's able
to stay away from, you know, blisters. But the starting
(01:40):
pitching hasn't been the strength that many of us thought
it would be or that the Reds needed to be.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
And the bullpen is not as good.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Or hasn't performed as well recently as it did earlier
in the season. And Sal Stewart's bad has slowed down.
That is a guy I'm not sure who needs a
day off more the top of our ESPN Radio Update
anchor or Sal Stewart. Like we talked all off season about, hey,
(02:11):
let's let's not run Elie Dela Cruz into the ground.
Let's not run Sal Stewart into the ground. But like
those guys carried the team for weeks. Now with Sal specifically,
things have slowed down a bit, and so then what
happens is your biggest issues get exposed.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Here are the biggest issues.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Last night in the lead off spot, the Rats had
a guy who's on base percentage this season is two
sixty seven, not great. They used a guy in the
two hole, and JJ Bleday did go deep. And JJ
Bladay has has been very refreshing, I mean's and his
(02:54):
production has been badly needed. We'll see if it's sustainable.
Certainly fair to wonder if that guy should have been
on the opening day roster instead of in Louisville. But
JJ Bleday is a career two sixteen hitter. Tyler Stevenson
this season is batting one ninety five. I know there
(03:15):
are other metrics that could perhaps do a better job
of illustrating how good or not good a hitter is,
But when you're batting one ninety five, you're batting one
ninety five, man, it tells us enough. Matt McClain gets
on base less than thirty percent of the time he's
hitting a buck ninety nine. You've got a guy playing
(03:36):
third base who's such a bad hitter that last night,
Terry Francona came this close to committing what I think
is one of the cardinal sins of managing playing for
one run in a tie game in the top of
the ninth inning, and just as a brief aside, Lou,
I know there's folks who love bunting. Keep Brian Hayes
(03:59):
on the first three hitches last night squared around a
bun I'm guessing he was told to do that from
the dugout. He ran the count to two and zho
he squared around and took strike one. He ultimately struck out.
When you are the road team, you have to play
for two runs because the other team, if you score
just once, will begin the bottom of the inning with
(04:19):
the tying run on second base, and statistically that guy
has a sixty to sixty one percent chance of scoring.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
You have to assume they're gonna score. It's like playing blackjack, right.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
If if the dealer's got eleven showing, you got to
assume the next card is gonna be a ten.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Keep Brian Hayes is such a bad hitter at third
base that Terry Francona, a smart Hall of Fame manager,
decided we're gonna do something we shouldn't do because this
is the only explanation we're gonna have him square around
a bunt. These things were all true in terms of
what Freedo's not giving them, McClain's not given them a
(05:00):
corner outfield position, what it's not given them catch your
third base. These things were true when the Reds were winning,
when the Reds were leading the division, when they were,
you know, beating teams on the road, when they were
winning all those close games, when they were winning close
games because they got clutch hits, played clean baseball, didn't
make errors, got good bullpen work. These things were true,
(05:23):
but they were sort of hidden. They were obscured, they
were masked. They were something we didn't want to talk about.
But eventually every team has flaws. What can you do
to overcome them? What can you do to hide them?
(05:43):
The way this team is constructed, And I think you
could argue the way this team was built, meaning like
this is what they chose to do. Got to have
great starting pitching, got to have high end bullpen work.
Cannot shrink your margin for air by not making plays
in the field, can have dudes getting picked off. Got
(06:04):
to get the big hit late, need salad hit a
bunch of homers. Need elie to be great. Need I
use Haneo Suarez to hit a bunch of home runs.
By the way, didn't even put him on the list
your big offseason acquisition. Your guess is as good as
mine as to when that guy is gonna play. Now
is when your flaws are exposed. So the question is,
(06:26):
I guess there's a couple. One is is the offense
going to be able to pick up the slack for
everybody else? If you view the starting pitching as in flux,
or if you view it as having underachieved relative to
what the preseason expectations were, okay, then somebody's got to
pick up the slack. Is this offense, as currently constructed,
(06:52):
capable of picking up the slack?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Now?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
You may, as I to assume that's Hal Stewart's going
to pick things up again, and Ellie Dela Cruz who
is gonna pick things up, and that those guys will
put up good numbers as the season moves forward. But
this was a limited offensive team when those guys were hitting,
especially sal Stewart, who's production has slowed considerably.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Who am I supposed to believe is suddenly gonna start hitting?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
The guy who over the final ninety games of the
season last year batt at about two thirty, TJ friedl
who's getting on base at a twenty seven percent clip.
Matt McLain, who's already been moved down in the batting
order when he actually plays, whose last good year was
in twenty twenty three. Am I to believed that suddenly
(07:40):
Matt McLain is gonna start hitting? Maybe he does. Would
you bet on it? Would you bet on that happening.
Ain't gonna be Keith Ryan Hayes, I ain't gonna be Tyler Stevenson,
ain't gonna be the other catcher. JJ Bledat has been
a night mini revelation. We'll see how prolonged his success is.
(08:06):
Nathaniel Low has been a nice pick up. And there's
a little bit of a track record there that I
think you can hang your hat on.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
But it's.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Kind of limited, like where where are we supposed to
believe the offense is going to come from?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And how are we supposed to believe.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
That the offense is going to help this team overcome
some of the other issues that have cropped up recently
five point three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty. And I
guess the bigger question is how much were this team's
flaws masked in the first four weeks. How much have
(08:47):
they been exposed over the last two. Let's talk to
some other folks. Tim in Blue Ash, you're on ESPN
fifteen thirty. Tim, good afternoon. How are you some very good?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Thanks? How are you?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I'm well man?
Speaker 4 (09:02):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Oh? No, I didn't see the game last night because
I woke second shift. But I would never make fun
of somebody getting injured. But Amelia Pegan, he reminds me
of the Bengals kicker, the four mcspheerson bullet. You know, yeah,
you know when it's a nice, nice day outside and
(09:26):
it's a thirty five yeard field goal, hole kick it
right down the middle. But you know when the chips
are down and you know it's a late field goal
with fifty one fifty one yards well with him over
forty five yards, it was a venture. But yeah, you know,
he shanks it, you know. And then remember Joe Burrow's
(09:47):
first game. You know they had he drove down the field,
AJ Green got the offensive passing experience called but whatever,
he had a thirty two yard field goal to tie
the game, and like you just knew what was gonna happen.
He just shanked it and then he pulled up lame
with the hand string and yeah, but uh, I don't know.
(10:11):
I just think that's a fair when the chips are down,
like you just there's no real confidence like he's gonna
lock down the game. But anyways, uh and then when
you look at the soh, I bet I FanDuel a lot.
Sorry to brand Brandon Searsby's for that, but he uh whatever.
(10:35):
The Reds have been underdogs, fuck seven straight games this
whole road trip, and like so when you do a
little research on it, you look at their lineup, half
their lineups hitting under two hundred, and it's like and
then then they it's Blade is doing okay. But you know,
you put out an outfield that Jesus just can't hit
(11:00):
your power positions at third base, he can't hit over
one point fifty And I don't know, but.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
No, they have a lineup.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
They have a lineup filled with guys who are either
having bad seasons or frankly, are just not very good hitters.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I mean, who am I legitimately among those guys?
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Am I supposed to believe that is suddenly gonna start
hitting more than they are are gonna start hitting at
an above average rate. Like you might say, well, Stevenson's
gonna hit better than he is. Okay, Well, how goods
is good? How good's TJ. Friedle's good? How good's Matt
McLain's good, Like there's there's a lot of dudes where
it's like TJ. Friedel was bad in the second half
of the season last year. He's been atrocious at the
(11:44):
plate so far this season. Hecky was bad in left
field last night dropping a fly ball. Matt McClain. We
keep wishing for the twenty twenty three version to show up,
and we're a quarter of the way through the twenty
twenty sixth season. Keep Bryan Hayes has never been a
good hitter, Like where where are we to believe the offense?
It's the sustained offensive contributions are going to come from.
(12:05):
And you know, yeah, you need you need a three
and four hit or to hit more. That's fine. Sala
Stewart's going through a slump. He should be allowed to
do so, and then should have a lineup that's good
enough to pick up the slack elsewhere it's not capable
of doing that. Doesn't it feel like it's capable of
doing that.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. But like if you
look at Matt McClain's baseball card, like mine couldn't its
two fifteen college like, and then he had one ninety
game stretch where pitchers really didn't know how to pitch
to room. So he did good and he gets six
free passes and we send other players down where like
(12:45):
it's just like, but that's all I got.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
All right, Well, thanks, thanks very Mamma. McClain's final season
at UCLA, he batted like three thirty three. But with
last year with Matt McLain, it was don't worry. Remember
this time of year we did this. We talked about
this on Monday, like, don't worry, don't't worry. Man McLain's
(13:08):
gonna be fine. And then he never was. And then
it was well, you know he didn't play the year before, Okay,
what's what is it this year? And those excuses I
don't believe are coming from the Reds And Tito's benched him.
He's had him hit eighth in the batting order. I mean,
like they're not hitting him second. But like even if
(13:31):
you take Matt mclaan out it's sorry. Edwin Arroyo is
gonna play now. And fine, Edwin Arroyo just deserves you
could argue deserves a call up. But okay, there's just
a lot of guy like that. That was a flaw
and it was a weakness when this team was winning.
But now that some stuff has happened, and it's maybe
(13:53):
a different outlook if a Uhanio Suarez is healthy but
he's not. And again, man, like, you have any idea
when that dude's gonna come back. Seventeen after four o'clock.
Your phone calls continue to be welcome. At five, one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty Brenneman and Jones on Baseball. Later on this hour,
(14:15):
Dax Hill might have to move again. He shouldn't have to.
We'll get to that next.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic from the.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
UC Health Traffic seve four o'clock.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Moegger Reds starting lineup tonight includes both Sal Stewart and
Li de la Cruz, who will play every single day
no matter what. A series of transactions, to the surprise
of absolutely no one, Emilia Pagando's on the fifteen day
injured list. They are calling what he is dealing with
(14:52):
a left hamstring string. Pierce Johnson activated from the bereavement list,
Chase Petty sent down to louis tj Antone is back
from Louisville, and Brandon Williamson has been transferred to the
sixty day injured list, so.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
He gonna be out a while.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
As we say, Reds and Cubs the night coming up
at seven forty. Good stuff yesterday from our guy, Paul
Danner Junior on the Bengals. We talked about Miles Murphy
the fifth year option being declined. He wrote a great
piece on sort of the mechanics of how the Dexter
Lawrence trade came to be, which was a very good read.
(15:32):
And we talked about some schedule release stuff, and we
also spent some time talking about DJ Turner and Dax Hill,
and he and I spent some time on his podcast
today talking about that as well.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
This is Dax Hill yesterday.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
We stole this from Mike Petrelia, seventy six ver fan
in the locker room yesterday. Dax Hill is going into
a contract season and it feels like last season for
the first time in his career, he found a home
on the outside as an outside corner. He's played some safety,
he's played some slot. Up until moving to outside corner,
(16:05):
nothing really took. They put them on the outside last
year and they performed well. And by the end of
the season, I think you felt like, all right, no
matter what else they have to do, no matter what
else they do do on defense, they've got two outside
corners you can build around. Need more, need a nickel,
(16:29):
need some help at safety, obviously, need pass rush help.
Most of us thought they needed linebacker help. Bengals seemingly disagree,
but think of all, all of us felt like kind
of good on the outside at corner. Well, what's interesting
is with them not adding a nickel in free agency,
(16:51):
with them retaining Jalen Davis, and with them drafting to
Carrio Davis, who certainly has a lot more outside experience
than inside, it's fair to wonder is Dax Hill is
going to move to the slot. Here's Dax talking about
that incredible topic with the assembled Pro Football media yesterday.
Speaker 6 (17:15):
I think it was to that point where I could
speak up. My first two years, I didn't really have
that that stripe, I didn't have those those stripes earn.
So now I feel like I've been here, uh been
one of the guys that's been here, So I feel
like I can't speak up and it holds weight.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Now, So what is it about outside corner for you
that you want that to be your spot?
Speaker 6 (17:36):
I mean just I mean, how will I transitioned to there?
To that spot? I feel like once you know, you
feel like you're you're growing and uh producing. I feel
like that's this guy's limit, and you want to reach
the ceiling whenever you're young. I mean, it's going on
your five and I don't want to, you know, waste
a whole lot of time, you know, just doing some introspection.
(17:58):
Like I mean, time is our flown by, so I
want to make the most out of it because it's
not a whole lot of time left.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So I'll be Charles Parks has been a big part
of how you've grown with this organization.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
What have your conversations been like with him?
Speaker 2 (18:13):
I mean, very therapeutic.
Speaker 6 (18:14):
I feel like I've grown, you know, being coached by
him as long with other coaches, but you know, he's
really been in my corner throughout the entire time. Really
one of the best for me and others I saw.
He's been great conversations on and off the field.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Right there you go, Dax Hill. Dax Hill wants to
stay on the outside. He's also stated I'll do what's
best for the team. We stole that from Mike Petrelia
might go next. It's a big year for him. To
last year under his current contract. Will be interesting to see,
you know, with the Miles Murphy thing, they've they've got
(18:49):
some decisions to make and it feels like not everybody
is going to get paid and maybe Dax Hill ends
up being the odd man out and the current options
at slot right now are limited to Jalen Davis if
it's not Dax Hill. But to a degree from a
human perspective, you feel for the guy right like he's
(19:11):
he's had a rough go of it at safety, he's
had injuries, didn't necessarily take in the slot, and now
he's found a home. And by the way, at the outside,
the other outside corner spot opposite DJ Turner, he is
going to be challenged. You gotta think if you're him, like,
that's where the money is and I can make a
whole lot of coin being the number two here, but
(19:31):
being consistently challenged because they don't want to throw in
the direction.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Of the top guy.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Now, maybe DJ Turner hasn't yet warranted that sort of respect,
but I think the point remains. My takeaway is this,
and you can tell me if you disagree that when
we went into the offseason, we felt like one of
the few things they could bank on, or one of
the few things they could build around, one of their
few strengths was Dax Hill and DJ Turner at outside corner. Now,
(20:02):
they may not have solved all their problems, but it's
fair to believe that they have solved a lot of
their problems with what they've done in free agency, what
they did in acquiring Dexter Lawrence, and what they've done
in the draft. Isn't moving Dax Hill away from the
outside creating another problem. And if you move him to
(20:22):
a position that he wasn't as good as, and you
try to cary O Davis on the outside as a
admittedly raw rookie with immense physical tools but a lot
of technique issues that need to be sort of smoothed out,
you're you're worse at one position because of the inevitable
(20:42):
drop off from Dax to the rookie, and you're putting
Dax in a position where he's not as good as
the one that he's.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
At right now.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Or you could keep Dax Hill where he is and
just find somebody to play slot corner. And maybe that
starts with Jalen Davis. Maybe that starts at the beginning
of training camp, and perhaps you blow the plan up
midway through August. But isn't moving Dax from a position
that he has found a home and proven he can play.
(21:18):
Isn't that creating another problem? Despite the things the Bengals
have done to the defense this offseason, can they really
afford to create another problem? Twenty nine after four o'clock,
Next hour, Laurie Lindsay Apple TV on FC Cincinnati is
(21:38):
the Orange and Blower back now e Vanders playing like
the best player on the planet, and we'll talk about
that coming up at five twenty Right now, though after this,
it's a time for wise Money Sports with our guy
Joe Wilson. After sports Headlines on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the Youth.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Stiver Light home of Lifetime power Train Protection and Guaranteed
credit approval from there family to Yours for Life, Kelsey
chef dot comrades and Cubs again tonight, Cincinnati trying to
break a five game losing streak seven forty first pitch,
seven hundred w l W.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
Brady scorn with that, Where are you going with that?
Are you going Chicago again tonight? And what do you
what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
I'm taking Cincinnati brom My faith is in Brady Singer
that co occur. I'm talking myself into a Colin Ray
for Chicago.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I'll give you the starting lineup, but there's transactions we've
got to talk about. Freedol Bladet de la Cruz, Stuart Lowe, Steer, Benson, Travino, McLain.
UH Cincinnati to the surprise of no one putting Emilia
Pagan on the injured list. They call it a left
hamstring strain. Chase Petty back to Louisville, Pierce Johnson off
the bereavement list, tj Antone up from Louisville, Brandon Williamson
(22:52):
to the sixty day injured list with left shoulder fatigue, OUCH,
Brentiman and Jones on Baseball is coming up in fifteen minutes,
but it's Wednesday, it's four thirty five. It's time for
wise Money Sports with our guy Joe Wilson, Omegwell Private Capital.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
We talk sports and business.
Speaker 7 (23:09):
The sports Officionado, the professor, Professor. You you are like
the I think officionado. Okay, you're cigar guy Schagarte Fi Shinadi.
We should start a magazine and distributed here among the listeners.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
You know what sport.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
What's a good business decision in twenty twenty is to
launch a print publication?
Speaker 7 (23:29):
Well that would than twenty twenty would have been good
twenty twenty six, probably.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Not, probably probably not. Uh, I want you to help
me with this.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
So as a big UC fan, big UC football and
basketball fan. So the Big Twelve, of which you see
as a member, they've they've made this move where they've
brought in an outside capital firm, Redbird and Weatherford. So
it's a five year deal, an infusion of cash for
the Big Twelve. What is this going to mean for
the University of Cincinnati.
Speaker 7 (23:57):
Well, it could mean a lot. It's gonna it's gonna
off for some options. Every option comes with the price.
So you have private equity coming in here, throwing a
little cabbage. We'll talk about why here in a bit, right,
they got to play with the big boys. It's expensive,
so it gives them an access to cabbage. The problem
is private acqua, you're probably going about a ten percent rate,
(24:17):
So you better make sure you understand your your rate
of return if you're going to go to that. Well,
here's what I think is interesting. They've got a little
bit of ownership in some TV action and I think
when the current TV deal ends at about twenty thirty one,
this could get really interesting because private equity firm that's
throwing some cabbage at them also owns the TV.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
So it's a it's like a pre marriage.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
It's like, oh okay, who knows.
Speaker 7 (24:43):
Yeah, I mean you've got to compete against the sec
in the Big ten sure, right, I mean I would
say those are one and two and the Big twelve
is expanding. We've tried some things. But yeah, it's interesting.
I mean this is tied to Paramount. I mean, could
you be watching you see games on Paramount?
Speaker 2 (24:57):
I'll watch you see games anywhere?
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Do you have Paramount plus?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
I don't what, I don't know, man, I gotta draw
the line somewhere.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
You're too busy. You are the sports officionados watch sports.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I got Netflix, I got Pop Prime, I got Disney,
I got Apple TV, I got Red's TV. Now I
got NBA League Pass I got I mean, I gotta
draw the lines.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
There's a corner copy of options between that and FC
Cincinnati and all this stuff. Man, yeah, quite a bit. Well,
but here's the deal.
Speaker 7 (25:27):
I think they also have a little bit with the
footprint of T and T style assets that could happen
with with more sports. I think it's going to give
them some option. It's gonna help, Okay, anytime you have
access to capital, that helps because your hands aren't tied.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
However, it's at a cost.
Speaker 7 (25:44):
Okay, and I think that's something that everyone needs to understand, right,
if you're going to access your home equity line, right,
sometimes it's a good deal, but it's a cost. You're
gonna pay that back? Does it make sense? Is the
return on investment? I think you're going to come into
that with with UC and even other schools, the Big Twelve,
because they're trying to compete in a market that is
(26:04):
just brutal. Right now, you know, I'm tied to college
sports and not you know, nothing like basketball, football, but
the kids being in golf and you talk about competitive
holy smokes on every facet where you're swimming, whether it's tennis,
whether it's wrestling. You're talking about big time money. And
they need access, I think, to some cabbage and media
(26:25):
rights because, as we've talked previous weeks, media rights is
what pays the bills.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
So you know when when a lot of folks think
college sports, they think purity, amateurism, a lot of that
stuff has gone out the window. How much of this
pushes us more towards just calling it what it, frankly.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
Is everybody sports. Andy Griffith fished every day. I mean,
I mean, come on, I mean, let's do a wake
up pa.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
I work with me. I think I work with me.
Speaker 7 (26:52):
Bro in Columbus and he played football for the Ohio
State Universe. Don't boom me back under earth, Bruce, and
he's like, man, he goes, I never needed a car
because I got a car every week. He goes, I
always had a hotel and entertainment every weekend room. So
it's never it's never been the Andy Griffiths show. Correct
(27:16):
now right, Disney Plus does not work in this arena.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
No, you're you're you're exactly right. Let's let's stay with
the Big ten. So the Big ten we keep hearing
about like college sports is broken. We hear about all
the stuff that people don't like.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
I don't think it is. I don't think it is.
But see, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
And here's why, because I look at this from a
basic perspective. Everybody's getting paid. Players are getting paid, Coaching
salaries have gone up. Staff sizes have never been bigger.
Nil has created jobs in college sports they used to
not exist. The arenas are full, the TV ratings are great,
and I look at the Big Ten. I see the
record payouts. They're distributing one point three seven billion dollars
(27:55):
to their eighteen member schools.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
So tell me how college boards is broken.
Speaker 7 (27:59):
That is, if we seventy six million dollars per school
on average, it is amazing to see that.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
It might be messy. I mean, I get the messy thing.
It's different.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Different.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
Now you're hating this.
Speaker 7 (28:12):
If you go to the College of the Little Sisters,
blind and poor, you're not getting that cabbage, and yes,
you're going to get left behind. It is survival of
the fittest. And I think it's why the Big twelve
is saying, all right, we need some access because there's
great talent, there's great entertainment there, but right now it's
being drowned out by two major groups. And it's no
(28:33):
different than in life and in work and in business.
Is that if you're if you don't have the market share,
you're trying to find ways to compete. And if job
A is paying X, you have to understand why is
the benefit of staying here? It's just waff wing back forth.
I want to give you some stats on the Big ten,
Big twelve, OLSU, the Ohio State University. You hate it
(28:55):
when I say that they do it all fun v
thirty three point six thirty three three hundred and thirty
six point one be nice. If I could read million
in revenue, right, you see ninety six point seven million
in revenue. That's a that's a little difference.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
It's different. Expenses are different.
Speaker 7 (29:12):
Three hundred and twenty million in change and expenses for
the Bucks one hundred and five million in expenses. But
here's the difference. The net surplus for the ohisseteen University
almost sixteen million.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
You see.
Speaker 7 (29:24):
You want a guess, dude, it's the negative. It is
a negative. It's negative eight point six almost negative nine percent.
So here's a very dumb guy question. And I ask
a lot of those I don't know if I know
the answer to this.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Before all of this, let's say ten years ago, wasn't
there already a disparity between the two?
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Thank you?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Right?
Speaker 7 (29:45):
Yeah, so you think people at Alabama didn't get trucks
and cars and guns and.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Well, like whenever I would hear people talk about I
would make this argument years ago when people would say, well,
in pro sports, we don't want we don't want the
disparity between the haves and have nots, I would say, well,
we okay with it in football and college because like,
all right, fine, that Ohio State has to spend the
same amount of money on recruiting as you see your
bowling Green or Miami.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Oh no, no, no, no. So like we already had a disparity.
So I should I, as a UC guy, should I
lose my mind over this?
Speaker 3 (30:14):
That?
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Yeah, Ohio State has more, makes more, gets more, spends more.
Speaker 7 (30:17):
Here here's what no one I'm gonna I'm gonna defer that.
I'm gonna get politician and answer that with it. Great
politicians sideline.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
I know you do.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
It's great.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
There are two girls at Eastern Michigan University playing golf phenoms.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Why in the worldwayd they go to Eastern Michigan to
play golf?
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Nice courses up there?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
It's cold cabbage.
Speaker 7 (30:38):
There is there is a booster, there is some big money,
but a graduate and they want that place to be
put on the map. This can happen to any school.
All it needs is a little bit of cabbage. And yes,
you're trying to compete, but I'm telling you right now,
those girls are strong and they're good, and that team
is good because someone graduated from Eastern and said I'm
(30:58):
gonna give back and I want to have these phenoms
here and put this school on the map, and it's
throwing money at it. I almost forgot what you asked me.
I'm just hit hitting my head when you're saying it
is an equalizer, but it's open to all.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yes, it is open to all.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
I just I see the disparity between the two and
I feel like we already we already had halves and
have nots. And if the gap is getting wider, I
think most people are okay with that. I guess for me,
There's two things. One, as it relates to this, If
this is what it looks like when college sports are broken,
what will it look like when it's healthy.
Speaker 7 (31:29):
Let's break it some more. Yeah, I mean it's I
love Saturdays in the fall. I love Saturdays in the
fall almost more than Sundays. To me, it is just
these kids are playing for the future. It's exciting. It's
all entertaining. It's unbelievable. Even college baseball, you name it,
it is entertaining.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
It's working. Why are we all freaked out over you?
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Because it's different. It is working. It's working for everybody.
Speaker 7 (31:51):
So you mean, I could be a kid that literally
comes from nothing and finally make money in nil and
get TV ratings and that's where comes from, and all
of a sudden, my life's better, my family's life's better,
and then I get to go to the pros and
I and again I did what it's like in the
big time and off we go. Why is that a
bad thing?
Speaker 2 (32:07):
It's not a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
As it relates to the Big twelve and private capital
coming in, what could a business owner or employee take
away from that? And maybe with regards to the Big ten,
what can somebody who's running his or her household. Yeah,
take away from what's happening with the big time.
Speaker 7 (32:22):
I think at any time you're going to take money,
you're gonna take capital, whether that's to buy a business,
whether that is to.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Take a different job.
Speaker 7 (32:30):
Maybe maybe you're in sales and commission sales and you're
getting an opportunity to have a big paycheck. Right, it's
coming in this year. You better understand that the way
it is now does not mean that's the way it's
going to be. Go back and look at some of
these schools that are feeling like they're all big, bad
lsu right, And it's just like the matter that it
can change. It comes back to the basics, like grandma
(32:51):
and grandpa, did you better understand where you're getting your dollars,
where's your spend? Got to adjust it for inflation. What's
going to look like in the future if gas goes
to five dollars a gallon, you have to adapt, you
have to change. I think there's schools that are doing
that well with all the money that's come in. I
think there are schools that have failed miserably with all
the money that's come in. It is no different than
(33:12):
a personal individual planning for the long run of how
do I be in stay retirement ready? How do I
make sure my business If I'm gonna go and sell
this to private equity, what's that going to look like
when it comes to control my employees? There's always a catch.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Twenty two Give me a smart business person's perspective on
what's happened with the live golf tour. Uh, because it's
gonna it's gonna dissolve, right like, it's gonna go away ugly.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
The Saudi money is gonna.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Go away out and folks like me who are like, look,
at some point, the golf is gonna have to be
good enough. The storytelling on TV is gonna have to
the product is gonna have to be good enough. And
I think we're gonna find out that it's that.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
It's not.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
Well, it was good. Did you ever watch it?
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (33:54):
It was different.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
There were shorts I had like that.
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Yeah, that's good. It was different.
Speaker 7 (33:59):
Three I mean whatever, fifty four last time you sat
down other than a major?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
All right, now calling you out.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
When's the last time you sat down other than the
US Open, the Masters, the PGA, the Open, the British
Open and watch four rounds of golf.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
I've never watched four rounds of golf. I am more
into what's happening on Sundays in an established, legitimate tour
like the PGA than I ever was living.
Speaker 7 (34:21):
There was as much legitimate player. I'm being devil's advocate,
the advocate of the devils. I like to say, there's
some amazing players that were on with the fact of
the matter is the money never made sense. The only
way the money made since and live is if they
got just like the Big twelve, if they got the
TV money. They never got it. The other thing that
people don't remember much is that when those guys left,
(34:42):
they were promised to get world ranking points. That's what
determines how you're playing in the postseason. Well, it's going
to be how you're gonna get into the majors. That
was never granted. So that first couple of waves that
went over were anticipating that and it never happened.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
So what happened? You get these names?
Speaker 7 (35:00):
The product they're working through it it's clunky, it's weird,
and no one else joins. And to get the last
person they got, they had to spend a ton of
money for rom and it just didn't work. They're like,
we're out. I think a lot of it happens to
you with current events. The oil crises is crushing them
over there, and it's really easy to look at that
and go, we don't have ten years for this to
(35:21):
make money.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I do think there's a mom and pop lesson here,
and you can tell me if I'm wrong, talk to me.
Live golf was dependent upon this one source of money.
If you if you build your house that way, if
you build your your lifestyle that way, yours.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
It's destined to fail.
Speaker 4 (35:37):
Or a challenge destined.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Okay, you're likely to fail.
Speaker 7 (35:40):
The probability of failing issue. You have to have multifacets, right.
It's like it's like starting like you and I go
up to the corner down here, and there's an open
vacancy right down here in the stadium.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
We open it up and we open a smoothie store. Right.
Speaker 7 (35:53):
We're really hoping that everyone that works in this building
loves smoothies, right and is willing to pay it. I
think that's kind of what they did. I don't hate
the idea. I hated how at a time. I think
it was a benefit in some ways. We stepped backwards.
PG Tour has changed drastically because of live the amount
of money the guys that stayed on the PG Tour made.
(36:14):
Scotti Scheffer being won holy smokes. Most of the competition leaves,
and your bonus pool goes through the roof. It's benefited
a lot of folks. I'm very excited as a huge
golf fan to get probably these best of the best
all back together and playing again. It's gonna take some
time to get through, but it's gonna happen, and I think.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
At the end of the day, that's what all of
us wanted.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
You had, you had two compromise tours.
Speaker 7 (36:40):
He had a really bad commissioner that was forced out. Yes,
So I was very happy with Nicholson challenging the status quo.
I know he's going to go down in history as
the villain, but I think every PGA tour, because he's
he's a little abrasive, but I think every PGA tour
should kiss him on the cheek and because of what
he's brought to their cabbage in their pocketbook, because he
(37:00):
forced the issue and thank god they got a very wasteful,
poor commissioner out. But PJ Tour is not simple either, Bro. No,
that mean companies are not just loving to hope to
spend all this money to go in here and host
an event.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
I think the one thing the PGA Tour should adopt though,
is let the players wear shorts.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
So let it be ridden, So let it be done.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
Tell me about tell the audience about Omegawealth Private Capital.
Speaker 7 (37:24):
We are in Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, we are in Indianapolis.
We are a wealth management firm that helps you be
and stay retirement ready. And how do you find us?
Start right here ow private Capital dot Com. That was
week ow Private Capitol dot Com.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
Yes, Brendaman and Jones on baseball. Next the sports
Speaker 5 (37:43):
Officionado Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic
Four minutes after four. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. I'm boager,
thanks for listening today. Brendaman and Jones on baseball a
little bit later on this hour and Daxel might have
to move again, should he? That incredible sports talk radio
topic is coming up. Plus our guy Joe Wilson, why
(00:21):
is money sports from Omega Wealth Private Capital coming up
in just about thirty minutes. Got something for him that
may impact the University of Cincinnati that is thirty minutes away.
Your phone calls are coming up. The Amelio Pagan injury
and the latest bullpen issues the Reds have had, which
(00:44):
is not confined to Amelio Pagan. Tony Santien has slightly
turned into a pumpkin. I love how Tito used Connor
Phillips last night in the sixth inning. Not sure I
would have brought him back out for the seventh, but
he did pay out of trouble after giving up a run.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
The bullpen was a strength.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Now it's not so much a strength, and maybe it
goes back to being a strength. And I think there's
reason to believe that some of those guys well by
the end of the season proved to have had quality seasons.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
The starting pitching.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Is in flux, and there's a lot to like, Like
Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott might not have been awesome
last night, but he didn't give up any runs. It's
kind of what you're looking for from a guy in
Andrew's position. And Nicolodola is coming back on Friday, and
that can't help but be a positive, assuming he's able
to stay away from, you know, blisters. But the starting
(01:40):
pitching hasn't been the strength that many of us thought
it would be or that the Reds needed to be.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
And the bullpen is not as good.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Or hasn't performed as well recently as it did earlier
in the season. And Sal Stewart's bad has slowed down.
That is a guy I'm not sure who needs a
day off more the top of our ESPN Radio Update
anchor or Sal Stewart. Like we talked all off season about, hey,
(02:11):
let's let's not run Elie Dela Cruz into the ground.
Let's not run Sal Stewart into the ground. But like
those guys carried the team for weeks. Now with Sal specifically,
things have slowed down a bit, and so then what
happens is your biggest issues get exposed.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Here are the biggest issues.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Last night in the lead off spot, the Rats had
a guy who's on base percentage this season is two
sixty seven, not great. They used a guy in the
two hole, and JJ Bleday did go deep. And JJ
Bladay has has been very refreshing, I mean's and his
(02:54):
production has been badly needed. We'll see if it's sustainable.
Certainly fair to wonder if that guy should have been
on the opening day roster instead of in Louisville. But
JJ Bleday is a career two sixteen hitter. Tyler Stevenson
this season is batting one ninety five. I know there
(03:15):
are other metrics that could perhaps do a better job
of illustrating how good or not good a hitter is,
But when you're batting one ninety five, you're batting one
ninety five, man, it tells us enough. Matt McClain gets
on base less than thirty percent of the time he's
hitting a buck ninety nine. You've got a guy playing
(03:36):
third base who's such a bad hitter that last night,
Terry Francona came this close to committing what I think
is one of the cardinal sins of managing playing for
one run in a tie game in the top of
the ninth inning, and just as a brief aside, Lou,
I know there's folks who love bunting. Keep Brian Hayes
(03:59):
on the first three hitches last night squared around a
bun I'm guessing he was told to do that from
the dugout. He ran the count to two and zho
he squared around and took strike one. He ultimately struck out.
When you are the road team, you have to play
for two runs because the other team, if you score
just once, will begin the bottom of the inning with
(04:19):
the tying run on second base, and statistically that guy
has a sixty to sixty one percent chance of scoring.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
You have to assume they're gonna score. It's like playing blackjack, right.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
If if the dealer's got eleven showing, you got to
assume the next card is gonna be a ten.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's the same thing.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Keep Brian Hayes is such a bad hitter at third
base that Terry Francona, a smart Hall of Fame manager,
decided we're gonna do something we shouldn't do because this
is the only explanation we're gonna have him square around
a bunt. These things were all true in terms of
what Freedo's not giving them, McClain's not given them a
(05:00):
corner outfield position, what it's not given them catch your
third base. These things were true when the Reds were winning,
when the Reds were leading the division, when they were,
you know, beating teams on the road, when they were
winning all those close games, when they were winning close
games because they got clutch hits, played clean baseball, didn't
make errors, got good bullpen work. These things were true,
(05:23):
but they were sort of hidden. They were obscured, they
were masked. They were something we didn't want to talk about.
But eventually every team has flaws. What can you do
to overcome them? What can you do to hide them?
(05:43):
The way this team is constructed, And I think you
could argue the way this team was built, meaning like
this is what they chose to do. Got to have
great starting pitching, got to have high end bullpen work.
Cannot shrink your margin for air by not making plays
in the field, can have dudes getting picked off. Got
(06:04):
to get the big hit late, need salad hit a
bunch of homers. Need elie to be great. Need I
use Haneo Suarez to hit a bunch of home runs.
By the way, didn't even put him on the list
your big offseason acquisition. Your guess is as good as
mine as to when that guy is gonna play. Now
is when your flaws are exposed. So the question is,
(06:26):
I guess there's a couple. One is is the offense
going to be able to pick up the slack for
everybody else? If you view the starting pitching as in flux,
or if you view it as having underachieved relative to
what the preseason expectations were, okay, then somebody's got to
pick up the slack. Is this offense, as currently constructed,
(06:52):
capable of picking up the slack?
Speaker 3 (06:55):
Now?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
You may, as I to assume that's Hal Stewart's going
to pick things up again, and Ellie Dela Cruz who
is gonna pick things up, and that those guys will
put up good numbers as the season moves forward. But
this was a limited offensive team when those guys were hitting,
especially sal Stewart, who's production has slowed considerably.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Who am I supposed to believe is suddenly gonna start hitting?
Speaker 1 (07:19):
The guy who over the final ninety games of the
season last year batt at about two thirty, TJ friedl
who's getting on base at a twenty seven percent clip.
Matt McLain, who's already been moved down in the batting
order when he actually plays, whose last good year was
in twenty twenty three. Am I to believed that suddenly
(07:40):
Matt McLain is gonna start hitting? Maybe he does. Would
you bet on it? Would you bet on that happening.
Ain't gonna be Keith Ryan Hayes, I ain't gonna be Tyler Stevenson,
ain't gonna be the other catcher. JJ Bledat has been
a night mini revelation. We'll see how prolonged his success is.
(08:06):
Nathaniel Low has been a nice pick up. And there's
a little bit of a track record there that I
think you can hang your hat on.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
But it's.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Kind of limited, like where where are we supposed to
believe the offense is going to come from?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
And how are we supposed to believe.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
That the offense is going to help this team overcome
some of the other issues that have cropped up recently
five point three, seven, four, nine, fifteen thirty. And I
guess the bigger question is how much were this team's
flaws masked in the first four weeks. How much have
(08:47):
they been exposed over the last two. Let's talk to
some other folks. Tim in Blue Ash, you're on ESPN
fifteen thirty. Tim, good afternoon. How are you some very good?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Thanks? How are you?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
I'm well man?
Speaker 4 (09:02):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Oh? No, I didn't see the game last night because
I woke second shift. But I would never make fun
of somebody getting injured. But Amelia Pegan, he reminds me
of the Bengals kicker, the four mcspheerson bullet. You know, yeah,
you know when it's a nice, nice day outside and
(09:26):
it's a thirty five yeard field goal, hole kick it
right down the middle. But you know when the chips
are down and you know it's a late field goal
with fifty one fifty one yards well with him over
forty five yards, it was a venture. But yeah, you know,
he shanks it, you know. And then remember Joe Burrow's
(09:47):
first game. You know they had he drove down the field,
AJ Green got the offensive passing experience called but whatever,
he had a thirty two yard field goal to tie
the game, and like you just knew what was gonna happen.
He just shanked it and then he pulled up lame
with the hand string and yeah, but uh, I don't know.
(10:11):
I just think that's a fair when the chips are down,
like you just there's no real confidence like he's gonna
lock down the game. But anyways, uh and then when
you look at the soh, I bet I FanDuel a lot.
Sorry to brand Brandon Searsby's for that, but he uh whatever.
(10:35):
The Reds have been underdogs, fuck seven straight games this
whole road trip, and like so when you do a
little research on it, you look at their lineup, half
their lineups hitting under two hundred, and it's like and
then then they it's Blade is doing okay. But you know,
you put out an outfield that Jesus just can't hit
(11:00):
your power positions at third base, he can't hit over
one point fifty And I don't know, but.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
No, they have a lineup.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
They have a lineup filled with guys who are either
having bad seasons or frankly, are just not very good hitters.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
I mean, who am I legitimately among those guys?
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Am I supposed to believe that is suddenly gonna start
hitting more than they are are gonna start hitting at
an above average rate. Like you might say, well, Stevenson's
gonna hit better than he is. Okay, Well, how goods
is good? How good's TJ. Friedle's good? How good's Matt
McLain's good, Like there's there's a lot of dudes where
it's like TJ. Friedel was bad in the second half
of the season last year. He's been atrocious at the
(11:44):
plate so far this season. Hecky was bad in left
field last night dropping a fly ball. Matt McClain. We
keep wishing for the twenty twenty three version to show up,
and we're a quarter of the way through the twenty
twenty sixth season. Keep Bryan Hayes has never been a
good hitter, Like where where are we to believe the offense?
It's the sustained offensive contributions are going to come from.
(12:05):
And you know, yeah, you need you need a three
and four hit or to hit more. That's fine. Sala
Stewart's going through a slump. He should be allowed to
do so, and then should have a lineup that's good
enough to pick up the slack elsewhere it's not capable
of doing that. Doesn't it feel like it's capable of
doing that.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. But like if you
look at Matt McClain's baseball card, like mine couldn't its
two fifteen college like, and then he had one ninety
game stretch where pitchers really didn't know how to pitch
to room. So he did good and he gets six
free passes and we send other players down where like
(12:45):
it's just like, but that's all I got.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
All right, Well, thanks, thanks very Mamma. McClain's final season
at UCLA, he batted like three thirty three. But with
last year with Matt McLain, it was don't worry. Remember
this time of year we did this. We talked about
this on Monday, like, don't worry, don't't worry. Man McLain's
(13:08):
gonna be fine. And then he never was. And then
it was well, you know he didn't play the year before, Okay,
what's what is it this year? And those excuses I
don't believe are coming from the Reds And Tito's benched him.
He's had him hit eighth in the batting order. I mean,
like they're not hitting him second. But like even if
(13:31):
you take Matt mclaan out it's sorry. Edwin Arroyo is
gonna play now. And fine, Edwin Arroyo just deserves you
could argue deserves a call up. But okay, there's just
a lot of guy like that. That was a flaw
and it was a weakness when this team was winning.
But now that some stuff has happened, and it's maybe
(13:53):
a different outlook if a Uhanio Suarez is healthy but
he's not. And again, man, like, you have any idea
when that dude's gonna come back. Seventeen after four o'clock.
Your phone calls continue to be welcome. At five, one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty Brenneman and Jones on Baseball. Later on this hour,
(14:15):
Dax Hill might have to move again. He shouldn't have to.
We'll get to that next.
Speaker 5 (14:22):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic from the.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
UC Health Traffic seve four o'clock.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
This is ESPN fifteen thirty.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Moegger Reds starting lineup tonight includes both Sal Stewart and
Li de la Cruz, who will play every single day
no matter what. A series of transactions, to the surprise
of absolutely no one, Emilia Pagando's on the fifteen day
injured list. They are calling what he is dealing with
(14:52):
a left hamstring string. Pierce Johnson activated from the bereavement list,
Chase Petty sent down to louis tj Antone is back
from Louisville, and Brandon Williamson has been transferred to the
sixty day injured list, so.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
He gonna be out a while.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
As we say, Reds and Cubs the night coming up
at seven forty. Good stuff yesterday from our guy, Paul
Danner Junior on the Bengals. We talked about Miles Murphy
the fifth year option being declined. He wrote a great
piece on sort of the mechanics of how the Dexter
Lawrence trade came to be, which was a very good read.
(15:32):
And we talked about some schedule release stuff, and we
also spent some time talking about DJ Turner and Dax Hill,
and he and I spent some time on his podcast
today talking about that as well.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
This is Dax Hill yesterday.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
We stole this from Mike Petrelia, seventy six ver fan
in the locker room yesterday. Dax Hill is going into
a contract season and it feels like last season for
the first time in his career, he found a home
on the outside as an outside corner. He's played some safety,
he's played some slot. Up until moving to outside corner,
(16:05):
nothing really took. They put them on the outside last
year and they performed well. And by the end of
the season, I think you felt like, all right, no
matter what else they have to do, no matter what
else they do do on defense, they've got two outside
corners you can build around. Need more, need a nickel,
(16:29):
need some help at safety, obviously, need pass rush help.
Most of us thought they needed linebacker help. Bengals seemingly disagree,
but think of all, all of us felt like kind
of good on the outside at corner. Well, what's interesting
is with them not adding a nickel in free agency,
(16:51):
with them retaining Jalen Davis, and with them drafting to
Carrio Davis, who certainly has a lot more outside experience
than inside, it's fair to wonder is Dax Hill is
going to move to the slot. Here's Dax talking about
that incredible topic with the assembled Pro Football media yesterday.
Speaker 6 (17:15):
I think it was to that point where I could
speak up. My first two years, I didn't really have
that that stripe, I didn't have those those stripes earn.
So now I feel like I've been here, uh been
one of the guys that's been here, So I feel
like I can't speak up and it holds weight.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Now, So what is it about outside corner for you
that you want that to be your spot?
Speaker 6 (17:36):
I mean just I mean, how will I transitioned to there?
To that spot? I feel like once you know, you
feel like you're you're growing and uh producing. I feel
like that's this guy's limit, and you want to reach
the ceiling whenever you're young. I mean, it's going on
your five and I don't want to, you know, waste
a whole lot of time, you know, just doing some introspection.
(17:58):
Like I mean, time is our flown by, so I
want to make the most out of it because it's
not a whole lot of time left.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
So I'll be Charles Parks has been a big part
of how you've grown with this organization.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
What have your conversations been like with him?
Speaker 2 (18:13):
I mean, very therapeutic.
Speaker 6 (18:14):
I feel like I've grown, you know, being coached by
him as long with other coaches, but you know, he's
really been in my corner throughout the entire time. Really
one of the best for me and others I saw.
He's been great conversations on and off the field.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Right there you go, Dax Hill. Dax Hill wants to
stay on the outside. He's also stated I'll do what's
best for the team. We stole that from Mike Petrelia
might go next. It's a big year for him. To
last year under his current contract. Will be interesting to see,
you know, with the Miles Murphy thing, they've they've got
(18:49):
some decisions to make and it feels like not everybody
is going to get paid and maybe Dax Hill ends
up being the odd man out and the current options
at slot right now are limited to Jalen Davis if
it's not Dax Hill. But to a degree from a
human perspective, you feel for the guy right like he's
(19:11):
he's had a rough go of it at safety, he's
had injuries, didn't necessarily take in the slot, and now
he's found a home. And by the way, at the outside,
the other outside corner spot opposite DJ Turner, he is
going to be challenged. You gotta think if you're him, like,
that's where the money is and I can make a
whole lot of coin being the number two here, but
(19:31):
being consistently challenged because they don't want to throw in
the direction.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Of the top guy.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Now, maybe DJ Turner hasn't yet warranted that sort of respect,
but I think the point remains. My takeaway is this,
and you can tell me if you disagree that when
we went into the offseason, we felt like one of
the few things they could bank on, or one of
the few things they could build around, one of their
few strengths was Dax Hill and DJ Turner at outside corner. Now,
(20:02):
they may not have solved all their problems, but it's
fair to believe that they have solved a lot of
their problems with what they've done in free agency, what
they did in acquiring Dexter Lawrence, and what they've done
in the draft. Isn't moving Dax Hill away from the
outside creating another problem. And if you move him to
(20:22):
a position that he wasn't as good as, and you
try to cary O Davis on the outside as a
admittedly raw rookie with immense physical tools but a lot
of technique issues that need to be sort of smoothed out,
you're you're worse at one position because of the inevitable
(20:42):
drop off from Dax to the rookie, and you're putting
Dax in a position where he's not as good as
the one that he's.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
At right now.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Or you could keep Dax Hill where he is and
just find somebody to play slot corner. And maybe that
starts with Jalen Davis. Maybe that starts at the beginning
of training camp, and perhaps you blow the plan up
midway through August. But isn't moving Dax from a position
that he has found a home and proven he can play.
(21:18):
Isn't that creating another problem? Despite the things the Bengals
have done to the defense this offseason, can they really
afford to create another problem? Twenty nine after four o'clock,
Next hour, Laurie Lindsay Apple TV on FC Cincinnati is
(21:38):
the Orange and Blower back now e Vanders playing like
the best player on the planet, and we'll talk about
that coming up at five twenty Right now, though after this,
it's a time for wise Money Sports with our guy
Joe Wilson. After sports Headlines on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. Traffic from the Youth.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Stiver Light home of Lifetime power Train Protection and Guaranteed
credit approval from there family to Yours for Life, Kelsey
chef dot comrades and Cubs again tonight, Cincinnati trying to
break a five game losing streak seven forty first pitch,
seven hundred w l W.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
Brady scorn with that, Where are you going with that?
Are you going Chicago again tonight? And what do you
what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
I'm taking Cincinnati brom My faith is in Brady Singer
that co occur. I'm talking myself into a Colin Ray
for Chicago.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
I'll give you the starting lineup, but there's transactions we've
got to talk about. Freedol Bladet de la Cruz, Stuart Lowe, Steer, Benson, Travino, McLain.
UH Cincinnati to the surprise of no one putting Emilia
Pagan on the injured list. They call it a left
hamstring strain. Chase Petty back to Louisville, Pierce Johnson off
the bereavement list, tj Antone up from Louisville, Brandon Williamson
(22:52):
to the sixty day injured list with left shoulder fatigue, OUCH,
Brentiman and Jones on Baseball is coming up in fifteen minutes,
but it's Wednesday, it's four thirty five. It's time for
wise Money Sports with our guy Joe Wilson, Omegwell Private Capital.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
We talk sports and business.
Speaker 7 (23:09):
The sports Officionado, the professor, Professor. You you are like
the I think officionado. Okay, you're cigar guy Schagarte Fi Shinadi.
We should start a magazine and distributed here among the listeners.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
You know what sport.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
What's a good business decision in twenty twenty is to
launch a print publication?
Speaker 7 (23:29):
Well that would than twenty twenty would have been good
twenty twenty six, probably.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Not, probably probably not. Uh, I want you to help
me with this.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
So as a big UC fan, big UC football and
basketball fan. So the Big Twelve, of which you see
as a member, they've they've made this move where they've
brought in an outside capital firm, Redbird and Weatherford. So
it's a five year deal, an infusion of cash for
the Big Twelve. What is this going to mean for
the University of Cincinnati.
Speaker 7 (23:57):
Well, it could mean a lot. It's gonna it's gonna
off for some options. Every option comes with the price.
So you have private equity coming in here, throwing a
little cabbage. We'll talk about why here in a bit, right,
they got to play with the big boys. It's expensive,
so it gives them an access to cabbage. The problem
is private acqua, you're probably going about a ten percent rate,
(24:17):
So you better make sure you understand your your rate
of return if you're going to go to that. Well,
here's what I think is interesting. They've got a little
bit of ownership in some TV action and I think
when the current TV deal ends at about twenty thirty one,
this could get really interesting because private equity firm that's
throwing some cabbage at them also owns the TV.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
So it's a it's like a pre marriage.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
It's like, oh okay, who knows.
Speaker 7 (24:43):
Yeah, I mean you've got to compete against the sec
in the Big ten sure, right, I mean I would
say those are one and two and the Big twelve
is expanding. We've tried some things. But yeah, it's interesting.
I mean this is tied to Paramount. I mean, could
you be watching you see games on Paramount?
Speaker 2 (24:57):
I'll watch you see games anywhere?
Speaker 4 (24:59):
Do you have Paramount plus?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
I don't what, I don't know, man, I gotta draw
the line somewhere.
Speaker 4 (25:05):
You're too busy. You are the sports officionados watch sports.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I got Netflix, I got Pop Prime, I got Disney,
I got Apple TV, I got Red's TV. Now I
got NBA League Pass I got I mean, I gotta
draw the lines.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
There's a corner copy of options between that and FC
Cincinnati and all this stuff. Man, yeah, quite a bit. Well,
but here's the deal.
Speaker 7 (25:27):
I think they also have a little bit with the
footprint of T and T style assets that could happen
with with more sports. I think it's going to give
them some option. It's gonna help, Okay, anytime you have
access to capital, that helps because your hands aren't tied.
Speaker 4 (25:41):
However, it's at a cost.
Speaker 7 (25:44):
Okay, and I think that's something that everyone needs to understand, right,
if you're going to access your home equity line, right,
sometimes it's a good deal, but it's a cost. You're
gonna pay that back? Does it make sense? Is the
return on investment? I think you're going to come into
that with with UC and even other schools, the Big Twelve,
because they're trying to compete in a market that is
(26:04):
just brutal. Right now, you know, I'm tied to college
sports and not you know, nothing like basketball, football, but
the kids being in golf and you talk about competitive
holy smokes on every facet where you're swimming, whether it's tennis,
whether it's wrestling. You're talking about big time money. And
they need access, I think, to some cabbage and media
(26:25):
rights because, as we've talked previous weeks, media rights is
what pays the bills.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
So you know when when a lot of folks think
college sports, they think purity, amateurism, a lot of that
stuff has gone out the window. How much of this
pushes us more towards just calling it what it, frankly.
Speaker 7 (26:42):
Is everybody sports. Andy Griffith fished every day. I mean,
I mean, come on, I mean, let's do a wake
up pa.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
I work with me. I think I work with me.
Speaker 7 (26:52):
Bro in Columbus and he played football for the Ohio
State Universe. Don't boom me back under earth, Bruce, and
he's like, man, he goes, I never needed a car
because I got a car every week. He goes, I
always had a hotel and entertainment every weekend room. So
it's never it's never been the Andy Griffiths show. Correct
(27:16):
now right, Disney Plus does not work in this arena.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
No, you're you're you're exactly right. Let's let's stay with
the Big ten. So the Big ten we keep hearing
about like college sports is broken. We hear about all
the stuff that people don't like.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
I don't think it is. I don't think it is.
But see, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
And here's why, because I look at this from a
basic perspective. Everybody's getting paid. Players are getting paid, Coaching
salaries have gone up. Staff sizes have never been bigger.
Nil has created jobs in college sports they used to
not exist. The arenas are full, the TV ratings are great,
and I look at the Big Ten. I see the
record payouts. They're distributing one point three seven billion dollars
(27:55):
to their eighteen member schools.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
So tell me how college boards is broken.
Speaker 7 (27:59):
That is, if we seventy six million dollars per school
on average, it is amazing to see that.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
It might be messy. I mean, I get the messy thing.
It's different.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Different.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
Now you're hating this.
Speaker 7 (28:12):
If you go to the College of the Little Sisters,
blind and poor, you're not getting that cabbage, and yes,
you're going to get left behind. It is survival of
the fittest. And I think it's why the Big twelve
is saying, all right, we need some access because there's
great talent, there's great entertainment there, but right now it's
being drowned out by two major groups. And it's no
(28:33):
different than in life and in work and in business.
Is that if you're if you don't have the market share,
you're trying to find ways to compete. And if job
A is paying X, you have to understand why is
the benefit of staying here? It's just waff wing back forth.
I want to give you some stats on the Big ten,
Big twelve, OLSU, the Ohio State University. You hate it
(28:55):
when I say that they do it all fun v
thirty three point six thirty three three hundred and thirty
six point one be nice. If I could read million
in revenue, right, you see ninety six point seven million
in revenue. That's a that's a little difference.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
It's different. Expenses are different.
Speaker 7 (29:12):
Three hundred and twenty million in change and expenses for
the Bucks one hundred and five million in expenses. But
here's the difference. The net surplus for the ohisseteen University
almost sixteen million.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
You see.
Speaker 7 (29:24):
You want a guess, dude, it's the negative. It is
a negative. It's negative eight point six almost negative nine percent.
So here's a very dumb guy question. And I ask
a lot of those I don't know if I know
the answer to this.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Before all of this, let's say ten years ago, wasn't
there already a disparity between the two?
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Thank you?
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Right?
Speaker 7 (29:45):
Yeah, so you think people at Alabama didn't get trucks
and cars and guns and.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Well, like whenever I would hear people talk about I
would make this argument years ago when people would say, well,
in pro sports, we don't want we don't want the
disparity between the haves and have nots, I would say, well,
we okay with it in football and college because like,
all right, fine, that Ohio State has to spend the
same amount of money on recruiting as you see your
bowling Green or Miami.
Speaker 2 (30:07):
Oh no, no, no, no. So like we already had a disparity.
So I should I, as a UC guy, should I
lose my mind over this?
Speaker 3 (30:14):
That?
Speaker 2 (30:14):
Okay?
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Yeah, Ohio State has more, makes more, gets more, spends more.
Speaker 7 (30:17):
Here here's what no one I'm gonna I'm gonna defer that.
I'm gonna get politician and answer that with it. Great
politicians sideline.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
I know you do.
Speaker 4 (30:24):
It's great.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
There are two girls at Eastern Michigan University playing golf phenoms.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Why in the worldwayd they go to Eastern Michigan to
play golf?
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Nice courses up there?
Speaker 4 (30:35):
It's cold cabbage.
Speaker 7 (30:38):
There is there is a booster, there is some big money,
but a graduate and they want that place to be
put on the map. This can happen to any school.
All it needs is a little bit of cabbage. And yes,
you're trying to compete, but I'm telling you right now,
those girls are strong and they're good, and that team
is good because someone graduated from Eastern and said I'm
(30:58):
gonna give back and I want to have these phenoms
here and put this school on the map, and it's
throwing money at it. I almost forgot what you asked me.
I'm just hit hitting my head when you're saying it
is an equalizer, but it's open to all.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Yes, it is open to all.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
I just I see the disparity between the two and
I feel like we already we already had halves and
have nots. And if the gap is getting wider, I
think most people are okay with that. I guess for me,
There's two things. One, as it relates to this, If
this is what it looks like when college sports are broken,
what will it look like when it's healthy.
Speaker 7 (31:29):
Let's break it some more. Yeah, I mean it's I
love Saturdays in the fall. I love Saturdays in the
fall almost more than Sundays. To me, it is just
these kids are playing for the future. It's exciting. It's
all entertaining. It's unbelievable. Even college baseball, you name it,
it is entertaining.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
It's working. Why are we all freaked out over you?
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Because it's different. It is working. It's working for everybody.
Speaker 7 (31:51):
So you mean, I could be a kid that literally
comes from nothing and finally make money in nil and
get TV ratings and that's where comes from, and all
of a sudden, my life's better, my family's life's better,
and then I get to go to the pros and
I and again I did what it's like in the
big time and off we go. Why is that a
bad thing?
Speaker 2 (32:07):
It's not a bad thing.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
As it relates to the Big twelve and private capital
coming in, what could a business owner or employee take
away from that? And maybe with regards to the Big ten,
what can somebody who's running his or her household. Yeah,
take away from what's happening with the big time.
Speaker 7 (32:22):
I think at any time you're going to take money,
you're gonna take capital, whether that's to buy a business,
whether that is to.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Take a different job.
Speaker 7 (32:30):
Maybe maybe you're in sales and commission sales and you're
getting an opportunity to have a big paycheck. Right, it's
coming in this year. You better understand that the way
it is now does not mean that's the way it's
going to be. Go back and look at some of
these schools that are feeling like they're all big, bad
lsu right, And it's just like the matter that it
can change. It comes back to the basics, like grandma
(32:51):
and grandpa, did you better understand where you're getting your dollars,
where's your spend? Got to adjust it for inflation. What's
going to look like in the future if gas goes
to five dollars a gallon, you have to adapt, you
have to change. I think there's schools that are doing
that well with all the money that's come in. I
think there are schools that have failed miserably with all
the money that's come in. It is no different than
(33:12):
a personal individual planning for the long run of how
do I be in stay retirement ready? How do I
make sure my business If I'm gonna go and sell
this to private equity, what's that going to look like
when it comes to control my employees? There's always a catch.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Twenty two Give me a smart business person's perspective on
what's happened with the live golf tour. Uh, because it's
gonna it's gonna dissolve, right like, it's gonna go away ugly.
Speaker 2 (33:37):
The Saudi money is gonna.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Go away out and folks like me who are like, look,
at some point, the golf is gonna have to be
good enough. The storytelling on TV is gonna have to
the product is gonna have to be good enough. And
I think we're gonna find out that it's that.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
It's not.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
Well, it was good. Did you ever watch it?
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (33:54):
It was different.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
There were shorts I had like that.
Speaker 4 (33:57):
Yeah, that's good. It was different.
Speaker 7 (33:59):
Three I mean whatever, fifty four last time you sat
down other than a major?
Speaker 4 (34:04):
All right, now calling you out.
Speaker 7 (34:05):
When's the last time you sat down other than the
US Open, the Masters, the PGA, the Open, the British
Open and watch four rounds of golf.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
I've never watched four rounds of golf. I am more
into what's happening on Sundays in an established, legitimate tour
like the PGA than I ever was living.
Speaker 7 (34:21):
There was as much legitimate player. I'm being devil's advocate,
the advocate of the devils. I like to say, there's
some amazing players that were on with the fact of
the matter is the money never made sense. The only
way the money made since and live is if they
got just like the Big twelve, if they got the
TV money. They never got it. The other thing that
people don't remember much is that when those guys left,
(34:42):
they were promised to get world ranking points. That's what
determines how you're playing in the postseason. Well, it's going
to be how you're gonna get into the majors. That
was never granted. So that first couple of waves that
went over were anticipating that and it never happened.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
So what happened? You get these names?
Speaker 7 (35:00):
The product they're working through it it's clunky, it's weird,
and no one else joins. And to get the last
person they got, they had to spend a ton of
money for rom and it just didn't work. They're like,
we're out. I think a lot of it happens to
you with current events. The oil crises is crushing them
over there, and it's really easy to look at that
and go, we don't have ten years for this to
(35:21):
make money.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
I do think there's a mom and pop lesson here,
and you can tell me if I'm wrong, talk to me.
Live golf was dependent upon this one source of money.
If you if you build your house that way, if
you build your your lifestyle that way, yours.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
It's destined to fail.
Speaker 4 (35:37):
Or a challenge destined.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
Okay, you're likely to fail.
Speaker 7 (35:40):
The probability of failing issue. You have to have multifacets, right.
It's like it's like starting like you and I go
up to the corner down here, and there's an open
vacancy right down here in the stadium.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
We open it up and we open a smoothie store. Right.
Speaker 7 (35:53):
We're really hoping that everyone that works in this building
loves smoothies, right and is willing to pay it. I
think that's kind of what they did. I don't hate
the idea. I hated how at a time. I think
it was a benefit in some ways. We stepped backwards.
PG Tour has changed drastically because of live the amount
of money the guys that stayed on the PG Tour made.
(36:14):
Scotti Scheffer being won holy smokes. Most of the competition leaves,
and your bonus pool goes through the roof. It's benefited
a lot of folks. I'm very excited as a huge
golf fan to get probably these best of the best
all back together and playing again. It's gonna take some
time to get through, but it's gonna happen, and I think.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
At the end of the day, that's what all of
us wanted.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
You had, you had two compromise tours.
Speaker 7 (36:40):
He had a really bad commissioner that was forced out. Yes,
So I was very happy with Nicholson challenging the status quo.
I know he's going to go down in history as
the villain, but I think every PGA tour, because he's
he's a little abrasive, but I think every PGA tour
should kiss him on the cheek and because of what
he's brought to their cabbage in their pocketbook, because he
(37:00):
forced the issue and thank god they got a very wasteful,
poor commissioner out. But PJ Tour is not simple either, Bro. No,
that mean companies are not just loving to hope to
spend all this money to go in here and host
an event.
Speaker 1 (37:14):
I think the one thing the PGA Tour should adopt though,
is let the players wear shorts.
Speaker 4 (37:18):
So let it be ridden, So let it be done.
Speaker 1 (37:21):
Tell me about tell the audience about Omegawealth Private Capital.
Speaker 7 (37:24):
We are in Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati, we are in Indianapolis.
We are a wealth management firm that helps you be
and stay retirement ready. And how do you find us?
Start right here ow private Capital dot Com. That was
week ow Private Capitol dot Com.
Speaker 1 (37:40):
Yes, Brendaman and Jones on baseball. Next the sports
Speaker 5 (37:43):
Officionado Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic
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