5/27/25 - The Mo Egger Radio Show - Mo Egger

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
That's US, Good afternoon, five minutes after three o'clock. This
is ESPN fifteen thirty at moegor. Thank you so much
for listening. Hope you had a really nice Memorial Day weekend.
My thanks to Mike Petralia for tin shitting yesterday. Awesome stuff.
I listened to most of that show, and again, hope
you had a great weekend. Hope your week abbreviated week
perhaps is off to an awesome start. In thirty minutes,

(00:25):
will be joined by the head baseball coach at Miami University,
Brian Smiley, who in his second season has taken the
RedHawks to the NCAA Tournament. They'll play on Friday against Tennessee.
Brian joins us at three thirty five. UC baseball coach
Jordan Bishel the Bearcats and RedHawks both in Knoxville on Friday.
Both in Knoxville this weekend. Jordan Bischell joins us in

(00:47):
the five o'clock hour. Entire show preview is available on
Twitter at moegar. Thanks to Emery Federal Credit Union, your
credit union with hard since nineteen thirty nine. Go to
Emery FCU dot org. Typically on Tuesdays. We're joined in
studio by our buddy, Paul Dayner Junior, covering the Bengals
of course for the Athletic and also the proprietor and

(01:09):
host of the Growler podcast, which is a must if
you're a Bengals fan. I am not in the normal
studio today. I'm broadcasting from Indianapolis. Gonna go catch Nick
Pacer tonight, So no in studio visit from Paul, but
we still have them on the show, I believe, fresh
out of the Bengals locker room, the Bengals having an
availability after their practice today. Paul, how you doing doing good?

Speaker 3 (01:33):
How are you doing?

Speaker 4 (01:34):
I mean, is the tension growing already as you get
ready to head over to the Stield House.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
You know, I've tried to focus on the task at hand.
I've tried to focus on getting here, getting my way
to Indianapolis and the studio up here, focusing on the
show and making sure we are putting together a professional
broadcast that you know, sort of encompasses all the things
that my audience cares about. But comes six o'clock, I

(02:00):
will be an absolute basket case.

Speaker 4 (02:04):
Well, you're you're gonna be in better spirits than you
could have been had that massive comeback not happened on Sunday.
I was worried about the state of your trip up
here on Tuesday if you knew that you were just
going to watch the Knicks get swept. But now there's
just so much life and energy. It's gotta be uh.
You gotta be ready to rock.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
I am. I am ready to go. I'm hopeful for
tonight we will see. Did anything interesting happen at football
practice today?

Speaker 3 (02:31):
More more?

Speaker 4 (02:31):
There were helmets, Wow, there was there was actual here's
here's here's what I'll say. There was a little bit
more action for this time of year than we have
typically seen. There was sort of like whatever I guess
seven on seven or throwing drill, where it was actual.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Ones on ones where you.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
Had Tea Higgins out running routes against Pam Taylor Britt
and you had all the all the all the names
out there getting in real work trying to complete passes.
Yet Jalen Davis had had a pick six uh today
on Jake Browning. There was there was a little bit
more action I think than we've seen in the OTAs

(03:18):
in the past, in terms of a lot more UH
ones on ones, which is something that you know, I
go back to. I was talking to somebody about this
today when we were in Palm Beach and we were
talking to Zach Taylor and talking a lot about how
you can fix the offseason program, how can it feel different,
And then we talked a lot about playing guys in
the preseason, what camp would look like, and it was
sort of pushed down what.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
You really could do in OTAs.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
Now, that's not really a great place to do a
lot of good on good because just by the nature
of the waves set up. So I thought it was
notable that we saw a decent amount of it here
at the end today, and uh, gotta gotta look at
a few of the stars out there and competing. So
that's a step in the right direction, I would suppose
for those that would like to see a little more
intensity this time of year.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, I'm I'm happy to hear this. It's a little
more oomph, it's a little more Paul ready for urgency.

Speaker 4 (04:08):
Uh yeah, gotta have urgency. Gotta have urgency. I'm not
gonna go urgency. I'm not gonna really Okay, I mean
it's still it's still you know, we can see what
it is okay. I think you know, there's still it's
it's different and that probably means something.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
But no, Stewart's still correct.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Ah, it's correct.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Not even trying to hide the resignation that we're gonna
have to ask about this while already exhausted with another
off field contract thing. This is great.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Yeah, No, just standing on the side watching.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
He's got he's got his he's got his jersey on
and stuff, and he's he's there, but he's just he's
just watching and we wait for that to get itself
figured out.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Can you explain why they asked Cordell Folson to take
a pay cut?

Speaker 5 (05:03):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (05:03):
We just got done talking to Cordell for a little
while in the locker room actually, and I think, look, they
I think there's an acknowledgment that he was not going
to play on that three point seven five number that
the you know, the performance based pay escalators took him
up to this year, and so when they brought it

(05:24):
to him, he was able to sort of counter and
find a way to get some a bit of guaranteed
money that he didn't previously have that he can go
in his pocket just in case they do end up
cutting him but he wants to. His point was the
reason why he agreed to what it ended up being,
which was, you know, not exactly substantial, was that he

(05:46):
wants to be here. He really feels like his career
can be rejuvenated under Scott Peters, and and so you know,
there he could have been like, you know what, just
let me go and and fine, you want to I'm
not gonna do it. Cut me if that's what it
comes to, and I'll go play somewhere else. And he said,
I didn't want that. I asked him specifically, what was
the benefit of doing this for you? And he said

(06:06):
that it was it was the because I think Scott
Peters can really be a difference maker for me and
and I want to give this a real chance here,
and so that that's kind of I think what it
was is they recognized that that number was not going
to be realistic. Let's find a way to bring it down,
and they sort of countered, and Cordell felt like it
was worth his time to stay here. And so they're

(06:28):
they're gonna go, and he's gonna try to win a job,
and then he's still got to make the money that
remains on it because they can let him go all
the same and they'll just take that half million.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Dollar hit or whatever the money WI.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
End up being specifically, it's not it's still not a
lot of guarantee that's left for them to take take
the hit on. So I mean, he's still got to
go earn it and earn a roster spot. But you know,
it's a it's a chance for him to feel a
little bit more security, uh, and then to feel like
he's getting paid at the level that they're more comfortable with.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
I suppose.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
I know, I know everybody is down on Cordell Volson,
and everybody wants to see two new starters from last year.
But if Cordell Volson is my backup guard and he
has been rejuvenated, that to me tells me that this
offensive line is okay.

Speaker 4 (07:14):
Yeah, I mean, he's I throw him in the same
bucket with really all these guys like I just when
you talk about Lucas Patrick and Cody Ford and Dylan
Fairchild and Cordell Volson, I feel like they're all guys
that you would really like to have as your six,
as your backup, you know, coming off the bench, Guys

(07:37):
that there's reason to believe in them and with Volson.
I think that reason is is what I just said
is that if, if, if it really is a great
match with Scott Peters, and Scott Peters has a lot
of positive things to say about him, then then you
could be getting the guy that you thought you were
getting when he sort of came on the scene and
was pretty impressive for a fourth round pick early in

(07:58):
his career.

Speaker 2 (07:59):
So, you know, there's that's the level that all of
those guys are.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
There's no stars there. These are.

Speaker 4 (08:05):
These are guys that are looking to rise from serviceable,
to find a good spot, to be more consistent and
guess what, that would be way better than what happened
last year. So if they can get that out of
that group, they'll be they'll be happy. But I don't
I don't like view some large gap necessarily those four.
I just think they're all very similar level players.

Speaker 2 (08:29):
Yeah, so would you would you give him a shot
at still being the starting a starting guard? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (08:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (08:37):
I mean, look, I mean you're you've got a war
of attrition for you know, Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick,
older guys you know, by NFL standards to make it
healthy to the opener. So that you know, there's it's
the NFL. It's offensive lineman. There's probably gonna be an
injury or two in there. Cody Ford may have to

(08:57):
start being more of your third swing tackle maybe at
some point, Like there's a lot of things that can
happen to change this whole thing up. And Courtell Wilson
could be right there, and there's no reason to believe
that he does. If he comes out and does look
rejuvenated like a new player, and Dylan Fairschild looks like
a rookie that you would expect most rookies to look
like because that's what happens in the NFL.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
You could absolutely see.

Speaker 4 (09:20):
Him winning that battle and be just being more consistent
in them saying you can hear it now right well,
early in the season, we want the guy out there
that's played, it's gonna have.

Speaker 3 (09:28):
Been in it. We're gonna ease the rookie in behind them.

Speaker 4 (09:31):
We have still think Dylan has a bright future, Like
I can hear the press conference in my head right now,
so I think that that's absolutely a possibility.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
So twice this offseason they have asked players to take
pay cuts, but they haven't cut them. And I was
thinking about this on the drive up here. This I
can't recall many instances where they have done this with
multiple players in the same offseason, much less any one
individual player this offseason. So number one address that for
me in number two is this it's a new way

(10:00):
of doing business moving forward for this franchise.

Speaker 3 (10:04):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (10:05):
Maybe, I mean, when you're right is in the past,
you know, maybe there were some years where you would say, oh,
they would just you know, give the guy the contract
here and it's what it is, play it out, loyalty
and all those things that that the Bengals used to
be I guess accused of. And then here you have
I think a team that's there. They're trying to figure

(10:25):
out where every angle comes from and properly address the.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
Roster that way.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
I I don't totally have a grip on the small cuts,
like you know what, they feel like they're totally gaining
by that. So I don't is that a new way
of doing business? Maybe I don't know that.

Speaker 3 (10:45):
It is all that impactful.

Speaker 4 (10:48):
But I do think it is a way that you're
seeing them say, hey, we're not gonna if we have
a value on you and it doesn't match whatever your
contract is, uh, and we feel like we have another
option that we could use in sort of a negotiation.

Speaker 3 (11:03):
We're gonna do it. We're gonna do it more aggressively
than we have in the past.

Speaker 4 (11:06):
So that's probably something that we can judge a little
bit more come next year if it happens again and
we see it become a repeat. For right now, it
could just be something in an angle that they took
because of the way that their stuff was set up
this year.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
What do you think Jermaine Pratt did today?

Speaker 3 (11:25):
Wondered why they're holding him hostage? Just sat back.

Speaker 4 (11:30):
There is probably a dartboard right like, yeah, I'm not
sure who's photos up there, but he's throwing it and
he's just like, at some point, can I go on
with my life?

Speaker 3 (11:38):
Please?

Speaker 4 (11:38):
It's you don't want me. I'm okay with that. Can
I go somewhere where they can? Can you just let me?

Speaker 3 (11:46):
What do we doing? You know? I just and I
may imagine that.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
Is probably a part of his conversation he's having in
his head or to whoever he's sitting in the room
with right now.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
Have you started to all handicap the training camp competition
for the Moeger Award.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
Uh not not really.

Speaker 2 (12:06):
Uh, you know it's gonna be heated, obviously always is.

Speaker 4 (12:10):
But I mean, I know we we discussed the idea
of Jermaine Burton being that in his eligibility potentially to
be in that mix.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
But I'm sure, I'm sure.

Speaker 4 (12:22):
There's gonna be some some players that are gonna emerge.
But it was day one and Helmet's first time. Guys
really out and I don't have any handicapping on that yet,
but I will get to you as soon as I
see one leaping grab in like the back of an
end zone in a red zone drill. Even on air,
I will be tweeting at Moegar and letting you know

(12:43):
that there's been a development.

Speaker 2 (12:44):
Well, I feel like whoever wins the award, which for
those who don't know, goes to, you know, a wide
receiver who comes from nowhere to generate some camp buzz.
They don't even necessarily have to make the team, although
many have. Andre Yoshabas twice has won the award and
has been on the roster the last couple of years.
But to me, I envision like guy makes a play

(13:05):
and you folks there standing on the sideline start kind
of sharing each other these glances, and that to me
tells me somebody has thrown their head into the ring
to win this imaginary award.

Speaker 3 (13:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (13:16):
No, that's how it's gonna go. And that video will
be sent directly to you Especial Media.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
All right, I appreciate it as always I Mission Studio,
but we'll see you next week. Thanks so much. All right,
good luck tonight, mo much appreciated. Paul Danner Junior covering
the Bengals, Theathletic dot Com and the Growler Podcast. Bengals
going through a workout today. There was a media availability
and we'll have some of that for you a little
bit later on. Follow Paul on Twitter at Paul Danner Junior.

(13:44):
It is nineteen minutes after three o'clock. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty on Moegger. We got some Bengal stuff to
get to the Reds over the weekend. Lose two out
of three at home to the Cubs. They come back
and win yesterday. Nick Martinez, that game was more uncomfortable
than it needed to be in the ninth inning last
night or yesterday afternoon, but they badly needed length. They

(14:05):
badly needed a win. They got one now Today, if
you read the Inquirer or Cincinnati dot com, our buddy
Gordon Wittenmeyer has a column about why the Red should
be sellers at the trade deadline, and his exact verbiage
is the Cincinnati Red should begin preparing to sell at
the trade deadline due to their poor performance and strong
National League competition. I don't think he's entirely wrong, but

(14:30):
number one, I think I have a better idea a
Number two, I think we would have to explore the
fallout from the Reds doing that. We'll get to that
coming up here in just a bit. Our phone numbers
are five one, three, seven, four nine, fifteen thirty and
eight six six, seven oh two three seven, seven six
at Moweger on Twitter. Thanks to Delta Dental, Delta Dental
is building healthy, smart, vibrant communities for all. Good to
Delta dentalh dot com. It's twenty minutes after three o'clock.

(14:56):
One thing on the preseason coming up on ESPN fifth
eighteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 1 (15:01):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (15:06):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center. At UC Health,
you'll find comprehensive care that's so personal. It makes your
best tomorrow possible. That's boundless care for better outcomes. Expect
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one on Kellogg. Another accident at Apple Hill Road southbound

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Red Bank Express waits a crash near Duck Creek Road
in slow traffic southbound seventy five Western Avenue to Fort
Washington Way on that ezelic with traffic.

Speaker 2 (15:39):
This report is sponsored by Taco Bell. Taco Bell's five,
seven and nine dollars Lux Cravings boxes give you options
from a meal of classics for three. This is ESPN
fifteen thirty on Moeger. Thank you for listening today. Brian
Smiley is Miami's baseball coach head coach of the Miami RedHawks.
We get on Friday two area schools in the NCAA

(15:59):
tournament playing in the same regional Cincinnati and wake Forest
at one, Miami versus Tennessee at six, and obviously the
way things unfold on Friday could determine whether or not
those two schools play on Saturday or Sunday. We'll be
joined by Jordan Bischel in the five o'clock hour, looking
forward to that. As for baseball at the big league

(16:22):
level this week, they did win yesterday and Nick Martinez
got some run support, made its stick. Amelio Pagan in
the ninth inning was a mushroom trip at the Reds
won the baseball game, and that is good. That slightly
at least softened the blow from what happened this weekend
at GABP. Quite simply, you got to win those games
on Friday and Saturday, and you gotta win those games

(16:43):
on Friday and Saturday, no matter who they're against. But
you really got to win them if you're gonna be
taken seriously as contenders in this division. This past weekend
was an enormous missed opportunity to at least gain some ground,
put a dent in the lead, and they play the
Cubs again this weekend. We'll see what happens in that series.
But you had four different R'm sorry, two different four
run leads on Friday, couldn't make them stick. The way

(17:07):
the cub scored eight runs in about five minutes was
Indiana Pacers esque. And then the meltdown on Sunday after
the Reds had a five run lead. You gotta win
those games. You gotta win those games. And so you know,
you can go online to get mad at Gordon Wittmeyer
the Inquirer for writing that the Red should be sellers
at the deadline. And I think I have a better idea.
But this weekend, if nothing else, was a chance to

(17:29):
at least make a statement that we belong, We should
be taken seriously. We can win this thing. We shouldn't
start talking about selling or not winning the division or
not making the postseason. They blew that chance. And it
kind of feels like they're playing a game of whack
a mole, right because for weeks on end they couldn't hit,
but the pitching was pretty good and the relief pitching
was pretty good, and now the offense has been better,

(17:51):
and suddenly the bullpen can't get anybody out. And so
I'm really interested in seeing over the course of the
next couple of weeks, if Terry Francona has on his
hands a bullpen that is incapable of getting the job done.
I can't put it in any more plain language than that.

(18:11):
As listening to Tony and Austin talk, they played some
of the audio from Jamar Chase that Jeremy Rouse shared
on social media and Jamar Chase, I think, very playfully
let it be known, and I'm not nuts about playing
in the preseason. But and then he asked all the
reporters there, how have we done in the preseason my
first four years in the league and after getting off
to a great start in twenty twenty one, the last
three years, you know what they have done? I cannot help,

(18:34):
but wonder this. I am a proponent, and I think
most of us are of the Bengals playing more players
who matter in the preseason because of how they have
started here in the regular season over the last couple
of years. But I can't help, but wonder are and
I don't know the answer here. I'm asking somewhat rhetorically,

(18:55):
aren't there more things that could be done in training camp,
during OTAs, during the offseason program that they haven't done
in past years, that if they did them better, could
maybe lessen the necessity of having the players who matter

(19:15):
most playing games that don't matter at all, Like it's
the story of the summer beyond Trey Hendrickson. I guess
what is it going to be like when the Bengals
play more players who matter. In the games that don't,
we'll see talk about something that's going to be hard
to watch for me at least it's going to be
that twenty nine, after three o'clock, we'll throw a Paul

(19:36):
question out there in a little bit on Twitter at Moleger,
we'll do some college baseball. Brian Smiley, Miami University head
baseball coach, taking the RedHawks to the tournament in his
second season Miami and the NCAAs for the first time
in twenty years. He joins us next on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati sports station.

Speaker 6 (19:53):
Since he three sixty with Tony Pike. If you'll want
to move on to doctor keep going and Austin Elm.

Speaker 7 (20:00):
I think you should continue to let me keep going there.

Speaker 6 (20:02):
Sincy three sixty Tomorrow Which twelve News on ESPN fifteen thirty,
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

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(20:34):
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Speaker 2 (20:43):
This report is sponsored by maclok. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty on oegor thank you for joining us. Yesterday was
Selection Monday for college baseball programs. The Miami University RedHawks
had their names show up on the screen as MAC
Tournament and MAC Regular and Champions, and Miami is headed
to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since two

(21:05):
thousand and five. The Red Hawks will play in the
Knoxville Region on Friday at six o'clock against the University
of Tennessee. Bryan Smiley was this year's Mid American Conference
Coach of the Year in his second year with the program,
taking the RedHawks to the tournament again for the first
time in a couple of decades, and kind enough to
give us a few minutes this after an interim. I'm sure,
I'm what, I'm sure has been a very busy day, coach.

(21:27):
It's good to have you. Congratulations, how are you hey, mo.

Speaker 3 (21:31):
I'm good.

Speaker 8 (21:32):
I'm good. Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
I appreciate you doing this. Describe the last week. Let's
see you score twenty six runs and clinching a MAC
regular season championship, you win the MAC Tournament, and you
have your name pop up on the screen yesterday. I
can't imagine all the emotions that you, your staff, and
most importantly your players have gone through all.

Speaker 8 (21:51):
You bet man, it's it's been a wild ride this
last few weeks. That the MAC regular season, you know,
he said we want it came down. It was a
three three team race there until the last day of
the season, so it was it was really tight. One
game basically separated three teams there literally.

Speaker 3 (22:12):
Up until the very last day.

Speaker 8 (22:14):
And that that last day where we clinched the one
seed in the regular season title. It was playing at
ball State, somewhat of a short yard was like a
forty five min our wind blown straight out, So it
was an emotional game. I think it's an understatement because
there were a lot of runs scored.

Speaker 2 (22:35):
What was yesterday like.

Speaker 8 (22:38):
Yeah, yeah, So you know the select we obviously knew
we were in with the automatic bed. We were just
kind of waiting to see where they where they sent us.
It was just good though, you know, to have the
have a have a selection show, I have a watch party.
You know, it just hadn't been done. You alluded to
that here in Miami for a long time, and really
before two thousand and five that it don't been done

(23:00):
a couple of times before then. You know, they had
a really good run in the mid to late seventies here.
Then after that it's just been kind of, you know, sporadic,
So just trying to get back to winning style baseball
and make it more of a routine to kind of
be in playing baseball.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
And you know, late May and in June when when
you took this job two years ago. Look, obviously you
want to win as quickly as possible, and you wouldn't
be an Oxford you didn't think you could get the
RedHawks to the NCAA Tournament and win Mid American Conference championships.
Did you realistically think you could do it in year two?

Speaker 8 (23:36):
Yeah, you know, I've had that question quite a few times,
and we did. And I'm speaking for our whole coaching staff.
We truly believed we could win a championship with this
group because when we got here, we were pleasantly surprised
with you know, the talent that was on the roster.
The roster, we had good players. They just needed a

(23:57):
little bit of rejuvenation and maybe you know, tweaks the
way they were going about their their daily business and
tweak their habits. And we certainly did that, and by
no means was easy. But the talent was here and
we just needed to change a little bit. But yeah,
we saw a championship team the quest and the hardest

(24:21):
part was to get the players to see it because
they I'm not sure that they did even until probably
midway through this year, but you could kind of see
their confidence individually, their confidence as a team. It was
just kind of growing each week. We didn't lose the
series all year. After the second week of the year,

(24:43):
we didn't lose a series at all, and you could
just kind of see that that confidence as a team
just continued to grow and grow and grow, and then
you knew, you know, all of a sudden, it's like,
all right, we can do this, we can do this.

Speaker 2 (24:55):
You know, watch no doubt was there a speci It's
a moment or game or series where you could kind
of feel that mentality shifting a little bit.

Speaker 8 (25:06):
Yeah, it's funny you say that, because we just talked
about that just the other day. It was the Bowling
Green series, and Bowling Green had a really good team
last year and they won our conference and they won
a lot of games. They were a good, really good team,
and we went to their place this year and we

(25:28):
ended up having to play a doubleheader on Friday because
of weather, and we took both from or We won
both of those games, and after that second game, you
could see.

Speaker 3 (25:38):
It right then.

Speaker 8 (25:38):
Our players knew it right then. They were so excited,
pumped up, and you could just kind of see, all right,
we can do It was about the halfway point in
the MACM regular season, and you could just kind of
see I don't know if sense of relief was on
there is the right word, but you could just kind
of see like, Okay, you know, we can do this,
Like this isn't a fluke. We're not just getting lucky.

(26:01):
We're good, you know. So that you you ask if
there's a particular game that was it for sure.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:10):
Bryan Smiley is with us the head baseball coach at
Miami University. The RedHawks play Tennessee on Friday night in Knoxville,
Game one NCAA regional walk walk me through from you know,
maybe mid afternoon yesterday, you guys get done celebrating up
until the first pitch is thrown on Friday. What does
the calendar look like.

Speaker 8 (26:31):
Yeah, so we we had a good lift last night.
We practiced this morning and we lifted again. We'll have
team dinner and then we'll get up early tomorrow morning
and we'll practice, We'll get a lift in, then we're
gonna take off for Knoxville probably around noon tomorrow, things
about a four and a half hour drive for us.

(26:52):
We we'll go to dinner and you know, we got
to practice I think at two or three o'clock on Thursday,
and just trying to get our guys in the right
mindset to go down there and and not just think
of this as a darn vacation. We're going down there
to prove that that we belong, you know, against the
going up against some of the best teams in the country.

Speaker 2 (27:13):
So yeah, you know, I think folks who know anything
about college baseball know how good Tennessee has been. It's
it's a one game scenario and obviously, you know, you'll you'll, you'll, you'll,
you'll think about the next day once you're done with Friday.
But when you look at the volunteers, where do you
even begin?

Speaker 3 (27:31):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (27:31):
Good one, you know, I mean there's defending national champs
for a reason. They're good. I mean they they you can't,
I don't even know where to start. Because they they
hit it, they defend it. I mean, they're they're they
hit home runs, they just powers what comes to mind,
because they hit they can hit the ball out of
the yard, especially in their yard. I mean, it doesn't

(27:53):
really matter what yard they're playing, and they're gonna they've
got enough power to get it out of any yard.
But and then when you look at their pitch staff,
it's okay, where's the chink in the armor. So we're
certainly we've got a tall task in front of us.
Our coaches know it, our players know it. We've already
met about since our Tennessee a couple of times as

(28:15):
a team, and we're.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
Gonna give them out.

Speaker 8 (28:17):
I mean, we'll give them our best shot. And our
guys are excited for the opportunity, and we certainly have
the utmost respect for for for Tennessee. But they're they're
gonna get our best shot and we're not gonna We're
not gonna not throw any punches, that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
Yeah, I love it. Well, we'll be watching on Friday.
Congratulations year two, the Red Hawks back in the NCAA
tournament for the first time in twenty years. Enjoy the
week and give him hell on Friday. Thanks coach, great,
Thank you. That's Bryan Smiley, the head baseball coach at
Miami University. The RedHawks MAC champions, winning the MAC regular

(28:56):
season and tournament titles. They'll play at six o'clock on
Friday against Tennessee in Knoxville. Sports headlines are a service
of Kelsey chev La, home of lifetime power train protection
and guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours for life,
Kelsey chev dot com. Reds are in Kansas City, second
game of a three game series tonight. Brady Singer pitches

(29:18):
against his former team. Daniel Lynch, a lefty, is going
to start the game for Kansas City. This is expected
to be a bullpen game for the Royal seven to forty.
Tonight's first pitch it's on seven hundred WLW. You want
to starting lineup, we'll give it to you. Friedels in center,
Espinal at third, La Deyler Cruz at shortstop, Austin Hayes
and leftfield. Tyler Stevenson is dhing, Spencer Steer at first,

(29:38):
Gavin Luckx at second base, Jose Travino is catching, and
my guy Will Benson in right field and batting ninth.
You just heard our conversation with Bryan Smiley. NCAA tournament
for college baseball field announced yesterday. You see will play
Wake Forest. They're in the same regional as Miami. That
game is going to be at one o'clock. RedHawks will

(29:59):
take on Tennis on Friday night. Obviously, the Bearcats and
RedHawks have a chance, a very good chance of playing
against each other. Jordan Bischel joins US coming up at
five thirty five. FC Cincinnati News Friend of the Show.
We're wishing him the best. Nick Hagland, dealing with a
collapsed lung as a result of two broken ribs he

(30:19):
suffered during US Sunday night's FC Cincinnati game against Atlanta,
had a procedure last night to address the lung issue.
Is going to have another procedure to address the rib fractures.
All the best to him. FC Cincinnati at home tomorrow
night against Dallas NDA tonight Eastern Conference Finals Game four
in Indianapolis, Nixon Pacers, with Indie up two games to one.

(30:40):
NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Final Dallas and Edmonton Game
four tonight, with the Oilers holding a two to one
series lead, seventeen away from four o'clock. That was fun.
Five point three seven, four nine, fifteen thirty is our
phone number. The Rets have fifty four games between now

(31:01):
and the trade deadline, so one third of their season.
They've played what fifty five games? They have fifty four
more to go before the deadline. Our guy, Gordon Wintmeyer
says the Reds need to start planning to be sellers
at the deadline. I don't think he's entirely wrong. I
wonder if there's a better idea though that coming up

(31:22):
at four oh five, it's sixteen away from four. This
is ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (31:32):
more at ucehealth dot com. Right lane blocked from an
accident westbound US fifty at I seventy one. Police are
there on scene. Traffic also stop and go back from

(31:54):
four to seventy one on northbound seventy one accident on
the right shoulder between Smith Edwards and nor Would Lateral
on that e zelek with traffic. This report is sponsored
by Lows.

Speaker 2 (32:06):
This is Jeff for tri statement thing on this show.
First of all, why are you missing stuff? Secondly, the
good news is we record everything. Or or if you're like,
you know, I heard that and I want to hear
it again, well, the good news is we record it
and put it all on the iHeartRadio app. Also on
my page at ESPN fifteen thirty dot com. Were really
good stuff. I was obviously not here yesterday. Mike Petrellia

(32:28):
filled in. If you wanted to hear that show, it's
available on the iHeartRadio app. Really good stuff last week
from among others, Sam LeCure, who is always terrific, great
to talk pitching with, great to talk reds with, and
Taylor Twelman as well FC Cincinnati with I think their
worst performance I have seen this season on Sunday and
we mentioned the Nick Haglan news, which kind of took

(32:51):
center stage, and understandably so, whenever you hear or read
about a collapsed lung, you frankly think about things far
more important than the game itself. Hopefully Nick is going
to be okay. The team on Sunday that was the
first time I've watched them this season and thought, you know,
they didn't look like they were ready to play, and
that might be an over generalization. And if I'm guilty

(33:13):
of that, that's fine. I don't think that makes it
any less inaccurate. They do play two games this weekend.
We have Devin Curve from MLS Season Pass Apple TV
on our show tomorrow at three thirty three, four to two,
FC Cincinnati loses at Atlanta. I want to get to this,
and I've been teasing it. Chances are, if you at

(33:34):
least if you have a Cincinnai dot com subscription, you
have read Gordon Wittmeyer suggesting the Red should maybe be
sellers at the trade deadline. And I will admit to
you this when I first read this, when I first
saw it, before I read it, I shook my head
and said, come on, really, But then you think about
it just where they are in the standings. What this

(33:56):
team doesn't have. It's not that the Reds have to
we aren't selling now. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to at
least plan, but I do have I do have a
little bit of an alternative, A little bit of an
alternative that we'll get to coming up in the four
o'clock hour. And I also think there's something about this

(34:16):
that we should explore because it brings up a criticism
of Red's ownership that I've talked about a lot over
the years, and we'll spend some time on that coming
up in the four o'clock hour as well. That was
good stuff. It's fun to talk college baseball, man. And look,
I will admit I follow college baseball very casually. There's just,
excuse me, just a lot of other stuff going on.

Speaker 3 (34:38):
You know.

Speaker 2 (34:38):
We were talking last week about Xavier's chances of making
the NCAA tournament. Billy O'Connor, the coach, put on his
social media the Musketeers resume. I got the sense when
they lost their second game in the Big Eiast Tournament
that some of the more optimistic projections were perhaps not
quite as accurate, and that turned out to be the case.

(34:59):
You know, this is a city that prides itself as
you know, a big baseball hotbed, a big baseball town.
I still think that we can say that. To have
area schools competing in the NCAA tournament, by the way,
for what it's worth, right State is also in the
tournament this year is pretty awesome. We'll see if any
of the area schools can can can make it past

(35:21):
the regional round. We will see. We will see Jordan
Bishell again coming up in the five o'clock hour briefly here.
I was spending some time earlier in the hour talking
about the Bengals in the preseason and if I had
my way, if I had my way, nobody who counts

(35:41):
would play in any game that doesn't. I remember when
the Bengals hired Zach Taylor, and one of the things
I was most excited about was Zach Taylor comes from
the Sean McVay school Sean McVay in Los Angeles, not
all the time, but in many instances, especially with and
he has a veteran team, won't play anybody. In fact,

(36:03):
what he did when he first got to LA was noteworthy.
It wasn't controversial, but it was noteworthy, like pretty much
any player who mattered, any star, anybody who was going
to start, didn't play at all during the preseason. That
has typically kind of been the case with Zach here.
But what they have done in the preseason has been

(36:25):
called into question after a couple of weeks during the
regular season when we look at the standings and the
Bengals are zero to two or to three. In an
ideal world, an NFL team would be able to successfully
prepare to hit the ground running without putting the players
at unnecessary risk. Unfortunately, this coaching staff hasn't figured out

(36:48):
how to do that. I remember putting that on Twitter
after one of the games last year. You have to
be able to strike a balance between being able to
get the work done needed so that the team can
hit the ground running and ensure the availability of everybody.
This coaching staff, this organization hasn't been able to do that.

(37:10):
They have not been able to successfully navigate training camp
in the preseason to the degree they need to to
look prepared game one and look you can you can
bring up excuses. You can talk about Joe Burrow not
being himself and clearly he hasn't. We can talk about
injuries and apendectomies and all that stuff. I have watched
the Bengals, and I think most of us have over

(37:31):
the last couple of years, the first couple of weeks,
and the word that comes to mind is unprepared. The
Bengals have looked ill prepared to play to start the
season in each of the last three years, and it
is caught up to him every single time, some seasons
to a larger degree than others. But still, and so

(37:54):
I don't know that this coaching staff has that much
of a choice. And I think we're all in agreement
right now. They need to use the preseason in a
way that enables them to better start the season in
the games that count by hitting the ground running. Even
if I'm not gonna like watching it at all, I

(38:15):
don't think they have a choice. I have an alternative
for the Reds at the trade deadline. Next on ESPN fifteen.

Speaker 6 (38:21):
Thirty, report you found Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 3 (38:28):
What's up?

Speaker 2 (38:28):
Oh yeah, that's right, Taco Tuesdays. What day it is?
Taco Tuesday? Taco Tuesday. Is there a good taco place
in Indianapolis? If so, it'll be Taco Tuesday. What's up
four after four ESPN fifteen thirty moegor thank you for
joining us today. What you need to know about Cincinnati's

(38:49):
best race coming up in just about thirty minutes. Plus
Brenneman and Jones on baseball as well Jordan Bischel, the
UC baseball coach at five thirty five and looking forward
to that the Bearcats in the NCAA Tournament. Good stuff
earlier from Bryan Smiley, the head baseball coach at Miami University.
I badly want to suggest a better idea. I badly

(39:11):
want to suggest a better idea than the one offered
by our buddy, Gordon Wittmeyer of The Inquirer and Cincinnati
dot Com, who writes that the Bengals, not the Bengals,
the Reds should start preparing to sell at the trade
deadline due to their poor performance and strong National League competition. Now,
I'm not a believer in giving people's content away, so

(39:32):
if you want to read the whole thing, go read it.
Gordon makes some points and just to sort of encapsulize
it here, it's for him. It's about what the Reds
haven't done to this point in the season, which they
haven't won more than they have lost. It's about the
quality of competition in the National League. It's about the
quality of the competition in the National League Central. It's
about history. No Reds team has ever had a losing

(39:55):
record on Memorial Day and still made the postseason. That's
not entirely fair because we've only had this playoff model
for a couple of years. And it's about the schedule.
They have played five of the six current last place teams.
The schedule moving forward includes a whole bunch of games.
It's basically backloaded to include a lot of games against
teams that aren't very good. They have played a lot

(40:16):
of bad teams. They have not taken advantage, and so
Gordon's point is it's time to wrap your brain around reality,
forget the emotion of it, and go into this planning
to sell now. It's worth mentioning that the trade deadline
is more than two months away. The Reds have fifty
four games between now and six o'clock on July thirty first.

(40:38):
That's one third of the season. They have almost as
many games to go between now and the trade deadline
as they have already played fifty five versus fifty four
fifty four games to go, and so my first thought is, well,
hang on a second, it's May. What's today the twenty seventh,
It's May twenty sixth, May twenty seventh, and we're already

(40:59):
talking about but the trade deadline, like got a lot
of ball in front of us. So the good news
is the Reds team still has time to change this.
They still have time. They still have a third of
their season in front of them that they could use
to make a definitive case that not only should the

(41:21):
Reds front office not be in cell mode, but that
they should be looking to acquire. That's number one. Number two.
I have badly tried to convince myself that there's a
better idea out there, and that idea is instead of
preparing to sell, how about buying now. Like we made

(41:47):
fun of the Garrett Hampson acquisition last week, and Garrett
Hampson doesn't solve any of the Red's major problems. What
they need our guys who could hit and their recent
offensive proficiency. Notwithstanding, this team has been plagued by a
bad offense all year long. Now, if you look around
the sport, there are obviously going to be teams that

(42:08):
are clear cut buyers, like, we know who those are.
Those are the Cubs, those are the teams that are
you know, bonafide contenders. And then there's a whole lot
of teams that, as we come out of Memorial Day weekend,
probably aren't sure either way. Are we buyers or are
we sellers? Now I've often argued, if you have to
ask if you're a buyer, then you shall probably be

(42:28):
a seller. But then there's a whole bunch of teams
that have no prayer, a whole bunch of teams that
have no prayer. And so my idea was, could we
look at the Miami Marlins and the Washington Nationals, and
the Baltimore Orioles, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Colorado Rockies.
We could we look at the throw the White Sox

(42:49):
in there as well. Could we look at those teams
and and figure out how they could, you know, start
picking through the corpses of those teams to find guys
who can help. Right now, could they not wait until
July thirty first? Could they do in May or June
or I guess maybe early July what they didn't do

(43:09):
this past offseason, which is just add more pieces and
so I badly want to look at you know, Kyle Finnegan,
the Nationals closer like the Reds need more bullpen arms.
At times the bullpen has been okay. Sam Lekure and
I talked about this on Friday Show. At times the
bullpen has been a mess. The last four games would

(43:30):
be more in the mess category than pretty good category.
You look at the Nationals and you see there's Josh
bell at met Rosario who played for the Reds for
about five minutes, and Michael Saraka, And then you look
at the Baltimore Orioles, who still have a nice collection
of young players despite that their season has gone sideways.
They're not giving up Gunnar Henderson or Adley Rushman or

(43:52):
Jackson Holiday anybody like that. But would they be willing
to part with Cedric Mullins, who's about to hit free
agency at the end of this year, has already double
digit home runs and ops over eight hundred. Would he
represent an upgrade in the outfield for this team? Could
you start to pick apart the Pittsburgh Pirates and you know,

(44:16):
maybe see what Daniel Bednar would cost. Our friend Paul
Doherty was lobbying on his newsletter last week for the
Pirates to go get, for the Reds to go get
Andrew McCutcheon. Could Andrew Heeney be had? What about the Rockies,
who are historically awful? Could Ryan McMahon be somebody out there?
A guy who is at least twenty home runs in
each of his past full seasons? Is there anybody on

(44:37):
the White Sox. Luise Robert is often mentioned, and that
sounds nice, except Louise Robert is having another awful year
and hasn't done much for his value, though maybe you
could buy low for him. So my first thought was
I hate that we're doing this in late May, but okay.
My second thought was, how about a better idea? How
about instead of buying on I'm sorry, how about instead

(44:59):
of selling on July thirty, first you put yourself in
a position to buy on May twenty seventh, put yourself
in a position to not even putting yourself in a position.
How about buye on May twenty seventh? How about by now?
How about get out in front of things? How about
doing what the Padres did last week or last year
with Luis Arias. How about what the Brewers did a

(45:21):
few years ago in acquiring Willie Domas and making that
trade I think in early May. You know, I say
this all the time, you don't have to wait till
the deadline to make a trade. Except there's that part
of me that goes, you know what, They're more than
a guy away, They're more than one trade away, And

(45:46):
so I want to have a better idea. I thought
when I was thinking about this this morning, I had
a better idea. But first of all, if you're gonna,
if you're gonna jump to the front of the line
and be the first team to buy, which means you're
not waiting until July thirty, first year doing it now,

(46:06):
you're probably gonna have to pay a lot. I don't
think the Reds are gonna be willing to do that,
And I'll be honest with you, I'm not sure this
team is worth doing that with. Like, if you want
to be the first to buy something, chances are you're
gonna overpay a little bit, right, Like, if you're gonna
be first in, I've done that with Nicks Pacers tickets
for tonight. So as soon as the series was announced,

(46:28):
I fought the temptation to go ahead and be the
first get my tickets and then you know what, let's
see how things play out. I'm glad that I paid
what I paid and not what I would have paid
had I been the first to buy. So if you
want to be first, you're gonna have to overpay because
a lot of these teams, I'm sure, are gonna be
willing to wait things out, see what happens with the market,
and watch teams push each other out of the way.

(46:51):
I don't think there's anybody here that I just mentioned,
and I didn't mention many The reason why these teams
are bad is because they don't have a lot of
really good players, and the ones who have a lot
of good players, like the Orioles, all those players are
guys they're not going to move on from. Is there
anybody worth over paying for? And as much as I
want to bang on the table and say I've got

(47:12):
a better idea, how about instead of planning to sell
bye and by now, I don't know that there's anybody
worth over paying for. And I don't know that there's
anybody worth over paying for that if you add them
to this team makes them dramatically better. And so I'm
sort of backed into a corner as somebody who badly

(47:36):
wants the Reds to win, as somebody who badly doesn't
want to spend the summer talking about who the Reds
may sell. I have a hard time convincing myself that
right now they should be in by mode. So in
the absence of that, there's only one other thing beyond
preparing to sell, and that's for this team to play better.

(47:57):
For this team, which has spun its tires for more
than a third of the season, to spend the next
third of the season playing so well that selling is
not even a remote possibility. Let's be honest. The most
likely outcome is the Reds kind of spin their tires
a little bit more and put us as outsiders in

(48:21):
a familiar position, which is to spend the last two
weeks debating whether or not they're buying or selling, whether
or not it makes sense to go for it, or
whether or not it makes sense to have an eye
pointed toward next year. That is an extraordinarily familiar position.

(48:42):
It's also the position you don't want to be in,
and it's a position that we have often seen the
Reds under their current regime kind of sit there and
do nothing. I mean, it's been. You know, last year,
I don't know that they were in by mode. I
don't know that they were in selling MODD Like twenty
twenty two, we knew what mode they were in, right.

(49:03):
They were selling, sell, sell, sell, sell, sell Luis Castillo
and sell Tyler Malley and sell for whatever they could
get for him Tommy fam Then two years ago, to
me felt like they were in buy mode. They really
didn't buy all that much, which to me was disappointing
then and I think even more disappointing now. Last year
sort of sitting there wondering, and so I found myself

(49:28):
once I with me and you may be different. Once
I kind of flesh this out, and I'm going, Okay,
how about buy now? How about adding the team? Now?
I'm not seeing a deal out there that could dramatically
make this team better, dramatically make this team better, and
so if I can't do that, then it's sitting there

(49:49):
hoping that this team could outperform the way it's played
to this point of the season, and in the absence
of that, they shall probably be in cell mode, except
I know how hard of a cell that's gonna be.
Not selling the players. Gordon does a good job of

(50:11):
outlining some of the guys that the Reds could part
with and maybe get something in return for Nick Martinez
and Brady Singer and Scott Barlow, Taylor, Taylor Rogers, Emelia Pegan.
You know there's a message when you do that, when
you sell, especially you've asked your fans to do nothing.
But wait, And I know this is not the first

(50:31):
time I've done this topic. When you sell, when you
go into the deadline and you're clearly not in by mode,
but you're in cell mode, there is a message that
might not be the intended message, but there's a message nonetheless,
and that message is got to wait just a little
while longer. You talk about a cell that's going to

(50:52):
be a tough sell for any Reds fan. Just got
to wait a little while longer. And I guess what
I wonder is Number One. Let's say they do sell.
Let's say they trade away some of these players. Let's
say they effectively say, all right, we're getting a jump
start on next year. What's the public pushback going to

(51:16):
look like and sound like? Number two? Knowing there's going
to be some pushback, knowing there's going to be some
angry people, does that paralyze the Reds. Again. We've seen
this before twenty to fourteen. While it was a long
time ago, I'll never forget it.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
Man.

Speaker 2 (51:35):
You know the Reds that season that kind of spun
their tires. They had a bunch of injuries. They had
been good the year before, they had been really good
the year prior to that. They weren't very good in
twenty fourteen. And I remember, man, I remember that summer,
all month long in July talking about buying or selling,
and I remember they did nothing. And I remember the
quote from Walt Jockety, the late Walt Jockety, who was
asked when they didn't buy, did you ever come close

(51:57):
to selling? And he said, come on, man, you know
who I work for. Right like that wasn't on his radar,
wasn't on the Reds radar. And we have debated this before.
We have talked about this before, whether or not the
Reds will refuse to make a move involving a player
who's established because they're worried about the public pushback they're
going to get. Meaning are you worried about emotion and
are you worried about fans being angry? And is that

(52:19):
factoring into important baseball decision making. Like with this team,
it's not as cut and dry as looking at the standings.
It never is. There's gauging public pushback, and there's also
gauging how the Reds would respond to public pushback and
if that'll keep them from doing anything. So there's a

(52:42):
lot to this here. Like again, man, I read this
this morning and I'm thinking, like, dude, how about this.
How about let's look at the White Sox or the
Rockies and the Marlins and the Orioles or any any
of these awful teams that are out of it already
and see if you can pick something off the carcass
on one of those teams, but for what it would cost.
Chances are the answer is probably no. Is this team

(53:08):
going to be good enough over the next fifty or
so games to change the conversation enough that you can't
help but pound your hand on the table and say
they should buy and not sell. If they do sell,
what's the public pushback going to be? And if there's
a good deal out there for an established Reds player

(53:28):
that could further the cause of winning next season, do
they refuse to do it because someone in ownership is
worried about the public pushback and fallout. These are all
questions I don't have answers to. There are questions that
should be asked, nonetheless, five one, three, seven, four, nine,

(53:49):
fifteen thirty. At the same time, you know, the mere
fact that we can have this exercise. You know, if
I would have said to you two years ago Midsummer
twenty twenty, when the Reds were, you know, putting together
this really fun season with all these young guys, if
I would have said that two years from now, we'll
still be waiting for the Reds to make the postseason

(54:09):
in a full year for the first time since twenty thirteen,
and we'll be talking about the Reds selling at the deadline,
you would have said there's no way. When they hired
Terry Francona right, which was not done with the idea
that the Reds would be selling at the deadline in
year one, if I would have said year one off,
Terry Francona is going to be highlighted by them being
sellers at the deadline, you would have said that that's

(54:31):
a failure. Well, that would be a failure. Failure in
itself often comes with fallout. If the Reds end up
having the sort of season marked by having to sell
because the team isn't winning again. What's the fallout? There's

(54:52):
a lot there at mowegger on Twitter thanks to Delta Dental,
which is building healthy, smart and vibrant communities for all
good adulta Dentaloh dot com. Five three four nine fifteen
thirty is our phone number. Brendanman and Jones on Baseball
is coming up in just about thirty minutes. This is
ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 1 (55:09):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN.

Speaker 2 (55:12):
Joy Sunday for the first time, maybe in fifteen years,
and it was delightful. If you've ever had a kid
and they have Halloween candy and uh, seven months later,
the Halloween candy is still in a bowl in the kitchen,
it becomes fair game. And so I enjoyed, and a'm
enjoy Twenty five minutes after four o'clock, ESPN fifteen thirty

(55:34):
on Moegar, your phone calls are coming up. Five point
three seven four nine fifteen thirty is our phone number.
You know, I get accused of talking out to both
sides of my mouth because there's the emotional part of this, right,
there's the emotional part of this, which is you want
the Reds to win. You came into the season with
marginally high hopes two years ago. You thought by now
that maybe this team would legitimately be ready to contend.

(55:55):
And emotionally, you're tired of being told to wait. I'm
tired of being told to wait. I'm tired and we
all are of hearing next year the future is coming.
It's gonna be bright, like we're all so exhausted with it.
I've done the topic before, where we've talked about like
sitting in a restaurant, You've been told your table's coming,
it's gonna be a thirty minute wait. You go to
the bar and you have a drink, and then thirty

(56:15):
minutes come and go. You go back to the host stand.
Hey how long. Well, okay, it's gonna be another twenty minutes.
And the longer you wait, at some point you're gonna
throw your hands up a good dude, We're gonna go
somewhere else, and so like, Emotionally, that's hard, and I
think the Reds ownership has in the past been sensitive
to that. Logically speaking, I don't think it's unreasonable to
suggest that it might be best for this franchise as

(56:39):
the team is currently constructed and worth where the team
is right now to start thinking about next year. Now,
that doesn't mean you start unloading players again. The team
itself has basically a third of the season to force
the front office to the point that they have no
other choice but to make a trade to add something.
We've talked about this in years past, Like it becomes

(57:01):
up to the team to essentially grab Nick Krawl and
Brad Meter by the lapels and go, dude, go get us, help,
go help us. I thought the team two years ago
did that. Apparently not logically. You know, the position of
start to plan to be sellers makes sense, but sports
are often not about logic. How are you going to

(57:23):
handle the fallout from a fan base that is going
to go, dude, I'm I've already been tired of waiting.
You've exhausted my patience even further.

Speaker 3 (57:31):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (57:33):
Now Again, the other other part of this is if
they go into sell mode and let's say they win
thirty of their next fifty Let's say they let's say
over the next fifty four games they go thirty two
and twenty two, and you know, we're we start to
talk about like, all right, who do you add to
the deadline, How can you make a move here in
the standings, that sort of thing. You know, we're not

(57:53):
having these conversations, but I think with some of these guys,
it's worth wondering if they are sellers, what could they
get again, Like, logically, there's not much about what Gordon
writes that isn't accurate. But boy, if you're a fan
and you're gonna be told again, keep waiting. It's gonna

(58:14):
be really hard. It's going to be really really hard.
Phone calls are coming up. In five point three, seven,
four nine, fifteen thirty. One of the best racing events
I'm talking like foot racing running five ks ten k's
the World of running, one of the best races of
the year is coming up on Saturday. We'll get to
that next. Sports headlines as well on ESPN fifteen thirty

(58:35):
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (58:38):
Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (58:41):
Traffic from the UCE Health Traffic Center. At you See Health,
more at ucehealth dot com southbound seventy one after Norwood
Lateral three lanes blocked from an accident, heavy delays back
from Red Bank, wrote police on scene there as well

(59:05):
on Queens City Avenue and accident at Grand Avenue and
another crash on Ross Road at Mac Road. On that
e's Zelik with traffic.

Speaker 1 (59:14):
ESPN fifteen to thirty, Cincinnati's Sports station.

Speaker 2 (59:18):
Twenty nine away from five now twenty hight away from
five ESPN fifteen thirty onl Oeger will do US sports
headlines in just a few minutes. One of the best
events of the year is happening this weekend, the twenty
fourth annual, and it's impossible for me to wrap my
brain around that twenty four years. The Ohio five twenty
nine College Advantage Red Legs Run is going to be

(59:41):
on Saturday at Great American Ballpark. This event is approaching
the quarter century mark. It is an awesome race, a
really fun event, and one of the great fundraisers for
the work that the folks at the Reds Community Fund
do every single year. And those efforts are spearheaded by
the executive director of the Redis Community Fund, Charlie Frank,
kind enough to give us a few minutes this afternoon Charlie,

(01:00:04):
what's going on.

Speaker 3 (01:00:06):
Well, no, like you.

Speaker 9 (01:00:06):
Said, man, we've got a lot cooking here ahead of
our big race on Saturday. Hopefully a few Reds wins
in Kansas City and Chicago between now and then. But
it's an exciting time of here for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:00:17):
All right. Online registration is still available reds dot com
slash Run. I said this before twenty four years you
guys have been doing this. I've been lucky enough to
be a part of it for a number of years.
It's a lot of fun for the totally uninitiated. Give
folks an idea of what happens on Saturday.

Speaker 9 (01:00:34):
All right, Well, we will meet and greet at Great
American Ballpark right inside the main gate. If you haven't
registered already, as you said, go to reds dot com
slash run.

Speaker 2 (01:00:44):
Mo.

Speaker 9 (01:00:44):
Here's some breaking news. We are about sold out with
two of the four events, So the one mile event
and the Gappers Kids Fun Run for kids ages ten
and under are both about sold out. So we're really
trying to get at this point to just register for
the five k and the ten k. Both of those
begin at eight am. If you go to reds dot

(01:01:07):
com slash Run, you can find out all of the information.
But we also have packet pickup at the ballpark right
inside the main gate at Crosley Terrace, which starts at
eleven am Friday and runs all the way till seven pm.
So we have expanded hours this year trying to get
as many people as we can to stop by Friday
you can still register them, but if you came by

(01:01:28):
at seven o'clock Saturday morning, you can still register most
likely for the five k, ten ka and.

Speaker 2 (01:01:34):
At reds dot Com slash Run, and again we're looking
for runners for the five k and ten k. What
you get for running the race on top of the
experience of being a part of it, on top of
doing something good for the Reds Community Fund, on top
of finishing inside the ballpark. Beyond all that, folks who
run get a lot they do.

Speaker 9 (01:01:53):
They get a race T shirt, They get entry to
the post race party and the first Star fan zone,
which is fabulous and of Skyline and Moross and Coca
Cola products. They get a beautiful custom race metal courtesy
of Trophy Awards in Wilder, Kentucky. They get a view
level ticket to the June seventeenth Reads Twins game. So

(01:02:14):
and like you said, it's dollars that go towards our baseball, softball,
education and community building programs, which are in full swing
right now at the community Park.

Speaker 2 (01:02:24):
Yeah, let's elaborate on that. And I love talking about
this because you know what a huge fan I am
of the work that you and your staff do. You're
in the full swing of things right now, So give
us an idea of what the Reds Comunity Fund is
currently involved in.

Speaker 9 (01:02:38):
Well, you know, we have so many things going on
right now. It was lucky enough Sunday to stop by
the Reds Academy for the Cincinnati Public Schools baseball and
softball All Star events at the end of their season.
We have our RBI program, which was reviving baseball and
softball and inner cities, now in full swing since the
high school seasons are done well. Though, one hundred and

(01:03:01):
fifty high school ninth through twelfth graders that participate in
URBI are also part of our scholars program. We have
some of them that are involved in the first year
of a mentorship program. We recently dedicated Madisonville Field in
late April, which is the home of Schroeder High School.
We've got our community makeover coming up this year in
the Walling Hills neighborhood, which will also include a field

(01:03:23):
upgrade at Al's Nest Park. So it's just such an
exciting time of year. I got to tell you too.
We we have a second year program called the Reds
Little Sluggers, which is a key ball coach pitch program.
It's grown by over one hundred kids this year. It
is so important and so fun and you know what
our staff is doing though they are you know, t ball,

(01:03:46):
it's not really a competitive sport, right, Everyone scores about
one hundred runs, but we keep track of them out so
that the teams that you know, technically it's a little
bit of a competitive angle. We're really trying to encourage
the kids instead of just chasing the all and chasing
each other, to try to actually, you know, get some
out at first base and try to reinforce that. And

(01:04:06):
I was at the Academy a couple of weeks ago
for a night of fun at for this Slogger's program,
and it was just fabulous because it's it's kids in
community and that's what we're all about.

Speaker 2 (01:04:17):
Yeah, no, no question about that, all right. Red's Community
Fund benefits from Saturday the Ohio five twenty nine College
Advantage Red Legs Run. It starts on Saturday morning. Packet
pick up a great American ballpark. You could also register
on Friday right inside the main gates from eleven to
seven and then starting at six point thirty on Saturday morning,

(01:04:39):
you could also obviously pick up your packet. You could
register there Reds dot Com Slash Run. It's an awesome event, Charlie,
thank you as always.

Speaker 9 (01:04:48):
Hey Mo, also want to thank Trhealth Beacon. There a
big part of the event this year. You mentioned Ohio
five to nine and College Advantage. We'll miss you this year.
You have been a huge part of the and we're
going to try to schedule it next year with you
in mind a little bit more because we really do
enjoy having you a part of this and we really

(01:05:09):
appreciate your spy that will be.

Speaker 2 (01:05:11):
Rooting on the Reds at Wrigley Field this weekend. But
next year we'll work on that. I prefer in life
if everything revolved around my schedule, and you guys.

Speaker 9 (01:05:20):
Are no different, we'll get a winning Wrigley and all
will be well.

Speaker 2 (01:05:24):
All right, good stuff, awesome stuff. Charlie, Thank you so much.

Speaker 9 (01:05:28):
Thank you, so much.

Speaker 3 (01:05:28):
I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:05:29):
Charlie Frank, the executive director of the Reds Committee, if
that really is an awesome event, Reds dot Com slash
run and let's be honest, like with the way the
weather has been, it's good running weather. I don't know
if summer is ever going to start. Sports headlines are
a service of a Kelsey Chevrolet Home of lifetime powertrain
protection and guaranteed credit approval from their family to yours
for life Kelsey chef dot Com, Reds and Royals again tonight,

(01:05:51):
Brady Singer is going to pitch against his former team.
Daniel Lynch will be the first pitcher for Kansas City tonight.
This is going to be a bullpen game for the Royals.
Seven forty first pitch, seven hundred WLW. Starting lineup this evening,
Friedel's in center, Espinall's at third, Li de la Cruz
is at shortstop, Austin Hayes and left field, Tyler Stevenson,

(01:06:14):
DH's Steers at first base, Lucks at second. Jose Travino
is catching tonight, and Will Benson is in right field batting.
Ninth College Baseball NCAA Tournament Knoxville is the place to
be on Friday. UC is gonna play wig Forest at
one o'clock in game one of the Regional, and then
Miami and Tennessee hookup at six o'clock. Jordan Bishell's gonna

(01:06:37):
join us in the five o'clock hour. Nick Hagland had
a procedure to work on his collapse lung. This was
scary stuff on Sunday night. FC Cincinnati's four to two
loss to Atlanta the main story. Unfortunately, Nick, who suffered
two broken ribs and as a result, was dealing with
a collapse lung. Now he has had a procedure for

(01:06:58):
the collapse lung. He's gonna have another one to address
the rib fractures. Best of luck to Nick. FC Cincinnati
inaction tomorrow against Dallas NBA Tonight, Eastern Conference Finals Game
four in Indianapolis, Nixon Pacers. With Indie up two games
to one, Edmonton has a two to one series lead
over Dallas in the NHL Western Conference Final. Oiler's up

(01:07:19):
to one headed too. Game four tonight, twenty minutes away
from five o'clock. Five one, three, seven, four, nine, fifteen
thirty is our phone number. Brendanman and Jones on baseball
is just about twelve minutes away on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Cincinnati Sports Station.

Speaker 1 (01:07:37):
Fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (01:07:39):
Traffic from the UC Health Traffic Center. At you see Health,
more at UCHealth dot com. Southbound seventy five at Paddock Road,
it's the right lane blocked from an accident. Looking at
some stop and go traffic. Back for Shepherd Lane on

(01:08:01):
southbound seventy one. Three lanes blocked from an accident after
Norwood Lateral A forty five minute delay from Redbank Road
on at Ezelich with traffic.

Speaker 1 (01:08:10):
This report is sponsored by eBay.

Speaker 2 (01:08:13):
Two games to one game four tonight figures the answer
to your question. Brendaman and Jones on baseball just a
few minutes away. We have not taken a phone call
because I have monopolized the time. I've hogged it to myself.
Jim in Centerville. You're on ESPN fifteen thirty. Jim, good afternoon.
How are you mo?

Speaker 10 (01:08:30):
How is my second favorite radio personality doing today?

Speaker 2 (01:08:34):
You know I'm doing well, and I'm glad you brought
that up. Because when you called, was it last week
we called? We had a lengthy discussion. I don't know
who who passed me? Who's now number one? Uh?

Speaker 10 (01:08:44):
Well, Tom Brennanman sounded pretty good in the mornings.

Speaker 2 (01:08:47):
You sounded good in the lit I to go with him. Fine,
that's you know what if you're going to be number
two to somebody. Tom's okay, he's.

Speaker 10 (01:08:54):
My morning drive, here my afternoon drive. So I really
don't know who else is on this radio station because
with you, Hey, I just wanted to check first ball
and see if you're still pounding the table for Bobby
Hart to be in the Bengals Ring of Honor.

Speaker 3 (01:09:08):
He moved on from that, I think.

Speaker 2 (01:09:10):
So I think what I'm hopeful for is that, like
he could go in and I'm trying to think of,
like which player would be best for him to go
in with? Like can we do a Kevin kase Vaharn?
Can we do an Ethan Kilmer? Do I get to
Jordan Shipley, Like who's the best guy for him to
go in with?

Speaker 10 (01:09:27):
Oh gosh, there's got to be a tight end out there.
That was at that maybe you know, we undrafted free agent.
We started in front of somebody who could actually catch.

Speaker 2 (01:09:38):
I think we're thinking this. I think maybe like Irv Smith,
you had that one good catch against San Francisco a
couple of years ago.

Speaker 10 (01:09:45):
I think Bobby Hart had a couple of good blocks.
So yeah, that's about.

Speaker 2 (01:09:48):
I don't know if I remember them, but yes.

Speaker 10 (01:09:52):
Yeah, So the real reason I called you've spoken about
the Reds and what they can do.

Speaker 9 (01:10:01):
Personally.

Speaker 10 (01:10:02):
I know this is an old opinion, but I love
Luis Robert and I think the change of scenery would
be good for him. I think you could buy a
little bit low on him because he stacked up a
couple of bad seasons back to back. But you know
he's a guy who first of all, five tool player,
great outfield er. You made a catch against the Reds

(01:10:25):
was last week when we played that. It was like,
I don't I don't know that TJ. Friedel makes that catch?
Are so so from that standpoint, you know you got
a guy who has a is a threat for power
that you could put around it around Elie, match him
up with you know, Freedel, tuning with the Benson maybe

(01:10:45):
or Freedel, you know, d somebody d H. Anyways, what
I'm getting at is you know, we could we could
trade one of our arms in the minor leagues. I
don't know if if Chicago once an arm, or needs
an arm, but yeah, everybody needs arms. So you know,

(01:11:06):
like a Chase Petty who you know, I know he's
got a future, it's not an immediate future. Helped me
still have Elly. If we're not going to happen forever.

Speaker 2 (01:11:18):
No, you gotta win while you have him. And like
what I you know, the asking price for Luise Robert
this offseason was really high, and I understood it because
you could say, well, he had a down year last year.
In twenty twenty three, he was he was terrific and look,
he's going to strike out a lot, we get that,
but he he has all the tools right, hit thirty
eight home runs that season. We know he can run.

(01:11:39):
Hecky still leads league and stolen bases this year. But
it's one thing to have all the tools, and it's
the other thing to not be able to use him.
And so I guess what I would wonder would be
two things. Number one, this version of Luise Robert, how
much better does he make him? Maybe it is a
change of scenery. But number two, how much lower is
the asking price by the White Sox. Now for a
guy who could be a free agent at the end

(01:12:00):
of the year, who's having a terrible season, could you
get him for a bargain now, uh, because of how
bad he has been? But then does he continue to
be bad? That's the answer that I don't think either
one of us have well put in.

Speaker 10 (01:12:14):
With Eric Davis like we did Will Benson. I mean
not to say Will Benson's figured it out, but he
sure looks better now that he's come back after working
with a guy like Eric Davis who was a prospect
like Luis Robert Sure, and then you know, maybe maybe
fix some of it. And you know, they mentioned on
the broadcast yesterday, we're we're we're a face hitting team

(01:12:40):
in a home run ballpark. We need boppers, we need
we need a guy in Austin Hayes has been great
to shoe and you know, I think he's probably in
Gavin lux to the best you know, free agent pickups
we've had since I can remember. And then Travenio catching.

Speaker 3 (01:12:57):
So put that together.

Speaker 10 (01:12:58):
Throw Robert in there, give up one of our young
arms that you know, even maybe a Ret Louder though
I'd hate to get picked him up. But you know
somebody that we can that can come in and possibly
be be lighting in a bottle.

Speaker 2 (01:13:11):
Well, you know you would you would be hoping for that, Jim,
thank you as always for the phone call. Rhet Louder
is probably not movable right now because he's hurt. We'll
see first of all, just how that unfolds. I'm not
sure how much that would cut into his marketability. I
think the difference between Will Benson and Luise Robert is.
With Will Benson, they had the benefit of a couple
of spring trainings. They had the benefit of some time

(01:13:33):
for Eric Davis and others to work with him. And
who knows how much he has figured it out. If
you're trading for Luise Robert, I don't know how much
time there's going to be to get him to get it.
And again, if if he shows up in the twenty
twenty three version of him, who was an All Star,
won a Silver Slugger Award, hit thirty eight home runs,
stole whatever it was, twenty twenty five bags. If I

(01:13:53):
get that guy, dude, yes, and I would imagine that
the asking price for him has come down a little bit.
Number one and he could walk at the end of
this year. Number two, he's having a terrible season at last.
Look Louise Roberts batting one ninety one with an ops
below six hundred. He'll have plenty of company here. But
can you fix him in time for him to make

(01:14:13):
an impact? And if you're the White Sox, are you
selling low right now? Like, are you hoping that over
the course of the next two months he'll start to
produce more, so you could ask for more. My understanding
is the Reds, and I think this has been reported
the Reds talked with the White Sox extensively about Louise Robert.
My understanding is the asking price was really really high. Okay,

(01:14:35):
it should be, but what about now and what about
in two months? But I don't know there are changes scenery. Guys,
would this version of Luise Roberts show up in Cincinnati
or would the twenty twenty three version show up in
Cincinnati and show up immediately? I just I read about
having to sell it to deadline and logically like, this

(01:14:55):
team is very average. They don't do anything exceptionally well.
The starting pitching is good, beyond that, nothing exceptionally well.
The schedule isn't favorable over the final two thirds of
the season, but man, emotionally, fifty five games in, we're
gonna do this again. And in two months from now
we're maybe gonna do this again. God I hope not.
Brendenman and Jones on Baseball's Next in fifteen thirty, All right,

(01:15:18):
that's us. It's three minutes after five o'clock. This is
ESPN fifteen thirty and the mikelobe Ultra five o'clock Abby
our thanks to michelob Ultra. If you're like me, you
had a few during Memorial Day weekend. Michelob Ultra Superior Taste,
Superior light beer. Jordan Bishell is gonna join us in
just about thirty minute. I heard from a lot of

(01:15:39):
folks over the weekend, really last week, need to talk
more college baseball, need to talk bearcat baseball. Well we did.
We had Brian Smiley from Miami with us earlier in
the show. We'll podcast that on the iHeartRadio app. And
Jordan Bischell, by demand and because his team is really good,
is going to join us coming up in just about
thirty minutes and also chat with our buddy James or

(01:16:01):
Peen Bengals going through another practice today. They put on
helmets today, so we're getting closer and closer to training Campbell,
though we're obviously pretty much still a couple weeks away.
Nothing really that newsworthy coming from the venue formerly known
as Paul Brown Stadium. Shamar Stewart continues to not really
do anything. That Trey Hendrickson standoff continues. Jermaine Burton is

(01:16:23):
still a member of the Cincinnati Bengals for reasons I
don't totally understand. We've done a lot of Reds today.
The series against the Cubs kind of lingered into yesterday.
The Reds did win that ball game against the Royals.
They needed man more than anything. On top of a win,
they needed length. Nick Martinez gave it to them for
the most part. He has pitched really well over his
last six or seven starts. They needed somebody to go

(01:16:45):
deep in games. Right now, they're confronting the question about
their bullpen. I think that what we've seen over the
last five or six games. They hit that weekend against
the Cubs, and I think we would all acknowledge this
team offensively has all sorts of shortcomings to this point
in the season. The bullpen has been Okay, it was
not against Chicago. You cannot blow two four run leads

(01:17:07):
like a Folks get mad at me for putting a
lot of importance on that series. If this team is
gonna get going, and if this team is gonna take
pieces like Gordon witt Myers and make us laugh at
it because he suggests they are sellers at the deadline,
you gotta get things going. You gotta win a lot
of games in a short amount of time, and it
would help to make a den against the Chicago Cubs.

(01:17:29):
Unfortunately they did not, and they did not on a
weekend where the Cubs can come at you in waves offensively.
They had two different four run leads on Friday, they
had a five run lead on Sunday. You gotta win
one of those games. They won neither. And now they're
sitting at a staring at a six and a half
game deficit. And you could tell me all you want
about the wildcard. This team's gonna have to lead frog

(01:17:51):
a whole bunch of teams despite all of their deficiencies
to qualify for a wildcard. And it just like there
is a sort of hamster wheel feel to this where
we do it. It feels like almost every year. I
go back to twenty twenty one, right, twenty twenty one,
the first full one to sixty two game season after

(01:18:13):
the COVID year, where the Reds were okay ish, and
we spend all of July debating are they buying or
are they selling? And then twenty twenty two there was
no debate. They were sellers and they sold. Twenty twenty three,
I thought they should have been buyers Nick Krawl and
the Reds did not agree. I think two years later
it is very fair to look back and go what

(01:18:35):
if they would have taken a chance of going forward
in twenty twenty three they did not. Last year kind
of the same thing. A lot of time spent wondering
and debating buyers or sellers. I think I speak for
everybody when I just say this, we will do the
discussion of the course of the next couple of months.
This won't go away because this team is probably just
good enough to stay at arms length a first place.

(01:18:57):
They're probably not good enough to be in first place
around July thirty first, and so what we will do
for much of the summer is debate whether or not
they're buyers. Or sellers. Just once, Just once, And this
to me is when they have arrived as a franchise
to be taken seriously. Just once. I'd just like for

(01:19:18):
it to not be a discussion. And you have to
go back to twenty thirteen to find the last time
that it wasn't a discussion, because it's always been are
they buyers or sellers? Or they're selling? And who are
they going to get in exchange for the guys they sell?
Just once, I'd like to come out of Memorial Day
not even thinking about the topic, not reading columns, not

(01:19:41):
watching people debate it online. They are buyers. You cannot
say that about this team this year and look man
like I got frustrated with my colleagues on since three
sixty and not with them necessarily, but we were doing
quick hits sort of the handoff from their show to month.
And this was before the season even started. This was

(01:20:03):
in the middle of March, and Tony asked me about
what the Reds might get at the deadline. We were
doing that in March, in March before the season started.
That had one hundred and nine games to play before
the trade deadline. So if you're doing that, you're acknowledging
that your team is incomplete, and so the idea was

(01:20:23):
because they went through a productive offseason to a degree,
but also kind of an incomplete one. Is they put
the team in a position to put the front office
in a position to make a deal to make the
team better. Right, it was up to the team. It
was up to the team to play at such a
high level that this wasn't an argument, This wasn't a discussion.
The Nick Kral had no choice but to go and

(01:20:46):
add to the team from outside somewhere. This team hasn't
played well enough, and after fifty five games, I think
you are being completely reasonable if you believe this team's
not going to play well enough to change the conversation.
At the same time time, you and I both know
what it would feel like if come late July we're

(01:21:06):
talking about the Reds hitting the eject button on another
season and telling us as fans, after thirty years of
waiting for them to advance in the postseason, they've got
to wait. We've got to wait even longer. Five one, three, seven, four, nine,
fifteen thirty is our phone number. I do thank Gordon Whittmeyer,
who's a very good writer for the inquiry Incincinia dot

(01:21:27):
com for writing a column which was giving us multiple
show segments at Mulegar on Twitter thanks to a Delta Dental.
Right now, we'll chat with our friend Mike. Mike you're
on ESPN fifteen thirty. Mike, You're on ESPN fifteen thirty.
Go Mike is not there apparently, Well, I still am,

(01:21:53):
Thank you so much. Five one, three, seven, four nine
fifteen thirty is our phone number. He can send me
an email telling me I didn't take his phone call
when I went to it. Tarn Or We okay, back there,
we are, Okay, very good. I just I'm doing the
show for those who don't know, I'm doing the show
from Indianapolis today. iHeartMedia in Indianapolis and wanted to make

(01:22:17):
sure it wasn't it wasn't us losing a connection to
Cincinnati and Mike not being able to answer the call. Nonetheless,
we continue the other one, you know we played or
Tony and Austin played audio today of Jamar Chase talking
about the preseason and having fun with reporters about you know,

(01:22:37):
doesn't want to play in the preseason and the value
of playing in the preseason, which is something that we
have discussed a lot over the last couple of months.
I just don't know what the alternative is. Like I've watched,
we have watched the Bengals over the last three years
play so poorly in September and look so unprepared in

(01:22:59):
September that when you have someone like me who wants
to see the Bengals play in the preseason, wants see
the players who matter most playing games don't matter at
all when you play when you have people like me,
like the guy who The first thing I thought when
the Bengals hired Zach Taylor was well, he's a Sean
McVay guy, and Sean mcvayh doesn't play his guys in

(01:23:20):
the preseason. So the good news is Zach won't play
the guys who count in the preseason. When you have
someone like me, uh, who is completely on board with
playing all those guys, that says something about how poorly
the Bengals have started the year. I do believe that
normally you should be able to strike a balance between

(01:23:42):
ensuring that every player is healthy to the best you
can and having the team ready to go when the
games actually start. This coaching staff, this organization, and these
players haven't found that balance. And so to me, having
your main guys play in the preseason and play a lot,
comparatively speaking, is it's a necessary evil, but it's something

(01:24:07):
born out of your failures to get the job done
early in the season. Doing it the other way going
relatively easy. And look, they ratcheted things up by all
accounts during the preseason last year. We saw some guys
who count play in preseason games. It was a little
bit different last year, but the early season results were not.
What I hope we are doing a year from now,

(01:24:28):
is hoping that the Bengals have done well enough in
getting ready for the season to begin that they can
maybe ratchet things back a little bit a year from now.
Until that's the case, I think you have almost no choice.
We'll get some more on that coming up tomorrow afternoon.
The Bengals did do a few things, and I think
since we last spoke on this show, a few things
have happened that the Shamar Stewart thing has not had

(01:24:52):
a conclusion. The Trey Hendrickson thing is still out there.
Cordell Volson took a pay cut. This has been interesting
from the Bengals this year, where they have made two
players who I think most of us would agree last
year underperformed. They have asked two to take a pay cut.
I don't know that they have asked either player to
take a pay cut with the threat of being cut

(01:25:12):
looming over them. I certainly don't think any of us
got that impression with Geno Stone. Say which one about
Geno Stone and how bad he was last year. I
don't think anybody any of us looked at Genostone's pay
cut and thought to ourselves, God, you know what, they
held his job over his head. Who would you have
done that with? And they do have a lot of
alignement in camp and Cordell Volson will be a part

(01:25:33):
of a competition at guard, but it didn't feel to
me like he was approached with the thread of take
the pay cut or go take the pay cut or
be cut. And I'm not sure why they would have
done that to begin with. I think the idea is
if Cordell Volson's not a starting guard for this team,
if he's a depth piece, that's not terrible at all.

(01:25:54):
I do want to talk about that with James orpen
because it is kind of a different way of doing
things for the Bengals. Jordan Bischell's going to join us
coming up in just about fifteen minutes. The college baseball.
College baseball is not a sport that a lot of
folks follow religiously the way we do college football and
college basketball. Still, it's going to be neat on Friday

(01:26:17):
to have two schools in the same region playing against
each other, not necessarily on Friday, but perhaps on Saturday
or later in the regional Cincinnati at one o'clock, Miami
at six against the defending national champion. Jordan Bischell's going
to join us coming up in just a few minutes.
Anything you might have missed on this show you can

(01:26:38):
go find on the iHeartRadio app. Podcasts of this show
are a service of Long Neck Sports Grill. Last week,
Sam Lequire was terrific and I feel like we sort
of jinx things as it relates to the Reds bullpen
because we were talking about how good those relievers have
been this past weekend. Not so much, but the rest
of the content was excellent. Go get it on the

(01:26:58):
app podcast thanks to a Long Neck Sports Grill. Jordan
Bischel joins us next on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 6 (01:27:05):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 5 (01:27:34):
From the UCE Health Traffic Center. At you See Health,
more at UCHealth dot com. Three lanes blocked off from
an accident southbound seventy one after Norwood Lateral delays up
to an hour back from Montgomery Road only. The left

(01:27:56):
center lane is opening through there On Seymour Avenue at Street.
It's an overturned vehicle, multiple injuries reported on that he's
don like with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:28:05):
James Rapine on the Bengals coming up in twenty minutes.
It's the michelob Ultra five o'clock Happy Hour on ESPN
fifteen thirty. Thanks to our friends at michelob Ultra. You
can enjoy one of those on Friday afternoon if you're
a UC alum or a fan. On Friday, the Bearcats
will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time
since twenty nineteen. You see battles Wig Forest at one

(01:28:26):
o'clock in the Knoxville Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The
head coach of the Bearcats in his second season. Our
friend Jordan Bischel, it's awesome to have you. When you
saw Cincinnati pop up on the screen, although I guess
it was spelled incorrectly. When you saw Cincinnati pop up
on the screen on the selection show yesterday, that had
to be gratifying.

Speaker 11 (01:28:47):
It was, you know, it was an interesting day because
I felt extremely confident that everything on our resume was
what the committee looks for, and really felt strongly that
it was kind of an opening show case. But you know,
there's sixteen regionals and fourteen had been checked off the board,
so you knew you were running out of slots there.

(01:29:08):
So it was, you know, when Katie and I moved
here two years ago, we knew it was gonna be
a really big challenge. Obviously, coaching changes are always difficult,
and then you're joining the Big twelve and and as
a Northern baseball school, we knew it was it was
going to be tough. But we also thought there were
enough people that were invested and cared about it that
it was a hill we could climb and a fun challenge.

(01:29:29):
And obviously the job's not done. There's there's a lot
more things we can accomplish here. But this is this
is a big one to check off for our program
and so exciting for our kids. It's it's you know,
long lasting, lifelong memories they're making here, and it's it's
pretty exciting for them.

Speaker 2 (01:29:44):
I chatted with you during fallball and then again right
before the season started, and you were you were optimistic
for how the season may play out. But what things
did you find out about your team as the season unfolded.

Speaker 11 (01:29:56):
You know what what was really challenging fun with this
group is it was not an easy path. We thought
we had all the pieces in place to have a
really successful season and play into the NCAA tournament. But
you know, we had a stretch early where the three
starting infielders at the time, second bay, shortstop, third base,

(01:30:16):
we're all injured and we're playing without our starting infield.
We had a weekend where our Friday and Saturday starters
were both out with injury and illness. We basically every
key guy on the field missed time at some point,
and that led to a couple of little skids that
in our league, with how good the competition is, could
have led to long skids. And our ability to fight
back from those battle back from those put ourselves back

(01:30:39):
in a positive, positive position, was really what was impressive
with this group. There were just a couple of times
our coaches were like, man, this could this could go
south in a hurry if we're not careful, and our
guys were really tough and we're able to grind through that,
and that was fun with this group.

Speaker 2 (01:30:54):
So we talked about, you know, the feeling leading up
to yesterday and the announcement that you're headed of the
NCAA Tour. You and I talked going into your last series,
and I had mentioned, you know, looking at Baseball America
bracketology and trying to figure out where the experts had
you guys during the course of leading up to the
Big Twelve Tournament in the immediate aftermatter of the Big
Twelve Tournament, Were those the sort of things you were

(01:31:15):
paying attention to?

Speaker 4 (01:31:17):
Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 11 (01:31:20):
Yes, because I know those publications pay close attention to
what the Committee values, and so they don't they don't
pick who they think the best teams are. They picked
who they think is going to be in and they
spent a lot of time on it, and so I've
got a pretty good understanding of, Hey, what are what
are the boxes we need to check? And ultimately what
really really helped our team was we won a ton

(01:31:41):
of games against NCAA tournament teams. We won five series
weekend series against NCAA tournament teams. That's actually in the
top I think eleven or twelve in the country if
there are only twelve programs that won five or more series.
We won fifteen total games against NCAA tournament teams. And
so that was the big one. Is you know, it's
great to schedule really really strong, but then you got

(01:32:03):
to go out and beat those teams too. And our
guys did a great job of beating a lot of
very very good teams. And what's exciting now when you
get there is because we've done that, there's gonna be
no off factor. Right, We're playing the type of teams
we've played all year, and we got go out and
play good baseball.

Speaker 2 (01:32:19):
Yeah, I was. I was talking about that on the
air last week. You know, at one point, and projections
are just projections. You were projected to be a two
seed that was going into the West Virginia game, and
I'm going if a team that finished in eighth in
the Big twelve could be a two seed in the
NCAA Tournament. I'm not sure there's a bigger statement about
the quality of baseball in the Big twelve.

Speaker 11 (01:32:39):
Yeah, it's it's really good. And the standings were a
little funky because we played we actually so eight of
us are in. We played the other seven. You get
three teams you don't play in the league. But you know,
seven of our ten league weekends, I mean, that's pretty crazy.
Seven of our ten league weekends were against the NCAA
tournament teams, and so I think we probably ended up,
as you know, maybe the thirty third or thirty four team.

(01:33:01):
We were only a spot or two off that two line.
And again to your point, we went out and won
just over half our league games. And the NCAA teams
that puts he has one of the top thirty three
to thirty four teams in the country. That shows you
what we're playing against every week.

Speaker 2 (01:33:17):
Yeah, no question. Jordan Bishell is with us the UC
baseball team playing in the NCAA Tournament Friday at one
o'clock in Knoxville. Walk me through from I don't know,
mid afternoon yesterday when you guys get done celebrating up
until first pitch on Friday. What does the calendar look like.

Speaker 11 (01:33:34):
Yeah, I mean the calendar looks like wanting to prepare
to beat wake, for us to be ready for whoever
we play in the second round. But unfortunately he's done.
Radio guys keep pulling you away from it and making
you talk to them. So you know, that's the advantage.
You know, haven't been through this a few times in
a smaller market, the same type deal. When you get
in this situation, there's a million things pulling me in
a million directions. And what I've learned haven't been in

(01:33:56):
a few of these, is the fact that we have
just an amazing support staff, whether it's our coaches, whether
it's our administrators. You know, the coaches are doing a
great job prepping for those games, administrators helping with tickets
and travel. It's it's a little bit of a hectic zoo,
but it's it's one you sign up for every time, right,
We're excited about it, and for our guys, it's it's
really let's try to make this thing pretty normal. We'll

(01:34:17):
practice early afternoon here today, We'll get a practice in
tomorrow morning. We'll take that four hour bus ride over.
We'll get in the weight room a little bit. We'll
get a practice on their field. Try to treat it
a little bit like a normal conference week and try
to get it regular for our guys because it's exciting
to be there. But my hope is they're not just
happy with the participation trophy. We want to go over

(01:34:39):
there and compete.

Speaker 2 (01:34:41):
What I know about wake Forest Baseball is the Reds
keep drafting their pitchers, so you know, you don't have
to face Rat Louder or Chase Burns, but you're gonna
get some guys. What does you know at the major
league level, right there's if you're gonna play a series
and you play everybody during the course of a season, obviously,
but there's there's reams of information, there's advanced scouts. What
is out and look like at.

Speaker 11 (01:35:00):
This level, it's changed dramatically in the last five or
six years, for sure. I mean, we've got you know,
all of our film, video is uploaded. You have to
have multi camera angles at all of our games. It's
all uploaded to a common website, common app that's available,
and it will break down whatever you want to break down.

(01:35:20):
If you know what I want to know what a
guy hits against you know, twenty one and a half
year olds that throw eighty seven and a half to
eighty eight and are left handed and you know, have
an uncle named Pete. You can you can do a
filter and get that. So we've got just about everything
you can imagine at our fingertips. And that's part of
the challenges. You're trying to get ready for three different

(01:35:41):
teams in three days. You can only you know, disseminate
so much of it. So what's really important and how
much do you pass along to the guys. You know,
we can clout their brains really really quickly. If they
need to know every movement pattern of every pitch and
what they throw in two zero counts, like they're going.

Speaker 3 (01:35:56):
To get paralyzed.

Speaker 11 (01:35:57):
So that's a big part of the challenge is that's
a big tool, but it can really henry if you're
not a little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:36:03):
Careful with it.

Speaker 2 (01:36:05):
I think one of the things that's really cool about
the Big twelve and into a large degree, college baseball
as a whole. You know, it wasn't all that long ago.
If I wanted to follow the UC baseball team, especially
when you guys are not at home or in a tournament,
I would have to just follow along on my phone.
I was out last week and I look up having

(01:36:25):
dinner with my wife and there's your Friday game against
Kansas State on TV right, And so to be able
to watch UC baseball on ESPN, plus the Big Twelve
tournament games, many of them were on ESPN. You you know,
this is more of a statement than a question, I guess,
but that's that's really awesome, and it's really awesome for

(01:36:46):
your players.

Speaker 11 (01:36:47):
It is it is, you know, number one, most far,
most important thing is I really am working hard to
get a dim Mountain Dewe sponsorship to my addiction. The
more things we get televised with that, the better might.
I haven't got the call yet, but so that is
that's why I push it. We need that sponsorship. But now, seriously,
it is it's huge. I don't think people totally recognize

(01:37:11):
the quality of baseball in our league, and less and
less guys are signing out of high school into pro
baseball like our this regional we play in, we'll have
multiple future big leaguers. And you mentioned the way Forest drafts,
but it's we've got three, four or five guys on
our roster that would not surprise me to play big
league baseball, and these other teams have the same thing.
So bringing that a little bit more visibility and attention

(01:37:35):
I think is great because I think once people watch
us play, I think you realize, hey, we play a
really fun style. We're energetic, we play hard, we play aggressively.
But be you start noticing, like, oh my god, every
one of these starting pitchers is ninety two to ninety
five miles an hour and throw strikes, and these guys
can run and they hit home. We're like it. It's
pro style baseball, and it helps bring exposure to those guys,

(01:37:59):
which is awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:38:00):
You know, you referenced the draft, and I remember not
too long ago, the draft was going on while while
the NCAA tournament was happening. In fact, I remember going
to Omahon watching Jonathan India after he had been taken
by the Reds in in twenty eighteen or twenty seventeen.
Has that helped? Has moving it back to help where
you guys could focus a little bit more on on

(01:38:21):
the task at hand.

Speaker 11 (01:38:22):
That part is really really good. These guys don't have
to be you know, getting calls from advisors and scouts.
Twenty minutes before the game. That part has really really helped.
The downside of it is they moved it back so
far into July. That were a sport that has a
lot of draft uncertainty. Good teams might have three, four
or five guys that they're not sure if they're going
to be back with them. And so you know, you're

(01:38:44):
sitting there four weeks before school starts, looking at your
us or saying, do we have our you know, let's
you see's land in veteric wh who's eligible fourteen home runs,
thirty seven stolen bases a month before school. You don't
know if he's your leadoff hitter or if he's you know,
the high a affiliate for the White Sox lead. I that's
pretty stressful, and I think it's hard on the kids
because you're trying to figure out do we set their

(01:39:05):
scholarship aside? And so what would be great is if
we could find a happy medium of let's hume draft
these guys the day before they're playing the biggest game
of their life, but let's also not wait until, you know,
three weeks before school starts to try to figure out
our rosters.

Speaker 2 (01:39:19):
Yeah, makes sense, Well, you've got to figure out how
to advance this weekend. Congratulations on an awesome season and
the announcement yesterday we'll be watching on Friday. Cannot wait, coach,
Thanks so much.

Speaker 11 (01:39:30):
I appreciate it as I always thanks for having me on.
It's great building a relationship with you guys, and I'm
always happy to come on it. If you need to
fill some airtime.

Speaker 2 (01:39:39):
It's more than filling airtime. Man, we love having you on.
You're fun to talk to. You guys are fun to watch.
Go get to this weekend. Thanks coach, I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:39:47):
Have a good day, coach.

Speaker 2 (01:39:48):
Thank you so much. Jordan Bishel u see baseball coach.
The Bearcats will play wig Forest on Friday at one
o'clock in the Knoxville Regional that will also include the
Miami RedHawks will battle Tennessee on Friday night. If you
miss Brian Smiley via RedHawks Coach. That podcast available on
the iHeartRadio app and we'll put Jordan Bishel up there
as well. Sports headlines and a chat with James Repine. Next,

(01:40:12):
this is the michelob Ultra five o'clock Happy Hour on
ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 6 (01:40:17):
Station, Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty traffic.

Speaker 5 (01:40:23):
From the UCE Health Traffic Center. At u See Health,
more at UCHealth dot com. East found Ronald Reagan Highway
closed off due to an accident between Blue Ash Road
and I seventy one. Please seek an alternate route in

(01:40:44):
the meantime. Police on the scene of an accident on
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after Fifer Road on that Ezelk with traffic.

Speaker 2 (01:40:54):
This report is sponsored by Rapid Radio. Sports Headlines are
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kelseyschev dot com. Redsen Royals Game two tonight in Kansas City,
sevent forty this evening, seven hundred WLW Rady Singer is
going to start for Cincinnati. Kansas City is going to
start the game with a lefty, Daniel Lynch. Should be

(01:41:16):
a bullpen game for the Royals starting lineup tonight, Friedols
in center, Espinal's ad third Elie's playing shortstop after dhing
yesterday Austin Hayes and left field Tyler Stevenson DH tonight
steers at first, lux at second. Travino is catching Will
Benson in right field this evening. College baseball Jordan Bischell
just joined us. The NCAA tournament selection was yesterday Cincinnati

(01:41:38):
and wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional. On Friday, Miami
versus Tennessee in the same region. FC Cincinnati tomorrow hosting Dallas.
Nick Haglan, this was serious. Broke a pair of ribs
on a Sunday night in that game against Atlanta, and
that was not the worst of it. Also had to
deal with a collapse lung, so they did a procedure
to take care of that. They're now going to do

(01:42:01):
one to repair the broken ribs. FC Cincinnati versus Dallas
tomorrow on ESPN fifteen thirty. In the NBA, it's the
Nickson Pacers Game four tonight in Indianapolis, Indie up two
games to one. NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Stars and Oilers,
Edmonton hosting Game four, leading that series two games to one.
We're sort of doing this kind of post the most

(01:42:25):
of the offseason workout Phase three. They were wearing helmets today.
Training camp is still two months away. What an opportune
time to spend some time in studio with James Rapine.
Bengals Talk dot Com. Some call it all Bengals, but
it's Bengals Talk dot Com. Enter the Jungle, Cincinnati Bengals
Talk on YouTube, a mainstay of Bally Sports or FanDuel

(01:42:48):
Sports Network after Reds games and so much more, and
the Locked on Bengals podcast. It's good to have you.
It takes me a half minute to announce all your jobs.
Did anything interesting happened at practice today?

Speaker 3 (01:43:01):
Oh? Man?

Speaker 2 (01:43:02):
So it rained. It rained.

Speaker 7 (01:43:04):
They moved from the indoor to the to the outdoor.

Speaker 2 (01:43:06):
Okay, how about that? They stretched? So they were going
to practice outside? Yep, they went inside and then came
back and went ahead and practiced outside anyway.

Speaker 7 (01:43:15):
Zach Taylor making them do laps around downtown.

Speaker 3 (01:43:18):
Wow?

Speaker 2 (01:43:19):
Interesting? Interesting?

Speaker 3 (01:43:20):
All right.

Speaker 2 (01:43:21):
So there's a few different topics I want to address.
Even though on one level there's not a lot going on,
on the other there's still lots of questions, a ton
of questions. So can you explain this Shamar Stewart thing
to me in terms that I can understand?

Speaker 7 (01:43:38):
Chamar once either one reassurances from an injury standpoint or
to his rookie contract to look like a Marius Mims's
did from a a structure standpoint. Neither of those things,
at least to this point, have happened, and so he's
not practicing right, and.

Speaker 2 (01:44:00):
It's wild. Why are we doing this?

Speaker 3 (01:44:02):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:44:02):
Is this something they do every year but the player
still practices?

Speaker 7 (01:44:06):
I don't think so. I So that's my question about
the injury part of it is Demetrius Knight did sign
an injury waiver that's gonna protect him and all of
those things. His deal isn't done. It's not weird that
a first round picks deal isn't done, but it's weird.
But it's weird that they're not practicing, very weird. And
that's a Maria's Mims was done in July. No one
cared because he was practicing. So that's the hang up

(01:44:28):
for me, Like, I don't care like Bengals. If you're like, oh,
why are they worried about these details, I'm actually not
couldn't care less. But if he's not practicing, if he's
not doing the lapse back and forth from the bubble
to the to the outdoor and back and in working
with Jerry Montgomery and working with Al Golden and working
with the coaches that you brought in. A big part
of the Bengals offseason upgrades were the coaches, Oh, we

(01:44:52):
can get more out of these young guys. Don't you
want them to have the first round pick and maximize
the time. It's not a lot of time they get
between now and training camp. Don't you want them to
maximize that time.

Speaker 2 (01:45:01):
It just seems to me, from a Bengals perspective, just silly,
like just silly, like, why why engage, why engage in
any sort of issue of any sort of contract back
and forth when it's one thing if we go, god,
you know what, they're fighting over something that might keep
him from practicing on the day one of training camp.
Nobody believes that's the case. So if that's not the case,

(01:45:24):
whatever you're fighting over is not that major that should
have you as an NFL franchise dig in.

Speaker 7 (01:45:30):
And his contract is going to be fully guaranteed right
every first round pick. It's not like like the Brown
sign Mason Graham today and it's like, oh, well, it's
a lot more than Stuart's going to get but forty
million guaranteed and I gotta tweet like, oh, well, Bengals
are probably scofnan at this.

Speaker 2 (01:45:45):
It's like, no, Stuart's guaranteed.

Speaker 7 (01:45:48):
Like there's no really haggling money wise, it's one of
a certain bonuses kicked in and all that.

Speaker 2 (01:45:53):
Like, just just get it done.

Speaker 3 (01:45:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:45:55):
I don't understand this.

Speaker 7 (01:45:56):
It's it's silly, and it's silly because you know they
need Jamar Stewart, you know it, So get him on
the field so he can start to hit the ground
running because I do think he can make an impact
in your one. But you don't want to put him
behind the eight ball going into training.

Speaker 2 (01:46:11):
Yeah you could tell me, well, these practices aren't that
big of a deal, that's fine, But if they didn't
matter at all, they wouldn't be having them.

Speaker 7 (01:46:18):
It's like he's missing something that's right, and that's what's
Last week I asked Zach about this and I was like, well,
what's he missing? Yeah, I know he's in the meetings
and he's like, well, yeah, it's important to be on
the field, and that's right.

Speaker 3 (01:46:31):
It is.

Speaker 7 (01:46:32):
They do this for a reason why, And I get
it He's not going to be rolling into training camp
twenty days later with a boombox like Achille Smith. I
understand that, but I want him out there now, and
they should want him out there now. And whatever they're
haggling over on both sides, maybe it's Chamar's agent being
a weirdo and being really weird with what he's asking

(01:46:52):
for about I don't know that for sure. I'm not
in the negotiations regardless. Everybody should want Shamar Stewart on
the field.

Speaker 2 (01:46:58):
Cordell Wolson takes a pay cut if he didn't take
the pay cut, is he cut? Is he was that
to take a pay cut or go?

Speaker 7 (01:47:05):
It doesn't feel like it right when I saw the
details today, it's only a five hundred thousand dollars cap savings.
He gives him five hundred thousand dollars in guaranteed money.
He has per game roster bonuses, which literally mean if
you're active for these games, six hundred thousand dollars in
per game roster bonuses. His cap hit went from three
point six to three point one million dollars. Like it's like, okay,

(01:47:26):
well you saved a little yeah, but I don't really
like clearly Cordell was in your plans if that was it,
Because if I if it was me, I'd say take
the pay cut down to one point five which is
his base salary. Take that and that's your salary this
year or you're gone.

Speaker 3 (01:47:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:47:42):
I don't think they did that. Why is Jermaine Pratt
still a Bengal? Mmmm? As we sit here today, he
is still a Bengal. Beats me. You want to talk
about saving money? This is not something If you would
have said to me on April first, this is well
before the draft, that we'd be coming out of Memorial
Day weekend and Jermaine Pratt would still be a Bengals employee,

(01:48:02):
I would have said, you're nuts, And yet here we are.

Speaker 7 (01:48:04):
Yeah. And how about him with the the zzz emojives today?
On the idea that he could rework his contract, I would.

Speaker 2 (01:48:13):
Be just took two linebackers on the draft.

Speaker 7 (01:48:16):
If they do that and find another one in free agency,
I would be I'd be floored by the way. Now,
maybe he comes crawling back like, please don't let me.
I just don't think he's going to do that. Yeah,
But all indications that I've gotten publicly privately Jermaine Pratt is.
I mean even going back to like, uh, the combine,

(01:48:37):
It's not like there were Oh man, Jermaine's a big
part al. Golden helped draft or was here in the
second year and got the most out of Jermaine. Right,
So he knows them, knows him very well. I didn't
help draft them. I misspoke there, but knows him.

Speaker 3 (01:48:49):
Well right, all right.

Speaker 2 (01:48:50):
The Trey Hendrickson thing, what thing, the thing, the thing,
the issue, the grand standing, the back and forth, the
comments from Katie Blackburn Trey Hendrickson two weeks ago, which
you were there for, and a big part of yes,
the questions about what the Bengals have offered, the questions
about whether or not Trey should accept that offer, the

(01:49:11):
questions about whether or not he's going to be on
the field week one. Let's start there. Should I, because
he has handled this a little bit differently than some
of the other players the Bengals have been in standoffs with.
Should I take the thread of him missing the first
game a little bit more serious?

Speaker 3 (01:49:26):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:49:26):
Because I do you should.

Speaker 7 (01:49:28):
I think there's a very real possibility he does not
play in that first game. If the Bengals don't blink
at all. I don't think he's just going to say,
all right, I'm going to take your deal or I'm
going to play this out, because if he plays it out,
he can still get tag next year and he could
be in the same spot. And he's been in the
spot over and over and over again. That's his mind.
That's how he used it, regardless of how anybody else
use it, that's how he'd used it. So if he

(01:49:49):
has to sit I think he'll seriously consider it, now,
will he? I know he loves football, right, he wants
to be out there. That's really tough to do.

Speaker 2 (01:49:57):
And that's real money. He's real We're going yeah, So
where does it go?

Speaker 7 (01:50:02):
I think that's really interesting, And that's this is it
goes back. It's the same logic like with Shamar Stewart,
is it really worth a million or two?

Speaker 3 (01:50:10):
Shamar?

Speaker 7 (01:50:11):
You know that that it's more petty bonuses and stuff
like that and when things hit. But with with Trey,
if they really offer twenty eight million per it's not
that far off.

Speaker 2 (01:50:23):
No, they're in the they're not in the same ballpark.
They're in the same zip code.

Speaker 7 (01:50:27):
For sure, right, And so like if you get to
thirty or thirty one Trey's gonna take it.

Speaker 2 (01:50:32):
So that's that's right, when it's not that. When I
saw the twenty eight get reported, you know, because people
have said, well, they're not paying Trey no. Number one,
he's under contract for this year number one. They have
offered him a raise and an extension. And then when
we saw what was reported the dollar figure amount twenty eight,
my thinking was, Okay, there has to be somewhere in

(01:50:53):
the middle that's amenable to both. Sure, the Bengals have
already come a far away from you know, roughly sixteen,
which was he was going to play unto this year
to twenty eight. But you can't tell me with him
basically announcing to the world, I'm going to be a
distraction them. Checking off one more box to have a
normal training camp is to get Trey in the fold.
You can't tell me there's not some room on both sides.

(01:51:15):
Here's what I would do. Agent James or negotiator James.
One might argue, you'd be a better agent than Trey's agent.
Right now, I think he would have more money in
his pocket. Look, I would say three years seventy or
two years seventy six million dollars and that's first twelve
of that is this year, takes them from sixteen to
twenty eight. For this year, it's a huge rays, gets

(01:51:38):
them some cash flow next year makes thirty two million
dollars in salary. That final year, the Bengals can get
out of it really easy. If it isn't loaded with
guaranteed money, can get out of it really easy if
he's not performing.

Speaker 7 (01:51:51):
If he is, guess what you're going to see the
length of your deal. That's the way to go. That's
he might not get his guaranteed money, but he gets
the salary to a certain word level where he feels
good at it.

Speaker 2 (01:52:01):
Let's say he misses the first two games and the
Bengals win them, then what does he do? Like, he
misses the first two games and Al Golden's defense is
playing at a at a high level and they're getting
after the quarterback, and maybe maybe Miles Murphy actually has
a sack, Maybe Schamar Stewart's making an impact. Maybe the
the doubling down on Joseph Osaiah is paying off. But
to me, that the wholdout whold.

Speaker 7 (01:52:21):
This is a fun Rosie, but ros Bengals.

Speaker 2 (01:52:24):
Everybody says the Bengals have to get off to a
faster start. Everybody also believes the first two games they're
going to be favored in right, more than winnable. So
let's say they win them. To me, Trey's he has
no leverage now except I'm going to miss the first
two games. If he misses those first two games and
they win them and the defense is fine, then what
does he do If.

Speaker 7 (01:52:42):
You're if you're tray and you choose to play it
out or choose to miss games, then I think you're
playing it out anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:52:49):
M hm.

Speaker 7 (01:52:49):
So your leverage from a negotiating with the Bengals. You're
hoping they don't tag you. You're hoping to be such
a headache, but then when you do come back, be
so good that other NFL teams are lining up to
pay you, even though you're thirty one going into your AH.

Speaker 2 (01:53:04):
So you think, if he misses game one, he's missing
the first ten. I wouldn't be rushing to come back, right.
So you like, if you're choosing to miss, right, why
are you blinking after two A games? Brought the same
thing up with Jamar Chase last year, like, why don't
we always make it about the first game? But I
think I think as as much as many of us
are taking seriously the threat that he misses Game one,

(01:53:26):
I don't think most of us want to wrap our
brains around the idea of him missing more than half
of the season willingly. And that's and that's a lot
of damn money. It's a lot of money. That's a
lot of damn a lot of money.

Speaker 7 (01:53:38):
And at the same time, if you're the Bengals, you
can get him, he can get paid and you don't
have to give him Max Crosby money, right, Like, I
would be shocked if he's like, I'm just not going
to sign anything unless it's this.

Speaker 3 (01:53:55):
He's not.

Speaker 2 (01:53:56):
He's kind of said that. I mean, to his credit,
I've been critical of him during this process. He has
never said I want to be the highest paid edge
rusher in the league.

Speaker 7 (01:54:03):
I think Trey wants to feel like it's a collaboration
to bring him back, and instead it's been like, here,
this is our offer, and he's like, well, can we
go back and forth?

Speaker 2 (01:54:17):
Can we talk? And they're like no, Yeah, that's how
it feels. I don't know if that's how it's how
it felt. When Katie Blackburn spoke at the owner's meetings,
he's got to be happy, and it's like, yeah, okay,
he's got to be happy.

Speaker 7 (01:54:28):
But I get like he wants to feel a part
of a part of the process a little bit and
feel loved and feel like he's one of the top
ed Russers. Like I do think that matters, and you're
seeing that a bit, and I do think he feels
a bit trapped as well.

Speaker 2 (01:54:42):
Between now and the start of training camp. What's interesting
about the Bengals. They need to upgrade this roster.

Speaker 7 (01:54:49):
Yeah, like there are guys out there does and so
maybe that's what these little things are that they're doing,
and they're going to be aggressive. And when you're in
in the year twenty twenty five in the NFL, when
you have an elite quarterback, there's no such thing as
a Madden move or a oh my goodness, I can't believe,

(01:55:12):
Like stop with that, like I'm big. Oh, well, you
should be interested in this veteran in that veteran, Yeah,
they should, Like that's where they should be. Now, that's
the ballpark that they should be in. Always, how do
we upgrade this roster? How do we get better? And
so my hope is that they'll see the team during
this offseason program and say let's address this, this and this.

Speaker 2 (01:55:32):
So I agree with you, but I guess I would say,
you watched last year's team, all right, and you need
off season voluntary workouts to form your decision making about
your roster. I don't, but I know it. But if
if let's say that was the story that they they
go through mini camp and then during that five or

(01:55:53):
six week stretch where they're not doing anything before training camp,
they go, you know what we need to add pieces?
I mean I would go, well, what were you watching
last year and what were you thinking during the first
like three waves of free agency that now you've arrived
at a point where you go, we have to upgrade
the roster.

Speaker 7 (01:56:08):
Well, clearly the entire front office was really negotiating with
T Higgins and Jamar Chase's agent and Rocky Arsenal. I mean,
I really do look back at that and I'm like,
did you guys just have all hands on deck to
get those done?

Speaker 2 (01:56:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 7 (01:56:22):
Like there were other guys you could have went and got.

Speaker 2 (01:56:25):
That strains credibility when I hear from them that the
change of heart with Tea and having to get both
done required so much time and effort that they had
to ignore the rest of the roster, the dumbest thing
out that strains all sorts of credibility. I cannot believe
that that's actually the case. You can't multitask and.

Speaker 7 (01:56:47):
In the way not to get too deep into the
CAP stuff, right, but like those contracts are eating way
more into the cap this year even then they needed to.
So if CAP is an issue and that's why you're
doing all these things with Cordell and Gino and Zach Mah, yes,
well they really didn't have to be and I I
am disappointed with what they have done or haven't done. However,

(01:57:08):
you want to look at it from a veteran standpoint,
because I think there were some clear guys even now
late May that can help you, and that shouldn't be
the case. They should just already be on your roster.

Speaker 2 (01:57:19):
Awesome stuff is always Thank you so much.

Speaker 7 (01:57:21):
Thanks for having me in studio, in studio to do
this more.

Speaker 2 (01:57:24):
Yeah, come come by any time. Ye come by and
visit the studio decorations and really looks good in here,
doesn't it. It does Awesome stuff. James Repine, Bengals Talk
dot Com Enter the Jungle, Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube.
Those new curtains Locked On Bengals, Yeah, I put them
up this weekend. I knew it had a little extra time. James,
thank you. Thanks man, James Repine. Follow him on Twitter

(01:57:46):
at James Repine Bengals Talk dot Com, Cincinnati Bengals Talk
on YouTube, Enter the Jungle and the Locked On Bengals Podcast.
We are done. I want to thank the folks that
I heard Indianapolis for giving us a studio to do
the show from today. My thanks to A. Terran Bland
for producing the show as always. We return tomorrow at
three oh five full Red's Royals plus Devin Kerr, Apple

(01:58:09):
TV MLS season past joins us at three thirty three,
and so much more. Have an awesome night. Thank you
for listening. This is ESPN fifteen thirty and the michelob
Ultra five o'clock Happy Hour ESPN fifteen thirty, Cincinnati Sports.

Speaker 1 (01:58:23):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty.

Speaker 5 (01:58:33):
You'll find comprehensive care that's so personal it makes your
more at UCHealth dot com. East Bound Ronald Reagan Highway
remains closed off from an accident between blue Ash Road
and I seventy one. Traffic stopped back from Plainfield Road.

(01:58:56):
Another accident on Cornell Road at Main Street, and an
injury accident Witton Road at North Bend Road Imedi Zellic
with traffic

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