2025-09-30 - LEACH REPORT

Tom talks with Larry Vaught, Jon Hale, and Richard Skinner.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good day, everybody. Welcome into the Leech Report. It is
presented by Bobcat Enterprises. Coming up today, Larry Vaught will
join us as he does on Tuesdays from your sports
edge dot com. John Hale, who covers Kentucky football for
the Lexington Herald Leader, and he just finished up his
latest weekly exchange with his viewers on the mailbag segments

(00:27):
that he does, and we'll talk to John about that
and more, and then Richard Skinner from Channel twelve. In Cincinnati.
It is opening night, the Major League Baseball opening day
for the Major League Baseball Playoffs, and the Reds are
in They will play the last game of the day
against the Dodgers in LA nine oh eight. I think
is the exact first pitch on ESPN tonight, as Cincinnati

(00:52):
is in the playoffs for I think the first time
since the COVID year, but in terms of a regular season,
it's the first time and I want to say twelve years,
and all three games if it's the best of three series,
so both or all three games would be in Los Angeles.
It's got to the Wildcat News of the Day. It's
always presented by Giuseppies of Lexington. Mark Stoops did his

(01:15):
weekly news conference and a radio show yesterday. Last night,
of the radio show, I asked him about what he
would say to the Kentucky fans who are certainly hurting
right now with what is happening with their football program
after a loss to South Carolina left Kentucky at two

(01:36):
and two and it just looked so bad down in
Columbia with how Kentucky self destructed in that second quarter,
and Mark talked about we find the exact quote here.
He said, Yeah, I completely understand that. I don't think
there's anything I could say to make them feel better.

(01:56):
I know the people throughout Kentucky nobody wants excuses, and
we're not here to give them any. I just can't
say that. I just say that I really like this team,
and I know they care and work hard. We've got
to put at a spot where we're not as good
as we've been, but we're working extremely hard to get
out of it. I know we're better, even though it
doesn't always feel that way. So that's about as well
as he could explain his position, given the circumstances that

(02:22):
nobody really wants to hear anything other than you know,
either a change or improvement and so they now must
go into a brutal stretch. We'll talk about this with
John Hale when he joins us, because he did a
story for the Herald Leader putting this into an historical
context with Kentucky facing three top fifteen teams over the

(02:45):
next four weeks. There at Georgia, which is eleventh, and
then they will have an open date, and then they
will face number nine Texas and then'll be followed by
number fifteen Tennessee. So we did that when the schedule
came out, it was just going to be a brutal October.
It would if Kentucky was going to outperform expectations. The

(03:10):
best hope was going to be to come out of
September at three and one. They're one game off that pace,
so they'll have to make it up somewhere, either an
upset this month or to get hot in November, and
obviously nobody is forecasting that at the moment, but things
do change, so we will see and we will talk

(03:32):
with our guests today about all of that. Evan Miakawa
out with his preseason Top twenty five from an analytics
standpoint evanmia dot com. It's e v a n m
i ya dot com trying to get ev it on
again soon. He's been on with this couple of times
to talk about the upcoming college basketball season. He has
Kentucky ranked tenth in his preseason Top twenty five. His

(03:56):
analytics have Kentucky pegged as the ninth best defensive team,
sixteenth best offensive team, and with the number two ranked
transfer class. Houston's the preseason number one in his top
twenty five, followed by Purdue, Duke Florida, and Michigan. Seven
SEC teams included in the top twenty five. Links to

(04:16):
the stories that we talk about each day you can
find those on the bud Light Leech Report page that
is at Tom leachky dot com. Our opening segment always
presented by Just Seppes of Lexington, located off Nicholasville Road
just past man O War Boulevard here in Lexington, and
it is a great spot to celebrate any special occasion,
whether it's a birthday, an anniversary, promotion, whatever it might be,

(04:41):
or after a day at Kieland or at a UK
sporting event. Get to open Table. Make your plans now
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We'll be right back. It's the Lynch Report coming to
you from the Carr Pumping Shop studio. Return refresh reviewal

(05:04):
at Clark's and make sure you get signed up for
their loyalty rewards program as well as we welcome in
Larry Vaunt to the program from your sports Edge dot
com and Vaughtsviews dot com and also you hear him
on Sunday mornings on the Sunday Morning Sports Talk Show
with Anthony White and Jack Pilgrim and Bo Robinson each
week here in Lexington. I imagine that was not a very

(05:27):
festive occasion this past Sunday, was it, Larry.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Well, No, there's a lot of the concern and I
don't know, apprehension about what's going to go on with
the UK football Rogan for the rest of the season.
But after what happened in South Carolina, you kind of
would have been expecting a lot of people to be
a little worried and concerned with what they sell.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
I certainly think so. I mean, there's that just looks
awful when it plays out that way, you know, and Kentucky,
we talked about it on the air, had a night
like that down there in seven and against South Carolina,
But that was a team that had banks some good
will by that point, and this team doesn't have that
to lean on right now.

Speaker 2 (06:11):
Now when you go four and eight, when you start
out losing both of your first two conference games, you
have I would say probably zero goodwill right now, and
there's really no way to change it much. You go
out and win games, and unfortunately now you might looks
like you get into the toughest part of your schedule
where wins are going to be even harder to get.

Speaker 1 (06:32):
After the game, and You've got a story about Cutter
Bowley up at your sports edge dot com. He was
talking with the reporters and he said, I really do
believe every dude in that locker room believes we're going
to put it all together and do something special. And
those last three words. You'll remember this Aaron Harrison, And

(06:53):
it was in South Carolina after Kentucky had a really
bad loss to the game Cocks, and that team did
do something special. So I don't know if this team
could pull off it's version of that, but it was
just it struck me when I saw those three words,
and it was at South Carolina. It's kind of ironic
that that phrase came out.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah, I hadn't really thought about that because I was
actually the one that asked the question that Aaron gave
that answer to that. I was remember sitting there at
the time thinking, yeah, that's streaming stream inside. I mean,
what you've been through to do something so again, but
I do think that team is probably a little bit
better position to still have a change through something special
than what the UK football team might be. But again,

(07:37):
you got to have that belief if it's ever going
to happen. I believe, and I do think Cutter was
very serious about that because that's just the way that
he thinks. And I don't think that he feels overwhelmed
because of what happened. I think he's probably more frustrated
than overwhelmed, and hopefully they can get things back together
for them. And he took some shots that there's you
and Jeff, we're talking about you. If King Lynchric quarterback

(08:01):
get beat like that. We saw what happened last year
when that happened, and he took some pretty big blows
during that game.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
And yeah, I'm excited. Guys like Andre Woodson and Mike
hartline that had rough starts in their careers, early stages
of their careers that came on to be great quarterbacks.
So you don't want to read too much into just
one bad performance in the first sec road start for
you know, a young quarterback. But he's going to be

(08:29):
put to the test this.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
Month, Yes, he certainly is. He's just got to have
some help from somebody on that receiver group. They've got
to figure a way to be able to get some
people open or get the ball to them on different ways.
And I'll to where the quarterback didn't just stand back
there and take that beating. And again I don't know

(08:51):
exactly if sometimes he held it, if you had somebody
open and he held it too long, or if he
had no choice but to hold the ball because there
wasn't anybody open up a tab or two. He did
kind of try to force the ball down the field,
But that's just cutter. He's pretty confident that he could
do that. But I think after that exchange in the
second quarter there, maybe that confidence got shattered just a

(09:12):
little bit. Plus you didn't know who was coming from
where to come to come get you. So it was
just so frustrating because they started the game so good,
and you're thinking, wow, maybe this could maybe they got
something going here, and you still just wonder if I'm
then fumble, if Pete had just fallen on the ball,
what might have happened then instead of things just flipping
like it is so quick?

Speaker 1 (09:33):
Oh, you're exactly right, And because they were. I was
actually talking to Mark about this before we started the
show last night. I said, you were in exactly the
spot you wanted to be in. They had made a
couple of special teams mistakes that helped do you get
your you know, go ahead touchdown to start the game
and a shanked punt had you set up at the
forty and you got a first down in their territory

(09:54):
and at ten to seven lead, I mean, you couldn't
have expected to be in a better spot, and the
and it just all fell apart, you know, the scoop
and score and then the pick six, and you know,
once it was twenty eight ten where they are offensively
right now, the game was over. I was saying about
this yesterday, Learry from a standpoint of trying to explain

(10:16):
where Kentucky is at the moment, It's like a golfer
has to approach a tournament that is a four day tournament.
And you'll hear golfers say this, sometimes you can't lose
it in the first or second round, or can't win
it in the first or second round, but you can't
lose it and you know or that you just need
to hang around until Sunday. And that's where what Kentucky

(10:37):
is at the moment. Offensively, they lost that game in
the second quarter. They've got they've got to be able
to find a way to minimize risk and you know,
whatever whatever it takes to just stay in the game
until the fourth quarter and then see if you can
make something happen.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
Speech to the US Rider Cup team, it's the same
thing happened to them.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
But you never had a worse Saturday than the Wildcats.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
Yeah, absolutely, And you're right. The game was going just
the way that Mark Stoops would have wanted it to you,
and you felt like, well mcgallan might run for two
hundred yards or something in the way that they were
pounded on South Carolina right there. But once South Carolina
got that lead and knew that Kentucky was going to
throw the ball, and they kind of change the way

(11:25):
they were approaching defense a little bit, and they just
overwhelmed Kentucky. So they've got to try to regroup, and
it sort it doesn't getting easier going to Georgia, which
coming off that lost to Alabama. You know what's what
they're going to be facing there. And I don't know
exactly how bark rallies the troops this week, but they've

(11:48):
just got to find a way on offense to be
either more creative and to play Colleen, or find somebody
different to put into the game that maybe can get open.
I mean, I don't know if it's maybe time a
couple of those young receivers we heard so much about
it in the spring in the preseason, maybe give a
couple of those guys a chance to play, because right
now the older receivers, for whatever reason, they're not able

(12:12):
to get the ball to them.

Speaker 1 (12:14):
Yeah, I understand that line of thinking.

Speaker 3 (12:17):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
I always say there reaches a point in sports centers
in a situation where if if the known isn't good enough,
it makes the unknown more attractive.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah, it sure does. And we heard so much about
DJ Miller and I'm Tavid Quisenberry in the spring and
saw what they give a couple of open practices and
now with the way they're struggling to get the ball
to some of these guys, and it's been a puzzle
because you doubt, for once you'd heard these guys in
the transfer portal we're going to be big playmakers for

(12:48):
them on offensive receivers, but so far it just hasn't
hasn't worked that way. To heard Jeff talking about that
with you on air Saturday that it looked like those
guys just weren't getting open and after four games, I
think that's got to be a pretty big concern.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
Larry Vatt you can read him at your sports edge
dot com and hear him on Sundays on the Sunday
Morning sports talk show here at Lexington. Thank you, Larry.
Twenty two past the top of the hour. It's the
Leech Report presented by Bobcat Enterprises, and we will be
back with John Hale from the Lexington Hair Leader. It
is the Leach Report presented by Bobcat Enterprises. Twenty five

(13:27):
past the top of the hours. We welcome John Hale
to the program. He covers Kentucky football for the Lexington
Hair Leader, Kentucky Sports dot Com and the Wildcats have
a brutal October coming up. John three games against top
fifteen teams over the next four weeks, starting Saturday at Georgia,
and you have a post up at Kentucky dot com

(13:50):
Kentucky sports dot com putting that into an historical perspective.

Speaker 3 (13:54):
Right, Yeah, Assuming as long as those teams maintain or
proved their rankings by the time Kentucky plays them, it
would only be the fourth time in program history they've
played three top fifteen teams in a row, according to
the A People, and happened a couple of times, like
nineteen seventy, nineteen fifty eight, and then happened that twenty
seventeen British Books team, the number one LSU upset that

(14:16):
everybody remembers was the middle game of a stretch of
three against top fifteen team. So it has not happened
very often, and it could have been, you know, even
worse because South Carolina they played last week in Auburn,
who's after that. We're both ranked two weeks ago, and
certainly Florida, even the team after Auburn was ranked preseason.
So it's a very very difficult stretch of games, which
I think is why you sent some of this despair

(14:39):
among amongst the fan based after Saturday's game, because like,
even if Mark Stoops is right and they are better
and you can see some of these incremental improvements, and
you know, can dream on maybe some of the games
in November being a little more winnable, Like that kind
of stretch of your schedule, you always just have to wonder,
like what even kind of team are you going to
look like coming out of it? So it's certainly not

(15:01):
for the faint of heart coming up.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
The phrase that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger
comes to mind. You cite these three seasons fifty eight, seventy,
and two thousand and seven. I read your piece, and
I hadn't gone back and looked this up yet, but
I do remember in two thousand and seven they won
one of those, which was number one LSU, and if
memory serves, in the seventy season, they beat number thirteen

(15:27):
Kansas State. I think that was the game when they
sacked Landon Dickey about eight hundred times and it's like
a negative ninety three rushing yard, still a record for
an opponent.

Speaker 3 (15:35):
Yeah, yeah, so they did win one in both of
those two stretches. Obviously, that twenty seventeen I think they
were ranked number nine in the country or or eight
going into that stretch that started with South Carolina, then LSU,
and then the game day game against Florida. So that
was a really good Kentucky team too. That nineteen seventy
team lost their first game, then beat number thirteen Kansas
State the next week, and then they only won one

(15:56):
more game the rest of the season, So that clearly
was not one of the Kentucky football teams of all time.
And it just kind of goes crazy things can happen
in college football. I mean, they could pull off an
upset in the next three weeks and it would shock
a lot of people, including most Kentucky fans. But we've
seen crazy things like that happen before, even in this program,
so it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Speaker 1 (16:17):
For a little light reading. You always ask people to
send in their comments and questions for the mailbag segment.
I'm sure it's always interesting sorting through all of that
and choosing the ones to focus on. And obviously there's
just a lot of you know, anger, frustration, et cetera.
Right now, But in terms of legit questions, what is

(16:41):
there is the offense probably the one that generates the most.

Speaker 3 (16:45):
Yeah, for sure. I mean, obviously there's a lot of
people who want coaching changes and all that, and every
week I have to try and explain why, you know,
that's premature for a number of reasons. But certainly I
think that at this point, there's no you can't really
argue about the fact that the offense has just been
wroefully disappointing for you know, several seasons now, but certainly
this year too. Any anytime your opponent's defense outscores your offense,

(17:08):
that's that's pretty bad. And the thing that I'm trying
to get a better handle on that I asked Bush
Hammon about after the game and Mark stoops yesterday, is like,
what has to happen for them to get in the
spot where it doesn't feel so daunting anytime they get
down by multiple scores, which is how it has felt
for several years here now. And Mark steps has been
very farm about the fact they're just not built to

(17:29):
come back in those kind of angs. And that's what
we saw Saturday when it gotten to the point where
everybody knew they had to throw, especially in some of
those third longs. That's when South Carolina you know, kind
of released the pass rush and Cutter had so much
time trouble getting rid of it and resulted in a
couple turnovers. Like that is a real problem for this team.
So how do they get around that? And I'm not
sure there's an answer other than, you know, getting better
players at some point and the scheme, the system, the

(17:52):
personnel they have, it just doesn't feel like that is
realistic at the moment.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
We will continue to chat with John Hale or the
lex and Hair leader when we ran back. We're halfway home.
On this Tuesday edition of The Leech Report, Richard Skinner
talking about the Reds and Bengals coming up in the
second half as well. Second half of the Leech Report
presented by Bobcat Enterprises for locations around the state. Google
Bobcat Enterprises. When you or someone you know has a

(18:19):
need to buy or rent heavy equipment excavators, gets deer loaders, Bobcats, tractors,
et cetera, they'll have it give you a great service
after the sale as well. It's Bobcat Enterprises. John Hale
is with us. He covers Kentucky football for the Lexington,
Hero Leader Kentucky Sports dot Com. It's at John Hale

(18:40):
underscore HL on X.

Speaker 3 (18:41):
Is that right, John, That's correct?

Speaker 1 (18:43):
All right, that's where you follow him to get the
updates on the upcoming coverage of the Cats. And this
is a challenging time, to say the least for the Wildcats.
So what was your take on what you heard from Cutter?
Bowley saw it and heard from him after the game.

Speaker 3 (19:02):
Yeah, it was interesting. He did not seem phased at all,
which you know, in our limited interactions with Cutter over
the last two years, seems pretty to character. I remember
writing a story last year after his debut at Florida,
which obviously that game was already decided when they put
him in the fourth quarter. He threw that pick six
on its first play, and he ended up going over
six that day and talking to him that next week
about how you know, it just didn't phase him, and

(19:23):
all his teammates and his coaches said the same thing, like,
that's the same message that we've gotten this week, And
it certainly seemed that way talking to Cutter on Saturday.
He was not like dejected or you know, a guy
who looked overwhelmed by the moment afterwards, Like he knows
he made some mistakes. He knows that probably that first
road sec start environment got to him a couple of times.

(19:43):
But I don't think it's going to be a situation
where that's going to be in his head and moving forward,
which is good because obviously the test gets even harder
this week.

Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah, it does down between the hedges. You know, if
you're the play caller for quarterback who's wasn't expected to
be your starter. That wasn't the plan. So he's thrust
into this role. He's a red shirt freshman, so he
started one game against a powerful opponent didn't go well
last year, and now he's on the road for the
first time and that doesn't go well. You go through

(20:12):
practice with players, and for all the benefit that practice springs,
is still not like a game situation and when there's
real adversity and everything's at the highest level of speed,
so you learn things. So what do you think Bush
Hampden maybe has learned through those two tests under the

(20:34):
most extreme circumstances last year Louisville this year South Carolina
to maybe better understand how he and Cutter can move forward.

Speaker 3 (20:43):
Yeah, I mean, I think that they probably need to
focus on getting the ball out a little quicker at times.
But some of that I think is just the growing
pains of a young quarterback and one of the reasons
he didn't win the job out of camp. Like it
feels like talking to all of those guys bush Mark
and Cutter after the game and yesterday that that some
of those plays he took sacks on, like, he just
needs to understand what his read is immediately, and the

(21:05):
veteran quarterback probably knows that, and so you see pressures coming. Okay,
I have to go to this guy right away, and
a young guy just needs reps to do that. And
so I'm sure you know, some of those shovel passes
that we saw the Kinderclaw that were pretty effective on Saturday,
They're going to do more of that just to kind of,
you know, keep ahead of the chain. So they're going
to continue to rely on the running game, but they
have to be balanced. I know, I got a question

(21:25):
in the mailbag about why they abandoned the run. They
didn't really abandon the run. I mean, even though the
drive with the with the fumble, sack and the pick
six right afterwards, they ran the ball three or four
times in a row to start those drives. But when
the run's not effective and you get in second and
along and getting third and long, like, you have to
throw it eventually. And that's the situation they're really struggling
in right now, So doing whatever they can to stay

(21:47):
ahead of the change is really really important. I mean,
he did play, remember, really well in the second half
of Texas last year, so he has done it on
the road. They just didn't score any points in the
second half when he was in there, So I assume
they're going to look at that and remind it like
you've done this before, you've done it, pointing out the
good things you did on Saturday, and then just hopefully
build from there.

Speaker 1 (22:06):
They you think back to last year with the offense
was struggling. I think in comparison. You know, for instance,
Mark said after the game that it's you know, basically
acknowledging it's hard to make this case empirically at the moment,
but he believes they are a better team. One way
that they are is they have a better running attack
than they had. So they do have something there, especially

(22:27):
with McGowan, that they can you know, at least one
foundational piece to build an offense around.

Speaker 3 (22:33):
Yeah, it feels like they have an identity this year,
and last year it felt like the entire season they
were just kind of throwing things at the wall, trying
to figure out what would work week to week. But
when you have that run game and what the interior
offensive line has done so far, like that is something
to build around. Obviously, if you can't throw the ball,
eventually teams are just going to stack the box. It's
going to be much harder to run it. So they
do have to figure out a way to say balance,

(22:54):
But that is something to at least build on, especially
in these tough road environments, to know like you have
a blue print to run the ball, to control the clock,
to win the possessions, to do all those things Saturday,
and it worked really well those first two drives. I'm
sure they're reminding them of that over and over and
over again this week. Like the plan worked for two drives.
It was just when that adversity hit, they weren't able
to respond to it. And so they've got to build

(23:16):
on those first two possessions. What they were able to
do there. They don't need to ever be in a situation,
I think right now where Cutter has to win the
game for them. He just can't lose the game for them,
which is you know, frankly what happened on those those
back to back turnovers.

Speaker 1 (23:28):
Yeah, that's what I was just talking about with Larry.
It's like they almost have to approach games like a
golfer approaches around the golf and and maybe a golfer
that you know is not the you know, Roy McElroy
or one of the top ones. You're you're playing, gonna
play four days, Well, you're gonna play four quarters. You
just want to you want to make sure you don't
lose the tournament if you're that golfer in the first

(23:51):
couple of days, and give yourself a chance to win
it on Sunday. And that's what they did against Ole
Miss and that's what they were on track to do
until things fell a part in the second quarter and
they just have to the challenge I think guessing you
would agree is to keep your players invested in that
plan when it doesn't go well.

Speaker 4 (24:10):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
Absolutely, And that's why Mark is being so positive in
his public comments. And I know that a lot of
fans just want to see him, you know, scream and
yell and throw things and be as upset as they are.
And I'm sure he is that upset behind the scenes,
but he has to keep these guys in gage. He
knows what the schedule is coming up, he knows what
the challenge is going to be. Like if they do
that and it doesn't work, you get really quickly. So
they have to remind them of how close they were

(24:31):
on those first two drives. That's why he keeps bringing
up that the pick six was actually kind of a
flukey play. It was the right read. He just threw
it a little late and it got tipped and like,
as Marcus said multiple times since the end of the game,
like South Carolina had to play like that. They got
tipped and ended up in one of their receiver's hands.
So that's kind of fluky. You don't think that's going
to happen very often. The thing he can't do is
the second interception, where he was just he just chucked

(24:54):
it up there because he was trying to desperately make
a play and the guy picked it off and they
got a short field touchdown out of it. Like, you
cannot do that, especially as good as your punter is.
You have to remind cutter, like taking a sack is
not the worst thing in the world. We have a
great punter, we can flip the field. Our defense is
pretty good, Like build around that and just keep reminding
those things over and over.

Speaker 1 (25:13):
Yeah, it's it's not anything particularly appealing sales pitch, but
having a great punter is a great asset for this
team at the moment because if you, you know, take
you take the sack, whatever, just don't turn it over.
Negative plays can be overcome with the punter. Turnovers can't.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
Yeah, and absolutely, and they have an excellent field goal kicker.
It appears too. I mean he's eight for eight in
the season. I think it's the best start for any
kicker in program history. It's already like the fourth longest
streak of consecutive made field goals in program history. Like,
you don't have to always score touchdowns, Like just remind
yourself if you're keeping points on the board, If you
can build on those two guys and help you out,
then some of these games that are gonna closer, maybe

(25:55):
it doesn't work, you can Storgia, although they tend to
play them close. Maybe it doesn't work against Texas, But
there are games in the second half the schedule where
that should really work. You just have to make sure
you get through these few weeks without losing losing the team.

Speaker 1 (26:07):
To continue the golf analogy, you know, points are like
birdies at the US opened for this team right now,
they're been hard to come by, So you have to
seize the opportunities that you get. And I think you
know a couple of they were in a position, I
mean with with cowways like strength, you have a chance
to think about a field goal further out than you

(26:27):
normally do. And you know the Old Miss games, South
Carolina game, right at the end of the first half,
especially Old Miss, but I thought even Saturday they had
a chance to be in a position to have a
shot at getting three out of that and you have
to take advantage of those.

Speaker 3 (26:41):
Yeah, And that's why that sequence at the end of
the first half against Ole Miss was so crucial because
the way that would evolve so quickly and got them
out of field goal range. If you get three points there,
then those possessions in the fourth quarter, whether they were
kind of forced to go for it on fourth and
whatever in the red zone and field goal range, like
you don't have to do that you can kick on
that spot. You bet you piloup bill goals and then

(27:02):
all sets a different game.

Speaker 1 (27:03):
At the end. You can read John Hale's coverage of
the Cats in Kentucky Kentucky sports dot com and follow
at John Hale Underscore hl on X.

Speaker 3 (27:12):
Thank you, John, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (27:14):
Seventeen away from the top of the hour, it is
the Leech Report Radio Network, and we will be right
back with Richard Skinner talking about all the great excitement
up in Cincinnati for the Reds starting in the MLB
playoffs tonight, fourteen away from the top of the hour,
we welcome Richard Skinner into the program from Channel twelve
in Cincinnati at Local twelve Skinny on X. Richard, what's

(27:37):
it like to be a sports guy in Cincinnati covering
the Reds right now?

Speaker 4 (27:43):
Well, there's the yin and the yang of what the
Reds accomplished and what the Bengals are doing at the most.
So you've got a great time on one side of
the aisle and you got a downtrot group of fans
on the other side.

Speaker 3 (27:54):
Of the aisle.

Speaker 1 (27:55):
Thank goodness. I tried to watch a little bit of
that last night when I got to twenty one three,
I just gave up, as I'm sure many other Bengal
followers did. Broncos ended up winning that twenty eight to three.
But you know, with the Reds, I mean, I go
back to the big Red Machine days, as you know,
a kid going up to Reds games, and you know,

(28:16):
a lot of obviously great times there. This is the
fiftieth anniversary of that seventy five World Series championship team,
and you know, so you stay and invested with the
Reds even through you know, the good and bad times.
And well, this year it was quite a roller coaster ride.
After they got swept out in Oakland, I told Buddy Sabine,
I think, well, I guess that's it. They've hung in
here for a good long while, but that's that's the

(28:37):
knockout punch. And I think I'm right in this. At
some point in September, maybe it was after that series,
weren't they like the fourth team chasing the last wildcard
spot and they were like five back of the Mets,
Arizona and San Francisco.

Speaker 4 (28:53):
Yeah, I think you're five behind Arizona San Francisco. They
were definitely five behind by the Mets at that point.
And to your point, that did deal Like, okay, man,
you you're done. You know, you just said you should
have at least won a game in that series. And
then there were other moments along the way. They had
a five four game with the Mets on a Friday
night with the bases loaded, nobody out, your two three
four hitters coming up, and you don't score. There was

(29:15):
the extrating game this week against the Pirates where they
don't score the next staring of the Pirates score, right,
And you know, I think it was Dick Martinez who said,
you just can't kill us, and that was kind of
the way it was. You just couldn't kill them. It
looked I think you agree this. The Mets were culpable
in some of this too, right. I mean, okay, they
don't collapse the way they collapse, the Reds don't have
a chance. But the one thing I think that Terry
Francone is really good at is literally taking it day today, like,

(29:38):
let's worry about today. And I think they kept grinding
in that regard of just worry about today, We'll let
everything else to take care of itself, and they finally
ground their way enough to get in the playoffs. And
I'll tell you what, Tom, this pitching staff, it's a
great Dodger lineup, right, But this pitching staff, especially in
the bullpen, now, they're set up really good. Chase Burns

(29:59):
is fill is there. Connor Phillips has been great. Tony
Kannion has been good all year long. Really, if we've
gotten the closer, have finished with thirty two saves, you know,
if you get this to a five or six inning game,
that back in the bullpen can shut some stuff down.
And oh, by the way, a Hunter Green is shown
he can go a complete game.

Speaker 3 (30:14):
You're of late.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
Yeah, I mean the Reds are in a spot, uh
that is as good as you could be in for
what they're facing, having to go out to LA for
potentially three games to have, you know, be able to
be in that matchup and have the best pitcher in
game one.

Speaker 4 (30:33):
Yeah, I mean, if you get Game one with hundred
Green pitching and Zach Wouldel pitches Game two and then
are avid game three, you know that Game two you
put probably zachly Tell on a short leaf. I think
Nick Wdole will be available in releaf in the series.
He pitched a little bit on Sunday kind of all
hands on deck type of scenario. And it's kind of
not his spot in a rotation as far as these
three games go. But he's available, and so you add

(30:54):
another guy there and a left hand or at that.
So you steal game one, you can go all hands
on deck and game two and then game three is
probably arguably your second best pitcher Andrew have it. That's
that's a pretty good place to be in my opinion. Again,
this has been an offensively challenge team, and you know
they could play these games and lose them back to
back one nothing for all I know, because they've done
that for this year. But if you ask me, if

(31:16):
you're the Dodgers and you're a team that's got the
pressure on it because of the talent you have and
the money you spent, I don't want to see Hunter
Green in the back end of that bullpen in this series.

Speaker 1 (31:26):
No would I would think not you? Yeah, I just
thinking you talk about the money the Dodgers spent tholks
who would have to be some kind of record. I
would think, how exactly how you frame this up? But
to beat out the Mets for the final wildcard spot,
and then if you took out the Dodgers in the
first series. How much money would you have burned up

(31:46):
as the opponent.

Speaker 4 (31:48):
That's a great point. I mean, obviously, the Mets made
the big splash in the offseason signing want Soto and
that didn't come cheap, right, So yeah, you would have
raised on a small market budget two of the highest
payroll teams in baseball.

Speaker 1 (32:01):
And the best thing if you're a Rents fan for
you following your team is you don't have to play
any bad teams. Who no, that's.

Speaker 4 (32:08):
Right, and that's the part of me, Like, you know,
they slipped the Cubs in the four games, like, okay,
now you kind of control your own destiny. And then
you lose the first of the Pirates and then you
don't kill your own destiny again, and then you know,
you suddenly get back to square one. On Friday against
the Brewers, you think, all right, can they really give
with him? And you win on the next day when
the Mets win, and you're all back to square one
and even and the Mets had to win on Sunday

(32:29):
and they obviously didn't. So yeah, maybe that is a
good sign as you are playing the best of the best.

Speaker 1 (32:35):
Of the moment, you had the catch that maybe saved
the season there on Thursday afternoon against the Pirates. I'm
sitting here in my office where I am now listening
on the Red's radio network and Brandley, I guess there's
rentals is up. It's three ozer. Count Brandley said, I
wouldn't throw him a fastball now and let this guy
beat me long drive deep the right and then he.

Speaker 4 (32:57):
Makes It's incredible teme.

Speaker 1 (33:00):
I was.

Speaker 4 (33:01):
I was at this past Thursday as a normal Bengals Wednesday,
so it's a big Bengals day. So I was down
there covering and got to write a story. And I'm
driving home and I hear that call from Tommy. So
I was a brilliant call because you were picturing the
whole scene of he's dripping back, he's on the track,
he's at the wall, and then the pause like this
this is gone, and then just the excitement to catch
and you're Jeff Brankly not yelling. Also goes my heart

(33:23):
skipped to beat. That's probably what it was for a
lot of fans.

Speaker 1 (33:28):
Yeah, and people in that Red's dug out. You mentioned
Francona when you said what you said about how he
has handled this managed it if you will, I think
and listen, then you covered Kentucky UK Sports for the
Cat's Paws for a time. That's kind of the what
Mark Stoops has to do right now with his football
program is be able to stay laser focused day to

(33:54):
day when everybody's talking about, you know, much bigger picture issues.

Speaker 4 (33:58):
Yeah, I mean, and that can be hard to do.
I mean, uh, you know you you you have to
be tunnel visioned, I guess, because that is your job
and you have to focus on the process. And you
hear that a lot from players and coaches both. But
it's hard as a fan to not look at the
macro and go, they're not gonna win another SEC game
and maybe just one more game the by game the
rest of the year. That's a fair place to put it, right.

(34:18):
You can't do that as a coach. I'm still hearing
Den Director covering the game last night, and you know,
there wasn't a lot of hope in the conversations we
had with players and even Zach Kill. Nobody gave real
definitive answers of how to fix their issues. But a
lot of players said, man, I got to come back
in on Wednesday and be ready to work because it's
my job. And we don't look at that as media
probably and I know fans certainly don't look at it
like that, but to them that this is their job.

(34:40):
You have to continue to strive forward to try to
fix what's ailing you at the moment. And I understand
that part of the process, but again from fans perspective,
it's hard not to look and go those teams thinks
are not gonna anything.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
Yeah, and for college players are getting paid now is
there right?

Speaker 4 (34:56):
Right? Yeah, it's their job, right.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
They have to approach that the same way. Last thing,
Hunter Green, what's his personality in terms of taking on
this challenge tonight.

Speaker 4 (35:05):
I think he's going to relish it. You know, he
pitched that one nothing game. He kind of called out
the fans a little bit, said he was disappointed and
one of most fans in the stands that night, and
I understand his point of view, but I also st
understand where the fans were coming because it was, you know,
kind of a season ticket holder type of night where
it's a Thursday night. But I think being in this
spotlight with a crowd against you, I think he will

(35:26):
grid his teeth and give you the best performance you
can see. I'd be really surprised if you didn't get
a great performance from Hunter Green.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
Tonight, Richard, thank you much for getting up early out
in Denver, safe travels.

Speaker 4 (35:38):
No, you're good, Thanks Tom.

Speaker 1 (35:39):
Thank youre at Local twelve Skinny on X and Channel
twelve up in Cincinnati. And no Richard for a long
time back when he covered the Cats for the Cat's Pause,
and he does a great job now covering the sports
up in Cincinnati. We're gonna get to a break come
back with our final segment on this Tuesday edition of
The Leach Report, presented by Bobcat Enterprises harvests. It is

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(37:24):
Shuffle Bean Coffee. Cassie O'Brien named Center of the Week
for Kentucky Volleyball seventy four assists and two wins last week.
Gabby Peretto named SEC Freshman of the Week for women's soccer.
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(37:45):
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