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Speaker 1: Three oh seven in the Queens City of Cincinnati. Chicklag

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Speaker 1: Wig seven hundred wl W.

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Speaker 2: This is Sports Talk.

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Speaker 1: Sean McMann is today's producer, taking the reins from Awesome

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Speaker 1: Alex Egan. We're going all the way to four thirty

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Speaker 1: when you see basketball takes over these airwaves. Then I'll

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Speaker 1: be back after you see hoops until eight thirty tonight.

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Speaker 1: And baby, it's cold outside, so let's warm things up.

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Speaker 1: Talking Cincinnati Reds baseball. In my first guest. He's the

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Speaker 1: voice of the Dayton Dragons, the Reds high a affiliate,

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Speaker 1: and the Dragons director of media relations and broadcasting. Always

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Speaker 1: a pleasure to welcome in Tom Nichols. Tom, I hope

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Speaker 1: it's not too late to say Happy New Year.

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Speaker 2: How are you?

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Speaker 3: I'm great, Chick, Thanks for having us on. Good to

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Speaker 3: talk some baseball with redstats coming up this weekend. We'll

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Speaker 3: have some baseball talk coming up over the next few days.

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Speaker 1: Oh, we are very, very excited and right out of

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Speaker 1: the gate here Tom. The Reds turned it on late

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Speaker 1: last season, took advantage of the Mets collapse, reached the

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Speaker 1: playoffs only to get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Speaker 1: With the talent they have on this roster right now.

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Speaker 1: Can the Reds improve this year in your opinion.

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Speaker 3: Well, yes, maybe in a different way than what you

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Speaker 3: might initially think about it. I think the key to

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Speaker 3: improving Chick they really haven't added anyone who's going to

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Speaker 3: be a difference maker, but they do have a number

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Speaker 3: of players that certainly are capable and that you expect

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Speaker 3: to improve on the performance. Example would be Matt McClain.

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Speaker 3: You would expect Matt McClain's going to be a better

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Speaker 3: player in twenty twenty six than he was coming off

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Speaker 3: an injury in twenty twenty five when he had a

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Speaker 3: very disappointing season. I mean, you expect Ellie da la

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Speaker 3: Cruz to be more like the Ellie of the pre

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Speaker 3: All Star break in twenty five, and he was playing

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Speaker 3: through an injury after the All Star breaks, so you

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Speaker 3: expect improvement there. You could expect him improvement I think

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Speaker 3: from Tyler Stevenson, who had an okay year but a

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Speaker 3: little bit of a down year at the position he

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Speaker 3: plays as an offensive player. Noel Vie Marte certainly a

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Speaker 3: guy you could expect him improvement from. He's a young player,

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Speaker 3: gaining experience, getting better. Chase Burns starting pitcher, should have

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Speaker 3: him as a starter all year next year. Showed some

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Speaker 3: of what he can do last year. So I think

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Speaker 3: those are the players that would give you some optimism

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Speaker 3: maybe get closer to that ninety win level. The players

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Speaker 3: that they've added so far are not guys you're gonna

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Speaker 3: be difference makers. Maybe they'll still bring in somebody else

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Speaker 3: that maybe will be an everyday left fielder. Well we'll

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Speaker 3: have to see how that goes. But they do have

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Speaker 3: players certainly that you look at and you say, yes,

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Speaker 3: he can improve enough to help this team add to

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Speaker 3: their winsoal.

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Speaker 1: The Reds up have signed eight players, you know, avoiding arbitration,

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Speaker 1: which is I think pretty standard practice. One guy, I

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Speaker 1: wanted to focus on Brady Singer from eight point seventy

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Speaker 1: five million last year to twelve point seventy five this year.

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Speaker 1: I mean, what a trade, man. I think we all

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Speaker 1: love Jonathan India, but to get a Brady Singer, you know,

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Speaker 1: in that trade to come over here. Gosh, thirty two starts,

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Speaker 1: one hundred and sixty nine and two thirds innings, one

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Speaker 1: hundred and sixty three strikeouts. Man, he led the team

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Speaker 1: in all those categories. So, and he was the only

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Speaker 1: starting pitcher not to arrive on the injured list. So, man,

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Speaker 1: that was a key pick up there last year.

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Speaker 4: Tom.

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Speaker 3: It definitely will and I think if you look at

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Speaker 3: the way they were winning games late in the season

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Speaker 3: when they actually did catch and win that wild card

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Speaker 3: from the Mets, if you look at the way they

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Speaker 3: were winning a lot of those games, a lot of

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Speaker 3: it related to the fact that if you can get

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Speaker 3: six innings out of your starter and you've got good

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Speaker 3: bull ten people, it becomes a sixth inning game basically,

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Speaker 3: and they had that late in the year. Of course,

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Speaker 3: Santyon was outstanding all years. Your eighth inning guy, but

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Speaker 3: god was your ninth inning guy was strong most of

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Speaker 3: the year and then the seventh inning you had a

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Speaker 3: few different guys late in the year. Was Connor Phillips,

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Speaker 3: who's got great stuff and I still really like him

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Speaker 3: and feel like he's got a chance now that he's

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Speaker 3: a reliever. But Singer was a guy that you know,

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Speaker 3: if you can get six strong innings out of your

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Speaker 3: starter and you've got good seventh, eighth, ninth inning believers,

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Speaker 3: which they have, and they actually have added a guy

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Speaker 3: that I think is going to help them. Caleb Ferguson

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Speaker 3: is a left hand reliever that they picked up. Looks good.

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Speaker 3: They needed a lefty. Of course, they had really no

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Speaker 3: lefty that they could depend on late in the year.

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Speaker 3: Last year, it's certainly not in the late innings of

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Speaker 3: games you need that lefty. You know, somebody might say, well,

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Speaker 3: what difference does it make if he's a LEFTI or

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Speaker 3: alrighty as long as he's good. Well, you know you've

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Speaker 3: got players on other teams who are left hand hitters

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Speaker 3: who just don't hit lefties. Well, the Reds have a

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Speaker 3: guy like that, Will Benson, And if you've got a

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Speaker 3: lefty you can bring in and get a couple of

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Speaker 3: key left hand hitters out. That's a that's a better

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Speaker 3: balanced bullpen than they had. But you're going back to

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Speaker 3: Brady Singer. Yes, I think that's part of what put

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Speaker 3: them in the position they were in late in the

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Speaker 3: year was guys like Singer were giving you long enough

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Speaker 3: starts you could get into that bullpen rotation and it

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Speaker 3: shortened the game in essence, And that's that's one of

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Speaker 3: the values of having good starting pitching, and that's really

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Speaker 3: the strength of their.

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Speaker 1: Key Tom Nichols joins us here a voice of the

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Speaker 1: Dayton Dragons. Everybody loves to go up to day Air Ballpark,

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Speaker 1: which is just like a little Camden Yards.

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Speaker 2: Man, we love it up there.

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Speaker 1: Now Tom without you know, no Kyle Schwarber, okay, but

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Speaker 1: the Reds bring in JJ Bloodey and Dane Myers and

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Speaker 1: just looking at you know, all the players on this roster,

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Speaker 1: I mean, there's so much versatility. There's a lot of

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Speaker 1: ways they can go. And we saw TJ. Friedle, you know,

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Speaker 1: he gets worn down late in the year. You you know,

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Speaker 1: you've got a Dame Myers that can you know, spell him,

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Speaker 1: and and there's all kinds of options on guys to

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Speaker 1: move him around. So there's a lot of moving parts

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Speaker 1: here for manager Tito Francona.

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Speaker 3: Right to your point on Myers, I think he does

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Speaker 3: shill a role that they did not have, especially after

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Speaker 3: well really most of the year last year, and that

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Speaker 3: was if you needed to give TJ. Friedel a day

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Speaker 3: off in center field, you didn't really have a right

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Speaker 3: hand hitter that you could use. So if Freedom needed

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Speaker 3: a day offer was a little banged up and the

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Speaker 3: opposing starter was a lefty, you had no one because

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Speaker 3: you could play Benson in centerfield. Of Benson, as we know,

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Speaker 3: does not hit lefties at all. So now you've got

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Speaker 3: Dan Myers, who's a very good defensive outfielder. He plays

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Speaker 3: center field. He's not a guarantee to make the team,

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Speaker 3: but he's there. He's got options, so you can bring

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Speaker 3: him back up if you need to. This is a

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Speaker 3: guy that had you know, we actually saw him chick

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Speaker 3: in our league as a pitcher. Believe it or not.

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Speaker 3: He was drapped out of Rice by the Tigers as

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Speaker 3: a pitcher, and we saw him in Dayton with West

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Speaker 3: Michigan as a pitcher and Sin Sin he's converted to

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Speaker 3: the outfield and again right hand hitter, good defensive center fielder.

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Speaker 3: Last year with the Marlins he had two thirty five

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Speaker 3: with six home runs, sold eighteen bases. So that's a guy.

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Speaker 3: He adds depth to your team. He fills a role

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Speaker 3: that you need. Again, not guaranteed to make the club,

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Speaker 3: couldn't make the club. I think between right now, between

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Speaker 3: Benson and Bladet and Myers, you know, two of those

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Speaker 3: three probably make the club. So we'll see how how

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Speaker 3: spring training goes. A guy you want to talk about

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Speaker 3: Bay a little bit as well.

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Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely, yes, and he's had his moments.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, he's had his moments, and they're hoping that he can,

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Speaker 1: you know, bounce back this year.

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Speaker 3: You know, interesting background and that he was an absolute

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Speaker 3: star in college at Vanderbilt and was the fourth overall

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Speaker 3: pick in the draft. I mean he was taken just

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Speaker 3: a couple of picks after Bobby went, Junior went, and

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Speaker 3: he was taking three picks before the Reds took Nick Lidolo.

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Speaker 3: This is twenty nineteen. Got big money as a as

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Speaker 3: a signing bonus as a fourth overall pick in the draft.

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Speaker 3: Was traded a few years later to the Athletics. Had

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Speaker 3: a pretty decent season in twenty four As you mentioned,

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Speaker 3: he had twenty home runs that year with the Athletics

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Speaker 3: at two forty three ops of seven sixty two. They

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Speaker 3: would hope that he gets back to that. Last year,

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Speaker 3: he did not have a good year. In fact, he

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Speaker 3: was in the minor leagues for part of last year

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Speaker 3: and then released by the Athletics at the end of

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Speaker 3: the season. Is average ropped to two twelve, home run

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Speaker 3: total dropped from twenty to fourteen. So again the corner outfielder,

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Speaker 3: if they could get him back to the twenty four

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Speaker 3: version of JJ Bloday, that's maybe a pretty good fourth

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Speaker 3: outfielder or even a platoon type outfielder who might play some.

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Speaker 3: So again, that's what the hope would be. And that's

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Speaker 3: a depth piece as well. I think to your roster,

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Speaker 3: not necessarily a guy that's going to be a difference maker.

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Speaker 3: Is he better than the guy you had out there

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Speaker 3: last year Austin Hayes. Probably not, but he does have talent,

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Speaker 3: as evident of the fact he was the fourth overall

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Speaker 3: pick in the draft out of Vanderbilt. But they there,

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Speaker 3: their scouts like him and they're willing to take a

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Speaker 3: chance on him.

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Speaker 1: Tom Nichols is with us and Tom uh the old saying,

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Speaker 1: if you can hit, they're going to find a place

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Speaker 1: for you. A guy that you and I both absolutely love.

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Speaker 1: He's like a wild card. He's a He's a Mustang

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Speaker 1: and waiting to be released. And that is the one

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Speaker 1: and only South Stewart can't wait to see what he

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Speaker 1: does here in the spring. The dude can hit, gosh,

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Speaker 1: h first base, maybe some third base man. If he

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Speaker 1: can hit, he's going to be in this lineup. The

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Speaker 1: guy is Uh. He he was a spark when he

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Speaker 1: came up in September.

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Speaker 3: No question, fans really took to him. This chick. This

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Speaker 3: is one of the differences in the way baseball is

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Speaker 3: involved as the years. I can you and I can

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Speaker 3: go back to let's say, the Big Red Machine of

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Speaker 3: the nineteen seventies, and they would call up a player

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Speaker 3: for the minor leagues like say a Dan Breeson or

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Speaker 3: a Ken Griffy sor and you really had never hardly

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Speaker 3: heard much about him at all, and he gets to

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Speaker 3: the big leagues and becomes a player for you, And

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Speaker 3: those days are long gone now because when south Stewart

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Speaker 3: came up to the minor leagues. I remember that game

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Speaker 3: because that was the day I was able to go

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Speaker 3: down to Cincinnati and go to the Red game. We

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Speaker 3: had a day off that day. I can't go to

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Speaker 3: many games because we play one hundred and thirty two

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Speaker 3: game schedule, and dayton I went to that game and

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Speaker 3: south Stewart comes up first at bat and gets a

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Speaker 3: standing ovation from everyone in the ballpark and really to me,

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Speaker 3: you know, I know him well. He was with us

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Speaker 3: for parts of two seasons, so enough of a sample

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Speaker 3: size to see him play and see the kind of

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Speaker 3: intensity that he brings to the game. But I really

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Speaker 3: feel like that's your future. You've got to be able

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Speaker 3: to find a way. You can't afford to go out

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Speaker 3: there and get a shore ber, but you can develop

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Speaker 3: south Stewart into being a star. That's the way it's

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Speaker 3: going to have to work, is you you come across

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Speaker 3: a player that's got a chance to be a star,

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Speaker 3: You've got to get him there. And so this is

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Speaker 3: a season he's he's going to start out. I hope

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Speaker 3: they have enough confidence in him to put him at

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Speaker 3: a position, whether it's I guess most likely first base.

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Speaker 3: I mean it's it's still a little bit up in

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Speaker 3: the air. You've got Spencer Steer. That's Steer's best defensive position,

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Speaker 3: his first base, but stear could also play left field.

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Speaker 3: So we'll see what they do with Stuart. I understand

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Speaker 3: the talk that the fans may here and not necessarily

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Speaker 3: like when they talk about he's going to have to

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Speaker 3: earn a job. That's really for an audience of one,

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Speaker 3: and that's for south Stewart to hear, to feel like

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Speaker 3: he's got to come to spring training and earn a job.

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Speaker 3: But from the fans, for sector, you're wait, this guy

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Speaker 3: we got to have him in there. And that's the

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Speaker 3: way I feel about it too. He's got to go

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Speaker 3: from point A to point B this year. And let's

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Speaker 3: go from being a prospect to a guy that you

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Speaker 3: look at and say he's a future All Star.

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Speaker 1: How about his makeup as a leader, as a gosh

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Speaker 1: of the intangibles?

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Speaker 2: He drips with intangibles.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and he's kind of a in that. On the

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Speaker 3: one hand, he plays with an extreme level of intensity,

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Speaker 3: elite level of intensity. He is gonna will himself to

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Speaker 3: go and you can see it in his eyes when

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Speaker 3: he goes to the plate. He's gonna will himself to

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Speaker 3: win the battle with the pitcher. He's not a super athletic,

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Speaker 3: super talented kid in terms of tools, but he's a

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Speaker 3: great baseball players. Baseball skills are what carry him as

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Speaker 3: a player, not necessarily athleticism or or you know, speed

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Speaker 3: or he's got more athletical beliy than people sometimes give

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Speaker 3: him credit for. But he is a ballplayer. But he's

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Speaker 3: also he's not just a bull in the china shop.

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Speaker 3: I learned very quickly about south Stewart. He was he

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Speaker 3: was our smartest guy baseball IQ. He's a guy that

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Speaker 3: knows the game. And I ask him one time, you know,

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Speaker 3: you you remind me of someone who had to have

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Speaker 3: come from a coaching family and his dad was a coach,

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Speaker 3: but he was I think a basketball coach. South gives

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Speaker 3: credit to his baseball coaches as well. He learned the game,

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Speaker 3: understands the moment, and is going to be a smart player.

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Speaker 3: So that's a guy that I look at again and say,

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Speaker 3: that's what the Reds. For the Reds to become a

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Speaker 3: team that can go deep into the playoffs, you get

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Speaker 3: a guy like this South Stewart come along. He's going

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Speaker 3: to have to be the guy that this game comes

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Speaker 3: along enough that he carries you and becomes a star

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Speaker 3: quality player, not just another guy on the team.

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Speaker 1: All the Reds and all their fans are counting on

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Speaker 1: Matt McClain to make a comeback this year. And to me,

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Speaker 1: you know, he was tried so often in the number

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Speaker 1: two hole in the batting order, then we saw him

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Speaker 1: drop down to eight and nine. That number two batter

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Speaker 1: just has to be so versatile in sacrifice and it's

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Speaker 1: got to be a versatile bat that will hit the

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Speaker 1: ball the other way. And I'm just wondering if Matt

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Speaker 1: mcclink can work his way back into the number two

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Speaker 1: hole this year.

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Speaker 3: They would like to see that happen, and I think,

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Speaker 3: you know, there's some things that you can expect, and

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Speaker 3: you can expect Matt McClain to be a better player

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Speaker 3: than he was last year. We talked a moment ago

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Speaker 3: about they hope that JJ Bleday can get back to

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Speaker 3: where he was in twenty four. And I think it's

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Speaker 3: important to differentiate between hoping and expecting. You can expect

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Speaker 3: Matt McClain, I think, to be a better player than

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Speaker 3: he was last year. He just is too good of

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Speaker 3: a player to play like he did in twenty twenty

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Speaker 3: five multiple years. He's a smart guy, he's a hard worker,

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Speaker 3: he's got great intangibles. There's no reason to think that

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Speaker 3: he can't figure out what went wrong last year. You know, again,

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Speaker 3: first year coming back from missing an entire season. He

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Speaker 3: did not play in twenty four, So he came back

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Speaker 3: off that shoulder injury, which is a tough injury to

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Speaker 3: come back from. He kind of got into a funk

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Speaker 3: and couldn't get out of it. And those who saw

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Speaker 3: him in twenty three, which was the last year he played,

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Speaker 3: would say Hey, that might have been our best player.

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Speaker 3: And so I think you would expect Matt mclan now,

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Speaker 3: well he get all.

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Speaker 4: The way back.

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Speaker 3: That we can't say for sure, but you can expect

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Speaker 3: better numbers than what we saw in twenty five from

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Speaker 3: Matt McLain at second base. And as a defensive player

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Speaker 3: of course, really good, that kind of guy that wins

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Speaker 3: you games with his defense.

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Speaker 1: Lastly, Tom Nichols the strength of his team man the

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Speaker 1: starting pitching. And to think that the Rints made the

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Speaker 1: playoffs and they didn't have Runter Green for two months.

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Speaker 1: So if the starting pitching can stay healthy, with Green,

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Speaker 1: with Singer, with Abbot, you've got Chase Burns. There are

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Speaker 1: a couple guys coming off injury, and Julian Aggie Are

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Speaker 1: and Brandon Williamson and Nick Lodolo.

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Speaker 5: So right, it's the guy you didn't name was Yeah,

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Speaker 5: you named Lodola.

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Speaker 3: You named all eight, so that I think the five

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Speaker 3: going in would be Green, Singer, Abbot, Lodolo, Burns and

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Speaker 3: then Louder Aggie Are Williamson are are all capable. I

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Speaker 3: like Agiars, you know, he he he's a guy that's

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Speaker 3: never really been a player, that's gotten a ton of

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Speaker 3: attention because he was a junior college draft pick the

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Speaker 3: middle of the draft, tenth round or so. But I've

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Speaker 3: seen him pitch effectively, and I've seen the stuff. He's

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Speaker 3: a mid nineties to even sometimes upper nineties guy with

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Speaker 3: his fast ball, got good secondary pitches. He showed enough

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Speaker 3: in twenty four. I think he had one really bad

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Speaker 3: outing at the end of that season that drove his

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Speaker 3: ERA up a little bit, but other than that, he

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Speaker 3: was he had certainly some good games. Williamson, of course,

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Speaker 3: is a guy they got in a big trade with

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Speaker 3: Seattle that was the Winker in Suarez deal that's brought

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Speaker 3: them a multiple players back, some of them have since

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Speaker 3: gone from the organization. And then and then we know

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Speaker 3: Louder as a first round pick, so he should be.

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Speaker 3: Any of those guys, if needed, would would be able

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Speaker 3: to slide into the rotation. And as we know, Chicked,

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Speaker 3: you've got one hundred and sixty two game season. Your

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Speaker 3: chances that you're going to go all year with just

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Speaker 3: your starting five and very slim. So you've got to

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Speaker 3: be able to find a sixth star, seventh starter. And

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Speaker 3: they've got some good candidates.

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Speaker 1: There tom always a pleasure great man, you've heated up

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Speaker 1: our chili Sunday today.

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Speaker 2: Thank you so much.

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Speaker 3: Hey, well enjoyed football for a few more weeks and

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Speaker 3: then we slide into spring training. Thanks for having me on.

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Speaker 2: Can't wait. Thanks so much.

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Speaker 1: Tom Nichols, Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations and the

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Speaker 1: voice of the Dayton Dragons. This is Chick Ludwig Sports

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Speaker 1: Talk seven hundred WLW.

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Speaker 2: Three point thirty eight in the Queen City of Cincinnati.

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Speaker 1: Chick Ludwig, seven hundred WLW. Dare I say it. I've

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Speaker 1: got my coffee, I've got my computer. All I need

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Speaker 1: is you and you've gotten me until four thirty today

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Speaker 1: and that's when you see basketball takes over these airwaves.

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Speaker 1: It's the Bearcats in Orlando, Florida, taken on number twenty five.

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Speaker 2: UCF Central Florida.

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Speaker 1: UCF is twelve and two overall, one in one in

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Speaker 1: the Big twelve. U SE is eight and seven oh

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Speaker 1: and two in the Big twelve. Can the Bearcats please

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Speaker 1: win a conference game? So the over under on this

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Speaker 1: game is one hundred and fifty and a half points,

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Speaker 1: and you see is a three point five point underdog,

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Speaker 1: so gosh, hopefully you see can pick up a win.

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Speaker 1: Today and then I'm sticking around for the game and

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Speaker 1: I'll be back after the game from seven thirty to

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Speaker 1: eight thirty tonight.

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Speaker 2: Man.

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Speaker 1: Awesome to be with you, fun talking to as always

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Speaker 1: Tom Nichols, the voice of the Dayton Dragons, the director

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Speaker 1: of Media Relations and Broadcasting. And I got to thinking

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Speaker 1: throw this question out for the fans with with Reds

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Speaker 1: Fest coming up this weekend Friday Saturday, January sixteenth and

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Speaker 1: seventeenth man at the renovated Convention Center, So check it

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Speaker 1: out at reds dot com Forward Slash Redsfest. What the

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Speaker 1: Red's player is going to make the biggest jump this year?

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Speaker 1: Is it going to be Matt McClain. Could Cabrian Hayes

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Speaker 1: get a much more potent back right now? You know

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Speaker 1: he's projected as the number nine hitter in the lineup.

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Speaker 1: Can JJ Blede recapture some magic that we saw from

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Speaker 1: him a couple of years ago? And then how about pitching.

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Speaker 1: Rhet Louder missed all of last year. Julian Agi are

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Speaker 1: also coming back from injury along with Brandon Williamson. So

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Speaker 1: there's like possible eight starting pitchers for this team. And

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Speaker 1: like I talked with Tom a lot of moving parts,

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Speaker 1: a lot of versatility. I didn't we've been haven't even

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Speaker 1: mentioned Gavin Lucks, who can play second base. DH loved

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Speaker 1: what Tom said about Sal Stewart, very very excited about Sal.

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Speaker 1: The and tangibles are just dripping off this guy. And

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Speaker 1: you talk about intense. I just absolutely love his intensity.

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Speaker 1: He's not the greatest athlete. He's got some weight on him.

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Speaker 1: You know, there was a time last year when he

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Speaker 1: was playing third base and a ball, you know, got

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Speaker 1: past him at third and you'll wonder, man, can this

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Speaker 1: guy play third base? But really first first base is

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Speaker 1: really his position. And DH, so if you can hit,

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Speaker 1: they're going to find a place for you, and Sal

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Speaker 1: Stewart can hit. I can't wait for the start of

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Speaker 1: the twenty twenty six Major League Baseball season and the

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Speaker 1: Cincinnati Rats.

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Speaker 2: So who's gonna make the biggest leap?

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Speaker 1: And we haven't mentioned I know a lot of fans

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Speaker 1: out there they like Will Benson, there's JJ Blade, Dan Myers,

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Speaker 1: and Tom Nichol said, maybe two of those three will

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Speaker 1: make this club. And then what about Christian and Cornassian

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Speaker 1: Strand Let's see what he can do during spring training

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Speaker 1: to recapture some of the magic that we've seen from

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Speaker 1: him in the past. I've got my coffee, I've got

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Speaker 1: my computer. All I need is you at five one, three, seven,

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Speaker 1: four nine, seven, eight hundred, the big one. I know

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Speaker 1: you're watching the National Football League, the Jaguars and the Bills.

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Speaker 1: I'm rooting for the Bills. The Jaguars, they're franchised. They

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Speaker 1: haven't suffered enough. They haven't suffered like the Bills. That's

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Speaker 1: why I'm rooting for Baltimore and Josh Allen and Shawn McDermott.

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Speaker 1: But let's go out to the phones and welcome in

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Speaker 1: our good friend Kevin in Columbus, Hike Kevin.

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Speaker 3: Hey, yeah, all right, as far as with the Reds.

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Speaker 6: But you know, some of these guys like McClain, they

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Speaker 6: got to come around this year. You know, Benson's never

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Speaker 6: been really much of a consistent hitter. Uh, he'd good

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Speaker 6: in the field, and Marte and Karthi on strand. If

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Speaker 6: we're going to be any better these guys, you know,

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Speaker 6: mcclaim's got to get back to remember what his previous

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Speaker 6: form was.

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Speaker 2: You know, we need some bats.

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Speaker 6: And what would you think would they be willing to

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Speaker 6: trade a lot of teams are desperate for pitchers, would

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Speaker 6: they be willing to trade any of them to get

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Speaker 6: you know, that's kind of the in the middle there, that's.

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Speaker 1: Kind of the sixty four dollars question. Uh, the Reds

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Speaker 1: are hoarding, uh, starting pitchers, and in order to obtain

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Speaker 1: a big bat they might have to move package one

434
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:34,920
Speaker 1: of their pitch one of their starting pitchers.

435
00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:38,800
Speaker 6: Anyone you had an idea who would be ready or you.

436
00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,919
Speaker 1: Know what, Brady Singer is starting to get a little expensive,

437
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,520
Speaker 1: but he was a heck of a heck of a

438
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,480
Speaker 1: trade to get this guy leading the team and starts,

439
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,439
Speaker 1: innings pitched and strikeouts. So, uh, I'd hate to get

440
00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,960
Speaker 1: rid of him. He's been fairly consistent last year.

441
00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:59,920
Speaker 6: Yeah and tell yeah, Yeah, Well, I think I think, Frank,

442
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,160
Speaker 6: and maybe it takes more than one year to get

443
00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:05,000
Speaker 6: this team turned around. I still think we got the

444
00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,720
Speaker 6: right manager and you know that I like the right

445
00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,960
Speaker 6: attitude and everything. If we can get another Hey, we

446
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,000
Speaker 6: won eighty three games, let's see if we could get

447
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,160
Speaker 6: the ninety wins or eighty nine, that would probably make

448
00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,960
Speaker 6: the playoffs in some form, right, Oh? Absolutely, yes? And

449
00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:22,720
Speaker 6: then the making the playoffs, even though they didn't do

450
00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:23,680
Speaker 6: well against the Dodgers.

451
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:24,399
Speaker 3: That was a step.

452
00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,560
Speaker 6: The guy's got some playoff experience, and hey, maybe we

453
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,359
Speaker 6: make another step and maybe even win a series in

454
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:33,720
Speaker 6: advance or something. I'm really looking forward to now that

455
00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:35,800
Speaker 6: my football season's basically.

456
00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,000
Speaker 2: Over, you know. Yeah.

457
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,639
Speaker 1: Well, and to win a playoff game for the first

458
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:42,880
Speaker 1: time since nineteen ninety.

459
00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:46,399
Speaker 6: Five, Yeah, it would be really refreshing.

460
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:46,680
Speaker 7: Hey.

461
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,480
Speaker 6: Can I say something about the Bengals.

462
00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:49,680
Speaker 2: Oh, certainly.

463
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:52,800
Speaker 6: Hey remember and you might know this, but remember back

464
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,639
Speaker 6: in the nineties when Bate Manning was the quarterback of

465
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:57,480
Speaker 6: the Colts, and I think Rocky may have been on

466
00:25:57,520 --> 00:25:59,800
Speaker 6: that team. I don't know the exact yase. Remember they

467
00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:03,680
Speaker 6: had great defense and horrible great offense and horrible defense. Yeah,

468
00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,720
Speaker 6: and they brought in Tony Dungeye as a head coach,

469
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,040
Speaker 6: I think from Tampa Bay to you know, his instructions

470
00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,879
Speaker 6: will leave the offense alone, fixed the defense, Yes, and

471
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:15,880
Speaker 6: I think it led to them finally winning the Super Bowl.

472
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:18,680
Speaker 6: Better their their offensive, they would go their defense, they'd

473
00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:21,040
Speaker 6: go the whole game and never punt. They never forced

474
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,560
Speaker 6: a punt. They were just awful. That's like the Bengals

475
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 6: if you can remember that, right.

476
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,080
Speaker 1: Well, I was in Miami Gardens the night the Inannapolis

477
00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,320
Speaker 1: Colts won the Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears.

478
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:34,720
Speaker 6: Yeah right, but yeah, yeah, they had to get their

479
00:26:34,720 --> 00:26:37,159
Speaker 6: defense around and hey, maybe you get Rock Yeah, he

480
00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:38,520
Speaker 6: may know something more about that.

481
00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 1: Oh, they've got to get their defense straightened out. No doubt,

482
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:46,160
Speaker 1: you've got Orlando Brown junior. Your left offensive tackles got

483
00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,919
Speaker 1: one more year. They're going to need a left offensive tackle.

484
00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:53,439
Speaker 1: But every other position, starting with the first draft picks,

485
00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,560
Speaker 1: got to be an impact defensive player, hopefully on the

486
00:26:56,560 --> 00:26:57,960
Speaker 1: defensive line, no.

487
00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,719
Speaker 6: Doubt the trade for one, yeah something. I don't care

488
00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:02,359
Speaker 6: if they got to replace the head coach. I don't

489
00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:05,280
Speaker 6: guiving against that, Dan, but they gotta do something. We

490
00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,720
Speaker 6: only got a few years left with Burrow, so you're right.

491
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,600
Speaker 1: And uh hey, if they get off to a slow

492
00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,119
Speaker 1: start next year, there's gonna be a mid season coaching

493
00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:15,920
Speaker 1: change revolt.

494
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:17,680
Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, all right.

495
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:19,679
Speaker 6: Hey, don't want to be great hearing, y'all. I'll be

496
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:21,200
Speaker 6: listening through the night.

497
00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,560
Speaker 1: Thanks all right, Kevin, appreciate you And who is going

498
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,200
Speaker 1: to make the biggest leap in your opinion for your

499
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,600
Speaker 1: Cincinnati Rids. Would love to hear from you with five one, three, seven, four, nine,

500
00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 1: seven thousand, one to eight hundred the Big One. It's

501
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,600
Speaker 1: Chick Ludwig Sports Talk. I'm with you till four thirty

502
00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,560
Speaker 1: getting ready for UC basketball at Central Florida.

503
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:41,719
Speaker 2: Four thirty.

504
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,160
Speaker 1: Coverage starts right here on the Big One five o'clock

505
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,359
Speaker 1: tip off, and I'll be back from seven thirty to

506
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,160
Speaker 1: eight thirty after the game to talk some more sports

507
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:56,560
Speaker 1: on seven hundred WLW eight minutes before the top of

508
00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,760
Speaker 1: the hour. This is Chick Ludwig seven hundred WLWS Sports Talk.

509
00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:06,439
Speaker 1: And this weekend is the forty fourth anniversary of the

510
00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:10,720
Speaker 1: Freezer Bowl. Last night on Sports Talk we welcomed in

511
00:28:11,400 --> 00:28:15,080
Speaker 1: Reggie Williams to talk about it. And I've had a

512
00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:20,960
Speaker 1: blast all football season co hosting postgame Sports Talk following

513
00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:26,159
Speaker 1: Bengals games. And one of my co hosts, Jim Breach,

514
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:28,919
Speaker 1: He's going to join us at four h five after

515
00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:33,879
Speaker 1: the top of the hour news to relive the Freezer Bowl.

516
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:38,560
Speaker 1: Fifty nine degrees below zero wind chill.

517
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,320
Speaker 2: Wow. Can't wait to talk to Jim after the top

518
00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:42,840
Speaker 2: of the hour.

519
00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:48,719
Speaker 1: Now Tomorrow, January twelfth, on this date in Red's history, Well,

520
00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,800
Speaker 1: let me do January eleven today. On this date in

521
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,840
Speaker 1: Red's History, nineteen sixty eight, the Reds trade outfielder Dick

522
00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:59,520
Speaker 1: Simpson to the Saint Louis Cardinals for outfielder Alex Johnson

523
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:04,080
Speaker 1: now tomorrow, January twelfth. On that date in Red's History,

524
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:08,880
Speaker 1: nineteen thirty two, Reds outfielder Ed Rausch announces his retirement

525
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:12,320
Speaker 1: from baseball. In his eighteen years in the majors, twelve

526
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:16,200
Speaker 1: of which were spent in Cincinnati, Ralph hit three twenty three,

527
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:20,000
Speaker 1: won two batting titles. In nineteen sixty two, he was

528
00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:24,760
Speaker 1: elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

529
00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:29,840
Speaker 1: And on January twelfth, nineteen forty three, the Reds announced

530
00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:34,840
Speaker 1: at the facilities at Indiana University in Bloomington would be

531
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:38,000
Speaker 1: the club's spring training site for the duration of World

532
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:42,520
Speaker 1: War Two. Ball clubs had been ordered by Baseball Commissioner

533
00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:49,920
Speaker 1: Judge Landis Kennesaw Mountain Landis to train north of the

534
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,080
Speaker 1: Ohio River and east of the Mississippi to save on

535
00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:56,160
Speaker 1: travel expenses, and the Reds were given use of the

536
00:29:56,240 --> 00:30:00,520
Speaker 1: university's field house and ball field for training purposes. The

537
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,600
Speaker 1: Reds trained in Bloomington for three years before returning to

538
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:09,280
Speaker 1: Tampa in nineteen forty six. Well, let's go out to

539
00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:13,000
Speaker 1: the phones and welcome in our good friend in Dallas, Texas.

540
00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:14,240
Speaker 2: Wreck.

541
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,080
Speaker 6: I was talking, he's talking about history.

542
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 7: I was like a dove till right into that. Guess

543
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:25,480
Speaker 7: what big baseball the pictures star the REVS could have got.

544
00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:27,600
Speaker 7: And I think there was a little bit of prejudice

545
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:31,560
Speaker 7: there and they turned and they and they did and they.

546
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:32,040
Speaker 4: Turned it down.

547
00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:34,800
Speaker 7: They could have got it. They did. You know who

548
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:35,280
Speaker 7: that was?

549
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,880
Speaker 2: No, Sandy Kolpax.

550
00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:43,800
Speaker 1: Sandy Kopax was a University of Cincinnati athlete. Yeah, exactly,

551
00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:48,280
Speaker 1: played played basketball, I believe, for the Bear Casts. And

552
00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:50,800
Speaker 1: uh yeah, one of the greatest pictures of all time.

553
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:52,840
Speaker 7: They could have got Kopax.

554
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:54,480
Speaker 4: And guess who'ld have got rid of?

555
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:58,040
Speaker 7: And they had to start Don Lukele would have the

556
00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,840
Speaker 7: Revs actually had Don Lukele. I guess that was back

557
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:01,560
Speaker 7: in the fifties.

558
00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,560
Speaker 1: I guess I'd have to check that, Rick. But you

559
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:08,160
Speaker 1: have Sandy Kofax. Wow, what a Uh.

560
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,600
Speaker 7: Yeah, they could have got co Fax, but they didn't.

561
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:13,040
Speaker 7: You know, I hate to say it, but they didn't

562
00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:15,760
Speaker 7: want a Jewish. They didn't want a Jewish ballplayer or something.

563
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,600
Speaker 7: I don't know. There was some prejudices going on there. Well,

564
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:23,640
Speaker 7: and you know that that team between sixty two when

565
00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:25,600
Speaker 7: they want to they went to the pit at sixty

566
00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:31,160
Speaker 7: what sixty two up till they got a Dave Russell. Well,

567
00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,480
Speaker 7: I guess sixty eight sixty nine. They saw it was

568
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,120
Speaker 7: a no name team. I mean they had they had

569
00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:40,000
Speaker 7: Frank Robinson and ten Say Harper. But it's I bet

570
00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,320
Speaker 7: you could hallerly remember any pictures all that team. And

571
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:45,440
Speaker 7: we had Joe Duxy, well had Ducks all and they

572
00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:49,520
Speaker 7: had Joe Maloney and the rest of you. You could

573
00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:51,720
Speaker 7: hardly remember those pictures in those years.

574
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,880
Speaker 2: Well those that's kind of uh.

575
00:31:55,400 --> 00:32:01,080
Speaker 1: I was born in nineteen fifty four, so uh vaguely remember, uh,

576
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:03,720
Speaker 1: you know the World Series with the uh with the

577
00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:09,360
Speaker 1: New York Yankees back then. Yeah, Sandy Kofax still alive

578
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,440
Speaker 1: at age ninety, how about that?

579
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:12,200
Speaker 7: Yeah?

580
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,720
Speaker 4: Yeah, and I remember watching that.

581
00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,520
Speaker 7: The last series he was in. I think he was

582
00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,240
Speaker 7: a Dodgers versus the Minnesota Twins.

583
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,600
Speaker 4: What nineteen sixty six, I.

584
00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:28,080
Speaker 2: Have to look it up.

585
00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:33,040
Speaker 7: Yeah, And but but the revs. Honestly, the Reds Cuba

586
00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 7: got thatsaw. I'm not nunslid. The Cuba got Kopax, Yeah,

587
00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,920
Speaker 7: all right, but there was some funny business. Well they

588
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:42,920
Speaker 7: just turned the bad. They would have been as simple.

589
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:44,040
Speaker 7: We could have got Kompax.

590
00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:48,520
Speaker 1: All right, Rick, I gotta run. Appreciate the call as always.

591
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:50,440
Speaker 2: Thank you, Okay, all right.

592
00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:56,160
Speaker 1: Yeah, Sandy Kofax turned ninety years young on December thirtieth. Wow,

593
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:01,080
Speaker 1: born in nineteen thirty five. Incredible. But yeah, the Reds

594
00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:06,960
Speaker 1: eight players have avoided arbitration. That's good news. So but

595
00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:10,120
Speaker 1: just looking at this pitching staff man to have a

596
00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:14,240
Speaker 1: Red Louder come back along with Julian Aggie Are and

597
00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:21,360
Speaker 1: Brandon Williamson, that's a plus, no doubt. And just looking

598
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:27,200
Speaker 1: at the death chart Hunter Green, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lidolo

599
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:33,520
Speaker 1: high hopes here for Gosha and in the middle of

600
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:37,719
Speaker 1: the order a setup guy, you know, Graham Ashcraft can

601
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,160
Speaker 1: do it. You heard Tom Nichols talking about Caleb Ferguson.

602
00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,200
Speaker 1: Connor Phillips really came on at the end of last year.

603
00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:53,160
Speaker 1: Tony Santion. If they didn't re sign Emelio Pagan, I

604
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:55,760
Speaker 1: had all the faith in the world that Tony Santion

605
00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:00,640
Speaker 1: could be a closer for this club so fast this

606
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:05,600
Speaker 1: coming weekend, We're gonna learn so much more about the players. Hey,

607
00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,200
Speaker 1: but we're all Reds fans are waiting, you know, for

608
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,839
Speaker 1: another move to see if the Reds can't add a

609
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:17,959
Speaker 1: power bat in the middle of this order. You also

610
00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:22,840
Speaker 1: heard Tom Nichols wax poetic about salth Stewart.

611
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:23,799
Speaker 8: Man.

612
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:27,439
Speaker 2: He is the wild card. He is Man.

613
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:29,520
Speaker 1: I'm just so excited to see him play. When he

614
00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:34,320
Speaker 1: came up September one, he infused life into this lineup.

615
00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:39,920
Speaker 1: And not the quickest, not the most athletic, not the fastest,

616
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,840
Speaker 1: not the quickest, not the most athletic, but the dude

617
00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:47,560
Speaker 1: is just a ballplayer, and that's h and that's what

618
00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:50,840
Speaker 1: you want. But a lot of moving parts, a lot

619
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:55,640
Speaker 1: of versatility. We'll see how Tito Francona can put it

620
00:34:55,719 --> 00:35:02,560
Speaker 1: all together and hopefully bring back another playoff berth in

621
00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:06,640
Speaker 1: the first victory in the postseason since they beat the

622
00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:10,680
Speaker 1: Dodgers in nineteen ninety five. Hey, this is Sports Talk

623
00:35:10,719 --> 00:35:12,719
Speaker 1: with Chick Ludweed coming up after the top of the

624
00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:15,400
Speaker 1: hour news Jim Breach, and we're going to relive the

625
00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:21,839
Speaker 1: Freezer Bowl. January tenth, nineteen eighty two the AFC Championship

626
00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:28,200
Speaker 1: game against the San Diego Chargers at Riverfront Stadium Chick

627
00:35:28,280 --> 00:36:05,560
Speaker 1: Ludwig seven hundred WLW four oh seven into Queens, City

628
00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,920
Speaker 1: of Cincinnati, Chick Ludwig, seven hundred WLW. This is Sports Talk.

629
00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:14,160
Speaker 1: Sean McMahon is today's producer. We're going all the way

630
00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:18,000
Speaker 1: to four thirty when you see basketball takes over these airwaves,

631
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,720
Speaker 1: and then I will be back after you see hoops

632
00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:24,160
Speaker 1: until eight thirty, and the Bearcats are looking for their

633
00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:29,160
Speaker 1: first Big Twelve Conference win of the season. Bearcats are

634
00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:32,600
Speaker 1: eight and seven zero to two and they face number

635
00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:37,640
Speaker 1: twenty five Central Florida UCF twelve and two one and

636
00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:40,839
Speaker 1: one in the Big East. The game takes place at

637
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:45,640
Speaker 1: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida. Tip offs at five o'clock,

638
00:36:45,680 --> 00:36:49,719
Speaker 1: but you can hear the all the pregame action starts

639
00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:53,239
Speaker 1: at four thirty, the bottom of the hour. The over

640
00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:56,560
Speaker 1: under in this game point total wise one fifty and

641
00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:59,799
Speaker 1: a half and the Bearcats are three and a half

642
00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:04,640
Speaker 1: point underdogs. Hopefully the Bearcats can pull off a win

643
00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:09,560
Speaker 1: like Xavier did yesterday over Providence ninety seven to eighty four.

644
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:15,359
Speaker 1: A Xavier win their first home Big East victory of

645
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:21,360
Speaker 1: the season yesterday at Sintas Center. Well, this is the anniversary,

646
00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:25,239
Speaker 1: the forty fourth anniversary of the Freezer Bowl.

647
00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:27,719
Speaker 2: Wow, what memories.

648
00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:34,239
Speaker 1: There were three press boxes that day at Riverfront Stadium,

649
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:41,080
Speaker 1: the main football press box, the baseball press box, and

650
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,600
Speaker 1: then the auxiliary press box was the dining room and

651
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:48,080
Speaker 1: the Chickster. That would be me part of the Dayton

652
00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:54,240
Speaker 1: Daily News coverage team with Cyberrick, Marty Williams, our Beat Rider,

653
00:37:55,600 --> 00:38:00,439
Speaker 1: and Marla Riidenauer and I. We covered the game and

654
00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:05,480
Speaker 1: I was lucky enough to be placed in the dining

655
00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:10,120
Speaker 1: room where it was a little bit warmer than the others.

656
00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:13,720
Speaker 1: So we're hoping to hook up here with Jim Breach,

657
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:20,919
Speaker 1: the Bengals all time leading scorer in that game, nine

658
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:26,439
Speaker 1: degrees below zero, thirty five mile an hour wins out

659
00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:32,160
Speaker 1: of the northwest thirty five miles an hour, and negative

660
00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:36,799
Speaker 1: fifty nine degrees below zero wind chill, making it the

661
00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:45,279
Speaker 1: coldest game in NFL history. Jim Breach, one of my

662
00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:50,319
Speaker 1: partners on postgame Sports Talk this year, kickfield goals of

663
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,919
Speaker 1: thirty one and thirty eight yards. I don't know how

664
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,400
Speaker 1: in the world he did it. mL Harris caught an

665
00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:01,319
Speaker 1: eight yard touchdown pass from Ken Anderson, Pete Johnson had

666
00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:05,440
Speaker 1: a one yard scoring run in the game, and Don

667
00:39:05,560 --> 00:39:09,719
Speaker 1: Bass caught a three yard touchdown pass from Ken Anderson

668
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:15,760
Speaker 1: and the final score in the AFC Championship game January tenth,

669
00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:22,080
Speaker 1: nineteen eighty two, Bengals twenty seven the San Diego Chargers seven,

670
00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:26,920
Speaker 1: and like I said last night on Sports Talk, Chargers

671
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:35,040
Speaker 1: quarterback Dan Fouts all upset about that game, about the weather.

672
00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:42,040
Speaker 1: I know there was talk of possibly postponing it. The

673
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,320
Speaker 1: Bengals said, no, We're playing the game. Fouts all upset

674
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:53,040
Speaker 1: about it. Well, earlier in the year, November eighth, the

675
00:39:53,719 --> 00:39:59,400
Speaker 1: Bengals played in San Diego and the Bengals won forty

676
00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:04,320
Speaker 1: to seven. And the big play in that game Lewis

677
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:09,520
Speaker 1: Breden's one hundred and two yard interception return picked six

678
00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:15,080
Speaker 1: against Dan Fouts. And I've watched that replay numerous times,

679
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:20,000
Speaker 1: and as he emerged from the end zone, Lou Breeden,

680
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:26,960
Speaker 1: former Bengals wide receiver Charlie Joyner, wearing number eighteen for

681
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:31,399
Speaker 1: the Chargers, got his hand on the back like near

682
00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:38,680
Speaker 1: the neck area of Lewis Breeden Jersey shoulder pad and

683
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:45,000
Speaker 1: Wilson Whitley, the nose tackle for the Bengals, came over

684
00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:51,280
Speaker 1: and absolutely destroyed Charlie Joyner on a block that really

685
00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:57,239
Speaker 1: served as a springboard for Louis Breeden to return that

686
00:40:57,320 --> 00:41:01,840
Speaker 1: baby over one hundred yards. And I invite everybody to

687
00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:08,920
Speaker 1: go on YouTube and check out that unbelievable play, one

688
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:13,080
Speaker 1: of the greatest plays in Bengals history. November eighth, nineteen

689
00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:16,919
Speaker 1: eighty one of forty to seventeen victory over the San

690
00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:24,640
Speaker 1: Diego Chargers in Cali. So the Chargers had no beef

691
00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:27,959
Speaker 1: with the Bengals because the Bengals beat them twice that year.

692
00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:35,160
Speaker 2: But that morning the Bengals went out to their.

693
00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:40,120
Speaker 1: Cars, they stayed at a hotel out off I seventy five.

694
00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:46,680
Speaker 1: All right, hey, let's take this opportunity to bring in

695
00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:54,080
Speaker 1: Jim Breach. Breacher, welcome to seven hundred WLW great to

696
00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,719
Speaker 1: hear from you, and it was awesome having you as

697
00:41:57,719 --> 00:41:59,960
Speaker 1: a co host with me at the Wings and Rings

698
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:04,799
Speaker 1: this year along with Bruce Kazerski and David Fulcher. And

699
00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:10,040
Speaker 1: what a memorable day forty four years ago yesterday, January tenth,

700
00:42:10,200 --> 00:42:13,040
Speaker 1: nineteen eighty two, it was chick.

701
00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:17,960
Speaker 4: It was very memorable at a little cold I heard you.

702
00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:20,840
Speaker 4: I just heard you talking about not getting cars started.

703
00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,640
Speaker 4: That was the problem for many of the guys that

704
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 4: drove there the night before.

705
00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:28,439
Speaker 1: And can you take us from the time you woke

706
00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,680
Speaker 1: up to really getting on what the vans that the

707
00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,279
Speaker 1: was it the Marriotte out by the wind Jammer where

708
00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:38,480
Speaker 1: you guys stayed right, Yeah, you.

709
00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,960
Speaker 4: Know, we got to the morning and I don't know

710
00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:44,239
Speaker 4: how many videl go out until you're getting ready to leave,

711
00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:45,799
Speaker 4: and made of the guys getting ready to leave went

712
00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:49,279
Speaker 4: out and found out the cars would to start. There

713
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,959
Speaker 4: was a shuttle there was took a bunch of guys down,

714
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:56,040
Speaker 4: but they didn't have a lot of shuttles, so many

715
00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:59,520
Speaker 4: guys were just scrambled around trying to find a ride

716
00:42:59,719 --> 00:43:02,880
Speaker 4: whereever you could find someone. I was rooming with Jack Thompson.

717
00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:09,000
Speaker 4: I apologize here and that my granddaughter's a volleyball tournament,

718
00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:11,360
Speaker 4: so it's a little bit going to the background.

719
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:11,520
Speaker 2: No problem.

720
00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:15,480
Speaker 4: Yeah, Jack, Jack was uh, So we went out and

721
00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:19,640
Speaker 4: his car wouldn't start, So we're scrambling and we go inside.

722
00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:23,040
Speaker 4: Me figure, anybody that drove there, their car might have

723
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,120
Speaker 4: a chance. So we talked to one of the waitresses

724
00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,120
Speaker 4: and we just kept going right, Hey did your car

725
00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:33,359
Speaker 4: start this morning? And she says, yeah, my car started. Hey, chance,

726
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:35,440
Speaker 4: you can to give us a ride down. So that's

727
00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:37,640
Speaker 4: what we did. We got we folded her. I think

728
00:43:37,640 --> 00:43:40,400
Speaker 4: it was a Camaro. There was three of us. I

729
00:43:40,440 --> 00:43:42,640
Speaker 4: don't know who else, said Jack and myself, there was

730
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:46,799
Speaker 4: there was one more. And we're driving and we're worried

731
00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:50,000
Speaker 4: about being late. That's a fifty dollars fine. You don't

732
00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:52,520
Speaker 4: want to do that for the Amson Championship game. So

733
00:43:52,640 --> 00:43:55,759
Speaker 4: Jack Jack asked her if she could pull over and

734
00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,320
Speaker 4: let him drive because we're going to be late, and

735
00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:01,960
Speaker 4: she was afraid of mess it up. So they switched.

736
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,080
Speaker 4: They smisched places and you go down. Made it on time.

737
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:10,359
Speaker 4: And probably ten years ago or so, maybe last Jack,

738
00:44:10,719 --> 00:44:13,440
Speaker 4: Jack and I were meeting for lunch when we go

739
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:18,400
Speaker 4: into this restaurant and then lady STEEDI says, are you

740
00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:22,200
Speaker 4: to Jack? Are you Jack Thompson? He suggests, well, my

741
00:44:22,320 --> 00:44:24,400
Speaker 4: daughter is the one that drove you to the stadium

742
00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:26,480
Speaker 4: during the fres ball.

743
00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:31,000
Speaker 2: That was great, Oh are you kid me? Unbelievable Wow?

744
00:44:31,239 --> 00:44:34,200
Speaker 1: And I saw the documentary that was done on the game,

745
00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,520
Speaker 1: and you came right out of the gate, really and

746
00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:39,920
Speaker 1: you said one word, man, miserable.

747
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:43,480
Speaker 4: Oh it was, you know, you know, I look at

748
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:46,360
Speaker 4: that if if Anthony Millennial says a sweat you know,

749
00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,279
Speaker 4: it's really cold that day, Yes, and he was. There

750
00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:51,200
Speaker 4: was no sweat on Anthony that day.

751
00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:54,719
Speaker 1: Well, not only did the offensive linemen come out with

752
00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:58,719
Speaker 1: their uh you know, no sleeves, a lot of defensive

753
00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:03,319
Speaker 1: players maybe everybody came out with no sleeves. Really an intimidating,

754
00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:07,280
Speaker 1: intimidated these San Diego Chargers.

755
00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:11,440
Speaker 4: I think that once they got off the plane, they

756
00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:15,760
Speaker 4: were intimidated. Yes, you know, it's so cold compared to Miami.

757
00:45:16,360 --> 00:45:18,520
Speaker 4: I think it's like one hundred and five degrees difference

758
00:45:18,600 --> 00:45:22,279
Speaker 4: from the weekend before. So yeah, they would they knew

759
00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:24,240
Speaker 4: as soon they got the plane they were gonna have trouble.

760
00:45:24,880 --> 00:45:27,160
Speaker 4: And I think a couple of their guys tried to

761
00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:31,359
Speaker 4: come out without sleeves on and warm ups and they

762
00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:35,160
Speaker 4: had nobody with no sleeves. So yeah, and it wasn't

763
00:45:35,239 --> 00:45:38,000
Speaker 4: like even though we've been in the cold, you don't

764
00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:41,480
Speaker 4: adapt to something like that. Our guys just they did

765
00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:44,960
Speaker 4: it more to keep their defensive linemen from grabbing them

766
00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:47,880
Speaker 4: and be able to move them that way, yes, and

767
00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:49,439
Speaker 4: that way if you don't have the sleeves on, there's

768
00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:51,839
Speaker 4: nothing to graft it. We didn't have really tight fitting

769
00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:53,920
Speaker 4: and sleeves like they had now it's have a Debilloy

770
00:45:54,080 --> 00:45:58,120
Speaker 4: type and those things are just four grabbing. So that

771
00:45:58,239 --> 00:46:00,359
Speaker 4: was the whole thing. That the whole idea behind me lap.

772
00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,480
Speaker 4: You know, the guy I'm up against, he's got huge hands,

773
00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:05,719
Speaker 4: he's strong, and he's get to grab and just pull

774
00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:07,600
Speaker 4: me aside. So if I don't have sleeves on, it

775
00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:09,719
Speaker 4: to be hard to grab. And then they got to

776
00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:14,120
Speaker 4: put vasoline on and that certainly made it more difficult

777
00:46:14,160 --> 00:46:16,840
Speaker 4: because it was slippery, and that was good. And I

778
00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:19,800
Speaker 4: think I think Reggie William Dalton didn't wear sleaves that

779
00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:22,479
Speaker 4: day that he was the only other player. I don't

780
00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:26,040
Speaker 4: think any other defensive players are crazy Enos and Jim.

781
00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:29,560
Speaker 1: You kick field goals of thirty one and thirty eight

782
00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:33,360
Speaker 1: yards and also a couple of extra really three extra

783
00:46:33,440 --> 00:46:36,960
Speaker 1: points too. So how difficult was it to kick the

784
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:37,759
Speaker 1: ball that day?

785
00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:40,600
Speaker 7: It was? It was really tough.

786
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:44,520
Speaker 4: I was fortunate that my field goal attempts were down win.

787
00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:48,160
Speaker 4: We actually scored more points into the wind than we

788
00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:51,120
Speaker 4: did going down when you know you wouldn't think that,

789
00:46:51,239 --> 00:46:55,439
Speaker 4: but we did. After the second field second field goal,

790
00:46:56,880 --> 00:46:59,200
Speaker 4: we uh, I think we're on like the ten yard line.

791
00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:02,560
Speaker 4: We ran a fake bo Steve Kryder runs around the

792
00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:06,080
Speaker 4: corner left hand side, it goes into the end zone.

793
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:10,839
Speaker 4: We got called for holding penalty and it's like, oh

794
00:47:10,920 --> 00:47:15,040
Speaker 4: my gosh, and and Forrest called me over and Tom

795
00:47:15,120 --> 00:47:18,480
Speaker 4: Dinkle was our special team's captain. And Dinkle comes running over.

796
00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:22,120
Speaker 4: He goes, Force, you don't need to cut right now,

797
00:47:22,200 --> 00:47:24,480
Speaker 4: you just need to cut the guy the hell. I

798
00:47:24,520 --> 00:47:31,239
Speaker 4: can't believe that we the touchdowns. Yeah, for says Day

799
00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:36,640
Speaker 4: it was on you no way, Yeah, it was on

800
00:47:36,680 --> 00:47:41,279
Speaker 4: you Day and Or says so he says, if U

801
00:47:41,520 --> 00:47:43,400
Speaker 4: breechmith is, just kick him out and just go to

802
00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:47,840
Speaker 4: the locker room. We're walking, We're going back out to

803
00:47:47,960 --> 00:47:51,040
Speaker 4: the field and Dak is like close, you gotta make this,

804
00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:52,280
Speaker 4: you gotta make this shi.

805
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:54,880
Speaker 2: Wow.

806
00:47:55,120 --> 00:47:56,680
Speaker 1: And was that the thirty eight yard or in the

807
00:47:56,719 --> 00:48:01,040
Speaker 1: third quarter? Yes, okay, And then you scored one more time.

808
00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:05,520
Speaker 1: Don Bass so M L. Harris and Don Bass incredible.

809
00:48:05,520 --> 00:48:07,920
Speaker 4: And I know, I think Don's only catching the year

810
00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:08,480
Speaker 4: that year.

811
00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:12,640
Speaker 1: Maybe man amazing and Danny Ross had had a nice game.

812
00:48:12,480 --> 00:48:16,400
Speaker 4: And uh, just Jenny had a phenomenal dad. You know,

813
00:48:16,440 --> 00:48:19,640
Speaker 4: we really played well considered in the conditions and it

814
00:48:19,680 --> 00:48:24,080
Speaker 4: was it was pretty amazing, and I you know, check out.

815
00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:26,279
Speaker 4: I don't know how many times I've heard Dan Fouts

816
00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:30,400
Speaker 4: complain that we'd have beaten him if he had him

817
00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:35,799
Speaker 4: in San Diego and when he forget Jimsy, forget that

818
00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:38,640
Speaker 4: they had us there in late November and we beat

819
00:48:38,680 --> 00:48:40,319
Speaker 4: him forty to seventeen. That's right.

820
00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:43,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, just relive that before you came on with us

821
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:47,480
Speaker 1: November eighth, forty to seventeen and Lewis Breeden they said

822
00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:49,920
Speaker 1: it was one hundred yard pick six.

823
00:48:50,000 --> 00:48:51,840
Speaker 2: It was more like one hundred and two or one

824
00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:52,520
Speaker 2: hundred and three.

825
00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:56,719
Speaker 4: Yeah, he earned two. Yeah, and he was going good

826
00:48:56,760 --> 00:49:00,319
Speaker 4: for about ninety eight and then he really ran, asked

827
00:49:00,440 --> 00:49:03,719
Speaker 4: lest Yeah, but he got there. It was great. It

828
00:49:03,760 --> 00:49:05,239
Speaker 4: was often that was turning the game.

829
00:49:05,800 --> 00:49:08,040
Speaker 1: Yes, And when he came out of the end zone

830
00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:11,799
Speaker 1: with the ball, Charlie Joyner got a hand on the

831
00:49:11,840 --> 00:49:15,120
Speaker 1: back of his jersey up near his neck and Wilson

832
00:49:15,160 --> 00:49:18,360
Speaker 1: Whitley came over and just destroyed Charlie Joyner, the former

833
00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:23,480
Speaker 1: Bengal wearing number eighteen, destroyed him and really springing Lou

834
00:49:23,560 --> 00:49:24,799
Speaker 1: Breeden on that run.

835
00:49:26,320 --> 00:49:30,080
Speaker 4: Yeah, I didn't really, I didn't remember that. But obviously

836
00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:32,359
Speaker 4: you got a big guy on a little guy. If

837
00:49:32,560 --> 00:49:34,279
Speaker 4: they get their hands on him in any way, they're

838
00:49:34,280 --> 00:49:36,719
Speaker 4: gonna it's gonna be difficult, that's for sure. But yeah,

839
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:38,600
Speaker 4: that was a great runback. There's a big turning point

840
00:49:38,600 --> 00:49:39,560
Speaker 4: in the game, really.

841
00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:44,000
Speaker 1: Jim, how often do you think of the Freezer Bowl

842
00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:46,239
Speaker 1: and then Super Bowl sixteen?

843
00:49:46,480 --> 00:49:48,320
Speaker 2: How often does that pop into your mind?

844
00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:53,960
Speaker 4: Not that often. Less, something is an association that brings

845
00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:55,680
Speaker 4: it up. So this time of the year it'll come up

846
00:49:55,760 --> 00:49:59,239
Speaker 4: quite a bit, particularly the Super Bowls with the playoffs

847
00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:02,160
Speaker 4: going on. But you know, the other thing I get

848
00:50:02,360 --> 00:50:05,800
Speaker 4: chicked as much as anything is the number of people

849
00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:13,719
Speaker 4: the great stories about their experience in the Freezer Ball. Yes, yeah,

850
00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:17,040
Speaker 4: they should do a documentary on people and what their

851
00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:21,600
Speaker 4: story was that day, from pouring drinks to just trying

852
00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:24,399
Speaker 4: to stay warms. There's some phenomenal stories I've heard over

853
00:50:24,440 --> 00:50:27,160
Speaker 4: the years, and you know that kind of goes it's

854
00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:28,520
Speaker 4: in Cincinnati.

855
00:50:28,040 --> 00:50:29,919
Speaker 2: More, no doubt.

856
00:50:30,560 --> 00:50:32,640
Speaker 1: Yeah, there were at least a couple one hundred thousand

857
00:50:32,719 --> 00:50:34,200
Speaker 1: people at that game when they're.

858
00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:36,600
Speaker 4: Doing at least absolutely at least.

859
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,520
Speaker 1: Oh and I remember going down to the field before

860
00:50:40,560 --> 00:50:43,200
Speaker 1: the game just to get a feel for it. And

861
00:50:43,280 --> 00:50:46,279
Speaker 1: I saw Mike Adamley, you know, part of the broadcast,

862
00:50:46,760 --> 00:50:49,680
Speaker 1: and I mean I took man, he was struggling, and

863
00:50:49,800 --> 00:50:54,000
Speaker 1: it was, uh, I took one breath and gosh, your gosh,

864
00:50:54,040 --> 00:50:55,200
Speaker 1: your lungs just froze.

865
00:50:55,440 --> 00:50:57,040
Speaker 2: So it was just brutal.

866
00:50:57,760 --> 00:50:58,200
Speaker 7: It was.

867
00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:01,480
Speaker 4: It was. It was as tough a conditions you're going

868
00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:03,799
Speaker 4: to get up having up to the playing and I'm

869
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:06,120
Speaker 4: not sure, you know, I think it was maybe it

870
00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:09,640
Speaker 4: was one of the first times with heated benches that

871
00:51:09,719 --> 00:51:13,640
Speaker 4: they tried, and really the heatd benches were a god. Said, yeah,

872
00:51:13,719 --> 00:51:15,480
Speaker 4: the way they had it set up, it really made

873
00:51:15,480 --> 00:51:17,960
Speaker 4: a huge difference. I don't know what if we only

874
00:51:18,040 --> 00:51:21,000
Speaker 4: had the heat space heaters that had been tough to

875
00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:22,600
Speaker 4: get close enough to to stay warm.

876
00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:23,480
Speaker 7: Yet.

877
00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:26,560
Speaker 1: I asked Reggie Williams last night, you know how often

878
00:51:26,600 --> 00:51:29,120
Speaker 1: he thinks of the freezer bowl, and he says, whenever

879
00:51:29,160 --> 00:51:34,879
Speaker 1: I start shivering, whenever it gets cold, yeah, man, Yeah.

880
00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:37,040
Speaker 4: Sometimes I'll walk out, you know when we had the

881
00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:38,839
Speaker 4: when they had the game a while back where it's

882
00:51:38,840 --> 00:51:42,200
Speaker 4: about ten degrees, Yeah, and I'm thinking I'm sitting in

883
00:51:42,200 --> 00:51:47,040
Speaker 4: the stands watching the game and thinking that it was

884
00:51:47,560 --> 00:51:50,480
Speaker 4: where it was, you know, another fifty and sixty nine

885
00:51:50,520 --> 00:51:54,719
Speaker 4: degrees colder than this, and that was really cold. Yeah,

886
00:51:54,719 --> 00:51:56,640
Speaker 4: it's hard to it's hard to believe if you think back.

887
00:51:57,640 --> 00:51:59,880
Speaker 4: It was just being a part of that.

888
00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:03,200
Speaker 1: It was just kind of cool, really, you know, absolutely

889
00:52:03,320 --> 00:52:07,680
Speaker 1: and Jim, are you at Spooky Nook Champion mill and

890
00:52:07,880 --> 00:52:09,359
Speaker 1: Hamilton for the volleyball?

891
00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:14,040
Speaker 4: Yeah, courts of all sorts over Mason's.

892
00:52:13,719 --> 00:52:19,400
Speaker 1: Okay, Yes, I love the sport. I officiate it, and uh,

893
00:52:21,120 --> 00:52:23,799
Speaker 1: it's it's awesome. You got a granddaughter playing.

894
00:52:24,280 --> 00:52:27,080
Speaker 4: First Yeah, this is their first year playing at this level.

895
00:52:27,680 --> 00:52:32,279
Speaker 4: So's she's just thirteen. So it's kind of scaying. She's

896
00:52:32,280 --> 00:52:35,719
Speaker 4: having fun, she's probably finding somebody she can finally play

897
00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:37,880
Speaker 4: at that level and her game is this really drug

898
00:52:38,280 --> 00:52:40,480
Speaker 4: And you get to play kids with similar abilities?

899
00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:45,560
Speaker 1: Well, I know, h Duke Tobin addressed the media the

900
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,200
Speaker 1: other day and I asked Reggie this the same thing.

901
00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:51,759
Speaker 2: Can this defense get turned around? In one year.

902
00:52:54,040 --> 00:52:56,920
Speaker 4: Yeah, I took a can and I think you can

903
00:52:57,080 --> 00:53:00,520
Speaker 4: use Carolina as an example. I did Caroline defense. It's

904
00:53:00,560 --> 00:53:03,440
Speaker 4: pretty good, and they were last in the league the

905
00:53:03,520 --> 00:53:08,680
Speaker 4: previous year. But you have to show in some positions

906
00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:12,920
Speaker 4: the one concern. You know, they want to win, Yes,

907
00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:15,799
Speaker 4: I get that, and do whatever they can.

908
00:53:16,040 --> 00:53:16,160
Speaker 7: You know.

909
00:53:16,200 --> 00:53:18,240
Speaker 4: I just hope that they can find some big guys.

910
00:53:18,239 --> 00:53:20,719
Speaker 4: But if you slow the run down, they did it better.

911
00:53:20,880 --> 00:53:23,360
Speaker 4: They did a better job we talked about on the air. Yeah,

912
00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:26,920
Speaker 4: their de just got better the last six weeks particularly,

913
00:53:27,680 --> 00:53:28,520
Speaker 4: they got much better.

914
00:53:28,520 --> 00:53:34,520
Speaker 2: And well Jim Yeah, hey we've got to run. But yeah,

915
00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:35,320
Speaker 2: we've got to run.

916
00:53:35,360 --> 00:53:35,520
Speaker 7: Man.

917
00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:37,880
Speaker 2: Really appreciate you joining us here this afternoon.

918
00:53:38,400 --> 00:53:39,600
Speaker 4: Yeah, sorry about that, Chick.

919
00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:40,319
Speaker 2: Oh that's all right.

920
00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:43,000
Speaker 4: I got I got a little sidetracked there watching them play.

921
00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:45,399
Speaker 1: Oh I love it, love it all right, Jimmy, thank

922
00:53:45,440 --> 00:53:49,120
Speaker 1: you so much. Man, Thanks all right, appreciate it. You've

923
00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:51,640
Speaker 1: been listening to Sports Talk. We're turning this over to

924
00:53:51,920 --> 00:53:56,239
Speaker 1: Dan Horde down in Central Florida against the UC Bearcats.

925
00:53:56,280 --> 00:53:58,760
Speaker 1: I'll be back after the game. Until eight thirty tonight.

926
00:53:59,239 --> 00:54:01,960
Speaker 1: This has been sport Talk with your host, Chick Ludwig.

927
00:54:02,080 --> 00:54:11,840
Speaker 1: On seven hundred WLW seven in the Queen City of Cincinnati.

928
00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:16,200
Speaker 1: This is Chick Ludwig, seven hundred WLW. This is Sports

929
00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:19,680
Speaker 1: Talk Sean mcmahonus tonight's producer. We're going all the way

930
00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:24,480
Speaker 1: till eight thirty tonight. And in a game you just

931
00:54:24,560 --> 00:54:27,680
Speaker 1: heard right here on seven hundred WLW at the University

932
00:54:27,680 --> 00:54:33,920
Speaker 1: of Cincinnati Bearcats fall to the Central Florida Nights in Orlando,

933
00:54:35,160 --> 00:54:38,120
Speaker 1: seventy three to seventy two. And this was heartbreak at

934
00:54:38,160 --> 00:54:47,000
Speaker 1: its finest. You see, had a lead by one point

935
00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:55,759
Speaker 1: late in this game, and then themous folks with a

936
00:54:55,920 --> 00:55:01,640
Speaker 1: floater just inside the left elbow with thirteen seconds to go,

937
00:55:01,960 --> 00:55:05,400
Speaker 1: gives Central Florida the seventy three to seventy two lead

938
00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:09,640
Speaker 1: and ultimately the victory. My question for UC fans who

939
00:55:09,719 --> 00:55:15,040
Speaker 1: watched and listened to this game is the final shot

940
00:55:15,239 --> 00:55:20,960
Speaker 1: by UC at the buzzer, a twenty six foot three

941
00:55:21,160 --> 00:55:27,040
Speaker 1: point shot by Jalen Celestine. Is that the shot you want?

942
00:55:28,239 --> 00:55:33,440
Speaker 1: Knowing that Mustapha chalm scored a career high twenty four

943
00:55:33,440 --> 00:55:38,040
Speaker 1: points for the Bearcats, Baba Miller had thirteen points and

944
00:55:38,160 --> 00:55:42,520
Speaker 1: a team high seven rebounds, and Gisel James scored fourteen

945
00:55:42,560 --> 00:55:52,879
Speaker 1: points today, So Folks's floater that ultimately gave central floor

946
00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:55,680
Speaker 1: to the victory seventy three to seventy two. That came

947
00:55:55,680 --> 00:55:58,959
Speaker 1: with about thirteen seconds to go. Uc gets the time

948
00:55:59,000 --> 00:56:02,040
Speaker 1: out at a lot seven point five, so you had

949
00:56:02,040 --> 00:56:06,319
Speaker 1: eleven seconds to get the ball up the floor. What

950
00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:08,640
Speaker 1: I would have loved to have seen, get the ball

951
00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:11,000
Speaker 1: in quick, get to half court and then call the

952
00:56:11,040 --> 00:56:14,600
Speaker 1: time out. That's what I would have liked to have seen.

953
00:56:15,280 --> 00:56:17,400
Speaker 1: But they called the timeout. They had to go the

954
00:56:17,520 --> 00:56:22,760
Speaker 1: length of the floor, and yeah, they passed it around

955
00:56:23,520 --> 00:56:29,000
Speaker 1: and I just I waited for the ball to get inside.

956
00:56:29,120 --> 00:56:37,120
Speaker 1: To Mustafa Chalm the former UCF player who got booed

957
00:56:37,160 --> 00:56:40,120
Speaker 1: every time he touched the ball, he was an absolute

958
00:56:40,239 --> 00:56:45,520
Speaker 1: monster on the offensive side. Thirty one minutes, twenty four points.

959
00:56:45,520 --> 00:56:49,440
Speaker 1: He was ten of fifteen from the floor, one of

960
00:56:49,520 --> 00:56:53,000
Speaker 1: two from three point range, made all three of his

961
00:56:53,239 --> 00:56:53,960
Speaker 1: foul shots.

962
00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:55,640
Speaker 2: He had five rebounds.

963
00:56:56,320 --> 00:57:02,560
Speaker 1: But like Terry Nelson said, block shots and no fouls

964
00:57:03,480 --> 00:57:08,040
Speaker 1: for Mustapha Chom and that he wasn't very physical put

965
00:57:08,040 --> 00:57:13,480
Speaker 1: it that way on the defensive side, but offensively he

966
00:57:13,600 --> 00:57:20,840
Speaker 1: was a monster. Baba Miller thirteen points in twenty nine minutes.

967
00:57:21,200 --> 00:57:24,440
Speaker 1: His minutes were extended. Six of eleven from the floor

968
00:57:24,720 --> 00:57:27,600
Speaker 1: missed his only three point shot. He was one of

969
00:57:28,000 --> 00:57:32,280
Speaker 1: one for one from the foul line. Seven rebounds, two steals,

970
00:57:32,720 --> 00:57:42,880
Speaker 1: two blocks. You see played the final five minutes with

971
00:57:43,080 --> 00:57:49,960
Speaker 1: Baba Miller and Gisel James both with four fouls, or

972
00:57:49,960 --> 00:57:55,200
Speaker 1: excuse me, Dayde Thomas with four fouls. So that was tough.

973
00:57:55,280 --> 00:58:00,520
Speaker 1: But this is just a brutal loss. But what a

974
00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:04,600
Speaker 1: great game it really was. And I appreciate Wes Miller

975
00:58:04,680 --> 00:58:08,520
Speaker 1: being calm after the game because his child is Chance

976
00:58:09,440 --> 00:58:15,720
Speaker 1: and Vnce after games were getting old, so he was

977
00:58:15,840 --> 00:58:20,360
Speaker 1: very calm. And it's really strange even though you see

978
00:58:20,440 --> 00:58:24,120
Speaker 1: is losing. They have fallen to eight and eight on

979
00:58:24,200 --> 00:58:29,120
Speaker 1: the season, oh to three in the Big Twelve. This

980
00:58:29,200 --> 00:58:33,240
Speaker 1: team has a lot of talent, a tremendous amount of talent,

981
00:58:33,280 --> 00:58:36,160
Speaker 1: and you can kind of slowly see it kind of

982
00:58:36,160 --> 00:58:41,520
Speaker 1: coming together. They've sat down Sean Abayev, the McDonald's All

983
00:58:41,560 --> 00:58:46,160
Speaker 1: American freshman. He had two points in six minutes. So

984
00:58:46,840 --> 00:58:51,840
Speaker 1: Baba Miller Mustapha Chom, Gisel James, Dayde Thomas, Buck Harris

985
00:58:52,120 --> 00:59:00,400
Speaker 1: are your starters, okay. Jalen Celeestine twenty seven minutes, five points,

986
00:59:01,200 --> 00:59:04,920
Speaker 1: two for seven from the floor, one of five from

987
00:59:05,240 --> 00:59:11,360
Speaker 1: three point range, and he takes a contested twenty six

988
00:59:11,440 --> 00:59:16,480
Speaker 1: foot shot at the buzzer. Is that the shot you want?

989
00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:20,160
Speaker 1: That's my question for UC fans. And I've got my coffee,

990
00:59:20,200 --> 00:59:22,880
Speaker 1: I've got my computer. All I need is you at

991
00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:26,400
Speaker 1: five one, three, seven four nine, seven thousand, one eight hundred,

992
00:59:26,840 --> 00:59:31,880
Speaker 1: The Big One. Sean mcmanusonight's producer. I am with you

993
00:59:31,960 --> 00:59:38,320
Speaker 1: till eight thirty tonight. We're monitoring the National Football League

994
00:59:38,560 --> 00:59:42,680
Speaker 1: and the San Francisco forty nine ers are about to

995
00:59:42,880 --> 00:59:50,919
Speaker 1: put a dagger into the kidney of the Philadelphia Eagles,

996
00:59:51,400 --> 00:59:54,480
Speaker 1: and they're walking off the field right now. San Francisco

997
00:59:54,960 --> 01:00:00,320
Speaker 1: twenty three to nineteen victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at

998
01:00:00,400 --> 01:00:06,400
Speaker 1: Lincoln Financial Field in Philly. Congratulations to the ooh, the

999
01:00:06,480 --> 01:00:10,880
Speaker 1: hated forty nine ers who've beaten the Bengals in two

1000
01:00:10,920 --> 01:00:16,720
Speaker 1: Super Bowls. Phone lines are open once again at five one, three,

1001
01:00:16,840 --> 01:00:20,200
Speaker 1: seven four nine, seven thousand, one eight hundred, The Big One.

1002
01:00:20,200 --> 01:00:24,120
Speaker 1: You want to vent about UC, You want to talk NFL.

1003
01:00:24,760 --> 01:00:28,600
Speaker 1: And the Reds added a reliever today and I'll get

1004
01:00:28,640 --> 01:00:30,920
Speaker 1: to that next when we return. This is Chick Ludwig

1005
01:00:30,920 --> 01:00:36,800
Speaker 1: Sports Talk seven hundred WLW Bearcats fall to number twenty

1006
01:00:36,880 --> 01:00:42,160
Speaker 1: five UCF in Orlando today, seventy three to seventy two.

1007
01:00:42,600 --> 01:00:45,720
Speaker 1: Bearcats fall to eight and eight overall, zero to three

1008
01:00:46,200 --> 01:00:49,960
Speaker 1: in the Big twelve. The twenty fifth ranked Knights of

1009
01:00:50,160 --> 01:00:55,080
Speaker 1: UCF improved to thirteen and two overall and two in.

1010
01:00:55,000 --> 01:00:56,880
Speaker 2: One in the Big twelve.

1011
01:00:57,360 --> 01:01:04,200
Speaker 1: Bobab Miller's floater, close close in gave the Bearcats a

1012
01:01:04,240 --> 01:01:07,520
Speaker 1: seventy two to seventy one lead with thirty seconds to go.

1013
01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:14,160
Speaker 1: Then themous Folks of UCF with a floater just inside

1014
01:01:14,200 --> 01:01:18,120
Speaker 1: the left elbow with thirteen seconds to go put UCF

1015
01:01:18,160 --> 01:01:21,800
Speaker 1: ahead for good seventy three to seventy two. Folks had

1016
01:01:22,320 --> 01:01:30,360
Speaker 1: twelve assists in this game. Unbelievable and just to check

1017
01:01:30,400 --> 01:01:34,440
Speaker 1: that he played thirty five minutes. He had six points,

1018
01:01:34,600 --> 01:01:38,760
Speaker 1: three for seven from the floor, two rebounds and twelve

1019
01:01:38,880 --> 01:01:44,520
Speaker 1: assists to three turnovers. So just a phenomenal effort by

1020
01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:49,880
Speaker 1: the UCF Knights point guard. And then at the gun,

1021
01:01:50,120 --> 01:01:55,400
Speaker 1: Jalen Celestine a three point shot in and out, twenty

1022
01:01:55,520 --> 01:02:01,200
Speaker 1: six footer in and out at the gun, UCF wins seventy.

1023
01:02:00,760 --> 01:02:02,439
Speaker 2: Three to seventy two.

1024
01:02:06,440 --> 01:02:11,240
Speaker 1: So the eight losses here they are Louisville by ten,

1025
01:02:11,680 --> 01:02:15,280
Speaker 1: seventy four to sixty four, Eastern Michigan at home a

1026
01:02:15,400 --> 01:02:19,240
Speaker 1: killer Bearcats lose by eight, sixty four to fifty six.

1027
01:02:20,200 --> 01:02:23,240
Speaker 1: Lost to x seventy nine to seventy four in the

1028
01:02:23,240 --> 01:02:28,640
Speaker 1: Skyline Chile Crosstown Shootout, the nineteen point lost to Georgia

1029
01:02:28,760 --> 01:02:32,880
Speaker 1: eighty four to sixty five in Atlanta, three point lost

1030
01:02:32,880 --> 01:02:34,880
Speaker 1: to Clemson sixty eight to sixty five.

1031
01:02:35,520 --> 01:02:39,360
Speaker 2: And now we're into Big Twelve play.

1032
01:02:40,320 --> 01:02:43,040
Speaker 1: After leading Houston by ten early in the second half,

1033
01:02:43,280 --> 01:02:48,680
Speaker 1: Bearcats fall sixty seven to sixty that's seven points the heartbreaker.

1034
01:02:49,200 --> 01:02:53,040
Speaker 1: Just this past week, what Tuesday night to West Virginia

1035
01:02:53,160 --> 01:02:56,160
Speaker 1: sixty two to sixty and then a one point loss

1036
01:02:56,560 --> 01:02:59,600
Speaker 1: today to UCF SO and their three losses in the

1037
01:02:59,600 --> 01:03:04,480
Speaker 1: Big Two a total of ten points. Eight losses by

1038
01:03:04,480 --> 01:03:09,040
Speaker 1: a total of fifty five. That's six point nine points

1039
01:03:10,480 --> 01:03:13,800
Speaker 1: per loss, and that includes the nineteen point.

1040
01:03:13,600 --> 01:03:17,120
Speaker 2: Loss to Georgia.

1041
01:03:17,560 --> 01:03:22,000
Speaker 1: And the last time you see beat a ranked opponent

1042
01:03:22,720 --> 01:03:27,200
Speaker 1: came on December twentieth, twenty twenty four, against number twenty

1043
01:03:27,280 --> 01:03:34,800
Speaker 1: two the Dayton Flyers. That's the last time you see

1044
01:03:34,840 --> 01:03:40,480
Speaker 1: one against a top twenty five team, and you see

1045
01:03:40,480 --> 01:03:43,920
Speaker 1: has now lost seven straight to top twenty five clubs.

1046
01:03:44,320 --> 01:03:52,760
Speaker 1: So they played much better, much better job by head

1047
01:03:52,800 --> 01:03:59,000
Speaker 1: coach Wes Miller. Slowly but surely, dare I say it

1048
01:03:59,160 --> 01:04:04,760
Speaker 1: even though they can't win. Boba Miller, Mustapha Chom Gisel,

1049
01:04:04,840 --> 01:04:07,120
Speaker 1: James Dayde Thomas, and Buck Harris.

1050
01:04:07,520 --> 01:04:08,640
Speaker 2: Those are your starters.

1051
01:04:08,840 --> 01:04:15,240
Speaker 1: And now they're working in Tyler McKinley, Alvin Zelitt, Keishaan Tillery,

1052
01:04:15,720 --> 01:04:19,160
Speaker 1: Sean Abayev and Jalen Celestine.

1053
01:04:19,640 --> 01:04:22,600
Speaker 2: So that's where we're at.

1054
01:04:22,640 --> 01:04:26,000
Speaker 1: And the Bearcats are back in action on Wednesday night,

1055
01:04:26,120 --> 01:04:31,160
Speaker 1: seven o'clock against the Colorado Buffaloes right here in fifth

1056
01:04:31,200 --> 01:04:35,760
Speaker 1: third Arena. Welcome home, you see, must win for the

1057
01:04:35,800 --> 01:04:38,920
Speaker 1: Bearcats to get to get this thing back on track.

1058
01:04:41,080 --> 01:04:45,200
Speaker 1: The Reds added a right hand reliever today. It's being

1059
01:04:45,240 --> 01:04:49,080
Speaker 1: reported all over the place. Reds haven't confirmed it yet,

1060
01:04:49,760 --> 01:04:53,800
Speaker 1: but the Reds have added right handed reliever Pierce Johnson.

1061
01:04:54,080 --> 01:04:56,880
Speaker 1: He's thirty four years old. He's pitched the last three

1062
01:04:56,960 --> 01:04:59,800
Speaker 1: years with Atlanta. He went three and three with a

1063
01:05:00,000 --> 01:05:04,520
Speaker 1: three points zero five er over sixty five appearances last

1064
01:05:04,600 --> 01:05:07,480
Speaker 1: year with the Atlanta Braves, where he's been the last

1065
01:05:07,520 --> 01:05:10,840
Speaker 1: three seasons, and the Braves he became a free agent

1066
01:05:10,920 --> 01:05:16,040
Speaker 1: when the Braves declined his seven million dollar option. He's

1067
01:05:16,080 --> 01:05:20,160
Speaker 1: pitched in three hundred and thirty games over eight seasons

1068
01:05:20,200 --> 01:05:24,160
Speaker 1: with five different clubs, and throughout those three three hundred

1069
01:05:24,160 --> 01:05:28,400
Speaker 1: and thirty games, three point seventy nine er in his career.

1070
01:05:30,440 --> 01:05:32,640
Speaker 1: Before we head to the top of the hour, let's

1071
01:05:32,640 --> 01:05:34,840
Speaker 1: go out to the phones. Richard is in Dayton.

1072
01:05:35,160 --> 01:05:39,680
Speaker 8: Hi, Dick, Hey, happy, Hey, happy to do here, buddy?

1073
01:05:39,760 --> 01:05:42,760
Speaker 2: All right, you too, Dick? What's on your mind?

1074
01:05:42,880 --> 01:05:45,640
Speaker 8: Been watching football at a boy? These games were pretty

1075
01:05:45,680 --> 01:05:46,520
Speaker 8: good today.

1076
01:05:46,320 --> 01:05:48,840
Speaker 2: You know, absolutely. Yeah. The Bills came back.

1077
01:05:48,920 --> 01:05:51,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, the Bills came back in won twenty seven to

1078
01:05:51,360 --> 01:05:55,440
Speaker 1: twenty four, and the forty nine Ers outscored the Eagles

1079
01:05:55,560 --> 01:05:58,200
Speaker 1: thirteen to three in the fourth quarter and pull out

1080
01:05:58,200 --> 01:06:02,600
Speaker 1: a twenty three to nineteen victory over the Eagles. The

1081
01:06:02,640 --> 01:06:05,440
Speaker 1: Eagles aren't around to defend their Super Bowl championship.

1082
01:06:05,600 --> 01:06:09,840
Speaker 8: No, no, but I'm telling you, Oh, I couldn't believe,

1083
01:06:09,920 --> 01:06:12,520
Speaker 8: Josh Allen. I knew I had a feeling they weren't

1084
01:06:12,520 --> 01:06:14,920
Speaker 8: going to come back. You know what I mean? It

1085
01:06:15,040 --> 01:06:18,040
Speaker 8: was a good game. All the games have been pretty exciting.

1086
01:06:18,760 --> 01:06:21,240
Speaker 8: I didn't get to see Chicago and Green Bay. They

1087
01:06:22,040 --> 01:06:24,640
Speaker 8: had a big lead, didn't they, the Green Bay?

1088
01:06:24,680 --> 01:06:25,120
Speaker 3: And then the.

1089
01:06:25,600 --> 01:06:29,040
Speaker 8: Chicago came in second half and beat him, didn't they.

1090
01:06:29,120 --> 01:06:31,560
Speaker 1: That's exactly right. Packers were ahead twenty one to three

1091
01:06:31,560 --> 01:06:35,800
Speaker 1: at halftime. The bear scored twenty five points in the

1092
01:06:35,880 --> 01:06:38,600
Speaker 1: fourth quarter to pull off the thirty one to twenty

1093
01:06:38,640 --> 01:06:42,000
Speaker 1: seven victory last night at Soldier Field.

1094
01:06:43,680 --> 01:06:48,080
Speaker 8: Yep, yep, And I'm thinking, I'm glad what's his name, Zach,

1095
01:06:48,280 --> 01:06:51,200
Speaker 8: Zach Taylor Chain, you know, stayed with the Bengals that

1096
01:06:51,560 --> 01:06:54,959
Speaker 8: hopefully Drew Joe Burrow will be good. But I've never

1097
01:06:55,320 --> 01:06:58,120
Speaker 8: these games have been exciting, chick. You know, well the

1098
01:06:58,160 --> 01:07:00,440
Speaker 8: first three these games have been No.

1099
01:07:01,200 --> 01:07:06,600
Speaker 1: Six six wild card games wild Card weekend to last night,

1100
01:07:06,720 --> 01:07:10,480
Speaker 1: three today, one more tomorrow night. And that's the Pittsburgh

1101
01:07:10,520 --> 01:07:18,280
Speaker 1: Steelers against the Houston Texans tomorrow night. In all right,

1102
01:07:18,320 --> 01:07:26,360
Speaker 1: thanks so much, Dick, all right, appreciate it. Bearcats lose

1103
01:07:27,400 --> 01:07:30,560
Speaker 1: and it was absolute heartbreak city because they were right

1104
01:07:30,600 --> 01:07:34,880
Speaker 1: there and it was a great shot by themis folks

1105
01:07:35,720 --> 01:07:38,760
Speaker 1: to give UCF the lead with thirteen seconds to go

1106
01:07:38,920 --> 01:07:44,920
Speaker 1: and then my question for fans was that the shot

1107
01:07:45,000 --> 01:07:50,800
Speaker 1: you wonted Jalen Celestine three pointer, twenty six foot man.

1108
01:07:50,840 --> 01:07:53,040
Speaker 1: It would have been awesome to get the ball inside

1109
01:07:53,120 --> 01:07:59,800
Speaker 1: to Mustapha Chalm or Baba Miller. We've reached the top

1110
01:07:59,800 --> 01:08:03,000
Speaker 1: of the hour. Break Chick Ludwig seven hundred W l

1111
01:08:03,160 --> 01:08:45,200
Speaker 1: W eight O eight in the Queen City of Cincinnati.

1112
01:08:45,280 --> 01:08:48,639
Speaker 1: Chick Ludwig, seven hundred W l W. This is Sports Talk.

1113
01:08:49,120 --> 01:08:53,720
Speaker 1: Danny Gleeson is tonight's producer, taking the baton from Sean McMahon.

1114
01:08:53,960 --> 01:08:56,400
Speaker 1: We are going to the bottom of the hour when

1115
01:08:56,479 --> 01:09:00,679
Speaker 1: iHeart since he takes over these airwaves with sand Collins

1116
01:09:01,000 --> 01:09:04,040
Speaker 1: and Baby, it's cold outside, so let's warm up by

1117
01:09:04,120 --> 01:09:07,639
Speaker 1: talking some Cincinnati Reds baseball. And my first guest, he's

1118
01:09:07,680 --> 01:09:11,360
Speaker 1: the voice of the Dayton Dragons, the Reds high A affiliate

1119
01:09:11,640 --> 01:09:15,960
Speaker 1: and the Dragons director of media relations and broadcasting. Always

1120
01:09:15,960 --> 01:09:18,519
Speaker 1: a pleasure to welcome in, Tom Nichols. I hope it's

1121
01:09:18,520 --> 01:09:20,479
Speaker 1: not too late to say Happy New Year.

1122
01:09:20,600 --> 01:09:20,880
Speaker 3: Tom.

1123
01:09:20,960 --> 01:09:21,439
Speaker 2: How are you?

1124
01:09:22,000 --> 01:09:23,680
Speaker 3: I'm great, Chick. Thanks for having us on.

1125
01:09:23,760 --> 01:09:24,479
Speaker 4: Good to talk some.

1126
01:09:24,439 --> 01:09:27,400
Speaker 3: Baseball with redstats coming up this weekend. We'll have some

1127
01:09:27,479 --> 01:09:30,000
Speaker 3: baseball talk coming up over the next few days.

1128
01:09:30,080 --> 01:09:32,519
Speaker 1: Oh, we are very, very excited and right out of

1129
01:09:32,520 --> 01:09:35,360
Speaker 1: the gate here Tom. The Reds turned it on late

1130
01:09:35,439 --> 01:09:39,559
Speaker 1: last season, took advantage of the Mets collapse, reached the

1131
01:09:39,600 --> 01:09:42,040
Speaker 1: playoffs only to get swept by the.

1132
01:09:42,000 --> 01:09:43,240
Speaker 2: Los Angeles Dodgers.

1133
01:09:43,400 --> 01:09:46,120
Speaker 1: With the talent they have on this roster right now,

1134
01:09:46,439 --> 01:09:48,200
Speaker 1: can the Reds improve this year?

1135
01:09:49,120 --> 01:09:54,000
Speaker 3: In your opinion, Well, yes, maybe in a different way

1136
01:09:54,120 --> 01:09:56,880
Speaker 3: than what you might initially think about it. I think

1137
01:09:56,880 --> 01:10:00,479
Speaker 3: the key to improving Chick they really have haven't added

1138
01:10:00,520 --> 01:10:02,960
Speaker 3: anyone who's going to be a difference maker, But they

1139
01:10:03,000 --> 01:10:07,080
Speaker 3: do have a number of players that certainly are capable

1140
01:10:07,640 --> 01:10:10,519
Speaker 3: and that you expect to improve on the performance. Example

1141
01:10:10,560 --> 01:10:13,720
Speaker 3: would be Matt McClain. You would expect Matt McClain's going

1142
01:10:13,760 --> 01:10:16,599
Speaker 3: to be a better player in twenty twenty six than

1143
01:10:16,600 --> 01:10:19,320
Speaker 3: he was coming off an injury in twenty twenty five

1144
01:10:19,320 --> 01:10:21,720
Speaker 3: when he had a very disappointing season. I mean, you

1145
01:10:21,760 --> 01:10:24,760
Speaker 3: expect Ellie day La Cruz to be more like the

1146
01:10:24,800 --> 01:10:27,840
Speaker 3: Ellie of the pre All Star break in twenty five,

1147
01:10:28,360 --> 01:10:30,280
Speaker 3: and he was playing through an injury. After the All

1148
01:10:30,280 --> 01:10:34,080
Speaker 3: Star breaks, you expect improvement there. You could expect him improvement.

1149
01:10:34,120 --> 01:10:38,160
Speaker 3: I think from Tyler Stevenson, who had an okay year

1150
01:10:38,200 --> 01:10:39,840
Speaker 3: but a little bit of a down year at the

1151
01:10:39,880 --> 01:10:43,839
Speaker 3: position he plays as an offensive player. Noelle Vie Marte

1152
01:10:44,080 --> 01:10:46,439
Speaker 3: certainly a guy you could expect him improvement from. He's

1153
01:10:46,479 --> 01:10:50,920
Speaker 3: a young player, gaining experience, getting better. Chase Burns starting pitcher,

1154
01:10:51,240 --> 01:10:53,559
Speaker 3: should have him as a starter all year next year.

1155
01:10:53,920 --> 01:10:56,519
Speaker 3: Showed some of what he can do last year. So

1156
01:10:56,600 --> 01:10:59,640
Speaker 3: I think those are the players that would give you

1157
01:10:59,680 --> 01:11:04,360
Speaker 3: some get maybe get closer to that ninety win level.

1158
01:11:05,240 --> 01:11:08,360
Speaker 3: The players that they've added so far are not guys

1159
01:11:08,439 --> 01:11:10,559
Speaker 3: you're going to be difference makers. Maybe they'll still bring

1160
01:11:10,600 --> 01:11:14,080
Speaker 3: in somebody else that maybe will be an everyday left fielder.

1161
01:11:14,080 --> 01:11:16,760
Speaker 3: Well we'll have to see how that goes. But they

1162
01:11:16,760 --> 01:11:19,760
Speaker 3: do have players certainly that you look at and you say, yes,

1163
01:11:19,840 --> 01:11:22,200
Speaker 3: he can improve enough to help this team add to

1164
01:11:22,240 --> 01:11:22,639
Speaker 3: their wins.

1165
01:11:22,800 --> 01:11:27,440
Speaker 1: Leal the Reds have signed eight players, you know, avoiding arbitration,

1166
01:11:27,560 --> 01:11:30,439
Speaker 1: which is I think pretty standard practice. One guy I

1167
01:11:30,479 --> 01:11:35,360
Speaker 1: wanted to focus on, Brady Singer from eight point seventy

1168
01:11:35,360 --> 01:11:38,120
Speaker 1: five million last year to twelve point seventy five this year.

1169
01:11:38,160 --> 01:11:40,840
Speaker 1: I mean, what a trade man. I think we all

1170
01:11:40,880 --> 01:11:44,840
Speaker 1: love Jonathan India, but to get a Brady Singer, you know,

1171
01:11:44,920 --> 01:11:48,879
Speaker 1: in that trade to come over here. Gosh, thirty two starts,

1172
01:11:49,000 --> 01:11:51,439
Speaker 1: one hundred and sixty nine and two thirds innings, one

1173
01:11:51,479 --> 01:11:54,240
Speaker 1: hundred and sixty three strikeouts. Man, he led the team

1174
01:11:54,240 --> 01:11:57,160
Speaker 1: in all those categories. So and he was the only

1175
01:11:57,200 --> 01:12:00,760
Speaker 1: starting pitcher not to arrive on the injured lists. So, man,

1176
01:12:00,760 --> 01:12:02,559
Speaker 1: that was a key pick up there last year.

1177
01:12:02,680 --> 01:12:06,200
Speaker 3: Tom, It definitely was. And I think if you look

1178
01:12:06,280 --> 01:12:10,040
Speaker 3: at the way they were winning games late in the

1179
01:12:10,080 --> 01:12:13,360
Speaker 3: season when they actually did catch and win out that

1180
01:12:13,479 --> 01:12:15,840
Speaker 3: wild card from the Mets, if you look at the

1181
01:12:15,880 --> 01:12:18,080
Speaker 3: way they were winning a lot of those games, A

1182
01:12:18,120 --> 01:12:20,559
Speaker 3: lot of it related to the fact that if you

1183
01:12:20,600 --> 01:12:23,559
Speaker 3: can get six innings out of your starter and you've

1184
01:12:23,600 --> 01:12:27,080
Speaker 3: got good bullpen people, it becomes a sixth inning game basically,

1185
01:12:27,560 --> 01:12:29,160
Speaker 3: and they had that late in the year. Of course,

1186
01:12:29,200 --> 01:12:32,880
Speaker 3: Santyon was outstanding all years. Your eighth inning guy, but

1187
01:12:32,960 --> 01:12:35,920
Speaker 3: god was your ninth inning guy was strong most of

1188
01:12:35,960 --> 01:12:39,120
Speaker 3: the year and then the seventh inning you had a

1189
01:12:39,160 --> 01:12:42,280
Speaker 3: few different guys late in the year. Was Connor Phillips.

1190
01:12:42,320 --> 01:12:45,880
Speaker 3: He's got great stuff and I still really like him

1191
01:12:45,880 --> 01:12:48,040
Speaker 3: and feel like he's got a chance now that he's

1192
01:12:48,080 --> 01:12:51,120
Speaker 3: a reliever. But Singer was a guy that, you know,

1193
01:12:51,160 --> 01:12:53,400
Speaker 3: if you can get six strong innings out of your

1194
01:12:53,400 --> 01:12:58,280
Speaker 3: starter and you've got good seventh, eighth, ninth inning believers,

1195
01:12:58,280 --> 01:13:00,400
Speaker 3: which they have, and they actually have that at a

1196
01:13:00,400 --> 01:13:01,960
Speaker 3: guy that I think is going to help them. Caleb

1197
01:13:02,000 --> 01:13:05,760
Speaker 3: Ferguson is a left hand reliever that they picked up.

1198
01:13:06,000 --> 01:13:09,439
Speaker 3: Looks good. They needed a lefty. Of course, they had

1199
01:13:09,680 --> 01:13:12,320
Speaker 3: really no lefty that they could depend on late in

1200
01:13:12,320 --> 01:13:14,360
Speaker 3: the year. Last year, it's certainly not in the late

1201
01:13:14,400 --> 01:13:18,320
Speaker 3: innings of games you need that lefty. You know, somebody

1202
01:13:18,400 --> 01:13:20,599
Speaker 3: might say, well, what difference is in making if he's

1203
01:13:20,600 --> 01:13:23,000
Speaker 3: a leftie or alrighty as long as he's good. Well,

1204
01:13:23,600 --> 01:13:26,760
Speaker 3: you know you've got players on other teams who are

1205
01:13:26,840 --> 01:13:29,240
Speaker 3: left hand hitters who just don't hit left as well.

1206
01:13:29,520 --> 01:13:31,240
Speaker 3: The Red to have a guy like that Will Benson

1207
01:13:32,080 --> 01:13:34,080
Speaker 3: and if you've got a lefty you can bring in

1208
01:13:34,640 --> 01:13:39,200
Speaker 3: and get a couple of key left hand hitters out'

1209
01:13:39,479 --> 01:13:43,280
Speaker 3: that's a that's a better balanced bullpen than they had.

1210
01:13:43,320 --> 01:13:46,040
Speaker 3: But you're going back to Brady Singer. Yes, I think

1211
01:13:46,080 --> 01:13:47,880
Speaker 3: that's part of what put them in the position they

1212
01:13:47,880 --> 01:13:50,320
Speaker 3: were in late in the year was guys like Singer

1213
01:13:50,479 --> 01:13:54,840
Speaker 3: were giving you long enough starts that you could get

1214
01:13:54,880 --> 01:13:58,360
Speaker 3: in that bullpen and rotation, and it shortened the game

1215
01:13:58,400 --> 01:14:01,440
Speaker 3: in essence, and that's that's one of the the values

1216
01:14:01,439 --> 01:14:03,759
Speaker 3: of having good starting pitching, and that's really the strength

1217
01:14:03,760 --> 01:14:04,320
Speaker 3: of their team.

1218
01:14:04,840 --> 01:14:07,760
Speaker 1: Tom Nichols joins us here a voice of the Dayton Dragons.

1219
01:14:08,200 --> 01:14:12,679
Speaker 1: Everybody loves to go up to day air Ballpark, which

1220
01:14:12,760 --> 01:14:15,000
Speaker 1: is just like a little Camden yards. Man, we love

1221
01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:19,879
Speaker 1: it up there now Tom, without you know, no Kyle Schwarber, okay,

1222
01:14:20,000 --> 01:14:22,840
Speaker 1: but the Rams bring in JJ blood Day and Dane

1223
01:14:22,840 --> 01:14:26,000
Speaker 1: Myers and just looking at, you know, all the players

1224
01:14:26,040 --> 01:14:28,800
Speaker 1: on this roster, I mean, there's so much versatility. There's

1225
01:14:28,840 --> 01:14:33,599
Speaker 1: a lot of ways they can go. And we saw TJ.

1226
01:14:33,720 --> 01:14:35,960
Speaker 1: Friedle you know, he gets worn down late in the year.

1227
01:14:35,960 --> 01:14:38,519
Speaker 1: You you know, you've got a Dame Myers that can

1228
01:14:38,920 --> 01:14:41,880
Speaker 1: you know, spell him, and and there's all kinds of

1229
01:14:41,920 --> 01:14:45,320
Speaker 1: options on guys to move him around. So there's a

1230
01:14:45,360 --> 01:14:50,479
Speaker 1: lot of moving parts here for manager Tito Francona, right to.

1231
01:14:50,479 --> 01:14:53,519
Speaker 3: Your point on Myers, I think he does fill a

1232
01:14:53,600 --> 01:14:57,880
Speaker 3: role that they did not have, especially after well really

1233
01:14:58,040 --> 01:15:00,880
Speaker 3: most of the year last year, and that was if

1234
01:15:00,880 --> 01:15:03,200
Speaker 3: you need her to give TJ. Friedel a day off

1235
01:15:03,200 --> 01:15:07,880
Speaker 3: in center field, you didn't really have a right hand hitter.

1236
01:15:08,280 --> 01:15:09,240
Speaker 4: That you could use.

1237
01:15:09,479 --> 01:15:11,840
Speaker 3: So if Freedom needed a day offer was a little

1238
01:15:11,880 --> 01:15:14,439
Speaker 3: banged up and the opposing starter was a lefty, you

1239
01:15:14,520 --> 01:15:17,719
Speaker 3: were you had no one because you could play Benson

1240
01:15:17,720 --> 01:15:19,760
Speaker 3: in centerfield. Of Benson, as we know, does not hit

1241
01:15:19,880 --> 01:15:23,240
Speaker 3: lefties at all. So now you've got Daane Myers, who's

1242
01:15:23,280 --> 01:15:27,960
Speaker 3: a very good defensive outfielder. He plays center field. He's

1243
01:15:28,000 --> 01:15:32,160
Speaker 3: not a guarantee to make the team, but he's there.

1244
01:15:32,400 --> 01:15:34,400
Speaker 3: He's got options, so you can bring him back up

1245
01:15:34,400 --> 01:15:37,120
Speaker 3: if you need to. This is a guy that had

1246
01:15:37,680 --> 01:15:40,040
Speaker 3: you know, we actually saw him chick in our league

1247
01:15:40,640 --> 01:15:43,080
Speaker 3: as a pitcher, believe it or not. He was trapped

1248
01:15:43,080 --> 01:15:45,880
Speaker 3: out of Rice by the Tigers as a pitcher, and

1249
01:15:45,920 --> 01:15:49,000
Speaker 3: we saw him in Dayton with West Michigan as a

1250
01:15:49,000 --> 01:15:53,320
Speaker 3: pitcher and Sin Sin he's converted to the outfield and

1251
01:15:53,640 --> 01:15:57,920
Speaker 3: again right hand hitter, good defensive center fielder. Last year

1252
01:15:57,960 --> 01:16:01,080
Speaker 3: with the Marlins he had to thirty five with six

1253
01:16:01,120 --> 01:16:04,519
Speaker 3: home runs, sold eighteen bases. So that's a guy, you know,

1254
01:16:04,520 --> 01:16:07,320
Speaker 3: he adds depth to your team. He fills a role

1255
01:16:07,360 --> 01:16:11,160
Speaker 3: that you need. Again, not guaranteed to make the club,

1256
01:16:11,560 --> 01:16:14,879
Speaker 3: couldn't make the club. I think between right now, between

1257
01:16:15,520 --> 01:16:21,599
Speaker 3: Benson and Blaedet and Myers, you know, two of those

1258
01:16:21,680 --> 01:16:24,519
Speaker 3: three probably make the club. So we'll see how how

1259
01:16:24,560 --> 01:16:27,920
Speaker 3: spring training goes. A guy you want to talk about

1260
01:16:27,920 --> 01:16:29,040
Speaker 3: Bay a little bit as well.

1261
01:16:29,120 --> 01:16:32,200
Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely, yes, And he's had his moments.

1262
01:16:32,479 --> 01:16:35,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's had his moments, and they're hoping that he can,

1263
01:16:35,720 --> 01:16:36,520
Speaker 1: you know, bounce.

1264
01:16:36,320 --> 01:16:36,920
Speaker 2: Back this year.

1265
01:16:38,040 --> 01:16:41,640
Speaker 3: You know, interesting background and that he was an absolute

1266
01:16:41,760 --> 01:16:45,960
Speaker 3: star in college at Vanderbilt and was the fourth overall

1267
01:16:46,000 --> 01:16:48,360
Speaker 3: pick in the draft. I mean he was taken just

1268
01:16:48,439 --> 01:16:51,880
Speaker 3: a couple of picks after Bobby went, Junior went, and

1269
01:16:51,920 --> 01:16:55,080
Speaker 3: he was taking three picks before the Reds took Nick Lodolo.

1270
01:16:55,200 --> 01:16:59,200
Speaker 3: This is twenty nineteen, got big money as a as

1271
01:16:59,240 --> 01:17:01,759
Speaker 3: a signing bonus is a fourth overall pick in the draft.

1272
01:17:02,720 --> 01:17:07,439
Speaker 3: Was traded a few years later to the Athletics. Had

1273
01:17:07,760 --> 01:17:11,639
Speaker 3: a pretty decent season in twenty four As you mentioned,

1274
01:17:12,439 --> 01:17:14,519
Speaker 3: he had twenty home runs that year with the Athletics

1275
01:17:14,560 --> 01:17:18,880
Speaker 3: at two forty three ops of seven sixty two. They

1276
01:17:18,920 --> 01:17:22,360
Speaker 3: would hope that he gets back to that last year

1277
01:17:22,800 --> 01:17:25,120
Speaker 3: he did not have a good year. In fact, he

1278
01:17:25,200 --> 01:17:27,240
Speaker 3: was in the minor leagues for part of last year

1279
01:17:27,280 --> 01:17:29,479
Speaker 3: and then released by the Athletics at the end of

1280
01:17:29,520 --> 01:17:32,240
Speaker 3: the season. Is average dropped to two twelve, home run

1281
01:17:32,280 --> 01:17:37,280
Speaker 3: total drop from twenty to fourteen. So again, a corner outfielder.

1282
01:17:38,000 --> 01:17:41,679
Speaker 3: If they could get him back to the twenty four

1283
01:17:42,200 --> 01:17:47,200
Speaker 3: version of JJ Bloday, that's maybe a pretty good fourth

1284
01:17:47,200 --> 01:17:51,080
Speaker 3: outfielder or even a platoon type outfielder who might play some.

1285
01:17:51,280 --> 01:17:57,320
Speaker 3: So again, that's what the hope would be. And that's

1286
01:17:57,360 --> 01:17:59,800
Speaker 3: a depth piece as well. I think to your roster,

1287
01:18:00,120 --> 01:18:01,920
Speaker 3: not not necessarily a guy that's going to be a

1288
01:18:01,920 --> 01:18:04,479
Speaker 3: difference maker. Is he better than the guy you had

1289
01:18:04,479 --> 01:18:09,479
Speaker 3: out there last year Austin Hayes. Probably not, but he

1290
01:18:09,680 --> 01:18:12,360
Speaker 3: does have talent, as evident of the fact he was

1291
01:18:12,640 --> 01:18:15,120
Speaker 3: the fourth overall pick in the draft out of Vanderbilt.

1292
01:18:15,120 --> 01:18:18,640
Speaker 3: But there their scouts like him and they're willing to

1293
01:18:18,680 --> 01:18:19,599
Speaker 3: take a chance on him.

1294
01:18:20,080 --> 01:18:23,400
Speaker 1: Tom Nichols is with us and Tom the old saying,

1295
01:18:23,520 --> 01:18:25,200
Speaker 1: if you can hit, they're going to find a place

1296
01:18:25,240 --> 01:18:28,960
Speaker 1: for you. A guy that you and I both absolutely love.

1297
01:18:29,439 --> 01:18:30,679
Speaker 1: He's like a wild card.

1298
01:18:31,520 --> 01:18:33,320
Speaker 2: He's a he's a.

1299
01:18:33,320 --> 01:18:37,599
Speaker 1: Mustang and waiting to be released. And that is the

1300
01:18:37,600 --> 01:18:40,280
Speaker 1: one and only South Stewart. Can't wait to see what

1301
01:18:40,320 --> 01:18:43,920
Speaker 1: he does here in the spring. The dude can hit, gosh,

1302
01:18:43,960 --> 01:18:46,479
Speaker 1: th first base, maybe some third base.

1303
01:18:46,840 --> 01:18:47,040
Speaker 7: Man.

1304
01:18:47,080 --> 01:18:49,040
Speaker 1: If he can hit, he's going to be in this lineup.

1305
01:18:49,240 --> 01:18:52,840
Speaker 1: The guy is he He was a spark when he

1306
01:18:53,040 --> 01:18:54,880
Speaker 1: came up in September.

1307
01:18:55,479 --> 01:18:59,200
Speaker 3: No question, fans really took to him. This chick. This

1308
01:18:59,240 --> 01:19:02,280
Speaker 3: is one of the different and the way baseball has

1309
01:19:02,360 --> 01:19:04,760
Speaker 3: evolved as the years, I can you and I can

1310
01:19:04,800 --> 01:19:08,320
Speaker 3: go back to let's say, the Big Red Machine of

1311
01:19:08,360 --> 01:19:11,519
Speaker 3: the nineteen seventies, and they would call up a player

1312
01:19:11,520 --> 01:19:14,120
Speaker 3: for the minor leagues like say a Dan Breeson or

1313
01:19:14,120 --> 01:19:17,280
Speaker 3: a Ken Griffy sor and you really had never hardly

1314
01:19:17,320 --> 01:19:20,040
Speaker 3: heard much about him at all. And he gets to

1315
01:19:20,080 --> 01:19:22,479
Speaker 3: the big leagues and becomes a player for you. And

1316
01:19:22,520 --> 01:19:25,000
Speaker 3: those days are long gone now because when south Stewart

1317
01:19:25,000 --> 01:19:27,599
Speaker 3: came up to the minor leagues, I remember that game

1318
01:19:27,640 --> 01:19:29,840
Speaker 3: because that was that was the day I was able

1319
01:19:29,840 --> 01:19:31,840
Speaker 3: to go down to Cincinnati and go to the Red Game.

1320
01:19:32,240 --> 01:19:34,120
Speaker 3: We had a day off that day. I can't go

1321
01:19:34,200 --> 01:19:36,000
Speaker 3: to many games because we play one hundred and thirty

1322
01:19:36,000 --> 01:19:38,960
Speaker 3: two game schedule and Dayton. I went to that game

1323
01:19:39,040 --> 01:19:41,400
Speaker 3: and south Stewart comes up first at bat and gets

1324
01:19:41,400 --> 01:19:46,400
Speaker 3: a standing ovation from everyone in the ballpark, and really,

1325
01:19:46,439 --> 01:19:48,760
Speaker 3: to me, you know, I know him well. He was

1326
01:19:48,760 --> 01:19:52,840
Speaker 3: with us for parts of two seasons, so enough of

1327
01:19:52,880 --> 01:19:56,559
Speaker 3: a sample size to see him play and see the

1328
01:19:56,680 --> 01:20:00,040
Speaker 3: kind of intensity that he brings to the game. I

1329
01:20:00,120 --> 01:20:02,880
Speaker 3: really feel like that's your future. You've got to be

1330
01:20:02,920 --> 01:20:05,920
Speaker 3: able to find a way. You can't afford to go

1331
01:20:05,960 --> 01:20:07,720
Speaker 3: out there and get a shore bird, but you can

1332
01:20:07,760 --> 01:20:11,559
Speaker 3: develop south Stewart into being a star. That's the way

1333
01:20:11,600 --> 01:20:14,400
Speaker 3: it's going to have to work, is you you come

1334
01:20:14,439 --> 01:20:17,200
Speaker 3: across a player that's got a chance to be a star.

1335
01:20:18,000 --> 01:20:20,360
Speaker 3: You've got to get him there. And so this is

1336
01:20:20,400 --> 01:20:23,439
Speaker 3: a season he's he's going to start out. I hope

1337
01:20:23,439 --> 01:20:28,000
Speaker 3: they have enough confidence in him to put him at

1338
01:20:28,000 --> 01:20:31,240
Speaker 3: a position, whether it's I guess most likely first base.

1339
01:20:31,360 --> 01:20:33,880
Speaker 3: I mean it's it's it's still a little bit up

1340
01:20:33,880 --> 01:20:37,080
Speaker 3: in the air. You got Spencer Steer. That's Steer's best

1341
01:20:37,080 --> 01:20:40,479
Speaker 3: defensive position, his first base, but stear could also play

1342
01:20:40,560 --> 01:20:43,519
Speaker 3: left field. So we'll see what they do with Stuart.

1343
01:20:43,560 --> 01:20:46,720
Speaker 3: I understand the talk that the fans may here and

1344
01:20:47,080 --> 01:20:49,640
Speaker 3: not necessarily like when they talk about he's going to

1345
01:20:49,720 --> 01:20:52,320
Speaker 3: have to earn a job, that's really for an audience

1346
01:20:52,360 --> 01:20:54,920
Speaker 3: of one and that's for south Stewart to hear, to

1347
01:20:55,320 --> 01:20:57,680
Speaker 3: feel like he's got to come to spring training and

1348
01:20:57,720 --> 01:21:00,479
Speaker 3: earn a job. But from the fans, for second, wait,

1349
01:21:00,520 --> 01:21:01,960
Speaker 3: this guy, we got to have him in there. And

1350
01:21:01,960 --> 01:21:03,920
Speaker 3: that's the way I feel about it too. He's got

1351
01:21:03,960 --> 01:21:06,599
Speaker 3: to go from point A to point B this year.

1352
01:21:06,640 --> 01:21:09,760
Speaker 3: And let's go from being a prospect to a guy

1353
01:21:09,800 --> 01:21:12,200
Speaker 3: that you look at and say he's a future All Star.

1354
01:21:12,880 --> 01:21:19,160
Speaker 1: How about his makeup as a leader as a gosh,

1355
01:21:19,160 --> 01:21:23,320
Speaker 1: the intangibles he grips with intangibles.

1356
01:21:24,120 --> 01:21:28,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, and he's kind of a in that. On the

1357
01:21:28,920 --> 01:21:33,000
Speaker 3: one hand, he plays with an extreme level of intensity,

1358
01:21:33,280 --> 01:21:37,559
Speaker 3: elite level of intensity. He is gonna will himself to

1359
01:21:37,640 --> 01:21:39,200
Speaker 3: go and you can see it in his eyes when

1360
01:21:39,200 --> 01:21:39,679
Speaker 3: he goes.

1361
01:21:39,479 --> 01:21:39,960
Speaker 7: To the plate.

1362
01:21:40,680 --> 01:21:43,360
Speaker 3: He's gonna will himself to win the battle with the pitcher.

1363
01:21:44,760 --> 01:21:48,719
Speaker 3: He's not a super athletic, super talented kid in terms

1364
01:21:48,800 --> 01:21:52,320
Speaker 3: of tools, but he's a great baseball players. Baseball skills

1365
01:21:52,600 --> 01:21:56,480
Speaker 3: are what carry him as a player, not necessarily athleticism

1366
01:21:56,680 --> 01:22:02,080
Speaker 3: or or you know, speed or he's got more athletically,

1367
01:22:02,080 --> 01:22:05,960
Speaker 3: believe than people sometimes give him credit for. But he

1368
01:22:06,080 --> 01:22:10,200
Speaker 3: is a ballplayer. But he's also he's not just a

1369
01:22:10,200 --> 01:22:12,719
Speaker 3: ball in the china shop. I learned very quickly about

1370
01:22:12,720 --> 01:22:16,280
Speaker 3: south Stewart. He was he was our smartest guy baseball IQ.

1371
01:22:17,400 --> 01:22:19,160
Speaker 3: He's a guy that knows the game. And I ask

1372
01:22:19,280 --> 01:22:22,040
Speaker 3: him one time, you know, you you remind me of

1373
01:22:22,080 --> 01:22:26,200
Speaker 3: someone who had to have come from a coaching family

1374
01:22:26,479 --> 01:22:28,160
Speaker 3: and his dad was a coach, but he was I

1375
01:22:28,160 --> 01:22:31,400
Speaker 3: think a basketball coach. South gives credit to his baseball

1376
01:22:31,439 --> 01:22:35,120
Speaker 3: coaches as well. He learned the game, understands the moment,

1377
01:22:35,760 --> 01:22:38,479
Speaker 3: and is going to be a smart player. So that's

1378
01:22:38,520 --> 01:22:40,639
Speaker 3: a guy that I look at again and say, that's

1379
01:22:40,680 --> 01:22:44,679
Speaker 3: what the Reds. For the Reds to become a team

1380
01:22:44,720 --> 01:22:47,559
Speaker 3: that can go deep into the playoffs, you get a

1381
01:22:47,600 --> 01:22:50,560
Speaker 3: guy like this South Stewart come along. He's going to

1382
01:22:50,640 --> 01:22:53,759
Speaker 3: have to be the guy that this game comes along

1383
01:22:53,920 --> 01:22:57,599
Speaker 3: enough that he carries you and becomes a star quality player,

1384
01:22:57,640 --> 01:22:58,840
Speaker 3: not just another guy on the team.

1385
01:22:59,720 --> 01:23:03,120
Speaker 1: All the Reds and all their fans are counting on

1386
01:23:03,400 --> 01:23:07,519
Speaker 1: Matt McClain to make a comeback this year. And to me,

1387
01:23:07,880 --> 01:23:10,799
Speaker 1: you know, he was tried so often in the number

1388
01:23:10,800 --> 01:23:14,040
Speaker 1: two hole in the batting order, then we saw him

1389
01:23:14,120 --> 01:23:19,040
Speaker 1: drop down to eight and nine. That number two batter

1390
01:23:19,360 --> 01:23:24,000
Speaker 1: just has to be so versatile in sacrifice, and it's

1391
01:23:24,040 --> 01:23:25,840
Speaker 1: got to be a versatile back that will hit the

1392
01:23:25,880 --> 01:23:28,920
Speaker 1: ball the other way. And I'm just wondering if Matt

1393
01:23:29,000 --> 01:23:31,519
Speaker 1: mcclin can work his way back into the number two

1394
01:23:31,560 --> 01:23:32,599
Speaker 1: hole this year.

1395
01:23:33,720 --> 01:23:36,800
Speaker 3: They would like to see that happen, and I think,

1396
01:23:36,920 --> 01:23:39,880
Speaker 3: you know, there's some things that you can expect, and

1397
01:23:40,040 --> 01:23:42,080
Speaker 3: you can expect Matt McClain to be a better player

1398
01:23:42,080 --> 01:23:44,280
Speaker 3: than he was last year. We talked a moment ago

1399
01:23:44,320 --> 01:23:48,400
Speaker 3: about they hope that JJ Bleday can get back to

1400
01:23:48,439 --> 01:23:52,160
Speaker 3: where he was in twenty four And I think it's

1401
01:23:52,200 --> 01:23:57,559
Speaker 3: important to differentiate between hoping and expecting. You can expect

1402
01:23:57,560 --> 01:23:59,559
Speaker 3: Matt McClain, I think, to be a better player than

1403
01:23:59,600 --> 01:24:01,840
Speaker 3: he waslast year. He just is too good of a

1404
01:24:01,880 --> 01:24:07,000
Speaker 3: player to play like he did in twenty twenty five

1405
01:24:08,040 --> 01:24:11,400
Speaker 3: multiple years. He's a smart guy, he's a hard worker,

1406
01:24:11,439 --> 01:24:14,479
Speaker 3: he's got great intangibles. There's no reason to think that

1407
01:24:14,560 --> 01:24:18,360
Speaker 3: he can't figure out what went wrong last year. You know, again,

1408
01:24:18,520 --> 01:24:21,320
Speaker 3: first year coming back from missing an entire season. He

1409
01:24:21,360 --> 01:24:24,840
Speaker 3: did not play in twenty four, so he came back

1410
01:24:24,880 --> 01:24:27,000
Speaker 3: off that shoulder injury, which is a tough injury to

1411
01:24:27,040 --> 01:24:29,839
Speaker 3: come back from. He kind of got into a funk

1412
01:24:30,000 --> 01:24:33,880
Speaker 3: and couldn't get out of it. And those who saw

1413
01:24:33,920 --> 01:24:36,519
Speaker 3: him in twenty three, which was the last year he played,

1414
01:24:36,560 --> 01:24:38,360
Speaker 3: would say, hey, that might have been our best player.

1415
01:24:39,000 --> 01:24:42,240
Speaker 3: And so I think you would expect Matt McLain now,

1416
01:24:42,240 --> 01:24:44,519
Speaker 3: well he get all the way back that we can't

1417
01:24:44,520 --> 01:24:48,320
Speaker 3: say for sure, but you can expect better numbers than

1418
01:24:48,600 --> 01:24:51,840
Speaker 3: what we saw in twenty five from Matt McLain at

1419
01:24:51,840 --> 01:24:55,280
Speaker 3: second base and as a defensive player of course, really good,

1420
01:24:55,560 --> 01:24:57,839
Speaker 3: the kind of guy that wins you games with his defense.

1421
01:24:58,439 --> 01:25:01,640
Speaker 1: Lastly, Tom Nichols, the strength of this team man the

1422
01:25:01,720 --> 01:25:05,800
Speaker 1: starting pitching and to think that the Rigs make the playoffs.

1423
01:25:05,880 --> 01:25:08,760
Speaker 1: And they didn't have Hunter Green for two months. So

1424
01:25:09,360 --> 01:25:13,639
Speaker 1: if the starting pitching can stay healthy with Green, with Singer,

1425
01:25:13,920 --> 01:25:16,720
Speaker 1: with Abbot, you've got Chase Burns. There are a couple

1426
01:25:16,720 --> 01:25:19,720
Speaker 1: of guys coming off injury and Julian Aggie are and

1427
01:25:19,920 --> 01:25:22,479
Speaker 1: Brandon Williamson and Nick Lodolo.

1428
01:25:23,000 --> 01:25:27,439
Speaker 5: So it's the guy you didn't name was Yeah, you

1429
01:25:27,760 --> 01:25:28,360
Speaker 5: named Lodola.

1430
01:25:28,439 --> 01:25:30,719
Speaker 3: You named all eight, so that I think the five

1431
01:25:30,840 --> 01:25:35,280
Speaker 3: going in would be Green, Singer, Abbot, Lodolo, Burns, and

1432
01:25:35,320 --> 01:25:41,440
Speaker 3: then Louder, Agiar Williamson are are all capable. I like Agiars,

1433
01:25:41,520 --> 01:25:44,840
Speaker 3: you know, he he he. He's a guy that's never

1434
01:25:44,960 --> 01:25:48,000
Speaker 3: really been a player that's gotten a ton of attention

1435
01:25:48,200 --> 01:25:52,160
Speaker 3: because he was a junior college draft pick, middle of

1436
01:25:52,200 --> 01:25:56,040
Speaker 3: the draft, tenth round or so. And but I've seen

1437
01:25:56,080 --> 01:25:59,800
Speaker 3: him pitch effectively, and I've seen the stuff. He's a

1438
01:26:00,320 --> 01:26:04,800
Speaker 3: nineties to even sometimes upper nineties guy with his fastball,

1439
01:26:05,080 --> 01:26:09,759
Speaker 3: got good secondary pitches. He showed enough in twenty four.

1440
01:26:09,840 --> 01:26:14,200
Speaker 3: I think he had one really bad outing at the

1441
01:26:14,280 --> 01:26:16,360
Speaker 3: end of that season that drove his era up a

1442
01:26:16,360 --> 01:26:18,720
Speaker 3: little bit. But other than that, he was he had

1443
01:26:18,760 --> 01:26:21,880
Speaker 3: certainly some good games. Williamson, of course, is a guy

1444
01:26:21,920 --> 01:26:25,840
Speaker 3: that got in a big trade with Seattle that was

1445
01:26:25,880 --> 01:26:31,879
Speaker 3: the Winker and Suarez deal that brought them a multiple

1446
01:26:31,880 --> 01:26:35,320
Speaker 3: players back, some of them have since gone from the organization.

1447
01:26:36,280 --> 01:26:38,719
Speaker 3: And then and then we know Louder as a first

1448
01:26:38,760 --> 01:26:43,040
Speaker 3: round pick, so he should be Any of those guys,

1449
01:26:43,040 --> 01:26:45,719
Speaker 3: if needed, would would be able to slide into the rotation.

1450
01:26:46,280 --> 01:26:50,160
Speaker 3: And as we know chicked. You've got one hundred and

1451
01:26:50,200 --> 01:26:52,920
Speaker 3: sixty two game season. Your chances that you're going to

1452
01:26:52,960 --> 01:26:56,519
Speaker 3: go all year with just your starting five and very slim.

1453
01:26:56,800 --> 01:26:59,280
Speaker 3: So you've got to be able to find a sixth star,

1454
01:26:59,400 --> 01:27:02,000
Speaker 3: seven star, and they've got some good candidates there.

1455
01:27:02,280 --> 01:27:06,120
Speaker 1: Tom, always a pleasure, great stuff man. You've heated up

1456
01:27:06,160 --> 01:27:09,120
Speaker 1: our chili Sunday today. Thank you so much.

1457
01:27:09,760 --> 01:27:12,680
Speaker 3: Well enjoyed football for a few more weeks and then

1458
01:27:12,680 --> 01:27:14,840
Speaker 3: we slide into spring training. Thanks for having me on.

1459
01:27:15,000 --> 01:27:15,920
Speaker 2: Can't wait. Thanks so much.

1460
01:27:15,960 --> 01:27:21,120
Speaker 1: Tom Nichols, Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations and the

1461
01:27:21,200 --> 01:27:24,000
Speaker 1: voice of the Dayton Dragons. This is Chick Bludwig Sports

1462
01:27:24,040 --> 01:27:26,360
Speaker 1: Talk seven hundred WLW