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Speaker 1: This is Tony Pike SINCEY three sixty about Cincinnati. From Cincinnati,

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Speaker 1: this is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 2: Good afternoon, Welcome back. Hour two is here since E

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Speaker 2: three sixty on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station. Only

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Speaker 2: one way to get our number two started. We head

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Speaker 2: to Arizona. We had the Red Spring Training to check

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Speaker 2: in with our guy, Charlie Goldsmith joining us live right now. Charlie,

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Speaker 2: what's going on?

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Speaker 3: How are you, Tony? I'm doing great? How are you?

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Speaker 2: I'm fantastic, Charlie. Now you may be at spring training,

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Speaker 2: but how excited are you tomorrow even though it's the

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Speaker 2: Cactus League opener to have your eyes on what's going

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Speaker 2: to be happening in Lawrence, Kansas with the Bearcats.

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Speaker 4: My gosh, Yeah, I was.

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Speaker 3: Talking to my dad about the game on Sunday, he

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Speaker 3: was there. His big takeaway was just how invested the fans,

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Speaker 3: the players, the coaches all clearly even though it's a

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Speaker 3: lost season. So I was that warmed my heart to

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Speaker 3: hear that from my dad.

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Speaker 2: I'm glad to hear that. Charlie. Now, what I want

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Speaker 2: to know in this Red Spring training, there's clearly not

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Speaker 2: as many position battles up for grabs. I don't think

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Speaker 2: there's a ton of roster spots up for grabs. So

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Speaker 2: when you start the actual gameplay tomorrow, what are some

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Speaker 2: things that you want to see? What are you looking

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Speaker 2: for as spring training continues on?

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Speaker 3: You know what I really want to look for tomorrow.

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Speaker 3: Let me tell you a story. So Chase Burns is

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Speaker 3: going to start the Texas League Open. There he was

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Speaker 3: out here, I guess five days ago or five days

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Speaker 3: from tomorrow, last Tuesday, I believe throwing his second live

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Speaker 3: bulleten of the spring. And Chase Burns is a guy

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Speaker 3: who look up the gifts, like was the celebrator and

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Speaker 3: chess pounder of all time in college, but last year

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Speaker 3: he was one of the most stoic, calm, quiet guys

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Speaker 3: on the Reds and watch him. Oh that live BP

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Speaker 3: last Tuesday, he was pounding his chest, was he was

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Speaker 3: cursing under his breath when he couldn't get Dane Miles

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Speaker 3: to swing through a strike three bastball. And then he

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Speaker 3: reached back and he got that strike three bastball. So

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Speaker 3: if that's chased his mindset on a backfield here, yes, yes, please,

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Speaker 3: I'd like to watch that in a even in a

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Speaker 3: spring training game, because he's clearly fired up.

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Speaker 4: Is that the moment that caused you to tweet Chase

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Speaker 4: Burns eye emojis?

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Speaker 3: That's the moment that caused me to tweet Chase for diamoji.

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Speaker 3: That's spark Day two thousand word feature. I wrote about

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Speaker 3: Chase Burns a few days ago, and like, this is

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Speaker 3: a clicha thing to say in spring Oh, he's got

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Speaker 3: a different presence about him this year, But I think

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Speaker 3: there's a connection to from what I've just described on

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Speaker 3: the mount and how he's carry himself, Like Chase Burns

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Speaker 3: is expressing the fact that he is incredibly high expectations

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Speaker 3: for what he can do right now, and frankly, he

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Speaker 3: might be one of the most talented people on this

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Speaker 3: team and one of the most talented young pitchers.

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Speaker 2: And all these you mentioned the way he carries himself.

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Speaker 2: Have you seen that more as a team for the

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Speaker 2: Reds at spring training? Does this feel like a more

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Speaker 2: confident team? Does it feel like they've carried themselves differently

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Speaker 2: thus far through spring training?

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Speaker 3: Yes, you know, we've talked about kind of how early

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Speaker 3: they're getting here, just how hard they're working how focused

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Speaker 3: the work is. I'll take this as an opportunity to

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Speaker 3: talk about TJ Friedel and Spencer Spear, where I talked

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Speaker 3: to each of them about this yesterday. They're always in

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Speaker 3: the middle of everything. And you talk about, you know,

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Speaker 3: the message of the year being it's time, Well, that

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Speaker 3: means different things for different people. You know, for some guys,

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Speaker 3: it's time to be a good player. For Steering, For Friedel,

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Speaker 3: it's kind of time for them to make this their team.

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Speaker 3: And they're they're two really impressive leaders. Like Kirk Kistali

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Speaker 3: told me when Steer was a rookie, this guy has

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Speaker 3: the factor from a leadership perspective. Tj obviously everyone looks

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Speaker 3: up to the way he plays. It's kind of been

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Speaker 3: their team and you know everyone everyone kind of loves

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Speaker 3: the way those guys play. And so those are two

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Speaker 3: guys that everyone, you know as they should be followed.

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Speaker 4: What's a day for Spencer Steer like? With him playing

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Speaker 4: so many different positions and being expected to play so

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Speaker 4: many positions, what's his spring training been like with the

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Speaker 4: different types of work that he's been getting it just

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Speaker 4: bouncing around the different spots. Like, what's it been like

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Speaker 4: for steer trying to work on all those things at once,

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Speaker 4: so he bounces around.

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Speaker 3: So like yesterday when they did I believe relay throws

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Speaker 3: kind of in that ten to fifteen spot in the schedule,

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Speaker 3: he was working out at second base. And then today

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Speaker 3: when they were doing pop up priority, you know, working

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Speaker 3: on the I Got It stuff between the infielder and neilfielders,

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Speaker 3: he was in the left and now some days at

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Speaker 3: the end of the day then he'll catch up on

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Speaker 3: a position. Hemit, he's really not working much at all

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Speaker 3: at first base. Ideally, if everyone's healthy, left is his spot.

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Speaker 3: And then I spoke with him yesterday. He's really motivated

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Speaker 3: and he's a chip on his shoulder to be this

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Speaker 3: team's second bec he's just team back up second basement.

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Speaker 3: And I said to him, like, you've got to be

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Speaker 3: the only everyday player in the league who's that motivated

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Speaker 3: to be a backup at a spot. But he is,

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Speaker 3: and a story with him has been helped the last

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Speaker 3: two years. He says he needs to remind everyone what

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Speaker 3: he can do and he's healthy, and if that's the case,

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Speaker 3: then the power and the ability to play second base,

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Speaker 3: he says, we'll come.

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Speaker 2: It's been a really cool follow up of storylines throughout

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Speaker 2: spring training. And one of the stories that I think

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Speaker 2: is worth noting is that of tj Antone and what

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Speaker 2: he has battled back from. He's writing a book. But

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Speaker 2: as it relates to tj and Tone, is there a

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Speaker 2: roster spot up for Grams for him outside of what

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Speaker 2: an awesome story it is and the work that it's

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Speaker 2: taken him to get back. Does he have a role

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Speaker 2: on this team that can help You've heard me.

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Speaker 3: Say this, My biggest concern for the Reds is that

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Speaker 3: even though the roster battles for the true spots on

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Speaker 3: the opening day roster are the best I've seen in

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Speaker 3: a lot. You know my time, I'm doing this six years,

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Speaker 3: the depth beyond that is probably the most concerned I've

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Speaker 3: been their overall pitching depths. When you get passed like

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Speaker 3: the top eight in the rotation, in the top twelve

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Speaker 3: in the bullpen, and you need fifteen starters twenty relievers

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Speaker 3: to get to a season like you need that depth.

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Speaker 3: Antone I would describe his presence on the mound is

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Speaker 3: he's carrying himself like twenty twenty oney TJ Antone in

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Speaker 3: terms of like the whole thing is I'm just gonna

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Speaker 3: go at it and teach you and get you at

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Speaker 3: the hook curveball. Now the stuff isn't quite what it was,

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Speaker 3: the velocity isn't quite what it was, and the command

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Speaker 3: isn't something that you know. We'll see how that progresses

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Speaker 3: up the spring. It's still so early. But if he

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Speaker 3: can be good enough to improve your depth, that really matters.

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Speaker 2: From from an offensive standpoint, where do you think the

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Speaker 2: last roster spot battle comes down to?

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Speaker 3: Is?

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Speaker 2: Is JJ Blede in a roster battle? Is Will Benson

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Speaker 2: in a battle to make this roster when it comes

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Speaker 2: down to that last spot? How do you view that

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Speaker 2: that competition playing out?

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Speaker 3: I think I think kind of the news of the

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Speaker 3: week was Tary Francona talking about Benson saying like we

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Speaker 3: see him kind of filling some of Gavin Lux's role,

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Speaker 3: and Thedo didn't say this, and things could change in

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Speaker 3: the spring, but the way he talked about Benson, how

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Speaker 3: you talk about a guy he you expect to make

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Speaker 3: the club. One spot will go to a backup centerfielder

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Speaker 3: who's right handed. That'll be Dane Myers or Blake Done

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Speaker 3: both elite speed. Dane I think would have the edge.

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Speaker 3: He's more experienced. He has crushed Lefty, but you're ready

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Speaker 3: for your overreaction to the spring like flake counts crushing

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Speaker 3: the ball out here. We'll see how that translates into

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Speaker 3: real game action. And then that would leave one true

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Speaker 3: bench spot for Nate Lowe, for JJ Bladay, Michael Toliah,

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Speaker 3: and then they have a couple of other utility guys.

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Speaker 3: Michael Genis like guys like that. I'm gonna be writing

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Speaker 3: more about all this this week, and they're they're all like,

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Speaker 3: they've all been good recently. They weren't good last year.

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Speaker 3: That's why the competing for oster spots. But each guy

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Speaker 3: has had a very interesting journey and different people could

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Speaker 3: talk yourselves into different guys being the one that gets

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Speaker 3: back to that, and so that's going to make retimes

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Speaker 3: as well. I forgot to mention him. He's a really

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Speaker 3: interesting person in camp. Maybe he clicks, maybe he doesn't,

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Speaker 3: but you can make a case for him, just like

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Speaker 3: you can make the case for any of these guys.

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Speaker 4: Is there anything like specific that the Reds are looking

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Speaker 4: for from those guys in games that can kind of

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Speaker 4: swing the opinion of them in their favor? Is there

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Speaker 4: anything specific? It feels like they're looking for from those guys.

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Speaker 3: Well, for everyone, it's different. Like I mentioned Ree times

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Speaker 3: like talking to him, he wants to prove that he's

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Speaker 3: an elite defender, and that's not what we think of

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Speaker 3: with Rees, but he's actually really really improved in that area.

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Speaker 3: Nate Lowe has to show that he is ready to

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Speaker 3: hit for power against red handed pitching at its first

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Speaker 3: base defense is better than it was last year. Jay J.

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Speaker 3: Bloday has to show that just his old overall athleticism

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Speaker 3: allows him to be the type of presence in the

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Speaker 3: box that he was in twenty twenty four. Like Michael

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Speaker 3: Tolly has to show that he can make contact. Like

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Speaker 3: each guy, it's a different thing that the games won't

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Speaker 3: tell you, but it's just to feel the eye test.

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Speaker 3: How are these guys? Who are these guys? That's what

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Speaker 3: that's what you evaluate in the springs.

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Speaker 2: You are doing extensive work right now on the reds

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Speaker 2: bullpen A deep dive, a deep dive, as you put it,

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Speaker 2: and you started with a guy in Tony Santion that

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Speaker 2: still as we sit here today, I don't think gets

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Speaker 2: credit for the season he had last year. Divulge into

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Speaker 2: that a little bit about Tony Santion's role with this

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Speaker 2: team and the weapon that they hope he can be

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Speaker 2: this year.

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Speaker 3: First, let me apologize for the length of that story,

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Speaker 3: almost data six part series on the Red Bullpen, and

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Speaker 3: I said, you know what, let me just make this

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Speaker 3: one email. And so, for logistic reasons, the hope there

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Speaker 3: was kind of like if it's spring training and you're like,

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Speaker 3: who's taking day and you can click that story Sancia,

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Speaker 3: I'm just gonna tell my favorite Tony Sancian story. Do

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Speaker 3: you remember like the crazy home run over the foulful

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Speaker 3: that PCA hit against the reds last Maybe you maybe

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Speaker 3: it don't. He like flips the bat, pounds of chests,

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Speaker 3: like all kinds of crazy stuff. Like it was like

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Speaker 3: a star making moment for PCA early in the seasons.

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Speaker 3: I talked with Tony about that later in the year

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Speaker 3: in last September. He said, I was tipping my pitches

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Speaker 3: that day. I fixed it and I was thinking about

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Speaker 3: that moment all year. And then flash forward to the

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Speaker 3: Final Sunday, the second last Sunday, the final week of

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Speaker 3: the season. Tony gets PCA out to get the saved

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Speaker 3: and one. Nothing went over the Cubs on a Sunday

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Speaker 3: game down the stretch of the season. Like Tony's tousically share,

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Speaker 3: like he's that dog, like he's that competitor. He was

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Speaker 3: an elite production reliever last year with the stuff to match.

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Speaker 3: You know, we talked about Ellie doesn't have to play

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Speaker 3: one hundred and sixty two games anymore and what that

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Speaker 3: could mean for him being fresh. And I mean look

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Speaker 3: at Tony, like, because they have Pierre Shohnson and bruck

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Speaker 3: Burke and because Connor Fellips could take a step, they

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Speaker 3: don't need Tony to throw eighty games this year again.

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Speaker 3: And he's just been really good since he got called

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Speaker 3: back up in the middle of the twenty twenty fourth seasons.

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Speaker 4: I want to flip back to the offense real quick.

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Speaker 4: One of the talking points of this offseason has been

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Speaker 4: the Reds will be better if Matt McClain returns to form.

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Speaker 4: What have you seen from Matt McClain through the early

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Speaker 4: stages of camp.

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Speaker 3: It's early, It's probably too early for that. The biggest

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Speaker 3: thing I'd say is just the overall mindset and identity

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Speaker 3: and not trying to do too much, chase too much power,

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Speaker 3: adding that home with the fact that he's twelve pounds

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Speaker 3: or he added twelve pounds, and of course the offseason

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Speaker 3: kind of a muscle to be able to just do

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Speaker 3: more damage of role at the plate. Like just my opinion,

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Speaker 3: Like I believe in that they obviously believe in that

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Speaker 3: they put all their eggs into Matt McClain bucket by

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Speaker 3: getting rid of every other second basement on the roster.

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Speaker 3: The fact that they're not putting them into the two hole, yes,

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Speaker 3: showed like let's build that confidence. Let's you know, earn

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Speaker 3: your way up there. Hopefully in their mind they think

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Speaker 3: he's going to do that. And then by the way,

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Speaker 3: he's probably the best defender in the best base runner

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Speaker 3: on the team. So that's where they've pushed their chips in.

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Speaker 3: But overall, it's too early to have any sort of

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Speaker 3: evaluation on him yet.

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Speaker 2: I saw you reported yesterday, uh Terry Francona talking about

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Speaker 2: Cees getting into spring training games at the beginning of

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Speaker 2: next week. From a health standpoint for the rest of

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Speaker 2: the team, has it been a pretty healthy spring training

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Speaker 2: to this point? And to that, is there anything worth

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Speaker 2: noting on Cees is does he have a role on

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Speaker 2: this roster. Does he have a role for this team

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Speaker 2: in twenty twenty six?

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Speaker 3: The one injury update is that Colin Cowgill banged up.

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Speaker 3: Terry Francona told and the dead serious and they might

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Speaker 3: have a you know, next man up kind of at

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Speaker 3: first base at some point in the short term here.

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Speaker 3: But on the field it's Ces and it's Joel valdev

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Speaker 3: the young reliever. Cees. Does he have a spot as

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Speaker 3: he can be to me to make the team? Probably not.

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Speaker 3: I'd like to give him a shout out almost for

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Speaker 3: the mindset and the humility. Like this is a guy

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Speaker 3: who a couple of years ago is giving Joey Boto

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Speaker 3: advice on his swing and saying that he's saw comparisons

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Speaker 3: between Bonto and himself. He's come a long way, Cees has.

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Speaker 3: He just wants to help, He just wants to feel

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Speaker 3: healthy again. He's able to appreciate the small wins, and

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Speaker 3: he's really committed himself to the things he knows he

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Speaker 3: needs to be better at, which is that he was

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Speaker 3: one of the worst chasers in baseball last year. Like, now,

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Speaker 3: what does that all look like for twenty twenty six?

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Speaker 3: We all have no idea, but last year was like

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Speaker 3: a formidable experience for him, and I've just been really

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Speaker 3: impressed talking to him this spring where he's at in

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Speaker 3: his growth.

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Speaker 4: Charlie.

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Speaker 2: We've spent time. We've talked about Ellie as a base runner.

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Speaker 2: We've talked about Ellie and the weight that he's gained.

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Speaker 2: We've talked and you've talked extensively about the swing adjustment

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Speaker 2: with the leg kick. What we haven't discussed much is

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Speaker 2: Ellie as a shortstop. Obviously the air numbers have been

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Speaker 2: too high. Have you noticed anything thus far throughout spring

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Speaker 2: training that Ellie is maybe working on it shorter or

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Speaker 2: just maybe looks cleaner in what he's doing at shortstop

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Speaker 2: or is it still too early.

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Speaker 3: No, we have an evaluation to that with the red numbers.

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Speaker 3: Told the organization they did the data that Ellie's defense

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Speaker 3: was suffering because of the quad like that is the

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Speaker 3: story that they have for Ellie defensively. Last year I

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Speaker 3: talked to pretty bit of ETAs as well in depth

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Speaker 3: about what he's working on with Ellie, and the things

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Speaker 3: he stressed were the speed of the game. You know,

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Speaker 3: Bellinger's running down the line. Freddy said, how do you

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Speaker 3: adjust to a certain type of ball and make a

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Speaker 3: certain type of throw based on the fact. Is it

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Speaker 3: a do or die player? Yep? Are you down? How

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Speaker 3: many outs are there? Like all of that stuff about

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Speaker 3: playing the game because every spring he's always been great

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Speaker 3: on the backfield. Defensively, it's not applying, so they've kind

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Speaker 3: of had a more of a game mindset with him.

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Speaker 3: I'd say, as the key for what would need to

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Speaker 3: happen to work when he's on the field in the

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Speaker 3: fire time.

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Speaker 4: What is most interesting to you about tomorrow's game.

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Speaker 3: Kate Burns, I mean Rett Louder to see him right

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Speaker 3: after that. I don't even know who else is playing it,

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Speaker 3: But like the answer to that question is there was

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Speaker 3: There's a line that really stuck with me. I was

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Speaker 3: talking to one of the front offrac guys on the

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Speaker 3: first day camp, what are you most interested in this spring?

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Speaker 3: And he said everybody? And I think there's there's something

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Speaker 3: to that. Like I wrote a four thousand more deep

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Speaker 3: dive on the bullpen because means gounds are really interesting.

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Speaker 3: Even a guy like Michael Chadis. I don't know if

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Speaker 3: you even know who that is. A minor League of

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Speaker 3: hearing camp due to a visa issue when He was

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Speaker 3: supposed to go to Japan last year to continue his

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Speaker 3: career overseas. The team in Japan botched it, so for

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Speaker 3: a month he couldn't go back to the Dodgers Triple

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Speaker 3: A team. For a month, he was going to a

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Speaker 3: batt and cage next to a Chuck E Cheese and

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Speaker 3: taking swings with twelve year olds just to stay ready.

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Speaker 3: And he played in Japan. But he came back home

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Speaker 3: this year because he said, all I want is a

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Speaker 3: picture of me and my young daughter on the field together. Like,

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Speaker 3: all these guys are really interesting man, and a lot

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Speaker 3: of these guys are also pretty good. Like I think

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Speaker 3: this is a I'm more optimistic about this team than

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Speaker 3: I was when I got here, and it made for

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Speaker 3: a lot of good sports.

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Speaker 4: Big news of the day, Charlie, you may have missed

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Speaker 4: this as you're focusing on the actual baseball has been

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Speaker 4: the Reds announcement of the postgame concerts series featuring John Party,

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Speaker 4: marsh Mellow, Rick Ross and Ludacris among those four, Charlie,

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Speaker 4: who are you most interested in seeing after a Reds

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Speaker 4: game this year?

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Speaker 3: So we have you know, usually what you'll see is

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Speaker 3: the guy will make an appearance in the clubhouse or

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Speaker 3: something like, do we get Marshmellow in the clubhouse if

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Speaker 3: he wear in the hat? Is he not wearing the hat? Yeah?

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Speaker 3: Do we get some answers on Marshmallow? Do the Reds

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Speaker 3: get some answers on Marshmellow's identity? I guess I took

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Speaker 3: that answer better than I thought I would. I think

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Speaker 3: I came up with something there.

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Speaker 2: I have to ask because I love promoting everything you're

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Speaker 2: doing on Charlie's chalkboard before we let you go.

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Speaker 3: Uh you?

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Speaker 2: You had the statistic earlier today about TJ. Friedel and

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Speaker 2: leadoff hitters that reached base two or more times in

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Speaker 2: a game seventy seven or more times last year Otani,

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Speaker 2: Fernando Tatis, and TJ. Friedel. I don't think people realize

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Speaker 2: just how good Friedel has been as a leadoff hitter.

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Speaker 2: If there's one thing or a couple things he can

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Speaker 2: do to take his game to the next level, what

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Speaker 2: would you envision that bean, Well.

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Speaker 3: He didn't have to year he wanted defensively last year.

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Speaker 3: The numbers show that. I think the eye test from

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Speaker 3: what we saw showed that as well. After having the

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Speaker 3: soft tissue issues in twenty four, he just didn't have

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Speaker 3: that thing burst in twenty five. Nobody works harder on

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Speaker 3: their speed and their body in this whole organization more

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Speaker 3: than TJ Friedel. And he's motivated to break a certain trend,

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Speaker 3: which is the fact that over the last three years,

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Speaker 3: eight total guys thirty year older have played one hundred

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Speaker 3: and more games in center field. TJ wants to be

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Speaker 3: a centerfielder for a while. He's motivated to make that stick.

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Speaker 3: The right to do have more depths that they'll see

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Speaker 3: and evaluate this spring. But circling back to what I

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Speaker 3: said earlier, he's really emerged just as a huge leader

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Speaker 3: on this team. He was just having a great mom

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Speaker 3: with Ellie out here earlier, or with McLain out here

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Speaker 3: earlier when mclan is a joke shagged the fly ball

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Speaker 3: and right field and McClain didn't make the play, and

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Speaker 3: TJ's like, see it's not so easy, and they were

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Speaker 3: having a blast. Like TJ is at the center of

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Speaker 3: so much of that team spirit, and he sets the

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Speaker 3: tone in the lineup every day.

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Speaker 2: Charlie Man, you set the tone for every Friday for

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Speaker 2: this show. Just let you know that is what's the

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Speaker 2: easiest way to follow along with all your coverage that's

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Speaker 2: happening at Red Spring Training and more.

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Speaker 3: You know what, I've been laying a decision. I'm gonna

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Speaker 3: let you make this decision. So you mentioned the deep

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Speaker 3: dive on the bullpen. I've got stuff on Lobel Day,

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Speaker 3: hind done what I mentioned on Shade's and kind of

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Speaker 3: all those depth guys. Should they each get their own

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Speaker 3: story or should I do one mega deep dive into

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Speaker 3: all of those guys.

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Speaker 2: I like the Maga dive.

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Speaker 3: There you go.

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Speaker 2: I like the Maga dive.

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Speaker 4: When do you go to sleep? Do you sleep out

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Speaker 4: there or no?

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Speaker 3: So that's the key. I get ten hours of sleep.

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Speaker 3: I get ten hours of sleep at night out here.

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Speaker 4: Incredible Charlie's chalkboard.

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Speaker 2: Go check it out. Charlie, thanks so much as always

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Speaker 2: for your time, man, and we'll talk again next week.

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Speaker 2: Enjoy your time.

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Speaker 3: Talk to you next week. Thank guys.

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Speaker 4: There he is just simply the best. Maybe we'll get

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Speaker 4: a Matt McLean answered next week. Last two weeks, it's

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Speaker 4: too early. It's too early. Lot on everybody else, nothing

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Speaker 4: on Matt mc get that deep dive. That's not a

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Speaker 4: shot at Charlie is what's the guy doing. That's a

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Speaker 4: great cush He obviously dropped the fly ball. All I

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Speaker 4: care obviously is Frido has given him some pushback. He

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Speaker 4: dropped the fly ball today. All I can think about

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Speaker 4: is Matt McLean. He's supposed to be the guy. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: he's supposed to be the difference.

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Speaker 2: Where's he at?

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Speaker 4: You'd better show up.

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Speaker 2: By the way, brief update, Canada ended up winning that match.

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Speaker 2: They score in the final two minutes against Finland. Canada

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Speaker 2: awaits the winner of USA and Slovakia that semi final

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Speaker 2: match happening later this afternoon. What's happening next? Here is

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Speaker 2: your talkbacks on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.

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Speaker 1: From stunning strikes, a shot to last second saves the

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Speaker 1: Orange and Blue, delivered drama every game.

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Speaker 4: And if that won't give you goosebumps, I don't know

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Speaker 4: what will.

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Speaker 1: FC Cincinnati Soccer lives here Bailey Today on ESPN fifteen

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Speaker 1: thirty