WEBVTT - 10-6-25 Bill Cunningham Show 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:09.879 All right now, Billy Cunningham, the Great America will welcome 0:00:09.920 --> 0:00:14.600 this Monday afternoon, another great week at broadcasting. Superbity begins. First, 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:15.680 the weather's going to change. 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:16.200 We like that. 0:00:16.320 --> 0:00:18.120 Tonight it's going to be a little raining. Then over 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:21.080 Tuesday Wednesday, the low temperature late in the week might 0:00:21.079 --> 0:00:24.200 be in the forties, which is not bad. Winter is coming, 0:00:24.480 --> 0:00:27.240 but until then, winter has come to certain sports teams 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.200 in our tri state area. Number One, you have the 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:34.120 Reds last week on Monday Night, I'm sorry, on Tuesday 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.560 and Wednesday doing what they did Monday night with the Bengals. 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:38.879 At least they picked up the pieces of that debacle 0:00:38.920 --> 0:00:42.080 to perform worse yesterday. And then also you have Elder 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.159 in the pit taking down Muller High School. That was 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.800 a shock if you see the officials try to take 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:50.519 the game away from them and Kansas didn't work. They 0:00:50.560 --> 0:00:53.600 tried again yesterday or Saturday, but that didn't work either. 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.040 You see is riding high right now a man with 0:00:56.200 --> 0:00:59.720 perspectives on this and so much more. As Moeger, welcome 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:01.840 again the Bill Cunningham Show. And mo how are you? 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:04.240 I'm well? Willie? How about you? 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:08.240 Beaten? Bloodied and bowed. I'm watching this thing and this 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:11.480 morning I monitor all events simultaneously. You might have know. 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:13.800 This morning I listened to Tim McGee, the Great Number 0:01:13.840 --> 0:01:16.480 eighty five on with Tom Brenneman, and they had some 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.000 sort of score that the last three games in the 0:01:19.040 --> 0:01:21.800 first three quarters, which by the way, is three quarters 0:01:21.800 --> 0:01:23.880 of the game. That makes sense, My dear park Matt 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:26.800 tells me that the Bengals are losing something like ninety 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:30.680 six to two something is a terrible score. And yesterday 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:33.559 they picked up twenty one points when it didn't matter. 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:36.800 So can you put in perspective where the ben Galleys 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:38.800 are at this point? I had a report from Tony 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.800 Bender that Joe Burr was wielded in the studio into 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.920 the I'm sorry, into the stadium yesterday. He was horizontal, 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:47.720 had an ivy and each arm had a leg dangling 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:51.200 from a ligament. His toe was cut off, his knee 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:54.840 was a bandage, and they had his eyes covered. That 0:01:54.920 --> 0:01:56.680 picture is not a good one for the future with 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:59.400 the Bengals. But can you give me some mo Can 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:02.240 you give me mo? I need? Hope? 0:02:04.040 --> 0:02:07.040 Well, I don't know that I can now frankly that 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:10.640 the Joe Burrow that you just described in dire shape, 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:16.240 might be better equipped to play quarterback than Jake Browning is. Look, 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:25.880 this franchise is built on Joe Burrow elevating everybody, every player, 0:02:26.120 --> 0:02:30.880 every position, every coach. The entire foundation of the organization 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:34.600 rests on the shoulders of Joe Burrow. Remove him from 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:41.680 the equation, and an already shaky premise, organizational premise absolutely collapses. 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:44.560 And that's exactly what's happened. Look, Jake Browning is a 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:48.919 backup quarterback. Backup quarterbacks are prone to play poorly. Their 0:02:49.040 --> 0:02:53.160 proverbial floor is lower than the proverbial floor of a 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:56.640 starting quarterback, especially when we talked about Jake Browning was 0:02:56.760 --> 0:02:59.639 undrafted and it's a great success story because he is 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:02.520 managed to stick in the NFL for a number of 0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:06.000 years after every single team chose not to draft him, 0:03:06.480 --> 0:03:11.000 and so good for him. But you know, Jake Browning 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:14.480 is a back and backup quarterbacks when they played poorly, 0:03:14.520 --> 0:03:17.080 it often looks like it did yesterday. The problem for 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:21.280 me is number one, that they're probably going to wait 0:03:21.320 --> 0:03:24.120 too long before they decide to try somebody else, and 0:03:24.240 --> 0:03:27.160 number two, the rest of the roster isn't good enough. 0:03:27.360 --> 0:03:30.600 They ran the ball somewhat effectively yesterday, but they haven't 0:03:30.639 --> 0:03:33.280 run the ball effectively in quite a while. The offensive 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:37.000 line is not good. That's a decade long problem. They 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:40.920 spent the entire offseason looking at last year's defense, saying 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:44.320 to themselves, we think we're good with the personnel. We 0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:48.040 just eat a new defensive coordinator. Well, when the Bengals 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:50.520 crept back into the game yesterday and at least had 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:54.120 a puncher's chance, and when I say puncher's chance, still 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:57.600 not a great chance, the Bengals defense allowed the Lions 0:03:57.600 --> 0:04:01.040 to pretty much slam the door shut. This is look 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:06.080 Jake Browning. They should be looking at somebody else. I 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:09.600 cannot imagine anybody has any faith both inside that locker 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:11.960 room and for those of us looking from the outside, 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:15.800 I can't imagine anybody has any faith in Jake Browning 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:18.560 performing at a level that will allow this team to 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:22.000 win games with him as QB. But the rest of 0:04:22.040 --> 0:04:25.880 the roster isn't good. The coaching isn't good enough. I 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:29.320 watched on Thursday night the San Francisco forty nine ers 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.640 with a backup quarterback, a backup quarterback who was drafted, 0:04:33.000 --> 0:04:35.680 who at one point was the successor to Tom Brady. 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:38.320 But I watched the San Francisco forty nine ers on 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.440 the road on a short week with a thousand different 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.400 guys injured and not available, figure out a way to 0:04:44.400 --> 0:04:47.039 put together a game plan that allowed them to win 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.000 a division road game. On a Thursday, I watched the 0:04:50.040 --> 0:04:53.839 Minnesota Vikings against that Cleveland defense that the Bengals couldn't 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:57.120 figure out Week one win again with a backup quarterback. 0:04:57.160 --> 0:05:00.360 Carson Wentz has a pedigree. Carson Wentz. This has been 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:03.600 a starting quarterback in this league. Carson Wentz was drafted. 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:06.680 He's better than Jake Browning. But I saw the Minnesota 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:10.359 Vikings again figure out a way to win. This coaching 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:14.000 staff can't do it, players aren't good enough, and when 0:05:14.000 --> 0:05:17.880 the quarterback play totally tanks, what you have is a 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:20.320 three game stretch that looks like it has for the 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:23.800 Bengals these last three or they have been largely non competitive. 0:05:24.760 --> 0:05:27.039 Well, I'm looking at some of the statistics the bank. 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:29.680 After all, the Bengals are in second place in the 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:33.240 AFC North. But the differential, the point differential, and this 0:05:33.320 --> 0:05:36.479 takes into account the twenty one points, the worthless twenty 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:39.159 one points in the fourth quarter. The Bengals are number 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:41.960 one of the thirty two teams and the worst point 0:05:42.000 --> 0:05:46.000 differential in football, which is minus seventy one points, which 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:48.320 is terrible and it's awful. Now they're going to go 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.279 to Green Bay and play. And so we saw this coming. 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:54.080 You and Tony Pike and Austin Elmo are the best 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.320 of this. You said last year and the year before, 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:59.159 the window is open, the window is open. Joe Burrow's 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:02.120 got the window open. The window is closing. The window 0:06:02.160 --> 0:06:05.039 is closing. In fact, Joe Burrow turns thirty years old 0:06:05.080 --> 0:06:08.520 next year. We'll wait for the next injury, whether it's 0:06:08.560 --> 0:06:13.160 the toe, the knee, the wrist, the calf, the toe, 0:06:13.440 --> 0:06:16.280 the knee, the wrist, and the calf. What's left, I 0:06:16.279 --> 0:06:18.760 guess the shoulder and the head. And so we're waiting 0:06:18.800 --> 0:06:23.560 for some other disaster to happen in this franchise. I 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:25.920 call him zach Shuler because he's got that Dave Show 0:06:25.920 --> 0:06:28.400 will look in his eye. And there was no adjustments 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:30.599 of any type that made any sense. Goes to personnel, 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:32.440 and I watched the one to one of the times 0:06:32.520 --> 0:06:36.279 Jake Browning was sacked. Orlando brown did the Matador approach 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.080 off the left tackle spot, but he recovered the fumble. 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:42.440 He caused the fumble to happen, and then he recovered 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.599 the fumble. And I'm thinking, where do we go from here? Mo, 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:49.039 Because at this point, when Joe can play, if he 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:52.120 gets off the gurney, gets the IV out, get their 0:06:52.160 --> 0:06:55.240 bandages off, and wants to play some football. At that point, 0:06:55.279 --> 0:06:57.280 the Bengals will be four and eight and they'll say, well, 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.960 let's wait for next year and then get the season. 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.240 Take a request in nice and early for next year, 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:05.040 and here we go. Can you see history repeating itself? 0:07:05.120 --> 0:07:08.080 And I look back to the era of Marvin's You know, 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:11.480 Marvin Lewis was a nice guy, never won a playoff game. 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:14.240 He kept him for ten years, and Dave Shuler was 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:16.280 here for many years. I don't think he hit a 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:20.960 double digit winning season whatsoever. Before that was Bruce Coslin. 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:25.640 The consistency is inconsistency. They struck lightning with Joe Burrow 0:07:25.720 --> 0:07:28.160 by going into overtime in Miami that one game, to 0:07:28.280 --> 0:07:31.920 thank God, they lost in Miami, God bless him. But 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:35.080 you know, Zach Shuler tried to win the damn game 0:07:35.120 --> 0:07:37.920 when he shouldn't have. That's a different story. Give me 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:39.840 some hope, mo before I talk about the Reds and 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.920 UC and the pill. Give me hope. 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:48.240 Well, hope to me lies in trust. So who do 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:52.000 you trust right now? He took the Zach Taylor? No, 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:54.640 he trust Dak Taylor to figure out a way to 0:07:54.640 --> 0:07:56.200 make this work with a backup quarterback. 0:07:56.320 --> 0:07:58.080 And no, no, no, no. 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.320 You want Joe Burrow back and healthy. Do you trust 0:08:01.640 --> 0:08:03.640 what the Bengals have on the offensive line to keep 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:04.240 him up right? 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:04.640 No? 0:08:04.720 --> 0:08:07.440 Do you trust? Do you trust Dukee Tobin to build 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:10.040 a good offensive line in front of Joe Burrow, which 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:12.200 he hasn't been able to do yet? Do you trust 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.360 Duke Tobin to draft? Well, let me read for you, Willie. 0:08:15.400 --> 0:08:18.800 Let's let's give the twenty twenty five draft class a pass. 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:19.160 Right. 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:22.040 Those guys are rookies, so the jury is still out. 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:26.120 Let's start in twenty twenty one. Jackson, Carmen, Joseph Osai, 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:31.160 cam Sample Tyler, Shelvon, Deontay Smith, any of those players, 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:34.360 any of whom aren't with the team. Anymore excited about 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:36.640 any of those guys? No, how about the twenty twenty 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:39.880 two draft? Way move on Dac Till, Cam Taylor, britt 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:44.240 Zach Carter now with the team anymore, Cordell Volson, Tyson Anderson. 0:08:45.080 --> 0:08:46.640 Is there a guy there that you want on the 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:51.600 team in twenty twenty six? Miles Murphy, DJ Turner, Jordan Battle, 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:55.120 Charley Jones. I think we like Chase Brown, he's in 0:08:55.160 --> 0:08:57.440 that class. I think we like Andrea Yoshabas he's in 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.800 that class. But hole lot of unknowns, a whole lot 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:05.000 of jury is still out at best twenty twenty four class. 0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:09.719 Jermaine Burton never plays, McKinley Jackson, never plays. Eric Hall. 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:11.640 I think would be a heck of a player. Unfortunately 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:15.200 he's always hurt. Josh Newton, don't know. Tanner McLaughlin no 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:16.040 longer with the team. 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:17.640 Don't stop it. 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:18.760 I look at the roster. 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:23.800 Stop it. I look at the roster and I can't 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:29.000 name for you Willie five non rookies, non rookies that 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:31.439 I am really excited about being with the Bengals in 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:32.400 twenty twenty six. 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:36.360 If you no, if you open up the Bengals roster 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:39.800 and told the other thirty one teams you can draft 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.040 or have any of the Bengal players outside the two 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:46.040 wide receivers. Now I take the other fifty players. You 0:09:46.080 --> 0:09:49.800 can take any of these players. Would any functional NFL 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:54.679 team take any of the Bengal players. 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:56.720 Well, Trey Hendrickson, Yes, which is why the conversations have 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:58.719 to happen about what the Bengals might be able to get. 0:09:58.760 --> 0:10:01.280 He's gone for him, it's going right, he's gone. 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:03.760 He's not under contract next year, and he's on the 0:10:03.760 --> 0:10:07.320 other side of thirty. You know, I certainly could believe 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.120 that Amarus Mims one day might be really good, but 0:10:10.160 --> 0:10:12.840 I can't tell you that I'm necessarily excited about him. 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.800 This isn't a good roster. And the thing that's frustrating 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:18.559 for me is last year told you it wasn't a 0:10:18.600 --> 0:10:22.000 good roster. Why because they had Joe Burrow for seventeen 0:10:22.040 --> 0:10:26.480 games and he was otherworldly. That is the greatest statistical 0:10:26.600 --> 0:10:30.320 season that any Bengals quarterback has ever turned in, which 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:34.680 isn't insignificant because they've had qbs win the MVP Award. 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:38.760 And yet despite that, they were four and eight at 0:10:38.760 --> 0:10:41.960 one point and needed to win their last five games 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:45.440 against bad quarterbacks just to get to above five hundred. 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:49.400 Joe Burrow playing for a non playoff team was an 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:54.040 MVP finalist last year. That told you last season the 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:58.120 roster wasn't good enough. What did they spend this offseason doing? 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:03.280 Retooling the roster? Overhauling the roster, No swapping out entire 0:11:03.360 --> 0:11:06.760 position groups. No, no, many of the guys you watch 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:11.240 on defense were on last year's defense. They made changes 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:14.800 because you have to, because you draft players, but they 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:17.080 weren't as aggressive in the offensive line as many of 0:11:17.160 --> 0:11:20.600 us thought they needed to be and as much as 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:22.000 most of us assumed. 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:22.120 They would be. 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:25.320 They looked at last year's team and essentially said, with 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.240 some minor tweaks here and there, were pretty much going 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:31.080 to bring back the same dudes. What has that resulted 0:11:31.120 --> 0:11:34.600 in the results that looked very familiar to last year, 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:37.959 except with a quarterback who's nowhere close to as good 0:11:37.960 --> 0:11:41.320 as Joe Burrow. So why should anybody be surprised that 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:43.880 the results of the last three weeks have been what 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:44.360 they've been. 0:11:44.800 --> 0:11:47.280 Let's turn the page. I put something on next. I'm 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:52.680 sure you saw baseball playoffs ongoing. Looking at this unsettled 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:56.000 roster for the Reds next year, who's the first baseman? 0:11:56.120 --> 0:11:58.160 Steers been there a lot. I think he's the choice. 0:11:58.160 --> 0:12:01.600 But who knows second base. McClain had a bad year. 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:05.240 I think defensively he's better than he showed. Offensively, he 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:08.840 stinks the shortstop belongs to either right field or left field. 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:11.679 The third basement is either going to be Hayes or 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.960 sal that's unsettled all for those positions. Unsettled left field, 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:19.319 I don't know center field. I would think Friedel has 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:22.000 got center field, kind of nailed down right field. Martee, 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:25.040 I have no idea. Austin, I have no idea. Pagne, 0:12:25.080 --> 0:12:27.640 I have no idea. I can't recall a time when 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:30.080 there was hope the Reds made the playoffs, but the 0:12:30.120 --> 0:12:32.920 next year, getting ready for the season, we don't know 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:36.800 who's playing every position except maybe except catcher. I think 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:40.000 is nailed down with Stevenson and Trevino. But whether it's 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:43.440 the closer, whether it's Hunter, Green, Lodolo, who's at thirst 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:47.320 Does someone have the guts to tell? Scott Borra asked 0:12:47.400 --> 0:12:51.320 that your number one client here, Dela Cruz is not 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.800 a short stop. He's an outfielder. He runs like a deer, 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:56.920 got a tremendous reach, a great arm. Belongs in right field. 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:00.840 Alla Dave Parker, who came up as a catcher consequence, 0:13:01.280 --> 0:13:04.439 Do you have hope that someone like Tito Francona's got 0:13:04.440 --> 0:13:07.560 the coyon's to put together a roster and get the 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:10.360 pieces in the right position and move on. Do you 0:13:10.400 --> 0:13:12.200 have hope for the twenty twenty six Reds. 0:13:13.200 --> 0:13:15.560 I do, because I think they're starting from a place. 0:13:15.559 --> 0:13:18.400 So then VM, that's really good young starting pitching in 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:21.520 a surplus of which that should enable them to execute 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.240 a trade if that's the direction they want to go. 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.520 I think for me, for me, I start with two places. 0:13:26.559 --> 0:13:29.320 Number one, Eli Della Curtains. We got to figure out 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:30.920 what he's going to be. If we are doing this 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:33.920 next year talking about, well, you know, he can do 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:36.240 some amazing things at shortstop, but he still leads to 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:38.000 league and errors. What are we doing here? I think 0:13:38.040 --> 0:13:40.559 there have to be really serious conversations about where he 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:45.160 fits best, and do that before spring training. So you 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:47.600 give him spread training to work on the position you 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:50.160 want him to play at. If he's a shortstop, he's 0:13:50.160 --> 0:13:52.760 a shortstop, okay, he's got to get better. Now he's 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:56.360 an outfielder. If he's an outfielder, that's fine. Then who's 0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:58.480 going to play shortstop right, So you want to figure 0:13:58.520 --> 0:14:00.840 that out. I think number two two for me is 0:14:01.400 --> 0:14:05.040 are you okay with an offensive zero playing third base? Key? 0:14:05.040 --> 0:14:08.240 Brian Hayes is awesome with the glove, awesome. I don't 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.400 think he has a peer. He might be the best 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:13.360 defensive player in the sport. But can you put up 0:14:13.360 --> 0:14:16.840 with a guy who's an offensive zero? How good does 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:19.640 the defense have to be for you to go? You 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:21.960 know what? At third base, we have somebody who simply 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:23.840 can't hit, and he's going to be the guy every 0:14:23.840 --> 0:14:26.640 single day. When they traded for him, it wasn't just 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:29.360 for this year. He's under contract for the rest of 0:14:29.400 --> 0:14:32.440 the decade, and so I think there's a real serious 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:38.040 question there. How how much? How little can he hit? 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:40.760 Before you go, you know what? We can't put this 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:42.720 guy out there at third base, no matter how good 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:43.400 his glove is. 0:14:43.640 --> 0:14:44.440 What about Sal? 0:14:44.600 --> 0:14:46.120 What about Sal? Where's Sal? 0:14:46.360 --> 0:14:50.120 So? If you decide, hey, Brian Hayes is our starting 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:54.680 third baseman, okay, you better have offense elsewhere? Does that 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:58.480 mean Sal Stewart plays first base? Probably? Are you gonna 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:01.560 get enough pop from the corner out field positions? They 0:15:01.680 --> 0:15:04.280 started the season last year with you and I wondering 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:07.240 have they done enough in the outfield? Are we really 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:09.560 going to run it back again with you know, the 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:13.960 never ending cycle of Will Benson's and four A players. 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.360 Are you really going to put Noelve Marte out there 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:20.000 in right field? Where's his ultimate position? Are you good 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:22.920 with Matt McClain at second base? You know they had 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:26.440 him in black magic marker last year at second base, 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:30.080 batting second That didn't work. The rets two hole production 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:32.600 was the worst in the entire sport. Are they giving 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.360 up on Christian and Karnasion Frand? You know, to me, 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:37.920 the two guys that kind of screwed him this year 0:15:38.360 --> 0:15:41.560 with their performance. Number one, Matt McClain because they decided 0:15:41.600 --> 0:15:43.640 he was going to be the two hole hitter. They 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:46.000 never had guys on base consistently enough for Elie de 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.520 la Cruz. The two whole production has to be better. 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.840 Number two. I think they hoped that Christian and Karnassions 0:15:51.840 --> 0:15:54.480 Frand would hit twenty five to thirty home runs. That 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:57.480 obviously did not happen. I have no idea if that 0:15:57.520 --> 0:15:59.760 guy can play at the big league level, And so 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:04.000 there are so many questions they need. I think they 0:16:04.080 --> 0:16:05.440 need a guy in the middle of the order that 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:08.200 you could expect thirty home runs from. Now that might 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:11.000 be South Stewart. I don't know that you could bet 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:13.200 on it only being South Stuardent. I think you've got 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.840 to go find someone else. What is that going to cost? 0:16:16.120 --> 0:16:17.880 Are you willing to dip your toes in the free 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:20.920 agency pool? Can you get a guy like that in 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:24.720 exchange for a Nick Ladolo or a Hunter Green or 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:27.800 an Andrew Abbott or a Rat Louder or a Chase 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:30.400 Burns Like that's if they're going to make a trade, 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:32.320 that's where it's going to come from. Or do they 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:37.040 spend money in free agency? I think regardless offensively, if 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:38.720 you're not going to hit a ton of home runs, 0:16:38.800 --> 0:16:41.440 you got to be better at manufacturing runs. This wasn't 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:43.840 a huge on base team. This wasn't a team that 0:16:43.960 --> 0:16:46.480 was great at stealing bases. They kind of put the 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:49.960 brakes on this team relative to what they were in 0:16:49.960 --> 0:16:53.040 twenty twenty three, and so I think Nick carl and 0:16:53.080 --> 0:16:56.160 Brad Metter really have a tough task in front of 0:16:56.240 --> 0:16:58.520 them to take a team that this year was okay 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:03.680 and qualified for the but build a team that's closer 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:06.119 to what the Milwaukee Brewers are closer to what the 0:17:06.160 --> 0:17:08.680 Chicago Cubs are and a team that when it gets 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.440 to the postseason next year, if they do, is better 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:13.359 equipped to a dance. 0:17:13.320 --> 0:17:15.480 Kind of said. Here we are the first part of October. 0:17:15.480 --> 0:17:17.919 Thought talking about next year for the Bengals and for 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:19.960 the Reds. But it's the way we are. It's a 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:23.920 Cincinnati thing and we've perfected it. And Moager, once again, 0:17:23.960 --> 0:17:26.000 thanks for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show. We'll talk 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.040 later about UC Bearcats, big games coming up. We'll see 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:31.560 what happens. But Moe, may you continue to have a 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:34.320 great day this Monday afternoon in the Tri State. Thank you, Moe. 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:36.040 I'll do my best, Willie. 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:38.720 Thank you God bless America. Let's continue with more news 0:17:38.760 --> 0:17:41.040 next to Jerome with the Reds, Bengals and so much more. 0:17:41.280 --> 0:17:49.080 TOWS Radio seven hundred WLW. It's a music Dave Keaton, 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.959 Monday Afternoon begins in the Tri State. What a week ahead. 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.679 It's going to be wonderful. And it's better to have 0:17:56.760 --> 0:17:59.920 a bad NFL team than no NFL team. I guess 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:02.840 Bengals here the next ten to fifteen years. And that's 0:18:02.880 --> 0:18:08.320 a positive, not a negative. And many cities would sell 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:11.639 their organs in order to have an NFL team. We 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.199 got one, and whether you like it or not, the 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:16.480 Brown family, the family is going to be in charge 0:18:16.720 --> 0:18:18.800 and for at least for a few more decades. And 0:18:18.840 --> 0:18:21.200 it is what it is, so get over it. Enjoy 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:24.280 what it is, and when it's this bad, simply think 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.760 about how things could be worse, which is having no 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:29.560 NFL team. So that's the standard. Is it better to 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:31.800 have the Bengals the way they are and have been 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.400 for the past fifty five years, or is it better 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:37.560 to have no NFL team. That's why I counseled Alisia 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:41.119 Reese and others on the county Commissioner Denise Treehouse to 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.359 do what is necessary to keep the Bengals here, because, 0:18:44.400 --> 0:18:46.679 after all, it is better to have a bad team 0:18:46.920 --> 0:18:48.680 then no team at all. It's better to have bad 0:18:48.720 --> 0:18:51.000 ownership the no team at all. It's better to have 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:56.040 bad player developmental programs like Duke Tobin the general manager 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:57.639 so to speak, of the Bengals, that are having no 0:18:57.760 --> 0:19:00.760 general manager of an NFL team here at all. Right, 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.600 So it is what it is. Get over it. Secondly, 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:07.399 the election, believe it or not, the election starts. I 0:19:07.400 --> 0:19:11.400 think today is the last day the register and you're 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:14.840 going to absentee or whatever. Voting in person. Early voting 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:17.919 is happening beginning tomorrow at the Board of Elections. The 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:21.359 gold standard of how to conduct elections is in Ohio, 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:25.280 in which almost everyone can register to vote in person 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:28.040 or by mail, and I normally do it by mail 0:19:28.359 --> 0:19:30.840 and send it in and I'm confident my vote's going 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:33.320 to count on. Not too many people double or triple vote, 0:19:33.880 --> 0:19:37.520 and so the election is important. I think municipal elections 0:19:37.520 --> 0:19:40.560 and school board elections are maybe the most important ones 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:43.040 because those are the ones close to home that profoundly 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:47.120 affect your life. And in my school district where I live, 0:19:47.160 --> 0:19:49.959 Indian Hill, it's a pretty damn good school district. I 0:19:50.000 --> 0:19:53.120 love the three dads that are running for reelection. They're 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:57.040 going to be good. And also in city government, Sycamore Township, 0:19:57.119 --> 0:20:01.040 run by Tom Weedman is a among the best of 0:20:01.080 --> 0:20:04.680 all time. I can't and Tracy Schwegman and I can't 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:07.720 imagine it being any better. We have good government, low taxes, etc. 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:10.600 We've not had a tax increase in Sycamore Township for 0:20:10.600 --> 0:20:13.800 about twenty years because they are frugal with the use 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:17.320 of our money. They don't play silly political games. When 0:20:17.359 --> 0:20:19.600 things go wrong, they don't all of a sudden start 0:20:19.600 --> 0:20:23.199 blaming other people. And one of the saddest examples is, 0:20:23.240 --> 0:20:25.680 of course the mayor of Cincinnati have to have peer 0:20:25.720 --> 0:20:29.879 of all, in which he recently puts something on his 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:33.879 media account that says the following this is have to 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:35.960 have peer of all. In his own words, you'd have 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:39.959 to understand priority one, two and three, he says, and 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:42.840 we know is city safety. That's number one. You've got 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:46.120