Six nine in the Queen City of Cincinnati, chicklog Wig seven hundred w l W.
This is Sports Talk. Honored to be filling in for Lance McAllister tonight. Joe Waddell is Tonight's producer. We're going all the way to nine o'clock like Eric Carmen and the Raspberries. To be honest, folks, I was dreaming of a Kyle Schwarber Christmas here in Cincinnati, dreaming of the Middletown kid coming home and playing for the Cincinnati Reds. But that dream died today when Schwarber and his representatives agreed to stay in Philadelphia with the Phillies for one
hundred and fifty million reasons over five years. My Ohio State math tells me that's an average of thirty MILLI a year. And Kyle has already coming off a four year, seventy nine million dollar contract with the Phills and became one of the most sought after free agents on the market. The Reds were believed to be in the running for Schwarber, but they were long shots, and it's really unclear how seriously the Red Sox, Mets Orioles Giants pursueding Schwarber is
thirty two years old. He turns thirty three in March. He's got a couple young kids getting ready to start school. It would have been so awesome to have him come back and finish his career with the Reds, but no, He's staying in Philly. And Schwarber finished second in the mL in the MVP National League voting this year after leading the league with fifty six home runs and leading all of Major League Baseball with one hundred and thirty two RBIs. The Reds now have a void and left
field and they seek a power back. Where is it going to come from? Hey, it's anyone's guests. Charlie Goldsmith reporting from Orlando, Florida, at the Winter Meetings that the Reds were in serious pursuit of Schwarber. He even had an in person meeting him and his wife in late November with the Reds front office Terry Francona and owner Bob Castellini. And according to Charlie, the Reds weren't told that they were out of the running until this morning.
How disappointed are you Reds fan that Schwarber isn't going to become a Cincinnati Red. I've got my coffee. I've got my computer, all I need is you at five point three seven four nine, seven thousand and one, eight hundred, the Big One, And it sure looks like the Reds are going to go with what they've got, sticking with their guns to draft and build from within.
Oh wow.
I was in the Crosley Room at Riverfront Stadium slash Synergy Field the night that Ken Griffy Junior was introduced to the Cincinnati media place was absolutely packed. There was a frenzy throughout the city. The Queen City was on fire about Ken Griffy Junior. Had the Reds signed Kyle Schwarber, I would have think that the impact would have been approaching, not saying greater than, but approaching the signing of Ken
Griffy Junior. One hundred and fifty million dollars is a lot, But what it would have meant for attendance?
Are you kidding me?
At least the first couple three months Great American Ballpark would have been packed. Oh the dream became a nightmare for the Chickster and probably you.
Now.
Mark Sheldon who covers the Reds for Major League Baseball MLB dot com. He has an interesting story up on reds dot Com that manager Terry Francona plans to manage Ellie de Lacruz differently this year, and that means pretty simple, more rest, no more grinding with one hundred and sixty one starts like this past season, Francona said, there were a lot of things going on. I think I need to take responsibility, and I have and I will. He told Mark Sheldon at the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida.
I need to find ways to get him, meaning Ellie, off his feet from time to time, and I didn't do a very good job of that, and I own up to that. I love the fact that he Elie de la Cruz wants to play and he's one of the rare guys where he can bring energy every day, which is really amazing, Francona said, but saying that he gets beat up so much sometimes the day game off after the night game might be really helpful for him. Totally agree. But what would Kyle Schwarber signing have done
to us? Oh, it's been unbelievable. Let's not mess around. Let's go out to the phones. Jeff is in the Great State of Tennessee. Jeff, what's going on, Yes, sir.
That's what. What must the ladies on the rads?
Force trades or free agency?
Nothing right now? Nothing. We're waiting for news. We're waiting for a signing.
Well do you reckon that that they're going to bring in a big bath, that's.
What they need. Paul, Paul Goldschmith's out there. Could they possibly bring back Austin Hayes, who knows you got Miguel Andrew harr Is a free agent? He did well for the Reds last year. They could possibly bring him back.
Yes, uh and uh uh what about sooner?
Hey, anything's possible to improve this bullpen? So well?
Uh, I'll give great one thing, you know, bringing breaking.
Uh a video back? I like that bringing him back?
Well, Jeff, We're just gonna have to wait and see. There's a lot that will happen. Uh, hopefully coming out of the winter meetings here and even when we get the spring training. Hey, appreciate the call. Appreciate the call. Thank you.
Zach.
Zach is in Hamilton, wants to talk Kyle Schwarber.
Hi, Zach, Hey, Hey doing brother. I hope you're having a fantastic day. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving?
Sure, did, thank you.
I just want to I just want to bring up one thing.
I'm twenty eight years old, born in ninety seven, so I've seen I've seen the big players with the Reds. I'm a I love the Reds to death.
I really do.
Same here.
Yes, my question to you is, is I understand that signing Kyle Schwarber would maybe you know, pack pack the red Stadium, this, this and that. But when you I just want to hear your opinion. I'm not going against your opinion.
I just want to hear it.
And then do you.
Really think he would be a good investment for how young this team is and on the on the flip side, with all the other work the team has to deal with, it would he even be It's if the Reds were in a run to have him, what would it be worth us the Reds spending one hundred and whatever forty million dollars on him for four years?
Like, I'm just curious on what you're.
I'm looking at two are and fifty six home runs this past year for the Philadelphia Phillies. He would turn Great American Ballpark into his own personal playground. And Zach I appreciate the call. Hey, yeah, real quick.
Okay, can you compare him to Ellie de la Cruz.
No, they're two different players.
But what would happen is what would happen is he would protect Ellie.
I agree.
If that's what you agree with that, I'll let you go.
All right, Thanks very much, Zach and Hamilton appreciate it, all right? Tim is in Columbus, Hi, Tim.
Hey, check, Well, I'm disappointed, but not surprised, yep. And I think that, unfortunately, I think that we're.
Going to get more of the same, Yeah, out of.
This club, Struggle to get over five hundred, struggle to get into playoffs, go on the road, play the number one seed, get beat two games, and go home. And I guess, as Reds fans, we have to temper our expectations. And I guess we have to start putting up banners in the stadium for finishing over five hundred, because I have a feeling that that's as good as it's gonna get. I'm a Reds fan for fifty years, and I just I'm just heartbroken and disappointed.
That has come to this.
And I go into every season with hope and aspirations that this.
Will be the year.
And I Unfortunately, they've they've they've beaten me down to the point where I have zero expectations and I just think it's gonna take them now to get up to get a bona fide bat, they would have to do a trade like Hunter Green, Matt McClain and another high prospect to trade for someone like a Ronald Acunya from the Braves who's uh, who's who has a long, long term.
Deal already in place.
Yeah, that's the only way they're.
Going to get any type of a power hitter in that lineup at this point.
Well, in the strength of this team is the starting pitching and so they're uh, they're wealthy in that department, and it could very well come down to, hey, a Brady Singer getting moved. I'm not ruling anything out, not ruling anything out. Uh, I do think, yeah, I do think with Matt mccoin coming back, he's got he's absolutely has to be better, and the blossoming of a South Stewart to deject what he brought in September cannot be denied.
He brought some energy to this club and he's got to bring some more.
Yeah.
So, and unfortunately, and unfortunately we're left to dumpster dive and other teams garb players.
Yeah, well maybe there's a treasure in there somewhere. Tim alright, all right, yeah, all right, appreciate it. Hey, Pat is in Seymour, Indiana. Pat, what's going on?
Jick?
Long time since Ted Talkia, since the Winter Fantastic Band.
Good to hear your voice again.
Hey, you know, I've thought a lot about this. I mean, I don't know what kind of money the Reds do make, but I mean they paid him thirty million a year for five years. We've we've we've stumbled on the Stakas and the guy who were paying sixteen million next year. I don't know for five years, I don't know. I don't think I would have did that myself. But then I look at all the people they want to talk about signing. They're all two forty hitters and don't hit too many homers.
I don't know what we got.
We might have to keep what we got and hope for that happens.
But that's yeah, uh, young club. It's improving, and they did reach the playoffs last year, and yes, they took advantage of the Mets collapse, so that counts for something.
So they got a taste of it.
Now, keep improving and uh, let's get back to the playoffs and see what happens.
I'm hoping, so I said, I'm your agent. I don't give up. But I mean, if I had the money and I was paying for it, I don't know if I'd be paying some of these guys the money they want to get for that.
Yeah, well, let's enjoy the twenty twenty sixth season because there very well could be a stoppage because of the disparity in payrolls by the top and the bottom. It's it's massive. So pat appreciate the call man. Thank you, Hey, good talking to you. But all right you too. Hey, Mike is in Dayton, Mike, what is happening?
I didn't need no Iowa and the home of the from gunny Sunny Indians. Anyway, I want to talk about the Red situation or do we have to do to get a big bets?
Hey?
We can't.
What's to work at a trade? Work a trade, Mike with one of these starting pitchers.
Yeah, it seems like they don't want it, and like the Red don't want it.
Send the man begins, Uh bad, there's a big old void out there.
In left field, isn't there? Yes, and we need to stand out there.
Yeah, but you've got Hunter Green, Brady Singer, Andrew Abbott, Chase Burns, Uh, Red Louder, Nicoldolo, Richie Pitching rich right now, it's starting rotation and they might have to deal one of these guys.
Half of our half of our pens stuff was on the disabledent one.
The last year.
Yeah, Juli and Aggie our is back, so is Brandon. So we'll see what they got come the spring. And Mike, I gotta run, man, I got to run. Appreciate your call. Thank you.
Jimmy is in Cincinnati, Jimmy, what do you say?
Hey?
What's going on?
Man?
You know, I got a few comments. I want to make one. You know, I listen to this show off and I'm getting off work here. I'm coming from Columbus. Look the fans, we gotta chill.
Out a little bit.
Kyle Schwarber isn't gonna be still in the stadium to more than half or seventy five percent full on a Tuesday in April, or you know, in the end of August and September when the Reds are in fourth and Sis play sometimes, you know, I know, I've been a dahar fan my entire life. Yeah, but it kind of goes both ways, you know, we the fans. There's been so many times that you'll turn on the Reds game, especially against the Cubs, and you'll see more blue on
the stands in Red. You can't have that and then sit up here and cry and complain every day about how the team doesn't go out to kylege s Wwarber number two, y'all want to the Reds are not the Dodgers, We're not the Yankees, We're not the Mets. You know, I was looking at a Facebook post today. A dude was up here saying, you know, ownerships looking at things the wrong way because you know, since he's more than just a city. You know, we're dating in Louisville and Lexington,
down to Kentucky and West Virginia. You know, we got parts of Indiana up in Columbus.
All that.
Again, that's great, but if you look at how our lineup is, if you look at the amount that we have on our payroll, we cannot compete paying a guy like Kyleege Schwarber.
To play dh y.
You know, if you look at our roster, where are you gonna put them.
At Yeah, he's strictly a DH and Hey, Jimmy, I appreciate the call.
I got to run.
We've reached the the bottom of the ole briad.
Hey, feel free to have hang on, feel free to hang on. We'll put you on hold.
We've got Mark and Milford, We've got Shane in uh Is in maple Wood.
Hey, hang on.
I'll get back to you guys right after the break. Hey, it's the Chickster chick Ludwig filling in for Lance McAllister tonight, bumming that Kyle Schwarber is remaining in Philadelphia on seven hundred WLW six forty one in the Queens City of Cincinnati. How long commercial breaks? Hey, it's the holidays and a lot of advertising and sponsors here at iHeartMedia Cincinnati. Outstanding. It's paying the bills man, fantastic. But congratulations to Kyle Schwarber.
By the time he turns thirty seven years old, and he'll be thirty three in March, two hundred and twenty nine million dollars just in his last two contracts, the five years one fifty that he's signing now and the previous four years at seventy nine. That doesn't take into account his six previous seasons or seven six with the Cubs from twenty fifteen to twenty twenty, and then he was with the Washington Nationals in twenty twenty one and got traded to the Red Sox in twenty one. So wow,
seven previous seasons add to that. Man, we're talking a quarter of a billion dollars for Kyle Schwarber. Let's go back out to the phones, Jimmy and Cincinnati. You wanted to finish what you were.
Saying, Hey, thank you for let me, you know, jump back on, man, it was a minute. The only thing I wanted to say.
The Reds.
The problem area on this team is middle infield. You can't Ellie does not need to be playing a short stop, but you can't move them because everybody in the outfield
has basically played their way into a position. You know, Freedom is the only guy that gets on base, and Mark, Hey, he showed with his bat once he moved out there to white field that you know that that's where he needs to be Yes opening day, those are probably gonna be two of the three spots and then the left deal we gonna have to figure out what to do, because if we want south Stewart in the lineup, you know,
he only played first to third. People complain about Keith Brown Hayes, but gold Glove He's gonna be our third basement for the nets. What four or five?
Six?
Absolutely?
I look at south Stewart is playing some first base, mainly mainly special Steer, but south Stewart first base and some dh and Jimmy, I got.
A run man, Thank you so much, appreciate you. Ah right here all right?
Uh Mark and Milford's been waiting forever, Hi Mark, home of the Eagles.
All right.
So Kyle Schwarber's off the market, Yes, sir, there's always there's always Bragman, Tucker and Alonzo and from what's in I like Andal Harr. You brought him up. Maybe a forgotten guy.
Oh I love Andrew Harr and Douhar. Yeah, get him back here, getting back here. That dude can hit. He struggled to run with some leg injury, some leg soreness, but the dude can hit. I'd love to have him come back. And he was the underdog dark horse. All the dude does is hit lefties, so he is valuable.
I want him back and Gavin Lux is going to be around.
Right, Yes he is. Yeah.
That brings me to this point of view. I brought up with Lance McAllister about July when Hunter Green was hurt and Elie Delacruz hurt. Okay, I said, Lance, let's switch through here. Let's put Elliet in center. Let's put Friedo and right, Mark Tee and left and DH with andohr and locks at second. You're short up.
I don't know about that.
Lus's glove scares me a lot, especially in left field.
Summitt second base.
He's older, but he can hit.
I love you, No, he can, he can, Yeah he can DH two. Uh yeah, where do you put him? So a lot of moving parts with this uh, with this team. I like Marte in right field, no doubt.
Uh.
You're not going to move Alley off a short.
That's what the management I know, I know, I know well And if you were listening earlier, Terry Francone is going to work with him differently. They're going to give him more rest because he's beating himself up out there injury wise, and he's still playing.
So hey, yeah, he wants.
To be out there on sixty two.
You know he does and uh with then dam some and night game, afternoon game. Man, Uh, resting one of those games.
Period. Got you, Yeah, we got you.
Pitcher is awesome. I think we're going to go.
Yeah, they're they're stock pilot starting Pitchington's coming back hopefully coming back.
Guys that were out for a while.
Yes, yes, so pitching the point. Yeah, an embarrassment of riches people. They could they very well.
Could so to get a Bragman or a Tucker.
Oh my gosh, that would be god. Bregman love him?
Is dis the Reds head? Is he so with the Dodgers?
Uh, you know what, I'll check on that. Yeah, I will check on that. Yeah, all right, crazy, okay, both all right? Uh no, no, that's not gonna happen. All right, Thanks so much, man.
You're the greatest.
Thank you, sir, appreciate you.
Uh Bob and Sarasota, Bob, fantastic.
What's on your mind?
Well, I mean, was it immediately that the Reds had a shot at getting Schwarber or something. That's one of these things where it seems like, uh, let's put some more false hope out there in Red's Land where nothing actually materializes.
Well, I.
Compare the Reds.
Lots of the Rays down here.
Small market, short payroll, but the Rays are competitive year after year, where the Reds just can't seem to get it done.
But hey, you know, it's got to count for something to get to the playoffs. They got hot at the end of the year, they took advantage of the Mets collapse. They still got there. They got a taste of it. Now they've got to take the next step. And I think they can. I think they can because I think.
They they need to get the big bat though.
They need to they do. We've been screaming about that for over a year, over a year.
Yeah, it's a hitter's friendly ballparks. They're going to put people in the stands if they get a guy who can hit forty to fifty knocks a year, you know, with O Tawny look at the ROI the Dodgers got on that investment. They've already paid for his.
Uh oh, yeah, you know, absolutely seven, no doubt.
And I think Cincinnati could be in the same boat if if they spend a little, you know, maybe take a shot and get rid of a couple of these talents in the pipeline. And yeah, you know, you got to bite the bullet at some point. But they need a guy to hit forty to fifty knocks a.
Year in thirty thirty to forty, no doubt. All Right, Bob, all right, appreciate you don't care. Thanks all right, thank you. Mark in Montgomery, Hi, Mark.
Hey, good evening.
How are you good.
Hey.
A couple of things, you know, just you know, trying to put this Kyle Schber thing in perspective. You know, I was doing some research, and I mean the revenues in these bigger markets, you know, the RESI just can't compete with that. I mean, I saw that twenty twenty three, Philadelphia got one hundred and twenty five million on local TV and they just signed a brand new deal with Comcast or NBC worth two and a half billion dollars for the next twenty five years. So you know, I mean, yeah, I.
Think the Reds could do more.
They could spend a little.
More, but I mean some of these teams and where they are, I mean, they're it's never going to compete with that kind of television market because of the population size of the area. And it's just a sad fact.
The NFL works because you got a salary cap, and you can go from losing twelve games in a year and winning twelve the next year because of that in the competition, and baseball is the only sport that doesn't have, you know, something similar to that, and that's why you have ten teams with all the revenues and the other twenty trying to remain relevant.
Yeah, the Dodgers, Yankees, and Mets are glad to pay that luxury tax. So we got to enjoy the twenty twenty six season, man, because we could have a stoppage at twenty seven.
So I think that's inevitable quite frankly. Yeah, alrighty, Well, appreciate the time.
All right, thank you so much. Thanks all right, appreciate it man, all the callers. Wow, that was awesome. A lot to get to. Still here tonight talking Bengals, talking to college football playoffs. And when I think of the Bengals, Oh my gosh, when I'm wrong, I say that I'm wrong, And I was wrong about Trey Hendrickson.
Boy did I get fooled. Didn't we all get fooled?
He pulled off But you got to congratulate the guy because he pulled off the greatest heist since the Prince robbery. He fleed Mike Brown and the Bengals for twenty nine million dollars this year. He's hurt, maybe not his fault, injured surgery, out for the remainder of the year, and he'll work hard to try to get another contract next year, but it won't be in Cincinnati. And all I can say is, Trey, you worked your cards right. You came
in with a hold in situation. You garnered all the sympathy from really me, the media, sports writers, broadcasters, and teammates. I even said, pay the guy. He deserves it, coming off seventeen and a half sacks from last year. But I got fooled. He flees the Bengals for twenty nine million dollars. His salary was going to be in the final year of his contract sixteen million. He said he would hold out and not play for sixteen because TJ. Watt and all these other dudes were getting paid megabox.
So he but he comes to training camp, plays the good guy, mentoring younger players, but he's not working out. But he he might be working out at the facility, but he's not practicing. The thing is Mike Brown was forced forced to give him thirteen extra million dollars to bump his salary up one year twenty nine million. Because word travels fast in the National Football League among players, they talk about getting paid, they talk about their contract situations.
And if.
Trey Hendrickson had started the year at sixteen million, there's no way he would have held out and not taken seventeen paychecks at what close through a mill a game.
For eighteen weeks.
If the Bengals don't pay him, word travels Bengals cheap, you don't want to go there. So the Bengals basically are forced to pay Trey Hendrickson an extra thirteen mil to take it up to twenty nine for this season, the greatest heist since the Brinch robbery, fleecing Mike Brown and the Bengals for twenty nine million dollars. Hey, when we come back, this is an unbelievably important date in Cincinnati Red's history. I want to talk about that when
we come back. This is the Chickster chick love Wig. I've got my coffee, I've got my computer. All I need is you At five one, three, seven four nine, seven thousand, one eight hundred, the Big One on seven hundred WLW.
Seven o nine in the Queen City of Cuincinnati, Chicklogwig, seven hundred WLW.
This is Sports Talk under to be filling in for the immortal Lance McAllister Tonight Shoeless. Joe Waddell is Tonight's producer. We're going all the way to nine o'clock like Eric Carmon and the Raspberries, and that's when Gary Jeff Walker takes over these airways and he will take you to midnight. Now on this date in Red's history, two important trades that went sideways big time. But before we get to those, I'm going back out to the phones and we start with Kevin in Columbus.
Kevin, Hey, Yeah, I.
Like doing the Reds talking. I wanted to hear what you had to say. You were gonna say why you thought the Reds were doing better. You got interrupted by the caller, but you were going to say something about why.
Yeah, I'm hopeful and always hopeful for Yeah.
I just think you hear that.
I mean, before the Astros won the World Series, they were losing one hundred games, Okay, so I'm just looking at everybody improving, taking a next step and going forward in the playoffs here getting to the playoffs and then anything can happen unless you run into the Los Angeles Dodgers, So.
You worry about that later.
But yeah, it may take more than a year or two to get it all turned around. I still think they've got the right manager and everything. And now I agree with a lot of callers. Why is d La Cruz doing short stop? But that you know that's spring Kna's decision. I guess you know it is, so I go second guess him. But but they do need to get a bat. It was a pipe dream with Kyle Schwarber, but yeah, boy, they need to get some bats in
there and shore up some things. But hey, I'm always hopeful for spring training, and I guess with the way the Bengals are going, we got no choice but to wait for.
That, right ah, who knows, maybe there is, maybe there's a Christmas miracle.
Yeah, but hey, you'll do some Bengals talking, all.
Right, All right, Okay, thank you appreciate it, and we've got res in Newport res.
Jick, how are you, buddy?
I agree with you. I think the Reds should have a pat hand their players that they have. Now, I think they're going to play better this year. My take on the mister Kyle Schwarber, I'm I think they're Red's dodged the ball. And I never did agree with the Red's going after this guy for a number of reasons. One, he's going to be thirty three years old in March come opening day, okay, and you.
Know, the older you get, the slower you are.
And he's slower already.
Okay, not that bad.
He's right.
He can't play defense.
He's a designated hitter man exactly.
He struck out the last four years with the Phillies.
Ever, he's over two.
Hundred times okay.
Uh. And if he does get on base, they're going to have to probably send an attaxi cab to get him the second base, so there'll be war out by the time he gets there. Half his runs that he scored his uh. Because of the home run. They need to take that money and develop young talent, okay, because that's the name of the game, and it's.
It's said that these clubs they hey big bucks for guys who.
Hit home runs.
And the one thing you Reds have that these other teams don't have is Tito FRANCONA.
Amen to that, and Rex I got to run here. Appreciate your call. Thank you all right. Jeff is in Westchester. Hi, Jeff, how you're doing good?
Good? What's on your mind?
Hey?
Enjoy the show as always. It's just a couple of things on the Reds. You know, the Swerverer thing would have been okay, but I think the guy they need to look at is Buschett from Toronto, the shortstop, and that allows you to move to move our shortstop into center field where he belongs. You're kind of getting two players for one there.
Boh, b shit. I would like that. Yes.
Yeah, he's gonna.
Hit for average, he's going to drive in runs and you're not going to hit the home runs that the other guy was going to. But he's gonna get on base a lot more and put the ball in play. And that solved two needs there, And that's the way I would go with this, Jeff, going back to your alignment from the from the Bengals.
Oh yeah, you know, maybe maybe this thing.
You know, they have an insurance policy for those guys and if they play under a certain amount of games, the policy kicks in. So I wonder if the owner there in order to recoup his money. He just went ahead and told him to have the surgery, so therefore he wouldn't qualify, you know, for the contract, but he'd get paid by his insurance company.
Hey, we'll have to run that down. But great point.
An NFL team has to spend at least eighty percent of you know, their cap, and then the Bengals do a good job of holding money back because injured guys get paid too.
So but a good point. Jeff.
I enjoy your show.
Thank you so much. Just trying to bring some energy to the ways man, just like the.
Lead, got it going, all right, Thanks you so much, all right, appreciate it. Joe is in Lexington, Oh, Central Kentucky.
It's a beautiful area.
Joe, uh, hello, check. I appreciate taking my call. And I completely concurred. Just just a couple of things. I mean, I could go on forever. But one, I mean, I don't know if the Reds actually thought that Kyle Schwarver would take a twenty five million dollar home down this game.
Yeah, yeah, you know you did.
Yeah, I mean, if they did, I mean, that's that's a joke. But I'm sure you've discussed this many times. I get to listen very sporadically, but just two things. One, what what would it take? Or let me Why doesn't Bob Castellini sell this team? I mean he's I don't know, I think he's eighty three eighty four. I mean he could. He could sell this team, make a huge profit on what he paid for it originally, and make his family
happy or whatever. I just personally, if his plan is to turn this organization over to Phil Castellene, I think you're looking at a tremendously precipitous slope. And Two, I've heard many times that he want Bob Castellini won't spend the other investors' money. I'm curious if he went to all these other investors. Again, I have no idea how it works, but if they could get the money together and would have gone to Bob Castelleni today or sometime in the future and say, look, we want to sign
one of these guys. Let's sign him. What would their options be? And I'll hang up and listen. Thank you, I.
Appreciate Joe, that's a question. It's way above my pay grade. I don't see them selling, and gosh, the same could be said for the Brown family. Don't know how much they paid for it, but man, it's worth what four billion dollars now four or five and they're the lowest valuated team in the National Football League. So hey, let's lean on this young talent. Let's add a bat or two, oh, and hope for the best. Gosh, that's lame, I know,
but I'm sorry. It's above my pay grade. Now I want to get into this awesome to be filling in for Lance McAllister. Two important things in Red's history happened on this date. In the first one December ninth, nineteen sixty five. This is going way back now, I was eleven years old. Red Zoner, billed to Wit completes the worst trade not just in Red's history, but in Major
League Baseball history. He shipped Frank Robinson to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for pitcher Milt Pappis, pitcher Jack Baldshin, and outfielder Dick Simpson. De Witt wanted more pitching and he thought that Frank Robinson was a quote unquote old thirty. Wow did it backfire because in his first year with the Baltimore Orioles nineteen sixty six, future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson wins the Triple Crown for the Orioles, batting three sixteen with forty nine home runs
in one hundred and twenty two RBIs. He wins the American League MVP and the World Series MVP. Is the Baltimore Orioles engineer a four game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, trading Frank Robinson.
For Milt Pappis.
PAPIs, I think he had a winning record the next few years, but nothing spectacular. It goes down as the worst trade in Major League Baseball history. And then, on this date, December ninth, nineteen seventy seven, the Red Ship first baseman Dave Revering and one point seven five million dollars to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for pitcher Vida Blue and a deal.
At the Winter Meetings.
And then what happens on January thirtieth, a month later, nineteen seventy eight, Commissioner Bowie Koon voids the trade completed on December ninth. Kuon claimed there was too much money involved in the deal, which, if allowed to continue, would
create a competitive imbalance among the teams. Bowie Koon, the commissioner, later set four hundred thousand as the maximum amount which could be exchanged between the Clubs and Rev's president Bob Housem and Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley spent the next several days trying to restructure the deal with less capital and more players in an effort to bring Vita Blue to Cincinnati, but in a range could not be reached
and the trade was scratched. The Reds later made a separate deal with Oakland which brought Doug Bear to the Cincinnati Reds, and Blue was eventually dealt to the San Francisco Giants in March of nineteen seventy eight for four hundred thousand dollars in cash and six players. And you could add to this date in Red's history, they don't obtain the services of one Kyle Schwarber, who agrees to a five year, one hundred and fifty million dollar deal
to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies. I had the opportunity to meet Kyle at a wedding reception in Dayton for his best friend. I was invited and I approached Kyle at the bar. He was sipping soda and I go up to him. I didn't want to be one of these glad hand you know, starry eyed reporters. And as I approach him, he goes Chick, and I introduced my subje, just Chick. I know who you are. The most down to earth superstar in sports, Kyle Schwarber. He's got a
home in Germantown, near Middletown. He's got kids that are about three years old and one year old, and they're gonna be starting school soon. And that gave me hope that he would wind up with the Cincinnati Reds. But my winter dreams were dashed this morning about eleven thirty am with the news that he's come to an agreement to stay in Philadelphia. You are listening to sports talking when we come back, Scott Springer chucking all things you
see football and basketball and including women's basketball. When is d Alexander, the five star awesome player going to be ready to play for the women Bearcats? Chick Ludwig seven hundred with WLW seven nine in the Queen City of Cincinnati. Chick Ludwig seven hundred, WLW. This is sports talk, and I certainly appreciate our next guest waiting through that long break. He covers the UC Bearcats for the Cincinnati Inquirer in Cincinnati dot Com. Our good friend Scott Springer, Scott, how are you.
Chick?
Sure you have a lot of sponsors there, so you must be a popular dude.
Yeah.
And talking to our producer off the air, he said, Darry Jeff Walker said the same thing. Yeah, a lot of ads. So I guess that's good news.
Yeah, so it pays the bills, they tell me.
That's exactly right. And I wanted to gauge your opinion on the psyche here With some time off, time to work on some things for the University of Cincinnati basketball team back in action on Saturday against the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta.
That's a tough game. Georgia has only lost one game. The Bearcats were back at practice Sunday. They were right on the floor after the women's Crosstown shootout, which unfortunately for.
Cincinnati they lost that too.
So you really can't argue with Zavier runs this town because this year they do.
That's just the way it is. You know.
I listened to a podcast today that Terry Nelson and Corey Blunt have out and it's really really good. And Corey said, we got beat by Tarzan Man. Yeah, and Trey Carroll was outstanding. I mean, that's one of the better shootout performances I've seen in some times of given credit. And now here's the deal. This guy played at FAU and that's where Boba Miller was. And Boba Miller didn't play bad. He only had ten points, had a rough shooting day,
but he pulled down seventeen rebounds. But the team that wanted it wanted Trey Carroll went out and got thirty points. And now UC has to figure out, you know, what to do against the Georgia Bulldogs who have one loss and I believe that was the Clemson in overtime like ninety seven to ninety four. And you see as Clemson the head in the coming week. And Xavier only lost to Georgia by one in Charleston a couple of weeks back.
So it's a pretty decent team.
And you're playing in Atlanta, so an alleged neutral site, but not.
Really amen to that.
And really four games left here in the non conference schedule before huh, how about getting handed your first game in the Big Twelve against the seventh ranked Houston Cougar's man.
Yeah, well, and then everyone has looked at them as the belcal recently, but now that your new ap Arizona's number one, Iowa State is at number four, and they absolutely.
Plowed perdue the other y. Yes, oh rip them apart.
I mean, and they have a lot of the same guys back from last year. And that's one of the places the rare places that they let me sit court side last year.
So I saw those massive cyclones. They hit the weight room. They're tough dudes.
So that league is treacherous and UC needs to figure some things out.
Definitely have athletes, you know, we see that. I worry about their half court offense. Defense is their specialty, and they couldn't stop Tray Carroll.
Man. What do you think about this about this team?
Well, you know, if.
You'd ask me before the game if they would outshoot Savior from the three point line and if you would out rebound them, I would assume you'd win the game. And that didn't happened, and Xavier won the game on two pointers. I think they only made six threes, and they had five straight games where they had made double digit threes, and so you see, accomplished that but still
lost the game and it's one of those games. You know, people are going to remember Trey Carroll for a good long time and he's going to play in one shootout and retire one to oh, and that's that might be the way these things go here now with everyone flipping the rosters every year. So you know, it used to be you'd watched the Lumpkins and the Lenny Browns and the Posy's and the Levitts and the Kenyan Martin, you know,
Bobby Brandon's. This is all changing rapidly, and I don't know if it's for the better, but it's just the way it is. And it's kind of sad in a way that some of the historical aspects of the shootout goes away.
But the team that wanted it won it.
And you know, whoever sticks around next year for U see if that hurt them, maybe they'll understand next year. But to have a winning streak goes back to two thousand and one in one building, and Steve Logan played in that game and is now a color commentator for the Bearcats, and he's forty five, and you and I know that's not old at all, but he is forty five, and it doesn't seem that way. He's got some white in his beard now, so that's alarming. But yes, you know, he has had twenty two points.
Oh man, Yeah, as awesome as Trey Carroll was with thirty points of seven boards. The two guys whose names I cannot pronounce man each hit two big threes and then Ali Wright goes up there and bangs in four straight free throws. So they just they just closed better. They just knew how to close well.
And that's part of the deal. You have to be good in the final five minutes and unfortunately the Bearcats in the last five years, if they're behind late in the game, you usually don't win. I think it's like three and fifty two something like that. It's not good. And you have to be able to come from behind.
Now.
To their credit, last year they were down in halftime and and then one to shoot out by three, so it's not impossible.
It's not like they don't have the talent. But uh, I don't know.
You know, they did a little bit better with his own defense late in the game, but it might have been a little bit too late.
They didn't make the run.
And in spite of everything, you know, Valen Celestine makes a three pointer from the corner and at two thirty nine, I think it was you see has a brief lead and because it you know how it is writing these things. You start writing and it gets to be, you know, a double digit lead. You're you're starting to go one way on your story and then suddenly you're going to leap the lead, delete the lead. Let's uh, let's rephrase this all and it's kind of crazy.
Uh, Scott Springers with US three and yeah, Scott Springers with inquir last year. Oh, you're you're right, but you're absolutely right. And the only player, the only player who had played in this game was Dade Thomas. Is that incredible?
Yeah?
Yeah, Dayda's the only guy that was on the floor a year ago.
He had a decent game.
But you got to have more than one guy, and it has to matter to more than one guy.
So I don't know how if it mattered or not.
But you know, maybe these kids get educated as you go. I don't know that Boba Miller is still one hundred percent. I'm making excuses Xavier and one parent square Celestine I don't think is one hundred percent, but there's probably guys.
On Zavier that maybe weren't a hundred percent. I don't know.
I think you see's really missing Jalen Haynes, the big guy from George Mason that hasn't been able to play, and if they can get him back late in the season, maybe that helps in the post. But you know, you got to be able to throw it into the post. The post players have to be able to catch the ball at number one then have a move.
Yeah, that's what That's what Chris Webber and Jalen Rose were talking about at halftime of the game. Man instead of just tossed it around the perimeter, man, get it inside to because you've got more size than they do. And it was it was tough now Sewna Bayev you know, was hot early, you know what, eleven points in the first half, and you know he's.
He's good, but he's young.
Yeah, so he's really young. Yeah, Tom is young.
Tom is nineteen years old and has only been playing for five years. So yeah, you can give him a little pass on that. Seven to two helps a lot of things. And you know at the end he finishes nine points, nine remounts and nearly a double doubles. Not a horrible game, but a lot of miss points. There are a lot of miss opportunities, and you know, I think maybe they need to look toward him a little bit more. And Miller didn't have a very good shooting night.
He was only three out of twelve. And shawna Bybe, you got let him take some of the crazy shots because next thing you know, he's hit three in a row.
That's exactly right. Yeah, yeah, so.
He'll miss three four in a row, and then then he'll make three four in a row. You know, you don't know, and I guess you just have to live with that. And Kirk Crisa is shooting the ball better. He's up to thirty three percent, which is more in line with where he shot in the past, because see, he's been pretty good before at West Virginia and in Arizona before that. He was hurt kind of most of the year with Kentucky last year. But you know, it's
totally not over. But again what I was saying before, after nine games are now six and three, which is the worst they've been. West has had two teams that were six and three after nine games. Last two years they were eight and one, And you got to go clear back to twenty twenty where there was a losing record after nine games. But you know, you got to get through these through December and then, like you said, January third, Calvin Sampson's waiting on you with the Houston
Cougars and you haven't beaten them. And it feels like fifteen years. It's been least and I don't know exactly when it was. It was at least a president ago.
Yeah, five slam a sham a man. Wow, you know, just to take a little u turn here with the women's team. Man waiting on de Alexander, the five star athlete from Purcell Marion and all I have read and heard, and you know, a lower body injury has stopped her from uh you know, getting out there early in the season.
Well apparently she had a surgery and she's recovering from that. Katrina Merriweather said after the game that she would be practicing soon. And she's one of several very good freshmen. I mean, the girl that led them in scoring the other night, Coleid de Villisi. She's a freshman. There's several freshmen, so they're having some growing pains there. And you know, again, if you can keep the girls together for a handful
of years. Maybe you have something. I don't know if it's going to work that way in women's basketball or not. But I know Katrina is hurting because I can tell you as a player and a coach and uh. And then actually counting the years she was at Memphis who was a coach, she never lost to Zaber. I mean she was eleven or oh until Sunday. Wow, And so that didn't sit well, but gives.
Z Ager credit.
And then the girl that was good for Xavier was Mackenzie given to a local Princeton girl, So good for her, and you know the local girl wants it, and she came out and showed it. So yes, Hugh rough Patch here for for U.
See the good news Liberty Bowl.
You know, hopefully you can turn things around football wise, but in the way everyone would have liked it with four straight losses, but you're still at seven wins.
You have a chance at eight.
Uh.
Got to see who's going to play in the thing, because I'm here to tell you I don't. I don't think Navy's going to have any opt outs. I'm not sure that's allowed.
Yeah, and that's where I wanted to go next with your navies. Nine and two they've won two in a row. You see seven and six they've lost for in a row. If you heard anything, if will you see be able to keep this club together for the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Well as officially on the record, I don't know who is not playing. I can speculate that those that are maybe going to take a run into the NFL Draft or probably not, wouldn't shock me if Brendan Sowsby doesn't play.
I don't know anything.
But there's you know, rumors out there where he's been offered a decent sum of money at other places. And then I think a CBS Sports put out a mock draft where they had him in the first round pick number thirty one by the LA Rams And so that's wow, life changing money there too. Now, whether or not that comes to fruition, it's hard to say. But he's got a decision to make and I don't know what that is yet, and trust me, I've been trying. Uh, But the practices are are closed until Monday.
I'll know more on Monday, and.
Even at that point they might limit us on what we're.
Allowed to see and stuff.
So Scott, what we learned watching Texas Tech and b YU O MG, the Red Raiders are fast and physical.
Well, and they're rich and oil can buy you a great team.
Oh my god.
Jed Klampitt strikes somewhere around here and and comes on down to the Sacrely Athletic Performance Center and it says, fellows, I got some money.
Yeah BYU's basketball team. They said, oh yeah, it starts with this guy that they're adding pieces.
They've got money to burn out there.
That dude is making what's seven million in the cat from the transferred from Baylors at one point five. I mean, it's it's crazy, insane money out in the Salt Lakes.
Well.
I don't know if they can ever get this regulated, but yeah, that's essentially what's going on. Money buys your team, and if you can get them together to play together, you're on the way.
Utah today approved. I don't even know how, you know.
Outside equity company coming in to the basically fun athletics and Utah has a great team as it is, and they're in Salt Lake City, so a lot of money there and it's beautiful in Utah, and I guess it's raining money.
In addition to the other scenery.
Well, this is all great stuff here, Scott Springer, and thank you for your patience with me tonight and always great talking to you and breaking down the Bearcats football and basketball. Here will definitely be tuned in to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis and looking forward to a Bearcat victory.
One more thing.
Craig Lindsay, the esteemed athletic trainer executive athletic trainer at Moeller High School, says that you're an outstanding fast pitch softball umpire and he said the past that along along with you.
I appreciate that. Please tell him thank you and hello for me. That's outstanding. Yes, all right, thank you most so much, Scott, take care, see you tick all right,
Scott Springer, Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com. Now, before we break, folks, I want the phone lines to light up, and so get lined up like the cigarettes on the table in the cafeteria in the prison in Shawshank Redemption, because we're going to play that popular game called reverse radio where you call in and I ask you the questions.
After the top of the hour news.
This is Chick Ludwig Sports Talk on the Home of the Reds and the Best Bengals coverage seven hundred w l W eight O eight and the Queen City of Cincinnati Chick Ludwig seven hundred w l W.
This is Sports Talk.
Awesome to be filling in tonight for Lance McAllister and Shoeless. Joe Waddell doing a great job is tonight's producer. In the control room. We're going all the way to nine o'clock and that's when Gary Jeff Walker takes over these airwaves. Well, I got this idea from Dan Horde, voice of the Bearcats and the Bengals, a game called reverse Radio where the caller calls in at five one three, seven four nine, seven thousand, one eight hundred the Big One, and I
ask you the questions. It's gonna take some calls tonight for this to get pulled off. I've got a list here of twenty questions that I want to ask the listeners and the callers. So who's going to be my first caller? Because I've got my coffee, I've got my computer. All I need is you at five P one three seven four, nine, seven thousand, one eight hundred the Big One. And until we get some calls, all I can say
is man it's tough being a Bengals span. They are the masters of disasters, inventing ways.
To lose with their four and nine record.
Following Sunday's snowy thirty nine to thirty four loss to the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York, everything was going along smoothly at Buffalo until it wasn't. Mike Giseki's twelve yard touchdown reception gave Cincinnati a twenty eight to eighteen lead with eight forty four remaining. He even did the gritty I'm feeling really good at that point, and then in a four minute, thirty second span, the Bill scored twenty one points. Cedric Johnson rushes from the right
end side and can't hit Josh Allen. That vac aided the whole left side of the field and Josh Allen bolts forty yards for a touchdown. Then came Christian benford sixty three yard pick six at five point twenty five, and then a three yard Jackson Hawes TD catch at three oh three. T Higgins one handed greb from twenty five yards out at two thirteen pulled the Bengals win in thirty nine to thirty four in Cincinnati had a chance to get the ball back for a possible.
Miracle finish, but no.
Third and fifteen from Buffalo's twenty five yard line with a buck fifty four to go. Josh Allen, operating out of the shotgun, runs for seventeen yards game over.
Unbelievable.
Bengals continue to get lit up by tight ends and from Joe Goodbarry tight ends this year ninety seven catches for twelve one hundred yards and fifteen.
Touchdowns against the Bengals.
Everton ten and a half targets, seven and a half catches and ninety seven yards by Bengals opposing tight ends. Brutal Well, who's up first here? We've got Tracy and Roselawn. Tracy, how are you tonight?
I'm doing good.
Check hope you're doing well, buddy, Fantastic. Here's my question.
Would you rather have a Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl or a Reds World Series Championship?
And why?
I think I would rather have a Reds World Championship World Series victory. And it's a long season, and I think the Reds are.
They're equipped to do well.
Fantastic and Tracy, the phone lines have lived up like a Christmas Tree, like the cigarettes on the table in the cafeteria in the prison at Shawshank Redemption.
So I got a run. Appreciate the call. Dan is in. Dan Is in Cincinnati.
Hey Dan, Hey, how are you chick?
Fantastic? Do you ever play golf.
Occasionally?
Okay, you've got one round to play? Is it Pebble Beach or is it Augusta National?
It would have to be a pebble beach. Just a location.
Uh not that, not.
That Augusta National isn't pretty awesome, but uh, it's all I've always wanted to play pebble Beach.
I've never been to Pebble Beach. I've been on the grounds of Augusta National three times for practice rounds, and it is uh arguably the most gorgeous acreage I've ever stood on.
Awesome.
Well, thanks for the question, Jack, Dan, Thanks so much, man, Appreciate you.
All right, Thank you.
The number to dial five one, three, seven, four, nine, seven, eight hundred, the big one. Let's go to Charlie in Cincinnati. Hi, Charlie, Hey chick.
Are you ready?
Yeah?
Go ahead?
All right.
We are the world's most valuable franchise in sports.
Who are we?
And here's a hint, Dallas Cowboys.
Yes, any guess? And how much they're worth?
I have no idea, more than I can comprehend.
Thirteen billion dollars.
They took over number one in valuation in all of sports from the soccer club Real Madrid in twenty sixteen. Thirteen billion. Brother, how awesome is that?
That's awesome?
But chick, you ready for softball?
God?
Yes?
Yeah, yeah, I really am. It's always uh. One day it's thirty degrees and I'm at Oxford Talawanda for a doubleheader against Northwest and I'm there.
What am I doing here? I'm freezing?
And the next day it's seventy degrees and Sonny that softball season for he wrote, it's a beautiful thing. Yes, sir Charlie, thanks so much. Man, We're going all right. Take care. We got Mark and Louisville.
Yes, would you mind if I made a comment on all those two trades as you were talking about, yes, instead of taking this check.
Yeah.
Taking to your question, yeah, yes, I remember where I was on both of those trades. I believe I got the vitea blue trade off of Trumpy's show. Yes, I think he announced what happened on his show. But I was in college on the Frank Robinson trade and a friend of mine came in, an equal Reds fan, and he told me what happened, and both of us agreed. There was no way we could go to classes that day, so we you know, we had to take that day
off morning. Yes, but there's something about that trade that you said tonight, and Jim Day, who I love, says it all the time, and you're both incorrect about what she said. Now I'll tell you what it was. Frank was not traded because the Reds thought he was old. That was the reason put out by the Reds publicist. But the reason that he was actually traded was that he had gotten arrested three times in an eighteen month period for something that if had happened today, he would
have just said to him, don't do it anymore. That's it. I mean, it was so minor, it was ridiculous, but seemed like a big thing to the Reds, and that's what pull the trigger. I can't think of anybody today that could verify what I just said, and I don't want you to think I would make that up and say that everybody around the Reds knew that, and of course it was a terrible trade, you know, and the only other thing, and you know, I'm a diehard Reds fan.
Anybody that thought the Reds were gonna sign Shrober, they just couldn't have been a Reds fan. They're gonna sign nobody. Last year, when they signed Hayes and he hit two home runs in the first spring training game, the Reds thought they had their cleanup hitter and the guy to protect de la Cruz. If that doesn't tell you how bad of shape this organization's in. What can I say?
All Right, Mark, Hey, appreciate the call as always, look forward to talking to you during baseball season. Absolutely, Jeff, all right, Jeff's in Kentucky.
Hi, Jeff, Hey, what's up?
Check?
All right?
Man?
You ready for a question?
Yeah, what's my question? I'll tell you what. And by the way, Dallas is an awesome organization. I'm not surprised. It's thirteen billion, taken over from Real Madrid, so that's it's pretty cool.
Well, just Jerry Jones building at and T Stadium has one billion, okay, one billion dollars. Everyone's valuation just skyrocketed, So it's just amazing.
The dude is a sponsorship machine. He really is.
Now they've just got to win on the field. Yeah, all right, yeah, are you ready?
What's the question?
What college basketball arena would you most like to visit that you haven't seen yet?
I gotta go with I mean, I'm a I'm in Kentucky, but I'm gonna I'm an Ohio Cincinnati guy, I gotta go with RUP. I haven't been to Rough, but I mean the Kentucky fans they do bring it. They're crazy, but they're like us a Buckeye fans. Everyone hates us.
But yeah, I've been in the Old Coliseum and then I've also been to RUP. It's it's a special place. The Hyatt's right attached to it. It's uh, it's phenomenal, it really is.
Oh and a shout out the shout out to Conner Middle School for their sixth, seventh, and eighth grade winning all three games in basketball tonight against Bally Shannon.
All Right, all right, all right, Jeff, thanks so much, man, thank you. All right, We've got the Grandpaul Mike in Dayton.
Hey, chick, sure, how you doing?
Oh, fantastic brother from my other mother. Amen, you ready for a question?
Sure, go ahead, all right, Ohio State here, No, no, no, no, I got.
Another one for you if you want to pass.
You know I'm not a higher state fan. I'm not from here, all right?
All right? Are you a Reds fan?
Yes?
Okay?
Who is your favorite current Red not named Ellie de la Cruz?
Oh?
Well, you know I know some of the guys across all the levels right now. So I'm here in Dayton and I contact with him. Actually, can I go below to the minor league level? All right? My favorite is big first baseman who play a double a cam now, so the first basement.
Okay, all right, you've seen him play.
Yeah, the guy is totally down to earth. Okay, he's a leader. He is a leader, and he's gonna be a late bloomer because he's twenty four now. But no, no, the kids. The kid's good. There's nothing he can't do when he keeps his mind.
On what he's doing.
Fantastic. Yeah, my guy, Yeah, my guy is Spencer Steer. I just love his approach. He's low key, he brings the lunch pail and the hard hat every day. Love his swing, love his approach, and love his demeanor.
So I love I love freedom too.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, all right, Grandpa, Mike, appreciate you.
I got to run, say, have a great holiday.
All right, thanks so much. Uh, we've got Chris in Martinsville.
Yes, sir, how are we doing?
And I tech, oh, fantastic, fantastic. Hey, in your opinion?
In your opinion, which NFL team has the most iconic uniform?
Hmm, I mean definitely born and raised right here in Cincinnati. I do like the black and orange the most iconic. I'm like, man, I mean, why can't it be the Bengals. Why can't it be just the Why can't it be the stripes? Since because I'm a Homer, if I say the Bengals, I mean, it's fine, man, better you tell me that.
I'm fine with me. Uh.
I always thought, you know, when when Dan Horde talks about the iconic, you know, a striped helmet, that will probably he never changed. But at the same time, I would have loved to have seen, you know, black helmets with a flying tiger on the side, you know, Yeah, I would have I would have loved that.
Yeah. Yeah, this is a good.
Idea of what you're doing tonight. And I kind of just played clean up on the one call earlier. Yeah, man, it's definitely got to be a bangled Super Bowl over a red championship. I mean, listen, the resident have their day in the sun.
I'm forty six years old, you know what I mean. Yeah, Well, you know say both said it all.
We swept them, we get together, we get the troupe.
You know.
I remember that when I was ten and ninety.
Yeah, then there's a big red machine. But they they left won a Super Bowl.
Yeah.
We're zero for three in Super Bowl. So wow. Man, all right, Chris, thank you so much. Man.
All right, man, appreciate you have a merry Christmas.
Thank you. You do the same. John is in Cleaves, Hey, how are you doing?
Actually I'm leaving Cleves. I just refereed a couple of high school basketball games and got nailed in the face.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah yeah, yeah, I was hoping. I can't wait to put on that mask. My first game is softball behind the plate twenty fourth, So I'm ready.
I'm a ready, fantastic, fantastic. Hey, which college football team to do? You love to see lose?
Florida Gators and then I want to Florida State. Okay, In Florida State, So Florida.
Gators, Florida Gators. And then which team you want to see when?
Yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, yes.
All right, fantastic.
Hey, appreciate it, John, Yes, sir, thank you so much. Hey, We've got to take a break. But I've got what about fifteen more questions for the callers to call in. It's reverse radio. You asked the question. I asked the question. You all in and you give me the answer. It's reverse Radio with the Chickster chick Ludwig on seven hundred WLW eight forty in the Queen City of Cincinnati. Chick Ludwig, seven hundred WLW. We are playing a game called reverse Radio.
You call in. I asked you the questions. I got the idea from the voice of the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati.
Bearcats, Dan Horde. We love reverse radio. Want to play?
Just pick up the phone and dial five one, three, seven four nine, seven thousand, one, eight hundred the Big One. We've got John and Mason, Home of the Comets. It's like a university there.
Hi, John, Hello, Chickster, you are awesome.
I've got my computer, I've got my coffee, and now I'm ready.
For you outstanding.
Is there a sports specific that you are an expert in?
Would you say, oh, absolutely, golf.
Ask me anything.
Okay, my buddy Pete, my buddy's.
Pete and Sean are listening, so I'm on the hot seat, ask me anything you want about golf.
Well, let me throw this out. I've already asked this, but I'm going to ask you. Okay, you've got one round of golf to play. Is it Pebble Beach or is it Augusta National?
Hands down Augusta National. And the reason being, like you, I've been to a couple of practice rounds, yes, and with my buddy Pete and John Daly made fun of my buddy Pete one year because he wimped out because he hurt his knee at the Blue ash Y in a rec League game, so he should have been there. That's for another day. But Augusta National, there is not a blade of grass out of position, the the fairways or even the rough.
I should say is like carpet.
You're not a spectator or you're not a you're not a fan. When you're there, you you are treated, you know, just as a as a.
Patron as That's it.
You're right, that's not the front it's not the front nine, the back nine. It's the first nine, the second nine. They do not gouge you once you're there. Yes, it's a high priced ticket to get there, but once you're there, you are golden. They do not gouge you. You can get a beer for a few bucks.
And uh, you know.
Ese sandwich, that cheese sandwich.
Yes, yes, in fact, that amen corner. Uh, that's what we were doing. And we ran into a kid named Paul Dockerty when we were there.
Oh yeah, doc loves it.
Yes, yes, hands down Augusta National. But I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to play pebble. I have a few buddies that just played Pebble last week, and unbeknownst to them, they there's a webcam that a live webcam on the first tea box.
Oh man, so yeah, yeah, So I watched him t off.
He's a physician, and all I could do is text him and just say, paging doctor way right, paging doctor way right.
How cool?
Well so far to the right, but anyway, Yes, Augustin National, for sure.
I love this format.
Beautiful and uh, as far as Pebble Beach I closed my eyes and I see Jack Nicholas and Tom Watson.
Yes, oh yes, oh yes, one hundred on seventeen. I got a stretcher us open.
John, It's been a pleasure. Let's do it again. Absolutely, thank you very much.
All right, and we've got Chris in Mount Washington. Hi, Chris, Hey, how are we doing?
Doing great? I've got my burger light and my laptop burger and wondering how things are going on the SimPE throw for you fantastic.
I'm gonna late this question on him, Okay. The Kentucky Derby. The Kentucky Derby is known as the Run for the Roses. A bed of roses, sportive kings covers A bed of roses covers the winning thoroughbread. What blanket of flowers covers the Preakness Stakes winner in Maryland? Ooh uh in maryl Wow, that's the second leg, the second leg.
I mean we can't say blue crab because well that's flower, very delicious marrigolds.
You know what close it is?
The black eyed A blanket of black eyed Susan's at Pimlico Racecourse.
And I have this growing in my garden here in Mount Washington.
And what's crazy is I was looking it up today, researching it a little bit, and they've taken down the grand stand and the clubhouse at Pimblico. So the second leg, which I really like, the Preakness, will be run at Laurel Park and Laurel Maryland, and then in twenty six and then come back in twenty seven, Pimlico will be ready again. So because that was kind of a wild card, that was kind of a wild card.
Let me throw this.
I got another one for you if you're ready, Chris.
Yeah, four players in Major League Baseball history have hit seven hundred home runs?
Four can you name them? Where as many of them.
As seven hundred major League Yes, I'm gonna give my best shot, but I am gonna inductas caveat. I am the co owner of one of the secretarys granddaughters.
Wow yeah, yeah, big Ulter caner anyway.
So seven hundred home runs, I'm gonna start with mister Barry Bonds wearing my body armor.
Correct the next Chire uh no, think back, think back to your childhood a little bit. Yeah, okay Againseiko, uh no, how about a New York Yankee from.
The nineteen twenties.
Oh, George Hermans, correct, Babe, Ruth.
Oh Nera said the good see Ted Williams.
No, but that's a great guess.
Okay, yeah, how about how about.
The Milwaukee Braves and the Atlanta Braves.
Oh, Hammer and Hank.
That's it. The fourth one is very tough.
It's been recent, but he made his hay with the Saint Louis Cardinals, went off to Anaheim, came back to Saint Louis.
Oh, mister poolholes.
That's it. Those are the four Albert Poolholes.
Barry Bonds seven sixty two, Hammer and Hank at seven fifty five, Babe at seven fourteen Albert pooholes seven oh three.
Wow, that's very good.
Awesome, Yes well, Chris in Mount Washington, thank you so much for playing reverse radio.
Oh, I appreciate this out, dude me, thanks, dude, thank you.
Awesome. We've got six more minutes. Who's next?
Five one, three, seven, four, nine, seven, one eight hundred The big one Well word came across yesterday a Bengals transaction on Bengals dot com. So I called it up and it was one sentence. The Bengals today waived wide receiver Jermaine Burton, third round pick from the University of Alabama in twenty twenty four. I automatically thought of Chris Carter. Some indiscretions with the Philadelphia Eagles cut unceremoniously gone. But
luckily for Chris got his life together. He got claimed by the Minnesota Vikings, and all he did was catch touchdown passes and he is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I also thought of Jim Lippencott, the former personnel boss of the Bengals, and he told me, Chick, you don't quit the NFL. The NFL quits you. The Bengals had to cut ties with this immature problem plagued young man. I hope he gets his life together. I hope he buckles down Lands with another team and has
a successful career. I hope his career is not over. The NFL stands for not for long. And this wasn't just a flyer the Bengals took on this wide receiver. This was a third round draft pick. A flyer is a seventh rounder from LSU by the name of Benny Brazil from years gone by. You take the flyer on the seventh round wide receiver who's a sprinter Okay, this was a legitimate third round pick that the Bengals wanted,
and now he's gone. And a sign of the immaturity is if you can't play for a team that's got Joe Burrow that kind of leader and the leadership of the wide receivers in Jamar Chase and t Higgins, well then something is dramatically wrong. So you can't just survive on talent alone. Let's go out to the phones. Greg is in old age and I'm going to say, Io, Hi.
Greg, Hi there? How are you doing?
Chick fantastic?
I'm just driving up north of Columbus right now. I'm back to work where after working?
Mount Vernon, Ohio beautiful.
Do you like Ohio State football?
I love it.
Ohio State has produced six Heisman Trophy winners.
How many can you name? You can name at least one. I know that.
Archie Griffin correct. We went to school together. We graduated together at Saint John Arena, Winter Quarter nineteen seventy six. He won it in seventy four and seventy five. Can you think of any others? Eddie George correct, nineteen ninety five, the quarterback Troy Smith.
Destroy yeah, two.
Thousand and six, and then we have to go back because I want to move along and get one more one or two more callers here Less Horvath nineteen forty four, My guy, Vic Janowitz in nineteen fifty War number thirty one, no one's worn it since. And Howard hop Along Cassidy number forty in nineteen fifty five. And Greg, thanks so much for calling.
Yes, you're welcome, Thank you.
Have a nice evening.
Appreciate it. I've got to go a little rapid fire here with Chuck and Cleaves. Chuck, are you there?
Yes, theirs?
The ND five hundred winners.
J's the question back yet.
The ND five hundred winner drinks what beverage in Victory Lane?
Milk?
And do you the wor you to where it's start?
It is?
Yes?
The Kentucky Derby is armics mass part.
All right, Chuck, appreciate you, appreciate you, thank you, all right? Uh, Quinn is in northern Kentucky is my final contestant.
Quinn. Let's see here, I'm here, buddy, all right?
An all expenses paid trip to a sporting event anywhere in the world, state side or international. What sporting event do you want to go to?
Wow?
That is a big question. I'm gonna go with the College Football National Championships because it's like roulette. I don't know where it's actually going to be until you're going to give me the ticket.
Okay, Well it's going to be a Miami at Miami Home of the Dolphins, Miami Gardens, Florida this year.
So yeah, awesome.
I would love to see and I have I got to admit I have not been to an FC Cincinnati match at TQL. I would like to see a World Cup match somewhere. Maybe it would just be awesome, It really would be.
Quinn. I got a run. Thank you so much.
Appreciate question week all right, man, appreciate all the callers, all the listeners, and this is till next time. This is the Chickster Chick Ludwig saying thanks for listening to the Home of the Reds and the best Bengals coverage and to my producer Tonight's shoeless Joe Waddell on seven hundred WLW