The following takes place between six pm and seven pm.
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Happy Holidays, everybody. My name is Mike Petralia. You know me better on social media and maybe if you're a close personal friend by the name Trags. I am in tonight for the one and only Lance McAllister. And this is the RNL Carrier's sports talk program presented by Kelsey Chevrolet here on news radio seven hundred WLW. As I
tweeted out this afternoon, it's been a week. It's been a week of ups and downs, psychoanalysis, back and forth, trying to read the personalities not only of a famous franchise quarterback, but the coaching staff, the very quiet front office and ownership group of one Cincinnati Bengals franchise. And we've actually probably been doing I say, one week, it's probably been the last two to three weeks. Trying to read body language is a dangerous business to begin with.
Trying to do it in the NFL in this particular town is another challenge altogether. And we're gonna talk a lot about the Cincinnati Bengals. Of course, they have been eliminated at four and ten on the season. They have to finish out the string, and that string begins in the heat this Sunday at one o'clock here on seven hundred WLW, Dan Horde and Dave Lapham on the call, of course, Bengals four and ten taking on the six and eight Miami Dolphins, another team that is playing out
the string. They were eliminated with their loss in the Frozen Conditions in Pittsburgh on Monday night. We'll also talk the Cincinnati Reds. What moves should they be making going forward this winter? Of course, they miss out on Kyle Schwarber, the hometown kid, of course from Middletown, and their biggest move so far is to sign a lefty reliever by the name of Caleb Ferguson. We'll be talking with Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Inquirer in the seven o'clock hour
about that. The college football playoffs begin tonight. I'm excited for this game because actually someone covering the Bengals this morning, I was inside the practice structure this morning and somebody asked me, who do you got tonight? Alabama or Oklahoma? My instinct was to start off Alabama, just because I haven't taken Oklahoma seriously. But how can you take Alabama seriously coming off that hideous shutout loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship. Certainly I reconsidered on the spot and
then said, well, the game's at Oklahoma. I think Oklahoma's just a more consistent team. So I went with Oklahoma. But the DFP begins tonight in Oklahoma with Alabama visiting the Sooners. Tomorrow, there are three games the other quarterfinals. Number ten Miami at number seven Texas A and M. That's at noon. Number eleven Tulane visits number six Ole Miss. That's a fascinating backyard rivalry down south. I'm looking forward to that. That's at three point thirty PM. And then
the nightcap at seven thirty Eastern time. Number twelve James Madison at number five Oregon. Three or four years ago, James Madison was in the College Championship Series. They weren't even in the Division one Bowl Championship Bowl playoff series. They were in what was otherwise known as Division one Double A back in the day. But James Madison, they put their big boy pants on and they are now playing in the college football playoffs, So those are the
four games between tonight and tomorrow. It is time he is held online long enough. It is time to get to our first guest. And you know this guest from my work on the Jungle War Bengals postgame podcast because he's my co host on the Jungle War Bengals postgame podcast after each and every Bengals game. His name is Richard Skinner of Local twelve and Local twelve dot com Skinny. I guess we can call this an extension of our podcast. Why not. I'm in charge of this. Sure, let's talk Bengals.
That's why I brought you on. I guess we're going to start with all of the psychoanalysis that's been going on. A lot of people are a lot of fans are tired of it. They're tired of us in the media trying to read and interpret what Joe Burrow is saying, with Jamar Chase is saying, Zach Taylor is saying, not only for Zach Taylor but the organization. What is your initial read of the last two weeks of talk down at Paycorp.
We I think the Bill's loss broke Joe Burrow. Doesn't mean he can't be rebuilt, doesn't mean he can't be built back up. But I think that loss broke him. Like he worked so hard to come back. They had he had his moment in Baltimore and it was like, Okay, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna lift this whole organization up, and I'm gonna get this script to the playoffs. And he was culpable in Buffalo, but he wasn't entirely culpable. The defense was awful when it needed to not be awful.
And I think at that point he just it just broke him, like I busted my butt to come back and I still put up thirty points. Yeah he threw a pick six, no doubt, but he still he still got your thirty four points and loss. And I think at that point it was like I'm broken, and that's understandable to some degree. I think the whole surgery, rehab, recovery, all that can wear on you. I don't think anybody
really understands, and I know I don't even understand. I think the most major other had happened to me is I broke a couple of ebows. I haven't handed gut. I didn't need surgery for you, the one to have me risked. You know, all the things he's gone through now, turf toe, that's major stuff that he's trying to come back from. Aixn it, yeah, an appendix, Yeah, sorry, but yeah that one too. I mean that's major self to come back from him, and as a human being, that's
a lot. And he's tried to come back quickly every time and he has and so to me, he's broken and he talked it into fruition last Wednesday. He sure played like it this past Sunday. Still don't think he's in a great place, and so I'm super fascinated to watch what happens on this Sunday in Miami. Is it a chance for him to take the first step towards kind of taking a deep breast getting himself back together, kind of feeling like, all right, let's just finish this
thing strong and carry it over. Or is he still broke?
You know, Skinny, I think he uh the former. I think he is going to try and go out and finish the season with good vibrations. To quote the Beach Boys Brian Wilson, I do I think he just wants some momentum going into not only next year, he wants some momentum going into the off season, because you and I both know, and I think every fan that has listened to him talk over the last two weeks he
thinks a lot. There's a lot of thoughts going on internally, many of which don't reach the surface, and when they do, they kind of sometimes come out muddled, which I think is part of the issue with Burrow, Like when he says these things, what is he really thinking deep deep
down about his future with the Bengals. And I thought Paul Danner Junior did a fabulous job, not only on his reporting on Tuesday, but asking Burrow on Wednesday if he thought about the possibility of not being the quarterback next year. No, he pretty much answered that out of hand, kind of wiped that off the possibility list. But then when he was asked if he's thought about whether or not he could be playing for some other team in the future, he was much more vague, And I think
that was a smart answer of his. But he also a lot of people are reading in that he was sending a message. I don't think he was sending a message. I think, honestly, he thinks, well, if it doesn't work out here, if they don't make the right moves, sure anything could possibly happen. Look at Micah Parsons. He brought that example up on his own pretty much, you know, un prompted. He brought that example up about what happened
at the beginning of the year. He's very well aware of Peyton Manning starting with the Colts, ending his career with the Broncos, Tom Brady obviously his career with the Patriots before he finished with Tampa Bay. He's aware of all of that, right, skinny.
Yeah, and yeah. I don't think this was him talking short term, even last Wednesday. I think this was him saying, guys, we gotta you gotta fix this, you gotta help me fix this. I think he was one of those people that thought I can lift everybody up. I'm the guy that's gonna carry the burden for all of that, and you can only do so much, and at some point you reached the breaking point of you know what, I've tried my darnness, and I just can't do it. I
can do my part, I can't do everybody's part. I think that was the message of last week of Hey, front office, get me some help. I need some help on on the other side of the football.
Uh.
And you know, I think this week was more of yeah, I want to I want I want this to work here. But if it's gonna keep spinning its wheels and not work, well, then I'll let it work somewhere else and we'll see where that goes. I mean, he's under contracted twenty twenty nine. They can franchise tag him multiple times. After that. You know, there's there's a way that that keeps him in Cincinnati,
that there's a keep him happy in Cincinnati. I would say probably for that stage where you're franchise tagging him just because you can. It's probably not going to be a good thing, but he can be tied to this franchise for a long time to come. Just go fix it. And I think that's that's the crux of this mic is just go fix it, or at least show me you care and do something different to try to fix it. As the post too status quo, well, and that's where
we're relative. I feel like they just don't care to fix it.
Well, I think they think they know how to fix it. The status quo part of this skinny is the modus operandi of the Blackburn and Brown family. They are not going to give up any control. They may run into a c like they did in twenty twenty and twenty twenty one in free agency where they brought in I think I wrote for sil insinsi dot com there's you know those six free agents that really redefine the defense. Well they're going to try and do that again this year.
And they're going to try. There are places, and you know, Zach Taylor spoke this morning about with us down at Pays about how the defense can be remade. There are definitely pieces in place, and I agree with them in that regard, but they're gonna have to go out and bring in veteran pieces. The people who are bringing in
those pieces aren't gonna change. But I think the Bengals front office and ownership thinks that those pieces will be the change that the Bengals need, not who's bringing them in.
Yeah, but I go back to this and that's and that's fine, and I believe that's gonna happen too, because it's gonna be enough cap space to do some of those things. And they did do a fine job the last time. Around in free agency, but then you're gonna be back in the cycle again of having to pay a bunch of guys order back to receivers, Orlando Brown, whoever you bring on the defense, all of those things, and you still better keep hitting on draft picks. And they haven't done that.
That's the problem.
So why can't you do something to change that? And they don't seem to be willing. Do I need more stouts, Douktoba's I don't need more eyes? Okay, well, sure you've done great so far, guy. And that's the part I think that's the most frustrating is in this league, when you're paying for the stars, you have got to have the rest of your roster hit on rookie contracts, not as rookies per se, but on those first rookie contracts, which are four year deals. You got to have a
bunch of those guys. That's what the Eagles did. The Eagles paid all their dudes and then had a bunch of guys hit on rookie contracts. And I don't trust Duke Tobin and those making the draft selections to do that. Do I trusted to do it? Off of proven NFL tape? Yeah? Probably. I think, you know, most people have proven NFL tape are pretty good at that kind of stuff because it's proven NFL tape. The college guys are always a crapshoot, no matter how highly you draft them. They're always you
don't fully know until you see. And so do I trust him to get those guys right? I'm sorry, I don't. I just I don't know why anybody should. I don't know why any fans should trust them to do that.
What is the biggest positive thing you've seen from the Bengals this year?
Woo one the fact there's only three games left. That might guess that. I guess the play and the people are not gonna like it. I guess the play of the offensive line. I think the offensive line has has had a pretty decent year overall, to be honest with you, and that means Dylan Fairchild's played okay. You know, dol Riser's played okay. Now he's probably gonna be back after this year. Maybe he is on a on a year deal. Dalen Rivers when he was in played okay. So that
to me is one. The only only thing else is the defense has played better since the bye week, and you have a chance to finish strong. My fear is this, you kids have finished strong against Quinn viewers making his first start, nine thousand year old Jakobe prisseat and struggling to door Sanders. Is that really gonna show you anything? That and that that my fear would be, Well, you know, we got hopped down the stretch. Guys started to figure it out? Did they? Did they?
Really?
That's the part that scares me a little bit.
That's what Zach Taylor I can tell you right now, and he kind of suggested that this morning and meeting with us, that's what he's going to suggest is that you've seen the defense now in his view, okay, playing much better for several weeks. I tend to agree that, yes, there have been flickers of hope that you've definitely seen from a young defense. My takeaway on defense has been DJ Turner and Dax Hill continues to be a really solid player. Miles Murphy has come on and I think
he's going to earn that fifth year. I think they believe that he is a piece to build around on the edge. You would never have said that after last year, not in a million years, but based on what he's shown this year. I feel like they don't have any
choice but to believe in him going forward. And yeah, so that's where I think they are with that, and I think, you know, the Bengal fans have to be hopeful that this defense is going to complement the offense next year and they'll be back where they were before the twenty twenty one season. We're gonna have to let you go here, Skinny. Anything you're working on real quick for Local twelve dot com or you're just gonna sit back and watch the Bowl games.
Just gonna sit back and watch the Bowl games and cover the game from my couch on Sunday, Mike, and then talk to you via the zoom.
Yeah, we will both be working remotely, Skinny. I look forward to it. That is Richard Skinner of Local twelve and Local twelve dot com. He does a great job covering all things Cincinnati Bengals, Skinny. Thank you so much for joining us. All right, that is Richard Skinner. My name is Mike Petrolia. When we come back on the other side of news at the bottom of the hour,
we will talk to Alex Frank. We'll talk some Cincinnati Bearcats football, basketball and the University of Kentucky basketball program. This is the RNL Carriers sports talk program presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on news radio seven hundred WLW. That is what I'm talking about. That's the way I like it. Ac and the Sunshine Van circa nineteen seventy five, fifty years ago, we had a World Series champion in the Cincinnati Reds, coming off the greatest World Series still in history.
We had a Paul Brown's last year coaching an NFL team, a playoff team, and eleven and three Cincinnati Bengals team that lost thirty one twenty eight to the Oakland Raiders in a fabulous game out at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. And then we moved on to nineteen seventy six, another World Series title. We have had just one World championship in this town since nineteen seventy six, and we all know it was the shocking four game sweep of the
Oakland A's in nineteen ninety the Nasty Boys. And a week like this, a year like this kind of dredges up those memories all over again that it's been a long, long, long long wait. Yes, the Reds made the playoffs, lost to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason, that's great, they finished eighty three and seventy nine. But the Bengals, it's just you know, as a beat reporter, as a columnist covering the team, you like to see
them do well. I think it's I think anybody you speak to in journalism that is on the beat, we'd admit to you that when the team is doing well, it's a better story to cover. There are many more storylines that people want to read, and you, as a journalist, want people to want to read your material. And when they win, like in twenty one and twenty two, people are much more engaged. You don't want everybody just paying
attention to you when you're writing something critical. You want to write good stories and there's still good stories to be written. Have a DJ Turner column that I'll have over the weekend. He's a great story. And I went over this with Richard Skinner of localswelve dot com. The storyline still are there, but just not as voluminous. In a four and ten season against Cincinnati, Bengals will play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon in Miami. The final
road game of the year. Of course, they come back and play a pair of Sunday afternoon one o'clock games against Arizona on the twenty eighth, and then the following Sunday they wrap up the season against the Cleveland Browns. My name is Mike Petralia Trags. You can follow me
at colns since with a y dot com. You can also follow me of course on the X at Trags t r ags and as I mentioned with Skinny, our Jungle Roar Bengals postgame podcast after each and every Bengals game is at YouTube dot com slash at Jungle Roar Pod. This is the RNL Carrier sports talk program presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on news radio seven hundred w WHA. Next up, we're gonna switch gears a little bit. We've talked enough
about the Cincinnati Bengals to open the program. Let's move on to the college scene and someone who, by the way, is down in Miami to watch the Bengals and the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. But I want to talk college basketball college football a little bit as well with Alex Frank. He does great work for Sealing asincey dot com as well as a Sea of Blue since e jungle Land, Grant holy Land, all of those at SB Nation. And he has a brand new podcast that you absolutely should
give a listen to. It's a Lockdown Network podcast entitled Bengals Squad. He is Alex Frank. How about that for an intro?
Alex, Well, Mike, thank you. It's great to be with you on this Friday night. And the weather's fantastic down here in Miami. I was just talking with your producer Sean about it. I haven't seen a lot of Bengals fans just yet, but that may change on Sunday. But it's great to here. Is great to be off with you tonight. And I got a tough fact following Richard Skinner.
Yeah, but I'm sure you can live up to it. I don't worry about that at all, Alex. I guess let's start with the Cincinnati Bearcats. They had a much needed win over Alabama State on Wednesday night. What were your takeaways from, obviously the return of Gisel James. What kind of dynamic he brings to the lineup. I think he brings much needed energy on the offensive side of the ball. I'm not saying that he's an All American scoring guard or a you know, a multiple guard that
can do a lot of things. But he does bring energy and he takes some of the burden I think off of Dada A Thomas.
Well that's the thing, Mike Gigsel. James brings a spark that this team needed. I mean, they had lost four of their last six games prior to his return, and I'll be honest, I was shocked when I woke up to the news earlier this week that he was returning. But you think about the fact that he came out Wednesday night and in twenty minutes he scored sixteen points, hit multiple three pointers. I think that's why Bearcats fans
have something at least something to be excited about. And then you had that too.
You mentioned Jayda Thomas.
You can also add Baba Miller, who had a great game Wednesday night.
This team has some life.
And if they can go to Clemson and they can go to Greenville, South Carolina on Sunday afternoon to get a win, you have some momentum going into conference play in the Bigswold, where you're gonna have to find a way to win some games to get some really good teams but you know, definitely, the hope is a lot greater than it was after last Saturday against Georgia.
What are your thoughts on Wes Miller and the job he's done so far with the Bearcats. He's come obviously, he's come under a ton of scrutiny and there are a lot of people calling for his job. Seems to be the mo of a lot of Cincinnati sports fans right about now throughout the town. But what are your thoughts on Wes Miller? How can he improve the way his teams handle adversity.
That's exactly what they need to do. They need to handle adversity like you have been You've washed Beircats basketball long enough to know Mike that Bob Huggins coach teams and Mike Cronin coach teams.
They could get punched in.
The mouth early, but yeah, you always knew they were going to respond. It was so rare that they would get blown out the way I've seen this Bearcats team get blown out over the years with Wes Miller as their head coach. So that's the one thing this team needs to do a lot better at is get better
at overcoming adversity. They play well in Spurs. But the problem is when they have something not go their way, they let it snowball into a cavalcade of things that if that's the right word, excuse me, that don't go their way. So they need to, you know, respond to adversity better. And then the other thing is, look like
you know how to play offensive basketball. I mean, yeah, Cronin coach Sheams and Huggin's coach teams work great offensively by any means, but they could at least run offensive sets. They could get the ball to their best scores when they needed to.
This team can't even do that.
So that's Those are two things aside from of course making the NCAA tournament where this program should be perennially come selection Sunday.
So those are.
Three things that I think this team and this program has to be better at with Wes Miller. There's the other thing, too, Mike, is there's not really any game that I can like hang my hat on with this program that says this can work.
And that's unfortunate.
Five years in.
Well, that's the thing. I just don't recall a moment a pinnacle for Wes Miller in the program where you were like, okay, they have arrived, whether it was at home or on the road. You know, a home game against Arizona, they were in the game, but Arizona kind of pulled away late. There are a couple of games where they had leads in the second half, couldn't hold on Houston. They were in the game with Houston, I believe it was last season, and Houston just pulled away
at the end. They just didn't have the horses. And that's the kind of game that Wes Miller needs. Forget for now him making the NCAA tournament, which is what a lot of fans uc Alum and whatnot feel is the only way he's going to save his job is if he somehow manages to get this team through the Big twelve schedule and get through with not even an eleven and seven mark. Try you know, a ten and eight mark. If he goes ten and eight and gets the team to the tournament, I think that'll save his.
Job, no question about it, because that's that's at least going to give the fans some sign of tangible progress being made.
But you mentioned the fact.
That this program doesn't have a lot of signature wins. Here's a program that two years ago, first ever Big twelve game, they go on the road and beat a very good BYU team, and I'm like, Okay, maybe this program is about to take off. They never won consecutive Big twelve games in the regular season, and then obviously last year played out the way it did, so there's still time.
I believe that.
But you're right, because you go back and I was talking about this with somebody earlier this week. You know, there was a game in two thousand and This game is very very famous in Bearcast basketball history. Bearcats are playing at the ball and Bob Huggins says to his entire team, if any of you touch the ball before or take a shot before Kenny Martin touched the ball, I'm taking your scholarship. I don't know if there's a player on this team. Maybe it's Chisel James, maybe it's
Baba Miller, maybe it's Sanda Thomas. As you mentioned, is there a player on this team that can get the ball and say get out of my way.
I'm going to go.
Score some buckets and put the team on my back and deliver us a much near victory. Jaron Cumberland was that Gary Clark was that. Sean Kilpatrick was that I'm not sure if this program has had that since maybe it's on this team.
I don't know, but you.
Better find out who that is quickly because the big twelve gunlot is coming.
All right, let's move on to the University of Kentucky. They have a pretty massive game, I would say tomorrow. It is the debut of the CBS Sports Classic. It features number twenty two Kentucky taking on Saint John's and your thoughts on the Wildcats heading into that. Obviously, they have had several bumps in the road before that massive win over Indiana, which was desperately needed at home last week.
Yeah, So the big news is Jaden Quayton. It looks like he's going to make his Kentucky Wildcats debut tomorrow afternoon in Atlanta. And Quainton's is a transfer from Arizona State. He's a five former five star recruit. He's actually originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and he's projected NBA lottery pick. He's been Alison's last February for the torn ACL. The rehab process was long.
It was lengthy.
At times, it felt like he didn't know if he was gonna even play this season, but he could up play tomorrow, which look, that's the expectation, so long as everything goes well in warm ups, and that is massive for this team. But I'll tell you, Mike would really impress me against Indiana about the Wildcats. They still aren't a great shooting team, but they gave incredible effort, incredible intensity, incredible grit on the defensive end. Their offensive rebounding was tremendous.
It paved the way from coming back from down seven at half time to winning the game by twelve against the good Indiana team that you very well may see in the NCAA tournament. If this team plays like that, with that intensity and with that versatility that they have. I thought Jalen Lowe played the best team of his Wildcats career against Indiana. He was scrappy, he was a distributor, he was attacking the rim. That's what you want to see.
This Wildcats team is fine. I know they had some huge bumps in the road early and I covered a lot of them. But you find a way to beat Rick Bettino and his Saint John's team tomorrow. You're going to generate some momentum going into SEC play and That's where I think this team can take off.
The SEC is.
Not nearly as good as strong as it was last year. Is still a very strong conference, there's no question about it.
But you have the.
Opportunity in front of you to get a really good win against a ranked Saint John's team and build some momentum going into SEC play tomorrow afternoon.
That doubleheader, by the way, is at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The other half of that CBS Sports Classic is Ohio State and North Carolina. Quick thoughts on that we have about thirty.
Seconds Ohio say, better be ready to rebound and defend because North Carolina is long, they're big. If you can force North Carolina to take some more shots from the perimeter than they would like, you've got a chance. And like I talked about with Americas, give the ball to Bruce Thorton if you're the Buckeyes and get the heck out of the way. The buck guys can win tomorrow, and if they do, they're gonna have some momentum going to the Big Ten play.
Are doing your podcast, by the way from Miami, correct, because you will be down in Miami for the game, or are you waiting to record when you come back.
No, we are going live after the game on Sunday time to be determined. Gotta make sure we know how well it's gonna tak usk get back from the stadium to the hotel. So sometime Sunday night we will be live on the Lockdown Mangos YouTube channel with the Bengal Squad Show, So feel free to tune in and hopefully after a Bengals win down here in the Magic.
City, the well traveled and incredibly hard working Alex Frank of a Sea of Blue, Sinci, jungle Land, Grant holy Land, all of those SB Nation podcast should say websites, and of course a Bengals squad that is on the lockedwn network, so be sure to tune that in. He also does some great work for us at celns Sincy dot com. So that is Alex Frank. We're gonna have to let
him go. We've got news that the top of the hour, and then on the other side of news, we will have Pat Brennan of the Cincinnati Inquirer talking all things Cincinnati Reds. You are listening to RNL Carriers Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on News Radio seven hundred WLW.
The following takes place between seven pm and eight pm.
Welcome back to our number two of RNL carriers, Sports Talk, presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on News Radio seven hundred wl W. My name is Mike Petralia Trags. I am filling in for the one and only Lance McAllister for the next two hours leading up to nine o'clock and certainly a lot to get to in the next two hours. We've already talked to a little Cincinnati Bengals. We've talked about you see Bearcats at least on the basketball side, and University of Kentucky. This is a s mortgage board. I
hate that word. I just tried to use it and I butchered it. But sorry, everybody. It's really a plethora. There's a better word and easier word to pronounce for me, A plethora of sports topics. Tonight, locally, we are going to move on to the baseball team in town right now and talk about the Cincinnati Red Legs. They have a pretty important offseason still ahead of them, a lot of moves left to be made, at least a lot
of people think so. After missing out on Kyle Schwarber and this week signing lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson on here right Now on the Carrier RNL Carrier Sports Talk program presented by Kelsey Chevrolet to talk about it all as Pat Brennan. He does a great job on the Bengals beat, but also covers the Cincinnati Reds. Hey, Pat, thanks for joining me. How you doing tonight?
Well?
Tracks, I'm doing okay. Pronounced board.
I'm not going to try it because I'm not going to dull the listeners with my inability to pronounce that word. I just I don't like.
I'm just trying to help here.
I appreciate that, and I appreciate the uh dictation alliteration lesson here live on w W. I appreciate that, pack, But I guess we have to start with your thoughts on the Reds missing out on Kyle Schwarber. There are a lot of people who criticize the Reds for making the offer to Kyle Schwarber and then saying, well, We're just going to bank that money and save it to spend somewhere else, instead of going out and making a push for let's say, Pete Alonso or someone else that
could provide a power bat in the lineup. What are your thoughts on that? What's your biggest takeaway?
Right?
Yeah, I mean, obviously there's some calculus done there about Schwarber versus the rest of the eligible field for kind of that power hitting likely DH type role that the Reds were trying to fill via Schber. And I think the calculation was probably and there's been some reporting of this effect tracks. The calculation there was that this is a local guy. He can drive some revenue because he's local.
He can also drive revenue because he's such an enormous name in the game today and over the last certainly over the last few years when he's really elevated his power, the strength of his power hitting to the top of the game or near the top. And I guess there was a calculus that that popularity could offset some of the costs right up front just by bringing him in. His name offsets some of what it would cost to
retain him. And I think it's probably true that other power hitters in that conversation, like PETERLNDO, might not have the same effect at the box office. So yeah, look, I'll say this much regardless of whether we agree or disagree,
or fans agreed disagree with that. With that math that I think was done there, I can understand why it would be deemed disheartening to see that money then come off the table and then oh, the Reds are back to working, working within this the very tight parameters of the initial budget that we thought they had.
Here's my problem with that. Let me jump in here. Here's my problem with that. Are you trying to become a significantly better baseball team on the field in twenty twenty six addressing an obvious need, which was the lack of a power bat in the middle of the lineup to help protect La Dala Cruz, Or are you trying to sell seats? My thinking is, if you're trying to become the best baseball team, go to the second best bat in the lineup, make a play. And if you
miss on Pete Alonso, well you missed on two. You went over two, which power hitters normally do. See that putt that I just made there, But anyway you made the attempt, you were at least in the batter's box
taking your hacks. The problem a lot of Reds fans have and I was at a party last night and talking with a couple of long standing season ticket holders, and they're like, well, we made one we made one move, and I don't want to label it as half hearted, but they made one attempt, and they're like, oh, well it wasn't meant to be. We're going to move on to something else. That's that's a loser's attitude, and it
frustrates so many fans in this town. And before it was a Bengal town and a football town, it was obviously a very rick baseball town, and it infuriates fans that the Reds don't go out and try to improve the product on the field address an obvious need.
Yeah, I agree, I get it, And you know, the money. The Reds have tied up a lot of their available budget dollars to now three free agent pitchers, one of which is that we're obviously all very familiar with an Emilio Pagan. But I think the cumulative sum of the cost of those players and their entirety is less than the Phillies spend. Well, okay, the Phillies will spend on one reliever, Brad Keller, who they signed to a two year to twenty two million dollar deal. So look, it's
not this isn't new from the Reds. They're adding around the edges. They're adding where they feel like they can, and.
They're hoping their primo prosps becks fill in the void in the meat of the order. And it's a strategy. And I guess you're that's why I'm having you on. You're doing a fabulous job of articulating that that is their strategy, that the bats that cost primo dollars are going to have to be filled in by players the Reds already have under team control so that they can
fill on the edges. I don't know. When I hear that, I'm like, well, they're they're trying to do it in the cheapest way possible, and I just think in the long run, your odds diminish greatly when you take that tact.
Oh sure, well, listen, I'll go back to the end of year. I don't want to call it a news conference because it's a little more intimate than that, but right, Nick cal and uh Brad Metter meet with the.
Yeah, I remember that.
Yeah, I know, Hey, I know you were cowboy, and you know the way I interpreted Nick's comments were that, I mean, I guess I just it wasn't a specific comment, but I walked out of there feeling like if I'm reading the room and interpreting these things as I do and as I heard him talk, I think the Reds believe they will have a very challenging task in front of them this offseason getting back to eighty four wins, and I think that's where that's been born out to be.
It certainly looks like a good reaf on the situation today, and I do think they will be hard pressed to be a better team than they were last year. You mentioned the word you're hoping for prospects to fill in and this and that hope is a big part of the equation here. There's no question you are hoping that Matt McClain turns it around. You're hoping for a full season of healthy Spencer Steer. You're hoping that Dela Cruz finally produces not just plays for one sixty two, but
delivers well. I think what has to be MVP caliber play for one sixty two.
Have you heard anything more on the reporting and some of the rumors that I've read in the last couple of weeks about Ellie d La Cruz and the Reds giving or not giving him permission to play in the World Baseball Classic.
I had seen the rumors. My impression remains that he will participate in the World Baseball Classic, and I understand that. You know, I think if if I'm not mistaken, I'll just let's say this was a rumor too. I think MLB had a social media post that was later taken down, if I'm not mistaken, and I am willing to be corrected on that. But yeah, there were some ripples about
him maybe not being allowed to go. But I will tell you that what the Inquirer reported and what my colleague and good friend Gordon Wittenmeyer reported from the winter meetings in Orlando was that I think Albert Pooholes is managing the team, the national team, and he seemed very convinced that Ellie would be in the Whoever the manager is of that national team very convinced that Ellie would
be a part of it. And from that I really had no I didn't feel a strong inkling to lean too much into the rumor mill after what I saw coming out of Orlando.
God, so what about NOELV. Martegs Because to me, of the names that you just mentioned, the one you did not Mention is probably the biggest name. They are going to depend on him and south Stewart in the middle of that order to really provide the Reds what they're not going to get out of Kyle Schwarber because they missed on him in free agency. I think their plan B was, Okay, we don't get a big bat, We're just going to have to step on salth Stewart and
nouelve Marte. And I think there was enough evidence in the play that we saw in the last six to eight weeks of the twenty twenty five season to suggest that they could be ready to take that next significant leap in twenty twenty six.
Yeah, I mean, just starting with south Stewart. You hope that's the case, except that the National ball I mean all of baseball, not just the National League, is going to have a whole offseason to pick his approach at the play depart and you know, pitchers will adjust to him after not mostly not having seen him until late in the MLB regular season last year and for a hot second in the playoffs. So how does he adjust
to that adjustment? And then that kind of back and forth game begins and continues on for his whole career, but I think the first two rounds of that can be really challenging for a young player like him. So we'll we'll see about South Stewart. Uh, Noel Marte, I feel much more confident about He's beyond that phase in his career. He became very reliable in the field, which was you know, left field was sorry. Right field was a black hole for the Reds defensively at times last year.
But so so that's a good thing. But you know, noelva is yet too show to offer to give the Reds what they need to protect Ellie and do all the things that Kyle Schwarver would have provided. We haven't seen that yet from Noelvie over.
Thing.
Let me jump in here. That's the thing, please they had the Reds haven't seen it consistently from Noelve, but I think they're in the second half of last year they started to get the sense that this kid is ready to play one hundred and fifty games a year and be a massive force for us. I mean the play he made the final home game, leaping above the wall making that catch that was the iconic moment of the twenty twenty five Red season. The feel good moment
of the year. I don't think there's any question about that. And it's appropriate that it was Marte making that play, because that's really if you want to look at what the reds Field twenty twenty six can be, it's that final play of the year at home. Anyway, of course they had the three year Milwaukee, but the final play of the year at home. That's what I think the reds Field the ceiling is for next year.
Yep, I agree, And again I think a lot of that once again, even with Noelvie, predicated on hope and projections and things we're yet to see with our own two eyes. I think, you know, but these are I want to give credit to Nick Crawl and Brad Matter. These are these sharp guys. Everything they calculated about last season, most things, I should say, uh, that was good enough to get them to the playoffs, and let's just see, let's just see what they can do with the rest
of this offseason. I think they made some significant additions to last year's team, guys that ended up being significant later on after in the new year. So I'm not I'm not ready to say that this offseason was a failure. And I don't think anyone else should, just based on the fact that they didn't land Kyle's for that was always kind of a long shot.
Okay, let's move on real quick. We've got a couple of minutes here. They did make a move this week four point five million for one year for lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson. A lot of fans are going to say who, But this is a guy that Terry Francona joked with Caleb Ferguson, and Ferguson acknowledged this on a zoom call from Thursday. He's glad he doesn't have to game plan for going forward and just tell us a little bit about Caleb Ferguson. He can of kind of, I think,
take the role of Brent Suter in that bullpen. But he's a lefty reliever who can get a lot of lefties and righties out.
Yeah, and I think he feels an area of need as a lefty reliever in the bullpen. He alluded last night on that zoom call you mentioned to the varying nature of his role and that he expects to be called upon to do a variety of different jobs for the Reds out of the bullpen, and I think equating that to the Brent Suter role is probably a fair assessment by you drags. But I mean this is this
is another guy who you know. Now, the Reds have everyone returning from last year, you know, bringing in guys with postseason experience to clubhouse last year that had none was a big deal for the Reds. Now most of the guys returning experienced the postseason on a relatively high level. You faced the eventual champion Dodgers in a series that was you know, they got swept out of it. So everyone has playoff experience. Caleb Ferguson has big time playoff
experience with multiple franchises. Last year it was with the Seattle Mariners, and he did get knocked around a fair amount, but that was the first time in his career, over several postseason runs, that he had really faced any kind of adversity. He was a phenomenal postseason pitcher prior to that with the Dodgers, and I believe the Astros. So this is a guy with postseason pedigree. You love that
he is a veteran guy. You like that too, and he's not too old, So I think it was a great pickup by the Reds kind of a sneaky under the radar one. This is a guy that started the year with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season tracks, so some Reds fans might actually be familiar with his work, and good work tends to get overshadowed in Pittsburgh these days. And obviously the Mariners thought highly enough of him to bring him on for their stretch run and playoff run.
Like I said, he got roughed up. Well, he pitched beginnings for them in the playoffs.
We've got forty five seconds here, Pat, I want to get your opinion on Catel Marte of Arizona. He is the one name I hear that could be a blockbuster trade. He's gonna require a lot. But what are your thoughts on the Reds possibly making a bid at him at the age of thirty two.
I'd love to see it happen. Talk about postseason pedigree. This guy tore up the National League side of the bracket in twenty twenty three, as the Diamondbacks went on to win the NL that year. You know, there are some red flags that don't necessarily translate to a Terry francona managed team. I think This is a guy that probably needs to have a veteran leadership to check him
at times. But I think it would be a great addition, a big name and someone who could do a significant amount of a you know, not a bad backup option. And if you couldn't get Kyles forber right, all right, he is.
Pat Brennan does a fabulous job covering the Reds for the Cincinnati Inquirer, and of course he's with me on the Cincinnati Bengals beat for the arrest of this season. Three more games remaining, he will be traveling to Miami to cover the Bengals along with Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Inquirer. Be sure to cover his great coverage there. Pat, thanks so much. We got to let you go. We
got news at the bottom of the hour. Then another inquire a great terrific reporters, Shell Dermert will be joining me on the other side to talk about how in the world Musketeers can forget about that blowout loss to
Creighton on Wednesday and move on to Georgetown tomorrow. On the road, you're listening to the RNL Carrier Sports talk program presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on News Radio seven hundred WLW, just past the halfway point of this three hour extravaganza known as the RNL Carrier's Sports Talk Program presented by
Kelsey Chevrolet on news Radio seven hundred w WELW. My name is Mike Crowyef, filling in for the Great Lance McAllister until nine o'clock when Sterling takes over here in the high chair in the Big One studio here in ken Woods. So looking forward to entertaining for the next let's say hour and twenty five minutes.
UH.
To do that, We're going to take your calls five one, three, seven, nine, seven, thousan one eight hundred the Big One. We want to get to a couple of calls before we get to Shelby Dehmer, who is patiently waiting online. Dick in Dayton. You've been waiting very patiently. How you doing, Dick? What is on your mind? We've got about one minute right here.
Hey, Mike, good to talk to you.
I just was a little concerned this year.
I was hoping the Bengals, but Joe Burrow came back and then all this collapse at once, and I just can't understand what's going on.
Mike.
They're a better team than this, but the defense needs help and everything, and if they keep losing, I'm scared they're gonna lose Taylor and they might have to get a defensive coordinator.
Well your opinion about that, so good question, Dick.
I appreciate the call. They hired Al Golden from Notre Dame last year to replace lou Ana Arumo, who's done pretty good things this year in Indianapolis in a similar role. I think second year under our Golden will make a difference. I think the maturation of guys like DJ Turner, Dax Hill, and Miles Murphy entering his third year is gonna matter. Chris Jenkins on the ir but he as of today with an ankle injury, but he will be entering his third year next season. Zach Taylor said this morning he
is going to make a big leap. They're very confident of that. They have to. This is non negotiable. The Bengals have to go out spend the money on defense and hit in the draft. They have to replicate what they did after the twenty twenty season and before I'm sorry, what they did in twenty twenty free agency and twenty twenty one free agency to set the table for the runs in twenty one and twenty two. That is non negotiable. The Bengals absolutely positively have to reconstruct their defense. I
think everybody in the building knows it. The big question is whether or not you trust the people picking the groceries to use an old bill ourselves line. Do you trust the people buying the groceries to cook the meal? That is what it's going to come down to. We got time for one more Mark. I've got thirty seconds. You want to talk about the Reds. What's on your mind?
Well, I just want to say everybody's upset about the Schwarmer thing and you and while the Reds didn't sign them, and could we all agree? I think the Reds could spend a little more money than they do. But let's keep in mind the Philadelphia Phillies are in the eighth largest market in the United States. They just signed a new television deal. I think that guarantees them about two and a half billion dollars over the next twenty years. And you know, the Reds are not going to compete
with that. Though maybe if you've got a new ownership in here, maybe they get more aggressive with television.
Could do something, but.
The numbers are what they are, and that's just the reality of what we have.
That is a great, great point mark, And you know, I think certainly what Reds fans have to understand is you've got to hit. Just like the Bengals have to hit with their draft picks, the Reds have to hit with their prospects. That's non negotiable. That is the business model set by the Minnesota Twins back in the early two thousands, set by the Houston Astros in the last ten to fifteen years. They did a great job with that. Then they came in and spent a little bit more money.
It is doable. Even with the Milwaukee Brewers. Now you see what they've done with Pat Murphy, a terrific field manager. They've done a great job of developing their young players. The Reds have to follow that model. They just have to be more successful in doing that. I do think there's hope for next year. I am not of the belief that just because they didn't get Kyle Schwarber, all hope is lost for twenty twenty six. I'm not of that belief. I think there is enough talent stockpiled in
the organization. Maybe not deep down in the farm system anymore, but it is ready to contribute at the major league level. We talked about Noel ve Marte, we talked about Sal Stewart, guys like that, Chase Burns of the See on the pitching side, I think the Reds going to be okay in twenty twenty six. They need maybe to make one
or two more moves to provide some depth. All right, it is time to move on to the guest that we have slated for this segment, and he is here to clean up what was a mess at Centas or at least talk about cleaning up the mess that was Centas Center on Wednesday night, the worst home loss in Xavier history. That's certainly the worst loss in the history of Cintas Center, a forty one point blowout ninety eight
to fifty seven to Creighton. Shelby Dermer of the Cincinnati Inquirer. Shelby, you are otherwise known as no Strodermis, please.
Explain that's correct.
So before the season, I went game by games through davor schedule. Obviously a lot of intrigue with a new, completely new roster, only one returning player, no returning minutes, and just tried to pick game by game and right now now after I didn't expect what happened on Wednesday to happened, but I did expect the laws, maybe not by forty one points. But so far I'm twelve or twelve, Mike,
and I have them at eight and four. Since I can pick twelve games in a row, you think i'd have the wherewithal of like you know, pick the trash cans down every Sunday or other things like that, but that sneaks up on me. But so far perfect on the Zavier season, have them at eight and four.
So we are going to do what is called in the business tease. The segment tees the outcome and the finale of this segment. So we will hold off on what you are predicting for tomorrow in Washington, d C. The Georgetown Hoya is with I think a bit of a surprise. Even though Marquette is having a down year, they won their big East opener on the road on
Wednesday night at Marquette. Your thoughts on what Xavier has to do, first of all to correct the mistakes that happened on Wednesday night, Right, it has.
To start on defense and if any time you give up. You know, that was the largest loss in Davier history at home.
It's also the.
Most points they've allowed at home. Mike's ninety eight points.
Creaton almost cracking triple digits.
Creighton came in, they weren't shooting the three ball, well, they shot a lot of them. They came in and got whatever they wanted. They were sixteen to thirty three from three, the most three Xavier had allowed since seventeen to Evansville a few years back. Storing Travis Steele era. Creighton shot over sixty percent from the field. And so it all starts defensively, and for this matchup, you know, Georgetown's gonna pick on some of the week. This says
Xavier had. Xavier went to this small ball lineup, so they have their bigger guys like Anthony Robinson and pop Enji are on the bench.
For the majority of the game.
Small ball lineup that helps you a lot on offense with things like taking care of the ball and passing. Xavier's excelled at that, but it really hurts in rim protection and Xavier's been just really punished by the remp or in the paint so far this season. And that's what you're going to get against Georgetown. They don't shoot the three well, but they know that they only shoot about thirty five percent of their field goal attempt for beyond the arc, so they want to get inside the behavior.
I mean, it's a physicality issue right now. They have to buck up on defense and find a way to keep Georgetown away from the basket. Easier said than done.
Trey Carroll came down to earth a little bit. He was held in single digits, as you wrote for your story on Cincinnati dot Com. Held in single digits seven points for the first time this season. In Jovonne Milisevich, he was scoreless, going zero for eight. And Roddy Anderson, the only player on the roster last year, and of course he was injured he did not play last year, but he was the only returning player. He scored all twelve of his points in the second half. They're just
going to have to get more. I think those three players that I just mentioned Milisavich, Carol and Anderson they have to be big players tomorrow if the Muskies are going to come away with a win on the road.
Yeah, Yovan is a big guess.
Catlysts I think, for you know, xavior's turnaround in non conference play, that five game winning streak, that sixth and one stretch kind of he entered really the fold. At Iowa, Zavier lost that game, gave up fifty plus points of the paint, but Jovonne stepped in hit a couple of threes, and he's been that guy that stretches defenses out. We
talked about that in the shootout Davier. With five guys on the perimeter who are a threat to shoot three, it allowed Treke Carroll to have some one on one opportunities. Then in Charleston, Yovann hit ten threes. He had twelve or fourteen excuse me, over a three game stretch. So yeah, a bit of an outlier performance if you if you look at his game log throughout the year, to just play eighteen minutes going over eight and then Trake Carroll,
like you mentioned, first game in single digits. So you know, you hope he turns it around, but I guess you know, Richard Bettino wasn't wasn't ready to say it was a bright spot, but really it kind of was with Malik Messina more. Yeah, if you look back at their first two games, they were they were clunky wins. Xavier was twenty point twenty plus point five over Marrits and Lemoyne.
They won both of those games by five point or four points against marits five points against Lamoines, and both times the offense just the lid was on the basket until Malik the sina Moore took over. And he's been you know, really quiet, only like four to three pointers over the last nine games, and then he got going. Against Creighton, Xavier led at the first media time out. You wouldn't think that from a box score full of you know, concerning numbers, but they led early ten to nine.
Cina Moore ended up with fourteen points, his first time in double digits since the second game of the season. So his aggressiveness, his assertiveness on the offensive end, along with doing good things like rebounding and assisting, which he was already doing when he wasn't scoring. So trying to get you know, all these guys on the same page. Not a lot of room for error for Xavier's offense. But you know, Milie getting on track was a step in the right direction.
If you want hope and you're a Xavier fan, you go back to the way Richard Patino handled the Santa Clara loss, how he reacted, how the team responded to that. And yes they lost to I believe it was Iowa, but in a much more competitive game. And yes they lost by one at Georgia. We know George's pretty legitimate team, especially down there on the road. But you see the way they responded. That's why I think there's hope for
this Xavier team. I yes, it was a terrible, horrific loss on your home court, but the way Patinos troops handled the Santa Clara loss, which was eye opening, it gives me hope that I think they're going to respond the right way going forward.
Yeah, you brought up the perfect pair of examples there, Mike Is. You know, you had that Santa Clara loss where you know the whole crowd, You've been in that bunker at Sindtop Center, and you know all those fans are saying, you know everything, you know, all the negative things about you as they're walking out with ten minutes to go and Santa Clara is pulling away.
And then you go to Iowa, like you said, competitive.
Nineteen point loss again, you rebound four days later, you win thirty. Then you know the Georgia is just a backbreaking law. Come back from down sixteen to the second half, lose on a last second shot, But then what do you do two days later?
You take care of West Virginia by ten. That really start jump starts to run.
So the way this team is responded to adversity this season is, you know what you hang your hat on moving forward and just hope that they take this Creighton game as you know, a big wake up call. You know you're riding high after five straight wins, including one in the cross down shootout. You finished an on conference at eight and three. Kind of reading the headlines maybe a little bit, but Creighton certainly brings you back down to earth. A coach McDermott led team can do that
to you with the way they can shoot. So you hope it's they can respond to adversity like they have all year and that you know they got a wake up call that you know it's it's go time in the Big East and there's no nights off and and it's a it's a grind.
Yeah, I thought you had a terrific quote from Richard Patino in your story. They didn't show up to watch that Patino said of the fan sentas that was about as humbling and I'm not an arrogant person by any means, but fourteen years as a coach, I don't know if I've ever had one of those in a league game on opening night like that. He is Shelby Dermer. He does a fabulous job covering the Xavier Musketeers for the Cincinnati Inquirer and Cincinnati dot Com boots on the ground.
He will be in our nation's capital tomorrow covering Xavier and the Georgetown Hoyas in game number two of the Big East schedule. You can also follow him at give me your Twitter handle, I don't want to get.
It wrong at Inquire Shelby.
There you go, and you can also call him Noster Dermis the next time you see him out in public, because that's what he is known for. Best around Shelby, You're the best. Thanks for taking some time out on a Friday night. Enjoy the game tomorrow.
Absolutely all right.
He's Shelby Dermom. My name is Mike Petralia. And on the other side of news at the top of the hour, we will talk some UC basketball and Wes Miller and John Cunningham with Russ Heltman of SI dot Com. My name is Mike Petralia, and you are listening to RNL Carrier Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on News Radio seven hundred WLW.
The following takes place between eight pm and nine pm.
And Welcome to the third and final hour of RNL Carriers Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on News Radio seven hundred WLW. I have had the great privilege and honor of filling in for Lance McAllister for the previous two hours. We're going to try to finish on a very strong note here in the final sixty minutes of this program. It'll be Russ Heltman joining me in a few moments of SI dot com talking all things Cincinnati Bearcats.
Then we'll have Gabby Sorrentino of Fox nineteen. She will be down in Miami covering the Bengals and Dolphins, and we'll talk about the Bengals and some other fun stuff, maybe some cultural topics on the docket. We'll see. We'll wait and see what Gabby has in store for us, but that will be the way we finish out the program.
Then Sterling takes over. The show takes over the studio, I should say at nine o'clock he's with you, and from nine o'clock until midnight, just about getting underway out in Norman, Oklahoma, the CFP, the College Football Playoff, officially begins with first round games. Tonight. It is number nine
Alabama taking on number eight Oklahoma. I find that to be a fascinating matchup because in years past you would just say Alabama is the blue blood college football program that go in and take on any opponent anytime, and take on Oklahoma and beat Oklahoma. I'm not so sure this time. I think Oklahoma probably beats them in a
close one. Tomorrow. The three other first round games number ten Miami at number seven Texas A and M Number eleven Tulane takes on number six Ole Miss. That's at three point thirty the Miami, Texas A and M game at noon, and then the afternoon or the evening of college football winds up with number twelve James Madison at number five Oregon that is at seven thirty PM. But as I mentioned, I want to bring on my next guest. He is a good friend of mine. At all things
Cincinnati Bearcats. We always manage to have interesting conversations during play and during the timeouts. He is the one and only Russ Helpman again covers the Bearcats for SI dot Com. How you doing, Russ on this Friday night.
Mike, awesome man? How you doing on this Friday night?
I am doing well. I guess I'm going to start with college basketball and start with the Bearcats and what they were able to do against Alabama State. Wes Miller needed a blowout win and you got a couple of good, feel good storylines out of Wednesday. If you're Wes Miller, you got the big win and you got Gisel James coming back to the Bearcats and scoring in double figures. It seemed like that's the kind of at least one game boost that Wes Miller needed.
Gisel looked awesome, Mike and his return, and just at the maybe not the right time, obviously a third of the way into the season already being six and four, you're back against the wall having to win definitely on Sunday, or you're in a position in conference play where there's just going to have to be a complete flip of the script compared to the record and conference over the last two seasons. Coming into the Big Twelve, but Jigsel
looked really really good. Bob Bob Miller looked good. They were able to get some more things go in the half court, get some more good looks at the rim than they had been in most of these games coming in in the this action against Avaca State. But it's a Hornets team that they took on. Mike was three hundred and ninth on kem Palm coming into a game in total defensive efficiency, so it's not a huge thing
to hang your hat on. There were some good tendencies that they could build on, and you always love to see a guy like Boba Miller put up a what twenty six and fourteen on eleven of twelve shooting and a forty one efficiency score on the staff broadcast feed that I don't think I've seen a player put up an efficiency line like that in my time covering the team over the last few years. So that was really good to see what he can do when he gets rolling.
I think eight dunks from him overall, So the offense looked a lot better. But obviously do it again this Sunday against Clemson.
So what will the Bearcats have to do Sunday going on the road. I mean, they had a chance against Georgia and they came out strong, and I don't know, watching the first ten minutes of that game and watching the final thirty minutes of the game, where I think they were outscored by thirty points, it was like watching two different teams.
Russ it was Mike, and they have to find a way to stain the pace that they want to play with and maybe having Gisel James in the fold is going to allow them to do that and allow them to break through against the Clinton team that is a complete opposite style three hundred and twenty ninth I think in adjusted tempo on kimpom compared to Cincinnati, who's in the top seventy nationally in that stat So a contrasting
way to play from these two teams. And can Cincinnati find a way to break through un the glass against one of the best rebounding teams in the country and find a way to force some live ball turnovers against an elite team and taking care of the basketball and
finding efficient shots all around the half court. So it's going to be a really really tough test once again for the defense and how long it can it can hold up in a game that's going to going to grind them down in a kind of opposite way from how fast Georgia played last weekend, and once again you got to start hitting some jump shots. It's just amazing, Mike,
how how far below the average? A lot of these guys who were really good shooters coming in and a lot of new players obviously that hadn't played for UC on this roster this season, and just something about fifth third arena or I don't know, it's just they they find a way to shoot a lot worse, and now you're going into a new arena where you have no
experience shooting the ball. But they got to find a way to break through what is also a strong three point defense against Clemson and a Clemson team that's going to be happy to see them shoot the amount of threes that they've been accustomed to shooting the season, and also obviously shooting a lot of threes and getting a lot of open looks, but they just haven't been going down for the bear cuts shotting up.
Russ Helpman of SI dot com covering all things Sincinnata Bearcats Shawn A. Bayev he is to me a puzzle. He is someone that is very hard to figure out for West Miller and you know, in defensive West, I think when they when he added Shawn Abayev to the roster, I think he thought that maybe this was the kind of three point shooter that could loosen up the offense a little bit and allow them to do more things
outside inside however you want to put it. But I think they thought that a Byev would be kind of an X factor for loosening up the offense. And I consistently, consistency wise, that just hasn't panned out yet anyway.
Mike, and there was a month again good signs of maybe something brewing there for a freshman who it doesn't happen right away for off freshmen. We're seeing happen right away for a lot of a leaf freshmen in the country right now. But that's just never been the case historically where you're seeing a ton of guy really pop right away. And obviously, the way that Shannabayev works, you'd expect them to continue growing throughout the season. He puts
in as much time as anybody on the roster. But from obviously what fans saw in that game, if you watched a really good job of penetrating into the deep paint, getting some like good looping passes over the shoulder, some good no look passes for assists. I believe had a stat line of thirteen six and five was the first time since twenty ten that if you see Bearcats freshman put up that line, first time since Sean Kirkpatrick's I believe or something like that. Yeah, that's too, that too,
it was. So it's good to see that and good to see him growing a little bit there and once again, like you said, the three point shot, the looks are there, the shots that he wants to get are there, and
you got to think they'll eventually go down. But like we've been discussing sometimes, you and me on press Row, it's it gets late early once you start the season six and four or possibly seven, seven and five, and you're facing a top twenty five, top thirty schedule the rest of the way in what has been arguably the best conference in the country so far.
How is Wes Miller handling all this? I mean, we see him where I see him after games, but you're there at practice, you see him, you know, on conference calls, what have? You see him a lot more than I do. And I'm just a full disclosure. You know that I cover the games obviously, but I don't see him as
often as you do. And I'm just wondering if there's another side of Wes that fans don't get to see as often that maybe can help people understand how Wes Miller is wired, and if maybe maybe not softer side, but a more relaxed side, because I think a lot of U see fans for us, think that his teams play the way he coaches tense and uptight.
I think, well, I don't know, I would kind of disagree with about the way he coaches the tense and uptights. For the most part, he's been pretty I would say, more reserved in recent years than he was. Maybe a little bit more fiery, uh in the in the beginning here you see, But overall, I would just say on the demeanor of West Miller, it's it's been difficult. It's been a difficult run. It's been a difficult up and down.
It feels like there's been some moments where obviously his lack of execution as a coach has has heard his teams and also just things out of his control of our teams and possibly the return of Gisel James may maybe getting back Jalen Haynes Uh It's it's a possibility. We don't know for sure if it will happen this season, but it's it's always looming out there that they could have their full team for the first time in a long time at a deep point in the season of
the West Miller era. It just there's been a lot of injury that have knocked out some of their momentum throughout different parts of his seasons. But overall, I think what I've what I saw from him, especially on Thursday on Thursday after the game, was just a little bit more relaxed and maybe a little bit more of a direction thinking and knowing that there's the gigittal James Saga is maybe getting a full bow, hopefully getting a full
bow wrapped on it. With him back on back on the team, you have another rotation player to work with. And there was definitely I would say a more chipper attitude from West in Uh in that showing than than what we've seen in some recent press conferences from him. So overall, when you can get a lot of your team together, it can it can really change you're you're not your attitude, but how you're feeling overall.
Yeah, and your outlook, I mean, certainly. And in west Wes's defense, okay, he mentioned early on in the season he did not have the full team, the full compliment that he was hoping for, and he would say he would start off a lot of news conferences in the non con part to the schedule, non conference schedule, saying, you know, this isn't our full complement of players yet, and we've just got to play through it and get
better as a team without our full compliment. And perhaps with him seeing more players joining the roster and as in Gigsel James or more players getting healthy, I think that's going to help his disposition. And I do think if there's one team that could benefit from a hot
start in conference play, it's the Bearcats. I don't think there's I mean, you know, I'm not breaking any huge news here by saying that or solving, you know, a nuclear physics problem, but they certainly could benefit from a good start in conference play, and they certainly have a huge game January. I think it's third right RUSS against Houston here in Cincinnati.
Yes, I think it's either it's one of the first days of January or the last day of December. But right said, it would be great to start fast, but I don't believe. I believe West Moro is to nine or to ten all time against Houston. It's been a brutal, brutal run overall and twenty right around twenty percent hit rate in Quad one games, which Cincinnati has plenty of. This is the final Quad four game that they just had against Alabama State. A Q one game this weekend
at a quasi neutral site against Clemson. It's very close to Clemson. It's great I can get Greenville, so plenty of Clemson evans will be there in attendance. But overall it's gonna be very difficult, Mike. Like as I mentioned a bove on ESPN's Basketball Power Index top it was top thirty before the Alabama State game and most difficult schedules.
I would guess it's top twenty five now, most difficult schedules left in the country for a team that has clearly not played like a top twenty five outfit so far, but does have a great collection of talent on paper coming into the season, and a collection of talent that they kind of melded together in the offseason, thinking that they would have the collection of players that they are so close to having, but right now sitting with four losses in non conference play, a number that Wes Miller
is not used to seeing for his teams that so often might we see struggle at the point where you say they need to start fast and the doldrums of
January the adults of of February cannot hit here. Maybe it'll be some shining light January while it's still gray outside in the Tri State area, and some shining life February because they get some more chemistry together with Gisel James, who most importantly reconciled with his teammates, which was the best thing to hear I think of all of it, and just the way that he responded to everything that can galvanize a team that can be enough, especially on a sport in a locker room that is that tight
and that small, and a player of his caliber that maybe, having his head straight as it is right now, can let him play the most efficient best basketball possible and list them up in those moments when they just collapsed in tight, tight games down the stretch of January February
over the first two years in the Big Twelve. It can't happen in those dog days of those months once again, because you've already got four losses and you're looking at needing at least a positive record in the Big Twelve right now, and probably a lot lot more if you don't beat Clemson, and even if you do beat them, probably a lot lot more.
And I want to switch gears here to football real quick. We've got a couple of minutes Russ speaking with Russ Helman covering the Bearcats for SI dot Com about Brendan Soresby leaving for the Portal. Where does that leave the football program for Scott Saderfield.
It's going to be very difficult next year, Mike, especially if you look at that roster, A lot of Big Twelve contenders on that schedule and a lot of great talent expected to leave. We've only seen Brendan Soresby, obviously, in donte corleone above, major major starters exit exit the program. Obviously, dont de corleon out of elgiebuilding and go into take his talent to the NFL. And then Brendan soors be either the NFL or a different school in the transfer
portal and were already struggling there. Along the defensive front, they have to, I believe, really focus in there and figure out a way to cosmore havoc, cosmore disruption up the line of scrimmage that can lead to more interceptions, more fumbles for the second and third levels of the defense. And then on the other side, you have your offensive
line core coming back, which is huge. You should be able to piece together maybe only having to get one other offensive line position filled and fill the other one with some development coming up, and then you replenish the receiver weapons with whoever is not going to end up staying outside of Cyrus Allen, who spended his eligibility, I believe, and I don't believe the court case the other day that was maybe going to give him an extra one went through all the way, but I have not followed
up on that one yet. Did not see any headminds that so I don't think it ended up passing. But it puts them in a really tough spot, Mike not having a player of Brendan Sorosby's caliber being as healthy as they were this season, and just fumbling issues and fumbling opportunities down the stretch in this four game losing streak and the strength of schedule difficulty next season, with the amount of talent that they lost, maybe they can
replenish it. It's possible. They've done a really good job in the Transfer portal so far with Scott cuderfield staff, but it's not going to be easy and it's hard to strike lightning twice like they did with Brendan Sorosby to go seven and five with top fifteen quarterback plays.
It's going to be impressive if they can get the Bowl eligibility next season with that schedule and having to go find hopefully top fifteen and you hope, most realistically top thirty, top forty quarterback play at the quarterback position out of whoever you pick in the Transfer portal coming up when it opens on January second, same day as the Liberty Bowl.
Indeed against Navy and Russ. I'm sure you'll have that game covered very well for SI dot Com. Be sure to cover Russ or follow Russ Helpman for all of his coverage of the UC basketball Bearcats as they enter Big Twelve play. It's going to be a critical season, no doubt about it for Wes Miller and the Bearcats. Russ, I can't tell you thank you enough for taking time out on your Friday night. You got a winner. By the way. A prediction for tonight. Oklahoma Alabama, real.
Quick, Alabama, give me the Crimson side. I think Calen Debor gets the job done in this big game, and his Big twelve coach Big not Big twelve is colas football playoff coaching experience, and it's difficult to take out a team Mike Alabama twice in one season. So I think they're able to overcome the Oklahoma defense tonight and get that there.
He is Russ Heltman of si dot Com covering the Cincinnati Bearcats. On the other side of news, at the bottom of the hour, we will have Gabby Sorrentino talking all things Cincinnati Bengals on the ground in Miami. It'll be a fun conversation, so be sure to tune in for that. For now, you're listening to the RNL Carrier Sports Talk program presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on News Radio seven hundred WLW Little Joe Perry, Little Steven Tyler, Little Arrowsmith.
Heading into the final twenty three minutes of RNL Carriers Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet here on News Radio seven hundred WLW. It's been my privilegue Jan pleasure to fill in for the last two hour, two and a half hours here on the Big One for Lance McAllister. I appreciate Lance giving me the opportunity to fill in.
I also want to give a huge shout out to the one and only Sean McMahon doing a flawless job getting all of our callers lined up on the air ready to go when I go to them for our interviews tonight. It's been a great night of guests here on seven hundred WLW. Richard Skinner of Local twelve talking Bengals in the six o'clock hour. Alex Frank talking Bearcats and University of Kentucky which has a big game tomorrow afternoon. Pat Brennan they have that game, by the way against
Saint John's in Atlanta. Pat Brennan talking all things Cincinnati Reds in the seven o'clock hour. Shelby Dermer no stradermis as we call them, covering the Xavier Musketeers there on the road in DC tomorrow taking on the Georgetown Hoyas. Russ Helpman just spoke with us at eight oh eight talking all things Cincinnati Bearcats. That's football and basketball, and just a few moments we will be talking with Gabby Sorrentino.
She is on the ground in Miami. She will be covering the Cincinnati Bengals Miami Dolphins contest at hard Rocks Stadium Sunday afternoon for Fox nineteen. Right now, I want to give you an update from the first CFP game. The College Football Playoffs are officially underway. Number eight Oklahoma the host team in Norman, Oklahoma, with an early seven to nothing lead on number nine seed Alabama. So we'll try to maybe give you an update before the end
of the program. But now it is time to move on to our sixth and final guest here on Sports Talk presented by Kelsey Chevrolet, and that would be Gabby Sorrentino. Gabby, thanks for taking time out. Have you made your way to Miami yet? I made an assumption that you're already on the ground. Are you there yet?
Hi?
Tracks Well, thanks for having me. No, I'm at Highland High School right now. Okay high school basketball. I am headed there at five in the morning, so I think I'll be pulling it all night or tonight. My Uber picks me up at three this and tomorrow morning, so I'm going to be in Miami around nine tomorrow, so I'm so excited looking forward to it. It's gonna be nice and sunny and warm, so I'm happy about that.
Yeah, please take time out, especially with the Bengals out of the playoff picture. You want to cover the game appropriately thoroughly, which I'm sure you will do. For the great people at Fox nineteen, Joe Danim and Jeremy Row, I'm sure you will do a fabulous bang up job on Sunday, But please do me a favor and soak up some of the rays tomorrow as you get yourself relaxed, You'll do that, you promise.
Oh, if you know me, you know I love sunshine. I love warm weather. So when Fox nineteen told me that they were sending me in this game, I said, well it was moved to one. It's not sunny night football anymore, so can I get there a little earlier on Saturday? And They're like, of course, going to a eighty degree so I will definitely be getting some vitamin D protract don't worry about.
That, all right, You and me are around the Bengals all the time. And the last two weeks have been unusual, to say the very least. This is your second year on the beat covering the Bengals for Fox nineteen, and it's been a stressful, strenuous period, not only for Zach Taylor, but Joe Burrow and a lot of the players in that locker room. But Joe Burrow, everybody's got an opinion on what his comments have meant over the last couple of weeks about how he thinks about his future in
Cincinnati next year going forward. What were your takeaways the last ten days from Joe Burrow.
Yeah, I would say just being here for my second season now. I think that everything that Joe Burrow says publicly is very strategic, and I learned that a lot last off season during super Bowl Week when he was saying all these things about he and Jamar and Trey, and I think that he says things really purposefully. You know, obviously, no one in the NFL really can say where they're gonna be long term past their contract links, right, Like, I understand why he would say that he doesn't know,
and he's gonna have to think about some things. Of course he is, because he has to do what's right for him in the long run. He's I don't know. Like last week's press conference, I was sitting there and I was like, I've never been in a Joe Burrow press conference like this, and it was just really strange. And you know, this week it felt like a little more normal. I got there on the back ends. I wasn't there for the whole thing. But yeah, I mean,
I don't know, it's been it's been really interesting. I think you can tell that he's upset with how this season has gone. Of course, of course he wants to be out there whinning. They want to be playing meaningful games and they're not. And it's really been showing in his demeanor of the past two weeks.
I agree, And you know, obviously he's disappointed. And I think where maybe we read too much into it is where we think that he was told something by the front office. And he very well may have been told something by the front office, but to jump from Joe Burrow is depressed, confused, short with the media, and very you know, it's the word I'm looking for, mysterious with the reporters at these press conferences to the team obviously told him they're not going to do anything in the
off season. I just think that's a bridge too far to cross it at this stage in the game, especially when we haven't even gotten to the off season yet, right.
No, Yeah, I completely agree. Mysterious is definitely like the perfect word. Like it has just seemed weird. There's been a weird vibe and a weird energy on Wednesdays when Joe's at the podium the last two weeks, and it's you know, like I said, I've only been here this my second season, but there was nothing like that last season that I can remember. So it's been really interesting these last two weeks. And I mean, you know, what are the next two weeks going to hold on Joe
Burrow's crest commonses. I'm not sure. It seems like we were blindsided in a national headline that comes out every Wednesday.
Now.
Obviously, Fox nineteen is the official television station in terms of coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals. And I'm not going to put you in an uncomfortable position here, That's not why I'm asking this question, but I'm curious in that position, have you heard anything from the front office, anybody in the organization about a change in their approach how they're feel.
Do you get a vibe of that, because you know, Fox nineteen does have a higher position in their working professional relationship with the franchise than a lot of other media here in town.
Yeah, I'll be one hundred percent honest. I don't think that we get anything that other stations, other reporters are getting in terms of that. Obviously, we have the live show that we do, and we have other partnership things that we get, but in terms of getting news and stouth from the front office, we're not getting anything special from that. So we haven't gotten anything in that sense of being the TV partner and getting any special treatment.
What have you enjoyed the most about watching Jamar Chase hold press conferences, play football? Anything about Jamar Because I think he is a unicorn and Zach Taylor has used this term to describe him and Kyle Hamilton and others in the NFL. But Jamar Chase is a unicorn and he is one of the one of one. What do you enjoy the most about watching him, covering him and just getting a chance to talk to him?
Okay, well talking to him. His laugh literally brings through a to my Thursdays when he's sitting at the podium and he does the Jamar laugh, which I cannot imitate. Jeremy Rowd does a great job that just like makes my day. I love that he has this balance of being serious talking football. He has so much football knowledge that he brings to the podium on Thursdays, so then
we can have so much fun with Jamar Chase. And I think that that's what I love the most is you get that really balance with him of Okay, let's talk football, let's talk the game, and then we're talking about lucky terms and we're talking about all these random things and Thursday night football with him, and he has fun with the reporters and he has fun with everybody in the room. So I think when it comes to covering him, I love that balance that we have with him.
Watching our case, I mean it's incredible. Obviously you said it, he's a unicorn. Every time he touches the ball, you think that something. You think something can happen, even if there are three guys on him, even if it looks like he's gonna get tackle, he slips out of it and he makes a big play with all of the dyak. You know I did, like I think someone in his press conference ass you know, it's been a long time
since he's scored a touchdown. I was thinking about that the other day because I was like, man, it seems like it's been a minute since we've seen a gritty in the end zone. Maybe that'll come in Miami. But I think that he is such a fun player to watch, to cover. To get to see in person what he can do on the football field has been really amazing for me. Of course, I remember watching him when he was playing at LSU, so now to get to see him in person and be around him all the time
is really cool. And even getting to see all of his shoe collection in the locker room is always something he's never looks forward to, because seems like it's growing every single time that we're in their tracks.
Do you know how long it's been since he scored his last touchdown? And we asked him and he was not even aware of this.
Oh my gosh. I remember what someone said in the press conference.
It's incredible. I was shocked by this. Yes, very good. Back on October sixteenth and the thirty three thirty one win over the Steelers, that's the last time Jamar Chase scored a touchdown. He is leading the NFL in receptions with one hundred and one. He is leading the NFL in yards at eleven forty seven, but he will not win the triple crown this year. He has only five touchdowns. Part of that is because of the way teams have covered him this year, double clouds with t Higgins and whatnot.
The other part of it is Joe Burrow missed ten weeks, So I mean, let's be fair, and that's not a slide on Jake Browning per se, nor is it a slight on Joe Flacco. It's just let's be honest and let's say what it is. The Bengals have struggled this year. That's one factor, and the fact that Joe Burrow has missed so much time is the other. But I just one thing about Jamar, and I don't think people really
appreciate this. When he goes into these press conferences, he usually jokes with Emily Parker, the public relations director, Emily, let's keep it to like ten eleven minutes this time, please, And he just keeps going and going and going, and he sits up on the dais on the podium very patiently, and you look down and he's been up there eighteen nineteen minutes. And to me, that's kind of the charm of Jamar Chase is that he'll just keep talking and
he won't be unpleasant about it. And I think that's we understand what happened in Pittsburgh. That was an outlier of beyond all outliers. It was terrible. It was a moment he regrets. He wished he could go back in the time machine and not do that, Jalen Ramsey, but it happened. But that aside, he's shown great leadership quality this year. He was the one when Joe Burrow was out with that injury, with the turf toe injury and the corresponding surgery, he had to answer for all of
those bad losses to the Jets, to the Bears. Certainly they lost to Detroit without Joe Burrow, they lost at Green Bay without Joe Burrow, and Joe Flacco's first game. He was the one standing up taking all the answers, taking all the questions.
I should say, yep, yep, yeah. And I have seen, you know this year with his captain and everything that when we go in there in the locker room and ask him. You've seen obviously that he has been upset with the outcome, right, but he still stands there. He answers every question. Professionally. He is a leader on this team. It's really been cool to watch the difference between you know,
last season him. I really feel like he stepped up really into that leadership all and like you said, with Joe Burrow going down, he even had to do that even more. But it has felt like a lifetime since that pick. For so, I think that Jamar is due to fying the end zone on Sunday. I don't know. I feel like it's going to happen.
I'm with you. I think that. I think Joe Burrow and Zach Taylor even joked about it this morning with us in a meeting with the Beat reporters that Joe Burrow was only I think forty yards away from twenty twenty thousand would be the fifth fastest quarterback to that plateau in NFL history. So I think that's going to
happen obviously, one way or another. And I think Jamar Chase getting a touchdown, getting him off the schneid is certainly something that's got to be on the priority list one thing, and we only have a couple of minutes left here. Gabby speaking with Gabby Sorrentino of Fox nineteen covering the Bengals. When you do your interviews in midweek, what do you enjoy the most when you have a player off campus, as they say, at a restaurant or
wherever you are. What do you enjoy the most about interviewing those players?
You're talking like at our Bengals Now show.
Your Bengals Now Show, Yes, which I think you guys do a great job. That's why I want to ask you about that program because I believe there's a hero image on your ex page of you sitting down with Mike Gasicki and I'm trying to think on the other side, I don't know, but anyway, yes, there we go. What do you enjoy the most about that.
Man? It has been so fun because of course we talk football with the guys, but we get to know their personality so much. We have seen Higgins singing up on the stage, and let me tell you, he has an incredible voice. We have heard so many amazing rookie talent show stories, fun frank story. I mean, we have gotten so many fun stories out of these guys, so
many fun moments. Tanner Hudson that day. I play a trivia game with the guys up on the stage every week, and that was what that picture was from, and it was all about Cincinnati. So I was quizzing Tanner and Mike about questions on Cincinnni and I asked them what's the name of the famous hippo at the Cincinnati Do And Tanner Hudson looks at me with all the confidence in the world and goes Big South and everybody in the crowd is dying because he thought that the hippo's
name was Big Sally. It's Fiona. And just moments like that have been so fun. We've did it a little different this season where we try to have two new guests on every week instead of having one guy that comes on every week and they bring a guest. So we have had so many players and we still have more coming on in the next two weeks. But it's been really cool getting to hear some stories, getting to
learn about these guys families, their upbringing. Yeah, it's amazing and definitely if you have the chance to watch, watch because you learn so much more about them. Off the football field than you probably would ever learn if you weren't at the show or watching it on.
Our streaming platforms.
All right, what do you have in store leading up to the game on Sunday on Fox nineteen, we.
Will have It's not on our channel, so we won't have our pregame show, but Bengals Weekly will be on Fox nineteen as it is every week. And then of course I'll be in Miami. Really, all of our stuff happens after the game, so we'll have forty five minutes of Bengals coverage starting at eleven fifteen and going to midnight, we have Bengals Breakdown. That's thirty minutes of all Bengals, the guys breaking down in studio.
I will be.
At Miami doing my report, So yeah, we'll have a lot of Bengals coverage from the game. And of course, you know, I know, I understand that the game doesn't matter, but we'll don't give it all to you. We'll break it down lock over. I'm really excited to.
Get to do this game.
Safe travels to Miami. She is Gabby Sorrentino. Thank you so much for joining me. Please sleep fast, sleep well, get ready for that trip to Miami Beach. Gabby, thanks so much for taking time out. You got it, Gabby. We'll talk to you next week. All right. This has been the RNL Carrier sports talk program, presented by Kelsey Chevrolet on news radio seven hundred w l W