Get tonight.
One of the games scheduled tonight was circled by the Great American in August. I said, it's going to be exciting. There'll be in Dallas Monday night football. Dallas will be poting for the lead in the NFC East, and of course the Bengals will be right there and the AFC North and away we go. But things didn't turn out that way. But Mo, Hagar, welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show.
Mo, how are you? I'm great, Willie, how are you well? I'm all upset. I'm angry.
Why because tonight's game doesn't have the significance it should it.
But before we get to that, you.
Know, mathematically, mathematically, this is a possible Super Bowl preview.
What year? I mean now?
Mathematically, yes, both these teams are still alive for the postseason.
So if Dallas wins the rest of their games, Bengals win the rest of their games, and all the opponents possibly they match up against loose the rest of their games. It's possible. It's mathematically, I said, possible. Let's talk about Dave Parker. Yes, the Cobra tell me great news for him, and we have a lot of cuts coming up later, But tell me about Dave Parker's worthiness for the Hall of Fame.
Well, to me, two players got induction that made me push for his candidacy. One was Harold Bains. Harold Bain's terrific player, got to three thousand hits, was a D eight starting the twenty seven years old. Dave Parker was a better baseball player than Harold Baines. Dave Parker was the ultimate five tool guy. Could hit, could hit for power, could run despite his knees, could go get it in right field. And I'm not sure I've seen a better throwing arm. Go put on YouTube the nineteen seventy nine
All Star Game. It's it's majestic. So that was number one.
Number two.
One of the arguments against Dave Parker was he was included in the group of players who was involved in the Pittsburgh drug trials.
I was there. Nobody knows what that those trials were actually about. I was there the players, and I didn't know what.
The players themselves were not on trial, but a number of them had to testify. One of them was Dave Parker, the other was Tim rays Or. One of the others was Tim Rains. Tim got inducted a few years ago. On are the arguments against Dave Parker was, well, the cocaine thing, Well Tim Rains had the cocaine thing.
That didn't preclude him.
So once those two men got in and by the way, both deserving Tim Rains especially, I started to rethink Dave Parker's candidacy. One of the things that was held against him is if you look at what should have been some of his prime seasons, I believe his age thirty and thirty one years he started to deal with injury, so his peak was relatively short. But in the mid to late seventies, I'm not sure there was a better
baseball player. Two time batting champion, arguably the best player on the nineteen seventy nine Pirates which won the World Series and then dealt with health issues, comes to Cincinnati and enjoys a career revival nineteen eighty five, number two in the MVP voting. One may argue he should have won over Willie McGee. I think the MVP that year should have been Dwight Gooden. That's neither here nor there.
But Dave Parker has this career resurgence in Cincinnati, and there's an MLB Network special on Dave Parker that aired two to two and a half years ago, and on it you have men like Barry Larkin and Eric Davis who talk about, Look, I was a young player, Dave Parker was my teammate. This guy showed me the ways. He then goes to Oakland, wins a World Series with the A's in nineteen eighty nine, hits three postseason home runs,
plays through nineteen ninety one. So had a long career and for a stretch of time in the late seventies was arguably the best player in baseball.
So this was a guy.
You know, I think we have I think we have smarter people looking at this now. Dave Parker's the highest number of votes he or percentage of votes he got from the writers I believe.
Was twenty four and a half percent, ridiculous.
But we run these guys through a series of committees, and I think this is good because I think it provides the system of checks and balances. And the people of Dave Parker's era knew that this was a guy from Cincinnati who at his peak there was nobody better. Plus he was one of the coolest players of all time. He smoked in the dugout. He wore Adjasent's mask on the field. When he broke his jaw, he stood over
the plate with that hulking frame. I'm not sure I've seen anybody his size tower over the inside part of the plate like Dave Parker.
So you're a picture on the mountain. You want to come inside, right? No? I want to hit him. No.
So just I'm thrilled for him, and you and I have both had him on our respective shows often over the years. His Parkinson's diagnosis has you know, it's taken somebody who was kind of defined by size and strength and might, and it's wilton him down a little bit. But he still has that handshake, and he has worked tirelessly to help people also dealing with and living with Parker, and I think that's admirable. So I am very, very happy for the Colbert today.
In the mid eighties, when you talk to those in the locker room, there was no one more dominating in the locker room and in the dugout than Dave park Oh wait, now, let's move on to tonight's game.
And by the way, twenty seven hundred hits, three hundred and thirty nine homers a career two ninety batting average. I mean people talk about counting stats. I mentioned he led the league in ops. He legallygan slugging percentage twice. He was a two time batting champion. This was a
hillaciously good player. Led the league in doubles, had a thirty four homer season, a thirty homer season, and by the way, at the age of thirty eight in nineteen eighty nine, he drives in ninety seven and hits twenty two homers for a team that won the World Series.
Not bad, pretty good, and that curt as strong stuff to Caterer and Pittsburgh. I was president for the trial, and I'm thinking, you know what, Dale Barra was there and I'm thinking, what is this about?
Tell me, tell me what this is about.
And the prosecutor there wanted to prosecute the Caterer because it allowed him to bring to Pittsburgh all these famous guys and cross examined them when they were not directly charged at all.
Yeah, there's a great book about that. And the players were lied to because they were told. And it's Tim Rains Dave Parker. I think, uh, Dale Barra, Dale Barra, Keith Hernandez, five or six players, well known players, and they were told, all right, you'll testify, but we're gonna sneak in the back of the courthouse.
They all got the Pittsburgh what do they do?
Raided them in front of all these television people, and they all got fined. They serve deferred suspensions, they had to do community work as assigned by Peter Youberroth. But I you know, forty years later, we know those players did cocaine, but we don't know why they were, why they were in the courtroom.
Nobody knows about it because who they were, that's why they were in the court room.
Now.
Secondly, yeah, you know the facts a little better than I do. When it comes to sports, would you agree, no, Lamar Jackson, you have to benchmark the Bengals against like Baltimore. I think against the last ten or twelve games, Lamar Jackson's like ten and one or eleven to one to the positive side, something like that. And I think with Pittsburgh this century, the Bengals are like four and twenty one at home against Pittsburgh not good. And against Cleveland
they have a losing record the past five years. So in tonight's game should have been like unbelievable, Joe Burrows having the best year any Bengals quarterbacks ever had, and you're talking about the possibility. But of all the things that might have been, this year's team was three or four plays from being leading the division. How sad are you tonight to listen to the game tonight? Right here, it's said suppressing.
They've scored ninety nine points over their last three games and they haven't won any of them.
Let me just think about that.
If they win two of them, If they win two of those games, they're going into this game tonight six and six in it, and you're looking at him, going, you know what, if this team can just get in offensively, they've got a chance against anybody. But instead, because they can't make a play on defense, so they don't make a kick on special teams, or they keep wasting greatness by Joe Burrow in this offense, and Joe hasn't been perfect,
but he's played at an MVP caliber level. Instead, they're essentially playing out the string, and we should be talking about them again. Just make it six and six. Take any one of these games, or any two of these games where they've scored a bunch of points, they win them. They're six and six, Your five and a half point favorite tonight against Dallas. I believe your favorite next week
against the Tennessee Titans. You're gonna be favorite at home against the Browns, who have already been eliminated, right, And you're probably gonna be favorite at home against the Denver Broncos. And you go to Pittsburgh, a team that you at times scored out, will on. We should be talking about the home stretch here we go. Just get in and
you've got a chance against anybody. But because they have built a historically bad defense, because they have failed in so many areas to kind of take what they did on defense in twenty twenty one and translated to a better unit with younger players this year, this team is four and eight and an avatar for wasting greatness.
Chuck Ledwick kind of went after you and the Rock. You and the Rock say it'll take years, Chuck says, a couple players away. They're back next year. They're real close. Who's right, Chuck? Are you and the Rock? Chuck or chick Chick? I mean chick or Chuck? Well, I call him Chuck like.
We can can they can. They be a playoff team next year.
Absolutely, but we're talking about like competing for a championship, right. That's the whole idea behind drafting Joe Burrow was he is going to lead them to a title, and he's come close. In order to do that, they need a better team. How do they get a better team? Look at all the areas they have to address. This is the longest off season to do list they've had in
quite a while. Now, the good news is, regardless of what the coaching staff looks like next year, regardless of how you feel about the draft, what they do in free agency, they've got this one amazing piece to build everything around.
And that's number nine.
First of all, you've got to have a resolution to the Jamar Chase thing, which is gonna cost them more money now because he's having a great year. They need help on the offensive line. They need help out wide receiver. Have they replaced t Higgins yet they're gonna lose in this offseason? No? So those two areas, I'd argue. They could use help at running back. Okay, now let's look
at the defense. Need help on the edge, need help on the inside, need help at linebacker, need help at corner, need help a safety.
There's eight positions.
There's eight positions, Lodwig says, quickly turn around next year.
Now, can they address each of those positions? Yes, well, they successfully address all of them enough to take this team from four and eight through twelve games too.
I don't know, ten and two, nine.
In three Baltimore when they don't beat Baltimore, they don't beat Pittsburgh, they don't beat the Browns well.
And they also get off to slow starts. How's that possible?
And so you know, think of all these things they've they've got a switch. You've got to be better in your division, right, which they've struggled for a while, even two years ago, and they ran away with the division. Essentially, they were bad against the AFC North. Their slow starts are an organizational narrative that you cannot avoid. Oh to three this year, oh and two the year before, oh
and tow the year before that. How does Zach Taylor balance keeping our players healthy during the offseason but getting them more ready to start the season right next year? Cannot be oh and two, oh and three?
But like that's that's the thing we could talk about. A banded schedule next year, we too, we can.
They had a bad schedule this year, right, They were big favorites against the Patriots. They should have beaten the Commanders. They should have won that game against Kansas City. They did not, So we could talk about what they haven't done in recent weeks. Losing to Pittsburgh, losing to the Chargers, losing to the Baltimore Ravens. Those losses sting more because you're trying to make up for a ground that you lost back in September, So all these things have to get changed.
I would be more than willing to bet the Bengals are a playoff team next year. Joe Burrow plays seventeen games, but are the championship caliber team to go from where they are defensively to what they're gonna have to be I think is going to take more than one offseason.
What causes me excitement if you live in this area, you got the Cleveland Browns and stink the Buckeyes. I talk to a very high place source really in politics, oh, the highest, almost the highest, who said the wine can't say day is done, okay, can't happen?
Well, I think it's going to be really hard for Ryan Day. If they lose this game to Tennessee.
And they're favored by eight and a half.
Now, now, are we really going to let's say Ohio State plays for the national championship.
Oh, that's different. Like, so here's my question.
How far does he have to advance Ohio State football in the playoff in order.
To get people in the championship game? Because okay o, Higo States headed up to here with Ryan.
Dew so they could conceivably win the national championship. Course, by the way, it could happen. They're favored against Tennessee. They almost beat Oregon in their building. If I'm an Ohio State fan, I don't feel like that game. I don't feel like that game is impossible to win.
I'm in the middle of my question, by the way, Well.
But here's my thing. Let's say they win the national title. Does the conversation instantly become that's cool, but you're on the hot seat.
Because you haven't beat Michigan in four years. Well, here's my issue with that.
We have deflated the value of regular season games in college football. Right now, you can lose three times and still make almost So we have said these individual games in the regular season matter less. You no longer have to go undefeated to play for a championship. You no longer have to go eleven and one to play for a championship. You no longer have to win a conference championship to play for a championship. So we have deflated
the value of individual games. Yet in this one game, one game made it so it has never mattered more.
I'm in the middle of my two things. Don't mesh.
Go ahead, I'm in the middle of my questions. I haven't gotten to close ask your question. I'm just looking regionally. The brown stink correct, Buck guys in trouble, Uh huh, Bengals not good.
What do we care about the Browns Because I'm doing regional. I haven't got South yet.
I'm done to the Bees, the Browns, the Buck guys, the Bengals. And then you got the Cincinnati Reds, who I love deeply. Not good stuff. And then you got Kentucky football with stoops not good. And then you got the Muller High School. Then you got Anderson. Everywhere I look, I see nothing but well they lost. And then you throw in FC when they're up two goals against Columbus
a year or two ago. And is there any sense that in this region we're blessed with so many positive things, but professional sports, which I include the buck Guys.
Professor, this morning, buck guys are playing for a national title. They're in the playoff. You talk to Buck Eye Nation as I do. I take their pulse. It's not good. That's it's not good.
That's a reflection on them, not a reflection on the program. Ryan Day runs a good program.
And then the bear Cats, He's.
Beaten multiple playoff teams this year. The Bearcat football team. Look, Scott Saderfield's got his hands full. Man, there's no getting around the.
Arizona State was picked and finish sixteenth. They're in the playoffs. Bear Cats beat the Bearcats.
Beat him and now was playing for so everywhere I.
Look, Browns, Buck Guys, Bengals, Bearcats, Kentucky High School except for Scott Tackett Beechwood did unbullieing.
So do I have hope? Give me hope? Mo I need hope? I think you see and Xavier are both going to make the NCAA tournament. Who wins this weekend cross time shootout? Let's talk about that later this week. Xavier will win Okay, fine, they win. I have no hope.
So Xavier going to be n CUBA tournament teams. I think Kentucky's going to be an NCAA tournament team. How about their comeback on Saturday night down eighteen against Kenzaga and Seattle and Mark Pope coached his brains out and one and one. So there's a short handed too short handed. There's a lot to like there. The Miami Radhawks are in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl. Huh sponsored by Gin and Juice the Miami RedHawks, so things to like?
Oh you, the Bobcats won for the first time in decades.
Good for them, Ken, Bruce, happy and Brew. We gotta run.
But Mo, everywhere I look, I see nothing but opportunities tonight.
Its until you look at me.
Wasted opportunity, Mo eager, Thank you very much, thank you. Let's continue have hope, I say, Moke. All we have, MO is hope, keep hope alive.
I have hope. All we have is hope. That's all. Do you have hope? Are we going to wager on the shootout? Absolutely? I'm taking Zager by the way, straight up, no points. Whatever Xavier gets I get on seven hundred w l W mean, Why