You want to be an American idiot.
Hey, on this stay to day, nobody wants to be an American idiot. Well, I guess you could be an American idiot. You're probably an American idiot last night. I mean there was a pretty good chance last night was the big drinking night of the year. Did you become an idiot on the day before Thanksgiving? One would hope not. Nevertheless, if you have this radio station and this program is open to you as well, open to all comers as you like, welcome and for Scott Sloan today, I am
Kim Brew. Great to have you with us as we get ready for hopefully a gathering of family and friends. I know this is a tough day if you don't have family. This is a very tough day if you've lost a loved one in the last year. And I suppose it's a little bit different if your family is with you and you can gather with friends. But if you cannot be known too that we are thinking of you,
we are thinking of you. I don't laugh. In the last half hour, when Steve Hawkins played the Turkey Drop, the clip from the WKRP episode all those years ago, less Nessman who I actually got to interview. I actually got to interview less Nessman when I was working in Tulsa, Oklahoma, back in the late seventies. Just a really, really nice guy.
He was out there promoting the series WKRP. But I often wondered if the inspiration for that, for that Turkey Drop episode was something that I was involved in fifty years ago. Fifty years ago. Now, if you're old enough to remember this, maybe you can recall a hockey team that played in this town called the Cincinnati Stingers. They were in the WAJ for about four years and then when the WAJ at least four of their teams were
assimilated into the National Hockey League, the Stingers folded. Didn't have enough season tickets sold to impress the National Hockey League, so they folded.
But it was.
Fifty years ago, on the twenty second, which would have been fifty years ago, last sets Saturday night, that the Stingers played Quebec, the Quebec Nord Deeks at what was then known as Riverfront Colisseum, and they had a giveaway and the giveaway was one hundred lucky fans had tickets taped to the bottom of their seat to get a
free frozen turkey from Kroger. There were another ten fans who had lucky tickets to get a live turkey, and the live turkeys were released on the ice at Riverfront Colisseum, and then those ten lucky folks were given a sack each one a sack, a Burlaps sack to go out and get the turkey and put the turkey in the sack and haul it off. And I'm guessing there was somebody there to take care of the rest of the stuff so they could have the turkey for Thanksgiving Day.
It was just a promotion the team did. It did not go well. All of the live turkeys huddled in the corner of Riverfront Colisseum. I don't know how Peta didn't get done this one, but that was fifty years ago today, and I often wondered if the folks that wrote the episode for a WKRP that aired on October thirtieth, nineteen seventy eight. It was a guy by the name of Bill Dile and then the series creator Hugh Wilson. They wrote the episode. I often wondered if there was
any inspiration from that incident at Riverfront Coliseum WKRPI. I used to work with a guy that wrote an episode for WKRP in Cincinnati. Years ago. I worked at WSAI and they had an evening disc jockey by the name of Casey Petrowski, who was a really creative guy. Wound up going to Hollywood and appeared in several a television show series show. He was in Firefly and wrote an episode for WKRC. I'm WKRP in Cincinnati, terrific voice over actor,
so there's a little WKRP history. But I often wondered if that episode was inspired by what happened fifty years ago last Saturday Night at the Riverfront Coliseum. Well tonight and what's happening now tonight? Joe Burrow is back as the Bengals go out to Baltimore and take on the Ravens. And there are still some folks who think the Bengals have a smidgeon of hope of making the NFL playoffs. They would have to go on the mother of all winning streaks. They've only won three of their first eleven.
But nevertheless, Burrow is back and a lot of people are questioning, why would you come back, Joe? They're three and eleven chances of making the playoffs not good? Why not just you know, fold it for this year and come back stronger in twenty twenty six.
I'm not gonna ever go to somebody and say, yeah, I'm healthy, but I don't think I don't think I should go out there and play. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not gonna live my life and play this game scared of something happening, like, Yeah, something's gonna happen.
It's football.
Guys are gonna get hurt, Guys are gonna get concussions. You're gonna break bones, tear ligaments. It's a physical, intense game. That's part of this. And yeah, I've had injuries. There's not a lot I can do about that. I work really hard to have that not happen. But what I can do is when it does happen, I can control how I'm attacking my rehab and attacking practice and doing everything in my power to get back as quickly as possible.
Thanksgiving Night in Baltimore against the Ravens and right here on seven hundred W WELW. So what is waiting on the Bengals when they get out there? What kind of Ravens team is it? Well, it's a Ravens team that's red hot. They've won five in a row and they're automatically back in the conversation for an AFC North tidle. They're tied with Pittsburgh right now. Covering the Ravens for
their official website Ravens dot Com. Is a good guest of the program I do on Sunday mornings here on seven hundred wyl W. He is Clifton Brown, Clifton, how are you on this glorious Thanksgiving?
I'm doing fine. Can happy Thanksgiving to you and everybody.
Absolutely right back at you, my man, right back at you. Nothing like having to work on Thanksgiving?
Right, yeah, you know how.
That's what we do. And the Ravens caught the Steelers on Sunday, and I don't think it's any secret the reason why the Ravens hit that swoon is because Lamar missed three games. He's back now. I guess there's a there's a toe injury that's popped up, so this will be the toe bowl U in this game tonight. But is that serious? Is anybody looking at his his toe injury as being anything that's serious?
Well, you know, they keep Lamar tell thing undergrapped as much as they can.
He doesn't usually say much, does the of the excuse, but yeah, I mean I think that he has learned.
This year, for sure, more about trying to play and playing effectively when he's not one hundred percent.
He's had an ankle issue, he's had a knee issue.
He's missed a day of practice the last two weeks before this week. So yeah, this is kind of like getting to be the norm that you know, he's figuring out that, Okay, I probably need to get a little more rest during the week. You know, on game day I could be effective. And so far he's definitely been effective enough for them to keep winning playing through any of injuries.
He's not and I think this is understandable, but he's not really running as much as he did before the hamstering injury. And I think the thing he got away is, you know, he's he's an older player now with Tina tend to think of Lamar Jackson as being this this youthful guy. And even though football players to you and me look young and youthful, he's he's a little bit older. And then he had the hamsterring injury. But he doesn't
seem to be running as much. Are those Are those the contributing factors?
Yeah, I think that that they all are chidectic.
And yeah, the hamster, I think it's been the biggest fact that you know, he missed three games, as you mentioned, and hamstring's a tricky even after you start healing, you know, it's easy to re injure them. So yeah, I mean him running less is a natural evolution. I think of his career, he's become such a great pop passer.
From the pocket. He doesn't have to run.
As much as he did earlier in his career to win games, and I don't think he wants to run as much. And then, of course, you know, getting Derek Henry last year, I mean, why would you run so much if you could just hand the ball to twenty two and watch.
Him do his thing.
So I think Lamar though, wants people to know that, you know, if he's healthy and has to run, he can still do it like he always did, and that may be something you see more of going down the stretch.
Of the season. And if the Ravens do get in the playoffs.
Then I think he'll he may take the bubble wrap off and really become that dynamic runner we've seen before.
Yeah, I'm looking. I'm looking at their offense. They're best healthy as any team at this point. I mean, we'll see about Lamar's tow injury, but I know Rashaan Bateman had an ankle problem and officially listed as questionable. But I mean this is as as this season goes. This is about as healthy an offense as there is out there.
Yeah, I mean that's so much a part of things. They've had a lot of injuries early in the season. They were really decimated, you know, weeks four and five during their losing speak and you know, you can't control that.
You just had the hole. That's a matter of being lucky.
That played into in the NFL a lot, you know, being healthy at the right time, get having enough pieces to win games down the stretch.
Yeah, the Ravens, you know, certainly are knocking on wood.
But yeah, at this point in the season heading into Week thirteen, to be as healthy as they are as a serious advantage.
And that's one reason why I think they're playing well.
Yeah, they are. They're playing extremely well right now. And I think one of the concerns earlier this season was on defense, is was getting heat on the quarterback go out and they make a couple of deadline deals, and I thought, we're genius by the front office. Draymond Jones they get from the Titans already he's had an impact, and then Lohai Gilman they got from the Chargers, and all of a sudden, that defense seemed to kind of get a little more juice. Now, I thought those were
master strokes by the front office out there. Would you be on the same page with me.
No question.
They've made an immediate impact and an important one. Jones he's just a baller up front as both an edge rusher and he can play defensive tackle, so that versatility fit.
Into the way the Ravens like to play.
And he had a sack and a half against the Cleveland Browns in their landscases.
Jones made an immediate impact.
And then Gilman, a savvy vet rarely makes mistakes. Putting him next to Malachi start to safety has allowed Kyle Hamilton to All Pro safety, to play three or four five, which.
Only he can do, you know, moving up in the box.
Playing linebacker inside or outside, playing defensive end, linsening, impacting.
The run game, and now they can turn Hamilton loose because they have Gilban.
Yet a defense over the last five games has really been one of the best in the NFL.
Yeah, the one thing that I noticed that it just stands out and again, compared to other defenses that Baltimore's had, maybe it's not a fair comparison. They don't seem to be taking the ball away as much. They got seven picks, seven fumble recoveries. Is that getting any play out there? Because you know, again Baltimore's defense was always based on aggression and getting the ball. What's going on there?
Well, I mean that to me is something that is changing since they started winning.
I mean ten of.
Those takeaways has come to the last five games, so they've gone from getting on any takeaways in the first sixty games to getting, you know, one or two a game during this winning speak. And they had a huge turn or takeaway last week ainst the Brown. They were about to go in for touchdowns trailing by which would have cut it to three in the fourth quarter, and Maul and Humphrey ship the running back in two to the two yard line. Gillman made the recovery and that
really kind of sealed the win for the Ravens. So it's something that's starting to come more in budgets for them, and that usually happens when you start playing good defense. You have more guys around the ball. Now they're really looking for that second guy in is looking for the strip, And yeah, I think that you're right.
That has been a thing that you're.
At a defense that wasn't showing up early in the season, but now it's starting to show up a lot.
Yeah, this is a really big stretch for the Ravens. I mean, you got this game tonight with the Bengals. Next week, you get Pittsburgh in there, and then back out here in two weeks in Cincinnati. I think the division games are going to determine exactly who wins this division. I can't, for the life of me for see more than one team coming out of this division for the playoffs. But maybe who knows. I mean, everybody's beating up on
everybody else right now. But I think it's critical if the Ravens are going to go and win this thing, They've got to win these next three games, don't they.
Well yeah, I mean, you know, maybe they could lose one and still get in, but certainly.
When you start one in five, you don't.
Leave yourself much room forever, and that's what the Ravens did. So even though they've won five in a row, all these upcoming games are still hugely important, particularly the two head to head games with the Steelers. You know, it's hard to Steelers Ravens robbery. It's so intense that it's hard to get a sleep.
But I think if either team.
Gets to sleep this year to season series, that all private team to win the division.
You know, their team has ever won the AIRC North three straight years. That's what the Ravens are trying to do.
So it's going to be tough because of their start, but at least they put themselves in position now the Ravens where destiny is in their hands.
You know, if the Ravens win their games, they're going to be in the playoffs. So they don't have to leave it up to anybody else.
It's up to them, right and certainly at this time, you know, head into the last six games, this is when they want to be playing their best football.
What do you think wins the division? Clifton is it ten? Does ten win it?
I would sign up for ten yet and take my chance.
I think that as long as one of in the Ravens perspective, as long as one.
Of those ten at least one game against Pittsburgh, I would sign up for that.
You know, again, if the Steelers sweep, to see this series tans Brian not going to be enough, but yet I would sign up for ten and definitely was up for left.
Yeah, there you go. So you got two left with Cincinnati, got two left with Pittsburgh. We chatting with Clifton Brown Ravens dot Com Joe Burrow tonight, and uh, there's great debate in this town, but not only on sports talk radio, but certainly on social media and just the fan base in general. You know, the Bengals are three and eight.
I think it would be safe to say that it would have to be a fortuitous long shot for them to be in any playoff conversation, But do you where do you come to down on playing a player as valuable as him, as opposed to say to yourself, Okay, look, it's not working out this year. Maybe we just wait and regroup and get this thing in twenty twenty six. Yeah, I'm just wondering what your thoughts would be on something like that.
I think It's a very interesting question.
I mean, I respect Joe Burrow a lot for his desire to play.
That's what you want from a player.
And but the reality is, yes, they already have eight losses.
Even if they ran the table nine and eight might not be numb.
And then the type of injury he has, I mean, you know, I'm not a duntor, but you know.
Those two injuries can be really debilitating. You know, I would think there's.
A chance he could be injured, and there's certainly a chance what he starts playing that he could suffer a lot another injury. And he has been injured quite a business career already, and he's a great player, franchise quarterback.
When he's not available, it's just really tough for the Bengals to win. So yeah, I mean, you know he's going to want to play. That's not even an issue. The question is do you allow him to play in this situation? But apparently, you know he is.
It's they're leading towards playing him, and he's going to play. And I really just hope he stays healthy. He's already had enough injuries in his career. I hope he can get through this season healthy. But if he doesn't, there's definitely going to be some second guessing going on.
Okay, so what do you figure the Ravens have cooked up defensively for him tonight? And how do you see this game playing out?
Well?
Yeah, I mean Joe Burrow, you know, when you're dealing with him, any mistake you.
Make, he's probably gonna take advantage of it.
So the first thing is try and live in the big plays, particularly between he and Jamartiz once.
If you can do that keep them from taking the top off.
Or from Jaysey, know, breaking a tackle and making a long run aft to catch it, then yeah, I think they want to make them one to the minto you know, stop the Bengals running game with Joe and second and third, second and long, third and long. You gotta believe his mobility isn't one hundred percent his first game back after not playing for this ball, So yeah.
Put pressure on him, put him.
An obviously practic situations, and then send the pass rush after him and see if you can.
Force him as a mistake. But that he said, than done. I mean, he's a great player.
I feel like, you know, he'll make plays, Chase will make plays. It's just limiting them and you know enough to where you do what you can win the game. You don't want to get a shootout with the Bengals. The Rings one two shootouts against the Bengals last year but barely escape both times. If they can hold the Bengals, you know the twenty twenty three points. I think the Ravens feel really good about their chances to win.
Clifton Brown Ravens dot Com. It's always great catching up with you again. Happy Thanksgiving and let's go. We'll see what happens tonight.
Thanks thanks to Amy can be good.
You bet line on this game is seven. You can get seven and a half on some books, but seven is the line. Bengals plus seven kickoff is what is it? Eight to fifteen tonight? Right? Pregame show begins at four, they tee it up and they play and that's why they play the games. Willie more of the Bengals as we progress through the morning, and a lot of other stuff to get to as well. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family from seven hundred WLW nine eight on
this Thanksgiving and good morning. I am ken Brew for Scott Sloan. Wherever you are, however you're listening, whether it's this great medium of terrestrial radio or on the iHeartRadio app. We welcome you on in on the first of the last major holidays of twenty twenty five. On the show today, how not to let politics ruin your Thanksgiving Day dinner. Now, we talk about this a lot this time of the year,
but it's always good for a refresher course. You know, you don't want to go somewhere and spend three or four hours with family and just have it so stressful. So some tips on how to keep your mouth shut, and some tips when somebody else is opening their big yap other than the stick a piece of turkey down it, how you can steer the conversation elsewhere because this can be a stressful time for some people. Also, why are so many of us bored at work? It's boredom now
that is plaguing a lot of businesses. Not necessarily burn out, but boredom. What does that mean? And if you're bored at work, whose fault is it? Is it your fault or is it the guy or woman you answer to the best and the worst airlines for holiday travel. Now, you may be in the middle of holiday travel, or you may be booking flights for the Christmas season, What airlines rate the best, what airlines rate the worst, and are the low cost carriers really the worst. We'll get
into that before we're done today. And then also just her where the governor wants to aban NFL prop bets here in Ohio, I would say to him, good luck with that. But nevertheless NFL prop bets and why so many of us get suckered by them? It might be because we're not paying attention to the right things. So as you get ready to make your wagering choices for these three National Football League games today, it may be something to pay attention to. We are here right until noon.
I watched the UC basketball game last night. It was not good from the UC point of view. No way, no shape, no how. I don't know how Wes Miller can can put lipstick on what happened yesterday. That was what they call a by game. In other words, you pay a school that you are by all means better than and should whack. You pay that school to come to your gym, to your arena, to wherever, and you put a hurting on that team in front of your home fans. You make the home fans happy they get
some money, but you get some prestige. Didn't work out that way last night, sixty four fifty six, Eastern Michigan University from the MAC comes to fifth third and beats the Bearcats sixty four to fifty six. Eastern Michigan had some sort of zone defense that simply the bottomized, you see, and west Miller was talking about that after the game.
The zone bothered the lineups that we had to play with on the floor tonight. We haven't we haven't played offense with a lot of the lineups we were playing tonight. And that's not an excuse by any means.
It's not.
I'm not in the excuse business. But we had a lot of stagnant and we're trying to run the action that we've worked on and put in. But we have people in positions that never been in and we had a lot of busted possessions tonight.
I mean, if you look at the box score, there's nothing really staggering about it that you look at and say, oh, well, that could be a problem. I mean, Eastern Michigan got to the line eight more times than Cincinnati. Okay, that's an issue. Eastern Michigan out rebounded Cincinnati. That's a real issue. But again, you know, the Cincinnati didn't have three of its big men, and I think that had something to
do with it. Tyler McKinley, who started the game for Cincinnati, gave him twenty three twenty three minutes, but just two points and wound up fouling out. But there were a lot of reasons, I guess, strategically, starting with the fact that the big guys up front just weren't there.
I'm not in the excuse business, but we're missing if you look at the roster we put together, we're missing three of our top front court players, you know, with Jalen Haynes and Baba and now Jaln Celestin, and these are all old, experienced guys, physical guys, So you know, we that obviously is a incredible effect on our team.
But it's not an excuse.
We got to collectively figure out how to you know, bridge those gaps. And that's that's the top that we have, and that's a will attach.
Well, they get Tarleton State on Monday night at fifth third and then Friday night they hop the bus and they go to Xavier and that seven thirty tip at the Sintas Center of the Crosstown shootout one week from tomorrow night. That was not a good way to warm up for it by any means, by any stretch of the imagination. But nevertheless, there you go again, the Bengals tonight at eight o'clock, a ten to be exact. Pregame
show begins at four. There's a line of thinking that Joe Burrow should not play in this game, and I never really understood that. I have to be honest with you. They're paying him hundreds of millions of dollars to play football, and the record of the team should not have anything to do with whether or not Joe Burrow should be able to do his job tonight, if indeed he is healthy enough to do his job. Now, he's not going on the field because he twisted the arm of Zach Taylor.
That would be inherently irresponsible on Taylor's part to say nothing about what it would mean for the team doctor and for the team owner. So they're not running him out there because Joe says he's okay. And you know, all those medical reports that you have on me, pay no attention to them. No, he's been cleared by doctors, the coaches signed off on it, and obviously the owner is signed off on it. And understand that players are
really not players in today's world of professional sports. Their investments. That's how they're looked at, their commodities. And they have a lot invested in the commodity that is known as Joe Burrow. But he is paid to win football games. He is paid to play football. He's not paid to sit around if he's not healthy enough to play. So yeah, he's going to play today. And even though it would be really an exercise and futility to sit around and do the permutations as to what path, if any, is
open to the Bengals for a playoff Berth. Look, they're three at eight. They would have to rip off six wins in a row. They've shown no signs of doing that so far this season. Their defense, and there's a great story today on ESPN dot com about how the Bengals may have the worst defense in the history of the National Football League. This defense twenty twenty five, and it's statistically supported by various metrics that are used to data analyze football players and football teams. DVOA is an
acronym that you here thrown around a lot. Now when you read about football, that's defense adjusted value over average. I'm not going to bore you with the metric, but basically, it's an adjusted statistic that puts it up against other teams. Your stat on that up against other teams, and it compares you or your players. However you want to break it down to the league average on a play by play basis, then it's tempered by what other team strength
of schedule is. It really is boring stuff, but bottom line, it's a metric to measure strength, weaknesses, greatness and awfulness of football teams. And the Bengals are flat out awful, historically awful this year using that basic metric. So yes, a run of the playoffs is a pipe dream more than anything else. But still Burrow wanted to play. He's cleared to play, he's healthy enough to play, and in his mind he said this was a no doubter tonight.
I'm not gonna ever go to somebody and say, yeah, I'm healthy, but no, I don't think. I don't think I should go out there and play. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I'm not gonna live my life and play this game. Scared of something happening, like, Yeah, something's gonna happen.
It's football.
Guys are gonna get hurt, Guys are gonna get concussions and to break bones, tear ligaments. It's a physical, intense games. That's part of this. And yeah, I've had injuries. It's not a lot I can do about that. I work really hard to have that not happen. But what I can do is when it does happen, I can control how I'm attacking my rehab and attacking practice and doing everything in my power to get back as quickly as possible.
Yes, exactly. And let's not forget Joe Flacco played really well when he was in there. Maybe not so much against Pittsburgh, but two weeks ago, three weeks ago against Chicago, he threw for four hundred and forty nine yards against the Jets, two seventeen against the Jets, two touchdowns, no interceptions. Against the Steelers, Part one, three hundred and twenty eight yards thirty one to forty seven, three touchdowns against Green Bay.
Against Green Bay three hundred and twenty I'm sorry, two hundred and thirteen yards twenty nine to forty five, two steps touchdowns, and no interceptions. The problem while Burrow was away wasn't exactly quarterback play. Here's his head coach on his quarterback, Saint Joe coming back tonight.
Well, difficult to predict. You know, it has been several months, and so again I'm not going to make any predictions on what it looks like. But again, he's put himself in great shape. It's good to see him through the progression that we've had over the last several weeks. I think it was a fair progression for him to do the seven on seven, do the eleven on eleven, get your mind right, try to get ready to play in a game, and then ultimately we'll wait and see where aliens.
But I think it's been a really good progression that's been helpful for him and then everything he can and we can to get him ready to go playing a game.
Baltimore's defense isn't great. It's struggled. It's taken the ball away a lot the last couple of weeks. It struggled to put heat on the quarterback. They addressed some of those issues at the trade deadline. If Burrow comes out tonight and throws for three point fifty and three touchdowns. That would be Boroline miraculous for a guy who hasn't thrown a football in what has it been two months? What was that Jacksonville game was early in September, so
it's been two and a half months. Basically, If he comes out and does something like that and it would be Borrow, it would be legendary. But it's not fair to expect that, just as it wasn't fair to expect this offense, regardless of who was at quarterback, to consistently every week deliver thirty thirty five, thirty eight points. Remember that narrative, Oh they can outscore anybody. Oh, the defense just has to be Abbridge and all. You know, that's
all they got to be. Because Burrow and Higgins and Chase can put up thirty five points every game. It's one thing to be able to do it. It's another thing to have to do it. So I don't know what to expect tonight either. I would think that we will see some vintage Burrow, will see how well he is at the thing he does best, in my opinion, and that's extending plays. Meanwhile, out in Baltimore, the head coach out there who has been on the job forever.
John Harbaugh says that, you know Flacco Burrow, it probably from a strategic standpoint, does not affect what the Bengals are going to try and do tonight.
They're going to stay on track, I'm sure, and what they've been doing is pretty much what they had been doing with Joe, So expect to see the Bengals run their offense with Joe.
And then of course you have Lamar Jackson. Now, Lamar Jackson's not hurt. He missed three games with a hamstring poll and there are those who think that now that he's back, he's not moving anywhere as well as what he did before he suffered his hamstring poll. But the team is winning, and the cog that makes that wheel go is, of course us Lamar Jackson. There's no question about it. Here come the Ravens tonight. The Ravens have won. They're six and five, they won five in a row.
I'm looking at point differential, which is always interesting. They're plus fourteen. You always want to be on the plus side, but they haven't really lit it up. By NFL standards, eleven games, two hundred and seventy five yards. That's a little south of twenty seven yards a game, and their points against through eleven games is two hundred and sixty one points allowed. That's a little south of twenty five points per game allowed. So they're differential is not great,
but they are playing better lately. Not a great team at home three and three. Nevertheless, they are playing better lately. And I don't expect this tonight, but these games between the Ravens and the Bengals recently have been shootouts. They've been who's got the ball last is usually the team that wins. Lamar Jackson was talking about that this week. The back and forth, the back and forth. It seems to go on.
Back and forth, you know, as seems like every time we feared him, move be going back and forth.
Great quarterback over there, you know, great receiving corps.
So just looking for it.
We'll see as it goes on tonight. Yeah, we'll see as it goes on tonight. I don't know. It may it may not, but I do know this that if Burrow comes back and does what he has done in the past, that'll be nothing short of miraculous. Meanwhile, you got Jamar Chase, and Jamar Chase is back after sitting out of suspension for spitting. He really wanted to move on from it. When he was questioned about it earlier this week, didn't seem too concerned that it would affect his image long term.
I mean, I have think of the day. I don't really have them to prove who I am. I mean, either you like me or you don't, I could care less. I'm still gonna go for that end of the day. I got kids, I got people to take care of, so I could really care less. So I'm going out there and be the same play I am, you know what I'm saying, and play football as at the end of the day, and nobody gonna stop me from who I am.
Chase without Higgins means Chase gets probably man help, may get manned straight up, and it might be one of those deals where the Ravens say, you know what, andre Yosi, Vas, Mike Oseecki, Mitchell Tinsley, you know you guys beat us. We're not gonna let Jamar beat us. So we'll see. I don't know. The fascination tonight is with Burrow and exactly what he can do with having done nothing for two and a half months because of the injury to
me that's the hook. That's the story. As the Bengals head out to Baltimore to take on the Ravens tonight, and right here on seven hundred WLW, do you want to.
Be an American idiot?
Hey a ten oh fix ken brother, Scott Sloane, Happy Thanksgiving to you. It was just checking the nine on your side forecast the weather department at WCPO Channel nine, expertly presided over by Steve Rawley. Doesn't look like we're going to get above thirty four today, but no precipitation. And I suppose that's good, right, because bad would be you know, at thirty four, you'd get you wouldn't get snow, probably wouldn't stick, you just get that crud that would fall.
But none of that crud on this Thanksgiving. Just cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid thirties. I saw this stat we'll find the final stats for this year, but last year, nearly eighty million people traveled over fifty miles or more from home before and after Thanksgiving. That's according to about six million of US flew and more than seventy one million of US drove last Thanksgiving. And that's
good because we could reconnect with family and friends. You know, we become a disconnected society would be a good way to put it. We tend to stay in touch with characters on Twitter or perhaps instant messages. Phone calls are big, and phone calls today were kind of like in person visits back in the bad old days of the nineteen eighties. Now it's you got a phone call. My goodness, they
must really care about me. But it's it's true, And forget about in person visits except for holidays like this. And I think on holidays like this, we tend to understand that we are disconnected society. And so today is a good day to connect with people that are important in your life. And maybe maybe ring a little bell in your head that would say I got to try this more often. But you know, when you get together,
you gotta have some sort of decorum and filter. Now, this is a survey done by two thousand adults twenty one and older. And this survey found out it was done by Saint Francis Winery and Vineyards. Well, you're half in the bag when you ask these people anyway, so expect any answers. Forty two percent say politics will end to dinner quicker than that. Twenty eight percent says finances, Oh my gosh, don't talk to somebody about their appearance
or way. Twenty six percent say it's over if the conversation goes that way today, And for gosh sakes, when your cousin Mary shows up, don't ask her when is she getting married? Because any kind of talk like that, twenty percent of the time, that's the end of dinner on Thanksgiving. So when we reconnect today, it's important to know how to connect because, as I said, disconnection is is not good. Somebody else knows that is standing by the way in doctor Jonathan Thorpe. He is a relationship
expert and also the CEO of Quantum Connections. I'm not sure what quantum connections is all about, but maybe he can explain. Doctor Jonathan Thorpe, how are you on this glorious Thanksgiving day?
Fantastic ken, Thanks for having me on.
We are a disconnected world, aren't we. It just seems like we're always looking to plug in somewhere where there's no plug. How did we get here?
You know, no matter what measure you look at, most everybody agrees that this connection has never been worse the outgoing Surgeon General of this country actually called it today's epidemic on the same scale that smoking was back in the sixties and nutrition and fitness were in the nineties. He said, today, isolation, loneliness, disengagement is kind of corrupting our society in so many of the worst ways.
I think it's also kind of put some fencing around our brains in this sense that we don't look for information anymore. We look for affirmation, and we tend to gravitate towards people and things that tell us, hey, you know what, you're right, Hey, you know what you're right, as opposed to trying to expand some thought and look for things maybe that we don't know about or never considered or thought were nuts. I think there's a lot of that going on today too.
What about you, Yeah, you're so right?
I think on a lot of levels, the way we think is changing, and a lot of people, for the longest time thought our brains were hardwired and at birth you kind of inherited a set of tools that you kept for life. I think more and more people today, though, understand that the brain is really plastic and capable of change. And while that is good for so many the right reasons.
It's also capable of actually succumbing to things like much shorter attention spans and this need for validation that you just described, and in memory, if you think about it, we used to have to file things away in short term or even long term memory. Today there's no need because you can pull out a fun and google just about any single piece of information.
So the need to use your brain becomes less or less.
Sure, And it even boils down to things like directions. Everybody uses GPS now, but you had to remember things. You had to remember how to get from point A to point B fifty years ago. Now you know, you just put it address in and boom, you're there. You don't have to pay attention to that. But I like what you said about isolation because I think there's a lot of that going on too. I think, and you know, everybody wants to blame COVID, everybody wants to blame the Internet.
I don't know if it's those things or something else, but it seems to me that as a society we've become more isolated. We've become slaves to that handheld device or to a laptop or whatever it is, and I don't know if there's a way out of that. Have you discovered a way out of that?
Well, there has to be ways that we can at least try, you know, And I think COVID gets a bad wrap. I think the trend was actually going in this direction well before COVID and thanks in large parts of things like technology and things like social media. I think we started to see these changes that I think COVID only accelerated. But if you ask me for a way out, ken, I would tell you this absolutely understand Number one, that there's a ton of energy. That this
is an emotionally loaded time to begin with. So when people travel and spend money and spend some of their precious vacation time getting together. You know, three and four Americans are getting together this year for Thanksgiving. The first thing you got to do is make sure you understand and read the room and understand how much energy is already present. We have it shortened attention spans. We're primed
to react instead of reflect. When you think about politics, it's already an incredibly polarized environment right now, where you don't talk to too many people that are sixty forty on one issue or you certainly don't see about in the media. You know, it's suggested that everybody's one hundred percent one way and zero percent the other way. So understanding that this polarization is really being fed actively.
And the last thing is is holiday expectations, right.
We want the day to be perfect, we want it to be memorable, to live up to our you know, the rich memories that we carry, and so all those things make it a super stressful day. That's the first thing is taking stock of that. Don't blow that off. The second thing, Kenn is you got to shift. You got to shift away from your reactive nature and kind of move to a reflective or a listening nature.
Okay, I've always defaulted this, and you tell me if this is you know, a week way out. I always identify somebody in the family that you know is either kind of like comical or quippie or can can do things on a turn of a note that can get a conversation, for example, Thanksgiving. Here we are Thanksgiving. Get it away from what it invariably walks into, which is that polarization, that political wall, and I pull that person aside. I know I got three or four of them in
my family. I say, look, if things start to go off the rails with Uncle George, here's what I need you to do. It's no problem. I got you covered. I think you got to have some sort of designation, designated conversation turner at your table this Thanksgiving that will take you away from things that invariably would lead to fights. Now my week for doing that? Should I just should I just you know, just say let it go and we'll see where all the chips fall.
My week for doing that, I don't think so.
I think every every family's got the crazy Uncle Harold, and I think fortunately most families have the clown the gesture somebody to step in and save and redirect. I think that's healthy. But at some point, you know, can you you would probably want to say, maybe we don't need to redirect to save us. Maybe as a family or as a as a group of friends, we can
actually begin to listen more, react less. And so if somebody says kind of the the off putting comment or the risky comment, you know, instead of reacting to it, invite them to kind of share the story or maybe the experience of why that their views are shaped the way they are. And so Ultimately, the goal might not be, you know, at Thanksgiving dinner this year, maybe I don't want to just try to find one more person and change their mind so that they think like me.
Maybe instead the goal is, let me find one more.
Person that I understand better, regardless of how they think, and that we can actually go forward and say, you know what, I don't Because I listen to you and because I respect you doesn't mean I have to agree with you. I would say that's probably a healthier posture to assume.
So for someone that is putting the finishing touches on the covered dish that they're going to bring to Thanksgiving dinner, maybe it's maybe it's coming up here rather quickly, and you know, they're listening to the good doctor Thorpe and some advice, and maybe they're going through some personal anks because they know invariably that with a large gathering there's going to be something that even the quipster in the
family can't get back on the rails. What do you tell them should they be all wrapped up and angst at.
This point, I would say, don't ignore the emotion that goes into the day. There's a lot of pressure to perform.
I would say, take a deep breath and pause and let everybody know that, Hey, this conversation, this meal is going to be filled with safety and fraternity and fellowship, and let's just enjoy each other's companies, tell some stories and make today being about our experiences, you know, and our shared bonds instead of policies that, in all likelihood, the five of us, the ten of us here at the table, aren't going to solve or change today.
Yeah. You ever have one of those dinners though, Doc, I mean when you go there, it could be Christmas, it could be another holiday, it could be thank who knows? You ever have one of those dinners? And do you feel compelled being a doctor, being someone who's a relationship expert, do you feel compelled to step in? What do you do?
I'm at those dinners all the time, Ken, and I think if the people that are sitting and eating dinner with me know what I do? Everybody turns and looks and says, well, what are you going to say? Can you pull us out of the spire?
Bool?
And you know, sometimes it's best probably just a smile and let the let the group kind of manage it and not step in. To try to feel like you have to intervene or save. Most of the time people figure it out and they kind of discover that maybe if we just give each other a chance to kind of be seen and heard, that a lot of really good things follow those two things.
Doctor Jonathan Thorpe as our guest. He is a relationship expert CEO of Quantum Connections. Why can't we all just get along with each other? Doctor? Have you ever stopped to think why we can't all just get along?
Well? I think we can.
I think we have to change the way we think about difference. Right now, Difference is such a dividing influence when if you just reframe it, I suggest it's easy.
It's certainly not.
But if we began to look at difference as kind of a curiosity spark to say, I don't need to become that person or the differences that they display, but I sure would love to understand the better, to understand why they are motivated to think and act and speak as they do. And I think if we just reframe difference to say, hey, that's going to create variety, and we've got to have variety to actually form the solutions that we all need. To solve the world's most pressing problems.
We're not going to do it if we all think an act alike. We have to combine different solutions.
Yeah, you're not going to settle the world's problems at a Thanksgiving dinner. Trust me. I just have a wild assumption that the world leaders aren't going to be hanging on every word at your Thanksgiving dinner. I think maybe if you approach it that way, maybe it'd be a little more more palatable for you. But I wish you and your family are happy Thanksgiving, Doctor Thorpe, And then who knows, maybe this time next year we won't have to have a conversation like this, But my guess is
we will. What's your guests?
Yeah, yeah, here's for hoping.
I think we can all get a little bit better and maybe maybe if we take a little bit one step forward, I think we'll be better off.
Doctor, Good stuff. How can people find you? When? When they find you? What do they get?
Sure?
You can learn more at Quantum Connections dot com and here at our website. We offer personal development programs for individuals couples, but we also offer organizational development programs if you have teams or even departments that want to pull together and actually learn how to help everybody feel more seen and heard.
Yeah, yeah, who wouldn't want that? Okay, Doc, stay well, we need to hear your voice and hopefully we can do this again.
Yeah, thanks much, Ken, have a great Thanksgiving with you.
Too, You too, don't talk about work in career on this list is what are you going to talk about today? If you can't talk about politics, finances, appearance or wait, religion, spiritual beliefs, previous role, lit romantic relationships, mental health and work career? What are you down to about that Uncle Joe's bad knee? Talk about that. That's good for about thirty or forty seconds, you know what, Just talk and
take it upon yourself. If things seem to be going sideways, you know, stand up and say something like, oh my, what do you think Joe Burrow is going to do tonight ten twenty two on this Thanksgiving day. Great to have you with us right here on the home of your Cincinnati Bengals. Eight fifteen Kick Tonight four o'clock is when the pregame show begins on seven hundred WLW. I love it when Willie plays guitar and Sloan and Eddie whistled behind him. Now that's some fine entertainment right there.
Welcome back seven hundred WLW ken Brew for Scott Sloan. Happy Thanksgiving to you as you go over the river and through the woods to wherever you're going for Thanksgiving dinner today. And if you're hosting it, God bless you. Everybody, well not everybody. I'm here right, Dave Keaton is here today working a holiday, but most of us are off
on Thanksgiving Day. And that's a good respite because there is something that is creeping into businesses all over the country and it's rearing its ugly head, particularly at the worker level. It's not burnout, it's bore out, d ore bore out, bor out. What does that mean, well, borout. It happens when people become mentally disconnected or show a lack of interest or engagement in their work. You know, they kind of show up, but they're not showing out.
It often shows itself. You know, when you're burned out with stress, some physical symptoms, maybe you're you know, you're not feeling right, maybe you're cranky. Bore out is just mined at numbing. It's like you've checked out. It's like zombie like you're just putting in the time to get
the work done. I used to work with a guy who shall go unnamed, many many years ago, and this guy would show up for work and he would throw his briefcase when people actually still carry those things, and his coat his overcoat down over his chair and then would disappear. Nobody could find him. Nobody could find him.
And what would happened as managers had walked back or other people that might, you know, be in charge, and they'd walk back, Well, where is well, he's here somewhere, I don't know, there's his coat, there's this The guy just threw his coat and his briefcase or whatever it was is. Yeah, I guess it was his briefcase down and then disappeared, walked out of the place. Hey, come back for maybe like forty five minutes, then leave again. Nobody saw, but his coat was there. That's borout. Actually
that was a scam. But that's borout because you just feel completely disengaged on the job and it's costing these these these businesses money. This was the study that was
done by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. Disengagement is what they call it medically burnout cost US employers an average of four thousand dollars per year for hourly employees, forty two hundred dollars per year for salaried non management employees, and over ten thousand dollars for managers who are bored out, and over twenty thousand for executives who are bored at. Why is everybody bored on the job? Well, let's find out kind enough to carve out some time on his holidays.
Dwayne Deson. I've had Dwayne on the show before. I wanted it him to come on today because it seems to me this is a chronic problem. Now, yes, he's a business strategist, but he read a book that I read maybe four or five weeks ago, right when it came out. It's called operationally Felt manage costs to increase profits and enhance performance. Who doesn't want to do that? He's with a group called the Efficacy Group. We'll find out more about that, hopefully as we press on with him.
But for the moment, Dwayne decent. How are you on this glorious Thanksgiving day?
I am very welcome. Thank you for calling.
What is the difference between bore out and burnout. Where would the line be drawn there?
Well, the big difference is, I think is with burnout you're much more exhausted because you're being overworked, and borout can be for a few reasons. Either you're underworked and therefore your board, or perhaps you're just not challenged, which is the other common aspect of bore out. Now there's they're very both have serious consequences. One, a lot of people are having accesses and people leave because they're burned out.
But people that are bore out are not engaged and usually are not producing the best work because of that.
Either way, it sounds like it's a management problem.
Well, I would actually say two issues. One, it is a management problem where that means you're not challenging employees, you're not creating a dynamic, exciting environment, and therefore you and you're not helping your employees grow and therefore the board. So I would say yes, But there's also an employee aspect of this where you have to make sure you don't take a job that is not.
Going to challenge you.
If you take a job just because you want maybe a work life balance and low hours or whatever your criteria, and then all of a sudden, you're not challenged at work. That's a bad thing too. So I think you have to make sure that you seek opportunities as an employee that is going to challenge you and going to make you work and.
Not cause a bore out certaint you know.
I see this this Gallop report that says that employee engagement in our country fell to its lowest level in ten years. That was a report of survey I guess taken in twenty twenty four. Thirty one percent of workers say they feel engaged on the job. Okay, So if you're not engaged on the job, you're either not buying in right or you're not be given a reason to
buy in. And I don't understand where the problem is here, because if the boss wants to make money, right, boss wants to make money, And in a lot of jobs, if the boss is making money, chances are you doing the work for the boss will make money. So how has it fallen into only thirty one percent here in this recent survey? How's it falling that low?
Well, I think that set back to a little bit of the combination of employees are taking positions that aren't challenging them is one, and so that's creating a problem because people want to have this work life balance, and that's very common on the younger generations now.
But then I also think that work is trying to become so automated.
Now that we are trying to we feel like to be efficient and to manage costs, we have to make everything very routine and tight and and so there's very little variation in processes, and because of that, you almost end up acting like you're a machine where you're doing one function over and over and over again, and then you result and end up feeling unchallenged.
Because of it.
Yeah, this is this is the second time that you've said the word or the phrase, don't feel challenged at work. Okay, I'm looking for another job. I'm well, this is a hypothetical. I'm very happy where I am, but us I'm looking for another job and I'm looking around and I'm looking
at various companies that offer what I do. How would I how would I go through the interview process and know that this is a job that would challenge me, knowing full well that the other side of this is we're talking about work life balance, where you'll take anything to earn a paycheck, to make sure that things at home are the most important things in your life. Nothing worried, nothing wrong about that. Certainly, that's that's a great priority
for a number of people. But how do you know when you're out there if job that's offered to you will be a job that will challenge you and you will not become bored out? Great question.
What you really need to do is ask to speak to other peers that you'll be working with and to get a feel for the company, to get a feel for what they do and what their job roles are. And then one of the questions you can ask them to say how challenged do they feel on a day to day basis, whether what's their hours are they do they receive additional training or other types of aspects that
might make their positions more interesting. So, don't just take a job by you that you interview with your boss. You spend an hour with that person. You assume you understand a position if you can, and I think usually the most companies are very open to try to speak with some of the people that you'll be working with that have similar positions so that you really garner what they're doing.
Yeah, Yeah, it would seem to me that the people that would be the most successful at this would be the people I'm speaking of, people who are not going to be bored out, are not going to be burned out, would have an ultimate goal. This is what I would want to do, This is what I want to do ten years from now, This is where I would ultimately like to wind up in this career that I'm building.
I mean, that's probably old guy thinking, because now, I think, as you mentioned, we have a society, particularly the younger demographic of it, that wants work life balance, and because of that, careers really aren't the issue here. It's jobs. They'll take a job as opposed to looking at what the long term goals are for a quote unquote career. Have careers taken a back seat with the under thirty crowd in your opinion, I think there.
Is a problem with that.
I think many people aren't looking what they want today and not necessarily what they're going to want in ten or twenty years from now. So when you are thinking about your career, you should be thinking about the long term aspect of that and make sure that you are working to that and progressing along that path and I think you bring up a good point about making sure that you're challenged and the other ways of doing that
other than just what the employee provides you. You can go to your employer and tell them and say i'd like additional responsibility, take the initiative. You can look for training opportunities so you can expand your skills, look for processes that aren't working well and make suggestions and get involved in how to improve them. So kind of become
part of a solution. And if you do that, you really add not only you're going to feel more engaged, but you're going to add a lot more value to the company and be more appreciated.
Yeah.
I would have to think that anybody who with half a brain that runs a company would be able to identify a person like that as opposed to just some floater or somebody that's just trying to take a job. Dwen Dcent business strategist. His book is Operationally Spelt Manage Costs to increase profit and enhance performance. Look, this is maybe all topic a little bit, but AI is here and it's only going to become more prevalent in a
lot of businesses. If you're somebody who is a line worker, someone who's not middle management, someone who is not in the corner suite, the C suite. What should you be doing about AI? Because it sounds like AI is going to take away a lot of the jobs maybe that we've been talking about here in the last couple of minutes.
Yes, I do not think you're off point at all. AI is a big factor, particularly here because you're talking about people that are doing somewhat re team task or not challenged for whatever reason. But usually that's a sign that has worked that AI can do pretty efficiently as well. So if you are in a position where you're bored out, I do think you're more at risk being replaced by AI type of solution. And I think the solution to that is not to avoid AI and dreddic, but it's
actually to engage AI. How do you embrace AI in order to make your job easier. May take away the boredom aspects of what you do and the routine aspects of what you do and try to make them something a little bit more exciting, so you know, you have the time to concentrate on the type the work that maybe you enjoy more, that's more creative. That AI really hasn't.
Been able to do yet, or maybe take on an additional task or two at work, something that might prepare you for the next level up at that particular company, so you become more valuable to that company and stay a step or two ahead of AI. I mean to me, that would make sense, wouldn't it.
Yes, And I think one of the things that creates boredom and more out is when you are when you're in the same position for a long period of time.
So you should try to be on a.
Management track of some kind, or at least a progression track of some kind where you are consistently challenged and promoted every couple of years so that you're not doing the same thing over and over and over again.
Yeah. I hate to say it, though, but Dwayne, you and I both know there are just some people that just don't want want to do that. They don't want to be motivated. Maybe it's it's just a function of human nature, but they just they don't want any of that, and they'll just wait for the truck to hit them at work as opposed to try to do something like we just suggested. And maybe the key for management is
is when you're looking to fill positions. Who are the people that would seem to you And if you're a high somebody's doing the hiring, you should have your antenna up about this someone who looks and acts like they would be motivated for that. And maybe that's what it all comes down to. There are people in this world that are motivated and there are some that are not.
Right, I think you're correct in that there are people that are motivating people that are not. But part of the job of a company is to help employee get challenged, and I think what happens is that employees might at first think, well, yes, I kind of just want my routine and just want to go get my paycheck and go home. But I think over time they do get frustrated with that, and if you do challenge them, I
think they're more content and happy at work. So even if it's their instinct to say, you know, I just don't want that stressful life or whatever they're trying to avoid, I think sometimes when they're given an opportunity and maybe put a little preasure on to succeed and to do better, they actually grow.
As an individual.
If you are an employer and you find employees not only during the interview process that you think are not going to be the type that grow with you, or if you are employing people that are just stagnant and weighing down the organization.
I think you have to make tough decisions on both those counts, all.
Right, Dwayne the Efficacy group. When people go to the epicygroup dot com, what do they find besides a nice picture of you? And then what do you offer?
Well, I do I help companies manage costs. And that's interesting in that there's a big cost waste when you talk about bore out and burnout and a lot of those aspects of it. So part of what I help companies do if I help them make a more vibrant, energetic, and attractive environment so that they get good employees and they don't have to overpay for employees. They don't have employees that are just not productive and not producing for the company, so it's a big cost rating for them.
So that's the piece of what I did.
Yeah, absolutely, and probably pick up a copy of Operationally Felt Manage cost to increase profit and enhance performance would be a good starting point and entry point into Dwayne deson Business Strategist And look, thanks for your time here, Dwayne. I think you explain things rather well. We appreciate it. Let's pres it down the road. How about that.
I look forward to it.
Yeah, gallup, this gallup thing. Employee engagement in the US fell to its lowest level in ten years in twenty twenty four. Again, thirty one percent of workers say they feel engaged. Let me do my Ohio University math. Oh yeah, that would mean sixty nine percent of us. Sixty nine percent of us don't feel engaged at all on the job. Thirty nine percent of workers feel strongly that their employers
care about them as people. This isn't Yes, this is a worker problem, but the cause of the worker problem is not the worker, by and large, it's what's happening above that worker, middle management, and then who sits in the c suite and dictates all of this stuff. And by the way, if you own a company, it's costing you boku bucks coming up on ten fifty five. It's
ken Brew for Scott Sloan on this Thanksgiving Day. In a moment, if you're traveling this weekend, beware of the airline you have a ticket for, because it may not be as seamless as it would seem seven hundred w welw do you want to.
Be an American idiot?
Oh, whatever you do, please don't don't ever do that. Don't ever be that reflects poorly on America. Welcome back hen Brew for Scott Sloan Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to you. I hope wherever you are today that you're celebrating this with family friends. I know that doesn't often happen, and I know that often on a lot of Thanksgivings, it doesn't happen for everyone. And for those of you struggling with the holidays today, I get it. I totally get it.
And if you know somebody that maybe is maybe they've suffered the loss of a loved one in the last year and this is a really wretching Thanksgiving for them, or perhaps someone who doesn't have any family that you know of, knock on the door and if you're so inclined to invite them over, because these these holidays are great if you are a family or a congo conglobration of families, I mean anymore, that's what we are. We're
hybrid families. But if you know somebody that is not part of a family today, maybe somebody you live in a neighborhood with, or maybe somebody you see at Kroger, or maybe somebody that you just know from your church, or whatever it may be. It's not bad to call up and say, hey, you know, we're having dinner today
at four o'clock. Would you like to join us? We all have one thing to be thankful for, And it doesn't matter who we are, And it doesn't matter what our financial status is, or what kind of race we are or ethnicity, how we choose to if we choose to worship. We all have one thing in common. We're alive today. We woke up this morning, and there is that to be thankful for. So on all of that, Happy Thanksgiving to you. If you're traveling this Thanksgiving, you
know that it is an adventure. Thank god they've got the government shutdown over with. I can't imagine what the shutdown would have been like if it was still an effect for this particular holiday, because, as we've already noted, last year's stats showed us that over seven million people traveled on the Thanksgiving Day weekend, and a majority of those traveled by air. And if you're traveling by air,
you do one or two things. You go to the airline you're most comfortable with, or you find the airline that you can afford. And there are a lot of good low cost airlines there are, they're not the best. You have to go in there and understanding that they operate on a slimmer budget and so because of that they may not have all the amenities of the bigger airlines.
Finance Buzz, and I have to be honest with you, I've never heard of this finance Buzz, but it reviewed stats on the numbers of canceled and delayed flights, mishandled bags, average arrival, and delayed lengths.
And.
They were awarding scores to airlines. Now, this survey apparently occurred over the last three months. Guess which airline scored the best. It's an airline that you used to have a hub here, Delta. Of all the airlines, its score came out as thirty five point nine. What does that mean, Well, fifty was perfect. Delta scored thirty five point nine. Right behind it was Hawaiian Air at thirty two point nine. Sure there's a weather reason for that, and then came
Southwest at twenty seven. And again this is a conglomeration of stats flights delayed, flights canceled, average delay length, and the percentage of mishandled bags. Low cost airlines Frontier eighteen point seven, Allegiant eighteen point four, American not much better. They came in at twenty. The average flight delay for Delta was sixty five minutes. That doesn't sound great, but it was sixty six for United, seventy five for American, seventy five for Allegiant. So what does all this mean?
And if you're flying, if you've already bought a ticket for this weekend, well, you know what, You're stuck with the ticket you got. But if you're thinking of buying a ticket for travel later in this holiday season, listen up. Brandon Blewett is about to weigh in, Say ken, Who is Brandon Blewett. Well, he's an expert on airline passenger experience and has written a book which is a really funny book, How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes, Survival Guide
for the frequent business traveler. He liges in so many miles on airlines it equals seventy round trips around the world. And he's standing by the way in on exactly what this Finance Buzz rating and scorecard was all about and Brandon blew it. How are you on this glorious Thanksgiving day?
You know what, I'm good. My flight was not delayed. So what more can I say?
You're so you're the guy? Okay, you're the guy.
I have his play delayed.
I'm looking at these numbers here. They're not very good, even for Delta, which is the top rated airline here in terms of percentage of flights delayed, percentage of flights canceled, the average delay length, the average of mishandled bags. I mean, the numbers here are not good. So I guess I'm asking is is Delta the king of the hill? And if so, what hill is it king of?
It's really interesting the list of Finance Buzz put out right, because how they factored it is what's the most disruptive and what is the least dependable? Probably depends on you know how often you travel, and you know what your travel plans are.
Because for me, I travel every week.
So if a flight's delayed, yes that's annoying, but it's not going to be devastating. So a flight cancelation would be the bigger drawback for me. You know, I'm looking through the you know, the stats, and it looked like, you know, Delta, you know, score the best in almost you know, every category.
So look, they have, they have a stellar reputation.
I lived in Atlanta four eleven years, flew them every week and generally had a very very positive experience with them. So I do think that they are you know, king of the hill, so to speak, based on the latest ratings. I also think with airlines that you mentioned that the ratings aren't that good for all of them.
Yeah, that's fair. I do think that the.
Airline industry in general has to deal with so many external factors that a lot of other businesses don't have to deal with, you know, namely weather. If you have a hub and spoke model and a storm rolls through your hub, that's just going to cause the chain reaction of bad events that happen, you know, across your entire network.
Yeah. No, no, that's true. There's a lot of things that are outside the airlines controlled, there's no question about that. And just the skies are jammed, let's face it. I mean, these air traffic controllers are They're wizards and make holding this work. But I'd be interested to drill down and see what they mean by number of flights delayed. If you leave the gate, if that plane pushes back sits on the tarmac, is it delayed because it left the
gate on time? And the percentage of flights canceled? Okay, I think you really can't get around that one. All that much percentage of bags mishandled? Well, what does mishandled mean? Does it not arrive when you're there? Does it mean it's banged up? Does it mean you have to wait longer at the carousel for the bag to be delivered? Some of this stuff is on its surface, okay, But
when you drill down, let's just take flights delayed. You know, there's some wadlines that say, hey, it's another on time departure. Then you sit on the tarmac for two So flights is a really kind of nebulous thing, is it not?
It is, And it's even more complicated by the fact that, as I understand, the FAA used to measure it based on arrival time, so long as you were within thirty minutes of your scheduled arrival.
So there's even a little bit of wiggle room for the airline.
There, and I think what shall also see with many of the airlines now is we'll pad the flight time, right, So even if you sit on the tarmac for an extra twenty minutes because they have booked, say three hours before a flight that's likely only two hours and twenty minutes in airtime, you'll still wind up that your destination on time, so as I understand, and what they use here to calculate was not based on when you leave
the gate. It's based on when the plane arrives at the gate of your destination.
Yes, yeah, okay, So.
Out of a score of fifty, Delta was overall thirty five point nine, and the rest of the airlines that we would fly here in this area of the country would not stack up all that well. I guess the next ranked one was Hawaiian Air, but obviously Cincinnati. He's gotten far away from Hawaii's you can get.
When you're only flying between the California and Hawaii, the weather's always perfect, you're probably not going to be a subject to most of the elements of the rest of the country as well.
But when you get to airlines like United and Spirit and American in Frontier and Allegian and the Jet Blue, and Southwest you're talking basically fifty percent. If the score is fifty these airlines are all scoring below twenty five percent. So that's not good, is it?
No, it's not.
And if you look at Southwest in particular, so for Southwest and percent of percent of flights canceled, you'll notice THEIRS is two point four percent, which is higher than I think almost every other airlines stay of Alaska. If you look at Delta, United, an American, you'll see they're all below one percent. And the reason for that is that Delta American and United have a hub and spoke model, so they within their network they have call it eight to ten airports where all of their show and they
all leave there. So if you're able to fly people to that hub, the likelihood that they can get a new plane, get a new crew. If something you know where to go wrong, you know your inbound crew or your inbound plane are delayed, they can mobilize. They have mechanical operations at those the at those airports, and so they're able to get things moving.
When you see airlines like.
South West, they're more of a point to point airline, so they don't fly everything into one You know, into eight to ten airports and everything goes from there. So if a flight gets delayed or canceled, it causes a serious chain of the events where all these subsequent flights
that were depending on that aircraft could get canceled. And then airlines like you know, Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, you know Jet Blue, to some extent, they just have a very limited network and so if a flight gets canceled or a flag gets severely delayed, it just creates, you know, math chaos within the system for the rest of the day.
Well, and that brings me to the to the cheap or low cost airlines, Frontier Allegiant, They're both way down the list. Frontier eighteen point seven out of fifty, Allegiant eighteen point four out of fifty. They are delayed percentages right around twenty five percent, cancelations right around two sent a little better for Frontier. Maybe it's me I fly Allegiant a lot. I like the airline. I just want to get to where I'm going. I don't I don't need,
you know, a lot of frills. Most of their flights to where I go are less than two hours. But why would Frontier an Allegiant be that way, allegiant is point to point I think you just mentioned that, you know, will do I mean a plane will fly from Cincinnati to Fort Lauderdale and turn around to I'm back from
Fort Lauderdale to Cincinnati. So the stress is on that is on that particular crew, on that particular flight, on that particular situation, because if you strand a bunch of passengers in Cincinnati, you're also stranding a bunch of passengers in in Fort Lauderdale. They're not going to fly another play plane end to grab a bunch of people from Fort Lauderdale. So but why don't they rates so low? I don't I don't understand that.
Well.
They also they don't have the same number of aircraft. If you look at the number of aircraft in the fleets for you know, Delta, American, United and probably Southwest, they have a lot more planes. So if something goes wrong and a plane has to be taken off shelf for for an extended period of time, there's there's not just let's go get the plane that's at you know, East seventeen. You know, if you're at DFW and bring it over here, because you know it was you know,
just brought back into commission per maintenance. It just it causes a cascade that it's really really hard for those for those airlines, you know, like Allegiate like Frontier to catch up from.
That makes sense. Brandon Blew It's an expert on airline passenger experience. He's the author of How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes survival guide for the frequent business traveler. How do you avoid strangers on airplanes? They're all strangers. You just wrought the stranger that doesn't talk to you right.
By my book that you hold up the cover and people get the points.
Go.
It's all in. It's all in the jacket. It's all in the jacket. What did you exactly what did you make of transfer to As Secretary Sean Duffy is saying this week that he wants people to dress up more on airlines and flights and not wear pajamas or I guess like sweatpants and things like that that hopefully if you dress better there would be fewer I guess, fistfights on the Spirit airlines. But my point being is, I mean,
it's kind of like we have gotten sloppy. I'm old enough to remember when you literally did get dressed up to fly on an airplane. Those days have long gone. But what did you make of what he had to say this week?
I actually agree with it wholeheartedly. I think that when you I'm not saying that.
Everyone needs to go back to wearing a suit and high right, But I do think there is an element if you're showing up in pajama pants and flip flops and you know, hoodie, something that you would only wear your home, you start to view your surroundings out in public as your home. And I think that's when you think that everything should be accommodating to you and your wishes, and it's like, no, we're in an airport, we're on a plane.
It's in a shared space. It's a limited space.
And I've noticed, look when I you know, we do a lot of remote work, but when I show up to work and I have a meeting, and you know, I dress for the occasion, it elevates my performance. And I think that there is an element to that that, yeah, we we've gotten a little bit sloppy.
And I think it it may make maybe.
It's marginal improvements and passenger behavior, but I don't think it's going to hurt by any stretch of the imagination.
No, I don't either. And I just think that decorum in this country obviously, has has taken a really sharp turn for the worst in the last couple of decades. And here we are today, And when you're stuck in this aluminum tube, uh for three or four hours with someone, the last thing you want is that someone to come in there and they sit down next to you and they got their pajamas on, and chances are they just rolled out of bed and they didn't shower and they stink.
I got you here. Here's another pet peeve of my brand. It's sorry. I'm just gonna say, bring it. I think they should ban outside food on a plane because invariably somebody is going to come strutting down that aisle. It's loaded with onions and garlic or some other curry or something is just going to stink to high heaven. These airlines should say no outside food on this plane, and then and then and then some food on the plane for free. How about that?
I think they we'll have to talk to the airline executives about about the latter point. I do agree with with your point on bringing obnoxious smelling foods onto the plane.
I always laugh. I fly between Washington, Dulles and.
Dallas Fort Worth, you know, at least once a month, and there is a Benz Chili across from the from the gate, and I just thought, what a what a horrible thing to eat, either before you get on the plane or on the plane. It should a minimum, should be limited to cold foods that do not smell.
I worked in Washington, DC. I've been to the actual Ben's Chili and it is it's a landmark in DC. It's not I guess the airport. One is just kind of like a branch. The other is uh is in downtown d C. And I've been to it. It's very good. I mean, I like it. But you're right, you you know it's Ben's Chili about a block and a half before you get to Ben's Chili. So imagine walking down the aisle of a plane, either having just consumed it or bringing what wasn't on the plane. It's just it's
it's just it's it just drives me crazy. Well anyway, Uh, this is interesting stuff, and you're an interesting guy. And again, Brandon's book has how to avoid strangers on airplanes survival guide for the frequent business traveler. Sounds like a good read for anyone that's boarding a plane this holiday season. Uh, Brandon, you stay well and hopefully we can visit again down the road.
Thanks absolutely, enjoy it.
Delta was also recently named best US Airline by Forbes. In its second an You Will Verified Air Travel Awards Performs, the airline received five awards, the most of all airlines considered. They also say that Delta's complimentary Wi Fi and customer service a big benefit passengers. Remember the days at CBG you could fly anywhere in the country, it seemed before the merger, right, what was it the merger with Northwest you could go anywhere, and then of course it was
calm air and how wonderful that. Don't get me going on what happened to Delta here in Cincinnati. But if you fly Delta now know that you are flying the airline that received finance buzz top Breeding in twenty twenty five. Say that to yourself. If you know you got like a two hour delay, it might comfort you. It's eleven twenty six on this Thanksgiving morning. Ken Brew for Scott's Loan News Radio seven hundred WLW on this Thanksgiving morning. Good morning, I am ken Brew and for Scott's loan.
Today Bengals football down the road. Of course, No t Higgins, he's out with a concussion. Joe Burrow is back, and so is Jamar Chase. After that spitting incident against the Steelers a couple of weeks ago, someone asked Jamar this week in his news conference if he's worried about his image now being a team captain and then you know, dropping a loogie on an opposing player and you know, lying about it initially, and he just this is what he had to say.
I mean, I at think of the day, I don't really have them to approve who I am. I mean, do you like me or you don't. I could care less. I'm still gonna go for that end of the day. I got kids, I got people to take care of, so I could really care less. So I'm going out there and be the same play I am. You know what I'm saying, and play football as at the end of the day, nobody gonna stop me from who I am.
See if the Ravens can stop him tonight they have not in games past. He is Last year he had went to town on the Ravens defense. So we'll see what happens tonight pregame show at four all the play by play with Dave Lapham and Dan Horde beginning at eight fifteen tonight right here on seven hundred at WLW. I heard mentioned in our newscast in the last couple of actually the last couple of newscasts, that Mike DeWine was on with Willie this week and he wants to
work with the NFL to outlaw prop player bets. And my thinking is two pases out of the tube. Dude, I'm not sure you can do that, and I'm not sure you don't open yourself up to litigation from fan duel and DraftKings and some of these other books that are already in this state and making Hay I mean, he was not successful in blocking high school player nil money, which was just signed into law, So I'm not sure that or just became law. I should say, would be
the more the more applicable term. But you know, I mean, once you once you've okated, once the voters have voted for it, once it's there, you're you're You're not going to be able to go back and say, well, wait a minute, that's not what we really want. And quite truthfully, by the time it would get reversed, if it could get reversed, he's not going to be around anyway, and he will, he'll be out of office. But I just
don't think you can do that. I think you open yourself up for a lot of things that you don't want to open yourself too. I mean, it's noble with all of the specter of fixing that's gone on with the NBA and with Major League Baseball recently, but I think it's a noble offer. It just I just I think you're you're kind of wasting your time there. But you can gamble today, and there are prop bets available today, and what better source to turn to for wagering information
is our next guest. He is the wagering guru at Pro Footballfocus dot Com. As a matter of fact, Pro Footballfocus dot Com kind of takes the guesswork out of making money when you wager legally, of course, and Mason Cameron's here to talk about all of that as we count down to NFL games that begin here in less than an hour. Mason Cameron, how are you on this glorious Thanksgiving Day?
And I'm good.
I'm good.
Always a good day.
To be on here with you, God bless you. I love it when you say that. Look, is it fair to say that. I think a lot of people they like the idea of gambling, but they don't really have the knowledge that they need when it comes to gambling. I says there's a lot of people out there that like the action, but they don't know how to play the action. Is that a fair assessment?
Yeah, I mean I would say that that is a great assessment of the situation. You know, ninety five percent of the betting public really doesn't quite understand some of the new wants that go into wagering on the NFL. And you know, the books have been around for a long time. They know what they're doing. They're sharp for a reason, and it's difficult to find edges against them if you don't really know where to look or if you're going, you know, with your guts. So it's it's
one of those things where the casual better. You know, they tend to lean in on the vibes, and you know they bet with incomplete info, you know, name value things like that.
I can't tell you how many times you know, a buddy of mine, you know, in the group, Chech goes he's due, He's due for a big one. And that's that's just not how this goes.
When we talk about what sharps do, sharps bet with data and expected value margins.
So when we talk.
About some of those things, the expected value is really when we when we see a line by the book, it has a implied probability of what the book is expecting to happen with this line, and frequently we as casual betters just don't take that into account.
And when we have a projection based against.
That, that's really where you get in between the margins and find where the real value in the market are.
Yeah, I love the gut angle to that. You know, oh man, you know they've lost three straight so they're due. Oh oh, you know they played a three to four a month ago and they do really too well against that defense. And you know, running back X really knows how to hit, you know, the the outside run and where that's where it's going to go. He's gonna have a big day, you know. I think he's gonna have one hundred yard day. And it's like, if you're thinking
that don't you think the teams are thinking that? And don't they like adjust when that happens. I mean it's like there are people, as you just said, I think in so many words, there are people out there that just know more than you do. I think gut, I think gut. Anything is bad. They trust your gut. No, I'm not no analyze it and make your best call anything in life, but certainly.
With game right Yeah, no, absolutely.
I mean your gut might tell you one thing, but when you break into the data, it can tell you something entirely different in regards to where you should be targeting.
You know, a lot of this.
Stuff comes from It's a similar thing with fantasy football. A lot of this comes with name value and people see, oh, I have X receiver that I have to play every single week because you.
Know I drafted him highly or something like that.
It's a very similar thing where the public loves to bet on guys that are bigger names, and sometimes that's just not where it is.
Because the books pay attention to.
They bet these lines, they know where the money's coming in, and they adjust accordingly.
So you've got this thing at pro Footballfocus dot Com. It's the player prop tool, and we talked about gut. Now this tool obviously collates and gets as much information to the betting public as possible. But this one is fascinating. I think is getting burnt by overs, getting burnt by an over. To me, if you get burned there, that's like the easiest thing to fix, because you should never be getting burnt by overs. Is that one of the easiest things to fix?
I would say, Yet it's so overs all in all aren't all bad.
It's just you have to be more selective with the matchups in the spot that you pick. It sort of goes into what we were just saying, where the casual betters they go to take the big name to go over big lines, and that's just not where the value lies in the market. The real game of betting is finding the value versus what the book is expecting. So
just an example, say Von Barkley. We all know excellent player, excellent running back, phenomenal dude, and he continues to be priced very, very high with both his average yardage line this season sits around about eighty two and a half yards.
That's insane when we.
Talk about he's only exceeded that expectation three times this season, so betters are going to continue to go and pour money on his overs where even when it doesn't really match up.
The underplays are strong there.
Now, it's not just the sweeping, you know, proclamation of only take unders. It's more of a we have to be more selective with our over bets versus where we take unders, because especially with some of these big names, the name value is priced into their line.
Yeah. And I think what's going on with a lot of these folks that struggle with that is it's emotion. It's an emotional thing. You mentioned, like in fantasy football, you draft the guy, Hey, I'm going to play this guy. It took him in the second round. Even if the guys a stiff and not having a good season, you keep playing him thinking, you know, it's just a matter
of time he's going to hit his stride. So I think what we're talking about here is distracting the emotion out of the equation and bringing more facts into the equation. Would that be a good way of putting it.
Yeah, absolutely couldn't agree more.
By the way We're chatting with Mason Cameron Profootballfocus dot Com. And I mean, it's the most analytical website for any sport anywhere that's out there, and he, as I said, as they're wagering, guru, give me an example of a player this year, don't matter whether he's a running back, quarterback, wide receiver. Give me an example of one player this year who is true to form to the stats that you have seen on that player before any given week.
Is there anybody that just more often than not hits the mark.
So it's difficult to say completely because what happens is books really do make these adjustments and they probably address better than anybody in the business on what they're seeing on the field and analytics.
That they're seeing.
But what we do see is that frequently it's these players that you don't really see a ton of, or players with lower lines that hit more frequently. You know, just as one example, Alex Pierce is a guy that I love to bet in situations where he sees man coverage, coles wide receiver, ALC piers where he sees man coverage or single high coverages, because that is a guy that gets the ball in those situations. He has a higher
yards per route run instance in those. Now, again it really depends on how books are viewing this to see where the value lies, because again, betting isn't necessarily about saying, hey, this player good, but it's also about analyzing every piece of it as well as the probability of them to hit the line, as well as the value given based on how books are pricing it. So that's one example, and I'll have another one here or you hear it a little bit.
I've been working on some of these Thanksgiving games and I have one that I like that I'm going to give to all the listeners here at the end.
Sweet Sweet, Absolutely, And I guess a lot of it depends on hell too. By the way, Pierce former University of Cincinnati standout, and I think a lot of it depends on health. Pierce has had the same quarterback all year. A guy like Jamar Chase is a mercurial because Joe Burrow has been out for the majority of the season, So I think that too would have to factor into it as well.
Right, Yeah, absolutely, absolutely circumstances. So just as a great example, this week, we saw lines fluctuate quite a bit regarding like a guy like T Higgins, where T Higgins was playing a matchup against a Patriots defense that is susceptible to some deep balls, is susceptible.
Through the passing game.
And you know, when throughout the week we're talking about Joe Burrow potentially coming back, and there wasn't really a you know for sure until I think it was maybe Friday when we knew that, okay, he's not going to be coming back.
In the market.
Itself adjust based on that info.
So it is good to get in early, to get in often, and to really shop the lines throughout the week and find the right time to jump on a specific line that you might like, whether it be an over on a lower line or an under on a higher line.
Yeah, by the way, Burrow is back, and you know he's he's playing in this game tonight, And I'm just I'm just wondering as you look at that game. I think the last and latest line I saw on this game was Baltimore minus seven. What do you expect from Burrow? And what do you think plays out in this game for Cincinnati win loss, or or what? How do you see it?
So this one is definitely a difficult read.
On the surface, I think that the plus seven isn't a bad look. It's a little difficult on the road, I would say, particularly when we've seen what we've seen from this Baltimore Ravens defense after their adjustments, So this is a great team making adjustments. What the Ravens did is they did a similar thing this last season where they move Kyle Hamilton around. They've had issues inside in the box, so they actually took Kyle Hamilton from a deep free safety look.
They brought him more into the box. He plays more slot. He's up there with being one of.
Their Petter linebackers, and they love to get him in situations where he can affect the game and where he can draw attention. So one of the looks that this Ravens team likes to do is they do a double mug blitz look where they bring Kyle Hamilton and Smith into the right onto the A gaps and then they'll stunt out of it and bring the pressure and.
Bring the heat.
So really a big decider for this one is going to be how Joe Burrow plays against the blitz and against that stunt look in particular. And he's actually had a pretty solid career sample of being able to beat the blitz, so there is some potential.
There for the plus seven it's it's going to really come down to if the defense can hold Lamar down just a little bit.
Yeah, And the total is a big number here too, fifty one and a half. You know, I think they're banking on the fact that the Bengals defense isn't all that good and that Burrow is back. That's a pretty hefty number. So was that your special you were promising us here, Mason? Was that the special I got?
Oh?
You got another one?
I got?
I got one more for you.
So what i'mk in here this week is it's actually going to be an over And this is one of those spots where we do, like I said, I mean, it is a bigger name, but it is one where the books sort of have this price a little bit lower than I would have expected, and we're going to sort of attack on an over margin here. But when I look at a guy like Jordan.
Love playing Detroit, and we see Detroit.
This is a defense that runs one of the highest man coverage rates in the NFL. And even with you know, they've had some injuries in the back end there, even with some guys potentially coming back this week, that's one of those things where man coverage is a difficult scheme to run at a high level.
And when we talk about what Jordan Love has been able to produce against man coverage looks this season.
He's the highest rated passer in the NFL against man coverage, and his passing yardage line right now is two twenty eight and a half.
Our projection on the tool.
Sits about nine yards higher than that, at about two thirty seven and a half.
Wow. Wow, Well, we'll see that. Looks like a smart play as well. At any event, we'll get answers. You're starting at about about a half an hour a little more than that, Okay, Mason Cameron, thanks for your time. You stay well and we will visit down the road.
Take take care.
You bet, you bet. It's eleven fifty six on this Thanksgiving morning. Sterling is next on the home of your Cincinnati Bengals. Seven hundred W l W