Oh, let's get it going.

Good morning, Merry Christmas, and welcome in to this excursion, our yearly gathering.

They bring together.

Four bright minds, the four brightest minds in Cincinnati Sports in one room.

Who's the fourth?

We always say somebody should be left behind in case something happens to all of us, because if that's the case, the designated survivors left the seg or our Chad Brundle, and that could get really merry Christmas everybody.

Our task this morning is to reset, walk through, recap the year in Cincinnati Sports, and look ahead to twenty twenty six.

Lance Pacallister, Moeger, Tony Pike, Austin Elmore.

We are all decked out in our in our Christmas footy pajamas, Tony has a Austin has an elf, hat Mo has sleigh bells, and I'm wearing a Santa Claus beard.

And we're already the sight for what is about credible?

What is about to unfold?

We joke, but one of these years we are going to do whether it's Meredith who agrees or Molly agrees, We're going to do this from somebody's living room.

Awesome.

Perhaps going to be rock paper scissors to decide who gets it.

Well, Tony's'll be the noisiest.

Yes, well mine this morning, I could assure you whatever we're doing, Taylor Swift is a part of it, so you'll hear that.

So you have grown kids, Austin has no kids.

So it depends on how much chaos we want.

True, my kids aren't allowed to open anything until we all sit down and listen to this show in its entirety.

You're not gonna open them as you listen to this show.

Nope.

Wow, they're just gonna sit.

They're sitting and watching and listening.

See, our household doesn't Christmas doesn't begin.

I've said this.

We always used to negotiate the time Christmas would start because they'd want to get up.

Casey Peyton would want to get up at five and run down the hall.

Now we're to the point where you have to dootiate Casey actually getting up to open the Presence, or he'd sleep till one.

See, you're lucky because you escaped the Elf on the shelf.

E Tony and I have been been practicing for almost four weeks because of Elf on the Shelf.

How many times have you been laying in bed and realize, oh crap, I forgot to, so.

My wife check on the elf.

My wife and I usually have a you know, meeting at night, like who's doing tonight.

The day we're recording this, I woke up at seven o'clock in a panic, in a panic, and it's like I had to go into the room next door and get the stuff.

And I don't want to spoil this for anybody who may be listening, but I had to go get the stuff, take it to another room, write the note, and as soon as I got done, she came downstairs.

My wife despises the elf, and at the start of it, I was like, well, I'll do it.

Yeah, how hard can this be?

It's awful.

Yes, it's unbelievable.

I spend my day furiously like looking up elf ideas.

Yesterday I had a string going from our banister to our tree, and our elf was just riding down this string.

Not sure why not true?

So that was like and then the very next day, it's like, the elf is sitting on the table because I forget I'm.

Either elaborate or right.

The kids are coming downstairs, and I gotta throw that thing somewhere.

Yes, magic of Christmas.

Let's get to it.

We've broken this down into segments.

It's very researched, very very well structured and prepared, and then we're just gonna blow the whole thing up.

We'll start with the high points.

I figure we start high and then work our way down short of segment.

Yeah, exactly right.

The high points of Cincinnati Sports twenty twenty five.

I'll throw out the Reds, who made the postseason for the first time since twenty thirteen.

It was a season and a journey where I think people gave up on the Reds about seventeen times at various points during the season, and then late in the season we were scoreboard watching, got some help from the Mets, but the Cincinnati Reds in twenty twenty five actually made the postseason in a full season for the first time since twenty thirteen.

Cockroaches couldn't care.

I remember walking out of the ballpark that Friday before the NFL season started.

They lost that Friday game against the Mets, fell six back, and it's like, all right, well, they literally got us to football season.

Tony and I talked about that a lot, like they literally got us to football season, and then quietly without a lot of people paying attention.

They won the next two games and kind of took off from there.

There was this cool debut series of Chase Burns or Not, like it felt like every team he started against was a perennial contender, Like the hardest start to your career you could ever have.

But I think it, unfortunately says kind of the landscape of Cincinnati sports in the last year that when you talk about high points, we talk about Savannah Bananas came into town and a high school football game in pouring rain that brought twenty two thousand plus down to downtown Cincinnati.

I mean, that was incredible in itself, but there wasn't as many high points as maybe we've had in years past.

But certainly sayt Nex and Elder and what they did.

You think about what that game would have been if it was nice weather, Holy cow, if they had planned it.

From the planet, from the GOP and the thing that started with seven thousand at Mason from the initial plan it turns into twenty two thousand plus.

Incredible.

Yeah, going back to the Reds, the thing for me is like, for the first time in a long time, it felt like they were actually trying it felt like there was an energy about them, whether it be getting rid of jam or Candelario calling up Chase Burns, moving guys around, making trades at the deadline.

There was an energy about the Reds this year that I appreciated.

And obviously it fizzled out towards the end in the playoffs, but for the first time in a while, you felt that energy around the ball club again, which I was excited about.

And that night with Birds, I mean the anticipation and the build up and just the short of time from the time they drafted into He's on a Major League mount of Great American Ballpark facing the Yankees, and there was electricity that was almost like Homer Bailey debut, like Jay Bruce debut, like Roman Yeah, a Rolls Chapman.

It felt big that night, and against the big bad Yankees for his debut.

Yeah.

And to me, I just think of the number of times they would lose a game, and this goes back to the middle of this summer, the number of times they would lose a game and you go, Okay, that's it, and you know, we it got to the point that we sort of made fun of it, but they never got swept in a series.

You know, right, never got swept, But you can't lose four, five, six, seven, eight in a row if you don't get swept in a series.

That team found a way to stay afloat to the very end and they made the postseason.

They were very quickly swept out of the postseason.

Didn't really feel like they have participated in the postseason.

But to have something like that in September, which has been so few and far between this century, was a lot of fun.

It made you appreciate what the crowds and the atmosphere can be, and the team's competitive in Cincinnati just going down to the ballpark.

I remember the was that the Pirates came in late in town and I'm sitting there at the dinner table like I got to take the kids down, like you don't know when this is going to happen.

And the environments were awesome, and you know, I equated him many times on the show this year to like a boxer who it feels like he's about to get knocked out and he somehow survives around and he comes back out the next round and he's back in it.

It felt like that ten different times this season with the Cincinnati Rep.

I went to twenty five Reds games in four states this summer, and obviously they didn't play Bristol, including Bristol, which was a disaster in and of itself that we'll get to.

But it was just a fun team that drew you in.

They didn't always play in a fun way, but they drew you in, and it made you wonder, Okay, what is the Francona era actually going to look like by the time it's all said and done.

And FC Cincinnati is going to show up later on a list of low points.

But the fact that they knock out the Columbus Crew in in a three game series and Brenner scores twice, that was like the first step in what everybody thought, all right, they're going to the MLS Championship and then we'll get to the low point later.

But that moment with him against that team, that's like a Bengals Steeler moment when it's f C Cincinnati the Crew and they knocked him out of the playoffs.

So farst is after losing to them in the Eastern Final two years prior, they lose Game two and just got absolutely smoked.

Yep, and anybody who's a.

Cincinnati sports fan felt like that was Okay, they missed their chance to win up there.

Now Columbus is going to come back here and win.

Really, that entire season, the regular season was such a high point because it started so weird, right they trade away an MVP yep, and then they get an MVP candidate Pat Noonan's done a great job.

I know things fizzled out with the way they played against Miami, but the night that they beat Columbus, I just I'm so excited for Major League Soccer to adjust its calendar because that got buried amid all the other stuff.

But for diehard fans of that club, that was a special night.

I think one of the high points, along with just the season, is what that organization continues to do, because it never feels like with FC Cincinnati that they just go all in for one year and then you're worry about the rest.

Like they they have a plan.

They're going to continue to be aggressive, not just for the season they're in, but they're going to be aggressive for the future as well, and I think that gives you confidence as a fan to know, Okay, this organization's going to try to win year in and year out.

All right, those are some of the high points.

We didn't even mention.

The Bengals is a high point.

And the return of Joe and now everybody thought he had written are there anyways.

They started doing.

Oh gotta get off to a fast start.

It's on my point.

Show's over.

Let's go perfect transition into low points as we continue.

MO Tony Austin, I'm Liance, thanks for hanging out with this.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks for hanging out with us on this Christmas morning at Sports Talk the Yearine Review and look Ahead show on seven hundred WLW.

Poof we work as hard as sent his elves to keep you happy poo and let me tell you these stupid curled elf shoes are killing my feet.

Happy Holidays from seven hundred WLW.

I'm Jeff Stevens.

If you're like me, you're super excited for the upcoming holiday season.

It's going to be great and I've got some time off and I look forward to spending some of that at one of the locations of Hanson Audio Video.

If you're looking for a home theater, outdoor entertainment, hi fi audio, home technology, even a golf simulator and more, Hanson Audio Video has it Visit them on Far Hills in Dayton, or they're newly remodeled Experience and Center at Montgomery Road in two seventy five in Cincinnati.

Make this Christmas an extra special one at Hanson Audio Video.

Happy Holidays from the Bengals.

The Bengals welcome the NFC West Arizona Cardinals to Paypoor Stadium on Sunday, December twenty eighth at one pm.

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Mary christmas And welcome back in To Sports, talk The year and review and look ahead, show fine tuned with precision by executive Producer drew Wester.

Hiding just a flow to this.

Show good For Tony bender to finally have A christmas morning.

Off yeah To.

Tony by the.

Way one of the biggest parts of twenty twenty five the rise of Drewby yeah For Western, heidi that's, Right, yeah, right the ascension.

Of drew and our.

Building he's been all over the.

Place, yes we're serving eggnog this.

Morning i'm just happy to be.

Here breakfast cocktails are.

Right that's the.

POINT a couple of months, AGO i didn't know IF i be doing this show.

Today.

Yeah is that part of the low points we're gonna?

GET i forgot at the top of the.

List wait a, minute we're gonna have to insert this into my unofficial.

Rundown it says here The Lost.

Weekend there was also The lost.

Job oh, MAN i completely blanked on that, one.

So did the people who Let tony.

Go let's let's go to The Lost.

Weekend it Was november twenty first through the twenty, third and let's see in a matter of how many hours you see loses downtown To.

Louisville in, basketball you see loses TO.

Byu With Big monday in town and hopes and dreams of A big twelve championship dancing at our.

Minds The bengals lose to The, patriots AND Fc cincinnati gets blown out By mess In miami four nil all in a period of what forty eight sixty, hours and the devastration and destruction left.

Behind everything was in rubble at that.

Point, well to pick up with from what we said in the last, segment like after since AN Fc cincinnati had Beaten, columbus there was a lot of confidence because they had Owned miami in the last couple of, meetings including with or WITHOUT messi so you're feeling great about that energy all over downtown.

And you get your face bashed.

IN i remember we were wondering which of those games do you feel most confident?

In everyone said UP C.

Cincinnati everybody SAID Fc.

Cincinnati.

YEAH i didn't feel great ABOUT uc Beating.

Louisville ALTHOUGH i loved how they played in the first, HALF i didn't really think they would BEAT, byu counting on The bengals as a fool's errand so, YEAH i for it.

To unfold the way they.

Did AND i think you could tell when we went to bed On friday, night it's, like all, right The bearcats lost To.

Louisville it ain't gonna get any better this.

Weekend IF i could go back to that, NIGHT i would happily take THAT uc basketball.

Team, yeah because the WAY i felt about, them even after a.

Loss LIKE i remember leaving the arena AND i said this To.

MO i hated how many people were content with a ten.

Points it was, like, well we, competed played hard Against.

Louisville i'm, like, man is that where this program is?

At and then THE u see AND i know it's it's the loss TO byu with big newon, kickoff but it's really the microcosm of what happened down the stretch for The Cincinnati.

Bearcats there's the low point seven straight wins AND i drank the kool.

AID i liked what they were doing on.

OFFENSE i liked the pieces they had special teams was, elite and you're, thinking, man they could compete to play In dallas for A big twelve.

Championship and then it was a complete collapse down the, stretch just more pain For Cincinnati bearcat, fans.

The moment Show Heyo tani stepped in the batter's box In game one against the against the against The dodgers was a low.

Point, say When hunter bounced the ball about eight foot and for eight feet in front of.

HIM i Love Hunter, green but when he took him deep and hit the ball about five hundred, feet it was Like Eric davis against The a's where you just knew and it was the same.

Thing you just kind of.

Knew best of three they have not it was that.

Classic the ball sounds different coming off the.

Bat i'll never forget would show hey hit the, BALL i.

Jumped it was so loud off the.

Bat and that's After Blake snell had used a total OF i think eight pitches to retire The reds in the top of the first and just it was like that smack of, reality like welcome to Major League baseball and The Los angeles.

DODGE i wember thinking, like all, right now he's going to settle.

In you, know he gave up the big.

One now he can settle.

In and it didn't.

Happen to go back to that lost, weekend The bengals were playing The, patriots they were doing so Without Jamar chase because the previous Week Jamar chase said spit On Jalen ramsey and that was a hot.

Topic and then, meanwhile there's the idea That burrow could actually come back for The patriots.

Game he ends up being held out and The bengals played one of their best games of the season against one of the best teams in THE.

Afc and that's one of those what.

Ifs If burrow had, played If chase had, played had The bengals won that?

Game does this season turn out a lot?

Different it's unfortunately a season of what, ifs and every loss was a what?

If, yeah you know you You, Bears, Jets.

VIKINGS i went back this morning and looked and how they gave up AND i know the defense has been, bad but they gave up forty eight points To Curson wentz in The Minnesota.

Vikings you just look at some games that they, like what The jet that?

Happened The jets just the fields and The jets like The bills where you have it Like and it wasn't until The buffalo game WHERE i allowed myself to buy back in that they're just saying like this is In.

Buffalo it's in the Snow burrow's.

Back they can do, this that they can go on this run that everyone has talked.

About mixed that in with the race like it's it's so many, TIMES i feel like with so Many cincinnati, sports and you can equate it to The reds where they lose a game and you say that's gonna be one that comes back to bite them at the.

End The burrow injury obviously a low, point but you even came out of.

That, okay they're two to zero And Jake browning will keep them, afloat and then they got destroyed Against minnesota and you kind of, thought all, right a lot of weird stuff happened in that.

Game they went To denver and The roncos were one and, two and you're, like you know, what get this one three and.

One then they've got some cushion because you're talking about like just by time to Mid, december, right just keep it afloat till Mid, december and what already felt like a DOWN afc and they got throttled that night And Jake browning looked like An arena league.

Quarterback to, me there were all the Losses, chicago The jets, game how they lost To, baltimore how they lost to The, bills The.

Patriots but that night Against, DENVER i think to me was so sobering because you looked at this and, Said, Okay PLAN b A qb isn't going to.

Work they're gonna have to find somebody.

ELSE i remember When joe goes down limps off the field the next, day and then we had to deal with the onslaught of everybody diagnosing what it was and how long he was going to be, out and then running the, numbers thinking all, right if he does come back, late if they can if it's eight nine, games can they go four and?

Four can they go four and, five five and?

Four?

Somehow stay in the hunt and to see What Jake browning.

Did the collapse Of Jake browning you talk about a little, bit and we're talking about a guy who had an opportunity a runway in a free agent year to have a big chunk of the, season and he did nothing with.

Not even close to the same player that took over For Joe burrow at the end of twenty twenty.

THREE i, mean he played that one game against The steelers in twenty three where it was, Like, okay that wasn't very.

Good but after that he was a VIABLE nfl.

Quarterback he was never even close to that in this.

Season it's the most frustrating thing About cincinnati sports is we're always talking ourselves into.

Something if they can just, win you, know three out of the next, four how many times with The, reds is?

It, well if they can sweep this, weekend they're only three back in the wild.

Card it's never like midway late in the, season you're, like, oh we're playing for playoff, seating, Right they're never playing from a.

Head same thing WITH uc, basketball like they're in the tournament, now we're playing for.

Seeding it's always you need a run in the.

Tournament, yes well the.

Crown there's a lot of them, now any one of the tournaments.

Now Even Terry francona tried to talk himself Into Ian jabou being the closer on Opening day and that didn't.

WORK i want to talk about a low.

POINT i will never forget the sound in the ballpark when that gate flung open and here COMES i mean like people were like tapping each, other weren't even paying attention to the, games like we're winning, right is he the closer this?

Year, LIKE i don't think.

So you talk about low moments for everybody But Jamer.

Candelario, yeah when they had to end The Jamber candelario, experiment you talk about one of the failed signings.

In the recent and not so recent twenty two.

SEE i considered that a high point when they Let jamber, go BECAUSE i was, Like, okay we're done with.

This you talk about like talking ourselves into.

Things if you listen To God Love Tommy thrall And Jeff, brantley but they were selling it hard during The Cactus.

League jamer looks like he's in great.

Shape he's rededicated himself to, baseball like rededicated.

HIMSELF i remember.

When matt McClain looked Like Barry larkin in The Cactus league this.

Year that was pretty.

GOOD i think of low, POINTS i also think of folks we lost In cincinnati.

Sports you, Know Rudy, johnson way too, Young Dave parker right before he goes into The National Baseball hall Of, Fame Davy, johnson the last manager of A reds team to make AN.

Lcs our Friend Bob, trumpy our Friend Jim.

Kelly, yeah just you know people that made such an indelible mark on sports in this, town and it just felt like there was this run during the middle of the year where we lost so many of.

Them, ye no.

Doubt let's take a time.

Out let's continue with best individual game performances by.

Players there were some of those that might include talking about the, shootout so be.

PREPARED i got to step out for a few.

Minutes Tony Austin, Lance Merry, christmas everybody At Sports talk The year And review and Look Ahead show on seven HUNDRED Wlw Mary, christmas, everybody welcome.

In thanks for hanging out with us and sharing Your christmas morning with.

Us Moeg Or Tony, Pike Austin Elmore, lance But Countlester Sports talk The year And review and the Look Ahead.

Show do we have a quick side?

Note we have a like a fake electric, fireplace WHICH i don't believe we've turned on in a decade or.

So does anybody to use the YouTube?

Fireplace log up on YOUR tv as you're looking, like we don't know what that.

Is it's been on for three days in our.

House, yeah there's.

On go to.

YouTube AM i gonna have to teach you?

Technology go to?

YouTube and google Like christmas log you.

Could find some with with music in the.

Background we've got eight TVs in this.

Room can we do it in here and like something don't happen?

Here a dog will run across the fireplace in front of the, fireplace or a.

Cat and you've never expected more power old ones that we do now as you can turn YOUR tv into like a big picture frame, too with a holiday scene framed holiday scene you just searched that on.

YouTube understand the unending chaos that's going to be unfolding in my house over a thirty six hour.

Period and that's just with one kid That i'm gonna step aside and turn on a YouTube.

For the family a little.

Bit this we actually have a real.

Fireplace the crackling of a.

Fire you have to n, well, NO i don't cut what my daughter has assio over?

Here if we have a, fire how To sanna get?

In we can so MAYBE i won't have to go to the YouTube FIRE i.

Don't know you're looking.

Up you'll YouTube put it on my?

Computer, yeah really?

Sad all, right let's get too, uh let's look back through the.

Best let's keep talking about mull.

Locks let's get to the best individual game performances by, players and let me get this one out there so we could move on from, it BECAUSE i know it'll be devastating To.

Tony it's memories Of Trey carroll thirty, points seven rebounds in the, shootout which is perfect the course in that game because every year one of the storylines is which player will turn into performance nobody was, expecting And Trey carroll drops thirty and owned the.

Shootout and let's be, Honest xavier should feel lucky that that game was played as early as it, was because if the game is played later in the, schedule Then Wes miller would have had a chance to go over double team in the post in a.

Practice, yes at some.

Point because when the game is played that, early you don't get to go over things like double team the post player when he's going off and no one can guard.

Him but shout out To Trey carroll because, he like we've talked about this.

Before how in this world Of nil and The portal does the shootout mean as much or do you understand the value of that that game in the History Trey carroll.

Did, yes the emotion that he showed and The passion in which he played with no one FROM uc matched.

That so thirty.

SEVEN i mean that that was incredible and, uh thankful For xaviy that one later in the.

YEAR i will remember two things about this Year's Skyline Chili crosstown.

Shootout one was how Many xavier fans in the week up to it were, like just take it, easy, Honest oh, god you know he lost To Santa clara by a thousand.

Points.

Yeah and then the incredulous look on my face WHEN i Heard Wes miller, say we haven't had time to double the.

Post we haven't that time to practice doubling the.

POST i can't do it.

Justice you have a better chance of me with the YouTube fire.

LAW i REMEMBER i texted.

YOU i did text BECAUSE i get fooled a lot on social.

Media, Ye austin text more like did he really say?

That, like surely that's not a.

Quote it WAS ai.

Generated, yeah it was.

Real it was.

Real BUT i don't know if you.

Saw wes was talking To Roy williams the other.

Day roy was explaining that to him just the other, day of how to implement that in.

Practice.

Yeah one of the Other fighter performances of the Year Joe, flacco And Joe flacco arrived in this town and.

Everybody the more he, talked the more people loved him because he gave us insight that nobody had really heard beyond just short soundbites Of Joe flacco as an opposing player over the.

Years But Joe flacco goes thirty one of forty seven for four hundred and seventy.

Yards he'd never thrown for four hundred in his.

Career he throws for four to seventy and four touchdowns on A thursday night to beat The.

Steelers The Joe flacco experience was, fleeting but.

Fun i've become such a fan of.

His and he's a guy that he never moved the needle for, me you, know which is you, know odd thinking all the years he played against The.

BENGALS i didn't love, HIM i didn't hate, Him but you, know from the get, go he just you could tell he just appreciated the absurdity of situation he was.

In you could tell that he was going to embrace the.

Opportunity you could tell he was going to approach it with a level of professionalism that was badly.

Needed and that night against The Pittsburgh.

Steelers it felt like it certainly felt like at the time like a high.

Point it felt, like all, right this is probably not.

Sustainable but that was a blast that night watching him And Aaron rodgers go toe to.

Toe Jamar chase was awesome that.

Night T higgins was really good that.

Night AND i think for most, people for Most bengals, fans years from, now when you hear the Name Joe, flacco you're gonna think of of warm, feelings and you're going to think of A thursday night against The Pittsburgh steelers when.

It felt like The bengals had to win that game or The steelers.

Were going to run away and hide from everybody else and eating by yourself at a, restaurant WHICH i.

Enjoyed Joe flacco walked So Philip rivers could, run like, yeah, yeah you know WHAT i love most About.

Flacco he just simplified, things like he threw the ball in That steeler.

Game he threw the ball To Jamar chase twenty three, times.

Yep AND i remember like the sincerity like Of Joe flacco talking during the week of like just the human nature of, like you, KNOW i was talking to my family and friends And i'm telling, him Like Jamar chase AND T, higgins you should see.

That, like he just sounds like a normal dude who's excited to get the throat To Jamar chase AND T.

Higgins and he simplified the.

Game and it was so fun watching.

Him and again it was fleeting and everyone knew what was going to.

Be but to do it against The steelers' arrival and you Know tomlin leading up talking about you, know The browns giving him to The bengals and things like.

That it.

Was it was a high point both individually and team in a tough.

Season you might remember it was labeled as The Unk, bowl him Against Aaron, rodgers two forty plus year old.

Quarterbacks my favorite play from that game Was flacco pulling it on A reid option and running like ten yards and picking up a first down in that stadium going.

Berserk but you guys are, RIGHT i, mean just the genuine refreshing nature Of Joe.

Flacco he's made a fan in me for.

Life some of the individual moments rens wise to.

ME i, MEAN i think back To Nick martinez is, Who, yeah the twenty one million never made.

SENSE i don't know that The reds expected him to take, it him to take, it but he, did and he, pitched and he pitched whenever they needed.

Him and then on a magical, night he takes a no hitter into the ninth, inning tracking beyond a hundred.

Pitches it was a ball hitt of the gap that winds up.

Dropping and then he comes back AND i think then would pitch out of the bullpen a couple of.

Days there was just crazy sequences where he, said whatever you need me to.

Do but that night the crowd was standing And Nick martinez was that close to a no hitter for The.

Reds, yeah they had a lot of those this.

Year they had the week Where Will benson was the greatest outfielder of all.

Time they had The Austin wins game where we, thought you know, what they don't need these other two.

Catchers just Let Austin wins catch every, day Like Eli Dela cruz play shortstop every single.

Day you.

Know they had The christian And karnassi on strand week weekend against The Arizona, diamondbacks and then he got sent away and we never heard from him.

Again they had a lot of those moments this.

Year BUT i think Of the two individual performances were both authored By Hunter.

Green one was That sunday afternoon game against The mets that nobody was paying attention to because The bengals were playing their opener and he was awesome in the game they had to.

Win lose your six, back win your four.

Back and then that game against The cubs That thursday against The cubs where he goes the, distance one hit, shutout one hit, shutout and just it felt like it felt Like Hunter green for that, night putting the team on his back and keeping their hopes.

ALIVE i know he would go on to pitch poorly against The.

Dodgers he didn't pitch great in that game Against Paul skeens Against, pittsburgh but they don't make the postseason without those two.

WINS i.

REMEMBER i don't Think i've ever wanted to no hitter more for someone Than Nick martinez because you could just tell he was.

Gassed, yes come, on, man find a.

Way you mentioned so Many reds, Moments Andrew abbott the one nothing win over The, guardians the three hit, shutout And rabbit as a pitcher he was on the roster in the.

Postseason, oh just did not have a chance to.

Start BUT i thought the year Of Andrew, abbott not just the individual performances Aside Andrew abbit was solid this year for The Cincinnati reds and certainly something to build on going.

Forward one of my favorite performances took place just a couple of days, Ago Joe burrow against The Miami.

Dolphins after all that has happened over the last couple of weeks for him to come out and even though the team's, eliminated in my, understanding the only Game burrow has played in his career in which The bengals were actually, eliminated for him to perform at that level to kind OF i don't, know just give everybody a deep breath if that was one of my favorite ones of the.

Year have.

Fun, yeah four Touchdowns.

Burrow a perfect segue into our next.

Segment we'll look back and discuss some of the injuries that Hit cincinnati sports and athletes in the calendar year of twenty twenty.

Five Merry, christmas everybody at sports talk the year and review in the Look ahead show on seven HUNDRED Wlw Marry.

Christmas listen to that Fireplace Crackles.

Moe has discovered in this show the legendary fireplace.

Scene purce of you.

Two those presents next to the fire are gonna.

Melt give it long, enough you get an ad.

On.

Fire got a?

Fire why do you have to have lit?

Candles it's the ambiance that's very.

Nice welcome back into our sports Talk year And review and look ahead show here on seven HUNDRED.

WLW i am.

One i'm gonna guess before we get into the serious nature of these.

Injuries i'm gonna.

Guess of the foursome, HERE i am the only one who is prepared each and Every christmas morning with a garbage bag to take all the torn wrapping and stuff it into the.

Bag that's usually my.

Job oh, yeah all, right, Yeah i'm the guy who crumples it up and throws it at.

PEOPLE i get the.

LOOK i scurry around the room and grab it.

All get, go get the.

Bag yeah, yeah that's my.

JOB i have two THINGS i, MORNING i have a story for you about.

THAT i ask my wife what the presents, are AND i go and get the garbage.

Bag what did we get this?

Year?

Cool my?

Job this YEAR i introduced our oldest To christmas vacation because it's my all time favorite And my wife just happened to walk down at like the scene where they're in the malls and he's shopping For Longe, range like really, old.

Like the first of.

All it's one.

Scene, Right we're, Good he'll be.

Fine i'll be.

Fine, Yeah christmas.

VACATION i love.

It you said you're the, bagman and Now i'm flashing to Like tony and The wire or something is the?

Bagman all, right we're dealing with injuries of twenty twenty, five And i'm going to start with one Who i'd almost in trying to put this.

Together i'd almost forgot about.

It and THEN i went back AND i watched the, play AND i remember just how painful it was when the Unknown red's left Fielder Tyler, callahan who'd been promoted to the major league level and was trying to impress and busting his, tail takes off on a dead sprint towards the left field line to make a, play hits the wall head first and lie crumple crumpled on the, ground and it was it was, shoulder it was, wrist it was.

Arm there were multiple things can and, torn and that image Of Tyler, callahan who was trying to prove himself as a major.

LEAGUER i, think what a lot of the hearts Of reds fans who, said that's the all out ussele we.

Love but they had to pick him up in pieces off the track.

And he kind of like found out about his story in the days subsequent to, that and you felt awful because this guy had battled, injuries had taken such a twisted road to the big leagues and he finally gets there on a team where there was an opening for outfielders right because of the endless cycle of dudes Like Blake dunn And Jacob, hurdabies et, cetera and Maybe callahan was going to have an opportunity and he gets, one and that.

Injury was so, rough so, gruesome so.

DEVASTATING i still can't believe they didn't call it a.

Catch he caught the.

BALL i remember watching the game with my daughter and trying to explain to her why that wasn't a, catch and, like you, Know i'm, like, well if an eight year old thinks that's a, catch that's Exactly.

This is the hardest SEGMENT i think of the.

Show because you can, relate you can, relate but it's also like for some of these guys that their season never was even able to get off the, ground and you think of the work that goes in LIKE i thought of The burrow, injury not from the physical, side but from the mental, side because you go from being around the guys working your tail off to your alone every day in the training.

ROOM i don't even want to begin to think the mental hurdles That Joe burrow was going, through because it's one thing to go through an.

Injury when you go through an injury rehab and come back and Win player of The, year and then you go through another, injury you just start, wondering like what what what AM i?

DOING i have to go through this again and.

Again it's not the physical part of the, rehab it's the mental, part because you know what's going to, happen you know what you're going to go through to get.

Back and that's WHY i give so many of these guys the credit of A Joe Burrow Nick heglin coming back and winning the Comeback player of The, Year like that's that's so hard to.

Do and for so many of these guys whose season didn't get off the to to to the start they wanted.

It it's hard mentally to do it.

And to be labeled injury.

Prone, YEAH i Mean Hunter green has dealt with.

That Joe burrow now has dealt with, that and that unfortunately becoming a part of the story of two of the most prolific athletes in this.

City burrow and maybe not really a lot of bad.

LUCK i feel like with his Injuries Hunter, green it was kind of mysterious at times this, year this prolonged absence from the team and second opinions and maybe not hearing what we expected to hear From Terry.

Francona it was a strange year From Hunter.

Green but when he came, back he was.

Nail you.

Know The Nick haglin one sticks out to me BECAUSE i REMEMBER i Had nick on the show shortly after he had been in the.

Play that happened was a very innocent looking, play and he wound up puncturing alung and collapsed lung and broken ribs and he had to stay back In atlanta with the team flew.

Home he stayed In atlanta in the hospital FOR i think ten.

Days his wife was watching at the time and kids were watching at the time at, home And i'll never Forget nick telling me his.

Daughter his young daughter turned to his and, said did daddy?

Die because it was so ugly at that.

Moment And nick's wife took the kids to the grandparents and she caught a flight To atlanta to be with him during the whole.

Thing and to come back from all of that is kind of What Nick hagelin has been unfortunately all, about because he's dealt with so many, injuries but he's continued to come back and.

Won As tony, Mentioned player of The.

Year ellie de La cruz might not have been officially, injured but the cycle of in the second half of the, season you would, say, Boy ellie's really, struggling and then you would, hear well he's, hurt and you'd, say, okay well they should give him a day.

Off well you, can't, okay but he's not playing very well while he's.

Hurt, well then they should put him on the injured.

List well they can't because they need, him but he's not playing very.

WELL i, mean it just went on and then after the season when everybody's, like you, know what we should have, done it's probably Given ellie a day, Off like you think that was weird and So i'm kind of curious this coming, season we'll talk about this as we look ahead with the injury hopefully behind, him do we see the Old?

ELLIE i love the juxtaposition of the way That David bell would talk about injuries and the Way Terry francona would talk about.

Injuries And francona asked About ellie da La cruz said he's got a.

Leg, yeah, thanks appreciate.

It how weird are you talking about mysteries The Trey hendrickson, situation because in today's, football you get, injured you're gonna be out at some, time you go on the injured.

List it was it was odd at that, moment and then Hearing zach Every monday just he's, Doubtful he's, doubtful and then it leads to the second.

Opinion then it leads to the, surgery and it leaves a very unclear, future obviously For Trey.

HENDRICKSON i think that with The bengals and obviously T higgins because it's most.

Recent you want to talk about.

It we've talked about this a.

Lot you want to talk about a, guy ultimate.

Teammate no one would have fall to T higgins to, say, Hey I'm i'm done for the.

Year i'm gonna make sure my head is right and shout out to The.

Bengals they got the the the second.

Opinion they flew him to make sure he was.

Good they adjusted the helmet in meaningless games with T higgins going through multiple concussions to come back and, say, No i'm gonna be out, There i'm gonna.

Play you can't say enough about him as a teammate in this.

Organization i'll give you a.

GUY a classic out of, sight out of mind that people forget about Is Reht louder and as well As Red louder pitched in twenty twenty four the back end of the season and the expectation of what he would mean for twenty twenty.

Five he comes to camp with a forearm, issue a little, soreness so they're very protective of that that he doesn't pitch it.

All during spring, training he makes a rehab start and tears his.

Oblique he winds up THROWING i think it was nine minor league rehab innings the entire, season not a single major league, inning and you forget like What Rhet lauder was supposed to be for.

The team last, season how as.

Good as he was toward the end of twenty twenty, four a non entity in twenty twenty, five and one of the questions for twenty twenty six is what are they going to get from?

HIM i think of Injuries Jalen, haynes you, see because.

If he's in the, Whole, god they could double the.

Post, yep really they didn't have to double the, post.

Right you want to talk about guys come to spring training, hurt the Strange Spencer steer injury that somehow wasn't treated during the off.

Season it leads to him, being you, know fifty percent of himself through the first month of the.

Season he turns out to have a pretty good.

Year i'm A Spencer steer.

Believer hopefully he's.

Held Austin hayes hurt his calf on the.

Airplane, yes, yeah something like, that and if not for The Tyler stevenson, oblique we never Have Austin.

Wins so there you, Go austin ALL i do Is.

Wins remember we argued Keeping Austin wins is a third, catcher and then like for a month they didn't use him at, all or a third catcher of the lost he, said to.

Whatsoever thanks a segue into The reds twenty twenty five, season and they look back at the roller coaster ride that Was, Mo, Tony, Austin, Lance Merry, christmas, Everybody Sports, Talk year In review and the Look ahead show here on seven HUNDRED Wlw Mary, Christmas welcome back in turn The corner in our second.

Hour thanks for enjoying Your christmas morning with, Us, Lance, McAlister, Moeger Tony, Pike Austin.

Illmore we're all decked out in our candy cane striped footy pajamas for your visual enhancement of the.

Show And i'm not just wearing them because It's, christmas wearing them because It's.

Thursday you're a big footy pajama.

Guy huge footy pajama.

Guy.

Yeah we navigate into the twenty twenty five red season that, was and on one, hand we talked earlier the high point they make the, playoffs first time in a full season since twenty, thirteen they get bounced.

Immediately they win eighty three, games yet they finished third, place and we debated whether they were done or alive much of the.

Season So i'm left to look back at twenty twenty, five and on one, HAND i want TO i want to be excited about the, postseason but, mode they won eighty three games and they finished in third, place and if not for the collapse of the mat The mets in the, End So i'm torn in what exactly did it take away from the?

Season ask me at the end of this, Year because if twenty twenty five proves to be a jumping point for something bigger and, BETTER i think we look at this season as a necessary.

STEP i view it as tangible proof that what they're doing is, working but tangible evidence that they need to do.

More and so this offseason so far and, no we'll talk about twenty twenty six frankly.

Underwhelming it doesn't feel like they've made themselves appreciably.

Better they're gonna have to have a lot of guys who underperformed in twenty twenty five be better this.

Year BUT i looked at it As, okay that is a.

Step if this ends up being the high point of this entire, process boy what a.

Failure but if if this leads to more postseason, appearances consecutive postseason, appearances actual postseason, advancement then you, go, okay the first step was making it and losing to The dodgers in twenty twenty.

FIVE i remember sitting on an opening day talking about the season, upcoming and one of the points, was you have to dominate the bad.

Teams you've got to make your mark.

There you've got to beat the teams like The pirate and those types of teams that you get a chance to.

Play they were thirty eight and thirty eight against teams below five.

Hundred that's not good.

Enough and then to add on to that fifty four times scoring three or fewer, runs it's a.

Miracle they won eighty three.

Games so the struggles on offense AND i know when we'll look ahead to twenty twenty, six, well what's the answer going to be to?

That feels like they haven't addressed that.

Much this offense is not good enough as.

Is they've got to find ways to jump start that.

Offense but you look back at eighty three wins and five hundred baseball against teams under five, hundred it's a miracle that got to eighty.

THREE i keep thinking about a stretch of one nothing, losses about their inability to perform in extra, innings And i've came away from this season pretty underwhelmed By Terry.

FRANCONA i thought THAT i was gonna JUST i thought this guy was gonna squeeze all the juice out of The orange and get the most out of these.

Players but it felt like he kind of went the opposite direction of the way the team is.

Built AND i think that's part of because The reds have given him complete control of how he wants to manage.

Games that's, fine but the lack of aggression on the bass pass when you have a team built around speed and, athleticism, uh just overall to trying to move the runners over this lack of gut feel and, Analytics it felt like he was indecisive a lot of.

Times it felt like an underwhelming season From Terry.

Franco, yeah they went from in a neighborhood of two hundred stolen bases to just over one hundred stolen bases for for whatever.

Reason but back to the, point the elusive.

Bat they search for the elusive bat.

Again there were thirteen, shutouts they scored one run twenty one, times they scored two runs twenty, times and As tony, mentioned fifty four times scoring fewer than three runs and how many times did we reference wasting a performance by a starting pitcher because they didn't score that.

Night it was.

Maddening and we also talked for months about what bat will they add at the, deadline and then they add a guy who's known for not having a bat and back or.

Four more and Keep Brian.

Hayes it was funny because On, twitter every time he would make a really nice play in the, field it.

Was, like see see, That and he is awesome with the.

Glove he might be the best defensive player in the, sport but he, is by everybody's own, admission an offensive.

Zero we saw it in the, Postseason so just the weirdness of.

That and then all the best laid plans they put in black magic Marker matt McLain's second base matting second league worst production from the too hole and it felt Like matt McClain had the longest leash of all.

Time ellie de La, cruz this team was built around him being.

Awesome he Wasn't christian And carnassi on strain was supposed to hold down first base got sent down and never heard from.

Again so many of the best laid plans not working, out and then the total lack of depth at the back end of the, roster where it Was Jacob hurdabies And Blake dunn And Will, Benson.

Will benson being in the doghouse for a, WHILE i Thought.

Will benson in the, Doghouse matt McClain out, there allowed to just strike out time after.

Time they're Using Santiago espin on the two.

Hole it was a.

Weird year in terms of lineup, construction roster, construction and dudes that you thought were going to be a, big big part of this team twenty twenty five failing frankly to show in.

A weird time because you, know you go back to when all those guys were, rookies, like, man the future is.

Bright, well now the clock is ticking.

On are they going to be busted or are they going to figure this?

Out i'm not, one especially On Christmas, day to point the.

Finger i'll point the finger At.

Austin austin put AN mvp vote a bed end For matt McLain to start the.

Year did you?

DID i told you in The Cactus league he's in like seven point.

Fifty placed a wager On matt McLain to win THE.

Mvp SO i don't want to point the, finger but, Well i'm happy to take your.

Blame here's What i'm worried about with The reds this.

Offseason last he, yes did you not watch in the?

League did you not watch The Cactus league?

Game was going like like eight hits in a row to be better than, Show, Hey otani to be the good, Value, edgar you should know.

This good value in lighting your money on fire.

Too, yeah what If tani got?

Hurt, okay Then Kyle schwarber Would we're.

Fine you never.

Know here's my fear with The reds last.

Offseason The bengals chalked it up, to, oh we got, unlucky we got.

Hurt The reds might look at those.

Numbers lance just gave and, said we're not going to be that bad.

Offensively we're not gonna get hurt.

Again we're gonna have the pitching depth this.

Time Harry francona better understands this.

Team we don't have to do that much to get over the.

Hump that's my fear with The reds And.

Austin you spent an evening In bristol among eighty five a game that was delayed and, delayed and then suspended with one out of the bottom of the first when there were lakes that had formed in the outfield at its second.

Base, yeah just to quickly surreal.

Experience.

Bizarre still feels like a fever dream to.

Me the lines were hours long to get.

FOOD i was in line for over an.

Hour we got to the window and all they had left was popcorn and.

Candy we couldn't see the pregame.

Concert it was seemingly a mile away on the other side of the race.

Track we got to our seats and a gutter had broken and was pouring water onto our.

Seats there was standing water on the.

Concourses it was the biggest, disappointment train wreck Disaster i'd ever been a part of at a baseball game or any sort of sporting.

Event it was surreal speaking of a red played great for an inning, though.

Speaking of train wrecks and disasters a perfect segue to The bengals.

Season we'll recap that in twenty twenty five as we.

Continue thanks for sharing Your Christmas morning with, Us, Moeger Tony, Pike Austin, Elmoor Lance.

Pacallister it's The Sports Talk year In review and Look ahead show here on seven HUNDRED wlw