The Crowning Heads PI eight Perfect Gaynati on the World Chappi Show. The nineteen
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live from the Holy Grail Banks. This is seven hundred WLW, the
home of the Cincinnati Reds. All right, let's do this. We are
live from the Holy Grail Banks. Let me have from everybody. Yeah,
Holy Collos place is up for grabs. It was that way early this morning.
It'll be that way throughout the day. I'm Lance Bacallister. He is
Eddy Fingers. Let me say up front, now, I'm gonna have to
make some adjustments here because usually over the past two decades, I've sat with
an individual who has incoherently rambled for two hours, right and then rolling out
the same tired speech at the end. So if you'd like to do that
to make me feel comfortable, that would be great. Or we can go
in a different direction. I can ramble incoherently. Oh you need me to,
but I won't be making a gia tribe that will be cut off because
I ran out of time. Unbelievable. Want to see what a vibe I
have walked the banks this morning to get here. This day is unlike any
other day, not just around here, but around the country when it comes
to baseball. And what a pleasure to have our leadoff hit? Or do
you want to introduce you want to do the honors of this because this is
loyalty wing off the bat. This fellow right here, I've known for how
many years? A long time? Long time. Let's leave it at yah,
Josie Jose are using the PA guy for the Cincinnati Reds. You know
the voice. Yes, it's nice to be here. It's like there's something
going on downtown today and it never gets old, doesn't I mentioned that before.
It's amazing with opening day and you come down here around this environment and
even though you know what it's gonna be, it is still just something that
hits you, like, my goodness, gracius, this is incredible. Well,
it's going to be a beautiful day too. Yes, and that's gonna
cause I mean, if you don't, if you don't have tickets, come
down or the parties happen in big time anyway, exactly. Now, for
those who don't know the background, tell a story here. Because you you
grew up a Reds fan, you grew up in northern Kentucky, went to
crosley Field probably many opening days, probably heard Paul summer Camp's booming voice.
And now you're the booming voice at this ballpark for this tea. What is
that like? I mean, the hare's got to stand up on your arms.
Well, it is pretty I mean to hear my name mentioned in the
same one as Paul summer Camp. Because when you're a kid, and I
did. I went to crosley Field when I was very young, and even
when I was in high school, we were still going there. Never any
opening days, I was never quite at that level. But I mean Paul
Summer Camp, it was just something when you walked in, you knew where
you were, and he was thirty years he did it something like that.
And even to this day when people say, hey you Paul Summer Camp,
it's kind of it's like, thank you very much. And one thing I
didn't know until I started doing the announcement, the announcing here at the ballpark.
John Popovich called me up when we were talking and he says, well,
you know, you guys went to the same high school. And I
didn't realize he was a coveted Catholic graduation. Is that right? Absolutely?
Which I thought that was pretty cool too now at different times, right obviously.
But no, man, it's it is a thrill doing what I do.
I mean, you just you know, you kind of pinch yourself.
I'm blessed. And how long you've been doing it now, Joe, since
Great American Ballpark open? This will be what would that MAGA twenty two seasons
now heading into the twenty second season, and we were talking before we've went
on it and you're still loving it. I know what's not to like exactly?
I mean, you know when you're doing something like this. It's not
like you wake up in the morning, especially a day like this, but
any day and say, oh, man, I have to go to the
ballpark today to watch a baseball game. Really no, I mean the day
that and that'll never happen. But the day that that happens is the day
I'll say, Okay, I think that's enough. Now. I know,
and I've heard you talk about this before, But as cool as it may
be to announce voices as they come to the play like a Joey Bodder with
the greats over the years, how cool is it to do the hometown heroes
portion Oh, it's incredible when they started doing that, and it's amazing.
Immediately fans start started really knowing that this was something special, and it is
and what happens and some of them, especially in all of them, are
special and important. When you get down to some of these World War Two
guys, yep, and there's still some of those that are around Vietnam veterans,
And then you keep on going up. People respond to them, even
the players in the obscene umpire. The players come up to the steps the
umpire, they applaud is just a really cool ste absolutely and some of the
stories, like they said, they're all special, like I said, but
every once in a while you get one, uh, like you know,
maybe somebody that flew with the Tuskegee Aramon or something like that, and you
just realize, okay, today is a little special. But all of them
are. And it's an incredible feature that the ballpark has. Or you're talking
about calling these games, announcing these games, and we were talking also about
this team is if they if they're not turning the corner this year, they're
right on the cusp man and he said, I don't want to retire because
of my free As soon as I retire, they're gonna win a championship.
And then I had to come down and say, hey, one of those
World Series rings set us up? Well where were you? But nam?
I mean? And it is this is a team that you have to like
what you see in some of the additions, like on the caravan this year,
Frankie Montez, he was with us and to see him interaction interacting with
a couple of our top draft picks, and to see just his interaction with
the fans, uh and just the type of person that he is. He's
a pretty special guy, and he's going to be one of those guys in
the clubhouse that are going to really add to what they have along with Brent
Souter Luke Maylor last year, the same thing. You hear anybody in that
clubhouse talking about Luke Mayley and the contribution that he made last year. But
you know, you got Ellie, you got unfortunately with McClain and the situation
there. But you have a group of young guys that are incredible. Uh.
And it's one of those things you walk into the ballpark and you never
know what you're going to see. All right, you'd be perfect to ask
because you're obviously a stickler for anunciation. Pronunciation. I've seen a I've seen
the players do the video card of they they pronounced their last name, and
I've heard one player particular say it one way, and I've heard broadcasters say
it another. So I defer to you it is Frankie Montas or Frankie Montass.
You know, that's the second time I've been asked today. And a
quick story about Frankie. When we were on the caravan, We're out to
dinner one night and I see Larry Herns and Tommy thrall. They're off to
the side and they're like in a corner with Frankie, and they're looking at
me and they're saying, he's going no man, no man. And so
finally they kind of can tell something's going on here. He looks at me
and says, say, man, look, you mispronounced my name. I
said, well, no, that didn't happen for one thing. But when
and he said, well, he said the Futures Game, twenty fifteen All
Star Game. You mispronounced my name, and my dad was here, and
he was heartbroken. Now they were messing with me, but at the time,
also on the roster, he was listening as Frank Montas. Now,
I always got in the habit of saying Montas on the caravan, but I've
heard people say it differently. I'm going back again and I will listen to
his pronunciation before the game. You I now remember this because I have listened
to repeatedly. Like put my ear to my computer. He says montas like
you would think it looks. I've heard others sayt Montas, and I said,
I don't see where it's coming from. So I'm going montas until you
correct me with the text well, you know, I was gonna go down
and ask him because I told him actually when he told that story, I
said, wait until opening day. Frank Montees, I said, right,
I said, no, no, you do it. That's beautiful, beautiful,
So Joe, We're gonna have to let you go, unfortunately, but
the pleasure we could talk to you all day, man, I would enjoy
that. I really would be fun. Why don't we get together and do
that sometimes? I would like that. I really would enjoy the day,
guys. And uh like I said, it's special weather, it's beautiful.
Yep, nothing like Opening Day in Cincinnati. Absolutely, Joe z Joes are
using pa Guy for your Cincinnati reads. Here on opening Day twenty twenty four,
we are alive at the Holy Grail. Makes some noise boom, It's
it's crazy down here. Lance. It is absolutely nuts. Yes, and
we will take a break here at the Home of those red seven hundred w
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This glorious opening day in the city of Cincinnati Reds Baseball around the corner
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powered by Tofe Sheldon. I got it all in. I enunciated right down
the right is a pro moved tirn right. I should record it so I
don't have to say it and mess it up the next time. Welcome back
to the Holy Grand Lance. McAllister Eddie Fingers. And what a treat now
the executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame Museum. They've got a really
cool new exhibit tied in with opening day today. Let's talk all about that
with Rick Walls. Good to see you. It's a wonderful day. I
look forward to this day every year after the last pitch of the previous season
were like winds opening day, and it comes around faster than you think it
does. Yeah, and what about I mean from all the upgrades over the
season. Yeah, there's been some injuries along the way, but the track
this team is on, this organization's on the youth and the excitement. What
a what an exciting season it is. And I can tell in the museum
by the fans coming in how excited they are. And fans are smart,
they can tell when the trend is going the right direction, the plan that's
been put in place. People to understand it now. I think maybe you
didn't. You know years ago you trade away some of your favorite players,
but you built this team. There's the depth now. And we've suffered some
injuries, but the depth is there now that can help us get through this
period of time. I thought of you before I walked in here. I
was just minding my own business on the side of the curb, and I
watched a grandfather walk by with his grandson, and I overheard their conversation and
the grandfather is explaining to the grandson that the Reds had a picture named Johnny
VanderMeer who threw back to back no hitters. He's the only one who's ever
done it. And the grandson's eyes lit up and he said he did,
And I get chill saying that, and I'm guessing you do, because that's
the essence of Reds Baseball in the Reds Hall of Fame. You hit it
on the nose and that kid and that reaction is what we love to see
in the museum because we get surprised every day. But I will hear a
story from a from a Reds player and I'm like, oh my gosh,
we didn't know that. And then we try to bring that to life through
the exhibits and the story telling. I mean, we're storytellers. That's what
the exhibits try to do. And sometimes the families do it just as well
as we do, because the kid will listen to your grandpa, listen to
grandma, mother, son, daughter. The connecting of the generations and sharing
those experiences is what it's all about. So the museum brings that all life
every day, and not just baseball season. Out of season, people asking
you, like, what's your favorite season? Fall, winter, spring,
what's baseball season? Right? When are the most bodies moved through there?
When did they move through when. Yeah, definitely during the summer. I
mean Saturday again to day on a day like today, you, I mean,
well, today's not going to be quite as busy. This is a
celebration. I don't expect it to be passed. And it's also a beautiful
day, so a lot of people you can see outside this building. If
you had a little rain going on and maybe tea, we might have more
people in there. But this is kind of the kickoff. We join in
the celebration. I see this like a big family reunion. This is where
everybody comes back. Everybody's optimistic, and you know, I'm excited about welcoming
this family back and growing this team. And look down the road, the
next few years look really fun and I think for the museum that bodes well
too. You talk about connections, And I had Brett Boone on the show
earlier this week, and he's going to be making an appearance at the Reds
Hall of Fame next week. But I always love talking with the former players
who go into the Hall of Fame for the first time and see what's there
and are blown away that they wore the uniform they played for the franchise.
But even they see stuff that they didn't know existed and took place in this
franchise's history. It's eye opening. I'd love to follow along. Yes,
I don't interrupt. I let them take a look at the things, and
then all of a sudden stories formulate in their mind. I remember this jersey,
this photo, of this moment, all that person came up to me,
And even fans will approach and do you remember me? And they will
remember. Now. I know sometimes you might be like, oh, they're
just saying that, but I think they do. And it's amazing the recall
that they have, whether it's a specific game, a moment, or even
off the field interaction, maybe along the sidelines where they came over and signed
autographs. Because if he signs an autographer a kid, that kid never going
to forget for sure, absolutely never even leaving here with Sean Casey, Sean
Casey and I are talking about, you know, all the photos he took
photos with everybody as he left here, and I said, Sean, fast
forward twenty five years from now, what do you think the reaction will be
like when you walk in the Holy Grail on opening day? And He's like,
yeah, no, as many people are going to know me. That's
why they take advantage of this. Now. That's why he does what he
does. Now, that's why he's the mayor, and that's why we love
him as an ambassador, no doubt, no doubt, and the fact that
he still has that in them. He has not lost that enthusiasm. Man,
that's just the guy that he is. He's fired up all the time.
I mean, we walk out, he's a little bit. He takes
a diva. I made it, got through it, but he said let's
do it again. You know that's Sean Casey. You've opened up a new
exhibit as if this past Friday, the Reds Hall of Fame, a museum
with a home run history of the Reds. We talked about it a little
bit on Sports Talk, but kind of lay out the idea behind it and
what the presentation is. Yeah, we've had some great exhibits in the space
that we call the Changing Exhibits Gallery over the last few years, and we
want to do something very Reds Center. We know the home run is a
spectacle now, the celebrations, the fireworks, the walk offs, and last
year was a great example of young guys and energy coming through. So we
wanted the museum to have that energy to make you feel like you were immersed
into this exciting moment, the celebration. So you can see highlights, audio
calls, video calls, historic artifacts. You know, we have fifty game
used bats on the wall below. For the fifty, well, it's forty
nine. I'll give you the story there, forty nine of the fifty home
run hitters in Red's history. And Casey's number twenty three with one hundred and
eighteen home runs. And I showed him his bath this morning. He's like,
give me a picture of that. You know, he sends it out
on Instagram and everything. So we have those bats. You got Johnny Bench
stuff, Eric Davis, Brandon Phillips, Vada Pence, and Ted Klezuski.
Is a big exhibit there. George Foster, the single season home run hitter.
Back to the forty nine bats, why don't we have fifty? Well,
number forty nine on the list is a guy by the name of long
John Riley that played in the eighteen eighties. So we're looking for that back.
Good look, long joints. That's gonna be really we're gonna be looking
for a long time, aren't we. And where do But let me ask
the story quick, good answer. Where do you guys get this stuff?
Is it from families, is it archives someplace within the organization, or is
it just a combination of ball Well, you know they did start collecting things.
You know, the ball club didn't do that right until at crosley Field
you come over to Riverfront. Then there started to be this idea we maybe
we should keep some of these things. So the club did keep things through
the nineteen nineties. We have stuff there, but things prior to that.
We go out the lenders in the community, We find out who has these
things. We have a strategic plan where we try to collect what we can.
We get donations. Things stay in the archives because ultimately, once somebody
loans something to us, often they'll say I like it on display there much
more I get my basement and a door. It stays there and then it
ends up being part of the permanent archive. All right. I meant to
ask you this the other night. I do this every year at the All
Star break and I do a topic about the most impactful significant home runs in
Red's history. I'm going to present you four and I want you to pick
one. Are prepared to do that, I am prepared. Here are the
four Eric Davis Game one, nineteen ninety World Series, Johnny Bench Game five
NLCS in nineteen seventy two, tied the game, Tony Perez Game seven of
the seventy five World Series starts to rally from down three to nothing in the
sixth and Jay Bruce's clench miss in twenty ten. That's a variety of homers
that tied put them ahead. Regular season NLCS, World Series, World Series,
the game seven World Series Game one. If I ask you to pick
one, which one would it be the most important one? Yeah, Tony
Perez. If Tony Perez doesn't hit that home run just to get him back
in the game, would agree in Game seven? If we don't win the
seventy five World Series, who knows what seventy six looks like? And then
the big Red machine doesn't exist. The legend that we live by right now
is not the same. Yes, if Eric doesn't hit the home run,
we may still win that World Series. You have a sept that's own.
If Jay Bruce doesn't clench it on the home run, we're gonna win the
division. Probably yep. And my last one was my other one that I
denied bench seventy five. That's unbelievable. Didn't win the World Series in seventy
two. Seventy two, I remember that we didn't win the series, but
they did get us to the pennant and won the pennant. So after that
he tied the game. Yep, you don't have that. You know,
seventy two had ended anyway in the series. But I can see where Tony
perez and why. That's why we have a statue right out here to our
left that depicts that home run, and on top of this building is a
baseball showing the ball that flew out of Fenway Bar. I didn't know that,
Yeah, I know, it's almost the trajectory of the home run.
We tried to get the trajectory from the statue to the top of the building
out here and looked straight up, you'll see a ball extending off the route.
How did I not know that? That's awesome? So Bill space manly
through the epis to Perez right and flew out over the double clutched and bam.
Because you're you're so right, Because I mean, you know that the
pressure that it mounted after seventy lose into the Oros and seventy two to the
A's and they'd made changes and they brought a players and and and seven.
If that doesn't happen, I mean, who knows. Maybe they go a
different direction from Sparky. Maybe they trade off players. I mean, yeah,
I would agree with But those were four good what's worth they those are
the best. And when we had Dave Stewart in an event with Eric Davis
two years ago, listen to them talk about that home run and the way
Eric stared him down, it was pretty cool. Oh all right with that,
Rick, we got to let you go. It's great. Thanks for
stopping by, man, all right, thank you guys. Happy opening day
back at his son. Rick Walls from the Reds Hall of Fame with us
as we were broadcasting live ed Fingers Lance McAllister the Holy Grail of the Banks
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Grail Banks. This is seven hundred down LW the home of the Cininnati reds
all Right Bank with any fingers Lance McAlister. We are live at the Holy
Grail at the banks. Hey, let me hear from everybody. It's crazy.
Hey, let me say this, give a shout out to the crew,
the staff who's pulling this off today at the Holy Grail. I marvel
every year. I don't know how they do it. It's organized chaos.
But this crew, this staff behind the bar of the servers, they are
amazing every single time. And the very well done, well done. I
don't know how they do it. So Lance, we are an official holiday
here in the big town, of course. And there I ran into a
guy today and I thought of you immediately, because when on my way here
and the building where I live, I'm taking an elevator down to the parking
garage with my levely wife and she's got all read it out, she's got
her gear on. Man, and there was an older gentleman in the elevator
and he looks at her and goes, oh, rids huh. She goes,
uh yeah. He goes, are you going to a game play?
Mc Gunnar's over there in a backhand of that dude. You know, he's
like not from around here, huh. You know, it's funny to say
that because I try to tell people who aren't from here about it, right,
and they just don't. It's truly one of those things you don't get
unless you've been in it and experience. If you hear about it from the
outside, you think, all right, it's great, it's opening Day.
Everybody has an opening Day, And I say, no, you don't.
You don't understand. You have to be there in it to understand why Cincinnati's
Opening Day. It sets itself apart from everybody else see it to believe it.
Yes, after our words were never spoke. Absolutely Hey. Earlier in
the week, I had a chance to talk with Brett bood the Red's form
or second base. But he's coming back to town next week. He's going
to be at the Reds Hall of Fame on April the fifth and April the
sixth, and I asked him about his memory of his time with the Reds,
and I asked him about the team, and he also tells a wonderful
story about merg shot in shot. See here's a little bit of my talk
with Brett Boode, who's coming back to town, about being a Red.
You know, most people know me from my Seattle years, but I have
a lot of fun at Cincinnati, and those Reds teams are the early nineties.
You know, mentioned coming in that ninety five season, we were good
and we were wired to wire. We got beat by a really tough Braves
team that that year went on to win the World Series. But nineteen ninety
four, and I know a lot of teams were crushed by that year.
That was the strike year. Man, we were really good that year too.
So I have fond memories of my time in Cincinnati. I'm looking forward
to coming back to Cincinnati. Brett. It's it's funny. I was looking
through some photos of you today and I saw a photo during the ninety five
playoffs. This was batting practice. You and Hal Morris to the side of
the cages and you're on one knee and you're pitting shots. Ay Marge's dog
was down on the field with you guys, and I just laughed because that
was margin. That was shots. He wasn't it, Believe me, that
was a part of it. I remember coming there, you know, I
was a young player, you know, I just came over from the Mariners,
and Lark was my double play combo guy in the middle. He was
a veteran player, kind of the the man on that team. And I
remember every time the dog came around, he would accasingly, ceasingly kind of
give me a look like, hey, you better bet that dog want that
multi year contract. To believe me, every time he gave me that look,
I bet that dog Marge used to have. She'd have as you know,
back in the day, she'd have parties at her house once a year,
and she was big with the Cincinnati Zoo. She'd bring out all the
animals. And once again there's me the young the young player, and guys
like Hal Morris, Barry Gone, Andy Bret, you better get up on
that elephant. What the multi year doing so amos was for that multi year
cloud drought. But yeah, I had a lot of fun back of those
notes. Give me just an impression of this twenty twenty four Reds team and
maybe your your expectations or thoughts on it. I've been watching this Reds team.
I watched him a year ago. They were a great story. You
know, they ended up petering out a little bit finished eighty two and eighty.
But I think there's a lot of promise on this team. A lot
of young players, obviously, the guys like laed La Cruz comes on the
scene and I already see in spring training he's shortened that leg kick. I
think that's huge. I think for a young player to be able to recognize
that he's looking for more contact. We know he has a light tower power.
I think he stole thirty four bags last year in limited at bats,
but he's got to get that strikeout total down and I think, you know,
and that's a young player. This guy has got that world class ability,
kind of a Tatis type of ability where he can do it all.
And you know, he's got the look as well, so he's got that
rock star look. He's that guy that if if he gets it all together
and keeps learning and keeps making justins, he has a chance to be one
of those guys that's on the on the cover of the The Reds movile guy
for a lot of years. So you got him, you got Steer,
who's going to be in the outfield this year. The young kid McLain at
second base. I really like him, and and Karnashion. You know euliminated
bats last year what he did, so I think there's a lot of promise.
This team's gonna run the base and that led the league and stole bases
last year. He added a couple guys. He added Montoss. I'm really
interested how Montoss is gonna work out to the Reds. You know, he
had some real good years in Oakland, had some tough years in Oakland,
went to the Yankees last year, got hurt, was out the entire year.
He'll be back. Interesting to see how he does. And I think
Pegan you got from Minnesota, is going to be a real bolster to that
bullpen. Another year for that young starting rotation under their belt and out of
everything I said right there, that National League Central Division probably the weakest in
baseball. I don't think the Brewers got any better than Burns or number one
starter. He goes the way. The big hooplah was Counsel moving and going
to the Cubs. I don't know how much, how big of the deal
that is, But when I saw the Burns move, I thought, Wow,
that Brewers team as a challenged offensive team to begin with, they're based
on pitching. With that Burns woodrof one two. Now all of a sudden,
you don't have Burns, one of the best pitchers in baseball, probably
gonna, want to say, a young one day Pirates. I don't know.
They were a little bit better a year ago. They got out of
the block, they were a feel good story. They faded the thing.
To me. The Cubs, I think they're gonna be the same team that
they were a year ago. I think they're gonna be good. You know,
they're gonna be a middle of the road team. Cardinals last year.
The Cardinals of that team, like Tampa Bay Rays, they always find a
way year for some reason to be in that playoff hunt. I think it's
gonna come down to the Reds and the Cardinals this year. I like the
youth on the Red side and I just like to look at this ball of
if all these things can pad out with these young players coming along and continue
them to mature and become established, big leaders, I think they've got a
good chances of anybody that the Bison former Reds All Star the second base with
the gold Glove winner Brent Boone joining me on Sports Talk earlier in the week,
and you know, it's funny, as we talk about you don't understand
Opening Day until you've been here. You don't understand Merge and Shatzie as a
player until you join the Rads. I'm sure the other players in the league
heard the stories. But once you got here and saw there actually was an
owner who had a dog and the dog was on the field, and you
had to make friends with that dog or you were not friends with the owner,
it was a whole different world. Well, you know as well as
I do. Anytime you would traveled around that time, I don't care if
I was in Timbuctoo, New York City, it didn't matter. As soon
as I said I was from here. It was always like, was it
the one mard Man, no doubt. And I have a quick story on
that myself. Back in the day, my old partner, my first partner
actually Marty Bender, when I was a ninety six rock Bender and Fingers and
Marty and I were in a kid glob whatever celebrity quote unquote game and we're
riding the elevator down to field level and Marge and her assistant and the dog
are on there. So Marty and I are just, you know, we're
kind of ambling little kids, and Marty leans over to pet the dog and
the assistant goes, don't pet the dog. I looked at him like don't
pet the dog. You know, I had I had Dimitrion a couple of
weeks ago, and he referenced Opening Day and and the elephants in the parade.
And and to hear Dimitri Young say, yeah, you have elephants pooping
in the parade. And I again, I say, you know, only
Cincinnati has elephants pooping in the in the paraid. Can I give you can
I give you my stat of the day, Because you know I'm a numbers
guy. I'm gonna give you one stat to remember. And you're gonna hear
this a lot. This team needs to get off to a good start.
They have not had a winning record after the first full month of the season
since twenty thirteen. Now, think about that for a second. Have not
had a winning record after the first full month of the season since twenty thirteen.
They went to the playoffs that year. This team doesn't necessarily have to
have a fast start. They can't have a slow start. Last year they
started seven and fifteen. Two years ago they started three and twenty two and
it was done three weeks into the season. It this is a matter of
I think for the first three weeks they need to survive get the guys back
healthy. Eventually TJ's gonna be here, maybe Matt's here at some point,
but we're looking at Nicolodolo's back by April the tenth, and probably Alex Young
and probably Sam mall and and there's gonna be reinforcements coming. You just kind
of kind of kind of hold down the fork and survive for three weeks and
then they get a chance to kind of rock and roll and take off from
there. You just can't. You just can't dig such a hole that you
can't get out. There's my stat of the day. How's that real quick?
You're assessment of what Red Boone said about this division. I think he's
right. I think there there isn't a team that scares you. I think
because of that, the Reds are gonna be able to hang around even during
the injuries, and I think it's going to be a scrum of teams maybe
outside the Pirates, that battle right around the top, and I think that
gives him a chance. I loved his his assessment of the Cardinals, because
it's true. It is every freaking year they're like the Steelers. You think
they're dead, they just come back in and lit the and the the coffin,
and they're alive again. So all right with the with that, we're
gonna take a little break. We are live at the Holy Grail at the
Banks. I'm Dy Fingers, He's Lance McCallister. It is Opening Day here
in the big town. Seven hundred w l W. Opening Day plays on
the Home of the Reds. Seven hundred w l W. If your GP
or truck needs it high lift off road does it? Visit the off road
pros at highlft off Road dot Com, Traftsman Electric, Craftsman Electric dot Com
twentyard awkward Proofs can help. At the Holy Grail at the Banks, Eddy,
the Reds Community Fund is in the house selling tickets. They're directly in
front of me. If they'll turn around, I was gonna quote the prices,
Hey, Red's Community Fund, little split split the pot, Hey split
the pot, Reds Community Fund turn around, turn around. I was gonna
I'm gonna hold, they're not listening to me. I know, it's uh
turn that bord around. I was gonna read it on the air. Here
we go, Here we go right now. Pricing split the pot on the
scene, five split the pot. Tickets for ten dollars. Hold that steady
so I can read it. Please Old game forty four tickets for twenty dollars
to day La Cruz Deal, one hundred tickets for forty bucks and three hundred
tickets for one hundred bucks go to Reds fifty to fifty dot com. Redch
Community Fund is fantastic. We love Charlie Frank and the Gang, so support
the Reds Community Fund on the spot right now. There you go big time,
and this place is jumping lance. It's uh, there's a vibe here.
It's unlike any other day of the year. And so I got here
early to walk the banks and uh, you can just feel it. It's
uh it's basebook. Uh look, it's a beautiful day. Like I said
before, maybe if don't have tickets to the game, there's a real like
Lance. We're just saying there's a real vibe down here. Then I just
you just can't beat it. This is a party now. I know part
of the vibe has been dulled because of all the injuries. They'll start the
season with seven guys on the il Friedol and Williamson and McLean and Lodolo and
Jibo and Young Mal and Martell obviously suspended. I had a chance last night
I talked with the Reds team physician, doctor Andrew Rossano, and I asked
her for a brief kind of two minute drill on what Matt McClain is facing
and what TJ. Friedel's facing. And while he can't talk specifically about their
injuries, he can talk about a torn labram and the displaced fracture of the
fracture of the risk. Here's the Reds team position doctor Andrew Rossanno of Beacon
a two minute drill on the injuries they're dealing with. Take a listen,
tell us about a labrum injury and what a surgery general entails to repair one.
Sure, So, the labrum is a kind of a ring of cartilage
around the socket for the shoulder joint, and when you have a sublictation or
dislocation event, sometimes you can tear the labor or peel it off the socket,
and a surgery for that is usually done to repair the labrum back to
its native position and give that shoulder joint stability, decrease pain, and allow
athletes to go back and do all the things that they need to do.
It is his non throwing shoulder the left shoulder. I would assume that's a
good sign. But in terms of rehab, does rehab for a surgery like
this begin right away? Do you have to wait? And what is that
rehab like ultimately? Well, you begin right away because you want to get
that joint mobilized and get some normal motion through the shoulder joint itself. You
just have to protect it, you know, you have to protect the repaarallel
and to heal in and in healing usually you know, takes about ten twelve
weeks, but still the rehab goes way past that just because get the strength
of the muscles and get the joint moving normally and get all the motion that
you need to be a baseball player. So healing is one thing, but
rehabs a complete different issue. You know, you got to get that short
rate to be able to swing a back, be able to field the ball,
do all the things that he needs to do to be the player he
is, doctor Rizano. Let me let me turn to you on this one.
And it's a term I heard applied to TJ. Friedel's injury, and
again not talking specifically about him, but when you hear a non displaced fracture,
what does that term mean it is that good news in the grand scheme
of breaks of a wrist. No, it's great news. It's great news.
So that basically means the bones in perfect alignment, so you don't have
to do anything with it. You just have to let it heal. So,
having a fracture that is completely non displaced, it's in perfect alignment.
You just have to let the body do what it does. And you know,
the benefit for us is we're dealing with the lead athletes. They do
such a good job at healing and rehabbing that, you know, for for
a non displaced fracture, that's a wonderful thing for us to have is we
don't have to do any type of surgery here aunt. We just have to
watch it and make sure it heals appropriate. Doctor Andrew Rosato, the Reds
team physician, talking about some of the injuries, and one of my pet
peeves is and I know, because we're here, it feels like all the
injuries only happened to Reds players. But Eddie I looked it up earlier in
the week and as of Monday, there were two hundred and sixty six players
in Major League Baseball dealing with some level of injury that was listed by the
team, including the Pirates who have fourteen guys who It's not just the Reds.
It's part of my bigger crusade than I think six weeks of spring training
is way too long, and I shorten that and hopefully shortened some of the
injuries. But speaking of injuries, my hope is that our guy Sean Casey
does not get injured today. And I told him, do not tear your
rotator cuff, do not tear the ucl and your elbow. He's throwing out
the first pitch, and earlier this week on sports talk, I challenged him.
I told him where he better throw that pitch from. Take a listen,
you better be throwing that thing from the mound and on the rubber.
I didn't sleep last night, I swore the guy. I woke up to
go to the bathroom about three am. All of a sudden it came back.
I was like, oh my god, do I have to throw from
the bounder? Can I throw them front the mouth? So honestly, I'm
honestly stressing out about that. Now that you say that, I'm probably gonna
have to throw to the top of the rub and went a rip to nothing
could be worse than the mayor of Cincinnati, the real mayor. So I'm
coming in. I can only do better than throwing it at forty five feet
to Eric Davis's left. You know, I was thinking about the opening days
that you experienced yesterday and I had forgotten in two thousand you actually missed the
opener because Will Clark lined a shot off your thumb. I think in an
exhibition game like the weekend before the opener, isn't that right? We have
the craziest story era. Will Clark was my idol growing up. Literally,
I just wanted to be Will Clark. I wanted to play the game the
way he did. I always posters sports illustrated articles, everything like that.
And Greg Lynn, who was our trainer time, was San Francisco's trainer back
in the day in the eighties nineties with Will the Thrill. So we're playing
that exhibition and Chatt Newg'll go to the Double a REGs affiliate. We're playing
the Chatt Neo the Lookouts or whatever. So before the game, Greg WANs
that case you want to meet the Thrill, I'm like, let's go.
I mean, I was so excited to meet Will Clark. I can't even
tell you. And you know, Lance, I don't know if you've ever
met your idol before. But you're like, man, I don't know if
I want to meet him because if he's not a good dude, Like,
it's gonna ruin my chals. I'm like, the last thing I need is
to ruin my childhood right here. But we meet Will Clark and he big
leaves me. It turns out we have a great exchange with him. He
couldn't be nicer. I'm like thinking Greg went up and down, so fired
up. First thing comes you know, here comes Will Clark. Dude.
I'm like, look at that swing, you know, ron balloons on the
mountain. Now we're I believe when the next day is opening day. I
think we're stopping here and the next day's open there and you know Red's opening
day, dude, Like you're so excited. You know, you just want
spring training to end, but you want to get the Cincinnati you want to
get to the fans, the parade. You know. It's it literally like
we're we're just as excited the players as the fans off opening day. So
like I'm so I said, I just want to get this game over with
get a couple of AB's beat done, move on. Will Clark comes up
mind below, throws a heater up and then bam, he turns on this
heater lance and it comes from me. It's a one hot bullet. It
shoots up bob ricochet's off my thumb and I'm like, oh man, you
know it hurt. It definitely hurt. But I'm like, I'm good up
taking shots. Jack McKenna takes me out of the game through my I go
to the clubhouse. Will Clark, you know, comes out of the game
a couple of days later, brings me over a bat and he's like,
how's your saw many. I'm like, oh man, you know it's gonna
be fine. It's gonna be fine. Brings me a signed bat while I
still have it this day. So I was fine about that. Then I
go get an X ray and they say it's broken. I mean, you
want to talk about devastations, devastation. I honestly was devastated that I was
gonna be an opening day with a freaking broken thumb. I was so mad,
But at least I got a Will Clark signed bat and he was nice,
I love it. I love it. Alright, you were a grand
marshall of this parade back in twenty seventeen. Dmitri and Poky are doing it
this year. Tell me about those two a IS teammates, oh man.
First off, I am so fired up to see Dimitrian Poky. I love
those guys so much, and I'm so excited to see them. There were
some of the greatest teammates ever. I mean, Dimitrion is one of the
greatest years I've ever played with, and he and I were both pig wrestling
bands, so we always kind of enjoyed that together. And Pokey is,
to this, to my twelve year big league career, the greatest defender I've
ever seen. He had my right fully covered, he had up the middle
fully covered. He had short center field and short right field cud. I
never see anything like it. It was like he was a theonce Sanders at
second base. It was incredible. And so those two or two of the
greatest teammates I've ever had. I'm so grateful when I look back at those
years that I got a chance to play with Pokey and Dmitri, and I
am so excited to see them on Thursday. All Right, you know the
Reds have been dealing with some injuries of late. Unfortunately, there's some concern,
maybe some panic within the fan base. How do you feel about this
twenty twenty four Reds team? Yeah, I mean, honestly, anytime you
see Matt McClean and those injuries, that makes you a little just because I
feel like that guy is going to be a bonify All Star, you know,
every year, and I think they're gonna be good. Man. I
just think this team tops the bottom. I think Christian and Canassio Strand is
gonna have a monster year. I really do. Dale Cruz and that guy
is just literally at a different level tool wise, so it'd be interesting to
see if he can keep the consistency over the course of the year. But
there's so many good players that like Spencer Steer and Jake Fayle and then a
lot of different guys. And then you look at the rotation with Green and
Lodolo and Abbott and Frankie Matos coming in. I mean I like that rotation
a lot. I think Nick Crawl has got a great job of piecing this
team together. Being at Redstests this year and seeing the excitement of the fans,
I just yeah, there's there's there's real reason to be excited and uh
for the Cincinny rank in twenty twenty four Sean Casey. Hey, it's the
rn L Carrier seven hundred WLW opening day broadcast live at the Holy Grail,
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