Deranda, Randy Lewis, Tina Turner and more. I'll commercial free. Just
open the free iHeartRadio app search lost eighties and listen now iHeartRadio free. Never
sounded so good. Great back to the day. It's a liftid high beat
right center field. I think you got it. He did. Oh my
goodness, Nick Martini, have an opening day, A free run shot it.
It is seven to nothing. Rend my over. They better order out
some more firework, Nick Martini, Mohager, Welcome again to the Bill Cunningham
showing. Not on for a day or two or three or four. Give
me your three or four highlights? Can I give you more or less a
highlight right now? You could do whatever you want at your show. Good
point. We got Jim Scott, which I thought was fabulous. Of course
neither of us could be there, but the photos from his wife Donna,
and what happened I thought was unbelievable. It was fabulous. Secondly, when
you have Moller High Schools Barry Larkin on the mic, and you have Moller
High Schools David Bell in the dugout, and you have Moller High Schools Bruce
Souter on the mound, I'm thinking in baseball history. You know history more
than anyone else. Is it conceivable possible that that would ever happen again in
any stadium anywhere in America that three high school grads from the same high school
was still in that kind of work. To me, that would have been
impossible. My guess is that's never happened. I don't know that for sure,
but if it's happened before, it hasn't happened often. Let's talk about
on field stuff everything. If we could have scripted it out starting at six
o'clock in the morning, we would have done that. What impressed you about
the activities on the field itself? That indicates this team is ready for glory,
especially when you think the National League Central this year is about the worst
it's ever been. Milwaukee gets rid of all their pitchers. Saint Louis thinks
they're good, but they're not. Pittsburgh gonna be Pittsburg. Guess between the
Cubs and the Reds am I wrong? Uh? I think it's gonna be
a four team race. I'm still not discounting Milwaukee. I still wonder what
Vegas sees in Saint Louis that the rest of us don't. But they're dealing
with major injuries to start the season. The Reds have a chance. And
I know the headline is Nick Martini, which is an awesome sluss. Look,
this team's starting pitching has to be better, and it's got to be
It's got to give the Reds more in terms of quantity. Now, you'll
get that if you're getting quality. Yesterday, Frankie Montass gave the Reds both.
He was pitch efficient. I got the sense had that been a game
played maybe five or six weeks from now, he could have gone deeper into
the game. He threw just eighty one pitches. That is not a good
Washington lineup by any stretch of the imagination. But the Reds have put a
lot on Frankie Montass, a guy who pitched in one game last year,
basically missed the entire season like everybody else. He's trying to re establish his
health. If he does that, he's got a chance to be a top
end starting pitcher. If the Reds have a top end starting pitcher, the
rotation has a chance of being better. If the rotation is better, this
team's got a chance to win. That to me, yesterday, Frankie Montas
looking as good as he did, not walking anybody. The red starting staff
gave up more walks than any in the National League last year. The team
as a whole with a paganan suitor no walks yesterday. That's such a big,
big, big factor with this starting staff being able to go deeper into
game. So to me, the big takeaway as we apply it to the
rest of the season was the Red's got a really good start from a guy.
They need to pitch like that twenty five times or so this year.
Why didn't Hunter Green or Graham? I would think that the hammers of this
mound are not going to be Montas. I would think it'd be Green and
Graham Ashcraft. Why didn't one of those two go? Because I would have
thought, I mean, this guy pitched a total of I think one in
the third innings last season, and he only threw eighty one pitches and the
good old days you have to get hundred and ten, hundred and twenty.
But it is the opening day. But does that say something about the starting
staff? Then Hunter and Graham were not picked h I think it says something
about David Bell's willingness to make this a meritocracy, to borrow word that Scott
Sloane used yesterday. You have to earn the right to be the opening day
starting pitcher. Hunter Green didn't earn it. Look, Frankie Montas didn't have
a good year last year because he didn't pitch. But he's the one guy
on the staff who has a track record of reliability. He's the one guy
on the staff that has gotten through thirty two big league starts in the season.
If he is the pitcher he was in Oakland. Is he an ace?
No? But is he a good, reliable, middle of the rotation
guy. Yes. The way that happens is if Hunter Green takes a major
step forward, if Graham Ashcraft takes a major step forward, and if Nicolodolo
takes a major step forward. But look, there's there's something ceremonial about being
the opening day's that's a big deal. That's something you have to earn.
Hunter Green, I think it's fair to say hasn't earned the right to be
grandfathered into that just because he did it last year. And so I like
the fact that David Bell said, we're gonna give it to the guy who's
been better this spring. We're gonna give it to the guy who has a
better track record. And you know what, maybe things will be different a
year from now. Maybe this will give a little bit of a motivational boost
to Hunter Green or Graham Ashcraft or somebody else. But I like what David
Bell did and and you know, we'll see who the opening day starting pitcher
is a year from now. We'll see if the Reads make the postseason,
who pitches Game one. But in terms of let's let's not let somebody do
something just because they did it last year. Let's make these guys earn it.
Frankie Montas I think earned it, deserved it, and he certainly justified
the decision to make him the opening day started with how he pitched yesterday.
Some said that Jonathan India had a chip on his shoulder because it was obvious
they wanted to trade him. They did not get enough in return to trade
Jonathan India. Thank god that never happened, because nobody could have saw what
was going to happen with all the injuries we've had. But the Dela Cruz
factor, what he does to a game, just get on bass any which
way you can get on bass. There has not been a more exciting Reds
player in my lifetime, which goes back a while. Every time Dela Cruz
comes up, I listen and I want to know what's going to happen.
Is he the most exciting Reds player in your lifetime? Might be I there
hasn't been anybody who when they come to the plate generates the sort of buzz
you know, the opening day crowd, right, it's a social crowd.
Call it what it is. Right, But when the PA announcer, when
Joziahughson announces that Elie del Lacruz is coming to the plate, everybody stops what
they're doing to watch. There's nobody else there's I mean, I watched Joey
Vado for seventeen years. That never happened when he came to the plate.
And I love Joey Vado. It happens with Elie Dela Cruz. And yesterday
was important, right, I think Ellie Dela Cruz. You know, on
our radio station ESPN fifteen thirty, we do a gambling segment and I said,
I think one of the easiest plays is Eli Dela Cruz to lead the
National League and stolen bases at plus one thousand, I think you could still
buy that Bill, that's a good investment. The question is not about excitement
or electricity or about talent, it's can he make the adjustments that the league
made to him late last season. Now, he did strike out twice yesterday,
but he also drew a walk, he got a hit, he scored
a couple of times, he stole third base. There is an excitement level
that you know goes above and beyond his actual performance. Can the performance match
the excitement and yesterday might give you a glimpse into the answer being yes.
And as far as McLain and Marte and Friedol, that's like, I don't
know, thirty forty percent of the Reds lineup gone and you think can they
overcome that? And the most upset to me is Matt McLain, who maybe
the most popular Reds ball player, and to have a freak injury take place
to him and talk about the capsule of your shoulder and talk about ligaments.
It looks to be three to four to five months, maybe all season.
Very disappointing. And TJ. Friedel broken wrist, Ali Joe Burrow who knows
Marty stupid, idiotic. Yeah, he's not going to play in the postseason
if there is one and this season had the reason to start off on the
downtick, but it didn't do. So can you give us hope relative to
Freedo, Marty and McLain give us hope? Well, I think the most
maddening one is obviously Marte right, because injuries are gonna happen, right.
Baseball Players get hurt playing baseball. You have to account for injuries, which
is why you build depth. What you shouldn't have to account for is a
guy breaking the rule and having to miss half the season, and as you
mentioned, if the Reds are in the playoffs, he won't be eligible to
participate. That is, if you're Nick Crawl and David Bell, maddening because
you understand you're gonna have to account for injuries over the course of the season.
Unfortunately, the Reds have had a bunch even before the season has started.
What you shouldn't have to account for as a guy getting to for being
stupid and selfish. Matt McClain, I think is the one guy of all
of the younger players who made their debuts last year. I think he's the
one guy that you could sort of wrap your brain around with what his numbers
are most likely to look like. I think he was their best player last
year. I think he was their most complete player last year. He's really
hard to replace, but look, you could do a lot worse than Okay,
we lose our best player. The guy who's gonna fill his shoes is
a dude who three years ago was the National League Rookie of the Year,
a guy who a year ago we were talking about as being one of the
foundational pieces of this franchise. And yeah, they were open to trading Jonathan
India, but they didn't, and so things have kind of come full circle
for him. He has every reason to be motivated to sort of show people,
hey, look I never should have been displaced. I still should be
a big part of this franchise moving forward. So you know, I would
love Matt McClain back. I think Jonathan India is a reasonable replacement. What
I wonder about is defensively, look Will Benson and I like his beat.
I don't know that he is a center fielder. TJ. Friedl is a
center fielder, and so I do worry about that from a defensive perspective,
because I don't think this team is going to be great on defense, And
you just took away a guy who covers a lot of ground, who is
a pretty good defensive center fielder in TJ. Friedl. There has been some
encouraging news about him. You know, the original estimate was he would miss
six to eight weeks. Now it looks like that's going to be closer to
six than eight, which is a good thing. But we talked all off
season Bill about, well, the Reds are deep. They got a deep
roster, a lot of depth. Okay, Well, is that something we
say or is that something we mean? And if you mean it, then
you think this team can be okay and survive without having some of the guys
they're gonna play without. I think the troubling thing about injuries is Opening Day
is when you're supposed to be at your healthiest, because you know you're going
to go through this during the season. You know guys are going to miss
time, and so you just wonder, what is the cumulative effect a month
from now, how many more guys are hurt? And then you add to
the growing total to what they already have McLain Marte, maybe still Freedle,
et cetera. That's frustrating. They're not as deep as they were but again,
if you spent all off season talking about their depth, then I think
you think they can survive some of the things they've had to deal with over
the last few weeks. No one does Opening eight better than the Reds.
I looked at some of the other opening days around the country, a lot
of empty stadiums and few people. It's unbelievable. The Finland Market parade.
A key part of that was Jim Scott. What that was like. Donna
sent me and sent you a whole bunch of photos of Jim Scott. I'm
so happy for Jim and for loyal listeners of this radio station. They got
to say, in a sense, thank you, Jim Scott. You never
know if it's goodbye, because that one lady who's a hero in Westchester has
had als for twenty years and she's still it's a less than a five percent
chance. So I can't predict the future. But if that is a send
off for Jim Scott, it was fabulous. He's missed Opening Day. You
know, you've known him a long time, longer than I and I've known
him for twenty six years. I can't think of anybody who loves Opening Day
more, you know, I mean, you know, all those years when
the Reds would win Opening Day, when the game was earlier in the day,
we would start broadcasting at five a m. From somewhere, Like,
Jim was always excited to do his job, but Opening Day just brought out
the best in him. He loved the parade, and so for him to
get that chance yesterday, for it to go as well as it did.
Let's be honest, there was a part of a lot of us who are
worried, Okay, is this going to be okay? Is this going to
work out? Is Jim going to be all right? And by all accounts,
he had a great day, a great experience, got a chance to
bask in the adoration of people who love him, who appreciate him, who
listen to him, whose lives have been touched by him. And so I
don't know what the future holds. He obviously is dealing with some very significant
challenges. If yesterday was goodbye, then what a great farewell. I hope
it wasn't more than anything. I'm glad he got a great experience because I
can't think of anybody who deserves it more. I'm launching a couple of nights
ago, the three to zip loss. They were down the Red Sox and
the Yankees. And there's Pokey Rees at second base for the Red Sox and
he is a World Series ring great guy. Dimitri Young hilarious, shows up
with multicolored hair at some point. Don't understand it, but those are characters,
and you're questioning of Pokey Rees, and Dimitri Young was beautiful. Tell
the American people who may not have heard it yesterday, Dimitri Young some stats.
Then you turned to Pokey Rees and said, do you have a sense
of humor? Some stats on Dimitri Young and Pokey Rees. Yeah. So,
Dmitri Young is one of four players who has three home runs in an
opening day game. He did it with the Tigers in two thousand and five.
One of the other four is Toughy Roads from Cincinnati. And so I
brought that up because it's always fun to talk with these guys about their opening
day memories. We did it with Sean Casey, who was traded to the
Reds right before opening Day in ninety eight. And so you know, bring
up Dimitri Young, Oh, five three homers. Only a handful of players
have done that. And then you know Pokey Reese's first opening day, he
made four errors, and that he's a defensive specialist. That guy could scrape.
That guy was fabulous. You're saying he had four errors on Reds opening
day, Red's opening day nineteen ninety eight against the Padres, And he only
played seven innings in the game, which is the remarkable thing, Right,
he didn't play the full nine, but he had four errors, and so
and look, he went on. He was a terrific defensive player. But
his opening day in ninety eight, I think it was his first opening day,
might not have been, but anyway, he had four errors, and
so, you know, I was kind of curious if we bring it up.
You know, you ever know how people are going to act, right
like it's one of the sure one of the worst days of his professional career.
Is it something he doesn't want to joke about, something he doesn't find
funny, or with the passage of time and the fact that he had a
successful big league career, is it something he can laugh about. Fortunately,
it was something he was very willing to not just laugh about, but talk
about and talked about how you know, I mean, he grew from that
and how tough it was in real time. But it was something that he
learned from. So I could have gone the other way, and you know,
maybe he would have punched me in the face. I don't know,
but it was he got a kick out of it. I think that the
folks at the Holy Grail and people listening got a kick out of it,
and he obviously should be. I did bring up the fact that in ninety
nine, as the Reds were making their push toward the postseason, which they
obviously didn't qualify for, he hit a walk off home run on a Sunday
afternoon, and he remembered the pitcher's name, Ricky Batalico. So it wasn't
just bad. I didn't just bring up his worst moment as a Red.
I brought up one of his best, which I guess. Maybe maybe that
put me back in his good graces. I don't know, but it was
fun. He's got a World Series ring from the ball. Yeah, look
at it. He should have worn that, say, Moe, take a
look at my ring. Thing, take a look at this. And lastly,
Alabama last night in basketball, I've caught some flack from some near to
Wells tin Horns and the Kentucky Radio Network kind of stuff. We talked about
Kentucky basketball yesterday with Marty Brenahan and Kentucky courses out early. I think they're
one and four and opening round games. They haven't won anything in a long
time. With cal but North Carolina, he had particular pride the Tar Heels
were gonna beat Alabama roll tide. Guess what, Marty didn't happen. It
did not that Alabama team can really score. They can really score. Now
they have all sorts of defensive deficiencies. But they held Carolina to thirty nine
percent shooting, which you know that in itself is a victory. But when
you're a team like Alabama that just doesn't defend well at all, and you
hold a team as good as Carolina to thirty eight and a half percent shooting,
that's that's terrific and you're gonna win the ball game if you do that.
Alabama did. They survived Carolina being really good on the offensive glass.
I think the Tar Hills had twenty one to twenty two offensive rebounds. But
that is a really talented Alabama team, and that is a guy in Natos
who I think is one of the best coaches in college basketball. And so
was I surprised that the Crimson Tide beat the Tar Heels. Yes, but
am I shocked having watched them play offense all season long? No, I
am surprised because they were down. Was it six eight and a half time?
Yeah, And I just I didn't feel like Alabama could get stops in
the second half. They got enough of them. Marty Brenneman's having a bad
afternoon today. But Alabama, Clemson, Connecticut, those three look pretty good.
Well, Mo, thank you for what you've done, and thank you
for the interviews. They're fabulous. You've forgotten more about sports than Tony Bender
knows. And once again, thank you for coming on the Bill Cunningham Show.
Are you are you going to come to a game this year? You
know That's what Karen Forgas asked me. And yes, if they're winning.
I think last year they open up like three and ten or three and twelve
or something. I had a heart. If they start winning and the weather's
nice, I'm coming to a game. Really yeah, Now, like come
to a game, like come to a come to a game and you're gonna
be up in one of those boxes hanging out with high society or out there
in right field with me and the common folk. Let me think about it.
At some point I'll make a decision. Yeah, we'll be holding our
breath. Thank you, Moe. No, the Business Day special on April
eleventh, that bumps you from the air, and I'm taking off to go
to it. It's my opening day, so we'll have a ticket for you.
I'll tell you what. If the weather's nice, I may come and
sit for an inning or two. We'll see. We'll see, all right,
Moe. Thank you. Okay, let's continue. Bill Cunningham seven hundred
WLW celebrate and say that Ashley's Anniversary sale by Billy cunning into great American picking
up the pieces of what happened yesterday and beyond. Many have said is the
greatest the Reds opening day in history, and I can't disagree with that whatsoever.
And I also would say the crowds involved are certainly well north of one
hundred thousand. Other than Octoberfest and the taste of Cincinnati, I don't think
there's a gathering of eagles like that anytime in Cincinnati. It was great,
it was fabulous, the weather worked. Jim Scott was his heart was warmed.
I exchanged text this morning with his wife, Donna. Could not be
more pleased with what happened the game itself. You had a local boy,
shall we say, on the mound suitor, and then you had a local
guy managing the team, David Bell, and then on the mic was Barry
Larkin. All from the same high school. And as Moe said, I
don't think in baseball history that's ever happened. I can't imagine from the same
high school. Different eras, but the same high school. And it was
just a one wonderful day. In fact, the reds one, which is
most important, eight to two. But as Moe said, the pitching staff
will see what happens with the Hunter Green Graham Ashcraft, will see what happened,
see what happens with Lodolo, going to go to a rehab, start,
start a couple of games, I guess in Louisville or somewhere, and
just start to finish the game itself. I mentioned to Karen Forgas and a
telephone call that the game was like two hours and fifteen minutes and it was
eight to two. So whatever rules they're doing, if you go past three
hours, it's a problem. I think about thirty minutes have been taken off
the game, which is a wonderful. I want to relate two local issues.
One sometime last year, a young couple came up to me and her
name is Alison Collins and his name is Michael Laushey and they live in the
Miamisburg area, up near Dayton, and they talked to their dating et cetera.
And I asked him at that time, Michael, are you going to
marry that girl? And he said I think so, and she said he
better. And so they come back a year later and Tony Bender hands me
this the pleasure of your company is requested for the wedding celebration of Alison Collins
and Michael Lauschee Friday, July the twelfth, twenty twenty four, half past
five o'clock in the evening, and I won't give the location, but it's
in the Miamisburg area. Reception to follow, So there you go. And
I said, look, after you get married, start having babies. Have
two, three, four five, break the trend. It's interesting to make
a lot of money, but the most important thing in life is family life.
So I'm not sure I'm going to attend the wedding. But Alison Collins
and Michael Lauschee, congratulations and thank you, and living long and happy life
together. The difficulties, the problems, the ups, the downs, the
desire to leave, the desire to love is all there. Every human activity
is experienced when one has children. It's just it's scary and it's also great
at the same time. And live your life to the fullest. So congratulations
to Michael and Alison. I'm not sure sure I'll be there, but I
have this in my calendar, so to speak. I doubt I'll be there,
but we'll see what happens. And secondly, Aaron Cahill as operating a
parking company and I pulled in to park my car yesterday and he had on
his Apple phone seven hundred WLW and he listened, and I wanted to pay
double. I think he accepted double. I want to always pay more than
the going rate of thirty bucks. But Aaron Cahill and Jeff Feldhause, thanks
for listening. Good friends of Mark Sheer. Thank you very much. Now.
Secondly, or thirdly or fourthly, to my left is more random attacks
on women in New York City, not sexual so to speak, but combative
attacks in which a large number of women simply walking around Manhattan are targeted.
By individuals who simply want to punch them in the face, causing serious bodily
injury, broken teeth, the orbital bones, stitches, et cetera. It
used to be a game in New York City, was a knockout game,
and with someone would would record an individual hitting a man to such an extent
that they would go down and not get up and put that on TikTok or
somewhere else. That still happens, and people are still being pushed onto the
tracks of the subway and killed by mentally disturbed individuals who belong in Bellevue Mental
Hospital. But nonetheless, nonetheless, if you're a woman, a woman walking
around in New York City, you have to be careful as some dudes going
to walk up behind you or simply almost past you then and then punch you
right in the face. It's happened dozens of times. It's not well publicized,
but that's what's happening in New York City. And something else is happening
in New York City. That is this last night. I was able to
see this morning on YouTube the presentation at Radio City Music Hall, which is
a fabulous facility, and at that point last night was a fundraiser for Joe
Biden. It looks like a wax character in some museum can barely talk.
And when it began, the three presidents who were there, which was Biden,
Barack Hussein Obama, and Bill Clinton, who is Jeffrey Epstein's favorite president.
Whatever happened to that investigation? By the way, huh came out of
the stage. They were down below in an elevator came up, and of
course the crowd went nuts. This was said to be by the president,
so to speak. Biden as a grassroots campaign, he put out a tweet,
not him, but someone on his staff put out a tweet that said
the following, Hey, folks, Barack, Bill and I will be in
New York City soon. We're a couple hours away from hitting the stage at
our grassroots fundraiser and New York City grassroots. Well. To get into the
fundraiser, the base level entry was one hundred thousand dollars and it would cost
somewhere between two fifteen and five hundred thousand to take a picture with the guests
of honor, so to get in was one hundred thousand dollars. There was
also a concert Stephen Colbert, who's a real clown was there, and also
some of the talent Lizo, et cetera. The normal suspect showed up.
The optics could not have been worse. The Democratic Party used to be the
party of plumbers and truck drivers, construction workers, waiters and waitresses, every
slaps with third under their fingernails, that got up every day and went to
work. That's not the case anymore. It's an elitist party in which they
called the grassroots a one hundred thousand dollars per person fundraiser. Allegedly they raised
about thirty five million dollars with the fundraiser. And I thought at some point,
because of the reporting on Jeffrey Epstein, that the appearance of Bill Clinton
might be curtailed. But was I wrong? Be used and abused to raise
money from the grassroots. By the way, if you're a working stuff,
a woman or a man that works as a family, do you think the
Democratic Party looks after your concerns? Of course not the academics to Hollywood,
left, late night evening talk show hosts, etc. People like Matt Jones
in the state of Kentucky, for example, love grassroots fundraisers were a cost
one hundred thousand dollars to attend, and so the optics can have been worse
because as that was going on, Donald John Trump attended the wake in the
funeral of police officer Jonathan Diller, who was murdered in cold blood by a
career criminal named Guy Rivera. And of course his immigration status is irrelevant and
immaterial. The cops could not have been more outraged to the fact that this
character and his buddy were actually free. Looking at the reports on Rivera,
he'd previously had been arrested by NYPD twenty one times. Have you been arrested
once? How about twenty one times? He's only thirty one years old,
including nine times for felonies. He was released from prison in September of twenty
twenty one, having served nearly five years as a convicted drug dealer of heroin
and fentanyl that killed numerous people. Previously, he served three years in state
prison in connection to a twenty eleven felonious assault. So it of his thirty
one years on this planet thirteen as an adult. He spent at least eight
of those thirteen years in state prison. But then he constantly was arrested.
His partner in crime, who was the driver of the car they were casing
a T Mobile store to rob they were parked in a bus stop, had
previously been arrested by NYPD fourteen times. All kinds of events had taken place.
They were sitting in a UH and a bus stop prohibited parking, and
they were they were casing a T Mobile store on Mont Avenue on Monday afternoon
when Diller and his partner asked the two suspects to move the vehicle from the
bus stop. That's all they wanted to do. But they knock on the
window and the cops look in to Rivera and Jones Rivera. The murderer is
sitting in the passenger seat, and the officer approached from that angle, tapped
his finger on the on the window and said you got to move on.
Instead of moving on, the UH, Rivera had in his right hand between
his legs a nine millimeter and he shot the police officer Diller, about a
half an inch below his vest. He died. Over the next hour or
two, and Diller and his partner asked the two suspects to move their vehicle
from a bus stop and UH. At one point they the passenger side window
rolled down and Diller ordered the passenger Rivera to show his hands. Rivera pointed
a gun at point blank range and shot him specifically below the vest. So
while the uh the Hollywood elite were being wine dined and pocket lined at Radio
City Music Hall one hundred thousand dollars tickets up to five hundred thousand for a
photo as a grassroots event for the Democratic Party of Ours grassroots, Donald Trump
was at a police officer's funeral, and even David Axelrod, the apologists for
Obama and Biden, said the opposite. The optics looked terrible as Biden was
raising thirty five million dollars with other Democrats, and quote Biden does a fancy
New York City fundraiser in the midst of chaotic left wing street protests looks like
a limousine liberal. This is David Axelrod plus the breakdown of law and order,
and Trump intends the wake of a slain police officer on Long Island.
The optics are terrible. The only thing the Democrats care about nationally, and
there are many many good Democrats locally, by the way, many many many
good Democrats, But New York City Democrats they care about threats to democracy.
And they exhibit that concern for a threat to democracy by barring Ballid access to
Robert F. Kennedy Junior and making sure that Donald Trump, the leader of
the opposition party, is either locked up or bankrupt. That's the goal.
Go after him. The way to end democracy is to behave like New York
City democrats behave. The way to keep the democracy alive is to let people
run for office freely without a fear of criminal indictment by democrats like Fanny Willis.
That's the threat to democracy. And there's more to life than abortion.
January sixth, Orange Man Bad. Those are the issues abortion killing as many
healthy unborn babies as possible January sixth, January sixth. Then also Orangeman Orangeman
bad Orangeman bad, And that's all. That's all we're getting from the mainstream
media. They want to take Trump, take all his money away, take
his time, put him in court. And the New York City porn star
case is going to is a criminal case. Of course, it's going to
take six to eight weeks, which means he's off the campaign trail and drain
all of his energy and resources and then get a conviction and twenty percent of
independent voters say they won't vote for the Donald if he's convicted of a felony.
It doesn't count if you're in New York City. So they will prosecute
Donald Trump and put him in jail, But not this guy rivera character who
murdered in cold blood a police officer. Plus, I want to thank the
numerous cops and firefighters who came up to me yesterday at the Holy Grail and
thanked me, and oh, I thank you. I thank them. Had
a cop from Cincinnati and went from Green Township. And all I can say
is thank you for putting your life and at risk and of whatever, because
you are serving as the thin blue line between democracy and anarchy, and the
Democratic Party of our parents fails to exist, it doesn't exist anymore. Well,
let's continue with more coming up next as a gentleman who has written a
book called Charlie Hustle, and he's Keith O. Brian's going to be here
to talk about his book about Pete Rose, some startling revelations. And then
after two o'clock today will be Scott Powell. And Scott Powell is a frequent
guest on My Son and Night shows. He considers, and I believe it
to be true, objective proof that the Christ Jesus was in fact alive and
historical character, and there's irrefutable evidence now of his resurrection from the dead three
days later. And if that occurred, he is the Christ, he is
God Almighty that I'll be after two o'clock today, Let's continue. Whenever stop,
we simply continue. Twelve fifty five and Matt Jones of Kentucky is a
clown. On news radio seven hundred WLW, Mike Allen, lets you plead
your case tomorrow morning at nine on seven hundred WLW. Join us for our
twenty twenty four iHeartRadio Music Awards live from the Joldie Peter in Hollywood, Till
Cunningham, the Great American picking up the pieces of the greatest Reds Opening Day.
Ever, I'm not sure how we can ever repeat that. It's the
weather, the Jim's Goot situation, which was fabulous, the game itself,
and although Keith O'Brien, my guest here, is a sant X guy,
I don't know the last time there was a color analyst from Muller High School
talking about manager David Bell from Muller High School with Bruce Souter on the mound
finishing the game from Muller High School. That has never happened before. I
say that will never happen again anywhere in life. But until then, Charlie
Hustle is the name of the book. It is the defenditive story of Pete
Rose's rise and fall. The Wall Street Journal said, quote, I'm not
sure there's ever been a book it does a better job of sketching out Pete
Rose than Keith O'Brien's Charlie Hussele and Keith O'Brien, Welcome to the Bill Cunningham
Show. Off the air. You told me you're a saanex guy, graduated
in nineteen ninety one, but you have vivid memories of Pete Rose. First
of all, why did you think another book had to be written about Pete
Rose? Well, thanks for having me, Bill, great to be back
with you. You know, I feel like all too often people have looked
at Pete's story through the prism of baseball, and I want to be clear,
there's a lot of baseball in my book. But what I wanted to
do here was look at him as a man. You know, this is
the story of an ordinary man. From an ordinary working class neighborhood on the
West Side, a man of ordinary talents who is never the best player on
his own youth baseball teams, who climbs and scrapes and claws his way to
the top of the mountain, and then, mostly through his own own poor
choices, poor decisions, and addictions, loses it. All that is,
you know, more than just a baseball story. You know, that's honestly,
Bill, in my opinion, it's it's a Greek tragedy that just happened
to play out in and around a baseball field. And you know, I
felt if I could get access to Rose, if I could get access to
the people who were in his inner circle, and if I could tell that
story from the inside, that could be a powerful and compelling tale. And
through my research here on Charlie Hustle, you know, I have you know,
found things that have you know, never been written about before. And
you, in the format of this you interviewed, have one hundred and fifty
hours of interviews with the people who Pete best, twenty seven hours of interviews
with Pete Rose himself until he stopped it. If somebody when Pete Rose was
thirteen fourteen years old playing little league baseball. He didn't have much of an
arm. It wasn't very fast, had no power. If somebody would say
when he was fourteen, fifteen, sixteen in Western Hill's bold Face parking,
see that guy right over, that little guy right there, he's going to
be the greatest baseball hitter of all time, Nobody would have believed it.
So talk about your access to Pete and how things went south at one point,
then I want to get into many specifics. Yeah, So you know,
I, as you said, I interviewed anyone I could who would crossed
through you know, his orbit in the nineteen sixties, seventies, and eighties,
and of course I wanted to interview Pete, And you know, I
figured that would be a challenge because Pete has never spoken before for a book
that he did not have editorial control over, you know, But you know
Pete's you know, I think recognized what I was trying to do, and
he certainly appreciated, you know, my my Cincinnati roots. And he did
grant me twenty seven hours of recorded interviews in person and on the phone,
and we didn't have a falling out. Bill, I don't know what happened.
But I was pushing him, you know, I was pushing him into
the you know, the dark corners of his life. And I don't mean
that in a nefarious way. I just mean that, you know, I
feel that if Pete's you know, can can reveal more about why he did
these things, people might understand it better. And and I think maybe that
I just pushed Pete a little too much. But I agree with you though
about what you said about you know, if you'd seen him on the West
side of nineteen forties and fifties, nobody would have picked him out as the
player. Nobody, Nobody you in access to Pete Rose in late twenty twenty
one able to conduct all those hours of interviews, and were Red's ownership talk
about nineteen seventy five, seventy six. That's the hallmark of Red's baseball up
to this point. I hope the glory days lie ahead. But nonetheless,
fifty years ago talk about Red's ownership and managers, et cetera concerned about Pete
Rose's gambling. Then. Yeah, So one thing I wanted to do with
this book was go back and remind readers why we ever cared about Pete Rose
in the first place. You know, in the last thirty five years,
as Pete has made poor decisions, he's sort of become a caricature of himself.
And I think baseball fans and even Cincinnatians have forgotten why we ever cared
in the first place. So to go back and to chart that rise,
and of course, you know, he's at the peak of that rise,
right Bill nineteen seventy five, seventy six. But even while this is happening,
there are already concerns about his behavior off the field, his behavior specifically
with gamblers, but also you know, with the mistresses in his life.
And you know, based on my reporting, by the mid nineteen seventies,
those things were open secrets in the Reds clubhouse and even in the Reds ownership
box. And based on my reporting in nineteen seventy eight, right around the
time that Pete began his forty four game hit streak, a hit streak that
we haven't seen the likes of, by the way, since nineteen seventy eight,
there was some kind of intervention in the office of Red's president Dick Wagner.
Major League Baseball sent a representative who was the head of security for Major
League Baseball at that time, and the discussion that day in Dick Wagner's office
was about gambling and gambling debts. And you know this, of course is
you know, eleven years before Pete's problems his addiction, frankly will will make
you know, national headlines in nineteen seventy eight. Whatever happens that day in
Dick Wagner's office makes no headlines at all. As far as the Reds wanting
to cut ties with Pete Rose, was his off field behavior? I guess
the numerous affairs and cheating on his wife, et cetera wasn't They're real focus
on it. I think a lot of baseball players and a lot of people
on radio, TV and authors of books do exactly the same thing. But
the issue was did Pete's gambling and seventy eight have something to do with the
Reds deciding to let him go? Yeah, let's remember what's happened in nineteen
seventy eight. The longtime general manager Bob Hausem has stepped down. Bob Hausem
loved Pete Rose and who was taken over as the president of the Reds,
but Houseum's deputy all these years Dick Wagner, and you know, Dick Wagner
had a puritanical streak to him, He had sort of a militant streak to
him. And Dick Wagner had never really been fond of Pete Rose. You
know, Pete was not Dick Wagner's favorite flavor of ice cream. And so
these two guys, you know, don't get along already, but absolutely based
on my reporting, you know, you know, Wagner is concerned, he's
concerned about Pete's behavior off the field, and you know, by the end
of that year, you know, he makes the Rose no real offer.
You know, this is the first time Pete Rose is going to be an
unrestricted free agent. You know, he's going to go test the market.
There are lucrative offers out there from Philadelphia, Atlanta, Kansas City, Pittsburgh.
He's not going to get a lucrative offer from Cincinnati because Dick Wagner doesn't
want Pete Rose around anymore. They made that decision to get rid of him.
And then he goes to Philadelphia and wins the National title again, he
wins the World Series in Philadelphia. Did his behavior of gambling continue in Philadelphia?
And it was that an issue there. You know, it's clear that
you know, Pete has routinely been betting with bookies going all the way back
to the nineteen seventies, you know, based on my interviews with Pete,
in interviews I did with others, you know, it begins on the West
Side, you know, with a with a man named Alfonse esselmon al Esslman,
who was a well known bookie in Cincinnati in the nineteen sixties and seventies.
Uh. And it does continue deep into the eighties, you know,
through the Phillies years, through even his one brief year in Montreal, and
and by nineteen eighty five, eighty six, eighty seven, based on reporting
I did, interviews I did with three different men who placed his bets on
baseball, and and and including my own review of a of a betting notebook
that one of these men kept, Pete is betting a ton. And you
know, we all know now about gambling. We can do it on our
phones. You know, everybody can do it on their phones right now in
Ohio, you know. And and even the every day better knows you can't
look at at the rack of baseball games today and placed wagers on ten or
twelve games and hope that that's going to go well for you. It's not
going to go well for you, and you know, unfortunately, by the
mid nineteen eighties, that's what Pete is doing, is he is placing bets
on eight, ten, twelve games a day. And this was at a
time when any gambler didn't have access to the information we have today. You
know, he he's placing bets on games he knows very little about, and
he's losing a lot of money. Bill. You know, at points in
nineteen eighty six, based on my reporting, the review of this notebook,
an interview with the man who kept with this notebook, you know, Pete's
losing as much as thirty thousand dollars a week. And that's at a time
when he's only making a half million dollars a year as the Reds Reds manager.
So it's a lot of money. Keith O'Brien, did he bet on
baseball while in uniform for the X and the Phillies. This is under great
dispute, and Pete is adamant that his betting on baseball begins in October nineteen
eighty six, during the playoffs that year, the two months after his last
at bat as a player. Based on my reporting, the review of this
betting notebook and the interview and an interview with the man who kept this notebook,
Pete's betting on baseball begins at a minimum in early nineteen eighty six,
not long after opening day, and it begins bill because Pete right now,
at this time in nineteen eighty six, betting on March madness, betting on
college basketball does poorly. He loses a lot of money in March nineteen eighty
six betting on basketball, and coming into that spring, it seems that his
choice to maybe crawl out of that hole is to bet on baseball, to
bet on the one thing he knew the most about. And this is thirty
thousand dollars a week net. So if he was making fifty thousand dollars a
week, every dollar was going toward betting on whatever he could bet on.
It's a disease. It's an illness, and Pete Rose never confronted it until
sometime in the nineteen nineties when he wrote that book, and he wrote the
book to confess to it so that he could make money off that. One
can only imagine Keith or Brian what if Pete Rose had not done any of
that, he would be the most honored baseball player in America today. He
would be throwing the first pitch of Opening Day, He'd be doing whatever it
did. Can you speak about the impact on Pete's family and friends? And
you know he was close with Marty Brenneman, he was close with not so
close to Johnny Bench, when he was close to Joe Morgan. Can you
talk about the impact his gambling head on his family and friends. You know,
it's hurt a lot of people. Bill. You know, his close
friends have worried about him over the years, worried greatly. And his lies
about about his bets on baseball lives that he held onto for fifteen years.
You know, those hurt lots of people. And it didn't just hurt baseball.
It didn't just hurt the memory of Bargieamanti. It hurt his close friends.
When he wrote that book in two thousand and four where he finally revealed
that he had been lying all these years, even his closest friends didn't know
that he was about to change his story. They were caught off guard by
the revelations in that book. And you know, in the early nineteen nineties,
Bill, one man goes to prison protecting Pete Rose. It was Tommy
Giosa. Tommy was one of Pete's closest friends in the nineteen seventies and eighties.
Tommy refuses to cooperate with Major League Baseball when they come knocking in the
spring of nineteen eighty nine, and because he's not going to cooperate, because
Tommy is not going to tell Baseball what he knows, federal authorities pick him
up in April of that year and he faces a litany of charges that,
unfortunately for Tommy, he chooses to fight, and he ends up serving more
than two years in federal prisms. So, yeah, pet lies hurt a
lot of people. And you know you mentioned something before, Bill, you
know, you know Pete has deserved, you know, all the criticism he's
received over the years for his lives, for his behavior. My book doesn't
defend that at all, But you're right, you know, this, this
pattern is the behavior of an addict. And all of us probably have had
someone in our lives and our families who has struggled with addictions, right,
and people who are addicted struggle to admit the truth, all right, We
got to run the name of the book, as Charlie Hussel the Wall Street
Journal says, that's the best one written in the subject matter. You're going
to sign this book. Where will you be over the weekend or whatever?
Where will you be if anywhere? I will be at Joseph Beth Books in
Rookwood on Tuesday next week April second, and I will be doing an event
with Dell High Historical Society the following night on Wednesday, April third. All
right, Keith O'Brien, thank you very much for coming on the Bill Cunningham
Show. And good luck with the book. We'll see what happens. And
once again, Keith, thank you very much. Thank you Bill. Let's
continue with more the Pete Rose story. It never ends, by the way,
He's going to turn eighty three years old in July eighty three years old
four fourteen forty one. He was born. Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundreds
that w you, l of you, Spring is here and prices are soaring
everywhere grocery three seventy seven, nineteen call today swim this year that the parade
that they were having in Sesame, and he was interviewing people about the reds
and it was I've never heard of human being Shannon allowed on the public airwaves
like him. He was screaming like an old, deranged human being. He
was interviewing the cowboy Jeff Brantley, and I'm not I'm gonna take my head
set off, so it's I'm gonna do his volume. But I don't want
to yell there, buddy. He'd go, why did players get hurt so
much? Now? Jeff? And he's screaming into the microphone, and he's
asking like old man questions would have never watched. It was, I will
tell you, drew the most entertaining thing. Imagine you took the oldest person
you know on Facebook and had them just ask the questions that they would have
about sports that I kept thinking he's gonna say something's gonna get him fired at
some point. I kept thinking that. But I did enjoy it because he
was yelling. I think because there was so much noise, and anyone who
heard it would agree it was ridiculous. Hello, I'm broadcasting for your bone
now. This ridiculous individual who claims that I yell in a loud fashion his
name Matt Jones. I can't hear you. What did you say, Matt
Jones. Oh okay, who supposedly is an attorney. But the best he
can do is work at six o'clock on thirteen sixty ESPN. That's the best
he can do. Here we go, Here we go, Fox Sports.
I'm sorry, Fox Sports. I'm with you. Listen here and not to
get with it. I'm just telling the guy makes no sense at all?
Would you agree? Segment? I can't hear you today, there's no sense.
It was too old man, too loud down there at the He shouldn't
call Marty Brenneman names. It was Marty, wasn't he talking about? I
think he was eighty seven million people down there yesterday? Who's gonna hear us?
What if I talk like this? And thank you? Yeah, you're
not on you know, some FM station. Please pay attention to my questions.
And by the way, yeah, that's a good are you doing?
Ho's BDM doing these days? What's that? You wanted to run come out
with towel out of come out. You wanted to run him out of town.
But in one and four of the last five games in the Hey cow,
we love town. Yeah, they wanted to run him out of town.
Oh, Matt Jones does is licked the butt of John Caliperi. How
does it taste? How it's a case? How did it taste? Matt
hey Man, Matt, don't get me started on that. We got hold
on before we get started. Yeah, Neil Lucan and the Fenley Market Parade?
Am I an old babbling idiot? Is that what you say? Oh?
You're the wisest man and deserve brother. This Matt Jones character is licking
the butt of Caliperi. I want to how of taste? But nonetheless,
let's talk about picking up the pieces of what happened yesterday. Of course,
you're the president, the CEO and the chief bottle washer of the Fenley Market
Parade? How did it go to yesterday? From your perspective? On a
scale one to ten, one hundred? Better better than ever? I wonder
if cow's gonna have a parade in Lexington? I want to cows gonna have
a parade in Lexington? Anyway? Go ahead, a guy tell me invited
him up here. Now get Matt Jones up here. I'd like to see
him. No one listens to his ass anyway. Anyway, John, I'm
sorry, tell me about the parade from your perspective, Why was the decision
made to invite Jim Scott to turn out magnificently, the weather, of the
crowds, the acceptance, give me a full report. Well, when Jim
got diagnosed with ALS this year a rich best we had have. But he
was gonna be the honor at Graham Marshall, and he's had a lot of
ups and down since the first week in December. We didn't know he was
gonna make it, be perfectly honest with you, but he showed up.
He was great and still was waving and had his thumb up at the end
of the parade. So all day for Jim, they treated him. It
looked like a presidential motor case where they are bringing him down the street.
Cepeats at such a great job and it just worked out well. I mean,
Jim said as she sent me a text this morning and says, you
and your brother and kellying them people at Filly Margaret sure know how to put
on a parade, can't. It doesn't get any better than that. I
mean, I was so happy with the people that made the ALS signs and
showed her support for Jim. The enthusiasm, I guess it all everything lined
up, and he would say that the stars all lined up. I guess
it was spring break for a lot of kids. Right. The weather was
great and uh we got to estimate the crowd at over one hundred and twenty
five thousand. Who to watch them? Wow? You know, other than
the october Fest and the taste, it's the biggest gathering of Tri State residents
and history. And this year's event, it's gonna be hard to topic.
But next year you must try. Yeah, we're gonna give it our best
shot. And you know, for you can say those other events are bigger,
and they are dag golong for two and three days. This goes off
for a couple of hours. So for a couple of hours stretch. It's
got to be the biggest event Cincinnati. And you've done it for what forty
five years or so? Yeah? Ever since Ia baby, that was longer
than forty five years. By the way, what's the cost of hamburger?
If I come down and get a pound of ground chuck? What would it
cost born ninety nine? I tell you, what isn't that something? Go
back three four or five years ago? What did a pound cost then?
Maybe two ninety nine? That's almost doubled. Yeah, things are getting actually
that's a change the subject. But meat pricing a really skyrocket here in the
last couple of months. So it's not good. Bial No, it's not
good. Every schleps like segment live and Die on food and gasoline and those
are the items going up. But uh, well, Neil Lincoln, you
you know me, I don't. I don't like to be political, but
this was clearly the best event, the best opening day. And Barry Larkin
on the mic from Moller High School had the manager of the Reds from Moller
High School, had the pitcher from Moller High School. It was Moller High
School everywhere. And that's why I think some people look at Cincinnati is such
a large, small hometown. That's where we live. And you and I
are very lucky to have been born here, to live here, to spend
our lives here, and to die here. And we're very fortunate. You
know what, it really as Cincinnati's Day. Nobody else in the you know,
in the whole country has an opening day like we have. It's uh,
it's but you know, we can't sit here and take the credit.
It's the people that come out and the people that participate in the parade to
make it so great man. And yeah, like I said, it's just
it's kind of works at a loss for worse that you just you can't explain
this phenomenon. It's now you fell in love with this suffing and you show
up every day to sell hamburger at your meeting market at Philly Market parade.
It don't get no better than that. By the way, how much is
at rough? It was a little rough getting here this morning, but I
got here. What about a chicken breast? What if I got a chicken
breast? How much would a breast be? Bone was five ninety nine bone
in three ninety nine Philly Market. Everybody got to come down here and experience
this place once or twice in their life. What time Saturday? Maybe the
people's judgement, I will stop buying, buy some hamburger. What time you
open on Saturday? Eight to six? There's there's probably one hundred and fifty
people sitting outside right now our beer guarden, eating lunch. This place is
just this. This place is a totally different world down here. So couldn't
have believed it from fifteen twenty years ago. It was a bunch of drunks
and derelicts like Matt Jones and otherwise. Now it's a place for the great
American. That's just the workers. Now, it's not the kind tale all
right. Once again, Neil, let's keep kicking it as long as we
can. What do you think? I think, so, Bill, I
think, like I said, I want to, I want to. I
want to tell Jim. I know he's listening. What a phenomenal job he
did yesterday. And it took every ounce of strength he had to be here,
but he's plown and determined to make it. And he is really what
defines this parade. I mean, fifty years of walking in this parade.
Did to ride yesterday, first time he ever wrote. But man, oh
man was so great to see him. In fact, he said, if
if you see Marty and a man, have him come over and seeing he
came over and saw him, he just lit up. He just is a
great guy and we just can't thank him enough for everything he's done for us
over the years. Well, Marty gets up for all kinds of things right
now, He's always up. All right, thank you very much, And
I'll stop in and see are you there? Actually? You Neil Lucan the
second cousin of Charlie Lucan. Are you actually there on Saturday. I'm there,
I'm here. I'm gonna you know you know something about that, don't
you. I do know it. I know it. I'm lucky to have
the gig I have, and you're lucky to have the gig you have.
And I mean, somebody you got to keep it on set, don't they.
I got two eyes, that's for sure, two eyes to keep on
all right, Well, thank you. Uh, I'll be down on Saturday,
and I want to pay full price. I know you want to give
me everything for nothing, but I refuse to accept it. All right,
you have a good night, and uh brient sick man. That all really
boo sales. He said, you've got a little better appetite than you did.
Amen to that, brother, that's the truth, that's for sure.
When he starts ordering things, you don't want to get behind him in a
buffet line, that's for sure. That's a problem. Get out of the
way. Get out of the way. Take me out of the way.
Don't get behind him in the line. A golden crops busting through the line.
Baby, he's pulling a chair up like like Corey Dillon pulling a chick.
It was kind of it was kind of like, hell, was it
the fance yesterday? Huh, that's right, that's right, that he had
those ladle's get out of the way. He was eating out of the ladles,
just picking up and shovel delicious food. All right, well, thanks,
Neil, will see tomorrow, Hey, Bill, what's your prediction on
the Reds? Well, I say eighty two and eighty. I'm saying ninety
one wins. I hope Ashcraft does what we hope he does. We hope
Marte comes back, we hope TJ. Fiedel comes back earlier, and we
hope of course from Matt McLain. I don't know about him. That's serious.
When you have a torn labram, I don't know what the hell that
is. But it's not good. I'll tell you what the city's of this,
you know, the tap of the top, the top off opening.
They would have win. Was just icing on the cakeble, so much fun
and so many people and light loong Reds fans. Save me a pound of
ground chuck. All right, I'll see you tomorrow, Bill, Neil,
thank you, I'll see it. Sega is added in sports. Well,
hey, the student reporters are pro service. Every local Tamestar heating and air
conditioning dealers Tamestar quality you could feel in Southwest Ohio co Better choice heating and
Coolie five one, three, eight, six, eight thirty three eighty eight.
Couch go. I'm making one other statement. Go right ahead. Matt
Jones is a linguistic dumb ass. Let's see the Reds win that opener yesterday
over the Nationals eight to two. Willie nobody got hurt, but oh no,
no, but don't tell me. Red's left handed reliever Sam Mall,
who has been a sideline with a shoulder issue, is now off to rehab
assignment of Triple A Louisville to come back. But never heard of National's third
baseman Nick Senzel. He's hurt again, out three to four weeks with a
broken thumb, suffered when he was fielding a ground ball in pregame warm ups.
It's always maybe the God Almighty thought that he was still with the Reds
in the pregame warmups he breaks his thumb correct fielding ground correct, we gotta
go segment is out it in sports, yep, give me out of the
Studge report. Please, Matt Jones, You're an ass? Will are you?
On this day in nineteen ninety one, I say Happy thirty second wedding
anniversary to my lovely wife Denise Dennison. Aren't you involved in that? We
leave you with the immortal words of the Stooge Report. We got to find
out who will knuckle up? Who are the men, and who are the
guys that got to take a back seat in the bus? Who's got to
move back? And maybe some other guys got to take the bus. Matt
Jones uses tampons. Now let's continue with more coming up next, we hope
it. Scott Powell about the reality of Easter on News Radio seven hundreds.
You join us for our twenty twenty four iHeartRadio Music Awards. I'm a Cold
Woman, Bluss and I'm Like a Young Girl set the Bad of the Bold.
Scott Powell is the author of Rediscovering America. As a column at The
Federalist called Easter is the world's most historically verified holiday. But for the resurrection
of the Christ, the epistles the Gospels would not have had their meaning today
as it did before. He says, from the beginning of recorded history,
people have turned to religion as a way to find refuge and solace and meaning.
Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and most other religious
points to their own prophets and teachers. But among these world religions, only
Christianity has a founder who profess to be the Messiah. And every other religious
founder in history came into the world to live. The death of other religious
leaders brought an antaclimatic end of their lives and their work. But Christ came
into the world to die, and his sacrifice was the ultimate climax of his
life, done for the benefit of all mankind, opening the way to eternal
life. And this was predicted a thousand years before his birth. And why
did twelve apostles and disciples give up their own life for a lie? Is
that possible? Scott Powell, Welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show. And
you know, practicing law, I know I must have evidence. I must
have proof. So for those non believers and those who live a different kind
of a life, what evidence is there that Christ even existed? Secondly,
he was crucified and most importantly rose to the dead. Talk to the American
people, Well, there are really three things that we have to know about
ancient history in order to believe it. One is the eyewitness accounts. There
the more the more eyewitness accounts of an event, the more you can rely
on it. Uh. Secondly, in ancient times, it was an oral
history for the most part, you know, not not all things were written
down, so you so the second important thing is how much time elapsed between
the time of the event, the eyewitness events, and the time that it
was recorded in writing. Uh. And and also how many people recorded it
in writing. And then lastly, because we're dealing with ancient history, UH,
how many manuscripts survived? UH? To that uh, you know,
to to the uh to the accounting of history, how many manuscripts survived?
And so what is amazing about about Christ's life in the Bible is that there
are about a thousand times more manuscripts that preserve the deeds and teachings of Jesus
and the New Testament, about twenty five thousand in all. Then there are
preserving other classical ancient works of historic figures who lived at about the same time.
And we can think of you know, you can think of Alexander the
Great, You can think of great writers, poets, like Virgil and Horace
who lived right at the time of Christ. You can pick anybody who lived
around the time of Christ, and you will find that the record of their
lives is far more diminished, is far less than we have, you know,
than we have you know, recording Jesus Christ. Where you have you
know, you have the eyewitness accounts took place through the Gospels. These were
people who walked with Jesus, who saw him, and they requ awarded the
facts within about a generation slightly more than a generation of that time. And
so that was the written record. There is no other written records that came
in such close proximity to the actual events. So that's significant. And then,
as they said, the last point, the third point is how many
and how many manuscripts survive have survived. The more manuscripts you have, the
more proof you have, the more certainty you can have. And there are
twenty five thousand, approximately twenty five thousand manuscripts, whereas the most recorded a
person of ancient history who's famous as Homer, and he wrote of course the
Eliad and his you know, his Iliad and his life are backed by about
eighteen hundred manuscripts. Now that's a lot, but it's still less than one
tenth the number of ancient manuscripts that back the authenticity of the New Testament.
No, Scott Paler were going to go back a thousand years, a thousand
years before zero, two thousand years ago, go back a thousand years before
that. There were those talking about the Christ a thousand years before he was
born, and they explained what would happen a thousand years and that was a
record a thousand years before. And then the Bethlehem, the wise men,
the stars, etc. Explained how many individuals and persons predicted as coming a
thousand years before he was born. Well, there were about one hundred prophetic
accounts from eighteen different prophets from the Old Testament between the tenth and as you
point out, built the tenth and the fourth centuries, and they predicted.
These accounts predicted the specifics of his coming birth, the life, and the
death. And hundreds of years later, the details of Christ's birth, life,
betrayal, and death validated these prophecies that came hundreds of years before.
There's no one else in history that had that happened to him. Not let's
go to the crucifixion. Found one and let me tell you why that's the
most person First of all, in one of the earliest prophecies a thousand years
before Christ, David, who became the king, you know, who was
a young hero who took down Goliath and so forth. The same guy he
prophetically wrote about the crucifixion of Christ, describing it. You can read it
in the Bible and the Old Testament, describing the the excruciating pain of being
nailed to a tree, which is crucifixion. Now, when he predicted this
happening to Christ, crucifixion was unknown in the world. No one had ever
seen crucifixion. It had never been used. It had not been, so
to speak, discovered as a means of execution. So how is it that
David could be writing about something that didn't exist. Well, because God was
telling the story through David, and God knows all things. He knows the
past, the president in the future. So that's why it's just incredible that
we have all this evidence about the life of Jesus Christ. And then of
course there are other things too about about his history. You know, I
mean, in a few days, you know, we're at Easter, and
the resurrection was central to God's providence because it provided seeing his believing evidence of
God bringing Jesus the Savior back from being dead in a tomb to being alive
resurrected. And I walked, I walked in gethsemone. I walked in the
tomb, I searched the Holy sepulcher in May. And if this was a
lie, Saint Peter the moments before the crucifixion denied him three times. And
Saint Peter was the God, he was the leader, and so there was
profound doubt among the apostles themselves whether Jesus was the Christ, because Saint Peter
denied him three times, and so he said, I will come back within
three days. And proof of that? What proof do you have, Scott
Powell? Because if this guy was crucified in the way he was crucified,
beaten to with an edge of his life, nailed to a cross, a
sword put into his side to bleed him out, he was dead, over
with gone, taking off the cross as a hunk of meat. Only God
himself three days later could arise that person, and only those apostles that saw
him. What evidence is there? Objective evidence in a court of law?
Scott Powell that Jesus the Christ rose from the dead three days later. Objective
evidence, what is there? Well, again we go back to eyewitness accounts.
Eyewitness accounts of the resurrection. Uh, not not any process of the
tomb opening up and him coming out, but rather that the appearance of Jesus
as a resurrected man. He had been dead in the tomb, uh for
three days and I mean he was dead on the cross. That was confirmed
and verified that he's dead, His life is gone from him, he's put
in the tomb, and normally the decomposition starts to take place. In fact,
that's why Mary, Mary and Martha were going to the tomb to bring
spices to to sort of preserve and and and maybe mitigate the smell or whatever.
And it was and it was these women who found the tomb was empty.
Now, if you were going to contrive a case to disprove, if
you were going to fabricate a case for this, uh, you would not
have women as your first witnesses because because because women had no credibility, you
know, your best witnesses are men. So if someone was going to create
this story, they would have written it differently. But God had it written
the way he did, and so it was that the first witnesses were women.
But the resurrection lasted forty days, and Jesus made at least ten separate
appearances to his disciples between the resurrection and his ultimate ascension into heaven, which
was a period of forty days. And some of these appearances were to individual
disciples, some were to several disciples, and there was one recorded incident that
Christ appeared to five hundred people at one time. The resurrected Jesus appeared.
Now after this, it's particularly noteworthy that there were no accounts of witnesses who
came forth and disputed these appearances, or nobody called it a hoax, as
they would today. Of course, not a single one ignore did we find
any historical record of any witness accounts that were contradictory. And Scott explained why
a person would not give their life up in a horrible way for a lie,
And most of the apostles went on throughout the world for decades after the
resurrection. They would not have done that for a lie. Who would voluntarily
promote lies for decades go through a horrible death themselves as an apostle unless it
was real? Who would do that's right, Well, no one would do
it, of course not. You know that that's another sort of evidentiary that
you know, the apostles willingness to die for their claims. Their claims being
that the divinity of Jesus Christ was the Son of God providing salvation to all
who will believe it, has tremendous evidential value, also confirming the truth of
the resurrection, because what you pointed out, Bill, no one will die
for some thing that he invented or or believed to have been false. They
were absolutely sure in their heart of hearts, and so their testimony is very
powerful to the truth, you know, of the resurrected Messiah, the resurrected
Jesus. And this is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. And think
about another. You know, I think for some listeners who say, you
know, I've encountered people say, well, you know, I know I
need to get right with God. But you know, I'm just not good
enough. You know, I've got to you know, You've got to give
me time. I gotta improve my act. But what is what is unique
about Christianity, and rather inviting, I might add, is that there's no
entry requirement of imperatives, rules, or rituals to join Christ's family. All
other religions have formalities and works that must be performed to qualify for those religions.
And the religions that you named right at the outset of the show bill
that would include Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam. They're all
works based religions and you've got to perform in order to approach God. Christianity
says, I accept you. Jesus says, I accept you just as you
are your sinners and you need a savior, and therefore I love you.
I accept you. Bring me into your life and let me transform you.
At the crucifixion, John the Apostle was there with Mary and Magdalene and Mother
of God, et cetera, and he assisted taking that bloody corpse off the
cross. Jesus likely was about five foot six, weighed about one hundred and
thirty five pounds, emaciated, beaten half to death, stabbed in his side,
crucified, and he wrapped assisted in wrapping up Jesus body in the cloth.
So John knew that Jesus the Christ was dead. He was there.
He watched it, he knew he was dead, and three days later,
when he arose in the dead, he appeared with the apostles and even one.
At that point Thomas said, I don't believe this crucifixion like that,
the bloodiest event. It didn't happen. But Christ showed Thomas in the room
with the other apostles. He said, put your hand into my wound,
look at me. And at that point the twelve of them said, this
is the Christ, this is the Son of God. And guess what.
We will now go forth and tell the world what we saw. They would
not have died. All died horribly except one, the eleven, including them
when it took the place of Judas, all died by stoning crucifixion, upside
down, boiled alive in oil. No one, all of them, not
one of them, would have given their life for a lie. But all
of them did. And to me that strong proof. It is very strong
proof, very strong. Bill. I'm amazed that you have this strong conviction
and your believe. I believe it is blessed by you. Bill Cunningham.
Well, I'll tell you what we have to do, Scott, Bill,
everybody he knows the truth Scott, it's at the Federalist. I'm looking at
the column now. But rediscovering America. The greatest of holidays is Easter.
Proof that the Christ came here sacrifice, was killed, was murdered, and
arose from the dead. If he did not arise from the dead, there
would not have been the Christ because that was the event, the most important
event in human history was rising from the dead. In the accounts are objective
and provable and the truth. Scott Powell, we got to run. But
once again, you're a great American, Scott Powell, and thank you for
coming on the Bill Cunningham Show. We'll do it again. Thanks good,
Thank you Bill. God bless you. There. You go, good Friday.
May you have a good Friday because Easter is coming. On news radio
seven hundred WLW, twisted turned to a cave and the base to base.
I've never heard of human being Shannon allowed on the public airwaves like him.
He was screaming like an old drain a human being. He was interviewing the
cowboy Jeff Brantley, and I'm not I'm gonna take my head set off,
so it's I'm gonna do his volume. But I don't want to yell there,
buddy, he'd go, why did players get hurt so much? Now?
Jeff, and he's screaming into the microphone, and he's asking like old
man questions should have never watched. It was, I will tell you drew
the most entertaining thing. Imagine you took the oldest person you know on Facebook
and had them just ask the questions that they would have about sports that I
kept thinking, he's gonna say Something's gonna get him fired at some point.
I kept thinking that. But I did enjoy it because he was yelling.
I think because there was so much noise, and anyone who heard it would
agree it was ridiculous. Hello, I'm broadcasting, said you can't sound as
probably everyone all the time in each circumstance, would you agree, We thank
for We thanked that gentleman for listening yesterday. Matt Jones, he's want to
be from Kentucky, a Democrat by the way, jog to the level of
his intelligence. But I do get excitable at times. I would admit to
that. Well, it's opening day, Willie, and I mean you're there
with the masses, a very rare public appearance, very great American, great
American. Thank you and all we needed yesterday was the was the first lady
there, and it would have been it would have been, and it would
have been crazy. I tried to get her down there, but she did
not want to do it and didn't want to do it. So I but
I always enjoy those who listened to criticize the doer of great deeds, right
the muddy, bloody warrior in the pit being criticized by someone in the stands.
Well, it was great to see Justice Joe and Senator Portman. I
mean, how about how about that Dynamic duo coming by and saying hello,
Warren David. They wanted to take over the show. They didn't know where
you went. Well, I I tape recorded something and I was in back
with some of the What I was in was checking ticket times. Oh I'm
in the back on the line at the Holy Grail. I'm checking it.
Sure the food's running backs rot. I went the ticket times, just like
just like Willie's, just like the good old days. I want to be
you know, make sure that ten minutes or less is what I said.
Jim Mooring says, thank you the great staff down there, everybody that showed
up. We had a great time with expediting. But for those who can't
do the great deeds, you have people like Matt Jones in Kentucky with cap
By the way, how did Kentucky do in the tournament this year? How
what they do next year? And we'll see who they get. Pat Kelsey,
my good friend is at Louisville. How about that? We'll take it.
I like he brings the cardinals. Those are the sneakies. They got
to bring the Cardinals back, Willie, And believe me, they're somewhat low
on the totem pull of life. You're not kidding. Maybe I'll invite Matt
Jones to come here and meet the great American. Well, hey, the
Stoode Reporters, approp Service, every local Tame Star heating and air conditioning dealers,
tame Star quality. You can feel the Northern Kentucky Gaul Johnson Heating and
Cooling eight five two eight five nine four seven two sixty fifty one. Would
there have any chicken left by the end of Easter at Ron's roost? Every
chicken is going to be gone? Is that fair to say? I would?
Well, but they'll they'll still have some. Don't worry, I have
some chicken Willy, I want to say happy anniversary number thirty two to my
lovely wife Denise. What about you married today with me? She put nineteen
ninety one. Yeah, thirty two years she put up with you? Yep.
And then also do I sound like a raging, raving lunatic? Yes?
Or no? Really want me answer that? Go to the next item.
Also, Willie, we say good luck and retirement. So one and
only NAPA Bob Bob Wilt a very good advertiser here on the station. He's
he's retiring from NAPA, the home of Ron Caps and Chase Elliott after forty
years at NAPA Auto Parts. Bob all the best in retirement. Let me
see here. Frank Sybel says, no, I'm not a raving lunatic.
I agree with Frank. By the way, I have an invitation to a
wedding in Miamisburg. That's right. Those two people came up and said they
took a picture what with you like last year, and then they said they
wanted you to go to their wedding. That would be hilarious if you show
up. I gotta go, I said to Michael Woushey. He was with
this girl named Alison. A year ago at the Holy Grail, I said,
look, marry that woman, have children, work together for something worthwhile.
Jump into the pool. Do not stay single simply living with her.
Make her your wife and make her the mother of your children. And what
they do yesterday They come up to me and give me an invitation of their
wedding. Guess I gotta go. Well July the twelfth, I'm receiving an
award. I've been selected by half Tad Pirival and Brian Redden as the Celtic
of the Year and a gabp. I'm gonna get a shield and a sword,
which I may use against Matt Jones, by the way, but that's
I thought they'd do that at FC Cincinnati to pull the sword out of the
rock. So I doubt I can make it, but let's see what I
can do on July the twelfth, and Allison and Michael, may you be
married at least fifty years and be blessed with many children. Reds are off
today Willie. The series against those Nationals resumed tomorrow afternoon with Kids Opening Day.
Many pregame festivities begin at eleven fifteen with the mascot parade. Game time
is at four to ten. The action right here on seven hundred WLW more
NCAA sweet sixteen action tonight. What about Pat kelsey seven o'clock on Fox Sports
thirteen sixty. Is that the station that Matt Jones is on? Yes?
NKU star Trey Robinson, the Pride to Hamilton, says he's going to return
one more year for the Norse. Also, Pat Kelcey named yesterday as the
Louisville new head coach. We say congrats to Purcell Marion's Jamar Moseley. He
has been named the Ohio Division two Girls basketball coach of the Year. Mason's
Rob Matula, who has retired siring, but he is it named the Division
one Girls coach of the year. Williamsburg's Dan McKibben is the Division three coach
of the year in basketball. How about that Bengals off season workout dates.
The first day is April fifteenth, so they bey get their taxes done OTAs
in May and June and in mandatory mini camp June eleventh. Joe Burrow's red
teenth. Oh, the reports are he's throwing. Who's risked is worse TJ.
Friedel or Joe Burrow? Probably TJ. Friedel? And what about Matt
McClain. What can you tell me about Matt? Who's got to be He's
recovering from the laboram surgery and the shoulder. Sam mal who's had a shoulder
impingement, the Reds reliever. He's one of the eighty five guys that are
on the IL. M o ll he is. He is off on a
rehab assignment. Tonight as a Triple A Louisville begins their season. What about
Necklodolo and his tibia? He's still on the IL. What about Margine?
What about Noel Marte? He suspended eighty games? Now we look he's only
what one game into it? What about Williamson? Oh, he's well,
he's still on the IL. Anybody else? Nick Senzel's out three to four
weeks each broke his thumb yesterday fielding a ground ball in pregame warm ups.
You can't make this up. He comes to Cincinnati as a Washington National right
fielding a ground ball before the game is on the DL. Also we say
congratulations, will you the Dayton Dragons director of media relations and broadcaster extraordinary,
Tom Nichols. Why don't you and I go up there? He's going to
be inducted into the Dayton Baseball Hall of Fame. Great, why didn't you
and I go to a Dragons game? Love to It's packed up there every
game. I'm told it sold out. Danna from Dayton invited me up a
few times. Well, I tell you what I would do. I would
throw out the first pitch of a game. I would go to Dayton.
I'm sure that right now that whoever you have ever heard this in Dayton lolly
calling the Dragons or a Dragons executive is listening on condition to a great American
up there. Now you catch it? You catch it, okay, and
you squat down and get up all right? Well it might need help.
Uh MLS Soccer FC Cincinnati on the road tomorrow night, up against Charlotte Charlotte
FC at seven. Who's gonna fill their shifteen thirty? Who's gonna fill their
shoe segment? Who's gonna stand that tall, who's gonna who's gonna join the
opry and the waalbash cannon ball that was gonna get to the soul of heart
and me and you? Now there's many singers who's gonna fill their shoe?
And how many are the stars? That's right? And I'll tell you what.
That was the essence of my speech yesterday before I was cut off at
the end and then crissendo was close. I was building up to a mighty
wave that would crash. Well you know what that is. Look in the
eyes of those desperate Reds fans. That was a tease to next year's speech.
I'm gonna started right now. I'm just saying, See, those fans
will be back next year and they'll hear the rest of it. They want
to hear more, like Paul Harvey, the rest of the story. And
where the fans and the Holy Gram were they paying attention Somewhere when they when
they taping the entire thing, couple of people were they said, here it
comes, get it ready, here it comes. Here's the crescendo. And
how many young three thirty eight k we gotta go. How many young women
came up to me begging for a pick with me? Uh, you got
more, You got more attention than Marty. I don't want to say that
though he's the Hall of Famer, because I'm gonna two or three holes of
fame. So what that right? I mean? You know, what the
heck, what the hell? I don't know, I don't either. I
wonder if Matt Jones is in any hall of fame, unless they have one
for clowns for the Capitol k he'd be in that hall of fame. That
How about Nick Martini? Though? Will he plays in Korea? Right?
We're moving around. Unbelievable. Yesterday two home runs five RBIs first read with
multiple home runs on opening days since Adam big Done done in two thousand and
seven, the third read since nineteen o six with multiple home runs on opening
day? Who was president in nineteen o six? Was that around World War
One? A little bit a little before that one? Woodrow Wilson? Was
it? No? That was a little later, nineteen o six, Grover
Cleveland, No, it's later, or that I have give me a hint,
Well, that's the US grant was already. That was now eighteen sixty
eight to eighteen seventy four. It was a hint. Teddy Roosevelt, you
might recall in nineteen are nineteen twelve you had a battle between President T.
R. Roosevelt ran on the Bull Moose party and lost, William Howard tapped
ran as a Republican and lost. And then you had Woodrow Wilson, get
elected as a Democrat. His homes right down the street from hospital in it
I've been. That is the last time that two former presidents or president presidents
teed up until now, assuming the two of them make it to November when
it's going to be Trump v. Biden. The last time that happened was
twenty twelve when Teddy Roosevelt teed it up against William Howard Taft who was a
sitting president, and Woodrow Wilson would become the president. So you talked about
that last night at the talking about Olk City political mess. What was that?
I thought? Jeffrey Epstein identified Bill Clinton as one of the women that
raped young girls, and he's one of the heroes of the Democrat Party.
Jeffrey Epstein, we had in New York yesterday. He had Biden, Obama
and Clinton, and then Trump was there, went to it. He went
to the police that week. He cared about police, and Biden cared about
raising money. Two presidents not there, which two presidents segment alive were not
there, George Bush and Jimmy Carter. That's it right there. Jimmy Carter,
Well he's ninety nine. Well he looks half dead, so well,
God bless him. Maybe I'll make it to one hundred. Not sure we'll
see segment is I did in sports? Yep, Reds Baseball off tonight,
but then they get tomorrow afternoon, Tomorrow afternoon, Willy, and then Sunday,
so will he In honor of Vietnam Veterans Day, God bless those soldiers.
We leave you with the immortal words of the Stood Report. You know
the president can't really ever control a White House press conference? Yeah, I
guess not. Well, Joe Biden doesn't hold any press conferences because he can't
enough to do that. You can't somebody ask him a question. You don't
know what to do. Have a nice weekend, everybody, same to you,
and Happy Easter, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter. Scott Powell,
thanks for coming on. Scott Powell is a great American. It's tonight.
A lot of basketball on women's and men's and everything. Two fifty four
helming your reds Undefeated, Untied, Unscored on Although eighty two A News Radio
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