The Andy Furman Podcast

The call came with just a couple of days' notice. How would Kyle Ruschell like to compete in the Pan American Championships in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil? The Crittenden, Kentucky, native hadn't competed in 2 and 1/2 years. But Team USA needed a wrestler. A wrestler wasn't able to make the Championships earlier this month and the team needed someone to travel to Brazil and weigh in. Ruschell had a visa for Brazil that he used several years ago, so he was able to go. "I told them if I'm going to go, I'm going to compete," Ruschell told Andy Furman on The Andy Furman Podcast. Ruschell did more than compete. He went 3-0 and won the gold medal. Even wrestling a weight class up. He last competed at 154.4 pounds, but that weight class was filled and the need was at 163 pounds. So Ruschell had to wrestle up at 163. For his efforts, Ruschell was named Team USA's wrestler of the week on May 10. Ruschell talked about wrestling, his tournament and more on The Andy Furman podcast.

Dave Lapham, who has been a Bengals broadcaster for more than 30 years, thinks the NFL could suspend Bengals cornerback Adam Jones after video surfaced last week of a profanity-laden altercation Jones posted to social media after a car crash. That's on the heels of Jones, 33, being charged with assault, disorderly conduct and obstructing official business. Lapham also talked about the NFL Draft and wasn't surprised by the Bengals drafting a wide receiver in John Ross in the first round last month. Lapham, who was an offensive lineman for the Bengals from 1974 to 1983, said the key to the Bengals season will be what happens with the Bengals offensive line.

How would you live to meet the entire 1992 University of Cincinnati Bearcats Final Four basketball team? One of the stars from that team, Erik Martin, talked with Andy Furman on The Andy Furman Podcast about an upcoming reunion. Martin, now an assistant coach under Bob Huggins at West Virginia University, was part of that 1992 team that was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. It is the 25th anniversary of that historic team. Martin is part of a group planning a reunion this summer. On Aug. 11, there will be a banquet at Great Wolf Lodge in Mason. Former UC coach Bob Huggins and all 13 players will be there. There will be a cocktail hour and players and staff will tell stories about that season. Organizers will allow fans to ask questions. On Aug. 12 at Montgomery Inn, there will be an autograph session. Details will be released in the coming weeks. "It really is going to be a once in a lifetime event," Martin said. Martin talked with Furman about playing under Huggins and now coaching under him at West Virginia. He also talked about the phone call he received from Huggins while he was coaching at Cincinnati State. Huggins called him Martin and offered him a job as an assistant at West Virginia. Martin has been an assistant coach under Huggins for 11 years. He said Huggins has softened up since Martin's playing days and has adjusted with the times as players have changed and Huggins' ability to recruit top players has increased. Martin said one day he wants to be a head coach and he is appreciating learning from Huggins.

It's a question fans and sports columnists have pondered since last week's NFL Draft: Why didn't the Bengals draft an offensive lineman in the first round? The Bengals offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Andy Dalton and pave the way for running backs Giovanni Bernard and Jeremy Hill. Then in the offseason, the team lost its two best lineman to free agency -- Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler. SiriusXM NFL Radio host & Sporting News NFL columnist Alex Marvez said the Bengals could have spent more time looking to address the offensive line in the draft. But there were not top talented offensive linemen in the draft. "The reason they didn't draft a tackle at (pick No.) nine is that the value wasn't there," said Marvez to Andy Furman on The Andy Furman Podcast. The first offensive lineman taken in the draft was Garrett Bolles, who the Denver Broncos selected with the 20th pick. It was the first time an offensive lineman wasn't taken in the first 15 picks in NFL Draft history. Instead, the Bengals selected wide receiver John Ross in the first round and running back Joe Mixon in the second round.

When will the Reds turn it around? Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh says the team will continue to struggle until the young starting rotation improves. Andy Furman spoke to Welsh, the former big league pitcher who is now in his 25th year as Reds broadcaster, about his career as a player after graduating from St. Xavier High School, his time as a Reds broadcaster and this year's team. You can hear all of Welsh's analysis and stories on this week's Andy Furman Podcast. Welsh said one of the challenges is the Reds have three of their five expected starting pitchers on the disabled list. "With young arms come a lot of mistakes," Welsh said. Welsh said the Reds need to break the spell of losing by establishing a winning culture, especially in the minor leagues. Still, Welsh said the starting eight on the Reds is solid. "I like this ballclub," Welsh said. "If you put a Chicago Cubs pitching staff on this team, you've got a contender over night." 1:00 - ESPN Layoffs 5:45 - Reds ticket deals and updates 9:00 - FC Cincinnati biting incident 15:00 - U.C. women's basketball facilities controversy 16:40 - Bengals NFL Draft 20:15 - Chris Welsh joins to talk Reds baseball Find more at http://wcpo.com/AndyFurman

Could the Reds finish second or third in the National League Central? Andy Furman talked Reds baseball with baseball reporter Hal McCoy. Hal McCoy has covered the Reds since 1973. He is partially retired now, but he still covers Reds home games for the Dayton Daily News and for his blog halmccoy.com. In 2015, McCoy was inducted in the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association's Hall of Fame. McCoy said the Reds have shown him a lot this season and could be much better than anticipated. McCoy said last year's Reds bullpen was the worst he had ever seen. This year the bullpen has been lights out. That has been his biggest surprise. "That's probably the reason they are 9-6 instead of 6-9," McCoy said. McCoy said he thinks 40-year-old starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo will only get better and will stick around for awhile on the team. Plus, Furman and Ken Broo discuss why FC Cincinnati is getting bigger crowds than the Reds and whether U.S. Bank Arena will get replaced in a bid to bring the NCAA tournament to Cincinnati. 0:45 - Furman and Broo talk Reds and how baseball stacks up to soccer in Cincinnati 6:16 - Will U.S. Bank Arena get a new facility to bring NCAA to Cincinnati 14:55 - Reds reporter Hal McCoy joins to talk Reds baseball Find more at http://wcpo.com/AndyFurman

Fresh off a ceremony in Oklahoma City after Thunder star Russell Westbrook broke Oscar Robertson's single season record for triple doubles, the University of Cincinnati grad and NBA Hall of Famer talked about Westbrook, the NBA and triple doubles with Andy Furman on the Andy Furman Podcast. 0:30 - Andy Furman and Ken Broo discuss the latest with the Cincinnati Reds 15:20 - Oscar Robertson talks triple doubles, NBA, his respect for Russell Westbrook Visit http://wcpo.com/AndyFurman for more.

In the last few years, Ken Griffey Jr. has been honored in a number of ways -- including being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame last year. The latest: Ken Griffey Jr. will have a statue unveiled in Seattle on April 14. On this week's Andy Furman Podcast, Furman talked with Brian Goldberg, Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent. Goldberg, a University of Cincinnati graduate, represented both Griffey Jr. and Griffey Sr. Goldberg talked about Griffey Jr.'s life these days. Griffey is a special assistant for the Mariners. He does scouting and work with players, as well as with sponsors. Griffey is still a Nike spokesman with the Nike Swingman product. He's also a spokesman for Sony Playstation. Griffey is on the cover of MLB The Show. Both Junior and Senior are spokesmen for Bayer's advanced prostate cancer educational program, Men Who Speak Up. Furman also talked sports with radio host Mike North. More at wcpo.com/AndyFurman

Former Cincinnati Reds first-baseman and grand marshal for the 2017 Reds opening day parade Sean Casey talks to Andy Furman about what makes opening day so special in Cincinnati. Voice of the Cincinnati Bengals and UC Bearcasts Dan Hoard joins Furman to talk about Adam Jones and football in Cincinnati. Plus, hear from WCPO's John Popovich on his experiences and coverage of opening day. 0:40 - John Popovich talks about his experiences covering opening day in Cincinnati 6:50 - Sean Casey explains what makes opening day so special in Cincinnati. 24:40 - Dan Hoard talks Adam Jones and shares his insight on what to expect for Cincinnati football in 2017. Find more at wcpo.com/AndyFurman

Former New York Post and USA Today NBA writer Peter Vecsey joins The Andy Furman Podcast. Vecsey discusses just how much the NBA has changed through the years and tries to understand why some players are taking breaks. Former Philadelphia Daily News and current Blue Star Media college basketball Dick "Hoops" Weiss calls in to the podcast from the NCAA tournament in Kansas City. Hoops reluctantly names some teams he expects may wind up in the championship game. 0:18 - Ken Broo chats about the latest Bengals and Reds news 9:52 - Peter Vecsey discusses the NBA and how it's changed over the years 22:30 - Dick "Hoops" Weiss joins from Kansas City to talk about the NCAA tournament

Andy Furman and former Bengals linebacker Tom Dinkel said University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin should stop whining about his team's sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament and just play basketball. Dinkel, a former standout football player at Kansas, talked about the NCAA Tournament. Dinkel talked about Kansas' dominant guard play, the state of the Bearcats' program, whether Xavier could make a run in the tournament and more. Dinkel said college basketball is the No. 1 sport for fans to watch because on any given day one team can beat another. Dinkel also talked about the Bengals. He said while he understands the Bengals' need to get a younger roster, letting tackle Andrew Whitworth go could haunt the team. He also said Bengals fans shouldn't look for a team Hall of Fame like the Reds have anytime soon. 4:43 - NCAA Tournament talk 19:30 - Bengals discussion

With three Cincinnati-area teams preparing to enter the NCAA tournament, college basketball is on a lot of minds in the Tri-State. CBS sports analyst and former Xavier coach Pete Gillen, and University of Cincinnati director of C-Club and voice of Bearcats basketball Terry Nelson talk college hoops with Andy Furman. Plus, Ken Broo joins to discuss the recent departures of Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth to the Rams and Bengals RG Kevin Zeitler to the Browns. 0:18 - Ken Broo chats about key losses to Bengals roster. 8:10 - Pete Gillen talks about coaching Xavier and his predictions for the NCAA tournament. 17:55 - Terry Nelson talks about Bearcats basketball.

Andy Furman talks college hoops with two Hall of Famers -- Chuck Machock and Byron Larkin. Furman said this might be the best University of Cincinnati team in the Mick Cronin era. He asked Machock, a former UC player and an assistant coach under Bob Huggins, about the Bearcats' strength. "I've never seen a bunch of kids play together anyone than this group of kids right now," said Machock, the Bearcats radio analyst. Machock said he thinks UC can make it into the Sweet 16. Possibly further. Meanwhile, Xavier radio analyst Byron Larkin talked about the Musketeers six-game losing streak. "It's like the planets aligned perfectly. The adversity that Xavier has had to handle has been huge," Larkin said. 0:25 - Ken Broo chats about Reds, Musketeers, and Bearcats 11:11 - Chuck Machock talks Bearcats basketball 24:54 - Byron Larkin talks Musketeers basketball

Thomas More College's women's basketball team has the second longest win streak in college hoops -- behind only the UConn women's team that won its 100th straight game last week. Andy Furman talks with Jeff Hans, head women's basketball coach at Thomas More.

FC Cincinnati had a remarkable first season. Now, as the team prepares for its second season beginning in April the team is in the news after dropping its popular and nationally well-known head coach John Harkes. General Manager Jeff Berding talks about replacing Harkes, FC Cincinnati's remarkable success and more.

The Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman talked Reds baseball with host Andy Furman on The Andy Furman Podcast. Brennaman and Furman talked about the Brandon Phillips trade, Jose Peraza, Dilson Herrera and more. Furman wondered how the Reds can say they are rebuilding while at the same time signing 40-year-old Bronson Arroyo. "There's a big time mutual admiration society that exists between Arroyo and this team," Brennaman said. "Bronson can be the kind of guy that can help a young pitching staff whether he's in the bullpen or the rotation." Furman asked Brennaman about Scott Schebler having the right field starting spot. Brennaman at first said the job was Schebler's, but then he brought up top outfield prospect Jesse Winker. "We've been talking about Jesse Winker since Abner Doubleday invented the game," Brennaman joked. "If there are questions in the outfield, you would have to apply them to both of the corner spots because Winker is waiting in the wings." So how many wins will the Reds have? You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out what the Hall of Famer predicts.

We're in the February doldrums for sports fans. Podcast host Andy Furman, a longtime national and local radio talk show host, talks about the Super Bowl, Adam Jones, the Bengals, FC Cincinnati, the Reds and more.