On the very first episode of Effectively Wild, Ben and Sam spoke about the Cincinnati Reds and their then-closer Aroldis Chapman. The Reds were not discussed again until Episode 43, when a listener ("Gweedoh565") sent an email chastising the hosts for talking about the then-last place Chicago Cubs three times, while having the then-first place Reds as a topic only once. Ben concludes, "So we're going to talk about the Cubs for the fourth time now and continue to neglect the Reds."
The no-Reds talk was brought up again in Episode 818 by Russell Carleton, and is often mentioned on the annual Reds season preview episodes.
The hosts occasionally refer indirectly to the inside joke by calling attention to the fact that they're talking about the Reds.