Good stuff again from our pal Mike Florio, at profootballtalk.com and the huge mess that's brewing with the NFL's players' union and how it may impact the game.

Florio stirs up the pot. But he knows his stuff.

Meantime, Charles Barkley is now a free man, again. He's been released from that jail tent he was sent to, for a DUI conviction. Must be a lenient sheriff out there in Arizona. He left Charles hold a news conference, even though he was there for only a couple of nights.

To more mundane matters, the fight for the Reds' fifth starters spot in the pitching rotation is getting very interesting. Michah Owings was terrific again on Sunday. Homer Bailey was terrific again on Saturday. The tie breaker could be Owings hitting ability. But ponder this: if both continue to show this kind of stuff, should the Reds entertain offers for Bronson Arroyo...or just outright shop him? Would the Red Sox consider taking him back. Would the Yankees think about a swap of Arroyo for, say, outfielder Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady? And wouldn't that solidify the Reds outfield, while reducing cost?

It's still early in the spring. And pitchers are facing watered down batting orders because of the World Baseball Classic. But I'm just askin...you know?

The latest "Broo View Podcast" is up and running. You can download it on my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/. It's on the front page. If you go into "Podcasts & More", you'll be able to download past "Broo View Podcasts". This latest one deals with the Bengals release of Odell Thurman and how Rudi Johnson wants to make 2008 his 'comeback' season.

When you're in the media and you have a problem, it's hard to avoid the glare of the spotlight. Charles Barkley has a problem. He's incurred gambling debts at a casino in Las Vegas. Wisely, Barkley chose a venue he's comfortable with to discuss his problem.

This is a particularly dicey (no pun intended) problem for the NBA, which is watching the trial of former official, Tim Donaghy get under way. espn.com has this 'bombshell' that the disgraced ref dropped on Tuesday.

I dealt with this topic on News 5 last night, but here it is from the Baltimore Sun today. The Bengals lost draft of 2005. You simply can not have a draft this bad and expect to win. Compounding this is the fact that the Bengals have lost the back end of their 2006 draft, Picks in rounds 5-7 are gone. And from the draft in 2004, only Chris Perry (the often injured one), Robert Geathers and Stacy Andrews remain. Add it up, from 2004-2006, three draft classes, only ten picks, ten of a total of 26 remain with the team. Now factor in how frugal the Bengals are on the free agent market and it's no secret why this team continues to play losing football.

The Junior story won't die. A lot of reaction from around the country to the article this week in USA Today which quoted Junior saying he expects the Reds to try and deal him this summer. The love fest last summer in Seattle would make you believe the Mariners may want to bring Griffey, Jr, back. But in this Mariners' blog, a great point is raised: would Seattle be willing to part with the crown jewels of its minor league system?

And will the team acquiring Junior be willing to pick up his $16 million option for 2009? If a team isn't willing to do that, it'll be a deal breaker. Peter Gammons has more on that in his blog.

I still maintain the Reds will eventually figure out a way to extend Griffey, Jr's deal, for less than the $16 million and keep him in Cincinnati for the rest of his career. But, I could be wrong....

Former Mets GM now ESPN baseball 'expert' Steve Phillips has some interesting ideas on how to fix the Reds in his blog. It's interesting reading. But none of this is going to happen.

My work schedule is such that I normally get home around 12:30am. But here's one of the perks: I'm awake to watch the best studio show in sports, the TNT NBA wrap-up show. Great cast, good info and a lot of fun to watch. Here's a classic moment from this week.

Years ago, I had a classic interview moment with Barkley. The Bengals were playing in Phoenix on a Sunday. Saturday night, the Suns were playing against former Xavier University star Brian Grant's team. I got a media pass, went into the Suns' locker room and asked Barkley about Grant. He gave me an answer, something along the lines of "...he'll see tougher defenses here than he ever saw at Xavier" I guess I was zoning out, because my next question to Sire Charles was..."will he see tougher defenses now". He glared at me and said..."did I not just say that? Did I not just say that?". Then, looking at the cameraman, he asked, "did I not just say that?". Rookie mistake on my part: never think about the next question until you hear the answer from the one you're getting.

I'm talking sports again this Sunday (Thanks George Vogel for filling-in last week while I covered Cincinnati's Flying Pig Maraton for WLWT.) Among my guests, Bob Nightengale from USA Today who wrote the story about Junior this week. Tim Dierkes from mlbtraderumors.com will join me as well. You can too. We'll take your phone calls. You can listen online at 700wlw.com, or on XM Radio channel 173 or on the 50K "flame thrower" 700 WLW-AM.

Sunday night at 11:35 on WLWT's Sports Rock! our guests will include "Wildman Walker" from WEBN's Dawn Patrol, Wayne "Box" Miller, from WDBZ, "The Buzz" here in Cincinnati and the pole winner for this year's Indianapolis 500.

And check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. I've got my latest "Broo View Podcast" posted on the front page for your downloading and listening. In the "Podcasts and More" section are past episodes and some terrific interviews. I've posted the audio version of our Sports Rock! interview last Sunday with top Bengals draft picks Keith Rivers and Jerome Simpson.

And of course....have a great weekend!