Andre Smith ate his way, and maybe talked his way, out of millions of dollars this week. Smith is the just finished junior at the University of Alabama, who just happened to be the highest rated offensive tackle in the 2009 NFL draft. That is, until he showed up at the NFL Combine more than a little out of shape, had a series of interviews with NFL teams that were anywhere from bizarre to disasterous and then left the Combine, unannounced, to return to Atlanta where apparently he'll try to drop some tonnage.
I guess this would be a good time to throw in that Smith wasn't allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl in January, because he was deemed to have had inproper contact with an agent. Great agent, who'd allow Smith to show up at the most important pre-draft gathering impersonating a train wreck.
Smith was supposed to have been the top player in the entire 2009 draft class. My guess is, he'll still go in the first round and probably before the middle of the round. But he kissed a boatload of money sayonara with his non-performance in Indianapolis.
More juicy NFL tibbits from our buddy, Mike Florio, at profootballtalk.com
Now, for something completely different. The hardest working man in show business, the late James Brown. But check out the fresh fresh behind him playing bass guitar. That would be a very young 18-years old Bootsy Collins, proud resident of eastside Cincinnati and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, class of 1997
Recess is over. Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf Wednesday. The line will form over there for second-100th place.
Finally, exihibition games begin around MLB on Wednesday. Aaron Harang tossed an inning of scoreless ball today, in an intrasquad game, then 20-more pitches in the bullpen afterward. It all hinges on him, whether or not this is another 72 win season, or the Reds actually have a pulse ni 2009.
THE BROO VIEW: Cincinnati's Legendary Sportscaster Offer His Thoughts On The Ever Changing World Of Sports
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday ramblings from a mind that likes to wander....
Ken Griffey, Jr made the right call, heading back to Seattle. But you have to wonder if the Braves feel used....The lack of news coming out of the Reds spring camp is astounding, particularly for a team searching for an identity.....Riddle me this: if the Reds had taken all the time, trouble and money it expended to sign a bucket of spare parts known as Jonny Gomes, Jacque Jones, Wily Tavares and Daryle Ward this season and used it to trade for Nick Swisher or Jermaine Dye or perhaps try to sign Bobby Abreu or Garrett Anderson, wouldn't they be in a better position to field a legitimate left fielder this season? They signed Tavares, apparently, for his speed and defense. Tavares won't hit for average, so why not concede the bat and put Chris Dickerson in center, and sign or trade for one of the legit candidates I just mentioned. Isn't anybody thinking like that in Redsland these days? Just asking.....
The more I think about the Bengals 'tagging' Shayne Graham, the less sense it makes. Didn't the Giants find a kicker mid season? Aren't there are trail of placekickers out there looking for work? For a team that was so challenged scoring points this year, what's the sense in locking up a guy who can only give you three at a time, and letting a guy who can give you twice that (TJ Houshmandzadeh) take a walk? Oh wait, that's right, money. Tag Graham, let TJ go, and save $7.5 million. And if the Bengals complete the 'daily double' and trade Chad Ocho Cinco, your number one wide rceiver this coming season will be, drum roll please, Chris Henry.
Here's the dumbest man in America, at least tonight. The mascots are competing at the NBA All Star weekend. Watch the idiot dressed up like a wolf, standing on the backboard.
The guy just ripped his ACL. Nice
Ken Griffey, Jr made the right call, heading back to Seattle. But you have to wonder if the Braves feel used....The lack of news coming out of the Reds spring camp is astounding, particularly for a team searching for an identity.....Riddle me this: if the Reds had taken all the time, trouble and money it expended to sign a bucket of spare parts known as Jonny Gomes, Jacque Jones, Wily Tavares and Daryle Ward this season and used it to trade for Nick Swisher or Jermaine Dye or perhaps try to sign Bobby Abreu or Garrett Anderson, wouldn't they be in a better position to field a legitimate left fielder this season? They signed Tavares, apparently, for his speed and defense. Tavares won't hit for average, so why not concede the bat and put Chris Dickerson in center, and sign or trade for one of the legit candidates I just mentioned. Isn't anybody thinking like that in Redsland these days? Just asking.....
The more I think about the Bengals 'tagging' Shayne Graham, the less sense it makes. Didn't the Giants find a kicker mid season? Aren't there are trail of placekickers out there looking for work? For a team that was so challenged scoring points this year, what's the sense in locking up a guy who can only give you three at a time, and letting a guy who can give you twice that (TJ Houshmandzadeh) take a walk? Oh wait, that's right, money. Tag Graham, let TJ go, and save $7.5 million. And if the Bengals complete the 'daily double' and trade Chad Ocho Cinco, your number one wide rceiver this coming season will be, drum roll please, Chris Henry.
Here's the dumbest man in America, at least tonight. The mascots are competing at the NBA All Star weekend. Watch the idiot dressed up like a wolf, standing on the backboard.
The guy just ripped his ACL. Nice
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Why did the Bengals elect to franchise tag PK Shayne Graham and not TJ Houshmandzadeh. I'll give you three guesses, and all three answers have to be money.
Plain and simple, end of story.
It would've cost the Bengals just under $10 million for one year of Houshmandzadeh. Tagging Graham is a $2.5 million ticket. That's not to say that Graham isn't a valuable asset. The free agent pool for kickers is limited this off season. But kickers are a dime a dozen in the NFL. And honestly, as bad as this team is, should we really believe that the Bengals will be playing games that will be decided by three or fewer points anytime in the near future?
And who is Carson Palmer going to be tossing the ball to next fall, Graham? Right now, your Bengals wide receiving corps consists of Chad Ocho Cinco, who would probably volunteer to hide in TJ's luggage just to escape Bengal-dom; Chris Henry, who's one good cocktail away from a permanent ban by the NFL Commissioner; Andre Caldwell, who didn't play WR at all until the final game of 2008; and 2008 second round pick Jerome Simpson, who was less visible in the Fall of 1008 than Dick Cheney. Get those season tickets now.
The latest Broo View Podcast is up and posted on my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/. But, if you're in a hurry, you can download it here. My guests in this episode are Jon Heyman, the baseball writer from Sports Illustrated and from The Sporting News, senior writer Stan McNeal.
Alex Rodriguez looked like a man anguished by the truth, or at least his version of it. I watched his news conference today. I don't doubt he was wrought with emotion. But honestly, are you buying this 'cousin injected me story'? Where's the cousin? What's his name? And this 'boli' that was injected into A-Rod that he said was an over the counter thing in the Dominican Republic? Apparently the chief sports doctor down there says the only way 'boli' is available is on the black market. So apparently laws were broken in that country. Maybe that's why we can't find the cousin.
It's been an awful year for any baseball free agent not named CC Sabathia or Mark Texeira. Are NFL free agents looking at the same scenario. Our pal, Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com weighs on on that.
Personally, I think it's going to be a rough winter for any NFL free agent not named TJ Houshmandzadeh.
Plain and simple, end of story.
It would've cost the Bengals just under $10 million for one year of Houshmandzadeh. Tagging Graham is a $2.5 million ticket. That's not to say that Graham isn't a valuable asset. The free agent pool for kickers is limited this off season. But kickers are a dime a dozen in the NFL. And honestly, as bad as this team is, should we really believe that the Bengals will be playing games that will be decided by three or fewer points anytime in the near future?
And who is Carson Palmer going to be tossing the ball to next fall, Graham? Right now, your Bengals wide receiving corps consists of Chad Ocho Cinco, who would probably volunteer to hide in TJ's luggage just to escape Bengal-dom; Chris Henry, who's one good cocktail away from a permanent ban by the NFL Commissioner; Andre Caldwell, who didn't play WR at all until the final game of 2008; and 2008 second round pick Jerome Simpson, who was less visible in the Fall of 1008 than Dick Cheney. Get those season tickets now.
The latest Broo View Podcast is up and posted on my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/. But, if you're in a hurry, you can download it here. My guests in this episode are Jon Heyman, the baseball writer from Sports Illustrated and from The Sporting News, senior writer Stan McNeal.
Alex Rodriguez looked like a man anguished by the truth, or at least his version of it. I watched his news conference today. I don't doubt he was wrought with emotion. But honestly, are you buying this 'cousin injected me story'? Where's the cousin? What's his name? And this 'boli' that was injected into A-Rod that he said was an over the counter thing in the Dominican Republic? Apparently the chief sports doctor down there says the only way 'boli' is available is on the black market. So apparently laws were broken in that country. Maybe that's why we can't find the cousin.
It's been an awful year for any baseball free agent not named CC Sabathia or Mark Texeira. Are NFL free agents looking at the same scenario. Our pal, Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com weighs on on that.
Personally, I think it's going to be a rough winter for any NFL free agent not named TJ Houshmandzadeh.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Adam Dunn signed for two years, 20-million, Bobby Abreu took six million for a year. I’m wondering if the Reds have missed the boat. Pitchers and catchers are in camp, some of the positional players too. And I’m wondering if the Reds had made one more play in free agency this winter, if they’d be considered as a pre season contender for a playoff spot. Because right now, playoffs and your Cincinnati Reds don’t seem to have any chance of intersecting.
You know what you’re hearing a lot of this winter? “The Reds are going to be better this season”. You’re not hearing “The Reds have a shot to make the playoffs”. It’s “they’re going to be better this season’. I don’t know about you, that doesn’t make me want to go out and buy tickets. Decent rotation? Yes. Nice young players in Votto and Bruce? Yes. Bullpen better? Maybe. What else you got?
You can argue that the Cubs got weaker by trading Mark DeRosa. But did they get 23 and a half games weaker than last season? The answer is, no. And 23 and half is the number of games the Reds finished behind the Cubs last season.
Run production is going to be a major problem for this team this season. Votto and Bruce will have to put up numbers better than last season just for the Reds to approach what they did last year. Brandon Phillips is the real deal. But did Edwin Encarnacion change his approach to hitting in the off season? Did Willy Tavares figure out a way to get on base more than 30-percent of the time in the off season? Did Ramon Hernandez lose the attitude he copped last season in Baltimore?
Did the Reds miss the boat by not making a run at Abreu, who would have brought his .300 average and professionalism to Cincinnati. Maybe he would never consider coming here. Because at his age, at the point he’s at in his career, maybe Abreu only wants to play for a team with a legitimate chance at winning a pennant.
Can you still buy a championship in baseball? The Yankees were in that business back in the 90’s and made it work. They’ve been in that business for this decade too, and it hasn’t. Now, they’ve gone out and spent $430 million total dollars on three players: Mark Texeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. But does the paradigm that worked in the 90’s still work today?
You know, one of the best presents I ever got as a kid was a subscription to The Sporting News. My parents gave that to me as a birthday present when I turned ten. I remember it was in newspaper form, came wrapped up like a cylinder. You had to unwrap it and roll it out so it would lay flat. It came on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday afternoon I knew it was waiting for me when I got home from school. I walked to school, but on Tuesdays, I ran home. The Sporting News was the best. It has box scores from the entire previous week. That’s not even a quaint notion now. It seems ancient. You want a box score, it’s on a dozen web sites five minutes after the game ends. But back then, you got box scores and game reports. You got great columns from writers like Joe Falls of the Detroit Free Press and Bob Broeg from the St. Louis Post Dispatch. I couldn’t find Detroit or St. Louis on a map back then. But Falls and Broeg made me feel like I was in Tiger or Busch Stadium. That was the Sporting News.
Old habits die hard. I still subscribe. It doesn’t come every week in newspaper form. It arrives twice a month in a glossy magazine. Daily you can get it on the web. And I was reminded this week of why I still subscribe.
There s a wonderful series of articles on whether or not buying a baseball team is the route, anymore, to a pennant. The articles contrast how it was before free agency to what it is now. Several writers contributed to the series. But the chief writer is a man by the name of Stan McNeal. Tuesday, I'll have a link on my blog to an interview I did with McNeal about this very subject.
College basketball from the weekend. Xavier wins, UC loses. There’s a lot of concern about the way Xavier has been playing lately. And their throttling of one of the worst teams in the country Saturday probably didn’t make a whole lot of their fans breath easier. The farther you defend them from the basket, the more you send the Muskies to the free throw line, the better chance you have to beat them. Blueprint for Duquesne and Dayton in wins last week. But honestly, you want those problems to pop up now, not in March. I think what I’ve always thought about Xavier: it’s a good team, not great, with a great chance to play on the second weekend of the tournament.
UC has other issues. I’m on record, said it here last week, that if the Bearcats win three of their final seven games and win a game in the Big East Tournament, they’re in the NCAA’s. Three wins in their final seven would put the ‘Cats are 19-12 entering the Big East Tournament. They would’ve finished 9-9 in conference games. They’re 1-1 in their final seven so far. They’re on track to win three. I think they beat West Virginia and Seton Hall here. They may even sneak in another win. Maybe at South Florida, maybe here this week against Louisville. But this is what we’re hearing a lot of lately about UC: they haven’t beaten any team this season that’s a lock to go to the NCAA Tournament. Not one. Don’t give me Georgetown. The Hoyas are on life support. Notre Dame? Not buying it at this point.
So it would be in UC’s best interest if, in the final five games before its conference tournament, if the Bearcats figured out a way to beat Louisville or Syracuse.
You know what you’re hearing a lot of this winter? “The Reds are going to be better this season”. You’re not hearing “The Reds have a shot to make the playoffs”. It’s “they’re going to be better this season’. I don’t know about you, that doesn’t make me want to go out and buy tickets. Decent rotation? Yes. Nice young players in Votto and Bruce? Yes. Bullpen better? Maybe. What else you got?
You can argue that the Cubs got weaker by trading Mark DeRosa. But did they get 23 and a half games weaker than last season? The answer is, no. And 23 and half is the number of games the Reds finished behind the Cubs last season.
Run production is going to be a major problem for this team this season. Votto and Bruce will have to put up numbers better than last season just for the Reds to approach what they did last year. Brandon Phillips is the real deal. But did Edwin Encarnacion change his approach to hitting in the off season? Did Willy Tavares figure out a way to get on base more than 30-percent of the time in the off season? Did Ramon Hernandez lose the attitude he copped last season in Baltimore?
Did the Reds miss the boat by not making a run at Abreu, who would have brought his .300 average and professionalism to Cincinnati. Maybe he would never consider coming here. Because at his age, at the point he’s at in his career, maybe Abreu only wants to play for a team with a legitimate chance at winning a pennant.
Can you still buy a championship in baseball? The Yankees were in that business back in the 90’s and made it work. They’ve been in that business for this decade too, and it hasn’t. Now, they’ve gone out and spent $430 million total dollars on three players: Mark Texeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. But does the paradigm that worked in the 90’s still work today?
You know, one of the best presents I ever got as a kid was a subscription to The Sporting News. My parents gave that to me as a birthday present when I turned ten. I remember it was in newspaper form, came wrapped up like a cylinder. You had to unwrap it and roll it out so it would lay flat. It came on Tuesdays. Every Tuesday afternoon I knew it was waiting for me when I got home from school. I walked to school, but on Tuesdays, I ran home. The Sporting News was the best. It has box scores from the entire previous week. That’s not even a quaint notion now. It seems ancient. You want a box score, it’s on a dozen web sites five minutes after the game ends. But back then, you got box scores and game reports. You got great columns from writers like Joe Falls of the Detroit Free Press and Bob Broeg from the St. Louis Post Dispatch. I couldn’t find Detroit or St. Louis on a map back then. But Falls and Broeg made me feel like I was in Tiger or Busch Stadium. That was the Sporting News.
Old habits die hard. I still subscribe. It doesn’t come every week in newspaper form. It arrives twice a month in a glossy magazine. Daily you can get it on the web. And I was reminded this week of why I still subscribe.
There s a wonderful series of articles on whether or not buying a baseball team is the route, anymore, to a pennant. The articles contrast how it was before free agency to what it is now. Several writers contributed to the series. But the chief writer is a man by the name of Stan McNeal. Tuesday, I'll have a link on my blog to an interview I did with McNeal about this very subject.
College basketball from the weekend. Xavier wins, UC loses. There’s a lot of concern about the way Xavier has been playing lately. And their throttling of one of the worst teams in the country Saturday probably didn’t make a whole lot of their fans breath easier. The farther you defend them from the basket, the more you send the Muskies to the free throw line, the better chance you have to beat them. Blueprint for Duquesne and Dayton in wins last week. But honestly, you want those problems to pop up now, not in March. I think what I’ve always thought about Xavier: it’s a good team, not great, with a great chance to play on the second weekend of the tournament.
UC has other issues. I’m on record, said it here last week, that if the Bearcats win three of their final seven games and win a game in the Big East Tournament, they’re in the NCAA’s. Three wins in their final seven would put the ‘Cats are 19-12 entering the Big East Tournament. They would’ve finished 9-9 in conference games. They’re 1-1 in their final seven so far. They’re on track to win three. I think they beat West Virginia and Seton Hall here. They may even sneak in another win. Maybe at South Florida, maybe here this week against Louisville. But this is what we’re hearing a lot of lately about UC: they haven’t beaten any team this season that’s a lock to go to the NCAA Tournament. Not one. Don’t give me Georgetown. The Hoyas are on life support. Notre Dame? Not buying it at this point.
So it would be in UC’s best interest if, in the final five games before its conference tournament, if the Bearcats figured out a way to beat Louisville or Syracuse.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
First things first, the latest Broo View Podcast is now up and posted on the front page of my web site, www.kenbroo.com. If you're in a hurry, you can download it here. My guest this week is former Reds general manager, Wayne Krivsky. He has some good stuff on whether or not the Reds can morph in to a 'pitching, speed and defense' team this season.
I have to admit, I'm a bit suprised that Adam Dunn will get a two year $20 million deal from the Washington Nationals. Si.com's Tom Verducci has the details.
That's less money than Dunn received over the course of the past two seasons. But it's good money in this economy. Consider that Pat Burrell signed a two year, $16 million deal with the Rays. But then again, Dunn will have to play for the Nats, who are in no danger of going anywhere this season. And it makes you wonder what the market will be for Dunn in a couple of years. Now, all Nationals GM Jim Bowden has to do is sign Griffey, Jr and he'll reunite the Reds outfield of 2002. Of course, that's exactly what the Reds are running away from right?
Bobby Abreu has signed with the Angels. He'll take a major league 'haircut'. Here's the story from the LA Times. Abreu will make about $9 million less this year than last. And it's a big comedown from what he'd been looking for after filing last fall. No way Abreu would have come to Cincinnati. He wants a ring. The Reds are nowhere near winning anything, let along a World Series Championship.
I guess Garrett Anderson is available now, just in case Bob Castellini comes to his senses and falls out of love with Jonny Gomes.
My pal, Mike Florio at sportingnews.com has an intereting take on what the Bengals might do with their franchise tag. Mike of course, operates the wildly popular profootballtalk.com web site.
How about the Bengals tagging no one? In this economy, is a slam dunk that TJ Houshmandzadeh will get the kind of bonus money that's been thrown around in year's past? Aren't there some hard lessons in economics out there for a lot of baseball players this winter?
If the Bengals 'tag' TJ, that's roughly $10 million for this coming season. He's 32, or will be in September. Is TJ worth it? Sure, but it's not my money so I'll spend it for Mike Brown. But Brown, and a lot of other owners who may face declining ticket sales and other revenue this season might be prone to second thoughts this winter.
Ken Griffey Junior's agent, Brian Goldberg, tells me Jr. will have a place to play baseball this coming season and a deal will be announced next week. Goldberg, who'll be one of my guests this Sunday morning on 700 WLW, says four teams are interested in Griffey, Jr. But Goldberg admits that Junior is a 'fallback' plan for teams that don't get Manny, Abreu or Dunn.
My money's on Seattle.
Sugar Ray Leonard...I mean, Brett Favre retired...again. Favre might as well be an aging boxer, he retires so much.
You're building an NFL team from scratch and you want to build your team around one player. Who is your pick? Let me know, send a comment. I might use this as a topic for my radio show.
I have to admit, I'm a bit suprised that Adam Dunn will get a two year $20 million deal from the Washington Nationals. Si.com's Tom Verducci has the details.
That's less money than Dunn received over the course of the past two seasons. But it's good money in this economy. Consider that Pat Burrell signed a two year, $16 million deal with the Rays. But then again, Dunn will have to play for the Nats, who are in no danger of going anywhere this season. And it makes you wonder what the market will be for Dunn in a couple of years. Now, all Nationals GM Jim Bowden has to do is sign Griffey, Jr and he'll reunite the Reds outfield of 2002. Of course, that's exactly what the Reds are running away from right?
Bobby Abreu has signed with the Angels. He'll take a major league 'haircut'. Here's the story from the LA Times. Abreu will make about $9 million less this year than last. And it's a big comedown from what he'd been looking for after filing last fall. No way Abreu would have come to Cincinnati. He wants a ring. The Reds are nowhere near winning anything, let along a World Series Championship.
I guess Garrett Anderson is available now, just in case Bob Castellini comes to his senses and falls out of love with Jonny Gomes.
My pal, Mike Florio at sportingnews.com has an intereting take on what the Bengals might do with their franchise tag. Mike of course, operates the wildly popular profootballtalk.com web site.
How about the Bengals tagging no one? In this economy, is a slam dunk that TJ Houshmandzadeh will get the kind of bonus money that's been thrown around in year's past? Aren't there some hard lessons in economics out there for a lot of baseball players this winter?
If the Bengals 'tag' TJ, that's roughly $10 million for this coming season. He's 32, or will be in September. Is TJ worth it? Sure, but it's not my money so I'll spend it for Mike Brown. But Brown, and a lot of other owners who may face declining ticket sales and other revenue this season might be prone to second thoughts this winter.
Ken Griffey Junior's agent, Brian Goldberg, tells me Jr. will have a place to play baseball this coming season and a deal will be announced next week. Goldberg, who'll be one of my guests this Sunday morning on 700 WLW, says four teams are interested in Griffey, Jr. But Goldberg admits that Junior is a 'fallback' plan for teams that don't get Manny, Abreu or Dunn.
My money's on Seattle.
Sugar Ray Leonard...I mean, Brett Favre retired...again. Favre might as well be an aging boxer, he retires so much.
You're building an NFL team from scratch and you want to build your team around one player. Who is your pick? Let me know, send a comment. I might use this as a topic for my radio show.
Monday, February 09, 2009
I said on channel 5 the other night that I knew the next loss for Xavier was out there, but I couldn’t see it on the horizon. There’s a comment that had shelf life of about ten minutes. I’m watching this game Saturday night, the sound was down I was at dinner, and I’m saying to myself…self, the Muskies don’t appear to be playing very good defense in this game. Little did I know that you and I could find three guys off the street and play better defense than the Muskies did. 81-percent is the number of shots Duquesne made in the first half of last night’s game. Do you know how bad you have to play to let the other guy make 81-percent of his shots. And almost as worse, the Muskies turned the ball over seven of their first 14 possessions. Don’t play defense, give the ball away and, and make only 53-percent of your free throws, it’s amazing the Muskies had a chance to win the game.
So was last night a bump in the road, or a warning shot? Well since it was only the third conference loss in the last two seasons for ‘X’, I’m going to say it was just a speed bump. And listening to Sean Miller after the game last night, he almost seemed relieved that his team lost a game this far out from the tournament. I know he wasn’t. But the last thing a coach wants is for his team to get complacent. Things to work on, as they say in the land of coach speak.
Here’s where I think UC is today: very much alive for an NCAA tournament. CBS Sports basketball guru, Seth Davis said Thursday on one of the ESPN shows that UC’s win over Notre Dame this week was devastating to the Irish because…quote…Cincinnati isn’t going to the NCAA tournament. Another opinion that had a shelf life of 15 seconds.
By beating Georgetown, a top 25 team for a long time this season, the Bearcats now have 16-wins. They’re 6-5 in the Big East with seven games to go. They’re 16-8 overall. If they go 3-4 in their final seven, they finish at 19-12, more important 9-9 in the conference. Last year, a ‘500’ Big East record was the threshold for making the NCAA tournament. I think they can go 3-4. They’ve got some games that just aren’t do-able, like at Pittsburgh in a week. But a home game with St. John’s is still in play, so too is a game with Seton Hall. They beat Hugs and West Virginia on the road last season. They got Hugs at Fifth-Third in a couple of weeks. Very do-able. Nancy Zimpher is about to load up the U-Haul, UC is winning again. This is the best week in years for UC fans.
TJ Houshmanzadeh is playing the role of Chad Johnson this winter. Last winter, Ocho Cinco was looking for any hot mic in broadcasting to yap about how much he hated being in Cincinnati and how much he wanted to get traded. To the Dolphins, Eagles, Redskins, you pick any of the other 31-teams in the league, that’s where Ocho Cinco wanted to be. ABC baby, anywhere but Cincinnati. We all know how well that turned out. Ocho Cinco was a runor for most of this season.
The only difference between what Chad did last winter and what’s going on with TJ now, is that TJ actually may have a chance to leave. He is a restricted free agent. And as late as last week, Marvin Lewis said he prefers not to slap a franchise tag on TJ. Perhaps he’s saving it just in case Stacy Andrews grows another leg between now and training camp.
What Marvin, and his boss, Silent Mike should be more interested in, rather than what they prefer to do, is figuring out why their best players want out of here. And if this is coming down to a preference, they may want to consult with Carson Palmer to see if he’d prefer to throw the football at Houshmandzeh or at Chris Henry who runs pass routes about as well as Mike Duncan ran the Republican National Committee this past fall. Oops, got Keith Olbermann there on you, didn’t I?
Maybe number 9 would prefer throwing to last year’s draft blank, second round pick Jerome Simpson.
Of course, Houshmandzadeh can always refuse to sign the franchise contract, but who’s turning down 10-million a year in this economic climate. And if he does refuse to sign, the Bengals could then simply dump him in June, when all of the big money has been spent on other players, leaving TJ to play for a pittance.
The best course of action would be to make a reasonable offer to Houshmandzadeh, who has been the most reasonable player around here in some of the most unreasonable circumstances. But we all know the chance of that happening…
Which brings us to the next big story of the week, the Reds bottom feeding as spring training begins. Darryle Ward, Jacque Jones, be still my thumping heart. What, Robin Jennings wasn’t available? This is beginning to smack of the strategy Jim Bowden had in his time around here: bring in a lot of aging veterans throw ‘em up against the wall and see who sticks.
I understand that you have to have a willing partner to do a deal. But wouldn’t the more prudent business move be to wait and see how desperate players like Bobby Abreu and Garrett Anderson become before clogging up your roster with the likes of Jones, Ward and Jonny Gomes?
Let me just says for the record, I see no value in a goal of finishing with just a winning record. 82-80 does nothing for me. And it shouldn’t do anything for you, unless it gets the Reds into the playoffs. That’s it. That’s the only goal you should demand from your team: making the playoffs. That’s winning. The rest is mediocrity, or worse.
Finally, I could care less about Michael Phelps blowing into a bong pipe. I know he’s an Olympic hero. But honestly, he comes off as a bit of a doof. This is the same guy who celebrated his performance in the 2004 Olympics with a DUI. Now, he’s blowing in to a bong pipe and it was caught on camera. I could spend a whole three hours talking about cell phone cameras and the people who think they’re journalists by clicking away at celebrities or even unsuspecting schleps like me and you. What those people do is far worse than what Phelps did.
Phelps apologized, was baneed from competitive swimming and training fees were suspended for three months. There’s a set back, the Olympics are what, three and a half years away? He’s getting seven, eight million in endorsements? This absolutely has to kill Phelps. So, whomever is running the USA swimming program is looking a little moronic today, too.
But it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to Phelps or the Olympic movment. You probably wouldn’t have given him five seconds of thought until 2012. But now, this. You might even say it’s good marketing. Bangin’ on the bong pipe like a big bass drum. It’s a golden moment.
So was last night a bump in the road, or a warning shot? Well since it was only the third conference loss in the last two seasons for ‘X’, I’m going to say it was just a speed bump. And listening to Sean Miller after the game last night, he almost seemed relieved that his team lost a game this far out from the tournament. I know he wasn’t. But the last thing a coach wants is for his team to get complacent. Things to work on, as they say in the land of coach speak.
Here’s where I think UC is today: very much alive for an NCAA tournament. CBS Sports basketball guru, Seth Davis said Thursday on one of the ESPN shows that UC’s win over Notre Dame this week was devastating to the Irish because…quote…Cincinnati isn’t going to the NCAA tournament. Another opinion that had a shelf life of 15 seconds.
By beating Georgetown, a top 25 team for a long time this season, the Bearcats now have 16-wins. They’re 6-5 in the Big East with seven games to go. They’re 16-8 overall. If they go 3-4 in their final seven, they finish at 19-12, more important 9-9 in the conference. Last year, a ‘500’ Big East record was the threshold for making the NCAA tournament. I think they can go 3-4. They’ve got some games that just aren’t do-able, like at Pittsburgh in a week. But a home game with St. John’s is still in play, so too is a game with Seton Hall. They beat Hugs and West Virginia on the road last season. They got Hugs at Fifth-Third in a couple of weeks. Very do-able. Nancy Zimpher is about to load up the U-Haul, UC is winning again. This is the best week in years for UC fans.
TJ Houshmanzadeh is playing the role of Chad Johnson this winter. Last winter, Ocho Cinco was looking for any hot mic in broadcasting to yap about how much he hated being in Cincinnati and how much he wanted to get traded. To the Dolphins, Eagles, Redskins, you pick any of the other 31-teams in the league, that’s where Ocho Cinco wanted to be. ABC baby, anywhere but Cincinnati. We all know how well that turned out. Ocho Cinco was a runor for most of this season.
The only difference between what Chad did last winter and what’s going on with TJ now, is that TJ actually may have a chance to leave. He is a restricted free agent. And as late as last week, Marvin Lewis said he prefers not to slap a franchise tag on TJ. Perhaps he’s saving it just in case Stacy Andrews grows another leg between now and training camp.
What Marvin, and his boss, Silent Mike should be more interested in, rather than what they prefer to do, is figuring out why their best players want out of here. And if this is coming down to a preference, they may want to consult with Carson Palmer to see if he’d prefer to throw the football at Houshmandzeh or at Chris Henry who runs pass routes about as well as Mike Duncan ran the Republican National Committee this past fall. Oops, got Keith Olbermann there on you, didn’t I?
Maybe number 9 would prefer throwing to last year’s draft blank, second round pick Jerome Simpson.
Of course, Houshmandzadeh can always refuse to sign the franchise contract, but who’s turning down 10-million a year in this economic climate. And if he does refuse to sign, the Bengals could then simply dump him in June, when all of the big money has been spent on other players, leaving TJ to play for a pittance.
The best course of action would be to make a reasonable offer to Houshmandzadeh, who has been the most reasonable player around here in some of the most unreasonable circumstances. But we all know the chance of that happening…
Which brings us to the next big story of the week, the Reds bottom feeding as spring training begins. Darryle Ward, Jacque Jones, be still my thumping heart. What, Robin Jennings wasn’t available? This is beginning to smack of the strategy Jim Bowden had in his time around here: bring in a lot of aging veterans throw ‘em up against the wall and see who sticks.
I understand that you have to have a willing partner to do a deal. But wouldn’t the more prudent business move be to wait and see how desperate players like Bobby Abreu and Garrett Anderson become before clogging up your roster with the likes of Jones, Ward and Jonny Gomes?
Let me just says for the record, I see no value in a goal of finishing with just a winning record. 82-80 does nothing for me. And it shouldn’t do anything for you, unless it gets the Reds into the playoffs. That’s it. That’s the only goal you should demand from your team: making the playoffs. That’s winning. The rest is mediocrity, or worse.
Finally, I could care less about Michael Phelps blowing into a bong pipe. I know he’s an Olympic hero. But honestly, he comes off as a bit of a doof. This is the same guy who celebrated his performance in the 2004 Olympics with a DUI. Now, he’s blowing in to a bong pipe and it was caught on camera. I could spend a whole three hours talking about cell phone cameras and the people who think they’re journalists by clicking away at celebrities or even unsuspecting schleps like me and you. What those people do is far worse than what Phelps did.
Phelps apologized, was baneed from competitive swimming and training fees were suspended for three months. There’s a set back, the Olympics are what, three and a half years away? He’s getting seven, eight million in endorsements? This absolutely has to kill Phelps. So, whomever is running the USA swimming program is looking a little moronic today, too.
But it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to Phelps or the Olympic movment. You probably wouldn’t have given him five seconds of thought until 2012. But now, this. You might even say it’s good marketing. Bangin’ on the bong pipe like a big bass drum. It’s a golden moment.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Do you ever wonder about how different things may have turned out, if Dick Lebeau actually had some players when he was the head coach here? And, if the culture in Bengal-dom was something like he’s got in Pittsburgh, where winning isn’t a surprise, it’s expected?
Because, let’s face it, the man isn’t as dumb as you might’ve thought he was when he coached here. And you could argue that he’s not the head guy now, that he only has to worry about one side of the all. And you’d be right, but you’d also be wrong.
Think about who his quarterback was when he was here: Akili Smith. The only guy in Bengals history who made Akili Smith look good was David Klingler. And it wasn’t just Smith. Remember Scott Mitchell? Remember Gus Frerrotte?
And for every Takeo Spikes, Willie Anderson and Rich Braham there was plenty of Corey Dillon, Michael Westbrook and others who just didn’t give a damn….or were here simply because it was the end of the line and there was no where else to go.
Lebeau was caught up in the votex that got Bruce Coslet and Dave Shula before him and a votex that’s been whipping around Marvin Lewis lately. It was a culture of losing and a team with no plan. Players were drafted, signed and thrown together and dashed with a whole lot of ‘good luck’. For every Lorenzo Neal there was a Mark Roman, or Danny Farmer, or good Lord Sean Brewer. The games were played, lost, players came and went. Lebeau never had a chance.
Oliver Gibson was fat and ineffective, Riall Johnson was in over his head and Reinard Wilson was a candidate for the ultimate draft bust.
You could argue that Lebeau had a hand in this mess. I’m sure the bare bones Bengals front office listened and then did whatever they wanted to.
Lebeau went along because this was his big shot, his chance to be head coach. But he sure got a lot smarter after he left here, didn’t he?
Dick LeBeau didn’t invent the Zone Blitz defense after he left here in 2003. He invented it before he got here in 1984. Between ’84 and ’91, when he left for Pittsburgh the first time in his career, Lebcau’s schemes were part of what made the Bengals perennial contenders. It didn’t get the publicity then that it’s getting now. But it was a big reason why the Bengals got to the Super Bowl in ’89.
My point is, sometimes people don’t succeed because of the situation they’re in. All the talent in the world can’t help you when too much is out of your control and not enough of the power to change it, is.
Admit it, you booed the guy. You chanted Lebeau must go. You roared when he promised in a news conference that his offense was going to score 23 points a game. But he wasn’t dumb when he was here and he didn’t grow brains when he left.
Situations dictate everything. It’s why Lebeau is in the right place at the right time, right now. And why he won another Super Bowl ring Sunday.
Because, let’s face it, the man isn’t as dumb as you might’ve thought he was when he coached here. And you could argue that he’s not the head guy now, that he only has to worry about one side of the all. And you’d be right, but you’d also be wrong.
Think about who his quarterback was when he was here: Akili Smith. The only guy in Bengals history who made Akili Smith look good was David Klingler. And it wasn’t just Smith. Remember Scott Mitchell? Remember Gus Frerrotte?
And for every Takeo Spikes, Willie Anderson and Rich Braham there was plenty of Corey Dillon, Michael Westbrook and others who just didn’t give a damn….or were here simply because it was the end of the line and there was no where else to go.
Lebeau was caught up in the votex that got Bruce Coslet and Dave Shula before him and a votex that’s been whipping around Marvin Lewis lately. It was a culture of losing and a team with no plan. Players were drafted, signed and thrown together and dashed with a whole lot of ‘good luck’. For every Lorenzo Neal there was a Mark Roman, or Danny Farmer, or good Lord Sean Brewer. The games were played, lost, players came and went. Lebeau never had a chance.
Oliver Gibson was fat and ineffective, Riall Johnson was in over his head and Reinard Wilson was a candidate for the ultimate draft bust.
You could argue that Lebeau had a hand in this mess. I’m sure the bare bones Bengals front office listened and then did whatever they wanted to.
Lebeau went along because this was his big shot, his chance to be head coach. But he sure got a lot smarter after he left here, didn’t he?
Dick LeBeau didn’t invent the Zone Blitz defense after he left here in 2003. He invented it before he got here in 1984. Between ’84 and ’91, when he left for Pittsburgh the first time in his career, Lebcau’s schemes were part of what made the Bengals perennial contenders. It didn’t get the publicity then that it’s getting now. But it was a big reason why the Bengals got to the Super Bowl in ’89.
My point is, sometimes people don’t succeed because of the situation they’re in. All the talent in the world can’t help you when too much is out of your control and not enough of the power to change it, is.
Admit it, you booed the guy. You chanted Lebeau must go. You roared when he promised in a news conference that his offense was going to score 23 points a game. But he wasn’t dumb when he was here and he didn’t grow brains when he left.
Situations dictate everything. It’s why Lebeau is in the right place at the right time, right now. And why he won another Super Bowl ring Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are everything the Cincinnati Bengals want to be. And can't. You watched the number one franchise in the NFL, maybe all of sports, stage a methodical, spirited comeback to win Super Bowl XLIII. In your wildest dreams, do you think the Bengals could do that, even in a regular season NFL game?
The Steelers are what the Bengals aren't. They have stability at head coach, just three in the last 38 years. Since 1971, only Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin have had that job. Since, 1971, the Bengals have had nine head coaches (Paul Brown, Tiger Johnson, Homer Rice, Forrest Gregg, Sam Wyche, Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau and Marvin Lewis). Each staff has had different assistant coaches.
The Steelers have a bona fide general manager and ten fulltime scouts. The Bengals have no general manager and five full time scouts. And it's not just all on the team.
It's on you and me. Steeler fans demand excellence from their team. Bengals fans reward medicocrity, or worse. Pittsburgh fans sell out Heinz Field because they know what their team is going to do. Bengals fans sell out Paul Brown Stadium and down deep, probably know what their team is going to do as well.
I'm not a Steeler fan, never have been. You wouldn't be able to guess what NFL team I silently root for. But I admire what Pittsburgh has done over the course of the last 38 seasons. And if you can't, or won't because of jealousy, you're missing out on the big picture: winning isn't easy. It's hard work, dedication and focus. The Bengals could use a lot more of all of that.
The Steelers are what the Bengals aren't. They have stability at head coach, just three in the last 38 years. Since 1971, only Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin have had that job. Since, 1971, the Bengals have had nine head coaches (Paul Brown, Tiger Johnson, Homer Rice, Forrest Gregg, Sam Wyche, Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau and Marvin Lewis). Each staff has had different assistant coaches.
The Steelers have a bona fide general manager and ten fulltime scouts. The Bengals have no general manager and five full time scouts. And it's not just all on the team.
It's on you and me. Steeler fans demand excellence from their team. Bengals fans reward medicocrity, or worse. Pittsburgh fans sell out Heinz Field because they know what their team is going to do. Bengals fans sell out Paul Brown Stadium and down deep, probably know what their team is going to do as well.
I'm not a Steeler fan, never have been. You wouldn't be able to guess what NFL team I silently root for. But I admire what Pittsburgh has done over the course of the last 38 seasons. And if you can't, or won't because of jealousy, you're missing out on the big picture: winning isn't easy. It's hard work, dedication and focus. The Bengals could use a lot more of all of that.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Random thoughts on an icy night in the 'nati.....
I really want to pick the Cardinals in this upcoming Super Bowl. But look at their record. Every time they've played a team with a better than average defense, they've lost. Dick LeBeau will simply not allow Larry Fitzgerald to beat his team. It's the Steelers defensive coordinator's track record. His game plan is to neutralize the other team's best player and make someone else try to make plays.
Steelers 23 Cardinals 13.
I did an interview with Reds General Manager, Walt Jocketty today. He's convinced the team will contend this season and won more than it loses. It's a far cry from Bob Castellini's guarantees. But if the Reds win six more than they lose, that'd be an 84-78 record, and a legit Widl Card contender. Can they do it? I don't see how a team can go from a 'power' team to a 'pitching, defense and speed' team overnight and became a contender. Maybe it's happened before. But I can't remember when. The Reds are banking a lot on their pitching this year. And while the back end of the rotation is better than most team's, the front end (Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo) has to pitch as billed, something it didn't do last season.
Jocketty says he's a Homer Bailey fan. Well, that's one. Bailey has been nothing but a disappointment since his big league arrival two summers ago.
If you watch the Super Bowl only for the commercials...get a life. But if you watch for the GAME as well as the commercials, well here's a taste of the new Coke ad. It's an update on the ad Coke did over 30 years ago with former Steeler, Mean Joe Green.
Loved what I've seen of it so far...pretty much 'spot on'
I was reading an issue of Sports Illustrated from late December, the other night. I always read this stuff weeks after publication, just not enough hours in the day. In the magazine was a story about how Dick LeBeau developed the 'Zone Blitz' defense as he prepared to take over the Cincinnati Bengals defense in 1984. He spent time at LSU discussing it with then LSU head coach, Bill Arnsparger. On my radio show last Sunday, on 700 WLW, former Bengals head coach, Sam Wyche confirmed the story. Wyche said it wasn't known as the 'Zone Blitz' back in '84. But from then until LeBeau and Wyche left the team in '92, several key elements of today's top defense were implemented. Down linemen were dropped back into pass coverage. Linebackers rushed the passer. Often times, only two players lined up in a 'two point stance'. And since the late Bill Walsh admitted that his self designed "West Coast Offense" was really formulated when he was with the Bengals back in the early 70's, you have two of the most effective football schemes ever diagramed and implemented here in Cincinnati.
I often wonder if Paul Brown had to do it over again, if he would have given the head coach's job to Walsh and not his long time friend and assistant coach, Bill Johnson.
How can a Xavier basketball team be this good and not generate any 'buzz' in Cincinnati? Radio sports talk host always complain about it? Is it that 10,000 people watch the Muskies play at the Cintas Center and, in reality, they're the only people who really care about the team? I hope not, but I wonder about that.
All UC basketball fans want to do is grumble about Mick Cronin and Nancy Zimpher. Get over it. Bob Huggins isn't coming back. Zimpher might leave, but don't bet on it. And Cronin inherited a program in complete disarray, with recruiting three to four years behind every other Division I school.
9 Big East teams will make the NCAA Tournament and 14 may wind up playing in post season tournaments. Now, we have a 16 team event, just announced last night, called the CollegeInsider.com tournament. That goes with the CBI, the 16 team tournament that debuted last season for non-NCAA and NIT teams. So, if you're scoring at home, 113 Division I NCAA teams will get to play in a post season tournament after this season.
Just booked for my Sunday morning radio show on 700 WLW: Mike Lombardi, former NFL general manager now with the nationalfootballpost.com. I'm on from 9am-Noon EST. If you don't live in the greater Cincinnati area, and you have a Sirius-XM radio, I'm on channel 173.
I really want to pick the Cardinals in this upcoming Super Bowl. But look at their record. Every time they've played a team with a better than average defense, they've lost. Dick LeBeau will simply not allow Larry Fitzgerald to beat his team. It's the Steelers defensive coordinator's track record. His game plan is to neutralize the other team's best player and make someone else try to make plays.
Steelers 23 Cardinals 13.
I did an interview with Reds General Manager, Walt Jocketty today. He's convinced the team will contend this season and won more than it loses. It's a far cry from Bob Castellini's guarantees. But if the Reds win six more than they lose, that'd be an 84-78 record, and a legit Widl Card contender. Can they do it? I don't see how a team can go from a 'power' team to a 'pitching, defense and speed' team overnight and became a contender. Maybe it's happened before. But I can't remember when. The Reds are banking a lot on their pitching this year. And while the back end of the rotation is better than most team's, the front end (Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo) has to pitch as billed, something it didn't do last season.
Jocketty says he's a Homer Bailey fan. Well, that's one. Bailey has been nothing but a disappointment since his big league arrival two summers ago.
If you watch the Super Bowl only for the commercials...get a life. But if you watch for the GAME as well as the commercials, well here's a taste of the new Coke ad. It's an update on the ad Coke did over 30 years ago with former Steeler, Mean Joe Green.
Loved what I've seen of it so far...pretty much 'spot on'
I was reading an issue of Sports Illustrated from late December, the other night. I always read this stuff weeks after publication, just not enough hours in the day. In the magazine was a story about how Dick LeBeau developed the 'Zone Blitz' defense as he prepared to take over the Cincinnati Bengals defense in 1984. He spent time at LSU discussing it with then LSU head coach, Bill Arnsparger. On my radio show last Sunday, on 700 WLW, former Bengals head coach, Sam Wyche confirmed the story. Wyche said it wasn't known as the 'Zone Blitz' back in '84. But from then until LeBeau and Wyche left the team in '92, several key elements of today's top defense were implemented. Down linemen were dropped back into pass coverage. Linebackers rushed the passer. Often times, only two players lined up in a 'two point stance'. And since the late Bill Walsh admitted that his self designed "West Coast Offense" was really formulated when he was with the Bengals back in the early 70's, you have two of the most effective football schemes ever diagramed and implemented here in Cincinnati.
I often wonder if Paul Brown had to do it over again, if he would have given the head coach's job to Walsh and not his long time friend and assistant coach, Bill Johnson.
How can a Xavier basketball team be this good and not generate any 'buzz' in Cincinnati? Radio sports talk host always complain about it? Is it that 10,000 people watch the Muskies play at the Cintas Center and, in reality, they're the only people who really care about the team? I hope not, but I wonder about that.
All UC basketball fans want to do is grumble about Mick Cronin and Nancy Zimpher. Get over it. Bob Huggins isn't coming back. Zimpher might leave, but don't bet on it. And Cronin inherited a program in complete disarray, with recruiting three to four years behind every other Division I school.
9 Big East teams will make the NCAA Tournament and 14 may wind up playing in post season tournaments. Now, we have a 16 team event, just announced last night, called the CollegeInsider.com tournament. That goes with the CBI, the 16 team tournament that debuted last season for non-NCAA and NIT teams. So, if you're scoring at home, 113 Division I NCAA teams will get to play in a post season tournament after this season.
Just booked for my Sunday morning radio show on 700 WLW: Mike Lombardi, former NFL general manager now with the nationalfootballpost.com. I'm on from 9am-Noon EST. If you don't live in the greater Cincinnati area, and you have a Sirius-XM radio, I'm on channel 173.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Urban legend says an athlete came up with this phrase: it is what it is. I always thought it was Sylvester Stallone in one of the Rocky movies. But whatever, ‘it is what it is’ is the current speak for ‘what are you gonna do’ or ‘what you see is what you get’ or ‘that’s the way it goes’, catch phrases for the powerless from generations gone by.
It is what it is. The Cincinnati Reds are what they are. That’s basically what Bob Castellini told us earlier this week. No more big money free agents will find their way to Great American Ball Park. The economy stinks, if you haven’t heard. So instead of getting Bobby Abreu, we get Jonny Gomes. That’ll make up those 23 and a half games the Cubs put between themselves and your Cincinnati Reds last season.
Castellini circled around late in the week. He was on 700 WLW twice on Friday, clarifying remarks he made as the Reds Caravan shoved off on Thursday. Yes, he believes, the Reds can contend this season. No, he said, he never meant to say the Reds weren’t going to win this season, And no, he didn’t mean the Reds were going to win a championship that first year he owned the team, which was the distinct impression that he left the day he bought the club. Smart to clarify, considering he had three busloads of his employees scattered about the hinterlands this week, drumming up ticket sales.
I like Castellini, because in an era of gray, he seems to be a black or white guy. Those who work for him like to say he’s someone who holds his employees accountable. That’s a novel concept in this day and age. But the Reds owner is in a real tough spot. The Reds weren’t very good last summer, or the summer before that or any summer in the last 13 years, except in 1999 when they were just good enough to miss the playoffs by a game. History isn’t on Castellini’s side right now. The glow of the Big Red Machine only shines on people over 40 right now and no Reds fan under 25 really remembers that wire to wire season of 1990. Ticket sales have become problematic. When almost a generation of your fans haven’t seen champagne splashing in your clubhouse, it’s a real problem.
Winning will change all of that, except winning takes money. And nobody who isn’t named Steinbrenner is spending money this winter. So there in lies the Reds big problem: It takes winning to attract fans who spend money, it takes money to buy free agents. But money is tight because of the lousy economy.
All of the Reds starting rotation is back, including Aaron Harang who couldn’t possibly be any worse than he was last season.
The young phenoms are back, Jay Bruce and Joey Votto. Brandon Phillips is at worst the second best second baseman in the National League.
But honestly, what else has this team done since the end of last season that would lead you to believe that it can make up the 23 and a half games that stood between it and a division title, or the 16-games that the Reds missed out on being a wild card team?
Willy Tavares and Roberto Hernandez? Nice pieces, but hardly franchise changing players. Jonny Gomes? Please.
It is, what it is. Teams come out of nowhere to wins pennants. Look at the Rays. But not often. Most years, you can pretty much tell in March who’ll be playing in October: Yanks, Red Sox, White Sox, Twins, Angels, Tigers, pick four of those in the AL. Mets, Phils, Cards, Cubs, Dodgers, Snakes, pick four of those in the NL.
Baseball has become a predictable sport, dominated by teams that spend the most money. There’s inbalance that only a salary cap will address. But the players union has always filed that under ‘good luck’. It’s why the key to winning in baseball is building a solid, dependable farm system. Marge Schott had no patience for it. Jim Bowden couldn’t find pitching with a search warrant. Reds fans have been told to be patient for too long.
That’s the fix Bob Castellini is in. It is what it is. But is it good enough to contend for a pennant? I don’t see it. Maybe you do. I hope you’re right.
It is what it is. The Cincinnati Reds are what they are. That’s basically what Bob Castellini told us earlier this week. No more big money free agents will find their way to Great American Ball Park. The economy stinks, if you haven’t heard. So instead of getting Bobby Abreu, we get Jonny Gomes. That’ll make up those 23 and a half games the Cubs put between themselves and your Cincinnati Reds last season.
Castellini circled around late in the week. He was on 700 WLW twice on Friday, clarifying remarks he made as the Reds Caravan shoved off on Thursday. Yes, he believes, the Reds can contend this season. No, he said, he never meant to say the Reds weren’t going to win this season, And no, he didn’t mean the Reds were going to win a championship that first year he owned the team, which was the distinct impression that he left the day he bought the club. Smart to clarify, considering he had three busloads of his employees scattered about the hinterlands this week, drumming up ticket sales.
I like Castellini, because in an era of gray, he seems to be a black or white guy. Those who work for him like to say he’s someone who holds his employees accountable. That’s a novel concept in this day and age. But the Reds owner is in a real tough spot. The Reds weren’t very good last summer, or the summer before that or any summer in the last 13 years, except in 1999 when they were just good enough to miss the playoffs by a game. History isn’t on Castellini’s side right now. The glow of the Big Red Machine only shines on people over 40 right now and no Reds fan under 25 really remembers that wire to wire season of 1990. Ticket sales have become problematic. When almost a generation of your fans haven’t seen champagne splashing in your clubhouse, it’s a real problem.
Winning will change all of that, except winning takes money. And nobody who isn’t named Steinbrenner is spending money this winter. So there in lies the Reds big problem: It takes winning to attract fans who spend money, it takes money to buy free agents. But money is tight because of the lousy economy.
All of the Reds starting rotation is back, including Aaron Harang who couldn’t possibly be any worse than he was last season.
The young phenoms are back, Jay Bruce and Joey Votto. Brandon Phillips is at worst the second best second baseman in the National League.
But honestly, what else has this team done since the end of last season that would lead you to believe that it can make up the 23 and a half games that stood between it and a division title, or the 16-games that the Reds missed out on being a wild card team?
Willy Tavares and Roberto Hernandez? Nice pieces, but hardly franchise changing players. Jonny Gomes? Please.
It is, what it is. Teams come out of nowhere to wins pennants. Look at the Rays. But not often. Most years, you can pretty much tell in March who’ll be playing in October: Yanks, Red Sox, White Sox, Twins, Angels, Tigers, pick four of those in the AL. Mets, Phils, Cards, Cubs, Dodgers, Snakes, pick four of those in the NL.
Baseball has become a predictable sport, dominated by teams that spend the most money. There’s inbalance that only a salary cap will address. But the players union has always filed that under ‘good luck’. It’s why the key to winning in baseball is building a solid, dependable farm system. Marge Schott had no patience for it. Jim Bowden couldn’t find pitching with a search warrant. Reds fans have been told to be patient for too long.
That’s the fix Bob Castellini is in. It is what it is. But is it good enough to contend for a pennant? I don’t see it. Maybe you do. I hope you’re right.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Big weekend coming up (no seriously, big weekend) and a lot to get to. Down time in the chase for the Super Bowl trophy leaves the stage for the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday night. They've got a road game at LSU. Years ago, with Dale Brown and Shaq, this would be a totally unwinnable game for the Muskies. But the SEC is down this year and the Muskies are hot. It's an 8pm tip on cable.
UC has the weekend off. Bummer, with the way they've been playing. It'll be a struggle for Mick to get to 20 wins. But if he does, in that conference, he could have an NCAA bid.
Bengals coaches continue to work in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl. They'll coach the North squad Saturday night. It's an 8pm kickoff. I'm hoping they've found some talent in the group that's at this game that'll help begin to turn things around.
Here's another avenue to pursue. Apparently Bart Scott, the talented linebacker who's been a stalwart on that Ravens defense is a free agent. The Ravens may 'tag' him, but probably not. On my radio show last week on 700 WLW, Jarrett Bell from USA Today told me that Scott keeps boxing gloves in his locker. I like that.
The latest Broo View Podcast is now posted. You can find it on the front page of my web site: www.kenbroo.com. My guest is Bell. The topic is Bengals. If you're in a hurry, just click here to download.
The Reds caravan rolls on through the hinterlands this weekend. Bob Castellini said today on the Bill Cunningham show on 700 WLW that he believes the Reds will not only have a winning record this season, but also contend for the NL Central division. God Bless him, it's great to be optimistic. And his number one goal right now is to tub thump for his team so people will buy tickets. But honestly, how can you look at the Reds everyday 8 and say it will be competitive with the Cubs, or even the Cardinals? Short stop is a huge question, since Alex Gonzalez hasn't played an inning since the 2007 season (and only played part of that year due to family issues). In left field, you're looking at a platoon with a guy who's been a career minor leaguer (Chris Dickerson) and an outfielder that's bounced between AAA and the majors the past four seasons (Jonny Gomes). And if Johnny Cueto hasn't figured out that 40 pitches an inning is a bad thing, we're right back to where we were last year, when the Reds finished a whopping 23.5 game out of first.
But hey, it's only January. Everybody's 0-0 right now, right?
i'll see you tonight at 6 & 11p on WLWT Channel 5 and Sunday night at 11:35 on Sports Rock. Our special guest, former Bengal Ickey Woods. Sunday is the 20th anniversary of the Bengals last trip to the Super Bowl. Memo to anyone younger than 25: yes the Bengals actually played in a Super Bowl.
On my radio show this Sunday, my guests will be former Bengal David Fulcher, foxsports.com baseball expert, Ken Rosenthal, Xavier basketball TV analyst, Steve Wolf and Pete Rose. I'm on from 9am-Noon EST on 700 WLW. You can also hear it on Sirius-XM Channel 173.
Have a great weekend!
UC has the weekend off. Bummer, with the way they've been playing. It'll be a struggle for Mick to get to 20 wins. But if he does, in that conference, he could have an NCAA bid.
Bengals coaches continue to work in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl. They'll coach the North squad Saturday night. It's an 8pm kickoff. I'm hoping they've found some talent in the group that's at this game that'll help begin to turn things around.
Here's another avenue to pursue. Apparently Bart Scott, the talented linebacker who's been a stalwart on that Ravens defense is a free agent. The Ravens may 'tag' him, but probably not. On my radio show last week on 700 WLW, Jarrett Bell from USA Today told me that Scott keeps boxing gloves in his locker. I like that.
The latest Broo View Podcast is now posted. You can find it on the front page of my web site: www.kenbroo.com. My guest is Bell. The topic is Bengals. If you're in a hurry, just click here to download.
The Reds caravan rolls on through the hinterlands this weekend. Bob Castellini said today on the Bill Cunningham show on 700 WLW that he believes the Reds will not only have a winning record this season, but also contend for the NL Central division. God Bless him, it's great to be optimistic. And his number one goal right now is to tub thump for his team so people will buy tickets. But honestly, how can you look at the Reds everyday 8 and say it will be competitive with the Cubs, or even the Cardinals? Short stop is a huge question, since Alex Gonzalez hasn't played an inning since the 2007 season (and only played part of that year due to family issues). In left field, you're looking at a platoon with a guy who's been a career minor leaguer (Chris Dickerson) and an outfielder that's bounced between AAA and the majors the past four seasons (Jonny Gomes). And if Johnny Cueto hasn't figured out that 40 pitches an inning is a bad thing, we're right back to where we were last year, when the Reds finished a whopping 23.5 game out of first.
But hey, it's only January. Everybody's 0-0 right now, right?
i'll see you tonight at 6 & 11p on WLWT Channel 5 and Sunday night at 11:35 on Sports Rock. Our special guest, former Bengal Ickey Woods. Sunday is the 20th anniversary of the Bengals last trip to the Super Bowl. Memo to anyone younger than 25: yes the Bengals actually played in a Super Bowl.
On my radio show this Sunday, my guests will be former Bengal David Fulcher, foxsports.com baseball expert, Ken Rosenthal, Xavier basketball TV analyst, Steve Wolf and Pete Rose. I'm on from 9am-Noon EST on 700 WLW. You can also hear it on Sirius-XM Channel 173.
Have a great weekend!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
What you see, is what you get, as the Dramatics sang back in 1972 (or Brittany a couple of years ago...ugh) and as Bob Castellini basically said today. The Reds will make no more major player moves before spring training. It's the economy, stupid (apologies to the Bush-Clinton '92 campaign). With the economy in the dumper, Castellini is done spending money. The Reds payroll will top out in the mid $70 million range this season, roughly what it was last year.
So it raises the quetion, why should we believe that this team will be any better than the team that finished 23 and a half games out of first place in 2008? The answer is, we shouldn't. It's the same pitching staff, with the addition of bullpen tosser Arthur Rhodes. It's the same 'everyday 8', with the exception of Ramon Hernandez behind the plate and Wily Tavares in centerfield. The offense lost 100 rbi per season when Adam Dunn left. And even though Hernandez averages about 64 rbi a season, the Reds cathers last season combined for 75 rbi. Tavares will help with defense and he swiped 68 bases last year. But remember, the previous two years before coming to the Reds, the much maligned Corey Patterson stole 82 bases for Baltimore. Worse, Tavares' on base percentage in '08 (.308) was dangerously close to Patterson's awful number (.238).
So how would you expect this group to seriously challenge the Cubs or Cardinals? I don't. In the past few weeks, Castellini has had an epiphany. He's either figured out, or has been told, that even with adding another big bat (Bobby Abreu anyone), the risk of paying good money in a bad economy wouldn't be worth the potential reward, a pennant. Grief to dollars, we like to call it in the swinging, swirling world of broadcasting.
Yes, sometimes teams come out of nowhere to win championships. Look at the Tampa Bay Rays. But more often than not, those teams have laid a solid foundation for winning, by drafting smartly and filling in with prudent free agent sigings. The Reds haven't been known for either recently. As late as 2003, most of their free agent signings were washed up players looking for one last payday. And from the mid-90's until 2003, the Reds were unable to draft a pitcher who effectively threw at the big league level.
Now Castellini is telling his fans to be patient for at least another season. If you've won something, anything in the past 13-seasons, that would be a lot easier sell than where the Reds are coming from. The future isn't quite yet now.
So it raises the quetion, why should we believe that this team will be any better than the team that finished 23 and a half games out of first place in 2008? The answer is, we shouldn't. It's the same pitching staff, with the addition of bullpen tosser Arthur Rhodes. It's the same 'everyday 8', with the exception of Ramon Hernandez behind the plate and Wily Tavares in centerfield. The offense lost 100 rbi per season when Adam Dunn left. And even though Hernandez averages about 64 rbi a season, the Reds cathers last season combined for 75 rbi. Tavares will help with defense and he swiped 68 bases last year. But remember, the previous two years before coming to the Reds, the much maligned Corey Patterson stole 82 bases for Baltimore. Worse, Tavares' on base percentage in '08 (.308) was dangerously close to Patterson's awful number (.238).
So how would you expect this group to seriously challenge the Cubs or Cardinals? I don't. In the past few weeks, Castellini has had an epiphany. He's either figured out, or has been told, that even with adding another big bat (Bobby Abreu anyone), the risk of paying good money in a bad economy wouldn't be worth the potential reward, a pennant. Grief to dollars, we like to call it in the swinging, swirling world of broadcasting.
Yes, sometimes teams come out of nowhere to win championships. Look at the Tampa Bay Rays. But more often than not, those teams have laid a solid foundation for winning, by drafting smartly and filling in with prudent free agent sigings. The Reds haven't been known for either recently. As late as 2003, most of their free agent signings were washed up players looking for one last payday. And from the mid-90's until 2003, the Reds were unable to draft a pitcher who effectively threw at the big league level.
Now Castellini is telling his fans to be patient for at least another season. If you've won something, anything in the past 13-seasons, that would be a lot easier sell than where the Reds are coming from. The future isn't quite yet now.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It's posted! The latest Broo View Podcast is available on the front page of my web site: www.kenbroo.com. My guest in this episode (#187) is Tim Dierkes, who runs the web site mlbtraderumors.com. Our topics: how the rough economy is hurting a lot of baseball free agents.
Incidentally, just booked as our guest this Sunday night on Sports Rock (11:35p EST on WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati) is former Cincinnati Bengals running back, Ickey Woods. Dave Lapham, George Vogel, Ickey and I will break down the week in sports and look ahead to the Super Bowl. We'll have inside reports from both Arizona and Pittsburgh and we've cooked up another exciting game to play: "For Better Or Worse".
Incidentally, just booked as our guest this Sunday night on Sports Rock (11:35p EST on WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati) is former Cincinnati Bengals running back, Ickey Woods. Dave Lapham, George Vogel, Ickey and I will break down the week in sports and look ahead to the Super Bowl. We'll have inside reports from both Arizona and Pittsburgh and we've cooked up another exciting game to play: "For Better Or Worse".
Sunday, January 18, 2009
In a previous life, here's a sample of what I did. 20 years ago, Monster Truck racing was my life. My partner on these broadcasts is my good friend and native Oklahoman, Mike Galloway. And for several winters, we spent weekends making the circuit on the USHRA Monster Truck circuit. The shows were produced by the now defunct Bud Sports and aired on ESPN. Don't remember where this race took place. But in a lot of ways, it seems like yesterday.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
You have to have cold, cold blood not to be happy for former Bengals lineman, Willie Anderson. Cut loose by the Bengals in the summer, on the basis of what appears to be bad information about his health, Anderson quickly caught on with the Baltimore Ravens. And Sunday, he'll play for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Remember, in 12 seasons with the Bengals, Willie got to sniff the playoffs only once. Often, he was the best player on a lot of horrid Bengals teams. According to yahoo.com sports in this story, Willie isn't celebrating anything yet. But here's hoping he will be shortly. Tell me if Willie Anderson wouldn't have been the best offensive lineman on the Bengals this season.
Just posted today, the latest Broo View Podcast. My guest this week is Damon Durante from www.betUS.com. Has the current economic meltdown hurt the sports gambling industry? We talk about that and a lot more. I also have some insights into what's been going on around Cincinnati. You can download the latest Broo View Podcast on my web site: www.kenbroo.com. If you're in a hurry, you can simply click here.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Our buddy, Mike Florio a profootballtalk.com doesn't like the NFL's overtime rules. Neither do I. Here's Florio's take.
When a coin flip becomes the most important things in a professional football game, you got a problem.
When a coin flip becomes the most important things in a professional football game, you got a problem.
Pitchers and catchers report to the Reds spring training complex in about a month. Here's something to warm you up. Bronson Arroyo, appearing on a TV sports show in Boston. Wait until you hear how he describes his 2009 Cincinnati Reds!
I guess the bar is really low this season. All you have to look at is the left field platoon of Dickerson/Hairston...unless Walt can coax some more $$$ out of Big Bob
I guess the bar is really low this season. All you have to look at is the left field platoon of Dickerson/Hairston...unless Walt can coax some more $$$ out of Big Bob
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Just posted on the front page of my web site www.kenbroo.com the latest Broo View Podcast. I have an indepth interview with Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Our topic, the continuing off-season saga of the Cincinnati Reds. If you're in a hurry, you can download it here.
By the way, vote on my latest poll question, just to the right on what you think the Reds may do next.
Rocco Baldelli signed with the Red Sox today. The Reds were interested. So why did Boston get the former Rays' outfielder? Two reasons: Baldelli has a better shot at being a part of a championship team there, than here and the Sox can take a risk on Baldelli's health a lot easier than the Reds could have.
I still see the Reds making a move. They must get a legitimate left fielder if they want to contend this summer. A trade with the Yankees for Xavier Nady makes sense. It'll probably cost the Reds one of their pitching prospects, most probably Darryl Thompson who threw seven terrific innings against the Yanks in New York last summer. But you have to do a deal, or why would you make a trade for a catcher (Hernandez) and sign an outfielder (Tavares) in the off season. If you weren't bent on contending (and building strictly threw the farm system) you would simply go with your kids.
Steelers, Ravens, Giants and Panthers this weekend....but it's still early. If that plays out, conference championship weekend will be one of the all-timers.
After watching the University of Cincinnati play Providence last night, one thing that struck me was the amount of empty seats. They announced the crowd at over 6,612. But honestly, it appeared to be somewhere around 4,500. The lack of student support, considering that school resumed this week, was particularly troubling.
The fallout from the dismissal of Bob Huggins and Andy Kennedy continues to have a direct consequence for this current UC team and coaching staff. The nine months that the program was in limbo, back in the 2005-2006 season, was devastating. For all intents and purposes, recruting stopped. Considering that players are now being recruited as early as high school sophomores and tracked as early as 8th grade, it's not a stretch to say that period has affected four years of recruiting.
Worse, within days of taking over the UC program, Mick Cronin lost his best returning player when guard Devan Downey transferred. And his other two top returning players basically flunked out of school, James White, who opted out for the NBA and guard Jihad Muhammad.
So it's no mystery why this UC basketball team has fallen into hard times and off the radar screen. But you wonder when it will become the 'thing to do again' in Cincinnati. The real magic of the Huggins regime wasn't that he galvanized the UC base. The real magic was his ability to bring casual fans into the UC loop. Anyone who coaches or operates a team will tell you, there is no harder thing to accomplish.
UC is a long way away from those days.
By the way, vote on my latest poll question, just to the right on what you think the Reds may do next.
Rocco Baldelli signed with the Red Sox today. The Reds were interested. So why did Boston get the former Rays' outfielder? Two reasons: Baldelli has a better shot at being a part of a championship team there, than here and the Sox can take a risk on Baldelli's health a lot easier than the Reds could have.
I still see the Reds making a move. They must get a legitimate left fielder if they want to contend this summer. A trade with the Yankees for Xavier Nady makes sense. It'll probably cost the Reds one of their pitching prospects, most probably Darryl Thompson who threw seven terrific innings against the Yanks in New York last summer. But you have to do a deal, or why would you make a trade for a catcher (Hernandez) and sign an outfielder (Tavares) in the off season. If you weren't bent on contending (and building strictly threw the farm system) you would simply go with your kids.
Steelers, Ravens, Giants and Panthers this weekend....but it's still early. If that plays out, conference championship weekend will be one of the all-timers.
After watching the University of Cincinnati play Providence last night, one thing that struck me was the amount of empty seats. They announced the crowd at over 6,612. But honestly, it appeared to be somewhere around 4,500. The lack of student support, considering that school resumed this week, was particularly troubling.
The fallout from the dismissal of Bob Huggins and Andy Kennedy continues to have a direct consequence for this current UC team and coaching staff. The nine months that the program was in limbo, back in the 2005-2006 season, was devastating. For all intents and purposes, recruting stopped. Considering that players are now being recruited as early as high school sophomores and tracked as early as 8th grade, it's not a stretch to say that period has affected four years of recruiting.
Worse, within days of taking over the UC program, Mick Cronin lost his best returning player when guard Devan Downey transferred. And his other two top returning players basically flunked out of school, James White, who opted out for the NBA and guard Jihad Muhammad.
So it's no mystery why this UC basketball team has fallen into hard times and off the radar screen. But you wonder when it will become the 'thing to do again' in Cincinnati. The real magic of the Huggins regime wasn't that he galvanized the UC base. The real magic was his ability to bring casual fans into the UC loop. Anyone who coaches or operates a team will tell you, there is no harder thing to accomplish.
UC is a long way away from those days.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
I can't believe that the college football season is actually ending. There've only been, what, 97 bowls games since mid December?
Ohio State played OK against Texas. But when you allow a wide receiver to catch 171 yards of pass receptions, don't you think it would've been a good idea to put a cornerback on Quan Cosby, instead of a safety, with the game on the line?
I got an email tonight after the 6p news from a viewer upset that I didn't mention the GMAC Bowl was occuring this evening. My guess is 95% of the viewing public had no idea that Tulsa is playing Ball State. His rationale was that Ball State is in Indiana and that SE Indiana is part of the WLWT viewing area. UmmmHmmm. Of course, in Muncie, WLWT is only a rumor. If we paid attention to every college that has alumni living in the greater Cincinnati area, we'd have time for nothing else. Alert to viewers, the pecking order for coverage in Cincinnati is in this order: Reds, Bengals, high school football, UC, Xavier and then everything else. Usually, we don't have time for 'everything else'. But I may run Ball State vs Tulsa highlights tonight at 11p, as I used to be the 'voice' of the Universtiy of Tulsa basketball team.
The Bengals coaching staff will work the upcoming Senior Bowl, coaching the North sqaud. They'll get a first hand look at the senior talent available for April's draft. They worked the game in 2004 and decided to take three players they coached in that game. Great. The draft that year netted our Bengals 1: Chris Perry 2: Keiwan Ratliff 2A: Madieu Williams 3: Caleb Miller. Gone, gone, gone and gone. I can't wait to see what this year brings.
The season ending edition of Bengals Report Podcast is now posted on the front page of my web site, http://www.kenbroo.com/. When you download it, you'll hear Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin and I wrap up the season, with comments from Marvin Lewis, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and safety Chris Crocker.
This guy's kidding right? Tony Dungy may leave on his own. But it's obvious this guy at the Indianpolis Star hasn't spent a country minute watching the Bengals play. You don't want Dungy in Indy? Well Tony, come on down!
Help is apparently on the way for the beleaguerd UC basketball Bearcats. Too bad he's not available to play right now.
The start of the MLB season is still three months away. There's ice on the streets of Cincinnati tonight. But here's something that'll get your baseball juices going.
Doug Gallant is the Reds grounds crew chief. There's nobody better in his business.
Ohio State played OK against Texas. But when you allow a wide receiver to catch 171 yards of pass receptions, don't you think it would've been a good idea to put a cornerback on Quan Cosby, instead of a safety, with the game on the line?
I got an email tonight after the 6p news from a viewer upset that I didn't mention the GMAC Bowl was occuring this evening. My guess is 95% of the viewing public had no idea that Tulsa is playing Ball State. His rationale was that Ball State is in Indiana and that SE Indiana is part of the WLWT viewing area. UmmmHmmm. Of course, in Muncie, WLWT is only a rumor. If we paid attention to every college that has alumni living in the greater Cincinnati area, we'd have time for nothing else. Alert to viewers, the pecking order for coverage in Cincinnati is in this order: Reds, Bengals, high school football, UC, Xavier and then everything else. Usually, we don't have time for 'everything else'. But I may run Ball State vs Tulsa highlights tonight at 11p, as I used to be the 'voice' of the Universtiy of Tulsa basketball team.
The Bengals coaching staff will work the upcoming Senior Bowl, coaching the North sqaud. They'll get a first hand look at the senior talent available for April's draft. They worked the game in 2004 and decided to take three players they coached in that game. Great. The draft that year netted our Bengals 1: Chris Perry 2: Keiwan Ratliff 2A: Madieu Williams 3: Caleb Miller. Gone, gone, gone and gone. I can't wait to see what this year brings.
The season ending edition of Bengals Report Podcast is now posted on the front page of my web site, http://www.kenbroo.com/. When you download it, you'll hear Bengals Report executive editor, Mark Hardin and I wrap up the season, with comments from Marvin Lewis, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and safety Chris Crocker.
This guy's kidding right? Tony Dungy may leave on his own. But it's obvious this guy at the Indianpolis Star hasn't spent a country minute watching the Bengals play. You don't want Dungy in Indy? Well Tony, come on down!
Help is apparently on the way for the beleaguerd UC basketball Bearcats. Too bad he's not available to play right now.
The start of the MLB season is still three months away. There's ice on the streets of Cincinnati tonight. But here's something that'll get your baseball juices going.
Doug Gallant is the Reds grounds crew chief. There's nobody better in his business.
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