I asked this question Sunday morning on 700 WLW: at 6-6 (now 6-7) is the Reds' glass half empty or half full? Tonight, with the Reds only a game out of the cellar in the National League Central Division, you have to wonder.

The surprises have been the better pitching, and the lack of hitting. It's flat out staggering how poor the Reds are hitting with runners in scoring position. They left 32 men on base in last weekend's three game series at Pittsburgh.

Now, they're in Chicago for three, a homecoming for Dusty Baker, the former Cubs manager who'll at least get a good reception from the players he left behind, accoring to the Cubs' official web site.

The Chicago Tribune has another take on his homecoming.

The NFL will release it's schedule Tuesday at 2pm. My prediction: One Monday Night game and one Sunday Night game and that's it for our "Men In Stripes".

And with the draft coming up, thoughts on who the Bengals take with that 9th over all pick are lacking a consensus. Let's hope the Dayton Daily News is off base with this call.

Will they need a WR? I'll be the Bengals take at least one in the first four rounds. Remember, they have multiple picks in every round from the third on. But Seth Wickersham on espn.com makes a good case why the Bengals don't really need to rely on a third wide receiver this fall.

SI.com has video of just about every player who could go in the first couple of rounds. I hope they're right and Sedrick Ellis, the DT from Southern Cal, is the Bengals' pick at #9. Take a look at this guy!

And just in case they don't get a good return guy in the draft, no problems. With the new rule change, the Bengals can always 'defer' if they win the coin flip. Marvin Lewis has already said, he'll take the option a lot. My good friend, Mike Florio, at profootballtalk.com has some more thoughts on the new 'defer option', in one of his latest TV segments.


That's it fo rnow. If you're in Cincinnati, see you tonight on WLWT Channel 5. And you can always check out my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/.

It's not even May, and already there's an NFL 'coaches on the hot seat' out. Look what espn.com is saying about Marvin Lewis and others.

I'm not sure I entirely buy it. I think Marvin needs to produce a playoff team this season and cut down on the 'thug' image his team has. But he's working for Mike Brown, who fires coaches about as often as the guards at Buckingham Palace smile.

But yet another 'take' on Marvin and the Bengals from The Sporting News, in one of their 'your turn' deals.

One of my favorite guests on my Sunday morning sportstalk show on 700 WLW in Cincinnati is Mike Florio, the editor of the highly informative profootballtalk.com web site. Mike occasionally does TV segments. Here's his opinion of Chris Henry's dismissal from the Bengals, after yet another arrest.


Goodbye Sarasota, hello Goodyear, Arizona. It's official now, the Reds are moving their spring training headquarters west in 2010. Even the local paper in Sarasota knows its hometown blew this one.

I remember when Pete Rose bumped umpire Dave Pallone in the 1988 season and got a 30-day suspension. I wonder what would've happened if Rose had done this to Pallone. Check out this video from the Japanese League!

Rose would've been gone for life. Oh wait a minute, he is.

Johnny Cueto is again, dazzling tonight, as the Reds and Brewers play on in Milwaukee. But a disturbing trend is the Reds lack of run production and their 'big swingers' inability to get going this season.

One of the funniest pieces of video I've seen in a looooooong time. It's from a professional tennis match in Florida and the culprit is Mikail Youzhny.

How big if an idiot do you think he feels like? Or...how much endorsement money could he make from say....Advil, or Tylenol or Band-Aid?

A child will test a parent. He will push a parent as far as he can, just to see how much he can get away with. Every parent knows this. And every kid knows it too. Chad Johnson is playing child these days to Marvin Lewis' parent. And Johnson has been testing his coach. His behavior on radio row during the Super Bowl and his rants since then on national stages have embarrassed his head coach.

Johnson has said, to anyone who'll listen, that he wants to be traded. He's threatened to sit out this season if the Bengals held onto him. The fact that he signed a five year deal just a couple of years ago for over $30 million is apparently insignificant to Johnson. He's not happy in Cincinnati. God knows why, as the fan base here will tolerate anything from the Bengals. Just look around Paul Brown Stadium any given Sunday and see the number 15 Chris Henry jerseys.

But the parent has grown tired of the child's antics. And today, at the NFL meetings in Florida, Marvin Lewis, very gently told the assembled media that Chad basically has two choices: play for the Bengals in 2008 and beyond, or retire. He can sit out the season too. But if Johnson chooses to do that, his contract will automatically extended an extra season, through 2012.

Lewis told bengals.com today "We've been dealing with this inside for over a year and we'll be prepared to move on. He has a contract through 2011. If he plays NFL football, it will be in Cincinnati, or he has to do what he says and that's retire. That would be a shame. We'll do everthing we can to help him out of this and try to restore his image."

For a coach who rarely scolds his players publicly, this spoke volumes. I'd have put it a different way. I'd have said "We've had one winning season with him, since he joined the team in 2001. We were, for the most part, a bad team with him. We can be a bad team without him."

But maybe that's why I didn't go into the coaching profession.

Chad Johnson just lost his safety net. Enjoy the fall.

Random thoughts from Opening Day in Cincinnati (my 19th as a paid journalist).....Brandon Webb is one of the best pitchers in the Majors. But the Reds have dragged a disturbing trend from 2007 into 2008: the inability to move base runners along and the lack of big inning rallies. To be sure, they'll face easier pitchers than Webb. But I wanted to see more today....Corey Patterson will cover a lot of turf in centerfield. But Junior saved him big time on a catch off Stephen Drew....Patterson must have a great percentage of successful stolen bases, as infrequently has he gets on case. He had 82 the last two seasons, while in Baltimore....The entire Reds team wearing Joe Nuxhall's number 41 for pre game introductions was one of the best tributes I've ever seen. Whoever came up with that idea needs a pay raise, immediately....I talked with the Diamonbacks' Erick Byrnes after the game. He says the goal, everytime Webb pitches, is to score three runs. Three is plenty for Webb, says the DBacks' outfielder...Bronson Arroyo will have a much easier time of it on Wednesday night in game two of this series than Aaron Harang had today. Harang was good, good enough to win. But the rain delay didn't help him and neither did the annual distractions of Opening Day. He's a pro and needs to deal with those things and he did. But Arroyo will benefit from the typical second game of the season start Wednesday.

It may be just days before the start of another baseball season. The NCAA Tournament is moving into the Sweet 16. But in Cincinnati, it's never an off season for "Chad". Another week brings another round of news on Ocho-No Show. Johnson, as he promised to do, failed to show up for the start of voluntary workouts this week. He's still mad at some un-named folks in the Bengals front office for some un-named slights directed at him during the 2007 season. Marvin Lewis re-iterated Monday in an NFL Network interview that the Bengals will not trade Johnson.

But Chad has kept the fires burning. Here's what he had to say in an ESPN interview this week.

And, of course, that just spurned all kinds of opinions on what the Bengals should do. The Sporting News says, salary cap be damned, the Bengals should trade Johnson immediately.

And if he is being shopped (again Lewis has said the team won't trade Johnson), the feeling from Philadephia is, send him there. A good take in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Meantime, check out this video. It's one of the best baseball plays I've seen this spring.

Anybody think that rookie Edison Volquoz has NOT nailed down a spot in the starting rotation? Here's his 'line' from today's start vs the Phillies in Clearwater, Florida: 5 innings, 5 hits, 1 run and 5 strikeouts. Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquoz and Josh Fogg as the starting five? OK, I'll go with that. It's the best 'five' the Reds have had in years.

Xavier by eight over West Virginia Thursday and UCLA by 19 over Western Kentucky. But those are just my early 'lines'.

Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com

Here’s what I’ve taken away from the first round and a half of this NCAA Tournament. There are no great teams anymore in college basketball. None. I think it’s the one year rule, early entry, the fact that just about every team in the top six conferences plays on TV virtually every game…all of that are the reasons why there are no great teams. Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, they’re reputations, not greatness. Not anymore. The on court difference between a UCLA and say, a Villanova is one player. The difference between great and good is that razor thin.

You know, when I was a senior at Ohio, then known as Ohio University, we played UCLA in Pauley Pavilon. UCLA had Keith Wilks, Bill Walton and the wizard, John Wooden on the bench. We had Denny Rusch, Walter Luckett and a coach who’s nickname was Gentleman, Genntleman Jim Snyder on the bench. We had no shot of keeping this game within 20.

For the most part, in Division I basketball, those kind of days are gone. No team, like UCLA, is in any danger of going on an 88-game winning streak.

Want more proof that there are no great teams in college basketball anymore. Take a look at your bracket this morning. It was a mess before the second games of opening day.

This is important to understand, given where Xavier is this morning. Yes, it’s in the round of 16. It’s one win away from equaling the best NCAA Tournament run in school history. But what team still standing today has better guards than X? Are the inside players that UCLA, Stanford and Kansas have really that much better than Xavier’s? No. Which is why I believe there is not reason to believe that Xavier can’t make it to the Final 4. West Virginia is hot. So was Georgia. UCLA has talented big men, some with outstanding pedigree, so did Purdue. I’m not predicting Xavier will make the final four. Because to do that, would run against my theory that no great college teams are anywhere this morning. But I am says that the path to the final four is as wide open to Xavier today as it is to any other team.

Xavier is the right team, with the right combination of players are the right time in the game of college basketball. Terrific guards, good inside players, smart coach and a team that plays excellent defense. Not saying the final four is going to happen. But tell me today, what team has a better chance of getting to San Antonio, right now, than Xavier. I’ll tell you: no team.

We are exactly one week from opening day. One week from tomrrow, the games start to count. Bronson Arroyo was smacked around pretty good by the Astros Saturday. He says he’s not concernred. I am. Arroyo pitched a grand total of six innings before Saturday. He want six yesterday and gave up four runs, three earned.

What I’m more concerned about. And what I’d like to talk about today, is what’s going on in centerfield. Is there anyone around here who’s wondering exactly what the Reds smart guys are thinking about?

I have a theory. And I know there are a lot of people who think exactly the opposite. My theory is, you never trade someone who has the potential to win 162 games a year for you, for a guy who can potentially win a game for you once every five days. In other words, you never trade an everyday player for a pitcher. Unless that pitcher’s name is Greg Maddux and the year is 1995.

But I understand some of baseball’s smart guys don’t agree with that. And that’s OK. So when the Reds wanted to deal Josh Hamilton in the off season and they got the Rangers’ best pitching prospect, Edinson Volquoz, I said, OK, it opoens up a spot for Jay Bruce in the outfield. Sounds good to me. Well, where is the best prospect the Reds farm system has produced since Johnny Bench today? I’ll tell you where: on some back lot, on some water logged turf in Sarasota. The big club plays on the Big One this afternoon. Jay Bruce will be playing on a field with a chain link back stop..

Your opening day centerfielder will be Corey Patterson. The Reds traded away one of the top five outfield arms in baseball to open up a spot for Corey Patterson. Sounds like a plan to me!

And what, exactly did Jay Bruce do to lose his fight for a starting spot to Corey Patterson? He got hurt, missed five games with a sore leg. He only hit ‘262’. There is a theory now, that Jay Bruce will be a better corner outfielder than a centerfielder. I wonder if that theory has anything to do with Adam Dunn making 13-million in the final year of his contract and Ken Griffey, Junior, a year away from a team option 16-million dollar season?

Here’s what would have been the best path for the Reds to travel this spring with the man voted the best player in all of minor league baseball last season. Are you ready? Stand by. This is a radical concept that may need some thinking. Why not just begin the spring by telling Bruce: centerfield is your job this season. You have nothing else to prove by playing another inning of minor league baseball. Son, grab a bat, go up there and hit. The job is yours even if you fall flat on your face. We have that much faith in you and your talents. If I’m a major league baseball prospect and my manager or general manager told me that, I’d run through the left field wall for them.

Instead, what Jay Bruce was told was: go to Louisville. We’ll call you when we need you. Jay Bruce, the best prospect the Reds have developed since Johnny Bench, the best in over 40-years. Losing out in the battle for centerfield to Corey Patterson and Norris Hopper. Norris Hopper, who’s hitting ‘238’ this spring and has gotten on base a grand total of 28-percent of his at bats. A man still looking for his first major league home run.

Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volqoz. OK, fine, Marge Schott decimated the Reds scouting department so badly during her regime it couldn’t find a pitching prospect with a GPS. I understand it. But you open an outfield spot and give it to a combination of Patterson and Hopper? And you send the best player in all of minor league baseball back to the minors? 

Really?

I may be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. But I think this is a big mistake.

Check out my web site:  www.kenbroo.com

Good Morning!   Let the games begin.  For the record, Pitt, Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina are my final 4.  I think Xavier moves on with a win over Georgia today.  But I think Marquette KO's Kentucky.

Check out my latest Broo View Podcast.  It's on the front page of my web site:  www.kenbroo.com.   You'll hear comments from Xavier players and coaches on their first round match up.

Chad Johnson is shooting  his mouth off again.  Now, he's saying he'll not only skip voluntary workouts, Johnson is also not committing to playing for the Bengals this season.  Hmmmm, seems to me he's under contract in Cincinnati through 2011.  And now, the NFL Network says Chad's running buddy, TJ Houshmandzadeh may sit out the workouts too!  Check it out here.

Wonder how Marvin Lewis is going to handle all of this, when the voluntary workouts begin Monday.  I'm sure his 'spin machine' will be working in over drive.

The Reds had their one and only off day of spring training Wednesday.  When they reconvene, Dusty Baker and his staff will have some tough decisions to make.  Homer Bailey, Matt Belisle and Josh Fogg are all in a foot race for the fifth and final spot in the rotation.  Belisle may win by default, as Bailey, still a decent prospect despite his flat curve ball and shaky attitude, needs to pitch every fifth day.  A fifth starter in major league baseball pitches infrequently in the early season.  

The other big decision Baker has, is who's on first.  Not the Abbott and Costello bit, but rather who starts at first.  It appeared to be Joey Votto's  job to lose as camp opened.  It appears Votto has succeeded in losing it, with a poor hitting performance.  Veteran Scott Hatteberg, thought to be a bat off the bench, looks to have regained the job he held the past two seasons.  Hatteberg is sorching the ball.  Like Bailey, Votto needs to play consistently and won't, sitting on the bench watching Hatteberg.  Phenom centerfielder, Jay Bruce has just about punched his ticket to AAA.  So it now appears that the three most promising prospects in the Reds system, all given chances to win jobs at the major league level, have failed to do so.  Things could change in the final ten days of camp.  I wouldn't bet on it.

Sorry for the delay on the postings. I'm in lovely Sarasota, Florida, home of the early bird specials, 'blue hairs' in running suits (who never run) and the spring home (for at least one more spring) of the Cincinnati Reds.

I'm just back from Clearwater, Florida, where tonight I saw the future and the future will be astounding, so long as Johnny Cueto keeps it up. He worked four innings tonight of scoreless baseball and if he doesn't make the Reds starting rotation this year, it will only be because Wayne Krivsky will have acquired Roy Oswalt, Josh Beckett and Dice-K before opening day. Cueto is the buzz of this camp. Bronson Arroyo started tonight and tossed five solid innings, allowing only a run. Put that with what Aaron Harang did against the Astros Tuesday and the Reds rotation is off to a flying start. But remember, it's only March.

Check out the latest Broo View Podcast. Its on the front page of my web site, www.kenbroo.com. In this latest edition, I have an extensive interview with Harang. Another podcast is coming Thursday.

Back with more Thursday.

I was thinking about this yesterday while I was shoveling snow. And let me just say this before anything else, shoveling snow may be the most useless thing a grown man can do. The beauty of having kids is watching them do the menial tasks while you relax with a beer. I think its reason number three to have children, right up there with carrying on the family name and extending the love you and your spouse have. I really believe that when God said, ‘be fruitful and multiply’ that he knew that Cincinnati would be hit by the mother of all blizzards in March of 2008 and children would be needed to shovel snow. But I digress.

Here’s what I was thinking as I discovered my driveway again:

Maybe it wouldn’t be all that bad if Chad Johnson wasn’t a Cincinnati Bengal anymore. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to grant the man his apparent wish and trade him away. You’ll remember, of course, Chad’s radio row marathon at the Super Bowl, where he vacillated between cryptic and blunt just how under appreciated and how mistreated he’s been here in Cincinnati.

Now, we’ve been told Chad has calmed down in the last month. And Marvin Lewis is on record as saying the Bengals won’t trade Johnson. And even though I’m on the record, numerous times, as saying that the Bengals are much better with Johnson than without him….as I was shoveling white death, I had one of those revelations: why not trade the guy?

See, what triggered the thought was the video of Shaun Smith at some banquet the other night, up in Cleveland. If you remember Shaun Smith, you remember him for his mouth. Because the man talked a much better game than he played, at least around here. Smith left the Bengals last season in free agency and got the Browns to drop a whole lot of money on him, a whole lot more than his game deserved. At this banquet the other night, Smith was asked about what really happened in the Bengals locker room, at halftime in the one and only playoff game they’ve managed to qualify for since the current President’s father was our president.
You know the set up. Bengals and Steelers. First play from scrimmage for the Bengals, Carson Palmer goes down. In comes Jon Kitna, big heart, small hands, team heads for the locker room, its offense sputtering.

What happened next, has been more Bengals lore and rumor than actual fact. Nobody in the locker room, on the record at least, has said what happened. Not until the other night, when Shaun Smith confirmed that Chad Johnson, in a fit of anger over who really knows what, took a swing at and connected with Marvin Lewis’ eye. Then, according to Smith, took another swing and connected with then Bengals wide receivers coach Hue Jackson. Old Shaun had the Cleveland crowd’s attention now. And he certainly wasn’t misquoted. The entire thing was taped and on youtube within minutes. One of the biggest moments in Bengals lore, right up there with what really happened when Barry Foster quit after one day and why Gary Reasons tugged Dave Shula’s cap on national television…..one of the biggest moments confirmed.

Well, by the next morning, the youtube video was eradicated and Smith was back pedaling like a cornerback. But it got me thinking about how much the Bengals really need Johnson.

Let’s say they trade him. What do you figure they could get for Johnson? The conventional thinking is a second round draft pick. But what if they got a draft pick and a player? Shaun Rogers fetched the Lions a starting cornerback and a third round pick. You don’t think Chad Johnson would bring at least that? What if Johnson got the Bengals a starting tight end and a second round pick, or a starting defensive tackle and a draft pick?

Would you make the deal? Yesterday afternoon, I was ready to pull the trigger. Look, I like his game. His talent is not easily replaced. You don’t simply go to the wide receiver store and find a guy who can deliver 14-hundred and 40 yard season. And most of the time, the best deals are the ones you never make. But it may be time for a parting of the ways. The Carl Pickens divorce, the Corey Dillon divorce, those were nasty separations. This doesn’t have to be.

The timing isn’t right now. The big name free agent wide receivers are locked up, guys like Donte Stallworth and Randy Moss. But Justin McCareins is out there, so is David Patton and some other not so great but serviceable wide receivers. And if trading Johnson does bring a player plus a pick, who’s to say you can’t use that pick on a receiver?

The popping off on radio row, now the Shaun Smith confirmation of the locker room meltdown, maybe it’s time. Or maybe it was just a lack of oxygen to my brain as I shoveled away. But I do know this: the Bengals were mediocre the last couple of seasons with Chad Johnson. They can certainly be at least that without him.

If you haven't already noticed, the video I posted last night of Shaun Smith, the former Bengal, confirming that Chad Johnson took a swing and connected to Marvin Lewis in an up til now rumored locker room scuffle at halftime of the Bengals vs Steelers playoff game two years ago, has been removed from youtube.com. One of my favorite destinations, profootballtalk.com has the skinny.

Mike Florio also has free agent winners and losers in his videocast. Check out the teams he designated as loser, in the first week of free agency.


I've had a lot of people ask me today whether or not I think the Bengals should try to bring LB Takeo Spikes back. Spikes has just been released by the Eagles, the second team he's played for since taking a walk in 2003. Spikes never gave Lewis a chance to prove he could turn the Bengals ill fortunes around (he hasn't really done that yet, to be honest about it). But that has nothing to do with the reason why I don't think the Bengals will make a play for Spikes. For openers, Spikes appears to have little left in his tank. Secondly, which Bengals current linebacker is Spikes better than? Rashad Jeanty? Ahmad Brooks? Dhani Jones? If Odell Thurman is re-instated, it's more reason not to pursue Spikes.

The Bengals ended the week by watching LB Landon Johnson take a hike. Johnson signed with the Carolina Panthers: three years $10 million. I like Johnson. He's a good locker room quote. But I don't think he's a guy who would wind up starting on this Bengals defense, when and if it gets good.

I'm heading to spring training next week. I wonder if my interview will Bronson Arroyo will be as good as this one, conducted by something called foxxynews.com.


Speaking of our Cincinnati Reds, did you catch the pitching line of 22 year old phenom, Johnny Cueto? Cueto started against the Pirates today: 3 innings pitched, ten batters faced (one over the minimum) four strike outs, one hit, zero runs. If he strings together three or four more starts like that before the spring ends, he'll be in the Reds rotation come opening day. Guarantee!

As we gear up for another weekend of college basketball, what's been the big reason for the big turnaround the UK Wildcats are delivering? Mark Story has an interesting take in the Lexington Herald.

I don't think their loss to St. Joe's on Thursday night will hurt the Xavier Muskies all that much. Even if they were able to 'run the table' and win out through the Atlantic 10 tournament, they'd be no better than a #3 seed in the NCAA's.

Thursday night's loss to DePaul shouldn't hurt UC all that much either. The Bearcats had no shot at an NCAA tournament bid. But if they want to play in the NIT or the new CBI tournament (that one takes an additional 16 teams, meaning 103 division one teams make a post season tournament this year) they'll have to win at least two games in the upcoming Big East Tournament.

I'm talking sports again this Sunday on 700 WLW, the 50,000 watt flame thrower here in Cincinnati. Among my guests, Bengals beat writer Mark Curnutte, Xaver TV analyst, Steve Wolf and mlb.com's Mark Sheldon, direct from spring training. I'm on from 9am-12:30pm. If you live outside of this part of the Midwest, you can always catch my show on line, at http://www.700wlw.com/ or on XM Channel 173.

Sunday night, on Cincinnati's channel 5, I'll be hosting another edition of Sports Rock! Former Bengal Eric Thomas and WEBN's "Wildman" Walker join George Vogel and me. From bengals.com, Geoff Hobson stops by to talk about a wild week in "Bengal-dom".

And if you're snowed in this weekend, check out my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/.

Have a great weekend and don't kill yourself shoveling snow.

I first saw this posted tonight on profootballtalk.com. Now, watch this video below. It's Shaun Smith, former Bengal, now with the Cleveland Browns. He asserts what's been rumor around Cincinnati since that Bengals vs Steelers playoff game in January, 2006. Smith says Chad Johnson did indeed take a swing at head coach Marvin Lewis and, according to Smith, connected.

profootballtalk.com originally reported the incident, quoting an anonymous Bengals source in the week following that playoff loss. Now, if one more Bengal, former or present, goes on the record, we've got a major stinko concerning Ocho Cinco.

Not that these games mean a whole lot, but did you catch the final from Sarasota today? 12-8, the Reds beat the Yankees. True, the Yanks didn't bring Jeter or ARod or Posada. But enough of their stars were their to make you sit up and take notice, particularly when you saw that Aaron Harang tossed three innings of shutout baseball. $46 million dollar closer, Francisco Cordero followed with a shutout inning featuring two strike outs.

The Bengals have made one big splash in free agency, signing defensive lineman Antwan Odom away from the Titans for $29.5 million. Might they want to bring back the one time focal point of their defense? Check out this from foxsports.com.

And when it comes time to draft, in April, here's the latest guess from nfl.com. Personally, you've got about 15 so called experts each selling their opinions on round one of draft day. And each figures to change his or her mind at least five times between now and then.

I'm supposed to spend next Friday watching the Reds play the Yankees in Sarasota with my good friend Jerry Springer. Maybe then I'll get an answer as to what exactly was going on in this clip from one of his shows.

You gotta love, 'mascot tension'


UC holds its 'Senior Night' tonight before the Bearcats and DePaul tip off. It's always a special night, but even more so this year. The five UC seniors who play their final game at Fifth-Third Arena helped ressurect the Cincinnati basketball program from the ashes. It's not that long ago, when Andy Kennedy and Bob Huggins were both either forced or chased out. Mick Cronin came to town and had to throw together a team just to compete. With a lot of work from the "departing five", UC made a bit of a run at an NCAA Tournament bid. The 'Cats have qualified for the post season Big East Tournament and, with a couple of wins there, could secure an NIT bid. Not bad for a program left for dead a couple of springs ago.

Now, less than four weeks until Opening Day, do you think the Reds signing Corey Patterson is another hint that Dusty Baker isn't interested in playing young players? That reputation dogged Baker when he managed the Cubs. Now this week, we not only hear stories of how concerned Baker is with what he perceives to be recurring leg problems with phenom, Jay Bruce. We also got a double dose of baseball Dusty style Monday, when the Reds signed infielder Jerry Hairston, Junior, and Patterson, both of whom played for Baker in Chicago.

Of coures, if Dusty really has trouble with younger players, how do you explain this? If this pitcher is that good, he's liable to be on the mound Opening Day 2010!

With Brett Favre retiring today, it brought back memories of his first action as a Packer. It was September, 1992. Dave Shula brought his first-ever Bengals team to Wisconsin, fresh off a 2-0 start. The Bengals had the Pack on the ropes and knocked starting quarterback, Don Majkowski out of the game. Off the bench came Favre, acquired just that year from the Atlanta Falcons. Favre led the Packers to a stunning comeback win. Matter of fact, check out the NBC-TV post game coverage from that day. If you're not interested in the game, you'll see OJ, while he was still employable.

Two teams that ultimately went in opposite directions. You could argue the Bengals never really got over that loss, though all the players from that team are long gone.

Would you trade Chad Johnson to the Oakland Raiders, as suggested in this story? If you really wanted to send him to the NFL's version of Siberia, Oakland would be the place. That's a team that is going nowhere fast. And by the time Jamarcus Russell finds him stride as an NFL quarterback, Johnson would be ready for retirement.

Speaking of trades, why did the Bengals proposed deal with the Jets for defensive lineman, Dwayne Robertson fall through? Robertson's agent said Monday night it was because the Bengals wanted Robertson to re-negotiate his contract, that's due to pay him $9.8 million in 2008 and $8.5 million in 2009. But today, while introducing newly signed free agent, defensive lineman Antwan Odom, to the Cincinnati media, Marvin Lewis bristled at the suggestion that money was involved with the deal falling through. But check out this article today from the New York Daily News.

Lewis says Robertson still may wind up with the Bengals. Since it's a real possibility that the Jets will release Robertson in June if they can't find a trade partner, he may well wind up in Bengal stripes this summer.

Whoops. Not so fast. Apparently that deal the Bengals had with the Lions has fallen through. And it may not be salvagable. Rogers is reportedly now off to Cleveland. According the several reports, including espn.com, compensation was the key issue. The fact that Rogers was involved in a strip club incident last year didn't help either. The official line from the Bengals all day was, nothing to report. Turns out, that might be the the final word on this.

Rogers arrivial would have been the strongest signal that the Bengals will play a 3-4 defense in 2008. It was also a pretty strong indication that they didn't think their target in round one, Southern Cal's Sedrick Ellis, would be available when the Bengals pick 9th overall.

SI.com has the round up of the first day of NFL free agency, busy to say the least. The Bengals have lost Madieu Williams to the Vikings for a crazy deal. And Justin Smith, as expected, will be with some other team before the weekend is out.

The injury news out of the Reds camp tonight isn't encouraging. It appears Alex Gonzalez will be completely inactive for the next three weeks. Only then, will his stress fracture in his knee be re-evaluated. And the possibility for surgery exists. Sounds like Jeff Keppinger will be the opening day short stop.

The set up is a bit long, but you have to see this halftime slam dunk attempt that went terribly wrong. If you don't cringe, there is something wrong with you.

If you live in the Midwest, tune me in this Sunday morning on 700 WLW. I'll be hosting Sunday Morning Sports Talk, as always. Among my guests, Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley, Bengals beat writer Chick Ludwig, profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio and UC basketball radio analyst, Chuck Machock. You can listen on line at www.700wlw.com and also on XM Channel 173.

And Sunday night at 11:35pm on Cincinnati's WLWT Channel 5, it's another rousing edition of 'Sports Rock". Among our guest, fitness guhru and inadvertant comedian, Rocco Castellano.

Be sure to check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. I'll have the latest edition of "The Broo View Podcast" posted Saturday.

Have a great weekend!

The clock is ticking. Midnight is coming. And midnight begins the free agent signing period in the NFL. espn.com has a round up of who's done what so far today, lopping players off their rosters and clearing cap space.

The Bengals appear to be ready to part ways with WR Tab Perry and safety Madeiu Williams. But LB Rashad Jeanty, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and LB Cory Mays all received tenders, meaning the Bengals retain exclusive bargaining rights.

In Sarasota today, the Reds banged around teh Twins, 6-1. The box score shows you a lot of guys played. But the 'big swingers' like Dunn and Junior got another day off.

Matt Belisle and Josh Fogg, two pitchers penciled in to the starting rotation at this point, both threw shutout baseball. Each went two innings.

Nice story by my friend Gregg Doyel on cbssports.com. It's about UK basketball coach, Billy Gillispie, who hasn't been universally welcomed in Lexington, Kentucky. Maybe this will help some people a coach is also a person.

Trading deadline has come and gone in the NHL. Not quite the mega-deals we saw in the NBA a week ago. But The Hockey News has its list of winner and wieners.

Roger Clemens is now officially being investigated by the FBI. At issue, is whether or not Clemens lied in his testimony before Congress a couple of weeks ago (and in a sworn affadavit before that) when he told a subcommittee that he never used human growth hormones or steroids. Clemens will probably stick to his story. But he's not getting out of this one easily. The FBI's chief witness is Brian McNamee, Clemens' accuser. He not only says he injected Clemens with HGH, McNamee also says he saved the needles, guaze and syringes he used to complete the job. At the Congressional hearing, the FBI and others from the Justice Department sat behind McNamee and Clemens as the testimony droned on. McNamee is their dog in the fight. I think Clemens is in a lot of hot water now.

Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. And I'll see you tonight at 11p on Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, WLWT channel 5.

One of my favorite guests on my Sunday Morning Sportstalk show on 700 WLW is Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com. It's a great resource for all things professional football. Mike is doing a position by position look at the upcoming NFL draft...and on camera, no less!


As for our Bengals, it's looking more and more like they're switching to a 3-4 defense this season, under new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.

A not so auspicious debut for the Cincinnati Reds in exhibition play today. They lost to the Phillies, 8-1. Gary Majewski, who arrived as "damaged goods" in Cincinnati mid-summer 2006 when the Reds were in the thick of a pennant race was lit up: one third of an inning, six hits and six earned runs. Lefty Jeremy Affeldt, signed in the off-season for $3 million this season, didn't do so bad: two innings, three hits and only one run.

And the Reds got a little good news today, when Baseball America released their Top 100 prospects in the game.

That's it for now. Check out my web site www.kenbroo.com first thing tomorrow morning. I'll have my latest "Broo View Podcast" posted!

Let the games begin, at least the spring games. Exhibition baseball begins tomorrow.

Interesting read here on former Red Josh Hamilton, who apparently has his support net in place in Texas.

The smartest man in baseball is at it again. SI.com says Tony LaRussa will do it again this season.

Just a thought: what does batting the pitcher eighth do for the confidence of the guy who has to hit 9th. Know any Reds pitchers you'd like to see hitting in the "8 hole"? Me neither.

Bet you didn't know, the University of Cincinnati has a hockey team. It's just a club sport. But the head coach, is former Cincinnati Stinger, Blaine Stoughton. You want to take a trip back in time? Check out this video a friend of mine sent me. Superfly lives! Stoughton was a terrific goal scorer.

The worst thing in the world is to have family leave this earth. A close second would be losing friends. Here's a picture that's about 27 years old.
It was our weekday anchor team at WTSP-TV in Tampa-St. Petersburg. On the left is main anchor Don Harrison, who went on to great success with CNN. Don passed away several years ago. That's me in the middle, at the time a very young weekday sports anchor. On the right, is meterologist Dick Fletcher, who, sadly, passed away today. "Fletch" as he was known to his co-workers had a wicked sense of humor. We'd trade 'jabs' all the time. He got me back good several years after this photo was taken. To shoot a promo of the anchor team, we had rented a yacht and set sail for Tampa Bay from the St. Petersburg Yacht Club. I had the sea legs of a Nebraska farmer and wasn't doing so well. Not only breakfast was being delivered over the railing and into the bay, so too was the dinner and lunch from the day before. It didn't help that our anchor at the time, John Wilson, was hitting just about every buoy he could find. Knowing that he was 'one down' to me for the week, Fletch let me have it pretty good. "You OK", he asked feigning concern. I couldn't answer him, I was so nauseous. "You know", he said, "it's times like this that I really enjoy some nice, cold Mexican food". Another hurl over the railing and more uproarious laughter from all aboard. "John", Fletch yelled to our poorly navigating captain, "when we're done today, how about we swing by that hot dog place on 4th Street for some of those chili dogs, you know with onions and....". You simply never got the last dig with Fletch.

Here's something else about him. Dick Fletcher was a terrific weatherman. He knew that in time of crisis, the calmest voice would be heard above all others. I remember one afternoon, along about 4pm, I was arriving back at the station from a story and Fletch was standing by the back door, looking at the sky. "What are you doing"?, I asked. "Looking at the sky", he said. "That's where the weather is. Inside it's clear and 72". Not enough current weather people take the time to look at the sky. Maybe it's too 'old school'. They'd rather look at their computer models, weather maps and animated graphics. And most of them couldn't forecast gas after a baked bean dinner.

Fletch was good at what he did. And he was my friend. I miss him already.

See you tonight at 11pm, on Cincinnati's NBC affilate WLWT Channel 5.

As Cincinnati recovers from a heavy does of Baraka-o-mania....UC football coach, Brian Kelly found out just where he is on the pecking order, even in his own building. While the Obama rally was in full swing inside the Fifth Third Arena, Kelly was on his way to his team's locker room to, shall we say, relieve himself. That's when he ran smack into the secret service detail assigned to protect the Illinois Senator. Sorry coach, he was told, you'll have to take your ' business' elsewhere. The locker room was in full lock down mode. Kelly, who campaigned for Gary Hart in his failed run for the Presidency, took the news in stride, perhaps a quicker stride as he searched for another bathroom.

Down in the fun and sun, the concerns begin. Tonight, short stop Alex Gonzalez is in a Sarasota hospital getting an MRI down on his aching knee. A bad knee short circuited Gonzalez' 2007 season. He doesn't think it's anything. But as they say in the medical profession "The MRI Don't Lie"

Yet another preview of our Reds, courtesy of foxspots.com.

Meantime, over at cbssports.com, another take on the Reds, courtesy of Scott Miller.

And now, from the NY Daily News, this take on Reds.

I find it amusing that most 'experts' couch the Reds as contenders only because of the weak division they play in. Seems to me, I heard the same thing in 1990. Now, this current team doesn't even approach that group. But, in '90, the Reds stormed out to an early lead and never relinquished it. I think 85-87 wins will win the NL Central this year. Last year, the Reds finished 72-90. Is this team 13-15 wins better than last years? I don't think it's much of a stretch to say it is.

Exhibition play begins Wednesday against the Phillies.

Now, check out this video of Oscar Robertson, simply the best basketball player I've ever seen. Lebron before Lebron, Mike before Mike, Magic before Magic. Back when the NBA was hot in Cincinnati, it was The Big O at the center of the flame.

If Oscar played in the NBA today, in his prime, the team that he played for would have to pay him so much, he would've been part owner.

For a Friday, this has been a hectic day all over the Tri-State sports map. Let's start with the quickly degenerating situation at Indiana, where now, apparently, some of the IU players may boycott if Kelvin Sampson is fired. The Indianpolis Star has the story.

But here's the take from cbssports.com basketball writer, Craig Parrish, which hits the nail on the head with his take.

Meantime, down in the fun and sun, no major news out of the Reds, but more buzz from the hiring of Dusty Baker. USA Today offered this story on the Reds in Friday's edition.

Can UC continue its magic on the road this Saturday? I don't it. Georgetown is the real deal and playing that team anywhere, let alone DC, is a daunting task. Still, I see an NIT bid for the Bearcats after this season is over. And for Mick Cronin, that's getting it done.

Xavier should beat Dayton Sunday. The Flyers have been fading lately. But anytime you catch them in the UD Arena, it's a tough deal. But Xavier's defense lately has been kiler. The Muskies held Duquesne to 48 points Thursday night, exactly 22 under the Dukes' average.

The Bengals and the rest of the NFL teams are in Indianpolis this weekend for the annual scouting combine. Dennis Dillon, the talented writer for The Sporting News wrote this story about the Bengals new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer.

If the Bengals don't draft defense, exclusively in this April's draft, they're out of their collective minds.

Finally, a shout out to our ECHL franchise, the Cincinnati Cyclones, who have now won 13 in a row and are home tonight and Saturday night at the US Bank Arena. This is a team with a legit shot to win its league championship. There's only one thing wrong with this team: where it plays. If Cincinnatians have said anything about local sports in the last 30 years, its that they don't want to drive downtown to watch anything unless its Bengals or Reds. For whatever reason, US Bank Arena offers no appeal. It's where franchises go to die. The Cyclones are the latest artisitc hit and box office flop. Attendance has been better since the team lowered ticket prices to $8. But I wouldn't be surprised to see the team leave after this season. Very sad.

I'm talking sports this Sunday, as always on 700 WLW, from 9AM until Noon. Among my guests will be Dustin Dow, from the Cincinnati Enquirer. We'll get into some serious college hoops talk. John Donovan, the talented writer from SI.com will join me from Spring Training. And we'll get knee deep in the hoopla from Indiana University with the sports director of the WTHR-TV NBC affiliate in that town, Dave Calabro. You can listen online, should you like, at www.700wlw.com and on XM Radio Channel 173.

Sunday night at 11:35, it's another rousing edition of Sports Rock! on Cincinnati's channel 5. Among our guests will be former Bengals defensive back, Eric Thomas and "Wildman Walker", the local legend from WEBN's Dawn Patrol.

And, check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. I'll have a new "Broo View Podcast" posted on the front page Saturday morning!

Have a great weekend!

His reputation, preceding him here in Cincinnati, was that Dusty Baker has never been enamored with young ball players. Loved veterans, cringed at the thought of playing a kid. Dusty has denied that to the Cincinnati media. But then, we see this, on yahoo.com today.

Proof will be how it plays out, not how it reads.

Xavier keeps rolling. Another win Thursday night. What stops this team this season? Maybe a post up offense that features a dominating big man. But how many teams like that will Xavier face before the elite eight?

Done deal, Josh Fogg signs with the Reds. Love it, absolutely love it. Why send two good prospects to the Oakland A's for Joe Blanton, when you can sign a free agent for $1 million. Fogg is no Blanton. But the price for Blanton, who pitched half his games in the spacious Oakland stadium was far too high. If Fogg winds up winning 12 this season, which he could with the Reds offense, it'll be a steal.

Check out the countdown to Opening Day on the home page of my blog http://kenbroo.blogspot.com, if you're not already there. Then really get into the mood with this, from my man Freekbass

Freekbass is a protege of the legendary Bootsy Collins, a local guy who is red hot on the college circuit. He'll tour Europe and Japan this summer. You can check him out at http://www.freekbass.com/. Check out his podcasts.

I'm no mathmatician, but it seems to me the number in this salary cap report don't add up to a championship atmosphere for our Cincinnati Bengals. Good homework by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Wherever you are tonight, I hope you're a lot warmer than we'll be here in the Tri-State. Cincinnati is headed for a low of 9* and then more snow and ice on Thursday.

But there are a lot of things heating up. Not the least of which is Kelvin Sampson's situation in Indiana. He appears headed for a rough fall....and his spring isn't shaping up so hot either. Look at what espn.com is saying about Kelvin today. I tend to agree with the scenario: suspend him, probably with pay and then gather more information. To allow Sampson to coach under this latest scrutiny for continuing bad behavior would be a travesty.

Meantime, down in the fun and sun, every Reds position player is in camp. Bob Castellini showed up today, spreading a little sunshine himself. He says he believes the Reds will be in the NL Central division race all season, not a tough thing considering it one of the weakest in major league baseball.

My guess is, this story isn't going away. And neither is the federal government's interest in who's lying, Clemens or his accuser, Brian McNamee. Good story here from Associate Press TV.

Meantime, scroll down on this story from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram to see the latest on former Reds Josh Hamilton and Eddie Guardado.

When you're done reading that, hit my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/. On the front page, you can find my latest "Broo View Podcast" for your downloading enjoyment.

For a guy who could use more than a little exercise, check out how Jim Bowden is maneuvering around the Washington Nationals spring training camp. Yikes! The Washington Times gets the award for 'Picture of the Week'.

I think UC can make the Big East Tournament (12 teams make it, everyone makes it next season). But they'll need at least four more wins to qualify for an NIT berth. Here's my question, will the tie breaker in whether or not UC makes the NIT be the poor attendance at Fifth Third Arena games this season?

Xavier continues to win. But on my radio show "Sunday Morning Sports Talk" on 700 WLW, RPI ratings expert, Jerry Palm, says the best seed the Muskies can hope for in the upcoming NCAA Tournament is a third seed. And Palm says Xavier is no better than a '3', even if they run the table.

By the way, you can catch "Sunday Morning Sports Talk" from 9am-Noon EST on both 700 WLW and XM Channel 173. It's also streamed on http://www.700wlw.com/.

See you later tonight and tomorrow on WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati

In case you missed it, Bob Knight was Jay Leno's guest on my television station last night WLWT (and every other NBC affiliate, of course). Watch Knight's entrance and listen to Leno's first jab a the way Knight is dressed.

He's 67. But I have the feeling Knight will surface at some other school, perhaps in a more prominent enviornment than Lubbock, Texas.

If you were Bengals owner, Mike Brown, would you make this deal? Look what the Washington Post is reporting today about the Redskins interest in Chad Johnson.

I was thinking about this the other day, reading some of the quotes that Ocho Cinco had about how under appreciated he is here in our town. He’ll talk to anyone about it, stop him at the Kroger, he’ll talk to you, unless you work for the local media. Because apparently to him, we’re just pond scum.

But I was thinking about how all of this could backfire on Chad Johnson. He doesn’t have to go too far back in history to see what happens to a local sports hero who’ve done what he’s doing now. Carl Pickens comes to mind.

That guy was a great, great talent. Big, solidly built, hard to bring down, good speed. Hated playing here. Hated it. But he kept signing contracts.

Corey Dillon was a great, great talent. Big, solidly built, like Pickens, hard to bring down. Long about 1999, hated playing here. Absolutely hated it. The ‘flipping burgers’ thing was priceless. But he kept cashing the checks.

Now comes Johnson. He’s certainly not as bitter as Pickens and Dillon were. But maybe we should give him some time. Or more money.

But here’s the problem. Cincinnati, so far as I can tell, isn’t a super star town. Never has been, probably never will be. Cincinnati is a team town. Love the team, hate the supers star. We’ll take hustle and a dirty uniform over super star who behaves like one. It explains why we become so infatuated by Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel and so infuriated with Ken Griffey Junior. Freel can run into a wall, or the stands or Hopper’s elbow and miss half a season and we call it great hustle. Junior can dislocate a shouldar diving for a fly ball and we’ll get deluged with calls at this radio station about how he’s always hurt.

Super stars seem to have trouble here: Boomer, Eric Davis, Not all. Anthony Munoz and Chris Sabo come to mind. But a lot of them do.

Mostly, it’s about team in Cincinnati. The ’75 Reds had great individual players, hall of famers, but who was better? Rose or Morgan? Bench or Concepcion? We remember the 75 Reds, the 76 Reds, the 90 Reds. Team first, individual player after that. In the bigger towns, New York, Chicago, LA, it tends to be the opposite. It’s Reggie, Sammy, Roger, Pedro. Maybe it’s because bigger towns can afford bigger names and have more media outlets than we do in Cincinnati. But it seems like they love their super stars first, their teams second.

I like it the way it is here. Nothing, no one should be bigger than the team. If you make headlines, you should make them helping the team win.

Chad Johnson has made a lot headlines helping the Bengals win. Great touchdown catches, fun celebrations in the end zone, great quote machine in the locker room.

But it seems as though the minute an athlete in Cincinnati starts making headlines more about himself than about the team he plays for, that’s when the trouble begins. I sense that the trouble has already begun for Ocho Cinco. It’s not too late to fix it. I just wonder if he knows that, or if it matters to him.

It's National Letter Of Intent day all over the country. The University of Cincinnati did just fine, signing 24 recruits, including the running back who broke all of Archie Griffin's rushing records at Columbus Eastmore, Isiah Pead. Kelly is particularly pleased with the speed of this, his second UC recruiting class.

You can find plenty of other information on the best destination for high school sports anywhere, highschoolplaybook.com.

And my man, Frank Solich, had himself a good day of signings at Ohio University. Solich got a terrific option quarterback out of California, as well as some stout linemen. Among his haul this season, Bakari Bussey, the son of former Bengal Barney Bussey. Solich beat out Indiana to get a wide receiver who has solid speed.

Well check this out!


You know what this sounds like to me? Renegotiation. Johnson signed a six year, $35.5 million deal in 2006. 16 million of that has already been paid, meaning Johnson will average just under $4.5 million for the deal that runs through the 2011 season. That's under value for a receiver his his talent in today's market.

Rosenhaus and Johnson can request a trade. But knowing Mike Brown, it won't happen on their terms. Remember, when Corey Dillon began making noise, it took him four years to get out of Cincinnati. I'd be expccting Johnson in a Bengals uniform for the forseeable future.

Wonder what Mike Brown, the Bengals owner, thinks about this. scrum.com is reporting that Bengals linebacker, Dhani Jones is about to become a professional rugby player. In fact, Jones will see some action in a match Saturday night in England. Here's the story.

For the record, I like the Patriots over the Giants. I'm not being seduced by the fact the Giants kept it close in the December 29th game or the fact that the Giants have won ten straight road games. I think New England finishes the season a perfect 19-0.

But I sincerely hope this story in the New York Post isn't true.

The Reds signed catcher Paul Bako and reliever Scott Sauerbeck to minor league contracts today. Both have an excellent chance of making the big club, espeically Bako, a former Reds draft pick, who played for Dusty Baker. If I'm Javier Valentin, I'm not exactly comfortable tonight. Then again, Wayne Krivsky loves having three catchers on his 25 man roster.

Good news about "The Mayor". No not Rudi Guiliani or the pitching-challenged Mayor Mark Mallory. The Boston Globe has the scoop on Sean Casey finding work. $800K may seem like a pittance to a man making $8 million a year ago. But hey, it's work. And Casey has a chance to win a World Series again. He came close in Detroit a couple of years ago.

I'm talking sports again this Sunday on 700 WLW. You can listen on line at www.700wlw.com, in case you're not living in the greater Cincinnati area. Among my guests will be former Bengals coach Sam Wyche, who is writing a book about his life in the NFL, draft expert Jerry Jones, author of The Drugstore List and Damon Durante from www.betusa.com. Sunday Morning Sportstalk is from 9:00am until Noon this Sunday and every Sunday on 700 WLW. You can also catch in on XM Radio channel 173.

And this Sunday night at 11:35, it's our Super Bowl Sports Rock show on Cincinnati's channel 5, WLWT. Our guests will include "Wildman" Walker and the renaissance man, Wayne "Box" Miller. You can also get an internet only version of Sports Rock every Monday on www.wlwt.com.

Have a great weekend!

Didn't see this one coming. UC routs West Virginia and Bob Huggins and IN Morgantown tonight, 62-39. WVU apparently made a grand total of one 3 pt field goal. The Mountaineers were 1-22 outside the arc and made a grand total of 10-shots on the night.

Huggins has to be apoplectic.

On a lighter note, unless you're the affected mascot, this is pretty funny:

The Reds and Goodyear, Arizona, have signed a deal that will give both 75-days to hammer out a deal to move the reds spring training facility from Sarasota, Florida.75-days where both sides can negotiate with no one else.

Here are some of the things you can find in Goodyear, Arizona: Peter Piper Pizza, a shuttered up horse track that went under because it was inaccessible and the Arizona State Pen.

If I’m Sarasota, I’m talking up my very viable dog track today. And the low crime rate.

The Reds have been trying to get the Sarasota county government to pony up about 15 million to help renovated Ed Smith Stadium. The total bill is about 40-million, but the state of Florida and the Reds are willing to toss in some dough.

Last week, the the Sarasota county commission essentially voted the tax deal down. Not surprising. I lived in Florida for seven years. If the second coming was a tax issue down there, trust me, it would be voted down.

Ed Smith Stadium isn’t delapitated. It’s certainly not new. But as spring training venues go, it’s not bad. It’s not handicap access friendly. But it won’t take 40-million to fix that. Some of the baseball field flood when it rains. Just about every field in Florida floods when it rains.

Bob Castellini doesn’t really want to go to Goodyear Arizona. And really, has anyone ever said to you they want to go to Goodyear, Arizona? He’s willing to pitch in $9 million to the 40-million dollar project to make it work in Sarasota. In Goodyear, all Castellini would have to do is show up. Maybe bring a nice bottle of Merlot as a calling card. But that’s about it. He could, presumably, take that $9 million he was going to give Sarasota and go out and buy a decent pitcher.

But if Castellini takes his team to Goodyear, Arizona, here’s what he won’t get. Fans from Cincinnati to spend a spring vacation watching his team. How many of your friends are gonna hop in a car and drive three days to watch spring training games? You can make Sarasota in about 13 hours.

You’ll hear some boasting on message boards from people who’ll say they’ll have no problem making the trip to Goodyear, Arizona, to watch Reds baseball. But mostly, those people live in their parents’ basement.

If Castellini takes his team west, here’s what he won’t get. Complete coverage on TV and in the Enquirer and Dayton Daily News. Afternoon games won’t be over in time for the 6p news. Night games won’t be over in time to get in the morning editions of the paper. Maybe he doesn’t care about that. But he should.

If Castellini takes his team west, here’s what Sarasota loses: a newspaper by line everyday, nationwide. Proof that there’s life beyond early bird specials at the local cafeterias. Admit it, when someone mentioned the city of Sarasota to you before the Reds landed there in the late 90’s, what did you think of? Right, grandma. Sarasota was then, and is now, a pretty neat place. Art, dining, the beach. But the thing that city has fought, forever, is the image of retirement haven, a slow moving burb with every bad driver from the north.

Is he worth it? Is Brian Kelly really worth the money that UC will pay him in his new contract, just signed today? Take a look at the annual, guarenteed money Kelly will get:

Base Salary: $300,00 annually
Radio-TV: $400,00 annually
Speaking Fees: $300,00 annually
Coach's Camp: $100,00 annually
Shoe's & Apparel: $100,00 annually
--------------------$1.2 Million annually

And this is just guaranteed dough. There is a lot of incentive money along with this, including $100K for qualifying for a BCS bowl game, 50K for being named the national coach of the year and $50,000 for UC football finishing in the final Top 25. Kelly also gets a car, expense accounts and membership to a country club.

Football coaches are the faces of major universities. Faculty members, whose roles in the collegiate experience are far more important than a football coach, have a tough time making sense of all this. But the fact remains, a school gets infinitely more exposure from a football game on television than any study, research or publication done by a professor.

It is, the way it is.

Bob Huggins says he only feel a little more emotion than usual Wednesday night when he coaches against UC for the first time since getting run out of Clifton (which may be a reason why he stiffed me on a radio appearance Sunday.) But it's hard to believe he doesn't want to win this game against UC badly.


It's been three years and two jobs since Huggins was effectively run out of UC by school president Dr. Nancy Zimpher. Their pubic feud deeply damaged the school's basketball program, only recovering from the fallout. Huggins bigger moment will come next season, when West Virginia must come to Cincinnati. That will be an event. But Wednesday night's game in the hills of West Virginia will be 'must see TV' for any basketball fan in Southwest Ohio.

And it's not like Mick Cronin isn't getting his 'love' in the hills. Check out this story in the Charleston Gazette.

Countdown to Opening Day continues. Check out the clock! Nice piece on the outlook for the 2008 Cincinnati Reds on mlb.com.

More cool stuff on my web site: www.kenbroo.com

UC and Xavier both play pivotal games Sunday. In UC's case, it's whether or not it can win on the road in the Big East. UC has proven it can win conference games at home. It should've won the other night, but blew a 15 point second half lead to UConn. Now, the Bearcats have to take the next step and prove they can win away from home. Seton Hall is not a great team by any stretch of the basketball imagination. But a win there would do wonders for UC credability.


Xavier plays Sunday at UMass, another winnable road game for the Muskies. Here's their problem: the Muskies have to prove they can win AFTER playing and winning an emotion filled game. In December, Xavier beat UC, then went on the road and got waxxed by Arizona State. Thursday night, Xavier demolished number 16 Dayton. Now, can the Muskies parlay that win, with another at UMass. If they do, it will be a major step for Xavier, a team that seems to have the components to play deep into March.


I don't know what I'm more impressed with, Ohio beating Ball State at the horn Saturday OR over 10,000 fans watching it go down at the Convocation Center in Athens. That attendance figure is very impressive. This current Ohio team has shown a propensity to fall behind in games it should win and then rally late to do so. It can't become habit for the Bobcats, as the season gets more difficult as it gets later. But with Jerome Tillman and Leon Williams, these Bobcats have an excellent chance to win the MAC and get the automatic bid to the NCAA. But 10,000 plus for a MAC game in rural Ohio is pretty impressive.


I'm talking sports, as always, Sunday morning on 700 WLW in Cincinnati. You can listen on line, if you're outside the greater Cincinnati area on http://www.700wlw.com/ And if you have an XM Radio, WLW is on channel 173. Among my guests will be former Cincinnati Bengals lineman Max Montoya and former UC basketball coach, Bob Huggins. His West Virginia Mountaineers play UC this coming week in Morgantown (after WVU plays a tough Georgetown team at home tonight).



Sunday night at 11:35, it's another round of Sports Rock! on Cincinnati's WLWT channel 5. Our guests include former Bengals Eric Thomas and Dave Lapham.

Did you see where Odell Thurman was given the OK to begin practicing with the Bengals again?
Here's the foxsports.com article. Sounds to me like Thurman's complete reinstatement is going to happen. Marvin Lewis issued a statement that Thurman will have to earn his way back on to the team. Lewis had to say that at this point. But the Bengals will take him back. They've got bonus money they're obligated to pay Thurman and Thurman has litigation pending against the NFL that says, in essence, he has a disease and can not be denied a chance to make a living at his chosen profession. The bigger issue is, when he comes back, can the team count on him? Years ago, players like Thurman were deemed 'coach killers', in the sense that you game planned for an opponent fully believing you'd have the services of a player. When that player couldn't (or wouldn't in some cases) play, a coach had to substitute other players and take plays out of his playbook. Ultimately, it caught up with the coach, who usually lost his job.

Thurman is a terrific talent, when sober. Unfortunately, there are a lot of stories like his in professional sport. I'm hoping he's got his act together now, for his sake, and the Bengals.

For what it's worth, yardbarkers.com has its latest NFL mock draft up. If you believe what you read, looks like the Bengals are zeroing in on Ohio State defensive lineman, Vernon Gholston. Hmmmm. Can't James Laurinaitis reconsider leaving early? Guess not.


The Reds made it official with Jeremy Affeldt today. He says he chose the Reds because they're giving him a chance to start, which a lot of other teams apparently weren't prepared to do. More on the signing from our good friend, Mark Sheldon at reds.com.

I'm not completely sold on Affeldt as a starter. I know he couldn't crack the Rockies rotation last season, but no shame in that, as the Rocks had a young and talented staff. Is he better than Matt Belisle? I hope so. But if Johnny Cueto is major league ready coming out of the spring, I don't see Affeldt as any more than a number 4. And that's assuming Homer Bailey is better than what he was, for the most part, here in Cincinnati last summer.

See you tonight at 11p on News 5 Tonight on Cincinnati's channel 5. I'll have coverage from the UC vs Uconn game and from the La Salle stag, the kickoff to the Reds season.

There are a couple of old adages in the business I work in, the swinging, swirling world of television and radio. Adage number one: never take a vacation. Because good old Bob who’ll be filling in for you will use every opportunity to try and take your job away from you when you’re gone.

Think I’m a bit paranoid? No, I just think everyone is out to get me. But I’ve also seen some co workers at various places I’ve worked leave on a trip with one job and come back to work with a job that’s not quite so good. That’s adage number one in broadcasting: never take a vacation.

Adage number two, buy if you must, but it’s better to rent. People come and go in my business. Here today, gone tomorrow. What happened to good old Joe who used to do the weather? Or Frank the affabled sports guy. He hasn’t been on the air for a couple of weeks? What happened? Probably, as they like to say in broadcasting…he caught the blade, or he got ‘launched’. Adage number two in broadcasting: rent.

I’m not saying all this today because I’m paranoid. I’m not. You’re not paranoid if you think everyone is out to get you, right?

I’m saying this because I watched our beloved Bengals hire yet another defensive coordinator this week. If you’re scoring at home this morning, that’s three defensive coordinators in the Marvin Lewis era.

The Bengals defense, collectively under Marvin’s watch, has been bad. Not horribly bad, just bad enough to submarine any chance the Bengals have had to accomplish much. It’s been Kendrick Allen bad, Tory James bad, Rogers Beckett bad.

Not Reinard Wilson horribly bad, or George Hinkle horribly bad. But it’s been bad enough to ruin just about every one of the five seasons Lewis has been here, save one.

I don’t think it was Leslie Frazier’s fault, to any great degree. And if it was, how come Frazier is running around the country now interviewing for head coach’s jobs?

I don’t think it was Chuck Bresnahan’s fault. If it was, how did he get stupid on the drive from Oakland to Cincinnati?

Now comes Mike Zimmer, a self proclaimed yeller and screamer, the big noise out of Atlanta. He runs a 4-3, wants a defense that has an identity and will preach accountability in between tirades. He might be the second coming of Buddy Ryan, but excuse me, we’ve heard this before.

Zimmer’s resume is impressive. He not only was the defensive coordinator in Dallas for seven years, he also kept that job when Bill Parcells arrived in the Big D to run that team. If there’s one thing The Tuna loves more than prime rib dinners and sparring with the media, it’s cleaning house on arrival. Zimmer had some of his play calling taken away by Parcells, but he survived. No small trick.

Zimmer may or may not be the difference maker we all want for our Bengals. Benefit of the doubt, at the very least for now. But here’s something that will help him succeed immensely. And a lot of it will be out of his control.

First thing: sign some big name playmakers. I mean some real playmakers, not some stiffs that can’t make it out of training camp. Instead of signing this year’s version of Ed Hartwell, sign this year’s version of Adalius Thomas. Today, Thomas will try to help his team get to the Super Bowl. Hartwell will presumably help himself to some chips and dip watching Thomas.

Bottom feeding in the winter and spring delivers the same meal in the fall. With the salary cap heading toward $116-million this year, you either play with the big boys or watch them play. In this free agency arena, the Bengals have been spectators far too long.

Second thing that’ll help our new Mister Zimmer: draft players who can not only make plays, but stay out of the NFL’s version of jail. We’ve been over the Odell Thurman pick ad nauseum. But Thurman has now missed two full seasons because he couldn’t stay out of trouble. Do you know what players the Bengals could’ve selected, instead of Thurman in that 2005 draft?

How about Kalif Barnes, who now starts at left tackle with the Jaguars…he went four picks after Thurman. How about the player that went three picks after Thurman? Nick Collins, who’ll start tonight at free safety for the Packers? Or Justin Tuck, whom the Giants took in round three? What do you think he’s doing tonight?

Sometimes, it’s not the player you take, it’s the player you pass up. And when the player you take doesn’t pan out, it makes your ‘whiff’ even more devastating.

Matthias Askiew of roud four of ’04, Kewan Ratliff of round two of ’04, AJ Nicholson of round three of ’06…and on and on.

The Bengals aren’t alone in this. Plenty of other teams have had busted picks. That’s why there are plenty of other teams who’ve been watching the playoffs this month along with our Bengals.
But if you want your new guy Zimmer to succeed, Bengals, draft better. You don’t want to add more scouts, make the ones you have work harder. Not their fault, but because of the fewer numbers of scouts, they’ll always be held to a tougher standard.

Changing position coaches after seasons is as way of life in the NFL. But the Bengals have changed their defensive coordinators-out far too often in the last five years.

You want this third time to be the charm? Give Zimmer what he two predecessors never got. Maybe then, you’ll give us what we haven’t had but once in 18-years.

Interesting pick up for the Reds today. Though they haven't confirmed it yet, foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal (a terrific baseball writer) says the Reds have signed left handed starting pitcher Jeremy Affeldt.

I like this on a number of levels. It's a relatively cheap signing (1yr/$3mil) and it gives the Reds a left handed arm in the starting rotation..

Here's what Affeldt's career has looked like.

Even more of an insight into what's going on inside the Reds organization is in this recent article in Baseball Prospectus.

Maybe things are looking up. Opening Day? The countdown clock is just to your right.

Check out my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/.

I'm talking sports Sunday morning on 700 WLW in Cincinnati. I'm on from 9am-Noon EST. Among my guests will be former Bengals David Fulcher and Jim Breech. Mark Sheldon from mlb.com will stop by and we'll have a report from Green Bay on the Packers vs Giants NFC Championship game. You can listen on line at www.700wlw.com or on XM channel 173. Or just dial in 700 on your AM dial.

Interesting reading on mlbtraderumors.com about what the Reds may or may not do with minor league phenom, Jay Bruce.

I think even thinking about trading Bruce is cause for dismissal from the Reds front office. He's literally the best prospect this franchise has produced since the Adam Dunn-Austin Kearns class.

One of my favorite guests on my Sunday Morning Sports Talk show on 700 WLW is profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio. Here's his latest take on the Giants upset win over the Cowboys this past Sunday.

I think the Giants have a puncher's chance against the Packers. But you'd have to be nuts to pick against the karma Green Bay has going for it now.

Same deal in New England. The Chargers are a nice story. But they won't beat the Patriots on the Pats' home turf.

The Bengals may have gotten themselves a 'steal' when they hired Mike Zimmer today to be their defensive coordinator. Zimmer spent 13 years in Dallas, the last seven as defensive coordinator. Part of those seven years as a 'DC' included time under Bill Parcells. Parcells inherited Zimmer from the outgoing staff and kept him. That's no small feat, as "The Tuna" is reknown for cleaning house when he arrives at a team.

Zimmer spent this past season at the coordinator in Atlanta. But when Bobby Petrino took a hike on the Falcons, his entire coaching staff was free to look elsewhere.

Zimmer's biggest challeng will be the same as his predecessor's: whether or not the Bengals front office can get him enough good players. To be sure, Chuck Breshnahan got some players to work with. But the Bengals made a habit of 'bottom feeding' on defensive free agents. How else do you explain Kendrick Allen and Ed Hartwell never making it out of training camp last summer?

I think the Bengals defense will be better in '08 than '07, simply because it can't be much worse. But unless Zimmer is given better talent to work with, that upgrade may not be so great.

Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com.

So the Reds now have two things the Bengals don’t have: general managers. Maybe they could loan one to the Bengals.

When the word came down Friday that the Reds had lured Walt Jocketty out of his short-lived retirement, my first reaction was…whoa, wouldn’t want to be Wayne Krivsky. Look at what Jocketty did in St. Louis. He only built the team that has more regular season wins than any other team on that half of the baseball equation. And there was that little piece of hardware the Cardinals won a couple of falls ago.

Jocketty was nothing in St. Louis if not the ultimate trade merchant. And he seemed to have an uncanny ability to trade nothing to get something. Sure the Mark Mulder deal stunk. Danny Haren will be a star for a long time in baseball and Mulder seems at the edge of washed up.

But how about these names that found their way to St. Louis on Jocketty’s watch: Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, Larry Walker and Edgar Renteria.

His critics will argue that Jocketty built those Cardinals teams and worked those trades at the expense of his minor league system. The Cardinals had to trade for Mulder because their minor league pitching was awful.

But he also had the brains…and the scouts, to draft baseball’s best player at the moment: Albert Puljos.

With Walt Jocketty, there’s good with the bad. But there appears to be much more good.

But you wonder about Krivsky. He’s been on the job only a couple of years. So his drafts, unlike Jocketty’s, are tough to score right now. But they both seem to be cut from the same cloth. Jocketty was aggressive pursuing big name players. Krivsky has been aggressive trying to rebuild his bullpen.

My guess is Wayne Krivsky isn’t comfortable about all this. Even though he’s Bob Castellini’s hand picked general manager, Krivsky can’t be happy with Castellini bringing in the former GM of the National League team of the last decade and the former GM of the team Castellini once had a piece of. Jocketty will report directly to Castellini. Not good for Wayne-O.

But if Castellini can keep everybody in the sandbox happy, this has a chance of working out. Think about it: Jocketty’s experience and aggressive nature helping Krivsky with trade evaluations and draft pick assessments. Both have keen eyes, both have excellent contacts. It could be magic.

But it could also be a disaster. Invariably, when any company hires someone to over see the work of another with equal status, the atmosphere is tense. Distrust is the immediate by-product and camps can form. Jocketty apparently was in the middle of that scenario, when Cardinals owner, Bill DeWitt brought in a vice president for player development last season. Reportedly, that’s what led to Jocketty’s resignation in October.

If this is Castelllini’s way of lighting a fire under Krivsky, he’s done it. Never comfortable in front of the media, the current Reds GM appeared more uneasy than ever Friday. But Bob Castellini didn’t build a produce empire by fostering office politics. He knows, I’m sure, that if his front office gets bogged down in ‘camps’, he hurts his product. And remember, just about everyone in that baseball operations office is a Krivsky hire.

I would bet, that Castellini has told both Jocketty and Krivsky to play nice.
If they do, this will be a great ‘play’ for our ‘local nine’. If they don’t, it’ll be a great ‘play’ for the controversy loving media.

I'd like to tell you I was shocked that the Chargers and Giants won this past weekend. But in the NFL playoffs, there should be no shockers. That's the beauty of the playoffs: if you get in, you always have a chance to win. And that's the problem with football fans in the Tri-State: the Bengals never (except for 2005) get in. So they never let us see that logic in action.

All you have to do is qualify. Look at the Steelers, the sixth and final seed in the AFC after the 2005 season. They caught a major break when Carson Palmer went down in their game against the Bengals. The Steelers went all the way to a Super Bowl win that year, even being that final team that qualified.

Now, I see the Patriots and Packers playing in the Super Bowl next month. With LT and Phillips Rivers recentaly injured, I don't believe either will be at full strength this Sunday. And while the run the Giants have pieced together has been impressive (and the fact that they're a much better road team than home team lately) I can't see the Packer getting caught now. Brett Favre is hot and the Pack's running back is a Giants cast off. With the home field advantage, Green Bay will have plenty of motivation.

A good high school football coach is out of work tonight. Reading has fired Ken Minor. This is not only a good coach, this is a good man. Minor told us today that he was given no reason why he was dismissed. But he is gone. Now, I imagine, the Elder football faithful will hold their collective breath. The athletic director at Reading is the brother of Elder coach, Doug Ramsey. Ramsey has done a terrific job under sometimes stressful circumstances in front of one of the Tri-State's most demanding fans. He might be ready to move on. We'll see.

This week, on Sports Rock, we'll welcome back the gifted singer-songwriter Ryan Parker. You can view some of his work at http://www.ryanparkersongs.com/. But here's his latest.


Sports Rock! airs every Sunday night at 11:35pm and only on Cincinnati's Channel 5. It's the last, best word in sports!

My buddy Ryan Parker will be joining us on Sports Rock on Sunday night, January 20th. If you live in the greater Cincinnati area, you can watch the show on WLWT Channel 5. Parker is the singer-songwriter from eastern Kentucky who always comes up with novel sports songs. Here's the video from his latest!

It sounds so bizzarre, it could have some truth to it. A columnist for the Baltimore Sun today suggests that the Ravens try to pry Marvin Lewis away from the Cincinnati Bengals. In his story, columnist Mike Preston says bringing Lewis back to the team he helped to a Super Bowl win in 2000, this time as head coach, is a no brainer. Of course to accomplish that, the Bengals would have to a: be willing to lose their coach b: trade him within their own division and c: require draft picks in return.

The Bucs and Raiders did this six years ago, when the Bucs sent four picks (two #1's and two #2's) to the Raiders in exchange for head coach Jon Gruden moving to Tampa. Sounds to me like that'd be too steep of a price for the Ravens, needing to rebuild their offense. And remember, the Bengals owner, Mike Brown, once turned down an offer from the New Orleans Saints that would've netted the Bengals every one of the Saints' picks in the 1999 draft in exchange for only the Bengals first rounder.

Today, the Bengals said this is "simply the musings of a reporter" and that the team would have no further comment. I don't see it happening. But it sure made for interesting reading on what otherwises was a boring Wednesday.

Nice way for the University of Cincinnati football team to end the season. The final Associated Press rankings are out tonight and UC finishes 17th. Brian Kelly is off to a roaring start. And though he just signed a contract extention, now the trick is for the university to keep pace with the growth Kelly has delivered. Nothing will drive a coach away from a school quicker than a perceived lack of committment. UC, the ball is yours.

One of my favorites guest on 700 WLW's Sunday Morning Sports Talk is Mike Florio, the power behind profootballtalk.com. Mike has his latest TV segments posted. Here's one about Cleveland Browns coach, Romeo Crennel, and his request for a new, three year contract.







If I'm the Browns, I'm waiting to see if 2007 was the fluke, or the norm. If Romeo wins ten in 2008, he'll have a huge payday. And, he's still under contract now through 2009.


Uh Oh, trouble in Buckeye paradise in the middle of last night's BCS championship loss to LSU. Great read in the Tuesday's Dayton Daily News.


This can't play well around here. Bronson Arroyo loves to sing. And he was warbling well in Boston the other night, when he changed the lyrics to a song that makes you wonder just about committed he is to the Cincinnati Reds.

I'm off to anchor the 11p sports. Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com, when you get a chance.

Sorry I've been away....lot on my plate these days. But I have some thoughts that've been rumbling around in my cranium....

Dumping the defensive coordinator and a position coach should've been a start for the Bengals. They've grown stale on both sides of the football. Marvin Lewis needs fresh ideas on offense and needs to take a more active role coaching his defense....

I was shocked the Giants beat the Buccaneers this weekend, mildly surprised that the Steelers defense couldn't do a better job against the Jags offense. The other two games were no surprise. If TO isn't healthy enough to play this Sunday, the Cowboys are vulnerable. The Giants are a completely different team on the road than at home...

I want to believe Roger Clemens. But he looked very uncomfortable in his 60 Minutes interview and playing that phone conversation he had with his accuser at a news conference Monday actually hurt Clemens, I think. Let the lawsuits begin....

UC basketball fans should see light at the end of the tunnel. Monday's news that Nick Aldridge has finally enrolled in school (Bob Huggins recruited him before leaving and Aldridge wound up at Western Carolina until this transfer) along with a nice recruiting class coming in next fall could finally make the Bearcats competitive in the Big East.

There are a lot of reasons to believe Xavier will be playing deep into March this year. But here's the biggest reason: the Muskies have balanced scoring and an unselfish attitude. Whenever you get five players averaging double figures this late in the season, it means the head coach is doing a terrific job. Sean Miller is.

Think it gets easier for the Bengals in 2008. My friend Chick Ludwig in the Dayton Daily News has this to report today: the combined 2007 record of all the Bengals opponents next season is 115-93. The only teams the Bengals play next season that had losing records this year: Baltimore, Kansas City and the Jets.

Pete Mackanin, the Reds interim manager for the last half of the 2007 season, found work today. Mackanin has signed on to scout for the Yankees. Apparently the Reds offered him a similar deal, but Mackanin felt returing to the team he still wanted to manage would be a little too awkward.

If you're looking for him in his post Cincinnati Post life, you can find the blog-crazed C. Trent Rosecrans at this address: ctrentrosecrans.com. Yes, he's blogging on his own now and I'm told is 'this close' to finding a soft landing spot here in the greater Cincinnati area.

Check out my web site when you have a moment: www.kenbroo.com.