Gameday Predictions

Some of the games have already started, but (I promise!) I haven't looked at any scores. Just wanted to offer some opening week predictions. (I'm putting them on the blog because, quite frankly, I'd privately predicted the Reds would go 6-3 on their last road trip (exactly what they did), but only two friends heard me, so I'm having trouble getting credit for my Rainman-like sports instincts.)

The Redhawks will lose. Big. Their loss will be so earth-shattering they might disband the football team after the game. (How many fans tuned into the game thinking it was the real Miami playing Florida?)

TCU and Boise State will both lose, causing a major shuffle to the polls after Week 1.

My Penguins, sadly, will not prevail.

Brian Kelly starts off the Notre Dame season with a win. It'll be one of just 5 his team gets all season, leaving the Irish ineligible for post-season play.

But my Bearcats will win their first game--a trap game, quite frankly. It'll be high-scoring but close. Local media will start dreaming Zach Collaros Heisman dreams. (Has he finished his diversion yet?)

Michigan will win, but barely.

That's just about all the football I care about this weekend. Anyone else?

Harang Back on Tuesday

With the troubles for Leake and Volquez, along with continued inconsistency from Bailey, it might be a relief to see Harang getting his first start since July on Tuesday.

His two rehab starts for the Sluggers, though, were terrible. He was 0-2 with an ERA of 9. (On the bright side, he had 10 strikeouts to just 2 walks.)

Let's hope for the best.

T.O. vs. OchoNoShow

For the last few years, at the beginning of every season, Bengals fans wonder which wide receiver will take the field this year: Chad Johnson, or OchoNoShow. If the preseason is any indication (and I agree, you've got to take the preseason with a huge grain of salt), it looks like the latter will be wearing number 85 this year.

OchoNoShow may have the best hands of any wide receiver in the game. At least, that is, as long as no one is touching him. As a wide receiver gets older, he gets a bit slower. (Especially one like OchoNoShow, who by all accounts hasn't changed his diet or his workout routine to account for the fact that he's no longer 22.) So they have to run crisper routes and be better at catching the ball in traffic.

I went to last night's Bengals game. OchoNoShow's two most notable plays were two interceptions. The first was on a play that looked like Ocho ran the wrong route--or just failed to "come back to the ball." Palmer looked upset at the time; after the game, he took the blame (probably to avoid some inevitable OchoNoShow pouting).

The second interception was a ball thrown to Ocho over the middle, and Chad got hit. Hard. Replays showed that the ball had actually bounced away from him before he took the hit. (That hit, by the way, should have been penalized, as the defender launched himself at a defenseless Ocho. Look for a fine on that one.) And what did OchoNoShow do? Whine about the hit on Twitter from the bench:

Man Im sick of getting hit like that , its the damn preseason shit! 1day I'm gone jump up and start throwing hay makers , #Tylenolplease

Do the math on the time stamp. Yup, that was during last night's game. (Look for another fine next week.)

T.O. is a different story. From the first three games, it's clear he knows where he's going to make his living: over the middle. He hasn't whined about getting hit. And he's caught most of what's been thrown at him. He had a great, down-the-field catch late in the first half. But that was only after he'd run several short routes. He set up the deep route.

I think NFL fans will finally learn the difference between T.O. and OchoNoShow this season. T.O. can hang onto a ball in traffic. Ocho can't. Or at least, he won't.

Nice Letter From Terrell Owens To Bengals Fans

New Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver Terrell Owens has written a very positive letter to Bengals fans. Yeah, it sounds like something a good PR person would write for him, but even so, I'm glad to see a professional athlete making a point to reach out to fans. Let's hope this attitude remains through the season, no matter how many wins the Bengals have.

Friday Night

There's lots to do this coming Friday night.

If you're hip enough, you can head up to Northside for the Greenhornes concert at the Comet. I'm not sure if this is properly termed a reunion or a revival, but lots of people are excited that the group is releasing a new album and playing again.

Then there's Fountain Square, where you can hear Bad Veins and the Harlequins. If the weather stays reasonably nice, anybody into Cincinnati's indie music scene who can't get into the Comet will be on the Square.

If indie music isn't your thing, then the Bengals play their final home pre-season game at 8:00. This is their third game, so there's a good chance the first team plays most of the first half. And it could be interesting to see exactly how bad a McNabb-less Eagles team is.

It's the Baseball, Stupid

With the Reds beginning a three-game series against the Cardinals this evening (right now, in fact!), nothing else really matters in Cincinnati this week. Not the streetcar, not the City's budget woes, and certainly not that other team that plays its games on the river (no need to pay attention to them until September 12).

So feel free to talk about the Reds generally, but in particular the following:

1. What do you think about the Dickerson-for-Edmonds trade?

2. What should Dusty do about Cordero? (Remember that he's sitting on 30 saves. And if not him, who would you bring out in the ninth to shut things down in a close game?)

This is the first time since I moved to Cincinnati that baseball has mattered in August. It's awesome!

Oh--is anyone going to Wednesday's game?

Mike Brown is Still a Dick

So the Citizens of Hamilton County buy him a new Stadium. The same Citizens buy high priced tickets for his sports team. They buy jerseys and beer from his vendors. They don't rebel when he signs a too high number of players that can't stay off the police blotter. All of that and Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown still manages to say a big Fuck You to the Citizens of Hamilton County. Well, right back at you, Mike, right back at you.

More here.

Big Week for the Reds

This is a pretty important week for the Cincinnati Reds. Not so much on the field (at least, this week's games are no more critical than any others). But the decisions General Manager Walt Jocketty makes over the next few days are critical, not just for this season, but for the future of the club.

The trade deadline is at the end of this week. I'm a Reds fan and a baseball fan, but I don't pretend to follow either closely enough to have a strong opinion as to which moves the Reds should or shouldn't make. I do realize, though, that a few teams have attractive players available, and right now, the Reds' farm club is chock full of talent. So Jocketty faces a daunting question: does he sacrifice a bit of the team's long-term potential for a chance to win the pennant this year? And that question, of course, raises a host of others. With or without an added player, is the World Series a realistic possibility this year? Will another player help the team, or upset the chemistry? How good are our prospects?

I'm not smart enough to have sabremetric statistics memorized or explain Moneyball principles, though Jocketty certainly is. And this year, the moves he doesn't make may be every bit as important as the ones he does.

Cincinnati Police Accused of "Targeting Athletes"

According to this report, some ESPN guy named Ric Bucher, during a discussion of Cedric Benson's arrest on ESPN radio this morning (on Mike and Mike?) claims that the Cincinnati police target athletes.

Bucher claims to be able to make this assessment because he's a "Cincinnati native." How long has it been, one wonders, since he's actually lived here? And can he cite an example of an athlete that was arrested because the police (a) knew he was an athlete, and (b) targeted him for that reason? And does Bucher mean the Cincinnati police specifically, or Cincinnati-area police departments in general?

Seems like quite the over-generalization to me.

World Cup at Fountain Square!

Are you looking to root on the USA against England in the World Cup on June 12th? Come out to Fountain Square where organizers will have the game on the big screen and will have beer flowing from 1:30PM to 5PM.

30 - 20

The Reds might be for real.

Reds Game Sounds Like Fun

Tonight's Reds game commemorates the 75th anniversary of the first night game in professional baseball, which was played at Crosley Field. The Enquirer's Reds Blog posts the Reds' press release here.

Among the highlights: the Reds mascots will actually race around the bases between the third and fourth innings. (Usually, the race is only a virtual one via graphics on the scoreboard.)

Given that the Pirates are in town, though, the mascots would do well to stay away from the visiting team's dugout.

First Place!!!

Anyone who now tells you that two months ago, they predicted the Reds would be in first place in mid-May--after a three game series with the Cardinals--is lying.

Go Reds!!!

The Fireworks Are Quieter

First, let me express (cautious) excitement about the Reds. They're currently a game above .500, in second place, and just three games behind the Cardinals. Mike Leake is a lot of fun to watch, despite a tough seventh inning tonight.

Now, let me move on to something that's ridiculously trivial, but that has been bothering me anyhow. I've made no secret of where I live: in an apartment building on Fourth Street between Plum and Central. My apartment is in the back of the building, facing the Duke Energy Convention Center.

In past seasons, I could "follow" the Reds in my apartment even without having the game on the radio or the television. If I heard fireworks, I'd flip the TV channel to FSN to see who just hit a home run. If I heard fireworks late enough in the evening, I'd know the Reds had just won. The sound was quite audible, and echoed off the buildings behind my building.

But this year, things are different. I can no longer hear fireworks from GABP. I was wondering if perhaps the Reds were using quieter fireworks, but when I attended a game for the first time this season (the eleven-inning thriller this past Monday), I thought the fireworks were as loud as ever.

My new theory: the Great American Tower is absorbing or deflecting the fireworks noise so that it no longer reaches the western end of downtown.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

And by the way, my previous concern that the Tower could impact games by causing right fielders to drop balls during day games has proven unfounded, as the building doesn't seem shiny enough to create a glare.

Reds 2, Cardinals 1

The Reds get their first win, courtesy of a walk-off home run by Jonny Gomes. The Reds thus avoid being swept in their first series of the 2010 season. An encouraging sign for the Reds: Bronson Arroyo turned in a stellar outing, pitching eight innings and giving up just one run on four hits.

Root, Root, Root for the Reds Team

Today marks the Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds. You will not find a better tradition of community in Professional Sports in the Country. People from across the city, country, and entire tri-state area come together to celebrate. Yes, we drink too much and eat too much, but that's what makes it a celebration! What makes it community is that everyone (most everyone) no matter what the political bent or affiliation, shares the same focus, even for just one day.

No matter who is in the line-up, on this day fans have at least some hope for a good season. What I really wish they would hope for is to have fun at the games. Like the song says, sure, it's a shame if they don't win, but it's a game. Games are meant to be fun. Enjoy it, whether you sitting in the outfield bleacher seats or along the third base side in a luxury box. Have a couple of beers, eat a brat or pretzel. Have some Cracker-Jack and have a good time! Baseball is a game best watched with friends. It is the most social of all sports for fans. You can have the best conversations in between pitches. Don't waste those great moments worrying about trade deadlines or endorsement deals.

Baseball is poetry. It has the drama of life: the anticipation, the long drawn out periods of monotony and tedium, but then has excitement that happens in a flash that is worth the time, no matter where your seats are.

Unlike other sports where you are put into a meat-grinder of intensity, Baseball has grace. Most importantly, Baseball illustrates America's core principle, the Individual and the Team both matter. Neither can exist in the game with out the other. In other words: E pluribus unum, Out of many, One.

We all live here. We need to find some common ground. How about a ball game?

Commission Candidates Reveal Priorities

Because this is still primary season, the candidates to fill David Pepper's seat on the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners are busy building support amongst their respective parties' bases. But I contacted them all and asked a simple question: If you are elected, what is the first resolution or motion you will pass? Each has responded.

Chris Monzel, the Republican Cincinnati Councilman who kicked off his campaign by announcing that he is a "son of the suburbs," has a plan for Hamilton County: The Wall. Monzel explained that upon election, he will immediately begin construction of a Berlin Wall-style barrier separating the City of Cincinnati from the suburbs. He said construction of The Wall would generate dozens, if not hundreds, of jobs. "We might even get stimulus funds for it; it's a 'shovel-ready' project, after all." Monzel also said that he would provide funds for Sheriff Leis to hire back several of his laid-off deputies to stand guard on The Wall round-the-clock. Monzel argued that the problem with Hamilton County's economy is the presence of Cincinnati. "We can't get rid of Cincinnati, but at least we can keep its residents out of our communities," he said. Monzel's plan also includes the relocation of all county buildings to Blue Ash. "The worst part about being on Council," Monzel said, "is having to be in Cincinnati all the time. Once I get elected to the Commission, I shouldn't have to endure the city any longer." When asked in a follow-up email about suburbs that are surrounded by the city, like Norwood and St. Bernard, Monzel replied that their residents should have relocated years ago. "I actually considered a series of tunnels that would connect those cities with other suburbs. That way, people from Norwood could get to Delhi or Cheviot without ever setting foot in Cincinnati. But that sounded too much like mass transit to my friends at COAST, who threatened to withdraw their support if I wouldn't take it out of my plan. What choice did I have?"

Jim Tarbell, who seeks the Democratic nomination, will enact the "More Me Initiative," or MMI. Tarbell explained, "We need to get our local economy moving. I'm the region's greatest cheerleader. What could be better for Hamilton County than more giant murals of me?" MMI would include adding paintings of Tarbell on all county-owned buildings, as well as offering free exterior paint to any property owner who would devote one full wall of his or her building to a Tarbell mural. Tarbell remarked, "Everyone got really excited when that Fairy Shepherd guy came to town. But the mural he painted doesn't really even look like me. What happened?" Tarbell speculated that both of the current commissioners would likely be receptive to MMI, as "I'm more photogenic than either of them."

Leslie Ghiz, the West Virginia native who majored in English at WVU, announced a sweeping social agenda. According to Ghiz, a Republican, she will immediately instruct Clerk of Courts Patricia Clancy to begin issuing marriage licenses to first cousins. "Because of long-standing but reprehensible bigotry," Ghiz tweeted, "first cousins in Ohio have been denied the right to wed for too long. That must change." When Ghiz was asked why her quest for marriage rights did not extend to brothers and sisters, Ghiz answered, "I'm from West Virginia, not Kentucky. We have to draw a line somewhere." Ghiz added that she had an additional, unrelated cost-saving measure to sell all county buildings and move all county offices and courts into trailer parks. "There's nothing like a good double-wide," Ghiz said. While the courthouse may look nice, according to Ghiz, it's expensive to maintain. "All that electricity and running water is a burden to the taxpayers. Our judges and other elected officials will have to learn to do more with less."

Cecil Thomas, the former Cincinnati police officer seeking the Democratic nomination, has a plan to re-expand the ranks of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office: send all county employees to OPOTA (Ohio's police academy). Thomas's plan is that instead of taking ten "furlough" days, every county employee would instead spend ten days as a patrol or correctional officer. "I was a police officer for years," Thomas said. "If I can do it, anyone can." He added, "Plus, we're not talking about them taking over for CPD in Over-the-Rhine. How hard can it be to write the occasional speeding ticket in Green or Anderson Township?" Thomas suggested that he would personally oversee parts of training for the county, including Taser training, which requires participants to experience a Taser shock before being certified to carry a Taser.. He understands that some people might be slower than others. "For instance, I might need to tase Greg Hartmann [the only Republican on the Commission] four or five times before I feel he's fully qualified. We'll just have to see."

When Hubert E. Brown was contacted for this post, he revealed that he was among the 98% of Hamilton County voters who didn't realize that he is running in the Democratic primary. "I'm running for office?" he mused. "How'd that happen?" Brown thought for a moment, and then remarked, "If I'm elected--and really, let's not fool ourselves, it's not going to happen--I'll come up with something. I don't know what, but it'll be something that will make the voters remember who Hubert Brown is."

Final Four

With local teams in two different tournaments this year, I thought I'd offer my picks for the Final Four (of each). Feel free to make fun of my picks and/or offer your own in the comments.

NCAA: Kansas, Pitt, Kentucky, Duke, with Duke winning the championship.
I have Xavier making it through the first round, in a very close game with Minnesota. And I have 5 Big East teams (Georgetown, Syracuse, Pitt, WVU, and Villanova) in the Elite Eight.

NIT: Cincinnati, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina, with Virginia Tech winning the tournament (over Cincinnati).
I have Dayton winning the first round, but losing to UC in the second round.

Griff...how far do you think the Redhawks will.....oh, never mind.

A MMA Blog, Really?

Cincinnati.com/Enquirer has started a mixed martial arts blog called MMA Nati and I honestly don't know why. I'm way out of touch with this sport, in the sense that my knowledge of it comes from the Jon Favreau story arc on Friends, so when I wonder how this warrants any more attention then say NASCAR or Professional Wrestling, my ignorance may be in the way. I really wonder about that, though, I'm not totally out beyond niche culture to miss the local appeal. Maybe I am just getting a bit old.

What's Worse: Cheating or Betting?

Pete Rose was accused of betting on baseball and banned from the game--including its Hall of Fame--as a result.

Mark McGwire has been accused--and has now admitted--to using steroids. His penalty? None. In fact, it appears that he will continue to be the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.

As regular readers know, I wasn't born and raised in Cincinnati, though it is my adopted home-town. I now consider myself a Reds fan. But I'm no Pete Rose groupie. As far as I'm concerned, Rose got the penalty he deserved, first for betting on baseball and then for lying about it for years. I don't buy the argument that it's OK since he never bet "against the Reds." Once he started betting for the Reds, he bet against his team every time he didn't bet for it. Everyone--including Rose--knew that getting caught gambling on baseball would get you baseball's version of the death penalty.

I don't know, though, how McGwire's transgression is less onerous than Rose's. Rose didn't cheat. Even under my theory of betting "against" his team, Rose has never been accused of intentionally altering game outcomes. But that's not so for McGwire. McGwire cheated. He gained an advantage through his conduct. And in doing so, he sullied one of baseball's most hallowed records.

Let's be clear about what McGwire did. This isn't a pitcher doctoring a ball on the mound, an act that can be detected by a smart umpire. This isn't even about HGH, which wasn't banned by the MLB until 2005. This was steroids--the rage-inducing, testicle-shrinking grandaddy of performance enhancers--which were banned in 1991. He knew he was breaking the rules. He knew he was gaining an edge. And he did it anyhow. He admits that he used during 1998, when he broke Roger Maris's single season home-run mark.

Mark McGwire should have the courtesy and grace to remain in the obscurity to which he had retired after his infamous testimony before Congress five years ago. The Cardinals' decision to retain his services as a hitting coach--to prop him up as a role model for how young players should approach the game--is vile. McGwire's presence on a major league coaching staff is an insult to every player who played or plays the game within the bounds of the rules, and an affront to every fan, unaware that McGwire's success was the result of illegal intravenous drugs, who cheered his hitting prowess in 1998.

If McGwire doesn't have the decency to stay away from the game and the Cardinals lack the wisdom to keep him away, then baseball and Bud Selig must step in to impose a penalty on McGwire. Given that McGwire's actions changed game outcomes and stole a coveted record, how can his sanction be any less severe than Rose's? Bud Selig must make the tough decision faced by Bart Giamatti in 1989 and force McGwire to accept banishment from the game.

The Reds open the 2010 season this April against the Cardinals. I don't normally boo much at ballgames or encourage others to do so, but if McGwire is present, he should be booed. And he should be ashamed.