Bearcats 45, Miami 3

O Cincinnati, magic name
I proudly to the world proclaim
No sweeter word e'er charmed my ear
None to my heart was e'er so dear;
A fountain of eternal youth,
A tower of strength, a rock of truth.

Varsity, dear Varsity
Thy loyal children we will be.
Thy loyal, loyal children we will be!

Eddie Fingers Appears To Be Gone From WLW

Afternoon radio host, Eddie Fingers, appears to have been fired from 700WLW-AM. The long time FM morning host on WEBN switched to the higher rated AM Station within the last couple of years. His show on the "Big One" was getting good ratings. There is no official word on why he was fired. John Kieswetter, of the Enquirer, blogged last night that he sources indicate it may have been a contract dispute that got out of hand. That seems like a B.S. answer, but not totally false. There is always more to the story.

This all assumes the whole thing isn't a really bad hoax. WLW is known for pretending to fire people. If they did that here, and Fingers is on vacation, then this much lying is really pathetic. WLW is not above being pathetic.

I listen to either NPR or my ipod in the car both on the way to work and on the way home. The only value WLW holds is a breaking news outlet. If there is a tornado coming or snow storm, WLW does great work. It does pretty good work on 'news' but it devotes so little time to it, it is lost in the shuffle.

No-Hitter Rant

I just posted the following to my facebook page. Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves.

Halladay was terrific yesterday, and what he did was historic. But let's not pretend that he joined Don Larsen. Larsen is still in a class of his own. Larsen pitched a perfect game, not just a no-hitter. And he did so in the World Series, not the league semi-finals. And finally (though not Halladay's fault), while I love my Reds, the 2010 Reds are not the 1956 Dodgers.

Also:

For the uninitiated, the playoffs did not even begin until 1969. Before then, the best team in the AL and the best team in the NL, based solely on season record, met in the World Series. Larsen threw a perfect game (27 batters retired consecutively, with none reaching first base safely) against the best team the National League had to offer. Halladay threw a no-hitter against the third-best team in the National League.

And with all due respect to Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto, I see no one with the stature of Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, or Roy Campanella on the Reds Roster.

Here's the box score to Larsen's perfect game. Here it is for the Reds-Phillies game last night.

Can Someone Tell Smitherman How Representative Democracy Works?

Did Chris Smitherman, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, ever take a civics class in high school? He was on city council for two years, so I would think he understands, at least superficially, how a representative democracy works, but I guess not. Instead he wants the public to vote on where the casino funding should go. We have an election in 2011. Someone might want to remind Chris about that. He should spend his time getting people to vote in that election. That is how our system works. His efforts to erode representative democracy have failed in the past and this will meet the same fate.

Clothing Line Re-Launch Has Local Roots

Remember those Hypercolor clothes from the '80s and '90s? You know, the shirts and windbreakers that started blue, and then turned pink with warmth (or was it the other way around)? Well, a duo that includes local attorney Vance VanDrake has bought the trademark (and, presumably, the technology) and is about to re-introduce the thermochromatic clothes to the public.

I met Vance in law school (he was two years behind me at UC). It looks like he and his business partner are taking a very smart approach to the re-launch, making full use of the web and social media. Hypercolor's Facebook page is here. This isn't the easiest business environment in which to launch a new business, and I wish the venture success.

Thanks Greg Hartman!

Greg Hartman, Hamilton County Comissioner, thank you so much for reminding me so clearly why I didn't vote for you.  Thanks also, Greg, for reminding me why I am NOT a Republican, since you're considered "mainstream" in your party.  Also, thanks for giving me another oportunity to make it clear why Chris Monzel would be terrible for our county, since Monzel is far more conservative than you.

Hartman is an idiot.  No one is forced to contrubute to these charities, and they are 501(c)3's by the way, so what is the issue? The groups he is out to hurt, are not political. They help people.  They fight AIDS, they fight violence. They provide food to the poor.  They help keep women healthy.  They help adults learn a new career. They provide music.  They give a the community a change to communicate. There are groups I wouldn't give money too, but anyone donating can pick which groups they want to fund, like the United Way does, so how is this in anyway a problem for anyone?  Is Hartman pissed he was consulted about it?

How many religious based groups are on the Unitied Way's list?  I think it is very reasonalble to consider the Roman Catholic Church as a controversial group and they are at least indirectly in control of the Catholic Charities SouthWestern Ohio, a group that received $949,000 dollars from the United Way in 2010. That is far more money than everyone from Community Shares got, combined x 3!

Also consider:

Crossroad Health Center

Diocesan Catholic Children's Home, Inc.

The Salvation Army of Greater Cincinnati

All three religious groups are funded by the United Way. More controversy, Greg!  Where's your anger?  This groups are controversial to some.  Why are religious groups not considered controversial?

Portune is right, Hartman is going to ruin this for everyone.  The United Way, Artswave, and Community Shares don't get much direct material benefit from the County's employer campaign, other than providing help in solicitation and processing of contributions if done by payroll deduction.  This is very much in line with what the government should be doing for 501(c)3 organizations. Hartman should, I don't know, grow a Heart?  Layoff the charities, the poor, and maybe think about finding a way avoid giving away more county money to the Bengals.  Just because you lose to the Browns, that doesn't qualify you for a handout.

Let's Go Reds!

With the playoffs about to visit Cincinnati for the first time since 1995, a couple quick notes:

ESPN's Howard Bryant has a terrific profile on Dusty Baker. Go read it. You'll learn a lot. (Did you know that Dusty was on deck when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run?) For those of you who still don't like Dusty, what will it take to get you on the bandwagon? He's probably the NL Manager of the Year. You say he can't manage young players. Really? Joey Votto had an MVP season a year after leaving the field with panic attacks. You say he can't handle a pitching staff. Right. On April 2, if I'd told you the Reds would make the playoffs but Harang wouldn't be on the playoff roster, would you have believed me?

Anyone who hasn't enjoyed watching the Reds this year just doesn't have a soul. The Reds have played baseball the right way. They're fun to watch, and easy to root for.

We're going to be ignored by the national media for a while. The stories will be all Atlanta Braves, all the time. The national media love the thought of Cox winning a ring in his last season. That's OK. Just smile and let the Reds take care of business, the way they have all season.

The Enquirer is asking what you're more likely to watch on Sunday: the NL Central Champion Reds or the barely .500 Bengals. (To me, that choice is easy.) I think local people will have a harder time deciding where to spend Friday: at home watching the Reds, or at a high school football game. (Again, to me, it's an easy choice, but I'm not so sure for alumni and parents from certain high schools.)

And finally, who do you think is a better leader of young men: Dusty Baker, Marvin Lewis, Butch Jones, or Mick Cronin?