Hall Monitoring the NFL

Remember when you were in middle school, and there were those kids who volunteered to be hall monitors? Yeah, those guys. Hall monitors were supposed to be substitutes for teachers when they weren't around. They were supposed to be given all the authority and control any adult would have in the school. They were supposed to keep order and control in the halls. "No gum-chewing." "No running." "Where's your hall pass?" The only problem with being a hall monitor was that when those teachers weren't around, the hall monitors' authority was reduced to nothing. No one respected a hall monitor if they didn't think a teacher was nearby.

What the hell am I talking about, right? I usually talk about sports. Well, I just made a long, drawn-out comparison of hall monitors to the replacement referees. See what I'm getting at now?

Honestly, these refs are doing the best they can under the circumstances given. Little knowledge of the pro game, unable to keep up with the speed, and above all, too much pressure from national scrutiny seem to be a few of the glaring problems. Aso, when the regular referees were out there, there was still plenty that went wrong, without this much backlash.

 But as valiant an effort as they've been giving, these replacement refs are truly hall monitors. Each week things seem to be more and more egregious. Here are 2 GIFs of what I believe to be the worst things to happen in week 3.

Darrius Heyward-Bay was hit helmet-to-helmet. In this particular instance, I don't think it was done maliciously. But for all the times that flags were thrown for hits that were not helmet-to-helmet, why was there not one thrown here. Heyward-Bay was out cold before he hit the ground. If player safety is at the forefront of everything the NFL is doing, what were they doing here?

via SB Nation

And this could be the worst of all. Bill Belichick, after a controversial field goal ends the game against the Ravens, he attempts to get an explanation from a ref who is running off the field. Which is fine. Except the part where he grabs the ref's arm. If the ref wants to stop and explain, that's all well and good. But if he doesn't, then the call he made was final and Belichick can take it up with the league office. Now, the league office will probably take it up with him.

via SB Nation

There have been numerous clock issues (outta class early). There have been far more on-field (playground) skirmishes between players, unable to be broken up by refs. And, while it's hard to document, I feel there have been far more player-influenced flags thrown in the past 3 weeks. By that I mean, it seems like there have been some situations in which a flag would not have been thrown, but a player whined (taddled), and it got thrown. As I said before, these sound like situations a hall monitor deals with. These are things that a normal ref (teachers) would have handled easily. Instead, these replacements are getting metaphorical swirlies every week. But as long as the owners are still making their money and swinging their egos in the faces of the regular refs, the game as a whole will suffer.

And Bill Belichick thinks that the league won't fine him for laying hands on the ref. Apparently someone thinks their above the rules. Those cocky jocks.

I apologize to the replacement refs. They're just doing what they can to help out. Without them, there'd be no football at all. But without the regular refs, I worry that at some point, this season will be deemed a farce because so many games have been negatively affected by poor hall monito...I mean, officiating.

UPDATE!!!!!

Did you see Monday Night? Of course you did. Did the refs see Monday Night? Well that remains to be seen. But this has to be it, right? This has to be the game where the owners and Roger say, "You know what, the integrity of the game is worth more than what the refs want, let's just do  it." At least you have to hope that's what they're saying, instead of "Boy these idiots will watch whatever we put on in any form. As long as we're getting gobs of cash from TV and ticket sales, let's just keep going with this. These refs put the 'fun' in dysfunctional." So, I'll simply leave you with this

via Darren Rovell's Twitpics (Don't know who made it first)

MLB Remaining Schedule/Playoff Notes

Just some things I found interesting while looking at the remaining schedules for the (some assumed) playoff teams. I'm not going to count games happening tonight, although they may affect standings. I'll just go from Monday on.

NL

CURRENT DIVISION LEADERS
Nationals- Brewers 1, Phillies 3, Cardinals 3, Phillies 3
Reds- Brewers 3, Pirates 3, Cardinals 3
Giants- Diamondbacks 3, Padres 3, Dodgers 3

CURRENT WILD CARDS
Braves- Marlins 3, Mets 3, Pirates 3
Cardinals- Astros 3, Nationals 3, Reds 3

STILL IN THE HUNT
Brewers- Nationals 1, Reds 3, Astros 3, Padres 3
Dodgers- Padres 3, Rockies 3, Giants 3
Diamondbacks- Rockies 1, Giants 3, Cubs 3, Rockies 3
Phillies- Nationals 3, Marlins 3, Nationals 3
Pirates- Mets 4, Reds 3, Braves 3
Padres- Dodgers 3, Giants 3, Brewers 3


AL

CURRENT DIVISION LEADERS
Rangers- Athletics 4, Angels 3, Athletics 3
Yankees- Twins 3, Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3
White Sox- Indians 3, Rays 4, Indians 3

CURRENT WILD CARDS
Orioles- Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 3, Rays 3
Athletics- Rangers 4, Mariners 3, Rangers 3

STILL IN THE HUNT
Angels- Mariners 3, Rangers 3, Mariners 3
Rays- Red Sox 3, White Sox 4, Orioles 3
Tigers- Royals 4, Twins 3, Royals 3

Obviously, as the week goes on, some of these games that are currently meaningful for both teams will become less so, as teams are knocked out of contention. But especially in the National League, there are definitely more games that mean something to both teams than there are games that are only important to one.

Teams like the Nationals, Reds and Giants, depending on how they play, could affect who they meet up with in the post-season. Meanwhile, a team like the Padres, basically on the brink and only hanging on due to mathematics, could also have a big say in which teams make the playoffs and their seedings. Also, a team like Arizona, deemed out a few days ago, may sneak back in with 4 to go with the Rockies and 3 with the Cubs.

Meanwhile in the American League, the Rangers seem to have the most affect on how the playoffs may be shaped...Or more specifically, with 7 games between them, whether the Athletics make the playoffs or not. With seemingly light schedules for the White Sox and Tigers, its going to be a lot of scoreboard watching in Chicago and Detroit down the stretch. And the Rays-Orioles series to end the season could very well decide the Wild Card, and depending on the Yankees, the AL East as well.

Basically, if you're rooting for a team that's still in playoff contention, its going to be an interesting 10 days. A tip of the cap to the MLB scheduling committee for accidentally creating compelling match-ups with a week and a half to go in the season.

The Only Thing the BCS has Ever Gotten Right

That's not a typo. I said it. The BCS has done something right. One thing. That's all I'll give them credit for. And if you've read my tweets in the past, even giving them credit for one thing is amazing. The BCS is an old and blighted system created to make rich teams richer and keep small conferences out of the big-time loop.

You may think the one thing they did right is to create a 4-team playoff. And that does seem like the direction of a right idea. But I don't think they've quite made it yet. Because those four teams will mostly likely be the "entitled" teams. No, the one thing that I like about the BCS: they don't say a word til week 8.

The one thing that drives me crazy about college sports is that they are so dominated by their rankings. In professional sports, if you win your division or league or conference or whatever, you make the post-season. Plain and simple. But because there are so many schools involved in college football, the rankings become important. And I feel like a sport that is so dominated by rankings should have to give it a little more time before ranking the teams.

There are pre-season rankings. So based on the reputations of certain teams or players or coaches, some teams are expected to do well the next season. Before the first snap, some writers and some coaches tell everyone who they think will do well. It's the one part of the game I never understood. I know that not everyone can play the same schedule. I know that some teams, because of the scholarships and prestige, can attract a higher quality of player, thereby creating better teams. But I feel like there should be more time to figure that all out.

My case-in-point came last night in the opening weekend. Now, for the most part this weekend, the teams that were "supposed to" win, did win. But there was one big marquee match-up last night. That was number 2 Alabama taking on number 8 Michigan. Both have prestige. Both have dynamic players. Both are expected to do very well. But apparently, there's a big rift between being number 2 and number 8. Alabama was up 21-0 by the end of the first quarter, and won 41-14 by game's end.

Now, because of this one loss, some will begin to say, 'well, apparently Michigan isn't as good as we thought', and rank them much lower next week. Now is Michigan much worse than they thought? Perhaps. Or maybe Alabama is just that good this year. But the rest of the season, Michigan will have to fight to get back up high in the rankings because they will be knocked down.

The situation is even worse for a team to get knocked down by a team they weren't expected to be beaten by. No ranked teams lost this weekend. But if a lower ranked team were to lose to an unranked team, even if they were to win a majority of the rest of their games for the rest of the season, they may never appear on the top 25 again.

Conversely, a team like Florida State, currently ranked 7th, plays in a perennially weak ACC. Many assume them to win the ACC. Because of this, they will remain ranked high throughout the season, even though some other teams may play a tougher schedule. I'm not saying that Florida State is not susceptible to the upset.But if they lose once, because they are already ranked high, they are more likely to stay on the top 25 list, possibly over some teams that have an undefeated record but come from a less prestigious conference.

So while many times, the BCS screws up who deserves to play in what bowl when, the one thing I think that all rankings should adopt is the fact that the BCS doesn't rank anyone in any way until 8 weeks into the season. It could really change the way the new playoff system works out.

The Good, The Bad, and The Answers

I'm going to present some things that Reds fans would say, on the surface, are good things. However, if you delve deeper, these are things that could be cause for concern, create rifts among the fanbase, and ultimately bring about their downfall. I'd also like to put forth solutions for each.

THE GOOD

1. Joey Votto will be back soon.

2. Todd Frazier is doing exceptionally well right now. He should be the NL ROY.

3. Johnny Cueto is pitching lights out right now. So is Aroldis Chapman.

4. The Reds are currently the best team in baseball.

THE BAD

1a. Luckily for the Reds, Joey will be returning post-September 1st. This means he'll essentially be a roster expansion call-up, so they won't have to make a corresponding roster move. But, with the return of Votto, some options will have to be explored as to how to work a line-up card. Some of those issues include: Do they take Stubbs' defense in center even with his batting struggles, or play Heisey or Bruce in center? Should Phillips be leading off? Should Hanigan, with his ability to make contact and get on base, be hitting higher in the line-up? And, how will they ever find a place for Todd Frazier to play every day (because he needs to be). Which leads me to...

2a. Todd Frazier is my NL Rookie of the Year. I dare anyone to look at the stats and bring up Bryce Harper or Wade Miley. The NL ROY is Frazier's to lose right now. And as such, you'd think a ROY candidate should be playing nearly every day. But with the return of Votto, Frazier doesn't have a spot. Does he play left, bumping the powerful Ludwick? Does he play right, in the "shift Bruce to center and bench Stubbs" movement? Does he take the glove, bat, and veteran presence of Rolen off the field at third? It's tough to put him anywhere else. But it's also tough to watch the presumptive ROY riding the pine. Speaking of postseason awards...

3a. Johnny Cueto is the best starting pitcher in baseball. His ERA is nasty. He has the most starter wins in baseball. He very well still could be the best by the end of the year. But, Aroldis Chapman is the best reliever in baseball right now. His strikeout total is over the moon. His ability to not give up runs in unheard of in the era of power-hitters. Oh, and he throws pretty fast too. So they're both in the running for the Cy Young Award. Which means that they very well could screw each other out of it. And now that you mention getting screwed by the system...

4a. The Reds are currently the best team in baseball, according to their record. As such, they would be the number one seed in the playoffs, if they began today. But under the new format for "play-in" Wild Card teams, the number one seed gets the winner of that game, but has to play the first two games of a best-of-five series at the Wild Card team's park. Not a very nice reward for the team with the best record in the league.

MY ANSWERS

1A. As I said, I feel Frazier needs to play. And I feel Ludwick has solidified his spot. So here's how I'd like to see a typical Reds line-up look from now on.

Phillips 4
Cozart 6
Votto 3
Frazier 5
Bruce 9
Hanigan 2
Ludwick 7
Stubbs 8
pitchers spot

I know, Rolen is out. But honestly, Rolen needs to accept his role as a veteran presence on the bench. He's a much better option off the bench than Cairo or Valdez. Scott is 37. He has to know that he's on the decline. I'm sure he's a great guy and a great mentor to Frazier, and that's what the Reds need most right now. I know others will bitch that I left Stubbs on. But he's played 4 years. I think a change in his spot might help get his mind right. Too much pressure at the top of the line-up. But feel free to disagree. Remember how long people were willing to wait on Homer Bailey?

2A. As said in the previous answer, Frazier has to play. I don't think you can move Bruce and lose Stubbs ability to play center, especially this late in the season. And you can't lose Ludwick's pop. So I think going back to third has to be the only logical solution. Sure, he can use a day off and get Rolen in there to get some cuts. But the split needs to be like 80/20 to make sure you're maximizing Frazier's abilities. #FrazierROY

3A. This is the biggest conundrum of them all. Who deserves the Cy Young Award? I feel like the easy answer is both, but I doubt they'd share it. Johnny Cueto has more wins than anyone in the NL. Aroldis Chapman is second in saves by one. Cueto currently has the lowest ERA of all qualified pitchers. Chapman has 113 strikeouts in 60 innings. 3 outs per inning. So of the 180 possible outs Chapman recorded 113 were via strikeout. That's 63%. Comparatively, Cueto has 144 stikeouts in 181.2 IP. So, 545 out chances, and with 144 strikeouts, that's 26%. Chapman gets a lot of cats out via the K. Compelling arguments for both. Which is what worries me. Voters will be divided. Perhaps divided so much that they go for the "compelling story" of R.A. Dickey. I know that teams normally start campaigns to get a player voted for this or that, but I can't see the Reds promoting one player over another. I think if I had to choose today, I'd pick Cueto. But I hope in the end, they go 1-2 in the voting. As long as the Reds win.

4A. Rules is rules. And I can't see the Reds taking a dive to get to the second spot in the playoffs rather than the first, but man, playing on the road for the first two games against a team that barely made the playoffs seems a little unfair. The point of being the number one seed is that you worked your butt off during the regular season and you should be rewarded with a home venue for the playoffs. I know, they play the first two on the road and the last three at home. But those are only if necessary. And I think the fans of the first-seeded team also deserve the ability to see their team as many times as they can during the playoffs. So should the Reds retain first and play the "play-in" winner, we'll see how it all shakes down, but I would hope they would consider a change to the format next year.

New Cities For Baseball?

Things were so simple in 1993. Two leagues, two divisions. Win your division, play the other division winner, go to the World Series. There were 7 teams in each division. Everything was even. It was like clock-work. Then someone in 1994 thought, "wouldn't it be neat if we screwed with the evenness of this and added another division and a Wild Card?" No one seemed to be overly upset about this. Sure, the East and Central teams each had to get through one more team to get to the top of the division than the West teams did, but at least there were the same number of teams in the two leagues.

And then, the storm of 1998 hit. Here come the Rays and the Diamondbacks. Brand new teams, one for each league. But that's going to create an odd number of teams in each league. We need National League teams to play other Nationals and likewise with the Americans. Whatever can we do? Ah, enter Commissioner Bud's favorite Brewers. I'll make them switch leagues, he says. So now, we have a 14-team American League with 5 teams in the East and Central and 4 in the West. And on the other side a 16-team National League, with a 5-team East, a 6-team Central, and a 4-team West division. We've saved the sanctity of being in separate leagues! But wait, aren't we trying that new "Interleague Play" thing all the kids are talking about? Yeah, but it only affects about a month of the season. Everything is okay.

About 10 years later, someone pointed out, hey you know if we move the Astros from the National League Central to the American League West, each division will have 5 teams in it. So the plan was set in motion. Until someone realized that every series, there would be one Interleague game going on. That's okay though, Interleague play is a good thing. It gives teams a chance to play other teams it wouldn't normally see. Heck, old Bud and the brain-trust would even like to see more Interleague games. Shoot Bud, why even bother with divisions or leagues anymore? Why don't we just make everyone use the DH, put all the teams in a big pile, take all the strategy out of the game, and let the top 8 play in the post-season?


Or, I could offer another solution. Currently there are 30 teams in 6 divisions. Which divides well, but doesn't allow for keeping the competitive balance. But another way that does is 32 teams in 8 divisions, ala the National Football League. Which requires just one thing. Two new teams. But where to get them from? My thoughts on the 4 most logical places to start a new MLB franchise, in order of how well I think they'd do. Luckily we'd only need to pick 2.

Nashville, Tennessee- Right near the heart of Tennessee, these people yearn for baseball. Tennessee is the state that currently has the most minor league baseball teams, without having an MLB team also in the state. The closest the Bigs gets to Tennessee is Atlanta, but I'm sure they would support an MLB team well. Plus, they already have the Titans, so we know a major sports franchise can survive there.

Salt Lake City, Utah- Again, we know this place can support a major sports franchise. It's somewhat near some other cities (Denver, Phoenix) to create some rivalries, I guess. And honestly, if you live in Utah, would you mind having something else to do in the summer? (Stereotype: I assume everyone in Utah is Mormon)

Portland, Oregon- Another city with a large population, a sports franchise, and not much else to do. Except maybe stare at big trees. (Stereotype: I know next to nothing about Oregon) But they could create some interesting things being near Seattle and not much else. There's a large part of an untapped market they could draw in.

Omaha, Nebraska- It's the home to the College World Series. It's near Iowa, which I'm told is baseball heaven or something. And other than teams in Minneapolis, there's no professional sports teams to speak of in this part of the country. I think a lot of people would drive a-ways to go to baseball in Omaha. Especially after a long day of farming. (Stereotype: everyone in Nebraska, Kansas, North and South Dakota and Iowa are farmers, right?)

So those are the 4 places I would think would be most logical to put 2 new baseball teams to even things out and not have to have Interleague games every series. Any other places you'd like to see professional baseball played?


Today's Twitter Bio: @kelimepie

She's a member of the @damesongames squad. She's an Ohio State student, which I try not to hold against her. She hails from Harrison, Ohio, which I'm not sure anyone could hold against her. And she's a die-hard Reds fan. And a Joey Votto fan. And a Drew Stubbs fan. And a Joey Votto fan. And a Jay Bruce fan. And a Joey Votto fan. And a Chris Heisey fan. And did I mention she likes Joey Votto?

If you'd like to know more about how she feels on these and many more topics, please follow her and ask her. She'll tell you without hesitation. And, um, Joey Votto.

Microphone Musings

On the way home from work yesterday, I had my windows open in the car and the ballgame turned up on the radio. A car pulled up next to me at red light. There was boy of about 5 or 6 in the passenger seat. Without any provocation, he yelled to me "Who's winning?". It seems my radio was loud enough that he was able to recognize Jeff Brantley's voice. I told him "Reds 4-2" and he responded, "Yeah, go Reds!" and pumped a fist in the air. I responded with a thumbs up before the light turned green.

But as I drove on, I felt a little sad for that child. While he recognized that sweet southern drawl of The Cowboy, he was never able to know the home-grown, folksy manner of one of the greatest men to ever grace a microphone, Joe Nuxhall. I was only privileged to enjoy roughly 11 years of The Old Left-Hander's dulcet tones. And that got me to thinking, what have I missed out on? How was Waite Hoyt solo on the mike? Was the dynamic between Joe and Al Michaels better than Joe and Marty? Where does Red Barber rank all time? (he gets extra points for being named Red, right?)

I'm sure I'll never really know. But if they were employed by the oldest and grandest team in baseball, I'm sure they were all of supreme quality. Which was one of my boyhood dreams; to be among them. From an early age I realized that, while I wasn't uncoordinated, I lacked the natural physical prowess to be truly good at any sports. But I loved baseball. I was going to baseball games before I could remember what baseball was. And more than that, I was listening to Reds games. In the truck with my dad. On the front porch with a glass of lemonade on a Saturday afternoon. Begging my mom to let me stay up late to listen to a West Coast Swing...and falling asleep by the third inning. I decided I wanted to do that. I wanted to bring sports to the masses. I wanted to be a radio announcer for the Cincinnati Reds.

I used to turn down the TV sound and try to call the game myself. I didn't have any stats to back me up, mind you, just what I knew from that particular game. I used to talk during my little league games. I even dabbled in some actual announcing in high school. My senior year, I was afforded the opportunity to call the basketball games for our internet broadcasts. I'd like to think we did a pretty good job, even if only about 25 people listened per game. Then, my freshman year of college, I was handed another microphone. This time as an "arena MC", where I entertained a crowd of about 2,500 during time-outs at basketball games. But around that same time, I started working more with the technical side of the broadcasts. I began working on live sports and movies. I became more heavily invested in my camera work and editing skills. As a result, I kind of left the microphone behind.

I realize that had I continued down that path, it would have required a lot of low-level jobs, a lot of paying my dues, a lot of travel, and a very low likelihood of ever rising to the level of an announcer for a major league baseball team. My life would have been vastly different. And I know that all sounds very "crushed by the reality of the world" or however you want to look at it, but I like what I do now. I like how my life has turned out and I think that this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

It was a neat dream to have; to believe I could have been included in the lexicon of great Reds announcers, but I'm just as content to be a fan and enjoy the beauty of the game with every other fan.

Twitter bio of the day: @JimDayTV

Speaking of fellas behind a microphone that I enjoy, how about Jim Day, huh? His pre- and post-game exuberance is a great reason to watch the games on TV. Not to mention his twitter chops. He's always backing the Reds, always pulling great stats, and every once in a while, throwing in some cheeky comments to entertain the masses. If you're a Reds fan, but somehow don't follow Jim Day, it seems an awful waste of your fanhood. The man knows his stuff and he does twitter the right way. So get on over there and follow Jim Day, and in the words of Marty, let him know "how we lookin'?".

All-Star Breaking Down

First off, I'm gonna leave the All-Star snubbing alone. Too many people have already speculated enough about it, and there's nothing that can really be done about it now, except Johnny Cueto possibly bringing suit against the MLB and Tony Larussa. So we'll move on.

The Reds are 3-2 on the old West Coast Swing so far. So they're doing better than I expected. Still 6 to go. Unfortunately, the farther along they go, the more damaged they become. Scott Rolen is having back spasms again. Joey Votto twisted his knee on that slide on Friday, then re-aggravated it on Saturday and we haven't seen him since. Then, last night, Zack Cozart got popped in the head by a Chad Billingsley pitch that got a little loose on him. He has a mild concussion. He cracked Cozart's helmet. Phillips is back after getting punched in the face on a steal situation against Milwaukee.

Which all basically leads to, the All-Star Break can't get here fast enough. Now, Scott, Zack and Brandon (even though he shouldn't be) will all be getting rest during that Break, Joey Votto has to play in that all-important game next Tuesday. So the question is, does he go out there, possibly hurt, to play his guts out, knowing his team might need that home-field advantage because they could make it to the World Series? Or does he withdraw himself for a few extra days of rehab, so that he can actually play well in the second half of the season to make sure that his team actually DOES make it to the World Series?

Like I said, there are 6 games left on the road-trip. If I'm Joey, I'd want to play in at least half of them, and have productive starts, to convince myself I was in good enough shape to play. Any less than that, or any issues from being out there on the days I do play, and I get myself out of the game. No sense in risking long-term knee injury for the Mid-Summer Classic.

Meanwhile, the Reds refuse to put anyone on the Disabled List. And with Cozart's injury last night, they had to play Wilson Valdez, which literally left Ryan Ludwick, and Ryan Hanigan as the only available position players, and obviously certain pitchers, like Mike Leake to pinch-hit or run if needed. That's putting a lot of faith in the 8 guys backing up that pitcher.

I know that the options at Triple-A are pretty thin. (People are pestering John Fay as to why they don't call up Billy "100 Steals" Hamilton, even though they don't understand, he plays on a High-A team, far below major league standards). But if Rolen is gonna be out any significant amount of time, or if Cozart can't pass the concussion test, you've gotta get somebody on the short DL and get a player up here who can swing a bat. At some point in this series, Dusty is going to need a pinch-hitter and see an empty bench, or more likely, he's going to hold back on using a bench player in a pinch-hit situation, thinking he needs to save said player for a later instance in the game.

I'm just going to hope Votto is feeling better and Cozart's concussion is so mild it goes away in a day or two, because if not, things could get messy in the last few games before the All-Star Break.

SIDE NOTE: With all the hoopla of the All-Star Voting and snubbing, I find one more thing interesting. The Final Vote for the NL features a Cardinal that TLR couldn't fit on his regular squad in David Freese, the guy who should have gotten picked at 2nd if they really weren't gonna take Brandon Phillips but got screwed by the "every team must be represented rule" Aaron Hill, the freshman phenom, Bryce Harper, an exciting outfielder to watch in Michael Bourn, and.......Chipper Jones.

Yes that Chipper Jones. He of the 19-year, all in Atlanta career. The one that Georgia children who have dreamed of playing baseball since the mid-1990's have emulated. The man who selflessly moved to left field in 2002 and 2003 so that Vinny Castillo could play third. Remember him? He's retiring after this season. Mostly because he's only played 45 games out of 79 this season due to injury. So this may be his last harrah. And if baseball has anything to say about it, I think he'll get it. After a day of voting, MLB.com claims that Chipper is leading the 5 NL Final Voters. The only way I don't call the Final Vote a sham is if anyone but Chipper gets in. And I'm not saying that Chipper won't get in legitimately(even though I think the fix is in)-- a lot of nostalgic 30-somethings will think back to 1995 and Chipper and Bobby Cox-- but if this game "really matters" then don't you want a guy who's more likely to get a hit in the clutch, than a guy who's close to clutching his chest in pain?

Today's Twitter Bio: @MaskMetal

He's one of my newer follows, but definitely worth it. He's a big Reds and White Sox fan. And no matter what time of day you catch him, he always seems like he's got a positive vibe going. That could be, and don't hold it against him, because he's Canadian. I'm a big fan of his #3RedsPositives he does, where he asks fellow fans to tell him what went well about each game, win or loss. It's a great way to feel good about the team, instead of ragging on minor details.

MaskMetal (aka Johnny D) doesn't really need my help. He's already got over 500 followers, but if you follow me, and somehow don't follow him, and you like the Reds, you might be doing it wrong.

West Coast Swingin'

The Reds better enjoy the off-day they have Thursday after getting home from Cleveland. Because after that, they don't get a break until the All-Stars head to...Kansas City?

**ASIDE** Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium gets renovated in 2009 and gets an All-Star game. Cincinnati opens a brand new stadium in 2003, and has still yet to see a Mid-Summer Classic. The only team to have a new stadium longer without an All-Star game is Tampa Bay. Just pointing it out. That's all. **ASIDE DONE**

Anyway, after finishing up the Ohio Cup, the Reds need to take full advantage of what's in front of them. They have three games with the terrible Twins and three with the surprisingly under-achieving Brewers (Remember the Brewers? The guys every sports writer had winning the division?). Yeah, the Reds need to bulldoze both those teams. From there, they head out on the dreaded West Coast Swing.

In more recent years, the schedule-makers have split up the games, making the Reds travel West a few different times a year rather than one big trip. Some of this has to do with the creation of the Rockies and the Diamondbacks. But apparently someone in the Commissioner's Office thought it would be fun to send the Reds West for 11 days before the break. The last time the Reds played 11 games in a row in the Pacific time zone was at the end of July the year they won the West, and everything else, in 1990. They played four with the Padres, four with the Giants, two with the Dodgers, then one more random one with the Padres. Still trying to find out if that was some sort of make-up game.

Since Dusty took over in 2008, the Reds have faired thusly while in California:

Padres: 5-7
Giants: 7-6
Dodgers: 5-7

That's not terrible over a 4-year stretch, but you would hope they could improve those numbers this year against the dismal Padres, and at least keep pace with the Giants and Dodgers. The Dodgers own the best record in the league and the Giants are percentage points behind the Reds. If the Reds want to prove to the media on both coasts that they're for real this year, they have to play well against good teams, not to mention very well against the bad ones.

Other than a quick trip to Houston and Colorado, then one to Houston and Arizona, this WCS will be the last time the Reds travel west of St. Louis for the remainder of the season. And even that St. Louis trip only happens once to close the season. So we can take solace in the fact that they'll be close to home the rest of the way.

By the way, that 1990 team. The great Wire-to-Wire team. They went 3-8 on that West Coast Swing. And they never fell out of first. So you'd like to hope this team could get it done even better than that.


Twitter bio of the day: @redsfacts

In my somewhat early days of tweeting, I found Reds Facts. He was argumentative with some of the other folks I had begun following, but he did it in a respectful way. I like that. I hate having a timeline full of people calling each other names and spewing anger. If you can have a discourse, but make it reasonable, I like you better. Reds Facts knows how to do that. Plus I like his snark.

He's also got a blog of his own. You can look at it here. Reds Facts loves the desktop apps and the memes. The "Haters Gonna Hate" of Lou Piniella throwing a base was my creation. He also has recently been putting together Fan Softball Games before Reds games. Ask him about them, he'll be happy to fill you in. He doesn't need you to follow him. But you need to. So do it.

Closing the Book on Closing

All this started when Ryan Madson got hurt. I mean, it's not Madson's fault. But without a "closer" on the roster, one had to be found amongst the possible bullpen candidates. From that group, the most likely choice was the guy who was planned to be the set-up. That was Sean Marshall. But there's been a snag.

Sean Marshall has been pulled twice in favor of a different pitcher in a jam in the 9th inning. Now, to be fair, Marshall has converted 7 of 8 save tries. So, he does the job when he needs to. But I keep going back to the times he was pulled. On May 9th in Milwaukee, with the Reds up 2-0, he gave up a homer to Braun, got 2 outs, then gave up 2 singles and was lifted for Ondrusek, who gave up a walk then got a fly out to end the game. And today with the Reds leading the Yanks 6-3, he gave up a double, a run-scoring single, a strikeout, and 2 more singles that scored another run. On came Arredondo, who got a fielder's choice and a ground out to end the game. So in both situations, it didn't ultimately hurt the team. But clearly Dusty has Marshall on a very short leash.

He as much as said in his post-game comments today that he wants to put Chapman into the closer role. But I have to question the entire idea. If Chapman becomes the closer, you've now taken arguably your most effective pitcher and put him into a situation in which he can only come in during the 9th inning when the team is winning, but not by more than 3 runs. But if you don't want to pin Chapman into that role, then who? Ondrusek, who until recently had not had much trouble, could be the answer. Or perhaps it's Arredondo, who's strikeouts are second only to Chapman's out of the bullpen. Maybe the answer could be rookie JJ Hoover, whose ERA is a paltry 0.96, second again to Chapman. Or heck, why not Sam LeCure or Alfredo Simon, who have been just as dependable out of the bullpen? Or they could just go back to Marshall, and just hope that this was a bump in the road.

But here's what I'm thinking. Why choose? Sure, brand a "closer" if you want. But why limit yourself to the one guy who can come in during the 9th? Sean Marshall is left-handed. Dusty is always talking about "playing the match-ups". Well if Chapman has gone two or three days in a row, but there's a spot in a game in the 7th where it might be good to bring in a lefty. Why hesitate to bring in Marshall, especially when you think one of your righties might get shelled? And if it's a save situation, but Arredondo has had success against the batters coming up, why not send him in over your "closer"?

I know a lot of people put emphasis on stats like saves. But if the team wins, who cares who gets credit for making sure the other team doesn't take the lead in the 9th? I'd imagine you could walk through just about any clubhouse on any level and take a poll, and a majority of the answers would be "If we win, I'm happy". And honestly, isn't that what we all want?

Twitter bio of the day: @jluckhaupt

Today, we go to Joel Luckhaupt. He's another guy you might not have ever seen or heard of before, but if it wasn't for him, your baseball game-viewing might be a lot quieter. That's because Joel is the statistician for the Reds. When Chris Welsh tells you the last time a Reds pitcher struck out 10 batters, Joel found that. When George Grande reminds you of how many home runs Sean Casey had at this point in his career compared to Joey Votto, Joel was all over that.

In addition to stats for the Reds games, Joel also co-wrote the book 'Wire to Wire' chronicling the sensational journey to a World Series victory for the 1990 Reds. On Twitter, Joel always comes at things a bit differently than everyone else, and likes to slide a little snark into his observations, just the way I like it. So if you like to know the stats behind the games, and you like to get it with a little bite, then give Joel a follow.

Worst. Trade. Ever.

Many consider the Frank Robinson trade to be the most lopsided, ignorant trade in Reds history. However, in recent years, some have begun to say that trading Josh Hamilton may have been just as bad or worse.

People on Twitter often point to several issues that suggest it was a worse trade. Here are a few.

• They suggest that because Edinson Volquez didn't work out here, it was a bad deal. Volquez, in his time in a Reds uniform, went 30-18 with a 4.17 ERA in 4 years. I think the problem that people had with Volquez was that he was never as good as he was in his first season. He had steadily declined as time went on. Was this because NL batters were figuring him out? Was he getting worse? Did the Tommy John surgery mess up his mechanics? Was the pressure getting to him and the behavioral issues he had in Texas crept back up on him? There's really no way to know if any or all of these questions were factors. He's had a 2-2 record in 8 starts for San Diego this season, although 6 of those 8 starts have come in spacious Petco Park. A decent start to the season. So the jury is still out.

• They see the continued lack of a power-hitting left fielder as an indicator of a bad trade. Josh Hamilton played 9 games in left in 2006, while Adam Dunn was still here. Would anyone care to fathom a guess at how many different guys from 2006-2012 have stood in left field? Anyone? Okay. Including Dunn and Hamilton, a total of 25 different men has patrolled the grass behind shortstop and third. Besides Dunn, Gomes in 2010 was the only one to play more than 100 games at left. So, the lack of a solid left-fielder would be a reasonable concern. But one has to wonder, has Dusty given any of them, other than Gomes, a decent chance at doing the job on an everyday basis?

• Obviously, the biggest point they make is that Josh Hamilton has been a 5-tool, All-Star, MVP since going to Texas. With the short porch in right, many suggest he would have had just as much, if not more, success if he had stayed in Cincinnati. I can't disagree with this. But Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Joey Votto were on the way up. And Griffey and Dunn were still there. The front office thought they had all the power they needed, and they thought it was time to finally go get some pitching. Hamilton was their biggest bargaining chip. But then the Big Donkey got sent to the desert. The Kid's injury-riddled time in the Queen City got him shipped to the south side of Chicago to DH. Bruce and Stubbs had some trouble, as rookies often do, when they showed up.

So, add all these things up, and I can understand the outrage some people have with the fact that Hamilton was traded away. And I can understand that. But I have to suggest that it had to be this way. Trades are the nature of the beast. More often than not, it works out for one team better than another. I'd imagine the Indians might like to have Brandon Phillips back. But at the time, the trade seemed like it made sense for everyone. And for small-market teams like the Reds, and at the time the Rangers, it's difficult to hang on to a lot of superstars for a long period of time. Hamilton is a free agent at the end of this season. The past two seasons, he's made $12 million. I'm gonna guess he's gonna get Votto/Pujols/A-Rod money from some team very soon.

And obviously, if the Reds had to pay Mr. Hamilton that much money, some combination of Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto probably can't stay here too. So while I think that it was a bad trade in retrospect, there was no way to know that then. But every team is a product of all the trades call-ups, send-downs, retirements, and free agent departures that occur. I like this team right now. And I think they have the potential to do well without Hamilton. And if they get better over the next couple of years, and it's partly because of Mat Latos, we can indirectly thank Josh Hamilton for that.

As for Frank Robinson, talk to me again once Hamilton has been retired for 5 years. Then we'll decide which trade was worse for the Reds. Then again, I'm sure there will be some other current trade to complain about by then.

Twitter bio of the day: @thejoshhamilton

What? you thought I was gonna write an entire entry about Josh Hamilton, then make someone else the bio of the day? Well, had I done it any other day but today or yesterday, I would have had to. Josh just got on Twitter yesterday,  but he's got over 52,000 followers already. So hurry up and get over there. All the nostalgic kids are doing it.

The Return From Hiatus

It's been a long time. How is everyone? Good. Good to hear. Now, since I've been away for a while, my pal Juice has de-followed my blog. So I'm going to try to reel him back in. Let's see how it goes.

Well, first, an over-view of the Big To-Do. It rained the day of the wedding, so the pictures were indoors. I barely ate all day. My bride was stunning. The food was good. The cake looked sweet as hell (cause I designed it myself). The music was jumpin'. I did a sweet move to go under her dress to get the garter. It was met with much acclaim. My friends started a hashtag on Twitter for our wedding (one friend live-tweeted it). It is physically impossible to have fun dancing with your friends and say hi to everyone at the same time. We got to the hotel and crashed. I felt like I hadn't sat down in hours. The next day was full of laundry and packing. We arrived at CVG at 5:30am Monday morning to hit our 7:00am flight. Down to Miami and onto our cruise ship and away we went. The next 5 days were spent eating, sleeping, and laying on beaches. Oh, and on Wednesday we got to watch E.T. on a huge screen. Back to Miami on Saturday morning. A full day of hanging out in airports. A quick stop-over in Chicago, and we were home by 11:30pm Saturday night. And the rest of the time has been spent getting adjusted to normal married life.

Time out! Just remembered. Tuesday in Nassau, I was offered cocaine. It was simultaneously the strangest and most cordial interaction I had the entire trip. As I walked the streets of Nassau to procure more sunscreen, i encountered a man leaning on a fence in front of a taxi stand near the Nassau Hilton. The exchange went a little something like this. And mind you, I never stopped walking.
Dealer: Hey, how's it going?
Me: Good.
Dealer: Hey, you want some blow?
Me: No thanks, I'm good.
Dealer: Ok. Have a nice day.
And that's it. He was the least pushy person on the entire island. So that was fun.

Sooooo, now that you're all caught up, let's do a quick sports round-up of teams that I care about (even if you don't care about them).

REDS- A month into the season, I suppose this is okay. .500 pretty much is the definition of okay. They definitely need to find a way to score more runs. Losing Madson hurt a lot, but I don't think it is totally crippling. Everything I like about Zack Cozart is pretty much everything I hate about Willie Harris. Cozart figures out a way to get on base, plays defense, and he has the one quality that I value a lot, he hustles. No matter what he does, Cozart hustles. Harris needs to figure out how to hustle somehow, or get shipped out when Cairo comes back. I still think this team has a lot of upside if it can get some run support for these pitchers. The bullpen, even without Madson has been stellar.

BENGALS- The draft has come and gone. A lot of pundits have suggested that the Bengals had the best draft of any team this year, and also possiby the best draft the team has ever had. Let me know when that means something. I'll say it was the best draft ever IF half the rookies play and contribute significantly and this team figures out how to win a playoff game. Theoretical championships based on draft grades are just that; theoretical. That being said, I do believe that they have the potential to do well. As it has been the past few years, I think the receiving corps will be dangerous if they stay healthy. I can't wait to see Shipley back. And if they're firing on all cylinders, I think this defensive front seven could be one of the most dangerous in the AFC, if not the entire NFL.

PREDATORS-I'm not a hockey fanatic. But since we don't have a hometown team, a few years back, I just picked one. When it came to picking a hockey team, I wanted one with a cool mascot. I thought the Sharks were the best, but I have a friend who already rooted for the Sharks and I didn't want to be that guy. Plus the Preds are in Nashville, so there's a legitimate chance I could take some time to go see a game there. Unfortunately, the Preds are down 3-1 in the best of seven series to the Coyotes and game five is heading back to Phoenix. It's still possible to come back, but Pekka Rinne is going to have to do a better job at keeping the Coyotes out of the net.

MAGIC- I'm a long-dormant Magic fan. I stopped caring about the NBA for a while. Plus its hard to root for a team that habitually loses in the first round of the playoffs...if they even make it. And I feel bad now backing Dwight Howard, because I didn't realize he was such a dick. But I've rooted for the Magic ever since I had an Orlando Starter jacket when I was eight. I was a big Shaq and Penny Hardaway fan. Plus it's cool cause they're basically as old as I am. And with their 2-point overtime loss to the Pacers, like the Preds, the Magic are trying to stave off elimination at 3-1. The Magic will also have to contend this game away from home court. And without Dwight because of his injury, I can't see them coming all the way back here. But a guy can hope.

PONIES-I'm not big on gambling, but I did get a chance to see the featured race from the Derby. The build-up for the Big Trot seems like the biggest anticipation followed by the most sadness in sports. At least if its the Super Bowl or the World Series, you get some regular season games first. And when its over, you assume that roughly half the people watching are happy.But for the Derby, you wait an entire year for this one race. If they all run, you get 20 ponies and 20 little men sitting astride each one.

The gun goes off. The gates open. And off they go. In the next 2 minutes, a lot of hopes, dreams, and money hangs in the balance. Sometimes your horse gets out well. Sometimes it falls back. Sometimes your horse closes after the final turn. Sometimes it runs out of gas. Hopefully no one spills their Thousand Dollar Mint Julep and no floppy hats blow away. And then, one horse hits the finish by a nose. And a small group of people are elated, throw their hats in the air, and become a little (or possibly a lot) richer. And a very large group of people is pissed off, throws their hats on the ground and walks away a lot poorer. And then, as if the whole thing had never happened, the anticipation begins to build for next year. It's an amazing phenomenon to watch. Especially when you're not betting.

PIGGIES- A different kind of racing went off today. Much like Opening Day, the Flying Pig Marathon is an institution in Cincinnati. My wife is a hardcore runner. I ran track in high school, but doing more than a lap was not my forte. She's been trying to get me to start running again. She has designs of making me a 5K runner. Maybe it'll work out. Mostly I just don't want to get fat. So I give in and run with her. She had issues with some fluid in her knee about two months ago. The doctor said she had to stop running for several weeks and it really threw off her training schedule. She was set to do the entire marathon, but said she'd need to decide when she got to the split-off point whether she'd do the full or the half. She just told me she finished in 2 hours and 33 minutes in the half marathon. I'm very proud of her. I'm always proud of her no matter how she finishes. The fact that she run that far is crazy to me. Maybe soon I'll be doing 5Ks. Maybe I'll just be jogging around the block. We'll see.

More to come, now that I'm back on my digital horse. Luckily, I don't have to wear silk or hit my computer with a riding crop to get something done.

Twitter bio profile of the day: @mjuszak

That's the link to my friend Marc Juszak. You probably wouldn't recognize Marc if you didn't already know him. But without him, you'd get a lot less sports information a day. Marc is one of the producers in the Local 12 sports department, and with Zach Wells, puts together the Sports Authority on Sundays after the 11pm News. Marc's dedication to his job can be seen every day. I can't recall a day in which I've walked into the Sports department that Marc wasn't writing, editing video, or searching for the biggest, most important local and national sports stories of the day.

Marc is an avid Xavier basketball fan. He'll root for the Reds. But sadly, the rest of his allegiances lie in Pittsburgh. He's the resident station Steelers fan, but is still able to be objective in his assessments of all NFL teams. The mark of a true professional. Marc also roots for the Penguins, and will defend Sidney Crosby to his death, even though Crosby is a dirty Canadian. While Marc admits he hasn't seen many movies that aren't comedies, I've attempted to help him broaden his horizons. But if you wanna know anything and everything about sports, Marc is you man. Definitely a quality follow.

Stupid Things On Twitter Rant!!

**RANT RANT RANT!!!**

It's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry to all 6 of you that read on a regular basis. I'm getting married Saturday, so things are going to be few and far between for a little while. But today, as baseball season is starting to get into the SWING... of things, I need to say something about people on Twitter.

If you read my blog, it's most likely because you use Twitter (because that's the only place I post the link). And much in the same way that MySpace and Facebook began to get annoying, so too in some ways, is Twitter. MySpace got creepy with all the pedophiles and cops posing as little girls to draw them in. Facebook got over-loaded with people's parents, grandparents, and every business known to man on there. Like everything. Come visit my farm. Wish everyone a happy birthday. I use Facebook very infrequently now. And this brings me to the annoying-ness of Twitter.

Twitter is done on the computer. On the internet. And mostly on SMART phones. Yet, the part of Twitter that drives me crazy is how dumb people get. The people that first started using Twitter a long time ago got it. Twitter isn't Facebook. Just because I follow you doesn't mean you have to follow me. If you don't like what I have to say, you don't have to follow me. (Lots of people have. They're missing out.) But as Twitter has become more mainstream, Everyone from Grandpa to little 11-year old sister has an account.

It seems that about 20% of people on Twitter have an account because they love either Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers and despise the other, or they have some sort of beef about which male "Twilight" star is hotter. But that's really not important, because I just steer clear of those people.

But what does drive me crazy is when people do one of two things. They ask stupid questions, or they are intentionally mean and spiteful for no reason other than to hurt other people's feelings or make fake accounts of famous people.

Twitter is supposed to be an exchange of information location, to be sure. But when people ask others questions that can easily be looked up, or that were answered at some other point recently, I can't stand it. It's just redundant and a hassle for the people who are getting asked. I don't know what it feels like to get more than about 3 mentions a week, but for the people who get hundreds a day, it must suck to answer those questions.

And when some people get on to Twitter to intentionally to hurt others, I can't stand it. Why would you want to do that without provocation. Some people have a lot of anger and spite in their life, and they must find it fun to let it out to complete strangers. I guess they want to bring everyone down to their angry, sad level and make the world suck. I for one am not a fan. But just remember...

Nor do I like the fake accounts of real people. I do very much like the parody account of famous people. But only when its to be outrageous and they point out early and often that they are not, in fact the real people. But when people pretend to be the actual person, such as, for instance, Pete Rose, it drives me nuts. That guy fooled a lot of famous people and even tricked Aaron Boone into sending him Aaron's cell number. People need to grow up.

So, in summation, I don't follow anyone that falls into any of these categories, but I know there are a lot of them out there. So look out. And if any famous or important people that are often facing these people, I'm sorry. And just know that for every terrible person there is out there like that, there's at least one normal person out there that doesn't want to annoy or dupe you.

Today's Twitter bio profile is: @Jamieblog

I've been waiting this one a while. Jamie is a super blogger, and in general, a super awesome person. First, Jamie's last name is not blog, it's Ramsey. He is the Assistant Director of Media Relations for the Reds. He's always 100% Reds. Even when he's not at games. 

He also loves some crazy, cool music and has recently started following Futbol. But when promoting the Reds, he goes above and beyond. His blog, Better Off Red, is often rated as one of the highest MLB sponsored blogs in the country. The reason is because of all the extras and nuggets of info that he offers to the average fan that we normally wouldn't have access to. If the Reds were a bowl of vanilla ice cream, Jamie would be the sprinkles and fudge and other awesome candy bits on top. So if you call yourself a Reds fan and you're not following Jamie Ramsey, you're doing it wrong.

Also for those who wanna know when the gates open

Seasons of Change

The title of this post applies to both sports and my current life situation. Kentucky did as everyone expected of them and proved that they were in fact worthy of that number 1 overall seed. Thus ends another season of Madness. And also, the Reds wrapped up their Spring Training schedule. Today will be the Reds vs. Futures Spring Showcase game at GABP.

And then a day off. Followed by possibly the biggest day in all of sport for the city of Cincinnati.

A foolish UK fan at work suggested to me that the ratings for the NCAA National Championship game would be higher than the ratings for Opening Day. He used to work at a station in Lexington. He doesn't quite understand.

The Reds just dropped some seeeerious coin on Joey Votto. He'll more than likely be in town as long as he wants to be. The Brass suggest there is still a chance that Phillips might get a deal too. I'm not so sure Brandon would be as optimistic. But hopefully money doesn't get in the way. For anybody. I honestly and truly think this could be the year.

It's a shame the Reds lost Ryan Madson for the year. But I think most of the pieces are in place. This is one of the first years I can remember in which there was controversy over who the 5th starter would be, instead of trying to figure out who to randomly stick in the spot. I think this has a great chance to be one of the best rotations in franchise history. Mat Latos was a huge addition, regardless of the guys we gave up for him. That doesn't matter to me. I'm not a fan of the fact that Chapman is not a starter, but they'll all contribute. I've always been a hige Bill Bray fan, and I think Sam LeCure will be as steady as possible. Marshall will be a decent substitute for Madson at the end of the game.

Joey, Brandon and Jay Bruce will produce as always. Hopefully old man Rolen stays healthy. Playing or not, he's a great leader. He'll be tough to replace in the intangibles department in the coming years. Mesoraco could have ROY-type season. That would be sweet. The two guys that will be the biggest keys to whether the Reds do well this season or not could be Drew Stubbs and Zack Cozart. We really don't know how well they'll perform, but if they do well, this whole line-up is dangerous.

There aren't many seasons I've gone in thinking, "there are not any glaring holes anywhere on this team". Sure they won't go 162-0. There will be slumps. But this team should be good. I'm gonna say they go 91-71 and win the division. That's my prediction. I'll check back on this at the end to see if I'm right. Like I said, I think they could win it all...or at least make it to the Series.

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. As I said, I've also been in flux. The fiance and I moved into our new home for the year. We decided on an apartment, because we just couldn't find "our" house. We're still moving in and setting things up. All while working on wedding plans. It's nearly here. Just 11 more days til the big day. This time two weeks from now, I'll be on a big boat in the Caribbean. So from now til I get back, there might not be that many posts. I'm sure you'll all survive. (Whoever you are that reads this).

Today's Twitter bio is: @DallasLatos

Dallas is the wife of one of the newest Reds, Mat Latos. She's got her own blog here. It gets way more views than mine. Probably because she's more interesting than me. Dallas and Mat are big animal people. Lots of reptiles and dogs. I hope they get involved with SPCA when they get to town. I'm sure they'd love it. Dallas has to fight off the dingbats out there that she's an idiot. She's super-duper not. Trust me. But those TV shows about chicks who aren't really wives of baseball players ruin people's perceptions.

She seems like a super nice lady, and hopefully some random day at the ballpark, I might get to meet her... And her husband too, I guess. But that's not as big of a deal. Dallas gave up her own career to be a career baseball wife. And if you don't think it's tough, ask her. She'll let you know. So if you want some insights on how daily life goes for a baseball player's wife, give her a follow. It's pretty intriguing. But don't ask her how Mat's feeling or any "insider dope" like that, she won't respond. And for heaven sakes, Mat's not getting on twitter. So don't bother asking that either. She'll take care of that for the both of them.

Hungry Hungry Hunger Games

**Movie Review! Movie Review!** If you don't give a damn about my opinions regarding the film industry, this post might not be your cup of tea.

Over the weekend, the fiance and I went to see "The Hunger Games". Some men would suggest I was forcibly drug there.  Au contraire, mon frère . I was just as interested to see the film adaptation of this story as she was. (And if you're one of those tough guys who swore he'd never see it because he doesn't "follow trends" or "read books and see movies that interest teenage girls" well, then, your horizons aren't very broad. I'm sorry you're missing out.)

I read all three books about six months ago. I must say, it was a series I had trouble putting down. In general, I'm the kind of guy who reads things like 'Dracula', 'Lord of the Rings', Sherlock Holmes stories, and pretty much anything Stephen King writes. But I will also I read every 'Harry Potter' story with much vigor. It was easy to read but still had an engaging story-line.

If you're not aware of the plot, basically, it goes a little somethin' like this. Post-apocalyptic America has been ravaged by civil war. After the uprising, the country was left as 12 fenced-in districts, ruled over by the Capital. Each district is far away from one another, so they cannot work together to rise again. The districts each do a certain specialized job, such as farm, mine coal, or make clothes, and their products are sent to the Capital. In turn, the Capital provides a little of these products for the districts to keep them alive. The Capital lives a life of decadence, while the districts basically live- if they can at all- in poverty. As another way to keep the districts in check, the Capital instituted an annual event called the Hunger Games. During the Hunger Games, a girl and boy between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen at random from each district to compete. At the prescribed time, the 24 competitors are trained, then put into a pre-created arena to battle to the death. 24 children enter, only one can leave alive.

Our story follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year-old girl from District 12. District 12 is the mining district, where Appalachia used to be. Her father died in a mine explosion. She has resigned herself to take care of her mother and little sister any way she can. Because of power outages, the fence surrounding District 12 is almost never electrically charged. She takes to the woods with her hunting partner, an older boy named Gale, where they are able to catch enough wild game and pick enough fresh fruit to live on or trade for the supplies they need.
At this year's Reaping, where they choose the competitors for the Hunger Games, Katniss's 12 year-old sister is chosen. Obviously, feeling her need to protect her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place.
I think the film did a good job of setting all this up and not being overwhelming, while still closely following the storyline. I've read many books, then seen movie adaptations, and walked away from the film thinking "That's not how the book went at all". The settings were very well done. (I believe the movie was shot in North Carolina for the "District 12" portions of the movie). Unlike a fake set in Hollywood, I felt like we were really in a desolate Appalachian mining town.

The futuristic Capital was clearly a computer-generated location, but it wasn't overwhelmingly computery, like "Beowulf". I really enjoyed the way they costumed the characters in the Capital, who were described opulent and overly flashy. They looked how I assume it would look if you threw every Dr. Seuss character into real-life in one city.

The action sequences within the arena were well-done. I felt like they showed what needed to be shown to get the point across, without being overly graphic (remember the target audience is still a 15 year-old girl). But at the same time, they still had enough to keep a blood-thirsty 24 year-old man interested as well. I especially enjoyed a scene in which Katniss gets stung by Tracker-Jackers (genetically altered bees who's sting causes pain and halluncinations). We see an awkward sequence through Katniss's eyes where she stumbles through the woods, not sure what she is seeing, and what is in her mind. All the while, the camera is drifting in and out of focus, and we get a shuddering effect, as if the film is getting hung up on the reel. The whole scene is very jarring.

The character development followed pretty close to the book, which I was happy with. However, the noticeable difference is that the book is told from Katniss's point of view, so we often get her internal feelings, especially about her fears for her family and her ongoing struggle to decide her feelings about Gale and Peeta. We're able to see some of that in her acting and reacting with Peeta in the lead up to and in the arena. We only get a few glimpses of how she feels about Gale before she leaves. But I assume these issues will be more addressed the second and third movies. We are also shown more situations from the Capital, during the games, which Katniss would never have known about.

**NERD ALERT** If you've hung with me so far, bare with me a little longer. I went to school for movie-making. So I always watch a movie a little different than the average person. I really enjoyed the way they lit the movie. Lots of imitated natural light. Especially moonlight. No reason to over-blow anything. I also thought the music choices were very well done. Everything seemed to marry the action very well. I always think the best lighting and music are the ones that make sense in the moment, but that you don't really notice if you're not looking for them.

Overall, whether you've read the books or not, I feel like anyone young or old, man or woman, can find some way to enjoy this movie. Obviously there will always be some people that don't like it, but I think a majority of people who like a good movie with a deep story, a little action, a little romance, and that "underdog against the world" feeling can dig on this movie.

In Memorium

Sorry I've been absent a few days. I knew that things were going to get hectic this week. I moved into a new apartment with my fiance, and we've been trying to get our stuff and new furniture in there to get set up. But on Tuesday, I got some terrible news while we were at IKEA.

I found out that a very old friend by the name of Tommy Grady had passed away that afternoon. He had been involved in an accident while riding his motorcycle. We kept in touch from time to time, and I had actually just seen him two weeks ago where he told me about his new purchase; that very same motorcycle.

Tommy and I had been friends for nearly 20 years now. Along with Craig Buschle and Kurt Olding, the four of us were put on the same baseball team in first grade. We all quickly became friends, and by extension, so did our families. It always seemed like all four of our dads were involved with coaching our teams, so when it came to picking teams each year, we all seemed to end up on the same team. Our families became so close that it became a monthly tradition that we go to one of the four of our houses. The adults would play party games or watch movies and yammer, while the kids would go and play. There were always video games, board games, Legos, and of course, sports.

We loved to run. We loved to play. Each person's house offered different opportunities to explore. Kurt's house had woods behind it. Tommy had a cul-de-sac for stick-ball. Craig had lots of kids in the neighborhood to play team games with. And none of my neighbors have fences, so we had plenty of room for hide and go seek. Plus, we were always playing make-believe. We couldn't help but let our minds imagine pretend adventures we could go on. Craig was always the leader. Kurt had the muscle. I was the problem-solver. And Tommy was, unsurprisingly, the daredevil. There was nothing Tommy wouldn't climb, run into, or jump off of.

We were always so different, but at the same time, always drawn together. I think from the ages of 5 to 12, there was nothing we looked forward to more than those Saturday nights once a month where we were all together. It was a simpler time. Unfortunately, in 6th grade, things got a little less tight. Tommy was by no means an unintelligent person. He just had a different way of learning than most, and the teachers at our grade school didn't have the right tools to help him. They recommended that Tommy repeat 6th grade. So instead of doing it all over again, his parents decided it was time to move him to public school, where he remained a grade behind us for the rest of our school career.

When we hit high school, it seemed the get-togethers were less frequent. We began to find that the things that used to bind us together were no longer there. We had different friends. We had different interests. Our lives were headed in different ways. So slowly, but amicably, we seemed to part ways. Our parents are all still friends. We get regular updates on what the others are doing. But with our busy lives, we've had difficulty staying in touch ourselves.

I had to hear of Tommy's passing from my mother. I had heard on the radio that there was a wreck on Glenway that afternoon, but could never have fathomed that anyone had died, or that the person that was gone was a long-time friend.

It's never fair when a person dies before they have a chance to experience all the best parts of life. It's worse when it's someone you know personally. Tommy always lived his life full-go. He never had any quit in him, and if you needed help, he'd be there for you, giving it all he had. It's going to be tough for a while to think about the fact that I'll never run into him at the gas station again or that any reunion we have will never be quite whole.

But I plan to live my life a little fuller from now on. Tommy would have wanted that. He always thought I was a little bit of a wet blanket, but I guess I had to do it to keep him in check. And he got me to do things I would have never done on my own. The four of us used to rub off on each other that way. We will miss Tommy and his gung-ho, give-it-everything-you-have style, but we will never, ever forget him.

Where Did Winter Go?

I decided about halfway through "winter" to start checking out the highs and lows each day. If you live in the Cincinnati-ish area and nearby, you've probably noticed its been a little warm. And we haven't seen much of that white stuff. No, Lindsay Lohan, the frozen white stuff. Someone with more eco-knowledge or meteorological savvy might know what to do with this data and find some sort of correlation to... you know, melting polar ice caps or tsunamis or some interesting stuff like that. I just have a thing for statistics and trends. So here are the highs and lows for each day since winter began on December 21st.


                 High       Low

12/21         60           48 

12/22         48           40

12/23         40           34

12/24         41           26

12/25         52           29

12/26         45           24

12/27         40           35

12/28         38           28

12/29         52           31

12/30         55           44

12/31         46           37  

1/1             55           32  

1/2             33           19  

1/3             27           15  

1/4             40           17  

1/5             50           23  

1/6             59           40  

1/7             52           37  

1/8             45           29  

1/9             51           33  

1/10           54           28  

1/11           49           37 

1/12           45           16 

1/13           20           15 

1/14           29           18  

1/15           32           11 

1/16           55           25  

1/17           58           31 

1/18           32           22

1/19           37           22  

1/20           29           16 

1/21           30           24  

1/22           53           26 

1/23           58           39  

1/24           39           29  

1/25           38           28 

1/26           51           35 

1/27           41           34 

1/28           41           30 

1/29           46           24  

1/30           57           20  

1/31           60           47  

2/1             62           46

2/2             54           35

2/3             55           33

2/4             47           39

2/5             48           32

2/6             50           23

2/7             39           28

2/8             36           31

2/9             36           28

2/10           33           27

2/11           32           14

2/12           35           13

2/13           35           16

2/14           37           31

2/15           48           33

2/16           49           38

2/17           51           27

2/18           51           28

2/19           39           27

2/20           45           19

2/21           50           32

2/22           57           36

2/23           56           33

2/24           51           32

2/25           37           22

2/26           51           21

2/27           60           31

2/28           59           28

2/29           67           49

3/1             55           37

3/2             62           39

3/3             45           33

3/4             40           27

3/5             38           25

3/6             63           24

3/7             69           42

3/8             61           36

3/9             47           32

3/10           54           27

3/11           68           36

3/12           64           52

3/13           74           56

3/14           78           47

3/15           76           57

3/16           67           54

3/17           76           53

3/18           79           57

3/19           81           58

Anything below freezing in the 30's is highlighted in yellow, below freezing in the 20s is green, below freezing in the teens is blue. And as you'll notice, we didn't have a low in the single digits all winter. At least not according to The National Weather Service, where I got all my information. I hope it's right. It sounds right. It felt like the temperatures those days. You'll also notice we had a mere 8 days where the high was below freezing.

Any temperatures we had above 60 I highlighted in orange, and any in the 70s were highlighted in red. Like I said, these numbers might be a little inaccurate by a few degrees, but I'd be willing to bet they're pretty darn close. And again, this isn't some sort of eco-attack or anything. Simply an interesting observation of the warming trend and lack of frozen precipitation we saw all season. I wonder how this will affect the rest of the year. Could this be a year we set all kinds of high temperature records? I hope not, cause I just leased an apartment with a window unit air-conditioner in it, and I can't afford a high electric bill.

Today's Twitter bio goes to: @DopplerTim @JohnGumm @Bouts12 and @ScottDimmich

I planned on getting to the Local 12 Weather team at some point. This seemed like a good time to do it. All four members of this team do a great job getting the best, fastest, and most accurate weather information to the viewers. They're constantly and tirelessly working to be better than they already are. (Trust me, they're always asking for new equipment). But to their credit, they don't let any of their skills or equipment go to waste.

The day we had the huge, massive crazy weather day (which happened to be my birthday) They worked round the clock to get the most important and up-to-date information to those most affected. They were also able to use some of their most state-of-the art gadgets, like the app from the iPad, to help better inform viewers.

If you need weather information, which will be gained most quickly from Twitter, look no farther than the Weather Authority Four. I can nearly guarantee that should you need to know about a big weather event in the area, at any time of the day, at least one of them has tweeted about it in the past hour or two. Also follow the @Local12Alerts page for even more up-to-date weather alerts. There's a reason they're the Weather Authority. They're very good at what they do.

Tourney Time:Weekend Recap

What a whirlwind of opening round action in the Big Dance. Who could have predicted before the tournament started we'd have the 16 teams left that we do now. Right now, I'm going to break down the number of teams left by state.

Texas-1
Kansas-1
Michigan-1
Indiana-1
New York-1
Florida-1
Wisconsin-2
Kentucky-2
North Carolina-2
OHIO-4

A quarter of the Sweet 16 from the Buckeye state is just unbelievable. The next four days will be nothing but battle talk between Cincinnati and Columbus, with the UC-OSU match-up. It's going to be explosive. And to have both Cincinnati teams still in the tournament is great. I hope that this helps repair the image of the figurative (and in Kenny Frease's case, literal) black eye the city has gotten since the Crosstown Shootout. Of course, Shootout II is still a possibility, however slight.

Other marquee match-ups (they're all marquee at this point, idiot) include UK taking on the only team to beat them in the regular season, the plucky team from Bloomington Indiana. OU gets the distinction of now being the lowest-seeded team left in the tournament. But they have a tough test in big, bad North Carolina this week.

Bonus Breakdown, teams by conference:
Big East- 4
Big 10- 4
Big 12- 2
SEC- 2
ACC- 2
Atlantic 10- 1
MAC- 1

My bracket isn't as torn up as I thought. I'm at 45 of 68 possible points. I've got 7 of 8 Elite 8 left and 3 of my Final Four, and my finals and winner are still intact. But I'm not gonna lie, I wouldn't be upset if I lost 3 bucks and the locals kept going. What a cool ride that would be.

Excuse me sir, can I offer you some....ratings?

This is the line I used as I passed the News Director's office on the way in to work today. CBS has gotten the UC-OSU game on Thursday and both Xavier and UK's games on Friday. I posed the thought that we could do Bengals-like numbers. He hoped the same. Tune in folks, its gonna a wild ride to New Orleans. Hopefully some local teams can make it there too.

Today's Twitter profile: @Dan_Hoard

Dan is the play-by-play man for the University of Cincinnati's basketball and football teams. He also recently started calling the Cincinnati Bengals games on the radio. Dan is always excited when he calls a game. Regardless of who the opponent is, he always seems to feel as if the 'Cats and Bengals can win. Listening to some announcers can lull a person to sleep. **Take two Jim Nantz and call me after the Masters.**

But if you're looking for an upper, don't reach for a Red Bull. Just flip on a game Dan's calling. I was able to catch the last 10 minutes of UC's game last night on the way home from work. Every shot the Bearcats made was poetry. Hearing Dan call it made me feel like I was there. I didn't even go to UC, and I found myself punching the air every time Sean Kilpatrick hit a 3, and got goosebumps when Hoard called Dion Dixon's steal and dunk. Dan's got a verbiage only rivaled by Marty Breannaman and my pal Brad Johansen.

And Dan tweets how he calls a game. Always excited. Dan is full-throttle UC and Bengals. He really loves what he does and it shows. He also tweeted me back last night after I tweeted about my goosebumps. It's a little thing to do, but when you only have 140 followers, its neat when someone with nearly 6,000 gets back to you. Check him out for all your Bearcat and Bengal needs.