steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Sports

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A Little B-Ball

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I'm excited about March Madness. Three weeks ago, I would've said that UC could make the tourney and UK was out. Now the Bearcats need to be taken out back and shot while the Wildcats are playing for a higher seed. That should make me miserable.

I will say that, except the past couple weeks, I really enjoyed watching UC play. The kids were playing over their heads all year. I think it'll be realistic for UC to make the NIT next year, with an NCAA bid a long-shot. Still, after the death sentence imposed on this program [much like what IU fans will face the next couple of seasons] Mick Cronin has done an incredible job.

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A Little Reds Talk

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As UC basketball's postseason hopes are all but non-existent now, I'm more focused on Spring Training and the Reds right now. So bear with me as I give a few thoughts on the ball-club about a month before Opening Day:

  1. I'm already liking Dusty Baker. Not sure he was the best fit with the Cubs anyway, but looks like he'll work out great here. Unlike the past line of Reds managers [maybe dating back to Davey Johnson?] he has an amazing baseball pedigree. The young players are virtually forced to respect him. I was telling Kelly that, by the end of this season, of the six players with 600 or more home-runs, Dusty will have managed three [Bonds, Sosa, Griffey], and played with a fourth [Hank].
  2. Although I like Dusty, I'm a bit disappointed that he's holding back Jay Bruce. The stud 'o' the future will most likely start the season in Louisville. Maybe I'm ticked because he's a keeper on my fantasy league, but I'd like to see him playing big league ball already.
  3. That said, I'm feeling pretty good about the Corey Patterson signing. I would be shocked if Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel are both on the 25-man roster at the beginning of the season.
  4. And that leads to pitching. The starting rotation is still not fantastic. They have some stellar arms, but some are a tad young. I'd like one more decent starter. Hopper, Freel, maybe even Scott Hatteberg could be some nice trade bait to teams with holes to fill.
  5. I'm still holding that the Reds have a great chance to win the Central. The Cubs are overrated, the Brewers are spastic, and the Cards aren't what they used to be. If the rotation gets solid and they avoid major injuries, Cincinnati could make the postseason.
  6. But even if they don't, I'm OK with that. I'm loving that Bob Castellini is investing in the ball-club. It started small [bringing in professional announcers], built itself up [adding a quality manager as well as a solid closer], and is now focused toward the future. Note this article that explains how the Reds shelled out to get the rights to a 16 year-old Dominican phenom. The effects of this move might not benefit the club for five years or so, but it speaks volumes about how they view the future.

In short, I'm excited about baseball already.

When I Count My Blessings . . .

. . . near the top of the list, I include fantastic in-laws. For more than ten years now I've known Dave and Bev and they have always treated me wonderfully. I can't think of one disagreement we've had that whole time. They've been constantly supportive, always respectful, and consistently encouraging no matter where I've taken their daughter [and now granddaughter]. Not sure why I got so lucky, but I did.

I received the cherished invite to go see UK play at Rupp tonight* [former UC coach Andy Kennedy brought his Ole Miss team in] and had a great time at the game with Dave and enjoyed Bev going to dinner with us. The experience was well worth the three-hour round trip.

Not sure how many men would enjoy the thought of spending extended time with his in-laws,  but maybe if they had mine they would.

*I was rooting for Kentucky, as I am in the habit of doing, in case you were wondering. But it was hillarious to see them blow a huge lead and almost lose on a last second shot. Hearing 22,000 people say, "OH NO!!!" in unison is pretty awesome. I love my UK fanatic family but I'll be pretty angry if they make the NCAA tourney this year. They don't deserve it.

Texas Baseball

While in Dallas, I knew there were two places I wanted to see. The first was Dealey Plaza and the second was the Ballpark at Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers. I have a thing for stadia [the correct usage of the plural "stadium" for those who are wondering]. I see these places on ESPN all the time, so I like to see them in person if I get the opportunity. Arlington is located halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, right next to a Six Flags Amusement Park. I was a little surprised how suburban the location was. Fortunately for me, they had a baseball museum and, for the price of admission, you received a guided tour of the ballpark. Interesting fact: one of the provisions for the people of Arlington [a city itself] financing the stadium was that the name "Arlington" always be attached to it, regardless of the corporate sponsorship.

The museum had some great artifacts on loan from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. On one of the walls they had pictures of the "Greatest Teams of All Time" which, according to whomever made the exhibit, the 1976 and 1990 Cincinnati Reds. The second floor was all about Texas Rangers history, of which there is very little [when they have an entire exhibit area devoted to Sammy Sosa, who played just one-and-a-half seasons for the Rangers, you know they're desperate]. It should be noted that the Reds Hall of Fame is much better; it made me appreciate again Cincinnati's rich baseball heritage.

The best part was definitely the tour. Another person and I were led around by a wonderful senior citizen named Ed who's been a fan of the Rangers since they relocated to Texas from Washington DC; they were formerly the Senators. Ed led us from pressbox, to luxury boxes to locker rooms. We even had a chance to visit the dugout and walk on the field. I'm not sure if there's such a tour offered at Great American Ballpark, but there definitely should be.

When we were in the locker room, we saw starting pitcher Kameron Loe and newly appointed closer CJ Wilson. I knew Kameron because I picked him up in fantasy baseball last year, so I decided to let him know that. He apologized for a lackluster performance [which I sincerely appreciated] and promised that if I drafted him again, I'd get better stats this year. I also let them know how excited I was for them to have former Red Josh Hamilton on their team this year. They replied that they were excited to have him as well.

As I left, I was a little disappointed. The Ballpark at Arlington is about eight years older than GAB and it's a much better facility. I can't help but be reminded that the county cut corners when it came to the Reds stadium.

How about a few pictures. I had the older point-and-click camera, so the quality wasn't quite as good as I liked.

Exterior of the Ballpark.

Me in the dugout [taken by Ed].

Looking toward home.

Centerfield from dugout.

Some locker room, eh? Bad photography, though.

Next door, the new $1billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium being constructed.

Soupa' Bo' Thoughts

Going into it, I really didn't care who won last night's game. There was nothing at stake for me, sans wanting a great football game. I, like the odds-makers in Vegas who are feeling it this morning, thought the Patriot's would go in and take care of business. Apparently we were wrong.

By the second half, with the Giants defense having established themselves in the trenches, I was full-out rooting for Giants to make plays. After the Pats scored with a little less than three minutes left, I stated that if Eli Manning drove them the length of the field to win the game, he could have an average career and make the Hall of Fame. This wasn't nearly as bold a prediction as the male in a soon-to-be-married couple made the statement that if Plaxico Burress scored the game winning touchdown, they would name their first child after him [hope it's a boy].

Still, the pitch and catch from Eli to David Tyree [video here until it's removed by Fox] was one of the most amazing plays in Super Bowl history. I literally fell out of my chair and was on the floor. It was unbelievable. At this point, I'm thinking the Giants have to win because that play will still be shown long after I'm dead.

I read last night where people were hatin' on this game, calling it boring. But if you were a true football fan, it was far from it. The Giants' defense went in last night and did was called impossible. And the last eight minutes were legendary.

I also remarked last night that perhaps we [football enthusiasts and professional analysts] missed something about the Patriots. True, they've won three championships this decade, but it came as the result of good defense. I'm not saying Tom Brady and his offense were inept over that run, but definitely overrated. This year was different. New England's strength was their offense. And the adage the defense wins championships still seems to apply [in this decade, that also applied to the Super Bowls won by Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and New England].  That's why it seems surreal the New York won the Super Bowl, but their defense has been spectacular. Then all you need is an offense to make a couple of plays, which the Giants did. And now they're number one.

It has me thinking about the Bengals and Chad Johnson. I'm still not in favor of getting rid of him, as it would kill the salary cap, but if they could get some amazing defensive talent out of it, then I'd send him packing in a heartbeat. We love to see Carson let 'er fly, but the reason the Bengals have zero playoff wins since Palmer's arrival is that the defense sucks. With a lights-out defense, and a QB like Carson, you could put schleps out there catching passes and still be OK.

Anyway, football's finally over and now it's on to Spring Training, March Madness, and the Masters.

I love the changing seasons.

It's Gotta Be The Shoes

I just started writing this post with an idea in mind and realized I deviated a bit. And it got pretty long. But I was feeling the flow and just went with it. If you like it: good, but I enjoyed writing it so . . . there. This evening's admission: I'm a'feared of getting old.

No, I'm not concerned about mo' money and mo' problems. I'm just afraid of slowing down. Recently I've encountered some thirty-somethings who look and move a lot slower than I do. I'm trying to stave off the effects of aging as long as possible. So I've been pushing myself, even in these winter months, to do more athletically. I'm playing basketball a couple mornings a week and playing indoor soccer on the weekends. When I get some extra time, I work out over at Xavier.

It should be noted: I suck at basketball. I play for the exercise. And I hate lifting weights and treadmills. But I love soccer. And I'm somewhat good at it. So it's my athletic passion. I was playing co-ed soccer this past session and, despite my age, my game has emerged. I've actually become one of the better players on our team. When I played in college I was not a goal scorer but in co-ed I am. Last week I scored two goals in the first three minutes. I've never had a hat-trick and tried the rest of the game but was unsuccessful. So I thought I was pretty awesome.

Until last week.

Some guys I've played with before asked me to play in a men's league and I was excited about getting to play without chicks on the field. I went in ready to go and . . . played . . . horrible. The pace was much faster than co-ed I didn't do anything well. And it really depressed me for a couple of days. That fear of losing a step gripped me.

But then I recognized that I actually love the higher level of competition. Even though I sucked, I wanted to come back and go at it again. I have since decided that I'm going to keep playing soccer into my forties. And I need to start playing in competitive men's leagues [scaling back my co-ed play] so I can keep that fire going. So in keeping with this resolution, I needed to go out and get a new set of cleats. Another admission: I love soccer cleats. I can't wait until I force Kaelyn Kaelyn decides to play soccer and I can buy her little soccer boots.

I've had the same pair of Adidas Copas since 1996. Copas are the perfect soccer cleat: black kangaroo leather, classic look, awesome. I bought a size 8.5 [half a size too small], showered while wearing them to stretch the leather around my feet, and reveled in the perfect fit. They're not falling apart yet, but I have a feeling that they're going to rip sometime soon. And I need to have a pair broken in if/when those die. But a new pair of Copas would cost towards $100 and I don't play enough anymore to justify dropping that much cash on cleats. So I did some more looking around and got a great sale on the current cheap version of the Copa [the Telstar], but have yet to shower in them. I'll keep you posted when I get around to that.

That guys league team needed another player tonight so I went back for round two, new shoes and all. This time I was intent on playing better and making things happen. Ironically, we were playing a team of young guys [what seemed to be local high school varsity players] but I easily ran with them. I took some hard shots on goal, had a couple of assists and felt like I redeemed myself. I finally felt back at home on the field.

All I want to do is go out and compete as long as possible. It might be gone tomorrow, but at least I have today.

And I really don't think it was the shoes, but I felt good out there tonight.

And I like feeling good . . . and abandoning that fear'dedness.

Sucks To Be Romo . . .

I'm sure he thought dating Jessica Simpson wouldn't be a big deal. I guess it's not as long as you win the play-off game the week after you vacationed with her. Dallas lost to New York this afternoon and Tony Romo had a mediocre game. The media was waiting for this failure with baited breath and it came fruition. The fury has been unleashed and he'll hear about it the entire off-season, and maybe longer. Now the Dallas quarterback will have to endure people questioning his judgement and rightly so. You might think one's "private life" should remain private, but all bets are off when you're a high-profile public athlete. You're now a celebrity. With all the endorsements comes a lot of scrutiny. You asked for it, and you got it.

It should be noted that I predicted the Jessica Simpson slide long ago; once she divorced Cincy-boy Nick Lachey, it's been all downhill. Dane Cook? John Mayer? And now getting killed on SportsCenter? Things could be better. And Nick's slow and steady pace has helped him stay somewhat relevant. And Jessica's departure has probably left him . . . sane.

How 'bout them Cowboys?

Mmmmm, Crow.

I must cry now. The Buckeyes got spanked again. Another year of disrespect. I'll break it down later. I don't have the heart to do so right now. The Buckeyes were not BCS championship worthy, but all the top teams lost twice this year, putting OSU there by default. The youth of the offense was a liability, but the defense didn't answer in the first half. Again the coaching staff could not answer what was put before them.

Regardless, it was bad. I don't know what else to say.

Breaking News . . .

Ohio State will beat LSU for the National Championship. I'm putting it out there now so there can be no doubt. I've watched LSU play about five or six times this year. They are an incredibly talented team, but are probably less talented then they were last year. Ironically, I had watched Florida play the same amount last year and didn't think they'd be as tough against OSU last year [Urban Meyer out-coached Tressel, so OSU lost]. But I was nervous before last year's game. This year: not so much. I told my friend Alex at the beginning of the year that this would be a great year for LSU, even though they weren't as talented as they had been in the past. The schedule was perfect for them to advance to the National Championship game, with playing their toughest SEC opponents at home. Of course, they blew two games, and could have lost five this year. And if it weren't for both West Virginia and Missouri losing the last weekend of the year, they would've blown it. Fortunately, the strength of their conference made them the media darling and they were the two-loss team of choice.

As for the Buckeyes, people observed a pathetic year in the Big Ten and labeled them "the chief of the losers." True they played a weak non-conference [as the SEC did] but they were in control of every game they played in except one. Still, they were called the "Suckeyes" and left for dead. Even though they're the #1 ranked team, they're underdogs at LSU on the neutral field.

The one constant about college football players is that they buy into the hype; when they hear that they're the best thing since sliced bread, they'll buy in. LSU has heard for over a month how Ohio State is nothing. One LSU player said that they were "without a doubt" much faster than the Buckeyes. The Superdome will be purple and yellow and they think they'll waltz to victory.

But OSU's defense is very solid while the LSU offense can struggle. It will come down to whether or not the Buckeyes can put points on the board. OSU's quarterback is young, but he has a lot of weapons. If Todd Boeckman can keep from turning the ball over, they'll score a plenty.

For a year now the Buckeyes have had to hear about their inadequacies. Monday night is their shot at redemption. The Buckeyes will be National Champs, and Les Miles will wish he had gone to Michigan because he'll take the blame.

The Final Day

Wrapping up the Fantasy Football year, hoping I can make a miracle comeback and win the championship. I am 29 points down to Chris Elrod going into the final weekend. This isn't an impossible deficit to overcome, but with so many meaningless games, and few important ones, you have to be selective about who you hitch your wagon to. So when you're stat watching tomorrow afternoon, hope for big numbers from these guys. QB: Drew Brees, New Orleans

RB: Clinton Portis, Washington

RB: LenDale White, Tennessee

WR/RB: Santana Moss, Washington

WR: Chad Johnson, Cincinnati

WR: Donald Driver,

TE: Antonio Gates, San Diego

K: Shayne Graham, Cincinnati

D/ST: San Diego Chargers

Mudville

No joy here, especially when it comes to college basketball. UC is bad, and since ratings can't compete with American Idol the local Fox affiliate is dropping the telecasts. I'm already looking forward to the season after next.

UK is probably not as bad as Cincinnati, but compared to their expectations, it's a lot worse. They'll lose to their second consecutive Conference USA team tonight. Coach Billie Clyde is probably wishing the season was over.

A little over 100 days until Opening Day . . .

This Is How You Do It

I know he probably killed a lot of fantasy football folk by doing this, but Brian Westbrook was the man yesterday. Heeding the advice of an offensive lineman, he stopped at the one yard line, gave up a touchdown and helped the Eagles run out the clock to win the game. Think about how professional athletes get paid: they get a contract based upon their stats. So theoretically, Westbrook helping the team win could've cost him money.

And that's why he's the man. Team players go far.

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Mitchell Report

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Talkin' baseball in December. The steroid verdict is out and here's what it looks like. Took a quick glance at the PDF of the Mitchell Report. Beyond Barry Bonds [did anyone doubt he'd be there?] there were Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, and Miguel Tejada. I find the Tejada inclusion so interesting because he was just dealt in a blockbuster trade yesterday to the Astros. And keeping it in Cincinnati's division, the Brewers new acquisition of Eric Gagne seems to lack luster now that he's on the user list.

Looking for Reds, the most disappointing is former Red Hal Morris. He always struggled to hit for power at his first place position, so it's not too surprising. Former pitcher Ron Villone was on the list, but I'm wondering if he did so after he left Cincy.

The best news in Reds land is that Mike Stanton is on the list. He's a reliever that has drawn the ire of many fans and perhaps this will give the Reds the chance to get rid of him.

Overall, I'm not sure this investigation was as big as people were anticipating. Except for a few instances, I think it will be all forgotten come this spring.

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Head To Head

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With Kelly on the DL, it's been difficult for me to get back to writing. Today makes it a little easier. Tonight is the Crosstown Shootout, the rivalry game between the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. I'm not sure that they are bitter rivals [they have been playing since 1928], but this match-up divides the city like nothing else. Whether it's the "Xavier Girls Are Ugly" shirts, or the "Convicts verses Catholics" reply, you're supposed to chose a side and stick with it. I've always been a Cincinnati fan [perhaps because I'm not Catholic?] but have rooted for Xavier from the sidelines . . . except of course, during the Crosstown Shootout.

It was never a big deal to me until last spring when I enrolled in grad school at Xavier. I finally bought some Xavier gear and have been seen wearing it around town. I've become more familiar with the school, the campus, and even talked to Coach Sean Miller as he was walking across campus one day. One might suspect that this would cause me to back Xavier tonight, especially since we're now writing checks to Xavier.

But it's not happening.

More than ever, I'm following what Xavier is doing [enhanced by the fact that my neighbor is their beat writer and knows everything about the team]. In a midwestern city like ours, I think you can pay attention to both programs and hope that they perform at a high level. It's not like hating the Pittsburgh Steelers or the University of Michigan. Tomorrow morning we'll wake up and both Xavier and UC will be located in the city of Cincinnati. That's why I attest that it's not truly a bitter rivalry. Sure, they'll be some hatred tonight, but by the weekend, no one will care.

I will admit that I wore my Xavier sweatshirt this morning as I went out earlier to play basketball, but after coming home and showering I'm wearing a UC shirt the rest of the day. Fortunately I don't have class tonight, as I would've had to wear it there. First and foremost, UC is my team, no matter where I'm going to school.

This would be the year, however, if I was going to switch sides to do so. I've never witnessed UC fans being so low key about a match-up, obviously realizing that the Bearcats are going to be out-gunned. But before you empty the bank account and drop it all on X to win tonight, I'd encourage you to sit this one out.

The only consistent thing about this rivalry records can be thrown out the window. Last year Xavier was the favorite and lost. Twice during the 1990's UC was ranked #1 in the nation and lost this game. The players on both these teams usually play in the summer league together, so there's a familiarity between them; they know the other's tendencies and aren't intimidated. So even though this year looks like it sets up for a Musketeer romp, watch for the Bearcats to keep it close.

Regardless, it's a good time. And I'm looking forward to it.

Yikes! [fantasy football speaking]

OK, fantasy geeks, here's my story from this week. I'm narrowly in first place in my league but the play-offs are coming and I need to separate. Chad Johnson did me no favors and I was down six points going into tonight. I had Lendale White at running back while he had the Titans defense.

At 11pm I look at the score and I'm down by three ["so you're saying there's a chance?"] so I turn on the game to see how it ends. Late in the fourth quarter, Denver's Andre Hall runs one 60+ yards for a touchdown; so the guy I'm matched-up against loses three points and the score is tied. And I'm happy because I can at least avoid the "L." But with two minutes to go, Tennessee down by 2 scores, they throw a 10 yard pass to Lendale and I'm up by one. The very next pass, Vince Young throws an INT and the Broncos run out the clock.

So on the last completion of the game, in the last game of the week, I get the point I need to get the "W."

And this is yet another reason why fantasy baseball takes more skill.