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

Sports

Runnin'

Resting up for my own run tomorrow, I'm sitting in living room, wrapping up my sermon slides for tomorrow, and watching everything go down at Churchill Downs. Kelly asked me what has gotten me so interested in horse racing. I think marrying a Lexington girl and inheriting a father-in-law who was somewhat interested in it got me started. A couple of trips to Churchill Downs got me into somewhat. I think at the end of the day, I'm enamored with the history of the sport as well as the fascination with fast horses.

Anyway, it's fun to watch. I'm surprised I don't go to Turfway and River Downs more often.

A couple of final thoughts: 1) I'm holding with Monba but if I was putting down money I'd look at Colonel John too. 2) It's now been 30 years since the last Triple Crown winner. Amazingly, in the 1970's, there were three in the span of six years. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever see one in my lifetime.

Pick Your Horse

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. I love it. Some year we'll make it down to watch in person. I was all set-up with my pick a few weeks ago but the horse [War Pass] got injured and was withdrawn. After careful analysis, I have made my pick for the Derby: Monba.

Join in the fun: check out the Derby's website to study the field and make your pick. Leave your choice in the comments section below and if you win . . . you're well on your way to a gambling addiction.

And if you respond that you're waiting until tomorrow afternoon to see the what post position the horses start from, then you probably already have a gambling problem.

More Stuff Only I Care About

In soccer news . . . Manchester United made it through to the UEFA Champion's League final where they'll play either Chelsea or Liverpool— making it an all England final.

If ManU wins it, I'm going to have to get Emily to get me a celebratory t-shirt. I still have the one I bought back in 1999 when they won three different leagues in the same year.

,

Understanding the CJ Situation

,

For those of you who are confused about all that's happening with the Chad-Johnson-Wants-Out-Of-Cincy debacle, the Sporting News has a great explanation of salary structures and Mike Brown's hard-line stance. As much as it pains me to say this [because you know I've criticized him before], Mike is doing good with this situation. But he still did nothing this off-season to help the team improve.

And does anyone really think that Chad could actually make the Hall-of-Fame after all of this? It ain't happening.

,

Onto The Next One

,

Bear with me, those of you not interested in sports, as I comment on the move the Reds made today in axing their general manager Wayne Krivsky. First, let's admit that Walt Jockety is a totally different caliber of GM than Krivsky. The writing was on the wall with Jockety already on the payroll: Krivsky needed this team to perform. And they haven't; this team's holes could not be overlooked, and it was the team the Krivsky put together.

Krivsky inherited a farm system that his predecessor Dan O'Brien had made one of the best in baseball. He made some great moves, such as acquiring Brandon Phillips, getting Josh Hamilton for nothing, and locking up Aaron Harang long term. Yet he also made many high-impact, salary sucking moves that plague the team today and will impact it for years to come. Castinelli opened up his wallet to keep players we needed and chose to invest in the wrong ones: Mike Stanton, Bronson Arroyo, Corey Patterson, and Ryan Freel were all locked up for more money than they were worth. And they weren't the only misses. While some people still decry the Austin Kearns/Felipe Lopez trade, I still think minor leaguer Daryl Thompson could sway that trade towards the Reds favor.

At the end of the day, this decision makes sense. But it doesn't solve everything.

I laughed tonight as I watched the Reds on television. In the fourth inning they started interviewing Jockety about his new job. When the conversation started, the Reds trailed 2-1 to the Astros. By the time the inning was over, the score was 9-1.

The starting pitcher was Bronson Arroyo, who is winless this year, who has not pitched well in two years, and is owed $30million through 2011 thanks to Wayne Krivsky.

Welcome to the job, Walt. You have a lot of work ahead of you.

,

I AM THE CHAMPION

,

Let me tell you a story. A story that I like because it's about me and my frickin' awesome afternoon. Kelly and Kaelyn were in Lexington this weekend while I had a slew of events to keep me busy here in Cincy. I spoke at the little country church this morning and, since I had all my Echo tasks for this evening's service completed, I went to watch the Reds play the Brewers this afternoon. Ironically, I applied sunscreen before I left only to spend the entire afternoon soaked by rain.

As I'm thinking about, I realized that I'm totally comfortable going solo to places now. Before I got married I had never eaten alone in a restaurant. Now I'm go to movies, ballgames, and restaurants by myself and enjoy the communal solitude. I always used to wonder why people would go places all by there lonesomes. Now I'm that guy.

Anyway, I've mentioned before that the Reds allow ministers to get a free ticket to games [Bob Castellini is a very good man], and they'll give you the best seat available so I was fifteen rows behind the Reds dugout. Even though the rain drove many fans to take shelter I had an awesome seat and decided to stay put.

My perseverance meant that I ended up getting soaked; I'll most likely be sick tomorrow. And, of course, the game went into extra-innings and I had to get home and change before church. So I missed an epic comeback which included back-to-back home-runs and a Ken Griffey Jr. game-winning single.

All of that should have made my afternoon somewhat miserable. But one brief moment made it absolutely glorious.

In the seventh inning Reds-killer Bill Hall came to the plate and fouled one off over my head. Years of observing foul balls ricochet off an upper-deck wall back to the seats below led me to track this ball which indeed hit above and started to head back towards me. It was actually heading a row or so behind me. There was a guy between the ball and me and he had a perfect line to catch it. But years of observing people drop sure-thing foul balls led me to back him up just in case.

And wouldn't you know it, the ball went right between his hands. He absorbed any of the momentum the ball had and I two-handed it.

Yep, I snagged me a foul ball.

Sure, it wasn't a cool catch, but in over twenty years of going to ballgames and I had never even sniffed a foul ball.

I decided long ago that if I ever caught a ball I'd give it to a kid. What point is there in keeping a non-home-run ball anyway [especially from stinkin' Bill Hall]? And if I brought it home to Kaelyn, she wouldn't have cared. There was a couple two rows in front of me with their grandkids at the game and I handed their grandson the ball. All in all, I didn't have the ball in my possession for more than five seconds.

So the kid has the baseball . . .

. . . and I have this story.

And I'm happy.

,

I Was Wrong

,

Where I once was an apologist, I must now admit that I came down on the wrong side: Chad Johnson needs to get out of here.

His latest statement, which indirectly was an insult to Carson Palmer, most assuredly confirms that CJ will never play for the Bengals again.

And that's fine. I'm not saying he's replaceable, but the division he's causing is impossible to ignore. It's not as if his antics actually made the team better, but they were tolerated when it came to his great talent. And his repeated cries that no one supported him was crap. He had people all over the place who had his back. So good luck to whatever team he plays for next. And unless he's going to New England or Indianapolis, he'll be catching footballs from an inferior quarterback.

My new concern is how the Bengals treat this situation. I get sick of players who make these statements and screw over their former teams in an effort to get out of town [see: Corey Dillon and Randy Moss]. I would fully support Mike Brown if he let him rot on the bench. Chad won't get paid when he sits out, the Bengals won't take the huge salary cap hit, and teams will have to make serious offers in order to get him out of here. Unless there's a first round pick being offered, Chad can hang out in his condo.

And to think I was this close to buying a number 85 jersey last year. Good thing I didn't.

, , ,

Pop Culture, Pitchers, and Preaching

, , ,

If you've ever listened to me preach, you know I have quite an affinity for including pop culture references into my sermon. I do it rather deliberately. Sometimes it's just in passing, for a select few to enjoy for themselves. Even if they only catch one every couple of weeks, I think expecting the unexpected forces the listener to pay close attention to the message, not wanting to miss out on something. That's one of the reasons I enjoy people like Dennis Miller, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert, who have the knack of making obscure, dated pop culture references. Sure, they don't always attract boisterous laughs, but they definitely pay-off when done well.

That takes me back to the Reds game I attended yesterday when young phenom Johnny Cueto pitched a masterful game. It was a miserable day so there weren't many people in the stands [unless the seats were covered by an overhang]. In the row next to us were three guys in their early twenties, and one of them was hoisting the only sign I spotted all afternoon. Written in Sharpie on a white board, the sign simply read, "CUETO LIVES!" I didn't think to much of it until today while reading up about things from the game. An obscure Reds blog noted the sign. Apparently it was an obscure pop-culture reference.

It goes back to the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger* film Total Recall. Directed by Paul Verhoeven [a member of the Jesus Seminar?], the academy award winning sci-fi movie [seriously] features Arnold as a secret agent who gets a mind swap and becomes a construction worker. As information about his previously life starts to reappear, the powers-that-be want him dead so he heads to Mars to discover more. While on Mars, his finds an underground resistance group headed by a sage named Kuato. Come to find out, Kuato isn't a guy, but someone's mutated stomach [looks like this if you're interested].** Hijynxs ensue, Kuato is killed, but so are the bad-guys and Arnold saves the day.***

Anyway, the rally cry on Mars for the resistance movement was "KUATO LIVES!" So the twenty-somethings brandishing the sign were making a Total Recall reference. In retrospect, I'm very impressed with the sign, especially considering those guys were probably toddlers when the movie was released.

So very creative pop-culture reference there. And now we see have a Schwarzenegger/Reds connection.

* I find it fascinating that of all the words that spell-check chooses to highlight, Schwarzenegger is not one of them. So his name is so much a part of American vernacular that people who design spell-check include it in their programming.

** Saturday Night Live did a spoof on Kuato that you can watch here.

*** As I wrote out that movie plot I kept thinking, "this movie won an Oscar?" I guess that's why the Academy Awards aren't as cool as they used to be.

,

I Was There

,

I vacillated between two choices this morning: stay or go. In the end, I decided to go.

I'm glad I did.

Strike that, I'm really glad I did.

I layered up, put a Diet Coke bottle, along with an umbrella and a poncho in a backpack and walked down to Great American Ballpark just afternoon to go witness a little piece of history.

Johnny Queto, one of the most heralded prospects in Reds history, took the mound for the first time today. Since it was cold and rainy, I didn't think there would be a huge crowd, and there wasn't [less than 12,000 gate]. This kid is said to have had the stuff and my eyes did see it first-hand this afternoon.

Cueto is amazing.

His 95 mph fastball popped throughout the stadium when it hit Paul Bako's mitt. He struck out the first batter [Chris Young, whom Cueto owned today], and pitched five perfect innings. One bad pitch ruined the no-no and the shut-out, but he wrapped up seven innings of one-hit baseball with ten strikeouts. David Weathers made it exciting in the 8th, but the Reds prevailed and won the series against Arizona.

But I'm still amazed at what I saw. I'm just saying, this kid will dominate.

It was really a miserable day for baseball; the weather stunk. But seeing Cueto pitch parted the clouds and gave me hope that my beloved Redlegs will once again be the Big Red Machine.

Twenty-five years from now, when Johnny Queto is being inducted into the Hall of Fame, I'll be able to say that I was there for his first game.

P.S. JUST SO YOU DON'T THINK I'M THE ONLY ONE read what Paul Daugherty wrote about Cueto here.

,

Time For Baseball

,

One of the benefits of our work-at-home policy is that Opening Day is actually a holiday. Even though they were calling for rain, we decided to go on over to Central Parkway anyway to watch the parade. We were only there for an hour as Kaelyn was ready for a nap and it was getting really wet. I didn't even get any pictures of the parade. Of course, we didn't get to go to the game, but at least we stayed dry. Unfortunately, the Reds lost, but considering they've won the past few Opening Days and went on to have horrible seasons, I'm OK with it. I will say, however, that if they don't get a catcher soon, I might lose it.

Since we were all decked out in red, we took a little family picture. We're ready for some baseball.

,

Pregame Thoughts

,

A little more than an hour until tip-off of the Xavier/UCLA match-up, and I thought I'd chime in with my thoughts about the game. For the past couple of days I've been watching all the national analysts and none of them give the Muskies a chance. That's fine. UCLA is a sexy pick, with all the tradition and freshman Big Love that everyone is ga-ga over. On paper, the Bruins should win this one going away but, on paper, UCLA should've waltzed through the tournament thus far.

They key for a Xavier win tonight will be swagger. They have the talent to pull this one off, but if they don't show up like they know it, it'll be a long night. I keep thinking about the way X neutralized Kansas State earlier in the year; they owned Michael Beasley that night. That's the kind of game they need tonight.

I also remember when they played Tennessee at home this year. They controlled most of that game before committing some costly mental errors which lost them the game. That was exactly what happened against West Virginia but they somehow pulled it out. Those games can go either way, but I'd say that a similar performance tonight means the Muskies go home.

Yep, they have to be pretty flawless tonight, unless UCLA comes out and shoots themselves in the foot. And I'm not holding my breath for that to happen.

Since I don't give Davidson a prayer against Kansas, this is the long-shot everyone's been waiting for. I'm hoping it all comes together tonight.

We'll find out soon enough . . .

,

Lest There Be Any Doubt . . .

,

. . . I am pulling for Xavier tonight against Bob Huggins' West Virginia team. And my reasons go beyond the fact that I'm an alum-to-be at XU. Although I'm no Nancy Zimpher fan [HT: Mike] I no longer feel as if I have to support Bob throughout the rest of his career. I do own a Kansas State shirt thanks to my father-in-law, but he moved on [in one year, in fact]. I will never sport West Virginia gear, among other reasons, that they are a UC Big East rival. I'll always love Huggs, but he has a lower spot on my fan-dom pole now. I still think Mick has the potential to take the program farther than he did.

Plus, what's not to like about this year's Xavier team? There is no one player that propelled them to where they are now. They have a great team concept going that is fun to watch. I like this team. And I like that Sean Miller hung around when he could've bolted last year. I told him so when I saw him walking across campus last year. Sure, if the Pittsburgh job opens up he'll be gonzo, but otherwise I see him at Xavier for awhile.

Hopefully Huggs will give us what we came to expect here in Cincy and fizzle out after making the Sweet Sixteen. And I really like the possible match-up against either UCLA or Western Kentucky. Could Xavier actually make the Final Four?

Go Muskies!

O-H-I-O

Coming off a second demoralizing National Championship loss, Buckeye football fans needed something to feel good about. It felt good that linebacker James Laurinaitis said he'd come back for his senior year. But it felt even better today as the number one high school recruit in the nation decided he will play next year at Ohio State.

Terelle Pryor is a running quarterback who is Troy Smith with twice the athleticism. He has a better arm as well. While Todd Boeckman will most likely start again this year, I'm sure Coach Tressel will plan on using Pryor the way Florida used Tim Tebow his freshman year.

Another shot to the groin for Michigan, especially since new coach Rich Rodriguez was hardcore recruiting Pryor.

Go Bucks!

Bracket Advice

I always wait a few days before filling out my brackets. Gives me a little time to reflect on the season that was. So even though I have yet to fill mine out, here's some food for thought:

  • Beware trying to strike gold twice with George Mason. They're a good team, but not as talented as their Final Four squad. Plus, Notre Dame has some decent guards and one of the best big men in the nation. I'm just telling you . . .
  • There were no 5v12 seed upsets last year so I think you gotta see one this year. Since I already discounted George Mason of Notre Dame, and I'm feeling good about Drake, it's either Villanova over Clemson or Temple over Michigan State. Since I don't have confidence in Oliver Purnell teams in the tourney, I'd go with Villanova.
  • Sorry my Kentucky friends, but I'm not sure they can beat Marquette. The Golden Eagles usually only struggle against teams with dominant big men and without Patrick Patterson, that's not Kentucky. Against UC [who had no big inside presence either] they had their way. So congrats to Billie G for making the tourney, which was enough to keep you from getting run out of Lexington.
  • Additionally, don't buy into the Georgia hype. Everyone looking at their SEC performance should remember what team this is. Sure, it took a lot for the Bulldogs to win four games in 3.5 days, but it was against competition that they were familiar with. I think Xavier matches up well [Stanley Burrell will neutralize Sundiata Gaines] and have a nice Elite Eight run in them.
  •  I don't remember where I read this factoid but since 1985 there have been 30 different teams enter the NCAA tournament with 30 wins or more. None of them won the championship. So if you think this year things will follow like they have in the past, don't pick any of the #1 seeds to win it, because they all have 30+ wins.
  • That, among other reasons, is why I like Georgetown to win the whole thing. I'm not excited about them having to play Kansas in the Elite Eight but, like Oliver Purnell, I'm just not sure Bill Self can put it all together in the tourney. Plus, I think North Carolina won't make the most of their home-cooking and doesn't get by Tennessee. UCLA should go far, but I don't like them to go all the way. That's what brings me to Georgetown. No one is really concentrating on Georgetown right now [losing in the Big East final keeps people from seeing them as dominant], and they have all the makings [great defense, Final Four experience] of a national championship run. The Hoyas win the NCAA tournament.

At least that's how I see it.

,

Another Bracket To Fill Out

,

Apparently there's still more UC basketball to watch. The Bearcats will participate in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational tournament. It's sorta like the the N.I.T. to the N.I.T., if that makes sense to you. That reminds me of what my friend Alex always used to tell me, "you can't spell 'Cincinnati' without 'N.I.T.'" I guess now he'll have to say, "you can't spell 'Cincinnati Bearcats' without 'C.B.I.'"

Not sure I'll be able to get a CBI pool going. If you're interested in participating . . . you probably have a gambling problem.

***UPDATE***

Apparently UC will be playing on the road at Bradley on Wednesday. It'll be tough for them to travel to that gym, but I guess we'll get a good sense of how playing the Big East schedule improved the Bearcats. Their early non-conference embarrassments, which kept them out of N.I.T., happened without Jamal Warren running the point so this is a better team at the end of the season.

I'm still torn as to how excited I can be about following UC in the CBI.