Reds

Report: Chapman being sued for $18 million

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UC

Statement from UC men’s basketball:
University of Cincinnati men’s basketball head coach Mick Cronin announced Friday action he is taking following a reported incident in a downtown Cincinnati nightclub during the past weekend.
Men’s basketball student-athlete Octavius Ellis has been dismissed from the team. He will have access to academic support services through the end of the academic quarter. However, he is immediately separated from all team activities.
“Octavius didn’t adhere to the standard of conduct I expect from members of our team,” said Cronin. “I will work to help him find a fresh start at a new program because I do care very much for him as a person.  I believe he can benefit from being in a new environment. That’s likely what will help him the best to learn and mature from this.”
The University has learned that no formal charges will be filed.
“I regret the mistakes I made this year and I know I need to mature as a person,” Ellis said. “I want to thank my coaches and teammates for the opportunity I had at UC.”
UC director of athletics Whit Babcock supported Cronin’s decision and said, “I believe Coach Cronin has our program headed in the right direction.  I appreciate his leadership of our young men athletically, academically, and socially.”
A freshman forward from Memphis, Tenn., Ellis played in three games during the 2011-12 season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.3 minutes.

Background on Ellis from CBS Sports

Ellis is freshman from Memphis with a history of temper issues his grandmother once told The Commercial Appeal stem from anger he harbors about the murder of his mother. Ellis was 10 years old and in the house when his stepfather murdered his mother with a gunshot to the face on April 23, 2003.
"He was there," Ellis' grandmother, Flossie Ellis, told the paper back in June 2010. "He said, 'Look at what you done did to my mama!' He ran behind [his stepfather] and was throwing rocks at him, saying, 'You done killed my mama!'
"See why he acts up?" she added. "We've been through some stuff with that boy. But I am so proud of him. If he can just maintain his temper and keep that under control. ... Some days can go real good, [others] are like I don't know what."

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Things noticed

XU/Loveland grad Danny Rosenbaum keeps rolling: 7 shutout innings last night at AA Harrisburg (Nationals). He has not allowed a run in back to back starts. Now 5-0 0.62 on the season.

Local product named semifinalist for Dick Howser Award
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Kentucky junior catcher Luke Maile (Covington Catholic) has been named a semifinalist for the 2012 Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball, it was announced on Friday afternoon.
A native of Crestview Hills, Ky., Maile is one of the 36 top players in college baseball named semifinalists for one of the most prestigious trophies in the nation. Maile is one of five Southeastern Conference honorees and one of four catchers in the nation tabbed to the Dick Howser Trophy list.
Maile has been a middle of the order slugger for the Wildcats throughout the season, batting .320 (64-for-200), with 12 doubles, 12 homers and 49 RBI. He owns a team-best 30 walks, stealing nine bases. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has helped UK to a historic season, as the Wildcats have won the second-most games (41) in school annals and the second-most SEC contests (18) in UK history.
The 2008 Kentucky High School Mr. Baseball and a draft pick of the Boston Red Sox out of High School, Maile ranks fourth in the SEC in homers, third in RBI, seventh in slugging percentage, 11th in walks and seventh in total bases. He has already set a new UK school record with 10 game-winning RBI in 2012, including a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give UK a SEC-opening win over No. 2 South Carolina, with UK sweeping the Gamecocks.

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Reds: Confidence Quiz
Which players can you count on from here on out?
Which players do you need more from?
Which players are what they are?
Which players will likely drop off their current production?
Place Reds players in the category that best fits.
Base placement on production this season/and projected production rest of season.

1. You can count on them:
Votto
Cueto
Phillips
Bruce
Hanigan
Chapman
Arroyo
2. Haven't been bad, but should/hopefully will produce more
Marshall
Homer
Bray
Mesoraco
Cozart
3. Don't count on much more
LeCure
Ludwick
Rolen
Cairo
Valdez
Costanzo
4. Should drop off, at least a little:
Hoover
Simon
Ondrusek
Arredondo
5. Must give you more:
Latos
Stubbs
Heisey
Frazier
Leake

Does the season boil down to: Latos, Stubbs, Heisey, Leake and Frazier?
If so, how do you feel?

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Bengals

The Bengals today signed CB Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama, their first selection (17th overall) in the 2012 draft.
            “It’s great for the club and great for Dre to have him signed this early,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. “Contracts can be a distraction for young guys drafted high, but now he can put all that behind him and focus on making himself better and making us a better team.”
            A multiple first-team 2011 All-America selection, Kirkpatrick last year helped lead Alabama to its second BCS national championship in his three years at the school. He proved himself throughout his career as a confident defender who can physically outperform receivers and play tough against the run.
            “Dre was the tallest (6-2) of the top corners in the draft, and with all the big receivers in the league right now, we see that as an extra advantage for us,” said Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. “He does a great job at the line of scrimmage. He’s been coached hard with a national championship team, so we really like his pedigree.”
            Kirkpatrick’s signing is the earliest by a top Bengals draft pick since 2003, when Cincinnati sealed a deal on April 24 with QB Carson Palmer, the top overall selection in that draft.
            “Like Coach (Lewis) says, it’s just great to have this part done,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’m happy to officially be a Bengal, and I’m going to be the best player I can be for the team and our fans.”
            The Bengals have now signed six of the team’s 10 choices from the draft. Also signed are DT Devon Still of Penn State (second round), TE Orson Charles of Georgia (fourth), CB Shaun Prater of Iowa (fifth), WR Marvin Jones of California (fifth) and S George Iloka of Boise State (fifth).

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Xavier's Mack announces hiring of two coaches

CINCINNATI --- Xavier University head basketball coach Chris Mack announced today that he has filled the two vacancies on his staff with Drexel assistant Ashley Howard and Delaware assistant Mike Pegues. Both coaches come from successful programs in the Colonial Athletic Conference.
“After conducting an extensive search over the last few weeks I am excited to welcome Ashley Howard and Mike Pegues as assistant coaches to the staff,” said Mack. “Both Mike and Ashley are high character people and will add to our program immediately. Like all of our assistant coaches, Mike and Ashley will have a hand in everything we do at Xavier, from coaching on the court to player development to recruiting. Both men left their alma maters to come and be a part of Xavier University and our program, which tells me they have a tremendous belief in the vision of Xavier Basketball.”
Ashley Howard spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Drexel University under James "Bruiser" Flint. Drexel finished 29-7 overall this past season, winning the CAA Regular Season Championship with a 16-2 record and advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
“Ashley has been around the game his entire life,” said Mack. “He is a tireless worker and will bring energy every single day to the practice floor. He's worked with countless pros even before he hit the college floor in a coaching capacity. It was very evident in talking to some of his former players that Ashley deeply impacts the players he coaches.”
Mike Pegues spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Delaware, under head coach Monté Ross. Delaware finished 18-14 this past season, including 12-6 in the CAA. Pegues, a 2000 UD graduate with a degree in communications, served as video coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth during the 2009-10 season, helping the Rams to a record of 27-9 and the Collegiate Basketball Invitational title.
“Mike starts his time at Xavier with a tremendous pedigree,” said Mack. “As a high school player Mike was coached by the legendary Morgan Wooten and then established himself as the University of Delaware's all-time leading scorer. He did it with an IQ for the game he learned at a young age. He's used that gift to help develop post players his last two years at Delaware. I'm excited about Mike's future.”
 (MORE)

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MLB

Will Youkilis finish the seaon in Boston?
Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports
According to one rival executive, Valentine wanted Youkilis out as far back as spring training, viewing him as a liability. Youkilis surely can sense that he is not wanted. And Youkilis surely wants to prove Valentine wrong, whether it’s with the Red Sox or some other club

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Glass half full or half empty?

The Reds are 19-18 after 37 games.
They have not been more than 2 games above .500 or more than 4 games below .500.
As listener/Twitter follower Tyler Grote (@GroteT) points out:
The Reds have played 13 of 37 games vs St Louis and Washington.
The Nationals lead MLB in ERA. The Cardinals are 2nd in NL in offense.
The Reds are 15-9 vs everyone else (.625).

I would add....
The Reds are 3-4 halfway through their 14 game run vs teams with winning records.
1-2 Washington
1-1 Atlanta
1-1 New York Mets

The Cardinals beat the Reds 11-1 on April 18.
The Cardinals were 9-3 after that win. They have gone 13-13 since.
The Reds were 4-8 after that loss. They have gone 15-10 since.

The Reds strength of schedule so far this season ranks 8th (.510).
The Cardinals strength of schedule so far this season ranks T26th (.484).

The Reds are still only 2.5 games back of St Louis.

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Reds vs Yankees

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Show preview
3:05, Sports Talk, ESPN 1530
6:05, Inside Pitch, 700 WLW
Topics
Reds: Who is most responsible for the 19-18 record? Walt, Dusty, or the players?
Interleague/DH: Next year there will an interleague game on the schedule every day (15 AL/15 NL teams). Isn't it time to decide what to do with the DH?

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Reds

Riding the roller coaster
Reds game by game

W-L-W-LL-W-LLL-W-LL-WW-L-WWW-LL-WW-L-WW-L-WW-L-W-LL-WW-L-W-L

2 game winning streaks: 4
2 game losing streaks: 4
3 game winning streaks: 1
3 game losing streaks: 1

Top of the order
Thursday after the #1 and #2 hitters in the order, Cozart and Stubbs, came to the plate 9 times. They were 0 for 9 with 5 K.
Cozart is 3 for his last 32 (.094) and 11 for his last 59 (.186). What would it take for Dusty to throw Cozart a life line and remove him from the leadoff spot?

Latos lacking
Mat Latos went 5 innings Thursday. It was the 5th time in 8 starts he has failed to make it through six innings. He is averaging just over 5 innings per start.
8 starts=44.2 innings. Most disturbing is the fact he's averaging 90 pitches per start in those 5+ innings.
Numbers:
San Diego: 3.37 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 7.6 H/9, 2.8 BB/9
Cincinnati:   4.63 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 9.6 H/9, 4.3 BB/9

Chapman: Back to back
Yesterday was the 16th appearance of the season by Aroldis Chapman.
It was also the first time this season he's been used on back to back days.
He allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, threw 35 pitches and allowed an unearned run.
He did not appear sharp and his fastball was in the low 90's.
ERA/Career numbers by days of rest:
2 days: 1.01 in 26.2 innings
1 day: 1.44 in 25 innings
0 days: 3.18 IN 17 innings
He pitched on back to back days 12 times in 2011: 3.75 ERA, 10 BB, 12 IN.
After throwing a season tying high of 35 pitches yesterday you would figure he's unavailable today.

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Stuff

Only 4.3% of MLB players have a college degree

Wall Street Journal: Why football (soccer) is better than football

Happy Friday: Bar Refaeli from SI swimsuit

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Love this!

Every team gives away bobbleheads. How about this one from the Braves?
It is the classic Sid Bream slide to beat the throw from Pirates LF Barry Bonds and send Atlanta to World Series in 1992. (Thanks listener Dave)

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Get well shout out!
Get well wishes to Clay Eifert (principal of Holy Cross High School).
He's been battling skin cancer for the past two years.
He underwent a procedure yesterday that went well, without complications, but the absolute success is not yet known. 

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100 Hole Golf Marathon
From listener Jason
The annual Cincinnati Golfers for Charity 100 hole Marathon takes place this Friday 5/18. I will be attempting to play 100 holes in 12 hours, to raise funds for local children's charities. The charities that we are benefiting this year are The Make a Wish Foundation of Cincinnati and Katie's House.  Katie's House is a new therapy center for children with special needs, like Megan.  They will provide speech, physical and occupational therapy.  It is named for Katie Haumesser.  Katie was a 1997 graduate from McNicholas High School who was a speech therapist.  In 2006, she was killed by a drunk driver going the wrong way on I-275.  This house
is dedicated to her memory. My goal is to raise at least $2500, please help me get there! You can donate online on my personal page, www.cgc.kintera.org/2012/boberschmidt, or by check made out to:  Cincinnati Golfers for Charity.

RGI River Run seeks seventh straight record year for # of participants and $ raised!


CINCINNATI, Ohio – Kicks For Kids (KFK) is excited to announce that the 16th Annual RGI River Run will once again launch the Tri-state’s summer running season!  A 5K run/walk whose course bridges Covington, Cincinnati, and Newport, the RGI River Run is designed and priced to appeal to top runners, recreational athletes, and families.  Taking place at 9:15 AM on the Saturday (5/26/12) of Memorial Day weekend, the proceeds of the RGI River Run will support KFK’s efforts to “level the playing field” for local children who are challenged physically, mentally or by the environment in which they live.  A portion of the funds raised will also assist three of KFK’s long-standing partners: the Aaron W. Perlman Center and the Division of Child Life (both located at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center) and Covington Partners.
2011 was the sixth consecutive record year for the event, as the number of runners/walkers jumped to 1,460 and last year’s net proceeds rose to over $55,000.00.  The total funds raised from this event since its inception will approach $600,000 in 2012!
On-line registration is available through 11:59 PM on May 23 at www.kicksforkids.org.  For more information, please call Ted at 859-331-8484.

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Preakness Day
Handicapper Dan Cronin

The 1st play of the day is VERY early 10:30am
1st race  3,5,6,7  starts the early pick 3      3,5,6,7, with 3,4,7 with 1,3,5,7     $48 but could pay $500.
make extra ticket with the 4 in the 2nd race if you want.   First is wide open we took some prices.
2nd race Start another pick 3   3,4,7 with 1,3,5,7 with 4   $12 could pay $250  The horse in the 4th race cant lose .
3rd Race 1,3,5,7 should end that first pick 3 and also the middle leg of the 2nd bet.  bet is another pick 3 to start     1,3,5,7 with 4  with ALL      this could pay anything if we get luck in the 5th  cost $56.
4th like I said Paynter #4 is a mortal cinch.  If there was ever a horse in racing that cant lose its him. He would have to fall down and break a leg to lose.   So we got the pick 3's all around him to make money
pick 3     4 with ALL with 2,3,4,8    extra tickets with the 4.
5th   IMPOSSIBLE   just let the long shot win so we got prices in pick 3
6th Bet straight on #4 IF we somehow lose pick 3.....but if pick 3 is alive just root for 2,3,4,8
I like Laurie Rocket at 3-1 to win
7th IMPOSSIBLE   go drink a beer
8th   Here is my secret long shot of the day please dont tell everyone   10-1 Wildcat Brief .   The form is misleading as a massive breakdown of another horse happened right in front of him last time so it looks like he ran last but he never tried they had to stop him with the fallen horse on the track right in his path.  This horse might pay $25 to win.......lets take a shot.
9th race  start of my favorite bet the pick 4  here is what we will do.  1,9,10,11,12 with ALL with 3,4,9,10,11 with 7,9    50 cent play is 5* 9*5*2  divided by 2  is $225......ok its a lot but if it hits it could pay $10000.00
If your budget is smaller try  1,9,10,11,12 with 1,2,5,8,9 with 3,4,9 with 7,9  $75  ......you are throwing out the long shots but still have all the logical horses.
10th is impossible that's why I want ALL
11th I really like #9 Air Support 5-1 but I want to make sure I got the bet going so I am using the other 3,4,5,9,10,11
12th Preakness Stakes    
Well I am still mad at Bodemeister and him quitting on me.  I guess he was carrying too much weight knowing that if he made it 200 more yards my sons tuition to LaSalle was paid for 4 years with 1 check.   Still sick to my stomach but oh well here we go .
I think Bode will lead again to the top of the stretch and I think the Derby winner I'LL Have Another will come running at him again and I think they hit the wire in a Photo finish that leaves everyone screaming!!!!!!!
I think the only other horse with a shot is Went the Day Well.    If you make exacta box take 5,7,9
If you bet trifecta take 7,9 with 7,9 with ALL  ....then 5,7,9, with 5,7,9 with all    
If you want a larger box  5,6,7,9  

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