Cool
Have you seen these on digital billboards around town? This afternoon it’s on a billboard north of 275…and they will be rotating on boards around Cincinnati this weekend.
Congrats: Joey Votto is your Face of MLB
Votto beat out Matt Kemp 67% to 33% in a total of 693,198 votes.
He told MLB Network's Hot Stove show:
"Wow, thank you very much. Consider the irony that the face of MLB is on a phone with you guys and not a camera.
"The fans were fantastic. When I faced off vs Jeter I thought...no shot. It was everybody but me."
Votto also praised Lisa Braun and Jamie Ramsey of the Reds for their efforts in leading the campaign....and mentioned the help Matt and Dallas Latos and all his teammates.
On playing in WBC: "I'm being really cautious. I'm on the roster (Canada), I really hope I can play. I think I'm going to play."
Here is the final bracket
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6:05, Sports Talk
Guest
6:35, John Thornton
7:05, Charlie Coles
Topics
Reds: Jeff Brantley told me last night, that Mike Leake will play as big a role as Aroldis Chapman in the transition for Chapman. As a scout and agent both told me, "So will Broxton.". Hmmmm.
Realignment: What does it all mean for XU and UC
Off Beaten Path: Tri-State Bucket List....in honor of my trip to Price Hill Chili...things you must see, do and try.
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College basketball
Big East leftovers just as strong as Catholic 7's new conference
Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News
As they await rescue, however, their circumstance is not as dire as many portray it to be.
Conference USA Redux? The Big Least? There are lots of jokes, and some who condemn the new league aren’t even bothering with humor. They’ll just say it stinks — while at the same time lauding the “Catholic 7.”
Competitively, however, there’s not an enormous difference between the two groups.
Catholic 7 could begin play as early as next season
SI
The future of the Catholic Seven basketball conference is expected to become more clear within the next week. An announcement about the television contract with Fox and the teams that the league plans to add could come as early as Tuesday at a Fox Television event in New York City.
Perhaps the most significant development is that the new league appears headed toward beginning play next season, with one source saying that there's a "better chance" that the league starts in 2013-14 than in 2014-15.
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Bengals
The Bengals today designated DE Michael Johnson as the team’s franchise player, under terms of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The franchise designation gives Johnson the option to sign with the Bengals for 2013 for a salary specified by a formula within the CBA. Last season, Johnson helped lead the Bengals to the playoffs with 11.5 sacks, second-most by any Cincinnati player since 1983 (exceeded only by DT Geno Atkins’ 12.5 last season).
“Obviously we are committed to re-signing Mike,” said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, “and this move is part of the process to keep a young and promising defense together. Mike has worked hard to improve himself every year during his time as a Bengal, helping us to the postseason three of four years. We have every reason to believe he will continue to grow as a leader and productive player.”
Johnson is a free agent and will have the right to negotiate with other teams, but the franchise-player designation means that should he agree to terms with another team, the Bengals could retain him by matching the offer. Should the Bengals decline to match a competing offer, the team signing Johnson would be required to give the Bengals two first-round draft choices.
Johnson and the Bengals are still permitted to negotiate for a multi-year contract, either before or after Johnson might elect to sign the one-year franchise-player offer for 2013.
A fifth-year NFL player in 2013, Johnson was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after a three-sack performance at Washington in Week 3 of last season. The 6-7, 270-pounder from Georgia Tech was a Bengals third-round draft choice in 2009. He has played in every regular-season and postseason game of his Cincinnati career (67 total), and he has regular-season career totals of 23 sacks, two interceptions and 18 passes defensed.
“This guy has come up in our system, he plays about 85 percent of our snaps, and he’s the kind of guy we love to have around,” said defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. “He’s hard-working and a great team player. He’s an outstanding run defender in addition to his pass rush production. He’s got great length and size, and great speed off the edge.”
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Reds
Mark Prior in camp with Reds
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UC football
Q/A with Tommy Tuberville
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Is netting at MLB games next?
Baseball fan who lost eye can sue over foul ball injury
CBS News
A man who lost an eye after being hit by a foul ball at a baseball game can seek damages from a minor league team in Idaho. The Idaho Supreme Court decided not to impose the "Baseball Rule" of liability in the lawsuit brought by Bud Rountree, instead choosing to let a jury decide if watching baseball is an inherently dangerous activity done at the spectator's own risk. Rountree was struck by a ball while watching the Boise Hawks, a Chicago Cubs farm team.
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Faces
With all the talk of Joey Votto as the Face of MLB, what about faces of Cincinnati sports?
This was the debate at lunch yesterday: Faces of _____ present/all-time:
Reds
Present
All-Time
Bengals
Present
All-Time
UC basketball
Present
All-Time
UC football
Present
All-Time
XU basketball
Present
All-Time
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NCAA
Jerry Palm's latest bracket from CBS
1-Indiana
3-Louisvile
4-Butler
6-Ohio State
9-Cincinnati
12-Kentucky (vs Villanova at UD Arena)
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Chapman
It was short, sweet and to the point for Aroldis Chapman in his first spring start.
He retired all six batters faced.
1st inning: ground out 2B, pop up 2B, ground out to pitcher (9 pitches/8 strikes)
2nd inning: ground out SS, ground out SS, strikeout swinging (13 pitches/9 strikes)
By my count, Chapman threw 22 pitches: 17 strikes, 5 balls.
Boxscore
Retrospective Prospect Battle: Larkin vs Stillwell
Jay Bruce prank
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UC
Report: Big East split could be very close
Hoard: Kilpatrick and Bearcats aim for return to form
Mo has a caption contest for the new UC uniforms
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UC football
Spring football begins today
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Stuff
Cool gesture by Ken Griffey Jr
Jones joins 1,000 club, NKU wins
Love this idea
Steelers Fantasy Camp
Steelers.com
If you ever wanted to fulfill a dream of experiencing what the Steelers do at training camp then the 2013 Steelers Men's Fantasy Camp presented by Bud Light is your chance. You can stay in the dorms the Steelers use, eat in the team cafeteria and practice on the same field the six-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers have done for the past 47 years at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Xavier trick shot
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