By Scott Springer on May 18, 2012 12:14 PM
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While UC recruits nationally, it's no secret that the Tri-State area is loaded in terms of football talent.
Some of the best in the area will be on display in several venues late in the summer as the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown XV takes place. This year, as in years past, marquees games will be played at Nippert Stadium and one will actually take place at the Sheakley Athletic Center (a/k/a "The Bubble", though obviously the bubble will be down).
If you're a football fan and enjoy "The Nipp" or the "Friday Night Lights" at other areas, it's worth it to attend these games. In the past, numerous Bearcats have played in this event and many point to their enjoyment of Nippert Stadium as their reason for eventually coming to UC.
Of course, not all of them do, but it's a nice event no matter who you pull for. Here's something I wrote in the recent week on the games:
CORRYVILLE In-Game Sports, the owner and operator of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown announced the 15th anniversary schedule of prep football games on May 15 at the University of Cincinnati.
The list includes 42 schools playing 21 games over a 10-day period and will utilize several venues.
The 2012 event starts Aug. 17 at Dixie Heights High School with defending district champion Campbell County playing Covington Catholic at 6 p.m. The nightcap will feature Dixie Heights and defending district champ Newport Central Catholic at 8:30.
The first Ohio game is Aug. 22 with Reading and Roger Bacon meeting at 5:30 at Colerain High School. Following that, at 8 p.m. will be Mount Healthy and North College Hill.
Aug. 23 will shift the games to Sycamore where Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Madeira will have a rematch of their first-round playoff game. The Eagles spoiled the Mustangs' perfect season last fall with a 16-10 victory. After that 5:30 game, Wyoming will square off under new head coach Aaron Hancock against Bishop Fenwick.
A new wrinkle takes place Aug. 24 at UC's Sheakley Athletics Complex, where the Bearcats use "the bubble" during the winter months. Finneytown and Northwest will have a 7 p.m. kick-off at that 1,500 seat field.
The same night, Anderson and Sycamore play at 6 p.m. at Nippert.
"It'll be a real challenge for us," Sycamore coach Scott Dattilo said. "Anderson's such a good program with great coaching. They're not too far removed from a state championship and state runner-up (2007 and 2008)."
It's been a while since Sycamore's been in the kick-off event and the Aves are happy to wear their green and gold on "the big field".
"When we told them we'd be playing in it, that was the first thing they asked me, 'Are we going to be playing at UC?'," Dattilo said.
Following Anderson/Sycamore, it'll be Middletown and St. Xavier at 8:30 on Aug. 23. The Bombers advanced to the state semi's last season, while the Middies feature Ohio State commit Jalin Marshall.
On Friday, Aug. 24, Elder gets into the mix by hosting Centerville at "The Pit" at 7:30. Across the river, it'll be a Northern Kentucky double-header with Simon Kenton hosting the Beechwood Tigers at 6. The late game is district champion Cooper against the defending Division 2A champion Holy Cross.
The games return to Nippert Stadium Aug. 25, opening with Walnut Hills clashing with Oak Hills at 3 p.m. The Eagles of George Kontsis made their Showdown debut a year ago with a win over Wyoming. Walnut Hills eventually made their first playoff appearance.
(Joseph Fuqua II/Cincinnati Enquirer/ Walnut Hills coach George Kontsis speaking at the Skyline Chili Crosstown Luncheon)
"I think it (the Wyoming game) was the catalyst that took us over the top," Kontsis said. "It really changed the culture of our program. It was a championship program with championship coaches and we came from behind twice to win."
Like Sycamore, Walnut Hills savors the idea of playing in a college stadium.
"That was huge motivation for our guys coming back in the offseason," Kontsis said. "Last year, we played a great game at Colerain, but this year we're on a big stage at Nippert Stadium. To play in that venue is really exciting."
At 5:30 on Aug. 25, Colerain takes on Ohio DI runner-up Pickerington Central. The Final game of the day is an 8 o'clock kick-off between La Salle and Lakota West.
However. there are more Aug. 25 games as Dayton's Welcome Stadium will host four contests.
Hamilton and Springfield start the day at noon, followed by Northmont and Princeton at 2:45. The third game is Wayne and Winton Woods at 5:30, with Dayton Dunbar and Valley View wrapping things up at 8:15.
The Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown concludes at Kings High School Aug. 26 with defending DII state champ Trotwood-Madison playing University School from Fort Lauderdale, Florida as part of the ESPNHS Kickoff Classic. The second game (times to be determined) involves the Gilman School from Baltimore against seven-time Ohio state champion Moeller.
"We're excited, the team we're playing is really good and has a lot of players committed to college," Moeller coach John Rodenberg said. "We're honored to finish up the 'Crosstown'. We like being in it."
Moeller is also celebrating it's 50th year of football with special Nike uniforms and Rodenberg hopes to give the Crusaders a taste of nostalgia while at Kings.
"I told the guys we'll take them across the street because the scoreboard is still there at the Hall of Fame (Galbreath Field) where Moeller used to play. It's kind of like going back to our original roots."
Showdown tickets will be available July 1 at the participating schools. Advance tickets to muli-game sessions will be $10.
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 18, 2012 9:18 AM
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Andrea Adelson at ESPN posted her post-spring Big East power rankings today. You can find them here.
She ranks UC fourth. Louisville held down the top spot still living off their late-season surge from their young team and QB Teddy Bridgewater. Prognosticating the Big East has come with one assurance in recent years and that's placing West Virginia at the top and underestimating the Bearcats.
With WVU gone, the league opens up even more than already expected. And, of course, UC predicts to the middle of the pack. In related news, studies show people enjoy weekends more than work days.
Does this ranking make sense? Sure it does. Andrea does a nice job. The Bearcats lost the Offensive Player of the Year, Co-Defensive Player of the Year, leading tackler, quarterback and four NFL Draft picks.
The teams AA placed above UC all return starting quarterback (Rutgers both who played last season). Bottom line, whenever doing college football rankings, place the returning quarterbacks at the top and you'll typically look good. It's the default sportswriter template. The Times New Roman of predictions.
Just take a look at the Big East champs the last five years:
2011: Louisville, WVU, UC -- Geno Smith and Zach Collaros both were returning while Bridgewater took over for the Cards 2010: UConn -- Zach Fraser and Cody Endres both returned 2009 -- UC -- Tony Pike was back 2008 -- UC -- Tony Pike took over 2007 -- WVU -- Pat White final season
That's right, only the 2009 Bearcats and Louisville share last year involved a team with a new quarterback. UC would love to follow the Cardinals model from last year with a dominating defense and dynamic quarterback setting tone. It could happen, but predicting it would be tough to do.
Still, why would anybody in Clifton care about these rankings? UC in the middle of the pack is as much a rite of spring as mothers awkwardly pinning boutonnieres on daughters prom dates.
Last year, Brian Bennett was still writing for the Big East blog and placed UC 7th-most likely to win the Big East at 25-to-1 odds.
UC has work cut out for it this year and a number of unknown quantities will be counted on to play major roles (ie QB, RB, MLB). Even if they were returning the entire squad, though, to expect any type of respect this type of year would be ignoring the pattern. And as long as that pattern plays out in the same way it has three of the past four years, nobody will care.
--- Randomness....
--- Josh Harrison continued his hot streak with two more hits Thursday. If you missed all the information about the UC MLBearcats, here is the link to yesterday's Breakfast.
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 17, 2012 9:52 AM
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Wanted to open today with an update on the UC baseball players in MLB. It's been a big year for the three Bearcats for myriad of reasons.
You have Tony Campana (Chicago Cubs) who won't receive a better chance to prove himself in the Bigs than this season. With the Cubs in a rebuilding year and starting OF Marlon Byrd jettisoned to Boston, he's been given the opportunity to play about 80 percent of the time and show he belongs.
To this point, he's answered that question with a resounding yes in the form of a .324 batting average. He's played in 23 games with 23 hits, four doubles and nine stolen bases.
Tony contends that if he was allowed to play every day he could obliterate the team's stolen base mark. The Chicago record is 67, set in 1903 by Frank Chance. Stealing bases has become more difficult in recent years. In fact, only three players have stolen at least 70 bases since 2000.
"I've told people before that if I played every day and did what I hope I
could do at the plate, I could give myself a chance to get close to
100," he said. "Once you get past a certain number, people are going to
really pay more attention to you. But I'd like to think I could come
close."
If you look at the numbers across baseball, while Campana is tied for 10th in stolen bases across the league, if you take into account the number of at-bats he used to get to that point his efficiency is as good as it gets.
His nine stolen bases in 71 at-bats gives him a rate of one stolen base for every 7.9 plate appearances.
MLB stolen basers leader Emilio Bonafacio, 20 stolen bases (without being caught once, BTW!), is the only player with a higher efficiency at 7.2. As for third place on that list -- the next closest is Jordan Schafer (Houston) at 10.8. At this point, as far as pure threat to steal in baseball, there is only Bonaficio, Campana and then everybody else.
--- Moving on to Josh Harrison, who sparked this idea with his big game last night for Pittsburgh. Harrison's season has been a mixed bag as he played primarily off the bench and in a utility role for the Buccos. He's hitting .222 in his 36 at-bats.
Last night he went 2 for 4 with his first home run of the season and three RBI.
Here was his bomb, which came off of Nats stud starter Gio Gonzalez.
Granted, Harrison is dealing in a small sample size, but if you look at his RBI production per at-bat, he leads the team by a wide margin.
He contributed eight RBI in 36 plate appearances. Returning to the Campana efficiency theory, he's averaging an RBI every 4.5 at-bats.
Next best on the team with at least 20 at-bats? Pedro Alvarehttp://cstv.collegesports.com/mt/mt.cgi?__mode=view&_type=entry&blog_id=19z at 6.3. --- Finally, Kevin Youkilis currently sits on the disabled list (lower back strain) and has returned to the radar of many in this town as rumors circulated the Reds could make a deal for the veteran third baseman.
In the 18 games he's played before the injury he was hitting just .219 with two bombs. Drastically declined statistics from his career averages.
His rehab assignment with former Dan Hoard stomping grounds with the Pawtucket Red Sox began last night with a walk and a double. His storyline will be an interesting one to watch as he returns to health. And who know, maybe he'll even return to playing baseball in Cincinnati, a place he's openly admitted when be one of the few he would want to be traded to.
While I attempt to wash my eyes out with soap, let's eat...
--- UC will be holding a football open house for prospective 2012 season ticket holders. As I think you all know right now, I'm not here to spin wild promotional propaganda nor am I here to shove tickets down anybody's throat. I will only say that the bargain and treatment that is being given to UC season ticket holders is about as good as you'll see in college football right now.
The Bearcats are hosting an Open House on June 5 from 6-8 at the Lindner Center for folks to talk to Butch Jones, AD Whit Babcock and other UC reps while looking at seats for season tickets next year.
If I had the time and resources to come up with the cheapest season ticket package in the BCS, I can almost guarantee you I'd find UC's celebration of their 125th season by offering a season-ticket package for $125 as the lowest (sections 101/201). That does not even require joining UCats.
For the record, that's $17.85 a game.
Other packages include red zone season tickets the next section over for $160, the Bearcat Lair sections in the end zone under the scoreboard for $175. There are plenty more packages, you can call the UC ticket office at 1-877-CATS-TIX or head over to catstix.com.
Between the cheap prices, seven games on campus and personal attention, it's a pretty darn good deal. I know it's hard to take these comments seriously coming from someone who gets in for free every game, but you can't deny how much you get for your money.
--- Tweet came from Cash Wright yesterday that he was playing HORSE with Aaron Craft, Gov. John Kasich and Clark Kellogg. Unless this is how they decided to settle which schools receive funding, this didn't sound like standard parliamentary procedure.
Actually, UC was being honored for their Sweet 16 run and Cash traveled up to Columbus along with assistant coach Darren Savino to represent the team.
Kasich was honoring the four Ohio schools that made it into the Round of 16.
"@pauldehnerjr problem isn't lack of marquee games it's the quality of 2nd tier home games More MAC teams rather than Chicago st would help"
This point is understandable and probably legit for season-ticket holders, but understanding the financial state of college basketball scheduling is necessary to refute it. Those MAC and other mid-major schools are well aware of their value on team's schedules and the financial disparity between playing them the lowest tiers of D-I is staggering.
Do other schools play more of those teams? Probably. But you have to take into the account the financial limitations UC has in comparison to the Louisvilles and Syracuses of the conference. That's all part of it.
And while I understand always wanting to see better competition, would Eastern Michigan coming to UC really sell more tickets than Chicago State? You'll have a hard time selling that concept on this blog.
Props to @ucwais for broaching the topic. Appreciate the feedback and its a good conversation worth having. --- Filed under "stories I should have touched on two days ago," JK Schaffer was named Mr. Bearcat for 2012. No, that doesn't mean his ditching his pro career for professional mascoting, it means he was the top graduating senior man in terms of academic and leadership achievements, according to the Sigma Sigma Honor fraternity.
If you have ever read this blog before, you are well aware my feelings on that topic. As easy a decision as they've had in front of them all year.
--- This might be well past my primary demographic, but PBS ran a fantastic Johnny Carson documentary the other night. Great stuff about a guy who essentially invented late-night TV. If you missed it, they are streaming the whole two-hour doc here.
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 15, 2012 9:53 AM
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Been a while since the blog broke out some serious statistical analysis. Today feels like a day to revisit. One that has always intrigued me is the non-conference scheduling.
Mick says he's still working with UK, which has an opening with the IU game falling out. US Bank Arena, anyone?
All of those topics will play themselves out, the one area I would like to get into is the concept that UC plays some sort of schedule far inferior to other Big East teams. Bearcats fans and detractors point out the lack of major opponents. Fair, and clearly a point Whit Babcock and Mick are working to improve.
But let's not get it twisted. UC follows the protocol most everyone else in the Big East does. It makes zero sense to load up with powerful opponents with a slate of 16 of them awaiting in January.
What I want to do is show you the numbers behind Big East schedules and you can judge for yourself how UC stacks up those in similar situations.
To start, let's look at how many BCS-football schools the basketball teams scheduled in the non-conference the past three seasons. I'll break it down by home/road/neutral. I'll add in the A-10, Missouri Valley and Mountain West since they've consistently sent multiple team to The Dance every year.
Here's the breakdown:
School Games/home/away/neutral Cincinnati 9/2/3/4 UConn 13/4/3/6 DePaul 11/2/1/8 Georgetown 12/3/3/6 Louisville 10/5/4/1 Marquette 13/4/4/5 Notre Dame 11/1/0/10 Pittsburgh 9/1/1/7 Providence 11/4/5/2 Rutgers 9/3/2/4 Seton Hall 16/6/3/7 USF 7/2/2/3 St. John's 14/6/4/4 Syracuse 14/5/2/7 WVU 11/3/3/5 Villanova 15/4/5/6 AVERAGE 11.6/3.4/2.8/5.3
*Games against Butler and Memphis counted toward the total. Louisville and Georgetown played each team once while Syracuse played Memphis one time.
--- What does it all mean?
Well, here's the biggest takeaway from those statistics: Half of the league has played more than three high-end home games in their non-conference over the past three years. The other half has been in the same boat as the Bearcats. Five teams have the same amount of home games as the Bearcats or less. Pitt and Notre Dame have less. (Though an asterisk should be place next to ND which plays many games considered neutral site against Indiana-based squads)
About one big home game per year is the norm for the league. That's pretty standard for UC, as well. Had this been a three-year period where UC hosted Xavier twice, they'd be right on that. And with the team's profile now raised, teams will be more willing to visit Fifth Third.
--- What's one of the biggest differences between UC and this top teams? The neutral site games. Those are typically tournaments that can only select one team from the Big East. Finding a way into invite-only events has been one of the most difficult aspects of scheduling through the rebuild. Next year, UC will take a trip to Las Vegas and with the recent success, more invites will be on the way.
--- Some of these teams (Villanova, Seton Hall) benefited in this particular breakdown from playing many of the A-10 bottom-feeders. Let's not go giving too much credit to both. The standard numbers are right around 11/12 games with a home/away and a neutral site tournament. That's it. The numbers support it and there's really no denying it.
There is also no denying that is typically what the Bearcats have done. As Mick says, they would like to be doing more in the non-conference, especially to reward the home fans, but they clearly aren't doing that much less than the rest of the Big East.
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 11, 2012 8:56 AM
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Wanted to keep the focus today on the early enrollment concept. This story by USA Today documents that UC leads the country in early enrollee football players with nine. The next closest is Ohio State and Miami (Fla.) with seven.
DB Kevin Brown, RB Deionte Buckley, OL Jonathan Burt, LB Errol Clark, QB Bennie Coney, TE DeShawn Dowdy, DB Marcus Foster, QB Trenton Norvell, DL Josh Posley.
While all receive benefits of enrolling early such as adapting to college life out of season, extra reps, transition to strenuous conditioning program, jumpstart on graduation and chemistry with teammates, for no position is it more important than at the quarterback spot.
The extra time and reps enjoyed while working with coaches allows them to really start understanding the playbook earlier to the point that by the time they arrive at training camp, they can take the reins with relative ease for a freshman.
Two early enrollees in college football last year played a major role in shaping college football and in one case, the Big East.
Ohio State's Braxton Miller enrolled early at Ohio State and down at Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater enrolled early for the Cards.
Tim Tebow, Matt Stafford, Christian Ponder, Matt Barkley and Aaron Murray are all also from the early-entry school of thought. Of the last seven mentioned, only Murray and Ponder didn't play their freshmen years.
What was the early impact for the other five?
Tim Tebow: Threw five TDs, ran for eight, combined for 827 yards and was able to contribute to a national championship along with Chris Leak. Went on to become first sophomore to win the Heisman.
Matt Stafford: Started as a freshman at the first snap. Was far from great his first year throwing seven TDs to 13 picks, but capable to leading the offense and became the No. 1 overall pick in three years.
Matt Barkley: Completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,735 yards starting from Day 1 with the Trojans. Teddy Bridgewater: Came on as QB early in the year and revitalized the Louisville attack, proving to be more ready than most anticipated. By the time the season concluded he led U of L to five wins in the last seven games and threw for 2,129 yards.
Braxton Miller: Took over midseason and became the lone spark in a stagnant Buckeyes offense. Combined for nearly 1,900 yards of offense.
Most of these were highly touted recruits and the connection doesn't always mean immediate impact, but certainly a proven track record exists of being more capable of contributing with the extra time in the spring. --- At UC last year, S Malcolm Murray, WR Shaq Washington, LB Dwight Jackson and LB Nick Temple were the only four early enrollees. The contributions could be seenat the linebacker position, specifically with Temple.
He impressed coaches last spring to the point that he filled into a reserve role at a position of need early in the season. He went on to start eight of 13 games at linebacker, by midyear he was playing a prominent role.
No freshman started more games. That's partly by situation and also partly because Temple was prepared mentally and physically.
Would he have been able to start eight games and play the major role he was by the end of the season without showing up early to Clifton? In his eyes, not necessarily. "With the conditioning back home I wasn't sitting down or watching TV, I was
running and lifting weights with my trainer," he said. "Playbook-wise it's not that
hard, but I don't think I would have been as ready as I was before the
season started."
He finished with 35 tackles, 2.5 for loss, one forced fumble and an interception. By the end of the season, his practice reps dictated he was a sophomore and he clearly played at that advanced level.
"Being here more playing with them and the speed of the game," he said, "I was reacting more instead of thinking."
More than anything, Temple references his overall comfort level entering the season. And feeling comfortable goes a long way to playing instinctively on the field.
"I thought I was a veteran here (in the fall)," Temple said. "I was showing them things, I was showing
them how to do stuff -- how to read the playbook, how to watch film and
all that stuff. I thought I had a more upper step of them when the rest
of my class came in."
--- As is seen across college football, this program in no way guarantees success, but it sure creates a more conducive situation for it. That's what Jones describes in his USA Today piece:
"We want to make sure they can handle the great
change in their lives. Your home is now the four walls of a dorm room.
The surroundings have changed, the culture has changed, your friends
have changed.
"You're dealing with 17- and
18-year olds, and the maturation process can be different for different
kids at that age. But they're putting themselves in position to play
earlier, and the kids who came in this year are doing well in school and
on the field. And they're also getting a jump on graduating in four
years, which we want to happen."
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 10, 2012 9:43 AM
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The Big East wheeled out interim commissioner Joe Bailey for a conference call with the media yesterday. With the state of the conference in flux, Bailey owns the job of holding the fort together while a new commissioner is found. He estimated that task will take three to four months.
In the meantime, a pressure remains to hold the current constituents together until the new TV deal -- expected to be negotiated in the fall.
Bailey painted an optimistic picture during a conference call. He reiterated the commitment from new members Boise State and San Diego State as well as others to being at the centerpiece of the new Big East. On the surface, Bailey could have been up there spinning the public relations magic. I doubt it, though.
Cincinnati stands at the centerpiece of a group of teams that -- while they don't make much sense through a historical or geographic lens -- can very much work in the new landscape of college football.
How does being a perennial power in one of the top six leagues in college football and an anchor of one of the greatest basketball conferences in the country sound? Oh, and toss in double or triple the current revenue from the TV contract.
You think if UC went undefeated in 2014 as they did in 2009 they would have a shot at the national title? Absolutely they would. And that's something you couldn't even say in 2009. Isn't that what this is all about? An opportunity to win championships -- conference and national -- while developing student-athletes?
It's the reality of what UC will be if this new Big East plan plays out. It's not bad at all. Anybody standing on the ledge needs to step off it, stop worrying about geographic oddities and realize the future is still pretty darn bright in Clifton.
1. Everyone wants to stick a fork in the conference with realignment speculation. Remember when everyone thought the Big 12 was dead? They just received a $20 million per team TV deal. Remember when everyone assumed four superconferences was the model? Apparently not.
2. This:
"But for as much as realignment has changed the landscape of college
sports, one thing hasn't changed. The Big East was the No. 6 conference
before, and it will be the No. 6 conference after. The only difference
is the gap between No. 6 and No. 7 has grown wider than ever.
It's
debatable whether the Big East is a nationally relevant football
conference now, but by grabbing the schools it grabbed, it has made
every conference beneath it irrelevant. Who knows whether that
translates to huge television money, but the marketplace for college
football is better than ever. The schools that brought their football
programs to the Big East stand to gain significantly more visibility and
television revenue than they ever could in the Mountain West or
Conference USA."
--- A few other interesting notes and quotes from the Bailey teleconference yesterday. He won't be at all involved in the negotiation of the new TV contract. That will fall on a consultant firm that will report back to the executive committee.
--- There are no expectations of a split between basketball-first and football-first schools. Keeping those two sides cohesive will be a major part of Bailey's job over the next few months, but there is little to gain financially for the basketball schools in being unattached to the big-money football paydays.
--- Really liked this exchange about the perception problem the Big East fights: "Q. Whether it's accurate or not, I think there's a perception
out there that the BIG EAST might be unraveling a bit or in a bit of
disarray. What short‑term things do you see out there that you can do
to perhaps refute that
image or to strengthen the perception of the BIG EAST on a national
scale?
JOE BAILEY: Well, I think, number
one, as far as perceptions are concerned, it's very clear that the
executive committee and the membership have made decisions about
retaining really, really well respected strategy management
consultants like Boston Consulting Group, Score Media for media, and
others, to really evaluate in order to reframe, refocus, set the tone
and move forward.
So that in and of itself should
send an enormous and very strong message to the marketplace that the BIG
EAST is very, very focused on making sure that the perception out there
isn't what you just described.
And in fact, it isn't. I can tell
you just from being in the meetings that I've been in, it's not at all.
It's a very cohesive, very focused group.
And in terms of what we can do
internally with all the stakeholders is simply to continue to send a
message that this is exactly what is taking place.
So it's a bit of really good communications internally along with very good communications externally.
--- Remember the Sporting News list that rated UC coach Butch Jones the top coach in the Big East? They have him as the 28th best coach in the country. --- Former Bearcats tight end Adrien Robinson only caught 12 passes last season and played in a rotation with Travis Kelce.
He was off the radar of NFL scouts and wasn't invited to the Combine. Yet, he used his opportunity at UC's Pro Day to show off his athleticism. He ran a 4.51 40-yard dash at 265 pounds.
What did the buzz of that day earn him? Well, after signing his deal yesterday, the fourth-round pick earned himself $385k up front signing bonus for a $2.5-million deal over four years.
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 9, 2012 9:30 AM
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Nick Van Exel among those being inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame tonight. I've touched on the Nicky Van topic earlier here, so I won't regurgitate it but I plan on heading out there and will have more for you from him in tomorrow's blog.
Can't think of a much better exercise than rehashing the 1992-93 Final Four season. Should be a fun night.
Let's eat... --- The latest on the UC-UK front that I have been talking about here the last few weeks. Mick Cronin spoke to Bill Koch about the possibility of getting matched up in the Big East/SEC Challenge. No new news on that front. There's speculation it could happen with UK a road team and UC a home team.
ESPN decides the matchups, so as Mick puts it to Bill, "there's 12 teams in the event so there's six home teams, we're one of six so there's a 17 percent chance it's going to happen."
Technically, with the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC, there will be 14 teams in the event and seven home teams. So, there's actually a 14.3 percent chance for those scoring at home.
The larger point being this should be more about logic and less about percentages, but when the WWL gets its hands, personal relationships and interests involved, you never know what's going to happen.
"Last year we lobbied for Kentucky but ESPN picks the matchups," Cronin
said to Koch. "Now there's speculation that Kentucky will be sent here because
they're a road team and we're a home team. You'd think it would be
logical because we're close by. But ESPN makes that decision."
--- Elsewhere on the basketball schedule front, we have more from the IU hunt. The reports which surfaced yesterday about Indiana and Louisville attempting to workout a deal for the home-and-home vacated by Kentucky have been tabled until next year, according to ESPN.
Does that open up the possibility for UC to swing in next year against the projected No. 1 team in the country? Probably not. Looks like IU is going with a buy game at home to fill the spot, according to Rick Pitino and the Louisville Courier-Journal. --- Good news for P/K Jake Rogers. Despite being cut by Tampa Bay earlier this week, he was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. Apparently Pittsburgh also put a claim in on the former UC kicker.
Dallas will be a good spot for Rogers. He'll have a great opportunity to be the everyday kicker. Consider that last year's starter Matt McBriar ranked 29th in the NFL in net punting average (min. 40 punts). He ranked 26th in average total distance (43.8).
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 8, 2012 8:44 AM
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No other place to start today than with yesterday's resignation of Big East commissioner John Marinatto. He stepped down and UC President Dr. Gregory Williams takes over as chair of the search committee for his replacement.
Bottom line: Issue 1 is the TV negotiations. Issue 2? TV negotiations. Issue 3? You see where this is going.
These negotiations represent the single-biggest moment in the new era of the conference. And for no program in the Big East is it more important than UC. Just ask Babcock.
Why should UC be encouraged as the administration changes shape? Well, having your own leader molding that shape is ideal.
So much speculation about which program will be ditching which conference to go here or there dominates the headlines. It still serves as a subhead to the Marinatto story with rumors of Louisville ditching the conference swirling and nobody forgetting UConn's attempt to join the ACC last year. One quote Williams had for Koch which I thought was particularly telling was in discussing how dedicated UC is to this conference. For those who keep pounding the pavement for the Bearcats to consider bouncing, they are not paying attention.
UC views itself as a central figure in the Big East and that's the main reason why Williams jumped to the forefront of the situation. "I looked at this and thought about this for quite some time," Williams
said. "It appeared to me after my discussions with coaches and other
folks that our best possibility to emerge as a school of athletic
prominence in this country was to be in the Big East. It was quickly
clear to me that I needed to do everything I could to help the Big East
not only to stay alive but also to thrive."
Nobody knows what will happen in the future, such has been the nature of all conference realignment. We do know this, if the league can score a big-money deal with their next TV contract the stability grows exponentially with each figure. That could mean holding on to programs considering defection and rewarding those who are dedicated to the league's future. In Cincinnati, that could mean a monumental turning point toward renovating Nippert Stadium/Fifth Third Arena.
The UC guy is now in charge of finding the right man for those negotiations. You couldn't ask to be in better hands.
Let's eat...
--- An interesting thought to ponder: In the old Big East, the AQ status is what kept the league relevant and UC within striking distance of prominent bowls and national championships.
In a new Big East, the lack of AQ status could be exactly what keeps the league relevant and within striking distance of prominent bowls and national championships.
Think about it. In the past, the lock into the AQ allowed the hunt for a Big East championship to decide if a postseason would be spent on a national stage in the BCS.
Now, with the AQ lost and the Big East fighting to be recognized among the other forming football power conferences, a great year in the Big East coupled with a great non-conference win or two would place them into a possible playoff instead of an AQ system limiting the spots available for participation.
Mean anything? Not really. But a unique twist, anyway.
--- On to other topics, if you missed it, I spoke with Armon Binns yesterday about the opportunity in front of him with the Bengals. Armon is one of the real good guys in the game and one of my favorites that I covered. When he came out of UC undrafted, few gave him a chance, but he certainly has one in Cincinnati. If the words of coaches mean anything, they think he will shock everyone with how much he's improved over the last year.
He'll be in the mix for the No. 2 WR spot in preseason and at the very least in line for playing time all season barring injury. --- I've mentioned here the interest UC would have in picking up Indiana's empty spot as UK dropped them. Well, it appears Louisville is attempting to swoop in on it, according to ESPN.
--- While we are on scheduling, rumors are continuing to float about the Big East/SEC Challenge. This one has Syracuse heading to play new SEC member Mizzou in Columbia. As it states, though, all the games for this series are still in flux. Probably another two weeks until we hear the official slate.
Still sitting with fingers crossed hoping Kentucky is coming to Fifth Third.
--- Congrats to UC pitcher Zach Morris, who was named to the Big East Honor Roll for the second time this season. The freshman left-hander tossed his first career complete-game shutout. It came Saturday at UConn featuring seven strikeouts, two walks and just five hits. --- Tweet of the day: @GoBearcats: Did You Know? #Bearcats student-athletes have accumulated 3,753 hours of community service in 2011-12.
Stuff like this often goes unnoticed, and man, that is a lot of quality time spent in the community.
--- Love the idea ofAndre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in this biopic. On a related note, anybody hit up the Big Boi concert his weekend? I wasn't able to make it and curious the reviews.
--- Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell released their trailer for The Campaign. Looks like the standard strong stuff from guys who you'd expect nothing less from.
--- I don't know the nameof this amusement park ride. Though, I think The Regurgitator would make plenty of sense. Feeling sick just watching.
--- Some creepy David Bowie live footage seems fitting today. Enjoy the day everybody.
By Paul Dehner Jr. on May 7, 2012 10:45 AM
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For UC football fans, this image will be engrained into their memory forever. Tony Pike to Armon Binns. Undefeated regular season.
I broached the play last week as we discussed Tony Pike's opportunity for a tryout at Bengals rookie mini-camp. The receiver on the other end of the most famous pass in UC history owns a grandiose opportunity of his own at Paul Brown Stadium.
After being picked up as an undrafted free agent cast-off by the Jaguars at the end of last preseason, Binns spent the majority of the year on the practice squad. He was promoted off the PS when WR Andre Caldwell went on IR late in the year.
Rumors circulated in the weeks following the season that coaches were pushing for Binns to play an active role in the final week of the season and playoff game against Houston. He'd been that good in practice. He was inactive for both, but the mere thought of tossing a practice squad player in the fire for the season's biggest moments illustrated the progress he'd made in just one season.
While off the radar to the general public for a year, he's about to return to the forefront entering his second year in the league. The battle for playing time behind A.J. Green is more wide open than Binns was against Pitt. And he feels primed to seize the moment.
Binns has been able to go to school and attend offseason Bengals workouts since they're in the same city. He's wrapping his degree and plans to walk in June as a proud grad of UC. Here are thoughts from Binns on his progress entering what he hopes to be a monumental year.
PDJ: How far did your game come last year, stuff that nobody saw except in this locker room, just grinding on the practice field? Armon Binns: I feel like I made some huge strides in my knowledge of the game and my route-running ability. Just body control and everything. Just learning how to be a pro from some guys who have been in the league such a long time.
PDJ: How much was the mental technique and learning things more refined than you even thought they could be?
AB: The mental aspect of the game was what I walked away with, just learning what defenses see. Talking to Pacman (Jones) and Nate (Clements) about what they see when I am coming off the line and how I am triggering my breaks. Learning the whole idea of defenses and coverages and everything. PDJ: What did they see when you first came here?
AB: Just playing high at times. Keying your breaks with your eyes and arms and things. Just little, subtle things that you don't really notice as a college player, because the game moves so fast.
PDJ: Always had ability to go up and get it, was that what you figured you needed to improve on coming into the league, the route-running techniques?
AB: Definitely, that's the thing a lot of scouts and stuff thought I couldn't do. So, that's the thing I wanted to work the hardest at and become more consistent at.
PDJ: This feel like a refreshing feeling here with the wide open battle. Whoever plays best between now and Baltimore will be the No. 2 WR?
AB: I think it's the best position I could have been in. I told someone last year was kind of like a redshirt year for me. I kind of got to sit back, learn a lot, but at the same time be in here with professionals playing the game. Now I come into a wide open situation where I just got to perform and be the best me I can be and hopefully everything will work out.
PDJ: You can be a great practice player, but you thrived when the lights came on Saturdays, how different is it going through the grind when the light at the end of the tunnel was so far off? AB: It was hard, man, but I just paced myself and kept faith in the Lord and kept grinding. One of the older guys told me just control what you put on film, so that's what I did, tried to work hard and control what I put on film every day.
PDJ: How do you view this competition at WR with Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones, Ryan Whalen, Vidal Hazelton, Andrew Hawkins, Brandon Tate and yourself battling?
AB: The NFL is all about competition. All I can do is control what Armon Binns does. Be the best me I can be and be consistent in what I do on the field, make plays and put confidence in the coaches mind that I can do it.
PDJ: Watching the draft pretty closely with wide receiver looked at as a need position? AB: Sat there and watched the whole draft. When I watched the first and second round go by it make me feel a whole lot better just knowing its wide open. So go out there and get it. I feel like we got whole lot of talent in our group. Talent that people don't know, especially young guys like me and Ryan (Whalen) and (Andrew Hawkins) didn't get to play that much last year but we got some good players that can go out there and make plays for this team.
PDJ: Talk to any of the four UC undrafted guys to give advice?
AB: Talked to DJ, talked to Zach. Lot of it is just your mentality and going out there with that chip on your shoulder and wanting to show you were just as good as the other 200-some guys that got drafted. Just go out there and prove it everyday.
PDJ: How did this draft reflect the rise of UC's program since you arrived?
AB: It's like night and day. Guys are getting drafted, signing free agent deals. You saw (two) UC players come off the board before one Ohio State player, that just shows how far the program has come.
