The Year.

Well, I'm back. After a several month absence, I'm back and ready to write. I hope to be on here more frequently and express my thoughts but we'll see what happens. Some of these topics are going to be a little out dated but I wanted to give my input on some of the situations..

Cincinnati Bengals: suck. What else can you say about them honestly? Easily the most frustrating team I follow. This year was suppose to be THE year. "I don't see a game we'll lose on our schedule"-Carson Palmer. "Superbowl or bust"-Terrell Owens. I had never been so excited for a Bengals season and right now they stand at 4-11; at worst I expected us to be 10-5 right now heading into the playoffs in a couple weeks. Changes need to take place in the offseason but they won't. Mike Brown is still Mike Brown and recently said there is no need for drastic change. How Marvin Lewis still has a job boggles my mind and I simply cannot comprehend how you fail time after time and still have a job..he's like a local weathermen. Pathetic.

Ohio $tate Buckeyes, ha. If you have ever followed me or are a friend of mine, you know my hatred for Ohio State. I always talk about how they always cheat and illegally recruit and pay their athletes. Looks like I was right. Five O$U football players, four of which starters were recently suspended for the first five games of next year for illegal actions. Look, the rules they broke were silly, in fact DUMB rules. But rules are rules and cannot be broken, if broken you must pay consequences. They deserved what they got and I hope they never ever win another football game, seriously.

UCONN women's basketball. Congratulations, 89 victories in a row, impressive..heck it might even be up to 100 now but I don't care enough to check. To compare it to the streak of 1971-1974 UCLA Bruins is flat out ridiculous. If you're a good mens college basketball player, there are probably 30-40 teams that you would consider attending. In the sports of women's college basketball, if you are a good player, there are probably 4-5 schools you think about attending. I give you my respect for the streak, but please do us all a favor and don't compare it to something that happened three decades ago.

Man all of this hatred writing, I don't like it. Let's look at some positives.

Better late than never?..Cincinnati Reds. Man, what a season they had. All off season and pre season they were expected to compete big time this year but it's a matter of actually executing and that's exactly what the CIncinnati Redlegs did this year. "Anyone else ready for some Cincinnati Reds baseball this summer? I always seem to think that every year is THE year for my Reds, but trust me...this year is the year"-me right before the season started." The fact they actually made the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years was amazing as a fan. I endured all of the losing seasons, listening to games in September when they were mathematically eliminated. The Reds had played 2,425 games, they had one of the greatest players of all time play for them (Griffey,) two ballparks, where 28,245,219 fans have watched them play since the last time this franchise made the playoffs. 15 years later, when myself and four friends headed down to the game to watch a team that was so awful for such a long period of time. In front of a home crowd, tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning. When THIS MOMENT happened, it might have been the best moment as my sports life.

University of Cincinnati Basketball. 12-0. I wish I could reel off impressive victories over top 25 teams they've had so far this season, but I can't. Why? Because they haven't played any top 25 teams. So what? They have played twelve games, and have won twelve games; they have beaten who they are suppose to beat. UC didn't slip up like Louisville did at home to Drexel, or like Purdue did to Richmond, or like Illinois did to University of Illinois Chicago. Notice, all of those teams are top 25 teams, who were playing at home and they all lost to 'bad teams.' UC has beaten all of those 'bad teams' and have beaten them badly. This teams deserves respect and how they're not ranked confuses me beyond belief. But whatever, keep on writing this team off, don't give them respect, find every excuse you can think of not to give this team credit. The fact is that UC is one of seven remaining unbeatens. Big East play starts Tuesday against DePaul and this is the year the Bearcats get back to the NCAA tournament and finish in the top 25. Just like it was for the Reds, this is the year for the Bearcats, I guarantee.

Quote of the blog: I'd rather do nothing and be happy than do something I know I don't love.

Jay Bruce's division clinching home run..

That is the Truth.

Standing Ovation.

Hello readers, it has been way too long since I've posted here. For those of you who don't know, summer has been pretty busy. Working, working, and working. I finally had my first day off last week which I simply used to catch up on sleep. Currently I'm interning with the Cincinnati Reds, working at Ramundo's, and managing the snack bar. 60 hour work weeks, standard.

Going to try and give a rundown of my opinions/thoughts on recent events, I'm sure I'll forget something but here it goes.

Helluva run by the United States soccer team, but let's face it...soccer is something that will never be appreciated here. It seems like every world cup they insist that the United States people are appreciating it more and more, but in reality, we only care about soccer for four weeks every four years.

Lebron, ha. Yeah he swallowed his pride by taking less money and what not but come on bro, really? One hour, prime time special to announce "the decision." I've always respected your game but when's enough, enough? With that being said, have fun winning multiple championships with the Miami Heat.

Same topic. Lebron gave the city of Cleveland hope for seven year. He brought them winning seasons, final runs, MVP's and lot more. What do they do? They turn around and burn his jerseys..say what? How you treat someone that brought you so many thing is mind boggling to me. Now you guys can go back to being the worst sports city ever. Give the man respect, give him a standing ovation, the ovation he deserves when he comes back to your city whenever that may be.

Just got back from Philadelphia where we saw the Reds play the Phillies. Yes we lost both games we attended and lost all four games in the series but it was still a great time. Cool city, stayed downtown and walked everywhere (except the subway to the game.) Great food, definitely gained ten pounds on that trip. Good time away from work and home but I'm glad to be back. First place at the all star break? Wow, gotta love it! I'd love to talk more about the Cincinnati Reds but since I'm an employee I have to watch what I say, I'll leave it at that.

Not a whole lot of plans the rest of the summer besides work. This weekend and upcoming weeks I'll be sure to get out to the Deveroe's summer league. It's where the local basketball players get together and play against each other. It's more 1 v. 1 than college basketball but it's definitely fun thing to check out.

I'll try and post here more often, no promises.

Quote of the blog: "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Downtown Philly..

That is the Truth.

Bittersweet.

And I'm back, my apologies for my absence.

The NBA playoffs, especially the current round has been pretty disappointing. Most of the games have been blowouts, 'amazing' has not really happened.

With that being said, amazing did happen when I stepped out on the basketball court today.

2 hour, season and series finale of 24 tomorrow night. Bittersweet. I'm expecting great things from the ending of this year and the show in general but I'm sad to see it ending. Should be interesting to see what happens.

The Cincinnati Reds are still playing pretty good baseball. They keep on going back and forth with the St. Louis Cardinals for first. With a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates starting tomorrow night, it's important this team beat the teams they're suppose to beat.

These next three weeks are going to be tough to post on here. I'll be pretty busy with two jobs and school. Mount Lookout Swim Club opens next weekend.

Quote of the blog: "The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer."

My second home in the summer, Snackbar..

That is the Truth.

First Place.

After playing basketball for two hours today, it's a fact..I'm outta shape. Not sure if I ever was in shape, but man I was struggling after the second game. With that being said, it was good just to get back on the court.

Well well well, the Cincinnati Reds are in first place. The Reds won 2 out of 3 from the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend. Good pitching all weekend, clutch hitting and great defense were the keys to success this series. Saturday night's game one of the best times I've ever had at a Cincinnati Reds game. The ending to the game was ridiculous, if you haven't seen the replay...the Reds who were only up by 1 run threw out a runner at home in the 9th inning to end the game, epic. The sold out crowd and good competition made it seem like a playoff atmosphere. It might only be the middle of May but this baseball team is playing exceptionally well. They're in first place for the first time since 2007. Keep it up Redlegs!

It's going to be a busy week for me so don't expect much from me this week.

Quote of the blog: "Every win now is a deposit in the confidence bank. Every win after a loss is worth even more, to a young team learning on the fly how to surf across six months The weekend just finished was baseball how it ought to be around here, and hasn’t been for a decade. Three days of remembering how to feel good about the Reds and the game. Culminating on Sunday when the Reds won and landed – where, again? – in FIRST PLACE."

Bronson Arroyo after throwing a complete game Sunday..

That is the Truth.

Lebron James.

First things first, as Marty Brennaman would say, "How about them Reds?!" They swept the Pirates, scratch that, they made the Pirates looks like a little league team. They've won five games in a row and have won 12 out of their last 16 games. Half a game out of first place, behind the St. Louis Cardinals..oh look who is in town for a three game series this weekends, the Cards. The Cincinnati Reds are playing exceptional ball right now, something I haven't seen in awhile. I know there are a lot of games left to be played but it'd be really nice to take two out of three from the Cardinals and take over first place.

I played basketball two days in a row now with no pain. I'm back.

So who deserves more credit? The choke job of the Cavs, or the execution of the veteran Celtics? I'm going to go with the spectacular play of the Celtics. No one was giving them a shot before the series. This is Lebron's year, the Celtics are too old, Shaq is the real difference..blah blah blah. I've never really been a fan of any Celtics player. Pierce is a drama queen, Garnett is just a jerk. But man, Rajon Rondo is growing on me. How can you not like the guy? Yeah he did go to Kentucky for college, and I guess a lot of Cavalier fans probably aren't to fond of him but the kid has some game. NBA, where amazing happens.

Lebron James. Hmmm, where to start? I'm going to start out with by ENDING the discusion of Lebron being on Kobe's level. Yeah he's only 25, yeah he has won back to back MVP's but man, Kobe never would have let this happened. LBJ shot 18 of 53 in the last three games of the series, which they lost. That's 33%, also he had 18 turnovers. Wait, what? Same amount of turnovers as field goals made.

All you people who want to rip me right now because I'm putting 'The Chosen One' (ha)..stop. This is where I give the man some credit. He's a beast. Bright future ahead of him as he'll be the sought after free agent in NBA history, maybe even the entire history of sports. Honestly I don't even think Lebron knows where he is going to be playing next season. Whatever happens, he's going to go to a team that's going to compete right away. The Kicks really doesn't make sense unless they bring in another all start. Chicago makes sense to be teamed up with Derick Rose. If I had to guess, I'd say he ends up playing with Cleveland. It's the safest guess of them all but it'll be an interesting process..lots of dirty playing going on in the process of acquiring Lebron James, I guarantee you that.

Yuck, enough talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm excited for some baseball this weekend. Heading down to tonight's game and Saturday's. GO REDLEGS!

Quote of the blog: "If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

The Chosen One..SMH. (shaking my head)...

That is the Truth.

Dream Job.

Ummm pretty sweet day. Here's a run down..

Five Guy's for lunch. Yummy.

24. Wow, Jack Bauer is insane. This is super intense right now, what will happen next?

Played basketball today for the first time in nearly two months. Out of shape? Yes. Glad to be back on the court? Yes. Overall it was good, played a little scared, didn't want to go to hard on the back. Feels great now, little sore now but that's expected.

Cincinnati Reds win, again! That's 4 in a row. Johnny Cueto pitched tremendously, only allowed 1 hit over 9 innings. The Reds batters were also hitting the ball well. Stay hot Reds! Sweep them.

BW3's for dinner. Double Yummy.

Cleveland loses, gets killed by Boston. The Celtics now take a 3-2 lead in the best of 7 series. By the way, the Celtics are a career 33-1 when leading a series 3-2 in the playoffs. It's funny watching 'Cleveland fans' react when they lose. They're not Cleveland Cavalier fans, they're Lebron James fans. It'll be interesting to see what happens the rest of this series, don't count them out yet.

Finally, I received an offer to work with the Cincinnati Reds. Internship! Really excited about this opportunity considering I've always wanted to work for them, it's my dream job.

Quote of the blog: "Don't give up. Don't ever give up."

Johnny Cueto (I guess I can say I work with him?..)

That is the Truth.

Mother's Day.

First things first, the most important thing too...Happy Mother's Day. Shout out to all the mothers out there, especially mine. Love you!

Made my unofficial athletic comeback tonight. Played a little tennis tonight under the lights. Played horrible but back felt good for the most part.

Tomorrow for public speaking class I have to give a persuasive speech. My topic? Why Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. I know for a fact that my teacher is against my view, let's just say I'm excited to argue with him, I will win.

How bout them Redlegs? Won again today making it a successful 4-2 home-stand. It definitely doesn't get old beating the Chicago Cubs. Went down to the game Saturday night, cold but a good time. We have tickets for next Saturday too. We take on the 1st place St. Louis Cardinals. No off day tomorrow, we're traveling to Pittsburgh. Stay hot Reds, please!

Congratulations to Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden who pitched a perfect game today. 27 batters faces, zero hits, zero walks, zero base runners. Very impressive, only the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. Impressive right? What is even more eye opening is that he did this on Mother's Day. His Mom passed away a couple years ago from cancer, this game was dedicated to her for sure.

Quote of the blog: While in the pursuit of happiness, one should stop and just be happy.

Perfection..

That is the Truth.

Jack Bauer.

Celtics-Cavs anyone? This series is already a good one and it has potential to be epic. Tied up 1-1, Lebron officially won the MVP award. Boston has the experience with veterans players. This series is going to seven games, Cavs pull it out.

24 spoiler alert: I love the guy, but has Jack Bauer gone mad? That was my initial reaction at the end of last week's episode when he killed off Dana. After pondering about what is going to happen and wondering if Jack is completely nuts, I decided NO! He had every right to do what he did, these last couple episodes are going to be intense. I can't believe there are only four hours left of the whole season, and the show itself. Sad to see it end but it made a great run and the movie should be a good one.

Anyone see what Tiger Woods did last week? Or I guess the proper question would be did anyone see what Tiger Woods didn't do last week? He shot +9 and failed to make the cut, only the sixth time in his professional career that has happened. People on ESPN and various websites have questioned his focus, work ethic, and his ability to compete at the same level he use to. Are you kidding me people? He's still the greatest golfer ever to live. He'll have a top 10 finish at this weekends tournament to shut up the critics.

Chiropractor tomorrow, hopefully all goes well and I never have to go there again.

The Reds won again last night, a stellar 3-2 victory over the New York Mets. Bronson Arroyo pitches tonight as myself and three friends are making the road trip down to Great American Ball Park. The Reds are hot as of late, they'll win again tonight. I said it here first.

Quote of the blog: "The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price."

Jack Bauer..

That is the Truth.

Flying Pig Marathon.

The Denver Nuggets season is officially over. Great season, disappointing ending. They were ousted by the Utah Jazz who move on to the next round to face the Los Angeles Lakers. On a more serious note, things are not looking good for Denver coach George Karl. As most of you know he was diagnosed with throat cancer recently and is undergoing chemotherapy. As he was in the hospital for a round of radiation they found out he also had a blood clot in his leg. This guy just can't catch a break when it comes to health. My prayers along with the rest of the NBA's are with you. Get better soon.

By the way, to all of you who are now done or almost done with school, damn you! Have fun going back in early August, I guess. Ugh! (Jealous.)

The Cincinnati Reds lost today but managed to go 4-2 on the six game road trip. Some quality pitching along with clutch hitting lead to a good road trip. Impressive road trip and now they'll be back in the 513 for six games, three games against the New York Mets and a weekend series with the Chicago Cubs. Hopefully me and a couple friends will go down to some games this week, I know we're going Saturday night for sure.

Congratulations to my Aunt Sarah for completing the Flying Pig Marathon today in the lovely weather conditions..we're proud of you!

My back has been feeling good but that's because I haven't been doing anything physical. Hopefully wednesday is my last visit to the chiropractor..right now it just seems like it's never going to get better.

Quote of the blog: "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day you will have been all of these."

Flying Pig Marathon..

That is the Truth.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Hang in there ladies and gentlemen...one more day and it's the weekend.

Last night the Denver Nuggets pulled out a victory take make the series 3-2 in favor of the Jazz. Yes the Nuggets got the win but they still didn't give me a reason to believe that the Jazz won't win the series tomorrow night. Hope I'm wrong.

Yesterday I went back to the chiropractor in what was suppose to be my last visit. Nope. Still not allowed to do anything physical, can't even toss baseball or anything of that nature.

Reds won last night to make it three in a row. Currently they're leading the Astros 1-0 in the middle of the 7th inning. They're going up against Roy Oswalt is an impressive 23-1 career against the Reds in his career. Ridiculous.

Quote of the blog: "The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

It's almost the weekend..

That is the Truth.

Many Years.

The Denver Nuggets have fallen in a deep hole. They're down 3-1 in the best of seven series against the Utah Jazz..it's not looking good but don't give up on Carmelo and his Nuggets. Speaking of NBA playoffs, it doesn't get much better than this Oklahoma City Thunder/Los Angeles Lakers series. Great basketball going on here. It's a matchup of one of the most dominent NBA teams last decade (Lakers) vs what will be a fun team to watch in the next couple years (Thunder.) The Thunder have a lot of young talent and they'll be good for many years to come. The series is tied up 2-2, game five tonight at 1030 if you're interested.

Did something physical for the first time in a long time, well kind of. Played a little baseball tonight down at the football stadium. Nothing to physical/strenuous on my back but it's sore now. Hopefully my last therapy session with the chiropractor is tomorrow.

Quote of the blog: "Look me in the eye. It's ok if you're scared. So am I. But we're scared for different reasons. I'm scared of what I won't become, and you're scared of what I could become. Look at me. I won't let myself end where I started. I won't let myself finish where I began. Look me in the eyes. I have something more important more courage. I have patience. I will become what I know I am."

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant..

That is the Truth.

Best of Luck.

The NBA playoffs have been pretty exciting so far. Several buzzer beaters and super stars playing like super stars. My Nuggets are struggling. We're down 2-1 in the best of seven series, we need a win tonight. Anything can happen in the playoffs, it's where amazing happens.

Therapy for my back has been going well! Hopefully this next wednesday will be my last visit to the chiropractor. Not being able to play basketball or hit the tennis courts has been rough..not to mention the struggles of my intramural team since I've been absent. Head coach/leading goal scorer/captain Tony Lipps had this to say about me, "Luckily we've only had one game while Bucky has been hurt, without him there is no stopper on the defensive side of the ball. His absence has been hard and hopefully we see him back on the field this week."

Last night I attended a wedding for the first time in awhile. The owner of Ramundo's, Tony got married to Nicole last night. Great wedding, great reception, great time. Best of luck to them in their marriage!

Quote of the blog: "Sometimes you're flush and sometimes you're bust, and when you're up, it's never as good as it seems, and when you're down, you never think you'll be up again, but life goes on."

Tony and Nicole...

That is the Truth.

Hello Good News!

I've never really been a Lebron James fan, but I've always respected what he had done. What he did tonight to the Chicago Bulls was filthy. One of 23's weaknesses has been his outside shot, he proved that to be a strength tonight.

Nuggets game just got under way. Let's go Nuggets!

The off days for the Reds usually suck for me, nothing to watch at night. For the first time in awhile I'm glad the Reds didn't play today, they needed an off day, badly. Dodgers and Padres this week at home, let's make it a productive home stand please.

Went back to the chiropractor today..good news!! it's not a stress fracture. I still have a strained lower back and it's still shifting to the left but I'm just glad I don't have to get an MRI. Hopefully after a couple rounds of therapy I can get back to running the tennis and basketball courts..not to mention the soccer field.

Quote of the blog: The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Carmelo Anthony..

That is the Truth.

Took Over.

Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets looked pretty impressive last night while defeating the Utah Jazz. It was good to see Kenyon back on the court after missing the end of the regular season due to an injury. Great game, Melo and JR Smith just simply took over in the fourth quarter, clutch. The next game is Monday night at 1030, go Nuggets!

What are everyone's thoughts on the Ryan Widmer case? Quick summary of it: Ryan Widmer's wife was found dead after she drowned in a bathtub. He called in the 911 report, seemed upset. Neighbors and company said they always seemed like a happy couple. He was found guilty of murder. There is now a retrial and an expert doctor says that she wasn't forced to drown and it happened on her own. I don't know what happened, I think honestly he is the only one who does. Should be interesting to see the verdict this time around. My guess/gut feeling is guilty.

I went to the chiropractor on Saturday, things aren't too pretty. After a series of questions, tests, and X-rays..it was determined that I have a strained lower back, and my entire back has slowly been shifting sideways/to the left...whatever that means. There is a possibility I have a stress fracture too, I find out tomorrow when I have to go back. No physical activities until everything is figured out and I'm done with therapy. Sigh.

I'm starting a new thing on here, I am going to start placing a 'quote of the blog' at the end. Today's: You can't go back and change what happened in the past, as much as you want to. But you can prevent it from happening in the future.

K-Mart throwing it down..

That is the Truth.

Promising?

Return the soccer field was a success, sort of. After a slow start to the game we found ourselves down 0-1 at halftime. With the proper game plan adjustments we managed to get two quick goals and settle for the 2-1 victory. Flawless? No. Promising? Yes. As many of you know I've had a back problem which is why I haven't played basketball in over a month. Everything was fine until after the soccer when I realized my back was extremely sore. Woke up the next day in severe pain. Couple days later it's still pretty sore. Going to the chiropractor for the first time in my life on Saturday, hopefully I'll be able to play in next weeks game.

Well the Reds lost tonight to bring their record to an even 5-5 on the young season. With three games up against the Pittsburgh Pirates, I expect my Redlegs to return home next week with a winning record.

Speaking of Pittsburgh. Big Ben is a jerk. Rothlisberger uses his celebrity status to take advantage of women. Clean up your act sir, it's getting old. How someone with that much money and fame doesn't have common sense boggles my mind. Smh.

NBA playoffs begin shortly. People don't respect the NBA as much as I do but I encourage ya'll to watch the playoffs, it's where amazing happens. My Nuggets are going into the playoffs limping, hopefully they can make some noise but it doesn't seem very likely. Quick prediction.Lakers over Cavs in 7 (epic series.)

Where amazing happens..

That is the Truth.

Who Knows.

I know it's only the second week of the baseball season but last night's victory for the Cincinnati Reds was big. Going for three in a row tonight! GO REDS!

Tonight will be remembered as my return to the soccer field. After retiring from the game after a 2nd place finish in the city finals 8th grade year, I have decided it's in my best interest to return to the game I love. Tonight the intramural soccer season begins as we have our first and only scrimmage. I'll never get over our 3-2 loss vs. St. Vincent Ferrer five years ago but I hope that this season creates new memories and we can bring home the championship. In all honesty, I'm excited to get back on the field. All of my teammates played D1 high school soccer, so you're probably wondering why I'm on this team?..I'm wondering the same thing. Tony Lipps, the captain of our team was quoted as saying "Bucky provides a spark unlike any other, his tenacious defense and his ability to score is the reason we went after him in the offseason. He is a great addition to this very talented team." I guess he talked to some people and digged up some film of me back in my glory days. Who knows.

Spoiler alert for 24: If you have not seen Monday's episode (4/13) then please skip this. Wow! I can't believe they killed off Renee Walker, Jack Bauer's love. I feel sorry for the guy that shot her, Jack Bauer doesn't show mercy. Only like seven hours left, this is going to be one intense ending. As many of you know they're discontinuing 24 after this season. I'm sad to see this happen after a great 8 years of following this show. They plan on setting up the last episode of this season for the movie that they plan to make. Should be interesting. Jack Bauer is the man.

I can hear them chanting my name already..

That is the Truth.

I Guess.

Well ladies and gentlemen, I'm back.

This is old news but I thought I'd give my opinion on Lance Stephenson deciding to enter the NBA draft. If you know anything about 'Born Ready' you know that he doesn't have all of the money in the world. He grew up in the projects and currently has a daughter to support. After debating with myself on how I felt about this I honestly can't blame him for leaving. With that being said I think he made the wrong choice. If he could have came back, he would have for sure gotten more exposure and would have had the opportunity to up his level of play. Maybe I still don't know how I feel about this. Thanks for the 1 year, I guess.

Tiger Woods finished tied for fourth in the Master's. While he looked sloppy at times, it looks like it's only a matter of time before Tiger returns as the best golfer ever. Not too shabby for being laid off from work for half a year.

The Cincinnati Redlegs won again today. 3-3 in their first six games. If the offense would have showed up anytime at all this week they'd be 5-1. If you take a look at the three loses though, they've come against some of the best pitchers in the league..Wainwright, Carpenter, and Zambrano. If you're going to lose, you might as well lose to the best. A very impressive debut for Mike Leake today..this kid is going to be something special. Florida Marlins are up next, hopefully we can continue to play well.

Patrick and I lost in tennis the other night. Won a couple other times too so now we're 5-1 on the year. We could have beaten the team we lost to, just weren't playing that well...we will win next time.

Finally Saw Law Abiding Citizen..great movie! Jamie Foxx and Gerald Butler are both awesome in this must see movie. Also in the same night I ate at BD's Mongolian Grill, some good food. It's a create your own stir fry place where they cook it right in front of you. Good stuff indeed.

BD's Mongolian Grill..

That is the Truth.

Votto.

24 took an interesting twist, by interesting I mean...what's going to happen next? No one knows! The suspense!

Opening day was a great time, minus the outcome. Perfect weather, great seats, got a nice tan and my usual lemon chill. The Reds will be okay guys stop freaking out, we're only one game out of first place. I hate the off day right after the first game of the year, so annoying. Just because we lost don't give up hope yet!

Joey Votto is going to hit .350 this year if he stays healthy...mark my words.

Played tennis today for the fifth consecutive day. Two of the days we just hit around but the other three days I teamed up with Patrick and we played some doubles. We're now 3-0 on the young season, anyone think they can beat us?

Congrats to the Uconn women's bask

etball team..wohoo.

Love this weather, hope it continues...gonna try and go to another Reds game this weekend.

Joey Votto..

That is the Truth.

R.I.P. Matt James.

Happy Easter everyone!

Outside of the first half of the Michigan State-Butler game, it was a boring night of final 4 action. Neither one of those teams could make a shot in the second half and Duke was just so dominant it wasn't a whole lot of fun to watch. For those of you that dislike Bob Huggins for whatever reason, did you see what happened when his star player got hurt? Yeah how many college basketball coaches have done that before? Like him or not, he cares about his players more than anything...yes more than winning.

Finally got out to play some tennis thursday. I also got out to play with some friends on friday too. It was good to get back out on the courts, I'm gonna miss high school tennis season.

The Master's is this week, my money's on Tiger...can you blame me? I was a Tiger Woods fan before the whole incident. I am still a Tiger Woods fan. I think he'll firm up his position on the greatest golfer ever by winning his first tournament back since his...scandal.

Opening day is tomorrow! It's suppose to be good weather which is a rare occasion for early April. Finally baseball season is here, I'm currently watching Yankee's-RedSox on ESPN. I dislike both teams but it's Sunday Night Baseball, gotta love it. Myself and three friends will be takin the Metro downtown in time to watch the prestigious parade. Opening day is a tradition unlike any other for the city of the Cincinnati and I don't think most of us understand the magnitude of it. Tomorrow the Cincinnati Reds take on the favorite to win the division, the Saint Louis Cardinals. LET'S GO REDS!

Friday I gave my first speech in my public speaking class. My topic: living every day like it's your last because you never know when it's your time. With that being said, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Matt James family and the Saint Xavier community. As many of you know, Matt James (17) died Friday after falling off a 5th floor balcony down in Florida while on his spring break. James was a 6'6 290 pound offensive linemen that was scheduled to play football for the University of Notre Dame next year. You would have to try and find someone nicer than this kid, he was always the politest of his group when they strolled down into Ramundo's. His life was taken away from him too early. As Kid Cudi rapped on Tuesday night...If I fall, if I die, know I lived it to the fullest.

Matt James..

Always Remember, Never Forget. R.I.P. Matt James.

Prime Time.

I would like to give a shout out to the Appalachian State women's basketball team who recently completed their season by winning the WBI championship (Women's Basketball Invitational.) After going a disappointing 9-22 last year, the lady Mountaineers bounced back with an impressive record of 23-12 this year. They were picked to finish 8th place in the SoCon, the App State team finished 2nd. With losing very little production and bringing in a solid recruiting class this team should just be even stronger next year.

The Kid Cudi concert was pretty sweet. It was my first ever concert and it certainly didn't disappoint. Probably around 5,000 people showed up in Miami's Millet Hall for the show, good stuff indeed.

Final four predictions: Butler over Michigan State. West Virginia over Duke. West Virginia winning it all. Ummm wait, that's what I want to happen. I don't know what's going to happen this year because this tournament is unpredictable.

Opening day is now only a couple days away. Baseball season is one of my favorite, I can't wait for it to finally get started. Like I mentioned before I've got a good feeling about this Cincinnati Reds team. If we stay healthy and we score some runs there's no reason for this team not to succeed.

Finally got some new tennis shoes. I'm most likely going to try them out tomorrow night after work...that's right, under the light tomorrow night. Prime time baby. The weather today was amazing, same is expected for tomorrow.

Glimpse of tomorrow night..

That is the Truth.

Miss You Bob.

Well Moeller's magical run in the state high school basketball tournament is over. They lost in the state finals saturday night. In the first half they simply couldn't catch a break and in the second half they just couldn't make a bucket. All in all it was a great season for my Moeller Crusaders.

There was a recent article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about Lance Stephenson staying next year. Well, according to my source, he will not be back. When the article was published, Lance had every intention of returning but an NBA scout recently told him he'll be taken in the first round. While I don't agree with this scout, it'll be interesting to see what 'Born Ready' does. Nothing is official but if I was a betting man, I'd put my money on him leaving. In my opinion this would be a dumb choice, we'll find out soon.

You know it's getting close to opening day when I start doing fantasy baseball drafts. The start of the season is one week away. With basketball winding down, spring quarter starting..I'm ready for some baseball. This year is the year for the Reds to have a .500 record and make the playoffs, trust me!

It was kind of bitter sweet but congrautlations to Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers. They knocked off the 1 seeded Kentucky team last night. I will always be a Bob Huggins supporter, what happened to him here at UC was uncalled for. It's bitter sweet because there's no doubt in my mind times would be better as a UC bball fan if he was still here, oh well I guess. After going through a heart attack that nearly took his life away, a DUI, an undeserved firing, this guy has gone through a lot. He'll always be the face of UC basketball in my mind. Athletic players and legendary coaches made up for one heck of a game last night. Huggs is now 8-1 against John Callipari, pretty impressive. Bring home the championship Bob, you deserve it.

Going to my first ever concert Tuesday night...no mom I am not missing any classes. Kid Cudi is up in Miami so myself and three friends are making the road trip up, it should be a good time.

Miss you Bob..

That is the Truth.

Go Crusaders!

Ladies and gentlemen, last nights basketball game between Kansas State and Xavier was about as good as it gets. Neither team wanted to lose, Xavier hit some crucial shots, and Kansas State kept on fighting even with two of their best players fouled out. Double overtime games don't happen too often in the Sweet 16, first time in like 14 years or something. Crawford took over, I personally think he'd be smart to leave for the NBA draft. His stock isn't going to get any higher after this tournament, I'm sure all of the Xavier fans hope I'm wrong. For the first time in my life I'll give props to Xavier, they showed a lot of fight, especially from a mid major.

People questioned Kansas State's coach Frank Martin for fouling at the end regulation when they were up by three. Look, it was a horrible non call, the foul happened about two seconds earlier and they didn't call it. But since they called the foul when the guy was shooting the three, everyone thought it was a horrible strategy. Personally I believe it was a great strategy, just poor officiating. By the way, Frank Martin is a great coach, with many expressions that are absolutely hilarious to watch.

This tournament is all wrapped up for Kentucky. I said in the beginning of the season that Kentucky was going to win it all, I just wasn't entirely sure if they'd be able to knock of Kansas. Since Kansas is out, for sure think Kentucky will win it all. With that being said, the elite 8 matchup of Kentucky-West Virginia should be a thriller. Probably the two most athletic teams in the tournament going head to head. Two great, hall of fame coaches in John Callipari and Bob Huggins.

Went bowling last night, first time since Thanksgiving break. A little rusty, but I somehow managed to average a 196 over the three games we played. I can't wait for summer where bowling happens more frequently..thanks to the Madison special: All you can bowl for three hours, 9 bucks.

Heading up to the final 4 today, Moeller's basketball team is making another appearance. #9 Moeller takes on #5 Mentor. For the third consecutive game Moeller comes in as the underdog. This Moeller team has surprised a lot of people, including myself. Hopefully they can keep this run going and bring home state. GO CRUSADERS!

Kansas State's Frank Martin..

That is the Truth.

Epic Success.

Well I'm back from Minnesota.

We video logged some of the trip, there might be an appearance of one or two of the videos on here some day. Maybe the one of me dancing to Cupid Shuffle? Maybe not. Anyway, here is a little recap of the trip:

The trip was an epic success. Minnesota is a pretty cool city, the layout is perfect for their transit system they have. The train runs from one of the city to outside in suburbs, it was also easy to use which made it nice. The Metrodome where the Vikings currently play and where the Twins (use to play) was pretty cool, we kind of invited ourselves into the place. It was weird seeing the dome completely empty but it was neat to actually go inside.

One of the nights we were on our way to a pizza place and we were so lost that even a homeless person realized it. He came over to us and asked us if where we wanted to go, we told him and hoped he would just kind of go away...nope, he decided to walk us to the destination. When he said, lets go this way I have a shortcut, we got a little nervous. Everything turned out fine, he was actually a really nice guy, it was just a little sketchy.

We went to Target field, where the Twins will be playing baseball this year. It's a brand new, outdoor stadium. Even though we couldn't get inside, it looked beautiful from the outside. They had a really nice pro shop, obliviously brand new with a lot of cool gear..still couldn't bring myself to buy any Minnesota Twins apparel.

Mall of America was absolutely ridiculous. We spent four hours in there and probably didn't even see half of the stores. 4 stories of stores, it's like Kenwood Mall times six or seven..you have to see it to believe it.

I went to my first ever NBA game, Raptors vs. Timberwolves. While it wasn't necessarily a marquee matchup in most eyes, it was still very enjoyable for our group. Since we really didn't have a preference of who won, we were rooting for both teams; so yes...our team won! The atmosphere was completely different than any basketball game I've ever been to before. I'm not saying that was a bad thing, it was actually great, just different.

We were there two hours prior to tip-off to get the full experience. About an hour before the game started, someone knocked over a table full of computers which got the attention of all the security officer and ushers. That was a perfect diversion for me to sneak down to the first row, and on to the court while the players were talking and warming up. I sat down on the bench, a couple seats over were Johnny Flynn and Demar DeRozan talking away...pretty cool if you ask me.

We're doing a similar thing next year, actually pretty much the exact same, just different city. Early considerations for next year are Memphis and Charlotte, we'll see. what happens.

Minnesota..

That is the Truth.

Spring Break:

Well my bracket was pretty good until today, thank you Villanova. Now that my bracket is messed up I'll just be rooting for Syracuse and upsets.

Went to the Moeller-Lasalle high school basketball game Friday night...EPIC! Moeller down two with four seconds left at the free throw line. Junior Charlie Byers stepped up and made two free throws, clutch. Moeller's defense took over in overtime. Great atmosphere, great game..on to state next weekend! Final 4 baby!

It's officially spring break! Leaving for Minnesota tomorrow. 3 friends and I are making the road trip up to Minneapolis to attend my first ever NBA game. You might wonder why Minnesota? Every year my friends have attended an NBA game, this year I am joining. Our goal is to attend an NBA game in every city that has a team. The tickets were cheap and we found a great on the hotel thanks to my mother. I'm excited, and so are they. Monday night 7:30, Minnesota Timber wolves vs Toronto Raptors.

Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors..

That is the Truth.

Impressive.

Exam week is over, aaaaaaaaamen!

Went to my first ever NIT game tonight, I was pleasantly surprised. Crowd was pathetic, understandable, I guess? Anyway, #2 seed UC took on the #7 seed Weber State. They were pretty much a one man team, but man that one guy was good. We won by like 15ish, but the highlight (s) of the night came from junior Darnell Wilks. One emphatic block along with two thunderous dunks made the night for sure. All three plays were ridiculous, just look for them on sportscenter.

Aroldis Chapman pitched today, no way he could continue his dominance, right? Wrong. 3 innings pitched, 1 hit (home-run) 1 walk, 5 K's. Impressive. The Reds are going to have a hard time not giving him the 5th spot in the rotation. He deserves the shot.

Congrats to my Moeller (#3) Crusaders! Danggg! Down 16 with two minutes left in third quarter to a higher seeded Princeton (#2) team. Came back an won by 3! Epic comeback, wow, and thrilling are some reviews I've heard from the game. They move on to the regional finals where they take on the #1 seed LaSalle Lancers. GO BIG MOE!

Well ladies and gentlemen...March Madness officially begins tomorrow. I've filled out too many brackets, none are really the same but here are some of my core predictions...Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Villanova. I think Georgetown will beat OSU in the sweet 16. Texas A & M could make a run and beat Duke, but they could also lose first round. Anything can happen, it's why they call it March Madness. I think Kansas will take on Kentucky in the championship game, I'll go with my player of the year John Wall and take the Wildcats in this one. Should be an interesting tournament for sure...gotta love it!

That is the Truth.

Kept Fighting.

I still can't believe it. Did that shot really go in thursday night? Did he Butler really bank it in? That shot just summed up UC's season, couldn't catch a break all year. Whether it was not getting a foul call against Gonzaga, not hitting the open shots again (insert any loss here)...UC basketball didn't catch a break all season long. UC's season can also be summed up by what I saw on saturday night.

With that being said, you better believe I will be at every home NIT game for the Bearcats, they deserve our support. They showed glimpses of greatness during the Big East Tournament, I have not seen that type of passion from a UC basketball team in a long time. Just watched the draw of the NIT tournament, possible second round matchup against Dayton, that'd be exciting!

I guess I owe an apology to Mick Cronin. I hate admitting I'm wrong but I certainly was when it comes to him. I still believe that next season there's no excuses for UC, tournament or bust. It would have been real easy for this team to quit, go into the tournament and lose first or second round. This team kept fighting and never gave up only to lose on a shot that you can't do anything about. Mick..I'm sorry, but please do better next year. Thanks.

Today was selection sunday, the day that use to be one of my personal favorites of the year. While I still enjoy it, there's just a lack of interest from me this year, probably because I know we should be playing, oh well. Quick bracket thoughts: Florida didn't deserve to be in, especially at a 10 seed, MISS St got screwed, Kansas should have a nice easy road to the final four, not sure about the other 1 seeds. I'll update my blog again before the tournament begins giving you my final predictions.

March Madness is here...

This gives me the chills.

That is the Truth.

Passion.

Worked last night, some really smart person came in and asked me, "Do you sell pizza here?" I took a quick look behind me to prevent myself from laughing. It amazes me how intelligent some people are. No lies...he was wearing Saint X Tennis shorts. Dumbo.

Yesterday was great weather, again. Walking to class I noticed the UC pro day going on. This is where potential NFL prospects work out for NFL scouts, representatives from 26 teams were there. Suppose to be closed to the public, but you can't really close down Nippert, it's in the middle of campus. It was cool seeing Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard on the field together again, might be the last time unless they're drafted by the same team. Hundreds of people stood around and watched, with the highlight of the day being Mardy's acrobatic catch that earned an applause from the 'crowd.'

How about that UC basketball game last night? Dang. UC played hard for 40 minutes, they never gave up despite being down 12 against the Louisville Cardinals. It would have been easy to give up after getting demolished in the first half, but these Bearcats didn't. It's hard to point out an individual player who won us the game, it truly was a total team effort. There was one possession that really stood out in my mind in the second half. Louisville took a three and there was a scramble for the rebound. Four Bearcats dove for the ball, we're on the floor, including big man Yancy Gates. This team played with a lot of passion last night, something we haven't much of all year.

The 28 offensive rebounds were pretty clutch. UC before this year was 0-3 in the Big East Tournament, rattling off two wins in a row is impressive, can we make it three tonight against West Virginia? I think yes. It'll be tough considering this will be our third game in three days, compared to West Virginia's first game since last saturday, not mention they're the #6 team in the country. Bobby Huggins would have been proud of the way UC played last night, defense and rebounding is what he prided himself on. It'd be awesome to knock his team out of this tournament tonight and keep our hopes alive. One game season from here on out.

Gotta love this picture..

That is the Truth.

Ready For Baseball.

Currently watching the first round of the Big East Tournament, UC-Rutgers. I told myself I wasn't going to get excited or frustrated this game...we'll see how long this lasts.

Went to the rec center today to play some basketball. Went 4-0 against pretty good competition, another solid day in the gym.

Aroldis Chapman made his spring training debut for the Cincinnati Reds yesterday. 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts. Hit 100 MPH three times, change-up clocking in at 80...nasty stuff. Reading on his performance I found a couple thing I would like to share:

"The ball hitting Ramon Hernandez's glove sounded like a rife shot. The kid is all elbows and knees. It's almost as if the ball is halfway to the plate before it even leaves his hand, a la Randy Johnson."

"Two batters later Chapman struck out Rick Ankiel on a slider that Ankiel missed by so much he had to be rebooked on a later flight. Watching Ankiel trying to hit Chapman was somewhere between comedy and tragedy; you got the sense that if Ankiel faced Chapman 100 times, he would strike out 100 times."

Anyone else ready for baseball?

Aroldis Chapman..

That is the Truth.

For A Sunday.

In a way I kind of hope UC doesn't make the NIT. After Saturday's performance against Georgetown, this team doesn't deserve any type of post season tournament. They played like they were ready for the season to be over, no one looked motivated except Lance Stephenson. It'll be an interesting off-season for UC basketball, my sources are telling me that at least one current player will transfer out, and we should be receiving a transfer too.

Saturday night I finally got to see a fundamentally sound, well coached basketball play team in the Shoemaker center. Checked out Moeller’s basketball team for the first time this year, they took on the Aiken who knocked them out of the playoffs last year. Moeller looked really good, better than what I had expected. It was pretty cool, during warm-ups I noticed Bob Huggins walking right in front of me. He was there recruiting a kid on Aiken, Aaron Thomas. I miss Bob Huggins, a lot.

After the game, we all went to go see the new movie Brooklyn’s Finest. Wow, very disappointing. I had great expectations for this movie thanks to the previews. It takes a lot for me to hate a movie, I hated this one. Very upsetting, but oh well.

On this beautiful day I went to the rec center to play some basketball. On my team was UC walk-on Eddie Tyree, I guess since he never gets in he goes down to the rec to get some work in. We went 2-0 together, I was 4-1 on the day. Resting up for a bit then I’m heading outside to play tennis for the first time since…well, a long time. Such a nice day, can’t pass up the opportunity to hit the tennis courts. This weather gets me even more excited for baseball season.

Nuggets are on TV tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. It always seems like this game is a good once, Carmelo vs. Brandon Roy, great match-up. This has been a solid day and will continue to be one too..not bad for a Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Roy..

That is the Truth

Quick Minute.

Was up pretty late last night working on homework, typing an english paper. Had to get up at 8 (earliest all quarter) to finish it before 1230 class today. Just now finished so I thought I'd blog for a 'quick minute.'

My thoughts and prayers are with my neighbor and friend Danny Castellini. Went to the hospital about two weeks and was diagnosed with Vertigo. Recently went to a specialist and they determined it was not Vertigo and they're now running a series of tests to determine what it is, apparently that's not a good sign. You won't meet a nicer person than Danny, get well soon man.

Microeconomics class was...cancelled...yesterday. Hooped it up with new shoes again. Won both games of '21' we played and won both games of five on five. That's 7-0 with the new shoes. I usually don't play during the day but yesterday I had to with working waiting for me at night. It's a different type of play during the day, not as competitive. Still fun, but it's certainly better playing at night time..better competition.

While walking to the rec center, noticed the football team working out at Nippert. Intense workouts. Gotta get ready for that 3peat!

First Cincinnati Reds intrasquad scrimmage today with the first spring training game being tomorrow. With the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball season essentially being over, I'm ready for the Reds to take the field. Opening day is about a month away, can't wait.

Great American Ball Park...

That is the Truth.

March Madness.

My apologies, I know you have all been anxiously awaiting another blog entry but I simply have not had time lately. Been pretty busy with school and work, please forgive me.

Cincinnati Reds tickets came in the mail. A couple friends and I purchased the 10-game Power Pack which includes tickets to opening day. First spring training game is four days away, getting really excited.

Over the weekend I got some new basketball shoes! 'Hyperdunk Lows.' These Nike's are red, black and white as you may have guessed. It's the first time I have ever had low cut basketball shows and I wasn't really sure how I'd like them until I played with them. I love them, played really well, maybe the best ever..must be the shoes right?

Tough loss for UC against West Virginia. Don't really know what else to say about this team that hasn't been said. All I can hope for now is that they go out fighting, make it respectable the last couple games left of this unsatisfying season. Senior night tomorrow night against # 9 Villanova. It's # 5 Deonta Vaughn and #42 Steve Toyloy's last home game. They're selling the upper level tickets for $5.42, pretty cool if you ask me. But at the same time I think it's pretty sad that we have to sell five dollar tickets for fans to come to the games, times have certainly changed in the UC basketball program.

Gosh dangit Sydney Crosby! UGH! The United States hockey team put together one heck of a run in the Olympics but fell just short. Remarkable gold medal game against Canada that went into overtime thanks to a desperation goal by the United States with 24 seconds left in regulation. When USA tied it up after pretty much everyone thought it was over, Calhoun Hall went NUTS! Watched every second, most excited/nerve-racking sporting event I've watched in a long time and I don't even like hockey. Hats off to the USA hockey team for making it close and exciting which not many thought it would be. It's disappointing the Olympics are over but March Madness is quickly approaching; one of the best times of the year.

Pictures of the new shoes..

That is the Truth.