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This was supposed to be the homestand during which the Reds proved they weren't really the Bad News Bears. After all, the lowly Nationals and Pirates were coming to town. Maybe we should've thought about another angle, the one that had the Nationals and Pirates thinking, "Ah, the Reds. Softer than the beds at the Hyatt." Coach-speak: Bengals boss Marvin Lewis usually is about as forthcoming as a mob snitch in Little Italy, but lately he's been causing quite a stir. First, Marvin blurted out on WLW that Odell Thurman might be worth saving. Then last week, on ESPN Radio, he suggested that Chris Henry was a victim of "profiling" by the Cincinnati Police Department.
Everyone assumed he meant racial profiling. It's been known to happen. No, no, the Marvin Lewis Statement explained a day later: "When I spoke of our players being perhaps more subject to scrutiny than others, I was referring to their standing as public figures." Perhaps? I'm sure his attorney dropped in that word. I don't believe a thing that comes out of Marvin's mouth. He needs to either talk to Charles Barkley about sticking to his guns or run for public office. Pretty plastic: I'm not a big fan of the new FieldTurf at Ohio Stadium. Football — and baseball — should be played on grass, despite bad bounces and occasional dandelions. I'm convinced The OSU wouldn't have had problems with its grass last season if it would've skipped a preseason scrimmage at The Shoe that was contested in a deluge of H2O. The field was trashed before the season kicked off, paving the way for Jim Tressel's diabolical plan to go artificial. Name game: The greedy NFL tried earlier this year to get a patent for "The Big Game" but backed off last week after Stanford and Cal — whose football rivalry is dubbed "The Big Game" — started foaming at the mouth. Many large companies also took exception, worried that they would have to change their ad campaigns to sell products for "The Game In February I Can't Watch Because All These People Are Talking" or "The Game With A Stupid Halftime Show And 5,000 Commercials." Quick hits: There's nothing wrong with trying to play like the big-leaguers, but the once-unbeatable Dragons are trying a little too hard to be like the Reds. ... I hear the TV show Friday Night Lights is really good, but nobody watches. Never seen it, but now that NBC is moving it, well, Friday night, I might get on board. ... Bombers in six. Knucklehead of the week Dean Hancock has raised the Blame Someone Else bar to a whole new level. The father of deceased Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock filed suit last week against a St. Louis restaurant that served his son drinks the evening he plowed into a parked tow truck on I-64. Dizzy Dean also sued the tow truck company, the driver and the owner of the car that broke down. I'm surprised he didn't go after the Budweiser Clydesdales
Dayton Daily News http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2007/05/27/ddn052707secondthoughts.html |
