Wednesday Nonsense
Tiger Woods' voicemail to Jaimee Grubbs.....Real or fake? You be the judge...
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Bengals control North and South
Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com
Bengals
head coach Marvin Lewis, who has won an AFC championship ring in
Pittsburgh and a Super Bowl ring in Baltimore, smiled one of those
weary but satisfied AFC North smiles following his team?s completion of
its first division sweep with the help of a running back refugee from
the run-and-gun AFC West. ?He s a North Division runner,? Lewis said
after Larry Johnson went 107 yards north and south to help give the
Bengals control of the entire landscape of the AFC North with a 16-7
victory over the Browns.
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Zimmer happy with his defense
Joe Reedy, Enquirer
At
midseason, the Bengals were playing pretty solid defense but the
numbers didn?t bear that out. With their performance in the month of
November, not only are they playing like a Top 10 defense, but it
finally shows up in the statistics. In their four November games, which
included three AFC North teams, the Bengals have vaulted to sixth in
total defense (297.6 yards per game) and now lead the league in scoring
defense (15.8 points per game). Going into the bye week they were 20th
in total defense (351.7 ypg) and ninth in points allowed (18.3 ppg).
One of the keys - not allowing big plays, In the first seven games the
Bengals allowed 30 plays of 20 yards or more. In the last four, they
have allowed only five.
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Lewis says Benson will start Sunday....Ever since Cedric Benson was sidelined with a hip flexor injury, the Bengals and coach Marvin Lewis have said that the fifth-year running back will be the main back when he returns. After Sunday?s 16-7 win over Cleveland, where Larry Johnson became the third different back this season to run for 100 yards, Lewis reiterated that again and also said that Benson will be back for this week?s game against Detroit.
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Another TV blackout looms....On Monday, the team announced that more than 6,000 seats remain for Sunday?s contest against Detroit. The Bengals have sold out their first six regular-season games but three have needed 24-hour extensions to lift a local television blackout.
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AFC North Power Rankings
ESPN.com
1. Cincinnati Bengals (8-3)
Last week: No. 7
Current ranking: No. 5
Analysis:
The Bengals pulled off an impressive feat by completing a season sweep
through the AFC North with a 16-7 win over the Cleveland Browns. That
moved Cincinnati up two spots to No. 5 this week. The Bengals are
quietly in position to secure the second seed and a first-round bye in
the AFC. It will be interesting to see if Cincinnati can hold that spot
for five more weeks. There are a few tough games remaining but its
schedule overall isn?t too difficult.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5)
Last week: No. 9
Current ranking: No. 12
Analysis:
The Steelers were in the top 10 but fell three spots to No. 12 this
week. They are dealing with a three-game losing streak and perhaps even
some internal strife in their locker room. Receiver Hines Ward's
comments toward quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (concussion) sitting out
last week caused a stir. But it could simply be a situation that blows
over with winning. Sunday?s game against the Oakland Raiders will be a
must-win for Pittsburgh for a variety of reasons.
3. Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
Last week: No. 15
Current ranking: No. 13
Analysis:
The Ravens continue their roller-coaster ride up and down ESPN.com's
Power Rankings. I don't know how Baltimore is one spot below the
Steelers after beating the defending champs head-to-head last week. I?m
sure plenty of AFC North readers have that same question. So make sure
to send complaints to the appropriate people and not our division
inbox. The Ravens have the talent to get hot and become a major factor
down the stretch. But through 11 games, I?m still waiting for that
potentially dominant and talented team to show up.
4. Cleveland Browns (1-10)
Last week: No. 32
Current ranking: No. 32
Analysis:
The Browns dropped their sixth straight in a loss to the Bengals.
Cleveland was successful in making the game ugly but didn't have enough
firepower to beat a first-place team. The Browns have been outscored by
an astounding 154 points this year. The offense went from scoring 37
points against the Detroit Lions to seven points against the Bengals,
further displaying Cleveland's inconsistency. Don?t expect things to
get much easier when Cleveland hosts the red hot San Diego Chargers
(8-3) this week.
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Bengals have become the old Ravens
John Thornton, AllProBlogger.com
Congratulations
to the Cincinnati Bengals for sweeping the AFC North(6-0). The game
today against the Cleveland Browns wasn?t an ugly game. It was pretty
much what we saw from both teams all season. The Browns are terrible on
offense. They have no QB. They have no play makers on offense, because
head coach Eric Mangini traded their best players away. The Browns are
decent up front on defense, but their back seven players need a major
upgrade. Josh Cribbs is a game breaker but he is worn out and is
starting to think about his contract being renewed. So the Browns
played how they normally play. The Bengals on the other hand,
controlled the clock and ran for over 200 yds.
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Bengals kick off 2009 Toys for Tots campaign
Official Release
The Cincinnati Bengals and the United States Marine Corps Reserves are teaming up again for the annual Toys for Tots Collection on Sunday, December 6th before the Bengals/Lions game at Paul Brown Stadium. U.S. Marine Corps Reserves personnel will be at all stadium entrances with Mobile Storage Depot Containers to collect new, unwrapped toys and cash donations. All contributions benefit the less fortunate children in our community.Last year, Bengals fans generously donated over 3,000 new toys and more than $32,000 in cash. More than 35,000 children in the Tri-State area benefit from the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots Collection.
Every contribution makes a huge difference. The Bengals urge all fans to support this year?s Toys for Tots collection by bringing a new unwrapped toy or cash donation to the Bengals/Lions game on Sunday, December 6th.
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Kelly hasn't talked to Notre Dame.....University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday that he has had no contact with anyone from Notre Dame regarding the school?s coaching vacancy, and will not deal with that situation until after UC?s game at Pittsburgh on Saturday. "I don?t plan on getting involved in these Notre Dame conversations," Kelly said. "I?ll answer them after the season is over but I?m not going to get into any Notre Dame conversations about who had contact and who didn?t have contact. I?m just not going down that road until after the season...I have not had contact (with Notre Dame)," Kelly said. "Even if they were reaching out to me, I?m finishing out the season just like I have every year. We?re going to focus on Pittsburgh this week. After the Pittsburgh game, we can talk about other things."
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Brian Kelly is perfect fit to revive Irish
Pat Forde, ESPN.com
The
question is this: Will Notre Dame call? And if not, why not? Because
Brian Kelly is the guy to get it done beneath the Golden Dome. Brian
Kelly can make four bad hires and 16 undistinguished seasons of
football disappear in the rearview mirror. Brian Kelly can save Notre
Dame football. He is a relentless, career-long winner. He has had one
losing season in 19 as a college head coach. He has won at least eight
games 14 times in 19 years. He has racked up double-digit victories
seven times -- all of them in his past nine seasons across three
schools: Division II Grand Valley State (where he won two national
titles), Central Michigan (where he won the Mid-American Conference
title) and now Cincinnati (where he has won the Big East title).
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Congrats to Tony Pike.....Coming off a school-record performance, University of Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday. Pike returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Oct. 15 and showed no signs of rust as he completed 32 of 46 passes for 399 yards and a school-record six touchdowns in the Bearcats' 49-36 win against Illinois.
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Tiger Woods case closed....Woods will be cited for careless driving in a car crash outside his Orlando-area mansion, but will not face criminal charges, the Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday. Woods faces a $164 fine and four points against his driver's license, not close to enough to have it suspended. The citation closes the investigation of last week's crash.
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Larkin scheduled to appear at Redsfest this weekend....Reds Hall of Famer and shortstop great Barry Larkin is the latest member of the 1990 World Series team to confirm that he will be at Redsfest. Larkin, a 12-time All-Star, is scheduled to appear on Friday when members of the 1990 team are reunited on the main stage at the Duke Energy Center main stage at 6:30 p.m. ET. Fox Sports Ohio Redsfest is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Duke Energy Center. Tickets can be purchased on Reds.com, by phone at (513) 381-REDS, at all area Meijer stores and at the administration offices at Great American Ball Park. Doors will be open from 4-11 p.m. on Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $7 for fans 12 and under. Two-day tickets will sell for $20 for adults and $10 for kids.
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Time to vote The Ol' Lefthander into the Hall of Fame....
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Ex-Reds GM Wayne Krivsky joins Mets.....The Mets are adding former Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky to their front office, major-league sources say. Krivsky, a special assistant to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, is expected to fill a similar role with the Mets.
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Former Bearcat Celek gets extension from Eagles....Tight end Brent Celek signed a six-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday, becoming the latest player to get a long-term deal with the team. Celek's deal runs through the 2016 season. Last week, the Eagles gave right tackle Winston Justice a four-year extension. The team now has 22 players signed through 2012 and beyond.
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Cyclones deal for Alaska forward Morehouse
Official Release
The Cincinnati Cyclones, ECHL affiliate of the NHL?s Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators, announced this afternoon they have completed a trade with the Alaska Aces for forward Chris Morehouse. In return, Alaska receives future considerations from the Cyclones. In a related move, the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) have re-assigned forward Bryan Leitch from Cincinnati to Alaska.Morehouse, 22, is in his first professional season, having appeared in eleven games with Alaska. He has one goal and 45 penalty minutes with the Aces. Chris spent last season at St. Mary?s University (CIS) and played in 27 games with five goals and eight assists for 13 points and 48 penalty minutes.
The five-foot-nine, 180 pound native of Saint John, NB, played three seasons (2005-06 through 2007-08) with Moncton (QMJHL). Morehouse played in 184 games and picked up 36 goals and 68 assists for 450 penalty minutes. He was also involved in 29 fights during his time in the QMJHL. Chris also had nine power play goals during his junior career.
Leitch played in 16 games with the Cyclones, registering two goals and five assists for seven points.
The Cyclones host North Division leader Kalamazoo tomorrow night (December 2) for a ?Wet Wednesday?. That game is slated for a 7:30pm start. The Florida Everblades are in on Friday (December 4) for the annual ?Teddy Bear Toss? and Saturday (December 5) for the ?Salute To The Reds?. Both games are at 7:30pm.
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Miami Hockey still atop National Rankings....Despite suffering its first loss in nine games, Miami held onto the top ranking in two of the college hockey polls on Monday. The RedHawks were listed first in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports polls for the eighth straight week. Miami recieved 18 of 35 first-place votes in the USA Today poll, for a 13-point lead on No. 2 Denver, which was listed atop 10 ballots. North Dakota (3 first-place votes), Bemidji State (1), Colorado College (1) and Quinnipiac (1) rounded out top six.
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The 10 Best NFL Plays of the Decade
Yahoo Sports
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Wednesday Food Porn...introducing Bagel Bite Burgers
Mini burgers with Bagel Bites for buns.
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The Onion has really outdone itself...
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FAIL of the day....
hat tip to Jack C. for the link
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WTF of the day....courtesy of WalMart
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