Are you looking to get involved/help an organization? I would recommend The Dragonfly Foundation. The vision of Christine Neitzke and Ria Davidson is powerful and inspiring. 
The help they provide is life changing.

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Kicks for Kids First Annual Pete Minor Father/Child Basketball Camp
The first annual Pete Minor Father/Child Basketball Camp benefiting Kicks For Kids is taking place at the NKU Health Center in Highland Heights. Camp will be held on Saturday, June15th, 2013 from 4pm-8pm, immediately followed by dinner and a movie.  Admission is $75.00 for one father figure and one child; additional children cost $50.00 each. For more information about the basketball camp, please contact Christine Sebastian at 859-331-8484 or chris.sebastian@kicksforkids.org To RSVP online, please visit HERE.

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Pray~Hope~Believe Foundation 5K Walk/Run
July 4th 
"The Pray~Hope~Believe Foundation (PHBF) is a nonprofit organization established to honor the memory of Tony Merk – a 6-year-old boy who died on July 4, 2011 after an almost three-year battle with brain cancer. The PHBF provides funding for pediatric brain tumor research, supports children/teens who have a life-threatening condition and their families, and honors the memory of Tony Merk through scholarships or other community events. Pray~Hope~Believe became the theme for Tony's journey on earth and is now his family's theme for healing and living."

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Events for a cause

Register now for the 12^th annual Redlegs Run

Saturday, June 1 - Great American Ball Park

 CINCINNATI (April 8, 2013) – Sign up now for the 12^th annual Redlegs Run on Saturday, June 1, 2013. Runners, walkers and families have many options to participate:

• Coldwell Banker West Shell 5K: Chip-timed 3.1-mile course starts on Mehring Way behind Great American Ball Park, winds along the riverfront and finishes inside the ballpark near home plate.
• 10K: Chip-timed 6.2-mile course starts on Mehring Way, winds along the riverfront, crosses over the Ohio River on the Taylor Southgate Bridge into Newport and back across the Purple People Bridge and finishes inside the ballpark near home plate.
• One Mile Family Run/Walk presented by UnitedHealthcare: 1-mile course starts starts on Mehring Way and finishes inside the ballpark near home plate. (not chip timed)
• Gapper’s Kids Fun Run presented by UnitedHealthcare: Kids run around the warning track of the ballpark.
All events are for walkers and runners of all ages, with the exception of the Gapper’s Kids Fun Run, which is limited to kids ages 10 and under.
All participants receive a race T-Shirt (technical shirt for 10K participants), post-race party in the Kroger Fan Zone and one View Level ticket voucher for the Reds vs. Rockies game on Tuesday, June 4 at 7:10 pm.
Register online by May 22 to receive discounted entry fees:
• Coldwell Banker West Shell 5K: $30 ($40 after May 22)
• 10K: $40 ($50 after May 22)
• One Mile Family Run/Walk presented by UnitedHealthcare: $20
• Gapper’s Kids Fun Run presented by UnitedHealthcare: $15 (for kids 10 and under)
To register online visit www.reds.com/run. (Online registration closes May 22 at 11:59 pm)

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8th Annual NKOA Golf Scramble
When: Saturday June 1, 2013, Shot Gun Start at 12:00PM
Where: Flagg Springs Golf Course, California, KY
Why: Come out and help us raise money to support and fund the 2013 Northern
Kentucky Officials Association Scholarship Fund; which is awarded each year to a male
& female senior student football participant* from a Northern Kentucky High School in
which the NKOA services to help fulfill their college dream.

How: Register by May 15, 2013
Cost: $65 per Golfer (includes the following:)
      18 Holes of Golf with Cart
      Adult Beverages
      Dinner
      Friendship, Fun, Frustration, Hazards, Laughs and so much more…

Who:
Mail check payable to “NKOA Golf” and this form to:
Daniel Brummett
c/o NKOA Golf Outing
6406 Waterview Way
Independence, KY 41051
If you need assistance, please contact the NKOA at 859-474-5003 or email: golf@nkoafootball.org .

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9th annual Scott Christian Scholarship Cup

• Saturday, June 1st, 2013
• Shot-Gun Start at 8:00am
• Golfers receive gift bag full of great items
• Breakfast provided
• Barbecue Buffet following the golf outing
• Water, soft drinks & beer during the event
• Award Presentation
• Silent Auction
• Raffle Prices
• Multiple Golf Contests
• Twin Oaks Golf Course
• Cost: $100 per golfer - or - $90 if registered by May 17th.

The purpose of the Scott Christian Memorial Soccer Foundation is to perpetuate the memory of this fine outstanding young man by promoting soccer among youth soccer players and establishing an educational scholarship. Each year a female and male senior student athlete who best demonstrates his/her commitment to excellence In academics and the game of soccer will be awarded The Scott Christian Memorial Soccer Scholarship. This scholarship seeks to reward students striving to develop their individual talents to further the common good of the team and community.

*****

The Kid Glove Way
You can attend a Reds game and help out boys and girls tri-state baseball and softball programs. The Kid Glove Game program is 65 years. The program has furnished $300,000 in equipment each year for the past five years and over $9.1 million since 1949. 
Game 3: Reds vs Rockies, Monday, June 3, 7:10
Game 4: Reds vs Diamondbacks, Monday, August 19, 7:10
Game 5: Reds vs Diamondbacks, Tuesday, August 20, 7:10
Ticket vouchers: $10 each. Each voucher entitles you to a $17 View Level seat at GABP. If you don't want the tickets, you can designate them to be sent to your favorite charity or a charity selected by The Kid Glove committee.
I am proud to be involved with The Kid Glove game again this year.
Click HERE for a Kid Glove order form. Fill out the form and send in your order. 

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Spend the day at the Masters!

Masters Sunday Getaway
Drawing will be at the annual Down Syndrome Association Golf Tournament hosted by Dave Lapham on June 17, 2013. 
You and a guest will depart Sunday 4/13/14 at 8 am AND   
Return Sunday 4/13/14 at approx. 8 pm.

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Bengals Bowling Bash
MostValuableKids.org 
Saturday, June 8th--Princeton Bowl
Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End, Michael Johnson and teammates will be partnering with MVK to host The Bengals Bowling Bash.  Sponsorship will include 2 games of bowling, lunch, autographs, face painting, silent auction, photos and more!  Money raised will benefit both Most Valuable Kids and the Michael Johnson Foundation.

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Paige’s Princess Run & Carnival

Paige’s Princess Foundation proudly announces our 3^rd annual Paige’s Princess Run & Carnival on Saturday, May 18th at 9am, Wyandot Early Childhood Center, 7667 Summerlin Boulevard, Liberty Township, OH. 
We will have another fun event with a chip timed (optional) run or walk ending a full carnival for kids of all ages.  We have inflatables, face painting, petting zoo, food/drink, and even a pony!  It is a great family event that benefits local patients of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with chronic disabilities held in loving memory of Paige Alessandro, a former Kindergartener at Wyandot Elementary. For more information or to register/donate, please visit:  www.paigesprincessrun.com

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From Evan
My nephew, Harrison Mummert passed away from Trisomy 18 on 5/29/12.  Fortunately, his parents, James & Emily Mummert (my sister and brother-in-law), are in the Air Force, and were able to handle the extreme medical costs and high-risk pregnancy thanks to the health insurance provided by the Air Force.  As I’m sure you are aware, many families aren’t so lucky…and if they have a situation like this happen to them, it could bankrupt them.  So our family has decided to put on the Harrison’s Heroes 5k/10k to raise money for the NICU at Dayton Children’s Hospital.  All the money that’s raised – every dollar – will go towards helping families that find themselves in the tragic situation that the Mummerts experienced. 
The race will be held at Beavercreek High School in Dayton on 6/1/13 at 9 AM.  
Jame Mummert's blog. 

Father returns from Afghanistan to surprise daughter at game
Tampa Bay Times 
A man wearing a Rays uniform and a catcher's mask and pads squatted behind the plate. As the ball rolled toward him, he stepped forward and scooped the ball in his glove.
Alayna thought there was something odd about the way he caught the ball. It wasn't quite how a professional ballplayer would do it.
The man at the plate stood and lifted his mask. It was her father, Lt. Col. Will Adams.
She sprinted to him. He swept her into his arms. VIDEO

Down on the Farm
Rickey Henderson loves Billy Hamilton 

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Bengals

(Al Behrman/AP)
Eifert-Bengals pairing could be mutally beneficial
SI
As soon as the Bengals selected Tyler Eifert with the No. 21 pick in this year’s draft, speculation began regarding exactly how much the Notre Dame product could help Cincinnati’s offense.
What we all might have failed to consider here is the reverse hypothetical — how big a boost Eifert will receive from being a piece of the Bengals’ attack.

Which offensive rookie will have the biggest impact this year?
CBSSports.com
1. Giovani Bernard, Bengals
This bandwagon, I am driving it. Good luck finding people who are as high on Bernard as I am. I think ultimately he ends up stealing the every-down role from BenJarvus Green-Ellis and winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Why is that exactly? Because Bernard can make an impact in multiple facets of the game. He's not a scatback, he's what Pete Prisco likes to call an "air back." Bernard's capable of getting out in space and generating big plays, he can be a feature runner when they need him to be, he's a dynamic pass-catching back (92 catches in 2011 and 2012 at North Carolina) and he's a force on special teams as well (ask former NC State coach Tom O'Brien about his punt-returning skills). Color me all in on Gio blowing up for the Bengals.

***

Show preview 
3-6pm, ESPN 1530, listen HERE, 6:05, Inside Pitch, 700 WLW, listen HERE
Guests
Mark Sheldon, MLB.com, Reds.com, 3:20
Karl Schaulin, made 4th round draft pick for Bengals in NY, 4:05
Matt Andrews interviewed Billy Hamilton
Topics
Reds
MLB replay will expand for '14....in some form 
Bengals 

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Reds: Are we having fun yet?

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Sweep...six row...the resilient Reds....25-16
4th inning: Votto went the other way for 2B, Bruce other way RBI 1B
Choo on base three more times, H, 2 BB
Phillips 7th HR, 2 RBI, NL best 36 RBI, ML best 8 game winning RBI (per MLB.com)
Bruce 3 RBI, 2 big insurance runs in 10th, 24 RBI, hitting .269
Bruce last 6 games: .400, 2 HR, 8 RBI, last 15 games .293, 2 HR, 13 RBI
Bruce projections: 55 doubles, 87 runs, 95 RBI, 213 K
Frazier 0-5, Cozart 0-4.
Cozart 2 last 16
Frazier 18 games/60 AB since last HR.....60 AB, .167.....hitting .162 last 33 games.
Latos threw 45 thru 5 innings, with 9 balls, and 85 pitches through 8 innings.
8th inning: Cozart boot ball. Marlins loaded , 1 out, Latos huge 5-2-3 DP
9th inning Latos allowed triple. Chapman on with 1-out, allowed Ozuna 2-out triple tie
10th: Lutz PH rip 1B, Choo BB, Cozart Sac, BP rope, 3-2, Bruce pull 2-RBI double
Latos 8.1,  5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K..no decision. Victims of all 3 blown saves by bullpen.
Chapman fails at his job, but gets the win, ugh.

WSJ: Is this guy a threat to Rose's 4,256?

Cards success starts at the top
Bernie Miklasz, St Louis Post-Dispatch 
In 2013 the Cardinals’ player-development system is the buzz of baseball. The franchise is producing a trove of coveted talent, led by a procession of power-armed pitchers who come to the majors equipped with radiating fastballs.

Blast from the past

The guys at Redleg Nation did a two part interview with former Reds LHP Fred Norman.
Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE 

Joey Votto on hard work and getting better

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Bengals/NFL

If Charles Woodson is still looking and plans to visit the Raiders next week, how about the Bengals?

Rating O-linemen
CBSports .com
Left Tackle
5. Andrew Whitworth Bengals, 9-17-32: 
Whitworth is the heart and soul of the Bengals offense, and his leadership shines as brightly as his skills. Holding down the fifth spot will be tough in coming years with a very strong honorable mention list and great young talent on the players-on-the-rise list. 

10 most underrated
CBSSports.com
10. Geno Atkins, Bengals DT: It's not a coincidence that the Bengals' playoff resurgence is in conjunction with the growth of Atkins. He's that good but remains a hidden gem to many in the sport. 

Best players under age of 23
CBSSports.com
2. Luke Kuechly, ILB, Carolina Panthers  
He led the NFL in tackles as a rookie. That's impressive. He was all over the field and did so without the help of good down tackles in front of him. 

***

Stuff

Photo of the year

Father returns from Afghanistan to surprise daughter at game
Tampa Bay Times 
A man wearing a Rays uniform and a catcher's mask and pads squatted behind the plate. As the ball rolled toward him, he stepped forward and scooped the ball in his glove.
Alayna thought there was something odd about the way he caught the ball. It wasn't quite how a professional ballplayer would do it.
The man at the plate stood and lifted his mask. It was her father, Lt. Col. Will Adams.
She sprinted to him. He swept her into his arms. VIDEO

MLB hoping for large replay expansion in 2014

It's Friday, here is Alyssa Miller, you are welcome

Keep forgetting to add this....ooops

NFL: Arrest warrant issued for Chad Johnson

UC baseball
CINCINNATI – Brian Cleary has been relieved of his duties as the head baseball coach at the University of Cincinnati, director of athletics Whit Babcock announced Thursday. A national search for a successor will begin immediately. 
Cleary will coach the team this weekend as the Bearcats close out the 2013 season against Notre Dame at Marge Schott Stadium. 
“Coach Cleary has been a great representative on many fronts for many years.  He has been a tremendous ambassador for the University and the athletic department, however, we feel it is time to take the program in a new direction,” said Babcock. “It is never an easy decision to make a change, especially for a coach with the character and integrity of Coach Cleary, but in the end I felt that the program has not achieved at the level on the field we expect.”
This season, Cleary is 22-31 (.415) overall and 4-17 (.190) in the BIG EAST Conference, with a seventeen-year career record of 434-528-1 (.451) and a team grade point average of 3.2 this spring.

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Reds
Today we check out the Reds after 40 games. GM's and baseball executives will tell you it takes 40 games to get a good feel and sense for what they have with their team. So, what do the Reds have? 
Who has been:
MVP:
Best starter:
Best reliever:
Best surprise:
Biggest disappointment:
Biggest worry going forward:

40 games in
Record: 24-16
Record vs -.500 (18-3)....Record vs +.500 (6-13)
Home 16-6/Road 8-10 
Record 1-run games 10-5
Offense/NL-ML ranks
Runs 190 (1/6)
BA .251  (7/16)
OBP .335 (1/3)
SLG .394 (8/20)
OPS .729 (5/12)
K 313 (5/12)
BB 162 (1/2)
Scored 10+ runs 6 times (4 all of '12)
Scored 2 runs or less 14 times
Pitching/NL-ML ranks
ERA 3.45 (3/4)
SP 3.38 (3/4)
Pen 3.62 (8/16)
QS 23 (T5-T27) 
Allowed 2 or less runs 15 times 

Baker: Leake's spot secure

No leak here
Last six starts: 2.72 ERA, 36 IN, 28 K, 7 BB
Mike Leake 1st two starts: 9 earned runs in 12 innings
Mike Leake's next six starts: 11 earned runs in 36.1 innings 

Fox Sports: Don Mattingly on hot-seat....Dusty Baker in Dodger blue?

(AP photo)

About last night
Did you miss the game? HERE are the highlights.
What a battle in the 9th inning between Aroldis Chapman and Derek Dietrich. It was a heck of an at-bat from Dietrich. He fouled off fastball after fastball, only to have Chapman drop a slider on him. The pitch was unfair. Watch it HERE. What the movement, follow Devin Mesoraco's glove. Unreal.

Final: Reds 4 Marlins 0
Record 24-16........best 40 game start since 2002 (25-15) *FS Ohio
That is the definition of "scattering" hits.... 11 in a shutout
Choo 4-5, 2 HR, 3 runs...loved watching him spray hits around the ballpark
I continue to be struck by how Choo seems to fits in, on/off the field with this team.
Leake 6.2, 9 H...got ahead... 1 BB, 6 K
Chapman vs Dietrich. Holy. The slider was NASTY.
The Marshall hook to K Dietrich was unfair.
Phillips with another RBI...34 RBI, 2-5, 2B
Bruce 2-4, 2B
Izturis got the start and got a 2B
Votto: 2-4, RBI

Pacing it
Shin-Soo Choo on pace for:
.322-.465-.5689-.1.054
41 doubles, 36 HR, 77 RBI, 109 BB, 16 SB and 134 runs. 

The at-bat
2-outs in 9th: Aroldis Chapman vs rookie Derek Dietrich: 
Chapman's fastball ranged between 99 and 102. Total of 10 pitches.
Strike (foul) 99, Strike (foul) 101, Foul 102, Foul 101, Ball 89, Ball 90, Foul 101, Foul 101, Foul 100, Strike (looking) 87.

BP=RBI
Brandon Phillips leads the NL with 34 RBI after 40 games.
Last year he had 20 RBI after 40 games.
He has reached 34 RBI in 154 AB's and 40 games this year.
He reached 34 RBI in 211 AB's and 55 games last year. 

Some Reds notes from last night and beyond:  
From Steven Sharp
*Shin-Soo Choo has posted the following batting and baserunning stats versus the Marlins:  
6 games, 31 plate appearances, 21 at-bats, 12 hits (6 singles, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homeruns), .571 BA, 10 runs scored, 4 RBI, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts, 3 times reaching base as a hit batsman, .710 on-base percentage, 1.095 slugging percentage, and 1-for-1 on stolen base attempts.  
Choo has reached base safely (hits, walks, and hit by pitch) 86 times this season, and 22 of those times have come against the Miami Marlins.  
*Shin-Soo Choo is the 2013 Reds leader with 9 homeruns.  All nine of his homeruns this season have been solo homeruns.  Choo hit two homeruns in 2013 Reds spring training, and both of those were solo homeruns.  
*Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto have both reached base safely (hits, walks, and hit by pitch) 86 times this season.  That total of times on base (86) still leads all MLB players in the 2013 season.  
*With two hits last night, Jay Bruce raised his batting average to .264 (which is higher than his career MLB regular-season batting average (.255). The first hit extended Bruce's modest hitting streak to six games, during which he has raised his batting average from .246 to .264. Bruce is now on pace for MLB season career-highs in hits (174), singles (105), and doubles (52). With the strikeout last night, Jay Bruce is once again leading the National League in strikeouts (53) as a batter.  
*Last night, Mike Leake made his second career pitching appearance versus the Florida/Miami Marlins.  Leake's career (as a pitcher) stats versus Marlins:  
2 games (both starts), 2 wins and 0 losses, 2.13 ERA, 12.2 innings pitched, 15 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, 12 strikeouts, 1 hit batsman, 0 wild pitches, 0 balks, and 2 homeruns allowed.  

St Louis
The Cardinals keep on winning, 12 of the last 14

2014 Free Agent Power Rankings
MLBTradeRumors.com 
2. Shin-Soo Choo Choo
Choo ascends to second on the list, as his .451 OBP leads all of baseball.  He has a decent chance of topping his career high of 22 home runs, set in 2010, and the Reds' leadoff hitter could also score 120 runs.  A qualifying offer is looking very likely for Choo after the season. 

***

Bengals

CBS Sports: Ranking the NLF QB's
Put up or shut up
23. Andy Dalton, This is a harsh spot for a quarterback who's been to the playoffs twice in two seasons since being drafted in the second round. But despite Dalton's success, I have questions about whether he could simply step into any situation and produce at a high level. He's got AJ Green in Cincinnati and a great defense and with the addition of Tyler Eifert and Giovanni Bernard, has a pretty loaded stable of weapons to improve. He's got plenty of people who back him, but more who criticize him, and he'll need to take a step forward to justify more faith.

Giovani Bernard talks about the transition to life in the NFL 

Jame Harrison's very expensive habit

****

UC
AAC commish: We won't look back 

***

Stuff

Big 10 announces 2014 schedule

2014 Ohio State Football Schedule
Aug. 30 – vs. Navy (at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium)
Sept. 6 – Off
Sept. 13 – Kent State
Sept. 20 – Virginia Tech
Sept. 27 – Cincinnati
Oct. 4 – at Maryland
Oct. 11 – Off
Oct. 18 – Rutgers
Oct. 25 – at Penn State
Nov. 1 – Illinois
Nov. 8 – at Michigan State
Nov. 15 – at Minnesota
Nov. 22 – Indiana
Nov. 29 – Michigan
Dec. 6 – Big Ten Championship Game

Would you like to become a high-school football official?
NKOA Bluegrass Officials Spring Clinic  
Saturday, May 18, Thomas More College, 8:30am-4:30pm

2013-14 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - Odds to Win     
From Bovada 
Kentucky  5/1
Kansas    11/2
Louisville 17/2
Michigan State 12/1
Duke  14/1
Ohio State 20/1
Indiana   33/1
Butler   66/1
Cincinnati 100/1
Purdue   100/1
West Virginia 100/1
Dayton   150/1
Xavier   200/1

DeCourcy: Calipari says Kentucky "chasing perfection" next year

ESPN: Making the case for Kentucky vs Louisville

What if MLB were more like the NFL, one game per week

Ever play MLB's Beat the Streak? This guy is at 43!

Sports on Earth: Twitter makes it easier than ever to discover hateful comments, and the Internet trend is to gather them for a public shaming -- a practice that doesn't help anyone. In reality, the world isn't as bad as the Internet makes it look.

NBA
Former Kentucky Wildcat Tayshaun Prince has still got hops!