Redsfest wrap
More than 70 current and former Reds and over 22,000 fans attend Redsfest
CINCINNATI (Dec. 11, 2012) — FOX Sports Ohio Redsfest presented by PNC drew 22,683 fans Dec. 7 and 8 the Duke Energy Convention Center.
Proceeds from Redsfest will benefit the Reds Community Fund and its baseball-themed outreach programs.
“We make Redsfest bigger and better every year as a tribute to our fans, who are the best fans in all of baseball,” said Bob Castellini, Reds President and CEO. “It’s their chance to connect with our players off the field, plus gets our players and coaches invigorated for the upcoming season.”
Highlights from Redsfest include:
- Over 70 current and former players, coaches and broadcasters participated in autograph sessions, photograph booths, Main Stage events, kids-only press conferences and much more.
- An expanded Reds Heads Kids Zone on the third floor featured trampolines, magicians, bounce houses, kids story times and interactive games.
- Brandon Phillips received the Ernie Lombardi Award as Reds MVP for the third time in his career, Johnny Cueto won his second Johnny Vander Meer Outstanding Pitcher Award and Bronson Arroyo took home his fourth Joe Nuxhall Good Guy Award.
- Billy Hamilton won the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Minor League Player of the Year for the second time.
- UC basketball fan favorite John Meeker teamed with Reds Minor League Hitter of the Year Steve Selsky to win the Celebrity Wiffle® Ball Home Run Contest.
- Dan Plettner of Batavia outlasted over 575 poker players to win first place in the seventh annual Reds Community Fund Texas Hold ‘Em Poker tournament.
$11,000 donated to Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
- In response to Todd Frazier’s efforts to raise money for his hometown of Toms River, New Jersey that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, Reds fans donated $1,788 at Redsfest. With an additional donation from the Reds Community Fund, a total of $11,000 will be split equally between the Presbyterian Church of Toms River and the Toms River East Little League.
$9,000 raised from Reds Corn Maze
- Bill Irons from the Irons Fruit Farm presented a check to the Reds Community Fund for $9,000 at Redsfest. Bill pledged to donate one dollar from each paid admission to the Reds-themed corn maze at his family farm in Lebanon this fall.
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Big East
CBS Sports: Here are some answers to your questions about the Big East
CFB Playoff: Big earnings for power conferences
ESPN
NEW YORK -- The financial gap between college football's haves and have-nots is about to grow even larger. During the 12-year contract for college football's new playoff format, the nation's five power conferences (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC) will earn an average of nearly $75 million more per year than the smaller leagues known as the "group of five." From 2014 to 2025, the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC will earn an average of at least $91 million annually, sources told ESPN Tuesday. By comparison, the average for the group of five -- Big East, Mountain West, Mid-American, Conference USA and Sun Belt -- during that 12-year period will be about $17.25 million annually.
Source: A-10 open to adding Big East schools
ESPN
The Atlantic 10 has discussed the possibility of a 21-team basketball league in the event that the changing conference landscape makes high-profile Big East schools available, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com Tuesday.
UC football
Big East football 2013 schedule announced
Cincinnati
Home: Boise State, UCF, Connecticut, Louisville
Away: Memphis, Rutgers, San Diego State, USF
NFL and College Football Teams Sharing Stadiums in 2012
Heinz Field: Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers
Raymond James Stadium: Tampa Bay Buccaneers and South Florida Bulls
Lincoln Financial Field: Philadelphia Eagles and Temple Owls
Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego Chargers and San Diego State Aztecs
Sun Life Stadium: Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes
The Mercedez-Benz Superdome: New Orleans Saints and Tulane Green Wave
LP Field: Tennessee Titans and Tennessee State University
Gillette Stadium: New England Patriots and University of Massachusetts
Georgia Dome: Atlanta Falcons and Georgia State
I'll continue to hammer away at this issue. UC does not have the money for renovation. Play football games at PBS and find a way to build a new basketball arena or renovation 5th/3rd. The issue is not renovating Nippert, the issue is finding out why fans are not going to games. Who adds to a stadium that has been sold out once in the last three years and averaged 6,000 fans below capacity this year? Renovating Nippert does what for parking and safety?
Mike DeCoury on Nippert, from last week:
Nippert does not need luxury boxes. It needs euthanasia. The sightlines are terrible, it’s as comfortable as a pup-tent, and there are so few restrooms that people line up 20-deep at halftime to use port-a-johns. The footprint is too small to address these issues. The Bearcats should be playing home games at Paul Brown Stadium, one of the best football venues in the nation and too often sitting vacant.
The money that isn’t misspent on renovating Nippert could be saved for either retro-fitting Fifth Third Arena or constructing its replacement, whichever turns out to make the greatest sense for the basketball program and other campus events.
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Show preview
6:05, Reds Hot Stove with Thom and Jim
7:05, Sports Talk
Topics
UC football: What do you think of Tommy T?
Reds: Your review of Redfest and reaction to Ryan Ludwick signing
Twitter
I can't imagine not having Twitter last week as the Butch Jones/Tommy Tuberville stories unfolded. Why wait for news? You don't have to tweet, just follow me, or a group of people, to keep you up on breaking news. Get Reds, Bengals, UC, XU, UK, OSU news and opinions. You decide who you follow and what news you want to get. You can follow me @lancemcalister. Thanks to the over 17,000 that are now following.
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Big East
UC emails reveal ACC dilemma
Cliff Peale, Enquirer
The email and other documents, obtained by The Enquirer through an Ohio Public Records Act request, also show that UC tried to enlist Ohio State University football coach Urban Meyer, whose sister works at UC. Urban used to coach at Notre Dame, which has joined the ACC for sports other than football. But Meyer eventually backed away from that request.
Big East Catholic schools breaking away?
AJerseyGuy.com
In what could be the first step towards the collapse of the Big East football/basketball structure, officials of the 7 non-football playing Big East basketball schools held a meeting in New York on Sunday to discuss breaking off on their own. According to sources familiar with the talks, the conference included not only athletic directors, but Presidents and Big East commissioner Mike Aresco as well.
DeCourcy on Big East dissolution
Sporting News The pressure on Big East commissioner Mike Aresco reached blazing proportions when it was revealed the conference’s basketball-first schools met Monday in New York City to discuss their options going forward.
Big East direction concerns Catholic schools
ESPN
A basketball split, which has been rumored for years, would send shockwaves throughout the rest of the potential Big East members, especially football-only members such as Boise State and San Diego State, which are scheduled to leave the Mountain West for an expected, but now uncertain, bigger media rights payday in the Big East. Boise State and San Diego State will have to put their non-football sports in the Big West.
UC football
Thanks Tom DeWees
College football regular season attendance dips to lowest since '03
AlabamaLive
Eight BCS schools experienced attendance declines of 10 percent or greater from 2011: Kentucky (17 percent); Maryland (15 percent); Stanford (13 percent); and Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Colorado (10 percent each).
Can't we all just root along?
Wayne Box Miller, GoBearcats.com
I challenged UC fans who were so critical of Butch Jones leaving his players behind to view Coach Tuberville the same way. If you can, thank you and trust me I am not mad at either one of them. It's the business of college sports like it or not. Contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on and a coach's word is only real when it doesn't interfere with their next stop. I think Chris Rock said it, "People are only as loyal as their options."
Enquirer: Tubberville plans to keep recruiting close
What did Tommy Tuberville say to fans in Lubbock? Check out this 1-on-1 interview Saturday at 5th/3rd Arena.
5th things Tuberville left in better shape at Texas Tech than he found them.
AP: Tuberville's challenge is to attract fans to winning program.
Jones' staff taking shape at Tennessee
UC basketball
Kilpatrick Named to BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
CINCINNATI - University of Cincinnati junior guard Sean Kilpatrick has been named to the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in a pair of Bearcats' victories last week.
It marks the third time the BIG EAST has honored Kilpatrick's play this season. He earned BIG EAST Player of the Week selection on Nov. 26 after earning weekly honor roll distinction on Nov. 19.
Kilpatrick led the Bearcats in scoring in both contests last week. The Yonkers, N.Y., native recorded his fourth game with 20 or more points this season when he scored a game-high 23 points in a 92-60 win against Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday. Kilpatrick was 10 of 15 from the field with a pair of three-pointers and four rebounds in 24 minutes. Earlier in the week, Kilpatrick led all scorers with a game-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and two assists in an 87-53 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock.
Kilpatrick has scored in double figures in all nine games this season and moved into 45th place on the UC career scoring chart with 1,047 points after Saturday's win.
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Daily must read
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Bengals
Reedy: Playoff picture quite complicated
Dolphins claim Armon Binns
Bengals blast from the past
Bengals rub Oilers' noses in turf, 61-7
NYTimes
''I don't like phonies,'' Wyche continued, ''and I don't think Jerry is a very genuine guy. The cheap shots they tried after our quarterback was down, their big mouths. Jerry tries coming up and talking to me before the game and when the cameras start rolling he puts his arm around you and smiles behind those dark glasses. When your football team is so talented and yet so undisciplined, you got to be ready to get kicked and the score run up on you. And that's exactly what happened today.''
Hoard: A memorable blocked kick for Josh Brown
December and January under Marvin:
From listener Adam Josefczyk
Record: 21-26 (0-3 playoffs)
Record: 10-18 in years in playoff contention entering December
2003: 1-3
L @ Ravens, W Niners, L @ Rams, L Browns
7-5 to 8-8: Lost outside chance at playoffs with home loss to Browns
2004: 3-2
W @ Ravens, L @ NE, L Buffalo, W NYG. W @ Eagles
5-6 to 8-8
2005: 3-3
W @ Steelers, W Browns, W @Lions, L Bills, L @ Chiefs
8-3 to 11-5: Lost to Steelers in playoffs (Carson injury)
2006: 1-3
W Raiders, L @Colts, L @Broncos, L Steelers
7-5 to 8-8: lost last wild card playoff spot in OT to Steelers
2007: 3-2
L @ Steelers, W Rams, L @ Niners, W Browns, W Dolphins
4-7 to 7-9
2008: 3-1
L @Colts, W Redskins, W Browns, W Chiefs
1-10-1 to 4-11-1
2009: 2-4
W Lions, L @ Vikings, L @ Chargers, W Chiefs, L @Jets
8-3 to 10-6: Playoffs Lost home vs Jets
2010: 2-3
L Saints, L @ Steelers, W Browns, W Chargers, L Ravens
2-9 to 4-12
2011: 2-4
L @ Steelers, L Texans, W @ Rams, W Cardinals, L Ravens
7-4 to 9-7 then Loss @ Texans in Playoffs
2012: 1-1
W @ Chargers,L Cowboys
Holy raccoon Batman!
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Stuff
West Virginia mascot does what with school issued musket?
In last year on HOF ballot, making a case for 'Murph'
AJC
If integrity and character are going to keep out of the HOF the most accomplished hitter (Barry Bonds) and most accomplished pitcher (Roger Clemens) most of us will see in our lifetimes, then integrity and character should be enough to put Dale Murphy over the top.
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Congrats
(WACO, Texas) - Thomas More College senior defensive back Zach Auterieb (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) has been named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-American Football Team.
Autenrieb had 48 tackles (36 solo, 12 assisted), including a half tackle for a loss, NCAA Division III-leading eight interceptions, five pass break-ups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery this season. Two of his interceptions were returned for a touchdown. With his eight interceptions he finished his career with 32 interceptions, which is the new NCAA Division III career interception record.
Autenrieb, who is a finalist for Gagliardi Trophy, was named the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Player of the Year and named to the All-PAC First Team, while also being selected to the D3Football.com All-South Region First Team.
Also an excellent student in the classroom, Autenrieb carries a 3.33 grade point average as an Accounting major and was named to the Capital One Academic All-District II Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The AFCA All-American team is limited to just 25 elite players in the nation selected by member coaches and each school may have one selection on the team.
