Reds
Votto talks about his knee

Power outage
Joey Votto's last HR was June 24 vs Twins at GABP.
He has gone 45 games, 147 AB and 189 plate appearances since his last HR.
He has 9 RBI and 14 doubles and a .460 OBP in those 45 games.
40 regular season games upon his return:
129 AB, 167 plate appearances
.295-.455-.403-.858
0 HR, 9 RBI, 38 BB
14 doubles
Postseason
5 games, 18 AB, 22 plate appearances, 0 HR, 0 RBI
4 BB, .389 BA, .500 OPB
Timeline
Votto injured Friday June 29 at SF (7+ months, 231 days)
Surgery Tuesday, July 17 (6+ months, 213 days)
Second surgery Friday August 10 (6+ months, 189 days)

This is outstanding!

(AP photo)
Over 400 people volunteered to be Hal McCoy's driver!

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Show preview

6:05, Sports Talk
8:30, UC basketball
Topics
Reds: Over/under 88.5? + storylines that interest you this spring?
MJ turns 50: When I say Michael Jordan, you think _________?
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Reeeeeeeeejected!
Did you get rejected for your Reds Opening Day lottery email?
Don't forget, get Opening Day tickets with the purchase of the Reds Power Pack, on sale Saturday morning.

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Pacing along


I saw my cardiologist, Dr. Sheldon Brownstein, the "Electrician of Hearts" today.
Doc says I'm "the poster child" for pacemaker owners. All systems are go. I'm told the battery has about five more years before I need a new one. I asked for a March Madness tune-up. He said I continue to hold his record for the patient that flat-lined the longest at 60-seconds. Yes!

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Classic

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Taking flight
Former Bearcat James White takes flight Saturday night in NBA Slam Dunk contest.

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Go Tubby, go Tubby
Think Minnesota coach Tubby Smith was happy about their overtime win vs Wisconsin last night?

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UC basketball

Video preview of Cincinnati vs Georgetown
Dehner Jr.,: From Puffy to Cash, the tale of a falling steals record

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Wow

Meteor shower in central Russia injures hundreds


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Reds
Reds going for 3rd playoff appearance in last 4 years under GM Walt Jocketty. Before he arrived, they'd made postseason 3 times in 29 years.
Richard Justice, MLB.com on Twitter (@richardjustice)

John Kiesewetter (Enquirer) takes a video tour of "Signature Reds" at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum

Opening MLB Season Win-Totals:
RJ Bell, Pregame.com, Las Vegas
90 Detroit Tigers, LA Dodgers, Washington Nationals
89.5 Los Angeles Angels
88.5 Cincinnati Reds
87 Texas Rangers
86.5 New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays
86 Atlanta Braves, SF Giants, Tampa Bay Rays
85.5 St. Louis Cardinals

83 Oakland Athletics
81.5 Arizona D’backs, Philadelphia Phillies
80.5 Chicago White Sox
79.5 Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
79 Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates
77.5 Cleveland Indians
76.5 Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners
74.5 San Diego Padres
74 New York Mets
72 Chicago Cubs
71.5 Colorado Rockies
64.5 Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins
59.5 Houston Astros
Projected MLB Playoffs based on win-totals:
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Angels
AL Wildcard #1: Rangers
AL Wildcard #2: Yankees
NL East: Nationals
NL Central: Reds
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wildcard #1: Braves
NL Wildcard #2: Giants
Best teams missing playoffs: Rays, Cardinals
In 2013, no MLB team is projected to win over 90 games.
Last season, FOUR MLB teams were projected to win over 90 games (Yankees, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers)

Reno book first to post '13 MLB win totals
Covers.com

Cincinnati Reds - 88.5 (over -115/under -115)
St. Louis Cardinals - 85.5 (over -115/under -115)
Milwaukee Brewers - 79.5 (over -115/under -115)
Chicago Cubs - 72 (over -115/under -115)

Sheldon: Elder statesman Arroyo looking to leave his mark

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UC basketball

Cincinnati's woeful offense leads to crisis of confidence
Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News
It’s hard to win when you’re not scoring, and coach Mick Cronin contends it’s harder to score when you’re thinking about not scoring.
“Too many guys are worried about offense, worried about layups, worried about shooting it,” Cronin said after Cincinnati fought to a necessary 68-point outburst in beating Villanova. “You have to get lost in the game.
“You can’t play offense if you’re worried about missing.”

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Stuff
Peyton made my day

MJ turns 50 on Sunday

Michael Jordan by the numbers
50 Sports Illustrated covers of Jordan
100 best MJ photos

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Must watch
How about former UC assistant Frank Martin?
His South Carolina team got hammered last night, and then he hammered them.
"If this were the NBA, we'd fine them, release them and say, 'good luck finding another job'. If the word pride is not in your vocabulary, you have no chance of ever sniffing success. I'm a lot of things, but I have pride. I've never been so embarrassed. I shouldn't coach basketball ever again if this is the way my team plays".

Ever heard of Toradol? Curt Schilling has: I literally couldn't move my head. I went to the bullpen and started throwing and I didn't think there was any way I could pitch. "Then the Toradol kicked in. I threw a one-hitter and struck out 17."
Big East gives ESPN chance to match NBC Sports offer
Who performs Super Bowl halftime in New York/New Jersey next year? Here are the odds.
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Bengals
Marvin Lewis honored at Idaho State

From Idaho State: Marvin Lewis, head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award. He won the award in September during Idaho State University's Homecoming week, but was unable to attend. Lewis is an ISU alumni. He met with the local media Thursday afternoon at Holt Arena. He also met with the ISU football team after this interview.

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Spirit Warriors Seeks Players
The Spirit Warriors is a select basketball program for boys in 7th -11th grades. Players are needed for 6 teams that will play in The Spirit Warriors Spring League. The League is played on Tuesday and Thursday nights in April and May (18 games) at The Sharonville Recreation Center. The cost is $285 which covers everything games practices jersey etc..  Teams will also be selected to play in weekend tournaments.  The Spirit teams are coached by Ted Creamer, a former college head coach.  Coach Creamer also works camps for Coach Knight, Coach K, Roy Williams and many others.  Coach Creamer's players have gone on to play at OSU, UC,X,UD, Miami, NKU,ND, Michigan and many other colleges. Tryouts are in mid-March in Loveland.   Call Coach Creamer at 513-274-3875

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Horse Racing
February 15, 2013 (Cincinnati & Florence, Ky.) - Horseshoe Cincinnati, a $400 million full-service casino that will open in downtown Cincinnati next month, will be the title sponsor of the 42nd running of the Spiral Stakes held at sister-property Turfway Park on March 23.  The Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes is one of 36 qualifying races for the 2013 Kentucky Derby that will be held at Churchill Downs in May.  Horseshoe Cincinnati's sponsorship will increase the race purse to $550,000, its highest payout in more than a decade.
"We are excited to have one of the country's premier entertainment brands sponsor our most important race," said Chip Bach, general manager of Turfway Park.  "As Northern Kentuckians and Southwestern Ohioans will soon experience, Horseshoe is known for bringing a first class experience to its customers, and we know that Horseshoe's involvement will elevate the Spiral Stakes experience for our race fans and horsemen as well."  The Spiral Stakes was established in 1972 and has produced several Triple Crown race winners, including Kentucky Derby winners Lil E. Tee (1992) and Animal Kingdom (2011). MORE HERE

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#XavierTweetUp
From Xavier
Join us as the Musketeers take on the Memphis Tigers on Tuesday, February 26.
Xavier has carved out a special seating block in the lower-level student section as many students will be away on Spring Break.
For only $20, the #XavierTweetUp package includes a lower-level ticket (regular price $40) plus a commemorative #Xavier t-shirt (select sizes available). This special seating is limited to 100 tickets and is on sale for one week only from February 11 at 9 a.m. until February 15 at 5 p.m.  Limit two tickets per order.
The special link to order is available exclusively by following #Xavier social media platforms on twitter (@XUAthletics) and from select media personalities who will join us for the #XavierTweetUp.
When ordering your ticket, please select the ticket option with the corresponding t-shirt size (S, M, L, or XL) you need.
After purchasing your ticket, please tweet @XUAthletics to let us know you're coming.  You may pick-up your free t-shirt on game night at the table located on the east concourse.

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