Why are we so eager to say "bye-bye' to Bronson?

SIX MO' THINGS, 5/20/13

I'm enjoying the next two days off, from blogging, radio, and really from anything besides the swimming pool, cold beer, and a cigar or two. 

We're back at it online, and on-air Wednesday, and this week's chat will be on Thursday morning.

Three quick, random, sports-related thoughts.

1)  Hitters have slumps.  Starting pitchers have slumps.  Closers have slumps.  I'm willing to attribute Arolids Chapman's recent struggles to that.

For now.

2) Now on pace to drive in over 100 runs, his average above that of his career, and helping to carry the offense, Jay Bruce is on a tear.  Consistency is a myth, few hitters are consistently good.  The ones that are named "Joey Votto" or "Miguel Cabrera."  The others are hopefully guys like Jay Bruce, capable of going on the kind of runs he's in the midst of right now.

I haven't gotten the "Jay Bruce is like Adam Dunn" Tweet in a few days.

3)  The Reds did the right thing in sending Cingrani down and keeping Leake.  Tony isn't a finished product.  We sometimes fall in the trap of looking at a guy's immediate success and concluding that he's ready. 

He isn't.

His ceiling might be higher than Mike Leakes, but Leake is pitching well, has earned a spot in the rotation, and given that the "WALT BETTER MAKE A MOVE," movement will start within a few weeks, and given that the guy we'll most likely want the Reds to trade is Leake, doesn't it make sense for him to add to his value here, rather than there?

4)  The Knicks season was a failure, the Pacers were the better team, and Lance Stephenson made me look good when I went on my ESPN show and said he'd be the key to game six.  I'm rooting for Indy in the Eastern Finals.

5)  Anyone who knows anything about Andrew Whitworth would hardly be surprised to read this.

6) Here's a fat guy singing with his puppet.

I'm out for a couple.  Back at it on Wednesday.  Enjoy the time without me.  I'll be working on a radio version of this...

Baseball must continue to evolve.  We need more replay.

1) The Reds swept the Marlins.  This might not exactly put them in exclusive company, but the wins are helpful nonetheless.

The good: Mat Latos.  His first batter, who never goes deep, hit a homer.  His last batter, who has a name I couldn't spell if you have me 500 tries, hit a triple.  In between, Mat was really good, bouncing back from a bad start against a team you want to see when you're bouncing back. And it wasn't like he didn't have to escape trouble, as he sidestepped any runs scoring in the seventh.  We can debate whether he should have been left in for the ninth, but what can't be debated is how good he's been this season.  If he just could have just gotten through the fifth last Saturday and the ninth last night, we're talking about a guy who's 6-0.  As it stands, the team's record in games he starts (7-2), will have to suffice....Jay Bruce.  The numbers are creeping up.  A friend of mine spent 15 minutes chewing my ear off the other day about how Jay never comes through in the clutch.  I say the word "clutch" is subjective.  Is a two-out single that ties the game in the fourth inning a "clutch" hit?  Many will say no, but the team doesn't win last night without it.  Was the two-run double with the team up a run in the tenth inning "clutch?" They might still be playing if not for it.  I Jay - right now on pace for 95 RBI and currently hitting .308 in May - was clutch last night....Brandon Phillips.  Oh, he was clutch too.  Homer, sac fly, both providing his team leads. 

The bad: Well, they blew the lead in the ninth.  That's never good...The call on Choo's pickoff.  Guy was safe....Todd Frazier.  He looks really bad at the plate right now. He's 3 for his last 24, with Wednesday's "mental break" not looking like it did any good.  Remember the 480-foot homer he hit on April 24th?  Did you ever think it's be another three-plus weeks before he went deep again?  Me either.

The questionable: Latos coming out for the ninth. It's questionable because it didn't work. The rationale made sense.  Latos had chucked it 85 times heading into the ninth - hardly a heavy workload - and Chapman did pitch the night before, and his game-ending slider aside - didn't look great.  I see both sides.  And it isn't like the Missile went unscathed, giving up a three-bagger to another guy I've never heard of.  Had Latos mowed down the Fish in order, we wouldn't be talking about this, so we are.   I'm a fan of playing to strengths, and Aroldis Chapman is a strength, but we're only talking about this because they kicked away the lead in the ninth.

The awkward: This...

(H/T to C. Trent Rosecrans)

The empty: Marlins Park.  I can't blame anyone in South Florida for wanting to see that garbage the Marlins are running out there, but it ain't like they were drawing 35K a night before they started selling off anyone who's spent more than ten minutes in the Majors. Baseball in Miami doesn't work, didn't work, won't work, and the silly voters who signed off on the new park and its dumb-looking sculpture, should've realized that instead of paying for a park that will never be full.

2) Chris Crocker or Charles Woodson? The Bengals drafted Shawn Williams to play safety, and hopefully, he's the solution to a long-time problem at that position.  But if not, what's plan B?  Neither of the other safeties on the roster are very inspiring, meaning that another call to Chris Crocker can't be beyond the realm of possibility.

Wouldn't you rather have Charles Woodson, yes, at the age of 36, being the guy bringing along Williams instead of having to make a desperate call to one of your castoffs?

Like with James Harrison, you would know both what you would and wouldn't be getting.  But at safety - not corner - I think Woodson could be a good fit here.

Not that I'm holding my breath waiting for the Bengals to reach out, he's flirting with the Broncos and the Giants are interested, but if I ran the Bengals - and we can all be happy I'm not - I'd reach out to him.

3)  The Knicks remain alive, and I'm resisting the temptation to go back to Indy.  Even if George Hill can't go tomorrow night, I still think the Pacers close it out at home.  Little about what the Knicks did last night can be counted on to carry over to the next game. 

It wasn't like the Knicks played particularly well - though they did defend much better - the Pacers just looked lost.  But I will say that Mike Woodson, who was brutal in game one through four - finally had the stones to sit Amar'e Stoudemire and Jason Kidd, going younger and more athletic.

The maneuver might not have been enough to keep the Knicks from being eliminated - I think Indiana's defense will put the Knicks away tomorrow night - but because of it, they're at least playing one more game.

4)  A good man is losing his job.  UC is letting Brian Cleary go.  Cleary - the school's all-time winningest baseball coach - has been at UC for 17 years.  I won't claim to have much of an opinion about whether it was time for a chance - the program has had some losing seasons recently - but among the people I've met throughout the local sports landscape, Brian might be the nicest and most genuine.  I'll miss him.

5)  Stuff to do. 

This is going to be a good time tonight....

Who's Danny Keefe? From my friend and colleague Jen....
Two years ago on May 6, 2011 Danny O’Keefe and his sister were brutally attacked and left for
dead during a home invasion in Kelly's home Fairfield. His tenacity and fight for life helped
in sparing his life that day. Danny has difficulty with things that we take for granted. Due to
the attack Danny now has long term physical and mental injuries with Aphasia (similar to
what US Rep. Gabby Gifford has) and has re-learn to speak, read, write and move his arm
and fingers.

His medical bills are astounding and his insurance doesn't cover the UMAP
rehabilitation program for Aphasia victims at the Univ. of Mich. We are hosting a fundraiser
to help with the $350,000 in annual medical bills, medication and therapy the insurance
doesn't cover. Jim, Danny's father has had to quit his job to live with Danny full
time while he is in the UMAP program in Ann Arbor and care for him full time.

On Friday, May 17th from 7pm – 11pm a fundraiser will be hosted at Moeller High School
for Danny O’Keefe Sponsored by Heineken and Montgomery Inn and featuring Cincinnati’s
favorite local band the Naked Karate Girls (It’s 4 guys and they’re not really naked!). If you
haven't seen the Naked Karate Girls you don't know what your missing! They are hilarious
and it's guaranteed to be an awesome event.

Tickets are $50 preordered online, or $55 at the door.
Each ticket includes unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, Montgomery Inn sandwiches and sides.
The $500 VIP table (10 tickets) includes a bottle of champagne.

There will be a live local band and over $30,000 in auction items including:
- 2 roundtrip tickets with private jet service from Ultimate Air from Lunken to NYC, Chicago and Charlotte.
- Autographed Reds jerseys and baseballs from Votto, Phillips and Chapman
- Autographed OSU gear
- Catered dinner for 8 by a personal chef in your home
- 1 week home rental in Florida
- Long weekend home rental in Harbor Springs, Michigan
- Vegas Slot Machine
- Reds tickets: Diamond, suite, club and more!
over $1,000 in jewelry
over $1,000 in Spa services
over $1,000 in restaurant gift cards
a lot of tickets to local events and attractions!

Come join us.  For tickets and to learn more about Danny, go here.

-Join me at Fleet Feet in Blue Ash tomorrow for the Redlegs Day in advance of the Redlegs 10K/5K runs on June 1st.  I will be there from 9am until 10am.

Also, you can sign up for the Redlegs Run by going here.

-And one of the best festivals of the summer starts tonight at Harvest Home Park, CincItalia.  I'm there tomorrow, you should be too.

-There's More....

-You have six more days to sign up for the "Mo' Your Lawn Contest."  Win season lawn tickets to Riverbend, a new mower from West Chester Lawn and Garden, and I will cut your grass.  Once.  Sign up here.

-Remember when I said that Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend "scandal" would help him in the long run?

-If The internet was one big toy store, it would be terrifying.

-The Office ended.  This person isn't taking it so well.  Even if this isn't real, who doesn't love watching someone cry over something pointless?

-This is either someone's impersonation of Lindsay when she's really excited about something, or the fasted jump-roper in the world.

-Programming Notes:  Off this afternoon and tonight, back at it tomorrow on ESPN Radio from noon until 4:00.  You can hear it on ESPN1530, and I'm on Sunday afternoon on 700WLW from noon until 1:00.  I want to beat this person up.  This is a few days old, but still enjoyable. 

I like to drive fast, sometimes too fast.  My first speeding ticket came on the day the Bengals drafted KiJana Carter in 1994.  My most recent ticket came on the day the Bengals drafted Jermaine Gresham in 2010.  In between, I've gotten speeding tickets in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New Jersey.  I've attended traffic school twice.  And I've pulled off the traffic ticket twinbill of two tickets in two different states on the same day.

I like to go fast.

My love of speed always made me curious about the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  I've familiar with going 20-30 miles over the limit, but what about going 150-165 mph around a racetrack?

I had to find out.

So Lindsay and I went to Kentucky Speedway today to take part in the Richard Petty Driving Experience, where you can either ride along or drive a race car on the track.

I decided to ride along, in part because my work with a stick shift is shaky at best, and in part because today is not the day that I wish to die. 

As luck would have it, the Kentucky Speedway "Top Cop Challenge" was also going on, where officers from eight regional jurisdictions would be racing to determine the top cop.  I'm guessing that a few of them had written me citations before.

I rode with a young race car driver named Garrett.  He gets paid to drive fast.  Here is the video.

For photos, click on the picture below or go here.

The experience was awesome, far better than I went speed up I-71 at 90 mph.  You come close to the wall, and you feel the power of the car on the straightaway as he hits 160 mph.  The experience was better than any roller coaster you'll ride.

You can take three-lap ride alongs from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts race day June 29 for $149, and the RPDE will be at the track through Sunday. RPDE returns Aug. 23-25 and Oct. 25-27.

For more info, go to http://www.drivepetty.com/ or call (800) 237-3889.

Mike Leake has done enough to stay in the Reds rotation.

FIVE MO' THINGS, 5/16.
This is going to be exceptionally brief, which after yesterday's tome, will be a nice change of pace.

1) If the Reds win and no one is there to see it, does it count?

(Thanks to RedlegOs.blogspot.com)

I'm running out of ways to talk about how good Shin-Soo Choo has been.  Just like I don't want to imagine a world without pancakes, Letterman, happy hour, and the redhead from the Wendy's ads, I don't want to imagine this particular team without him.

Mike Leake was very good last night.  Cueto is scheduled to return and pitch in his spot in New York next week, but Dusty all but said after the game that "Leakie's" spot in the rotation seems safe.

I think it's weird that Dusty calls him "Leakie."

I also don't think that there's really a wrong answer to the Cingrani/Leake debate.  Both have thrown well, both will be factors this season, and it's not like either will be banished to the minors, never to return.

If Leake gets demoted, he'd make sense as the odd man out, given where he's fit in the rotation's pecking order.

And if Cingrani gets sent out, there's merit to him getting even more seasoning, and keeping his role as on of baseball's best sixth starters.

Plus, if you're going to bang on Walt to make a deal in a couple of months, chances are Leake would be the guy they shopped first.  Keeping him in the rotation only can only increase his value.

They're deciding between two guys who have performed well.  Both choices have merit. If it was me, I'd probably keep Cingrani and move Leake to the bullpen, but this is one of those where I'm on-board either way.

2) THE NBA IS FIXED! DAVID STERN ONLY CARES ABOUT BIG MARKETS!  Right.  The Western Conference Finals will include a team from Memphis.  The Grizzlies are better than a lot of people realized, with a great frontcourt, and an emerging improving player in Mike Conley.  But they're from Memphis.  They will play a team either from San Antonio or Oakland for the West title.  Miami awaits a team from Indianapolis. 

The NBA truly is America's league, the only major pro sport that thrives in smaller, "non-marquee" markets like Salt Lake City, Sacramento, Indy, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Portland, and San Antonio.  That's a lot of middle America, and those are cities that neither the NFL or Major League Baseball are expanding to anytime soon. (Yes, Indy does have the Colts.)

The Heat are still going to win the whole thing, because they have the best active basketball player on the planet, but it's not like the rest of the country hasn't gotten its shot at the title.

3)  Got plans tomorrow night?  Would love to have you join me at this...

Who's Danny Keefe? From my friend and colleague Jen....
Two years ago on May 6, 2011 Danny O’Keefe and his sister were brutally attacked and left for
dead during a home invasion in Kelly's home Fairfield. His tenacity and fight for life helped
in sparing his life that day. Danny has difficulty with things that we take for granted. Due to
the attack Danny now has long term physical and mental injuries with Aphasia (similar to
what US Rep. Gabby Gifford has) and has re-learn to speak, read, write and move his arm
and fingers.

His medical bills are astounding and his insurance doesn't cover the UMAP
rehabilitation program for Aphasia victims at the Univ. of Mich. We are hosting a fundraiser
to help with the $350,000 in annual medical bills, medication and therapy the insurance
doesn't cover. Jim, Danny's father has had to quit his job to live with Danny full
time while he is in the UMAP program in Ann Arbor and care for him full time.

On Friday, May 17th from 7pm – 11pm a fundraiser will be hosted at Moeller High School
for Danny O’Keefe Sponsored by Heineken and Montgomery Inn and featuring Cincinnati’s
favorite local band the Naked Karate Girls (It’s 4 guys and they’re not really naked!). If you
haven't seen the Naked Karate Girls you don't know what your missing! They are hilarious
and it's guaranteed to be an awesome event.

Tickets are $50 preordered online, or $55 at the door.
Each ticket includes unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, Montgomery Inn sandwiches and sides.
The $500 VIP table (10 tickets) includes a bottle of champagne.

There will be a live local band and over $30,000 in auction items including:
- 2 roundtrip tickets with private jet service from Ultimate Air from Lunken to NYC, Chicago and Charlotte.
- Autographed Reds jerseys and baseballs from Votto, Phillips and Chapman
- Autographed OSU gear
- Catered dinner for 8 by a personal chef in your home
- 1 week home rental in Florida
- Long weekend home rental in Harbor Springs, Michigan
- Vegas Slot Machine
- Reds tickets: Diamond, suite, club and more!
over $1,000 in jewelry
over $1,000 in Spa services
over $1,000 in restaurant gift cards
a lot of tickets to local events and attractions!

Come join us.  For tickets and to learn more about Danny, go here.

4) The Office ends tonight.  I stopped watching two years ago, when it started to suck.  Grantland.com talks about the end of the show's run.

5) Lindsay and I are spending the day at the Speedway today, so I'm headed out.  Tonight's ESPN Radio show is being pre-empted for the NBA Playoffs, so you can make your late Thursday evening plans accordingly.  Looking forward to what this guy puts out there around 10:45 tonight. 

James Harrison didn't say much when asked about his new QB.  I think that says a lot.

1) I saw only that the Reds won.  I did not watch last night's Reds/Marlins match, nor did I listen to it.  And like almost every person in the greater Miami area, I didn't attend it either.  Instead, I went to Indianapolis for an NBA game, which we'll get to in a bit.  I did glance at the score occasionally, and was happy to see that both Homer Bailey and Brook Jacoby's hitters were doing well, seemingly cruising to a victory, but I was not all that in on how and why the Reds were winning.

I figured though, that on the ride home, the callers to 700WLW's Extra Innings show would color in the details, making me feel like I'd seen and experienced the game through their nuanced observations and thoughtful analysis. 

After listening to them for the bulk of the drive home - I did spend some time listening to the always-solid Pacers postgame coverage - here's what I've concluded.

*That despite the final score, the Reds' win shouldn't count because the Marlins are "worse than a little league team."

*We are to not be fooled by the Reds successful record, because they are really "a bunch of schmucks." 23-16 is really not that good, also. 

*That this particular team is not necessarily as good as their 1975 brethren.  Those guys never lost a game. 

*Dusty Baker is a "buffoon" for leaving Homer Bailey in as long as he did (I will admit that I'll stick last night's pitch total in my back pocked and wait and see.  I think Homer has the arm to withstand the workload.), and should be fired for what leaving him in but he should have been fired before last night's game anyway because he always takes the pitcher out too soon. (Yes, the same caller made both of these points during the same call.)

*One particular caller made some especially salient points about how the Reds should have neither "ShinChooChoo or whatever his name is" or "Billy Bob Hamilton" as their leadoff hitter next season.  This viewpoint has not been one that I'd yet heard.  I was hoping to hear who his plan C was but he quickly switched subjects, instead focusing on the poor performances of the team's right fielder, who according to this man, should be shot.  Such measures seem extreme to me, but I guess it's one solution.

*The Reds "never beat anybody good."  According to one particular man, the Reds "lost every game against the Nationals," and haven't beaten the Cardinals "since God knows when."  This man was a little unsure about the Reds' record against the Braves, posing the following question: "What's their record against Atlanta?"  Also, the Reds "will get swept again, just like they did against New York last year."

*Dusty Baker is not Sparky Anderson.

As you can tell, we really didn't delve that much into the game last night, so I was left to my own devices.  I see that Homer Bailey overpowered an over-matched lineup, was still bringing the heat deep into the ninth inning.  I see that the game's big blow came off the bat of Xavier Paul.  And I see that Joey Votto continues to putter along, with three more hits, and that Brandon Phillips drove in two runs, each standing out alongside their hitting coach as the offensive stars of the evening.

And I see that the Reds are now 23-16.  I think my eyes give me a better sense of how the team is doing than my ears are.

2) James Harrison cares about his body.  Yesterday, he said he spends "$400,000 to $600,00 a year on his body," with different doctors, trainers, masseurs, acupuncturists all on the payroll, and all making the move with him to Cincinnati. 

Cool.

I paid $6.95 for a bottle of Vitamin C last year.

I went to Harrison's press conference yesterday.  I admit I've never really liked James Harrison, but now that he's wearing my team's colors, I think he may be my kind of guy.  Came across as no-BS.  Asked about his view of Andy Dalton, he said he had none, then dropped a "next question." 

Love it.

He could have gone on about how impressed he's been with Andy and said a bunch of really nice things, but he didn't.  Instead, he pretty much publicly said that he's not impressed by his new QB. 

Good.

I like the message: You've got to do a lot more than you have to impress me.  You're not on my radar yet, I have no real opinion of you, but you can give me one. 

Fantastic. 

3) Go see a Pacers game in Indy.  There will be at least two more there this year.  I'm not sure a ton of analysis of the game is necessary.  With each quarter, it's becoming more apparent how much better the Pacers are than the Knicks. They're far better defensively, they're an elite rebounding team, and while they might not be great offensively, they don't kill themselves with mistakes and they do have options to throw the ball to.  They move the ball far better than the Knicks, though I could bounce a basketball off the side of a building a move the ball better than the Knicks, they play very well together, and they're being coached by a guy who's actually making adjustments and doing some coaching instead of the guy coaching the team I root for, who is reminding me of Dave Shula with each passing playoff game.

I'd rather focus on Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the fan experience.  There's not a bad seat in the joint, everyone is very friendly (even to people who like me where wearing the wrong colors), and the concessions are solid.  The girl they use on the video-board during timeouts is attractive, even if she yells a little too loudly into the mic.  And there's almost a sensory overload of sights in the concourses.  It really is a great place. 

Anyway, here's kind of a running play by play of the night....

*During pregame warmups, I watch as David West comes up to Kenyon Martin as the Knicks' trainer is doing some weird thing where he's stretching K-Mart's hamstrings and massaging them while looking like he's enjoying it a little too much.  The former Xavier POY spends the next few minutes chatting with the former UC POY, with Kenyon not even noticing when the trainer slinks away.  I think this was a cool moment, though I do know fans who insist that since these two players played for rival schools, they should despise each other.  After a few minutes, Lance Stephenson comes over.  Neither David or Kenyon look like they want him there, both turning their backs to him, looking annoyed that their conversation has been interrupted, say their goodbyes, give each other a complicated hug, and go about their warmups.

At one point during the game, Kenyon and David were standing side by side during a free throw, so I took a pic...

*Not one person seems to care that the other was rooting for the other team.  I could have walked into Bankers Life Fieldhouse wearing a shirt with verbiage accusing Reggie Miller of intentionally spreading STD and no one would have batted an eye.  Much is made of "Hoosier Hospitality."  At Pacers games, it's real.

*I splurged on seats, which I don't often do, but I wanted to sit close enough to really get a sense of the incredible lack of chemistry on the Knicks.  As disconnected as they seem on TV, they're worse.  Raymond Felton is trying.  At one point, after an Indiana foul, he tries to huddle together his teammates.  Each of them either walk away or just kinda stare at him.  Another time, Carmelo Anthony falls to the ground, then sits there waiting for a teammate to help him up.  None of the four guys on the floor even step toward him.

Meanwhile, the Pacers define chemistry.  Hibbert and West talk the entire time, especially on defense, calling out screens, giving commands, quarterbacking the defense.  A dead ball rarely goes without Pacer players communicating about something, and their bench is fully engaged the entire game.

*I also wanted to watch JR Smith up close.  Needless to say, I get my money's worth, as I watch him frown, roll his eyes, slump his shoulders, or make some sort of stinkyface after every one of his 15 missed shots.  Defensively, he's even better.  At one point, he spends an ENTIRE defensive possession yelling at a ref, this while often "guarding" the ball. 

*I watch the Knicks strength coach, simply because he was the only guy on the bench - Head Coach included - who seems like he gives a crap. After a missed Tyson Chandler layup, the strength guy comes this close to trying to choke him.  I want to help him.

*One particular timeout gives us human bowling.  This video isn't from last night, but it is human bowling at a Pacers game....

While this is happening, I watch the team huddles.  Every player standing around the huddles - while Frank Vogel was furiously drawing up plays and while Mike Woodson was struggling to remember his players' names - is fixated not on their coach, but on human bowling.

*During another timeout, they show a video montage of Indiana Fever highlights.  The Fever won the WNBA title, something I didn't know.  For their home opener, they are giving away replica WNBA championship rings.  That's right.  There will be people wearing replica WNBA championship rings.

Replica.

WNBA.

Championship.

Rings.

*Bankers Life Arena ushers wear green jackets, which look just like the jacket the guy who wins the Master's wins.  I can't imagine having to be one of these men or women, having to hear drunken post-collegiates say things like "what year did you win?" or "does Tiger know you have his jacket?"

*Another huddle.  Mike Woodson actually writing something on his white-board.  Midway through, the huddle broke.  Mike kept writing.

*The crowd remained lively all night, except during one timeout when they put the guy from Papa John's on the videoboard.  Papa was in the house, in far better shape than he was after Louisville won the national title.

Anyway, while on the mic, he said something about everyone winning free pizza.  The crowd's enthusiasm actually waned to the point that there were audible groans upon hearing this news.

*Halftime.  Guy in the restroom says to someone: I'm a Knicks fan, but I'm rooting for the Pacers."

Then you're, um, not, an, um.....

*Halftime.  Bankers Life hot dog.  Here's how nice these people are: I order two beers and a hot dog.  The woman forgets my hot dog.  I remind her of this.  She gives me my hot dog, then a free one just for my troubles.  My troubles consisted of having to wait an extra 4.1 seconds for my hot dog.

The hot dog, by the way, was solid.

*Frank Vogel has a team executing a great defensive game plan.  Paul George is being physical with Carmelo Anthony, and the Pacers are backing their big guys into the paint to clog driving lanes, sometimes daring poor perimeter shooters to shoot.  Meanwhile, Mike Woodson looks at his watch.

*JR Smith checks into the game, for reasons not really known.  As he does, James White comes over to offer advice.  I'm sure it will help.

*The Knicks are getting frustrated.  Some of them are close to getting T'd up.  JR Smith is the one doing the restraining.  Bizarre.

*Rasheed Wallace has retired after playing much of the regular season with the Knicks.  Needing a steadying, calm, poised influence however, they're keeping him on the bench, though he is just wearing a suit.  Not really needed to help the coaching staff with their "let's throw these five guys in and let's see what happens" gameplan, he has focused his attention of a woman across the court, and I do believe he has coordinated some postgame activities with her.

Veteran move.

*Stoppage in play.  Woodson, in the mode of Phil Jackson, is kinda letting the players figure out what to do during the next inbounds play.  While his players decide who's going to throw the ball in, Mike is chatting with a couple of fans sitting courtside.

*1:06 to go in the game.  Pacers up by 11.  Mike Woodson makes his big move. For the first time tonight, he's putting the team's best three-point shooter in.  Steve Novak immediately checks in and buries a 28-footer.  Never mind the fact that the Knicks have been trailing all night and are dying for offense.  Forget the fact that the Pacers' defense is begging New York to shoot threes, this weapon must be kept under wraps until the last possible moment.

*Ballgame over.  The final points a garbage time JR Smith three.  Melo gives him a big high-five, which seems appropriate.

*Pacers fans are being very nice as we exit, doing their best to say nice things about the Knicks, pretending that they're worried that the series could still be won by a team that has played one good quarter out of 16 in the series.  Nice people, these Pacers fans.

*We walk to the car.  We see this.

Yup, that's a goat.

*The Hoosier Hospitality has reached an endpoint, and it's ended with local law enforcement.

Following both the signs that say "I-70 East" and the van in front of me that's just turned left, with a cop pointing him in that direction, I do the same.  Except this time - and I need you to yell this in a high-pitched, very loud voice, the police officer looks at me and says...

"WHY DID YOU JUST TURN LEFT??!??!?!?!?!?"

Me: Because I need to get to I-70 East.

Him: (looking as angry as I've ever seen another human look) "YOU CAN'T TURN DOWN HERE!"

Me: "Well that car in front of me just did."

Him: (veins in his neck bulging) "YOU CAN'T GO THAT WAY!!!!!!"

Me:  OK, I'm not from here, I was just following the sign, and the guy in front of me...."

Him: (Looking murderous): "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!?!??!?!"

Me: "Um, Cincinnati. Can you help me get to where I need to go if I can go this way?"

Him: (craving steroid) "TURNAROUND!!!!!!!!!!"

Me: "Where?  Here?  The median is blocked. Can I go down there, where you told me I couldn't?"

Him: (emotionally coming apart as he remembers what is was like having such a miserable childhood): "YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN THERE AND TURNAROUND!!!"

Me: "Like the car that was in front of me that you didn't yell at?"

Him: (Very ready to tase me as I wince at what I've just said) "YEEEEES."

Me: OK. Thank you. 

Look, I love members of law enforcement.  I'm grateful for them.  I realize they have tough jobs.  I glad someone is willing to do their jobs.  But we weren't exactly talking about a high-stress situation here.  I made a simple mistake, compromised no one's safety, and could've corrected my driving faux pas within seconds had I not been screamed at. 

But I guess, like the Knicks, that Hoosier hospitality only goes so far.

4) Andrew Wiggins decided to go to Kansas.  Some people were not happy about this.  Read some of the Tweets he received.

Have fun with all the stupid hillbillies in Lawrence, Kansas @22wigginsYou aren't going to pull any hoes. I hope you tear your ACL's.

— Tyler Thomas Brew (@TylerThomasBrew) May 14, 2013

My two favorite things about the decision-day for high-level recruits are how losers react to it on Twitter and how people who spends weeks, months even, talking about the guy, reading about him, hoping he comes to their school, instantly start cutting into his abilities and begin making claims about not needing him anyway the minute he doesn't commit to their school.

(By the way, that last paragraph wasn't aimed at any particular fan base.  Ease up, pal.)

5) More human element in baseball!  Two missed calls from last night's White Sox/Twins battle....

On the play you see above, Justin Morneau is being tagged out by Tyler Flowers.  The ump missed the tag, never made a call, so Morneau then reached over to touch the plate as Flowers - believing the play was over - pretty much gave up. 

The Twins were awarded a run.

The blown call was forgivable.  That the White Sox couldn't ask for a review is not.

Then Adam Dunn was called out on this play when he was clearly safe....

Actually, this was pretty awful.  It was made more awful by the fact that again, no review could be made.

As we saw last week in Cleveland, replay isn't perfect.  It never will be.  But as the other sports continue to use GPS systems, Major League Baseball insists on using road-maps.

Dumb.

-There's More...

I'm excited and honored to host the live auction at this benefit for Danny O'Keefe on Friday night...

This is going to be a pretty awesome time, and I'm excited to be a part of it. 

Who's Danny Keefe? From my friend and colleague Jen....
Two years ago on May 6, 2011 Danny O’Keefe and his sister were brutally attacked and left for
dead during a home invasion in Kelly's home Fairfield. His tenacity and fight for life helped
in sparing his life that day. Danny has difficulty with things that we take for granted. Due to
the attack Danny now has long term physical and mental injuries with Aphasia (similar to
what US Rep. Gabby Gifford has) and has re-learn to speak, read, write and move his arm
and fingers.

His medical bills are astounding and his insurance doesn't cover the UMAP
rehabilitation program for Aphasia victims at the Univ. of Mich. We are hosting a fundraiser
to help with the $350,000 in annual medical bills, medication and therapy the insurance
doesn't cover. Jim, Danny's father has had to quit his job to live with Danny full
time while he is in the UMAP program in Ann Arbor and care for him full time.

On Friday, May 17th from 7pm – 11pm a fundraiser will be hosted at Moeller High School
for Danny O’Keefe Sponsored by Heineken and Montgomery Inn and featuring Cincinnati’s
favorite local band the Naked Karate Girls (It’s 4 guys and they’re not really naked!). If you
haven't seen the Naked Karate Girls you don't know what your missing! They are hilarious
and it's guaranteed to be an awesome event.

Tickets are $50 preordered online, or $55 at the door.
Each ticket includes unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, Montgomery Inn sandwiches and sides.
The $500 VIP table (10 tickets) includes a bottle of champagne.

There will be a live local band and over $30,000 in auction items including:
- 2 roundtrip tickets with private jet service from Ultimate Air from Lunken to NYC, Chicago and Charlotte.
- Autographed Reds jerseys and baseballs from Votto, Phillips and Chapman
- Autographed OSU gear
- Catered dinner for 8 by a personal chef in your home
- 1 week home rental in Florida
- Long weekend home rental in Harbor Springs, Michigan
- Vegas Slot Machine
- Reds tickets: Diamond, suite, club and more!
over $1,000 in jewelry
over $1,000 in Spa services
over $1,000 in restaurant gift cards
a lot of tickets to local events and attractions!

Come join us.  For tickets and to learn more about Danny, go here.

-The Reds have built a pretty incredible social media following, and the person behind those efforts is finally getting her due. 
The Reds ranked second among MLB’s 30 teams in fan engagement through Facebook during April. That’s just one of the key stats Lisa Braun, the Reds director of digital media, trotted out when I talked to her in the Reds executive offices Monday following the team’s successful homestand. It gets 1.5 likes, comments, shares and other interactions for each of its 650,000 Facebook fans.

Here’s another metric: The Reds rank fourth in getting fans to engage through Twitter. It gets 1.1 engagements – retweets, replies or clicks – on Twitter during April for each of its 200,000 followers.

It’s hugely important to the Reds and the Castellini ownership group.

-Three great reads on Grantland.com....

*This one about how the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee just effed up....
There's no way to spin what happened this week — the rules committee failed at a time when we really needed them. It will be spring 2015 before they have another chance to amend a broken game, and by then, college basketball could be in a truly sorry state. If you're reading this, and you're a fellow die-hard fan who can't look away, let's take a moment to pity one another. We're in for two years of hell.

*This one, which is geeky yet very cool,  about the art of pitch framing....
Fast found that Molina, the best receiver, was worth 35 runs above average per 120 games, and Doumit, the worst, was worth 26 runs below average. After Houston hired Fast, another analyst named Max Marchi succeeded him at Baseball Prospectus² and brought with him a sophisticated model for framing that accounted for most of the potentially confounding factors: the umpire, the ballpark, the batter, the ball-strike count, and the pitch location and type. According to Marchi, who has consulted for a major league club and whose work has been mentioned by Rays manager Joe Maddon, Molina has saved his teams 111 runs — or, using the standard 10-runs-to-a-win conversion, about 11 wins — because of framing from 2008 to 2013. (The only other catcher with a higher run total over that same time period, Brian McCann at 122, has caught more than twice as many pitches.) Doumit, on the other end of the receiving spectrum, cost his teams 155 runs. That comes out to 0.50 runs added by Molina and 0.55 runs subtracted by Doumit per 100 pitches, an enormous difference. For comparative purposes, Barry Bonds's bat during the 2001-2004 seasons, when he basically broke baseball, was worth about 0.78 runs above average per game.

*And this on the Astros, and the new art of tanking in MLB....
Perhaps alone among all the teams on the above list, the Astros are there by design, and not the design of an owner simply looking to fill his coffers. The Astros were terrible in 2011 because of a decade of poor, shortsighted decisions. That they were even worse in 2012, and are on pace to be worse again in 2013, is not because they are still paying for their sins. It's because, the way baseball works under the current collective bargaining agreement, sometimes the fastest way for a bad team to get to the top is to take a shortcut through hell. The more a bad team loses in the present, the easier it will be to win in the future.

-I think I've blogged enough for this morning.  A four day radio hiatus ends on Saturday.  The national show gets bumped for the NBA tomorrow night, and I'm off on Friday.  More here later.  Hit play. Turn up. Walk away.