1) #VoteVotto. Joey Votto is pitted against Derek Jeter in something called the Face of MLB.  You're supposed to include #JoeyVotto in every Tweet you send today.  (While you're at it, you can follow me on Twitter too)  I am on-board with this, solely because I like to imagine the conversation that will take place when Joey finds out he's won...

Some Reds PR Guy: "Joey!  Joey!  Hey, Joey!  You've won!  Twitter voted you the Face of Major League Baseball!"

Joey Votto: "What?"

PR Guy:  "You're the Face of Major League Baseball, Joey!"

Joey Votto: "Oh.  Do I have to do anything?"

PR Guy: "Nope. "

Joey Votto: "Cool, can I go take batting practice now?"

2) Big Ten Basketball and Indiana's win over Sparty.  OK, so not all of the games are Rembrandts, but the top teams in the league have given us some of the best college basketball we've seen this season.  Last night's IU/Michigan State game (watched at about 5am by this guy on the DVR) was the latest.  I haven't seen every Indiana win, but that one last night looked like their best one of the season. Not only did it affirm the belief of most, me included, that the Hoosiers are the best team in the country.  There's experience, there's depth, there's talent, but last night the Hoosiers displayed a toughness that critics have claimed they lack.  Teams that lack said toughness, both mental and physical don't beat that Michigan State team in that environment. 

There's some good stuff on the game from ESPN's Eamonn Brennan.

Big Ten Basketball, at least the games among the top five teams in the league, has become must-watch during a season where watching many of these games hasn't always been that easy.

3) I wonder what we see from the Wildcats tonight.  Not once in John Calipari's three-plus seasons at UK have they had to play with desperation.  Don't confuse that word for "urgency," as Kentucky has played in a ton of big games with huge stakes, but there's never been desperation.  Cal has a desperate team tonight, or at least he should have.  After putting a team on the floor that clearly didn't give a crap in Knoxville, and with the buzzards circling, I'm interested not as much as whether Calipari's team wins (they're at home against a pretty lousy Vanderbilt team), but how much all the criticism - both internally and externally - affects the effort tonight.  The Wildcats need to more than just beat the Commodores tonight, they've got a lot of work to do to even make the NCAAs and they're running out of chances for standout wins, but tonight could set the tone if UK plays like a team desperate to get in, and not one that assumes they will.

4) Xavier does not get a bye in Brooklyn if they get upset by Rhode Island tonight.  The final five games (with one of them out of league) are just too hellacious.  As insane as the A-10 has been this season, six league losses won't have them in the top four of the league.  Also, Atlantic City is a better place than Brooklyn, even if that place they've played the tournament in the last few years is a total dump. 

5) The city of Cincinnati is dicking with parking meters.  The rates might not immediately go up, but the hours of enforcement will.  This sucks.  Before I moved downtown, I liked to hunt for free spaces on the streets before Reds games.  Those days are likely gone, with the meters being enforced until 9:00.  The two-hour limit remains in place, which means if you park at a meter at 6:30 for a 7:10 game and don't leave the park to feed the meter before 8:30, you'll be getting a ticket.  Good times.  And well played as always, Cincinnati.

"BUT MO! PARK IN A GARAGE!  STREET SPACES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT-TERM, TO HELP MOVEMENT."

Shut up.

-Certain people should have the alleged hell beaten out of them. Allegedly.

-I read this headline and thought that maybe Mick Cronin was attributing his team's lack of offense to fouls not being called, but that's not the case and I agree with him. College basketball officiating is awful, and the game itself doesn't get fixed until this gets rectified.

-Like making fun of the Cubs?  This Twitter account has potential.

-We're having a UC/UConn Watch Party at the Holy Grail Banks tomorrow night.  I'll have some UC tickets to give away, plus prizes from Hometown Sports and Collectibles, and the Grail will have bucket beer specials.  Here's the artwork. Talk to you at 3:04 today on ESPN1530