Seemed like the UC Offense was always way down on the other side of the field from me.  Check out my pictures, most of which are of the defensive variety.  Here are a few.  The rest are in the gallery.

Check out my gallery from the Fan Jam.  Here are a couple pictures to wet your appetite.

Ok, so it has been a while since I have posted anything and mainly because there was nothing worth posting about.  The Bengals season was over before it started.  The Reds season ended before September....again.  UC Basketball isn't here yet and UC Football is going well but could be better if they weren't on QB number 4 this year.  So why am I deciding to post now, you ask?   Because hockey season is just around the corner!! 

That's right, this month the defending Stanley Cup and Kelly Cup Champions both start their cup defenses.  In the NHL, the Red Wings are poised to dominate again.  They basically brought back everyone from their Stanley Cup winning team and managed to add the most coveted free agent on the market, Marian Hossa.  Hossa's one year deal and determination to win a cup will help keep the Wings sharp and focused all year long.  The Wings were the last team to repeat as Champions and they had something to play for that year too.  Vladimir Konstantinov was injured along with a team trainer in a limo accident that left both of them crippled.  The Red Wings were determined to win the Stanley Cup again to honor them and they succeeded.  This year, their reasoning behind their focus is the addition of a great player who has never won a cup.  Should be a fun year!!

On another note, I would like to talk Reds for a minute.  Usually the winter meetings are very boring for a Reds fan because the Reds never do anything.  This year though, I have a hunch Walt and company will be very active.  Walt Jockety has expressed that he wants to add a right handed bat and also address the Left Field, Short Stop, and Catcher positions if possible.  Here are a couple options to help with that.

In Left Field I think you have to make a deal to get some help there.  You can look to Matt Holliday of the Rockies or Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers.  Holliday has only one year left on his deal which is a concern but he is available because the Rockies know they won't be able to resign him.  If I had some idea that the Reds could sign him long term,  I would try to pull the trigger.  I think you could get him cheaper than anticipated because he is in his last year.  The Rockies would want a young arm like Volquez or Cueto but I doubt the Reds would put those guys in the deal.  You could probably give up 2 of these 3 pitchers (Bailey, Rameriez, Thompson) plus a young minor league hitter.  Though I don't know that for sure, I would guess that would at least be close to making the deal happen.

Your other option (and more likely in my opinion) is to trade for Magglio Ordonez of the Tigers.  It is no secret that the Tigers are looking to dump salary and get a little younger.  They really need pitching help and could use some young guys to bolster their pitching depth.  You can probably get Maggs by trading one of those three young guys plus a bat.  Magglio has 1 year left on his deal at $18 Million plus 2 more additional club options at $15 Million per.  I would go after a guy who is a career .312 hitter who averages 28 HRs and 115 RBIs and has driven in at least 99 runs in 8 of his 11 seasons in the bigs.  He answers your need for a good right handed bat and he is a serviceable outfielder too.

At Short Stop, I think you can take a chance on a player who has been injured this year but has proven he is a good player over the years.  Rafeal Furcal will be a free agent this year and he would take care of a couple issues the Reds have.  He is a lead off hitter, switch hitter, has great range, and a phenominal arm.  He bolsters your defense up the middle plus gives you a threat on the bases with his speed.  He made a little more than $15 Million this year but since he spent a good portion of the year injured, one would have to think he only would command $10 Million or so on the open market.  If Walt can find a way to bring him in with one of those two outfielders, the Reds would be a playoff team next year.  This of course assumes that the top 4 pitchers are still on the roster next year which I think they will be.  Let's all hope for an interesting off season for the Reds!!

7'2" Center Verbally Commits to UC

Mick Cronin has received another "Huge" commitment for the 2008-2009 season.  7'2" John Riek has committed to Mick and the Bearcats pending a qualifying SAT score in September.  By all accounts the kid is a good student and has a 3.4 GPA so he should qualify without issue.  He is from Sudan but has been here in the USA since 2006 and doesn't appear to have played in any questionable leagues like some recent Bearcat recruits have.

This could be a big piece to the puzzle for a Bearcats team who is looking to make it back to the NCAA tourneyment for the first time since Huggins was ousted.  Riek had entered his name in the NBA Draft this year but did not hire an agent.  He pulled his name out of the NBA Draft when he discovered that he had an ACL injury.  Assuming he qualifies (and the NCAA doesn't find some crazy reason to not let the kid play), he could be ready to play as early as December or January.

Why am I so excited for hockey season already next year?  Look at this line-up that the Wings will roll out next year and tell me you wouldn't be excited too!

Forwards

Zetterberg                   Datsyuk                   Holmstrom

Filppula                       Franzen                   Hossa

Cleary                          Hudler                     Samuelsson

Maltby                           Draper                    Helm

Defensemen

Lidstrom                      Rafalski

Kronwall                       Stuart

Lebda                           Lilja

Goaltending

Osgood                        Conklin                   Howard

Bench

RW McCarty (UFA)         D Meech            D Ericsson            D Chelios (UFA)              RW  Kopecky