Phillips looks like big part of Reds future
Fox Sports
Brandon Phillips isn't as old as Ken Griffey Jr. or Adam Dunn. He isn't as young as Jay Bruce or Joey Votto. But in only this third full major-league season, he has emerged as the spirit of the Cincinnati Reds.

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Would Jr consider the Rays?
CNNSI 

(Getty Images)
Now Griffey, a longtime resident of the Orlando, Fla. area, is telling friends he's monitoring the surprising Tampa Bay Rays as a possible destination for him, should the Reds decide to deal him.

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Deveroes Summer League
Partial team assignments
Brick Street - Carl Richburg, Tyler Dierkers, Kramer Soderberg, Matty Owens
Cintas - Kenny Frease, Brad Redford, Brad Loesing, Quinn McDowell, Derek Hellermann
Clovernook Health Care -  Rashad Bishop, Nick Aldridge, Andrew Taylor, Jamel McLean, Terrell Holloway, Jamual Warren
John H. Flessa Law Office - Alvin Mitchell, Kenny Belton, BJ Raymond
Game Day Communications - Derrick Brown, Mark Lyons
Goodies Barbecue Restaurant - Darnell Wilkes, Larry Davis, Adrion Graves, CJ Anderson, Robert Hite
OHC - Anthony McClain, Dante Jackson, Jason Love, Mickey Perry, Marcus Johnson
Stan Litz Law Office - Brian Walsh, Michael Davenport
McCluskey Chevrolet - Tony Rack, Dennis Gagai, David McFarland
SLATS - Mike Williams, Deonta Vaughn, Cashmere Wright, Yancey Gates, Dion Dixon, Steve Toyloy

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Tactics could get Chad suspended
The Sporting News
The core of the problem continues to be a belief in some circles that, because the current compensation system between the league and the players' union permits teams to cut underperforming players with years left on their contracts, fairness dictates that the players should have a similar tool available to them when they outperform their contracts. But the players bargained for the current system; if they want to change the system, they need to take it up with union officials in the next round of bargaining.

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"24" news

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UC football news
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati football team continued to receive preseason recognition as senior defensive end Terrill Byrd (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) and senior punter Kevin Huber (Cincinnati, OH/McNicholas) both received first-team all-America honors from Blue Ribbon College Football and Huber was named to the Ray Guy Award's watch list for the nation's top punter.
Byrd and Huber's accolades make it three Bearcats to earn preseason all-America honors, joining senior cornerback Mike Mickens (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne), who was named a Playboy Magazine Preseason all-American last month.

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C. Trent owes Chad $20
C. Trent's blog

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Show preview
Topics
Father-Kids-Sports: Your sports memories and moments with your dad or kids
Reds-Red Sox: How old were you in 1975? What are your memories?
Bozo The Clown: Day 2
Most Significant Cincinnati Sports Numbers: 1 to 100
College World Series: Starts Saturday...anyone going?

Countdown to vacation
I'm out next week...big week
Peyton celebrates her 6th birthday...and Casey celebrates the 5-year anniversary of his bone marrow transplant.
What will happen when I'm gone?
Trade?
Firing?

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Memories of 1975 Reds-Red Sox
I was nine years old. First time I'd experienced a World Championship. I remember putting my tape recorded up to the TV and pressing Play/Record for each game.
I remember:
*Luis Tiant baffling the Reds and getting a hit in game one
*Ed Armbrister's controversial bunt in game three
*Tiant throwing 163 pitches in beating the Reds in game four...I was there.
*Tony Perez breaking an 0-15 start by clobbering two Bill Lee pitches for hr's in game 5
*The long wait thru rain outs to get to game 6
*Bernie Carbo looking miserable on two swings, before hitting the ph hr in the 8th to tie game 6
*Foster's throw from LF to gun down Doyle and send game 6 to extra innings
*Dwight Evan's leaping catch and double play from RF in the 11th inning of game 6
*That damn wave by Carlton Fisk to win game 6
*The Reds falling behind 3-0 in game 7 after Gullett walked in two runs
*Joe Morgan's bloop hit in the 8th inning of game 7 to win the series
*The SI cover shot of McEnaney in Bench's arms..."A Series To Shout About"
*5 one run games, 5 come back wins, 2 extra inning games, four games decided in the final inning

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Riddle me this Batman
Would your little league coach have allowed you to show up at practice 12-minutes late ....walk around with shoes untied...pout, sulk and not participate like Marvin with Chad today? In the afternoon session Chad ran a few routes, took his helmet off, put a towel over his head and was done. Excuse me. Hello? Anyone in charge here?
Why on earth would Marvin allow Chad and Drew Rosenhaus that platform? If Chad didn't want to practice, he and Drew should have been escorted out of PBS.  The Bengals actually spent the day trading statements to the press with Drew? And then Marvin actually said the media was making too much of this? Are you kidding me? Fine organization. When does the coach of the Bengals develop a backbone? Chad's a clown and the circus is in town. What does that make Marvin? It makes him look like a coach with no idea about how to handle this. It's comical that Marvin and his players are trying to pretend this isn't a big deal. The mockery of Thursday isn't a big deal? This isn't about letting Chad win. It's about what's best for the "team".

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What Chad said to Marvin
Enquirer
Marvin: "When you gonna come give me some love?"
Chad: "'Aint no love no more...it's business"
Marvin: "Ok.......good....business is playin'"

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Giants veteran calls out Burress for not practicing
Fox Sports
"Either you are with us or you are against us," O'Hara said between practices. "And I think the players are doing a good job of focusing in on their daily tasks and their jobs, and as long as we all continue to do that, this team will succeed."

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NFL Network recaps Day 1 with video

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Mike Brown speaks about Chad
NFL.COM

(Getty Images)
"He made a commitment to us when he signed his contract. We relied on it. He is not someone you can replace quickly. It is not easily done. We are counting on him being here. We are."
And therein lies the crux of the dilemma for the Bengals.

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Past few months have been rough for Coles
Dayton Daily News
 It was three months ago, Charlie Coles said, when he had serious questions about whether he was going to live or die.

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"Youk" can go home again
Boston Herald
Youkilis said his parents rented out the ballpark's Riverboat deck for tomorrow's game. He estimates the area sits roughly 140 people. Fortunately for him, family and friends bought tickets in advance so he doesn't have to come up with many extras for the series.

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Youkilis gives Casey his blessing
The Patriot Ledger
"It's always tough to sit any game because it gets boring," said Youkilis. "I imagine I'll be in there at some point, so I'm not really worried. Sean Casey deserves to play."

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A trip of blessings for Wildcats
Lexington Herald Leader
"It kind of ‘humble-ized' everyone on the trip," said Harris, who noted how he had previously complained "about a lot of things basically given to us."

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Fixin' to be over
So....if you believe the NBA playoffs are manipulated for the best matchups and longer series.....then somebody didn't get the memo. What a collapse by the Lakers last night.

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Did you know?
Joey Votto leads all ML 1B in errors with 8....and is last in the ML in fielding percentage among 1B.

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Bengals need to excise Chad
John Clayton, ESPN

(AP photo)
Though Johnson's strange arrival brought both comic relief to some of his teammates and heartburn to Bengals management, it also pointed to a lingering ailment the Bengals can't shake. The whole Johnson controversy is pulling this franchise backward. Because the Bengals won't honor his trade demands, Johnson is proving more trouble to Cincinnati than he's worth.
I didn't think I'd say this, but it's time for a trade -- even though I know it won't happen. Johnson's unhappiness is pulling the franchise backward. It took years for the Bengals to acknowledge that former talented malcontents Carl Pickens and Corey Dillon were destroying team morale before their departures.

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Reds news
A very limited supply of single-game tickets are available for the Reds vs. Boston Red Sox games this weekend.
Tickets for Friday, Saturday or Sunday can be purchased online at reds.com or by calling (513) 381-REDS.
Friday, June 13 - Cincinnati Reds vs. Boston Red Sox, 7:10
• Fireworks Friday - Post-game fireworks show with soundtrack starting approximately 15 minutes after the end of the game presented by National City.
Saturday, June 14 - Cincinnati Reds vs. Boston Red Sox, 3:55
• Reds Team Flag Day - First 20,000 fans receive a free Reds Team Flag presented by Macy’s.
Sunday, June 15 - Cincinnati Reds vs. Boston Red Sox, 1:15
• Dad Appreciation Day - First 10,000 dads receive a free Reds safari-style hat presented by Kahn’s.