Bengals news
The Bengals today signed free agent HB Kenny Watson.
            Watson (6-0, 220; Penn State) is a seventh-year NFL player. He played for the Bengals from 2003 through Game 4 of this season. He had been released this past Saturday, Oct. 4.
            Watson was Cincinnati’s leading rusher last season with career-highs of 763 rushing yards and 1137 yards from scrimmage. In Games 1-4 this season, he had 32 rushing yards on seven carries (4.6 avg.) and two receptions for three yards.
NFL SUSPENDS LB BLACKSTOCK
            The NFL today notified the Bengals that LB Darryl Blackstock will be suspended for the next four games, for violating league policy on performance-enhancing substances.
            Blackstock, a fourth-year NFL player, has played in Games 1-5, with three tackles on defense and one on special teams. He will not be allowed to attend meetings, practice or play for the period of Games 6-9. He will be eligible to return to team activities on Nov. 10, the Monday before Game 10 on Nov. 16 vs. Philadelphia.
            “I’ve apologized to my coaches and teammates for an unfortunate mistake,” Blackstock said. “I did not intentionally violate the policy, but I know it’s my responsibility to use only approved nutritional supplements, and I didn’t realize I was taking an over-the-counter product that included a banned substance. I also want to apologize to our fans, and I’ll do everything I can to be ready to come back strong next month.”
PRACTICE SQUAD MOVE
            The Bengals today signed rookie CB Simeon Castille to the practice squad.
            Castille (6-0, 195; Alabama) originally signed with the Bengals as a college free agent on May 2. He was the only college free agent to make the season-opening roster, and he played in Games 1-4, with six tackles. He was waived from the roster this past Friday.

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On this date
Oct 7, 1916
Georgia Tech beat Cumberland College in football 220-0. The most lopsided game in college football history.

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TJ sujbect of trade rumors
Dayton Daily News
Rumor has it that the San Francisco 49ers could have interest in acquiring Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

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End of an era: Patterson won't be back
MLB.COM
"I don't think he'll be back," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We'll turn the page."

(AP photo)

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Memories of the Patterson era
3-million dollar contract in spring training
0-4 on opening day
0-8 May 25 vs San Diego
.205 batting average in 366 ab's
Demoted to AAA in May....recalled five games later
Batting average tied for worst in ML's among hitters with at least 375 plate appearances (Brandon Inge, Tigers)
Made 135 appearances, including a team high 82 starts in CF
Reds record when he started: 33-49 .402.....41-39 when he didn't start (.513)
Batting average was below .200 for 68 consecutive games, from June 12 to August 29
From May 25 to end of the season the highest his average climbed was .208
14 stolen bases, 9 caught stealing
.238 on base percentage
Best month: August .235 (81 ab's)
Worst month: July .111 (18 ab's)
Hit .146 vs St Louis 6 for 41
Hit .143 vs Chicago 4 for 28
Hit .500 vs Florida 10 for 20

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Great debate
Let's spin off of two things
1. Tonight's Presidential Debate
2. A book title, "Great Detroit Sports Debates" by Drew Sharp and Terry Foster.

I read some of the book on-line and loved some of the questions.
I have added a couple of my own to this list.

*All-time Cincinnati sports "characters"
*Top 3 Good Guys
* Biggest Opposing Villian
* Most overrated/underrated player
* Biggest Gamble
*. Biggest Blunder
*. Which will happen next: World Series title, Super Bowl championship, NCAA basketball title, BCS championship
* What movie title would you apply to each sports team?

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Stat of the day: Targets
Number of times thrown to this season:
NFL Overall
1. Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City, 56
T-5th TJ Houshmandzadeh, 48 (3rd in AFC)
T-40th Chad Johnson, 29 (T-20th AFC)

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Would you trade BK for any coach in the country?
Heard It From Hoard
I'll throw this out there in all seriousness. If you could trade Brian for any coach in the country, who would you trade him for? Urban Meyer? Jim Tressel? Nick Saban?

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Show preview
Guest
Brian Kelly
Topics
Debatable: See above
Bengals: Why 0-5 here is different that any other NFL city
UC: Would you trade Brian Kelly for any other coach in the country?
MLB playoffs: Are you rooting for the Rays? Are you watching? Do you feel sorry for Cubs fans?
NFL pregame shows: Whic one do you watch? See article below.
Fan Type: See list below. Which are you?
Who Am I?

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Clones news
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The 2008 Kelly Cup champion
Cincinnati Cyclones, announced this morning they have
received three players from the Hamilton Bulldogs
(AHL) and signed another for the upcoming season.
The Cyclones are the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's
Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators.
The Cyclones have received goaltender Loic Lacasse
and forwards Thomas Beauregard and Olivier
Latendresse from Hamilton (AHL) and have signed
defenseman Joey Ryan to a contract.
Lacasse, 22, played his rookie season with
Bloomington (IHL), posting a 19-18-5 record with a
3.24 goals against average and a .906 save
percentage.
Beauregard, 22, played all of his rookie season in
Cincinnati, collecting 31 goals and 34 assists for 65
points in 59 games.
Latendresse, 22, spent his second professional season
with Arizona (CHL), San Antonio (AHL) and was
eventually assigned to the Cyclones.

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The 1530 HOMER/Team Fitz Graphics HS Team Of The Week
In one of the biggest debates our panel has had, we've decided to name two teams this week.
Congrats to Cooper High School and Middletown High School.
Cooper won its first game in program history, beating Gallatin County 21-14. Cooper had started the season 0-5, outscored 278-29. Congrats to Cooper coach Randy Borchers and the Jaguars.
Middletown beat Colerain (#1 Ohio/#8 USA Today) 42-39.....snapping the Cardinals 61 game conference win streak dating back to 1999. After starting 0-2, with losses to Elder and Warren Central (IN), the Middies have won five in a row. Congrats to first year coach Jason Krause and his players.
Don't forget to nominate a team this week
The 1530 HOMER/Team Fitz Graphics HS Team Of The Week
Tell me why your HS football team is deserving for the week.
Did they pull off an upset? Beat a rival? Tell me who they played, score, record, coach, etc.
I will accept email nominations until 6pm each Monday.
I will announce the winning team each Tuesday.
The chosen team will receive a 4ft by 6ft 1530 HOMER/Team Fitz Graphics Team Of The Week banner for their lockerroom.
I will only accept emails sent to the address to the right, by my photo

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Looking for these?
Click here for:
Joe Nuxhall tribute
Adam Dunn banana phone call
Mike Valenti's rant
"You Don't Live in Cleveland"
"Playoffs?"
Meg Ryan version of Manalac interception
Interviews with: Rose, Montana, Pitino, Harwell, Rose, Faust, Summerall, Pollack

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Jr wants to play
USA Today
Reinsdorf, seeing outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. from across the room, excused himself. He walked over, shook Griffey's hand, and said: "It was an honor to have you here. You meant a lot to this team."
Griffey, 38, acquired at the trade deadline, ended the game with a strikeout. He said he'd like to return next season, but the White Sox are expected to go with younger players. Even if he's not asked back, Griffey says, he still wants to continue his career.
"I'm not retiring," Griffey says. "When you have as much fun as I had this year, you want to keep going. It was a great year. I had a blast. I'm glad I came."

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Desperate Housewives beats NFL again
Entertainment Weekly
This marks the second straight week that ABC's girls bested the boys of NBC's Sunday Night Football (which averaged 12.4 million viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. and 13.5 million viewers during the 9 p.m. hour, when it was on against Housewives.

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Do you realize how good Pryor has been?
Columbus Dispatch
What continues to impress me, beyond the Xs and Os, is how unaffected he seems, on and off the field. It takes something intangible that I can't define, to struggle the way he did for chunks of that game, and yet, when his moment came, he put all his troubles aside and rose up grandly. And then when you talk to him afterward, he's so matter-of-fact -- not arrogant, but confident; not impressed with himself, but aware that he's good. I can't remember covering a player who seems so self-assured, in a good way.

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Nice update on Reds prospect
Honolulu Advertiser
"I was a shortstop growing up and I played all through high school and college there," Frazier said. "So my natural position is shortstop. But I don't mind playing the other positions. In the summer, they wanted me to work a little third, a little short, little first base and a little outfield. I have all kinds of gloves that I can use."

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UC could learn from Rutgers
Enquirer
Constructing a winning program at a school where football has foundered for so many years requires a change in attitude, a lot of hard work and a little luck.
Staying there for the long term is even trickier.

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Even a Cubs basher has to feel sorry for fans
Chicago Tribune
I gotta admit: I kind of feel sorry for Cubs fans this time. Don't you? That is assuming you're not one of the Cubs fans already feeling sorry for themselves.

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Too many voices in NBC pre-game huddle
NY Times
From 7 to 8:15 p.m. on Sunday, I counted this multilateral deployment of personnel: (1) Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth; (2) Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann; (3) Collinsworth with Tiki Barber and Jerome Bettis; (4) Collinsworth with Patrick and Olbermann; (5) Collinsworth and Costas; (6) Costas, Collinsworth, Olbermann and Patrick; and (7) Costas (or was it Collinsworth?) with Peter King.

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Are you watching?
The number of viewers who watched the first five days of baseball's division series on TBS fell 20.1 percent, to an average of about 4.27 million, down from 5.35 million last year. TBS cited the absence of a New York team in any of the series, the Dodgers' resounding sweep of the Cubs, and the competition the Dodgers-Cubs game faced when it went up against the vice presidential debate for 90 minutes last Thursday.-NY Times

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UC CB's present challenge to Rutgers WR Britt
Newark Star Ledger
If the Knights are finally to shake out of their offensive malaise -- while rebounding from a 1-4 start -- Britt seems to be the most logical candidate to enable them do so. The problem this week when Rutgers visits 4-1 Cincinnati is that he could be matched against two of the Big East's best corners.

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5 most overhyped athletes all-time
CNNSI
1. Tony Mandarich: After a stellar college career at Michigan State, Mandarich made just 47 starts in the NFL and never came close to scratching the surface of the potential he'd shown. Mandarich recently admitted that he'd used steroids in college. Shocking.

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Willie will start
Willie Anderson will get the start at RT Sunday for the Ravens game vs Indianapolis. Starting RT Adam Terry has a knee sprain.-Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun

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Mr Clean dead at 92
Top 5 commercial icons all-time?

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Diagnosing the various sports fans
Thoughts from the Jockstrap
The Tough Guy/The Instigator
We've all met the tough guy/the instigator: he's the one who argues aggressively with a...