I'M OFFICIALLY NOT GETTING ANYTHING DONE TODAY
Once upon a time the "M" in MTV stood for "Music."  Now, I have no idea what it stands for.  The guys at Tasty Booze (who also deserve credit for the fat kid treadmill faceplant below) have pointed out MTV's new website to us, which basically features every MTV video ever.  Just outstanding.  The videos are fully embed-able and will more or less mean this is how I'll be killing hours upon hours in the afternoons.  You'll see more than a few of these on this blog, including this Paula Abdul video which hit when I was 13, so you can imagine why I have a fondness for it.

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DEAR CHRISTINA AGUILERA:
Please start being hot again.  Thank you.

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LARGE KID IN BAD SWEATSUIT v. TREADMILL.  TREADMILL WINS.

 

http://view.break.com/595559 - Watch more free videos

 

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IT'S WHERE ME WISHING CINCINNATI HAD A TEAM HAPPENS
The NBA season starts tonight.  When it ends, the current baseball season might be going on.  I've also wrapped up my annual pep talk to myself about the Knicks and have them pegged for the playoffs.  I'll likely come back to reality after watching them play a real game tomorrow.  Anyway, I'm a big NBA guy, tough in this non-NBA town, I know there's not a ton of NBA fans here, but we all like dance team girls, right?  Just in time for the season, Busted Coverage has the battle of the All-NBA East and West Dance team squads.  And a Knicks City Dancer made the cut.

Laura is in her first year with the squad, and she hails from Louisville, Ohio.  Congratulations Laura.

In my book, she barely edges out two other girls with local ties.   Julie is a former UC dance team member.

And Erika is an Ohio State alum.

Also while we're at it, let's get pumped for the NBA season by remembering my favorite basketball player of all-time, and the man on the receiving end of one of the biggest travesties in sports.  That Bernard King is not in the Hall of Fame is a stain on not only the game of basketball but the human race as well.  An outstanding, but not lyrically family friendly video tribute to him can be found here.  My blog will have to settle for this one.  Let's Go Knicks!  Please?  For the love of God just be relevant.

 

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HELP TAKE YOUR TEAM BACK
My boys at Who Dey Revolution are starting "Project Mayhem"  It's a multi-pronged effort and while I can't speak to how effective I think it's gonna be, it will be creative and fun nonetheless, and task number one is something we can all participate in.

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TUESDAY TOPICS

-Let's begin our day with some Raquel Gibson.

-Would you be miserable for two years if you were getting paid $6 million? Or do something far more satisfying for significantly less?

-The joke of a World Series. Bud Selig has done some nice things, but his legacy to me will be the inheritence of issues diminishing the relevance of the World Series and making them worse.

Does it get put any better than this?

Major League Baseball should be ashamed for allowing its most important game of the year to deteriorate into an embarrassing mess because of slavish obedience to its pimp, the Fox Television Network.

-With the Bengals sucking, the constant refrain is "talk Bearcat football!"  I'd love to.  But that goes for when they lose to.  Brian Kelly had a bad day Saturday.  Deserves discussion.  Most of us get that beiong critical of a gameplan isn't "bashing" or "running someone out of town," right?  So why is he above criticism but no Reds manager or Bengals coach has been?

-In a 15 day stretch, Cincinnati has South Florida at home then West Virginia and Louisville on the road.  With major QB issues.  This season has a chance to spiral out of control quickly.

-Being a kid sucks more and more.

-Banned substances in the NFL.  Where's the discourse?  Where's the debate on the societal impact?  Where are the Congressional hearings?  Where's the outrage?

-If your wife or girlfriend came to you and said she needed $1500 to go to Ikea and re-do the living room, you'd put up a fight.  But you have no problem writing Mike Brown a check every year.  What's the difference?

-David Garrard of the Jacksonville Jaguars joins us at 11:20.

-The NBA season starts tonight.  Good doubleheader on TNT tonight if you care.  I do.  You don't.

-The Big East is going to be really, really good.

IT'S OFFICIAL.
The World Series is a freaking joke.  One of what is supposed to be sports' crown jewels and must-see events has been ruined, from the quality of the umpiring, to the start times of the games, to the handling of the lousy weather, to the actual dates the games are being played. Since the World Series is usually played in at least one cold weather city, it'll sure be fun next year since the event is guaranteed to take place in November next year.  (Can't wait for the next World Baseball Classic).  I'm not a Costas-esque old school romantic, but go back and look at the dates of the World Series games before all these rounds of playoffs...you'll see the Series started the first or second week of October.  A seven game series went until October 20th.  You play games this late, you have to start them during the daylight hours.  You just have to.  Good God, this is just freaking lame and they have ruined what used to be one of my favorite events.

There is nothing sacred about a 162 game season.  Shorten it to 144.  Start the postseason in September, and have no game between two east coast teams start after 7:05pm.

Thank you Bud.  Hat tip to you, Fox.

It's 11:00pm.  I'm settling in for another rain delay, and hopefully the resumption of Game Five of the World Series.  Because I love baseball.  But Bud Selig is making it awfully difficult.

BEING JIM NANTZ DIDN'T MAKE THIS LIST
But seven other things did make this list of the Seven Highly Irritating Habits of NFL Announcers.

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KELLY RIPA, GISELE BUNDCHEN, AND A GUY IN A TOM BRADY JERSEY
I'm not really sure what's going on in this video, but I've watched it three times.

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HALLOWEEN IS MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY
When I was a kid, Halloween was my favorite holiday.  That was before adults ruined it, but setting lame trick or treat times inspecting (read: stealing) candy, and jobbing it up by sissifying it up all around.  One thing adults do well at Halloween, dress slutty.  It's the best excuse of the year for good looking women to be as revealing as possible.  It's also a good excuse for me to put pictures of these girls on the blog. So send them to me here.  Grab some pictures from Halloween parties and the like and get them to me.  Best picture wins a prize for the person who submits it.  Restaurant gift cards or something huge like that.  The earty entries can be found here.  Special consideration to anyone wearing the hot cop costume.

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IS BILL WALSH MENTORING FROM THE AFTERLIFE?
From the outstanding Awful Announcing....

 

 

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MONDAY STUFF (QUICK VERSION)
-0-16.....we've laughed about it, dismissed it, more or less assumed it wouldn't happen.  It is now a very, very, real possibility.

-How could one watched what the Bengals offered up yesterday and not come the conclusion that this team has quit?

-Jonathan Joseph's "tackle." "That guy on CBS," knew a little about how to tackle.

-UC's disappointing effort.  At what pint does sticking with a game plan turn into stubborness?

-OSU/Penn State.  Penn State legit? 

-UK/Floriday.  What did the fans do wrong this weekend?

-How huge of a joke was the World Series on Saturday night?

-Are we going to pretend to be all bothered by NFL players taking banned substances?  Will there be false outrage?  Probably not.

-Rocio Guirao Diaz.  Big fan.

EVER SEE MARVIN DOING THIS?


Singeltary puts stamp on Niners.

"I told him that he would do a better job for us right now taking a shower and coming back and watching the game than going out on the field," Singletary said after the 34-13 loss to Seattle. "Simple as that."

Davis tried to avoid his coach as he ran to the sideline but Singletary got in his face and gave him an earful before sending him to the bench. Singletary said he was upset by what he considered a nonchalant attitude by Davis, who did not seem to understand why his coach was so upset.

Singletary later walked over to talk to Davis on the bench, yelling some more at the former No. 6 overall pick in full view of his teammates. Then with 10:41 remaining in the game, Singletary went back to Davis and told him to go to the locker room. Davis started walking before being called back to get his helmet. He then waved his helmet at the crowd as he left.

"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team," Singletary said. "It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win."

The Niners suck and they get that.  Our guys suck and we get Jonathan Joseph forgetting that it's called "tackle football."

BRUTAL
I've said for a while that I'm not feeling UCONN, and I don't see them winning the league, but they play D and they run the ball.  They seemed ripe for the taking and weren't.  They flat out played harder than UC.

Starting Thursday, the 'Cats have three games in 15 days...home for South Florida, at West Virginia, and at Louisville.  With efforts like this, and struggles at QB, that could be an ugly stretch. 

Disappointing.

FOURTH QUARTER

Wow.  Robert McClain returns an interception for a TD.  40-16.  Final.  Disgusting,

Donald Brown has gone over 100 yards for the day.  A 53 yard carry, then a nine yard lug...facemask penalty.  Donald Brown is really, really good. Brown hauls it in for a TD...it's 33-16 Connecticut with 1:55 to go.  This can't end soon enough.

UC is 0-14 on third down.  0-11 last week.

Mardy with a nice return to the Bearcat 41.  Chazz's first down pass is batted down...hits Binns out of bounds.  Third and ten.  Unreal.  Lindsey Witten sacks Anderson.  Punt.  Cincinnati's offensive line has really played poorly.  This sucks.

They stop Brown on third and goal...nice tackle by Andre Revels.  UCONN takes a delay of game and Teggart drills one from 23 out.  26-16 Huskies, 5:47.

Todman takes the end-around to the UCONN 3.  Mickens is hurt.  Eeesh.  This is disappointing.  Just saw UK is down 56-3 in the third.  Wonder if it's OK for any UK fans in Gainesville to leave that game early.  Direct snap to Brown...he takes it in from five yards out.  Defense looked completely unprepared for that.  Play under review.   Here's the rain.  TD overturned.  Yay. 

Three and out for the Huskies....why they're not just gving it to Brown is mind boggling.  UC gets it at their own 30.  Gilyard for 18...great block by Goodman.  Seven more for Mardy to the UCONN 45.  They get it to the 39 but ugh, two holding penalties (been saying for weeks the penalties would come back and get them....just not offensively.) El Amin and Canfield.    First and 30.  Incomplete.  Chazz to Mardy for nine...Third and 21.  Yikes.  ARGH.  Pick by Robert McClain.  Not allowed to type what I'm thinking. 8:11 to go.  UCONN ball at the UC 22.

There's the big play we were asking for...Goebel...takes a screen pass 41 yards to the Connecticut 39.  Chazz for two, then nine...looks more decisive than the Rutgers game...but four badly thrown balls and the Huskies get it at the 28.  The wind is in their face so they don't kick a field goal.  Run the damn ball.

The defense holds...three plays and a 32 yard field goal by Teggart.  23-16 UCONN 14:25.  Not good.

THIRD QUARTER

While lotD decided to act up (sorry James and Lisa), Connecticut took a 20-16 lead with :19 to go in the third.  Then freaking Mardy Gilyard fumbled the kickoff.  Sloppy.  This is reminicent of Pitt last year.

'Cats get it at their own 41...Pike's return is doubtful...tingling sensation in his arm.  Chazz misses a wide open Ramsey deep downfield....then Lawrence Wilson breaks free and sacks Chazz.  Huber punts and the Huskies have it at their own 26.

UCONN drive stuffed due in part to big sack by Adam Hoppel.

Cincinnati starts at their own 38.  Goodman gets free for 21....defensive holding call get them to the 26.  Chazz fumbles on first down...second and 14.  Pike not being ruled out for today.  Chazz hits Gilyard twice to get it to the four on fourth down...Rogers connects...it's 17-16 Connecticut, 6:53.

I can't believe Endres threw it 28 times in the first half.  29 is a nine yard toss.  And here's Brown for 17.  I don't have a good feeling about this.  Endres for 34 to Michael Smith.  I don't have a good feeling about this.  Jordan Todman takes it in from a yard out.  I don't have a good feeling about this.   It's 17-13 Huskies 11:10.

Chazz Anderson is at quarterback for the Bearcats.  Three and out.  They will not win this game if they can't run the ball.

HALFTIME
Tony Pike hasn't been very good.  He looks unsure out there...not really knowing when to run, very tentative.  If Ramsey comes back in the second half, you gotta feed him the ball. They've done a nice job on Donald Brown (45 yards, 3.5 ypg) but they're not exactly pounding him down UC's throat. 

Pike had treatment on his left arm in the locker room. 

SECOND QUARTER

Barnett drops a pass.  Ugh.  Jacob Ramsey is out for the half with "breathing issues."  Gonna make it hard to run the damn ball.  Pike looks terrible.  Holding.  Third and 20.  Pike hits Goebel at the Connecticut 37.  Rogers from 54 with the wind at his back.  Good!  13-10 'Cats, 0:35.

Great pursuit by the 'Cats...stopping Brown for a three yard loss.  Then Brown gets away from Nelms and dives to the six.  Third and 11....incomplete.  And here comes our 12th punt.  UC ball at the Husky 45.  RUN THE DAMN BALL.

RUN THE DAMN BALL. Three plays.  Two throws.  The one run gained six.  The throws didn't gain a thing.  Punt.  Huber kicks it to the seven.

Back to back false starts.  This place is pretty cool.  Seats about 40,000 and they fill it.  Good tailgating too.  Donald Brown only has 11 carries.  Hmmm.  Here comes our tenth punt of the half.  Woods returns it to the Bearcat 42.

Julius Williams blows up Trevor Canfield and sacks Pike, but grabs Tony's facemask in the process...wipe out the sack and UC has it at the UCONN 49.  Please run the damn ball.  Thank you.  Goebel for six to the 43.  This place is loud.  Bearcat receivers can't get open....Pike chucks it out of bounds and here's Huber.  He shanks it.  UCONN ball at the 27.  22 passes.  7 runs.  That ain't gonna work.

Three and out for UCONN.  UC is bringin some pressure and Endres....D-Lo is drilled by Terry Baltimore.  UC ball at their own 28. 

Pike's second down pass hits four different sets of hands and falls incomplete.  They go for it on fourth and two.  I like it.  But not Darius Butler, who makes a nice play to break up a pass intended for Goodman.

Endres and Hernandez make the 'Cats pay...17 yard pass to the Husky 39.  Drive stalls.  They punt and DJ Woods runs it 40 yards to the Connecticut 40.  Looked like he was shot out of a cannon.

Facemask penalty at the end of a pass to Ben Guidugli gets UC to the UCONN 32.  Then Pead with a nice run to the 24.  Incomplete pass.  Just an idiotic throw by Pike and it's picked off by Jasper Howard.  Ugh.  Scrambling to his left, he tried to hit Gilyard when he should've thrown it away.

UC defense holds,  Huskies punt.  This time it's downed at the 34.

DAMN....DeAngelo Smith fumbles the punt.  UCONN with it at their own 44.  Crap.

Cedric Tolbert unable to hold on to a pick off a deflection.  Brown gets a yard on second down.  Wow.  Great play by Manalac on a screen to Brown. 

Big run by Ramsey on third down gets UC to the 21.  Pike pressured on third down, incomplete and here comes Huber.  Pike not getting the protection he needs.  Huber kicks the crap out of it and UCONN has it at their own six.  A 62 yard punt.

FIRST QUARTER

Three and out for the Huskies and the 'Cats are pinned back at their eight,

My man Goodman comes up big on Bearcat third down...then Gilyard to the UCONN 34.  Screen for Gilyard.  Wow.  He takes it in from 28 out.  Very, very well executed.  78 yards on six plays....Pike looked great and we're tied at ten.  2:22.

Hole in the middle of the Bearcat defense and Endres makes them pay.  Then Brown, Brown, and more Brown.  He's good.  TD Huskies and the 'Cats look awful.  10-3 UCONN...4:51.

Pike is sacked.  Then sacked again.  Gotta get rid of the football, and Kelly takes a timeout to tell him.  Loudly. Inccomplete.  Huber punt and Huber tackle after Jasper Howard runs it back to the Bearcat 36.

UCONN starts at their 33.  We see Donald Brown who takes it for four.  Endres hits the immortal Brad Kanuch at the UC 49 for a first down.  Then Brown with a run for nine.  The dude is averaging 167 a game.  Picks up the first down with a dive to the 38.  Big break for the Bearcats...holding call takes back a long Brown run.  Well designed screen for Brown for 24 yards on second down and UCONN has it at the UC 17.

On second down, Pike hits Gilyard in the back of the end zone but he can't stay in bounds.  Rogers in for a field goal.  It's good, he's six for six this year and it's 3-0 'Cats...13:13.

Connor Barwin blocks a punt! Wow. What a season he's having. First down UC at the UCONN 16.

Huskies get it to start...Endres comes out throwing and throws one at his receiver's feet.  He completes a pass for a loss of five yards....nicely read by Brandon Underwood.  The throw again on third down...really no idea what the hell they are thinking.  You've got one of the best backs in the country and you throw?  OK.

PREGAME (take two)

Greetings from Rentschler Field...it's UC and Connecticut today in the cold.  Rain my arrive some time this afternoon.

Weird vibe about the game....kinda reminds me of Pitt last year, which isn't good.  'Cats laid a huge egg at Heinz Field last year.  Hope I'm wrong.  Connecticut people not giving the Huskies much of a chance.  They are down to their third string QB in redshirt frosh Cody Endres, but have Donald Brown, who's already close to 1200 yards this year.  I see a close game....20-16 'Cats despte the vibe.

No Jim Kelly today..away on business so we have UC alum and former Giant and Jet Sam Garnes filling in.

The guy in charge of the music here is having a big day...two Bruce tunes...some Radio Nowhere and Prove it All Night.  But as soon as I type this he plays that awful new Kid Rock song.

Kevin Youkilis in the house.

ESPNews has a segment called "Pregame Aircheck" where they have three radio guys from around the country discuss the topics of the day.  I'm on it every few weeks.  This week, since we're 30 minutes away, I did it from the ESPN studios.  Downside, they made me wear a suit.  Upside, a tour of ESPN.  This is incredibly geeky, but I more or less forced them to take a picture of my buddy Tommy and I at the SportsCenter desk.