Bengals seem stuck in forward
Enquirer.com - Paul Daugherty
The Bengals are going forward, moving on, turning the page. That other stuff? That's over, that's done with. What other stuff? We're putting that behind us. We're wiping the slate clean. It's a new day, a new leaf. No crying over spilt milk here. There is no time. We're moving forward. "I'm happy with where we are now, going forward," Mike Brown declared Tuesday. The Bengals owner was talking about Chad Johnson, who also is going forward. "The offseason is in the past," he said.

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ZImmer looks for vision
Bengals.com
The first rule of Mike Zimmer's defense: There are no laws. Which is good news for guys like defensive linemen Frostee Rucker and Jonathan Fanene, linebackers Eric Henderson and Ahmad Brooks, and safety Chinedum Ndukwe, and any other defender that doesn't start but is seen as versatile. "Maybe we don't have the best 11," Zimmer said at this week's media lunch, "but maybe collectively we have 22 to get to 11." Maybe, Zimmer mused with his defense five days away from making its '08 debut at training camp, they'll have a run group or pass group. At the very least, he says, the defense is going to do what it can to stop the run. The schedule says it's a must with half the games against teams that finished in the NFL's top 10 in rushing last season.

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Rookie holdouts are playing with fire
Dayton Daily News
Rookie draft picks who hold out for any length of time struggle their freshman NFL seasons. So here’s my overture to the Cincinnati Bengals’ remaining six unsigned rookies…WLB Keith Rivers, WR Jerome Simpson, DT Pat Sims, WR Andre Caldwell, OT Anthony Collins and FS Corey Lynch. If you want to make the 53-man roster and not just play in 2008 — but have a positive impact — you had better get your Bengal butts signed in time for the first training camp practice — 9 a.m. Monday, July 28, at Georgetown (Ky.) College. This year’s camp lasts 19 days (July 28-Aug. 15). It’s the shortest in memory. It’s “The Big Squeeze.” The learning curve will be swift. You miss a day; you miss a lot.

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Time to trade Arroyo
Enquirer.com
At the yard, watching the wondrous Greg Maddux one last time. First-ballot Hall of Famers don't happen by every day. Anyway, B. Arroyo was very good again today, pitch-efficient, curveball working. Of course, it helped that the San Diego Padres are the worst team I've seen all year, worse than my beloved Pirates, who at least can run a few credible bats up there. But no matter. Arroyo goes to 9-7, second-most wins on the staff. ERA's still fat, but it's thinning. He has looked good for awhile. Trade him.

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Special teams are hardly so
Enquirer.com
After a frustrating season of special teams play, sixth-year Bengals special teams coach Darrin Simmons is ready to put 2007 in the past. There are many plays he'd like to forget - like Josh Cribbs' 85-yard kickoff return for the Browns Sept. 16. Or Josh Wilson's 72-yard opening kickoff return for Seattle a week later, which preceded Glenn Holt's game-ending fumble on a kickoff return.

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Ryan Freel injury update
IF/OF Ryan Freel this morning had surgery to repair the torn distal hamstring tendon behind his right knee. The 50-minute procedure was performed by Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Freel is expected to return in 4-6 weeks.

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10 Tennis Stars who should pose for Playboy

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Fogg to miss start
Reds.com
Josh Fogg had the look of a man who stepped into the octagon for an ultimate fighting match with the wrong dude. "I'm feeling good besides the fact that my face is blown up," Fogg said. The top of the Reds starting pitcher's mouth was swollen and stitched, the result from being hit in the face by a Joey Votto line drive during batting practice on Tuesday afternoon.

Because of the injury to Josh Fogg, the Reds’ pitching rotation for the weekend series vs the Rockies will be:

Friday, RHP Edinson Volquez
Saturday, RHP Homer Bailey
Sunday, TBA

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Arroyo wants to stay in Cincinnati: VIDEO
C. Trent

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Bengals need more wins, less drama in '08
Lexington Herald Leader
But first up is the NFL. The Cincinnati Bengals return Sunday to Georgetown College for another go at training camp. First practice is Monday. So, as is their tradition, the Bengals brass put on a surf-and-turf media luncheon Tuesday at Paul Brown Stadium to feed the need for a late-summer, pre-camp football fix. Owner and president Mike Brown was there. Head Coach Marvin Lewis was there. Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer were there.

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More buyers than sellers in the NL
MLB.com
The Reds are closer to the break-even point than the Pirates -- just four games under .500 -- but 11 games back of the Cubs in an NL Central Division that also features postseason candidates St. Louis and Milwaukee. The likelihood of making a serious pennant drive run is growing slim. With the Deadline approaching in 10 days, the club has yet to reveal its intentions, but there is no secret it has one big chip to play in Adam Dunn. The left-handed power hitter will be a free agent at the close of the 2008 season and could provide a major boost to a team that needs a big bat in the middle of its lineup. With defensive skills not Dunn's strong suit, an AL club looking to fill its DH role could be more suitable. Trading Dunn would signal an obvious end to contention. Dunn is one of 13 potential free agents for the Reds this offseason.

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