OJ's Eleven

A pumpkin saved is a pumpkin earned

► Hoosiers (4-1) upset Hawkeyes' homecoming

► LC Boys Soccer wins State (again)

► Bud Mackey arrested for slangin coke

► Yo, 146th finally opens tomorrow!

my only Reds post '07

I haven't spoken here much about the Reds, but they deserve a 20-minute blogging. First off, I want to thank them for providing the smidge of interest I still have in baseball... Yankees/BoSox don't do it for me, I'd rather go to a bar and watch it.
► Secondly, Griffey had his best year (30 HR, 100 RBI) since his Reds debut campaign in '00. No player in baseball is more loved than Junior, and I couldn't be happier he's a Redleg.
► Finally: Phillips, Keppinger, Encarnacion and Votto shone bright as infielders plus Hamilton and Bruce in the OutField and I can be renewed again as a fan. Hopper and Dunn will be the weak joints but the Big Red Machine could come alive. Of course, that also depends on who will be in the rotation w/ Arroyo and Harang (Shearn? Belisle? Bailey? Cueto?) to get us into the playoffs. Remember, the Reds play in the shifty NL Central where division winner takes league crown too. As long as they're improving the front office and roster, things are good.

Veteran OFs + talented IFs + 2 Aces + 2 closers = World Series

Anyone who watches baseball knows the Reds bullpen needs improvement; will 2008 be the year?

Rose Bowl?

► IU's defense has emerged as the NCAA leader in sacks thanks to Indy's tandem of Greg Middleton (pictured above) and Will Patterson.
► Kellen Lewis should win BigTen PoW honors after his 5 TD performance, including 200 rushing yards.
► James Hardy is only 5 TDs shy of the school record (30) after only 21 games played.
► Austin Starr (no relation) has missed only one FG in 8 attempts, including a 48-yarder last week vs WMU. This wouldn't be a compelling statistic if you haven't followed IU football for the past decade, but it's a major boost when there's 3 or 4 games each season where IU is on the short end of a single-score deficit. It was so bad that PATs weren't automatic!
► I'm still not a fan of Head Coach Bill Lynch, especially with his horrific play-calling, but Hep's upperclassmen are shining with an undefeated record heading into BigTen play. Without Michigan or Ohio $tate on the schedule this year, the Hoosiers' chances of making a bowl game are as realistic as they've been since the Trent Green era. Speaking of the aging Dolphins QB, I offer you this gem from an IndyStar article regarding Bill Bellicheat:

But Miami Dolphins quarterback Trent Green was among those doubting the sincerity of Belichick's apology, comparing the coach to the megalomaniacal Marine played by Jack Nicholson in the movie "A Few Good Men."

"Belichick is sitting there, and you know he is getting peeved that he is even in there - the audacity to bring him in and question him," Green said, laughing. "The visual I have is that eventually Belichick kind of snapped and said, 'You're darn right I (did).'"