OBSERVATIONS: And so the Reds did. . .nothing

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, anxious to see if the Cleveland Browns can beat the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth straight time. . .or if the Bengals can beat the Browns for the first time in six tries. It is all in your point of view.

—CENTRALLY SPEAKING: Baseball’s winter meetings in San Diego are over, so what did teams in the National League Central do:

*St. Louis Cardinals: Signed free agent catcher Willson Contreras to a five-year $90 million contract to replace retired Yadier Molina. Signed pitcher Adam Wainwright to a one-year $17.5 million deal for his last season before retirement.

*Chicago Cubs: Signed free agent pitcher Jameson Taillon to a four-year $68 million deal. Signed free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger to a one-year $17.5 million deal.

*Pittsburgh Pirates: Signed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes to a seven-year $60 million deal. Signed free agent first baseman Carlos Santana to a one-year $6.7 million contract. Signed outfielder Bryan Reynolds to a one-year $6.7 million contract.

*Cincinnati Reds: ? ? ? ? ?

Oh, wait. The Reds did select outfielder Blake Sabol in the Rule 5 draft. . .then immediately traded him to the San Francisco Giants in a pre-arranged deal for a player to be identified later or cash considerations.

Reminds of the time the Reds traded a player for cash and manager John McNamara was infuriated. He pulled his wallet from his pants, yanked out a wad of bills, threw them on the floor and said, “Now tell me that cash can hit or pitch for me.”

—WHERE WERE THEY? — Rumor has it that the Reds actually attended the meetings, for no apparent reason other than face time in the Manchester Hyatt hotel lobby.

Since the cash-strapped and dump-salary Reds can’t offer free agents big bucks, what is their selling points? How can they entice players?

Well, instead of a lot of cash-money, general manager Nick Krall told MLB.com what the team offers.

“We can offer you some opportunities at different places,” he said. “If you have an opportunity to come to our ballpark, it’s a hitter-friendly park. Pitchers come in and they get a chance to work with our coaching staff, improve and get to go out on the market next year. We’ve got the opportunity to let you play. I think that’s a win-win for some people.”

That fishing hook remains with nothing but a dangling worm. And what does that message tell the fans? Pay good money and watch another 100-loss team?

Before the Reds came home empty-handed, GM Krall told MLB.com, “. . .we laid the groundwork here with a lot of different things.”

Wait a minute. Hasn’t this ownership group already run this proud franchise into the ground?

—BUYING A TRINKET: The World Series trophy, a 24” by 11” bauble, costs $20,000 to $30,000 to make. The New York Yankees continue to try to buy that bauble by throwing millions into the wind.

They have invested more than $1 billion in three players — Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton.

What is sad about all the money thrust at MLB players is that there are reportedly 3 1/2 million homeless people in America and 1 1/2 million are children.

Fans keep calling for a salary cap, which the Players’ Association will never approve. Really, though, whose fault is it? The owners. They shove the cash in front of the players.

And who would benefit from a salary cap? The owners, of course. They’d get to keep more money instead of giving it to the players.

—PADDING THE PADRES: The San Diego Padres threw a wallet stuffed with $400 million at free agent Aaron Judge. But they missed. He ducked and signed a $360 million deal to stay with the New York Yankees.

So the Padres took a few bucks out of the wallet and tossed $280 million for 11 years at a shortstop who leads the league in having his name misspelled. . .Xander Bogaerts.

Wait a second. Don’t the Padres have an excellent shortstop, Fernando Tatis Jr.? They sure do. But they’re moving him to the outfield when he finishes his 80-game suspension at the start of 2023. He can return April 20 after missing the first 12 games.

The Padres must have discovered gold in the Mission Hills. In addition to Bogaerts making $280 million, Tatis has a 14-year $340 million deal and Manny Machado owns a 10-year $300 million contract.

—MAKING A STATEMENT: A few years ago Grant Basile and a few other Wright State basketball players showed up at a Wright State-Dayton volleyball match.

Basille and the rest of the WSU players held up a sign that read, “Play us in basketball.”

That never happened in Basile’s four years at Wright State, so one naturally wonders what Basile did to the Flyers Wednesday night was a statement.

Basile is now a graduate student at Virginia Tech and scored 23 points, 20 in the first half, as the Hokies tore UD asunder, piece by piece, 77-49.

Was that a ‘take that’ statement from Basile? Basile’s post-game remarks in the Richmond Times Dispatch make it appear so.

“We never got a chance to play them [at Wright State]. We would’ve loved to,” Basile said. “It was a lot of fun to actually get to play them. They’re a great program. I was excited.”

And deadly. To the Flyers, he was The Creature That Ate Muncie.

It must be ex-Raider week. Wright State’s other defector, Tanner Holden, transferred from Wright Stare to Ohio State. One night after Basile’s barrage, Holden hit a three-pointer from downtown Bexley at the buzzer to beat Rutgers, 67-66.

—THREE AND OUT: University of Dayton basketball coach Anthony Grant should hold up a ‘Stop’ sign when he sees one of his players about to launch a three-pointer.

The Flyers were 3 for 15 from beyond the trey line (20%) during a 77-49 terrible time at Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, missing threes is a UD trait. The Flyers have shot below 20% from three in four of their last six games.

For the year, UD is 54 for 200, 27%. That puts them 341st out of 363 Division I basketball schools.

—QUOTE: From former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy: “Shooting percentage is just as much about decision making as it is about technique” (And some of UD’s decision-making on shooting threes is highly questionable.)

—GEORGIA ON THEIR MINDS: It seems as if the entire college football world believes Ohio State backed into the playoffs and that the Buckeyes are the salad before Georgia takes on the main course. . .baked Wolverine.

So I’ve searched far and wide, low and high, hither and yon for somebody who believes the Buckeyes, 6 1/2-point underdogs, can beat Gaw-ja. I found two.

Eleven folks from CBS Sports made predictions and ten picked Georgia. The outlier is Barrett Sallee, who picked the Buckeyes because their long layoff enables running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams to get healthy.

The other OSU predictor is Pete Fiutak of The College Football News and he says Ohio State wins by 34-30.

—NO DFENCE: (Notice how I spell defence with ‘c’ like they do in hockey.)

In an NHL game this week, the Columbus Blue Jackets forgot how to play it, whether it is defence or defense. They lost to the Buffalo Sabres, 9-4.

Not only did they give up nine goals, five were scored by one man, forward Tage Thompson. And not only did he score five goals, he scored four during an 11-minute span in the first period.

He is the first player in NHL history to light the red lamp four times in the first period and, hey, the guy is 6-foot-7 so it isn’t like he sneaked up on the goalie. . .if the Blue Jackets used a goalie in the first period.

—QUOTE: From former NHL broadcaster Rick Jeanneret: “Are you ready Region of Doom? Here comes the Buffalo Sabres.” (Did anybody give the Blue Jackets that warning that the Sabres were coming?)

OBSERVATIONS: Crime Dog in, Bonds/Clemens out

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, watching MLB-TV’s coverage of the baseball winter meetings from San Diego, waiting for somebody to mention something the Cincinnati Reds did. . .or at least something they talked about doing. Still waiting.

—FRED YES, BARRY/ROGER NO: Fred McGriff, ‘The Crime Dog,’ was voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame this week by the 16-member Contemporary Era committee. . .a no-brainer.

It was a crime that the Baseball Writers Association of America didn’t vote him in. He received my vote every year he was eligible. He was unanimous from the committee and to steal from ‘America’s Got Talent,’ he received 16 yesses.

And it looks as if Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling are destined to be locked out of the Hall of Fame forever.

After all three were denied 10 straight years by the baseball writers, their fate fell into the hands of the Contemporary Era committee.

For enshrinement, a candidate needed 12 votes. Schilling received seven votes and it was only acknowledged that Bonds and Clemens received fewer than four votes.

And there were six Hall of Fame players on the committee: Greg Maddox, Jack Morris, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Frank Thomas and Alan Trammel.

Bonds and Clemens are linked to PEDs. Schilling is shunned because of his remarks that were anti-Muslim, a remark supporting the U.S. Capitol rioters, shared a transphobic Facebook post, suggested that a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shootings was a paid crisis actor and promoted a post that said journalists should be lynched.

In regards to his lynching quote, I’ll borrow a phrase from Marty Brennaman and say as far as Schilling’s Hall of Fame induction is concerned, “It’s a big ol’ hang with ‘em.”

—QUOTE: From Pete Rose, the Hit King, on his chances to make the Hall of Fame: “If somebody connected to steroids makes the Hall of Fame, I would think that would enhance my chances of making the Hall of Fame.” (Uh, don’t hold your breath on that one, Pete.)

—TIGER TALES: In these days of vagabond/mercenary baseball players, it is a useless exercise to play the ‘What if’ game. Chasing most players’ career is like a game of Trivial Pursuit.

But it is fun to wonder what it would have been like if Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander had stayed together as teammates in Detroit.

Maybe they would have killed each other. They are both extremely competitive and it has been reported that they did not like each other.

And now they are being re-united as teammates with the New York Mets, both making $43.3 million a year.

The combined Scherzer-Verlander salaries of $86.6 million for one year is more than the total payrolls of seven teams in 2022: Cleveland, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Arizona and Miami.

Let’s just hope neither one ever falls off his wallet.

—QUOTE: From filthy-rich pitcher Justin Verlander: “I don’t think anybody’s goal is to be mediocre. I think everybody should want to be the best. I’ve always felt that way. I want to be at the best at everything I do.” (Betcha Mad Max Scherzer feels the same way and now it comes down to who will be the best pitcher for the New York Mets.)

—MOOSE NOT LOOSE: While the Cincinnati Reds have pretty much dumped every players making more than a dollar-ninety-eight, they haven’t been able to dump infielder Mike Moustakas.

And there is no doubt they’ve tried to dump a guy due $22 million in 2023 with a $4 million buyout for 2024. Other teams have seen him constantly on the injured list. And when they’ve seen him on the field they’ve seen an under-performer who looks as if he raids the refrigerator at 3 a.m.

When MLB.com asked general manager Nick Krall about Moustakas, his terse and succinct reply was, “He’s on our roster. That’s it.”

The Reds would have been better off signing Clark E. Moustakas, author of the book, ‘Loneliness.’ If somebody offered Krall a gift card to Home Depot and a year’s supply of plastic razors, he’d take it.

—LOTTERY LOSERS: The poor Reds can’t even catch a break in MLB’s first lottery draft. Under the old system, the draft order went according to team records. . .worst record drafted first, second worse drafted second and so on.

That prevent teams from tanking to get the No. 1 draft pick, MLB went to a lottery draw with all teams not making the playoffs drawing for positions.

Under the old system, the Reds would have drafted fourth. They drew No. 7 in the lottery. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the lottery and will draft first.

—NOT FLASHES IN THE PAN: My alma mater, Kent State, nearly yanked the throw rug out from under Gonzaga this week. The Golden Flashes, playing at Gonzaga, were 15 1/2-point ‘dogs and lost, 73-66.

They led the Zags, 66-62 with four minutes left, but didn’t score after that and were victimized by an 11-0 final splurge.

—QUOTE: From Gonzaga star Drew Timme after scoring 29 points and snagging 17 rebounds in his team’s 73-66 win over Kent State: “That team was a hell of a team. They had us up against the wall.” (Unfortunately for KSU, the wall was flimsy and collapsed.)

—TRAVELIN’ MAN: What’s wrong with the transfer portal in college athletics? It is easier to ask what is right with it and the answer is, “Not much.”

A prime example of the absurdity of it is quarterback J.T. Daniels. He is entering the portal. . .again. If somebody signs him, and somebody will, it will be his fourth school.

He began his carpet-bagging odyssey at USC, transferred to Georgia, transferred to West Virginia and is now looking for his fourth different letter-sweater. He is 17-12 as a starter, 7-0 in two seasons at Georgia.

The J.T. in his name must stand for Just Temporary.

—QUOTE: From former Aston Villa soccer manager John Gregory when his star player, Dwight Yorke, transferred from his team to Manchester United: “If I had a gun, I’da shot him.” (Nobody could shoot J.T. Daniels. He moves around too fast.)

—SHAKE ’N BAKE: In the case of quarterback Baker Mayfield, it was ask and ye shall receive. Baker asked for his release and the Carolina Panthers put him on waivers.

The Los Angeles Rams, in need of a warm body signal-caller, quickly claimed him. It seems a perfect fit. Mayfield was 1-and-7 in his starts this season with the Panthers. The Rams are 3-and-9, the worst 12-game record ever for a team that was Super Bowl champions the year before.

The Rams, going nowhere, as was/is Mayfield, lost quarterback Matthew Stafford to injury and are paying Mayfield $1.35 million to finish out the season for them.

Mayfield was Cleveland’s No. 1 draft pick five years ago and, to say the least, it didn’t work out. So they traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a five-year $230 million contract.

Watson missed more than half of his first season, an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct. And his first game, Sunday against Houston, was worse than any game Mayfield ever played for the Browns.

Maybe the Browns should have kept Mayfield. They’ve been a monumental flop this season and, like the Rams and Mayfield, they’re going nowhere.

—BET THE BENGALS: If you have $185,000 laying around on your dresser, bet it all on the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl.

If they win, you win $1.85 million. Of course, if you can wager $185,000 on a football team, you probably don’t need $1.85 million.

—WORDS TO LIVE BY: At age 82, I try to live by this: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

OBSERVATIONS: Give a deep bow towards Utah

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wishing the University of Utah football team a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year on behalf of all Buckeye Believers.

—ONE TOUGH KID: Is there a tougher football player in America than Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams?

The University of Utah defense committed legal assault and battery on Williams Friday night. He injured his leg in the first quarter and ripped open a finger on this throwing hand.

But he kept playing, on one leg. And he spent more time on the ground than an earthworm, sack after sack after sack. . .hard, brutal sacks. And he kept getting up.

What was sad was to see coach Lincoln Riley leave him in the game with two minutes left and the Trojans down, 47-24. He took two more devastating sacks and finally limped off the field, badly battered and badly beaten.

Nevertheless, every Ohio State fan in America owes Utah a bottle of Dom Perignon, worth $250.

—DA GROANER: Major League baseball teams continue to park tractor-trailer trucks stuffed with $100 bills in front of a player’s mansion.

That latest throat-gulper is the Texas Rangers signing Jacob deGrom to a five-year $185 million deal. He will be 39 at the end of the contract.

Yes, deGrom is good. . .very good. . .when he is healthy, which is seldom. The last two years he has spent more time staring at the training room walls than at outfield walls.

The Rangers must have discovered oil in a vacant lot in Arlington, Tex. Last year they signed shortstop Corey Seager to a 10-year $325 million deal and signed infielder Marcus Semien to a seven-year $175 million contract.

So how did the Rangers do? They lost six fewer games than the Cincinnati Reds — 68-94, 38 games behind Houston and fourth place in the American League West. The team was consistent, though, 34-47 at home and 34-47 on the road.

—QUOTE: From Jacob deGrom on his movie idol good looks: “Look good, feel good, play good.” (Sounds like a Gillette razor slogan. What was it, “Look sharp, feel sharp.”)

—PAL JOEY: When Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto returns from shoulder surgery for the 2023 season, the last on his $225 million contract, he’ll be hitting against a no-shift defense. Two players must be positioned on each side of second base and all four infielders must have their spikes on the infield dirt.

Votto hit so many ground balls to a shifted infielder in short right fielder that the balls he hit wore a path in the grass.

So the no-shift rule should benefit him and his .208 batting average in 2022, right? Never let it be said that Votto gives an expected answer. He is so cautious that when his mother says she loves him, he asks for a second opinion.

“That’s not a factor,” he said recently. “I’m not thinking about that.”

So he says he doesn’t give a Bo Diddley about it, but maybe he should.

—WINKER A STINKER? — The Seattle Mariners must not have thought much about what Jesse Winker contributed or could contribute to their success.

After spending only one year with the M’s, Winker was traded this week to Milwaukee for infielder Kolten Wong. The Reds traded Winker to the Mariners before last season,

He was not very dynamic. For his 547 plates appearances, he hit .219 with 14 homers and 53 RBI. He did draw 87 walks, but struck out 103 times.

—OH, DEAR WATSON: Deshaun Watson returned to the football field after a 700-day absence and it look more like 700 years. He was a complete no-factor against the 1-10-1 Houston Texans in a 27-14 Browns win.

Watson had no hands on any of the points. The touchdowns were a 76-yard punt return by Donovan Peoples-Jones, a fumble recovery and 4-yard run with it by Denzel Ward and a 6-yard pick-six by Tony Fields.

Defrocked quarterback Jacoby Brissett would have won this game, 45-14.

No, I’m not a Watson fan and methinks Brissett deserves better.

—WRIGHT IS WRONG: What in the name of James Naismith has happened to the Wright State basketball team?

After a great showing against Davidson, a road win at Louisville and two wins in a mid-major tournament in Las Vegas, the Raiders have become defenseless stumble-bums.

They’ve lost their first two Horizon League games at home, an 80-57 shocker to mediocre Robert Morris and an 88-77 setback to Youngstown State.

The major problem appears to be defense and defensive-minded coach Scott Nagy has to be in a frenzy over his team giving up 80 and 88 points.

And remember UD guard Dwight Cohill? He transferred to Youngstown State and on Sunday scored 43 on WSU. FORTY-THRE!!! He made 16 of 19 shots, five for five from the three-point line.

—PLUGGING THE DIKE: Like the little Dutch boy who plugged a dike with his finger, Netherlands goalie Andries Noppert plugged the goal against the U.S. in the World Cup Knockout first round.

He turned away several U.S. shots on goal as the Dutch sent the U.S. home, 3-1.

The U.S. dominated the first eight minutes, kept control of the ball, but Noppert turned away two early chances and the U.S. took its ball and went home.

—WHAT COULDA BEEN: If the Purdue Boilermakers had pulled off a big upset and beat Michigan in the Big Ten championship game, they could have changed Purdue’s nickname. To what? The Purdue Spoilermakers.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Michigan 43, Purdue 22. And Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is other-worldly.

—OFF TO BOULDER: Neon Deion Sanders is off to Boulder, Colo., as the new coach at the University of Colorado. And he may feel like there is a boulder on his back at that dead-end job.

Colorado has had three coaches in five years. Sanders led Jackson State to a 12-0 record and the SWAC championship this year and was 27-5 in three years.

There was not much more exciting in baseball than to watch the blurry speed of Sanders running out a triple , gold necklace flashing, when he played for the Cincinnati Reds.

His problem, though, was speed is not enough in baseball. Like Billy Hamilton, he could outrun a gazelle, but couldn’t hit an elephant’s trunk often enough to use it.

—QUOTE-UNQUOTE:

“That’s super duper cool.” — LeBron James, when somebody compared him to Magic Johnson. And that comparison is bogus.

—JUST A THOUGHT: When I’m down, I say to myself, “Don’t be stressed because you are truly blessed.”

OBSERVATIONS: When Pete Rose searched for a deal

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from the Man Cave, watching our puppy, Parker, run in circles in the yard, full of sugar after climbing a table in the living room and stealing (and eating) three Hershey Kisses from a candy dish. We called the vet and we were told she should be OK. And she was, once she ran out of sugar.

—THE ROSE ROUTE: Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is making the rounds, offering his fingers and one-handed catches to the highest bidder. This week his traveling monetarial pursuit takes him to the camps of the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.

That reminds me of when Pete Rose became a free agent after the 1978 season and fielded some strange and tantalizing offers as he toured the urban landscape.

Pittsburgh owner John Galbreath, a race horse aficionado, knew where to strike at Rose’s psyche. He knew Rose loved horse racing (the ticket windows) and offered two brood mares and stud services from his best horses. Rose, though, didn’t want to play for a non-contender.

St. Louis owner Gussie Busch offered a Budweiser distributorship, but wanted Rose to replace Lou Brock and Pete didn’t want that. And Rose doesn’t like beer.

Kansas City owner Ewing Kauffman offered a stake in his oil investments portfolio, but Rose didn’t want to play in the American League because he wanted to pass Stan Musial as the all-time National League hits leader.

Atlanta’s Ted Turner offered a $100,000-a-year retirement package for the rest of Pete’s life, but Rose didn’t believe the team would be competitive.

All those offers included $1 million a year in salary.

Rose, though, accepted the lowest offer, a four-year $3.2 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, which included no additional incentives like the Liberty Bell or the profits from all the Philly cheesesteak establishments.

Rose loved Philadelphia players Larry Bowa, Greg Luzinski and Mike Schmidt. And he thought he could push them over the top.

How did it work out? Well, at age 38, Rose had 208 hits, 40 doubles, 20 stolen bases and led the NL with a .418 on-base average in 1979. And in 1980 he helped the Phillies win their first World Series in franchise history after losing its only other two chances in 1915 and 1950.

—QUOTE: From Pete Rose, The Hit King: “Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit. If I don’t expect to get a hit, I have no right to step into the batter’s box in the first place.” (His expectations were met 4,256 times.)

—SPIT AND SHINE: Gaylord Perry, The Great Expectorator, passed away this week, the pitcher known to cheat and admit it, but seldom get caught.

The man who wrote a book called, ‘Me & The Spitter,’ confessed that he tried applying everything to a baseball but salt, pepper and chocolate sauce.

A pitcher named Bob Shaw taught him how to deface a baseball and Perry said, “To me, it was like Thomas Edison discovering electricity.”

Although umpires constantly frisked him like a TSA agent, looking for foreign substances, he was only ejected once and that was when he pitched for Seattle.

He recounted the story to former Palm Beach Post writer Victor Lee, who was doing a piece on baseball cheaters. So he called Gaylord.

“He was warm, gracious and hilarious,” Lee told me. “Rene Lachemann was managing Seattle and they were in a tough spot. Rene visited the mound and told Gaylord, ‘Put a little extra something on the next pitch.’ He meant to throw it harder. One pitch later, Perry was ejected for applying an illegal substance. When he got to the dugout, Rene was livid and Perry said, ‘You told me to put something extra on it.’”

—QUOTE: From Gaylord Perry on pitching to Hall of Famer Rod Carew: “A greaseball is all I ever threw him and he still hit them. He’s the only player who consistently hit my greaseball. I guess he could pick out the dry side.”

—BUTLER ALMOST DID IT: During his 48 years as part of the University of Dayton football program, it is likely h retiring coach Rick Chamberlin had multiple chances to go elsewhere. But he didn’t.

Former Butler University broadcaster Brian Giffin related a story to me that came from his former broadcast partner and former Butler coach Ken Larose.

After Butler went 0-11 in 2005, they came after Chamberlin, UD’s defensive coordinator at the time, to be its head coach. Larose said he came close to accepting, but Larose figures UD’s coach at the time, Mike Kelly, talked him out of it.

Three years later, Chamberlin became UD’s head coach and 14 years later UD had 107 more victories.

—QUOTE: From UD football coach Rick Chamberlin at his retirement press conference: “The time was right for someone else to have the privilege of being the head football coach at the University Dayton and to learn how special it is to be a Flyer. And I truly mean that. It is a privilege to have this position at UD. It is very special to be a Flyer.” (Conversely, it was a special privilege for UD to have Rick Chamberlin as its football coach. Class oozes out of that man’s pores like Niagara Falls.)

—LET’S GO BOWL-ING: New Mexico State lost football games this season to Minnesota by 38-0, to Wisconsin by 66-7 and to Missouri by 45-14.

But due to the incredible number of insignificant and obscure bowls, the 5-and-6 Aggies were approved for a bowl appearance before they play their final game Saturday against Valparaiso.

Tell me, dear grid fans, where all these bowls will be played: Cube Bowl, Celebration Bowl, Lending Tree Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl, Independence Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl, First Responder Bowl, Camellia Bowl, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Cheez-It Bowl, Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

My score: 0 for 12.

—SPORTS DOCKET: What is going on these days in the sports world? Sports people are keeping the judicial system busy.

^University of Michigan starting defensive tackle Mazi Smith was charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

^University of Florida back-up quarterback Jalen Kitna is up on five charges of child pornography. (Yes, he is the son of former Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna.)

^Former major league and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Yasiel Puig is charged with lying to federal agents about sports betting with illegal gambling operations.

^Michigan State football player Khary Crump is facing felonious assault charges for his part in the tunnel incident after the MSU-Michigan game in Ann Arbor.

^Mickey Joseph, who coached Nebraska’s final seven games of the season on an interim basis, was arrested on a domestic violence charge.

^An arrest warrant has been in Florida for former NFL wide receiver and bad boy Antonio Brown for domestic battery.

Fortunately, there has been no news about any shenanigans from any sports writer.

OBSERVATIONS: Graves named to Reds ‘Hall’

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, with a Yuengling in one hand, a Montecristo White Label Churchill in the other hand and three dogs in my lap, I’m trying to put together this latest edition of UOfromTMC.

—OH, DANNY BOY: Danny Graves is of the opinion, “Once a closer, always a closer.”

From 1998 to 2002, Graves was the primary closer for the Cincinnati Reds, earning the nickname, ‘Baby-Faced Assassin,’ because of his boyish face.

In 2003, Ray Knight became manager and was in need of a starter. He thought Graves had The Right Stuff to be a starter and plopped him into the rotation.

It was a disaster. Graves returned to the closer’s role in 2004 and recorded 41 saves and made the All-Star team.

After the year he was a starter and went 4-15 with a 5.33 earned run average, Graves said, “I’ve always been humbled by this game. I’ve had success, yeah. But I’ve always known some day it would end. Last year could have been the end, but I have an opportunity to do it again. I’m going to make the most of it, and I’m very confident in my ability.”

And he proved it with those 41 saves.

Graves owns the record for most career saves for the Reds and rode those saves into the Reds Hall of Fame. The veterans committee named him and former general manager Gabe Paul to join pitcher Bronson Arroyo for the 2023 class.

Graves, born in Vietnam to a Vietnamese mother, is the only player born in that country to wear a major league uniform.

He had an unfortunate incident after one bad outing when he flipped the bird to some fans behind the dugout. He caught heavy flak for it, but his knee-jerk reaction came after the so-called fans hurled racial epithets at him.

His story is heart-rending. He was born in Saigon but he and his mother fled the country in 1973 just before the fall of Saigon. They came to the U.S. and he and his brother, Frank, spoke no English, just Vietnamese. They learned the language from their school classmates.

Graves not only spoke fluent English while with the Reds, his split-fingered fastball spoke a loud baseball language.

—WHAT PRICE, WINNING? — The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes dumped their No. 4 draft pick in 2017 when it was reported that Mitchell Miller bullied a fellow student when he was 14 and in junior high in Sylvania, Ohio.

He was 14!

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns activated quarterback DeShaun Watson for this week’s game against Houston, the same guy accused of sexual misconduct and sexual assault by more than two dozen women.

And Auburn hired Hugh Freeze as its football coach, the same Hugh Freeze fired by Ole Miss for paying players (before NIL) and using a university-issued phone to call an escort services.

—QUOTE: From new Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, who was coaching at Liberty University, an Evangelical school founded by Jerry Falwell Jr.: “Jesus is the only one who can handle my junk.”

—SOCCER IT TO ME: Yes, after saying I couldn’t watch soccer because 2-1 is a high-scoring game, I watched the U.S.-Iran World Cup game.

Why? Because of all the controversy between the two teams and the bad-blood history between the two countries. And the U.S. had to win or go home.

Call it patriotism or curiosity, I watched the U.S. win. And, yes, it was one of those 1-0 games and I’ll sheepishly admit it was, uh, rather exciting.

—WELL, MR. WATSON: When Deshaun Watson makes his debut Sunday as the Cleveland Browns quarterback after his 11-game suspension, there will be some familiar faces in the stands.

When Watson was accused of sexual misbehavior by more than two dozen female masseuses, it happened when he played for the Houston Texans. And Sunday’s game is in Houston.

Those familiar faces will be about ten of the women involved, all of whom settled out of court with Watson.

Said their attorney, Tony Buzbee, “Some of my clients asked to go. They thought it important to make clear that they are still here and that they matter.”

—QUICK QUIZ: What do all these football legends have in common? Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Eric Dickerson, Otto Graham, John Elway and Sammy Baugh.

Answer: None won the Heisman Trophy.

And speaking of the Heisman, I ran across an interesting note about Barry Sanders, who did win the Heisman while at Oklahoma State.

Going into his last game, Sanders needed 137 yards to reach 2,000 yards rushing. Late in the fourth quarter a two-yard run gave him 2,000.

Coach Pat Jones wanted him to come out of the game to prevent from losing yardage and falling below 2,000. Sanders refused to come out. On the next play he ran 57 yards for a touchdown.

—QUOTE: From Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders: “Maybe a good rule in life is never become too important to do your own laundry.” (Nadine emphasizes that point to me and adds doing dishes to the laundry list).

—BOWL REPORT: For what it’s worth (actually, nothing. . .just interesting). Michigan’s bowl record for its last 12 appearances is 3-and-9. Ohio State is 7-and-5. Alabama is 9-and-3. Georgia is 9-and-3. Clemson is 8-and-4.

OBSERVATIONS: Why isn’t Vada in ‘The Hall?’

By HAL McCOY

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, sitting in a new (well, used but new to me) tan leather recliner after the recline handle broke on my old black leather La-Z-Boy. I probably jerked too hard on it watching the Dayton Flyers get mowed down three straight days in the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

—The 2022 Hall of Fame ballot arrived in my mail box last week and as I scanned it I wondered: How in the name of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Duke Snider and any other center fielder can Vada Pinson not be in the Hall of Fame?

He had 2,757 hits, 1,169 RBI, 256 home runs, 485 doubles 127 triples, 305 stolen bases and a slash line of .288/.327/.442.

There have been a legion of worthy players overlooked and Pinson is in my top five.

—QUOTE: From Vada Pinson before an Old-Timer’s game: “I’m going to cork a bat and hit one out of here. What’s the penalty, 10 years?” (Vada — what a great name for a baseball player — didn’t need cork during his playing days, ash was enough.)

—HORSE SENSE: My great friend Jack Froschauer likes to horse around. He is part-owner of several standardbreds. They make the Dayton Raceway-Miami Valley-Scioto circuit.

One horse, a 4-year-old mare, is named Odds On Buckeyes. And that makes for an interesting story.

“No matter if she’s competitive or not, bettors always pile on because of her name,” said Froschauer. “That often makes her the favorite on the tote board.”

Odds On Buckeyes races Tuesday night at Hollywood Dayton and because of what happened to the Ohio State football team Saturday, Froschauer said, “The betting public probably will choose to avoid Odds On Buckeyes.”

—QUOTE: Jack Froschauer didn’t say this, but he probably could: “You must be rich because you own horses. ’No, I’m poor because I own horses.’’’

—BLURRED VISION: Not that he is prejudiced or anything, but Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said that Ohio State, “Without a doubt, 100 per cent,” belongs in the College Football Playoffs.

Say what? Did he even watch Michigan’s 45-23 destruction and dismantling of the Buckeyes? I’m a huge OSU fan, but after that performance they belong in the Toilet Bowl in Flushing, N.Y.

Not in Warren’s half-closed eyes as he added, “Clearly, Michigan and Ohio State are two of the best four teams in the country, by far, and I think today proved it. Great football game. Epic football game.”

Hey, Mr. Warren, only 42 million saw on TV how bad the Buckeyes were in the second half.

And yet. . .there are only three unbeaten teams and several with one loss, including No. 4 Southern Cal, which plays Utah Saturday in the Pac-12 title game. Ohio State only dropped to No. 5 with one loss and can’t lose again because the Buckeyes don’t play.

Yes, Mr. Warren, it could happen, despite that wart-filled loss to Michigan.

—NICK OF TIME: When Cleveland Browns bull-rush running back Nick Chubb crashed into the end zone for the winning touchdown against Tampa Bay, it was the first time the Browns scored an overtime touchdown since 1991. That was five years before Chubb was born.

And the Browns shook a large gorilla off their shoulders. The previous eight times the Browns scored a touchdown on their opening drive of a game, they lost all eight.

They scored a touchdown on their first drive Sunday and it looked bad when they trailed 17-10 with 32 seconds left. Then David Njoku made an unfathomable fourth-down one-handed catch in the back of the end zone one-handed catch to tie it and push the game into overtime.

—QUOTE: From Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb, the epitome of a team player: “I’m whatever Cleveland needs me to be.” (Remember the song, ‘Mr. Touchdown USA?’ A line in it fits Chubb: “ They always call him Mr. Touchdown. . . Give him the ball and just look at him go.”)

—DON’T NAG NAGY: Wherever he goes, Wright State coach Scott Nagy hears it. . .”When are Wright State and Dayton going to play. To Nagy it is white noise.

“I don’t blame UD for not playing us,” he said. “There is nothing in it for them. I’m never thinking about it. I don’t even know how UD is doing. I don’t read the papers, I don’t follow them. And I’m sure they don’t know how we’re doing.”

Nagy did admit that when Wright State played in the NCAA First Four last year in UD Arena, it was something special, something extra-special.

“It was the best basketball experience of my life and I’ve had a lot of experiences as a coach for 28 years,” he said.

—OH. . .IO: When UD’s Anthony Grant or WSU’s Scott Nagy recruit in their own state, they have 12 other Division I schools competing for the talent.

The Ohio Division I schools: Akron, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Dayton, Kent State, Miami, Ohio State, Ohio U., Toledo, Wright State, Xavier, Youngstown State.

OBSERVATIONS: MLB orders $30 million upgrade to historic stadium

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, completely stunned after watching the University of Dayton basketball team blow a 23-point lead and after watching Michigan emasculate Ohio State.

—UPGRADING HISTORY?: There is no better baseball experience than watching a game at historic McCormick Field in Asheville, N.C.

McCormick Field, built in 1924 (third oldest professional stadium in the U.S.) is home to the Asheville Tourists of the High-A South Atlantic League. The team is owned by the family of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, the DeWine Seeds-Silver Dollar Baseball, LLC.

And Major League Baseball is sticking its nose into Asheville’s business. In 2020 MLB issued some facility requirements for minor league parks.

MLB eliminated 43 teams that year and Asheville was one of the 120 survivors. But McCormick Field was put on MLB’s hit list.

It has given the city until April of next year to come up with a plan and financing to upgrade the facility. With what it would cost, Asheville is looking for $30 million to comply. . .upgrades to clubhouses, concession stands, grandstands, press box and a new scoreboard and improved lighting, among other things.

If the city can’t meet the April 1 deadline, it will lose the franchise.

What a sham and what a shame. The quaintness of McCormick is the best part of its charm, a stroll into baseball’s past.

A few years ago, the DeWine family invited me to be a luncheon speaker when Asheville hosted the South Atlantic League All-Star game. Nadine and I then took in the game and it was a treat, a treat MLB wants to turn into just another antiseptic baseball stadium.

—QUOTE: From Babe Ruth after playing an exhibition game in McCormick Field in 1930: “My, my, what a beautiful place to play. Delightful. Damned delightful place.” (My thoughts exactly, Bambino.)

—A NICE DAY RUINED: Michigan 45, Ohio State 23. (Censored.) Three words. Totally outcoached. . .again. And the Buckeyes lost their composure in the second half.

The joke of the year is how Ohio State hired defensive guru Jim Knowles away from Oklahoma State, specifically for the Michigan game.

So how does Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy throw touchdown passes of 42, 75 and 69 yards. And how does running back Donavan Edwards break off TD runs of 75 and 85 yards?

Yeah, right. The Michigan offense was a tsunami and the Ohio State defense was a grass shack on the beach.

To Michigan fans who endure the Xichigan and TTUN references, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, “I apologize.” And like Larry says, the Buckeyes didn’t git ‘er done.” But they definitely got it done to them.

—ADJECTIVES GALORE: One pro scout’s assessment of Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., as quoted in ESPN.com.

“He’s got rare ability — size (6-foot-4, 205 pounds), great route running, he can run vertical routes, underneath routes and is great on third down. He can get shots downfield. He also hasn’t dropped a pass all season. He’s also a great dude and the team rallies around him.”

Of course the guy jinxed him. Harrison dropped a slant pass over the middle in the second quarter against Michigan. But fear ye not. The next time he was targeted he made one of his unfathomable catches for a touchdown.

The scout could have summed up Harrison in one sentence: “He can leap tall buildings in a single bound.” But he couldn’t leap often enough over the Michigan defense.

—MIKE ‘EM UP: ESPN offered up a piece on its web-site suggesting the one thing every MLB team should do to improve.

For the Cincinnati Reds, it said they should sign San Diego free agent pitcher Mike Clevinger to fill out the rotation.

Yep, he fits. He missed most of 2021 with an injury and the Padres paid him $8 million last season for a 7-7 record with a 4.33 earned run average for 22 starts.

ESPN was correct, though, when it said the Reds are into a deep, deep rebuild and things won’t be any better next season for the last-placers.

—MOVE IT, MOVE IT: A quick observation about University of Dayton point guards Malachi Smith and Kobe Elvis.

They both often take too much time dribbling while not moving at the top of the lane, waiting for the offense to get set. And it leads to shot clock violations. . .two costly ones late in UD’s 43-42 loss to Wisconsin in the Battle 4 Atlantis. And another one late in UD’s overtime loss to Brigham Young.

They both left the game against BYU with injuries and injuries are doing more damage to the Flyers than opponents.

And this, Flyer Faithfuls, is what might have been. Wisconsin took Kanas into overtime in the second rounds before losing, 69-68, on a last-second stickback by Bobby Pettiford Jr., the shortest player on the floor (6-foot-1) and his only basket of the game.

Unfortunately, the reality was three straight UD losses, a last place finish and a flop to remember. The Flyers led Brigham Young 32-9 in the first half, then were outscored 70-44 the rest of the way to lose in overtime, 79-76.

What promised to be a win-filled season is on the brink of being shattered, pushed along by a bundle of injuries and illnesses.
The month of December is recovery time, both on and off the court.

—NIL, NIL?: What are these? 1-0, 1-0, 2-1, 1-1, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 2-1, 0-0 ( U.S.-England). Yes, those are some of the World Cup soccer first-round Group scores.

And some say baseball is boring. Four 0-0 ties? Are you serious?

Yes, I know, I know. Soccer popularity is world-wide and growing fast in the U.S. It is a great sport for young kids. . .before they graduate to American football.

Sorry soccer fans, but I just can’t get into watching 90-plus minutes of a 0-0 tie.

NOTE: After writing the words above, I sat down Thanksgiving morning and watched Uruguay-South Korea. Yep, 0-0. . .or in soccer vencular, nil-nil. It was like watching a cashier scan groceries at Kroger.

—QUOTE: From Welsh soccer player/manager Phil Woosnam: “The rules of soccer are very simple and basically it is this: If it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does.” (Sorry, I don’t get any kicks from soccer.)

—THE NAKED TRUTH: Soccer appears to be more fun off the field. After Canada lost to Belgium in the World Cup, Canadian coach John Herdman said his team would f – – – Croatia in its next match.

In response, the Croatian tabloid newspaper 24 Hours: Sata published a full frontal nude photo of Herdman with two Canadian maple leaf flags covering his mouth and his groin. The caption read: “You have the mouth, but do you have the balls as well?”

Don’t they need just one soccer ball on the pitch for a match?

—Words that I should consider from author Kira Hawke: “The words you write will outlive you, so choose them wisely.” (OK, soccer fans. I apologize.)

—PRIORITIES: Seen on a sign on a church near Middletown: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, then beat Michigan.”

OBSERVATIONS: Some thoughts on Ohio State-Michigan

By HAL McCOY

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave awaiting Thanksgiving dinner of filet beef instead of turkey, very happy because I am not a fan of turkey. . .even once a year.

—STATELY AFFAIRS: It is state rivalry week in college football, a week in which the two biggest programs in a state butt helmets.

It’s Florida-Florida State, North Carolina-North Carolina State, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Arizona-Arizona State, Oregon-Oregon State, Washington-Washington State, Ole Miss-Mississippi State, Kansas-Kansas State.

Also there is Tennessee-Vanderbilt, Kentucky-Louisville, Auburn-Alabama, UNLV-Nevada.

One would think that Michigan-Michigan State would be The Big One in that state for both teams. We all know the fallacy of that.

It is the border war between Michigan and Ohio State and one of the biggest games of all-time between the hated rivals. Both are 11-0 with College Football Playoff implications.

The game is extra-big monetarily for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. If the Wolverines win, he gets a $500,000 incentive bonus for winning the Big Ten East Division title. And if he wins the Big Ten championship game, it tacks another $1 million on his paycheck.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day? A box of Cracker Jack compare to Harbaugh. If the Buckeyes beat Michigan to win the Big Ten East title, he gets an extra $50,000. If he wins the Big Ten championship game another $100,000 is added to his salary.

Some of this stuff is silly. California is 4-7, but coach Justin Wilcox picked up a $25,000 bonus for beating rival Stanford. It is in his contract that he gets an extra 25 G’s if he beats Stanford, which he has done three of the last four seasons.

The UM-OSU game is a battle of contrasts. Michigan gives up 11.7 points a game (second in FBS) and 241.3 yards per game (first in FBS).

Can the Wolverines maintain that against the high-flying Buckeyes offense — 46.5 points a game and 492.7 yards per game.

And there is the Heisman Trophy subplot, OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud (2,995 yards passing and 35 touchdowns) and Michigan running back Blake Corum (1,457 yards, 18 touchdowns).

If you want a ticket, they are only available off-site with prices at $300/$400 in the upper bowl and in the thousands for the lower bowl.

—WORDS NEVER HURT: Some of the favorites things I’ve heard or read about The Rivalry:

^”On quiet nights in Ohio, you can hear Wolverines cry.”

^”Friends don’t let friends live in Ohio.”

^”I keep trying to DVR ‘The Biggest Loser’ and it takes me to Michigan football games.”

^”If you could play the greatest game of your life, you would play it the day you play Ohio State.” (Former UM running back Rob Lytle.)

^”We’re going to hang 100 on them.” (OSU coach Ryan Day when UM coach Jim Harbaugh accused Day of cheating. That was in 2020 and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the game was not played.)

^”If we worked half as hard as our band, we’d be champions.” (Former OSU coach Woody Hayes.)

—THEY ARE DEFENSELESS: Picking on the Cleveland Browns these days is like kicking the carcass of a dead moose. They are burnt toast.

The first fall guy probably will be defensive coordinator Joe Woods. . .maybe before this putrid season is over. The Browns have no clue how to stop the running game.

One seldom hears the names of the defensive tackles and linebackers making plays. Defensive end Myles Garrett said the team needs to force turnovers and doesn’t practice that facet of the game. The Browns have forced eight turnovers, third worst in the NFL.

—LOCAL FLAVOR: Yes, Ohio State does play basketball and the Buckeyes have two familiar faces on the roster.

There is Tanner Holden, the transfer from Wright State and Sean McNeil, the fifth-year graduate student from West Virginia. He began his collegiate career at Sinclair College, playing at the Dayton junior college just before the school dropped all intercollegiate athletics.

Still, there are two basketball programs in Dayton that are significant — the University of Dayton and Wright State University.

WSU’s team this season is a fun group to watch, so talented and so well-coached. They were underdogs this week to Abilene Christian in the Battle 4 Las Vegas, but put it to them, 77-61.

Trey Calvin and Amari Davis are more than worth the price of admission and the price of admission at the Nutter Center is affordable.

—PUCK PATROL: The Boston Bruins are off to a memorable start to the NHL season. They have won 17 of their first 19 games, tying an NHL record for the best start over the first 19 games.

Remember when hockey was big in Dayton with Lefty McFaddens’s Dayton Gems and the Dayton Bombers? The Gems were a minor-league affiliate of the Boston Bruins.

Do you remember Pat Rupp, Lorne Weighhill, Guy Trottier and Warren Back?

It is Lefty McFadden’s fault that I am a cigar lover. He gave me my first cigar one night as I sat in the Hara Arena press box watching a game, wondering if I’d ever actually see a goal go into the net.

And at the time you could smoke those cigars in the building as you listened to public address announcer Governor Billy Hilbert say over and over on the p.a., “Beautiful hockey.”

—PERCEPTION: I have this neat Harvard half-zip that I wear once in a while and some people say, “I didn’t know you went to Harvard.”

And I say, “Yes, I did. I went to Harvard. . .for one day, visited the campus book store, bought this half-zip and left.”

Well, isn’t Kent State the Harvard of the Midwest?

OBSERVATIONS: Manfraud drops Rose letter in File 13

By HAL McCOY

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, forced to finally put on the Man Cave heater and hike up the electric bill because the heater gobbles kilowatts like a hungry man at the Thanksgiving table.

—NOT ROSEY FOR ROSE: As anticipated, Pete Rose’s letter pleading for re-instatement probably has been dropped into File 13 in commissioner Rob Manfraud’s office.

Manfraud remains firmly anti-Rose.

“I believe that when you bet on baseball, from the Major League Baseball perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list.”

Manfraud dumped the Hall of Fame issue into the lap the Hall, saying just because Rose is ineligible to work in baseball, MLB has no say over Rose’s eligibility for the Hall of Fame.

The folks in Cooperstown, though, put in The Pete Rose Rule, making any player banned from baseball ineligible for Hall of Fame consideration.

So the ball is really in The Hall of Fame’s court.

—SIGN OF THE TIMES: Miami’s Sandy Alcantara and Houston’s Justin Verlander both were unanimous choices for the National League and American League Cy Young awards.

One ESPN talking head went ga-ga over the fact that Alcantara pitched six complete games. . .six. He foolishly called him a throwback to Bob Gibson. In the words of John McEnroe, “Are you serious? You can’t be serious.”

In one five-year span Gibson pitched 28, 28, 23, 20 and 23 complete games.

And guess how many complete games Verlander had. Zero, zip, nada.

That, though, is the way the game is played these days. Complete games are as rare as a snowstorm in Miami or Houston.

—QUOTE: From long ago manager Bill Terry, who was 100 years ahead of his time in the 1920s: “Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.” (To think, when he said that Rob Manfraud wasn’t born yet.)

—IT HAPPENS: The University of Dayton basketball team, losers to UNLV Tuesday night, can take solace in what happened to No. 2 ranked Gonzaga Wednesday night in Austin, Tex.

The Zags had all four tires shot out by the Longhorns, 93-74. Texas came close to becoming the first team since 2010 to beat Gonzaga by 20 or more points.

Texas is ranked No. 11, but they might be able to remove one of those ‘1s’ because the ‘Horns are awesome. They beat No. 9 ranked Arkansas in a no-count charity game, 90-60. And they’ve beaten UTEP, 72-57, and Houston Christian, 82-31.

The ‘Horns forced 20 Gonzaga turnovers (Sound familiar, UD?). Tyrese Hunter, a finalist last year for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, turned on the offense button against the Zags with a career-best 26 points He made 5 of 8 three-pointers.

Gonzaga plays Kentucky Sunday and both basketball blue bloods are coming off losses. Kentucky lost to Michigan State Tuesday in double overtime.

—QUOTE: From former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy: “If you defend, rebound and limit turnovers, you’re going to put yourself in a position to win games.” (UD led UNLV by 10 at halftime, but in the second half the Flyers didn’t defend, didn’t rebound and finished with 24 turnovers, the recipe for the defeat they tasted.)

—IT HAPPENS II: Northern Kentucky played Cincinnati-Clermont, a satellite school to the University of Cincinnati in Batavia. The Norse won, 89-49. Using that as a prep, NKU then took on UC-Clermont’s daddy, the real University of Cincinnati, and won, 64-51. UC was 3-and-0 at the time.

That game drew the attention of fellow Horizon League member Wright State after beating Bowling Green, 80-71.

Amari Davis, a transfer and product of Trotwood-Madison, scored 19 points and snagged seven rebounds. If he gets in the lane, he scores. He was 8 for 13 and didn’t take a three-point shot.

Guard Trey Calvin, a human water bug, is all over the floor at warp speed and scored 15 on 7 of 12 shooting, 6 for 8 on two-point shooting. Calvin is as versatile as a monkey wrench, with just as many twists.

Most impressive, though, is one of those big guys who do the dirty work under the basket. Brandon Noel, a 6-foot-8 red shirt freshman from Lucasville, came off the bench and produced a double-double — 10 points and 11 rebounds.

—QUOTE: From former NBA star Moses Malone on rebounding: “I never thought I’d lead the NBA in rebounding, but I got a lot of help from my teammates because they did a lot of missing.”

—IT HAPPENS III: And did you see what happened to No. 24 Michigan in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn? Unranked Arizona bound and gagged the Wolverines, 87-62.

—SNOW ANGELS: Wonder if Cleveland Browns running back NIck Chubb has some Abominable Snowman in him? Well, we won’t find out Sunday when the Browns face the Buffalo Bills. The National Weather Bureau predict there will be four to six feet of snow on the ground in Orchard Park, N.Y. That’s feet, not inches.

So Sunday’s game has been moved to Ford Field in Detroit, the indoor home of the Lions, who are playing out of town. Same time, 1 p.m.

—FALSE START: Remember how amazed I was to discover that the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers started the season 8-and-1. The amazement is gone. The Cavaliers are back to normalcy. . .a five-game losing streak.

—STATELY NAMES: There are several pro sports franchises that don’t identify themselves with a city and mostly use a state’s name. How many are there?

^MLB: Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers.

^NFL: Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots.

^NBA: Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors.

^NHL: Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Colorado Avalanche.

Minneapolis has franchises in all four sports and all four use Minnesota instead of Minneapolis. My guess is that St. Paul, a single, a line plunge, a slap shot and a layup away from Minneapolis, would protest the use of Minneapolis.

—QUOTE: From Will Rogers: “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” (As do I so I can re-unite with every dog I’ve ever had — Whitey, Corky, Pal, Muggs, Roxy, Brandy, Barkley, Cooper and my current dogs. . .Paige, Quinn and Parker.)