Reds news
Today the Reds added to the 40-man roster RHP Enerio Del Rosario, OF Chris Heisey, RHP Logan Ondrusek, RHP Jordan Smith, IF Chris Valaika, LHP Philippe Valiquette and LHP Travis Wood.... the Reds also outrighted off the roster RHP Daryl Thompson, while OF Laynce Nix refused an outright assignment and elected free agency....C Craig Tatum was claimed off waivers by Baltimore....the Reds current 40-man roster includes 40 players.

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Guest update
Jim Tracy, NL Manager of the year, Rockies....Hamilton product

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Been to your mailbox yet?
Did you get your Bengals playoff ticket invoice today?
The invoice says, "The Bengals have been authorized by the NFL to invoice for the 2009 playoffs.
Playoff tickets are sold on a two game basis only. Payment in full must be received by Tuesday December 8, 2009."
Price range
Club 1: $584
Club 2: $484
Clube 3-4: $340
Lower Level: $242
All canopy: $219
From the fine print. Super Bowl: If Bengals are a participant, only those season ticket accounts purchasing all invoiced playoff tickets are eligible for drawing.
Payments for playoff games not hosted by the Bengals will be credited towards your 2010 account.

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Show preview
Guest
Forrest Gregg, former Bengals coach
Topics
Bengals-Raiders: Are you worried? It this a letdown game? trap game?
LJ: What do you expect from Larry Johnson Sunday?
The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies: What heads your list?

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This is only #96 on the list of The Ultimate Book of Sports Movies...that's bull.
I love Vision Quest.

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Big East basketball
*The Big East is now 35-0 in the 2009-10 season after five more wins Thursday night. The Big East is the only conference in the nation without a loss this season.
*Two games with nationally ranked teams on each side take place as part of Friday's Big East schedule. Syracuse, ranked No. 24 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, meets No. 6/4 North Carolina in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden No. 5/6 Villanova takes on No. 18/21 Dayton in the second round of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, P.R.

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Stephanie Spielman, wife of former OSU LB, dies at 42
AP
Stefanie Spielman, the wife of NFL and Ohio State star Chris Spielman who led a public fight against breast cancer, died Thursday after a lengthy battle with the disease. She was 42.

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Book signing
Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion
Former Bengal coach Forrest Gregg and Andrew O'Toole discussing and signing
Winning in the Trenches: A Lifetime of Football
Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00 PM

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In honor of the debut of The Blind Side today.....
Which sports movie heads your list?

From the authors
We set five standards judging every sports movie
1. It needs to have a powerful story, a great script.
2. It needs to have three-dimensional characters, heroes and bums who make you care about their lives.
3.Of course, it needs to have topflight sports action.
4. It needs to create goose bumps. There must be at least one scene in the film that sends shivers down your back or raises a lump in your throat.
5. And it needs to be realistic....but not too much so. Because a powerful sports movie lets us stretch our imagination, allows us to dream.

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One year ago today: I got my pacemaker
I'll never forget sitting in the emergency room going over the game notes for UK vs North Carolina that night and preparing for my show. I had stopped at the hospital on my way to work. I'd had some minor discomfort in my chest for about 36 hours. I figured I'd get checked out.
While on the exam table, hooked up to a monitor with a bunch of wires, I started to feel crappy.
Next thing I know eight doctors and nurses were surrounding me. I was told I had passed out and my heart had stopped.....for 60-seconds......and then I came out of it on my own.
I didn't believe them. Then they showed me the print out of a flat line from 12:45pm to 12:46pm.
Cardiologist's Sheldon Brownstein and Stuart Steinberg were called in. Brownstein didn't believe the chart.
He told me that in 60 combined years of cardiology the two of them had never heard of someone flat-lining for 60-seconds and coming to on their own. I think Brownstein was like House (TV show) at that point and became very intrigued with my case.
I've always been one that fainted easily. Brownstein told me my heart may have stopped when I'd fainted in the past and I just never realized it. I was lucky to be hooked up to a heart monitor this time. Rather than risk it happening when I was driving or alone, we opted for the pacemaker.
The procedure lasted about 45-minutes. No big deal. I got to go home two days later and insisted I be able to attend The Cheetah Girls concert with Peyton that I had promised her. We did.
I rarely think of the pacemaker these days. I will get a replacement in about ten years.
My heart is fine. No damage. I didn't have to change my diet or eating habits.
My heart simply stopped when I fainted. The pacemaker will now remind it to start if it happens again. The pacemaker is set up to "fire" if my heart rate drops below a certain number of beats per minute. It fires a lot while I'm sleeping, but I have never really felt it.
If you experience any chest pain don't fool around...get checked out.
I actually went to the emergency room that day after remembering the heart issues that John Fay of The Enquirer had experienced during the baseball season.

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On this date: The band played on

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Bengals have easy out if they lose their gamble with LJ

Picks by Peter
Peter King, SI
Raiders season-ticket holder called our Sirius NFL Radio show the other morning. Pleaded with me to tell him what to do to try to appeal to the Raiders to change administrations and get someone in there to replace Al Davis. I had no answers. Because there are none. Oakland's on an insane merry-go-round. Al, I assume, will fire Tom Cable and hire another coach ill-equipped to deal with Weirdville out there.
Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals 26, Oakland Raiders 10

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Autograph signing
Former Bengals All-Pro Safety David Fulcher will sign autographs Sunday at Tailgaters in Dayton during the
Bengals/Raiders game starting at 3pm. Bobbleheads Pictures Hats and more. Proceeds will benefit his foundation for MS research.

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3 strikes and your'e out: Time is right at ND
Chicago Tribune
Let's not overcomplicate a process that already should have begun at Notre Dame.
If Jack Swarbrick decides Brian Kelly is his top candidate, he should make the Cincinnati coach an offer. Notre Dame's athletic director should give him an exclusive, 48-hour negotiating window after which any potential deal will be withdrawn.
If news leaks, the offer is off the table.
See? Simple.

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Leake finishes whilrwind year strong
MLB.COM
Leake allowed two hits and struck out four over four shutout innings as the Peoria Saguaros defeated the Mesa Solar Sox, 8-1, in the final game of the Arizona Fall League regular season.
Leake ended up with 9 1/3 scoreless innings after finishing his junior season with the Sun Devils with a 16-1 record.

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The Joy of Daphne
Gallery of the weekend....enjoy....careful viewing

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If the Bengals need help at LB

How about Danielle Moinet of the Chicago Bliss?