Bengals rally around new motto
Joe Reedy, Enquirer
Following Sunday’s 18-12 win over the Steelers, the AFC North-leading Bengals were greeted with long-sleeve shirts in the locker room with the initials "N.D.C.Q". Rey Maualuga has talked about the theme repeatedly during the season.

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L.J. to Bengals may actually work
ESPN.com

Despite Johnson's troubled past, here are several reasons this move could work for Cincinnati:

1. Little risk
This move has Bengals written all over it, because they are purchasing a stock at its lowest possible point. According to Smith, the deal is expected to be prorated for the rest of the season at the league minimum. With seven games left in the regular season, Cincinnati is getting a former Pro Bowler virtually for free. If it doesn’t work, the Bengals can cut ties with Johnson after the season as easily as they got him.

2. Benson factor
As evident by his recent hip injury, it was just a matter of time before wear and tear began to take hold with Bengals starting tailback Cedric Benson. He was on pace for more than 400 carries this year, and with Cincinnati (7-2) expected to get into the postseason, the team needs to make sure Benson doesn’t peak too early. Signing Johnson allows that to happen. A workhorse in his own right, he can take a lot of the pounding down the stretch that Benson otherwise would take. It’s unknown at this point if Benson will be ready for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. But having Johnson paired with rookie Bernard Scott next week might not be a bad move while resting Benson.

3. L.J. adds depth
Benson putting up Pro Bowl numbers through the first nine games masked one of Cincinnati’s few weaknesses this year. The Bengals were pretty thin at tailback. The aforementioned Scott broke out in a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday on special teams but hadn’t shown much in the backfield during the first half of the season. Brian Leonard is a converted fullback who received some carries and did well with limited opportunities. But mostly it was all Benson all the time. Johnson is a proven commodity who adds experienced depth at the position.

4. Strong locker room
In the past, Cincinnati adding a troubled player would be a disaster. But this is as professional a Bengals team as you’re going to see. Cincinnati has very good chemistry this year and a strong enough foundation to take on Johnson. Winning also helps as the Bengals are one of the best teams in the AFC. Players are not worried about their contracts and all have a common goal in mind of finishing strong and doing well in the playoffs. As long as Johnson concentrates on playing hard for the team and reestablishing his own image individually, this experiment could work for the Bengals.

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UC basketball rallies to beat Prairie View A&M....Deonta Vaughn came off the bench in the second half and scored 12 of his 15 points, helping Cincinnati rally from an early 15-point deficit to a 69-62 win over Prairie View A&M on Monday night. The Bearcats (1-0) still trailed by eight points at halftime, struggling to run their offense against the smaller Panthers (1-1). Vaughn, Cincinnati's top returning scorer, missed all six of his shots in the half.

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UC will finance practice fields
Cliff Peale, Enquirer
The University of Cincinnati plans to borrow $9.7 million to start construction on several athletic practice fields on its main campus. To be completed by fall 2010, the fields are a critical factor in UC’s strategy to retain football coach Brian Kelly. The athletic department will pay for the $10.7 million project, repaying the temporary bonds through private donations and proceeds from game contracts.

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UC football scheduling note....The University of Cincinnati football team will face Illinois at noon on Nov. 27 on Senior Day at Nippert Stadium and the game will be televised nationally by ABC, the BIG EAST Conference office announced Monday.

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Bearcats will play Virginia Tech in 2012....Virginia Tech has secured yet another game in the D.C. suburbs, agreeing to play Cincinnati at the Washington Redskins stadium in 2012. The game will mark the Hokies' third trip to FedEx Field, following a meeting with Southern California in 2004 and a matchup with Boise State next year.

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Reds reach agreement with Ramon Hernandez....Only a few days ago, reports said the Reds were preparing to slash payroll, prompting speculation a salary dump might be near. That concern could be somewhat premature in light of Monday's transaction. The Reds have brought back primary catcher Ramon Hernandez after he was re-signed to a one-year, $3 million contract with a vesting option for 2011.

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Speaking of Reds, Walt Jocketty talks payroll....."We’re still working on that. I talk to Mr. (Bob) Castellini about everything we do. He signed off on this obviously. We have some flexibility. What I’ve said is we won’t be active in free agency. If you look where we are, it doesn’t make much sense."

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Despite weekend ties, Miami Hockey is still #1.....Despite a pair of weekend ties at home against unranked Ferris State, the Miami RedHawks (8-1-3) retained the No. 1 ranking in all three major NCAA Division I hockey polls for the sixth consecutive week. The RedHawks are atop USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Top 15, the USCHO.com Top 20 and Inside College Hockey Ratings.

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Speaking of Miami, gotta give the basketball team some props for nearly upsetting Kentucky....John Wall proved to be worth the wait. The heralded Kentucky freshman scored 19 points – including the game-winning jumper with 0.5 seconds remaining – to lift the fourth-ranked Wildcats to a 72-70 win over Miami University Monday night. After Miami’s Kenny Hayes hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 70 with six seconds left, Wall raced down the floor and pulled up from the wing. The ball fell through the net and Wall raced up the floor pounding his chest in celebration as the crowd roared.

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If you work in the NFL, flippin' the bird will cost you $250,000....

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Tuesday Time Vampire....Kim Smith

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Tuesday Food Porn....introducing The Irish Hog

A deep-fried spiral-cut potato encasing a strip of deep-fried bacon, served with brown sugar BBQ sauce.

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FAIL of the day....

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Plenty more to come....stay tuned...