Show preview
Sports Talk, 6-8pm
Guest
Joker Phillips, UK football
Topics
Super Bowl
Commercials
UC hoops

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Super Bowl Odds
Bodog.com
Odds to win the 2011 Super Bowl XLV
Indianapolis Colts 13/2
San Diego Chargers 8/1
New England Patriots 10/1
New Orleans Saints 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 11/1
Dallas Cowboys 12/1
Green Bay Packers 12/1
Minnesota Vikings 12/1
Philadelphia Eagles 16/1
Baltimore Ravens 20/1
New York Giants 20/1
New York Jets 25/1
Tennessee Titans 25/1
Atlanta Falcons 30/1
Cincinnati Bengals 30/1
Arizona Cardinals 35/1
Chicago Bears 35/1
Houston Texans 35/1
Carolina Panthers 40/1
Miami Dolphins 45/1
San Francisco 49ers 45/1
Seattle Seahawks 45/1
Denver Broncos 50/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 50/1
Washington Redskins 50/1
Buffalo Bills 100/1
Cleveland Browns 100/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Oakland Raiders 100/1
St. Louis Rams 100/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 100/1

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UK news
LEXINGTON, KY--UK men's basketball player DeMarcus Cousins was named the SEC Freshman of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday.
Cousins, a 6-11 forward from Birmingham, Ala., averaged 18.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in wins over No. 25 Ole Miss and at LSU. He had double-double efforts with 18 points and 13 rebounds against Ole Miss and then 19 points and 14 rebounds at LSU. He has recorded six straight double-doubles, becoming the first Wildcat since 1989 to accomplish that feat. Cousins' 14 double-doubles on the season lead the SEC and are the most by a UK player since 2000.
The honor is the third Freshman of the Week award for Cousins this season and his fourth weekly award this year. Cousins was named the SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 4.
The Wildcats have now been awarded a league record 11 weekly awards from the SEC this season

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Stat of the day
UC basketball has one win over a Top 50 RPI team since beating Maryland, in Maui, November 25.
They are 1-6 vs Top 50 since then. (W-South Florida)
They are 3-9 vs Top 100 since then.

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UC baseball right around the corner

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Are the Colts the Braves?

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Leno wore disguise to taping of commercial

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Saints trash Manning's legacy
Jason Whitlock, KC Star
Rush Limbaugh was right after all. We, the mainstream media, have been desirous. We?ve spent more than a decade trying to hype Peyton Manning into the Babe Ruth of football.
The job is too big for two Mannings, let alone Peyton, the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts.

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Broncos want to keep Marshall, but owner won't block trade

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Latest RPI
Jerry Palm, CollegeRPI.com
1 Kansas
2 Syracuse
6 Kentucky
11 Purdue
15 Butler
27 Xavier
33 Dayton
38 Ohio State
42 Louisville
56 Cincinnati
Conference
1 Big 12
2 Big East
4 SEC
5 Big 10
6 A-10

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Loved this scene: Drew Brees with son Baylen

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Super Bowl reaction
*Loved the scene of Brees with his son after the game
*How about the irony of the Indianapolis Colts being done in by an Indiana Hoosier (T. Porter) and a Purdue Boiler maker (Drew Brees).
*Gutsy on-side kick! Longest scrum to determine possession I've ever seen.
*First Super Bowl I can remember where there wasn't a villain I was rooting against.
*Down 10-0 the Saints outscored the Colts 31-7. The Colts scored 7 points in last 44 minutes of the game
*How bout Gregg Williams and the Saints defense? They beat Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in the postseason.
*Best tip of the broadcast: Phil Simms revealing the Saints defense had multiple gameplans for Manning and would show him something new in the 4th quarter.
*What the? The Colts stopped the Saints on 4th and goal...then proceed to run three straight times...punt the ball back and watch the Saints drive for a FG????? Why not trust Manning to make a play?
*A 51-yard field goal attempt? By a 42-year old? Why not trust Manning to make a play...even on 4th and 11 at the Saints 33 yard line?
*The Manning pick 6 made me jump off the couch...still can't believe it
*When the Saints 2 point conversion failed I said to Casey that Manning would drive to win it.
*When the failed 2 point conversion was overruled I said to Casey that Manning would drive to tie and we were looking at OT.
*Huge drop by Pierre Garcon on 3rd down in the 2nd quarter...killed momentum
*Huge drop by Wayne on 4th goal at the end. I'd love to have seen another on-side kick
*Hey Bengals....there were only a combined 37 rushing attempts in the game....a new record.
*Couldn't believe the Saints didn't put it the hands of Brees on 3rd or 4th and goal at the end of the half.
*TV market
Super Bowl champion Saints:
New Orleans is TV market #51 (3rd smallest TV market in NFL)
World Series champion Yankees:
New York is TV market #1...(3rd smallest TV market in MLB is Kansas City)
*How did CBS blow the audio for the starting lineups.....for both teams?
*The Who ROCKS!

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Commercials
*Underwhelming for the most part. 2.5-3.0 million dollars per :30....for some of those?
*Loved:
*Betty White/Abe V. Snickers
*Doritos little kid..."Get your hands off my momma"
*Megan Fox phone
*E-Trade kids
Didn't love:
*How many commercials had guys in underwear? Make it stop.
Best promo
Letterman, Leno and Oprah
And now I've heard it all
Reaction to Tim Tebow ad:
NOW president Terry O'Neill said it glorified violence against women. "I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it," she said. "That's what comes across to me even more strongly than the anti-abortion message. I myself am a survivor of domestic violence, and I don't find it charming. I think CBS should be ashamed of itself."

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What they are saying about UC-Syracuse

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Syracuse 71 Cincinnati 54
UC jumped out to an 11-2 lead
UC led 49-43 with 12:26 left in the game.
Syracuse went on an 8-0 run and led 51-49 with 9:42 left in the game
The Orange closed out the game on a 28-5 run
UC was scoreless from the field for the final 8:16 of the game
UC hit 9 of 18 FT's
Deonta Vaughn: 2 for 10 in 29 minutes....11 for last 37 in past four games...appears he's packed it in and is looking forward to spring break.
UC's offense was pass the ball around the perimeter, unable to make an entry pass vs the zone, until there were :05 left on the shot clock.

UC: The path to the NIT?
Record: 14-9/5-6
RPI: 56
Seven regular season games remain. Can they get to 10-8 in the Big East and 19-11 overall?
They would need to go 5-2 in their remaining regular season games. 4 Road/3 Home.
Date-RPI-record-Opponent
Feb 13....57 (14-9) @ Connecticut
Feb 16....50 (15-8) @ South Florida
Feb 21....60 (15-8) Marquette
Feb 24....153 (8-15) DePaul
Feb 27....4 (19-3) @ West Virginia
Mar 2......5 (20-2) Villanova
Mar 6......8 (17-5) @ Georgetown
They've got to get these three wins: @ South Florida, Marquette, Depaul
That leaves stealing two of these four: @UConn, @ West Virginia, Villanova, @ Georgetown

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I'll take the Colts
I could make this all complicated and detailed. I won't.
How do you pick against Peyton Manning? You don't.
The Saints have lived off a defense that has forced turnovers all season long (39, #2 NFL).
I can't see the Colts turning the ball over enough to flip the game.
The Saints defense is agressive. Manning has had two weeks to figure them out.
The Colts have been there done that with 25 players with Super Bowl experience. The Saints have four active players with Super Bowl experience.
Final: Colts 38-27.

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Emotional Redhawks do it "for Brendan"

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Congrats to Dick LeBeau Hall of Fame Class of 2010
NFL.COM
Cornerback...6-1, 185....Ohio State...1959-1972 Detroit Lions....14 playing seasons, 185 games...Selected by Cleveland Browns in 5th round (58th overall) in 1959 draft...Cut by Browns during rookie training camp...Signed with Lions, earned place in starting lineup final six games of rookie year...Didn?t miss another game until late in 1971 season...Started 171 consecutive games, an NFL record for his position...In 1960, began to make mark by intercepting four passes, starting string of 12 straight seasons with three or more interceptions...In 1963, intercepted five passes which he returned for career-high 158 yards, including 70-yard TD return against Rams... It was one of three interceptions he returned for touchdowns in career...The following year, intercepted five passes and was voted to first of three consecutive Pro Bowls...Also earned All-NFL second-team accolades, an honor earned again in 1965, 1966, 1970...Finest season came in 1970 when he recorded NFC-leading nine interceptions for 96 yards...In all, recorded 62 picks for 762 yards...Ranked second among pure cornerbacks at retirement with 62 interceptions, third overall.....Currently ranks third all-time among pure cornerbacks...Born on September 9, 1937 in London, Ohio.

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Ohio Coach of the Year: Kelly
Columbus Dispatch
Kelly, 48, was voted The Dispatch Ohio College Football Coach of the Year for leading Cincinnati to a second straight outright Big East championship, 12-0 record and appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game

The final voting

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T.O. says he'll change is name to Ocho Uno if he goes to Bengals

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I hate shoveling the driveway
The Suck-O-Meter is very high for shoveling the driveway. I'm done for the rest of my life.
How 'bout 7-year old Peyton? She double-dipped us. She came out to help me. When we were done I paid her $5. Little did I know that Kelly had already paid her $5! What a scammer!

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Gomes' return to Reds remain up in air
MLB.COM
Reds camp is getting closer and closer to opening---13 days from Friday to be exact---but outfielder Jonny Gomes seemed no closer to being signed in order to participate.

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Increase approved: OSU football tickets will jump to $70

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Sad news for Miami hockey

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XU assistant Kelsey for UNCW?
Star News
Pat Kelsey, 34, Xavier associate head coach. In his first season at Xavier after eight seasons as director of basketball operations and assistant Wake Forest. Considered one of the rising stars in the business. Will be a head coach soon. Played at Xavier. Has never been a head coach at any level.

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Super Bowl commercials by quarter

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Isiah to the Clippers? Has a man ever ruined more teams/leagues and gotten more jobs that Isiah?

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Do you have a high school son or daughter that plays golf?
The OVGA is very excited to announce that the best golf in town, any way you slice it, will now be played at the high school level. The OVGA High School Tour tees off this April with 8 events from April-July at some of the areas best public and private courses. The tour is open to any level of junior golfer who would like to compete. Both boys and girls are welcome.
The membership fee is only $30, the cheapest of any junior tour in the area. Event prices will range between $30-$50.
*The tour will be broken down into a boy's and girl's division with 3 groups per division by age (13-14, 15-16, 17-18).
*All events will be 18 hole stroke play competition's and winners will receive a trophy.
*There will be 4 regular events, 2 majors (double points), a Ryder Cup style match and the Tour Championship
*Points will be earned, FedEx Cup style, to name a player of the year per division.
*Play in however many tournaments your schedule will allow (no minimums).
*The tour will track more than 25 stats that will be made available to both high school and college coaches after each event
*Anyone who joins the High School Tour will also be eligible to participate in the OVGA Tour schedule as well
*The schedule will be officially set by Monday, February 15 and announced on www.ovgatour.com
Sign ups begin on Tuesday, February 16 (online) and we will hold an official sign up meeting on Saturday, February 20 at GolfTEC in Blue Ash from 11:30-1:30. The High School Tour is sponsored by the Ohio Valley Golf Association and supports the Building Blocks for Kids charity.

Deep A-10 boasts 6 teams with NCAA tourney aspirations

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Show preview
Sports Talk, 6-9pm
Guest
Chris Mack, XU coach
Danny Abramowicz, former Xavier/Saints WR
Topics
Super Bowl Saturday Night: Isn't it time to move the game to Saturday?
Rooting interest: Colts or Saints?
T.O. in Cincy?

Twitter/Facebook
Get guest and show updates, breaking news and my random thoughts by following me on Twitter and Facebook. Click on the Twitter and Facebook buttons on the right.

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Chad talks T.O. and more on radio row today

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Mardy talks UC, draft and playing for Bengals

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Things I'm told
Orlando Cabera's contract
2010 salary: $770,000
Signing bonus: $1,250,000, of which all is deferred without interest.
Player option for $4,000,000 or $500,000 buyout ($1,000,000 if traded)-- 2011.
If option exercised by Cabera, Reds may decline and pay $1,000,000 buyout.
*$25,000 for All Star, $100,000 for WS/MVP, $50,000 for LCS/MVP, $50,000 for Gold Glove, $50,000 for Silver Slugger, $50,000 for Comeback Player of the Year, $100,000 for MVP.
$250,000 if traded (one time).
Cabrera will donate 1% of base salary each year to Reds Community Fund

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Goodell says NFL stands by current OT rules

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Excuse time running out on Mick and Bearcats

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IU analyst/former player arrested prior to game

I watched him play at IU and Indianapolis Lawrence North. He teamed with Eric Montross to win a state title over South Bend St. Joseph. I broadcast that Final Four on radio and covered it for WSBT-TV. Classic scene of the weekend: Me standing next to the 7ft Montross holding a microphone up to him to do an interview. Leary committed to IU and some thought Montross would go with him as a package deal.

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Greatest idea of all-time
SportsCracklePop

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Former Xavier WR was Saints first star
Cleveland Plain Dealer
In 1967, Danny Abramowicz emerged out of Steubenville, Ohio and Xavier University to become one of the most unlikely receiving stars in the NFL for the expansion New Orleans Saints. Today, Abramowicz still lives in Steubenville and is rooting for his old team in the Super Bowl

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Latest RPI
CollegeRPI.Com
1 Kansas
2 Syracuse
6 Kentucky
10 Purdue
16 Butler
21 Xavier
33 Ohio State
38 Dayton
40 Louisville
50 Cincinnati

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Cronin lets Bearcats have it after worst loss of season

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Three years in, progress at a crawl under Tubby
Minneapolis Star Tribune
The complaints over Dan Monson's tenure at Minnesota were numerous and included this: Players that appeared to have talent seldom showed improvement and occasionally went backward.
We are now in the third season with the costly and much praised Tubby Smith in charge, and it's sad to report the roster has taken on a Monson-like quality

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Tressel likes this problem, 1 ball, 7 running backs
Cleveland Plain Dealer
In Ohio State seasons past, Jim Tressel sometimes was left searching for a third tailback.
Entering this fall, he should have seven, and on National Signing Day on Wednesday the Buckeyes coach made clear how much he thinks of at least one of them.

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OSU's Turner makes strong case for P.O.Y.

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Tee Martin says he'll coach UK WR's

Former Wildcat shrugs off bad press

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Chad would take pay cut to play with T.O.
NFL.COM
Is the NFL ready to see boisterous wide receivers Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens on the same team?
Ochocinco asked for it Thursday during an interview with NFL Network's Rich Eisen and Warren Sapp, even saying he would take a pay cut to make it happen. Owens countered later in the day by saying the league doesn't want them together because the combination would be too dynamic.

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ND has little trouble with UC
Chicago Tribune
Brian Kelly's past met his present Thursday night, and Notre Dame's new football coach sat courtside to witness it.

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Notre Dame 83 Cincinnati 65
UC lacked: Focus, heart, toughness, effort and desire......and that folks is on Mick Cronin.
8 regular season games remaining. Anyone think UC looks like an NCAA team?
Never, ever in the game. Embarrassing. They allow more baskets from failing to get back in transition than any team in my lifetime.

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UC: The path to the dance?
Record: 14-8/5-5
RPI: 49
Eight regular season games remain. Can they get to 10-8 in the Big East and 19-11 overall?
They would need to go 5-3 in their remaining regular season games. 4 Road/4 Home.
Date-RPI-record-Opponent
Feb 7......2 (22-1) Syracuse
Feb 13....52 (13-9) @ Connecticut
Feb 16....48 (15-7) @ South Florida
Feb 21....65 (14-8) Marquette
Feb 24....144 (8-14) DePaul
Feb 27....5 (18-3) @ West Virginia
Mar 2.....4 (20-1) Villanova
Mar 6.....8 (16-5) @ Georgetown
Combined record: 126-48 .724
They've got to get these three wins: @ South Florida, Marquette, Depaul
That leaves stealing two of these five: Syracuse, @UConn, @ West Virginia, Villanova, @ Georgetown

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Email question of the day
From Ben
Can Mick Cronin finish the year strong and make the tourney?
06-07: 1-11 in last 12
07-08: 0-7 in last 7...including CBI loss
08-09: 1-6 in last 7...including losing final four games

I'll add to his stats.....Mick is 0-10 in March at UC
2006-07: 0-1
2007-08: 0-5
2008-09: 0-4

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Hey Bud, what's your problem?
I was looking over TV ratings this week for "24" and started looking at TV market sizes.
The TV market size of Indianapolis is 25th (Colts). The TV market size of New Orleans (Saints) is 51st.
Could you imagine ML teams in similar market sizes playing in the World Series?
Consider market size of some cities with an NFL and MLB team...and the difference in success.
Pittsburgh, 23 (Steelers/Pirates)
Baltimore, 27 (Ravens/Orioles)
San Diego, 28 (Chargers/Padres)
Cincinnati, 33 (Bengals/Reds)
And consider the success of the Packers in Green Bay, market 70....the NFL's smallest market.
Amazing what a salary cap can do to level the playing field and create hope and faith for fans.
Have you heard anyone pointing out the payroll of the Colts or Saints this week?
Heck, yesterday the Colts said they are prepared to make Peyton Manning the highest paid player in NFL history.
The best NFL teams are the ones making the smartest decisions...scouting, drafting, developing and coaching.
Then there's the Yankees, who most view as buying a World Series.

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Throwback: 4 old school football games
MentalFloss.com
Most of us never had a chance of playing in the NFL, but that didn't stop us from dreaming on a smaller scale by playing football games in our basements. Here are four fun ways generations of fans have played football using little more than their imaginations.

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Happy Birthday

Hank Aaron is 76

Roger Staubach is 68

UC football
CINCINNATI--The University of Cincinnati football team will play at North Carolina State University on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010 in a game set to be televised nationally by ESPN, head coach Butch Jones announced Thursday. UC, the two-time defending BIG EAST Conference Champions, and NC State will meet for the first time on the gridiron. The Bearcats last faced an Atlantic Coast Conference team in 2009, taking on Virginia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl.
The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST from the Wolfpack's Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C. This marks the fourth-straight year UC will be featured on an ESPN Thursday night broadcast. The Bearcats are 3-0 in those games, knocking off USF twice (2008, 09), and Oregon State (2007).

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Show preview
Sports Talk, 6:06-8:30
Guests
Brian Kelly, ND football coach
Butch Jones, UC football coach
Jim Tressel, OSU football coach
Mike Haywood, Miami football coach
Topics
*Ethics of recruiting: Butch Jones is ripped in the Detroit News this morning for signing two players that had verbally commited to Central Michigan. What do you think?
*MLB-NFL: It's TV Market #25 vs #51 Sunday in the Super Bowl. Can you imagine that happening in the World Series? Amazing what a salary cap and revenue sharing can do for a league.
*UC hoops

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Cincinnati's wrong move turns out right for QB
Detroit Free Press
This is such a personal disappointment, because Jones seemed like such a good and ethical coach when he was at Central.
The ink could not have been dry on Jones' contract with Cincinnati when he was on the phone to Kater.

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Cincinnati a tough nut for OSU to crack
Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch
The drawbridge protecting the Queen City's kingdom of high school recruiting riches remains slightly raised for Ohio State coaches, who must jump higher to enter the Cincinnati castle than they do in other Ohio metro areas.

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Kelly OK that first class lacks star power

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Collinsworth to be honored tonight

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On this date: 1991...a total sham is executed
The 12 members of the board of directors of the Hall of Fame vote unanimously to ban Pete Rose from the ballot. Rose will become eligible again only if the commissioner reinstates him by December, 2005.
-Baseball-Reference.com

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Things noticed in the Big East notes today
*The fourth-place and 11th place teams in the Big East standings are separated by just two games
*DePaul is outdrawing UC in attendance....8,164 to 8,003
*UC has played in 8 games decided by 5 points or less this season (4-4).
Among Big East teams, only Marquette (9) has played in more (2-7)

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DeCourcy on raising NBA minimum age limit to 20

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West Virginia fans disrespect the game
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Don't throw anything on the floor," Huggins growled. "You're going to hurt one of the players. That's stupid. That is stupid. If you see anyone throw something, point 'em out so we can throw 'em out of here.'"
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Coaches push Patterson to be get more aggressive

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Season fading for ND basketball as they face UC tonight

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Under Mack, Muskies are just fine
FoxSports
Maybe Xavier would lose its solid footing as one of the elite non-BCS (the Musketeers don't appreciate the mid-major tag) schools in the nation with a new unproven coach and different personnel.
"I thought so," UMass senior Ricky Harris said of Xavier's potential fall.

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Ranking the classes by conference
UC 6th in Big East
OSU 3rd in Big 10
UK 12th in SEC

I keep reading that Michigan got 10 recruits from Ohio....it's 11....here is the list

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OSU football tickets could increase $7

Ticket prices for Top 15 programs

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In appreciation of a simply stunning Ninel Conde