RealClearSports
Advertisement

RealClearSports Cincinnati

Defense Aside, Choo's Got Cincy's Back

Marc Normandin, Sports on Earth

Reds' Bruce Sucked in by Twitter Troll

Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer

Don't Ask Choo About Getting Plunked

Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer

Reds' Bailey All Business, All the Time

Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer

The Reds are in third place in the National League Central. They entered the season as the favorites in the division, and as they're all of three games back and it's just the secon...(full article)

Sometimes, we just can’t walk away.We want to. We know we should. After we don’t, we can’t believe we didn’t. Nevertheless, sometimes we stay. All we get ...(full article)

Asking Shin-Soo Choo to identify all his bruises was not going to work. The only thing worse than being hit by nine pitches in three weeks, apparently, is discussing it. “I ...(full article)

Homer Bailey is a stubborn, cantankerous Texan, and we say that only because it is so. He doesn’t necessarily agree with that assessment, partly because he is stubborn and ...(full article)

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. The game is about people. Too often we forget that, obsessing over statistics, complaining about contracts, demanding trades and firings and better performances fr...(full article)

More Recent Articles

Chapman's Fastball Says Enough

Francisco Cordero kept clicking play. It was late at night on June 26, 2012, and the man the Reds had trusted for years as their closer was up watching a clip of Aroldis Chapman, ...

Reds' Hamilton on Fast Track - Literally

Billy Hamilton was working on bunting Thursday. Hitting coach Brook Jacoby asked Donald Lutz to call whether they were hits or not. Hamilton bunted one fairly hard toward third b...

St. John's Upends Ranked Bearcats

CINCINNATI – Coming into Saturday’s litmus test at Cincinnati, St. John’s talent wasn’t in question, but its toughness was. The Bearcats’ strengths &...

Texans Bounce Bengals Again

HOUSTON - Coming into Saturday’s AFC Wild Card round game the Bengals had won three straight and seven of their last eight while the Texans had dropped three of their last f...

Zimmer Drives Bengals' Defense

The discussion had turned to movies, somehow. I wanted to talk to Mike Zimmer about his players, and to his players about him. The Bengals defensive coordinator has a unit of perc...

Expect a Wild Wild-Card Weekend

Ray Lewis is ready to say goodbye to the NFL, but are the playoffs ready to say goodbye to Lewis? And if so, who are they ready to say hello to? A rookie quarterback, perhaps: At...

New Mexico Hands Cincinnati 1st Loss

Sean Kilpatrick saw the looming presence of Alex Kirk, New Mexico’s 7-foot center, but with the game on the line in the closing seconds, he thought he could get his 3-point...

Cincinnati Set for Bowl - and Then What?

As the ball traced an arc toward the sideline, and the clock ticked down, college football seemed to hold its breath. It was Dec. 5, 2009. Colt McCoy, the Texas quarterback, had th...

Memories of the 'Eccentric' Freel After Suicide

When I think of Ryan Freel, I think of Farney.   Farney was the imaginary little man living in Freel's head. He was the reason, apparently, why it was not at all odd -- for those...

UConn, Cincinnati Pushing New League

With the likelihood their athletic programs will be left without a conference as soon as next season, officials at longtime Big East members Connecticut and Cincinnati are explor...

Bengals Look Less Bad Than Eagles

There are times during a football year when a win is, in fact, a win. Your team doesn’t play well. It overcomes in spite of itself. Heave a sigh, turn the page, keep the fa...

Thursday Night Test for Foles, Eagles

No knock on the Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, or Tampa Bay Buccaneers - OK, maybe a little knock on the Bucs - but the Nick Foles Development Thermometer...

Diamondbacks Take Risk in 3-Team Deal

The big trade rumor came to fruition when the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians agreed to a three-way deal Tuesday night. The most established major leagu...

Grieving Cowboys Beat Bengals

  CINCINNATI — Even in the best of times in 2012, the Cowboys have demonstrated how tough it can be to win a football game. This was the worst of times … and it ...

Jones' So-Called 'Loyalty' Only to Self

A charade had become a farce before he left. His leaving only made it official.   For the second year in a row, Butch Jones -- aka, Mr. Commitment – toured the country, shoppin...

Chapman Not Ready to Start for Reds

CINCINNATI - With the Cincinnati Reds signing of relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton for the next three years, speculation has been swirling that Broxton would be catapulted into the ...

Giants Look to Get Right in Cincy

It didn’t take long for the panic to begin swirling. The truth is, it never does. One loss by the Giants last Sunday set off alarm bells inside and outside of their practice fac...

Manning Stays Cool, Broncos Beat Bengals

CINCINNATI — For all the reasons the Broncos managed to defeat Cincinnati, 31-23 in an entertaining AFC football game here Sunday, let's focus on the singular factor of quar...

Bengals Botch Chance to Step Up

A Bengals team still wondering exactly how good it is got its answer Sunday night. Pathetic doesn’t quite describe it. But it’s a start. On a day when the Baltimore Ravens lo...

Despite Risk, Reds Should Sign Hamilton

By the time he left here, traded to Texas for some kid pitcher with attitude issues, Josh Hamilton somehow had gone from thrill-a-minute heartwarmer to entitled eggshell. The Red...

Dusty Digests Disappointment - Again

Cincinnati -- Near the dugout steps, Dusty Baker watched his season end when Scott Rolen struck out. The manager calmly picked up his paperwork and headed toward a tunnel leading ...

MVP? Posey Blasts Giants Into NLCS

Buster Posey isn't terribly fond of pies in the face, shaving-cream antics or shenanigans in general. When the really crazy stuff goes down in the Giants' clubhouse, he's usually...

Lincecum Hands Baton to Cain

Game 4 was only seconds old when Angel Pagan sent a line drive hurtling toward the right-field bleachers, where it slammed into the red-clad crowd for a home run. It was shocking,...

Giants Don't Need Hits, They've Got Heart

CINCINNATI -- The Giants' backs were to the wall, in the figurative sense, and on the line, in the physical sense.   "We didn't fly all the way across the country," Jeremy Affeld...

Fired-Up Pence Buoys Giants

They said it sounded like a football speech, the kind that sends players storming onto the field in a frothing, manic frenzy. Giants president Larry Baer was outside the clubhous...

Miscues Benefit Giants, Who Stay Alive

Resilience, that quality which the Giants possessed in abundance this year, is nice to have. But even the most resilient ballclub needs some offense now and then. The Giants prov...

As Reds Soar, Hanigan Under Radar

Phillips Academy, in Ryan Hanigan’s home town of Andover, Mass., is an Oxford shirt kind of place. Its students are from everywhere. They bear the well-scrubbed look of pri...

Reds Are Simply the Better Team

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants are going quickly, quietly, meekly and confusingly. They are going, going, going ... and they probably aren't coming back. The Giants are losing to the...

Scrambling Reds Strong-Arm Giants

SAN FRANCISCO – Welcome to baseball in October, month of Halloween, featuring games concocted by witches and defined by weirdness. Anything can happen in October. Anything does....

Baker's Unlikely Return to San Francisco

 SAN FRANCISCO – Late afternoon before Game 1 of this National League division series, Dusty Baker walked in.Hunched shoulders, arms a little too long and bent slightly at the e...

Reds' Rolen Says Small Ball Is Key

SAN FRANCISCO — Scott Rolen, wise in all baseball things, knew what the Reds needed in the spring of 2010. It wasn’t home runs, though homers were welcome. It wasn’t starting...

Reds Get Boost From 1-2 Rookie Punch

In baseball, good things come in pairs. If you’re the Reds all you have to do is look over at the dynamic duo of rookies that have helped the team to their second National ...

Reds' Bailey Tosses 7th No-No of '12

PITTSBURGH - Homer Bailey became the first Red to throw a no-hitter since Tom Browning’s perfect game in 1988.Bailey struck out 10 and walked one.The Reds scored one in the first...

Stress of Managing Stirs Fear for Baker

Apparently it wasn’t uncommon, what happened to Dusty Baker Friday, on his way out of a Chicago hospital. We say “apparently’’, because there is nothing common about suff...

Reds Clinch and Say, 'Here's to You, Dusty'

CINCINNATI -- The 2012 edition of the Reds most likely won't go down as one of the all-time great teams, especially compared with some of the franchise's storied outfits like the B...

Reds Glide Into Playoffs, Want More

The Reds did not pop the corks on any champagne. There were no beer showers. Not even a “woo” or two was uttered in the clubhouse postgame. The Reds clinched a playof...

Hope Fading as Pirates Fall Again

If Wandy Rodriguez would’ve had a longer night, the Pirates might’ve had a shorter night Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. Rodriguez was pulled in the seventh inning ...

Flacco Guides Ravens' Resurgent Offense

Change isn't easy. It takes time and patience and resilience. In the National Football League, change can take years. Long years. Tough years. But in Baltimore, change has occurr...

Forgettable Bengals Humiliated

BALTIMORE – The first week of the NFL season is often a mirage. What looks good in September can be forgotten by Thanksgiving. That, as Marvin Lewis might say, is a good thing. ...

Forget Tradition: Chapman for Cy Young

There are legs that look like crooked stilts. There is a torso that looks abnormally elongated. And then there is the arm—a long left one—that, by the time it has fin...

Xavier Cedes Moral High Ground

In big-time, quasi-amateur basketball, Dez Wells is the cost of doing business. The day Xavier decided that men’s basketball was a wonderful way to market the university, it ro...

Bengals' Dalton Shows Arm Is Strong Enough

Marvin Lewis always talks about having plenty of teaching points during the preseason. After Thursday night’s game in Atlanta, he is going to have his fair share of them to...

Pirates Keep Score as Reds Rivalry Builds

It's a good thing they didn't give the ball to Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett early in the game Saturday night. He would have drilled the first Cincinnati Reds batter he faced. He ...

Reds' Clubhouse Enjoying the Ride

The atmosphere in the stands at Great American Ball Park is electric these days, as fans watch the Reds go on a tear -- Cincinnati is a remarkable 18-3 since the All-Star Break e...

Expect Pirates to Seek Retribution vs. Reds

No one said a word, really. Then again, no one in the Pirates clubhouse had to say anything Friday night. They knew what had just happened on the Great American Ball Park lawn. T...

Votto Stakes Claim as Best Hitter

The honorific of Best Hitter in Baseball is hereby declared open for claim, at least until Albert Pujols fully rediscovers the form that locked down the title. Pujols has slipped...

No Prank; Bengals Draft WR Sanu

This time, it really was the Cincinnati Bengals calling Mohamed Sanu. A day and two rounds after he was the victim of a prank by someone claiming to represent the Bengals and telli...

Notre Dame Stumbles Down Stretch

Unable to make the winning plays down the stretch, and unable to hold a 12-point second-half lead, the Irish crumbled in a 67-63 loss at Greensboro Coliseum.“I think we ha...

Beware These 10 Darkhorses

The 2012 NCAA Tournament may end up being on of the most competitive fields in recent memory. While there are five to 10 elite teams this year, the quali...

Cincy Gets Resume Win vs. Louisville

University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin’s instructions before the game were music to Cashmere Wright’s ears. “Coach told us there’s no offense, no plays...

Xavier Star Struggling Since Brawl

To pick up his textbooks at the Xavier bookstore, Tu Holloway first must navigate through racks and racks of Musketeers jerseys -- his jersey, No. 52. It is strange, he admits, but...

Reds Can Contend in Weak Division

Sixteen years since they last won a playoff game, having staggered backward in 2011 after their only division title in that time, the Reds have a plan again to win the NL Central...

Cincinnati Knocks Off UConn

Sean Kilpatrick’s three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left gave Cincinnati a 70-67 victory over UConn in Big East men’s basketball at Gampel Pavilion. The Bearcats played t...

Xavier, Cincy Head in Different Ways

A month ago, Xavier's Chris Mack coached the eighth-best team in college basketball, led by a point guard some believed to be the best player in the country. Now, Mack quotes Fri...

Dalton Misses Practice With Flu

The Bengals practiced on Wednesday without quarterback Andy Dalton, who was home due to the flu. “He’s got the flu and we sent him home and he’s fine,” Marv...

Xavier Falls to Long Beach State

Tu Holloway’s return wasn’t enough to stop another double-digit Xavier loss. The No. 14 Musketeers welcomed back their senior point guard following his one-game suspe...

Cincinnati Better Since Brawl

If you like irony, you’ll love these guys. The worst on-court incident in memory is bringing out the best in UC basketball. They lose their best player, at least statistica...

Frease Hopes to Move Past Brawl

In 13 years of covering sports and 10 years at this paper, I’ve never been more impressed with a student-athlete’s handling of a pressure situation than Kenny Frease&...

'Bama Upset by Coach's Alma Mater

DAYTON, Ohio—When this week began, being No. 2 was a great thing for the Alabama Crimson Tide. But it’s never good enough to be second-best in a single college basket...

Bengals Make Point, Then Good Deal

It's not often I have a chance to say this, but here goes: Mike Brown did the right thing. First, he made his point with Carson Palmer. Then he made a deal with Oaklan...

Could Set Oakland Back Years

The Oakland Raiders paid a steep price to acquire quarterback Carson Palmer before Tuesday's NFL trading deadline. As the team's first huge personnel move since the passing of ow...

Trade Proof of Jackson's Control

As has become Jackson’s MO, the Raiders went further than most people would have expected by reportedly giving up a 2012 first-round draft pick and a conditional first-roun...

Possible Big 12 Expansion Targets

1. Brigham Young Pluses: Large fan base, a good tradition and, as a football independent, are most readily available Minuses: 900 miles from Lubbock, the nearest Big 12 school; T...

Pot Found at WR Simpson's House

CRESTVIEW HILLS – Authorities swooped in on a house owned by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson after a package containing 2.5 pounds of California marijuana was...

Bengals Expect QB Dalton to Start

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said after Thursday's practice he expects Andy Dalton to be the quarterback for Sunday's game at Denver. After being limited to handoffs in Wednesday's...

Dalton, Defense Struggle for Bengals

For those looking for some measure of sunlight after a stormy Bengals offseason, Friday’s preseason opener at Ford Field against the Lions saw more fire and rain. Andy Dalt...

Bengals Sign Donte Whitner

It might have been a roller coaster week for Donte Whitner, but the Bengals have agreed to terms with the former Bills safety on a two-year deal. Whitner was drafted by the Bills...

Heisey Hits 3 HRs; Reds, Yanks Split

Chris Heisey homered three times and Johnny Cueto was masterful on the mound, as the Reds pounded the Yankees 10-2 in the nightcap of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday. Heisey t...

Benson Hopes to Stick With Bengals

As an unrestricted free agent, Cedric Benson was not expected to be in Cincinnati for the two weeks of Bengals workouts. However as reporters watched Wednesday’s combined s...

Bengals Should Trade Palmer

Several quarterback-needy teams would love to have Palmer under center this year and would be willing to give up solid value. Cincinnati should be able to get at least a second-ro...

Phillies Prevail Over Reds in 19th

The second pitch Wilson Valdez threw to the reigning National League MVP was a 90-m.p.h. fastball popped foul. Third baseman Carlos Ruiz chased the ball until he flipped over the...

La Russa Fires Back at Broadcaster

Choosing his words carefully to avoid a back-and-back forth with Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennman, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa offered a compliment with a c...

5 Teams That Could Pursue Reyes

Jose Reyes will be a free agent after the 2011 season. Reyes, 27, is in his prime and finally healthy again. He has an OPS of .812 to go along with a .315 batting average, 11 st...

Leake Helps Reds End Skid

“I was glad for him,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “I was proud of him. And we needed it badly. That’s as big a win as we’ve had since Opening Day...

Cincinnati Sports News

Ky. district baseball and softball

Here is a look at the district baseball and softball tournament that starts today....

Sunday's prep results

W—Dwyer; L—Goe (9 Ks). Leaders: W—Tilley 2-3, 2B, RBI; Hagstrom 2-3, RBI; Davis 2-3, R. G—Di...

Cueto considering changes to his de

No. 1 starter Johnny Cueto will consider tweaking his mechanics to avoid the oblique problems he's d...

Reds fall on Chapman's woes

Aroldis Chapman gave up back-to-back home runs to Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis in the ninth to first...

Reds prospect Stephenson blazing tr

Right-hander Robert Stephenson would be less than honest if he didn't admit it's cool to look over h...