Reds Win Opener Walk-Off Style

Ramon Hernandez and the Reds celebrate their Opening
Day win over the Brewers.

By: Cooper Ledford


The Cincinnati Reds were trying to win on Opening Day for the first time since 2007. At first, it looked like they had no chance, as they were down early, but Ramon Hernandez hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Reds the win, 7-6, over the Milwaukee Brewers, here is how.


Edinson Volquez was the pitcher for the Reds, his first batter he faced was Rickie Weeks.  Guess what Weeks, did?  He hit a home run, 1-0 the score early on.  Now who is taller, Rickie Weeks or Carlos Gomez?  Well, they would go back-to-back to find out.  Yes, Gomez hit a homer too, it was 2-0 after the first two batters came to bat.  Looked pretty bad for Volquez.  But the scoring was not done yet, with Braun on 3rd, McGehee would hit a sac fly, 3-0 the score at the end of 1.

Ramon Hernandez celebrates after hitting a walk-off home
run on Opening Day.

The Reds would answer back a little bit in the bottom of the 1st.  Drew Stubbs, the lead-off hitter, hit a double, Brandon Phillips bunted him to 3rd, and then Joey Votto hit a sac fly to bring Drew in, that would  make it 3-1.  


The Brew Crew would get a run in the 2nd when Rickie Weeks hit an RBI double to plate Nieves, 4-1 the score.


That would be the score until the bottom of the 4th when Drew Stubbs hit a solo home run to shorten the lead to 2.


But, Milwaukee would get their 3-run lead back in the 5th when Ryan Braun hit a solo homer to make it 5-2. They would score again in the 7th when Casey McGehee came up to the plate, after a single + an Jonny Gomes error, and then a balk, McGehee hit an RBI single to bring in Braun, and the Brewers had their biggest lead of the game, 6-2.


Cincinnati would shorten that lead to 3 in their half of the 7th when the reigning NL MVP, Joey Votto, hit a solo home run, the score was 6-3.


There would be no scoring until the 9th, the Reds trailed by 4.  Brandon Phillips hit a single, that was followed by a Joey Votto walk, then came a crazy play in which Scott Rolen reached on a fielder's choice, and there you have it, the bases were loaded with no outs.  The batter, Jay Bruce.  We all remember how he hit that walk-off homer to clinch the NL Central, but could he hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Reds win again?  Nope, he was down on strikes.  Then came Jonny Gomes.  Gomes gave the Reds their first win of last season thanks to a walk-off home run, could he do it again?  Nope, but he did hit a sac fly to plate Phillips and make the score 6-4.  Then the catcher Ramon Hernandez came to bat.  There were two on and two outs, a homer would win it.  And guess what? RAMON HERNANDEZ HIT A WALK-OFF THREE-RUN HOME RUN TO GIVE THE REDS THE WIN "And this one belongs to the Reds!". Talk about an exciting finish!


While the Reds feel like winners, Edinson Volquez might not, as he pitched badly.  Volquez went 6 innings, gave up 7 hits, 5 runs, walked 2, and fanned 3.  Not what you want from your Opening Day starter.  He must get better.


Tomorrow the Reds will be off, as always, and will play again on Saturday at 7:10 PM ET.  Travis Wood will be the pitcher for Cincinnati, while Shaun Marcum will pitch for Milwaukee.  The game will be on Fox Sports Ohio.

Series 1 Preview

Watch Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, as the Reds
play host to the Milwaukee Brewers in what looks to be
a battle between the two best teams in the NL Central.

By:  Cooper Ledford


The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Milwaukee Brewers, tomorrow.  What's special about tomorrow? OPENING DAY!  In Cincinnati it is basically a holiday that nearly everyone celebrates.  From the Findley Market Parade to the actual game, people are getting in the baseball spirit and looking forward to the Reds season.  Now let's talk about the first series of the season, Reds vs Brewers.


Game 1 (Thursday, 2:10 PM ET, FS Ohio/Local 12): In game 1, Edinson Volquez will be pitching for Cincinnati, while Milwaukee will have Yovani Gallardo pitching.  It looks like this will be a great pitchers duel.  But for some Reds, they are looking forward to facing Yovani.  One of those players is Scott Rolen.  Rolen has a career average of .636 against Gallardo in 11 at-bats.  Jay Bruce has a .500 average on 8 at-bats, Brandon Phillips has a .412 average in 17 at-bats.  The highest average any Brewer has against Volquez is Rickie Weeks who has a .571 in 7 AB's.  Ryan Braun has faced him more than anyone else on the team, as he has 15 at-bats vs. Volquez, and a .333 average.  So the Reds have the offensive advantage.  But, there is still one thing most Reds fans are worried about, that is weather or not Edinson Volquez has fully recovered from Tommy John's Surgery.  He looked very shaky in his last starts of 2010, some looked good, but some were terrible.  In spring. Edinson did not look very good at all, as he had an ERA of 8.38, and walked 11 in only 9 2/3 innings.  He better look better than he did in Spring.


Game 2 (Saturday, 7:10 PM ET, FS Ohio): In game 2, the Reds will send out lefty, Travis Wood, while the Brew Crew will send out Shaun Marcum.  Wood looked very good last year, you would never know he was a rookie with the way he pitched last year.  I think Travis will be the next Cliff Lee one day, but for now, he will focus on the Brewers.  He has not really had much of a chance to do anything against the Brewers yet, the highest batting average anyone has in .200, that is Weeks, Braun, and McGehee, they each have only 5 at-bats against him.  So he has not really faced the Brewers much.  Now let's talk about Marcum, he has only faced 3 Reds batters, Edgar Renteria, Jonny Gomes, and Ramon Hernandez.  Edgar Renteria has some experience against him, as he has 7 AB's and a .571 average.  Hernandez has the most experience against Marcum, as he has seen him 19 times, but has not done too well, only a .158 average.  Jonny Gomes has 2 AB's against him, and a .000 average.  


Game 3 (Sunday, 1:10 PM ET, FS Ohio):  Game 3 looks like a very good pitching match-up, as it is Bronson Arroyo pitching for Cincinnati, and Randy Wolf for Milwaukee.  Arroyo had a somewhat challenging Spring, as he was ill, and still is, but he showed no signs of it in his last Spring start, he looks like he will be fine and ready to go by Sunday.  In Arroyo's career versus the Brewers, he is 9-7 and has a 3.77 ERA, not that great, but not that bad.  Now on to Randy Wolf.  The veteran lefty has had his way with the Reds in his career, as he is 10-3 and has a 3.13 ERA.  Yeah, pretty nice.  Jonny Gomes has done very well against Wolf in his career, as he has a .625 average in 16 at-bats.  Jay Bruce has done well against him too, as he has a .438 average in 16 AB's, and 2 homers to go with it.  


So, there you have it, a Series 1 preview.  Looks like the Reds have more of an advantage.  The toughest game for them to win will be Opening Day, as Edinson Volquez may be a little....bad.  Hopefully he is fine, and pitches well.  GO REDS!

Projected Opening Day Depth Chart

By:  Cooper Ledford


Rotation: Volquez, Wood, Arroyo, Leake, LeCure


Catcher: Ramon Hernandez
              Ryan Hanigan


1st Base: Joey Votto
               Miguel Cairo
               Juan Francisco


2nd Base: Brandon Phillips
                Edgar Renteria
                Miguel Cairo


Shortstop: Paul Janish
                 Edgar Renteria


3rd Base: Scott Rolen
                Juan Francisco


Left Field: Jonny Gomes
                Fred Lewis
                Chris Heisey


Center Field: Drew Stubbs
                    Chris Heisey
                     Fred Lewis


Right Field: Jay Bruce
                  Chris Heisey
                   Fred Lewis

Reds End Spring With Win Over Tribe

By:  Cooper Ledford


The two teams that were share Goodyear, Arizona, as their spring home, the Indians and Reds, were going at it today.  The Indians were playing host.  This was the final Spring Training Game for the Reds, as they will soon head back to Cincinnati and get ready for Opening Day.  This looked like it would be interesting, as the Reds had Bronson Arroyo on the hill.  If you missed it, Bronson has mono, and people were worried about him, and how good he would do this season.  Well, today, he looked fine, looked really good, but I'll talk about him later.   Back to the game, the Reds beat the Indians 8-3.  Here is how.


In the top of the 1st, Jay Bruce hit an RBI single to bring in Phillips, 1-0 Cincy.


Cleveland would answer back in their half of the 1st when Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo home run to tie the game.


Jonny Gomes must not like tie games, because in the top of the 4th, Jonny Gomes, who hit a homer yesterday, went yard, a solo home run, 2-1 the score.  The Reds would add another run in the 5th when Joey Votto hit an RBI single to plate Stubbs, the score now 3-1.


But, Cleveland would bring back the one-run game in the 5th when Choo hit his 2nd jack of the game, another solo homer, 3-2 the score.


There would be no scoring until the Reds half of the 8th when Juan Francisco hit an RBI single to bring in Mike Costanzo (remember him from yesterday?), 4-2 the score.  But that was only the 1st of the 4 runs the Reds would score in that inning.  The 2nd run was scored when Chris Heisey hit an RBI one-bagger to plate Francisco, 5-2.  The 3rd run was scored when Paul Janish grounded into a force out, but with Denis Phipps on 3rd, that would be an RBI, as Phipps would score, 6-2.  The final run of the inning was scored when Jake Kahaulelio hit a RBI single to left, Janish would score, 7-2 the score at the end of the rally inning.


The Tribe would add a run in their 8th when Jordan Brown hit a sac fly to bring home Sanchez, 7-3 the score.


In the top of the 9th, just for the heck-of-it, Ryan Hanigan added a run with an RBI single to plate Heisey, 8-3 the final, and that is how she finished.


As promised, I will talk about Bronson Arroyo.  The high-kicking #61 went 6.1 innings, gave up 6 hits, 2 earned runs, walked 1, and struck-out  3.  So a nice final Spring Training outing for Bronson in front of 4108 people in Goodyear, Arizona.


The Reds finish Spring Training Games with a 17-14-2 record.


So Reds fans, are you excited like me?  You better be, because Opening Day is only 2 days away.  Don't forget about it.  The Cincinnati Reds will battle the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, at 2:10 PM ET, the game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio, and Local 12.  Pitching in that game will be Edinson Volquez.

Reds Beat White Sox

 By:  Cooper Ledford


The regular season is only three days away, but for now, there is still Spring Training Baseball.  With that, the Reds were visiting the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Arizona.  It looked as if it would be a pitchers duel as it was Mike Leake pitching for Cincinnati, and Danks for the South-siders.  It ended up being a nice batting practice for the Reds, and a struggle for the White Sox, as the Reds won 9-1.  Wanna know how?  Good, here you go.


To start the scoring, in the 2nd inning, Jonny Gomes hit a solo home run, 1-0 the score.  Then in the top of the 5th, with two men on, Drew Stubbs hit a 3-run jack to right field, it was 4-0 Redlegs.


The Sox would answer back in their half of the 5th when Brent Lillibridge hit an RBI single to plate Quentin, it was 4-1.


But, not for too long.  In the 8th inning, some guy I have never head of, his name is Brian Barton, hit a 3-run home run, deep to left field, and the Reds had a 7-1 lead.  And then to make things better, another guy I have never head of, Mike Costanzo, went yard with a man on, a 2-run homer, and that would make the score 9-1, and that's how she finished.  But, not without some sweat and somewhat of a threat.  In the bottom of the 9th, Matt Maloney was pitching, there were 2 outs, and the bases loaded, the batter was Adam Dunn.  But, Matt was able to strikeout Dunn to finish the game.


Mike Leake is the winner, as he had a nice game, going 5.2 innings, did give up 6 hits, 1 ER, walked 2, and sat down 3 via strikeout. 


Tomorrow the Reds will play their final Spring Training Game as they play visitor to the Cleveland Indians.  Game time is at 3:05 PM ET, and will not be televised.  Then the Reds will hop on a plane to go back to Cincinnati and get ready for Opening Day, Thursday.

Reds: Who To Watch In 2011

By:  Cooper Ledford


Last season the Cincinnati Reds had many players that people were keeping an eye on.  In the beginning of the season people were watching Votto, but as he was in somewhat of a slump, they started to watch another player.  That player was Jonny Gomes.  Gomes was red-hot in the month of May, but then he started to slow down.  Then Scott Rolen and Joey Votto were the players people followed, as they both were MVP candidates at the All-Star Break.  Then to start the 2nd half of the season, it was all Joey Votto, as he was catching the attention of many people.  Then in late August, Jay Bruce was looking amazing, so they watched him.  Now the 2011 season is here.  Who should we expect to keep an eye on?


Well, first of all, watch out for Joey Votto.  We all know what he can do, as he proved it to us in 2010.  I expect him to have an even better year this year, and be in-the-hunt for another MVP award.


Another player to watch is Jay Bruce.  Last season he was on fire near the end of the season.  He looked like he could not be stopped.  I am not saying that he will be that good all year, but I think he will be a much-improved player, and a key factor in the Reds success this year.

One last player to watch is Drew Stubbs.  Stubbs hit a good amount of home runs last season, and stole a lot of bases, but his average was very low.  Many fans wanted the Reds to trade Stubbs on July 31st, but now those fans are happy they kept him.  Drew showed a lot of improvement near the end of the season, and I expect him to have a really nice season in 2011.


So, could Votto, Bruce, and Stubbs be the new MV3?  Maybe, maybe not. I am not saying that any of them will win an MVP award or anything, I am just saying to watch these guys this season.  Expect some impressive stats from these guys.

Chris Mack Says No To Tennessee

By:  Cooper Ledford


Alright, so just today I found out that Xavier Head Coach, Chris Mack, was offered an 8-year deal worth $2 million a year.  This went under the radar, and I'd say not too many people knew about this.


As a Xavier fan, I would like to say "Thank You" to Coach Mack.  This proves that he is committed to Xavier.  For now.


Why do I say "for now", you ask?  Well, say for some odd reason Coach Cal leaves Kentucky (never going to happen, but just go with it), or Thad leaves Ohio State, or Coach K leaves Duke, then UK, OSU, or Duke offer Mack a deal, I am pretty sure he would take it.  I think just about anyone would take a big-name program in a major conference over a small Catholic school in a mid-major conference.  


But, that needs to change.  Someone needs to come to Xavier, keep up the good program, have a really good season, like a Final 4 season, then more kids will want to come to X.  Then suddenly the next season is here and you are back in the Final 4, and more kids want to come to put on a Musketeer uniform.  Then next-thing-you-know, you are one of the best recruiting schools in the nation, and you have big-time names playing for the Muskies.  Now, you are a powerhouse, all because one coach didn't leave to go to a bigger school.  And who knows, that coach might be Chris Mack.

Kentucky Beats UNC, Advances To Final 4

The Kentucky Wildcats celebrate the East Region
Championship Title, and their upcoming Final 4 appearance

By:  Cooper Ledford


The last time the Kentucky Wildcats went to the Final 4 was in 1998, now 13 years later, they were trying to go back.  If they wanted to be among the last four teams standing, they would have to beat a very tough North Carolina team.  The Tar Heels beat the Wildcats earlier this season, but today UK got revenge and beat the Heels, 76-69.  The Kentucky Wildcats are heading back to the Final 4.


Brandon Knight played a big role in this game, as he had 22 points and 7 rebounds.  Darius Miller and Terrence Jones both had 11, while Harrellson and Liggins both had a dozen.  All 5 starters were in double-figures.  Then add Doron Lamb off the bench, he had 8.  That'll do it.


For North Carolina, Tyler Zeller was the leading scorer as he had 21 points and 9 rebounds.  Harrison Barnes had 18 points, and Dexter Strickland had 11.  


So now the Final 4 is set.  There are to powerhouses, Connecticut and Kentucky, and two mid-major's, Virginia Commonwealth and Butler.  Kentucky has more Final 4 appearances than any of the other 3 programs, but Butler has the most recent appearances, as they went to the Final 4, and National Championship Game, last season.


There will be one mid-major in the National Championship Game, as VCU and Butler will play each other.  That means Kentucky will battle Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies.  That game will be Saturday, with the time to be announced, and will be on Cartoon Network CBS.

Arroyo Has Mono, But Will "Make It Through"

Bronson Arroyo has mono, but is
confident that he will "make it through".

By:  Cooper Ledford


Reds Ace, Bronson Arroyo had blood work done in Goodyear, Arizona, that blood work showed that the high-kicking righty has mononucleosis.  


That is a very long name, indeed, and a pretty harsh disease, but Arroyo says "I'll make it through".  


There is nothing more they can do medically, Bronson said.  There is no timetable for a full recovery.  


Arroyo will try and pitch through it, it sounds like.  Arroyo has never missed a start, and is trying to continue that impressive streak.  


Good luck to Bronson as he tries to recover from this.  This is not a fun time to be a pitcher for Cincinnati, seems like they all have something wrong with them.  Cueto, Bailey, and now Arroyo.  The worse part is, two of them are the two best pitchers in the rotation.

2011 Reds Batting Order And Rotation Predictions

By: Cooper Ledford


Here is my 2011 Reds Opening Day batting order with projected stats:


1. Drew Stubbs (.286, 21 HR, 85 RBI, 40 SB)
2. Brandon Phillips (.293, 24 HR, 91 RBI, 29 SB)
3. Joey Votto (.330, 37 HR, 119 RBI, 11 SB)
4. Scott Rolen (.300, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 2 SB)
5. Jay Bruce (.320, 32 HR, 100 RBI, 15 SB)
6. Jonny Gomes (.286, 25 HR, 89 RBI, 15 SB)
7. Ramon Hernandez (.300, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 1 SB)
8. Paul Janish (.290, 12 HR, 40 RBI, 19 SB)
9. Pitcher


Now here is my Projected Pitching Rotation:


1. Edinson Volquez (12-8, 3.12 ERA, 118 SO)
2. Bronson Arroyo (16-7, 2.94 ERA, 123 SO)
3. Johnny Cueto (14-9, 2.97 ERA, 129 SO) REPLACEMENT: Mike Leake (2-1, 1.22 ERA, 13 SO)
4. Travis Wood (12-5, 2.42 ERA, 119 SO)
5. Homer Bailey (13-9, 3.11 ERA, 110 SO) REPLACEMENT: Sam LeCure (1-2, 2.00 ERA, 12 SO)
   Starting season on DL            


Bullpen Strategy:
For 2+ innings: Mike Leake/Sam LaCure/Willis
6th inning: Willis
7th inning: Ondrusek/Smith
8th inning: Chapman/Ondrusek/Smith/Bray
9th inning: Cordero/Bray/Chapman

Ohio State's Amazing Season Ends, Kentucky Advances To Elite 8

Ohio State's Jon Diebler reacts
after the final buzzer in the Bucks
loss to Kentucky

NEWARK, N.J. -- Brandon Knight did it again.

Knight knocked down a jumper with 5 seconds remaining as the fourth-seeded Wildcats stunned top-seeded Ohio State 62-60 on Friday in the East regional semifinals.

Senior center Josh Harrellson held his own against Ohio State super freshmanJared Sullinger, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Wildcats (28-8) advanced to play North Carolina on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

Knight, who knocked down a game-winner in Kentucky's second-round win over Princeton, shrugged off another sluggish performance to drill the biggest shot of his career.

Kentucky coach John Calipari opted not to call timeout after Ohio State's John Diebler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 60 with 21 seconds remaining, and Knight delivered a silky 15-foot jumper.

Ohio State rushed down the floor, but William Buford's 3-pointer clanked off the rim and the rebound was tapped out of harm's way.

The Wildcats, who struggled to win close games earlier in the season, rushed onto the floor as the buzzer sounded. DeAndre Liggins, like Harrellson a leftover from Billy Gillispie's days at Kentucky, hopped atop a table and pounded his chest as Knight stood at halfcourt and soaked in the moment.

UK's Brandon Knight reacts after making his game-winning
shot against Ohio State.

The victory proved sweet vindication for the two holdovers, who were mostly spectators last season as Calipari revitalized the program behind a star-studded freshmen class led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

Harrellson and Liggins took this year's group of youngsters under their wing and delivered the kind of savvy veteran presence the Wildcats could have used last season, which ended with a loss to an experienced West Virginia squad in the East regional final.

Liggins finished with 15 points for the Wildcats, who beat Ohio State for the first time in the NCAA tournament behind a suffocating defense that limited the Buckeyes to 32 percent shooting.

Sullinger led Ohio State (34-3) with 21 points and 16 rebounds, but the Buckeyes fell in the regional semifinals for a second straight season. Sullinger said in the aftermath he expects to return for his sophomore year, if only to wash out the taste of a bitter end to an otherwise spectacular season.

Ohio State rolled through the regular season but like the last two top overall seeds entering the NCAA tournament, the Buckeyes are going home early.

The win gives Kentucky a chance to avenge a loss to the Tar Heels earlier in the season. The Wildcats fell 75-73 in Chapel Hill in December, a game in which they gave away several chances to win.

Those days seem long gone. Kentucky has won nine straight and developed the kind of grit Calipari knew would come if he stayed patient with his freshmen-laden roster.

The Wildcats succeeded where so many teams have failed this season against the Buckeyes, dominating them on the defensive end.

Kentucky swarmed the 3-point line, limiting the sharpshooting Buckeyes -- who'd made 28 3-pointers in easy victories over Texas-San Antonio and George Mason -- to just 6 of 16 3-pointers.

Ohio State wasn't any better inside the arc, shooting just 33 percent from the field as everyone besides Sullinger struggled to find room against Kentucky's myriad of defensive looks.

"I think, honestly, some of the shots we missed we were making all year," said Diebler, who finished with 16 points. "You have to give them credit, I thought they did a good job channeling shots with their length, but we've faced length all year. They just didn't go in."

The first NCAA meeting between the two schools in 24 years had a Final Four feel. There were 19 lead changes, with no team leading by more than three points over the final 17 minutes.

It's a situation where the Wildcats had faltered early in the season. At one point they were 0-6 in games decided by five points or less.

Those days seem like a long time ago. Kentucky made all the big plays when it mattered as Ohio State blinked in the face of the Wildcats' unrelenting pressure.

Kentucky's withstood a skittish opening 9 minutes to forge a 30-30 tie at the break thanks largely to some inspired play by Harrellson. The little-used reserve a year ago has blossomed into a blue collar cult hero as a senior, and his leadership kept Kentucky in it after Terrence Jones and Knight battled jitters and early foul trouble.

Harrellson took Sullinger off the dribble for one basket and screamed after dunking off a pick-and-roll for another. Later in the half he drew the ire of Ohio State coach Thad Matta after beaning Sullinger with a fastball while falling out of bounds.

The Wildcats also did something few teams have been able to do this year: bottle up Ohio State's 3-point shooters. The Buckeyes came in averaging nearly 8 made 3-pointers a game, knocking down 28 in their first two tournament games combined.

Ohio State only made two in the first half, both by Diebler, as the Wildcats extended the defense to prevent open looks.

It set the stage for a chippy second half that ended with another highlight-reel shot by the precocious Knight.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

Homer Bailey To Start Season On DL

Homer Bailey will
start the season on
the DL.

By:  Cooper Ledford


Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher, Homer Bailey, will start the 2011 campaign on the disabled list due to a right shoulder impingement.  


Homer was expected to be in the Reds starting rotation to start the season, or at least the bullpen.  This is the 2nd Reds pitcher that will start the season on the DL, as Homer joins Johnny Cueto.  


So the starting rotation now suddenly is different.  You have Volquez and Arroyo for sure, then Travis Wood, and Mike Leake will most-likely be in the rotation, and the 5th starter will be up for grabs.  Maybe Sam LeCure, Matt Maloney, or someone like that, or it could be D-Train.  But, I think Sam LeCure will be the #5 starter, we'll have to wait and see, come Opening Day.

Ohio State vs. Kentucky Preview

By:  Cooper Ledford

Two SWO Sports teams go at it tonight, as the Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Newark, NJ.  This will be a great game, Ohio State is favored by 5.5 points, but Kentucky does not care, as Coach Cal said his guys are "only thinking about themselves" and added they seem "very confident".  But, it will take more than confidence for UK to beat OSU.

With that, I have some keys to the game for both teams.  Let's start out with the 1st seeded Ohio State Buckeyes.

In order for the Buckeyes to defeat the Wildcats, they will need to just play the kind of basketball they are good at.   The same style they have used in all of their previous games.  But, if they play like they did @ Wisconsin and @ Purdue, it will result in a big, fat, ugly "L".  But, if they play like they did when they beat Florida, beat Wisconsin, beat Michigan State, beat Purdue, they will win.  So, if you are a Bucks fan, and the game tonight is looking like a game I mentioned in which they lost, be scared.  If it is looking like a game I mentioned in which they won, be happy and prepared to win.  Okay, so there was one thing they need to do, but their is still more.  Ohio States needs to have Diebler involved.  Kentucky is a very young team that may not know how to defend such a good 3-point shooter, who knows.  Also, Jared Sullinger, David Lighty, and William Buford all need to have a good game.  They need to be involved quite a bit, if they are, the Bucks will win.

Now lets talk about the 4th seeded Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky has faced a lot of good teams this season like North Carolina,Connecticut, Florida, etc., but I don't think they have faced a team as good as Ohio State.  I think it will be harder for UK to win than it will be for OSU to win, but I could be wrong.  For the 'Cats to win this game, they will need to control the Buckeyes' offense.  That means defend Jon Deibler well, contain Jared Sullinger, etc.  Kentucky will also need their offense to do well.  They will need Brandon Knight to have a great game, perhaps even better than the one vs. West Virginia in the 3rd round, they will need Miller to have a good game, and they will need Josh Harrellson to continue to have a red-hot tournament.  If they do those things, the Wildcats could win it.

Now that I have each team's "keys to the game", I will have a final score prediction.  Without further ado, here it is:

Ohio State: 69  Kentucky: 67

Cueto Sidelined To Begin Season

Johnny Cueto is sidelined
to begin the 2011 season.

By:  Cooper Ledford


Reds starting pitcher, Johnny Cueto, was diagnosed with mild inflammation in his right shoulder, Monday.  


Cueto has left his last two starts with stiffness underwent MRI exams on his shoulder and elbow.  Team doctors say his injury is not serious however.


Reds general manager, Walk Jocketty said they will "shut him down for a week or so".  Once Johnny starts to throw again, it will still be "at least a couple of weeks" before he is back in the Reds rotation.  

While the rest of the team will head back to Ohio for Opening Day, Cueto will stay in Goodyear, Arizona to continue working out and getting ready.


While this is bad for Johnny Cueto, that gives pitchers like Travis Wood, Mike Leake, and Homer Bailey a good chance at the rotation, as there are now three spots to fill.

Bucks Smack George Mason, Advance To Sweet 16

William Buford and David Lighty celebrate the Bucks
win over George Mason

CLEVELAND -- Once Ohio State's Jared Sullinger declared it was over, it was over.

David Lighty made all seven of his 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Sullinger added 18 after informing one of George Mason's players "it's over" and top-seeded Ohio State made 16 3s to advance in the NCAA tournament with a jaw-dropping 98-66 win Sunday.

With thousands of fans chanting "O-H-I-O" at every opportunity, the Buckeyes (34-2) took apart the Patriots (27-7), who created some March mayhem a few years ago and hoped to follow Butler's lead by taking out a No. 1 seed in this tourney.


Ohio State destroyed any upset plans and moved closer to its first national title since 1960. The Buckeyes will meet Kentucky (27-8) in the East regional semifinals Friday in Newark, N.J. Ohio State is 5-0 in NCAA tournament matchups with the Wildcats.

After falling behind 11-2, the Big Ten champions used their devastating inside-outside attack to post the most lopsided tournament victory in school history.

William Buford scored 18 and freshman guard Aaron Craft had 15 assists for Ohio State.

Cam Long scored 16 points to lead George Mason.

The challenge was daunting enough for the Patriots and then they found out before the game that they would face the Buckeyes without Luke Hancock, one of their best players. The sophomore guard had food poisoning and remained with a trainer at the team's hotel.

Hancock, who averages 10 points, scored 18 and hit a decisive 3-pointer with 21 seconds left in George Mason's win over Villanova in the second round.

But even he probably couldn't have helped. The Patriots were in way over their heads against the Buckeyes.

Early on, the Patriots weren't fazed and came right at Ohio State. They opened with an 11-2 run capped by a basket from Ryan Pearson, a junior from New York who started jawing with Sullinger. Ohio State's laid-back big man took exception to a few of Pearson's words and responded with a prediction.

"It's over, yo," he said, waving his hands.

And it was, yo.


The Buckeyes closed the first half by outscoring the Patriots 50-15, unleashing every weapon in their overstocked offensive arsenal. They scored on backboard-quaking dunks. They made nine 3-pointers. They dropped floaters, layups and shots from every angle.

Lighty, the fifth-year senior from Cleveland who was on OSU's national runner-up team with Greg Oden and Michael Conley in 2007, made all five 3s and scored 17 points during the opening half of his final college game in Ohio. Sullinger chipped in with 13 and Diebler nine.

At one point, Buford and Diebler were a combined 2 of 9 from the field and Ohio State was still ahead by 15.

There was nothing the Patriots could do.

After Lighty made his fifth 3-pointer, Diebler, the Big Ten's career leader in 3s, finally got one to go. Buford then hit another 3 and Diebler, who perfected his jumper in the summer by making 1,000 shots per day, closed the first half by swishing one of his patented line-drive 3s.

He let out a primal scream and ran off the floor with the Buckeyes.

It was over, all right, and on to New Jersey.

There was still a second half to be played and Ohio State showed the Patriots no mercy. The Buckeyes made seven more 3-pointers and finished 16 of 26 from behind the arc. In the closing minutes, coach Thad Matta cleared his bench, allowing OSU's seldom-used reserves to get a taste of tourney action.

Earlier in the day, Lighty, Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale received their diplomas. They had to skip Sunday's winter commencement ceremony in Columbus to face George Mason, and the trio posed at midcourt for photos after the morning shootaround wearing their caps.

The Buckeyes, graduates and all, have advanced.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press