Jocks Staff Picks

BEST BASEBALL VALUE: Florence Freedom File Photo

BEST BASEBALL VALUE: While every Florence Freedom game is a lot lighter on the wallet than other nearby options, Thursday home games are even sweeter. The folks who own the Freedom (whish plays in the independent Frontier League) run a “Thirsty Thursday” promotion every week, and the combination of $1 domestic beers and summertime twilight air is indescribably pleasant. So is seeing a game in a stadium that seats 4,500. An added bonus is that after knocking back an appropriate amount of suds fans are not only allowed, but encouraged, to act like Mel Gibson in Braveheart and yell “Freedom!” as loud as they can. Facepainting optional. www.florencefreedom.com

BEST FANTASY MATCH-UP: We’re not talking about the fantasy sports leagues that so many out-of-work dorks well-educated sports fans like to play on the Internet. We’re talking about what would happen if last year’s UC football team played last year’s Bengals. The Bearcats have anywhere from seven to 10 players expected to make it to the NFL, and the Bengals have 52 dudes who were either drafted or good enough to make a pro team. But they play for the Bengals, so they might not have an opportunity to play for anyone other than the Canadian Rough Riders (or whatever). OK, the Bengals would definitely squash the Bearcats, but wouldn’t it be fun to see if they had trouble doing it?

BEST (AND SLIGHTLY WISTFUL) END OF AN ERA: Longtime Reds outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn were traded within six weeks of each other last summer, jettisoning the last vestiges of an ill-fated Lindner ownership regime that seemed go downhill the moment Uncle Carl uttered these famous, geriatrically rendered words: “We want Ken to break the home run record in a Reds uniform.” Griffey and Dunn played together for eight years. The team’s record over that period of time? 588 708. Number of winning seasons? Zero, the longest sustained stretch of Reds ineptitude since the early 1950s. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely their fault: Former owner Marge Schott’s thrifty ways decimated the organization’s scouting/farm system; Cincinnati’s small-market payroll; Griffey suffered a series of improbable injuries; Dunn was expected to be something he’s not, a great all-round player; and the team’s pitching staff during much of their tenure made Frank Pastore look like Don Drysdale. And they were good guys to boot. Still, what will it say about them if the Reds, as CityBeat predicts, actually post a winning record this year?

Best Hope for the Reds Future: Jay Bruce Photo Courtesy Cincinnati Reds

BEST REDS HOPE FOR NEXT YEAR: The Tampa Bay Rays! If the perennial losers of MLB — the Bengals of baseball, if you will — can make it to the World Series, then why can’t our lovable, luckless Reds make a run? A solid young core and, for the first time in ages, a strong starting rotation suggest that “maybe next year” might just be 2009.

BEST TIE: Much to the surprise of most sports fans (and apparently Donovan McNabb), NFL games can end in a tie. The Bengals’ 13-13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles Nov. 16 was a great example of the team’s futile season. Definitely worse than kissing your sister. On the plus side, at least it wasn’t another loss.

BEST HOMEGROWN COLLEGE PLAYER: The UC Bearcats basketball team had a hole in their recruiting classes for a couple of years post-Huggins due to a lack of confidence that the team cold land a good coach and return to national prominence. This year, the ’Cats debuted a 6-foot-9, 255-pound light at the end of the tunnel who gives hope to even the most pessimistic Nancy Z haters. Withrow grad Yancy Gates, a freshman this year, gave the team a much-needed big body inside and earned a spot on the Big East All-Freshman Team. With some help from UC’s coaching staff, look for the local product to be a monster in the Big East in coming years and increase his NBA draft prospects.

BEST CO-OP OF OUR NEW PRESIDENT’S IMAGE: Let’s face it: If the Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team offered bobbleheads of one its players, they could probably put anyone’s face on the thing and 99 percent of the Tristate population couldn’t tell the difference. So kudos to the team for marking the election of our nation’s first African-American President by recently offering a free Barack Obama bobblehead to all game attendees. Next up: “Nancy Pelosi Giant Foam ‘No. 1’ Hand Night?”

BEST BREAK FROM CLICHE SPORTSWRITING: A funny, well-trained and creative young sports journalist in Cincinnati? The Enquirer doesn’t have any use for a person like this, which is why C. Trent Rosecrans moved on to WCKY (1530 AM) after The Post closed in 2007. His “Thinking Out Loud” blog posts combine sports news and commentary with his thoughts on other issues of importance, with music, pop culture and his adoration with the iPhone frequenting his daily dose of news and links. Rosecrans proves that you don’t have to be a square white dude to succeed in the sports world (he’s a white dude who wears black glasses), and his well-documented love for local record stores makes us believe he’s one of us. (1530homer.com/pages/ctrent.html)

BEST GREEN IDEA IN THE DUGOUT: It might look childish for every member of the Reds to have his own plastic cup with his name on it, but isn’t that kind of what we had as children with our water bottles? If Reds outfielder Chris Dickerson and his We Play Green organization have their way, baseball teams across the land will stop wasting millions of plastic bottles and tiny Dixie cups every year. Dickerson’s organization, which he conceptualized after seeing so many wasted paper cups in minor league dugouts, now includes professional athletes across numerous sports and looks to educate teams on the positive effects of reusing bottles and providing adequate recycling options inside clubhouses. www.weplaygreen.org

BEST GIANT DUDE RIDING A FIXIE: Dhani Jones isn’t just a solid Bengal linebacker who led the team in tackles last year. He’s also an avid cyclist, a rugby player and an acquaintance of Al Gore, who he met in Nashville as part of The Climate Project. The guy who’s been referred to as the NFL’s Renaissance Man enjoys riding his fixed gear bike between Newport and Clifton, with frequent cruises along Cincinnati’s riverfront. He’s also hosting a cool show on cable TV’s Travel Channel called Dhani Tackles the World that shows him traveling around and trying unusual sports. travelchannel.com/ TV_Shows/Dhani_Jones

BEST IGNORED COLLEGE BASKETBALL PROGRAM: Is it a liberal media bias or just the fact that the University of Cincinnati has so many more graduates in the area that the Xavier basketball team gets little love from the local fanbase? The school has made two Elite Eight runs during the last five years and spent most of the season in the Top 25 but still was overshadowed by UC’s emergence as a surprisingly above-average team. Well, the Muskie showed once again that they’re an elite program, earning yet another Sweet Sixteen birth, a feat that’s becoming increasingly expected by Cincinnati’s “other” college basketball program.

BEST SOCIALIST REVOLUTION SINCE THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN: Who Dey Revolution Logo from www.who-deyrevolution.com

BEST SOCIALIST REVOLUTION SINCE THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN: A group of Bengals fans has found something more rewarding than watching the Bengals lose football games: organizing a grassroots campaign to point out how much Mike Brown sucks. Who Dey Revolution is an excellent source for intelligent and funny takes on the latest Bungle news, and its publicity stunts are both hilarious and valid. The organization raises money to pay for billboards asking Brown to hire a GM and once provided thousands of urinal cakes with the team’s record under Brown’s leadership for fans to sneak into Paul Brown Stadium and pee on. How can you not want to don a beret and join the cause? www.whodeyrevolution. com

BEST UC GRADS WHO RUN LIKE THE WIND: When the U.S. Olympic team rolled into China last year, it included two University of Cincinnati track alums, and by the end of the games each had earned a spot on the podium. After a very successful 2007 season, 2002 grad Mary Wineberg ran with the 4x400 relay team that brought home the gold. David Payne, a 2004 grad, earned a bronze medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2007 World Championships as a fill-in for an injured teammate and took the silver at the China games. Both sprinters look to continue their everimproving careers with the U.S. team during 2009.

BEST USE OF A TIGHT ON-CAMPUS BASEBALL FIELD: It took a while for the University of Cincinnati baseball team to rise to the upper ranks of the Big East, but last year the Bearcats were a game away from winning the league tournament and its automatic bid to the NCAAs. Since 2004, whether the ’Cats have been at the top or bottom of the league standings, they’ve provided state-of-the-art amenities for their fans to watch a ballgame. Marge Schott Stadium is conveniently located on the UC campus as one of the crown jewels of the recently completed Varsity Village. Every seat is close to the action, and with the Bearcats continuing to improve, there’s no reason to come down and watch some baseball during Cincinnati’s lovely spring weather. www.gobearcats.com

BEST WAY TO DISTRACT YOURSELF FROM A LOSING SEASON: Although Cincinnati might be one of the losingest sports towns in the world, an opportunity for redemption is always only a few weeks away. Disappointing college basketball seasons run right into spring training, and even the shortest competitive Reds season will get you to Bengals training camp. It might seem like local sports fans are gullible and self-hating people, but it’s really just the continuous opportunity for redemption that allows us to willingly take part in so much suffering. There’s never a good time to quit following sports here. UC didn’t make the NCAA Tournament? Double or nothing the Reds make the playoffs!

BEST DOG-FRIENDLY PROMOTION: While past seasons have seen the Reds so far out of first place by August that no one really cared if they turned the stadium into a superexpensive dog park, this year looks to be different. With a young team focused on pitching and defense, the Redlegs promise to start playing some better baseball. Luckily they’re still going to offer a couple of “Bark in the Park” days, where fans are welcome to bring Fido and Lassie to the yard with them. The designated dog-friendly days at Great American Ballpark are April 11 and Sept. 15, so hide the nachos and hang out with your best four-legged friend while watching the new Reds. www.cincinnatireds.com

BEST PLAYER-OWNED TEAM: The D.I.Y. ethic lives strong in each and every member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, and Cincinnati’s local affiliate is no different. After joining the sport’s official governing body in 2007, the Cincinnati Rollergirls moved into their new home at the Cincinnati Gardens last year and found continued success with their allstar/ travel team Black Sheep and their alternate/ reserve team Silent Lambs. The new digs were only part of the Rollergirls’ continued rise last year, as sports media mogul ESPN checked in to see what all the fast-paced, elbow-throwing fuss was about. Cheap tickets, cheap beers and lots of action make Cincinnati Rollergirls bouts worthy of our continued interest. www.cincinnatirollergirls.com

BEST LOCAL GOLFER: Brett Wetterich deserves more attention around these parts than he gets. The Cincinnati native has been on the PGA Tour since 2005. Currently 225th in the Official World Golf Ranking, the former Oak Hills student has been as high as 32 on this coveted list. Here’s hoping Wetterich does well in 2009, although by most standards his $6 million-plus in career earnings thus far qualify as doing just that. He’s played on the Ryder Cup team and finished second in the CA Championship to some guy named Tiger Woods. Commit his name to memory so when he wins a huge PGA Tour event you can act like you’ve been a fan of his since way back.

BEST ELECTRIC SHOCK TO THE LOCAL SPORTS SCENE: Scouts and analysts often use the word “electric” to describe Reds hurler Edinson Volquez. That’s because it’s the best word available. The 25-year-old phenom racked up 17 wins last year for a Reds squad that won 74. Volquez played with fellow Red Johnny Cueto for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but once the Domincan team fell he came right on back to prepare for Opening Day and beyond. Volkie’s repertoire of pitches is amazing. Combining a blazing fastball with knee-buckling curveballs and a devastating changeup, he struck out 208 batters in 2008. Hopefully there will be a corresponding jump this season regarding his strikeout total and the team’s win total.

BEST BASEBALL-RELATED UNINTENTIONAL HUMOR: Are dirt infields, guys in tight stripey pants and underhand pitching your thing? If so, make sure you check out the Cincinnati Metro softball tournament this summer. Mullets, multi-color Oakleys and manly goatees a la Kevin Youkilis are popular themes. Some participants pay homage to the days of old by wearing shorts tight enough to make John Stockton proud. It’s also worth paying attention to the families of some players in the bleachers who act as if the man they’re rooting for was playing in Game 7 of the World Series instead of a tournament featuring a ball the size of a grapefruit and aluminum bats. www.cincysoftball.com

BEST SAND VOLLEYBALL LEAGUES: In the mood for a lil’ bumping and setting? Try Setters Volleyball in Anderson, which offers the most complete list of summer league amenities going. Seven professional-grade silica-sand courts, paid referees and leagues for all levels of competitiveness are available. While beach volleyball in the Midwest is hard to come by, this venue has it all. There are high quality courts to play on and two full-service bars (which also serve food) for those of us more interested in spiking our blood alcohol content than a volleyball. 4005 Hopper Hill Road, www.cherrygrovesportscenter.com

BEST COMMUNITY-FOCUSED ATHLETE: Given that Bengals players often make the news for all the wrong reasons, kicker Shayne Graham stands out as a pleasant reminder that there are people on this snake-bitten team who actually find time to do things for themselves and the community. While it’s probably easier to get drunk and arrested than it is to chair a charitable foundation, Graham has seemingly chosen the harder path to toe. Recently franchise tagged, he ranks among the most accurate kickers in NFL history. This all-around good guy also routinely raises money for members of the armed services and their families and many other deserving recipients. Basically, if an attempt is being made in the 513 or 859 to raise money for a worthy cause, it’s likely that Graham will be involved. www.shaynegraham.com