Can we just fast forward through the schedule to the final three regular season games — at Penn State, Iowa and at Michigan?

We discuss some serious issues, including the fact that the sky didn’t fall because Terrelle Pryor had a bad game! Is he an elite quarterback? No. But he is an elite athlete, who has shown some ability to get the job done. Something tells me he’ll be able to handle the next three opponents without much problem and people around Columbus will be saying how great he is.

Terrelle Pryor

NFL Picks

After lying in the weeds most of last year, tgm is officially dominating the picks!

A wild Miami Dolphins comeback on Monday night bumped tgm, GatorBuckeye and Crazed Wolverine to the 11-win mark, but tgm’s pick of 51 points was closest to the actual total of 58.

The win marks the third time tgm has won an individual week, giving her three extra points on the field.

Oh, one amazing stat for the week: With the Redskins preparing to take on the winless Chiefs, every game they’ve played through Week 6 will have taken place against a winless team at the time they play, yet Washington is just 2-3! Sure, the first game was against the 0-0 Giants, who’re now 5-0, but the following contests were against the Rams, Lions, Bucs, Panthers and now, Chiefs.

Week Five Results

tgm 11 (plus 1) = 12
GatorBuckeye 11
Crazed Wolverine 11
Brian I. 10
Brian T. 10
Jeremiah 10
MIKO 10
Adman 10
Miles 10
JMB 10
Mary the Nurse 10
Seth 9
The Trashman 9
tgd 9
Big Game 9
Jeff 9
Fulch 9
Richard S. 9
Patrick F. 9
Teddy 9
Chjm70 9
Jessica 9
Another CPA 9
Kara 9
cliffwilt 9
Jack Ten 8
Will Will 8
B-Mac 8
The CPA 8
Jena 8
Grandpa 7
Nora Peanut 7

Overall Standings

1. tgm 58***
2. Brian I. 57
2. Chjm70 57
2. Miles 57
5. Seth 55
5. GatorBuckeye 55
7. Fulch 54
8. Patrick F. 53
8. The CPA 53
8. Big Game 53
8. Adman 53
8. MIKO 53
8. cliffwilt 53
8. JMB 53
15. B-Mac 52*
15. Grandpa 52*
17. Jeff 51
17. Jack Ten 51
17. The Trashman 51
20. Another CPA 50
20. Brian T. 50
20. Kara 50
23. Will Will 49
23. Crazed Wolverine 49
23. Mary the Nurse 49
26. Richard S. 48
26. Jessica 48
28. tgd 46
29. Jena 45
30. Nora Peanut 43
31. Teddy 38
32. Jeremiah 35
33. Jeff McC 20
33. Strikes 20
35. the oh, funk 14
36. buckeye in pa 7

NFL Week Six

Houston (2-3) at Cincinnati (4-1)
Detroit (1-4) at Green Bay (2-2)
Baltimore (3-2) at Minnesota (5-0)
NY Giants (5-0) at New Orleans (4-0)
Cleveland (1-4) at Pittsburgh (3-2)
Carolina (1-3) at Tampa Bay (0-5)
Kansas City (0-5) at Washington (2-3)
St. Louis (0-5) at Jacksonville (2-3)
Arizona (2-2) at Seattle (2-3)
Philadelphia (3-1) at Oakland (1-4)
Tennessee (0-5) at New England (3-2)
Buffalo (1-4) at NY Jets (3-2)
Chicago (3-1) at Atlanta (3-1)
Denver (5-0) at San Diego (2-2) Pts. _______

Make your picks by using the “Comments” section under the headline.

We review the 38-0 win over Toledo, and talk about the upcoming home game against Illinois.

Svoboda says Terrelle Pryor may well be 10 times the quarterback he was last year at this time, as Jim Tressel says, but that he may need to become 10 more times better. I concur! That said, he’s still a pretty spectacular athlete, and I look forward to seeing him against the Illini.

NFL Picks

I figured this would be a much more difficult week, and it was, but tgm coasted. She had it won going into the Monday night game, meaning she could just put her feet up, eat some bon bons and enjoy the game!

Things returned to a tolerable level in my household, with a Buckeye pasting of an instate opponent, and a great effort by the Bengals at Lambeau Field.

Five sacks by Antwan Odom, and he may not have been the defensive player of the game for Cincinnati — I know he’s probably AFC Defensive Player of the Week, but hear me out!

Odom played great, but the fact Leon Hall held receiver Greg Jennings to zero catches was a masterpiece! Hall has done a great job the past two weeks, despite being the one who tipped the ball that Brandon Stokley took to the house, in what has been termed the “Immaculate Deflection”.

Add in a solid game from the rest of the defense — I’m forgiving Chris Crocker’s penalties, for now — and there is definitely reason to be excited in Who Dey-land.

Carson Palmer settled down after throwing two mind-numbing interceptions, and led the offense down the field, with a huge boost from Cedric Benson’s 141 yards rushing.

Unfortunately for those who lean toward the brand of football played on the Northeast end of the state, things didn’t go as swimmingly. I haven’t allowed myself to watch a whole lot of the Browns at this point — NFL Sunday Ticket allows for viewing of other games — but I just don’t feel the talent level is where it needs to be in Cleveland.

I don’t know if Eric Mangini will turn things around there, or not. It’ll be interesting to see how much time he gets.

Week Two Results

tgm 12 (plus one for winning the week) 13
Nora Peanut 11
Brian I. 11
Seth 10
Chjm70 10
Fulch 10
tgd 10
Jack Ten 9
Patrick F. 9
Will Will 9
cliffwilt 9
Miles 9
B-Mac 9
GatorBuckeye 9
Big Game 9
The Trashman 9
The CPA 8
Another CPA 8
Grandpa 8
Jeff 8
Adman 7
Richard 7
JMB 7
MIKO 7
Jeremiah 7
Jessica 7
JeffMcC 7
buckeye in pa 7
jena 7
Kara 7
Brian T. 6
Crazed Wolverine 5
Mary the Nurse 4

Overall Standings

B-Mac 24*
Brian I. 24
Chjm70 24
Patrick F. 23
Seth 22
Miles 22
tgm 21*
The CPA 21
Jeff 21
Will Will 21
Big Game 21
Fulch 21
The Trashman 21
Another CPA 20
Adman 20
MIKO 20
GatorBuckeye 20
JeffMcC 20
Richard S. 19
Grandpa 19
Jack Ten 19
cliffwilt 19
tgd 19
Nora Peanut 18
Jessica 18
Jena 18
Brian T. 18
Kara 17
Jeremiah 17
Crazed Wolverine 16
Mary the Nurse 15
the oh, funk 14
Teddy 10
Strikes 10
buckeye in pa 7

* = Individual week won

NFL Week Three

Washington (1-1) at Detroit (0-2)
Green Bay (1-1) at St. Louis (0-2)
San Francisco (2-0) at Minnesota (2-0)
Atlanta (2-0) at New England (1-1)
Tennessee (0-2) at NY Jets (2-0)
Kansas City (0-2) at Philadelphia (1-1)
NY Giants (2-0) at Tampa Bay (0-2)
Cleveland (0-2) at Baltimore (2-0)
Jacksonville (0-2) at Houston (1-1)
Chicago (1-1) at Seattle (1-1)
New Orleans (2-0) at Buffalo (1-1)
Pittsburgh (1-1) at Cincinnati (1-1)
Denver (2-0) at Oakland (1-1)
Miami (0-2) at San Diego (1-1)
Indianapolis (2-0) at Arizona (1-1)
Carolina (0-2 at Dallas (1-1) Pts._____

Make your picks by using the “Comments” section under the headline.

Rosecrans has worked as a beat writer, including time at the Cincinnati Post as the Reds, and prior to that UC’s, beat guy. That’s how I started following him, and he’s really grabbed onto the blogosphere, helping him transition from newspaper guy to new-age internet guy.

We talk about the business and what he hopes to get done with his new website, www.CNati.com and about college football — he’s a Georgia grad and I’m obviously a Buckeye, so some shots went across the bow, but unfortunately there are some things I can’t defend, like the Big Ten of late.

Check out his site. He does a great job covering sports and with fewer and fewer voices in locker rooms and clubhouses these days, it’d be nice if some reputable journalists can still get in the door!

Send any comments or suggestions about the podcast by clicking on the “Comments” section under the headline.

I talked to Chick because a few weeks ago I decided I was losing it. As Chad Johnson, er Ochocinco, returned to his senses and arrived in town to work with Carson Palmer, saying all the right things, I continued to build up a good feeling about the upcoming season.

From the draft, to Palmer’s elbow and Chad’s attitude, not to mention the fact the defense was solid last year and has added to its depth, I’m positively certain this team will win 10-plus games in the upcoming season!

But how can this be? There has been one playoff game in 18 years!

That’s why I talked to Chick, and to be honest, I don’t think he talked me off the ledge at all. If nothing else, he convinced me my fervor is warranted. This will be a solid season, barring injury, for the Who Dey Nation!

Topics included:

* The aforementioned defense and the signing of Tank Johnson and Roy Williams, in addition to the drafting of Rey Maualuga and Michael Johnson.

* Chick feels Leon Hall will have a breakout season

* The entirely revamped offensive line, with only one starter, Bobbie Williams, expected to start in his former position. Will they jell in time?

* Chad’s impact and attitude heading into minicamp. Also, how will he, Laveranues Coles and Chris Henry work together, and how talented is the group of pass receivers?

* Is Henry really growing up?

* Can Cedric Benson carry the load? Even if he does, who will back him up? The Bengals traded for former Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard in the offseason.

* How does Palmer’s arm look?

* What about the decision to have NFL Films camera crews in training camp for HBO’s Hard Knocks show? Chick thinks it’s good for the team’s image.

Send any comments or suggestions about the podcast by clicking on the “Comments” section under the headline.

Nationally, this tie is being viewed as the Eagles’ ineptitude given the ease with which many thought they’d beat the Bengals, but nobody reeks of ineptitude like those silly Bengals!

This one was ugly, to be sure, but the Bengals’ defense played so well it deserved a much better fate.

My friend Jeff was in the man cave watching with us and he made a comment about next season, if and when Carson Palmer is back, when the offense gets it together we should be OK given the improvements on defense.

Normally, that statement would be right on, but the Bengals aren’t normal! They’ve proven each and every season that if it’s not one thing, it’s quite literally another.

I’m sure if both the offense and defense got it together they’d set some sort of record for kickoff and punt returns against for touchdowns!

NFL Picks

We’ll count the tie as a big fat nothing, although feel free to choose “tie” for any game in the future. I bet you’d be the only one if and when it happens again!

Adman responded to having company in the overall lead with a vicious right cross, knocking me from first place with a 13-win week, edging Kara via the overall points choice of 41 — it was a 29-27 Browns win.

Adman 13-2 (plus 1 for winning the week)
Kara 13-2
tgd 12-3
tom s 12-3
Howard 11-4
Steve-o 11-4
gatorbuckeye 11-4
Jack 10 11-4
Jeremiah 11-4
Grandpa 11-4
JMB 11-4
Jessica 11-4
bermuda funk 11-4
The CPA 10-5
Seth 10-5
Brian 10-5
Big Game 10-5
mary the nurse 9-6
Crazed Wolverine 8-7
nora peanut 7-8

Overall Standings

Adman 106-53 (plus 1)
Seth 103-56
Howard 102-57 (plus 1)
The CPA 102-57
Brian 101-58
Big Game 100-59 (plus 1)
Kara 99-60 (plus 2)
JMB 97-46 (plus 2)
gatorbuckeye 97-62 (plus 1)
bermuda funk 97-62
Jessica 93-66
Crazed Wolverine 90-69 (plus 1)
tom s 89-56 (plus 1)
mary the nurse 88-71
nora peanut 86-73
Jack 10 86-73
Grandpa 78-50 (plus 1)
Steve-o 76-69
Jeremiah 71-44
tgd 67-45
Nick 47-39
Randy 9-7

NFL Week Twelve

Cincinnati (1-8-1) at Pittsburgh (7-3)
Houston (3-7) at Cleveland (4-6)
San Francisco (3-7) at Dallas (6-4)
Tampa Bay (7-3) at Detroit (0-10)
NY Jets (7-3) at Tennessee (10-0)
Buffalo (5-5) at Kansas City (1-9)
Chicago (5-5) at St. Louis (2-8)
New England (6-4) at Miami (6-4)
Minnesota (5-5) at Jacksonville (4-6)
Philadelphia (5-4-1) at Baltimore (6-4)
Oakland (2-8) at Denver (6-4)
Carolina (8-2) at Atlanta (6-4)
NY Giants (9-1) at Arizona (7-3)
Washington (6-4) at Seattle (2-8)
Indianapolis (6-4) at San Diego (4-6)
Green Bay (5-5) at New Orleans (5-5) Pts.______

Make your picks by using the “Comments” section under the headline.

I can’t quite get into the MLB postseason just yet, and maybe I won’t at all. I’ve kept up with who is winning and even watched a few innings here or there, but it’ll have to take a pretty good storyline for me to really latch on.

I also can’t quite get used to seeing Ernie Johnson, David Aldridge, Dick Stockton and others doing baseball — TBS has the division series — but there they are! I know Stockton has done baseball in the past, he called the famous Game 6 homer by Carlton Fisk against the Reds in 1975, but either it’s his age or the fact baseball doesn’t have the constant movement that basketball does, but I can’t quite get into his broadcasts of baseball.

I’ve heard a lot about the Jump Around at Wisconsin, which is something the fans do between the third and fourth quarters. I was at Camp Randall Stadium in 2000 and I can safely say I don’t really remember the big event. I suppose it could be because Ohio State had pretty much salted away the victory by that point, something this year’s team might want to try to accomplish.

The Bengals signed another criminal this week. I can’t say I’m in favor of re-signing Chris Henry, and Cedric Benson (he was arrested twice in Austin, Texas this summer but charges didn’t get past the grand jury) hasn’t really been that great on the field, let alone off, in the NFL, but I find it funny that the sins of the 2006ish Bengals have really carried over to now. It’s interesting when Seattle re-ups with receiver Koren Robinson after multiple drunk driving charges, and not just a roadside stop DUI, yet the national media doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. Or what about the Jaguars police blotter of late? I guess the point is, aside from Henry being arrested last spring, a player on the Bengals roster at that time hasn’t gotten into trouble of late, but my do reputations linger…

The Reds have nine perspective free agents going into the offseason — it would’ve been 12 had Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. hadn’t been traded and Scott Hatteberg hadn’t been designated for assignment. Who would I keep? Jerry Hairston Jr. has to be kept. The guy helped the team win and hit .326 despite losing significant time to injury. People question his ability to stay healthy and whether he can hit that well again. My guess though is you’re not going to find too many guys who can play both middle infield positions and all three outfield spots and look like an every day player doing it (sorry Ryan Freel, you’ve proven you can’t stay healthy as a Red and you don’t play short). I like the job Mike Lincoln did, despite a bit of a collapse late, but he didn’t pitch for four years. I’d try to keep Jeremy Affeldt, but some other team will be overly impressed with his stuff and ignore the fact he’s not consistent and give him a way bigger deal than he deserves. And I have to say I’d bring David Weathers back. The guy isn’t great, but his ERA remained under 3.30 and he’s a decent leader for the younger pitchers — keep him but watch his role continue to diminish as Jared Burton solidifies the eighth inning spot and other guys get into the mix.

NFL Picks

Kara redeemed herself after a disastrous 4-12 the week before. She lapped the field with a 10-3 mark to claim the week outright.

Most of the rest of us posted winning records overall. We welcome tgd to the fray. Word is this picker makes his guesses all the way from sunny Florida.

Kara 10-3 (plus 1 for winning the week)
Jessica 9-4
JMB 9-4
Jeremiah 9-4
gatorbuckeye 9-4
Seth 8-5
Brian 8-5
The CPA 8-5
Adman 8-5
Big Game 8-5
mary the nurse 8-5
Howard 7-6
Steve-o 7-6
bermuda funk 7-6
Crazed Wolverine 7-6
Nick 7-6
Grandpa 6-7
nora peanut 6-7
tom s 6-7
Jack10 5-8
tgd 5-8

Overall standings

Big Game 39-21 (plus 1)
Adman 39-21
Howard 37-23 (plus 1)
Seth 37-23
tom s 36-24 (plus 1)
Kara 36-24 (plus 1)
Jessica 36-24
The CPA 36-24
Brian 36-24
gatorbuckeye 34-26
mary the nurse 33-27
nora peanut 33-27
bermuda funk 33-27
Steve-o 31-29
Crazed Wolverine 31-29
JMB 29-15
Jack10 27-33
Nick 25-19
Jeremiah 20-9
Grandpa 14-15
Randy 9-7
tgd 5-8

NFL Week Five

Chicago (2-2) at Detroit (0-3)
Atlanta (2-2) at Green Bay (2-2)
San Diego (2-2) at Miami (1-2)
Seattle (1-2) at NY Giants (3-0)
Washington (3-1) at Philadelphia (2-2)
Kansas City (1-3) at Carolina (3-1)
Tennessee (4-0) at Baltimore (2-1)
Indianapolis (1-2) at Houston (0-3)
Tampa Bay (3-1) at Denver (3-1)
Cincinnati (0-4) at Dallas (3-1)
Buffalo (4-0) at Arizona (2-2)
New England (2-1) at San Francisco (2-2)
Pittsburgh (3-1) at Jacksonville (2-2)
Minnesota (1-3) at New Orleans (2-2) Pts._______

Make your picks by using the “Comments” section under the headline.

Undeterred, I marched on, rooting for good football all around the rest of the weekend. Hurricane-like winds quite literally blowing down the world around us — yes we’re in Central Ohio — while we watched football in the man cave.

Much of the area is still without electricity, so I’m keenly aware just how lucky we are to have power and to have not lost trees or portions of our roof as people even in our cul de sac have.

Rather than focus on Ohio State’s big loss out west — I don’t really want to think about it anymore — I was reflecting on a story I read last week in the Columbus Dispatch.

It was a story about the Frambes brothers, who grew up in Ohio before the Civil War, but one moved west and the other returned here after the war. Each had a hand in either founding or growing USC and Ohio State, respectively.

The idea of the feature was that if these two brothers hadn’t done what they did, the two schools might not exist as we know them, let alone serve as the center of the college football world Saturday night.

I began to think after reading the story about all the things that happen in life that have a domino effect on other things in the world.

I think because I was hearing NFL scores going over the car radio at the time it made me remember how I became a Bengals fan, which doesn’t feel all that great at this point, but I still believe it’s better than the alternative.

I was six or seven years old and my parents joined my grandparents on a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. I stayed behind with my other grandparents and when my mom returned to pick my sister and me up, she had a gift from my grandpa; a Bengals pennant.

At the time I knew very little about football. My only real sporting interest at that point was baseball and the Cincinnati Reds. We didn’t have cable and lived in a rural part of Southeastern Ohio, so my influences were few, but I didn’t react well to the Bengals pennant, telling my mom I would’ve rather had a Browns one.

She explained that the Bengals were my Grandpa’s team and that’s why they got that one. I mulled that one over, and it wasn’t long before I favored the black and orange.

It was the next season that the Bengals started 5-0 en route to a near miss at a Super Bowl championship and I was hooked. That pennant was proudly hung on the wall of my bedroom, and still hangs in the man cave!

Regardless of what happens, or has happened in the past, I’m still a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals. I won’t waver in that.

I’m still here, now lets see an actual offense on the field next weekend!

NFL Picks

tom s got the job done in a tie with Kara, as he picked 38 points to her 24 — shenanigans have been called, however, because those two point total guesses added together weren’t even close to the actual total of 78!

We welcome Nick B. and JMB to the picks, and bid adieu (for now) to Randy, who failed to turn in his picks.

tom s 11-4 (he’ll get an extra point on his final total for winning the week)
Kara 11-4
Adman 10-5
JMB 10-5
Nick B. 10-5
Seth 9-6
Steve-o 9-6
mary the nurse 9-6
Howard 9-6
The CPA 8-7
Jessica 8-7
Brian 8-7
Big Game 8-7
bermuda funk 7-8
Crazed Wolverine 7-8
nora peanut 6-9
Jack 10 4-11
gatorbuckeye 4-11

Overall standings

Kara 22-9
tom s 21-10 (plus 1)
Adman 21-10
Big Game 20-11 (plus 1)
Seth 19-12
Brian 19-12
Howard 18-13
The CPA 18-13
mary the nurse 16-15
nora peanut 17-14
Steve-o 17-14
Jessica 17-14
Crazed Wolverine 14-17
Jack 10 14-17
bermuda funk 14-17
gatorbuckeye 13-18
JMB 10-5
Nick B. 10-5
Randy 9-7

NFL Week Three

Kansas City (0-2) at Atlanta (1-1)
Oakland (1-1) at Buffalo (2-0)
Tampa Bay (1-1) at Chicago (1-1)
Carolina (2-0) at Minnesota (0-2)
Miami (0-2) at New England (2-0)
Cincinnati (0-2) at NY Giants (2-0)
Houston (0-1) at Tennessee (2-0)
Arizona (2-0) at Washington (1-1)
Detroit (0-2) at San Francisco (1-1)
St. Louis (0-2) at Seattle (0-2)
New Orleans (1-1) at Denver (2-0)
Pittsburgh (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1)
Jacksonville (0-2) at Indianapolis (1-1)
Cleveland (0-2) at Baltimore (1-0)
Dallas (2-0) at Green Bay (2-0)
NY Jets (1-1) at San Diego (0-2) Pts.______

Make your picks by using the “Comments” section under the headline.

The NFL Draft seemed a bit down this year to me. I’m sure it had something to do with the fact Ohio State only had three players drafted, and only one in the first round, but the fact James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, Alex Boone and Marcus Freeman all opted to stay in school another year. Laurinaitis would’ve easily been a top 10 pick and Jenkins and possibly Boone would’ve been in the first round. Freeman was rated around the third round just after bowl season. I’m ecstatic that those guys stayed in school, but it did make for a less attractive draft. I don’t think that was the only reason it was a bit of a down year, though. So many small schools had guys drafted I hadn’t really heard of, even in the early rounds, and there weren’t all that many can’t miss guys atop the board. Next year will prove to be an exciting time for OSU fans who like to see their players in the league. Players other than the aforementioned ones who likely will go pro include, Chris Wells, Brian Robiskie, Todd Boeckman and Steve Rehring,

The Cincinnati Bengals’ situation didn’t help my view of the draft. First, the cutting of oft-troubled wide receiver Chris Henry, and the negative actions of Chad Johnson, caused the team to have to go after multiple receivers in the draft. That should’ve been a position of strength, but it has turned into a position of need because of those two, hurting the team. Then Marvin Lewis and Co. takes a guy named Jason Shirley in the fifth round. Shirley had a DUI last year and was suspended multiple times by Fresno State, but the Bengals’ issues with character in the past didn’t scare Marvin from taking this guy anyway! Allan Cutler finishes every postgame following a Bengals win by saying “It’s a great day to be a Bengal,” well I’m not buying that today!

I’ve never seen a guy use the LEFT side of the infield in a hit and run situation like the Reds’ Jeff Keppinger. On two different occasions in the past few weeks there has been a situation where a runner on second bolts to third, or a runner on first runs to second, and Keppinger has slapped the ball through the left side. The first time he hit it where the third basemen had been before covering the bag, and the second time, Sunday at San Francisco, he hit it right where the shortstop had been before covering second. He’s a smart hitter and he’s earned a spot on my favorite team.

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James has been criticized in the past for giving up the ball in key situations. I’ve been one of those who felt he should’ve taken the shot rather than give it off to Donyell Marshall or some other stiff on his team, but not Sunday. The difference? It was a tie game. James came up the floor in a 97-97 and when he saw the defense leave Delonte West to come double him he gave West the ball on the left wing. Of course it helps that West drained the three-pointer for the game winner, but I don’t think I would’ve been as critical anyway. If the Cavs were down in that situation then I’d want James to take the shot no matter what.

I went to Detroit’s Comerica Park with my friend Steve Friday night. The place is beautiful and I recommend it to anyone who likes touring ballparks like I do. I saw a few things that impressed me. First, I had been in the stadium in 2000, when it opened, but the fences in left field have been moved in since. I saw Dante Bichette struggle to get the ball to the wall in batting practice back then, but when Vladimir Guerrero hit one into the seats out there, over the new fence and the original one, in the game, I was impressed. I was also impressed with the crowd. It just goes to show that a team that wins – the Tigers went to the World Series in 2006 and competed well last season before picking up some solid hitters prior to this season – will draw well.

Email your thoughts about this or other topics by clicking the “Contact” button at the top of the page.

For fans of teams like the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers, this day has been a bright one the past few years.

For my Cincinnati Bengals, it’s as dark a day as you’ll find, and that’s saying something from a Bengals fan.

It actually started a few days ago. I began wondering why my team never seemed to make any moves on this Christmas morning of the NFL. It’s the day the great players get big contracts from new teams.

Part of me reasoned that it could be smart not to get involved with ex-Super Bowl players or other standouts who’re obviously asking for a bit more money than they’re worth. Maybe it’s smart to stay out of the race for an offensive guard who ends up signing for $32 million (former Steeler Alan Faneca, who signed with the Jets).

But at the end of the day I longed for the excitement of landing that one guy that’d help my team!

So, when I opened a web page Friday afternoon and learned that my team had pulled off a trade — no, it’s not a free agent deal but it did involve a new contract — for Detroit Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, I was ecstatic, but wary.

As I dialed my phone to call a friend of mine who roots for the Lions, I had a moment of hesitation. “What if this turns out like that day we almost signed Warren Sapp? What if it’s announced as a done deal like that day when Sapp was in Paul Brown Stadium only to be whisked away to Oakland?”

Nah, couldn’t happen twice in three years, could it? My friend told me he thought Rogers was still a solid player, although he had a rough season last year with allegations of taking plays off — still had 77 tackles as an interior lineman, almost unheard of.

So I go about my business, calling fellow Bengals fans, giving the business to a Steelers fan at a game I was covering, you know, enjoying myself as a Bengals fan for the first time in a year or so.

Then I get home.

Not only did the trade not go through — insert your joke about the Bengals missing a tackle, the Brown family not being able to figure out the intricacies of the NFL salary cap, or whatever else you might come up with, here — but the hated Browns had swooped in and obtained Rogers before the Bengals could do anything about it!

This signing would’ve single-handedly tipped the scales — literally at over 350 pounds — toward gaining some respectability on the defensive side of the ball. My friend Ben and I reasoned that the last stud defensive lineman we had was Tim Krumrie, and he played on the 1988 Super Bowl team!

It’s really hard to be a fan of a team when they not only bungle things up on game day, but can’t get anything right in free agency, in trades or on draft day!

I hear Pac Man Jones is available, and the commissioner might lift his suspension in time for his 40th birthday, maybe we should go after him!

Email thoughts about this or other topics by clicking the “Contact” button at the top of this page.

Most people who know me know that I’m a huge fan of the Reds, Ohio State football, the Bengals and Ohio State basketball. I used to enjoy the NBA, and have slowly started to watch a bit more over the past few years, but the “Big Four” get most of my attention.

That said, what is my favorite?

My most often-used answer is, “Whichever season it is now,” but that’s not entirely true.

I’ve recently realized my fanaticism, while it can’t be questioned, often drives me to look forward when things are bleak in the current season.

For instance, I’ve become very used to the Redlegs limping down the stretch over the past seven or eight years, which makes OSU football’s beginning all the more welcome come late summer. The Bengals provide a welcome respite to my Cincinnati fandom, however they’ve let me down of late, too.

So, when OSU has beaten Michigan, ending the regular season, and the Bengals are fading fast in December, it’s great to turn to the basketball Buckeyes!

Now I’m sitting at the beginning of what should be any college hoops fan’s favorite time of year — March Madness — and I feel more of a sense of impending doom than excitement.

Don’t get me wrong, the success of last year’s Buckeyes was more than enough to get me excited, and I know this year’s squad is young and largely inexperienced, but expectations are a bit higher than this season’s seeming lack of improvement.

With the Buckeyes struggling — and I still live and die with every bounce of the ball — I’m reading more and more about the upcoming Reds season, which will surely take me squarely into midsummer just in time for OSU training camp.

Did Terrelle Pryor sign yet?

Email me by clicking the “Contact” button at the top of this page.