The objective of today’s missive is to attempt to touch on a wide range of talking points in the wide world of sports. In the interest of brevity, I won’t be going into a lot of detail, or this thing would take up far too much space and likely bore you to tears as well.
Instead, this endeavor is merely an attempt to toss out a few opinions mixed with some info on several sports items swirling around in my head today. If you spot any errors or typos, the explanation is that I’ve suffered a brain cramp due to the extreme heat wave we’re currently experiencing in the Ohio Valley.
Don’t forget folks, stay hydrated!
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL BEGINS IN COMMONWEALTH – The opening week of high school football is in the books, and congrats to Mason County and Bracken County.
The Royals began the campaign with an impressive 21-12 home victory over Russell, and the Class 2A Polar Bears went to Cynthiana, where they thrashed Class 4A Harrison County 42-0.
Mason County quarterback Teegin Routt led the offense, completing 14-of-23 pass attempts for 208 yards and a pair of scores. Seven different receivers caught passes, with Cole Horch and Ashayne Jones on the receiving end
of touchdown tosses of 21 and 37 yards, respectively. Garryon McClain hauled in five passes for 54 yards, and Bryce Moran had three catches for 55 yards. Izley Morales added a scoring run for the Royals.
Bracken County tailback Daulton Tarter paced the offensive attack with 20 carries for 117 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with a head injury he suffered after his helmet was ripped off and he was subsequently brought down by the defense. Polar Bears quarterback Jackson Whitten was efficient through the air, completing 11-of-14 pass attempts for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
The other two area schools, Fleming County and Lewis County, dropped their openers, with both coming on the road. The Panthers fell at Class 6A Lafayette 27-14, and the Lions came up short in a 44-34 defeat at Nicholas County.
Fleming ran for 287 yards, led by Evan Conley (113) and Jordan Harn (112). Harn and Aiden Johnson, who ran for 62 yards, got into the end zone for the Panthers.
The Blue Jackets piled up 44 points despite not completing a pass in their win over the Lions. Wyatt Simons ran for 189 yards and five touchdowns for Nicholas, and Colby Gray added 92 rushing yards and a kickoff return TD.
Lewis County QB Aaden Bloomfield completed 17-of-29 pass attempts for 266 yards and five touchdowns, with Jaidence Cottingham his favorite target, grabbing seven receptions for 160 yards and three scores.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL OPENS WITH UPSET – In what is referred to as Week Zero in college football, the opener kicked off across the pond at noon Saturday. In the game held in Dublin, Ireland, 47,998 fans crammed into Aviva Stadium and were treated to an exciting game.
The game turned out to be a stunner, when underdog Georgia Tech used a stout offensive line and a game-ending field goal to dispatch 10th-ranked Florida State 24-21. The Yellow Jackets racked up 190 yards on the ground and 5.3 yards per carry while winning their first game against a top-10 opponent since a 22-16 victory over the Seminoles in October 2015.
Georgia Tech was 7-6 last year, while Florida State dropped its second consecutive game, following its embarrassing 63-3 loss to Georgia in last year’s Orange Bowl.
The ‘Noles and their fans were vocal about not being selected to the college football playoffs after an undefeated season a year ago, with the committee ultimately picking Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama. Many of their players opted to skip the Orange
Bowl after that decision, and the FSU fans remain bitter about the slight.
Seems the committee got it right after all.
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ACES AND KILLS AND DIGS ALL OVER – College volleyball has enjoyed a tremendous rise in exposure and interest in the past several years.
Nowhere is that more evident than at the University of Kentucky, which captured the national championship in 2020. The No. 9-ranked Wildcats opened their 2024 season last night (after this was written) in Louisville’s Yum Center against second-ranked Nebraska in the opener of the AVCA First Serve Showcase doubleheader on ESPN2 to begin the season with a bang. The nightcap featured the home team, the sixth-ranked Cardinals meeting third-ranked Wisconsin.
Kentucky opens its home schedule in newly refurbished Memorial Coliseum on Friday at 6:30 p.m. when they host Northern Kentucky. The weekend will continue with a visit from Western Kentucky Saturday evening, and a Sunday afternoon tilt versus Morehead State. The photos of the new Memorial, which can be seen online at ukathletics.com are stunning. The old arena has never looked better, and there will be several opportunities to see the Cats playing in their spiffy new home this season on ESPN and the SEC Network.
The sport of volleyball continues to make incredible strides in popularity and it’s easy to see why when you check it out. The athleticism and competitive nature possessed by these ladies is truly something to behold. Many of you already know the affinity I have for volleyball, which I began covering on the high school level in the area from 2005-2013, and later coached from 2014-2020.
The preseason favorite to win the always formidable Southeastern Conference, according to the coaches’ poll, is new SEC member Texas, which also sits atop the AVCA preseason national poll. The Longhorns, who are seeking their third consecutive national title, are followed by Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee in the SEC poll.
Hoping to make a trip to Lexington to check out the Cats and the shiny new Memorial at some point this season, and will most definitely be watching when they appear on the tube.
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BAT CATS FACE HUGE CHALLENGE – Coming off a memorable season where the Kentucky baseball team made its first-ever appearance in the College World Series, coach Nick Mingione has his work cut off for a return trip to Omaha.
Most of the starting lineup and several key pitchers have departed, including six players who were picked in the Major League Draft, and three others who signed undrafted free agent deals with big-league clubs, leaving the coach and his staff numerous roster spots to fill. They have been busy doing just that, bringing in 15 players from the Transfer Portal, along with 15 freshmen.
Incoming freshman shortstop Tyler Bell has been the most talked about recruit. Bell chose to honor his commitment to UK after turning down an opportunity to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays, who selected the switch-hitting, slick-fielding Bell in the second round of the MLB Draft. He left a significant amount of money on the table but the Frankfort, Illinois native believes he can increase his draft stock after a season or two in Lexington. Due to his age, Bell will be eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft.
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WAIT TIL’ NEXT YEAR – Same old song and dance for the Cincinnati Reds.
Perhaps the 2025 season will go much better for the first team in professional baseball, and hopefully the team’s front office has learned a thing or two after the disappointing 2024 campaign. Lineup changes and tough decisions need to be made if the club hopes to contend, and even though the ownership is reluctant to do so, money must be spent as well.
Among several position upgrades needed to get the team in postseason contention, the Reds could use a veteran starting pitcher to head up the rotation, and one possibility is Corbin Burnes, who will be a free agent at season’s end.
That would mean the front office would have to make the decision to pay a frontline starter, and that would represent a change in philosophy by the ownership. I wouldn’t count on that occurring, and the Reds may try to get by with what they have, and hope that pitching prospects like Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns can help the club next season. Another possibility is Julian Aguiar, who has been impressive in his first two major league starts.
The Reds still need more power in their lineup, so they can take advantage of playing half their games in Great American Ball Park. Someone like Teoscar Hernandez would be a good fit in right field, but again, the club will have to pay up.
Despite the outcry from Reds fans, manager David Bell is not likely to be fired, but perhaps some coaching staff changes will be in the works. My contention remains that the failures of this team do not completely fall on Bell’s shoulders, simply because of the roster he’s given year after year by the front office spendthrifts and the questionable decisions made by team president Nick
Krall. Don’t get me wrong; Bell is far from perfect, and perhaps a change would benefit the Reds. But if the new skipper the team brings in doesn’t get better players on the roster, the Reds will remain mediocre at best.
Using the tired old excuse of being a small-market team is just that, an excuse. Just look at what Milwaukee does on a consistent basis, and you can add Kansas City, Cleveland, Minnesota, Arizona and others as examples of franchises that spend their money wisely, and draft and develop talent the right way. It’s obvious that the Reds need to exercise creativity and have more keen evaluators of talent making decisions.
If that doesn’t occur, Reds fans will be left to cling to false hopes and promises from management that everything will get better. They’ve already run out of patience, and the worst thing that could happen is if it turns to apathy.
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There are so many interesting quotes from the recently retired Joey Votto that you could fill a book with his insights.
Here’s just a few:
“My objective with men at 2nd and 3rd is to get one quality pitch to drive them in. If it’s not available, I’m going to go to first base and I won’t make any apologies about that.”
“In this league, if you’re going to be tested, you have to answer quickly. I feel like if you show signs of weakness, people attack that pretty quickly.”
“I think I am boring. That’s good. I strive for boring in all elements of my game.”
“I think if I let the team’s performance dictate how I behave or how I perceive my performance, or whether or not there’s value, or whether or not anyone even cares, it’s a dangerous and slippery slope.”
“I follow basketball. That was always one of my passions and I enjoyed watching it. I appreciate how athletically gifted those guys are. Just never got into hockey.”
“Cincinnati is a prettier city than people give it credit for. I like it here, I like the people. They’re so polite.”
“My favorite ability in a player is the combination of aggressiveness and patience.”
“Hitting is very challenging, you never get it solved.”
“I never want to be apologetic for anything I say.”
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“The greatest man I have ever had the privilege of knowing personally. And I have not known a man with a kinder nature or a purer character. He was called the Silent Man – the Sphinx — and he was that, in public, but not in private. There he was a fluent and able talker – with a large sense of humor, and a most rare gift of compacting meaty things into phrases of stunning
felicity.” — Mark Twain, describing his friend, General Ulysses S. Grant
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