TicketsIf there is a better month than October, then I'd love to hear what it is. This has long been my favorite month of the year and this is the first time in about six years I get to experience it back in my hometown of CIncinnati.
October living in the South was different. There's a different vibe. It's still hot and there's no real progression of the leaves changing. The arrival of Fall makes for such a great backdrop for the best time in sports. Postseason baseball, NFL heats up, college football plays some of the biggest games of the season, Midnight Madness, NBA openers (then we can stop paying attention until May). It's a smorgasbord.
This year, I throw in my 30th birthday. Which normally would bring people down, but Jay-Z told me 30 was the new 20, so I am going with that.
This will be a particularly fun month for UC football. WIth all the ups and downs of the non-conference nearly behind them, opening Big East play could be a resurgent month. Judging by the Oklahoma game, this team appears prime to roll into a wide open Big East schedule and compete for a third straight Big East title. The open of the BE schedule comes with some winnable games. If the team can build some W's and confidence at the same time they will be primed to tackle the torturous close of the season with WVU, UConn and Pitt.
But for one weekend, they rest. But, that doesn't mean nothing's going on, so let's eat...
--- Bill Koch wrote about former Winton Woods coach Troy Everhart, who is now an assistant with the Bearcats.
Not only is Everhart a piece of this team's future success, but two of the players he helped mold as well.Maalik Bomar is developing into one of the best LBs in the league and Chris Williams' role will only be more vital with injuries mounting in the secondary.
--- Down the Drive has a take on Isaiah Pead. I would disagree that Pead was overlooked coming into the season, most people I read had him in the conversation with Noel Devine, Jordan Todman and Dion Lewis.
But I don't disagree that he can be the engine to make this offense go. Butch Jones likes to establish the run and also hit explosive plays. It's rare you can do both at the same time consistently, but with Pead's elusiveness and speed he's able to capitilize off the spread out defense as well as any back in the league.
--- Scott Springer talks with Andre Revels, who is now working for Northwestern Mutual. Some correllations were brought up between this year's defense and the one Revels was a part of about three years ago when a young group was first coming up.
UC only hopes players like Bomar and JK Schaffer can have the kind of impact Revels did on the university.
--- Wayne "Box" Miller talks about the bye week. It seems to come at a bad time, just as UC grabbed some momentum, even in a loss. But being able to rest up a significant group of banged up players outweighs any sapped Uncle Mo.
--- The bye week also makes for very little being said about the team, so we'll go for some extended Friday randomness....
--- I may be a little late on this, but did anybody think that maybe the 3-year-old girl shut her eyes and wished for a bloody, 75-person brawl for her birthday?
--- Put me in the contingent rooting agianst Boise State and their cupcake schedule. If you are on the fence, just remember, a boo for Boise State is a boo for Kid Rock. I believe I just forced your hand.
--- Tool on tool crime with Doug Gottlieb and Jim Mora.
--- Of course, you know I've got to have a mustache link. How about the top 10 staches in sports today. (No sign of Jason Kelce's Higher Ground stache, though it would be in my honorable mentions)
--- I am really torn here. I love hip-hop, in particular old school classics, but I loathe Jimmy Fallon. I once went and saw Fever Pitch for the sole reason of booing him whenever he failed to be funny.
That said, Justin Timberlake spins it into a pretty fun piece on the history of hip hop.
--- Remember, in class today, please turn off your cell phones. Or else you might provoke one of these angry outbursts. Actually, on second thought, these are pretty awesome.
When in class, you must remember, this isn't Nam, there are rules. (Big Lebowski=obviously NSFW)