Spring is in the air

I haven't posted on here in quite a while, mostly because I've been so busy. I'm playing in a band now with my roommate, and we've been practicing about 2-3 times a week. We've got about 25 songs or so under our belt, and we're hoping to play a gig in a month or so.

Just because I haven't been blogging doesn't mean that nothing has been going on...

Here's a few things that have happened since I last blogged:

1. The Reds kicked off their season

I absolutely love this time of year, because it means a fresh start for the boys in red and white. This year is a little different than most, because a couple of overpaid players (Dunn and Griffey) are gone. Dunn is with the Natinals (no that's not a spelling error) and Griffey is with the Mariners.

Seeing Griffey back with the Mariners is quite a beautiful thing. It would be like Brett Favre going back to the Packers, or Michael Jordan going back to the Bulls.

Adam Dunn playing for the Natinals is also a pretty amazing sight. It's kind of fitting that Dunn, the guy who doesn't hustle, and strikes out more than Henry Rowengartner, is playing for the worst team in baseball.

Even though the Reds season is only 20 games in, we've already seen a pretty good picture of what we're going to get this year:

1. Good starting pitching.

Harang, Cueto, Arroyo and Volquez have all looked pretty good thus far. Arroyo has only had one bad start, and so has Harang. Volquez and Cueto are very young and are still trying to work on some control problems. (Cueto seems to be turning this corner a little quicker than Volquez.)

2. Clutch performances from the bullpen.

After 20 games, theres only been one blown save between Rhodes, Weathers and Cordero. These guys will almost always make you sweat when they pitch, but more often than not, they're going to get the job done.

3. Bad, bad, bad hitting.

Votto has been the only bright spot on this lineup. He's absolutely hitting the cover off the ball, and is close to tops in the league in RBIs. If Brandon Phillips can follow his lead, this team will be very dangerous.

Bruce started off slow, but seems to have found his stroke back. He's already hit 5 HRs, and he's improved his defense a little, too.

With all things considered, it doesn't look like the Reds will be able to win more than 80 games. Hopefully, if they're still in contention at the All-Star break, they'll make a move for a right-handed bat.

2. The Bengals had one of their best drafts ever.

Going into this draft, the Bengals had A LOT of positions to address. None, however were more important than the offensive line. I'm sure all of you remember this from last year. The Bengals don't want that to happen again, so they drafted Andre Smith (OT from Alabama) 6th overall. Despite all the doubts in his character, this was a great move. Smith is an absolute animal on the football field, and he knows how to slap guys around.

In the second round, Rey Maualuga surprisingly fell to the Bengals, and they pulled the trigger. This guy is a beast of a linebacker, but I'll let you see that for yourself. You'll probably want to mute the death metal background music.

In rounds 3-7, the Bengals had an abundance of picks and capitalized on them. They got great value in positions such as center, tight end and defensive end. They even drafted an amazing punter in Kevin Huber from the Bearcats.

All of these picks are going to make this fall football season a lot of fun to watch. Hopefully Bratkowski steps back a little bit and lets Palmer call the plays. If this happens, the Bengals could make a splash in the AFC North.

3. Clear Channel lays off 1530 Homer employees

I've been listening to 1530 Homer the Sports Animal for about 3 years now. Their lineup, for quite some time, ahs been Alan Cutler 6-9am, Mo Egger 9-noon, and Lance McCallister 3-6pm. They have some clown's syndicated show from 12-3 everyday, but that doesn't matter.

Clear Channel cancelled Alan and Mo's show, and told Alan he was done with the company. Mo is now moved to 700 WLW with Jim Scott, and will fill in occasionally on 1530.

I doubt that all of you listen to Cincinnati sports talk radio, but I do. I listen everyday, and this is incredibly sad to me. All I can say is that I'll miss listening and calling in, and sports talk radio will never be the same.

If you want the full story, here it is.