The Enquirer sports department's look at who rated — good and bad — this week in sports:

THE TOP 5         1. UC's basketball team: Looks like that loss in the Crosstown Shootout woke the team up. Don't tell Bob Huggins. He hates equating losing with lessons.         2. Dick LeBeau: He's a good guy. He deserves a chance. And we'll be absolutely stunned if he can turn things around.         3. UC's football team: Congrats on a great season, fellows. Hope you're enjoying your stay in Detroit. Good thing about this bowl run is the cupboard does not look bare like it did after the 1997 trip to the Humanitarian Bowl.         4. Steve Logan: Remember the old Saturday Night Live skit: “Broken leg, bone stickin' out. Went 3-for-4. Two stolen bases.” Logan went from crutches to saving the Bearcats in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.         5. NKU men's and women's basketball teams: Neither of these teams ever lose. Is there any sport the Norse aren't good at?

THE BOTTOM 5         1. Jim Bowden: What's the logic with not trying to sign Pokey Pokey and Sean Casey to long-term deals. Gee, it backfired on Cleveland, didn't it? And is Jason LaRue going to catch 162 games? Tom Lampkin, one of the catchers the Reds had a chance to sign, re-signed with the Seattle Mariners Friday.         2. Carl Lindner: He writes the checks for Jimmy B. With a $40 million payroll, Reds fans are longing for the days of Marge Schott. Well, let's not go that far.         3. The Bowl System: The problem is there are 25 bowls and maybe 30 good teams. Can't wait for that Micronpc.com Bowl, featuring 6-5 Minnesota vs. 7-4 North Carolina State.         4. Euro soccer fans: Three days of rioting in the Netherlands after police shoot a thug, er fan. Of course, the fan was wielding a big knife.         5. Miami RedHawks: They beat No. 10 Notre Dame, then lost to Wright State and George Mason. Youth means inconsistency. That's what the RedHawks are dealing with right now.

Sports Stories

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