Sunday, April 28, 2002
Enquirer power rankings
The top five
1. The Bengals. With all the talk about the Bengals' draft last week, we were reminded of our striped men's placement in the new AFC North. And the best thing about this move? The fact there will be only four teams in the division — they can finish no lower than fourth. Now, that's progress. (Hey, don't laugh. The last time they finished as high as third in the AFC Central was 1996.)
2. Buddy LaRosa. The pizza guru is simply a Cincy treasure. His love for boxing and high school sports, in particular, has benefited local athletes for years. Congrats on the induction into the Sorrento's Hamilton County Sports Hall of Fame.
3. Jim Tressel. The Ohio State football coach has long drawn raves from Ohio high school coaches for his visibility and commitment to recruiting in-state while at Youngstown State. His appearance at the May 6 Madeira Sports Stag proves he still means business.
4. The Buffalo Bills. Seems they figured out a way to acquire Drew Bledsoe. And the night they acquired the former All-Pro quarterback they had to open the ticket office because of demand. Oh well, if the Bengals manage to land Gus Frerotte ...
5. The Reds. Look, we know it's only three weeks in, but winning beats losing any day. Just ask Buddy Bell of the Rockies.
The bottom five
1. Reds fans. No, not because they're not going to the games, but for their incessant whining about why they're not going. The Reds and Major League Baseball have made their bed, and if you don't want to go to the game, fine. Just stop belly-aching about it.
2. The NBA. It's not as if the NBA is the only sport to sell its soul to television. But this playoff schedule with a handful of days between games is just ridiculous. Sunburn and basketball just don't mix.
3. Kenyon Martin. You think UC fans who spend the better part of their time defending the image of the Bearcat program cringed at the recent Sports Illustrated cover? If you missed it, he was pictured flexing his tattoo with the title “Bad Boy.”
4. Jason Giambi. Quit the spin-doctoring! He went to the Yankees because they offered the most money and, well, they're the hated Yankees. Good for Athletics fans for letting him have it.
5. Baseball game length: Remember years ago when they called Mike Hargrove “the human rain delay” because of the whole rigamarole he would go through at the plate before each pitch? Well, when ESPN Classic aired a replay of Len Barker's 1981 perfect game last week, we barely noticed the antics of Hargrove, Barker's Cleveland Indians teammate at the time. Know why? BECAUSE TODAY, EVERYBODY TAKES TOO $#&*%$ LONG AT THE PLATE!!!!!
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Mariners 1, Yankees 0
Angels 11, Blue Jays 4
Rangers 4, Indians 2
Bengals' Jones took unusual path to NFL
Munoz takes back seat to Jones
Bengals Q&A with Mark Curnutte
Guidugli finds his touch in spring game
Different paths led to UC track
High School Insider
St. Xavier wins tennis classic
Cincinnati high school results
N.Ky. high school results
Enquirer power rankings
