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SECOND THOUGHTS
Coming to a Horseshoe near you: No. 1 vs. No. 2?
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Saturday's Ohio State-Cincinnati football game is a perfect example why gambling on sports will drive you to drink just about anything but the gas in the mower. The Buckeyes are 291/2-point favorites. No way Jim Tressel runs it up on his pal Mark Dantonio. Then an old guy from South Africa kicks a 52-yard field goal with 74 seconds to play. OSU wins by 30.
Big Game hype: Considering that most of the Big Ten looks as scary as a litter of newborn puppies, it's not too early to start talking OSU-Michigan. The Horseshoe, Nov. 18. Could it be No. 1 vs. No. 2?
Extras
The Buckeyes' schedule isn't extremely scary. Things could go haywire at Iowa, but OSU will be looking for payback from that meltdown in Iowa City two years ago. Michigan's three toughest games appear to be Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa, but they get the Spartans and Hawkeyes at the Big House.
Yeah, it's early, and a lot of teams need to lose, but it could happen.
Pay to play: Everyone is wondering how the Cincinnati Reds can get better. Well, for starters, the guys who get paid serious money need to produce.
Some of the rich Reds, with 2006 salaries: Eric Milton and Ken Griffey ($9 million-plus); Jason LaRue ($3.9M); and Paul Wilson ($3.75M).
The guys who delivered good stats and value included Rich Aurilia and Ryan Freel ($1.3M each); Dave Ross ($500,000) and Edwin Encarnacion ($332,000).
Fall from grace: I'm sure you're as shocked as I am to learn that Reggie Bush and his family apparently took gifts from potential agents while he was playing for USC. That happens? Man, I thought college football was clean. Wonder what Santa Claus thinks.
On the tee: First-round losers in the World Match Play Championship — such as Tiger Woods — get a cool $112,140 for their trouble. I'm working on a way to create a paperwork error that adds this guy to next year's field: Kollars, B. — USA.
Quick hits: I see that Kenny Loggins is coming to the Nutter Center. This raises two questions: 1) Will he need a walker; 2) Is the dancing gopher from Caddyshack going to make an appearance? ... I read that The Rock is giving $2 million to the University of Miami. Something about support for Larry Coker's new "cash for guns" program. ... Gotta love those Lloyd Carr interviews on the way to the halftime locker room. Stand your ground, Lloyd. The TV guys can wait.
Knucklehead of the week: Northern Colorado backup punter Mitch Cozad really wanted a starting job. Cozad allegedly stabbed starter Rafael Mendoza in his kicking leg last week. Extra practice? Nah, pass the butcher knife. The smooth move that led cops to Cozad: After Mendoza was stabbed, someone saw two guys removing tape from their car's license plates. The plate number: 8-KIKR. Barney Fife could've solved that one.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2163 or bkollars@DaytonDailyNews.com.
