Every day there are three things, none worth devoting an individual post to, but each worth at least mentioning.
1) The Dan Straily trade. We've seen the Reds trade so many good players over the past couple of years, that I guess it's not that hard to say goodbye to someone who we were just getting to know. The trade - Dan Straily to Miami for three prospects - is the kind of deal the Reds should be making, and to quote my guest from yesterday, it's the kind of trade the Reds should have been making.
They acquired Straily for nothing right before Opening Day last year, saw his worth grow, and sold him off for younger assets when his value has possibly at its highest, which is what the Reds should've been doing with some of those mainstays we've watched the trade off during the rebuild.
The impact of the deal on the outlook for this season is minimal. The Reds didn't just go from contender to also-ran because they just traded one of last year's bright spots, and while it was easy to assume that Straily was going to get a spot in the rotation if he was still here, it's not that hard to come up with names to replace him.
We'll know in a few years if this trade was a good one. I know now that this kind of trade is a good one.
2) Pretend brackets. I had Jerry Palm, the bracket geek for CBS Sports, on yesterday's show. You can see his latest projection here, and you can hear the interview here....
I'm not exactly breaking new ground here, but when you listen to Jerry assess both the current resumes and upcoming schedules for UC and XU, you get a full grasp of the biggest difference between the American Athletic Conference and the Big East. The Bearcats play in a league that alone could keep them from earning a top-three seed. The Musketeers slate gives them plenty of chances to play catch-up.
Of course, given what both schools have in front of them, I guess this could work the other way too. It's impossible to imagine the Bearcats not making the tournament, While it's unlikely, the gauntlet of the Big East could keep the Muskies on the outside looking in.
And maybe it's too damn early for bracketology anyway.
3) A school funded by Ohio taxpayers should hold its revenue-generating events in Ohio. UC has not officially announced where the basketball team will be playing during Fifth Third's renovations next season. All signs point right now to NKU being their temporary home, which I'm against for one specific reason.
Nothing against NKU or BB&T Arena. I go to Norse games (sometimes, I've allowed to stay for the whole thing), and I have a very soft spot in my heart for Northern Kentucky University. I think the setting, especially for the early-season games that few fans attend, could be better than what UC enjoys right now, and I do understand not wanting to play games in front of thousands of empty seats, given US Bank Arena's size. And for what it's worth, I know that the women's basketball and volleyball teams need places to play next season as well.
But - and I say this as someone who spent much of his childhood in Northern Kentucky, graduating from Scott High School, and who has most of his family in the 859 - the state of Ohio funds the University of Cincinnati, and some of those funds subsidize sports. Any ancillary benefit from one of the school's biggest revenue-generators should be kept in Ohio.
When The Commonwealth starts funding public institutions in Ohio, I'll change my mind.
Radio Show: I'd like to keep it light today, because, you know, I sense some contentiousness today. Join us today at 3:05 on ESPN1530.