Every day there are three things, here are those three things.
1) The Bengals and the bed they've made. Bob Costas on the Bengals....
"Domestic abusers - people guilty of various forms of misbehavior - find a place on NFL rosters," Costas said during the interview. "(Adam) Pacman Jones was just suspended again - for a single game - for some run-in with the police several months ago. This guy's got a rap sheet a mile long, and collects millions of dollars for the Cincinnati Bengals, who at various times seem to have been running a halfway house for miscreants."
The NBC Sports commentator singled out the Bengals in an interview on CNN the other night.
Mike Brown wasn't having it. From his annual availability to the media yesterday....
Neither was Marvin Lewis....
Ah, but here is the deal Mike and Marvin have made, in deciding to retain Adam Jones and draft Joe Mixon, and if you align with the owner and the coach, don't say I didn't warn you.
The week of the draft, we talked a lot about the possibility of the Bengals selecting Mixon in the wake of their support for Jones. One thing I harped on was that if the Bengals went forth with both the veteran corner and the rookie running back, who are known at least as much for their troubles off the field as their exploits on it, they'd have to accept that some pretty harsh criticism - some of it maybe even a little unfair - was gonna come their way. If you're a fan, and you get upset when people say the things that Costas say, or if you're an owner or coach and you're a little sensitive to how outsiders brand you're team, then you want neither Adam Jones or Joe Mixon in orange and black.
If you really, really want those players, then understand what's coming.
And Costas' commentary is only the beginning of what's coming.
The Bengals made this deal, with an almost implied acceptance that their brand would take a hit, and that the mere mention of their name would elicit harsh criticisms, bad jokes, and at times, unfair hot takes about the caliber of people they employ.
They've gotten what they wanted from this deal, retaining the veteran Jones to play among a group of corners that - Dre Kirkpatrick aside - lacks NFL bona fides, and drafting Mixon, who has the ability to be one of the league's most productive rookies.
It's time to accept the fallout.
2) Hot Seat Marv! Doc writes about Marvin Lewis being on the hot seat.
Sports on Earth has Marv among the coaches feeling the heat going into 2017.
Marvin's seat is hot!
Maybe.
The easy thing to do is to look at it from a clear-cut, win-a-playoff-game-or-else standpoint, something the Bengals have never done, and a standard that I don't believe the Bengals will hold Marvin to, for better or for worse.
Here's how I view Marvin Lewis in 2017, for what it's worth, which isn't much.
I felt, from almost the beginning of camp, like the Bengals felt stale. Maybe it was post-playoff loss hangover. Perhaps it was the inevitable roster attrition taking its toll, but from the season's outset, the 2016 Bengals had a very 2014 Reds feel to them.
How much of that is on the coach? Maybe a lot. Maybe very little.
But the vibe - at least as a fan - doesn't strike me as that much different heading into this season, even with more roster turnover. There's a little bit of a bring-the band-back-together-one-more-time feel to this season, even with the team's core still pretty much intact. And it's worth wondering, if Marvin Lewis couldn't reach last year's group, can he really get through to this year's?
If the answer is yes, then I really wouldn't have a huge issue with Marvin coming back in 2018, regardless of what their postseason fate was.
If the answer is no, then I get the sense that Mike Brown will feel the same way I will about finding a new coach.
3) The Reds. There was a triple play, there were some familiar faces wearing pinstripes, there was the hobbling of Zack Cozart, and there was a loss, this one to the Yankees in The Bronx, 4-2.
Why was Cozart allowed to run the bases after reaching with two outs in the eighth? Not only does having him attempt to run - when he clearly can't - compromise any chance the Reds have of trading him, but it all but kept them from tying the game on Hamilton's subsequent double.
Bryan Price ended up pinch-running for Cozart at third after Hamilton's knock, which was made moot by Eugenio Suarez's inning-ending strikeout, but that move should've been made a hitter prior, and had it been, maybe the rest of the inning and the game both play out differently.
Either way, it was dumb to have Cozart remain in the game once he'd reached base. Dumb on Zack. Dumb on Price. Dumb on the Reds.
Recommended Link Of The Day: Must read article on how our lives will change dramatically in 20 years by CEO of Mercedes.
Radio Show: Lots of football today. Tony Pike is with me for the 4:00 hour. Dave Lapham is at 5:05. Jim Kelly is live at UC's first practice of the summer at 3:33. The fun starts at 3:05 on ESPN1530, which you can listen to 24/7 at ESPN1530.com/listen.