Every day there are three things, here are those three things.
1) The guy who does the least says the most. As we've all been giving virtual high-fives to AJ McCarron for publicly and vocally coming to the defense of Andy Dalton, is it cool if I ask some questions?
What's it say about this Bengals team that one of its de facto spokespersons in this time of crisis is a guy who hasn't attempted a pass in a game that counts in 620 days?
Does it say that in the absence of someone who, you know, actually plays, that someone - anyone - had to have Andy's back. Does it illustrate the void left by a guy like Andrew Whitworth, who in his wiley/cagey/grizzled veteran kind of way acted as the go-to quote when shit started to slide downhill?
Or does it highlight the fact that Dalton's support among his teammates has diminished to the point where the only person willing to vouch for him is his understudy?
I don't know the answers to these questions, and me asking them isn't me ripping on AJ McCarron - like it or not, he is the team's backup quarterback - but I do have a feeling that other teams with a starting quarterback in the public's crosshairs would have someone who actually dons a helmet during games be the most prominent voice on his behalf.
2) In search of 200+. Last night's Reds loss was, in a way at least, a microcosm of the season as a whole. The Reds scored runs, but got a short outing from their starter, asked the bullpen to do a little too much, and lost.
The vibes, for the most part this season, have been pretty good these last five or six weeks. The young starters are throwing better, the team has been marginally competitive, and a lot of signs point toward a better 2018 and beyond.
Still though, who gives the Reds 200+ innings next season?
Therein lies the biggest question about this coming offseason: Can the Reds acquire a pitcher that can they can bank on throwing 200+ frames in 2018?
And, of course, what will it cost.
And then, are we comfortable parting with whatever it costs?
If they don't get a pitcher, not of the Bronson Arroyo/Scott Feleman/ Jason Marquis profile, but instead one with the profile of someone that has big league experience and still some upside, who can be controlled in the short-term, can we really expect 2018 to look that much different than 2018?
3) 30K to watch women play soccer. Work responsibilities kept me from seeing or going to the US Women's Soccer Team last night at Nippert Stadium. Those I've talked to who went say the experience was incredible.
More than 30,000 people gathered to watch women play soccer in Cincinnati, Ohio last night. There was a time when that sentence seemed quite inconceivable.
Radio Show: I'm off today and damn happy about it. We return tomorrow at 3:05 on ESPN1530.
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