It feels odd to be saying goodbye when I’m not really going anywhere, but if anyone should be used to it by now, it’s me.   

The Big East is officially a mid-major. Not that it’s a surprise, but the agreement on a TV deal with ESPN for $130 million over seven years seals it.  

The sport of boxing admittedly doesn’t hold the nation’s spotlight like it once did, but, even so, it seems this city hasn’t fully embraced the fact that one of its own might be on his way to being the best fighter on the planet.   

The success or failure of any college football program starts with recruiting, which is why we see the coaching turnover in the sport start before the final games are played.  

The Reds’ pitchers and catchers, including Punxsutawney-native Devin Mesoraco, report for spring training on Feb. 11, signaling the start of yet another baseball season.  

Until July of 2015, you’re going to hear a lot about Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. And for good reason — the game could bring anywhere from $75-$100 million into the city.
  

It’s tough, at this point, to debate the fact that Bob Castellini might be the greatest thing to happen to the Cincinnati sporting scene in the last decade. Coaches and players come and go, but a commitment from ownership is the most important thing any pro sports franchise needs for sustained success.   

The shutout in this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame voting was ugly, but the 2013 ballot and beyond could get downright messy.   

Is Dalton the quarterback who can lead the Bengals to a Super Bowl? For now, at least, his coach is sticking by him, so that’s about all that matters.   

Orson Charles had no idea that the Bengals hadn’t won a playoff game in his lifetime. Yet, it’s true. The Bengals rookie tight end was born Jan. 27, 1991 — just three weeks after the team’s 10-7 victory over the Houston Oilers on Jan. 6, the franchise’s last playoff victory.    

For too long the denizens of our fair city have identified themselves as losers because of the struggles of our professional sports teams, but perhaps we turned a corner in 2012.   

Walt Jocketty’s Christmas list wasn’t long, but it was still a tall order. Well, two weeks before Dec. 25, he checked off the final big-ticket item: a leadoff hitter.  

Joey Votto finished his 2012 season with singles in each of his final two plate appearances, but it was his fifth-inning at-bat in Game 5 of the National League Division Series that sticks with him.   

Butch Jones sat in a room Dec. 4 with University of Cincinnati president Santa Ono and a representative of the Belk Bowl and told the media — which was most certainly not there to discuss the Dec. 27 game against Duke — he had every intention of coaching the Bearcats in that game and beyond.   

Most people remember at some point in life dating someone we now refer to as “crazy.” The use of the word can sometimes feel as misleading as the choice of “dating” in the same sentence. Batshitfuckingcrazy is often the preferred description.