Hi from Fifth Third Arena! 

The UC Bearcats just finished warming up for their contest against the South Florida Bulls. Before they headed into the locker room Darnell Wilks tried a windmill jam with the ball near his knees and Cashmere Wright tried to throw in a crazy rebound. The 'Cats look ready to play some ball.

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Upon hearing that the Eagles signed Michael Vick, I thought a few different things. Then I tried to put a filter on those thoughts, since I’m a Giants fan and might just think things because I've never liked the Eagles and never will.

Despite this, Donovan McNabb is one of those Derek Jeter types: a solid leader both off and on the field who still seems to be as much of a student of the game as he was during his first few years in the league. Even though you may hate the team he plays for, it is done begrudgingly because you know that the McNabbs and Jeters are the best of the best.

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Just another reminder about tomorrow night's Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee public hearing regarding bike and pedestrian access across the soon-to-be-way-different I-75 corridor.

Cincinnati is generally regarded as a crappy place to ride bikes (see my recent CityBeat cover story "No One Rides for Free"), save for our lovely park trails and a couple of East Side commuter routes. An impressive downtown bike facility is planned for The Banks, but consideration for bike commuters along the I-75 corridor will be important for people to even get to it on two-wheelers.

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There's nothing like another fantasy loss acting like a set of hard knuckles across your face. Really wakes you up and shakes up your roster.

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In case you haven’t heard, big changes are coming to I-75 in the next decade. We need more room on the freeways for all of our cars, and with widening comes other infrastructure changes. One that will certainly affect bicycle commuters is the I-75/Hopple Street interchange, which needs to be updated so future generations of highway travelers can stop off at White Castle safely and effectiently. But local bike advocacy organization Queen City Bike (www.queencitybike.com) is hoping that city leaders will make sure that cyclists can cross the highway or use Central Parkway safely as well. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22 at City Hall for the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee to receive testimony regarding bike and pedestrian access. The peeps over at QCB are currently organizing cyclists to attend the meeting and speak on behalf of two-wheelers who don’t like the looks of the European-style round-about proposal that’s currently being considered. CityBeat will be at the meeting to see whether city leaders react to cyclists’ fears with genuine concern or fake charm. Roxanne Qualls is the subcommittee chairperson, and Chris Bortz, Laketa Cole and John Cranley are members. Go to queencitybike.com and RSVP if you know you want to attend the hearing and possibly testify. The bike people are looking to demonstrate a sizable bike crowd and welcome all support. Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee public hearing 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 Cincinnati City Council Chambers, Room 300 City Hall, 801 Plum St.

Word on the Internet these days is that Mick Cronin has secured a verbal commitment from Columbus Northland High School power forward Devon Scott, who apparently tweeted the news after visiting the UC campus on Tuesday.

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So, a coach recruits a really good point guard out of high school and assumes that starting a freshman in the Big East will have its rough moments but that the experience will go a long way toward the kid’s — and the program’s — development. Then the kid gets hurt in preseason practice and the whole season is ruined.

Is this the position that Mick Cronin has allowed the UC basketball team to be in? Is this team seriously going to go into next season with a recently injured freshman point guard with no backup? Did anyone ever think they would wake up one day and say, “Dang, I sure wish Jamual Warren was still a Bearcat.”

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Y’all done fucked up. If you think UC is going to finish 11th in the conference this year, you're dumber than Roy Bright.

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It's been a long, strange journey for the 2011 Cincinnati Reds. The team's first 92 games have seen injuries, lengthy slumps, poor starting pitching and more close losses than a team with such a good bullpen should statistically endure. Still, with 70 regular-season games remaining, the Reds sit 2 games below .500 and just 4 out of the division lead, which puts the organization's executives in a tough spot.

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As if I didn't like the Phillies enough to start, my idiotic choice to dump one of their closers cost Hoagy Time a much-needed victory this week. Brad Lidge went on the DL, and I figured Ryan Madson would be an adequate stopgap solution. Minus-21 points later, I'm a loser again.

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