I think I witnessed two of the stupidest things with regards to sports this weekend and I have to say that I'm dumber for it.

The pre-game to the Euro Cup Finals was without a doubt something only someone high on crack or drunk out of their gord could have come up with.  A bunch of dancing balloons to represent the teams with loser's wearing old fashioned wigs was simply too much to watch.

Second is the show on ESPN where so called manly-men have their dogs chase a mountain lion up a tree and then proceed to shoot the thing.  Talk about having to make up for coming up short in the bedroom.  I mean what kind of sadistic loser does it take to kill a helpless animal that is cornered in a tree?

Just For Fun euro cup finals

After taking two of the three from the Cleveland Indians this weekend, the Reds secured something that has escaped them in recent times - a winning road trip. They took 2 out of 3 in New York versus the Yankees and lost 2 of 3 in Toronto to the Blue Jays before winning the second series of the Ohio Cup.

It marked only the second time in their last 22 road trips that the Reds finished with a winning record.

"It means a lot to me," manager Dusty Baker told the Dayton Daily News. "It's been tough. When you get beat on the road, it doesn't leave a very good taste in your mouth. You're not hungry. You just want to chill. It feels good, actually. It feels great."

The Reds, who are 17-28 on the road this season compared to 21-17 at Great American Ball Park, had dropped 20 of the previous 21 road trips dating back to the 2006 season. Their only other winning road trip during the stretch came in August of last year.

Let's take a look back at all the road trips dating back to the beginning of 2007 and how the Reds wound up:

2008
9 Games - Apr 8-Apr 17 - @Mil, @Pit, @ChC - (3-6)
9 Games - Apr 25-May 4 - @SF, @StL, @Atl - (3-6)
3 Games - May 9-May 11 - @NyM - (1-2)
7 Games - May 19-May 25 - @LaD, @SD - (2-5)
8 Games - June 2-June 9 - @Phi, @Fla - (3-5)
9 Games - June 20-June 29 - @NyY, @Tor, @Cle - (5-4)

2007
6 Games - Apr 9-Apr 15 - @Ari, @ChC - (3-3)
9 Games - Apr 24-May 3 - @StL, @Pit, @Hou - (4-5)
9 Games - May 11-May 20 - @LaD, @SD, @Cle - (2-7)
9 Games - May 29-June 7 - @Hou, @Col, @StL - (4-5)
9 Games - June 18-June 28 - @Oak, @Sea, @Phi - (3-6)
11 Games - July 12-July 22 - @NyM, @Atl, @Fla - (5-6)
*5 Games - July 31-Aug 5 - @Was, @Pit - (2-3)
6 Games - Aug 14-Aug 19 - @ChC, @Mil - (4-2)
7 Games - Aug 28-Sept 2 - @Pit, @Stl - (2-5)
10 Games - Sept 14-Sept 23 - @Mil, @ChC, @SF - (4-6)

MLB reds

Signing defensive tackle Domata Peko to a five-year contract extension through 2014 might be the best move the Bengals made during the offseason. The run stuffer does a great job providing all important pressure up the middle on passing downs, especially for a team that offers little from their rush ends.  With Peko, Robert Geathers and Antwan Odom signed to long-term deals, the Bengals defensive line is solid even if they don't put up big sack numbers.  

Bengals beat writer Chick Ludwig of the Dayton Daily News sees a big difference in the new regime.

"It has adopted a tougher, more aggressive, in-your-face philosophy and mentality under new coordinator Mike Zimmer and new linebackers coach Jeff FitzGerald in an attempt to improve on its No. 27 overall ranking," Ludwig wrote on his blog.

"The unit definitely needs to be more stout at the point of attack because it’ll play 13 games against returning 1,000-yard rushers this fall."

Here's Chick's projected opening line-up on defense:

LE — Robert Geathers, Jonathan Fanene

LDT — Domata Peko, Jason Shirley

RDT — John Thornton, Pat Sims

RE — Antwan Odom, Frostee Rucker

SLB — Rashad Jeanty, Ahmad Brooks

MLB — Dhani Jones, Jim Maxwell

WLB — Keith Rivers, Brandon Johnson

LCB — Johnathan Joseph, Deltha O’Neal

RCB — Leon Hall, David Jones

SS — Chinedum Ndukwe, Dexter Jackson

FS — Marvin White, Corey Lynch

NFL bengals, domata peko, robert geathers, jonathan fanene, jason shirley, john thornton, pat sims, antwan odom, frostee rucker, rashad jeanty, ahmad brooks, dhani jones, jim maxwell, keith rivers, brandon johnson, johnathan joseph, deltha o’neal, leon hall, david jones, chinedum ndukwe, dexter jackson, marvin white, corey lynch

It has only happened five times in Major League Baseball history, a team win a game without a benefit of a hit. That's exactly what happened in Saturday's Interleague match-up between the Dodgers and the Angels, as the Dodgers won 1-0 despite being held hitless.

The Angels' Jered Weaver held the Dodgers without a hit through six innings before being removed for a pinch-hitter and turning things over to Jose Arredondo, who retired the Dodgers in order in the seventh and eighth innings. The game did not qualify as an official no-hitter because the Dodgers did not bat in their half of the ninth inning.

The Dodgers scored in the fifth on a pair of errors, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly. Weaver committed the first error when he couldn't cleanly field leadoff hitter Matt Kemp's dribbler up the first base line.

Check out these interesting bits of info from ESPN's Tim Kurkjian:

• This is the third time in the expansion era (since 1961) that baseball has had an eight-inning no-hitter: Boston's Matt Young threw one against Cleveland in 1992, and the Yankees' Andy Hawkins pitched one against the White Sox in 1990. They were officially considered no-hitters at the time, but several years ago, the rule was changed. Now, according to major league rules, an official no-hitter is "when a pitcher (or pitchers) allows no hits during the entire course of a game, which consists of at least nine innings.'' So, the no-hitters by Young and Hawkins no longer are considered no-hitters, nor is the no-hitter thrown by Weaver and Arredondo, who pitched the seventh and eighth innings for the road team Saturday night.
  
  
• In the divisional era (since 1969), there have been three no-hitters in which a run was scored by the losing team: Darryl Kile allowed one in his no-hitter in 1993, Joe Cowley in his in 1986, and Blue Moon Odom and Francisco Barrios in their combined no-hitter in 1976. (Cowley walked eight in his no-hitter. Then-White Sox coach Doug Rader jokingly said after the game that "Cowley pitched so badly, I didn't even shake his hand after the game.'')
  
  
• The Angels have thrown eight no-hitters in franchise history; the past six have involved either Nolan Ryan (four) or Mike Witt, who threw a perfect game in 1984, then pitched in a combined no-hitter with Mark Langston on April 11, 1990. The most recent no-hitter at Dodger Stadium was by Kent Mercker of the Braves on April 8, 1994. But those are still in play because a no-hitter was not thrown Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, even though the Dodgers didn't get a hit.
  

MLB angels, dodgers, no-hitters, jered weaver, jose arredondo

STUDS OF THE WEEK
Boston's Dustin Pedroia has broke out his slump in a big way as he has 17 hits in his last 27 at bats with five multi-hit games, sporting a .630 batting average in that span. He has emerged as a must-start fantasy 2B with increase production in both HR's and SB's. Over the past 14 days, no pitcher has been as nasty as the Indians' C.C. Sabathia.  The big lefty has gone 2-0 after working 23 innings and turning out three quality starts. His 31 strikeouts and only four walks during the run has fantasy owners smiling and so does 1.57 ERA and 0.83 WHIP.

DUDS OF THE WEEK
Though he's not pitching terrible the Mets' Johan Santana (7-7) has disappointed fantasy owners in terms of wins. June was not good for the top pitcher taken in fantasy as he is 0-4 in his last five starts despite a 2.53 ERA. Manny Ramirez has disappeared over the past seven games. He continues to battle a sore hammy and it has taken its toll on him at the plate. Over the past week ManRam hit .182 with 0 HR's and 2 RBI's.

KEY INJURIES
Dan Uggla (ankle) - day-to-day after spraining ankle SAT.
Chipper Jones (quadriceps) - out indefinitely; may pinch hit
Hideki Matsui (knee) - placed on 15-day DL; could need surgery
Carlos Zambrano (shoulder) - eligible to return for 7/4 start
Shawn Marcum (elbow) - out until mid-to-late July
David Ortiz (wrist) - appears to still be weeks away
Chris R. Young (nose) - threw bullpen session; could return soon
Alfonso Soriano (hand) - still a few weeks away from action
Victor Martinez (elbow) - out until at least early August
J.J. Putz (elbow) - will not be back until after All-Star break

TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:

AL
Must-starts:
James Shields – BOS (Justin Masterson), KC (Luke Hochevar)
Roy Halladay - @SEA (R.A. Dickey), @LAA (John Lackey)
Joba Chamberlain – TEX (Scott Feldman), BOS (Justin Masterson)

Sleeper Picks:
Gavin Floyd – CLE (Jeremy Sowers), OAK (Greg Smith)
Armando Galarraga - @MIN (Glen Perkins), @SEA (R.A. Dickey)

NL
Must-Starts:
Matt Cain – CHC (Jason Marquis), LAD (Clayton Kershaw)
Ted Lilly - @SF (Barry Zito), @STL (Kyle Lohse)
Edinson Volquez – PIT (Paul Maholm), WAS (Tim Redding)

Sleeper Picks:
Aaron Cook – SD (Josh Banks), FLA (Mark Hendrickson)
John Maine - @STL (Kyle Lohse), @PHI (Jamie Moyer)

WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
SP Eric Stults (+23% roster change)
OF Josh Willingham (+20%)
OF Eric Byrnes (+18%)
2B Rickie Weeks (+17%)
SS Mike Aviles (+16%)

Five most dropped (non-injured):
SP Darrell Rasner (-14%)
SS Maicer Izturis (-11%)
SP Jose Contreras (-10%)
SP Bronson Arroyo (-10%)
SP Andrew Miller (-10%)

GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:

American League
7: BAL, BOS, CHW, DET, KC, NYY, OAK, SEA
6: CLE, LAA, MIN, TB, TEX, TOR

National League
7: ARI, CHC, CIN, COL, FLA, HOU, LAD, MIL, NYM, SF, STL, WAS
6: ATL, PHI, PIT, SD

Fantasy Baseball dustin pedroia, c.c. sabathia, johan santana, manny ramirez, dan uggla, chipper jones, hideki matsui, carlos zambrano, shawn marcum, david ortiz, chris r. young, alfonso soriano, victor martinez, j.j. putz, james shields, roy halladay, joba chamberlain, gavin floyd, armando galarraga, matt cain, ted lilly, edinson volquez, aaron cook, john maine, eric stults, josh willingham, eric byrnes, rickie weeks, mike aviles, darrell rasner, maicer izturis, jose contreras, bronson arroyo, andrew miller

Ohio Athletic Director Jim Schaus introduced former Ohio State assistant John Groce as Ohio’s new basketball coach today at a news conference. Groce, 36, will get a five-year contract worth about $250,000 a year, Schaus said. $50,000 of that will be for for media obligations like post-game interviews and weekly radio shows.

“It’s a dream come true to be a head coach at a prestigious university like Ohio University," Groce told The Post.

“This is a perfect fit – this is a perfect match.”

The move to hire Groce came quickly after Tim O’Shea accepted the head coaching position at Bryant University last week. Groce was the first to admit that this past week has been a “whirlwind” and the next 90 days will likely be the same.

In 2001, Groce went to Butler University. This marked the beginning of the eight years he spent with Thad Matta, current head coach at Ohio State. A year later he followed Matta to Xavier University where he spent three seasons before his last stop in Columbus.

Groce spent the last two seasons as Matta’s associate head coach at Ohio State. Matta was the one who told Groce about the opening at Ohio and urged him to consider it.

“He told me, ‘it’s not why would you take the job, it’s why wouldn’t you,’” Groce said.

College Hoops ohio, ohio state, xavier, john groce, thad matta, tim o'shea

Dan Wetzel, Yahoo.com breaks down Thursday's NBA Draft:

WINNER

CHICAGO
The Bulls took hometown star Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick. Yes, they have a glut of backcourt players but none as good as the Simeon High product. He’s a monster talent, a winner (he led Memphis to the NCAA title game) and while not a vocal leader he is the kind of player guys love playing with.

At the end of the day when a franchise can get the best player in the draft, who is a franchise point guard that is already popular in town, it’s a good night.


LOSER

MINNESOTA and MEMPHIS
Two of the most puzzling front offices in the NBA were cited for creating the NBA Finals this year. Minnesota gave Boston Kevin Garnett while Memphis handed over Pau Gasol to Los Angeles.

So when they make a trade, let alone a late-night, draft-night, eight-player swap, oh the potential humanity. Can there really be a winner?

Generally the team that gets the best player wins a deal and Memphis got that, even if they may not have needed him. What do you expect from a trade between these two?

COMPLETE ARTICLE

NBA nba draft, bulls, timberwolves, grizzlies, derrick rose

I still am disappointed that horse racing didn't celebrate its 30th Anniversary of the industry's last Triple Crown winner with a Triple Crown horse.  The highly unpopular trainer, Richard Dutrow has offered up a variety of execues, but this past week some solid information was uncovered.

Jockey Kent Desormeaux finally speaks about Big Brown's Belmont race with ESPN's Jeannine Edwards.

Horse Racing triple crown, belmont stakes, big brown, kent desormeaux, jeannine edwards

HEADLINES

Bulls pick Derrick Rose with first pick in NBA draft
Chicago Tribune - "Derrick Rose likes to attract attention as much as he likes committing turnovers, so a seersucker suit and bow tie definitely weren't part of his equation Thursday night. Nevertheless, Rose is all dressed up with somewhere to go after the Bulls used the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on the speedy, sturdy point guard who grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on the city's Southwest Side. " 

15-67 good for one thing: Beasley
Miami Herald - "The worst team in the NBA stopped being that in a jubilant instant Thursday night. Younger, better, more fun, more exciting and an immediate playoff contender is what the Miami Heat became with one draft pick and two fairly magical words: Michael Beasley. An enormous, rollicking, standing ovation rose in the Heat's downtown arena from some 4,000 fans at the team's draft party when commissioner David Stern called Beasley's name in New York as the league's No. 2 overall selection." 

Grizzlies trade Love, Miller to Minnesota for Mayo
Memphis Commercial Appeal - "The Grizzlies fell short of moving up to No. 2 and grabbing Michael Beasley in the NBA draft so they did the next best thing. Memphis grabbed the consensus third-best player in the draft, USC's O.J Mayo. The Grizzlies, who selected UCLA's Kevin Love with the fifth pick, were completing a deal late Thursday night that will bring them Mayo (taken third by Minnesota), Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner for Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins. The deal still needed NBA approval, according to two league sources." 

Clippers glad to have Eric Gordon
L.A. Times - "They pushed. And Eric Gordon pushed back. There was only one other player on the court when the baby-faced Gordon took center stage in workouts for the Clippers. That was Nevada's Marcelus Kemp, not as elite a prospect as Gordon, but one that stretched a couple of inches taller. Battling those types of players was one of the few lingering questions the Clippers had concerning Gordon and when he answered those, the Clippers couldn't pass on him with the seventh overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft."

Knicks Go Danilo
New York Post - "When Mike D'Antoni walked into the interview room last night at the Knicks' Westchester practice facility, the coach blurted, "Are we doing this in Italian or English?" So begins the Knicks' Italian Stallion Era, and possibly the end of David Lee. Donnie Walsh and the Italian-speaking D'Antoni made the Italian League phenom Danilo Gallinari a Knick last night. They chose the defensively challenged Gallinari with the sixth pick amid mostly boos from the Garden's theatre crowd. "I'll be more worried if they're booing him next year," D'Antoni said. " 

Ainge again busy late
Boston Herald - "As usual, Danny Ainge finished with more than he started last night. In addition to taking New Mexico guard J.R. Giddens with the 30th pick of the NBA draft, the Celtics director of basketball operations secured Bill Walker for cash from Washington, which had taken the Kansas State forward with the 47th pick. Ainge then finished his night with the 60th and last pick of the draft by taking Semih Erden - a 6-foot-11 Turkish center who became the first international draft pick of Ainge’s tenure as the Celtics’ personnel chief."

Crawford heading to Lakers; Magic take Lee 22nd overall
Lexington Herald-Leader - "Kentucky's Joe Crawford was chosen around midnight, 58th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, three picks away from the end of the draft. Crawford joined Western Kentucky product Courtney Lee as the only Kentucky collegians chosen in the draft. Lee was taken in the first round, selected 22nd overall by the Orlando Magic."

DRAFT BOARD
1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose, Guard, Memphis
2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley, Forward, Kansas State
3. Minnesota Timberwolves - O.J. Mayo, Guard, USC (To Memphis)
4. Seattle Supersonics - Russell Westbrook, Guard, UCLA
5. Memphis Grizzlies - Kevin Love, Forward, UCLA (To Minnesota)
6. New York Knicks - Danilo Gallinari, Forward, Italy
7. Los Angeles Clippers - Eric Gordon, Guard, Indiana
8. Milwaukee Bucks - Joe Alexander, Forward, West Virginia
9. Charlotte Bobcats - D.J. Augustin, Guard, Texas
10. New Jersey Nets - Brook Lopez, Center, Stanford
11. Indiana Pacers - Jerryd Bayless, Guard, Arizona
12. Sacramento Kings - Jason Thompson, Forward, Rider

COMPLETE RECAP 

NBA bulls, derrick rose, heat, michael beasley, timberwolves, o.j. mayo, supersonics, russell westbrook, grizzlies, kevin love, knicks, danilo gallinari, clippers, eric gordon, bucks, joe alexander, bobcats, d.j. augustin, nets, brook lopez, pacers, jerryd bayless, kings, jason thompson, bill walker, celtics, joe crawford, lakers, courtney lee, magic