Over the weekend I was going through the guide on my TV and saw that college softball was on ESPN2. I tend to watch it from time to time and figured if its on, it must be getting close to the championship series. So I flipped it on and watched Arizona State against Baylor. At the same time on another one of the ESPN channels was showing college baseball. The game, Miami (FL) against Florida. So I decided to start flipping back and forth. Surprisingly that didn't last long. After maybe a half an hour or so of bouncing back and forth I found myself watching just the softball game. Now, one could argue that the reason I decided to not go back to the baseball game was due to the fact that the score was 11-0. But actually, that wasn't the reason at all!

The thing that stood out to me and kept me glued to softball over baseball was the difference between the games when it came to the atmosphere. While watching the baseball game, I got exactly what I expected. The crowd was pretty quiet, the players were relaxed and even the commentators were, well, they were there too. When I watched the softball game, I got a totally different feel. It was like a party atmosphere! The crowd was electric for both teams. The players were shouting and cheering and doing all types of chants like they were just as much cheerleaders as they were players. And even the commentators were into the game and you could tell they were excited to be there. What made it even more strange for me is that the commentators were female and I typically can't stand listening to them commentating on games. That was not the case here. I didn't mind them during this game and actually enjoyed listening to the former player that was part of it. She provided some really great insight to the game that someone like me that doesn't watch or follow softball much could absorb and understand.

Now, I couldn't tell you one name on any softball team. Granted, I couldn't tell you any of the names on any of the college baseball teams either. With that said, I am surprisingly looking more forward to watching the Women's College World Series than I am the men's this year! If this weekend was any indication of what the atmosphere will be like during the championship series, it should be great fun to watch! The riseball (softball's equivalent to baseball's sinker) will be front and center when it starts tonight on ESPN2 in a best-of-three series between No. 1 seed Arizona State and No. 4 seed Florida.

Just For Fun softball, womens college world series

Coming into this season most thought the Cincinnati Reds would have one of the strongest starting pitching rotations in the National League, if not in all of baseball. However, before the season even began both Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey hit the disabled list. Both came back around the same time but Bailey has hit the DL once again and the rotation has been a revolving door with guys coming up from the minors to fill in gaps. Cueto, on the other hand, has been the shining light in the rotation as we enter the early part of June. He's silently been taking the mound and pumping out quality start after quality start.

Since coming off the DL on May 8th, Cueto has had 6 starts, all but one of them has been a quality outing. His record stands at 2-2 but could easily be 6-0 if either the offense hadn't failed him, or the bullpen hadn't given away games. He hasn't given up more than three runs in any game which has him leading the team with an ERA of 2.27, one of the best in the league. In 39.2 innings pitched so far this season he's only given up three home runs and has struck out 23.

In Cueto's outing yesterday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he pitched a solid seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three. The Reds offense built a nice 7-2 lead for him only to see the bullpen blow it by giving up five runs in the eighth inning. What should have been a sure win for Cueto turned into an extra innings loss for the Redlegs. The bullpen was thought to be one of the strongest in baseball coming into this season but time and time again have blown games behind solid starting pitching. Cueto did what he had to do yesterday to get his team the win. He was taken out of the game after just 88 pitches. Hindsight is 20/20. With a 7-2 lead going into the eighth inning you would think, being Dusty Baker, that you could trust your bullpen to come in and close out the game. Unfortunately for Cueto, and ultimately the team as a whole, that was not the case yesterday.

In a season that has seen it share of ups and downs already for the Reds, especially when it comes to the pitching, the one constant has been Cueto so far. Travis Wood, Bronson Arroyo and Edinson Volquez (who was sent down to the minors to fix himself and set to come back tomorrow night possibly) have been inconsistent all season, to say the least. Cueto has stepped up and at this point has become the ace of this pitching staff. Coming into the season the thought was, if he could stay under control and stay focused, he could be one of the best starters in the rotation, if not in the league. He has, and he is. If the Reds are going to get back to the playoffs this year they are going to need Cueto to continue to do what he's doing. More importantly, they're going to need some of what he's been doing to rub off on the rest of the rotation.

MLB cincinnati reds, johnny cueto, homer bailey, dusty baker, los angeles dodgers, travis wood, bronson arroyo, edinson volquez

Winning NFL picks, odds and power rankings all from our friends at Doc's Sports Service...

I'm not a believer in preseason polls at all. How can you rank any team before they actually play a game? I'm a firm believer that the polls shouldn't come out until around the beginning of October. By then every team has played four or five games, and are about to enter conference play. Preseason polls can really hurt teams that have stellar seasons but started out the season ranked too low to make a move to the top of the rankings. At the same time it can both help and hurt those teams that get top rankings. It can help them in the way that as long as the teams don't lose, they don't drop, even if teams below them are undefeated and beating better teams. But it can also hurt them. If a top ranked team loses, especially early in the season, they could slide pretty far down the rankings and have to fight their way back to the top, hoping to get a lot of help along the way.

With all that said, today the USA Today Coaches' Poll was released. It counts for 1/3 of the overall BCS rankings at the end of the season. Its no surprise that last year's BCS champ, Alabama, sits atop the rankings with 55 of the 59 first place votes. They are returning 10 of 11 starters on offense from last year and are definitely considered to be the favorites to take the title again this year. Behind them sits the the Ohio State Buckeyes, who received four place votes. With Heisman hopeful, Terrelle Pryor leading the charge, the Buckeyes could see themselves back in a national title game come January. Rounding out the top five is Florida, Texas, and the surprise to the party, Boise State. This is the highest the Broncos of the "Smurf Turf" have ever been ranked in preseason polls. While Boise State isn't in a BCS conference, its a very good possibility that they could crash the party this year. Their fate could very well be decided after their first game this year when they take on No. 6 Virginia Tech.

A complete listing of the USA Today Coaches' Poll is listed below:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Boise State
6. Virginia Tech
7. TCU
8. Oklahoma
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Oregon
12. Wisconsin
13. Miami (FL)
14. Penn State
15. Pittsburgh
16. LSU
17. Georgia Tech
18. North Carolina
19. Arkansas
20. Florida State
21. Georgia
22. Oregon State
23. Auburn
24. Utah
25. West Virginia

*For those of us here in Cincy, the Bearcats are on the outside looking in at No. 26. Odds are they will be in the top 25 at some point this season, most likely after the first week if they beat Fresno State and one of the lower rank teams get upset and fall out.

College Football usa today coaches' poll, alabama, ohio state, terrelle pryor, florida, texas, boise state, virginia tech

The Reds signed 37-year old relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract today. A couple days after watching him throw a bullpen session at Great American Ball Park, Isringhausen showed the powers that be enough to offer him a contract to join the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Riverbats.

Isringhausen will officially sign his contract tomorrow. Its likely that he will work down there for a couple weeks before being added to the major league roster. Once added he will assume a late-inning or set-up relief role with the team. The Reds have been in need of help in the bullpen as it has been a roller-coaster of a year for all but Arthur Rhodes coming on in relief.

Making a career out of being a closer, primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals, Isringhausen could be used in that role from time to time if needed. With his 293 saves, Isringhausen is fourth among active pitchers - one spot ahead of the Reds current closer, Francisco Cordero, who has had a rocky year in the role this season.

Isringhausen hasn't pitched in the majors since June 2009 when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. After blowing out his elbow he had to have Tommy John surgery and is looking to make a comeback with the Reds. He was one of the more dominating closers in the game from 2002-08 when he was working for the Reds current General Manager, Walt Jocketty, with the Cardinals. During that time he notched 217 saves before injuries started taking their toll on him.

Reds manager Dusty Baker has said that he thinks Isringhausen is looking really strong and throwing very well. If that is the case and he can bounce back from surgery he will be a welcome addition to a bullpen that will need help down the stretch.

MLB cincinnati reds, jason isringhausen, arthur rhodes, francisco cordero, walt jocketty, dusty baker

The Dallas Cowboys are surprisingly the first team to have their first-round pick put ink to paper and sign a contract. Dez Bryant signed a five year deal worth $11.5 million, with $8.5 million guaranteed, today. Bryant, selected No. 24 overall, wasn't expected to be signed by the start of camp, so the fact that he is has the Cowboys relieved.

The Cowboys moved up three spots in this year's draft to snag the former Oklahoma State wide receiver. Bryant was an All-American in 2008 when he had 87 catches for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns. He missed most of the 2009 season after lying to NCAA about his activities with former NFL wideout, Deion Sanders. Even with missing part of last season, the Cowboys had seen enough from his previous year to know that he has the ability to be an impact receiver in the NFL.

With the Bryant signing, the precedent has been set for the mid-to-late round picks in this year's draft when it comes to how contracts will be structured. The No. 1 overall pick is typically the first to sign a contract, usually doing so before the day of the actual draft. That was not the case this year as the St. Louis Rams have yet to sign their pick, quarterback Sam Bradford.

NFL dallas cowboys, dez bryant

With four spots set in the Cincinnati Reds rotation, one spot is left up for grabs. That spot should be decided after tonight's spring training game. The final spot could go to either Mike Leake or Travis Wood. Neither pitcher has experience in the majors, but both have had been decent in spring training. Leake, the likely front-runner, has thrown 12 innings this spring, giving up four runs and striking out eight. Wood, who pitches tonight in the second half of a split-squad game, has thrown 14 innings, giving up four runs and striking out 12. Leake has more experience in the minors, which is why he is being considered over Wood at this point.

At the start of training camp there was a lot of hype surrounding Aroldis Chapman, the phenom free agent that defected from Cuba to join the Reds. There was a lot of speculation that he could end up taking that fifth spot in the rotation if he performed well in spring training. All signs pointed to that being a reality until Chapman suffered a minor back injury while pitching in a game a couple weeks ago. The Reds are being very cautious with him and rather than throwing them to the wolves right out of the gate, it looks like Chapman will start in the minors and work his way up to the big leagues. In all likelihood, Chapman will be up with the club at some point this season.

With the rotation almost set, all eyes will turn to Aaron Harang, who will start his fifth straight Opening Day for the Redlegs. He's struggled this spring giving up 16 runs in 13.2 innings (9.88 ERA). Harang struggled down the stretch last year and with the way his spring has gone, there is cause for concern. While spring stats don't typically mean much when it comes to veterans, an almost 10.00 ERA is not something to be taken lightly or looked over. Harang is supposed to be the ace of the rotation followed by Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, both of which have been decent this spring and should transfer over into the regular season just fine. Homer Bailey has also had a good spring and as long as he can remain consistent and stay under control, this could be the year he finally lives up to the hype that surrounded him a few years ago when the Reds drafted him. Its Harang that the fans in Cincy are worried about. He will toe the rubber against the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Day, where he will try to finally get the Reds started off on a winning note to the season.

As it stands, the Reds starting rotation looks like this to start the 2010 season:

1. Aaron Harang
2. Bronson Arroyo
3. Johnny Cueto
4. Homer Bailey
5. Mike Leake/Travis Wood

MLB cincinnati reds, mike leake, travis wood, aroldis chapman, aaron harang, bronson arroyo, johnny cueto, homer bailey

Opening Day is still four weeks away but the talk has already begun in Cincinnati about how good can this team be. There are many questions left to be answered between now and April 5th. Will the starting rotation live up to the hype that a lot are giving it even without Edinson Volquez? Who will fill that fifth spot in the rotation? Will Aroldis Chapman make the team out of spring training and will he live up to the hype surrounding him? Will Scott Rolen fill in nicely as the full-time third baseman this year and as a mentor to some of the younger guys coming up? Who will start in left field? Center field? And so on. But one of the more pressing questions facing the team is will the once considered phenom, Jay Bruce, have a bounce back year and finally come into his own? With the way things look early on in spring training, the answer to that question very well could be yes.

Bruce missed almost 60 games last season after breaking his right wrist diving to catch a ball. Before the injury he wasn't having a stellar season with the bat and finished the season batting a disappointing .223 with 22 home runs and just 58 RBIs. Bruce almighty, not so much. However, on a positive note, after coming back from the disabled list, Bruce caught fire and over his last 18 games he hit .326 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. Ending the season in that way gave Reds' fans hope for the 2010 season.

That hope has carried over into spring training where fans have seen Bruce continue to hit. In seven games he is hitting .357 and has one home run. Like most of the rest of the lineup for the Reds, Bruce always seemed to be trying to do to much at the plate rather than just concentrating on getting the bat on the ball. With inconsistent hitting in the lineup from top to bottom, with the exception of Joey Votto when healthy, everyone seemed to try to push too hard, including Bruce. With the adjustments he made at the end of last season, Bruce is attempting to become a more complete hitter, not trying to step up to the plate and hit a four-run homerun every time.

In order for this team to succeed, guys like Bruce need to become more consistent. At 23 years old, a lot of pressure is resting on the shoulders of #32. Bruce was looked at as being the guy to replace Adam Dunn once he was traded off to Arizona a couple years ago. The thought was that he had a better overall skill set than Dunn. He didn't have as much power, but he could hit for average and had a little pop in the bat while being able to play decent defense in the outfield. The way last season went, it was hard to tell that this guy was supposed to be one of the next big things in the game. The one two punch that was to be of Bruce and Votto didn't come to be as most thought it might last season. With the way things are looking for Bruce early on in spring training, there's reason to believe that maybe, just maybe this is the year he truly arrives in the big leagues. Yes, its only spring training and where they play out in Arizona does favor hitters, if a guy can hit, he can hit. It doesn't matter what part of the country he's playing in.

While there are many questions still to be answered leading up to Opening Day, one thing is for sure; Bruce has the skills to be one of the most consistent and feared hitters in the game. The National League Central is wide open this year. If the Reds are going to compete for the division title this year, they are going to need Bruce to be the player they thought he would be when he arrived on the scene a couple years ago. His new found patience at the plate could turn him into just that player.

MLB cincinnati reds, edinson volquez, aroldis chapman, scott rolen, jay bruce, joey votto, adam dunn

The Cincinnati Bengals decided to pass on signing Terrell Owens today, and instead they went in a younger, possibly more risky direction. Antonio Bryant signed a four year, $28 million deal today, with incentives that could make the deal worth up to $29 million. There was a lot of speculation that the Bengals would sign Owens, especially with Chad Ochocinco pushing so hard for the organization to bring him here. The Bengals were also in talks of possibly pursuing Brandon Marshall from the Denver Broncos. Instead Mike Brown and the Bengals decided to go with Bryant, who comes by way of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Last year Bryant suffered a knee injury in training camp that limited him in action during the season. He finished 2009 with 39 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. In 2008, however, Bryant set career highs with 83 catches for 1,248 yards and and seven scores. Bryant could be the guy they've been looking for to compliment Ochocinco on the outside. He will replace a disappointing Laveraneus Coles, who the Bengals released a short time ago.

With the signing of Bryant questions now arise as to what the Bengals will do with their first round pick in the draft. They have the 21st overall pick, a pick they would have had to trade away had they decided to pursue and sign Marshall. Its very likely that the team will go with Jermaine Gresham, a tight end out of Oklahoma. Gresham missed all of last season with the Sooners due to a knee injury. If he is fully recovered, there's a good chance he could be just the guy they've been looking for to fill the void at tight end. The Bengals thought they had that last year when they drafted Chase Coffman out of Missouri, but unfortunately he hasn't impressed and never saw the field last season. Gresham would provide the pass catching tight end the team so drastically needs.

There's also been a lot of buzz around Cincinnati saying the Bengals should try to get Cincinnati Bearcats' wideout, Mardy Gilyard if at all possible in the second round. Adding Mardy to the mix would make this offense insane! Gilyard would give Carson Palmer his down the field, breakaway threat. He would also boost the kick return game, something this team desperately needs! Its not likely that Gilyard will fall to the Bengals in the second round, but its not out of the question either. Nobody thought Rey Maualuga would fall as far as he did last year and the Bengals snatched him up in the second round. Its also very possible that the Bengals may take a chance and draft Gilyard in the first round, but that might be stretching it.

Regardless of what the Bengals do in the draft, the additions of Bryant and Matt Jones (picked up last month in free agency) have this offense taking shape as possibly being one of the most lethal in the NFL. Ochocinco, Bryant, Jones and Andre Caldwell should dramatically improve on the numbers put up by the 26th ranked passing attack from last year. And with Palmer at the helm and a solid running attack headed up by Cedric Benson, this Bengals team could be scary. They could be 2005 playoff team scary!

NFL cincinnati bengals, antonio bryant, terrell owens, chad ochocinco, brandon marshall, jermaine gresham, mardy gilyard, carson palmer, matt jones, andre caldwell, rey maualuga, cedric benson

Cincinnati Bengals' cornerback Leon Hall was cited this past Sunday for driving under the influence and driving left of center in in Clermont County on Ohio 125. It was reported that Hall had a blood-alcohol level of 0.149, which is almost twice the legal limit of 0.08 in Ohio.

Hall's attorney entered a not guilty plea this morning on his behalf. A cruiser cam shows Hall telling the officer that he was rushing home because his wife was having a baby.

The Bengals have had their fair share players with a run in with the law. Hall, a third year player out of Michigan, is just another added to the list. For a player with a bright future and one that was coming into his own last year, this would be a step back and just another offense that the media can spin and use to dig against the Bengals, again.

On a personal note and as a huge Bengals fan myself, I am giving Hall the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully more information will come out as this goes forward and we will find out that his wife was in labor and that was why he was driving erratically. Drinking and driving is never okay. If Hall has to face a DUI charge and he gets found guilty then he's just another in the long line of professional athletes that, for some reason, think its alright to drive intoxicated rather than calling a cab or a friend or a teammate and have them drive them wherever they need to go.

Hall has a very bright future with the Bengals. If found guilty, the sad part isn't so much that he made the decision he made, but that the image of the team he plays for just takes another hit. The Bengals don't do themselves any favors with the players they choose to sign that come with baggage, but in this case Hall was one of the last guys you'd expect to find getting in trouble with the law.  Hopefully he will be found not guilty and all of this will go away, Even if Hall is found not guilty you can count on the crew from ESPN covering the NFL draft in a couple weeks to talk about it along with every other player that's had a run in with the law on the Bengals.

NFL cincinnati bengals, leon hall

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that the Cincinnati Bengals have signed defensive lineman Tank Johnson to a one-year deal. The addition of Johnson adds much needed girth to the defensive line for the Bengals. There have been projections for the upcoming NFL draft that have the Bengals taking a defensive lineman, but now with the signing of Johnson its very possible they will go in a different direction, possibly drafting an offensive lineman or even a wide receiver.

Johnson spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys where he recorded 33 tackles and three sacks. He was drafted in the second round in 2004 by the Chicago Bears but was released after serving an 8-game suspension in 2006 for a gun violation.

Johnson, 27, is two years removed from his legal issues and seems to have put it all behind him, but the fact that he signed with the Bengals, a team that has had its fair share of troubled players/convicts on the team over the last few years, will likely be the focus of most of the media outlets. While even I joke about the signing and say that its just the Bengals doing what the Bengals do, signing players with baggage, the focus should really be on the fact that the Bengals just picked up a huge piece of the defensive puzzle. Johnson will likely be a part of a three-player rotation at defensive tackle with Domata Peko and Pat Sims.

The style of defense that the Bengals defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, runs fits Johnson perfectly. Zimmer, who is a former defensive coach with the Cowboys, will love having a big man who is athletic in the middle of his line. Johnson should be a force in the pass rush as Zimmer runs a very agressive 4-3 style which will allow him to shine and become the force up the middle the Bengals have been looking for for quite some time.

NFL cincinnati bengals, tank johnson, domata peko, pat sims, mike zimmer, dallas cowboys