Some Quick One Liners

Because I don't have a lot of time, but I'm itching to post.

If the Reds take three out of four in St. Louis, it's a big-time success after the way this trip started.

If the Reds can play close to .500 while Joey Votto is out, they have a great chance to hang in there.

I have nothing concrete to base this on, but scuttlebutt and speculation have put my mind at ease as far as Votto in the long-term.

Congrats to Badin for advancing the the d-3 baseball semifinals and good luck to Reading (d-4) and Moeller (d-1) on Friday.

I think we in the media make way too much of the Chad Ochocinco matter because I don't see Chad having an major impact on the Bengals chances in 2009. Plus I'm sick of him. ( I know that's two lines but I'm really sick of him)

U.C. had a big week with Jaquon Parker and George Jackson joining the hoops program and Dominique Brown from Winton Woods joining the football program.

Mike Woods, R.I.P. (he was a monster at linebacker for the Bearcats in the 70's)

Bearcats Brutal Finish

After fighting to get on the NCAA bubble, the 'Cats took out a "slap chop" and whacked that bubble into pieces. It was more annoying than watching the real "slap chop" commercial. They lost 5 of their last 6 games. I'm not even going to play the old "if they make it to the championship game" thing. They have to beat DePaul first. I still believe Cronin is the man for the job. Here's Mick after Saturday's devastating 67-63 loss to Seton Hall in overtime.

Big East Tournamet

First Round: U.C. vs DePaul, Noon, Tuesday. Still waiting word for TV. I think it's only available through live streaming at the big east website.

Should U.C. win, the 'Cats get a third crack at Providence.

Here's a link to the Big East lineup and information on the streaming video for round one: http://www.bigeast.org/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=92555&SPID=11228&DB_OEM_ID=19400&ATCLID=3666348

Bob Diaco Hired By U.C.

We've been dancing around this for a week, and now it's official. U.C. has hired Bob Diaco to be the new defensive coordinator. Diaco replaces Joe Tresey who was forced out last week. Diaco was the man U.C. wanted, but the contract was put on hold while U.C. President Nancy Zimpher was dealing with her new job at S.U.N.Y. Once the contract was approved it spent a couple of days in U.C.'s Human Resources Department, and now the process is complete. I'm told Diaco is getting the biggest contract ever for a U.C. assistant, so the President had to sign off on it.
Diaco was recently appointed Virginia's defensive coordinator after spending 3 years with the Cavaliers as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator. His time under Virginia head coach Al Groh was a valuable learning experience. Groh is a direct disciple of Bill Parcells and has a complete inner knowledge of Parcell's approach to the game and approach to the 3-4 defense. That knowledge of the 3-4 is what landed Diaco at U.C. My kid knows someone who played at Eastern Michigan when Diaco was there, and the player loved Diaco. He could easily be head coach in the not so distant future. Diaco obviously made a good impression when he coached under BK at Central Michigan in 2005. He is a native of New Jersey and played linebacker at the University of Iowa. He was All-Big Ten twice. As I said last Wednesday, the new U.C. coordinator is a guy who would make Prince Rupert proud. Prince Rupert was known as the "ultimate Cavalier." Below is Diaco's coaching resume' as it appears on the Virginia web site.

Coaching Experience

Years	School	Postseason
1996-1997	Iowa (Grad assistant)	1996 Alamo Bowl
		1997 Sun Bowl
1999-2000	Western Illinois (running back/special teams)	2000 I-AA Playoffs
2001-2003	Eastern Michigan (linebackers/secondary)
2004	Western Michigan (linebackers/special teams)
2005	Central Michigan (co-defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2006-2008	Virginia (special teams coordinator/linebackers)