Irrelevance

      Sunday was the first Bengals game in 54 weeks not to sell out.  Fans around the tri-state were forced to listen on the radio or, like many I'm sure, completely disregard the game matching two teams with a combined 3-15 record.  And ironically, if you weren't a Bengals fan, it was the most exciting NFL game of the weekend.
      I was one of the poor souls who found somewhere to watch the game online.  Bad decision.  Cincinnati sprinted out to a 28-7 lead.  It looked like they would finally beat a team with far less talent (which is usually the case).  It looked like I would, for the first time in seven weeks, be able to proudly wear my Carson Palmer jersey to class Monday morning.  Not quite.
      The Bills outscored the Bengals 42-3 in the final 32 minutes.  Ryan Fitzpatrick picked apart the Bengals secondary like they were a poor high school defense.  Carson Palmer's efficient first-half performance turned into an all-too familiar two interception day.  A Cedric Benson fumble (yet again) was returned for a touchdown.  They continued to find new ways to lose.  Everyone is looking for a reason.  With this many weapons, how are they this bad?
      First, the passing game.  Terrell Owens, while being an experienced and productive asset, has proved to be a problem.  And no, it's not the usual team chemistry problem we're used to.  His presence, in my opinion, is the main reason for the struggles of Palmer.  Owens has gotten twice as many targets as Chad Ochocinco, a Pro-Bowler last year.  Chad is open.  I still think he has some of the quickest feet in the league.  Owens past success and demand for the ball has completely concentrated Palmer's focus.  He never equally spreads the ball.  He looks for one receiver over and over again, then switches targets.  Therefore, there is no overall rhythm.  And for the defense, I only have one piece of information.  Yesterday, defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, dealing with several injuries, walked to the other end of the Bengals' sideline and informed Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby that they may be used at cornerback.  Enough said.
      At first, there was hope that they'd do better.  Then, there was confusion as to how a team this "good" could lose this many games.  Now, their is acceptance, anger, and embarrassment.  Terrell Owens' press conference after the game sums it up perfectly.  "Let me look you in the eyes and emphasize -- we are terrible...Maybe I'm bad luck.  But at this point, its just unthinkable.  Unbelievable."

Young Wildcats Travel West

     As John Calipari takes his young Kentucky basketball team on a four-game road trip, he has his doubts as to their maturity and focus.
     "We are on our way to Hawaii to play three teams that are better than us," Calipari said.  "This is going to be a learning situation for us.  We have to figure out what we do and how hard we have to play."
     Kentucky begins their trip on Friday at Portland, the hometown of freshman forward Terrence Jones, before flying to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.
     "The trip will mean a lot," Jones said.  "It's always good to have a chance to play in front of my mom and grandma and show them how much I've improved since high school."
     In Maui, the Wildcats will play Oklahoma on Monday, then face either Virginia or Washington Tuesday.  The trip will tell Cats fans a lot about the cohesiveness of their young team, who will face their first legitimate Division 1 opponent.
     Portland has won each of their first three games, winning each by at least 14 points.  The game will be televised on ESPNU at 10:30 ET.

"King Felix" Gets his Crown

     Seattle Mariner's pitcher, Felix Hernandez, was awarded the 2010 AL Cy Young Award on Thursday.  Hernandez posted a 13-12 record with a 2.27 ERA.  He led the league in innings (249.2) and was second in strikeouts (232).
     His 13 wins was the lowest total for a Cy Young winner ever.  The voters appeared to overlook the Mariner's lackluster offense, which provided Hernandez with one run or less in 10 of his starts.
    "This confirms the Cy Young is an award not only for the pitcher with the most wins, but the most dominant," Hernandez said while celebrating with his family in his native Venezuela.
     The National League Cy Young award was unanimously given to Roy Halladay.  Halladay's regular season perfect game and NLDS no-hitter led to his 2nd career Cy Young award and first in the National League. 
      

Once Teammates, Always 'Brothers'

As students at St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Victor Anderson and Daniel Passafiume were friends on and off the football field.  They made big plays on Friday nights and were inseparable during the week.  At least, once they got used to each other.

"He was a bully to me at first," Passafiume laughed.  "I was just nice to him and eventually he realized I was his friend."

They became the best of friends, actually.  As they led St. X to two consecutive state championship appearances, Daniel and Victor constantly pushed each other to become better players and better people.  "I saw potential in him," Anderson said.  "I would always try to toughen him up.  I still do to this day."

They also both showed promise of being phenomenal football players.  However, few could have expected they would achieve such success in their young careers.

Anderson was a highly touted running back coming out of high school, recruited by several major Division 1 programs, including UK and U of L.

After choosing to be a Cardinal, he was redshirted under a deep core of tailbacks.  Then in 2008, Anderson exploded for 1047 yards and 8 touchdowns, becoming the first Louisville player to receive Big East Rookie of the Year honors.

A nagging shoulder injury has bothered Anderson for the past year and a half, but he was cleared to play this weekend when Louisville traveled to Syracuse.

Passafiume, a wide receiver in high school, endured a much more roundabout path to his success.  He also enrolled at Louisville after turning down an offer to walk on at West Virginia.

A year of studying away from football made Passafiume realize that he missed the game too much.  That's when he visited Hanover College, where he instantly clicked with Head Coach Joe Austin and his pass-happy offense.

"Vic definitely helped me when I wanted to come back," Passafiume said.  "I respected him and his game so much.  He gave me confidence."

Daniel has thrived at Hanover.  In just 23 games, he has 233 receptions and 25 touchdowns.  Last November, he broke Jerry Rice's collegiate record for most catches in a game, hauling in 25 balls in a loss to Franklin College.

Despite being at different schools, they continue to spend time with each other.  "We talk at least once a week," Passafiume said.  "I see him when I'm back in Louisville.  He's always over at the house."

And even though they aren't in the same huddle anymore, they are still able to push each other on Saturdays.  "I think that there is a sense of competitive greatness that exists between Daniel and Victor," Daniel's father, Paul Passafiume said.  "They are very much alike.  They both feed off each other and support each other's achievements."

"Whether it's an injury or a bad game, we help each other overcome adversity," Anderson said.  "We always talk about how we can better ourselves.  That's my brother."