Nuxhall's death signals the end of an era
Joe Nuxhall may be remembered by as the 15-year old kid that pitched a Major League game during the War. He may be remembered by others as the Reds' announcer, the voice of baseball in Southern Ohio.

I have yet to think of how I'll remember Nuxhall. I only know Reds games on the radio can never be the same without him.

One thing I haven't heard to many people say is the rather remarkable character Nuxhall showed early in his life. At 15, he was on the mound facing Stan Musial. That went about as well as one might expect. Many -- I would say most -- would be so horrified by the experience that they would never so much as look at a glove again.

The remarkable thing is Nuxhall went to the minor leagues, and eight years later, he returned to the Reds. Not only that, but Nuxhall went on to record 135 wins over a 14-year career.

All of that happened before I was born. My memories of Nuxhall come from the mid-to-late 1980s, when I was first falling in love with baseball.

My father was born in southern Ohio. He grew up a Reds fan. He was about as old as I am now when the Reds one back-to-back championships in the 1970s.

Those years were gone by the time he had two sons, but despite living in Cleveland, he still followed the Reds. My memories of long car rides often revolve around my dad tuning in to 700 WLW to hear Joe and partner Marty Brennaman tell the stories from Riverfront Stadium.

Through the pops and buzzes that came with the static, I remember Nuxhall not so much for his own calls, but for his reactions when he wasn't calling the game. If Eric Davis, Dave Parker or Barry Larkin hit a long drive, you would hear Brennaman calling the play, and Nuxhall next to him.

"Get Out. Get OUT!!!"

When you heard that, you knew something important was happening in the game.

In later years, I listened more and more on my own. Now, I probably no more about the Reds than my dad, who switched over to the Indians in the mid-1990s.

I soon realized you could usually tell how the Reds were playing by the way Nuxhall was calling the game. If he was upbeat and excited, the Reds were winning. If he sounded like someone had just run over his hat, the Reds were getting pounded.

What I remember most, though, was the warmth in his voice when he called the game. Nuxhall loved baseball and loved the Reds. He loved Cincinnati, and Cincinnati loved him.

Nuxhall was not unlike former Indians' announcer Herb Score in that way. When you listened to the game, it's like you were hearing the action from an uncle or an old friend.

Nuxhall's death closes the door not only on a remarkable man and a remarkable career. It ends an era. Sure, Nuxhall had done fewer and fewer games in past years, but you could always hope, even assume, he'd be back where he belonged soon enough.

Nuxhall used to close the postgame show with a signiture line:

"This is the old left hander, rounding third and heading for home."

It may be a while before Reds' fans really feel at home, again.

A winter of discontent
And so, the baseball season ends the way it began: With people talking about the Red Sox and Yankees. This two-headed monster always seems to loom over all baseball discussion, and it will be stronger than ever Monday.

The Red Sox polished off a sweep of the Colorado Rockies in the World Series Sunday night in Denver; the Yankees are set to hire their first new manager since 1996. The game's other teams can take a holiday - at least a national one. No one will be talking about any of them for a while.

As an Indians fan, the Boston win is especially frustrating. A little more than a week ago, Cleveland appeared to have the Red Sox on the ropes with a 3-1 series advantage in the ALCS. Win one of three games, and the Indians would have played for their first World Series title since 1948.

Given the way the Rockies played against the Red Sox, one dares to believe the Indians would have won a world title easily.

Of course, that's not fair to the Rockies, who probably would have played a Cleveland team just as nervous as they were. Besides, the Indians didn't deserve to be in the World Series, anyway. (But that's another column.)

From a purely national perspective, this World Series was a real let-down. Four games, all won by the Red Sox, two of which were decided by five runs or more.

It was an underwhelming World Series, something that's becoming all too familiar. Three of the last four World Series' have been decided in four games. The lone exception was last season, when the Cardinals beat the Tigers in five games.

If there is drama, it happens before the World Series. The Indians and Red Sox went to seven games in the ALCS; the Mets and Cardinals did the same in last year's NLCS. Perhaps the most talked about series of the last 10 years didn't happen at the game's biggest stage - after rallying from a 3-0 deficit to take the American League from the Yankees in 2004, the Red Sox steamrolled the Cardinals.

So, after another World Series without too much drama (though Rockies' fans at Coors' Field were outstanding even when things looked hopeless), baseball fans can look forward to a winter of Alex Rodriguez filing for divorce from the Yankees and announcers forgetting that David Ortiz actually does have a given name.

Pass the Tums.

Rockies chances are Fogg-y at best
Note: This was written and posted on Blogcritics prior to Game 3 of the World Series, but I wasn't able to post it here until after the game concluded. Sadly, I think I hit the nail on the head.

You want to believe in the Colorado Rockies. You want to think they will come back, and if not win the World Series, then at least make it interesting. And let's face it. Only Red Sox fans want to see the World Series end in four or five games.

So the question is: After two games in which the Rockies have scored just two runs, can they find their momentum and come back against a strong Boston pitching staff?

Let's just say the odds are against it.

Game 3 is all but a must-win for Colorado. That's not news, but it's important to note, especially when considering whom the Rockies are sending out as their starting pitcher. Josh Fogg is 30 years old. He has pitched for three teams over his seven-year career. He started 29 games this season, finishing with a respectable 10-9 record. But the right-hander also had a 4.94 earned run average this season. That ERA is remarkably close to his career mark of 4.90.

Bottom line: Fogg is an average to mediocre starting pitcher. He's only had a pair of complete games in his career. Basically, he's far from an ideal choice to start game 3.

What I think this shows is just how remarkably hot the Rockies have been up to this point. They have been able to overcome their flaws and get farther than anyone would have thought. But the hot streak was not going to last forever. Unless the Rockies can find the magic (or their offense) in Denver, there's little reason to believe they can get back in this series.

And that's too bad, because few want to see a route. Hopefully Fogg can shut down David Ortiz (and keep the announcers from calling him "Big Papi.").

If he can, many of us will be happy. And surprised.

World Series: Game 1
It's easy, as an Indians fan, to feel a little bitter about the World Series right now.

The Red Sox beat my favorite team, and honestly, deserved to beat my favorite team. Because Cleveland got so close to the World Series, there is a temptation to ignore the Fall Classic, and focus on football and whatever else.

But if you love baseball, that's not an option. No matter what teams play, no matter how annoyed you get when national announcers use the name "Big Papi," and no matter how much you hate the idea of Red Sox Nation, baseball is still baseball.

It is the best sport in the world, and the World Series is the last chance to watch it until March. Besides, I thought, this could be a fun series to watch.

Then the game started.

- Josh Beckett is on some kind of run. He struck out the first four batters he saw, then went to the dugout and watched leadoff hitter Dustin Pedroia lift a home run off starter Jeff Francis.

From there, the Red Sox took off, scoring four runs in the first inning. There really is no need to go through the scoring because the game was over after the first inning.

Beckett again will get the praise, because he gave up just one run in seven innings and struck out nine, two more batters than the Rockies' Franklin Morales gave up runs. Don't look for him anytime soon.

- How uninspiring was this game? It got so bad that Joe Buck and Tim McCarver were talking about Van Halen during the ninth inning. They even managed to get in a dig on Sammy Hagar, a man who has rocked more in one night than McCarver and Buck have in their lives.

It was pointless, but it was better than hearing McCarver and Buck talk about what a great play Manny Ramirez made in Game 7 of the ALCS. The one where Ramirez threw out Kenny Lofton at second base. Yet they never mention that Lofton was safe and the umpire blew the call. (Sorry. Sour grapes.)

- People will talk about the Rockies' layoff, but no one has beaten Beckett in the postseason. Some will probably argue the Rockies are overmatched, but Colorado just had a 10-game winning streak snapped. And no matter how lopsided, it was just one game.

I still think Colorado can come back and win this series. But it starts with the starting pitcher. Ubaldo Jimenez starts tomorrow. He can hit 100 on the radar gun, but as C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona can tell you, speed means nothing without control.

Curt Schilling goes for Boston. He was just there in Game 6 of the ALCS. Carmona and the Boston hitters did all the work.

If Jimenez keeps it close, the Rockies hitters should get to Schilling.

MLB Playoff Notes, Day 1
Part of me still can't believe the teams in the National League playoffs. None of them were in the playoffs last year, and all have had World Series droughts.

Okay, Arizona won the whole thing in 2001. But that was a while ago. Not as long as the Phillies (last World Series appearance in 1993), the Cubs (1945), and the Rockies (never), but still worth noting.

• I'm actually glad ESPN isn't covering the playoffs, because I doubt most of its talent even knows where Colorado is, let alone be able to name five players on the Rockies.

• It's difficult to say, "no one gave this team a chance" in the National League, because none of these teams (with the slight exception of the Phillies) were on most people's radar for the postseason. Still, the Rockies being in the playoffs, and winning their first game against the Phillies due to pitching, just seems strange. Jeff Francis was great in all but one inning today, when he gave up back-to-back homers to Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell. The bullpen did the rest.

• The more I see of Matt Holliday, the more convinced I am that he's one of the most exciting players in the game, and deserves strong MVP consideration.

• Great baseball announcing in the first game from Joe Simpson and Don Orsillo, who talked almost exclusively about the Phillies and Rockies. They didn't talk about the Yankees, Roger Clemens, or the following Red Sox game. Simpson I particularly like, because he knows his stuff, but doesn't seem to need to be loud. Best of all, no Tim Robbins in the booth.

• The Red Sox-Angels game was not all that exciting, except for Red Sox fans, who saw their team put away the Angels rather early in a 4-0 win. As someone who would take the Indians' C.C. Sabathia for Cy Young (call it a Midwestern bias), I must admit it will be hard for Sabathia to top Beckett's shutout. It's got to be discouraging for the Angels to have their ace, John Lackey, go down so convincingly in Game 1. The series is not over by any means, but it's difficult to beat the Red Sox when Boston gets that kind of pitching.

• Why are so many people picking the Cubs for the World Series? They won 85 games, and are now facing an 0-1 hole against a Diamondbacks team that tied for the most wins in the National League. Plus, Carlos Zambrano pitched great, but the team still lost.

• And wasn't it great to hear Dick Stockton doing baseball game? TBS really impressed me on its first day of playoff coverage.

• As for predictions, well, I am abstaining for a pair of reasons. First, I picked the Padres and Twins to make the World Series last year, and they were bounced in the first round. The second reason is my Indians are in the playoffs this year, so my objectivity is out the window. As it will be tomorrow when I write notes on that game.

Also can be read at Blogcritics.

BG Football Week One: A win to build on

Going into this season, Bowling Green State University football fans had reason for skepticism.

Last season was a disappointment, with a loss to a winless Temple team and a near-loss to Buffalo. The Falcons finished 4-8, 3-5 in the Mid-American Conference. For those of us who went to the school during the short Urban Meyer tenure, and stuck around for the first two seasons of Gregg Brandon, last season was puzzling.

Was this the end of an era? Was Bowling Green back to being just an average mid-major, like it was during the final years of former coach Gary Blackney?

I don't know if Saturday's overtime win over Minnesota answered those questions. But the win did provide many of us with a sigh of relief - and plenty of jubilation.

Though it was far from the day's biggest upset (I heard something about Appalachian State?), it gave Falcon fans hope that this year could be a step forward, and not a step back.

BG's quarterback, a 19-year old sophomore named Tyler Sheehan, is a long way from deserving the praise once given to Josh Harris and Omar Jacobs. But for one game, Sheehan was fantastic.

He threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns against a Big Ten defense, in its opener. He completed a 9-yard TD pass in overtime to Marques Parks, then found Freddie Barnes for a game-winning 2-point conversion.

In some ways, the ending was similar to another game against a Big Ten team - Northwestern. That was during one of the last games of 2001, which convinced many BG fans something special was happening.

In that game, a BG touchdown with 59 seconds left in regulation brought the Falcons to within a point of the Wildcats. Meyer, in his first season as BG coach, opted to go for the win. A rush by Cole Magner secured the 43-42 win, and gave the team, the coach, and the program a major boost. By the next season, the Falcons were ranked in the top 25.

I'm not saying the same thing will happen in 2007, but Brandon (BG's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2001) was willing to take a major risk, and it paid off. The Falcon players should have a ton of confidence - and they'll need it, with games against Michigan State and Boston College on the horizon, not to mention a typically tough Mid-American Conference schedule.

Some critics may point out that Minnesota was 6-7 last season, or that BG led 21-0 over the Gophers before rallying.

But a win over a Big Ten team is a win over a Big Ten team. It's a victory any mid-major should savor.

It's also one to build on.

Also can be read at www.blogcritics.org

Tim Couch deserved better
Tim Couch was not supposed to be a savior for the Cleveland Browns’ franchise. Tim Couch was supposed to be the franchise.

For a football-starved city with outrageous expectations, the Kentucky quarterback was a symbol of resurrection for a team that had been gone for three years. Given all of that, maybe it’s not surprising that eight years later, he is seen as a bust. That’s got to be a hard thing for a player, particularly a No. 1 draft pick overall, to accept.

Couch had a chance (albeit a small one) at redemption earlier this summer, when he signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he was cut just a few weeks after signing.

Couch hasn’t taken a snap in an NFL regular season game since 2003. But he found himself in the news Tuesday when it was reported that he used a training regimen that involved human growth hormone and anabolic steroids. Couch, for his part, has admitted to taking HGH – under doctor’s supervision – to recover from a shoulder surgery. In one day, fair or not, Couch went from a draft bust to a drug-using draft bust.

Couch’s legacy could be forever tarnished by this information, and his legacy wasn’t all that positive (on the field, anyway) to begin with. I’ll hold off on his off-the-field issue for the moment, because I’m not a steroid expert or a drug-law expert. All I know is that no matter what happens from this point on, Couch will be seen by many as not just a draft bust, but as someone who cheated in an ill-fated attempt to get back in the show.

I’ll choose to remember Couch as a player who tried hard to live up to ridiculous expectations, but never had the chance to because the players around him weren’t good enough.

Couch actually wanted to come to Cleveland. (Why do players want to go to expansion teams? Oh, right, money.) He got his wish. But I wonder now how much better Couch’s career could have been had he been drafted by the Eagles, Bears, or Saints. Those teams weren’t great at the time, but at least they had complete organizations in place. He might not have been a Hall of Famer; he might not have had the career Donavan McNabb has. But he certainly would have had a better chance than with the Browns.

In his first season, Couch got smacked around in his 14 starts, finally being forced out due to injuries in Week 15. The Browns went 2-12 in those starts.

In his four seasons as the Browns primary starter, he only had one healthy season – 2001. It was not a great season, but Couch did throw for more than 3,000 yards. In 2002, Couch started all but two regular season games, and went 8-6. It was the only season the Browns have went to the playoffs since coming back.

But Couch missed the team’s playoff appearance, and thus was on the sidelines when Kelly Holcomb – his backup – threw for 429 yards in a 36-33 loss to Pittsburgh. With that game, the Couch era in Cleveland was essentially over. Browns’ coach Butch Davis decided to go with Holcomb as the starter. Couch started a few games for the team after that, but didn’t do well enough to convince Davis to keep him.

Couch signed with the Packers, and some optimistic folks saw him as a possible successor to Bret Favre. Instead, he was released before taking a regular season snap.

I have heard some analysts say Couch wasn’t tough enough for the NFL. I don’t see how anyone could play behind that Browns offensive line in 1999 and not be tough. What I do know is Couch was in a miserable situation. Since Couch was drafted in 1999, the Browns have had four head coaches, eight losing seasons, and 10 starting quarterbacks. A lot was expected of Couch, and he didn’t deliver. After almost a decade of general incompetence from the Browns’ organization, it’s hard to see how he could have.You just hope people remember that before they criticize him, at least for his play on the field.

Also posted at www.blogcritics.org

In Style: Dungy wins Super Bowl his way
The significance of this Super Bowl to me was the success of Tony Dungy. His victory should show, without question, that any kind of coach could be successful. This has nothing to do with Dungy's race, but everything to do with his style.
We have been told throughout the years about fiery coaches who put the fear of God in their players. That has often been used as a prototype for new hires. Vince Lombardi has the trophy named after him, while Bill Parcells, with his rather abrasive style, is seen as a genius.
When a team is struggling with a player-friendly coach, some in the media write dreamily about what an intense, in-your-face coach could accomplish.
Bill Cowher, Jon Gruden and others have won Super Bowls with this. Gruden, in fact, replaced Dungy when the Buccaneers decided the latter couldn't win the big one. It looked like a masterstroke when the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2002.
But Dungy has proved he could win it all, and without promising Colts' management anything other than to be himself. Unlike many coaches, where swear words are perfect descriptions for anything, Dungy refrains from such language.
He rarely raises his voice, and he's generally beloved by all who play for him. It's a style Lombardi and Cowher might scoff at, but by winning a title, Dungy has silenced critics of him (which were rapidly diminishing anyway).
This is not to suggest one coach's personality is better than another. It just means coaches come in all different forms.
And all different kinds can win.

The Strange Prominence of Barbaro
When I found out Barbaro died, my reaction was pretty insubstantial. It’s not that I don’t feel bad for the horse, or that I don’t feel bad for the people who owned or cared about the horse. But with everything there is to be concerned about in the world, I find the death of a horse to be a somewhat minor tragedy.
So imagine my surprise when Charles Gibson reported at the top of last evening’s broadcast of World News Tonight about the death of Barbaro. I can only imagine what Peter Jennings would have thought. Maybe he’d have read it first. But I just can’t see Jennings reading the story, then going to a correspondent at the Pentagon for a report about the war.
So let me get this straight. America is engaged in two wars where people are dying every day. And the first story, on a world news program, is the death of a horse? It’s not that I don’t like animals. I’ll admit to crying when my dogs died. But I don’t ever remember so much significance placed on the death of an animal.
Barbaro may have inspired people; he may have made people happy. In that sense, I understand the sadness. But I couldn’t help but laugh when I read the Associated Press story by Dan Gelston, in which David Switzer (executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association) remarked, apparently with a straight face, that “this horse was a hero.”
I have always been cautious of using the term “hero” in sports. Of course, my main fear was in using it to describe players like John Elway or Derek Jeter, as it would equate them with soldiers, police, and firefighters. But by using “hero” and “horse” in the same sentence, Switzer has practically ruined the term. And what exactly did Barbaro do to earn “hero” status?” I’ll admit that animals can be heroes, but most of them have to do something heroic. If a dog saves a child from a burning house, the dog is a hero.
I have never owned a horse, so maybe that’s the reason for me not understanding the significance of this story. To me, a horse is a horse. I’m sure people who own horses understand, and people who saw Barbaro win the Kentucky Derby live understand.But I don’t.