The Jay Line

Hemingway MVP Brinker informs your sports day like no other

Friday Hemingway superstar Jay Brinker checks in to recap Round 1, and other things.

Mornin’ everyone.  Stay up to watch the Bengals select a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft for the first time since 2001?  Were you awake to watch the KC fans rocking out to Fall Out Boy playing the Beastie Boys’ “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)”?  That was way cool.

I have a bunch of random musings which harken back to some of Doc’s mornings at The Enquirer when he graced us with his Three Dot Ranch.  Hoping for grace, let’s start.

Bengals Draft.  Props to the guys at The Athletic who nailed the Bengals selection of Myles Murphy last evening.  I cannot tell who predicted this – PDJ, Jay Morrison, or a consensus of The Athletic beat reporters, but they certainly filtered out the noise about the selection of a TE or OT.  The draft is a crapshoot, but Jay Morrison wrote the following about Murphy<https://theathletic.com/4438654/2023/04/26/nfl-mock-draft-beat-writer-picks-2023/> earlier this week:

“It’s as though Murphy was created in a lab solely for the purpose of playing for the Bengals, who covet character, consistency and effort as much as they do size and production. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo also loves versatility, and Murphy has the ability to kick inside on third downs to add some needed juice to the pass rush when he’s not spelling Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard on the edge.”

Let’s hope this perfect marriage works out.

Other Draft Thoughts.  So many words written by so many with no inside knowledge. Every pundit and every website has a mock draft, most of which are nowhere close to being correct.  The kajillion to one odds of picking an NCAA basketball tournament perfect bracket have to be lower than simply getting the first ten picks in the NFL draft correct.  We are told that an RB in the first round is unnecessary, but two go in the first 12 picks.  We are told that the draft is chock full of tight ends, but only one goes in the first round while several mocks had the Bengals taking the 3rd best TE.  Some drafts had 5 qbs in the first round but only three were selected.

I miss the pre-hype days when a team would announce who they were taking weeks in advance of the draft.  If you missed it, check out Peter King’s piece about when he was the Bengals beat reporter<https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2023/04/10/nfl-draft-2023-1984-peter-king-fmia/> and sat down with Sam Wyche who told him who the Bengals would pick in the 1984 draft as long as he kept it a secret.  Gosh, I did not appreciate Sam as much as I should have when he was here.  Forgive my youth.

Anthony Richardson as the 4th Pick?  Anyone else see Akili Smith redux?  16 college starts, 24-15 TD/Int. ratio, 54% completion percentage, but great athletic ability.  Having watched the exclamation point to the Lost Decade, I can not help but see a draft reach based on combine results.  Feel free to glance through the haze and see EJ Manuel, Christian Ponder, or Josh Rosen instead of Akili.  The Colts see Josh Allen.

Will Levis, Where Art Thou?  Some posters on Reddit were saying that former UK qb, Will Levis, was destined to be picked by the Panthers as the first overall pick after a visit with them.  The betting odds on him as the first pick moved dramatically (proving that people will bet on anything).  Levis in the first was always a stretch for a guy who could not beat out Sean Clifford at Penn State who is projected as a priority free agent.  I say that as someone who has always been a Clifford fan since his days at St. X and their 2016 state title run.

Guru Duke

Duke Tobin.  With the Bengals in the midst of their two best consecutive seasons ever and matching the total playoff wins in the previous 50 years, credit has to be given to Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor for turning the ship around.  Paul Dehner wrote a nice, albeit hagiographic, piece about Duke<https://theathletic.com/4454421/2023/04/26/bengals-duke-tobin-draft/> in The Athletic this week.

Yes, the Bengals have played in two consecutive conference championship games, won five playoff games after not winning any in the previous 30 years, and have won more division championships than the Steelers and Ravens the past 10 years.  Am I being petty for not overlooking the wasteland that was 2016-2020 and the failed draft selections of Cedric Ogbuehi, John Ross, Billy Price, and the annual flameout of a 3rd round linebacker?  Fortunately for Duke and Bengals fans, the Brown family is nothing but loyal and tries to emulate the front office stability of the dreaded Steelers and Ravens.  Once again, here is hoping that Duke continues the post-2020 roll he and the franchise have been on.

College Portal. Doc mentioned Deion Sanders and the football portal earlier this week.  What we did not discuss was the number of players UC has in the portal.  The Athletic listed UC as having a high number of players transferring.  That bodes poorly for the transition to the B12.

Among the players in the portal is last year’s starting QB, Ben Bryant,  He is competing for a starting job with transfer Emory Jones who is more mobile and likely more suited to the offense Scott Satterfield wants to run.  Bryant wants to play in the NFL, but if he cannot win the starting job as a 6th year senior, his NFL prospects seem dim.  What is unknown is whether his NIL dollars exceed what he would make as a recent college grad in the business world.

More College Portal.  Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, left for the same position at Alabama.  Many ND fans in the comments sections of various publications were ecstatic while saying “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” and thinking that they would land some terrific offensive mind as the new OC.  They ultimately settled for their own tight ends coach to fill that position.  Fans also ignored the fact that the guy they derided for several years was coveted by the best coach in college football history.

Now Alabama just landed ND’s former qb as a transfer because Alabama’s qb room is unsettled and ND will start Sam Hartman, a Wake Forest transfer.  Many ND fans, including me, were underwhelmed by Tyler Buchner’s performance last season before he was injured in a loss to Marshall, but Saban and Rees see enough to invite him to Tuscaloosa.  Because every time a butterfly flaps its wings something changes in the universe, UC’s Ben Bryant is a transfer possibility to ND.  Is he better off being the backup in Clifton or South Bend?

Hoops Portal.  A big UC welcome to CJ Fredrick.  The former Iowa Hawkeye and UK Wildcat from Covington Cath just transferred to UC.  I hope he can knock down a bunch of his trademark threes while avoiding the injures that have plagued him during his college career.

Playoff Chaos.  The NBA regular season was chaotic enough with Memphis being the second best team in the West and Sacramento being the third.   Now, they are both in jeopardy of being bounced from the playoffs in the first round by traditional powers the Lakers and Golden State, respectively.  Throw in that the team with the best regular season record, the Milwaukee Bucks, just lost to the 8th seeded Miami Heat and the perennially underappreciated Jimmy Butler, and the playoffs are set up for maximum chaos.  And fun.

Giannis

Speaking of the Bucks – Giannis Gets It.  In case you did not read this yesterday, this is the best thing you will read this week.  Or all year.  When Giannis was asked if the Bucks season was a failure after posting the best regular season record, but losing 4-1 in the first round, he said the following:

“It’s not a failure, it’s steps towards success. There’s always steps to it. Michael Jordan played 15 years. He won six championships. The other nine years, he was a failure? (No.) So why do you ask me that question? It’s the wrong question.

“There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days. Some days you’re able to be successful. Some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn. Some days it’s not your turn. And that’s what sports is about. You don’t always win. Some other people are going to win. And this year, somebody else is going to win. Simple as that.

“We’re going to come back next year, try to be better, try to build good habits, try to play better. Not have a 10-day stretch of playing bad basketball. And hopefully, we can win a championship. So, for 50 years, from 1971 until we won in 2021, that we didn’t win a championship, it was 50 years of failure? No, it was not. There were steps to it. And we were able to win one. Hopefully, we can win another one.”

BTW, English is his second language.  We should all be so eloquent in our first.

NHL Playoffs.  Is any title more difficult to win than the Stanley Cup?  I would not be asking if the answer was yes.  Of the eight playoff series, only one has been decided.  The defending champs, Colorado Avalanche, are trailing the second year Seattle Kraken who have the coolest unis in the league.  The three time finalists, Tampa Bay Lightning, won last night to extend their season.  They still trail the Maple Leafs 3-2.  Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers are not in the playoffs despite a certain octogenarian rooting for them to win the Stanley Cup.

FC Cincinnati.  Is off to a great start and is tied for first in their conference.  They have only lost four  games since last June 1.  They are also still in contention for the US Open Cup with a game in two weeks at TQL Stadium.  They recently played a 15 year old.  On the news that does not make sense to non-soccer fans, they sold their best player to an Italian team for $10 million, but he will stay with the team through July 1.  Such are the travails of MLS being a development league.

How Much Is a Concert Worth (Revisited).  When I subbed for Doc in November, I posited the question about how much a concert is worth, specifically a Taylor Swift concert.  Taylor opened her tour in Phoenix.  Two days prior to the concert last month, I purchased two tickets for $400 each plus the egregious $100/seat StubHub fee.  Our daughter then flew out to attend with me.  The experience was worth every dollar – I doubt I will have a better three hours the rest of the year while definitely knowing that I will not have a better 4 minutes than dancing to “Shake It Off” with her.   If you have some spare cash, the show is worth every cent.

Enough?

Song of the Day.  Cincinnati’s The National released their new album today.  Props to the Cincinnati Country Day and St. X grads, and Taylor collaborators, for their 9th album.   This is their most lively song in years – “Tropic Morning News.’’

Thanks for reading.  Thanks, as always, to Doc for giving me the keyboard.  Have a great weekend.

THE LAPTOP IS STILL SMOKIN’ . . . Thanks a lot, Jay. A final draft thought:

Given The Men finished 29th in the league in sacks last year, and could not corral peg-leg Pat Mahomes in the AFC title game, an edge rusher seems a good get. As always, personnel gurus make their money in later rounds, not in Round 1, when making a pick is like choosing between the Maserati and the Lamborghini.

Since 2018, this is who the Bengals have picked in Rounds 3-4-5:

Sam Hubbard, Germaine Pratt, Logan Wilson, Joseph Ossai and Evan McPherson. Not bad. Before that, Duke Tobin & Friends found Geno Atkins in Round 4, Marvin Jones and George Iloka in Round 5, and Carl Lawson in Round 4.

There have been misses, too, as Jay noted. But overall, Tobin’s crew has done good work in the past decade.

It’s gone mostly unnoticed nationally, because Tobin does not have a big personality and chooses not to buddy up to national superstar media members. He has just humbly assembled a title-caliber roster.

In 2014, Tobin said to me, "The great players have something about them, when they walk into the room and you look them in the eye, there is something there. You can sense they want it, there is sort of a spirit to them.’’

There are no Sure Things in any team’s draft room. But track records are decent report cards. Tobin’s card is cum laude at least.

AND FINALLY. . . The Athletic did a cool piece marking the 40th anniversary of Lee Elia’s epic rant, which occurred 40 years ago yesterday. This guy did it one better. He put music to Elia’s f—- words. F—- genius, but not for the pure of heart.

SUPPORT YOUR FELLOW MOBSTER. . .Kate Cassidy is an artist. Specifically, a painter of landscapes. Dreamy, bursting with color and joy. Ckout Kate’s work at the Evendale Fine Arts Exhibit, May 5-8. Address is 10500 Reading Road.

Times are: Friday May 5th – 6 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

Saturday May 6th – 12:00 to 4:00 P.M.

Sunday May 7th – 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

Monday May 8th – 1:00 to 5:00 P.M.

Additional Exhibit Information: 513-563-1350.

Kate Cassidy

AND NOW. . . Hey Michelle guarantees you an exciting weekend

Asian Food Fest ~ Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 11am-8pm at the Court Street Plaza. This is the area's largest celebration of Asian food featuring almost 50 vendors representing 15 countries. 

Liberty Center “Spot a Truck” ~ Sunday 10am- Noon…  your little ones will be in awe of the fire engines, excavators, helicopters and more. Behind McK’s BBQ

Fountain Square ~ Saturday  2-4pm Frisch’s is hosting a launch party of the Hot Chicken Sandwich! Join in a mid day party with face painting, a hot sauce eating competition, Roller skating, DJ and more. 

Dance the night away at the Hard Rock Casino ~ Gee Your Band Smells Terrific is playing Friday & Saturday at 9pm go get your groove on! This band is really fun ;) 

Event ~ 1N5 Mental health …looking for a fun giveback ? The Spring4life event is Saturday at 7:00 at Karrikin Spirits Company. Under the Big Top will have cocktails, light bites and fun. 

Rooftop Celebration at Braxton ~ Cheers to 8 years! Live music, Dewey’s Pizza, great beer and fun. 

Y’alls are getting ready for the season ~ Hit up Fifty West Saturday 6-9pm and meet some players and grab dinner and sips. 

Prost! ~ Celebrate the 20th year Anniversary of the Hofbrauhaus in Newport! Monday May 1st is the big day they’re having a big party starting at 6:00 and releasing an original bier- Jubiläum Lager! 

Second Story ~ The wait is over! They’re finally opening Friday in Covington. This eclectic, cool bar with really great cocktails is a show stopper. It’s located above Flying Axes and is ready to serve you a drink. It’s part of the Somerset and Alice crew so you know it’ll be amazing. 

Hey Michelle,

Do you want to know where to eat, drink and have fun in Cincinnati? Follow me @HeyMichelle1 on IG 

https://heymichelle-help.com

And that was the longest TML in TML history.