Today, We Sound Off on Everything

Hemingway Deluxe Jay Brinker brings the goods. You've been warned.

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Bula, bula.  Second time this week that TML has used that phrase.  This time it is in the context of the Fijian greeting for “Hello.”  Who knew TML was so multi-lingual?  If it is not trips to Italy it is greetings in a Polynesian language.  

Worst Sports Month on the Calendar.  Is there a worse month for sports than August?  You have baseball and what else?  More baseball in the form of the Little League World Series? And pre-season football?   For sports, August is as lame as it could be.  I feel the void on the calendar even more so because it follows July which has 21 days of the Tour de France (my favorite sporting event) and the British Open.   

Even MLS adds to the void on the calendar because it pauses its season for most of August while it plays various cup matches that are beyond the comprehension of casual sports fans.  

Reds Karma.  I know that I am not the only one thinking it, but I will verbalize it.  For the second time in three seasons, the Reds were in position for the playoffs on Aug. 1.  Also for the second time in three seasons, the Reds stood pat at the trade deadline.  In 2021, the addition of a reliever would have placed them in the playoffs.  This year they again could have used some quality bullpen help to put them over the top in a winnable division.  With 8 losses since the trade deadline, they should be ruing their decision to stand pat.  But where are we fans going to go?

College Football Realignment.  This is really what I want to dissect.  So many thoughts.  

First, as a UC fan I am happy that the Bearcats are on the right side of the line for once, and perhaps the first time ever.  Props to AD John Cunningham and President Pinto for getting UC into the B12.  It was only a dozen years ago that then UC president Greg Williams was working feverishly (and stupidly) to preserve the Big East instead of attempting to join the B12.  When the music stopped, UC was left in the conference orphanage known as the AAC with an annual television rights deal of $1 million.   UC will soon be making $32 million annually with its new conference affiliation.

Second, for anyone has ever supported the concept of relegation in sports, you just witnessed it.   Washington State, Oregon State, Cal, and Stanford were just relegated.  UC, Central Florida, Houston, and BYU were just elevated to take their place.  

Third, be careful what you wish for.  The opportunity to join a new conference and enjoy its riches is great, but not one team that has changed conferences in the past 20 years has sustained prosperity on the football field.  Nebraska is the poster child of irrelevance after changing conferences.  Texas A&M and Missouri had a few decent years in the SEC, but could never displace the traditional powers there.  Rutgers has Rutgersed in the B10 and should be jettisoned.  Maryland left its longtime ACC spouse for the allure of a new spouse only to find out the new spouse had a proclivity for spending money that it could not handle.  Only Utah, which has won the last two Pac -12 titles, has done well with its new conference.

Last, is anyone else aware that the Rose Bowl was no longer going to be a B10-Pac-12 game under the new CFP format?  Consider that one more tradition, perhaps the Granddaddy of them all, sacrificed at the altar of money.   

Conference Realignment Brainstorm.  I have had this idea for 20 years and it is now being discussed by some other geeks.  Conferences can exist in whatever bloated and geographical non-sensical form for football and basketball.  For other sports, schools should play other schools nearby.    There is no reason for UC’s women’s soccer team or track teams to have to travel to Utah for a game or meet.  They should be able to remain somewhat close to home and play OSU, Louisville, UK, Indiana and other nearby schools. 

Conference Realignment End Game?  Although the realignment carousel might have paused for a moment while fans catch their breaths (or Washington State and Oregon State vent their displeasure), I doubt that realignment is over.  It is not difficult to envision 32 schools breaking away from everyone else for football only.  This would be the powerhouse schools in the SEC and B10, Florida State and Clemson, and perhaps a few from the B12.  Northwestern, Vandy, Duke, UC and its newly elevated cohorts, and most of the ACC would be on the outside looking in.  

USWNT.  This has not been discussed in this space so I will bring it up.  For those not watching television at 7:30 a.m. last Sunday, the USWNT lost its World Cup match on Sunday to Sweden on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie during 120 minutes.  They were actually up 3-2 in PKs when they missed three of their next four, with none of the misses on goal.  Ironically, the only made PK in that stretch was by their goalie who stepped in to take one.  Such woeful accuracy is indicative of why the team scored only one goal in its last 300 minutes of play.  

Even after this disastrous performance and the earliest exit ever in this tournament, the White House Twitter/X account tweeted that the team was special and had made an incredible run.  I am in the Piers Morgan camp wondering how the earliest loss ever by a team where only five members sang the national anthem made anyone proud.  I am also in the Alexi Lalas camp where if your brand is about winning and you do not win, do not be upset if people find you unlikeable due to your politics, causes, stances, and behavior when you lose.  

In the odd stat category, there were 54 women born in the US who played in the World Cup.  With only 23 of them on the US roster, the talent pool is deep for the future. 

Landscaping.  What are you hearing about the death of all of the local boxwoods?  Blight or December freeze?  Looking for a definitive answer while I replace 15 boxwoods.   

Trip Report.  We just had the best family vacation ever – a week in Greece and a week in Israel.  It was the best ever because we were gone for two weeks but it felt like four.  Part of that was because I turned the trip over to a travel agent in both countries who hired people to meet us at the airport, squire us through the airport, drive us to our hotel, purchase ferry and admission tickets, and guide us around Israel.  All we had to do was be at a specific place at the specific time.  No stress at all for me in dealing with a rental car and trying to navigate a foreign country in a language I cannot read.  “It’s Greek to me” is meaningful when trying to read it.  

Social Media is Rotting Souls.  Santorini has white buildings cascading down the side of a former volcano towards the sea.   There is “a thing” called the Flying Dresses of Santorini where women pay a minimum of  $650 to rent a satin dress with a long train, stand on one of the white buildings (near a sign saying “don’t stand here”), have someone throw the train in the air, and have a photographer take a picture of it.  I assume that this is all for the sake of posting it on Instagram.  The roof of the hotel room across from ours is one of the popular spots.  If we sat there for an hour, we would see at least a half dozen women doing this.  My retirement gig will be the Flying Dresses of Scottsdale.  Book your shoot now.  

Desert Oasis.  Israel was the bomb.  Loved every minute of it.  Some quick points:

The food was the best and most interesting food I have ever eaten.  Incredible flavors.  

Retracing the steps of Jesus in Jerusalem on his last day, from trial to site of crucifixion, is powerful for everyone.  

The Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem is incredibly moving.  There is one room where they slowly announce the name of every child who died in the Holocaust.  With 1.5 million murdered children, the recording repeats every 30 years.    

Still, the best moment for Jack, Brandon (Blair’s then boyfriend), and me, was the Golan Heights.  We stayed in a hotel that used to be part of Syria but is now inside Israel.  The hotel is the former French Customs House which was shelled and nearly destroyed in the Six Days War (1967).  Instead of scraping it, the new owners renovated it and made it into a luxury hotel.  Jack walked the grounds and saw several bunkers used during the war and various locations used by snipers.  

The next day we were dropped off at the kibbutz closest to the Syrian border.  We met some UN peacekeepers from Fiji and India who were super friendly and wanted to have their pictures taken with Americans.  The greeting our guide gave them was “Bula, bula.”  No one dislikes Fiji, but Fiji has an army nonetheless.  They rent their army for peacekeeping purposes which generates cash for them.    

Later, after driving a dirt road with mine fields on both sides, we met an Israeli outpost 100 yards from the Syrian border.  We spent some time chatting with the 19 year olds who operate tanks.  We then saw some other soldiers enter a tank and drive away in a cacophony of noise and a cloud of dust with greater acceleration than my 1987 Acura Integra ever could.  It was cool beyond description.  Then to make for a great juxtaposition, we spent some time that afternoon tasting wine at small winery.

Missing Life’s Big Moments.  Our 27 year old daughter, Blair, got engaged Tuesday evening to her boyfriend of 7 years, Brandon Kronewitter.  Congrats to both of them.  Brandon has been a great boyfriend and will be a great addition to our family.  

Apparently, I was the last to be aware of the engagement.  At 10:00 that evening, I had shut my phone off and jumped on the computer to banter a bit with Patrick and Pogo and respond to a question posed by Doc.  When I woke up the next day, I saw that Patrick had responded so I jumped back on and continued the convo.  Meanwhile, Blair and Janice were blowing up my phone. Janice was concerned enough that I had died that she had called our neighbor to ask him to check on me.  Lesson is always have your phone and pay attention to it or your family will think you died.  

Song of the Day – Sinead O’Connor.  So much to say.  Sinead died two plus weeks ago.  Since her death, I have spent 30 minutes per day watching her videos.  I am mesmerized by the contrast of the intensity of her performances and the vulnerability and fragility expressed in her large, doe shaped eyes and small appearance.  No performer has matched her ability to increase the volume of her voice from a whisper to a belt in a flash like she did. 

People that experience every moment of life as intensely as Sinead did cannot sustain it.  They are doomed to burn out or descend into mental illness as she did.  As has been said, the flame that burns the brightest burns the shortest.  So many great videos to choose from, but I will go with this one for two reasons.  First, “you used to hold my hand when the plane take off” is one of the best metaphors for a dead relationship ever, much less by a 22 year old woman whose education was from reform school.  Second, it is also my favorite song by her.  The Last Day of Our Acquaintance.  

Thanks, as always, to Doc for allowing me to write.  Thanks to everyone for reading.  Have a great weekend.

AND NOW. . .

Hey Michelle makes your weekend worth living for.

Wake N Skate~ Roll on down to the Riverfront skate park for yoga at 9, all age skate 10-11:30, Adult skate 11:30-1. Free rentals, free coffee and grab a crepe from the crepe truck! 

Country Music Fest ~ I’ve been waiting all Summer for this! The lineup of music over 30 acts! What an awesome way to start the weekend Thursday ar 5:30- Sunday night… grab tickets now online or at the gate at the VOA park in West Chester 

Flugtag ~ God bless you! Nope not a sneeze but I think its going to be an epic event Saturday 12:30-4:30 first flight 1:10 People build homemade aircraft and “fly” or maybe plunge into the Ohio River off a 22 ft ramp! Best views I think might be Purple People Bridge or Newport on the levee. 

City Flea ~ Saturday 10-4 at Washington Park. Shop over 150 vendors, music, grab a drink and enjoy. This weekend is extra special because there will be an additional kids market with 50 kids vendors

Free Pickleball ~ Aces in Norwood is hosting a community event Friday 6-9 & Saturday 12-6 free play, lessons, meet tennis pro Victoria Azarenka, giveaways and Jeni’s ice cream 

On The Rocks ~ Cincinnati Magazine is throwing a fun cocktail bash at MegaCorp. Sunday 2-5pm. Tastings, mixology classes, small bites, live entertainment and so much more benefitting Cincinnati Works 

Western & Southern Open ~ Starting 10am Saturday through August the 20th catch some of the worlds best tennis players at the Linder Family Tennis Center. 

Stereo 23 DJ event ~ Free event .. Saturday doors open at 10:30 at the ICON stage at Smale Park. Over 20 DJ’s spinning music all day! Food trucks and vendors will be on site. 

OFF Market ~ 11-5pm Summit Park in Blue Ash shop, eat and enjoy! 

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

Imbiber Dave Tackles “Trawna’’ Where the Drinking is Good

Visited Toronto this week, which is easily one of my favorite cities. I hadn’t been in about three years and wow has it continued to grow.

People often compare Toronto to NYC, and as a huge bustling city there are definitely similarities. But, Toronto is nicer and cleaner, which reminds quite a lot of Chicago. So, Toronto is a cool mashup of my two favorite cities in the US (other than Cincy obviously, don’t get emotional).

We spent our first evening in the historic distillery district, which is a must visit spot if you’ve never been. The distillery was in operation for 153 years before closing its doors in 1990. A revitalization project started in 2001 and it reopened in 2003 with 80 shops, bars and restaurants. Imagine if four city blocks around Rhinegeist were fully redeveloped and chock full of unique imbibing options.

At Mill St Brewing we sampled the Kolsch and Tankhouse Pale Ale. Continuing at Pure Spirits, we decided to enjoy some delicious food along with several different local brews. Ace Hills Mexican Lager, Mascots Pilly Pils and Lightweight Lager were all great with food. As the evening winded down, we enjoyed Barking Squirrel Amber and Woodhouse’s Stout. The Toronto beer scene is alive and well!

Cheers!
cincybeerguydave@gmail.com