What's so Swift About Taylor?

Plus, NKU's watershed win, and why you shouldn't pick the Bengals this week

Operating from the conviction that I don’t need to know what I don’t need to know, I haven’t followed the T. Swift saga. Something about unreasonable prices and unmet demand, yeah?

I do know this: If someone’s gonna ask me to pay $500 for a concert ticket, Jesus or Jimi Hendrix better be on lead guitar and my seats better be no further from the action than the bench of Jerry Lee’s piano.

Honest question from an OG who thinks rock-n-pop ended after the release of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road:

What’s so swift about Taylor? From what I’ve heard — and honestly, it ain’t much — she sounds like every other female pop singer born in the last 30 years. Amirite?

A couple weeks ago, I saw the Smithereens at Ludlow Garage in Clifton. Cozy venue, very good old band. Sat in about the 5th row. Great night, actually felt in communion with the band. It was 40 bucks. I’d pay that anytime.

Five hundred? And lucky to pay it?

No way, Dick Clark.

I was 18 in 1975 when I paid $7.50 to see Led Zeppelin at what used to be the Capital Centre outside DC. I saw the Allman Brothers in Salem, Va., in ‘77 for $10. Living history on stage. Ten bucks.

Now, then. . .

WHEN WINNING ONE GAME IS SO MUCH MORE THAN WINNING ONE GAME. NKU took it to UC Wednesday night. It wasn’t just that the Norse won. They were the better team. Nor was it a one-off. If you watched the game, you wouldn’t take much issue with this statement:

If the two programs played 10 times this year, home and home, NKU would have a decent chance to go 5-5.

Think about that. A decade ago, maybe less, when the Bearcats played Northern, it was basically a scrimmage. A November chance to kick the tires. Now?

“You have to keep taking steps to be taken more seriously,’’ NKU coach Darrin Horn told me Friday morning.

That’s it, isn’t it? When you’re Northern Kentucky University and you’ve barely laced up your D-1 sneakers, respect and credibility are everything. They impact everything. Recruiting, scheduling, perceptions, self-belief. What the Norse did Wednesday instantly improved all that. “It was a step,’’ said Horn.

I asked him for one word to describe the 13-point W. Horn was an English major at Western Kentucky. “Fruition,’’ he said. The hard work of many people, for years and years, to get to the moment Wednesday night when 8,500 people cheered and rushed the court.

“Going back to way before I ever stepped on campus, they’d been good in basketball,’’ Horn said. “They built an arena even before they went D-1. Then they switched to a better league, won the conference tournament, all very quickly. There are steps to this.’’

The effects of the win will build. NKU had recruits at the game. One is in for a visit today. The rest got calls or texts from Horn and his staff. Understand: Horn was a very successful player at WKU. He was a very successful head coach there, too. He knows how the game is played.

The most important W Wednesday was in changing perceptions.

“As coaches, we spend so much time getting (players) to understand, trust me when you’re asked to work hard,’’ Horn said. “Same with recruiting. You can tell a kid about the vision you have for your program. You can sell that all you want. But to see it happen. . .’’

Great for NKU. Great for the region.

AS FOR THE MEN. . . I feel the need now, when forecasting Bengals games, to include a disclaimer not unlike what’s on tobacco products and ads for gambling. I’m pretty much the Wizard of Oz of sports picking. Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. You’ve been warned.

The Men will close out the Chocolate Cake and No Good Quarterbacks portion of their schedule with a too-close win that won’t speak highly for their playoff aspirations. The Steelers have Watt back. Fitzpatrick will play. Highsmith and Heyward aren’t going anywhere.

Will the Bengals come prepared to block?

Reader’s back, but Pittsburgh can’t run much, anyway, so that might not make a huge difference. Quoting Billy Preston: Nothin’ from nothin’ leaves nothin’.

In Week 1, Alex Highsmith wrecked the Bengals: Three sacks, four QB hits, nine tackles. He’s coming off a two-sack game against New Orleans. Trent Jordan Watt specializes in wrecking teams and their game plans.

Meantime, where have you gone, Trey Hendrickson? The man who had 17 sacks last season has four after nine games, only 1.5 since Week 3. The Bengals don’t much get after QBs in 2022. They should start.

We’ve spent the past month or so seeking one season-affirming W from the Bengals. One triumph that suggested with few doubts that the train was back on the track. We haven’t gotten it. (Sorry, crushing Carolina doesn’t qualify.) This Sunday probably won’t, either.

The Men will win in Pittsburgh because they’re too good not to. We don’t say that much in the NFL. This week, in this game, it applies. The 1st-week L was a fluke. Four Burrow picks? C’mon. Burrow is groovin’ on Sunday afternoons now and that’s just enough to get The Men to 6-4 in a season when they’ve opposed one QB better than Mitchell Trubisky. They lost that one.

Men 20

Stillers 17

Of course, me picking them to win all but guarantees they won’t.

AND NOW. . . Hey Michelle guarantees you a great weekend, if you listen to her.

Taste of Lebanon ~ The one time a year where St. Anthony of Padua in Walnut Hills turns into a foodie paradise! Delicious homemade Lebanese Cuisine and pastries and you don’t want to miss it.  Sunday only Noon-6 2530 Victory Pkwy Carry out only. Visit

https://www.thetasteoflebanon.com for more deets  

Books by the Banks ~ Joseph Beth Bookstores big event is Saturday 10-4 at Duke Energy. Buy great books, meet authors and celebrate reading! This is a free event 

Shutout the Hate Night ~ Cyclones game Friday $5 craft draft/seltzer, $1 popcorn, $3 Hamburgers, The Hate Jersey (and it’s pretty cool). Fun times to cheer on our Cincy Hockey Team!

Where I’m drinking? Hearth Room after a long hiatus it’s back and it’s the perfect cold weather hangout. They now have live music Wednesday - Saturday  .. Sit by the fire, sip on a great cocktail and listen to the tunes.. perfection!  125 W. 4th St. 

Festival of Lights ~ Cincinnati Zoo lights it up with a Winter Wonderland of fun. It starts Friday and runs through Jan. 8. Zoo hours are Sunday-Thursday 10-9, Fri & Sat 10-10 with the Festival of Lights activities starting at 4:00. 

Rookwood Pottery Holiday Open House~ This Saturday & Sunday you can join in the fun and get in the holiday spirit. They are offering behind the scene tours, workshops like candle making, cookie decorating, ornament making (ticketed), refreshments, artist demonstrations and more. Saturday 10-6 & Sunday 1-4 the first 50 people on both days receive a $25 gift card. 1920 Race St. 

 Hey Michelle,
Do you want to know where to eat, drink and have fun in Cincinnati? Check out my page  https://heymichelle-help.com

IMBIBER DAVE TRIES TO ENJOY THE SEASON. BEER HELPS

I had a lot of trouble getting into my typical fall imbibing mood this year. I had visions of smoking the turkey while we sat around the pool drinking pina coladas. Shooting hoops in flip flops while we traded the mashed potatoes for tater tots.

Well, this week got me snapped right back into the spirit. I had my first Rhinegeist Franz of the season, one of my favorite fall beers, and it tastes amazing as always. I enjoyed a wonderful pint of Guinness that always helps to warm the soul. As many of you may know, I’ve always tended towards the bitter end of the spectrum. I think you see that malty beers that aren’t overly sweet tend to have staying power over time. I’ll plan to try a few festive beers soon, and then quickly return to my favorites.

Spending more time on the couch, covered head to toe, and only coming to periscope depth to enjoy another deep sip of your pint, left me contemplating other serious topics like inflation. Of course The Dad Tax has been top of mind, aka stealing my boys Halloween candy.

I penned a short letter to my congressman- why is there not more publicly available information about the history of the 100Grand candy bar? Don’t get me wrong, Twix may be the greatest human creation since the high speed internal processor. Whatchamacallit, Snickers, and anything from the M&M portfolio will earn you high praise. No one is kicking you out of the fundraising party with a Reese’s product under your arm. But where did 100Grand come from?

Yes it was completely worth reading the way too brief Wikipedia entry. But just like the lack of color explaining the history of this delectable treat from 1964, our inventory is low, and the photographic-memoried mini-imbibers will certainly realize that the tax man has collected more than his fair share.

Here’s hoping you got your brine recipe perfect this year, and all your sides turn out perfect. I for one will be making a double batch of Maker’s Mark cranberry sauce, which has become a family requirement in my household.
Cheers!
cincybeerguydave@gmail.com

TUNE O’ THE DAY. YGs maybe don’t get the references to Joey B. groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon. Well. here ya go. I can’t imagine anything that’s better.