Happy summer! I hope everyone was able to stay safe during the extreme heat this week, and I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. We continue to see the World Cup dominate things throughout the week, however, there’s plenty of local sports to get into. Charlie’s on vacation, so you’re stuck with just Hunter this week, so it might be just a bit different than you’re used to!
Pro Sports
Reds
This week was honestly one of the worst weeks the Reds have had this year. They went 1-3 in Milwaukee and then followed that up by a 1-2 performance vs. Baltimore at home. This week, I’m not necessarily going to spend as much time on the individual games, but focus on some bigger picture things and a look ahead! Charlie will be back with game by game breakdowns you all love! This week, Cincinnati is off on Monday before hosting 3 games with Philadelphia and then 3 games vs. Chicago to close the first half of the year out. Philadelphia will bring elite pitching into GABP with Wheeler starting Tuesday and Luzardo starting on Thursday (Wednesday is TBD). Abbott/Burns/Singer will take the bump vs. Philly, and Greene, Lodolo, and Abbott will take on Chicago. The Cubs will throw Imanaga, Assad, and Boyd vs. the Reds. Next week, we’re headed to the All-Star break, which starts on July 13. After that, all eyes turn to the trade deadline.
Cincinnati has two All-Star representatives this year: Sal Stewart and Chase Burns. Neither will start, however, both should see action! As a reminder, we will get to see teams wear their team uniforms during the game again this year!
Now, onto the trade deadline: Cincinnati currently is 41-48, 5th in the NL Central, and are 14.5 games back. While they’re nowhere near as bad as teams like the Mets, Giants or Rockies in the NL, they’re in the basement of the league (12th), and it’s hard to see this season being salvaged by a shocking turnaround. Of note, the Reds are 5-20 in the NL Central, which is, quite frankly, unacceptable. The Reds need to sell where they can and give this young core some extra on-field experience this year. There is a group of guys who are headed towards being free agents (Eugenio Suarez, Brady Singer, Tyler Stephenson, Nathaniel Lowe are the bigger names), and all will be available. Early reports indicate that Lowe is already being shopped. With the upcoming CBA negotiations and very real possibility next year is partially or completely a wash, this is a great time to focus on development and get their roster ready to go in 2027 and beyond. The Reds farm system could use just a bit of strengthening as we’ve seen guys graduate recently. Keep the core intact (Elly, Greene, Burns, Lodolo, etc) and make a serious push toward the future. Overall, it’s a great opportunity for Cincinnati to clear out the logjam of infielders and potentially sell extremely high on some of their pitchers as the market gets desperate.
What moves do you want to see this year?! Drop them in the comments below!
FC Cincinnati:
Friday the Gary’s Return! FCC will play recently relegated Burnley FC on Friday night at 7:30 in a friendly! I’m stoked to have a European team come and play at TQL. I’m planning to attend and hope to see you all there!
Per FCC writer Carter Chapley, FCC played an intersquad match on July 4th in their first competition since the break started. The Grey side won 4-3. Kenji Mboma Dem had a hat trick for his side, while multiple others scored!
Bengals
We have finally reached July! Training camp starts on July 25 (rookies), and veterans will attend startign July 28. There is an open practice on Wednesday July 29 at 10:00, and there will be an open practice on Friday August 8 at Paycor Stadium at 6:00 ET. We’re so close!!
We’ll have a bigger article with storylines to watch as we move into training camp and beyond!
College Sports
There aren’t a ton of headlines across the different schools at this moment, and not everyone has updates, however, here are the biggest talking points in our local college sports!
Kentucky/Cincinnati
Kerr Kriisa was arrested on multimillion dollar fraud schemes from when he was at West Virginia in 2023-24. He was extradited back to West Virginia where he will await court proceedings. Kerr played with both Cincinnati and Kentucky during his college days.
NKU
The Norse are still looking for their new Athletic Director. I’ve been able to confirm that the search is still progressing, and while they’re not narrowed in on one target (yet), there is a short list. I’ve consistently heard they want this wrapped in time so the new AD can start on August first.
NKU’s Noah Pagotto was the latest edition of the “Meet the Norse” series, and his feature was posted on Sunday!
Xavier
The Musketeers will head to the Greenbriar to face off with Mississippi State. While I’m generally not a fan of neutral site games like this, I understand the appeal for individual teams. This is, at worst a Q2 game for X, and the same for Mississippi State. Last year, both teams had down years, I expect both to be improved this year. The Greenbriar is roughly a 5.5 hour drive from Cincinnati in White Sulphur Springs, WV! I’ll be there for all of your coverage needs.
Tre Carroll signed with the Washington Wizards to play Summer League ball.
Cincinnati:
Cincinnati’s Derrick Pitts (baseball) made history on Sunday by being the first ever player selected for the USA Baseball Colleigate National Team! He will represent the USA (and UC) in Taiwan from July 11-15 at the World Collegiate Baseball Championship!
Day Day Thomas signed with the Boston Celtics to play Summer League ball.
Miami
Peter Suder initially signed an Exhibit 10 deal, but has now been upgraded to a two-way contract with the LA Lakers.
The Athlon sports Preseason All-MAC team was announced this week, with Miami seeing 17!!! guys selected, including 8 first team selections.
- First Team:
- Rodney Nelson (RB)
- Eric Smith (OL)
- Evan Malcore (OL)
- Bai Jobe (DL)
- CJ Young (LB)
- Blayne Myrick (LB)
- Mychal Yharbrough (CB)
- Pierse Stainton (P)
- Second Team:
- Keith Reynolds (WR/KR)
- Kris Manu (C)
- Roosevelt Andrews III (DL)
- Malcolm Mccain (LB)
- Kaleb Martin (CB)
- Third Team:
- Mikah Coleman (DL)
- Lynel Billups-Williams (PR)
- Fourth Team:
- Maleek Huggins (WR)
- Amariyun Knighten (CB)
Indiana
On Tuesday, we will drop our first look at the Indiana football scheduling this upcoming year!
This week, we started our preview of the Indiana basketball team! Catch up on the entire roster here.
Louisville:
This week, we dove into the Louisville offense, and this team is dangerous! We will have a preview of the defense this week and we have schedule previews that will follow that!
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