It has been some times since the topic of sports was broached here on the account that actually started out as a sports blog, but today's a good day for it.
Today the town I live in (Lexington, Ky.) is celebrating a national basketball championship while the town I'm from has reportedly signed former NL MVP Joey Votto to a big boy contract of 225 million over 10 years. That's REAL PLAYER money. That's almost Yankees money.
So let's start with basketball. As many of you know, despite a former massive interest in all sports, I've really not cared so much the last few years. I think it is a product of working in sports that it becomes a job and no longer a passion. And even when I was a big sports guy, I didn't like college sports that much.
And even when I did sort of follow college sports, I didn't care a whole lot for the University of Kentucky. But now, I live in it's Mecca. As I type before starting work on Tuesday, I'm wearing a UK basketball t-shirt (clearance, $8) and everyone else is too. I'm going downtown in a few hours to hock programs from the Final Four as collectors items.
It's neat to be in a town that's won a national title, when the town really cares about it. It was a little like when the Reds won the NL Central in Cincinnati, I wasn't there, but I read and heard a lot about it. It really, and perhaps sadly, was one of the cooler moments of my life.
This was different though, as here I'm an observer, not really a fan. I watched the game and literally within seconds of Kentucky's winning, I heard shouting and cheering in my apartment complex. Then I heard car horns from far off. Next came fireworks, so many fireworks, for roughly an hour.
Not long after that of course came the sounds of police and fire engines, but I digress. Seeing the celebration unfold, I was a little jealous I'm not really one of them, but then I see the drunks burning cars and I'm glad I'm not one of them. Such is my strange relationship anymore with sports.
Anyways, as for the Reds, this is some big news. I can't stress enough how strange it is for such a small market team to spend so much money. This is the kind of decision an owner needs to make to win.
Joey Votto is big time. He's the real deal and is one of the five best players in baseball. He's ours now for all of his career that will matter. That's good.
What's bad is I don't see how we can re-sign second baseman, all-star and fan favorite Brandon Phillips now with all our money tied up in Votto, but that's the cost of doing business. I hope the Reds find a way to keep Phillips too, he's really a fantastic player and a great community guy too, but if we could only keep one, we made the right choice.
The last thing in my mind left for the Reds to do is to crap or get off the pot with Aroldis Champman. They're paying the Cuban Missile more than he's worth to pitch the most meaningless parts of the game. Middle relievers are a dime a dozen. He needs to be a starter, or a closer and he needs to either have that role with the Reds, or be sent to the minors where he can play that role and learn it.
Wasting him in a limbo where he won't develop or be of any great use is an abomination to the baseball gods.
But I digress, point is today's not such a bad day to be a sports fan in Cincinnati or the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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