CINCINNATI SPORTS LAST WEEK

CINCINNATI SPORTS LAST WEEK

On Monday, the Reds played their last home game of the season and ended it in style. Ken Griffey Jr. hit a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning to beat the Cubs 5-4. It was Griffey's first at bat in a month and the homer tied him for 10th place in all-time major league home runs with Reggie Jackson. We could have used his bat the last few weeks.

The Bengals stayed in the headlines on Monday after their big win at Pittsburgh. Odell Thurman was stopped at a check point early this morning and blew twice the legal limit for alcohol. His locker was cleaned out this afternoon. He is done for the year and maybe the first four games of next year. Sadly, Chris Henry was one of the passengers. Odell told the police on tape that he was driving because he was the least drunk of the bunch. Henry is on probation from his run-ins in Florida and Northern Kentucky and not allowed to drink or associate with drinkers. He may have to trade his stripes for stripes.

On Tuesday, the Reds moved to south Florida to play the Marlins in the pentultimate series of the year. Dontrell Willis was on the mound for the 'fish' but he was more dangerous at the plate. He lasted only five innings but did have an RBI. The young lefty gave up two home runs to David Ross and left with the Reds ahead 4-1. Chris Danorfia went 4-for-4 and our boys hung on to win the game 5-3 and keep pace with the Astros and gain another game on the fading Cards who lost to the Padres again.

On Wednesday evening, the Reds dealt themselves a severe setback to their hopes of winning the division. They lost to the Marlins 7-2. They got 11 hits but couldn't generate runs. Four games to go and not much hope.

On Thursday, the Reds beat the Marlins 5-1 behind Kyle Lohse's pitching and hitting. The Cards lost their eighth out of the last nine to keep the Reds alive into the weekend.

On Friday night the Reds opened the last series of the season against the Pirates in Pittsburgh and whipped them behind the complete game pitching of Aaron Harang and the home run hitting of Rich Aurilia. Final score 5-2. It was Harang's 16th win of the season and Aurilia's 23rd round tripper. Good seasons for both of them. The Reds are 80-80 and still alive in their division.

In high school play on Friday night, Deer Park beat Mariemont 37-20, Winton Woods topped Anderson 14-10, Lakota West squeaked past surprising Hamilton 9-3, Fenwick lost to Carroll 34-14 and Wilmington thumped Little Miami 55-26.

The University of Cincinnati Bearcats played Miami University for the Victory Bell in the oldest rivalry west of the Allegheny mountains and prevailed 24-10. It was their first victory of the season over a division one team. The Redhawks have yet to win this year. Colerain High School's star running back of a year ago, Mister Simpson, has left the Michigan program and will enroll at UC on Monday. He will be eligible to play for the Bearcats next year.

On Saturday afternoon, the St. Louis Cardinals won and eliminated the Reds from the race with 2 games to go. That night, the Reds lost 3-0 to the Pirates in a rain-delayed affair. They rapped things up with a 1-0 loss on Sunday to finish the season at 80-82; three games behind the division winning Cardinals and in third place behind the Astros. That's a lot better than anyone thought they could do at the beginning of the season. Aaron Harang finished the season with the most strike outs by any pitcher in the National League and, for the second year in a row, Adam Dunn finished the season with the most strike outs by any batter in baseball.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots came to town for a late afternoon matchup of possible Super Bowl contenders and the Bengals laid an egg. They still haven't played a close game this year -- this time losing 38-13. Eventually, any team's serious deficiencies are exposed. Chris Henry was held out of the game by Marvin Lewis and it didn't matter. Neither our offensive or defensive line was up to the task today. Let's hope two weeks of practice, rest and healing solves those problems or it will be a long season.