Sabel's Haus

Yesterday I was given a big reminder. My all-time favorite baseball player retired after 22 years in Major League Baseball.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s retirement reminded me why I got into sports. It sounds cliche but deal with it.

Too often we forget why we love sports so much. Ken Griffey Jr. is a reminder.

I can remember staying up late during my grade school years if the Mariners somehow landed a game on ESPN. I can remember looking for Griffey in the box score the next morning and watching his highlights. For a while it seemed like every morning I would wake up and see "Griffey 1-4 HR". He always seemed to go 1-for-4. For whatever reason, I remember that of him.

I always loved his stance and of course his swing. He stood straight and upright, and his swing was as perfect as they come. I remember "his pitch" always seemed to be a big hanging curve ball he would wait on and slam into right field.

But the guy was just cool. He'd always have the backwards hat and the huge smile. Ken Griffey Jr. was my hero -- the reason I love sports so much.

Griffey's hometown is Cincinnati and when he came home in 2000 to play for the Reds, I knew right away I would have the chance to watch my favorite player. What a dream come true for a kid like me. My favorite baseball player, hero and one of the best players in the game was coming to play for my team.

His first season here was the summer before seventh grade for me.

Then there I was just months after the signing when he stepped into the box at the since torn down Cinergy Field. A standing ovation. I was seeing my hero in person for the first time ever.

I was in shock. In awe of what I was seeing. I was part of the standing ovation. Eventually I would watch his first hit as a Red, then I would watch one of his home runs in person.

Every kid should have the chance to watch their favorite athlete in person. It's an experience I'll remember forever. I watched him all through high school and the buzz never wore off when I saw him. His career was obviously in decline over the years in Cincinnati. His game was so dependent on his legs -- his swing, his play in center field and his speed. When his legs started to go, his numbers started to decline.

He did hit 400, 500 and 600 here. The best part: He did it the right way. His career didn't suddenly resurrect. He faded like a true star should. He didn't need some needle to pick his game back up.

I can remember playing Little League baseball and wanting to wear his No. 24. I would say it's a safe bet to say every Little League team had someone who wore 24 because of Junior.

Then I had a chance encounter. Eight years after he signed here and during his last season in Cincinnati, my mom took me to a Reds Hall of Fame dinner. I knew all the Reds would be at the dinner after (I think) they played a home game earlier in the day.

The dinner ended and people and players mingled. I knew it was my shot so like a 12-year old kid I went to him and asked for a picture. He obliged and for a split-second I was shoulder to shoulder with my hero.

I was actually standing next to "The Kid" I had watched for so long and followed for so long. It's a memory I'll never forget and will cherish forever. I wish Griffey all the best and maybe someday I'll get to talk to him sometime down the line.

Until then, thanks for all the memories Griff'.

The third and final former University of Cincinnati Bearcat was chosen in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Defensive tackle Ricardo Matthews was chosen by the Indianapolis Colts with the 238th overall pick.

Indy made a point to draft defensive line in this draft and did so after taking a defensive lineman with their first pick.

Matthews started every game for the Cats in 2010 and had 3.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss as part of his 44 total tackles.

Indy is in need of defensive linemen as only one of their top 10 leading tacklers in 2009 were on the defensive line (Daniel Muir ... and no, Dwight Freeney had only 24 tackles last year.)

Either way I don't see Matthews as a pro football player. He was good and did well in a Bearcats average at best defense. It is the seventh round so I'm sure the Colts are just taking a chance and seeing if they can make anything out of him. However I don't see him on the Colts roster when the season starts.

The wait is over for former UC quarterback and Cincinnati native (Reading High School)Tony Pike. The Carolina Panthers took Pike in the sixth round and will most likely back up the Panthers second-round pick Jimmy Clausen.

Pike was regarded by most experts as a top-5 quarterback, along with Clausen, in this years draft. While Clausen was the third quarterback selected, Pike had to wait while over 10 quarterbacks were selected before him.

With the addition of Pike, the Panthers have four quarterbacks now on their roster after showing the door to long time QB Jake Delhomme. Most teams will trim their quarterbacks down to three before the season starts but expect Pike to make the team.

With the 21st overall pick, the Cincinnati Bengals took former Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham. Gresham sat out his junior season in 2009-'10 with a knee injury but his accomplishments in his freshman and sophomore season were enough to make him a first round pick.

I've heard comparisons between him and an Antonio Gates or Jason Witten. He can help Palmer spread the wealth and give him an extra target and weapon other teams will have to compensate for on the field. In Gresham's last season at OU, the 6-foot-6 tight end caught 66 passes for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Following a game at Florida a few years back, Urban Meyer told Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops that Gresham was "a man among boys" and that Florida didn't have an answer for him.

Palmer has never had a good pass-catching tight end since he's been in Cincy but as a senior at USC in 2002, Palmer threw to his then tight end Alex Holmes 29 times for over 600 yards and two touchdowns.

In round two the Bengals went after defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap with the 54th pick. Dunlap, a defensive end from the University of Florida, was at one time a first-rounder until a DUI dropped Dunlap after forcing him to miss the SEC championship and the Sugar Bowl (against Cincinnati).

I like the pick assuming he can keep his head on straight but the Bengals have never seemed to be phased by off the field incidents. He'll add depth to the defensive line and should be able to contribute right away.

Round three the Bengals went after former Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley. Mardy Gilyard was still on the board but the Bengals must have seen something in Shipley they liked more than Gilyard.

He'll be reunited with former teammate at Texas Quan Cosby and he'll compete with him for a spot on the field and returning punts. The Bengals need a slot receiver and Shipley should be able to do that because he doesn't have blazing speed but the ability to get open and great hands.

With the first pick in the fourth round the St. Louis Rams took former UC wide receiver Mardy Gilyard. The team is obviously looking to add onto a very unproductive offense a season ago and give No. 1 pick Sam Bradford weapons.

Most experts had Gilyard as a third round pick so falling to the fourth round was a little bit of a surprise. Either way, Gilyard said he is very excited to be playing with Bradford and to be in the NFL.

He'll hopefully be able to make an impact in his first year but his speed might have contributed to his drop. Off the field questions also contributed but knowing Gilyard like I do, he is a guy you want on your team.

I thought they Bengals might go after him with one of their two third-round picks but they passed up Gilyard to take Texas wide receiver Jordan Shipley.

Both receivers could play out of the slot and run about the same speed. Gilyard made it quite known he wanted to be a Bengal and stay in Cincinnati but obviously the Bengals' coaches saw something in Shipley they liked more than Gilyard.

Meanwhile, former UC quarterback Tony Pike is still on the board as I write this with about half of the sixth round to go and the whole seventh round.

I could have seen this coming. I've thought from the beginning Pike was fairly overrated. He was always considered one of the top five quarterbacks in this draft and I usually saw him ranked the fourth best ahead of Tim Tebow.

But now the other four quarterbacks are gone (Bradford, Tebow, McCoy, Clausen) and Pike is waiting. Five other quarterbacks have gone as well meaning these NFL teams are taking other quarterbacks over Pike for a reason. It also means Pike is running out of teams as options.

After telling reporters on at least two separate occasions he was going to stay in Cincinnati for a second year of college basketball, Lance Stephenson has decided to enter the NBA Draft.

It's been Lance's dream since he started playing basketball and the dream is so close so in a way it's hard to blame him. He is far from ready though and now he'll just have to learn to play the game on a higher level.

Lance is a projected second-rounder, meaning he is not guaranteed money or a contract. He'll have to step it up to make whatever team does draft him.

In a devastating incident Friday evening in Florida, local high school standout offensive lineman Matt James died after a fall from a hotel balcony while vacationing on spring break.

James, 17, was a senior at Cincinnati's St. Xavier High School; one of, if not the, best programs in a city filled with high school talent. James was deciding between a few schools including the University of Cincinnati before Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame. He then chose the Irish saying he was excited to be a part of Kelly's first Notre Dame class.

It all came to an end Friday night, less than two months from his graduation and a week from his 18th birthday.

It's an extremely sad situation and details of the accident are unclear. Classmate and teammate Luke Massa was on the trip as well and remained unharmed. Massa has also committed to Notre Dame as a quarterback.

I can't help but feel awful for this kid and his family. So young and so much left to do in life but died probably doing what all kids his age and my age do all the time. He was on his spring break and probably (although not confirmed) drinking and having a good time.

He was being a kid.

Situations like this apparently aren't all that rare though. A similar situation at a nearby hotel in Florida occured less than two weeks ago.

St. Xavier and high school football in Cincinnati has pumped out Division 1 athletes for years. Fan bases are so big on Friday nights that UC's Nippert Stadium and the Cincinnati Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium are often used for playoff games to accomodate the large fan bases.

The UC basketball team played games this year making them look like one of the worst teams in the country. Other times made it seem like they could play with anyone in the country.

The roller coaster ride of a season came to an end earlier this week with an 81-66 loss to the Dayton Flyers in the second round of the NIT. Dayton, about an hour north of Cincinnati up I-75, is one of the most athletic teams UC faced all season if not the most athletic.

They caused a lot of problems for the Cats because of that alone but the night belonged to UC senior guard Deonta Vaughn.

Vaughn started as a freshman at UC the same year Cronin started. The two have been here the past four years through all the transfer and JuCo players and, of course, all the losses. Vaughn scored 28 points against the Flyers giving him 1,885 for his career putting him third on the all-time scoring list at UC passing Danny Fortsen.

It's really quite a feat considering the two players above him on the list are Oscar Robertson and Steve Logan. Vaughn finished with four more points than Fortsen in the end but with one minute left against Dayton, Vaughn didn't have third place wrapped up.

Thankfully he got to the line and eventually took the record. Then, with around 15 seconds left and after Cronin called off the dogs, Mick pulled Vaughn, greeting him with a hug as Vaughn walked off the court in front of a standing ovation from the crowd.

I feel bad for Vaughn for the way the season went after the expectations were so high prior to the season with the addition of key players including freshman Lance Stephenson; the all-time leading scorer in the state of New York.

For that and the way things went personally for Vaughn who had an underachieving season. Vaughn averaged just over 11 points per game and 3.5 dimes per contest.

The future looks bright for the Cats though. Stephenson is coming back next season as is Cronin who was backed by Director of Athletics Mike Thomas a couple weeks ago saying he is behind the coach.

Point guard Cashmere Wright will be back with a year under his belt as will shooting guard Jaquon Parker. UC will also have redshirt freshman Sean Kilpatrick and center Yancy Gates will be a junior.

My question earlier in the year was going to be who would score next season. With Stephenson coming back he'll have to shoulder the load but should get good support from Parker and Gates.

In my opinion Rashad Bishop was a Cancer to the UC basketball team. The guy gets suspended from the team before the Big East Championship, doesn't even get to travel with the team and all the sudden the Cats win two games.

I don't want to take away from the team because they have played, inspired basketball and genuinely look like they're having fun. I would never have guessed it before but I think the junior that averages 8.4 points and four rebounds per game and was considered the most consistent player, may have actually been hurting instead of helping the team.

I don't want to spread any rumors but I will anyway. Through hearsay my guess would be Bishop was suspended for butting heads with head coach Mick Cronin one too many times. I won't speculate any more than that and I've gone on record saying I don't think Mick should be the coach here.

What I will say is, whatever the case may be, I give Mick a ton of credit for suspending Bishop. I've said throughout the year I don't think these players respect Mick but maybe the suspension earned a little bit for him. I've said he doesn't demand the respect like Bob Huggins used to.

But enough of the suspension, the real story is the run these guys are making right now. They beat defending conference champion Louisville last night in a hell of a game. They have dominated the glass against both teams they've played and its been the difference both games.

Rutgers and Louisville shot much better percentages the last two nights but the rebounding margin has been so drastic, it's allowed them to stay in the games.

True freshman Jacquon Parker has done a terrific job playing in place of Bishop and is a sure bright spot for the future. Fellow freshman standout Lance Stephenson has played better than he has all year. Thanks to my man Lance McAlister, Stephenson is averaging 18 points and eight rebounds over the last five games.

At times, UC has used three freshmen on the floor at the same time in this tournament making me think Mick isn't as bad as I originally thought.

I keep waiting for senior Deonta Vaughn to pick it up and play like he did his first three seasons but his struggles continue. He did have a huge strip at the end of the game last night not allowing Louisville to get off a possible game-winning or tying shot. I just can't help but feel great for the guy though because he really hasn't ever had the opportunity to enjoy success at UC so for him to be able to hang in New York with his team playing well at Madison Square Garden is great for him.

It's been brought up but it's still very far away. In my opinion, UC needs to get into the Big East championship game to earn a spot in the NCAA tourney. Some say they need to win the whole tournament to get in. There are two more games they would have to win to get in including facing off with Bob Huggins' West Virginia Mountaineers tonight at 9 p.m.

Mick actually has a great track record against Huggs. He is 3-2 against WVU since coming to UC which is quite good considering how bad UC has been and how good West Virginia has been. Their only other meeting this season was in West Virginia and the Mountaineers won by eight.

The Mountaineers though will come in fresh whereas UC has had to play two games in two days. I can't tell if that will help or hurt UC but we shall see.

For the first time since entering the conference in 2005, the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team won its first Big East Conference tournament game. The tournament started Tuesday night and with the No. 11 seed, UC faced Rutgers with the No. 14 seed.

The win was oddly similar to the Cats' win over UConn in December. In both games, a late three tied the game and with one second left, Lance Stephenson was fouled and went to the line in a tie game.

The main difference: in the game against UConn, Stephenson hit both free throws allowing the Huskies to get off a decent look from half court for the win. He intentionally missed the second free throw against Rutgers forcing the Scarlet Knights to shoot a full-court shot that missed.

But a win is a win. The Cats face Louisville tonight in round two of the Big East tournament. I'd say it's safe to say that UC has to at least get to the championship game to be back in consideration for the NCAA tournament's field of 65.

The Cats were still pretty bad last night despite managing to squeak out a 69-68 win. Stephenson was the bright spot on offense along with fellow freshman Jaquon Parker. Both had 13 points and Stephenson added nine rebounds and five assists to give him the edge.

Parker's night should not be forgotten though. He filled in for a suspended Rashad Bishop who didn't make the trip to New York City for violating team rules.

Bishop is probably UC's most consistent player averaging over eight points and four rebounds per game and he shoots at a 50 percent clip. Losing him is not easy to overcome.

Rebounds made the difference though and no one did it better than Ibrahima Thomas for the Cats last night. Thomas grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds helping UC out-rebound Rutgers 44-28 including 19 offensive boards for the Cats compared to four by Rutgers.

The bench stepped up too and scored a combined 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting.

The next game is against Louisville tonight. UC had a double-digit lead in the first half against the Cardinals at Freedom Hall earlier this season but ended up losing in the teams' only other match this year. Game time is set for 9 p.m. from the Garden but last night's game didn't get underway until about 9:30. ESPN has the game.

Mick Cronin is now 0-12 in games played in the month of March since he became head coach at UC four seasons ago.

That is apparently good enough though as Cincinnati Director of Athletics Mike Thomas said yesterday he liked the direction the program was going and that Cronin will be the coach next season.

Pretty bad timing for Thomas to say that yesterday because the Cats were embarrassed in Georgetown Saturday 74-47. It was a three-point game at halftime but the Hoyas went on a tear in the second half en route to the rout.

I've said before how bad this team is. Completely unmotivated, not respectful of Cronin and really just a lack of talent. I'm more speechless than anything. I never thought I'd see the day when UC basketball was in such bad shape.

Tournament hopes are completely gone at this point barring of course a Big East tourney run (which isn't happening.) Maybe an NIT appearance or even a CBI which will make it interesting to see if UC will even play in those games after deciding not to play in the CBI last season.

Lance Stephenson, aka Born Ready, said today he will most likely return to Cincinnati as a sophomore because he didn't think he had an NBA-caliber season.

Stephenson, the all-time leading scorer in the state of New York from Lincoln High School, was considered to be surefire one-and-done player, particularly after some of his off-the-court troubles. Not so fast, though.

He's averaging 11.2 points, which is virtually tied with senior Deonta Vaughn (11.4) for the team lead. He's had some games that make you feel he'll be a great NBA player and other that make you wonder if he is really so special.

He definitely has the skill set but as Mick Cronin has said all year about him, he's a typical freshman. He makes a lot of mistakes and needs to work on when to pass and when to shoot. Right now he's having a tough time getting to the basket because no one fears his jumper. Still, the skills are there and to have him back at UC for another year would be a major boost for a team that will surely be looking for offense.

UC played extremely well today. They erased a 12-point deficit and turned it into a six-point lead by halftime. Free throw shooting killed the Bearcats though in the 79-76 loss to Marquette Sunday afternoon.

UC shot 50 percent (8-16) while the Golden Eagles shot 16-17 from the stripe. The effort was there today though which is really why I am so frustrated in this team and can't help but blame Cronin.

They play the way they did today against Seton Hall and St. John's back in January, then they win those games. Now, they're forced to win games like today.

Instead, they lose today and really have their backs up against the wall. And where was today's effort against South Florida on Tuesday?

Now it's going to be unbelievably tough for UC to get in the tourney. Next game should be a win against DePaul which is the worst team in the Big East. Then comes the trouble.

The final three games are against West Virginia (away), Villanova (home) and Georgetown (away). The common denominator among those teams: They're all in the top-10 in the country.

Long story short. They don't have a chance at the Big Dance. ESPN bracketologist (i hate that word) had UC as one of the first four teams out of the tournament going into today's game. I think today's game has sealed their fate.

What happened Tuesday night against South Florida prompted me to write this in The News Record today.

Yes, I called for Cronin to be fired. Not something to take lightly, I know. But the guy has had four years to make it to the NCAA tournament. The loss to South Florida, a game they were down 18 late in the 2nd half, seals the Cats' fate. With five games left they play three top-10 teams.

What bothers me so much is that they'll probably beat one of those top-10 teams. That tells me they have the talent. But then to lose games midway through the season at Seton Hall and St. John's and now the South Florida loss. It's terrible.

Isn't this a team fighting for a spot in the NCAA tourney? Time and again there is a lack of effort from the players on this team.

Whether he'll be fired or not I don't know but the leash isn't very long for the fourth-year UC coach. We'll just have to wait and see but if a change is made, don't expect it until after the season.

After a 60-48 win over UConn this weekend, the Bearcats moved one step closer to their goal of the NCAA tourney. Unfortunately UC is again, right on the bubble to make the field of 65 with very tough games ahead.

First off they have South Florida Tuesday night on the road. USF has one of the best players in the Big East in Dominique Jones but he just happens to be on a not so good team. Either way, with the schedule ahead, this is a must win for UC.

Then UC comes home in another must win against Marquette. It will be tough though and the way UC has finished out the last two seasons (last 2 years I want to say 1-10 combined) it could easily wind up as a loss.

They stay at home for one more game against DePaul. If UC loses to them it will end the season. DePaul is 1-11 in the conference. One would also think UC would want to kill DePaul after what happened at the end of last season. Don't remember? I'll fill you in.

UC had the No. 9 seed in the Big East tourney. DePaul was winless in the conference and had the very last seed. (all big east teams make the conference tournament now) Needless to say, DePaul beat UC who was on the bubble and may have solidified a spot in the NCAA's with a win. Instead, they were upset and chose not to play in any postseason tournament.

You may wonder why these games are all must wins against decent teams like Marquette and South Florida. It's because the final three regular season games of UC's season are against the No. 8, No. 3 and No. 10 teams in the country.

West Virginia (away), Villanova (home) and Georgetown (away) are the final three games. Even with wins against Marquette, USF and DePaul; losses in the final three games of the year will not look good on the resume. I think they have to steal one of those games. Afterall, Mick Cronin has a pretty good record against Bob Huggins and West Virginia since he came to UC.

Plus, they could still get a win in the Big East tourney but they can't afford to be bounced in the first round like last year no matter who they play.