The Cincinnati Reds. They’ve been playing local music between innings for a few years now, and their post-game concerts have featured several local original bands. But the Reds took their support of local music even further this past year, releasing the Clutch Hits CD, a compilation of Reds-themed songs recorded by local artists like Blessid Union of Souls, Noah Hunt, Freekbass (pictured), psychodots, Screaming Mimes, Ryan Adcock, Jake Speed and the Freddies, Greg Mahan and And Andy. And it’s for a good cause other than supporting local artists — Proceeds from the sale of the CD go to the Reds Community Fund. (cincinnati.reds.mlb.com)

Photo By: Freakbass

Best Antidote to Jim Bowden: Wayne Krivsky cleaned housed during his first year as Reds general manager, emphasizing pitching and defense over offense. His first order of business? Shipping perennial “project” and object of former GM Bowden’s man-crush, Wily Mo Pena, to Boston for starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo. The encore? Sending Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns back to Bowden, now GM in Washington, for a pair of much-needed bullpen arms, Gary Majewski and Bill Bray. Of course, Bowden might get the last laugh: Majewski continues to battle arm problems since coming over. Still, Krivsky has balls and, more importantly, a plan.

Best Human Batting Tee: Eric Milton has been a complete bust since signing a three-year, $25.5 million contract in 2005, posting back-to-back ERAs of 6.47 and 5.19. If the Reds are to contend, Milton has got to be more consistent as the third guy behind Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang. Geez, Milty, I bet at least one CityBeat staffer could make contact off ya.

Best Foot in Mouth: Pete Rose just can’t help himself. After finally being honored with an exhibit at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame (see feature story on page 83), Pete again deflected his undeniable on-field accomplishments with another off-field controversy by saying that he bet on the Reds to win every night, a claim refuted by everyone who investigated Pete’s betting record. (He actually bet only on certain games, thereby alerting other betters that he didn’t have confidence in the team the night’s that he didn’t bet on them.) Oh, what we’d pay to see a Pete-centered reality show.

Best Overdone Reds Story: During last baseball season, it seemed like every three days a different local media outlet would take its turn with this one: “Bronson Arroyo is one of the Reds pitching aces … but did you know he’s also a budding Rock star?” Uh, yes we did, thanks to the 50 other times we’ve heard this same exact story!

Xavier’s near upset of No. 1 ranked Ohio State was a heartbreaker. After years of ducking the Muskies and then stealing their coach — the traitorous Thad Matta — out from under them, a second-round NCAA tournament upset would have been sweet. But a questionable non-call on a would-be intentional foul by OSU star Greg Oden and a missed free throw dashed XU’s upset hopes. Look at the bright side, X fans: If the team had made the Sweet 16, Sean Miller would be gone next year, too.

Photo By: Gregory Rust/Xavier University

Best Father/Son Reunion: Sure, former Reds radio sidekick Steve Stewart was a good guy, but his delivery (and general baseball knowledge) was spotty, especially when compared to Hall of Fame booth-mate Marty Brennaman. The Reds brought in Thom Brennaman during the off-season to accompany his dad, a clear nod to a Marty-less future. Until then, expect snarky back-and-forth banter and candid opinions aplenty. And Jeff Brantley is no slouch as the third guy — the trio should be as entertaining as the game. Now if the Reds can just sign a few top-line free-agent players, we’d be on to something.

Best Broadcast Return: If you’ve read the “Best of Cincinnati” issue cover-to-cover the past few years, you know how much we love Dan Hoard. So imagine our excitement when Hoard came back to Cincinnati this past year to start calling UC Bearcats basketball games again. His play-by-play is as fluid as poetry, and his clever, off-the-cuff remarks are like listening to your smart best friend talk your ear off about sports. Even during a Bearcats’ down year, he made it worthwhile to listen to every game.

Best Reason to Forgive Nancy Zimpher: Sure, the 26th head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team is getting flack now after a disastrous first season. But Mick Cronin seems to have the right instincts to resurrect the program from the dead: Next year’s recruiting class looks strong. And he’s a former Huggins guy, so even the most vitriolic Zimpher bashers have to give it up a little.

Best Reason to Keep Holding a Grudge Against Nancy Zimpher: In the UC Bearcats’ second season in the Big East they limped in with a record of 11-19, finishing 16th and dead last in the league. But the players’ grades are better! Doesn’t that feel just great, UC fans?

Best Rapid Recovery: Coming off a devastating knee injury that would have had many a player crying to mommy, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer recovered nicely to turn in another stellar season. Expect a completely recovered Palmer to step up his game even further next year.

Best Lost Season: A plethora of injuries, a tough schedule and a suspension to their best defensive player, boneheaded linebacker Odell Thurman, led to a disappointing 2006 season for the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite all of the above, they nearly made the playoffs anyway before blowing the final two games via kicking mishaps and finishing 8-8.

Best Use of Bad Judgment: Already serving a four-game suspension for failing several drug tests, Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman decided it might be prudent to add a drunk driving charge to his resume, thereby drawing a season-ending suspension. Hey, Odell, ever hear of a cab?

Best Overdone Bengals Story: The team’s ever-rising arrest record. Is this a football team or Guns N’ Roses circa 1987?

The Cincinnati Rollergirls’ league debuted in 2006, an all-girl group of skaters dressed in the bitchiest black micro-miniskirts and tiny aprons you’ll find just about anywhere in the Tristate. Paula Estes and Christa Zielke founded the flat-track roller-derby league in April 2005. News of the formation spread by word of mouth (and a few Myspace bulletins), and it wasn’t long before Estes and Zielke ended up with a full roster of girls ready and willing to skate or die. With a solid first season under its belt, expect Cincinnati Rollergirls to get nothing but fiercer: The 2007 season opens April 22.
www.cincinnatirollergirls.com

Photo By: Graham Lienhart

Best Season in Two Games: Over a two-game mid-season stretch Chad Johnson had 17 catches for 450 yards (including a Bengals record 250 yards against San Diego) and five touchdowns. On the downside, that accounted for nearly a third of his yardage total and 70 percent of his touchdowns for the year.

Best Day to Be a Bearcats Basketball Fan: The Crosstown Shootout. The only real bright spot of the Cats’ miserable basketball season, the red-and-black brought down archrivals Xavier in December, 67-57. But, like salt in Bearcats fans’ proverbial wounds, the game wasn’t even broadcast on local TV. What the hell is ESPNU? And where do we find it?

Best Bearcat Building Block: Guard Deonta Vaughn had a solid freshman season despite trying circumstances (a depleted roster and little fan support), leading UC in scoring, assists and steals. His presence bodes well for a program trying to rebuild after the Bob Huggins debacle.

Best Local Basketball Shot of the Year: The Miami Redhawks’ Doug Penno threw up a prayer in the final seconds of the MAC tourney championship game … and it went in! The banked three-point shot gave Miami a one-point win and a trip to the NCAA tournament. Not bad for a team that wouldn’t have otherwise even made the NIT tourney.

Worst Local Basketball Shot of the Year: Tie between Justin Cage’s missed free throw with 9 seconds left against Ohio State in the NCAA tournament’s second round and Ron Lewis’ three-pointer just afterwards that allowed Ohio State to send the game into overtime and save their season.

Best Reason to Go to a Hockey Game: The Cincinnati Cyclones are back at U.S. Bank Arena downtown and playing winning hockey. The parent NHL team in Montreal stocked the Cyclones with lots of young talent, and their 33-year-old coach, Chuck Weber, is getting the most from them. Fans still seem not to be sold on the team, though, and maybe the Cyclones-Might Ducks rivalry from past years has split the local hockey community. The AHL (and certainly not the NHL) is never coming back to Cincinnati if we can muster only 1,500 fans at home games.

Best Reason Not to Go to a Hockey Game: The Cyclones’ “Reality TV Night,” which brought to town no-names from big reality shows (Survivor, The Amazing Race) and ones we’ve never heard of (Who Wants to Be a Superhero?) for a pageant of mediocrity on Dec. 1. Hockey and reality TV go together like football and soap operas. In other words … not so much.

Best Sunday Night Sports Show: Sports Rock on Channel 5. In last year’s “Best of Cincinnati” issue, we jokingly referred to this show’s goofy pace as being akin to dad getting an earring. But it has proven to be the most consistently entertaining of all of the local Sunday night sports programs with its casual but insightful gabbing and humorous slant.

Best Sports Host Move: Andy Furman got shit-canned from WLW, reportedly over alleged “racist” remarks about T.J. Houshmandzadeh. But it didn’t take long for him to find a new and improved home at Supertalk FM 96.5, Cincy’s first all-talk FM channel. Furman — who occasionally seems like he says things just to provoke but remains one of Cincy’s most entertaining sports radio hosts — doesn’t have to work with Mike McConnell anymore, but now he’s on the same channel as Bill O’Reilly. What’s worse? Regardless, moving was good for Furman, who seems rejuvenated. Shifting from WLW’s tinny A.M. sound to Supertalk’s full stereophonic assault is like going from a tiny black-and-white TV to a hi-def plasma big screen.

Best Sports P.A. Announcer: We’re sure that the public address announcers at the Bengals and Reds games are sports fans, but there’s no way they’re bigger sports fans than Wildman Walker, radio personality and announcer at games by his beloved Cincinnati Cyclones hockey team. Hearing Wildman’s “unique” voice echoing throughout U.S. Bank Arena is surprisingly comforting, especially for those of us who grew up listening to Walker on local radio. For some reason, the team has Channel 19 weatherman Paul Horton doing some announcing work at games as well. Guess they need someone to take over when Wildman hits the beer booth!

Best Sports “Firsts”: UC’s new head football coach, Brian Kelly, has coached the Bearcats in exactly one game, but there were an inordinate amount of “firsts” involved. That one game was the International Bowl in Toronto, the first bowl game ever held in Canada (and first outside of the U.S. in 70 years). The Cats beat Western Michigan in the game, making Kelly the first NCAA coach in history to beat the same team twice in the same season with two different schools (Kelly also beat Western Michigan last season with his old squad, Central Michigan). Not a bad start for a new coach.

Best Face Forward: The Reds started this year’s ticket-sales promotions with ads featuring superstar … Brandon Phillips? He’s a great player whose potential is clearly there, but isn’t he a bit under-the-radar for casual fans to get excited about? And how did Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn feel about being overshadowed? Dunn responded by promptly striking out, while Griffey’s right leg fell off on the way to the batting cage that same day. Just kidding!

Best Sack Man: Robert “Jumpy” Geathers was the first Bengals defensive lineman to reach double-digits in sacks (10.5) since David Klinger wore the black-and-orange stripes. The Bengals rightly rewarded him with a six-year multi-million-dollar contract.

Best Local Pro Sports Team You Didn’t Know Existed: The Cincinnati Jungle Kats! They play, uh, soccer? No? Um, rugby? Softball? Marbles? Actually, it’s arena football, a sport that hasn’t had much support in Cincinnati, if the three previous, short-lived teams started here are any indication. But maybe that’ll change with the Kats, a franchise co-owned by Ken Griffey Jr., Sam Adams of the Bengals and the Reds’ “Doc Hollywood,” Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Arena football fans can lend their support starting Saturday, when the team opens its inaugural season at U.S. Bank Arena against the Quad City Steamwheelers. (junglekatsfootball.com)