UC v. OSU -- as it relates to the Reds

You probably know by now that Tony LaRussa wants to wait until the Cardinals name a GM before making his decision, and that LaRussa's name was linked to the New York Yankees job.

How that relates to Reds' job I can only guess.

So I thought I'd weigh in on the UC-OSU football debate, as it relates to the Reds. I wrote an column a year or so ago, saying the Reds' most effective marketing plan would be winning. The fact that the Bearcats are the hottest ticket in town proves that. And it proves how quickly things can turn around.

Last year's Louisville-UC game was on ESPNU or ESPNX or ESPNZ. Whatever it was I didn't get it through Time-Warner. (What's the Springsteen song "60 Channels and nothing on?" 200 channels and nothing on. But I digress). So I went up to Champions to watch. There were probably 35, 40 people in the place. It was a 3:30 start. As memory serves, about four of us were watching the UC game. Everyone else was watching Ohio State play Michigan State.

That will not be that case this Saturday. Most of TVs will be on UC and everybody will be watching.

It wasn't UC's slick marketing plan that turned that around. It was winning.