The search for the play-by-play man for the University of Cincinnati telecasts was a lot like the Reds' search for a manager: Channel 19 had to go pretty far down its list, but the station still felt it made a quality selection.

        Bob Kennedy will call the games for WXIX. Kennedy, 44, has a long play-by-play resume. He does NFL games for Fox. He's done the Conference USA football package. He's doing an equestrian championship today.

        “He's very professional,” said Dave Ashbrock, who produces and directs the game for 19. “He's well-prepared. He has the expertise we think UC basketball deserves.”

        WXIX turned to Kennedy after Thom Brennaman and Bob Carpenter turned them down because of schedule conflicts.

        UC contacted Kennedy last week and had him send tapes to Ashbrock.

        “We were familiar with him because of the C-USA football package,” Ashbrock said. “We do the UC coaches show, so we saw a lot of his work.”

        Kennedy lives in Orlando, where he is sports director for the Sunshine Network. He's been there since 1988. Before that, he did radio play-by-play on the University of Alabama network.

        “I'm looking forward to this,” Kennedy said. “I saw where (UC) is in the top 25 again. Shoemaker is a great building.”

        WXIX has a little catching up to do. The first broadcast is a two weeks away. Kennedy replaces Dan Hoard, who moved over to do radio play-by-play on WLW. Hoard is always as prepared as a broadcaster can be.

        Ashbrock hopes to bring Kennedy up to speed quickly. Kennedy will work with Anthony Buford, who has been the analyst with Hoard for three years.

        “(Kennedy has worked with a lot of different people,” Ashbrock said. “I'll send him tapes of our shows. We'll have pre-production meeting.

        “It's like anything. The second broadcast will be better than the first. Not that the first will be bad. But it takes time.”

        RANTS: About 40 of you responded to my Series Query. Your advice to baseball on World Series broadcasts: Start the games earlier and get them over quicker.

        Jim from Sycamore Township summed it up: “The games start too long. They're too long, too boring. The players are paid too much to be too unproductive.”

        “Why do they start so late?” Tom from Anderson Township said. “You can't stay up and watch. You can't expect people to stay up ot 12:30, 1 o'clock in morning and then go to work the next day.”

        Andy from Erlanger doesn't like Fox's production: “I couldn't watch. It's too loud, with too many bursts. They're trying to make the NFL out of baseball ... can't be done.”

        Bob from Delhi said back off, Fox. “There are are too many close ups. You're so close you count the hairs on the players' noses. I like the wider shot.”

        Ed from Burlington, Ky., had a simple explanation for skipping the Series: “Four words: New York, New York. New Yorkers are full of themselves.”

        Cincinnati, by the way, tuned out at the same rate as the rest of the nation. Game 1 was the best rated of the five games locally, drawing a 16.2 rating and a 20 share. Game 4 only got a 10.0 rating and a 15 share.

        VCR ALERT: ESPN Classic will revisit the greatest tragedy in sports history with “Remembering Marshall, 30 Years Later.”

        The hour-long documentary chronicles the Nov. 14, 1970 plane crash that took 75 lives, including almost the entire Marshall football team. The program airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. It will be repeated on Classic Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.

        John Fay covers radio/TV sports for The Enquirer. He can be reached at 768-8445.
       

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Complete prep football coverage at Enquirer.com/prepfootball DAUGHERTY: DiMaggio book tells more than we want to know Miami 27, Ohio 24 Ohio State 27, Michigan State 13 Mississippi State 35, Kentucky 17 Thomas More 21, Bluffton 14 Franklin 58, Mount St. Joseph 21 Ohio boys cross country Ohio girls cross country Kentucky boys cross country Kentucky girls cross country Boys regional soccer roundup Girls regional soccer roundup Holy Cross loses state soccer final Second-round pairings Colerain 37, Anderson 7 Elder 42, Lebanon 12 Fairfield 14, Moeller 7 New Richmond 44, Logan Elm 12 Purcell Marian 41, Gallia Academy 12 Reading 41, Columbus Academy 20 St. Xavier 42, Western Hills 7 Auto Racing Insider r Ch. 19 picks Kennedy to call UC basketball Grand Rapids 6, Cyclones 3 Mighty Ducks 3, Syracuse 0 NFL Insider

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