Sunday, February 10, 2002
Enquirer's Page Two power rankings
Enquirer staff
The top five
1. The Bengals. Go for it. Trade for Drew Bledsoe. Sure, we love Takeo Spikes and Brian Simmons. But linebackers are a lot easier to come by than a quality quarterback. And remember, lots of fans were reluctant to pull the trigger on that Pete Johnson-for-James Brooks deal in 1984. That worked out pretty well.
2. Michael Jordan. It'd be too easy to rip him for putting his name to the new $200 jimmies. Props to him for trying to save his marriage. But the real kudos come from his, imagine, basketball prowess. At 38, he's simply averaging 25.1 points a game and has the Wizards in a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Wizards, by the way, have won 14 more games at this juncture than they did a season ago, and only three fewer than all of last year.
3. Pete Sampras. Slovakia isn't the biggest challenge our Davis Cup team has ever faced, but good for Sampras for returning to the national team. Here's hoping for a successful summer by the big guy, right up to and including the ATP in August.
4. NASCAR. It's back! We're not exactly sure why we're sold on it. But, darn, it's cool.
5. Baseball. Four words: Pitchers and catchers report.
The bottom five
1. The Olympics. What in the world was the deal with all the weather reports? It's the Winter Olympics for crying out loud.
2. Speaking of the Olympics. How about five-time speedskating gold medalist Eric Heiden refusing to carry the torch because he wouldn't be the last torchbearer. How's that for the Olympic ideal?
3. The Pro Bowl and the NBA All-Star game. These events just seem to be getting more irrelevant by the year. (Although, come to think of it, it isn't every day you get to see Peja Stojakovic make his NBA All-Star debut.)
4. Kentucky fans. Boy, are they up in arms. You'd think Tubby Smith's men were headed for the NIT. (Now stop that snickering, UC followers).
5. Baseball. Half the teams haven't started selling tickets. We think spring training starts next week, but how can we be sure? The players association just sued over the contraction action. There's no labor agreement. There's no indication there are labor talks. Business as usual for the pastime.
Sports Stories
Buoyant Boone unbowed
Pitchers set to battle for last spots on team
Positional breakdowns
What might have been
Reds Q&A
Reds 2002 Spring Training Schedule
Reds 2002 stats
AL teams at the start of spring
NL teams at the start of spring
Spring training team capsules
For baseball teams, spring has almost sprung
A pointed victory for UC
SULLIVAN: No denying Bearcats' dominance
UC notebook
Muskies unravel; streak is over
Late calls rankle Musketeers' West
DAUGHERTY: Bledsoe the real deal
Bengals Q&A
AFC outguns NFC to win Pro Bowl
Roundup: Boys hoops
Roundup: Girls hoops
Ohio boys basketball scores
Ohio girls basketball scores
Kentucky boys basketball scores
Kentucky girls basketball scores
Indiana boys basketball scores
Indiana girls basketball scores
Seventh-grader stands tall against opponents
Swimming: CovCath, Notre Dame cruise
Swimming: Ursuline cruises to victory in sectionals
Ursuline has unique way to honor signees
League wrestling: Mount Healthy wins first SW Ohio Public title
Wrestling: Lakota West wins team GMC title
Enquirer's Page Two power rankings
