By Mike Ball
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Thumbs up

1. Vanderbilt. The school has announced a major reorganization of its athletics operations, folding the athletic program into a single Office of Student Athletics, Recreation and Wellness. The school's central administration will now oversee the entire program. "It's a return to the first principles of why we started playing games at universities in the first place: for a confluence of mind and body and spirit," said Vandy Chancellor Gordon Gee. If that doesn't get them booted from the Southeastern Conference, what will?

2. Andy Roddick. The young American salvaged a soggy U.S. Open by powering his way to his first major title. He's committed to lead the U.S. team in the Davis Cup.

3. Bass fishing. Another huge step. The FLW Tour Championship this weekend has a $1.5 million purse, $500,000 for the winner. The format is a 48-man elimination, with each fisherman seeded. Can office pools be far behind?

4. Tony La Russa. The Cardinals skipper last week joined a list of storied names such as Connie Mack, John McGraw, Sparky Anderson and Walter Alston as one of only eight managers to win 2,000 games.

5. NFL parity. A great opening week. Awesome games, some big upsets - see the second-year Texans over the Dolphins, in Miami, or the Vikings pummeling the Packers, in Green Bay - and otherwise surprising performances. Bengals? Hello?

Thumbs down

1. CART. The financially strapped open wheel racing series relented and agreed to sell its series to an investor group for 56 cents a share. Seems Tony George and his Indy Racing League have won.

2. Maurice Clarett. He's done a fine job playing the victim, all the while committing enough transgressions to have Ohio State voluntarily suspend him for an entire season. Let's hope he makes solid decisions from here on and gets his career back on track.

3. The Reds. Setting a club record for batters striking out for the third straight season is off the charts.

4. Long-term contracts, Part 53. Orlando Magic forward Grant Hill says he hopes to play again at some point this season, as long as he doesn't have to have another surgery on his heel. Since signing a seven-year, $92.8 million deal, he has played in 47 of a possible 246 games.

5. The NHL offseason. Whoops, missed it. Camps opened this weekend.