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Popo: The Morning Rush for Thursday August 25

Posted at 5:49 AM, Aug 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-25 10:58:45-04

Good Morning. It's Thursday, Aug. 25.

WHAT IS THIS? It's my way of finishing one day and starting another. These are the things I found interesting. I hope you do too.

RANGERS BEAT REDS 6-5, FINISH SERIES SPLIT: Another "what if?" moment in this Reds season. Tim Adleman gave up back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning. One of those was hit by Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish.  He's only batted three times this season. It was the first home run of his major league career. "Just a really bad pitch," said Adleman, "not my best."

REDS TAKE 6 GAMES IN 10 GAME HOMESTAND: A sign of continued progress because those wins came against the Marlins, Dodgers and Rangers, all winning teams. "Everybody looks at the Reds as a breather. We're not a breather anymore" said Bryan Price after the game.

HURTING LESS: Zack Cozart worked on the field prior to the game. Price thinks he might be back in the lineup this weekend.

NEXT: The Reds are off Thursday and then play three games in Arizona and three more in Anaheim.

NICK OF TIME: High school football began Wednesday night in Ohio and it provided a fabulous finish. Marquis Johnson of Purcell Marian intercepted a pass and ran it back 50 yards for a touchdown to give the Cavs a 27-20 victory over Summit Country Day. There was one second left on the clock when he scored.

THE WHOLE STORY: Mike Dyer was there to the bitter end and he has a full recap of the game.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Two games are being played as part of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown. Covington Catholic and Oak Hills tangle at Mount St. Joe. Indian Hill and Richmond play at the Sheakley Athletic Center.

TALKIN' FOOTBALL: Mike Dyer, Greg Shoemaker and I recorded a high school podcast on Wednesday. Great fun with two guys who know their stuff. You can subscribe to the Insider podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.  Search "Cincinnati high school sports."

BIG CROWD WATCHES DRAW: FC Cincinnati played to a 1-1 tie with Rochester Wednesday before more than 14,000 fans at Nippert Stadium. Austin Berry scored for Cincinnati in the 27th minute, and Rochester tied it in the 42nd minute. There were a bunch of fouls but no scoring in the second half.

JUST A THOUGHT: They shouldn't schedule a soccer game and a football game on the UC campus on the same night at the same time. You know what parking is like up there for just one event. It was slow getting in.

UNHUGGABLE HUGS: If UC was hoping to get a boost from its former basketball coach Bob Huggins regarding getting into the Big 12, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. He did a podcast with ESPN's Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg on Wednesday and they discussed Big 12 expansion. Bob pointed out that this is a business decision and the Big 12 has to bring somebody in to help the league. "They're having a hard time finding people who are going to help our league" said Huggins. He was asked if the concept of a travel partner is important to West Virginia. "What's a travel partner?" asked Hugs. He seemed to think it was a silly argument. When asked which school makes sense for Big 12 expansion, Bob said "I wouldn't pick any. I think we're good the way we are."

SURPRISED? Even if Bob believed that UC should be part of the Big 12, I think he has to be careful about lobbying for their inclusion. He never mentioned UC by name and the moderators never asked him a question specifically about UC. I think he's just staying neutral and letting the presidents make the decision. Plus he knows it's a football-driven decision, not basketball.

GLAD TO SEE IT: Mark Schmidt who was an assistant to Skip Prosser at Xavier has signed a new deal at St. Bonaventure through the 2021-22 season. He's been there nine years and has taken the Bonnies to three postseason appearances. A good guy and players regarded him as a very good teacher.

I'll be doing this report Monday through Friday. Let me know what you think and what I need to do better.

jpopovich@wcpo.com