In this review, Cincinnati Football and the Cincinnati Bengals have different results in the national spotlight. The Flying Pig Marathon returns with a historic fall edition. Plus, the Miami University connection to a hockey scandal.

The Football Review

After narrowly beating Navy Football a week earlier. No.2 Cincinnati Football beat Tulane 31-12 in New Orleans last Saturday. The win by a relatively comfortable margin helped Cincinnati avoid a slide in the polls. Cincinnati held on to their No.2 ranking in the AP Top 25 and in the AFCA Coaches Poll. The Cincinnati Bearcats will face a test before hitting the field this Saturday. Through this season’s first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. The rankings will be revealed at 7 PM Eastern on ESPN.

Cincinnati will host Tulsa Football this Saturday at 3:30 PM Eastern on ESPN2. Not only is this the Bearcats’ homecoming game. Saturday will mark the first time ESPN’s College Gameday broadcasts live from Cincinnati. Saturday’s broadcast at the University of Cincinnati starts at 9 AM Eastern on ESPN. As of Monday afternoon, the guest picker for their famed closing segment is unknown.

Meanwhile, after getting many in the national media to heap rare praise upon them. The Cincinnati Bengals lost 34-31 to the now 2-5 New York Jets last Sunday. Cincinnati had a tough time grappling with the Jets on both fronts. Taking on a Jets defense that’s better than their record indicates. Snagging a key turnover seconds before the fourth quarter’s two-minute warning. While Cincinnati struggled to capitalize on first half possessions begun by Jets turnovers.

New York’s offense widely outpaced the Bengals in rushing and passing yards. For an extra kick to the Cincinnati gut; former Bengals tight end Tyler Kroft scored the game-winning touchdown. Next up for the Bengals, a home divisional game against the Cleveland Browns. Coming up this Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium at 1 PM Eastern on CBS

The Flying Pig Marathon returns

After last year’s race was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Flying Pig Marathon was held under more typical circumstances. With 15,833 hitting the streets for multiple races this past weekend. In the first Flying Pig Marathon not to take place in the spring. 26 year old Alex Gold won the marathon with a time of 2:26:29.

Caitlin Keen is this year’s women’s marathon winner with a time of 2:43:45. The 29 year old also won the women’s Flying Pig Marathon title in 2018. This year, Keen finished roughly three minutes ahead of her finishing time in 2018. Samuel Montclair and Daniella Townsend won the Flying Pig Half Marathon. Montclair broke the race record previously held by Zachary Ripley by 41 seconds. The Raleigh, NC resident won with a time of 1:09:53. Townsend was the first woman to cross the finish line in the half marathon with a time of 1:21:02.

Cincinnati Reds award nominations keep piling up

The award nominations are piling up for several Cincinnati Reds players. Four Reds were named finalists for the Silver Slugger Award. Joey Votto, Jonathan India, Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker are the Reds nominees. The winners will be announced on November 11th on MLB Network. If either of the four win, they would be the first Reds Silver Slugger winner since Jay Bruce in 2013.

India is widely considered the favorite to win the National League’s Rookie of the Year award. He won the NL Outstanding Rookie Award in last week’s MLB Players Choice Awards. Castellanos and Winker are emerging from All-Star seasons. Castellanos is also a nominee for the Hank Aaron Award. A salute the best offensive player in the National and American Leagues.

Meanwhile, Votto notched a few career milestones in a resurgent season. Votto was also the Reds’ nominee for this year’s Roberto Clemente Award. Awarded in honor of the recipients work in the community. This year’s award was awarded to Nelson Cruz last Wednesday. In honor of his work to bring dental and eyecare to his childhood home in the Dominican Republic.

Elsewhere in awards news, Late Cincinnati Reds announcer Waite Hoyt is a finalist for the 2022 Ford C. Frick Award. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s salute to a broadcaster’s legacy. Hoyt called Reds games on radio from 1942-65 and also called Reds games on TV in 1972. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1969. The Ford C. Frick Award winner will be announced on December 8th.

The Hockey Review

There were two big hockey stories in the Greater Cincinnati area last week. First, Miami University’s hockey program is connected to a sexual assault investigation rocking the sport. The investigation centers around Bradley Aldrich; he was previously Miami’s director of hockey operations. Aldrich faces numerous sexual assault allegations connected to various jobs. He was convicted of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct involving a student in 2013. In a case while working for a high school in Michigan. He was sentenced to nine months in jail and five years probation in 2014.

Aldrich is also accused of sexually assaulting two men while working at Miami University in Oxford, OH. According to the findings of an investigation opened by Miami earlier this year. Before his fourth month stint with Miami, Aldrich was a video coach for the Chicago Blackhawks. He resigned from that job shortly after the team won the Stanley Cup in 2010. After being confronted by management about sexual assault allegations while working with Chicago.

The Blackhawks opened their own independent investigation into these allegations earlier this year. In the wake of that investigation, Blackhawks and USA Hockey general manager Stan Bowman stepped down. The National Hockey League also fined the Blackhawks $2 Million for their inadequate handling of the allegations. These investigations are coming after a lawsuit filed against the Blackhawks organization last May. By former Blackhawks player Kyle Beach; he came forward as “John Doe” last week. In a lengthy interview on Canada’s TSN network.

The second big story was on the ice itself. With the Cincinnati Cyclones playing their home opener last Saturday. Cincinnati lost the home opener to the Indianapolis Fuel 6-0. Five of Indianapolis’ six goals were scored in the third period. Cincinnati beat the Kalamazoo Wings 1-0 a day earlier.

Cincinnati will have three games in a row this week. Two of the three are home games against the Iowa Heartlanders. Those two games will be Thursday and Saturday at the Heritage Bank Center. Puck drop in those games are set for 7:30 PM Eastern. The road game against the Fort Wayne Komets will be this Friday at 8 PM Eastern.

FC Cincinnati wraps up road schedule with losing streak intact

Last week left a sense of Deja-vu for FC Cincinnati. After losing a close match on October 20th and rout on October 23rd. FC Cincinnati let a lead slip away from them last Wednesday. In their 6-3 loss at home against Nashville SC. FC Cincinnati jumped out to a 2-0 lead 17 minutes into the match. Through David Romney’s own goal and a penalty goal by FCC’s Brenner. Walker Zimmerman put Nashville on the board in the 28th minute.

Brandon Vazquez gave Cincinnati their second two-goal lead in the 32nd minute. Cincinnati’s knack for letting leads slip away kicked in from there. Nashville midfielder Randall Leal scored his first of two goals in the match moments before halftime. The first happened in stoppage time and the second happened in the 76th minute. Nashville forward C.J. Sapong had a two-goal night as well. Scoring in the 71st minute and in second half stoppage time. Ake Arnaud Loba also scored one of Nashville’s four unanswered goals in the 80th minute.

FCC went on to get shutout 2-0 Sunday at the Philadelphia Union. The Halloween loss marked FC Cincinnati’s road finale. Dropping FC Cincinnati to their 11th consecutive loss. FC Cincinnati will wrap up their season this coming Sunday. Taking on Atlanta United at FCC’s TQL Stadium at 3:30 PM Eastern on WSTR-TV 64.