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For those that have ever watched ESPN First Take, it’s no secret that well-known columnist Skip Bayless is not the biggest fan of LeBron James. Bayless likes to refer to savior of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise as “Prince James” to mock his “King James” nickname. Consistently questioning LeBron’s ability to hit clutch shots and free throws, Bayless never seems to give James credit. Recently, he questioned if LeBron had ever hit a clutch game-winning shot, the crew was quick to bring up Cleveland’s win @ Charlotte last season, but even that did not impress Bayless as he criticized the talent of the Bobcats. It seems there is no pleasing Mr. Bayless when it comes to LeBron’s impressive achievements.

After leading the Cavaliers to a 98-95 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, will Bayless change his tune? LeBron hit a clutch 2-point jump shot to extend a 1-point Cavaliers lead to 3 points in the final 20 seconds, then hit two free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining. LeBron then added to the great defense by the Cavaliers to prevent Kobe and the Lakers from getting a last-second shot off to potentially tie the game and send it to overtime. Thanks to LeBron’s 14-point 4th Quarter (he scored 41 for the game), clutch performance and strong defense, the Cavs are 12-3 in their last 15 games and have improved to 24-19 on the season.

Since last week, we have seen some shakeup in the Ohio College Basketball RPI rankings as several Ohio teams have suffered setbacks while others have taken advantage of their opportunities against highly-rated teams. The biggest gainers are Cleveland State, Cincinnati, Akron and Ohio. The CSU Vikings topped #12 Butler at home in Horizon League play while Akron defeated the Bobcats who bounced back from their loss to the Zips to then combine a win over Kent State and a SOS burst from Maryland (Ohio won @ Maryland earlier this season) defeating #1 North Carolina. UC’s solid 4-2 start in the Big East not only vaults them up 18 spots, but adds to the SOS for Miami, BG & Xavier. Below are the RPI rankings as of January 21st with their January 16th RPI ranking in parenthesis.

1. Dayton - #11 - 14-2, 2-1 A10 (#4)
2. Xavier - #16 - 15-4, 3-1 A10 (#11)
3. Ohio State - #24 - 12-6, 3-2 Big Ten (#24)
4. Ohio - #36 - 11-6, 2-2 MAC (#47)
5. Kent State - #44 - 14-4, 3-1 MAC (#40)
6. Cleveland State - #50 - 12-5, 7-0 Horizon (#67)
7. Miami - #53 - 7-9, 1-3 MAC (#35)
8. Akron - #68 - 14-3, 4-0 MAC (#89)
9. Wright State - #76 - 11-6, 4-4 Horizon (#83)
10. Cincinnati - #92 - 9-9, 4-2 Big East (#110)
11. Youngstown State - #177 - 7-11, 3-5 Horizon (#179)
12. Toledo - #185 - 5-11, 2-2 MAC (#172)
13. Bowling Green - #206 - 7-9, 2-2 MAC (#214)

The state of Ohio is enjoying a fantastic season of college basketball as _

1. Dayton - #4 - 14-1, 2-0 A10
2. Xavier - #11 - 14-3, 2-0 A10 
3. Ohio State - #24 - 12-5, 3-2 Big Ten
4. Miami - #35 - 6-8, 0-2 MAC
5. Kent State - #40 - 13-3, 2-0 MAC
6. Ohio - #47 - 10-5, 1-1 MAC
7. Cleveland State - #67 - 12-5, 5-0 Horizon
8. Wright State - #83 - 9-6, 2-4 Horizon
9. Akron - #89 - 12-3, 2-0 MAC
10. Cincinnati - #110 - 8-9, 3-2 Big East
11. Toledo - #172 - 4-10, 1-1 MAC
12. Youngstown State - #179 - 7-9, 303 Horizon
13. Bowling Green - #214 - 6-8, 1-1 MAC

After a fantastic start to the season, any of the top 10 teams in Ohio could make the NCAA Tournament. With UC playing the in the Big East, a solid run in the conference could bring them up enough in the RPI. Meanwhile, Akron and Ohio need fantastic MAC records to have a shot at an at-large bid and Miami, despite a great RPI, likely needs to run off 12 wins in their next 14 games to have a real shot. Kent State is in good position, but the MAC gets little to no respect, so a 14-2 record or better in MAC play may be necessary. Xavier and Dayton look good, and Ohio State will likely make the Big Dance with a above .500 record in the Big Ten.

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They said he wasn’t clutch. Then he lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2006-2007 after almost single-handedly beating the Detroit Pistons Eastern Conference Finals. ESPN’s Skip Bayless still will not get off his back, nor will the cops after his recent speeding ticket, but LeBron James takes it all in stride. Do these things motivate LeBron? We know pretty ladies that heckle from the stands do, and I am certain that winning motivates the player that may be the game’s best. LeBron James made sure the Cleveland Cavaliers would pick up a road win on Tuesday night as he scored 25 points in the 4th Quarter to force overtime and finished with 51 points in a 132-124 OT victory @ Memphis. In typical LeBron fashion, he also added 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals to his 51-point tally as the Cavs are now 20-18. Not too shabby after a 12-16 record just about a month ago. Since Christmas, the Cavs have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and with 5 of their remaining 7 games in January on the road, a win tonight over a 10-28 Memphis team was a must.

As soon as Cleveland State hired Gary Waters prior to the 2006-2007 season I knew it was a fantastic move. Stories of Cleveland State being “Cleveland’s team” in the 1980’s have been told in and around the city, but with all of the Ohio State fans in the region and state, I personally find it hard to believe. I have witnessed how little support Kent State & Akron have gotten from the Northeast Ohio fans, and especially the media, so it is hard to fathom anyone outside of Ohio State being widely celebrated. But the hiring of Waters, the man who built Kent State from a perennial doormat into a perennial MAC title contender and 20-game winner, brought back those hopes, dreams and memories.

Tonight, I caught the end of the first Gary Waters show on WTAM 1100 in Cleveland. For those that do not live in Cleveland, WTAM is one of the nation’s most powerful stations with 50,000 watts of power. The fact that Cleveland State is getting this kind of attention, in my opinion, is phenomenal. As a fan of the underdogs, I love seeing Cleveland State, Ohio, Akron, Toledo, Dayton and other “smaller” schools having success and getting recognition for it, and with Gary Waters and Cleveland State now broadcast weekly on WTAM, it seems we’re headed in the right direction. With a 12-5 record and 5-0 in the Horizon League to date, Waters also has his team headed in the right direction.

The 2008 Hula Bowl was played on Saturday and featured several Ohio college football players looking to make a name for themselves with NFL scouts and further their careers. Early in the game, Cincinnati’s Angelo Craig forced a fumble by the West (Kai). On the ensuing drive, Ohio RB Kalvin McRae and Akron WR Jabari Arthur both caught passes to help lead the East to a early 7-0 lead. Toledo punter Brett Kern handled the punting duties for the East while Toledo RB Jalen Parmele led the East with 46 yards rushing and scored a TD in the 4th Quarter. The East (Aina), coached by Ron Zook of Illinois, defeated the West (Kai) 38-7.

It’s early in the 4th Quarter, and the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes trail the #2 LSU Tigers by a score of 31-17. Ohio State has trailed by as many as 21 at 31-10 in the 3rd Quarter, but Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes are back in the game.

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The Cincinnati Reds, one of Major League baseball’s most storied franchises, have fallen into tough times of late. After the emergence of a new ownership group in the past few years, it’s clear that bringing back the glory is the intention of the Cincinnati brass once again.

The Cincinnati Reds completed the 2007 season at just 72-90, and prior to the firing of manager Jerry Narron, actually had the worst record in baseball for a short time. Changes had to be made, and indeed they were. Despite decent success under Pete Mackanin, the Reds brought in Dusty Baker and his 14 years of managerial experience to guide their franchise. In his 14 years of exerience, Baker’s teams have gone 1,162-1040 in regular season games and 17-19 in the postseason.

Other offseason moves for the Reds were to pickup Adam Dunn’s $13 million option for 2008 and to shore up the bullpen which plagued Cincinnati in 2007. In November, the Reds agreed to a contract with Texas & Milwaukee closer Francisco Cordero. Cordero will get $46 million over 4 years and comes off a season with 44 saves and a 2.98 ERA. The most recent offseason move for Cincinnati was the trade of OF Josh Hamiltom to Texas for 24-year old starting pitcher Edinson Volquez. Volquez was named the Rangers’ top minor leaguer in 2007 and is expected to compete for a spot in the Reds’ starting rotation in 2008. Other, less notable moves for Cincinnati include allowing reliever Eddie Guardado go by not picking up his 2008 option. The Reds did choose to pick up the ‘08 options on Scott Hatteberg and Javier Valentin.

When taking a look at the offseason moves by Cincinnati, you have to feel good about the attempts to make the team better. Cincinnati has had a plethora of OF talent for years dating back to the late 1990’s. While OF names like Kearns, Pena, Guillen and now Hamilton are in the past, with Griffey and Dunn in the corners and Freel & Hopper in CF, the Reds have the OF covered. Add Jay Bruce to the mix and the Reds do not appear to have room for another experienced outfielder, so the Hamilton deal makes sense. The signing of Cordero is solid, but $46 million for 4 years is a lot for a closer, and the Reds will need help throughout the bullpen, not just in the closer’s role. As for bringing in Baker, he has the experience needed and is a proven winner. The NL Central is wide open, so why not Cincinnati in 2008?

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