Many were puzzled by how the Bengals and head coach Marvin Lewis could cut linebacker Odell Thurman for going to grandmother's funeral and missing the team's voluntary workouts. However, reports surfaced on Monday that may help shed the light on why the team opted to cut Thurman, just weeks after the former second-round pick was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell from two years of inactivity.

According to SI.com, Former Bengals linebacker Odell Thurman is facing an indefinite suspension after violating the league's substance abuse policy, a source with knowledge of the situation told the website

Thurman, who missed the past two seasons because of suspensions tied to drug and alcohol use, could not be reached for comment.

"We have not been notified of that at this point. I have no knowledge," his agent Safarrah Lawson, said.

As a third-time offender Thurman would likely be suspended for life. What a terrible disappointment and a horrific waste of talent. Kudos to the NFL though for making a privilege to play in the NFL. Thurman blew it! Unfortunately, the Bengals had to pay the price.

There's a Web site that gives well-known facts about Chuck Norris. Here's just one for example: Chuck Norris is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you. Well in honor of the tri-state's very own local legend-in-the-making, Jay Bruce, we should come up with some Jay Bruce facts. It's absolutely ridiculous what Bruce is doing. He just jacked another HR tonight.

Here's my Top Ten Jay Bruce facts...
--The Cincinnati Reds are going to change their name from the Reds to the Bruces to honor Jay Bruce, providing he allows them to do so.
--Curveballs don't break toward Jay Bruce, they break away from him, out of fear of him.
--Jay Bruce doesn't swing his bat. The ball merely flies (FAR) away from him.
--Jay Bruce doesn't steal second. Second base comes to him.
--Jay Bruce doesn't commit errors in the field. Official score keepers know better than to rule any play he touches an error.
--Jay Bruce didn't choose to wear the #32 jersey, the jersey chose to be honored by being worn by Jay Bruce.
--The Reds do not need to rename GABP to honor Jay Bruce because Jay Bruce is already a Great American and it's HIS Ballpark. 
--The warning track is going to have to be renamed because no one warns Jay Bruce without consequences.

--Jay Bruce doesn't have to call "I got it" in the outfield, it's a given that he's going to get it.

 --The Hall of Fame is going to have to close because it's not truly a Hall of Fame until Jay Bruce gets enshrined.

This past Saturday Mixed Martial Arts was introduced to the mainstream when EliteXC aired on CBS in primetime. It was supposed to be an event that grabbed those still on the cusp of being interested in MMA. Early ratings came in showing that 4.3 million people watched the event and that number could have gone up as the main event came on after 11:00 PM. In addition, this showcase was designed to get EliteXC into the MMA spotlight and take some attention away from the big dog in the sport, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Unfortunately the event did not live up to the hype. The main reason for this being because of the way the main event ended, with a great deal of controversy.

EliteXC is a brand not many people have probably heard of. However, I'm sure most of you that consider yourself even casual MMA fans or sports fans in general have heard the name Kevin Ferguson, or rather you've heard him by his fighting name, "Kimbo Slice." EliteXC has been pimping out Slice for months now as their poster boy. He's the phenom from the streets. He's the YouTube legend. He's the man that came from nothing and into the spotlight. Kimbo is the fighter EliteXC is hitching its wagon to, hoping he'll propel them on toward giving the UFC some competition in the MMA world.

This past Saturday Kimbo could have done just that, but in my mind, he failed. Slice came into his fight against James Thompson with a 2-0 record, both wins coming via KO and TKO. This fight showed how little experience he truly has and that he is still a work in progress. In his first to fights he had only been in the cage for a total of 62 seconds. It was a different story on Saturday as Thompson made Kimbo work into the third round. This was the first fight Kimbo had been taken down and had to fight from his back. His lack of ground game showed as Thompson worked him over and at one point had him completely pinned against the cage. Kimbo did have a few good moves from the ground that got the fight back to a standing position, but his lack of overall experience was on display no doubt.

Thompson came into this fight sporting some serious cauliflower ear. It was even more apparent as the fight went on. By the time the third round came around, his ear was flopping around and it looked like it had a little balloon on it. Thompson's left ear became a target for Kimbo and when he landed a big blow to that ear, it popped. Blood shot out of it. It was one of the grossest things I've seen since I've been watching MMA. The shot to the ear threw Thompson's equilibrium off for a second but he regained his composure. The fight continued, but not for much longer. Kimbo landed a few more shots, and even though Thompson looked like he was OK to continue, the referee stopped the fight and awarded Kimbo the TKO victory. It was a controversial ending to say the least.

So did Kimbo live up to his hype. Not hardly. He's still a raw talent that has to continue to learn. Put him up against almost any heavyweight fighter in the UFC and he wouldn't stand much of a chance I believe. His stand up is that of of a dirty boxer or street fighting style, which makes sense considering where he came from. But his ground game is almost non-existent. He'll learn as he goes and could become a great fighter for EliteXC. But for now he's just a lot of hype without any true credibility.

The Cincinnati Reds (28-29) ended their week 5-1 and back to one game under .500 on the heels of the arrival of Jay Bruce.  Unfortunately, they lost a a game in the NL Central standings.

The Reds are looking up at the Chicago Cubs (36-21), who have won seven straight and have the best record in the majors.  It has been 100 years since the Cubs had baseball's best record after June 1st.  That was also the last time the franchise won the World Series. 

Oh what a cruel joke the "curse of the Billy Goat" is constructing on Clark and Addison.  Could you imagine if they fall out of contention - WOW!

Highly unlikely though.  Here is what makes the Cubs so good:
1.  They can hit.  Theriot, Ramirez and Fukodome all hitting over .300 and have OBP's over .400.  Six regulars hitting better than .295.  Leading the league in runs scored, BA and OBP.
2. The bullpen has been outstanding.  Wood, Marol, Wuertz have a combined ERA of 2.42 with just 31 Walk's and 118 K's in 122.1 IP's.
3. They have an ace.  At 7-1 with a 2.33 ERA, Carlos Zambrano is the bulldog all playoff teams need.
4. Nice schedule 23 of 36 wins are against teams that are currently under .500.  Cubs are 9-3 vs. PIT and 13-2 vs. the NL West.

What the Reds need to happen if they want to catch the Cubs:
1. Play .500 ball on the road.  That means they would have to go 32-21 the rest of the way. 
2. Win at home, if they continue to win at the pace they are currently are on they will end up with 34 more home wins (34-18). 
3. 94 wins that's what the Reds would have if they accomplish 1 & 2 above.  It doesn't sound far-fetched.
2. Cubs rotation not that strong with Marquis, Lily Gallagher and Dempster who hasn't thrown more than 91 innings since 2001.  At some point does it catches up with them.
3. Bench depth is a strength of the Reds and a liabilty to the Cubs if any starter goes down. 

From the Lexington Herald:  Jasper to leave Kentucky

Kentucky basketball made it official on Saturday: Guard Derrick Jasper will transfer.

The news was no surprise. In early May, UK Coach Billy Gillispie said he expected Jasper to leave. Gillispie cited homesickness as the reason.

In making the transfer official, Kentucky noted Jasper's desire to continue his college career closer to his Paso Robles, Calif., home.

The UK release did not mention Jasper's destination. Speculation has focused on such schools as California, which is starting anew with first-year coach Mike Montgomery next season, UNLV and UCLA. 

Jasper could not be reached for comment. 

Jasper's departure removes the most experienced, most accomplished candidate to be Kentucky's point guard next season.

To fill that void, UK would appear to be looking at incoming freshman DeAndre Liggins, who has yet to gain academic eligibility, junior college transfer Kevin Galloway and junior-to-be (and career backup) Michael Porter. 

When asked in early May how Jasper's departure would affect UK next season, Gillispie noted the constant need to adjust. ”Our wheels are always in motion,“ he said.

The wheel-turning reportedly included an attempt by Gillispie to persuade Jasper to stay. 

Pickings are slim among unsigned high school seniors who could join UK's team next season. One possibility is Hunter McClintock, a 6-foot-2 player from Durham, N.C. A highlight video on YouTube has made McClintock appear to be Pete Maravich reincarnate.

But recruiting analysts judge McClintock as a mid-major prospect. Analyst Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports said McClintock was a prospect for the Southern Conference or Colonial Athletic Conference.

Jasper was quoted in the UK news release as saying his transfer should not be seen as reflecting unhappiness with his two seasons as a Wildcat.

Jasper had a turbulent two seasons for Kentucky that included a coaching change and microfracture knee surgery.

”The decision to transfer is in no way an indication of my experience playing for UK,“ Jasper said in the release. ”I feel at this point in my life, it is important for me to be close to my family, and I intend to transfer to a school closer to the west coast where I can see my family more often, and they can see me play.

”It was not an easy decision for me to make, since the fans have been so wonderful and very supportive of my teammates and me. I want to thank Coach Gillispie and the entire UK coaching staff for their guidance and support they have given me these past two years. I have grown a tremendous amount as a basketball player, and most importantly a person and feel it is largely due to the people involved with the UK basketball program.“

Jasper played in 20 games for the Wildcats this season after missing the first 10 games of the year while recovering from microfracture knee surgery. He averaged 4.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg.

As a freshman, Jasper started 27 games and won the point guard job while averaging 3.9 ppg and 3.6 rpg.

But statistics did not tell the full story of Jasper's contributions. He also provided a floor presence, decision-making and much-needed ability to pass into the low post.

Gillispie noted those intangibles when Jasper played well against Florida International. ”Derrick, in my opinion, was the most dominant player in the game,“ the UK coach said at the time, ”and he took one shot.“

Now, Kentucky must carry on without Jasper.

”It's a disappointment to lose Derrick, who was fantastic for us both as a person and a basketball player,“ Gillispie said in the news release. ”He had to battle through some injuries, but he was always willing to sacrifice for the good of the team.

”I appreciate that Derrick was patient and took his time to make certain that this decision was what he felt was best for his future. We wish him all the best. Where ever he decides to attend will be getting an outstanding player who takes his academics very seriously.“