The Bengals opened up training camp on Monday at Georgetown College and it did not come without some storylines...

--The team's top free agent addition, defenisve end Antwaan Odom, suffered a sprained left foot.  Head coach Marvin Lewis indicated that there was no timetable for his return.

--Wide receiver Chad Johnson is at camp, but did not practice as he recovers from ankle surgery. The off-season distractions appear to be a distant memory.  The ankle is still sore and he runs with a pronounced limp. He warmed up with the team on the field, then went into the trainer's room, according to the Associated Press. "I know he wanted to be out here," receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "But what he's got going on right now with his ankle is tough. But it will be cool. He'll get better and we'll win some games."

--Injured running back Kenny Irons (knee), who was released by the team on Friday as they needed to get down to the 80-man roster requirement, cleared waivers and now will rejoin the team and head to the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List. He will resume his rehab in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Its promising for the long-term, but don't count on seeing Irons in '08.

--Fullback Jeremi Johnson was not cleared by the Bengals' medical staff on Monday due to weight. Are you kidding me? What does that say about his committment to winning. His listed weight is 270 pounds, but two different people that I spoke with that were in attendance Monday at camp told me the guy was at least 300, if not 310 pounds. Lewis wasn't too happy about it either. "He's battling for his job," the coach told the Dayton Daily News. "There's no question about it. He's battling for a spot on this team. Guys are asked to report at a certain level and be there. We've got to move forward, so we're going to move on. Hopefully, he can catch up and earn a spot. Unfortunately, I've been talking about this for too long."

--Linebacker Keith Rivers still remains unsigned. The team's first round pick, the ninth overall pick, Rivers appears to want a deal that is significantly more than what linebacker Jerod Mayo signed with New England at No. 10, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Mayo received a five-year contract worth $18.9 million and $13.8 million in guarantees and bonuses. 

--Both of the offensive line shake-ups that have been discussed were on display Monday. Stacey Andrews worked with the first team at right tackle, taking over the starting job from veteran Willie Anderson. In addition, guard Bobbie Williams was seen taking snaps with Carson Palmer on the side as the team looks for answers at center. 

Here's an official press release from Xavier University:

Head coach Sean Miller announced today that 6-4 sophomore guard Jordan Crawford has transferred to Xavier University. Crawford has signed a scholarship agreement with Xavier University. Crawford played in 30 games last season as a freshman at Indiana University.

Jordan Crawford is an exceptionally talented player," said Miller. "He is extremely versatile, which will allow him to play with numerous combinations of players on the floor. He is also a great competitor that has proven himself against the best competition at the highest level of college basketball. Jordan will make a significant impact in our program and will add to our tradition of successful Hargrave Military Academy graduates that have attended Xavier - David West and Stanley Burrell."

Crawford played in 30 games, starting eight times, as an IU freshman in the 2007-08 while logging 25.3 minutes per game. Crawford averaged 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman, while helping the Hoosiers finish 25-8 overall and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. He scored in double figures 15 times, including a career-high 21 at Northwestern and 20 against Kentucky in a pair of wins. In fact, IU recorded a 13-2 record when Crawford scored in double figures.

Reds' pitcher Bronson Arroyo's comments last week about wanting to stay with the Reds and what it meant if the team traded him must have been heard as it appears that the right hander is off the market.

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports, "The Reds have informed other clubs that they no longer are interested in trading pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Only the Yankees and Rockies were known to have demonstrated even mild interest, anyway. But Cincinnati apparently was finding that the $24 million Arroyo has coming through 2010 was going to keep it from getting any worthwhile return. And the Reds weren't particularly motivated to eat any sizable hunk of that salary. So Arroyo, who has been lobbying to stick around, will get to finish the season in Cincinnati. But he might not have heard the last trade rumor of his Reds career."

In fact the team appears rather quiet as the deadline approaches.  All of the Reds key trade chips -- Adam Dunn, David Weathers, David Ross, Affeldt, etc. -- seem likely to remain when Aug. 1 rolls around. The Reds haven't been too impressed with the offers they've gotten to this point, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

"I don't anticipate anything, unless somebody comes along with something that'll knock your socks off," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "Right now, there are a lot of people wanting to take some of our guys. It's cherry picking time, and they won't give you a whole bunch back. They say, 'Well, we'll take the salary off your hands. We're going places.' But we're trying to go places, too."   

General manager Walt Jocketty has some decisions to make, but he doesn't appear pressed to dump to contracts. That is a refreshing approach. Look for some major roster shakeups to come in the off-season, but nothing appears imminent. 

The Cubs haven't won a World Series in 100 years and the Brewers haven't even been in the playoffs in 27 years, but you wouldn't guess either was true when you tune in this week to a huge four-game series starting Monday night at Miller Park as the Brewers host the Cubs.

The Cubs are just 22-30 away from Wrigley Field, but Miller Park never has treated the Cubs as a road team as their are many Cubs' fans in the city that is just 97 miles away from Chicago. The Cubs are 31-26 at Miller Park, helped by a usually strong ''10th man'' factor 

The Brewers have been on fire since the All-Star break. They rolled oven 7 straight games to start the second half and have won 8 of 10 overall as the Cubs have gone 4-6, cutting their lead to just 1 game over Milwaukee heading into the series.

''The series in Milwaukee is important, but it's still July,'' Chicago manager Lou Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''They've been playing awfully well, and we've been scuffling. We need to hold our ground.

''I don't think a July series is real big. A lot can happen in two months, but it is important.''

The roles are reversed from last summer.

On last June 23, the Brewers had an 81/2-game lead on the Cubs only to fritter it away.

On this June 16, the Cubs led the Brewers by 81/2 before suffering through a hitting slump that left them tied before Sunday's 9-6 victory over Florida.

"The pressure is on them this year; all the expectations are on them," Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We're just going out and having fun." 

The Brewers have lined up their pitching so their Monday and Tuesday starters are CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, who are a combined 14-3. Sabathia is 4-0 since his trade from Cleveland.

PITCHING MATCH-UPS
--Monday - C.C. Sabathia (10-8) vs. Ted Lilly (9-6) - 8:05 ET
--Tuesday - Ben Sheets (10-3) vs. Carlos Zambrano (11-4) - 8:05 ET
--Wednesday - Manny Parra (9-3) vs. Ryan Dempster (11-4) - 8:05 ET
--Thursday - Dave  Bush (5-8) vs. Rich Harden (5-2) - 2:05 ET 

Cincinnati and Pro Bowl wide receiver Chad Johnson reached agreement Sunday that their existing deal will be reviewed after this season, according to NFL Network's Adam Schefter.

Each side wins. The Bengals get a quieter, happier Johnson in camp, on time, just as he promised; Johnson gets assurances that -- if he is on his best behavior this year on and off the field -- the Bengals will consider reworking his contract.

By agreeing to review Chad Johnson's contract after the season, the Bengals will have two major contract decisions to make next offseason, as TJ Houshmandzadeh's contract is set to expire at the end of the year. Below are both players' 2007 stats:

Chad Johnson
Receptions: 93
Yards: 1,440
Yards per catch: 15.5
Touchdowns: 9

TJ Houshmandzadeh
Receptions: 112
Yards: 1,143
Yards per catch: 10.2
Touchdowns: 12