As just about everyone expected, the Cincinnati Reds did not pick up the $20 million option on Joey Votto’s lucrative contract following the conclusion of the World Series. Instead, Votto will receive a rather nice consolation prize of $7 million, and become a free agent.

Thus far, the enigmatic Canadian has not given any indication he’s planning on hanging up his cleats quite yet either. Rumors persist that his hometown Toronto Blue Jays may offer him an incentive-based deal to become their designated hitter.

Honestly, I have no idea how much interest the Jays have in signing Votto, but we will all find out soon. Last season, another veteran left-handed hitter, Brandon Belt, was the primary DH for Toronto, but the current free agent is unlikely to return, and the 35-year-old has even hinted at retirement to spend more time with his young family. It’s very possible in that scenario that the Jays would be interested in signing Votto to a one-year deal to provide leadership and a left-handed bat for a contending team. They did the same when they signed Belt a year ago, and he was far from spectacular, but he did hit .254 with 19 home runs and 43 RBI in 103 games played, and he provided leadership to a young team. It’s conceivable that Votto could provide the Blue Jays with

similar numbers, and if Belt departs, they just may sign the Toronto-born and raised Votto and give him that opportunity.

As much as Votto desired a return to Cincinnati for another season, from what President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said, there’s simply not enough available at-bats for him with the Reds immersed in a youth movement. That puts the ball squarely in Votto’s court as a free agent, and it would seem that playing for his hometown team would be enticing for the likely future Hall of Famer.

Krall added that he wouldn’t completely rule out Votto coming back to Cincy, but it would have to be at a significantly lower salary. It cannot be disputed that his impact offensively has been on a steady decline, and he simply isn’t the Votto of several years ago.

Could he still help the Reds? Perhaps, but just how much, and at what cost?

Those are the tough questions that had to be answered by the front office, and their decision has been made. Of course, only time will tell if this is the correct decision, but the powers-that-be feel that it is.

These types of situations can become emotional for the player involved, and for loyal fans of both the team and Votto, but if the Reds wisely utilize the savings from his contract to acquire much-needed pitching help, along

with the substantial profits the team enjoyed this past season, then this is the right decision.

The team now has more than enough money to acquire quality pitching help, both starting and relieving, and figuring who they want to keep and who they want to trade, will be critical in the offseason. They’re not that far away from being and remaining a legitimate contender, and deciding to go with a younger lineup is what has to be done right now.

It will be strange not to see Joey Votto in a Reds uniform, but if he does decide to become a Toronto Blue Jay, there’s no doubt that Reds fans will be watching and rooting for him to enjoy one more productive season. I believed it was possible, even likely, that he would retire, but Votto appears adamant about playing one more season. If he’s healthy, and he sincerely feels he can help a team win, then good for him. If not, perhaps Votto should admit it’s time to enjoy the rest of his life without baseball.

As the old cliché goes, Father Time waits for no one, but knowing the right moment to give up something you love and have been a part of for so long, is never an easy decision.

Looking forward however, new stars will emerge in Cincinnati, and if the Reds make a few shrewd offseason moves and the team grows into a consistent contender,

even the most ardent fan of Joseph Daniel Votto will understand.

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GRID SEASON ENDS FOR LOCAL TEAMS – The first round of the KHSAA football playoffs was not kind to three teams in the local area.

Mason County fell 14-7 to Boyd County in a titanic defensive struggle to finish the season with a 6-5 record. The move up to Class 4A was challenging, but the Royals finished with a 3-1 district mark and runners-up to state powerhouse Covington Catholic. A pair of games that could have easily gone either way closed out the season, a 20-14 loss at Lawrence County and the Boyd defeat in the playoffs. All in all, it was a good season for Mason County, and the future of he program is in good hands with head coach Joe Wynn and his staff.

Fleming County (6-5) saw its season come to an end in Erlanger last week, dropping a 55-7 decision to and amped-up Lloyd Memorial squad, which improved to 10-1 with the win. The Panthers will look to regroup and prepare for another season in Class 3A, District 6, and head coach Bill Spencer’s post on Facebook is a must-read statement for high school sports fans everywhere. He thanks his 12 seniors, talks about how difficult it is every year to say goodbye to seniors, and eloquently states what coaching means to him.

At Bracken County, head coach Steven Tarter completed his debut season leading the 6-5 Polar Bears. They fell 46-26 on the road to Breathitt County, which is always a tough place to play. Bracken will return several key players next year, and they hope to take the next step in Class 2A, District 5, a strong six-team district led by perennial state contender Beechwood.

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CATS FACE ENORMOUS TASK – After finally getting a win in Starkville last Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats return home to face Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide at high noon Saturday.

UK lifted its season mark to 6-3 with the 24-3 thumping of Mississippi State, while the Tide heads into Lexington ranked eighth in the AP poll after an impressive 42-28 win over LSU on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.

It will take a complete, nearly perfectly played game for the Cats to have a chance, and they showed signs of improvement Saturday. But this is Alabama, which is a completely different animal than a Mississippi State team that did not look like a competitive SEC team.

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BENGALS LOOK TO CONTINUE STREAK – Following an impressive performance under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football, the streaking Cincinnati Bengals host surprising Houston Texans Sunday at 1 p.m. The not

as close as the final score indicates 24-18 win over the overrated Buffalo Bills was the fourth consecutive for the Men in Stripes, who lifted their record to 5-3, and part of a three-way tie for second place in the formidable AFC North.

Meanwhile, in Houston, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud led the Texans to a thrilling, 39-37 come-from-behind win over Tampa Bay. Stroud marched the Texans down the field in the final 46 seconds, and fired a touchdown strike with six seconds remaining to lift Houston to the win. That marked his fifth scoring pass of the day, and he also piled up a rookie-record 470 yards through the air. Stroud is also just the sixth player in NFL history to record at least 450 passing yards and five passing touchdowns with no interceptions.

The Bengals opened as 8-point favorites against Houston, but they must be cognizant that this could be a “trap” game, with a trip to Baltimore to take on the AFC North-leading Ravens next Thursday. One would think that after Stroud’s performance on Sunday that Cincinnati is well aware of his capabilities and the defense will be raring to go this week.

The Orange and Black are healthy for the most part, but there is one huge question mark. Ja’Marr Chase suffered a lower back injury after he fell on it while attempting to make a catch during the win over the Bills, and he was

feeling sore the next day. As of this writing, it appeared likely he will be held out of the Houston game, in hopes of a return in Baltimore.

The passing game did utilize a forgotten position for the first time this season, with three tight ends – Tanner Hudson, Irv Smith and Drew Sample — combining to catch 10 passes for 101 yards. Smith and Sample each had a touchdown reception as well. Receiver Tee Higgins also played his best game of the season, with eight receptions for 110 yards, and Tyler Boyd chipped in with three catches for 56 of quarterback Joe Burrow’s 348 passing yards.

As flashy as the offense can be at times, the Bengals’ defense continues to be a bit overlooked, and they came through with another solid performance Sunday night. Linebackers Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson look like one of the best duos at the position in the league, and look for them to continue playing a huge role in the success of the team the rest of the season. Cornerback Mike Hilton, who seems to be everywhere, was also a factor, leading the team with 10 tackles.

As long as the Bengals stay focused on the task at hand and don’t look past the Texans, they should head into Baltimore on a five-game winning streak.

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YOUTH SHINES IN UK OPENER – The young, talented Kentucky Wildcats opened the basketball season with an 86-46 blowout of New Mexico State at Rupp Arena Monday night.

The win over a less than mediocre Aggies squad was expected, but a 40-point win is still eye-opening. Just as this team showed in Canada this past summer and in its two exhibition games, they are going to be a fun team to watch. The Cats are selfless on offense, harassing on defense, and the team chemistry is reportedly the best in quite some time.

Balanced scoring and willingly sharing the ball looks to be the theme of this group, and it was on full display on Monday, especially in the second half. The Wildcats had 17 assists and just six turnovers, shot 49.2% from the floor, and attempted 29 threes, which would have been unheard of on past John Calipari-coached teams. They made just none from long range, but look for that number to improve significantly.

The much-ballyhooed freshmen class lived up to its reputation, combining for 61 points, 20 rebounds and 10 steals.

Rob Dillingham came off the bench to lead all scorers with 17 points, D.J. Wagner had 13, Justin Edwards tallied 12, Reed Sheppard continued his impressive play

with 12 off the bench, and Jordan Burks hustled his way to seven points.

A couple of veterans had decent games as well, with Antonio Reeves scoring 11 on a subpar shooting night, and Tre Mitchell adding nine points, grabbing nine rebounds and leading the team with five assists.

It will be interesting to see what this team will do against much more talented teams, and they will get their first opportunity to do just that next Tuesday when they take on the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago.

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“The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.” — Mark Twain

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“I know that one day I won’t be good enough to play baseball anymore. But as long as I have an opportunity to, I want to keep fighting.” – Joey Votto