Cincinnati Baseball Caps Become NYC Thug Fashion Statement: Gang Members Wearing Reds Hats To 'Intimidate Rivals'

Al Capone Preferred The Cubs

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The colors of Major League Baseball's oldest professional team -- the traditional red-and-black Reds cap -- have been adopted by the Bloods.  The violent street gang is wearing Reds' caps in New York to intimidate witnesses and rivals.  Colors are often banned in courthouses, or they attract attention from court security personnel.  So the Bloods are wearing the baseball team's headgear to slide around the ban.  Nobody mistakes them for fans.  Still, it seems to work.   Gang watchers and police websites and portals are full of chatter about how the Bloods have adopted the "C,"  and turned it into a common sight in Queens, the NYC borough that's become the gang's eastern stronghold.  The site of a Reds' cap on a gangsta is so common that it was the subject of a New York Daily News piece last weekend about the latest red menace.

Police Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) blog jumped on the story and spread it across the law enforcement community. Know Gangs has a thread going. The Daily News quoted prosecutors who said the Reds' caps are a slap at the Crips:

"Queens top gang prosecutor complains the brazen thugs wear the cap to intimidate witnesses and show solidarity with brother gangsters. 'They should not be coming into this courthouse wearing their colors,' says Mariela Palomino Herring, the chief of the Queens district attorney's gang violence bureau. 'This is our territory, not theirs.'"

The Reds were the National League Central champs, but nobody in New York thinks that has made their headgear super popular in that city. Rappers have been sporting Reds' caps -- perhaps to play off the gangsta image. Lil Wayne wears one. Hatland.com, the cap store based in Ocean City, Md., that has become a huge online retailer, says Reds' headgear is near the top in sales. All those gangstas and wannabes?

Grand Central Sports says the Reds cap is also used by gangs in Indianapolis and Chicago:

"Baseball caps as part of a gang’s attire is nothing new.  The Raiders black-and-silver caps with a pirate’s face was all the gang rage in Los Angeles during the ’90′s and the Pittsburgh Pirates hat is favored by the Latin Kings.  Right now the Reds cap is the color of choice by other gangs in Chicago and Indianapolis.  New York Yankee caps with gang colors were pulled from the shelves by manufacturer New Era in 2007.  The red or blue bandanna-patterned lids were lifted because of their gang-related colors.  Stores also removed others with a crown hanging from a gold ‘NY’ insignia after it became popular with the Latin Kings.  Regular citizens were afraid of being affiliated with the gang and beaten by a rival clan."

Chris Monzel Wants To Sell Both Pro Sports Stadiums In Cincinnati: Oops! They're Already For Sale

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Hamilton County commissioners told The Daily Bellwether last winter they would sell Great American Ball Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds, and Paul Brown Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bengals, if anybody wanted to buy. No one was interested, then or now. Today, Chris Monzel, a Republican Cincinnati City Council member running for a seat on the Hamilton County Commission, has raised the issue again. Monzel met with Cincinnati Enquirer reporters and editors and announced he "wants to sell the stadiums." The Enquirer treated this as a major campaign development that would fire up the debate. In truth, it's neither a new nor an out of the box development. Democratic Commissioner Todd Portune said the stadiums were for sale last February. It was in the Bellwether, where Portune noted anybody was welcome to make a bid, even the Chinese or Saudis. Monzel's Democratic opponent Jim Tarbell didn't have much to say. He probably knows there doesn't seem to be any buyers out there.

UPDATE: 9/17 2:42 PM -- Cincinnati Blog is accusing Monzel of pandering to his conservative base in the commission race. The piece has a link to Bellwether item about
Monzel.

A Cincinnati Red Makes The List: 10 Greatest Dicks In U.S. History

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- At No. 7,
it's a nice finish for a professional ballplayer on Topless Robot's inventory. No. 1 is easy to guess.

Blog For A Paycheck In Ohio: Clear Channel Seeks Sports Nut In Cincy

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The job was posted Dec. 22 on this State of Ohio database that was created to match up employers with people looking for work. Clear Channel intends to team a blogger with its on-air talkers on WLW-AM, 700, and 1530 Homer. The blogger is supposed to be the local sports guru. No details on the pay rate.

If you can get the state site to function, you can see job description by clicking on the yellow icon next to listing for creative writers in Cincinnati. The Daily Bellwether was able to glean more from Clear Channel, including word that the position would be like an online beat writer who focuses on the Reds, Bengals, Xavier University Musketeers and University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Some details from the company:

"If you like to blog about sports, this is the job for you. We are seeking a creative, self-motivated, proven blogger/online beat writer to write about Cincinnati area sports. This job entails both creating and posting text, photos, and video on Clear Channel Cincinnati websites. Position will also be utilized on-air with 700 WLW and 1530Homer as local sports expert. Job does include work on evenings and weekends."

Cincinnati Reds Manager Dusty Baker: Steroid Report Says He Knew More Than He Let On

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Reds manager Dusty Baker was in San Francisco with the Giants and Barry Bonds during the height of baseball's steroid scandal. Now the Mitchell report suggests the Reds' new field boss knew something was up in California -- but kept quiet. In the past, Baker has implied that reports of baseball steroid use were overblown, and he has likened the concerns to a witch hunt.

But Baker discovered from his light-hitting outfielder Marvin Benard that there was truth to some of the steroid use allegations surfacing after the BALCO raids in 2003. Benard, a Nicaraguan, was a Baker favorite during his seasons in San Francisco. Benard admitted to Baker that he had used steroids. Baker kept the information to himself and didn't pass it up the chain of command.

Former Sen. George Mitchell's 409-page report about the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball has this to say about the Reds' skipper:

"Dusty Baker was the manager of the San Francisco Giants in 2003 when the news of the BALCO raids broke. Baker advised my investigators in an interview that he was close to Marvin Benard and was 'completely shocked' when he became aware of the allegations that Benard used steroids. After Baker learned of the allegations, he asked Benard if they were true. According to Baker, Benard admitted he has used steroids previously but said that he had stopped. Baker did not report the Benard admission to anyone in Giants management or the Commissioner's Office."

Mitchell does not accuse Baker of a cover up. But it appears he is saying that Baker had learned of a problem and did nothing. Benard played nine seasons, 891 games, with the Giants. He had a .271 average.

OH-05: Cincinnati Reds Owner, Wal-Mart PAC Send Checks To Latta

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Cincinnati Reds CEO Bob Castellini, who five weeks ago hosted President Bush for a GOP fundraiser that reportedly netted $575,000 in Ohio, sent a $2,300 check this week to Bob Latta's congressional campaign. Also donating were Carl and Edyth Lindner -- together they gave $4,300. Carl Lindner owned controlling interest in the Reds before selling out to Castellini's investment group. He also was chairman of Chiquita Brands International, the Cincinnati-based banana company that pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges it financially supported a rightwing terrorist group in Colombia.

Lindner and Castellini are from Cincinnati, and both are major Republican donors. The Wal-Mart Stores Inc. political action committee, which is located in Arkansas where the discount retail chain has its headquarters, also is backing Latta and gave his campaign $2,500 Wednesday.

Latta, a GOP state representative from Bowling Green, is running against Democrat Robin Weirauch for the vacant U.S. House seat in Ohio's 5th Congressional District, which covers 16 counties. The seat was held by Paul Gillmor, who died last Sept. 5. The special election will be held Tuesday.

Beloved Cincy Reds Announcer Joe Nuxhall Dies: Rounded Third, Now Safe At The Pearly Plate

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Joe Nuxhall, who pitched his first game for the Reds as a 15-year-old during World War II and became the team's beloved radio broadcaster, passed away last night. He was 79 and had been battling cancer for several years.

The morning Cincinnati Enquirer delivered to my home carried not a word about the old lefthander's death just before 11 p.m. There was time to get the story in the paper, and in another era it would have been there. But somebody balked or dropped the ball. The link above about Nuxhall's death is from the Cincinnati Reds' portal. And there's more about Joe at today's The Cincinnati Nation.

[UPDATE: 4:22 pm -- There's a great tribute to Joe at Weapons of Mass Discussion now. It captures the man, it captures what he was like, and it explains what he meant to the people of southern Ohio. Thanks, WMD.]

Nuxhall grew up in Hamilton. He never forgot his Ohio roots. He was homespun in the broadcast booth, definitely not slick or polished, and was a pure delight to hear. He made summer nights better -- it was glorious to have a radio, the Reds, a cold brew and Nuxy doing the play-by-play. People never lost the habit of standing on their patios or sitting on their porch steps when Nuxhall and his partner, Marty Brennaman, were on the radio. Nuxhall especially was part of the fabric of life in Cincinnati and all across southern Ohio. The tagline he used to end his shifts in the booth was, "The Old Lefthander is rounding third and heading for home." Well, he's been called home. No doubt he's safe and there's a crowd cheering him at the pearly plate.

Cincinnati Reds Slugger Adam Dunn: Will He Sue Righty Talker Bill Cunningham?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Radio talk show host Bill Cunningham -- known for provocative comments -- may have finally slid over the line by saying on the air Reds outfielder Adam Dunn was playing drunk. The Reds are looking for a tape of Cunningham's comments, and the possibility of a libel lawsuit hangs in the air like a long fly ball. Cunningham is a conservative talker who is rumored to be in line as a successor to Matt Drudge on Sunday nights.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has a nice account of the rhubarb today. Cunningham and other talkers have often pushed the envelope to hold listeners and prop up ratings. Is this his Don Imus moment? Ballplayers are millionaires and left fielder Dunn has the dough to find a lawyer who can make life miserable for Cunningham and his broadcast outlet. And Clear Channel, the media giant that owns WLW-AM, 700, may not have the stomach for a protracted court battle. Dunn may have made a costly error, but that doesn't mean he was soused. Cunningham may have swung and missed. The question: Is he out?

Cincy's Great American Ballpark Campout: No Girls Allowed

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Didn't state and local taxpayers drop a wad into into the $200 million or so kitty that was used to build Great American Ball Park, the home of the Cincinnati Reds? Don't taxpayers come in two genders, female and male? So why aren't girls allowed to camp out this year on the field at the county-owned stadium in downtown Cincinnati?

The local Boy Scout council gets up to 500 spots for the first ever camp out on the field. It takes place Aug. 10 after a Friday night game with the San Diego Padres. Girls are not invited, as the brochure makes clear. Maybe next year. But only if the boys -- who are going to sleep over in left and left-center -- are well-behaved. The Reds are even planning to play a movie for their guests on the big screen scoreboard.

This kind of thinking smacks of the He-Man-Woman-Haters Club. But that was from the 1930s, when Spanky and Alfalfa were kids and a woman's place was in the home. We've come a long way baby . . . maybe not.

Why is this first-time opportunity reserved for boys first? There are thousands of Girl Scouts, equally deserving and probably equally as interested in seeing a game and sleeping over in the ballpark? There's an old saying: Ladies first.

Some lawyer is probably going to file a lawsuit against the county alleging gender discrimination. The county commissioners might want to press the Reds on the equality issue. Or maybe the Girl Scouts just weren't interested. That's probably not the case, because inside baseball has it that they never were invited.

Ohio Lottery And Major League Baseball: Gambling On Scratch Off Tickets

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Pete Rose is banished from baseball for betting and breaking its cardinal rule. Now the sport that gave him a lifetime suspension for wagering on the game has slid headfirst into the gambling business. Major League Baseball has cut a deal allowing state lotteries to sell scratch off betting tickets displaying team logos this season. Both the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds have agreed to sell their names to the Ohio Lottery, which is going to distribute 4 million baseball betting cards.

This is on the agenda for the March 12 Controlling Board meeting:

"Lottery Commission requests Controlling Board approval to waive competitive selection in the amount of $694,615.42 for FY07 to contract with MDI Entertainment, Alpharetta, Georgia, for the Cleveland Indians/Cincinnati Reds scratch-off instant lottery game."

The Daily Bellwether has details of the contract HERE. The deal calls for the baseball betting game to start around Opening Day next month, and the scratch off tickets are going to cost $5 apiece.

It turns out that MLB made a deal with Scientific Games Corp. to sell logos for gambling purposes. The NASDAQ-traded company reported its fourth quarter 2006 results earlier this month and Lorne Weil, chairman and CEO, mentioned that the firm was looking forward to deals with China and baseball that would expand its instant-ticket printing business. Scientific Games supplies tickets to lotteries.

Steve Saferin, president of the Scientific Games subsidiary MDI Entertainment, LLC, inked a deal with the Ohio Lottery on Feb. 15, 2007. Underneath Saferin's signature and the date, somebody wrote "Go Tribe!" CEO Weil remarked in the quarterly statement that his company was making plans for baseball gambling as training camps filled.

"We remain excited about the long term opportunity in China and are optimistic about our ability to penetrate that market. And domestically, we look forward to spring training and the launch of approximately 15 Major League Baseball games during the first and second quarters to 2007."

That was all Weil said in the announcement, which is available HERE. (Check the 6th paragraph.) While no baseball betting tickets are out yet, there is a Detroit Red Wings hockey team lottery scratch off offered by the Michigan Lottery that looks like THIS.

Ohioans won't get cash for betting on the Reds and Indians. The prices will be loges and season tickets, All-Star Game trips, spring training trips and merchandise packages that include hats and team jerseys. The merchandise packs are worth $570 and the lottery plans to have 1,000 winning tickets.

At first blush, baseball's move to cozy up with the gaming industry appears to represent a huge shift away from the sport's traditional aversion to any and all things involving wagering. The Big Leagues suffered a huge scandal when gamblers fixed the 1919 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned for life, and to this day baseball refuses to recognize his achievements on the field or put him in Cooperstown with other Hall of Famers.

And then there is Rose, a native Ohioan who holds the all-time record for hits. The late Commissioner Bart Giamatti imposed a lifetime ban on Aug. 24, 1989, saying Rose had consorted with gamblers, bet on baseball and the Reds. Giamatti said Rose committed baseball's ultimate crime and had to pay the maximum penalty.

"Let no one think it did not hurt baseball. That hurt will pass, however, as the great glory of the game asserts itself and a resilient institution goes forward. Let it also be clear that no individual is superior to the game."

Rose has applied for reinstatement. It has never been granted. He has admitted his denials about betting on baseball were false. Now the game that exiled him has gone into the gambling business, something almost unthinkable. Still, there is no room for Charlie Hustle. But plenty, it now seems, for a hustle.