The Bats lost last night, so let's bring some folks up for the rest of the month!  Who's it gonna be?  Already on the 40-man:  pitchers Bailey, Coffey, Herrera, Livingston (how'd his rehab go, anyway?), Pelland, and Thompson; catcher Craig Tatum; infielders Yonder Alonso (kinda doubt it), Paul Janish, Danny Richar and Adam Rosales; and outfielders...uh...we don't have any more on the 40-man roster.  How about Stubbs?  And if we're going off the 40-man, I'd like to see Roenicke pitch a little, too.

Anybody else on your wish list?

I have to admit, I was worried.  Heading to Cincinnati on July 3, it looked like it was going to be a rainout.  Would the rain stop?  Would the Reds rebound from a depressing loss to the Scurvy Pirates??  As it turned out, there was nothing to worry about.  The rain stopped during our walk from the hotel to the Reds HOF/museum (had to see the Nuxy exhibit) then stopped again for nearly the entire game.  So I got rained on in the top of the ninth--it was all good, I had a Reds hat and an OSU rain poncho (shhh...don't tell Trent).  No way was I going back into the Diamond Club and missing Cordero!

Speaking of the Diamond Club...the buffet was wonderful.  Yes, I had two plates, be quiet.

Check out my gallery for more pictures from the Diamond Club and the game!  Our seats were excellent--really, you can't beat the view.

Unless, of course, this guy sits in front of you.  From then on, I couldn't see the pitcher and the batter at the same time.  Still, though--not too shabby.

It's tough to come back to the real world after a night in the Diamond seats.  Where are the friendly servers to bring me one of these on demand?

Postgame bonus:  waiting for the elevators after the spectacular fireworks display, guess who had finished his article and was leaving at the same time?  Yep, the Consigliere.  So hey, it was nice to meet you, Trent.

And one last thing:  this was the scariest sight of the day.

Seriously, would you hang that leering Mr. Red mobile over your baby's crib??  Terrifying, I tell you!!

Just for fun...prompted by comments on Trent's blog this morning, because *my* first rock concert was Van Halen, the 5150 tour!  Tell the truth, even if it's embarrassing!!

Anyone in the Columbus area?  I just heard Dontrelle Willis will be making a rehab start with the Toledo Mud Hens when they play the Clippers this Saturday night.  It's a 7:05 p.m. start.  If you go, I'd advise going early--I went last year when Schilling pitched and traffic was crazy.  Could've just been Red Sox Nation, but you never know.