* Top 1: Never a good idea to walk the leadoff guy. A really bad idea when it's Willy Taveras, who can just fly. He turns that into a double on the first pitch, steaking seond. Phillips nearly gets him by faking the ball going into the outfield. Almost. He stays on the bag. Baker lines out to Phillips, who had him played perfectly. Infield single for Holliday. Volquez was a tick late getting off the mound and covering from first and Votto wasn't going to win the foot race after having the tough ball eat him up a little. Thing about a guy like Volquez, he has enough stuff to get out of some jams, let's see if that's the case. Brad Hawpe struck out looking on a ball right on the inside corner. He didn't like it and he and Tim Timmons had a discussion. Another word tonight from Hawpe and he may be gone. Nevermind. Two-run double for Atkins. Volquez just hung that pitch and he pounded it to left. I was reading somethign else, Stewart hit a foul ball just below me -- for a split second I caught the ball in my line of sight -- jumped a bit. It was well below me. Girl wearing a bright Red dress to the game. Very nice. Purplelegs 2, Redlegs 0
* Bottom 1: Headed to the radio booth. Had a 1-2-3 innings, or more like a 1-3, 1-3, 5-3 inning. Purplelegs 2, Redlegs 0
* Bottom 2: After a single by Phillips, Dunn goes the other way but Ian Stewart makes a really nice play, diving to his right to get Dunn. RBI single by Encarnacion to left. Not clutch at all. Paul Bako isn't the fastest man around. If he were a tad faster, it'd be a tie game. Purplelegs 2, Redlegs 1
* Top 3: Homer for Baker. Single for Holliday. Hawpe hits another. 5-1. Volquez just left the ball up and it got pounded. 71 pitches for the Redlegs. Good thing the bullpen got some rest yesterday, they're gonna need 'em. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 3: Wow, what a play by Stewart, diving and then throwing out Jeff Keppinger from his backside. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Top 4: Wow, 45 stolen bases for Taveras (well, 44 was second, 45 is third.) And Todd Coffey up in the pen. Good times. Wow, the Pirates aren't as good as they once were -- Nady and Marte to the Yankees. That helps the Yankees and cross off any thought of Dunn to the Yankees, which I didn't really buy anyway. Volquez got out of that without damage, well, run-wise. 28 pitches. 99 pitches total. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 4: Nice -- the Brandon Phillips from House Party for 80s night is really nice. With the Kid eraser head look. Wow. Just phenomenal. Infield single for Phillips. Dunn doesn't really have to change his music for 80s night. Junior had Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me. The Dunninator is very nice work by the Reds scoreboard staff. Mr. E Encarnacion is fantastic. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Top 5: Majewski in. So, since that start in Yankee Stadium, Volquez is 2-1 (not counting tonight) with a 5.97 ERA, allowd 39 hits, 24 strikeouts and 16 walks. A nice inning for Majewski, a walk, but nothing else. He's not happy with himself, but it's a lot better than Volquez was in any inning other than the second. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 5: Majewski is done. Pinch hit appearance by Andy Phillips. He Ks. More nice gloveork by the Rockies. Tulowitzki makes a good play on a shot by Bruce. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Top 6: Todd Coffey in. He gives up a hit, but gets a double play. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 6: Who had Griffey triple in the pool? Phillips hit. But the Rockies get out of it. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Top 7: Another nice inning for Coffey. A double, but nothing else. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 7: Bako with Raspberry Beret, which is a nice choice. Can't go wrong with Prince. One of my hard and steady rules in life. Jolbert Cabrera hitting or Coffey. E5, Cabrera is on. K. Purplelegs 5, Redlegs 1
* Top 8: Bray in. And, yeah, three consecutive hits after a K. It's 6-1. K, IBB, K. Purplelegs 6, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 8: What a nice play by Cook. Griffey pops one up to the left side, and because ofhte shift, it's too far away from Ian Stewart. Cook is histling and makes the catch ont eh dead run. Not an easy play. And then Taveras one-ups him with a diving catch. Nice defense tonight for the Rockies. Purplelegs 6, Redlegs 1
* Top 9: David Weathers. A really nice play to get Stewart on a 9-4-2 on Tulowitzki's double, but yeah, it's still 7-1. I think I'll skip the video tonight. Don't think anyone cares that much. Reminds me of the Post -- when you have more than one person writing from a game, you always ask them what they're writing. And so often, the response from the columnist or whoever was writing the gamer was "general debacle." I do love that. It's so apt so often. Purplelegs 7, Redlegs 1
* Bottom 9: You know what I just thought of? If they really were doing this 80s things, they should have 80s unis. Matt Herges pitching. Two-out single by Votto, who came up to Rush, of course. Bako to a little Hall and Oates. My goal is to get out of here before the fireworks. A high double by Bako scores Votto. Beat It for Valentin. Griffey said he wanted Javy to have Menudo. Single, Bako stays at third. Bruce has a chance to keep his hitting streak alive. It's at 12 and he's 0-for-4. 0-for-5. And this one belongs to the Purplelegs.
* Josh Fogg said he expects to be ready to start on Sunday.
"As long as I don't get any balls to the face, I'll be fine," Fogg said.
And, yes, as soon as those of us with a 7th-grade sense of humor snickered, he added, "yeah, that doesn't sound so good."
Anyway, he threw a regular bullpen, 40 pitches and said he felt fine.
The swelling is down around his mouth, but because of the stitches and scabbing, he can't shave, so he's rocking a moustache -- just in time for the 80s weekend.
"I'll fit right in," Fogg said.
Dusty Baker is hoping Fogg will be ready to throw on Sunday so Johnny Cueto can get another day off and go on Monday following his 120-pitch outing the other day.
* Jerry Hairston Jr. took batting practice and ran on the outfield grass from first to third and said he felt fine. He said he was probably at "85 percent." He's wearing a sleeve on his thigh and said he likes the compression so much he's going to wear one on both legs. He's still hoping to be ready to join the team in Houston on June 26 when he is eligible to come off the DL.
* Ken Griffey Jr. joked reading a news story, "In a strange move, the Cincinnati Reds sent 13 players to Class A Dayton..." joking that the Reds would have to send players to fill out the Dragons' roster following Friday night's brawl.
Javier Valentin noted that Peoria manager Carmelo Martinez "loves to fight."
* Adam Dunn bobblehead night is tomorrow and Dunn was asked about the bobblehead and if it looks like him: "Have you ever seen one that looks like someone?"
With a flick of a Sharpie, Dunn's would look just like David Letterman.
David Irons, Sr., has two sons in the NFL and knows a bit about the business of the league.
Although he found out about his younger son being waived by the Bengals from a reporter's phone call, he's far from surprised or upset by the move.
"Kenny’s going to be fine," David Irons said on Friday. "It’s a minor set-back, it has to be done for the team. For roster and salary cap purposes."
David Irons said he expects his son to clear waivers and then be put on the Bengals' reserve list, which would end his season.
"I've had the surgery and my other son, David Jr., had that surgery and it wasn't until his senior year at Auburn that he was back to where he was (two years after the initial injury)," David Irons, Sr., said. "Now he's doing fine and is in his second year with the Falcons."
David Irons, Sr., said he also had the surgery, so Kenny knows exactly what to expect. Irons was one of only two Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis identified on Tuesday as having injuries that would keep them out of practice in training camp beginning on Monday. The other was running back DeDe Dorsey.
As for Kenny, his father said he is upbeat and ready to continue his rehab.
"Our expectations are him to be back with the Bengals and in the Pro Bowl in two years," David Irons, Sr., said.
The Bengals today waived HB Kenny Irons, under the category of Waived/Failed Physical. Irons failed the team physical earlier this week.
Irons, from Auburn, was Cincinnati’s second-round choice in the 2007 draft. He has been unable to play or practice since suffering a torn left knee ligament (ACL) in the ’07 preseason opener last Aug. 9 at Detroit. He spent the ’07 season on Cincinnati’s Reserve/Injured list.
I'm working on things to see what's up.
Draft picks in the Lewis era not currently with the team:
2005: David Pollack (1), Odell Thurman (2), Chris Henry (3), Adam Kieft (5), Tab Perry (6)
2004: Keiwan Ratliff (2a), Madieu Williams (2b), Caleb Miller (3a), Landon Johnson (3b), Mathias Askew (4a), Maurice Mann (5), Greg Brooks (6), Casey Bramlet (7)
2003: Eric Steinbach (2), Kelley Washington (3), Dennis Weathersby (4a), Khalid Abdullah (5), Langston Moore (6), Elton Patterson (7b)
So not counting this year's second-round pick, Jerome Simpson, Andrew Whitworth is the only second-rounder picked by Lewis that's still a Bengal.
Irons could be re-signed by the Bengals if he clears waivers, but would have to be put on the season-ending reserve list.
If you haven't seen the scene from Dayton last night, you've got to check it out.
Here's video from the Dayton Daily News:
Peoria Cubs pitcher Julio Castillo was arrested on charges of felonious assault after fired a ball into the stands and hit a fan. On the video, you can see Dayton's Brandon Menchaca jump on him immediately.
* One of the most interesting parts of the last couple of days has been that it's been all-hands on deck for the Reds' front office in Cincinnati. Terry Reynolds, "J" Harrison and Chris Buckley have all been in town this week and at the ballpark, along with the usual suspects like Bob Miller.
* I've never been a big Rob Neyer guy, but to suggest George Brett did cocaine without offering any proof is beyond irresponsible. If I'm Brett, I'm having my lawyers look into this. And just saying "I'm not going to suggest Brett was using cocaine..." but then Neyer has already suggested Brett used cocaine. Forget about the journalistic issues for a second, it's just silly and sloppy writing. Perhaps Neyer should just go back to whining about not being in the BBWAA. (The entire article is for ESPN Insider subscribers only, so I didn't link directly to it.)
* You know I'm not one to hand out compliments to the local rag, but I like what Tom Ramstetter is doing with the Metro Tournament. For once, it's like the Enquirer knows what it's doing with this whole 'blog' thing.
* Finally, I saw The Dark Knight last night, and not sure what else I can add -- but holy crap. My girlfriend walked out and said, "now I know why people want to see it again. I want to see it again." I was pretty much like, "Wow." I had high expectations, and they were exceeded. I texted my friend Lee, a huge Batman guy, and said, "Holy ****. Saw The Dark Knight. Holy ****" -- he texted back, "Um, yeah. Saw it today too. Yeah." I then had to call him and he had a much deeper review, but that was pretty much it.
