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    Saturday, May 3, 2008, 07:28 AM EST [General]

    Jr bats #2 Saturday
    From Elias Sports Bureau
    Ken Griffey Jr started in the #2 spot in the batting order 62 times in his MLB career. 
    His last start there was May 3, 2005 (Stl@Cin). 
    Griffey started in the #2 hole 23 times in 2005.

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    Thanks
    Please keep the guest and topic ideas coming. This past week we talked with:
    John Thornton, Bengals DT, who was in studio
    Lee Elia, former Cubs manager, on the anniversary of his rant
    Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford, former UK players
    David Bennet, Jerome Simpson's head coach at Coastal Carolina
    Pete Arbogast, voice of USC football
    Haruki Nakamura, Bearcat/now Baltimore Raven
    Angelo, Craig, Bearcat/now Bengal
    Jerry Jones, The Drugstore List
    John Engelhardt, River Downs, talked Kentucky Derby
    Eric Toeth, Xavier tennis coach on the school's first ever NCAA tournament appearance
    Charley Frank talked Reds Community Fund and gave us a Father's Day Catch package to give away.
    Steve Wolter talked Derby, value of Jr's 600 HR ball and the declining value of Roger Clemens memorabilia.

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    Volquez thriving with fresh start


    (AP photo)
    MLB.COM
    "I'm glad we have Volquez, I'll tell you that," Baker said. "I didn't have Hamilton, but I'm sure Texas is glad they have Hamilton. That's a trade. Everybody wants to know who got the best of the trade. When you trade something, it should be the best for both. I know we're happy with him."

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    Crean cleans house
    Indy Star 
    Ten players from last season's Indiana basketball team are gone. Four remain, including just three scholarship players.

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    Painful...simply painful
    I don't know that I've seen a more pitiful stretch of offense by a Reds team.
    Do you realize they have scored 3 runs or fewer 17 times in 30 games?
    Dunn-Phillips-Jr have combined for 40 rbi's
    Adam Dunn is tracking for .216 with 23 hr's and 63 rbi's.
    Can they please just give up on Dunn in the middle of the order? He's proven he's most productive in the #2 spot. Yea, I know....I know.
    But...look at his career numbers. He has had 450+ plate appearance in each spot 2 thru 6 in the batting order.
    When batting 2nd:
    .278 batting average, (Best)
    .388 OBP (2nd to the 5th spot .389)
    .554 SLG (Best)
    .992 OPS (Best)

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    Votto seems on his way to success
    The Chattanoogan"
    "It was hard, I'm not going to lie," Votto said of the wait. "It wasn't hard because of what people said. It was more my own expectations. I felt like I was held back a couple of years when I had to take a strike. And it was frustrating being at a level that basically I played as well as I could play and still be stuck at that level. It was more personal stress."

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    Huggs in it for the long haul: Signs 11 year deal
    The Charleston Gazette 
    It's been almost three years since Bob Huggins hit the low point of his professional life, being forced out by first-year Cincinnati president Nancy Zimpher after 16 years and 399 wins at the school. On Friday another first-year president, this one Mike Garrison of West Virginia, signed off on a groundbreaking contract for the Mountaineer basketball coach designed to keep him at the school for the rest of his life.
    So it was natural that Huggins was asked how two university leaders could have such disparate views of the same man.
    "We have a much more intelligent president here,'' Huggins said dryly. "That's obvious.''

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    Hamilton a staple in Rangers lineup

    (AP photo)
    MLB.COM
    The Rangers went into the season with some concerns about Josh Hamilton's durability. They openly wondered how much rest he would need. They said that if he could post up for 140 games that would be terrific. Turns out they can't get him out of the lineup. Hamilton was back in center field on Friday night and is the only Ranger who has started every game this season

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    Maxim Hometown Hottie
    Careful opening

    0 (0 Ratings)

    still make the trade

    KPK
    May 03, 2008
    07:47 AM EST

    I have never seen a player, with so many demons, be so embraced by this city as Josh Hamilton. I don't get it. He's not born here, he didn't play high school or college ball here, he played half a season for the Reds here. That's it. And we parlayed him, and the $100,000 investment made on him, into Volquez and Herrara. Thank you. For that, I'll always appreciate Hamilton. It was a great trade. Let's see if Hamilton can sustain and stay healthy. And see if Johnny Narron holds his hand for while he crosses the street and calls and checks in on him every night and reads him a night-night book.

    Jimmy
    May 03, 2008
    08:45 AM EST

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