Friday
D-Backs not kidding around with young talent
The Sporting News
Arizona is aggressive when it comes to bringing up its players. Upton is a case in point; he was called up from Class AA at age 19 last year despite having just 823 minor league at-bats. He struggled at the plate in '07 but has been brilliant this year, hitting .326. It's an organization wide philosophy: If the guy is ready, bring him up. There are no minimum minor league requirements for at-bats or innings pitched. "I felt all along that if I perform, they would reward me," Upton says. "Doesn't matter how old you are. Just show you can do the job."
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West injured, Hornets lose
Times Picayune
"He took a good shot in the back," Scott said. "It's a good thing that Game 7 is on Monday. It gives him a good chance to get well. It gives our guys a chance to rest."
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Stat of the day
NBA playoff teams are 20-1 at home in second round games
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Webb Kentucky's best-ever ML pitcher?
Lexington Herald Leader
The way Webb has started this season, he could be on track to win his second Cy Young Award. By the time he retires, he might be the best pitcher Kentucky high school baseball has ever produced.
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Things noticed
AFC ranking of the safety postion: The Sporting News
Bengals 15th of 16 teams.
Dexter Jackson is a hard hitter, but his overaggressiveness gets him in trouble. Marvin White needs to do a better job of playing the ball in the air. Chinedum Ndukwe flashed potential as a rookie.
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Maxim Hometown Hottie
Careful opening
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Friday topic
Things we miss from the 80's Sports, TV, movies, music, fads
Homer Outing...next Saturday...Kings Island
Join my family on Saturday, May 24th at Kings Island to witness "Kaptain" Robbie Knievel attempt a death defying, spectacular jump over 24 Coke Zero trucks. 1530 HOMER will have a VIP viewing section in the Grandstands. Each admission ticket purchased here will grant you access to this special section, as well as a full day's admission to Kings Island.
Order before they are gone!
Tickets are $10 off the General Public Grandstand VIP price ($39.99).
Simply print your tickets at home, enter the park and present your e-ticket at the RETURN VISIT BOOTH to receive your special 1530 HOMER VIP Lanyard.
Be sure to arrive early, as the day will be full of live music, festivites and FUN!!
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Things I'm told
The Bengals are "sniffing around" WR Koren Robinson. No contract offered.....just looking into him as part of a fallback plan. He was released by Green Bay last week. He certainly has baggage...from his alcohol issues/suspension.
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We are in
Casey and I want to see the pitching duel Sunday....Volquez vs Lee....ERA leaders in each league. I went on-line and bought two in the Club Seats...section 302 and just printed them out.
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Friday show
Guest
John Engelhardt, River Downs, handicaps The Preakness
Topics
Reds
Interleague/DH: Am I the only one that thinks it's silly the Indians come to town and have to sit their DH? No other sport plays the game two different ways, based on the league. Time to drop the DH.
Things we miss from the 80's
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Just give me a hammer
"Ownership really needs to see about getting Josh Hamilton back"
-Caller to Sports Talk Thursday night
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Preakness picks
From Dan Cronin:
Well.....obviously I had to eat crow with picking against Big Brown. I still believe it's because the rest of the field is no good.
Big Brown will win the Preakness
I believe Behindatthebar will be 2nd, and Racecar rapsody will be 3rd.
The best bet is the 3rd race Saturday and Cognac Kisses. You will get 3-1.
Pick 4 3,8,9 with 4,6,8,9 with 1,2,3,4,9 with Big Brown $60.
Thursday
It's a no go tonight
Tonight's game between the Cincinnati Reds and Florida Marlins at Great American Ball Park has been postponed due to inclement weather A makeup date has not been scheduled.
Tickets for tonight's game can be used for that yet-to-be-scheduled makeup game, without exchange.
Tickets for tonight's game also can be exchanged for another game, depending on availability.
*****
Former Red to manage Cincinnati Steam
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NKU stuns top seed
CRESTWOOD, Ill. – Northern Kentucky University scored five times in the top of the 11th inning to post a 9-4 win over top-seeded Grand Valley State in the opening round of the NCAA Division II North Central Region Tournament on Thursday.
Jeff Bohlen’s run-scoring single drove in Jon Back from second base with the go-ahead run in the 11th inning for sixth-seeded NKU, which improved to 38-22. Jake Shaffer and Larry Pempek each added two-run singles later in the inning as the Norse advanced to Friday’s second round.
Bohlen was 3-for-5 with three RBI for NKU, while Pempek was 2-for-6 with three RBI. Back finished 3-for-5 and scored three runs for the Norse.
Matt Winterhalter pitched four innings of two-hit baseball in relief to pick up the victory. Grand Valley State (34-12) will play in the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament on Friday.
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Baseball cards to buy with your stimulus check
Orlando Sentinel
While today's collecting world largely revolves around autographs and game-used memorabilia cards coming out of boxes that often start at $75 and up, vintage baseball cards -- stuff I classify as at least 20 years old -- are more affordable than ever.
That said, did you get your Economic Stimulus Payment yet?
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Jocketty, Jr and Dunn stuff
CNNSI
"He told me at the time he wasn't interested in my job,'' Krivsky said by phone. "And I believe he was telling me the truth."
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From yesterday
Top 10 Seinfeld Sports Moments
Thursday show preview
Topics
Reds
Sports Claim to Fame: See below
Before their time: The number one ranked tennis player in the world retires at the age of 25. Athletes that exited, stage left, early.
Human Highlight Film: I'll finally make it a topic today. The one athlete's highlight film you would choose to watch.
Jump in FORUM to react
*****
Check out Sandy Koufax
Retired with a bad elbow at the age of 30....with a record of 27-9 and 1.73 ERA. What a smoooooooooth delivery.
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Q/A with Darryl Thompson
Baseball America
I just watched the other pitchers pitch. One guy I that really liked to watch was Aaron Harang. Sometimes he wouldn't blow a fastball by people, but he would hit his spots. For me, I took that as: throw all your pitches for strikes and have confidence. If you give up a home run, so what? I'm a guy that's like, a home run is better than a walk. Tonight I had four walks and I wasn't too happy about that, I didn't like that at all. But as far as big league camp, I learned a lot just watching the guys and listening to (manager) Dusty Baker and (pitching coach) Dick Pole.
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Credit the bloody nose of Janish to Freel
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Sports Claim To Fame
How would you like to be Paul Janish or Jim Kelch today?
No matter what happens, they will always have a story to tell....their own claim to fame.
Janish will tell people about his major league debut and his first major league hit being a game winner.
Kelch will tell people about his week in the Reds booth with Marty Brennman and calling a game winning hit after 25 years of broadcasting minor league games.
Do you have a sports claim to fame? What can you brag about in the backyard or at the bar?
I played little league vs _______
I once struck out _________
I hit the game winning basket _________
I have two:
1. Summer league baseball...1983...playing for Carmel HS. I pinch ran (Oh, I had wheels). I stole second...then scored on a bang bang play at the plate...beating the throw from North Central's Gary Thurman. Thurman went on to play for the Kansas City Royals.
2. Winning the Reds Baseball Heaven championship...2006....including a 5 for 5 day where Jack Billingham asked what I'd had for lunch that day.
Got one? Jump in FORUM
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Friday Off The Beaten Path topic
The leader in the clubhouse: Things we miss from the 80's.
Got something that could beat it? Email me.
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Random thoughts
*Best part about not doing a national sports talk show: Spygate. Good golly. Make it stop.
*Biggest loss of the night: Syisha being voted off American Idol. Was looking hotter each show down the stretch.
*I'm watching Lost and I have no idea why. Never understood less about any other show I've stuck with.
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Here it is.....$1,500 in pennies
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Bengals LB hurting while healing
Chick Ludwig, Dayton Daily News
"My father always told me, 'You can't make the club in the tub,' " Brooks said. "The coaches want people out there who are doing something, who can be productive. Right now, I'm not productive. It hurts."
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Tribe rotation for this weekend
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Jeremy Sowers is expected to get called up to start Friday's game, Fausto Carmona will go Saturday and Cliff Lee on Sunday.
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Difficult to punish greedy amateur athletes
AJC
"If an athlete does something in the NBA, they can fine him, suspend him, terminate his contract. About the only thing a college can do is throw him out. But if a student-athlete is leaving anyway, that's not going to do much good."
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Early exit for Henin...25-year old retires immediately
(AP)
"I decided," the 25-year-old Belgian said, "to stop fooling myself and accept it."
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Rondo comes up big for Celtics
Boston Globe
He submitted a career playoff performance: 20 points on 9-for-15 shooting, including huge back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter, to go along with 13 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 blocked shots, 2 steals, and just 1 turnover in 42 minutes of yeoman work.
"He was the X-factor," said LeBron James, who had a game-high 35 points. "You know, 20 and 13 and just 1 turnover, it speaks a lot. Without Rondo tonight, it would've been a much tougher game for them to win. He was definitely the player of the game tonight."
Rondo's all grown up
Boston Herald
"I just took them with confidence and shot the ball," Rondo said. "The shot clock was running down on the first one, (Kevin Garnett) found me and I got the seams lined up and I shot it. Then the second one it was a transition fast break. I'd just hit one, so I said, ‘Why not shoot the second one?' "
Rondo can be Celtics' savior if allowed to be
MSNBC
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Maxim Hometown Hottie
Careful opening
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Jocketty addresses Bruce
Enquirer
"The main thing is you've got to make sure you've got enough playing time," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "I don't think we feel comfortable that we have the adequate playing time. At some point, we just have to do it. Believe me, it hasn't gone unnoticed. We have so many good left-handed hitting outfielders, we have to see what would be the best time to bring him up.
"At some point, you just do it."
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Clones fall in game three
NORTH CHARLESTON, South Carolina - South Carolina's
Trent Campbell scored 2:03 into overtime to give the
Stingrays a 5-4 overtime win over the Cincinnati
Cyclones on Wednesday night. Jean-Michel Daoust and
David Desharnais had two point nights in the loss for
the Cyclones. Max Daigneault stopped 39 shots in
taking the loss.
The loss leaves the Cyclones with a two games to one
lead over South Carolina in the best of seven
American Conference championship. The winner of this
series will advance to the Kelly Cup Finals which
will begin Memorial Day weekend.
The fourth game will be Friday night at South
Carolina. Face off is at 7:05pm.
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Janish: "This is tough to beat"
C. Trent
Paul Janish didn't know who got him -- Kent Mercker and Jeremy Affeldt argued whether it was Ryan Freel or Paul Bako -- but no matter who bloodied Janish's nose, it was certainly worth it.
(AP photo)
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Ouch
Wednesday crowds
Louisville vs Scranton, 11am first pitch...13,131
Reds vs Marlins, 7:10 first pitch......12,756
*****
Did you know?
Jerry Carroll's horse, Racecar Rhapsody, has been entered in the Preakness. He will break from post position No. 6...right next to Big Brown. 30-1 odds. Ken McPeek is the trainer. Robby Albarado is the jockey. He's riden him in all six of his previous races.
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How about this?
From emailer AJ
Since 2000, the Reds have had 41 pitchers, who have been released, or otherwise parted company with the team...and who have not pitched in the major leagues again.
2000---Larry Luebbers, Keith Glauber
2001---Pete Harnisch, Osvaldo Fernandez, Lance Davis, Scott MacRae, Chris Piersoll, Justin Atchley, Frank
Rodriguez
2002---Jose Rijo, Luis Pineda, Jose Silva
2003---Joey Hamilton, Jeff Austin, Josh Hall, Scott Randall, Phil Norton, Juan Cerros, Mark Watson
2004---Brian Reith, Jimmy Haynes, Todd Van Poppel, Jung Keun Bong, Jesus Sanchez, Aaron Myette
2005---Paul Wilson, Joe Valentine, Ben Weber
2006---Brandon Claussen, Brian Shackelford, Chris Michalak, Chris Hammond, Joe Mays, Esteban Yan, Jason
Johnson, Sun-Woo Kim
2007---Eric Milton, Ricky Stone, Rheal Cormier, Elizardo Ramirez, Michael Gosling.
*****
Former Miami assistant is new Ice GM/coach
Indy Star
"During his tenure with the Redhawks, he was a major part of the rebuilding process that firmly established the Redhawks as one of the premier division one hockey programs in the nation," Ice CEO Paul Skjodt said.
New Wednesday
In case you were wondering
Juan Castro at AAA with Rockies
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It's Hairston at SS tonight
C. Trent
Read the classic Fogg and Jr story today as well
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Honors for a Bearcat
CINCINNATI – Senior all-BIG EAST cornerback Mike Mickens (Huber Heights, OH/Wayne) was selected as a member of the prestigious 52nd Annual Playboy Magazine All-America preseason team this past weekend at its All-American Weekend at the Hilton Pointe Resort at Tapatio Cliffs in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Being selected as an all-American means a great deal to me,” said Mickens. “It shows that all of the hard work and dedication me and my teammates have put in the last three years has paid off. Without the other guys around me I could not had achieved this honor.”
“Mike is a player that we look to as a leader on our football team,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “When the players look around the field, Mike sets an example of what it takes to be a champion. That was something that was contagious around our locker room last year and helped us realize our full potential and a No. 17 national ranking.”
Mickens is the third UC football player to earn Playboy Preseason accolades. Linebacker Clarence Sanders was selected in 1975 and kicker Jonathan Ruffin earned the honor in 2001.
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Reading between Carson's lines
Ludwig at Large
Was that smoke & steam I saw emanating from Palmer’s ears?
You betcha.
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Bruce struggles continue
3 for 3 with a double, triple, homer, 3 RBI's, 2 runs, 2 walks today....now batting .366
Last 10 games:
22 for 36 .611, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 hr's, 11 runs, 12 rbi's, 6 walks, 7 k's
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Bengals news
The Bengals today signed rookie LS Tim Bugg of Indiana to a two-year contract. A college free agent, Bugg (6-0, 257) participated in Cincinnati’s May 2-4 rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
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Expect Dunn's big bat to leave Cincinnati
Newsday
3. It wouldn't make sense for the Reds to re-sign Dunn, who is eligible for free
agency this coming winter, because of those young outfielders. So if they're not
going to make a playoff run, they might as well unload him and get some
inventory in return.
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Show preview
Topics
Reds: What do you do at SS now?
Making the turn: Reds hit turn one, 40 games into the season...and?
Bengals: I just realized, not a single call about Bengals Tuesday?OTA's started...and I had two guests talking Bengals.
Seinfeld Sports Moments: Today is the 10-year anniversary of the final episode. We look at the sports moments on the show.
Franchise builder: My goal is to get a total of three callers, one each hour, to weigh in on the question asked below...which current NBA player would you choose to start a franchise with today?
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Options at SS
Games played at SS
Paul Janish
Minors: 390 games
Jerry Hairston Jr
Majors: 10 games
Minors: 135, including four at AAA this year
Ryan Freel
Majors: 0 games
Minors: 71 games (Last time '01 AAA)
Brandon Phillips
Majors: 5 games
Minors: 572 games
At 2B
Freel: 380 games in minors, 99 in majors
Hairston: 231 games in minors, 525 in majors
***
Say hello to Reds SS Paul Janish
Reds win, lose Keppinger
C. Trent Rosecrans
Bio/Stats
Janish gets the call "He kind of looked at me startled," Sweet said. "I said, 'Hey, you're going to the big leagues; I don't have time to play you here.' "
*****
On pace
40 games into the season...1/4 done....here are the projected stats for Reds players:
Phillips: .282, 29 hr's, 76 rbi, 25 sb's
Dunn: .203, 26 hr's, 82 rbi's, 142 k's, 120 walks
Encarnacion: .261, 33 hr's, 74 rbi's, 32 errors
Griffey: .250, 17 hr's, 76 rbi's
Bako: .303, 20 hr's, 69 rbi's
Freel: .307, 24 sb's
Team stats
Record: Projected 69-93 (72-90 '07)
Batting average: .259 (.267 '07)
Runs per game: 4.375 (4.83 '07)
ERA: 4.69 (4.94 '07)
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He's come a long way
Jan '07: Reds trade pitcher Russ Haltiwanger to Kansas City for Jeff Keppinger.....fans yawn and wonder who Jeff Keppinger is?
March '07: Keppinger placed on DL with broken finger after being hit by a pitch in spring training.
July '07: Keppinger is promoted to Reds after leading International League in hitting (.366)
August '07: Keppinger hits .393 for month, receives votes for NL Player of Month
October '07: Keppinger ends season with appearances in 67 games for Reds while hitting .332
December '07: Casey McAlister asks for and receives Keppinger jersey for Christmas
April '08: Keppinger is Reds opening day SS
May '08: Keppinger leads Reds in hitting and is among tops in NL in batting with runners in scoring position.
May '08: Keppinger fractures knee cap. Fans wonder how the team will replace Keppinger?
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Janish becomes 24th Dragon promoted to Reds
Dayton, Ohio-Former Dayton Dragons shortstop Paul Janish (YAHN-ish) was promoted to the Cincinnati Reds today, becoming the 24th player to play for the Dragons and later appear in the major leagues.
Janish spent parts of the 2005 and '06 seasons with the Dragons, playing in 81 games. He hit .398 in 26 games with Dayton in 2006 before being promoted to Sarasota and eventually to Double-A Chattanooga. Janish split last season between Chattanooga and Louisville.
This season, Janish played in 35 games at Louisville, batting .293 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in.
Other former Dragons currently on the Reds roster include outfielder Adam Dunn, third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, first baseman Joey Votto, and starting pitcher Johnny Cueto.
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Lucky 7
Reds SS Paul Janish will wear uniform number 7. The last Red to wear 7 was coach Bucky Dent in 2007. The last player was Mark Bellhorn in 2007.
The list of Reds players to wear that number also include the likes of:
Don Werner, Paul Householder, Kevin Mitchell, Rick Wrona and Jason Romano.
Ernie Lombardi was the first Red to wear the number. Among those wearing it the longest include: Pat Corrales from 1968-72 and Smokey Burgess 1955, '56-58.
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Manufacturing runs
Did you notice this last night?
The Reds scored two runs in the 2nd on an infield single and a bases-loaded walk
They scored a run in the 3rd on a ground-ball out
They scored another run in the fifth on a perfectly placed bunt.
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My guy Tarek, at What If, to deliver keynote speech
Cincinnati Regional Chamber
***
What a cool story
Did you catch Bengals free agent FB Tyler Whaley with The Cut Man? He's from Ironton, Ohio. He grew up dreaming of playing for OSU and the Bengals. He walked-on at OSU as a center and was moved to fullback. He didn't see the field until his third season. He worked at the stadium to earn money. He proposed to his wife inside The Horseshoe. He's 5'11 255....and benches 465 pounds. He talked about what his success means to the city of Ironton....a city of 12,000 or so, going through rough times. The Bengals called him 1-minute after the draft ended to offer him a free agent deal. Ken Gordon, of the Columbus Dispatch, is writing a book about his life. I'll replay part of the interview this afternoon.
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Prince swats Pistons to Eastern conference finals
Detroit Free Press
"I hadn't made a shot all game at an opportune time when I needed to," said Prince, who scored 10 points with eight rebounds. "... What better way can I help the team out?
*****
Did you see David West?
Times Picayune
West, the Hornets' power forward, had 38 points and 14 rebounds, and the Hornets proved they still had an edge against an older squad in the third quarter. New Orleans went on a 14-0 run and outscored San Antonio 28-11 in that period, as the Hornets controlled the pace of the game and parted ways with early shooting problems.
Cool West story
Yahoo Sports
He had a New Orleans Hornets official walk him over to make the introduction because it simply wasn't West's way to presume that David Robinson had ever heard of him.
This time, West becomes Duncan
San Antonio Express
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10 worst moves of NFL off-season
The Sporting News
If Johnson had merely put a sock in the place where he hangs that golden grill on game days, he wouldn't be in a position to look so silly when he shows up for training camp and acts like he didn't act like a complete fool.
Tuesday
Brazelle update
Mark Curnutte's blog
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Guest update
Mark Curnutte, Enquirer, 3:30
Larry Stone, Seattle Times baseball writer, 4:30
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Post OTA notes for Bengals
Mark Curnutte's blog
Head coach Marvin Lewis said the team is installing a new defense.
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Tuesday show preview
Guest
Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News, on OJ and college hoops
Topics
Reds: What did you think of Jim Kelch last night?
Bengals
Human Highlight Films: See below
Sports Jargon: Ever hear a term or phrase and wonder the origin and meaning?
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What? Why?
I'm working on a possible topic. Things you have always wondered about...such as.....
1. Why is it called the foul pole if it's fair if the ball hits it?
2. Why is it called the rubber game of a series?
3. Why is a high pop fly called a can of corn?
4. When did the 7th inning stretch begin? Why is it the 7th?
Got one for me....even if you know the answer?
If I get enough, I'll make it a topic. Email me.
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Chad and TJ no-shows for day one
Mark Curnutte's blog
***
Volquez earning "Little Pedro" nickname
ESPN
"He's in love with Pedro," said teammate Francisco Cordero. "He sees Pedro like he's a god. He's not trying to be like Pedro, and the good thing is he's not trying to imitate him. He's just trying to do his job."
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Win-now focus could mean heavy action in Cincy
Fox Sports
Dusty Baker is a win-now manager, Walt Jocketty a win-now GM, Bob Castellini a win-now owner. Alas, the Reds need to rebuild.
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Mets pitcher calls Nationals "softball girls"
Fox Sports"
They were cheerleading in the dugout like a bunch of softball girls," the beleaguered Mets right-hander said after getting stomped in a 10-4 loss to the Nationals last night. "If that's what a last-place team needs to do to fire themselves up, so be it. They need to show a little more class and professionalism."
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Last night's anniversary
Casey and I were listening to the game in his room as he went to bed last night.
Marty mentioned what happened on May 12, 1984. I remember it well. I was mowing the grass at Ashland Chemicals in Indy(where my dad worked). I stopped the riding mower. and stood up on the seat to adjusted my walkman to make sure I could hear it.
Mario Soto was one out from a 1-0 no-hitter when George Hendrcik too him deep to tie the game. I'l never forget the call from Marty...."the no hitter is gone, the shutout is gone, the game is tied.
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Things noticed last night
Bunting is such a lost art...and a thing of beauty when done well.
Patterson 4 for 5....I've always loved him.
Dunn infuriated me on the grounder to first...but made a nice running catch and lifted a sac fly.
Edwin made a smart move and hustled to tag and go to third on the SF by Dunn.
I've never seen Jr drop a pop fly like that.
This bullpen is more than a little shaky lately.
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Nice job by Kelch
What did you think of Jim Kelch, the Reds AAA voice, last night? I really enjoy his work. I've listened to him on-line for years. He's smooth, paints the picture well, and is easy to follow the action with. You can tell he does his homework. And he's got a nice build up for big moments.
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Break up Reds....now
Hal McCoy, Dayton Daily News
Is it time to trade Griffey and Dunn, if that's possible, for young talent? Is it time to bring up Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey and a lot of other young prospects?Looking at the standings I can only shake my head and say, "Get ‘er done."
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Cabrera turns unassisted triple play
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Cabrera's is the 14th unassisted triple play in major-league history, the 13th in the regular season.
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Hottest TV show cast all-time
I noticed Jennie Garth will join the 90210 spinoff.
What is the hottest TV show cast all-time?
Melrose Place
or
90210
or
Las Vegas
or
Desperate Housewives
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Michigan prospect picks OSU
Columbus Dispatch
He actually picked OSU over UCLA. He said Michigan had faded from his list after Lloyd Carr retired as coach last year and was replaced by Rich Rodriguez."The old coaching staff, I really liked," Jackson said. "The new coaching staff, I really couldn't get a feel for."
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UK offers scholarship to 9th grader
Lexington Herald Leader
"I was honored," Davis said Monday about the offer. "I don't know if I'm going to take it yet. I'm still a freshman."
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Maxim Hometown Hottie
Careful opening
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Jr's return could be more letdown than triumph
Seattle Times
This is real life, not a fairy tale. A Griffey homecoming could end up an anti-climactic letdown just as easily as it could be a triumphant valediction for a homegrown Hall of Famer.
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Another Griffey Jr rumor takes seed in Big Apple
Seattle PI
After eight of the 10 smallest crowds in Safeco Field history have turned up this season, the ballclub would have to consider the attendance implications and financial advantages of having Griffey back in a Mariners uniform.
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Congrats to NKU
SAUGET, Ill. - Another even-numbered year equals another Great Lakes
Valley Conference baseball championship for the Northern Kentucky
University Norse.
The Norse battled through the loser's bracket and through the weather
all weekend before demolishing Saint Joseph's College by a score of 15-4
for their fourth title in seven years. NKU had previously won the GLVC
title in 2002, 2004, and 2006.
Both NKU and SJC will now advance on to the NCAA Division II North
Central Regional on May 15-18 at Standard Bank Stadium in Crestwood,
Ill. SJC will serve as the six-team tournament host.
NKU earned the sixth seed and will face top seed Grand Valley State
University on May 15 at 11:30 a.m.
***
Dunn in a nutshell
3rd inning...he hits a topper down the line at first. He thinks it's foul. He jogs about 30 feet and then shrugs his shoulders and raises his hands wondering why it wasn't called foul. He's out. Pathetic.
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LHP vs RHP
I know the Reds woes vs lefties has been talk about over and over. Lefties went 0-13 vs the Mets yesterday. Do you realize how poor they are vs RHP?
LHP vs RHP............AVG....OBP...SLG....OPS
Reds vs RHP........ .249 .312 .409 .721
Reds vs LHP......... .277 .358 .446 .804
Reds rank 10th in ML vs LHP .277 (2007 .253)
Reds rank 22nd in ML vs RHP .249 (2007 .273)
Reds vs...'08 LHP/RHP....'07 LHP/RHP
Keppinger .394/.290.....'07 .362/.320
Phillips .457/.223.........'07 .341/.262
Griffey .171/.287.........'07 .236/.300
Dunn .185/.232...........'07 .239/.278
Edwin E .324/.229........'07 .284/.291
Votto .367/.271...........'07.269/.345
Freel .361/.279...........'07 .143/.315
Bako .265/.351
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Monday
Miami won't play at UC
Enquirer
***
UC recruit changes mind, re-opens recruiting
Enquirer
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Bruce 4 for 4 this afternoon in Game 1
2 doubles, HR(7), 2 runs, 2 rbi's...........16 for his last 26 going into Game 2 today...hitting .348
Update: He's 1 for 2 in game 2
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Thoughts and prayers
FSN Ohio's Chris Welsh's mother passed away last week.
Reds 3B coach Mark Berry’s father, Harvey, died early Saturday morning in Glendale, Arizona. He was 71.
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Who's hot?
From Jamie Ramsey of the Reds
IF Andy Phillips: current 13-game hitting streak (20-55, .364, 3hr, 14rbi, 9r, 2 2B) to lift batting average 39 points (.316).
OF Jay Bruce: 12 hits in last 22ab to lift batting average to .328 (3rd in International League)...his 43 hits rank T1st in the IL.
SS Paul Janish: 8 hits in last 16ab.
LHP Danny Herrera: has not allowed a run since his promotion to Louisville on 4/24 (7g, 11.1ip, 7h, 10k).
RHP Gary Majewski: 1-0-2, 0.75era over last 9g (9h, 1r, 1bb, 7k).
1b Tonys Gutierrez: has reached base safely in 19 straight (26-63, .413)...leads the Southern League with a .467obp...ranks 5th with a .336ba.
OF Cody Strait: current 9-game hitting streak (11-25, .440).
RHP Robert Manuel: 0 earned runs in 15 games split between Chattanooga and Sarasota (23.2ip, 31K).
LHP Ben Jukich: 2-1, 1.69era over last 4 starts (26.2ip, 5r, 18k, .206oba).
RHP Jordan Smith: 24.2ip, 3r, 1.09era over last 3 starts...1.45era ranks 4th in Florida State League.
3b Juan Francisco: current 6-game hitting streak (10-25, .400).
OF Denis Phipps: current 12-game hitting streak (21-47, .447), including a current 7-game multi-hit streak (15-29, .517)... .325 batting average ranks 6th in the Midwest League.
OF Keltavious Jones: current 7-game hitting streak (10-29, .345)....344 batting average ranks 4th in the Midwest League.
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Rules I'd change
1. If you bat out of order...it's two outs. One out for batter skipped, one for batter that hit in his spot.
2. A Fumble out of endzone goes BACK to offensive team.
I've never understood why a RB can be running to the endzone, fumble the ball, have it go out of the back of the endzone and possession go to the defense? What did the defense do? They didn't recover it. Why would they get it? I'm ok bringing the ball back out to the 20-yard line...but possession should return to the team that last had the ball.
3. NBA teams should NOT get to advance the ball after a TO.
It kills me to watch the end of NBA games. A team calls a timeout after a rebound or made basket and they get to advance the ball to midcourt. They should have to dribble the length of the court. Can you imagine if you could call a timeout in the NFL and advance the ball to inside midfield?
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Why can't the Bengals do this?
Colts.com
"We provide hundreds of free events for our fans every year," Colts Vice President of Sales and Marketing Tom Zupancic said. "The Make It Personal Tour is our way of giving back to our fans and to thank them for their continued support.
"We want our fans all across the state to be able to touch the Colts franchise in their own backyards."
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Guest update
Cyclones forward David Desharnais checks in around 4:30.
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I'd change the rule
Anyone else think the batting out of order penalty should change? Patterson gets credit for an out...and he didn't bat. Ross makes an out...but gets to hit again....and gets a hit? Huh? So Willie Randolph's reward for pointing out the mistake is to have Ross bat again, after already making on out? What if the Reds were down one run and he homered? That is not how the rules should work. If you bat out of order, and are called on it, I'd make it two outs. One out for the batter that was skipped. One out for the batter that actually batted. Heck, Dusty batted out of order once, got to bat again, and hit a 3-run HR.
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Show preview
Guests
Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com...Countdown To Georgetown
Topics
Reds: Retro Sheet has confirmed, my little league teams never batted out of order...from the Burger King A's to the Convenient A's and Wicks Good Food and Booze A's.
Clones: Did you go? What did you think?
Sports Jobs: Jim Kelch, voice of the AAA Bats, fills in on the Reds game Monday night. What sports job, other than playing, would you like to try for a year
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Season 1 done
We finished the first season of The Wire last night. 13 episodes. WOW. Outstanding.
Can't wait for season two. Loved the character development and storyline. Love McNulty, Daniels, Stringer....
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Bumbling Reds delay inevitable
NY Post"
That's the first time I've had it and this is my 23d year," home plate ump and crew chief Dale Scott said of the Reds batting out of order today
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Why can't the Bengals do this?
Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Aeneas Williams will become the 13th person put into the team's Ring of Honor. The induction ceremony will come Nov. 10, during halftime of the "Monday Night Football" game against San Francisco. Williams, who spent 10 seasons with the Cardinals before finishing his career with the Rams, has 55 career interceptions, and is expected to be in the Hall of Fame discussion when he becomes eligible after the 2009 season.- East Valley Tribune
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Wow...read this about former Bengal Reggie Williams
NY Times
Lying in his hospital bed, Reggie Williams watched a flow of blood, four or five inches high, coming from his postsurgical knee.
"A fountain!" Williams called it.
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Amazing
I have no numbers to back this up....but it is amazing to see the so many balls drop in fron of or get past the Reds OF due to the lack of range. And, I bet there are not many teams that go first to third less than the Reds. They can't cover ground in the OF. They can't take the extra base on offense.
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Dusty seems to have forgotten this one
MLB.COM
Dusty's team batted out of order in 2004
"Baker apparently didn't communicate a double-switch to home plate umpire C.B. Bucknor, and the Cubs were accused of batting out of turn. The mistake did not hurt as the Cubs rallied for a dramatic, 11-10 win over the Cincinnati Reds."
And he seems to have forgotten this one
Giants bat out of order in 1998 with Dusty managing
Dusty did it as a hitter in 1980
Retro Sheet
Dusty Baker then hit into a force out leaving runners on first and third but had batted out of turn. Green came out and pointed out the fact that the proper batter had not hit. Thus Ron Cey was called out, the runners restored to their previous bases and Baker batted again. This time he hit a three-run homer to left
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What they are saying in Seattle about Jr
Seattle PI
The Mariners need two things - someone to get the fans' interest revved up after a horrid start to the season and someone to provide some power to a lineup devoid of many run-producers.
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What they are saying in New York
NY Daily News
"Obviously there was a little confusion there," Randolph said. "I was right on it, we were right on it, but we could have gotten two outs if Patterson had actually seen a pitch."
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Maxim Hometown Hottie
Careful opening