Pledge of Patience What do you expect out of Jay Bruce? If he goes 0 for 4 tonight, and k's three times, will you be calling him Brandon Larson? If he's hitting .211 in July will you be calling for Patterson? Will you take the Pledge Of Patience? We did this with Homer, I'll do it with Jay. Are you prepared to be patient with Jay and accept what hapens....good, bad, mediocre? Jay is 21-years old. If not drafted out of high school, he would be a junior in college right now. He has had 1,325 at-bats in the minor leagues. What do you think? Will you allow him to struggle?
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Did you know? According to Elias Sports Bureau... Sunday's 5-hour, 57-minute game at San Diego was the longest game by time in Reds history. The previous record was 5:40 in the 21-inning, 1-0 loss vs SF on 9/1/67.
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How about Mad Max!? Jason Maxiell was 6 of 6 from the field...scoring 14 points with three rebounds and a block in the Pistons's game four win over Boston. Have youseen his block of Kevin Garnett? WOW
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Danica ticked! Here is the video of the incident and her reaction
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Jay's stats and splits for 2008 Home, road, vs left, vs right....... On a roll: Jay was batting .284 on May 3. Since then he is 36 of 79 .456, with 5 hr's and 16 rbi's......raising his average to .364. He has 13 multi-hit games in his last 20 games. Bruce in the OF By games started LF: 8 CF: 27 RF: 10
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Show preview Topics Jay Bruce: Happy with his promotion? Too late? Going tonight? What do you expect out of him? Can you be patient with him? Robbie K's jump: Did you go? Clones: We were there Sunday. Did you go? Give me a report. Indy 500: Did you go? Did you watch? Is Danica legit or a gimmick? What if Danica had taken a swing at Ryan Briscoe? What if he'd taken a swing at her? NBA/NHL/Lacrosse: Did you check them out?
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Carson's little bro' hanging tough in the Nati Ludwig At Large "I can't predict anything that's going to happen in the future, but I haven't seen one thing (negative). From the day I got here, guys treat me like Jordan Palmer, the quarterback from wherever who did whatever.
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Reds lottery is underway Registerfor hottest tickets in town starting Tuesday at 9 a.m. at reds.com Fans wishing to purchase single-game seats to the Reds-Red Sox series June 13-15 will have to enter their name into a ticket lottery. Individuals can register by visiting reds.com from 9 a.m. May 27 until noon May 29. Winners and non-winners will be notified via e-mail May 30. Those who win will receive an opportunity to purchase tickets by logging on to reds.com starting at 9 a.m. ET May 31. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis until 5 p.m. ET June 1. Those who win the opportunity to purchase tickets will be able to purchase a maximum of six tickets per game of the series. The last time the Red Sox played in Cincinnati was on Oct. 16, 1975 in Game 5 of the World Series. The Reds won that game, 6-2, and went on to win the World Series in Boston, in seven games.
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Saturday night at Kings Island Cool time at Kings Island for Robbie Knievel's jump Saturday night. The crowd was nuts....45,000+ in the park. Cool scene: The 140 pound American flag flown in by parachute during the national anthem. I watched Evel's jump at KI in 1975, when I was 9-years old. Now Casey and Peyton can say they saw his son jump. Thanks to Don Helbig, Katie Merkle and everyone at KI for getting HOMER involved in the event. Thanks to Sherry Rowland, of Homer Promotions, for returning early from vacation and helping pull this off, along with Bill Riester of Homer Sales. It was great meeting so many of you in the VIP section and around the park. ****
Power poll The Sporting News 23. Reds. New GM Walt Jocketty must be a genius. Reds center fielders are hitting .251 this year, while one of the top prospects in baseball, center fielder Jay Bruce, is hitting .346 at Class AAA. Jocketty has now said, "Maybe we should have that guy playing center for us." The bet here is that Dusty Baker still prefers Corey Patterson
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On this date: May 27, 1997 Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. broke his own major league record for home runs hit through May by connecting for his 23rd of the season in an 11-10 loss to Minnesota. Griffey's homer broke the mark he set in 1994.
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Hour by hour forecast tonight for Bruce's potential debut
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Bruce to get the call
Tuesday the Reds are expected to promote from Class AAA Louisville top prospect OF Jay Bruce. A corresponding roster move will be announced prior to tomorrow's 7:10 p.m. game against the Pirates. Bruce will wear uniform number 32 and when he plays will be making his Major League debut. Bruce, 21, has been rated the best prospect in the minor leagues. He has spent the season at Louisville, where in 49 games he hit .364 with 9 doubles, 5 triples, 10 HR, 37 RBI and 8 stolen bases. He leads the International League in hitting and hits (67) and ranks among the IL leaders in slugging percentage (.630, 3rd), runs scored (34, 4th), extra-base hits (24, T4th) and RBI (T5th).
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Reds to wear #32 Most recent: Billy Hatcher, '06-'07 Among others: Danny Graves, Tom Browning, Fred Norman, Harvey Haddix, Milt Pappas, Bob Shirley, Rich Gale, Sammy Ellis.
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Danica just a gimmick? Bernie Lincicome, Rocky Mountain News Until Patrick wins the race, it will not matter much who does, and it is unclear to whom this is more important, the race itself or Patrick.
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More Danica reaction YahooSports • Patrick's drama queen theatrics have worn thin. Sorry Danica, we've seen it all before, but done better by the guy who drives the Home Depot car in NASCAR. By the way, he's a much better driver than you'll ever be and therefore is granted a pass on such behavior.
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Hockey night in Cincinnati: Sunday night at US Bank Arena
(Photo from listener Pat Slade)
Wowwww What an atmosphere at US Bank Arena Sunday night! The Cyclones lost 1-0 to Las Vegas. The best of seven series is now even at 1-1. The crowd of 6,897, gave the Cyclones a total of 15,573 for the weekend. The place was up for grabs! Everyone was on their feet cheering during the introductions. My kids were going nuts. It was the loudest I've heard that arena (we were not there Saturday) for hockey. $10 tickets, $1 hotdogs, playoff hockey, and hilarious between period entertainment. It had a big time feel to it. It was hockey the way it should be. No reason that place can't rock like that every game next year. Cincinnati hockey is firmly on the radar in Cincinnati.
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Got Clones? The Cyclones hit the road to Las Vegas for games Thursday and Friday. I will bring you Clones coverage Wed-Thur-Friday from Vegas. Wednesday Jean-Michel Daoust will join me. Thursday Chuck Weber will preview game three. Friday Chuck will recap game three and preview game four that night.
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Guest list Later in the week....... Devin Mesoraco...Reds #1 pick last year will join me. Johnathan Fanene, Bengals DE, will check in as well.
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Reds rotation changes, due to 18-inning game Sunday Tue vs Pit: RHP Johnny Cueto (2-5, 5.56) vs RHP Ian Snell (2-3, 4.84) wlw/fsn ohio, 7:10 Wed vs Pit: RHP Bronson Arroyo (3-4, 5.68) vs LHP Tom Gorzelanny (4-4, 6.31) wlw/fsn ohio, 7:10 Thu vs Pit: RHP Aaron Harang (2-6, 3.32) vs LHP Zach Duke (2-4, 4.55) wlw/fsn ohio, 7:10 Fri vs Atl: RHP Edinson Volquez (7-2, 1.31) vs LHP Tom Glavine (2-2, 4.76) wlw/fsn ohio, 7:10 Sat vs Atl: RHP Matt Belisle (1-4, 7.28) vs RHP Jair Jurrjens (Monday) wlw/FOX, 3:55 Sun vs Atl: RHP Johnny Cueto vs RHP Tim Hudson (Tuesday) wlw/fsn ohio, 1:15
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Indy 500 I watched/listened to most of the Indy 500....I was in and out of the house. I was surprised my kids watched almost all of it. They were getting into it. Nothing better than Jim Nabors signing Back Home Again In Indiana! Can you imagine working all month for the race...and then your engine not starting right away? (Sarah Fisher). Bummer about Danica...I was hoping to see her make a run. Then I was hoping to see her get a piece of the guy that ran into her. That was classic. The best feature of the day and weekend, without question, was ABC's look at drivers dealing with the potential of crashing/dying while racing. It was riveting.
Georgia SS a realistic option for Reds at #7 Baseball Prospectus Sitting back in wait-and-see mode, the Reds could be either the victims or the beneficiaries of what is still a significant amount of uncertainty as far as the six picks above them. They're leaning college for sure, but that's based on available talent more than anything else. Their realistic preference looks to be Gordon Beckham, and they certainly need a long-term shortstop. Crow or Matusz falling this far would also by very tempting, especially with Walt Jocketty running the show, as he prefers the arms at this spot if they are available. They also have interest in slugging University of Miami first baseman Yonder Alonso. Video of Beckham Bio of Beckham Interview with Beckham
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Bearcats/Musketeers today UC baseball will face UL for the Big East championship at 1pm. ESPNU will carry the game. Xavier will face Charlotte in the A-10 tournament at noon.
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Kentucky Speedway statement A statement from Kentucky Speedway Chairman Jerry Carroll regarding the prospect of the Sparta, Ky., track playing host to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in 2009 follows: "Our group is confident that comments made by Bruton Smith, and, our agreement, will continue to come to fruition."
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Thanks Friday's Greatest Action Hero debate was hilarious. Thanks for playing along and contibuting. The off beat topics sure beat pounding on the Reds and ranting and raving. Keep the ideas coming.
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Homer Outing Our VIP section tonight is filled. 122 listeners will join my family to watch Robbie Knievel. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST. See ya tonight.
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Dunn does in Padres (AP) Dunn hit a 3-1 pitch off major league baseball's all-time save leader into the right-field seats to snap the Reds' four-game losing streak. Dunn's 12th homer of the season was also the 250th of his career.
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Lance McAlister's Top 10 List of "Action Heroes" From listener Rick 1) Steven Seagal 2) Erik Estrada 3) Scott Baio 4) Erkel 5) Screech 6) Carlton Banks 7) Rocky (not Balboa, the Squirrel) 8) Danny Devito 9) Fred Savage 10) Lancelot Link - Secret Chimp
Honorable Mention Mini-Me, Fred (they call me MISTER) Rogers, Rev. Jim (driver of the official 1530-Homer Taxi), Mr. Monk, Pinky Tuscadero, Count Malachie (stocks the 1530-Homer vending machine with Crunch bars), Arnold Drummond, Don Knotts, Carla from "Cheers", Niles Crane, Hymie the Robot from "Get Smart", Danny Bonaduce, Jim Nabors, Libarace, Huggy Bear, Pooh Bear, Boo Boo Bear, Max Baer (aka "Jethro Bodine"), Jared (official sub sandwich caterer for 1530-Homer), Bob Denver, John Denver, Denver Pyle, Mr. Whippel, Mrs. Doubtfire, Hillary Clinton, Roscoe P. Coltraine, Ernest T. Bass, Johnnie B. Baker, ReRun, Shaggy (and/or Scooby), Raphael the Ninja Turtle, Tooter the Turtle, Boris Badinoff, Barnacle Bill the Sailor, Tinky and Winky (but not LaLa and Po), Mr. GreenJeans, Elmer Fudd, Gapper.
UC will play for the Big East Championship UC beat South Florida 13-2 Friday afternoon. UC will face Louisville for the conference title and automatic NCAA bid at 1:05 Saturday. ESPNU will televise the game.
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Dusty suspended Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker has been suspended for two games and fined
an undisclosed amount after making contact with umpire Eric Cooper Thursday
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How dare he Mo mocks The Man! Check out the video he did.
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The trade: Hamilton and Volquez CNNSI Both teams appear to have gained big stars. But if they are contemplative types, both GMs might also wonder how things might have worked out differently if they'd held onto the player they lost.
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No excuse for veterans not be at Bengals OTA's Ludwig At Large If Willie, Levi and Deltha — plus Chad and T.J. — are true team leaders, then they need to be here, bonding with teammates and showing the young players the way … like how to use better technique and how to be better pros. But they’re not here and that’s a crying shame.
Rangers explore long term deal for Hamilton Dallas Morning News In the wake of several recent deals, the Rangers have started exploring the possibility with Josh Hamilton. Hamilton, who has one year and nearly two months of major league service time, is at the forefront of the AL Triple Crown chase.
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Falcons not interested in Thurman AJC "We are pleased with our linebackers," Falcons' general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "We'll move forward with the players we have on our roster."
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Show preview Topics *Reds *Gain/Loss: What are the sports you have gained/lost interest in over the years? Why? *Action Hero: Indiana Jones is back on the big screen. Who are your favorite Action Heroes of all-time? *IRL vs NASCAR *Your viewing/listening interest this weekend: Other than the Reds...what do you plan to watch/listen to this weekend: NBA conference finals, Stanley Cup finals, Coca Cola 600, Indy 500, Cyclones, The Colonial, Lacrosse Final Four. Other?
(Reuters)
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UPDATE: KINGS ISLAND OUTING Your deadline to order tickets is MIDNIGHT tonight. THANKS to everyone that has bought tickets. Join my family on Saturday, May 24th at Kings Island to witness "Kaptain" Robbie Knievel attempt a death defying, spectacular jump over 24 Coke Zerotrucks. 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. To order, click HERE This ticket is $10 off the General Public Grandstand VIP price ($39.99). When Evel jumped at Kings Island in '75 Video
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The Lost Action Heroes The Washington Post So who's left? Almost nobody. Eastwood is too old to kick you know what, Arnold is too Republican. Harrison Ford is ancient, Sylvester Stallone too kitschy as well as too old.
Action Heroes Time Magazine Steven Seagal made fewer than 20 features. Jean-Claude Van Damme had about a decade's worth of wide releases. Arnold Schwarzenegger managed 20 years of action stardom, and he's considered the gold standard.
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You don't think....do you? Could the Reds be the first team to ever trade away two Triple Crown winners? Frank Robinson traded to Orioles...wins crown next season in 1966 Josh Hamilton to Rangers...wins crown next season in 2008?
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Top 10 Worst Sports Fashion Trends The Love Of Sports 1) Zubaz In case you don't recall, Zubaz were the zany, zebra patterned pants designed in the colors of various sports teams. These loose fitting pants were so preposterous they made MC Hammer's parachute pants look like Dockers. The hideous style spread to the NFL, wear football players looked like clowns as they paced the sidelines in zebra patterned jackets and hats
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Volquez racks up victories YAHOO And now he's here, 24 years old, back in the big leagues, sporting a different uniform (Cincinnati Reds), a different hairstyle (slight Afro), a different attitude (humbled) and, most noticeably, different results (superb ... phenomenal ... unfair - yeah, that about covers it).
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Frontrunners This Reds team is one big mood ring (70's reference). When they are winning, things are fine. But when they face the adversity of a losing funk it just spirals. Shoulders slump. Guys either sulk or press. They go thru the motions. There is no consistency in performance from the hitters to the pitchers. They can play a clean/smart game one night and look like a teeball team the next. No offense to teeball teams. They are a box of chocolates. It's maddening.
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In a pinch? Scott Hatteberg pinch hit and flied out last night. He is 1 for 14 as a pinch hitter this year (.071). He is 2 for 30 as a pinch hitter since opening day last year (.066) For his career he is 20 for 123 as a pinch hitter (.162). Wonder if anyone in the organization realizes this?
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Can hard charging IRL catch up to big bro NASCAR? USA Today Its vehicles might have a 40-mph advantage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the IRL IndyCar Series has been getting lapped by NASCAR for a dozen years on its most hallowed ground. In the race for popularity, numbers don't add up for IRL Rob Oller, Columbus Dispatch IndyCar racing is viewed as not accessible enough to the m****, who consider it too exclusive. While the IRL woos the wine and cheese crowd, NASCAR bills itself as a backyard barbecue where y'all are welcome.
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Below Average Morgan is another ESPN flop NY Post In a TV world gone nuts, ESPN is operating from the deep end. The nation's all-sports network (for crying out loud) has made both Monday Night Football and Sunday Night Baseball insufferable. ESPN has become the Sewing Channel, top heavy with buttons and bows, but without needle and thread.
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Race fans know this is big Paul Daugherty, Enquirer This is more than 100,000 race fans jammed around a track that Smith says will need to be expanded - "a few seats," he allowed, "maybe 50,000." That's 120,000 people about an hour from downtown, some of whom will need places to sleep and eat. That's two-and-a-half Bengals sellouts. It's a Reds homestand. Take the biggest convention Cincinnati hosts and multiply it by, oh, 30. It's that big.
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Next move for the Reds? The Cyclones saw a 31.3 percent increase in attendance over last season, which is the biggest jump, percentage-wise, of any professional hockey team in North America, Cyclones spokesman John Hamel said. "I think the big key was discounting the tickets from $12 down to $10," Hamel said of the team's attendance increase. "If you think about it, we made it so that the price was not more than a ticket to the movies."-Enquirer
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Cyclones sweep up fans Enquirer Hockey is the talk of the Queen City thanks to the ECHL franchise, which is making its first Kelly Cup Finals appearance.
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Did you know? Indy Star The Big 10 led the country in men's basketball attendance for the 32nd year in a row, averaging 12,978 fans per game, according to numbers released by the NCAA. The Southeastern Conference was second at 12,095.
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Padres blast four HR's and Reds (AP) The win was much needed for the last-place Padres, who have the worst record in the majors and won for just the sixth time in 18 games. San Diego lost two more key players when they placed pitcher Chris Young (broken nose) and catcher Josh Bard (sprained ankle) on the disabled list before the game.
Merker perfect for Dragons Dayton, Ohio-Major league reliever Kent Mercker tossed one perfect inning for the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night, but the Dragons fell to Lansing 9-4 as the Lugnuts took three of four in the series. The loss dropped the Dragons under the .500 mark at 22-23. They are in third place in the Midwest League Eastern Division, three games out of first. Mercker pitched a perfect fifth inning on a major league injury rehabilitation assignment. He notched a strikeout and got two ground balls, throwing seven pitches, all strikes. Mercker has been on the Reds disabled list since May 6th with a lower back injury.
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The differenece a year can make Reds record when Aaron Harang starts: 2007: 24-10 2008: 5-6
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Is Josh Hamilton the best player in baseball? USA Today "He's really a freak of nature," Houston Astros slugger Lance Berkman said, shaking his head in disbelief during a recent series against Texas. "He's got tremendous talent, got unbelievable pop and he can run like the wind," teammate Gerald Laird said. "He's just got it all. ... All you can do is sit back and say, 'Wow!"'
(Photo from listener Pat Slade)
