Reds transaction
Willie Harris outrighted to Louisville. Miguel Cairo activated from the DL.
***
On this date: May 7, 1989
***
Bengals/NFL
Hoard: Whitworth tees off....literally
Jordan Palmer signs with Jacksonville
***
Show preview
6:05, Sports Talk
7:05, Inside Pitch
Topics
Reds: They've won 10 of 15....is this real?
Monday: Lunch time Sports Talk
LIVE blog chat Monday at noon. We can discuss the weekend for the Reds and other events of the weekend.
Join the chat HERE
***
No Strasburg at GABP
The Washington Nationals come to town for a weekend series starting Friday at GABP. Based on the Nationals current rotation the Reds will not face Stephen Strasburg:
Friday: Gonzalez vs Leake
Saturday: Zimmerman vs Latos
Sunday: Jackson vs Arroyo
***
Big East
Big East commish resigns
BigEast.org
Providence, R.I. -- The BIG EAST Conference today announced the resignation of Commissioner John Marinatto.
"After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided to step down as Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference and formally advised our Board of Directors," stated Marinatto. "I have been associated with this league for my entire adult life and have had the tremendous honor of serving as its Commissioner since 2009. Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the Conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations. As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank both our membership and my staff for their unwavering encouragement, support and loyalty -- especially during this past year. I am extremely confident about the future of this league that I love very much."
The search for the new Commissioner of the BIG EAST will be chaired Dr. Gregory H. Williams, the President of the University of Cincinnati and a member of the BIG EAST Executive Committee.
***
MLB
(AP photo)
Hamels hits Harper on purpose
Washington Post
“I was trying to hit him,” Hamels said. “I’m not going to deny it. That’s just — you know what, it’s something that I grew up watching, that’s what happened, so I’m just trying to continue the old baseball — I think some people kind of get away from it. I remember when I was a rookie the strike zone was really, really small and you didn’t say anything just because that’s the way baseball is. Sometimes the league is protecting certain players and making it not that old-school, prestigious way of baseball.”
***
Tweet of the Day
@LanceMcAlister have I ever told you how much I hate you?
Conner Hartman @CHartman1221
***
On this date:
1917
Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox allows only two hits as he outpitches Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators, 1 - 0, at Griffith Stadium. Ruth helps himself by driving in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.
2008
Rookie Joey Votto becomes the 23rd member of the Cincinnati Reds to hit three home runs in a game. Vottogoes deep off Jon Lieber, Sean Marshall and Sean Gallagher in a 9 - 0 win over the Cubs. The Reds still have the worst record in their division.
(Baseball-Reference.com)
***
Bengals
Rookie starters? Bengals will have a few
CBS Sports
The Bengals' run on good drafts is starting to remind me just a little of the 1980s, when the Buffalo Bills drafted Bruce Smith and Andre Reed in 1985, then Jim Kelly came in 1986 followed by Cornelius Bennett in '87 and Thurman Thomas in '88.
***
NCAA
Lyons reconnects with Miller at Arizona
Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News
The altered mood in the Xavier program that resulted from that event led Lyons to begin contemplating a move as a graduate transfer earlier this spring. Xavier released a statement in late April that indicated Lyons hadn’t embraced the challenges to improve presented by coach Chris Mack and that it would be "best for Lyons' career at Xavier to come to a conclusion."
Lyons said he will participate in Xavier's graduation ceremony.
"I will always love Xavier," he said. "They took me in with open arms. I met a lot of good people. It helped me become a man."
***
Reds
NL Central since Reds stood 4-8 on April 18:
Reds 10-5
Astros 9-7
Cubs 8-8
Cards 8-8
Pirates 7-9
Brewers 6-10
Best records since April 18
13-4 (.764) Tampa
12-4 (.750) Baltimore
10-5 (.667) Cincinnati
Next up: Milwaukee
Brewers being challenged in big way
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
San Francisco – At least, nobody was injured in this game.
That was the only consolation Sunday for the Brewers as they ended a discouraging nine-game trip with a disheartening 4-3, 11-inning loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
The Brewers ended their mind-numbing, four-game streak of having a player depart with an injury but that didn’t stop them from going 1-2 for the third consecutive stop on this trip. Battered and listing badly, they returned home with a crowded disabled list and a 12-16 record.
Reds 5 Pirates 0
Don't look now but the Reds have won 10 of their last 15 and have not lost a series in their last five. After starting the season 4-8 they are now 14-13.
And on the 7th day they won: 5-0 on Sundays.
Reds are now 8-1 in final game of series.....6-12 in other games.
Matt Latos pitched like his career splits Sunday:
Terrible in April
Fantastic in May: It's his best month in terms of wins/ERA for his career (7-3 2.41 in 12 career starts going into Sunday).
Latos: Career high 11 K in 6 innings, 2 H, 11 K. Sicker than a dog before game.
1st innings: Latos hit a batter (1st since 1st start '11), and walked 2 batters. Frazier bailed him out with a huge snare of a linger.
It will be a very telling 24 hours for this organization. Will Walt Jocketty cut bait on one of his free agent signings (Willie Harris 3 for 35 .086) when Miguel Cairo is activated?
Will Dusty give hot hitting 3B Todd Frazier another start or start Rolen to "try to get Scottie going"?
Frazier: 2 for 4, 2B, HR....now 7 for last 13...now hitting .385
Amazing what happens when the top of your batting order gets on.
Zack Cozart (1 H/2 BB) and Drew Stubbs (3 H/BB) were on base seven times combined and scored four runs.
Bullpen: Hoover/Chapman/Simon 3 innings, 1 H, 6 K, 0 R
17 K on day for Reds pitching.
Brandon is really, really struggling: Down to .215 BA/.259 OBP and committed an error. He has one double the entire season.
Charlie Morton vs Reds 2011: 3-0 0.93, 3 ER in 4 starts/29 innings
Charlie Morton vs Reds Sunday: 4 runs allowed in first three innings
Sunday boxscore.
Fay: Baker not considering batting Bruce 4th
Remember George Von Benko?
The former voice of the UC Bearcats is a contributor to MLB.com and wrote this about the Reds over the weekend.
(AP photo)
Larkin visits Hall of Fame for first time
MLB.com
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Barry Larkin toured the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday as a preface to his July induction. At 48 years old, it was his first visit to the hallowed red-bricked museum nestled near the edge of Main Street in what this time of year is certainly a sleepy little village.
Larkin overwhelmed by visit to Hall
BaseballHall.org
“I’m sitting around the house and Richard Gossage calls me. I get home and Rod Carew left me and message and wants me to call him back. ‘Dad, Hank Aaron called you,’” a humbled Larkin recalled with amazement. “I said, ‘Mr. Carew, sir, how do I address you.’ He said, ‘Call me Rod.’ I said, ‘I don’t think I can do that.’
***
Down on the Farm
Billy Hamilton: The name and speed to revive the steal
NY Times
“I’ve only seen two guys in baseball whose speed changes the way teams play defense, and that’s Bo Jackson and Ichiro Suzuki,” Bavasi said. “This guy has that kind of speed.”
Hamilton steals bases at amazing rate
The Bakersfield Californian
"He's tough to compare," said Blaze manager Ken Griffey Sr., who stole 200 bases in a 19-year major-league career. "You look at Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock, Joe Morgan, myself, all the guys that can run. And I haven't seen anybody who's that quick and that fast."
Billy, Billy, Billy
I'm getting emails/Tweets/calls from fans calling for Billy Hamilton to be called up to answer the leadoff hitter issue for the Reds. Hamilton is 21-years old. He is in his first season at High-A Bakersfield. He has just over 100 at-bats at High-A and 550 at-bats at Low-A. He has zero at-bats at Double-A or Triple-A.
I realize the Washington Nationals called-up 19-year old Bryce Harper after only 129 games/459 minor league at-bats.
But keep in mind that year ago at this time Hamilton was struggling to stay above .200 at Low-A Dayton. I think fans need to dial down expectations for the moment. Here is a comparison of position players the Reds have called up in recent years.
The list has the number of games played in minors, at-bats and number of seasons spent in minors. Obviously all cases are different, based on individual development and performance.
Player-Games-AB-Years
Votto: 711-2,562 (7)
Dickerson: 701-2,489 (10)
Valaika: 687-2,631 (7)
Francisco: 603-2,423 (6)
Frazier: 542-2,008 (6)
Janish: 513-1,818 (7)
Cozart: 506-1,940 (5)
Rosales: 505-1,912 (7)
Heisey: 480-1,784 (6)
Mesoraco: 448-1,588 (5)
Sappelt: 432-1,711 (5)
Stubbs: 375-1,397 (4)
Bruce: 358-1,359 (5)
Alonso: 313-1,179 (4)
--------------------------------
Hamilton: 273-1,101 (3+)
AAA: Daryl Jones has second chance to impress
Travis Wood made an emergency start for Matt Garza and the Cubs Sunday:
6 IN, 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, HR, 100 pitches/65 strikes.
He's expected to be sent back to AAA.
***
Congrats to local products
Danny Rosenbaum is a LHP at AA Harrisburg for the Washington Nationals.
Danny is from Loveland High School. After a year at Indiana, where he didn't pitch much, he transferred to Xavier. He was a 22nd round pick in 2009. Saturday night, he pitched a complete Game and gave up one run, and it actually made his ERA go up slightly. He's 4-0 0.81 in six starts. He's not a fireballer. Fastball tops out about 90-91, but doesn't walk anyone, really changes speeds well, and has good movement on all pitches. Stats/bio.
RHP Nate Jones is from Pendleton County High School. He played college baseball at NKU. He was a 5th round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2007. He made the White Sox out of spring training this year. Saturday he picked up his first major league win for the Sox. He's 1-0 1.64 in 8 appearances this season. Stats.
***
Stuff
Albert Pujols homers: Game 28, at-bat 110
Check out the reaction from his teammates...they clear the dugout
Listen to this radio call by Vin Scully of Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965
Bats on the cutting edge
Columbus Dispatch
The Axe is so new that only 12 colleges nationwide, including Marietta, Ohio Dominican and Ashland, are using it. Ohio State coach Greg Beals plans to meet with Baden representatives next week. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies has been using the bat full time. Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jacoby Ellsbury of the Boston Red Sox have experimented with it.
***
NFL
Head coach power rankings
NationalFootballPost
11. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals: The inability to maintain any level of consistency coupled with the fact that he’s never won a playoff game in nine seasons with the Bengals has Lewis on the outside of our top ten. However, you have to give credit where credit is due. Lewis took a rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton and a team that had zero expectations for success last season and guided them to a 9-7 record and a spot in the postseason. That’s no small task considering the company the Bengals keep in the AFC North.
Former NFL players wary of their kids playing
Newsday
"They're saying 'Praise the Lord!' and everybody is so happy," noted Giants Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson, who also watched the draft but with a different perspective than most. "They don't know what they're walking into. They see the contract, all the dollars, the fame. They don't know what they are serving their kids up for."
Carson is one of a growing number of former players who have come out and said they will in some cases discourage and in some cases flatly forbid their children or grandchildren from playing football.
***
Video: Watch Peyton blow by on the way to the finish line
We did it!
My 9-year old daughter Peyton is in running club at school. She asked me to be her Running Buddy for the Flying Pig 5K on Saturday. She had never run in a race before. I told her we would shoot for 36-minutes as our goal. We finished at 34+ minutes. She turned on the jets at the end. I'm very proud of her! What a fun day! What a well run event!
Official results
Our time: 34:37
Our pace per mile: 11:10
Average time of field: 42:42
Our rank: 1,229 and 1,230
Total entrants in field: 3,616
****
Prasco Park to Host 2012 NCCAA Division I and II Baseball World Series
National Christian College Athletic Association Baseball Championships
WHAT: Prasco Park will host the 2012 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I and Division II World Series. Admission to both baseball championships is free and attendees will have opportunities to participate in activities and contests throughout the tournament. All community and media members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
WHO: Teams and brackets will be announced May 6 and will include the top teams in the NCCAA from throughout the country. Follow @PrascoAGs on twitter or “like” Prasco Park on Facebook for tournament announcements, including updates on teams who have already qualified.
FAN FUN: Fan amenities will include speed pitch, whiffle ball, video game trailer, obstacle course, bungee run, face painting, photo booth, inflatables and more, in a family friendly environment.
WHEN: Division II tournament will begin with a service day at Matthew 25 Ministries and banquet on May 8 and games will be played May 9-May12. Division II opening games will be on May 9 at 1 p.m. at Prasco Park and Legacy Field, adjacent to Prasco Park. NCCAA Division II championship game will be played May 12 at 2 p.m. at Prasco Park.
Division I tournament will begin with a service day at Matthew 25 Ministries and banquet on May 15 and games will be played May 16-May 19. Division I opening game will be on May 16 at 10 a.m. at Legacy Field, adjacent to Prasco Park. NCCAA Division I championship game will be played May 19 at 2 p.m. at Prasco Park.
WHERE: Prasco Park & Legacy Field
6125 Commerce Court, Mason, Ohio 45040
WEB: PrascoPark.com/Facebook.com/PrascoPark
