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Glamour's Women of the Year
UD vs. Northern Kentucky
Magic visits with area students
Monday, August 18, 2008
CINCINNATI — It is Edinson Volquez's turn to pitch Friday, Aug. 22, in Denver, but there are two reasons Josh Fogg is making that start.
As manager Reds Dusty Baker said to Fogg, who pitched last year for the Colorado Rockies, "If anybody knows how to pitch in Coors Field, it's you."
Secondly, it gives Volquez an extra day of rest.
"Volquez is approaching a number of innings he has never pitched before in one year," said Baker. "That's why I'm encouraging the young guys to stay on the program, to continue to run, to learn how to get past the threshold. Then in the near future, when we're in the playoffs and World Series, they'll still be strong."
Baker said Volquez and Johnny Cueto need no pushing because both work hard.
"The hardest thing to do is to convince a young guy to work hard now and he'll appreciate it later," Baker added. "The older guys have been there and know what hard work does for them."
Easing Votto back
First baseman Joey Votto is back from bereavement leave, but won't start until Tuesday in Chicago.
"He hasn't swung a bat in more than a week," Baker said. "We're off (today) and he'll come in and do some hitting. It ain't fair to ask him to come in and play right away. We're just getting him ready for Chicago.
"It ain't easy to miss a week and come in and hit," Baker added. "I know I couldn't. I was in the reserves and missed two weeks without picking up a bat. That was hard."
No back-tracking
Catcher Paul Bako wants to know, "If they start using instant replay to determine if balls are home runs or not, are they going to go back and review some of the times home runs were missed?
"I've seen several guys who should have had home runs but the calls were missed," Bako added. "Is that fair to them that guys now get the benefit of instant replay?"
Pitching coach Dick Pole hadn't heard about the possibility of instant replay in September and was told, "Yeah, they're going to give you a red bean bag and whenever you disagree with a balls-and-strikes call, you throw it on the field and they'll review it."
Not true. It will only be used to determine if a ball is a home run or not when it hits near the top of the wall and barely clears the wall.
Watching Phelps
The St. Louis Cardinals held up their team bus back to the hotel after Saturday night's game so the traveling party could watch Michael Phelps win his eighth Olympic gold medal.
"Right now, Phelps is the most famous person in the world," said Reds media relations director Rob Butcher.
A good-bye message
After Sunday's 7-3 win over St. Louis, Baker walked into his office and found a legal pad on his desk with the message: "I will see you in Arizona. I will call you every night. I love you."
It was from Baker's 9-year-old son, Darren, who left to return to school and Baker said as he read it, "This is what makes it all worthwhile."
Quote of the day
Pitching coach Dick Pole, commenting on Bengals' wide receiver Chad Johnson saying he could beat swimmer Michael Phelps: "What's Chad going to do, run next to the pool? He still might get beat."
Comments
By webdaddy
August 20, 2008 7:32 PM | Link to this
Right now what the reds have is a big freaking mess! Dusty Baker is the problem! He did it in Chicago and now hes doing it in Cincy. He overworks pitchers till they have nothing left. ask kerry wood and mark prior about how he rushes players off the DL to quickly just to reaggrivate their injuries. Now on offense they do have some up and comers, but nothing that says franchise! It was a real pleasure watching Jr, and Dunn play in Cincy, best of luck and god bless to these two. Baker has gotta go
By ross
August 19, 2008 8:49 AM | Link to this
I hope you are not calling what this team has now grade A talent..this could be the worst team since the early 80’s
By GOYA
August 18, 2008 11:39 PM | Link to this
“yeah and homer was throwing 97 at Louisville also”
And Homer threw 97 again tonight. Go figure.
By Nieb498
August 18, 2008 10:29 PM | Link to this
What do you expect? This team hasn’t had enough grade A talent for a decade or so. Jr went past his prime in a hurry thanks to years on the horrid Kingdome turf, Dunn was nothing more than a big ox who could hit the ball 20 miles, whoopee when he hit around .240, and all the “big”, note the sarcasim, free agents were a big zilcho. At least now there is a good young nucleus to try again. You can’t make a champion out of spare parts and never will beens.
By ross
August 18, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this
yeah and homer was throwing 97 at Louisville also
By GOYA
August 18, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
“Maloney and his 85mph fastball, going going gone”
I was at Maloney’s first start back off the DL and his fastball was hitting 91-92.
By ross
August 18, 2008 2:26 PM | Link to this
glad your optimistic…I wouldn’t give you a dime for Dickerson, Maloney and his 85mph fastball, going going gone Homer, Rosales..these guys are not big league players..cant comment on Stubbs havent seen him, Bobby Livingston is horrible…Votto and Bruce will be good complement type players not franchise type guys..they need a LF that can crank because they have 0 power..the catching situation is about as bad as it can get unless dusty plays javy back there for his bat..the other two cant hit a
By Fred
August 18, 2008 1:18 PM | Link to this
I really like the young nucleas of this team: Bruce, Votto, Phillips, Keppinger, Dickerson, Volquez, Cueto, Harang, Thompson, Hairston, Burton, Bray, Lincoln, Arroyo, Josh Roenicke, DT Anderson, Drew Stubbs, Adam Rosales, Matt Maloney, Homer, Bailey, Daniel Herrera, Ramon Rameriz, Bobby Livingston. With some offseason acquisitions I think there is great home for the future. I’m not usually this optimistic but I like what I see.
By ross
August 18, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
agree timb..baker says he dont understand why the redbirds and astros come into GABP and out homer us…what a joke they have hitters..Pujols, Glaus, ludwick, Ankiel..we have punch and judy’s that cant hit it out of that cracker box..we need offense in that park..play valentin dusty bako is horrible..catch javy some team needs his bat..I watched dickerson K 3 times sat nite and misplay a ball in left..good pitchers will tear hin up..he cant play at this level
By GOYA
August 18, 2008 12:29 PM | Link to this
Why is it that anyone who realizes that Dunn and Griffey needed to go are haters? Griffey should retire from a stellar career and for everything positive about Dunn there are negatives to cancel them out. I wish them both well but they are both unlikely to help make a winning team. But certainly, not all the blame for the Reds losing should be placed on their shoulders. That should be spread around to many places, the most largest part to starting pitching.
By timb
August 18, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this
I went to the game on Friday and saw these new Reds that get the Dunn and Griffey haters so excited. They sure hustle to first on their ground outs! Three hits against Hall of Famer Brad Thompson is understandable, though. And most of team’s hits came from flash in the pan Chris Dickerson (who every scout I have read says would make a fine fourth outfielder on a decent club).
Oh, well, at least they hustle while losing.