Pro Bradley

10 years ago today (September 20, 1999) Milton Bradley, then playing for the Harrisburg Senators, hit a two out, full count grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning in the deciding game of the Eastern League Championship.

Geoff Morrow of The Patriot-News revisits the final inning. Although ol' Milton did not cooperate in contributing to the article, Morrow does solicit some first-hand accounts from players and fans of what had to have been a surreal scene.

Watch Mor Football

Two of my favorite things - Chick-fil-A and college football - will further collide this season with the news that Chick-fil-A is becoming a sponsor of ESPN's College Gameday. Note to ESPN: more Chick-fil-A, less Big & Rich.


Yes, I snapped a pic of the Chick-fil-A stand at Falcon Stadium when LRK and I visited.

+ Huzzah! Dunn is done in the 'nati. Finally, my three least favorite (or most despised) Reds are now ex-Reds. Fyi, that's - in order - Sean Casey, Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. Up next, Crusty Baker, Corey Patterson and Adam Harang.

Yeah, He's Pretty Good

Josh Hamilton won... end of story!

Plus, Happy Birthday to my dad.

Cueto Power

I actually delayed this post (and cropped him out of my previous post's picture) in fear that my Cueto admiration would prompt certain teams in my fantasy baseball league that possessed a better waiver position than me to put a claim on the young flame thrower. How the 'hoo! didn't have him in the league initially is beyond me, yet it is an issue that Brett Blah Blah is presumably tired of me rehashing. So anyway, my subterfuge was successful and Johnny Cueto is now not only my main man, but a member of the Mr. 3000 squad. Yay! Too bad his entrance into the 'hoo! league wasn't in time for his dominant debut performance Thursday v. Arizona. Check out the Cueto line:

7 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 10 K, 0 BB (Win)

That is called putting them up and setting them down, friends. Cueto Power!!

Volquez was also in effect today (as I predicted) against les Sillies. Good ol' Edison held the Phils in check before yielding to the bullpen with a respectable line of:

5.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 8 K, 2 BB (Win)

Nice. Volquez Power!

Volquez Power

Hey, Josh Hamilton is sure getting off to a good start in Texas. J.J. Putz - ha! Like Walla Walla, Keokuk, Cucamonga and Seattle, J.J. Putz always makes me laugh.

...Seattle.

Much anticipation regarding the scheduled Sunday lift-off of Edison Volquez. Vs. les Sillies? Haha - can't wait. Might have to go out and procure a #36 Volquez Reds jersey to display a la honeymoon!

Nice try, Penn State - Harrisburg. Go Jays!

The AFA released its 2008 football schedule yesterday. Primo match-ups include:

Sept. 20 v. Utah
Nov. 8 v. Colorado State
Nov. 15 v. BYU

Note: All times are Mountain time zone.

Tough sledding with tbd Penn State and K-State games on the TINWA docket. Mr. H wants to hit a PSU (v. Oregon State? IU? MSU?) game this fall. I would certainly be open to another trip to Colorado Springs.

The B-1!! >>>>> Joe Paterno

Major League and Wii Baseball...Mostly Wii

You would think the Reds finally canning Jerry Narron (now just deal Dunn!), the discussion of All-Star flubs and snubs (who cares, really?) and Game of Shadows' ever-creeping advance on 755 (bleck) would stir up a perfect storm of baseball fanaticism for an old school baseball fan like me...

Well, I have increased my Wii Sports - Baseball participation recently. Seriously, I'm starting to love this game. I could take bp all day. Just like the days at ol' EC. My Mii "TK" is pretty solid. Last night I went deep on some fool in a 7-1 mercy rule drubbing. On the regular, "TK" is predominantly a line drive hitter - much like the real TK. "TK" is probably sporting a .375-.400 BA.

The real story, however, is a recent Mii addition to me Wii. "LH" is pretty new to the game, but she is a flat-out masher! LRH hasn't actually played Wii baseball yet, but "LH" bats in the two-hole on the "TK" squad. That girl can rip! In her first two games, she was 3 for 4 with a triple, double and single. Taking note, I've been tracking this hot prospect's progress since. "LH" followed up her hot start with games of 1 for 2 (with a double), 2 for 2 and 1 for 3 (with a double). By my calculations, she's hitting at a blistering .636 clip! She just hits lasers, man.

So who is this LRH? And what is she doing with an "LH" Mii? Well, that information may be...forthcoming.

[Update 7/16/07]: Yeah, my new digital camera takes a much improved picture (i.e. the "LH" Mii)

Hunt for a Red October

CBS Sportsline's Clay Travis wrote the Cincinnati Reds preview on Deadspin today. Of course I read it. Seems like he and I had similar tastes growing up.

1. Wristbands with a picture on them. I had these for a time in youth baseball - Barry Larkin, actually - but I didn't like playing with wristbands.

2. I didn't have a gold chain with a Cincinnati Reds pendant like Eric Davis (my idol growing up) or Clay (I didn't like jewelry, either), but I did (and still do) have a red Eric Davis #44 BP jersey. It's pretty sweet.

3. High top cleats: check. I wore red or black high top spikes from youth baseball through high school. The only reason I stopped in college was because my college coach mandated us wearing low top Ponys.

4. I had a red Cincinnati Reds turtleneck for awhile, through middle school. I wore it fairly often, most notably with my black Los Angeles Kings sweatpants. Yeah, I had it going on in middle school.

5. I also had a number of those MLB caricature shirts. Eric Davis, The Nasty Boys and The Hunt for a Red October, specifically. Some more middle school-era gear.

Those were the good old days. Clay's preview brought back a lot of solid memories.

Looks like the "Kings" are back on track after a brief two-game losing skid. They've since won two in-a-row, including today's triumph over Toronto. All hail the "Kings". Reds rule.

Kings of Spring

Barely a week into the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, I think it's safe to declare my Cincinnati Reds the "kings of spring". The 'Nati is currently undefeated (after today's comeback W over le Sillies) and sweeping split-squad games left and right!


Arroyo, Harang and Belisle comprise a decent pitching staff with a pretty full compliment of quality middle relievers. The Reds also bring some pop on offense with Encarnacion (sadly not Juan), Dunn (who I do not like), Junior (who I have little confidence in) and the epic power of Ryan Freel. It is the spring and hope springs eternal. Bow down to the Cincinnati Reds - the unquestionable "kings of spring".

+ Look who's back in the game: The McJunkins Blog. Clutch!

+ Work time-killer: play The Office Finish the Quote game. Good luck!