Reds vs. Phillies

Here are a couple of quick photos of our day in Sarasota. The Reds beat the Phillies 7-0 today behind a strong outing by Bronson Arroyo and some bombs by Dunn and Phillips. Arroyo looked great and apparently was only thowing fastballs and changeups, just to see what would happen. He didn't allow a run, so he should be fine when he adds the curveball back into his repertoire.

We hit the Daiquiri Deck after the game for some food, beers and to watch the basketball games. My brackets are crumbling tonight, it's not looking good.

Ed Smith Stadium...the weather in Sarasota today was in the low 80s and mostly sunny.

Bronson.

Junior made his spring debut today. He had a couple of hits, but it was a little strange seeing him in rightfield.

Hamilton pinch hitting for Arroyo. He's been awesome this spring, and I can't wait to see how he fares when the regular season begins. Not only is he a great hitter, he also has a laser, rocket arm.


Gina loves when the grounds crew does the YMCA.

Lewis and his wife Chrissy are enjoying the game.

Brothers

Lewis enjoys a beer at the Daiquiri Deck.

This creepy looking clown statue was near the parking lot we were in. I can't even begin to list the things that are wrong with this clown, but Lewis was nice enough to stand next to it for this photo. Ewwww, clowns.

Haircut Day

My brother Ted (a.k.a. Lewis) is probably the funniest person I know. Every time I see him, he cracks me up. This morning in our hotel, he asked me if I'd cut his hair. I said yes, but told him to wait a couple of minutes. While he was waiting, he went into the bathroom and started with the clippers on his own. The result can be seen below, and is yet another reason why he is the funniest person I know.
FYI, I finished off the back for him after these pictures were taken.

Reds vs. Devil Rays

The Reds brought their "B-team" up to St. Pete today to face the mighty Rays. Freel, Gonzalez, Phillips, Ross and Josh Hamilton were the only regulars in the starting lineup, which also included Harang on the mound. After about the 3rd inning, the regulars got the rest of the night off and we got to see the AA Reds. Harang looked ok, except for the awful 2nd inning when he gave up 4 runs.

Hamilton hit the ball hard every time he was up. It was cool to see a couple of his at bats in person. I'm pretty excited about having him on the team this year.

We left early to catch the UNC/USC game, but I read later that the final score was 15-1. Yikes.

Griffey is finally in the lineup today versus Philly. First time this spring.

More photos to come, but here are a few from last night.

Beautiful Al Lang Field. It was a perfect night for baseball...mid 70s and clear.

A bad shot of Harang...shortly after he got roughed up by the Devil Rays.

What a view!

Here's the view from our hotel in Tampa. Instead of the windows facing outside, they face into this indoor courtyard sort of thing. The hotel is on one side of the courtyard, and an office complex is on the other. so instead of looking out to a view of the bay, palm trees and sun, I get to look at this poor bastard still at work.

So close...

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

It was shaping up to be another great first round upset in the NCAA Tournament. It's become almost a sure thing, each year you can bank on a team from the MAC with a 12 or 13 seed pulling off one of the big surprises of the first two days by knocking off a 4 or 5 seed.

Miami slipped into the field of 64 knocking off Ohio, Toledo and finally Akron with a last second 3 pointer (off the glass) to win the MAC title and earn an automatic berth. That bank shot earned them a 14 seed in the Midwest bracket and a matchup in Spokane, Washington with Oregon.

I left work today and got home just in time to catch the second half of the game. As I turned on the tv, I was a little surprised to see that Miami was hanging around, only down five. Oregon couldn't build much of a lead as Miami's defense kept the Ducks normally high scoring offense in check. As the minutes ticked off the clock, Miami wouldn't go away. With less than two minutes to go, they were still in the game. I wondered, could my alma mater pull it off?

As time expired, Michael Bramos hit a half court shot that beat the buzzer. Unfortunately, that still left Miami three points shy of a win. Close, but not close enough.

IN OTHER BASKETBALL NEWS: Suck it, Duke. They lost in the first round yesterday to VCU, which absolutely made my day. And I'm proud to say that I picked VCU to win in my brackets. The only thing that would make me happier during the NCAA tournament is if UNC wins it all.

How many of me are there?

I'm 25% of the GNP (Gross National PaulRindfleisch)

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 4 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Anticipation

The feeling is like Christmas Eve when I was a kid...the happiness, the excitement, the anticipation. Except this time, Christmas Eve lasts for about a month and a half.

Spring Training is now in full swing. The temperatures are in the 70s and the sun is shining in Florida. Pitchers and catchers reported to camp mid-February, and exhibition games started this week. Marty's familiar voice is back on the radio, and even better this year, he's teaming up with his son Thom.

There's always hope in the spring - hope that this year is the year that your team makes it to the playoffs, before the injuries, batting slumps, 6.47 ERAs and costly errors replace those hopes with disappointment. Maybe this year will be different. Maybe this year is the year it all comes together. Maybe?

Opening Day is a month away...and it can't get here soon enough.