Pics from Florida and Other Notes

A few notes, as well as a few more photos, including our final ballpark pics of the season. By the way, this blog now includes tours of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as well as the parks in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago (Wrigley), Houston, St. Louis, New York (Shea), Cleveland, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Florida, and of course, Cincinnati. They're all on here for you to enjoy.

Unbelievably tragic news about one-time Red Cory Lidle. He was the Opening Day starter in 2004. I can remember taping an interview with him in Dunedin, Fla., toward the end of Spring Training that year. The interview ran on Opening Day (starting pitchers are off-limits to media before games on the day they pitch, which was why it was taped a few days in advance). He was very excited about the opportunity. He was a guy who didn't have great ability, but he got the most out of what he had. Like so many already have, we offer our condolences to his family.

On the field, for Reds fans, the toughest thing to watch this postseason was Sean Casey injuring his calf. I think Sean has turned a lot of folks around here into (at least temporary) Tigers fans. It was so great to watch him celebrate with his new Detroit teammates after beating the Yankees. Also nice to see one-time Red Todd Jones in the postseason. He became the Tigers' all-time saves leader while the Reds were in Detroit this past season. He was my star of the game that day and was clearly happy to be back in Detroit. He also had good memories and good friendships from his brief stay with the Reds.

Congratulations to Marty and Thom Brennaman! Having Thom as part of the broadcast team is a feather in the cap of the Reds organization. And having the two of them broadcasting together will not only make for a great story, but for great listening as well. Marty has been great to me from Day One. And Thom is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

And I continue to be overwhelmed by all of your kindnesses. I've heard from hundreds of fans, and I continue to get cards and letters and emails. You folks have been great to me here from my first day. Thanks again.

Now, on to the photos...


Here is Marty's cat, Palmer. .	The name "Palmer" won out over "Wily Mo," though emailers liked the idea of naming him after the former Red. Palmer has an extra digit, which I'm sure comes in handy (somehow). .	Dolphin Stadium, home of the Marlins. Massive. Efforts continue to get a new baseball-only ballpark. But you can't argue with the on-the-field success in their brief history. SuperBowl XLI will be played here Feb. 4, 2007. .

Normally it rains in the summer around batting practice time. On this day, the sprinklers went off accidentally. .	Cheerleaders entertain those in attendance. .	A look out my hotel room window. We stay in Fort Lauderdale at a marina, with very nice boats (yachts) all over the place. .

Also, someone wanted to see our scorebooks. Here's Marty's. .	Here's mine (the important thing is I can read it!). .	.

Posted on October 13, 2006 at 8:54 AM
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Photos from the West Coast

Better late than never. We all know the trip to California was a bummer. 2-8, especially after winning the first game in San Francisco, was not what we had in mind. But that's the way it ended. And while it was a very bad trip on the field, it's hard to beat the scenery and the three California National League ballparks.

I guess you could say it took this long to wash the bad taste of the losing out of my mouth, but here are photos from San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego:


At AT&T Park, they hang a rubber chicken for every intentional walk (a tribute to Barry). .	From the upper deck in San Francisco. The breathtaking views are endless. .	McCovey Cove .

From the top row down the right-field line, looking at the San Francisco skyline. .	Lots of water means lots of bridges. .	A wider shot of McCovey Cove .

The kayakers are there for batting practice, just like the players. Long night ahead hoping for souvenirs. .	A marina lies just beyond the ballpark, which is built into an incredibly tight 13 acres. .	Two AT&T Park attractions: there are two slides inside the bottle. .

During our broadcast, I made a point to mention Marty's SF microphone stand was the largest I've seen for baseball broadcasting. It would fit nicely in a golf bag. .	It's easy to remember the Giants' address. .	Fans pose in front of the Willie Mays statue. .

This is the "Fan Lot," a kids play area, near the bottle and glove. .	Speaking of the bottle, here's the bottom... .	... and from the top, going down the slide. .

Boats beyond the picnic deck in center field. .	Beautiful day at AT&T Park, which opened in 2000... .	... and a beautiful day to go sailing. .

And a few hundred miles south, Dodger Stadium. Opened in 1962, it still looks new. .	On the hills near the ballpark, a little Dodger marketing. .	Looking left, early.. .

... and later. .	What a gorgeous day! .	A Dodger Dog, smothered in mustard -- nothing like them. .

The press box is named for the legendary Vin Scully.. .	... he's in his 57th year broadcasting Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers baseball. .	From the very top deck of the ballpark. .

Those are the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. .	The top row of the park. .	You can see downtown L.A. behind the ballpark. .

Here's my vantage point as the game winds down and I get ready to go do an interview. Yes, this fan's on his cellphone (and, no, it doesn't just happen in L.A.) .	And you thought Chicago was "the city with the big shoulders." .	Our vantage point as we get on the bus. Visiting teams exit the stadium walking from the first-base dugout to the busses waiting just beyond the centerfield wall. .

San Diego's Petco Park, in its third season. .	Here you can see the West Metal Supply Building, which is more than 100 years old. It was actually moved to its current spot so the building could be angled as the left-field foul pole. Party suites and a gift shop keep the building a hopping place. .	The Famous Chicken became famous in San Diego. He happened to make a rare appearance while we were there. .

It's impossible not to find beautiful views in San Diego. This shot was taken from my hotel room. .	The Omni Hotel has a skywalk bridge to the ballpark. .	Out beyond the outfield wall: "the park in the park." This is an area for fans to watch the game or recreate.. .

A picnic area beyond the wall in left-center field. .

Posted on September 20, 2006 at 10:57 AM
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Philly Pics

Thanks again for all of your kind words. Now, back to our regularly-scheduled blog, with pics from Citizens Bank Park, now in its third year as the home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe was on the trip with me, so a few pics from there:


We had beautiful weather in the City of Brotherly Love. .	The park is a mile or more from downtown, as it shares parking with Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles), as well as the Wachovia Center (Sixers and Flyers) and the Wachovia Spectrum (former home of the Sixers and Flyers and now home of the minor league Philadelphia Phantoms) .	Our radio booth in Philly. .

The press box. .	Another shot of downtown. William Penn's statue adorns the roof of City Hall. It is 548 feet tall and used to be the tallest building in town. Also the Wall of Fame is in the outfield. Dallas Green was inducted while we were there. .	The Ol' Lefthander and me during a night game. .

Now they couldn't have a Philly ballpark without one of these, could they? .	Night game... what a series! (Reds won 2 of 3. Two games went into extra innings.) .	One more shot, as the Broering family from Alexandria, Ky., stopped by the booth recently. I promised them a spot on the BBB. Dad Richard with sons Matt (13), Joe (8) and Mark (6). Marty and I are your happy hosts. .