Watch Out Cincy!

[OrieGirl]

Good Evening Folks! Welcome to the “Saturday Showcase” as Will likes to call it. For those of you who are new to UTK, you will quickly discover that I am in fact not Will Carroll. I am Rachael aka UTK Staff Writer until a better title is found. I did have someone recommend UTK Nurse earlier this week. I kind of liked that! Suggestions are still welcome though. I’m determined to have a cool title by next season.

Since the Saturday night edition is not a “traditional” version of UTK, I’d like to take this chance to address a couple of issues. First off, for those who were concerned about my comments directed at Will in last week’s report, I’d like to state for the record that any comments made in reference to Will or vice versa are always in fun. I’m sorry for any confusion I may have caused to those who were new to UTK and unfamiliar with my style.

With that out of the way, I’d like to say “thanks” to everyone for being so supportive about the charity walks that I am participating in this month. I had the Ovarian Cancer Walk this morning and it went incredibly well. I haven’t heard the total of how much they raised, but I do believe that they did quite well. There was an incredible turn out for it and very nice weather. It felt good to help a worthy cause!

As Will mentioned last night, we will be heading to Cincinnati tomorrow for the Reds vs. Cubs. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been to Cincy for a game and am looking forward to it even if I do have to sit next to Will. I was having a discussion earlier today about the food that is served at ballparks. I remembered that they did a special on the Food Network about some of the great foods that are served at various parks these days. I personally think that I’d rather stick to the traditional ballpark foods. It’s just part of the game. You’re supposed to stand in line for a hotdog and beverage. It’s what you do at a baseball game. One of the things that I love about baseball is that it’s a slow going sport. If you get up to go get food or run to the restroom, you probably aren’t going to miss much. Heck, the same batter could still be up if he’s tipping off foul balls. If you’re watching football or basketball though, you could miss quite a bit in a short amount of time. You’d think I’d have a point somewhere, but I seem to have lost it. (Note to new subscribers – I am the queen of random thoughts).

Let’s do some trivia! Every week I like to ask a new trivia question and I do encourage everyone to try and answer it. Last week’s question was What player was involved in a career-record 135 double plays in his 22 year career as an outfielder? The correct answer was Tris Speaker. Congrats to Netshrine User, VNV Nation, for answering correctly first.

This week’s question is - What player pulled off the first unassisted triple play in modern major league history? If you think you know the answer, send me an email. Good Luck Folks!!

And on to the injuries…

Let’s start with the Cubbies who lost to the Reds this afternoon. Please don’t let that happen tomorrow!! Bobby Hill , Cubs hot prospect for second base, bruised his left hand in last night’s game. It appeared to still be bothering him today so they put Mark Bellhorn in to play second. This, of course, meant that my boy, Kevin Orie got the start at third this afternoon. I’m hopeful that he will get some playing time tomorrow. Hill shouldn’t be out long though since the Cubs are no where close to being in the race there’s no rush on a recovery.

Garret Anderson, Angels outfielder, had to leave today’s game in the fifth inning. Garret suffered a mild right hamstring strain. He was plagued by this very same injury last month. He’s currently day to day with Orlando Palmeiro playing in his absence.

Looks as if the Red Sox are experiencing pitching troubles again. Bobby Howry has tendinitis in his pitching elbow. He’s currently expected to miss a couple of games, but the Red Sox may be wise to keep him out the rest of the season if their chances at post-season play don’t improve soon.

Andy Van Hekken left today’s game with a bruised left thumb. The Tigers aren’t expecting him to miss any starts because of it though. It’s sad to say, but half the time I forget that Detroit has a team.

The Marlins are hurting again. They had thought about starting Nate Robertson for today’s game, but he is currently suffering from a tender shoulder. Josh Beckett got the start instead. What are the Marlins doing to these poor pitchers? They’re young and they’ve got potential. Take care of them!

This isn’t an injury, but actually a good note. Bubba Trammell , Padres outfielder, was not with the team today. He was with his wife as she gave birth to their third child. Congrats to the Trammell family!! Bubba should return to be with the team tomorrow to do battle against the Giants.

Mariano Rivera had batting practice today for the first time in a month. He didn’t seem to have any problems and will work in the bullpen on Monday and more batting practice throughout the week. The Yankees aren’t in a real rush to need him back before the playoffs. So, they are giving him as much time to recover as they possibly can.

Will reported last night that the D-Backs are going to lose infielder, Craig Counsell for the rest of the season. Craig will be undergoing surgery on his neck this coming week. He’s been suffering from a pinched nerve for over a month without any improvements. The D-Backs will surely miss him, but expect him to be good as new for next season. I’d just like to add that I’m glad to see that he’s finally going to have something done. A month is a long time to go with a pinched nerve like that. In other D-Backs news, Randy Johnson got his 22nd win of the season today. This man kicks butt! He pitched a complete game with only three hits and produced 17 strikeouts. Wow!! While we’re talking D-Backs, Mark Grace signed a one year deal with them. Next season is expected to be Gracie’s last and he’s decided that Arizona is where he wants to finish his career not matter how big or how small of a role he plays. He had season after season of disappointing finishes with the Cubs and he’s happy to finally be with a winning team. I can’t blame him for that even though I miss him as a Cubbie!

Last Saturday I reported that Andruw Jones got hit in the head by a pitch after having hit two homeruns earlier in the game. Yesterday, Montreal pitcher, Tomo Ohka was suspended for six games for intentionally hitting Jones. In retaliation during that game, Braves pitcher, Chris Hammond hit Brad Wilkerson . Hammond has been given a three game suspension. I won’t even go into how I feel about pitchers and suspensions. They usually don’t end up missing any real playing time as is.

Phillies pitcher, Brandon Duckworth missed his start tonight due to back spasms. Bowa is hopeful that Brandon will not miss any more playing time.

It looks as if the Braves had a rough night tonight. Rafael Furcal was scratched from tonight’s game due to dizziness. Mark Derosa got the start at shortstop. Marcus Giles was hit by a pitch last night and is suffering from a bruised left hand. He’s currently day to day. And poor Andruw Jones who took a hit to the head last weekend is out this weekend with a sore right wrist. The Braves better hope they have better injury luck going into post-season play or it could be a short trip.

Alrighty Folks, that is it for me tonight! Will returns tomorrow night after our wonderful trip to Cincy. I’m sure he’ll have lots to share because let’s face it I am quite the joy to spend a day with! I hope that you have enjoyed tonight’s edition. Comments and Compliments are always welcome!! Have a good one gang and I’ll be back next Saturday.

Rachael A. Reid, The Pride of UTK