Day 37—Doubleheader—Cincinnati Reds and Louisville Bats
May 13th, 2007 by Tim Riley
Today was a huge day for us. We arrived at the Great American Ballpark early today for the 12:30 Reds-Astros game because we were throwing out the first pitch. We were able to set it up where I was pitching and Chris would be catching. This was the first time that we were going to be throwing out the first pitch at the Major League game, so we tried to come prepared. Last night we had a catch in the parking lot and tried to break in Chris’ new glove. So when it came time to throw the pitch, let’s just say things didn’t go exactly as planned. I decided to throw a slight curveball that started down the middle and eventually curved across the outside corner of the plate. Chris wasn’t quite expecting it, and the ball hit off the tip of his glove and ricocheted directly to the right side of the backstop.
Before you watch the video, let me add this disclaimer. I had to take off my Phillies hat (due to the fact I’d be on the Reds JumboTron), and even though it looks like I’m throwing a Tim Wakefield knuckleball in terms of speed, I actually threw around a 50+ MPH curve, which isn’t too shabby. And yes, the camera is positioned perfectly to capture this semi-failed first pitch. At least there were only 30,000 people in attendance and not 40,000.
A special thanks to Kim for organizing everything for us today at the game! We got a quick tour around the park, and the major addition to the ballpark is the huge Riverboat Party Deck that was built out in center field. It offers a great view of the whole stadium, and is a great place to take large groups. Here is a picture of us (or at least our shadows) taken from the Riverboat.
A couple of interesting things to note on the Reds team—for instance, the new centerfielder, Josh Hamilton. He is showing so much promise that the Reds moved Ken Griffey Jr. to right field so he can play center. A recent article on Yahoo! Sports talks about Hamilton’s long journey to the Majors. Interesting read. As for the game, both Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. belted home runs leading the way to a Reds victory over the Astros.
After the game we split down the road towards Louisville. We’ve been looking forward to this day for awhile because Louisville Slugger has been the presenting sponsor of our Tour this year. We met up with Rick, our contact at Louisville Slugger, and he gave us a brief tour of the offices and set us up to see the factory tour. (The factory tour is mind-blowing, and I’ll write more about it later.)
Later that night we saw the Louisville Bats squeeze out a victory over the Phillies triple-A affiliate, the Ottawa Lynx. We even got to see Phillies fan-favorite, catcher Chris Coste, who I believe just got called back up to the Phillies. The Bats stadium was hopping at the outfield deck all night long due to the cheap beer and nice views of the field. This is the first stadium I’ve been to where kids have a chance to ride a carousel while watching the game. If you took all of the games and rides from a some of the Minor League ballparks we’ve seen so far, you would have one rockin’ carnival.
Not the best first pitch, but Chris…dude…you have to catch that.
Good to see you guys haven’t grown weary of the road and are still going strong.
I expect a little more from varsity letter winners like yourselves….just kidding. Missed you at home yesterday - but I guess I’ll let you slide if you were eating up the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at a major league game….
Chris,
You were so close … would it have helped if Tim threw it underhand? Just kidding! You guys are doing a fabulous job! We’re so proud of you!
Oh please. Look at the facts people: I am 6 feet four inches tall and had to stand with my arm FULLY extended to try and even catch a glimpse of Tim’s alleged “Curve ball.” Next time, “Tim” throws me a pitch, I will listen for a door belll ringing because Tim is so far outside.
Now if you look at the video you will see a few things—a huge looping curve that starts off at the center of the plate and then moves quickly to the outside of the plate, where it then hangs. Chris EXTENDS his arm OVER the plate, instead of letting the ball come to him. If he would have had a virtue we call patience, the ball would have magically landed in his glove to the sound of cheers. Instead, his impatience causes him to panic, stretch out and reach for the ball, and due to poor hand/eye coordination the ball hits off his glove to the dismay of all the kids watching from the stands.
Hey Chris,
That description of yourself makes you sound like a hipster doofus instead of the good looking, caring, and intelligent person your mother knows you are…(I think she is only one who knows that). I would suggest more practice between you and Tim to make sure he can reach the plate and you can catch the ball.
YO’ Chris….butter fingers is a candy bar….You guys rock!!!!