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Eyewitness Report - June 29, 2014 - Reds vs. Giants

If I only get to go to one Reds game this year, I'm gonna get me some good seats. We got tickets in the lower box section at AT&T, Section 105, to see Homer Bailey vs. Tim Hudson. Not cheap, that's for sure. But before the game I could walk right down to the rail. Homer was warming up in the bullpen, and several of the guys were playing catch or stretching out.

(You can see all these pics and more here.)

Jay and Billy were talking a lot. It looked like they were talking about baserunning -- leading off and getting jumps. Not sure who was teaching whom there.

Billy was practicing his jumps.

Jay seemed to think that guy with the camera was a bit odd. I get that look a lot.

Todd just can't believe it.

I went back to my seat as the game got started. Of course, there wasn't a lot of offense, then Billy drove in a run and ended up at second. I was so busy watching Billy I forgot that Skippy was on base and scored.

Homer was looking mighty fine.

Jay missed this one, but look at his form, and remember it to compare to Joey in a minute.

My son has picked Buster Posey as his favorite player, and despite everything he has done to the Reds (he broke up the no-hitter in this game, naturally) it's hard to argue with his choice. Classy dude and an excellent player.

There's two of the best, right there.

Something ain't right with Joey's batting. I'm not enough of a student of hitting to tell you what exactly is wrong here, but I bet some of you guys can point it out. I'll try to make a sequence here of Joey's swing:

You can find bigger versions in the link to the entire gallery given at the top. To me, it looks like his front leg isn't straight enough, and his weight shift seems wonky. But hopefully one of you guys can do a knowledgeable analysis.

Nerts got on base in the 9th, earning some jazz hands:

I had a great time. My son the Giants fan was less amused, and now he really hates Homer Bailey, even more than he already did. He remembers the no-hitter like we remember the grand slam -- a reminder that there's always the other side in baseball.

Anyway, it was fun, and great to be so close to the action. It was amazing to watch how hard even a routine grounder was hit, how fast the shortstop got there, and how fast the throw came to first base. Those guys are really good at baseball.

Hope you enjoy the photos!