On Monday, Pete Rose appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. When Letterman asked Rose whether he used performance-enhancing drugs during his playing years, Rose responded with a dignified, “I had too much respect for the game and for my body for that. I know I could have extended my career, but to me, it just didn't seem right.”

Oh, wait, no, that wasn't Rose. Rose's quote was “If I took steroids, I'd have gotten 5,000 damn hits.”

If you're sick of watching the Cards wallop the Padres, you could take a minute to read this AP story via The Enquirer about the appearance. It even goes on to explain that he recently signed a bunch of “I'm sorry I bet on baseball” baseballs to get them on the market at the same time as a bunch of other “I'm sorry I bet on baseball” baseballs that he'd signed previously that a collector was auctioning off. As opposed to because it was--you know--a sincere sentiment.

No, not the Indianapolis Indians. The Cleveland ones. Can you believe it?

I can't believe I missed this story in the Beacon Journal on-line edition where the prospect of Royce Clayton filling the Indians' short-term shortstop need is explored:

Two veteran shortstops on the free-agent market who might interest the Tribe are Alex Gonzalez and Royce Clayton. Gonzalez is expected to re-sign with the Boston Red Sox. Clayton will be 37 next year. He's playing short for the Cincinnati Reds, hitting .256 with two home runs and 38 RBI in 132 games this season. Clayton or someone of that type would just be a stop-gap.

Hey, more power to 'em. I wouldn't mind seeing Clayton again only as part of the inter-league rivalry.

A couple of stories from the Arizona perspective on the prospect of Thom Brennaman joining up with the Reds. This bit from azcentral.com:

Thom Brennaman, the voice of the Diamondbacks for all nine of their seasons, appears close to accepting a position with the Cincinnati Reds, where he would join his father, Marty, in the broadcast booth.
…
Should he depart, Brennaman is expected to do both television and radio work for the Reds.

Oh, no. He's not going to crowd out Jim Day, is he?

A story on EastValleyTribune.com featured this modifier-laden quote from Thom. Critics of Steve Stewart who didn't think he used enough adverbs and adjectives will be pleased to see this:

“There obviously is the unbelievable lure of working with your dad,” Brennaman said. “I'm enormously grateful that the Diamondbacks have allowed me to explore the chance.”

Both stories mentioned that other teams have pursued Thom in the past, but the Reds were the first given permission by the Diamondbacks to talk to Brennaman the Younger. The fact that other teams were interested gives me some hope that the Reds aren't putting together a kitschy father-son team for the sole purpose of avoiding a legitimate announcer search.

I mean, it's still going to be a kitschy father-son team, and it will allow them to avoid doing a legitimate search, but I'm hopeful that that's not the only reason they're doing it.

No, not Ken Griffey, Jr. Not that I know of anyway. I mean my own 5-year old had come down with a mysterious fever. No other symptoms, unless you count being awake at 10 p.m. playing with trains. In any event, the Crack Technical Staff and I were willing to take just a few minutes between fretting over the thermometer readings and running down to the freezer for ice pops to record a quick show.

This week we discuss:

• How weird it feels not to have baseball to watch.
• Who's to blame for the four wins the Reds didn't get to make it to the postseason.
• The world's oldest baseball player is about to turn 111.
• David Wells' idea of a joke.

Episode 25: The Kid's Got a Fever (11.8 MB, 17:15)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Am I the only one who thinks it is totally lame to bring Thom Brennaman on in place of Steve Stewart?

A source said the Reds had contacted the Arizona Diamondbacks for permission to talk to Brennaman and have talked to him. Marty would not comment Sunday on the possibility of Thom getting the job. Thom could not be reached for comment.

No comment? You know what that means: it might as well be etched in freaking stone.

Someone at least tell me that this guy is a good announcer. Otherwise, I just won't be able to handle the schmaltzy, lovey-dovey, white-breadness of it all. And when Marty retires in a few years, maybe they can land Sean Casey to replace him.