If you are a regular reader of Better Off Red, you’ve already seen that the Crack Technical Staff and I are participating in the Blog Jog.

This will be a special “event within an event” designed for you to meet your fellow online Reds fans, mingle with your favorite Reds bloggers, and most importantly – to have fun!
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Participants are encouraged to make t-shirts and/or signs to represent their favorite Reds blog(s), wear costumes, crazy outfits, etc.

Even though the theme of the Blog Jog is wacky fun–something I’m entirely in favor of–I’m actually training for this event. I took care of the first step yesterday: buying shoes and a Kevlar sports bra, and tonight I began the actual running.

I haven’t run a mile since high school, so I’m starting from scratch using the Couch to 5K training system, modified, of course, since this system calls for a person to train for 8 weeks, but I have only 33 days. Here’s the results from my first trip out.

Stay tuned each day to see how the training progresses, and if you would like to join in the fun, log on to http://reds.com/5k to sign up, then email blogjog@reds.com to RSVP. You have to pay to be in the run, but you don’t have to pay any extra to hang around with the blogging goofballs.

Yesterday’s titanic struggle against the Chicago Cubs was game 34 of the 2011 season for the Reds, and the team’s 18th win. It was also the first game of the season in which Joey Votto started but did not get on base during the whole game. The on-base streak had been the matter of some discussion, as Votto was coming up on the Consecutive Games of Getting On Base to Start the Season, set at 34 by Dave Collins in 1981.

In fact, Votto didn’t have a particularly good series in Chicago at all this time around. He was 1-for-9 with 3 walks in the series, which is a far cry from the .333 he’s averaging and the .464 he’s on-basing so far this season. It seems a little too Griffey-ish to blame the down series on worry over the streak. More likely the Wrigley batter’s eye is painted just the wrong shade of black or something like that. But if there was any pressure from the streak having an effect on his performance, then I’m super-excited to see what he’s going to do now that it’s broken.

Once again, Chris Jaffe at The Hardball Times comes up with a report of some past Reds greatness:

Thirty years ago today Seaver tossed a complete game shutout. But this was a special shutout, unique among the 61 in his 61 career. You see, he not only prevented the opponents from scoring, but he also hammered a home run against them. It’s the only time Seaver combined a home run and shutout in one game.

There are a couple other Reds-related tidbits in the story. Give it a click and check it out.

Boxscore

Johnny Cueto made his triumphant return to the active roster today and lead the Cincinnati Reds to a shutout 2-0 win over the hapless Chicago Cubs. With the win, as RHM accurately predicted over at View From the Bleachers, the Reds took the series 2 games to 1.

Cueto was very good in his first start of the season, going 6 innings, allowing no runs, walking one and striking out 4. He threw 102 pitches, and if he can continue to do that, maybe he’ll be able to finish out a 7th inning here soon. His weakness has always been throwing too many pitches.

The Reds’ offense continued to struggle, but this time they scored enough. Ramon Hernandez drove in the first run in the 2nd inning, and Drew Stubbs hit a solo shot in the 5th. Cueto and the bullpen made those 2 runs be more than enough.

A day after blowing his first save of the season, closer Francisco Cordero looked much sharper. In his save this time, he walked none, struck out 1, and allowed no hits. There’s nothing better than returning from a blown save with a perfect one.

As for the Cubs, Ryan Dempster was the starter and loser. It is always a pleasure to beat the former Red.

When I start up my work computer in the morning, Yahoo! instant messenger starts up too, and presents to me a list of top news stories. It’s just like scanning the morning paper, if your morning paper contains exclusively tips for becoming a millionaire by age 40 and gossip about who wore the same dress on the red carpet.

It’s like a big, fat jelly doughnut for your brain: no nutrients, but enough sugar to provide a nice little jump start.

The occasional sports blog is referenced in this list, and I was surprised yesterday to see Brandon Phillips’ smiling mug accompanying one of the stories. It was a post on Big League Stew: a Y! sports blog, which I think I’ve already linked to once before, and probably will again. It’s only fair to share the brain candy, since there’s plenty to go around.

This particular blog was all about Phillip’s between-the-legs dish on Tuesday night. I didn’t get to see it myself, being in class that night, but I could picture it in my mind:

On a slow roller hit by Houston’s Jason Bourgeois(notes) in the third inning Tuesday night, Phillips had neither the time nor the proper angle to make a conventional defensive play to retire the speedy baserunner at first base.

So, running toward home at full speed from his position at second, Phillips bent down, barehanded Bourgeois’ grounder and quickly flipped the ball between his legs — near his ankles — for the out at first base.

This is getting to be a habit. BP referenced a “better” play in San Diego in a tweet, and the Reds were posting today’s behind-the-back-while-lying-on-his-belly toss on Facebook before the game was even over.

I think I missed all three of these plays, between school and work and the stupidness of day games. Hopefully he’ll keep it up, though, so I can catch some of this awesomeness in the near future.