At last the Reds have hope of getting some help for the left side of the field and the right side of the plate. Ryan Ludwick, who has been on the DL since Opening Day, is finally slated to begin his rehab assignment.

Ludwick tore the labrum in his right shoulder sliding head-first in to third base and surgery was required to correct the problem. It’s been slow-going coming back for the just-turned-35-year-old. Having been 35 for a while myself now, I can understand.

But at last he’s getting back into real games. On Wednesday, he’ll join the Dayton Dragons, who will be playing in Lansing. He can has as long as a 20-day rehab assignment, and if the rehab goes as slowly as everything else, he’ll use it.

Still, “in three weeks” is better than the “never again” in which I thought we might next see Ludwick with the Reds.

Ludwick didn’t have any official at-bats before his injury on Opening Day, but he did draw 2 walks. So, his average for the season is .000 but his OBP is 1.000. Small sample-size fun in August! That’s just an awesome bonus.

How about we extend this All-Star break another week or so? Ideally I’d really appreciate the return of the sport, but honestly, I don’t quite miss baseball yet. I mean, I actually managed to finish a book during the All-Star break. An adult American reading an honest-to-goodness 900-page book in their spare time? Doesn’t that deserve a little consideration??

But the calendar marches on, and tonight the Reds open up the second half against the Pirates. Pittsburgh found itself nudged into second place behind the Cardinals just before the break, so the Reds have the opportunity to fix their eyes on the target directly in front of them.

And lest you worry that the Reds got less rest than the Pirates due to the All-Star game, realize that the Pirates’ actually had more reps in the midsummer classic. That includes two pitchers. Apparently the All-Star game rewards hitting a lot of guys.

Hopefully it will be an entertaining game at least. Mike Leake (RHP, 8-4, 2.69 ERA) will start for the Reds, and he’s due for a little good luck. He’ll have his work cut out for him as the Pirates send out Francisco Liriano (LHP, 9-3, 2.00 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Huey Lewis, of Huey Lewis and the News fame, wrote a piece for The Talkhouse this week where he voiced his desire to ban all pre-recorded music at sporting events.

[A]s a sports fan who knows a little about music, I have to get something off my chest: Can we all agree it’s time to ban most, if not all, pre-recorded music from sporting events?

That’s a bold question. Anyone who’s been to any baseball game within the last decades is familiar with the music that’s played, and it’s always a combination of recent pop hits and old rock standards. Not to mention each player’s at-bat music. What’s Lewis got against all that?

He lists 5 reasons.

1. The murmur of tens of thousands of people in a baseball park, vendors hollering about beer and hot dogs, along with the thrilling crack of a bat hitting a ball, an umpire’s throaty call, and the occasional player’s whistle or cry of “I got it!” is a wonderful symphony of sounds that we almost never get to hear anymore.

It is true that the music during the inning breaks often impedes enjoyment of the game’s sounds. But Lewis’ complaint about the music being played too loudly does remind me of a certain scene from Back to the Future.

Lewis continues to criticize the speaker systems in stadiums, noting that oftentimes speakers interfere with each other, reducing the song to just the beat. He also criticizes the over-use of common songs and laments the lack of live bands and organists in parks.

And I gotta say, I can’t help but agree with him on many of his points. I mean, we have heard the boom-boom-clap portion of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” too many times now. Plus, the idea of roving live bands in each stadium, reflecting a part of the city’s musical heritage, is very appealing.

But banning plate music? That seems a step too far. That’s where some of my recent, fondest baseball memories lie. Now whenever I hear Coldplay, I envision Scott Rolen somewhere walking to the plate. Or Adam Dunn always using Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian.” And of course, Joey Votto and the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black.” No, the plate music I want to keep. But the rest? That I can live without.

The National League takes on the American League tonight in Citi Field, the home of the Mets. Despite the Mets being an NL team, each line-up includes a DH. I can’t remember why. Do they alternate years? I’m a bad fan for not knowing, but that doesn’t stop me from talking.

Here are the line-ups:
National League:

• 2B Brandon Phillips, Reds
• RF: Carlos Beltran, Cardinals
• 1B: Joey Votto, Reds
• 3B: David Wright, Mets
• LF: Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
• C Yadier Molina, Cardinals
• SS: Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
• DH: Michael Cuddyer, Rockies
• CF: Bryce Harper, Nationals

American League

• CF: Mike Trout, Angels
• 2B: Robinson Cano, Yankees
• 3B: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
• 1B: Chris Davis, Orioles
• LF: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays
• DH: David Ortiz, Red Sox
• RF: Adam Jones, Orioles
• C: Joe Mauer, Twins
• SS: J.J. Hardy, Orioles

Pitching for the NL will be Matt Harvey (RHP of the Mets). It’s not very often that the All-Star Game starter is pitching at home (it hasn’t happened since 2004), but Harvey’s had a helluva year. He’s 7-2 with 2.35 ERA and 147 strike-outs in his first 19 starts.

He’ll be facing off against Max Scherzer (RHP of the Tigers). Scherzer is 13-1, with a 3.19 ERA and 152 Ks in his first 19 starts.

I’m excited to see Joey Votto in such a prominent place in the line-up. Maybe this will finally be the year he gets an All-Star hit. He’s 0-for-7 in his prior 3 All-Star appearances. Same goes for Brandon Phillips. Leading off is a big deal. He’s 0-for-2 in his two previous All-Star games.

Whatever you want to say about these guys, the Reds have clearly contributed the best looking component of the roster.

This video is actually 2 years old, but it still pretty much sums up the experience of watching the Home Run Derby.

Kudos to you if you got through the whole minute and a half. I was annoyed after 15 seconds. Plus, I have this sudden craving for chicken…

For those of you who actually enjoyed your day off of baseball yesterday by doing non-baseball things, the Home Run Derby happened. In each corner of the Derby octagon you had:

• David Wright (Mets)
• Pedro Alvarez (Pirates)
• Bryce Harper (Nationals)
• Michael Cuddyer (Rockies)
• Robinson Cano (Yankees)
• Yoenis Céspedes (Athletics)
• Prince Fielder (Tigers)
• Chris Davis (Orioles)

After round 1, we were down to Céspedes, Davis, Harper, and Cuddyer. After round 2, it was just Céspedes and Harper. I suppose I should have been rooting for Harper, seeing as I’m an NL fan, but I just can’t quite make myself get on board with someone with such an over-inflated ego. Maybe its my Midwestern sensibilities, or maybe it’s just my own over-inflated ego getting in the way. Either way, the A’s own Cuban immigrant put the hurt on young Harper in the last round, overtaking his home run total with still 5 outs to go.

Yet again this year, there was no Adam Dunn in the line-up. Dunn has more home runs so far this year than three of the four AL contenders (all but Chris Davis, who’s leading the majors with 37). He has more home runs already this year than Céspedes had all of last year. Dunn’s continued exclusion from the Home Run Derby is as unexplainable as Weird Al Yankovic never having been the musical guest on SNL. Someone in charge must not like their irreverent tone and curly hair.

Of course there weren’t any Reds, which doesn’t surprise anyone. There aren’t any home run hitters on the Reds, except for Jay Bruce. And Bruce would just hit 25 in round one only to get shut out in round two. Wouldn’t be much of a show.

Anyway, congratulations to Céspedes, and I wonder whether his win has raised his trade value. The Reds could use a left fielders with some power, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is acting on my idea to bring back Dunn.