My Morning Reflections/The Big Red(Cincinnati Red) Surge and Making the Big League

It was a little less humid this morning when I began my morning walk around 7:45....the City of Celina remains virtually dead and void of traffic and business, at least in the Downtown.  I wonder how many of the small shops and businesses will survive this ill planned fiasco of making wider the Main Street?  All that supported it should be fired and/or denied re-election at their next turn...it is a minor disaster and yet, like Obama and Company in DC, our local elected officials and their hired guns, continue to spend like drunken sailors, and ignore the will of the majority of Celina residents...while businesses will fail and residents pay through their wallets for the mistakes of the current city administration.

Meanwhile on my hour walk through to and down by Grand Lake, I snapped a photo of a train slowly moving through town.  Celina is void, for the most part, of train traffic these days....maybe the Gorman goes through locally 4 or 5 times per week...other towns to the north especially, still see dozens of trains run through and by their bergs on a daily basis.  Hicksville and Deshler come to mind....Celina?  Not so much, and things are much quieter because of the lack of rail traffic.

As I hit Lake Shore Drive, I heard a horn honk and a hand wave out of a old Ford Pick-Up Truck...I looked and noticed it was my old friend "Whitey Klosterman"...Whitey the man with the classic Buick's from the late 40s and early 50s.   I had not seen him since the spring high school baseball season, when I would talk with him at the Fort Jennings games I umpired....his grandson was a star on that team and the Muskie basketball team as well, and is heading to Ohio Northern University to play round ball this winter.  I have known Whitey for over 35 years, and coached his son Jeff in Little League when I first got out of the Air Force.  Whitey, his wife, and I talked for about 15 minutes, before I resumed my walk...our conversation of course was about sports, and the deep seeded problems of the City of Celina and it's Administration...seems I'm not alone in my disgust.  Regardless it was a good walk and a good chance to talk with him.

The Reds take command of the NL Central_____

Despite playing, or at least running the bases poorly, last night, the Cincinnati Reds pulled out a 5-4 10 innings victory over visiting Milwaukee to move 6 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central Division....as Reds fans,  this is the latest in the season we can actually say we are paying attention to what the guys are doing.  Dusty Baker(and I've never been a big fan of his) has this young squad(with veterans in the right spots) playing as well as anybody in baseball these days, and if they can keep or even increase the lead over the next 5 games with the Brewers then on the road at St. Louis, it appears the Cincinnati Boys will find themselves in the playoffs for the first time since 1995.  The Reds have not had a winning season since 1999, and this year has been a treat.

Cincinnati is bringing up a Cuban refugee named Chapman tonight to put in the Bullpen....the kid has been clocked at 105 MPH with his fastball, and is something to see...just his being in the dugout, should bring out the fans hopeful of getting to see his heat at work.

Local Kids in the "Bigs"____

While Chapman is the talk of Reds baseball, a local kid it appears, will be called up to the San Diego Padres.  Cory Luebke toiled at Ohio State for 3 years before being drafted in the first supplemental round by San Diego a few years ago.  He has found his groove in the minors, and the Marion Local product from nearby Maria Stein is on the verge of getting the call.  Cory will mark the 3rd MLB pitcher that I have had the opportunity to work behind the plate when they were pitching in their high school, ACME, or American Legion days, before the made it to the big show.  My youngest son Hal, also had a chance to coach Luebke back in his summer ACME days a few years back.

The other 2 hurlers, Chad Billingley(LA Dodgers) and Jonathon Niece(NY Mets) graduated from Defiance High School, and I worked a few of their games back in the early and mid parts of this decade.  Another area product, Craig Stammen, from Versailles, is with the Washington Nats...I didn't get the chance to work any of his games in high school, but he makes 4 that I am familiar with from the area.  On a side note, Stammen has joined The MacOnline, and will soon be writing a blog about his experiences, "View from the Dugout"....you can find a link on my "Riff Reff" The Official View blog, which you can click on the right side of this site. 

Quite a lot of local flavor to watch in the National League for the remainder of this baseball season....

Meanwhile the heat and humidity will continue for a few days at least....I need to get off my duff and take a trophy from last season's Dartball Campaign to Wren and get it engraved...that should have been weeks ago, guess I'll find time today...

back later>>>>>

Photos-A rare site in Celina these days, a train slowly rolls through the city as I approach the Buckeye Street crossing about 8 this morning.   The Reds try to take a strangle-hold on the NL Central, and local product Cory Luebke, it appears, will be joining fellow Western Ohio hurlers, Chad Billingsley, Jonathon Niese(both from Defiance), and Craig Stammen(Versailles) in hurling in the National League this final month of the regular season.