The Reds finally gave the nod to last year's Minor League Player of the Year when they called up outfielder Jay Bruce from Triple A and designated first baseman Scott Hatteberg for assignment on Tuesday.

Bruce, who many think has the potential to a Hall of Fame caliber player, has been ripping the cover off the ball all year long in Louisville.

In 49 games with Louisville this season, Bruce led the International League with a .364 batting average and 67 hits. The outfielder also had 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.023. Since May 3, Bruce was batting .456 (36-for-79), with 13 multihit games in his past 20.

"He was ready for some time, but we wanted to give him more time and give more opportunities to the guys we have here," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "When Jay comes up, he'll play a lot. We wouldn't bring him up and not play him."

Hatteberg played in 34 games this season for the Reds, batting just .173. He was 9-for-52 at the plate with seven RBIs. The 38-year-old became expendable when Joey Votto showed he could handle everyday duties at first base.

Is this the right time for the move?

There are many that believe that Bruce should have been given the centerfield job right around of spring training. However, the Reds opted to sign Corey Patterson to a one-year deal and to start Bruce in Louisville.

Through nearly two months of baseball though Patterson has been ineffective, leaving the Reds to turn the young slugger. 

Fernando Tatis is not a baseball legend.  In fact, most fans probably don't realize he's still in the majors, having recently been called up by the Mets.

Tatis had one great year, though, in 1999, when he hit. .298 with 34 homers, 107 RBI, 104 runs scored and 21 stolen bases.  Unless you're a baseball immortal, you'd happily take numbers like those.

However, it's one particular game in which Tatis shone brighter than ever before or ever again.  Actually, it was one particular inning, and there's a particular reason I remember it so vividly, and that's aside from the accomplishment itself.

Back in the olden days of 1999, KMOX broadcast St. Louis Cardinals games, and you could listen to them online for free.  (What a concept!)  They even had an online scorecard that filled itself in as the game went alone as if someone was scrawling the details down in pencil at the ballpark.  April 23 happened to be the first time I got the audio running at KMOX's web site, so I was thrilled to listen to my Redbirds while living in Cincinnati.  Before that, I could of course catch the Reds broacast when the two teams squared off, or on particularly clear nights I could pick up a scratchy AM signal emanating from the Gateway City a few hundred miles away.

So imagine my surprise when in this first game I hear Tatis crack a grand slam off Chan Ho Park in the third inning.  And it got better a while later when Park was unable to finish things off.  Nine batters later, Tatis came to the plate again, and again the sacks were packed.  I remember calling down the hall to my wife, telling her there was no way it could happen again.  But then the pitch came in, the ball went out, and history was made.  Never before and never since has a player cranked two grand slams in a single inning.  Two long balls and eight ribbies - a pretty good week in a single frame.

So even though Tatis' career quickly careened into near-oblivion, he'll always have a special place in my baseball memories for doing something no one had ever done before.  Thanks, Fernando.  Thanks for the memories.

The vast majority of the working population had the day off.  The weather this time of year is gorgeous all over the country.  People were searching for some entertainment.  But MLB decided that eight of its 30 franchises should have the day off???

It's amazing the amount of anti-marketing Bud Selig and his buddies are capable of.  No, actually, it's pathetic.

When you think about all of the professional sports in the world there are certain "Cry Babies" that are hard to stomach most of the time and take away from the enjoyment of the sport.

Here are some of my biggest "Cry Babies", who are your's?

1.  Danica Patrick - the woman acted like a 2 year old with diaper rash when she was run into in the pits and knocked out of the race with 29 laps to go.  It was unfortunate but it happens in racing and her act of getting pissed off every time she thinks she was treated poorly is getting old fast.  I get bumped more on I-75 South bound at rush hour.

2.  Lebron James - The dude acts like he is fouled on every play and really throws a tantrum if he misses a shot as if it isn't humanly possible for him to actually miss a shot without someone making contact.  He yells, waves his arms, pouts and acts like a child over and over again.  The refs need to slap a few "T's" on him.

3.  Tim Duncan - Has this man every committed a foul that he was called for?  Not according to him with the way he acts when he is called for one.  Apparently he is the only player in the NBA that isn't capable of committing a foul.

4.  Tony Stewart - Enough said about this giant pile of goo that constantly complains when other racers give him a dose of his own medicine.  He needs to be driving the Pampers car instead of Home Depot.

5.  Willie Randolph - Would someone please stick a pacifier in his mouth?