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Popo: The Morning Rush for Thursday, Sept. 8

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CINCINNATI -- It's Thursday, Sept. 8:

DO YOU REMEMBER? It was on this date in 1985 that Pete Rose inserted himself into the Reds lineup at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Right-hander Reggie Patterson was starting for the Cubs and Pete wanted to hit. He singled in the first inning and again in the fifth. That allowed him to tie Ty Cobb with 4,191 career hits.

WHAT WAS HE THINKING? That's what Marge Schott kept asking as she listened to the game on a transistor radio while she sat in the owner's box at the Bengals game at Riverfront Stadium. She wanted Pete to come back to Cincinnati, draw sellout crowds and break the record here. She couldn't believe that Pete was going after the record in Chicago. Frankly, I don't blame her.

LOLLYGAGGERS: The Reds stumbled to their fourth straight loss, as the Mets finished a three-game sweep with a 6-3 victory at GABP. It's not just that they lost, but they often didn't even look interested in winning this game. Scott Schebler didn't slide on a close play at second. Anthony DeSclafani didn't cover home plate after throwing a wild pitch in the third inning. A run scored from third base.

THAT BAD? Keith Hernandez was announcing the game for SNY. About the sixth inning, he said it was "as poorly a played game as I've ever seen by a team on a major league level."

NEXT: The Reds start a four-game series in Pittsburgh Thursday night.

SNOT FUN: Don't get too close to your computer. I'm fighting a head cold, and I don't want you to catch it. I wondered how I could catch a cold in this kind of weather, but this afternoon in the newsroom, people in every direction were hacking and sneezing.

THE MIGHTY MIDGE: Remember those bugs in Cleveland that assaulted Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain in the 2007 playoffs. There's a memorable shot of him on the mound spraying all over his body with bug spray. It didn't help. They're called midges, and they swarm from Lake Erie on hot, humid nights. They returned Wednesday night when the Indians were fighting a two-game losing streak. Players slapped at the bugs all night long and with the help of a Mike Napoli home run, the Indians beat the Astros 6-5.

WHAT PROTEST: Megan Rapinoe of the Seattle Rhein soccer team knelt during the national anthem on Sunday and she planned to do the same thing Wednesday night in Maryland. But the opposing team, the Washington Spirit, had another idea or at least another schedule. They played the national anthem earlier in the pregame ceremony while she was still in the locker room. The Spirit later released a statement that read: "We decided to play the anthem in our stadium ahead of schedule rather than subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we think such an act would represent."

THE INJURY LIST: The Bengals began on-the-field work for their Sunday opener at New York and just about everyone was there. Only cornerback Darqueze Dennard was limited because of an ankle injury. Fully taking part in practice were Tyler Kroft, Adam Jones, Rex Burkhead, Jake Fisher, T.J. Johnson and Cedric Ogbuehi.

HOW ABOUT THE JETS? Starting linebacker Jordan Jenkins did not practice at all. Linebackers Bruce Carter and David Harris were limited as were defensive lineman Leonard Williams and wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

MAKING NOISE IN NEW YORK: Seventeen-year old J.J. Wolf of Cincinnati pulled off a major upset Wednesday in the second round of the Junior Boys US Open in New York. The senior from Cincinnati Country Day upset No. 4 seeded and this year's French Open Junior champion Geoffrey Blancaneaux.

GREAT MODELS: I like to watch tennis, partially because of the great announcers that ESPN features. John and Patrick McEnroe, Chris Evert and Pam Shriver are outstanding in the honest and educated way they approach every match. A lot of sideline reporters from other sports should take notes when they see Pam Shriver does an interview. It's often specific and thought-provoking. It doesn't allow a player to bail out and give a pat answer. Chris Fowler is also very good. The only weak link is Hannah Storm. She wants to talk too much and tell you how much she knows. I don't care.

POGUE'S: We had a story about tearing down the Pogue's garage Wednesday that made me think of the great stores that used to be Downtown. I came here in 1979, and Downtown had Shillito's, McAlpin's, Pogue's and Elder-Beerman. Shillito's, McAlpin's and Pogue's were great stores that were worth coming Downtown for.  Pogue's was a very nice store that eventually became LS Ayers and then a thing of the past. With so many people moving back into the Downtown, I wonder if there will be a new demand for department store shopping.  Probably not. Online shopping is making them all extinct.

Have a great Thursday. You can reach me at jpopovich@wcpo.com.

I'm on Twitter at popo_wcposports. I mostly ignore Facebook.

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