It's Wednesday, Sept. 14:
DO YOU REMEMBER? It was on this date in 1990 that Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. hit back-to-back father-and-son home runs in the first inning against the Angels. It had never happened before and hasn't happened since. Kirk McCaskill served up both homers. Watch it here:
THE HEADLINES: Dan Straily allowed only three hits over eight innings as the Reds beat the Brewers 6-4 for their fifth straight win. Joey Votto had three more hits including a home run.
The Reds and Brewers play one more time Wednesday night. Tim Adleman is the Reds starter.
The Boston Red Sox are getting Madeira native Andrew Benintendi back on the field, probably on Wednesday. He's been on the disabled list since late August when he sprained his left knee.
Vin Scully says he won't announce any playoff games, if the Dodgers make it there. He says he's done when the regular season is over. Scully said if he stayed on the air, he would be "saying goodbye like in grand opera, where you say goodbye 12 different times."
New "Color Rush" uniforms for the Bengals were unveiled for their Thursday night game against the Dolphins. The only problem is that they lack color. They're white. They could have borrowed old jerseys from Penn State.
EARLY MORNING THOUGHTS: When Eric Davis hit the majors in the mid-80s, he had some remarkable games. There were streaks of hitting home runs, back-to-back games of hitting grand slams and making some unbelievable plays in the outfield. The late great Harry Caray showed some of his highlights one day and proclaimed, "If he was in New York, they'd name a candy bar after him." He was right, and he still is.
Take Joey Votto. Imagine if he wore pinstripes. They would build him a monument at Yankee Stadium. SportsCenter would lead with his exploits every night. But he's not a Yankee. He doesn't work in New York. His efforts are not larger than life.
I thought about this in the last few days after A.J. Green caught 12 passes against the Jets and did whatever he wanted to do against Darrelle Revis. I think for those who watch A.J. on a regular basis, it was a pretty typical game, better than most, but certainly not his best.
Actually, the only time over the years that A.J. has surprised us is when he drops a catchable ball or doesn't make the big play.
Sunday's performance was done in the Big Apple, and everything done there is magnified. They were talking about A.J. on ESPN on my drive home last night. The announcer says he has a "filthy game." That used to be an insult, now it's a compliment.
I checked out SportsCenter this morning and there was A.J on live talking about his game. The reporters Sunday at the Meadowlands marveled at his dominance. He had bested the mighty Revis.
Green has more than 400 career catches and five Pro Bowl appearances. He's been pretty good for a long time. He doesn't have a fancy nickname or some silly touchdown dance, and he rarely talks about himself. Check that. He never talks about himself.
I remember when the Bengals contemplated drafting A.J. Jerry Jones, who for years published the Drugstore List, called me about him. Jerry lived in Georgia and had watched Green play his entire college career. "I've never seen him drop a ball," Jerry told me. "And he's a tremendous person." He was right on both counts.
I'm glad A.J. Green has been discovered. And it's likely he'll be rediscovered when the Bengals go back to New York to play the Giants in November.
And wouldn't it be fabulous if the whole football world could discover and appreciate football's best and most humble pass catcher if the Bengals make a deep run in the playoffs. Heck, we'll take any run at all.
