Six hundred miles, four friends, three days, three baseball games, two Redlegs wins, one grand slam, a German polka band, and a nice farmer’s tan; that pretty much wraps up my weekend in a nut shell.

Have you ever had a weekend like that?

I would like to think you have, if not you really should … its lots of F-U-N.

This past weekend I was lucky enough to go up to Cincinnati to see all three games of the Reds vs. Cubs series. Friday after driving up to Cincinnati and checking into a cheap hotel, it was off to the ballpark to watch my first ever night game and only my second ever MLB game. If you like baseball any at all I think you need to go to a game, everything seems faster, closer and just so much better in person. Friday night’s game was best game I have ever watched on TV or in person, at least to me. The game was an emotional roller coaster for fans of both teams. The Reds and the Cubs both put up one run each in the first inning, the Cubs added another run in the third and the fourth innings. The Redlegs were held scoreless until the eighth inning.

And then it happened.

Bases are loaded No. 6 Drew Stubbs comes to the plate and knocks the cover off the ball for his first home run of the year, it just so happen to be a grand slam — Stubbs first ever. I had never seen or heard anything like that before in my life. It was also the first time I had ever seen a grand slam in person. Before the pitch to Stubbs I could have heard a pin drop, but as soon as I heard the crack of the bat there was nothing but screams of joy and happiness from Reds fans and terror and disappointment from the Cubs fans as the ball seemed to move in slow motion from home plate on its way over the center field wall.

I will never forget that game as long as I live. You’ve heard people say, “You just had to be there.” Well it has never been truer.

The Reds split the next two games with the Cubs but nothing happened that could compare to the grand slam. Sundays game was the first start for the Reds fifth starter Mike Leake. Leake is only the 21st player since the Draft’s inception in 1965 to skip the Minor League and straight up to the MLB. If that wasn’t good enough he had to get his first Major League hit in his first at bat, guess he just wanted to get that one over with. Leake went 6.2 innings giving up four hits, one run, and five strike outs with a 1.35 ERA he also was 2 for 2 with his bat. The only bad thing he did on the day was walk seven batters. So he was not perfect but who is

Up next for the Reds is game three of a four game series with the Florida Marlins. Pitching for the Reds should be RHP Homer Bailey, 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA. Pitching for the Marlins should be RHP Chris Volstad, 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA.