Cincinnati: Day 2

(This is the sign on what is known as the Big Mac bridge as you enter Kentucky)

Still in Cincinnati for a second day so that we could spend more time with Maggie, which was well worth it. It was nice to be able to relax for a day without driving, but I am anxious to get the road trip back, well, on the road. There will be plenty of that tomorrow as we drive to St. Louis, watch a game and then go on to Minnesota.

Today was really fun, but there was one upsetting moment that unfortunately cast a pall on the evening. While walking over what I now know is called the Purple People Bridge from Kentucky to Ohio we witnessed a jet ski accident. It was immediately clear that it was bad.
One jetski, from what Maggie and Matt saw, was weaving in and out in front of the other one and the second one crashed into it. The person (it turned out to be a woman) who was driving wrecklessly was not moving in the water as the other one rolled her onto her back and screamed for help, with blood streaming into the water.
The person apparently died almost immediately we heard later. That was what we had assumed at the time after we called 911 and waited to see ambulances arrive. It was terrible to see the whole thing and it was difficult to shake the thought of it during the game between the Reds and Nationals.
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(Above left: Maggie and Matt watch the game from right-center field seats; Above center: The Reds "No. 1 fan" seemed like a really nice guy as he waited out the thunder storm near us and ate a banana to replenish his potassium levels for the rest of the game; Above right: The tarp came out in the third inning; Below left: The tarp was taken off by the ground crew about 40 minutes later; Below center: Jonny Gomes and Miguel Cairo made this happen with home runs; Below right: The crowd waits out the rain delay under cover)


Back to the beginning of the day. Matt and I played some tennis with Alexa at the University of Cincinnati campus in the afternoon. It was hot, but I was hitting really well, so I had fun. Then she showed us around the campus, which is massive and actually pretty nice. So that was fun.
The game at night included our first rain delay and it was a Reds win, which for this Cardinals fan wasn't great. But there were some home runs, it turned into a really beautiful night once the storm passed and it was a lot of fun.

(The Reds have many goofy mascots. Above are two shots of Gapper, who looks like nothing in particular; At right is Mr. Red Legs, with Rosie Red behind him and only her arms visible.)

I also had a chance to have a "three-way", which apparently is a local specialty. Alright, before you get too concerned/excited it's a food item that people in Cincinnati love. It includes spaghetti, chili and is smothered in cheddar. I've been told a "four-way" includes either beans or onions, and a "five-way" is the whole kit and kaboodle. It was delicious. Matt had one too.
Maggie was the latest to get a Major League game ball as an usher tossed it to her while we were walking into the park.
Matt is still sans ball.
We didn't catch any in batting practice, but we did see quite a few homers there.

We tried to get some autographs but to no avail. Stephen Strasburg signed for some kids for a while but we were already across the park. We did witness his rookie skills at retrieving balls and tossing them in a bucket as well as carrying that bucket back to the pitcher's mound.

On to St. Louis tomorrow afternoon, so I'm excited. The last time I went was Opening Day in 2008, and it got called by rain in the third inning. The forecast is for scattered thunderstorms so I'm worried about history repeating itself. But maybe we will be more fortunate this time. Cross your fingers.

(At least one future Hall of Famer played in this game, barring some unforeseen uncovering of steroid use by Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.)