An overcast day for the Reds to work through, but it was still warm and humid. The sun was brilliant later in the afternoon.
It was the first session of infield practice that I had seen. Joey Votto, Scott Hatteberg and Jeff Keppinger were at first, Brandon Phillips, non-roster invitees Andy Green and Andy Phillips at second, Alex Gonzalez and Juan Castro at short, and Edwin Encarnacion and some guys I never heard of at third base.
Keppinger is a possibility at first when they want a righthanded bat. I asked him where he feels most comfortable and he says shortstop because that's where he spent most of his time last season.
I didn't realize it, but in his stays in New York, Kansas City and Cincinnati, Keppinger has never made an Opening Day roster. This might be his year if he hits like he did last season.
Walt Jocketty makes his way around camp, looking and talking on his cellphone. Wayne Krivsky appears more visible at practice than a year ago. He also likes his cellphone.
There was a lot of curiosity when righthanded pitcher Edinson Volquez threw batting practice. He has a live arm and not much was being hit. Griffey, Dunn and Hopper seemed to be happy when his time was up. Volquez is one of the pitchers the Reds got from the Rangers in the Josh Hamilton deal.
I ran into Jim Osborne, a longtime photographer at the Kentucky Post and a fixture at sports events in Northern Kentucky. He's doing freelance work since the Post went bellyup, but stopped by to see friends in the Reds organization.
Another busy no-nonsense day for the Reds. They even had sliding practice at the end of the day. Everyone took part except Adam Dunn. Guess he didn't need any instruction.
I'll see you tomorrow...