I don't usually wrap the games where the Reds have such a pathetic showing, especially when I know there's fake news coming down the wire this very night, but watching Koo's at-bat in the bottom of the 8th made me laugh so hard that I'm cheerful enough to do it.

Let's hit the high points before the reality of Casey hitting third has time to sink in again:

- Paul Wilson sucked. Again. He says he's fine physically, but don't three consecutive crappy outings, the inability to throw over 85 mph, and $3.6 million say that the Reds should make him go see a doctor, just in case?

- Jason LaRue continues to hit, with an RBI single to score the first Reds' run today. Too bad his slump wasn't the only (or even really a very significant) problem facing the Reds.

- Felipe Lopez also continues to hit and field well. How exciting to see consistent, competent throws to first that don't even hint at landing in the stands. The next step: learning how to properly slide to take out the pretty boy at the plate.

- Landmark moment at our house: Winter repeated his first curse word in the bottom of the seventh today when that ridiculous wild pitch was followed by that throw to third that ended up in left field. Lucky for my esteem amoung my neighbors, Winter doesn't make the “sh” sound very well yet. I vowed then and there that I would be more careful with my language.

- I immediately broke that vow in the top of the ninth when I saw that Casey was chewing. I keep telling myself that it's not a big deal, but I just can't shake this feeling that I've slipped into Bizarro World.

Stay tuned: fake news coming up next.

Special thanks to the following Web sites for providing knowledge above-and-beyond the normal stats. There are a few tiny tidbits I didn’t include from these sites, so go visit them for more information:

• Felipe Lopez is playing up to expectations on Ohio News Now.
• Trading Lopez a Big Risk on Slam Sports.
• Meet the Reds: Felipe Lopez on Cincinnati.com.
• Felipe Lopez Player Profile on Cincinnati Reds: The Official Site.
• Reds Might See New Faces on the Cincinnati Post.

Special thanks to the following Web sites for providing knowledge above-and-beyond the normal stats. There are a few tiny tidbits I didn't include from these sites, so go visit them for more information:

• Felipe Lopez is playing up to expectations on Ohio News Now.
• Trading Lopez a Big Risk on Slam Sports.
• Meet the Reds: Felipe Lopez on Cincinnati.com.
• Felipe Lopez Player Profile on Cincinnati Reds: The Official Site.
• Reds Might See New Faces on the Cincinnati Post.

When you make the decision to wear a player’s number, you’re honoring that player, but you’re also telling the world that you identify with that player on some level. At the time of this writing, I’ve never seen a person don #2 other than Lopez himself, but I expect that to change in the coming months. If I were to see a person wearing a Lopez jersey at this point, I would assume one of two things: 1) that the person felt rebellious, under-appreciated, and particularly educated in the back-stories of the Reds’ players, or 2) that the person hated Aurilia and just wanted to make a point.

When you make the decision to wear a player's number, you're honoring that player, but you're also telling the world that you identify with that player on some level. At the time of this writing, I've never seen a person don #2 other than Lopez himself, but I expect that to change in the coming months. If I were to see a person wearing a Lopez jersey at this point, I would assume one of two things: 1) that the person felt rebellious, under-appreciated, and particularly educated in the back-stories of the Reds' players, or 2) that the person hated Aurilia and just wanted to make a point.