The Reds beat the Yankees to the tune of 4-1 this afternoon in Tampa, FL. I love a good spring training win over the Yankees. It's even better when the game's on the radio.

I was super-excited to hear Steve and Marty use the nickname for Chris Denorfia that I provided at the Reds Caravan. Now if I could just get them to give the URL.

But on to the game:

• The much anticipated appearance of likely opening day starter Aaron Harang was about as solid as you'd expect. Harang shut out the Yankees over two innings of work. He allowed two hits, hit one batter, and issued no walks.
• Dave “Pirate Booty” Williams followed up Harang by allowing the Yankees' one run in his two innings of work.
• Mike Burns turned in two scoreless innings. Allan Simpson, Jake Robbins, and Ryan Wagner worked a scoreless inning apiece. Wagner also pulled in the save.
• Little Edwin Encarnación continued his offensive tear with a two-run home run off Randy Johnson in the first inning. That brings Encarnación's home run total for 2006 spring training to 3. He's played in three games.
• The Reds turned four double plays today. Four. Of course, that mostly demonstrates how many Yanks reached base, but still. I'm all for the defense.

You can find the boxscore here.

Tomorrow the Reds will host the Devil Rays in Sarasota at 1:05 p.m. We'll be treated to the pitching stylings of Phil Dumatrait.

This week in baseball: Bret Boone and Gabe White announced retirement. Jose Guillen hurt his wrist. Pokey Reese inexplicably disappeared from the Marlins' ST camp. What's gotten into these former Reds these days?

Is Gabe White nuts? He's lefthanded and he's only 34, he should have at least six more years ahead of him. Retiring? I think it's just a plot to get the Twins to release him so Bowden can sign him in D.C.

And this is only the first week of games.

April cannot come soon enough…

HMZ

All right, now this is the kind of game I like to see. The scrubs the Reds sent out to Fort Myers actually scored one fewer run than their counterparts in Sarasota, but also allowed 16 fewer and came out of the afternoon with a big win.

Again with the bullets:

• Starting pitcher Michael Gosling shut the Twins out over three innings of work. He allowed three hits and struck out a batter.
• Official team hottie Jason Standridge also shut out the twins in his inning of work. He allowed one walk.
• Edwin Encarnación, the closest thing resembling a starter on this trip, launched a two-run home run in the first inning to get the scoring going for the Reds. Encarnación wasn't done: he hit another homer in the sixth. He was 3-for-4 on the day.
• Starting for the Twins was Brad Radke. Do you think they call him Bradke?

Clearly there's a lot more to the game than that. You can check out the box score here.

Less than an hour now until Aaron Harang takes on the Yankees. Go Reds!

The Reds split their squad on March 3 to host the Tigers in Sarasota while also visiting the Twins in Fort Myers. As you might expect, most of the starters got to stay home. As you might not expect, it was also the starters that took the thumping.

Let's do the bullet thing:

• Justin Germano started things off and gave up two runs and four hits in two innings of work. He walked one and struck out two.
• Reliever and would-be closer David Weathers gave up six runs and five hits in one inning. Ouch.
• Luke Hudson gave up one run on a home run and walked three in two innings of work.
• Adam Dunn started at first base and hit a solo home run in the first inning. I hear it was on ESPN, but I haven't seen it yet. (I did see Griffey talking about the WBC and saying he's not worried about getting hurt. I'm glad someone isn't.
• Aaron Holbert also hit a home run, though his was a two-run number in the ninth. That one didn't make SportsCenter.
• Aurilia contributed on an RBI single in the third inning, but he and Womack also each contributed an error apiece. Continuing fodder for the perfectly civil discussion of those two in the diaries.
• Little Ray Ray Olmedo knocked in two on a single in the fourth inning. ::contented sigh::.

After I write up something about the other half of the split squad day, it'll be almost time for the Reds to start against the Yankees in Tampa. 1:15 p.m. on MLB Radio.

Yesterday former Reds reliever Gabe White decided to end his career on his own terms. The 34-year old left-hander pitched for the Reds, Rockies, Yankees, Cardinals and Expos. White pitched for the Reds 1997-2000, 2002-03, and 2004. Last year, White was released by Atlanta at the end of spring training and cut by St. Louis at the end of July. This year he was a non-roster invitee to Minnesota Twins spring training competing in a three-man race for lefty-specialist.

After a single-inning appearance where he gave up two triples and two runs, White was already swelling and feeling the aches and pains. White reportedly sat up all night in bed, staring at the television before making this decision. He pondered his physical ability and the ethical issue of whether it was right to continue playing a game that he couldn't give his all to anymore.

Isn't that beautifully descriptive? Can't you just feel exactly what he felt, barely aware of the infomercials flashing across the screen, watching the minutes tick by, desperately waiting for that passion for the game that's always just been there to show up again? It's like a movie.

And good for Gabe, I say, to follow his heart even when his heart tells him to do something as scary as giving up baseball. That takes guts.

I always liked White. He seemed like a character. Not the funny kind, of course. If anything, he seemed like kind of a crank, but that made me like him even more. I imagine that if I knew Gabe White personally, I'd give him a hard time about something, he'd grumble grumpily in response, and I'd giggle.

Plus, he always reminded me of a pirate. Too bad that none of the five teams he played for in eight years was Pittsburgh.

So with those sentiments in mind, RHM bids Mr. White a fond farewell, and presents this gift of a photo of what he'd look like as a swashbuckler. If you listen carefully, maybe you'll hear him grumbling. Or at least me giggling.

Via Marc's spring training blog and the Twins official site.