Texas Reds fans....

[OnBaseMachine]

Reds relieved in aftermath of Ike
Players who have homes, loved ones in area hit say all OK
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- The television images from Hurricane Ike's assault on Texas overnight offered plenty of shots showing damage and devastation, especially in Galveston and downtown Houston.

Several Reds players who have homes in the Houston area were pleased on Saturday with the realization that their loved ones and property came through OK.

"It's good. My friends said everything is fine. We lucked out," said right fielder Jay Bruce, who lives right near downtown Houston.

Reliever Gary Majewski sat on a clubhouse sofa with weary eyes. Majewski, who lives in a suburb 20 minutes northwest of Houston, had been up most of the night.

"I didn't get any sleep," said Majewski, who also has grandparents in Houston. "My alarm company called me at 2:45 a.m. and woke me up. I wasn't worried about the hurricane as much as tornadoes. I was up until 5 a.m. watching it."

A Category 2 storm, Ike reportedly killed four people in Texas and left Galveston considerably damaged. No deaths were reported in Houston but images from downtown showed a considerable mess of debris and one skyscraper with most of its windows shattered.

By Saturday morning, Majewski had received positive news from friends and family.

"Everybody is good," he said. "I talked to my grandparents. There are limbs and stuff everywhere in the street, but the house is still intact."

Shortstop Paul Janish also hails from the area and spoke with his parents.

"They got a lot of rain and don't have power, but they're OK," Janish said.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

[OnBaseMachine]

Ike leaves mark on Cincinnati area
Great American Ball Park suffers minor damage due to storm
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- As unlikely as it would seem given Cincinnati's northern location, the remnants of Hurricane Ike left a mark on the area, including at Great American Ball Park.

The stadium sustained minor damage but was in good shape considering gusts of wind reportedly came close to 75 mph on Sunday.

Several press-box windows were cracked or shattered and will have to be replaced. All of the moon-deck flags that showed the National League standings with team logos had blown away. Some patio furniture on the outdoor party deck was blown around and damaged. Monday was an off-day for the team.

Other parts of the region weren't so fortunate with downed trees and damaged homes. Over 700,000 homes were left without electricity, with many still coping with the power outage.

Naturally, the questions about power inside the Reds' clubhouse on Tuesday had nothing to do with home runs. The outages were indiscriminate, which several players learned firsthand when they returned from Arizona on Sunday night.

"No power, no bueno. I'll have to go through it like everyone else," said catcher Paul Bako, who lives in Northern Kentucky.

On Tuesday, several players were still without lights.

"I had to shower at the ballpark. No power, no water," said infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr., who lives east of downtown Cincinnati. "Others have it a whole lot worse."

Reds reliever Gary Majewski, a resident of the Houston area, watched on television with concern as Ike reached landfall in Texas overnight on Friday and Saturday morning.

Majewski's home came through the storm OK, but Ike still found him in Cincinnati.

"It did more damage to us here than it did in Houston," Majewski said. "The power was on the next day in Houston, but not here. A big ol' tree fell on a power line."

Most of downtown Cincinnati, including the ballpark, had power mostly uninterrupted during the storm. But manager Dusty Baker was one of the unlucky downtowners.

"There's nothing you can do about it," Baker said. "It makes you appreciate stuff. It's not that bad."

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

[_Sir_Charles_]

Just got cable and the net up last night, after the game unfortunately, but that was the last of the stuff that were down. We were out of power for about a week, phone for a week and tv/internet for about 2. All things considered I'm glad we rode out the storm. If I'd evacuated, I would've been a nervous wreck worried about the condition of my house. Now I'm just looking forward to catching up on my sports news. Missed the OSU/USC game too durnit. ...well, not that I missed much apparently. :O)