I would say I "saw" Aroldis Chapman throw a 102 MPH fastball tonight in his Major League Baseball debut, but it's more like I "heard" it.

The Cincinnati Reds' 22-year-old phenom pitched a perfect inning of relief in the Reds' 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers as they surged to seven games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the NL Central. (The Cards continue to fly into windows as they got shut out by the Houston Astros 3-0 for the second straight night on Wednesday, marking their fourth-straight loss. Tony LaRussa must have lost his HGH/steroid hookup. Something just isn't right in the Gateway to the West.)

Anyway, back to the man who has been quickly dubbed the "Cuban Missile." He is the real deal and appears to have a lot of moxie to go with his unbelievable arm.

In his lone strikeout (the other two outs were jam-shot weak groundouts), he started off Jonathan Lucroy with a 98 MPH on a delivery as smooth as they come. He then cranked it up to 102 on his next fastball, looking very Randy Johnson-like. Chapman then sent Lucroy back to the dugout with a nasty slider - becoming the first victim of the Cuban Missile Crisis. (No, the cheesy puns are not going to get old. Not when there is a lefty throwing 100-plus.)

Not that it wasn't already time to get really excited if you're a Reds fan - the team is going to start the month of September with a seven-game lead. However, "Chapmania" has just begun and it yet another thing that has made the 2010 Reds one of the most-intriguing stories in all of MLB.

The Cuban Missile is coming to Cincinnati and there is no crisis to speak of.

Well, other than perhaps for opposing batters.

Aroldis Chapman, the Reds' 22-year-old sensation from Cuba, will finally be called up to the big club on Tuesday and is expected to give immediate help to the bullpen.

The 6-foot-4 lefty racked up 125 strikeouts in 95.2 innings in AAA Louisville this year. He began the year as a starter (13 starts) but moved to the bullpen in June and has been there ever since (26 relief appearances).

Overall at Louisville, Chapman finished 9-6 with a 3.57 ERA. He gave up just 77 hits (.218 opponent batting average) but walked an alarming 52 batters. However, again, his eye-popping strikeout numbers help greatly in terms of making up for his wildness.

Chapman has been widely reported to be an extremely rare pitcher that can top out at 103 MPH with his fastball. It's almost incredible to think about his velocity considering the fact that the list of lefties that could throw over 100 MPH started and ended with Randy Johnson in recent years. However, Chapman really made noise when he hit 105 MPH on the gun on multiple occasions last week.

Now, who wonders if that gun needs a cleaning if you know what I mean, but the bottom line is that Chapman is a 22-year-old flamethrower who more than held his own at the triple-A level and it's going to be fun to see what he can do during this pennant race.

And did I mention the Reds are 6 games up on the hated Cardinals with just 31 games remaining? Oh, I did in the below post which was just published a few minutes ago? Just wanted to make sure that point was getting across.

That's 6 games up with 31 games left in case you weren't keeping track. Six games up! And my heartfelt thanks to Tony LaRussa and crew for not just going into a slump, but for doing it against a collection of some of the worst teams in baseball like the Pirates, Nationals and tonight the Astros. Quality stuff gentlemen.

And St. Louis will undoubtedly get a chance to see Mr. Chapman this weekend. Ah, this is getting better by the moment.

Barring a September meltdown, more and more it's looking like the surprise 2010 Cincinnati Reds will be playoff bound.

The Reds surged to a season-high six games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the National League Central on Monday with their latest heart-stopping, comeback win. Jay Bruce's single in the 10^th inning provided the winning run and Bruce's best hot streak of the season couldn't have come at a better time. He has mashed five home runs in the last four games combined, including one tonight (and three last Friday to go along with one on Sunday).

Bruce is only 23, yet some fans were ready to write him off during his dreadful stretch throughout the month of July. But he has turned it around in a big way. For the season, Bruce is now batting .274 with 18 HRs and 58 RBIs.

And not only did the Reds pull out another exhilarating win in comeback fashion (they trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the sixth), the Cardinals did their part by losing to yet another bad team. This time, it was the Houston Astros taking down the Cards 3-0.

Wow. Six games up with 31 games remaining on the schedule for the Reds. If Cincinnati is able to go into St. Louis this coming weekend and at least take two out of three, this baby is over. Easier said than done with the way the Reds looked a couple weeks ago when the Cardinals swept a three-game series in Cincinnati. However, six games is a huge cushion at this stage of the season and it will be interesting to see how things transpire the rest of this week and then especially this weekend in St. Louis.

To save a $3 million roster bonus that the Bengals would've had to pay Antonio Bryant in two weeks, they decided on Sunday to sever ties with the wide receiver who never fully recovered from knee surgery.

The Bengals are out the full $7 million that was guaranteed as part of Bryant's signing bonus, but they felt it was best to cut their losses now and not make it a $10 million mistake.

The real bottom line here (not that saving $3 million should ever be discounted when we speaking of Mike Brown) is the Bengals have plenty of wide receivers and no longer have a burning need for Bryant like they did when he was signed.

Terrell Owens might end up being just be a one-year option, but he sure looks like a damn good one. And getting him at an extreme bargain (base salary of $2 million) helps balance out the money the Bengals pissed away when they inked Bryant. Owens is going to be a very good No. 2 opposite Chad Ochocinco and is going to provide exactly what the Bengals wanted when they targeted Bryant: a tough guy who can go over the middle, a guy with enough speed to occasionally go deep and a guy to take the pressure off Ochocinco in general. (You know, what Laveranues Coles was unable to do last year.)

Also, the emergence of rookie third-round pick Jordan Shipley also made Bryant expendable. The Bengals could've rolled the dice, paid Bryant an extra $3 million and HOPED he would be back and healthy this season, but when WR is not a concern, why even bother? Usually I rip Brown and the entire front office for being a legion of penny-pinching clowns who would sacrifice winning for making an extra few dollars any day. However, this time, I think they made the right call.

As for the doctors who gave Bryant his physical in Cincinnati a few months ago and deemed him healthy ... not so much. Are we sure those guys have medical degrees and are licensed to practice? Amazing that Bryant was cleared by the Bengals' medical staff and he wasn't able to as much play in a single preseason game.

Well, adios, Antonio. And you'll always have the distinction of owning the shortest stint in Bengals' history.

Apparently the battle to be the Cincinnati Bengals' kicker was even entering Saturday's preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.

The Bengals had only two field goal attempts in their 35-20 loss to the Bills. Ohio State product Mike Nugent drilled a 54-yarder, while Michigan State alumnus Dave Rayner made one from 32 yards out. I was impressed with Nugent's kick as it was nearly down the middle and would have been good from 57. However, I didn't pay it much attention past that. It was one kick and surely the two-man competition wouldn't come down to one kick in a preseason game.

However, it sounds like it's given Nugent a leg up if nothing else. Surprisingly, in a story on Bengals.com, editor Geoff Hobson says "Nugent probably has the edge" while making it clear that it's still a tight battle and nothing has been decided yet.

And don't forget that another option would be the Bengals not keeping Nugent or Rayner and signing a kicker that suddenly appears on the waiver wire after final cuts (such as the loser of the competition to be the Houston Texans' kicker between Kris Brown and former Bengal Neil Rackers).

So, we won't really know who the Bengals 2010 kicker is until the few short days before the opener against at New England Patriots on Sept. 12 (how's that for an easy first game), but it sounds like Nuge has the edge for now. Hobson doesn't put information like that in his stories unless he has a very good coach - such as a coach on the team. Don't forget Hobson's office is located inside of Paul Brown Stadium along with the rest of the Bengals' personnel. And to his credit, he does a pretty good job of speaking the truth. He doesn't rip the team unmercifully, but he wouldn't keep his job for very long if he did. Bengals.com is unquestionably one of the best NFL team sites in the league - maybe the best.

Anyway, back to the point: It's been a roller coaster of a professional career for Nugent ever since shattering every meaningful kicking record while at Ohio State. He entered the league with a boom. How many kickers can say they were a second-round pick? (And received the hefty signing bonus to go with it?) And Nugent was actually the Jets' top pick in 2005 since they didn't have a first-rounder that year.

As a rookie in '05, Nugent was 22-of-28 on field goals with a long of 49. He turned in his best pro season in 2006 when he connected on 24-of-27 field goals with a long of 54 (the same distance as the one he nailed on Saturday). In '07, he finished 29-of-36 with a long of 50.

He played all 16 games in each of his first three NFL seasons. And then the injuries came. The most-prominent was a severe thigh strain in 2008 when he finished the season with just one field goal attempt in one game (a miss).

The Jets then cut him following the season.

Nugent signed with the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2009 and actually beat out Matt Bryant for the starting gig out of training camp. However, he went 2-of-6 on field goals to open the season and was quickly shown his walking papers. Nugent was later signed during the '09 season by the Arizona Cardinals after their starting kicker - Rackers - went down with an injury, and Nugent was 2-for-2 in field goals in a pair of games.

For his career, Nugent is 79-of-100 on field goals and it's going to be interesting to see if he ends up narrowly beating out Rayner for the Bengals' starting job. You know every Ohio State fan that also roots for the Bengals is pulling for him. Me personally? Yeah, I'd like to see Nuge win the job, but I also want the best man for the job. Al Davis is loony, but I'll quote his "Just win baby" for as long as I live. That's the bottom line in this business and I hope Nugent gives the Bengals the best chance to win this year. But if it ends up being Rayner - or someone who is about to get cut by another team like Brown or Rackers - so be it.

Quan Cosby is coming off a season in which he was the Bengals' best punt returner in the last 21 years. So, leave it up to the Bengals' brass to possibly screw up a good thing.

Unless I am reading it wrong, Pacman Jones is repping as the No. 1 punt returner, and since he is likely to make the team as the No. 3 cornerback, it looks like the coaches are getting him ready for multiple roles.

And it also looks like there is a chance Cosby could be headed out of town, which would be a monumental mistake on the Bengals' part. He does an excellent job of going north-south on returns and is reliable in terms of fielding the punt and holding on to the ball. The same can't be said about Pacman. He dances too much and is going to make fans nervous every time he's back there because he's a lost fumble or a muff waiting to happen.

It just makes absolute no sense that the Bengals finally find a good punt returner after all these years of futility and they are going to perhaps make a change the very next season. Then again, it's the Bengals, so nothing should surprise me.

Mark it down, if the Bengals cut Cosby, he will go on to enjoy a long NFL career as a punt returner and special teams demon in general. (And can be a solid No. 5 WR on the roster as well.) Cincinnati will regret it if they let him slip away. Especially for a guy like Pacman Jones who could "go all Pacman" on us at any time. Why take a chance with a guy like that when you have a proven commodity in Cosby? And I really don't care if Jones makes the roster as a corner, but there is no possible way he is a better punt returner than Cosby. Jones might be a bit more explosive, but Cosby is better overall.

Ever wonder how former Reds closer and current broadcaster Jeff Brantley got the nickname of "The Cowboy"?

No? Well, you're about to find out anyway.

I honestly thought there was the outside chance that Brantley gave the nickname to himself. But, alas, that's not the case. It actually came from one of his former teammates due to the attire that Brantley wore to then-Riverfront Stadium before every game.

"Lenny Harris gave it to me," Brantley said during a Fox Sports Ohio telecast. "I was playing here for the Reds and Lenny said, ‘You look like a cowboy riding off into the sunset,' and that's just kind of how it stuck. Lenny was from Miami and he wasn't used to seeing someone wear cowboy boots and blue jeans to the ballpark everyday like I did. So, he was the first to say it and it kind of took on a life of its own with my teammates."

Sorry, but for some reason, I was actually curious how Brantley got the nickname and now we know. And I'm relieved to learn he didn't give it to himself. That would have been pretty lame. Kind of like when Brantley refers to himself in the third person (which, to his credit, he has toned down quite a bit). For example: "Cowboy likes spicy chicken!" OK, he hasn't copied any George Costanza lines, but he will break off a 3-P reference from time to time. "If you're asking the Cowboy, I'd say it's a lack of intestinal fortitude on his part."

Just when it looked like they were going to blow a huge lead - one of their few Achilles' heels this season - the Cincinnati Reds pulled out a 12-11 victory over the host San Francisco Giants in 12 innings on Wednesday.

The Reds led 10-1 at one point, but the Giants stormed back to tie it, and then take the lead heading into the ninth inning.

However, thanks to an error from third baseman Pablo Sandoval, the Reds were able to knot the score at 11 and eventually send the game into extra innings.

Triple crown threat Joey Votto then put the Reds in the lead with an RBI single in the 12^th frame. Votto finished 4-of-7 with two home runs and four RBIs - other than that he wasn't really a factor in the game.

This guy is unbelievable. To think he is playing on the same level as Albert Pujols is shocking and it's no fluke. He's as pure of a hitter as there is in the Majors and is now batting .326 with 31 homers and 90 RBIs.

Pujols is batting .319 with 33 HRs and 92 RBIs. Votto leads the league in batting average and is second in home runs and RBIs. Pujols leads the league in homers and ribbies, and is second in batting average.

So, in addition to the intriguing race between the Reds and Cardinals for National League Central supremacy, there is a legitimate two-man competition for what would be the first triple crown winner in baseball since 1967 (Carl Yastrzemski). That's 43 years if you weren't counting. Of all the offensive records that got smashed during the steroid era (which we still might be in the midst of even due to the drop in home runs this season; don't think for a minute there aren't masking agents out there that can beat the tests), no one was able to match Yaz's triple crown, or bat .400 like Ted Williams did (.406 in  1941).

Anyway, the Reds are now 73-54 and were able to go 6-3 on their West Coast swing. Late season trips to the left coast have been the downfall of many Reds teams over the years. However, Cincinnati was able to sweep the Diamondbacks, take two of three from the Dodgers, and salvage a 1-2 showing against the Giants.

More good news is that Pittsburgh is leading visiting St. Louis 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth. The Reds would be 3.5 games up on the Cardinals if they lose tonight. (UPDATE: The Cards did in fact lose to the Buccos, 5-2. This means they dropped a three-game series to the worst team in MLB. Gotta love getting some help from the Pirates of all teams.)

This has certainly been a thrilling ride for Reds fans starving for a winner this year and the win over the Giants on Aug. 25 is one of the games we'll always remember if the Reds end up making the postseason for the first time in 15 years. (Although, 1999 pretty much felt like a playoff year and included the one-game "playoff" against the Mets for the wildcard. If you win 96 games as the '99 Reds did, you're a hell of a team. That's more regular-season wins than the Reds had in 1990 [91-71] when they won it all.)

What a tremendous streak they are on and it couldn't come at a better time.

After being embarrassed in a three-game sweep at the hands of their only contender for the National League Central championship - the St. Louis Cardinals - and falling briefly out of first place, the Reds have ripped off seven straight victories to take a shocking 4.5-game lead over the Cards.

On Friday night, the Reds knocked off the Dodgers 3-1. Not only was it a big W considering the team is in the thick of the pennant race, but the Reds were 0-12 at Dodger Stadium over the last four years.

That dubious streak was snapped in large part due to the razor-sharp pitching of 24-year-old Homer Bailey. (Yes, he really is still that young.) Bailey moved to 3-2 on the season with his strong performance against LA (7 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, earned, 2 walks, six strikeouts).

I didn't want to get too excited after Bailey's strong start against the Marlins in his return from shoulder inflammation earlier in the week, but I'm quickly seeing a theme developing here and it looks like it's time for Reds fans to get excited about him. He didn't walk anyone against the Marlins (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 Ks), was really doing a good job of painting the black against the Dodgers and is now 2-0 since his return.

Remember how good Bailey was down the stretch of the 2009 season? Well, no one expects him to be quite that dominant (there is a bit more pressure on when you're in a playoff race and not playing meaningless games) but he's certainly proved he's a force to be reckoned with at times. Right now, he has good command with all of his pitches and I like the way he's coming over the top with authority and is keeping his fastball down. Bailey is a power pitcher who is learning how to be a complete hurler right before our eyes.

But the real story of the night is that your Cincinnati Reds are 4.5 freakin' games up in first place on Aug. 21. They're also 20 games over .500 at 71-51. Just let that sink in for a moment. Their in the midst of a West Coast roadie - you know, the kind of trip that usually does them in - and they've started out 4-0. Granted, three of those wins came against the lowly Diamondbacks, but they all count the same.

It will only get tougher from here as the Reds have two more games at Chavez Ravine and will then travel to San Francisco to play the Giants (who knocked off the Cardinals 6-3 on Friday, giving those "bitches" as Brandon Phillips would say their season-high fifth-straight loss). The good news is that the Reds will miss seeing Tim Lincecum when they face the Giants. Lincecum - the two-time defending Cy Young award winner - is having a down year for his standards, but I'm sure the Reds' batters are just fine with missing his turn in the rotation.

It has gotten lost in the shuffle to some extent, but Reds first-year pitching coach Bryan Price has done a solid job this season. (Or perhaps Dick Pole was just so bad that anyone looks great in comparison. But I digress.)

And when I say "first-year pitching coach" I mean with the Reds. Price has plenty of experience in the field as he was the Seattle Mariners' pitching coach from 2001-06. He then had the same gig with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2007-09, but resigned on May 7, '09, in an act of solidarity to manager Bob Melvin who was fired and replaced by A.J. Hinch.

Price, obviously not afraid to speak his mind or make bold decisions, said Hinch was "not qualified" to be a Major League manager when he resigned. I love non-politically-correct people in a very PC world.

The Reds gobbled him up on Oct. 17, 2009 and it's paying big dividends. Yes, he has a lot of talent to work with, but the 48-year-old Price is getting the most out of his young guns. Plus, the one veteran in the current rotation, Bronson Arroyo, is on his way to a career year.

Price was never a big league pitcher, but he did pitch five seasons in the minors. He has a no-nonsense approach, but he's not too over-the-top with his pitchers. He's direct without being condescending. I've heard Reds pitchers say this year he knows how to build confidence, not tear it down. Overall, I just think he was a nice pickup in the offense, one that I haven't heard many people talk or write about.