Cincinnati Reds

AFTER EIGHT seasons in the minor leagues with three organizations and a stint in the Atlantic League, Mike Costanzo has finally made it to the major leagues. Costanzo, an Archbishop Carroll product from Glen Mills and former Phillies second-round pick, was called up by the Cincinnati Reds from Triple A Louisville on Saturday and added to the active roster when Scott Rolen was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Costanzo, 28, had never played in a big-league game before Sunday.

JOEY VOTTO hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for his third home run of the game, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a rain-delayed, 9-6 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday. Votto hit solo homers in his first two at-bats and finished a big day with his second career slam with two outs in the ninth. Giancarlo Stanton also hit a game-ending slam Sunday for Miami against the New York Mets, making it the first time in 14 years that there were two walkoff slams on 1 day. Mo Vaughn connected for Boston and Steve Finley for San Diego on April 10, 1998.

Here's how the Phillies' Big Three starters did in the National League division series sweep (4-0, 7-4, 2-0) over the Cincinnati Reds.   1    Roy Halladay (W)      9      0      0      8      1      0.00 2   Roy Oswalt   (ND)      5      5      4/3   5      1      5.40 3   Cole Hamels (W)      9      5      0      9      0      0.00

Deion Sanders was back with the Cincinnati Reds - for a day. Sanders visited his former teammates yesterday before a game against the Atlanta Braves, whom Sanders also played for from 1991 to '94. Sanders was traded to San Francisco July 21. The former two-sport star helped the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl last season. Reds general manager Jim Bowden spoke to Sanders about a contract yesterday, but Sanders said he would not play baseball this year. "Trust me, Jim gave me his best one," Sanders said.

The Phillies and Eagles were honored last night at ESPN's annual ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. Phillies ace righthander Roy Halladay, who went 21-10 last year and led the Phillies to the postseason, was named the Best MLB Player. Halladay also won for the Best Moment, for the no-hitter he threw on Oct. 6 as the Phillies blanked the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The Eagles' 38-31 victory over the New York Giants on Dec. 19 won the ESPY for Best Game.

Pete Rose never expected baseballs bearing his autograph and a printed apology for betting on baseball to be sold publicly, his business agent said. A New Jersey auction house plans to put 30 such balls up for bid in April, unsure how much they'll fetch. The baseballs belonged to a memorabilia collector who died last December. Baseball's banished hits king signed the baseballs for some of his friends about a year ago, but didn't want them put up for sale, according to business agent Warren Greene.

It didn't take Charlie Hustle long to cash in on his latest controversy. Disgraced hit king Pete Rose is already selling balls signed, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" on the Internet - at $300 a pop. On Monday, the New York Daily News revealed that such balls signed by Rose were going to be auctioned. On Tuesday, Rose said he signed the balls for private collectors and never expected to see them on the open market. By yesterday, he was hawking a new batch of the balls on his Web site, for $299, plus $4.99 shipping and handling.

Davey Johnson, who led the New York Mets to a 1986 World Series victory, was named manager of a U.S. baseball team that will compete in baseball's World Cup next month. Johnson, 62, has a career managerial record of 1,148-888 during 14 seasons with the Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers. He last managed a major-league club five years ago. Major-league players are not eligible to compete in the event, sponsored by the International Baseball Federation.

Shortstop Barry Larkin, a 12-time All-Star who spent his entire 19-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, has retired and joined the Washington Nationals in their front office as a special assistant. "I just felt it was time," Larkin said when reached yesterday at his home in Orlando, Fla. "I had some opportunities with other teams to play, but I didn't feel that I could make the commitment as a player with another team. " The Reds, his hometown team, had rejected his overtures to return for a 20th season, deciding to turn the position over to younger players.

Marge Schott might be right when she says people are trying to force her out. Only it's not someone who wants to buy the Cincinnati Reds, it's other owners and top baseball officials. Acting commissioner Bud Selig and National League president Len Coleman prefer that Schott step back from day-to-day operation of the Reds, two high-ranking baseball officials said this week, speaking on condition they not be identified. Officials can act under rules protecting the "best interests" of baseball.

JOEY VOTTO hit a grand slam in the ninth inning for his third home run of the game, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to a rain-delayed, 9-6 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday. Votto hit solo homers in his first two at-bats and finished a big day with his second career slam with two outs in the ninth. Giancarlo Stanton also hit a game-ending slam Sunday for Miami against the New York Mets, making it the first time in 14 years that there were two walkoff slams on 1 day. Mo Vaughn connected for Boston and Steve Finley for San Diego on April 10, 1998.

AFTER EIGHT seasons in the minor leagues with three organizations and a stint in the Atlantic League, Mike Costanzo has finally made it to the major leagues. Costanzo, an Archbishop Carroll product from Glen Mills and former Phillies second-round pick, was called up by the Cincinnati Reds from Triple A Louisville on Saturday and added to the active roster when Scott Rolen was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Costanzo, 28, had never played in a big-league game before Sunday.

A STAR THIRD baseman most of his career, 37-year-old Scott Rolen made a big impact in a rare pinch-hitting appearance. Rolen drove in the winning run in the ninth inning with a sharp infield single that third baseman Hanley Ramirez failed to handle, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins. Pinch-hitting is often thought of as a niche for marginal players who can adapt to the demands of the role. Rolen, a seven-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner, looked just fine in it. "It's certainly not easy," said Rolen, now 8-for-18 as a pinch-hitter in his career.

'WE JUST need Doc to go out and be Doc," Ryan Howard was saying the other night. "We don't need him to go out and be any more than that. Just be himself, the way he's been all year long. " Ah, yes, that might be a problem. Because Roy Halladay doesn't have to face the National League's best offense all year long. He doesn't always match up against a red-hot team and their own Cy Young Award-winning ace, hasn't ever had to pitch against his best friend even in a July game never mind this one, a deciding Game 5 of the National League Division Series.

CINCINNATI - The bigger picture, Charlie Manuel often says, is something he'd rather not think about. He'll accuse those around baseball of overthinking those simple principles the Phillies manager holds true to his heart. Invariably, a chat with Manuel leads to another repetition of his doctrine: The top priority - always - is to win that day. "There's a lot of teams looking down the road," Manuel said. "There's a lot of people in a lot of organizations saying, 'We've got it made, we're in.' And they're backing off. You didn't get there by backing off. " The Phillies did just that and still won Monday.

CINCINNATI - The bigger picture, Charlie Manuel often says, is something he'd rather not think about. He'll accuse those around baseball of over thinking those simple principles the Phillies manager holds true to his heart. Invariably, a chat with Manuel leads to another repetition of his doctrine: The top priority, always, is to win that day. "There's a lot of teams looking down the road," Manuel said. "There's a lot of people in a lot of organizations saying, 'We've got it made, we're in.' And they're backing off. You didn't get there by backing off. " The Phillies did just that and still won Monday.

DAILY NEWS WIRE SERVICES Drew Stubbs led off the ninth with a first-pitch homer, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves last night and their first set of back-to-back victories in more than 5 weeks. The defending NL Central champions hadn't won consecutive games since June 14-15. Stubbs went the opposite way, to rightfield, on the first offering from Scott Linebrink (3-2), completing the Reds' all-power night. Brandon Phillips hit a two-run homer, and Miguel Cairo added a solo shot off rookie Brandon Beachy, giving Cincinnati a 3-0 lead.

CINCINNATI - Edgar Renteria replaced injured shortstop Zack Cozart and drove in three runs Saturday, rallying the Cincinnati Reds to an 11-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Cozart hyperextended his left elbow while trying to make a tag in the fourth inning, getting Renteria off the bench. His two-run double off Derek Lowe (6-8) started a three-run rally in the sixth inning that put the Reds ahead. Brandon Phillips had a pair of run-scoring doubles, and Todd Frazier doubled with the bases loaded as Cincinnati pulled away.

CINCINNATI - Dan Uggla's first career pinch-hit home run lifted the Atlanta Braves to a 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night. Uggla, who missed the last two starts with a strained left calf, batted with two outs in the ninth inning for reliever Jonny Venters (5-1) with Alex Gonzalez on second base. He lofted a 3-2 pitch from Nick Masset (1-4) 402 feet into the right-center-field seats for the go-ahead runs. Braves 6, Reds 4 Atlanta 000 201 102 – 6 12 0 Cincinnati 100 003 000 – 4 5 0 Atlanta AB   R   H   BI   BB   SO   Avg.      Prado 3b 5   1   3   1   0   0   .281    Heyward rf 5   1   1   1   0   1   .228    McCann c 3   2   1   1   1   1   .310    Freeman 1b 3   0   1   0   1   0   .280    Hinske lf 4   0   2   0   0   0   .260    Kimbrel p 0   0   0   0   0   0   ---    Ale.Gonzalez ss 4   1   2   1   0   0   .227    Conrad 2b 3   0   0   0   0   1   .231    McLouth cf-lf 4   0   0   0   0   0   .221    Jurrjens p 2   0   1   0   0   0   .105    a-W.Ramirez ph 1   0   0   0   0   1   .286    Linebrink p 0   0   0   0   0   0   ---    Venters p 0   0   0   0   0   0   ---   ...

Dan Uggla was a last resort for the Atlanta Braves. He ended up having the game's biggest hit. Uggla's first career pinch-hit home run lifted the Braves to a 6-4 win over the host Cincinnati Reds last night. Uggla, who missed the last two starts with a strained left calf, batted with two outs in the ninth inning for reliever Jonny Venters (5-1) with Alex Gonzalez on second base. He lofted a 3-2 pitch from Nick Masset (1-4) 402 feet into the right-centerfield seats for the go-ahead runs.