[Stardust]

The Reds’ business side, which has already extended the bounds of Opening Day to include Opening Night, has now added a high school baseball extravaganza.

The 50-team, 25-game, 10-day, five-site event will culminate with these same prep players from both sides of the Ohio River being invited onto the field at Great American Ball Park to hang out with the participants in the April 3 Futures Game (Reds major leaguers vs. the best of the Reds minor leaguers), which also is new to this year’s Opening Week program.

The prep event, known as the Reds Futures High School Showcase, runs from Saturday, March 24, through Monday, April 2.

“If this can get close to the way the (high school) crosstown shootout is with football, we’re onto something,” said Ray Hamilton, coach of Ohio defending state champion Lakota East.

Simon Kenton High School in Independence will host four games on April 2. The next day, April 3, is the Futures Game at Great American Ball Park, featuring the Reds big club vs. the minor leaguers.

Two days after that – Thursday, April 5 – is Opening Day. Two days after that – Saturday, April 7 – is Opening Night.

Simon Kenton coach Troy Roberts said he is eager to show off his school’s athletic facilities in the showcase event.

“I would definitely like to thank the Reds for this event,” Roberts said. “It’s something a lot of people have talked about doing for a number of years, but it’s never come together . . . We’re going to do our best to showcase some of the best baseball in Northern Kentucky.”

The Reds’ Big Club vs. Minor Leaguers game will be preceded by two hours of batting practice and fielding drills open to everybody with a ticket for the 7 p.m. game.

Former Reds second baseman Doug Flynn will emcee the event on the field. Certain players will be miked, and they will be interviewed, as will Reds manager Dusty Baker, who knows everybody on the field. Those interviews will be shown on the videoboard.

Among the Reds minor league stars who will be playing for the Futures team are: infielders Billy Hamilton, Didi Gregorius and Neftali Soto; outfielders Denis Phipps, Donald Lutz and Ryan LaMarre; pitchers Daniel Corcino and Robert Stephenson, and catcher Tucker Barnhart.The Reds are capitalizing on the uniqueness of Opening Day in Cincinnati by establishing the Futures Game and the high school showcase.

“We want to make it almost like an Opening Week,” said Karen Forgus, Reds senior vice president of business operations. “We want to make (the April 3 Futures Game) like an open house . . .”

Steve Castator, athletic director at Clark Montessori, said he waited for the press conference to be held before going back to school to tell “16 to 17 young men that they are going to participate in a showcase event . . . I’m looking forward to seeing their faces light up.

“Baseball sometimes gets overlooked in this part of the country because of the weather issues,” he said. “But we have some of the best high school baseball in the Midwest, if not the country.”http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...303060114/

[Stardust]

This was a neat event. I attended this at the HOF. Nicely done. Our team will be participating in the SK games.