Todd Frazier Back In The Big Leagues

(Note: There was no Hometown View on Monday, July 25)

It’s been an exciting few days for Toms River’s Todd Frazier, who was called up by the Cincinnati Reds on Friday and made his second major league start Monday night against the Mets at Great American Ballpark. The 25-year old former Toms River South and Rutgers University standout was at first base last night and went 1-4, beating out an infield single against Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. Frazier
started at third base Saturday for the Reds and delivered a three-run double in a win over the Braves…just missing a grand slam. Since coming up this weekend he is 3-9 in his second major league stint of the season and with a couple of regulars suffering from injuries it looks like Frazier will get more opportunities to contribute. He has also been mentioned as a player the Reds could use in a trade for a pitcher before the July 31st deadline.

Football fans can breathe a sigh of relief now that there is labor peace and it’s back to business in the NFL. This will be a wild week or two with training camps opening and teams deciding what to do with their free agent players as well as the hundreds of others that are now available. As to which side prevailed in the long, drawn-out labor dispute…does it really matter? Not to me and most fans who are just happy that the game has returned.

Will the Holbrook Little League of Jackson be the latest from Ocean County to advance to Bristol, Connecticut and possibly even Williamsport, Pennsylvania? We will find out beginning later this week when the District 18 and Section 3 champs begin play in the New Jersey State Tournament in Monroe Township. Holbrook will play Livingston American Friday night at 8pm following a game between Paramus and Erial. The survivor in the double-elimination tournament represents New Jersey in the Mid-Atlantic Regional’s next month in Bristol.
This is the first trip ever for the Holbrook 12-year olds to the state tournament.

We have terrific neighbors and last night several of them surprised my wife Jane and me by joining us for dinner at The Crab’s Claw Inn in Lavallette. We were planning on a quiet 30th anniversary dinner before basically being hijacked and it turned out to be a very enjoyable evening with our daughter Alex waiting on us. Food and service were both great as are our neighbors.