Game 1: Pirates 13, Reds 1, NCAA talk

Pirates won the first game of the day-night, away-home, split-squad doubleheader 13-1 in Bradenton.

Kirk Saarloos, Mike Stanton and Paul Wilson got lit up. Saarloos gave up five runs on seven hits in four innings. Stanton gave up four runs on five hits in the one inning. And Wilson allowed four runs on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Saarloos gave up a three-run bomb to Humberto Cota.

Wind was blowing out at 10 mph to center. But Saarloos' and Wilson's outing cannot bode well for their chances in the Fifth Starter Sweepstakes. Wilson has an 8.71 ERA this spring. The Reds had six hits. Jay Bruce had one of them in two at-bats.

Most impressive stat: Time of the game, 2:32.

I'm in an NCAA vacuum here. Haven't seen much more than bits and pieces of the NCAA Tourney on the clubhouse sets. But my friend, Dude, sends this along: "Seems like, no in all actuality, there is a Chevy commercial featuring John C. Mellencamp during every break. This is ooouurrr country."

My guess is my buddy, Harley, took a beating in Vegas on Bob Knight's early departure. Went to Vegas for the first weekend of the NCAA's the year before I took this beat. It's an expereince like no other. It's wild to watch big ballrooms of people hang on every play at the end of a 18-point game. A good run at the craps table on the trip earned me the nickname squirrel from the afroementioned Harley.

Hopefully, we get 2:30 game tonight and I'll be able to catch most of the Xavier game.