King Tweet on the Bench for Reds

If twitter.com is clogged today it is because Brandon Phillips is not in the lineup.

Phillips was hit flush on his left ulnar bone (elbow) with an off speed pitch by Esmil Rogers on Tuesday.  He is expected to miss five days.

"I tried to run yesterday but couldn't get my arm up," Phillips said.  "They wanted me to take a cortisone shot but I said, 'hell no', if they have to stick me to play, it's just more reason I shouldn't be playing."

Phillips hates the bench and his teammates hate it when he's on the bench.

"I don't know what to do with myself," Phillips said.  "I'm always talking to people and bothering them.  My guys, umpires, the other team, I'm yaking to everybody.  They tell me BP, get off the bench go to the clubhouse, go tweet or something."

Phillips is popular on twitter.  He tweets all the time and when he is idle, he is even more into it.

"My twitter fans are sending me things," said Phillips as he pulled out a mug with Snoopy on it that read "Get Well".  "My twitter fans love me.  When Ocho Cinco was here I was the Prince of Cincinnati.  Now that he's gone, someone had to assume the throne."

It was suggested that he is now "King Twitter"  "King Twitter, yes," Phillips agreed.

Phillips was going to have his mother and father come in for the weekend but since he's not playing they did not come.

"If I had listened to my mother I wouldn't have gotten hit," said Phillips, who was playing Tuesday after missing to games with a strained right ankle.  "Dusty came to me and asked "B" can you go today?  I said sure. I didn't want to drive my teammates nuts and I love to play.  Then I got a tweet from my mom, 'what is your butt doing out there?' I told her, 'mom I can't help it.' "