Dat Dude Is Really Excited Brother

Brandon Phillips was excited about the first game of the day against the San Diego Padres.  He was so excited he put on the wrong pants, the road grays instead of the home whites.

What could make a major league player so excited about a spring training exhibition game in mid March?

Phillips is in the lineup batting leadoff and playing secondbase.  There is nothing unusual there.  Clayton Richard is pitching for San Diego.  He's faced him before.

Since the Reds are playing two games today with a night game scheduled against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team is bringing some minor leaguers over to play the later innings.

PJ Phillips

One of them, five years younger than Brandon is his brother PJ.

"It's going to be fun.  I'm going to stay for the whole game," Phillips said.  Normally players exit the field at Goodyear Ballpark through the rightfield door to catch shuttle buses back to the Reds clubhouse a mile down the road.

"I was thinking about it all day," Phillips said.  "My parents are going to be very excited."

What Phillips does not know now is that he will be in the game at the same time.  It has never happened before.  Since there is five years between them they have never played with or against each other before.

"The closest we came is a video game, when PJ created himself," Phillips said with his huge trademark smile.

It was just an accident.  Dusty Baker was not aware that it was Phillips brother until told by two members of the media.  The members of the media also told Baker that he would like to be in the game at the same time.
"He's got it then," Baker said without hesitation.

PJ (Patrick James) Phillips was drafted by the Angels in 2nd round of the 2005 draft. He has never made it past A ball.  As of now he is on the Louisville roster but that could change when players are reassigned from major league camp next week.

PJ has played shortstop, thirdbase and secondbase in the infield and all three outfield positions.  Centerfield is checked off on his name on the roster posted in the clubhouse.  His best season for batting average was .278 at Rancho Cucamonga in 2008.  His career high of 13 home runs was at Cedar Rapids in 2007.

The Phillips boys didn't get all of the athletic genes.

Porsha Phillips

Phillips sister Porsha played basketball at Georgia.  She was a member of the Georgia team that played at Xavier two years ago.  Porsha plays for San Antonio of the WNBA and also played in Israel.

"She really liked it there," Phillips said.  "It was a great experience for her.  It was the first time she had ever played year- round basketball."

The Reds are not new to brother acts.  During Jim Bowden's Barnum and Bailey era the Reds played a game in which Aaron Boone, Bret Boone, Barry Larkin and Stephen Larkin all started in the same infield on September 27, 1998.