High & Inside: NL Notes

Even at this late state, the Reds' plans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pete Rose's record 4,192d career hit remains a mystery.

The hit, a line drive on Sept. 11, 1985, against the Padres which surpassed Ty Cobb's career record, came four years before Rose accepted a lifetime ban for betting on baseball. Although Rose will be allowed on the field before Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, and a video tribute will be screened, and some of Rose's teammates from the Big Red Machine era will be on hand, the whole affair has the feel of a quiet embarrassment.

The Reds' web site advises fans to come to Great American Ball Park about 40 minutes before the game starts and says very little about what to expect. To quote their site: "Much of the Reds' plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pete Rose becoming baseball's hit king remain under wraps . . ."

Like we said, it just has the air of a mandatory but distasteful obligation.

Over the last few weeks, Washington centerfielder Nyjer Morgan has become High & Inside's favorite train wreck. We know he's going to implode or explode, and we keep our peepers peeled to see which one it will be.

Morgan's spiral began at Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 21, when he threw at fans he had been jawing with but instead beaned a bystander who had been seated nine rows back in left-center field. It was downhill from then on. There was his plowing into Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson a week later, even though Anderson didn't have possession of the ball and was nowhere near the plate; using inappropriate language toward fans at Sun Life Stadium; and having a physical altercation with Marlins righthander Chris Volstad.

We realize we should have added an "allegedly" here and there, but there's plenty of video showing the stuff.

Morgan, who is appealing two suspensions totaling 15 games in the incidents, met with Major League Baseball on Friday. No decisions were announced, so Morgan has to wait a little longer before he finds out how hard baseball is going to come down on him.

Ordinarily, baseball from the West Coast leaves us unfulfilled. To our thinking, out of sight, out of mind. But this bulletin, which moved in the wee hours, caught our eye: The Giants pounded the Padres, 7-3, Thursday night to pull within one game of the suddenly vulnerable division leaders. Why did we care? That race has an impact on the Phillies' postseason fortunes, and the Giants won on the strength of four home runs - one from former local fave Pat Burrell.

Mets ace Johan Santana (11-9, 2.98 ERA) will have season-ending surgery to repair a tear in his left shoulder. The four-time all-star has what the team is calling a tear in the anterior capsule, close to the pectoral muscle. . . . Sources say the Diamondbacks are interested in former Padres honcho Kevin Towers becoming their next general manager. The Padres were paying Towers nearly $2 million per year when they fired him last October. The Diamondbacks still have a financial obligation to their previous GM, Josh Byrnes, who is under contract through 2015 and had a small ownership stake in the club.