Rece Hinds shines in MLB debut, Abbott dominates as Reds defeat Rockies

WINNING ROAD TRIP. BARBARA DAVIDSON AND AUGUST DOLL ARE GEARING UP FOR A LONG HOLIDAY WEEKEND OF WORK. A MARRIED COUPLE WHOSE IDEA OF RETIREMENT REVOLVES AROUND BASEBALL, WLWT NEWS FIVE’S OLIVIA RAY SHARES THEIR STORY. ONLY A FEW OF BASEBALL’S FINEST CAN BE SPOTTED AT GREAT AMERICAN. FOUR HOURS BEFORE THE GATES OPEN. IT’S THE BIG LEAGUERS TAKING BP AND A COUPLE OF HEROES WHO ARE HITTING THEIR SECOND ACT OUT OF THE PARK, TUCKED AWAY IN THE DUGOUTS AT GREAT AMERICAN BALL PARK. BARBARA DAVIDSON IS FULFILLING ONE OF HER CHILDHOOD DREAMS IN A SENSE, I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE CINCINNATI REDS. GROWING UP IN CINCINNATI, I WAS 12 YEARS OLD AND I WANTED NOTHING MORE THAN TO GET A JOB ON THE GROUNDS CREW WITH THE CINCINNATI REDS. THAT WAS MY DREAM. NO GROUNDSKEEPING. BUT FOR THE LAST DECADE, SHE’S PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAMES. ALL WE DO IS WHAT’S CALLED HEADSET TECH, AND IT’S WITH THE REPLAY OPERATIONS THROUGH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO, WHY WE ARE IN THE DUGOUT, IS WE ACTUALLY ARE HANDLING ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS ON THE FIELD BETWEEN THE UMPIRES. BARTZ LOVE FOR AMERICA’S PASTIME FINALLY BROUGHT HER BACK TO HER HOMETOWN, BUT ONLY AFTER 30 YEARS OF SERVING HER COUNTRY. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE LIVING THERE AND WE RETIRED FROM THE ARMY RESERVES OUT OF MINNESOTA, AND THERE WAS AN OFFICE THAT WAS HELPING VETERANS FIND JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND IT GOT A MESSAGE THAT IT’S MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. AND I SAID, COUNT ME IN. I AM READY TO GO. BOTH OF US WERE PRIOR SIGNAL CORPS IN THE ARMY, AND THIS IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF BEING ABLE TO DO THE STUFF THAT YOU TOLD OTHER PEOPLE TO DO AND HAVE FUN WITH IT, AND IT JUST TURNED OUT TO BE A GIFT TO BE ABLE TO WORK FOR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, FOR RETIRED COLONEL BARBARA DAVIDSON AND HER HUSBAND, LIEUTENANT COLONEL AUGUST DOWELL, THE MILITARY IS A WAY OF LIFE, DEFINITELY MISSION. FIRST, IT’S IN THE MILITARY. IT’S ALWAYS MISSION. MISSION FIRST. SOLDIERS ALWAYS ME LAST. AND SO THE WHOLE THING IS GET THE SHOW ON THE AIR. THEIR SERVICE NEVER STOPS, EVEN IF THEIR NEW ROLE IN RETIREMENT IS A PART OF A DIFFERENT KIND OF TEAM. BASEBALL AND AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY. THEY GO HAND IN HAND, JUST LIKE BART AND AUGUST, A WONDERFUL PAIR WHOSE ARMY VALUES WILL NEVER FADE. AND NOW EVEN GAME DAYS ARE BETTER BECAUSE OF IT. THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR SERVICE. OLIV