It took all of 24 hours for the Next Big Thing in Cincinnati sports to join the Still Very Big Thing on the same stage Wednesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
Can Elly De La Cruz joining Joe Burrow and his pineapple in some Kroger ads be far behind?
“Of course,” Burrow said. “That’d be fun.”
Count the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback among the multitudes of Cincinnati Reds fans impressed, and maybe a little gobsmacked, by the electrifying debut Tuesday night of Reds shortstop De La Cruz, MLB’s top prospect.
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“He was exciting to watch yesterday,” said Burrow after launching several baseballs into the left-field bleachers as he and Bengals teammates took time out from OTAs a few blocks away to go to GABP and take some batting practice while hanging with the Reds.
Joe Burrow takes batting practice with the Reds: WATCH
“You could see how he energized the crowd and energized the city,” said Burrow, who took a moment to briefly meet the young shortstop.
“It’s an exciting time for Cincinnati sports,” Burrow said, “with us, the Reds coming up, and also FC Cincinnati. It’s energizing the city. It’s exciting.”
Who better to assess such things than Burrow, the No. 1 draft pick, hometown star and Super Bowl quarterback in his second NFL season?
“If you’re winning and you’re playing well and it’s energizing the city, the city’s going to love you,” said the city’s highest profile sports figure, “and give it back to you.”
Don’t look now, Mr. De La Cruz, but you and your boys appear to be on the clock.
So about that World Series…
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Joe Burrow takes batting practice with Reds, talks Elly De La Cruz