Sports are supposed to help take America's collective mind off last week's terrorist attacks. That might be asking too much. But the fans had a little fun Tuesday night at Cinergy Field when the Reds returned to baseball after a week off.

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Brady Clark (right) is congratulated by Danny Graves and Sean Casey after his game-winning hit. (Brandi Stafford photos) 600 | 800 | 1024

        That's because the Reds rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-5 before a crowd of 21,304.

        “The whole night was awesome,” Reds first baseman Sean Casey said. “Everything about it. The "Star Spangled Banner.' "God Bless America' in the seventh inning. Baseball's been on the back burner. It was nice for the people of America and Cincinnati to have something to take their mind off the tragedy for a while ... Us too.”

        Brady Clark was the hero. That's probably an inappropriate word to use, so let's just say he got the game-winning hit, a two-out, two-run pinch-hit single.

        “It got pretty emotional,” Clark said, “with the national anthem and the fans with all the flags. It put into perspective what this country's about. But baseball is the national pastime. Baseball is a way to get back to normalcy.”

        With the Reds trailing, 5-3, Casey started the ninth by coaxing a walk from hard-throwing Cubs reliever Kyle Farnsworth (4-5). Aaron Boone followed with a single. Dmitri Young also singled, scoring Casey. Wilton Guerrero advanced Boone and Young with a sacrifice bunt.

        A base hit would win it.

Elmer Dessens reacts after giving up a HR to Matt Stairs. | ZOOM |

        After Jason LaRue took a called third strike, Clark ended his 0-for-13 skid as a pinch-hitter with a single off Farnsworth to right field to win it.

        That ended a night that began with a moment of silence, followed by a rousing rendition of the national anthem by the Lindsey Wilson College Singers.

        “Best anthem of the year,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “That was the tough part of get through.”

        The crowd chanted “USA! USA! USA!” after the anthem.

        “I wanted to get in the stands and chant with them,” Casey said.

        But there was a game to be played. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the second against Reds starter Elmer Dessens. Matt Stairs hit one into the green seats above right field for his 15th home run.

        That didn't bode particularly well. Chicago starter Jon Lieber came into Tuesday 4-0 with a 0.93 ERA against the Reds this year.

        But the Reds broke through in the fifth. Adam Dunn blooped a double down the left-field line. Casey got him home with a single.

        The Reds took a 3-1 lead in the sixth on Todd Walker's two-run double that went to the wall in left-center.

        That ended Lieber's night.

Ken Griffey Jr. just misses a diving catch. | ZOOM |

        The Cubs tied the score in the seventh. Dessens gave up a leadoff double to former Red Michael Tucker. Bill Mueller singled. Dessens got Joe Girardi on strikes.

        Boone then brought on Scott Sullivan. He struck out pinch hitter Roosevelt Brown. But Eric Young followed with a double into the left-center gap to score two runs.

        The Reds should have gotten out of it right there. But Ricky Gutierrez's groundball went right off Aaron Boone's glove for an error. That brought Sammy Sosa to the plate. He singled to score Eric Young and put the Cubs up 4-3.

        The Cubs added a run off Danny Graves (6-4) in the ninth to make it 5-3.

        The Reds came in 2-9 against the Cubs this year. The Cubs are fighting for a playoff spot. So you figured it was over.

        But then the Reds came up with only their second walk-off win of the year.

        It was a nice diversion for a little while.

        “The American people have come together over this,” Casey said. “Our prayers are still with the people in New York and Washington and the firefighters.”

Reds 6, Cubs 5 SULLIVAN: Emotional rescue at ballpark Reds fans display patriotism New security plan clamps down on bag size Hamilton in; Reitsma, Reyes out Chest pains hospitalize Griffey Sr. Cubs miss Gordon in ninth Reds box, runs

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