Let's hear it for miracles. Let's hear it for sliders so slow, they fly like two broken wings. “Break the speed limit” was what Barry Bonds yelled to Jose Rijo in the sixth inning Saturday. Bonds wasn't exaggerating. You could time Rijo's pitches with a sundial.

        What a lousy day for a ballgame. What a crummy, runny-nosed matinee. This column was going to be about the Reds' attendance problems. But when 22,616 stout souls showed up on this Edgar Allan Poe afternoon, to watch Cincinnati win its seventh straight, the case against apathy was hard to make.

        Management is concerned about attendance; it shouldn't be surprised. When you're paying your players $2 million less now than you did seven years ago — while jacking the cost of a premium seat from $11.50 to $32 — did you think no one would notice?

        But we digress.

Jose Rijo can't hit 90 mph anymore, but no one has been hitting him at 70 mph. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Jose Rijo could pitch like this for awhile. He has gone from long shot to curiosity to novelty to fixture. The next miracle would come if Rijo didn't take his next turn in the starting rotation.

        When you are young and think you know everything, you throw as hard as you can as often as you can, and you sometimes end up like Rob Dibble, your pitching arm as dead as a Friday fish.

        When you are older and know more, you adjust, and this is what Jose Rijo has done. Rijo used to throw a 90 mph slider that was unhittable. Now, he throws one 70 mph that they hit to somebody.

        Rijo pitched six innings Saturday. He had the San Francisco Giants lunging for five of them. “You can't time him,” catcher Corky Miller said. “He changes speeds too well.” Rijo left 'em swingin' in the rain. Ol' Man Rijo, rolling.

        There is more than one way to get hitters out. The old Rijo blew them away. The new Rijo, the almost-37-year-old, bionic elbow Miracle Man — kills them softly. Rijo threw 72 pitches. Two were fastballs, if that's what you want to call them. “Ninety?” miles an hour, Miller said. “No, I don't think he throws anything ninety.”

        Rijo can keep doing this, every fifth day, working five or six innings, as long as he puts the ball where he wants it. He can be the Reds' version of Greg Maddux. His brain can do some of what his arm used to do.

Heart will hold up

        “He's throwing pitches in situations where you think, he's not going to throw that pitch” was how Barry Larkin put it. “By the time you catch up to him, it's the sixth or seventh inning, and here you go, bullpen.”

        Why not remove the Miracle Man label from Rijo and start taking him seriously as an effective starter? As Miller said, “As long as his body holds up, he'll be fine. Because his mind and his heart will hold up forever.”

        Rijo's mere presence is worth a roster spot. The man glows. He puts a shine on everyone he sees. If he can throw 75-80 softballs every fifth day and keep the Reds in games, the miracle will meld into legend.

        “You never know,” Larkin said. “Let's ride it out as long as we can.”

        If the Reds are lucky, Rijo's ride will be slow and sweet. Just like his slider.

        E-mail: pdaugherty@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/daugherty.

Rijo, Reds win again Reds box, runs Rijo's return 'a miracle,' but so is rest of his story SULLIVAN: Rijo enjoying it while arm lasts DAUGHERTY: Rijo keeps 'em guessing Reds Notebook: Chemistry, fun abound Reds swing well in rain Reds Minor League Report Reds Q&A with John Fay Reds Chatter Boston's Lowe gets season's first no-hitter Mariners 1, Yankees 0 Angels 11, Blue Jays 4 Rangers 4, Indians 2

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