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Not many baseball players have autographed baseballs from former President Bill Clinton, but Dragons' catcher Jason Bour does.

"My dad's in the Secret Service," Bour said. "When Clinton was inaugurated (in 1993), he drove the limo for him. I was just a kid (6 at the time), but it was a pretty big deal. The only thing I remember is it was on television. It was one of the highlights of my dad's career, for sure."

Being in the Secret Service had other perks as well. For instance, Bour remembers several Easter Egg rolls on the South Lawn of the White House, and then there was that meeting with Clinton in the Oval Office.

"I was probably 8 or 9," Bour said. "My brother and I got him to sign baseballs for us. He's a real nice guy. No, we didn't play with the baseballs. They're in our basement back home."

Bour said he also met former President George H.W. Bush, but didn't get a signed baseball.

Strike 1 good place to start

Pitching coach Doug Bair has been impressed all season with his pitching staff, and said one of the reasons is his pitchers can throw strikes.

"If they do that," Bair said, "they can learn how to pitch."

Bair also noted that not every pitch that's hit is a bad pitch to throw.

Earlier in the season, reliever-turned-starter Enerio Del Rosario was tagged for a two-run homer at Beloit, his first runs allowed on the season.

"He didn't mess up," Bair said of Del Rosario. "He threw a change up and the guy hit it and hit it good. That happens. Those guys are getting paid to hit, too."

Valiquette figures it out

Left-handed pitcher Philippe Valiquette has been a part of the Dragons so long, it would seem he qualifies as a Dayton resident.

Hard to believe he's only 21 years old, and that's exactly why the parent Reds have tried to be patient with the Montreal native.

Valiquette was a seventh-round draft pick in 2004 as a 17-year old, and he showed his youth with a 2-5 record and 6.30 ERA in 2005 with the Dragons, his first season in pro ball. He even had to be shipped out for a few games to rookie Billings, where he didn't do much better.

In 2006, Valiquette was 2-4 with the Dragons with a 7.54 ERA and abruptly left the team during the season, citing problems at home. His problem was he didn't like it here.

"I don't know if it was only because I was young," Valiquette said. "I also didn't get along with the pitching coach (Larry Pierson). I couldn't figure out how to be consistent. I was home and had some stuff to do and started a small supplement store with some friends."

By September, Valiquette began thinking of baseball again, and the Reds were happy to give him another chance. He went to the Instructional League, developed a slider and attended spring training late last season.

At first, he was assigned to Billings, where he was 3-1 with a 1.77 ERA. That earned a promotion back to Dayton, but with similar results — 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA.

So far this season, it has been a little different. Through eight appearances in relief over 12 2/3 innings, Valiquette shows a 2.84 ERA and some poise on the mound.

"I'm happy," Valiquette said. "But I don't take anything for granted. I still have things to work on."

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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