CINCINNATI (AP) -- The sweaty crowd is on its feet. Bronson Arroyo is deep in concentration as he swivels his head and shoots a glance over his right shoulder.

Checking a baserunner? Nope.

The Cincinnati Reds pitcher is checking with his saxophone player. On this night, he has traded the mound for another sort of stage.

Bathed in red and yellow spotlights in an old theater, Arroyo and a group of musicians from Los Angeles and Boston are putting on a benefit concert for the Reds' community fund. A self-taught acoustic guitar player with a pleasant baritone is the main attraction.

A lot of entertainers like to hang out with players, dreaming of digging in and taking a few cuts against the game's best. A lot of athletes like to hang around entertainers, daydreaming about what it's like to take center stage.

Arroyo is that rare crossover -- he does both.

"I'm not a great guitar player, but I can strum the chords, I can keep a beat and hopefully I'm singing on key," Arroyo said before a game last weekend. "There's a lot of guys who play the guitar a little bit, there's a lot of guys who sing. But there's not many guys who can sit on a stage in front of a thousand people with an acoustic guitar and entertain for an hour."

There's no boast in his tone. The 29-year-old pitcher is well aware of his stage limitations -- he's never had a music lesson, never had a coach to help him expand his vocal range. Music is a hobby, one that taps into a different part of his creativity and challenges him in a way that pitching cannot.

Think it's tough facing Albert Pujols? Try looking into the eyes of fans who have paid money to be entertained.

"I don't necessarily need the feedback from the fans in the stadium because I'm so locked in on the baseball game," Arroyo said. "When you're playing the music, you're not just locked into the music. You want to get everyone's reaction and see if they enjoy it.

"I'm more nervous musically. I want the approval of the crowd. In baseball, you don't necessarily need the approval of the crowd. You need to get outs."

The lanky pitcher has gotten plenty of those since he came to the Reds in a spring training trade with Boston, where his musical career got its start after the Red Sox won the World Series two years ago.

He released a CD in July 2005 titled "Covering the Bases," a collection of tunes from groups such as Pearl Jam and the Goo Goo Dolls. It became a hit in New England, and he gave about a dozen performances.

Arroyo never had much involvement with music. His grandmother -- a violin, cello and piano teacher -- tried to get him to take up the violin at age 4. He hated it.

He listened to his father's music -- the Beatles, the Mamas and the Papas -- while lifting weights with him. Arroyo liked it, but it never moved his soul. It wasn't until he heard Pearl Jam while in high school that his interest stirred.

Arroyo won 15 games for Double-A Altoona in 1999, and spent time listening to the clubhouse manager play his guitar. The team's assistant general manager noticed his interest and gave him an old Yamaha.

The strings of the guitar fit his hand as comfortably as the seams of a baseball. Soon, he was singing for teammates and friends. The guitar went with him everywhere, and got a workout every day.

Something about performing attracts athletes, just as something about the games intrigues entertainers.

"We think that standing on a stage and playing for 30,000 people in an arena and singing is just the most unbelievable thing you could ever imagine," Arroyo said.

"And (Pearl Jam's) Eddie Vedder sits in the stands at Wrigley Field and says, 'Man, if I could just stand on the mound, or stand at the plate and have an at-bat, that would be the greatest thing."'

Arroyo, who is 8-3 this year with a 2.51 ERA, finds the stage a much tougher venue. Performers have to connect with the audience, letting some of their soul show. By contrast, athletes are trained to keep their emotions in check.

Writing songs is another matter. Arroyo's life and career have been so good there's not much angst to tap.

"I have nothing to complain about," he said. "So it's like I'm trying to write a Pearl Jam song and it keeps coming out Jimmy Buffett."

He would like to do more performances, but that depends upon the public demand.

"I know I'm always going to do something in music, even if it's sitting with 25 people in my hometown and strumming a guitar," he said. "It's the only thing I've ever had in my life that I can't put down."
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