"Brandon Phillips knows the boo birds will be serenading him this weekend in St. Louis, where the Reds start a six-game road trip tonight.

"Of course they're going to boo me. I love it," Phillips said. "They can boo me all they want. It's not going to make me not get any hits or anything like that."

Phillips smiled frequently when asked about the Cardinals, who have become the Reds' chief NL Central rival. Fans are still trading Internet barbs about the bench-clearing brawl in Cincinnati last August, with the fight following some incendiary comments Phillips made about the Cardinals.

Phillips was booed heavily when the Reds made their first trip to St. Louis after the brawl last Sept. 3-5 in St. Louis.

He expects things to be no different now.

"Honestly, (the boos) will make me feel good, because it lets me further know that they have dreams about me," Phillips said. "It's like, 'Oh my God, Brandon Phillips is coming to St. Louis.' It feels good, to let me know they think about me instead of worrying about the team."

The Reds and Cardinals dueled for the division championship for most of 2010. The Cardinals won the season series 12-6 but the Reds laughed last, winning the title by five games.

This year, both teams are 10-9 and tied for first place in the division. And the sideshows continue to make news.

There was the spring training incident when Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes, according to one report, sang in celebration of a season-ending elbow injury to Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright. Gomes strongly denied the report, saying he would never wish injury on another player."