Cincinnati Reds Fan

cheap pop

2009-03-11T23:01:00.001-04:00

cheap pop

2009-03-11T23:01:00.000-04:00

http://www.xcomment.com/g3/img/poster___boobs052708113237.gif

Vottolicious

2009-03-11T22:06:00.002-04:00

luv them reds

2009-03-11T21:38:00.001-04:00

Mascot chicken dance

2008-04-03T22:34:00.004-04:00

Spring Pics from Redwakeup

2008-03-21T08:04:00.004-04:00

Thanks for the pics from Redwakeup from Spring Training.

Reds, Royals make a deal

2008-03-19T18:23:00.001-04:00

The Reds traded relief pitcher Brad Salmon to the Kansas City Royals for a ptbnl or cash.

A Few Spring Notes

2008-03-19T10:25:00.004-04:00

As Spring Training draws towards the end with less than two weeks to go a few things are starting to round into shape for the Reds. Looks like Homer Bailey who has been inconsistent in his starts will begin the season in Louisville. Jay Bruce also appears to be headed that way though he’s had a good spring, not great, but good. Corey Patterson appears to have won the centerfield position at least to start the year, probably in a platoon with either Norris Hopper of Ryan Freel. With whoever is playing in center also being the leadoff hitter. Don’t be surprised though if Freel is traded before the team heads north.

On another front the Reds appear to be shopping for another catcher. With David Ross having back problems and the fact that he hit .203 last season this isn’t a bad idea. The trouble is that there is a lack of quality catchers in the game today so finding one may not be that easy. There are a couple of high priced catchers who may be available in Baltimore with Ramon Hernandez or San Francisco’s Bengie Molina. Downside is both come with huge price tags.

Back to Bailey, it appeared coming into camp he had the inside track into getting into the starting rotation. But with his struggles and the emergence of phenom Johnny Cueto along with offseason acquisition Edinson Volquez, Bailey and Matt Belisle shouldn’t be in the rotation to start the year. With Bailey at AAA if one of the starters struggle and if he can go down there and get his secondary pitches in order he should get the first call up if needed. Belisle on the other hand seems destined for long relief in the bullpen. While making 30 starts last year Belisle struggled at times posting an era of 5.32 picking up 8 wins.

One more of the Baby Reds who was highly thought of coming in was first baseman Joey Votto. With Scott Hatteberg still on the roster it was thought that Votto would have to have a great spring to make the ballclub. Even though Votto has struggled it appears that Dusty Baker is going to go with Votto at first with Hatteberg being on the bench, or possibly dealt.

My best guess at the way the team is going to shape up looks like this. Barring any unforeseen trades.

Starting Rotation

Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Edinson Volquez
Josh Fogg
Johnny Cueto

Bullpen

Matt Belisle
Bill Bray
Mike Stanton
Jeremy Affeldt
Todd Coffey
David Weathers
Francisco Cordero

Lineup

CF Corey Patterson
LF Adam Dunn
RF Jr.
First Joey Votto
Second Brandon Phillips
Shortstop Alex Gonzalez
Third Edwin Encarnacion
Catcher David Ross

Bench
Jose Valentin
Scott Hatteberg
Ryan Freel
Norris Hopper
Juan Castro

Starting Five Rounding into Shape

2008-03-16T23:25:00.003-04:00

Coming into Spring Training it looked like the starting rotation would be made up of Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, and Josh Fogg. But my oh my what a couple of weeks in March can do to change things. Right now it would be a safe bet that Harang, Arroyo, and Fogg are still in. Now here comes the didn't see that one coming part of Spring. Johnny Cueto has been lights out this Spring. He has quickly passed Bailey on the depth chart and looks like the real deal. Cueto has shown that seasoning at AAA may be as needed one more Yankee Red Sox game on national TV.

In the offseason the trade that sent Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers for Edison Volquez was not recieved well by the Reds fan base. Much the way the move that has been called "The Trade". Which was of course when a certain shortstop and outfielder who shall not be named were sent to the nations capital for some players that as of yet haven't really panned out. But now Volquez has turned as many Reds fans heads as Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Volquez has looked dominant as well this Spring. He has a power arm and his offspeed pitches are plus pitches.

Cueto along with Volquez appear to have made the rotation barring injury. Looking at it now the rotation going in to the season seems to be Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Volquez, and Fogg.

What about Homer? Well he hasn't had a very good Spring that goes without saying. It looks like he will be starting the season in AAA. Which in itself is actually a good thing. Not from the standpoint of his struggling but the fact that Wayne Krivsky has been able to add power arms that makes it possible not to rush Bailey. Last season from the word go fans were calling for Bailey to be brought up. Now if things stand status quo he will be allowed to work on what he needs to and not feel the pressure to come back to Cincinnati to be the staff savior. But don't give up on Homer yet. I still see a rotation including him not far in the distance.

Nothing to do with baseball but weird

2008-03-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

From MSNBC

Fused to a toilet? How? Huh?
Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2008 7:13 PM PT
By Diane Mapes

When I was a little kid and spent too long in the bathroom, someone would inevitably pound on the door asking if I’d fallen in. Perhaps they should have warned me that if I sat there too long, I might become stuck to the seat like that poor 35-year-old woman from Kansas.

According to news reports, Pam Babcock developed a phobia about leaving one of the bathrooms of the house she shared with boyfriend, Kory McFarren, so she took up residence in it, her boyfriend of 16 years bringing her meals, clothes, water, etc.

After two years, McFarren finally became concerned about his girlfriend’s behavior (she was conscious but starting to “act groggy”), so he called in authorities. Much to their shock, they discovered that the woman had actually become physically attached to the toilet seat.

“She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body,” Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple told reporters when the story broke. So stuck that they had to pry the seat off the base of the toilet with a crowbar and send it with her to the hospital where it was finally removed.

How could this happen?

“It’s analogous to a couple of things,” says Dr. Daniel Aires, director of the division of dermatology at the University of Kansas Hospital. “One of them would be a splinter. When someone gets a splinter in the skin, the skin grows around it. Another thing that’s similar is an earring or piece of large tribal jewelry, like you see people wearing now. The skin is very happy to grow around things – that’s a natural process.”

According to Sheriff Whipple, no one knows for sure how long Babcock had been sitting on the toilet before her skin became adhered to it, but he offered a rough guess.

“Our guess is probably three or four weeks,” he told msnbc.com. “She couldn’t even tell us how long she’d been actually seated. She really didn’t have any idea or concept of things like that. She was in terribly bad shape.”

Whipple said the woman, who he described as “very small, very petite,” appeared to have developed “bed sores” from sitting on the toilet seat for a prolonged amount of time and thought that her skin had become attached and grown around the seat as it tried to heal.

“Skin can heal and become accustomed to these situations very quickly,” said Aires, the dermatologist. “I’ve seen a case where someone became fused to a piece of white gauze bandage. The bandaged skin was injured and the skin grew into the gauze. And that took only about a week and a half.”

Cueto Impresses Again

2008-03-13T09:15:00.002-04:00

Coming into the Spring most fans expected that Homer would be the young gun making a name for himself. Impressing Dusty and looking like a lock for the rotation is no longer Bailey's domain but Cueto's. He looked great against the Phillies yesterday facing the middle of the order with Utley and Howard and still looking good. This kid looks like the lock and has definitely been impressing Dusty.

Cincinnati AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Hopper, LF 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .259
b-Anderson, Drew T., PH-LF 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 .464
Freel, DH 5 0 2 0 0 1 1 .286
Patterson, CF 3 1 2 0 0 0 1 .500
Rios, CF 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 .125
Dickerson, C, RF 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .231
a-Bruce, PH-RF 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 .296
Phillips, A, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .259
Rosales, 3B 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .261
Hatteberg, 1B 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 .400
c-Cabrera, PH-1B 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400
Keppinger, SS 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 .357
Janish, SS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .211
Hairston, 2B 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 .333
Green, 2B 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 .286
Colina, A, C 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .267
Tatum, C 2 1 1 2 0 0 1 .231
Totals 36 6 12 6 3 8 12

a-Struck out for Dickerson, C in the 6th. b-Grounded out for Hopper in the 7th. c-Grounded out for Hatteberg in the 8th.

BATTING
2B: Keppinger (1, Castro, F), Green (4, Condrey).
HR: Hairston (1, 3rd inning off Madson, 0 on, 0 out), Hatteberg (1, 4th inning off Castro, F, 1 on, 2 out), Tatum (1, 7th inning off Blackley, 1 on, 0 out).
TB: Hopper; Anderson, Drew T.; Freel 2; Patterson 2; Hatteberg 4; Keppinger 2; Hairston 4; Green 2; Colina, A; Tatum 4.
RBI: Hairston (2), Hatteberg 2 (4), Tatum 2 (4), Anderson, Drew T. (7).
2-out RBI: Hatteberg 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Hairston; Bruce.
GIDP: Hopper.
Team LOB: 6.

BASERUNNING
SB: Freel (1, 2nd base off Blackley/Ruiz).
CS: Patterson (1, 2nd base by Madson/Ruiz).

FIELDING
DP: 2 (Green-Keppinger-Hatteberg, Rosales-Cabrera).

Philadelphia AB R H RBI BB SO LOB AVG
Rollins, SS 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 .133
Dobbs, DH 4 0 2 1 0 1 1 .296
Utley, 2B 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 .214
Howard, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .382
Burrell, LF 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 .214
Jenkins, RF 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .171
Feliz, 3B 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 .281
Werth, CF 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 .190
Ruiz, C 2 1 1 0 1 1 1 .375
Totals 30 1 5 1 1 6 9

BATTING
TB: Rollins; Dobbs 2; Werth; Ruiz.
RBI: Dobbs (6).
2-out RBI: Dobbs.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Utley; Burrell.
GIDP: Howard.
Team LOB: 4.

FIELDING
Outfield assists: Werth (Hopper at 2nd base).
DP: (Feliz-Utley-Howard).

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Arroyo (W, 1-0) 4.0 3 1 1 0 3 0 1.50
Bray (H, 1) 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00
Cueto (S, 1) 4.0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1.00
Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Madson 3.0 3 1 1 1 2 1 2.57
Castro, F (L, 0-1) 2.0 5 2 2 0 0 1 5.14
Blackley 3.0 2 2 2 2 5 1 8.22
Condrey 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 0 4.91

HBP: Utley (by Cueto).
Ground outs-fly outs: Arroyo 4-5, Bray 0-2, Cueto 3-7, Madson 5-1, Castro, F 3-2, Blackley 4-0, Condrey 1-1.
Batters faced: Arroyo 15, Bray 4, Cueto 13, Madson 11, Castro, F 10, Blackley 13, Condrey 5.
Umpires: HP: Tom Hallion. 1B: Marty Foster. 2B: Phil Cuzzi. 3B: Andy Fletcher.
Weather: 64 degrees, clear.
Wind: 10 mph, In from CF.
T: 2:27.
Att: 9,316.

Box score official statistics approved by Major League Baseball Office of the Commissioner

Reds/Yankees March 10th

2008-03-10T22:12:00.004-04:00

Okay brief look. Bailey looked ordinary. Still throws a ton of pitches to get out of a few innings. May still need a bit more seasoning at AAA. But he's too talented to give up on. While Edison Volquez looked dominate. Four innings, seven strike outs and one run allowed. This guys gotta be a lock for the staff. Probably in the pen.

Edinson Volquez, Courtesty of CTR

2008-03-08T02:30:00.002-05:00

This guy is great

2008-03-06T11:26:00.001-05:00

I love this post. Directly copied from Channel 12 WBNG sports Brendan O'Rielly.

By Brendan O'Reilly
3/1/08

Dear ESPN,

Thanks so much for calling my cellphone repeatedly on Saturday.
Not sure how you got that number, but it sure was super to chat. Say hi to Neil Everett for me. He's awesome.

Any-who, just wanted to clear up a few things.

Yes, we are happy to share the video from Cornell clinching their Ivy League title. Hope you don't mind if we go ahead and worry about our show first though.

I know everyone loves the Sportscenter, with the zany commercials and all, but we're going to go ahead and edit our stuff first.
We're selfish that way.

Second, after I send you the video roughly 15 minutes after we get the tape back from Ithaca, feel free to call again and ask me to resend it because "the video quality isn't the best." No sweat. It's not like I mentioned we're a staff of 2 putting together a 30 minute show.

I'll keep your number for when I want a different angle on all the stuff you send to WBNG.

Third, when you run our video on all your shows, please find a font size roughly one pixel in height to show that it was shot by WBNG. We want people that have 60 inch monitors to have to squint to read it. That's the goal.

So in conclusion, it was just fantastic bending over backwards to get you video. It really was.
You didn't ask, but so you know it's a size XL for my sweatshirt, J-Ho looks like he might be a medium.
And is it cool if I list you as a reference? Thanks. Your pal,

Brendan

Check it out for yourself here.
http://www.wbng.com/sports/blog/16165072.html

Homer's gotta go. Right?

2008-03-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

When you hear the name Homer Bailey what is the first thing you think of? Savior, future ace, or overrated, not living up to the hype. Then my next question would be this. After 9 career starts covering 45.1 innings is that enough to make a decision on? If at your job your employment was reviewed after say three days and it was decided that well you may have potential but we've got to let you go. Most sane people would be mad as hell. Yet a large amount of fans and media are ready to cast Bailey aside as just another overhyped bust and ship him out of town with such a small sample size. Last season when Homer made his first career start after much anticipation by the Reds faithfull the stadium was buzzing like it hasn't in years. He won his first start, wasn't dominate but got the job done. He didn't have the 95 plus fastball that was advertised. Turns out he had a groin problem. He didn't complain, just took the ball and went out there. Isn't that what we always say we want from our favorite teams athletes? Suck it up and play through the pain. After going on the disabled list he came back throwing the heat again. Was he dominate then? Not really no. But is he young enough to improve? Hell yes. Tell me the Dodgers wouldn't have liked to have undone the trade that sent Pedro Martinez to Montreal. Or that the same Montreal franchise wouldn't have reversed the Randy Johnson for Mark Langston deal. Neither pitcher was dominate when they first came up but look at them now. If you where Wayne Krivsky knowing that the Reds franchise has been over twenty years since developing any starter of relevance from within would you give up on Homer?

MLB has Pissed Me Off Again

2008-03-04T21:33:00.002-05:00

I love baseball, major league, minors, college, good high school team, I'll watch almost anyone play. When the World Series is over I count down to opening day. Read everything I can during the offseason, get sucked in to the hot stove. Even though for the most part it's the Mets, Yankees, and the Red Sox making all the moves. But I still love it.

They cancelled a World Series over money. We were pissed, but we eventually went back. They jacked up ticket prices, but hell we still went. When Al Gore first invented the internet (insert own joke here) we used to be able to get radio broadcasts online for free. MLB decided to take that over and for a fee you could listen to any game, anytime. Okay a lot of us signed up and payed the 15 bucks. Want to watch a game other than the Mets, Sox, Yankees, Cubs, or Braves but don't live in another teams market. What the hell sign up for the 150 dollar baseball package and watch up to 80 out of market games a week for the season. Hot dogs will cost you an arm, a beer your first born child, and hey if you want to buy your kid a jersey to remember their first game. Fork over that freaking kidney. Are we glutens? You bet your sweet ass.

Now with all the bullshit going on the last few seasons with steriods, hgh, secret meetings, drug pushing catchers, tax cheats, and all around assclowns. We still go because we love our teams, and our favorite players. But come on haven't we been shit on enough by the asslickers running baseball. All of the illegal stuff that has been permitted to go on, GM's having in their own scouting reports who was and who wasn't on roids and making deals anyway. With all this they have time to tell reporters that they can have their press credentials yanked if they blog gave events during the game. Which dumbass sack of sorry monkeyshit decided that genious manuver? In case the genious who made this decision didn't realize it you can't really do a blog in real time. By the time a play happens, you take the time to type it in, then post it, chances are your at least one pitch behind if not more depending on how fast you type. Not to mention there can't be a rat bastard alive how turns off his tv broadcast or radio to sit and stick directly with a blog for their game information. 99% of us on Trent's blog last season used it as a sidebar, little interaction with fellow fans, little bullshitting about the game, little bullshitting about some music, picking on some whack jobs, but over all it was just a place to bullshit. Is it really the fact that blogging is going on or that MLB isn't getting any cash out of it. Come on I dare Bud, or one of the other clueless fumblepricks to show me the devestating impact in game blogging has had on the bottom dollar. Damn can't fans have one place to just go shoot some shit without or credit card. Trent may not be able to sit in the stadium and blog but what would stop someone from sitting in their own home and do the samething. Until MLB pulls their heads out of there ass they are always going to be a day behind the NFL. Not that they are any better on the subject. Not much swearing in this but it's still a lot for me.

Help

2008-03-03T22:50:00.002-05:00

I'm looking for an autographed Pokey Reese baseball for my wife's birthday. For some reason she was a Pokey fan from day one. I've seen some on Ebay but am a bit leary of buying items like that from Ebay. If anyone has one they are willing to sale of know of someone who does, please drop me a line. Thanks.

New Deals

2008-03-03T20:31:00.003-05:00

Well Corey Patterson and Jerry Hairston have been signed to minor league contracts with invites. Patterson could end up platooning in center with Freel or Hopper. Don't count Bruce out yet but the quad pull may slow him down. Hairston played all over the place with the Rangers last season. He seems to be a bit of a Freel clone without the spark.

Phillips Hitting Cleanup a Sign of Change

2008-03-03T19:34:00.004-05:00

As Dusty Baker enters his first Spring Training running the Reds he's already made one major move. Inserting Brandon Phillips as the teams cleanup hitter. Last season he posted the first 30-30 season for a second baseman since Alfonso Soriano and just the second two sacker to pull the trick in major league history. While hitting mainly out of the two hole last year BP drove in 94 runs. Hitting in the cleanup spot should give him more chances to top the 100 RBI plateau.

Another subtle thing that comes from this switch is placing more emphasize on Phillips offensive abilities. After this season Jr.'s contract is up with a team option as well as possible becoming a free agent Adam Dunn's. If neither player is with the team next season it would be smart of Baker and the Reds front office to see how Phillips handles having the lineup structured around himself. This could foreshadow a shift away from the two outfielders with an emphasis on making Phillips the focal point of the franchise along with Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.

Or I could be sitting here counting down to opening day and possibly be reading to much into this. It could be as simple as Baker just wanted to make it harder for opposing managers to make a change to their left handed specialist late in a game. Which makes Phillips the ideal hitter in that spot of the lineup. Either way it has the potential to be a very successful move.

Bruce day to day with quad pull

2008-03-03T19:27:00.003-05:00

Jay Bruce will probably be out of the lineup for the next few days with a mild left quad strain. While they say it's nothing serious the point can't be over looked that it's better it happen now than later. Quad strains have a tendency to linger if not given proper time to rest. And for a guy who uses his legs as much as he does the more rest the better.

word verification

2008-03-02T12:27:00.001-05:00

I've had to turn on the word verification because some assmonkey has decided to send spam postings that link to spyware crap. Sorry for the inconvienece.

How's this for a starting 5

2008-02-28T15:52:00.002-05:00

Looking at the possible starters for the upcoming season I've put together the five I'd like to see start the season. Harang, Arroyo, Bailey, Affeldt, and Fogg. What about Cueto? I'd stick him in the bullpen with Volquez just like the Yankees did Chamberlain last year.

Dusty's in Charge

2008-02-25T00:17:00.003-05:00

Dusty has an eagle eye on the club.

Free agents still available

2008-02-24T23:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a list of the free agents still available. There might be a guy or two on the list I'd take a flyer on if I was a GM. Guess Lohse is still holding out for that $10 million a year.

Antonio Alfonseca, RP 35 Free Agent Philadelphia

Sean Barker, CF 27 Non-Tendered Colorado

Tony Batista, 1B 34 Free Agent Washington

Armando Benitez, RP 35 Free Agent Florida

Barry Bonds, LF 43 Free Agent (A) San Francisco

Jeff Cirillo, 3B 38 Free Agent Arizona

Roger Clemens, SP 45 Free Agent NY Yankees

Julio Franco, 1B 49 Free Agent Atlanta

Freddy Garcia, SP 31 Free Agent (B) Philadelphia

Jose Garcia, SP 23 Non-Tendered Oakland

Jerry Gil, SS 25 Non-Tendered Cincinnati

Andy Gonzalez, 3B 26 Non-Tendered Chicago Sox

Tony Graffanino, 2B 35 Free Agent (B) Milwaukee

Shawn Green, RF 35 Free Agent (B) NY Mets

Jerry Hairston Jr., CF 31 Free Agent Texas

Ryan Klesko, 1B 36 Free Agent San Francisco

Corey Koskie, 3B 34 Free Agent Milwaukee

Kenny Lofton, CF 40 Free Agent (B) Cleveland

Nook Logan, CF 28 Non-Tendered Washington

Kyle Lohse, SP 29 Free Agent Philadelphia

Rodrigo Lopez, SP 32 Free Agent Colorado

Yukinaga Maeda, RP 37 Free Agent Japan

Mike Matheny, C 37 Free Agent San Francisco

Jose Mesa, RP 41 Free Agent Philadelphia

Damian Miller, C 38 Free Agent Milwaukee

Eric Milton, SP 32 Free Agent Cincinnati

Mike O'Connor, SP 27 Non-Tendered Washington

Russ Ortiz, SP 33 Free Agent San Francisco

Akinori Otsuka, RP 36 Non-Tendered Texas

Orlando Palmeiro, LF 39 Free Agent Houston

Corey Patterson, CF 28 Free Agent Baltimore

Neifi Perez, SS 34 Free Agent Detroit

Mike Piazza, DH 39 Free Agent (B) Oakland

Brian Rogers, RP 25 Non-Tendered Pittsburgh

Reggie Sanders, RF 40 Free Agent Kansas City

Bronson Sardinha, LF 24 Non-Tendered NY Yankees

Aaron Sele, RP 37 Free Agent NY Mets

Sammy Sosa, DH 39 Free Agent Texas

Kelly Stinnett, C 38 Free Agent St. Louis

John Thomson, SP 34 Free Agent Kansas City

Jason Tyner, LF 30 Non-Tendered Minnesota

Jeff Weaver, SP 31 Free Agent Seattle

David Wells, SP 44 Free Agent LA Dodgers

Rondell White, LF 36 Free Agent Minnesota

Bob Wickman, RP 39 Free Agent Arizona

Preston Wilson, RF 33 Free Agent St. Louis

Fogg rolling in?

2008-02-20T22:51:00.002-05:00

I just couldn't resist that title. Anyway quick thought on signing Fogg. In today's game a million bucks for a guy who won ten games last year seems to be a bargain. Also I wouldn't automatically assume that him being signed eliminates Cueto or Bailey from the rotation. If they have solid or in Cueto's case spectacular springs then it could end up being Belisle on the outside looking in on a rotation spot. Just a thought.

Don't blame Bob

2008-02-18T05:14:00.003-05:00

Over the last several seasons Reds fans have often criticized ownership for being perceived as cheap. From Marge Schott to Carl Linder for the most part fans really have had a gripe. While from time to time fans may have seen the occasional big name player brought in, Denny Neagle, Greg Vaughn, Greg Swindell (at the time anyway), and Ken Griffey Jr.. For the most part these players were turned around for cheaper players instead of adding more players around them, generally for cheaper players who didn't pan out while some were just allowed to leave via free agency. Both owners would come up with money from occasionally to keep players but these moves generally didn't pan out either. Barry Larkins big contract extension anyone?

Now let's turn the page to the current owner of the Reds, Bob Castellini. Since purchasing the team from Carl Linder Castellini has shown the willingness to open up the all mighty checkbook. In the first full offseason with Castellini as the principal owner he allowed the Reds front office to make a needed move in free agency adding shortstop Alex Gonzalez signing him to a 3 year 14 million dollar contract. This past offseason adding another pricey free agent the Reds snagged closer Francisco Cordero from the Brewers with a 4 year deal worth $46 million dollars. Signings like this would have been unheard of with past regimes. He even made a move that was unexpected by some by giving the go ahead to pick up the $13 million dollar option on leftfielder Adam Dunn not to mention Brandon Phillips recently signing for 4 years and $27 million bucks. While noone can expect the Reds to spend with the types of the Red Sox, Yankees, or Dodgers fans can't complain that ownership isn't spending money on the team. Now what we need to do as fans is support the team so that even more money can be spent on the team in years to come. So don't blame Castellini if in a few seasons if the Reds slash payroll again because of a lack of support. Right now we are seeing money being spent on players the likes of which we've not seen in seasons pasts. Now it's our job as consumers to back the big guy up.

Pittsburgh Pirates Preview

2008-02-18T04:02:00.002-05:00

Pitching

This may be the one area that has become the most frustrating for Pirates managment. Much has been expected of young starters Zach Duke, Ian Snell, Tom Gorzelanny, and Paul Maholm. While Snell posted nice numbers last season with a 3.76 era in 208 innings over 32 starts he managed only a 9 and 12 record. Gorzelanny also posted an era under 4 with an era of 3.88 also pitching over 200 innings he actually lead the team with 14 wins. The weaknesses in the rotation last season appear to be Maholm, Duke and veteran Matt Morris. Maholm picked up 10 wins losing 15 while posting a 5.02 era. Duke still looking to get back to his rookie season stats was able to pick up just 3 wins over 20 games with 19 starts putting up an era of 5.53. Morris was an odd trade deadline pickup last season for a struggling team. Morris is a starter who seems like his best days are behind him. At the time he was acquired by the Pirates from the San Francisco Giants Morris had a record of 7 and 7 with a 4.35 era in 21 starts. While making 11 starts for the Pirates he ended with a record of 3 and 4 with a 6.10 era in 11 starts. Morris is slated to be a $9 million dollar fourth or fifth starter.

The bullpen actually had a couple of bright spots last season with the emergence of Matt Capps as closer picking up 18 saves in 21 oppurtunities with an era of 2.28 over 79 innings. Veteran Damaso Marte also had a solid season with an era of 2.38 in 65 games covering 45.1 innings. Other than these two the rest of the bullpen is anyones guess.

Catcher

Ronny Paulino and Ryan Doumit make up this tandem. Paulino the starter hit 11 homeruns last season driving in 55 in 133 games. Doumit who has bounced around the field a bit getting time at first and the outfield will be the primary backup. Last season Doumit hit 9 home runs in 83 games driving in 32 runs.

Infield

With an infield made up of first baseman Adam LaRoche, thirdbaseman Freddy Sanchez, shortstop Jack Wilson, and more than likey Jose Bautista at third the infield isn't going to hit for a lot of power but should be solid defensively.

Before last season LaRoche was picked up in a trade with Atlanta to add some thunder to the lineup ahead of outfielder Jason Bay. LaRoche struggled early but ended the season hitting .272 with 21 homers and 88 rbi. After winning the batting title in 2006 Sanchez followed up hitting .304 last season driving in 81 runs while hitting 11 homers while playing a very solid second base. Wilson on the other hand was rumored last season to be going anywhere from Detroit to the St. Louis Cardinals. While being solid in the field Wilson posted numbers of .296 with 12 home runs and 56 rbi. Bautista laid claim to the thirdbase job last season playing 126 games there starting 122. He hit 15 home runs while driving in a career high 63 runs.

Outfield

Patrolling the outfield for the Buccos will be former All-star Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and possibly youngser Nyjer Morgan. Bay has been the face of the franchise the last few season but struggled last year. While battling several nagging injuries Bay finished hitting .247 with 21 homers and 84 rbi. Nady playing primarily right field last season hit .278 himself with 20 homers and 72 rbi in 125 games. While appearing in just 28 games last season as a late call up Morgan ended up hitting .299 with 1 homerun and 7 rbi. Morgan gives the team speed when he is on the field stealing 7 bases in 10 attempts.

Bay may find himself ending this season in a different uniform if he is able to bounce back to pre-2007 form.

Test video number 2

2008-02-16T03:35:00.003-05:00

Otter I think I've finally got the video posting. I've got the first game in the Cincinnati, Seattle series from this past season I'm going to work on posting next.

You think it's bad now

2008-02-14T20:56:00.001-05:00

Check out this preseason preview of the Reds by S.I. in 2001.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/2001/spring_training/news/2001/02/11/reds_preview/

Fantasy Baseball Anyone?

2008-02-14T20:45:00.001-05:00

Guys and gals I've setup a fantasy baseball league on ESPN. It's a 12 team league so anyone interested drop me an email at cf24lh@hotmail.com. After getting your email I'll send you an invite to the league.

Clemens Hearing

2008-02-13T23:29:00.002-05:00

In case you haven't seen it yet I'm posting a link to the Congressional hearing of Roger Clemens. I've watched most of it and in my opinion I don't know what Congress was trying to get out of this.

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?video=200802132372544

Cincinnati Reds Preview

2008-02-12T20:42:00.000-05:00

Pitching

As with any team this is going to be the key to the wether the Reds are contenders or dumping players at the trade deadline. With a staff anchored by Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo then ?,?, and ?. Candidates for the final three spots include last year starter Matt Belisle, Homer Bailey, Jeremy Affeldt, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and Matt Maloney. Belisle and super prospect Homer Bailey appear to have the inside track to two of these slots. Bailey had his first taste of the bigs last season posting a 4 and 2 record with a 5.76 era in 9 starts. Bailey's fastball was not as advertised when he first arrived in the majors but that may as much to do with a groin problem seeing as his fastball had more life too it after taking some time off.

Aside from the starters the bullpen which was the teams biggest weakness last season had a bit of an overhaul with one big move. The signing of Francisco Cordero from in division rival Milwaukee strengthens the bullpen by not only giving the team a power arm at the end of games but also allows last years closer David Weathers to move back into a setup man role. Cordero last season for the Brewers saved 44 saves blowing 7, Weathers saved 33 in 39 chances. Rule five draft pick Jarod Burton was himself a bright spot last season posting a 2.51 era with 36 k's in 43 innings. While his control was not always good walking 22 he will be counted on this year as a big piece of the pen. On the flip side Todd Coffey struggled mightily last season posting a 5.82 era over 51 innings. For the pen to be successful they will need better seasons from Mike Stanton, Gary Majewski, and Bill Bray. Should any or all of these players fail the Reds have a few up and coming arms in the minors with Marcus McBeth, Jon Coutlangus who got his fair share of playing time with the big club last season. Johnny Cueto could also play apart on the team this season but may be better with a year of seasoning in AAA.

Catchers

After a strong 2006 season the catching position was not nearly as productive last season. David Ross struggled most of the season batting .203 in 311 at bats last season striking out 92 times. Ross did hit 17 homeruns so he does show power. Javier Valentin who last season in the first half was used mainly as a lefthanded hitter off the bench when the club was going with their three headed catching debocle did hit for as much power last season. Valentin hit just 2 homers last season in 243 at bats.

Infield

The team returns almost the same infield as last season. The lone possible addition from last seasons starting infield looks to be firstbaseman Joey Votto. Lead by Brandon Phillips fresh off a 30-30 season this infield has the potential to be one of the best offensive groups in the Central. Votto last season hit .321 in a limited late season call up with 4 homers 7 doubles and 17 rbi. Alex Gonzalez combined with Phillips last season to form a quality double play duo while Edwin Encarnacion improved his defense after an early season demotion to AAA. Gonzalez hit a suprising 16 homers last season in his first year with the Reds. Jeff Keppinger had a come from nowhere season last year filling in all over the infield hitting .332 in 67 games.

Outfield

Leftfield will again be manned by Big Adam"Donkey"Dunn, right by future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. and tbd in centerfield. At this point going into spring training the centerfield spot seems to be up for grabs with Ryan Freel, Norris Hopper, and Phenom Jay Bruce. Dunn had a solid season last year posting number of a .264 batting average with 40 homers and106 rbi. He cut his strikeouts a bit down to 165 while walking 101 times. Ken Griffey Jr. had a nice season as well hitting 30 homers while driving in 93 putting him 7 shy from the 600 career home run plateau. While Jr. is not near the player he was defensively in the 90's and Adam Dunn will probably never challenge for a gold glove alot will fall on whoever wins the centerfield job out of spring training. Freel was the starting centerfielder last season before injuries shut him down for the season. Hopper hit .329 last season in 121 games. While Hopper has no power hitting zero homeruns last season he did steal 14 bases and is always dangerous to drop a drag bunt. He gives the team a speed prescence otherwise not in the lineup.

Pirates review

2008-02-12T20:33:00.000-05:00

Okay I spent a lot of time writing up a review of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Studied there outfield, pitching, and their defense. Looked at how big a difference a healthy Bay would make for the Bucs. Who Andy LaRoche getting off to a solid start could put the team in the thick of things. Then I woke up and realized something. The Pirates have become absolutely irrelevant. The fact that they have a fantastic stadium is the highlight for this team. If anyone cares to read by preview I'll post it. Otherwise I think I'll skip this one.

Pirates

2008-02-10T02:06:00.000-05:00

I've got a Pirates preview coming tomorrow. Typed it up at work yesterday and left it on my flash drive. Oh yeah I had a busy day at the office yesterday.

On another subject for a moment I made a trip to John Fay's blog today. I like Fay's writing but his blog has become an utter joke. Anonymous postings and just blatant nasty remarks. Until the Enquirer allows Fay to stop anonymous logins it's just gonna keap going in the toilet. Damn shame to Fay's a hell of a writer.

Feeling old

2008-02-07T23:29:00.000-05:00

One more thing I wanted to share with you guys before I forget. I was sitting in my dining room tonight going through some stuff I had thrown into a couple boxes. Throwing out crap mostly. Anyway my 6 year old daughter being nosey comes over to see what Pops doing. She started digging through a box and pulled out a casette tape, turned to me and said, "Pop what's this?" At that moment I realized that my daughter had never seen a cassette tape, never used a vcr, never lived without 24 hour cartoons, never seen a black and white tv, never seen mom and dad without a cellphone, and never lived without a computer in the house. Now I'm only 32 but damn that made me feel old. Just wanted to share that little tender moment.

I'm a dope

2008-02-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

Well my attempt to load a movie file on here was a bit flawed. I actually found that it's still loading the file onto the site. But I'm stubborn so I'll keep messing with it. Looks like it may be time to upgrade from dsl.

Anyway by now I'm sure everyone has read that John Fay posted on his blog that the Reds and Dodgers are talking about Joe Blanton again with the A's. Personal opinion I'd like to see them get him, trade Bailey if they have too. But I don't know if I'd include Votto in a deal. Maybe a Chris Dickerson. With Votto I can't help but see a guy who's going to hit a ton of doubles and hit 20-30 homers. When was the last time a Reds firstbaseman did that on a regular basis?

Boredom

2008-02-06T20:44:00.000-05:00

Okay now's that time of the year where I get really bored. No baseball yet, football over, Ky. basketball stinks this year, and the nba always blows. So I've taken to figuring out how to rip my dvd collection. I think I've accomplished one so I'm going to post the file. Let me know if it works.

It's getting close

2008-02-04T23:24:00.001-05:00

What a superbowl! Bet nobody saw that one coming. Least of all Eli. Anyway with the crowning of a Superbowl champ we can turn ours attention to my favorite time of the year. Pitchers and catchers report in nine days. Time to dust off the fantasy team rosters. Start prepping. Just as the pitchers need to get their arms in shape I'll need to get my tush in shape for a season of Reds baseball. Nine more days. Thank God it's just nine more days.

St. Louis Cardinals

2008-02-02T00:59:00.000-05:00

Bit of a delay getting my second preview out. Work has been getting in the way of my blogging and pissing me off.

Pitching

As Chris Carpenter goes so goes this rotation. Unfortunately for the Cardinals he's been off the mound more than he's been on it since winning the World Series. Carpenter made just one start last season before having season ending surgery. Carpenter may be back sometime in June. Mark Mulder was resigned to a two year deal before last season following his own season ending surgery. In three starts last season he was 0 and 3 with an era of 12.27 in just 11 innings before being shut down for the season. All was not lost in the rotation last year though as Braden Looper went 12 and 12 with a 4.94 era in 31 games 30 of those starts. Making the transition from reliever to starter he also pitched a career high 175 innings. Adam Wainwright proved to be a workhorse in his first year as a fulltime starter as well. Leading the team in wins with 14 in 32 starts going over the two hundred innings mark. Wainwright also posted a very respectable 3.70 era. Joel Piniero was a late season addition after being cut loose by the Boston Red Sox. Winning 6 games in 11 starts. Matt Clement will have a chance to crack the rotation after being signed as a free agent this off season. Clement is coming off of shoulder surgery that has caused him to miss the last season and a half.

Jason Isringhausen was the anchor to the bullpen again last season. But a pleasent suprise came from Ryan Franklin. Franklin was signed as a free agent and blossomed as a solid reliever last season for the Cardinals. Posting a 3.04 era in 69 games covering 80 innings.

Catchers

While Yadier Molina will again be called on to handle the pitching staff the Cardinals aren't going to expect much with the stick. Molina has occasional pop knocking out 6 homers while knocking in 40 in 111 games last season. Jason LaRue formerly of the Royals and Reds has been signed to be Molina's primary backup. While LaRue's offensive skills have deteriorated he is still capable of calling a decent game.

Infield

If you want to find the heart of the Cardinals you have to look no further than their big firstbaseman Alber Pujols. Pujols may very well be the best right handed hitter in the game today. While last season was considered by some as a down year he still posted a .327 average while hitting 32 homers and driving in 103 runs. Various nagging injury's plagued Pujols off and on last season but he still played in 158 games. Second base was to be handled by Adam Kennedy after signing him as a free agent, but things never clicked for Kennedy after making his return to St. Louis. Kennedy had just 13 extra base hits in 279 atbats last season driving in 18 runs while hitting just .219. Should he falter again this season Aaron Miles may see more playing time at second for the birds. At short the Cardinals will go with Cesar Izturis. While he is considered to be a bit of a light hitter he flashes major leather. Troy Glaus was added to the team after a swap that sent Scott Rolen packing to Toronto. Glaus has big time power but has been troubled with foot problems the last couple of seasons. Playing of grass should help but he has to be watched as another injury possibility for the Cardinals.

Outfield

The outfield for the Cardinals will have a different look than years past. Gone is Jim Edmonds who has been a fixture in centerfield for years. In is the reinvented Rick Ankiel. Ankiel burst back onto the scene last season after previously coming up as a starter. Ankiel showed impressive power hitting 11 home runs in 172 at bats. Ankiel will be counted on to shore up centerfield. Chris Duncan continued to improve last year, though he may not be the most graceful athlete in the field he plays with a ton of hustle. Duncan hit 21 homers mainly hitting out of the two hole last year. He as well as Ankiel will need to produce in the lineup from the left side. Right field appears to be up for grabs after the eye injury suffered by Juan Encarnacion while waiting in the on deck circle during a game against the Reds last season. Skip Schumaker and Ryan Ludwick should be in play for this spot.

Milwaukee Brewers Preview

2008-01-28T21:14:00.000-05:00

Over the next few days I'm going to attempt something I've never done before. Over the next few days I plan on doing previews on all of the Central Division teams. Starting in no particular order with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Pitching Staff

This is the one part of the Brewers team from last season that has had the most change. Particularly in the bullpen with the additions of David Riske, Solomon Torres, and the risky high cost signing of Eric Gagne. While the Riske signing looks to be a good one Torres and Gagne come with big question marks. Torres suffered from elbow problems last season with Pittsburgh while posting a 5.47 era last season. Blowing 6 of 18 save chances. Gagne himself had a rough go of it after being traded to the Red Sox last year in a trade deadline move from the Rangers. Brewers fans have to be hoping that his struggles late last season had more to do with being uncomfortable in the setup role rather than teams finally figuring him out. If Gagne fails they bullpen may have to depend more on Derek Turnbow who hasn't been the same since his All star appearance.

The rotation will also be a key with six starters shooting for five spots. Lead by Ben Sheets the rotation will also be manned by Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan, Claudio Vargas, and the young gun Yovani Gallardo. The wild card in the mix will be Chris Capuano. Last season Capuano started out well before finishing the season 5-10 with an era of 5.10 in 29 games, 25 of those starts. The Brewers have to hoping he can show a glimpse of the form that he showed in 2005 winning 18 games.

Catchers

Jason Kendall takes over the starting job here for the departed Johnny Estrada. While Kendall may not have much left with the stick hitting just 3 home runs last season he will be counted on for his veteran leadership and grittiness behind the plate.

Infield

This is one of the best if not the best young infields in baseball. Anchored by franchise first baseman Prince Fielder, with Rickie Weeks at second, J.J. Hardy at shortstop, and Bill Hall moving back from center field to third base. Fielder possesses tremendous power and could hit the 50 homer mark this season. J.J. Hardy had a breakout year last season posting career highs in home runs 26 and rbi 80. Bill Hall will make the defense better with the move of Ryan Braun to left field. Hall saw his home run and RBI totals fall last season but that could be more to do with trying to learn a new position. Bounce back year is possible. Weeks could be the wild card in this group. He has pop hitting 16 home runs last season but has a bit of trouble putting the ball in play. Weeks struck out an astounding 116 times last season in 409 at bats.

Outfield

The outfield looks to be set for the upcoming season. With the signing of Mike Cameron the outfield now includes Ryan Braun moving from third to left, and right field being patrolled by Corey Hart. Though Cameron will not be available for the first 25 games of the season after testing positive for PED's last season center will probably be covered by Tony Gwynn Jr. until his return. Signing Cameron improves the team defense in two positions. It allows Ned Yost to move Braun, who had a horrible time at third base last season, to left field while moving Bill Hall to third base. One puzzling roster move was the signing of Gabe Kapler to a major league contract. For a player who was managing a AA team last season it seems like a bit of a risk.

Hopefully everyone will like my first attempt at doing a team preview. If you do I'll post the other five clubs. If not I'll post the other five clubs. I need something to do until Spring Training and my wife fusses if I move furniture when she's not around.

Are we there yet? How about now?

2008-01-28T12:45:00.000-05:00

I can't remember being this impatient for the beginning of baseball season before. Maybe it was the trip to GABP last summer, maybe it was all the baseball talk on Trent's blog, maybe it's the upcoming trip to Sarasota...but whatever it is, WOW, I just can't wait for the Redlegs to get back out there. In my impatience, I've been reduced to rearranging all the furniture in my house. I don't know why that helps, but hey, whatever works.

Couple Quick Movie Reviews

2008-01-22T19:19:00.000-05:00

Just gotta drop a quick line about a few movies I've seen recently. Juno, loved it. I'll wait till it's at a little longer to actually get into the story. Shoot 'em up, best damn sex/shoot 'em up scence I've ever watched. Plus very high body count. 310 to Yuma the Russell Crowe version, not bad a little long, I still prefer Unforgiven. Finally saw Balls of Fury, can live a happy life without seeing that one again. Just got through watching The Game Plan, not a bad family movie, and The Rocks actually turning into a pretty good actor. Watched Dewey Cox for the second time recently, didn't chuckle once, not even a little teehee. Give me Fletch anyday.

Congress and P.E.D.s

2008-01-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

Let me admit right up front that I didn't watch the entire Congressional hearing recently with Bud Selig, Donald Fehr, and Senator Mitchell. While I was working I had the feed coming in from mlb.com so in between working I got to listen to a little hear and there. Listening to some of the congressmen asking questions about Mr. Paleemero's 300th hit I got to thinking. What the hell makes these people qualified to investigate baseball, let alone any sport, especially if you don't know what's going on other than what somewhat has put on a piece of paper in front of you. Maybe the first thing the congressmens kronies should do is spell out players names with proper inunciation.

Now I'm not saying that baseball shouldn't be investigated for drugs. But you would think that there are at least 5-6 people in congress who are baseball fans and would know what they are talking about. Listening to some of the dopey questions, inability to pronounce one of the gentlemen they were interviewings name. When you can't pronounce the name Selig you need to excuse yourself fron the goings on, turn around, and exit stage left. To me their lack of knowledge makes it hard to take congress seriously and makes it seem more likely to me they are just pandering for more T.V. time looking to make a name. Why can't we get Peter Gammons, Mike Wilbon, Marc Lancaster, and Trent Rosecrans up there asking the questions? People who know what goes on in major league clubhouses, and the players actual names. What really scares me is these are the people we have elected to run our country.

Of course steriods have tainted the image of the game, from Jason Giambi to Hal Morris who the hell knows who's using and who's not. I'd prefer the game to be clean as I assume most fans probably would but it still doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the game. It actually helps me to appreciate the players I grew up watching, Eric Davis, Dave Parker, Dale Murphy, and Roger Clemens in Boston. One would have to wonder how the careers of players like Davis or even Bret Saberhagen may have taken a different path if they used HGH or some of the other drugs being used today. But for the most part I'm honestly sick of the whole thing. I for one vote for leaving the past in the past(Mark McGwire anyone?). The more we find out the more it seems that players most of us would never have thought of using were using as much as the ones we suspected all along. So let's just assume everyone was using and have a nice life.

And why is baseball getting taken to the woodshed for this but there are 300 lb. linemen all over the NFL? Shawne Merriman was busted for PE's last football season, was suspended for 4 games, then game back to make the pro-bowl? What? Where's the investigation there? Someone explain this to me because I just don't get it.

Lieber is a Cub

2008-01-16T18:39:00.000-05:00

Well one more second tier free agent is off the market. John Lieber agreed to a one year deal with the Cubs. His agent said the Reds were one of the teams in contact with Lieber but that the Cubs were his number one choice.

Time Correction

2008-01-15T18:56:00.001-05:00

Thanks for pointing out the time problem for me. Somehow I set it for Pacific time. Who knew? And thanks Amy for posting on the blog. I've always thought you wrote a bit better than myself. Did I smell an Otter around here earlier?

Replacing one addiction with another

2008-01-15T18:14:00.000-05:00

In the absence of daily posts from Trent, I've started reading Joe Posnanski's blog. I was laughing my head off at his last two not-really-baseball-related posts--one on "Stuff that's Gone," as in outdated technology, etc., and one on the career paths of Steve Guttenberg and Tom Hanks. Genius (although I didn't think "Joe vs. the Volcano" was that bad). The first one hit home because I recently had to explain to one of my kids why I called the library computer the card catalog. "What, like a birthday card?" Um, no.

Also, the time stamps on these posts are off--a couple of hours earlier than actually posted. I have no idea how to fix that, and since I live in fear of screwing up Va's blog as it is, I don't think I'll even try!

Watching 4192

2008-01-14T21:38:00.001-05:00

How cool is it to see these games? I remember watching this one at home with my dad (I was in high school)--but as usual, the sound was off and Marty & Joe were on 700 WLW. So I don't think I've ever heard it with these commentators.

Do the players look smaller to anyone else? They all just look so skinny--maybe those 80s uniforms are slimming.

Unimportant commentary

2008-01-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

Just checking to see if I can really post (Va, are you sure you want me doing this??)

I have learned one MLB-related thing this week: after realizing I'm seeing three Reds games in March and I only own two Reds shirts, I had to shop. Well, let me tell you, when the website says order up one size for Antigua brand women's merchandise, they are NOT kidding. Yikes! As my father would have said, "you're not leaving the house dressed like that, young lady."

It snowed all day here in central Ohio, and man, does it make me look forward to Sarasota. Like I wasn't already....

Jocketty in the House

2008-01-11T15:47:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard already Walt Jocketty was hired today as an advisor for the Reds. This doesn't mean that Wayne Krivsky is out however. Big Bob said that Jocketty would assist him in all aspects of the ballclub including front office matters. I think Krivsky has done a pretty good job since taking over as GM but he's gotta be feeling a little nervous, that's just human nature. Though the pairing of the two could have a great impact on the franchise.

Fogg in the forecast?

2008-01-08T23:21:00.000-05:00

John Fay has reported on his blog that the Reds may be interested in signing Josh Fogg. Fogg started for the Rockies last season and had a decent year in Colorado. But the only way I'd want to see him in a Reds uniform is if the humidor is in the deal. Yeah he had an era under five in Colorado last year but if he signs with the Reds and has an era under five I'll dress up in the Hustler window in a pair of leather chaps. DON'T DO IT KRIVDAWG!! Please

Mark One Off the Board

2008-01-03T18:53:00.000-05:00

Well you can take one injuried pitcher attempting to comeback off your list. Matt Clement has signed a one year contract with the Cardinals for the upcoming season with an option for '09.

Down time

2008-01-02T23:39:00.000-05:00

Well there hasn't been much baseball news the last few days. Especially Reds related. Who really cares about the other teams? But hey there's just about 6 weeks until Spring Training. Check out the SI link. Couple of Reds blurbs in it. I miss reading Trents articles.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/john_donovan/01/02/hotstove.wednesday/?eref=mostpop

Current Available Free Agents

2007-12-31T08:12:00.000-05:00

Current list of available MLB free agents as of the 28th. Of the guys on this list. Who would you take a chance on signing if you were a GM?

NEW YORK -- The 98 remaining free agents (a-rejected salary arbitration offer from former team):< ^AMERICAN LEAGUE= BALTIMORE (3) -- Paul Bako, c; Kris Benson, rhp; Corey Patterson, of.
BOSTON (5) -- Royce Clayton, ss; Matt Clement, rhp; Eric Hinske, 1b-of; Bobby Kielty, of; Doug Mirabelli, c.
CHICAGO (1) -- Mike Myers, lhp.
CLEVELAND (3) -- Keith Foulke, rhp; Kenny Lofton, of; Trot Nixon, of.
DETROIT (2) -- Sean Casey, 1b; Neifi Perez, ss.
KANSAS CITY (4) -- Odalis Perez, lhp; Reggie Sanders, of; Mike Sweeney, dh; John Thomson, rhp.
LOS ANGELES (1) -- Bartolo Colon, rhp.
MINNESOTA (1) -- Rondell White, of.
NEW YORK (3) -- Roger Clemens, rhp; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Ron Villone, lhp.
OAKLAND (3) -- Jeffrey DaVanon, of; a-Mike Piazza, c; a-Shannon Stewart, of.
SEATTLE (3) -- Chris Reitsma, rhp; Arthur Rhodes, lhp; Jeff Weaver, rhp.
TAMPA BAY (2) -- Greg Norton, dh; Josh Paul, c.
TEXAS (4) -- Jerry Hairston, 2b-of; Sammy Sosa, of; Brad Wilkerson, of; Jamey Wright, rhp.
------= ^NATIONAL LEAGUE=
ARIZONA (4) -- Jeff Cirillo, 3b; Tony Clark, 1b; a-Livan Hernandez, rhp; Bob Wickman, rhp.
ATLANTA (3) -- Octavio Dotel, rhp; Julio Franco, 1b; Chris Woodward, ss.
CHICAGO (1) -- Steve Trachsel, rhp.
CINCINNATI (2) -- Eddie Guardado, lhp; Eric Milton, lhp.
COLORADO (5) -- Jeremy Affeldt, lhp; Elmer Dessens, rhp; Josh Fogg, rhp; Jorge Julio, rhp; Rodrigo Lopez, rhp.
FLORIDA (3) -- Armando Benitez, rhp; Byung-Hyun Kim, rhp.
HOUSTON (5) -- Craig Biggio, 2b; Jason Jennings, rhp; a-Trever Miller, lhp; Brian Moehler, rhp; Orlando Palmeiro, of.
LOS ANGELES (6) -- Luis Gonzalez, of; Mike Lieberthal, c; Ramon Martinez, 2b; Rudy Seanez, rhp; Mark Sweeney, 1b; David Wells, lhp.
MILWAUKEE (4) -- Tony Graffanino, inf; Ray King, lhp; Corey Koskie, 3b; Damian Miller, c.
NEW YORK (7) -- Sandy Alomar, c; Jeff Conine, 1b; Mike DiFelice, c; Damion Easley, 2b; Shawn Green, of; Aaron Sele, rhp; Jose Valentin, 2b.
PHILADELPHIA (7) -- Antonio Alfonseca, rhp; Rod Barajas, c; Freddy Garcia, rhp; Jon Lieber, rhp; Kyle Lohse, rhp; Jose Mesa, rhp; Abraham Nunez, 3b.
PITTSBURGH (2) -- Tony Armas, rhp; Shawn Chacon, rhp.
ST. LOUIS (4) -- Russell Branyan, 3b; Miguel Cairo, inf; Kelly Stinnett, c; Preston Wilson, of.
SAN DIEGO (3) -- a-Mike Cameron, of; Rob Mackowiak, of; Brett Tomko, rhp.
SAN FRANCISCO (5) -- Barry Bonds, of; a-Pedro Feliz, 3b; Ryan Klesko, 1b; Mike Matheny, c; Russ Ortiz, rhp.

Saying Adios

2007-12-30T02:22:00.001-05:00

As I sit here at 2:22 Sunday morning trying to get my shoulder to quit aching from finally getting to play with my kids Wii I decided it type a little something about The C. Trent Rosecrans. I've never met the man, or spoken to him in person. But reading his articles on the internet, checking his blog daily, sometimes several times a day, just to see what scoop he had for us, kind of made him feel like a friend. We all will miss logging on to www.cincypost.com/reds to get the scoop. I actually started checking out the Cincinnati sports section reading John Fay. Not that Fay isn't a good writer, but he just doesn't have "it". Not that I really know what in the blue hell it is. But when you read Trent's work I've always gotten the feeling that he cares. And that he's not afraid to stick to his guns. (Insert comment on Clueless/Patrick here). While we all clicked the blog to check on our favorite team you really never knew where the topic would go. Talk of movies, music, dope smokers, stalkers, hell I even got a hotel suggestion from the big fella. I actually felt like a kid again this past summer. Since joining the Air Force back in 1993 straight out of high school in Kentucky I haven't lived in the area since. Which made it hard to follow the team I grew up living and dieing with. But this past summer I was able to reconnect with that just a bit. Trent's insight, being able to talk Reds baseball with fellow fans of the team. Made me feel like I was back home in a way. Still being stuck in the dump I call Va. (which I really hate) supporting my wife as she nears her time to retire from the Air Force and trying to stear my youngest daughter on the path of a Reds fan not a Red Sox fan. (oldest one is a lost cause) Being able to interact with Trent and the fellow bloggers has been a great experience. Thanks Trent. Amy, Otter, Mr. R., Hugh, Batsfan, Laura, Redscoop, the infamous Donkey Deschizzlenizzledizzle4wizzle, Al in Ohio, and anyone else I may have left off. Reds in '08.

Little bit of Reds related news out of Seattle

2007-12-28T18:03:00.000-05:00

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times doesn't put much stock in Mariners' GM Bill Bavasi's statement that Brandon Morrow will not be dealt in an Erik Bedard deal.
If reports out of Cincinnati are correct, then a Reds package led by SP Homer Bailey and 1B Joey Votto would compel the Mariners to include Morrow in a package for Bedard. CF Adam Jones may be the best prospect between the two teams, but he alone isn't better than Bailey and Votto.

2007-12-28T01:44:00.000-05:00

Work in Progress

2007-12-28T01:20:00.000-05:00

For anyone who checks out this blog I'm still working on it so please be patient. If you have any suggestions please drop me an email. Unfortunately blogger is a bit of a pain in the ass to work with the coding on. Thanks for stopping by. Bye bye now.

vacincinnatiredsfan

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2007-12-27T02:10:00.000-05:00

2007-12-27T02:09:00.000-05:00

2007-12-27T02:08:00.000-05:00

2007-12-27T02:07:00.000-05:00

2007-12-27T01:54:00.000-05:00