Well look who's blasting the Reds

Since the Reds announced Scott Rolen's extension through 2012, we heard a couple of TV and radio people subtly voice skepticism and point out that he's 34 and injury-prone. But none of it was coming from anyone we have much respect for ... same sarcastic folks who tend to criticize everything the Reds do.

It did grab our attention, however, when former Reds general manager Jim Bowden, who has been co-hosting "Baseball This Morning" on SIRIUS XM Radio's MLB Home Plate channel, questioned the deal because of Rolen's advancing age, history of injuries and declining power.

"It's very disappointing to me committing that amount of money without knowing that Scott Rolen can bounce back," Bowden said.

Zing.

If it's any consolation, Jim's not afraid to take shots at the Nationals either.

Dan Steinberg pointed out on his D.C. Sports Bog that Bowden ripped the Nats for the Ivan Rodriguez deal earlier this month.

"Following in the footsteps of Paul LoDuca and Dmitri Young, another bad [signing] by the Nationals," Bowden said, as the world's irony scale exploded. "This time by a new GM, at least," he said, as [co-host Steve] Davis laughed.

Couple of photos

WTF

Note: You may want to call first (before driving out there) if you're considering feeding your Big Red Appetite at the Boston Market. It seems they're known to temporarily run out of food from time to time.

Sabo yes, LeCure no

RedsFest tickets are on sale, and reds.com has the list of players scheduled to make appearances.

Obviously none of the current major- and minor-league players and coaches on the list are surprises ... would have liked to see Sam LeCure on there, of course, but doesn't look like that'll happen. We will get Cozart, Frazier, Heisey, Maloney, Ondrusek, Valaika and Wood.

Former players scheduled to attend (who no longer have an official role with the team): Sabo (Friday only), Jack Billingham, Pedro Borbon (whose status somehow went from unable-to-locate to attending RedsFest in a matter of weeks), Tom Browning, Leo Cardenas, Clay Carroll, Eric Davis, Chuck Harmon, Tommy Helms, Jerry Lynch, Lee May, Hal Morris, Jim O'Toole, Ron Oester, Joe Oliver, Jeff Reed, Scott Scudder and Herm Winningham.

Get your cards ready! (and balls too, I guess, just didn't want to say get your balls ready)

Cardinals fans tuck it in

Reds HOF All-Access Baseball Experience

This was a pretty outstanding afternoon. If you missed it, just hope they do it again next year or whenever and set aside $40 if you're a Reds Hall member ($50 if you're not) and do it. Rick Walls and everyone involved (from Kerry Rowland, who explained a lot of things we'd always wondered about ... to Seg Dennison talking about the radio broadcast ... to John Erardi discussing how the media covers the game) really did a great job with this; I was very impressed with how accomodating everyone was and how hard everyone worked to give people their money's worth and answer every question (even some bad ones). And if the price kept you away, take my word for it that it's worth $40 just to have George Foster give you batting tips and make fun of you (in a good-natured way) at the same time. Everything else was gravy.

Click here to check out our pics.

Votto shows no signs of cooling off

So the Reds have now won 5 in a row on the road (6 in a row overall) and their last 9 games against the Astros (they're 12-3 against Houston this year). And if tonight's score sounded familiar, it's because it's the third time this week that the Reds have won 10-4.

And Joey Votto continues to rake. During the 6-game winning streak, Votto is 14-for-26 (.538) with 10 doubles and 12 runs scored. 10 doubles! I tried to figure out his slugging percentage over the past week and it almost made my head explode. Dare we call his recent assault of pitchers Billy Hatcher-esque (Hatcher was 14-for-27 during the 1990 postseason) even though it's not the postseason or anything?

Since Sept. 10, Votto is 28-for-60 (.467). Pretty gross. And he's raised his average for the season to .319, which would put him about 10th best in the majors and fourth best in the National League (depending on how other guys did tonight).

He's also reached base safely in every game in September - and he hasn't had any days off this month.

BTW, did you know Votto would be the first Reds batter to hit .300 since Sean Casey (.312) and Junior (.301) did in 2005?

Arroyo watch

Thursday: 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 BB, 4 Ks. And another win.

That's his 12th consecutive quality start. Go all the way back to July 22 for an Arroyo start in which he allowed more than 3 runs.

In his six starts in August, he posted a 1.99 ERA (fifth best in the majors for the month). So far in September he's pitched 36 innings and allowed 8 runs (2.00 ERA).

His 2.34 ERA since the All-Star Break is fourth best in the majors (behind Wainwright, Greinke and Carpenter).

Arroyo watch

Just updating a recent post in which we acknowledged that Bronson Arroyo has been DEALING as of late ...

Monday night: 7 innings, 6 hits and 1 run with no walks and 6 strikeouts. And a win!!!!

That's his 10th consecutive quality start. Go all the way back to July 22 for an Arroyo start in which he allowed more than 3 runs. (But he's only gotten three wins during that stretch.)

In his six starts in August, he posted a 1.99 ERA (fifth best in the majors for the month). So far in September he's pitched 21 innings and allowed 4 runs (1.71 ERA).

His 2.33 ERA since the All-Star Break is fourth best in the majors. If he keeps it up for another start or two AND if it was the first half of the season instead of the second half, he'd be an All-Star.

Juan Francisco time!

Really not a whole lot to be excited about right now, but I have to admit it actually cheered me up when I read ... "3B Juan Francisco recalled from AAA Louisville."

Playing out the string

A few numbers:

During the five-game losing skid, the Reds have struck out 54 times (WAY more than any other team in the majors over the past five games). They have 30 hits in the five games.

In his last 27 at-bats, Drew Stubbs has struck out 10 times. Joey Votto has struck out 8 times in his last 22 at-bats, Wladimir Balentien has struck out 7 times in his last 18 at-bats, Jonny Gomes has 7 Ks in 19 at-bats and Darnell McDonald has 7 Ks in 15 at-bats.

The Reds left 22 on base ... this afternoon!

In seven games against Colorado this season, the Reds scored a total of 17 runs. In their past seven games against the Cubs, they've done a little better - 23 runs. In the past 14 games in which the Reds have faced the Rockies or the Cubs, they're 1-13. (The "1" was Justin Lehr's complete-game shutout.) The Reds have scored more than 4 runs in 1 of those 14 games (and oddly, it wasn't even their 1 win).

Since winning 2 of 3 at Wrigley in April, the Reds have lost 4 in a row there.

Before the current skid started, the Reds had actually won 7 consecutive road games.

Arroyo's last 9 starts = good!

Bronson Arroyo made his ninth consecutive quality start last night, going seven innings and allowing two runs on four hits (and, of course, getting a no-decision).

That's right ... you have to go all the way back to July 22 for an Arroyo start in which he allowed more than 3 runs.

In his six starts in August, he posted a 1.99 ERA (fifth best in the majors for the month). So far in September he's got a 1.93 ERA in two starts.

And what does he have to show for it? Two wins in those nine quality starts. Three wins since the All-Star Break.

His 2.42 ERA since the All-Star Break is seventh best in the majors.

Fireworks, bobbleheads and book covers weren't enough ...

The Reds are trying to use lunchmeat (and discounted tickets) to lure you to GABP to watch a four-game series between two of the four NL teams that haven't reached the 50-win mark yet this season.

By the numbers

0: Number of runs the Reds have scored in the first six innings of each of their past 3 games.

1: Reds' starting pitcher this season whose record is better than .500: Edinson Volquez at 4-2.

2: Number of saves for Francisco Cordero, who is being paid $12 million this season, since he earned his 21st save of the season on July 7 - almost a month ago

3: Number of Reds' wins since the All-Star break (team's record is 3-16)

5: Wins by Reds' starting pitchers since July 1 (Bronson Arroyo has 2 of those)

6: Biggest run total in a game since the All-Star break (they've scored six twice, once in a win and once in a loss)

6: Number of Reds' position players who had at-bats tonight who have batting averages worse than .240 (the number of players with averages better than .240 is four). And our next two bats off the bench would've been Janish (.218) and Sutton (.174).

.214: Team batting average over the past 26 games

1998: The last time the Reds had a losing streak of 9 or more (they lost 11 straight from June 14 to June 24)


What I couldn't find but I'd be curious to find out is when was the last time they lost nine consecutive games at home.

Bring him up!

From Reds assistant director of media relations Jamie Ramsey's minor-league report:

RHP Sam LeCure struck out a season-high 11 batters as he collected his 9th victory and 10th quality start (6ip, 8h, 2bb, 1hr) in Louisville's 8-4 win against Charlotte.

Rolen trade

Daugherty is on the money with his take on the trade. And ESPN.com's Buster Olney calls it 'without question the most widely panned pre-deadline trade within the industry'. It's a real head-scratcher. And what Doc doesn't specifically mention but I'll add is this ... I don't understand how you could make this deal knowing (at the time) that there was a very real possibility (and don't tell me they didn't know because I was reading last week about how Edinson Volquez was probably going to need Tommy John surgery) they'd be without Volquez for a long time.

Who's in your starting rotation next year (since this year is over) after Johnny Cueto - your ace - who is 8-8 this year? Harang, who leads the majors in losses at 5-13 a year after he went 6-17; Owings, who is second in the majors with 11 losses and has a 5.35 ERA; Arroyo, who is tied for third in the majors in losses with 10, has a 5.10 ERA and has proven he is a .500 pitcher yet again this year (not a No. 2 starter) and Bailey, who has a 7.06 ERA in 8 starts this year. Are you sure you really don't want to hold onto Roenicke or Stewart and just see if they could compete for one of these spots next spring?

Plus, as Doc alluded to, how many good years do we think Rolen realistically has left? I think it's safe to say he's never going to hit .314 with 34 homers and 124 RBIs again like he did in 2004. I understand that Edwin was only hitting .209 this year (though in fairness he has been banged up and wrist injuries are tough for hitters) and Rolen is an upgrade offensively and defensively but all of a sudden we've got some major question marks with our starting rotation. I don't know, I just don't get it.

Let's make a deal

UPDATE: The Toronto Blue Jays have traded third baseman Scott Rolen to the Reds in exchange for third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and pitchers Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart after Rolen agreed to waive his no-trade clause to complete the deal.

The Reds traded Jerry Hairston Jr. to the Yankees for catcher Chase Weems.

Earlier, CBS' Danny Knobler said the Reds would send one or more other players along with Encarnacion, and that the teams were discussing how much of Rolen's remaining salary (about $4 million for the rest of this year and $11 million for 2010) the Jays would pick up.

So the question is ... why would we want to add Rolen now when we're no longer in contention?

Reds Hall of Fame candidates

Today, the Reds announced the 10 former players appearing on the Modern Player Ballot for induction into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2010. Voting will begin on August 1, 2009 and will run through September 2. Make sure you get your vote in for your favorite former Red. Here's a OMGreds rundown of the candidates and our thoughts on who's in and who's out. Make sure to let us know what you think!

Bret Boone [Stats]
Didn't get gold gloves he deserved. First season as a Red was nice (.320 in 381 at-bats) and his last as a Red was solid (.266, 24, 95) but he his .233 in '96 and .223 in '97. And '98 was the only year he was even close to driving in 100 runs (highest RBI total otherwise - as a Red - was 69). It's fun to remember the year he his .331 with 37 homers and 141 RBIs, but he did that with another team. Not in.

Jeff Brantley [Stats]
BARELY meets the minimum requirement of three years as a Red, and although they were three nice years (he led the league in saves with 44 in 1996), he doesn't get in this year.

Norm Charlton [Stats]
This one's tricky. His contribution in 1990 is undeniable, and he really had four very solid seasons as a Red. Would take the ball anytime, do whatever you asked him to do. I love the guy ... he's not in my top 3 but gets in when Graves gets in.

John Franco [Stats]
Yes, I know he was a Met more than twice as long as he was a Red. Doesn't matter. He was DOMINANT during his six seasons here. What other Reds' closer has been a three-time All-Star and finished 12th in NLMVP voting in six seasons! In 82 innings in 1988, he had a 1.57 ERA and a 1.012 WHIP. Gross. And even though you could argue that Kevin Mitchell's big years as a Red were about as impressive (sorry for apples to oranges), Franco was a Red quite a bit longer. He gets in.

Danny Graves [Stats]
Yikes. This is honestly a tough call. Definitely had best years as a Red. And aside from one of the worst experiments ever - turning him into a starter (he was 4-15 with a 5.33 ERA in 2003) - he was a very solid closer for parts of seven seasons. He did have 182 saves as a Red (34 more than John Franco) ... and did you know he never saved a game for any other big-league team? He's not one of my three but should get in later.

Kevin Mitchell [Stats]
Didn't play three whole seasons as a Red, which I thought was a minimum requirement. He raked during his brief time as a Red, without a doubt, but I don't know that anyone who only had 238 hits in a Reds uniform gets in right now with so many strong candidates. Not in.

Hal Morris [Stats]
No brainer. I wept in '91 when he was like a hit away from winning the batting title. The guy was just a damn good hitter. I looked at his stats and I couldn't believe he never had more than 165 hits in a season, but it's because he never got a ton of at-bats. But look at his batting average as a Red: .340 in 309 at-bats as a rookie, .318 in 478 at-bats in '91, .317 in 379 at-bats in '93, .335 in 436 at-bats in '94, .313 in 528 at-bats in '96. And his best years were definitely as a Red. Hal is in.

Paul O'Neill [Stats]
Another guy whose numbers as a Red are a little iffy with regard to Hall of Fame consideration. Got a few stolen bases but never a 20/20 season as a Red. Never hit better than .276 (1989) as a Red. And his career batting average was .288, which just goes to show how much better he was as a Yankee. Didn't even hit 100 home runs as a Red (he had 96). I know many fans here still love him but not with this class, maybe down the road.

Chris Sabo [Stats]
Numbers weren't unbelievable but he's got to be in the Reds' Hall based on three great seasons he had (out of six overall). .271, 11 HR, 40 doubles, 46 stolen bases and only 52 strikeouts as Rookie of the Year in 1988. What a season. .270, 25, 71 with 25 SBs and 95 runs in 1990 and .301, 26, 88 in 1991 (with a .505 slugging percentage). Oh, and he hit .563 (9-for-16) with two homers in the 1990 World Series, overshadowed only by Billy Hatcher's crazy 9-for-12 effort. In later?

Scott Sullivan [Stats]
Rubber arm. One of the best middle relievers in the game in 1997 and 1999-2001. 3.24 ERA in 97 1/3 innings in '97. 3.01 in 113 2/3 in 1999 (his best year). 3.47 in 106 1/3 innings in 2000. And 3.31 in 103 1/3 in 2001. I'm a big fan, but we've already got three locks for this year, so maybe later.

OMGRant

Watching tonight's game, I was puzzled when Harang hit for himself in the bottom of the sixth after the Reds got the leadoff batter on, down 5-1. I realize Harang moved the runner over (though Tatum didn't end up scoring) but it just didn't make sense to me to leave him in there. Let the bullpen take over. Harang was over 100 pitches and had given up five runs. Get a pinch hitter in there to try to make something happen so that you hopefully don't lose again to the second-worst team in the league. A head-scratcher if you ask me.

Trade!

Robert Manuel to Seattle for Wladimir Balentien! I know the Mariners were at one time very high on Balentien. Strikes out a ton but he's got quite a bit more big-league experience than Manuel. 122 home runs in six minor-league seasons. Also 596 strikeouts in those six minor-league seasons.

How bad is it?

I know that getting swept by the best team in baseball isn't quite as bad as getting swept by, say, the Royals ... and really it feels like crap to get swept by anyone ... things just aren't looking good six games below .500 and in fifth place.

Barring a double-digit win streak in the not-too-distant future (which seems highly unlikely at this point), it's just about time to stick a fork in the Reds ... yet again. Which is a shame because Joey Votto is THE MAN.

Some ugly numbers:

• The Reds are 2-8 on the road this month.

• In their last six games, the team batting average is .228. They have had 43 hits and 41 strikeouts.

• The Padres are the only National League squad with a worse team batting average on the season. And the Reds are hitting just .238 this year with runners in scoring position.

• The Reds' starting pitchers have lost 40 times this season, tied for the lead in the National League in that category. Three pitchers (Harang, Arroyo and Owings) have combined for 29 of those losses.

• There really haven't been that many occasions where the pitcher left in position for a win but the game was blown by the bullpen. That's only happened 5 times (only St. Louis has fewer with 3). What the Reds VERY rarely do is come back to tie or take the lead when the pitcher leaves in position for a loss. They've done that a league-low six times this season.

• Only two NL teams (Washington and, believe it or not, Los Angeles) have fewer quality starts than the Reds. But the Reds don't score 5.03 runs per game like the Dodgers do; they score 4.06/game, which ranks 14th in the league.

• The Reds have only had 287 baserunners score this season. Only San Diego has fewer. L.A. has 390.

The silver lining? Mike's posts (below) from L.A., which I found informative and entertaining.

OMGRoad-trip to the West Side!

Votto and Phillips making sandwiches at a Subway on Bridgetown Road this Saturday. Great that fans get a chance to meet two of the team's biggest stars ... though I'm not sure I want either of them handling knives for an hour. Maybe they could just make a sandwich (photo op) and then sit at a table and sign.

WTF! Rough night for Marty

Did anyone listen to Marty and Jeff at all tonight? Pretty memorable. First of all, the "Ask Marty" question (where Marty answers any question, baseball or non-baseball related) was "What is your favorite Michael Jackson song?" Marty replied by saying he's a big fan of "Ebony and Ivory," a 1982 No. 1 single by Paul McCartney and ... Stevie Wonder. Yes, MJ did a couple of very popular songs with McCartney ("Say Say Say" and "The Girl Is Mine") but "Ebony and Ivory" is not one of them. So the phone's apparently ringing off the hook at WLW, people pointing out that MJ had nothing to do with "Ebony and Ivory" and poor Marty is apologizing left and right.

Then, I wasn't listening but heard from a reliable source (maybe you heard it too) that Marty got a message from Seg Dennison that just said "WTF" (related to the "Ebony and Ivory" debacle). And poor Marty indicated ON THE AIR that Seg had sent him a message that just said "W-T-F" and that Marty had no idea what that means. More phone ringing off the hook at WLW. And let's hope no kids were listening. :D

To make matters worse, Marty REPEATEDLY referred to Mets starting pitcher Fernando Nieve as "Juan." I'm guessing it had something to do with confusing him with former Brewers hurler (of the late '80s) Juan Nieves. Who, by the way, suffered a career-ending arm injury after just three seasons in the majors. Though he did no-hit the Orioles during a 14-8 season in 1987. Currently the bullpen coach for the ChiSox.

Marty was, of course, joking about all of it afterwards (though he didn't specifically mention "WTF" during the postgame) with some self-deprecating humor. Pretty outstanding.

Scott Rolen?

Story on torontosun.com indicates that the Cincinnati Reds have talked internally about obtaining third baseman Scott Rolen from the Blue Jays.

Hal McCoy says it won't happen, even though Rolen likes Cincinnati. McCoy also shoots down rumors involving Colorado's Garrett Atkins as well as Pedro Martinez.

No longer a Red but it's Junior

Junior honors Michael Jackson

OMGRandom

• The "safe" call at first in the top of the 9th on Laynce Nix's hit to Jimmy Rollins was harshit.

• For those on the message boards and on sports talk who are adamant about how Jay Bruce needs to be in the lineup every day and how much Jay Bruce means to the team and how vital his contributions are and what his power does for the lineup and how many runs his outfield assists have saved, etc. and who insist, "Don't worry about his batting average," my question is this (and I happen to think he does belong in the majors and he wouldn't have anything to prove in AAA ... he just needs a lot more days off - especially against left-handed starters - than he's getting) ... Will you feel the same way when our everyday starting right fielder is batting .190? Or .185? Because he'll be there before you know it if no changes are executed.

Mental errors

It's been quite some time since I've seen a Major League outfielder look as silly on separate plays in consecutive innings as Jay Bruce has tonight. Whether it's 2-1 or 14-1, you've really got to keep that ball in front of you. And don't call off Phillips when he's camped under it unless you know for sure that you can get there. I hate to say it because I love the guy but he's also hitting .215 and I guarantee you that if there hadn't been so much hype about what an unbelievable prospect he is and his impressive ascent to the majors ... he'd be in Louisville right now. He's 22. And with his average and blunders like these he might not deserve to be in the lineup.

Also, kudos to the Phils' official scorer for correcting what would have been an even more humiliating error ... they initially gave Ryan Howard a double on the first ball Bruce misplayed but then changed it later.

Cueto got jobbed

UPDATE at 7:40 p.m.: Nevermind.


C'mon, 8-4 with a 2.69 ERA and the guy can't get on the All-Star team?? How dumb is the rule that every team must be represented ... Cueto is clearly more deserving than Ted Lilly (8-6, 3.32) ... better record and ERA obviously and also a better WHIP than Lilly, five fewer HRs surrendered, etc. Hopefully one of the starters chosen can't go for some reason, in which case our man Cueto had better be first in line to replace that guy.

The only thing that made the announcement of the All-Star squad easier to swallow in a completely schadenfruedic (is that a word?) way is that Dunn got jobbed too :D

Congrats to Coco.

What would you have done?

I'm seeing a lot of sympathy for Weathers on message boards and a couple of other blogs ... mostly about how tough a spot he was in ... I don't know ... I know it seems silly to walk Pujols intentionally with the bases loaded ... but I don't see how you can serve one up right over the middle of the plate to that guy. He's a freak ... he's superhuman. He's hitting .336 with 30 home runs (now 31). I'd rather face anyone else in Major League Baseball, let alone on the Cardinals. Dusty's post-game quote bothered me ...

(If you walk him) then you've got the tying run at second base with (Ryan) Ludwick up there. He hit 37 home runs last year. It's a tough call.

Ludwick is hitting .235 this year! I could care less that he hit 37 home runs last year. Would you rather battle a guy who's hitting .235 but had a good year last year or serve one up right down the middle to the best hitter in baseball who's hitting .336 with 30 dongs and has beaten you time and time again?? No brainer. I can't justify giving Pujols anything to hit in that at-bat.

Head-scratcher

I apologize for being an ass and kind of poking fun but believe me when I say I'm doing so in as good-natured a manner as possible (while still being an ass).

Just saw another Craigslist posting ... check it out ... and tell me if this deal sounds a little shady to you, too.

And before you call me an ass for poking fun, what have I really done wrong? Heck, I got this guy a few extra hits on his Craigslist posting that he wouldn't have otherwise gotten, that's all :D

Good deal?

Diamond seats for July 4 game for $395 each. Face value is $230, right? Am I missing something? Do you get like an unlimited supply of Jay Bruce Bobbleheads in the diamond seats or something?

OMGPitchersduels

The Reds' 1-0 win against the Diamondbacks Wednesday night was one of three 1-0 results in the National League on Wednesday (along with Mets over Brewers and Dodgers over Rockies). Out of 8 games played. Crazy.

Also kinda bizarre ... in seven out of those eight games played in the NL, one of the two teams only scored one run. Florida 5, Washington 3 was the only NL result from Wednesday that didn't feature a 1 in it.

And on a Reds-related note, guess who tied for a game-high with two hits and scored the game's only run? Our lead-off man: Chris Dickerson. If only he could lead off every night. :)

Chilly Willy

Here's the lineup for tonight ... keep in mind we're doing our darndest to try to avoid being swept ...

CF Willy Taveras
3B Jerry Hairston Jr.
2B Brandon Phillips
1B Joey Votto
DH Jonny Gomes
C Ramon Hernandez
RF Jay Bruce
SS Paul Janish
LF Chris Dickerson

It would be great to get Hanigan's bat in there, but I think the biggest problem I have is that Willy Taveras is leading off again. It's not just that June has been a nightmare for Willy. He only has a .269 OBP - second-lowest on the team - for the season! Why would you want the guy with the second-lowest OBP on the team - who doesn't work the count or walk or do the things you want your leadoff guy to do - batting leadoff every night?? Doesn't make any sense.

The Reds are going to play themselves out of this race if they keep losing - dropping 5 out of 6 is not good. If Willy keeps batting leadoff despite his inability to contribute, we might just have to start following the Florence Freedom pretty soon. I checked and OMGFreedom.com is available.

OMGRandom nitpicky observations

• Nice touch with the wall wrap to commemorate tonight's festivities ... but have somebody proofread it before it gets printed. BTW, if any of my friends did this ... I'm an ass and I apologize. Easy mistake to make and overall I thought the wrap looked very sharp. Please let me know and I'll remove this part of the post. Thanks-



• I know you really don't have to, but it might make for a cooler keepsake for those who attended if you printed CIVIL RIGHTS GAME on the tickets. People do like to keep the stubs, and it was kind of a big deal that it was the Civil Rights Game tonight, right?

• There were a lot of disappointed folks who didn't get the Frank Robinson mesh jerseys given away to the first 20,000. I'm not saying they should have given away more - that's their call - I just honestly couldn't believe they were gone by 6 p.m. - 1 hour and 40 minutes before the first pitch and the giveaway is gone. That's got to be a record at GABP, right?



• This isn't Civil Rights Game-specific, but I've been meaning to go off about this for awhile. The playground is for the bigger (and crazier) kids; the bounce house is for the younger kids. The rules posted at the bounce house specifically state that it is for kids 10 and younger. PLEASE hire a kid (the employee who sits there hating life that they got assigned to it and tells kids when they can enter the bounce house) who can say "no" when a 19-year-old tries to convince him that he's 10. Otherwise some cute little 4-year-old kid is going to get hurt when kids 3 and 4 times his age are in there roughhousing, and that would be bad. (By the way, there were definitely more than 4 in the inflatable at a time on several occasions tonight, and that bounce house NEVER stays open until the end of the eighth inning as that sign suggests.)

• Good thing our criticism of Willy Taveras lit a fire ... Willy is 3-for-5 tonight, raising his average to .227 for the season, further distancing himself from the Mendoza Line. Way to go Willy! If Willy keeps this up, we're going to have to turn our attention to Adam Rosales, who has 3 hits in 32 at-bats (.094) in June.

• Danny Richar AND Nick Masset - the two players the Reds acquired for Junior - make appearances against their former team. OMG! Think the Reds were trying to send a message just a little ... like "aren't you glad you gave us these two impressive young players in exchange for a washed-up (though future Hall of Fame) outfielder you hoped would propel you to the World Series?"

Photos courtesy of my cell phone

How bad is Willy

Some numbers:

• As of right now, Willy is 0-for-3 today, and his batting average this season is .221. Our lead-off batter's on-base percentage is .271.

• Willy is hitting .025 in the month of June - 1 for 40. (I know, I know, count the end of May and his slump is actually 1 for his last 46).

• Our lead-off man - whose job it is to get on base, help set the table, etc. - hasn't walked since May 23 (yeah, I realize he missed a few games, but he hasn't had a base on balls in the 14 games in which he's appeared prior to today ... and he's had 4 or 5 at-bats in 12 of those games). He has walked 14 times the entire season. Edwin Encarnacion has walked 13 times - and he's got 63 at-bats (to Willy's 210). Also, catcher Ryan Hanigan has more walks than Willy this season in 100 fewer at-bats.

• I know you don't expect your lead-off guy to get a lot of RBIs, but you'd like him to luck into a few more than 9 by June 18. Micah Owings has 7! Willy has 210 at-bats; Owings has 36. It's pretty rare when you can say the fifth pitcher in your starting rotation is a far better hitter than your everyday lead-off man who the manager won't sit or move down.

I hate to bash the guy, but he's absolutely killing us, no?

In the wake of Taveras' epic slump, I had a request to dig up my post about Willy when we were first reportedly pursuing him back in November. Here's the link:

Willy Taveras? Really?

Post-game thoughts

Just when you thought the Reds' offense couldn't look any more pathetic ... it's an 80-pitch! complete game by a guy who has spent most of the season at Triple-A. If you were wondering how that game only took 2 hours and 12 minutes, that's why ... Hochevar only threw 80 pitches. And 8 Reds batters managed one single and one walk the entire night ... turns out Jonny Gomes can't win a game all by himself.

I just wonder if we might've scored more than one run and/or finished with more than 3 hits if we'd had a guy leading off who wasn't now 0 for his last 28. And 10 for his last 82. With an on-base percentage on the season of .288. How good a chance do you give your team to win when you start a guy whose on-base percentage is .288 and have him lead off?

It's nights like these - losing to the third-worst team in baseball a day after losing to the worst team in baseball - that makes us want to root for guys who are from Cincinnati instead of the guys who play here. How about a quick OMGReds shout-out to Sycamore High School grad and former University of Cincinnati star Kevin Youkilis, who homered tonight (his 11th of the season) and is hitting .350 this season, second only to Ichiro in the American League. WAY TO GO YOUK!

Reds vs. Royals

Ah, yes. Thank God for interleague play. Our buddy Ray at www.RoyalsonRadioetc.com asked if we could do a series preview. It would be our pleasure.

THE REDS ENTER ... 31-28, third place in the NL Central, 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Brewers. They won their first two in D.C. against the worst team in baseball before a heartbreaking 3-2 loss yesterday afternoon (in a series Hal McCoy said the Reds HAD to sweep). The Reds are 5-5 so far in June.

THE ROYALS ENTER ... 25-34, last place in the AL Central, 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Tigers. They're 2-11 in their last 13 games. They're 4-16 in their last 20 and 7-23 in their last 30. And this is a team that started the season 18-11. Ouch.

Like the Reds, the Royals also suffered a heartbreaking loss on Thursday, falling 4-3 in Cleveland when the game-winning hit struck a seagull in one of the most bizarre finishes in recent memory. If you haven't seen the video, it was pretty nuts. The Reds won't have to face Zack Greinke, by the way, as he started Thursday's crazy game.

WHO'S HOT FOR THE REDS

Jonny Gomes is 4 for his last 12. Ryan Hanigan is 6 for his last 18 (and 20-for-60 over the past 30 days).

WHO'S HOT FOR THE ROYALS

Second baseman Alberto Callaspo, the only Royal hitting better than .300 so far this season (.308), has nine hits in his last 23 at-bats. Catcher Miguel Olivo has homered in each of the past three games.

WHO'S NOT FOR THE REDS

Geez, take your pick. Ramon Hernandez is 2 for his last 23. Laynce Nix is in a 3-for-19 slump. Also slumping are Adam Rosales (10 hits in his past 60 at-bats), Chris Dickerson (3-for-16), and Jerry Hairston Jr. (5-for-26). Willy Taveras is hitting a whopping .128 (10-for-78) over the past 30 days. Jay Bruce is hitting .170 (16-for-94) over the same period.

WHO'S NOT FOR THE ROYALS

Outfielder Coco Crisp (the unfortunate victim of the seagull incident from yesterday) is hitting .200 in June. Mike Jacobs is hitting .154 with 1 home run in 26 at-bats in June.

FRIDAY PITCHING MATCHUP

Matt Maloney (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Luke Hochevar (1-2, 7.85 ERA). Maloney looked sharp (6 innings, 2 runs) in a no-decision in his first big-league start last Saturday against the Cubs. He became the first left-handed starter for the Reds this season.

Hochevar helped end the Royals' recent eight-game losing skid with an impressive effort (6 2/3, 2 runs) last Saturday. He was recalled from Triple-A Omaha - where he was 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA by the way - to make the start. Before he got sent down, he had a 10.80 ERA in 11 2/3 innings with the Royals. Hochevar was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 first-year player draft.

SATURDAY PITCHING MATCHUP

Bronson Arroyo (7-4, 5.00 ERA) vs. Kyle Davies (2-6, 5.13 ERA). Arroyo has looked great in five of his last eight starts. Not just quality starts either ... you can't ask for much better than 8 shutout innings (May 1), 3 earned in 7 innings (May 17), 1 earned in 8 innings (May 22), 1 earned in complete game (May 27) and 1 earned in 7 innings (June 7). Yeah, there's always a chance you could get the May 6 disaster (9 earned in 1 innings) and there's a good chance he'll give up at least one bomb but only four National League pitchers have more wins this year.

Davies pitched the second complete game of his career last Sunday. Unfortunately he was facing the best pitcher in baseball in Roy Halladay. Davies had a nice outing, though, giving up four runs in eight innings. Coming off a career-best nine-win season (in 21 starts in 2008), he's been very inconsistent this season. He had four quality starts in April and three consecutive quality starts in May, but he's also given up at least seven hits in half of his starts this season.

SUNDAY PITCHING MATCHUP

Johnny Cueto (6-3, 2.33 ERA) vs. Brian Bannister (4-3, 4.69 ERA). Cueto has been outstanding, and if he keeps this up he should really be an All-Star. It's hard to even pinpoint his most impressive numbers. At least seven innings in nine of his 12 starts. At least six innings in 11 of the 12. Opposing hitters' average: .210. His WHIP is 1.05. Oh, and on the road, he's 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA.

Bannister has been feast or famine. Four of his 10 starts have been quality starts, but he's only had one of those in his past seven. Much like his team, Bannister got off to a very nice start (2-0, 0.69 in April) but things have gone south lately (0-1, 9.35 in June). So far not nearly as impressive as his June two years ago. In June 2007, Bannister was one of two major league pitchers to win 5 games, going 5-1 with a 2.75 ERA in six starts - including a streak of 18 innings without an earned run - and was named AL Rookie of the Month.

In case you fell asleep ...

... Aaron Harang's teammates are still doing their darndest to make sure the big righty doesn't get wins when he deserves them. Unbelievable.

First blown save of the year for Coco, by the way.

UPDATE: Masset - filthy again.
Jonny Gomes - CLUTCH

Three pitchers and a shortstop

Good stuff on our buddy C. Trent's blog about how Day 1 of the First-Year Player Draft went for the Reds, including quotes from first-round pick Mike Leake.

Brennaman and Jones on Baseball

I can't even listen anymore these two have gotten so out of control. This morning they were talking about some bogus secret pitch discovered while they were having a catch with Tracy's son. I don't need them to just discuss a legitimate issue every time they do the segment, but they must think we're going to enjoy their inside jokes and I never do ... in fact, I really don't find Tracy's shtick funny at all. And he and Eddie are brutal in the afternoon ... does anyone actually enjoy listening to these guys? Somebody must if they're still on, but I don't get how you could ...

Really?

Did anyone hear George Grande and Chris Welsh singing the praises of Adam Dunn during the sixth inning of last night's game? They talked about how hard Dunn worked when he was a Red, what a great teammate and team player he was, how he always played hurt, etc. I wonder if they ever read this about how Dunn never bothered to learn anything about hitting before he joined the Nationals and how he didn't work on preparation or approach as much while he was a Red.

fun facts

• Zambrano extends his scoreless innings streak at Great American Ball Park to 29 innings (yes, I usually hate this type of stat too ... it's one of those who-really-keeps-track-of-this stats like you'd see on SportsCenter ... but it does say something about how he's dominated here) and I'm amazed at how many game stories this didn't make it into (AP, MLB.com, Cincinnati.Com, etc.). I know he notched his 100th career win and talked about his future and stuff afterwards but 29 consecutive innings is a figure that's tough to overlook. Was it not in the pre-game notes?

• Here's one I heard during pre-game ... Ryan Hanigan leads all rookies in batting average and on-base percentage. Wow.

• The latest head-scratcher ... and I felt like we really OMGave the Reds a pass on not bringing up Jonny Gomes for McDonald two weeks earlier than they did but that's history ... Willy Taveras has now missed, what, five of the last six games? WHY NOT put him on the DL and call up Drew Stubbs?

FYI

Fans attending any of the Reds vs. Cubs games (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) are asked to bring a non-perishable canned food item to the game. Drop it in one of the designated collection barrels at the GABP gates and receive two tickets to the Reds vs. Braves game Wed., June 17. In addition, each fan donating can enter a drawing to throw out the first pitch at the June 17th game.

The St. Vincent de Paul Reds Food Drive goal is to collect 5,000 pounds of food, which will feed 1,750 people in our community for one day.

Jonny Gomes time

• What a memorable first regular-season at-bat as a Red for Gomes. Clutch. Even if a lot of fans think it should have happened about a week ago.

• Especially after I said what I did the other night about Alex Gonzalez looking like his heart's not in it or he's not really trying, I must say I was very impressed with his effort tonight. He played an outstanding game, offensively (3 hits) and defensively. He really put the Reds on his shoulders tonight, and there's no denying he's got the talent to do that from time to time. I hope it propels him and he gets hot ... I'd love to see it.

• If you haven't already read this, it's pretty unbelievable: Son of NYC's first swine-flu victim throws no-hitter

Good news about Votto

Reds first baseman Joey Votto has an ear infection that should clear up in a few days with medication, doctors have concluded.

Votto had a series of tests in two cities after he experienced dizzy spells during a West Coast trip last week. Doctors think the infection in his left ear is linked to a case of the flu he and Brandon Phillips had earlier in the month. Flights to Arizona and San Diego last week aggravated the ailment.

From the AP story:

"That's probably what brought on the symptoms," trainer Mark Mann said. "In the last four days, Joey's felt much better. He hasn't had any more symptoms since he got back to Cincinnati."

Votto will work out before the start of a game Friday night against Cleveland. He could return to action over the weekend.

Don't necessarily expect him in the starting lineup on Friday though. Dusty said he wants to give him a couple of days to "get his feet under him," take BP, work out, etc. I'd imagine if he feels well before the game on Friday he might be available to pinch hit.

OMGRandom observations from tonight's game

• What's the most annoying thing the 'bag sitting behind you at the game has ever said? For my money, "There goes the perfect game/no-hitter" in the first or second inning when the visiting team collects its first hit ... is right up there. Anybody else got any good ones?

• A guy in my section tonight was proudly wearing a Phillies' Pete Rose jersey, which is pretty much the ultimate F.U. to Reds' fans. Well played, sir.

• I honestly think they need to make the Reds Rally Game (that bingo card they hand you on the way into the stadium) easier to win. Granted, I was playing for the first time (before you judge me, I attended the game with my mother, and we played per her suggestion, and yes I actually did enjoy it ... I'm not going to play along every time but I could see where it would be a guilty pleasure even for a baseball fan who normally doesn't need to play the dollar game or mound ball or whatever to make the game more interesting and/or pass the time) and I didn't necessarily expect to win my first time playing but there couldn't have been more than 40 people inside the ballpark playing. I mean, who is a) paying close enough attention and b) has a pen with them and c) isn't drinking ... it's pretty easy to narrow down the field of those playing along. And some of the squares you'd be lucky to circle once if you went to every game for a week. A triple by the pitcher?? A pinch-hit double?? Come on. With mom and I playing along and not missing anything, one of us should've at least been close by the end of a game in which the Reds had 12 hits. I would've had a winner if only Adam Rosales had hit a pinch-hit, 3-run homer in the 8th ... but wouldn't you know, he didn't. The rules say no more than 25 winners per game ... but let's at least try to get to 25.

• To Jay Bruce and Willy Taveras: Jamie Moyer is left-handed (natural move to first) and he's been pitching in the big leagues since 1986 (that's right ... the year BEFORE Bruce was born). You might want to be careful when you take a lead because I'll bet this guy has picked off a few in his day.

• I hate to say this but having watched tonight I can see where some sports talk hosts are coming from when they say Alex Gonzalez doesn't look like his heart is in it and doesn't really look like he's trying that hard. I'm sure it's not easy when you know you can hit and you're down at .178, but he's kind of giving the impression through body language that he might not care that much. I wonder how long they'll let him struggle before someone takes his spot in the lineup. I'm not saying that needs to happen now but might happen soon if it continues.

Also, it's Jonny Gomes time ... get him up here and let's play with a full roster available! Throw him into the outfield rotation and let him pinch-hit.

In case you missed it

Ryan Wagner, a former Reds pitcher and first-round pick of the team (14th overall) in the 2003 first-year player draft who was involved in the infamous Kearns/Lopez/Wagner for Majewski/Bray/Daryl Thompson/Royce Clayton/Brendan Harris trade of 2006, has announced his retirement.

From the story:

The 26-year old spent parts of the 2006 and '07 season with the Nationals, compiling a 3-5 record with a 5.05 ERA in 40 games.

This season with the Chiefs, Wagner was 0-0 with a 6.11 ERA and two saves in 13 games for Syracuse. In his last four games, he allowed nine earned runs in six innings.

In June of 2007, Wagner has season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

"It was shocking because he worked so hard to come back from that surgery," manager Manny Acta said. "Only he knows what he's doing, but you put in all that hard work to come back from the surgery and then retire, it's kind of shocking."

Oddly, it hasn't been a good week for first-round picks of the 2003 first-year player draft. Wagner retired, Rickie Weeks (Pick No. 2) found out he's done for the season, Brian N. Anderson (No. 15) and Carlos Quentin (No. 29) are both banged-up for the White Sox ... same with the Orioles' Adam Jones (No. 37) and the Diamondbacks Conor Jackson (No. 19). OMGRandom.

'Idol' and 'DWTS'? Really?

TSN checks in with your favorite former Red and mine ... Paul O'Neill.

Thanks for telling us how you really feel

If you are a Reds fan and you didn't already dislike Adam Dunn, there's a good chance you will after you read this item from ESPN's Buster Olney. Turns out - this may stun you - Dunn is not only taking jabs at the Reds for being non-competitive during his eight seasons here, but he's also acknowledging that he was pretty much mailing it in (not taking preparation and approach to hitting seriously at all) during that time. But take solace in the fact that even when he was on a team in the pennant race (as he recalls fondly), they didn't actually make the playoffs ... and now even though he's tearing it up I'm not sure he realizes the Nationals have the worst record in baseball.

Updated: Diamondbacks' Reds-killers

1. (Former Red) Felipe Lopez. .389 in 72 at-bats. And his .463 OBP against the Reds is his best against any opponent.

2. Doug Davis. 6-3, 3.46 ERA in 96 1/3 innings. The Reds are the only team Davis has pitched two complete games against.

3. Brandon Webb. 6-2, 2.52 ERA in 71 1/3 innings. Only 2 home runs surrendered. One complete game shutout.

Also, in a smaller sample ...

4. Justin Upton. .381 in 21 at-bats.

5. (Former Red) Scott Schoeneweis. 1-0, 1.42 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.

Really not bad at all, especially compared with the Cardinals. No All-Reds killers candidates here. In fact, several Diamondbacks are anti-Redskillers.

Chris Snyder - .190 in 58 at-bats
Chad Tracy - .190 in 84 at-bats
Eric Byrnes - .173 in 75 at-bats
Stephen Drew - .171 in 41 at-bats
Dan Haren - 5.49 ERA and 5 homers allowed in 19 2/3 innings
Jon Rauch - 0-2, 6.92 ERA in 13 innings
Tom Gordon - 0-3, 5.94 ERA in 16 2/3 innings

Update: Cardinals' Reds-killers

1. Pujols. .367, 35, 102. .367 is his third best average against a National League opponent. Reds are one of just three teams Pujols has 100+ RBIs against. Pujols has scored more runs (114) against the Reds than any other team.

2. Chris Duncan. .355 with 7 homers. The 33 hits he has collected against the Reds are five more than he has against any other team (Cubs, Brewers). His OBP in 103 at-bats against the Reds is .417. His slugging percentage is .613.

3. Ryan Ludwick. .344 with 9 homers and 26 RBIs in 93 at-bats. .344 is 79 points higher than his average against any other team he has 100+ plate appearances against. 9 is most HR vs. any opponent and 26 is 6 more RBIs than he has against any other team. His slugging percentage against the Reds: .753. OPS: 1.155.

And to a lesser extent ...

4. Joel Pineiro. 3-0, 2.22 ERA in 4 starts. 19 Ks, 7 BBs.

5. Chris Carpenter (who's on the DL). 3-3. 2.47 ERA in 9 starts. .883 WHIP. 8.9 Ks/9.

6. Ryan Franklin. 2.18 ERA in 20 2/3 innings.

7. Blaine Boyer. 0.00 ERA in 7 1/3 innings.

On a more positive note, Skip Schumaker only hits .233 against us. And former Red Jason LaRue is only 3-for-24 (.125) against Cincinnati.

OMGRecognition

The more I watch the Reds this year (and it's not like I've talked to anyone ... it's really just an observation) the more I get the impression that Ramon Hernandez has had a LOT to do with the team's early-season success. Daugherty just wrote a column about how great he's been with the starting rotation, and they plugged him in at first base for just his second start there in his MLB career when Votto came down with a bug and he looked great there. Had a nice stretch on a Rosales throw (after a bobble) to get a runner by a step and then had a nice stab on the final out of the game. And what struck me is how he sort of celebrated that stab with Rosales moments later ... they both had big smiles and it would appear on the surface that Hernandez - even though he's almost 33 and in his 11th Major League season - is able to relate to a guy like Rosales, who's got 12 Major League at-bats, as easily as David Weathers or Arthur Rhodes.

How about a few numbers? (C'mon, did you really think this was just going to be some lame "that's the impression I get" opinion post?) Remember when he was hitting .067 after going 1 for his first 15 of the season? Now he's hitting .280. And while we haven't really seen a ton of power from him yet (just the one home run he hit in the ninth of the 2-1 win in Houston on April 17), Hernandez has had two hits in five of the Reds' past six wins. He's gone 22-for-66 since that slow start (first four games). He's been fairly quiet about it because he hasn't driven in a ton of runs but it's hard to ignore his contribution.

Also, Laynce Nix is hitting .351 now. And Micah Owings' triple was pretty outstanding.

Separated at birth?

oh yeah, the game

How impressed were you with Mike Lincoln for getting out of that mess in the 12th. FILTHY curve ball to Cody Ross during that last at-bat of the inning with bases loaded and two outs, then forces him to ground out.

Another great defensive play by Phillips during that inning too.

HAVOC

Heard it for the first time during Lance McAlister's show on Homer and not sure who came up with it but this is a pretty great nickname for our impressive starting rotation. Harang - Arroyo - Volquez - Owings - Cueto ... HAVOC. Almost worthy of a kick-ass poster like the one Rob designed for Sam. The only problem is I'd hate to waste the effort when you never know how close we are, maybe just an Owings implosion (not that we want to see that) coupled with another Homer Bailey gem in Louisville (wouldn't mind seeing that) away from HAVBC, which doesn't spell out a word and therefore doesn't quite have the same ring to it as HAVOC.

OMGRant

I'm still amazed that Reds fans don't complain more about the fact that the team COMPLETELY GAVE UP ON Jorge Cantu and let him walk after the 2007 season. Somebody clearly made a great call taking a flyer on this guy after the (then-Devil) Rays gave up hope following a disappointing 2006 season and after he hit .207 in 58 at-bats for them in 2007. But the Reds knew he wasn't that far removed from .286-28-117, which is what he did at 23 years old in 2005. So they gave up basically nothing for him in July 2007 and he proceeded to hit .298 in 57 at-bats for the Reds. I don't understand how you just give up on a guy who has shown huge potential previously and hits .298 for you now that he's healthy again.

In all honesty (I'm not blowing smoke here) I called P-Doc during Extra Innings right around the end of the 2007 season and said it'd be nice if they gave Cantu a serious look at first base the following year. Nobody was really talking about him much because it was a part-time role he had even after the Reds traded for him. P-Doc pretty much shrugged it off and pointed out that the Reds ought to focus on their rising stars. Now I'm not suggesting that I'd want Cantu as my first baseman over Votto. But this guy plays 3B too, and I don't think we would've just kicked EE to the curb either, but at least we would've had a nice competition and a very tough bat off the bench (or trade bait).

Look, all this guy has done since the Reds released him after 2007 is hit .277 with 29 home runs and 95 RBI last season and .333 with 7 homers and 25 RBI so far this year. Does it seem like Votto's having an unbelievable start this year? Cantu has three more RBI than Votto; in fact, he's second in the National League (to Albert Pujols). And I watch tonight's game (and in fairness, maybe Grande/Welsh did say something about him and I had just left the room right before they did) and there's barely even a mention that he played for the Reds.

And in case you were wondering, don't blame Walt Jocketty. Cantu was released by the Reds Dec. 5, 2007; Jocketty was hired as a Special Adviser to the Reds on Jan. 11, 2008.

Little of this, little of that

How sharp was Volquez last night. And what a great game for Rosales. I'm not exactly the first to say this but he's going to endear himself to a lot of Reds fans by doing stuff like sprinting to first base after a walk and generally having a positive attitude.

Some numbers of interest:

11: Consecutive games the Astros had won at Great American Ball Park before last night.

17: Number of batters Volquez retired in a row.

17: Left on base for the Reds last night. They won anyway.

20: Home runs Reds killer Lance Berkman has hit at GABP - most by any visiting player. But Berkman was out of the starting lineup Wednesday night.

20: Number of walks Volquez had allowed in 20 1/3 innings entering last night's game. He only walked one last night.

36?: At the end of last night's broadcast I heard Thom say it was only the 36th (or 38th?) game in the history of GABP (about 500 games) without a home run. That would be only about once every 14 games.

12,681: Announced attendance Wednesday, the biggest crowd of the 3-game series against the Astros.

34,924: Attendance for the series. GABP's seating capacity is 42,271.

BTW, what was up with the text poll they did during the broadcast where they had a list that had been narrowed to four and asked who you would want to see as a bobblehead? And Daniel Ray Herrera was winning the poll? Pretty strange ... I don't think the text poll was associated with the actual ballot on reds.com (where voting ended at noon today and Volquez won). Is that the case?

Check us out

Yahoo! Sports' Big League Stew shows us some love!

Note

Tonight's game is believed to be (Chris Welsh said it during the ninth inning) the first in all of MLB so far this season without any walks. Wouldn't have bet that would happen with Cueto starting (not to take a jab at the guy after his absolute GEM tonight, but he did walk 6 in 4 2/3 last week against the 'Stros).

Why Sam LeCure?

Just to clarify, here are a few of our reasons for endorsing Sam LeCure for Fan's Choice Bobblehead.

1. Why not?

2. We LOVE that he and other Reds' minor-league pitchers with whom many Reds fans aren't familiar were included on the reds.com ballot. Seriously. Not making fun. It's a LOT less boring than just throwing Harang, Arroyo, Volquez, Cueto and Cordero on the ballot and saying, "Pick from one of those."

3. It's really not JUST the "middle-aged-dude-to-randomly-say-what-the-hell-is-this??-when-they-are-handed-their-bobblehead-at-the-gate" factor as Dan explained in the original post. Look, our main man Sam is F'reel! He's 24, he's got a live arm and you'd better GET to know him if you don't already because this guy is going to be in the Reds' starting rotation before you know it. So it'll be cool that you'll have a bobblehead of him from the 2009 season when he's our ace in like 2011 or 2012. It'll be like getting a dude's rookie card two years before his first cup of coffee in the bigs. Now we have no idea when Sam is going to make his mark as a Red ... it could very well be sooner than that. The point is ... embrace him, get to know him and vote daily now through April 30 at reds.com so that a Sam LeCure bobblehead can be yours July 18.

ALL ABOUT SAM

Full Name: Samuel R. LeCure
Born: May 4, 1984 in Jefferson City, Missouri
Height: 6-1 Weight: 190
Bats: Right Throws: Right
High School: Helias (Jefferson City, Missouri)
College: University of Texas

Drafted: Selected by Cincinnati Reds in 4th Round (122nd overall) of June 2005 amateur entry draft

LeCure went 5-1 with a 3.27 ERA at Billings in 2005. He had a 3.43 ERA in 27 starts in Sarasota in 2006, and he was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga after one dominant effort (in which he struck out 8 in 5 innings and allowed just two hits) in Sarasota to begin the 2007 season.

In Chattanooga, he was 7-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 21 starts in 2007, with 8.5 K/9. Last year, he was the best pitcher the Reds had in Chattanooga, with a 9-7 record and impressive 3.42 ERA in 27 starts. He also was a Southern League All-Star, and he was the Reds' Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June 2008. Which is why he started the '09 season in Louisville, taking a loss in his first start despite throwing six strong innings and allowing three runs.

This guy's star is on the rise. We've climbed aboard the Sam LeCure bandwagon and there's still room for you! Please join us in voting daily for Sam through April 30.

Our old buddy

In learning more about our main man Sam LeCure (vote now through April 30, by the way, for Sam in the Fan's Choice Bobblehead poll on reds.com) I saw a box score for LeCure's one start for the Bats so far this season. Louisville hosted the Toledo Mud Hens and lost 6-5. And who picked up the save for the Mud Hens? That's right, former Red (and 1999 National League Rookie of the Year) Scott Williamson. You'll recall that back in January we gave you a heads-up about the Tigers signing Williamson.

Ramon Hernandez time!

And a no-decision for Reds killer Roy Oswalt, only the fifth time that's ever happened!

Kudos to fellow Reds killer Lance Berkman, though, for managing to drive in a run without even getting a hit tonight. Q: How do you handle a Reds killer? A: You walk him three times.

Separated at birth?

OK, everybody loves to play the "Separated at Birth" game and we're getting in on the fun.

Here's one you hopefully haven't seen before: Rob McElhenney from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (left) and Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy.

No more Ribs King at Comerica

So, I was reading a story about the Montgomery Inn opening in Dublin, Ohio, today and I came across this line:

The 10,000-square foot restaurant with seats for 300 will be the company's fourth location and the only one outside the Cincinnati area.

Of course, I thought of the Inn location between Cincinnati and Indianapolis that closed several years ago and then I remembered that we were stunned to discover a Montgomery Inn inside Detroit's Comerica Park during our OMGReds road trip to Detroit and Toledo last August.

So before I called BS on this claim that it's the only Inn outside Cincinnati, I did a little research and found out the Montgomery Inn inside Comerica is no longer there.

The Labatt Blue Light Jungle Bar, previously known as the Montgomery Inn, has been transformed into a jungle-themed sports bar and restaurant featuring 119-inch HDTVs and 65-inch plasmas. "The Jungle" is located by Gate B on the Pepsi Porch level in right field.

Who knew.

Kudos ...

... to FS Ohio for showing the entire game tonight. Three cheers for FS Ohio! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY! HIP HIP HOORAY!

By the way, did anyone happen to hear Homer 1530's Laynce (intentionally misspelled "Laynce" in honor of Laynce Nix's CLUTCH pinch-hit RBI double tonight to give the Reds their first big insurance run in the 9th) McAlister absolutely ripping FS Ohio a new one earlier today over the debacle Monday night? It was outstanding. I wish I had audio of it ... better yet, I wish whoever at FS Ohio was to blame would have heard it.

As far as the game, I was fired up that Hairston homered (just what he needed) and impressed with the way they broke it open in the 9th. Also impressed with Bill Hall's gem to get the lightning-quick Willy Taveras out at first in the top half of the inning and Hairston's quick-thinking diving stab in the bottom of the 9th. And Arroyo of course.

That's three wins in a row. Guess how many winning streaks of 3 or more the Reds had during the entire 2008 season? 9. What does that mean? Not sure. But I do know this. If they can win again tomorrow to sweep the Brew Crew, they'll be two games above .500 - which was their high point of the 2008 season (on April 10, 2008).

UPDATE: Apparently 700WLW messed up last night at about the same time FS Ohio messed up the night before. Can anyone get it right?

Sheff

According to multiple reports (didn't see any in particular that warranted being linked to at this point), the Reds (along with the Phillies and perhaps others) have expressed an interest in veteran outfielder Gary Sheffield, who is stuck on 499 career home runs.

Some thoughts:

• If the Reds were to sign Sheffield, would they break the home run countdown they used for Junior back out? I doubt it, but it is a big deal if you think about it ... Sheff would be just the 25th in MLB history to reach 500. And McGwire and Palmeiro are the only ones in that club who aren't still active (as long as you consider Bonds and Sosa active since both are trying to come back) who aren't HOFers.

• Dusty's quote: "I've known Sheffield forever, ever since he came into the league with Milwaukee. He was real tight with a couple of my homeys from Sac. I've been knowing him a long time."

• Hal McCoy says signing Sheff would be a big mistake. He says sign Geoff Jenkins if you really feel like you have to add a veteran outfielder.

And for more on the rough and gruff reputation Hal refers to, visit Sheff's Wikipedia page and scroll down to "Controversy."

Topps 3-D Live

Here's a pretty interesting story from Yahoo! about the new Topps 3-D Live cards.

And watch this video from NY1 to see what they're all about (sorry, there was no embed code available).

Randall Simon time

The Reds take on the Netherlands' World Baseball Classic squad at 6 p.m. The star of the Dutch team? None other than one-time sausage-beater Randall Simon.



Simon was arrested, charged, and fined $432 for disorderly conduct. He was later suspended by Major League Baseball.

Does Randall Simon like that the 2003 incident comes up whenever his name is mentioned? Probably not. It is what it is. At least it made some people forget that he was the subject of Braves teammate John Rocker's infamous "fat monkey" comment in a January 2000 interview with Sports Illustrated.

Simon played for the independent Newark Bears of the Atlantic League in 2008.

Great name

I just thought it was funny that Joey Votto homered off some dude named Bastardo in the second inning today.

BTW, is today Votto and the others' last game before the WBC or are they playing against the Red Sox and/or Yankees this weekend?

Whats That?

5-tool realtor

Special thanks to Mike_R for sending this to us.

Just shoot me ...

... if that "Paint the Town Red" song they play during the "Get your Reds' season tickets" ads becomes the Reds' new anthem. I've had nightmares about that damned song since the first time I heard it. Nails on a chalkboard.

Best part of the story from mlb.com though ... apparently this band that sings it - The Hotcakes - pitched the song to several MLB teams.

"We called a bunch of teams. The Reds showed the absolute most enthusiasm," said Hotcakes drummer Lee Leshen.

I can't imagine that has ANYTHING to do with the fact that THE TITLE OF THE SONG IS "PAINT THE TOWN RED" AND CINCINNATI'S TEAM IS CALLED THE REDS! Wow.

Jonny Gomes time

Here's hoping Jonny Gomes returns to his 2005 form. Yes, as a rookie, Gomes hit .282 with 21 home runs in just 348 at-bats. Then, he started 2006 by hitting a Rays-record 11 home runs in April. But it's been pretty much downhill from there. Here are some fun and not-so-fun facts about Gomes, whose contract, which includes an invitation to Spring Training, is reported to be worth $600,000 with another $200,000 possible through incentives.

• He attributed most of his problems in 2006 to an injured shoulder, which hindered his hitting and his usually aggressive baserunning; he played through the injury until electing to have surgery on it in September. In addition to rehabilitating his shoulder, Gomes said in an MLB.com article that he wanted to lose weight over the offseason; he was listed at 205 pounds, but played the 2006 season weighing 250. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Along with our boy Joey Votto, Aaron Boone (twice) and 333 others, Gomes has hit three home runs in a game (July 30, 2005).

• He was a key player in two fairly memorable fights last season. During Spring Training on March 12, Gomes rushed to the defense of Akinori Iwamura, who was spiked by the Yankees' Shelley Duncan. Gomes immediately rushed in from right field, flinging himself into Duncan as he was starting to stand up. Both teams' benches emptied and Gomes was ejected, along with Duncan and two Yankees coaches. Gomes was suspended by MLB for two games, effective at the start of the season.

on June 5, Gomes was involved in a bench-clearing brawl against the Red Sox after Coco Crisp charged the mound. Replays of the incident showed Gomes throwing punches at Crisp as he was already being shoved to the ground by several other Rays players. Gomes was suspended for five games.

• Gomes suffered a heart attack on Christmas Eve, 2002, the result of a clogged artery, despite being in playing condition (he reported having 8% body fat at the time). He ignored the symptoms for 27 hours, even sleeping through it one night, before going to the hospital after he briefly blacked out and stopped breathing. His doctors said he would not have survived sleeping through it a second night. As a result of the heart attack, the team doctor of the Rays had to keep nitroglycerin pills on-hand in case he had another one. (Source: Wikipedia)

• Gomes holds the Tampa Bay Rays club record for most hit by pitches with 28.

• His older brother, Joey Gomes, currently plays for the Joliet Jackhammers of the non-affiliated Northern League. Their manager is former New York Met Wally Backman, who was definitely in the '87 Topps set.

• He has the number 707 on his glove and cleats; the area code for his hometown, Petaluma, California.

Mayor may call it quits

It's sounding more and more like Sean Casey is going to retire.

The (Massachusetts) Eagle-Tribune's Bill Burt talked to Casey late last week, who said "unless there is an offer that blows me away, I will be retiring."

Apparently it's not about money as much as it's about Casey's desire to play every day or not at all. He doesn't want to be a part-time player.

Casey is a free agent. The Red Sox did not offer salary arbitration.

Casey hit .322 with 17 RBI with no home runs in 199 at-bats last season, his first with the Red Sox.

Casey's best two seasons were with the Reds. In 1999, he hit .332 with 197 hits (including 42 doubles), 25 home runs and 99 RBI. In 2004, he hit .324 with 185 hits (including 44 doubles), 24 home runs and 99 RBI.

Benzinger time!

From press release:

The Dayton Dragons announced that Todd Benzinger has been selected as the team's new manager.

Benzinger, 45, was the first baseman on the Reds' 1990 World Series championship club and recorded the final out of the series when he caught a foul pop off the bat of Oakland's Carney Lansford. He spent nine years as a player in the major leagues with the Reds, Red Sox, Royals, Dodgers, and Giants, playing in 924 major league games.

Benzinger was signed by the Red Sox after being selected in the fourth round in the 1981 draft. He reached the major leagues with the Red Sox in 1987 before being acquired by the Reds prior to the 1989 season. He hit 17 home runs while batting .245 for the Reds in 1989, playing in 161 of the team's 162 games. In 1990, he appeared in nine of the Reds' 10 post-season games including all four World Series games after playing in 118 regular season games for Cincinnati and batting .253. He was traded by the Reds to Kansas City in 1991 and concluded his major league playing career in 1995.

Benzinger is a Cincinnati-area native. He was an All-American at New Richmond (Ohio) High School and now resides in Loveland. He has enjoyed a highly-successful career coaching girls' high school basketball in the Cincinnati area since 1999. Benzinger has also served as a color commentator on several Dragons television game broadcasts.

Benzinger had been named to the position of hitting coach for the Dragons in October. However, Jamie Dismuke, who had been slated to manage the Dragons in 2009, accepted a position as hitting coach with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate earlier this month, and the Reds selected Benzinger to fill the vacancy.

Tony Jaramillo will serve as the Dragons hitting coach after filling the same role with the Reds' Pioneer League affiliate, the Billings Mustangs, in 2008.

Starting to get worried

I'm not a huge Willy Taveras fan. His on-base percentage last season was .308 and his slugging percentage was .296, lowest among players who qualified for the batting title. In 133 games, he batted .251 with 18 of his 120 hits going for extra bases.

I know he had 68 stolen bases, but you can't steal first. Sure he'll get infield hits, but I don't think it'll be enough. You need your leadoff guy to get on base. We all know how pathetic Corey Patterson's numbers were last season. Taveras doesn't get on base much more than Patterson. I don't see how it's really that much of an upgrade.

And then I read this quote from Jocketty:

He could end up being the left fielder if we can't get that RBI man, which might be hard to do at this point.

And this one:

With Bruce and Taveras, we have two of our outfield spots filled.

Uh oh. Do you really expect to compete for the NL Central title with a starting outfield of Willy Taveras, Jay Bruce and Chris Dickerson/Norris Hopper?

I guess you never know. I'll be the first to admit I didn't think Jerry Hairston Jr. would contribute much when we signed him. I'm just not as excited about Ramon Hernandez and Willy Taveras as I would be about J.J. Hardy, Alex Rios, Juan Rivera, Jermaine Dye or some big right-handed bat.

Big ouch for the Dragons

Jamie Dismuke, who was named in October as the team's new manager, has instead taken a job as hitting coach for the Class AAA Gwinnett (Ga.) Braves, according to the daytondailynews.com. Wha?? Gets better.

Leon Roberts, a former minor-league hitting coordinator with the Reds, was announced as the Dragons manager for 2007. However, before the season, he took the same job with the Braves that Dismuke is taking, when the franchise's AAA team was in Richmond, Va. Now Roberts is the Braves' minor-league coordinator, and he helped pry Dismuke away from the Reds.

my thesis

We've heard it time and time again: The MLB First-Year Player Draft is a crapshoot. But that doesn't mean it's not fun to play the "what if" game. For every Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones and A-Rod, there's a Brien Taylor, a Matthew Bush and a Bryan Bullington. And then there's Josh Hamilton, and there's no doubt in my mind that some dude I call a dud ends up being the next Hamilton in a couple of years. I apologize to that individual in advance (and also to those whose injuries turned them into busts).

The Reds have had their fair share of duds. But how have their past few drafts compared with other teams'? Let's take a somewhat subjective (with help from Baseball America, baseballcube and baseball-reference) look (feel free to disagree), regardless of whether or not the player is still a Red. It's strictly a "how did we draft that year and how did they turn out" as opposed to a "who did we end up acquiring down the road and how did they make us better" analysis.

Note: Especially in the first few (most recent) years of the analysis, pretty much anyone with any big-league experience whatsoever is included in the "Studs so far/Guys they're high on" category. Because you figure guys that are 26 and under have impressed to some extent (particularly if they weren't high draft picks) if they've made it to the bigs.

Sorry, Yonder Alonso, but we're skipping 2008 because the jury's still out on these guys. I thought about skipping 2007 too but we'll give that one a gloss-over treatment.

2007
First-round pick: C Devin Mesoraco (15)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: pride of Moeller HS Andrew Brackman
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: 3B Todd Frazier; probably too soon on guys like Kyle Lotzkar, Zack Cozart, Scott Carroll. Matt Klinker, a 15th round pick from Lakota West HS, pitched pretty well at Dayton last year. Only guys who have advanced as high as AA are RHP Ray Jeffords (19th round) and Brandon Douglas, who returned to University of Northern Iowa after the Reds drafted him in the 32nd round (he's now in the Tigers' system).
Duds so far: way too soon?
Grade: INC

2006
First-round pick: OF Drew Stubbs (8)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Giants' Tim Lincecum, Yankees' Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Stubbs, RHP Sean Watson (2nd round), SS Chris Valaika (3rd round), RHP Jordan Smith (6th round), RHP Josh Roenicke (10th round), OF Chris Heisey (17th round), OF Danny Dorn (32nd round)
Duds so far: too soon?
Grade: B

2005
First-round pick: OF Jay Bruce (12)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury, Twins' Matt Garza, Braves' Joey Devine, Cardinals' Colby Rasmus, Athletics' Travis Buck, Red Sox's Clay Buchholz, Red Sox's Jed Lowrie
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Bruce, LHP Travis Wood (2nd round), RHP Zach Ward (3rd round - in Twins' system), RHP Sam Lecure (4th round), RHP Jeff Stevens (6th round - in Indians' system), SS/3B Milton Loo (9th round), SS Adam Rosales (12th round), 2B Michael Griffin (14th round), RHP Abe Woody (31st round - in Diamondbacks' system)
Duds so far: too soon?
Grade: A-

2004
First-round pick: RHP Homer Bailey (7)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Angels' Jered Weaver, Nats' Bill Bray, Royals' Billy Butler, D'backs' Stephen Drew, White Sox's Josh Fields, Twins' Glen Perkins, Yankees' Phil Hughes, Dodgers' Blake Dewitt, Athletics' Huston Street
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Bailey, Paul Janish (5th round), Jason Urquidez (11th round - in Diamondbacks' system)
Duds so far: B.J. Szymanski (2nd round), Craig Tatum (3rd round), Rafael Gonzalez (4th round)
Major busts: Lonny Roa (6th round), Greg Goetz (8th round), Trevor Lawhorn (9th round)
Grade: C-

2003
First-round pick: RHP Ryan Wagner (14)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Red Sox's David Murphy, D'backs' Conor Jackson, Nats' Chad Cordero, Giants' David Aardsma, Dodgers' Chad Billingsley, Cards' Daric Barton, D'backs Carlos Quentin, Red Sox's Matt Murton, Braves' Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Mariners' Adam Jones
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Carlos Guevara (7th round - in Padres' system), Chris Dickerson (16th round), Josh Newman (31st round - didn't sign with the Reds; Rockies drafted him in 19th round in 2004), German Duran (32nd round - didn't sign with the Reds; Rangers drafted him in 6th round in 2005)
Duds so far: Richie Gardner (6th round)
Major busts: Thomas Pauly (2nd round), Jose Ronda (3rd round), Marc Cornell (5th round), Damian Ursin (8th round), Ben Himes (9th round), Andy D'Alessio (10th round)
Grade: D

2002
First-round pick: RHP Chris Gruler (3)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Royals' Zack Greinke, Brewers' Prince Fielder, Rockies' Jeff Francis, Marlins' Jeremy Hermida, Angels' Joe Saunders, Padres' Khalil Greene, Blue Jays' Russ Adams, Mets' Scott Kazmir, Athletics' Nick Swisher, Phillies' Cole Hamels, Dodgers' James Loney, Twins' Denard Span, Indians' Jeremy Guthrie, Braves' Jeff Francoeur, Athletics' Joe Blanton, Giants' Matt Cain, Athletics' Mark Teahen, Red Sox's Jon Lester, Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton, Braves' Brian McCann, Rockies' Micah Owings
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Joey Votto (2nd round), Camilo Vazquez (4th round), Kevin Howard (5th round - now in Mariners' system), Chris Denorfia (19th round - now with Oakland)
Duds so far: none
Major busts: Gruler, Mark Schramek (supplemental pick for failure to sign 2001 No. 1 pick Jeremy Sowers), Walter Olmstead (6th round), Corey Wachman (7th round), O.J. King (8th round), Steve Booth (9th round), Frankie Keller (10th round)
Grade: D (Votto keeps it from F)

2001
First-round pick: Jeremy Sowers (20, who opted to go to Vanderbilt instead of signing with the Reds)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Braves' Macay McBride, Athletics' Bobby Crosby, Athletics' Jeremy Bonderman, Giants' Noah Lowry, Mets' David Wright, Brewers' J.J. Hardy, Cardinals' Dan Haren
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Slim pickings. Bobby Basham (7th round) at one time showed tremendous promise with Sarasota and Chattanooga but appears to be out of baseball now. David Shafer (32nd round) also looked great in 2005 and 2006 but hasn't impressed since the Reds got rid of him. He's in Oakland's system now. Same goes for Daylan Childress (5th round), who was lights out for Dayton in 2002 (at age 23) but then slowly but surely disappeared.
Duds so far: none
Major busts: Justin Gillman (2nd round), Alan Moye (3rd round), Scott Light (6th round), Jose Rodriguez (8th round), Junior Ruiz (9th round), Bryan Prince (10th round)
Grade: F

2000
First-round pick: David Espinosa (23)
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Braves' Adam Wainwright, Twins' Aaron Heilman, Blue Jays' Dustin McGowan, Braves' Kelly Johnson, Padres' Xavier Nady, Red Sox's Manny Delcarmen, Astros' Chad Qualls
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Dustin Moseley (supplemental first-round pick for loss of free agent Juan Guzman) is with the Angels. Dane Sardinha (2nd round) is with the Tigers. Chris Schroder (46th round) has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Nationals.
Duds so far: David Gil (3rd round) showed promise but he's out of baseball. Same goes for Ryan Mottl (6th round).
Major busts: Espinosa, Marc Kaiser (4th round), Roydell Williams (5th round), Daniel Fletcher (7th round), Dan Gooris (8th round)
Grade: D-

1999
First-round pick: Ty Howington
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Rockies' Jason Jennings, Blue Jays' Alex Rios, Orioles' Larry Bigbie, Royals' Mike MacDougal, Dodgers' Jason Repko, Cardinals' Chris Duncan, Orioles' Brian Roberts, Rays' Carl Crawford, Nationals' Brandon Phillips, Pirates' Ryan Doumit, Athletics' Ryan Ludwick, Angels' John Lackey, Twins' Justin Morneau, Rangers' Hank Blalock
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Ben Broussard (2nd round) has played seven big-league seasons and is now with the Rangers. Brad Salmon (21st round) appeared in 26 games for the Reds in 2007. Rich Hill (36th round - didn't sign with the Reds; Cubs drafted him in 4th round in 2002)
Duds so far: none
Major busts: Howington, Brandon Love (3rd round), Kenny Lutz (4th round), Alex LeFlore (6th round), Corey Barrow (7th round), Ryan Lundquist (8th round), Casey Bookout (9th round)
Grade: D

1998
First-round pick: Austin Kearns
Among those drafted later than our first-round pick by other teams: Blue Jays' Felipe Lopez, Rangers' Carlos Pena, Tigers' Jeff Weaver, White Sox's Kip Wells, Astros' Brad Lidge, Indians' C.C. Sabathia, Nats' Brad Wilkerson, White Sox's Aaron Rowand, Yankees' Mark Prior, Athletics' Gerald Laird, Rangers' Barry Zito
Studs so far/Guys they're high on: Kearns, Adam Dunn (2nd round). 12th-rounder John Koronka has had three big-league stints and is still only 28 (he's in the Rockies' system). B.J. Ryan, selected in the 17th round, is the Blue Jays' closer and has 115 big-league saves. Todd Coffey, now with the Brewers, was a 41st round pick.
Duds so far: Greg Porter, the Reds' third pick in the draft, has bounced around quite a bit and is currently believed to be in the Yankees' system. Sixth rounder Bobby Madritsch was out of baseball for a couple of seasons but attempted a comeback in 2008. Seventh rounder Josh Hall had a cup of coffee with the Reds in 2003 and is currently in the Rockies' system.
Major busts: Darrell Hussman (4th round), Jayson Larman (5th round), Clint Vaughn (8th round), Jacob Wallis (10th round)
Grade: A-

cool

Dayton, Ohio - One of the most exciting and unique events ever to occur at a minor league ballpark will take place at Fifth Third Field in Dayton on Saturday, April 4, 2009 when the Cincinnati Reds battle their top minor league prospects in a "futures game" in the stadium where several of the current Reds' stars once played.

The Reds will take the field against a team consisting of their best minor league prospects currently playing at the Triple-A, Double-A, and Single-A levels. The game will provide Dragons fans with a glimpse of the future and a look back at the past on the same day at Fifth Third Field. Many of the players on the "Futures" team will be former Dragons of previous seasons who are now viewed as upcoming major league stars awaiting their opportunity to join former Dragons Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Johnny Cueto.

This historic event is believed to be the first of its kind in baseball in which a major league club matches up against its top prospects in a stadium that was once the home park for players of both clubs.

"We are very excited with the opportunity to host this historic Futures Game at Fifth Third Field," said Bob Murphy, President of the Dragons. "Many of the top Dragons players from past years will play in this game, either as members of the Reds or with the Futures team. It is a great chance to see the Reds' major league stars and their top prospects from all levels of the minor leagues, all on the same field in Dayton."

What about Juan Rivera?

The Reds reportedly have talked to representatives for free-agent outfielders Rocco Baldelli and Juan Rivera, and Walt Jocketty says Pat Burrell's reps contacted him.

I know some fans would love to get Burrell, but I'd say "no thanks" to Pat the Bat and Baldelli and "maybe" to Rivera (if the price is right).

Burrell is Adam Dunn with a little bit less power (Burrell has never hit 40 home runs in a season; Dunn's hit at least 40 in five consecutive seasons). Compare their stats: Burrell over the past three seasons has averaged .254/31/92 with 105 walks and 129 strikeouts. Dunn over the past three seasons has averaged .245/40/100 with 112 walks and 140 strikeouts.

Dunn got traded and had worn out his welcome with many Reds fans. Why would a guy who's statistically (and defensively) pretty much the same player fare any better?

Baldelli is only 26, but there are too many questions about his health with his mitochondrial disorder, which slows muscle recovery and causes severe fatigue. I don't think he can be relied upon to provide the big right-handed bat the Reds need.

Juan Rivera is a little more intriguing because he hit .310/23/85 in 448 at-bats with the Angels in 2006 before he broke his leg (and missed almost all of the 2007 season). But he hit .246/12/45 in 256 at-bats last season and he might be less risky than Baldelli but there's no telling whether he can 1) regain his 2006 form and 2) stay healthy enough to play an entire season.

That being said, I wouldn't mind terribly as long as the Reds didn't overpay for him. He doesn't strike out much at all (but he doesn't walk too much either). His funniest stat: He has nine career stolen bases, but he's been caught stealing 17 times. He made $2.025 last season. The Rays reportedly have expressed interest in Rivera.

Also

Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Reds have reached a preliminary agreement with 39-year-old lefty Arthur Rhodes on a 2-year, $4 million deal, pending a physical that Rhodes will take Friday.

There's also speculation that the Reds are one of eight or 10 teams who have contacted the Cubs about Mark DeRosa.

News from Rosenthal's blog concerning a couple of former Reds as well as a Cincinnati native: A source says the Diamondbacks are close to signing Felipe Lopez for one year, $3.5 million. The Yankees' proposed deal for Mike Cameron has hit a snag. And relief pitcher Joe Smith (Amelia HS) reportedly is part of a three-team trade (involving J.J. Putz, among others) that will send him to the Indians.

Freel-for-Hernandez reactions

The lead of the Baltimore Sun's story about yesterday's trade says a lot: The Orioles accomplished one of their primary goals at the winter meetings yesterday, trading catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Later in the story: For Hernandez, whose defense and effort has been questioned the past two seasons, the Orioles got Freel, 32, who plays all three outfield position and second and third base; and minor league infielders Justin Turner and Brandon Waring.

And this quote from Orioles president Andy MacPhail: "This trade was more about Matt Wieters, frankly," MacPhail said. "It had been our goal to make sure we could introduce Matt into the major league scene somewhere over the course of the '09 season, not necessarily to start right away, but we thought he could handle it eventually after a little time in Triple-A possibly under his belt. We knew that would create a situation where we were going to have to split some playing time with him and Ramon, and we knew Ramon wouldn't be happy about that."

Wow. Also worth reading is The Schmuck Stops Here (Peter Schmuck's blog): No love for Ramon, as well as Ramon redux. I found it funny that MLB.com had two videos posted about the trade. In one, Mark Sheldon talked about how frustrated Hernandez was last season in Baltimore and how that affected his play. In the other, Walt Jocketty talks about how acquiring Hernandez gives the Reds a "strong character guy" as he spoke about how well he expects Ramon to provide a veteran presence and handle the Reds' young staff.

So really it's just a matter of whether Ramon leaves his bad attitude in Baltimore and truly looks at this as a fresh start. I'm sure it will help, as is the case with most players, if he starts hitting right away (and doesn't slump too badly, especially at the beginning of the season).

Also, here's some more info from the Sun about the minor-leaguers we gave up.

• Meanwhile: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal mentions in his MLB winter meetings blog that the Jermaine Dye-to-the-Reds discussions continue at a "moderate" level. He says a Homer-and-another-prospect-for-Dye deal was close before Thanksgiving but one reason it stalled was how much of the $11.5 million Dye is due to earn next year the White Sox would pay.

Rosenthal thinks the Reds might give up on Dye and pursue a Bobby Abreu or Pat Burrell through free agency. Since neither Abreu nor Burrell was offered arbitration, the Reds wouldn't have to give up a pick. And the Reds could sign either one for about what Dye makes.

I'd still love to see them trade young pitching (Homer and somebody) for the Blue Jays' Alex Rios.

Freel (and others) for Hernandez (and cash)

• A deal that sends outfielder Ryan Freel and minor-league infielders Justin Turner and Brandon Waring to the Orioles for catcher Ramon Hernandez (and at least $1 million in cash) has been finalized.

Quotes from Walt Jocketty:

"It was part of our report from scouts. ... We had scouts who saw him in the past and saw him again this year. They thought there was some level of frustration that he had been experiencing. We talked about it. I did some research with people I know who have had him. I got great reports."

"We do think a change of scenery will help him immensely. We've got a pretty good pitching staff. I think he's a guy who will work well with that staff and develop that staff and have renewed energy."

I would imagine Ryan Hanigan should still get considerable playing time, seeing as how Hernandez has only had more than 500 at-bats in a season once in his 10-year big-league career (he did have 23 homers and 91 RBIs that season). And he's not getting any younger (he'll be 33 in May). He was good for at least .275 for a few years there but his average has dropped a little the past two years (.258 in 2007 and .257 last season). He also threw out just 20 percent of runners last season and led the majors in passed balls with 10.

Baltimore could afford to part with Hernandez because of the emergence of Matt Wieters. Turner and Waring have impressed in the minors and AFL. Both were seventh-round picks. But they were both expendable because one's a second baseman with less potential in the Reds' eyes than Brandon Phillips and the other's a third baseman with less than Juan Francisco.

So it's just a matter of figuring out where to deal solid mid-level prospects. It makes sense that they sent Freel but you just hope they didn't give the Orioles too much for a guy who hit .257 and didn't impress defensively.

• Other Hot Stove rumors du jour: The very end of this MLB.com story by Mark Bowman says a source has indicated the Reds may have interest in Jeff Francoeur.

• FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says Marlins outfielder Jeremy Hermida is drawing interest from the Reds, Cubs, Braves and Rays.

• And here's MLB.com's latest about Jermaine Dye. White Sox GM Ken Williams apparently is keeping Dye abreast of all developments, telling Dye he hasn't been traded but there has been interest, from the Reds and others.

Winter Meetings approach

Apparently we're not the only ones who don't think we'll get Kerry Wood in a million years. The Enquirer's John Fay reports that Walt Jocketty sees little chance of signing Wood.

Dallasnews.com's Evan Grant urges Rangers GM Jon Daniels to talk to Jocketty at the winter meetings, only because the Reds figure to be a team that might have interest in Gerald Laird. I know, we've mentioned Laird on several previous occasions, but I guess it's good to know that others see the Reds as a team that might have interest ... for what that's worth. Freep.com's Jon Paul Morosi reports the Tigers definitely are interested in Laird.

Seattle is clamoring for Junior, sorta. Gotta love the Goldberg quote in this story. "Somebody," he said by phone Tuesday, "is going to get a bargain." Which begs the question, what is a 39-year-old outfielder who hit .249 with 18 home runs last year worth? (I know, he's his agent, and it's his job to say nice things about his client.) I guess if he'd play for the league minimum he'd be a bargain (ouch ... Junior burn).

Hot Stove update: Bullpen edition

The Chicago Tribune's Fred Mitchell reports that Dusty Baker intends to give Kerry Wood a call to "see what's up." I'd say that's a longshot. Someone will offer Wood a lot of money to close. We've got Cordero (unless Dusty thinks we'll trade him) and Wood's not going to be a set-up guy here. Don't get me wrong, I'd be fine with trading Coco and acquiring Wood, if that's part of the larger plan and Coco's going to get us J.J. Hardy or someone like that.

In other bullpen-related Hot Stove developments, the Reds offered Stormy Weathers arbitration and Arthur Rhodes' agent told MLB.com that the Reds have made an offer for the free agent.

Arthur Rhodes is exactly the kind of lefty middle reliever I would expect the Reds to go out and get. If he can pull a rabbit out of his hat and reproduce his impressive 2008 statistics in 2009, he'd be a great acquisition. But he's 39. He didn't pitch in the majors in 2007 and he was 0-5 with a 5.32 ERA with the Phillies in 2006. Remember Rheal Cormier? He was about the same age when he reinvented himself with the Phillies and posted a 1.59 ERA in 43 appearances before the Reds acquired him. That didn't turn out so well.

I realize you need a stopgap with Affeldt gone and Weathers and Lincoln possibly leaving, and Rhodes has proven he can get lefties out, but it's hard to say how much longer he'll be effective. If he had a 0.68 ERA in 25 appearances for the Marlins, why don't they want to bring him back? I guess you could at least expect Rhodes to be as serviceable as Mike Lincoln was last year (after he was out of baseball for the previous three seasons). The difference is Lincoln was signed to a minor-league deal and invited to spring training; Rhodes will get $1.6 million for a year.

Hot Stove

Three quick things ...

• On SI.com, Baseball Prospectus offers its Hot Stove Preview of the NL Central. Nothing too earth-shattering about the Reds. Needs: shortstop and centerfield. I'd say you can add bullpen now. What are they likely to do? Shop Arroyo, BP says, which I think makes some sense. You're still selling high on him after the great second half he had. What should the Reds do, according to BP? Acquire Milton Bradley (interesting) and try to get Alcides Escobar and whatever else from the Brewers for Arroyo. Which is funny, because someone who was giving me a hard time about discouraging the Garrett Atkins rumor made me come forward with a player I thought the Reds SHOULD pursue and I said J.J. Hardy, who the Brewers might be more willing to part with BECAUSE they have Escobar.

• Walt Jocketty apparently had a few interesting things to say Wednesday. Said we were close to acquiring Coco Crisp (who was traded to the Royals). Said he was a little surprised that Affeldt was so quick to sign with the Giants. Said we're still talking to Weathers, Lincoln and Hairston. And he acknowledged that adding bullpen help is a new focus with Affeldt's departure and the possibility that Weathers and/or Lincoln won't return. Nothing too stunning, aside from getting us thinking about how Coco Crisp would've looked in an outfield with Jay Bruce and Dickerson/Freel/Hopper.

• Little known fact about new Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu: He was an 11th round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1985 draft. The Reds released him in 1989. Talk about the definition of a career minor-leaguer. He caught 18 games for the White Sox in 1991 and that's it as far as MLB playing experience.

An endorsement

I personally have shot down Garrett Atkins, the other Rockies who stink, Mark Mulder, et al. as names have surfaced. So who do we think the Reds SHOULD pursue? I can't speak for the entire OMGReds staff, but I'd like to see the Reds go after Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, who, by the way, was mentioned as possible trade bait in a Ken Rosenthal story earlier this week. Here's what I like ...

1) He's available. As Rosenthal points out, Hardy suddenly is expendable due to the rise of top shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar. So maybe they wouldn't demand Edinson Volquez and Jay Bruce in return. (Sounds like they will want pitching though. Arroyo? And maybe we could deal them a serviceable infielder they could use until Escobar - who's only 21 - is ready for full-time.)

2) He's 26. He's getting better. He's not like Garrett Atkins who had an amazing year in 2006 but struck out a lot more last year. Hardy is coming off another solid year, and he did just about the same thing in 2008 (.283-24-74) that he did in 2007 (.277-26-80). Do I wish he could steal bases? Sure. But I don't think we were going to get steals from that position anyway, as long as we keep BP at second (as Dusty insists). Gonzalez and Keppinger don't steal bases either. And, as Rick Pitino would say, Jose Reyes is not walking through that door.

3) By the way, it's sounding more and more like Gonzalez won't even be an option. Which really stinks, but it makes shortstop our second most significant need, in my opinion, behind catcher.

4) Among starting National League shortstops, only Furcal (in 143 at-bats), Hanley Ramirez and Stephen Drew had better slugging percentages than Hardy (.478). Believe it or not, Hardy led all National League shortstops with the 74 RBIs. And his on-base percentage (.343) is pretty good.

5) He's about the same age as Drew and their numbers are very similar, but I think the Reds would have an easier time getting Hardy from the Brewers than they would getting Drew from Arizona (see point No. 1).

OK, can't think of any others, just wanted to throw a name out there of a guy who would be a great acquisition.

Another HOT ... STOVE ... UP-DATE!

In Jayson Stark's Time to check the shopping lists, he has Mark Mulder as the free agent who could top the Reds' list. He says a veteran starting pitcher is what they need.

All I know is he would have to accept a lot less money than he made in 2008 ($7 million). The Reds don't need to be paying that much money for a guy who pitched less than 2 innings last season.

Also, in ESPN Insider-only content (not linked), Stark said the Reds are investigating whether there's a market for Bronson Arroyo and says Texas might be interested.

I actually could see Arroyo getting shipped to the Rangers as part of a deal to bring a catcher here. You're still selling high on Arroyo if you deal him ... he had a great second half.

Most Baseball Prospectus stuff also is for subscribers' only, but they do reveal the Reds Top 11 Prospects, with Yonder Alonso topping the list as a five-star prospect and Todd Frazier and Drew Stubbs rated as four-star prospects.

Hot Stove update

• Freep.com's Agent: Tigers looking at Darren Oliver mentions that Detroit also has contacted representatives for David Weathers, among others. Weathers told MLB.com Wednesday he's flipped the page and doesn't expect to return to Cincinnati.

• Jerry Hairston, on the other hand, is grateful the Reds gave him a chance, and says he'll see what he's worth but is open to returning to Cincinnati.

• MLB.com reports that Ned Colletti is not trying to deal Russell Martin, a catcher many fans would love to see the Reds pursue.

• As a note at the conclusion of World Series champ Manuel finishes behind Cubs' Piniella for NL Manager of Year, philly.com's David Murphy mentions that former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky is interviewing with the Phillies. He'd be an assistant to GM Ruben Amaro, who fired his assistant last week.

• Also, redsminorleagues.com offers a Yonder Alonso update, about how he's impressing in the Hawaiian Winter League and hit a walk-off in the 10th Wednesday night.

Willy Taveras? Really?

FoxSports.com reported that the Reds are interested in three Colorado Rockies: center fielder Willy Taveras, catcher Yorvit Torrealba and third baseman Garrett Atkins.

Walt Jocketty confirmed the two clubs had talked.

"We've let clubs know our position. We're looking for catching, center field, shortstop and a right-handed RBI guy," Jocketty said.

So you could see how the rumor started if it's not true.

The Rocky Mountain News says the Reds are not at all interested in Taveras or Torrealba, only inquiring about Atkins.

If that's the case, that would be a huge relief. Willy Taveras' on-base percentage was .308 and his slugging percentage was .296, lowest among players who qualified for the batting title. I really don't think we want to replace Corey Patterson - one of the worst centerfielders in Reds' history (based on his stats last season) - with someone who doesn't get on much more often. Taveras had 68 stolen bases last year, but you can't steal first.

I don't think Torrealba is the answer at catcher. He's a backup. And the Rocky Mountain News points out that the Reds would prefer a left-handed-hitting catcher (also one who's not arbitration eligible) to complement Ryan Hanigan.

I also explained yesterday that I'd hate to see them give up a lot for Atkins, for that matter. I'm not too worried, though, considering three other teams (Phillies, Angels and Twins) reportedly are going after Atkins.

By the way, have you seen how pathetic the free-agent centerfielder market is this offseason? Wow. Put it this way: Corey Patterson is mentioned among the cream of the crop. Barring a blockbuster trade, I really wouldn't have a problem with running Chris Dickerson out there in the spring. He was impressive enough in 2008 that he deserves a shot.

Is Atkins the answer?

With Matt Holliday reportedly off the table and headed to Oakland, Paul Daugherty seems to think they should get Garrett Atkins. But he seems to me too similar to the types of guys the Reds have acquired in the past. Had a great season three years ago and maybe he can recapture that. Atkins has had more than 600 at-bats for the past three seasons, so his health hasn't been an issue. His production has fallen off from .329-29-120 in 2006 to .301-25-111 in 2007 to .286-21-99 this past year, but .286 is still respectable, right? Better than Encarnacion's .251. But look at what Atkins' walk and strikeout numbers have done. In his outstanding 2006, he walked (79) more than he struck out (76). 67 walks and 96 strikeouts in 2007. 40 walks and 100 strikeouts last year. That's a big difference in two years. You have to wonder what's going on to cause that, especially for a guy who in theory is supposed to be hitting his stride at 28. I'm not sure the Reds can justify spending a ton of money on a guy who might not be that much of an upgrade. And who knows, as Daugherty mentions, how inflated his numbers are because of Coors.

Remember when ...

... our man Fogg was looking pretty damn sharp, during his first three starts in July?

7/5 6 IP, 1 ER
7/11 5 1/3 IP, 1 H, 3 ER (the one hit was a 3-run dong, but still)
7/19 6 IP, 1 ER

He was so solid in those three starts that he almost lowered his ERA to sub-7.00.

I'm just saying.

The all ex-Reds

It's time to take a look back at - among other things - how former Reds performed this past season and think about if only they were still Reds. With a position-by-position, I realize there are going to be guys in here who'll make you say, "Come on, that guy was a Red for two months" or "Come on, we traded him years ago, get over it." But there will also be guys on this list - THE MARLINS' JORGE CANTU, FOR INSTANCE - who the Reds are maybe, just maybe wishing they hadn't been so quick to get rid of. Yeah, I know that ends in a preposition, so what? Without further ado ...

Catcher: Slim pickings fortunately ... because we'd really be kicking ourselves if Dane Sardinha, Corky Miller, Jason LaRue or David Ross were tearing it up when we've got Paul Bako's automatic out in our lineup.

First base: Sean Casey, Red Sox. He may not be an everyday player anymore ... and we're in very good shape with Votto at first ... but this guy ends up with solid numbers (.322 in 199 at-bats) no matter how badly he slumps from time to time.

Second base: Felipe Lopez, Cardinals. Slim pickings here, too, and I know, you're thinking he really hasn't done much since the Reds traded him. But he makes this year's squad for hitting .385 in 156 at-bats (including 8-for-12 with 7 runs scored in the final three games of the season against the Reds) since St. Louis acquired him in August.

Shortstop: Brendan Harris, Twins. Actually, he had an even better year last year with the Rays. All I really want to do is point out that this guy who was involved in the infamous Bray/Majewski-Kearns/Lopez deal has become a very solid everyday player ... ever since he left the Reds.

Third base: Cantu. .277, 29 HRs, 95 RBIs. Reds let him walk. I think the Marlins are quite pleased they signed him to a minor-league free agent deal in January. Hard to complain about paying $500,000 for those numbers.

Outfield: Josh Hamilton, Rangers. .304, 32 HRs, 130 RBIs (95 of those at the break). Yes, I love Volquez, too, he had a great year, and I'm not saying anything about the trade here ... but that has nothing to do with Hamilton being an all ex-Red. Heck, he's the MVP.

Outfield: Adam Dunn, Diamondbacks. I know, he only hit .243 after we traded him. But his OBP was .417. With Arizona, he only struck out two more times (44) than he walked (42). That's UNHEARD OF for Dunn.

Outfield: Jose Guillen, Royals A headcase, yes ... but he hit 20 homers for the fifth time in six seasons and he drove in 97 runs.

Starting pitcher: Ryan Dempster, Cubs. 17-6, 2.96 ERA, 187 Ks ... he'll probably finish just ahead of Volquez in Cy Young voting. Career year, without a doubt ... especially compared to the 10-13, 5.38 season he had in 2002 (with the Marlins and Reds) and the 3-7, 6.54 year he had in 2003 as a Red. HONORABLE MENTION: Kyle Lohse, Cardinals.

Relief pitcher: Trevor Hoffman, Padres. He had a disappointing 2008 (for him, though he still ended up with 30 saves), but I think it's important to remember that baseball's all-time saves leader was drafted by the Reds in the 11th round of the 1989 draft (as an infielder, of course).

This and that

• Strong post about Dusty discussing the Patterson rumor, Dan. I couldn't disagree more with Dusty that he's HAD to play Patterson. You just don't play a guy who's struggling to hit .200. THERE ARE ALWAYS OTHER OPTIONS!

• Also, Edinson Volquez has been scratched from his final start. Which means there might be an even better chance of him undeservedly finishing fifth or sixth in NL Cy Young voting, as I predicted yesterday.

• Ozzie Guillen is getting annoyed with those questioning his decision to stick with Junior in center field. Did anyone see this coming?

• Dunn and the D'backs are on the ropes. And the Cardinals didn't even start Pujols, Glaus or Ryan Ludwick.

In case you missed it ...

CBS' Scott Miller wrote a piece about what a wonderful fit Adam Dunn is in Arizona.

It IS only 14 games. But so far he's walking more than he strikes out (which he never came close to doing as a Red) and his OBP is .484 (his best as a Red was .400 in 2002).

One other sort of interesting stat: He's already been walked intentionally three times in Arizona. In 114 games with the Reds before the trade, he only had six intentional walks.

Like I said, small sample size. Who knows if it means anything. I'd guess he'll show his ass there eventually.

Report: Red Sox sign Ross

FoxSports.Com is reporting that the Red Sox signed David Ross to a minor-league deal.

From the report:

Ross, 31, drew interest from the Red Sox and Phillies after getting released by the Reds. He will report to Class AAA and eventually become the Sox's third catcher behind Jason Varitek and Kevin Cash.

The Sox would need to promote Ross by Aug. 31 to make him eligible for their post-season roster. Ross also could be added for the playoffs if Varitek or Cash were injured.

Big blow to playoff hopes

(AP) - Cincinnati Reds right-hander Matt Belisle is done for the season after having surgery on his right knee.

Belisle had a torn ligament repaired on Tuesday, his second major injury of the season. Belisle competed for the final spot in the rotation during spring training, but developed a sore forearm that sidelined him until mid-April.

Belisle made six starts for the Reds and went 1-4 with a 7.28 earned run average. The Reds sent him to Triple-A Louisville in May to turn him back into a reliever, a role he had earlier in his career. He never made it back to the big leagues.

Yonder to add insult?

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Reds, a Miami Herald story says Yonder Alonso has signed up for fall classes at University of Miami and there's a 50-50 chance he'll go back to school. He may also be considering playing in the Independent League instead of signing with the Reds.

Not good. This happened to the Reds in 2001 when they drafted Jeremy Sowers (20th overall) out of high school and he went to Vanderbilt instead.

Only problem is the Reds used the 7th pick on Alonso! Does Alonso really think he'd move up into one of the top six spots after a great senior year? One of Alonso's advisors says the Reds and Alonso are way off on figures. Before you blame the Reds or call them cheap, rumor has it Alonso is asking for a $7 million bonus, which is absurd. Last year's seventh overall pick, Matt LaPorta (the key player the Tribe got in the Sabathia deal), got a signing bonus of about $2 million. The top pick in last year's draft, David Price, didn't even get the amount Alonso is reportedly requesting.

Don't know much about Alonso's agent, Greg Genske, other than his LS Legacy Sports Group used to be Jeff Moorad's agency and among Genske's many clients is Reds outfielder Adam Dunn.

The only silver lining if the Reds don't sign Alonso is (and it wasn't this way when Sowers stiffed them) now there's a rule in place where the Reds would get the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft if Alonso doesn't sign with them. Whichever team is slated for the No. 7 pick would just move down one spot in that draft to make room for the Reds.

The deadline for major-league teams to sign draft picks is Aug. 15 (one week from today).

worst seats in the house

I found this link on Extra Mustard today ... it's a good one. Rankings and some good photos of obstructed-view seats at ballparks. Dan and I sat dangerously close to one of these seats at Wrigley back in April ... made me think of that.

Griffey columns

Pretty good column by Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan about Junior's rebirth with the White Sox.

And here's another by the Trib's Mark Gonzales.