An interesting article over at Slate discusses the Yankees and Red Sox's passing on Santana. According to the article at least, there was a lot of fan opposition to spending a lot of money on a big name free-agent. The article goes on to discuss the rising trend of more knowledgeable fans (who know about VORP) and valuing cultivation of home-grown talent/prospects vs. free-agent signings. Basically, stuff you guys are always going on about. ; )

Say No to Johan:
Why Red Sox and Yankee fans are happy they won't be rooting for the best pitcher in baseball.

Jsut noticed this on C.Trent's Site:

Saarloos dfa
'They need answers, but I don't feel like I'm the problem. I had three bad innings in 20 appearances. I don't think I'm the problem'

I know he's coming of an absolutely horrible start but a DFA seems a little hasty to me. Doesn't he have options? Looks like its going to open a well deserved door for Livingston. Maybe it will shake things up.

Update [2007-5-28 11:33:2 by satyanaas]: Rosecrans updated his blog. I thought they released Saarloos. Just sent him down to Louisville. I'm cool with that. Maybe he can work on getting a first inning out down there and comeback and help us in the bullpen when we release Stanton.

From C. Trent:

At approximately 5:45 this morning Reds OF Josh Hamilton was taken by ambulance to Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland, where he was diagnosed with gastroenteritis, a general term referring to the inflammation or infection of the gastrointestinal tract.

He has returned to the team hotel, where he is resting. He is day-to-day.

Too bad. Besides there being a LH pitcher, I guess that explains part of the reason he didn't play yesterday. Hopefully its just one of those things that just sounds serious that he can recover quickly from.

A statement by Freel on Josh Hamilton from C. Trent:

"Whatever it may be. I don't know if it's the advantage or disadvantage of being a utility guy. The disadvantage, I know when I was playing second base and Phillips came over here and started hot, he eventually ended up getting that position. He's just a utility player. The next year I'm going to be playing center field and you've got a guy who can flat-out play. He's a stud. There's no question about it. He's a fist pick for a reason. What he did in spring, the kid can hit. He hit .400 in the spring, I don't care who you are, you hit .400 in the spring and play every day like he did, that shows a lot about your talent. I'll be the first one to tell you, I can't hit 20-25 home runs, I'm not going to get you 100 RBIs, this guy can. I know there are a lot of eyebrows raised about him playing, I'll be the first to tell you, this guy needs to play. He's that kind of a player. He can flat-out play. He's a five-tool player. I know he's gone through some off-the field problems, I know how focused he is now and his faith in God and what he's done to get where he's at, and now his talent has taken over. He's going to be an All-Star, that's what kind of player he is. Whether I am or not, I can't tell you, but he is. If they want to move me back to the infield here and there, the last few days I've been getting ready for that. Jerry hasn't said anything to me about it, but I can read between the lines. I know you have to have a guy like that in the lineup. He's one of the better athletes I've ever seen. The sky's the limit for him. I'll put myself aside any day, any time in order for us to win a championship. Regardless of what he's done, or what he's being paid or whatever, he's a guy who can play everyday and he's going to put up big numbers if you stick with him. I don't have any problem with that - especially now. I just want to win. He's a game-changer, one swing of the bat, he can change the game. I'm not that kind of player, I'm the type of guy who needs to get on base, steal some bags, I'm not going to hit 30 home runs. I'm not going to do it."

Anyone by chance know of a hip spot in Brooklyn or Manhattan (that's not ESPNzone) to watch the game tommorow? I am sadly without a television. I'm not even sure who's carrying the game over here in Yankeeland, but if any knows or is even watching it somewhere I'd be interested. I got the day off.  

Go Reds! Go Bucks!
(JD, feel free to delete this diary tomorrow night)

According to Reds.com:

BATTING ORDER

1. Ryan Freel, CF:
His status as an everyday player without an everyday spot is over. Now the regular center fielder, Freel has 36 or more steals each of the past three seasons and is expected to remain a catalyst at the top.

2. Adam Dunn, LF:
Dunn hit 40 homers for the third straight season in 2006, but led the Majors with 194 strikeouts and was poor in the second half. Working with new hitting coach Brook Jacoby during spring seems to have paid off. Dunn has renewed dedication and has been hitting to all fields instead of just pulling the ball.

3. Brandon Phillips, 2B:
Phillips is coming off a breakout season, in which he had 17 homers and 75 RBIs. Reds manager Jerry Narron liked his plate discipline this spring and believes Phillips can produce from the three-hole.

4. Ken Griffey Jr., RF:
In a new position after 18 seasons in center field, Griffey didn't debut in spring until March 24, because he was slow to recover from a broken left hand suffered in December. It will be interesting to see if less than a week's worth of at-bats were enough to get the 37-year-old ready for the regular season.

5. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B:
For a young hitter, the 24-year-old is skilled at getting on base and also producing in run-scoring situations. After Encarnacion committed a team-high 25 errors last season, he'll have to make some improvement with his decision-making and throwing.

6. Scott Hatteberg, 1B:
One of the few hitters in this lineup not prone to striking out (he was the sixth hardest batter to strikeout in the National League in 2006, with one strikeout per 13.1 plate appearances), Hatteberg can be counted on for hits the other way, moving runs or taking a walk.

7. Alex Gonzalez, SS:
A free agent signed for his superior glove skills, Gonzalez and his .292 on-base percentage could be a lineup liability. But he has a little pop in his bat (23 homers in 2004 with Florida) that could benefit from Great American Ball Park. Gonzalez and Phillips could form an electric duo in the middle infield.

8. David Ross, C:
A late Spring Training acquisition last year, Ross had a breakout 2006 with a career-high 21 homers and earned a two-year contract and an everyday job. Now he needs to be more consistent. Ross batted .311 in the first half last season and .203 after the All-Star break.

opening day 2007

ROTATION

1. Aaron Harang, RHP:
Underrated, despite being a 16-game winner who led the NL with 216 strikeouts and six complete games in 2006, Harang can change that by doing it again. Rewarded with a four-year, $36.5 million contract, he did not have a very effective spring but wasn't worried it would carry into the season.

2. Bronson Arroyo, RHP:
Arroyo welcomed himself back to the NL with his first All-Star appearance and led the Majors with 240 2/3 innings last season. It earned him a valuable contract extension that takes him through the next four seasons. The Reds were 21-14 in Arroyo's starts last year.

3. Eric Milton, LHP:
Signed to a three-year, $25.5 million free agent deal before 2005, Milton has one more season to do something positive for Cincinnati. An injury-riddled 2006 kept him from being consistent, again.

4. Kyle Lohse, RHP:
Poised for his first full season with the Reds, Lohse is trying to get back to the consistency that made him a 14-game winner with 201 innings in 2003 with Minnesota. The club remains in love with the right-hander's stuff, and a strong season would be a nice boost.

5. Matt Belisle, RHP:
A spectacular spring earned Belisle a starter's job after he worked out of the bullpen last season.  

From Mark Sheldon on Reds.com:

"It's early, but right now, Wilson's looking pretty darn good. We were remiss to not include his name on last week's poll about fifth starter candidates. He definitely has a shot. Shoulder and elbow surgeries over the years, including the major shoulder operation in June 2005 that he's trying make a comeback from, robbed Wilson off his above-90 mph velocity. But observers this spring have been impressed with his ability to locate and the quality of his sinker pitch.

Wilson has a tremendous work ethic and is a favorite of many in the clubhouse. If he's healthy and has a good run during the exhibition games, in my mind he's got to be a favorite for the fifth spot. If not, a role in the bullpen is always an option.

---

I was surprised to read this. He seems to really thinks Wilson could be in the mix for a starter spot. I thought Wilson was pretty much done. It would be really nice just to have him in the bullpen. It would be a helluva comeback, but I wonder how optimistic this is?

Slyde's post got me interested in the general optimism/pessimism towards Griffey's 2007 season right now. I'm hoping, like many of you, that he does himself (and the team) a favor and takes a little bit of pressure and wear and tear off himself and makes the move to RF. But, regardless, I think he still has at least one 40 HR season left in him. So I think he's going to tease the 600 HR mark this season. For once, I think its going to refreshing to be able to root for somebody hitting a HR milestone that doesn't warrant an "*". (besides Juan Castro chasing 40 of course).

I came across this in Newsweek and thought it might be of interest to those of you that are not Keith Hernandez:

Kim Ng
She knows her baseball and is in line to become the sport's first female GM.

By David A. Kaplan
Newsweek

Dec. 25, 2006 - Jan. 1, 2007 issue - Walking around Major League Baseball's recent winter meetings in Florida, Kim Ng might just as well have been one of the boys. While she may be the most prominent woman in the 30 executive offices of baseball's various teams, her colleagues no longer notice the novelty. They just know the 38-year-old assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers knows her baseball stuff—from negotiating player salaries in the back rooms to assessing talent on the field. Last year she interviewed for the top Dodgers job, but finished as a runner-up. The opportunity to run a baseball team doesn't happen often—GM vacancies are rare. But when the next one occurs, or perhaps the one after that, she's in the best position to become the first female GM in a major U.S. sport—as well as an Asian-American pioneer. "What impresses me about Kim is she's able to work in an environment where she's basically the only one," says Omar Minaya, general manager of the New York Mets and the game's first Hispanic GM. "She's as tough as anybody."

The oldest of five girls, Ng was raised in Queens, N.Y. As a city kid, she distinguished herself as a stickball player on the corner of 173rd Street and 65th Avenue and then as an MVP infielder on the University of Chicago's softball team. She majored in public policy, yet wanted a job in baseball. She got an internship with the Chicago White Sox, becoming a wizard at salary arbitrations. She landed with the New York Yankees and then left for L.A. Her most glaring moment in the sun happened in 2003 when a Mets executive mocked her Chinese background in front of other MLB execs; he was fired, and she was put in the position of becoming a standard-bearer against discrimination. "I was thinking, 'Listen, boys, this is what I deal with all the time'," Ng recalls. "I didn't want it to become a big deal."

She's similarly ambivalent about gender's making her stand out. She knows the feeling: it used to be at baseball meetings that heads would turn as if to ask, "Who is she?" So Ng recognizes that a team might consider her as GM in part because she's a woman. But she's also ambitious and thinks she's worthy of consideration, regardless of what's motivating a team. "There are downsides of people having preconceived notions, but there are also the positives," she says. "You have every right to use that." Sounds like she's a pretty skilled negotiator indeed.

Link to Article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16240584/site/newsweek/

From Slate.com:

"In 2002, Red Sox owner John Henry and GM-to-be Theo Epstein half-jokingly pleaded with Michael Lewis to ditch a book he was working on. Lewis' tome would detail the stubborn inanity of baseball executives who relied on the often-incorrect wisdom of lifelong baseball insiders. Henry and Epstein told Lewis that if he laid bare the advantages of teams that sought out market inefficiencies when gauging players' worth, those advantages would evaporate. But as this offseason has once again demonstrated, the Red Sox execs had no reason to worry about Moneyball. There are just as many mind-bogglingly stupid deals as ever."

Full article at: http://www.slate.com/id/2154944/?nav=ais

Michael Smith of ESPN's Last Call gives his take on sorting out the AFC Wild Card Race. He's like our chances:

Cincinnati
In or out? In (11-5).

I like how the Bengals are playing, especially defensively. Cincinnati plays host to the Raiders then goes on the road to face the Colts and the Broncos before wrapping up at home with Pittsburgh. None of those games is a gimmie (is there even such a thing in the NFL?) but if I look really hard I can see the Bengals winning all four and heading into the playoffs on a seven-game winning streak.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article_leftfield.jsp?ymd=20060901&content_id=164 0161&vkey=leftfield&fext=.jsp

Ken Griffey Jr. pretty much already had his ticket to Cooperstown punched when he was named to baseball's All-Century team in 1999 at the ripe old age of 29. The next seven years of his career have not been quite as spectacular as the first 10, but the career numbers are still among the best of all-time. More than 560 home runs, ten Gold Glove awards and a career batting average above .290 -- he has pretty much done it all in his years with the Seattle Mariners and his hometown Cincinnati Reds, the same team his father, Ken Griffey Sr. won two World Championships with in 1975 and '76.

From ESPN:

"Ken Griffey Jr. has a .407 batting average in his last nine games. He's hitting .441 in his last nine games against the Giants. Griffey hasn't played in too many big games recently. Keep in mind he's made only 19 September/October appearances since the 2002 season."

He also has 7 walks in his last 7 games according to Lance McAlister....Its really good to see him hitting again....Only 19 games in Sep/Oct in the past 4 years though?! That's crazy low. I think he's ready to make up for lost time.

Jim Molony writes "Despite loss, Reds still in good shape". Things look good for us accroding to him:

Not only are the Reds in an excellent position as far as the division race, they control their own destiny as the first-place team in the Wild Card standings."

Check out the headline at foxnews's mlb page. Finally someone gives us some props. I'm diggin the HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER headline, but when you click the link its an article mostly about Griffey being "rejuvenated by postseason prospects". A pretty good one though. ("Stupid Rejuvenated Griffey" said the Cardinals pitcher.)

"Sub-plot of the week: Can the Cards hang on?

The Cardinals have made the playoffs in five of the past six years, and coming into 2006 it was presumed they'd run away in the down-cycled NL Central. Well, the down-cycled part is certainly true, but St. Louis, after a being dealt a humiliating weekend sweep in Pittsburgh (a series in which they managed to score only three runs in three games against the last-place Pirates), is now only two games up on the Reds. This week, they'll play those same Reds and then pay a visit to Wrigley Field, where they're 0-7 this season. After that, it's a road series against the first-place Mets. With a rotation that's in tatters behind Chris Carpenter, and an offense that can't even score against the Pirates these days, the Cards are very much in peril."
- Dayn Perry / FOXSports.com

Got that right. : )

From Lance McAlister's blog:

Wow. I just saw the highlight of Freel's catch. Beautiful catch. Those defensive gems really make my day. It was very cool to see Junior call him over as he's walking back to his position to give him props. The Reds have it on the site now:

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/multimedia/tp_archive.jsp?c_id=cin&ym=200608

John Fay at the Enquirer proposes the Reds bring up Bailey as a one time spot start for Joe Mays, until Claussen is ready to reclaim the #5 spot. I understand that he is only 20, and the arguements for proceeding slowly with Bailey; not let rushing his development, but it might not be a bad idea. Just make it clear that its a temporary gig to fill an urgent need. I don't think the Reds will do it, but what do you think?

Its a big jump from AA to the Majors, but I think it might be an interesting move to see how he handles the Major League hitters. The bullpen is well rested, and its not like they wouldn't be on stand-by anyway with Mays starting.

ESPN article on Bowden:

"...Trade deadline time is Bowden's favorite time of year, especially this year. He already has made an eight-player trade with the Reds, acquiring outfielder Austin Kearns and shortstop Felipe Lopez in exchange primarily for two relievers, Gary Majewski and Bill Bray, and shortstop Royce Clayton. On a steamy Tuesday in Washington, he was working on another blockbuster for left fielder Alfonso Soriano, the best player on the market. Seven teams have interest in Soriano. Bowden raised the possibility of trading Soriano for two or three young players to help stock the farm system, then signing him as a free agent in the offseason..."

So, I'm finally going to be able to make a trip back to CIncinnati. My first trip back home since Thanksgiving. I'm returing on Aug 2nd so the only game I'll be able to catch is the Dodgers on the 1st. I know its over a week away (Reds.com says it has yet to be announced) but any idea what the probable pitching matchup I might see?

Well the cardinals finally lost one. Looks like Weaver's debut for the Cardinal's didn't go too well....for them anyway. We gained a .5 game. The Braves offense continued its recent rampage pounding out 15 runs. Weaver was charged with 6 runs through 4 innings. He gave up a grand slam to Brian McCann. Its also worth mentioning that five of the eight hits Weaver gave up were to left-handed hitters. Hopefully our lefties get a shot at him next time we face the Cards...and this starts a 20 game losing streak for the Cards.

JD pointed out the Baseball Minutia article, but I think it may have gotten lost in the shuffle with site turning into Red Friendster today. ; ) I read through it and just to re-iterate his sentiments, it is a really good article, and it put a few things into perspective for me regarding the recent trade; a very sensible assessment of the deal that might just make you feel a bit better about things. Go check it out.

Good win yesterday. Good job, everyone. Hopefully we can continue this winning streak with the Mets tomorrow.

Just wanted to post a little poll on this fine, hot and humid off-day to get an idea of where everyone is following the action from.

It's by region, so hopefully that's anonymous enough for the closet fans out there and to keep peoples' bosses from discovering the

[editor's note, by satyanaas]: Added a few more region options to hopefully include everyone

They allready do this at Coor's field and I think I would be in favor of it at GABP.

Continue reading this post »

ESPN is trying to determine the All-Time Greatest World Series Team:

ESPN's panel of experts have selected the top 32 World Series champions of all time. With your help we will crown the greatest World Series team ever! View the first round matchups below. Which team would win a best-of-seven series?

Just curious what people are voting for the NL All-Stars. Here's mine. Mostly Reds, but I did have to throw some Cardinals in there:

1B A. Pujols, STL
He was having a great season before the injury

2B B, Phillips, CIN*
He's been a valuable addition to the Reds

SS F, Lopez, CIN
His BA is not that great but he's got his share of HR + he has a lot of SB

3B S, Rolen, STL
Stats

C D. Ross, CIN*
Crazy stats for AB's

OF K. Griffey, CIN
He's Ken Griffey, Jr

OF A. Dunn, CIN
Basically for the HRS

OF C, Beltran, NYM
Stats

*Write-Ins

I attended the game last night, one of the few times I've managed to see the Reds outside of Cincinnati. Shea stadium reminded me of a slightly scaled down version of Riverfront after they torn down the outfield while GABP was going up. There is not much to do in the stadium besides stand in line for concessions and/or watch the game. Oh, and Mets fans take the game very, very seriously.

Continue reading this post »

Just thought I'd share some cool and interesting things post in the ESPN Re-Cap from last night's game:

The 7-2 record against St. Louis is great. Hopefully the Reds can maintain that kind of dominance when they play again in August...Harang and Arroyo both have 7 wins. Arroyo goes for #8 tonight. They'll have to have a great month to do it, but they both have a shot at hitting 10 wins by the All-Star break. How do you like their chances?