Quick hits/Farmers only/Open Thread

by Rick House on Jun 2, 2008 1:44 PM EDT

David Kohl/AP

Josh Roenicke made his Triple-A debut, and Todd Frazier went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Daryl Thompson goes today for the Bats.
No word yet on NL Player of the Week, but MLB.com has a centerpiece story up about him. In it, his agent, Matt Sosnick, calls Bruce a "once-in-a-lifetime player for me."

"Josh Hamilton might win the Triple Crown this year, but Jay is better," Sosnick said. "I'll take it to the grave."
(note: Josh Hamilton just switched agents from Sosnick, so he might have some axe to grind. Or it might be that Josh switched after hearing these quotes. Who knows.)
Bob Nightengale reports the Reds have their own nickname for Jay: "Babe Bruce." Trent has also picked that as his favorite and derides "The Boss" as an ESPN creation. It started here, Trent!
Hey fellas, how about this for a T-shirt idea?
Check out this story from The Courier-Journal in Louisville about Homer getting the call in the middle of the Bats game. He didn't see it coming.
Doug has a Casey Kelly profile up at redsminorleagues.com. Kelly is the son of Reds GCL manager Pat Kelly. By all accounts Kelly would be a stretch at No. 7, and I think we took our shot on a stretch pick last year. If we don't get a college star on Thursday I'm going to be really disappointed.

That's all for now. We're Philly-bound this week -- starting tonight -- with some crazy good pitching matchups.

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Babe Bruce...

is not a bad nickname.

by Gray on Jun 2, 2008 1:55 PM EDT 0 recs

yeqh it is

The Dusty Path to the World Series!*

*Note this is not an endorsment of Dusty Baker.

by justin007000 on Jun 2, 2008 3:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

Some other good stuff from C. Trent's piece

Check out that story about the Hall of Fame commissioning a statue of Buck O’Neil to put in the entrance and greet visitors. It seems wildly appropriate. What a great idea! (Oh, and my mom’s birthday is coming up. I’m thinking about getting her a copy of the Soul of Baseball.)

Also, Trent points out that the Mariners really could be interested in Scott Hatteberg. He’s from nearby Yakima, and the Mariners have started Miguel Cairo at first for three days in a row. I’d love to get something for Hatte.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 2, 2008 2:03 PM EDT 0 recs

Agreed on Hatte

Reds have 10 days to find a trade, then he’s free to sign anywhere?

by bengalred on Jun 2, 2008 2:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yup

Or I believe he can accept an assignment to Louisville.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 2, 2008 2:56 PM EDT up 0 recs

nickname

I’d rather see something fresh as opposed to something recycled for Jay Bruce. Or go with what his team mates call him.

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 2, 2008 2:11 PM EDT 0 recs

Speaking of nicknames

I’m feeling legitimately disappointed that Wayne “Rice” Krivsky never caught on.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 2, 2008 2:12 PM EDT up 0 recs

Javy came up with Babe Bruce

I think that’s pretty clever.

"My wife ain't never ran and got me no pheasant." - Fistbands

by BK on Jun 2, 2008 2:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

I know it's not particularly clever or original

and it has an unfortunate connection to St. Springsteen, but there’s a simplicity and authority to “The Boss” that I just love.

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 2, 2008 2:23 PM EDT 0 recs

i agree

the springsteen connection to me is just a means to an end. You have to go through him to get from bruce to the boss. but just the idea of jay bruce being the boss of shit makes me think, yeah. he is the boss. he runs this shit.

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up 0 recs

Interesting Dusty quote in the Nightengale article.

“I’ve never seen an entrance like this before, maybe Bobby Bonds, but otherwise, I can’t recall anything like it,” Reds manager Dusty Baker says.

Bobby Bonds, eh Dusty? Through 6 MLB games:
Bonds: .238/.333.476, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 7 K
Bruce: .571/.690/1.000, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 BB, 1 K

I’ll take Bruce.

Truthfully, what Dusty was probably remembering was Bobby hitting a grand slam in his first game, although it was in the 6th inning and the Giants were already ahead 3-0. Still though, it’s not like Bonds was the first person to hit a GS in his first ML game. Either way, common Dusty, you haven’t seen anything like this.

"My wife ain't never ran and got me no pheasant." - Fistbands

by BK on Jun 2, 2008 2:24 PM EDT 0 recs

On a related note:

Josh Hamilton is on the Jim Rome show right now. Awesome interview so far, I’ll look for some audio.

"My wife ain't never ran and got me no pheasant." - Fistbands

by BK on Jun 2, 2008 2:26 PM EDT 0 recs

Curious if he discusses the agent switch

It’s the second time that he’s done so, though from the article this switch was motivated by a higher power.

by ken on Jun 2, 2008 2:38 PM EDT up 0 recs

He didn't mention it.

The interview centered around his story to get there, basically the same story we heard 100 times last year. It was cool to hear Josh talk about it in his own voice, and get his personal perspective on it, but it wasn’t anything new.

"My wife ain't never ran and got me no pheasant." - Fistbands

by BK on Jun 2, 2008 2:41 PM EDT up 0 recs

it takes major stones to step into the jungle....

....major ups to Hammy, bytheway,,,,,,triple crown candidate…...yea, that guy sucks…huge stones to step into the Jungle and let me suck up to him….

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 2, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up 0 recs

Reds draft

I am with your Rick….. taking Kelly would be a fairly big stretch given what should be on the board with our pick. I am holding out for Gordon Beckham and really hope someone takes Aaron Crow off the board before we get to him. His elbow is just waiting to snap.

http://www.redsminorleagues.com and http://www.RedsPitchFX.com

by dougdirt on Jun 2, 2008 2:44 PM EDT 0 recs

i hadnt heard that about crow's elbow

whats the deal there?

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 3:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

Have you seen him throw?

It scares me. He gets his elbow way up higher than his shoulder as he ‘loads’ to come toward the plate. Thats an injury waiting to happen. Its the Francisco Liriano type thing going on. Chris Oleary had something on it on his blog earlier in the spring here. I watched him pitch last week and his elbow was getting even higher than in the video over there. His stuff is absolutely electric, but I really think he is an injury waiting to happen. I wouldn’t be mad if we took him, but I would be very scared and say some prayers everytime he stepped on the mound.

http://www.redsminorleagues.com and http://www.RedsPitchFX.com

by dougdirt on Jun 2, 2008 3:21 PM EDT 0 recs

I am an idiot

I thought I hit reply to boobs…. my bad.

http://www.redsminorleagues.com and http://www.RedsPitchFX.com

by dougdirt on Jun 2, 2008 3:22 PM EDT up 0 recs

no, thanks for that

i hadn’t actually seen him pitch, and wouldnt have known what i was looking at anyway. thanks for the info

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

just read that article and watched the videos

very informative, thanks. it seems like there’s (at least) two schools of thought, though. Are there any pitchers who scap load with their elbows above their shoulders who haven’t had injury problems?

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 3:39 PM EDT up 0 recs

You will see a lot of high-elbow loads

among college pitchers, especially relievers. It creates a lot of torque and therefore can provide extra whip to pitchers with lesser natural movement.

As for pitchers who “pick up the ball with their elbows” as Paul Nyman is quoted as calling it in the article Doug linked, there are a lot of pitchers who do it - Daisuke Matsuzaka, Kenny Rogers, Mariano Rivera, Johan Santana come to mind - but they often keep their elbows from rising above their shoulders. Some of the arm slots that Arroyo uses have his elbow above his shoulder, but I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed it going as high as Crow’s does in that video (though admittedly it’s a hard thing to isolate in real time.)

I found this bullpen session from Johnny Cueto, who loads from his waist, up at YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7bq6EqaEjhk&feature=related.

Cueto has a fairly easy motion, but I have noticed that as he gets tired or tries to rear back and bring it, he tends to load back at his elbow more. That could be a major problem, as Menace pointed out yesterday.

Here’s a bullpen for Homer that’s got to be a few years old: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_UPqCm3wh5I&feature=related.

Homer is pitching from the stretch, but keeps his elbow way down. He has almost the opposite motion to Crow.

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 2, 2008 4:26 PM EDT up 0 recs

how do you know about pitch mechanics

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don't know that much

certainly guys like Doug know a lot more about it than I do. But I’ve always been very interested in pitching mechanics. My father, who’s obsessed with the subject, started sending me to pitching camps at LSU when I was 12. They had a program that included breaking down very basic mechanics. Now that I think back on it, it was pretty phenomenal what they had us doing in terms of analysis as 13-14-15 year olds. And my high school coach was a certifiable film maniac.

I’ve generally liked what I’ve read of Tom House’s myriad books, although he tends to be heavy on the instruction and drills. I enjoyed Tom Seaver’s Art of Pitching, but his arguments about mechanics are considered out-dated now. The most interesting book I’ve read recently on the subject was Will Carroll’s Saving the Pitcher, which I really think would be a worthy RR book club read.

I’ve tried to keep up with all the new scouting info (a good bit of it contradictory) that has gone up on the web. From what I can tell, we’re probably in the middle of a considerable revolution in thinking about pitching mechanics and pitching instruction, especially as it relates to injury.

In any case, I probably know just enough that I would be wise to keep my mouth shut about it. But I’m not wise.

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 2, 2008 6:32 PM EDT up 0 recs

Tom House

people thought he was crazy at first having guys throw footballs

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 2, 2008 6:38 PM EDT up 0 recs

A lot of people still think that's crazy

or at least largely ineffective

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 2, 2008 6:45 PM EDT up 0 recs

he never was the same after that leg injury

now he’s bitter about walking with a cane and is addicted to vicadin

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 6:47 PM EDT up 0 recs

PS:

Mark “perfect motion” Prior has sort of become the poster boy for the “Inverted W” and its many ills (real or invented).

Sidnancy posted the same pic or one similar during the Dusty Wars a few months ago.

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 2, 2008 4:34 PM EDT up 0 recs

Other 'inverted W' guys

Francisco Liriano

Joel Zumaya

Anthony Reyes (worst offender ever)

There are others, but these were some of the few that jumped to mind immediately.

http://www.redsminorleagues.com and http://www.RedsPitchFX.com

by dougdirt on Jun 2, 2008 4:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

The scariest inverted W I've ever seen

"Hard being everybody’s hero, I suppose." - Buck O'Neil on Willie Mays

by Slyde on Jun 2, 2008 4:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

Scissors Mafia 4 LIFE

represent.

"Got a bump on the ole noggin, but otherwise god. And I get a new vehicle probably, w00t!"

by jch24 on Jun 2, 2008 5:24 PM EDT up 0 recs

I didn't post a picture

I just brought it up.

But look at this cast: Arm injuries, arm injury, arm injury (though not baseball-related), bullpen fodder.

Often wrong, never uncertain.

by sidnancy on Jun 2, 2008 6:54 PM EDT up 0 recs

Idiot.

by Gray on Jun 2, 2008 3:23 PM EDT 0 recs

Jay Bruce for CF All-Star write-in?

by Gray on Jun 2, 2008 3:27 PM EDT 0 recs

I voted 25 times last week

AL write-in: Carlos Quentin
NL write-in: Jay Bruce

by rojosoto on Jun 2, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'm sort of torn over what to do

Griffey was, at last count, #3 in the outfield voting. None of the other Reds were in the top five at any position. Should I be voting for Griffey to try and get him in, even though he’s the least deserving of our current crop of outfielders, or do I vote for people who should actually be there? I’d hate for the Reds to only get one representative, and have it go to Junior. I would think Volquez would be a pretty good bet to make the team, but you can never be sure.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 2, 2008 3:36 PM EDT up 0 recs

go home

there is no scenario, save a midseason collapse, in which volquez isnt named to the team. At this point he’s probably starting over webb.

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 3:40 PM EDT up 0 recs

hmm...

lincecum looks to be having as good if not better a season as wood…

still volquez should start over them both

When it comes to Phil Mickelson...Marty's not a fan.

by chandrathan on Jun 2, 2008 3:44 PM EDT up 0 recs

kerry wood?

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 4:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

your wood for jay bruce?

by Gray on Jun 2, 2008 4:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

i do sport wood for bruce

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 4:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

bruce spruce, you might call it

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

That needs to go on the wiki.

"My wife ain't never ran and got me no pheasant." - Fistbands

by BK on Jun 2, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up 0 recs

I offered Spruce Bruce as a nickname at one point

accompanied with a pic of the Spruce Goose. Didn’t make sense then nor does it now. But I’m down with Bruce Spruce standing for the raging erection that Mr. Bruce gives any Reds fan with his play.

"Got a bump on the ole noggin, but otherwise god. And I get a new vehicle probably, w00t!"

by jch24 on Jun 2, 2008 4:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

we decided that the best drink with the Big Klu hot dog at GABP

would be a 32 oz. beer in a cooler cup called “The Bruce-ski”. Sounds like a pretty good day.

"Hard being everybody’s hero, I suppose." - Buck O'Neil on Willie Mays

by Slyde on Jun 2, 2008 4:55 PM EDT up 0 recs

yep

volquez is definately having a better season than Kerry Wood….

look it up!

When it comes to Phil Mickelson...Marty's not a fan.

by chandrathan on Jun 2, 2008 4:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

or definitely...whatever

When it comes to Phil Mickelson...Marty's not a fan.

by chandrathan on Jun 2, 2008 4:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

My NL OF votes

Dunn
Griffey
Bruce

I didn’t do this at every position, but OF I voted Reds all the way.

Dunn is quitely up to 4th in NL OF “Qualified” OPS

Also, note the article on ESPN’s frontpage that Hamilton has jumped to 2nd place in AL OF voting. He got 25 of my votes.

by rojosoto on Jun 2, 2008 3:58 PM EDT up 0 recs

no

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 2, 2008 6:39 PM EDT up 0 recs

this just in

chutley wins player of the week. ploo. Hamilton is AL player of the month for the second straight month.

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 5:05 PM EDT 0 recs

I figured it would be Utley

voters love them some RBI. Plus, he did have a damn good week himself. Either player was deserving.

"Hard being everybody’s hero, I suppose." - Buck O'Neil on Willie Mays

by Slyde on Jun 2, 2008 5:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

i didnt think bruce would beat him

but i was hoping for coPOW’s

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 5:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

at least it wasn't a coPAT

"Hard being everybody’s hero, I suppose." - Buck O'Neil on Willie Mays

by Slyde on Jun 2, 2008 5:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

I'll settle for Bruce

outperforming Chutley in this series.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 2, 2008 5:14 PM EDT up 0 recs

As will I

Going tonight and Wednesday. It couldn’t be any more perfect outside.

Tonight should be interesting. Kendrick plans on pitching to contact:

“I want contact. I want early swings,” Kendrick said. “It’s a learning process. You have to trust your stuff. My stuff’s good enough where I can go right after them. That’s my game. When you get ahead, you can do a lot more things. You get behind at this level, it doesn’t matter what stuff you have; you’re going to get killed.”
Rollins saw Kendrick’s confidence return in his previous outing against the Rockies, when he walked one and allowed two runs in a season-high 7 1/3 innings.
“That’s something I try to stay on him about,” Rollins said. “I’m on him all the time to quit nibbling and quit begging for guys to swing at pitches. [Hitters] aren’t going to do that. But if you start pounding the zone, then you start pitching right off the zone, you’ll get swings.

Well then, pound the zone and see what happens. Kendrick has actually done decently at home but against mostly weak lineups, like his last start against the Holliday-less Rox. He’s due for a shelling at home.

by ken on Jun 2, 2008 5:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

that kinda scares me

as much as our guys seem to like to pounce on first pitches, which seem to often turn into groundball outs and pop outs. maybe that’s selective memory, though.

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 2, 2008 5:56 PM EDT up 0 recs