Red Reposter - Sorry I Haven't Done One of These in a While, but My Hamstring Has Been Sore

by Charlie Scrabbles on Nov 4, 2009 7:15 AM EST in News Comment 80 comments

by Keith Srakocic - AP

Brandon Phillips has been one of the best defenders in the league over the past 3 seasons, and he's looked mighty handsome doing it.

View full size photo »

The Fay has more Q's and A's
"Q, from CSA: If the Reds are so poor, why did they spend $10 million on a new scoreboard and another $10 million on the worst available manager? Not to mention all that money on Scot Rolen (that was a good deal BTW). Not to mention Willy Tavaras.

A: The hope is that the new scoreboard will pay for itself through increased advertising at the stadium. Which is a nice theory, but you’ve got to draw fans to keep rates up. Only 26 managers in the history of the game have won more games that Dusty Baker. Given the injuries and payroll, 78-84 was pretty good this year. Rolen’s salary was paid by Toronto this year. And they made a huge mistake with Taveras. But he only made $2 million this year."

I have no idea how this injury excuse has gotten any traction as a plausible reason why this team failed this past season. I would like someone, anyone, to make a good argument that this team lost because of injuries. Please.
RedsFest tickets went on sale yesterday
$15 for adults and $7 for the kiddos. "Over 50 current and former Reds players are expected to attend including Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Bronson Arroyo, Dusty Baker and 2010 Reds Hall of Fame inductees Chris Sabo and Pedro Borbon. In honor of the recent RR Monday Morning Quiz, a special 20th anniversary tribute to the 1990 World Series Champions will include Sabo, Joe Oliver, Eric Davis, Ron Oester, Hal Morris, skipper Lou Piniella and many more."
Hall o' Famer Hal says Dick Pole was a victim of soap opera-level revenge and acrimony
"One problem with the Reds is that CEO Bob Castellini listens to too many people and some of them have axes to grind or let personalities sway their opinions. One of them got Castellini’s ear about Pole and Pole was axed (pole-axed?). A manager and a coach is only as good as his players/pitchers and I saw improvement from the Reds pitching staff under Pole."
Project Prospect is ranking the best prospects by position in the minors
and Todd Frazier is the top 2B. They say he lacks the range to be a great defender, but his bat could more than carry him. I think his bat is about average as a LF, but if he can hold his own as a 2B he could be something special. If only our incumbent 2B could play SS...

Mike Leake and Zach Stewart (cough) make the pitcher's list, Yonder Alonso is 2nd on the 1B list, and Juan Francisco is 13th on the 3B list. Hat tip to RML.
The Pirates traded for displaced Rays 2B Akinori Iwamura
or as Tim McCarver knows him, "Aka...Akamura". Iwamura was hurt most of this season and lost his job to Ben Zobrist. This deal reminds me a lot of the Reds' deal for Scott Rolen, accept that I like this for the Buccos. Neither team is close to playoff contention, both of the players are in the last year of their contract, and both players are still valuable relative to their contracts.

The key differences are that the Pirates only gave up Jesse Chavez, a 26-year-old relief prospect (Josh Roenicke?), and they have plenty of payroll space left after adding his contract (his option, which the Pirates still have to pick up, is worth $4.85 mil, which will make him the highest-paid Pirate!!). Iwamura isnt going to make the difference for the Pirates, but he'll help them take the next step to respectability.

And when you consider that Iwamura is basically the same player as Freddy Sanchez, whom they traded for a good pitching prospect in Tim Alderson, and is signed for 1/3 the money that Sanchez is, then this is really quite a move for the Pirates. I cant believe I'm saying this, but I'm kinda jealous.
FanGraphs is working on putting together 3-year UZR leaderboards and loserboards
and Brandon Phillips narrowly misses making the "best" list, falling just outside the top 5. We'll see the top and bottom 5's over the next few days.
It’s the Hardball Times 2010 Annual
I've never bought the THT Annual, but I'm thinking about it this year. It's $21.95, so it's pretty reasonably priced. Has anyone picked up one of these? Is it a good investment?

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I'm just gonna take a moment to enjoy living in a world where the Reds were the last NL team to win back to back World Series

And the Yankees only have 26 titles.

Ahh…

by Brendanukkah on Nov 4, 2009 8:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Did the injuries keep them from a winning record? Maybe.

Did the injuries keep them from a playoff spot? No way.

They were close enough to a winning that the injuries could have cost them a couple of wins, though I would argue that without injuries, we may not see Homer Bailey blossom and Drew Stubbs may not have gotten the call up. I don’t think it is a coincidence that across the board the computers saw the Reds as a 79 to 82 win team and that they finished with 78 wins. It was a mediocre team that ended up being mediocre.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 8:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Dead on. the fault is not Dusty's or the scoreboard

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 11:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

it depends

I believe Dusty has some input in the personnel that is brought in

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 11:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The fault from last year's team

was on Jocketty, whom I generally like. Nonetheless, the failure to adequately fill the SS and C and (to some extent) the left field voids should be laid at his feet. And, yes, Taveras was both of their faults, but there were four holes and Walt didn’t correctly fill three and incorrectly filled the fourth

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 11:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't believe the fault and blame is that simple

there were a lot of mistakes made throughout the season

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 11:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, you know me, I'm very Manichean

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 11:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

All teams have holes, SS and C aren't killing the Reds

Janish and Hannigan are adequate stop gaps. Imagine a Ross/Hannigan tandem, why didn’t that happen, oh yeah in 2008 the Red’s DFA’d their best catcher. Freel was expensive dead weight, so if he wasn’t traded for Hernandez he would have been traded for some other low production over paid player looking for a "change of scenery.

In limited playing time Ross’s WAR was 1.7, Hannigans was 1.1. I’m guessing if you have the two of them split the catching duties almost 50/50 they have WAR of 3.

What also killed the Reds was their lack of production in Center field (pre-Stubbs). With Hernandez, Janish, Pitcher, and Taveris filling the 7, 8, 9,and lead off spot, it was like the picture could take an inning and a third off.

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Justin, the same situation has presented itself this off-season

After 2008 the Reds needed an SS, A CF, a LF and a C. They filled those holes poorly: hernandez was a poor option (much worse than Ross IMHO), Agon was terrible with the stick (although a vast improvement over Keppinger/Hairston with the glove), Taveras was the anti-answer in center, and LF didn’t really get straightened out until June or July (Gomes was in Triple A to start the season).

After 2009, catcher is still a question mark (according to the Reds…I understand the faithful here love Ryan and I think he’s adequate), SS is still unmanned by anyone who can hit and field, and LF is going to be….well, not good, since they will let Gomes go.

The only position they successfully filled was CF (if they play a Dickerson/Stubbs platoon).

2009 was a failure on the part of management to fill the holes with team and that lack of production killed them as Bruce again struggled and injuries hampered the pitching staff.

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That's what she said

"I never should have given up the animation rights."

by BobbyO on Nov 4, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dang, that was much better than my ramblings....

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 3:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Milb

I think most of us have been aware for some time that our best positional prospects are caught behind young productive MLB players at their respective positions (Frazier at 2b, Alonso at 1b). If these guys are rated so highly across the country, would it not make sense to trade them now for similar talent at other positions? Does anyone here have enough MiLB knowledge to suggest other players stuck in similar situations around the league that be potential partners? Is there any hope of such a deal? Does it make more sense than making either of these guys into a LF?

by ben nevis on Nov 4, 2009 8:46 AM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

They tried Frazier in LF, but I guess they don't think he'll work there

I wonder if they don’t think he has enough power to play everyday in LF? Or maybe they don’t plan on BP being a Red for life?

The power thing made me think of Paul O’Neill, who took a few years to develop his power. At 6’3" and 215lb, Frazier is basically the same size as O’Neill (6’4", 215 lb), and without adjusting for leagues and era (i.e. big error bars on this comparison), Frazier has been a better hitter in the minors (.296/.367/.491) than O’Neill (.283/.339/.418). Given his size and his age, I’m surprised that they haven’t stuck with Frazier in the outfield. To me, he looks like he could develop 40 double/25 HR power as he matures. That should be enough for LF, especially if he hits .280 or better.

I have a feeling the Reds will trade at least one of Alonso, Frazier, or Francisco at some point, especially if they are in contention next July. I don’t see all three of them finding a place on the roster at the same time.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 9:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

"Similar talent" may not be so easy to come by

Both Alonso (broken hamate) and Frazier (positional issues) have red flags next to their names going into 2010 and I have a hard time seeing anyone giving up equal talent. I’m with Slyde when it comes to Frazier – just because someone isn’t projected to cross that magical 30 HR barrier doesn’t mean their worthless. A talented doubles hitter is still a productive player (see also: Sean Casey, Billy Butler, Brian Roberts). Frazier has been a consistent quantity in our minor league system and I don’t want to see him gone. We need talent like that on this team.

As for Yonder? I think he was brought in to be a trade chip. Votto is still only 25 and is a known quantity at the major league level. I think you let Yonder kick some ass this year and see what’s available.

I have a hard time seeing the Francisco Experiment turning out well. If we weren’t happy with Edwin in the field, what makes you think we’ll be okay with this guy? And if we weren’t willing to try Edwin in LF, are we suddenly going to pop this guy out there? I think I’d rather have Brandon Waring back.

by beckryac on Nov 4, 2009 9:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They will trade Alonso this year, Ben. But, he had to get some experience

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 11:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I like how sure you are that this is definitely going to happen

"We, as for me all seasons you are affected peculiarly in the edge of my seat and are happy concerning the fact that the Adam Dunn fan has been mixed up exactly." - Reynard-san

by BK on Nov 4, 2009 11:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hell, I was sure it was going to happen last year too

then he got hurt and the Reds were too far out of it. I love having this trade chip

But, BK, rest assured, I’m sure about a lot of things. Some of them happen and some of them don’t.

PS I’m trying out this new Mr. Redlegs-esque persona. Do you guys like it?

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 11:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's good to hear that the Reds' front office

is put together like a sorority house. Jeesh.

"And then there was the USAID guy in Kandahar who drove a giant pink Cadillac, which the locals set on fire one day. If you wanted to destroy something symbolic during a riot, you just could not do better than that. Good stuff." - Ghosts of Alexander

by Cy Schourek on Nov 4, 2009 9:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hal implies

that it was Homer Bailey who got Pole fired. FTH?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Nov 4, 2009 10:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If it was Pole's inability to develop Homer Bailey, then I'm all for the sacking

by Brendanukkah on Nov 4, 2009 10:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

no

Hal says Pole deserves the credit for Homer turning it around this year.

After many false starts, Homer Bailey turned it around the second half of last season. Didn’t Pole have something to do with that?

However, he says it was Pole’s refusal to coddle Bailey that got him fired.

We all know how obstinate young Bailey can be and Pole refused to coddle him – and it probably cost him his job.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Nov 4, 2009 10:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i dont think he's implying that it was Bailey personally who got him fired

but perhaps his “tough love” style that did him in. that was my take anyway.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Nov 4, 2009 11:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

who else

would be upset that Bailey wasn’t coddled? Especially given the results this year (if Hal is in fact right about that). Is Homer Bailey’s mom on staff?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Nov 4, 2009 12:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

is it really more reasonable to believe

that Bailey has a personal relationship with Banana Bob?

by Charlie Scrabbles on Nov 4, 2009 12:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe

Or maybe Bailey’s agent?

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Nov 4, 2009 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

he looks like a sweet heart to me

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dick looks a bit like Charlie Maneul's younger brother

To understand Israel and the Middle East, you must understand Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. -Glenn Beck (former cocaine addict and pedophile.)

by Madville on Nov 5, 2009 12:58 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

That's very true. I wonder if Dick Pole Maneul is his given name?

by timb116 on Nov 5, 2009 1:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

coddle...

I coddle caterpillars at work and it results in the boiling, cooling, and freezing of thousands of Trichoplusia ni caterpillars. I’m pretty sure we don’t want that for Homer Bailey.

People Don't Kill People. Burning Couches Kill People.

by crolfer on Nov 4, 2009 11:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you are going to be a real life Dexter?

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Injuries

I think Injuries are a convenient un-excuse for the internet consiglieri.

As good as Homer was(he probably still comes up to take Owings spot with Edison and Harang in the rotation) he was not enough to replace two quality starting pitchers. Something seemed off with Edison all year, and Harang had just seemed to be getting back in a groove.

I think if most prognosticators had expected Joey Votto to be as good as he was, they’d have pegged the Reds for a better than .500 record. Oh and he lost a month too.

Really the only position that got definitively better was CF.
SS was pretty much a wash, though Janish was better defensively.
3B was definately not better for the time EE missed.
RF was not better even with Jay Bruce’s struggles.
1B was definately not better when Hernandez had to replace Votto.
C was not better as Manigan wore down with regular use.

by PETIE on Nov 4, 2009 9:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I disagree a bit

Bailey, especially down the stretch, was as good as we could have expected from Volquez, so I think it’s fair to say he replaced Volquez. The other replacement starters (Lehr, Wells, Maloney) combined for 25 starts, averaging 5.2 innings per start and allowing 5.07 R/9. Compare that to Owings (as a starter) who averaged 5.1 IP per start and 6.09 R/9. I think it’s fair to say that the injured starters were replaced adequately.

I agree on Votto, but I would guess that if you averaged Votto & Bruce’s projections together and compared them to their final results combined, the results would be pretty close. That is, as much as Votto was over his projection, Bruce was under his.

I agree on CF and SS, though Janish didn’t become a replacement until Gonzalez and Hairston were traded, so his playing time had little to do with injuries.

I agree that injuries hurt 3B. That might be the only position where I’ll agree that injuries brought the team down, but then EdE was only projected at around 2.5 WAR, so it still doesn’t get them to 82 wins, even if he was healthy.

RF was better while Bruce was hurt. RFs for the Reds hit .289/.358/.531 while Bruce was on the DL. He makes up some of the difference with his excellent defense, but there wasn’t much, if any, overall drop-off in RF because of Bruce’s injury.

Your last two points are exactly the point that most people would make to say that injuries weren’t the issue. This just wasn’t that good of a team. Every team has to deal with injuries, but good teams can weather them. The Reds couldn’t, despite the fact that outside of 1B and 3B, most of the injuries were adequately covered by similar or better production. If Ramon Hernandez is your backup 1B, then you shouldn’t be surprised if you have a major drop-off after an injury.

And the fact remains, even if Votto doesn’t miss any time and if EdE starts 2009 healthy, we’re talking about adding 3 or 4 extra wins to the record. That’s not success. Injuries didn’t keep this team from being a contender.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 9:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The only place I'd disagree is you left Harang out as an injured starter

The power trio of Lehr/Maloney/Wells did not adequately replace Harang’s missed starts. It wouldn’t have made a ton of difference, but possibly would’ve added a win.

I guess if you add a win there, a win for Votto’s missed time, and a win or two for 3B, this could’ve been an 82-80 team, which again, is not good, but is what most people predicted and would’ve been celebrated as breaking the losing season streak. (there might’ve been some psychological and/or marketing value in that)

But you’re right. No team goes injury free all year and this team lacked depth to the point that it couldn’t afford injuries to anyone.

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Nov 4, 2009 10:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe, but Harang made his last start on August 20th

and the Reds went 6-2 the rest of the way in his rotation slot. I’m not sure his performance would have changed it that much.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 10:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maloney is going to be awesome

don’t you compare him to Lehr and Wells, I’ll fight you.

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Do you think he will succeed here?

With Maloney’s flyball tendencies, I think his future lies elsewhere. Then again, in his second go around, if I’m not mistaken, he was much improved.

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 5:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Arroyo is all a junk ball pitcher

with fly ball tendencies.

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 5, 2009 1:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maloney is going to be awesome at what?

Giving guys a reach-around in the locker room?

by Highlifeman21 on Nov 7, 2009 8:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

at 82-80 or 83-79

We have a lot more positive thoughts going into next season.

I agree depth was an issue and if the Reds play the youngsters I think they’ll be a much deeper team going into this year.

UT: Frazier > Hairston
OF: Heisey/Dorn > Nix/Balantien

by PETIE on Nov 4, 2009 10:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Something seemed off with Edinson all year?

could it be that he was pitching with a tear in his elbow?

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Frazier strikes me as a hitter who will hit for vaerage and drive in some runs. So he's the most likely candidate to be traded.

It is truly mind-boggling that the Reds are not willing to try Brandon Phillips at SS. Especially because Brandon is willing.
No matter how great of a glove Jannish brings to the organization he will never hit like Frazier.

If Joey can play some LF then Alonso will get a shot
Francisco will get some playing time this year as Rolen ain’t gonna play more than 140 games at best. 2011 will be Juan’s debut as a starter.

To understand Israel and the Middle East, you must understand Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. -Glenn Beck (former cocaine addict and pedophile.)

by Madville on Nov 4, 2009 9:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Rec'd for the McCarver line since I could hear his GD voice as I was reading it.....

"What'd I say?"

by jch24 on Nov 4, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wait, did he not actually say that?

If that’s an original line, kudos to you, Messr. Scrabbles. You absolutely nailed McCarver. Pat Burrell wants to know if you can believe it.

by Brendanukkah on Nov 4, 2009 10:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

no

unfortunately, it is all too true. i remember him saying it during the WS last year.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Nov 4, 2009 11:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

also:

the existences of one “Julio Teheran” and another “Stolmy Pimental” are awesome. I’m going to make sure to buy a Teheran jersey if he makes it.

by Cy Schourek on Nov 4, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Anyone else feeling really nostalgic for the old uniforms after seeing BP in one?

I am. And their gigantic lettering across the back. So iconic for short names like “Rose,” “Bench,” “Morgan,” “Perez,” “Davis,” “Larkin,” “Rijo,” “Soto,” and so ludicrous for longer names like “Geronimo,” “Concepcion,” and “Benzinger.”

by Brendanukkah on Nov 4, 2009 10:15 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

old uniforms?

I just assumed he looked that way because of the new SBN layout.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 10:18 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs

I'm not nuts about those '90 unis

But I expect to see them a handful of times this year and I’m ok with that.

by ben nevis on Nov 4, 2009 10:40 AM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Amen

I’m sure MLB would have a shitfit if the Reds did anything remotely idiosyncratic with their unis, though. There are acceptable quirks and unacceptable ones.

It’s the same thing at Ohio State, which used to have HUUUGE awesome TV numbers:

and now has tiny ones:

VaTech has the same issue with the weird orange numbers:

That were standardized for no reason:

I’m sure there are MLB examples too, but I don’t know enough about baseball unis

by Cy Schourek on Nov 4, 2009 7:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm always vaguely annoying by Fay's answers to these questions

I love the guy – and realize we junkies would be nowhere without him – but sometimes he’s really sticking to talking points for the regime. Dusty Baker has a .520 winning percentage – pretty middle-of-the-road – and a great deal of his success with the Giants can be attributed to Bonds steroiding his way to 10+ WAR seasons. Not to mention the fact that there’s no attempt to link Baker to any of the wins he’s accrued. For all we know, Baker has netted a negative number of MWAR (managing wins above replacement).

And the Blue Jays kicked in on Rolen’s salary this year, but aren’t the Reds on the hook for $11MM next year? So then, yes, we are “paying” him this money and it is “a lot.” We’re also payingTaveras $4MM next year.

Is Fay being obtuse because Castellini, in a Bushian manner, will cut off his access?

The injury excuse has been handled here by better minds than mine, but if they’re going to keep bandying that about, especially in the semi-indpendent media, why not try to substantiate it in some way. The loss of Volquez is the only thing I think apogists can hang their ca[s on.

Yeah, those guys and the Cincinnati Reds. They're a terrible football team. / Because they're a baseball team? / Exactly. You know who's the worst football team? The Philadelphia Flyers. - Best Show

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Nov 4, 2009 11:49 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm "annoyed"

and yes, probably annoy-ing

Yeah, those guys and the Cincinnati Reds. They're a terrible football team. / Because they're a baseball team? / Exactly. You know who's the worst football team? The Philadelphia Flyers. - Best Show

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Nov 4, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can't believe I will say this

but this isn’t a conservative plutocrat’s fault (normally, I love to blame everything on them)

Is Fay being obtuse because Castellini, in a Bushian manner, will cut off his access?

No, he’s doing it because without real access, he’s nothing. Which means, in print columns like this, he mouths what Walt wants him to say, so that Walt will leak to him real information later. Walt’s office has already leaked the reduction in payroll and then a second reduction and a “we can’t afford Johnny Gomes” line. Expect that to continue.

Fay, like all beat writers, is a creature of access and the danger for him is that sources in the club dry up, not Castellini. Which is just proof that John is more like Mark Sheldon than he cares to admit

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 12:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Injuries in general no, Two that cost us a winning record and Playoffs

Volquez going out cost us the 82 mark. EDE getting hurt was a blessing. The one DL issue that cost us a potiential Playoff spot was Votto’s issues (i say potiential loosly.) Maybe with Votto they still fall on there face but less likely.

Last off season issues were 1 we needed a big bat. Ramon was good behind the plate, SS was a coin flip that we had to play but lost. CF was a gamble that was lost and way overpayed.

The Reds are not the Yankees and have to take gambles, we just need better poker players in the front office.

by Eric Davis for Manager on Nov 4, 2009 12:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

EdE's injury was a blessing

because Rosales did such a fine job in his absence?

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

God bless you. EdE still get hammered postumously?

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i was more questioning ED for manager

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 4:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And, I was agreeing you, albeit not in English!

I too am unimpressed with Rosales and wish i was never subjected to her peculiar brand of suck-age and I still can’t believe people bash a guy who didn’t play due to injury, whose replacement sucked, and whose trade cost me two pitching prospects for a 35 year old China doll. I have no idea why EdE was hated so much, but I miss his entirely reasonable contract

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can't figure out why Hal would say

A manager and a coach is only as good as his players/pitchers and I saw improvement from the Reds pitching staff under Pole

Doesn’t he read fan sites? If Hal did he would know that Dick pole and Brook Jacoby are the causes of all evil in the world

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 12:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

seriously, stop

this passive-aggressive stuff is the kind of stuff that pisses people off and starts fighting over everything but the issue at hand. Please stop going out of your way to act like everyone holds these stances.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 12:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Uh, no

and it’s not because I don’t respect you or the work you do for the site. it’s certainly not because I don’t respect the folks here. But, visiting, Fay’s blog, Hal’s blog, here, and almost any other fan site one discovers that Jacoby and Pole are terrible.

For god’s sake, the reason Hal wrote the line is defend Pole from that perception, a perception so common in the fanbase that he addressed it weekly in his “ask Hal” column.

Finally, I purposefully did not name this site, nor did I say “everyone.” And, I didn’t because this site isn’t alone in the common perception that a pitching coach makes cast-offs good and a hitting coach makes Paul Janish hit. lastly, I don’t accuse “everyone,” because I think of myself as a member of said site and i don’t and because I can’t speak for everyone.

I appreciate the guidance, but I got this covered….

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

to me, the everyone is implied

and since it is on this site, the everyone that is implied is everyone – or at least a large portion of everyone – on this site. So, whether or not you intentionally avoided the word everyone doesn’t matter. The implication is there.

I don’t really care if you believe stuff that opposed to supposed common knowledge on the site. That’s not the issue. The issue is that your responses become hyperbolic so that a person is forced to argue over a point that they aren’t actually making. When someone questions what good Brook Jacoby has done for the team, you turn that into people blaming everything on Brook Jacoby. When someone says that the Reds should bat Ryan Hanigan 2nd, you turn it into people worshiping Hanigan.

I like that you have a different opinion. It helps to have people argue the other side, but lately, you consistently assign outrageous beliefs to the group, which only serves the purpose of instigating said group. And honestly, that is probably my biggest pet peeve about the online world, which is why I’m asking you to cool it a bit.

Definitely a good argument.

by Slyde on Nov 4, 2009 3:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

It's called a straw man.

And it’s bogus.

by ben nevis on Nov 4, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dude, thanks for the help

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can't help what implication occurs when you read my comments

It was a comment on how pervasive the view is on fan sites that Jacoby and Pole suck and were responsible for Bruce not hitting and Vazquez getting hurt, etc. I actually wrote that way

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 5:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Correction: I actually wrote IT that way

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Just gonna let Vazquez sit, though?

’s cool.

by Brendanukkah on Nov 4, 2009 5:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

espn.com says dan uggla might be getting traded for Vazquez

Made from 100% Recycled Awesome,

by 'tHan on Nov 4, 2009 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

how would that save the Marlins any money?

espn knows very little about baseball.

by Charlie Scrabbles on Nov 4, 2009 5:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hell, yeah. It's not like I know how to spell

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 11:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He saw improvement?

He must be blind!

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Nov 4, 2009 2:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

<>

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

dang....that was supposed to "rimshot"

by timb116 on Nov 4, 2009 3:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

THT Annual

It’s pretty solid. The stats and tables are excessive for a guy like me (I don’t really need to know the value of a Jay Bruce groundball), but I get it for the articles (ahem). Last year Poz had a nice Bonds/HoF story. Greg Rybarczyk (hit tracker) also had a good piece on park effects and HRs, which was more interesting than it sounds because it talked about Dunn and parks with deep CFs.

And in looking for my comments on the Annual, I found this thread from the winter of ‘07. If you can believe it, Slyde wasn’t so crazy about Brandon Phillips back then.

by ken on Nov 4, 2009 1:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

From Slyde:

If Griffey has the same type of season he had last year, we could be looking at 3 guys (not counting the pitchers) with sub .330 OBP next year in the everyday lineup.

Funny how some things never change. List of Reds with a sup .330 OBP this season (in order from highest OBP to lowest, min 100 PAs):

Brandon Phillips
Drew Stubbs
Darnell McDonald
Jerry Hairston
Jay Bruce
Adam Rosales
Paul Janish
Laynce Nix
Willy Taveras
Alex Gonzalez

I'mma let you finish, but....

by nycredsfan on Nov 4, 2009 2:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks ken

i might have to place my order

by Charlie Scrabbles on Nov 5, 2009 1:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A Mediocre Team

The Trial and Tribulations of the 2009 Red’s and their aging and rigid management.
by Red Arse
Available at MadTown Books
$24.95 plus shipping
Send to MadPrinting Inc.
The Ghetto
Cincinnati 45227

To understand Israel and the Middle East, you must understand Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. -Glenn Beck (former cocaine addict and pedophile.)

by Madville on Nov 4, 2009 2:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The other thing that bothers me about the injuries excuse is

everytime has injuires. It isn’t the team with the 5 best starting pitchers, and 8 best positions players who wins, it is the team with the 7 or 8 best starting pitchers, and 11 best position players who win.

"There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child."-The Onion

by justin007000 on Nov 4, 2009 2:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs