Doc Rogers as Honorary Red Reporter ?

by Madville on Jun 14, 2009 12:08 AM EDT

I missed the end of the 2nd Royals loss. I went to The Land of the Lost w/my 11yr old grandson…He liked it, (B-)– I thought it was the worst Will Farrell flick yet…BUT on the way home we Listened to WLW and Doc Rogers and Doc was sounding like an honorary member of RR. He was firmly and loudly (as loud as Doc gets) calling for:;

1, Dickerson as the everyday CF – Doc says he’s earned it, Wily Taverus was a mistake…sit him..let him come off the bench…Doc was talking OBP, BA and defense, says C-Dick is the better all around player.

2. Jannish to be given a fair chance play 3B. Said that 46 PAs weren’t enough to think that PJ has earned a job, but he should at least be getting looked at because Pete (that’s what he kept calling him) Rosales is a back up player who has peaked.

3. Jerry Hairston Jr. to be in the line up the majority of the time – although Doc doesn’t see Cherry as a full time player…he’s a fan of Cherry’s versatility and finds value in his experience as a long time MLB player. He doesn’t understand why Cherry wasn’t used in the last two games. He wants Dusty to use him to give Bruce a day off, BP, a day off, Gonzo a day off..He was saying that Jerry Jr. while not a starter, can be a spark that ignites the offense and that right now it is crucial to get this offense going.

He also seemed annoyed that the Reds haven’t been more forth coming about Joey Votto’s circumstances – although at the same time he was extremely supportive Joey’s situation. I usually find Doc kind of a ‘play the game the right way’ kind of guy who is pretty loyal to and supportive of Dusty and Walt. However, tonight he was sounding the alarm, "the Reds have to start winning or they are quickly going to find themselves 6 or 7 games back and out of contention" (my paraphrasing). Doc was sticking to his guns when the typical know-it-all Lance McCallister clones started called and bashing Dusty for stupid reason, and bashing Hairston ect. If a pretty conservative baseball guy like Doc is pushing for immediate change, maybe he it could influence Walt or Bob to step in and ask Dusty to shake up the line up and batting order.

Maybe Slyde , BK or Chuck or someone in power - jch (?) should call Doc and confer an honorary RR membership upon him....Well at least present him with a Red Reporter Star of The Game status when Jannis, Jerry, and C-Dick all get a simultaneous start. This is stuff that we’ve talked and written about a lot recently, but Doc hits it on the head when he says that it is crucial that these changes be immediately implemented.

BTW Doc also believes that the red's pitching is plenty good enough to contend...just need some offense and we could be in the hunt until the fall.

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Sounds like a breath of fresh air

I just can’t shake the fatalistic sense that nothing sensible will ever be done and that the most minuscule success – say one Willy T base hit – will setback any progress until it is far too late.
I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a threshold for failure – such as X number of games back wherein a change is made – an eventuality that could have been prevented so much further upstream if anyone had done their homework. Rosales will have to fall below the Mendoza line before he stops getting starts, let alone be sent back down. Maybe there’s a big shakeup in the works to appease the fanbase, but that’s the least acceptable course aside from doing nothing. Why not stop doing the myriad stupid shit that precipitates putting anything but the most objectively competitive team out there from components available to you in the Reds system?

I got to go down to the stadium and whip batteries at the players on both teams. - Philly Boy Roy

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Jun 14, 2009 2:50 AM EDT reply actions

Despite no offense the Reds still remain only 2.5 games back

I like Doc’s approach of using the guys that you already have sitting on the bench at the MLB level to jump start the offense. The only guy from the farm who is ready for a shot is prolly Drew Stubbs, but Stubbs would just muddy up an an already crowded outfield. Stubbs < Dickerson (Cue for the sabremetric explanation of why or why not the Reds should dip into the farm).

One of Doc’s points which I didn’t mention was game attendance. He strongly advised that attendance is going to continue to fall if the Reds keep losing while playing Wily and Rosy. This hits Bob where its got to really hurt – the old wallet.

Sweat plus sacrifice equals another useless out. Mads

by Madville on Jun 14, 2009 6:57 AM EDT up reply actions

By "components available to you"

I meant at the MLB level too. I probably need to rein myself in here – I’ve been spouting off at will lately. I think I’m pretty on board with this strategy. Going after Jermain Dye with Homer Bailey is a terrible idea. There’s no way to tell what you’ve got in Dickerson et al., if they never get some regular MLB reps. There’s no better time to try them than now – when the rest of the offense is completely ineffectual and the team is likely too strapped and too protective of its internal talent (rightly so) to look outside for help.

I got to go down to the stadium and whip batteries at the players on both teams. - Philly Boy Roy

by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Jun 14, 2009 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

After today's game i heard Doc on the way from work

He telling it like it is..whatever the plan was, it is time to reevaluate and use what you have to try and change the course of the team. And not just as band aids but give C-Dick and Jannish a real shot at the job (Doc says C-Dick won the CF job and Wily had no biz coming back and being reinserted as the 1st string CF).

According to Fay there will be no new BATS in the lineup (I think he means MLB bats) per Walt.
We’ve got great pitching but we gotta fix the offense…now.

Sweat plus sacrifice equals another useless out. Mads

by Madville on Jun 14, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Can we blame this on Brook Jacoby?

I wouldn’t mind blaming it on Brook Jacoby.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 14, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions

he and his stupid no socks.

Baseball worshiped here.

by Daedalus on Jun 14, 2009 8:48 PM EDT up reply actions

it would not surprise me in the least to see some changes

before Tuesday. i dont think it will be as drastic as firing Jacoby, though he deserves it, but they at least have to make some roster moves.

dont they?

by Charlie Scrabbles on Jun 14, 2009 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Wasting opportunity

While the Brewers, Cards, and Cubs continue to blow chances, so do we. Minus Lincoln and Burton’s poor outings, I believe we have the best pitching staff in the Central, bar none. Because of errors, even Cueto has no earned runs today.

Sure, Arroyo got shelled a bit yesterday, but when he’s on, he’s on. We wasted Harang’s great outing the other night by bringing Cordero in for about the 5th day in 6 days, after a rain delay, nonetheless. Terrible decision.

One can only wonder IF Votto and Volquez return (when will that be by the way???) if this team will pull it together.

OR………is it time to make whole sale changes simply because the offense is so anemic? Does anyone really see it getting better?

by Dude Rock on Jun 14, 2009 9:56 PM EDT reply actions

Your profile image makes me hungry

and horny

by jacob brumfield on Jun 16, 2009 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions

He's still a fucking douche...

Powers that be,

Sorry about the language but he is what he is. Just calling a turd, a turd.

KTR

by kennythered on Jun 15, 2009 12:38 AM EDT reply actions

Mostly we have prelacement level and backup level players to blame

Although Dusty and Jacoby should be working more specifically with Jay Bruce, BP, Gomes and Nix – They could all demonstrate more selective and patient approaches to hitting..

Sweat plus sacrifice equals another useless out. Mads

by Madville on Jun 15, 2009 6:45 PM EDT reply actions

The Reds are not going to make any bigs trades...period

They don’t got the $$$$$. They shouldn’t be giving up any top level prospects for renta-players.What Dusty and Walt need to do is to use their imaginations. They put together a team that they thought fit with with their plan…Get ‘em on, Get’em over and Get’em in...BUT the big problem is that their number one and two hitter i the batting order are not Gettin’on. If you don’t complete step one you have no chance of complete step two or three.

Dickerson was hot, he was playing great D. He got put on the bench because Wily came of the DL…that’s a ridig thinker’s move. Wily is at best a second tier guy and he sure has a terrible OBP….he’s not ‘earned’ the right to be immediately stuck back in the line up over C-Dick, when Chris is hot you ride him…until he tuckers out…same with Rosy when he was hot they rode him, well he’s tuckered out and instead of showing imagination or at least step a bit out of the ‘know your role’ box…he keeps getting playing time instead of Jannish. If you hate Jannish then play Hernandez at 3rd…..

Of course as soon as Votto is back in the line up, Ryan Hanigan (who at this point, and that’s what counts, is in the ROY running) will immediately be dispatched to the bench.

Same with EdE…he’ll come back and claim his spot even if Cherry, Jannish, Hernia or even Rosy is knocking the cover off the ball. this is where I get really frustrated..use all of your options..try Gomes at 1st with Nix, Dickerson and Bruce in the OF, let RayMoan play some 3B…this team desperately needs offense..BUT…it also needs inspired leadership to utilize the players that are available. Sparky Anderson wouldn’t have sat around and put up with this level of production this long. He would have tried some things because he recognized they couldn’t be any worse than what is happening now.

Sweat plus sacrifice equals another useless out. Mads

by Madville on Jun 15, 2009 7:41 PM EDT reply actions