Red Reposter - 9/10/09

Louisville opened their playoff series against the Durham Bulls last night and lost 8-4.  Federico Baez got kicked around for 5 runs, chalking up only 2 outs in the 5th inning.  El Nino Destructor Juan Francisco hit 2 homers and kicked in an equipment trailer.

• Ryan Hanigan was back with the team yesterday, but didnt start because he was on an airplane most of the day
  But Dusty says he'll get the majority of the time behind the plate from here on out. I wondered yesterday if this would be the case, so I'm glad Dusty cleared that up for me. I know it's pretty much a no-brainer that Hanigan should get the bulk of the playing time, but at this point I question Dusty's judgment on pretty much everything. I wish I wasnt this cynical, but it's not completely unwarranted, is it?

• Daniel Ray Herrera has been one of the best arms in the 'pen this year
  He's pitched in 62 games which is tied for the team lead. His ERA is a solid 3.00, though it has ballooned with a recent spate of 6 ERs in his last 7.3 innings. Apparently few believe such a lil' fella could be such a workhorse. "I still feel really strong," Herrera said. "I think I'm still throwing some pretty quality innings and getting some outs. As far as health goes, my arm feels really good. I might be a little fatigued at this point, but so is everybody else. It will be good to finish the year strong. They hit me a little bit, obviously [Tuesday night]. It's a challenge to get anybody out."

• International League Pitcher of the Year Justin Lehr will start for the Reds on Friday
  after missing his start last weekend with a sore groin. Johnny Cueto will be pushed back to Saturday, giving him an extra day of rest (hooray!!). Homer Bailey will take the hill on Sunday. Still no word on Matt Maloney's blister though.

• Hall o' Famer Hal says Rockies manager Jim Tracy is a no-brainer for Manager of the Year
  and the Rockies should drop the "interim" tag already. Maybe it's not news, but he says he wanted the Reds to do the same thing with Pete Mackanin. I'm sure there are a number of Reds fans saying the same thing these days (not that I'm accusing Hal of lying, of course).

• Nats Manager Jim Riggleman doesn't want to hear how baseball players are tired
  Damn foot fairies!

• Fanhouse has their new power rankings out
  and the Reds have jumped up to #18 in spite of this: "What you need to know right now is this: Kip Wells is in the Reds' starting rotation. Kip. Wells. The 32-year-old pitcher who's been with the Pirates, Rangers, Cardinals, Rockies, Royals, Nationals, and Reds since 2006 and who hasn't been effective because of blood clots and other arm injuries since 2003. In the Reds rotation. It's been that kind of year in Cincinnati."

• Red Reposter NEWS FROM HELL
  Mark Whicker of the OC Register, ladies and gentlemen:
  
  "It doesn't sound as if Jaycee Dugard got to see a sports page. Box scores were not available to her from June 10, 1991 until Aug. 31 of this year. She never saw a highlight. Never got to the ballpark for Beach Towel Night. Probably hasn't high-fived in a while. She was not allowed to spike a volleyball. Or pitch a softball. Or smack a forehand down the line. Or run in a 5-footer for double bogey. Now, that's deprivation. Can you imagine?
  
  Dugard was 11 when she was kidnapped and stashed in Phillip Garrido's backyard. She was 29 when she escaped. Penitentiary inmates at least get an hour of TV a day. Dugard was cut off from everything but the elements. How long before she fully digests the world she re-enters? How difficult to adjust to such cataclysmic change? More than that, who's going to explain the fact that there's a President Obama? Dugard's stepfather says she's going to need a lot of therapy — you think? — so perhaps she should take a respite before confronting the new realities."
  
  He then goes on to describe what this girl, a victim of kidnapping, rape, and imprisonment for 18 years, has missed in the world of sports. He later apologized. (HT to THT)

Definitely a good reposter.