Red Reposter - 9/16/09

Brandon Phillips became just the 2nd major leaguer this season to hit 20/20/20
The other is long-rumored soon-to-be Red Hanley Ramirez. BP says this was one of his goals at the beginning of the season. He is also shooting for 100 RBIs. He currently sits at 88.

Tom Archdeacon (one of the coolest names ever) pays tribute to Hall o' Famer Hal
I'm sure we'll see a number of these as the season winds down. Tonight is Hall o' Famer Hal Night at the ballpark, so if you have the chance head down to the riverfront tonight. I'm sure the Reds will be pulling out all the stops for the legend.

Hal is really pulling for Paul Janish to succeed
He says he's a real nice guy, a true professional. He concedes that his bat isnt quite good enough, but "At least for one night, Tuesday against the Houston Astros, Janish was Paul O’Neill and Paul Waner - all those good hitters named Paul. (Not Householder)." I think at this point it's pretty safe to make the assumption that Janish will be at SS for the Reds against the Cardinals next April 5th, as I really cant think of any better alternatives (aside from BP, natch).

Of course, we all know the real reason the Reds were able to beat the Astros last night
Lance Berkman hurt his back lifting weights Monday night and wasnt available to play. In case you didnt know, Berkman has 650 career home runs against the Reds.

Dimitri Young looks like he's gonna hang 'em up
Craig at Shysterball thinks it would be a great idea to have Da Meat Hook on Baseball Tonight, or some other studio gig. I couldnt agree more. He's really one of those great baseball characters, a nice guy but also just a little bit nuts.

OMGReds points out that Bronson Arroyo has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the All-Star break.
I know this isnt really news, as we've all been most appreciative of the reemergence of Greatroyo, but I felt it was worth pointing out again. Dude has been seriously rockin' the boat. And dont you ever forget it.

Dave at FanGraphs has an interesting little head-to-head with Joe Morgan
Joe said the A's wont contend again until they get away from the big dinosaur sluggers they employ and get more athletic players who can steal bases and bunt. Of course, Dave points out that the A's are last in the last in the AL in homers and 4th in SBs. He says it's interesting that stats geeks have become more appreciative of just the kind of players that Joe loves, the speedy guys who contribute both on defense and offense. It's a mad, mad world, aint it?

You have until September 23rd to vote for your favorite Reds All-Time 9
I already voted. The strange thing is that when it comes to the pitcher, they only provide hitting stats, like this is supposed to be the best hitting lineup you can come up with. That's kinda weird, but otherwise it's pretty neat.

Tom Verducci at SI presents his All-Decade Team
and he has this to say for the decade's leader in pitching appearances, Red Reporter Favorite David Weathers: "What a career for Weathers, who turns 40 this month. The guy has been pitching for 19 years and is closing in on 1,000 career games, yet he has never made an All-Star team and spent most of his career neither starting nor finishing games. Fun fact: Of the 21 players ever to appear in 900 games, Weathers has the fewest combined wins and saves (147)." Stormy was as often a source of frustration as he was of jubilation, but the man was never hurt and he did his job reasonably well. My hat goes off to him. There was also this little gem about Dusty Baker's Favorite Corey Patterson: "among outfielders with at least 1,000 big leagues games all time, Patterson is worse at getting on base than all of them except John Shelby and Tony Armas."