Red Reporter: FanPosts

Technology replacing Umpires

2009-11-05T00:48:43Z

I think the clamor for replay in baseball is misplaced. Replay simply analyzes decisions made by men ("that's the role of women", cymbals!). Replay slows down a game and there are times when it is even inconclusive.

I propose that we skip replay and simply replace the umpires with advanced sensors. I don't mean completely replace the umpires but they would be replaced as the primary decision makers, the umpires would be the backup. Here is what mature technology could do next season in baseball.

replace the calling of balls and strikes by the umpire with the system that they use now to evaluate the umpires. Why not just use the system that the umpires are graded by? There could be many different ways that the system could immediately signal strikes and balls. The umpire would still be behind the plate in case the system crashes or makes an obvious error. Most importantly, somebody has to sweep off home plate . . . until they get a Roomba.
foul ball detector-this would be the same system that they use in tennis.
sensors in the glove, base, and shoes-this would be the only system that isn't in use today though it is still based on currently available technology. The sensor in the glove would be able to detect when the ball arrives, the sensor in the base and shoe would be able to detect when the runner touches the base. This would solve the common question about if the ball or the runner arrives to the base first. The glove sensor might even be able to detect if the ball was trapped during the catch.

So, why can't this happen? Who is happy with the umpire's mistakes right now? Umpire errors work themselves out during the course of a season. The post-season is too short (barely) to let errors decide games.

RR Burger Tour Stop - highlifeman21, you owe me a burger

2009-10-29T07:50:32Z

EPIC FAIL.

via idontneedyourdamnedhost.com

This is obc hiding behind a plant to talk on his cell phone. It represents the general sentiment of the night, as we were all embarrassed to have even considered Mt. Adams Bar & Grill in the running.

We began our night in less than stellar fashion with obc, 'tHan, and BK showing up a solid 30 minutes late........for what reason you ask? A haircut? Of the guy who doesn't need one? Seriously? Yours truly sat on a park bench in Mt. Adams for 20 minutes. Do you have any idea how frightening that was? I nearly ended up in a pink collared shirt, slacks, and loafers. (shudder)

Once the Three Musketeers showed and rescued me from the cute girl at the bar, we sat down at a table in the back corner....perfect for such a subdued and reserved group of gentlemen. After some hemming and hawing we ordered and the food came out pretty quickly. This is good, considering the prompt service would end up being the highlight of the night.

The burgers were at best lousy, at worst criminal. I'll be damned if I pay $7 for a burger that compares to something I'd get at Wendy's. My burger was a Wendy's single + salsa and toppings, not good. There won't be much culinary review in this recap because well, the burgers SUCKED. In the immortal words of BK, "It tasted like a hamburger martini." Not exactly a compliment. BK apologized for taking us there instead of Tinks and we accepted, but only after deeming him "Gay & Dangerous".

Judging from my compatriots' reactions to the food, I immediately asked for the check and we moved on. We ended up at Crowley's and had another hour or two of playful banter before we dispersed on our way home. All in all it was a good time, but WOW, the burgers sucked balls. I asked everyone what they thought and obc and BK (the only one with a frame of reference) had a hard time saying these burgers were better than Quatman's.

To give you an idea of how bad this was, BK was most excited at the end of the night staring through the window of an adjacent bar telling us all about "Rangers vs. Hibernians". Fucking foot fairies.

BOTTOM LINE: highlifeman21, you owe me a good burger and one beer sir. I took you at your word and you failed. The worst part was that neither the burger nor the beer was cheap. You owe me one, PLUS ONE.

PS: I call two weeks from now (November 12th is the date), and it will be a doozy. Details to follow.

tHan's CHI/CIN game thread

2009-10-25T19:42:14Z

Predictions? What's gonna happen this afternoon? Who ya like? jck likes the Bengals 24-21.

Will Cedric Benson dominate or be dominated? I dont see a middle ground today. 88 yds 2 td's say I.

What's on your football viewing dining menu today? Homemade mac n cheese, homemade cheese coneys, walking tacos, chips n salsa, and guacamole here.

Post your pre-game, in-game and postgame thoughts/reactions here, the more the merrier.

SIS - best songs by certain bands edition

2009-10-25T01:36:39Z

This afternoon I spent the several hours at a local high school football field watching a couple youth football games in chilly, damp conditions. The games were moved from a local county park to "our" home field with Field Turf due to the recent deluge of rain locally. We had one day to organize the entire event and it impressively went off without a hitch, many people volunteered their time at the grill, food booths, beverage booths, and multiple ticket booths. I was most impressed by the songs spun between series, after timeouts and in between games.

Conversation turned to whether the individual song of the moment was the best song by the particular band being played over the PA. Admittedly it wasnt the most riveting of conversations but it did manage to distract us from the fact our asses were freezing, metal bleachs are teh suck! Earlier this week a person I know was extolling the virtues of the best Stone Temple Pilots song and while I didnt necessarily agree it was a tad interesting to hear the opinion nonetheless.

So....what say you? What's the best, in your opinion, song by:

Stone Temple Pilots:

Guns N Roses:

AC/DC:

Pearl Jam:

Pink Floyd:

Van Halen:

Black Crowes:

Sum 41: (for BK)

Prince: (for tHan)

Michael Jackson: (for jch)

Electric Light Orchestra: (for Mads)

Jack Johnson:

Rolling Stones:

The Who:

Strongest Reds Position Historically

2009-10-14T01:32:02Z

I'm posting this fairly rapidly based on rankings from Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract (revised 2001 edition) where Mr James ranked the top 100 ballplayers at each position. Its been almost a decade since publication and there would be several edits and additions to the rankings at this place and time, but i found the results interesting nonetheless.

What position is the strongest in Reds history?

Sadly, i didnt read each entry and cross check everyone who might have played for the Reds...but i did a fairly poor eyeball check and referenced my memory on who played for the Reds. Some played only a couple years and i tried to delete anyone that wasnt really a starting ballplayer for the Reds. Here. We. Go.

Catcher

2- Bench

22 - Lombardi

35 - E. Bailey

53 - J. Edwards

First Base

13 - Perez

34 - Big Klu

47 - Lee May

78 - Dan Driessen

Second Base

1 - Morgan

30 - Bid McFee

45 - Bill Doran

49 - Manny Trillo

52 - J. Temple

53 - Tony Cuccinello

71 - Don Blasingame

78 - Juan Samuel

94 - Ronnie Oester

Shortstop

6 - Larkin

24 - Tony Fernandez

26 - Concepcion

50 - Leo Cardenas

53 - Roy McMillian

62 - Dennis Menke

Third Base

19 - Buddy Bell

21 - Heinie Groh

36 - Terry Pendleton

79 - Bob Bailey

87 - Ray Knight

Left Field

21 - Sherry Magee

34 - George Foster

51 - Kevin Mitchell

53 - Hal McRae

68 - Greg Vaughn

71 - Ron Gant

74 - Selbach

Center Field

7 - Junya

15 - Edd Roush

18 - Vada Pinson

21 - Cesar Cedeno

33 - Eric Davis

58 - Gus Bell

Right Field

3 - Frank Robinson

5 - Pete Rose

14 - Dave Parker

31 - Ken Griffey Sr

44 - Paul O'Neill

90 - Dante Bichette

So whattya think? I figured it would be shortstop, but two other positions have four Reds ranked in the top 35 of their position alltime. (and center has five if you really count Cedeno)

Beware History

2009-10-13T17:37:00Z

For two straight years now, on the final weekend of the season, the Milwaukee Brewers have played a series against that years division winners. The title was decided a bit before each of those series this year and last, and as a result, the opponent, 2008 Chicago Cubs, and the 2009 St Louis Cardinals, rested starters, played it easy, etc. and wound up losing games that were meaningless for their playoff chances, that they probably should have won if they were giving it their all.

Along with that final series nap, each team went on to then get swept in the first round of the playoffs, not being able to switch their performances back "on". If you believe in the need for momentum, these two straight years "taking it easy" against the Brewers in the season finales could be a big reason for those quick, first round playoff exits. It should also be noted that the 2008 Cubs finale in Milwaukee is also a contributing factor to the Brewers making the playoffs(that and David Wright missing about 4 different rbi chances that would have won games for the Mets against the Marlins). In the latter case, not only might they have been too asleep to perform well in the first playoff round, the Milwaukee Brewers could very well have missed the playoffs altogether, making their playoff-less streak 27 years instead of the current 1.

The 2010 season schedules have been released, and the Cincinnati Reds finish the year at home against the Milwaukee Brewers.

I predicted that the Reds were going to finish 2nd this year and win 85 games. Of course some injuries and a down year from Aaron Harang prevented that. Without being able to forecast what the Reds will do this year in the offseason, finishing 2nd might be a stretch if Edinson Volquez is out for a very long time, but I believe they have the talent to make a big push next year. Add to that they could wind up with Tony LaRussa as manager and Dave Duncan as pitching coach, and they might make the run Reds fans have been waiting for since 1990. Big seasons from Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips, as well as continued "decent" years from Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, and bounce back from Harang coupled with a breakout from Homer Bailey are things that could lead to a Reds playoff appearance reality.

Just one word of advice, if you have the season locked up by that final weekend, dont rest your starters and play all of the prospects against the Brewers if you want to get past the first round of the playoffs.

08 REDS v. 09 REDS

2009-10-13T17:14:13Z

Going into 09 the Reds had some obvious positions where dramatic improvement was possible/ Corner OF defense/ SS Defense/ CF offense- they mostly captured this improvement besides the one ugly decision to sign Willie Taveras.

Difference between 08 and 09

Position Offense Defense Combined

1b                     +9              (13)                  (4)
2nd                  +11            (6)                   +5
SS                   (14)           +32                 +18
3rd                   (7)             +11                   +4
LF                   (48)             +39                 (9)
CF                   (4)              +12                +8
RF                +15             +21                 +36
C +1              +1
P                      same

So the Reds lineup actually was 59 runs plus from 08 worth 6 wins. The pitching using FIP was worse in 09 regressing from 4.54 to 4.63.

Going forward if the Reds offense stays around the same at 1st base/ 2nd/ SS/ and corner OF. They seem to have a pretty easy 50 run improvement from 3rd base/CF. The defense will probably see a regression @ SS/ improvement at 3rd base/ possible improvement CF- so positional defense about the same as 08.

Without pitching improvement- I see the Reds around the 83 win mark. If Harang comes back strong and Bailey continues his late season form- the Reds should be in the 85-90 range.

Win Chance to Hang With Bronson Arroyo!!!!!!!!!1

2009-10-12T16:49:05Z

For anyone who is interested, I just found this charity website called walkingoffcancer.com that is having a raffle on October 23 to win prizes including golf with Bronson, Pitching Lessons, and more. From what I can see, it appears to be a charity from Bronson's offseason hometown in Brooksville, Florida. I bought a raffle ticket from the website ....and I am getting a signed ball from Bronson ...apparently, everyone who buys a raffle ticket gets a signed baseball!

Herb &Thelma's burger recap

2009-10-09T21:39:09Z

Epic.

This is our third attempt to sample the fine cuisine of Herb and Thelma's. The first was when we tried to grab a burger before a Sunday Reds game. tHan and I got out of the car and the residents of the house two doors down from H&T's asked "Are you going to Opening Day"...after a couple beats I said naw and kept walking to the restuarant. "Opening Day is closed" said the residents. Huh? It turns out the restaurant is closed on Sunday's except during the football season.

The second time we attempted to go tHan got their first, on a Wednesday, and noticed a handwritten paper sign on the door that read "CLOSED TODAY". Really?

The third time I was the first to arrive and entered the establishment without incident. The first thing i noticed was the trophy case filled with various bobbleheads. Reds, Bengals, UC, XU, etc, etc. There must have been 40 of them. The second thing i noticed were the Schoenling bar lamps with Cincinnati as it looked circa the erection (jch alert) of the Brent Spence bridge. Sadly H&T's has 3 of the set of 4, the 4th has come up missing over the years. My grandfather worked at Schoenling most of his life and I got to have a little moment to my lonesome before the other two nutjobs arrived.

I needed a beer! The beer list is on the wall. Bud. Bud Light. Bud Select. Coors Light. Pabst. Pabst Light. Old Milwaukee. Stroh's. Keystone Light. Mike's Hard Lemonade. What, no Burger? I almost expected to see a Schoengling tap, dammit. The place is rustic and it really feels like the type of corner bar that our forefathers bellied up to. tHan and BK arrived and ordered a beer also. $1.75 for the Bud/Miller/Coors....$1.50 for the others. I felt the extra quarter was money well spent and I went with the Bud Select all evening, best beer for the buck in the U S of A, there wasnt no Shock Top fruity beer in da house (sorry, Gray) on Burger Tour Stop #11 by golly. Just 100% pure American awesomeness.

The grill is located directly behind the bar. Its rustic. i can't say that i've ever seen anything quite like it. Burgers here are $2, a double is $3.50. Comes with pickle and onion. I added mustard. tHan added mayo, being the sick buck that he is. There is something serene and peaceful about drinking a beer, watching Derek Jeter's Slump Proof Swing on the television as the bartender hand made our burgers and prepared them 4 feet from our location. Warning: these burgers are 1/3 lb before cooking. They're not weighed on a scale because, im sure, the bartender has made thousands of these burgers in his lifetime and he knows the difference between a 1/3 lb and a 1/4 lb burger without having to weigh it. Our burgers were delicious and we polished them off fairly rapidly, tHan had a double while BK and I had singles. Since the burgers came without chips or fries we argued that a second found of burgers was in order. This time we all went with the singles. Second verse same as the first, tayyyyyyyysteeeeeee.

tHan then ordered a grilled cheese sandwich. I forgot to ask him how it was because i was blown away by having seen how it was prepared. it was grilled in the leftover grease and meat chunks from a carryout order that immediately preceded him ordering a GC sand. So our man was up to 3 patties and a grilled cheese when he went one step over the line and ordered another single cheeseburger, this time requesting no onion. The record is 8 burgers eaten in one sitting. Our boy had half of that plus a grilled cheese.

And he went beer for beer with me the entire evening. The Official Herb and Thelma's Game Ball goes to tHan for a historic night at a historic venue. It ranks in the top 3 overall. Granted, the ambiance and low, low, low prices make H&T's jump over burger joints that could legitimately argue their burger is better. But I'd rather go back to Herb and Thelma's. Much rather.

Question to the RR masses

2009-10-07T02:30:49Z

If you could add one former Red to the 2010 roster who would that be and why?

I think the most legitimate arguments could be made for only 2-3 players and i dont want to make a case for any of them here instead preferring to see what the general feedback is. The more i thought about it the more players i considered. But, really, i think its a short, short list.

Assuming the current roster is as is, without free agent signings this offseason, who would you select? and why?

A review of the year, with lynks

2009-10-06T21:27:37Z

Well, it’s that time of year, where every basement-dwelling internet geek gets to throw his or her 2 cents in on the state of the baseball team.

The Reds in 2009 finished about where I assumed they would, within spitting distance of .500. In a roundabout way, they got there about the way I thought – better than average pitching, worse than average hitting. The particulars didn’t match up (Bruce, EdE, and Harang disappointed; Votto and the bullpen exceeded expectations), but they never do.

I wrote a short piece during the All-Star break, giving my assessment of the team at that point; unfortunately, not much changed in the 2nd half:

Shockingly, Willy Taveras was actually worse in the 2nd half than the 1st, and by a whopping 100 points of OPS. No major leaguer with more than 275 PA had as low of an OPS as our Willy, and he had 437 PA. What do they say about insanity being when you do the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result?
After the trades of AGon and Hairston, Paul Janish became the everyday SS. Is it a good sign when 39% of your hits are doubles, or a bad sign that 39% of your hits are doubles and you still slug .305? His defense, though, was still stupid good (sort by UZR/150).
Gomes cooled down a bit, but still hit well enough to start; Nyx , not so much. However, McDonald continued to get playing time for no good reason.
Hernandez go hurt, Hanigan played hurt. One of those things was better for the team than the other.
Dusty Baker was still Dusty Baker. And still employed by the Reds.
Bruce went on the DL the day before the ASG; he missed 57 games, then hit the cover off the ball the last 3 weeks. EdE was traded to ~~Baltimore~~ Toronto and hit a little better, but still not as well as anyone expected; combined with still-atrocious defense, he was below replacement-level in ’09.
Harang made only 7 more starts, pitching about as well as he did in the 1st half; he then went on the DL for the rest of the year. Putridroyo turned into Awsomeroyo. Volquez will likely miss all of 2010, also.
I would bear Joey Votto’s children. There, I said it.
The relievers continued to do their part.
Homer struggled at times, but finished very strong.
Dickerson didn’t get to play much in the 2nd half, but guess what his OBP was? Hint: the same as the 1st half.

Where does that leave the team? Hard to tell. I think the following things need to be done:

The team needs Dusty-proofed, which means DFAing Taveras. The guy is absolutely worthless as a MLB player, and will get too much playing time as long as Baker is the manager.
For whatever reason, Baker doesn’t seem to believe in Hanigan; no matter if it’s Hernandez, Miller, or someone else, I’m afraid the wrong catcher will get the majority of playing time.
A big RH bat is needed, if only because Baker doesn’t think two lefties can hit in a row. Where that bat is going to come from is a good question, if the payroll is in fact going to drop as Fay suggests.
The team is going to be living on the edge starter-wise, I’m afraid. They have to hope two of Harang/Cueto/Bailey pitch like top of the rotation guys to contend, because we all know Arroyo is not the pitcher he pretended to be in the 2nd half.
I’m not convinced the bullpen will be as good next year; it seems everyone except Burton pitched over his head. Also, I’m guessing if a big contract gets traded it’ll be Cordero – while he isn’t as good as he pitched this year, he’s still the best reliever on the team.

Early prediction? No major moves, Taveras shipped out, two of El Nino/Frasier/Heisey make the team, and…another season close to .500 ball.

Prince, The Replacements and The Hold Steady vs. Iggy Pop, The White Stripes, and The Dirtbombs. WHO YA GOT?

2009-10-06T21:15:59Z

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

This is an open thread as the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins battle for dominance of the AL Central. Scott Baker takes the mound for the Twins in the Stay-of-Execution Bowl at the Metrodome. Rick Porcello is pitching for the Tigers.

Go team that will beat the Yankees!

Reds 2009 Rookie Hazing

2009-10-06T18:36:54Z

Thanks to the Redszone message borad, I was ble to find this clip from the FSN broadcast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS9hy_yYVJg

It's not of the best quality, but you get an idea of what some of the players had to wear. Homer's outfit is pretty well chosen I think lol.

Side note, when I was searching for this, I came across a few different smutty sites. I can't believe the number of people that just go online posting smut about MLB players. (A particularly bad one was named something like talk-sports.net) The comments are kind of like a really bad day at Fay's blog. There are probably already 20 rumors about Rosales's illegitimate kids, drugs and or girlfriends since the last time I was at the site.

18 game capsule, take 9

2009-10-06T16:46:39Z

And…..we’re done. The Reds conclude another losing season, but with some extra dashes of hope thrown in at the end. Will these few weeks of excellence carry over into 2010 as a tsunami of momentum? Are the pieces in place for a pennant run? Is the new-found spark between Don and Betty Draper just an illusion? All these answers and more after the jump.

2009 Reds, Capsule 9

Overview:

Wins/Losses: 13 - 5 (PSA), 78 - 84 (YTD)

Strength of Schedule: .489, YTD (15th most difficult in NL; 29th most difficult in ML) [Prev: .490 YTD SOS, 12th most difficult in NL; 26th most difficult in ML]

RPI (ESPN): .487, YTD (11th best in NL; 22nd best in ML)

[Prev: .481 YTD RPI, 14th best in NL; 26th best in ML]

Baseball Prospectus playoff odds (based on team stats, YTD): 0.0% [prev: 0.0%]

Baseball Prospectus playoff odds (based on ELO concept): 0.0% [prev: 0.0%]

Baseball Prospectus playoff odds (based on team stats + PECOTA projections): 0.0% [prev: 0.0%]

Offense:

For the period, hitters posted slash rates of .286/.358/.482, compared to league averages of .256/.329/.398.
The eight "regulars" as defined by the players with the most plate appearances during this period were: Phillips, Votto, Stubbs, Janish, Rolen, Bruce, Gomes, and Nix.
Joey Votto staked a late claim to the MVP award: in the final 18 games, Votto accrued 30 hits, 15 doubles, 4 HR, 14 RBI, and 11 BB. The slash rates of 469/547/891 are commended, and we-the humble fans-request a full season performance to this effect in 2010.
Jay Bruce threw down to the tune of a 1060 OPS. His job is not guaranteed next year. If, however, Bruce is lucky enough to be given a starting spot...he and Votto hitting anything like this would mask a ton of gaps.
Speaking of gaps: Paul Janish, for more or less the final third of the season, has held a regular spot. His period-by-period OPS levels for periods 7, 8, and 9: 627, 616, 620. Consistency is admirable, but is not sufficient for a starting job. This is not the answer.
Irrational exuberance abounds with every positive step from the youngsters. Drew Stubbs hit 3 more taters and put up a PSA OPS of 846. Juan Francisco only went 9-for-20.
Brandon Phillips had a semi-disappointing period, in which the power disappeared, and fell two RBI short of 100.
For the year, only three players reached 400 plate appearances.

Pitching:

A third consecutive strong showing by the pitchers (PSA ERA of 3.13 vs. league average of 4.08)
Most of that above-averageness can be pinned on two guys: Arroyo and Homer. The former threw 23.3 innings in three starts, and allowed just five runs.
The latter gets his own friggin' bullet. Homer Bailey made four starts, accumulating 26 innings, and only gave up three runs. He went 3-0, saw opponents hit just .219 off him, and struck out 22 while walking nine. Has he arrived?
The bullpen was kinda awesome too. Cordero, Burton, Rhodes, and Masset combined for 26.3 innings where 0 earned runs were surrendered.
Justin Lehr gave up 8 HR in 16 innings.
The defense raised the YTD DER by a couple points in these last 18 games, bringing the rate to .705, good for 3rd best in the NL, and 4th best in all of baseball.

Other notes:

The Reds' offense underperformed league average BABIP for the year (.285 vs. .302). Similarly, the pitching staff yielded lower than average BABIP as compared to average rates (.279 vs. .290). I wonder if there are any ballpark effects at work.
On an OPS+ basis, the Reds had the 2nd worst offense in the league with a mark of 84. The Giants were able to "beat" that futility with an 82 team OPS+. It's worth noting that while these marks are indeed bad, they are skewed by being in the National League. The entire NL posted an average OPS+ of just 94, and only two teams were over the 100 mark.
The Reds pitching was above average (team ERA+ of 105, compared to league average of 101), but in the context of the note above-this is woefully short of being good enough to pick up the bad offense. The Giants, who ended up 4 games short of the Wild Card team, had a team ERA+ of 120.
In terms of offensive categories where the Reds stood out as a team, there were two: the Reds led the league in sacrifice hits (100, vs. league average of 71), and finished last in the league in intentional walks (37 vs. league average of 48).
Pitching-wise, there was no category in which the Reds collectively separated from the pack, save for the esoteric category of balks, in which the Reds only committed one to lead the league (Edinson Volquez in April).
As a group, the pitching staff was below average in striking batters out (6.6 K/9 vs. league average of 7.1), in not walking batters (3.6 BB/9 vs. league average of 3.5), and in keeping the ball in the yard (1.2 HR/9 vs. league average of 1.0). It would appear that looking for a new pitching coach is appropriate.
Using the Pythagorean win totals, the Reds sit about 15 games behind divisional pace-setting St. Louis. I think there are several factors that can chip away at that difference, including an expectation of fewer injuries, fewer Tavares, and greater emergence from Votto/Bruce/Stubbs/Bailey. That said, I see five crucial variables for next year-the Reds will probably need four of them to be positive for a playoff jackpot: Arroyo/Harang need to be at solid #2/#3 starter level, an improvement at SS, the emergence/acquisition of another power bat, another career-ish year from Rolen, and 1st half Hanigan to show up instead of 2nd half Hanigan.

Homer wins NL Player of the Week

2009-10-05T21:38:18Z

Yep, he did. Homer Bailey won NL Player of the Week for kicking ass. Actually, if you think about it, the fact that Homer won 8 games this year and wasn't up with the Reds all year is pretty darn awesome. And to think he was also the victim of a couple of blown saves.

I'll never forget that Major League debut, when I stayed home on a Friday night just to watch the game, only to lose electricity after the fifth inning due to a storm. I got out a transistor radio and dialed up 700 WLW all the way here in Washington, DC.

Oh, if I had the time, I'd go through and post all of those comments saying Homer would never be a Major League pitcher and we should trade him and blah, blah, blah, but I don't have the time, and really, what's the point? I'm just reveling in the sweet Homer goodness that was promised to us all of those losses ago.

To those who were calling to trade Homer in the spring - Ha! What do you think now?

(So we got two POW's in a row? Next year's not looking so bad...)

Burger Reposter v2.0

2009-10-04T16:52:42Z

Burger news.

the likely next tour stop

might have to try the Fifty/50

Northern Kentucky gets its first ButterBurger, which opens Monday one exit from my house. Anyone else have an opinion on Culver's? I was left unimpressed as it reminded me of Steak n Shake, but that was a couple years ago.

Need a mini chicken burger recipe? here you go

Gordo's now has a website. And Surf n Turf burger! (a la TTC). Challenge!!! Gordo's website

We missed National Cheeseburger Day? Mea culpa. tons of cheeseburger stuff

Time for the last baseball game of the season and the Battle of Ohio, which should be extremely one sided.

Fan appreciation?

2009-09-30T21:31:54Z

Nice to see the Reds are going all out for Fan Appreciation Day on Sunday and giving lunchmeat vouchers as a prize! Nice work, guys!

People support a mediocre team all year, and the best you can give them is lunchmeat? How about a free hot dog? A free hamburger? Free parking? Maybe 2-for-1 nachos or Super Ropes. Something a tad more exciting than lunchmeat.

A formal Request and a vote (sorry boobs won't be involved)!

2009-09-29T20:35:32Z

I think it is high time that our very own Madville become an author on this site. I mean we have Slyde and other Justin who provide excellent statistical analyasis, and we have a nice stable of Brendan, BK, Charlie, Grey, NYCreds, and ken who provide excellent links, post game summeries and some of their own original material, and we have JCH who I guess gets off everytime he see's his name at the bottom of the page. We have Andro who can keep us abreast of international happenings.

What we don't have is the crazy old man who is really brilliant but slightly altered by hardcore drugs perspective. I think Mads will provide that. Day after day Mads provides us with new gems, and altered perspectives must of us wouldn't even begin to understand. He gives us great gifs, and sees the world from a different lens than anyone else involved with this site. I would like a weekly Madville column to appear on this site, with his thoughts, perspectives and just who from the previous week can blow him. I think it would give us all an off season lift.

via profile.ak.fbcdn.net

MADS FOR AUTHOR!!!

Vote now the poll closes at 8:34 PM Central time on 7 October!!!

Poll

Should Madville be an author on Redreporter?

Yes

42 votes

No

17 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

Who does Maloney Compare to?

2009-09-26T04:15:54Z

Matt Maloney should have been held in higher regard by the Cincinnati Reds. He should have been held in higher regards around baseball. In 672.3 minor league innings he struck out 664 batters, with a K/BB of 3.21 a BB/9 of 2.8 and a HR/9 of .7. Some may say, but Justin perhaps his numbers are inflated by overmatching low minor league hitters, when he was a "polished" college pitcher. To you I say, he had a K/9 of 8.4 in AAA. On Maloney's SB player page it says he is supsebtable to the long ball, but even in AAA he only gave up .9 HR/9.

It should also be noted that over the past few seasons Maloney has improved his control.

Maloney has had better minor league numbers than our own Bronson Arroyo, who had a K/9 of 6.9 a K/BB of 2.94 in the minor leagues.

I've frequantly compared Maloney's minor league numbers to Homer Bailey, but just so you can see them again, in 531 Minor League innings Bailey had a K/9 of 9.1, (only 7.9 in AAA but he was also pitching hurt and that was during his "down period"), a BB/9 of 3.8 and a K/BB of 2.38, and a HR/9 of .6. So while Bailey has had all the glitz, Maloney has been right there with him, just without the 98MPH fastball.

There are going to be some who think, but Justin we've seen this act before, a "polished lefty who knows how to pitch with good minor league numbers but weak stuff". So lets look at Sowers who was twice drafted first overall, and was held in high regard by Cleveland. He like Maloney is stengy with walks with a BB/9 of 2.2, and he allows less HRs at a rate of 0.5/9. But he only strikes out 6.7/9, and that is inflated by his lower minor league numbers, in AAA his K rate is only 5.7. So he was a polished pitcher who got by limited stuff by outsmarting raw hitters. But he doesn't really comp with Maloney.

He actually compares to Aaron Harang's minor leauge numbers. Harang had a K/9 of 8.1, a BB/9 of 2.4, a K/BB of 3.3, and a HR/9 of .6. When we got Harang he wasn't exactly a top prospect. He also gained a little velocity. In 2002 when Harang was 24 his average fastball was 89.3, and in 2004 it jumped to 90.5.

I wrote this because I honestly think if Maloney stays healthy he could be a mid to top of the staff pitcher. Tom Glavine prooved that pitching isn't all about throwing a mid-90s fastball. Most of us are content to think of Maloney as low level pitcher, but I think we have paid more attention to his velocity than his numbers. Can somebody do a comp of Maloney's minor league numbers, I would like to see who he compares with. I'm looking at you other Justin.

But as Andro pointed out below Maloney doesn't compare to Glavine either.

SIS - One Edition

2009-09-24T23:13:44Z

Which one beer would you drink?

Which one car would you drive?

Which one movie would you watch? Or tv show?

Which one city would you go to if you could leave today?

Which one baseball ballpark would you see a game at?

Which one restaurant would you have dinner at?

Which one second baseman reportedly wet himself on the field when a small Lear jet buzzed the ballpark at an estimated altitude of 400 feet?

Etc, etc, etc. Feel free to add any and all "One Things" that stick out in your memory banks.