It's looking more and more like Jonny Gomes will make the Reds roster on Opening Day, and there is still a very good possibility that one of the Laynce Nix/Darnell McDonald/Jacque Jones will make the team as well.  The problem is that none of those players are currently on the 40-man roster, which is filled to the brim at this point.

So, who gets the boot to make room for these guys?  For reference, you can see the list of players currently on the 40-man roster on the lower left sidebar.

This was the last game of my little trip.  The highlights:

• The story of the game: Aaron Harang and Homer Bailey look much, much better than last year.  I don't think anyone needs another confirmation of this, but yes, Aaron Harang looks much thinner than last year.  It's noticable.
• Harang was spotting his fastball for called strikes all over the place, and I could tell his breaking stuff was working, even sitting on the 3rd base line.
• And, after seeing Homer pitch his two innings, I'm starting to get anxious about this rotation.  Notice that when I say that, I say "rotation", because if he keeps pitching like that, I think he's forcing their hand to put him in the rotation.  They told him going in to ST that he had to earn his rotation spot, and well, he's getting it done.  He gave up a few hits, but unlike he would have last season, he stayed calm, buckled down, and made pitches to get out of it.
• That being said, his line wouldn't have been nearly as great as it was without a fantastic diving catch in RF by Jonny Gomes.  I think watching him the last 4 days has really gone to confirm the fact that I think he's still the favorite for the last bench spot.  Dusty seems to be auditioning all of his backup OFers for 1B spots to back up Votto if needed (Exhibit A: Jacque Jones played a few innings there today), and Gomes showed the other day that he can handle it if needed.  He's hitting, he's playing D, he's hustling, he's on the team.
• Another guy who I think has to head north is Chris Dickerson.  This guy keeps hitting, and keeps stealing bases, and is another guy with the attitude you want out of a major league ballplayer.  How they'll be used is anybody's guess at this point, but I think they both go north.
• Does that mean Hopper is the odd man out here?  I don't think he's done much to help his cause so far, even with a hit today.
  
• Arthur Rhodes looked pretty darn masterful on the mound.  The first two hitters he faced both struck out on 3 pitches.  Glad to see him and Weathers bouncing back from rough outings in the early spring in the last few days.  Cordero, you're up next.
• Burton looked meh, and Roenicke looked good.
• Oh yeah, and Laynce Nix hit a shot over the wall in CF in the 8th.  He's yet another guy who really really wants to make this team.  Will there be enough spots for all these guys?  Whoever said it yesterday said it best, we're going to have a tough AAA team this season (and hell, AA too).
• Darnell McDonald was 2-for-2 with a SB.  I don't think there will be room for him out of spring training, but he keeps sounding like the type of guy to get a midseason callup after hitting somewhere in the .330s in the IL this year.
• Francisco looks pretty good playing D at 3B.  Janish looked better.  If he could hit, his defense is good enough to play anywhere in the infield.

Pics of the day are after the jump.

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Back from Steinbrenner.  The highlights:

• Steinbrenner Field was an interesting place.  It had the feel of a big-league ballpark there, unless Ed Smith and even Bright House.  And that's not necessarily a positive thing.
• There were tons of people there.  Tons.  Traffic getting to the stadium was a mess, it took forever to actually get in, and trying to get out was worse then Bengals traffic.  And this is for SPRING TRAINING games.
• The fans there were... interesting.  I had a seat in the front row of the upper deck, so I got to see a lot of people walk by.  The Steinbrenner Field clientele can be summed up by the fact that most of them belong on this website.
• The ratio of attractive females at Steinbrenner to Ed Smith was about 10:1.
• The fans there made me glad to be a Reds fan.  BubbaFan, how do you deal with those people going to Yankee games?  There was a guy that walked by (and I mentioned this in the twitter, if you were following...) that said "Jeter is better than any Reds player ever".  Ever, he says.  And he wasn't the only one.  When Berroa made a bad play at SS, another guy yelled "Jeter, you suck!" before his drunken buddy corrected him, and the only A-Rod talk I heard the entire day was another guy who kept on yelling at "A-Rod" at 3rd (I guess he got the numbers mixed up, 12 and 13 are pretty close together).
• Oh yeah, there was a baseball game too.  Dickerson looked good at the plate, and Hanigan is hitting the cover off the ball right now.  Those two had 4 of the 6 Reds hits.
• The answer to the million dollar question: Alex Gonzalez should be the Opening Day shortstop, barring any other setbacks.  His range was noticeably better than Keppinger's yesterday, and he made a great sliding stop to start a double play. 
  
• Edwin looked fine too, on D.  Made a great diving stop, and although he didn't have enough time to throw the guy out, he saved a double from happening with that stop.
• Nix keeps hitting the ball hard, but right at guys.
• As far as OF defense goes, Bruce had a great throw to get a guy at 2nd trying to stretch a double, and Jacque Jones almost robbed Duncan's HR.  He jumped, and it looked like the ball bounced right off his glove over the wall.
• Masset didn't look great.  When I saw Owings, I noticed how well he was pitching, and I didn't get that feeling with Masset.  Kind of like when Matt Belisle pitched.  It's a crime that this guy is still getting a shot at the rotation, but I guess that'll change with Volquez and Cueto coming back.
• Fultz and Weathers both turned in pretty normal innings.
• Jordan Smith just looked overmatched.  I don't think it's anything to worry about, because he should be in minor-league camp anyway, but he's not there yet.
  

As always, pics after the jump...

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Hey guys, so here's what I saw in Clearwater today:

• First and foremost, Bright House Field is leaps and bounds better than Ed Smith stadium in every concievable way.  Better facility, more seating, more food/beer selections, better scoreboard, lawn seating in the outfield, and a freaking tiki bar in LF.  It's a shame the Reds aren't going to be in Sarasota after this year, but the fact that they're moving into a new facility is going to go a long way.
• I had a cheesesteak, fries, and a huge local micro-brew beer for $16.25.  Not only is the beer selection exponentially higher than at Ed Smith, they're cheaper and bigger too.
• Jacque Jones made the play of the day in CF to rob a hit.
• Yonder, Hanigan, and Ward all went yard for the Reds, as well as Valaika's timely grand slam.  All of them were pretty much no doubters, especially Hanigan's.
• Keppinger is a terrible defensive shortstop.  There were no less than two plays that any other SS on the team would have gotten to, and Kepp didn't make the plays.  A throwing error topped off his day, as well as mucking up throws in fielding ground balls between innings that won't be counted in the score book.  He's flat out not the guy who should be there Opening Day.
• On the other hand, Valaika looked pretty decent there.  Not major league starter decent, but he looked better than Kepp.
• Arroyo looked just ok.  Not spectacular, but not terrible either.
• Dickerson created some much needed HAVOC.  Looked much better on the bases today than yesterday when he got thrown out.
• Lincoln looked like he always does, and Jukich was hard to picture without that soul-sucking glare he gives off in his GameDay picture.  He's probably the skinniest guy to pitch today.
• Roenicke throws hard.  D-Ray pitched really well, and got a lot of disbelief from the crowd wondering how this little tiny guy was striking out Phillies hitters like he was.  He made Raul Ibanez look like a rookie.
• I'm not sure why, but to me Chris Kroski looks like a decent catcher.  He seemed like he handled the pitchers well and could swing the bat too.  Maybe he could catch on in the minors somewhere.
• Former Red Justin Lehr got lit up against his old team.  He's the guy who left Louisville last year to pitch in Korea.
• The most popular Phillie, by a long shot, was Chris Coste.  His ovation was twice as loud as anyone else, even Ryan Howard's.  Jay Bruce got the best one for any of the Reds
• Phillies fans knew their shit, and weren't obnoxious at all in that setting.  They're ok in my book.

Pics after the jump...

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For the second time this spring, the Reds have taken down the defending World Champions.  It's almost becoming routine.  The highlights:

• The Reds don't seem to be grasping the concept of HAVOC properly as they hit their 5th grand slam of the spring today.  It was Chris Valaika's turn in this one, as his fancy four-run home run broke a 4-4 tie and put the Reds up for good in the 7th inning.  As ken said in the game thread, I'm tired of the Reds sitting around waiting for the four-run home run.  Let's see some real HAVOC out there!
• Ryan Hanigan is building a nice little case for more playing time so far.  He's now batting .429 on the season after going 2-2 today with his first home run of the spring, a 2-run job in the 3rd off of the THE Cole Hamels.  I know that Hanigan isn't likely to be an everyday catcher in the Bigs, but I sure hope that he gets a fair shot at some playing time this summer because he might just surprise us.
• Yonder Alonso had his first home run of the spring as well.  He's now averaging a Mesoraco for the spring.
• Bronson Arroyo started the game but was only so-so today.  He pitche 3.1 innings, allowing 3 hits (2 solo HR), 1 BB, and 2 strikeouts.  He only allowed 2 runs, but he didn't make it very far into the game.  I'm sure the Reds were hoping he'd go at least 4 innings this start.  I hope they pulled him because of pitch count and not because of something more sinister.
• The bullpen was solid for the remaining 5.2 innings of the game with the star definitely being Daniel Ray Herrera who struck out 2 batters in his one inning of work.  I really hope he makes the team.  How can you not root for a guy like that?
• Josh Roenicke and Sam LeCure each pitched shutout innings.  I'd be interested to hear where Dusty stands with Roenicke right now.  Outside of the heat he was throwing in batting practice early in spring, we haven't heard much about him this year.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game goes to Chris Valaika.  Chris receives two tickets for a tour of the Louisville Slugger museum that must be redeemed by the end of May, which is good because he may not be down there much after that.

Greetings from Sarasota. guys.  So, I tried to live-twitter the game, but it's not very effective when it posts 7 hours after you send the text.  I'll be trying a little different strategy tomorrow, so we'll see how that works out.  Some notes about the game:

• Ed Smith Stadium... it's probably good that it's in its "sunset season".  I was pretty surprised how little seating there actually was.
• The Reds handle the concessions, for the most part, so the prices are the same as GABP.  18 bucks got me a Big Red Smokey and 2 beers.  Not terrible.
• Not much Reds merch to be had either.  I tend to notice the jersey shirts, and you'd have better luck finding one outside of GABP from one of the vendors.  They only ones they had around the park was Francisco Cordero, Homer Bailey, and I saw an Arroyo one when I was on my way out.  I decided going in that I needed a new one, so I got an Old Hoss one.  And, if he gets traded, I can add it to my collection of throwbacks.
• Before the game, the players were really accessible with fans.  It reminded me a lot of Bengals training camp, if you've ever been there.
• It was kind of cool seeing some Reds personalities in a normal atmosphere.  Grande was walking around before the game, chatting up fans and signing stuff (he's a PIMP, by the way), and I saw the Cowboy on his way to the concession stand, probably.  My friend swears he brushed up against Thom after the game, I didn't see him though.
• Micah Owings looked really comfortable on the mound.  Seems like the pressure of the #5 battle isn't getting to him.
  
• The lack of a radar gun on the scoreboard kind of prevented me from getting a good idea of how the pitchers were throwing.  I could tell that Coco was throwing hard, even though he was getting lit up.  Maloney didn't look good coming out of the bullpen.  Rhodes and Weathers looked okay.
• The two guys that I came away impressed with most were Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix.  Both of them hit the ball hard.  Nix's would have been a double if Buck (freaking) Coats didn't make a great play in center to get the ball.
  
• Jacque Jones must read this site, because he created some sweet HAVOC.  Dickerson, not so much.
• The highlight of the game had to have been some fans around my section along the 1st base line geting to Wes Bankston's head.  One was a Rays fan who was heckling Gomes the entire game, but when Bankston came in, every time a ball came his way, he heard a "Gomes would have had that!".  When executed properly, heckling can be pretty damn hilarious.

Some pics of the day are after the jump.

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The Reds used havoc to their advantage today, and it paid off in the end.

• First Brandon Phillips doubled in the 2nd and was advanced on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly.  Small ball getting it done.
• Then, in the 7th inning, Jonny Gomes was hit by pitch and advanced to third on an errant pick-off throw.  He scored on a sacrifice fly.  Manufacturing runs is where it's at!  Side note: Jonny Gomes is doing everything he can to make this team.  I'd say the Dickerson-Gomes platoon is looking pretty solid so far.  The only thing in question is whether Jerry Hairston will bump one of them if Alex Gonzalez is healthy enough to play SS.
• In the 10th, Chris Valaika doubled, Drew Stubbs walked, and Danny Richar sacrificed them up a base.  After an intentional walk to Kevin Barker, Todd Frazier singled everybody up a base to tie the game at 6.  Scrap-o-rific!
• They also scored on a two-run double by Laynce Nix and a SOLO home run by Kevin Barker, but those runs hardly even count since they didn't really work for them.
• Oh yeah, and Darnell McDonald hit the Reds 4th grand slam of the Spring, a walk-off job to give the Reds a 10-6 victory.
• The bullpen managed to lose multi-run leads for the Reds two different times, and Ben Jukich didn't do much for his chances of making the squad.  He surrendered 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk over 2 innings pitched.
• Sam Lecure, Aaron Fultz, and Josh Roenicke also surrendered a run, nearly canceling out the positive value of today's havoc.  Roenicke dodged his second loss of the season, and actually ended up with a win.  He needs to start pitching a little better or we're going to be forced to make up numbers to justify a roster spot for him.
  
• And Nick Masset pitched okay, I guess.  Stupid jerk.
• David Weathers had a 1-2-3 inning.  Clearly it was an impostor. 

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game goes to Darnell McDonald.  Oh sure he struck out his first two times up to bat, but the dude hit a walk-off grand slam.  He's like Adam Dunn or something.

The Reds opened up a can of HAVOC on the Red Sox this afternoon, and as you can see, HAVOC, when properly executed can have positive results:

• The Reds got the scoring going with a single and stolen base by Norris Hopper in the 4th.  Later, the scoring progressed with a single and stolen base by Brandon Phillips with a throwing error that allowed Phillips to go to third base.  Oh, and there were 2-run home runs by Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion thrown in there as well, but clearly it was the HAVOC that led to the runs.  Without the steals, do you think those runners would have scored?  They weren't even in scoring position.
• In the 7th inning, the Reds loaded the bases on a walk and two hit batsmen.  Chris Valaika followed with an RBI single and the Jonny Gomes followed with the Frisch's Big Boy Big Play of the Game: a four-run home run to right field that put the Reds up by a score of 9-2.  Gomes has to be looking appetizing to the Reds right now as at least a platoon option in LF.
  
• The pitching left something to be desired today.  Micah Owings was solid but got into some trouble in the 4th inning and wasn't helped by his bullpen when Jared Burton surrendered a double allowing 2 runs to score.  Both runs were charged to Owings, who finished with 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K on the day.
• Robert Manuel and Carlos Fisher both had decent outings from the bullpen.  Manuel pitched a shutout inning, striking out one.  Fisher pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two hits, one of which scored a run charged to Adam Pettyjohn, but he struck out two and closed the game when it was tight in the ninth.  Both have a slim shot to make the pen, but unless someone gets hurt I doubt they start the year with the big squad.
  
• The two pitchers in between those guys maybe have missed their shot this year as Jeff Kennard and Adam Pettyjohn each gave up 3 runs.  Kennard gave up 2 home runs, though he did strike out the side.  Pettyjohn could not make it more than a third of an inning after allowing 2 walks and 2 hits, incluidng a home run.  Both pitchers were long shots, but their shots are pretty much exstinct at this point.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game goes to Jonny Gomes for his game winning grand slam.  For the honor, Gomes gets to box Coco Crisp.   Or is that a box of Cocoa Crisps?  I can't tell, there is a smudge on the notecard.