- Will Carroll questions Doc Kremchek at BP. It's pretty clear at this point that something's rotten in Denmark when it comes to the Reds medical staff, and I'd go so far as to say that's been true for years and years now. Krivsky needs to do something about this area this offseason because it's tough to compete when you can't get players properly diagnosed for weeks on end. (Via)
- It's pretty sad that the best record since the All-Star break in the NL Central is held by the Pittsburgh Pirates at 26-24. It was there for the taking this year, but the Reds just didn't do it.
- Marc Lancaster riffs a little here about the grind of a baseball season, and how most of a manager's job is managing clubhouse personalities. I don't disagree with this, and I've said it before - I'm sure Narron is fine at this part of the job. It still doesn't make him a good manager. Why is it too much to ask for a manager who can keep things in check in the clubhouse and also make good roster and game decisions? I'm sick of settling for second rate crap just because I'm a fan of professional sports teams that reside in Cincinnati. The Bengals fixed things, and now the Reds need to do the same and Jerry Narron isn't part of the solution. He's Bob Boone 2.0, only a little less obnoxious.
- Q&A with Marty Brennaman. He reveals that he wanted Steve Stewart to keep his job, which might surprise some. He's also complimentary of Narron and Krivsky and makes a good point that people shouldn't be too upset by the recent collapse because the team's overachieved all year. He's definitely right, not that it really makes it any easier to take.
- Some post Trade stats:
Kearns- .382 OBP/.425 SLG- .807 OPS
Lopez- .374 OBP/.370 SLG- .745 OPSFreel- .342 OBP/.343 SLG- .684 OPS
Clayton- .279 OBP/.328 SLG- .607 OPSThat's horrid. Maybe Lopez wasn't hitting for as much power as we would have liked this year, but he still gets on base a lot for a middle infielder, and you could say the same about Kearns. Those two know how to get on base. The Reds have turned into a bunch of impatient hackers with the loss of Kearns and Lopez (and the disappearance of patient Ken Griffey Jr.). It sucks to see quite frankly. The Reds are leading the NL in walks, but I'm guessing this'll be the last year that happens for awhile.