Red Reposter - Is Jay Bruce the RF for Next Season? How is That Even a Serious Question?

Dusty was asked if Jay Bruce will be the starting RF next year
and he said, "It depends on how things go and how he looks. No. 1, that's kind of a loaded question. And No. 2, it's way down the line." I dont want to sound off any alarm bells just yet, and it is probably just posturing to make sure Jay stays hungry and doesnt grow a sense of entitlement, but if he's actually considering anyone else in RF next season he needs to be fired right here and now. Of course it's just posturing, right?

Dusty is pretty optimistic about next season (like he would say so if he felt otherwise)
"We’ll have Scott Rolen all year," he said. "We’ll have Joey (Votto) all year. I hope and pray we keep the bullpen intact – that’s been our strength. Our young guys have gotten a couple of months under their belts. Jay Bruce will be better. Hopefully, we’ll re-sign Ramon (Hernandez) and have him all year." If you were still wondering why Ryan Hanigan has ridden the bench so much, I think you just got your answer. Dusty doesnt seem to like him. Dammit.

Dusty is still not saying anything specific about the future regarding CF
Willy Taveras got the start yesterday, his first since going on the DL a month ago. When asked again what his plan is for T-Virus for next year, he said, "You’re asking me questions that are way down the line," Baker said. "Willy was struggling before Stubbs got here. He’s been out a long time. The door was open for Stubbs, and Stubbs has really kicked that door open. Right now, Stubbs has played better than both of them (Taveras and Dickerson). Dickerson’s average is higher. But Stubbs has been quite productive. Dickerson’s upside is still tremendous. We’ve got a lot of competition out there. I’ll try to find a way for them all to best help us that particular time of day." This makes me feel a little better about the Taveras situation, but until they DFA him I wont rest easy.

Has Francisco Cordero been a good investment for the Reds?
We all know the answer to that, but he is only 1 save behind Heath Bell for the league lead. Little victories.

Doug Gray is running his '09 Draft Review
I really like this draft class. Mark Fleury and Josh Fellhauer are personal favorites.  Part 2 of Doug's review is here.

Circling the Bases has noticed that Bronson Arroyo has been too sweet over the second half
They said it makes his $11 mil salary next year "a little more palatable" next season, whether the Reds want to keep him or trade him. It's really tough to gauge this situation. With Edinson Volquez out for next year they dont have the pitching depth to trade him (unless they get a major league-ready pitcher in return) and I dont think teams will offer a good enough value in return. Then again, we've all seen the Goodroyo/Badroyo graphs and we know he's likely to hit a valley soon, so perhaps it's time to trade him while his value is up. And of course, he made those comments a while back saying the Reds would be stupid to trade him if they want to have a go at it next year. I'm sure if in the event he is traded, the Nasty Hook will raise the middle finger flag as it sails down the mighty Ohio.

FanGraphs reminds us all how good Pedro Martinez was back in his day
The hands-down AL Cy Young favorite this year, Zach Greinke, is having a season for the ages with a jaw-dropping 2.34 FIP, leading the league in Ks, CGs, shutouts, and so on. Kid has been bonkers. Pedro was better than that. Pedro was sooo much better than that. 213 innings. 160 hits. 9 home runs. 37 walks. 313 strikeouts. 1.39 FIP. 1.39 FIP. One. Three. Niner. Son of a bitch.

Speaking of Pedro and Greinke, Jim Rice isnt impressed by Greinke
In reference to Greinke's shutout of the Sawx the other night, Rice said, "Zack Greinke didn’t really impress me last night. He pitched well and maybe I caught him on a bad night, but to me he didn’t seem dominant. Greinke has may have the lowest ERA in the AL since Pedro Martinez in 2000, but he doesn’t strike me as the dominant force that Pedro was during his statistical peak." Unfortunately, I read through the BBTF thread on this one before writing this up, so all the jokes I came up with feel old-hat now.

Kenny Williams says his White Sox are "underachievers"
"They are underachievers," Williams said before the White Sox played the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday. "We’re not playing up to our capabilities. Period." Dave at FanGraphs goes on to explain how Kenny is wrong, that the Sox played right up to their capabilities. They just werent that good to begin with. This thing really reminded me of the Reds this year. Every team that doesnt make the playoffs (and the Yankees when they dont win the WS (sorry BF)) is going to make an excuse for why it didnt work out. For the Sox, they "underachieved", for the Reds it's "all the injuries". At the end of the day though, 162 games is plenty enough to show you what a team is made of. If you arent close by the end of the season, it's because you werent good enough.

A few Reds Hall o' Famers will be involved in the new Florida Winter League
George Foster will manage the Lake County Black Bears and Ken Griffey Sr will serve as the league's commissioner.

FanGraphs has an iPhone app
What is the word the hipsters use nowadays instead of "cool"? I just say this is cool, but I'm sure they would call it something more clever.

Red Reposter NEWS FROM HELL
Kings Island set up a display for their Halloween Haunt show in which the scene of Steve McNair's murder was replicated using skeletons. The skeleton wearing the McNair jersey is holding a Titans helmet with the top blown off and the skeleton if Sahel Kazemi, his mistress and murderer, draped across it's lap. There is also a scene depicting Heath Ledger surrounded by bottles of pills and Michael Jackson wearing PJs. Just...wow.