Red Reposter - Congratulating Walt and congratu-waiting for Dusty

The Fayplacement heralds Walt Jocketty's deft touch in building this Reds team
Most of the off-season moves Walt and Co. made to address the issues of last year's vintage have turned out to be unbridled successes, like the Mat Latos trade, the Sean Marshall trade, the Ryan Ludwick signing, the J.J. Hoover trade and the deadline deal for Jonathan Broxton.

"I really like this team a lot," Jocketty said. "I think we’ve got a chance to go deep into the playoffs. I think we’re better suited now than we were two years ago." Personally, I think the best mark of success for the current regime is that I haven't complained about a move they have made in a very, very long time. I was not a big fan of signing Ludwick at the time, but it was only $2.5 mil so it was hard to get the sugars up for that anyway. This is a great team with a great management staff.

Corey Brock at MLB.com has an interesting feature on Yonder Alonso and the big trade
He was in Spain travelling with friends (Manny Machado among them) when he got the call from Jocketty. He was just stepping out the door on his way to a Real Madrid match. He's settled in well in San Diego though, so it seems like things worked out well for everyone involved. Be sure to click through and read it. It's a good 'un.

The Reds clinched the division with plenty of time to spare
which is a good thing, since they can take their time setting up for the playoffs. Perhaps no one needs it more than Dusty Baker, who was released from the hospital on Sunday. He's been instructed by his doctors to take slowly though, so there is a chance he will not be back at the helm until the playoffs start. I doubt Dusty will stay away that long, but the fact that the possibility is even being mentioned is a bit unsettling. I really hope the big fella is okay.

The Reds have rejiggered the rotation
Mike Leake will be skipped so Johnny Cueto can stay on his regular schedule. Bronson Arroyo will follow, and then Mat Latos and Homer Bailey. One can reasonably surmise that this will be the rotation heading into the playoffs. Personally, I would flip Latos and Arroyo if I were in charge. But - and I'm just as surprised to say it as you are read it - the difference between Latos and Arroyo this season isn't really all that much. Dusty's hard-soft theory is as good a reason as any to dictate the order. Match ups may prove a deciding factor as well, so I guess we'll just have to see what happens. But yeah, this rotation is awesomeguys.

Blog Red Machine turned over a few pieces of furniture
but has since settled down a bit after the FSO fiasco on Clinch Night. FSO was supposed to carry the celebration after the game, but some technical issues threw a wrench into the works and those of us in TV land were left in the dark. This is the kind of thing that just sucks for everyone involved. FSO most certainly wanted to air that kind of special exclusive programming, and we the fans certainly wanted to watch it. The robots decided to not work, and we all were left salty about it. But no matter. I'm sure they will there for us when the Reds win the World Series.