Red Reposter - Billy Quix and NL Central Picks

C. Trent sat down with Billy Quix after he was called up to the big leagues before yesterday's game.  It's interesting to read the words of a young man standing at the precipice of reaching one of his lifelong dreams, and I got that impression from this interview.  Hamilton obviously was aware of his struggles under the added weight of expectations earlier in 2013, and it's cool to see how he managed them well enough to find himself in the position he's in today:  in a Major League dugout in the heart of a playoff chase.  Something tells me he'll have a highlight or two that plays a part in said race.  Another part of me wishes he'd still take some of those grounders he speaks of at the end; if Skippy Schumaker, Charlie Culberson, Sean Rodriguez, and, hell, Wilson Valdez can do it, why can't someone as athletically gifted as Billy?

There are also a couple of interesting tidbits from the St. Louis world, one of which is the Cardinals' scouting of the recently promoted Reds' speedster.  Goold and Matheny are both correct in assuming it would be a sight to behold to see Yadier Molina try to control Billy's running game, especially given the division race and the perceived timing (Billy wouldn't be in to pinch run unless it was a late game scenario where the Reds really, really needed a base).  Also of note from the Post Dispatch:  Molina's nagging wrist injury and Carlos Beltran's iffy back.  It will certainly be interesting to see how much, if any, either will play in the next few contests, especially Molina given the Cardinals' willingness to throw rookies in back to back starts beginning this evening.

If you'd truly like to attempt to navigate the new Yahoo! Sports page, well, good luck with that.  I gave it a whirl and came across 4 stories about Scott Baker (Cubs), one about Travis Wood eyeing 200 IP (Cubs), Dodgers, Phillies, Boston, Boston, Puig, Harper, Boston, Cano, Phillies, Cubs, Cubs, Dodgers, and Giants.  Huh.  There was an article (article?) anointing the Yahoo! Sports All Minor League team based on the polling of that mythical bunch of "scouts and executives" and, as the good folks in Red Reporter's Farmer's Only Bureau have accurately led you to believe, the Reds didn't have anyone make the squad.  They did, however, see Jesse Winker and Robert Stephenson get some honorable mention dap, so the Reds have that going for them...which is nice.

It appears the Pittsburgh Pirates may have a winning season, and it also appears that's a big story.  Well, it's actually just a short story.  It's 174 words, a huge portion of which is about Jack Wilson, who hasn't played for the Pirates for years.  So it's actually not a story about the Pirates winning games and, currently, the division; rather, it's another story about how they haven't won anything in a long time.  Got it.

ALERT:  ESPN LINKAGE UPCOMING!! Jayson Stark gives a pretty detailed, decently informative breakdown of the MLB races as they currently stand and how they may well develop over the last month of the season.  If you managed to read that without cursing ESPN and declaring them all things evil, you may also enjoy checking out David Schoenfield's daily race update from his SweetSpot blog...or you can continue to curse ESPN and declare them all things evil.  I'd understand either side.

Finally, Grant Brisbee is funny.  You should probably read Grant Brisbee's take on how the world would end and fireballs would shoot out of Bud Selig's ear-holes and singe the old-guy ear-hole-hairs he surely has because he's old and has ear-holes in the event of a 3-way tie in the NL Central.  Yeah.  You should do that.