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I like Bob Steve, you like Bob Steve, we all scream for ice cream! Robert Stephenson is the most prominent pitching prospect seen in the Cincinnati Reds system since the guy who just signed a $105 million extension wasn't old enough to buy a beer, and Bernie Pleskoff - former MLB scout and writer at MLB Pipeline - seems to think he's got all the makings of a future big league stud, too. Pleskoff notes how Bob struggled a bit when given a chance to show his stuff in Spring Training, and we know he's had a few up and down starts in AA to start the season, but once he ghostrides his WHIP down to where it's been in previous seasons, he's going to be just fine. More than fine, probably.
The Reds had been slumping horribly. The Reds are no longer slumping, according to Joe Kay of the AP. I like the non-slumping version of peteyhendrix's favorite team, and I'm pretty sure you do, too. If you're still not convinced of the potential possessed by this team, have a CK fresh take on things and get back to me.
Speaking of teams that really are for real, Marc Normandin really feels the Milwaukee Brewers qualify. I think the Brewers are definitively better than they were in 2013, a season rife with injuries to key players, poor performances from key pitchers, and suspensions to key assholes, but I still don't think they stack up with the best in the NL. Normandin notes their strong starting pitching, and it's true - they do have decent starting pitching. The only problem is that everyone has strong starting pitching these days, so that doesn't really set them apart. A mid 3's ERA isn't really much of anything in this day and age, and I don't see anyone on their staff looking to beat that this year. Remember when the 2013 Colorado Rockies started 13-4 and were in first place in the NL West? You don't? I didn't think so.
Chis Welsh is the craftiest lefty in Redsdom these days, stepping into the huge shoes left by Joe Nuxhall. That's as crafty and accomplished as most any crafty lefty duo could expect to be, and with the imminent returns of Sean Marshall and Aroldis Chapman, the Queen City franchise is about to be as lefty driven as any in baseball. With that in mind, give Jack Moore's article on the origins of crafty left-handedness a read, as The Hardball Times' scribe delved into the long history of leftsplotation in the game of baseball. Being left handed, it appears, has a long and complicated history.
You might remember Tracy McGrady as the high-flying, dunks-on-dudes-who-are-8-feet-tall star of the NBA throughout the late 90's and early 2000's, and if so, you'd be right. McGrady rather casually stepped away from the game that made him rich and famous, though, and he's giving one of his oldest dreams a shot these days: baseball. McGrady's been working on his pitching ability, and the Sugar Land Skeeters were willing to give him his shot. The man who once dropped 62 points on the Washington Wizards got his first live action last night, tossing one inning in independent ball, and I kind of like the guy for making the transition without much fanfare. This is no publicity stunt; rather, it seems like this is something the guy just really wants to do. Props.
What's your ideal length for a Reposter? In the early days of Red Reporter, links got dumped at a furious pace, with most of the blabbing you see here removed from the equation. You'd get 6, maybe 7 links squeezed into a 200 word post, and you could fly through a Reposter in 5 minutes, tops. Nowadays, they've become long, drawn out affairs that put plenty of people to sleep before they're halfway done reading them. Grant Brisbee took a look at them...wait a minute...his article is about baseball games. Well, now I feel like an ass. I guess the point still stands, though.
And finally, since you've made it this far on a night without Reds baseball, a few questions that are seriously important. Seriously.
- Who is the one living person that you would least likely want to see naked?
- You're writing a hero/heroine novel and need to name your hero/heroine...go.
- For the benefit of mankind, you can lock one person - and one person, only - up and throw away the key. Who's that person?
- I've been pining for something new to add to my cooking arsenal. What's the one dish you think you cook the best? How do you do it?
- If you had to play a video game - and beat someone at it - for a chance to win a million bucks, which one would you pick?
