Red Reposter: Arizona Pumpkins and Fig Newtons

To get started for the day we have a couple transaction related tidbits, which are sort of Reds related.

Yesterday, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed former Red Xavier Paul to a minor league deal. Depending on who you talk to, Paul was pretty successful with the Reds when he was signed to a minor league deal in July of the 2012 season.  At least, he was good for a minor league pick up. He put up a .314/.379/.465 line for the Reds in 96 PA in 2012.  2013 saw Xavier get more playing time in LF with the injury to Ryan Ludwick (formerly known as Studwick).  MLB Trade Rumors states that 2013 was his best season, and I guess it was hitting wise.  BBRef has him as a butcher in the field, but was pretty reliable as a left handed bench bat.  No one really wanted him in 2014, so Baltimore signed him to a minor league deal and sent him to Norfolk (AAA).  He put up a .747 OPS in 329 PA.  Arizona is bad and they must desperately need a pumpkin in their field.

Another MLB Trade Rumors note has Alex Rios clearing revocable waivers. Rios has been talked about extensively at RR ever since it was rumored that Walt Jocketty was targeting him before the July trade deadline.  He is owed $3.62 million for the rest of the season, $13.5 million next year with a $1 million buyout.  I think most teams are shying away because of his declining power, but Rios has always shown the ability to get hot and has the ability to carry a team for short stretches.  It wouldn't hurt Walt to put in a claim and see what happens.  At the very least, he can block a NL contender from picking a player on the cheap.  If the Reds do pick up Rios, that $1 million buyout wouldn't hurt at all.  Still, I honestly do not expect the Reds to act on this.  I just don't feel it.

For some good news on the injury front, we go to Buster Olney.  Dadada... Dadada

Brandon Phillips has been cleared to swing a bat. http://t.co/uWkaRKBW7T

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 8, 2014

Get after it Phillips.  If we are really going to do this thing we need your bat and your defense.  Kristopher Negron can't do it all by himself.

In conjunction with the City Gospel Mission, the Reds Hall of Fame plan on plans on creating a Crosley Field Historic Site.  The site will be located at two buildings on Dalton Avenue and York Street.  The site was where Crosley field stood from 1912 to 1970.  Crosely Field was one of the cooler old timey stadiums until MLB went all cookie cutter in the 70's and 80's.  I was honestly surprised there wasn't anything like this before.  The site should be completed in the Spring of 2015, and they are definitely hoping it will be done before the All-Star game on July 14, 2015.

...

If you were like me, the best part about Monday afternoons (because who seriously had morning classes in college?) was picking up your school newspaper and checking out the arrest blotter.  The BG News (what a name) did a pretty good job of putting out the blotter, and at least making some of the arrest stories worth reading.  The best part was trying to find names I recognized, that were hopefully not my own, the funniest stories, and then laughing about them with friends.  It was a legitimate source of entertainment.

Every newspaper basically does this, especially in college, but most local newspapers will as well.  People are stupid, and it's funny to grab their stupidity and show it to people.  It's public knowledge, as you well know.  Well, the Cincinnati Enquirer does this as well as anyone.  The problem is the regular Joe Six Pack (You betcha', winky winky) usually can't do anything about this.  If the story is embarrassing it will still be posted, and there is nothing you can do.  Your friends, family, employer, mistress, barista, etc will find out if they read the paper.  If you have money, like most things in America, this isn't the case.

This is where my long rambling rant has come in.  Apparently, last weekend Bob Castellini's son, Bobby Jr., and his wife were both arrested for domestic violence. The Enquirer ran the story, and by Tuesday the story was suspiciously missing.  I wonder what happened.  It couldn't be that the Enquirer was forced to take it down because Banana Bob and family run the Reds right?  The Enquirer states that Bob and the Castellini's had nothing to do with it, but the publication did not meet their "standards".  Take from that what you will.

By the way, my favorite blotter piece from the article was the, "a woman getting caught with drug paraphernalia after stealing Fig Newtons from a UDF."  Dang, do I love me some Fig Newtons.

When doing Reporters, it is always a big help when the fellow RR authors clip articles to write about.  Our good man Cy Schourek is one of the best, and usually clips some off the wall stuff.  At least it is usually stuff I don't think about.  He may have wanted to write about this, but I'm gonna give it a swing.  This article is very good, and I don't know if it made me feel good about myself or bad about myself.  Sad?  I don't know.  Maybe I should put more time and consideration into my person image?

Basically, poor South African youth are buying really expensive clothing and stuff. Like really freaking expensive.  They struggle to find employment, decent housing, but they party hard, dress well, and act like they have it all.  Some do it for the stigma.  Some do it because it can help them move up the rungs of the societal ladder.  For a lot of the youth it is to promote a positive image for the South African black youth and as an art form.

All I know is these guys spend tons more than I do on clothes.  Yes, I'm your normal khaki shorts and t-shirt kind of guy (sometimes cargo shorts... gasp).  I spent $250 on some new clothes last month, and $100 on some new kicks.  I wanted to cry when I paid my credit card bill.  These South African kids like to get all swaggy and fresh, adn they spend a lot of money to do it.  More power to them.  I guess I get their point, but damn I really can't wrap my stupid brain around it.

Even though I said it at the beginning...

Happy Friday y'all!