Cincinnati Reds

Testing

2008-01-03T15:07:00.001-05:00

Test

-30-

2007-12-31T09:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much. I had a ball.

-- CTR
ctrosecrans@gmail.com
ctrentrosecrans.com

So, I guess this may be it

2007-12-27T16:57:00.001-05:00

SARASOTA, Fla. -- It seemed only fitting that I start this farewell post where it all really started, here in lovely Sarasota.

At this very moment, I’m sitting at Maria’s Chicken ready for yet another great meal but an Adam Dunn homer from the Reds’ spring training complex. I’m down on Florida’s gulf coast to serve as best man for my dear friend Marc Lancaster’s wedding on Saturday.

It’s been about a year since Marc took a job covering the ~~Devil~~ Rays for the Tampa Tribune and I realized my dream of covering Major League Baseball, and not just any big league squad, but the one that started it all -- the Cincinnati Reds. And what can I tell you? I had a blast.

And one of the biggest reasons I had such a great time was you and this blog. We built a community (with a generous and wonderful head start passed on by the afore mentioned Marc Lancaster, who preceded me on the Reds beat for the Cincinnati Post.

As most of you know, I will be the last Reds beat writer for the Cincinnati Post. The paper, a staple in the Queen City since 1881 Will be rolling the last issue off the press on Monday. It’s a sad day for the people who have worked hard putting out the paper, but if you ask me, it’ll be a sadder day for the city of Cincinnati. The city has lost an important and unique voice -- and in this day and age of more and more voice shouting to be heard, it’s a sad day when a steady, calm voice is silenced.

As journalists, we live with constant deadlines, but Dec. 31, 2007 was a deadline in the most literal sense in the word. We all knew that this was the day that we’d be out of work. I knew that in March 2004 when I moved from Alabama to Cincinnati. I knew it then and I know it now and I’ve never regretted the decision for even an instant. I saw coming here as a way to achieve my goal of covering Major League Baseball and I succeeded.

I also succeeded because of the number of talented, dedicated journalists I’ve worked with at The Post. Everyone knew the limitations we were handed as the “underdog” paper and as an afternoon paper in a world that can’t wait to get home from work to read the paper, or even wait for it to be physically printed on paper. The people I’ve worked with at The Post never used our numerous disadvantages as an excuse, instead it was treated as a challenge. It was like Avis, which has the slogan, “We try harder.” That’s what The Post did -- we tried harder. And as a result, we did beter. We took pride in what we did every day.

Starting with the man who hired me, former sports editor Frank Carini, I was led by example. No matter what jokes we had about “our reader” (note the singular) everyone worked their tale off to serve that reader (whom I dubbed Bob) the very best coverage of the local sporting scene that we could.

Please indulge me for a second as I tell you a little bit about these fine people who will be out of a job next week.

The week I accepted the job at The Post, I saw the future and was excited anyway. That week, Reds beat writer Tony Jackson left to take a job at the Los Angeles Daily News. We always congratulated those who got off the sinking ship, but that didn’t mean we stopped paddling. Next, just as I started, we lost another talented journalist, Jason Williams. Jason left the UC beat to go work at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, leaving us not only a person down, but me a friend moving on just as I arrived in a new city.

Frank Carini was the next to leave, leaving us a huge void. However, we were lucky enough that the higher-ups moved Keith Herrell from the news side over to sports. Keith had the unenviable job of dealing with a sports writing staff -- one of the most thankless jobs in the world, plus doing the job of another person by working on the desk every night. Keith, who is now serving as the managing editor and the sports editor here in the last days of The Post, has never once complained, although he’s certainly heard his fair share of complaints.

As noted above, dealing with writers is never easy. Writers, by and large, have an ego, and as good as our staff is, there’s certainly enough ego to go around. It’s the nature of the beast. And the people who deal with the brunt of the writers are those on the copy desk. It’s a difficult and thankless job, especially at a place like The Post, where the typical desk shift is 9-to-5 -- p.m. to a.m. I have to tip the cap to Dan Hopwood, who doesn’t have a fancy title, nor could one accurately describe the crap he puts up with. Dan had to deal with the writers the most directly, and also read our raw, unedited copy, which he was certainly not paid enough to do. But Dan, like the rest of the staff, always did everything with the goal of putting out the best product possible. We may not have always agreed with exactly what that meant, but we always had the same goal. And Dan will be working these last couple of days just as hard as he did the first, because in the end, The Post was a reflection of him and his work.

While Dan could cuss up a storm with the best of them (i.e., me), Dave Tippenhauer was the yin to his yang, the Teller to his Penn. Tippy never complains about anything, just goes out to do the best job possible. Tippy barely says anything (well, except at Frank’s going-away party at his house when he took full advantage of home court), but just goes about his job. There’s a reason we all love Tippy, and any organization will be better with him.

Then there are the unsung guys, John Lachmann and Tom Ramstetter. I’m not exactly sure how to explain what these guys do, but the short answer is everything. Trust me guys, it was noticed by those who worked with you and appreciated.

Then there’s the writing staff.

Marc Lancaster -- Marc and I started at The Red & Black, the student newspaper at UGA, back in 1995. We’ve been friends since, working together at the R&B, then The Athens Daily News/Banner-Herald and finally here at The Post. You can’t ask for a better friend or mentor, both roles Marc has served for me. (Or, as Hopwood would point out, the writer of the cleanest copy known to man. Unlike, well, me.) I’m honored to call Marc a friend and honored to know him as a professional.

Josh Katzowitz -- The third member of the Bulldog Mafia. I got to know Josh when I was covering UGA men’s basketball for the Banner-Herald and he was doing the same for the R&B. Even then, with the exceptions of a misstep in Gainesville, I could tell this kid was a dogged reporter and an incredibly talented writer. Since he came to The Post, we’ve become great friends, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Kevin “GoGo” Goheen -- I was introduced to Kevin on my interview here -- he tagged along for free dinner, as is his custom. And, as his custom, we had a few drinks afterward, too. You will never meet a better, more fun person than GoGo. The Bengals beat won’t be the same without GoGo and his ever-present laugh. A Cincinnati native, GoGo can always be counted on to introduce the foreign members of The Post to his hometown, which he so dearly loves.

Terry Boehmker -- The nicest person on Earth. Honestly. And, well, also the person with the most knowledge of Kentucky High School sports. A good prep writer in this business is worth his weight in gold, and Terry’s worth way more than that. Northern Kentucky doesn’t know what it’s losing, even if they think they do have an idea. Good thing I know I can always head to Herb and Thelma’s and grab a beer with Terry. And trust me, I’m gonna take advantage of that.

Lonnie Wheeler -- Seriously, dude can put together words like nobody I’ve ever met. The most wonderful writer I’ve ever gotten to work with. Anyone who has read Lonnie’s columns has undoubtedly had the moment where they’ve read a sentence and immediately reread it because it was so wonderful. It just sounds great and begs to be read aloud. A brilliant writer, Lonnie’s also one of the kindest, most genuine people in the world. Although Josh and I would often pick on him, he always took it. And, he wasn’t too bad at dishing it out himself. One of the funniest things I’ve ever heard was a couple of years ago when I was sent to cover the Flying Pig Marathon. Lonnie, there to write a column, looked at me and deadpan said, “It must be weird for you writing about one of these after running in so many.” I still laugh at that one. The delivery was perfect.

I will miss every one of these people, not only because they are my friends, but also because they made me better at my job and a better person.

I’d also like to thank you guys. I started blogging for this site in earnest across the street at Ed Smith Stadium. That’s where you were introduced to what I can only say is me, my flaws and everything. That’s what I’ve enjoyed as much as anything. Part of being a journalist is playing things straight, just the facts ma’am reporting. That’s what I tried to do for the newspaper, but the blog was different. The blog let me have fun, and I hope it allowed you to have fun as well. No, it wasn’t always about baseball, but life isn’t about baseball. There are days -- few, mind you -- that I don’t want to think about baseball and want to just hang out with friends. I’ve been able to do that here. It reminds me of good bar conversation, you may be talking about baseball, but it can go all over the place -- music, movies, relationships, recollections, every different bit of life -- and it’s a great time. That’s what I had with you guys, a great time.

During spring training, someone said if I continued to do my blog like I did in the spring, I’d go crazy. Instead, it was the opposite. It kept me sane. Sure, it added about three hours of work to my day, but none of it seemed like work. That’s because of you guys. Thank you, I can’t think of anything more valuable.

And finally, I’ve been humbled by the number of emails I’ve received asking about my future. Honestly, right now I’m not too sure. I thought I had it all figured out at one time, but I don’t right now. I’m lucky enough to have two opportunities -- one here in town and one out of town. Both are incredible opportunities working for good folks and prime jobs. I am interviewing out of town on Jan. 3, and honestly, as much as I love Cincinnati, it’s doing a full-time baseball beat with all the travel and the entire spring training period. That’s very important to me and something I’ve liked so much, I am entirely open to upping and moving once again, even if it means I won’t have ready access to Skyline.

There’s also an opportunity here in town that would be incredible, fun and challenging. It’s an exciting new opportunity with people who are thinking forward and have some great ideas, and they want me to be involved. With that, this also won’t be goodbye, just a chance to move to different surroundings. If that happens, let’s just say the word will get out.

I hope to know my future by the second week of January, but there’s still so much up in the air. All I know is that I’m gonna miss this spot (and even the terrible picture -- well, not that part). Thanks guys for everything.

CTR
12/27/7

Prior to Padres

2007-12-26T15:23:00.000-05:00

Looks like the Padres took the flyer on former Cub Mark Prior. Lots of teams dropped out of the race when they got a look at him up close. Although he would have been an interesting signing, he wouldn't have been a fit for the Reds rotation, considering he probably won't be ready until May or June.

Bedard off the table?

2007-12-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

The Baltimore Sun says it's looking more and Erik Bedard will stay with the Orioles.

fter listening to trade proposals for his ace for the past couple of months, Andy MacPhail says it is a "strong likelihood" that Erik Bedard will be the Orioles' Opening Day starter rather than being traded.

"It's up to [manager] Dave Trembley in the final analysis to set his rotation, but that's what [Bedard] is today, and I think that's a strong likelihood," said MacPhail, the Orioles' president of baseball operations. "But that said, you never know."

Bedard, a 28-year-old left-hander, is the Orioles' biggest trade chip, and moving him for three to four young and major league-ready players would be one of the quickest ways to accelerate the team's rebuilding process.

However, MacPhail's comments, along with recent efforts to resuscitate contract extension talks for Bedard, are strong indications that the Orioles remain unsatisfied with the offers that they are getting for the pitcher, who went 13-5 last season with a 3.16 ERA and set a franchise record with 221 strikeouts.

I think the Orioles may have been looking for someone to overpay for Bedard and nobody would. With two more years left on his contract, Bedard is just too good -- and too cheap -- for the O's to move just to move him. Wayne Krivsky was unwilling, apparently, to overpay for Bedard. Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make. We'll see how this plays out down the road.

Hamilton to Rangers

2007-12-21T17:52:00.000-05:00

More to come. Promise

From the Reds:

CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Reds Executive Vice President and General Manager Wayne Krivsky today announced the acquisitions of RHP Edinson Volquez and minor league LHP Danny Herrera from the Texas Rangers in exchange for OF Josh Hamilton.

Volquez, 24, last season won the Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year Award as the best minor league pitcher in the Rangers' organization. In 26 starts at Class A Bakersfield, Class AA Frisco and Class AAA Oklahoma he went 14-6 with a 3.67 ERA while allowing minor league opponents to hit just .190 overall. He also went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 6 starts for Texas.

Among Rangers farmhands in 2007, Volquez ranked first in strikeouts (166 in 144.2 innings), second in victories and fifth in ERA. He entered 2007 rated by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the organization. Following the season he was ranked as the 13th-best prospect in the entire Pacific Coast League.

Herrera, 23, was selected by the Rangers in the 45th round of the June 2006 first-year player draft. He was named by Baseball America as a 2006 Draft First-Year All-Star after posting a 1.45 ERA in 5 starts and 12 relief appearances for the AZL Rangers and Class A Bakersfield. He spent most of last season, just his second in professional baseball, at Class AA Frisco and went 5-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 34 relief appearances.

Hamilton, 26, last season for the Reds hit .292 with 19 HR and 47 RBI in 90 games. He was on the disabled list twice.

Sorry, I'm at a friend's house, was caught in between. Seriously, if you saw my friend, you'd tell me I was an idiot for sitting here on her computer while she's here. But damn, I'm dedicated.

My opinion is this is a great move for the Redlegs. Young pitching is tough to get. And, in the long run, the Reds didn't give up much to get Hamilton and with Bruce on the way, it's a good move.

It also means there's a spot open for Bruce.

Krivdawg:
"This trade would not have been done had we not felt that he was able to not only compete but win a job in our rotation in 08."

"Fastball, curveball, changeup. He's 6-2, athletic with a live arm. He's from the Dominican Republic and his idol is Pedro Martinez. He’s got charisma, animation. He’s got a fastball, 92-94, but can go get 97. He’s got a hard breaking ball that acts like a slurve at times. "

On center: "That’s open for competition, that’s what spring trainig will determine. Dusty will play the guy he’s giving, with Hopper, Freel, Dickerson and Bruce we’re with four guys in competition for playing time."

And we're waiting to talk Josh.

From Josh:

"I think I was in the right place, coming back to baseball. Cincinnati welcomed me with open arms, who would have thought a city that had never seen a guy play baseball would? It’s going to be one of my favorite places forever. I enjoyed the fans, the organization, I talked to Wayne and told him how much I appreciated the opportunity in taking a chance and seeing what I can do."

"Absolutley. I was there God put me there for a reason and he found another place for me to go."

An interesting note I got about Danny Herrera, he was a high school teammate of Reds minor league first baseman (and UC alum) Logan Parker at Permian High School in Odessa, Texas. Permian, you may know, is the school that the book Friday Night Lights was written about.

Here's a story from the Odessa American's Craig Craker on the "other guy" in the trade, Danny Herrera.

A different piece of memorabilia

2007-12-16T14:01:00.000-05:00

This is a pretty cool -- and quite different -- fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. They're called CelebraDoodles, and they're pictures of houses. I remember when guys were doing these in the clubhouse. Let's just say Aaron Harang took his pretty seriously and showed that he has some talents other than pitching.

My personal favorite, though, has to be Sean Casey's.

I think these are pretty cool -- something guys spent a little more time on than just an autograph. Check 'em out and maybe help out a great cause.

Griffey statement; Haren off the block

2007-12-14T20:07:00.000-05:00

Just got back to the computer after taking care of some things. But anyway...

Here's a statement from Ken Griffey Jr. from his agent, Brian Goldberg, regarding the Mitchell Report:

"Obviously, it’s unfortunate having these names attached to the investigation, but more importantly going forward we need to do everything possible to restore and maintain the fans’ confidence in the integrity of the game and its players."

Griffey has always avoided saying what he could have accomplished had others not used performance enhancers or where he would be on various lists, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't wonder.

Here's what Goldberg said, "I’m proud of Kenny, not only do I believe he’s not done any of that, but also that he’s never complained about what could have been had other players not used thos ethings, just as he's never complained about what numbers or awards he could have won without his injuries."

Goldberg also said Griffey is feeling great and expects to be ready for spring.

Seeing Griffey at RedsFest, I'd even briefly forgotten about the season-ending groin injury until he made a crack about it. He was moving fine and seemed to be doing well.

Diamondbacks were busy today -- their marquee move was getting A's ace Dan Haren. Mark one of the big names off the trade list. Arizona also traded closer Jose Valverde to Houston for Chad Qualls, Chris Burke and Juan Guitierrez. Big day for my buddy Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Haren and Webb -- not too shabby

The countdown continues...

2007-12-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

So, the Mitchell Report comes out at 2 p.m.

Do you expect any current Reds? I'm not sure if I do. We'll see. But, well, it wouldn't surprise me.

Will it change the way you feel about baseball?

Why is baseball different with steroids than football? Even punters have steroid trails in the NFL and nobody seems to care, but in baseball it taints everything? Is it because baseball records matter and football ones don't? Or that we expect it from football players? I don't know if I've ever understood the double standard.

Jon Heyman of SI.com is saying Reds reliever Mike Stanton is listed in the Mitchell Report.

1:23 p.m. I just talked to Mike Stanton, he said he didn't know anything about his name being in the Mitchell Report and that he would have to wait to say anything until he sees exactly what it says, which is fair enough. So far, it's only a report that his name is reported to be involved, nothing else. He said to try to call him later and see what he has to say.

The report is now up online.

Left-handed reliever Mike Stanton is the only current Red player noted, indicted by former Met clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski. From the report:

Radomski met Stanton around 2001 while he was pitching for the Yankees.
Radomski recalled making two sales of human growth hormone to Stanton. The first occurred in 2003, during Stanton’s first season with the Mets. Early in that season, Radomski mailed two kits of human growth hormone to Stanton at his residence. Stanton paid Radomski $3,200 by money order.
Radomski stated that he dropped off one kit of human growth hormone at Stanton’s locker in the Mets clubhouse later in the 2003 season. Stanton paid $1,600 in cash for that order. Radomski and Stanton spoke on the telephone two or three times in the course of these sales.
In order to provide Stanton with information about these allegations and to give
him an opportunity to respond, I asked him to meet with me; he declined.

Also named were former Reds Kent Mercker, Josias Manzanillo, Hal Morris, Denny Neagle, Ryan Franklin, Todd Williams and Mike Bell.

Reds non-tender Gil, Salmon; re-sign both

2007-12-13T11:30:00.000-05:00

Checking the transactions wire, the Reds didn't offer contracts to INF/OF Jerry Gil or RHP Brad Salmon. However, the club said it has re-signed both players to minor league contracts with invitations to big league spring training camp.

Cubs non-tender Prior

2007-12-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

The Cubs have non-tendered Mark Prior, making him a free agent.

He and Reds manager Dusty Baker reportedly have a very good relationship and it would seem to be a natural fit with teh Reds.

The Cubs had been trying to trade Prior, but appears nobody was willing to give up much, instead waiting for what was assumed to be inevitability -- the Cubs non-tendering Prior and allowing him to become a free agent.

FSN Ohio honors Nuxy tonight

2007-12-11T14:34:00.000-05:00

Saw The Bad Boy, Steve Stewart, hard at work the last couple of days getting interviews for FSN Ohio's tribute to Joe Nuxhall that airs tonight at 8 p.m. Despite my DVR telling me there's NBA stuff on starting at 7 p.m., I'm assured the Nuxhall stuff will be on, including an interview conducted by George Grande a couple of months before Joe passed. I've set my DVR already.

Wow, just finished watching FSN's Nuxhall special. And special is the right word. I've been told it will be shown again on Thursday at 8 p.m. Set your DVR, VCR or something else. It's a keeper. I can't say enough about the great work by the FSN Ohio people putting it together. I'm in tears. Amazing. It's a great tribute to a great man.

Redsfest Saturday

2007-12-09T00:21:00.000-05:00

Well, felt bad for table 32 at the Reds community fund poker tournament, I was their "celebrity" for the first part of the tournament. I was doing well for a while, but had a couple of beats and then went with a king 10 suited. guy beat me with an ace high over my king high and a pair of 10s.

All in all, a really fun time.

Yeah, was even more embarrassing when they introduced me -- because, well, not only was I a weak "celebrity" I was also introduce after Nick Lachey. I lasted longer in the tournament than Nick, so there is that. I did my best to get guys to say hi to my table and sign autographs if needed, so a special thanks to Brad Salmon, Marcus McBeth and Ryan Freel for giving my table real celebrities to meet. And then, well, then there was Marty Brennaman. Marty had the table laughing at my expense. So that was fun.

Again, Redsfest was incredible. A record total of 20,165 attended the event.

Redsfest Friday

2007-12-07T15:17:00.000-05:00

Hey folks, here at the Duke Energy Center for Redsfest.

This thing is really, really impressive. The players are coming a little later and I'll let you know what else is going on. Seems to be another impressive event. Tomorrow night is the poker tournament, and I'll be playing in that.

Today I'll also be giving out the Awards from the Cincinnati Chapter of the BBWAA. Brandon Phillips will receive the Ernie Lombardi Award as the club's Most Valuable Player, Aaron Harang was voted the Johnny Vander Meer Award as the Most Outstanding Pitcher and Scott Hatteberg won the Good Guy Award for his relationship with the media. Phillips and Harang will be here to accept their awards.

Seen a ton of guys already. Dunn's here, so is Livingston, Keppinger, Salmon, McBeth, Burton, Coffey, Castro, Freel, Ross and Belisle.

Well, there's less of Todd Coffey here. He said he's lost 19 1/2 pounds and it's noticable. First thing I said to him after hello was it was noticeable that he's lost some weight. He said 9 pounds of body fat are gone. He's wearing a monitor that measures his caloric intake and how many calories he burns and everything. It's pretty amazing. He's in much better shape and by February, he's going to be in even better shape.

The Reds will be wearing a Joe Nuxhall patch this season and it looks like this:

Everyone says their injuries are coming along fine. Juan Castro will begin throwing on Monday. Livingston's arm is good as is Freel's knee and head and Dunn's knee.

Junior showed up for the Nuxhall tribute. "He was the grandpa," Griffey said.

Back home. Sorry, I forgot to bring my power cord, so my computer died. I'll remember tomorrow. The Krivdawg has a Q&A with fans tomorrow, and I'll check it out. Hopefully someone asks better questions that the usual press does. I have faith in you. And then I'll be playing in the poker tournament.

It was really nice to meet as many people tonight as I did. Was good to meet so many of you. I actually signed an autograph, which always unnerves me. I think it's weird and feel like I'm devaluing whatever I sign. But this one was a piece of paper, so it was the best autograph I've given, which was nice. Also had an attractive young lady tell me she was a big fan, how about that? Thanks Erin.

Reds complete Coats trade

2007-12-07T14:37:00.000-05:00

From the Reds:

            CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Reds today acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays minor league RHP Justin James as the player to be named in Wednesday’s trade that sent OF Buck Coats to Toronto.

            James, 26, has spent all 5 of his professional seasons in the Blue Jays' system after he was selected in the fifth round of the June 2003 first-year player draft.

            Last season, James combined to finish 3-5 with a 3.89 ERA and 2 saves in 43 appearances, including 5 starts, with Class AA New Hampshire and Class AAA Oklahoma City. Following the season, he pitched for Scottsdale in the prestigious Arizona Fall League.

Bruce wins Bender Award

2007-12-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

From the Reds:

                CINCINNATI - OF Jay Bruce has been named winner of the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award as the Cincinnati Reds’ Minor League Player of the Year for 2007. He will receive his award tonight at 5:15 p.m. at Duke Energy Center downtown during ceremonies on the main stage at Redsfest.

            RHP Johnny Cueto was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year and IF Adam Rosales the team's Minor League Hitter of the Year.

            Bruce, 20, will enter the 2008 season rated by Baseball America as the top prospect in the organization. In 2007 he also was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and Sporting News after hitting .319 with 46 doubles, 8 triples, 26hr and 89rbi at Class A Sarasota, Class AA Chattanooga and Class AAA Louisville. He played for the U.S. team in Major League Baseball's prestigious All-Star Futures Game.

            Last season the Texas native led all Reds minor leaguers in homers, ranked among the organizational leaders in batting average (2nd) and RBI (3rd) and ranked among all minor league players in extra-base hits (80, 2nd), total bases (306, 2nd), doubles (T7th), hits (166, 10th) and slugging percentage (.587, 14th).

            Bruce finished the 2007 season ranked as the top prospect in the organization, International League and Florida State League. In Baseball America’s post-season tools survey, he was rated the best hitter for average and best power hitter in the Reds’ minor league system.

            Bruce was selected by the Reds with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the June 2005 first-year player draft. He was scouted and signed by the late Brian Wilson.

            Cueto, 21, won the organization's top minor league pitching award for the second straight season. In 28 starts at 3 different levels he combined to go 12-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 161.1 innings. Cueto led all Reds minor leaguers in ERA and strikeouts and ranked third in victories.

Rosales, 24, last season was a Florida State League All-Star after hitting .294 with 5 HR, 48 RBI and 9 steals at Class A Sarasota. He also hit .278 with 13 HR, 31 RBI and 4 stolen bases at Class AA Chattanooga.

            The organization’s minor league player of the year award is named after Sheldon “Chief” Bender, who spent 64 years in baseball. He spent his last 39 years in the game with the Reds in their scouting and player development departments.

Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award
Reds’ Minor League Player of the Year
2007...................................... OF Jay Bruce
2006............................ RHP Homer Bailey
2005.............................. OF Chris Denorfia
2004.......................... RHP Richie Gardner
2003................. OF Stephen Smitherman
2002........................... 3B Brandon Larson
2001.................................. OF Adam Dunn
2000............................... OF Austin Kearns
Award named after Chief Bender beginning in 2001

Nats to change logo?

2007-12-06T13:58:00.000-05:00

NASHVILLE -- One last rumor from the Winter Meetings. Now that the Nationals have signed Aaron Boone and extended Wily Mo Pena's contract, the team is looking to better identify itself as the place where former Reds go to die. (There's even been rumblings that the Nationals are searching for Pokey Reese and talking to Deion Sanders about a comeback.)

So, in that spirit, ol' Leatherpants is changing the team's logo. Here's the new cap for the Nationals:

Special thanks to Edgar Holdaway for the photoshop skills and Hal McCoy for the idea

Thursday at Opryland

2007-12-06T09:55:00.003-05:00

NASHVILLE -- I'm dragging, but I'm here. Will check in when the Krivdawg tries to find another diamond.

Guevara is picked by the Marlins

The Reds select RHP Sergio Valenzuela from the Braves

Perhaps the Krivdawg earned the benefit of the doubt from last season's Rule 5 draft, but there seems to be plenty to doubt about Sergio Valenzuela, who has never pitched above Class A ball. And he didn't pitch that well, according to the numbers, last season in Class A. The only question I've got right now is whether he'll be pitching from 45 feet with a screen or from the full 60-feet, 6-inches. You put a 7.12 ERA in the South Atlantic League, I'm not sure that bodes well for the future. Doesn't say Major League ready to me, but that's me.

when I finish talking to the Krivdawg, I'll have to look up Valenzuela's winter ball stats -- he must have done something there.

Well, I asked Krivsky if the "future considerations" had anything to do with the Reds decision to release Cantu -- he said, "No, that had nothing to do with it. It was purely a baseball decision."

The early line on Valenzuela -- three pitches, plus fastball, plus change and a slider.

"Winter abll pretty much finalized it for me," "J" Harrison said. "He caught my attention with some of the things he did with his delivery and his strength. He just looked like a guy who was underdeveloped and with some room for growth."

Harrison said he's seen Valenzuela listed at 6-0, 175 -- but said he's a solid 6-3 1/2 and 200 pounds.

Wayne said he would have liked to get something done here, but isn't disappointed. The rotation is still a focus and they'd like to get some people in to compete for slots. When asked where he saw his rotation now, he said Harang, Arroyo and Belisle, with Bailey having an inside track. I asked about Belisle and Krivsky said the team was happy with the way he ended the season.

The Reds other moves in the minor league portion of the Rule 5:

In the first round of the Class AAA phase of the draft, the Reds selected off the Los Angeles Dodgers' Class AA Jacksonville roster C Juan Apodaca, then traded him to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations.
In the second round of the Class AAA phase, the Oakland Athletics selected off the Reds' Class A Sarasota roster RHP Jose Rojas, who pitched last season in Class A at Sarasota and Dayton.

Finished my Krivdawg tape:
"We would have liked to do something if it improved the ball club,” Krivsky said. “I feel good about our team right now. We added (Francisco) Cordero as a major piece to the team. We still want to solidify the starting rotiation and add an arm or two to compete for one of those spots. Nothing’s changed, we’re still looking for pitching.”

On the rotation: "You have to figure Harang, Arroyo, Belisle and a guy like Bailey’s in a good position. I don’t think until you’ve got yourself a full year in the major leagues, you’re locked in. It’s all about competing and earning a job. I don’t want to be in the business where we’re just handing out jobs, I want players to earn a job."

On Belisle: "I think the way he finished the season,” Krivsky said. “It depends on what happens, it’s a long time to spring training, but if you’re picking the team right now, I’m sure he’d have him in the rotation.”

On losing Guevara: "We heard some talk that he might be picked. That’s an indication that our system is our system is getting better when the decisions on the 40-man roster get more difficult. When you lose someone in the Rule 5 it’s usually an indication your system is getting better."

Also, there's some chatter around here that the Tigers may be looking to deal Dontrelle Willis. So perhaps Dusty's got a shot at him still.

Yeah, so, you know it's late in the event, when Buck Coats is brought up and the discussion moves to the porn star name game -- the name of your first pet and the street you grew up on. Well, Charley Stiener had the best one at the table -- Flint Rider. That cracked me up. Still does. Flint Rider.

The Nats have signed Aaron Boone. Really. I'm beginning to think if you've ever bought a Reds cap, you've got a chance at being signed by Leatherpants. That and a possible extension for Wily Mo? Are you kidding me? Who's next? Eric Davis? Chris Sabo? Expect them to sign Cantu as soon as possible.

~~Anyone got photoshop skils? email me, I got an idea and I'll give you full credit.~~ Got 'em. Thanks folks. Results will be up as soon as I get 'em. (Have two folks, we'll see who executes my idea better -- or if they're the same. I like the idea, which, well, I kinda stole from Hal. But I'm putting it in action.) Hell, I'll just make it a contest, whoever has the best one will win the recognition. Who doesn't want a shout-out on the blog? Thanks folks.

The Marlins are apparently interested in Cantu to play third, replacing Cabrera.

Heard from a Nationals beat writer that when Guevara was picked by the Marlins today, they were watching Bowden and he winced. He was dying to get him.

Well folks, I'm headed out. Hope all is well and see you at Redsfest.

Wednesday at Opryland

2007-12-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

NASHVILLE -- Pretty proud of myself, it's 9:46 a.m. EST and I'm here and set up. We've got the BBWAA meeting in 15 minutes and then Dusty at 10 a.m. central.

I think Pete Mackanin said it all last night when he said, "I'm all schmoozed out." Of course, he was leaving this morning. I'm leaving tomorrow.

I expect something to happen today, but I was expecting it yesterday, too. We'll see.

Just heard the Brewers signed David Riske.

10:57 a.m. EST: Well, BBWAA meeting was enjoyable as always -- it's amazing what people can complain about.

11:44 a.m. EST: Dusty was delightful. He said he didn't come here to manage without Griffey and Dunn.

Apparently, the way he was talking, he was really pushing -- and the Reds may have been in on -- a deal for Dontrelle Willis.

Someone asked him if the games against the Cubs would have any special significance. "I don't know," he answered. But his huge grin suggested otherwise.

12:34 p.m. EST: Here it is -- THE BLOCKBUSTER! Buck Coats to the Blue Jays for a player to be named or cash. I think I speak for all of us when I say I was blindsided by that one.

I added pictures in the thread below, but I didn't want big news like the Buck Coats trade to get lost.

The Reds have released Jorge Cantu

2:53 p.m. EST: We had lunch with Dusty and Ned Yost. Yost came over to sit down, saw Dusty, Dusty said, "what's up?" Yost answered, "Just trying to find a closer since you got mine."

3:47 p.m. EST: Ran into the Krivdawg -- he was giving an autograph and posing for a picture. He didn't say much, because he was on his way to a meeting and trying to find the Presidential Meeting Room. I'm guessing he hasn't been out of the big suite too much, and if he has, he hasn't spent much time in the common areas of the hotel.

A clarification on the Cantu deal: he was arbitration eligible, which could have cost the Reds a chunk of change. Cantu's agent said he and Jorge appreciate the opportunity the Reds gave them and had nothing but good things to say about the Reds and the front office. Cantu can be claimed off waivers until Friday, and then he'd be a free agent. It's doubtful the Reds would resign him, because if they did, he wouldn't be available until May 15.

We're talking to the Krivdawg in an hour-and-a-half. I'll let you know what they say. It does give the Reds the opportunity to go after someone in the Rule 5 draft tomorrow.

3:58 p.m. EST: The Marlins-Tigers press conference -- officially announcing the big trade -- is about to start.

It's kinda odd to see Ton La Russa sitting in the press seating area listening to the Tigers-Marlins press conference.

ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting the Reds are interested in Jon Lieber. Add Lieber to the list including David Wells and Brett Tomko. The Reds will have to get some "retread" and hope he sticks, just because of the numbers.

5:56 p.m. EST: The Krivdawg was as enlightening as always. When asked about Cantu, and asked about any innuendo, Krivsky said, "It's a baseball decision."

It means the Reds want someone in the Rule 5 draft, like they did last year. They're at 39 on the roster now. Talking to people, it wasn't as much the money, it was just the roster space and some redundancy. Krivsky mentioned Keppinger getting some at-bats at first.

Krivsky said they have "3 or 4" guys they've identified to take in the Rule 5 draft. They pick 7th, but the teams to pick ahead of them must have a spot on the 40-man. That's why they dropped Cantu. It's unlikely all of those "3 or 4" would be gone by the Reds' turn.

The most likely Reds player to be taken would be RHP Carlos Guevara.

The team is also going to announce shortly players invited to big league camp. Stay tuned.

On a different note, here's a release from the Reds:

CINCINNATI - SS Barry Larkin was selected by fans, and OF Cesar Geronimo, RHP Joey Jay and front office executive Garry Herrmann were tabbed by the veterans committee for 2008 induction into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. It is the largest and oldest continually operating team Hall of Fame in baseball.

The quartet will be inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in ceremonies at Great American Ball Park on July 19 and will increase the membership to 75, including 69 players, 3 managers and 3 executives. A Hall of Fame gala will be held July 20 at Duke Energy Center.

Geronimo will be introduced to Reds fans Friday at 5:45 p.m. on the Duke Energy Center's main stage at Kahn's Redsfest 2007, presented by Great American Insurance Group, benefiting the Reds Community Fund.

6:21 p.m. EST: Former Post writer Jerry Crasnick (now of ESPN) is reporting the Padres are close to signing Glendon Rusch -- which means he won't be a Red and Bronson Arroyo could get another shot at him. Krivdawg said he's looked for pitching from both a free agent and trade standpoint. Which, of course he has, but, you know. We're starved for stuff sometimes.

6:45 p.m. EST: On a conference call with Barry Larkin right now. He said he's talked to Bob Castellini and others that he wans to return to the Reds at some point. I'll have more later.

Also out there is the non-roster invitees to camp: pitchers Jon Adkins, Johnny Cueto, Justin Lehr, Matt Maloney and Tom Shearn. Catchers Alvin Colina and Chris Kroski. And some guy named Jay Bruce.

9:30 p.m. EST: Sorry for the delay -- not too much going on. I think everyone is just ready to get the heck out of here. The Krivdawg is still sour as he was spotted leaving dinner. Me, about to go to teh Post dinner with former Post writers Marc Lancaster, Tony Jackson, Chris Haft, John Donovan and Jerry Crasnick. Should be interesting.

It's really dead in the lobby. There's little-to-no activity. Everyone's tired of the build your own burger place (as long as the burger you want to build includes only the lettuce, tomato or onion that's included). But hey, a burger, fries and coke is only like $12.

Anyhoo... something I think I may have overlooked in the Cantu deal earlier... Was looking in the postseason media guide at Cantu's page. Here's the accuired section: "From the Devil Ray, along with OF Shaun Cumberland and cash, in exchange for RHP Calvin Medlock, LHP Brian Shcakelford and future considerations, July 28, 2007." Aha. What I forgot about -- "future considerations". That could have been what was "too expensive" for the Reds to keep Cantu, not the dollars he'd receive in arbitration, but what they'd have to give up in "future considerations."

1:24 a.m. EST: Well, headed back. Was with Tony Jackson when he got the call about Andruw Jones. Poor guy, someone was getting him a beer, he got a phone call, talked to folks -- then he looked at us and said, 'See you guys tomorrow.' That's never the call you want. Anyway, 2 years, $36 million? Wow, can you imagine how much money he could have gotten if he hit .230 last year? Unreal.

Winter Meetings photos

2007-12-05T08:27:00.000-05:00

NASHVILLE -- Thought I'd share some sights of the ol' Winter Meetings from the past couple of days.

Home, sweet home. The Media work room -- view from my seat on Monday.

I hope my mom isn't reading, because I'd hate to ruin her surprise Christmas present from Opryland.

The Washington Post's Dave Sheinin on the keys, with lyric assist via Blackberry from the Globe & Mail's Jeff Blair. Blair had one of my favorite quotes of the meetings -- "I'm so Canadian that I didn't even know this (Tennessee) was part of the Confederacy."

Nobody had a lighter, so it was improvised for "Outfit" by the Drive-By Truckers.

The final step count after the day was done.

And the final mileage count -- I wonder if I can get the $6.43 from The Post from mileage.

Tuesday at Opryland

2007-12-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

NASHVILLE -- Greetings and good morning.

Well, to get here, just from my hotel and around and over to the press room took 950 steps. Yep, today I have a pedometer to see exactly how much walking I do at a typical day at the winter meetings.

At step 970 Yahoo!'s Tim Brown suggested that I log which steps important things are done. So, that's what we'll do today. His colleague Jeff Passan predicted 8 miles today. I think that's just because he's a big Eminem fan. Or something.

We'll see. Should be interesting.

Just stepped in, not too much interesting going on. Just the stenographer is getting nervous, because when I get stuck for a word, I look up out into the distance and she just happens to be in the line of sight and so she's justifiably weary of me because I have a weird look on my face and am apparently looking at her.

The room isn't too full yet. The Cubs sent Will Ohman to Braves. The Red Sox are apparently close to getting Johan Santana and the Royals are signing former Red Jose Guillen.

12:04 p.m. EST: We're at 2,536 steps already today. I think Jeff's 8 miles may be low, considering I'm at 1.4 miles already and I feel like I've barely started. At 1,784, a reporter came up to me and said, "I really like the idea of trading Hamilton." I think in the right situation, it could be good. At 1,803 I spot Cal Ripken before heading back to the media room. Stop at 2,409 and talk briefly to Newsday's Kat O'Brien, who covers the Yankees. She looks beat already. "I'm going on very little sleep," Kat says. Yankees beat can be ridiculous. You can see on her blog that she finally stopped looking for Santana news at 2:30 a.m. and was probably up pretty darn early.

Sitting here blogging, Dick Williams is at the podium talking about his election yesterday in the Hall of Fame. He just mentioned something, like I alluded to yesterday, that Andre Dawson should be in the Hall. I don't think Dawson will, but he was as good as anyone I ever saw.

I did run into the Reds' Dick Williams, who is the director of baseball business operations, and he said he's got plenty of congrats for the Hall of Fame nod. Of course, I said it was better than anyone asking about exposing himself.

The Winter Meetings have really begun, because the World Wide MisLeader in Sports is giving us a Mark Loretta update. You may remember last year the same WWmL reported the Reds had signed Mark Loretta to a 3-year deal. They didn't. Yesterday the Krivdawg asked us what was going on, and I said, "I heard you signed Mark Loretta." He didn't remember the incident, but it did get a chuckle out of Rob Butcher.

12:30 p.m. EST: Just got back from what will be the first of many trips to the bathroom. Step 2,752 took me to the urinal, where I heard more complaining about the hours of the bars at the Opryland Hotel. Aparently after midnight, there is only one bar open at the entire hotel, and they had only two bartenders working on Monday night. That's not real good when you've got this many scribes and baseball people in one place. Walking back and at 2,770 run into John Allen and I ask about a return to Plant City as the Reds spring training home. This always elicits either a laugh or a groan. Jeff Maltsby, the director of Florida operations, comes up after a few minutes and I mention Plant City to him. Let's just say John laughed at the suggestion and Jeff had a different response. In a perfect world, I think the Reds would want to stay in Sarasota -- they realize it's about the best possible location for spring training in Florida, it's just that the facility needs major work.

Whoa. Ken Rosenthal is reporting the Tigers and Marlins are talking about a deal that would sent not only Miguel Cabrera to Detroit, but also Dontrelle Willis. Wow.

2:22 p.m. EST: Well, just got back to lunch. And I'm at 5,387. Went down to the lobby, walked around. Talked to Hal a bit. At step 3,631 (which, incidentally, was the 2-mile mark) Anthony Castrovince, former Reds beat writer for MLB.com asked if he was important enough to get a step number. I told him no. As he, Lancaster and I walked around a bit.

At 3,692 was talking to MLB.com Twins beat writer Kelly Theiser and the Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin when Linda Krivsky saw me and greeted me. Seriously, Linda Krivsky is one of the most outgoing, nicest people you'll ever meet.

At 4,192 -- and yes, I noted the significance of the number when I took the step -- we stepped up to get a table for lunch, Castrovince, Lancaster and myself.

Just now I got the message about the blog issues. Trust me, it's being talked about. I'm not happy right now, so I'm leaving it to more rational people than myself to discuss it. I spent 251 steps complaining about it.

Right now, there are people in the press room as Cal Ripken sits at the front of the room for the Field Turf Awards. Not too many people are paying attention.

3:12 p.m. EST: We're at 7,441 steps now.

Heard the worst joke of the day at 5,980 -- one writer had a cup of ice cream and walking by, someone said, 'you can tell your editor you got two scoops today... hahahaha' -- hardy har har har.

Passan asked my update, told him and he decided our math was off earlier, but that his 20,000 steps could be accurate. We'll see. I might quite early. I dunno.

And with step 6,886, I reached forward to shake the hand of Pete Mackanin. Pete's here looking for a job. This is a giant job fair and Pete's looking for a job. He said there are some things he's working on, but he doesn't want to say anything, because there's still a lot up in the air. I know what he means. We talked about how we're in a pretty similar situation.

I asked him about his trip to Europe that he and his bride took after the season.
"It was the trip of a lifetime," Mackanin said. "It was amazing -- it would hav ebeen better if I had a job and wasn't worrying about that.
"It was enlightening. Don't I look enlightened?"
At that, I laughed.
And then he added, "I got couth now."
Is it any wonder why we scribes ar egonna miss the guy? "I got couth now"? Wow. Just awesome

Looks like Trey Hillman is going to have the largest audience of any Royals manager in the history of the Winter Meetings. He's going here at 2:30 local. Right now, JustRays manager Joe Maddon (who is so entertaining, I'm gonna head over there in a second) and Arizona's Bob Melvin are going. After that it's Bud Black and Hillman -- talk about a Royals double dip.

3:41 -- was released at 3, sorry I didn't get it up as soon as it was released, but Joe Nuxhall made the final ballot for the Ford Frick Award. He's joined by Bill King, Joe Morgan, Tom Cheek, Ken Coleman, Dizzy Dean, tony Kubek, Graham McNamee, Dave Niehaus and Dave Van Horne.

The fans have certainly made their choice known -- Nuxhall received 82,304 of the 122,550 fan votes at baseball.org -- 67 percent of the votes were for Nuxhall. King received 7,659 votes and Morgan 6,065.

Kim Nuxhall released this statement:

“On behalf of dad and the entire Nuxhall family, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Cincinnati Reds, radio and TV stations, newspapers and particularly the thousands of fans who took the time to cast their votes for dad. Just being on the ballot is a great honor for dad, and we graciously share this recognition with everyone in Reds country.”

Wow.

It's now out of the fans' hands, and hopefully it sends a message to the 20 voters. Who are the voters? From the release:

he winner of the 2008 Frick Award will be announced February 19. Voting will be conducted by a 20-member electorate, comprised of the 14 living Frick Award recipients and six broadcast historians/columnists, including past Frick honorees Marty Brennaman, Jerry Coleman, Gene Elston, Joe Garagiola, Ernie Harwell, Jaime Jarrin, Milo Hamilton, Harry Kalas, 2007 Frick winner Denny Matthews, Felo Ramirez, Vin Scully, Lon Simmons, Bob Uecker and Bob Wolff, and, historians/columnists Bob Costas (NBC), Barry Horn (Dallas Morning News), Stan Isaacs (formerly of NY Newsday), Ted Patterson (historian), Curt Smith (historian) and Larry Stewart (Los Angeles Times).

4:35 p.m EST: We're at the threshold of 10,000 now -- 9,221 as I sit and type this (which is 5.08 miles). Step 8,602 was to the XM booth where the Krivdawg was live on the air giving listeners validation for spending $13 a month on XM. It would be easy to say the rest of the 619 steps were from the Krivdawg sidestepping questions... So I won't. Or something like that.

Really, the most enlightening thing he had to say was, "Some people like to talk more than I do." True. Very true.

Krivsky was asked if there was a message in the Reds not being mentioned in talks for some of the big-name pitchers like Erik Bedard and Johan Santana and Dontrelle Willis -- "who's to say we haven't (been in talks for those players)."

Also, while talking to the Krivdawg, noticed John Smoltz walking around.

5:14 p.m. EST: We're up to 11,007. That's 6.06 miles, apparently.

At 1,038 I saw Don Mattingly, so there's that. Still think George Brett was robbed of the 1985 AL MVP, but that's just me.

I also talked to Jeff Keppinger's agent for a while -- the same people represent Mark De Rosa, and one of the guys asked me what I thought of De Rosa, and I said I was pretty sure based on what I saw this year that he'd hit .458 for the season, because I'm not sure I saw him make an out.

6:34 p.m. EST: Apparently the Marlins-Tigers deal is done, so Willis is off the market. Good luck to the Marlins trying to get that stadium built or anyone to sit in it.

14,602 steps, which is 8.04 miles.

7:22 p.m. EST: People are still in awe of the Marlins-Tigers deal. And of 16,196 steps, or 8.92 miles. Thing is, it's not unusual. I'm sure there are people who've done more than me, I'm just the only one to track it.

7:49 p.m. EST: Dude, seriously, Passan is good. Really good.He looked at me and 16,130. I said, I think you just won both showcases. 16,252 And now it's 16,259 as I took seven steps back to my seat.

From things I'm hearing, the Reds might think more highly of Edwin Encarnacion than everyone else does. Just something to keep in mind. I think Votto's more likely to go than EE, but that's just kinda what I'm hearing. Although, if the right pitcher is involved.... Remember, the Reds have passed on Lincecum before -- there's something there they're not high on.

8:35 p.m. EST: Well, 18,887. Really. 10.41 miles. It is 562 steps from the end of the lobby to my seat in the media room. Nick said I'm having too much fun with this, but, well, it's kinda my style to find something and hold onto it and enjoy it. Kinda like the blog.

9:12 p.m. EST: From one writer to a Florida writer, "Have the canceled the Marlins fans fest yet?"
Florida writer: "You mean fan fest?"

11:19 p.m. EST: Well, back from dinner and we're at 21,913 -- 12.08 miles. At 20,220 Nick asked me where I was. Then I walked over and got a coffee -- although it had some weird name, something about a monkey. At this point, I really don't remember. Marc and I sat down to dinner at 20,921. We went to the Italian place and Marc had the first reported good meal of the meetings, which is nice. I did not. Looks like Marc is well on his way to achieving his goal of not leaving the "biodome" of the Opryland until he heads to the airport on Thursday. Ron Blum of the AP just had his room service dinner delivered to teh press room. Yep, that's the excitement of the Winter Meetings.

12:38 a.m. EST: So, from what I'm hearing the Reds, Dodgers, Mets and Mariners are the teams really in the Erik Bedard sweepstakes, but the O's don't feel they must move him. It's going to take three major league-ready prospects or young players -- think Bailey, Votto and someone else. The one rumor I heard was Bailey and Stubbs -- even Reds folks would laugh at that thought. No way that would work. It's going to take Bailey, Votto AND... apparently that third name is going to be big. The Dodgers could be the front-runner, but don't count the Reds out. With Bedard and Cordero additions, they'd certainly be in the hunt in the NL Central, and with Harang and Bedard at the front, not too many teams would want to face them in a playoff series.

Oh, and 23,784, which is 13.11 miles, or so says the SportLine pedometer.

And I'm not done yet. I could use another Diet Dr Pepper, though.

Former Red pitcher Brian Shackelford (traded to the JustRays in the Cantu deal) is headed to the Dodgers and will get a big league invite to camp.

1:20 a.m. EST: Just filed my notebook. My desk hates me. And they should.

2:07 a.m. EST: So, apparently the last bar stops serving here at 1. I was able to get to the bar, on step 25,152 and say, "whatever's your darkest beer in a bottle, I'll have two." Got Newscastle, which made me happy. Back in the media room, blogging and about to pack up and then head back to my hotel -- the Opryland was full, so I'm staying off campus. Finished at 26,230, but I'll make one more update when I get in bed. So far, it's 14.46 miles.

I just set my alarm for 7:25 a.m. EST. Yep, I live the glamorous life.

2:20 a.m. EST: Was headed out the door when got just about there and the Washington Post's Dave Sheinin was on the piano and playing The Replacements' 'Can't Hardly Wait', so I had to pull up a chair. Now it's 'Sister Christian.' Oh, at 26,762. His 'You Give Love a Bad Name' is pretty damn good. Oh and some Outfit by DBT. Great stuff.

3:33 a.m. EST: In my hotel room bed. The final count is 27,396. A total of 15.10 miles. Seriously. Oh, and I'll be awake and back at it in four hours. Oh, the glorious life.

Monday at Opryland

2007-12-03T14:01:00.001-05:00

NASHVILLE -- Well, I constantly get asked what I'm up to after the Post closes, and not really in a position to tell anyone.

But nice to see a lot of good folk.

The word is there's a possible Nats-Rays deal and a Diamondbacks-White Sox trade.

Actually, my man Nick from Arizona said the D-Backs-White Sox deal is done. Carlos Quentin to the White Sox for Chris Carter, a first baseman who was in low A last year.

There's a burger place close to the media room, so I see a lot of lunches there. Ugh. It's quick -- and that's important, because there's lots of standing around to do.

Joke around here is whether the Krivdawg will confirm he's here in Nashville.

Looks like Howsam got the shaft again. Darn shame. He apparently got 25 percent of the vote. The same as Marvin Miller. Both should be in. As should Ewing Kauffman, who received 41.7 percent of the vote.

Looking at the schedule, looks like we'll get Dusty Wednesday at 10 local.

Tomorrow doesn't look too exciting. For grins and giggles, I'd like to sit in on Trey Hillman's meeting tomorrow. We shall see. And, as always, Joe Torre is skipping the event.

3:22 EST: I've got a great idea for tomorrow. We'll see how it works. I also picked up a new pair of shoes today. Most important thing about the winter meetings is a good, comfortable pair of shoes. These aren't quite as good as my last ones, but they're not broken in yet. They're the updated model of my favorites (Nike Air Max 360), but the last pair took a little bit to get worked in. And once they did -- magic.

Anyway, I've seen Jerome Bettis and Andre Dawson, that's about it for the excitement factor. I'll tell you what, Andre Dawson may be one of the most underrated players of my lifetime. Guy could do it all. And he looks like he could still be playing if it weren't for those knees.

Have yet to see the Krivdawg, but we meet with him at 4 local. Don't expect much. If we're lucky, he'll confirm he's here.

The more people that get in here at the press room, the slower our wireless is going. Ugh.

Two rows in front of me are some guys here covering the Blue Jays, but they're talking about hockey, which is really odd. And I giggle every time they say "about" -- but that's just me.

Looks like that Nats-Rays deal will get done today. Elijah Dukes will head to the Nats. Not sure what the JustRays will get in return, besides getting rid of another headache. I'm guessing in the last week the JustRays clubhouse has become a much happier place -- getting rid of Dukes and Delmon Young. That's a lot of talent gone from the JustRays, but a lot more headaches gon.

Apparently my buddy Rob Biertempfel is reading my blog (and Rob isn't as cranky as he looks in his picture). He came over to check out my shoes. He's jealous of my idea for tomorrow (which, well, I kinda stole from mlb.com's Jason Beck) and may steal it for next year in Vegas. Oh, Vegas.

Tested my theory on Joe Nuxhall. As everyone said when Joe passed, nobody had ever heard a bad word about Joe. I decided to put that to the test by asking former Post Reds beat writer Tony Jackson if he had a bad word about Joe. Tony, who prides himself on having bad things to say about anyone, couldn't think of anything negative about Joe. That's one hell of a tribute.

4:34 EST: Just went around the lobby. Saw Dusty in there, was by him when Jack McKeon walked by and he yelled out, "Trader Jack!" and had a hearty handshake. Looks like Dusty'll be around all week, which could be nice if anything goes down.

Pretty much everyone has nametags on here -- and because there's a trade show and a job fair, it means a lot of people walking around and some oddly familiar faces. I saw Pete Incaviglia and Bobby Brett, George's younger brother. Yep, the fun never stops.

Word is the JustRays are getting a minor league player to be named for Dukes. Honestly, I think the JustRays wanted Dukes JustGone. Bowden coulda sent him a pair of pants for Dukes and Andrew Friedman woulda taken them -- he'd just have to get them hemmed a tad.

4:51 EST: About to run to listen to Wayne say nothing, but... special thanks to old buddy concepcionsf for this link -- the Reds have reportedly contacted Brett Tompko's agent.

5:43 EST: Just got back from Wayne. Will have more when I transcribe. Not much was said, but he was relatively (and that's the key word) chatty. Said he was "actively" involved in trade talks and there was a lot more trade discussion this year than either of the last two. Also, the main priority is starting pitching. Wayne was asked about "untouchables" and said there weren't really any, but there were some players that a team would have to "grossly overpay" to get.

Wayne also said he'd talked to the agents for both Eddie Guardado and Eric Milton.

Oh yeah, he also said that Johnny Cueto would get a big league invite for spring and that he's been shut down for the winter. He also said Freel has looked good in his rehab.

From the Krivdawg: "I’ve made a lot of calls today, talked to several teams, some in person, some on the phone. I’m just trying to improve the team and help out the pitching. I’m open to discussions in any way, shape or form that makes us a better team."

"It’s still evolving. Things can change if a team can make a move and it opens up another spot and all of a sudden you’ve got someone you didn’t anticipate talking to and they make a deal and it opens up and you start discussions fresh because of free agents that have been signed or lost."

"I think we’ve built up some depth with your position players, in general. Our depth in prospects has really improved the last few years. I feel good about where we are, overall. We have to address the starting pitching, and that’s themain focus right now."

6:48 EST: Just talked to Ryan Freel. Rob Butcher set up a mini confernece call as Ryan pulled over to the side of the road to talk to us on his way to Chuck E. Cheese. Anyway, Ryan said his knee is feeling great and he has no lingering effects from his concussion, either. He also wanted us to mention that he'll be having a baseball clinic this weekend in West Chester. There's more information at swobat.com.

Ryan added that he and all the guys he's talked to are really excited about the Francisco Cordero signing.

7:25 EST: Well, did hear one trade rumor that I'm passing on for comedic value much more than any news value -- but Jay Bruce for Tim Lincecum. Ain't happening. Anyone bringing that up to the Reds front office would be greeted with laughter.

7:56 EST: There's still some trade buzz around, but no real names yet. Seems like it will be more exciting at the winter meetings this year than it has been recently. Of course, excitement at the winter meetings is relative. It's kinda like the merry-go-round variety of excitement., but with more trades, it's like sitting on the horse instead of in the carriage. You still know what's going to happen, but at least there's some movement.

9:39 EST: You can tell it's getting to that time when boredom and madness are setting in on the scribes. In the past half-hour I've gotten these two emails from friends sitting behind me and to the right.

First, from the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro (who just so happens to be the cousin of our very own Jeff Piecoro):

have you noticed how beautiful the wispy clouds are overhead?

I looked up, and indeed, there are wispy clouds painted on the ceiling of the press room.

Second, I got this from Yahoo! writer Jeff Passan:

Love it when you're at an event because I jump on your iTunes and have like 48,000 songs at my disposal. It's beautiful.

iTunes is a beautiful thing, that's for sure. And, well, I do have quite a bit of music here on the ol' MacBook.

Yeah, my story's getting close to done, I'm sure our desk will be happy to know. And then dinner. And then more standing around in the lobby. Woo-hoo.

I think I've walked by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal roughly 83 times today, and he's been on his cell phone 82 of those times. Of course, that's why anytime he pops up on my RSS feed, I immediately check it. Dude is good. I wonder if he keeps spare cell phone batteries charged and on the ready. I may have to ask him.

Loyal readers will know I've pimped Passan several times before. Well, no more. I can't believe it. Just got this email:

An album that I'm ashamed never to have heard. I need to see whether it matches the hype.

Jeff Tweedy's voice annoys me, so I'm skeptical.

10:33 EST: I could use some dinner. I hope Lancaster is done soon. Nick's down for food. Screw Lancaster. And Nick's on mountain time. I think. Lancaster's gotta be done soon. It's nearly 11.

11:45 EST: have I mentioned I hate Opryland? All the restuarants, except the bars, close at 10. So we're back to the Irish pub we ate at last night. Not happy.

Greetings from the Music City

2007-12-02T17:54:00.000-05:00

NASHVILLE -- Yep, I'm in Nashville and about to file my story and then go pick up Lancaster at the airport.

I know you guys are excited and expecting a lot from the Winter Meetings, but I hate to break it to you, it's the most boring event around. More important than my computer for this trip is a good, comfortable pair of shoes. Seriously. We stand around a lot and talk to other writers. Then once a day, we go upstairs to Krivsky's room and he tells us nothing for a half-hour.

Hopefully there will be something to announce, but we'll see. I expect the Reds to add a starter before Christmas, but not so sure if it'll be (announced) this week.

UPDATE: Picked up Lancaster and went over to the Opryland Hotel. Ugh. You guys know how much I like St. Louis... well, I'd rather spend a decade in St. Louis than the rest of this week at Opryland. Seriously, it made me miss last year at Disney World, and never thought I'd say that. The place is ridiculous. And, well, I'm not very patient, I got so frustrated with dumbassery that I nearly cold-clocked Santa. Really, what are all the kids doing there? I hate that place with a white-hot passion I have reserved only for a certain midwest city.

Ah, can't wait for tomorrow to spend 13 hours standing around for the next couple of days. Ugh. Have I mentioned I'm not too fond of the Winter Meetings? I may doa running thread tomorrow. We'll see what happens.

Milton, Guardado not offered arbitration

2007-12-01T21:15:00.000-05:00

The Reds have not offered arbitration to either Eric Milton or Eddie Guardado, though they can still negotiate with either. Neither is a ranked player, so the team is not eligible for draft compensation.

Another list picks Bruce

2007-11-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

MiLB.com has named Jay Bruce as their top prospect in the minors, over even the legendary Joba Cbamberlain. Homer Bailey is No. 9. Also, as I linked earlier this week, Joey Votto was at No. 34 and Johnny Cueto is at No. 47. There's even video for each of the players.