LET'S TALK REDS

Reds Fan Speaks Out

2008-05-12T02:25:00.001-04:00

This is what Rusty Harris had to say...

After watching today's game against the Mets I have came to the
conclusion that time for change has come. Cueto will have his bad
games and great games he is young that is going to happen. Cueto goes
through learning pains this year and is ready for a heavier workload
and have experience going into next year. My question to Red Managment
is Why are you not doing the same with Bailey ? Bring him up NOW and
see how much he has improved from last year you can not judge him on
spring training this year bring him up and give him the starts and see
how far he has come along. Yes , Bailey got hit hard his last outing
at Louisville but that was his first bad outing and Belisle's era
keeps going up so what could it hurt to bring up Bailey. After the
rainout on Friday night Bailey and Belisle are on the same pitching
schedule so it is an easy decision to make when Belisles spot comes
back around DFA Fogg , Belisle to long relief and Bailey to the
rotation. Then there is the Bruce debate and I have heard it from all
angles " he strikes out too much " and " he is not ready yet " well it
is called growing pains and he will go through them just like almost
every rookie does. Yes he does strikeout alot but honestly reds fan do
you want Patterson and Freel in cf right now leading off or would you
rather have a 5 tool player with .300 30 100 potential in the lineup.
Yea its not that hard of a decision. My suggestions are as follows

DFA Fogg
Belisle goes to long relief
Bailey moves into the rotation
Merker DFA
Bray stays
Patterson DFA
Bruce up

Lineup

1. keppinger - shortstop
2. dunn - left field
3. phillips - 2nd base
4. votto - 1st base
5. griffey - right field
6. edwin - 3rd base
7. bruce - centerfield
8. ross / bako - catcher

Rotation

1. Harang
2. Volquez
3. Arroyo
4. Cueto
5. Bailey

5 Ways to Fix the Reds

2008-05-08T17:51:00.001-04:00

Excerpt from C Trent Rosencrans' blog...

Oh lordy, where to start... ESPN analyst Steve Phillips, the same guy who holds mock press conferences, shows exactly why he is a former general manager and not a current general manager. Phillips has been with the worldwide misleader since being canned as the Mets GM for overspending for washed-up veterans. Phillips sounds like a drunk fantasy team owner sending off e-mails and forgetting the cardinal rule of trade suggestions -- look at it from both sides.

Here's Phillips' 5-point plan to fix the Reds.

1. Trade Junior.

No problem here. If you can get the right deal, that's fine. Philips' suggestion -- trade him to the White Sox. He notes that it's been tried before. He even mentions Griffey's ability to veto a deal. How he couldn't put two and two togehter and remember that Junior vetoed a deal to the White Sox before and there's no reason to think he'd accept it again. But, in fantasy baseball, there are no 5-and-10 rights. Phillips is also under the impression that Griffey is still the team's center fielder. He's right about calling up Bruce when you deal Junior, but he's wrong about the position. Bruce is a right fielder that can play center.

2. Dunn deal.

Again, I have no problem with trading Dunn, but Phillips says do it for pitching. Who will replace Dunn's procution? And if you're San Frnacisco, do you really give Matt Cain for Dunn? If you're Toronto do you really give up Adam Lind and Dustin McGowan? Does he really think Cleveland would give up Cliff Lee and another player? Phillips says the Reds need to get rid of Dunn because he'll cost too much. Won't he cost the same to San Francisco, Toronto or Cleveland? Toronto's been burning by overpaying recently and San Francisco is building around Cain and Lincecum. Maybe you could have gotten that deal for Dunn to Cleveland before the season, but not now.

3. Bye-Bye Bronson

Trade Bronson? Sure. For anything? Sure. But who is going to take on his contract? It looked like an OK deal when done, but is still iffy. Perhaps going to the American League could help, but that's not exactly the same as going the other way, and let's not forget, Arroyo's already been there. They figured him out too.

4. Call Hank

Phillips wants Bob Castellini to call Hank Steinbrenner and work out a trade of Jared Burton and Jeremy Affeldt for Phil Hughes. You know why Phillips suggested Castellini skip the GMs? Because no GM is stupid enough to take that deal. Affeldt is signed to a one-year deal. Hughes is expected to be a fixture of the Yankees' rotation for the next decade. There's no way the Yankees trade Hughes for Burton and one year of Affeldt. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

5. Short cut

Wow, I've got to say, Phillips is close to a point here. Keppinger is a serviceable defensive shortstop, but his bat makes up for his lack of range. Gonzalez, when he gets healthy, could be a valuable defensive backup. He'd still be overpaid for that role, but you can't do anything about that now. You try to win. Keppinger is a winner. He suggests Ryan Freel for Scott Proctor. If I'm the Dodgers, I don't do that. The Dodgers need a utility guy, but they need one that has played shortstop. Freel has played the Super Sub role, but he hasn't played short in a game.

Mr. Redlegs Loses His Head

2008-05-08T10:53:00.001-04:00

In case you haven't seen it yet...

Reds Fan Speaks Out

2008-05-08T10:47:00.003-04:00

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

By Greg Eades
London, OH

There is a vocal crowd of people calling for Griffey to leave. Are they the majority, or just a LOUD minority?

There are not many times that an icon of the sport (Griffey at the time) choose to return to their roots and take less money to do it. Griffey did!

The problem has not been, and is not the money. While most of us have trouble comprehending the amount of dollars being paid to Griffey (and Dunn for that matter). The biggest problem is that Cincinnati Reds fans expected this one man to carry this team to the World Series, year in and year out. It hasn't happened in the last 9 years and probably won't happen this year. That has not lowered the expectations of the vocal Reds fans.

So lets look at the other side of the coin. Ken Griffey Jr was a 10 time All Star in Seattle. He welcomed the chance to come back to his home town, and probably could have refused the trade since he was a 10 \ 5 man. He expected the Reds fan base to welcome him with open arms. He took less than market value, and then deferred roughly half of the money so the Reds could afford more and better players. By all accounts and all speculation he has remained steroid free and is a natural player. He is in the last year of his contract and has not implied that he is trying to force a trade.

It has not been Griffey's fault that he was injured. It happens all of the time to good players and poor players. It is also not Griffey's fault that management has not went out and surrounded him with the quality of player that he expected to take the field with.

As a 10 / 5 man, or 10 years in the majors, the last 5 with the same team, he will probably have the right to refuse a trade. If he does, the vocal Reds fans will call him selfish. If he doesn't refuse a trade the vocal Reds fans will feel vindicated that he "wanted out".

I say lets remember the recent past. Lets give him his due for wanting to come back home. For rarely complaining about the fans, management, or being on a losing team. Lets rejoice the fact that the hometown boy with be a first ballot Hall of Famer. And lets, after 9 years of the same pathetic song, let him play baseball and quit blaming this ONE player for all of the faults of the Cincinnati Reds.

To have your opinion posted, send it to LetsTalkReds@gmail.com

Gone, Gone, Gone!

2008-05-07T17:05:00.002-04:00

Three home run day for Joey Votto!

Rosenthal Says Reds Have Options

2008-05-07T15:03:00.000-04:00

"The Reds have 13 potential free agents, the most of any club. While Griffey and left fielder Adam Dunn are the biggest names, catcher Paul Bako, first baseman Scott Hatteberg, right-handed reliever David Weathers and left-handed relievers Jeremy Affeldt and Kent Mercker are among the others who could have trade value."

Read the full article here.

C Trent Responds to USA Today Article

2008-05-06T19:16:00.001-04:00

Read it here.

Also, he talked to Jocketty today. Here is what Walt said:

We had an opportunity, quickly, to speak to Walt Jocketty. Here's what he had to say:

On Ken Griffey Jr. trade talks:

"I think it’s a little bit premature. We haven’t (had any talks). I have had no trade discussions with him and I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but it hasn’t at this point."

Other trade talks?
"Just basically, just kind of introductory type discussions. It’s basically calling clubs about what they have available and what we’re trying to do."

On the Dever Post report that the Rockies are interested in Josh Fogg...
"Ummm. I'm not sure how to answer that. I think everyone’s looking for pitching, let’s put it that way."

On the season so far...
"I still think the season is salvageable. I think we got off to a pretty good start on the raod trip and then for some reason the last few days we went into a funk and we didn’t pitch well in a couple of games, we didn’t score runs. I think a lot of it, I still think guys are pressing. We’ve got guys who are trying to pick up the slack all by themselves. The key to this is rolling out a few wins and getting rid of the pressure. We’ve got a really tough opponent we’re facing right now and another one this weekend. We’ve had a tough schedule."

My Take on The Griffey Trade Talk

2008-05-06T18:54:00.004-04:00

Ken Griffey Jr. should be traded. Ken Griffey Jr. should be traded ASAP. Now you know how I feel, let me tell you why.

The 2008 Cincinnati Reds lack much hope to contend this season. Even with only 33 games under their belts it is easy to see that this season is not going to end favorably. Let the "Chase for 600" talk begin. That's pretty much all the Reds have to hang their hats on this season. They are hoping that is enough to get the butts in the seats to watch a team that is already 7 games under .500. And it probably will... once he gets to 599. But the Reds are sitting on a golden opportunity here. Let me explain.

In a recent USA Today article, the President of the Seattle Mariners said that he wanted to see Ken Griffey Jr. retire as a Mariner. I am starting to think most Reds fans feel the same way. But the fact is, the Reds can't expect to get much in return for their aging outfielder. The guy is only a few birthdays away from the big 4-0. Getting his salary off the books would be big in itself. But using the "Chase for 600" as incentive, the Reds may be able to pull a prospect out of this.

Pretend your the Mariner's front office for a second. If the Reds were to offer you Griffey now, think about the exposure for the club and the city as he goes for the milestone. Think about how many more fans would be put into the seats. Giving up a prospect to the Reds for those benefits might be worthwhile. In my opinion, I would expect Griffey to put more butts in the seats in Seattle this season then he would in Cincinnati.

If the Reds can use that to their advantage, they may be able to get a blue chip prospect out of this.

Agree? Disagree?

(By the way, Peter Gammons saying Griffey to the Chicago Cubs is absurd. Never would they make that trade within the division)

Griffey in USA Today

2008-05-06T16:32:00.001-04:00

Back to Seattle? Read it here.

Fogg to Rockies?

2008-05-06T14:58:00.001-04:00

Rumors have been surfacing that the Rockies are interested in getting back Josh Fogg who pitched for them last season. This comes from the Denver Post. More info as it surfaces.

Teams Scouting Griffey, Dunn

2008-05-01T16:54:00.001-04:00

If the Reds slip out of contention in May, Walt Jocketty might begin to field offers for corner outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn. Both are paid well and have at least some control over trade destinations. According to MLB.com's Jim Molony, "a few teams are having their scouts keep an eye" on the pair in case they become available.

The standard speculation for Griffey is that he could be traded back to Seattle after he gets his 600th home run with the Reds. Junior might be a nice boost in right field for the Ms if Wladimir Balentien needs time to adjust. I doubt the Mariners would give up Jeff Clement for Griffey though. There's been some Chicago speculation, never mind that both the Cubs and Sox are set at the corner outfield positions.

Dunn would help the Padres, who are last in baseball in both OBP and SLG. The Jays, Mets, or Indians could also make sense.

Source: mlbtraderumors.com

Sorry for the hiatus

2008-05-01T07:45:00.001-04:00

I will be back blogging and updating the blog daily starting tomorrow

A Little on Jocketty

2008-04-24T19:23:00.000-04:00

WALT JOCKETTY
By Brian Gunn

New Reds GM Walt Jocketty was a big-game hunter with the Cardinals. He generally looked elsewhere for talent, and he landed some of the biggest names around. Here’s a brief look at his legacy.

JOCKETTY’S STRENGTHS

Jocketty built arguably the premier National League franchise of this decade. Since 2000, the Cardinals own more regular-seasons wins than any other NL team, won more playoff games, won more league titles, and, of course, won it all in 2006.

How did Jocketty do it? First of all, he was fearless. A master wheeler-dealer, nobody did a better job turning lemons into lemonade, often flipping questionable talent for marquee players.

Consider:

Jocketty landed, via trade, Mark McGwire, Jim Edmonds, Edgar Renteria, Darryl Kile, Scott Rolen, Dennis Eckersley, Todd Stottlemyre, Fernando Vina, Larry Walker, Will Clark, Adam Wainwright, and Woody Williams.

Here are the most notable players he gave up to get them: Eric Ludwick, T.J. Mathews, Kent Bottenfield, Adam Kennedy, Braden Looper, Pablo Ozuna, Manny Aybar, Jose Jimenez, Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, Steve Montgomery, Jay Witasick, Juan Acevedo, Chris Narveson, Jose Leon, one year of J.D. Drew, and the waning days of Ray Lankford’s career.

It’s an astonishing haul. Generally Jocketty would use the same formula: go after some established but underappreciated star, give up a few middling prospects for him, let him soak in the cozy St. Louis fan experience, win ballgames, re-sign the guy to an extension (often with a hometown discount), win more ballgames, then repeat the whole process as one big feedback loop. Jocketty was a master at that (and he was probably the best trading-deadline dealer there ever was – that’s how he got McGwire, Clark, Williams, Rolen, Walker, Chuck Finley, and Fernando Tatis).

Jocketty’s other big strength? Cobbling together a pitching staff on the cheap. It took him a while to get the hang of it – Cards’ hurlers in the ‘90s were usually awful. But Jocketty, along with rehab specialists Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan, were able to buy low for arms like Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan, and Darryl Kile, and let them succeed in front of those reliable St. Louis infielders. At its best it worked beautifully. For example, in 2005 the Cards led the majors in ERA with a starting rotation that cost, altogether, $17 million – or less than what Roger Clemens alone made that year.

JOCKETTY’S WEAKNESSES

He was never that great at developing talent from within. Oh sure, he had his moments – he drafted and signed both Rick Ankiel and J.D. Drew when other teams wouldn’t touch ‘em for fear of being out-negotiated by Scott Boras. And of course, Jocketty was responsible for Albert Pujols, merely the best player in the league, if not all of baseball. But by and large the Cards’ cupboard ran rather bare during the Jocketty years. Baseball America has recently ranked them near the bottom of all major-league farm systems, and the Cards have been especially weak locating talent overseas. Perhaps that’s the flipside of Jocketty’s wheeling-and-dealing prowess – it gave him a sense that the team didn’t need to develop from within in order to succeed.

Jocketty’s other big weakness was that he tended to construct rather shallow rosters. Often the ballclub would be led by big shots like Pujols, Edmonds, and Rolen, while the margins were raggedy at best. Cards fans no doubt remember some of the team’s biggest playoff games left in the hands of shlubs like Craig Paquette, Garrett Stephenson, or Jason Marquis. To be fair, however, Jocketty improved in this area over the last couple years. The Cards’ bench and bullpen were among the best in the league this past year, and role players were crucial to winning the World Series in 2006.

JOCKETTY’S BEST MOVE

Landing McGwire was a masterstroke that rejuvenated the franchise, but I’d still go with the trade of Bottenfield and Kennedy to the Angels for Jim Edmonds. In 1999 Bottenfield was an 18-game winner while Edmonds was an underperformer clouded by “character issues.” But Jocketty noticed that Bottenfield’s peripherals were weak, Edmonds were strong, and he moved on a deal. Kennedy ended up a dependable starter in Anaheim, but Edmonds ended up the best centerfielder in baseball for a number of years.

JOCKETTY’S WORST MOVE

I can still remember December 18, 2004, when the Cards traded starter Danny Haren, reliever Kiko Calero, and hitting prodigy Daric Barton for Mark Mulder. As others have pointed out (I can’t remember where), Calero for Mulder straight-up would’ve been a poor deal for the Cards, to say nothing of losing Haren and Barton. When I first heard the news I became literally sick to my stomach, and the feeling hasn’t quite gone away.

Krivsky GONE

2008-04-23T12:43:00.001-04:00

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Reds President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini today announced that special advisor Walt Jocketty has been named President of Baseball Operations and General Manager.

Jocketty replaces Wayne Krivsky as general manager.

Jocketty was hired January 11 as special advisor to advise and assist Castellini in every facet of baseball operations, including matters related to the front office, Major League field and support personnel, scouting and minor league and international operations along with training and medical services.

A 33-year veteran of professional baseball, including the previous 13 with St. Louis as general manager, Jocketty's Cardinals teams went to the playoffs seven times. He won the National League Central Division six times and the 2001 NL Wild Card while earning two National League championships and the 2006 World Series title. The Cardinals have produced winning seasons in seven of the last eight years.

While general manager in St. Louis, Jocketty was named Major League Baseball's Executive of the Year by The Sporting News in 2000 and 2004 and by Baseball America in 2000. In 2004, he also received the Rube Foster Legacy Award from the Negro Hall of Fame as National League Executive of the Year.

Today's transactions

2008-04-21T15:56:00.000-04:00

Prior to tonight's game, RHP Matt Belisle (sore right forearm) was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list. He is taking David Weathers spot. The contract of IF/OF Jerry Hairson Jr. was selected from Class AAA Louisville and IF Juan Castro was designated for assignment.

Weathers Update

2008-04-19T22:02:00.002-04:00

David Weathers had an MRI today on his "hurt arm". Nothing came up on it. He is day-to-day.

I'm surprised it wasn't his neck that was hurting from having to turn and watch all of those hits fly by him.

Just Because

2008-04-19T17:44:00.001-04:00

Belisle to start Monday's game

2008-04-19T15:38:00.000-04:00

A roster move will need to be made by then. Josh Fogg who was scheduled to start will be moved to the bullpen. Therefore, the roster move will probably involve a bullpen guy.

Reds minor leauge hitting leaders

2008-04-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

From Jamie Ramsey of the Reds

Jerry Hairston................LOU................. .429
Kel Jones.......................DAY................. .412
B.J. Szymanski...............CHA................. .386
Justin Turner.................SAR................. .375
Brandon Waring.............DAY................. .373
Jolbert Cabrera..............LOU................. .359
Chris Valaika..................SAR................. .345
Juan Francisco...............SAR................. .339
Jay Bruce......................LOU................. .333
Todd Frazier...................DAY................. .333

Source: Lance McCalister

C Trent Weighs In

2008-04-17T14:45:00.001-04:00

I’m not a panic guy, but this early, there are still some things you can do, if not to help the club win as much to make things cosmetically better.

* It’s only three starts, but it’s two terrible starts and one OK one. Josh Fogg, thanks, but you’re back to the bullpen. What I do differently than maybe some others, although Matt Belisle has thrown well in the minors, I do activate him, but he is a long reliever, paired with Jeremy Affeldt until Affeldt is ready to go 6 innings. We’ve seen Belisle and I think he has talent, but I’d rather have the lefty Affeldt in there.

* Todd Coffey, you know the way to Louisville. Work on things. It’s not your arm, it’s your head. While you’ve got the door open, take Jared Burton with you. Both of you have the stuff, but get the other things ready to be big league late-inning pitchers. Burton skipped some minor league lessons as a Rule V pick last season, he could use them.

* To fill the spot of Affeldt in the bullpen, bring up Bill Bray. Bray’s got nothing left to prove in the minors. He’s one of the best pitchers in the organization and is ready to help the big club.

* Stick with Edwin Encarnacion. It’s tough, but you need the patience for him to come around.

* David Ross is back, there’s got to be a taker for Scott Hatteberg. This platoon isn’t working. Hatteberg’s a great clubhouse guy, a great influence on the young players, but the two left-handed hitting first baseman platoon isn’t working. Javier Valentin can play some first, as can Jeff Keppinger. Keep Paul Bako, who the pitchers like, and he and Ross split time behind the plate. Valentin can work behind the plate in a pinch.

* Corey Patterson is not a lead off guy. Shake up the lineup. Why can’t Brandon Phillips hit lead off? He’s a lot like Jimmy Rollins, and it works for the Phillies. An odd thought, but how about this lineup, just for a day to see how it works — Phillips, Dunn, Keppinger, Griffey, Encarnacion, Votto, Patterson, Ross/Bako. There are lefties back-to-back lower in the order, but still not too bad. I’m not huge on lineup tinkering, but I like Phillips at the top spot and going from there.

* A right-handed bat from the minors, perhaps Jolbert Cabrera (who can play third and first) and send Norris Hopper down. It’s not that Hopper isn’t doing well, it’s just that he’s a redundant piece. If not Cabrera, then Jerry Hairston Jr., who is playing well and can play outfield and some infield.

* Soon enough, you’ll see Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey, but it’s not that time now.

John Fay Weighs In

2008-04-17T14:42:00.001-04:00

Here's some things I think you'll see:

--Josh Fogg will be out of the rotation. I don't know if he'll be off the team, but who starts is Baker's call. He's not big on Fogg. I'm told, in fact, that he didn't know the Reds were signing Foog until after the fact.

--Jerry Hairston Jr. or Jolbert Cabrera will be up here shortly. It's believed Hairston has an out in his contract after a month. He's hittting .429 with two home runs and 10 RBI with a .467 on-base and .785 slugging.

The Reds made no move Thursday.

Bring up somebody…anybody

2008-04-17T07:28:00.001-04:00

By Hal McCoy | Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 09:02 PM

General Manager Wayne Krivsky doesn’t have to scan his Louisville roster sheet, doesn’t have to make a call on his cellphone to Louisville Bats manager Rick Sweet to ask any questions, doesn’t have to see anything in person.

Matt Belise or Homer Bailey? Homer Bailey or Matt Belisle. Or maybe even Justin Lehr. Or how about Daryl Thompson?

Anybody but Josh Fogg. Puh-leeze?

What the Cincinnati Reds didn’t need Wednesday night was Fogg trying to stop a four-game losing streak. Anybody but Fogg.

And it was awful. In just three innings, the Reds looked as if they had been run over by the Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line, down 10-1 and definitely out. Fogg was a mere whisp of a glimpse to the Wrigley Field fans, only two-plus innings. But the Cubs saw him as clearly as crystal chandeliers.

Ahem, clear your breath, and inhale this - two-plus innings, nine runs, seven hits, two walks, a hit batsman, a home run, four doubles and several maids a-milkin.’

They can’t possible think about sending Fogg to the fore again, can they? Stick him in the bullpen and send Todd Coffey to Louiville for some polish and varnish.

And bring somebody up.

Bailey is 2-1 in three Louisville starts with a 1.42 ERA, losing a 1-0 game on a hme run that bounced on top of the fence and over.

Belisle, pitching on rehab in three games at Class A Sarasota, Class AA Chattanooga and Class AAA Louisville is 3-0 with a 1.09 ERA. On Tuesday he pitched Louisville to a 4-1 win over Pawtucket, giving up one run and eight hits over seven innings with one walk and six strikeouts.

Heck, even Lehr. What’dya mean, EVEN Lehr? He was 2-0 last week at Louisville with a 0.60 ERA and was International League Pitcher of the Week.

Thomspon? Yeah, he’s only at Chattanooga, but he is burning down the bridges - 2-0 with a 0.51 ERA and Southern League Pitcher of the Week award in his portfolio.

And if that doesn’t happen, bring back Tom Browning.

EXCITING RUMOR!

2008-04-15T13:49:00.002-04:00

Well, one of the fans on the blog called for it a month ago, and now it is a possibility! Read this....

Piazza Coming To The Bronx?

Written by Mark Healey
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Up until the last few days, Yankees' GM Brian Cashman has often resisted the temptation of putting Mike Piazza in pinstripes. But with his current catching situation (and don't forget prospect Francisco Cervelli is still out with a broken wrist) and the very aggressive Reds trying to sign Piazza to a contract, Cashman and his advisors -- we're told by a team insider -- are meeting to discuss whether a Piazza move is the right way "to address the current situation."

Dusty Baker is telling friends that he's "confident" that Piazza will sign with the Reds because "Tommy (Lasorda) will want him to play for me". Though most of the people that are monitoring the Cincy backstop search say the Reds want a "throw and catch" guy, Baker is saying that he thinks "Piazza could hit 25 homers in the GAB.".

One NL scout we spoke to said that "Piazza's defense isn't what either team needs right now, but (he) does know how to call a game and both teams seem to feel that he would be a good influence on their young pitchers."

An AL scout, who followed Piazza closely last season for his club said that "any team that adds Piazza will be getting a player who is obsessed with winning a World Series."

So, if there is all this interest, how come Piazza couldn't find a job this pat spring? We asked one NL executive why.

"Because there's a perception out there that (Piazza) is against playing first base," The exec said. " It's (bleep), but given what his agent was asking (2 years,$10-15 million) at the time, teams weren't bothering to find out the truth."

His shoulder injury has kept teams away as well, but when you look at his 2007 stats with Oakland (83 games, 8 HRs, 44 RBIs, .275 average), there's little doubt that he could fit into either team's plans for 2008..

Reds Broadcasters: Telling it like it is

2008-04-14T23:48:00.001-04:00

From the Columbus Dispatch. Here.

Baker Memo Explains Bad Weekend

2008-04-14T15:58:00.001-04:00

Posted by Nick Kendall in Cincinnati Reds on Bugsandcranks.com
April 14th, 2008

The weekend sweep by the Pirates was all part of a master plan.

The weekend sweep by the Pirates was all part of a master plan.
A team memo dated April 11, 2008 has been recovered from the visiting locker room at PNC park in Pittsburgh. Our Bug & Cranks investigative team has passed the memo on to me, determining that a conspiracy of Black Sox proportions was in the works this weekend. They have also informed me that allegations of windows in the men’s restrooms allowing fans to watch the game as they urinate, thus, Pee-N-See Park, are in fact, false. What a shame.

On the top of the memo was “From the Desk of Dusty Baker.” There was a Reds logo watermark and it was signed Dusty “Too Fresh” Baker. There were also some doodles of Mr. Redleg beating some sausage guys, so we assume it is legitimate. It somewhat helps to explain what occurred when the Reds were so pitifully pounded in Pittsburgh (I apologize for the alliteration) . Here are some excerpts:

"I was just chillin’ in my office, listening to Tupac, when I realized we are off to a good start. Taking series from Milwaukee and Philadelphia, not to mention, splitting a series with Arizona is impressive. We have had great pitching performances and fans are rallying with anticipation of a great season. This is not a good thing.

Cincinnati fans, as has been told to me, don’t like high expectations. They want to think of their sports teams as mediocre and stuck in endless underachieving. This way, if we do well late in the season, it’s an extra boost to local morale. Plus, I don’t do well under the pressure of having a dominating team all year long. I just want to hang around until we can make a move. Also, I have a three year deal. I don’t want to set the bar too high right out of the gate. Therefore, I have a plan for this weekend to put us back in our place, and give some false hope to the folks in Pittsburgh. It’s a win-win situation. Actually , a lose-lose-lose situation, but I’ll explain that in a minute. There will be incentives for those who follow these rules.

* First, swing at the first pitch as often as possible. Especially with runners in scoring position or during important innings when we need a rally.
* Second, Leave as many runners on base as possible. This way, it looks like we are actually trying, but we won’t score.
* Third, make throwing errors. Throwing errors are your best bet to stay in the line-up.
* Fourth, do not get 3 hits in a game. You will be benched.
* Lastly, if all else fails, Do not score runs. Get thrown out, don’t take the extra bag, whatever it takes.

I will do my part by making bad managerial calls and putting together weird line-ups but no one will notice, I do that kind of thing all the time anyway. With some determination, we can achieve mediocrity. I know we can do it."

Reviewing the evidence, this letter can not be a hoax.

* Edwin Encarnacion left 13 on base and committed 2 throwing errors in one game, yet played all 3 days.
* Jr. Griffey, left 12 on base and played all 3 games even against left handed pitching. He even had a shot at a guy at the plate, but pretended to not have a grip on the ball so he didn’t have to throw him out.
* Joey Votto had 4 hits in 2 games, including 3 hits on Saturday. Keeping to his promise, Dusty benched him on Sunday. Instead he opted to add the offensive prowess of Juan Castro and move Kepp over to first.

All in all, the weekend was a success, by Dusty’s standards. They left 32 on base, swung at countless first pitches (especially with runners on base) and Dusty ran out a number of odd line-ups and eerie substitutions at inopportune times. The Reds offensive juggernaut managed 4 runs against a team that allowed 23 in their last three games.

Way to go Dusty.