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Reds Tidbits (2006 Season)

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Jaxbuck said:
I can live with seeing anyone go. It all depends on the return.

Anymore 30-something players who have no value other than helping us win 75 games vs 72 this year and I'm liable to go postal.


Oh by the way.....

Anyone notice that Choi passed through waivers and the Red Sox claimed him?

He's not great but he's dirt cheap, 9 years younger and better than Hatteberg.

The mantra seems to be marginal MLB players to help us win now, why not pick this guy up?
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Young guy with potential = not what the reds are looking for.:!
 
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Cincy

3/25/06

Kearns looks ahead
Last season was 'interesting'

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Austin Kearns thought about the question for a moment, searching for the right word.
"Interesting" was the one he chose to describe his 2005 season.
Odd. Bad. Trying. Those would have worked as well.
At a time when the outfielder should have been reaching his potential as a player, he struggled mightily, was dispatched to Triple-A Louisville, was put on a crash fitness/weight program and became fodder for talk radio debate.
"I think everyone's ready for the season to start," he said. "Last year was an interesting year. There were some negatives. But there were also some positives that came out of it."
The month at Louisville was viewed widely as punishment from then-general manager Dan O'Brien.
Kearns wasn't happy about it, but he played well in Louisville (.342, seven homers, 21 RBI in 28 games) and got himself in better shape.
Kearns, 25, ended up hitting .240 with 18 home runs and 67 RBI with the Reds. The home run and RBI totals were career highs. His numbers were better upon his return - .253.
"My weight was not the reason I was struggling last year," he said. "Struggling is struggling."
That, however, did not stop Kearns from reporting to camp this year at 225 pounds, 20 under his weight listed in the media guide.
"They wanted me to come in lighter," Kearns said. "I planned on doing it anyway, just because such a big deal was made out of that last year. I didn't want people to use that as an excuse."
Kearns is having a good spring after a slow start. He doubled in the third inning of the Reds-Tampa Bay Devil Rays game Friday night, giving him hits in seven of his last eight games. He's hitting .550 with six RBI over that period.
Reds manager Jerry Narron sees this as a critical year for Kearns.
"No question," Narron said. "First of all, he's going to get a chance to play every day. At the end of the year, if he hasn't had a good year, he has no one to look at but himself.
"I think he'll do well. He has a chance to establish himself as an everyday major-league player."
At one time, scouts and executives in the organization were split on whether Kearns or Adam Dunn had more potential. Kearns finished third in the rookie of the year voting in 2002, hitting .315 with 13 homers and 56 RBI in 107 games.
He was on the way to a great season in 2003 when he injured his shoulder in a collision at home plate with Ray King.
That ultimately led to shoulder surgery. A thumb injury and a broken wrist limited him to 64 games in the big leagues in 2004.
Bottom line: He was a .313 hitter before the King collision; he's a .232 hitter since.
Kearns wouldn't go so far as to call this year critical.
"I don't know how to term it," he said. "I'm going to be out there every day. That's big for me. Staying healthy is the biggest thing. If that happens, everything else should take care of itself."
Kearns was the subject of trade rumors in the offseason. With the trade of Wily Mo Peña Monday, Kearns appears to be safe for the near future at least.
"I hope so," he said. "But I don't know. I'm not sure. I think everybody thought it was settled when they traded (Sean Casey). Now, Wily Mo's gone. We'll see."
E-mail [email protected]
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Alex "don't call me dirty" Sanchez is your newest Red.


He of the career .700 OPS and distinction of being the first MLB steroid suspension.

This organization is just fucked.
 
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In their defense he was signed to a minor leauge deal and will start out in A ball. If this is what they need to do for organizational depth then fine, you really have nothing to lose and at least something to gain.

He could be a changed man, put up some decent numbers and net something in a trade. If not he costs you zilch.

Now if he ends up in Cincy with Hatteberg, Woe-mack, Aurilia etc then its just another kick in the nuts to Reds fans.
 
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Cincy

3/26/06

Arroyo rocked in debut

New acquisition promises to turn it around

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->SARASOTA, Fla. - Bronson Arroyo knew he wasn't in Fort Myers anymore.
"I didn't get booed on the first pitch," he said.

The boos never came from Reds fans, who are not as rough as members of Red Sox Nation, but Arroyo would have understood if they had jeered him.

His Reds debut was less than spectacular. He went five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three.

"I didn't like the results part," he said. "But I felt good throwing."

Arroyo got a taste of how good the Reds' offense can be. He left trailing 6-2. But the Reds got him off the hook for a loss and went on to beat the Minnesota Twins 11-9 at Ed Smith Stadium.

"Keep doing that all year, I'll be super happy," he said.

Arroyo made no secret that he wasn't happy with the trade that sent him to the Reds from Boston.

But he says that's in the past now.

"I'm pretty much cool with it," he said. "The first couple of days were definitely rough. Once you get in a game, start playing with the guys, it gets a little more cohesive. You get used to the way they play and the personalities.

"It's all come together pretty quick."

The biggest thing will be getting used to catcher Jason LaRue and vice-versa.

"It's going to take some time for me and Jason to get on the same wave length on pitch selection and how to get guys out," Arroyo said. "It was good to get out there with him and get a feel for that."

Arroyo said LaRue should not be offended by getting shook off.

"I probably shook off (Boston catcher Jason) Varitek more than anyone in the rotation," he said. "I want to get to the point where when I shake off (LaRue), he knows the next choice."

Manager Jerry Narron thinks LaRue can get there.

"Jason Varitek does an outstanding job working with pitchers," Narron said. "I'm sure (Arroyo) relied on him a great deal. He'll get to that point with LaRue and Javy Valentin."

Arroyo gave up a run on three hits in the first. He then settled in pretty well.

He retired six in a row before walking back-to-back hitters in the third.

Glenn Williams followed with a three-run homer.

"The two walks definitely hurt me," Arroyo said. "It's something I've been struggling with this spring - the fastball command."

Arroyo, a 29-year-old right-hander, hasn't had a great spring. He came into Saturday 1-2 with a 10.03 ERA.

"He had a good outing his last time out," Narron said. "He'll be fine."

The Reds are hoping Arroyo can be the guy who was 24-19 with a 4.19 ERA over the last two years with Boston.

All in all, Arroyo thought Saturday was a good first day on a new job - again, despite the results.

"It's good for me to take a pounding, getting up to where you throw 85 to 100 pitches and really get tired. Hopefully, next time I'll get to 100 and get ready for the season."

The one thing Arroyo didn't like Saturday was hitting off Francisco Liriano, Minnesota's hard-throwing lefty.

"That wasn't fun," he said. "I don't know what he was throwing, but it looked like 112. That's not what I wanted to see."

E-mail [email protected]

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I have one simple statement about my beloved Reds and baseball in general. I doubt I will make any more...

I loved the Reds. I grew up on baseball. I used to score Reds games on my back porch while listening to Joe and Marty. I have an uncle and a cousin that played pro ball (White Sox and Rex Sox). In fact, one of them is high up in the Reds front office. I used to love baseball. I lived and died by it as a fan. Then 1994 happened and I died a little. Then free agency with no cap made me die even more. Then the steroid era...I'm done. I used to live for this game. I do miss it, but I am tired that the Reds are hamstrung by the current agreement. I hope the Yankees win the next 10 world series and no fans watch but NY. I miss my Reds. At least with my Bengals there were no excuses (well, I did see two Super Bowls), but I grew up with the Reds as a winners. Now MLB screwed up so bad it doesn't matter. I'm sick of my team being the poor little bastard with little hope. I no longer watch baseball, and I was one of it's biggest fans. I do miss it, but I can't watch anymore. It has become the worst greed sport, and us little guys suffer. Too bad the rich guys don't realize there is more money with everyone involved, like football. No vision. All I can say is I miss the grand old game. We can bitch all we want, but the Reds are behind the 8 ball. Small ball my ass, how many world series did Oakland win? Boston, NY, Marlins, White Sox...all bought teams. Maybe not all through free agency, but at least they could keep their good players.

Is it football season yet?
 
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cincy

3/27/06

LaRue having surgery today

Catcher could miss up to two weeks; Valentin, Ross, Sardinha on hand

BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

<!--ARTICLE BODY TEXT-->WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky has ESPN, not ESP, so when he traded for David Ross he did not know how badly he might need him.
Right about now, the trade looks badly needed. Catcher Jason LaRue will have surgery for torn cartilage in his right knee today in Cincinnati.
He is expected to miss 10 to 14 days.
The Reds had no idea about the injury when the GM traded minor-league pitcher Bobby Basham to San Diego for Ross on Wednesday.
"We just found out (Sunday)," Krivsky said. "If he was hurting, I had not heard about it."
LaRue didn't complain about the knee until Sunday.
"Not one bit," Reds manager Jerry Narron said.
LaRue played five innings Saturday. He stayed back in Sarasota Sunday to catch Paul Wilson in a simulated game.
"After the first inning, it started barking on him," Krivsky said. "It only bothers him when he squats. That's usually the meniscus. The MRI showed that."
The Reds are putting the recovery plan on high speed. LaRue will fly back to Cincinnati this morning with Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek on CEO Bob Castellini's private plane.
Kremchek will perform the surgery. LaRue will return to Sarasota later today to begin rehab.
"That's what you can do when you have an owner who treats players well," Krivsky said.
The Reds traded for Ross Wednesday, despite no apparent need for a catcher.
LaRue, 32, is coming off a career year. He hit .260 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI.
LaRue shared the catching duties with Javier Valentin. Valentin hit .281 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI.
Valentin will move into the No. 1 role.
"Javy's shown he can play well when needed," Narron said.
Ross, 29, has 169 games in the majors. So he's the top candidate to be the main backup.
But Dane Sardinha, a former No. 2 pick in the draft, is still in camp.
The question on him is his bat. He has hit only .234 in his minor-league career.
Ross hasn't been very good offensively himself. His career average is .217, but he does have 19 home runs in 424 at-bats.
"We've got Javy, David Ross and Dane Sardinha," Narron said. "All are capable of doing the job."
Krivsky made it clear that no decision had been made as far as putting LaRue on the disabled list.
The surgery will be a week from Opening Day, so the DL is likely. Even if LaRue's out only 10 days - the low estimate - the Reds would be down to one true catcher for two games if they don't keep Ross or Sardinha.
"We've got some options," Krivsky said. "We even talked about carrying three catchers before this."
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