Reds Tidbits (2007 Season)

[DGADBTWSOM]

EE will get there

I keep hearing that just hope it happens.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Bud Selig Listens to Ken Griffey Jr.

Here's some surprising news: Bud Selig is actually going to listen to a good idea that someone other than himself had. Ken Griffey Jr. approached Selig on Tuesday to ask if he could wear Jackie Robinson's #42 on April 15th to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier and Selig has actually agreed to it and taken the idea a step further............

Selig not only approved Griffey's idea, he expanded it. Any player wishing to follow Griffey's lead April 15 will be allowed.
"He asked me if I minded and I said, 'No,' " Griffey said. "I think everybody should be able to wear it who wants to wear that number."

Entire article: http://mlb.aolsportsblog.com/2007/04/05/bud-selig-listens-to-ken-griffey-jr/

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Bullpen does its job in Cincinnati victory
Five relievers throw blanks over the final 2 2 /3 innings
Friday, April 06, 2007
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> Reds left fielder Adam Dunn makes a diving try for a catch in the eighth inning.


CINCINNATI ? Three games into the shallow end of the major-league baseball season, one thing about the Reds appears vastly different from the 2006 version of the team:
The newly configured bullpen offers manager Jerry Narron enough buttons to push and levers to pull to keep a space shuttle pilot in orbit around cloud nine. A case in point occurred yesterday during a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in near-freezing Great American Ball Park. Narron called on the bullpen five times in the final 2 2 /3 innings and five times got what he needed to post the comefrom-behind victory.

Continued....

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

Switch to bullpen suiting Santos
BY JOHN FAY | [email protected]


Victor Santos quickly has gone from the last guy to make the Reds to one of their first choices coming out of the bullpen.
Santos picked up his first win as a Red in Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. He recorded only two outs, but they arguably were the biggest outs of the game.
Santos retired Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez with a runner on base and the Reds clinging to a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning.

Continued....

 

[CookyPuss]

Just a few observations from yesterday's game. It was cold, but not brutal. Good pitching weather. Lohse looked like Lohse. He made great pitches to the good hitters, and poor pitches to the weak hitters. The bottom of the line-up was killing him. Cesar Izturis hit a ball that looked to my friends and I as if it should have been called a homer (we thought it hit the yellow on the wall which I believe is considered a homer), but he ended up with a double despite Sweet Lou's protest and the next batter was the pitcher who made the final out. Dunn absolutely butchered a ball in left. It was hit right at him and he looked like he never saw it. There was at least one other routine fly he misjudged and barely got there to catch it. We couldn't see what happened on Griffey's error, I assume he bobbled the ball when he tried to pick it up. Other than that play, he looked good in right. Dunn had a nice short stroke on Monday, don't know where it has gone. He was back to his old looping swing yesterday. He looked very frustrated at the plate. Not a good day for the Dunner. My friend took to yelling "Donkey" at him in his best Shrek voice. It was pretty funny and much more creative than booing. Still love the big guy.

Narron made what we thought was a real head scratcher move. He brought in Conine to face a RH in a key spot and I'll be damned that it worked. Conine strokes in a big run as my friends and I are bitching about him not batting Hamilton (wevdidn't know he had the flu). The move paid off even more when he didn't have Conine left on the bench to PH for Hatteberg against the LH Eyre and Hatte cranked the homer.

OK, so he did make one real head scratcher. Once again after getting 6 good innings from Lohse, he runs him out there in the 7th despite a well rested bullpen and he proceeds to give up back-to-back singles. At least Soriano proved to be a bigger bonehead than Jerry and got picked off. Why does Narron consistently run his pitchers out there one inning too many? Thank goodness Santos bailed his ass out. They seem to be running Santos out there in tough spots to see if he is for real (or they are trying to showcase him for a trade). Speaking of trades, Cormier has no business being on this team, he's got nothing in his tank. They are going to be lucky to get a case of Big League Chew for him. I like Saarloos, he looked good despite giving up a walk. He has good stuff and will do well in this role. Coffey seems to be the one getting the shaft right now, I guess it is good that he gets some rest as we will need him all season. Stormy pitched a solid 9th, did a fine job of jamming guys. All in all it was a great day for baseball and a very entertaining game. Hey, how can you not love sipping on a beer for 4 innings and it never gets warm?

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Responding to multiple posts, but I am not going to quote them all:

First Jax, welcome back. I was wondering what happened to you. I agree, EE will get there. One series does not a series make. This is his first season breaking camp knowing he was with the club and it may take some time to adjust.

40- I know the lineup was technically different yesterday, but swapping your catcher day game after a night game is standard operating procedure. Everyone else hit in the same spot as they did on opening day and I think that is the base of the lineup. Obviously Griff, Ross and Freel are going to get lots of days off and I'd prefer he not run them all off on the same day.

Muck - thanks for the in-person insight. Nothing better than observations from the ballpark. I won't be making it to a game till the end of July :( . It was good reading your thoughts from the game.

Here's to two of three from Pitt !

 

[Jaxbuck]

OK, so he did make one real head scratcher. Once again after getting 6 good innings from Lohse, he runs him out there in the 7th despite a well rested bullpen and he proceeds to give up back-to-back singles. At least Soriano proved to be a bigger bonehead than Jerry and got picked off. Why does Narron consistently run his pitchers out there one inning too many?

#2 on my list of reasons why Jerry Narron is a complete fucking moron.

Lineup construction is #1.

I'm going to trademark this; The Reds don't have enough talent to suffer a fool for a manager.

 

[bearonu]

I thought this might make Jax happy, I know it certainly did me. This is tonight's lineup versus the pirates according to both Fay and Trent's blogs:

1. Freel, CF
2. Phillips, 2B
3. Dunn, LF
4. Encarnacion, 3B
5. Griffey Jr., RF
6. Conine, 1B
7. Gonzalez, SS
8. Ross, C
9. Belisle, RHP

I personally love this lineup, of course subbing in Hatte for Conine. But I certainly am not going to get used to it, considering the way Narron loves to shuffle daily.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Another important start for us tonight. Was Belisle good in spring because it was spring or is he the real deal? We all want someone other than Milton in the 4, and it would be great if Belisle earns it.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

I thought this might make Jax happy, I know it certainly did me. This is tonight's lineup versus the pirates according to both Fay and Trent's blogs:

1. Freel, CF
2. Phillips, 2B
3. Dunn, LF
4. Encarnacion, 3B
5. Griffey Jr., RF
6. Conine, 1B
7. Gonzalez, SS
8. Ross, C
9. Belisle, RHP

I personally love this lineup, of course subbing in Hatte for Conine. But I certainly am not going to get used to it, considering the way Narron loves to shuffle daily.

I think the Reds are facing LH starters in 3 of the next 4 games. So expect a lot of Conine in here.

I still don't like Phillips hitting 2, but I do like this look a lot better. When Hatte is not in the lineup, we don't have a legit 2 hitter though. I'd prefer everyone move up a spot (starting with Dunn moving to 2) and drop Phillips down to 6 after Conine.

 

[bearonu]

I see your point about the Hatte/Philips switch, but I don't hate Hatte in the 6 spot. More importantly, I definitely like Dunn more in the 3-hole and Griffey down in the five.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I thought this might make Jax happy, I know it certainly did me. This is tonight's lineup versus the pirates according to both Fay and Trent's blogs:

1. Freel, CF
2. Phillips, 2B
3. Dunn, LF
4. Encarnacion, 3B
5. Griffey Jr., RF
6. Conine, 1B
7. Gonzalez, SS
8. Ross, C
9. Belisle, RHP

I personally love this lineup, of course subbing in Hatte for Conine. But I certainly am not going to get used to it, considering the way Narron loves to shuffle daily.

Getting better. I can't complain about this one when its RH platoon night, someone has to hit 2nd. Both Phillips and Hatte do better in the 6 hole but what are you going to do?

When I let myself get optamistic I see a lineup like this in a couple of years and we won't have to worry about platoon nights:

CF Hamilton-good plate discipline, great speed, will see lots of fastballs
1B Votto-pitch count working fool, contact hitter
LF Dunn
3B EE
RF Jay Bruce
2B Phillips
SS- dont care if he can hit a lick, pure glove guy is fine
C-ditto

Even if it doesn't shake out exactly like that look at the youth, speed, power and overall talent that lineup contains.

Then of course I see Jerry in the corner with a cork on the end of his fork and an eye patch, knowing he'll find a way to fuck it up.:(

 

[Dryden]

Solid performances all around tonight, helped by the fact that the Pirates demonstrated how not to play defense ... Tom Emansky would be really disappointed by that display.

FYI, for anyone who didn't catch the game, they mentioned that tomorrow's start was moved from 7:10 to 1:05(?) because of the winter weather.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Great game from Belisle tonight. At one point he retired 14 straight. One earned over 6. Looks like Narron actually got him out of the game on time!

Good start to the series! Who'd have thunk Conine would be the offensive (pun intended) star?

 

[WhoDeyForever]

I know it is early in the season but this Reds team is looking good. Our starting pitching is looking well. Although we will have to see about Milton.
Our bullpen has been lights out. Conine came up big today.