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Did you notice with Hairston and Patterson last night, the REDS made some aggressive athletic plays ?
Fair is fair. If you want to rip Patterson, which I have, you have to point out his terrific DEFENSE last night.
How was Hairston on the street so long without getting a job ?
How was Hattie on the street so long before the REDS first signed him ?
Baseball people make mistakes. The game is full of comeback stories, or guys like Bako, who was going to retire if he didn't make the team, and now, at the end of his career, he's playing his best ball. And, his tag out at home plate on the bang--bang play was terrific.
The excuses for keeping Bruce in Louisville are really getting old. Make a tough decision, find him a spot in the lineup everyday and just play. 12 for his last 18 with 9 RBI's ?
Lance with a great stat. Don't care about a giveaway or cheaper tickets, Louisville has more fans at their 11am game yesterday than the REDS did last night against the FISH.
The picture of Janish on C. Trent's BLOG after he got the game winning hit is perfect.
We talked to Justin Lehr days ago. Don't care that he doesn't throw hard. He had another good game for Louisville. How could he be worse than Belisle ?
I'm watching Ben Jukich, the lefty who was part of the Denofia deal. The A's gave up on him. If he makes it, it's another feather in Krivsky's cap.
Dunn still might hit 40. He "hates" the trade talk. Don't blame him. It's part of the game.
Rick Sweet talking to Lance......terrific stuff. Sweet's line that every start for Homer this year is better than any start last year was powerful. Throwing hard, and the addition of the slider, Sweet says makes a big difference.
Wonder what the walk up crowd would be tonight if Homer was pitching for the REDS instead of Belisle. How much longer will the REDS let him PITCH ??
Poor Kepp
You wait forever to get a chance you aren't sure is ever going to happen. You finally get it. You turn into the best hitter on the team. You lead the team in RBI's, yet your skipper likes batting you 7th to protect an overpaid slugger who is slumping. Then you break your knee on a ball that hits you.
No one said life was fair. Kepp was batting .324. He had 21 RBI's. I'm convinced if he was batting third, he would have more RBI's. And the more you finally play, the more your confidence builds.
Two nights in a row where I have a favorite play. Who wants to count up all the games this year when there was no favorite play.
Hairston gets a double and steals third. You love that. Then, Ross lays down a perfect bunt. Love the execution. WHY CAN'T MORE BIG LEAGUERS BUNT.
Plus, EE with another couple of fine defensive plays. His body language has changed 100% since the beginning of the season. And that hustle into third the night before is still one of my favorite plays of the season.
Hats off to Bray. He cleaned up Burton's mess. I'm starting to lose some confidence in Burton. Wonder if Dusty will. Wonder if Dusty will start using him when the REDS are losing to see if he can get straightened out.
COCO comes in, in the 9th, and I wonder if you are like me. BALLGAME. That's the feeling.
Volquez gives up one run. Yes he throws 110 pitches which means Dusty was smart and didn't let him pitch the 7th. He gives up only one run. He's so good his ERA goes up slightly. The bar has been raised so much so quickly on him that Dusty says he was off a little. AND HE GIVES UP ONLY ONE RUN !
Hats off to DUNN. If you are going to RIP, you have to point out the good things. His toe must be hurting. He plays hurt. His season long slump continues, but for the second night in a row, he found a way to get an RBI. Once on a sac fly. Last night on a ground out.
Janish gets called up. Sweet in Louisville didn't want to let him stay in the game because one time he had a player get hurt after getting that wonderful call. Makes you laugh. It's all good.
Janish is a better fielder than Kepp. His bat is much better. Is it good enough ?
Will Dusty go with the kid or Hairston ?
Tyler Whaley was a great guest. Walk on at Ohio State from Ironton, whose having a book written about him. Finally earns a scholarship, gets moved to fullback.
He gets to play for his favorite teams. First Ohio State. Now the BENGALS.
There can't be many on the BENGALS who are stronger. He says he can bench press 465.
You know the effort will be there. But, the backfield is really crowded. But, he has beaten the odds his entire career.
He just got a new fan.
I've been geting a lot of e mails since the Whaley interview. This is not the only one this powerful.
Hey Alan,
I just wanted to let you know that the interview that you did this morning with Tyler Whaley was absolutely, unequivocally, one of the best interviews that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to, and not just out of the interviews that you have done, but ever in the history of interviews. By the time the interview was over I had goose bumps the size of mountains, it was awesome. He was such a breath of fresh air in a time when we needed it most, with the Reds struggling and Kepp out for God knows how long, and a sea of doubt surrounding the Bengals this up coming year. They would be absolute fools to cut him. He may not be the best player or have the most athletic ability, but his mental make up is something that this team definitely needs. And benching 465 lbs, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?! That is absurd!!!! Watching him clear the way for Beanie Wells this past year, I can totally see him doing the same for Bengals running backs in the future and for a long time (that is if they are smart enough to keep him).
Thanks for making my traffic filled, treacherous drive down I-75 such a pleasure each and every morning.
Matt, Fairfield
EE Great Hustle
We can talk about all the ways the REDS could have and should have lost last night.
We can talk about Juniors defense or the lack of it.
But, Dunn and EE had the play of the night. And, one of my favorite plays or the season. First of all, Dunn did something he doesn't normally do. Swing at a ball. Swing at an outside pitch and hit it where it's pitched. A sac fly that was needed.
What was just as good if not better and should not be overlooked was EE. Edwin gave 100% tagging up on the fly to left. He just got in. He might not score without his hustle.
The REDS were 16--24 last year on their way to 72 wins.
The REDS are 16--23 with Volquez taking his great 5--1 with an amazing 1.06 ERA to the mound tonight.
Pitching, Pitching, Pitching, Pitching. The starting staff is giving up 5 runs per game. That's not good enough. It's still a big problem.
The REDS are 7--11 sin ce Walt took over.
FOGG ? Is he still on the team ? Hasn't pitched since 5/4.
Does anyone really believe that OJ didn't know the $$$ and deals he was getting from Rodney Gullory wasn't illegal ? Come on, how many of you would have taken all the free stuff. That's if ESPN's story is correct.
You get the feeling that Mike Zimmer is a no-nonsense kind of guy. Sounds good. But, let's see if he gets the Bengals "D" to play FAST, like he says they will.
He says the right thing. Stopping the run is number one. I'm going to start my 8th year as host of the Bengals Radio Network. For 8 years I've been talking about the BENGALS needed to stop the run.
Tyler Whaley of Ohio State, whose trying to make it with the Bengals as a long shot is a guest tomorrow.
Good for Brian Goldberg this morning. Sure, he's on Junior's side 100%. But, when you cut thru that, he was as honest as he can be.
One of the things about Junior that does not get enough play is that the REDS when they signed Junior promised to build a championship team. You can be mad at Juniors lack of production in Cincy, but the REDS didn't hold up their end fo the bargain. Brian says that because Junior has been hurt so much, he didn't feel it was proper to talk about it. Besides, that isn't the Junior is.
So, when the Junior era is over, don't point all the fingers at Junior. Point it also where it belongs. At the REDS management.
Brian could see Junior being traded this year. He could see Junior finishing out the season. And, yes, he could see Junior being here next year under a different contract. Supposed you wanted Junior back. You don't have to pay him 16 million. You could offer him another deal.
I still think the best thing for Junior is going to a team where he HONESTLY has a shot at winning this year.
Hats Off To Tomlin !
Best Sports Column I've seen in a long time. Share this with anyone who is graduating. Share this with anyone. Don't care what team he coaches. I've never been hung up with that nonsense. I'm into people. What Tomlin has done backs up his speech. BIG TIME !
Nice doubleheader for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin last weekend.