Saturday was an interesting and exhausting day that included pro football, Civil War, minor league baseball and lots of time on the road but no stopping at the Cracker Barrel, which I love and many people don't. Forget the craft-mama atmosphere. I love their catfish, glazed carrots and slice-o-apple pie.

The day began with me swinging by Redskin Park for a couple of hours of mini-camp and liking what I saw of the Redskins' drafted young receivers and the stern practice run by new coach Jim Zorn. From there I scooted down back highways to the Chancellorsville Battlefield, where Saturday so happened to be the 145th anniversary of the historic battle. There were lots of fun things to do and I saw a fairly ho-hum reenactment. Seriously, all these middle-aged and fat guys (burp) participating in the reenactments is a gut-splitter because a.) they look ridiculous in those outfits with their asses hanging out; and b.) the war was fought primarily by very young men except for the high-ranking officers.

Anyway, after a couple of hours at Chancellorsville I darted down to Richmond for the R-Braves' game against the Louisville Bats. I didn't pick a good night because several of the Bats' regulars were getting a night off and R-Braves starter Charlie Morton is pretty dang good. He pitched seven innings of one-hit, one-run ball, and received a no-decision in the R-Braves' bottom-of-the-ninth 4-3 victory. But Morton dropped his ERA to 2.14 and opponents are hitting just 1.71 off him—yet, he's 1-0 in six starts. He and Adam Harnag should do lunch.

Through all of this I spent batting practice on the field, mingled in the clubhouses and spent much of the game watching Jay Bruce, Paul Janish, Jolbert Cabrera and Chris Dickerson. I also took some photos to share because I'm trying out a new Canon and not sure I like it very much. You be the judges:

The R-Braves play at The Diamond, but not for long. Atlanta owns the franchise and announced earlier this year the team will move to a new facility in Gwinnett County, Georgia, ending an association with Richmond dating to 1966, when the Braves moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee. The Diamond was built in 1985 but looks older than Riverfront, which, as you know, is dead. Atlanta finally gave up trying to get a new facility from the city and control-freak Mayor Douglas Wilder, the former Virginia governor who has an authority complex. He likes being boss. A lot. Word in the pressbox was Richmond is in a twist for getting a new team. Minor League Baseball is meeting with the city this week. There's no chance of another Class AAA club. There are options in Class AA and Class A, but a lot will depend on getting a new stadium built. The Diamond is a 12,134-seat dumphole, but you are right on top of the game. Only 2,544 paid Saturday night, probably because a 12-ounce cup of beer is $6 and a large soft drink $4. The Mariners and Royals have cheaper beer, and six teams have cheaper soda.

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Hey there's Homer Bailey charting the game. Sunday starter Justin Lehr is next to him charting, too. Homer had quite a few interruptions to sign autographs during the game but declined them all. Can't blame him. Sign one, gotta sign a thousand. Funny thing was, Homer was reading a bow hunting magazine between innings. Homer is 6-4 and the leanest 205 you ever saw. I think that weight is a stretch. He looks more like 190. He's also got peggish legs, which makes me wonder how he will handle the weight when he fills out. But perhaps adding a little weight will help his endurance.

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Jay Bruce, everyone's anointed savior. Man, he's got a gorgeous swing. Balanced, compact, easy. He didn't have a good night because Charlie Morton pitched him brilliantly by keeping the ball low and in. Bruce only got a couple of pitches to do anything with—in his third AB—and fouled them off. He wore an 0-fer for the night and is in a small skid. Someone in the clubhouse whispered they believe Bruce is putting pressure on himself to get called up. Bruce admits to watching the Reds' box scores each night and following the big league club closely. He's extremely itchy to get called up.

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I've never really gotten into minor league ball. I understand the importance and entertainment value. I do like the ballparks and the gimmicks. It's a great place for kids. Of course, minors parks are all about promotions and one they have at The Diamond is sensational: each "fowl" pole is sponsored by Chick-Fil-A. Hit the pole and everyone gets a free sandwich. Last year, a player for the R-Braves knocked the "F" off the pole in left, leaving the obvious declaration, "Eat More Owl." People screamed in laughter. The player took the letter "F" home as a keepsake. Note the cows leaning just over the left field wall. Those bovines are in play.

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A good sprinkling of Reds fans were on hand, especially on the visitors side of the field. I talked to one guy who was a little upset that almost none of the Bats came over and signed autographs or gave fans a chance to take their pictures. Like the R-Braves, everyone wanted to get into the clubhouse and watch the Kentucky Derby. If for no other reason, the minors clubhouses should be incentive for players to get to the majors. No joke: the master bedrooom for Ms. R and her pissy li'l dog is almost as big as the clubhouses at The Diamond. And there was Jolbert Cabrera, Andy Phillips, Jim Brower, Gary Majewski and a couple of others—guys with big-league experience—crunched into their dressing spaces, eating a club sandwich on croissant instead of a big-league spread. Todd Coffey, who six days before, was in the major leagues, stayed pretty much in the trainer's room. He had room to eat back there. And there's not a more solemn-looking guy than the Majik Man. Cleanly shaven, sitting in his tight little cubicle, saying nothing, just watching and eating. No expression. Given injuries, being traded, the death of his stepsister and his recent career path, it's been a very tough two years for the Majik Man. Ms. R would say a hug and prayer to one of the saints would do him wonders.

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Rick Sweet is the Bats manager and he's a great quote and a very good minors manager. He knows how to handle people. But he wasn't too happy this night. Chris Dickerson got picked off first in a weird play in which the first baseman made a wild scoop of a pickoff attempt, then faked out Dickerson as if the ball had gotten by. Sweet's expression after that play was priceless. He was really upset with a call at third in the eighth when the Bats had the go-ahead run going from second to third. The ball was batted to third, where the defender made a stab and diving lunge to get the Bats runner to end the inning. He looked safe, but then, I was trying to figure out some feature on the new camera that apparently doesn't exist. I think it's called "focusing the image."

Sweet had to laugh with everyone else in the fourth or fifth when Drew Anderson was batting and Ryan Hanigan was on-deck. Anderson, who bats lefty, hit a screamer that almost took off Hanigan's head. Okay, now Hanigan is awake. And I'll be damned if Anderson didn't hit another one that was almost in the exact same spot. Hanigan, looking a bit wide-eyed, walked back into the safety of the dugout steps, drawing applause and smiles. Anderson then hit two long fouls in almost the exact spot down the left field line. Unreal.

Adam Pettyjohn pitched a really nice game, having a three-run burp in the fourth. I stole a few peeks at a gun being used by a scout and I never saw Pettyjohn get above 86 in eight pitches. He's 31 and has exactly one big-league game, for the Tigers in 2001. He throws really slow, as you can see in the photo below because my new camera was actually able to catch the ball in-flight. Yay! Pay this kinda cake for a camera you expect the sports setting to be able to stop the action. Apparently not. Maybe the user is a dope. Probably.

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There's our old friend Chris Chambliss, now first base coach for the R-Braves. One day you're the Reds' batting coach, the next day you're fired and in the minors, and the following day your successor with the Reds, Brook Jacoby, is on the verge of also being fired. Offensive ineptitude is not a sympton but a disease. Yep, that's original.

Also ran into journeyman catcher Sal Fasano in the R-Braves clubhouse. Sal is one of the greatest guys in the history of the game. You won't find anyone who doesn't like him or respect him or root for him. The minors kids worship Sal. He's played for nine big league teams and about every organization in the minors. God, he tells great stories and he's a very interesting guy. At age 37, Sal is talking about going back to school to be a paleontologist. But most everyone believes he's going to be a very, very good coach or manager. He has a huge fan following, too. I joked with Sal that he was looking lumpy; he said I was looking old. Love the guy.

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That's Drew Anderson safe at second, a call no one on the R-Braves agreed with. Of course, they didn't. Look closely but the shortstop is clearly on the follow-through of the swipe tag. You'd probably like a little closer angle. Yeah, good luck with that on this night.

Good place to point out that Paul Janish is a major-league defensive shortstop TODAY. Right now. We've seen the flashes in spring training and he made two plays this night that Jeff Keppinger has neither the arm nor quickness to complete. I was also surprised by Janish's upper-body build. He's got that young Nomar V-shape with broad, strong shoulders and big pipes, but small hips. He's also hitting a little thus far this season and I'd guess he's the call-up if something happens to Keppinger. Dude can flat out pick it.

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Jolbert Cabrera is outloud hilarious but he wasn't too amused by the umpiring this night. Here, Cabrera and Rick Sweet lose an argument with the umpire on a called strike three that didn't appear to be a strike. Cabrera was robbed of an infield hit earlier. He's hitting just .240, hasn't been in the big leagues since 2004 and he's 35 years old. After a promising spring training, his window for getting recalled might be closing.

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The minors and mascots. Sheeesh. You have so few good ones. Here's Diamond Duck, which amazingly has absolutely nothing to do with Braves. Here the duck carries a 2-year-old around the bases. Cute, but not nearly as funny as Dizzy Bat, which never fails to draw a laugh. There's just something about people falling down that is funny.

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And finally, the above picture is from the Chancellorsville Battlefield, where Gen. Robert E. Lee reached the high-water mark of his career. The campaign the Confederates conducted here defies logic on many levels and is a fascinating study. Read Stephen Sears' "Chancellorsville." But something happened on the spot where the X is placed that many historians believe changed the course of this country forever. There's no historical marker at this spot and I had to ask a Park Ranger to show me the exact location. Do you know what happened here?

Hey check out my gallery and see some photos from Saturday at the Bats vs. R-Braves game. I have all sorts of commentary to add, but I've spent 2 hours trying to get it to code and go live and nothing works. No more time. Maybe tomorrow. But enjoy the images!

Saturday was an interesting and exhausting day that included pro football, Civil War, minor league baseball and lots of time on the road but no stopping at the Cracker Barrel, which I love and many people don't. Forget the hookey atmosphere. I love their catfish, glazed carrots and slice-o-apple pie. The day began with me swinging by Redskin Park for a couple of hours of mini-camp and liking what I saw of the Redskins' new young receivers and the stern practice run by new coach Jim Zorn. Seems to me the Redskins are much etter off without Chad Johnson. From there I scooted down back highways to the Chancellorsville Battlefield, where Saturday so happened to be the 145th anniversary of the historic battle. There were lots of fun things happening and I saw a fairly ho-hum reenactment. Seriously, all these middle-aged and fat guys participating in the reenactments is a gut-splitter because a.) they look ridiculous in those outfits with their **** hanging out and b.) the war was fought primarily by very young me except for the high-ranking officers. Anyway, after a couple of hours ay Chancellorsville I darted down to Richmond for the R-Braves' game against the Louisville Bats. I didn't pick a good night because many of the Bats' regulars were getting a night off and R-Braves starter Charlie Morton is pretty dang good. He pitched seven innings of one-hit, one-run ball, and received a no-decision in the R-Braves' bottom-of-the-ninth 4-3 victory. But he dropped his ERA 2.14 and opponents are hitting just 1.71 off him

Eric at RedlegNation.com does a very nice review of Reds pitchers for April, showing that for once in a lifetime pitching isn’t the team’s problem.

Say what?!?!

Yeah, no kiddin’. The pleasant surprise, as Eric notes, is relievers Jeremy Affeldt, Mike Lincoln, Jared Burton and Kent Mercker are combining for a 2.84 ERA while allowing just 7 of 26 runners to score. They’re also only costing $5 million as a group. As badly as the bullpen has struggled the past few years, the concept of the bullpen actually being effective is like punching a Bobo blow-up clown and the damn thing doesn’t punch back.

Anyway, Eric touches on Aaron Harang’s pitiful luck, going 1-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.081 WHIP. In today's “5 Ways to Fix the Reds” article, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News has a good line when he writes that Harang could go 6-24 at this pace and win the ERA title. The Reds have provided him with just 15 runs of support in the innings Harang has been on the mound for a whoop-dee-do per-start average of 2.1.

But anytime I hear about “luck” and starting pitchers I immediately want to know: Who was that pitcher’s opponent on the mound? Were these winnable matchups against beatable teams? What did his offense and defense do (or not do) for him? We all know Harang is the Reds’ No. 1 starter, so we can surmise that he’s matched up with his opponent’s best couple of twirlers, right?

Not so fast.

In his seven starts, Harang pitched against his opponent’s No. 1 only once—Opening Day against Arizona’s Brandon Webb. He hasn't faced any of his opponent’s No. 2 starters. That means he’s missed top-of-the-rotation starters in Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ben Sheets, Jeff Suppan, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Adam Wainwright. Through it all, Harang is 1-4 with a 2.98 ERA with two no-decisions. The Reds won both of Harang's no-decision games and, realistically, they should have won just one of his losses (to St. Louis, leaving 18 on base). The Reds were outpitched by Webb and San Francisco's Jonathan Sanchez. Harang's worst start was a 9-5 loss to the Cubs, but again a game where the Reds left 18 stranded.

Obviously, as suggested several times over the past week, manager Dusty Baker needs to do some batting order shuffling to rejuvenate the 3-4-5 slots, which has produced a .143 batting average (10-for-70) in Harang’s starts with just 6 RBI while leaving 22 men on base. Overall, the Reds have left a whopping 81 on base in Harang’s starts for an 11.6 per game average.

Here’s a closer look at Harang’s starts and his opponents:

Decision	Team	Opposing Pitcher	Opponent Rotation	Reds 3-4-5	Run Support	Team LOB
L, 2-4	Ariz	Webb	#1	10-1-2	1	10
ND	Phil	Eaton	#5	8-1-1	4	10
W, 4-1	Milw	Villanueva	#4	11-1-0	4	12
L, 9-5	ChiC	Dempster	#4	8-1-2	3	18
ND	Milw	Gallardo	#3	12-3-1	1	8
L, 3-1	SF	Sanchez	#4	10-0-0	0	5
L, 5-2	StL	Looper	#3	11-3-0	2	18

Notes: Reds 3-4-5 indicates the ABs, Hits and RBI the 3-4-5 slots of the batting order produced in that start; Run support is for the innings by which Harang was in the game; The Reds' overall run support for Harang's starts is 3.1 per game; Team LOBs are for the full game of Harang's starts.

On this off-day before the Reds open a weekend series at Etlanner, we take a look at a few things of the past, present and very near future for this ballclub:

Shaddup! Bruce Ain’t Ready. . . . As for the eternal cries and screams for No. 1 prospect Jay Bruce . . . there’s not a single person in the Reds’ front office who thinks Bruce is ready. Terry Reynolds, director of player development, spent a week doing evaluations at Louisville and his report pointed out things Bruce needs to do for getting called up.

“It’s just small refinements everybody is looking for,” Reynolds told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “He’s had very little time in the minor leagues, especially in Triple-A. Everybody thought it would be to his advantage to get more time.”

“He needs to improve nuances,” said Louisville manager Rick Sweet. “He still throws to the wrong base, still makes baserunning mistakes, still misses cutoff men. Those little things make all the difference in winning and losing ballgames. It’s not that he’s bad at them; he’s learning them at a higher level.”

Bruce is batting .316-5-19 with an OPS of .901. More bothersome are the 24 strikeouts in 98 at-bats with just five walks. That’s fanning almost 25 percent of his ABs? In the minors.

There’s zero reason to rush Bruce, and while he's antsy, he agrees.  

"Absolutely. When I get up there I don't ever want to come back to the minors," he said. "When I get there I want to do well and help the Reds win and have a good time doing it. I have no intentions of going back and forth."

The feeling here has been the Reds would like to see Bruce get about 400 ABs in Louisville over 2007-08 before making a move. Otherwise, the kid’s talent will tell us organically when he’s ready.

Chhhh-changes. . . . Is Uncle Walt Jocketty closer to making a few changes with the current roster? There may not be anything huge, but sources are whispering a few stirrings are in the works. He has some people scouting specific players for need, and they’re working on some things that ousted GM Wayne Krivsky was eyeballing.

The Reds have two off days—today and May 8—but nothing would probably be done before they return home to play the Cubs on Monday. Uncle Walt conducted his pow-wow with Reds brass during the Cardinals series and the rest of the field operations people were expecting to be apprised today and Friday. Here’s what we know (sorta):

The Reds remain interested in Texas catcher Gerald Laird as a full-time option behind the plate. Now that the Rangers have recalled top prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia and want him playing every day, there’s a feeling the Rangers might lower their price for Laird. But the Reds would also like to shed David Ross’s salary, and he would be a natural fit as part of a package for Laird so he can mentor and backup Salty. Again, it comes down to contracts.

We also know that Uncle Walt has been taking advice on leadoff options. The Reds are looking. Remember my earlier blog post about this subject? It appears one potential target was not mentioned among any of the names we bandied about. I don’t know the player the Reds are watching but was informed he's someone below the radar.

As part of a work in progress, moves I’d expect in May: A couple of Krivsky's lieutenants to be fired; Javier Valentin released; Norris Hopper traded or sent to Louisville; Scott Hatteberg traded; right-handed 1b/OF bat added; another righty in the bullpen; No. 5 starter changed again.

Krivsky had his bungles, as you expect from first-time GMs, but the irony is Uncle Walt finds himself in remarkably similar straits with the big league club as his two most recent predecessors. The Reds need to get younger (average age: 30), more athletic, more consistent and more flexible on payroll. If Uncle Walt has a provision in his contract that he can suddenly spend the extra $30 million a year the Cardinals have over the Reds in payroll, great! Your dog (or k.a.t.) can do the job. But since the payroll is sitting at around $75 million with some dead money on the boards, the chances are there’s no magic button to suddenly make the Reds contenders this year.

The blogosphere has been ripe with silly notions that Adam Dunn has market, that Junior Griffey has market, that spare parts such as Hatteberg, Todd Coffey, Hopper, Corey Patterson and Ryan Freel have big market. They don’t—at least, not yet. They also have contracts or talent levels that limit their return or movement. So aside from dealing one of the promising young players—Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey, Bruce, Daryl Thompson, Josh Roenicke, Adam Rosales, etc.—what players do the Reds have that other GMs are willing to offer quality replacements?

The Reds are stuck in the middle for 2008. We knew this back to 2006. Former GM Dan O’Brien recognized the issues, Krivsky certainly recognized, and now Uncle Walt has the entire scrapbook unfolded before him. Competing in 2008 was never quite realistic as long as the team has two outfield positions limiting payroll, youth advancement and lineup construction.

Uh, Oh, Cueto? . . . I pick on the fantasy-leaguers because, well, it’s so easy. They overreact to each day’s lineup and each day’s performance of a player as though it’s Game 7 of the World Series. "DFA Patterson!" "Griffey Has to Go!" "Trade Dunn NOW!" Nevermind that Dunn has a strict no-trade clause until June 15 with serious limitations even after that date. Or that Griffey has strict 5-and-10 rights that dictate where he wants to be traded. Have you forgotten the ill-fated (and idiotic) Griffey-for-Phil Nevin deal?

So we turn to the recent struggles of phenom Johnny Cueto. Guru Mario Soto has been summoned to the rescue, but a far larger point arises: Neither Cueto nor Voltron has ever pitched more than 161 innings in a season. But some fans are screaming, “Get Fogg Outta Here!” And just who is going to replace Cueto if they need to send him to Louisville? Belisle? Affeldt? Thompson from AA? C’mon.

If Bailey is truly ready, we might see him soon. His 7-inning, 10-strikeout performance Wednesday against Toledo had Bats manager Rick Sweet cooing. By some measures it was Bailey's best-pitched game at Triple-A. Will Jocketty be as deliberate as Krivsky would have been on recalling Bailey?

"His stuff has just been electric coming out of his hands," Sweet told the Courier-Journal. "All of his stuff is coming out of his hands better. Fastball, slider, curveball, change-up. All of his pitches are better. . . he's in much more control of what he's trying to do."

As young starters Cueto and Voltron are gonna hit the wall in their first season of starting in the majors. They're not used to the workload or the pressure. They’re also not used to the MLB umpires and their smaller strike zones, the better hitters who foul off their best pitches and rock their mistakes, or the travel and wide time-zone differences that also affect young players. It’s a season of adjustment and experience for Cueto and Voltron, whose talents are advanced enough to keep them on the big league team through most struggles.

Meanwhile, it's smart to have experienced options on the roster for spot starting or filling in. The contending teams like to be 6-7 deep with starters just for this reason. It also appears Baker is doing a good job of handling this pitching staff thus far. I really like how he’s shuffled some things around off-days, giving guys an extra day here and there. It’s the first month of the season and Baker’s idea of giving the regulars like Griffey and Dunn more time off early rather than burning them down by July makes sense. That applies to Cueto and Voltron. There’s nothing wrong with pacing them along.

Hey, Corey! Booooo, You Bum! . . . Corey Patterson will never win over Reds fans. They think he’s one of Dusty Baker’s guys, as if managers don't have “their guys,” and the Bill James Stat Geek Society of Nimrods and Pocket Protectors can’t get off the subject of Patterson batting leadoff because of his lousy career OBP.

The Reds don’t have a prototypical leadoff hitter, and Baker is right about Keppinger in the 2-hole. While the BJSGSNPP can’t see any other stat than OBP, Baker sees Keppinger’s bat-handling ability and the likelihood that the 2-hitter will see more opps to drive in runs than the leadoff. Besides, how many times a game does the leadoff guy actually bat leadoff? I’d like to see a study on that question.

Meanwhile, Patterson plays for a very specific reason—he’s the Reds’ best defensive outfielder, he’s their fastest player, and he’s got statues on each side of him to cover for. Where he bats in the order? Almost by default because of the Reds’ styles of hitters. Is Patterson great? No. Is he a No. 4 outfielder? Yes. Is he the reason the Reds are 12-17? Absolutely not.

Lineup Bickerings . . . . There’s no question Baker has brought some badly needed stability to the Reds’ batting order that was so grossly missing with Jerry Narron’s twitchiness. Now, a month into the season, we see that Baker’s insistence on batting Griffey-Phillips-Dunn in the middle needs adjustment.

A couple of weeks ago, the wacky mathematical genius of blogger Justin Inaz came up with a study on Dusty Baker’s lineups. He took 14 different Reds lineup possibilities, plugged their 2008 stat projections into a spreadsheet, shook the bottle horizontally for 3 minutes, vertically for 2 minutes, and by wishing upon a star after inhaling a cheese Coney with one bite, came up with a fascinating and detailed analysis.

The surprising summation? Dusty’s lineup construction isn’t half bad.

I know, I know . . . you’re saying look at the real results. I agree. But Justin’s study shows that Dusty isn’t a knee-jerk lineup-maker like Narron and Bob Boone, and that Baker figures some of the Reds’ underperformers now will eventually play up to the numbers—everybody all at once now—on the “back of their cards.”

That said, for a number of years I've stated that Griffey has no entitlement to batting in the 3-hole. He’s not the Griffey of 1998, so why does he continue to get that privilege? To me, Phillips is the future No. 3, so put him there now. Move Dunn to No. 7 until he starts hitting.

What about cleanup? I’m of the belief, for now, that Joey Votto’s ability to hit lefthanders and his ability to hit for a little power as well as the gaps makes him a cleanup hitter. Will this change as he goes through the league twice and scouting reports catch up with him? Probably. My lineup for now:

1. Patterson/Freel, 8
2. Keppinger, 6
3. Phillips, 4
4. Votto, 3
5. Griffey, 9
6. Encarnicion, 5
7. Dunn, 7
8. Bako/Ross, 2

Oh, Great and Wise One. . . . Some of us who shall remain named (me) warned Reds fans near the end of spring training that this team had to survive April and May. The prediction here was 10 games under .500 by Memorial Weekend. You scoffed. Sure enough, the Reds are right on pace at 12-17. It sure rained on the boys in April—lousy hitting, shaky defense, GM gets fired, manager on the fans' hot seat, blah-blah. Oh, sweet dalliance, will May flower upon us?

Nah.

You think last month’s trek was hard? May is a doozy: Braves, Cubs, Mets, Marlins, Indians, Dodgers, Padres, Pirates, Braves again. Is there more than one series the Reds can positively win in May? If not, the overhaul begins in June.