Cincinnati Reds
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Harangatang on the move?June 30th, 2008
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After watching Bronson Arroyo surrender a touchdown, two-point conversion and a field goal to the dismal Toronto Blue Jays offense Tuesday night I began to wonder if Arroyo, and his rather robust ERA, were suddenly expendable in the Queen City.
After all, with the emergence of guys like Edinson Volquez, Johny Cueto and Darryl Thompson, not to mention promising young prospects like Matt Maloney and Homer Bailey in AAA, the Reds starting rotation possesses more depth now than it ever has.
Ever.
I thought maybe, just maybe, the Reds would work out a deal shipping Arroyo to a contender looking to bolster its pitching staff for a second-half run.
Then I realized something.
No contender would want Arroyo and his astronomical ERA.
However, I was right about one thing. The aforementioned emergence of young Reds pitching prospects in recent months has made a Reds starting pitcher expendable.
Who is it, you ask?
Aaron Harang.
The Redlegs big right-hander has struggled this season, stumbling his way to a 3-10 record. That said, his ERA is still around four and a half, which is more than reasonable. The one-time ace is battle tested and is practically unhittable when on his game.
Furthermore, the dumping of his salary, coupled with the impending trade/free agent release of Ken Griffey Jr. and/or Adam Dunn, would free up badly needed funds to ensure guys like Jeff Keppinger, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Volquez, Cueto, and Thompson will be in Cincinnati for a very, very long time.
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Your perception and your baseball teamMay 14th, 2008
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My girlfriend Kate is from Ashtabula, Ohio. Ashtabula is close to, well, nothing, but it’s geographical location is in the extreme northeast corner of the Buckeye state and is closer to the Pennsylvania state line than any major city in Ohio. I spent last weekend on the lake celebrating her college graduation with her family and friends; on my drive home Monday morning I considered how this fact tied into my own outlook on life and the manner in which I experience the game of baseball, and the my beloved Redlegs.
Lemme explain…
It is my estimation the majority of Ashtabulans tend to gravitate towards Cleveland sports teams in terms of the professional teams they cheer for. (Pittsburgh is just down the road a bit, so I’d imagine there’s probably some Steelers/Pirates sprinkled in as well.) My reason for believing this is two-fold: 1) Kate’s father is a big Indians fan and 2) there are numerous Tribe billboards spotting Interstate-90, which runs east and west through Ashtabula.
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What have you Dunn for me lately?April 28th, 2008
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.192, three home runs, eight RBIs and 23 strikeouts, those are Adam Dunn’s statistics in 24 games so far this season.
This would be fine if he weren’t our starting left fielder and the highest payed position player on the roster.
My problem isn’t necessarily with the inordinate amount of strikeouts, the pedestrian batting average or even the astronomical salary.
My problem with Adam Dunn is that he’s on the wrong team.
The Cincinnati Reds are a team whose only legitimate threat to bat .300 is a white guy with no clear position. That said, we’re loaded with guys who will hit between .240 and .260 while belting between 30 and 45 home runs every season.
We don’t need another one, especially one who’s a liability defensively and a mortal lock to give my father at least three nervous breakdowns in any given week.
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The same ‘ol RedlegsApril 25th, 2008
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Ugh, I now know what my girlfriend felt like the first time we engaged in sexual intercourse.
Terribly disapointed.
A 72-90 record last season rendered me completely and utterly frustrated. After a quazi-pennant run in ‘06, the expectations for my beloved Redlegs entering last season were absolutely dizzying. So, when last season mercifully ended I began to set my sights on this year’s ballclub and our prospects of winning a pennant. Key acquisitions like Francisco Cordero and Edinson Volquez coupled with the drastic improvement of guys like Johnny Cueto and Joey Votto left me chalking last season up to a fluke, and printing my World Series tickets.
But, here we go again…
An underachieving offense, an inconsistent starting rotation and a defense that has a knack for making a back-breaking, soul-crushing error at the worst possible time has left me more frustrated than ever. Watching this team play a nine inning baseball game is like jamming your finger into a car door…twice. That’s all you need to know.