Peter,

What do you expect from a team that hired Dusty Baker to manage? Baker will never give young players a chance. Just look at how many rookies he had get votes for ROY from when he took over in San Fran(92 or 93) to 2005. Exactly two. Then compare that versus Joe Torre or Bobby Cox.

Reds are five years away from being any good.

Sigh...I know. The "Deads" will probably not contend for another World Series for a long, long time. I just hope I won't have to wait as long as Cubs fans have to see them in a World Series again.

To,

I'm going to disagree slightly. I think there's quite a bit of promise w/the Reds even when Griff retires.

I like Phillips, Hamilton, Harang and Dunn as a core. They need to build around that and smartly. I think if Edwin Encarnacion can pull it together, they'll contend in a weak NL Central. Pitching, as with most clubs, is the key. Harang is a stud, and if weren't for Arroyo having a bad first half (followed by a very respectable second half), and had their offense not sputtered, I think they could've have contended.

But there's hope in guys like Homer Bailey and Daryl Thompson. Joey Votto looks very promising too.

So don't lose hope. There's still time for the Deads to turn it around.

Peter F.:

"They need to build around that and smartly."

Ahem. As you said, we're talking about the Big (Dumb) Red Machine! ;-) This organization has needed pitching for what seems to be at least 10 years now, particularly relief pitching. The starting pitching has improved, but watching them blow games time after time in the late innings is very frustrating. Weathers needs more help. Man, do I long for the Nasty Boys days again...

And quite honestly, although I like Griff, I think it's time for him to step aside. His injuries are the kind that come along with poor conditioning--which tells me he's losing interest in winning, and he's just cruising along.

Tom,

And quite honestly, although I like Griff, I think it's time for him to step aside. His injuries are the kind that come along with poor conditioning...

A little insider info here: I was associated with the Mariners organization during my first years here in Seattle, and Junior's lackadaisical work ethic is one of the reasons he was shipped out of here. It was widely rumored that Lou Pinella had enough of Junior's slothfulness and knew it would lead to more injuries. Sure enough, it did in Cinncy. And Junior's whining didn't help, either.

Funny part is, Seattle fans LOVE the guy. I mean, the house was packed last year when Griff returned. He received all kinds of accolades from the M's and standing O's from the fans when he homered. (Leave it to idiotic M's fans to cheer against their team.) And there are constant calls from fans on KJR Sports radio asking how they can get Griffey back! My response is always, "you should want A-Rod back before Griffey, dumbasses". But no, they want Junior. The calls are never ending, I swear. Just makes me scratch my head.

The starting pitching has improved, but watching them blow games time after time in the late innings is very frustrating.

From the Reds perspective, I was glad to see them NOT trade Arroyo at the trade deadline this year. (I was a little bummed the Mariners didn't try to get him.) He and Harang make a good 1-2 punch. Throw Homer Bailey in there as a #3, and things are looking up. Obviously, #4 and #5 starters are needed. Why not try and get Carlos Silva, a good control pitcher who throws a lot of ground balls at #4, and maybe fill out #5 with one of the young guns from Spring training? Just a thought.

But yeah, you're right, the Reds MR pitching was, well, shit. Weathers is serviceable as a closer, but he makes fans watch the 9th inning from between their fingers. In that regard, maybe signing Cordero is an OK move-though, he'll make fans watch 9th innings in the same horror-movie fashion.

Honestly, I think the Reds were a confused team last year. Firing Narron and then replacing him with a guy who'd never managed before, Pete Mackanin, is, well, bizarre and never a good idea. You can blame Reds' management for that. But, unlike Florida Masochist here, I think signing Dusty Baker is a very positive step. Although I have some trepidation about his ability to manage a pitching staff (i.e. pulling Russ Ortiz in Game 6 of the 2002 World Series is Grady Little-esque in boneheaded-ness, IMO) but he's also smart enough to hire a pitching coach smarter than he is. He had Righetti in S.F. for his entire tenure and did well. (Any word on who he's hired as pitching coach there yet?)

Like a lot of teams, the Reds are "can succeed if..." team. The Reds can be a playoff contender :

...if Edwin Encarnacion hits
...if Ryan Freel can stay healthy
...if Bailey can burst onto the scene
...if Arroyo can repeat 2006 year
...if SS Alex Gonzalez can stay healthy and be productive
...Josh Hamilton can stay clean (I think he can) and continue to improve (he will, IF he stays healthy)
...if Votto can successfully supplant Hatteberg at 1B

And so on.

Finally, there's this going for the Reds: They're in the NL Central, a division getting weaker by the moment, save for the Brewers and, maybe, the Cubs. The entire division is one big "IF".

So buck up, my friend. It could be worse, you could be a Giants fan like me.

Peter F.:

Fantastic stuff, great comment. I hope you're right. The pitching coach is Dick Pole. I thought they retained him, since Baker worked with him while they were with the Giants, but had to do a search to verify. (What a great name. Not as good as Dick Trickle, though.) (:-D)

I know I said this before, but please, please, please keep up the great work here, you and Dan are doing a bang-up job! I knew this Sports section of Wizbang would take off if someone would only care for it.

I forgot to mention that Moneyball is now on my Christmas list.

Tom,

Gosh, that's right, Dick Pole! I knew it was somebody Dusty had worked during his stay with the G-Men. Pole did well by our sometimes suspect staffs. (Let's face it, he didn't have much to work with after John Burkett and Bill Swift departed the Giants.)

And yeah, Dick Pole and Dick Trickle are some of the greatest dirty names in sports. But none was ever better than former Cubby and Royals player, Pete LaCock--the man with two peters! LOL

Good to hear "Moneyball" is on your list. I can also recommend Buzz Bissinger's "Three Nights in August", the same author who wrote "Friday Night Lights". It's a great behind-the-scenes look and dive into the genius of Tony LaRussa during a critical 3-game series between the Cards and Cubs. Great stuff!

One final baseball book that's a little more obscure from Mike Shorpshire titled "Seasons in Hell". It's all about the quirky and sometimes downright bizarre formative years of the Texas Rangers back in the 1970s. A very entertaining read! (It's available at Amazon, naturally.)

That should help you keep warm by the old Hot Stove heater until pitchers and catchers report. :-)