John Clay’s Sidelines

Update: UK says Rusin will return.

 
Mike Fields has an update on Robbie Ross.

Midnight tonight is the deadline for baseball players taken in the June MLB draft to either sign or go back into next year's draft, which has quite an effect on the UK baseball team for 2009.

Exchanged e-mails with baseball contact Brent Ingram over at the UK sports information office.

He reports the following:

• Drafted players who have signed and not coming back: Sawyer Carroll, Collin Cowgill, Tyler Howe, Scott Green, Ryan Wilkes, Andrew Albers.

• Pitcher Greg Dombrowski has signed a free-agent contract with the Reds.

• Pitcher Chris Rusin was drafted and will be negotiating until the deadline. As Brent says, "it would be huge to get him back"

• UK has lost recruits Seth Lintz, Corban Joseph, Blake Brewer.

• Recruit Daniel Webb will instead go to junior college.

• Lexington Christian pitcher Robbie Ross, a UK signee, is in Texas getting his physical and negotiating. He was a second-round pick of the Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Reds are still said to be far from signing first-round pick Yonder Alfonso, first baseman from Miami. Here's Paul Daugherty's take.

Ken Griffey, Jr., stroked over 600 home runs.

He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Adam "Big Donkey" Dunn has hit 40-or-more home runs each of the past four seasons.

He is tied for the Major-League lead with 32 this year.

 The Reds have traded both in the past two weeks – Griffey on July 31; Dunn on Monday.

Here’s what the Reds received:

• Nick Masset, a 26-year-old right-hand pitcher who has thrown all of 100 innings in the Major Leagues.

• Danny Richar, a 25-year-old infielder who has played in all of 56 Major League games.

• Dallas Buck, a 23-year-old right-hand pitcher who is coming off Tommy John surgery.

• Two players to be named later from the Diamondbacks.

Those aren’t exactly blue-chip prospects the Reds have garnered for their corner outfielders. Masset has looked decent enough in his early outings with the Reds. And Buck is considered a promising prospect, if he remains healthy. He's only Class A ball. And if the Reds had let Dunn walk at the end of the year, they would have received two supplementary first-round draft picks.

Evidently, GM Walt Jocketty felt he had to act now. He didn’t want to pick up Griffey’s option for next season. He didn’t want to pick up Dunn’s option for next season. Griffey is out of gas, long past his prime. Dunn has never played with any kind of gas, not on the bases or in the outfield. He hits long home runs. And he walks. His on-base percentage is .373 this year, but his batting average just .233. And, as Paul Daugherty points out, Dunn is no leader.

But the Reds aren’t exactly leaders, either. They way they’ve been doing it these past few years has been the wrong way. Eight straight losing seasons, which will be the tally after this campaign — Jack McKeon was the last winning Reds manager — doesn’t lie. You don’t neglect the farm system, hire five managers in six years, hire three general managers in four years and expect to be a contender.

There is something to be said for stability.

So what’s the plan now? Owner Bob Castellini was downright laughable in telling the Cincinnati Enquirer the Reds were starting over, but could "absolutely" win next year.

There's your problem right there.

It was time for both parties to move on. Ken Griffey, Jr. was tired of the Reds. The Reds were tired of Ken Griffey, Jr. It might be OK to stand and watch your mighty drives fly out of the ballpark when you are crushing many mighty drives. It might be OK to lope down to first base on ground balls when you are crushing many mighty drives. It might be OK to give up on catchable fly balls, and then make a classless gesture at a critic, if your team is winning. But the Reds aren’t winning. They never have with Junior.

Here’s the problem with the Reds. It’s not that they traded Junior. They traded him too late. He isn’t just past his prime. He’s way past his prime. And to stay viable, teams like Cincinnati, franchises that won’t indulge in bidding wars, must trade star players before they start to slide, when they’re marketability is at its peak.

That’s what Minnesota has done. The Twins traded Johan Santana when they could still get something for the high-value pitcher. And Minnesota is right on the heels of Griffey’s new team, the Chicago White Sox, in the AL Central. Look at Oakland. Billy Beane has traded pitchers Dan Haren, Rich Harden and Jason Joe Blanton since the end of last season. The A’s are fading this year. But by amassing a wealth of good young players, Beane has put Oakland in position to contend for the next several seasons.

Truth be told, the Reds got little or nothing for Junior. Truth be told, they waited too long.

Truth be told, they’re making the same mistake with Adam Dunn. Had the Reds been pro-active, instead of reactive, they might have received something of value for the Big Donkey a year or so ago. Now, it’s too late. Teams know they can sign Dunn in the off-season, possibly for a reduced rate. The Reds will get next-to-nothing in return.

Links:

• Cincinnnati Enquirer gives Junior a farewell.

• Paul Daugherty saysGriffey in Cincinnati just didn’t work out.

• Reds look to the future.

• White Sox making a run for the ring.

• Mike Downey says he’s stoked over the deal.

• Jay Marriotti says Griffey will help, but Sox still flawed.

• The Griffey problem, according to Baseball Prospectus.

Are the Reds sending Junior packing?

That’s what Fox News is reporting, saying that Cincinnati has a deal set to send Ken Griffey, Jr. to the Chicago White Sox, pending Griffey’s approval.

The Sporting News is chiming in, as well.

Paul Daugherty talks about it on his blog here.

Don’t know what the Reds are getting in return, but if the report is true, I like the deal. Junior’s time in his hometown has come and gone. Cincinnati is not going to pick up his option for next year, nor should it. Griffey is hitting below .250 this year, with reduced power. He’s on the downhill slide, and seems to have lost his spark.

Plus, the recent ugliness between Junior and broadcaster Jeff Brantley hasn’t helped. After hitting a home run last weekend, Griffey made the finger-across-the-throat gesture at Brantley in the booth. Seems Junior thought Brantley made a comment that Griffey was pouting about his option not being picked up. Brantley says he only criticized Griffey’s lack of defense on a particular play.

Update: Chicago Tribune confirms trade and says Junior will play center.

Marty Brennaman is not shy. He says what he thinks. That’s one reason we love the Reds’ Hall of Fame broadcaster. It’s one reason Chicago Cubs fans are not all that fond of him, as Teddy Greenstein reports in the Chicago Tribune.

Cincinnati’s last trip to Wrigley Field, when Chicago supporters threw a dozen baseballs on to the field during the game, the Hall of Famer referred to Cubs’ fans as “the most obnoxious fans in baseball.”

Thom Brennaman, Marty’s son and sometimes broadcast partner, told Greenstein that his father has received e-mail that is “disgraceful, absolutely brutal.”

Wrote Teddy, “So in their attempt to protest being called “obnoxious,” some Cubs fans proved they are just that. Or even worse.”

“My dad is an emotional, passionate guy, and that’s one of the many reasons I love him,” Thom told the Tribune. “The Reds were getting pounded, and all of a sudden some fans did some stuff he thought was bogus, and I agree with him 100 percent that throwing balls on the field was bogus.”

Go get ‘em Marty.

Look at the number of quality starts and run support for starting pitchers heading into this weekend's series with Boston Red Sox:

Starter            QS-NQS   Record    Team     Reds runs Per Start
Arroyo              6-9            4-5          7-8            80        5.3
Bailey              1-1            0-2          0-2             2         1.0
Belisle             1-5            1-4          1-5            30         5.0
Cueto               7-7            5-6          6-8            54        3.9
Fogg                0-4            1-2          2-2            26        6.5
Harang             9-5            2-9          5-9            42        3.0
Volquez          10-3            9-2         11-2           72        5.5

The hard-luck pitcher is obviously Harang, who is 9-5 in quality starts but has just a 2-9 record. He's only getting three runs per start. But look at Volquez. The rookie has 10 quality starts in 13 total starts. The Reds are 11-2 in the 13 games he's started. His run support is excellent at 5.5, but Arroyo (5.3) and Belisle (5.0) have also received excellent run support without anywhere near the same success. Cueto has been inconsistent, but he's a rookie. I'd let Bailey and Cueto both pitch through their mistakes at this level. Neither one has anything left to prove back in the minors. The hard knocks taken now is education for the future. And this could be the best starting five the Reds have thrown on the mound in quite awhile.

If only we could all be 21 years old, like Jay Bruce; have a terrific smile, like Jay Bruce; and have a first year in the majors, like Jay Bruce.

Prepare to rub your eyes:

• Date  Opp           AB R H BI W K  Note                    
  
• 5-27  Pittsburgh    3  2  3  2  2  0   Double
• 5-28  Pittsburgh    3  1  1  0  2  0   Double; reaches first 6 appearances
• 5-29  Pittsburgh    3  0  0  0  0  1
• 5-30  Atlanta        5  2  4  1  0  0   Double; scores winning run
• 5-31  Atlanta        5  3  3  1  1  0   Walk-off home run in 10th to win game
• 6-1    Atlanta        3  2  2  2  1  0   Hits second homer

Batting average: .591
On-base percentage: .690
Slugging percentage: 1.000
OPS: 1.690

Links:

• Bruce rocks Reds, female fans. [USA Today]

• Braves swept on road by Reds. [AJC]

• Bruce living up to untouchable tag. [John Fay]

• Bruce delivers again for Reds. [Dayton Daily News]

As nice as it was that Jay Bruce stroked four hits in six at-bats in his first two games as a Cincinnati Reds, that he walked four times, that he helped the Reds to straight wins over the Pittsburgh, here's something even better. His smile.

Have you ever seen such a kid? I know, the guy is only 21 years old. Tuesday night was his MLB debut, and the phenom from Texas went three-for-three with two walks as part of a 9-6 Cincinnati victory. But Bruce couldn't stop smiling. There was one TV shot, as the Reds were changing pitchers, and there was Bruce standing in the outfield, talking with Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. And all Bruce did was smile. A wide, goofy, amazing grin.

You had to love it.

You had to love, too, the way Reds fans have already started chanting "Bruuuuuuce" whenever the rookie reaches the plate, much the same way we Springsteen fanatics chant the exact same thing when "The Boss" hits the stage. Red Reporter already has a post about Boss/Bruce jerseys.

Reminds me of a great clip from the 1980 "No Nukes" movie. It was a concert film in which rock stars played to protest the building of nuclear power plants. (Think Three Mile Island.) Springsteen played the event. In fact, whenever certain acts took the stage, the crowd kept chanting for 'Bruuuuuuce."

There is a scene where Jackson Browne is in Tom Petty's dressing room, warning him about the chants. Browne tells Petty something like, "Don't worry. They're not booing. They're just chanting "Bruuuuuuce."

Petty replies, "What's the difference?"

Links:

• Bruce is "best Reds' kid in 24 years." [Paul Daugherty]

• Bruce goes six in a row. [Cincinnati Enquirer]

• Bruce's debut stacks up well. [Dayton Daily News]

• Already, Reds fans are chanting "Bruuuuuuce." [Hal McCoy]

• Jay Bruce Era begins in Cincinnati. [New York Times baseball blog]

• Why wasn't Jay Bruce called up sooner? [Beyond the Box Score]

• Jay Bruce mania arrives. [Redlegs Rundown]

About time.

That’s all you can say.

Who knows what finally prompted the Cincinnati Reds to finally call up minor league phenom, i.e. hope of the franchise, Jay Bruce. Perhaps they tired of waiting on Ken Griffey, Jr. to finally hit his 600th home run, so they could activate the launch sequence that would propel Junior back to Seattle. Perhaps it was that dreadful 0-for-8 day at the plate turned in by the hapless Corey Patterson during Sunday’s grueling 18-inning loss at San Diego.

The last Red to go 0-for-8 in a game? Eddie Milner in 1983.

Jay Bruce is not Eddie Milner. Let’s hope not anyway. The discovery process starts today. After hitting .364 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in just 49 games at Louisville, the 21-year-old Bruce gets the call-up to the majors today. Finally. And suddenly there’s a reason to be interested in the Reds. Not to mention hopeful.

Asked if Bruce, the 12th player taken in the 2005 draft will play every day, General Manager Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I hope so.”

Presumably, Bruce will play center field, between Griffey in right and Adam Dunn in left. Presumably, this is only until the Reds figure out what to do with their two highly-paid corner outfielders. Thought was Dunn might be packing his bags once the June 15 no-trade clause in his contract expires. But Dunner has been on a tear. Griffey is now the one on shakier ground. Or maybe, with no other acceptable option in center, Bruce stays put.

But if Bruce is to play every day, Jocketty might have to lean a bit on manager Dusty Baker. Dusty loves his veterans. He loves his guys. Why else would he continue to play Patterson despite the fact the Cubs reject is hitting just .201? Patterson has one hit in his last 34 at-bats. He doesn’t take enough pitches to be a lead-off hitter, yet Baker insists on putting him at the top of the order. Right now, Patterson is a $3 million bust.

Bruce won't be a bust. He was Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year last year. He can hit for average and power, plus steal bases. He had eight steals in 49 games at Louisville.

He’s not too young either. Johnny Bench was 19 when he made his Reds’ debut. Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays’ budding star, is 22. Arizona’s Juston Upton, the No. 1 pick in the ’05 draft, is 21. Boston pitcher Jon Lester, who threw a no-hitter two weeks back, is 24. Milwaukee power hitter Ryan Braun is 24. On the current Reds, Johnny Cueto is 22. Edinson Volquez is 24.

There will be growing pains. But there's no time like the present to get those out of the way. These Reds aren't going anywhere. They're not going to win anything. And Jocketty told the Enquirer that the reports were Bruce has been ready to make the jump to the majors for awhile.

Finally, he’s here.

About time.

It’s human nature to question your own intelligence when you devote time to such a thankless endeavor as following the daily disappointment that is the Cincinnati Reds. And then, even in the mid-May morass of mediocrity, a single play pops up to remind you why you were watching in the first place.

I caught the first three or four innings of the Reds-Marlins game last night on the tube before switching over to Idol. Stuck with that for the whole hour. Ryan Seacrest has to go, by the way. And judging by her attire, Paula must be reading the gossip about her predicted ouster. Simon’s eyes always tell the story. I liked Syesha, but she had to go. David vs. David was destined from the start. David A. is cute, cuddly, a bit odd, with a stage dad, and a Disney Channel vibe. Despite what Ken Levine believes, I don’t think he wins. David Cook seems more the Idol-type to me. But that’s a guess. And enough about that.

Back to the Reds, which I did after the Idol finale. By the time I made way back to Channel 66, the game was tied. Marlins had scored six runs in the top of the ninth. So it’s 6-6.  Now it’s the bottom of the 10th inning. There were Reds on the bases. At the plate was rookie Paul Janish.

Let’s back up here. The night before had been a heartbreaker. I didn’t see it – Dancing and Idol on the same night, are you kidding – but apparently Jeff Keppinger fouled a ball off his his kneecap with such force it broke his something or other. Life isn’t fair. Keppinger is a great story. Former Georgia Bulldog. Journeyman infielder. Hit everywhere, stuck nowhere. Then the Reds picked him up last year. He’s done nothing but hit since. Saturday, in the second game of a doubleheader at New York, Kep went five-for-five. Two days later, he’s on the Disabled List.

(Nice story here on how Ken Griffey, Jr., kept Keppinger’s spirits up after the injury.)

Back to Janish. He’s at the plate. Two outs. It’s his second big-league at-bat. He’s 25 years old. He had just been called up that day from AAA Louisville. In fact, his mom was driving to Louisville to visit her son, got the news, re-programmed the GPS, and found her way to Great American Ballpark. Janish fouls off the first pitch. He swings through the second. Third time is his charm.

Janish sends a line drive to the right field corner.

This one belongs to the Reds.

The Reds burst out of the dugout like happy Little Leaguers. They try to ride Janish like a bull at the rodeo. He’s fighting (sort of) to get away. They keep riding. Finally, in all the flailing, someone catches Janish right across the schnoz (sp?) and the rookie ends up with a bloody nose. Two things he’ll never forget.

Make it three.

Final camera shot, there’s the rookie with the bloody nose, hugging his mother.

That’s why you watch.