Spring Training:Finally In March!

It may not be Spring Training, but I may have mapped myself out a Reds game to see. I'm going to spend a week's of vacation in Gatlinburg with the family the last week of June, and the trip down takes me very close to Washington DC...and who happens to be in town while I'm passing through...the REDS!

Jung called that "Synchronicity". Love when that happens!

I realy wish GABP had a retractable roof. I am about 3 hours away. I hate the summer day games because of the heat. I am always scared to go to a April game because of all the rain. A few years back I took a road trip to Milwaukee to watch a couple Reds games. It was great except for the out come of the games. Didn't have to worry one bit about a rain out. We saw one game with roof open and one with it closed. The 2nd game it was pouring rain outside. 
 With the unpredictable weather in the Cincinnati area and them being a small market they have always had fans from 2-3 hours away. Kentucky,Virginia,Indiana,West VA.
 It sucks to be from 3 hours away and come to a rainout or a long rain delay. I have been to 3 rainouts and it sucks. 

...and the Rays claimed Jumbo

DeSclafani's Elbow is acting up and Bailey on DL until?


Finnegan is our opening day pitcher.

Our starting pitching is just not that good to relagate him to the pen. Besides that he had a good year last year.

Couple things to get your take on.

1)as much as I always anticipate and love when spring training starts, with the anticipation that actual spring and actual baseball are just around the corner, once it's here, the older I get, the more I am like "Whatever"! I will say the last 2 weeks or so you do want to take stock of who is doing what.

2)If the Reds were 13-6 instead of 8-11 would you be more optimistic? In fact I know human nature would have everybody doubting it. But the same human nature will curse the mediocrity. I say the goal should be around .500 but with the caveat that the guys who actually "WILL" be on the opening day roster are having mediocre to good springs. You just want them to not play alarmingly terrible.

3)I hope the team has the balls to plug in all the young starters and not put in chaff and castoffs. For every Dan Straily there are a dozen Fogg/Marqis's. Injuries are hurting us here ues, but use it to actually learn something about your young starters this year. I don't buy the complete free agency clocks at the same time. They all aren't going to work out and a smart team that sees an impending reality like this will take precautions and make trades than wait around to be victims if they all do work out. Garrett and Roman have been fantastic overall thus far.

4)the 2 bullpen additions we know are going to be there in Storen and Brice have 15 and 19 ERA's. Ouch! Not what you want to see in ST!

5)Overall the offense has been pretty good except Votto, Hamilton, and Schebler. The last 2 week stats to me will be telling for all players though.

That's where I'm at. Lackadaisical, intermittent, indifferent, anticipatory, slightly alarmed, overall unwavering and mildly optimistic.

About where I was on February 13th!

Great points Brad. On the bullpen especially. Their single or less innings can't be hidden like a starter going 2-5.

On the starters my fear is rounding out the rotation with castoffs with 3 of the 4 in Louisville for months knowing they are coming up and not just being September callups. If that is the case use them whenever you like after the date you speak of. All of the rest of the year. I'd go so far as to send Feldman to the pen and DFA Arroyo if everybody else is dealing at whatever level. With 2 starters down to begin the season I'd like to see more of an aggressive attitude. I thought we had an outside shot if the rotation stayed healthy. They play timid here IMO we have no shot. But with the youth there is still an inkling IMO and if not they take their lumps and hopefully gain something from the experience.

The other thing I am seeing is the best milb strikeout pitchers who were deliberately invited to ST are barely being used and will be sent out soon. I don't like the lack of aggression here either.

Overall I see this just ball-less, spineless, visionless approach to teams, all over sports that ends up just punting season after season away. The we will contend date gets moved back and the championship talk fades altogether. Intelligence will get the talent. I think aggression gets the spoils. If you got both you have a clear vision. Vision is sorely lacking in Cincinnati sports and from some very able and intelligent men.