Cincinnati Reds

Like most Reds diehards, I'm treading lightly on praise right now, but it is soooooo hard to hide the enthusiasm. Oh, and this from the Enquirer today: @Cincienquirer  Aroldis Chapman will make his debut in Louisville Friday. Tickets are, predictably, going fast: http://bit.ly/csEHc0

The Reds season is now one week old, and positive things are already transpiring.

To begin with, they are four up and three down, which is a real good thing, considering their first two series were against the top two finishers in the NL Central in 2009.

Scott Rolen is beginning to look like the Rolen of 2004 with the Cardinals. He finished that season with an OPS+ of 157.

There is a new young gun in town—I have named him "Iceman." When that takes off, don't forget where you saw it first.

Who needs the Minor Leagues? Mike Leake, that is who.

He pitched the first professional game of his career yesterday at Great American Ball Park against the Chicago Cubs.

In the first inning, he had the bases loaded with no outs, yet managed to keep his cool and leave the innings unscathed. That's what I'm talking 'bout.

He showed the poise of a veteran as he worked into the seventh inning of his pro debut. He was wild as a buck but allowed minimal damage from his control problems.

Ryan Freel, who played nearly 600 MLB games, recently signed with the Somerset Patriots of the Independent Atlantic League.

Freel put together a career .268 average with over 500 hits and 140 stolen bases in eight MLB seasons.

Freel’s most productive years came in the mid ’90s with the Cincinnati Reds.

Coco Cordero is already in mid-season form.

Wait a minute, that is not a good thing, at least not in my mind.

As he did countless times last year, he was called on in the ninth to protect a lead, this time two runs.

He pitched horribly and yet was rewarded with a save. Show me some justice!

If you check the box score you will see his line is anything but good. One inning, one earned run, three hits and a home run. The game ended with the bases loaded.

The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers were one of baseball’s greatest teams. 

Most Reds' fans who visit this site are already well aware of Friday evening's nail biter victory vs. the Chicago Cubs.

Let's start with Homer Bailey.

Bailey struggled through four tough innings.  His fifth and final inning of work was a rather simple one, even though he did plunk the first batter, Xavier Nady.

When all was said and done, Bailey's line read:

5 IP, 7 H (all singles), 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2 HBP, 2 WP, and 1 BK—29 batters faced, and 109 pitches tossed.

The 2010 baseball season is upon us and that means it's prediction time.

The consensus on the Cincinnati Reds is sleeper status. They have the potential to make a run with their abundance of young talent. On the other hand, a injury here or there and the Reds will be lucky to break the horrid streak of nine straight years finishing below .500.

The problem is there are too many questions.

What if Aroldis Chapman and his 100 mph fastball are called up in June and he takes the National League by storm?

On Monday I had the opportunity to attend Cincinnati Reds Opening Day. For anybody who has lived in Cincinnati, it is widely known that Opening Day is a Cincinnati holiday. It is also a day nobody does quite like Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati is home to the first professional baseball team some 150 years ago and in the Queen City, baseball has and always will be king. 

Every Opening Day in Cincinnati over the last 91 years has began with the Findlay Market Parade. The parade marches through the streets of downtown and is the highlight of the big day.

Listed below, are the points and counterpoints about whether Drew Stubbs needs to hit well to stay with the Reds:

Point: Yes, Drew Stubbs' performance in the minors was not good enough to tolerate a weak bat.

Counterpoint: No, Stubbs' glove is so good that he stays unless he is failing miserably at the dish.

P: Stubbs had a .715 OPS in AAA in 2009.

CP: His OPS was .762 when he came up to the Reds. His minor league OPS was .765. What is your point?