Jay Bruce

Bruuuuuce.

It's a sound that Reds fans bellow every time Jay Bruce steps up to the plate.

Outsiders may think the noise is some sort of boo. The reality is quite the opposite—Bruce is a vital piece of the 2010 Cincinnati Reds, and the fans know it.

He has quickly become one of the most beloved players on the team. 

After being touted as a "can't miss" prospect coming up, he has struggled to live up to lofty expectations. After a red-hot start to his pro career in '08, his bat has cooled off mightily.

I know the few weeks in spring training is insufficient time to make a detailed performance rating, but if not now, when?

Yonder Alonso is not striking fear in the Reds opponents, or his competitors at his prospective position(s).

Aroldis Chapman: the savior, the next best thing, or the next Randy Johnson. All things might be true, but it has to start somewhere.

The Reds' prized new acquisition threw a bullpen session for about two hours on Thursday, and to people who witnessed it, said that he threw well and felt well after.

Chapman, who was just recently signed a six year contract worth over $30 million, has been speculated to be one of the best new pitchers in the game, and the Reds are hoping they hit a jackpot. 

Since Michael Lewis' 2003 bestseller, everyday there are new web sites, blogs, and bar room napkins dedicated to the discussion of "win shares" or "similarity score".  Rather than being one of these people, I would prefer to take residence inside of Bill James' colon.

Don't get me wrong, I very much enjoyed Moneyball.   In fact, while watching Jay Bruce, it has been on my mind a lot lately.

The young Cincinnati Reds are a hanging tough at 26-20.

They are currently 1 1/2 games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.  They also trail the Milwaukee Brewers by a half game.  The Reds are leading the preseason favorites, the Chicago Cubs, by three games.

It was deja vu all over again as the Cincinnati Reds lost a marathon game to the San Diego Padres last night.

On May 25, 2008, the Reds suffered an 18-inning loss to the Padres at PETCO Park.  In that game, Edinson Volquez was on the mound when Adrian Gonzalez won it with a homerun.

Last night, Volquez started for the Reds.  He gave up two runs in the first then settled down before having to leave in the sixth inning with back spasms.  He was not the only player who had to leave the game for Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Reds general manager Walt Jocketty felt good about his team's season-opening roster. 

The Reds were going into the season with a pretty solid pitching staff and a faster and younger team. It was expected that they shouldn't have problems manufacturing runs. You had to trust his opinion since he had a successful track record with St. Louis.

This article is the sixth in the series of "25 Ways to Know if You're a ____ Fan". People have enjoyed reading about their favorite teams and how to know that they belong to that fan base. The next team in the series is the Cincinnati Reds.

So, Cincinnati, here is your list!