Seth's 50 Centers

I watched FSN’s preview of the Reds the other night.

First, it’s amazing to me that the Reds and Junior went all spring without officially saying anything about this big move to right field, but the night of the FSN preview – a show that was obviously recorded over the past month and not done live – the beat writers and TV guys get wind of it and run with the story.

        Oh, and FSN didn’t even lead with the story they were obviously spoon fed. They waited until Jeff “The Cowboy” Brantley got his chance to make his debut, about 20 minutes into the 30-minute show, to slide it in there.

At the end of the day I don’t think it’s that big a deal that Griffey moves over from center. At this point we don’t even know for sure that he’s going to play Opening Day, so what’s the big deal?

Enough about Junior. I love watching him play, and hope he’s healthy for the entire season, but for once there are so many more storylines surrounding the Reds this year than that, but we must continue to discuss this FSN preview.

What is up with the background music during the interviews? Could it be any hokier? We’ve got George Grande’s Howdy Doody smile as he sits across from Adam Dunn, Wayne Krivsky, etc. and all I can think is that we’re in a low budget western TV show from the sixties.
I keep thinking Tanto’s going to come over the hill on some nag they’re trying to make look like a huge horse.
Oh, and Grande, the guy whose claim to fame is the fact he was the original SportsCenter anchor. What was he thinking this offseason when he informed his bosses that if the Reds move up to 145 games on the TV schedule he just doesn’t want to increase his workload?
I’ve suffered through George’s broadcasts for more than a decade, and before you tell me I should turn down my TV and listen to Marty, I can’t. My satellite has a delay that won’t allow me to do it because I’d continuously hear the result of the play before seeing it on the screen.
I just have to think that if I’m not in the minority about Grande’s on air performance it’d be smart not to shy away from work if you want to keep doing the games.

Pitching
I’m excited about this pitching staff because from Day 1 it seemed to have had the depth it’s lacked since its last playoff year of 1995.
Obviously Eric Milton is still a loose end we have to find out about when the real games begin, but when was the last time the Reds had two guys at the top of the rotation – Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo – who won a total of 30 games the year before?
Eric Lohse has looked good and always has the “stuff” guys like Jim Bowden drool over, but there was a reason he wasn’t in the rotation in Minnesota when the Reds got him, so there’s reason to be skeptical.

I am not, however, skeptical at all!
The No. 2 pitcher this time last year was Brandon Claussen. Brandon Claussen! He’s not here anymore and if he were he’d have no assurance of making the rotation, let alone being near the top of the order.
The bullpen is a huge improvement over last year’s collection of tin cans.
I readily admit they may need to put in a wheelchair ramp for two-thirds of these guys, and the laminator for the AARP cards is most likely breaking down because of all the old guys out there.
I only hope the Reds have someone to make sure each guy is awake when it’s his turn to warm up.
That said, Mike Stanton had a great year last year, despite his age, and now that the Reds have Dustin Hermanson, Stanton and David Weathers won’t have the weight of the closer’s role around their necks.
Todd Coffey is solid and fellow youngster Bill Bray should have a decent year.
I’m not counting on anything from Gary Majewski, who Bowden duped Krivsky into taking in the only bad move the new GM made in his first year. Majewski may never be healthy again and we gave up Austin Kearns for the guy?
The question in the bullpen is whether the Reds can keep Jared Burton, a Rule 5 pick from Oakland. Burton’s young, but his stuff has been amazing. The problem is a roster crunch that includes another geriatric, lefty Rheal Cormier.
The litmus test for improvement in the Reds bullpen has to be Cormier. When the Reds got him from the Phillies late last season he moved to the top of the bullpen as far as dependability. Now the guy is only hanging onto his spot because of the extension he was given before the end of the season.
If Krivsky could move Cormier, it seems like he would. Maybe he gets moved before next week and Burton stays on the staff, rather than having to be sent back to Oakland.

Position players
The most intriguing situation in camp has to be that of Josh Hamilton.
Many writers have already written his story, the one about how he was a can’t-miss prospect and was an outfielder version of Alex Rodriguez. Then he was in an automobile accident and missed time because of an injury. All the free time in Tampa helped send him down a road he would have a hard time retuning from.
We know his story, but regardless of how he got to rock bottom, the fact he didn’t play the game of baseball for nearly four years makes his hitting nearly .500 all spring all the more impressive.
Yes, I know it’s Spring Training, and maybe Hamilton’s not seeing the same pitches he’ll see come April, but this is the type of story that was meant for Spring Training!
This is the time of year when hopes are supposed to be high. The Pirates think they can contend right now! Hamilton is everything the spring is supposed to be.
I hope he makes it, but the problem is a guy who hasn’t played much over the past four years has to have regular at bats and last I checked the Reds were planning to play Junior in right and Ryan Freel in center.
With Adam Dunn a fixture in left for 160-plus games, where does that leave Hamilton? The Reds can’t send him down to the minors because he’s a Rule 5 pick and must remain on the big league team or be offered back to the Devil Rays.
Something tells me that Junior won’t be ready to play April 2 and Hamilton will get a few weeks of playing time in right field to see what he brings to the regular season table.
Beyond that the comparisons to Wily Mo Pena are inevitable; except for the fact Hamilton has baseball instincts. He’s an excellent outfielder who doesn’t misjudge routine fly balls and, despite the long layoff, he’s not nearly as raw at the plate.

He’s a smart hitter who just needs AB s to get him going.

Bring on the season
This was the first column for the site. It was a rambling mess of optimism and criticism.
Here’s to the season getting underway, Thom Brennaman taking over for George Grande permanently and the Reds winning the pennant.