The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

[Lawman]

[i]I actually caught my first Reds game of the year the other night; the final game of the series against the Nats ( Nats local channel for this viewing area). Wow, what a disappointment, but there is still some hope maybe not this year for the near future.[/i]

[b]THE GOOD[/b]

Alex Gonzalez - for a guy known for his glove and weak bat; he is putting up some nice numbers with
8 HR's, 11 2B and a .482 Slg pct. Currently with a .259 BA; I would like to see him work on his OBP
currently at .315.

Junior - All he has done is lead the League in HR's for the month of May moving up into the 8th spot on the all-time list and really the only thing that's noteworthy about the Reds . I have not heard much grumbling of his shift to right

Josh Hamilton - This guy is going to put people in the seats; a Five-Tool player. He should get the Clemes Clause; you know the one where there are certain cities he does not have to play in; [s]Cleveland[/s].

Brandon Phillips - he started slowly, but has come on strong. He made some nice stops on some hard hit balls in the game I watched. I think him and Gonzalez are going to make a great team up the middle, coupled with hamiltonin Center when he returns.

Ryan Freel - Gives 110% every game.

Majewski - I know what your thinking, how can you put him in the good category. Just hear me out.
First, he's back and that's a good thing. He had topped out at 95; another good thing. He had movement on fast-ball; another good thing. Now the thing with his movement was that it was starting a lttle too early, you want a late break (remember he hit the first batter he faced Batista.) This is probably due to te fact that he has rediscovered his velocity. A side note: Sutton said that he was most effective in DC when his ball sank; I did not see itthe other night.

[b]THE BAD[/b]

The Bullpen - No surpise here. Never was a fanof Weathers late in the game; to me he is more of an innnings eater-among other things With a WHIP of 4.55; not the right guy even though he is 9-10 in Save Opportunities.

Stanton's has a 6.06 ERA; this can be decieving for relievers but in 16.1 innings pitched he has yielded 22 hits while walking 6 and hitting 4 batters accounting for 11 earned runs.

The other guys I don't know about, but with the return of Majewski and the eventual returns of Bray and Guardado could quickly elevate this group into a formidable presence.

5.33 = How many strikeouts Adam Dunn collects before he hits a HR.

Comparison: Ken Griffey Jr has 20 less at-bats with 11 HR's, but has only K'd 20 times to Dunn's 64;
plus Griffey has 30 RBI's compared to Dunn's 27. If there are any trade talks, keep these stats under your hat.

Encarcion and Dunn's defense - I will give Dunn a pass for the other night; he hustled and attempted to make a play on a ball he had no business doing so. [b]FOR THE RECORD; I am not a Dunn basher; I love Adam Dunn, but i only wishhe were able to play First-base.[/b] I will say that Dunn has bought into Narron's all-out hustle rules, but one must realizethe limitation of their abilities.

Encarcion's hitting and fielding which sent him down to the minors.

[b]THE UGLY[/b]

The worst record in baseball, enough said. Are they the worst team; not sure. But I seen some things the other night and of course what happened last night with the meltdown in the 10th.

The other night I witnessed, the afore mention Dunn play which subsequently allowed the winning run to score (Austin Kearns) from First-base.

I seen a 4-5-1 Double-play (then Encarcion hit's a 2-run HR instead of a 3-run HR), then a 4-5-3 Double play in the same game

Conines bunt attempt -OK, we all know that Jeff Conine was not brought in tolay down a sacrifice bunt to move a runner over. But, here is a chance to show that Narron is making the right calls, moving a runner over in the top of the ninth into scoring position when you team is down by 1. Yes, Conine is a professional and should of done his job. Note: Narron started Conine in lat nights game.

[b]Summary[/b]

Hell, I don't have the answers, but just wanted to show how I see things. I know we have Bailey downin the minors; [b]please don't put the burden of "saviour" on the shoulders of the is young kid[/b]. You will be disappointed. Votto and Bruce are also on the move, but we need to get a catcher in the mix and a decision is going to have to be made on Encarcion.

If the Reds are looking at a 3rd baseman; they need to get their asses down to my neck of the woods and start scouting.

Micheal Cuddyer (original position); D.Wright; B.J. Upton (original position); Ryan Zimmerman and the latest entry into the Magors from Tidewater; Mark Reynolds (Diamondbacks).

Future 3rd baseman prospect:
David Winfree