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The Hall of Famer vs. Cubs fans

Marty Brennaman is not shy. He says what he thinks. That's one reason we love the Reds' Hall of Fame broadcaster. It's one reason Chicago Cubs fans are not all that fond of him, as Teddy Greenstein reports in the Chicago Tribune.

Cincinnati's last trip to Wrigley Field, when Chicago supporters threw a dozen baseballs on to the field during the game, the Hall of Famer referred to Cubs' fans as "the most obnoxious fans in baseball."

Thom Brennaman, Marty's son and sometimes broadcast partner, told Greenstein that his father has received e-mail that is "disgraceful, absolutely brutal."

Wrote Teddy, "So in their attempt to protest being called "obnoxious," some Cubs fans proved they are just that. Or even worse."

"My dad is an emotional, passionate guy, and that's one of the many reasons I love him," Thom told the Tribune. "The Reds were getting pounded, and all of a sudden some fans did some stuff he thought was bogus, and I agree with him 100 percent that throwing balls on the field was bogus."

Go get 'em Marty.

Reds quality starts

Look at the number of quality starts and run support for starting pitchers heading into this weekend's series with Boston Red Sox:

Starter            QS-NQS   Record    Team     Reds runs Per Start
Arroyo              6-9            4-5          7-8            80        5.3
Bailey              1-1            0-2          0-2             2         1.0
Belisle             1-5            1-4          1-5            30         5.0
Cueto               7-7            5-6          6-8            54        3.9
Fogg                0-4            1-2          2-2            26        6.5
Harang             9-5            2-9          5-9            42        3.0
Volquez          10-3            9-2         11-2           72        5.5

The hard-luck pitcher is obviously Harang, who is 9-5 in quality starts but has just a 2-9 record. He's only getting three runs per start. But look at Volquez. The rookie has 10 quality starts in 13 total starts. The Reds are 11-2 in the 13 games he's started. His run support is excellent at 5.5, but Arroyo (5.3) and Belisle (5.0) have also received excellent run support without anywhere near the same success. Cueto has been inconsistent, but he's a rookie. I'd let Bailey and Cueto both pitch through their mistakes at this level. Neither one has anything left to prove back in the minors. The hard knocks taken now is education for the future. And this could be the best starting five the Reds have thrown on the mound in quite awhile.

Jay Bruce's unbelievable first week

If only we could all be 21 years old, like Jay Bruce; have a terrific smile, like Jay Bruce; and have a first year in the majors, like Jay Bruce.

Prepare to rub your eyes:

• Date  Opp           AB R H BI W K  Note                    
  
• 5-27  Pittsburgh    3  2  3  2  2  0   Double
• 5-28  Pittsburgh    3  1  1  0  2  0   Double; reaches first 6 appearances
• 5-29  Pittsburgh    3  0  0  0  0  1
• 5-30  Atlanta        5  2  4  1  0  0   Double; scores winning run
• 5-31  Atlanta        5  3  3  1  1  0   Walk-off home run in 10th to win game
• 6-1    Atlanta        3  2  2  2  1  0   Hits second homer

Batting average: .591
On-base percentage: .690
Slugging percentage: 1.000
OPS: 1.690

Links:

• Bruce rocks Reds, female fans. [USA Today]

• Braves swept on road by Reds. [AJC]

• Bruce living up to untouchable tag. [John Fay]

• Bruce delivers again for Reds. [Dayton Daily News]

Bruuuuuuce, as in Jay Bruce

As nice as it was that Jay Bruce stroked four hits in six at-bats in his first two games as a Cincinnati Reds, that he walked four times, that he helped the Reds to straight wins over the Pittsburgh, here's something even better. His smile.

Have you ever seen such a kid? I know, the guy is only 21 years old. Tuesday night was his MLB debut, and the phenom from Texas went three-for-three with two walks as part of a 9-6 Cincinnati victory. But Bruce couldn't stop smiling. There was one TV shot, as the Reds were changing pitchers, and there was Bruce standing in the outfield, talking with Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr. And all Bruce did was smile. A wide, goofy, amazing grin.

You had to love it.

You had to love, too, the way Reds fans have already started chanting "Bruuuuuuce" whenever the rookie reaches the plate, much the same way we Springsteen fanatics chant the exact same thing when "The Boss" hits the stage. Red Reporter already has a post about Boss/Bruce jerseys.

Reminds me of a great clip from the 1980 "No Nukes" movie. It was a concert film in which rock stars played to protest the building of nuclear power plants. (Think Three Mile Island.) Springsteen played the event. In fact, whenever certain acts took the stage, the crowd kept chanting for 'Bruuuuuuce."

There is a scene where Jackson Browne is in Tom Petty's dressing room, warning him about the chants. Browne tells Petty something like, "Don't worry. They're not booing. They're just chanting "Bruuuuuuce."

Petty replies, "What's the difference?"

Links:

• Bruce is "best Reds' kid in 24 years." [Paul Daugherty]

• Bruce goes six in a row. [Cincinnati Enquirer]

• Bruce's debut stacks up well. [Dayton Daily News]

• Already, Reds fans are chanting "Bruuuuuuce." [Hal McCoy]

• Jay Bruce Era begins in Cincinnati. [New York Times baseball blog]

• Why wasn't Jay Bruce called up sooner? [Beyond the Box Score]

• Jay Bruce mania arrives. [Redlegs Rundown]

About time for Jay Bruce

About time.

That’s all you can say.

Who knows what finally prompted the Cincinnati Reds to finally call up minor league phenom, i.e. hope of the franchise, Jay Bruce. Perhaps they tired of waiting on Ken Griffey, Jr. to finally hit his 600th home run, so they could activate the launch sequence that would propel Junior back to Seattle. Perhaps it was that dreadful 0-for-8 day at the plate turned in by the hapless Corey Patterson during Sunday’s grueling 18-inning loss at San Diego.

The last Red to go 0-for-8 in a game? Eddie Milner in 1983.

Jay Bruce is not Eddie Milner. Let’s hope not anyway. The discovery process starts today. After hitting .364 with 10 homers and 37 RBI in just 49 games at Louisville, the 21-year-old Bruce gets the call-up to the majors today. Finally. And suddenly there’s a reason to be interested in the Reds. Not to mention hopeful.

Asked if Bruce, the 12th player taken in the 2005 draft will play every day, General Manager Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I hope so.”

Presumably, Bruce will play center field, between Griffey in right and Adam Dunn in left. Presumably, this is only until the Reds figure out what to do with their two highly-paid corner outfielders. Thought was Dunn might be packing his bags once the June 15 no-trade clause in his contract expires. But Dunner has been on a tear. Griffey is now the one on shakier ground. Or maybe, with no other acceptable option in center, Bruce stays put.

But if Bruce is to play every day, Jocketty might have to lean a bit on manager Dusty Baker. Dusty loves his veterans. He loves his guys. Why else would he continue to play Patterson despite the fact the Cubs reject is hitting just .201? Patterson has one hit in his last 34 at-bats. He doesn’t take enough pitches to be a lead-off hitter, yet Baker insists on putting him at the top of the order. Right now, Patterson is a $3 million bust.

Bruce won't be a bust. He was Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year last year. He can hit for average and power, plus steal bases. He had eight steals in 49 games at Louisville.

He’s not too young either. Johnny Bench was 19 when he made his Reds’ debut. Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays’ budding star, is 22. Arizona’s Juston Upton, the No. 1 pick in the ’05 draft, is 21. Boston pitcher Jon Lester, who threw a no-hitter two weeks back, is 24. Milwaukee power hitter Ryan Braun is 24. On the current Reds, Johnny Cueto is 22. Edinson Volquez is 24.

There will be growing pains. But there's no time like the present to get those out of the way. These Reds aren't going anywhere. They're not going to win anything. And Jocketty told the Enquirer that the reports were Bruce has been ready to make the jump to the majors for awhile.

Finally, he’s here.

About time.

Amidst the mediocrity, a memorable Reds moment

It’s human nature to question your own intelligence when you devote time to such a thankless endeavor as following the daily disappointment that is the Cincinnati Reds. And then, even in the mid-May morass of mediocrity, a single play pops up to remind you why you were watching in the first place.

I caught the first three or four innings of the Reds-Marlins game last night on the tube before switching over to Idol. Stuck with that for the whole hour. Ryan Seacrest has to go, by the way. And judging by her attire, Paula must be reading the gossip about her predicted ouster. Simon’s eyes always tell the story. I liked Syesha, but she had to go. David vs. David was destined from the start. David A. is cute, cuddly, a bit odd, with a stage dad, and a Disney Channel vibe. Despite what Ken Levine believes, I don’t think he wins. David Cook seems more the Idol-type to me. But that’s a guess. And enough about that.

Back to the Reds, which I did after the Idol finale. By the time I made way back to Channel 66, the game was tied. Marlins had scored six runs in the top of the ninth. So it’s 6-6.  Now it’s the bottom of the 10th inning. There were Reds on the bases. At the plate was rookie Paul Janish.

Let’s back up here. The night before had been a heartbreaker. I didn’t see it – Dancing and Idol on the same night, are you kidding – but apparently Jeff Keppinger fouled a ball off his his kneecap with such force it broke his something or other. Life isn’t fair. Keppinger is a great story. Former Georgia Bulldog. Journeyman infielder. Hit everywhere, stuck nowhere. Then the Reds picked him up last year. He’s done nothing but hit since. Saturday, in the second game of a doubleheader at New York, Kep went five-for-five. Two days later, he’s on the Disabled List.

(Nice story here on how Ken Griffey, Jr., kept Keppinger's spirits up after the injury.)

Back to Janish. He’s at the plate. Two outs. It’s his second big-league at-bat. He's 25 years old. He had just been called up that day from AAA Louisville. In fact, his mom was driving to Louisville to visit her son, got the news, re-programmed the GPS, and found her way to Great American Ballpark. Janish fouls off the first pitch. He swings through the second. Third time is his charm.

Janish sends a line drive to the right field corner.

This one belongs to the Reds.

The Reds burst out of the dugout like happy Little Leaguers. They try to ride Janish like a bull at the rodeo. He’s fighting (sort of) to get away. They keep riding. Finally, in all the flailing, someone catches Janish right across the schnoz (sp?) and the rookie ends up with a bloody nose. Two things he'll never forget.

Make it three.

Final camera shot, there’s the rookie with the bloody nose, hugging his mother.

That’s why you watch.

Krivsky-for-Jocketty reaction

Two days since Big Bob Castellini sent Wayne Krivsky in the showers, and gave good buddy Walt Jocketty the big office.

Here are some reactionary links:

• Fired Krivsky blind to reality. [Tracy Ringolsby]
• Move to ax Krivsky should have come as no surprise. [Jon Heyman]
• Is Bob Castellini impatient or imprudent? [Paul Daugherty]
• Old-school Jocketty values positivity. [MLB.com]
• The Big Red Turnover Machine. [cbs.sportsline]
• "I don't know this team anymore." [On Baseball and the Reds]
• Krivsky: A clarification. [Hal McCoy]
• Jocketty should bring October baseball back to Cincinnati. [Richard Justice]
• Translating Jocketty's quotes. [Chris Sabo Goggles]
• Irony all around in Jocketty hiring. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

The Krivsky firing

Wayne Krivsky was in a no-win situation.

When he took over as the Reds' general manager three years ago, Krivsky inherited farm system was still suffering from Jim Bowden's neglect.  The major league roster wasn't much better. So Krivsky did what he could. He wheeled. He dealed. His goal was to improve the talent without hurting the future. He traded the pipe dream that was Wily Mo Pena for Bronson Arroyo. He picked up Brandon Phillips for a song. He acquired Jeff Keppinger for next to nothing. He got Josh Hamilton and Jared Burton through the Rule 5 draft. They were improvements. Not enough to change the team's current losing course, but improvements nonetheless.

Trouble was, the man who hired Krivsky wants to win now. "No more losing," said Reds' owner Bob Castellini when Krivsky's firing was announced on Wednesday. Never mind that the Reds don't really have the talent to win now. Not big. Not enough to challenge for anything other than the possibility of a wild card spot. Maybe. If everything breaks right.

Krivsky said he was shocked, but should not have been. The day Castellini hired his old friend Walt Jocketty, the former St. Louis general manager, as special adviser, Krivsky's fate was sealed. That the pink slip was given this early is a bit of a surprise. The Reds had only played 21 games. But Castellini is an impatient man. And Jocketty has done it before, building Oakland into a contender, then guiding St. Louis to a World Series title.

Can Jocketty do it in Cincinnati? Yes, if he builds on what Krivsky started, while avoiding the mistakes. The Austin Kearns trade to Washington two years ago hasn't done much for either team. Krivsky overspent on Mike Stanton, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Castro, Corey Patterson. Hopefully, Jocketty's experience eliminates those mistakes.

Reds numbers

Some numbers concerning the now 8-12 Reds:

• Matt Belisle allowed 12 hits and five earned runs in his first start since being on the disabled list.

• Relief picther (for now) Jeremy Affeldt has dropped his ERA to 2.35.

• Reliever Todd Coffey has not allowed a run in his last 4 1/3 innings. His ERA has dropped from 8.00 to 5.40.

• In his first outing out of the bullpen, Josh Fogg allowed two runs in two innings. His ERA is now 12.46.

• Catcher Paul Bako has three hits in his last six at-bats.

• Adam Dunn has one two-hit game all season. Dunn has played in 19 games.

• Edwin Encarnacion has raised his batting average from .083 on April 8 to .273 after last night's game. Encarnacion is hitting .381 (16-42) over that stretch.

• Scott Hatteberg does not have a hit since April 10.

• Brandon Phillips has seen his batting average drop from .320 on April 12 to .250 after last night. Phillips has just three hits in 26 at-bats (.115) during that stretch.

• Joey Votto has hit four homers in his last five games.

Reds need a win

Cincinnati wraps up a once-promising now near-disastrous road trip with a 2:10 p.m. first-pitch today at Wrigley Field (WGN), and the Reds need a win in the worst way.

After starting off the nine-game trip by taking two of three at Milwaukee, Dusty Baker's club dropped three straight at Pittsburgh, and have been outscored 22-7 in two games at Chicago.

Notes:

• After allowing nine earned runs in just two-plus innings, Josh Fogg's ERA jumped to 13.09. With Homer Bailey (1.42 ERA at Louisville) and Matt Belisle (3-0 with 1.09 ERA in three re-hab starts) pitching well in the minors, Fogg has to be on a short leash. Fogg's next start would be next Monday against Los Angeles. It might be his last.

• With Alex Gonzalez still out thanks to a compression fracture in his knee, Lexington's own Andy Green might be a candidate for call-up. Thing is, Green is off to a .217 start with the AAA Louisville Bats.

• Adam Dunn is 12th in the NL in on-base percentage at .431.