Francoeur to the Reds??

Interesting little blurb on MLB.com about the Reds possibly being interested in Jeff Francoeur.

Another interesting tidbit from Monday came via a Major League source, who said the Reds may have some interest in Jeff Francoeur. But the Braves are still providing every indication that they aren't actively shopping Francoeur.

"Frenchy" has been a little bit disappointing lately with those low OBP totals and a sudden loss of power, but there's no denying that he has talent and some possible upside. Reds GM Walt Jocketty actually has a pretty good track record for finding talented players who are underachieving and making trades for them (i.e. JD Drew, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, etc). If he has interest in Francouer, I could get behind something like that. Francouer is still only 24 years old. Could be a good "buy low" candidate. Maybe he just needs a change of scenery.

Here are Francoeur's stats the last three years.

2006	ATL	162	651	83	169	24	6	29	103	23	132	1	6	.260	.293	.449	.742
2007	ATL	162	642	84	188	40	0	19	105	42	129	5	2	.293	.338	.444	.782
2008	ATL	155	599	70	143	33	3	11	71	39	111	0	1	.239	.294	.359	.653

At the age of 22, he hit 29 bombs and had 103 RBI. With The Legend of Jay Bruce, Joey "Ballgame" Votto, and 1st round draft pick, Yonder Alonso, all hitting from the left side of the plate down the road, the Reds are desperate for some punch on the right side of the plate. I'm not sure what the Braves would be looking for in return, but I'd be inclined to give up some young talent for a guy like Francoeur. Heck, if the Reds wanted to throw Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo into a deal to get some additional Braves prospects in return and maybe even someone like Yunel Escobar, I would explore that as well.

All I think about is that everyone was writing off a talented young shortstop named Brandon Phillips a few years ago, and he suddenly blossomed with the Reds after a change of scenery . Francoeur could easily be a disaster, but it might be worth a shot.

If the Reds actually made a play for Francoeur, they could have a potential middle of the order lineup of:

2. Votto
3. Bruce
4. Franceour
5. Alonso
6. Phillips
7. Encarnacion

Throw in Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez and some of the other young arms out there (including a still only 26 year old possible sleeper in Micah Owings who has apparently been lights out in fall ball), and that team could be awfully interesting.

One thing I will say about the Reds at this point is that I'm glad Jocketty immediately shot down those rumors about a Jermaine Dye for Homer Bailey trade to the White Sox. There is absolutely NO REASON to give up a 22 year old former #1 pick who still has upside for freaking Jermaine Dye. Dye is a good veteran player, but he has one year left on his deal. Why would a Reds team that has zero shot at contending in 2009 give up a young player like that for a one year rental player?? That trade never made any sense.

I'm not opposed to exploring a Homer Bailey trade at all (he has clearly regressed and lost some of his electric stuff, the Reds actually have a surplus of young arms, and Bailey has been so poorly handled and mismanaged that he's now out of options after this year), but it better be for a young player in return. Maybe a young middle infielder who can hit leadoff or a young centerfield prospect or something. But no rebuilding team should be giving up young pitchers for old veterans. That is the old line of thinking for the Reds. I hope Jocketty brings smarter leadership than that, and I'm glad that he looked borderline angry when someone asked him about that proposed deal. Maybe Jocketty was leaking rumors to the press to drive up the bidding for Homer Bailey. I hope so.

One giant cloud still hanging over this franchise though: Johnnie B. Baker, Jr. Ugh. Dusty is already out in the media clamoring for a veteran bat, and I hope that Jocketty ignores him. This team is not even close to competing. Stay with the youth, rebuild the right way, and hope that the team starts to win in 2010.

-- As for this Reds-Baltimore trade involving Ryan Freel for Ramon Hernandez, I can't really complain about this type of trade. I know I just spent the last 500 words saying the Reds need to be entirely focused on the future, but there's nothing wrong with making a logical move that can help you solidify a position of need in the present without giving up anything. Ryan Freel was dead weight on this Reds team. When you have as many needs as the Reds, the last thing you need to be doing is paying $4 million to a utility guy who gets hurt all the time. Freel is great for about two ten day streaks a year, and then he's either slumping or hurt for the rest of the year. I like Freel, but he provides no value to this Reds team. Giving up a utility guy for a guy who is going to be our #1 catcher is fine with me, especially when it sounds like the Orioles are going to pick up the contract difference.

Ramon Hernandez isn't exactly the Geovany Soto or anything, but he hit 15 bombs last year in 450 at bats. Put Hernandez in that bandbox Great American Ballpark, and he could easily hit 20 homers next year. Heck, two years ago, he hit 23 homers with 90 RBIs. The Baltimore beat writers seem to think he needed a change of scenery. The Reds started Paul Bako, David Ross, and Javier Valentin last year, and I think those guys combined for about 10 homers in about 550 at bats. The Reds have had a black hole at catcher for about a decade. Hernandez is a league average catcher with some upside. It's at least somewhat of an upgrade.

Hernandez has one year left on his deal, and the Orioles are going to pay a significant chunk of his salary. It's a contract year for Hernandez. The Reds can keep Hernandez for a year, make a decision on his option in 2010 if he plays well, take draft picks if not (he's apparently a Type A free agent) and then hopefully one of their young catching prospects will be ready by then. Makes sense to me.

--One other rumor that won't go away. Joey Votto to Toronto straight up for Alex Rios. WOW. Color me intrigued by that one. I love Joey Votto and thought he had an incredible year and has a bright future, and I'm not taking him for granted at all. I don't want to say that first basemen with pop in their bat are a dime a dozen, but there quite a few of those types out there. Votto is mainly a valuable piece because he's young and cheap, but I don't know if he has that much upside from what he gave the Reds last year. A guy like Rios with his speed and glove and bat would be a huge upgrade to the Reds' outfield and give them a defensive presence that they haven't had in a long time in the outfield.

I don't know if anything will come of it, but I'd at least be talking to the Jays if they are interested. I would certainly be happy with Joey Votto on this roster for many years to come, but I am not opposed to Jocketty exploring all options. The only "untradeables" in my eyes are Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, and Johnny Cueto.

--Not sure what I think about this Francisco Rodriguez signing by the Mets. On paper, this is a great deal for the Mets, and they are getting a 27 year old closer widely considered to be one of the best in the game. And it's not like they gave him a 6-7 year deal or anything. For three years, they are presumably getting his best years and won't be on the hook for him if his arm starts to break down in his 30s. The Mets have had all kinds of problems with their bullpen. KRod should give them a dominant guy on the back end, and he's gotta be excited to be coming to the NL.

On the other hand, I am always leery of giving big money to closers. There are some elite closers of course, but some of these closers are "system guys." They get into a good groove in an organization with a certain pitching coach, and then they can't replicate those results with other teams. Part of the reason the Angels have had such a good bullpen is that they have a great coaching staff in place to nurture those guys.

Keith Law appears to like it though, so the Mets have that going for them. As much as I hate to admit it, Law is my go-to-guy for info during the MLB offseason.

The Mets obviously have a ton of money, so the finances aren't really a factor with them. I think it's a good signing considering the length of the deal and KRod's success, but there's always some risk with these closers.

--As for the Cubs, if Hendry somehow pulls off this deal to get Jake Peavy for about 45 cents on the dollar and without having to give up a stud like Soto or Samardzija, he will continue to solidify his legend for stealing players in their prime for overrated prospects. How does he do it??

The Cubs could be on the verge of landing Jake Peavy in his absolute prime at the age of 27. They were somehow able to pull in Rich Harden as well last year at the ripe age of 27. The Cubs would have a frontline rotation of Zambrano, Peavy, and Harden all in their late 20s to go with Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly. I can't see the Cubs losing to anyone next year with that rotation.

My biggest fear as a fan of an NL Central team was that the Cubs would someday wake up and get competent leadership to go with their huge revenue dollars. The Cubs not only have the dollars to take on big free agents (Soriano, Fukudome, etc), but they also have the dollars to trade for players in their prime looking for contract extensions (ARam, Derrek Lee, Harden, Peavy, etc). And they seem to have enough hyped-up prospects that other teams bite on these trades.

The Hendry/Piniella braintrust has the potential to wipe out the rest of the NL Central for the next decade. I gotta hand it to the Cubs for figuring it out, but it could be a long time in the wilderness for fans of the Reds, Cards, Brewers, 'Stros, and Pirates.

Kerry Wood to the Tribe?

Wow, a potential steal for Mark Shapiro and the Cleveland Indians to get Kerry Wood. Wood is streaky and has health concerns obviously, but there is no denying that he is a capable closer. He still has the stuff to strike people out, and his ERA last year (3.26) was pretty good. That's not a bad signing for a two year deal.

And Kerry Wood will be a god in Cleveland. He is sort of a blue collar guy. I'm expecting the locals to love him up at The Jake. The Indians have been desperate for a closer for the last couple years, so hopefully this signing puts Joe Borowski out to pasture. Good move by the Tribe. If Cliff Lee and Fausto can give them stability at the top of the rotation to go with Wood and Betancourt and Perez in the bullpen, that's not a bad pitching staff.

The Indians had a disappointing 2008, but they finished strong down the stretch. Between Sizemore and Victor Martinez and the suddenly emerging Shin-Soo Choo (who was incredible down the stretch last year), they have some pieces in their lineup to build around as well. Now the Tribe need to find a performance enhancing drug that can't be detected for The Artist Formerly Known as Travis Hafner. What has happened to him??

Javy Vazquez

Wow, interesting Braves trade for Javy Vazquez. Vazquez is a solid veteran pitcher, but I can't say that I'm a huge fan of this move. What exactly is Javy Vazquez going to do for the Braves next year?? Unless Wren is planning to make a few significant moves this offseason to make the Braves contenders right away, this trade seems like a waste. Plus, they gave up one of their better prospects in Tyler Flowers. They aren't really ready to compete with the Mets or the Phillies, so why not get on with a rebuilding process?? If anything, the Braves should be looking to unload some of their veterans for young guns. Going out and bringing in Javy Vazquez just prolongs their current mediocrity. He makes them a little better, but does he put them on a path toward a division title?? No. And they're going to be paying him $11.5 million the next two years, so he puts a dent in payroll flexibility.

Perception is everything though I guess. Five years ago, I would have been singing the praises of John Schuerholz for "stealing" Javy Vazquez and predicting that he would revive his career under the tutelage of Bobby Cox. Now, it just looks like lipstick on a pig. Frank Wren is no Schuerholz, so it's hard to give him the benefit of the doubt here.

Around the Nation: Get Off Charlie's Back

Some thoughts from the weekend.

13. Before we get to any of the other major college football stories out there, I wanted to address the reaction to the final minutes of the ND-Navy. After scanning the ND message boards, I have to say that I am stunned at the meltdown from ND fans to this game. People are acting like the Navy game was the final straw for them as supporters of Charlie Weis. Really???

I'll be the first to say that there are good reasons to question Charlie Weis and whether he is the right fit to lead this program back to an elite level. If you are tired of seeing a kick return unit that can't get past the 20 yard line, I can understand why you would question Charlie Weis. If you are wondering why our running game only comes alive when we are playing teams like Navy and Purdue and the 2008 version of Washington, I get that. If you are worried that USC is going to shove us around for 60 minutes and make us look like schoolgirls even though Weis has had four offseasons to develop a physically tough football team, I'm right there with you.

But if you came to some sort of major conclusion about Weis because of some fluky things that happened in the last couple minutes of a game that the Irish were winning handily, I think that's an unfair evaluation. Give Charlie a break on that stuff. I was as frazzled as anyone about the last couple minutes of the game, but it doesn't take away from the fact that we completely dominated Navy for most of the game, that our defense played disciplined and pretty much shut down Navy's attack, and that we imposed our will in the running game. Charlie had our team ready to play, and we had a good gameplan on offense and defense. He deserves credit for putting us in position to win that game.

The stuff at the end of the game was a complete wildcard. It was the equivalent of a college basketball team down by 20 with 3 minutes to go hitting a bunch of threes to make the game interesting. It happens. Navy had several miraculous plays and some major help from the referees to make the game interesting, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that the Irish played well on Saturday.

Personally, I didn't have a problem with the decision to put in the backups when the monsoon rolled in. Our players had been dropping like flies, and Charlie made the call to get the backups in there to protect the starters and to get the backups some playing time. I have no beef with that decision at all. The only adjustment I would like to see in that scenario is that we keep running our normal offense with the backups. Do what we were doing in the fourth quarter. If we score some extra touchdowns, fine by me. You don't need to feel bad about running up the score if you have your backups in. Let the guys go out and do their thing. It is good for team morale. I think Charlie will learn from this game and make some adjustments. No reason to get all bent out of shape about it.

In the big picture, a win over Navy, no matter what the final score is, is meaningless for making a call on the Charlie Weis era. Beating a team with zero major college players on the roster is not a game that we can take much away from in terms of how good of a football team we are. However, Charlie should not be getting this much heat for the result of the Navy game. He put us in position to win, and that's all that I expect out of him on a week to week basis. I don't really care what happened in the final few minutes. We played well for 58 minutes, and that's all that matters to me.

Get off Charlie's back about this game. He has a great chance to keep it going with the running game next week against Syracuse, and then we'll really find out about this team when we head to the LA Colisseum. I have my doubts about how competitive we can be at USC, but I'm not going to get all hot and bothered about Charlie because of the Navy game. He did what he needed to do. I hope the team builds on this and continues to get better.

12. Of all the troubled programs in college football, the one that stands out for me as the worst of the worst is the Florida State Seminoles. I am not normally one to pass judgment on other programs for being "renegades" since all NCAA programs are at least somewhat corrupt (and I have very little high ground as a UC hoops fan and Bob Huggins supporter), but the FSU program is completely out of control. What a bunch of nugs. They look like a freaking prison team out there. Constant suspensions and player misconduct, no discipline, players getting injured celebrating, fights breaking out left and right, and then a postgame meltdown from Parker Posey that was one of the worst displays of sportsmanship I've ever seen in a game. FSU's program has become an abomination. I honestly would be embarrassed to be an FSU fan these days. They are the most classless and undisciplined team in the country.

I think the NCAA needs to step in and deliver some sanctions to FSU or threaten to shut down their program for awhile. There is absolutely no place for their antics in college football. If FSU doesn't get their act together, I really think it's time for them for them to banned from the sport for a year or two.

11. Here is a name I don't want to see on any future Notre Dame coaching searches:

Jeff Tedford

Why is everyone so in love with this guy?? Here is his record year by year at Cal:

2002: 7-5 (4-4)
2003: 8-6 (5-3)
2004: 10-2 (7-1)
2005: 8-4 (4-4)
2006: 10-3 (7-2)
2007: 7-6 (3-6)
2008: 6-3 (4-2)
Overall: 55-29 (33-21)

That's a pretty nice record, but people talk about this guy like he's some sort of miracle worker. He's coaching at Cal. It's a state school in one of the three best talent states in the country. I've watched Cal. They have talent. Marshawn Lynch went there. Desean Jackson was a top 5 recruit. Tedford has done a nice job recruiting, but it's not like he's selecting from a pool of Ivy Leaguers or something. He's winning about 8 games a year with pretty good talent and has a good reputation for developing quarterbacks. Sound familiar?? How is that any different than Charlie Weis?? Don't we already have that same guy on our sideline right now?? If I had a choice between Tedford or an alum like Weis who is familiar with ND and has built recruting ties around the country, I'll take Weis all day.

Plus, I don't want any coaches from the Pac 10 next time around. The next head coach at ND should be from the Midwest, preferably with some ties to Indiana/Illinois/Ohio. Think about all the coaches who have ties to Ohio. Urban Meyer is from Ohio and coached under Earle Bruce at Ohio Staet. Bob Stoops is a product of Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio (the home of the McCarthy brothers). Pete Carroll was an assistant at Ohio State. Nick Saban grew up in Ohio and was the head coach at Toledo. Dantonio is from Ohio. Tressel is from Ohio. Bo Pelini is from Ohio. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

And if you go back at look at ND's history with coaches, two of our greatest coaches ever were Midwestern guys with significant Ohio ties. Lou Holtz - played college ball at Kent State and grew up at the knee of Woody Hayes at Ohio State. And Ara Parseghian grew up in Ohio, went to Miami(Ohio) under Woody, and later had a great tenure as the head coach at Miami.

I know there are some good coaches from the South (Bowden, Mack Brown, Richt, Butch Davis) and that there are coaching trees that have stemmed from places besides the Midwest, but I still think we are better off with a Midwestern guy. ND is in the Midwest. I want the next coach of Notre Dame to be a guy who learned football in this area.

10. Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuke. Watch out America. The Luke Harangody train has picked up even more steam from last year. Can we settle on a nickname for him besides Gody?? The "Mongoose" moniker has been floating out there for awhile. I'm all for it.

Too early to get excited about Luke Zeller?? I feel like he teases us in the nonconference every year. I'd like to see that type of production in conference play.

Gotta love Carl Scott. He is going to be a very good player for us someday.

I am salivating for an ND-UNC final in Maui with Harangody and Hansborough squaring off against each other.

9. This "Sabathia to the Yankees" thing is too good to be true. I like CC and no doubt think he's a great pitcher in his prime, but I would be scared to death to throw $140 million at him. With the mileage on his arm and the stretch drive from last year in Milwaukee, there is substantial risk to signing him. Plus, CC doesn't strike me as a New York guy, and he may decide to put on 50 pounds after signing a long term deal. It may work out for a couple years, but are the Yankees really going to be anywhere close to competing in the next couple years??

Look at that roster. It suddenly got really weak in a very short period of time. Who are the stars in that lineup other than ARod and Jeter (who is declining)?? And their rotation can't carry them either. CC would be a legit ace for them and Joba can be great if healthy, but they aren't beating the Red Sox or the Rays in the next couple years with that team. I don't see CC taking them to the next level, and there is a lot of potential downside to that signing.

I really think the Yankees are headed for a late 80s/early 90s type malaise. For all the fuss about Brian Cashman, how many great young players has he produced since he has been with the Yankees?? Joba, maybe Cano. I can't think of too many other guys. I have never understood why Cashman gets as much hype as he does. Their farm system is nothing special and hasn't been for many years. The quickest way for the Yankees to become great again is to start producing elite young players who can either come up to the big leagues or be traded for young stars (ie- Red Sox trading Hanley for Beckett).

8. The only thing I really could definitively tell from the ND-Navy game is that Armando Allen should be getting the large bulk of the carries. While Robert Hughes came on in the second half when Navy was out of gas, he was lousy in the first half and took us out of a drive with a poor run on a sweep. I like Allen. He fights for yards, he catches the ball, he's got vision, and he hits the hole. It seems like our offense has issues when he's not in the game. If I was Charlie, I would be giving him the ball 75% of the time and then giving the leftovers to Hughes and Aldridge. And it sounds like Cierre Wood is a rich man's Armando Allen. He should be a good fit in our one back offense.

The Floyd and Brian Smith injuries are not going to help for the USC game, so it's time for some other guys to step up. The mark of a quality program is that we have the depth to put in quality players when guys go down. Duval Kamara and Toryan Smith...come on down.

7. Can you imagine how much heat Billy Gillespie must be under in Lexington for losing that game at home to VMI on Friday night?? Yikes. I like Gillespie a lot and think he has the ability to make UK great again based on his history at lesser schools and what he is doing on the recruiting trail, but fans down there are not exactly the most patient folks. If he has another middling year this year and Travis Ford lights a spark into the Oklahoma State Cowboys, there could be quite a bit of clamoring for Travis Ford to come home to Lexington.

6. Now that ND is bowl eligible, where are we going for the bowl game?? It seems like most projections have us in the Gator Bowl, but there is some talk of ND in the Sun Bowl or the Insight Bowl. I would love to get a better read on where we are going because it's getting to be about that time to start making plans for bowl game trips. I am hoping that we end up down in the Gator Bowl. Jacksonville isn't my favorite city, but any chance to get down to Florida during the holiday season to see the Irish is fine by me.

Should be interesting to see who we get matched up against. It is looking more and more likely that Miami (Fl) is going to win the ACC this year. Color me impressed with the Canes this year. I was a doubter, but their defense is really coming alive. The future may actually be bright down in Coral Gables. That upcoming Ohio State-Miami(FL) home and home in 2010-2011 is starting to look VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY interesting.

The rest of the ACC pecking order seems to change on a weekly basis. ND would be slated to face the #3 team in the ACC, but I can't get a grip on who that team is likely going to be. FSU?? Maryland? BC? Virginia Tech? North Carolina??

While a win over any of those teams is hardly a foregone conclusion (far from it), I would take my chances with any of them. If the Irish get better during the bowl prep and show up ready to play, we would have a chance to win a bowl game.

5. The WEISND week 12 Heisman poll:

5. Tim Tebow
4. Colt McCoy
3. Graham Harrell
2. Sam Bradford
1. Michael Crabtree

I thought about who the best player in the country is right now, and I kept coming back to Michael Crabtree. The guy has 18 touchdown catches. And he's the best player on a top 5 team. If they beat OU and go undefeated, Harrell or Crabtree has to win this award.

4. The scary part of what Florida is doing is that they are incredibly young. Look at their depth chart.

http://florida.rivals.com/cdepthtext.asp

Every player on their defense is an underclassmen. Now THAT is a young defense. And most of their offensive personnel is young too. It sounds like some of their guys are going to declare early for the NFL draft, but Florida is absolutely loaded and probably only going to get better as long as Urban Meyer is there. They are a scary football program right now.

Speaking of Florida, how could Tim Tebow even entertain the idea of leaving early to go to the pros?? What position is he planning to play?? Quarterback?? Please. He's not playing quarterback in the NFL. He MIGHT have a shot at safety or fullback or something like that, but he isn't going to be an NFL qb. He certainly isn't going to be drafted as a qb in the early rounds if he goes pro after this year. I expect to see him back in Gainesville next year much to the chagrin of Archie Griffin. He will be right there again for the Heisman trophy.

3. I'll say this about President-elect Barack Obama. Whether or not you agree with his policies, I do agree with him on one thing. As a college football fan, I was thrilled to see him taking a stance on the college football playoff. I couldn't agree more with him. Much like George Bush, Obama is a legit sports fan. That's a good thing for the country, especially when we've had past candidates...cough cough...John Kerry....declaring their love for baseball and then proclaiming a favorite player to be "Manny Ortiz" followed by one of the most pathetic first pitches I've ever seen in my life.

2. Of all the things that have been said about Notre Dame football in the last few years, I think Kirk Herbstreit may have had the most salient point during College Gameday on Saturday. In essence, he stated the truth of where we are as a program. We have AVERAGED 7 wins a year since 1994. That's a 15 year time frame. A very sobering reality of where we stand in the college football world. We have been no different than the BCs, MSUs, and Pitts of the world for a decade and a half. Herbstreit nailed it home when he asked "What did you expect?"

Have our expectations gotten ahead of themselves?? While it's easy to get hot and bothered about Charlie underachieving, the reality is that our program has been mediocre for a long time. The notion that Charlie would be able to produce consistently excellent teams by year four after that long malaise may have been a reach.

What are your expectations for Notre Dame football in the next decade?? Is it national championships?? Do you have the expectation that we should be right there with teams like Florida and Oklahoma?? I've always said that I did have those expectations, but Herbstreit's commentary made me think about it for a bit. Maybe the definition of a successful Notre Dame program has changed. Maybe my standards have become out of line with the reality of where our program is. Maybe a successful Notre Dame program is one that can regularly beat the other regional teams like Michigan/MSU/Purdue/Pitt/BC but doesn't rise to the level of the true "heavyweights" in the South.

Then again, people said these same things about programs like Alabama and Oklahoma once upon a time. Questions like "What did you expect?" when Alabama fans were grumbling about Mike Shula. Bama went through an equally long malaise as Notre Dame has gone through. Oklahoma was down for a long time. The right hire changed those programs almost overnight, and now you don't hear people saying things like "Mike Shula deserved more time."

It's a tough call. I will say that I would be interested to see where our program would be with a guy like Urban Meyer running our program.

1. WEISND power poll -

6. Oklahoma
5. USC
4. Texas
3. Texas Tech
2. Alabama
1. Florida

If the pollsters had any guts, they would vote Florida #1 this week. They are the best team in the country. Period. If the SEC Championship game was next week, Florida would probably be around an 8.5 point favorite or something like that. If they are favored by over a touchdown over the #1 team in the country, why is Florida not #1??

The good news for SEC fans is that the winner of that Florida-Bama game is in, so the polls don't matter at this point.

The real intrigue is going to be between the Big 12. This whole "BCS standings will determine the conference champion" just sounds like an absolute disaster.

What about USC?? Does anyone really think they couldn't beat the other top teams?? With that defense and Pete Carroll and their overall talent, they can beat anyone. Where do they fit in?

Micah Owings

Word out of the Arizona Republic is that Micah Owings is the one of the Players to Be Named Later in the Adam Dunn trade. Anyone know anything about him?? He's only 25 and had a decent start this year, but completely fell apart the last couple months. Is he any good?? I've never seen the guy pitch, but I guess there's a place for him as a #4-5 starter next year with the Reds.

In other news, Adam Dunn is apparently seeking $100-120 million in a free agent deal.

"It was inevitable," Arroyo said of the deal. "They weren't going to give him $100 million. He said he was looking for $120 million. They're not willing to go out on a limb that far."

Seriously?? $120 million for Adam Dunn? Who is going to pay him that much money?? I can't see him getting that on the open market. Dunn would be an awful fit with the Yankees and they probably have better targets to go after (Teixeira, CC, etc), so I don't see him getting a 9 figure deal anywhere.

Finally, Chad Johnson is trying to legally change his name to "Chad Ocho Cinco." Ugh. Is there a lamer athlete in sports today than Chad Johnson?? Does anyone actually find his antics funny anymore?? The guy is so desperate for attention that he's now resorting to these weak gimmicks. Chad was an entertaining novelty act for a couple years, but he's clearly lost his fastball. His whole fake contract holdout this past offseason was borderline laughable in retrospect since no one gave a crap about it. I think he was expecting T.O./Favre type coverage, but he seems to forget that he's not even close to their level of fame. He tried to take on this "edgy" Chad persona in the offseason, but everyone was bored with it almost immediately. The move couldn't have possibly backfired anymore than it did because now he has a reputation as a team cancer and no other NFL team wants anything to do with him. Even people from Cincinnati were like "whatever, if Chad wants out, here's the door." Now he's sort of a man without a home and Bengal fans are leery of him and just waiting to pounce on him. Never a good idea to piss off your base of support, especially when your base wasn't that crazy about you to begin with.

Dunn and Done

Let me be the first to say that I have no problem with the Adam Dunn trade, but I have to ask. Why wasn't this trade done years ago?? The Reds have had a decade to evaluate Adam Dunn. If he wasn't going to be a part of the long-term solution, shouldn't they have known this several years ago?? Why wait to trade the guy in the last year of his deal when he has virtually no trade value?? The Reds received a single A pitcher for Dunn and had to pay half his salary. Heck, they probably would have been better off just letting him walk in free agency and picking up the two first round picks as compensation.

The Dunn trade symbolizes exactly what has ailed the Reds for a decade. They have no plan to win. Unlike teams like the Twins and Rays and A's that are proactive in making trades and retooling their organizations, the Reds cling to players and trade them when they are at their lowest value. It would be like buying into the stock market at an all-time high and then selling at a low. Teams like the A's and Twins have been selling off their players at peak value and getting quality players in return to use for rebuilding purposes. The Reds have never understood this concept. They talk every year about wanting to rebuild but don't seem to want to pull the trigger on a full rebuild project. They tend to fall in love with their own players a little too much even though they haven't won with these players. What we are left with is a half-rebuild/half-compete plan that gets them nowhere year after year after year.

I don't have a problem with trading Dunn, but the same reasons that made it obvious that he wasn't going to be the primary catalyst for a winning team were readily apparent four or five years ago. Dunn has never been a good fielder, he's never been a consistent hitter, he strikes out way too much, he can't be a reliable #3-4 hitter, he was never good in the clutch (.224 BA with RISP) and he doesn't have the leadership skills to drive his teammates to be better. We knew these things about Dunn long ago. Dunn was a very productive player with two elite skills (power and walks), but every other aspect of his game was below average. Don't get me wrong, Dunn was the best offensive player on the Reds for the last eight years, and I think the Reds offense will be among the very worst in the major leagues without him. He was a guy who would get unbeliveably hot for about 3 two-week stretches a year but would be equally cold immediately after. He's a perfect complementary player--maybe a DH on a good AL team who can hit #5-6 in a lineup and hit bombs and draw walks. I think that Jocketty wants to rebuild the Reds in a different way, and Dunn was not a part of that plan. I'm perfectly fine with that.

Dunn was never the kind of guy who you could plug in as your #3 hitter for 162 games and build around him. Small market teams need guys like that. The Twins have built around Morneau and Mauer. The Rays have built around guys like Longoria, Crawford, and Upton. Dunn never really could be that guy, and he was a major defensive liability. The Reds watched Dunn for eight years and knew what he did and didn't bring to the table, and yet it took them until the very last year of his contract to make a decision on him and move him for a low minors prospect.

Walt Jocketty gets a pass since he just came to this organization this year, and I do like that he is going to start fresh with this team and build it with his own vision. Jay Bruce will be playing right field and hitting 3rd for the next five years, and that's literally all I know about this team going forward. I think Brandon Phillips could be moved to shortstop, but that's far from certain. As much as I like Brandon Phillips, I would probably consider dealing him for the right return as well. Joey Votto is going to play somewhere, but I would not be surprised to see him end up in left field next year with Encarnacion moving to first base until first round draft pick Yadier Alonso is ready to come up to the bigs. Cueto and Volquez will be in the rotation, but I wouldn't be opposed to shopping Arroyo and Harang (assuming that Harang can straighten himself out and get his trade value back). Every other spot on the roster is up for grabs if you ask me.

Another decision that will have to be made by Walt Jocketty is whether to even bother with bringing back Dusty Baker for the remainder of his contract. Dusty Baker has predictably been an absolute DISASTER with the Reds this year (even worse than anyone could have imagined), and he is already starting to make excuses and complain about some of the roster moves.

I literally broke out in a cold sweat when I read this quote this morning from Dusty Baker on what he'll need to do with this roster of young players:

"I'll probably have to teach more - how to be a big leaguer, how to perform like a big leaguer and how to carry yourself like a big leaguer," Baker said. "That's part of the job."

Dear god, that is terrifying. I want absolutely no part of Dusty teaching anyone how to "perform like a big leaguer" if that means bad fundamentals, not giving a darn, and swinging at the first pitch every time you come up because "you can't walk around the bases" as Dusty likes to say. Reds owner Bob Castellini was the person who wanted Dusty, so hopefully he will realize the error of his ways and come to his senses on Dusty Baker as manager of this club going forward. The Reds have basically quit on Dusty in the last month, and it is only going to get worse. Dusty has proven that he has no idea how to construct a lineup properly or when to employ any type of baseball strategies. He's like the anti-Piniella (the best strategic manager in the game if you ask me). He needs to be purged from this franchise before he does any additional long term damage. Dusty is the closest sports figure to Ty Willingham I have observed in my lifetime -- lazy, stubborn, loves speaking in cliches, blames everyone else when things go wrong (even if self-inflicted), clings to doing things "his way" even in the face of overwhelming evidence that he is wrong. He's everything you don't want in a manager, and yet he's the face of the franchise. When you consider that he's being paid $3+ million a year as the "big name manager" that Castellini wanted, it makes it even worse to swallow. That money would be much better spent on scouts and the farm system.

Either way, the 2008 offseason will be a big opportunity for Jocketty to put his stamp on the franchise, so I expect to see some deals and some roster turnover. I am more than willing to be patient if a plan to be real contenders (not "we hope to finish .500") appears to be in place. I don't expect this club to contend for several years, and I think the franchise should be acting with a three year plan instead of this "we think we can compete next year" farce that they have been throwing out there for the last decade.

Morneau the Champ; Hamilton the Myth, the Legend

What a show last night! I couldn't be happier for my man Justin Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, making the most of his late invite. Humble in his winner's acceptance, he admitted to rooting for Josh Hamilton to knock three more out of the park to add another exclamation point to his fairy tale night. Because there were at least 7 or 8 exclamations for the Comeback Kid, enough to make Elaine Benes jealous. (I can't resist a reference to a top 10 episode with Jake Jarmel and his lack of exclamatory emphasis).

So most people will cry that the true winner wasn't awarded last night. Wah wah all you want. You can't take anything away from his performance. He played by the established rules and outhit Hamilton in the final round 5-3. What does the winner get anyway? A donation check in their name? Big deal.

Nobody's gonna argue that Hamilton won the hearts of America with his performance. For years to come, everyone will fondly recall the magical 1st round where a recovering drug addict made hitting 490 ft. look like child's play. He wrote his own Bill Brasky punchline with his record-setting 28 homers in one round. The whole thing played out like a Greek drama, from his 71-year old American Legion coach grooving balls over the plate to the multiple interruptions during his hot streak, which didn't bother him one iota as he just stepped in and cranked the next pitch he saw. My favorite part came early, right after he stroked his 1st homer. He turned to the catcher, professing what became quite apparent, "This is awesome!" Yes, it was awesome. The only thing he didn't do was blast one out of Yankee Stadium, though he came close. His Bible thumping may seem over the top, but how can you not root for this kid to keep his demons at bay and become the star he was destined to be. I'm sure Disney has already bid on his life story. I'm excited to see what else is in store as his legend grows.

To Josh Hamilton!

My All-Star Team

I'm not very happy that Jason Varitek made the All-Star team. I know, it really doesn't mean anything, but it just rubs me the wrong way when a guy batting .215 with a sub .650 OPS is recognized for his accomplishments. So here is one guy's All Star Team:

NL
C- Brian McCann - Shocker, right. I'm not upset about that Soto pick. Good ol fashioned home team bias on this one.
1B - Lance Berkman - A no doubter
2B - Chase Utley - Hasn't done much in a month, and surprisingly good numbers from Dan Uggla, but the Phightin's are in 1st place ahead of the Fish
SS - Hanley Ramirez - Not even close. If HanRam doesn't switch positions he will go down as one of the best offensive shortstops ever. Does anyone do a better job at identifying prospects in trades than the Marlins?
3B - Chipper Jones - David Wright will have this spot locked down for the next 10 years, but he is a distant second this year. Although everyone can put to bed all those Chipper making a run at .400 thoughts (ok, maybe I was the only one hyping it up) He is down to a 'pedestrian' .379 right now.
OF - Ryan Braun - STUD. Should be a perennial selection.
OF - Matt Holliday - He missed some time and is still putting up incredible numbers. Am I the only one who thinks that Rockies team is still dangerous in a very sub-par NL West? If they could ever get Tulo healthy and hitting, I see a run in them yet.
OF - Carlos Lee - A lot of choices (McLouth, Beltran, Burrell, Ludwick), but I'm going with the most proven of all of them. All Carlos Lee does is drive in runs, and he's already over 70 this year.
SP - Dan Haren - I'm not going to be blinded by Brandon Webb's wins, and I gave serious consideration to Volquez and Lincecum, but Haren has been so consistent that he's too good to pass up. 103 K's and only 20 walks, sub 1.00 WHIP and a sub 3 ERA. Good enough for me.

AL
C - Joe Mauer - Really by default. I guess I just have to come to accept what Joe Mauer is. He's not going to be a power hitter, he's not going to be a run producer. He'll get on base, score some runs and handle a pitching staff. Looking over the list of AL catchers, that is more than most of his competition does.
1B - Jason Giambi - Are you ready for some facts. The AL has a severe shortage of quality one baggers right now. Morneau and Youkilis appear to be the top competitors to the 'stached one. The Giambino has more homers, a higher OBP and much higher OPS. Sorry, he's starting at first for me.
2B - Ian Kinsler - This one isn't even close. Maybe a bigger no brainer than NL SS. I didn't even know how good Kinsler has been. He might be my midseason AL MVP.
SS - Orlando Cabrera - Ughh. Where have all the AL shortstops gone. Could have gone with Mike Young, but I'll reward Cabrera for doing it for a 1st place team.
3B - Alex Rodriguez - A case could be made for Evan Longoria, and he definitely would be a reserve on my team, but ARod has been too good.
OF - Josh Hamilton - He's been awesome. Volquez has shown signs of being human, while Hamilton keeps producing. Would be interesting to see if you gave Rangers GM Jon Daniels truth serum if he would do that trade again.
OF - Grady Sizemore - Lots of locals getting a little ticked off that the Indians continue to bat their only true power hitter in the leadoff spot. Sizemore really has become a #3 hitter.
OF - Carlos Quentin - Toss up for me between Quentin and Jermaine Dye. I'll give it to the guy who has been more consistent. Don't know why Arizona dumped Quentin so quickly. Wonder if they wish they had kept him and not resigned Byrnes to a monster deal. Ouch.
SP - Cliff Lee - Consideration given to Duchscherer and Halladay, but Lee has been lights out. 99K's and only 19 walks. All this from a guy who spent most of last year in AAA after sucking it up for the Tribe.

Harden to the Cubs

WOW. Just when you thought the NL Central couldn't get any hotter, the Cubs go out and trade for one of the most talented arms in the game. There's some risk here, but it's still a good gamble for the Cubs. I don't think they gave up much to be honest. Patterson and Murton are marginal players, and Gallagher is a 3rd starter at best. With their resources, the Cubs can always find a Gallagher type player on the free agent wire (see Dempster, Lilly, etc).

Not sure if anyone read Buster Olney's blog post, but he seems to imply that Billy Beane knows that Harden is about to get hurt again. At this point in Billy the Great's career, I have no reason to doubt his judgment. This could be a great trade for the Cubs or Mark Mulder 2.0.

For what it's worth, I think it's worth the risk for the Cubs. They needed to get a front end starter, and Harden is definitely that when he's healthy. If you have Zambrano and a healthy Harden with that lineup and bullpen and manager, the Cubs would be far and away the best team in the National League and probably the best team in baseball.



Either way, Wrigley is going to be rocking and rolling all summer (not that it isn't already). It's going to be pretty exciting to watch the Brewers and Cubs battle it out for the division. Then again, if Harden goes on to dominate the NL Central for the next ten years, I am not going to be a happy camper as a Reds fan.

The Brew Crew is All-In

STOP THE PRESSES!! Milwaukee fans, put down that brat and the High Life and listen up!! Your team just pushed all its chips in the center of the table. CC Sabathia, reigning Cy Young award winner in the AL is headed to join the Bernie and the Boys for a run at the NL Central, and perhaps beyond.

Couldn't be more excited about this deal - as an apologist of the Senior Circuit, it warms my heart to see an NL team on the verge of making some noise suddenly become a dark horse World Series pick. The Brewers have plenty of offensive firepower, and now can trot out a 1-2 punch of Sabathia and Sheets (if he can stay healthy - knock on wood). That's a pretty potent combo in a short series. Arizona won a World Series with that formula.

Also, as a Chicago resident, things were starting to get a little too warm and fuzzy around here. I will admit to agreeing that the buzz around the city can be fun with a contending baseball team (or even two, as appears to be the case this year). But watching the Cubs threaten to run away with a division crown and receive the title "Most Dangerous Team in the NL" just doesn't fit right with this guy. Cub fans are much more tolerable when they're miserable about something. Now I can be treated to a few weeks of grumbling about why Hendry didn't make a play for CC (he didn't have the prospects) and legitimate fear of being overrun in the division (a definitely possibility at this point).

As for the Tribe, I must admit I was a bit surprised to see them pull the trigger on this deal so soon. But taking a little closer look at the deal, its clear that there were several issues driving Shapiro towards closing this out:

1. The Brewers represented a very attractive trading partner - good farm system, including guys at positions of need for the Indians (i.e. LaPorta, the sure-fire, can't-miss corner OF with pop that the Indians have been missing since Manny was being Manny at the Jake).

2. Rumblings around baseball seemed to indicate some of the bigger boys - the Red Sox, the Yankees - were going to sit this one out. Sure, they might end up signing CC next year, but they weren't going to give up their prospects to get him.

3. Because of the Brewers ability to negotiate from a position of strength, they could afford to make a reasonable trade offer, and demand a quick answer. Apparently one of the driving forces behind this deal was Milwaukee's desire to get CC some starts in the NL before the AS break. They made a showcase deal that included a great prospect - LaPorta - and made it clear that their other studs (including Alcides Escobar) were not going to be involved. The Indians could pick and choose from A-ball guys but be happy they were getting a sure thing in return.

Bottom line, although the Brewers come up smelling like roses in this deal (acquiring a Cy Young winner in his prime for a playoff run, hold on to most of their best young'uns, and receive compensatory picks should CC walk in '09), the Indians get a guy in LaPorta who will likely be battling for a starting corner OF job as early as September of this year. Due to CC's contract situation and the lack of big names involved in the bidding, this may have been as good as it got.

In any event, the NL Central becomes one of the better stories for the 2nd half of the season. I'm sure all of Brewers Nation has July 28 circled on their calendars - the Cubbies come to town for a 4-game set, perhaps with 1st place on the line. And let's not forget - bringing CC to Milwaukee gives the Brew Crew two guys in the lineup over 3-bills!! The buffet table won't know what hit it.

BROOMS

Are the Rays the best team in baseball?? At this point, would anyone be that shocked to see them on the short list of World Series contenders??

Dickie V says Scott Kazmir is the best pitcher in baseball. I'm not even sure I disagree with that statement. You could argue that James Shields is as good a #2 as anyone in the game. With their rotation and a potent lineup, they have the type of team that is built for a short series.

What do you think??