Send This To Dusty and Walt

From Keith Olberman’s MLBlog “Baseball Nerd”

However, Reds’ manager Dusty Baker, sounding exactly like the kind of skippers in Atlanta who limited him to spot work for his first four years, seems totally unimpressed with the prospects of either Stubbs or Haisley, dismissing their performances as just numbers. While an outfield of Nix and Gomes in left, Willy Taveras in center, and Chris Dickerson (who left today’s game in New York with back spasms) may seem appealing to Dusty, it would probably assure the Reds of sinking into the basement in the NL Central.

I hate Dusty Baker.  It is high time for Walt to set him straight and be more active in roster management and who will be in the lineup.   However, given that Walt did not make a move for many days (if I remember correctly it was 10) when Alex Gonzalez got hurt, I don’t have much confidence in the Reds’ GM either.

Perhaps Walt is as clueless as Dusty or he simply refuses to take charge leaving the entire team twisting in the wind.  It is a shame that this team and the fans have to suffer because of the lack of organizational leadership.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Although Sunday’s loss wasn’t totally his fault, Mike Lincoln is a complete waste of a roster spot and money that should have been spent elsewhere.

The Reds had plenty of opportunities and it should have never come down to a first pitch in the 14th inning to a batter that was 0-5 on the day, but these are the types of losses that tell me the Reds have not yet arrived.

If You Are Keeping Score at GABP…

You might want to bring your own scorebook because the Reds don’t want to sell you a quality scorecard at the ballpark.

Whenever I attend a ballgame, I always bring two sharpened No. 2 pencils and an extra dollar or two to purchase a scorecard.  Keeping score at games helps keep me engaged and I become less reliant on the scoreboard to tell me what a player has done during the course of the game.  It is enjoyable and a great thing to start a conversation with (i.e. Was that an error or a hit?).  I also find it interesting how different teams at different ballparks organize their scorecards.

When I recently attended the Memorial Day game versus the Astros, I was disturbed to find out that the Reds had changed their scorecard entirely from previous years.  They longer do they sell a heavy card stock tri-fold scorecard that includes both teams’ rosters and scoring instructions (I don’t use the instructions since I have devised my own set of hieroglyphics).

While they are now cheaper (fifty cents as opposed to $1), the scorecard that is now being sold at GABP is a sub-standard product.  The scorecards are printed on a flimsy piece of card stock that allows the pencil to nearly poke through when entering in the data. It is a single sheet that is double-sided (no longer tri-fold) with minimal amount of room for scoring, few boxes for stats, and it does not include either roster.  When you have to use your leg as a sort of backing in order to write, one can see that this scorecard is poorly constructed.

So far, the Pirates are selling the best scorecard around.  Sold at PNC Park, it is large, very nicely laid out, and includes a ton more columns with pre-printed stats that are needed to tell the whole story of the game.

I may have to invest in some sort of scorebook that I can bring to games in the future because I don’t think I will be buying another scorecard at GABP.  Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Casey Talks to Simmons

For all of the Sean Casey fans still out there, The Mayor speaks with  ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons on his podcast this week.

It can be streamed or downloaded directly from ESPN.com or iTunes.

Should Reds Follow Yankees Lead?

Sitting here going through some of the articles written over the past few weeks about the empty seats at the new Yankee Stadium and seeing how the Yankees have finally bowed to the pressure by restructuring their pricing tiers, I wonder if the Reds should do something similar.

When you have a stadium crowd of less than 10,000 in “paid” attendance, it is really embarrassing.  This isn’t the Florida Marlins playing in a football stadium under the constant threat of rain.  Nor is it the Yankees in which tickets previously topped out at $2,500 per game.

The most expensive seats in the ballpark, those in the Diamond Club level right behind home plate, are priced at $230 a piece.  Every single night I see that most of these seats go unused and are empty for the entire game.  Aren’t these the type of seats that should be filled?  Should the Reds reduce the Diamond Club seats?  What about Club 4192?

I still don’t buy the argument that because school is still in session that this is the reason that game attendance is so low.  Plenty of kids are shown in the stands each night, even during the week.

I think there seems to be some sort of stigma attached to this team when it comes to the price of going to the game.  The average ticket price comes in at under $20.  You can also buy the $5 seats and *ahem* move down closer to the action given that there are many open seats in prime locations.

While the ballpark is not directly accessable on foot nor is it a “neighborhood” park like Wrigley, there should be something the Reds can do, other than winning and give aways, to draw people down to the park.

I am just tired of being embarrassed over the lack of attendance on a nightly basis.

Hoard to Sit In For Marty

Reds fans will recognize a familiar voice this weekend when former broadcaster Dan Hoard, who is now with the Pawtucket Red Sox (Red Sox affiliate), will sit in for the Hall of Famer.

While Marty is away at the National Sports Writers and Sports Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame dinner, Hoard will be on the big stick with Jeff Brantely calling the weekend series in Pittsburgh.

For Hoard this is his second “cup of coffee” in the major leagues.  He has called games for the Toronto Blue Jays, the NY Mets, and a few games for the Reds.

I won’t be able to listen because I too will be in Pittsburgh for my first trip to PNC Park with some fellow Reds fans.  Let me know how this goes.

Dan Hoard Blog

C-Trent Out at Homer

Just found out via Twitter that C. Trent Rosecrans, blogger extroidanire for 1530 Homer, was laid off today along with several other workers at Clear Channel Cincinnati.

His page has already been deleted from the Homer website.

I loved the guy’s writing, insight, and his taste in music.  I wish him all the best in his future endeavors as a journalist.

You can still follow him via Twitter at twitter/ctrent or his personal website http://ctrentrosecrans.com/

On The Radio…or Off

As readers of this blog you may know my undying quest to see that the Reds on Radio broadcast is loud and clear from the beginning of the game to the end, without interruption.  That, however, is proving to be elusive.

Last year I contacted Joe Zerhusen and met him in person at RedsFest.  He told me that they were trying everything to get a reliable signal to Louisville for all of the games.  Someone at the Reds Winter Caravan stop here in Louisville also asked the same question but got the brush off by George Grande who was mceeing the event.

If I thought another letter would help the situation, I would definintely write one.  I know Joe Zerhusen is working hard.  The problem is that there aren’t any stations with strong signals willing to give up their nightly programming so a small but dedicated audience can listen to a baseball game.

If you are so inclined and still feel that this situation needs to be changed, please feel free to contact Joe via letter or e-mail yourself (send it c/o The Reds using the Great American Ballpark address) and tell him that you are still unsatisified with the way things are going.

Disturbing Trends

From CBS Sportsline.com

Chris Dickerson might well be the team’s best athlete, which makes his most recent injury — a lump the size of a sugarcube over his right eye, caused when he walked into a hotel’s revolving door — all the more worrying. … Alex Gonzalez’s last hit came on Sept. 21, 2007. That is not, sadly, an exaggeration for comic effect. … Arthur Rhodes and David Weathers, being all trusty and whatnot, are on pace to appear in something like 154 games each.

I guess this isn’t as bad as the Astros:

For purposes of the 2009 Power Rankings, all games played against the Astros will be stricken from the record. Beating the Astros is like beating a bunch of gloveless nuns and should be weighted as such. … They should start the inevitable rebuilding process yesterday. Jose Valverde could fetch a few mid-level prospects from a contender lacking bullpen depth and Roy Oswalt, who will be in decline by the time the ‘Stros have restocked the pantry, would be coveted by at least 10 teams.

R.I.P. Harry Kalas

The long-time Phillies announcer and voice of NFL Films has passed.

The 73 year-old native of Napersville, Illinois died today shortly before the Phillies game against the Washington Nationals in D.C. after collapsing in the broadcast booth.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and will be sorely missed by the entire baseball community.  Especially those, like me, who love the legandary voices of the game like Kalas and Vin Scully.  I’ve listened to multiple Phillies games over the years just to hear him say, “OUTTTAAA HERRRRE” on his famous home run call.