Washington signs Claussen..

[Bigredfan#1]

to a minor league contract and invites him to spring training. They also signed Jerome Williams, this is one I would have liked the Reds to take a chance on.

[savafan]

JimBo must still read Redszone. We should cease operations immediately.

[Team Clark]

No, we should convince him to take Milton too!!

[Sean_CaseyRules]

No, we should convince him to take Milton too!!

YES!!!! :beerme: :beerme:

[redsfan4445]

No, we should convince him to take Milton too!!

YES.. that should be the penalty for the magic-man mess!!

[terminator]

Next JimBo target -- Ray Olmedo. :)

I sure "hope" Claussen is really hurt. I hate to see us DFA a guy who is one season removed from a 4.20 ERA in light of some of the reclamation projects and long shots we're taking.

[Tom Servo]

From what I've read this offseason I do have to believe Claussen is done, for all intents and purposes. I think the article posted here about his faith showed that he's a good guy, but in it he basically noted that being a success in the MLB didn't mean much to him.

And as Johnny Footstool has noted in the past, he indeed has a Wang Chung fastball. And I don't think rotator cuff surgery will help that any.

[Big Daddy P]

Hey Nationals...SUCKER!

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!

Hey, Uncle Milty's available for a dozen balls. How about 6 and a Frank Robinson jock strap?

C Ya

[MartyFan]

NO WAY I let PANTS take Milton...he is going to have value this year...Mid-season trade for quality young arm and a position player.

[savafan]

Not to mention, imagine the numbers Milton would be able to put up in RFK...he'd probably be an all-star.

[Joseph]

, for all intents and purposes.

Totally off topic, but I wanted to thank you for using this term properly. I have read on more than one occasion 'intensive purposes'.

Good luck to Brandon, great fellow in the few brief encounters I had with him.

[Spitball]

Has Bowden had a bigger pitching acquisition this winter? I suppose losing Ramon Ortiz could count as an addition by subtraction, though he may have been their best starter. I'm glad I'm not a Nationals fan.

[savafan]

Has Bowden had a bigger pitching acquisition this winter? I suppose losing Ramon Ortiz could count as an addition by subtraction, though he may have been their best starter. I'm glad I'm not a Nationals fan.

They still have Patterson.

[Patpacillosjock]

No, we should convince him to take Milton too!!

I think Milton would do very well in their park..so its not a bad idea at all..MIlton and some prospects for Nick Johnson..

Wishful thinking i guess

[Falls City Beer]

Has Bowden had a bigger pitching acquisition this winter? I suppose losing Ramon Ortiz could count as an addition by subtraction, though he may have been their best starter. I'm glad I'm not a Nationals fan.

They got rid of Majewski last summer....:p:

[jojo]

I think Milton would do very well in their park..so its not a bad idea at all..MIlton and some prospects for Nick Johnson..

Wishful thinking i guess

I think Milton might actually cost twice as much as Bowden's entire pitching staff does at the moment...

[reds44]

No, we should convince him to take Milton too!!
No why would we trade Milton Loo?

Oh, I see it now. :D

[Redsland]

Brandon Claussen? All this over Brandon Claussen?

[LINEDRIVER]

Claussen signs with JimBo's Nationals? Gee, who woulda thunk? After all, JimBo is an avid dumpster diver.

After watching Claussen serve up 4 HR's in the 3rd inning of game vs. the Brewers in April, I saw that he just doesn't have what it takes to be an effective major league pitcher. I just dont think he's wired to be competitive enough to be a success in MLB. What's missing? How 'bout balls, guts, competitive spirit, desire, AND major league stuff?

The ball sails over the fence and Claussen walks toward the catcher and catches another ball. The ball sails over the fence and Claussen walks toward the catcher and catches another ball. Over again and over again and all the while he's looking like he's wondering what color of shirt he's wearing to dinner tonight.

How 'bout knocking somebody on their ass? Or throwing one to the backstop just to keep the folks from digging in at the batter's box? How 'bout catching the ball from the catcher and snapping the glove shut while gritting your teeth? How' bout walking behind the mound and putting the glove over your face while you scream?

Do something Brandon!! And then take a deep breath, count to ten, and then go after 'em with an extra 5 mph you just dug out of your gut.

[camisadelgolf]

Yeah, yelling at his glove probably would have turned up a few more groundballs.

[Redhook]

Yeah, yelling at his glove probably would have turned up a few more groundballs.

Having played a sport professionally for 6 years, I can attest that controlled aggression (anger) is a good thing. Would it produce more ground balls? Maybe, maybe not. But showing a little agression or throwing at a batter most likely would've helped him.

In most sports, you're only going to be "on" about 20% of the time. It's the other 80% that determines the success of your career. It's in this 80% that you have to dig deep with whatever you have to be successful. Whether it be play smarter, be calmer, have more aggression, etc. Claussen doesn't seem to possess this attribute. When he's not on he seems to lie down similar to a dog that just got yelled at by it's owner.

[LINEDRIVER]

Yeah, yelling at his glove probably would have turned up a few more groundballs.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get too complicated. The idea is not to yell at the glove, it's to yell at himself, to dig up some emotion while doing it and to dig up another 5 mph out of his gut, to show himself, his mgr, coaches, teammates and the opposition that he's got some fire in his belly.

Dont like yelling into gloves? How 'bout standing behind the mound for five or ten seconds and rubbing up the ball until it smokes.

Perhaps that's a way to overcome his attitude of, (and Eric Milton should take note) "Oh well, whatever will be will be, where am I going for dinner tonight?"

The glove over the face is to keep the TV camera from reading his lips.

Some guys do that sort of thing, some dont, some dont have to. When something clearly is not working, perhaps it's time to take a different road.

If I'm pitching, there is no way in hell I'm serving up 4 bombs in one inning. That 3rd guy sure as hell better not be digging in, the 4th guy is going on the DL.
.

[Falls City Beer]

My guess is that most of you pimping Lohse so hard will be saying many of the same things you're saying about Claussen but aimed toward Lohse by the middle of this season. Talk about a 10 cent head.

[jmac]

Loshe is not going to be a #1-3 starter for the reds in all probability.
He could be a decent #4 or #5 however.
When you look at other teams bottom end starters and compare, Loshe will probably not be that far off.
Would I rather have 3 Harang's and 2 BA's ?
yes !
so would most MLB teams.

[Falls City Beer]

Loshe is not going to be a #1-3 starter for the reds in all probability.
He could be a decent #4 or #5 however.
When you look at other teams bottom end starters and compare, Loshe will probably not be that far off.
Would I rather have 3 Harang's and 2 BA's ?
yes !
so would most MLB teams.

Lohse and Milton are #5 pitchers (and an easy case can be made that Milton's not even that--but I'll play along). This season both combined will make $15 million dollars.

Total waste.

[camisadelgolf]

I'm sorry. I shouldn't've gotten so sarcastic. It's just that I don't think a lack of "fire" or what-have-you is what he was missing. I think it was a matter of injuries + having #3 starter stuff that caused him not to live up to the hype. The pitching prospects in the Yankees system were weak, and I think that further magnified any potential Claussen had/has. I wish him the best, but seeing as how he has a shoulder tear, I'm skeptical about his potential for future success.

[jmac]

Lohse and Milton are #5 pitchers (and an easy case can be made that Milton's not even that--but I'll play along). This season both combined will make $15 million dollars.

Total waste.

FCB, going into last year, I think you picked the reds to go 81-81.
Just wondering how you would compare this "current" staff to last years.thanx.

[mth123]

Lohse and Milton are #5 pitchers (and an easy case can be made that Milton's not even that--but I'll play along). This season both combined will make $15 million dollars.

Total waste.

Agree. The Reds are stuck paying Milton so using him as the #5 as a placeholder until Bailey is ready is ok by me since there isn't anyone any good being held back.

I can't think of one good reason to voluntarily keep Lohse around and go to Arbitration with him. In this market he does have some trade value and a large revenue team looking to win now makes more sense to pay that much for a number 5.

A team that says it can't afford a number 3 shouldn't voluntarily pay that much for a number 5. They need to cash him in for a cheaper return with upside and put the money toward a real #3 or to sign some of the few real assets on this team.

[Ltlabner]

Sorry, I didn't mean to get too complicated. The idea is not to yell at the glove, it's to yell at himself, to dig up some emotion while doing it and to dig up another 5 mph out of his gut, to show himself, his mgr, coaches, teammates and the opposition that he's got some fire in his belly.

Dont like yelling into gloves? How 'bout standing behind the mound for five or ten seconds and rubbing up the ball until it smokes.

Perhaps that's a way to overcome his attitude of, (and Eric Milton should take note) "Oh well, whatever will be will be, where am I going for dinner tonight?"

The glove over the face is to keep the TV camera from reading his lips.

Some guys do that sort of thing, some dont, some dont have to. When something clearly is not working, perhaps it's time to take a different road.

If I'm pitching, there is no way in hell I'm serving up 4 bombs in one inning. That 3rd guy sure as hell better not be digging in, the 4th guy is going on the DL.
.


Dude either has stuff or doesn't. No amount of fist pumping, ball rubbing or tobacco spitting is going to give him anything if he just doesn't have the tallent/skill in his pitching arm/brain.

After the multipule surgeries and getting beat up, I'd say Claussens issues had zero to do with testostorne laced muscle flexing and more to due with a lack of MLB pitching ability.

[Handofdeath]

Sorry, I didn't mean to get too complicated. The idea is not to yell at the glove, it's to yell at himself, to dig up some emotion while doing it and to dig up another 5 mph out of his gut, to show himself, his mgr, coaches, teammates and the opposition that he's got some fire in his belly.

Dont like yelling into gloves? How 'bout standing behind the mound for five or ten seconds and rubbing up the ball until it smokes.

Perhaps that's a way to overcome his attitude of, (and Eric Milton should take note) "Oh well, whatever will be will be, where am I going for dinner tonight?"

The glove over the face is to keep the TV camera from reading his lips.

Some guys do that sort of thing, some dont, some dont have to. When something clearly is not working, perhaps it's time to take a different road.

If I'm pitching, there is no way in hell I'm serving up 4 bombs in one inning. That 3rd guy sure as hell better not be digging in, the 4th guy is going on the DL.
.

I think there has been a question of whether or not Claussen's faith has been the cause of his seeming lack of fire on the mound and I have to say I think with athletes it can go either way. You either have it or you don't. I think Claussen should. If you are a person of faith and you believe that God has given you special talents, why are you not using them to their fullest? A perfect example of what a person of faith should be like on the athletic field is a football player you may have heard of. He's not a Bengal or a Brown but is a Cincy native and I'm talking about Roger Staubach. There was a player who didn't know the meaning of the word quit. The Dallas Cowboys have not had a more fiery competitor in their history. A nicer, more classier man you will not meet off the field. Claussen could learn a lot from a guy like that.

[jojo]

Lohse and Milton are #5 pitchers (and an easy case can be made that Milton's not even that--but I'll play along). This season both combined will make $15 million dollars.

Total waste.

Pretty much, yep. Lohse's upside at this point is he could potentially be league average but there's no reason to bank on it. Milton is simply canal dredge and has no upside-this wouldn't change no matter how much Milton began yelling at his glove.

[Falls City Beer]

FCB, going into last year, I think you picked the reds to go 81-81.
Just wondering how you would compare this "current" staff to last years.thanx.

The staff isn't any better (or much worse). It's the offense that's gotten way worse and the bullpen a year older.

[LINEDRIVER]

Dude either has stuff or doesn't. No amount of fist pumping, ball rubbing or tobacco spitting is going to give him anything if he just doesn't have the tallent/skill in his pitching arm/brain.

After the multipule surgeries and getting beat up, I'd say Claussens issues had zero to do with testostorne laced muscle flexing and more to due with a lack of MLB pitching ability.

I noted that I dont think he has major league stuff and that he's not wired with competitive spirit, etc.

I just think his lack of effectiveness is affected by his lack of competitive spirit. Would he be 95% more effective or 5% more effective if he showed some emotion? Who knows. I just dont get how you get rocked out there without showing your teammates that you give a crap.

[TeamBoone]

We don't know how he acted in the clubhouse after getting shelled.

[redsupport]

Yeah I am sure he is a great pitcher just has not shown it on this planet yet

[Ltlabner]

Who knows. I just dont get how you get rocked out there without showing your teammates that you give a crap.

Doesn't that suppose that the only way to demonstrate a competitve spirit is to pound your glove, rub the ball, give mean looks to people, etc ?

I'm talking in general here, not just specifically Claussen.

[camisadelgolf]

As an unbiased third party, I'll save him the typing and say it does suppose that.