WHERE’S WILLY

[DannyB]

From Fay's blog

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2009/09/14/of-francisco-bruce-taveras-etc/

Outfielder Willy Taveras said he hopes to return by the Florida series, which runs Thursday-Sunday. Taveras has been on the disabled list since Aug. 19 (strained right quadriceps).

“I’m about 70 percent right now, but I should be coming back soon,” Taveras said.

Taveras took batting practice and ran the bases Monday.

“Every day it feels better,” he said. “I’m going to run the bases again Wednesday.”

[Farnsie]

Blast!

[TheBigLebowski]

From Fay's blog

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2009/09/14/of-francisco-bruce-taveras-etc/



“Every day it feels better,” he said. “I’m going to run the bases again Wednesday.”

Is this some type of experimental thing we haven't seen?

[JayBruceFan]

He is going to run backwards towards 3B

[texasdave]

the only way he gets to run the bases is in practice..and does a person go from 70 percent to playing in only 2 or 3 days..amazing

[Slyder]

Why can't we be "patient" with him and tell him to rest up for next Spring?

Over/Under on how many days after he comes back that he's back to making outs at the top of the order?

[DaytonFlyer]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[malcontent]

You know that Toothpick's just salivating at the first chance he gets to shove more Willy T. down the throats of Reds fans.

[Oxblood]

You know that Toothpick's just salivating at the first chance he gets to shove more Willy T. down the throats of Reds fans.

Baker's last trick before hitting the bricks?

[Red in Atl]

I hate Willy T. I admit, I've come full circle. I defended him last offseason, because I thought some people were being really hard on a guy who hadn't played yet. Now I get it. I will have more faith in Redszone in the future.

[malcontent]

Baker's last trick before hitting the bricks?
One can hope.

If Castellini is to believed, however, Toothpick's not going anywhere.

Apparently he wants his money's worth.

[roby]

One can hope.

If Castellini is to believed, however, Toothpick's not going anywhere.

Apparently he wants his money's worth.

If you guys will quit talking about Willy, maybe he will just go away.

[Z-Fly]

Dusty + Willy = Huge waste of money

[nemesis]

Can't wait for that late September lineup against a tough LH on a sunday with

CF Taveras
SS Janish
1B Votto
2B Phillips
LF McDonald
RF Balentien
3B Rosales
C Miller
P Wells

I'll bet something to someone McDOnald and Taveras both play in a game together at some point before the season is over...

If I was Dusty and interested in saving my job... Except for a rest day each, I'd go everyday with...

CF Stubbs
C Hanigan
1B Votto
2B Phillips
3B Rolen
RF Bruce
LF Balentien/Francisco platoon
SS Janish

Not a bad lineup for what we have and could help find us some helpful pieces for 2010.

Gomes is a couple million dollar luxury we can't waste cash on. Nix is a good player but we have Dorn to relace him with. Taveras well, is still well, Taveras. McDonald is a good guy im sure but he is not in anyones plans for 2010.

[will5979]

I hate Willy T. I admit, I've come full circle. I defended him last offseason, because I thought some people were being really hard on a guy who hadn't played yet. Now I get it. I will have more faith in Redszone in the future.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Griffey012]

Can't wait for that late September lineup against a tough LH on a sunday with

CF Taveras
SS Janish
1B Votto
2B Phillips
LF McDonald
RF Balentien
3B Rosales
C Miller
P Wells

I'll bet something to someone McDOnald and Taveras both play in a game together at some point before the season is over...

If I was Dusty and interested in saving my job... Except for a rest day each, I'd go everyday with...

CF Stubbs
C Hanigan
1B Votto
2B Phillips
3B Rolen
RF Bruce
LF Balentien/Francisco platoon
SS Janish

Not a bad lineup for what we have and could help find us some helpful pieces for 2010.

Gomes is a couple million dollar luxury we can't waste cash on. Nix is a good player but we have Dorn to relace him with. Taveras well, is still well, Taveras. McDonald is a good guy im sure but he is not in anyones plans for 2010.

And Gomes and Balentien will be sitting on the bench....and we will score 2 runs at most. But we will have some good speedy D in the outfield!

[demas863]

From Fay's blog

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2009/09/14/of-francisco-bruce-taveras-etc/



“Every day it feels better,” he said. “I’m going to run the bases again Wednesday.”

Is this some type of experimental thing we haven't seen?

I can't stop laughing.

[will5979]

Somebody invite Willy to a pickup sandlot tackle football game, make him the running back, and everyone on defense take one for the team and get penalized for a personal foul late hit/unecessary roughness in process giving him an injury that would require him take a three week rest period to heel!

[fewfirstchoice]

1) Stubbs CF
2) Scutaro SS sign him to a 3yr. 21 mil deal
3) Votto 1B
4) Phillips 2B
5) Bruce RF
6) Rolen 3B
7) Balentin LF
8) Hannigan C

1) Harang
2) Arroyo
3) Cueto
4) D. Davis or R. Wolfe sign either to a 2yr 12 mil. deal
5) Bailey

[flash]

The Reds will take a long time before bringing him back. His contract probably has an insurance clause for injuries. He saving the team money by not being on the field. The team will lose money and games if he is on the field.

[DannyB]

from Fay today


Willy Taveras and Ramon Hernandez are both running the bases as I type. My guess is they’ll be ready this weekend. If Taveras gets a start, it’ll get the blog comments numbers back up.

[DannyB]

Today the Reds reinstated from the 15-day disabled list OF Willy Taveras.

Since 8/19 Taveras has been on the DL with a strained right quadriceps.

Taveras in 98 games this year is hitting .238 with one homer and 15 RBI. He has 395 at-bats, and has stolen 25 bases in 31 attempts. His on-base percentage is .273.

For his career, Taveras is a .275 hitter with a .321 on-base percentage.



from Fay
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2009/09/22/taveras-reinstated/#pluckcomments

[ILoveWilly]

Great news. :D

[Captain Hook]

Great news. :D

Yeah great news!:thumbdown

[kfm]

From Jon Fay

Willy Taveras, meet Wally Pipp
Posted by jfay September 22nd, 2009, 4:34 pm It doesn’t sound like Willy Taveras’ activation will lead to any significant playing time.

“Sometimes, Wally Pipp is still alive,” Dusty Baker said.

Translation: An injury can cost you your job, and Taveras has lost his to Drew Stubbs.

“I don’t know,” Baker said when asked how he’ll work things on center. “Not to be smart about it: But it’ll be how I feel like it. Stubbs has been playing good. We’ll see how Willy’s feeling. I asked him. He still says he feels a little something. We’ve been fine with who we’ve had out there. He’s been out quite a while.”

Stubbs is hitting .265/.316/.478 with eight homers, 15 RBI and seven steals in 136 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A. Taveras was hitting .238/.273/.284 with one home run, 15 RBI and 25 steals in 395 at-bats before going on the DL with the strained quad.

[Captain Hook]

From Jon Fay

Willy Taveras, meet Wally Pipp
Posted by jfay September 22nd, 2009, 4:34 pm It doesn’t sound like Willy Taveras’ activation will lead to any significant playing time.

“Sometimes, Wally Pipp is still alive,” Dusty Baker said.

Translation: An injury can cost you your job, and Taveras has lost his to Drew Stubbs.

“I don’t know,” Baker said when asked how he’ll work things on center. “Not to be smart about it: But it’ll be how I feel like it. Stubbs has been playing good. We’ll see how Willy’s feeling. I asked him. He still says he feels a little something. We’ve been fine with who we’ve had out there. He’s been out quite a while.”

Stubbs is hitting .265/.316/.478 with eight homers, 15 RBI and seven steals in 136 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A. Taveras was hitting .238/.273/.284 with one home run, 15 RBI and 25 steals in 395 at-bats before going on the DL with the strained quad.

Sounds like Willy might be in Bakers dog house right now.We still won't be completely safe from the possibility that Tavaras is starting in CF next year until he is completely removed from the team.This is a step in the right direction though.:thumbup:

[Kingspoint]

What the dummy will probably do is start Stubbs only against Left-handers, even though he needs all the practice he can get against both, especially Right-Handers. He'll waste Willy T by giving him some starts against Right-Handers.

I can't believe Walt activated him. That's on Walt. Walt's acting like an idiot when it comes to Taveras.

[malcontent]

“Not to be smart about it, but it’ll be how I feel like it."
That comment tells me that Jocketty may have actually spoken to Toothpick regarding Stubbs/Taveras.

I really don't see Toothpick finally acquiring the neurons necessary to make this most obvious of choices, or the humility to admit he's been wrong all along.

No, IMO there had to have been a conversation. But we're now on notice that he'll continue to call the shots however he feels like it.

Hear that, Walt? Pick's still The Man, and you're still a slacker.

[debra]

"Hate"!! Is a very strong word!! Blah! Blah!! Blah!! is all that is ever heard..It will be whatever those in charge want it to be...The Reds have alot of good players, it is so sad it is all based on money money and not talent..talent..I hope they end it strong..and get ready for next year..Go Reds!!

[dougflynn23]

Signing him was an enormous mistake in the first place, especially when the Reds essentially bid against themselves in that they were the only team offering a 2-year deal and an opportunity to start.

Willy has a history of not being happy as a backup, and he really offers little value as one since he is a brutal defensive outfielder and can't hit. I think you have to look at it as the $4MM you eat is really paying Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs an extra $2MM since they are both cheap.

[Red in Atl]

Hal seems to have the same idea as Fay, Willy may have been Pipp'ed for good.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2009/09/22/baker_puts_taveras_in_wally_pi.html

Baker puts Taveras in Wally Pipp class
By Hal McCoy | Tuesday, September 22, 2009, 04:36 PM

For those holding their breath worrying about when Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker will stick Willy Taveras back in the lineup, well exhale and breathe heartily.

Taveras has been activated off the disabled list, but when Baker was asked when Taveras would play, he answered testily.

“Well, I mean, I don’t know. I’ll work it, not to be a smart-ass, but I’ll work it like I feel like it,” he said. “You know what I’m saying? Drew Stubbs has been playing good. We’ll see how Willy is feeling and I’ve asked him and he says he is still feeling something (in his quadriceps).

“We’re doing fine with who we’ve got out there,” Baker added.

IF HE TRULY subscribes to that, good for him. Taveras was a bust on top of a failure on top of a big disappointment all year. Since he went down and Stubbs arrived, Stubbs leads the team in home runs (8), total bases (65), steals (7) and runs scored (20). That’s more production in 32 games than Taveras produced in three-fourths of a season.

ONE SUSPECTS that Taveras somehow fell out of favor during his stay on the disabled list, perhaps didn’t work hard enough to suit Baker.

“He’s been out quite a while,” Baker said. And the most telling thing Baker said?

“Sometimes Wally Pipp is still alive,” he said. Pipp was a first baseman for the New York Yankees and took a day off. He was replaced by Lou Gehrig, who then played 2,130 straight games and Pipp was never heard from again as a Yankee.

Now when a player sits out some games and loses his position to another player, it is said, “He was Wally Pipped.”

THEN THERE is Ramon Hernandez. He came off the DL Sunday and there he was in the lineup Tuesday.

“He’s worked hard to get to this point and I like to reward guys who work hard to get back in there to play,” said Baker.

Just reading between the lines here, one suspects Taveras did not work hard enough to get back, not the way Hernandez did after having knee surgery July 21.

Also sounds as if Baker wouldn’t mind if Taveras was not back with the team next season. He didn’t say that, but when a manager brings up Wally Pipp, that’s Serious Business.

[malcontent]

Also sounds as if Baker wouldn’t mind if Taveras was not back with the team next season. He didn’t say that, but when a manager brings up Wally Pipp, that’s Serious Business.
I'd like to know who really pushed to sign Taveras...if it was Baker and/or Quick, or if Jocketty deserves the lion's share of the credit. I suspect Walter simply went along for the ride.

If that's the case, he should be offered immunity if he'll turn state's evidence.

[Captain Hook]

One of the best box scores of the year tonight imo.Lots of runs in a blow out win and a available Willy T. DNP.Let him rot on the bench where he belongs.

[freestyle55]

He's baaaaaaack....in the lineup today...