How unnatural...
Griffey and Cincinnati were like an ill conceived marriage almost from the beginning. Hopefully the divorce works out best for both parties.
How unnatural...
Griffey and Cincinnati were like an ill conceived marriage almost from the beginning. Hopefully the divorce works out best for both parties.
My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!
I think the most astonishing part of the whole day was Williams' statement that he plans on playing Junior in CF. Anyone who has watched Junior over the last year knows that he is not a CFer anymore and probably not even an OF.
I hope Junior goes to Chicago, is rejuvenated and leads the White Sox deep into the post season. The reality is probably more like the CF talk is just that and he is able to help them some in RF and as a DH.
My fear is that Junior receives a temporary rejuvenation by returning to CF and the hero's welcome he wll receive and pushes himself to show that he can still cover the center of the OF. If this occurs, I predict a the DL and a season-ending leg injury before Sept. rolls around
Whatever the future holds, I look for Junior to put him some strong nummbersthe next week to 10 days
Part of me died today.
Thanks and good luck, Junior. You deserved better than you got in Cincinnati. Here's hoping you find it in Chicago or wherever else you end up.
I know, it was dumb. When I drive, I am so desperate for sports news that I sometimes give in and turn to WLW or HOMER - usually when there is big news. That happens about once a month, and I invariably end up turning it to a national show. Pretty sad state of affairs when someone who is actually (a) a fan of sports talk and (b) obsessed with the Reds and Bengals can't actually stand listening to sports talk radio about Cincinnati sports.
Ken Williams and Ozzie Guillen must be absolutely clueless if they trade for Griffey to play him in CF... CF? Really?
With the White Sox current options for the OF, Griffey is 4th defensively at best, and 3rd offensively at best.
Part of me is wondering if Williams' or Guillen's welcome to Chicago gift to Griffey is a Firstbaseman's mitt?
I guess I kinda feel a lil naive for thinking for a minute that Jocketty might have actually gotten Nick Swisher back in this trade. I mean really, WTF was I thinking?!
Unfortunately, this move is at least 4 years too late....
A few thoughts:
1 - It's nice to see Jr. have a chance at playing October baseball after so many years in limbo.
2 - If I were running the White Sox, I'd put Swisher in CF, platoon Thome and Konerko at 1B and stick Jr. at DH.
3 - Walt Jocketty deserves some credit for being the GM who finally dealt Jr. It's the thing that his predecessors needed to do and didn't accomplish. While this deal doesn't have much impact on the W-L situation, Jocketty at least demonstrated he can make a tough deal happen.
4 - Richar could be interesting (in a reserve IF kind of way). Yet what happened to the d at the end of his name? I can see the headlines now, the Reds got yet another middle infielder with no D. Maybe we should call in Letterman.
5 - If I were running the Reds, Chris Dickerson would now become my CF for the rest of the season.
6 - The thing I'll miss about Jr. is that he never made excuses for going into a natural decline. He never accepted that he couldn't be the player we all wanted him to be when he arrived. It's a reminder that sometimes you fail, but that you can still fail with dignity.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Today I absolutely ached for intelligent sports talk. The first thing I heard moments after turning on the radio was that awful faux ad. Then I went over 1530 and they were arguing who was a better Red, Griffey or Rose. Ugh. I'm just down to listening to the Reds on WLW and then I turn off any commercial that Bill Cunningham does. Intelligent sports radio shouldn't be an oxymoron.
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things.
The Baseball Bookstore
http://tsc-sales.com/
http://tscsales.blogspot.com/
http://silverscreenbooks.com/
A couple of articles from MLB.COM on the players the Reds got in the trade.
Danny Richar was thought to have the inside shot at the second base job in Chicago this season. Instead, visa problems and injuries curtailed him early and ultimately helped pave his way out of town.
Richar was dealt to the Reds on Thursday along with reliever Nick Masset in return for Ken Griffey, Jr. Richar, who missed nearly two months with a stress fracture in his rib, had been playing for Triple-A Charlotte in the International League. It's not clear yet whether the Reds will keep him in Cincinnati or send him to their affiliate in Louisville.
The White Sox had acquired Richar from Arizona in a deal for Aaron Cunningham last June and after spending some time in Charlotte, he saw action in 56 games with the parent club. He only hit .230 but he had six homers and 15 RBIs in 187 at-bats while making a positive impression on the White Sox staff.
But his 2008 season got off to a miserable start when he showed up late for Spring Training because visa problems kept him in the Dominican Republic. Richar, 25, had suffered a back injury while playing winter ball and was off to a slow start in camp when the White Sox sent him for an MRI in the middle of March, which revealed a stress fracture in the first rib on his left side.
Richar, who was signed as an un-drafted free agent by Arizona in 2001, came off the disabled list near the end of May and has been at Charlotte since, where he's hit .262 with nine homers and 39 RBIs in 248 at-bats. He had a 13-game hitting streak snapped earlier this week against Buffalo and has hit safely in 20 of 22 games, including collecting hits in each of the last two games against Louisville. The Bats are in Charlotte on Thursday night for a 7:15 ET game.
Despite missing a month, Richar has nine errors (in 196 chances) this season, tied for most among IL second baseman.
07/31/2008 3:30 PM ET
Trade to Reds may benefit Masset
Right-hander could start after being used in relief by White Sox
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
MINNEAPOLIS -- Nick Masset woke up Thursday morning to the news of a potential major trade involving Ken Griffey Jr. and the White Sox.
It wasn't until approximately 15 minutes later that the right-hander found out he was part of said deal.
"Kenny said he really had to make a move right now to get another bat in the lineup," Masset told MLB.com of his talk with White Sox general manager Ken Williams in regard to being part of the Griffey trade, which also sent infielder Danny Richar to the Reds.
"He also told me how this helps me, giving me the opportunity to be a starter," Masset added. "He said that he put in some good words about me to the Reds. I really respect Kenny for that part. I think it's going to be a win-win situation for both teams."
Masset, 26, came to the White Sox as part of the Brandon McCarthy trade with Texas on Dec. 23, 2006. While John Danks was the cornerstone of this particular deal, Williams was just as excited to have added a plus-arm such as Masset's at the time.
Moving to the bullpen proved to be a tough adjustment for Masset, not unlike the pitcher for whom he was originally traded, as he posted a 2-3 record and 7.09 ERA in 2007. When rosters expanded last September, Masset was not called back to the Majors.
But he lost 25 pounds before coming into Spring Training, 2008, and had more life on his fastball. Masset served primarily as a middle reliever this season, with a few opportunities later in the game, and leaves the White Sox with a 1-0 record and 4.63 ERA in 44 2/3 innings.
In 59 games for the White Sox, Masset made two starts. One of those stood up as the lone victory for the South Siders over the Cubs in 2007.
"Ultimately, I think it's going to really open up my future as a starter," said Masset of the move to the Reds. "I'm really looking forward to being a starter, if that's where they want me to fit.
"That's something I always wanted to do, and I'm excited to head over to the National League. But I also have a lot of great friendships with the guys over here, and it's tough leaving a first place team in contention for the playoffs. It's tough leaving the White Sox."
Masset added one interesting twist about the trade. Masset's favorite baseball player to watch growing up was none other than Griffey.
"Being a big leaguer for a little while now, you understand the business of the game," Masset said. "It's the way it goes, who fits in best in which role
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |