Brennaman and Jones on Baseball

I sit in front of a computer all day, staring at the clock and begging it to move faster.  To help ease the monotony of the day, I like to listen to music and podcasts on my iPhone.  If anyone in Reds Country has the same problem and is not aware of a very entertaining baseball show, I have a tip for you.

For those of you that may not know, Brennaman and Jones on Baseball is a daily show on 700 WLW.  Marty Brennaman and Tracy Jones discuss the Reds and baseball in general.

Individual shows can be downloaded or you can subscribe to the show using podcasting software.  Here is the link:  WLW-AM Podcast Brennaman and Jones.

Time to Harang 'em up?

Aaron Doster

Aaron Harang has not been the "ace" of the Reds starting rotation for a long time.  He has still been considered a key part of the pitching staff and a valuable veteran presence in the clubhouse.  However, his ineffectiveness over the last couple of seasons may have finally reached its peak yesterday against the Rockies.

After the Reds jumped out to a 4-0 advantage, Harang gave the lead right back.  He failed to get out of the third inning, lasting just 2 1/3 while giving up four hits and four runs.  He also walked three batters, including the opposing pitcher.

Since coming off the disabled list, Harang has given up five runs on 12 hits and six walks in just 6 1/3 innings.  Harang did not pitch well during his rehab assignment in the minors either.

So, what do the Reds do with Harang?  Dusty Baker said a decision will have to be made sooner than later.

“Yeah, pretty soon,” Baker said. “We’ll discuss things and see. We can’t have these short outings. That puts pressure on my bullpen for the ensuing days after that.”

I got a chance to meet Aaron Harang earlier this season and he could not have been nicer.  He has donated a lot of time and money to various charitable organizations.  The media has always described him as a stand-up guy who will be honest and never duck a question, even after a bad outing.

This is the sad, but unavoidable aspect of professional sports.  Fans can be passionate about a team or player without consequence.  Decision-makers (managers, general managers, etc.) have to be able to separate the person from the player.

The Reds are in a pennant race.  They cannot afford to allow Harang to make another start.

Don't worry Reds Country

The Reds lost two of three to the Cardinals over the weekend.  However, not to worry Reds Country...here is something to quench your temporary thirst.

Kickin' It With Cueto

I was greatly inspired by two people today.  The first was my friend, Amy Perry, who will be sporting the following shirt while in St. Louis this weekend.

The other source of inspiration came via ESPN Page 2, which took the liberty to update some MLB team logos.  Despite my very limited artistic ability, I thought I would work on a logo upgrade for the St. Louis Cardinals.

There has been a lot of bad blood between the Reds and Cardinals lately.  Hopefully, this combination of Amy's brilliant phrase and a new logo will help ease the tension.

Statistical update on the National League MVP

As of September 2, 2010 on Baseball-Reference.com

Batting Average	.325	(2nd)
Home Runs	32	(3rd)
Runs Batted In	97	(1st)
Runs Scored	91	(3rd)
On-Base %	.424	(1st)
Hits	149	(6th)
Bases on Balls	76	(3rd)
Slugging %	.603	(2nd)
Total Bases	276	(3rd)