Pay 'Em!

     Brandon Philips wants to get paid. He's the best Second Baseman in the game, he's just 30, and he's coming off a solid season where he hit for over .300. He has made it clear he'd like to stay in Cincinnati, but isn't giving the "homeboy discount". I can understand that. It seems like a lot of people can't.

     Fans use the argument all the time, "Boy, if I got paid a million bucks to play a kids game, I wouldn't complain and ask for more money". I hate that mentality. Any fan that thinks that is a hypocrite. There are a lot of problems I have with that sentiment and I'm going to address it here. *Gets on soapbox*

1. Players can't play forever - Sure, these guys make a TON of money, but they can't play pro sports forever. Most guys might not make it to 30, and with steroids banned, very few hit 40. Athletes need to make their money when they can.
2. Look at your peers - I worked at a gas station making 5.25 an hour, I was fine with it. Then another guy came in that I felt didn't work as hard as me and he made 5.75 an hour. 10% more than me? The rest of the time he worked there, I felt disrespected. We did the same work and he made more. If at your job a new guy came in and did the same thing as you and made 10% more and you had seniority, I bet you wouldn't like it.
3. It's all about your industry - If the good people in your industry made between 12-20 million dollars a year, and you fit in that category, don't you deserve that money too? 

     Look, it's real easy to see the astronomical salary figures and figure that these guys are overpaid. To me, these guys aren't overpaid because the teams make money. Call me crazy, but I'd MUCH rather see guys on the field cashing in instead of some already super rich old guy in a luxury box.

     Do the Reds want to pay @DatDudeBP? We'll find out. But whether they do or not, Brandon Philips deserves to get paid. We all do.

Unnecessary Changes

     This weekend the Cincinnati Reds have their long awaited rematch from the 1970 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. My memories of that series are... yea, I wasn't really around then. This is series marks the Reds playing at all of the American League parks. Great.

     Look, I see the appeal to Inter-league play. Battle of Ohio is cool. Being able to see the Yankees play the Reds is definitely an attraction. The Reds had their first non-opening day Monday sell-out because of it. Money is to be made. Besides, the more teams that play each other, the less we have to hear about Red Sox versus Yankees. So that's a plus

     I guess my gripe is that other than when we play the Indians or a marquee team like the Yankees or Red Sox, it's just another game. Sure, the Texas Rangers were in the World Series last year, but I wouldn't be clamoring to get tickets because the Rangers are in town.

     More than any other pro sport, baseball has more tradition in the US than any other sport. There are a lot of things that make it unique. The DH Rule, 7th inning stretch, and not playing the other league. That's what makes it cool. I know that there are 162 games and that people might not want to see the Astros 14 times a year, but that's baseball. The fact that the team we play in the World Series may be the only time we play that team is pretty cool. And adds to the lore of baseball.

     But in a world that likes to change things just because they feel like it, it was only a matter of time until inter-league play happened. And now there is talk of realignment and going from 2 leagues and 3 divisions to 2 leagues and 2 divisions. That's got an old school feel to it, and really makes winning a division mean a lot. I would be a big fan of realignment. Why should the Reds be in a 6 team division and the Rangers be in a 4 team one? So it'll be interesting to see how that pays out.

     Just don't talk to me about an 18 game schedule.

MLB Draft, It's a Real Thing

     In case you didn't notice, the MLB Draft started yesterday. The Cincinnati Reds took a pitcher by the name of Robert (don't call me Louis) Stephenson. Apparently, he's out of high school. He is also right handed. He can throw up to 97 miles per hour. He has a curveball. And a change up.  Zzzzzz... Let me know when you wake up.

     There are a lot of things that work against the MLB Draft. It's in the middle of the season, it doesn't include international players, these guys might not see the Majors for at least a season or two. By the time he gets drafted, the buzz (if there was one) is probably gone by anyone not a hardcore fan.With so much working against the draft, Major League Baseball can't do things to make it worse.

     Mo Egger (of ESPN 1530 fame) has a great idea of having the draft the day after the All-Star Game. Which makes sense, because its the only day in the US that none of the four major sports are in action. Basically, a perfect oppurtunity for them to capitalize on sports boredom. Also, with no sports being on, ESPN or some other sports network might pick it up for America to watch.

     I have a few more ideas, can we get mock drafts? Big boards? A combine? A guy like Mel Kiper, Jr with too much hair gel and an "I'm way smarter than the other guy I'm arguing with" aura? We care about football because if we watch sports TV enough, we feel like we learn who the top 5 weak side linebackers and which running back could be a Day 2 sleeper. Knowledge equals intrest, intrest equals demand, demand equals TV time, and TV time equals money. See how that works?

     Another thing that would help would be ease of info. If you don't want talking heads, give me numbers. Give me stats and ratings on things like curveballs or fielding range. Why should I have to pay ESPN to find out any in depth info? 40 times and bench reps are all over when it comes to football.

     MLB needs to take this seriously if they want us to take it seriously. Draft coverage was at the bottom of the page. Their headline story was about the Red Sox and Yankees, two things that are more worn out than (insert joke here). I want to care about Robert Stephenson, and in time, maybe I will. But the draft is supposed to rejuvenate hope in your team. That a certain prospect will take your team to the next level, or become a franchise player. If the Reds didn't draft a guy named after an author, I never would remember him. Maybe later they'll take shortshop Ralph Emerson.

Let Players Play

     Buster Posey is a catcher for the San Francisco Giants and in 2010 he won the National League Rookie of the Year. He was the 5th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft. Then, on May 25th Buster broke his fibula on a game deciding play in the 12th inning against the Florida Marlins. A brutal hit from the Marlins' Scott Cousins possibly ended his season.

     This play and injury has caused an uproar about the safety of catchers. Should they block the plate? Should players be allowed to run over the catcher? Well, if you ask a lot of sports writers, this heinous act should be outlawed and the offender should be thrown in jail. How dare a catcher try to ensure victory for his team by protecting home plate? And what is a base runner thinking when he hustles to the plate? Is winning that important? Yes.

     Look, it was a game in May, maybe not the most important game of the year. But anytime you step on the field, you risk injury. Maybe Scott Cousins didn't need to run over Buster, but what if he didn't hustle to first? Everyone would call him lazy and demand he goes hard all the time. Competitiveness isn't a switch. These guys work so hard to get where they are. We can't praise Michael Jordan for being a hyper-competitive doucher and complain when other people do it. We can't buy Pete Rose pictures of him crushing Ray Fosse in an All-Star game and act so appalled when a no name guy does it to a future All-Star.

     I'm not saying that player safety doesn't matter. What I am saying is that a knee jerk reaction isn't the way to go. Let players play. Let the compete. And if the Giants want, let them bean Scott Cousins right in the back... twice.

Now This is Where the Fun Begins

     The Reds have lost 5 straight. The pitching needs work. The hitting needs work. Dusty is an idiot. That's all common themes with this team (or really, ANY team when they lose). A big thing people always come back to is, "If we didn't trade Josh Hamilton for stupid Edinson Volquez, we'd be in GREAT shape!"

     So let's take a look at that, what if the Reds really had both the National League AND the American League MVP's at the same time? We would have been unstoppable! Right? Let's take a look (Disclaimer: Like all sports arguments this is totally hypothetical and NO WAY able to be proven one way or another.)

     Before we get to the what if lets look at the why this trade happened. In 2007, the Reds picked up former number one pick Josh Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft. Tampa had given up on the troubled player after drug problems. In 92 games for the Reds, Josh Hamilton hit .292, 19 HRs, 47 RBI, with a .368 OBP. not bad for his first MLB season. The Reds finished 72-90 that year, good for 5th place in the division.

     In 2008, the Reds bring in Dusty Baker, and they are ready to contend. They want a winner, but they need arms. The 2007 Reds gave up over 850 runs, and only had two pitchers reach over 200 IP and two more going over 100 IP. Not good. Who to trade to get a good arm? How about the guy that has only one half of a year of MLB experience that may or may not have shaken his demons? The Reds and Rangers make the trade and Volquez (only Reds player) and Hamilton both make the ASG.

     Now lets look at the what if. Say the Reds don't trade Hamilton. They still need arms, so who do they move? A 38 year old Griffey? Adam Dunn? Jay Bruce? If they make no trade. Their rotation has Arroyo 15-11, Harang (6-17),  Johnny Cueto (9-14), and Homer Bailey (0-6)? Matt Belisle (1-4)? Really need a 5th starter.

     2009 the Reds didn't score many runs, and Hamilton instead of Lance Nix is a no brainer. But he only played 89 games that year. 2010? Hamilton and Votto have great years, but who is around them? Did the Reds give up Jay Bruce or Brandon Philips for an arm or two?

     Now this is where the fun begins. 2011. The Reds resign NL MVP Joey Votto to a three year extension 5.5MM in 2011, 9.5MM in '12, and 17MM in '13. Plus a 6 Mil signing bonus. Also, Mr. Hamilton needs a contract. He got 10MM for 2011 and 14MM for 2012. Which brings up the question, why are you paying Votto half of what you pay Hamilton? What effect will that have in the clubhouse?

     And that's not all of it, Bronson got a 3 year 35MM deal, and Jay Bruce got a 6 year 51MM deal. Plus you have Brandon Philips needing a contract at the end of the season. And this is being paid buy a team that currently sits 13 out of 16th in attendance in the NL. Where is this money coming from? One if not more of these players isn't going to be here. We would more than likely need to trade a big money guy to keep most of the team intact.

     The key to this story is that hitting is great, but pitching wins. The Reds needed arms, just like EVERY team needs arms. Having Hamilton and Votto would have been great, but to think it would have lasted this long would be a long shot. I guarantee that had the Reds not traded Hamilton, another valuable cog would be gone. In a parallel universe, Reds fans are complaining that Brandon Philips is playing Gold Glove second base for someone else while the Reds are in a tough pennant race.