The NFL has announced that it is shutting down NFL Europa after 16 seasons. Commissioner Goodell said it was a business decision in the best interests of the National Football League. NFL Europa had developed a fairly decent fan base in Germany where 5 of the 6 teams were based, but the league was apparently losing somewhere around 30 million dollars a year. Commissioner Goodell went on to say that the NFL is looking for new ways to make the league more popular worldwide. Apparently the league thinks that playing a couple of regular season games overseas every year will accomplish that goal.
I'm sorry to see NFL Europa close its doors. I have to admit that I watched the games on the NFL channel every week. I think there has to be a bigger reason behind the league folding than simply just losing 30 million dollars a season. You know that 30 million dollars isn't that much money to the NFL. I don't know what will happen with American football in Europe from this point forward, but I would love to see some investors start a new league in Germany now that the NFL has already developed a fan base there.
I just wish someone over in the NBA brain trust would put us out of our misery and kill off the WNBA. Losing NFL Europa would be worth it to me if the WNBA also went belly up. The WNBA is the worst basketball I have ever seen in my life.
Friday, June 29, 2007
McCarty joins U of L staff
It was announced today that former UK basketball player Walter McCarty will join Coach Rick Pitino's staff at the University of Louisville. McCarty will be replacing Marvin Menzies who was recently named the new head basketball coach at New Mexico State University. Menzies replaced Reggie Theus at NMSU who recently vacated the head coaching position there to become the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings. Reggie had also previously been an assistant on Louisville's staff under Rick Pitino.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Floyd Landis update
It was reported today that Floyd Landis is still optimistic that he will win his fight with the USADA. Floyd says he is eager to return to racing and he plans to return to the Tour De Farce next year if he is exonerated. Floyd says his hip feels great and that the only thing keeping him from training is all the time he has lost to the legal fight with the USADA.
I'm still not convinced that Floyd really is innocent. But, I am 100 percent convinced that the French lab that conducted the tests on Floyd's urine is completely incompetent. If they're not incompetent, then they must have purposely fabricated Floyd's positive results. Either way, I don't see how anyone could trust any results that come out of that lab ever again. From what I have read that lab has broken virtually every rule and regulation regarding drug testing on an international level.
I hope Floyd turns out to be found completely innocent. Then, I hope he does go back to France next year and defeats every one of those pansy ass foreign riders. After he wins I want to see him riding through Paris waving a giant flag that says, "FRANCE SUCKS!"
Gillespie scores again!!!
6'6" DeAndre Liggins of Chicago has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Kentucky. Liggins will be a high school senior this fall and will enroll at Kentucky in the fall of 2008. Liggins is considered to be a major signing and is expected to be a McDonald's All-American this year. Every major scouting firm has Liggins listed as one of the top 30 prospects in next year's senior class. He is considered to be very versatile. It is thought that he is more than capable of playing in college at either guard position or at small forward. Liggins has the reputation of being an excellent ball handler and an even better passer. Some of the scouting agencies are a little concerned about his shooting ability which is something that Liggins has apparently been working very hard to improve.
Billy Gillespie has really impressed me with the signings of Patterson, Legion, and now Liggins. I can't remember being this excited about Kentucky recruiting since Pitino left.
Billy Gillespie has really impressed me with the signings of Patterson, Legion, and now Liggins. I can't remember being this excited about Kentucky recruiting since Pitino left.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Escaped again!!
This will probably come as no surprise to those of you who know me, but I escaped serving on a jury again today. This is the second time that I have been summoned to appear and then been dismissed by either the prosecutor or the defense attorney. I have no idea who asked for my dismissal or why I was dismissed in either case. But, I will be nice enough to tell you what I did in both instances that may have led to my dismissals in case you ever find yourself being summoned for jury duty. Before I start I would like to state for the record that I do believe it is every American's civil duty to serve on a jury at some point in their lives. I hope to someday serve on a jury and do my part, I've just decided that I'm not ready to do my civil duty quite yet.
Case #1
I was called for jury duty in 1999. I don't remember all the details, but I do know that it was a check fraud case. I didn't know anything about the case before arriving at the courthouse. In this particular case I decided to make myself visually unappealing. I accomplished this by not bathing for two days prior to my jury date. Then, I wore a pair of dirty jeans complete with dirt and grass stains on them. I topped off the look by wearing a Confederate Railroad T-shirt that was emblazoned with a giant confederate flag across the chest. Once I was in the jury box for the voir dire I incessantly tapped my foot and rocked my body forward and backward like I was sitting in a rocking chair. I answered all the questions truthfully, but I took my own sweet time doing it. I was also sure to use as much of a southern drawl as I was capable of mustering. I was living well north of the Mason-Dixon line at the time. Almost everybody that lives in the North thinks you are an idiot if you have a southern accent. I was one of the first potential jurors dismissed that day.
Case #2
I was actually dismissed this morning for this one. This time I knew ahead of time that it was murder trial involving a wife who shot her husband. I'm not going to get into any details of the case, but it happened in my hometown and I was very familiar with the details that had been released by the media. I wouldn't have minded serving on a jury, but I did not want to serve on this one. So, I decided to try to get dismissed again. I'm a bit older than the last time I was summoned and I didn't think I could pull off the dirty hillbilly act again. So, this time I decided to go with the inattentive undecided over thinker. When I was called down to the jury box for voir dire I was careful to look really confused. I knew exactly where I was supposed to be seated because the bailiff had just explained it to everybody in the room, but I proceeded to walk up there and sit in the wrong seat. The bailiff caught it and informed me that I needed to sit in the assigned seat. I apologized and said I didn't hear her tell us where to sit. This was a lie, but they hadn't sworn me in yet. Once I was swore in, I passed my time by staring at every detail in the room. I looked at the carpet, the ceiling, and the walls. I looked everywhere but at the lawyer who was asking my fellow jurors questions. I was listening to everything that was said, but I was pretending to be completely disinterested in the whole process. The first time I was asked a question by the prosecutor I just sat there and stared at the far wall like I hadn't heard a thing the man had said. I waited for him to repeat my name before I looked in his direction and then I politely asked him to repeat the question. His question required a very simple yes or no response, but I rambled on for about 45 seconds without actually saying yes or no. Instead, I gave him a firm, "I'm pretty sure." Then when he was about to move on I asked him if I could change my answer. I continued "not paying attention" and never directly answering a question for the next 30 minutes through both the prosecutor and the defense attorney's questions. Not surprisingly, I was again dismissed. I figured neither side wanted to have a guy on the jury who wasn't capable of paying attention or following directions.
I'm not saying that my appearance or behavior got me out of jury duty either time, I'm just telling you what happened on both of those days. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't break the law in either case. I would have served on either jury if I had been selected. I didn't lie under oath or make up excuses why I couldn't serve. I showed up and let the system decide whether I would serve, or not. It worked for me and it may work for you too.
Case #1
I was called for jury duty in 1999. I don't remember all the details, but I do know that it was a check fraud case. I didn't know anything about the case before arriving at the courthouse. In this particular case I decided to make myself visually unappealing. I accomplished this by not bathing for two days prior to my jury date. Then, I wore a pair of dirty jeans complete with dirt and grass stains on them. I topped off the look by wearing a Confederate Railroad T-shirt that was emblazoned with a giant confederate flag across the chest. Once I was in the jury box for the voir dire I incessantly tapped my foot and rocked my body forward and backward like I was sitting in a rocking chair. I answered all the questions truthfully, but I took my own sweet time doing it. I was also sure to use as much of a southern drawl as I was capable of mustering. I was living well north of the Mason-Dixon line at the time. Almost everybody that lives in the North thinks you are an idiot if you have a southern accent. I was one of the first potential jurors dismissed that day.
Case #2
I was actually dismissed this morning for this one. This time I knew ahead of time that it was murder trial involving a wife who shot her husband. I'm not going to get into any details of the case, but it happened in my hometown and I was very familiar with the details that had been released by the media. I wouldn't have minded serving on a jury, but I did not want to serve on this one. So, I decided to try to get dismissed again. I'm a bit older than the last time I was summoned and I didn't think I could pull off the dirty hillbilly act again. So, this time I decided to go with the inattentive undecided over thinker. When I was called down to the jury box for voir dire I was careful to look really confused. I knew exactly where I was supposed to be seated because the bailiff had just explained it to everybody in the room, but I proceeded to walk up there and sit in the wrong seat. The bailiff caught it and informed me that I needed to sit in the assigned seat. I apologized and said I didn't hear her tell us where to sit. This was a lie, but they hadn't sworn me in yet. Once I was swore in, I passed my time by staring at every detail in the room. I looked at the carpet, the ceiling, and the walls. I looked everywhere but at the lawyer who was asking my fellow jurors questions. I was listening to everything that was said, but I was pretending to be completely disinterested in the whole process. The first time I was asked a question by the prosecutor I just sat there and stared at the far wall like I hadn't heard a thing the man had said. I waited for him to repeat my name before I looked in his direction and then I politely asked him to repeat the question. His question required a very simple yes or no response, but I rambled on for about 45 seconds without actually saying yes or no. Instead, I gave him a firm, "I'm pretty sure." Then when he was about to move on I asked him if I could change my answer. I continued "not paying attention" and never directly answering a question for the next 30 minutes through both the prosecutor and the defense attorney's questions. Not surprisingly, I was again dismissed. I figured neither side wanted to have a guy on the jury who wasn't capable of paying attention or following directions.
I'm not saying that my appearance or behavior got me out of jury duty either time, I'm just telling you what happened on both of those days. As far as I'm concerned, I didn't break the law in either case. I would have served on either jury if I had been selected. I didn't lie under oath or make up excuses why I couldn't serve. I showed up and let the system decide whether I would serve, or not. It worked for me and it may work for you too.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Rod Beck dead at 38
Rod was found dead in his home Saturday by the local police who were responding to a call. Foul play is not suspected.
This one hits home for me. Rod never played for any of my favorite teams, but he was always a guy that I liked watching and reading about. I'm sure we'll get to hear the stories from his former teammates over the next few days, but I'll go ahead and tell you now that you won't hear from anybody who didn't like the man. Everybody loved Rod Beck. He was just one of those people who made no enemies. I loved reading the stories about Rod living in his Winnebago when he made a comeback in the minors at the end of his career. He actually parked the RV at the ballpark and would sit and drink beer with the local fans who stopped by to say, "hi."
An exact cause of death hasn't been determined, but I do know that Rod had some difficult battles with drug abuse in the past. All I know is that Rod was taken from this earth too early. 38 years old is too young to die. I'm not 38 yet, but I'm getting close and I'm not ready to go yet.
My thoughts and prayers are with Rod's family and friends.
This one hits home for me. Rod never played for any of my favorite teams, but he was always a guy that I liked watching and reading about. I'm sure we'll get to hear the stories from his former teammates over the next few days, but I'll go ahead and tell you now that you won't hear from anybody who didn't like the man. Everybody loved Rod Beck. He was just one of those people who made no enemies. I loved reading the stories about Rod living in his Winnebago when he made a comeback in the minors at the end of his career. He actually parked the RV at the ballpark and would sit and drink beer with the local fans who stopped by to say, "hi."
An exact cause of death hasn't been determined, but I do know that Rod had some difficult battles with drug abuse in the past. All I know is that Rod was taken from this earth too early. 38 years old is too young to die. I'm not 38 yet, but I'm getting close and I'm not ready to go yet.
My thoughts and prayers are with Rod's family and friends.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Colts news
The Indianapolis Colts claimed defensive back Antonio Perkins off waivers from the Cleveland Browns. Perkins was a 4th round draft pick from Oklahoma in 2005. He has only appeared in six games over the last two seasons for the Browns.
The Colts also waived offensive guard Matt Tarullo. Tarullo had been signed by the Colts last month after he was waived by the Giants.
The Colts also waived offensive guard Matt Tarullo. Tarullo had been signed by the Colts last month after he was waived by the Giants.
College Recruiting
I made a joke the other day about Billy Gillespie offering a scholarship to a 3 year old. I made the joke because I thought it was a little crazy for Billy to offer a scholarship to 16 year old Dakotah Euton. Not because I think Dakotah is undeserving. I just think it is getting a little ridiculous when college coaches start offering scholarships to freshmen in high school. I just read a story today that Tim Floyd (head coach at USC) has offered a scholarship to a kid in Illinois who just finished the eighth grade. THE EIGHTH GRADE! What on earth is going on? Where are we going to draw the line? I can't imagine what it would have done to me mentally if I had started receiving scholarship offers when I was 14 years old.
I'm not the only one that thinks this is wrong. Mike Fields wrote a really nice piece today urging Billy to sign one of Richie Farmer's kids. In case you were wondering, Richie's boys are ages 10, 8, and 5. I would recommend you read it if you get a chance. It is a little tongue in cheek, but Mike does do a nice little interview with Richie.
I'm not the only one that thinks this is wrong. Mike Fields wrote a really nice piece today urging Billy to sign one of Richie Farmer's kids. In case you were wondering, Richie's boys are ages 10, 8, and 5. I would recommend you read it if you get a chance. It is a little tongue in cheek, but Mike does do a nice little interview with Richie.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
UK news
Billy Gillespie has offered a scholarship to 3 year old Tanner Smith of Oak Lawn Preschool. Tanner is still considered a "project," but Miss Amy (Tanner's preschool teacher) says that Tanner learns fast and should be completely potty trained by this fall. Tanner currently stands over 3 feet tall and is projected to be a power forward by the time he reaches college age. It is believed that Tanner is the first prospect from the high school class of 2022 to be offered a scholarship. When Tanner was asked if he will accept UK's early scholarship offer, Tanner smiled and said, "I like ducks."
Seriously, Billy Gillespie has signed high school freshman Dakotah Euton to a letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. Dakotah just finished his freshman year at Rose Hill in Ashland, Kentucky. Dakotah just turned 16 in March and he is already 6'8". Nobody seems to know too much about the kid except that he can really shoot the ball. Also, Florida apparently offered Euton a scholarship this spring but Dakotah chose Kentucky instead.
Derrick Jasper's knee surgery apparently went OK and it is being reported that he should be ready to go when practice starts in October.
Seriously, Billy Gillespie has signed high school freshman Dakotah Euton to a letter of intent to play basketball for the University of Kentucky. Dakotah just finished his freshman year at Rose Hill in Ashland, Kentucky. Dakotah just turned 16 in March and he is already 6'8". Nobody seems to know too much about the kid except that he can really shoot the ball. Also, Florida apparently offered Euton a scholarship this spring but Dakotah chose Kentucky instead.
Derrick Jasper's knee surgery apparently went OK and it is being reported that he should be ready to go when practice starts in October.
Terry Hoeppner passed away this morning
Coach Hep died this morning at 6:50 A.M. according to a statement issued by Indiana's Sports Information Director. The cause of death was listed as complications from the brain tumor that Terry has been battling for some time. It appears that Coach's death was somewhat unexpected because it had been reported earlier that the Coach's family had been expecting his return home from the hospital this Friday.
I am sure that Coach Hep will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Jane and the rest of his friends and family.
I'm not sure if they have football in heaven, but if they do I'll bet there will be some teams looking to give Coach Hep a job. From the things I have read about the man I know I wish I had been given the opportunity to play for him.
Rest in Peace, Coach.
I am sure that Coach Hep will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Jane and the rest of his friends and family.
I'm not sure if they have football in heaven, but if they do I'll bet there will be some teams looking to give Coach Hep a job. From the things I have read about the man I know I wish I had been given the opportunity to play for him.
Rest in Peace, Coach.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Mike Nifong disbarred!!
This is no surprise to me. I think this is really just the beginning for Mike Nifong. His life is going to change dramatically from this point forward. I think he is looking at some major civil suits from the wrongfully accused Duke players, and I wouldn't be surprised to see an investigation into possible civil rights violations. I don't think this guy has a win left in him. I think the best this guy can hope for is "penniless and in prison."
Its stories like the Duke lacrosse case that make me wonder how many innocent people really are in prison. The only reason the Duke case turned out the way it did is because the families of the accused players had the money to hire good lawyers. Just think about how differently this could have turned out if the accused players would not have had the resources to fight the charges.
I'm happy that the charges were dropped against these guys and that Mike Nifong is getting what he deserves. But, there will be no justice in this case until the accuser (Crystal Magnum) gets some punishment for what she has done. I've always said that if it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that an accuser has lied and wrongfully accused someone of a crime, then the accuser should do the same jail time that the wrongfully accused would have faced if they had been wrongfully convicted. I'm not going to fool myself in this case, however. I don't think there is any chance that Ms. Magnum is going to get in any trouble for what she has done. I think at the very least she should face the charges that she would have been facing for public intoxication when the police had originally picked her up after the Duke party. Lets not forget that she didn't say anything about a rape occurring until she realized that she was going to get arrested for public intoxication. Everybody forgot all about Ms. Magnum once she started making up her lies.
Its stories like the Duke lacrosse case that make me wonder how many innocent people really are in prison. The only reason the Duke case turned out the way it did is because the families of the accused players had the money to hire good lawyers. Just think about how differently this could have turned out if the accused players would not have had the resources to fight the charges.
I'm happy that the charges were dropped against these guys and that Mike Nifong is getting what he deserves. But, there will be no justice in this case until the accuser (Crystal Magnum) gets some punishment for what she has done. I've always said that if it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that an accuser has lied and wrongfully accused someone of a crime, then the accuser should do the same jail time that the wrongfully accused would have faced if they had been wrongfully convicted. I'm not going to fool myself in this case, however. I don't think there is any chance that Ms. Magnum is going to get in any trouble for what she has done. I think at the very least she should face the charges that she would have been facing for public intoxication when the police had originally picked her up after the Duke party. Lets not forget that she didn't say anything about a rape occurring until she realized that she was going to get arrested for public intoxication. Everybody forgot all about Ms. Magnum once she started making up her lies.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Hoeppner to miss 2007 season
It was announced today that IU football coach Terry Hoeppner will sit out the 2007 season. Coach Hep is still fighting the brain cancer that has sidelined him 3 times since becoming IU's head coach. Bill Lynch has been named the interim head coach in Hep's absence. Bill has been the assistant head coach at IU since 2005.
I don't know Coach Hep personally but I hear he is one hell of a guy. I do know that he is the best thing that has happened to IU football in a long, long time. My thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Hep and his family. I hope to see him back on the sideline very soon.
I'm not a huge IU football fan, but I hope Bill Lynch does a good job growing the program in Hep's absence. Ball State recruited me when Bill Lynch was head coach there and I wasn't overly impressed with his personality. In fact, I just didn't find him very believable. His personality is one of the reasons I didn't accept a scholarship offer to play there. After my less than stellar college career though, I'm sure that Bill was probably thankful I chose to play elsewhere. I do think that Bill Lynch is capable of coaching IU football. I wish him all the luck in the world.
I don't know Coach Hep personally but I hear he is one hell of a guy. I do know that he is the best thing that has happened to IU football in a long, long time. My thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Hep and his family. I hope to see him back on the sideline very soon.
I'm not a huge IU football fan, but I hope Bill Lynch does a good job growing the program in Hep's absence. Ball State recruited me when Bill Lynch was head coach there and I wasn't overly impressed with his personality. In fact, I just didn't find him very believable. His personality is one of the reasons I didn't accept a scholarship offer to play there. After my less than stellar college career though, I'm sure that Bill was probably thankful I chose to play elsewhere. I do think that Bill Lynch is capable of coaching IU football. I wish him all the luck in the world.
Monday, June 11, 2007
UK update
It is being reported that Billy Gillespie has offered a scholarship to high school junior Olek Czyz. Czyz will be a high school senior next year in Reno, Nevada. He is a native of Poland. Olek is 6'8" and reportedly has a 40" vertical jump. His high school coach describes him as a "project" who is full of potential.
Apparently Gillespie liked what he saw from Czyz when he participated in UK's Elite Camp last weekend. Olek has also been offered scholarships from Pepperdine, Washington State, Arizona State, and Santa Clara.
Apparently Gillespie liked what he saw from Czyz when he participated in UK's Elite Camp last weekend. Olek has also been offered scholarships from Pepperdine, Washington State, Arizona State, and Santa Clara.
Back from Canada
OK. I got back from Canada yesterday. We spent a week at a fly-in outpost way up north with no telephone, radio, or TV. I couldn't wait to get to the XM radio in my truck when our float plane finally touched down upon our return from no man's land on Friday morning.
As it turned out, I didn't really miss anything exciting. Apparently Billy Donovan came to his senses and decided to stay at Florida. That wasn't much of a surprise to me. Kurt Busch did something stupid during last Monday's race. This wasn't much of a surprise to me either. And, I found out that the Reds still suck. Again, not much of a surprise.
The Reds now have the worst record in the National League. I find this amazing considering the lineup that this team can put on the field. You'd think that they could score enough runs to overcome their awful pitching staff. I've pretty much given up on the Reds this year. But, I am optimistic for next year. Here are some things I'd like to see happen next year.
#1) The Reds have got to get rid of Eric Milton. Milton's contract expires at the end of this season and I am hoping that the Reds make no effort to re-sign him. In case you didn't know, Eric makes over $10 million dollars this season. Only Adam Dunn, $10.5 million, makes more money on the Reds roster.
#2) The Reds hold the option for Adam Dunn for next season. They could retain him or trade him this year while he still has some trade value. As I said, Adam gets $10.5 million a year. I feel like that money could be better spent to help the pitching staff, but I am worried that Wayne Krivsky will screw it up somehow. Lets face it, Wayne has given up more than he has gotten in return with his efforts to improve the pitching staff. The only trades I think Krivsky did good on was the Arroyo trade and the Phillips trade. I have been pretty happy with Arroyo and Phillips. I still wish the Reds would get some "ground ball" pitchers though. I will not be happy if the Reds let Dunn go and get only mediocre pitching in return. Another Gary Majewski or Bill Bray will not be good enough for Dunn.
#3) Something has to be done about Jerry Narron's platoon system. I don't mind platooning players, but have you ever seen a manager do it as much as Narron? Some of it makes no sense to me. I understand the "rightie vs. leftie" theory, but why on earth would you sit down a guy who is on fire and replace him with a guy who is in a slump? I'm sure Jerry is a nice guy, but I am just about done with him. I can't stand the way he handles the pitching staff, either.
#4) The Reds have to do something about the bullpen. Their starting pitching isn't great, but its good enough to win if the bullpen could hold a lead. Arroyo is signed through 2010. Harang just signed a 4 year extension. And Lohse, BeLisle and Bailey all look like their headed in the right direction. Krivsky needs to spend some money on the bullpen and stop signing relief pitchers that no one else wants. Two quality relief pitchers would make all the difference in the world. Trevor Hoffman only makes $7 million a year for San Diego. Francisco Cordero of Milwaukee only makes $5.4 million. Joe Borowski of Cleveland only makes $4 million a year. The Reds aren't going to get any of those pitchers, but you get the idea. They can afford a good quality closer if they lose Milton. If they get rid of Dunn, they could get another good quality relief pitcher or two.
I personally think that the Reds will screw everything up. They will probably trade Dunn this year to a team in their own division. They will probably get slumping players with outrageous contracts at the end of their careers in return for Dunn. Then, they'll probably re-sign Eric Milton. I'm sure Milton will sign for considerably less money than his current contract, but I'm also sure the Reds will still be overpaying him (even if he signs for league minimum). Jerry Narron will be back next year and will probably platoon players more next year because he won't have Dunn in the outfield and Griffey will be a year older. Krivsky will probably scour the waiver wires and offer $5 - $10 million dollar contracts to pitchers that were released by their former clubs because they could no longer perform at the Major League level. And, the Reds will suck again next year.
As it turned out, I didn't really miss anything exciting. Apparently Billy Donovan came to his senses and decided to stay at Florida. That wasn't much of a surprise to me. Kurt Busch did something stupid during last Monday's race. This wasn't much of a surprise to me either. And, I found out that the Reds still suck. Again, not much of a surprise.
The Reds now have the worst record in the National League. I find this amazing considering the lineup that this team can put on the field. You'd think that they could score enough runs to overcome their awful pitching staff. I've pretty much given up on the Reds this year. But, I am optimistic for next year. Here are some things I'd like to see happen next year.
#1) The Reds have got to get rid of Eric Milton. Milton's contract expires at the end of this season and I am hoping that the Reds make no effort to re-sign him. In case you didn't know, Eric makes over $10 million dollars this season. Only Adam Dunn, $10.5 million, makes more money on the Reds roster.
#2) The Reds hold the option for Adam Dunn for next season. They could retain him or trade him this year while he still has some trade value. As I said, Adam gets $10.5 million a year. I feel like that money could be better spent to help the pitching staff, but I am worried that Wayne Krivsky will screw it up somehow. Lets face it, Wayne has given up more than he has gotten in return with his efforts to improve the pitching staff. The only trades I think Krivsky did good on was the Arroyo trade and the Phillips trade. I have been pretty happy with Arroyo and Phillips. I still wish the Reds would get some "ground ball" pitchers though. I will not be happy if the Reds let Dunn go and get only mediocre pitching in return. Another Gary Majewski or Bill Bray will not be good enough for Dunn.
#3) Something has to be done about Jerry Narron's platoon system. I don't mind platooning players, but have you ever seen a manager do it as much as Narron? Some of it makes no sense to me. I understand the "rightie vs. leftie" theory, but why on earth would you sit down a guy who is on fire and replace him with a guy who is in a slump? I'm sure Jerry is a nice guy, but I am just about done with him. I can't stand the way he handles the pitching staff, either.
#4) The Reds have to do something about the bullpen. Their starting pitching isn't great, but its good enough to win if the bullpen could hold a lead. Arroyo is signed through 2010. Harang just signed a 4 year extension. And Lohse, BeLisle and Bailey all look like their headed in the right direction. Krivsky needs to spend some money on the bullpen and stop signing relief pitchers that no one else wants. Two quality relief pitchers would make all the difference in the world. Trevor Hoffman only makes $7 million a year for San Diego. Francisco Cordero of Milwaukee only makes $5.4 million. Joe Borowski of Cleveland only makes $4 million a year. The Reds aren't going to get any of those pitchers, but you get the idea. They can afford a good quality closer if they lose Milton. If they get rid of Dunn, they could get another good quality relief pitcher or two.
I personally think that the Reds will screw everything up. They will probably trade Dunn this year to a team in their own division. They will probably get slumping players with outrageous contracts at the end of their careers in return for Dunn. Then, they'll probably re-sign Eric Milton. I'm sure Milton will sign for considerably less money than his current contract, but I'm also sure the Reds will still be overpaying him (even if he signs for league minimum). Jerry Narron will be back next year and will probably platoon players more next year because he won't have Dunn in the outfield and Griffey will be a year older. Krivsky will probably scour the waiver wires and offer $5 - $10 million dollar contracts to pitchers that were released by their former clubs because they could no longer perform at the Major League level. And, the Reds will suck again next year.
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