Doc's morning line: It's only fair to give Reds credit for adding bullpen arms
It’s a little after 8 Thursday morning. Votto homer yet today?
Turnabout is fair play. If we’re going to slug the Reds for their inactivity, we have to praise them when they awaken. They added a quality reliever after I filed TML yesterday. I spent the rest of the day getting COVID-ed up at PBS. More on that momentarily.
Mychal Givens was a good add. He has an 0.82 ERA in 11 appearances away from Coors Field, has been scored on only twice in his previous 14 times out. Givens has 34 Ks in 30 innings. He’ll be as good a 7th- or 8th-inning option as the Club has had this year.
Too bad the Reds don’t live in a vacuum. The day they beefed up their bullpen, Milwaukee added a stout bat. Eduardo Escobar was an all-star for AZ this year. He’s tied for fifth in the NL with 22 home runs and tied for sixth with 65 RBI.. He can play multiple positions. The Crew likely will try him at 1B, a spot he hasn’t played and where they’re dreadful.
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You could suggest the Reds moves came too late, but you don’t often make deals exactly when you want to make them. IMO, the Reds have the best roster in the Central, but that doesn’t erase a 7-game Brewers lead or give Cincinnati any help in overcoming a 5-game deficit to San Diego for the 2nd wild card spot.
You could also point to the Brewers and say, those guys didn’t wait until the deadline to fill a big need. Milwaukee is 39-19 since prying SS Willy Adames from Tampa Bay. Until we know everything that goes on upstairs at the Small Park, we can’t know where to lay any criticism. All we know for sure is, Milwaukee addressed a huge hitting problem with an all-star and a near all-star. Cincinnati addressed its pitching issues with a middle reliever and a setup guy.
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There are still very good relievers out there. Ian Kennedy, Richard Rodriguez, Craig Kimbrel. (Kimbrel is making $16 mil this year and next and is a free agent in 2023, so he was very likely never in the Reds picture.) The time for the Reds to have landed a top-tier reliever was a couple weeks ago. Now, after starting the second half by getting swept at home by the Brewers, it wouldn’t be wise to pay a too-high prospect price to land one of those guys.
Sigh.
Credit to the club for the decent effort. Too little too late? That’s a fair assessment. The Reds didn’t go big and they didn’t stay home.
Now, then . . .
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THE MEN OPENED CAMP YESTERDAY . . . Joe Burrow wants to play in the preseason, if only long enough to take a few hits. Zac Taylor says he won’t. I agree with Zac Taylor.
Burrow will take a lot of hits this year. What’s the rush? (Pun intended.) He didn’t have any preseason contact last year and for nine games that worked out fine. Burrow also said he’s adjusted his footwork slightly, stopped eating dairy products and praised Ja’Marr Chase’s football IQ.
And now you know.
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The Bengals in concert with the NFL have decided it’s the media’s job to keep the players safe from the virus. At least that’s how it seems.
Question: Which group of folks at PBS are the safest, most vaccinated and tested group in the building? Hint: It’s not the folks wearing the jerseys or the coaches shorts. Yesterday, if you wanted to interview selected players, you had to be six feet from them. You were asked to put your recording machines on a makeshift table a few feet in front of them. You had to wear a mask. They did not, so none did.
When you signed in at PBS, you had to produce proof that you’d passed a COVID test within the past 10 days. (You will have to do this every 10 days, presumably throughout the season.) You were given a lanyard containing a blinking red gizmo that indicated your worthiness to converse with people who might or might not be vaccinated.
You couldn’t do the interviews in the media interview room, but rather in the tunnel leading to the field, for reasons unclear. I guess the tunnel is considered outdoors and thus safer for the players needing added protection from the completely virus-free media.
To be clear: This is the NFL talking, not the Bengals. The team is simply following protocol. However it is worth noting that while the heathen media were required to be clean and masked up, players and Zac Taylor were not. Nor will the multitudes of fans filling PBS in the months ahead.
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I got no problems complying with protocols, getting vaccinated et cetera. It’s the right, decent, patriotic thing to do. If we all did it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But if you’re going to be cautious, be cautious. Don’t be selective about it. The media are an easy target in this case. It’s a bit hypocritical.
AND NOW . . .
FunMaster Brien says ckout The Comet.
There is no specific event this week. I just wanted to share my appreciation for The Comet in Northside. Since opening in 1995, The Comet has been one of the coolest low-key spots in town. Not only do they have a wonderful bar with a wide variety of craft beer and mixed drinks, they also have a fantastic jukebox, and some of the best Mexican food in town.
All of their menu items can be ordered with chicken, beef, jerked tofu, or a protein of the month. The quesadillas are wonderful if you are looking to share a snack and the burritos really deliver if you are looking for a hearty meal.
The Comet also features a modest stage and dance floor, which have hosted countless musicians and comedians over the years. Under normal circumstances, Sunday evenings would always feature the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars – who put on a heck of a fun show every time.
Consistency is important, and few places in town have provided as many consistently fun and magical evenings as The Comet. I hope you get a chance to check it out. For more information, visit www.cometbar.com or just stop in and have a good time.
Imbiber Dave says pizza pizza!
I couldn’t help myself but to share a little more from our Hilton Head Island adventures. We don’t travel nearly as often as we used to, and certainly not like we did before kids.
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . A very nice effort from what’s left of the Beach Boys. I have no idea how much of the harmony is studio-produced these days. Doesn’t matter. They’re flawless in this tune, especially starting at about the 3:30 mark.