May 12, 2006

Baseball Stuff

Bronson Arroyo is the number two starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was traded to the Reds from the Boston Red Sox before the 2006 season in exchange for Wily Mo Peña.

In Boston, Arroyo would have been working long relief or spot starting for injured starters, and coming to the Reds gave him the opportunity not only to start regularly, but also to move to the top of the rotation.

Didn’t stop him, though, from running his mouth about how upset he was to be traded to Cincinnati. As if it weren’t bad enough that he told the world that he’d rather work out of the bullpen in Boston than be in the starting rotation anywhere else, he went on to compare being traded to having one’s children killed in a plane crash. Charming.

Wait, this is the baseball stuff section.

Arroyo’s got a fastball in the high-80s and has had a hell of a start to the 2006 season. Despite the fact that I’ve recently chosen him to be my personal goat, I’d like to see it continue.

6 comments to “Baseball Stuff”

  1. smartelf says:

    He was hitting 91-93mph on the clock yesterday and his offspeed was down at like 77mph… he was baffling hitters… he struck out the side in the second and third innings. I can’t believe you are choosing this guy as your goat… he is the savior of this team. And it is totally understandable that he would be distraught by a trade that came out of nowhere…leaving a city at the top of its peak competitive level for a city that hasn’t made a blip on the baseball map in 26 years. He signed a 3 year bargain contract with the RedSox because he enjoyed playing for them, not because that was his true market value which is looking a lot higher than that. from what I can tell he is taking to Cincinnati very well and doing his best to fit in… he just got featured in the Kentucky Enquirer… he did a sports broadcast for channel 4, etc.

  2. smartelf says:

    Sorry, I meant to say 16 years not 26 years!

  3. Red Hot Mama says:

    I know: he can walk on water and spin gold out of straw. What the hell was I thinking??

  4. smartelf says:

    I should also point out that there has been no indication that Arroyo requested Ross as his personal catcher. Similiarly Valentin catches everytime Elizardo is on the mound — does this mean the rookie pitcher is fussy about his battery mate also? I think it is just Narron’s way of keeping them all in the cycle in a predictable manner. Valentin is useful as a pinch hitter and can also provide depth at 1B so carrying 3 catchers is perfectly understandable — and Ross apparently calls a good game and does have 3 home runs. This just seems like a biased sour grapes attack based on the fact that Arroyo didn’t do his interview with you. I certainly sympathize that you received shoddy treatment, but as a fan I also realize that these players have tremendous demands on their time and you also have to consider that he is in the process of moving his family and adjusting to a new life.

  5. Red Hot Mama says:

    Hello? I just said you were right and that I was a fool. Can you stop rubbing it in please??

  6. smartelf says:

    Oh, I thought you were being sarcastic. Sorry!