Monthly Archives: February 2011

February 28, 2011

ST Game 2: Indians 12, Reds 0

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Indians (1-1)01124022012121
Reds (1-1)000000000085
W: Carmona (1-0) L: Arroyo (0-1)

Boxscore

Boy, that was ugly. Still, after the long winter, any baseball is better than no baseball.

Bronson Arroyo started today for the Cincinnati Reds. It was the Reds spring training home opener, held at the same place as yesterday’s game and against the same team, the Cleveland Indians. Yesterday, the Indians were the home team and lost. This time, the Reds were the home team and lost. I’m sensing a pattern.

In a game that means nothing and from which nothing but silliness can be extrapolated, the Reds offense was shutout and the pitchers were rocked. Arroyo went 2 innings, retiring 6 of his 7 batters, but allowing one run on a home run. Then came the parade of relievers. Francisco Cordero gave up a run during his inning of work. Perhaps more troubling than the run is that he walked a batter. He did that far too much last year, and I hope he’s cut down on that by the start of the season. Dontrelle Willis, Nick Massett, Aroldis Chapman, Bill Bray, and a couple pitchers from minor league camp rounded out the rest. Bray was the only pitcher among them all to throw a 1-2-3 inning.

As for the offense, the Reds had none. Well, they had 8 hits, but never managed to string them together in a productive fashion. Oh, and the defense committed 5 errors. Yeah, it was ugly out there. But it was still fun to listen to.

February 28, 2011

How Many Cameras Does it Take to Capture the Awesomeness of Joey Votto?

Votto has so many interviews after winning the MVP that he carries a folding chair with him at all times.

Votto sits in the confessional for the as-yet-unannounced Reds reality show.

February 28, 2011

The Daily Brief: The Inaugural 2011 Brief

Last Game
Baseball’s back, and so is the brief! In the Spring Training opener against the Cleveland Indians, the Cincinnati Reds won in their traditional 2010 fashion, engineering a comeback in their last at-bat. You can relive it via my live-blogging here. Corky Miller, the mustachioed wonder, drove in the winning run to give the win to Darryl Thompson. Jose Arredondo pitched the 9th for the save. Matt Maloney, who started in place of Edinson Volquez because of his Visa issues, acquitted himself very well, going two innings, striking out two, walking none, and allowing no runs.

Next Game
Game 2 is this afternoon between the same two teams. Bronson Arroyo goes against Fausto Carmona at 3:05pm EST. The game will be broadcast on 700 WLW.

Reds Reporter Mark Sheldon’s Guide to Goodyear
If you’re planning on heading out to Goodyear to catch some Spring Training games this year, it’s helpful to have an idea of things to do, sights to see, and places to eat. Mark Sheldon prepared a good one.

Phoenix Zoo — I’ve taken my family here and we were very impressed. The animals are perky and actually do more than lay around.

Westgate — Glendale: It’s like Newport on the Levee, times 100. Lots of restaurants and bars.

Sedona — two hours away but worth the drive and bring a camera. The mountain peak views and red rocks are simply spectacular.

Raul and Theresa’s — One of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve ever been to and it’s not a chain, yet. It’s only 10 minutes from Goodyear Ballpark

In-N-Out Burger — A west coast hamburger mecca

Yogurtland, Avondale and Scottsdale — Great dessert spot with about 15-20 different yogurt flavors. It’s all self-serve and there’s around 30 toppings to choose from.

The Red Hot Family had the chance to do many of these things last year. The Newport on the Levee type place is nice with lots of variety, from stores, to restaurants, to large, courtyards. We didn’t like Raul and Theresa’s as much as the reporters seem to have, but it’s a solid Mexican place. The In-N-Out Burger we stopped at was as popular as advertised. The Crack Technical staff recommends consulting the “Secret Menu” first.

Someday, we’ll schedule a long enough trip to make it to Sedona and do some mountain hiking. It may not be until the Red Hot child is out of school, though. His spring break never coincides with spring training, and the schools do frown on pulling your kid out of school for the week during standardized testing.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have both the reigning National League MVP award winner in Joey Votto and the World Series MVP in Edgar Renteria on their 25-man roster.

February 27, 2011

Spring Training Game 1!!

This may be totally premature, but I’m so psyched about the first spring training game today that I’m groaning like a drug addict upon hearing Marty talk to Baker about the game.



So it seems like a game thread is in order. Hooray baseball!

February 27, 2011

Edinson Volquez in Trouble

Every year, it seems there’s a baseball player or two who have Visa problems upon entering the United States. This year, the lucky recipient seems to be Edinson Volquez.

The U.S. government has yet to approve Volquez’s work visa. The right-hander, who is from the Dominican Republic, is in the country on a traveler’s visa but it does not permit him to perform in games in front of paying customers.

Because of that, Volquez will not start today’s spring opener against the Cleveland Indians as originally planned. Instead, Matt Maloney, who’s competing for a bullpen spot, will get the chance to impress. Volquez will continue working out and likely pitch in minor league games until the Visa issues are cleared up. Hopefully, that will be soon, but no one knows when it may happen.

“It’s up to the government,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “He can stay here until it’s approved and when it’s approved, we’ll send him back [to big league games].”

As long as it’s by opening day.