It’s amazing how long you can talk about a team that didn’t do much of anything at the trade deadline or—really—all season long. Heck, you’ve got to talk about something in a marriage, and a person’s love of broccoli is only good for so many hours of conversation.

This week on the podcast we discuss:

• Moves not made at the trade deadline
• Transactions made today (most of them bad)
• The Reds creeping slowly up the standings, all the way into fifth place. Though, to be fair, it’s not as if they could have slid down any lower.
• The wormhole that will open in space to obliterate the Earth if the Cubs overtake the Brewers at the top of the division.
• Reds Heads related activities and the Screaming Mimes concert going on in Cincinnati this weekend.

Oh, and I also make fun of Bronson Arroyo‘s hair. It looks like something Candace Cameron wore circa 1996.

Episode 70: Transactions that Were and that Should Have Been (27.3MB, 39:46)

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Walked into the room in the top of the first and couldn't believe that the Reds weren't down yet. I mean, it is Bronson Arroyo on the mound after all.

Even more surprising, given the above-mentioned pitching situation, the Reds scored in the bottom of the inning. As I sit here, nursing a sore knee (I've been overexerting it since I've been working downtown) and trying to convince a slightly-wheezy but no longer really sick 6-year-old to take it easy lest he relapse, our boys are up 0-3 in the top of the third. That tall drinka water that Dodgers have run out to the mound just got on base. Better start paying attention.

We're even scooping the official site on this one, not a peep on there about these moves yet as of the time of this post!

First, the bad news:

* Ryan Freel has been placed on the 15-day DL.

* Jon Coutlangus has been optioned to Louisville.

* Gary Majewski has been recalled from Louisville.

Now, the good news:

* Eddie Guardado has been activated from the DL.

That's 13 pitchers and only three OFs on the 25-man. That's just way too close for comfort to seeing Conine in the OF.

Good to see Eddie back, too, but as for the rest, this is the big bullpen shakeup Pete McCanWin hinted at the other night?

Cooter: 3.93 ERA, 118 ERA+, 36-2/3 IP, 31 H, 15 ER, 3 HR
Coffey: 6.04 ERA, 77 ERA+, 44-2/3 IP, 61 H, 30 ER, 11 HR

Coffey stays in the bigs and Coutlangus goes to AAA?

Utterly ridiculous.

And as if that isn't enough, Majewski is back. gasoline Latte to go along with Gasoline-Frappucino. Well, tonight and tomorrow are $1 hotdog nights at GABP. I guess the Reds figure that if Coffey and Majewski give up 28 runs in the seventh inning, nobody will care because everyone will be in the hotdog lines instead of watching the game.

HMZ