The following interview with Eric Young, Jr. was purportedly done by 10-year old aspiring reporter, Haley Smilow. Eric Young, Jr. doesn’t have a whole heckuva lot to do with the Cincinnati Reds, but I’m sure not going to pass up an opportunity to lend a couple eyes to a young female journalist, so here ya go. — Amanda

*******************************************
You might say Eric Young Jr. has baseball in his blood. Growing up he became acquainted with the game early by watching his father, Eric Young Sr., play for the Dodgers, Rockies, Blue Jays, and Cubs, among other teams. Eric Young Jr. (or EY2., as he is known) was a multi-sport athlete in high school, but ultimately decided to pursue baseball. He played one year of college ball at Chandler Gilbert Community College before following in his father’s footsteps and being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 30th round of the 2003 draft. EY2 steadily worked his way through the minor leagues, posting solid batting averages at every level and catching the eyes of the Rockies’ front office, which resulted in his major league debut in 2009. In 158 career major league games EY2 has posted a line of .246/.324/.295 and spent time playing second base and patrolling the outfield. This year the 26-year old will again look to provide the Rockies with production off the bench.

Reporter Haley Smilow recently had a chance to chat with Eric Young Jr., and discovered his favorite foods, his go-to songs on his iPod, and what it means to him to share so many baseball memories with his father.

At what age did you start playing baseball? And did you eventually end up playing in a travel league?
I started playing at age 7. I played travel league (summer) from ages 9-12

Who was your favorite team growing up? And other than your father, who where some of the players that you looked up to as a kid?
Favorite team growing up was whichever team my dad was on. I was a big Ken Griffey Jr fan growing up.

When you are up to bat what is your theme song?
I’m going with Drake “Headlines” this season, and maybe the Bernie. Still debating on that one.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Colorado? And what is your favorite food?
I love Tokyo Joe’s. I love teriyaki

Name 5 songs in your Ipod right now that you have on repeat?
Drake-Headlines, Pitbull-International love, TPain-Turn all the lights on, Flo Rida-Good Feeling, Lloyd-Be the One

Do you have any rituals or superstitions before and during a game? Can you give me an example?
I try to eat healthy before a game, usually oatmeal. Music headphones on a bunch.

What do you do during the off-season?
Try to get enough rest before getting back to training, and visit my family members.

Refuse 2 Be Ignored is one of your slogans can explain what it means to you.
It means embrace all/any of your talents. Refuse to ignore what your good at/makes you special to the world in your own right. I just love to encourage people to find what their gift is to the world.

You and your father hold a historical moment with the Rockies organization; can you tell use about it?
We have a few. His opening homerun in Denver, my debut in ’09, our playing against each other in spring training. It’s all been a blessing to our family.

At the 2012 Winter Meetings your name came up in several trade possibilities including the Mets, Tigers and Mariners, if you could play for any team who would it be?
I just want to play and utilize my abilities to my max potential. It doesn’t matter where.

What trade or free agent player signing will have the biggest effect on their teams chances of making it to World Series?
You never know before the season starts. You have to see how the teams gel together when they get new personalities to a team.

Four of the fastest men currently in MLB – EYjr, Brett Gardner, Michael Bourn and Carl Crawford who is the fastest?
You always have to believe in yourself, so I’m saying me. All those names can fly though. I enjoy watching all those other names play the game of baseball.

If you were not playing baseball, what else could you see yourself doing?
I can see myself as a barber.

Any reason for number 1?
Number 1 was my original number when I was 7 years old.

Do you have any other nicknames than Base Burner or EY2?
Lil EY

What was the difference playing winter ball in Hawaii and Venezuela?
Hawaii is a state and Venezuela is another country. The difference in cultures is the biggest difference.

What advice would you give to the young readers?
Find what you’re special at and embrace it. I love to play ball and cut hair…so I’m giving it all I have.

Intro by: Robbie Clark of Yanks Go Yard
Interview by: Haley Smilow

Ten games into the season, and our Cincinnati Reds are 4-6. Sure, it’s probably a touch early to be going into full-on freak-out mode, but all the condescending “calm down, it’s early” comments somehow have failed to make me revel in the 65 wins we’re currently on pace for.

Though frankly, it’s not the losses that get me–the Cardinals looked crappier than this to start out last year, and look where they ended up–it’s this unshakable sense of deja vu.

“We’re going to hit our way out of this slump, not walk out of it,” said Dusty Baker. Well, there’s a familiarly obtuse comment for a familiarly frustrating situation.

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane to 2011. After a mesmerizing start, the Reds repeatedly found themselves on the short end of the scoreboard. It wasn’t exactly that they weren’t getting the hits. It wasn’t even that they weren’t getting the runs: they scored 735 and allowed only 720. It was just that those hits and run were somehow coming at the wrong times. It was like the whole team came down with a case of Adam Dunn-itis (meaning that they didn’t come through when the team really needed it, not that they were hitting .159 for the year).

It’s baffling because it seems like the team should have all of the pieces. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips–hell, even Zack Cozart and Ryan Ludwick–these guys don’t suck. Why does it take Bronson Arroyo knocking in his own runs to get the team on the board?

Strategic walks are certainly a part of it. Votto has been walked (intentionally or otherwise) 10 times in his first 45 plate appearances. Assuming 700 plate appearances, that puts him on pace for 155 this year. That would put him in the top 10 most walked players for a single season.

And given that strategic walks are playing into it, that means that strategic line-up construction is important, too. Again, yes it’s early, but Scott Rolen has all of four hits so far this year. I’m just spitballing here, but perhaps he is not the best protection in the cleanup spot, at least until he’s found his stride, for example.

At the Red Hot Household, the conversation keeps coming back around to the same theme: there are no obvious deficiencies here. It’s not a perfect team, but less perfect teams have gone further. All the raw materials are available, and now they just need to be put together right.

Hopefully the avoidance of walks is enough to do the job.

Note: These are my thoughts as I sit several beers in at a bar in Las Vegas.

The Cincinnati Reds entered the 7th inning of the third of a four game serious against the Washington Nationals having scored just one run in the game and 4 in the series.

Again, the starting pitching was solid. Homer Bailey allowed 3 runs over 6 innings to qualify for that quality start. But the offense has so far managed the one run.

I know it’s too early for shake up of the roster, but does the free swinging of the Reds remind anyone of the Chicago Cubs under Dusty Baker’s last couple years?

I was against the Baker hire from the beginning, but backed off after the division win in 2010. Well, I’m going on record as being against him again. The 2012 squad is showing many of the same symptoms as the frustrating 2011 club.

When a team manages to perform at a sum of less than the trial of their parts for two years in a row, I blame the manager. This team needs to start performing better fast, or their will be no place for Baker on the all-in Reds.

Redleg Nation posted an entry that touched on some of the offensive frustrations I mentioned during yesterday’s game wrap. In short, they don’t think it’s anything to worry about this early in the season.

It hasn’t been pretty, but I’m not too concerned yet. Even though they’ve looked bad at the plate, Ryan Ludwick and Willie Harris historically walk significantly more than Chris Heisey and Brandon Phillips. Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce, meanwhile, have shown willingness to lay off the low stuff – even if Stubbs in particular has not be rewarded for it by the umpiring crew.

Obviously, some of the players have started off cold and won’t hit that poorly over the course of the entire season. Ryan Hanigan will get his on-base percentage above .300. And Zack Cozart is likely to return to earth.

But on a night that sees the Reds playing in the 13th inning as I write this in a 1-1 game, knowing the sample size is small and likely to change with time doesn’t ease the annoyance that Reds’ games are becoming. Especially when that one run was driving in by Bronson Arroyo’s sacrifice fly.

Boxscore

The Cincinnati took the rubber game of their first series of the year this afternoon by beating the Miami Marlins 5-6.

Bronson Arroyo took the mound for the Reds and was downright good through six innings. Unfortunately, he pitched 6.1. At the end of his tenure, Arroyo allowed 5 runs (4 earned) on 10 hits and zero walks. Logan Ondrusek came in to finish up the seventh and he allowed no run, no hits, no nothin’. Aroldis Chapman brought in on home with the final two innings, surrendering zero runs on on hit and no walks. He also struck out 3.

On the offensive side, the Reds struck early against a familiar face in Carlos Zambrano by scoring three in the first inning. That sounds like a lot, but they really should have scored more than that, having loaded the bases with either zero or one outs (I can’t remember exactly–I just remember being frustrated that they didn’t pad the score more at that point).

It was enough, though, until that mess of a seventh inning when the Marlins found themselves in possession of a 5-4 lead. But then the hero of the day, Jay Bruce, came out in the ninth and smacked his second solo-shot of the day to tie it up at 5s. A few batters later, Scott Rolen knocked in the winning run with an infield hit to put a mark in the win column.

Brandon Phillips also had a pretty good offensive game (2-for-4 with a run scored) as did Zack Cozart (1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI). Joey Votto did not have such a hot game (0-for-3 with a walk) but he picked a good one to sit out of, seeing as Bruce was all ready to do his thing.

The win brings the Reds’ record to 2-1 (and Bruce is still on pace for 162 homers this season). Tomorrow the Reds host the Cardinals at 7:10 p.m. EDT. Homer Bailey will take on Jake Westbrook.