Harang

[CincyRedsFan30]

It was a mistake in many's mind because of "Baker Bias."

I think it was a reasonable move considering the state of the bullpen at that point. West coast trip; team struggles out there. A momentum-changing win it would have been, indeed.

Dusty will win when Jocketty brings in "his" players shortly. They will actually have the talent to hit in the clutch and even take a more aggressive approach at the plate in the right situations. These players can't do that in many cases, even when Dusty tries to help them do so.

I can't wait to get some offensive players who actually acquire a lot of HITS. As I previously pointed out, Jocketty left behind a Cards team that can HIT.

Anyway, on the issue at hand, I'm sure Harang doesn't think Dusty did anything to harm him. That forearm issue existed before now and I expected them to find little of note on the MRI. Indeed they did.

And I'm not so sure Dusty "regrets" the decision, considering he pitched Volquez right after Harang in that one.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Per Hal:


First of all, enough of the oft-repeated and unfounded opinions that Dusty Baker ruined Mark Prior and Kerry Wood when he managed the Cubs.

Knowledgeable folks from Chicago dispute that Baker ruined Wood or Prior. Hey, Wood and Prior dispute it themselves, so that’s good enough for me. Wood remains close friends with Baker.

And by the way, maybe somebody should ruin some more pitchers. The guy Baker supposedly ruined, Wood, recorded his 23rd save of the season against the Reds Wednesday.

Somebody ruin me, please.

It just isn’t true, but fans who believe everything they hear keep repeating it. Both Wood and Prior were experiencing arm problems before Baker even landed in Chicago.

So let’s not transfer those thoughts to Cincinnati and blame Baker for anything that happens to Aaron Harang.

Over the last three years Harang has pitched 211 2/3 innings, 234 1/3 innings and 231 2/3 innings - and Baker wasn’t here. So if something dastardly comes out of the MRI of Harang’s forearm today, don’t blame Dusty.

That said, so much for the Reds becoming born again contenders on this trip.

For those who got excited because the Reds swept four from the Washington Unnaturals, well, those Nationals are like the old Washington Senators, about whom it was once written: “Washington - first in war, first in peace and last in the American League.” (There were in the American League then).

The Reds are now playing Real Baseball teams and, frankly, they aren’t good enough to compete. They aren’t close to being as good as the Cubs and probably not close to being good as the Brewers.

What I feared on this trip was that the Reds might do something goofy like win five or six or four of six and delude themselves and their fans into thinking they can still compete this year for the ol’ gonfalon (ask your dad, kids).

But by losing their first two to the division-leading Cubs, it is self-evident that - all together now - “This is not a very good baseball team.”

Now general manager Walt Jocketty can start looking to made trades for 2009 and beyond.

But he has a major problem: the players he would like to trade are not what other teams want, mostly overpriced and underachieving. The untouchables are the players other teams want and Jocketty can’t trade those if he is trying to build.

He has a major challenge. He worked magic in St. Louis and I’ve been looking for his sorcerer’s hat. Haven’t found it yet. Not even a magic wand. He’ll have to do it on his own.

OK, it’s nearly midnight and Wrigley Field is empty and the press box is a sauna. Outside in Wrigleyville, one can still hear the fans singing, “Go Cubs go, Go Cubs go,” a catchy tune fans begin singing after every win.

I’ve been hearing it a lot lately. Even in my dreams.

I can remember back in The Big Red Machine Days when Cincinnati TV icon Ruth Lyons had folks on her show singing, “The Whole Town’s Batty, About Cincinnati, What a Team, What a Team, What a Team.”

Right now I’m saying the same thing: “What a team.”

[redsrbetter]

Ok, Baker did pitch Volquez for 1 inning in that same game. Harang went 4. I know he wanted to win that game, but what is worse; losing a game or losing your ace? Imagine if Volquez didn't give up that HR to Gonzalez. He would have pitched several more innings after that until someone scored.

I realize all the pitchers were used up (other than Cueto as he had to start the next day). But why not take the same approach as a manager did in baseball this season. I am not sure what team it was, but a manager did put in his catcher to pitch instead of burning his SPs. He lost the game, but he saved his big arms for later. That is the move I would have taken.

This has nothing to do with managing bad players. I agree, Dusty has a bad team right now. But that is just because the core is still pretty young. I agree, I can't wait to see what Jocketty can bring to this team. We do need contact hitters.

McCoy said that he would take getting ruined by Dusty if it meant he recorded his 23rd save (like Wood) this year. What about all the rest of the stuff he missed out on? We could be putting him in the same conversations as Johan Santana. I can't blame Dusty for Wood and Prior because I was not close enough to see where the problem came from. But I can say that he made a mistake with Harang that week.

I can attribute Harang's arm problems to his excess of use as well. But I think that sore subject triggered the problem. Perhaps his immunity from arm troubles was worn down due to how much he has pitched the last three years. But knowing that, why would you (Dusty) throw him out on a limb like that?

[CincyRedsFan30]

I agree with Hal, Dusty and Harang.

I disagree with most Reds fans.

And I wouldn't have wanted to see the catchers, considering they aren't as good as the starters, and nothing Dusty did in that game had any impact on Harang's forearm issue, IMO.

[redsrbetter]

I am not saying it was only that game. But the entire week. He pitched 3 times in one week. That is ridiculous.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Dusty was doing everything he can to win all of those games you cite. And can you really blame him? He knows how suddenly and shockingly Castellini dismissed Krivsky for a lack of results.

I agree with Dusty, Hal and Harang.

[redsrbetter]

Yeah, I can blame him. Don't get me wrong, I want to win as well. But what's wrong with calling a pitcher up the next day? Set the rotation back a day or two.

* I don't agree with Dusty because he will say anything he has to to look innocent.

* I don't agree with Harang because he isn't the type of guy to blame someone else for his problem.

* And I don't agree with Hal here either. I think he is being blind to the situation.

Don't get me wrong, I like Dusty. I think he is a better manager than any that we have had in quite a while (perhaps not better than Mackanin though.) But he has his faults as well. Namely, the way he handled the rotation and how he bats Griffey 3rd still out of "respect."