So long, May. We won’t miss you.

The Reds close out a particularly tough month tonight, and they can end it on a high note if Bronson Arroyo can keep the modest three-game winning streak alive. The Reds will face Woody Williams for the third time this season, and if they can put up 6 runs on him like they did in the first meeting, I’ll be fine with that.

I wanted to toss a couple of links at you before the game starts. I hadn’t had a chance to link these, so I thought I’d throw them in here and give you something to read while waiting for the game…or while waiting for the Reds to score:

–As Bill mentioned in a comment below, our friend Doug from Reds Minor Leagues has a nice rundown on what’s happening with the VSL Reds.

–Shawn Weaver — also a friend of Redleg Nation — looks at the Reds at the one-third mark of the 2007 season. It’s not entirely pretty, I must warn you.

–Ryan Freel’s dad says that Ryan has been wild since he was three years old. Raise your hand if you are surprised at this breaking news. I love this part, though:

Freel’s father recalls when Ryan was 3 years old, “And he heard Hank Aaron was in town (Jacksonville, Fla.), he was so excited he ran into the street and got hit in the head by a car.

“Later that year he climbed atop the workbench in my garage and yelled, ‘Look, Daddy, I can fly.’ He dove and hit his head on the concrete floor and was unconscious when I took him to the hospital,” said Freel’s father.

This guy was born to be a Cincinnati Red.

–Who needs a bullpen?, asks C. Trent.

–One more time: please make arrangements to support the Reds blood drive.

–Sports Illustrated has taken a road trip to my alma mater. I know it has nothing to do with the Reds, but it’s a good read and it’s my blog, so please indulge me.

–And finally, just because I want to post it, below the fold is our good buddy Mr. Redlegs, making an appearance in the game thread to bring us luck:
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From The Onion — America’s Finest News Source:

CINCINNATI—Overcome with a mixture of distaste at the almost certain future and a wistful sense at the way things could and should have been, baseball fans across America took time to address veteran Reds superstar Ken Griffey Jr. yesterday in order to let him know that they sincerely wish that Griffey, and not Barry Bonds, was on the verge of hitting his record-breaking 756th home run.
Enlarge Image Ken Griffey

“Don’t take this the wrong way, Mr. Griffey, because the last thing we as a nation want is for you to think you’ve disappointed us by not breaking this record,” the country’s message, which was read to a quiet and humble Griffey by retired Seattle, WA–area mechanical engineer and lifelong baseball fan Robert Colgrave, began. “America knows you did everything you could, and we couldn’t be more proud of you. In fact, that’s the whole point—we think you’re a man who is actually worthy of this record.”

“Believe us, if life was as fair as baseball, you’d have 760 homers right now,” said Colgrave, pausing as if momentarily overcome. “More, even. And you’d still be chalking them up. You’re a natural talent. God’s gift to the baseball diamond. It’s just… Damn bad luck, is all. Bad luck and trouble.”

The likeable but injury-plagued Griffey currently stands eighth on the all-time home-run list with 574, only nine back from Mark McGwire in seventh. However, America insists that without the bizarre injuries that plagued his career, Griffey would have had a legitimate shot at hitting 756.

“I mean, when a guy misses out on the Rookie of the Year because he slips and hurts his wrist in the shower… Where’s the sense in that?” America said. “Being denied the single-season home run record in 1994 because of the baseball strike? Not fair. It’s amazing that with every bad hand you’ve been dealt that you haven’t packed it in and called it a day. Frankly, you’re an inspiration—unlike some players this nation could name.”

The nation then went out of its way to praise Griffey for the many great moments and high points of Griffey’s career, claiming it had “always meant to do so but never seemed to find the right moment.” Special attention was paid to Griffey’s decision to play for his father’s old team, wearing his father’s No. 30, in the city of his youth; his decision to wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day, and to encourage other players to do so; and his appearance on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.

Throughout the address, the nation emphasized the humility, grace, and joy with which Griffey embraced the national pastime. They talked about buying his batting gloves and signature baseball cleats as children, imitating his stance and perfect home-run swing in batting cages, and how they would ask their father’s to hit long fly balls so they could make “Griffey-esque” catches in centerfield. They talked about his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card, and how, instead of going down in value with every hamstring injury, it should have skyrocketed in price with his 800th, maybe 900th home run. They talked about the guy who made wearing baseball caps backwards cool. And they talked about the elation they felt when Griffey became the first one to ever hit the Camden Yards Warehouse during a monstrous shot in 1993’s Home Run Derby.

“I would be proud to have Ken Griffey Jr. break my home-run record,” current record-holder and Hall of Fame legend Hank Aaron said upon being told of the nation’s statement. “I would most certainly attend any game in which he had a chance of doing so. And I would come down from the stands and hug him fiercely after he crossed the plate and had been congratulated by his teammates. I really don’t think I’d be able to help myself.”

“Hell, I’ll probably attend the game he’s playing in when my record is broken in any case,” Aaron added.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, responding to overwhelming demand, has confirmed that an asterisk will be placed next to Griffey’s name in the record books in order to indicate that, in a perfect world where dignity is always rewarded, cheaters never triumph, and people always get what they really deserve, Griffey would have hit one more home run than Barry Bonds’ career total.

That last paragraph kills me.

Josh Hamilton’s OPS in AAA is 1875.

That is all.

(Editor: I bumped this back to the top. It’s a good cause.)

I want to encourage all of you out there in Redleg Nation to support the Reds Community Blood Drive:

On Monday, June 4, 2007 from 1 to 7 p.m., the Cincinnati Reds and Hoxworth Blood Center will “hit a home run” for patients in local hospitals by hosting the inaugural Reds Community Blood Drive at Great American Ball Park, presented by Entertainment Solutions.

The first 100 donors will receive a free Reds ball cap and gift bag containing Reds promotional items and coupons. All donors will receive free parking in the Great American Ball Park garage. Look for the parking attendants near the Pete Rose Way garage entrance…

The summer months can be very stressful on the blood supply. Major accidents and traumas can increase blood usage at local hospitals, while blood donations drop off considerably. Your donation at the blood drive will go directly to patients in greater Cincinnati hospitals.

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) will be at the drive to sign up donors to the national bone marrow registry for free! ($52 value)

The LifeCenter Organ Donor Network will have representatives at the drive to speak with donors about the importance of being an organ donor.

Again, I encourage all of you in the Cincinnati area to participate on June 4; it’s a very important cause. Donors may reserve a donation time by clicking here or by calling (513) 451-0910.

From Lance McAlister’s blog today:

Liken’/Lovin’ Hopper
Anyone liken’/lovin’ him enough to consider dealing Adam Dunn and sticking Hopper in LF with Hamilton in CF and Jr in RF and using Freel as the super sub? Or is Hopper the classic Sparky Anderson guy…..”Play a bench player long enough and you will see why he was a bench player”?

So, Lance also is running a poll question:

What would you do with Norris Hopper?

a) Start him, deal Dunn

b) Start him, deal Jr.

c) Keep him as a bench player

40.82% of respondents (no info on the # of votes cast) say “Start him, deal Dunn”.

Only 5.10% say trade Junior and start Hopper.

Anyone that would rather have Norris freakin’ Hopper starting than Adam Dunn needs to have their head examined.

Louisville 13, Charlotte 6

26 year-old Josh Hamilton went 2 for 5 with two solo HRs.

23 year-old Joey Votto (Reds #2 - 2002) went 0-3 with 2 BB and a R. He is hitting .311/.429/.486.

Mississippi 9, Chattanooga 6

24 year-old Calvin Medlock (Reds #39 - 2002) pitched an inning giving up 2 H while recording 2 more Ks. His ERA is down to 2.94 with 43 Ks, 3 BB, 26 H in 33.2 IP.

Fort Myers 5, Sarasota 3

20 year-old CF Jay Bruce (Reds #1 - 2005) went 1 for 4 with a HR and an RBI. He is hitting .322/.374/.590. He is just 2 for his last 21 with 9 Ks and 0 BB.

Dayton 7, Great Lakes 5

22 year-old CF Drew Stubbs (Reds #1 - 2006) went went 0 for 2 with 3 BB and a R. He is hitting .272/.367/.419

21 year-old 2B Chris Valaika (Reds #3 - 2006) went 4 for 5 with 2 RBI. He is hitting .325/.369/.521

19 year-old 3B Juan Francisco went 2 for 3 with 2 BB, HR, and 4 RBI. He is hitting .281/.332/.500

21 year-old Rafael Gonzalez (Reds #4 - 2004) pitched 7 innings giving up 3 ER (3 solo HR), 7 H, and a BB while recording 6 Ks. He now has a 2.47 ERA with 36 Ks, 16 BB, and 51 H in 51 IP.

Finding things to write about for Dayton is easy….I hope in two years they are all doing this at Chattanooga or Louisville, or better yet, Cincinnati.

Here are a few pictures from this weekend’s game.  Not sure how they look compared to Chad’s.  I did not take as many as Chad, but hopefully they came out just as good.

 Scott Hatteberg

Ken Griffey Jr.

Adam Dunn from Sunday’s game

Hopefully these turned out ok.  I’ll be taking tons of pictures when I make a trip to Camden in 2 weeks and then to Yankee Stadium for the first time as well.

Boy, the Astros are rotten, aren’t they? How many games have they lost in a row? The Reds are on a winning streak!

Okay, Aaron Harang vs. Wandy Rodriguez tonight at Enron Field. I could preview the game, but I have a more pressing question that deserves an answer.

In Monday’s game thread, Chris posted this link to an article on the “Least Photogenic MLB Profile Pictures.” Tonight’s starter, Harang, made the cut at #3, with a bullet. We love you, big guy; this is all in good fun.

Well, it has come to my attention that this list is woefully inaccurate. Here’s my question: how could anyone put together such a list and exclude tonight’s starting pitcher for Toronto, Jesse Litsch? Click the link, and you’ll see what I mean.

Okay, enough fun; let’s get back to discussing Reds baseball.

In an effort to jazz up the draft, every MLB team is going to have a representative at the actual event.  What they’ll do, I don’t understand.  The Reds will have Senior Griffey (Special Consultant to the General Manager) and Jim Thrift (not listed on the Reds site or Baseball America’s database).

A lot of teams have their “household names” there:   Robin Roberts for the Phillies, Tommy Lasorda for the Dodgers, Jim Palmer for the O’s, Dave Winfield for the Padres, Strawberry for the Mets…

… and yeah, Barry Larkin will be representing the Nationals.  I don’t like that at all.

Injury expert Will Carroll takes a look at Ryan Freel in today’s Under the Knife (subscription, but why haven’t you already?):

…I asked Joe Sheehan last night if players like Freel–the high-effort, all-out diving guys–are more danger than they’re worth. Find me one that isn’t always banged up or on the edge of losing his job. Look, you love having those guys around, but they seem fungible. My bigger question is about their tendency to affect the players around them. Norris Hopper came out of the collision fine, but what if it had been Ken Griffey Jr. coming over, or Josh Hamilton? If a player has to endanger himself and the people around him to play at the major league level, maybe we have to question if they really are at the major league level. That said, I think Freel is more like a J.D. Drew than a Bo Hart, someone who’s going to have to dial it back, as Drew has done, to have any kind of career.

Agree?  Disagree?

Louisville 4, Charlotte 3

21 year-old Johnny Cueto pitched 5 innings giving up just 5 H, 0 BB, and a HR while striking out 6. Granted its only one start, but is it possible that players that skip a level won’t automatically implode? This year at Sarasota, the Dominican right hander threw 54.1 innings, going 2-4 with a 3.64 ERA, with 42 Ks and 18 BB. Last year at Dayton and Sarasota he went 15-3 with a 3.00 ERA with 143 Ks, 100 H, 38 BB in 138 IP.

26 year-old Josh Hamilton (D-Rays #1 - 1999) went 1-3 with a HR. Last year at the New York Penn League he hit just .260/.327/.360 in 55 PAs….this guy will never make it.

Chattanooga 9, Mississippi 8

24 year-old Drew Anderson (Reds #13 - 2004) went 3 for 5 with a 2B, 3B and an RBI. Anderson is hitting .299/.353/.489 Last year at Sarasota and Chattanooga, he hit a combined .293/.353/.440 .

25 year-old Carlos Guevara tossed ANOTHER scoreless inning with a BB and 2 Ks. His ERA is down to 2.02 with 35 Ks, 8 BB, and 19 H in 26.2 IP. I have no idea if he would do this in AAA or the Majors, but he needs to be promoted.

Fort Myers 8, Sarasota 2

22 year-old Danny Dorn (Reds #32 - 2006) went 1 for 4 with a HR and an RBI. Dorn, who also skipped a level, is hitting .257/.337/.421. Last year at Billings he hit .354/.457/.573 in 242 PAs.

Great Lakes 3, Dayton 1

19 year-old Juan Francisco went 2 for 3. He is hitting .268/.312/.479.

The Dragons were shut down by a 19 year-old starting pitcher from Dallas, Texas. Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers #1 - 2006) went 8 innings giving up just a H, and a BB while striking out. This year, in 42 IP, he has a 2.79 ERA with 61 Ks, 30 H, and 27 BB. What is it about Texas and pitchers?

Uh, we should offer Eric Milton, Juan Castro, Kirk Saarloos, a bucket of practice balls, whatever is left of that ridiculous music CD the Reds cut, and all of the leather pants that Jim Bowden left behind for Kershaw. Think they would accept?

From Hal McCoy:

Reds players were asked if any of them had Web blogs (none do), and when Adam Dunn was asked, he said with a serious look, “What’s a blog?”

If there’s one thing I love about Daedalus, it’s her ability to stay positive in the face of nothing but negative news. Keep it up, sister.

Okay, this is genuinely spooky.

Matt Belisle vs. Jason Jennings, and I don’t know what to expect tonight. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised that Jerry Narron is still in charge of this team. We’ll see what happens over the next few days and weeks.

Over at Redlegs Rundown, Jeff has a pretty good preview of the upcoming series. It goes without saying that the Reds hopes of putting together any kind of season are slipping down the drain, so this road trip is important. Well, if it goes without saying, why did I just say it? I don’t know.

I’ll be watching the game because I’m a Reds fan. That’s what I do. I just hope that something has clicked and this team can be competitive, at the least, the rest of the way. The Little League-brand of bumbling nonsense that the Reds have been playing…well, I just can’t deal with it any longer.

Discuss it here.