Loading ...Finally! Spring is here:
It’s time for the tarps to come off the pitching mounds and for the catching equipment bags to be unzipped. Spring Training is here.
A total of 29 pitchers and eight catchers are slated to report to Reds Spring Training on Saturday and they will get started right away. Following physicals, the players are scheduled to hit the field at 1:30 p.m. ET for the first formal workout of 2009. Position players are to report on Tuesday, which should bring the big league camp total to 63.
Many Reds didn’t wait for the report date to show up. Starter Aaron Harang, closer Francisco Cordero, reliever Bill Bray and outfielders Jay Bruce and Chris Dickerson were among those already at the team complex before the weekend.
Unfortunately, spring training is going to be a bit longer this season. That’s due to the World Baseball Classic, plus a couple of extra off days that were built into the schedule for some reason. At any rate, Opening Day will be here before you know it.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
I’m really rooting for Dickerson to get the starting spot in left.
Jackpot!
All is right with the world once again!
FINALLY!!!
As always, hope springs eternal!
Yee Haw! Crank it up again.
Am I the only person completely unimpressed with the WBC idea? If I were a MLB owner or GM, I’d hate it…and would do everything I could to discourage my players from playing.
Maybe the other nations are more excited about it then the U.S. I really couldn’t care less about it.
Why would baseball players participate in the World Boxing Championship (WBC)? It seems to me their contracts would forbid it?
Yeah, I can’t get too worked up about the WBC either. It’s baseball, so I’ll probably watch some of it, but the concept needs work.
In regards to the WBC, I think that other countries probably (rightfully) are more excited by it because it gives their country and players a chance to play with players from the premier baseball leagues in the world. For those of us who have 24 hour access to baseball in the form of ESPN, FOX, etc, it’s certainly less “excitement” and more “worry about injury for the ‘real games’.” Other countries are probably more likely to consider the WBC games the “real games”, or so MLB hopes anyhow.
Fire Dusty Baker. Fire Walt Jocketty.
just revving up.
Not to be unpatriotic, but am I the only one who will be rooting for Volquez and the Dominican team?
I will be rooting for Volquez and Cueto to not throw a lot of innings for the Dominican team.
No need to worry, Dusty isn’t managing the Dominican team…lucky for them!
There’s a hard pitch count limit in the WBC, right?
Found out yesterday my mom got tickets for opening day, one of which has my name on it. Then found out today she got tickets to the futures game in Dayton. She’s letting my brother and me use her tickets. I’m looking forward to it. It’s been embarassingly long since I went to a Reds game.
The WBC isn’t going to work using MLB players. Too big of a risk to get all the best players there. Right now they get some, but certainly not all of them. They could play the best amatuers and it would still be great baseball, and you could see up and coming guys. The MLB season is too long for players to also play the WBC and recover from nagging soreness and injury.
As far as the Reds, I am glad to see the season is here. I am encouraged to hear Harang is lean and healthy. The pitching will have to carry the team (never thought I would be saying that after all these years of terrible staff’s)
I’m probably more pessimistic about this years team than I have been about any Reds team in the past 4 or 5 years, which is scary seeing how poor those teams ended up being. That said, IF the Reds somehow find some offense (which means Bruce, Votto, EdE, and Hernandez all hit), the Reds probably finally have the pitching in the rotation and bullpen to compete.
Sounds awesome, Nick. I expect a full report.