Long time............

So.......hows that new format working out, my wife says when she checks my blog. Been what, a month and a half? For my very few readers........I apologize.

I've been very busy with summer school, cars messing up, and getting everything done (like going to the lake). One thing has changed.

The Reds have gotten worse. It looks like the team has given up. I am not upset with trading Griffey, and I hope he gets to win the World Series. At least we got a bullpen guy out of him.

Here we go........

#1- Keith Rivers- Finally! He made it to camp very late, but I'm glad he's finally on the field. Hopefully he can work his way up the depth chart during the preseason and back into a starting role. With him in the fold, I feel that much better about our defense. Zimmer appears to have made the d more aggressive and at the level they've been at the past few seasons, they have no place to go but up.

#2- Patterson- Why is he still on the team????? How much does he have to do to get released? He is the worst major league baseball player I have ever witnessed. No instincts, no skill, and no passion. Watching the games make me wonder what the other players think of him. Are they friends with him? He must go.

#3- Trading deadline- How anti-climactic was that? Couldn't we have gotten rid of a reliever or two? Dunn, I'm ok with keeping, if he stays here longer than this year. I don't want the team built around him, but he can be a piece of a puzzle. We've got a lot of free agents at the end of this year, and what I'm hearing is that this off season is gonna completely reconfigure our team in the way Jocketty wants it to be. I wouldn't mind replacing Dusty, but no way will they get rid of him this soon. I felt better about Dave Miley and others more than I do Dusty. Dusty plays favoritism way too much and does so many things that people who know baseball question. He also needs to make a MUCH bigger priority of fundamentals. Did anyone else see Corey Patterson turn a single into a triple tonight? In the first inning? That kills a pitcher's psyche. Then he tends to overcompensate. We still can't hit, play defense, and then our pitching leaves us too. HOW DO WE GET SWEPT BY THE NATIONALS??

#4- Kenny Irons- I feel really bad for him. Never got to play a real down for the Bengals. Hopefully he can heal and play next year for somebody. He was a good kid and if he stayed healthy, he would have been a star in Cincy. He has an infectious personality. It is a shame for the Bengals to lose two young guys the caliber of Kenny Irons and David Pollack. Those guys being gone really magnifies the mistakes that have been made with players lately.

#5- Find someone to love and love them with everything you have. I've married the woman I dreamed about my entire life, and every day she makes me a better person.

I love you sweetheart.

Here's to the "magic" of an 82-80 season Dusty and Walt dream about.


Maltzy