Going beyond the dribble of the day to day, useless Reds "news"...

• As I said last week, the decision to start Aaron Harang on Thursday, May 29th on three days rest may turn out to be one of the worst decisions of the season.  Josh Fogg had full rest and was already promoted to the starting rotation again so why not start him on that Thursday?  Harang has not been the same since this fateful day.
  
  
• Brandon Phillips is swinging the bat well when he is spreading the ball all over the field, particularly to left.  Presently, everything is being softly inside- outted to right field and he is slumping badly.  When he starts pulling the ball again, he will produce again.
  
  
• The loss of Jerry Hairston Jr. to injury means that the leadoff spot is a mystery.  Statisticians would love to see Joey Votto be moved there, but you can see Dusty Baker yearning to get Corey Patterson and his staggering .239 OBP into the one hole.  Baker would have to sit Jay Bruce, Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. in order to do so, but I would not be surprised if this happens a few times over the next week.
  
  
• Fantasy Baseball Alert:  anytime a brand new pitcher starts against the Reds, pick him up and start him.  At some point, Reds management needs to examine why pitchers such as Mitch Boggs and Ryan Tucker continue to beat the Reds.  Is there a lack of minor league scouting?  Are their reports not requested for these games?  Are their reports not used by the players and the coaches for these games?  Something has to change.
  
  
• Francisco Cordero does not look like a $12 million closer.  He has not looked as dominating as Brad Lidge and Billy Wagner and others this year.  He looks more like a second or third tier closer who is going to be successful about 75% of the time.
  
  
• Daniel Harrera looks like a Major League reliever.  His stuff is nasty.  I would not send him back to Louisville when Gary Majewski returns.
  
  
• The Reds' performance against the Florida Marlins on Sunday was one of the worst team efforts of all time.  When a manager claims that his guys are still fighting and still care and then go out and play like that, then the manager loses all credibility and its not even his fault!  I have no evidence to back this up, but it seems that the Reds' worst efforts always come on Sundays.
  
  
• The first round selection of Yonder Alonso was a complete surprise to me.  As someone who follows the MLB draft closely, I thought for sure that the Reds would take University of Missouri RHP Aaron Crow or University of Georgia SS Gordon Beckham with their first round selection.  Either one of those two satisfy a huge Reds need and they will probably both be in the majors by the end of the 2010 season.  Alonso is not that much better than either one of them (many say that he is not better) and plays a position currently manned by Joey Votto, so was it worth it to pick him?  Probably not, but I do like him.  Besides reminding me of Popeye, I like that fact that he can hit, hit for power and get on base.  He will be a major leaguer soon and he will be productive.  I do worry about his success versus lefthanders this year, but that was something new.  He had not had that problem before.
  
  
• Congratultions Ken Griffey Jr.!!!

Fantasy owners crossing their fingers that Tigers' pitcher Dontrelle Willis was going to turn things around this season, now have to a wait a bit longer.  After watching the big left-hander struggle again on Monday as he walked five batters and gave up eight runs in 1 1/3 innings in an 8-2 loss to the Indians the team has optioned him to Class A Lakeland.

Manager Jim Leyland said Eddie Bonine (9-2 with a 4.48 ERA at Triple-A Toledo) is the favorite to take Willis' spot in the rotation.

Willis (0-1) has walked 21 in 11 1/3 innings as a Tiger and looks nothing like the L-Train of old. Still, it is a bit interesting that the organization is sending him all the way down to A ball.

"That's where our best support system is," general manager Dave Dombrowski told the Detroit News. "With all the facilities there, it's where we can focus on this the best." 

Willis was acquired by the Tigers the same deal they landed Miguel Cabrera. After acquiring Willis, they signed him to a three-year, $29 million contract.

At this point fantasy owners that haven't already done so should bail ship as it is unknown how long it will take for Willis to work his way back to the bigs. There are too many options out there right now to waste the roster space.

Albert Pujols left the Reds vs. Cardinals game on Tuesday night after aggrevating a calf injury that has been bothering him for sometime.  He looked as if he was in tremendous pain as he was carried off the field. He is heading back to St. Louis for further testing, but a trip to the DL seems inevitable.

Pujols has been producing at a high level despite the nagging injuries he's been playing through dating back to last season.  Injuries or not, Pujols always seems to be there for the Cardinals. He has played in 96.3 percent of his team's 1,200 games during his career.

The 28-year old has not yet been put on the DL, but the team has already summoned outfielder Chris Duncan from Triple A Memphis so it is only a matter of time.

"Normally you try and enjoy the moment and deal with everything tomorrow. But it's pretty tough to enjoy it when I don't think there's a way he's going to avoid the disabled list," manager Tony La Russa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That's baseball. That's a blow." 

The Cardinals' first baseman was hitting .347 with 16 HRs and 42 RBIs at the time he went down. Now the question arises, how much time will he miss?

St. Louis has already been ravaged by injuries, particularly with their pitching staff where 3 of the 5 starters to open the season in the rotation are currently on the DL. However, the Cards have managed to find ways to win and currently sit 12 games above .500 and in second place in the NL Central. 

CBSSports.com's Clark Judge recently asked four different NFL General Managers what they would give up for some of the biggest names that may be on the NFL's trading block, including Bengals' wide receiver Chad Johnson. Check out what they had to say about #85...

GM No. 1: "I wouldn't touch this guy with a 10-foot pole. Now, that doesn't mean I don't think he's an elite receiver. He is. He's one of the top five in the game. But it's what he brings to your locker room with his antics and his attitude. It's all about him. Now if you're someone like New England with a veteran locker room that can handle a guy like this, yeah, it might be worth a shot. He's a Randy Moss-Terrell Owens kind of guy, if you know what I mean, so I could see someone that thought it could handle him giving up a two (second-round pick) for him. But you have to know what you're getting, and that's a disruptive, talented, productive jerk."

GM No. 2: "I wouldn't have him if he was offered for free. He's like David Boston, Terrell Owens and Jeremy Shockey. They're all quality players, but you have to put up with all this other stuff, and, I'm sorry, I'm not interested. I'll take a lesser player in talent who has a solid work ethic and won't be a distraction. I'll be honest: I loved the statement Marvin Lewis made about Johnson after putting up with this nonsense for years. Now the Bengals are on the right path because if he comes back, goes to training camp, then starts acting up, they can get him for 'conduct detrimental.' Believe me, the Bengals have a file accumulated on this guy. But if you're asking me what I'd give for him, I wouldn't take him on under any circumstances. There's too much of a risk to the rest of the team."

GM No. 3: "I'm a little different. I might be willing to give up a first-rounder based on his production. But you absolutely must be sure he can fit into your locker room before you make a move. Talent never has been the question with him; it's all that other stuff that's the concern."

GM No. 4: "I wouldn't give you two cents for him because of the headaches he causes the organization, the people upstairs and the guys in the locker room. I don't argue that he's talented, but he brings too many problems with him for me to be remotely interested."

ESPN pays tribute to legendary broadcaster Jim McKay after he passed away last weekend: