Guestblog: Reds Spring Training

It's been too long since Cincinnati Re-adventure has posted a guest blog, especially by our very own sports writer (and my brother) Bradley Garwood!

Originally uploaded by Better Off Red

This snap of warm weather has already made me forget about football. Or, maybe it was the atrocious Bengals season. Either way, it's time to phase out the black and orange for the red and white. And while I realize we're not done with hockey or soccer yet, it's time to start looking forward to the Reds recapturing of the National League Central.

Practice, practice, practice.

But I don't want to write about anything realistic, not today. Sports can be all about managing personalities, injuries and upsets. But I'd like to give the readers (and myself) just a few more days to bask in the glory of Spring Training. Trust me, it's hard to see the blessing in disguises that is a competitive roster now, but come the post-season, it'll be worth it.

Yeah, I said post-season.

And it's no secret that the Reds roster is very competitive. But that's what I wanted to talk a little bit about, what our Cincinnati Reds might look like this year. The pitching rotation has Cincinnati fans excited to watch, as a close battle for what's believed to be the only free space available will tighten. With Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Bronson Arroyo as near sure-things, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Travis Wood will all put their best feet forward.

Aroldis Chapman, Originally uploaded by Reds.com

And it's hard to speculate who will make the cut, because if last year's performances indicate anything: it's that all of these pitchers have what it takes to be regular starters. And then we open the bullpen up to look at players like Bill Bray, Francisco Cordero, Nick Masset, Aroldis Chapman, and the towering giant that is Logan Ondrusek. And while they're all believed to have earned a starting spot, some names like Daniel Ray Herrera, Sam LeCure and new signee Dontrelle Willis pop up to take a shot at remaining space.

"competition breeds excellence"

Depth at catcher with Ramón Hernández, Ryan Hanigan and veteran Corky Miller (a personal favorite of mine) leave nothing to be desired. Some great batteries are going to come out of 2011. Hanigan especially, with his improved batting skills makes him a great asset.

I don't even have to add the heavy artillery we have in Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, the energy in Johnny Gomes and Drew Stubbs or the skill in Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen to get you excited for how good this team is. We have a great manager in Dusty Baker, an amazing general manager in Walt Jocketty, and to top it off a fantastic stadium to take it all in. This might just be the year we have a home field advantage.

And finally, Paul Janish steps into the role of starter. I can't imaging anyone disagreeing with how hard he's worked, or how much he deserves the spot. Fielder Chris Heisey too, both have really proven that despite the fact you might not have a starting spot, you can still prove yourself as a valuable part of a team.

And if that's the attitude the whole team can carry into '11, then we'll make the playoffs with a much bigger bang than we did last year. God damn, it's a good year to be a Reds fan.

Guestblog: Rounding Third and Headed Home (Or, My Only Grievance with Great American Ballpark)

Sports-writer guestblog time! This time, it's a bit more op-ed. Thank you Bradley!

I love Great American Ballpark.

I hate what's written on the side of Great American Ballpark.

"Rounding Third and Heading for Home" it says, proudly displayed in big, bold red letters, stuck to the side of our stadium for all to see. No doubt it's hard to drive past a baseball stadium without vivid imagery of a classic ballgame being played, of history being made as fans excitedly jump to their feet, shrugging off now-unimportant eight dollar beers and four dollar hotdogs to cheer Griffey Jr.'s home run, or Pete Rose ironically sliding into home plate.

Especially for us Cincinnatians, who've had baseball's presence in our town longer than anyone. Not even the absence of sunlight could stop the Queen City from watching its coveted baseball games. Now through thick and twenty years of thin, that tradition is still being held in our city to this day. The recent Opening Day celebration proves just how much the Reds mean to Porkopolis.

So why in God's holy name does it say "Rounding Third and Heading for Home" on the side of our stadium, instead of the most classic phrase ever uttered by a ballgame announcer in this or any city?

"And this one belongs to the Reds"

The phrase nearly brings tears to the eyes of my father, who grew up with Marty and Joe's voice, the voice of our Cincinnati Reds for as long as the both of us can remember. It's iconic. It's classic. It's impossible to ignore the blatant disregard for such a perfect and synonymous phrase, a phrase that signifies the end to a perfect night, and that our team has just added another win to the list.

So I've looked into the matter. As it turns out, the phrase to be pasted to the building went under considerable thought. In the end however, "And this one belongs to the Reds" wasn't deemed the slogan to use on the basis that the powers-that-be felt it didn't signify that our stadium belonged enough to the fans, and that the idea of "this one belonging to the Reds" displayed the wrong sort of message.

Are you f!cking kidding me? There will never be a more perfect slogan to use. In a million years, there won't ever be a phrase that unites Reds fans the same way. Never once have I huddled around a radio with my friends to hear that the Reds were "rounding third and heading for home." Not once have I walked in from a long day to hear my dad excitedly yell that we rounded third and headed for home.

It doesn't mean the same thing. It doesn't carry the same weight, and it doesn't give Cincinnati Reds fans the credit they deserve. The team belongs to all of us, every day of every season, through thick and thin: through every injury and tragic loss, and ever nail-biting overtime inning. Ladies and gentlemen, those men in the uniforms aren't the only ones that can call themselves part of the Reds team. (If I may get sappy:) we're all a part of what makes our team -and people- this one belongs to the Reds.

Guestblog: Things Gotta Get Worse, 'Fore They Get Better

My baby brother Bradley is back, guestposting about the Cincinnati Reds this time. Lawd knows I can't do sports. Thank you, Bradley!

So now that we've had some time to cool off from the heartbreaking loss of Opening Day, I figured it would be a good time to look into the Cincinnati Reds franchise and get a little insight into what's been going on and what to look forward to.

I wish, however, that my optimism for the 2010 season could be proven by something a little more tangible, and not by just an unwavering pride for our Cincinnati sports teams. Let's be honest, it's getting harder to get excited for each season when our last playoff berth seem so distant. Hell, I'm young enough to have never even seen either of our major league teams in the position to win the national title. So excuse me if I'm a little past of the point of blowing smoke up your asses.

The way I see it, the Reds are in no chance to win the World Series this year. The sooner we come to that inevitable realization the better, and the sooner we can get to assessing what needs to be fixed in the organization, and what cuts can be cut.

We had a productive off-season for this kinda thing, albeit pretty tame for what I figured would happen. Walt Jocketty, a promising new general manager in the organization. Dumping Willy Taveras was good, and he somehow kept Aroldis Chapman out of the hands of any team with a significant amount of money. Adding Orlando Cabrera was a smart move too, and it's hard to knock Walt's ability to strengthen the team's farming.

But Jocketty's steal of Aroldis Chapman is a terrific metaphor of the Reds in 2010. Capman's fastball has been clocked at over 100 miles per hour, with a deadly accuracy. But that 100mph fastball isn't on the field yet, striking out batters. So with this amazing talent comes the time it takes to groom players to be winners for our team. The Bengals face a similar struggle with such an odd blend of rookies and veterans... both of which need to stay healthy, and both of which need time.

And isn't that what it all boils down to? Sports writers always sound like such a broken record when they say a team needs to stay healthy to win. That's a given, because consistency is the only chance teams have to win. Lucky for us, Dusty understands this, even if he does wear out pitchers.

So the aforementioned realization needs to occur sooner than usual. We're not going to be laying down any playoff wins within the next few years. Games we do win will be hard-fought in the extra innings. Off-season moves will be crucial now more than ever, and a back-to-basics attitude will have to be instilled into this team's rookies if we want a healthy development in our Cincinnati Reds.

So what to look forward to?

Look forward to some close, exciting games. This Reds team has a ways to go before it's a fierce competitor in the league, but that doesn't mean we'll just see a change overnight. As the team gets better, so will our whole ball-club, translating into a thirst for victory. Once these guys click and see their hustle brings home a win: games we "should've won" will get fewer and fewer.

Joey Votto is also deserving of some love for our 2010 season. Coming off a multitude of injuries, Votto looks to make a return to form, as he promises he's fulled healed. Gotta love that guy.

Jay Bruce will have a breakout season, as it's important to keep in mind this guy's only 23: we've got a long and fantastic relationship ahead of us with this guy. He's a crowd pleaser, he's a high-energy player, and he's what'll ignite our offense if can have an have even a decent season.

So with a whole roster of talented players, the Reds are on track to put together a future team, not just a season. And with each game, win or lose, comes the hunger for improvement and to bring the Commissioner's Trophy to its rightful home in Cincinnati.