Nooooooo, not Austin!

Well, I suppose mine is the most appropriate blog to discuss the big trade today, being the only Reds/Nats blog on the planet.

I am not happy with the loss of Kearns to any team, but I guess if it had to be done, the Nats are the only place I can bear it. I have watched the Dunnandkearns show since the two played with the Dragons, and I wanted them to be in the Reds outfield as old geezers. He's only 26, and it amazes me that some Reds fans say he's never going to reach his potential. He's 26! Above average defense, cannon for an arm, sweet swing, good doubles guy. I guess I can say now there are two Nats I really like (the other being Ryan "Brooks" Zimmerman. I also like Johnson, Livan, Patterson, Vidro, and Soriano, but I don't "really" like them, I just like them.) I hope Chris Denorfia can be a good replacement for the Reds, as we still have another year at least before we see Jay Bruce. Who will be playing center for the Nats? Will Kearns move there? He's definitely not a centerfielder. You can't have Soriano, Guillen, and Kearns without a centerfielder, so who's going - Soriano or Guillen?

Actually, I'm feeling pretty schizo right now, as there are more issues here than I have time to think about. Aside from the loss of Kearns, most of the rest of the trade is great.

Gary Majewski. Yes, it's pronounced Majeski, not MaJEWski, so Reds fans, there you have it. I really didn't think Bowden would give him up, though I have been hoping Krivsky would do this deal for awhile now. In only his second full year in the Majors, the guy has a lot of potential, and despite his horrid numbers this year, he is a marked improvement for the Reds pen. Being on a contending team should do wonders for his performance. Last year, when the Nats were on fire, Majewski was lights out, like he thrived on the energy created from winning. He was the perfect set up guy with Luis Ayala for the Chief, and he'll be a great one for Guardado or Coffey, if one of them emerges as a decent closer. Oh, and Tex will go perfectly with the country boys in Cincy. Excellent Krivskiite.

Bill Bray. Bray, too, has potential, and I thought Bowden would keep him. Kid will fit in with the Reds pen nicely. When the Nats called him up this year, Nats fans were quite excited, myself included. Excellent Krivskiite.

Royce Clayton. Del Boca Vista Retirement Community called. They want their shortstop back.

Brenden Harris. The guy has potential to be a decent utility guy, but I don't think he'll ever be an everyday player. He's made some spectacular plays in his limited time with the Nats, though. But why do the Reds need a utility guy? He's reporting to AAA. I wonder if Krivsky has him in plans for another trade somewhere?

Daryl Thompson. I don't have a clue about this guy. The press release says, "Thompson, 20, was selected by the Expos in the eighth round of the 2003 first-year player draft and entered this season ranked as Washington's 10th-best minor league prospect. This season for Vermont in the Class A New York-Penn League he went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 4 starts."

Ryan Wagner. I can already hear Reds fans screaming about the loss of this guy. He's a headcase; a change of scenery will do him good. Besides, getting Majewski and Bray will more than make up for the loss.

Felipe Lopez. Told you he would go. I've never felt an attachment to the guy I called Flippy for so long. Perhaps it's because he replaced my all-time favorite Reds player, Barry Larkin. Perhaps it was his attitude, his cockiness. Perhaps it's his ability to commit errors in a single bound. Perhaps it was his agent, one of Satan's henchmen, Scott Boras. Regardless, DC can officially say the Guzman experiment is over. The strange thing is that I am really excited about the Nats acquisition of Lopez, though I don't feel upset for the loss of him with the Reds. Schizo.

The extra roster spot on the Nats will be filled by pitcher Roy Corcoran. The loss of Majewski and Bray may or may not be balanced by Corcoran and Wagner, so it's too early to judge this from the Nats side.

Someone must be cut from the Reds, and I'll bet you Stormy Weathers is DFA'd tomorrow. It's a dream of mine, anyway.

The deal was definitely good for the Nats, but I'm not sure that the Reds got enough for Kearns and Lopez. If the Reds make the playoffs this year, I won't second guess the trade, but if they don't, we all can wonder if we could have gotten more for these two. (Can you believe I said, "If the Reds make the playoffs this year..." and we've already passed the All-Star break? Sweet.) Really, I don't think Reds fans should get out their jump to conclusions mats; we just have to wait and see. How many victories were stolen from the Reds this year by their horrendous pen? If we can keep those victories now, it will be enough to stay in contention for the remainder of the season. Yes, this is the Reds we are talking about.

See you next Friday, Austin, at the Grand Reopening of RFK. Kill the Cubbies.