Go Tribe!

I attended yesterday's Reds game - it sure was nice to be at GABp, even if the real Reds weren't on the field. I'd post pictures, but my mom has dial-up, and Blogger takes long enough to upload photos with broadband. I actually have to go back to DC this week to pick up some stuff that wouldn't fit in my car but that I didn't want to get rid of, so if I can't find a wireless connection somewhere around Sidney, Ohio, I'll just carry the laptop back to DC and upload there.

So we find ourselves sitting around trying to find surrogate teams to root for in October for the twelfth season in a row, eh? Good thing we have Joey Votto, the hero of yesterday's game. Man, can that kid rake! It is so exciting to have some of the best young talent in all of baseball. Jay Bruce was presented with his Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year trophy before yesterday's game. They said it was the first time a Reds player has ever won it. With all due respect to HOFer Ken Griffey, Jr., next year's outfield should be Adam Dunn, Jay Bruce, and Josh Hamilton. Just the thought of that makes me smile. With Votto at first - who was voted International League rookie of the year and presented with that trophy after Bruce's presentation - Brandon Phillips at second (or perhaps short?) - who was presented with a framed 30/30 award and a congrats message from Barry Larkin - and Edwin Encarnacion - who kicked it up a notch after his demotion to AAA, we really have something special on the field. Not that our offense - which was fourth in the league until all of our outfielders got hurt with a week still to play - wasn't already good!

So I'm going to root, root, root for the Tribe this year and hope that a rotation of Harang, Arroyo, Bailey, Cueto, and Maloney (or Belisle) and a bullpen of Burton, Bray, Weathers, and a healthy Guardado and Majewski can catapult us into October next year.

Oh, and Mets and Sausage fans, you have my sympathies. I was really disappointed with the Mets losing yesterday - they sure are a fun team to watch.