Josh Q. Public: Oh my starry eyed surprise. Sundown to sunrise. I dance all night, were gonna dance all night, dance all night to this DJ. -Paul Oakenfold
Public Service Announcement: OK, here we go! I know it’s early. I know pitchers and catchers barely just reported. I know. I know. But I’m like Rogers Hornsby. I’m like the Rajah. “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” Cincinnati Reds fans are staring out the window. Cincinnati Reds fans are waiting for spring. Hope springs eternal in the human breast. Hope springs eternal for the Big Red Machine, my surprise pick for 2008. Like my main man Gomer Pyle always says: “Surprise, surprise, surprise”! The first surprise was the signing of Dusty Baker. Three-time Manager of the Year. Get the papers. Get the papers. Get the papers. Five 90-win seasons. World Series experience. This cat turns things around. Turning things around is what this cat does. In 1993, he took over the Giants. Took over the Giants coming off a 72-win season. Skippered them to a remarkable 103 wins. Fast forward to 2003. Fast forward to the Cubs. Sixty-seven wins in 2002 without Dusty. Now this looks like a job for me. So everybody, just follow me. Cause it feels so empty, without me. 88 wins and the NL Central title with him. Now he’s taking over the Cincinnati Red Legs. That’s good news for the Red Legs. The Red Legs already have the bats. Already have the rat-a-tat-tats. The big ole cats. Big ole cats like the big bopper Adam Dunn. Big ole cats like Griff. If Griff stays healthy, look out. Big ole cats like Brandon Phillips. Breakout year last year. Broke out joining Alfonso Soriano as the only second basemen in major league history to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases. Yowza! That’s a pretty good middle of the order. Middle of an order that finished third in the NL with 204 bombs. Bombs away, but we’re O.K. Bombs away, in old Bombay. Bombs away in old Cincinnate’. But, like the man says, you’re only as good as your next starter. The Reds next two starters are Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo. Now that’s a pretty potent one two. One two buckle my shoe. Matt Belisle and Homer Bailey behind them. Three four, closing the door. Closing the door just in time for Francisco Cordero. Newly signed stud closer Francisco Cordero. How do you spell relief? Yes, there are some glaring holes. Glaring holes at leadoff. Kenny Lofton anyone? Glaring holes at middle relief. Yes, there are holes, but there is joy in Mudville. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright. The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light. I think that somewhere is Cincinnati.
Public Acknowledgements: Jim Nabors, Alexander Pope, Eminem, The Police and Ernest Lawrence Thayer
The Reds should be fun to watch. I think this might be the year that Griffey gets traded though. I heard they're signing Josh Fogg dirt cheap. For the money, definitely worth it. He has to have a better year than Arroyo had last year.
JQP NICE SCRIBBLE. I have always been a Jr. fan-when he was in Seattle there was no one better! He said last year when he came back to Seattle for an interleague game he would go into the hall as a mariner.
If he gets traded he also said he would like to end his career in Seattle......can you say DH?
me too JQP, he has the most fluid swing I have ever seen.
HOF first ballot no question, as you said earlier barring injuries we wouldn't be talking about Bonds. He still is one of the greatest ball players of our time.
Love your writing style dude, for the Reds it's gonna come down to finishing...They are always in contention for the division or wild card up until the end of July, then they start to fade. Griffey is such a good player, it's scary to think what his #'s would be had he stayed healthy. Sort of like Fred Taylor from the Jaguars.
i don't know why, maybe it's dusty, but i'm really digging the reds this season. i wish only good things for jr. he deserves them. fred taylor's a pretty good analogy but fred taylor at his his best is nowhere near griff at his best. how bout earl campbell if he held on?
Last edited by JoshQPublic on February 21st at 11:10 AM.
fair enough, but Fragile Fred still has amassed over 10,000 in ten seasons and he only played all 16 games twice, and 15 games 3 times. Earl Campbell is a good one too, but Fred Taylor had some serious potential. Neither one of them could have been as big a figure for their sport as Griffey was and could have been by now. We're talking MJ fame...
Griff had it all the shoes, his own game, commercials, stats, highlights, and most importantly international stardom. Plus his swing is as pretty as an MJ fadeaway...
mr. qpublic; dunn will probably lead the league in strike outs, griffy? if he stays healthy? can he stay healthy? lou lou lou pinnela and the cubs, write this down, will play the mets in the nlcs, did you write that down? any reference to rogers " i hit 400" hornsby, is a good one!
Another old Mariner fan wishing Ken had never gone away and I kind of think he wishes the same. Cincy is his hometown, but it's never the same when you go back. Then came the almost constant injuries. I think Griff got it in his mind that the new Seattle ballpark was going to be a pitchers park and he wanted out...
What up JQ?
The Reds are an interesting team...
Don't forget about Jay Bruce.. he is going to be a beast. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't trade with the O's for Bedard. Part of why was because the O's insisted on Bruce... who... again... beast. Still, they had enough talent in the minors and I think they could use that extra stud starter to push them over the hump in a very winnable Central division. Even so, they have a shot for sure. Later
Watched Griffey grow up as a M's fan and was at the game he ran up against the wall in center field, made the catch and shattered his wrist. Best catch in history. We would love to have him back this year in Seattle. Jr. is a class act and a HOF.
Hey JQP,
Anyone who gives the Reds some love is a friend of mine! I'm glad current ownership decided to spend some money this off-season. I hated to see Josh Hamilton go to Texas, but that opens the door for Jay Bruce in the OF. I think he won Minor League POY last season.
I hate that Griffey has had so many injuries since he's been in Cincy, but I've enjoyes watching him play here. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see him go in the HOF as a Mariner or to end his career as an M either. He gave his best years to them.
josh q. public. For the public, by The Public. Irreverent sports opinion from a Bostonian in New York. The one blog to read, when you’re reading more than one. Good to the last drop!
things around. Turning things around is what this cat does. In 1993, he took over the Giants. Took over the Giants coming off a 72-win season. Skippered them to a remarkable 103 wins. Fast forward to 2003. Fast forward to the Cubs. Sixty-seven wins in 2002 without Dusty. Now this looks like a job for me. So everybody, just follow me. Cause it feels so empty, without me. 88 wins and the NL Central title with him. Now he’s taking over the Cincinnati Red Legs. That’s good news for the Red Legs. The Red Legs already have the bats. Already have the rat-a-tat-tats. The big ole cats. Big ole cats like the big bopper Adam Dunn. Big ole cats like Griff. If Griff stays healthy, look out. Big ole cats like Brandon Phillips. Breakout year last year. Broke out joining Alfonso Soriano as the only second basemen in major league history to hit 30 homers and
steal 30 bases. Yowza! That’s a pretty good middle of the order. Middle of an order that finished third in the NL with 204 bombs. Bombs away, but we’re O.K. Bombs away, in old Bombay. Bombs away in old Cincinnate’. But, like the man says, you’re only as good as your next starter. The Reds next two starters are Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo. Now that’s a pretty potent one two. One two buckle my shoe. Matt Belisle and Homer Bailey behind them. Three four, closing the door. Closing the door just in time for Francisco Cordero. Newly signed stud closer Francisco Cordero. How do you spell relief? Yes, there are some glaring holes. Glaring holes at leadoff. Kenny Lofton anyone? Glaring holes at middle relief. Yes, there are holes, but there is joy in Mudville. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright. The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light. I think that somewhere is Cincinnati. 
