As we cruise on into another weekend, we remain status quo. We know know neither if the Reds are alive and contending or slipping into the land of the also rans. They took two of three from the Pirates, but fell into their bad, old ways in the series finale. Aaron Harang was pitching on only three days rest. He was no Bronson Arroyo.

But let me ask you this: if the Reds declared Josh Fogg the starter for Saturday's game BEFORE the series finale against the Pirates. Why not start Fogg Thursday, allowing Harang to slide back to his normal start?


Jay Bruce arrived this week and Ken Griffey, Jr still needs two more home runs to reach 600. Are the two inter-twined? Danny Knobler from cbssports.com thinks they could be.



And then, there's this from Scott Miller from the same cbssports.com. Sounds like 600 means a heckuva lot more to his team mates and fans, than Griffey, Jr.


I won't be running onto the field at Fenway Park anytime soon, and you shouldnt either, after watching this video from the other night.

One of the best national football writers is Jarrett Bell, from USA Today. I got to know him, during my time in Washington, DC. Good writer, funny guy, good guy. Here's his take on the Bengals. Bell isn't predicting playoffs. But he says it's not out of the question.

Sunday night on Sports Rock, our guest, live from Las Vegas, will be Cincinnati Cyclones head caoch, Chuck Weber. The 'Clones, are we call them here in Cincinnati, are up 2-1 in their best of seven Kelly Cup final series. Game 4 is tonight. Former Bengal Eric Thomas and 1530 Homer's Mo Egger will be in as well.

Sunday morning, I'm talking sports, as always on 700 WLW. If you not within the coverage area of this 50K flame throwing, you can listen on line, at www.700wlw.com. If you have XM radio, we're on channel 173. My guests will include Hal McCoy and Chick Ludwig, both from the Dayton Daily News. I'm on from 9am-Noon EDT.

And for the best in sports, check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com.

Have a great weekend!

As Cincinnati is gripped by 'playoff fever'.....OK, slight over-statement, but at least there's a baseball pulse again....how much can we divert our attention away from Chad Johnson? The mini camp showdown is now just two weeks away. Will Chad show? Will he skip the camp and take the fine? My thoughts on "No Show Cinco" in today's installment of "Ludwig At Large", courtesy of my good friend Chick Ludwig from the Dayton Daily News.

Meantime, back to the Reds. It may turn out, Wayne Krivsky will get the last laugh with Jim Bowden. Two years ago, Bowden fleeced the Reds and Krivsky by sending a sore-armed Gary Majewski to the Reds, along with Bill Bray, infielder Brendan Harris and short stop Royce Clayton, in exchange for outfielder Austin Kearns and infielder Felipe Lopez. Majewski and Bray have been hurt ever since, Harris was released as was Clayton. The fact that Lopez and Kearns have fizzled in DC has nothing to do with Majewski coming here under the pretense of being completely healthy. He wasn't, having had a cortisone shot to his pitching shoulder not a week before the trade went down. The Reds have filed a greivenace with the MLB Commissioner's office. But there was a 'throw-in' player the Reds got in this trade. Pitcher Daryl Thompson has now worked his way up to the Reds "AAA" club in Louisville. He was 'lights out' at "AA" Chattanooga. And here's the story of his "AAA" debut, courtesy of the Louisville Courier-Journal.

If Thompson stays this sharp, he could be in Cincinnati soon.

You think Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory's opening day first pitch in 2007 was bad? Take a look at diva Mariah Carey doing the honors in Japan.

Which calls to mind one of the worst throws anywhere, anytime. And no, Mallory doesn't have that honor. This guy does.



Sounds as though the recently departed Scott Hatterberg won't be out of work long. mlb.com reports there's interest in Hatteberg. Anything the Reds could get for him (he was DFA'd which means the Reds have 10 days to trade him or release him) would be a bonus. But it sounds as though the Mets may just wait out the 10 days.

Who's out there, if teams are looking for immediate help. Our old buddy, Jerry Cranick of espn.com (and looooong ago from the now defunct Cincinnati Post) say not much.

And finally, if your fantasy baseball team has taken a turn for the training room, here's some good advice from The Sporting News' expert, Brad Pinkerton.

And just posted on my web site: www.kenbroo.com is the latest "Broo View Podcast" It's on the front page. In the "Podcasts and More" section, you can download past episodes.

See you tonight at 6 & 11p on WLWT Cincinnati's Channel 5!

Yet another angle here on Jay Bruce's elevation to the Cincinnati Reds. If indeed, the answer to all of our questions in life is "money", then this story in Beyond The Box Score may lend a lot of truth to it.

I don't know if he's going to be a major force this season, but I think Jerome Simpson, the player the Bengals took in round #2 of this year's draft, will be a very good player here for a long time.
Chick Ludwig of the Dayton Daily News plays 10 questions in this latest installment of "Ludwig At Large".

It's tough to say what Reds fans are more excited about: Jay Bruce's opening night or Corey Patterson getting demoted to the minors. Bruce's arrival has been eagerly anticipated. Patterson's awful play has been eagerly denounced, almost universally, by Reds fans.

To call Bruce's major league debut good, would be like calling a steak from the Precinct satisfying. Great is the operative word for both.

I don't think Bruce will single-handidly make a difference to whatever the Reds do this season. But he will provide a lift, and quite possibly a key hit that the Reds weren't getting with Patterson in the line up. If he keeps the Reds in the race, it will quell some of the trade talks that are beginning to simmer. Check out what Ken Rosenthal writes today at foxsports.com.

My money is still on Dunn re-upping with the Reds. Griffey may simply play out the season, take the $4 million buyout he has coming and retire.

But I could be wrong....

Vince Young contemplated retirement, after one season? Really? My pal Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com has a 'take' on this. Watch...


Shut up and play....

About time doesn't cover it. It's more than about time that the Cincinnati Reds called-up their best prospect,outfielder, Jay Bruce. Whty he wasn't on the opening day roster is beyond me. Yes, Bruce struggled in early exhibition games. But to send him back to the minors and go out and sign Corey Patterson for $3.5 million was either a bad deference to Dusty Baker or flat out stupid on the part of management.

Read this, by espn.com's Rob Neyer on Bruce's call-up. It's about a third of the way down the page.

Reds owner, Bob Castellini can bark at his former GM, Wayne Krivsky for some bad deals, like signing Mike Stanton, Rheal Cormier and Juan Castro, but the Patterson deal is on the owner. Krivsky said in his farewell news conference that he was told to sign Patterson, 'whatever it takes' Krivsky says he was told. So far, no one named Castellini has denied it.

With Bruce now a Red, where does he play? Probably centerfield for now. Depending on what happens with Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey, Jr., Bruce could eventuall wind up as a corner outfielder. He's a left-handed bat, problematic for a team that can't hit left-handed pitching. But Bruce needs to play. He can't sit. And you don't want to platoon this kind of talent. I wonder where that leaves Ryan Freel?

I think David Beckham is more sizzle than steak. Like a lot of European "football" stars who've come to America throughout our many dabbels in professional soccer, Beckham arrived past his prime. But this is still impressive. Check it out.

And remember the Kobe Bryant commercial, jumping over an on rushing car? There was a parody of that, the car running down Kobe. Now the crew from the cable show "Jackass" has come up with their own spin on it. And Kobe plays right along.

Random thoughts....I don't care if you can't tell me if a puck is vulcanized or stuffed, you have to be caught up in what the Cyclones are doing. They're single-handidly revitalizing hockey in Cincinnati, exorcising the deamons from the Mighty Ducks, Tigers and Stingers.....I wish Ben Mauk well, but if he doesn't get an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA, I don't think the UC football team will be hurt all that much....UC's baseball team deserved an NCAA Tournament bid....My new favorite TV show is "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the Food Network. I'm surprised the guy who hosts the show, Guy Fieri, doesn't weigh 400 pounds with all the free food he consumes.....I think my pal Chick Ludwig of the Dayton Daily News is a bit hard on him in "Ludwig At Large", but I'm disappointed in Willie Anderson not participating in the Bengals 'voluntary' workouts. I expect more from Willie, I guess.

That's it for now. Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com for the best in sports. I should have my next "Broo View Podcast" posted by Wednesday.

As we begin this Memorial Day weekend, a departure from sports. This is my wife of 33 years has been battling. It's her story, a difficult journey that has an unknown ending.

So far, the chemo has worked. But we know with cancer, you are never out of the woods.

Interesting study of off season trades and how they're panning out by John Heyman of SI.com. He's got a look at the Volquez-Hamilton deal.

But I'm not buying this, from USA Today about Hamilton.

As my buddy, Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com likes to point out in this video, June 1 used to be a big day in the NFL. But not anymore. Take a look.

I'm talking sports this Sunday again on 700 WLW from 9am-Noon. Lots of talk about the Reds and Bengals, sure. But also about the sale of the Kentucky Speedway that was supposed to bring a Sprint Cup race to Kentucky in 2009. Not so, says NASCAR. Too late to get on the 2009 schedule, apparently. Tune me in or listen on line at 700wlw.com or on XM Radio channel 173.

Sunday night on WLWT's Sports Rock, our special guest is Kentucky Speedway (soon to be) former owner, Jerry Carroll and the winner of the Indianapolis 500, whomever he or she may be.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend and check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com.

Just came across this from Pete Prisco of cbssports.com. It's his latest NFL power rankings. The good news, the Bengals are moving up. The bad news? So are the Browns and Steelers.

The latest "Broo View Podcast" is up and running. You can download it on my web site: http://www.kenbroo.com/. It's on the front page. If you go into "Podcasts & More", you'll be able to download past "Broo View Podcasts". This latest one deals with the Bengals release of Odell Thurman and how Rudi Johnson wants to make 2008 his 'comeback' season.

When you're in the media and you have a problem, it's hard to avoid the glare of the spotlight. Charles Barkley has a problem. He's incurred gambling debts at a casino in Las Vegas. Wisely, Barkley chose a venue he's comfortable with to discuss his problem.

This is a particularly dicey (no pun intended) problem for the NBA, which is watching the trial of former official, Tim Donaghy get under way. espn.com has this 'bombshell' that the disgraced ref dropped on Tuesday.

I dealt with this topic on News 5 last night, but here it is from the Baltimore Sun today. The Bengals lost draft of 2005. You simply can not have a draft this bad and expect to win. Compounding this is the fact that the Bengals have lost the back end of their 2006 draft, Picks in rounds 5-7 are gone. And from the draft in 2004, only Chris Perry (the often injured one), Robert Geathers and Stacy Andrews remain. Add it up, from 2004-2006, three draft classes, only ten picks, ten of a total of 26 remain with the team. Now factor in how frugal the Bengals are on the free agent market and it's no secret why this team continues to play losing football.

Good Morning!

My friend Eddie gave me a call the other day. I've known him all my life but don't see him much. Works in the oil industry down in Texas, started as a roughneck, now just about runs the company. Anyhow, Eddie and I grew up together. He's a huge sports fan, like me. And we spent a good part of our formative years getting under each other's skin, arguing about sports. He liked Mays. I liked Mantle. He thought Clyde Frazier was the greatest thing ever in sneakers. I was a Big O guy.

So when the Reds were stinking it up last week, Eddie phoned me up. He just came from a bar where he heard a friend of a friend of a big time sportswriter in Houston who says the Reds are about to deal Adam Dunn to the Astros. We were apparently going to get a couple of minor league suspects and a broken down Brad Ausmus in this deal. I could tell Eddie had been drinking, because he was actually believing this stuff. Sober, he's not go gullable.

I listened for about three minutes and then reminded him he's always been a moron. That's the way every one of our sports arguments ended back in the day.

For openers, I told him, Dunn or anyone of any significance isn't going anywhere yet. No deals get done this early in a season. Two, I said, Walt Jocketty was born at night, but he wasn't born last night. He's not going to send a 40-home run, 100-RBI guy to a team he has to face 12 times every season. And I told him the last time I checked, the guy in charge at Great American Ball Park seems to have a man crush on Dunn. So my guess is, it's going to take more than a couple of minor league pitchers named Fred and Mendoza line native Brad Ausmus to pry Dunn away from the Reds. Eddie and I laughed about a couple of other things and then he hung up and went back to work, bilking you and me out of our life savings, which is now going into our gas tanks.

But it made me realize that we are now approaching baseball's silly season. And it seems to come sooner year after year. You know what baseball's silly season is, right? The trading game. Stand by, it's about to hit us square in the jaw.
The Reds aren't out of the chase for the National League Central title. They're 6 out as we speak and arguably, playing their best baseball of the season. In this joke of a division, any win total in the low 80's can win you a title. But log onto just about any web site today, and you'll find half of this Reds roster traded to a lot of unsuspecting teams. On espn.com, baseball expert Steve Phillips, (that's what they call him anyway. Maybe he looks in the mirror and calls himself the same thing too. I dunno) But Phillips, who incidentally GM'd his way out of a good gig with the Mets, has ten things the Reds can do right now to fix the team. Seven of the ten involves trading anyone not named Volquez. He actually think the Yankees would part with Phil Hughes for Jeremy Affeldt and Jared Burton. They might, if Phillips were the Yankees GM.

It's not just him. it's just about everyone who writes baseball for a living. Ken Rosenthal is one of the best baseball insiders. He's floating this week, that the Rockies are willing to trade Matt Holliday. You know, because you own a fantasy baseball team, that Matt Holliday is one of the best pure hitters in the game. Well, then why would the Rockies want to get rid of him? Money? Really? Less than a year after getting to the World Series?

Here's what the last week has taught us. Teams that are in first place today, won't necessarily be there on October first. Teams that are within eight games of the lead today, aren't out of it yet. Teams get hot, players get hurt, pitching gets better.

But when I hung up with Eddie, it made me think. Would the Reds trade Adam Dunn this season? Sure. If they're out of it, they'd be crazy not to. Would they trade Junior? If they're out of it, absolutely. That's four million to Castellini's bottom line.

But is it going to happen? I don't know, Neither do you or anyone else at this point. It's way too early to be wrapped up in this game. But I do know this: if the Reds play the rest of this season like they've played this past week, they've got a legit chance to make a run at this thing. And if they do, what's going on in this silly season will be all moot. And then, we'll have to talk about some really dumb stuff: like Chad Johnson's state of mind.

Normally, when you bring up the Dayton Daily News and baseball, Hall Of Famer Hal McCoy is the first name that pops up. Every so often, the great one steps aside for a day and allows the talents of Doug Harris to shine. Harris has this take on what the Reds should do with Ken Griffey, Junior.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Hal takes the entire day off. "The Real McCoy" offers some tales from the battle for the Ohio Cup. It's Reds vs Indians weekend around here.

We got into this discussion last Sunday on 700 WLW. Where would the Reds be right now, if they had the ability to develope decent starting pitching? The last legitimate starter the Reds have developed (other than a half season from Jack Armstrong in 1990) was Tom Browning. And that was almost 23 years ago. Think about how much better the Reds would be this season if they didn't have to trade Josh Hamilton to the Rangers. In return, they got a terrific young pitcher in Edinson Volquez. But if the Reds had done a better job of developing their own pitching, they'd have had a pitcher the calibre of Volquez AND Hamilton. And check out this article from the Fort Worth Star Telegram about Hamilton, who's off to a great start with Texas.

Ty Howington, Richie Gardner, Ryan Wagner, Jeremy Sowers are just some of the first round picks the Reds have made in the entry draft. Howington and Gardner were both injured early in their careers and are gone. Wagner flamed out as a reliever and was shipped to the Washington Nationals. Sowers was nothing more than a temper tantrum pick by then GM Jim Bowden, who drafted Sowers knowing there was no chance then owner, Carl Lindner would pony up the bonus money (about $2 million) to sign him. If Bowden was proving a point, he did so at the expense of the franchise.

Interesting reading in this story by Si.com writer, John Heyman. Nothing new, just a little texture to where the Reds are right now.

I'll be talking sports thi Sunday morning again on 700 WLW. On my Sunday Morning Sports Talk Show, we'll have Geoff Hobson from bengals.com and SI.com's John Donovan. And, we'll also take your phone calls. Sunday night at 11:35, it's another rousing edition of Sports Rock! Jeff Piecoro from FSN and Eric Thomas join in on the fun. It's all on Cincinnati's Channel 5. And, we'll also be joined by tennis legend, Martina Navratilova

Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com.

Have a great weekend!

If...and it's still a rather large 'if'....Ken Griffey, Junior is on the trading block, his return to Seattle won't hinge on money. In "The Real McCoy" blog today, Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News has the story. He's also got the story behind Junior delivering about a half ton of pennies to Josh Fogg this afternoon.

Meantime, in New York, the paper Newsday has this story on what it believes is the impending trade of Adam Dunn.

I'm on the record saying this: I don't believe the Reds will part with both Dunn and Junior. One, or the other, will return. My money has been on Junior, for a number of reason. If Bob Castellini has the slightest inkling his team will contend later this summer, there's no way he'll let both go.

What the Reds are waiting for in promoting Jay Bruce from "AAA" is beyond me. In an afternoon game today, Bruce went 3-3 with a couple of walks. He had a double, triple and a home run. He's now hitting .366. Most of the players in the upper echelon of round one of his draft class are in the majors now. He needs to be brought up right now and left in centerfield for the next ten years.

My buddy Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com moonlights for The Sporting News. Check out Number 10 on this list.

The first time I saw this, I could not believe it. Manny Ramirez completes the big trifect: tracks down a fly ball, "High 5's" a fan in the stands and then doubles a runner off first. All within the span of about 10 seconds. Look at this!

I'm not a big Manny fan. But even I know greatness when I see it!

I'll see you tonight at 6 & 11p on WLWT, channel 5, in Cincinnati. And, check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. I've got some cool audio posted, interviews and "The Broo View" podcast.

It clear to me, the Seattle Mariners are infatuated with the thought of bringing Ken Griffey, Jr, back to their club. Monday, I gave you a link to "The Real McCoy", Hal McCoys blog in the Dayton Daily News. Now today, fresh copy and some confirmation from The Seattle Post Intellegencer.

But for every 'ying' there's a 'yang'. And the P-I's competition, the Seattle Times is pointing out that a lot of Seattleans (Seattleites? That would be too close to satetllites, wouldn't it?) don't recall Thomas Wolfe's You Can Never Go Home. Check out the Times' take on a Junior reunion in Seattle.

As for McCoy, Hal is barking today about breaking up the Reds, now! Must reading in today's "Real McCoy"

There could be some pressure not to do anything inside that Reds organization. Foxsports.com has an interesting post on how Dusty Baker could play into all of this. But remember, Bob Castellini wants to win now, as in last month.

The Bengals veterans, most of them, are in town for those 'voluntary but be here' workouts. As for former Bengals, my buddy Mike Florio from profootballtalk.com has some thoughts about where Chris Henry may wind up (no jail jokes, yet, please!). Check out his video

Maybe he's busy working out with Chad and TJ. You never know.

See you tonight at 6 & 11pm on WLWT on Cincinnati's channel 5. Check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com

For those of you who frequent cbssports.com, the OJ Mayo story should come as no surprise. Way back when, our good friend and my former Sunday Morning Sports Talk co-host, Gregg Doyel had ESPN's story sniffed out, when he wrote this. Full disclosure, profootballtalk.com was the first to remember.


I have no idea if Mayo is cupable or not. But trouble seems to trail this guy, back to the two years he spent playing basketball for North College Hill High School in Cincinnati.


As for our under-achieving Reds, always some good fodder available in "The Real McCoy", penned daily by Hall Of Fame baseball writer, Hal McCoy in the Dayton Daily News. The Reds may be only 7.5 games out of first. But they're light-years away from being a contender.

One of our favorite guests on Sports Rock!, Sunday nights at 11:35 on WLWT Channel 5, is sports-trubadour Ryan Parker. Here's his latest lament, about the death of sports journalism. Like all of Parker's songs, it's wickedly funny and right on the old dinero.

Since I'm blogging, I guess I'll be spared. At least for another day.

See you tonight at 6 & 11p on Cincinnati's channel 5. And check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. Podcasts, pictures and some cool audio!

Good Morning!

So, Ken Griffey, Junior thinks the Reds may try to trade him this summer. Junior shouldn’t feel special. Just about everyone of his team mates could say the same thing. It reminds me of the old line the Pittsburgh Pirates delivered to a young Ralph Kiner, holding out for more money. We finished in last place with you, the line went, we can finish in last place without you.

Junior made his comments to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, a terrific baseball writer, who’ll join us on the show later today. What Junior said to Nightengale isn’t new. It’s just fresh copy on an old story. I can tell you personally, every spring for the last three, Griffey has answered my question to him this same way: I don’t know, he’d say when asked if he expected to be in Cincinnati the entire season. It’s not up to me.

I don’t know if its insecurity on his part, failure to feel love from you, me Bob Castellini or the guy who sells Junior his lottery tickets. Maybe it’s all of us. But I do know this, trading Ken Griffey, Junior or letting him ‘walk’ at the end of this season won’t fix this team. I’m happy they won two of three from the Cubs this week. I loved the way they played last night in New York. But this Reds team needs more than just launching one or two big contracts to get healthy again.

Here’s your starting line up.
Junior
Adam Dunn
David Ross
Javy Valentin
Paul Bako
Scott Hatteberg
Jerry Hairston Jr.
Corey Patterson
David Weathers
Jeremy Affeldt
Kent Mercker
Mike Lincoln
Josh Fogg

They all have something in common. They’re all free agents after this season. It’s the most free agents on any major league roster.

Together, those players tie up $43 million dollars of salary this season, much more if they all re-sign for 2009. Who off that list do you keep? Paul Bako? Who else?

The good news for the Reds latest in a long line of short term general managers…that’d be Walt Jocketty, is that dealing with everyone on that list, other than Junior and Dunn, will be real easy.

He’ll probably let ‘em all walk. That is, if he can’t dump them on some other team.

Remember the line: we finished last with you, we can finish last without you.

More than just trying to unload big dollar contracts, this team needs a culture change. Too many players have been around too much losing. There’s a comfort zone athletes fall into when losing become habitual. It’s a lot harder to change that culture in baseball than say football, where players exist on year to year deals. In baseball, there is guaranteed money. The Reds have to dole out over 46-million on guaranteed money next season…to just six of their players.

Look, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think they’re out of it yet. The Reds play in the worst division in baseball. Dunn hasn’t started to hit yet, but he will. The light didn’t go on for Arroyo until last night and Harang, Cueto and Volquez all appear to be the real deals. Chicago’s pitching is in shambles. St. Louis is playing way over its head. It could still happen. And if it does, and the Reds are contending in late July, then all of this is moot.

But if it doesn’t, Jocketty has an opportunity that neither of his immediate predecessors had: a chance to change the culture

People have asked me all week, ‘well, what do you think? Do they trade Junior. What about the White Sox, they wanted him a couple of years ago. Would he got to the Yankees Remember, Steinbrenner mistreated Griffey, Senior. What about the Mariners, they want to bring Junior home.

You know what? I don’t know. And if anyone in the media tells you today that they know, don’t believe them. Bob Castellini doesn’t know. Jocketty can’t pull the trigger right now. No deal involving the contracts the size of Dunn and Griffey gets done at this time of the year. The only thing Dusty Baker knows is that he likes veteran ballplayers. That’s why Jay Bruce is in Louisville and Corey Patterson and his ‘200’ batting average is here.

I don’t know what the Reds are going to do. But here’s what I’d do.

I’d keep Griffey. I know that runs counter to what a lot of people in my profession are saying. But I’d keep him and try to figure out a way to extend his deal, without having to pay him 16-million next season.

I don’t know how many tickets Griffey sells. Maybe a lot. Maybe not so many. But I know this. Our economy is in the dumper and gasoline will be five bucks a gallon a year from now and people aren’t going to be going to see a ballgame so quick, unless there’s a reason to go. Winning would be a reason. This team has had one winning season in the last eight plus. Are you really betting on that for 2009. You want to go young? Great. Young teams don’t win all that often. So you’ll need box office appeal. Griffey fits that. I’d sign him…and move him to first base.

I’d trade Dunn. I know that’d be a tough pill for Castellini to swallow. He genuinely likes the guy. But here’s how Jocketty sells it: Mister Castelllini, Bob…you’re off the hook for 60-million. Because that’s the kind of pay day Dunn is looking at after this season, about 60-mil over four years. My guess is, Castellini swallows that like Graeters.

With Dunn gone, move Joey Votto to left field. Jay Bruce, despite the ruse that we were handed in March about him being a corner outfielder…he’s not, he’s playing center in triple-a….despite that, Bruce is my center fielder. Right field? Bring up Chris Dickerson. You’re paying Patterson three and a half million for roughly the same numbers that Dickerson will probably put up. Put him in right field.

Homer Baily got smacked around Saturday night in Triple-A. But I'd bring him up. New season, new GM, fresh start. Bailey in the rotation, Matt Belisle out. Sorry Matt, we’ve seen it several times over the last three years. It’s not working.

Harang, Cueto, Volquez, Bailey…you can shop Arroyo. But unless he starts stringing together five or six nights like last night, I’m not sure you’ll get what you want from him.

That’s my idea of how it might go. You might think I’m out of my mind, that’s OK. You’re not the first. There’s a long line out the door on me.

But here’s what I absolutely flat out know: talking about the Reds, and how they should fix this, or change that, or make this better is a topic that we seem to discuss earlier and earlier every season. And I know I’m getting real tired doing that.

The Junior story won't die. A lot of reaction from around the country to the article this week in USA Today which quoted Junior saying he expects the Reds to try and deal him this summer. The love fest last summer in Seattle would make you believe the Mariners may want to bring Griffey, Jr, back. But in this Mariners' blog, a great point is raised: would Seattle be willing to part with the crown jewels of its minor league system?

And will the team acquiring Junior be willing to pick up his $16 million option for 2009? If a team isn't willing to do that, it'll be a deal breaker. Peter Gammons has more on that in his blog.

I still maintain the Reds will eventually figure out a way to extend Griffey, Jr's deal, for less than the $16 million and keep him in Cincinnati for the rest of his career. But, I could be wrong....

Former Mets GM now ESPN baseball 'expert' Steve Phillips has some interesting ideas on how to fix the Reds in his blog. It's interesting reading. But none of this is going to happen.

My work schedule is such that I normally get home around 12:30am. But here's one of the perks: I'm awake to watch the best studio show in sports, the TNT NBA wrap-up show. Great cast, good info and a lot of fun to watch. Here's a classic moment from this week.

Years ago, I had a classic interview moment with Barkley. The Bengals were playing in Phoenix on a Sunday. Saturday night, the Suns were playing against former Xavier University star Brian Grant's team. I got a media pass, went into the Suns' locker room and asked Barkley about Grant. He gave me an answer, something along the lines of "...he'll see tougher defenses here than he ever saw at Xavier" I guess I was zoning out, because my next question to Sire Charles was..."will he see tougher defenses now". He glared at me and said..."did I not just say that? Did I not just say that?". Then, looking at the cameraman, he asked, "did I not just say that?". Rookie mistake on my part: never think about the next question until you hear the answer from the one you're getting.

I'm talking sports again this Sunday (Thanks George Vogel for filling-in last week while I covered Cincinnati's Flying Pig Maraton for WLWT.) Among my guests, Bob Nightengale from USA Today who wrote the story about Junior this week. Tim Dierkes from mlbtraderumors.com will join me as well. You can too. We'll take your phone calls. You can listen online at 700wlw.com, or on XM Radio channel 173 or on the 50K "flame thrower" 700 WLW-AM.

Sunday night at 11:35 on WLWT's Sports Rock! our guests will include "Wildman Walker" from WEBN's Dawn Patrol, Wayne "Box" Miller, from WDBZ, "The Buzz" here in Cincinnati and the pole winner for this year's Indianapolis 500.

And check out my web site: www.kenbroo.com. I've got my latest "Broo View Podcast" posted on the front page for your downloading and listening. In the "Podcasts and More" section are past episodes and some terrific interviews. I've posted the audio version of our Sports Rock! interview last Sunday with top Bengals draft picks Keith Rivers and Jerome Simpson.

And of course....have a great weekend!

Ken Griffey, Jr. may not be in play, yet. But apparently the Reds new GM has been working the phones. According to mlb.com, there could be a Fogg warning again in Denver.

For the record, I believe Reds owner, Bob Castellini will go 'kicking and screaming' into any discussions that involve trading Griffey. And it would be wise for Jocketty, a Castellini favorite at the moment, to bring more to the table than just the 'usual suspect minor league players' to any meeting that involves Junior trade talk.

As to what they're saying about Junior possible returning to the Mariners, here's John Hickey's take in today's Post-Intelligencer.

Scratch Tampa Bay off the list of potential landing sites for former Bengal Bad Boy Chris Henry (I think he has a copywrite on that moniker, BTW). profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio says the Bucs aren't interested. But in this story posted by espn.com, Henry thinks somebody could use him. Buyer beware.

The Reds finally came out of their season long coma Wednesday afternoon, banging out nine home runs against the Cubs. By the way, until and if the Cubs fix their pitching, they're going no where this season. Anyhow, 9 homers is the most in any one game since 1999 for the Reds. So it wasn't a first. But this might've been. Check it out.

I'm sure to a lot of people, this is the equivalent of finding out there is no Santa Claus. Real people, inside those costumes? You mean, they're not real? Really?

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

It's not a new story. Just fresh copy today in USA Today, in a story written by their national baseball writer, Bob Nightengale. Ken Griffey, Jr. is talking about the possibility of leaving the Cincinnati Reds. Junior has been singing this since spring training. He's a 10-5 guy (ten years in the league, five with the same team) so he can veto any trade. My gut tells me the Reds will look for a way to restructure his contract and avoid paying him the $16 million they owe him next season. Perhaps, they'll do a long term deal (three years) and allow him to retire as a Red. But everything is in play, when a team is under achieving. Even trading its hometown superstar.

For all you 'trade Chad now and get the draft picks' moaners (and you know who you are) comes this today from Marvin Lewis in a give and take with Peter King of SI.com.

Those who claim the Bengals will eventually trade Johnson do not know Mike Brown. Brown will trade Johnson ONLY when Brown wants to, and he doesn't remotely right now. History, people: it took Corey Dillon four years of whining to get out of Cincinnati and Carl Pickens five.

No way Chad gets out of town in four months. Remember, the Bengals can fie Johnson $14,000 per DAY for any time missed at mandatory events, such as training camps, practices and game days. Mike Brown will MAKE money, if Johnson elects to sit out.

Meantime, the Bengals pursuit of hometown hero, Shaun Alexander got a bit more complicated. NFL Network's web site says Alexander may have options.

OK, here's the story. Mom wanted a day on her own, Dad takes kid to ballgame. Now, click the video below to see some great parenting.

I wasn't aware that Anheuser-Busch made baby formula.

You know, I lived through the 70's when 'streaking' was a big deal. At Ohio, it was almost a right of spring. You'd see streakers on Saturday nights all the time. It even happened once, at the Academy Awards, when David Niven was attempting to present a trophy. His 'shortcomings' joke is Oscar lore. I thought it'd died down. But apparently not at the World Pool Championship, where the contestants were 'snookered' shall we say. Take a look.

And now, I can see, I've seen it all. I'll see you tonight, at 6 & 11p on WLWT Channel 5 in Cincinnati.

I just had a chance to meet the top two picks the Bengals made in this year's draft. Terrific guys. And if they play as well as they come off in public, this team has hit a couple out of the park.

Keith Rivers is the number one pick, a linebacker, who spent Friday in mini camp lined up on the 'weak' side, the side of the ball away from the tight end.

Check out this piece of video on the Southern Cal linebacker

Jerome Simpson has enormous hands, Johnny Bench hands. And with his leaping ability (he says he could touch the ceiling by the time he was eight), Simpson could be delivering some spectacular catches this season.

You can see and hear them both, this Sunday night, at 11:35pm on "Sports Rock", on Cincinnati's channel 5.


I'm guessing he's in it for the long haul (although he is a college basketball coach). But Indiana's Tom Crean has to be wondering what he's gotten himself into. In today's Indianapolis Star, Crean paints a realistic picture of his team's situation.


And this is why the whole college basketball thing is out of whack. An 8th grader, committing to UK, BEFORE he commits to a high school? Read all about it in the Louisville Courier-Journal.

OK, I know 'Big Brown' is unbeaten and a 3-1 favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. But, if he wins, he'll be the first Derby winner in almost 80-years to win from the 20th post position. THEREFORE, my pick to win it all is "Pyro". "Pyro" starts from the nine chute and has two wins in his last three starts, including the Louisiana Derby. Throw out his 10th in the Blue Grass. That wasn't a great race for any Derby entry, except the BG winner Monba. "Pyro" to win the Derby. You heard it here first.

I'll see you Sunday night at 11:35p on Cincinnati's channel 5's "Sports Rock". And remember, you can always get the best sports coverage on my web site: www.kenbroo.com.

I'm working the "Flying Pig" Marathon for Channel 5 this Sunday morning. So I won't be doing my regular Sunday Morning Sportstalk Radio show on 700 WLW. George Vogel will pinch hit for me. Tune him in, beginning at 9am EDT. Have a great weekend!