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.