THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

Good Thursday Morning!

Pitching, speed and defense my a##. Did you watch any of that Reds vs Mets game last night? Pitchng? Apparently Edinson Volquez is still under the assumption that his right arm is good for 200 pitches per outing. It took him 100, just to get two outs into the fifth inning. It was the same thing that plagued him last season. And statistically, last season was very good for Volquez. But his season will be over in July if he doesn't bear down in the count and get out of innings.

Mike Lincoln followed and was lit up. Defense? Alex Gonzalez booted a double play ball that would have gotten the Reds out of an inning with only a run scoring. Instead, three runs scored after that play. And Jay Bruce fell down on what should have been a one run single, turning it into a three run scoring play.

Speed? OK, Willy Taveres finally got into a game and motored his way around the bases to a triple. But where are the stolen bases? Where is the speed in the outfield that's supposed to get to fly balls that were uncatchable last season?

Look, I know it's only two games. But you can't look at either of these two losses to the Mets and not have some serious concerns. And while I'm at it, the Reds have known since last August they had to come up with a player, or a platoon situation, in left field. Their answer was to sign Johnny Gomes, who never caught on with Tampa and give the opposite side of the plate to Chris Dickerson, who had a grand total of 31-big league games coming into this season. So what happens? Gomes is sent to the minors the day before the season begins and Dickerson doesn't start opening day. And this is a plan? Really?

More coming as Thursday progresses. I'll have a new Broo View Podcast posted sometime around mid day. My guest will be Dave Laurila from Baseball Prospectus.

And my Sunday Morning Sportstalk Show on 700 WLW is beginning to take shape. My guests will include CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated Seth Davis, author of a compelling book on the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores and Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans. Also joining me, the godfather of sabermetrics, Bill James. We'll have other assorted guests as well, and your phone calls. I'm on from 9am-Noon EDT. And if you don't live in the Tri-State, you can always listen on line at 700wlw.com.