Do the Reds have TOO many young arms?

    Last week Aroldis Chapman made his first relief appearance for the Louisville Bats, the Cincinnati Reds AAA affiliate.  In what was previously stated to be unlikely, it appears that Reds general manager, Walt Jocketty, will find a place in the bullpen for young Chapman. "We may look at that," Jocketty said.  "if Volquez comes back and [Homer] Bailey isn't far away, the best opportunity [for Chapman] will be out of the bullpen."  However, if you look closely at that quote, something doesn't add up.  Let's fast-forward to late July.  The Reds are still hovering around first place and the dog days of summer are kicking in.  Edinson Volquez is back in the majors, Chapman is in the Reds' bullpen, and Bailey is nearly through rehab and ready to start again.  That gives the Reds 6 starters: Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Edinson Volquez, and Homer Bailey.  That's not mentioning Sam LeCure, who has a 4.86 ERA in the majors this year, and Travis Wood and Matt Maloney, who have 3.12 and 3.60 ERAs, respectively, in Louisville.  Besides Harang and Arroyo, the oldest of the other 6 is 26 years old.  And let's not forget about Chapman.  There's no way that he remains in the bullpen for more than 6 months.  The goal is for him to be front-end starter for years to come.  Putting Chapman in the bullpen will only be to gain experience.  So what will the front office do with the over-abundance?  A likely solution is to make a move at the trade deadline for another offensive weapon.  Jocketty has previously said that this would be likely if the club was still in a pennant race come that time.  Either way, the situation can only turn out well.  The Reds look great for the next several years.  They have loads of talented players who are only getting better and more experienced.  The future looks bright for this fiery team.   

Historic Rivalry Renewed

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Boston Celtics tonight in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  This storied matchup began to take flight in the mid 1980's, as Magic Johnson's Lakers clashed with Larry Bird's Celtics several times in memorable playoff games.  Those series' were especially memorable due to the fact that 8 world championships in the 1980's were won by either Los Angeles or Boston.  This series is a rematch of the 2008 finals, when the Celtics beat the Lakers in 6 games.  Now, after the Lakers won a title last season, the previous two champions meet.  Kobe Bryant, arguably the greatest Laker player of all time, is in pursuit of his 5th championship ring, which would be one shy of the legend, Michael Jordan.  A key factor to this series could be the play of Boston point guard, Rajon Rondo.  Rondo, a former University of Kentucky guard, has propelled his game to a new level in leading this mediocre regular season team to a finals appearance.  He will be a tough defensive matchup for the Lakers whose starting point guard, Derek Fisher, is a 35-year old veteran who will struggle to combat Rondo's quickness.  If the Lakers can contain Rondo, I think they win the series going away.

Prediction:  Kobe proves to be too much.  Lakers in 7

Reds Vault into 1st Place

The Cincinnati Reds took 2 of 3 from the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend to take a 0.5 game lead in the NL Central.  Winning 7 of their last 8 games, the Reds are showing they can compete with the consensus favorites in the National League.  In the last 8 games, Cincinnati starters have a league best 1.88 ERA and the defense hasn't committed an error in 11 games, the best streak since 1997.  This team is finally starting to show the potential that has hovered over it for several years.  "It definitely means something," said Bronson Arroyo, who pitched a complete game Sunday.  "I think it means more on this club right now than it does if we had a winning club the last few years - just because of the confidence and keeping the ball rolling."  The Reds welcome the Milwaukee Brewers to town tonight for a two-game series before traveling to Atlanta.

Back but not quite "Back"

Should we really expect Tiger Woods to immediately return to the dominant force we are accustomed to seeing?  After a 6-month absence from the game stemming from a massive adultery scandal that turned the sporting world upside-down, Tiger's return to professional golf has been less than spectacular.  In three tournaments, he has a T-4 in the Masters, a missed cut at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, and a withdrawal due to an apparent neck injury at The Players Championship.  This isn't the Tiger Woods the world is used to watching.  We have been conditioned over the past twelve years to a man who has little to no competition when at his best.  But, when will his best return?  The problem, from a fan's perspective, is that we hold Tiger on a high pedestal.  If any other golfer went through the media and tabloid circus that he did, no one would ever expect a swift and painless return.  However, this isn't just "anybody else."  This is, arguably, the greatest and most dominant player to ever step foot on a golf course and the most iconic athlete of the 21st century.  The world needs to leave Tiger alone and let him get his mojo back.  He's played merely a fraction of the golf of any other pro since last November.  The old Tiger will return, but not without a great deal of patience and hard work.  Once he learns to juggle it all, he will again be back in the winner's circle.

Celtics Deny "The King' His Crown

The Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last night with a 94-85 Game 6 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  A close game through the first half, the Celtics pulled away in the last 20 minutes behind an impressive display of team basektball.  Kevin Garnett led Boston win 22 points and Kentucky native Rajon Rondo added 21.  In what could be the last game of his Cavaliers career, LeBron James notched a triple-double, with 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists.  However, he also had 9 turnovers.  While much of the focus should be aimed at the surging veteran Celtics, most of the media attention is being aimed at James and whether he will become a free agent on July 1st.  "It's all about winning for me, and I think the Cavs are committed to doing that," he said.  "But at the same time I've given myself options to this point, and like I said before, me and my team, we have a game plan that we're going to execute, and we'll see what we get."  A few of the possible destinations being mentioned for James are the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Miami Heat.  It will be a very difficult summer for James, as well as for the Cavaliers faithful.  But not taking anything away from Boston, they are hot at the right time.  In the 3rd quarter, as the Cavs had just cut the lead down to 5, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was mic'd up during the timeout.  "I know you want to win", he told his players. "But you have to do it TOGETHER."  That has been the Celtics mentality throughout these playoffs.  And if they continue, they have a good shot at yet another NBA title. 

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