I'm getting off to a very late start today, and chances are that this will be quick.
I wrote a piece about Joey Votto for The Athletic. In between trying to get some shuteye after last night's Reds loss and handling some fatherly duties, I urged fans to listen to Joey, but not panic.
Give it a read maybe?
Thanks.
I believe that it's easier to get Joey out than it is to get inside his head, and so to draw conclusions about him and what his intentions are is a silly exercise. Here's what I do believe...
That Joey Votto desperately wants to be a part of a winning baseball team in Cincinnati. He craves being the centerpiece of a long-term solution.
And that it's fair to wonder whether or not Joey will be a read through the completion of his current deal.
But....that I've felt that way since the moment it was announced that he was signing with the Reds through 2023.
I don't know what the dynamic in Joey's relationship with his employer be like in, say, three years. Neither does Joey. Neither do the Reds. Neither do you.
And I didn't take his comments to Yahoo as those of a man who's looking to engineer his escape. I took them as thoughtful, honest, and conflicted. But given the value of the contract, the place Joey has arrived at in his career, and where the Reds are, it's always going to be fair to wonder if the marriage between player and team will live happily ever after.
Just as it's been fair to wonder about those things since both parties said "I do."
Now, read my other piece on Votto, would ya?
Here's some stuff...
The Reds lost last night. Billy Hamilton made a hell of a grab, but Tyler Mahle couldn't make a three-zip lead stick. Eugenio Suarez continues to be good time. The announcers inviting Tim Flannery to the booth to re-live the 2012 NLDS was not.
Today, they try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Giants. The Giants are more fun to watch when Johnny Cueto is active and pitching for them. When he's pitched this season, he's been very effective. But once again, he's on the disabled list, this time with an elbow problem.
The Giants owe Johnny around $82 for the next four years. Do we still think it'd be a smart investment by the Reds if they signed him long-term?
Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano will miss 80 games after being suspended by MLB after testing positive for a banned substance. He'll be allowed to return once the suspension ends, but he'd be ineligible for the postseason.
The Reds have a second baseman. And, in case Seattle moves Dee Gordon from center field to second, they have a center fielder.
Both could fetch something in return.
Dick or Nick should start making phone calls.
The Celtics win game two, and a fatigued nation is closer to being spared having to watch the mess that is the Cavs anymore.
Not that Cleveland's loss last night was LeBron James' fault. He was spectacular. The enduring image of the game, though, was of him looking defeated, alone, staring blankly while perched on the scorer's table.
That's the look of, and on TV it was the body language of, someone whos' fully come to the realization that he's not winning with the clowns he's playing with. He's wearing a look that tells us, just as it did in 2010 and 2014, that it's time to move on.
I'd hope that before he does, he has one more "holy shit" game in him as a Cavalier, but that would just prolong the misery that is watching his teammates slog to inevitable defeat.
Here's some other stuff...
I agree with this...The Bullpen Should Be Homer Bailey’s New Home
Decent question...Early All-Star watch: Which Reds have a chance to make it?
How Tyler Mahle’s command makes him more than the sum of his parts.
Radio Show: Melvin Levett is in studio. Nothing else matters. We start at 3:05 on ESPN1530.
Also....wanna win a new lawn mower and tickets to every Riverbend show? Go here.
Follow me on Twitter @MoEgger1530.
(Photo: Getty)