On Wednesday, Reds Manager Jim Riggleman announced that Jesse Winker would be "the odd guy" as the club shifted away from the four guys/three spots outfield rotation that's been employed all season.
After an off-day on Thursday, Winker was in the lineup on Friday night in San Diego. He was back in there again yesterday.
At face value, this is good. Like most Reds fans, I want Jesse Winker to play as often as possible. Maybe there was a change of heart, perhaps someone came their his senses, or maybe someone with rank used veto power and forced the manager's hand.
But it makes the Reds looks sloppy and disorganized, and for a club dealing with a confidence crisis by its fans, yo-yo-ing Winker and saying one thing, yet doing another, isn't going to engender much faith in what they're doing.
It makes the people running the Reds looking like they're making this all up as they go along.
Then, there's the Homer Bailey mess.
Asked whether he thought he could be an effective reliever after being moved out of the starting rotation, Homer's answer was less than inspiring...
"Probably not."
I can't say that I don't understand his answer. If you were just demoted, would you be publicly enthused about your new role?
The bigger issue is whether Homer found out he was being moved after reporters did. From Cincinnati.com...
The Reds announced that Bailey was going to the bullpen Tuesday. He declined to speak with reporters that day. He says it wasn’t because he was unhappy with the decision.
“It’s not a matter of happy,” Bailey said. “You all (reporters) had more information than I did at the time. I didn’t know exactly what was going on.”
Has it been clarified?
“A little bit, maybe,” Bailey said. “Not really… They talked to you (the media) before me, so I don’t know what I can and can’t say.”
And now, Bailey is headed to the disabled list (again) with a knee injury that Riggleman says is not a new one.
So to recap, Winker was headed to the bench, but then he started. Bailey says found out he was going to the bullpen after reporters did. And now Homer's headed to the DL with a knee issue that didn't just pop up.
Pretty well-run operation they have over there at 100 Joe Nuxhall Way.
Here's some stuff...
I wrote a column this weekend for The Athletic about the next Cincinnati stadium ordeal that we'll all have to endure sooner rather than later. Read it here, if you don't mind.
Speaking of stadiums....the question was posed to me this weekend about whether higher ticket prices would cut into FC Cincinnati's ability to draw the kind of crowds they've been pulling in since their 2018 debut.
My answer: The stadium is only going to hold 21,000 or so fans. The current MLS schedule has each team playing 17 home games, plenty for casual fans to see the home team play often, and just enough to ensure that every home tilt feel like an event as much as it is a game.
The question about ticket prices is a good one. Much of FCC's charm as a USL club has had to do with cheaper ticket prices being a draw. Does a higher-priced ticket squeeze some people out? Yes. But it's also gotten enough people through the door that more than a handful of them have ideally been hooked enough to pay the extra cost.
And it ain't like they're playing in a 40,00 seat stadium.
As for the actual team, their final 30 or so minutes in Saturday's road win over the New York Red Bulls II was some pretty solid soccer, helping them overcome the stuck-in-the-mud look FCC exhibited for much of the afternoon. A nice capper on a fun week to be an FC Cincinnati fan, if you will.
I'm not sure what holding out of minicamp will accomplish for Carlos Dunlap, is that's what he decides to do. He plays for a team that routinely hands out fair, market-sensible, deals. He'll surely be offered one by the Bengals. He won't get overpaid. And frankly, he has a little to prove this season.
Steph Curry scored 33 points and set a new NBA Finals record for threes in a game with 33. The killer for the Cavaliers though is that his teammates shot 64%.
I believe Curry is actually underrated, which is an odd thing to believe given how accomplished Steph is. The shooting is devastating - he's the best outside shooter I've seen - but his range and the degree of difficulty of his shot-taking obscures the other facets of his game. He's the best pick-and-roll point guard I've seen. He's marvelous moving without the ball. He's more than effective running a fast break. He's a fine passer and a capable rebounder. He can get past most one-on-one defenders. He's not a great defender, but he's better than people say he is.
The way he shoots and the overall quality and depth of his team often force us to talk about things other than the entirety of Steph's game, but as obvious as this statement seems, I'll make it anyway: Steph Curry is more than just a great shooter.
Here's some other stuff....
Dan Hoard played "Ten teammates in a hat" with Johnny Bench.
Can FC Cincinnati Shock the Soccer World Again?
The aforementioned Carlos Dunlap is a good dude. Some of the stuff included on this post will show why.
Radio Show: Two good MLB draft guests, some Reds thoughts, and maybe an FC Cincinnati topic. The fun starts at 3:05 on ESPN1530.