FIVE MO' THINGS, 1/25/13
1) Billy Hamilton. John Erardi pleads patience as Billy plays AAA ball in Louisville this season. Let's make a deal right now, ok? We're going to watch the Reds this season, and hope like hell they get back to the postseason. All the while, we're going to follow Billy's progress from 100 miles away. We'll track his stolen base totals, we'll chart his development in center, and we'll make trips to Louisville Slugger Field to go see him in person (a trip to a Louisville Bats game is well worth the drive). We'll wonder how he'll fit in when he gets here and we'll discuss what his arrival in 2014 will mean for the players currently on the roster....
...But we'll be patient with Billy Hamilton.
I know, I know, it's easy to say now. It's easy to talk about how patient you'll be when the snow is falling in January, but how about when the sun is beating down in July? Will you refrain from sending dozens of Tweets about how Billy needs to be here, and now? When Shin-Soo Choo goes through his first slump, or when the offense slumbers for a week, will you resist the urge to call your favorite radio host, or even me, DEMANDING that Walt make Billy a Red, pronto?
Probably not.
Our curiosity demands that we silly Billy Hamilton, and soon. I cannot wait to see him in a Reds uniform, and I'm fascinated by how the Reds use him when he gets here. But if they say he's not ready, and that hardly seems like an off-base assesment, then he's not ready.
Let the kid pile up ABs in Louisville. Let him develop the skills needed to patrol center. Let him develop.
Joey Votto came to the Reds in 2007, and was the organization's best Major League-ready player to come through the system in a very, very long time. This was after he'd made more than 3,000 minor league plate appearances.
There's something to that.
Every player is different. Clearly Votto took a while to adjust to playing pro ball, and other players, including many Reds, have succeeded with far fewer minor league appearances, but the point is that a there are long-term benefits to a guy logging a long time in the minors. Billy Hamilton won't come close to 3,000 plate appearances in the minors (right now, he's sitting on 1713), but there's clearly benefit to allowing him to continue to develop somewhere else, even if we want to see him here. Now.
The dude has played 50 games above A-ball. He's still learning a new position. And while his stolen base totals are intriguing, the differences between stealing a bag in Pensacola and swiping one at GABP are significant.
Let him learn. Let him develop. Proclaim patience now, but be patient in June. Let him get to the point that when he does arrive, that like Votto, we never even have to think of sending him back.
2) The Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is my favorite night on Twitter. For three hours, people will be Tweeting about how bad it is, and how the NFL should punt the event, yet they'll watch. (The Grammy's are my second favorite for the same reason. Everyone will talk about how bad it is, while never changing the channel.) I will probably find something else to do, because I'm the rare diehard football fan unafraid to admit that I'm not actually watching the pretend football game.
The scariest thing about the Pro Bowl is that people actually wager on it. For those inclined to put a few bucks down on the game, the NFC is a four point favorite. Also, get help.
3) Zach Wells and I. Zach was nice enough to interview me for local12.com, using Google Hangout. We discussed sports.
4) Knicks finally win in Boston. Kevin Garnett sure was quiet last night, wasn't he? I've never seen an NBA team run the same play 20 consecutive time as the Knicks did last night, with the opponent making almost no attempt to adjust to it, as the Celtics didn't. Gratifying win for the orange and blue, but this team still feels like one that's teetering on the edge.
5) Katie Couric and Manti Te'o.
My observations on the interview...
A) Katie Couric is still very attractive.
B) Katie Couric has a TV show.
C) I wore that same sweater that Manti had on to a high school homecoming dance in 1992. I bought it at Chess King.
But Wait There's More...
-I can't get enough of these....
-NFL player gets popped for DUI. Pees self.
-I'M HAVING A SUPER BOWL WATCH PARTY!
We'll be at Willie's Sports Cafe in Western Hills, watching the game, making fun of the commercials, and pounding beers. Oh, and I'll be giving away a big screen TV, thanks to our friends at Cincinnati Home Theaters. The Bud Light Girls will be there. And we're giving away a VIP Party for 20 people that you can sign up for by going here. Be there a week from Sunday, starting at 6:00.
There's more later, including today's radio show which should feature interviews with AJ Green from Hawaii and Corky Miller from the Reds Caravan. A show rundown is forthcoming. We get started at 3:04 today on ESPN1530.
