Among my e-mail was a message from a Reds staffer with this beautiful sentence:

Got down here in Sarasota a couple days ago. Everyone looks great. Griffey is in very good shape. Just worked with Bubba - nice guy. Told Javy he's the Latin Love Machine on the web - he was quite embarrassed.

And to think just a year and a half later, our favorite little catcher would discover what we so affectionately call him.

2007 is the year, baby.

I wonder though: if he was embarrassed by being called “the Latin Love Machine,” how would he respond to seeing the bouncing Javy head?

The numbers back it up. The man has had 8 full big league seasons and only twice posted a losing record. We need to get off his back.. perhaps being an ace of a terrible staff was too much of a burden (2005) but as a #3 he is very solid and as long as he is healthy we are above-average at that slot. I am rooting for him big-time. In fact when I attended a game in 2005 I was shouting encouragement to him and he pitched a shutout for several innings. We need to get behind this guy and believe in him, he has the talent and the potential to be the difference maker this season.