So, I made sure to check out the Reds preview on Deadspin when it came out on Monday, and my exact quote to the CTS was, “it was awful. I didn't read any of the other previews, so I don't know how it compared, but if they were all that bad, I don't know why anyone would go to Deadspin.”

Apparently I'm in the minority, though, because JD and RLN both called it “entertaining” and the commenters on the entry on Deadspin entirely failed to call it the stupidest piece of crap they've read all year.

Nothing against Clay Travis of Claynation, of course. I'm sure he's a hell of a guy. He just wrote a stinker of a preview. Case in point:

1. It's hard not to be optimistic when Bronson Arroyo is one of your two staff aces. Wait, did I just write that? Was Rick Mahler not available anymore? Can we get Jose Rijo back? Arroyo has never won more than 14 games in a season. And while he and Aaron Harang are not a bad one-two punch, you get the feeling both guys would rather be doing back-up vocals for a band at Bonnaroo.

How is it even possible to throw around the phrase “two staff aces” and then act like it's a bad thing? And how lazy is it to make fun of Harang because of Arroyo's music? Jeez, if you're going to blast the Reds pitching because of their hobbies, at least personalize the bashing. There's an ocean of material RE Todd Coffey and Star Trek.

Or this gem:

3. Twenty-year-old pitching phenom Homer Bailey is waiting in the wings. Which is important. Because evidently the Reds are building their team around pitching now. This makes sense. Especially with a cavernous ballpark like Great American where no runs are ever scored. Wait, that's not the case. This makes zero sense.

Remember the part where I said “Nothing against Clay Travis” a few paragraphs ago? Yeah, never mind. The minute you say pitching isn't important unless you play in a big ballpark is the minute you've lost all credibility in anything you write about baseball.

The worst of all:

5. Will Griffey Jr. be willing to make the move to right field? Will he recover from a nasty Bahamian family-wrestling match that resulted in a broken left wrist? As is par for the course since his return to Cincy, questions loom. What's almost certain is that he won't play in more than 145 games. Since he hasn't yet in seven seasons with the Reds. And that he'll still have buckteeth.

My initial response to this paragraph is full of ranting and expletives. But I'd like to be constructive here, so maybe a little education is in order. A “buck”is a male rabbit (it's also a disparaging term for a black man, but I'm praying that's not what the author was getting at). “Buckteeth” are teeth like a rabbit's. Griffey does not have buckteeth.

A “hare” is also a rabbit. “Harebrained” is a word that comes to mind after reading this Reds preview. I'll let you look that one up yourself.

The East Valley Tribune mentions the Reds today in the D-Backs Notebook under the subheading More Jorge:

Asked if he wants to be a closer, Julio has a one-word answer: “Yeah.”

Yet Julio, a part-time closer for the D-Backs last season but behind Jose Valverde this spring, said he is not fazed by reports that teams in need of a closer – Florida, San Francisco, Cincinnati – have scouted him this spring.

“I don’t care. I play baseball. I want to play baseball. It is just a rumor,” Julio said.

The D-Backs have scouted Florida and could have an interest in Marlins’ 22-year-old right-hander Yusmeiro Petit, obtained by the Marlins from the Mets two years ago. Petit struggled in the Marlins’ bullpen last season, his first in the majors, but has a strong minor league track record.

The D-Backs will not pay any of Julio’s $3.6 million salary this season if traded, making Cincinnati an unlikely trading partner.

I'm glad to hear that the Reds are still checking out their options, though the bullpen situation doesn't seem too bad to me. I'm a little baffled by the author's assertion that the price tag would take the Reds out of the equation. Florida is another of the listed teams, after all. Personally, I've known the Reds to spend way too much for relief pitching.

In other news, Rheal Cormier's name comes up in a story in this morning's Seattle Times Newspaper. JJ Putz is suffering elbow stiffness, and the author is nonplused about the prospect of bringing Cormier in as a stopgap:

The names that have been linked to those teams in trade rumors include San Francisco's Armando Benitez, Arizona's Jorge Julio, San Diego's Scott Linebrink, Washington's Chad Cordero and Texas' Akinori Otsuka. Other pitchers who could be available are Rheal Cormier and Byung-Hyun Kim, neither of whom are too inspiring.

I'm not sure what the Mariners would have to offer in exchange for Cormier anyway, since the Reds are in a position to buy, not sell, pitching right now. I imagine Krivsky is on the lookout for a lefty outfielder. Or they could flash that $3.6 million and get Julio. We could probably be convinced to part with Cormier for that.

Reds host the Blue Jays again today with Milton taking the mound. Earlier this week when the Reds hosted the Jays, Matt Belisle got the ball to lead the Reds to a 0-3 victory. Here's hoping they can keep it going.

Chris Denorfia RF
Alex Gonzalez SS
Josh Hamilton DH
Jeff Conine 1B
David Ross C
Juan Castro 3B
Norris Hopper LF
Dewayne Wise CF
Anderson Machado 2B
Eric Milton P

As usual, thanks to C. Trent for the line-up. I had to look up whether RF or LF was “7”.

The Reds have made round two of cuts today. To recap, on Monday they:

• Sent LHP Phil Dumatrait to AAA Louisville
• Sent OF Chris Dickerson and RHP Calvin Medlock to AA Chattanooga
• Reassigned LHP Jason Kershner and RHP Tom Shearn to minor league camp

Today they:

• Sent 1B Joey Votto to AAA Louisville
• Reassigned RHP Homer Bailey, LHP Michael Gosling, C Dan Conway, C Ryan Hannigan to minor league camp
• Released RHP Kerry Ligtenberg and RHP Brian Meadows outright to give them a chance to catch on elsewhere

I guess that means no more Brian Fellow references.

We have no idea what the lineup is, because C. Trent hasn't given us an update since the early game. We do know that Bobby Livingston is starting for the Reds and trying to keep himself in the running for the #5 spot in the rotation, which seems to be Belisle's to lose at this point.