The only proper response to a Cincinnati Reds fan upon hearing this news is of the four-letter variety.

Yes, Ryan Madson, who has yet to appear in a Spring Training game due to a sore elbow, had a setback.

Closer Ryan Madson flew to Cincinnati to be evaluated by medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek. The examination will take place [Saturday].

Madson, who’s been dealing with a sore elbow all spring, had a setback on Thursday. With Opening Day 12 days away, it’s unlikely that Madson will be ready by then — no matter how minor the setback.

Gulp.

There’s now way of looking at this as positive. The Reds’ shiny new closer will not be ready on Opening Day, and there’s now the possibility that he won’t be available this whole year.

I’m hoping for something that he can recover from quickly, but right now, I’m not too confident.

Dayton Daily News reporter Hal McCoy recently returned from Arizona and Cincinnati Reds’ Spring Training. This was his 40th one, so he’s certainly seen enough to know that the results don’t matter.

You see, spring training games will fool you every time. Outcomes are unimportant because pitchers are working on different things, hitters are working on different things, the manager tries different things he’d never try in a game and he uses lineups he’d never use and batting orders he’d never use and players who might never see a major-league game, ever, get playing time.

That sounds good, since the Reds aren’t exactly winning a lot of games so far this year. But saying it’s “experimentation time” still leaves you wanting more. What insight has all of that experience watching baseball given McCoy?

He lists five things he saw and learned. I’ve quoted parts of a couple of them.

The health of Scott Rolen. He is his old self after missing most of last season and undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. […] Barring a calamity like a mishap sliding or a collision at home plate, Rolen will start the season in better shape and health than he has been since he has been with the Reds.

Better than he was in 2010? Rolen put up MVP numbers in the first half of that year. If he has even half a year as good as that, the Reds’ offense will be in excellent shape.

Drew Stubbs is making more contact, striking out less, putting the ball in play. Prediction: He will strike out less than 150 times this year and he won’t lead the league in strikeouts.

People make too much out of Stubbs’ strikeouts. By that I mean that I don’t think there as damaging as a lot of people do. However, Stubbs made way too many outs last year. If he doesn’t improve this year, the Reds will need to find a new center fielder. But from McCoy’s observations, it sounds like Stubbs has greatly improved his plate approach.

The rest of McCoy’s observations are certainly worth your time, too.

I missed this the other day, but just saw it on Redleg Nation when catching up on Cincinnati Reds news (or the lack thereof) tonight. Joey Votto had an interview with CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman about the large contracts that Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder signed in the off-season.

“They did great, they did excellent,” Votto said. “Prince and Albert both stayed healthy and consistent. Albert obviously performed at an incredible level. And Prince performed in his own right, and he got a ton of years. To get nine or 10 years is what most (top) players look to. … Both guys are super talented, and I hope they live up to those contracts.”

Votto, as always, comes across as thoughtful and unafraid to say what he believes is true. He noted how clubs now shy away from signing players 35 and older to big contracts as. So the best thing is for players to maximize the number of years like Pujols and Fielder did.

Of course, Cincinnati is a small-market team, and talk of contracts like those might make him seem unwilling to stay. But he says that’s not the case.

“I’m very proud I’m with the Reds,” Votto said at one point.

When asked if he’d like to stay, he answered, “I definitely do.”

That’s good news. Hopefully, the Reds can work something out to keep Votto here for a bit longer than his current contract.

The Cincinnati Reds won a game today, with excellent performances from the pitching staff. Homer Bailey kept the ball down and shut out the Chicago White Sox over four innings. The offense managed only one run, but with Bailey and the bullpen’s scoreless performances, that was enough.

And I was bored by it.

Spring Training has been going on for a month now, and I want it to be over. I can’t even begin to imagine how the players feel.

The good news is that we’re just 17 days away from Opening Day. Two and a half weeks from the Findlay Market Parade. And two and a half weeks from the first official pitch of the 2012 season from Johnny Cueto’s hand.

It cannot get here soon enough.