Boxscore

During yesterday’s game between the Reds and Pirates, the Reds TV feed displayed a graphic that showed Aaron Harang had received the second-least amount of run support last year. I’m sure that contributed greatly to his crappy record.

The bad news is that it will only be worse this year, given the Reds’ Judy offense. Opening Day brought one run, while yesterday brought 2! Somehow I don’t expect the linear progression to continue.

Still, Harang was excellent, recording the Major’s first complete game shutout. He held the Pirates to only 3 hits.

Brandon Phillips provided the game’s only offense with a two-run home run in the first. And Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson provided the defense with an amazing glove-flip to start a double play, followed a few innings later with the start of a triple play.

With this triple play and the amateurish baserunning mistake by Jay Bruce in the previous game, the havoc that Dusty Baker promised to bring is definitely happening. Only, I don’t think the word means what he thinks it means.

The Pirates seem to be leading the charge in the central to get their 25-man roster set. Hey, it’s nice to be first in something, even when there isn’t a trophy or a gaudy ring.

Relievers Sean Burnett, Craig Hansen, and Donnie Veal have made the club. Donnie Veal is a Rule 5 pick from the Cubs, I believe, and he’s been good enough not to be offered back.

The Pirates have one spot left, and it’s down to a match between Evan Meek and Jesse Chavez to see who will be in the dugout when Paul Maholm starts opening day.

For the first time in years, the RHM family is unable to attend Spring Training, and this happens.

The Pirates acquired Jose Tabata, a top Yankees prospect, last year in the Xavier Nady trade. Apparently, during the off-season, Jose married Amaila. And Amaila has been arrested for kidnapping a 2 month-old baby. WTF?

Jose hasn’t been implicated and seems to be as surprised as everyone. Hopefully that remains the case.

My favorite part of the article is this, though.

Amaila Tabata Pereira was found with 10-pound Sandra Cruz-Francisco standing at a street corner in Bradenton, Florida.

Now, I haven’t cracked open my Kidnapper’s Bible in a few years–heck, there’s probably even a revised version by now–but that doesn’t seem like the best way to get away with a kidnapping. Maybe she was waiting for the kidnapper’s getaway bus.

CINCINNATI (March 16, 2009) — Reds fans can bid now on reds.com for seats in the new Champions Club Boxes on Opening Day.

The Champion Club Boxes feature an outdoor bar area and in-seat service, in addition to access to the new all-inclusive FOX Sports Ohio Champions Club and its unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Packages of four, six and eight tickets are available, with auctions ending either Friday, March 20, at noon ET or Friday, March 27, at noon ET.

Place your bids here on the auction site.

The FOX Sports Ohio Champions Club (formerly known as the FSN Ohio Club 4192) is located on the first base side of GABP. The 2009 Opening Day game is Monday, April 6 vs the New York Mets. First pitch is 1:10 p.m.

All proceeds from the Champions Club Box auctions will benefit the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. All winning bids will receive annual memberships to the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum.

So, those Reds traded Ryan Freel, eh? Might actually be a decent move, I suppose, but against the backdrop oft he cluster that is Dusty Baker’s management, it’s hard to see this move as anything other than more of said cluster.

In any event, the massive level of annoyance that it aroused in the Red Hot Household was enough to shake us from our three-month long podcasting malaise. This ought to motivate us for at least a couple months, at which time I guess they’ll have to trade Brandon Phillips to the Nationals in order to raise my ire enough to create more audio content.

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