Word on the street now is that the Cardinals are in contention to be the lucky recipients of the malcontented Roy Oswalt. Oswalt is in no position to demand a trade, being locked into a contract and whatnot, but he’s made a pain in the Astro of himself anyway, telling the world how he wants to be traded to a team who has a chance of winning.

Enter the Cardinals. They’ve had some rough patches with their starting pitching this season, but they aren’t willing to give up too much. Marty said on WLW today that they offered Brendan Ryan and a PTBNL for him, and I guess they don’t want to pick up his option, while they’re at it. Maybe the Cards see it as a favor they’re doing for Houston: taking the aging pitcher off their hands and their books.

But since, as I mentioned, Oswalt can bitch to the media all-the-live-long-day and the team doesn’t have to do squat about it, they’re unlikely to see the Cards’ point of view on that one.

Which is one reason why I like the idea of this trade: if it really goes through, the Cards are probably going to have to sacrifice some future talent to get there. The hit could last a lot longer than the bounce.

And speaking of the bounce, I’m not even sure how much altitude they’d get out of Oswalt. For years, he owned the Reds, but he’s pretty much been the sole property of the team lately. Unless Dave “pitcher whisperer” Duncan can turn back the clock, adding Oswalt to the rotation may just turn out to be a sure one-game gain for Cincinnati every time the teams meet.

On the flip side, Oswalt says he wants to go to a team with a chance to win. These days, the Cards always have a chance to win, but does this really look like the year? If they were that solid, they wouldn’t be looking to bring on pitching in the first place.

Ultimately, I think the only party that definitely benefits from this potential deal is Houston, assuming they don’t cave on the Ryan offer. Even if they do, though, he’d be taken off their hands.

The closer who caused no end of stress for our friends down in St. Louis is now a member of the Cincinnati Reds minor league system:

CINCINNATI — Two days after they watched free-agent right-hander Jason Isringhausen throw in a bullpen session at Great American Ball Park, the Reds agreed to terms with the reliever on a Minor League contract Thursday.

Isringhausen will meet Triple-A Louisville at Gwinnett and officially sign his contract. It will likely take him at least a couple of weeks for him to get big league-ready. The 37-year-old hasn’t pitched in the Majors since June 2009 for the Rays before his right elbow blew out and required Tommy John surgery.

After the last couple games, it looks to me like he’d be an improvement over some of the people we’re sending out there. Of course, if the reason Bill Bray can’t get an out is because he goes so long between outings, the adding another pitcher to the mix isn’t going to help.

A day after Aaron Harang was scratched at the last minute due to back spasms, forcing young Travis Wood to start on short rest, the Cincinnati Reds were faced with the same decision heading towards game-time today.

Harang had chiropractic treatment, but the team had no idea if he would be available to go. Early on, they opted not to send out Bronson Arroyo on short rest. “I could pitch,” Arroyo said. “But it won’t be me. I asked. They said they didn’t want to guys keep going on three days.”

Matt Maloney was flown in from Louisville and prepared to pitch, just in case. Once the team finally assessed Harang’s condition, there was no way he could start. Harang was sent to the 15-day DL, retroactive to his last start. He’ll be eligible to return on July 16. And Maloney was activated to get his first start of the year against Johan Santana.

Ken Griffey Jr announced his retirement yesterday. His role with the Seattle Mariners both this year and last had been largely ceremonial, with him going a week between starts at times. It was a far cry from his peaks with the Mariners and the Reds.

Athletes, like all creatures, age and eventually must move out of the way for the next generation. But oh, what a generation Griffey was a part of.

I remember when Griffey burst onto the scene in the late 80s. I’d heard the name of his father from my Dad, who’d been a fan of the Big Red Machine in the 70s. But Griffey Jr was touted as better, the most sure thing a prospect had ever been. Heck, even Upper Deck placed him as the first card for their first ever series. And Griffey was only in A-ball at the time!

I was in the prime baseball card-collecting age and strived for that card, but never found it. Until my parents purchased one for me for my birthday later that year. I think it was my only present, but it was absolutely worth it.

It was Griffey that opened my eyes to the American League, opened my eyes to the fact that there was more to baseball than just the Cincinnati Reds. I’d wished the Reds would have been able to draft him, but there were too many teams scheduled ahead of Cincinnati. So I followed Seattle and watched as they slowly, inexorably built a team around Griffey and started winning more than they lost for the first time in franchise history.

The strike happened in the mid-90s and drove me away from baseball, so I missed perhaps his most thrilling play. His trade to the Reds for 2000 was what rekindled my interest in baseball and the Reds. It’s a fitting symmetry that the player who opened me up to the wider world of baseball would eventually bring me back to my childhood team.

His time with the Reds was beset with injuries, but there were still some awesome moments, majestic home runs, and the most beautiful baseball swing I’ve ever seen. I’m very happy that I got to see him play in person as many times as I did.

Athletes grow old, and the human body slows down and becomes more frail. It can be painful to watch, in part because it means we’re getting older, too. But there are times, when seeing that swing tickles the mind and brings back wonderful memories. Thanks for the years of entertainment, Kid.