Effectively Wild: A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast - Effectively Wild Episode 277: C. Trent Rosecrans on Sabermetrics, the Reds, and the Hazards of Beat Writing

Episode Date: August 30, 2013

Ben and Sam talk to Cincinnati Enquirer reporter C. Trent Rosecrans about the Reds, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, and the trials and travails of beat writing.

It's I'm here. I'm also here. Just just just so it's awkward. I also am here. Okay, cool. Good morning and welcome to episode 277 of Effectively Wild, the daily podcast from BaseballPerspectives.com. I'm Sam Miller with Ben Lindberg and we have a guest today. It is the Cincinnati Inquirer's Reds beat reporter C. Trent Rosecrance. The Cincinnati Inquirer's Reds beat reporter C. Trent Rosecrance. C. Trent Rosecrance was recently named by Deadspin readers the best of the NL, or I guess the best Cincinnati Reds beat writer. His saving grace is that he has some appreciation for advanced stats.

We love him. We are happy to have him. Trent, how are you? I'm fantastic, and it's nice of everybody to say. I will not – those things just make me uncomfortable. But I've been in more uncomfortable situations. So can you just give us a little background? So you are – I don't know if you like labels, but you are a person who has demonstrated a fluency for and appreciation for logic and statistics of all sorts. I think, A, you're selling me a little too highly. I don't know that I have an understanding, but I do have an affinity.

I try to have an understanding, but hopefully that's, you know, kind of how. So the question, yeah, the question is that most people who have that affinity don't end up being beat writers. They end up, you know, writing about baseball, but very rarely from the insider position that you have. How did you get to be a beat writer? Well, you know, that was always my kind of thing. It's funny. my kind of thing. It's funny. I always tell the story and it's, it sounds kind of fake, but it's, but actually it's true.

Like when I was nine or 10, I mean, I always loved baseball. My dad talks about how he was a semi baseball fan. I mean, he, he followed his kind of a casual baseball fan, but for some reason, as a kid, I just always loved the game and I always played um and and when somewhere when I was young I mean nine or ten I was like one of my best friends that I played with on the same team that we were always on the same team I'm like you know Jimmy has real talent for this and I don't I mean I love playing and I played through high school. I would play summer league and winter league and spring league and all that because I lived for a lot of that. It was in South Texas, and you could play year-round,

and I'd play year-round. But it was always a thought of, well, how can I find a different way to be around the game? And one of, I don't't know talents is the right words but i had somewhat of an aptitude for writing and that was encouraged by some teachers and um so i thought you know what that's one way to do it and so that's kind of where i was i mean i went into college and um i started this was what, 1994, I started college. And pretty much a little bit later, I went to the student newspaper, this was the University of

Georgia. And I was like, you know what, I want to write about baseball. And I started writing for the student paper. And I wrote about, you know, I was on the women's basketball beat. I was on the gymnastics beat. I was actually the entertainment editor. I was one of the music critics. I did a lot of things because it was fun and we had a great time. And long story short, if we can say it short, I've done the traditional thing. I started my senior year of college.

I was at the Daily Paper working 40 hours a week as the high school editor, and I covered high school football. I covered basketball for a long time, college basketball, college football. I was at the Athens Banner Herald in Athens, Georgia. I was at the Decatur Daily in Decatur, Alabama, Athens Banner Herald in Athens, Georgia. I was at the Decatur Daily in Decatur, Alabama, but I lived in Tuscaloosa covering Alabama football for the glorious Mike Shula era.

And came up, and through a friend, I had an opportunity to interview with the Cincinnati Post, which no longer exists, and was at the Cincinnati Post. And I got the job, and my longer exists, and was at the Cincinnati Post. And I got the job. And my big reason for that was it was the first place I'd been where you had a major league baseball team in town and a beat writer on staff. And I could cover baseball. And even though I knew the post was closing when I took the job in 2004, by 2007, it's last year, I was the Reds beat writer.

And that was what I wanted to do. And then the post went out of business and, you know, I floated around here, there, and everywhere. And I would say in 2007, I was one of those guys that was a, well, he has this many RBIs and this many wins. I mean, I was very much traditional. And then I just was talking to friends. And I would talk to them and I said, well, what stats do you look at? And one of the guys who kind of, I mean, it's kind of funny to think about that because I just have this in my head, but one of the guys who

really kind of opened my eyes was Nick Pecoro. Because Nick started at the Arizona Republic around that time, covering the Diamondbacks around, we're pretty contemporary even though Nick looks like he's younger than I am. Sam and I have often speculated about how old Nick Picoro is.

Yeah, that's the most embarrassing thing. He's a child prodigy. Hi, Nick, if you're listening. We've talked about this pretty often. I know, poor Nick. And I will say we went out a week or two ago in Cincinnati and he did not get carded or anything. So just saying. That narrows it down a little bit.

So, yeah. So it went. It was just I started listening to people and reading. And, you know, I had gotten the Billames handbooks and i'd kind of perused them um another one that this is a funny story i never thought about it until you just you pointed it out um my last two years of high school were in japan my dad was in the military and so i have an affinity for japanese baseball and i bought whatever I could find. And basically, I have it here on my bookshelf.

And it was basically a Bill James, you know, the abstract. And it was for Japanese baseball for one year. And I just started reading because it's self-published. It's self-bound. Like, it's self-bound, like an Akinkos or something, and I started reading about the sacrifice bun because in Japan they do it all the time,

and then it was just this scree about how bad it is, and then backed it up with numbers, and I thought that was interesting, and it kind of stayed in the back of my head. And I thought that was interesting and it kind of stayed in the back of my head. And even coming up, I consider myself kind of old school baseball guy. But the more I read, the more I listened, the more people I talked to, I just started thinking about things. And it was that Bill James, you know what, question it. was that Bill James, you know what, question it. And, and I have always, I've always admired that James will question something, come up with it. And if he's wrong, he'll say he's wrong. And that's always been, I think there's nothing more powerful than, than admitting you're wrong

and realizing that and being honest with yourself. And I've always admired that. and realizing that and being honest with yourself. And I've always admired that. And I kind of found out a lot of the things I thought. I couldn't back them up with facts. So how could I still believe that? And so I've read more and I've enjoyed the discussions. And I've learned a bit. And as cliché as it is, when I read Moneyball, I was like, this makes sense.

And it is terribly cliche, and I feel bad saying that, but it does. And it's like, wait, wait, you know what? The most important thing is not making an out. So speaking of that, you've been kind of on the front lines of, I guess, one of the more prominent old school versus new school confrontations throughout this season. Joey Votto has become kind of the flashpoint for this RBI versus walks versus on-base percentage. RBI versus walks versus on-base percentage. There are a lot of detractors of Joey Votto for being patient and for not expanding his zone when he's up with runners in scoring position. And it's interesting because, you know, at your paper, The Inquirer,

there are both of those perspectives. There's you, I guess the the vato defender there's your colleague i don't know that i'm defending him i'm just saying that that i don't see if you're going to talk about the problem with this team how is the best player and the player contributing the most the problem that again that just doesn't make sense to me. And not to say Joey Votto is perfect or he's having the best season ever or anything. But he's still, to me, maybe the best hitter in the National League. And probably the best hitter in the National League.

And, yeah, there are issues. His power, he doesn't seem to have the same power as he had last year. But I don't go as far to say he's punching Judy and all he does is hit singles and doubles. Or no, just singles and walks, as others at my paper have said. And I said, well, how do you have 500 slugging if you only have singles? It just doesn't make sense to me. And is that, I mean, is that anti, I don't know, anti-patience perspective? Is there some of that coming from within the organization as well?

Because it seems like Vados, he's been placed in this position where he's constantly defending himself for being really good at baseball uh to and it it seems like it's you know to media people but maybe also he's not fully backed by the organization is that i think there are people in the organization for the most part appreciate what joey vato does and how he does it and the one thing is joey vato has an approach to hitting that is unique and it is also perfectly tailored for joey vato i, this is a guy who really... Joey's really one of the smartest people I've ever met in sports. And I don't say that lightly. The guy has a really keen, curious mind.

He is very careful with his words and his actions, and he sees beyond the immediacy. I find the guy fascinating and I have since he was in the minors and we had a talk one day about something

and I was like, no, no, you've got to listen to The Clash, dude. Because I remember he was saying this was in 2007 and he was saying he – this was in 2007. And he was saying, yeah, I listened to Johnny Cash before games. And we had a talk about music and I was like, well, yeah, you know, Cash. And I'm like, oh, the classics. Like The Clash.

And he's like, The Clash? I don't – I was like, dude. And I kind of give a – kind of a basic thing and I burned him London Calling. And I was like, yeah, you got to. I don't know that he's into the Clash, but it's one of those things I've just found the guy very interesting from the beginning, and I had no idea he was going to be an MVP. But it was just someone who I talked to who had some more going on in there.

What was I answering? What was the question? I'm so sorry. I think we – Yeah. I think it was whether the organization likes him or something like that. It ended up being whether you like him. I want to ask you though –

Dusty Baker is very much an old school, you know, it's about ribeye steaks and he's an RBI guy. And that's his measure of a player. That's not my measure of a player. But for Dusty Baker, I think that is. And that is kind of how he came up in the game and what he saw. And I think he thinks, he believes that Joey Votto could be more of an RBI guy. And I don't think that he doesn't appreciate the player that Joey Votto is, but I think he sees sometimes, you know, oh, we need to get, we need to run across here.

They don't pitch to Votto and he doesn't swing at it. And a lot of times that ends in a walk as opposed to maybe a single or a double, but just, you know, a lot of times that is a walk instead of a grounder to third. is a walk instead of a grounder to third. So I think there might be some of that might be from Dusty Baker. It is certainly from some of the other media, both print and broadcast media, get frustrated with Joey Votto walking. I think some of it is still that little league know, that little league mentality that you got to swing the bat and, um, pitchers, you know, despite the, the very good season driving in runs. And if you look at the number with the, he does have a lot of runners on base in front of him.

Um, but he is driving those in at those in at a nice rate in Brandon Phillips. Part of that is he is aggressive with runners on base, and he does change his approach with runners on base. And that is something that other people see and say, you know, good. They're scoring runs there, and that's what they're doing. good. They're scoring runs there. And that's what they're doing. I think there is that weird... It feels like... Mark Twain said

in the famous quote, it's like, when the world ends, I want to be in Cincinnati because everything happens there ten years late. It feels like we're having the debate everybody else had last year. And instead of Trout versus Cabrera, which was, you know, all around versus the traditional stats, we're having Votto versus Phillips, which is in some people's mind, and I don't see it this way, but in some people's mind it it's on-base percentage versus RBI. It seems like for all the controversy

that we have over national awards, it seems like the truly amazing debates, the ones that really make you slap your forehead, tend to be over Team MVP. It seems like every year in almost every market there's some like some kind of debate that doesn't reach a national level of like who's the who's the team mvp is it is it uh is it paul goldschmidt or is it john mcdonald and it feels like there's always like those incredible debates at the local level. Is there something about the...

I mean, what is it about local beat writers that they can really create these incredible debates that seem like they shouldn't be debates at all? Because if Brandon Phillips were on the Cubs, nobody would even be comparing him and Joey Votto. Nobody would be saying Brandon Phillips is better than Joey Votto. And yet you put them on the same team and it's like almost feels like somebody has to take

the contrarian position no matter how kind of weird it is. No, and I think that's the... Sometimes I think there are fans out there who are fans of a team instead of fans of the game. And you lose that... If you're a fan of of a team instead of fans of the game. And you lose that.

If you're a fan of just a team and you only watch, say, the Reds or the Royals or the Cubs or whoever, you get in this mentality, and I hear it all the time, oh, we're the only team that does this. We're the only team that makes outs on the bases. And when you only watch one team and you're invested in that, the mistakes stand out and you don't realize that no, people do that all over baseball. Other teams ground out into double plays too. And other teams don't have the best

or aren't getting hits with runners in scoring position unless you're a cardinal um it just and i think sometimes there is the difference between being a fan of a team and being the fan of the game and that's where these things come in and it's that observational bias that you get when you watch you're like well you know i remember that game two weeks ago and it's the cardinals there's runners on second and third and he looked at strike three and that sticks in your mind and it's like and there's something else about this other guy and then there's also fandom in it and um it just it is funny it is funny that you start comparing these two guys i mean it's like

why are we comparing joey vato and brandon phillips and if we want to compare what about joey vato and paul goldschmidt or joey vato and alan craig i mean these are apples and apples yeah um with the the fact that wait is what's more valuable the valuable? The RBI of Brandon Phillips or the run of Joey Votto? It's like, you know, that's like a Zen Cohen. I mean, what's the sound of one hand clapping? I mean, it just, it doesn't make sense to me. Because there is value in the walk and there is value in coming around. I mean, Joey Votto is, yes, he has, what, 60-some RBI.

And that is not a prototypical 61. Not a prototypical three-hole hitter, especially in a team that's, what, fourth in runs in the league. But you also don't expect your three-hole hitter to be second in the league in runs scored. You know, he and Chu at the top of that lineup, and that has made the number two spot so glaringly strange because you have number one and two and on base percentage on the same team. Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that. I mean, you've probably had to think and talk enough about the number two slot

in the last 24 hours or so that you're not eager to do that. 24 hours? Well, yeah, the whole season. Since Ryan Ludwig. Yeah, so it's the least productive slot it looks like in the lineup other than the pitchers spot, uh, which is,

which is weird. And, and I think there's lately been kind of this, um, you know, this, this, this movement towards thinking that maybe we've,

we've made too much of lineup slot that it really, it doesn't make that much of a difference over the rest of the season. But when it's the reds and they're in a tight race and every game counts and their number two hitters have a 274 on base percentage that seems like maybe the case where where it could hurt you well yeah i mean if you're i i always talk when i'm trying to explain this to people i say, on base percentage is not making outs. And if you have someone making outs and especially if that person leads your team and making two outs with one swing of the bat, it's not good to have them coming up more than the people who make outs fewer times. I mean, right.

Sounds so simple. It does to me. And, you know, a lot of it is the, and I think a lot of this is in that old school baseball belief of your number one guy is fast and he gets on base any means necessary. Your number two guy, well, he can bun them over. And your number three guy, well, he can bun them over. Um, and your number three guy, well, he should drive them in. And if he doesn't drive them in, your number four guy should hit a home

run. And if you're number four guy, the number five guy should probably get a home run. Um, and there's that position typing. And because there's that, I think, ingrained in our idea and our culture as baseball fans, whether or not it's accurate or not, or if that's the best lineup construction or if lineup construction really matters that much, it gets talked about because during the anticipation of the day of the game, leading up to the game, the only new thing that happens between 3 o'clock and 7 o'clock is the lineup. So what's there new to talk about? You go from when the game ends at 10 to 3 or 4 o'clock, you've done your talking online and also in person and on Twitter. You've done your talking about the last night's game. Then it's time to move on. Well, what's the only new point of information that we have as people are wrapping up their work day

and getting ready to go to the game and going to the game? It's the lineup, and that's what you can discuss, and that's what you can critique. It's Monday morning quarterbacking. I can't tell you know it's it's monday morning quarterback and you can always i can't tell you how many times i go i get tweets oh like because i tweet out the lineup when i get it um and there are you know how many times i get oh we're gonna be lucky to score two runs tonight on with that lineup um and it's like have you been watching baseball long that's a crazy game i mean there's you know it it the the guy who's got one hit in his career

can come through with the biggest hit of the game it just it just it it doesn't make sense to me but it's something that gets a lot of focus just because to to me, it's what the new thing is, and there's a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking of it. Early adopters of this podcast will remember that there was a running joke for a while that we hated the Reds because it just so happened that we didn't talk about them for the first 30 episodes or so, and we talked about every other team by that point, and we kind of came to the conclusion that it was like they're just the reds were good but they were good in almost an

uninteresting way and this was this was last season but i think even more so this season when the other two teams they're fighting within division the pirates are probably the best story of the season the cardinals have the narrative of just kind of being the model organization that does everything right right now. And clutch, right. And then the Reds are just, you know, the Reds. They're good at everything, but maybe not necessarily the best at anything. And their best player is one of the best players,

but people don't recognize that he's one of the best players and there's just uh i don't it seems like there's been an attention deficit uh relative to you know how well they've they've performed and what a good team they actually are it's also what the smallest tv market yeah i guess that that's part of it and you know it's cincinnati and they're in a three-team race, and they've been the third team for most of that this year. Of course, they were the first team for most of last year. So I guess that doesn't really hold too much water. But, yeah, and it's also Cincinnati.

I mean, this isn't New York. This isn't even D.C. D.C. was sexy this year. That's a big city. Houston's a big city, but that's a whole different ball of yarn. But I think there is some overlooking. And from the fans that I deal with who are, you know, because of where I work and what I do, most people are Reds fans, and they feel that, yeah, they are overlooked by most everybody in baseball because they're the little guy. And you know what? They are the little guy, and they haven't won a series since – they didn't win – yeah, they won in 95. They won the first round and then went on to the second round and lost to the

Braves. Um, and then they haven't won the world series since 90, which in this town seems like a long time because for so many people, they grew up with the greatest team ever. And if they didn't grow up with the greatest team ever, they grew up hearing about the greatest team ever and it being in Cincinnati. And I think a lot of times in this town, people compare everything to the big red machine. And you know what? If I grew up watching that, I probably would too.

You look at that team and it's crazy. It's crazy what they had. But nobody's really had that sense or ever before uh how i mean how i guess we should ask how you how you expect this to play out do you see the the cardinals ending up on top and do you see the reds catching up to Pittsburgh? I think the Cardinals are the best team. That lineup is just, you know, there was one day where they didn't have, I was just in St. Louis. I got home from St. Louis today. I did not go to Colorado.

John Fay, our other beat writer, went to Colorado. Veteran move. He went out Monday and spent a couple days in Colorado when I went to St. Louis, and it was 99. But, you know, I think they're the best team just because they can just pound those runs on you. And they're never out of a game like they were talking about last night. Red score six in the first, three in the second. And to a man, everybody's like, we did not feel comfortable. We didn't feel that lead was comfortable because you look at that lineup and

they can just pound and you know, Wainwright wasn't Wainwright wins or Tuesday night or Wednesday night. I'm sorry. But he's still Adam Wainwright and he can be very good. And all those other guys, it, it almost seems like they just bring somebody in every day. And, and Wednesday night,

Michael Walker just shut the Reds down. He four innings and seven strikeouts. I think after this team just pounded Adam Wainwright. Um, so their pitching staff is kind of an enigma to me just because it's like, well, who are they pitching now? And it really doesn't matter because they get the same result. The Pirates, I will be interested to see how this trade works out.

This is a team that's still really trying to better itself. And with Marlon Byrd and John Buck, I think they, on paper, they're better. But you also see a guy like Jeff Locke kind of coming to earth. You see, I think now in August, the last couple days, and into September, you're going to see where those innings from the bullpen kind of catch up to them. I wouldn't be surprised, and I'm not calling this, I'm not saying this, I wouldn't be surprised

to see the Reds overtake the Pirates. Of course, you could throw those three teams in a bag and put them up in any order, including one of them not making it. You can do that, and I still wouldn't be surprised. Nothing's going to surprise me uh i wanted to ask you about two positions in particular i'm interested one of my one of one of the most interesting things i thought heading into the season was the was the shinsu chu in

center field experiment um so i'd like to to get your your thoughts on how that's worked out. And also, it seemed like maybe he was a stopgap at the beginning of the year. Now, maybe seems less like that, maybe potentially because of Billy Hamilton having the season that he's had. So I'm interested in that position. Also interested in the catching position and what the state of that is right now. Just because I guess what do the Reds think that Masarocco is right now? And what does Hannigan have left? Sam and I have long had an affection for Ryan Hannigan and wish him the best, but he hasn't had a lot go his way this year.

So if you can. Yeah, no, I mean, I think those are two really fascinating ones and I'm going to start with Han again, just because I'm another guy and you know, it's funny cause I meant to mention this,

but when you talk about team MVPs, I actually had a national league MVP vote last year and my national league MVP vote, think I had Votto like 9 or 10, even though we missed those 50 games. His numbers were still amazing. But for our local chapter, the baseball writers, we have a team MVP award, and my vote didn't go to Votto, which seems kind of weird. I understand that and I see the incongruity. But my team MVP last year was Ryan Hannigan. Because, you know, he was,

and I think I remember calling him the most underrated player, one of the most underrated players in the National League. He's so good defensively. And I think that's hard to catch. Your defense to me is still, or not even defense, catching is so impossible to quantify. Because you're talking about so many different things. And I had a really kind of good conversation the other day with Hannigan about this. And we were talking about just the different things and I had a really kind of good conversation the other day with Hannigan about this and we were talking about just the different things and he's like you know because we started with framing and I asked if he ever looked at those numbers he goes not really

I'm told I'm good at it um but I don't study study it or anything it just goes you know I try to study it or anything. It just goes, you know, I try to be smooth. I try to help my pitchers out and try to do what I do, but I don't study how or where I rank or anything. And then, you know, he's like calling a game. It's just something you kind of get used to and you get used to the, the pitcher and handling a pitcher. I mean, there really is a reason there's so many former catchers as managers.

And I think that's a big part of it. And that is all possible to quantify to me, at least. I mean, I'm sure maybe sometime you can come up with it, but last year's team was pitching heavy and Ryan Hannigan had a big part in that. I am seeing the transition now, um, to it's pretty much a three and two now where where mesoraco catches three hannigan catches two and that is flip-flopped since hannigan came back went on the dl um and mesoraco is kind of coming off that bad is coming on so that's the difference um you know homer bailey and bronson arroyo throw to Ryan Hannigan. Arroyo's thrown to Ryan Hannigan a lot, and that's just how it is.

So that is – they're comfortable. He's a guy that works best with somebody else. Bailey really works well with him. But Matt Latos has said, I really enjoy the way Devin catches the game and calls the game. So he's getting better. He's worked really hard with Corky Miller when he's been up. And Corky's a guy that there's a reason this guy with his skills is still in the game. And it's not because of his bat or his running.

Or it might be because of his name. Or his mustache. It might be his mustache. But no, Corky's just one of those guys. And he's a very, I mean, Corky will be a manager in the major leagues. There's no doubt in my mind. Hannigan, I think, could be, but I don't know he is. So, you know, I think that's where it's going. You know, Hannigan, since he's come back from the DL this last time,

he's kind of turning back into that Ryan Hannigan where he's not going to slug much and his batting average might be low. But since coming back from the last one, he has a 417 on base percentage. This is a guy who's always had a good idea of the strike zone. I think he was pushing a little early for a lot of the other years, struggling with some nagging injuries and just wasn't himself. Um, and, and so, you know, his on-base percentage is up to around three 15 or so. Um, but over the last month, that's four 17. It's he's getting back to being more of the Ryan Hannigan that he is at the plate, which is a patient, good hitter.

I mean, he's kind of like he is. He's not flashy, but he kind of can get the job done, and that's kind of him behind the plate. Masarocco, though, is a guy that I think they see as someone who can be a top, middle-of-the-order hitter, the prototypical, that power, that big catcher. I mean, and he's come a long way when he was that first spring in 2008, I remember he's just this like pudgy round kid. And now, you know, you look at him and you're like, this guy's got some pop. Um,

and I think it's coming around and for that second year for catchers, they, they always talk about that, that second year for catchers, they always talk about that. That second year, second and third year, that's when it starts coming because it is so hard and there's so much difference. There is a huge difference at every position from AAA to the majors, but I think it's even higher at catcher. And that's a guy that I think is getting it and he's getting better. And he certainly has that potential. Now, as Dusty said, and this was a great point And he certainly has that potential. Now, as Dusty said, and this was a great point,

he goes, you know, you spend more time developing catchers. They take longer to develop and their shelf life is shorter. So you always have to, you know, think of how many catchers are done at 32 and, and just,

you know, there they, he's like, as soon as they, as soon as they're ready, they start declining. And I thought that was a really interesting point. You look at it, I'm sure there's a way to look at it how historically, but it sounds right.

I don't know if it's right, but it sounds right. Then in center field, you know, it was pretty much a stopgap. And I think it still will be because I'm not sure anybody thinks they can afford Chu, especially, you know, with what he has done. Nobody's I don't think anybody else is going to use him as a center fielder, but he's shown that he's not the disaster out there. I mean, he doesn't get to some balls, but it helps that in right field he has Jay Bruce. And for a lot of the season he had, well, you know, Xavier Paul's not really a good defensive player out there, but he had, you know, Derek Robinson out there for a little bit who can cover some field and left field.

He had Chris Heisey as a good athletic player and can cover some ground. And so, Chu, he's made the plays for the most part that he needs to make. Yeah, I remember very early on there were a couple very visible mistakes, but maybe it's been something that's improved as the season's gone. Yeah, it's been since April. And I think it was one of the big things I remember talking to him about it. We were in Washington. He goes, I've never played in these parks.

And sometimes you have to know where they are. And that was a big thing. You know, I, I talked a lot to Sam Grossman, who is I guess the Reds for lack of a better word, one of the Reds, the Reds main stat guys. So, you know, he, he said, yeah, we knew he wasn't going to be Drew Stubbs out there because Drew Stubbs, a very good defensive center fielder and can cover some ground. He said, but in our ballpark, he doesn't need to be.

And with Jay Bruce there, he doesn't need to be. And with his arm, that can help make up for it. And it has helped make up for it a little bit because you see people respect Drew's arm and there has been some some there he hasn't been great he's not you know they but he hasn't been a disaster and that's been good and he's more than made up with that when he's second in the league and on base percentage and as a leadoff hitter and you look at you know last year we talked about the glaring hole that is the two hole this year last year was the leadoff spot and a lot of that is lineup construction but you know they said okay

we need to go give a guy that dusty will feel good about padding every day leading off and chew has certainly been that and and so i don't think they think they can afford him. And it'll be interesting. I would expect Billy Hamilton to be up here pretty soon when the rosters expand. Just because you've got to put him on the 40-man after the season anyway. And you're certainly going to do that.

Why not have a month? And at the very least, you have a Herb Washington. He gives them something. If you're going into September and you're down to the last game or two, either for a wild card spot or if you're in a one-game wild card spot and you're in a tie game in the ninth and a guy gets on first or second and you need that run to score, you know, why not have Billy Hamilton out there? If you have that ability, he is somebody who was so unique and is so different with that speed. That's a game changing speed that, that even if he's a limited role, isn't

that more valuable than maybe some other guys that you can have, especially in a short playoff series when you may not need that pitching depth. And then when you have all that roster space, I think you'll see him come up, and it's just because he is unique, and he can be a weapon even without getting on base because you can use him as a pinch runner and i i think they want more than that but to not have that on the bench knowing it's there is is something that they want uh and then the last thing i wanted to ask you i guess is is two things kind of about beat writing and two of the, two of the reasons that I, I kind of feel spoiled to be able to write about baseball without having to

do some of the, the beat writing elements. The first is kind of, I guess the, the constant anxiety of I ran into you in nationals park a few months ago. And just before I had seen you, I think Sean Marshall had either gone on the DL or come off the DL. And you had just found out about it. And you were running off to write

something up about that so that you could get your story up before it was up somewhere else. And just this constant sense, and maybe it's not quite as intense in Cincinnati as it is in New York or something, but it's something that we've heard from other people that it's not quite as intense in Cincinnati as it is in New York or something, but it's something that we've heard from other people that it's just kind of this, it's just this constant sense. You wake up in the morning and something might have happened and you go to bed and maybe you're missing something. So that's the one thing. The other thing, and, you know, it relates to the whole Brandon Phillips thing, which we haven't really gotten into and and don't really need to get into. But, you know, just having to having to write negative things, critical things, and then show up the next day.

I mean, you had an off day today, but tomorrow you have to you have to. I'm not in Colorado. OK, right. Well, when the team comes back, you will have to march right back in there. And I was there after the game and I asked the first question to Brandon Phillips after the game. Yeah. And I felt that was important. I actually, you know, on that trip was myself and Mark Sheldon from MLB.com. And I said, Hey Mark,

I'm going to be there after the game and I want to ask the first question. I just felt that's important. Because you know what? It's one of those things that whatever happened, happened. It's not the first time, it's the last time. It just, it happened on camera. And that is what was different. This happens all the time. It's not the first time it's happened to me. It's not the first time it's happened on camera. Yeah. And that is what was different. This happens all the time.

It's not the first time it's happened to me. It's not the first time it's happened this year. It's just – it happens. It just got caught on camera. And Brandon has – he has every right to say whatever he wants. It's fine. I have my outlets and you know what? He should have his.

And if he wants to say that, go for it. It's not going to hurt my feelings. It was, you know, it's not the worst thing that happened to me last week or this week. I mean, honestly, there was other stuff going on in a real life that, that made this nothing. So, you know, and that's fine. And it's not going to change how I cover Brandon Phillips. It's not going to change any of that. It just keeps going on. And I think hopefully I hope I've built a rapport with the people I cover and the people I cover the game for.

I really hope they understand that and believe that. And that is always my intent to be as fair as possible. But like you said, you know, there's always this, this, there's always something going on and you can miss the tiniest transaction and it can feel, you know, it can bug you for the rest of the week. And that's happened to me and it does. And, and it's a little better now because, um, the inquire, you know, hired me this year. Um, I've been around and I just started this year and John and I, John Fay, a long time, the longtime red speed rider, we work together a lot. So, you know, I guess we can also share the blame. Um, but you know, we kind of look out

for each other and it's kind of really nice. And I think you're going to see more two person. I didn't travel as much as John did this year. Next year, I think we're going to do, you know, 40, you know, 40 and 41 games or whatever, and kind of split them more evenly. But there is that constant pressure and there's also, you know, I, it's that weird schedule, the beat writer schedule. I get to the park. I try to get there like two 45, three, I get set up and I get feeling where I am. I see if the lineup's out.

If it is, I'll post the lineups. Um, clubhouse opens at three 40 at three 40. We go down. I try to talk to people for a notebook and talk to, you know, three or four different things. Also just do general – I guess general maintenance is almost what it is where you maintain relationships and talk to guys and you figure things out. Maybe get story ideas for later or an off day. Then you go talk to Dusty at 4.10, go out to batting practice. Maybe see some guys. Talk to some more people. Maybe not the regular people you see.

Maybe the trainers or whoever. Go upstairs. You write for a little bit. I grab dinner at 630 to 7. 7 the game starts. I'm getting ready during the game. You know, I'm writing. I'm tweeting. I'm trying to pay attention to the freaking game.

And then I have to have a story written and sent as soon as the final out is done. Send that in so that we can have that up online to go with our photos and whatever. Go down. Many times go down, get stuff to do a quick update story that I can get something else. Shoot video. And then, so I'll come back up. I'll finish that quick game story. Then I'll do another write-through

where it's kind of trying to be a little more big picture and do more writing that's online only then edit the video and post the video all the while dealing with the Twitter while I'm doing it or blogging

something else and just doing that and then I'll leave the ballpark at maybe one o'clock and then rinse and repeat. Yeah, it's a tough job in many ways. Yeah, it can be. It's time-consuming. All right, well, no one can accuse us of not having talked about the Reds because we just talked a lot about the Reds.

I'm sorry. There you have it. Apologize. So everyone should go and read Trent's work at the Cincinnati Inquirer. I found out your Twitter name. It is at C. Trent. You know how many people have said that to me? Yes.

And how many people have then said it's a wrap, which was my next line. It is a wrap. Yes, it's a wrap. Okay. So we're done for the week. We'll be back on Monday. People can send us emails at podcast at baseball perspectives.com.

Rate and review us on iTunes and join our Facebook group at facebook.com slash group slash effectivelywild. We will be back on Tuesday, I guess. So have a nice long weekend.