RLYW: Too-Early Marcel 2012 Season Forecast

Crikey, such excitement in the NL West!

This is current through Francisco Cordero signing with Toronto, and assumes Prince Fielder at 1B and Miguel Cabrera playing a terrible version of 3B for Detroit in 70% of their games, and DHing in 25% of them.

Thom Brennaman says he’ll broadcast ‘multiple’ games with his HOF dad on the radio this season

RETURN OF THE BRENNAMANSTER! (flee good people…flee!)

All the Reds trades to bolster the roster sure are nice, but here’s another reason for Reds fans to smile about the upcoming season:

Thom Brennaman promises that he’ll do some games on radio this year with his father, Marty Brennaman. They didn’t do any last year.

“Yes! Write it down in your notebook! We will do multiple games,” said Thom during a “Reds Hot Stove League” commercial break with his father Tuesday at the Holy Grail downtown.

The more he talked, the more he promised.

“I’m hoping we’ll get a chance to do three or four series together on radio,” Thom said.

Orlando Cabrera To Retire From Baseball

OH NO, EXPO!

Last season, Orlando Cabrera batted .238 with the Indians and Giants, posting a 61 OPS+. The season before that, he posted a 76 OPS+. The season before that, he posted an 85 OPS+. Orlando Cabrera has been declining, and just turned 37 years old. As a free agent, Cabrera didn’t drum up much interest, which I’m guessing is why he’s intending to hang ‘em up. Enrique Rojas:

  “Orlando Cabrera to retire from baseball, he said in Colombia radio station. Thanks for memories!”

Cabrera had a long career that’ll be difficult to forget. He debuted with the Expos in 1997, and remained there until the giant Nomar Garciaparra three-way trade in 2004. That year, with the Red Sox, Cabrera won a World Series. He wound up with the Angels, earning the unfortunate nickname “The Wizard of O.C.”, and then he wound up with the White Sox, and the A’s, and the Twins, and the Reds, and the Indians, and the Giants ... He remained a shortstop to the end, and collected 2,055 hits. He will always be remembered as a pest. An absolute pest.

Kevin Goldstein: Cincinnati Reds Top 11 Prospects

System In 20 Words Or Less: Considering the trades made for a 2012 run at the National Leaugue Central, there is still some strength in the system.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Billy Hamilton, SS
2. Devin Mesoraco, C
Three-Star Prospects
3. Zack Cozart, SS
4. Robert Stephenson, RHP
5. Daniel Corcino, RHP
6. J.C. Sulbaran, RHP
7. Didi Gregorius, SS
8. Todd Frazier, UT
9. Neftali Soto, 1B
10. Henry Rodriguez, 2B
Two-Star Prospects
11. Yorman Rodriguez, OF

Nine More:
12. Kyle Lotzkar, RHP: Can’t stay healthy, but continues to tease with some of the best stuff in the system.
13. Kyle Waldrop, OF: Athletic outfielder impressed Pioneer League scouts in 2011, has excellent chance to move up.
14. Donnie Joseph, LHP: Lefty reliever has bat-missing arsenal; could reach big leagues in 2012 with more strikes.
15. Gabriel Rosa, 3B: 2011 second-round pick is raw, but has the potential for plus power and defense.
16. Tony Cingrani, LHP: 2011 third-rounder has crazy number in pro debut, but projects for many as reliever.
17. Ryan LaMarre, OF: 2010 second-rounder has speed and contact ability, but leaves scouts underwhelmed with overall hitting.
18. Tucker Barnhart, C: Will get to the big leagues on defensive chops alone, but backup bat.
19. Juan Duran, OF: Finally began to untap the power in 2011, but is still uncoordinated after growing to six-foot-seven.
20. Ryan Wright, 2B: Overachiever with more skills than tools, but hard not to like.

Ryan Ludwick to join Reds

Puzzling strategy. With Ludwick, Chris Heisey, Drew Stubbs, and Jay Bruce, aren’t the Reds outfielders going to wilt in the hot sun due to their skin color?

Ryan Ludwick and the Cincinnati Reds agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year contract Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday night because the deal was pending a physical and no announcement had been made by the team.

An All-Star in 2008 with St. Louis, the 33-year-old Ludwick was traded from San Diego to Pittsburgh at the July 31 deadline last season. He batted a combined .237 with 13 homers and 75 RBIs.

Ludwick could give the Reds the right-handed bat they’ve been seeking to complement lefty sluggers Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. He figures to see playing time in left field, a spot filled mostly by Chris Heisey down the stretch last season after Cincinnati traded Jonny Gomes to Washington in late July.

MLB Trade Rumors: Bartolo Colon Agrees to Sign With Unknown Team

Bartolo Colon has agreed to a deal with an unknown club reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). The right-hander wouldn’t divulge the team because he has not yet passed his physical.

Pretty sure it’s either the All-Stars or the Champs.

MLB: Reds, closer Madson agree on one-year deal

The Reds agreed to terms late Tuesday on a one-year, $10 million contract with free-agent closer Ryan Madson, a baseball source confirmed to MLB.com.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com and MLB Network had the initial report of a deal being reached. The Reds have not announced any agreement. A message was left with general manager Walt Jocketty.

Citing sources, Heyman reported earlier in the evening that talks between the two sides were heating up and in the serious stages. However, a source familiar with the situation downplayed the report to MLB.com, saying it was unlikely the Reds would get Madson unless his agent—Scott Boras—came well off the demand of a four-year, $44 million contract he had been reportedly been wanting.

And with this seeming to be a one-year deal for Madson, that certainly appears to be the case.

Talks had been ongoing all winter with former Reds closer Francisco Cordero, who became a free agent after his $12 million club option was not exercised. Cincinnati had a one-year contract offer at an unknown figure on the table but could never reach an agreement with Cordero.

Thanks to Chet.

Blasts from the Past

With the Hall of Fame results being announced today, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and dig up some old scouting reports from the Baseball America archives on some of the ballot’s notable candidates. . .

8. Barry Larkin, ss, 21, 5-11, 175, R-R
Larkin looked right at home in AA, hitting .267 for Vermont. He didn’t show power (one home run in 255 at-bats), but that will come. The key for him was just getting his feet on the ground, and he was not overpowered by the high level of competition (21 strikeouts in 255 at-bats). He will have good power for a shortstop.

6. Edgar Martinez, 3b, 25, 5-11, 175, R-R
Martinez’s discipline will produce runs. He’s averaged 70 RBIs the last four years. In the field, he’s solid, with good reactions and the soft hands of a middle infielder.

Murray Chass: NO TWO SIDES TO AN MLB.COM SELIG STORY and MORRIS UNLIKELY TO MAKE IT

Murray Sez… have a Bud and a Jack chaser

When I left The New York Times in 2008 after having written for the newspaper for 39 years, the first offer I received to continue writing came from a high-ranking Major League Baseball official who was in position to offer me a job as a columnist with MLB.com. My initial reaction was to say no, but some people urged me to reconsider and at least talk about and consider that possibility.

Accepting that offer would have turned out to be more economically lucrative than what I have done with this Web site the past three and a half years. But money isn’t everything. Writing for MLB.com just didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

How could I have gone to work for the organization I had spent my professional life covering? Wouldn’t I be compromising my professional ethics by accepting a salary from people I would be in position to criticize and question if necessary? ...

To be sure, MLB.com serves a purpose, even for baseball writers, for whom it can serve as a 30-team research site in one location and a source of comprehensive statistics that are not mingled with WAR and VORP and all of those other metrics, as their advocates like to call them.

But then there are the self-congratulatory articles that can induce nausea. I guess we don’t have to read them, but they are there as propaganda for fans to see and be taken in by. Yes, baseball propaganda. I had never thought about it before this moment, but that’s what it is. ...

And maybe someday, perhaps when he retires, whenever that is, Selig will be big enough to allow an MLB.com columnist to write the truth about collusion and his role in the labor wars.

By the way, this column was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Based on e-mail I have received from critics of Morris and me, the Hall of Fame should take the vote away from baseball writers and simply establish statistical guidelines for players’ election. The players over the line make it, those under don’t.

Such a system would eliminate what is perhaps the greatest debate in sports, but that wouldn’t bother the stats zealots. Their numbers tell them who should be in the Hall of Fame, and the writers would be wrong if they disagreed.

That system would also eliminate the aspect of the voting that they hate most. Their opinion doesn’t mean beans. The writers’ opinion means everything.

MLB.com: Reds acquire Latos from Padres

There is a whole lot of talent changing hands here.

The Reds and Padres announced a five-player deal Saturday, as Cincinnati sent right-hander Edinson Volquez and three of its top 10 prospects to the Padres for right-hander Mat Latos.

Along with Volquez, the Padres acquired right-hander Brad Boxberger, infielder Yonder Alonso and catcher Yasmani Grandal. All were recently named among Cincinnati’s top 10 prospects by MLB.com (Alonso second, Grandal fifth and Boxberger sixth).

Dontrelle Willis joins Phillies, leaves admirers in Cincy

Whatchoo talkin about Willis?!?

After word of his move to Philadelphia got out Tuesday, Willis expressed his gratitude to the Reds via Twitter.

“I just want to say I owe the whole reds organization a great deal,’’ he wrote. “Great staff top to bottom and I wish those guys all the best.’‘

Willis actually pitched better than his record indicated with the Reds, at least initially. He had no wins but a 3.41 ERA through his first six starts and allowed more than three earned runs only once in his first 10 starts before posting an 8.27 ERA in September.

Reds Country: Pete Rose - Hits 4256, Steroids 0

I understand that amphetamine is tough to spell…but parlay is pretty damn easy.

I was checking out PeteRose.com and saw this autographed baseball.  Classic.

Bill Deane thinks former Barry Larkin will get 79 percent of the HOF vote

Hep up…former preeminent expert on Baseball Hall of Fame voting patterns, Chris Jaffe!

Bill Deane, the preeminent expert on Baseball Hall of Fame voting patterns, predicts that former Reds great Barry Larkin will be elected to Cooperstown in 2012 with 79 percent of the vote.

...The way Deane does his analysis is to look at how many votes are freed up by a previous year’s election – Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven were elected in 2010 – and then estimating how that might impact the candidates in-waiting.

Deane predicts that last year’s second runner-up, Jack Morris, who received 53.5 percent of the vote, will get 66 percent percent this year.

...Here are Deane’s predictions on voting percentage for this year:

Larkin: 79 percent.
Jack Morris: 66 percent.
Jeff Bagwell: 51 percent.
Lee Smith: 15 percent.
Tim Raines: 47 percent.
Edgar Martinez: 40 percent.
Alan Trammell and Fred McGriff: 26 percent.
Larry Walker:25 percent.
Mark McGwire: 24 percent.
Don Mattingly: 21 percent.
Dale Murphy: 17 percent.
Rafael Palmeiro: 14 percent.
Bernie Williams: 8 percent.
Juan Gonzalez: 7 percent.

Erardi: Behind the numbers: Dan Driessen vs. Sean Casey

Only Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. losing an election could be worse than this! (end crazed Reds fan rant)

Driessen’s sin was in coming along when he did: As a third baseman in his early 20’s who wasn’t talented enough defensively to stick at third base, and yet was stuck behind Doggy at first base…and then when he got his chance to prove he had the stuff to help the Reds win a third straight World Championship in 1977, the starting pitching fell apart… and then when he should have been coming into a second prime at 30, the whole team fell apart and lost 101 games.

Overrated, under-achieving, undeserving ...that is how Reds fans largely (and erroneously) feel about Driessen.

And yet, if the numbers show anything, they show this:

If Sean Casey is a Reds Hall of Famer – and that’s what the fans voted – then so is Driessen.

Driessen outranks Casey 115 to 114 in OPS+.

Driessen outranks Casey 18.5 to 15.4 in WAR.

...And consider this: Except for the fact that Casey had a higher peak value than Driessen – i.e. Casey’s best years were better than Driessen’s best years – everything else about our recollection of Casey is fueled by memory, not reality.

Deep Thoughts (and Spelling Mistakes) with Pete Rose Autographs

Western Hells High School RULZ!

Not all the notes are perfect. Some show signs of Rose correcting himself by writing over a letter or two. Some remain with spelling mistakes in tact. One such error reads, “It’s a round ball & a round bat & you got to it it square.”

While some may wince at such autograph errors, others may find a bit of humor in them. As Rose would likely freely admit, nobody’s perfect. In most marathon card signing sessions, players and personalities are simply scribbling their names in such a way you might be able to make out a letter or two. Rose is going way beyond the scribble and actually adding a note.

2011 Leaf Pete Rose Legacy Rose-isms Inscription List:

-30 Yr Old Body, 15 Yr Old Brain = Ball Player
-I was born on the day Lincoln was shot and the Titanic sank.
-Dad taught me to practice and practice more.
-With the money I’m making, I should be playing 2 positions.
-Never bet on baseball.
-It’s a round ball & a round bat & you got to hit it square.
-See the ball, hit the ball.
-I’d walk through hell in a gasoline suit to play.
-Winning 2/3s of the games usually wins a pennant.
-You win a hitting lesson with the hit king. (Note: Not part of regular print runs. Limited to one prize card.)

NYBD: Silva: Selig’s Final Act Should Be Reinstating Pete Rose

Some shouted “R. Budd Selig, don’t do this!”  He asked people to “please leave the chat room if this will offend you.”

If Bud Selig is true to his word and retires at the end of 2012, he should end his commissionership with the reinstatement of Pete Rose. It would be a fitting final chapter to a period where the game transformed for the better. It would also dispel the label that he’s a cowardly commissioner that rules by consensus and has yet to make a controversial decision, even if it were for the better. Remember, steroid testing was more a result of political pressure than Selig’s courage and vision.  Personally, I would gain a ton of respect for a man whom I believe has been in the right place at the right time in the games history. A lot of his success has been due to him standing on an oil field. Dealing with the Pete Rose issue might be his toughest and most controversial decision yet.

...The clock is ticking Bud. Is the new CBA going to be the cherry on top of your legacy? Not a bad encore, but you could do better. Do you want to go down as the guy that benefitted from the inevitable growth of the game? Is your stewardship only about committees and politics or are you ready to make a real decision? One that could potentially spark debate around the game like only steroids has in the past. Reinstate Pete Rose. Show us that you have at least one fastball in you after nearly 20 years of throwing us nothing but proverbial junk balls.

Rays: Good News, Reds Want Pitching For Yonder Alonso!

Look over Yonder what do you see
The Rays are a-risin’ most definitely

The Reds are in need of pitching, and the Rays have about 7 or 8 major league pitchers on the 40-man roster. Tampa Bay is likely to trade at least one this off season, so they are ready to meet Cincinnati’s needs. And the spark to this powder keg? According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, Alonso is available if Cincinnati can land a No. 2 starter, naming Tampa Bay, Oakland, Toronto and Cleveland as suitors.

The Reds are likely demanding James Shields from Tampa Bay, but the Rays would be more likely to trade Wade David or Jeff Niemann and want to hold on to their ace. Either way, a trade is very possible if Alonso is truly available. Toronto and Cleveland have depth at first and likely aren’t desperate enough to shed top-tier arms for the young cuban, but Oakland could use as much help as they can get. The Reds could make a push for Trevor Cahill (who could be the younger Roy Halladay) or the oft-trade-rumored Gio Gonzalez, but neither are officially on the trading block.

This makes Tampa Bay the logical solution. A heap of young talented pitching and a gaping hole at first base, the Rays also love young and salary controllable players. It’s a match made in heaven. The final step could be for Rays VP Andrew Friedman to close the door before Oakland dumps everything on the table to make a push for Alonso.

Baseball America’s Top 10 Prospects: Cincinnati Reds

Another year…and still no sign of Eski Viltz.

1. Devin Mesoraco, c
2. Billy Hamilton, ss
3. Yonder Alonso, 1b/of
4. Yasmani Grandal, c
5. Zack Cozart, ss
6. Daniel Corcino, rhp
7. Robert Stephenson, rhp
8. DiDi Gregorius, ss
9. Todd Frazier, 3b/1b/of
10. Brad Boxberger, rhp

By contrast, Cincinnati has more big league-ready position prospects than it has open spots in the lineup. Devin Mesoraco is ready to take over as the team’s primary catcher with Ramon Hernandez departing via free agency, but Yonder Alonso may still be on the outside looking in despite posting a .943 OPS in 88 late-season at-bats. His best position is first base, currently occupied by 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto, and Alonso has yet to prove he could handle left field or third base.

Reds move up Opening Day to accommodate parade

And the Tupolev Tu-160’s are all gassed up for parade flyovers!

Thanks to a concession by the Marlins, the Reds were able to move Opening Day up to Thursday, April 5, at 4:10 p.m ET at Great American Ball Park. The game was originally scheduled for Friday, April 6.

The Reds asked Major League Baseball to move the game up even before the schedule was announced in September.

The Marlins had to approve the switch since they are opening the season Wednesday, April 4, with a single game against the St. Louis Cardinals in the new stadium in Miami. The Collective Bargaining Agreement requires a day off after a single game.

“We’re thrilled,” said chief operating officer Phil Castellini. The Reds wanted the game pushed back for two reasons: To get it off Good Friday and to make it easier to hold the Findlay Market Parade.

“The biggest thing is staying away from Good Friday,” Castellini said. “The other thing is it’s difficult—if not impossible—for the market people to hold the parade on Friday.”

Pete Rose serves players as unofficial advisor

Bet Advisor: I Analyze, you lose.

Rose regularly attends games each season in Cincinnati and Philadelphia, two of the places where he played during his 23-year career, and is often introduced to players.

“Then they end up texting me all the time,” Rose said. “I have play-hard credentials. No b———t, no non-sense credentials and I think players respect that. That’s why young players like me today.”

...Rose said it’s not a matter of proper coaching not being available for today’s players, but rather an issue with their self-esteem.

“It’s amazing what of lack of confidence some of these players have for all that money they’re making,” Rose said.

“When A-Rod texts me it’s all about just patting him on the a—and telling him how good he is. He don’t need me to tell him how to play third base, he can play third base. It’s just re-enforcing that he’s good. With Joey Votto it’s the same thing. The better the player, the less confidence they seem to have.”

...The only criticism Rose has for today’s coaches is that they seem to ignore the fundamentals in some cases.

“I’ve gotten texts from A-Rod before where he said he’s hitting inside the ball,” Rose said. “I texted him back and said, ‘What the hell is that?’ A lot of times these coaches are so technical you forget about seeing the ball and hitting the ball.”

NYTimes: Yu Darvish Situation Puts Spotlight on Japanese Player Posting System

Japanese teams post a player through their commissioner’s office, which notifies its American counterpart to make an announcement to all 30 clubs. Interested teams have four days to submit a secret bid, known as the posting fee. If the highest bid is accepted, the team making it has 30 days to negotiate exclusively with the player. If no deal is reached, the posting fee is returned to the major league club and the player’s rights revert to his Japanese club.

The posting system was created to address player transfers in December 1998, mostly as a response to the messy process that ultimately landed pitcher Hideki Irabu with the Yankees. ...

The first player to change leagues through the new system was another Dominican, pitcher Alejandro Quezada, also of the Carp. Before the 1999 season, he made history when the Cincinnati Reds won the first posting with a bid of $400,000 for his negotiating rights. Quezada, who later changed his name to Diaz, pitched in the Reds’ minor league system through 2003, but never appeared in a major league game.

Nearly two years later, the heralded outfielder Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese player to use the system. His Orix club reaped a $13.1 million posting fee from the Seattle Mariners after he signed a three-year, $14 million contract.

Over all, 11 players - nine Japanese and two Dominicans - have signed with major league teams through the posting system. Six postings failed to produce a player transfer, the first five because no teams bid.

Daughtery: Drew Stubbs could learn a thing or two from Matty and ‘The Hat’

Drew Alou?

Drew Stubbs probably has never heard of Walker or Alou. They’re both dead now, which complicates things. Alou died Thursday at age 72, of diabetes. Walker died 12 summers ago. Each could be linked to Stubbs’ future.

...Drew Stubbs has a whole lot more ability than Matty Alou ever did. If Stubbs weren’t playing baseball, he’d make a good wide receiver. If Alou hadn’t played baseball, he’d have made a fine bellman.

But Alou had something Stubbs is seeking. He understood who he was.

...No one believes Stubbs would play pinball the way Alou did. But there has to be some successful middle ground for Stubbs, who last season struck out 205 times. With his speed, every K is a wasted AB.

He needs to channel Harry The Hat, via Matty Alou. The Reds will pay for the séance.

Alou re-invented himself in one offseason. Why couldn’t Stubbs? In an era that overwhelmingly favored pitchers – in 1968 alone, Bob Gibson had a ridiculous 1.12 ERA and Denny McLain won 31 games – Alou hit at least .330 four times. Could you imagine the offensive force Stubbs could be if he hit .300?

Tony La Russa: Yadier Molina greatest catcher ever

Just as the Château Le Pinhead starts to kick in…

But any true fan of Baseball should be offended by the nonsense that came spewing out of Tony La Russa’s mouth during the post-game interview Friday night. And I may never get over that.

“The game has never seen a better catcher than YADIER MOLINA.”

And the Earth officially became flat again.

...Yadier Molina? Yawwddy Molina?

He may not even be the best catcher is his family.

The only appropriate quote La Russa could have made here is:

“The game has never seen a better catcher with a neck tattoo.”

At 63, Johnny Bench still not on the bench

Bah, the Blender Era was just so lame. (freebie Coldplay issue did come in handy to yank out me mutt’s hanging strudel)

Q. Speaking of the Hall of Fame, baseball has just come through the era of performance enhancing drugs. Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using steroids, and it’s widely assumed Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens were users as well. Do you consider those guys Hall of Fame worthy?

A. We know a lot of the guys who took some of the juice. You see, I blame it on the trainers. I think that when (players) started getting the money, and they wanted to stay in shape, they wanted to work out. They got their own personal trainers.

I call it the Blender Era. Guys started working out and they stayed working out all winter. We never worked out. They said, ‘OK, we’re going to build some muscle and we’re going to do some protein and we’re going to do some stuff.’

You know, they go to GNC which now we know has lots of HGH and everything else and they got stronger and bigger. … I think the naivety of the players themselves created a lot of that.

Then it was the money, because if I hit 10 home runs this year and 40 home runs the next year, all of a sudden I get a contract for three years for 45 million or 40 million dollars.

Johnny Bench on the 2011 World Series, Weather & the Complete Catcher

TRACER ALERT! (I looked for a spell but started to get weirdass Necco candy button dots in my eyes from all the zeros)

One bat, however, that Bench believes will be silenced in this series is Albert Pujols’. Not because he expects Pujols to falter, but because he doesn’t expect to see Pujols get a pitch to hit. As a catcher who’s called a few “four-finger salutes” in his day, Bench was adamant about how to approach Pujols.

“You never pitch right at him,” he said. “I don’t care what the situation is. You know, we walked [Willie] McCovey five times in a game. We walked him four times in another game. We walked him three or four times in a game. Hey, he was the only guy we couldn’t get out. So if he gets himself out, that’s fine, but he’s not going to beat me.”

Some of baseball’s best teams fell short of title

The 2011 Pirates just missed the cut.

The ’73 Reds lie in contrast with the 2001 Seattle Mariners, whose 116 wins tied for the most ever in a season. The Mariners lost to the Yankees in the ALCS that year, assuring them of a high spot on the list of top non-champions. But they still didn’t impress quite as much as the Reds did. The unbalanced American League produced four teams (29 percent of the league) with 96 or more losses that year (there was only one such NL team in 1973), giving the Mariners a power rank /standard deviation score of 2.45, good for third on the list behind the Reds and the 2005 Cardinals (2.75), a team that took its division by 11 games and won 100 games during a season in which no NL team hit the 100-loss mark. Another renowned post season loser, the 109-win Baltimore Orioles of 1969 who dropped the World Series to the “Miracle Mets” (those pesky Mets again), also fall lower on the list than you might expect (No. 10) – the expansion that added two teams to the AL that year inflating their win total.

Others in the great-but-we-hardly-knew-ye club: Cincinnati’s 1973 cousins, the 1970 Reds (2.39), who won their division by 14 ½ games and swept the Pirates in the NL playoffs before falling to Baltimore in the World Series, the 1973 Dodgers (2.35), a dominant team that didn’t even make the playoffs thanks to the misfortune of playing in the Reds’ division, and the 1995 Cleveland Indians (2.34), a power laden club led by Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez(notes) that finished thirty games ahead of the second place Royals on their way to the AL flag, only to drop a six-game World Series to the Atlanta Braves.

Reds’ former majority owner Carl Lindner Jr. dies at 92

Financier Carl Lindner Jr., who used his experience running the family dairy store to build a business empire whose reach included baseball, banks and bananas, died Monday night. He was 92.

A person close to Lindner’s family but not authorized to speak until a statement had been issued confirmed his death. Lindner had been taken to the hospital gravely ill on Monday morning.

Lindner became controlling partner and chief executive officer of the Cincinnati Reds in a 1999 deal that ended Marge Schott’s rocky 15-year reign as owner. In contrast to her grandstanding, Lindner stayed mostly in the background - save for a lasting memory in 2000 when he picked up Ken Griffey Jr. at the airport in his Rolls-Royce following the blockbuster trade.

Jocketty: Votto won’t be traded

...unless Milt Pappas has a grandson or something.

Walt Jocketty angrily denied a report by ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Reds are listening to trade offers on Joey Votto.

“I’m tired of talking about it,” he said. “We’re not shopping him. We’re not entertaining offers. It’s frustrating. He’s one of the best players in the game. Why would we trade him? I wish people would stop writing about it.”

Votto name comes up in media speculation — yours truly is guilty — because of his contract situation and the Reds’ limited payroll. Votto is signed through 2013. His 2013 salary is $17 million, which is steep for a club with a $80 million payroll. He will become more expensive when he reaches free agency.

With Yonder Alonso major league-ready, moving Votto would create payroll flexibility.

But Jocketty says trading Votto has not been discussed.

“Everyone is assuming they know our business,” Jocketty said. “They don’t. Then they write this and I have to call Joey and his agent and let them know there is nothing to it. It’s not fair.”

L.A. Times: Frank McCourt goes on a fishing expedition

On deck in the Dodgers’ bankruptcy case: the Florida Marlins?

Could be, if Frank McCourt gets his way. As the bankruptcy proceedings increasingly resemble a grudge match cloaked in legal briefs, with Bud Selig threatening to banish the Dodgers from the league in order to rid it of McCourt, the Dodgers’ owner might respond by trying to take down the commissioner.

The Marlins could be in the collateral damage.

In July, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross wrote of what he called “the underlying feud between the Commissioner and … Frank McCourt” and added: “It appears that their dispute will shortly be before the Court.”

Game on.

Selig’s argument for kicking out McCourt boils down to this: You consented to our rules, you broke our rules, and we don’t want you in our club any more.

“Compliance with the Baseball Agreements is the price of membership in Major League Baseball,” league attorneys wrote in a court filing Friday.

And what is most prominent among Selig’s grievances?

“A Club owner must be well-capitalized and cannot use the team as a personal ‘cash cow,’ ” the filing read.

That could bring us to the Marlins — perhaps uncomfortably for Selig, and for Jeffrey Loria, the team’s owner.

Jocketty re-ups to be Reds GM through 2014

There’s some work to do over yonder…

The Reds announced Friday that general manager Walt Jocketty has been given a three-year contract extension through the 2014 season. Jocketty’s original four-year contract was to expire at the end of this season.

Terms were not revealed by the club…

The Reds have a 319-323 record since Jocketty joined the organization, and the club won the National League Central division title last season with 91 victories. It was the franchise’s first postseason berth since 1995. Last winter, the Sporting News named Jocketty as baseball’s executive of the year.

Already eliminated from postseason play and not a factor in the race much of the season, Cincinnati did not fare as well in 2011 and carried a 76-80 record into Friday’s series opener vs. the Pirates.

That was one of the reasons Jocketty wanted to return to the Reds. He never considered exploring opportunities to go to another club. There had been media speculation last week that the Cubs could be a destination.

“I came here for a reason—my relationship with Mr. Castellini and the Williams family—and we came with a goal to build this organization into a winner,” Jocketty said. “We’re not quite there yet. I felt there was still a lot of unfinished business to take care of and I really didn’t want to go anywhere else. I’m happy.”