Bring Us Your Reds

Looking forward to reading all about Kerry Wood's dominant return to Cincinnati, where he sets 'em up and mows 'em down. For a pitcher who lacks consistency, this is one area (pitching in Cincy) where has yet to let us fans down. I'll have to read about it Tuesday morning because the game will be on too late for me to watch on this side of the pond.

I got stuck with the Pirates announcers on MLB.TV yesterday, and although they weren’t as annoying as I remember them from last year (constantly referring to their team as the “Buccos”), I’m grateful that the Cubs can attract higher caliber talent (despite my initial dislike of Bob Brenly). The Pirates play-by-play man Lanny Somebody is one of those small market nobodies with no sense of narration. Too quiet. The color man meanwhile is ex-Pirates pitcher Bob Walk, who is good at analyzing the pitching, but lacks knowledge of many of the opposing position players. Should perhaps point out that these guys, while definitely local boosters, did not shy away from criticizing their own team and manager. (They also questioned several of Dusty's moves, including Hairston's sac bunt and taking out Maddux after 77 quality pitches).