Matt Allen dot what?

We've got a new home on the web! Check out the new Sports Forum blog over at our bouncing baby website, mattallen.info.

It's got all the particulars of our show, the blog, and guest lists for upcoming shows. It will also in the near future be the home of our podcast center.

Check it out and we'll see you at mattallen.info.

Home on the Web?

Didn't post today--working on our very own website for the show. Details to follow.

I should be back tomorrow.

Remember--NO SHOW Saturday. We'll be back live on the 21st.

I Stayed Awake For This?

I'm really glad I missed the 11th inning last night in Arizona. That's right, Yours Truly, officially hit old-fogy status by falling asleep in the middle of an extra-inning game, because dagnabbit, it's just too late! What on Earth is wrong with me? These West Coast games are always fun. It feels a little bit like vacation--a vacation from your early bed time. A fun reason to be tired the next day--but maybe that's just me.

I'll attempt to stay awake once again tonight as the Reds will now try to avoid the sweep, but I've got to tell you, I'm not getting enough baseball right now. Yep, I'm probably watching around 3 games a day and I'm still not getting enough. Thank you, DirecTV.

Loved seeing Josh Hamilton hitting that homer last night. Great story.

Let's do the BSO for Reds/D-Backs:

Balls: Kyle Lohse had a decent start but got crushed on a couple mistake pitches. Can't do that, despite how well he pitched otherwise. On the Chad Tracy bomb, he said he shook off Javier Valentin twice. KL, my man, your catcher calls the pitches for a reason. You're not savvy enough to be shaking him off all day. See the fingers, throw the pitch. Next question.

Todd Coffey is a monster. Next question.

Strikes: I've got the engineer cap and everything for the Josh Hamilton Fan Train. All aboard! What's so amazing about this guy is that he's come so far, wanted to get back so badly, had all this media attention and pressure to perform, and in his first 8 plate appearances, he's had the patience to walk 3 times. As a green rookie. As a baseball stat guy, I love it. Oh, and when Adam Dunn (HR #4), squares a ball, it's mind-(and gravity)shattering.

Out (of the Ordinary): All 5 D-Back runs came with 2 outs. Gotta finish innings. For the Sedona and Black, Orlando Cabrera has looked good this year (.395, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 11 R). His stats have shown some improvement, if only the guy had some power. Yeah, I know 2 HR already, but his PX (Power Rating--see BBHQ) is well below league average. It's just bad. Still, if he can get on base for Arizona, he could help score a lot of runs with his speed and the bats behind him.

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Deal of No Deal?

I'm probably an idiot for not drafting A-Rod in the first round of my fantasy baseball draft. I had pick 6 and took Carl Crawford. CC will be great, but A-Rod is absolutely mashing the ball. Those 6 bombs sure would've looked good on my roster.

Help!

Can you believe this blowout? 57-1! Someone should've stopped the insanity. I can't believe that there wasn't a way to avoid this embarrassment. Surely a team couldn't be that bad. And you'd have to hope that winning team's equipment manager was in by the end--anything to get an out.

And The Thunder Rolls

We'll talk about this on the show, I'm sure, but Hank Aaron sounded off again about how he won't be around when Barry smacks 756. It's going to happen, but don't you wish there was some way it could be stopped? Doesn't Barry realize that pretty much no one wants him to break this record? He can't be that oblivious.

Hank is saying everything that he wants to say with his "non-statements". Gotta wonder how Barry likes being totally snubbed by the Hammer. He says he doesn't care in that article, and I know Barry is a habitual curmudgeon, but I think he cares about public opinion (and certainly peer opinion) way more than he ever lets on.

The good news is that I see this like Bob Knight breaking Dean Smith's all-time wins in men's college basketball. Sure, it's a milestone and credit to Knight, but a lot of fans probably didn't want Knight at the top--and he won't be for long. If you think Coach K won't run him down in a few years, you're out of your mind.

A-Rod's 6th of the season was number 470 for his career. Give A-Rod 7 more years and Barry will #2 again--just like he is right now.

Reds 3, D-Backs 2 + Notes

No show this week. Just a reminder. We'll be back on the 21st with 2 more Whose Line DVD giveaways in the Spring Sprang Extravaganza. Plus, MLB, NBA Playoffs, and more.

I stayed up and watched the first of 3 the in Reds V. D-Backs series at Chase Field. Disappointing.

Balls: Solid start from Arroyo. Not much more you could ask him to do. On the other side, when the opposing pitcher walks 3 in 6 IP, you've got to cash in. None of the walked batters scored. Kirk Saarloos said of the Orlando Hudson HR in the 8th that he was just trying not to walk him. Can't fault him for that, he'll just have to make a better pitch next time.

Strikes: Phillips and Conine both walked twice. Nice to see that patience, especially from Phillips in the 2 hole. I like that a lot. Dunn had an 0-4 but did not whiff once. That's also encouraging. Don't look now but Alex Gonzalez is hitting .391. Actually, do look now because it probably won't last.

Out (of the ordinary): The Reds team BB/K ratio at the plate is 0.72--I can live with that definitely. Some timely hitting and this team could really start to score a little bit.

Looking forward to watching Game 2 tonight. Kyle Lohse will go again and Edgar Gonzalez will face the Reds lineup. Gonzalez could probably throw a ball through a needlehead. It will be interesting to see how they handle his precise control.

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Is Scott Hatteberg a "Wimp"?

All-around coverage on Scott Hatteberg telling Jerry Narron he can't hit a guy when he doesn't have the confidence. Is this an athlete is who, to use a basketball metaphor, "doesn't want the ball at the end of the game" or is this a guy who wants to win even he doesn't get the credit for coming through to do it? I vote the latter. He's a vet and he knows his game.

It's interesting though--if a child were to say something along these lines to a parent, no doubt the parent would say, "Yes, you can do it, Scotty. Now you get right back in there and strikeout." Food for thought.

Homer Bailey Is NOT Ready

Fans and the media are whizzing all over themselves after Homer Bailey's first AAA start--1 hit in 5.2 IP. Oooooooooh. Aaaaaahhhhhhhh.

Yes, that's great. You're right. But that's not the whole story. Here's the whole story.

4.8 vs. Toledo: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

also

83 Pitches: 42 Strikes, 41 Balls

This does not show a mastery of AAA. I realize he's on a pitch count, as Bats pitching coach Ted Power (yes, that Ted Power) has said he doesn't like his guys to throw more than 90 pitches a start. So, I suppose the lack of pitching deep into the game could be blamed on that. But notice 3 walks in only 5.2 IP. If you're walking that many (and you shouldn't be), you should be fanning at least 7 in the same amount of time. Also, 42 strikes against 41 balls? Not mastery. And 83 pitches in 5.2 IP could also be improved upon as well. Power also mentioned that Bailey has some delivery flaws that need to be corrected. He's great, he's gonna be even better, but he's not ready for Cincinnati.

Uniform Approval

Got our first looks at both the Reds road and D-Back home unis. Both outstanding and prove that these uni sets are the ones both franchises have been waiting for--for a long time. Very nice--classic, clean, and quality.

Only 1 set of batting helmets for the Reds this season, it appears--the all-red helmet both and home and on the road despite the different on-field hats. I like that. Solid. Makes me wonder if eventually the black-billed hat becomes phased out. We'll see. I'm a huge fan of the all red, but I think the black-billed hat on the road is probably a good idea.