Off Day for Reds. Bengals Kids Get Ready.

The Reds enjoy the off-day then head to Pittsburgh searching for more success on the road. They are 7-3 on the road, just 4-7 at home. For the Reds to continue to have success, they need more consistency in the little things, especially defense. I think it's apparent they will not overwhelm anyone with their ability to score runs, so they are in no position to give away outs and give away runs. They also have to continue to get stellar starting pitching. That has been the big key in almost every single one of their 11 wins. 11-10 is a nice stat for a team still developing an identity. The youngsters seem to be latching onto the ways that make players successful. May will reveal plenty about this team. The Reds will meet the Cardinals and the Phillies at G.A.B.P. They also have a west coast road trip against the Padres and the Diamondbacks. We know how damaging west coast trips during May have been in the past. Heck, one of them did in the short managerial career of Tony Perez. Although he never should have been fired at that point in the season. That's another we can hang on Bowden.

It was great to see another kid come up form the minors and play his butt off. Adam Rosales gave the small crowd a couple of reason to stand and cheer. The way he sprinted around first base on his sacrifice fly, then kept sprinting back to the dugout was a joy to watch. That's one of the few standing ovations I've seen after a sac fly, and it was even more hilarious with Rosales in a full sprint to the dugout.
It was also great to see a nice catch by Jay Bruce out in a right field, and a great performance from Edinson Volquez. If you saw Volquez last Friday when he walked 7 batters, you knew he was close. His stuff was electric that night, he just kept missing the strike zone, mostly missing just low. He was unreal Wednesday night, so this guy may be hitting his stride. That would be a huge boost to the Reds chances to have another winning month.

The Bengals welcome in the rookies for their mini-camp this weekend. It's always fun to see the new guys on the field for their first NFL workouts. I can't wait to see Rey Maualuga. I'm not sure how many set plays they'll be running, but I want to see where he lines up. Strong or Middle backer. Same with first round pick Andre Smith, left or tight tackle? Wherever they are this weekend doesn't mean that's where they will stay. But it does mean this is where the coaching staff would like to see them play. If it goes well, they will latch onto that position and never let it go. But if I had a general manager that racks up bonuses in the 1 to 2 million dollar range, I would expect every player to fit my scheme perfectly. So the Bengals coaches should expect nothing less.

So the Cyclones are at it again? A 3-0 lead in the division finals and 1 win away from making the conference finals. I really didn't think they had the horses to make another run this season, but here they are. The best coaches are the big picture guys, and that's how Chuck Weber approaches thing. If you talk with him, you learn he always has the greater good of the season or the playoff series in mind. The Cyclones success under their young coach is no accident. Game 4 is Friday night in Elmira.