All Things Bubba

Just as I suspected, Trent reports that Freel's on the DL and Larry got the call. That's Larry Dewayne Wise, who has a good glove but not a very good stick.

Many Reds fans are upset, but Wise is the kind of player who gets called up in this situation. Just like Enrique Cruz earlier this year. Basically, a throwaway player. No one cares if the clock starts, because he's not going to contribute much on the big league level. Similarly, it's no big deal if his development is slowed by sitting on the bench for a week or two. And he's got options, so it's easy to bounce him up and down as needed. Basically, he's an emergency backup. They aren't going to use Votto or Bruce that way.

Presumably, Josh Hamilton will be taking Wise's spot on the Bats roster. They're rather short of outfielders, with both Bannon and Bubba on the DL.

Meanwhile, MLB.com has an article about high schools known for their baseball programs. It mentions both Bubba and his high school, Bellaire:

Texas: Bellaire High School

Bellaire has produced more pro talent than just about any school in the state and that's saying something considering the vast quantities of players who tend to come out of the Lone Star State every year. The Houston-area school has had seven first-round picks. Chuck Knoblauch started there before evolving into a first-rounder at Texas A&M. Jose Cruz Jr. was a Bellaire kid before heading to Rice. Chris Young, the Diamondbacks outfielder, was a 16th-rounder who signed out of the school and made it to the big leagues.

All of those players are obviously impressive, but the one who really stands out as an example to Matt West, Bellaire's top pro hopeful in 2007, is Bubba Crosby, most recently of the New York Yankees.

"Our coach talked about how he didn't really have the talent when he first got here, but he worked and worked and got better throughout the years and got good enough to make it to the Majors," West said. "The coach talks about them to give you motivation personally. He talked about what they did, how they stayed after it, how hard they worked."

Bellaire's reputation helps in a couple of ways. Sure, scouts are constants at games, but West thinks it's more helpful being a Bellaire product in terms of the competition they get and the opportunities they receive to play in other areas. That gets them seen by more scouts, who, if they like what they see, will come back to Bellaire for more. It's kind of a "circle of life" thing.

"Scouts definitely know Bellaire and the talent. I guess it could help," West said. "But we definitely get exposure. We play in Georgia over the summer -- Arizona and Florida. You showcase your talent, if they see you and like you, they'll follow you."

Sounds like Bubba is still the local boy who made good in his home town.