All Things Bubba

Trent reports that Jorge Cantu is being called up to Cincinnati from Louisville. At first people thought Bellhorn was being DFA'd, but no, he's in the lineup tonight. It's a trade. Conine to the Mets for a couple of A-level prospects.

Good news all around, I guess. The Mets get a veteran bat that might help them down the stretch. Conine gets to play for a contender. And the Reds get something for Conine, whom they would lose anyway at the end of the season (he's already said he's going to retire). Everyone's happy - except maybe Joey Votto.

Votto has played well in Louisville, even learning to play outfield a bit. Many fans are disappointed that he wasn't called up. He probably will be, when rosters expand in a couple of weeks. The Reds are overloaded with lefties and needed a right-handed bat to replace the right-handed Conine, which is probably why Cantu was called up instead of Votto.

There have been hints dropped, though, that the Reds are disenchanted with Votto. They can't be unhappy with his hitting. His defense isn't all that great, and probably never will be. So perhaps that's a strike against him for a team that desperately needs to improve their defense.

Or it could be his personality. I know, you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Everyone has bad days now and then, and fans really can be annoying. And a lot of athletes are rather full of themselves. (Cantu isn't exactly known for his humility, either.) But so many people have said that Votto is a self-centered jerk, and you hardly ever see anyone saying he was nice to them. After awhile, you figure when there's smoke, there's fire. Maybe he's as charming to the front office as he is to fans and acquaintances, and it's coming back to bite him.

Should be interesting to see what they do with Votto. I imagine they'll either trade him in the off-season, or put him on the 25-man roster next year.

Meanwhile, on the hurricane front...


Dean is a Category 4 now, and may become a Category 5 soon. His path has shifted south, and it's pretty certain he'll make landfall in Mexico, not the U.S. That probably means no gas shortages, though there could be price spikes. Pemex has basically shut down Cantarell, their largest oil field, as well as the associated ports and refineries. Even if there's no damage, it will take them awhile to get everything back running.


A photo of Dean's eye, taken from the space shuttle.

Labels: Reds