All Things Bubba

Been offline the past couple of weeks. I joined my parents on an "adventure" trip to Africa. Which meant no running water, no electricity, and definitely no Internet. (Not to say all Africa is like that - we spent a lot of time off the beaten path.)

I ended up sitting next to a professional athlete in the plane on the way back. Not a baseball player. A basketball player - Tanzania-born Hasheem Thabeet. Man, is he tall.

Anyways, I returned to find a lot had happened in the world of baseball. A new commissioner has been named. The Reds have fallen below .500 and are solidly in fourth place in the division; their season is likely done, though apparently owner Bob Castellini is still hoping.

The Reds have been decimated by injury. Including Tony Cingrani. He has not thrown a pitch since June, and at this point it seems unlikely he'll return this year. Supposedly he'll start a throwing program soon, but with the Reds having nothing to play for except draft picks, there's no reason to push him.

Things seem to be looking up for Paul Janish, though. He is en fuego for the Omaha Storm Chasers. He went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run last night (off lefty John Lannan). He's OPSing .877 for the Storm Chasers. .345 / .408 / .469

And the Royals took over the top spot in their division while I was gone. They are looking like a legit playoff team. That's good news for Janish. With the post-season roster rules, many teams like to carry a player like Janish: versatile guy who can be a solid backup at SS. Be interesting to see if they add him to the roster before the Aug. 31 deadline. (Even if they don't, he can still be added later.)

Janish also got a shout-out from former teammate and still good friend Jay Bruce. Bruce participated in the ice bucket challenge, and challenged Janish to do the same. Which probably means Janish will be getting an ice water bath and writing a check soon. All for a good cause, of course.

Labels: Paul Janish, Tony Cingrani