Redlegs

Well I am sitting here at work and don't have anything else to do, so I will blog. I wish it was something super intellectual and inspirational, but, alas it is not. This blog is about what has been on my mind for the past couple of days. That is BASEBALL (specifically the Reds). Spring training starts this weekend and I am pumped!! So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on the Reds for this upcoming season.

Honestly, I am really excited about this years team. I am always excited for the start of a new season. (Being a Reds fan, that is the only part of the season that there was something to be excited about... Oh to have been alive during the Big Red Machine era!) However, this season, I am a little more excited, and I think I can have a little more hope in the Reds. I have heard some critics say that the Reds have done nothing to improve their team during this offseason, mainly because of the lack of signing a righty power hitter to man to vacant spot left by Adam Dunn. I think that is bogus. I am an Adam Dunn fan. His production was very good. Even though he was one of the most frustrating players to watch, I still liked him. That being said, I think the Reds are better off without him.

As far as replacing his production goes; there are other ways to win in baseball than smacking the long-ball. In the past several years, the Reds have been a homerun team. Being in a small park like GABP, that was not tough to do. However, in case you have not noticed, that did not help the Reds be a winning team!! As I said, there are other ways to win in baseball. It is called small-ball, and, in my opinion, it is a lot more fun to watch. Speed, defense, and pitching will win ballgames.

With that in mind, I think that the Reds have a lot of potential. One big area which I feel the Reds have improved this off season is in the center field and leadoff position. I think that the addition of Willy Taveras will prove to be very beneficial. The Reds have lacked a solid leadoff man for some time. Perhaps you will remember Cory Patterson... I rest my case. Some people say that Taveras' production fell of last year and he is washed up. Come on, everyone has a below average year. And for a guy whose production fell off, I don't think 68 stolen bases is too bad! His speed will definitely help win ballgames!

Another area that makes me feel good about the Reds is the abundance of young, passionate players. Guys like Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, and Chris Dickerson are there because of the love of the game. They are excited to be there and want to win! Take Bruce, for example. He showed up to spring training on Friday; a day before pitchers and catchers were to report and four days before position players had to be there. He couldn't wait to start playing baseball and doing what he had to do to contribute to a winning team! This guy will be a leader for this team and that leadership will produce very good things.

Finally, I am excited about the Reds pitching staff. This has also been an area that the Reds have struggled in recently. I think the struggles may be over. They have four very solid, if not exceptional starting pitchers. It starts with Harang. Sure, he had a rough season last year, thanks partly to a major lack of run support, but I would put money on it that he will not have another season like that. He is a good pitcher and will win ballgames for this team. Next is Volquez. After an incredible season last year, I think he will only build on that and be even better. Again, he is one of those young guys who has the itch to win. Then you have Arroyo. Granted, this guy frustrates me sometimes, but he is still a quality pitcher and will contribute a lot to this team. If only we could get him to stop singing stupid JTM commercials and focus on pitching :) Finally, there is Cueto. I think this kid has a lot of potential and will improve greatly this season. Last season had several ups and downs, including an incredible debut. There were also some struggles, but that could be expected for a rookie. I think he will only get better with time and is definitely a good 4th starter.

So, like I said, there is a lot to be excited about and I am ready to see what happens. Do I think the Reds will win the NL Central? Well, probably not. I would say more like second place, behind the Cubs. But I honestly believe that they will have a winning season, which is a big step from previous years. A little less than 2 months until opening day, and then we will see how it all turns out. Until then, I look forward to hearing Marty Brennamen saying "And this one belongs to the Reds!" at least 82 times :)

Do not cast me from your presence...

So here I am again at 2 in the morning because I cannot sleep. I honestly haven't really tried to sleep yet, though, because my mind has been racing, and my heart seems heavy. Or maybe my heart seems light, because I feel a little bit empty. It didn't take me long to figure out why I am feeling so empty. It's because lately I haven't fully experienced the presence of God. I realize that I have been failing my God, and its such a crappy realization. I can't think of anything worse than the feeling of letting down the Almighty, my creator, the one who loves me no matter what I do...

So as I was coming to this realization, all I wanted was some sort of assurance that I could be forgiven, that I hadn't failed God one too many times. I thought of David's prayer of repentance for his sequence of sins, in Psalms. Psalm 51 is such a humbling prayer to pray when you come to that realization that you ultimately screwed up.

As I was reading and praying that prayer, verses 10-12 really hit me. They say, "Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence, or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me." It's funny, because as I read the part about not casting me from God's presence, I almost felt as though I had already been cast from his presence. Then I hit me that I was blaming the feeling of being distant from God that I have had on God. How crazy is that? I don't think that's very accurate. From what I have studied in scripture, God is unchanging, he is the constant in our relationship. He isn't going anywhere. I am the one who changes. I am the one who walks away from God. Thank God that when I did finally realize this, God was still there, waiting to pick me back up where we left off.

Then I read the part that says, "Restore to me the JOY of your salvation..." Wow, I think I can say that it really has been a while since I have been joyful about my salvation. I mean, I am generally a happy guy. I thoroughly enjoy life. But to actually reflect on, and have joy because I am saved... I haven't done that in a while.

When I think about it though, there really is so much to be joyful about. I serve a God that is alive. Even when I screw up I can count on him to still be there waiting for me. God doesn't need me, but he has allowed me to be a part of his Kingdom work (something that brings me a little more joy than everything else.) I mean seriously, it is not really that hard to be joyful about salvation, I guess I have just been overlooking them.

So I will reach out and take the hand of the never-changing, never-leaving God and he will pull back to his side and I will keep on keepin' on. And I will pray that God will continually show me all that there is to be joyful about.

I get knocked down, but I get up again.
Your never gonna keep me down!

(Perhaps not as insightful as past posts, but its my blog, I do what I want, now get outta here and enJOY the JOY that is Christ!)