Press Clippings December 3, 2012

MLB.COM

Reds speculation continues at Winter Meetings By Mark Sheldon | 12/2/2012 1:06 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With the Reds winning a title in 2012, but exiting with a bitter taste in their five-game Division Series loss to the Giants, fan interest in what general manager Walt Jocketty will do to improve the team is strong.

There will be no shortage of speculation about what's next for the Reds as the 2012 Winter Meetings begin on Monday at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. It will all be covered here up to the minute on reds.com and MLB.com.

Jocketty and his inner circle of advisors and scouts will continue to look for upgrades, mostly centered on the leadoff spot in the lineup. The Reds also have needs for a left fielder and help on the bench. The club already addressed its goal of getting a new closer when Jonathan Broxton signed a three-year, $21 million contract on Wednesday.

Part of that left-field issue could center on re-signing Ryan Ludwick, who became a free agent after one season in Cincinnati. Otherwise, don't expect the Reds to make any major investments in the free agent market.

Near the end of each day, Jocketty will hold a briefing with Cincinnati media about activity during the Meetings. Reds manager Dusty Baker is scheduled to meet with all interested reporters during a 30-minute session on Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

Sticking with tradition, the Winter Meetings wrap up on Thursday morning with the Rule 5 Draft of eligible players that were left unprotected on teams' 40-man rosters. The Reds currently have 38 players and thus two free spots on their 40-man roster.

Fans can also be part of the daily conversation online. Reds.com will feature multimedia content to provide a closer look at the happenings at the Opryland Hotel. People are also encouraged to join the discussions in the comments section below to address various issues currently facing the Reds.

On the ground at Opryland (From Mark Sheldon’s “Mark My Word” Blog) By Mark Sheldon | 12/2/2012 7:07 PM ET

After a 4 1/2 hour drive and countless steps to get my bearings at this massive Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, I bring you my first of likely several dispatches from the 2012 Winter Meetings.

This is the second time I’ve been here for a Winter Meetings and like 2007, you need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find your way to go to and from. Hopefully I don’t get lost here forever — I need to get home in time for Redsfest on Friday.

DAYTON DAILY NEWS

The Reds let a big, big, big one get away By Hal McCoy | 12/2/2012 8:41 PM ET

NOTES OFF a ketchup-stained cuff and the ketchup, of course, is Heinz, the official ketchup of the Cleveland Browns and the Hal McCoy Household.

And how many full moons have there been since the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals both won games together on back-to-back weekends?

BACK IN 2004, the Cincinnati Reds saw a kid playing outfield at little Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga., and they considering drafting him.

Why? He was 6-foot-6, weighed 230 pounds, could chase down a deer until the out-of-breath deer surrendered and could hit a from here to eternity.

They backed off, though, because the kid said he was going to Georgia Tech to play football.

His name? Calvin Johnson, also known as Megatron. He caught 13 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown Sunday for the Detroit Lions, so it wasn’t his fault the Lions lost on the last play of the game to the Indianapolis Colts. He has five straight games of racking up more than 125 yards in receiving yards.

Johnson signed an eight-year $135 million contract and his picture is on the cover of this year’s John Madden video football game box.

And he obviously has some baseball left in him. At the start of last season, he took batting practice with the Detroit Tigers and hit a ball into the left field bullpen.

“I had some history with the Cincinnati Reds, they contacted me,” said Johnson. “By that point, though, football had taken over my life.”

How good would he have looked standing as tall as the wall in ?

THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS University basketball team scored five points in the first half Saturday against the University Dayton. Embarrassing? Oh, yeah, especially when on Friday night the Northern Illinois University football team scored 17 points in the first half against Kent State in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

And it didn’t get any better for the Huskies basketball team. They did score 38 points in the second half against UD, losing by 60-43, but they still scored one less point than their football team scored in a 44-37 win over Kent State.

SPEAKING OF POINTS, there is a rumor that Wisconsin placekicker xxxx has numbness in his foot this week. He kicked 10 extra points during Wisconsin’s 70-31 victory over Nebraska in the Big Ten football championship game.

Wonder how many points they would have scored against Rutgers and/or Maryland, the newest members of the Big Ten. Rutgers? Maryland? In the Big Ten? Why?

That’s easy. Money and exposure. Both Rutgers (New York) and Maryland (Baltimore-Washington) are in major television markets.

WHILE DOING SOME Christmas shopping at Von Maur in The Green I heard a piano player tickling Christmas music.

Suddenly my wife, Nadine, started laughing and looking toward the piano player. I heard what he was playing, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

I walked over to thank him for the tribute and asked his name (Tim Jones) and he said, “I love baseball and I’m a huge fan of the Cincinnati Reds.” Then he returned to his rendition of White Christmas.

IF YOU HAVEN’T tried Company 7 BBQ in Englewood lately, try it soon. It is better than ever. There is a new chef and they’ve done away with the buffet style service. It is now all sit down restaurant style.

All of their sauces, which are in bottles on the table, are scrumptious and their Carolina sauce won first place in a nationwide contest this year. They have a six-foot trophy to prove it, but the real proof is in the taste.

FOLKS WHO LIVE in north Dayton complain about the lack of good restaurants, but they forget the Buckhorn Tavern. I can’t believe anybody serves ribs and prime rib as good as what you get at Buckhorn. If so, I want to taste it.

AND ALSO north of town is the El Cazador Mexican restaurant/cantina, a true south of the border treat. For great service, ask for Ishmael, who will have your margarita in front of you before you can finish your first bite of chips and salsa.

WHY ALL THE food talk in a baseball blog? When I can’t see a baseball game, I eat. And that reminds me of one more Tommy Lasorda story.

It is evident by his girth that the legendary baseball manager likes to eat and he said, “When we won I ate because I was happy. When we lost, I ate because I was sad. When we were rained out I ate because I was disappointed.”

I may be Irish, but I love Italian food and during my four decades on the road with the Reds I searched for the finest Italian restaurants. And in every one of those restaurants, coast-to-coast, there was a photo signed by Lasorda, with the message, “The best Italian restaurant in the country.” You can find one in Dayton with Lasorda’s picture on the wall: Mama DiSalvo’s in Kettering.

ESPN.COM

Trade candidates for all 30 teams (Excerpt) By Jim Bowden | 12/2/2012 4:30 PM ET

Not every team will make a trade at this week’s winter meetings in Nashville, but every team could. With that in mind, let’s take a look at one player (or more) who could be on the trade block this week from each of the 30 teams.

Cincinnati Reds Player: Mike Leake, RHP Reason: The Reds are planning to move Aroldis Chapman to the starting rotation to join Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Homer Bailey and Bronson Arroyo, which makes Leake available. Although the Reds would like to keep Leake as insurance against injury, they won’t let that stand in the way if they get a chance to improve left field or the bullpen. Possible trade partners: Padres, Astros, Rockies, Indians

TRANSACTIONS

Sunday's Sports Transactions By The Associated Press December 2, 2012

Major League Baseball

American League: None

National League: None