Forgoing the mid-season review

I've decided not to do a mid-season review of the Reds. This is partly because not a lot has changed from the June review and what happened over the first nine days of July. And partly because this team feels so different now after the trade that I need some time to just watch them and try to digest what's going on.

Oh, Estaban Yan was DFA'd today. I'm surprised to see him go instead of Standridge, who I'm pretty sure is still in an option year. Yan's peripherals were a lot worse than his ERA with the Reds, but Standridge hasn't exactly been a beacon of effectiveness either...

Update: And one other thing. Why the heck is Aurilia starting at 3B today? Eddie didn't even make an error in the last game, why not let him build on that? Encarnacion is now our best right-handed bat and Jerry Narron is wasting it on the bench, just a day after he went 2 for 3 with a walk. He's only 23 years old and he's sitting on the freaking bench. Are we only going to start Eddie when a lefthander is pitching and Aurilia can be shifted over the first?

And don't even get me started on Royce Clayton starting at shortstop tonight.

::sigh:: A major goal of mine since I started this blog was to avoid making this a place where people have to read rant after rant about our beloved Reds. It happens a lot on sports fan sites and I know what a turn-off it can be. After all, it's very easy for me to sit here in my arm chair and criticize the people who bust their butts trying to win every day. But I'm feeling pretty frustrated right now.

Update 2: I promise this is my last little rant for a while now. But Aurilia just made an error. Will he get benched tomorrow? Somehow I doubt it.

Update 3: Ok, I'm just going to be bitter today: Clayton also made an error today. So much for him being a "steady" defender. Too bad he doesn't have any range either.