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Y! MyWebReds Notes
Harang pitches ideas to fix up the ballpark
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
HOUSTON — Aaron Harang is not an architect, although he took a drafting class in the eighth grade and his parents have designs he did of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house.
Harang is willing to take his ideas — no charge — to Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini on how to eliminate cheap home runs in Great American Ball Park.
"What they should do is remove two rows of seats in the right-field stands and raise the wall to the same height as it is in left field (12 feet)," Harang said. "That would eliminate line-drive home runs that barely clear the wall (8 feet) and end up in the first row.
"And they should raise the wall to the same height in center to eliminate home runs that barely clear the wall and land in the grass," he added.
"They should put wind screens up in that gap in the stands between home plate and third base that causes a jet stream to right and center," Harang added.
"I'm not bitching about this because of my record (4-13), but I know that would save our pitchers 20 home runs a year and at least 30 runs," he said. "How many line drives barely clear that wall in right, and how many balls barely clear the center-field wall and drop into that grass? I know I've given up a few."
Instant replay arrives
When the Reds return home, the new instant-replay system will be in place to help umpires on home run calls — fair or foul and whether balls clear the fences.
A manager can request umpires to check instant replay, and Reds manager Dusty Baker asked, "Do I get a red flag?" No.
No other calls may be checked on instant replay.
"It's OK with me as long as it doesn't take too long," Baker said. "They're always talking about speeding up the game."
No DL for Cueto
Johnny Cueto's elbow soreness is not serious enough for the disabled list — the diagnosis presented by Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek. But Cueto won't start on his turn Saturday, Aug. 30, and Baker is talking about that spot being filled by either Adam Pettyjohn or Matt Maloney.
Neither is on the 40-man roster, and a move would have to be made to get one off the Louisville roster. Baker particularly singled out Pettyjohn, "who is 14-5 at Louisville and has won 30 minor-league games over the last two years. I'm not opposed to a soft-tossing left-hander who throws like Tommy John (after his historic surgery) or Tom Glavine. Thirty wins? He is doing something right."
Burton to rehab
Relief pitcher Jared Burton had his second 30-pitch batting practice session Tuesday, and it went so well he is returning to Cincinnati today, then joining the Class AAA Louisville team to pitch Thursday and Saturday for the Bats in Indianapolis on rehab.
Quote of the day
"Are they going to grandfather in the ones they missed in the past, or give 'em an asterisk? If they did that, I'd have 12 homers by now." — Paul Bako on the use of instant replay for home run calls. Bako actually has 21 career homers.
