http://www.yardbarker.com/rss/player/623 Recent articles about Willy Taveras en-us More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP Bronson's favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Coconut rum. Browse more photos » Sheldon spoke to Chris Dickerson about this and thatwhere he fits in the outfield and how he played this season and such. Here's an excerpt: "I was really disappointed that my power didn't show up this year," Dickerson said. "I was talking to Drew Stubbs about i... Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:27:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Reposter_What_is_Your_Favorite_Thanksgiving_Side_Dish/1629958 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Reposter_What_is_Your_Favorite_Thanksgiving_Side_Dish/1629958 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Reposter_What_is_Your_Favorite_Thanksgiving_Side_Dish/1629958 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/1/c102bdcc62b82ff41ad712bef350815706369c23/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_07_dcd3.jpg A late season surge helped prevent a historically bad offense, but nonetheless, relative to average, the Reds fell off 26 runs in 2009 to 71 runs below average (after park adjustments).  It was the worst Reds offense since the 1997 team (95 runs below average).  On a team level, where did this offensive dropoff come from?  Let's go position-by-position: Notes: Batting runs are the "Batting" stat from fangraphs, which are park-adjusted for us, and includ... Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Sabermetric_Review_of_the_2009_Reds_Part_2_Offense/1625547 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Sabermetric_Review_of_the_2009_Reds_Part_2_Offense/1625547 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Sabermetric_Review_of_the_2009_Reds_Part_2_Offense/1625547 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/8/d882ff9706781e00c1eacc054583d7d29309b08f/small/MLB_JUN_23_e4f0.jpg Blogging the Offseason is a 30 team series in which I ask a blogging representative from each MLB team a series of ten questions about their desires and thoughts surrounding the offseason. Check out all of them here. Today's NL team is the Cincinnati Reds and our guest is Slyde from the Reds Blog, Red Reporter. 1. The Reds roster contains almost no impending free agents and thus no extra salary coming off the books, do you think this hinders them from making moves this offseason or ... Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:09:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Blogging_the_Offseason_Cincinnati_Reds/1616766 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Blogging_the_Offseason_Cincinnati_Reds/1616766 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Blogging_the_Offseason_Cincinnati_Reds/1616766 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/7/17cff865998c8629f8bd532379271a00c8e76e82/small/2c.jpg Thank a few veterans today. View full size photo » The Arizona Fall League Rising Stars game can be seen hereIf you are like me and dont get MLB Network, this is your chance to catch Chris Heisey, Yonder Alonso, and Mike Leake tear it up against their elite prospect peers. Thanks to Sharks for the heads-up in the FanShots. The Crawfish Boxes takes a look at the GMs of the NL CentralHere's what they say about ... Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:15:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Reposter_Is_Jocketty_the_Best_GM_in_the_Central/1542938 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Reposter_Is_Jocketty_the_Best_GM_in_the_Central/1542938 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Red_Reposter_Is_Jocketty_the_Best_GM_in_the_Central/1542938 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg A short trip around the interwebs on a Friday morning: –Jamie Ramsey is bringing some love for local businesses who are Reds-crazy. I love stuff like this. –RR asks whether Walt and Dusty would seriously consider using Wee Willy Taveras in CF again next year. –Has Paul Daugherty ever written a column that didn’t make him look clueless? –The Reds Community Fund has revitalized another youth field. Those guys are doing good work. –Okay, this is admittedly pre... Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:30:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Around_the_Reds_Internets/1463836 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Around_the_Reds_Internets/1463836 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Around_the_Reds_Internets/1463836 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg More photos » by Al Behrman - AP There seems to be a high number of pictures in SBNation's AP photos bank of Dusty defending Willy T. Here is one of them. Browse more photos » The Fay answers some reader questionsQuestion from Steve: My question is about the Reds’ current view of Willy Taveras. Do you think they will let him come to spring training and try to win the job from Drew Stubbs and ... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:00:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Red_Reposter_Are_Walt_and_Dusty_Seriously_Considering_Willy_Taveras_for_CF_Next_Season/1458934 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Red_Reposter_Are_Walt_and_Dusty_Seriously_Considering_Willy_Taveras_for_CF_Next_Season/1458934 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Red_Reposter_Are_Walt_and_Dusty_Seriously_Considering_Willy_Taveras_for_CF_Next_Season/1458934 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg No, not exactly Willie, Mickey, and the Duke, is it? John Fay brings up one of our favorite topics in response to a reader email: Question from Steve: My question is about the Reds’ current view of Willy Taveras. Do you think they will let him come to spring training and try to win the job from Drew Stubbs and Chris Dickerson, or do you think the Reds will try to move him in the offseason? Do you perceive a split between the way Dusty Baker and Walt Jocketty view Taveras? My sense, from afar,... Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:15:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Willy_Taveras_Walt_Jocketty_and_Dusty_Baker/1450779 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Willy_Taveras_Walt_Jocketty_and_Dusty_Baker/1450779 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Willy_Taveras_Walt_Jocketty_and_Dusty_Baker/1450779 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg From Hal McCoy: Pinch-hitter Freddie Lewis hit a ball to dead center. As he has done so often this year, center fielder Willy Taveras broke poorly on the ball, running laterally to his left before realizing the ball was over his head. It fell for a double. He doesn’t get on base. When he does he doesn’t steal when it is needed. He was brought in to be a leadoff hitter and couldn’t do it and is now batting second. And he is below average in the field. What can Taveras do? He has a nice stereo ... Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:22:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Another_beat_writer_expresses_his_frustration/1011038 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Another_beat_writer_expresses_his_frustration/1011038 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Another_beat_writer_expresses_his_frustration/1011038 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg I was wondering just how many good weeks Willy Taveras has had this season — it just feels like he’s had about three excellent weeks and 15 godawful ones.  I was pretty close.  Only thing I didn’t realize was that he’s actually been okay the past two or three weeks. As you can see, Willy’s had two great weeks, four okay ones, and eight abysmal weeks. (Plate appearance totals are more or less similar, except he only had seven PAs in one of his amazing .000 weeks.)... Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:00:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Willy_8217s_Weeks/828886 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Willy_8217s_Weeks/828886 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Willy_8217s_Weeks/828886 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg Some things I was just wondering about… Dusty Baker continuing to lead off Willy Taveras and building the lineups he does — is that the single worst thing any recent Reds manager has done to hurt the team’s chances of winning? Usually lineup construction doesn’t have a big impact, but the Reds are close to being a good team, their offense is terrible, and they lose a lot of close games because they can’t score. In other words, having players ahead of Votto and Phillips could... Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:17:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thinking_about_Dusty_Baker/767372 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thinking_about_Dusty_Baker/767372 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/Thinking_about_Dusty_Baker/767372 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg Yes, Willy Taveras is back in the leadoff spot today. Note to Dusty Baker: most of us don’t mind if Taveras is in the lineup against left-handed pitchers. Really, we don’t mind. But he MUST be hitting 8th or 9th, if you are going to play him. Wee Willy just does too much damage to the offense if he is leading off. I know, I know, this plea is falling on deaf ears. Dusty is smarter than we are; just ask him. Anyway, the Reds have a chance to win a series today. Discuss it here. Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:05:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Game_Thread_Reds_at_Cleveland_8212_20090628/750039 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Game_Thread_Reds_at_Cleveland_8212_20090628/750039 http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/Game_Thread_Reds_at_Cleveland_8212_20090628/750039 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg I’m tired of writing about Willy Taveras. Really, I am. The Reds have a lot of interesting players and storylines, and I’m going to focus more on those things in the days ahead. Besides, everyone who isn’t named Johnnie B. Baker Jr. knows that Taveras is rotten and has no business “hitting” leadoff in the Reds lineup. There isn’t even an argument anymore. Dusty is just being stubborn by sticking Taveras at the top of the order. He’s trying to prove t... Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:30:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/On_Willy_Taveras/743798 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/On_Willy_Taveras/743798 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/On_Willy_Taveras/743798 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/2/a29fac1dc8050bab2de26ba50e8d0ed7c69d0d08/small/PicImg_MLB_MAR_18_93ea.jpg The Reds make the worst signing of the offseason across baseball. Yay. I am going to go vomit. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:57:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/WHY_Reds_sign_Willy_Taveras_to_a_2_year_deal/436514 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/WHY_Reds_sign_Willy_Taveras_to_a_2_year_deal/436514