Baseball | Thoughts on Jay Bruce's Debut

Hal McCoy put it well:

What a debut Jay Bruce made - probably the most glossy and glittery debut on a stage since stripper Sally Rand’s first ostrich-feathered fan dance at the New York Paramount in 1932.

. . .

The Jay Bruce Era is upon us and it arrived with a bang, not a whimper.

Three hits. Two walks. A run-scoring double that nearly put a canon-sized hole in the right-field wall after nearly decapitating the right fielder.

For those who didn't catch last night's game, the phenom whose kryptonite was allegedly shoddy plate discipline and the inability to draw a walk saw a ton of pitches throughout the night and drew two base on balls on lengthy, professional at bats. His first hit was a line drive single to the opposite field. The next hit was a bases loaded magic wand shot, also to the opposite field. The final smash was an absolute laser almost straight through Xavier Nady's noggin in right field. Nady acted like he had never seen a ball scorched the way Bruce tore into it.

For his efforts, Bruce received the traditional shaving-cream-pie-in-the-face from catcher David Ross. Yep, he belongs.

Other notes:

• Last night's game -- against the Pirates! -- drew its highest rating of the year on Fox Sports Net Ohio, higher even than the Opening Day broadcast. In Cincinnati, where Opening Day is truly a holiday, that's saying something.
• Reds owner Bob Castellini has already tabbed Bruce "our superstar for years to come."
• "That's one of the best (debuts) I've ever seen over all," said Reds manager Dusty Baker, who has seen quite a few debuts in his more than 35 years in the big leagues as a manager, coach and player. "There's not a whole bunch he didn't do today. He got a key base hit off a quality left-hander in (Damaso) Marte, that's a positive sign right there. He used the whole field, a lot of guys come up and try to hit a home run. He stayed within himself and did what he does best. It’s exciting to see."
  
• Dusty on batting Bruce second: "I didn't want to put the pressure on him and lead him off. Right now, the third spot belongs to Junior (Griffey). The fourth spot belong to (Brandon) Phillips. The fifth spot belongs to (Adam) Dunn. So do you put on top or underneath? I thought it would be better to put him up top. Most good hitters usually bat third in the minor leagues. People want you to insert them right into third. Junior's got 20 years in third. Things will work out later."
• See this is what Reds fans take issue with. Ken Griffey Jr. keeps batting third because of what he did for the Mariners ten years ago. He can't score from second on a single, he can't score from first on a double, he isn't hitting left-handers at all, and he's been one of the worst all-around players in baseball this season. I don't care if Dusty is a friend of the family, you don't win with sacred cows and inept management.
• Hal McCoy on the possibility of benching Bruce for Corey Patterson once in awhile: "And if Patterson is EVER put in the lineup ahead of Bruce, then it must be like when Pete Harnisch used to pitch for the Reds and sometimes he would look at the lineup card and say, 'Hey, Skippah, we tryin’ to win?'”
• Speaking of Patterson, the team's starting center fielder as recently as this past weekend is being sent to AAA Louisville after his 0-for-8 performance in the 18-inning marathon game against the Padres. GM Walt Jockety apparently agreed with McCoy's assessment of the situation and decided to ensure that Dusty couldn't mess with The Franchise.