It's winding down

Night game tonight, so I'm coming to you from the Panera on Route 41. I'm sure there are transactions coming today. The Reds are about 27 hours from breaking camp and they still have 34 healthy (or relatively healthy) players on the roster.

Wayne Krivsky said yesterday they might put some guys on the DL before the day was over. They didn't. Elizardo Ramirez and Jerry Gil are definitely headed there -- unless they are healthy enough to option. You can't option an injured player in most circumstances. Got to think Bill Bray and Gary Majewski will join them on the DL. That leaves 30. To get the final roster:

Pick two out of the this group: Matt Belisle, Bobby Livingston, Jon Coutlangus Jared Burton and Victor Santos.

Pick one out of this group: Chris Denorfia, Norris Hopper and Chad Moeller.

Denorfia and Hopper have to show they're healthy. Santos told me a week or so ago that he would go to Triple-A. But that was five or six scoreless innings ago.

My guess: Belisle, Burton and Denorfia, although I wouldn't be shocked if it's Moeller over Denorfia.

I still think you'll see Eric Milton in rotation, probably in the fifth spot. I cannot fault the Reds for doing that. Milton was 8-7 with a 4.85 ERA before that awful start in Chicago last year. One he shouldn't have made because of his elbow. Livingston's pitched great in camp. But he has zero big league wins.

Had to interrupt the post to do an interview with WVXU. Should air Sunday. We're going to do them on semi-regular basis during the season.

My wife informs me that my blog picture appeared in the paper today. That's not good news for me. She laughed about the "Hands on the hips. Model look." I've got a lot of friends who I'm sure never went to blog. I'm going to hear it now.

One last Florida old person story: I'm standing in line at Panera, a rather long line I might add, when the old guy behind me is overwhelmed by curiosity about the new bagel. So much so, that he ignores the accepted rules of lines and jumps in front of me. No problem. I had plenty of time. I was happy to see that the prospect of ordering a Trail Mix bagel could make a 90-year-old so happy.