Bronson Arroyo Health Drew Stubbs Swing Keys to Exciting Season

Bronson Arroyo passed reporters in the clubhouse.

"I don't have desert fever, so I'm ahead of last year," Arroyo said.

He was tested for "desert fever" a reaction to a mold that is found in desert soil.  The test were negative but mononucleosis prevented the rail thin 35-year old bonne vivant from a winning season after three seasons with 15 wins or more.

"It's a matter of location rather than velocity," Dusty Baker said. "Early it was strength. Some guy who had mono it effected him for a year and a half.  The thing about Bronson is he didn't complain about anything.  He took his lumps and we took the lumps along with him.  He's a big part of the equation."

The Reds starting pitching slipped from its division winning 2010 season and Arroyo won 17 games in 2010 and just nine last season, not to mention suffering two more losses.

"And don't forget everybody is entitled to a bad year.  It's lost a lot in modern sports, you're not entitled to a bad subpar year.  They talk about career years all the time on the top side but never talk about subpar years on the bad side. Steve Carlton lost 20 games man.  You lose 20 games in modern times, they want you gone."

Arroyo is not a power pitcher so his margin of error is smaller.

"A power guy can make mistakes in the middle of the zone and a guy will pop it up, just by shear velocity.  Bronson is a pitcher.  He works harder than anybody we got.  He's a good example to the young guys as far as going about your business.  Everybody sees him as a guitar playing dude but he works hard man.  He takes   his career very seriously.  I've never seen a guy workout during the All Star breaks."

Another key is for hitters to cut down on strikeouts.

"We have more guys that can hit down in the order than up," Baker said. "You can't have two double play guys back-to-back in the lineup.  You don't want two strikeout guys back-to-back. If you don't put the ball in play you have zero chance," Baker said  "The guys that strikeout a lot, strikeout all their lives."

Stubbs name was mentioned first when the subject came up.

"Stubbs wasn't the only guy, you know.  He just had the most but he was second in the league in runs scored," Baker said.  "The name of the game is he who touches home plate most wins. It's very simple. Can he be better; definitely."

A wave of confidence came over the Reds manager as if the problems face last year had been addressed.

"There are exciting times coming, exciting times ahead," Baker said.  "This season will be easy for you to write.  That's my goal.  Think about it if it's easy for you guys to write, how are we doing?  That's my goal. Then tweeters and bloggers will have nothing to talk about."

Oh yeah Dusty. LOL