The Homer Bailey Debut

Homer Bailey will make his major league debut Friday night against the Cleveland Indians. Bailey is the Reds top pitching prospect and was their No. 1 pick in the June 2004 draft (the seventh pick overall). He was the Reds minor league player of the year last season while at Class A Sarasota and Double-A Chattanooga.

In 07, Bailey has been at Triple-A Louisville and is 6-1 in 10 starts with a 2.31 earned run average and 51 strikeouts and 24 walks in 58 innings.

Bio: (MLB.com)
Given name is David...is called Homer after his great-grandfather...in 2004 graduated from La Grange (TX) High School...in his prep career went 41-4, 0.98 with 536 strikeouts in 298.0 innings...led La Grange to Texas state baseball titles in 2001 and 2004...as a freshman outdueled former Red Ryan Wagner in the championship game...also led La Grange to the state title as a senior, when he was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today, Baseball America, Louisville Slugger and the National High School Coaches' Association...also in 2004 was the Tri-County and Texas' 3A Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player of the district and state tournaments...participated in the 2007 Reds Winter Caravan.

2006 Highlights: (MLB.com)
Entered the season as the organization's top prospect and received the Sheldon "Chief" Bender Award as its Minor League Player of the Year...combined to go 10-6, 2.47 in 26 starts split evenly between Class A Sarasota and Class AA Chattanooga...was a Baseball America Minor League and Class AA All-Star... in a Baseball America in-season poll was voted Best Pitching Prospect and Best Fastball in the Florida State League...was the winning pitcher in Major League Baseball's All-Star Futures Game in Pittsburgh...pitched an inning in the Florida State League All-Star Game (12 pitches, 10 strikes)...was the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Month for June (4gs, 3-0, 0.56, 26ip, 9h, 28k)...didn't allow a run in 11 of his 26 starts...3 times threw 6.0 hitless innings and in another start allowed 1 hit in 7.0 innings...began the season with the FSL Reds and made his 13 starts there before he was promoted in June...on 6/22 vs Carolina threw 6.0 scoreless innings in his Class AA debut...in that start, his 96th and final pitch was clocked at 98mph...didn't allow a run in his first 3 starts at Chattanooga (17ip)...was Southern League Pitcher of the Week for 6/26-7/2...twice recorded a season-high 11 strikeouts, on 5/8 at Jupiter (6ip) and 8/13 vs Tennessee (5ip)...in his last appearance of the season, on 9/2 at West Tenn, allowed 4 runs without retiring a batter (3h, 4bb)...his ERAs excluding that final appearance drop to 1.06 for Chattanooga and 2.21 for the season...following the season was voted by Baseball America as the top prospect in both the Southern League and Florida State League.

Scouting Report:
Bailey has all the tools to be a number one starter for years to come. He’s tall (6-4, 185 lbs) with a big league frame and superb arm action. His mid-90s heat is nasty, especially when combined with a tremendous curveball. He has a 3/4 slot motion that allows him to stay tall along with two plus pitches (fastball at 89-97 mph with good movement and a curveball at 75-80 mph with a dominant 12-to-6 break) which when he has working makes him virtually untouchable. He has been trying to develop his changeup which is currently below average. The only concern scouts have had with this youngster is his lack of control at times. Bailey has the makeup of a stud pitcher and once he is able to improve his changeup, he could be close to unhittable.

Schilling...so close in bid for no-no

Don't shake off your catcher...especially Varitek.

The Red Sox 40 year-old starting pitcher Curt Schilling came within one out of his first career no-hitter Thursday, losing his bid when Shannon Stewart lined a clean single to right field in Boston's 1-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

Schilling retired Mark Kotsay and Jason Kendall on grounders to shortstop for the first two outs of the ninth. Then Stewart stepped up and lined the first pitch through the hole between first and second for Oakland's only hit. Schilling said he shook off catcher Jason Varitek on that pitch, going with a fastball instead of a slider.

"We get two outs, and I was sure, and I had a plan, and I shook Tek off," Schilling said. "And I get a big what if for the rest of my life."

It's not the first time a Boston pitcher shook off Varitek in the ninth inning only to see a no-hitter get broken up. Pedro Martinez did it in 2000 against Tampa Bay, giving up a single to John Flaherty on a fastball instead of the curve that Varitek called for.

Hopefully the Red Sox pitchers have learned a lesson: if you are pitching a no-no into the ninth, don't shake off Varitek.

"Hindsight is always 20-20," Varitek said. "It wasn't the first time he shook off all game. We had like a half-dozen. It doesn't really matter. He made a quality pitch."

Didn't they see Bull Durham and learn from Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh? You don't shake off the catcher when you are going good.



[Crash calls for a curve ball, Ebby shakes off the pitch twice]
Crash Davis: Hey! HEY!
[walks to meet Ebby at the mound]
Crash Davis: Why are you shaking me off?
Nuke LaLoosh: [Gets in Crash's face] I want to give him the heat and announce my presence with authority!
Crash: Announce your fucking presence with authority? This guy is a first ball, fast ball hitter!
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Well he hasn't seen my heat!
Crash: Allright meat, show him your heat.
[Walks back towards the box]
Crash: [to the batter] Fast ball comin'.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Crash Davis: Charlie, here comes the deuce. And when you speak of me, speak well.

Mechanized bull noises in background]Crash Davis: Well, he really hit the shit outta that one, didn't he?
[laughs]
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: [softly, infuriated] I held it like an egg.
Crash Davis: Yeah, and he scrambled the son of a bitch. Look at that, he hit the fucking bull! Guy gets a free steak!
[laughs]
Crash Davis: You having fun yet?
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Oh, yeah. Havin' a blast.
Crash Davis: Good.
[pause]
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: God, that sucker teed off on that like he knew I was gonna throw a fastball!
Crash Davis: He did know.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: How?
Crash Davis: I told him.

Maybe Schilling should have been wearing a garter (the rose goes in the front big guy) or breathing out of his eyelids. Still, a solid performance for Schilling, not bad for a 40 year old. Schilling would have been the third-oldest pitcher to pitch a no-hitter. Nolan Ryan did it as a 43- and 44-year old, and Cy Young was 41 when he pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox in 1908.