Ryan Dempster was the topic or target of e-mailers this week. Read on:

        Q, from Adam in Fort Thomas: I know that hindsight is 20/20, but do you think that if the Reds had traded for Bartolo Colon instead of Ryan Dempster they would be in first place?

        A: Old colleague of mine used to answer all “if” questions with this: If a bullfrog had wings, it wouldn't bump its butt on the ground.

        But let's look at the numbers, entering Friday. The Reds were 2-3 in games Dempster started. The Expos were 3-2 in Colon starts in that same period of time. So if you take Dempster's record out and put Colon in, the Reds would be in the same spot.

        Q, from Erik in Glassboro, N.J.: There has to be more than meets the eye behind the demotion of Chris Reitsma. I don't care how many options he has left, you don't demote a guy with the team's second-best ERA and arguably the best arm on the team. Was there a rift between Reitsma and Bob Boone or the coaching staff? Reitsma, as you know, shut out Milwaukee in his next-to-last start. Jared Fernandez shouldn't have been given the fifth spot, and while I want Dempster to help the team, the man needs to work on his stuff elsewhere, either in the pen or the minors. The demotion can't be doing much for Reitsma's morale.

        A: I don't think there are any conspiracy theories at work here.

        Reitsma's ERA is great, but the fact is he has won one game since May. That said, if he can make a couple of effective starts at Louisville -- his first one was mediocre -- he'll be back. Fernandez wasn't given the fifth spot. He was given a spot start. He used it to earn more starts. It's hard to argue with his numbers.

Things may be looking up for the Reds and Ryan Dempster after Saturday's 9-0 win over the Padres. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        From Jack: I am curious why Bob Boone and Don Gullett would keep running Dempster out there every four or five days just to get beat up on.

        A: I'm writing this before Dempster's Saturday start. But my guess is if he gets ripped in that one, he won't be run out there again. I don't think there's any chance he's washed up -- he's 25 for goodness' sake -- but there could be a physical problem.

        Q, from Kevin in Cincinnati: Why don't the Reds just say no to baseball and let the fans of Cincinnati enjoy what Pete Rose did for Reds fans and baseball? Pete should be included in anything that the Reds do for the closing of Riverfront Stadium and the opening of Great American Ball Park.

        What is the penalty if the Reds have Pete there during any of this?

        A: You don't know the fine until you do the crime. But the Reds would be risking millions of dollars in revenue-sharing money. Suffice it to say, defying Bud Selig on this would tick him off severely. But Selig should step in and allow it as he did for the All-Century Team. Another factor in all this is that Rose's presence -- and Jim Gray's shameless ambush interview -- overshadowed the All-Century ceremony.

        Q, from Mark in Wyoming: I was wondering if and/or how much longer we could expect to keep the dynamic young trio of Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns and Brandon Larson in Reds uniforms. When do their contracts end, and do you think the Reds have the possibility of re-signing them to long-term deals, or will the Reds' lesser payroll prevent that?

        A: They aren't eligible for free agency for at least six years. (In Dunn's case, a little more than five). But I would expect the Reds to try to lock them up at some point. There's no reason to do so this early. That's the beauty of developing your own talent: It's cheap.

Reds 9, Padres 0 Reds box, runs Reds Q&A Cinergy countdown - Sept. 17, 1983 Pain still afflicting Pineda Astros 8, Braves 5 Cardinals 5, Mets 4 Notes from Saturday's games John Fay's MLB power ratings Lieberthal hits three homers against Dodgers Little progress in labor talks Williams' son ends his baseball experiment Columbus 5, Louisville 2

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