By Thaq Diesel

I waited until the season was over to announce it, but I had my mind made up by mid-year.  Brandon Phillips has taken over from Sean Casey the moniker of “Thaq Diesel’s favorite Reds player.”  A trophy should be in the mail to Brandon by early next week.

Phillips has an easy-going way about him that is infectious.  When he hits a double, he does the two handed point across his chest to the dugout to some mysterious person, probably Griffey, with whom he likely had $20 bucks riding on the at bat.  I like his home run trot – he runs at an angle, like a rickety ship that has taken on too much water and is listing to the leeward side.  In the field, Brandon has a unique style and agility that allows him to make spectacular plays, if not a few errors.  He throws the ball early when running down a ball in the hole or turning a double play.  It’s this early motion that reminds me somewhat of Andre Agassi when he would return a serve – it looks unorthodox but works very well.  He has home run power and has great overall speed.

I was going to keep this a secret, lest the front office decide to deal him like they did Sean Casey last year.  I’m hoping Phillips is in the long-term plans for the Reds. 

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