I don’t know if you folks have been paying attention to the calendar, but it was one year ago today that I kicked off this whole Yard Work thing. We’ve come a long way since that E$PN-sponsored Blogspot site, and I’d just like to take the opportunity to thank everyone that’s written for us, and read us, for all their support and great work. Next to being able to retire as a lifetime .300 hitter, and do it with honor, this is the proudest I’ve ever been of anything I’ve done. Well, there was that World Series, but we screwed that pooch – thanks again, Mild Thing! Anyway, this ain’t Steel Magnolias, and I sure ain’t Julia Roberts, or even Doris Roberts, so let’s get down to business.

I have one question to ask the big-market Boston Red Sox: how does it feel to know you traded away the 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner and MVP? I mean, seriously, what were they thinking? When I heard that Theo (or whoever was GMing while Theo was in his gorilla suit) traded away Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena, I knew the Reds were going to make out like bandits in the deal. But what I didn’t know is how much they were going to make out like bandits! This is some Ocean’s Eleven-type of pickpocketing going on (speaking of Julia Roberts). This is actually the sort of stuff the Red Sox used to be known for, back when they were stealing guys like Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe and Dante Bichette.

But what’s Bronson Arroyo done for the Reds? Well, gee, how does a 4-0 record with a 2.34 ERA and almost a K an inning sound? Sounds pretty good, right? Sounds even better when you get that production in a trade where you give up a 4th outfielder. And when that guy you trade for acts like Babe Ruth at the plate, then it’s freakin’ unreal. When’s the last time a PITCHER had a slugging percentage of .615? 1918? That’s just stupid. Guys like Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez would kill to be able to hit like that. And, to add to this, both those homers came against their longtime divisional rival, the Chicago Cubs. That’s clutch.

You can bet for sure that he’s the biggest reason the Reds find themselves only a half-game behind Houston in the NL Central. And that’s why he’s going to sweep the board come October when it’s time to hand out the hardware. Now, folks might think I’m jumping the gun here, thinking this guy’s going to continue on his winning ways. Yeah, sometimes these early season performances are just flukes. But guys that know the game have an eye for this sort of thing, and I can tell by the confidence he exudes on the mound and at the plate that this isn’t a fluke. Some guys take a while to find themselves and become what they can be, and looking at what he’s done so far, Bronson’s no different than late bloomers like Travis Hafner and Ken Caminiti and Lenny Dykstra.

This guy’s been a second banana on a team chock full of talent for a long time. He got jerked around between the bullpen and starting rotation for lots of years, playing the role of the team guy, not wanting to rock the boat. Now he’s finally getting a chance to shine like he’s headlining his own stadium rock tour with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. He’s in the spotlight, and he’s ripping off 15-minute guitar solos like it’s nobody’s business. And that’s what you want from a Cy Young Award winner. And an MVP. And I can’t see how Bronson will not win both, at this rate. You can count on it.