Jay Bruce and some spring training news

– John Fay has a nice article on Jay Bruce today. It highlights everything I like about Jay Bruce. For example, he downplays his historic homer:

“I kind of look at it as the start of something that’s going to be here for a long time,” he said. “That really wasn’t the start of it – the cream kind of rose to the top that night for all of us. We have a great team, a great group of guys. We worked all season to get to that point. It just happened to be me that made it the moment.

He understands that leadership responsibilities come with big contracts but seems to understand his place:

“The things I do that are considered leadership – if you want to call it that – need to be subtle. I try to play the game a certain way. I’ve learned from guys like Scott Rolen, Miguel Cairo, the way the game should be played. I’m not a rah-rah guy. I plan to lead by example. I think that’s the theme around here.

“We’ve guys who are pretty storied veterans. That’s who we learn from.”

And he continually seems to talk about getting better and reaching his potential:

“It adds confidence,” Bruce said. “But I was already confident. I know what I’m capable of doing, and my ability. I haven’t reached that yet. It’s a daily, yearly process. It continues to add up. Experience and knowing I can do it is the biggest thing. …

And he has made no bones about the fact that he wants to remain a Red.

I’ll be honest, Jay Bruce is my favorite Red. I really like the way this kid plays and his attitude. I also believe he is the face of this franchise, if not right now, then very, very soon.

– Noticed this quote from the Dustinator today:

“Renteria is going to play some at shortstop, too. How much he plays depends on how (Paul) Janish plays”

Did that just send a cold shiver up anyone else’s spine? Or just Dusty talking in spring training?

– Also says that Jose Arredondo is a work in progress…

“It looks like his arm is not bothering him at all. He’s real good a couple of pitches, then he’s way out of the zone for a couple of pitches. Right now, we’re trying to find some consistency for him. The only way he’s going to get it is to pitch.”

I don’t remember, is he out of options? Could he start the year in AAA to find the strikezone?