Bruce era has begun

Finally.
Jay Bruce is here.
The Sporting News' minor league player of the year, Jay Bruce, arrived in Cincinnati Tuesday night. The fans, who had been calling for Bruce since Opening Day, weren't disappointed.
Bruce went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in his debut. He also had two walks. On Wednesday, he was 1-for-3 and two more walks.
I saw Bruce play several games for Sarasota last year. He looks the same as I saw him when I was at Clearwater. He even has that same movement of removing his hand off the bat and putting it back on prior to the pitch.
Expect Bruce to hit line drives to all fields. He's a gap hitter, who can hit doubles to every spot in the park. His power will come. Right now, he's about a 20 home run guy at the major league level.
While his more natural position is right field, he can play center, too, as he did at AAA Louisville this year.
The most important thing is that the Reds seem committed to playing him every day. There was no reason to bring him up and play him part time. That would only stunt his development.
With players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto, the Reds finally have a core of young players that other teams envy.
It's about time.
But the best news came Wednesday.
That's when I heard that .200 hitting Corey Patterson was sent to Louisville. His 0-for-8 day on Sunday in the 18-inning marathon probably sealed his fate.
He was only on the roster because manager Dusty Baker wanted him.
It was about time the Reds got rid of him.