Dude.
We have so had this conversation before. A couple times, actually.
I mean, what are we gonna do?
3-7 in the last 10. An uncharacteristically poor start from Johnny Cueto after he was spotted a five-run lead in the first non-Opening Day sellout in, probably, five years. A few chinks in the armor of a previously unchinkable bullpen.
Has it finally happened? Has the other shoe finally dropped?
I don't think so. We're still in it. There's still a ton of time. Votto and Eddie will be back soon.
I repeat that to myself three times in the bathroom mirror every night before I go to bed.
It seems like every series in the last six weeks has been a "big series." Every Tuesday and Friday (or Monday and Thursday depending on how the schedule falls that week) I sit here and clamor on about the importance of the impending three or four-game series with Team X.
I drivel on and on and on and fucking on about the pitching match-ups and standings implications and finally conclude that we will learn something about this team as a result of the series.
And each series I've been totally wrong.
Reds fans have not learned anything new about this team in the last six weeks. We continue to flounder around .500, stay in the middle of the pack in the playoff hunt, and generally tread water.
Everyone else is doing the exact same thing.
Despite the fact that yesterday's game was a complete microcosm of our season thus far and Saturday night's loss was probably the worst of the year we still went 3-3 on the homestand and remain exactly .500 through 68 games.
What's more is that we'll have an opportunity to make up some ground in the coming weeks.
Beginning tomorrow the team begins a six-game trip starting in Toronto and ending in Cleveland before coming home for nine including three a piece with St. Louis and Milwaukee.
Speaking of Cleveland...
That's one fan base I would absolutely not want to trade places with. Ever. As if the debacle with Orlando wasn't bad enough the Indians are grossly underachieving for the second consecutive season.
And the tribe doesn't just lose. They invent new methods of torture.
To be perfectly honest, I've seen snuff films more watchable than the Indians bullpen.
I'm not just picking on the Tribe here, either. I woke up this morning and my buddy Alan had left the following message on my Facebook Wall:
I'll trade you teams straight up. I'll even throw in the Lake Erie Monsters to sweeten the deal.
Anyway, after the six-game swing through the American League the team comes home to face the lowly Diamondbacks for three followed by the Cardinals and Brewers. Realistically, the team can go 8-7 or 9-6, but if they can get Joey Votto and Edwin Encarnacion back in the middle of this span and reel off 10 or 11 of 15 we can make a run into first.
My point is that we continue to hold on by a thread and remain barely relevant in the playoff chase, but if we can get all of our guys healthy, I really believe we're primed to make a run at this thing.
I'm keenly aware I've written/said the proceeding statement approximately 14 million times in the last week. In fact, Kate found the other day "but if we can get all of our guys healthy, I really believe we're primed to make a run at this thing." written continuously on a single Word Document much like Jack Nicholson in the The Shining
The difference between saying it now and saying it last week is that now it does appear as if we're finally getting healthy. Votto is due back no later than the end of the month and Eddie will begin a rehab assignment in Louisville this week.
Last week, on the other hand, was spent sizing Joey Votto for a straight jacket.
I was talking with Zach last night about the importance of patience. The conversation was general in nature and not at all directly related to baseball. However, I do find the lesson applicable when approaching the 2009 Cincinnati Reds.
We still have more than 90 games to go and we're only four games out. And we're finally showing signs of getting our entire roster healthy.
In short, there's finally some light at the end of the tunnel.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
The real issue behind the Raul Ibanez story
When the Philadelphia Phillies came to town May 19-21 to battle the Redlegs one player stood out to me more than Utley, Howard or Rollins. That player was Raul Ibanez.And I'm not just saying that.
In that series Ibanez was 3-12, hit two homeruns, doubled twice, drove in five and scored at least one run in every game during that series.
My knowledge of Ibanez to that point was reasonably limited as he has spent much of his career in the American League and, generally speaking, I refuse to acknowledge the AL as real baseball.
Of course I'm kidding. Mostly.
But, my point is that I'd certainly heard of Ibanez and knew he him to be a solid outfielder, but to say I followed his career with any regularity would be misleading. Even after the Phils blew threw the Queen City, taking two of three, I didn't think much of Ibanez other than, "Wow, I'm in no hurry to face that guy again."
I assure you never once did I wonder about his hot start and I certainly never tried to draw any kind of serious connection to Ibanez and steroids.
This, of course, is mostly because I'm an upwardly-mobile, forward-thinking person with a shred of common sense.
This means that I have absolutely nothing in common with Jerod Morris.
Morris, on a blog titled Midwest Sports Fans, crafted a story in which he questioned whether the numbers Ibanez has posted this season point to the use of steroids, or Performance Enhancing Drugs or whatever the hell players take/took, whatever.
In the interest of fairness, the numbers Ibanez has put up thus far have been remarkable. At the age of 37 Ibanez is raking like never before. 20 homeruns, more than 50 RBI, an OPS clear of 1000 andohbytheway, he leads all Major League outfielders in All-Star voting.
Ibanez has always been good; never this good. Prior to this season the most homeruns he has hit in a season has been 33, a feat he accomplished in 2006 while playing for the Seattle Mariners.
These points were the fuel behind the Morris posting in which he made a half-hearted effort to compare the playing situation for Ibanez this year and in past years. Eventually conc
luding the playing situation for Ibanez this year and in past seasons is virtually the same, thus it's fair to surmise PEDs are the cause of Ibanez's spike in numbers; the link to Morris' blog can be found at the top of the page.
Of course, Ibanez came out and blasted the blog like a four-seamer left middle-in.
"I'll come after people who defame or slander me," Ibanez told the Philadelphia Inquirer Tuesday night. "It's pathetic and disgusting. There should be some accountability for people who put that out there."
"I'll put that up against the jobs of anyone who writes this stuff," Ibanez went on, according to the report. "Make them accountable. There should be more credibility than some 42-year-old blogger typing in his mother's basement. It demeans everything you've done with one stroke of the pen."
While I totally agree with everything Ibanez said, I do take some offense to his final point.
I'm not 42, and I don't live in my mom's basement. I'm 22 and live off my girlfriends couch.
There is a HUGE difference!
But, this brings us to my real issue with the whole situation. There are countless people out there just like me and Jerod Morris.
We love sports, care about our teams and want to be sportswriters more than anything else in the whole world. Some of us went and got journalism degrees and then realized there is absolutely no future in traditional newspaper sportswriting.
So, we post to blogs, Facebook and Myspace. All the time. We plug our writing to our family, friends, pets and panhandlers all with the faint hope that maybe one day we'll get noticed, one day realize our dreams.
This requires us to be somewhat edgy. After all, if we're boring no one will want to read our stuff.
For me, "edgy" means the occasional comical reference to human feces and casual sex--though not necessarily at the same time.
Apparently for Jerod Morris "edgy" means defaming an All-Star outfielder enjoying a career year.
One of my favorite radio personalities, Colin Cowherd, defended this blog yesterday on his show claiming that fans and the media have the right, especially in this era, to question bloated offensive numbers.
Maybe.
But I would contend, fervently, this "questioning" should take place responsibly and with more proof than, "Hmm. Ibanez has never hit this many homeruns before the All-Star break in his entire career."
This thing isn't even about Raul Ibanez, he's just an innocent bystander.
Rather, it's about Jerod Morris trying to draw attention to his writing by publishing something a little bit controversial, and that's what pisses me off more than anything else.
Without considering the ramifications of what he was saying Morris published this piece (of garbage!) in the hope he would cause some kind of stir.
Mission accomplished, dishrag.
Look, I have no real rooting interest in the Raul Ibanez story. I hope he's clean simply because baseball's reputation has been tarnished enough and I love the game far too much to see it take another black eye.
But, the fact of the matter is, if he did take steroids I'd just chalk him up to the laundry list of other players who did the exact same thing.
Oh, and let's not forget that much of this rampant steroid use took place during a time in which baseball was borderline irrelevant, virtually no one was coming to the ballpark and people were still bitter about the strike.
Naturally, no one cared about steroids then; the game was entertaining.
Don't even get me started.
If there was any tangible proof at all that Raul Ibanez used steroids then Morris would have been justified in writing what he did. The sad fact of the matter is that no such proof exists and the only reason we're even having this stupid conversation is because an aspiring sportswriter wanted to get noticed.
I just hope he finished before his shift at Burger King started.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Better ugly than good
Fortunately, there's no style points issued in Major League Baseball. A win is a win is a win regardless of ugly it may be.
Now, far be it for me to piss and moan about the manner in which the Reds earn a victory, doing so is a little like a fat guy complaining the woman he's sleeping with isn't quite hot enough.
After all, winning ugly is a lot better than losing pretty and in recent years the Reds have done neither; my point, of course, is that we'll take a win any day, under any circumstances.
It would be intellectually dishonest for me to sit here and outline how well the team played while I order my World Series tickets. The fact of the matter is, we didn't play that well at all.
That said, we won the game and we did so as a direct result of our superior pitching.
Aaron Harang, despite throwing approximately 16,295 pitches, tossed seven and two-thirds shutout innings and even though Francisco Cordero blew his first save of the season after waiting out a rain delay that lasted more than two hours, the duo of Nick Massett and David 'Stormy' Weathers combined to shutout the Nationals in extra innings as our putrid excuse for an offense mustered across a pair of runs in the 12th to pull out the victory.
After the Brewers blew (another) lead at home against the Colorado Rockies last night our fightin' Redlegs picked up another game in the division and now trail the Bernie Brewers by only a game-and-a-half.
This is precisely the reason why I firmly believe we'll be in contention all summer long.
Our pitching is better than everyone else's pitching. A lot better.
I outlined for you yesterday the outstanding line from Johnny Cueto Tuesday night, Harang's line last evening was equally impressive and what's more is that our best pitchers are probably in the bullpen.
After the win last night the Reds are now 22-4 this season in games in which they've scored first.
In contrast, The Brewers, despite leading the division, are 3-6 in the month of June even though they've held a lead in every single game.
To be fair, Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman has completely rejuvenated his career and is among the league leaders in saves thus far. That point is irrelevant, of course, if the Brewers are unable to get to that point in the game.
I'm still holding out hope that Uncle Walt Jocketty will acquire for us some kind of outfield right-handed power bat sometime before the trade deadline. And if that happens and Joey Votto comes back healthy we'll truly be poised to make a run at this thing, even with a revolving door at third base and Corey Patterson 2.0 manning centerfield.
That said, it's not likely we'll trade for the aforementioned power bat and God only knows when/if Votto will come back, so it's a real possibility that we'll have to forge through the duration of this campaign with Laynce Nix batting cleanup.
If that's the case, and it likely is, I still believe we can compete seriously for a division title this year. My belief is rooted deeply in my aforementioned thesis our pitching is good enough to compete.
If my previous argument didn't convince you, try this on for size.
Dating back to last Wednesday, more than a week ago now, our starting pitchers have logged seven consecutive quality starts. That is, for seven consecutive games in a row our starting pitchers have logged six or more innings and allowed three or fewer runs.
While we're only 4-3 in those games, we've managed to pick up two games in the division as we continue to chug along towards October.
It's a bumpy ride, but I'm honored to be on it.
Now, far be it for me to piss and moan about the manner in which the Reds earn a victory, doing so is a little like a fat guy complaining the woman he's sleeping with isn't quite hot enough.
After all, winning ugly is a lot better than losing pretty and in recent years the Reds have done neither; my point, of course, is that we'll take a win any day, under any circumstances.
It would be intellectually dishonest for me to sit here and outline how well the team played while I order my World Series tickets. The fact of the matter is, we didn't play that well at all.
That said, we won the game and we did so as a direct result of our superior pitching.
Aaron Harang, despite throwing approximately 16,295 pitches, tossed seven and two-thirds shutout innings and even though Francisco Cordero blew his first save of the season after waiting out a rain delay that lasted more than two hours, the duo of Nick Massett and David 'Stormy' Weathers combined to shutout the Nationals in extra innings as our putrid excuse for an offense mustered across a pair of runs in the 12th to pull out the victory.
After the Brewers blew (another) lead at home against the Colorado Rockies last night our fightin' Redlegs picked up another game in the division and now trail the Bernie Brewers by only a game-and-a-half.
This is precisely the reason why I firmly believe we'll be in contention all summer long.
Our pitching is better than everyone else's pitching. A lot better.
I outlined for you yesterday the outstanding line from Johnny Cueto Tuesday night, Harang's line last evening was equally impressive and what's more is that our best pitchers are probably in the bullpen.
After the win last night the Reds are now 22-4 this season in games in which they've scored first.
In contrast, The Brewers, despite leading the division, are 3-6 in the month of June even though they've held a lead in every single game.
To be fair, Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman has completely rejuvenated his career and is among the league leaders in saves thus far. That point is irrelevant, of course, if the Brewers are unable to get to that point in the game.
I'm still holding out hope that Uncle Walt Jocketty will acquire for us some kind of outfield right-handed power bat sometime before the trade deadline. And if that happens and Joey Votto comes back healthy we'll truly be poised to make a run at this thing, even with a revolving door at third base and Corey Patterson 2.0 manning centerfield.
That said, it's not likely we'll trade for the aforementioned power bat and God only knows when/if Votto will come back, so it's a real possibility that we'll have to forge through the duration of this campaign with Laynce Nix batting cleanup.
If that's the case, and it likely is, I still believe we can compete seriously for a division title this year. My belief is rooted deeply in my aforementioned thesis our pitching is good enough to compete.
If my previous argument didn't convince you, try this on for size.
Dating back to last Wednesday, more than a week ago now, our starting pitchers have logged seven consecutive quality starts. That is, for seven consecutive games in a row our starting pitchers have logged six or more innings and allowed three or fewer runs.
While we're only 4-3 in those games, we've managed to pick up two games in the division as we continue to chug along towards October.
It's a bumpy ride, but I'm honored to be on it.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Reds baseball in 30 minutes or less
So, I figured in the 30 or so minutes I have left before I have to go to a "real" job where I make "real" money, I'd post a handful of musings and ramblings about last night's 3-2 rain-soaked victory over the Washington Nationals.Johnny Cueto is positively brilliant. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. This dude has been our best pitcher all season long, hands down. He's a joy to watch pitch and if the Reds can stay in contention all summer long, he's a legitimate Cy Young Award candidate; you heard it here first. The justification for the preceeding statement isn't necessarily rooted in his line last night, though it was more-than-strong, and it wasn't rooted in the number of strikeouts or the innumerable things he did well on the mound.
Instead, that statement is justified in the worst inning Cueto pitched last night, the first inning. The Nationals knocked two hits and drew a pair of walks off the Redlegs righty in the opening frame, and though a marvelous defensive play from Alex Gonzalez prevented the Nats from scoring, Cueto still was forced to throw 27 pitches and and battle the entire way.
During that inning, I began to have flashbacks to last season. A season ago Cueto was mighty suseptible to surrendering the big inning, and more often than not it was a direct result of walking guys and not pitching to contact. And even if Cueto dodged one bullet, it always seemed like he was in trouble again the very next inning.
The remarkable things that Johnny Cueto does, while still impressive, do not surprise me anymore because I've seen flashes of that brilliance for nearly two years. Rather, what I find most impressive is the maturation process Cueto has undergone to turn himself into a formidable starting pitcher in the offensive-rich National League Central Division.
After Cueto weasled his way out of the first inning last night he retired 10 straight hitters before giving up a fourth inning solo homerun to Elijiah Dukes, the only run Cueto would allow in his seven innings of work.
Cueto now has an ERA of 2.33 and may very well find himself making a trip to St. Louis for the All-Star game.
Speaking of All-Stars, after Brandon Phillips suffered through a postively dismal month of April, he has been the Reds most consistent batter, with the exception of Joey Votto who we may not see again for quite some time.
Phillips struck again last night.
A two-run double down the right field line in the fifth inning proved to be the game winner for the Reds. Phillips looked awful against Nats lefty Ross Detwiller to that point. But, when Detwiller tried to fool Phillips with a fastball on the outer-half, the Reds second baseman shot it neatly down the right field line giving the Reds a lead they would not relinquish.
It's so good to see Phillips get basehits to the opposite field, it's evidence that he's not trying to do too much at the plate.
There's an old saying in the game of baseball, "Momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher," and we're sending out Aaron Harang tonight to oppose the Nationals. I wrote last week that Harang didn't pitch all that well during his last start despite a strong line.
I have a hunch he's going to go out and toss a gem tonight.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Defecation, beer and a big night in the sports world
The best part about being done with school has got to be all the friends I get to see now that I'm finally home.
The other night after work I visited my oldest, best friend, Zach and his fiancee Carrie at their apartment. I've known Zach my entire life and have probably spent more time with him than any other human on this planet, my parents included.
What's really cool about our friendship is that we pretty much do the same stuff we did when we were 12 years old. For example, at 12 we'd play Playstation and drink Mountain Dew. Now, we play XBox 360 and Wii while we drink beer.
We drank a lot of beer that night.
Consequently, I was far too gone to drive home that same night. (A move I would pay for dearly later; but that's an entirely separate story altogether.)
Anyway, I'm driving home the next morning and it's a little bit of a drive from my apartment to Zach's--about an hour--so I decide to stop for some gas, a cup of Speedway's finest House Blend and a desperately needed restroom break.
Now, ya know how after a night of long, excessive alcohol consumption your poop is always kind of runny and explosive?
The Beer Poops.
Well, suffice it to say I had a bad case of the Beer Poops as I walked into Speedway that morning.
My condition didn't go unnoticed, either. As I approached the counter to pay for coffee and gas the attendant looks at me and says, "Long night, huh?"
After a chuckle, I nod, "Why yes it was. How'd you know?"
"Well," he replied, "You haven't shaved, your hair is a mess and you waddled in here like you hadn't taken a dump in three days."
Dumbfounded, I attempted to craft a response, but before I can reply he cuts me off again.
"I understand, man, had a bad case of the Beer Poops myself just a few days ago."
Speaking of defecation...
The Reds had no business losing two of three to the Cubs last weekend.
None whatsoever.
Despite being sorely outmaned we had an opportunity to win every one of those games. This statement holds especially true during Sunday's marathon matinee that went 14 innings before the Cubs plated three in the 14th off Mike Lincoln who will, undoubtedly, be greeting Wal-Mart patrons by the end of the month.
I got a funny text from my good buddy Samps during the 14th inning fiasco that read: If we don't release Lincoln when [Edinson] Volquez comes off the DL I'm going to buy a seat next to the Reds bullpen and spend an entire game heckling him.
You'll have to wait your turn, brother.
Not only did the Reds fall apart in the 14th, but the only reason the game got to that point was because the offense squandered more chances than Darryl Strawberry.
The Reds loaded the bases with only one out in the 12th inning before failing to plate the winning run. Furthermore, they had runners in scoring position with a chance to win in the eighth, 10th, 12th and 13th innings and were unable to plate the winning run.
That series was an important one, certainly; they all are. But, losing two of three to the Cubs is not going to kill us. We're still only 3.5 out.
It's not like we were playing in a pivotal game five in the Stanley Cup Finals or anything.
It figures that no sooner do I write a blog imploring sports fans to give the NHL Finals a try is the most important game of the series is a complete and thorough blowout.
The Detroit Red Wings throttled the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to a 5-0 lambasting and a 3-2 series lead. The Wings can close out the series tonight in game six. The good news for Pens fans, the game will be played in Mellon Arena.
Probably the best sporting event last weekend, if you didn't catch Tiger's come-from-behind- crowd-pleasing 65 at the final round of The Memorial, was game two of The NBA Finals.
A classic, in any sense, the Magic were able to hold Kobe Bryant in check for much of the game, but were unable to get any tangible production from their backcourt by anyone not named Rashard Lewis.
As someone who is completely unqualified to analyze NBA basketball, I think much of the reason for Orlando's glaring inability to get the same production from their backcourt they received in the Cleveland series is because Kobe Bryant is so good defensively.
For all the attention he receives for his offensive accomplishments, of which there are many, Bryant has shown himself more than capable of shutting down the other team's best offensive player for 48 minutes, 53 if necessary.
In six chances, the Magic have never won an NBA Finals; a trend they'll try and buck tonight when they go home for game three.
After a positively dreadful night in the sports world last night that saw no hoops, no hockey and no Reds baseball the highlight of my night came when Kate made fish and chips for dinner.
Tonight will be different, however. The Wings try and close out the Pens in game five, the Magic look to avoid the panic button in game three and The Redlegs travel to the Nation's Capitol to take on the Washington Artists Formerly Known as the Expos with a Roster that Bears a Strong Resemblance to the Cincinnati Reds Circa 2001-2003.
A sports night this important may call for a beer or several.
Just be careful to stay away from the Beer Poops.
The other night after work I visited my oldest, best friend, Zach and his fiancee Carrie at their apartment. I've known Zach my entire life and have probably spent more time with him than any other human on this planet, my parents included.
What's really cool about our friendship is that we pretty much do the same stuff we did when we were 12 years old. For example, at 12 we'd play Playstation and drink Mountain Dew. Now, we play XBox 360 and Wii while we drink beer.
We drank a lot of beer that night.
Consequently, I was far too gone to drive home that same night. (A move I would pay for dearly later; but that's an entirely separate story altogether.)
Anyway, I'm driving home the next morning and it's a little bit of a drive from my apartment to Zach's--about an hour--so I decide to stop for some gas, a cup of Speedway's finest House Blend and a desperately needed restroom break.
Now, ya know how after a night of long, excessive alcohol consumption your poop is always kind of runny and explosive?
The Beer Poops.
Well, suffice it to say I had a bad case of the Beer Poops as I walked into Speedway that morning.
My condition didn't go unnoticed, either. As I approached the counter to pay for coffee and gas the attendant looks at me and says, "Long night, huh?"
After a chuckle, I nod, "Why yes it was. How'd you know?"
"Well," he replied, "You haven't shaved, your hair is a mess and you waddled in here like you hadn't taken a dump in three days."
Dumbfounded, I attempted to craft a response, but before I can reply he cuts me off again.
"I understand, man, had a bad case of the Beer Poops myself just a few days ago."
Speaking of defecation...
The Reds had no business losing two of three to the Cubs last weekend.
None whatsoever.
Despite being sorely outmaned we had an opportunity to win every one of those games. This statement holds especially true during Sunday's marathon matinee that went 14 innings before the Cubs plated three in the 14th off Mike Lincoln who will, undoubtedly, be greeting Wal-Mart patrons by the end of the month.
I got a funny text from my good buddy Samps during the 14th inning fiasco that read: If we don't release Lincoln when [Edinson] Volquez comes off the DL I'm going to buy a seat next to the Reds bullpen and spend an entire game heckling him.
You'll have to wait your turn, brother.
Not only did the Reds fall apart in the 14th, but the only reason the game got to that point was because the offense squandered more chances than Darryl Strawberry.
The Reds loaded the bases with only one out in the 12th inning before failing to plate the winning run. Furthermore, they had runners in scoring position with a chance to win in the eighth, 10th, 12th and 13th innings and were unable to plate the winning run.
That series was an important one, certainly; they all are. But, losing two of three to the Cubs is not going to kill us. We're still only 3.5 out.
It's not like we were playing in a pivotal game five in the Stanley Cup Finals or anything.
It figures that no sooner do I write a blog imploring sports fans to give the NHL Finals a try is the most important game of the series is a complete and thorough blowout.
The Detroit Red Wings throttled the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to a 5-0 lambasting and a 3-2 series lead. The Wings can close out the series tonight in game six. The good news for Pens fans, the game will be played in Mellon Arena.
Probably the best sporting event last weekend, if you didn't catch Tiger's come-from-behind- crowd-pleasing 65 at the final round of The Memorial, was game two of The NBA Finals.
A classic, in any sense, the Magic were able to hold Kobe Bryant in check for much of the game, but were unable to get any tangible production from their backcourt by anyone not named Rashard Lewis.
As someone who is completely unqualified to analyze NBA basketball, I think much of the reason for Orlando's glaring inability to get the same production from their backcourt they received in the Cleveland series is because Kobe Bryant is so good defensively.
For all the attention he receives for his offensive accomplishments, of which there are many, Bryant has shown himself more than capable of shutting down the other team's best offensive player for 48 minutes, 53 if necessary.
In six chances, the Magic have never won an NBA Finals; a trend they'll try and buck tonight when they go home for game three.
After a positively dreadful night in the sports world last night that saw no hoops, no hockey and no Reds baseball the highlight of my night came when Kate made fish and chips for dinner.
Tonight will be different, however. The Wings try and close out the Pens in game five, the Magic look to avoid the panic button in game three and The Redlegs travel to the Nation's Capitol to take on the Washington Artists Formerly Known as the Expos with a Roster that Bears a Strong Resemblance to the Cincinnati Reds Circa 2001-2003.
A sports night this important may call for a beer or several.
Just be careful to stay away from the Beer Poops.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Lord Stanley vs. Larry O
So, last night while I wasn't watching Chris Carpenter outclass the Cincinnati Reds I flipped between Game One of the NBA Finals and Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals.
I don't know how many more viewers tuned into the NBA Finals than did the NHL Finals, but I don't have to know; the difference was undoubtedly sizable. That said, I would submit to you the hockey game was far more exciting than was the basketball game.
While the Los Angeles Lakers were steamrolling the grossly overmatched Orlando Magic the Pittsburgh Penguins were fighting valiantly to even the series against the odds-on favorite Detroit Red Wings.
I'm not here to break down Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals; I'm nowhere near qualified to do so. (Which is part of the problem, by the way, there aren't nearly enough people in the sports media qualified to speak intelligently on the NHL so the coverage sucks.) What I am here to tell you, however, is that game last night was one of the three most exciting playoff games I've seen all postseason in any sport.
This is thanks in no small part to the atmosphere inside Mellon Arena last night. In the middle of the second period, trailing by a single goal, the Penguins netted three goals in about six minutes, one of which was shorthanded, to take a 4-2 lead in a game they'd eventually win by that very score.
Furthermore, I was impressed by the camera work done by Versus. Hockey is probably the one sport where the fan experience is enhanced greatly by attending the game versus watching it on television. In fact, watching hockey on television can sometimes be, to be fair, downright painful. The camera angles make it difficult to follow the puck and about half the ice is completely lost to the TV audience.
This was not my experience last night. The camera work done by the Versus crew made watching the game totally enjoyable.
Of course, this all goes back to the quality of the game itself, which was outstanding. The fans were raucous and the Penguins clearly responded to that electricity which was so palpable that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up after the Pittsburgh scored its fourth goal.
It should be noted that I have no real rooting interest in the Stanley Cup Finals. I can find reasons to pull for and against both teams, so I'm simply watching the games as a sports junkie who loves competition.
Chances are, you have no real rooting interest in the Stanley Cup Finals, either. If that's the case I would implore you to tune in anyway, just for the sport of it. There aren't words to describe the insanity that ensues when a home team nets a goal in an important playoff game. The NHL has a (relatively) small but extremely loyal following and this group of people take their hockey very seriously and it clearly shows.
I'm not out to start some kind of anti-NBA Finals campaign here. I'm really not. The NBA Finals certainly have fascinating storylines and a little something for everyone. And I'm sure that for the remaining four games before the Lakers win the thing, the Finals will have great ratings and everyone will love it.
Just take a second though and flip on the Stanley Cup Finals, sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Just don't be alarmed when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up after a Sydney Crosby goal.
I don't know how many more viewers tuned into the NBA Finals than did the NHL Finals, but I don't have to know; the difference was undoubtedly sizable. That said, I would submit to you the hockey game was far more exciting than was the basketball game.
While the Los Angeles Lakers were steamrolling the grossly overmatched Orlando Magic the Pittsburgh Penguins were fighting valiantly to even the series against the odds-on favorite Detroit Red Wings.
I'm not here to break down Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals; I'm nowhere near qualified to do so. (Which is part of the problem, by the way, there aren't nearly enough people in the sports media qualified to speak intelligently on the NHL so the coverage sucks.) What I am here to tell you, however, is that game last night was one of the three most exciting playoff games I've seen all postseason in any sport.
This is thanks in no small part to the atmosphere inside Mellon Arena last night. In the middle of the second period, trailing by a single goal, the Penguins netted three goals in about six minutes, one of which was shorthanded, to take a 4-2 lead in a game they'd eventually win by that very score.
Furthermore, I was impressed by the camera work done by Versus. Hockey is probably the one sport where the fan experience is enhanced greatly by attending the game versus watching it on television. In fact, watching hockey on television can sometimes be, to be fair, downright painful. The camera angles make it difficult to follow the puck and about half the ice is completely lost to the TV audience.
This was not my experience last night. The camera work done by the Versus crew made watching the game totally enjoyable.
Of course, this all goes back to the quality of the game itself, which was outstanding. The fans were raucous and the Penguins clearly responded to that electricity which was so palpable that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up after the Pittsburgh scored its fourth goal.
It should be noted that I have no real rooting interest in the Stanley Cup Finals. I can find reasons to pull for and against both teams, so I'm simply watching the games as a sports junkie who loves competition.
Chances are, you have no real rooting interest in the Stanley Cup Finals, either. If that's the case I would implore you to tune in anyway, just for the sport of it. There aren't words to describe the insanity that ensues when a home team nets a goal in an important playoff game. The NHL has a (relatively) small but extremely loyal following and this group of people take their hockey very seriously and it clearly shows.
I'm not out to start some kind of anti-NBA Finals campaign here. I'm really not. The NBA Finals certainly have fascinating storylines and a little something for everyone. And I'm sure that for the remaining four games before the Lakers win the thing, the Finals will have great ratings and everyone will love it.
Just take a second though and flip on the Stanley Cup Finals, sit back and enjoy the spectacle.
Just don't be alarmed when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up after a Sydney Crosby goal.
A Carpenter and his buzzsaw
I, like the rest of you, was feeling pretty bummed after the Reds fell to the Cardinals last night in the finale of a four-game set in the Gateway city, 3-1.
Nevermind the fact that it became obvious at about 8:25 the Reds were not going to collect more than four hits against Chris Carpenter and it became even more obvious at approximately 8:40 that Aaron Harang would not be able to match Carpenter pitch-for-pitch.
Not that I have any real right to hate on Aaron Harang.
In fact, I have no right whatsoever to hate on Aaron Harang. But, the fact of the matter is that while his line last night was very strong, eight innings, eight hits, three runs, two walks and five K's, he was far from the Aaron Harang of 2006.
If it were not for a handful of crucial double plays and some sparkling plays in the field, that game could have easily been 8-0; the numbers simply do not tell the entire story.
So...
Like I said, I was feeling pretty bummed after the loss. I tend to get rather emotional when we lose and after last night's loss I was nothing short of dejected.
As I often do, I tried to derive some kind of deeper meaning from the game last night. I wanted to know what we could learn about the team as a result of last night's loss. After a few moments of thoughtful consideration, I flushed the toilet and came to the conclusion the game last night would probably serve as a microcosm for the rest of the season. That is, we would stay competitive through much of the season, but eventually fall short when it mattered most.
It's not that there's any shame in losing 3-1 to the Cardinals when Chris Carpenter is pitching. Hell, we plated a run off him, that's more than the rest of the league has been able to scratch across. But, what troubled me is that we didn't really compete. I knew as soon as Albert Pujols hit that third inning, two-run, two iron to the moon that we were going to lose that game.
Now, certainly this isn't for lack of trying, we just simply do not have the guys to match up against Chris Carpenter when he's pitching that way. This conclusion, while troubling, seemed to make the most sense, given the combination of our recent history and current situation.
Then, a funny thing happened. I had sex.
Now, the details of my sexual conquest will go unmentioned, as they are most unappetizing. Just know that I was thinking much clearer upon conclusion.
Boy, it sure is funny how 45 seconds can change a guy's perspective on things.
As I laid there, thinking more about the Reds and the game last night and my theory, I came to, another, conclusion.
I am completely full of bologna.
We played last night's game sorely shorthanded and still hung in against the best pitcher in the National League and one of our better starters had far from his best stuff, and he still went eight innings of three-run baseball.
In fact, after I put my Apocalypse signs away and looked at the game objectively, we actually played pretty well.
Sure, it really, really stinks to lose the game, any game, ever.
But, here's the thing.
We still walked out of St. Louis with a four-game split. We've still taken it to those creeps four out of seven times already. We're still 19-14 against teams in our division.
And the best news of all: We're still only 2.5 games out of first place in the central division, despite a record of 2-5 on that god awful roadtrip.
As I noted yesterday this season has been one of many ups and downs. There have been times throughout the course of this season when I was absolutely certain this team would win the World Series and there have been times this season when I was absolutely certain this team would lose 100 games.
Of course, what do I know? I probably belong in a mental hospital.
After a long week away. Our team finally comes home and I couldn't be more pleased to have them back, regardless of how abbreviated the stay might be.
And it will be abbreviated. Just a three-game set with the struggling Cubs before we head back on the road. However, what this homestand lacks in substance it makes up for in importance.
The Cubs come in struggling mightily with an overall record of 26-25. They're currently in fourth place, 3.5 behind Milwaukee and a game behind us.
If we're going to take two of three from the Cubbies this weekend, we're going to probably have to score some runs to do it.
Micah Owings will take the hill for us tonight. While it is true he's solidified the fifth spot in the rotation, he's still 3-6 with an ERA of over five.
Matt Maloney will start for us Saturday night. Maloney is 4-0 with an ERA of an even two at AAA Louisville this season; he's clearly capable. But, he's also making his Major League debut. So, there will undoubtedly be some nerves, and possibly even some nausea.
Maloney will be pretty anxious, too.
Bronson Arroyo will make the start in the Sunday matinee. Arroyo is second in the league in wins, but an ERA over five makes me think that we may be in for a nine-run inning every time two consecutive batters reach base.
As if scoring runs was not a tall enough task for the Reds this season, it just got a little bit harder.
Carlos Zambrano was supposed to make his first start after a six-game suspension last night in Atlanta, but as luck and Mother Nature would have it, the game was rained out. Yep. That means he's pitching tonight against us.
On the bright side, the Reds have enjoyed success against Big Z in the past. What's more, there exists a 73.6% chance Zambrano goes crazy over a ball or strike causing him to freak out, throw second base and go positively postal on a water cooler.
Ryan Dempster will start Saturday night for the Cubs. The former Red has posted a winning record thus far, however, his ERA is over four, well above where it stood during his All-Star campaign a season ago.
Randy Wells will oppose Arroyo in the Sunday finale. Wells has made five starts for the Cubs this season and while he's 0-2 his ERA is under two and received a tough-luck no decision last Tuesday after he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves.
This series wraps up a series of 13 consecutive games against National League Central opponents. The Reds are currently 5-5 during the streak.
This is a big series for both teams. But, two out of three one or way the other will not send either team spiraling into panic mode.
In fact, and we'll end with this thought, the Reds absolutely refuse to panic. This fact has been evidenced time and again thus far and is probably my favorite part about this team.
There have been numerous opportunities for this team to cave already and they still haven't. That's go to mean something, right?
I think so.
Nevermind the fact that it became obvious at about 8:25 the Reds were not going to collect more than four hits against Chris Carpenter and it became even more obvious at approximately 8:40 that Aaron Harang would not be able to match Carpenter pitch-for-pitch.
Not that I have any real right to hate on Aaron Harang.
In fact, I have no right whatsoever to hate on Aaron Harang. But, the fact of the matter is that while his line last night was very strong, eight innings, eight hits, three runs, two walks and five K's, he was far from the Aaron Harang of 2006.
If it were not for a handful of crucial double plays and some sparkling plays in the field, that game could have easily been 8-0; the numbers simply do not tell the entire story.
So...
Like I said, I was feeling pretty bummed after the loss. I tend to get rather emotional when we lose and after last night's loss I was nothing short of dejected.
As I often do, I tried to derive some kind of deeper meaning from the game last night. I wanted to know what we could learn about the team as a result of last night's loss. After a few moments of thoughtful consideration, I flushed the toilet and came to the conclusion the game last night would probably serve as a microcosm for the rest of the season. That is, we would stay competitive through much of the season, but eventually fall short when it mattered most.
It's not that there's any shame in losing 3-1 to the Cardinals when Chris Carpenter is pitching. Hell, we plated a run off him, that's more than the rest of the league has been able to scratch across. But, what troubled me is that we didn't really compete. I knew as soon as Albert Pujols hit that third inning, two-run, two iron to the moon that we were going to lose that game.
Now, certainly this isn't for lack of trying, we just simply do not have the guys to match up against Chris Carpenter when he's pitching that way. This conclusion, while troubling, seemed to make the most sense, given the combination of our recent history and current situation.
Then, a funny thing happened. I had sex.
Now, the details of my sexual conquest will go unmentioned, as they are most unappetizing. Just know that I was thinking much clearer upon conclusion.
Boy, it sure is funny how 45 seconds can change a guy's perspective on things.
As I laid there, thinking more about the Reds and the game last night and my theory, I came to, another, conclusion.
I am completely full of bologna.
We played last night's game sorely shorthanded and still hung in against the best pitcher in the National League and one of our better starters had far from his best stuff, and he still went eight innings of three-run baseball.
In fact, after I put my Apocalypse signs away and looked at the game objectively, we actually played pretty well.
Sure, it really, really stinks to lose the game, any game, ever.
But, here's the thing.
We still walked out of St. Louis with a four-game split. We've still taken it to those creeps four out of seven times already. We're still 19-14 against teams in our division.
And the best news of all: We're still only 2.5 games out of first place in the central division, despite a record of 2-5 on that god awful roadtrip.
As I noted yesterday this season has been one of many ups and downs. There have been times throughout the course of this season when I was absolutely certain this team would win the World Series and there have been times this season when I was absolutely certain this team would lose 100 games.
Of course, what do I know? I probably belong in a mental hospital.
After a long week away. Our team finally comes home and I couldn't be more pleased to have them back, regardless of how abbreviated the stay might be.
And it will be abbreviated. Just a three-game set with the struggling Cubs before we head back on the road. However, what this homestand lacks in substance it makes up for in importance.
The Cubs come in struggling mightily with an overall record of 26-25. They're currently in fourth place, 3.5 behind Milwaukee and a game behind us.
If we're going to take two of three from the Cubbies this weekend, we're going to probably have to score some runs to do it.
Micah Owings will take the hill for us tonight. While it is true he's solidified the fifth spot in the rotation, he's still 3-6 with an ERA of over five.
Matt Maloney will start for us Saturday night. Maloney is 4-0 with an ERA of an even two at AAA Louisville this season; he's clearly capable. But, he's also making his Major League debut. So, there will undoubtedly be some nerves, and possibly even some nausea.
Maloney will be pretty anxious, too.
Bronson Arroyo will make the start in the Sunday matinee. Arroyo is second in the league in wins, but an ERA over five makes me think that we may be in for a nine-run inning every time two consecutive batters reach base.
As if scoring runs was not a tall enough task for the Reds this season, it just got a little bit harder.
Carlos Zambrano was supposed to make his first start after a six-game suspension last night in Atlanta, but as luck and Mother Nature would have it, the game was rained out. Yep. That means he's pitching tonight against us.
On the bright side, the Reds have enjoyed success against Big Z in the past. What's more, there exists a 73.6% chance Zambrano goes crazy over a ball or strike causing him to freak out, throw second base and go positively postal on a water cooler.
Ryan Dempster will start Saturday night for the Cubs. The former Red has posted a winning record thus far, however, his ERA is over four, well above where it stood during his All-Star campaign a season ago.
Randy Wells will oppose Arroyo in the Sunday finale. Wells has made five starts for the Cubs this season and while he's 0-2 his ERA is under two and received a tough-luck no decision last Tuesday after he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves.
This series wraps up a series of 13 consecutive games against National League Central opponents. The Reds are currently 5-5 during the streak.
This is a big series for both teams. But, two out of three one or way the other will not send either team spiraling into panic mode.
In fact, and we'll end with this thought, the Reds absolutely refuse to panic. This fact has been evidenced time and again thus far and is probably my favorite part about this team.
There have been numerous opportunities for this team to cave already and they still haven't. That's go to mean something, right?
I think so.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Your daily dose of Redlegs baseball
This season has provided more ups and downs than a rollercoaster at Cedar Point. But Whatever. As a Reds fan, I wouldn't have it any other way.
I repeat that very phrase multiple times in front of the bathroom mirror before I go to bed every night.
Here's the thing: We're 28-24 through 52 games--approximately one-third of the season--and only 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in a decidedly competitive National League Central Division; I could not possibly be more pleased.
I would have been pleased with a 28-24 record under the best of circumstances. That is, with everyone healthy and playing well. So, the fact this team has been thrown more curve balls than Jay Bruce and is still right in the thick of things, to me, is a very good sign.
Last night was the perfect example of what I'm talking about. The team probably played its best game of the season in a 9-3 beating of the Cardinals, and it did so without the services of Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion and Willy Taveras.
The problems don't stop there, either. Brandon Phillips has a broken thumb and Jay Bruce hasn't hit the weight of my dog Maggie in the last 11 games.
Andohbytheway, Edinson Volquez, our best starting pitcher from a season ago, has missed one start, lasted only an inning in another and just went back on the disabled list.
As Reds fans, we're left with a roster that looks like it should be competing against the Iowa Cubs instead of the Chicago Cubs, yet here we are.
28-24, 2.5 games out of first.
The reasons for this overachieving ballclub are many. I'll get to that later.
My point is that had you told me last March that Encarnacion, Votto, Volquez and Phillips would all have missed significant time with injury, and we would stand only 2.5 games out of first I would have probably checked your pulse.
We're doing it with smoke and mirrors. It's often gritty and ugly, but it sure is fun.
I repeat that very phrase multiple times in front of the bathroom mirror before I go to bed every night.
Here's the thing: We're 28-24 through 52 games--approximately one-third of the season--and only 2.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in a decidedly competitive National League Central Division; I could not possibly be more pleased.
I would have been pleased with a 28-24 record under the best of circumstances. That is, with everyone healthy and playing well. So, the fact this team has been thrown more curve balls than Jay Bruce and is still right in the thick of things, to me, is a very good sign.
Last night was the perfect example of what I'm talking about. The team probably played its best game of the season in a 9-3 beating of the Cardinals, and it did so without the services of Joey Votto, Edwin Encarnacion and Willy Taveras.
The problems don't stop there, either. Brandon Phillips has a broken thumb and Jay Bruce hasn't hit the weight of my dog Maggie in the last 11 games.
Andohbytheway, Edinson Volquez, our best starting pitcher from a season ago, has missed one start, lasted only an inning in another and just went back on the disabled list.
As Reds fans, we're left with a roster that looks like it should be competing against the Iowa Cubs instead of the Chicago Cubs, yet here we are.
28-24, 2.5 games out of first.
The reasons for this overachieving ballclub are many. I'll get to that later.
My point is that had you told me last March that Encarnacion, Votto, Volquez and Phillips would all have missed significant time with injury, and we would stand only 2.5 games out of first I would have probably checked your pulse.
We're doing it with smoke and mirrors. It's often gritty and ugly, but it sure is fun.
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