These aren't the Reds we are used to seeing
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
These are not my Cincinnati Reds.
The Reds I have grown up with have been a team built with a bunch of overpaid, over-hyped underachievers, who care more about their paychecks than wins and losses.
Not being a diehard Reds fan (I love the Chicago White Sox), this Reds season has even me believing they are possibly ready to take the next step.
I don't think they will make the World Series in 2010, but stranger things have happened in the game of baseball.
But to get to climb the ladder to first place, and to stay on the top rung, we first must know how the Reds started at the bottom of the ladder to begin with.
Again, the 2010 Cincinnati Reds aren't my Cincinnati Reds.
Let's start back in 1999 when the Reds lost the one-game playoff to the New York Mets for the Wild Card spot. That season, the Mets went to the World Series, eventually losing to the New York Yankees, and the Reds – well, the Reds fell off of the face of the earth. OK, they just disappeared off the map of baseball.
From 2000-09, the Reds decided that winning baseball games wasn’t that important. At least from my view, in the nosebleed seats at old Riverfront Stadium or Cinergy Field, it just looked as if they could give two bowls of Skyline Chili if they won or lost.
All right, they did sign Ken Griffey, Jr. before the start of the 2000 season, and at the time, it seemed like a good trade. But leg injury after leg injury vanished any hopes of the Reds going to the World Series anytime soon. (Hey, at least Griffey didn’t fall asleep during games.
But once on a July 4 game at Great American Ball Park, he did strike out looking with runners on the bases in the 9th in a pinch- hit role. And I won’t even get started on Adam Dunn. The best thing he ever did in Cincinnati was prank call Marty Brennaman during a rain delay. Check for it on YouTube.)
In the last 10 years (not including this season), every team in the NL Central has been a part of the playoffs, except for the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals won the division six times, the Chicago Cubs won it three times, and the Houston Astros were division champs once in 2001. The NL Central took the wildcard spot four times in that span ('01 Cardinals, '04 Astros, '05 Astros, '08 Milwaukee Brewers). Three times, the NL Central went to the World Series with the Cardinals winning it all in '06, defeating
the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in the seven-game series. The Cardinals lost the Series in '04 to the Red Sox, and in '05 Houston were swept by the White Sox. (My personal favorite day in the history of baseball.)
So, even though the Reds had a tough road to travel in the last 10 or so years, it doesn't help the fact they haven't been to the playoffs since 1995, when they won their division.
But this season, with the Griffeys, Dunns and all the others who couldn't take the Reds to the promised land, the Reds seem to have the right mindset in the fact they actually care about winning or losing games.
I am still not sure what manager Dusty Baker is thinking at times, but all-in-all, the Reds are actually trying to win games.
At the recent Civil Rights Game, the Reds won with a relay play from the outfield fence and with a great catch by Ramon Hernandez at the plate for the game’s final out to beat the Cardinals. That probably reminded some Reds fans of past days of glory.
What impressed me most about that play was the emotion the Reds showed after the win with Hernandez pumping his fist in victory. Admit it, emotion (except for sad faces) used to be rare at GABP.
The Reds started off this season slow, but lately have won four straight, and just missed winning five in a row on a run scored by the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the 9th inning Wednesday.
But like my buddy texted me after that game, "You can't win ’em all."
But with a pitching staff of Mike Leake, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey, how can Reds fans not be excited? (No, I didn’t forget about Aaron Harang.)
Another thing I like about the May Reds is they keep making games interesting. On the radio Wednesday, Jeff Brantley said what he likes about this team is when they step onto the field, they don't think they will lose.
And something about the only way he can explain it is that it comes from their bellies.
Well, the way the Reds are playing this month, their bellies are full. Not full of the eight scoops of UDF ice cream and BBQ ribs that The Cowboy orders on a consistent basis, but full of energy and just plain guts.
A fun fact about these Reds is they are only one game worse 40 games into the season than the Big Red Machine were in 1976.
Exciting, eh?
One thing I do get sick of, though, are the idiots who call the postgame Reds radio show and have all these grand ideas to fix the Reds after a loss. But what really gets me is they keep finding things wrong – even after they win!
Give me a break. Your team is in first place, and you have a lot of young talent on your team. Have fun with this! What more do you want right now?
No baseball team will play perfect baseball for the entire season, so like a few other columnists and radio show hosts have stated, I want to say the same thing: “Just enjoy the moment!”
Enjoy the great calls of both Marty and Thom Brennaman, either on the radio or on TV.
The call of the season for me came on Monday when the Reds were trailing to the Brewers at Great American Ball Park. Jonny Gomes was at the plate, and Thom was saying how Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, loved how Gomes plays baseball. Well, long story short, Gomes hit a home run and the call by the son of Marty was something like this: “Oh, Jonny! Oh, Jonny! Oh, Jonny!”
That call gave me goosebumps, and I am pretty sure that was actual excitement from Thom.
And that is what it all comes back to, Reds fans or even a fan of any baseball team: Just enjoy the moment, because these aren’t your normal teams.
This could end next month in sadness, but remember the glass can be half full as well.
So, have fun, Reds fans, and enjoy the moment!
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
The Reds I have grown up with have been a team built with a bunch of overpaid, over-hyped underachievers, who care more about their paychecks than wins and losses.
Not being a diehard Reds fan (I love the Chicago White Sox), this Reds season has even me believing they are possibly ready to take the next step.
I don't think they will make the World Series in 2010, but stranger things have happened in the game of baseball.
But to get to climb the ladder to first place, and to stay on the top rung, we first must know how the Reds started at the bottom of the ladder to begin with.
Again, the 2010 Cincinnati Reds aren't my Cincinnati Reds.
Let's start back in 1999 when the Reds lost the one-game playoff to the New York Mets for the Wild Card spot. That season, the Mets went to the World Series, eventually losing to the New York Yankees, and the Reds – well, the Reds fell off of the face of the earth. OK, they just disappeared off the map of baseball.
From 2000-09, the Reds decided that winning baseball games wasn’t that important. At least from my view, in the nosebleed seats at old Riverfront Stadium or Cinergy Field, it just looked as if they could give two bowls of Skyline Chili if they won or lost.
All right, they did sign Ken Griffey, Jr. before the start of the 2000 season, and at the time, it seemed like a good trade. But leg injury after leg injury vanished any hopes of the Reds going to the World Series anytime soon. (Hey, at least Griffey didn’t fall asleep during games.
But once on a July 4 game at Great American Ball Park, he did strike out looking with runners on the bases in the 9th in a pinch- hit role. And I won’t even get started on Adam Dunn. The best thing he ever did in Cincinnati was prank call Marty Brennaman during a rain delay. Check for it on YouTube.)
In the last 10 years (not including this season), every team in the NL Central has been a part of the playoffs, except for the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cardinals won the division six times, the Chicago Cubs won it three times, and the Houston Astros were division champs once in 2001. The NL Central took the wildcard spot four times in that span ('01 Cardinals, '04 Astros, '05 Astros, '08 Milwaukee Brewers). Three times, the NL Central went to the World Series with the Cardinals winning it all in '06, defeating
the Detroit Tigers 4-1 in the seven-game series. The Cardinals lost the Series in '04 to the Red Sox, and in '05 Houston were swept by the White Sox. (My personal favorite day in the history of baseball.)
So, even though the Reds had a tough road to travel in the last 10 or so years, it doesn't help the fact they haven't been to the playoffs since 1995, when they won their division.
But this season, with the Griffeys, Dunns and all the others who couldn't take the Reds to the promised land, the Reds seem to have the right mindset in the fact they actually care about winning or losing games.
I am still not sure what manager Dusty Baker is thinking at times, but all-in-all, the Reds are actually trying to win games.
At the recent Civil Rights Game, the Reds won with a relay play from the outfield fence and with a great catch by Ramon Hernandez at the plate for the game’s final out to beat the Cardinals. That probably reminded some Reds fans of past days of glory.
What impressed me most about that play was the emotion the Reds showed after the win with Hernandez pumping his fist in victory. Admit it, emotion (except for sad faces) used to be rare at GABP.
The Reds started off this season slow, but lately have won four straight, and just missed winning five in a row on a run scored by the Atlanta Braves in the bottom of the 9th inning Wednesday.
But like my buddy texted me after that game, "You can't win ’em all."
But with a pitching staff of Mike Leake, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey, how can Reds fans not be excited? (No, I didn’t forget about Aaron Harang.)
Another thing I like about the May Reds is they keep making games interesting. On the radio Wednesday, Jeff Brantley said what he likes about this team is when they step onto the field, they don't think they will lose.
And something about the only way he can explain it is that it comes from their bellies.
Well, the way the Reds are playing this month, their bellies are full. Not full of the eight scoops of UDF ice cream and BBQ ribs that The Cowboy orders on a consistent basis, but full of energy and just plain guts.
A fun fact about these Reds is they are only one game worse 40 games into the season than the Big Red Machine were in 1976.
Exciting, eh?
One thing I do get sick of, though, are the idiots who call the postgame Reds radio show and have all these grand ideas to fix the Reds after a loss. But what really gets me is they keep finding things wrong – even after they win!
Give me a break. Your team is in first place, and you have a lot of young talent on your team. Have fun with this! What more do you want right now?
No baseball team will play perfect baseball for the entire season, so like a few other columnists and radio show hosts have stated, I want to say the same thing: “Just enjoy the moment!”
Enjoy the great calls of both Marty and Thom Brennaman, either on the radio or on TV.
The call of the season for me came on Monday when the Reds were trailing to the Brewers at Great American Ball Park. Jonny Gomes was at the plate, and Thom was saying how Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, loved how Gomes plays baseball. Well, long story short, Gomes hit a home run and the call by the son of Marty was something like this: “Oh, Jonny! Oh, Jonny! Oh, Jonny!”
That call gave me goosebumps, and I am pretty sure that was actual excitement from Thom.
And that is what it all comes back to, Reds fans or even a fan of any baseball team: Just enjoy the moment, because these aren’t your normal teams.
This could end next month in sadness, but remember the glass can be half full as well.
So, have fun, Reds fans, and enjoy the moment!
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]