I haven’t written a post about the Cincinnati Reds in a VERY long time. So long, in fact, has it been that I haven’t said anything the ENTIRE 2008 season … until now. This fact remains more than a bit contradictory given that my off-site blogs have primary subjects of NASCAR (for which I have written a few things) and baseball / MLB / Reds (which I only apologize for not writing things). Given how ugly most of this season has been, I really don’t have as much need to be forgiven as the team does.
We have come to that point in the season where the role of the Reds is spoiler. Being a “spoiler” is exactly what it means … to spoil the season(s) of contending team(s). So far, so good on that front, considering that our Redlegs took 2 out of 3 (dramatically on Sunday versus closer Kerry Wood) from the front-running Chicago Cubs and now the first game of their series in Milwaukee (again a dramatic, come-from-behind effort versus Brewers’ closer Solomon Torres) on Monday night. If this team found a way to play with this much energy all season, things certainly might have been different. But, in the same vein, I doubt they would be with the former cast of characters.
Gone are both Ken Griffey, Jr. (who was going to be gone after the season anyway) and Adam Dunn (who probably was, too), who were the respective faces of the team (as evidenced by both formerly being on team scorecards, wall signs, etc.). While I admire Junior’s career as a total, his best days are behind him. Dunn still has a decent offensive career ahead of him, but his defensive liability (as well as Griffey with his aging body) was worth abandoning to bring up some newer faces. Dunn was good for mammoth homers and a solid OBP … and not much else. Junior was surviving on legacy (as further evidenced by his lack of playing time for the White Sox).
How have the Reds been producing lately? Well, the new “faces” of the team are clearly Joey Votto, who has been on fire of late, and Jay Bruce, who has had the “next great thing” label for a while now. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the whole season has been the quality starting pitching. Edinson Volquez goes without saying, with his 17 wins to date and anchoring the staff. Aaron Harang has been the unpleasant surprise, never quite recovering after his short-rest relief appearance in San Diego … even he has looked more like his old self in recent starts (and has been burdened with nearly the worst run support in the league). Bronson Arroyo has been steady and picked it up notably in the second-half of the season … finally looking like a smart decision on that contract extension. Johnny Cueto has shown the makings of a potential excellent starter next season and beyond. The fifth-starter slot still has question marks around it, but folks like surprising Ramon Ramirez or even a mentally refreshed Homer Bailey (our former “sliced bread” ace) might do nicely in 2009.
There appears to be a core to work around here. Votto and Bruce are no-brainer choices, as is my personal favorite Brandon Phillips, who deserves far more credit for his defensive abilities at second baseman than national coverage usually gives him. Jerry Hairston Jr. may or may not be in the plans for starting next year, but his versatility (much like injured fan favorite Ryan Freel) is hard to ignore. Chris Dickerson, who came with little fanfare to fill Dunn’s absence, has been nothing short of excellent to start his MLB career. The aforementioned pitching staff is finally a strength after years of being a liability. Third base and shortstop are still questionable spots, with the streaky Edwin Encarnacion who may or may not be part of the future plans and Jeff Keppinger who is a dependable, but average, choice both offensively and defensively. Catcher remains a weak position for the team, although defensively former backstop David Ross (since released) seemed more successful at throwing runners out. Ryan Hannigan may or may be the future choice (leaning towards not), but he, too, has been dependable of late. Team deadweight, like Corey Patterson and Paul Bako, just need to be let go come season’s end.
I would much rather be writing about a postseason run by my Reds, but at least I feel reason enough to be optimistic about next season not to write them off completely. Of course, I say that every year … we just haven’t seen a winner since the beginning of the century (sounds more dramatic than just the decade).
Reds – have fun being spoilers for all of those “actual” contenders down the stretch. At least give them something to think about … for next year.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday the 13th: A Perfect Day for a Move
Ah, the superstitious day of Friday the 13th conjures up images of bad luck, movie horror, and countless potential for mayhem.
As of this date, June 13, 2008, which happens to be a Friday, this blog (as well as its counterpart blogs) have moved from the former home of my website (ClubhouseConnection.net, which is now inactive) to Blogspot, which was where they were generated anyway. Hopefully, no bad luck will follow this move, but I hope any former readers are fortunate enough to find their way here. I figure some new content will at least get Google to redirect the old links to these new locations.
There isn't a whole lot new I want to say immediately, especially since I have written anything in eons. When over a year passes (give or take) between posts, you are doing a poor job as a blogger. Given that some bloggers write many times daily, that fact would make me a big slacker.
Since blogging doesn't pay the bills (yet ... or probably ever), look for something slightly more frequent (hopefully) in the future.
Later all...
As of this date, June 13, 2008, which happens to be a Friday, this blog (as well as its counterpart blogs) have moved from the former home of my website (ClubhouseConnection.net, which is now inactive) to Blogspot, which was where they were generated anyway. Hopefully, no bad luck will follow this move, but I hope any former readers are fortunate enough to find their way here. I figure some new content will at least get Google to redirect the old links to these new locations.
There isn't a whole lot new I want to say immediately, especially since I have written anything in eons. When over a year passes (give or take) between posts, you are doing a poor job as a blogger. Given that some bloggers write many times daily, that fact would make me a big slacker.
Since blogging doesn't pay the bills (yet ... or probably ever), look for something slightly more frequent (hopefully) in the future.
Later all...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Take Me Out to a Ballgame: Baseball Musings v1.0
Take me out to the ballgame, take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I never get back.
The old song rings in ballparks all across the country during the baseball season. We take our seventh inning stretch and chant along with the lyrics. There is something cathartic about going to baseball games, but the crowd and the atmosphere play a big part in the experience.
Since the season is still young and my own writing sparse, I haven't yet had a chance to attend any games in person this year. I actually could have gone to any of the games in my hometown Reds' first homestand (from Wednesday, 4/4, through Sunday, 4/8 ), but braving the weather elements of sub-40 degree days to watch baseball in April wasn't my preference. The only good weather day happened to be Opening Day, with its 80 degree temp and sunshine, but I didn't bother to buy a ticket and stayed at work instead. Since my goal isn't really to talk about the weather in this writing (atlhough it has been a factor in this early baseball season), my musings instead are about the standings across the divisions of MLB and what can be gleened (if anything) so far.
As an editorial note, I try to be humorous at times without taking this too seriously. I might occasionally try to spark some response, so don't be alarmed at my sometimes pointed critcisms / opinions. Readers of any of my past work will know what I mean ... new readers will understand. Considering how long it was between writings, even the "old" readers are new again anyway. Enjoy...
AL East:
Most of the pundits like to believe that the baseball world revolves around this division. Boston this, New York that. Sure, the Red Sox and the Yankees spend a lot of money every year to beat each other up as well as their divisional foes, but, how many times has this division produced the World Series champion in the past six years? Once - Boston in 2004. Respectively, the other divisions have been represented equally in the other years with the NL Central (Cardinals in 2006), Al Central (White Sox in 2005), NL East (Marlins in 2003), AL West (Angels in 2002), and NL West (Diamondbacks in 2001) each getting a title. The preceding five years tell the story of why this division is the focal point, though, with Yankees' titles in four of the five (1996, 1998-2000). The Yankees have been baseball's winningest team for a very long time, and with 26 titles and counting, it is hard to imagine any team catching them for a very long time, if ever. The next closest team is the NL's best in the Cardinals with their 10 titles (only the second team to reach double digits with last season's triumph).
Are the Yankees still the team to beat? It is hard to imagine they won't contend again, considering they haven't missed the post-season since divisional series play began in 1995 with the addition of the wild card spot. This is a team that can and will score runs, but their starting rotation is definitely suspect. It is hard to believe that Carl Pavano is the anchor of the staff with the best days of both Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte probably behind them. The Red Sox are arguably the division's best, with an aging Curt Schilling anchoring along with a strong Josh Beckett and hailed newcomer Daisuke Matsuzaka (aka Dice K). I can see this one as a Boston-NY 1-2 finish, possibly with the Blue Jays as a battler for that 2 spot.
The "oh, by the way" ... the Blue Jays have the very early lead with a 5-3 record over the two .500 teams (4-4) of the division: the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Red Sox biggest struggle so far has been scoring runs (only 33 in eight games, compared to 52 each for the Yanks and Jays).
AL Central:
This division seems to be up for grabs by multiple contenders, with only the Royals seemingly out of contention from day one. The White Sox are probably the next-least-likely to be the winner of the division with seemingly enough talent offensively but lacking the pitching depth to win. It seems like the Tigers, Indians, and Twins could all see it through to the end, but Minnesota will probably not be the same without Francisco Liriano in the rotation. It's 50-50 for me in choosing Detroit or Cleveland (I like both of them as regional AL favorites), but Detroit has last year's experience to build upon. Cleveland is going to be tough and score lots of runs (in what looks like a strong offense) ... will their pitching carry them through? I'll go with the Tigers for the division and the Indians to take the AL Wild Card. Sorry, Yankees ... this won't be your year. (fingers crossed ;-) )
In early returns, the Tigers and Twins have 5-3 records in leading the division while the Indians are close behind at 3-2, only having played five games with their snow-out series at home.
AL West:
I guess the Angels are a consensus pick in the division, and while I don't always go with a consensus choice, I think I will with this team. I think the Angels' manager, Mike Scioscia, is one of baseball's best, and the rest of the division just isn't strong enough to push them. My knowledge of the division is probably weakest to boot, so I'll stick with what little I do know. Moving on...
NL East:
The New York Mets so dominated this division last season that it's hard not to go for them again. The Phillies look to be a contender up to the task of knocking the Mets off the throne, but then I am thrown a conundrum with the quick start of the Braves. While I normally would make a prediction before the season and wouldn't have seen them play, Atlanta has had baseball's hottest start. Contrarily, Philadelphia has started very poorly (2-8 versus Atlanta's 7-1 mark). It's anybody's guess what will happen from here, but I will stick with the Mets (5-3 starting mark) and their pitching as the difference-maker in the division.
NL Central:
The most parity probably exists in the Central, and as much as I don't like to admit it, only one team will probably make the playoffs from here. The West looks too good to me this year to only send one team while this division will probably send one near the .500 mark again. The Cardinals are probably the default choice as defending champ, although the Brewers seem to be getting a lot of attention. I still have a spot in my heart for the Reds, even though the experts widely pan them. I expect them to do better than the consensus but probably not well enough to win the division. I will go with St. Louis for lack of a better choice.
At this point, parity is prevailing -- three teams are tied at the top with 5-4 marks: Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. Even the bottom teams have at least three wins (Chicago and Houston) with Pittsburgh in the middle.
NL West:
I like the Diamondbacks in this one, with some power pitching and enough offense to carry the day. The Dodgers probably have baseball's best rotation top to bottom, so picking them to end up in either the 1 or 2 spot here seems probable. San Diego could still surprise, but I don't know if they have enough offense. All three teams have started off on the right foot, with the D'backs at 7-3 and leading and both LA and SD close behind at 6-3.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I never get back.
The old song rings in ballparks all across the country during the baseball season. We take our seventh inning stretch and chant along with the lyrics. There is something cathartic about going to baseball games, but the crowd and the atmosphere play a big part in the experience.
Since the season is still young and my own writing sparse, I haven't yet had a chance to attend any games in person this year. I actually could have gone to any of the games in my hometown Reds' first homestand (from Wednesday, 4/4, through Sunday, 4/8 ), but braving the weather elements of sub-40 degree days to watch baseball in April wasn't my preference. The only good weather day happened to be Opening Day, with its 80 degree temp and sunshine, but I didn't bother to buy a ticket and stayed at work instead. Since my goal isn't really to talk about the weather in this writing (atlhough it has been a factor in this early baseball season), my musings instead are about the standings across the divisions of MLB and what can be gleened (if anything) so far.
As an editorial note, I try to be humorous at times without taking this too seriously. I might occasionally try to spark some response, so don't be alarmed at my sometimes pointed critcisms / opinions. Readers of any of my past work will know what I mean ... new readers will understand. Considering how long it was between writings, even the "old" readers are new again anyway. Enjoy...
AL East:
Most of the pundits like to believe that the baseball world revolves around this division. Boston this, New York that. Sure, the Red Sox and the Yankees spend a lot of money every year to beat each other up as well as their divisional foes, but, how many times has this division produced the World Series champion in the past six years? Once - Boston in 2004. Respectively, the other divisions have been represented equally in the other years with the NL Central (Cardinals in 2006), Al Central (White Sox in 2005), NL East (Marlins in 2003), AL West (Angels in 2002), and NL West (Diamondbacks in 2001) each getting a title. The preceding five years tell the story of why this division is the focal point, though, with Yankees' titles in four of the five (1996, 1998-2000). The Yankees have been baseball's winningest team for a very long time, and with 26 titles and counting, it is hard to imagine any team catching them for a very long time, if ever. The next closest team is the NL's best in the Cardinals with their 10 titles (only the second team to reach double digits with last season's triumph).
Are the Yankees still the team to beat? It is hard to imagine they won't contend again, considering they haven't missed the post-season since divisional series play began in 1995 with the addition of the wild card spot. This is a team that can and will score runs, but their starting rotation is definitely suspect. It is hard to believe that Carl Pavano is the anchor of the staff with the best days of both Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte probably behind them. The Red Sox are arguably the division's best, with an aging Curt Schilling anchoring along with a strong Josh Beckett and hailed newcomer Daisuke Matsuzaka (aka Dice K). I can see this one as a Boston-NY 1-2 finish, possibly with the Blue Jays as a battler for that 2 spot.
The "oh, by the way" ... the Blue Jays have the very early lead with a 5-3 record over the two .500 teams (4-4) of the division: the Red Sox and the Yankees. The Red Sox biggest struggle so far has been scoring runs (only 33 in eight games, compared to 52 each for the Yanks and Jays).
AL Central:
This division seems to be up for grabs by multiple contenders, with only the Royals seemingly out of contention from day one. The White Sox are probably the next-least-likely to be the winner of the division with seemingly enough talent offensively but lacking the pitching depth to win. It seems like the Tigers, Indians, and Twins could all see it through to the end, but Minnesota will probably not be the same without Francisco Liriano in the rotation. It's 50-50 for me in choosing Detroit or Cleveland (I like both of them as regional AL favorites), but Detroit has last year's experience to build upon. Cleveland is going to be tough and score lots of runs (in what looks like a strong offense) ... will their pitching carry them through? I'll go with the Tigers for the division and the Indians to take the AL Wild Card. Sorry, Yankees ... this won't be your year. (fingers crossed ;-) )
In early returns, the Tigers and Twins have 5-3 records in leading the division while the Indians are close behind at 3-2, only having played five games with their snow-out series at home.
AL West:
I guess the Angels are a consensus pick in the division, and while I don't always go with a consensus choice, I think I will with this team. I think the Angels' manager, Mike Scioscia, is one of baseball's best, and the rest of the division just isn't strong enough to push them. My knowledge of the division is probably weakest to boot, so I'll stick with what little I do know. Moving on...
NL East:
The New York Mets so dominated this division last season that it's hard not to go for them again. The Phillies look to be a contender up to the task of knocking the Mets off the throne, but then I am thrown a conundrum with the quick start of the Braves. While I normally would make a prediction before the season and wouldn't have seen them play, Atlanta has had baseball's hottest start. Contrarily, Philadelphia has started very poorly (2-8 versus Atlanta's 7-1 mark). It's anybody's guess what will happen from here, but I will stick with the Mets (5-3 starting mark) and their pitching as the difference-maker in the division.
NL Central:
The most parity probably exists in the Central, and as much as I don't like to admit it, only one team will probably make the playoffs from here. The West looks too good to me this year to only send one team while this division will probably send one near the .500 mark again. The Cardinals are probably the default choice as defending champ, although the Brewers seem to be getting a lot of attention. I still have a spot in my heart for the Reds, even though the experts widely pan them. I expect them to do better than the consensus but probably not well enough to win the division. I will go with St. Louis for lack of a better choice.
At this point, parity is prevailing -- three teams are tied at the top with 5-4 marks: Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. Even the bottom teams have at least three wins (Chicago and Houston) with Pittsburgh in the middle.
NL West:
I like the Diamondbacks in this one, with some power pitching and enough offense to carry the day. The Dodgers probably have baseball's best rotation top to bottom, so picking them to end up in either the 1 or 2 spot here seems probable. San Diego could still surprise, but I don't know if they have enough offense. All three teams have started off on the right foot, with the D'backs at 7-3 and leading and both LA and SD close behind at 6-3.
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