Saturday, May 31, 2008

Standings for May 31, 2007 (Division winners & WC in bold)

ALE     W   L    GB      WP      RS      RA
BOS 36 16 - .692 280 201
BAL 27 27 10.0 .500 243 229
TOR 25 28 11.5 .472 239 245
TBD 22 29 13.5 .431 237 311
NYY 22 29 13.5 .431 268 244

ALC W L GB WP RS RA
CLE 33 19 - .635 295 243
DET 30 23 3.5 .566 297 260
MIN 27 25 6.0 .519 251 231
CHW 24 25 7.5 .490 200 233
KCR 19 35 15.0 .352 211 291

ALW W L GB WP RS RA
LAA 33 22 - .600 254 224
SEA 26 24 4.5 .520 251 246
OAK 26 26 5.5 .500 229 199
TEX 19 35 13.5 .352 263 305

NLE W L GB WP RS RA
NYM 34 18 - .654 259 196
ATL 30 23 4.5 .566 255 237
PHI 26 27 8.5 .491 274 262
FLA 26 28 9.0 .481 268 272
WSN 22 32 13.0 .407 202 260

NLC W L GB WP RS RA
MIL 30 24 - .556 243 235
PIT 23 30 6.5 .434 218 256
STL 22 29 6.5 .431 194 252
CHC 22 29 6.5 .431 231 220
HOU 22 31 7.5 .415 212 247
CIN 21 34 9.5 .382 251 286

NLW W L GB WP RS RA
ARI 32 23 - .582 239 224
SDP 31 22 - .585 224 173
LAD 31 22 - .585 237 211
SFG 25 27 5.5 .481 224 212
COL 25 29 6.5 .463 225 269

I provide, you decide.

(No, we're not done yet!)
___

Go Reds!

Fun times, these are. Looks like we're gonna have to do something about the Chub$, though. Get out the goats. And the voodoo dolls.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

I am sooooo sick...

I have a terrible case of Bruce fever right now. I keep staring at the clock waiting for it to change, waiting for the time to pass until I can watch him again. All I can do is think about baseball - Reds baseball. It's been awhile since I've felt this way.

Oh, the pain of hearing that clock tick so slowly, the agony of waiting, ooooooooohhhhhhh...and I am sick to my stomach watching the Chub$ win repeatedly. Stop it! Isn't having Jim Edmonds enough to make you lose?!? The Rockies have lost three in a row. Come on, Rocks, move some mountains in Chitown!!!

Here's the thing. Or a thing. Last night, George Getting on my Last Nerve Grande and Jeff Never Owned a Horse Brantley were talking about how well the NL Central teams have played at home and how poorly they've played on the road. The Reds are 16-9 at home and 9-19 on the road. The first place Chub$ are 22-8 at home and 10-13 on the road. They have played five more games at home than have the Reds. The Reds are seven games back, but what would it be like if they had played five more games at home (and hence five fewer games on the road)? The difference means the Chub$ have more games to play on the road as the season goes on, while the Reds play those five games at home. Do you get what I'm saying? I think I do. Maybe not.
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Hmmh.

Funny how things are happening now. Patterson DFA'd? Phillips, Andy called up? Hmmh. Well, now, thinks are starting to look up a bit, aren't they? I just hope it's not too late.

What a night! What a show!

The air hung heavy with a thick sense of rain weighing down colors and sounds and stunted enthusiasm on a day to remember forever. Even the green of the field and the red of the caps were dulled by the gray shadows swirling through the stadium and the surrounding city. A meager crowd left vast red spaces of empty seats as the once glorious baseball town proved what once was is no longer. Here we witnessed a historical debut and none but a few of us braved the elements to experience Life, to witness something we can tell our grandchildren about with a sparkle in our eyes, a quiver in our voices, and a youthful excitement in our hearts.

A young ballplayer barely removed from boyhood brought us to the park. He carried with him a buoyant smile unhindered by the water falling around him. Before game time, he and a young second baseman rewarded the fans who bothered to show up with ink stained baseballs and memories to cherish. As the players stood in the dugout waiting to run out on the field to start the game, the newbie ran onto the field and had to be called back. His enthusiasm for the game, for achieving his dream, had pushed him onto the diamond before it was time to take his position. Time arrived, he sprinted out as a child runs to his presents on Christmas morning. I envied him. Here was a man who had gotten his wish, who had achieved what he had dreamed of for all of his brief life, who was standing next to his boyhood idol...if only we all could be so fortunate.

Seen here is the first Major League pitch to young Bruce. He did not get a Hollywood hit in his first at bat - he worked an unromantic walk, the first of two he received on the night. To the 17,900+ of us who witnessed it, that walk was magical, that walk was the beginning of a new era of Cincinnati baseball. That walk was healing. Seven losing seasons began their descent into the dark confines of the places we hide bad memories. This man will one day soon lead us back into the glory days.

But he is not a savior. Baseball, a sport where even the weakest man on the team can be a hero, is a team sport. He may one day carry the team on his back to a championship, but he still needs that team. Most of that team is on the field now, working out the kinks in its game. That team consists of others with the talent to win, others like Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Johnny Cueto, and Edinson Volquez, all pieces to the puzzle.

Just look at that lineup. It's almost right. Oh, it was a wonderful thing to see those five letters on that scoreboard, five letters we have been waiting to see for so long. And what a debut! 3-3 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and a stolen base!

What a beautiful night! I love this game! I only wish Cincinnati did, too.



Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Stupid?

That is my initial reaction at least to the news that Scott Hatteberg has been DFA'd while Corey Patterson is still on the team. While I'm willing to admit Hatte needed to go because he was a wasted roster spot, he shouldn't have been let go before Patterson and his .240+ on base percentage. Now we'll have to worry that Bruce won't get to play enough. Perhaps they are just holding onto Patterson until Norris Hopper (remember him?) comes back, but I've given the Reds the benefit of the doubt too many times and am not really willing to believe the move has to do with anything other than Toothpick's manlove for Patterson.

I mean, look how long it took for the team to call up Bruce. Now, we all know they were waiting for the Super Two deadline to pass (despite their denial), but rather than doing the smart thing and just calling Bruce up and signing him to a longterm save-some-dough deal like other teams have done with their unproven-yet-highly-talented-can't-miss prospects, they decided to keep him down to save a quick buck while simultaneously throwing away this season. A good June could turn things around, but it might be too late.

I was not a Toothpick hater, but I am an eager and enthusiastic convert.

I'm so mad I thought about not going to the game tonight. I hope Scotty is signed by another team. I wonder if the Mets might pick him up with Delgado hitting like a blind man under water while sipping the last breaths of oxygen in his punctured tank.
___

Christmas Day

It's difficult not to expect too much from Bruce. I'm so excited I can hardly remember that the Reds won't be in first place after tonight's game. It's as if I think Bruce can singlehandedly make the Reds gain seven games in one night. Gotta remember at the end of the day, the least we can be is six back. Sure did blow a chance for a gain (three times!) over the weekend when all NL Central teams but Pittsburgh lost.

After Sunday's debacle, Reds are the top two strikeout pitchers in all of baseball. It's kind of fun to say that. (We take what we can get.)
___

Monday, May 26, 2008

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!

REDS PRESS RELEASE

Looks like I'll be going down to Cincy tomorrow.

ho hum

I have nothing to say today. I only got online to see if Jay Bruce was a Red yet and Corey Patterson an ex-Red, but there is seemingly no end to the disappointment with this team.

At least Toothpick's stellar use of the bullpen yesterday messed up the rotation for the week. (But Harang was awesome! 9 Ks!)

Friday, May 23, 2008

I want to give up!

but I can't. Last night I turned the game off after it became 8-2 on sucky pitching. I want to be one of those people who can just walk away when things go wrong, but I'm a baseball junkie. I just don't have the strength to do it.

Still, I have to wonder. Will the glory of Cincinnati Reds baseball ever return? Were we cursed by the Big Red Machine? I was born during the winter of the last time the the Big Red Machine were world champs. I can't help but wonder if all of the hope in Votto and Cueto and Volquez and Bruce and Bailey will ever live up to the hype. Or if it will live up to the dumbitity of the Reds brass. Yeah, I just made that word up.

Call it a crisis of faith. I'll be better with a win. Isn't baseball like that? Doesn't a losing streak make you want to cut every player and a winning streak make you think you'll never lose again?

Gotta love it. Gottttta love it.

Oh Reds, please stop breaking my heart.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

De Bruys (or more obsessing about Bruce)

BRUCE (origin: Normandy France Local) De Bruys; from Bruy or Bruys, a place in Normandy where the family originated. De Bruys was one of the followers of William the Conqueror and fought at the Battle of Hastings. From this ancestor, King Robert Bruce was descended.

The year was 1066. William of Normandy led French speaking descendants of former Viking raiders to conquer England and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. It turned out to be the Vikings' last conquest, and the only reason they really won that battle was because Harold's army had marched 220 miles south in less than three weeks after defeating a Viking army in central England.

The Vikings had had a good run. Not only did they set up a colony in North America 500 years before Columbus set sail for the Indies, but they also gave us the subject of many movies, some good, some awful. I enjoyed The 13th Warrior. My favorite part was when Antonio Banderas was sitting in the circle with the Vikings and by the end of the night he could speak their language. The Vikings also gave us Bjork - I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

Jay Bruce could have Viking blood. Let's hope he's ruthless on Major League pitching!
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Rumors

There is this bar in DC called Rumors in which I had the misfortune of finding myself a couple of times. It's a little, I guess what you could call a dive bar for "preppy" kids, you know, polo shirts and khakis and snotty spoiled brats who drank their way through expensive colleges without a concern for their Cs and Ds because they knew mommy and daddy would pay their rent after graduation. Oh, it is a dreadful place for the thinking person, a blur of over-priced rainbow cocktails, plagued by the sticky stench of spilled Heineken and name brand cologne, the high-pitched wailing of fake blonds and eight dollar drunks and the baritone of former prep school football players, and the utter absence of intellectual stimulation. Once I met this guy there who looked like Philip Seymour-Hoffman and he thought that meant he had to talk like Philip Seymour-Hoffman and if Philip Seymour-Hoffman had played a role where he was the son of a wealthy New England doctor and they spent most of the time on a yacht, well then, he could have been Philip Seymour-Hoffman.

Rumors are like that. They stink. They are most often untrue and can ruin lives. We can try to close our ears, but sometimes we just cannot do it. I had the misfortune of finding out what John Fay said to Marty about Tuesday. Oh what dreams may come! When the team goes home, one sliver may be gone, one sharp thorn in the side of goodness. Better, though, is the addition of a shining light, a glimpse into the glory of the future. I'm going to spread a rumor...

He thinks the Reds might call up Jay Bruce and DFA Corey Patterson. I've had the same feeling. Maybe it's not a feeling. Maybe it's just logic. Maybe it's just doing the right thing, the smart thing, the thing that should have been done weeks ago when it was evident Corey Patterson was just Corey Patterson, not some bizarro world form of Corey Patterson who might go against his career numbers and actually hit.

Oh, what a joyous day this will be! How fantastic, how divine! Perhaps the baseball gods are intervening to save us from this despair we call the 2008 Cincinnati Reds!

If it's true, I will be there!

Bruce went 2-4 yesterday to better his numbers to .369/.397/.661.
___

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Ceremony to Remove the Curse

Dear baseball gods,

We are sorry for whatever we did to offend thee. Was it something Pete Rose said? Perhaps thee are disgusted with the way Junior lets everything drop in front of him (except for that vintage Junior catch last night. Did that make Webgems?) Maybe thee are pissed off by the Jay Bruce Abuse going on in AAA? (Although that wouldn't explain the years of poor West Coast trips.)

We humbly offer thee this chicken as a sacrifice and pray to you to remove the West Coast Curse which has plagued our team for many moons. Please show mercy on Mr. Redlegs' soul and allow us to not make the fielding or baserunning errors that have made the Reds look like a Little League team over the past two games (no offense to Little Leaguers). Lift the brain impediment which causes Dusty to bat Adam Dunn low in the order, play Patterson, Freel, and Hairston in the same lineup, and keep Corey Patterson on this team while Jay Bruce grows bitter with his .366/.394/.365, 10 HR, 8 SB, 32 R, and 37 RBI down on the farm. Make the Hatred Dodgers, led by The Evil Jeff Kent, run in circles around balls the Reds hit. Oh mighty gods, please spare us from this curse!



(The idiots in that video must be future Darwin Award winners.)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Around the horn

Did anyone see that catch Jim Edmonds made yesterday to rob Hunter Pence of extra bases and the Asstros of a run? Guy looks strange in a Chub$ uniform, but that was vintage Edmonds out there up on that stupid hill they have in Houston.

I watched The Zen of Bobby V yesterday on E$PN 2. Excellent, excellent film. That man is a brilliant ambassador not just for the game, but for humanity. How many Americans would go to work in a foreign country and not bother to learn the language? (Most) Bobby V seemed to have a good command of Japanese but a better cultural awareness. And that fire! Oh, that fire is what a team like the Reds could use. Losing is not an option with him. If you haven't seen the film, try to watch it next time it's on.

What does E$PN get out of pushing for instant replay? Are their humanoid talking heads the ones who started the drive towards what is probably inevitable? One of the great things about baseball is the human element of the game. The little guy can play just as big a role in a win as your big slugger. Umpires are human. They will make mistakes. It's part of the game. Sometimes the mistakes go your way, sometimes they don't, but don't mess with that. Besides, we'd all miss Sweet Lou coming out to toss some bases. How can you argue with a rewind button?

When did Orel Hershiser get so bad at announcing? It sounds like he's been taking lessons from Joe Morgan. Everything was about when HE played. They brought up J.R. Richard for some reason - I can't remember exactly why - but Hershiser had to say something about how when HE was in the minors, HE faced Richard who threw "really hard" despite the fact that Richard never again threw another Major League pitch. Just one example of him injecting some non-relevant anecdote into the broadcast. Orel also had to make sure people knew he had a 2.03 ERA one year. But what do you expect from E$PN announcers? Are any of them NOT annoying?

E$PN Classic showed Kerry Wood's 20 K game in 1998. The rookie threw 122 pitches that game, the first of eight times he threw 120+ in a game (the high was 133). Guess who wasn't the manager of the Chub$ at that time?

Congrats to Jon Lester. Feel good story, isn't it?

ESRUC EHT ESREVER

I woke up this morning.

I was kind of surprised, given that I felt the end of the world was coming after last night's loss to the Hated Dodgers. Everything started off so well with the 4-0 lead and all, and then one of Dusty's Doers did the team in by throwing away the third out of the inning. That also threw Goodroyo away. Badroyo came in and proceeded to give up the lead two innings later.

I have hated West Coast trips for 29 out of my 31 years of life. (The two years I didn't hate was when I lived in California and could go see the Reds play or at least watch them on television at a reasonable hour.) The Reds seem to have hated those trips since California baseball became a reality. When Janish made the throwing error in the bottom of the ninth after replacing Dusty's Doer, I knew the curse of the West Coast was working its black magic.

Actually, though, this loss can be pinned on Toothpick, who failed to put in a strikeout pitcher - Cordero - in a strikeout situation. That was after starting Freel, Patterson, and Hairston in the same lineup. And then he goes and takes OUT Patterson instead of Griffey in the ninth when we need the best defense on the field. I could manage Major League Baseball better than that.

Games like these make you remember the Reds-Dodgers rivalry that used to exist before Interleague play cut our seasonal meetings to a mere six (though we do get them an extra two times this year because of the imbalanced schedule.) It's easy for me to hate them when they have Jeff Kent on the team, a player I loathe more than any player in baseball not named Poopholes, thanks to watching and rooting for the Giants day in and day out for a couple of years. But that team rivalry has all but disappeared. Imagine being the fan of another team during the seventies, when the Reds or Dodgers won the division every year of the decade except one. It's easy, I know. We only have to look to the Red Sox and Yankees to see what it's like.

We needed that game - it was the winnable one, the one with a pitcher who'd been throwing well. Now we have to turn to the Undependable One and Johnny Be Good Sometimes But Still So Young and Inexperienced to win this series. I know Cueto can do it, but Belisle? He has a long way to go to win me back. I just hope tonight's game isn't over in the first inning.