Today the Cincinnati Reds did the improbable by surviving 10 unanswered runs by the San Francisco Giants as they came back to win 12-11 in 12 innings. This latest exhibition of will and desire is just one of many that Dusty Baker’s club has shown over the course of this 2010 season. Joey Votto increased his rising MVP candidacy with 4 hits including 2 home runs and a go-ahead single in the 12th. Francisco Cordero had 2 great innings of relief work to pick up the win and send the team home with a 6-3 record on the 9 game 10 day road trip to the West Coast. A West Coast trip that was supposed to be the stretch that sent the Reds spiraling out of control and out of the playoff race actually saw the 1st place Reds increase their lead in the division race from 1 to 3.5 games. Just another day in the life a young team full of rising stars.
Thousands of miles away in Pittsburgh, the Cardinals were doing what they do best over the past few weeks, inexplicably losing to far inferior competition. The Cards lost 5-2 to the last place Pirates in a game I can imagine was extremely forgettable. I almost, emphasis on almost, feel sorry for the Cardinals fans. They come into Cincinnati a few weeks ago, sweep the series to overtake 1st place in the NL Central, and by the end of the following weekend they were already back in 2nd place by a game. Then with the Reds heading out to the West Coast, where traditionally they have struggled, for a week and a half they lose 2.5 games of ground. Compound that with a bad trade giving up Ryan Ludwick for Jake Westbrook, and the Cardinals are looking anything like the team that dominated the NL Central for the last decade.
Even if the Reds would have lost today, you can bet more negative would be coming home than positive, despite what would have been a winning 5-4 record on the West Coast swing and still gaining ground on St. Louis. Tomorrow offers a day to rest up, regroup and prepare for a much easier home stand featuring the Cubs and Brewers heading to GABP. In a matter of days we’ll flip the calendar to September and it’s very likely the Reds will still be in 1st place and will have completed another winning month. This begs the question: Will you be heading down to the Ballpark to support this special team? The answer should be an emphatic YES. Like Mo Egger always says, “I’m not gonna tell you how to spend your money,” but if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon by now I don’t think you will be. However, if you claim to be a fan of the Reds, baseball, or even just Cincinnati sports, there’s no excuse for still doubting this team. Today’s win, on the heels of 2 blowout losses to San Francisco, just shows the incredible resiliency that this team has shown time and time again. We count them out or get close to pushing the panic button and they come back with yet another big win. Is this team perfect? Far from it. Am I being a bit of a homer? Probably. Is this team defying all of our expectations as we head into the final month of play? ABSOLUTELY.
There was a point in this season where I was really upset about the lack of attendance at times at GABP this year, and while I’ll still be disappointed if the returns at the box office are less than expected, I almost feel sorry for those who are still so jaded and cynical not to embrace this team with open arms. Joey Votto’s meteoric rise to virtual lock to win the MVP should be cause enough to get you fired up about this team, let alone the 1st place status that has grown over the past few weeks despite having a terrible record against St. Louis head-to-head.
The scary thing is, despite all the shortcomings of this team, they will only get better with the addition of Aroldis Chapman to a bullpen that has struggled the past few days. That and some home cooking against a Cubs team with absolutely nothing to play for should quickly get some more tallies in the win column. I don’t know if St. Louis can claim to be increasing their overall talent as the rosters will expand in a matter of days. Is it a changing of the guard atop the NL Central? I surely hope so. Will it be an exciting and entertaining final 36 games? Undoubtedly. I’d love to see you down at GABP this weekend, and if you go GET LOUD, maybe chant MVP when Votto steps to the plate, and above all remind those Windy City blowhards who rules the division and ballpark.
I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me a message on Twitter. Go Reds and see you at the ballpark!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Stay of Execution
After UC’s heartbreaking loss to West Virginia in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, a few friends and I poured out of Buffalo Wild Wings in Clifton, not speaking a word. There was nothing left to say. A team that wasn’t supposed to be competing with a Top 10 opponent had just overcome terrible stretches of offense to start each half and still almost came out victorious. And while the final result isn’t ideal, there is reason to be hopeful about heading towards next season.
With 9:17 to go in the first half the Bearcats hit their first field goal of the game. After a great run UC had tied the game only to have the Mountaineers hit a 3 as the buzzer sounded to end the first half. In an eerily similar situation, Cincinnati started the second half with more woes on the offensive end but again came up just short. After turning the ball over with 3.1 seconds to go, All-American Da’Sean Butler banked a shot off the backboard as time expired erasing UC’s chances of a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament.
The loss, while extremely painful, does come with a silver lining. Several good things have come out of the last three nights of basketball. First and foremost, finally getting a win in the Big East Tournament (and in the month of March). As trivial as it sounds, it was a big step moving forward. Everyone always says that winning attitudes get passed down from those more experienced to the new members of the team. Before this no one wearing a Bearcats uniform really knew what the experience of winning at Madison Square Garden felt like and moving forward they can build off this year’s success.
The biggest obstacle that Mick Cronin’s squad overcame over the past few days was their overall attitude and desire to win. It all started with Lance Stephenson who decided to take over and will his team towards victory. That drive and passion spilled over and inspired the rest of his teammates, something that has been lacking for most of the Mick Cronin era. Even in the Louisville and West Virginia games when they had long stretches of offensive futility, there wasn’t the same air that made you think that they were out of it and were going to pack it in. It was great to see, but unfortunately it was too little too late, just like the fate of their season.
I know that three great efforts down the stretch cannot erase the issues that have plagued the Cincinnati basketball program under Mick Cronin’s tenure, but there has to be reason for optimism. Instead of ending the year with a horrible 10-point loss to DePaul, the Bearcats were able to pick up two wins including one over rival Louisville and almost defeating #6 West Virginia. Lance Stephenson will return along with a cast that is another year more experienced and Sean Kilpatrick, whose rumored late night workout sessions will hopefully inspire his teammates’ work ethic, should be a boost in both talent and team chemistry.
For all the cynics out there, I will make one brief appeal. Many are still very much in the anti-Cronin camp, from calling for boycotts to even rooting against UC so that Mick will be fired. I understand how you feel. This year I was saying it’s NCAAs or bust, wanting Mick’s career on a platter if they didn’t make it. Perhaps I truly underestimated how tough this rebuilding job he inherited is, however the fact remains that Mick has a vote of confidence from Athletic Director Mike Thomas and he will be back patrolling the sidelines for UC come next winter. I’m not one to tell you how to spend your money, but isn’t there room to be encouraged this year instead of another monumental collapse? Are you really going to say from now that next season is a lost cause because Mick is returning? I sure hope that we haven’t become that spoiled or cynical. The one thing I think we all can agree on is that we want to win, no matter who the coach is.
I know that we’ve all seen some false hope before this season, after coming home from Maui and getting back in the Top 25. I was amongst the first to proclaim that UC basketball was back on the map and they went out and got pounded by UAB, starting the slow decline of their season. The best we can hope for at this point is a strong run in the NIT, which can lead to a solid campaign next year. Call me a homer, misguided or just plain crazy, but I’m willing to give Mick Cronin one more year to get us back to the promised land of the NCAA Tournament. As I mentioned before, I just want UC to win. I really could care less who the coach is, and since they’re going to be playing next year, I want them to win. It’s as simple as that. To this year’s team: get ready to make a run in the NIT. To next year’s team: work your tails off during the offseason because next year won’t be any easier.
Think I’m crazy? Let me know via Twitter: http://twitter.com/chuges
With 9:17 to go in the first half the Bearcats hit their first field goal of the game. After a great run UC had tied the game only to have the Mountaineers hit a 3 as the buzzer sounded to end the first half. In an eerily similar situation, Cincinnati started the second half with more woes on the offensive end but again came up just short. After turning the ball over with 3.1 seconds to go, All-American Da’Sean Butler banked a shot off the backboard as time expired erasing UC’s chances of a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament.
The loss, while extremely painful, does come with a silver lining. Several good things have come out of the last three nights of basketball. First and foremost, finally getting a win in the Big East Tournament (and in the month of March). As trivial as it sounds, it was a big step moving forward. Everyone always says that winning attitudes get passed down from those more experienced to the new members of the team. Before this no one wearing a Bearcats uniform really knew what the experience of winning at Madison Square Garden felt like and moving forward they can build off this year’s success.
The biggest obstacle that Mick Cronin’s squad overcame over the past few days was their overall attitude and desire to win. It all started with Lance Stephenson who decided to take over and will his team towards victory. That drive and passion spilled over and inspired the rest of his teammates, something that has been lacking for most of the Mick Cronin era. Even in the Louisville and West Virginia games when they had long stretches of offensive futility, there wasn’t the same air that made you think that they were out of it and were going to pack it in. It was great to see, but unfortunately it was too little too late, just like the fate of their season.
I know that three great efforts down the stretch cannot erase the issues that have plagued the Cincinnati basketball program under Mick Cronin’s tenure, but there has to be reason for optimism. Instead of ending the year with a horrible 10-point loss to DePaul, the Bearcats were able to pick up two wins including one over rival Louisville and almost defeating #6 West Virginia. Lance Stephenson will return along with a cast that is another year more experienced and Sean Kilpatrick, whose rumored late night workout sessions will hopefully inspire his teammates’ work ethic, should be a boost in both talent and team chemistry.
For all the cynics out there, I will make one brief appeal. Many are still very much in the anti-Cronin camp, from calling for boycotts to even rooting against UC so that Mick will be fired. I understand how you feel. This year I was saying it’s NCAAs or bust, wanting Mick’s career on a platter if they didn’t make it. Perhaps I truly underestimated how tough this rebuilding job he inherited is, however the fact remains that Mick has a vote of confidence from Athletic Director Mike Thomas and he will be back patrolling the sidelines for UC come next winter. I’m not one to tell you how to spend your money, but isn’t there room to be encouraged this year instead of another monumental collapse? Are you really going to say from now that next season is a lost cause because Mick is returning? I sure hope that we haven’t become that spoiled or cynical. The one thing I think we all can agree on is that we want to win, no matter who the coach is.
I know that we’ve all seen some false hope before this season, after coming home from Maui and getting back in the Top 25. I was amongst the first to proclaim that UC basketball was back on the map and they went out and got pounded by UAB, starting the slow decline of their season. The best we can hope for at this point is a strong run in the NIT, which can lead to a solid campaign next year. Call me a homer, misguided or just plain crazy, but I’m willing to give Mick Cronin one more year to get us back to the promised land of the NCAA Tournament. As I mentioned before, I just want UC to win. I really could care less who the coach is, and since they’re going to be playing next year, I want them to win. It’s as simple as that. To this year’s team: get ready to make a run in the NIT. To next year’s team: work your tails off during the offseason because next year won’t be any easier.
Think I’m crazy? Let me know via Twitter: http://twitter.com/chuges
Monday, January 11, 2010
A Tale of Two Owners
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times in 1982. 1982 was the beginning of the end of Cincinnati’s national popularity as a city. The popular sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati left the airwaves in that year and the Bengals appeared in Super Bowl XVI, a losing effort the 49ers. Over the next 28 years, you saw the Queen City reappear on the radar sparingly with Pete Rose setting the all-time hits record, the Bengals returning to Super Bowl XXIII, the Reds 1990 wire-to-wire season, and the rise of UC basketball under Bob Huggins. From the outside looking in, Cincinnati is not exactly the sexiest or most popular city, a perception not justly deserved in my opinion.
However, given the recent run of successful years by Xavier basketball and UC football, Cincinnati is primed for a return to prominence on the national sports scene. It may never be a New York, Los Angeles, Boston or Chicago, but certainly it can be more respected like Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and other cities of similar size. Even with the successes of Cincinnati’s two largest universities, the Queen City is still a pro sports town. To say that the teams that reside nearest the banks of the Ohio haven’t been carrying that banner too well over the past decade is an understatement.
The Bengals are coming off of a season that started off with little promise after losing a heartbreaking opener to the Denver Broncos. But after that they battled their way to a 9-3 record and looked like a real contender for the Super Bowl. However, in typical Bengals fashion, they limped towards the playoffs losing 4 of their last 5, looking unimpressive in the process. Now the men in stripes are looking for a new kicker, with many calling for the head of the Offensive Coordinator and the franchise QB. All the while Mike Brown continues to run the show, laughing all the way to the bank.
Just down the road the Reds are making international headlines by signing Cuban pitching phenom Aroldis Chapman. The Reds haven’t exactly been showing promise with their on-field production, but have shown an attitude of wanting to improve and bring championships back to Cincinnati. Chapman’s signing shows a willingness to make a bold move, something that a team in a smaller market like Cincinnati has to do. When you don’t have the payroll to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers, and Phillies, sometimes you just have to roll the dice and hope for the best. Bob Castellini hasn’t made true on his promise to bring championship baseball back to Cincinnati, but wouldn’t you have to think that he actually cares a lot more than Mike Brown.
So as we enter 2010, the two owners of Cincinnati’s pro franchises stand at a crossroads. One with a real desire to bring honor to Cincinnati yet with the system firmly working against him, the other content to have his team just outside the cusp of greatness as long as his stadium is filled and merchandise sales are high. It makes me wonder how our fortunes as fans would be changed if our owners changed teams. The NFL is set up to have parity and teams can make the playoffs even after horrible seasons the year before. Only the most horribly mismanaged franchises like the Lions, Browns, and Redskins find playoff appearances so few and far between. Having an owner that would have a properly equipped front office, scouting department, and training staff might just be the difference between the Bengals making the playoffs every 4-5 years and being one and done or them having a real shot at the Super Bowl.
I have always said that I truly believe that the Bengals will not be able to have sustained, real success as long as Mike Brown is running the team. His parsimonious penny-pinching has never given me anything to get truly excited about as a fan, because for as long as I can remember the Bengals have always been a team associated with losing. The Marvin Lewis era has given fans hope, but while getting to the playoffs is a vast improvement of the 2-14 Bengals teams of the 90s, as a franchise isn’t the goal to get past that standard and start competing for Super Bowl rings? The Reds haven’t been to the playoffs in even longer than the Bengals have, but I still feel more confident that they can get to the promised land, even in Major League Baseball where the deck is stacked against small market teams, before the Bengals under the current regime. Maybe it’s because I like baseball more than I do the NFL, maybe it’s because the Reds have given this city a championship at some point, even with the Bengals just coming off a Division Championship, I still feel more confident in the Reds than I do the Bengals moving forward.
Disagree? I’d love to hear from you via Twitter: http://twitter.com/Chuges
Finally, enjoy some SNL goodness from this past week starring Sir Charles Barkley.
However, given the recent run of successful years by Xavier basketball and UC football, Cincinnati is primed for a return to prominence on the national sports scene. It may never be a New York, Los Angeles, Boston or Chicago, but certainly it can be more respected like Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and other cities of similar size. Even with the successes of Cincinnati’s two largest universities, the Queen City is still a pro sports town. To say that the teams that reside nearest the banks of the Ohio haven’t been carrying that banner too well over the past decade is an understatement.
The Bengals are coming off of a season that started off with little promise after losing a heartbreaking opener to the Denver Broncos. But after that they battled their way to a 9-3 record and looked like a real contender for the Super Bowl. However, in typical Bengals fashion, they limped towards the playoffs losing 4 of their last 5, looking unimpressive in the process. Now the men in stripes are looking for a new kicker, with many calling for the head of the Offensive Coordinator and the franchise QB. All the while Mike Brown continues to run the show, laughing all the way to the bank.
Just down the road the Reds are making international headlines by signing Cuban pitching phenom Aroldis Chapman. The Reds haven’t exactly been showing promise with their on-field production, but have shown an attitude of wanting to improve and bring championships back to Cincinnati. Chapman’s signing shows a willingness to make a bold move, something that a team in a smaller market like Cincinnati has to do. When you don’t have the payroll to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Dodgers, and Phillies, sometimes you just have to roll the dice and hope for the best. Bob Castellini hasn’t made true on his promise to bring championship baseball back to Cincinnati, but wouldn’t you have to think that he actually cares a lot more than Mike Brown.
So as we enter 2010, the two owners of Cincinnati’s pro franchises stand at a crossroads. One with a real desire to bring honor to Cincinnati yet with the system firmly working against him, the other content to have his team just outside the cusp of greatness as long as his stadium is filled and merchandise sales are high. It makes me wonder how our fortunes as fans would be changed if our owners changed teams. The NFL is set up to have parity and teams can make the playoffs even after horrible seasons the year before. Only the most horribly mismanaged franchises like the Lions, Browns, and Redskins find playoff appearances so few and far between. Having an owner that would have a properly equipped front office, scouting department, and training staff might just be the difference between the Bengals making the playoffs every 4-5 years and being one and done or them having a real shot at the Super Bowl.
I have always said that I truly believe that the Bengals will not be able to have sustained, real success as long as Mike Brown is running the team. His parsimonious penny-pinching has never given me anything to get truly excited about as a fan, because for as long as I can remember the Bengals have always been a team associated with losing. The Marvin Lewis era has given fans hope, but while getting to the playoffs is a vast improvement of the 2-14 Bengals teams of the 90s, as a franchise isn’t the goal to get past that standard and start competing for Super Bowl rings? The Reds haven’t been to the playoffs in even longer than the Bengals have, but I still feel more confident that they can get to the promised land, even in Major League Baseball where the deck is stacked against small market teams, before the Bengals under the current regime. Maybe it’s because I like baseball more than I do the NFL, maybe it’s because the Reds have given this city a championship at some point, even with the Bengals just coming off a Division Championship, I still feel more confident in the Reds than I do the Bengals moving forward.
Disagree? I’d love to hear from you via Twitter: http://twitter.com/Chuges
Finally, enjoy some SNL goodness from this past week starring Sir Charles Barkley.
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