Free At Last!!!

Posted by Number 1 fan on 5. October 2009 11:08

It has been announced that George Grande has decided to retire from calling the games on the Reds television broadcasts. Now the Reds need to find another television play by play guy that will constantly root for the other team on any long, give the impression that every pop up has a chance and create and only use nicknames for players and teams.

I am happy because I can finally enjoy the Reds on television without all of the above annoyances.

Young Reds Show Late Season Spark

Posted by CincyRedhawk on 2. September 2009 17:14

Following the Reds since the All Star break hasn't been an easy thing for fans.  The Reds were right in the hunt at the break, but started off the second half plummeting far out of contention.  That has been a recurring theme in these parts the last several years.  This year there seem to be a lot of bright spots that haven't been there in years past. 

The Reds have won 9 of their last 11 games, and it's the young guys that are contributing to the surprise of many.  It looks like Homer Bailey has maybe decided to tap into all this potential we've been hearing about since he was drafted.  He struck out a career high 8 batters, and in his previous start he struck out 7.  He's won all 3 of his last starts providing a quality start each time.

Another surprise has been the power of Drew Stubbs.  A lot of people wanted to see him with the big league club when Bruce went down, but the Reds held off until they needed a center fielder.  In AAA this uear Stubbs hit 3 HR's, and with the Reds he's already hit 4 in his first 15 games.  I expected Stubbs to come up and help out defensively, but it's been his offense that's been the eye opener thus far.

Could this be a sign of things to come in the future or just a late season tease?  Keep your fingers crossed!

Let's Add a Proven Veteran

Posted by CincyRedhawk on 31. July 2009 15:41

News is beginning to break that the Blue Jays and Reds have finally come to an agreement that would send Scott Rolen to the Reds.  This could be a great move for the future of this team.  According to sources the trade needs approval of Rolen.  Rolen is a career .284 batter and .967 fielder.  This would be a big upgrade in the field from EE.  This makes you wonder if the Reds would sell off some of their starting pitching now.  This move speaks to the future.  Updates to follow.

UPDATE 4:20PM: Looks like the Reds are giving up Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart for Rolen.  I was initially excited about the deal as long as we didn't give up too much, but I think we  overpaid for a player whose on the downside of his career.  Both Roenicke and Stewart have had outstanding minor league careers thus far with Roenicke making the Reds last September and again this season.  I'm not overly excited about this move anymore.

UPDATE: The deal is reportedly Rolen for EE and a minor leaguer.  Rolen must waive his no trade clause, but that shouldn't be an issue given his relationship with Jocketty.

Let the Sale Begin?

Posted by CincyRedhawk on 31. July 2009 15:32

Initial reports are out that the Reds have traded Jerry Hairston Jr. to the Yankees.  The deal is not yet official and word of who the Reds would receive have not been mentioned.  I'm guessing the Reds will get a mid-level prospect from the Yankees depleted system.  This also opens the possibility of the Reds adding one of the youngsters to the roster to get some exposure in the big show.  I wouldn't expect to see Heisey or WStubbs quite yet, but it could happen if Wladimir Balentien doesn't work out.  Details to follow when the deal becomes official.

Herbal Essence Roid Rage

Posted by Number 1 fan on 31. July 2009 14:36

Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinnati Reds has admitted to taking steroids.  You know the power hitter... no wait.  The shutdown pitcher dominating the opponents... wait.
Ah yeah, the guy with the really pretty hair.

What business did Bronson have taking steroids and how can I prove that they worked for him?  Let's look at exhibit 1.  A young Bronson Arroyo in a dorm room tutoring a fellow student.

Look at his hair, it looks like a pert plus mega perm sale at the Stop and Shop.

Then we look at the after, exhibit 2:

That hair and sculpted facial glory is no accident.  The steroids helped Bronson with his image so much that he does not even need a razor for the sculpted beauty that lays before you.  Incredible.

In all seriousness, Bronson sums of the whole 'Steroid Era' with the following quote:
“Before 2004, none of us paid any attention to anything we took,” Arroyo told the paper. “Now they don’t want us to take anything unless it’s approved. But back then, who knows what was in stuff? The FDA wasn’t regulating stuff, not unless it was killing people or people were dying from it.”

Bronson, don't worry your pretty little head, go back to doing what you are truly good at, back flips and babes.

Getting Beat 22-1 Takes Something Away From Your Next Win

Posted by Under Argo on 8. July 2009 00:46

Tonight the Reds beat the defending world series champions, the Philidelphia Phillies, 4-3.  Usually, that is reason to celebrate, it is always good to beat the team that won it all the year before and it's always nice to beat a team that shares a state with Shittsburgh.  However, the night before, the Reds lost to that same team 22-1.  There is no doubt in my mind that the Reds are still in the race in the NL Central and even though they did get beat 22-1, it only counts as one loss.  Just because they got blown out doesn't mean that they get 4 losses in one game.  It should be easy for me to shrug it off and forget the game but for some reason I just can't. 

Watching this team get slaughtered made me remember all of the tiny problems that I think the Reds have.  For example, I'm not completely convinced that Dusty Baker knows where he is all the time.  I'm not convinced that Bronson Arroyo can ever put together a complete season without the fastball that every major league pitcher seems to have (lets face it, we all know that Arroyo isn't ever going to be the next Greg Maddux).  The teams batting average is still not where it should be if they want to play in October and after the usual starting 5 pitchers, there isn't a lot of depth (more on that in a minute) so when somebody gets hurt, there are holes in the rotation. 

I'm not a bandwaggon fan.  I will root for the Reds just as much tomorrow as I did in the beginning of the season.  Watching them beat the same team that slaughtered them the night before goes to show how inconsistant the team is and to me, it exposes the glitches that need to be fixed.  Like I said before though, the Reds are still "in it" and we're just beginning to see advertisements for the All-Star Game so there is plenty of time left.

There is one thing that I've seen over the past couple weeks that excites me and that is the play from Homer Bailey, especially with his performances on June 27th and July 3rd where he pitched a combined 12.5 innings with 6 hits and 5 runs and 1 win (his only win of the season).  I don't need to tell you about Bailey's history of getting called up to the show and getting rocked, then getting sent back down and doing okay, then getting called up and getting rocked, then getting sent down and doing okay, so on and so forth.  This is the first time recently that I can remember him puting a few decent games together.  Is this the end of the endless Homer Bailey cycle?  I hope so.

Worst Loss Ever And Fans Are Ready To Call It Quits

Posted by CincyRedhawk on 7. July 2009 11:12

I'm at a loss for words after watching the Reds implode last night.  It wasn't just our most reliable starter that got rocked, but two of our top relievers, Herrera and Masset, that got taken advantage of also.  When you play 162 games you can expect to have a few blow outs where the team has an off night...but this was the worst loss ever out of 19,427 games.  I guess if there's a bright side to it, I can tell people I watched it?!?

Here is what I love about Cincinnati fans in general.  As soon as something bad happens, fans are all of a sudden running to throw their Brandon Phillips jersey in storage for the rest of the summer and trade it in for a sweet Hawaiian shirt.  Based on the polls below from Lance McAlister's blog, a large number of Reds fans are ready to become Parrotheads and forget about baseball.  I know there are cynics out there who think they're being more of a fan for trashing the team than just being a fan, but seriously 37% of people are done with the Reds?  That doesn't even register in my brain.  Look at the facts people, the Reds are still in this thing.  I was recently in NYC taking in a Mets vs. Yankees game at the New Yankee Stadium.  People there are fans.  They don't root against their team even when things aren't going well.  What's wrong with people here having that sort of pride?  Seriously, if you want to be a dbag and turn your back as soon as things get a little rough, there's a team in Ann Arbor you'd fit right in with.  This team is still in the race, 3.5 games out of first, one game under .500....yeah, their season is such a bust.  Im pretty sure we're only 50% of the way through the season.  How long has it been since we've had a team still in the race in July?

Let's hope the Reds can shake off the debacle last night and pull out a W tonight! We've got Harang on the hill, the bats have to wake up sometime soon, so let's give him a little run support for once.

Good Ol' Fashioned Fans

Posted by Darren Hollywood on 6. July 2009 10:19

There are all kinds of fans out there, but sometimes you see one and you think to yourself, "Hell yeah!"  I ran across the picture and story of this skullete wearing Reds Fan and said those exact words.  He came prepared with new Oakley sunglasses, his favorite reds jacket, and a fresh glove for catching those high flying home runs.  Not only was he decked out and ready to watch the Reds, but he did it in Chicago at Wrigley.

Not only did he rock out the away game, but during batting practice he got to put that glove to the test.  Catching a homerun hit while holding a beer and not spilling a drop.