Hello all, and welcome! As some of you may know, I have been writing Reds Updates via email since about sophomore year of high school. But now, as I pursue my dream of going into sports journalism, I've decided to expand the number of people that can see what I write. So I decided to start a blog, since the school newspaper won't let me write about the Reds. Now, this blog purely about the Reds, and baseball only, I don't care to include my own personal life or anything else to bore you with. So without further ado....
How bout them Redlegs?
I can remember the days when I would sit and wait for the other shoe to drop in a game or for the season as a whole. Not anymore. Now I feel as if the Reds will pull out every game they play, no matter how far they are down. It's an admirable quality in this team, that never say die attitude. It's that kind of red neck attitude that players like Jonny Gomes, Orlando Cabrera, and Scotty Rolen provide to the team. That grind it out style. I don't know if it will take them to the World Series, but it's sure fun to watch right now.
Speaking of fun, I'm not sure what I'm enjoying more. Is it the rise of the Reds? Or the historic collapse of the Cardinals? Seemingly everyone expected the Reds to roll over after being swept early in August by St. Louis, and for the Cardinals to take the division by storm. And indeed it was the turning point of the season. But not in the way everyone assumed. Cincinnati has roared off to a 15-4 mark since, while the Cardinals have limped to a 5-13 mark. With an 8 game lead, and 29 to play, the Reds are almost guaranteed to win the division. Not to jinx them, or anything, but I seriously doubt the Cardinals can pick up that much ground. Even if they sweep the Reds this weekend, it doesn't matter, since the Reds will still be up 5 game. I understand that it's not over, and that the 2007 Phillies caught the Mets, and in the same year, the Rockies caught the Padres. Great. How many other times has that happened? The '69 Mets caught the Cubs with a great September run. The reason we always think of teams catching leaders down the stretch is because it happens so rarely that it sticks out in our mind. The reality is this: Cincinnati can play one game under the rest of the season, and finish with a 92-70 record. St. Louis would have to go 23-8 down the stretch then to catch the Reds. Not happening.
And now Cincinnati has another weapon on the team. A 5-1 homestand was highlighted by the arrival of the Cuban Missile, Aroldis Chapman. The flamethrowing lefty hit 104 on the gun last night, and has gotten all 6 batters he has faced out on 19 pitches. Despite the lack of big crowds down at the ballpark for his debut, the atmosphere was electric for his arrival. Can you imagine him matching up with Pujols this weekend? Or Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the playoffs? Wow. He, Nick Masset, Arthur Rhodes, and Francisco Cordero make one heck of a back of a bullpen.
So here's to the final month of the season. And a run through October. It's been a heck of a ride, let's hope that it's no where near the end.
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