Behind The Box Score

Watching Reds Live, Scott Rolen had a quote that I think shows what this team really has been like this year.

“We didn’t get 7 games up by looking at the scoreboard… We did it by playing, and winning.”

This is special. Chapmania hits GABP, the Reds keep rolling, the Cards keep stumbling. I keep trying to find other words for this last 2 1/2 weeks after getting swept those dreaded Cards, the way we have played. This is the kind of stuff that champion-type teams do, they play baseball the right way. Since that series, the Reds are  13-4, and (not counting tonight’s stats), have batted 20 percentage points better than their season average (.290 vs .270), and bang out an average of 10.8 hits a game, 1.4 better than the earlier part of the year.

I don’t know that there are many words I can use right now. Just every Reds fan out there, look at the standings, look at the schedule, smile. And realize how special of a run that this can be. It’s far from being over, there is still a whole month of baseball left to play, and we have a big series in St. Louis this weekend that could put Reds Nation into a euphoric state if we take care of business. Just think, a year ago, the Reds were 58-73, 18.5 GB at this point. This year, a 7 game lead, and a 76-55 record. Good times.

On the first weekend of high school football in Central Ohio, two dark horses from Columbus found themselves 1-0 after the opening week of play. The most shocking came from the likes of the Groveport Cruisers who upset highly ranked Westerville South 19-10 in front of a packet crowd at Cruiser Stadium. Read the rest of this entry »

After LeBron James held the summer of 2010 in his hands, as far as the sports world is concerned, another star was waiting for his moment. Buried in the shadow of LeBron once again, Carmelo Anthony wasn’t the only conceited star looking for an easy route to a ring. As tension began rising in the Denver front office, it became well known that the 3rd overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft wanted out, and out soon. Similar to the LeBron issue, Denver has the ability to offer Anthony more money than any other team in the league. But is it money that these stars want? Clearly no. After taking into account the amount these guys have already made in their seven years in the NBA, what’s the difference between $20 million/year and $16 million. Once you throw in two All-Star teammates and a larger market, the money is meaningless. Read the rest of this entry »