Here on BtBS the next few weeks vote for your favorite sports memory in an 8-team bracket. Vote for your favorite memory and see if it wins! Voting for this round will be closed on Sunday night. Read the rest of this entry »
Here on BtBS the next few weeks vote for your favorite sports memory in an 8-team bracket. Vote for your favorite memory and see if it wins! Voting for this round will be closed on Sunday night.
1 vs. 8: Jay Bruce walk-off HR to clinch NL Central Division vs. Colt McCoy and Browns upsetting New England
4 vs. 5: Gahanna Lions upsetting #1 Northland 71-45 in OHSAA Regional Final vs. Jared Sullinger’s 40-point outburst in 75-64 win over IUPUI
3 vs. 6: Evan Turner’s buzzer beating shot against Michigan vs. Terrelle Pryor’s 4th and 10 scramble against Iowa to keep drive alive
2 vs. 7: Ohio State shutting down Oregon offense in 2010 Rose Bowl vs. LeBron-less Cavs defeating Boston in season opener
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.”
Well, to put it simply, I believe. I believe in the 2010 Cincinnati Reds and their chances in the NLDS against the reigning NL champion Phillies, starting tomorrow at 5:07. I already talked about my faith in this team to begin September (http://bit.ly/bcwoYy) and it hasn’t waivered. Some of my friends and family that aren’t Reds fans are even giving them credit for what they have done this year.
If you sit back and look at the facts, when the chips have been placed against Cincinnati this year, they have come through in strong ways of big wins.
Record- 7-11, 3.5 GB, 6th Place
Response- 15-5 in next 20 games, including taking 2 of 3 to take lead from St. Louis
Record- 23-18, 0.5 GB, 2nd Place
Response- Winning 7 of next 9 games, regaining NL Central lead
Record- 37-33, 1.5 GB, 2nd Place
Response- 11-4 in next 15 games, including scoring 8+ runs in 4 of those wins
Record- 49-41, 1.0 game lead
Response- 15-7 in next 22 games, 7-0-1 in 8 series after ASB
and lastly…
Record- 64-51, 1.0 GB, 2nd place
Response- 14-4 in next 18 games, gaining 9 games on STL, improving to 8 games up on them
Now, how will these 2010 Cincinnati Reds write the postseason story?
Record- 0-0, Game 1 5:07 ET
Response- ?
As the Chicago Cubs wrapped up a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates last night at Wrigley Field, talks intensified between Isiah Thomas and the organization who hasn’t won a championship in 102 seasons. Thomas, who flew to Chicago on Tuesday, met with GM Jim Hendry about the job opening. Sources say the two had a 30 minute meeting concluding with Thomas talking to the media about the allegations. Read the rest of this entry »
Reds fans, Reds country, enjoy it. I said it last night, but it needs said again. This is still the dream ride, still the storybook type season that every fan has waited for. We struggled through Adam Dunn’s Read the rest of this entry »
In his three years as the general manager of the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates, Neal Huntington hasn’t shied away from shocking moves. First was in his inaugural season, shipping off Jason Bay. Then in his second year, sending Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Nate McClouth and Adam LaRoche packing for new cities, new teams and new dreams. Well Huntington has pulled the trigger once again, with what he calls his “Legend Package.” Read the rest of this entry »
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.
Just call it a 13 month break. Edinson Volquez went 6 strong tonight, giving up only 1 run and 3 hits in in his return appearance after having Tommy John surgery last July, en route to a 8-1 win. He dominated the Rockies (49-41) after a bumpy first inning, retiring 15 out of the 18 batters in the 2nd through 6th innings. The bats came alive tonight, supporting the pitching staff with 8 runs, 7 of the 8 runs came in via the long ball, 4 home runs hit by the Reds tonight, Stubbs adding two of the blasts. Thoughts from tonight:
As half of the 2010 season is in the books for the first-place Cincinnati Reds (sounds weird, doesn’t it?), BtBS is going to take a look at the big wins, losses, plays, and what needs to be done to stay ahead of those dreaded Cardinals to clinch a playoff birth for the first time since 1995.
Best Wins of the 1st half:
May 18th: Reds 5, Brewers 4- Dreading the 9th inning against all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, the Reds find the rally at the perfect time, retaining at the time a short-lived stint as the NL Central leader. Janish led off the 9th inning with a double, and was knocked in as Rolen hit a blast into the left field seats (the deck below where we had been sitting in the bleachers). Hoffman crumbled under the pressure by giving up a double, walk, and Joey Votto ended the game with a long single that allowed Heisey to come around to score the winning run, capping the comeback that seemed impossible when Cincy trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the 8th, and before Votto’s 8th inning blast, 9 reds had been retired in a row.
April 8th: Reds 2, Cardinals 1- A rough start by dropping the first two night games of the 2010 campaign were erased with one swing of the bat by none other than Jonny Gomes, who hit a walk-off blast into the left field seats to cap off win #1 of 2010. Bronson Arroyo worked his day game magic in the victory, going 8 strong with only 4 hits and 1 ER. This helped Cincy avoid a dreaded sweep by St. Louis, keeping the Reds around for the time being (see below).
May 16th: Reds 7, Cardinals 2- Another big win over the Cards to take over first place in the central for the first time all season. Scott Rolen was the big man of the night, going 2 for 4 with a big blast in the first inning to help the Reds jump on STL and Brad Penny early. Bronson worked his magic again, going the distance, giving up only 2 ER and 7 hits, en route to his 3rd win on the season.
Rough moments of the 1st half:
5 game slide/Swept in Pittsburgh (April 14th-18th): Moments to forget from this stretch include: 30-160 (.188 BA) from the plate, 2 terrible bullpen appearances in the 9th inning in consecutive games (Masset on Friday, Cordero on Saturday). Add to the batting part with amazing run outputs of: 3,2,3,4,3. Yikes. At this point, I think about how finishing anything better than 5th or 6th would quite an accomplishment.
The collapse in Atlanta: Up 6 runs going to the 9th. Single, single, single, single, walk, error, strikeout, grand slam. That’s all for that one.
The collapse in Philly: Up 6 runs going to the 9th. Double, flyout, single, single, home run, flyball, walk, home run. Lost in 10th. ‘Nuff said, again.
For the Reds to win the division/wild card, they must…
If the Reds don’t make the playoffs, it will be because…
Prediction- This team has the right mix of everything. The batting has been amazing at times, pitching off the charts, and the core of young players don’t have a lot of September expierence, but i feel like they can make the playoffs and dethrone the Cardinals. A new decade calls for a new leader of the division, and the NL Central will belong to the Cincinnati Reds.
Let’s get him back too.
To some like me, sports are everything. You learn a lot from organized sports. For example:
-how to play the game the right way
-how to play fair, with rules
-how to interact with others and be a helping hand towards a greater cause
-how to grow as a person
-how to deal with the situation your forced with
-how to make your teammates that much better
-and lastly, MOST importantly, Read the rest of this entry »
Behind the Box Score is a sports website run by Zach Fleer and Jason Morrow.
