“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.

• Lost 7 of 9 games from April 14th to 24th

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

• Blown 6 run lead in Atlanta, lost 10-9

Record- 23-18, 0.5 GB, 2nd Place
Response- Winning 7 of next 9 games, regaining NL Central lead

• Swept in Seattle, scoring 1 run in 3 games

Record- 37-33, 1.5 GB, 2nd Place
Response- 11-4 in next 15 games, including scoring 8+ runs in 4 of those wins

• Swept in Philedelphia

Record- 49-41, 1.0 game lead
Response-  15-7 in next 22 games, 7-0-1 in 8 series after ASB

and lastly…

• Swept by St. Louis

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?

• Third place finish in National League, NLDS vs. 2-time reigning NL champion Philedelphia

Record- 0-0, Game 1 5:07 ET
Response- ?

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 strikeouts, through Corey Patterson’s amazing .205 average in ’08, flushing away millions of dollars in him and Willy Taveras, just to get to possibly the promise land, with some “Chapmania” to go along with it. I am no bandwagon. I didn’t hop on the train in mid-May and ride till today. I’ve been a Reds fan for as long as I can remember, with my parents questioning it from the beginning (being both Indians fans). I stuck through all of the terrible, to get to the great. Every Reds fan knows that 2000-2009 were dark years.

It’s September 1st, the Reds are 78-55, sitting 8 games ahead of the faltering St. Louis Cardinals. A year ago, the Reds finished with a total of 78 wins, the WHOLE year. Anything is possible, yes, but ANYthing is possible. I don’t think it will happen, but the Reds can’t stop right now. I kept trying to come up with the last line to really sum up what I’ve tried to say, and find a way to tie it all together. Talking to my best friend, she said it, and I tweaked it to define what this team is about, and what they could be about. We’ve come too far, fighting through the sweep in Pittsburgh, then the loss in ATL, and sweep in Philly/STL at home, and sitting with an 8-game lead, to let it go.

One simple memo to every Reds fan:

“Enjoy it. Every second of it. We waited for this moment, now it’s here.”

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.”

During a one hour press conference on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, Huntington announced his new plan of action for the organization. Many had no idea what he was referring to and when the plan was revealed, it left the numerous members of the media in Pittsburgh stunned. In what Huntington called, “a deadline deal,” the last place Pirates acquired LW Wayne Gretzy, not sure where he is going to play but they have had similar problems with Lastings Milledge, P Roger Clemens, who will likely be sent to jail for a very long time in the next year and SG Michael Jordan, who in the mid 90s explored a baseball career in the Chicago White Sox organization.

“We feel Gretzky will give us needed depth and a bat to go to in the later innings. I heard he scored alot, runs I believe. He’s about as old as Andy LaRoche, and hey, they both suck so I figured might as well sign him.”

When asked about the Clemens acquisition, Huntington replied, “He can’t be much worse than Ross Olendorf, and he is a fighter, that’s what we need. Come on, the guy has denied steroid use for the past three years, he can handle adversity.” When BtBS attempted to contact Jordan on the situation, Michael had no valuable comment. “The Pirates. Me? No, can’t be possible. I gave up that sport awhile back.”

After a bombardment of criticism from the Pittsburgh media, Huntington stayed strong with his bold move.

“Look, playoff baseball hasn’t been played here since Pamela Anderson was a virgin.”

Huntington would add later, “It’s August 31st!!!!!! Trade Deadline, duh.”

When you’re 33 games out of first place and 44 games under .500 anything is possible. But for Pittsburgh, this is truly shocking. Usually they trade players, not sign them. With a month left in the season, it’ll be very interesting to see how the Bucos do down the stretch with the AARP squad out on the field at PNC Park. “When we win 35 straight games and steal the World Series, I’ll be the one laughing. Neal Huntington. Out” Can’t blame a guy for wanting to win, but Huntington’s plan for success is about as dismal as the Stimulus Package.

• In other National League news, the Cincinnati Reds extended their lead over the St. Louis Cardinals to seven games after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 in a game where the Cuban Missile Aroldis Chapman came in relief.

• The Chicago Cubs have found their heir apparent to Lou Piniella. Sources tell BtBS that Isiah Thomas has been in contact with the organization about the managerial position. Thomas, who is under contract with the Florida International basketball program, told Behind the Box Score that, “If I can get this job, I will finally be able to complete my masterplan. Operation Knick Destruction.” Not sure how he will be able to accomplish that but this is coming from a man who believed Eddy Curry was the savior for New York basketball.

• Omaha Nighthawks RB Maurice Clarett practiced with his new team today in front of a crowd of seven. Clarett, who served three and a half years in prison in Toledo is excited for his new start. “It’s a blessing. Instead of facing Big Bubba on every down, I’ll face guys with less intention.” Clarett is slated as the no. 2 back behind Ahman Green who is returning from hip replacement surgery.

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:

• Volquez looked likethe Volquez we came to know during the 2008 season when he picked up the All-Star bid. His stuff was moving around, and his fastball was clocked at about 95 mph, not bad for a ML return.
• Nice to see the fans in the stands for a game that wasn’t titled Opening Day or Civil Rights Game. 41,300 attended this titanic struggle (also check out Redleg Nation for a Titanic Struggle Recap, great stuff), ESPN said that would make GABP 97.6% full.
• Offensive outburst by Drew Stubbs tonight. 2-for-4, 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. He saved his 3 HR game for the next time he plays the Cubs again.
• Young pitchers out of the bullpen giving quality innings. Jordan Smith and Logan Ondrusek both pitched scoreless baseball, with Smith going for 2 innings.
• Not sure if it was because of the HOF weekend or not, but the attendance spike is certainly a nice change for GABP, hearing the place rock and roll at every big play the Reds (51-41) made tonight.
• I want playoff style baseball this September and October. Knock on wood.

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…

• Not have any more meltdowns in the 9th inning. Those two games in Philly and Atlanta are games you will look back on at the end of the year and realize how they could have changed the season if they fall short.
• Take care of business against the teams they should take 2 of 3 or sweep with ease. They get Houston for 9, Pittsburgh for 6, and the Brewers for 9 as well.
• Have Nick Masset figure out which Nick Masset he wants to be, whether it be 2009 or 2010 Masset, he needs to decide so the bullpen can get more stability.
• Figure out Coco Cordero, and every save cannot be a “thrill a minute” as Marty goes on and on about. It’s just not what we need. Some of those thrills turn into BS’s and L’s in the stat column.

If the Reds don’t make the playoffs, it will be because…

• Teams figure out the rookie core of pitchers and we get rocked night in and night out. I don’t see this happening though. They are too strong and capable to adjust on the fly. This is the future of the Reds right here.
• The bats all of a sudden come to a halt. There have been spurts of this during the season, and it scares me a little bit, if in a big series against STL this would somehow happen.
• They choke on the infamous west coast swing. We have not been able to win on the west coast at all, example being the debacles in Seattle.

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.

According to a BaseballAmerica.com report, the Reds have hooked the first two draft picks from the 2009 draft. Mike Leake, the first pick for the Reds, signed for 2.27 million, coming out of Arizona State. He was dominant in college, going 16-1 his senior year, with a stellar 1.71 ERA. On a blog earlier this year, Leake said that, “This is a great time in my life right now with fantastic opportunities and obstacles along the way. I will embrace the opportunities with open arms and will stay humble wherever the road takes me.”

The other was a righthander named Brad Boxberger from USC for 857,000$. Boxberger’s numbers aren’t as impressive, still nice however. He was 6-3 with 3.16 ERA for SC this season. MLB.com has a little bit of a report on him, saying that, “He can throw several pitches for strikes and knows how to pitch…the key has been his ability to maintain his velocity deep into his starts, something he hadn’t done in the past.”

Can we get these guys on the schedule more often? I think just about any team in the majors would love to have the lowly Nationals (40-75) on their schedule about every week. Jonny Gomes took the Nats pitching deep three times in his first three at-bats, and the Reds cruised to an easy 7-0 victory last night. He started the season in Triple-A Louisville, before getting the call up in late May. “I was in Triple-A to start this thing off, and now, not too many at-bats later, I have three home runs.”

The scoring for the Reds started off in the second, when Gomes took Collin Balester deep, scoring Nix, who doubled to start the inning off. Hanigan, after a Rosales groundout, took the Nationals hurler deep again, adding to the lead, making it 3-0. Gomes did it again in the 4th, with a major shot up to the upper deck in left, and then again in the 6th, making him the 6th player to hit 3 homers in a game this season, and the first since Votto did it in Wrigley early May last year. “That was one the best performances I’ve seen in a long time,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “We needed those runs and the victory, and that was an outstanding performance by Bronson, too. It was like he didn’t break a sweat.”

Bronson’s performance was the one side of his bi-polar pitching performances he had given all year. Bronson went out, and threw a complete game 2 hitter, giving up the only hits to Ryan Zimmerman, who extended his hitting streak to 16 games, the only thing the lowly Nats have left to look forward to, and the other hit was to ex-Red Adam Dunn. “Early on, they hit a couple of balls hard, and Laynce made some great plays,”  Bronson said. “I got a lot of groundballs right at people on my changeup and sinker. The ball rolled my way today, and those three runs we got early on were huge. Lately, it seems like I’ve had fight and scratch to keep the score close early.”

Even a month after he admitted to taking Andro from 1998 to 2004, he still is taking some drugs on the days he pitches, and some on off days. According to a USA Today report, he said that, “I have a lot of guys in the locker room who think I’m out of my mind because I’m taking a lot of things not on the approved list. I take 10 to 12 different things a day, and on the days I pitch, there’s four more things. There’s a caffeine drink I take from a company that Curt Schilling introduced me to in ’05. I take some Korean ginseng and a few other proteins out there that are not certified. But I haven’t failed any tests, so I figured I’m good.”

*Warning, Comedy Corner/Rant Upcoming*

I mean really? You take some type of PEDs before every time you pitch? The numbers don’t really show that. You are 10-11, and 10 of your 23 starts you have given up 5 ER or more. Not to mention the games you must have lost your pills and forgot where you left them at your house, when you got rocked for 9 ER, twice, only one time you had somehow made it through five innings. Could you somehow have not gotten those drugs across the Canada-US border when you got crushed for 10 ER in ONE INNING? I thought taking still illegal PEDs would help you get more speed on that fastball, or more turn on the curveball. But I guess the ball just flies 600 feet out of the yard no matter if you do take your drugs or not.

Oh, I’ll leave you with a nice quote all you Manny lovers. “I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it. But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he’s serial killer Ted Bundy, you’re out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really cares whether Manny Ramirez’s kidneys fail and he dies at 50?

Former Cincinnati Reds and current Texas Rangers star Josh Hamilton has recently admitted to relapsing, which stemmed from a January incident in Tempe, Arizona. He reportedly was drunk, and took pictures with women that weren’t his wife. “Honestly, I hate that this happened. But it is what it is. You deal with it. I realized that, obviously, I’m not perfect, in this ongoing struggle, battle, that is very real. A lot of people don’t understand how real it is,” the slugger said of the incident.

Before the event, Hamilton had been clean since October 6th, 2005. He told his team the day after the event occured, there is no penalty for the slugger. “Unfortunately, it happened. It just reinforces to me that if I’m out there getting ready for a season and taking my focus off the most important thing in my recovery, which is my relationship with Christ, it’s amazing how those things creep back in.”

During the 2008 season, Hamilton had a mind-blowing 28 home runs in one round of the Home Run Derby. “I don’t feel like I’m a hypocrite. I feel like I’m human,” he said Saturday. “I got away from the one thing that keeps me straightened out and going in the right direction.”