Dead Red

So the 24 hour morning period is over. I wouldn’t say I’m over it, but at least the depression had faded. I have come to terms that any type of playoff run just wasn’t realistic. It is tough when you root for your home town team.  I am a pretty level headed guy when it comes to baseball and sports, but I’m not going to lie, I got caught up in the ‘what if?’.

Over the course of the last few days the baseball fan in me has helped bring the Reds fan back to earth, rationalizing and justifying the end of the season. The best way for me to look at it was from my original view point on April 4^th (the Day before the Season/Home Opener of 2010 season).

Here were the facts we had to work with on April 4^th …

-in the 2009 season the Reds didn’t even finish .500, they finished the season with a 78-84 record.

-hell, they haven’t finished above .500 since the 2000 season (9 years)

-It had been 15 years since we have even sniffed the playoffs, that’s when they ran into probably one of my favorite and most dominant playoff teams ever, the Atlanta Braves. Remember those guys named Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux? Oh yeah, they also had David Justice, Steve Avery, Fred McGriff, and a young Chipper Jones (only in his second season). Phew…what a team. They went on to win the World Series and Maddux was awarded his fourth consecutive Cy Young Award.

I hate to swerve of topic but I can’t help but to think back on the memories of that Atlanta Braves team. This was probably about the time I fell in love with baseball.  The Reds were just recently removed from their 1990 World Series. I remember going to games with my dad about that time frame. For some reason it sticks in my head that he bought me one of those card decks that has the entire team.  I remember telling him “Dad, look Jose Rijo! And Barry Larkin!” as if I had just found a Ted Williams baseball card. If you remember the Reds had the ‘Nasty Boys’ before the Braves we even a glint in the baseball history book (Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton and Randy Myers).

It was a magical run, wire-to-wire and World Series champs, shortly followed by the dismemberment of everything good that the Reds had going for them. The 90’s were rough on the Reds and my Dad and I had no one to root for….In step the Atlanta Braves.

They didn’t replace the Reds, it was more like rooting for the Chicago Bulls. You knew you were watching something special. You knew MJ was a once in a lifetime type of player doing things gravity just did not permit. Smoltz, Maddux, Glavine, what a rotation.  Between the three of them they piled up six National League Cy Young awards over the course of 8 seasons. The Braves as a team racked up five NL pennants during the course of the 90’s, but only one World Series to show for it.  Good memories. I remember sitting in front of a TV at 4481 Otis doing the Tomahawk Chop, cheering on David Justice to take one deep. (that’s when a 32 inch TV was a big deal, and it took up half the room)

Back to my point, the Reds have been, well… terrible. Before the season started most Reds fans would have been happy to finish with a .500 record. In a division dominated by the Cardinals I can safely say nobody figured we would be taking home a division title and making out first playoff appearance in 15 years.

One of the most coined phases in baseball…’next year is our year’. Well… maybe, maybe not. I always say a good year in sports doesn’t necessarily correlate into a better year the next. That said, the Reds have been making all the right moves in my opinion, and these thing don’t happen overnight.

-2003 we opened a new ballpark, Great American

-2006 marks the beginning of the Roert Castellini era (Reds Owner)

-2007 Jerry Narron fired (finally!), ultimately replaced by Dusty Baker

-2008 GM Wayne Krivsky is fired and replaced by Walt Jocketty

-From 2007-2010 the Reds have improved their record each year

-2010 Reds win the NL Central Division and a playoff birth

Slow and steady improvements are the REDS MO including removing large salary players such as Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, and more recently Aaron Harang for a more team oriented club. We have developed a group of good young pitchers. Aroldis “The Cuban Missle” Chapman is making his rise to the top. Jay Bruce and how can we forget possible MVP Joey Votto are coming into their own. There is much hope to be had in Cincinnati. Yeah, we got no-hit by Roy Halladay. Yeah, Cole Hamels threw a complete game shutout against us.  And yes, we got swept right out of the playoffs this year. No worries though cause…

We have next year.

Thanks for a great season Redlegs!

 2010 NL Central Division Champs!