The Todd Father is Crowned in the Queen City

Lets talk...Todd Frazier:

Well obviously he's the highlight of this post! From last year's runner-up, to this year's Derby champ, it was a heck of a night for the Reds' third basemen. I have never heard such an electric crowd down at Great American Ballpark, and I was watching on TV! Man, the love for Frazier in this town is unmatched. It's been an amazing journey starting all the way at the beginning of the all-star voting process. From the fans rallying behind him and boosting him past all the other candidates, to cheering on louder than ever to push him to a victory in the Home Run Derby! You couldn't ask for a better ending, and we still have the All-Star Game to look forward to tonight.

Lets talk...round by round:

Frazier's first round opponent was no easy task; two-time Derby champ Prince Fielder. Fielder smashed out 13 bombs with ease, and nonchalantly chomped on some cotton candy during his timeout. I was nervous for Todd, and although they would never admit it, so was the hometown crowd. Heck, even Todd was worried! "Once he had 13," Frazier said with a sigh afterward, "I said, 'Oh man.'" (ESPN.com). It was a slow start, but eventually he got going and blasted his 14th long ball out of the park just as time expired to propel him past Fielder. On a side note, with Fielder no longer a contender, Ken Griffey Jr. is still the only player to win three Derby titles.

Next up, Toronto Blue Jay, Josh Donaldson. Donaldson looking to become the first Blue Jays' player to win the title, and Frazier slams that door shut! In a low scoring second round, Frazier fell behind early. He only hit two deep in his first 12 swings, (thank god for the new format, right?). It looked like he wasn't going to be able to pull it off. Down one, he hits the ball 424 feet. To seal the deal, he lasers one 444 feet at the buzzer again!

One more round to go, and the crowd is behind him with full force. The last opponent, Joc Pederson, a young rookie from Los Angeles. If Pederson were to win he'd be the youngest player in Derby history to hold the title. He wasn't going down without a fight. After stepping over Albert Pujols to make it to the finals, Pederson had a short break before he was back in the batter's box. That youth prevailed because he didn't need much rest, blasting out an insane 14 homers and all of them were bombs. This kid has got power for days, averaging the longest home-run distance this year in the majors. Frazier had his hands full, but come on, it's All-Star Week in the Queen City! We got this.

With the Jersey boy's favorite Frank Sinatra song playing throughout the stadium, it was shaping up to be a storybook ending. Again, he was off to another slow start, down seven with only 1:30 left on the clock. But just like the last two rounds, he fired off four dingers in five swings. Two more colossal swats and it's tied! Alright, bonus time. If he can just muster up enough energy for one more, the place would erupt. Seriously, it couldn't have played out better. First swing in bonus and that baby was outta there! My boyfriend, (an Indians fan), sound asleep in the bed awakes after I jump out of the bed with excitement. He'll get over it because the Hometown Hero did it!

Lets talk...this new format:

I'll admit, when they revealed the new rules for the Derby this year I was less than thrilled. Timed rounds, bracket match ups? C'mon lets keep it the way it is. Well, I stand corrected. That was one of the most exciting derbies I have ever seen. This format keeps things moving much more quickly which keeps the fans interested. The only thing I could do without is the bonus round. I'm pretty sure every player got the bonus in every round, I mean they are in the Home Run Derby for a reason. They can obviously jack the ball out of the park, so the distance bonus would be my only revision for the future. Either give them an additional 30 seconds in the regular round, or be done with it altogether. All in all, well done MLB.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Lets talk...my night at GABP:

Last night was my first game down at GABP this season. With that said, I won't be going to my first game next year until at least May because it was FREEZING. The cold front in April did not stop the Reds' offense from being red hot against the Brewers. It's safe to say, Jay Bruce would like to play Milwaukee in every series this year. The Brewers are really the only team he's had any success against thus far, and he got things rolling last night with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second. It was a combined effort from everyone in the batting order helping out to score nine total runs. Jason Marquis pitched a great eight innings. He even helped his own cause when he hit an RBI single. 

It was an exciting, offense infused game to be at, but lets get real... we have to beat more than the Brewers if we expect to see October this season. Another great part about last night's game was Bark in the Park! So many cute pups with their owners trying to keep them steady on a leash AND manage to hold a nine dollar draft at the same time. It's a great promotion. Plus, I got a first look at all of the additions to the ballpark that the organization has made and I'm impressed. It feels like I'm at a totally different venue with all of the bars and new restaurants. I say thumbs up.

Lets talk...bullpen woes:

I left the game in the seventh, lips blue and thinking to myself, "There's no way they'll lose this one, I'm alright with heading home". But of course, the bullpen had to make it interesting. What should have been an easy wrap up, turned into a sticky situation. The pen gave up four runs, including a two-run single in the ninth by Aroldis Chapman. It's great that we were able to get the win, but come on! The offense is not going to put up nine runs every game! The bullpen and Bryan Price have got to find a way to close games.

Lets talk...disabled list:

As soon as I thought we would have our five pitcher rotation set, Homer Bailey has been placed on the 15-day DL. He has a torn ligament in his elbow, the same elbow he had surgery on last year. Hopefully it will only be a 15-day visit and not something more serious. As for starting pitching tonight, Johnny Cueto will go for the Reds and Kyle Lohse for the Brewers. Lets get those wins while we have the Brewers in town! Go Redlegs!