I'm a die hard Cincinnati Sports fan. Bengals, Bearcats, Reds; if you're a fellow fan, we're friends. I love to talk sports, which is the main reason I created this blog. I may occasionally sprinkle in some posts about events going on around town too, because there's always something happening in this great city of mine!
As we head into the All-Star break, we've had a lot to ponder over the past week. On Monday, the Reds decided to fire pitching coach Mark Riggins. No doubt our pitching is atrocious, but this was his first season with that title. We have the league's worst ERA at 5.51. We all get that an overall ERA that high isn't going to win you many games, but can we not look at the bigger issue? Bryan Price is making these decisions to have unsteady pitchers come in at the most inopportune times. And guess what? They usually end up giving up the game. I think Mark Riggins was used as a scape goat, and the real problem lies in Price. I've said it once, and I'll say it again; Price has a pitching background! Not too long ago he held the same title. I feel bad for Riggins because he's been in the Reds organization for many years as a minor league pitching coordinator, and he didn't even get one damn season.
Lets talk...first half:
32-54. That's our record, and it ain't pretty. We are last in the Central division, which is usually a spot reserved for the Brewers. I've tried to stay positive because it is a rebuilding year and sucking was expected, but it is difficult to watch a losing team. It's not like there haven't been shining moments though. I mean the last two games we beat the Cubs who have been on fire this year...just not as of late. I'm trying to stay POSITIVE I said. Cozart hit three homers in each of the three games against the Cubbies, that's exciting! And hey, lets not forget the big news this week: Adam Duvall is going to
the All-Star Game! Sure he may not play, but by god he made the NL roster. That's right, the Reds have their left fielder on the All-Star roster. For all these analysts that are saying he doesn't belong, screw you! The man has 22 homers on the season. That may be the highlight of his season, but we have been dogged on for the entire year. Can you give us a break on this one, please? Do I think Duvall is one of the most elite outfielders in baseball? Meh, probably not, but I'm glad he made the cut. It's his first All-Star appearance and I say enjoy it! Hell who knows, he may wind up in the Home Run Derby, which he did say he would love to do. Wouldn't that be a story? "Reds bats take home the trophy in two straight Home Run Derbies". I'm a little ahead of myself, but what else do I have to look forward to? Besides college football! Which just so happens to be exactly 50 days away :)
The month of May was rough for the Reds, and Reds' fans. An 11 game losing streak isn't going to bring anyone to the ballpark. It started by getting swept in a four-game series against Cleveland. Ouch. Losing hurts, but losing to Cleveland is just painful. My boyfriend is an Indians fan, and for him to finally be on the winning side...well lets just say I'm not too fond of it. I know they are first in their division right now and seem to have a solid team, but my hatred of all Cleveland sports prevails over any winning record they may have. Clearly I'm strictly talking baseball here because lets be honest, a winning record for the Browns is more laughable than Johnny Manziel's rap sheet. And before anyone tries to take a stand for the Cavs, please stay seated. In the NBA it's all about titles. When the entire Eastern conference is terrible and you make it to the Finals I'll give you your two clap, but that's about it. Because it's going to be the same result as last year. The Cavs will lose to Golden State, except this time there is no whining because Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are both on the floor with Lebron. At least they were in the first two games with concussion protocol still pending for Love after game two.
Whew! I sure know how to get off topic, and I don't even like the NBA, but any who. 11 freaking games we lost in a row. Usually you have to see an entire west coast road trip for those numbers, but the first seven losses either came in Cleveland or at home. The good news is, they turned things around in Colorado. They took three of four from the Rockies, and the team's offense finally started rolling. It's not hard to do when the ball flies out of Coors Field like it does, but we'll take it!
Lets talk...series with the Nats:
Dusty Baker rolled back into town this weekend with his first place Nationals and I'm glad the Reds welcomed him back with open arms. Dusty was put in a tough position when he was fired, and I'm glad to see him doing as well as he is in D.C. That being said, when he comes back to Great American I want us to win! And win we did, taking two of three from the Nats. Hell, we almost had the sweep. We were up 5-0 yesterday when I decided to take a nap. I woke up and we're down 9-5 #BullpenProbs. They still made it interesting with a heck of an offensive comeback. Bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Reds down 10-9...I thought it was going to be a walk-off win, but I'll take two of three any day. Although they have had mostly down days, the Reds can not only compete with division leading teams, but they can beat them. And for a rebuilding year, I call that hope. They've got an off day today, then a three-game series with the Cardinals at home. And if there's any team I hate more than Cleveland, it's St. Louis ;)
Johnny Cueto made his return to Great American Ballpark last night as the starter for the San Fransisco Giants. Usually not someone you want to see as an opposing pitcher, but Cueto had a rough start to say the least. Although he was welcomed back graciously by fans and former teammates alike, the Reds didn't take it easy on their former All Star. Joey Votto hit a 425 foot bomb that plated 3 of the 6 runs the Redlegs scored in the third inning alone. Six runs; should be enough offense to win a game right? WRONG. Not with this bullpen anyway. True to fashion, the pen let another lead slip away, resulting in a 9-6 loss. If you can recall we had just snapped a six game losing streak on Sunday in extras over the Pirates. Now that we're on this home stand, I'd hope we could avoid another losing streak, but this team's relief is so god awful it's embarrassing.
Once again, I know this is a rebuilding year and that we aren't too expect the Reds to define the odds. But really, this team could have a winning record if not for the relief pitching. Half of last year's starters are still banged up on the DL. The ones that are starting are young, but for the most part have shown great promise. If you take out the dreadful series with the Cubs where we lost 13-0 and 9-0, our offense has been producing runs more than they have the past couple years. So we're left with the bullpen. Bryan Price being a former pitching coach, to me, should be able to MANAGE PITCHERS a little better. So glad Dusty Baker is out of here because he had no chance of getting us deep into the playoffs. Where's Dusty now you say? Oh just tearing it up with the Nationals this season. Yeah, but that's something that can't be changed. However; If I see Bryan Price looking dazed and confused as to why JJ Hoover is giving up run after run yet again I'm going to scream. The man has an ERA of 13.97!!!!! That's absurd. Send him down for the love of God. He can regain confidence in Triple A, but giving up runs every outing in the majors isn't going to do it.
Lets talk...Bengals draft picks:
With the 24th pick of the 2016 NFL draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select...William Jackson III, cornerback, Houston. Ok, I like the help in the defensive secondary which we will need with the loss of Reggie Nelson at safety. We'll also have to address the more than likely loss of free agent, Leon Hall, at the cornerback position. He will come into a young team of cornerbacks with the exception of veteran Adam Jones, who clearly still has some maturing to do after last season. Dre Kirkpatrick and Darqueze Dennard will be mentoring the rookie and Kirkpatrick has strong thoughts on Jackson starting day one. He believes Jackson needs major development and it will take time to adjust into his role on the roster. We'll see, but I'd definitely like to see our first round draft pick making an impact sooner rather than later.
I think the Bengals came away with decent WRs too. They didn't reach in the first round when most of the top receivers had already gone off the board. They picked up Tyler Boyd out of Pittsburgh and Cody Core out of SEC powerhouse Ole Miss. These two will cushion the blow of losing Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu to free agency this off-season. Lets not forget, our offense is still quite strong. We have an elite WR in A.J. Green still, a standout TE in Tyler Eifert, and a great duo in the backfield with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. Also, a lot of the experts are saying we got a steal in Andrew Billings, defensive tackle out of Baylor. Billings already has a chip on his shoulder from falling so far in the draft, so hopefully he can use that to the team's advantage.
What a way to kick off the season! A sweep of the Phillies, including two comeback wins on opening day and night. I'm not saying we'll go 162-0, or 182-0 according to the drunk gal at the bar & grill I was at on Monday night, but the Reds have gotten off to one heck of a start. It always seems like we lose on opening day to me, so I figured that was how it was going to end. The Reds proved me wrong and went on a five-run rally in the eighth that lead to our first victory. This run production was backed up by a pretty good outing from starter Raisel Iglesias. In all reality he only made one big mistake by giving up a two-run homer. Other than that, he looked like he has potential to be a big asset. Definitely exciting.
On a frigid, rainy Wednesday IN APRIL, the Redlegs rallied again behind a double in the ninth by Scott Schebler. He hadn't seen the ball well all game, tallying a total of three strikeouts in his previous at bats. Low and behold he would have the game winner. With the bases loaded, he brought em' in to push the Reds past the Phillies for the second straight night, 3-2. Brandon Finnegan, who we acquired from the Royals in the Cueto trade, had a nice night himself including a career-high nine strikeouts. He's no Cueto yet, but it's refreshing to see we did get someone useful out of that heartbreaking trade.
No comeback needed in game number three. Cincy rolled Philadelphia in a 10-6 win today. Now, if you read my previous post, I was a bit harsh on ol' Brucey boy, but I also said he needs to become the power hitter that we know he is capable of being. Would you look at that, the kid jacks out two homers, AND grabs five RBIs. I like what I see, and I want to see more of it. Eugenio Suarez had a big day with a grand salami. The battle of the big league debut went to the Reds. Both starting pitchers took the mound in the majors for the first time today, and our top prospect Robert Stephenson recorded the first win of his MLB career.
Lets talk...perspective:
I know it's the first series of the year people, I'm not delusional. However; when you're franchise is throwing words around like, "rebuilding year", you get a little down before the season even begins. It's refreshing to come out guns-a-blazin. Do I expect us to win the division? Probably not. Do I expect us to be in the hunt for a wildcard spot? Ehh. But guess what...we're 3-0 and I'm going to relish in that. And to make it that much sweeter, the Cardinals are at the bottom of the division at 0-3!
As I'm sitting here watching the parade, I'm thinking back to last year's Opening Day. It was about the same temperature, maybe a little warmer, and I had a delicious adult beverage in my hand. I was most likely intoxicated, if not well on my there :) Oh how I wish I was doing the same thing right about now. It's awesome that most work places allow you to dress in your Reds gear, and have the parade on TV, but I want to be there!!! I'm suffering from some serious FOMO right now, (fear of missing out for those of you who don't know). Nothing gets you in the spirit of baseball season more than Opening Day in Cincinnati. The Banks is a huge part of the celebration. It's like being surrounded by thousands of your drunk best friends because everyone is a Reds fan. And it's the first game of the season, therefore nobody is disappointed...yet.
Lets talk...the team:
I will admit that I'm not as pumped for the team that will take the field today against the Phillies. Mostly because I've never seen half of them play. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but Frazier is gone from third. The Cuban Missile is with the Yanks. Yes, we still have our staple players: Bruce, Votto, and Phillips. However; if Bruce continues to hit like he has the past couple seasons, so what if he's been here his whole career. He's got to step it up, become the power hitter he has the ability to be. If he's not going to jack out homers, than at least consistently be a threat of getting on base. Again, I'm going to try to maintain a positive attitude as the season gets underway, but with half of our starting pitching on the DL, I reserve the right to be skeptical.
They're in! Whew, what a sigh of relief it was when I saw them pop up on that screen, and as a nine seed at that. I kept saying that even with the crazy 4OT loss against UConn they should be in, but when I saw Temple, I got a little nervous I will admit. I was thinking more like an 11 seed, so I'm pleasantly surprised. The Cats will face number eight seed, St. Joseph's. They finished fourth in the Atlantic 10 this year with an overall record of 27-7. I won't lie, I haven't watched much of this team all year, but from their stats, it looks like they can score. They average just over 77 points per game. If the Bearcats hope to advance, they'll need to play their style of hard-nose defense and keep the Hawks in the 60s. The only thing I'm not happy about is that they are in the West Coast Region. They don't play until 10PM this Friday night!
Lets talk...regions:
I'm not a Kentucky fan, nor am I a Kentucky hater, but come on. They are a four seed, and they barely have to travel far from home with any advancement they make in the tourney. Don't get me wrong, their region is no cakewalk, but we all know UK fans travel well. Hell, look at the SEC Conference Championship game on Sunday against Texas A&M. It was practically a home game for them in Nashville. They do have Xavier in their region. I think it would be interesting to see these two teams go head to head against each other this year. Although, I don't have that matchup happening in my bracket. There is a good chance that the Wildcats will meet up with Indiana which I'd love to see too. After the bracket was finalized, I think we can all agree on one thing...t
here is no reason for the Selection Sunday show to EVER, I mean EVER, be two hours long again :)
Tis' the time of year where we must say farewell to some of our favorite players due to free agency. If you are a fan of Cincinnati sports, you should already be warmed up to this idea seeing as the Reds gave away half the roster in the off season for prospects...I'M JUST SAYING. Anyways, the Bengals have said goodbye to a couple offensive elements in the mere beginning of free agency, including wideout Marvin Jones. Jones has signed with the Detroit Lions, and reports say that the Bengals gave him a competitive offer. However, I can see why Jones wants to be in Detroit. With Calvin Johnson retiring, there is a need for a number one receiver. Jones was a great asset for the Bengals, but he also was in the mix with a lot of great receivers, all falling in line of course behind A.J. Green. I don't know if Jones has the ability or height to become an elite receiver such as Green or Johnson, but he will definitely get more looks being in the Lions' lineup.
Next up to ship out was Mohamed Sanu. Another great compliment to our number one Green, and I'm sad to see him go to the Falcons. Sanu was a good receiver and made some clutch catches for us this season, but off to Atlanta he goes. The silver lining here is that our former offensive weapons are going to teams OUTSIDE of our division. We won't be matching up with either Sanu or Jones in a divisional grudge match against the Steelers or the Ravens, and that does bring me some relief.
The one trade I don't want to see would be AJ McCarron going to the Broncos. After Brock Osweiler decided to go to the Texans for the mullah, the defending Super Bowl Champs are on the hunt for a starting QB. Now, they could draft a rookie and hope that pans out, or the more viable option...pick up someone in free agency. The list of free agent, veteran QBs is a little sad. You've got your pick between RGIII, Colin Kaepernick, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Against those three, I'd take AJ McCarron any day. I am a little biased, but the kid showed a lot of poise and control after taking over for Dalton. He should've had a post season win, but I won't rehash those memories. I just hope he stays in Cincinnati because we learned last season that injuries can happen at the worst time, and I want a reliable back-up when they do.
We are doing a solid job on the defensive side. The Bengals have resigned George Iloka, Adam Jones, and linebacker Vincent Rey. As much as everyone wants to boohoo about Jones' behavior, (including myself), you can't deny his talent. He's a great corner, and a good punt returner. An attitude adjustment would definitely help his cause, but lets face it, he can get rid of the nickname but he's had these issues his whole NFL career. All we can do is hope for the best.
Lets talk...the real madness, March:
One of my favorite times of the year. The journey to the tourney is underway in the form of Conference tournaments this week. Cincinnati will face off against Connecticut tomorrow for the third time this year in the American. They've had the Huskies' number, sweeping their previous two meetings which could be good or bad. Both games went right down to the wire, and I'm sure UConn is looking for some revenge. The Bearcats made a good push for an at-large bid by beating #24 SMU on Sunday, but a good showing in their conference tourney should seal the deal.
And as much as I have neglected Xavier this year because of my pure hatred for them, I will give credit where credit is due. Musketeer Head Coach, Chris Mack, was the winner of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Henry Iba Award for National Coach of the Year. It's an impressive honor that warrants a two-clap from me. Mack and his #5 Muskies go up against Marquette tonight on their quest to become Big East Tournament Champs. Regardless of their conference tournament outcome, Xavier is looking at either a #2 or possibly a #1 seed in the Big Dance.
