Sermons from Second

This is the weirdest March in a long time for me.  I'm busy...but I'm happy busy.  I absolutely love what I'm doing.  I have never lied about that.  If I had the money, I would do what I do for free.  I love it.  So being busy doesn't bother me at all.

So...why is this blog worthy?? It shouldn't be...right?

Opening Day is six days away.  Actually, the first pitch is roughly 6 days and 30 minutes away as I write this.  And I think a lot about the Reds.  However....I'm not mentally there.  I know how the Reds and Opening Day and night consume me.  I normally can't wait and everything is baseball.  However, right now, my mind is elsewhere.  I'm thinking broomball and softball.  I'm thinking work stuff.  I'm thinking a lot...and the Reds are definitely part of that...but they are not the front of my thoughts like normal.

In no way does that say my love for the Reds has reduced at all, or my love of baseball.  Next week I'm going to be happier than most people could ever imagine when the season starts.

I think what I'm trying to say is overall there is MORE to be happier about and that I am enjoying than in previous years.  Things are great at home with Jennifer, Quinn, and Azrael.  Not that they weren't last year...but I am just so happy there.  Miami Entertainment is moving forward and MEGA...just wow.  It's great with them.  I really enjoy MEGA and have a great time with them.  They're coming over for WrestleMania.

So really...I just feel good.  Playing softball feels good.  Coaching broomball feels good.  Work and home life are great.  So while I am thrilled to have an important part of my life back...it doesn't get to consumer my life yet in April.  I'm actually missing two games in April to for things at work.  (I could miss another...but let's not go overboard...)

Come mid-May, I'm sure they will be a bigger part of things....but right now, I'm fine with the Reds sharing my time right now.  My students, Jennifer, Quinn, Azrael, friends, and work deserve some of my time also.  

Thoughts From Third: NL Central Rankings

I am so ready for baseball...and as such...I did a little experiment...I decided to use the Yahoo Fantasy Rankings to determine the NL Central Standings this year.  It falls closely in line to what many are picking, so my methodology may be sounds. :-)

Bad news for Reds Fans like myself and Anthony, Pirates Fans like Scott and Brian. I just used an EXTREMELLY scientific and mathmatic approach to figure out the NL Central Standings for this year. The lower the points the better.

1) Brewers 97

2) Cardinals 100

3) Reds 107

4) Cubs 109

5) Astros 130

6) Pirates 164

Pirates pitching KILLS them. If their starters were even equal to Houston's (next worst) they would be at 119; improve their closer and even better.

If you're at all wondering...I took the Yahoo Player rankings, and found where NL Central teams ranked position by position.  I used the official website (MLB website) for depth charts to decide where everyone landed except Reds catcher, because let's be real....Hanigan over Hernandez. 

For example:

2B: 

1-Reds/Phillips

2-Brewers/Weeks

3-Pirates/Walker

4-Cubs/DeWitt

5-Cardinals/Schumaker

6-Astros/Barmes

I totaled those to give the rankings...position by position.  

By position players it fell this way:

Brewers/Cardinals-25

Cubs-26

Pirates-28

Reds-29

Astros-35

Starters (higher numbers because 5 pitchers per staff)

Brewers-55

Cardinals-60

Reds-69

Cubs-74

Astros-76

Pirates-121 (REALLY bad)

Closers:

Cubs/Marmol

Reds/Cordero

Brewers/Axford

Cardinals/Franklin

Astros/Lyon

Pirates/Hanrahan (I think Meek should be the closer...but Hanrahan's listed first on the site)

Bullpen (top 2 relievers only)

Reds (Massett/Chapman)  

Cubs (Wood & Marshall)

Pirates (Meek & Resop)

Cardinals (McClellan & Motte)

Brewers (Hawkins & Saito) and Astros (Fulchino & Arias)

I think Hawkins and Saito are better than they have them....

So there you have my methodology.  With all of this work I think I'll blog this also...

Thoughts from Third: Baseball Predictions Edition!

So this time my thoughts aren't on current news stories.  Instead my thoughts are predictions for the Reds this season.  We'll see if I get any right in a few months through October.

• The Reds are going to be hit with 3 major injuries that take players out for a large portion of the season. 
• The first injury will be Scott Rolen.  He'll go down in May with a season ending injury.  The Reds will try Juan Francisco at third, but it won't work.  They'll give Todd Frazier the chance, and he'll have a good rookie campaign.  
• The second injury around the same time will be to Ramon Hernandez.  The Reds will bring Corky Miller up initially, but with Devin Mesoraco raking for the Bats they'll give him the chance...and he'll take the starting job.  He'll finish top 5 in Rookie of the Year balloting and be the Reds starting backstop for quite a while.
• The third will be to Bronson Arroyo.  He'll deny it at first (never having missed a start in his career) but will eventually have to go to the DL for the first time. 
• Francisco Cordero will have a VERY rough April, and be de-seated by Aroldis Chapman as closer by Mid-May.
• The Reds will limp into the All-Star break where they'll have three representatives-Aroldis Chapman, Brandon Phillips, and Joey Votto.
• Speaking of Brandon Phillips, he'll have a career year.  He'll be consistent and by mid-summer will have agreed to an extension to stay in the Queen City for 5 more years for a hometown discount...5 years, 40-42 million.
• Homer Bailey gets converted to a reliever.  He's not happy at first and it shows, but by mid-season has accepted and adapted to the new role.  Homer ends up leading the team in appearances out of the pen and allows barely any runners to score-inherited or of his own.
• Mike Leake starts the season in the minors, but comes back up when Arroyo goes down/Homer moves to the pen.  He ends up nearly un-hittable the rest of the year, going 14-3.
• Travis Wood again shows his brilliance and locks himself in as a fixture of the rotation.  Despite a rough stretch in July, he ends the season 14-8. 
• Johnny Cueto emerges as the ace of the staff.  By mid-season he has 14 wins, and ends the season with 22.  
• At the end of the season it's ALMOST enough for the Reds, but they have to go to a 1-game playoff for the Central division.  
• Anything can happen in one game, which Travis Wood gets to start....

So...predictions for 2011.  I'll actually be surprised if ANY of them come true, but...you never know...

Happenings from Home: Redsfest 2010

As you all know, the past two days have been one of my holidays...Redsfest 2010.  There are several big days per year.  Opening Day.  Opening Night.  This year we had the Civil Rights Game, the Reds Hall of Fame induction, the celebration of the 1990 team, and the first playoff game in Great American Ballpark history-all of which I attended!  We also have Redsfest.

Friday I arrived at the Duke Energy Center at around 8 am.  We have the past 3 years, and sat along the walls inside the building.  This year, I arrive, and they aren't going to open the doors until noon.  So, Bob and Zach Volk, myself, and 20 other people wait outside in the cold until noon to be the first inside.  They let a guy in a wheel chair who came an hour later (he was in a wheel chair because of low blood sugar) and let him in the front of the line.  Not to sound like a jerk, but I don't think that's right.  I won't rant...it's not worth it.  However, there was no reason he could not have waited outside like everyone else.  Anyway...

So at noon we went to wait a few more hours until the doors open.  One of the people we had been waiting with was actually able to sneak and get a picture of 3 of the 5 autograph slots. So we were all able to see and prepare for several of the autograph times.

We all were sure that at 4:15 (as normal) they would have an autograph slot, as well as one at 9:15.  They had both.  When we were waiting to go in, the guys we were with kept saying "Run straight to A, that's where the best will be!" (There are 5 autograph lines...A, B, C (season ticket holders only), D (Kids only), and E.  Bob was ready to do so, and I talked him into heading to the center to look first, like we do every year.  It's never served us wrong.  At 3:35 they let us in. We did as I suggested...and immediately turned around and headed for B.

I had already decided this year wasn't as much about autographs as the last few years.  I ended up spending a lot more time looking around and at the main stage.

I took a picture of the line:

That was behind me...I was fourth in line.  Bob was seventh.  At 4:15, it was time for our first autograph. 

Aroldis Chapman, with the 105 MPH fastball and jewels everywhere, was one of the few I hoped to get.  It was a great first treat.  The man in grey is Chapman's translator. He has an interesting way of signing...he turns the ball and signs sideways.  So when you look at the picture below, he turned to where the part with his autograph was with the C at the top and n closest to him to sign.  It was rather interesting.  

Behind it you can see my World Baseball Classic ball I won.  It is one of four commemorative baseballs I have.  The other four are near the end of the post.

After that, I went and enjoyed the highlight reel of the season.  It really was a tremendous year!  It was the most fun I can imagine for a season...I can't wait to see what next year holds.  After that I checked out some memorabilia.  They had some cool things (a ton) and I picked up a few smaller things. I picked up a couple more small things today.  Possibly the coolest thing I picked up was this:

That is the Reds team yearbook from the year I was born.  Sure I was only alive for 13 hours that year...but it is still from the year I was born, which I thought was nifty.  I also got it for $10 instead of 15 and in that awesome case.  

Anyway, after the main stage and memorabilia, I took a picture with my future wife.  (A joke...Jennifer and I won't ever be separated...and she's not a real person...but it's a fun joke.)

Rosie Red and I

A Rosie ornament I got at Redsfest

I went to go see Jamie Ramsey, who has one of the best blogs in the business, Better Off Red.  Great blog from a Miami grad.  We chatted for a few, and I moved on and looked at pretty much all of the booths around Redsfest.

After that, I went over to the kids only autograph line, where one of my favorite players of the past decade was signing for kids...of which I don't count at Redsfest.  As he was walking from kids only to a picture, I asked him to sign a ball for me, and he did. I had forgotten what I really wanted him to sign in my office.  I stopped and got it today, and waited in line for him to sign it today.  I also got Sam LeCure to sign an unused playoff ticket (the Reds did not get to that game).  Here are pics of each:

Dontrelle Willis McFarland from 2004

Sam LeCure ticket from Game 4 of the playoffs...which was never played.

The first day ended, and we moved on to day two...some of which you just heard about.  Bob Wilson joined me today, and we had a good time with everything.  We watched several things on the main stage, got some autographs, shopped a little, and had a great time.  It was tiring but fun.  This blog is already long, so I'm not going in to everything...you get the idea.  But below are some images with captions that will show you more about Redsfest (and a small bit of my Reds collection...maybe 10% of it.

Walt, Dusty, and most of the Coaching staff

Marty and the Cowboy, fresh off new 3-year deals

Marty asking Walt for the inside scoop on upcoming deals

Why does no one pay attention to us?

"So, Dusty...how are you going to use that many starting pitchers?"

"This year, I think the Reds need to focus more on modern dance."

"Did you see what Chuck D is wearing?  It's great having fans that into this!"

Chuck D, the #1 Reds Fan, waiting in line to ask a question.  He didn't get to.

"I wish I was golfing."

"I could use some fried chicken right about now."-Cowboy thinks

"The reason we led the league in runs scored? It was all me." -Third Base Coach Mark Berry

"Dusty...can we get past the first round next year?"

"I'm telling you-dance is the answer!"

Bob Wilson with the four Reds All-Stars

NL and Reds team MVP Joey Votto.
 

Joey: "What I do in the bathroom, I do to myself." (He actually said that)

The bags they gave us...replicas of the new batting practice jerseys.  I want a jersey!

The Reds travel mugs they gave us.

Autographed balls from Redsfest.

L-to-R: Dontrelle Willis, Matt Maloney, Devin Messorasco, Bob Castellini, Chris Valaika.  

Behind it you can see my autographed Barry Larkin ball and the pic of us together. 

My current Reds autographed ball shelf, minus the new balls.  L-R

Top: Dusty Baker, Ryan Hanigan, Coco Cordero, Sam LeCure, Mike Leake

Second Row (cases): Aaron Harang, Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto

Third Row front: Corky Miller, Homer Bailey, Nick Massett

Third Row Back: Jared Burton, Bill Bray, Mike Lincoln, Micah Owings, Logan Ondrusek, Danny Ray Herrera

Fourth Row: Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Orlando Cabrera, Todd Frazier, Scott Rolen, Paul Janish

Fifth Row: Lance Nix, Drew Stubbs, Johnny Gomes, Chris Heisey, Jay Bruce

(I'm not moving any free agents until they sign elsewhere)

Former Reds players.  

The left half is mostly former Reds (except one who never was a Red, Brandon Webb)

The right part is some of my balls from the 1990 team.  Not all of them are there, I believe.

The other commemorative balls I have received in batting practice or at games.  

Front: Nationals Park Inaugural Season, last out of an inning, tossed up by Garrett Anderson

Second: Shea Stadium (Mets) Final Season, tossed up in BP by Eric Gagne

Third: Target Field (Twins) Inaugural Season-BP, hit out by an Astro

I LOVE this headline, and now I have the paper signed by Jay Bruce!  

There it is...Redsfest 2010. A wonderful time.  I can't wait until the season!  

Sermons from Second: Just one game?

::I came back and appropriately added the title to the post::

The Reds lost yesterday.  Everyone says the same thing.  "It's just one game."  I have to respectfully disagree.

It's a lot more than just one game.

I remember 1990.  I remember sitting on the edge of my bed watching nightly as the Reds beat the Oakland Athletics to win the World Series.  I remember how excited I was.  I remember cheering in happiness and waking my mom up.  Mostly I remember how my 12-year old self felt.  I felt that it was time.  I was going to be enjoying a Reds dynasty.  I was going to see the Reds the next year and every year thereafter in the World Series.  We had made it.  I went to school the next day and told all of my friends (and enemies...and anyone who would listen) that the Reds were going to win again the next year.  While I enjoyed them winning the World Series, I was looking more at the long term.  With Larkin, Davis, Rijo, Hatcher, and the rest...the Reds would be  in the World Series for years.

I don't really remember 1995.  I don't know why.  I just don't remember any of the games or that same feeling.  It wasn't the strike...I actually sided with the players and felt (and still do) they deserve their money.  Why should the owners get rich and not share with the people who actually MAKE them the money?

1999 was a blip.  I was also starting to fall head-over-heels for Jennifer, that the Reds had taken a bit more of a back seat.  I was also surrounded by friends who didn't care in the slightest.

I remember complaining about the Scott Rolen trade.  Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart were too high of a price.  I remember Redsfest and Spring Training...and April.  Throughout the whole time, I said the same thing.  I love the Reds.  I want to see them win it all.  I just thought it was a year early.  We were built to win from 2011-2014 or so...not for 2010.  At 32 I enjoyed from Redsfest through the first half of the season celebrating 1990 again...after all, it was really all I had to remember in that way.

I got home just in time to see the Reds clinch and watched the whole celebration in tears.  I won't lie, throughout the whole season I teared up anytime I thought of Reds and Playoffs in the same sentence.  I still do.

Last night I saw the Reds in the playoffs.  They lost.  They lost in spectacular and historical fashion.  However, it's not just one game.  The Reds are in the playoffs.  This isn't guaranteed for any teams, no matter how it may seem like it.  (Even the Yankees and Red Sox have missed the playoffs occasionally in the past few years.

I'd love nothing more than for the Reds to win it all.  I want to see the World Series trophy in Cincinnati.  I want to be at a celebration downtown for the Reds.  This is just my fifth year as a season ticket holder, but I have been a Reds fan my whole life.  I have suffered like the rest if the Reds fans at the misery of the past decade.

I've suffered enough to know that last night was so much more than just one game.  It was the Reds actually playing in the playoffs, and I'll celebrate that, no matter how bad it is.  After ten years, having even one game means so much, that the word "just" just isn't enough.