The closest the #Reds got to home plate...

...was Aquino Clumsily surging in that direction...in an embarrassing botched double steal. Ugggg. 

 I want THAT other feeling again, the feeling Of anticipation going into game 1, knowing Bauer was on the mound, then Sonny Gray and then Castillo.  If you told me that there would be no runs scored and we wouldn’t see Gray at all,  I would’ve run for the hills not wanting to experience THAT vibe!  I want that feeling back, that feeling of watching Bauer mow them down with complete confidence, knowing that we would knock a few out of the park to help him out, right? RIGHT. Here we are 48 hours later and we still haven’t scored a run...I’m tired and trying to find a some baseball ⚾️ positives. I’ll go to bed thinking of a road trip to Goodyear Arizona in 2021 if were all not Covid zombies 🧟‍♂️  🧟‍♀️,  Or something....go reds...meh:

https://twitter.comr/CincyGy/status/1312063731082293249?s=20

Grit? The Reds finally have him, in the name of

@BauerOutage. And now he gets the chance to prove he’s got it under the scrutiny of the playoffs, as a Red. I have stated on this blog, that has been a hole in this clubhouse, since Scott Rolen was here,  the last player with grit, albeit the speak softly and carry a big bat type.  Votto? In the words of the Chad Johnson, aka: Ocho Cinco "Child Please". Votto couldn't carry Mother Theresas' Jock. I will always appreciate Joey but he has to get all these stats with rings to be validated, sorry not sorry. Winning is all that matters.  Votto will however nightmare you to death: beware! 👻

So Trevor is the chose one, the grinder the one who stares down other teams, shouts them back to their dugouts as he throws swerling bb's.  So he 'HAS' to be the one. We all, damn well know Scotty Roland (the last Red with 'true grit'), Chris Sabo (goggle Grit), Paul O’Neil (strong quiet grit), and Pete Rose (ultimate grit), Ain’t walking through that door! So Bauer, the self proclaimed and well-deserved-should-be Cy Young winner: 

 IT'S ALL YOURS: SIR OF THE GRIT  

This incident in the clubhouse this year reminds me of when Kirk and Gibson went off on his Dodgers: 

https://www.mlb.com/news/joey-votto-on-trevor-bauer-dugout-incident

So let’s embrace the rage, welcome the 🔥,  and see if it’s enough to propel these boys to somewhere we have not been in quite some time:

 Enjoy mañana compadres ! Speaking of the Pads......

ps. Lived in San Diego 20 (Navy) years: Go Pads, Just not against my nATi #Reds! #TonyGwynn #RodCarew and Mr Peter Edward Rose: #PeteRose #HitKing:

The three top Contact hitters of all time ? Go...

The Hottest Team in the 2020 MLB Tourney? That would be...

...would be Your 2020 kick-the-Covid-in-the-Arse ‘nATi RedLegs ! 

This was the first year since 2014 that I expected our Cincinnati Reds to compete, be above .500 and possibly make the playoffs. 10 out of 12 and the Red Hot #Reds are The hottest team in the MLB 🔥! Peaking

 at the right time, heading into the tournament, could  take the them where they haven’t been in quite some time: a playoff series win ! We usually save that sentimenr for the NCAA basketball tourney teams that get hot. Since this was a sprint, the description:  ‘tournament‘ seems apropos to this crazy, expedited 60 game regular season.  We have the pitching and now we have the nicest guy in baseball dropping F bombs, how can we go wrong! 😂

 

Listen to the bomb smack here: https://twitter.com/reds/status/1309722108604407808?s=21 Via @Reds

I appreciate Joey Votto’s apologetic cockiness, but I have to be honest: I don’t think anybody ‘Fears’  us, sure they might respect the pitching but we have to earn that respect, that means competing hard out of the eighth seed. So if we’re in the other teams dreams that’s good, let’s just hope it’s as a nightmare and not something Votto kinky 😂,  I don’t even want to know what that is.

Let’s Gooooooooooooooo #Reds

Finish This! Here’s a few tweets after the clincher last night enjoy the rest of the weekend let’s sweep these Twinkies! 

The 2020 Quick 60 Game Reds Machine welcome To The Hunt for a successful #Reds October !

#Reds #SneakOnIn the playoffs, No Thank You ! TAKE it!

 #SneakOnIn the playoffs ? Not when you have arguably the Top Three Arms, In the #MLB, on your rotation. I have much respect for @dotsonc but that attitude #SneakOnIn is sooooo Apologetically Joey-Votto of you Chad. When you have this pitching, (top 5 lowest ERA) and the hitting you’re ‘supposed‘ to have you don’t apologize and sneak in the playoffs: you earn and expect it! 

     So many fans are acting so excited and surprised at the Reds being in playoff contention,  not this fan.  I expected it and I Demand it when you’ve supported this team through thick and way too much thin. That should be the vibe from the team and the fans. No Grit, with a shrug of the shoulders and no winning attitude from the top down has been a cancerous part of the mindset of this organization and these Fans for almost 10 years. Go ahead and look up the attitude that Kurt Gibson brought to the LA Dodgers when they were a happy-happy go lucky team, and see how his demanding excellence and professionalism changed that team, we haven’t had it since Scotty Rolen, ironically Votto’s mentor. Too bad the nicest guy in baseballs Jock will never fill one like Scott Roland’s. As a Navy Chief if I would’ve told my sailors “hey let’s sneak in Because we’re not supposed to good enough to do this mission ’ Vice “let’s do this mission because we are winners, we are a damn good team,  and I expect us to win” which one do you think motivates men more: don’t apologize for winning, expect it ! 

So am I happy the Reds are in Playoff contention, of course. BTW: all of you rose colored glasses wearing fans that predicted us at .500 the last few years,  I was in total disagreement with you knowing the Reds would lose 90 to 100 games. This year I went in with .500 expectations and I’ll be darn,  what’s our record today?  So let’s stop all this sneaking In BS like we’re borrowing something that didn’t belong to us: let’s demand it and #LetsTakeThisS.....errrr: 💩 :) Go #Reds 

                           

                                   

Cincinnati Reds

@Reds

·

Sep 17

September 17, 1983: Johnny Bench slugs his 389th and final career home run on Johnny Bench Night at Riverfront Stadium. Because of course he did. #RedsVault

 Listen to the Ol Lefthander, Mr Joe Nuxhalls call right here, and watch the 🐐 #5 HOF'er 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1306579155249577985

 And Just like that: Boom! Your nATi Redleggs are in the Playoffs, well If they started today.

It seems like a-lot of fans are overly excited, i for one remain indifferent.  Ok, have all the fair weather fans departed, good. This was the 1st season since 2013, our inept playoff series loss to the Bucks, that I predicted at least a .500 record. So, they are almost at my expectations. And its all because of three Guys:

- Gray, Bauer, Castillo. Period, Exclamation point.

Our hitting: OMG, I see the 'nicest guy' in baseball starting to come through, as i always say: Mother Theresa was a nice guy also, but that does not equal baseball Grit, which is what we will need to survive in the playoffs, well,  and more of this: 

So what do all these teams have in common? Thats right playoff positions: 

PITCHING AND DEFENSE!

PITCHING AND DEFENSE! 

When, or If we make the playoffs, play goes under the microscope so that and TIMELY hitting win close ballgames. The guy with the most GRIT? Mr #WhoDey shoe wearing Bauer! Too bad he not swinging a Louisville slugger. Lord knows out team BA ain't where it needs to be, you will have your shot Mr Nice Guy, we will  see ;)

https://twitter.com/CincyGy/status/1298336925300924416

I took this pic at The Cuban Missiles final Louisville Bats (Reds AAA) outing at an Indianapolis Indians Game. Put my Nikon Coolpics lens through the backstop Screen on his last warmup pitch. Over the Next few days Aroldis Chapman would be called up and I was at GABP (Great American Small Park) a few nights later, when he made his 1st trot in from the bully and hit 105mph on the gun. 

Needless to see Cincy couldn't keep a superstar then and I presume as now: Sonny Gray?. No, please don't mention Votto, the nicest guy in baseball with his league "superstar low' .224 BA. Mother Theresa was a nice guy also, but I wouldn't trust her to have the grit to lead a MLB team 😁, more on that mañana ;) 

Hey Reds theres these things called Runs and not what you get after eating Skalinees. We could use more than last nights "0". 

Ok Reds fans its been a little bit, But guess what: I'm Back ! Why you ask? Hmmm lets Ponder that my Redleg Brethren: 

- 17 out of 20 of the last years have been losing ones, I became salty and utterly, we'll just plane tired of it.

- Go ahead call me fare-weather and then please realize I left as a United States Sailor from the nATi in 1984 spent 23 years as a proud F14 Electrician and then Navy Counselor, and have always worn my: Reds/Bengals?Bearcats(my Bearats) and thank God my later in life adopted BUCKEYES gear! Heck one could only take so much losing and non-championships from my Cincy squads. And I am by one credit (CCM Jazz band partnered with The OSU Jazz Band one summer) an Ohio State Alum also. So after 35 years on the West Coast all of my Cincinnati teams are still mine! I have a right to be disgruntled when i chose to, as  we all do. That being said, I've learned to "curb my enthusiasm" and lower my expectations, so i can survive the ongoing demise of our Redlegs.

- Going into 2020, 60 game sprint, I like others were sold on "Contention" with a rotation of: Gray / Bauer / Castillo. Gray has been amazing, Bauer with his recent meltdown has lacked late inning pitching support and like all: a weak Team BA. Castillo? You tell me, the dreads <SP? getting in the way of his once vaunted some of the "best stuff in the MBL" 

- Basically theres much to blabber about, and i truly appreciate your being here, Please comment. But thats not why im restarting the blog: I have time!

- Covid? YES ! Like millions I am: Work at Home, so in between work tasks,  I'm all over this. I will be putting weekly and daily content into each blog.

So lets see where this goes, hopefully we get back into this thing, if not. You wont have to suffer through the blabbering to much longer!

Thanks for supporting !

The Progressive Buckeye: http://theprogressivebuckeye.blogspot.com/

The Progressive Reds Machine: https://theprogressiveredsmachine.blogspot.com/

The Progressive Bearcat: http://theprogressiveucbearcat.blogspot.com/

Go Reds!