The 2010 Cincinnati Reds First Half MVP

  

Many have said this is a toss up, not in my book: If we were to go on stats alone it would be the Young Man Mr Joey Votto, but his day will come. Without this Guy, Phillips/Gomes/Votto all the young guys wouldn't have the mentor, the leader and a man backing it up with the stats/hustle and mainly: the Leadership. The Reds are 70 and 40 something with him in the lineup since his arrival last year. He shows up injured, and hustles(as evidenced by last nights 1st to 3rd charlie Hustle imitated head first slide, which awoke the NL to victory). Votto has had Big hits, but so has this man, but he brings what no other Red does: soemone to look up to, model your approach, and model your work ethic to: All Championship team's have one: See the 1980 Dodgers with Kirk Gibson, see the 1990 Reds and 1990 era Yankees with Paul Oneil. If the Reds are to win anything this year it may very well be on the Bat of Joey Votto. But it will be on the Back of one: 

Mr Scott Bruce Rolen

Michael Buckner/Ghetty Images

We thank you Captain Rolen, for what you have brought to our  Cincinnati Reds!

Ok, Now that thats over, Bring On The 2nd Half and The Revamped Starting 5

Cincy Enquirer File Photo

Congrats World Champs Phils, we didnt unseat you: YET! Halladay and Hamels were 2 runs better than our Rookies, and thats saying much for our future!

2nd Half Starters: Arroyo/Cueto/Volquez/Leake/Wood/Bailey/Harrang weve got somethin' to work with here!

Relievers? Not so much, except for our not so secret wild weapon: Chapman, but what we have: Owings/Masset/Ondrusek/Smith: Not postseason or Division contending stuff there. (Maybe Micah)

Set Up: Rhodes: AllStar: will do!

Reliever: Must I beckon his name: One CoCo Cordero, like I wrote this morning, there are 25 million reasons we are stuck with him: Ugggg maybe that Latino Flair will really be there when we need it!

With all those starters, one cant help but think Reds will be shopping for pitching, and our hitting lineup may look diff if we score a Vet due to a trade of say: Stubbs/Heisey etc...hate to see em go but we need RP'ing!

Have a great Allstar Break 'Nati fans: Stay positive! We are in this! :)

AP Images

Congrats to the 2010 Allstar Redstastic 4: 

Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen, Joey Votto, Arthur Rhodes

P.S. Folks are asking me why so upbeat after the Sweep by Philly, well MY expectations were .500 in April. This is already a tasty Sundae with whip cream and a cherry on top! So it melted on the floorboard a little we licked most of it! ;) Well see if it all melts by Sept. or we enjoy Sundae after Sundae!  ;)

Reds Rooks Thrill Us At The Mid Way Point

Rookie Mike Leake, Friday night: wow, 7-1 score, complete game into the ninth, Reds lose in Extras. Double wow: Rookie Travis Wood, 3rd major league start, the talk of baseball Saturday as he dueled Halladay, and took a PERFECT GAME into the ninth, Reds lose in extras. Just to type those two epitaphs, wow! A "pending epitaph" is what some are trying to write and say about The current 2010 Reds, fueled by three extra inning losses in a row, Friday nights colossal collapse, almost a mirror image of the comeback by Atlanta earlier this year: The Reds are the first team in MLB history to lose two games in one season in which they led by six or more runs entering the bottom of 9th" compliments @juergenscj. (Thanks for reminding us Chris, sheesh, JK LOL ummm thats our tweet language for those of u still stuck in Fb land)

Of course its to early but awfully foreboding for catastrophic melt downs like those for a team trying to earn league wide respect as contenders and not pretenders . But these meltdowns evidently effect us fans more than the players, as John Fay reminds us: RT @rfeyh04: @johnfaymanQ:  how much does it destroy reds psyche to lose third straight in extras//A: Much harder on fans than players. Lets hope so, as the Reds throw another Rookie out there Sunday: Three rooks in a row! Hasnt been done since 1994 by Cincy, and we have wasted two fine outings by Leake and now Wood, Getting to 50 wins would be oh so sweet pre Allstar break. 

Folks were slamming Dusty, maybe rightly so, for leaving young Leake in there (86 pitches going into the ninth) but what if Leake could have got the job done, we all would have said "Great job Leake" with no credit towards Dusty, the way it should be. The player on the field gets the credit, and should get he blame, but the manager got the blame this time, like I said probably rightly so. These are major leaguers though, young Leake as mature as they come, yes Dusty has to look out for the youngsters but heck its our RP that is much more suspect. The Reds still hold a 2 game lead over the Cardinals who recently seem content in following the Reds in 2nd: neither team making the "Big trade " to prep for the second half, although Reds management is doing their part in trying. 

This season continues to not let any Reds fan get comfortable, especially if the relief pitching has anything to say about it. Our sticks will be there, barring injury (Capt Rolen, that back ok?) Its folks like CoCo and aging Allstar Rhodes that frankly scare the VuVuzuela right outa' me! There are 25 Million reasons why we are stuck with CoCo (Who I saw Seattle let go years ago after many blown saves and an aging arm) he gets to Cincy and Reds fans go crazy for his latin flair and heart. Now the 23 saves are sweet but his 6 (pace for 12) blown saves will "not get it done" as one HOF'er put it. Rhodes is great but Rhodes is old, he has given up two games of late, and because of his stellar perf so far (40+ scoreless innings earlier) he's got a long leash.

One @jlglitz and I recently pondered 100 mph'er Aroldis 'Phenom' Chapman adding some closer help, and because of his wildness we thought what the heck, even a wild pitch laloosh style, at a mascots head may help at this point!

Were halfway there folks and our team has excited us, we are in this, and our rookies are phenomenal: what a fun first half! Now lets get those Phils on Sunday!

National Media Re-Tweet of the Week

#Reds Ruh Ro: National press on the Dusty Baker attack: "Not inspiring faith as Reds go toe-to-toe with Cardinals -http://bit.ly/daOXaK”

Well Cincy, GABP Sushi didn't prepare you for Seattle, unfortunately, neither did Batting Practice!

                New Reds Photographer: ME! :) (Many More pics in the red link top right of page)

The Story Friday night in Seattle: Mariners Pitcher, Cliff Lee (Cueto could have been the story, pitching his own gem, if the Reds could have plated at least 2 measly Reds, as the Voice of the Mariners Dave Niehaus ended with "And the Mariners Shut Out (1-0) the best hitting team in Baseball!" Yea Yea Dave, rub it in! Didn't you see all the Reds gear in the stands, we, the midwesterners putting up with the dreary weather, spending loads of cash, traveling, hoteling, 1st placing! Hey were just trying to win for the first time in 10 years, can you hook a brother up!

The Story Saturday Night: King Felix Hernandez. Period. Leclure was outmatched, not by the hitters so much as Hernandez' presence. Im not sure the Reds were quite aware of Felix's heart and talent. I know Cincy fans were not, as they complained about being beat by the "Lowly Mariners", again. News flash Reds fans: He has some of the best stuff in Baseball when he's on, so it is no shame in getting complete-gamed back to back by Lee, but especially King Felix(Yes Reds Fans, Ohio's King James is not the only named sports "King")

So going into Sunday, against the less heralded Rowland-Smith (who repeatedly baffled the Reds with his 96 MPH stuff) the Reds were pressing and over swinging. I watched first hand as Cincy tried to imitate the humid, ball carrying bandbox that is Great American Small Park (Built for Griffey and Dunn's lofted shots). So many deep flies were hit, that the Reds thought they were hitting dingers when all the balls did was go up into the record breaking Juneuary murkiness, that is the Northwest, and die in fielders gloves.

So, swept were "My" Reds, on Fathers day, the Fam had a great visit to upstate Seattle, I got to see some transplant Cincy friends, and have a ball with my new #1 loyal Reds fan: My daughter(When your now 12 and you are old enough to see dad live and die with Cincy teams, it starts to rub off: oh the pain my little one will endure!!) As I sheepishly drove south, (car still slightly decked in Reds gear) full of fresh Puget Sound seafood, I could only hope for scheduling like College Football: selective! Reds stay east! Your 13-35 out here over the last 5 years, sais you dont like the laid back West Coast, possible fix: load up on the GABP sushi, I hear its great in the Cincy Humidity! That should prep you for the Seattle pallet next time!

Another major rule of baseball re-discovered this past weekend: Great pitching Beat Great Hitting. Our pitching looked swell, hitting, I'm not worried about. But let that be our lesson, as our middle relief smells like rotting sushi (of course except for our All Star should-be Rhodes and his bad self) and CoCo Cordero scares the S---ushi right outa me! We also could use another solid starter; Volquez, are you listening?

Stubbs/Hiesey/Nix etc.. dont unpack your Cincy apartments quite yet, you may be like Sushi: Nice bait for a high powered trade ;) Some Reds fans say: DONT TRADE STUBBS! Sorry emotionally connected ladies, this is a business to win, and win now we must, 9 years of losing cannot turn into 10! Some think this should be a training program to carry .238 hitters: uh not so much. In order to get something we must give something, see Volquez for Hamilton) Once again: Great pitching Beats Great Hitting. You cant have enough: Great Pitching! Unless these were the 75', 76' Reds, and Tony, Johnny, Joe and Pete, aint walkin' in that door!

Folks its been fun, I've written for 5 straight weeks now, and I appreciate the few Reds fans that have stopped in.  This was to be a conversation, not a one way ramble. So I will read others works, go back to CBSSportsline where there is interaction, and maybe take the blog down to a post a month, just in the rare chance that an alien force listening in, or Marge reincarnated may be looking for a quick Reds Read.

Carry On Reds! Smartly, if possible (Its a Navy thing!)

Winning with class: Priceless!

                                                           The Associated Press/Haraz N. Ghanbari 
                                                        
10/10/10 Update: BP going into the biggest Reds Series in 10 years, you spout off with a petty insult and name calling. Calling them "Whinny Little Bitches" may have been the kick they needed. It was unnecessary, unprofessional and you know what OK to say in the Clubhouse! So you hate them, good thats a competitor, but your mouth is now the focus not our first place team! You dont spout off through the media, how small time and "whinny" you sound. You call me a  "Little Whinny Bitches" be it true or not and thats all the fuel I need to come out and demolish you: as the Cardinals have done the first two games of this series! Was Molina right in gettng in your face, of course not, but if you would have come in, focused on hitting and not yapping where may we be now? You took the focus of the game and on your mouth: classless and not the way Champions win! Your the leadoff hitter, you set the tone, the only tone you've set in this series so far is instigating and motivating the Cardinal team while you have hit a putrid .111 ( 1 for 9) you didnt even back up your trash talk: My vote Play Baseball not trash mouth! My vote is to win and with Class!

Well said by Mr Daugherty: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/daugherty/2010/08/11/little-lets-just-say-babies/



From June:

Brandon Phillips comes home, bowls over the Nats' Sean Burnett and in a Tarzan Like way, pounds his chest in celebration while stomping on home plate. (Mr Daugherty evidently was reading my tweets calling it a "Tarzan" move as he used the same analogy: http://tiny.cc/zk4t9) Great play? Yes! Personal Elation authorized: Absolutely! Showing up your opponents: Not cool! Professional reaction: Not So Much.

I have since focused on Brandon, as he spearheads a newly aggressive Reds Squad: hustling first to third, giving incredible effort while ending up on ESPN's Top Plays every other night, and generally playing his butt off. But how much classier could his game be without the smack-talk like exuberance? Yes it was only one play, but in this year of a Red's rebirth would you prefer us to win with class or step on peoples throats, stomping on home, while chest thumping after you've already put the catchers face in the dirt? If you have no problem with that, and call it, as one 20+ yr old did: "part of the game" then you may be younger, part of a different generation or IYO (for you non-tweet/texters "In your Opinion") an acceptable gesture.  IMO(got that one mom? ;) I prefer the "act like you've been there" move, borrowing one from the NFL maybe. So did Dusty: "Everything was great, clean baseball until he pounded his chest," Dusty Baker.


Another example: One Johnny "Mohawk" Gomes, posing as he watched his shots fly out of GASP (S=small another topic for another day!). Will he continue to watch his shots all year, as he excites the snot out of us? Does he ever start to "act like he's been there"?

                                          AP

Baseball policed itself rightly so in both cases: The Nats and KC both plunking the perps. No issues there. I love the boys' enthusiasm:  just do it with class young men!

How much is this just another generation showing their colors? Now, I am a mid 40 yr old, dad/soccer coach but still intense. I have played my own energetic style of ball on the field. Years ago in my late 20's I also bowled over a catcher, knocking the ball out, being safe: that was enough for me as my teammates were yelling more than I needed to. Jumping up, I couldn't wait to embrace my team as we won and they came out of the dugout, high five-ing and yelling. Thats was all the celebration we needed. Thats was my style, I understand we all have our own. BTW (By The Way, again, for mom) wearing a red uniform with the #14, repping my fav player growing up, on the fields in San Diego. (Maybe that was smack talk enough for those Cali boys?)

Am I too much of a throwback/traditionalist? Maybe so, but one famous example is another #14 bowling over a catcher to be safe, without the chest thump. Or One #5 never posing at home plate, I know, I know, a different era you say, but should sportsmanship transcend era's? I say yes! Those players WON championships! Does it help to be even keeled and a professional? Well see how far chest thumping and posing gets our boys. In the Gomes quoted statement of Captain Rolen, The true only championship winning vet on this team: WWRD: What Would Rolen Do? Something tells me he'd disable a catcher or hit a mammoth HR: without the pose or chest thump!

Can you win with class? Ask #5, or #11(see the '90 team), or ask Doggy ('75'76 for your youngsters).

Chest thumping? Borderline showing up the other team. Posing after Home runs? Not acting like you've been there. Winning with class: Priceless!

Reds Rolen: He Is The "Prototype" Captain To Bad He Doesn't Want It

 AP

He doesn't  want IT. But the problem is, he is IT.


I know what your saying Reds fans, he's ok as a 'leader by example' and that may be true. These Reds may win in spite of the most experienced leader not stepping up and saying: Get on my shoulders, I will carry you to the top. Maybe he doesn't have to say it, for this chemistry (which is by all reports strong) to work. I brought the question up in a Reds tweeting game thread to John Fay recently (the Reds beat writer for the Cincy Enquire) and he said, when I asked if Rolen should be the Captain, "He doesn't want it". I trust John's clubhouse insight, then started thinking who could wear the C if it wasn't Rolen: Votto? not yet, too young/inexperienced. Phillips? Possibly, but needs to mature a little (hot dogs usually dont warrant or want it, dont get me wrong, I like hotdog BP, most of the time! Except when he's going tarzan on his chest and stomping on home plate after he makes the catcher eat dirt! Great play:wrong reaction) Bruce, years to come yet. If we were to have one, its the Comeback Vet of the year in MLB so-far: Scotty Rolen.

Recent clubhouse history had another man who chose to lead by example, not the same type of player, a natural superstar, who chose NOT to be the labeled leader. In 2004 when Barry Larkin retired, (the 1st Captain since SS Davey Conception) there was a void that a superstar by the name of JR could have filled if he were a different kind of leader.  How different could Griffey Jr. years have been here if he was more than the "kid" and more of a leader a "captain"? Some guys say they dont want to be the "Ra Ra" guy, thats not what I'm talking about here. Calling the team leader or Captain the "Ra Ra" guys belittles the position. That role is for the spunky high energy guy on the other end of the bench, ie: one Johnny Gomes. Afterall, it is that type of player that looks up at Rolen in a Biblical reference: "You know W.W.J.D., What Would Jesus do? Here, it's What Would Scott Do?” Reds outfielder Gomes said From rhis weeks NYT http://tiny.cc/98ml3”


Rolen is respected, revered, and admired by his teammates. He plays hard and has the baseball war wounds to show. He has won and has been the best at his position. He is the Senior vet on the team. A team thats surging, and forming their mettle. What better time could there be, than to crown a leader for the stretch run? 


Maybe baseball's "Captain" status is overrated.  Maybe in todays age of increasing individualism its a position sadly forgotten. Men, especially young ones need, require leaders/mentors to be ultimately successful. Call it my Navy background getting in the way here, but many civilian organizations for ages have modeled their chain of command after the Navy (sorry Army; get you own blog!) 

Sometimes we dont want to be pushed in life,  but what's discovered in the "stepping up" is for the betterment of the team. In the Navy,  leaders are sometimes pushed to the top when talent, leadership potential, is recognized. From experience I know the feeling of having a strong mentor who showed the way to leadership, expected it of us, and once we were there we grew into the position. What are players afraid of? Yes it was tough, but the team came together, and realized great successes with a go to leader in place. Those close to the team sais he doesn't want it,  maybe thats being selfish, maybe its an inner wish for solitude, and you know what thats too bad for the younger guys. Sometimes leading by example also means taking on the responsibility of telling the team I am your leader (if you want me) follow me to the top. If he is doing that quietly and the Reds win it all, I will say it worked! If he neve steps up and we dont win, Ill have asked what could have been.


Unwanted/unlabeled Captain Rolen you may not want it, but your becoming IT and we are enjoying every minute!

Tweet O the Week x 3

Goosebump Vin Scully tribute to Coach Wooden, the only man that can quote Shakespeare in a game and make it work: http://tiny.cc/v90dr#MLB

“His life was gentle, and the elements / So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up / And say to all the world, / This was a man!” Shakespear (Vin Scully on Coach John Wooden "The Wizard of Westwood"

After jlglitzomatic asked who a favorite Reds is (this year ;)

Captain (and of the) Comeback, Sir of the Reds Hot Corner, Mr River keeps Rolen Scotty ;). #redsabout 2 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone
Reaction to Joe Wests' crew overturning a safe call at third in Cincy/Nats game 6/4:
Ump conference nets a changed call and an out? Can u say they've been reminded that they CAN conveyne! Mr Joys crew: take notes! #reds#MLBabout 5 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone