A FEW MO' THINGS, 8/27/12
Rest In Peace, Bozo.
-Programming Notes: Three radio shows this week, today through Wednesday, all at 3:04 on ESPN1530. I return to daily action five weeks from today. Mildly excited about that.
-The Reds didn't get swept. This, at minimum, was the requirement: win a game this weekend and keep the Cardinals from pulling within four games while building even more momentum and prevent the "other-shoe-is-always-about-to-drop" segment of the fan base from heading for their nearest poison dealer.
They're up six with 33 games to go. They go 16-17, the Cardinals need to go 23-12 just to tie them.
And I think the Reds will play much better than .485 baseball the rest of the way.
Still though, this weekend was a missed opportunity...from holding on to a three-run lead in the middle innings yesterday to looking as flat as they have all season yesterday in a game that had a premature post-clinch feeling, the Reds had a chance to unofficially punt the Cardinals from the NL Central race.
But they didn't.
The Cardinals might be a longshot, but they're not a no-shot.
And they're not a team the Reds should want any part of in the playoffs.
I know, I know, it was three games and those three games came six weeks after the Reds had their way in three other games against the Cardinals. But if St. Louis makes the playoffs, and if they win the one-game wildcard playoff, would you necessarily bet against them in October?
It's not like you get to play easy teams in October...with or without Strasburg the Nationals have excellent pitching, the Giants still run good pitchers out there even despite Tim Lincecum's awful season and they've found ways to replace Melky Cabrera's production, and LA leads the planet in quality starts, but would you want to play the Cardinal team we saw on Friday and Saturday.
They have a better lineup than the Reds, they work counts and collectively have a better approach to at-bats.. Their starting staff is better now that Wainwright is Wainwright again.
The last week or so, they looked the part, and they're doing so right around the same time they made their move last year. Maybe the math and the schedule play in the Reds' favor. Six games is a tough lead to blow, especially with plenty of Astros, Marlins, and Cubs still on the docket. But the kings are still the kings until someone knocks them off their throne.
-The Reds, for their part, have issues. This would've been the case had the Reds won three of their last four instead of the other way around. But fair or no, this team will be judged by how they do in October. For all the positive vibes and good feelings of the last few months, I don't think another quick ouster will be met with the same shoulder shrug and slow-claps as two years ago.
Even when Joey Votto comes back, there is still a productivity gap at the top of the order...one that Dusty Baker seems as unwilling as ever to mess with. There is a reluctance to try anything in center field other than Drew Stubbs. The bullpen is starting to wobble and the back end of the rotation has become unreliable. That might matter less in the postseason, but they'll still need four starters and neither Leake or Bailey look the part of a guy you want on the mound with the season on the line.
The good news is the Reds have a six game lead, and as Paul Daugherty points out today, that afford the Reds the luxury of being a little creative, with the top of the order, in centerfield, and with the deployment of the 2012 Rookie of the Year. Dusty Baker should take advantage of that luxury in August and September the hopes of finding solutions to problems that could, and likely will, present themselves in October
-Reds attendance is up. The atmosphere at the ballyard Saturday was incredible. But a crowd of less than 32,000 for a Sunday afternoon Reds/Cards tilt?
-The new owner of the Browns sat in the Dawg Pound during Friday night's pretend football game. More owners should do this.
-Why the internet exists: So someone can make a Reading Rainbow/DMX mashup.
-One more fake game Thursday, which will coincide with my fantasy football league draft, an event that was strategically placed to fend off the inevitable boredom that accompanies the preseason finale.
Problem is, this means we're less than two weeks from the beginning of a season that could take place with under-qualified referees working regular season games. I think a deal gets done in time, but I can't think of a bigger credibility problem facing a league in the last decade.
-For a team who's hopes depend upon their offensive line making major improvements, this could be very, very bad news for the Steelers.
-I'm out. More later. This has been shown 324832938 times the last few days, and the passing of Neil Armstrong has brought out the nutjobs like this guy who try to discredit it, but video of the moon landing from 43 years ago is still awesome. Rest in peace, Neil.
