A FEW MO' THINGS, 9/13/12
Yup, there's a Wooo shirt.

Amazingly short on time today.  We've got a loaded radio show this afternoon on ESPN1530.  It will hosted by a host who will also be loaded.  And I'm not talking about wealth.

This will be quick.

-"Woooo" is picking up steam, which is both good and bad.

The good: Last night people were using it judiciously and in unison at the right moments....when a pitch was being delivered to a Pirate hitter, after nice plays by the Reds in the field, and after important hits.  Sure, there were the random yelps of "wooo," but like the "stand and clap" with two strikes during important stages in the game, it's being used at just the right time.

The bad: It's being expanded upon to unacceptable levels.  The great thing about "Wooo" is that it requires nothing else but a voice.  No artificial noisemakers or props are necessary.  I like the "Wooo," though I wonder about its shelf life. But it shouldn't be something that helps bring back vuvuzelas or thundersticks.  Last night I saw two fans carrying vuvuzelas.  Even worse, I heard them using 'em.

-An example of #firstplace problems....worrying about when and how the Reds will clinch.  The very first possible day it could happen is Tuesday in Chicago.  I'm guessing that if the Reds head to Wrigley with a chance to officially wrap up the division, Chicago will look like Cincinnati North. (Great timing: I picked tomorrow as the day I'm going to Wrigley Field this season to see a Cubs/Pirates game)  And it would be kinda sweet to see the Reds celebrate on the field in Ch-town.

But it'd be more fun to watch them clinch here.

Problem is we don't want them losing, given that catching the Nationals and getting the best record is still a possibility.  And we're not gonna start rooting for the Cardinals to start winning and slow down the pace, because what Reds fans wants them to improve their playoff chances?

None.

Nothing would be worse than the off-day clinch, a fate the Reds barely avoided in 2010, and something they could be facing on September 24 when the Cards go to Houston and the Reds take a day off in between home series against LA and Milwaukee.

Given how my luck works, they'll do it next Thursday afternoon in Chicago.  It's a 2:20 start, meaning the game will be going on while we're on the air and we'll have to creatively talk about the clinching as it happens.  And the Cardinals will be playing at roughly the same time, so the whole thing will get decided while we're on the air.

I'm not sure how I feel about that and yes, I am selfish.

I say it happens a week from tomorrow at home against the Dodgers. The Reds have six games between now and then.  I say they win four of them, two in Miami and two in Chicago.  That leaves the magic number at four.  St. Louis has seven games between now and next Friday, four in LA and three at home against Houston.  Neither the Dodgers or Cardinals are playing exceptionally well right now, despite the fact that both have legit postseason hopes, so I'll say the two teams split the series.  That has Cincinnati's magic number at two. 

I know the Astros came here this past weekend and won two of three.  I don't see Houston winning twice next week at Busch Stadium.  I'll give 'em a game.  The has the magic number at one.

And that takes us to Friday.

Reds.  Dodgers.

Ah, but wait.  The Cardinals play at 2:20 in Chicago.  Do we root for St. Louis to delay the inevitable and beat the Cubs that afternoon, or do we hope that the Cubs prove themselves useful for once and officially eliminate the Cardinals from NL Central contention?  Do we prefer the Reds celebrate after the final out that night or do we look forward to a night of watching the Reds while toasting their second division crown in three years?

These are the dilemmas you're allowed to think about when your team is up by 11.5 games with 20 days left in the season.

The Cardinals will win in Chicago, because expecting the Cubs to do your work for you is only setting yourself up for failure.

The magic number will be one when the Reds take the field next Friday night.

That game, by the way is the final #RedsTweetup of the season and history is on the side of the #RedsTweetup.

In 2010 at the first ever #RedsTweetup, Jay Bruce hit the most memorable homer in the history of GABP off Tim Byrdak, clinching the division for the Reds.  It was the best in-person baseball experience of my life.

This year won't be nearly as cool.  This division title has been more inevitable than the one two years ago, and this year's team will be judged on what happens in October much more so than the 2010 champs, but division clinchers haven't exactly been in high supply here recently.

It could happen in Chicago. It could happen while the Reds are taking BP on Friday.  But I say it happens later that night.

#RedsTweetup tickets are a pretty solid deal, and while there's no guarantee they clinch that night, there's a chance you could be welcoming home the division champs.  And even if that's not the case, going to baseball games is still a good time, right?  You can get #RedsTweetup tickets here.