Cincinnati Reds broadcaster of 45 years, Marty Brennaman, has announced that he will retire at the end of this, his 46th, season. His tenure has lasted since Opening Day of the Cincinnati Red Legs’ 1974 season, which they finished with a record of 98-64, second place in their National League Western Division, second place in their National League, and second place in all of Major League Baseball.
Unfortunately, Brennaman did not get to call any playoff games in his rookie season as though they were the second best team in baseball, they were not the first-place team in their division and teams could not move on to the postseason if they did not lead their division at the end of the season. The Red Legs did not lead their division as the Los Angeles Dodgers led baseball (and the N.L. West) with their incredible record of 102-60. Despite the bitter finish, the very first half inning of the season set a positive start for Brennaman’s long tenure. In the top of the first inning on April 4, 1974 (45 years ago, today), Opening Day at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio (where baseball’s Opening Day is a holiday accompanied by a parade), Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit a home run over the fence in left-center field. This moment was historic as it was home run number 714 for Aaron, tying George Herman “Babe” Ruth’s all-time home run record. Just four batters into Brennaman’s career, he had called a historic occasion. Since that moment, he has called six no-hitters (one of which was Tom Browning’s perfect game and another was Roy Halladay’s playoff no-hitter), Scooter Gennett’s four-home run game, and three Cincinnati World Series victories. His trademark, wildly dressed hair was once described as a Cincinnati landmark. Incidentally, this remark was made at an event where Brennaman had his head shaved on the field at Great American Ballpark. He first announced alongside former Reds’ pitcher Joe Nuxhall, but sometime after Nuxhall’s retirement and death, former Reds’ pitcher Jeff “The Cowboy” Brantley filled the role. Brennaman’s son Thom Brennaman is now a well-known broadcaster for FOX Sports for mainly baseball and football games. The father and son duo has appeared as a broadcasting team for Reds’ games several times, with the younger Brennaman on-air referring to his broadcast partner, not by his first name (as broadcasting duos tend to do), but by “Dad.” The Red Legs won Brennaman’s first game 7-6, though that game did not result in Brennaman saying his famous post-win catchphrase, “And this one belongs to the Reds!” He said that he did not immediately develop that signoff, but after 40+ seasons of hearing it after every win, the words have become imprinted on the hearts of Reds fans. He did, however, get the opportunity to say the line after Opening Day this season. On March 28, 2019, the Reds opened their season at home with a 5-3 win over the N.L. Central Division rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates’ left fielder Corey Dickerson grounded a David Hernandez pitch to Reds’ second baseman Jose Peraza, who then fired the ball to Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto for the out. As Votto closed his glove around the ball, Brennaman ended his last ever Opening Day with a trademark, “And this one belongs to the Reds!” With Brennaman’s final game less than a season away, it’s reasonable to conclude that his historic career, as he would say, “Belongs to the Reds!” Jesse A. Cook “Marty Brennaman Announces Retirement” April 4, 2019
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Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Dallas Keuchel, Craig Kimbrel—the list goes on for offseason names, but which of these players will receive the contract they actually want? Pitchers and catchers first report on February 12, but none of these players have chosen a team and that is hurting both them and the fans.
First of all, the memory of J.D. Martinez’s failed expedition to attain a seven-year $200 million contract should be fresh in these players’ minds (Martinez ended up acquiring a five-year $110 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, far less money than what he originally wanted). A picture of two bats with Philadelphia Phillies’ logos and Harper’s name and number 34 circulated on Twitter on Monday, January 28. Many fans and analysts are speculating that the image means that Harper will sign with the Phillies. The Score’s beat reporter Bruce Levine said in October that, “Harper is reportedly looking for a 10-year, $350 million deal as the starting point in negotiations.” The Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell said on Friday, January 25 that Harper will not end up making nearly as much money as he wanted. He said, “Harper’s best concrete offer now is not for an average annual value of $37.5 million or $35.7 million… No team claims that it has any contract offer on the table to Harper at all. There’s been plenty of big talk and goo-goo eyes but no “sign here.”” The waiting game might not be the only part of this process hurting players. Baseball simply is not bringing in enough money for teams to be giving out $200, $300 million contracts anymore. Frankly, after the New York Yankees’ experiments with Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Giancarlo Stanton (giving players upwards of $100 million for over seven years) and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s franchise-crushing contract with Albert Pujols, the odds of team following in their footsteps are unlikely. Kimbrel is looking for a six-year contract for at least $100 million, but he is not receiving the interest he hoped he would. The best interest the World Series Champion closer has gotten is a potential three-year deal from the Minnesota Twins. The Houston Astros want Keuchel to return to their squad, but the Cincinnati Reds are making a serious bid for him. Scott Boyken, Fansided’s Reds’ beat reporter said that, “Following his trade to the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week right-hander Sonny Gray agreed to a three-year $30 million extension. The numbers suggest he’s similar to remaining free agent ace Dallas Keuchel.” The Reds spent $30 million on Sonny Gray and Boyken says that they are likely to spend that for Keuchel ($10 million per year). Machado is getting interest from many teams including the Yankees, Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and San Diego Padres. Machado entered the offseason looking for essentially the same deal Stanton made in the 2017-18 offseason, a 13-year commitment for $325 million. Wallace Matthews of New York Daily News said that Machado is looking at a deal similar to Harper. He said that Machado is looking at contracts on a, “range from $175 million for seven years to $250 million for eight years.” Spring training is 11 days away, but the fans still have no idea which players they will be rooting for. Jesse A. Cook “MLB Offseason’s Toll On Players And Fans” February 1, 2019 2019 starts in a few hours, so to welcome the new year, here’s an installment of baseball in year 9s. From Roger Connor to Hideki Matsui, baseball has taken a wild ride in year 9s.
1889: Managed by Jim Mutrie, first baseman Roger Connor and the New York Giants topped the National League, a game ahead of the Boston Beaneaters, winning the league championship with an 83-43 record. They shared their city with the American Association Champs, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, led by outfielder Oyster Burns and managed by Bill McGunnigle, who topped their faction of baseball with a staggering 93-44 record. They played each other in a primitive form of the World Series, the Giants winning six games to three. 1899: Finishing eight games above the second-place Beaneaters, another Brooklyn team took home a league title in this ‘99: the Brooklyn Superbas led the National League with a record of 101-47. In May of that season (May 15, 1899), Brooklyn’s Wee Willie Keeler hit an inside-the-park grand slam to win a game over the rival third-place Philadelphia Phillies. 1909: The classic seven-game World Series between the gentleman Honus Wagner’s Pittsburgh Pirates and the dastardly Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers took place in this year. Despite losing the series, Cobb made history that year for compiling baseball first Hitter’s Triple Crown since Nap Lajoie of the 1901 Philadelphia Athletics. On July 19, Neal Ball of the Cleveland Naps turned the first unassisted triple play in the history of Major League Baseball. 1919: Scandal struck the 1919 season when after the Cincinnati Reds took home their first World Series trophy in a five to three series win over the Chicago White Sox, it was revealed that the powerful representatives of the American League, now nicknamed the “Black Sox,” had purposefully lost the series to the seemingly inferior National League team. Gangster Arnold Rothstein had bribed players into throwing the series to receive more money than they would have received for winning the series in the first place. Eight players from that Black Sox’ team were banned from baseball for life, the most notable suspension being handed to, as anyone who’s ever seen the 1989 classic baseball movie starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and James Earl Jones, “Field of Dreams” can tell you, Shoeless Joe Jackson. During this year, Rube Foster began plans to form the Negro Leagues. 1929: Despite being named the MLB’s Most Valuable Player, second baseman Rogers Hornsby could not bring his Chicago Cubs to win the World Series Championship they would chase so fervently until the early morning of the November 3, 2016. Instead, the Cubs lost the series in five games to Mickey Cochrane, Al Simmons, and Lefty Grove’s Philadelphia Athletics, managed by the genius, Connie Mack. This was the final time in the World Series era (1906 and 1922 preceding it) that Boston held last place in both the American and National Leagues, the Red Sox at the bottom of the AL at 58-96, and the Braves at the bottom of the NL at 56-98. In the Negro Leagues, at a staggering 66-14 record, the Kansas City Monarchs won their fourth of 12 Negro National League titles. 1939: In this year, the Reds’ Bucky Walters (the National League Most Valuable Player) became the first National League pitcher since the Brooklyn Robins’ Dazzy Vance in 1924 to win the Pitcher’s Triple Crown. His Reds lost the World Series in four games to the American League MVP, Joe DiMaggio, and the New York Yankees. The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York (incidentally, where I’m writing this edition of this annual article from) inducted its second class, including Cap Anson, Eddie Collins, Charles Comiskey, Candy Cummings, Buck Ewing, Lou Gehrig, Willie Keeler, Charles Radbourn, George Sisler, and Al Spalding. The American League won the MLB All-Star Game 3-1 at Yankee Stadium, the West won the first Negro League All-Star Game 4-2 at Comiskey Park, and the East won the second Negro League All-Star Game 10-2 in New York City. The Monarchs won their sixth Negro National League Pennant and the Baltimore Elite Giants won their first of two Negro American League titles. 1949: Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox in the AL and Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the NL won their respective MVP Awards. Robinson lost the World Series to the crosstown rival New York Yankees four games to one in an unexciting World Series exhibition. The Rockford Peaches won their second of three consecutive and third of four total championships to win the All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League, defeating the Grand Rapids Chicks three games to one. The American League won the MLB All-Star Game at Ebbets Field 11-7 and the East won the Negro League All-Star Game 4-0 in Chicago. The Baltimore Elite Giants won their second and final Negro American League title. On June 15, future MLB manager Dusty Baker was born. On July 21, future terrifying closer Al Hrabosky, and a week later future Oakland Ace Vida Blue were born. On September 27, considered maybe the greatest third baseman of all-time, Mike Schmidt was born. 1959: Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers won their first World Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers, beating the AL MVP Nellie Fox and the Chicago White Sox four games to two. The Chicago Cubs’ Ernie Banks won the NL MVP. While Bob Allison of the Washington Senators took home the Rookie of the Year Award, future first-ballot Hall of Famer Willie McCovey won the award for the San Francisco Giants. On April 22 of this year, future two-time World Series Champion manager Terry Francona was born. On October 21, future Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer George Bell was born. 1969: A wild year for the entire world, this year involved Woodstock, Neil Armstrong set his foot on the moon, and, possibly the most unlikely of all, the New York Mets won the World Series. Only seven years old, the franchise with Tom Seaver and a young Nolan Ryan secured its first Championship with a “Miracle Mets” victory in five games over the Baltimore Orioles. Willie McCovey, the Rookie of the Year ten years prior, was the MVP of the All-Star Game at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which the NL won 9-3. McCovey also won the NL MVP and Harmon Killebrew of the Minnesota Twins won it in the AL. Early in the decade, San Francisco Giants’ pitcher and teammate of McCovey, Gaylord Perry, conjectured that men would never walk on the moon. Being a terrible hitter, he said, “They will put a man on the moon before I hit a home run.” On July 20 of this season, just minutes after Armstrong stamped his foot and the American flag on the lunar surface, Perry knocked a solo blast over the fence in the Giants’ 7-3 win over Los Angeles Dodgers in San Fran at Candlestick Park. 1979: Led by the co-NL MVP Willie Stargell (the other was the St. Louis Cardinals’ Keith Hernandez) the Pittsburgh Pirates won the Fall Classic in seven games over Ken Singleton of the Baltimore Orioles. Stargell also won the World Series MVP Award. The AL MVP was Don Baylor of the California Angels. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dave Parker won the All-Star Game MVP in the NL’s 7-6 victory at the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. 1989: This would be the second of three consecutive American League Championships for the Oakland Athletics, but this would be the only one of these times that they won the World Series, beating the San Francisco Giants in a series sweep. The Series was interrupted by the Loma Prieta Earthquake which collapsed part of the Bay Bridge. This occurred just minutes before Game Three was scheduled to start. The natural disaster temporarily knocked out the television feed and prompted both teams to venture onto the field for safety and the umpires and Major League Baseball decided to postpone the game until ten days later on October 27. A’s pitcher Dave Stewart won the Series MVP. The MVPs were Kevin Mitchell of the Giants in the NL and Robin Yount of the Milwaukee Brewers in the AL. The Kansas City Royals’ Bo Jackson was the MVP of the All-Star Game at Anaheim Stadium, which the AL won 5-3. Jackson and Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back home runs off of the Giants’ Rick Reuschel. 1999: The New York Yankees, led by their young stars Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and veteran Roger Clemens, won the World Series in four games over the Atlanta Braves (with their young, new third baseman future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones). The Braves had just won their eighth of 14 consecutive division titles. Jones was the NL MVP and Iván “Pudge” Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers was the AL MVP. The AL won the All-Star Game 4-1 at Fenway Park. Boston Red Sox’ ace Pedro Martinez was the MVP after a historic start, striking out five of the six batters he faced, striking out the first four: Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire, and finishing on Jeff Bagwell. Two of those five, Larkin and Bagwell, would make it into Cooperstown, and the two of the other three would probably be alongside them if their steroid use had never come out (Walker is still on the Hall of Fame ballot). 2009: World Series MVP Hideki Matsui (and Jeter, Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez, and Rivera) led his New York Yankees to a four games to two World Series victory over Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. The Minnesota Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer won the AL MVP Award and the St. Louis Cardinals’ first baseman Albert Pujols won the NL MVP Award. Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics won the AL Rookie of the Year and Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins won the NL Rookie of the Year. The Boston Red Sox’ right-handed starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka led Team Japan to their second World Baseball Classic Championship defeating South Korea 5-3 in ten innings at Dodger Stadium in the Final. 2019: Right around the corner, tomorrow, January 1, 2019, will start a story just as great as the previous 13 decades mentioned in this article. Already looking exciting, 2019 will feature Bryce Harper apart from his Washington Nationals, possibly, and now joining any one of many exciting teams, Paul Goldschmidt with the St. Louis Cardinals instead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Manny Machado playing for, at this point, anyone, Yasiel Puig leading a brand new Cincinnati Reds roster, and Mookie Betts taking his reigning World Champion Boston Red Sox for another spin. Jesse A. Cook “Baseball In Year 9s: Welcoming 2019” December 31, 2018 Down to their final out, the Red Sox new utility infielder, Brandon Phillips, drove a long drive into the left field stands of SunTrust Park in Atlanta to lift Boston over the Braves 9-8 in the top of the ninth inning on Wednesday. Atlanta led the BoSox 7-1 heading into the top of the eighth inning, but a six-run rally made what looked like an easy win for first place in the NL East Atlanta turn into another episode of Beantown improbability.
The feel-good story of the season only comes with the mysterious work of the baseball gods. Boston manager, Alex Cora, decided on the drive to the stadium Monday morning to bring the veteran infielder to the major leagues on an almost gut feeling. He said, “Honestly that was the most fun I’ve had all season, just watching the last few innings.” Phillips, who went one for three in that game with three runs scored and two runs batted in, spent four years in Cleveland, 11 years in Cincinnati, three quarters of last season with Atlanta, the end of last season in Anaheim, and the last quarter of this season in Pawtucket with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate Paw Sox. Infielders dominate the MLB Trade Deadline, such as Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, Rafael Devers, and Jose Abreu. Other commodities outside of the infield are Bryce Harper, Jacob DeGrom, J.A. Happ, Billy Hamilton, Blake Treinen, and Jon Gray.
MANNY MACHADO: For months, people have been asking where Machado will end up and it looks like the options have been narrowed down to a few teams. Boston, New York, and Arizona look like the best targets for the shortstop. As for the Red Sox, there’s a small chance that Machado would play short because Xander Bogaerts occupies the position, however who’s to say that Baltimore doesn’t want a slightly younger player guaranteed to stay with them for two more years, such as the X-Man? We’ll tackle Devers’ possibilities in this potential trade later on in this article, but Boston’s pitching prospects like Jay Groome, Tanner Houck, and Bryan Mata make other pretty targets for the Orioles. The Bronx looks like a team better suited for Machado, rather than more suited for Baltimore, because the Yankees’ third baseman, Miguel Andujar, is hitting better than their shortstop, Sir Didi Gregorius (Andujar is batting .283 with 12 home runs and a .830 OPS, while Gregorius is batting .259 with 15 home runs and a .804 OPS.), so Machado would play shortstop instead of third. Baltimore could also use some of New York’s talent, including any of their top prospects, but the Yankees’ poor rotation indicates that they would not be so willing to trade away young pitchers. Of course, Baltimore might not want to trade the star within their division, so instead of Boston or New York, maybe they will consider someone in the other league or even on the other side of the country. The Diamondbacks are another good location for the former third baseman because they need someone other than Nick Ahmed at short because his .218 batting average, 10 home runs, and .682 OPS do not boast as well as Machado’s .305 batting average, 20 home runs, and .931 OPS. The Orioles also are interested in D-Backs’ prospects Jon Duplantier and Taylor Widener. NOLAN ARENADO and JON GRAY: Arenado’s contract expires after next season, so any team lucky enough to snag the future Hall of Famer will have him for the rest of 2018 and all of 2019, which possesses an opportunity for two championship runs. While it may seem unlikely for Colorado to trade their best player, they’re at the point in the season where they have to decide whether or not they want to try to make it to the playoffs. If they do, they probably won’t make many big deals, but if they don’t they will have to think about the future and trade Arenado and Gray for a bunch of prospects to bring up at the same time in the fashion of the Red Sox or Yankees (or now, the Blue Jays, too). Gray’s another Colorado commodity coming clean off a good season, and who doesn’t want an ace pitcher to join their ranks with Chris Sale, Justin Verlander, or Max Scherzer? If Colorado decides that they are not all in (just like Washington they’re a third place team that was expected to be better) then Gray and Arenado should be the first to go, for each will reap huge rewards in the prospects’ category. RAFAEL DEVERS: It seemed, up until recently, like a foregone conclusion that Devers would end the season outside of Boston, but he’s hit .385 with two home runs and seven RBIs (including a 5-5 night at New York) in his last seven games, which means either that he’s more valuable to Boston or he’s a more valuable trade target. Boston ideally wants to trade Devers for Machado, but with a desperate need for good starting pitching, they might look to Colorado for Gray, or possibly to San Francisco for Madison Bumgarner or Los Angeles for Clayton Kershaw. (Both teams’ failures indicate that they need good, young, cheap talent like Devers.) He makes a great trade target, however his recent success indicates that he might be a really helpful piece in a World Series run for the Red Sox. JOSE ABREU, BRYCE HARPER, and BILLY HAMILTON: Power and speed are greatly needed in the postseason. (Boston and San Diego’s manager, Dave Roberts, can attest to speed being a necessity) Abreu and Harper’s obvious power (they’ve hit a combined 32 home runs) and Hamilton’s speed and improved hitting (he’s hit .400 over the last two weeks with four steals and four RBIs) make them prime targets for teams like the Mariners or Braves who have low power or Yankees and Phillies with low speed. JACOB DEGROM and J.A. HAPP: Two excellent starters on two failing teams are great targets for teams such as the Indians or Angels who are both fighting for first place in their division. DeGrom, with a 5-4 record, the best ERA in baseball at 1.84, and 134 strikeouts has been a trade topic since he beat Hamilton out for Rookie of the Year in 2014 and teams such as the two mentioned earlier in this article and the titans in the East, the Red Sox and Yankees, would be more than happy to give up half their farm systems for the starter, so he can bring them a World Series this year. Since he’s under contract until 2021, a team like the Reds or Rays who are seemingly on the rise would pay a high price for the star. Happ is no small player either because he will prove instrumental in the formation of a championship season for whichever lucky team acquires him. He’s 10-4 with a 4.03 ERA and 110 strikeouts and he’s an unrestricted free agent in 2019, so he’s perfect for one championship season. Virtually every team that’s not the Houston Astros needs more good starting pitching, so Happ will be a prime target come the deadline. BLAKE TREINEN: The Oakland closer is an important target because the Athletics are a losing team, so they don’t have much use for a quality closer. He’s signed through 2020, so whoever wins the bid will have him for future runs for a championship and his 21 saves, 0.91 WHIP, and 0.89 ERA definitely do not hurt his reputation. This is the only area of pitching where the Astros might be in need of improvement because the team has a total 19 saves, two less than Treinen has by his lonesome on a failing ballclub. Jesse A. Cook “Infielders Headline Deadline” July 2, 2018 Due to his recent batting and his obvious skill as a fielder and base runner, Billy Hamilton is a hot topic for trade talks. Now that he’s started to hit well, he could be an extremely valuable asset to a playoff contender, but the Reds might keep him if they become one of those contenders. With one of the best offenses in baseball, they seem like a team that should easily lock up the National League Central, but because their pitching has been abysmal, they’re stuck fighting to stay out of last place!
If Tyler Mahle and Sal Romano can jumpstart this Cincinnati rotation into pitching as good as they should, not only could they keep Raisel Iglesias for a postseason run, but they could keep their Gold Glove candidate, Hamilton. #6 is an absolute demon on the basepaths and he makes the ESPN Top Ten almost weekly with his outstanding outfield diving grabs. A team like the Atlanta Braves would really benefit from gaining him. Their center fielder, Ender Inciarte, is batting .333, with five strikeouts, and no stolen bases in his last seven games. His play is declining (He’s hitting .252 on the year.) and he is nowhere near as valuable as BH in the outfield. The Washington Nationals should look into Hamilton. Adam Eaton, their CF, is batting .346, with five strikeouts, and no stolen bases in the last seven games (In fact, Eaton hasn’t stolen a single base all year, so Washington could definitely use Hamilton’s speed.). His Defensive Wins Above Replacement is a terrible -0.5, 0.9 below Hamilton’s +0.4. The Milwaukee Brewers could use Hamilton because he and Lorenzo Cain, their center fielder, are similar players, but Hamilton is five years younger and in much better shape. Cain is batting .400, with four Ks, and four stolen bases in his last seven. Hamilton however, is a better fielder and is much, much faster. Hamilton is batting .409, with only three Ks, and 4 stolen bases in just the last seven games. During these games, the Reds have gone 5-2. They are in the midst of a four game win streak, as well, so things are looking up for the Reds. Luis Castillo, Romano, and Mahle all have unimpressive Earned Run Averages, Mahle’s being the lowest at 3.89, Romano at 5.18, Castillo at 5.77. Mahle leads the team in wins as he is 6-6, Romano is 4-7, and Castillo is 4-8. Mahle and castillo have struckout 76 each and Romano 56. These stats are not impressive by any means, but in the last month Castillo is 0-3 in incredibly close games, Romano is 1-1, but Mahle is 3-0. In the last month, Romano has a 2.70 ERA, Castillo has a 6.89 ERA, and Mahle has a 1.61 ERA. During June, Romano struckout 14, Castillo struckout 15, and Mahle struckout 20. If the Cincy starting pitching continues to improve and Hamilton’s bat becomes better, the Reds would have to keep him, so he can finally fulfill his destiny to be great for the Reds. Hamilton’s bat has improved of late (and the Reds really only need him to bunt it down the third base line because he’ll almost always beat the throw to first and then he’ll steal second and third with ease.), so teams are now seeing him as the major asset that he is. If the Reds don’t have a shot at the postseason, they’ll likely trade BHam to a playoff contender for some younger prospects, tough. The Reds are 17th in baseball in runs, tenth in hits, and ninth in batting average, so it’s evident that pitching is the problem. Thankfully their pitching has improved of late, so if they can keep their momentum they’ll be a postseason team and Billy Hamilton will stay in the plain red and white of the Queen City. Jesse A. Cook “Reds’ Good Pitching Keeps Hamilton” June 22, 2018 Joey Votto should assume the title of the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, now that Brian Price lost the job. Okay, okay, I know it sounds a bit crazy, but when you think about it, it’s not such a far-out idea.
Votto said during Spring Training, “Frankly, a leader is very, very — what’s the word — you’re only as good as how well you play and how consistent your actions are. If don’t people don’t perceive your actions to be at the upper level and you don’t play at that upper level, then really you’re not a very valuable leader.” Votto is clearly the leader of this Reds team (I’m surprised he doesn’t wear a “C” on his chest) and he doesn’t really try to make up any wordy means of keeping his stature. He’s revered by his teammates and he’s been in the top ten of MVP voting each of the last three years. He continued on the topic of his leadership by saying, “To be honest with you, it’s never been a priority for me. I don’t want to say I was against it, but I didn’t pay it very much mind when there was demand because with a good team carries winning into accountability, carries accountability into performance and picking each other up.” A true leader doesn’t strive for the role, but they step up when it falls into their hands… or in this case, glove. His .243 batting average is fourth on the team, his 18 hits place him second in that category for the Redlegs, and his .337 on-base percentage places him fifth in the Cincinnati lineup. At 4-17, the Reds are in desperate need of a leader and why not have that leader be a familiar face, who already is the face of the squad, and is a good player? Last season, he came in second for the MVP Voting, close behind Giancarlo Stanton, who had the best season for a heavy-hitter since the steroid era. This is a clear indicator of his skill because the Reds were last in the National League Central Division, yet he still was one of the top players in all of baseball. First base is also a commanding position, where Votto can address everyone in the infield. Sure, shortstop or catcher are usually the “Captains of the Field,” but Votto can direct shifts to the rest of the field and as a powerful leader on the team, he already has influence over every player on diamond. Batting third, he is guaranteed to bat in the first inning, so he also is in the position to set the stage for the rest of the lineup. While Price’s main purpose as manager was to be able to help lead the pitchers, he ultimately failed in that role. Votto would help nurture what was their most powerful aspect last year; the bats. He also has a pitching coach serving as his second in command, so he can keep in constant contact with him, and do some effective delegating. The last player-manager in baseball was also a Red (and a would-be Hall of Famer), Pete Rose. The team and the history pose as a good omen for Tokki 2, so the choice is clear that Joey Votto is the rightful heir to the role of manager of the historic Cincinnati Reds. Jesse A. Cook “Here Me Out--Joey Votto Should Manage The Reds” April 24, 2018 2018 starts in a few hours, so to welcome the new year, here’s an installment of baseball in year 8s. From Charlie Comiskey to Chase Utley, baseball has taken a wild ride in year 8s.
1888: The St. Louis Browns held the best record in all of baseball. Atop the American Association at 92-43, the Browns were better than any team in the American Association or National League. Led by player manager Charlie Comiskey, the Browns helped pave the way for decades of great 8 baseball. 1898: Five years before winning the first World Series, the Boston Beaneaters, later named the Red Sox, had the best record in baseball at 102-47. Future Hall of Famers Hugh Duffy and Slidin’ Billy Hamilton led the team to their abundant victories. 1908: 1908 was the last time until 2016, 106 years, that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. In October of that year, not only was the first game between an all-American team and an all-Japanese team played, but singer Billy Murray (eerily similar to the name of the most famous Cubs fan alive, comedic actor Bill Murray) introduced the world to “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” and Baseball’s Sad Lexicon led the Cubbies to 4-1 series victory over the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs were led by a trio of infielders: Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers, and Frank Chance. The poem about the 3 may happen to be what put them all in the Hall of Fame, however Baseball’s Sad Lexicon did more to cause anguish to the Cubs’ opponents.: These are the saddest of possible words: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Tinker and Evers and Chance. Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble, Making a Giant hit into a double Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble: “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” The poem describes that if a ball comes anywhere near 1 of these 3 greats, all hopes of getting on base vanished. The smug Tigers thought that they would walk all over Chicago, but the Detroit crowd would be silenced in 5 games. The next year, 1908, would mark the last Cubs World Series victory for 108 until November 2 and 3, 2016. 1918: This may possibly be the most hated season in Boston Red Sox’ history, considering that right after the season ended, BoSox’ owner Harry Frazee traded arguably the greatest baseball player of all-time, George Herman “Babe” Ruth, to their hated rivals, the New York Yankees. Beantown took the World Series (their last one until 2004, an 84 year drought called “The Curse of the Great Bambino”) 4 games to 2 over the Cubs led by Ruth. 1928: Taking the Cards down in four, the New York Yankees’ Murderers’ Row easily won the World Series led by Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri and the great Bambino. With the best record in all of Major League Baseball at 101-53, the Bronx Bombers were an unstoppable force that continues to dominate baseball to this day. At 68-25, the St. Louis Stars led the Negro National League that same year, with a wide margin over the 49-31 Kansas City Monarchs. 1938: While the fearsome Yankees, now led by rookie Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio, swept the North Side Cubbies in the Fall Classic, 1938 was an unusual year for baseball. On June 11, the Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer no-hit the Boston Bees at Crosley Field in Cincy and he made history on June 15 of that same year in Brooklyn when he no-hit the Dodgers, becoming the only man in baseball history ever to pitch two consecutive no-hitters. Not out of the ordinary, the 32-15 Monarchs and 27-10 Homestead Grays led the Negro American and National Leagues, respectively. 1948: One year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier and thankfully forever integrated the MLB, the Cleveland Indians started baseball’s longest active World Series drought. They took the Series 4 games to 2 over the Boston Braves. At 55-21, the Birmingham Black Barons were atop the Negro American League. 1958: The Yankees, led by DiMaggio and catcher Yogi Berra, took a thrilling World Series over the Milwaukee Braves 4 games to 3 to end the season, led by Cy Young Bob Turley. On January 28, however, bad news opened up the year the career of Los Angeles Dodgers’ catcher Roy Campanella broke his neck and paralyzed his legs. In addition to the mediocrity of the year, for the first time in eight years, no new members are elected to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. 1968: Another thrilling World Series, in the midst of a presidential election (which Richard Nixon won over Hubert Humphrey), the 103-59 Tigers beat the 97-65 St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3. The MVP and the Cy Young winners were the same for both leagues and both represented a World Series team: Denny McLain of Detroit and Bob Gibson of St. Louis. Gibson, a Hall of Famer, also set the record for best single season Earned Run Average at 1.12. 1978: Now split into the East and West, the American and National Leagues boasted the Yankees (AL) and the Dodgers (NL) in the Championship Series. The Yankees took it 4-2, winning their second series in a row. The Boston Red Sox’ Jim Rice was the AL Most Valuable Players and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Dave Parker won the award for the NL. 1988: Dennis Eckersley’s Oakland Athletics were heavily favored over the LA Dodgers, but in Game 1 Kirk Gibson hobbled up to the plate. The iconic Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully had the call, “And look who’s coming up!” when the injured outfielder, Gibson, surprised West California and the rest of the world by hitting a walkoff home run to start the Trolley Dodgers’ sweep off of the Hall of Fame closer, Eck, opposite him. The Minnesota Twins’ (AL) Frank Viola and the Dodgers’ (NL) Orel Hershiser, who pitched the longest scoreless streak in baseball history at 59 innings without a run that year, were the Cy Young winners and Gibson of the Dodgers and José Canseco of the A’s were the MVPs. 1998: Led now by Andy Petit, Jorge Posada, the greatest closer of all-time, Mariano Rivera, and the greatest shortstop, arguably greatest player in history, Derek Jeter, sweeping the San Diego Padres, the Yankees won their 24th World Series Championship. The leagues now had East, West and Central divisions, as well as a Wild Card spot in the postseason. There were four 20 game winners, three of them in the American League: the Toronto Blue Jays’ Roger Clemens (AL), the Yanks’ David Cone (AL), the Texas Rangers’ Rick Helling (AL), and the Atlanta Braves’ Tom Glavine (NL). 2008: Led by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria led Tampa Bay Rays in five games. Hamels was the World Series MVP. Boston’s Dustin Pedroia won the American League MVP and the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols won it for the National League. 2018: Right around the corner, tomorrow, January 1, 2018, will start a story just as great as the previous 13 decades mentioned in this article. Already looking exciting, 2018 will feature Giancarlo Stanton apart from his Miami Marlins and now joining the 2017 Rookie of the Year, Aaron Judge, in the Yankees’ outfield, Shohei Otani accompanying Mike Trout for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and a red hot Rhys Hoskins leading the reborn Phillies. Jesse A. Cook “Baseball In Year 8s: Welcoming 2018” December 31, 2017 Cincinnati pitching is often far behind both the rest of baseball and the offense of the team. The Reds had few great pitchers to call their own throughout their long history, which dates back to 1869, as they were the first professional ballclub.
The fact of the matter is that while the Reds have had great pitchers, most of them were relievers, which only translates to scoreless sixths, sevenths, eighths and ninths; it doesn’t prevent seven runs from being scored by the third inning, which happens a lot to the Queen City’s team. Even just in the last 30 years, the biggest names from the mound were Rob Dibble, Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias… all closers who were great for Cincy for a couple of years, but then retired, left, or did whatever will happen with Iglesias. “Ay, there’s the rub,” said the great poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, and there is the rub: the Reds could have the best bullpen in baseball history, but their starting rotation can’t keep their earned run averages under 3.00! Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer said, “If I’m running a baseball organization, I have my best teachers in those places, not up here or in the high minors. I pay them like major league coaches, not $65K a year, and I collaborate with them to develop a Reds Way that has less to do with velocity than with learning how to pitch.” Daugherty has the right mindset on the matter, for the Reds keep trying to fix their pitching next to manager Bryan Price at the Major League level. That works if Amir Garrett is slumping or Tim Adleman is returning from injury and is having some trouble in his first couple games back, but it doesn’t work if the team is trying to get Sal Romano to MLB quality pitching, in the Majors! Now, of course, if the Redlegs are looking to have one great season and win a championship then be back to being mediocre, they trade half their prospects for Justin Verlander, David Price and Yu Darvish-like pitchers. The other option is trading their aging stars for prospects, like they did with Brandon Phillips. One example is the Boston Red Sox: ever since David Ortiz retired and Hanley Ramirez starting playing first base, Sam Travis and Mitch Moreland have been playing there, but the BoSox would be much, much happier trading pitching prospects Jay Groome and Alex Scherff for Joey Votto. Votto would be perfect for Fenway Park; he hits the ball everywhere on the field and has one the best gloves in the game. According to Baseball-Reference, Votto is sixth in the league and first among first basemen in wins above replacement (WAR). WAR is a statistic that shows essentially who is most valuable to their team; the Most Valuable Player Award is given to the player with the best WAR, usually. Votto, statistically speaking, is the most valuable first baseman in all of baseball. That’s a pretty sweet way to make him sound in trade negotiations. Cincinnati is a team in desperate need of good pitching. They have Hunter Green making his way through the Minor Leagues, but their offense is good enough that if they were willing to trade a young prospect or two, they could obtain some real quality veteran pitching. Jesse A. Cook “The Reds’ Problem-Shining Cincy On The Hill” October 4, 2017 From Garrett to Bronson to Tim Adleman,
The Cincy team’s pitching has lost it again, Votto and Schebler and Duvall’s bats, Can hit as they please, but each game ends the same: “Rats!” Billy just stumbles, He can’t get a hit, Though the crowd rumbles, It’s just grumbles for the team looks like s**t! Team Israel’s Scott Feldman has been good for the game, But on any good team, that’s the fourth starter’s name, Cozart will leave, then what have we got? A team that will win? No, a team that will not! So, what further hope does the Queen City have? It’s tough to say, for the Reds are on “Loser’s Ave,” But as Brooklyn Dodgers’ fans hoped for a trophy to be in the future, near, Reds fans can say: “Just wait ‘til next year!” It’s true, the Cincinnati Reds have taken a dark downhill turn since early, last month and have descended to last place in the National League Central Division. So, what hope do the Reds have to break their, by the end of this season, 27-yearlong drought? To quote the Brooklyn Dodgers’ fans of the days of old: “Just wait ‘til next year!” Why will 2018 turn out better for the Redlegs? For one, Jesse Winker will be ready to play, and that, alone could win them the NL Central. He wasn’t ready earlier this year when he only hit .273 in four games in the majors, but he’s hitting .306 back in the minors for the Triple-A Reds’ affiliate the Louisville Bats. Why is Winker such a bright light for Cincy? Well, Scott Schebler’s contract is up at the end of the 2017 season and the Reds will need an outfielder, assuming either Schebler leaves and they need a third or he stays and they need a fourth. Winker’s bat combined with Adam Duvall’s bat and Billy Hamilton’s glove and speed could be the X Factor that brings this Cincy outfield together. Now, what needs to be addressed: the pitching. What hope is there for Cincinnati pitching? There, you might have a problem. Luis Castillo is the answer to that: his Minor League Earned Run Average was 2.58 and in his two Major League starts, he’s done exceptionally well. With no losses, his ERA stands strong at 3.38. This starter looks like the piece to start completing that starting rotation puzzle. Sal Romano is another great prospect that the Reds need to utilize more. Granted, back in April. Romano lost his only Major League start, pitching only three innings and giving up three runs (two earned), but he was facing the first place in the NL Central Milwaukee Brewers. Back in the Minors he had a wonderful 3.06 ERA, and that’s something valuable for the team. Add Castillo and Romano, work with Amir Garrett, and maintain the abilities of Tim Adleman and Scott Feldman, and you’ve got yourself a strong starting rotation. Bring Winker back up and your bats are gonna soar more than they already do (the team’s batting a fantastic .260, with 114 home runs, and a league-leading 69 stolen bases, 33 of which belong to Hamilton). Granted, the prospects won’t help for 2017, it’s too late to save this dying season, but once they’re on the 2018 Major League roster, you can expect another Cincinnati playoff bout, so once again: “Just wait ‘til next year!” Jesse A. Cook “Cincinnati To Baseball: “Wait ‘Til Next Year!”” July 2, 2017 |
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