Friday, August 13, 2010

Can The Reds Do It Again?

They have been the bounce back bunch this season. Any time adversity hits, the Reds have come back stronger for it. Now they have to do it again. I think they are good enough to do it, but like everyone else in this area, I fear they might be running out of gas. That's based in part on other collapses in the past. Honestly, it has nothing to do with this team. It says here they stick around, but some guys better pick it up at the plate.

Many seem to be baffled by the suspensions and fines stemming from the Reds-Cardinals brawl. To me, it's what I expected. If you throw a punch or kick someone, you are looking at a suspension. If it is just pushing and shoving, you won't get a suspension. But managers who yell at each other and fail to control the situation get suspended. That's the way it's always been. But since the Reds haven't been a battling bunch in recent years, I guess I can understand why so many people, and media types, in Cincinnati don't seem to grasp this yet.

Four days removed from Monday's decision to send down Travis Wood, I still stick with my initial reaction. I asked a Reds employee Monday if they had made a decision on who to send down to make room for Edmonds. When I was told Travis Wood, my reaction was "Really?" When I was told the Reds didn't need a fifth starter for a while, I responded, "I guess that makes sense." But it didn't make sense. Travis has pitched like one of the top two pitchers in the rotation, if not top two then definitely top three. So that's the guy that gets sent down in the middle of a pennant race? Weren't the Reds just recently wrestling with ways to cut back on innings for Mike Leake? Hindsight is 20-20 but I think the Reds blew this one.

What a letdown of a week for Reds and Bengals fans. All of the hype heading into Canton about Carson and his new weapons, and thud. All of the hype heading in the Cardinals series, and thud. Then thud. Then another thud. It took a day or two, but I think I've recovered just enough to start thinking ahead again.

By the way, one more thing looking back. There was criticism of the crowds this week for the Cardinals game. I thought all three crowds were nice. Not the sellouts many expected or hoped for, but still big crowds. In weather that made GABP rival Death Valley. The extreme heat and humidity had to kill walk up sales.

As for looking forward, I'm looking forward to seeing Adam Jones again this weekend. He looked pretty darned good in his Bengals debut. I thought T.O. looked good int he two series he played too. It was good to see Carson firing his way.

So Tim Tebow ends his collegiate career against Cincinnati and begins his professional career against Cincinnati. At least one would think Tebow wouldn't have the same kind of numbers this weekend that he had in the Sugar Bowl against U.C. Reports out of Denver have Tebow looking good.

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