The Cincinnati Kid

send him down to teeball.

2005-05-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

joe valentine surely looks to be this year's version of john reidling. only he is just is miserable with half the talent. i thought the reds' bullpen was supposed to be better--instead it looks like the reds are going to continue to run guys out there who couldn't throw a strike from six feet six inches, let alone sixty.

joe valentine is a joke, his stuff may be close to major league caliber, but he is a headcase with a serious control problem and that is a combination that doesn't work in the big show. i can't believe this organization was actually trying to trick us into believing that he could someday be the reds' closer.

after four devestating losses i don't know how the reds will ever rebound. but i do know one thing--the situation won't change unless some moves are made. so i say to dave miley, if you'd like to keep your job, send down the bums like valentine and play the hot hands you have in louisville. managers have been fired for less than this short string of ineptitude, so you better get it together unless you'd like to spend another twenty plus years down on the farm with the likes of joe valentine.

take that boston.

2005-04-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

here is a really good article i found this morning. finally some respect for our great city (despite a number of backhanded compliments).

spontaneous conversation.

2005-04-25T01:56:00.000-04:00

here is a very recent chat i had with my friend gabe gales on the current state of cincinnati sports. well actually it's not that deep--it's just a little talk about how i feel about what has happened with the reds and bengals over the last couple weeks:

GabeThGoat: what did the reds do today?
obgob1: won
obgob1: 2-1
obgob1: danny with another stellar save
GabeThGoat: nice
obgob1: 9-9
GabeThGoat: i figured griff wouldve been last man out again stranding tying runs in scoring position
obgob1: if we win the series against the cubs i will be officially satisfied with the start
obgob1: i wish
obgob1: that was awesome
obgob1: i hope we can trade him
GabeThGoat: twice in 3 games
obgob1: i know
GabeThGoat: whoa
GabeThGoat: bobby o?
GabeThGoat: is that you?
obgob1: ive always been for the trade
GabeThGoat: really?
obgob1: not for griffey hating
GabeThGoat: oh yeah
obgob1: i think hes a great player but
GabeThGoat: i get it
GabeThGoat: yeah
obgob1: not for this team
GabeThGoat: you think casey gets dealt before the season's over?
obgob1: no way
obgob1: youll see that no one local will speculate that
obgob1: only national media that doesnt know better
obgob1: we just resigned him
obgob1: we wont trade
GabeThGoat: ok...that's what i figured
GabeThGoat: but you never know
GabeThGoat: carl lindner is a moron
GabeThGoat: how'd the bengals make out today?
GabeThGoat: i was happy with the 1st 3 picks
GabeThGoat: 2 of the 3 have disciplinary problems and the 3rd loves jesus
GabeThGoat: cant go wrong there
obgob1: i was happy with the first 2
obgob1: true
GabeThGoat: the 3rd guy is the next cj
obgob1: i still cant understand drafting 2 receivers
obgob1: but i trust marvin
GabeThGoat: oh they picked up another wr today?
obgob1: and only time will tell
obgob1: yeah
obgob1: tabby something or other in the 5th
obgob1: from ucla
GabeThGoat: well those are projects anyway
GabeThGoat: 3rd round on really
GabeThGoat: but i hear the de they picked 1st is gonna play olb?
obgob1: for sure
GabeThGoat: and he has t rex arms
obgob1: yeah
obgob1: ha
GabeThGoat: you hear chris mortensen?
obgob1: yeah
obgob1: i already knew we were going to win the superbowl
GabeThGoat: hell yeah
GabeThGoat: and the reds will make the playoffs, right?
obgob1: i think they are equally likely
obgob1: and i think both will happen
obgob1: or at least i hope a lot.
GabeThGoat: well i'd say the bengals make the playoffs for sure
GabeThGoat: maybe even get a bye
GabeThGoat: reds...still early
obgob1: im for it
obgob1: very true
obgob1: yo im about to run
obgob1: but i think im going to post this conversation on my blog
obgob1: youre a sports authority, right?
GabeThGoat: haha
GabeThGoat: right

well i think that was a good (if not lazy) way to get you up to date with my opinions on the bengals and reds. i'll be back with more soon.

lights out on monday.

2005-04-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

as i scan the dates on the bengals' 2005-2006 schedule, which came out last week, i find myself livid. sunday, sunday, sunday...sunday, sunday--WHERE IS OUR MONDAY NIGHT GAME! what a grand display of disrespect by the nfl schedulers. with one of the highest rated monday night games of last year, how could anyone justify not giving cincinnati another one?

here is the link to an interesting column by paul daugherty about this. come on nfl, if you are going to give the opening game to the miserable RAIDERS, you could at least give the monday night spotlight to one of the league's up-and-coming teams and great stories.

the joker rakes.

2005-04-11T00:32:00.000-04:00

randa's opening day walk-off. hopefully we see a lot more of this during 2005.

week one.

2005-04-10T23:45:00.000-04:00

after a phenomenal series against the mets and a not so hot trip to houston, i'd like to give my impressions on the first week of the cincinnati reds' 2005 campaign:

first of all, opening day was unreal. it was possibly the best baseball game i've ever attended. i missed last year's opener (due to a stomach virus--hey i sound like jason giambi) so this one was even more special having gone two years without an opening day in cincinnati. getting to the game, i have only two things to say really: dunn is a beast and randa is my hero (so far). my brother and i got so excited after randa's walk-off that during the celebration his car keys flew out of his pocket unnoticed and it wasn't until we were halfway out of the park before he realized they were gone.
the rest of the series against the mets was solid--two good wins. my only problem was with the bullpen, specifically our newly signed veteran relievers, who were a little bit shaky. however, since their first appearances, weathers, weber and merker have been relatively stellar.
ryan wagner has also been a highlight of this first week. it finally seems like he has put it all together. thank goodness, we needed that. matt belisle has also been a bright point and i believe his collapse in houston should be blamed on miley and gullet who were calling the game, the kid was just doing what he was told.
and that brings me to the last three games at the juicebox in houston. many people will be quick to blame the reds' pitching for the losses, but that blame is misplaced. the reds' hitting was atrocious this weekend--the hitter's must shoulder the blame for these losses. the reds just could not put baserunners across the plate against houston pitching. on friday and saturday i believe the reds batted 1 for 9 and 2 for 11, respectively, with runners in scoring position--this is unacceptable. i am sure that the reds offense will get locked in eventually (and it might end up being one of the best in the league) but their showing this weekend was pretty pitiful.

i have mixed feelings about the reds' start this year. on one hand the series against the mets was exemplary, on the other hand the reds must be able to beat houston (st. louis and chicago) on the road if they want any chance at contention in the central division. but right now, i just hope they can take a couple from the cards before they "round third and head for home."

baseball fans against olney.

2005-04-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

i hate to rip on one guy repeatedly but buster you deserve it. on the eve of the new baseball season buster olney has published his preseason team rankings. here is how the reds' capsule reads (verbatim):

yes, we know eric milton has had success. but nothing happened in the spring to make us think he'll win in CINERGY FIELD.

well buster i hate to be the one to break this to you, but the reds moved out of cinergy field/riverfront stadium over two years ago. this may be of some importance to you, as you do make your career as a baseball analyst.

what is more interesting is that your point (which was weak to begin with) is lost when you say milton will struggle at the reds old park. riverfront stadium was known as a pitcher's park--home runs were few and far between. i'm sure your intention was to say that eric milton would struggle at a yard like the GABP. but that too would be incorrect; because even though it has been called a hitter's paradise, among other things, the facts show that the GABP actually slightly favors pitchers (see "unfair stigma").

i hate to keep harping on you buster, but please get your facts straight before you write anymore mindless speculation. thanks.

spring vacation (part two).

2005-03-27T17:47:00.000-05:00

as i finished writing my diatribe on spring training (below), i thought that i would try to cover the rest of the issues i wanted to discuss a little more expeditiously. so here is a laundry list of things i've wanted to talk about over the last few weeks:

i was extremely disappointed with the NCAA selection committee's seeding of louisville for the tournament. how could a team that was ranked #4 in the nation...a team that won both their conference's regular season and tournament championships...a team that won 18 out of their last 19 games not be a #1 seed or at least a #2 seed. it was downright insulting that louisville was given a #4 seed and the committee should be ashamed of themselves.
keeping on the subject of the NCAA tournament, i just wanted to mention how well i did on my bracket this year. currently, i am in the 97th percentile of ESPN's tournament challenge contestants, and it looks like (pending the outcome of the kentucky-michigan state game) my final four predictions were spot on.
even though it is old news now, i wanted to mention (this one's for you tommy) how happy i was about the bengals' signing of rudi johnson. rudi is the best running back to ever play for the bengals, and it would have been shameful to "franchise" him just to see if the chris perry experiment works out. in my opinion, drafting chris perry was the only mistake marvin lewis has made in the past two years, but resigning johnson has rectified that. my last words on this topic can only be: RUDI! RUDI! RUDI!
finally, on an entirely different note, i have nothing to say about this terri schiavo issue, and neither should congress. unfortunately, this very personal family situation has been exploited by the media and turned into a circus.

i think this pretty much covers what i wanted to talk about. i will be sure to have my login information with me next time i go home so i don't get this far behind again. oh yeah, i forgot, only 7 days, 19 hours, 3 minutes, and 45...44...43 seconds until opening day, as sean casey would say, "I'M PUMPED."

spring vacation (part one).

2005-03-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

it has been nearly two weeks since my last entry and i am kind of embarrassed about that. even though i've been on my spring vacation, i've still had plenty to talk about. unfortunately, i didn't have my login information for blogger at home, thus i could not access my blog. so i would like to spend the next several paragraphs catching up on things.

visiting cincinnati reds spring training in sarasota, florida (with my father and brother) was by far the most interesting thing i did over the break. it was my first time going to spring training, and we were lucky to see a couple great games (against the twins and devil rays). but, as everyone knows, the games mean very little, and so i found myself more intrigued by the atmosphere down there.

baseball in spring is in its purest form, and as a fan, it was wonderful to witness this first hand. it is very hard for me to pinpoint what is so special about spring training--maybe its the intimacy of the ballpark, maybe its the rawness of the minor league camps, or maybe its a concentration of all these things baseball into one place. i really think you have to be there to truly understand. it is a magical place.

so magical in fact, that as we walked through the parking lot after our final game, a baseball materialized from the clear blue and rolled gently along the gravel straight into my father's feet.

run-in with "the red letters."

2005-03-10T23:10:00.000-05:00

here is my recent correspondence with matt allen from ESPN and "the red letters." i wrote to him:

mr. allen,
i am a realist. but why must all of your opinions be so cynical? even when you are empirical, your writing still seems treacherous. i can understand that you may feel disgruntled by the reds organization, but no reds fan wants to hear only negative things about their team, and certainly a true reds fan would not write them.
this is not to say that you should not criticize the moves that the reds have made, some (or all) may turn out to be foolish, but you never talk about the upside.
my problem with you is that you assume the negative, and you think that those who assume the positive are buffoons. when in actuality, you have just as good a chance of being wrong as they do. why can't you find the middle ground and give a more balanced account?
i know you would be very happy (and very embarrassed) if all the new starters had career years (15+ wins each) and the relievers lived up to their potential. if griffey and kearns had healthy years and if dunn cut down on k's. BUT your writing would still be negative. for example, if the reds picked up (what you would consider) a middle of the road pitcher to bolster the staff at the trade deadline you would still rip the move. that is sad.
i pray, as i'm sure you do, that the reds win this year--that they make the postseason. but i do so as a life long reds fan, and you do it as a bitter commentator.
please recall the days when you actually liked the reds while you write your next entry, i'm sure at some point you really were a fan. however, it seems like all you care about now is making a buck off of biting commentary. give us a little hint of hope, that is all i ask. if i had your gift--if i were a clever writer--i would at least pay a little homage to my allegiances.
a true life-long reds fan (you could be too),
bobby o
cincinnati, oh (displaced in champaign, il)

matt responded:

Bobby O,
First off, let me apologize for getting back to you so long after you wrote. I’ve had major computer problems for the last few months but I’ve finally gotten them fixed. Now, I just have to get through my huge backlog of e-mails.
Secondly, no need to call me Mr. Allen. Matt’ll do (although if you have something particularly nasty in mind, I’d rather be called Mr. Allen).
To your e-mail. I appreciate that you stayed civil in your criticism of my writing, but I wonder just how long you’ve read my work at ESPN for the Reds. I think that you described it best in your first sentence—realism. I don’t think I portray an overly harsh view of the Reds, I just want my team to win and like any educated fan (like, I assume, yourself), we all think we have ideas that would help our team improve and fortunately for me, I have a platform (albeit a small one) for those opinions. I agree that my offseason assessment when compiled together may have seemed a little harsh, but I feel I have the opportunity to express my disappointment with the organization for what I feel was a subpar offseason. So, in that manner, I don’t take back any of the things I wrote, because I believe them. However, I certainly respect your opinion that maybe this offseason wasn’t as bad as it seemed to be and salute you for it.
The only thing I’ll take issue with you on is several assumptions that I feel you made in reading my writing. I’ve been a Reds fan for since 1986 when I watched Pete Rose hit 4,192 off Eric Show at Riverfront Stadium. I was there in 1990 when Todd Benzinger caught that foul pop up for the last out in Game 4 of the World Series and the Reds pulled possibly the greatest upset in the history of the game. I was there at the park when a great shortstop named Barry Larkin called it quits and thanked the Reds fans there from the upper deck over the public address system after coming out of the game early to receive one final standing O. To see you say that I “assume the negative” and I feel those who “assume the positive are buffoons” leaves me feeling that you’re making very brash generalizations. In addition, I realize that I all prognostications are just that—a “guess” at the future.
I’ve never claimed to be more right than anyone else. I feel I base my opinions on the evidence I have, and do the best I can, but I certainly don’t latch on the negative just for sport.
Also, to assume that my writing would be negative no matter what is a bit of an assumption of its own on your part. I’m also not sure that any prediction about how I would react to a mid-season move this season when it’s only March isn’t doing the very thing you’re accusing me of—claiming you’ll be right no matter what. If the Reds make a good move, I applaud it. Bad move? I remark in that fashion too, but I feel I stay pretty much to the facts.
To infer that I’m not a baseball fan, or a “true” baseball fan is a little misguided as well simply because I don’t see things the way you do. I love the Reds. Even more, I love baseball. I always will. But I have my opinion and you have yours. They’re each as valuable as the other (as long as we’re being honest or “true” and looking at all the facts). Having your allegiance blinded by team loyalty isn’t being any more true than someone who wants to see things the way they are and look for ways to
improve them.
Finally, just a note—I don’t get paid for this. I’m not “making a buck off of biting commentary”. I do this for free and will continue to because I love talking about baseball with people like yourself and being a part of the baseball community. I’m sorry if you don’t agree with my assessment of the Reds’ moves this offseason, but I feel I’ve stuck to the facts and they don’t look as good as I’d like them to as a Reds fan. I thank you for writing, though, and encourage you to visit http://theredletters.blogspot.com and see if you think that all my writing is negative or if maybe you may have judged me a little unfairly. Either way, it’s your opinion and I certainly respect that.
Let me again apologize for my delayed response, but I suppose we’ll have to agree to disagree as far as my analysis of the Reds offseason is concerned.
Good luck this year. Have a good one.
Matt

i'd like to thank matt allen for taking my letter and explaining his position. i urge people to check out his blog (http://theredletters.blogspot.com). it is a good source for insight on the cincinnati reds, but i must issue the disclaimer that much of the content on the blog is harsh criticism of our dear ballclub.

2005-03-09T00:20:00.000-05:00

the white house. june 2004.

kilimanjaro.

2005-03-08T19:13:00.000-05:00

posing at kilimanjaro's summit with my dad. july 2001.

unfair stigma.

2005-03-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

great american ballpark does not favor hitters. some of you maybe laughing right now, but this is an empirical fact. i am tired of the stigma that has been attached to our ballpark by baseball writers. nicknames have been coined (e.g. "great american smallpark") and the notion that the GABP is a hitter's paradise has worked its way into every broadcast from the park. but it is untrue and unfair.

my interest in this issue was sparked when the reds signed eric milton during the offseason. milton is notorious for giving up the long ball, and after the signing sports writers began to question why he would want to pitch in a home run launching pad. but they were wrong in their judgement of GABP--great american is actually a very fair park, if anything it favors pitchers. and my evidence for this claim comes from ESPN.

in 2001, ESPN created a formula that rates a ballpark's favorability to pitching or hitting. good pitching parks have a rating below 1.0 and good hitting parks have a rating above 1.0. in both 2003 and 2004 (the only years it has been ranked), great american ballpark rated a 0.992. so i ask that sports writers consider the facts and not just their intuitions when writing about the GABP. hopefully that will stop the proliferation of this myth--a myth that scares good pitchers from signing with cincinnati.

only one more month.

2005-03-04T01:53:00.000-05:00

there's austin kearns looking just as anxious as i am.

magical time of year.

2005-03-03T23:13:00.000-05:00

the baseball season changes things. when you live and die with a baseball team, each day becomes a new adventure--i know that sounds cliched, but it is so true. and so my disposition everyday, from the beginning of march until october, is determined by a single factor--whether the reds win or lose. i don't mean to say that i lose interest in the reds over the offseason--i don't--but today, the first exhibition game of spring training, is when i become hardcore yet again. no more compromises with cubs fans, no more credit given to the cards or 'stros; from here on out it's reds or bust. 31 days, 13 hours, 47 minutes, and 15...14...13 seconds until opening day, and 31 exhibitions to enjoy between now and then. i am ready and i hope the world is ready--the reds win the NL central this year.

hold it right there buster.

2005-03-02T17:41:00.000-05:00

this will be a short one. i thought you had to be reasonably intelligent to be a baseball analyst for ESPN. well buster olney proved me wrong. in his preseason major league baseball rankings, olney ranked the cincinnati reds (the team ESPN claimed had the best offseason in the NL central) below the milwaukee brewers and pittsburgh pirates. now common sense says if you finish the season ahead of two teams in the standings, and you have a better offseason than those same two teams, you must be putting a better team on the field. but somehow, olney's warped sense of logic warranted him putting the reds behind the beggarly brewers and the pitiful pirates on his preseason list. come on buster, think about it.

the real cincinnati kid.

2005-03-02T04:37:00.000-05:00

that's my new motto.

some photo fun.

2005-03-02T04:06:00.000-05:00

on the roof of africa. july 2001.

test post.

2005-03-02T03:54:00.000-05:00

i just want to see how this works. but plan on hearing from me a bunch.