Category: Cincinnati Reds

WEEK IN SPORTS–VOL. VI

  • As Major League Baseball reached its traditional halfway point with the playing of its annual All-Star game, it’s as good a time as any to select the mid-season award winners for 2017:
    • National League MVP:  Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks.  For the past few seasons, Goldschmidt has been the best player nobody knows.  If he continues to play in the second half of the season like he did in the first half, everyone will know who he is.  His .313 batting average, 20 home runs and 67 RBI are all in the top-nine of the National League and is a main reason why the Diamondbacks are in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.  Honorable mention:  Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals and Charlie Blackmon, Colorado Rockies.
    • American League MVP:  Aaron Judge, New York Yankees.  Yankee fans proclaim “Here comes the Judge!” when their right fielder comes to the plate and you can make the same statement about the rookie’s impact on the rest of the league.  Judge leads the American League in home runs (30), is second in RBI (66) and third in batting average (.329).  At this rate, the verdict on the AL MVP race is clear–All rise for Aaron Judge.  Honorable mention:  Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, Houston Astros.
    • National League Cy Young:  Max Scherzer, Washington Nationals.  In the closest race of all of the awards, Scherzer, at this point, gets the slight edge.  He leads the NL in ERA (2.10), strikeouts (173) and WHIP (0.78) and is third in wins (10), helping the Nationals open up a 9.5 game lead in the NL Eastern Division.  Honorable mention:  Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers and Zack Grienke, Arizona Diamondbacks.
    • American League Cy Young:  Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox.  When the Red Sox traded for Sale during the off-season, they were hoping to find the ace of their rotation.  So far, it’s been mission accomplished.  Sale, who opened the season by striking out 10 or more batters in eight consecutive starts, tying a major league record, leads the AL in strikeouts (178) and WHIP (0.90) and is second in wins (11) and ERA (2.75).  Without Sale, Boston certainly wouldn’t be leading the AL East at the All-Star break.
    • National League Manager of the Year:  Bud Black, Colorado Rockies.  No one, not even the most ardent Rockies fans, predicted that Colorado would contend for a wild card spot, much less a NL West Division title.  But Black, in his first year as the Rockies manager, has Colorado firmly esconsed in the NL playoffs with a 52-29 record and a 7.5 game lead for the second wild card spot.  Honorable mention:  Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers, Craig Counsell, Milwaukee Brewers.
    • American League Manager of the Year:  Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays.  Last year at the All-Star break, the Rays were 34-54, 17.5 games behind in the AL East.  This year, Cash has the Rays 3.5 games behind in the AL East and holding the second wild card spot with a 47-43 record.  If Tampa can fix their inconsistent bullpen, Cash will find himself managing in the post-season.  Honorable mention:  Paul Molitor, Minnesota Twins and A.J. Hinch, Houston Astros.
  • Meanwhile, for the fourth consecutive year, Reds fans mark the All-Star break as a time to determine what player on the current roster will be dealt to a contending team prior to the trading deadline at the end of the month.  In the past, the organization has placed a priority on trading those players with the larger contracts, and this year appears no different.  Given the fact that Joey Votto and his $22 million contract and Homer Bailey and his $19 million contract are untradeable for a variety of reasons, the best option for the Reds is to shop for a deal involving catcher Devin Mesoraco.  Mesoraco’s $7.2 million contract combined with the fact that the Reds have two other serviceable catchers , Tucker Barnhardt and Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner, on their roster making the major league minimum makes a trade involving the 2014 NL All-Star catcher ideal and a perfect scenario for a team looking to cut costs.  Unfortunately, the market for Mesaraco is weak, at best, considering he has played a total of 79 games since 2015 and is currently on the 10-day disabled list  with a strained left shoulder and with no scheduled timetable for a return.  That leaves starting All-Star shortstop Zack Cozart ($5.325 million) and closer Raisel Iglesias ($3.5 million) as the leading candidates to leave Cincinnati before the end of July.  Iglesias seems the likeliest to be moved, specifically to the Washington Nationals or the Tampa Bay Rays who are in need of a reliable closer.  Cozart’s future, on the other hand, is more difficult to predict.  There are currently no contending teams who are in dire need of a shortstop.  Only the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins can improve at the position, with the Diamondbacks the most likely suitor.  Regardless of the possible scenarios, one thing is for certain–Reds fans, for the fourth straight year, will witness one of their star players leave town in order to save money and obtain prospects.  Hopefully, one day soon, the shoe will be on the other foot.
  • For those of you keeping score at home, the Reds magic number to clinch the National League Central Division at the All-Star break is 83.
  • The Volume V Scoreboard Stumper answer was:  Dwight Gooden, Randy Johnson, Jake Peavy and Clayton Kershaw.  Here is the Volume VI Scoreboard Stumper:  Four active major league players have appeared in 1,000 or more games at first base.  Who are they?
  • July 1, 2017 came and went and by the end of the day, the New York Mets wrote a check to Bobby Bonilla for $1 million.  It’s certainly a check that won’t break the Mets’ bank and in today’s baseball, not a great deal of cash.  The thing is, Bonilla hasn’t played for the Mets since 1999 and for any MLB team since 2001.  The reason why Bonilla continues to receive a paycheck from New York, 18 years since he was last an employee, is, depending on your perspective, due to a savvy agent or because of a clueless organization.  After the 1999 season in which he finished the year with a .160 batting average, four home runs and 18 RBI, the Mets released Bonilla, despite owing him $5.9 million for the 2000 season.  Instead of paying him the remainder of his contract immediately and in one lump sum, the Mets wanted to defer the remaining salary to a later date.  Bonilla’s agent negotiated a deferred payment schedule buyout of the contract, with an eight percent annual interest rate that required the Mets to begin annual payments of $1.19 million in 2011.  The Mets have now made seven payments totaling $8.35 million, and thanks to the 8% APR, have 18 more payments to go until the contract is completed.  When it’s all said and done, on July 1, 2035, Bonilla will have received a total of $29.8 million for that final year of his Mets contract.  Better yet, if possible, for Bonilla, is that he is a resident of Florida, a state with no income tax.  Needless to say, it’s a good gig if you can get it.
  • With the baseball season more than halfway complete, you have to wonder if MLB Productions is considering the prospect of filming The Hangover:  Part Four–The Story of the 2017 Chicago Cubs.
  • Now that ESPN has apparently decided to hitch its hype train to Los Angeles Laker rookie guard, Lonzo Ball, how will LeBron James get any publicity or air time?
  • Like everyone else in the free world, I withdrew my name for consideration for the general manager’s position with the New York Knicks.
  • The only reasonable explanation for the unexpected results at Wimbledon 2017 which included Roger Federer winning his eighth Wimbledon title without losing a set, Venus Williams reaching the tournament’s final and Martina Hingis winning a mixed doubles championship, is that the tournament was relocated to Jurassic Park.
  • With NFL training camp just around the corner, make sure you pick up your copy of my book, Legends of the Jungle at IUniverse.com, online at Barnes and Noble or at Amazon.com.

WEEK IN SPORTS–VOL. V

  • Attention citizens of the 513 area code:  The S.S. 2017 Cincinnati Reds is taking on water and taking it on rapidly.  After last Sunday’s game, the Reds had lost 13 of their last 15 games, including three in a row to the lowly San Diego Padres, and had dropped to last place in the National League Central Division.  During this 15-game stretch, they have been outscored 104-59 and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight.  Changes are necessary and it should start at the top, with the firing of manager Bryan Price.  Since becoming the manager in 2014, the Reds are a less than impressive 239-321, showing no signs of improvement and in many respects regressing as a franchise over the last 3-plus seasons.  Watching the Reds play, it’s apparent the players don’t like playing for Price, raising the question whether or not they respect him as well.  If that’s indeed the case, then it’s time to move on and find another voice, such as former Reds icons, Barry Larkin or Eric Davis.  That being said, the magic number for the Reds to clinch the National League Central Division is 93.
  • The answer to the Volume IV scoreboard stumper was Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez and Brandon Phillips.  Here is this week’s Scoreboard Stumper:  Since 1980, four pitchers have won the National League Triple Crown (led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts in the same season).  Who are they?
  • As soon as the Chicago Cubs recorded the final out to win the World Series last fall, the sale and marketing of Cubs championship souvenirs and memorabilia began in full force.  Fast forward six months and it seemed there wasn’t anything you couldn’t buy that marked the Cubs historic world championship.  That is until last week.  The Cubs organization announced a limited sale of 2,016 (get the inference?) pieces of the ivy from the Wrigley Field outfield wall for the bargain basement price of $200.00 per leaf plus $15.00 shipping and handling.  Individuals are limited to 10 pieces person and each piece of dead ivy includes a special hologram to verity its authenticity.  Let the ridiculous purchasing begin.
  • The vast majority of those writing the post-script on the 2017 NBA Championship season of the Golden State Warriors will make the case that the reason why the Warriors were able to revenge their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year’s finals and regain their status as the league’s best team, was their addition of Kevin Durant during the off-season.  Given Durant’s regular season performance (25.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 4.8 APG) and the fact he dominated the NBA Finals on his way to winning the series MVP by averaging 35.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.6 blocks per game in the five games against the Cavaliers, it is a fairly sound argument.  Moreover, Golden State’s acquisition of Durant , while undoubtedly crucial to the Warriors regaining their title, has many NBA experts declaring that the true lasting legacy of the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors  is that marks the beginning of the Superteam Era, where franchise players flee their current teams for a chance to win a championship with an already star-studded roster.  But if you look closer at the Warriors roster, the true impact Golden State will have on the NBA is a much-needed change to who is eligible for the league’s annual draft.  Three of the  Warriors’  four best players, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, all of whom are perennial all-stars and winners of an NBA title before Durant arrived, played a minimum of three seasons of college basketball.  Curry and Thompson played three seasons each at Davidson and Washington State respectively while Green played four years at Michigan State.  It’s proof that the more time a potential NBA prospect spends at the collegiate level, the better the game they bring to the NBA and the sooner the impact they have on their team’s success..  Golden State is indeed an excellent team and the cream of the NBA crop.  It seems if the league wants to establish parity and to improve their overall product then they need to convince the players union to modify the draft eligibility rules to mandate all prospects have a minimum of two years college experience.
  • Two storylines emerged from this year’s U.S. Open Golf Championship held at Erin Hills.  First, the tournament winner, Brooks Koepka, won his first major championship, continuing a streak of seven consecutive majors where the champion won his first career major.  Koepka’s final socre of 16-under par, tied Rory McElroy’s 2011 U.S. Open record for lowest score in relation to par and was due in large part to hitting more greens in regulation (86 percent) than anyone in the field.  Second, the USGA will never come back to Erin Hills for another U.S. Open.  The sanctioning body of the U.S. Open, the USGA expects the golf courses that host their most important championship to exact a pound of flesh or two from the field and to produce a champion who survives rather than wins the tournament.  A final score of 16-under par is fine for the folks who run the Houston Open.  A final score of 16-under par to the organizers of the U.S. Open means the golf course failed to do its job.  And like NASA, failure is not an option for the USGA.
  • The tweet of the week comes from John O’Connell, a devout New York Yankees fan, @jacko2323.  He sent this tweet during the jersey retirement ceremony of former Boston Red Sox great, David Ortiz.  Pay close attention to the upper case letters as they appeared in his tweet:  “Surely The fans of Everyteam Rejoice Over the Incredible David oritiz’s Special night.”
  • There’s no denying that Sidney Crosby is one of, if not the best, hockey player in the world.  His 382 goals and 1,027 points in the regular season, 3 Stanley Cup Championships, 2 NHL MVP awards, 2 Conn Smythe Awards, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, 1 World Cup title and 1 World Championship is a testament to his status as the league’s top performer.  What is surprising is that after watching this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, it appears in the eyes of the NHL’s on-ice officials, Crosby’s talent and resume grants him an additional competitive advantage over his opponents and carte-blanche when it comes to defending his own space.  Seemingly every time Crosby was unable to make a play because of what appeared to be a solid play by a defender or simply because Crosby’s skills failed him, the officials called a penalty on the defender, placing the Pittsburgh Penguins and Crosby on the power play.  Meanwhile, when Crosby felt he was being defended too aggressively, he took matters into his own hands by slashing, holding and committing the same penalties his opponents were accused of when defending him but without any fear of repercussion from the officials on the ice.  This “Protection of Sidney Crosby” was in full effect in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Nashville Predators.  Within the first minute of the game, the Predators were penalized for holding Crosby, a penalty that was, to say the least, dubious and to say the most, a joke.  The Penguins scored on the ensuing power play and the eventual 6-0 Penguin rout was on.  Later in the same game, upset over what he felt was a missed slashing call on one of his teammates, Crosby threw a water bottle from the bench onto the ice while the lay was ongoing, a clear-cut delay of game penalty.  And yet, the four officials on the ice failed to see what everyone else had seen and let play continue.  At the next break in play, Crosby called one of the officials over to the Penguins bench and explained he didn’t mean to throw the water bottle on the ice, a mea culpa that seemed insincere and more importantly unnecessary since it appears Crosby’s actions are exempt from any kind of accountability.  Crosby’s free pass, however, was in full view near the end of the first period of Game 5 when he battled behind the Penguins net with his arch-nemesis during the series, Predator defenseman, P,K, Subban.  In the midst of their one-on-one scrum, Crosby grabbed Subban’s head and repeatedly slammed it into the ice.  Crosby was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for his MMA actions (for holding, of all things) but in a move that reeked of, “if Sidney was that mad, then there must be a reason”, Subban was also penalized two minutes for holding (The only reasonable explanation for a holding penalty was that Subban was “holding” on for dear life).  To further validate the NHL’s unwritten policy of the “Crosby Rules”, Mike Milbury, an analyst for NBC, the league’s national broadcast partner” proclaimed during intermission that Crosby’s attack “was cagey.  And Subban had it coming.”  What makes Crosby’s action against Subban even more galling and to a greater extent hypocritical is that he has missed a large portion of his career because of concussions due to inappropriate and illegal blows to the head.  Crosby and the NHL have campaigned and verbally railed against those players who commit penalties involving the head over the past few seasons.  But when Crosby does the same things the NHL wants to limit and remove, he is being “cagey” and his opponent “had it coming.”  Here is the bottom line–it’s time to expose the NHL’s long-kept secret that Sidney Crosby, the player they showcase as their best active player (how else to explain his winning the Conn Smythe Award as this year’s MVP of the playoffs even though he had one teammate score more goals and another who scored more points) is one of the dirtiest and the most coddled players in the entire league.
  • Hope everyone had a chance to listen to my radio interviews this week promoting my book, Legends of the Jungle.  You can purchase your copy at the online bookstore at iuniverse.com, online at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.com.