State of the Cincinnati Reds in Month #2

Well what can I say. April was bad, May was the exact opposite for the Cincinnati Reds. They have been doing so well that they have earned a share of first place. Offensively we have been on fire. Top 5 in almost every offensive statistic in the NL. It's hard to really single out one hot hitter in the line up because it more than just one. Scott Rolen is on fire batting .298 with 6 hr and 22 RBIs. Who knew when we acquired him last year that he would be the offensive weapon that he has become, there was no question about his defense and the glove he has on the hot corner, but he's never been a offensive difference maker I personally wasn't too excited about giving up Edwin Encarnacion for Scotty but I admit I was wrong. If there was an unsung hero award, i guess that goes to Miguel Cairo. He has didn't nothing but rake all month, he finish may batting .372 highest batting average on the team in may, replacing an injured Joey Votto, and who said we would lose a step with Votto missing 7 straight games. Then there's Jonny Gomes. He has tour the cover off the ball as well. He batted .364 in may with 5 hr and 22 RBIs, lead the team in RBIs for a hot second. I feel he was cheated out of the NL player of the month award which was awarded to Troy Glaus of the Atlanta Braves inspite Gomes leading Glaus in most offensive categories. Look, I can go on and on about all the hot hitters in the month of may for this Cincinnati Ball Club, just pick a name. You want an idea of how hot this time was in may??? As a team They was 1st in the NL in hits (301), Hr (45), RBI (160) and a .299 batting average. For what it's worth they was in 1st in Slugging Pct (.507) and On-base Percentage (.873). They scored 162 runs 2nd to Atlanta who had 163. There team batting average was 20 points higher than the nearest team, and they hit 18 more homeruns then the nearest team. Offensively they was arguable the hottest team in the MLB. Pitching is where this team didn't look so great. Don't get me wrong pitching was great as well, but it had nothing on the offense. It seem like the bullpen and starting rotation changed roles this month. If you remember the starting rotation start the season off horrible, and the bullpen seem to pick up where they left off at the end of the '09 campign. In may, the starting pitching was exceptional. As a starting staff we we're 18-11 with a 3.84 ERA, not off the chart #'s but good enough when you have the offensive out break we did. We was tied for 3rd in innings pitched (260), which means in most cases a healthy rested bullpen.What do I have to say about Mike Leake? All i'm saying is Steven Strausburg who is that? Mike Leake is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in may and still is undefeated on the year, and he's under the radar because of Who?? That's another story for another day. Jonny Cueto was prolly the hottest pitcher in the MLB in may, posting a 4-0 record in 5 starts with a 1.59 ERA. Then you go to the bullpen, Probably the only dark spot in the month for the ball club. I guess the #'s don't say that, but nobody in the pen is pitching consistently, except Author Rhodes who leads the MLB in ERA for Relievers, but you can't pitch him everyday. Coco has a lot of saves, but he also has blown a few as well, lucky enough for us 2 of them has turn into W for him. If you watch the Reds, coco always give you drama in that 9th inning, it never fails, he comes in give up a hit or two, or walk a man, but more times then not find his way out of it. Some fills that if Cincinnati is there battling for a playoff spot down the home stretch coco could hurt them, and it's true. I feel the exact same way. As far as the rest of the guys, it been a very unstable group. Lincoln has went down, he's on 60 day DL I feel sorry for that guy, he just can't buy a break. Del Rosario and Ondrusek has been up and down from the majors and triple A. Del Rosario has been pretty good for the little time he has been here, even doe his one appearence this month didn't go well at all. Onddrusek, Masset, and Herrera has all just been inconsistent. I get worried everytime we have to turn to the bullpen. The month of may has also brought along the injury bug. We lost Homer for 15 DL with a shoulder, Dickerson is out on the 60 day DL with a hand, we lost Hanigan for 15 days with a hand, Votto missed 7 straight games with a stiff neck but we haven't really lost a step. You have no choice but to be excited as a reds fan. Let's hope June bring more excitement to the city and that we can have some breathing room in 1st place, HEY WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO OCTOBER!

Celtics Bounce Back in Game 2

Well, Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals was a lot different than Game 1. The Celtics showed up to play tonight... especially Ray Allen. Allen set a NBA Finals record for threes made in a game. The lead bounced back and forth throughout the game. I think the main factor in this game was Ray Allen's shooting. Bynum also showed up big tonight on both sides of the ball but was not enough to defeat the Celtics. Throughout the game, there were times where each team did not control the ball well at all with careless mistakes with the ball.

If you are a Celtics fan, you should be happy the series is tied going back to Boston. If you are a Lakers fan, you should not worry but hope for better effort on defense against Allen's shooting in Game 3. This will be a close series but I still say it will be the Lakers in 6.

Lakers handle the Celtics in Game 1

Well, with Game 1 in the books, the Los Angeles Lakers dominated the Boston Celtics in all aspects of the game.... and that was without any real help from the bench. Gasol had no problems against Garnett in game 1 either. As a matter of fact he had 10 rebounds to Garnett's 1. At one point in the game, the Lakers were leading the Celtics by 20 points! Rondo did not seem to ever get going in the game along with foul problems for Ray Allen. The Lakers out-hustled the Celtics on both sides of the ball. Bryant, Farmar, Artest and others had clear paths to the basket for easy layups. Artest also was 3 for 5 behind the arc. Also, at the very beginning of the game, we were reminded that these two teams really do hate each other when Pierce and Artest got tangled up underneath the basket and were ready to scrap. Both were called for technical fouls. Game 2 is Sunday night at 8:00 in Los Angeles. If the Celtics do not improve they will again be destroyed in Game 2.

Go Lakers!

NBA Finals

Well, it is that time again! The 2010 NBA Finals showcases the biggest, most-hated rivalry in all of the NBA: Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The two teams have a combined of 32 rings (Lakers 15, Celtics 17) and won the last two NBA Finals. For the Lakers this is the third time in three years they have reached the Finals. Probably the biggest headline of these Finals is L.A.'s Revenge. The Lakers have learned a lot and grown since they were embarrassed in the 2008 NBA Finals by these same Boston Celtics.

Here are some of the key differences:

Lakers:
Pau Gasol has become more of an elite big man in the NBA. He was branded as being too soft in the 2008 Finals. Since then Pau has become a key role on the Lakers. He has become the second best player on the team and a very critical part to the team.

Kobe Bryant is still, in my opinion, the greatest player in the world. He may have lost a step but he has not lost that killer instinct and smart ball play. Ever since having his knee drained in the Oklahoma City series, his numbers has really jumped.

Andrew Bynum, still is bothered by a knee injury, but is actually playing in the 2010 Finals. Bynum sat out in the 2008 series. He is another big body on the boards for L.A.

Derek Fisher is the only other player on the team that has been on all the championship teams with Bryant. Fisher is a key veteran to these Finals. He has done a great job stepping up in his role to defend Westbrook (OKC), Williams (UTA) and Nash (PHO). He will be a key factor in covering either Rondo or Allen.

Ron Artest was signed during the offseason to bring some defensive tenacity to the Lakers D. He is a key factor in getting into Paul Pierce's head as he has throughout his career. Artest is also showing some real promise behind the arc as well.

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo has improved into one of the game's elite point guards. He will be more of a factor in the series than he was in the 2008 series. Rondo is also the catalyst to the Big Three.

Kevin Garnett will be less of a problem this year than he was in 2008. With his knee injury last year and getting old, along with his shooting problems in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando, he will be easier for Gasol to defend. Garnett's defense will play more of a role in this series.

Paul Pierce is still the leading scorer on the Celtics. The Lakers will have to watch for his jump fake. The key for Pierce will be getting to the line and getting good shots. It will be a challenge though with Artest on him.

Ray Allen will be another key factor to the Celtics' offensive success. If he can get hot behind the arc then the Lakers will have their hands full.

Kendrick Perkins will be another key factor in facing the Lakers' bigs. He will be very important on the defensive side of the ball and on the boards. Perkins, however, is one technical foul away from being suspended for a game.

So who will win the rematch of the Lakers and Celtics?

I'm going with Lakers in 5.

State of the Cincinnati Reds in Month #1

I've been asked by friends, Why haven't I wrote any thing about my Reds? It because I've been too busy watching them and most of the time finding myself pissed of once i get done watching them night in and night out. One of the best thing about baseball to me, that many people say is actually a bad thing, is that there are so many games and that it is such a long season. Being a Reds fan i'm so used to saying that it's still early, so i'll say it again it still early. What's wrong with them? Well it hard to really put a finger on the main problem, because there are so many. Pitching has look good at times, but horrible most of the time! Hitting, we have had a few good games but other than that they have been non-existence. All around pitching has got off really to an unexpected slow start. As of april 23 in the MLB we rank 29th in runs and earned runs as a pitching staff,28th in ERA with a 6.03 mark, and 25th in walks. The starting pitching hasn't got off to a good start, kind of expected being that guys are not yet at mid-season form but it should be better than it is. The Starters alone has started 16 games with a 1-5 record with a 5.94 ERA. The Starter has not been able to hold leads, they have not been able to pitch deep into games. I'm not sure of the exact rank as far as innings pitched but we are defintely towards the top for inning pitch from the bullpen. The bullpen has been ok for us i guess. They have 49 inning pitched with a 6-4 record, ERA is at 5.78. Not bad at all considering how much slack they have to make up behind starting pitching. The back end has been pretty strong with Coco Cordero caring a 1-1 record with a 3.12 ERA. The one black spot the big blown save he had a week ago on the 16th of April. The hope is that as the season go on and we get deeper in the starting pitching will get better, the only one that really concerns me is Aaron Harang. Man has that guy been struggling. I can only imagine what he's going through, he just can't seem to turn things around. I was excited for him on opening day cause he actually pitched a good game. Albert Pujols was able to beat the reds by himself because the lack of hitting the reds did, but it got worst Harang's second start, and even worst his third start. In 4 starts he is 0-3 with 8.31 ERA. It not look too good for Harang if he keeps up on this pace, I was expecting a turn around this year that's why i pick him up on my fantasy baseball team, but I had no choice but to cut him loose this week. Let's just hope it gets better for him in the month of May.
As for offensively, as a team offense has also started slow. The Reds are rank 19th in the majors in average batting .242 as a team, has the 8th most strikeouts as an offense, and ranks 24th and on base percentage(.327). We only have one everyday starter hitting .300 or better and four everyday starters hitting well under .250 not going to win a lot baseball games with that. It amazing, out of 16 games, starting pitchers have a total of 10 no decision. I'm not blaming all that on hitting but they play just as big a part as the pitcher.
The good thing about where we sit right now is that it still only the first month of the season we still have over 140 games to play. Most people expected the Reds to be doing better right now but thats not been the case. Reds fans don't panic it still early, give it time, personally i don't pay the season a lot of mine until the summer get here. I watch every game, and get mad but not as mad as i do around all-star break and post all-star break. I think we will pull it together and I also believe will be in contention throughout the year. It not pretty right now but I don't see it getting much uglier

One move equals a good off-season for Cincinnati Reds fans!

The words is pretty much out! That word been that the Cincinnati Reds sign arguably the best free agent on the market. Yes, you heard right the Cincinnati Reds. It not every year that we create shock waves in the MLB. With the signing of Aroldis Chapman, as a Cincinnati Reds fan i can say that in my opinion this off season was a success. It not a common thing that the Reds send shock waves through the MLB in the off-season, it actually a rare thing. Coming into this off season the Reds management made it pretty clear that they wasn't going to be doing much of anything in the off season, which is why the move to acquire this kid is a shock to everybody in the baseball world. Not only did they bring in a young talented guy, this guy can make an impact this season for this team. He's a big linky lefty with a mid 90's heater that has touch 100 mph many times and he has a developing curveball, slider, and change up. Developing is the key word here. His heater is solid every one knows that, it comes down to how well the Reds organization can develop the rest of his pitches. I'm pretty sure working with Mario Soto here in the next couple months he'll have a big league change up, considering the fact that Soto to this day has the best change up baseball has ever seen. What about the rest of his pitches? I think the kid will be good, what scares me as a fan is that, we will make the same mistake that we made with young Homer Bailey. As bad as I want to see this kid pitch in the opening week, the last thing i want is for him to be rushed and smacked around, let's not forget this is the major leagues ans grant it they have some good players come out of Cuba, like the kid said "the best players around the world come to play in the MLB." I'm hoping all turns out good with Chapman, it can only mean great things for the Reds in the future. Unfortunately with this signing, i believe it just eliminated any hope that we will keep Bronson or Harang after this last year in both their contract. It still is possible that we can keep one of the two but certainly not both, I see both of them being out of Cincinnati by this time 2011. If they have good seasons this year it's possible they can be some good trade bait come mid-season. Signing Chapman hurts fans as well believe it or not. Not in a bad way, but just think if Volquez didn't need tommy john last year, How about this rotation- Volquez, Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Chapmen- Sounds pretty good huh? Pretty good only if you can get Harang and Arroyo to play up to their potential, and don't forget about Bailey. Overall, this is by far one of the best, smartest, and riskiest moves the Reds have made in a very long time, this Organization has a lot of potential all-around. Unfortunately there still a couple years away from being true contenders, but I can proudly say they are making progress! Pitchers report in a little more than a month and a half and it gone be a buzz in Goodyear Arizona all spring, for a change it actually for our Cincinnati Reds!

Bengals Woes, is not Carson's fault!

As we know the Bengals was Eliminated from playoff contention this past Saturday, which pushes us to 19 playoff games since our last playoff victory or is it 20? I don't know it not a stat no Bengal fan wants to keep up with. When you fail or lose, outsider like us, the fans always look for somewhere to point the finger, someone to put the blame on. I guess if i made a poll question, asking who blew the game for the Bengals, Shayne Graham would probably get the most votes. Yes, he may deserve it but come on is he really to blame? Yes, he blew two chip shots but we never should have been in neither situation, maybe the one at the end of the half, but not the one in the forth quarter. Besides Graham, suprisingly, to me anyway, the second-to-most guy they put the blame on was Carson Palmer. Carson may have not had the best game but, it safe to say without Carson we wouldn't have even been in contention for the playoffs, let alone a 4 seed. I like to think that i know the game fairly well! People i hear saying that elbow uch about football, all they know is highlights and what they see on espn. To understand why Carson struggle, you have to go to the drawing board, you have to go inside the games. It's easy to expect the Carson from 2005, it's also easy to say last years injury to the elbow of Carson is to blame for the drop in numbers. Carson elbow is perfectly fine, i forgot he even hurt it, and you can't expect the same Carson from '05, because this is a totally different Bengal team. This is a running Bengal team, '05 was a spread throwing Bengal team. Carson is having problems because he has no WR to throw the ball too. Yes, he has Chad, but Chad is not a guy that can be that main guy, Chad needs help, as in T.J. and Henry to reach his top potential. Also when you have to throw out of a 2 and 3 WR set with no deep threat, even the best QB in the league will struggle. Not to mention having no TE that you can trust to catch the ball for you. If the Bengals TE are not stationary there no good, hopefully that will change next year when Chase Coffman is ready. Saturday the whole game, the jets didn't do much blitzing at all, i guess the 2 sacks, both in the 4th quarter proves that fact. No blitzing mean they were dropping 6 people most of the time 7 in some cases. Any quarteback will struggle throwing to 3 recievers against 6 and 7 defenders and thats what happen saturday and mostly all year against Carson Palmer. Bottom line is this, Carson is easily a top 5 QB in the NFL, he is a Franchise QB and atleast 20 other NFL teams would love to have him. He is a Pro, The inventer of the Cardiac Catz in my opinion the 4th quarter comebacks alone show Carson's worth to this franchise, Cincinnati Fans need to be thankful, and greatful for This guy, cause rather you like it or not he is the face, the leader, and this team. It start with him!