Reds fans deserve a little hope
Meaningful baseball in September has provided it
In my weekly missive at The Mother Ship, I went and got all sentimental about this dumb Reds team again:
Because I kinda love this team despite the obvious flaws that seem to pile up by the day. Maybe it’s the clubhouse atmosphere, a group of players rallying around each other with an “us against the world” mentality. Or perhaps it’s the sheer drive and hunger of those who are getting their first shot at the big leagues, making the most of the opportunities thrust upon them.
…
This unpredictable season for the Cincinnati Reds serves as a reminder of why we love this game. It isn’t always about powerhouses and sure bets. Sometimes it’s about the underdog, fighting against the odds (and incompetent ownership), driven by pure grit, passion, and a bit of baseball magic.
Most of the column was about how the Reds pitching staff has devolved into chaos over recent weeks. We’ve seen injuries and sickness and just plain poor performance from Cincinnati hurlers recently, and it has been difficult to watch, frankly. Reds fans would be completely justified in being frustrated by the failures of Reds management to (a) acquire pitching depth over the winter, or (b) acquire literally any pitching help at the trade deadline.
After all, the Reds were literally in first place at the trade deadline! And now they are in third place, 5.5 games behind Milwaukee. What ownership and the front office have done to fail the exciting players on this roster is nothing less than malpractice. And there will be no consequences for their failures. In fact, many fans will simply forgive them after years of “small market” conditioning from the ownership box. It’s Stockholm Syndrome. Such is the Cincinnati sports landscape in the year of our Lord 2023.
And yet! Entering Tuesday night’s game vs. Seattle, the Reds were in the final Wild Card spot in the National League. We’re in the middle of an actual playoff race!
So yes, I just spilled a few words about why the Reds should be higher up in the standings, but I’m honestly not frustrated by that. I fully expect this nonsense from Reds ownership and management. So I have resolved to try to enjoy the product on the field as much as possible. Baseball is supposed to be fun after all, right?
And this team is a ton of fun, most nights anyway. Walkoff wins with different rookies playing the hero every night. Inject it directly into my veins.
If Reds ownership and management were minimally competent, could the Reds be fighting for a division title? Sure! But let’s not forget how rare it is that this franchise is actually playing meaningful baseball in the month of September.
I’m writing this as the Reds are playing the Mariners on Wednesday night. They are currently 73-68. Over the 23 previous seasons, can you guess how many times Cincinnati has had a record as good as that one at this point in the year?
FOUR TIMES.
Literally, in only four of the last 23 seasons have the Reds won more games than they’ve won this year, at this point in the season. In fact, they’ve only been above .500 after 141 games five times since the year 2000. (Including 2020, a shortened season where the Reds were below .500 until the very last weekend.)
Last year, Cincinnati was 56-85 at this point!
Sure, the rarity of a season in which the team is actually relevant in September is a failure of owners, present and past. (I keep mentioning that after saying that I wasn’t frustrated by it. Draw your own conclusions.) But I’m beyond hoping that lousy Cincinnati owners will actually try to go all in to win baseball games. I harbor no illusions that I’ll ever see that again in my lifetime.
I am not, however, beyond hoping that these fun young players can capture some magic and perhaps create some memories over the next few weeks. My recommendation: try to enjoy it. Try to savor every single moment. As a Reds fan, you are in this position so rarely. You deserve a few smiles. You deserve a little hope.
This week at Cincinnati Magazine: The Reds try to survive a TBD pitching staff
In my years both covering baseball and watching from afar as a fan, there have been seasons that defy logic … and then there are the 2023 Cincinnati Reds. After tumbling through a disastrous 100-loss season just a year ago, the Reds—against all conventional wisdom—remain within arm’s length of the postseason. And they’ve done it in a manner that’s as bewildering as it is commendable.
Now, entering the business end of September, the Reds remain miraculously tied for the final National League Wild Card spot at 72-68. And while the underdog narrative that we’ve chronicled all season long remains tempting, the real story lies in the turbulent seas they’ve navigated to get here.
To stretch this metaphor far past its breaking point, the pitching rotation is the ship’s engine. For the Reds, that engine is currently patched together with duct tape and hope. A quick glance at Cincinnati’s schedule over the weekend painted an almost laughable picture: “To Be Determined” stared back as the listed starting pitcher for game after game. Read the rest of this week’s Reds column over at Cincinnati Magazine.
What’s Chad Watching?
Much to my dismay, I haven’t been to the theater very often lately. The lovely Mrs. Dotson and I did go see Gran Turismo last week, despite my description to her of it being “a video game movie.” And it kinda is a video game movie, but mostly it’s a paint-by-numbers sports movie. And it’s not bad! There’s a reason many of us like the typical sports movie, even though we know exactly what’s going to happen. 3.5 stars out of 5. Recommended.
Heart of Stone is the latest new Gal Gadot movie to pop up on Netflix. I heard about it only because it was advertised often between innings on MLB.tv, and I didn’t remember Netflix putting together a similar ad campaign for a movie since, well, never? I’m nothing if not a sucker for corporate advertising, so I clicked the “play” button one night. It was okay. Gadot as a 007-adjacent agent sounds much better than it actually is, but for an evening of dumb entertainment, it could have been worse.
For many years post-Elm Street, I was pretty steadfast in refusing to watch horror movies. Just didn’t get the appeal. But then, last year, I saw Barbarian and began to wonder: “Is it possible that I like horror films now?” With October just around the corner, we decided to finally watch “Hereditary” this week, after repeated encouragement from our son. From always-interesting director Ari Aster — Midsommar (great), Beau is Afraid (horrible) — Hereditary stars Toni Collette as the matriarch of a family with a terrifying secret.
It’s great! Suspenseful throughout. Yes, it is possible that I like horror films now. Highly recommended.