Could This Team be Just Oblivious Enough To Pull This Off

[flynn78]

After the walkoff by LaRue tonight I can see this team being oblivious enough down the stretch to work their magic back into the "realistic" race. Say what you want about them, but they have a ton of heart and the right amount of guile to not know the levity of what they are doing. As a sidenote, I was really disappointed in Jason LaRue tonight. He has been a class veteran on this team and he is ruining a great reputation by pouting. I realize that he has to be frustrated with his lack of playing time, but the injury he had to get surgery on early in the year struck me as something that could have been corrected in the offseason and the Reds were not happy he took it into the spring. I stil wish the best for him, but this is no way to go out. This team is not done. They are like a villain in a bad horror flick, everytime our hopes for them kill us there they are with a walkoff HR behind us.

[Sean_CaseyRules]

I agree, this season IS NOT OVER!! I am going to make a bold statement and say that we ARE going to make the postseason this year! And there should be more posters on this board that feel the same as I do right now, we aren't mathematically out of it, so who's to say that we don't have a chance? Let's rally together and push our team to the postseason!

[Jr's Boy]

The offense has got to get consistent,because smoke and mirrors victory's like tonight won't get a team to the playoffs.

[Highlifeman21]

The offense has got to get consistent,because smoke and mirrors victory's like tonight won't get a team to the playoffs.

Yet again, this team wins in spite of Jerry Narron.

His manlove for Ryan Franklin has singlehandedly cost us opportunities for victories.

His LaRussa Jr act tonight, burning through PH and the bullpen to micromanage after the Franklin debacle inning was just mind numbing. And to think, EE scores the tying run after stealing 3rd on his own effort. EE knew he needed to get to 3rd, so he did so. Phillips thankfully had enough wheels to get down the line and prevent the DP.

I'm just amazed at the continued ineptitude of Jerry Narron. For the love of all things Reds fans, please please stop bringing Ryan Franklin into the game.

[TeamBoone]

I realize that he has to be frustrated with his lack of playing time, but the injury he had to get surgery on early in the year struck me as something that could have been corrected in the offseason and the Reds were not happy he took it into the spring. I stil wish the best for him, but this is no way to go out. This team is not done. They are like a villain in a bad horror flick, everytime our hopes for them kill us there they are with a walkoff HR behind us.

Just wondering where you got this... IIRC, the injury occurred late in spring training.

[Jefferson24]

Think where we would be with a better manager. Probably 10 games over 500 and atop the central.

[Homer Bailey]

I am glad that none of you have given up on this season, as I have been preaching throughout this rough stretch that this team (as George Grande loves to say) has no quit in them, and we just have to keep the faith!

With that being said, we should also attempt to keep our faith in the manager! I know sometimes he makes some mistakes, but he only has so much to work with. I was included in the bunch that were screaming at the television when Franklin came in, but Narron may have looked like a genious had Encarnacion not made the error. How much did everyone love this guy back in April when we had the best record in the bigs? I think the players like playing for him, and it is evident in how they have succeeded this year. Would you rather have Dave Miley in there? Narron has a reason for everything he does. Even if it doesn't work out in the short term, hes got a long term reason for it. I'm not saying I'm a huge Narron fan, but the man was hired and his contract was extended for a reason.

We have too much to be grateful for this season! Could this teams record be better? Of course! But please, lets be thankful for the effort and fun this team has brought us this year. I'm only 20, and this is the best summer of Reds baseball I've ever experienced, and the Reds are the only professional organization I've ever truly followed. Go Reds!

[Topcat]

And yet tommorow night mjany will post that this team is toast if they lose. I personally love the body oif work the Reds have produced and as a Fan of the Red's will smile and applaud the forward progress this "franchise" has produced.

[redsmetz]

And yet tommorow night mjany will post that this team is toast if they lose. I personally love the body oif work the Reds have produced and as a Fan of the Red's will smile and applaud the forward progress this "franchise" has produced.

Bravo!

[SeeinRed]

Ok, I'm glad to hear some optomism... but the calling out of Jerry Narron absolutely blows my mind. How can you say that this team is good enough to win more games than it has. I actually like what Marty Brennaman said in his Q&A with Reds.com. To say that this team should have been better is just absurd. This team shouldn't be in the position they are in to be honest. But they are, and at least some of the credit has to go to Jerry Narron. The Reds have played .500 ball since he took over mid season last year. That is way better than we have seen around here in a long time. The Bullpen is bandaged together, the defense is still not where it should be, the starting rotation is better, but still not the caliber of a playoff team, and the offense is inconsistent. A manager can only be as good as his players allow. He can make all the right calls, but if the players don't perform, it doesn't matter.

A manager's job is more than what we see for three hours a night. None of us know what goes into making the decisions he makes. There are so many other factors that we don't even know about. The one thing that bothers me most about it though is the fact that the only difference in an absolutely genius move and a stupid decision is wether or not the decision works out. You aren't going to win on every move you make, especially in baseball, but you can name all the bad ones you want because there are just as many good ones. Look how he has used Hatteberg and Aurillia. Both have flourished in the position that Narron has put them in. Also, most of you criticized his benching of Edwin saying he has a bias toward "scrappy vets." Seems to have worked out doesn't it. Don't think that Edwin didn't get better by having to earn his position. Sometimes you have to blame the inability of players to perform instead of the decision to put them in. Some times you have to blame the decision of the mangager for putting the player in the position they are in. However, the two aren't as cut and dry as they seem.

This part of the season is a grind, and the mental aspect of players is what will set them apart. This is where I think Narron has the potential to show his worth. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Narron seems to get the most out of the players.

[flynn78]

Just wondering where you got this... IIRC, the injury occurred late in spring training.

Injury "occurred" then, but I remember Hal McCoy alluding to the Reds thinking that it was something that could have been fixed earlier.

[5DOLLAR-BLEACHERBUM]

I agree, this season IS NOT OVER!! I am going to make a bold statement and say that we ARE going to make the postseason this year! And there should be more posters on this board that feel the same as I do right now, we aren't mathematically out of it, so who's to say that we don't have a chance? Let's rally together and push our team to the postseason!

Judt imagine, reds playoff games, buckeye games, and nfl football, I dont know if i can handle all of that.

[Natty Redlocks]

Ok, I'm glad to hear some optomism... but the calling out of Jerry Narron absolutely blows my mind. How can you say that this team is good enough to win more games than it has. I actually like what Marty Brennaman said in his Q&A with Reds.com. To say that this team should have been better is just absurd. This team shouldn't be in the position they are in to be honest. But they are, and at least some of the credit has to go to Jerry Narron. The Reds have played .500 ball since he took over mid season last year. That is way better than we have seen around here in a long time. The Bullpen is bandaged together, the defense is still not where it should be, the starting rotation is better, but still not the caliber of a playoff team, and the offense is inconsistent. A manager can only be as good as his players allow. He can make all the right calls, but if the players don't perform, it doesn't matter.

A manager's job is more than what we see for three hours a night. None of us know what goes into making the decisions he makes. There are so many other factors that we don't even know about. The one thing that bothers me most about it though is the fact that the only difference in an absolutely genius move and a stupid decision is whether or not the decision works out. You aren't going to win on every move you make, especially in baseball, but you can name all the bad ones you want because there are just as many good ones. Look how he has used Hatteberg and Aurillia. Both have flourished in the position that Narron has put them in. Also, most of you criticized his benching of Edwin saying he has a bias toward "scrappy vets." Seems to have worked out doesn't it. Don't think that Edwin didn't get better by having to earn his position. Sometimes you have to blame the inability of players to perform instead of the decision to put them in. Some times you have to blame the decision of the mangager for putting the player in the position they are in. However, the two aren't as cut and dry as they seem.

This part of the season is a grind, and the mental aspect of players is what will set them apart. This is where I think Narron has the potential to show his worth. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Narron seems to get the most out of the players.

I bolded my favorite parts but I agree with pretty much the whole thing. Great stuff.

[demas863]

Yet again, this team wins in spite of Jerry Narron.

His manlove for Ryan Franklin has singlehandedly cost us opportunities for victories.

His LaRussa Jr act tonight, burning through PH and the bullpen to micromanage after the Franklin debacle inning was just mind numbing. And to think, EE scores the tying run after stealing 3rd on his own effort. EE knew he needed to get to 3rd, so he did so. Phillips thankfully had enough wheels to get down the line and prevent the DP.

I'm just amazed at the continued ineptitude of Jerry Narron. For the love of all things Reds fans, please please stop bringing Ryan Franklin into the game.

Narron pushed for the pickup of Franklin so he has to pitch him. I think he's got reasonable stuff but he doesn't pitch smart. Right now he's pretty much equivalent to a batting machine that can't hit the corners. Maybe when we get a qualified, full-time pitching coach he can be straightened out.

And Narron doesn't manage smart either. By his "depressing" moves, one has the feeling he is trying not to lose rather to win. He's an "accountant" type manager like his two predecessors, moving players around without good reason as if playing a board game by oneself without anyone watching. The unique makeup of this team requires a Lou Pinella/Davey Johnson type leader. Sadly they ask to be paid commenurately for their "jack 'em up", winning style.

Non sequitor - we got hosed big time by both Philly and Washington. Perhaps Krivsky should confine his future moves to American League teams. It will be interesting to find out who are all the TBA's.

[ThatPitchIsDunn]

The thing about Narron is not that he's made all bad decisions this year. He's just made seemingly more bad ones than good ones.

This becomes a two-way street however. If this team could EVER get a run home with a runner on third with less than two outs, it's an entirely different pitching scenario. Suddenly, you're pitching with a one run lead instead of praying Franklin or Cormier doesn't make one bad pitch.

Getting back to the topic of this thread, let's hope we forget that it seems bleak, and that Peavy struck us out 8 million times his last outing. Maybe we've got some "oh well, let's just go win now, ho-hum" in us. You won't see me complaining.