Reds vs. Nationals Friday 5/11

[texasdave]

That was a bad baserunning play by Phillips after he made a good one going 1st to 3rd on Bruce's single. When was the last time Phillips got busted on the base paths on a dumb play, last year?

Surely you know that that stuff is going to happen every now and then. It's the stuff happening over and over that would worry me.

This kinda stuff does happen over and over. Scott Rolen tagging up from first and getting thrown out by a year at second. Inexcusable. Brandon tonight. Inexcusable. Bronson lollygagging to first on a ball hit to the right side. Inexcusable. All a person has to do is open their eyes. It really does happen a lot. Dusty sees it. He just doesn't do anything about it. How can you be everyone's best friend if you sit them for rookie mistakes?

[texasdave]

Thank you, Atlanta.

[Stray]

This kinda stuff does happen over and over. Scott Rolen tagging up from first and getting thrown out by a year at second. Inexcusable. Brandon tonight. Inexcusable. Bronson lollygagging to first on a ball hit to the right side. Inexcusable. All a person has to do is open their eyes. It really does happen a lot. Dusty sees it. He just doesn't do anything about it. How can you be everyone's best friend if you sit them for rookie mistakes?

Rolen's tag was bad, but I took it more as an aggressive play that went wrong. Getting to scoring position in that game would have been a big deal. And I haven't noticed Phillips not hustling of late, I'll have to watch closer for that. When he was injured he wasn't busting it down to the line but I'm pretty sure we told him not to.

I guess it's another difference of opinion. I'd hope things are said to people after they screw up, but I don't think you bench a guy as punishment for being too aggressive. Talk to them to let them know why they were wrong, and as fans we can wait and see if those same mistakes are repeated. I haven't seen Rolen push it on tags lately (well he hasn't been on base) and BP is all around one of our better baserunners. The hustle thing would bother me but I just haven't noticed it.

[Ironman92]

Would you have paid Mark Grace $20mil per?

I wouldn't pay Votto $20 million.

And no on Grace...especially not in 1994.

[texasdave]

Rolen's tag was bad, but I took it more as an aggressive play that went wrong. Getting to scoring position in that game would have been a big deal. And I haven't noticed Phillips not hustling of late, I'll have to watch closer for that. When he was injured he wasn't busting it down to the line but I'm pretty sure we told him not to.

I guess it's another difference of opinion. I'd hope things are said to people after they screw up, but I don't think you bench a guy as punishment for being too aggressive. Talk to them to let them know why they were wrong, and as fans we can wait and see if those same mistakes are repeated. I haven't seen Rolen push it on tags lately (well he hasn't been on base) and BP is all around one of our better baserunners. The hustle thing would bother me but I just haven't noticed it.

It is not a difference of opinion. It is one segment of this board's inability to recognize one hard, unforgiving fact. One segment's refusal to look at the scoreboard. The ultimate determinator in sports.

This team was supposed to make the playoffs or be a serious contender in 2011. Same in 2012. Well, their record in those two years is 95-98. No cherry picking a week or two here. No saying we got the best record in the last three weeks, all the while playing nothing but dregs.

Ninety-five wins and ninety-eight losses. One hundred and ninety-three games. Not a slump. Simply a fact.

And yet you can count on the same people making the same tired excuses.

Maybe you like mediocrity. Maybe underachieving teams are what you are in to. But the undeniable fact remains. 193 games. A losing record.

This team has way too much talent to play sub-.500 for a period of close to 200 games. Way too much talent. But our esteemed manager wants to be liked instead of actually managing, leading. So there is no accountability and the inmates are firmly in charge of the asylum.

And the excuses continue to fall like rain.

[Stray]

It is not a difference of opinion. It is one segment of this board's inability to recognize one hard, unforgiving fact. One segment's refusal to look at the scoreboard. The ultimate determinator in sports.

This team was supposed to make the playoffs or be a serious contender in 2011. Same in 2012. Well, their record in those two years is 95-98. No cherry picking a week or two here. No saying we got the best record in the last three weeks, all the while playing nothing but dregs.

Ninety-five wins and ninety-eight losses. One hundred and ninety-three games. Not a slump. Simply a fact.

And yet you can count on the same people making the same tired excuses.

Maybe you like mediocrity. Maybe underachieving teams are what you are in to. But the undeniable fact remains. 193 games. A losing record.

This team has way too much talent to play sub-.500 for a period of close to 200 games. Way too much talent. But our esteemed manager wants to be liked instead of actually managing, leading. So there is no accountability and the inmates are firmly in charge of the asylum.

And the excuses continue to fall like rain.

I've never said we didn't underachieve last year. We should have been contenders and weren't, obviously the manager shares a big portion of the blame. I was very critical of Dusty last season, but I'm not one of the Sun Deckers that jump in and blame every single problem on him.

I don't believe the inmates are running the asylum, and I don't think that is the reason we couldn't win enough games last year. I think it was just a flawed team and a tired bullpen. It's not excuses, I genuinely feel that was our problem.

So yeah, I'm not accepting mediocrity and I have no idea where you would have gotten that from anything I've ever written on here.

[Ironman92]

Comparing Votto to Grace is definitely not the same....but Grace had 2445 career hits and 511 doubles....3 gold gloves.

Sean Casey and Hal Morris would have to combine their stats to get to Grace.