http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/...-loss#comments
Do not get me wrong, I know it is from ESPNLA, but to put it on the front page is unbelievable. First off, its just strengthens the bias that is ESPN with bigger city teams. Second, I cannot believe a writer would make an excuse like the team was too tired. Last time I checked, they had zero errors, so their fielding was fine. We had 10 hits and they had 9 hits so their hitting wasn't bad. Greinke was pitching pretty well too. Besides two pitches he hung over the plate to X and Bruce, he was otherwise pretty solid IMO. Third, I cannot believe this was published.
I am pretty sure that Dallas Latos got some flack earlier this year because she tweeted a picture of the Reds in flight menu. I am sure the Dodgers plane is capable to sleep guys and feed them well too. The article suggests they arrived around 3 AM. I know baseball players have a routine and have to show up so many hours early, but the game started at 7 PM Los Angeles time. That is 16 hours from arrival until game time. Take an hour out from airport to players' houses and another hour from houses to ballpark and they are still hovering around 14 hours. Probably have to be at ballpark around 4ish LA time so that still gives them 9 to 10 hours of sleep and rest on top of whatever rest they got on the plane plus the hours they were at the ballpark before the game since they had to skip batting practice. IIRC, the average human needs about 8 hours of sleep. Baseball is not that demanding either, so to come up with this excuse, especially when the writer is being published not only on ESPNLA but also the ESPN front page first story, is just unbelievable to me.
But what really chaps my *** besides my lengthy rant in the previous paragraphs, is that the writer gives the Reds little to no credit. He mentions that Latos was strong and that Paul and Izturis are former Dodgers with RBI's, but thats it. He fails to mention that the Red are dead smack in the middle of a West Coast trip, they were nearly as hot as the Dodgers before last nights game, and they have played 4 games in the last 3 days.
Sorry for the length, but just grown tired of the bias and ignorance against the Reds. I know we are small market, but it just gets annoying seeing writers chalk up excuses like this one, or watching an entire Sportscenter or Baseball Tonight waiting for a Reds highlight, only to see them not included in the show. Also, the disregard for Reds plays in Top 10 too. BP makes highlight reel plays every night and is rarely shown in Top 10 unless it is behind the back or between the legs. Puig throws a ball from RF to third and ump calls him safe, yet it is number 3 on Top 10. Bruce throws similar throw to home the other day and replay shows runner should have been out at home and ump calls him safe, yet no top play.