Which Corner Are You In?

[dman]

I don't get to post much anymore on this board, as I'm busier now with my job, along with my daughter's ventures, but I was kinda' curious what everybody's take of this whole post-season berth is.

Are you in the mindset of "I'm happy that it's happening, but I look for them to be promptly eliminated"?

Do you feel "Please let somebody else draw Philadelphia in the first round of playoffs"?

I'm somewhere in between, especially seeing how the month of September has played out for them. I keep telling myself that they are playing like this so that they could come back home to clinch this thing in front of a home crowd, but I know that's far fecthed.

I know that the Reds have had a month of September that had them go a stretch of 3 straight weeks without a day off, which obviously wore on the players, and it seems like the "real" Dusty that I remember as the manager of the Cubs has resurfaced, for me being that 13-1 loss against the Brewers when anybody, my wife included who is not a baseball fan, could see that Cueto was way off and he didn't get him out soon enough and when he did, he replaced him with Harang.

It's goofy stuff like this that makes you wonder what the post-season will hold. I know this team has the talent and tools to go deep into the post season, I just don't think Dusty is the best of stewards to oversee that talent.

[Brutus]

I was thrilled until the last 7-10 days. Now the life has been sucked out of me and I've resigned myself to the fact the Reds are lining up to be the sacrificial lambs of the Philadelphia Phillies.

[westofyou]

The party is getting there, that's the essence of the major league season, it's like a great concert. The post season is another animal, it's the after show party, it could suck, it could be the best, you have to get invited though, and to me that's the rush.

Dusty might not be the steward for the talent on hand, but I bet his guys will be prepared mentally and at the after show party that matters a lot.

Bring on anyone, this team is here early, anything can happen.

[cincinnati chili]

If the NL West beats out the Braves for the wild card then we won't have to worry about drawing Philly in the first round. Go Padres and Giants.

But your point is well taken. This team isn't that good, but it's good enough in a year where there really isn't a great team in either league. The post season is a crap shoot. Let's enjoy the ride.

[edabbs44]

I am happy with this season as is and anything else will be gravy as far as I am concerned. If this team was principally made up of Rolen and Cabrera types I'd probably be a lot more concerned. But since the team has a large amount of guys in their 20s who will be here for a while, I think that fans need to be reasonable and take this season for what it is.

The explosion of Votto, the debut of Chapman, the growth of Stubbs, the (hopefully) turning of the proverbial corner for Bruce, the return of Volquez, the continued progression of Cueto and Homer and the emergence of a few bullpen arms are really giving me hope for the next 5 or so years. Add a GM who has great experience and a true knack for forming a complete roster and fans should be happy no matter what happens moving forward.

Anyone who gripes about this team, even if they get mercy ruled in Philly in 3 games, really needs to ask themselves if the problem lies in their expectations rather than in the team's performance.

[dman]

Originally Posted by edabbs44

I am happy with this season as is and anything else will be gravy as far as I am concerned. If this team was principally made up of Rolen and Cabrera types I'd probably be a lot more concerned. But since the team has a large amount of guys in their 20s who will be here for a while, I think that fans need to be reasonable and take this season for what it is.

The explosion of Votto, the debut of Chapman, the growth of Stubbs, the (hopefully) turning of the proverbial corner for Bruce, the return of Volquez, the continued progression of Cueto and Homer and the emergence of a few bullpen arms are really giving me hope for the next 5 or so years. Add a GM who has great experience and a true knack for forming a complete roster and fans should be happy no matter what happens moving forward.

Anyone who gripes about this team, even if they get mercy ruled in Philly in 3 games, really needs to ask themselves if the problem lies in their expectations rather than in the team's performance.

This team has already went way beyond any of my expectations. They have puzzled me and made me scratch my head at times, but they've simply amazed me at others.

I think and epic novel could almost be written about the Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs stories this season. Subbs seems to have that something about him that if the right person gets involved with his development he will explode sooner or later, hopefully in a Reds uniform.

[Unassisted]

IMO, they won't get past the Phillies and they'll have to bring their A game to beat the Giants. Any other NL contender, I figure they've got a 50-50 chance of getting past.

[RFS62]

Originally Posted by westofyou

The party is getting there, that's the essence of the major league season, it's like a great concert. The post season is another animal, it's the after show party, it could suck, it could be the best, you have to get invited though, and to me that's the rush.

Dusty might not be the steward for the talent on hand, but I bet his guys will be prepared mentally and at the after show party that matters a lot.

Bring on anyone, this team is here early, anything can happen.

Originally Posted by cincinnati chili

If the NL West beats out the Braves for the wild card then we won't have to worry about drawing Philly in the first round. Go Padres and Giants.

But your point is well taken. This team isn't that good, but it's good enough in a year where there really isn't a great team in either league. The post season is a crap shoot. Let's enjoy the ride.

Yeah, who really gave the 1990 Reds a ghost of a chance against the A's? Certainly none of the pundits. And not many outside of the Reds nation.

Talent rules over the long haul. But sometimes a group of guys can catch lightning in a bottle and do things that can't be reasonably predicted.

We have to play our best baseball to make it out of the first round in the playoffs. We did against Pittsburgh in 1990. That series was a thing of beaury. And I believe the confidence and incredible wave of europhoria that came out of that series played a large part in sweeping the A's.

A short series can bring that kind of beauty, and conversly it can bring Reggie Sandersesque horror like 1995.

This season has been such a blessing.... such a wonderfull gift to the survivors of the "lost decade". Savor it. Don't take it for granted. Find a way, anyway, to enjoy it. You don't know when it will happen again. We may well play championship baseball for the next several years. But nobody knows for sure. I thought the '75-'76 Reds would rule for several more years.
You just never know for sure.

Find a way to savor every nano-second.

[VR]

They are limping to the finish line.....it's time for Dusty to start tweaking the lineup based on the bats that are ready.

Moving Phillips down in the order was a good (and shocking) 1st step.

[dman]

Originally Posted by RFS62

Yeah, who really gave the 1990 Reds a ghost of a chance against the A's? Certainly none of the pundits. And not many outside of the Reds nation.

Talent rules over the long haul. But sometimes a group of guys can catch lightning in a bottle and do things that can't be reasonably predicted.

We have to play our best baseball to make it out of the first round in the playoffs. We did against Pittsburgh in 1990. That series was a thing of beaury. And I believe the confidence and incredible wave of europhoria that came out of that series played a large part in sweeping the A's.

A short series can bring that kind of beauty, and conversly it can bring Reggie Sandersesque horror like 1995.

This season has been such a blessing.... such a wonderfull gift to the survivors of the "lost decade". Savor it. Don't take it for granted. Find a way, anyway, to enjoy it. You don't know when it will happen again. We may well play championship baseball for the next several years. But nobody knows for sure. I thought the '75-'76 Reds would rule for several more years.
You just never know for sure.

Find a way to savor every nano-second.

I completely agree with your outlook, especially your part about never knowing for sure when we may see it again, and never has there been a time when that is more true than now with high dollar free agent signings.

[MrCinatit]

They playoffs are a strange creature - strange things can happen in a short series, where an unexpected team can suddenly get hot and find themselves going for the ultimate trophy. Who knows.


That said, I highly doubt that will happen, this year. What I see this year's playoffs for the Reds is: Experience. This is a young team, and a hungry one - but, I don't think, quite good enough. This will give their kids a chance to play in a true pressure situation, a chance to get their feet wet.
And a chance to see another team celebrate as that other team passes to the other round. This is where the hunger will come into play.
I can almost picture the likes of Votto, Bruce, Phillips and Cueto sitting in the Reds' dugout, unblinking, watching the other team celebrate their last victory of the playoffs (maybe even in GABP...imagine that). Those guys and more will want more. They will hunger even more that celebration. Sure, they can watch it on TV - but seeing it before you. And that hunger will grow.
Could be wishful thinking, but this team has proven time and time again this season (early on, at least) that they can come from behind and can handle pressure. They just need to grow into it a little bit more.

[dsmith421]

Originally Posted by dman

I think and epic novel could almost be written about the Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs stories this season. Subbs seems to have that something about him that if the right person gets involved with his development he will explode sooner or later, hopefully in a Reds uniform.

I really don't think there's any coincidence that both of them turned into planet-devouring monsters when Edmonds turned up. I'd like to see "Jimmy" retained on the staff in some capacity.

[WebScorpion]

The lesson taught by the 1990 Reds was any team can win if they can mange to play together, get hot at the right time, pick each other up, and never give up. These guys can do that. Will they? I don't know, but it's going to be a whole heap of fun finding out.

[macro]

I said the following in the "Anybody Concerned?" thread on September 18:

On this date in 1990, the Reds would lose the first of three straight games, a streak that would put them at 6-11 in their last 17 games. After the games of September 11, 1990, the Reds lead in the NL West was 7 games. Nine days later, on September 20, it was down to 3 1/2.

The final Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the season (the season ended on Wednesday that year) saw them get swept by Padres, but they still managed to win the West by 5 games.

So there is a precedent for a team playing poorly in the final days of the season and having things work out okay in the postseason. In fact, I'd rather they not be on a roll right now, because in baseball, a team can't sustain a blazing hot pace for weeks on end. A long baseball season has an ebb and flow, and I'd rather the Reds hit their high tide once the postseason starts.

I'll add that I really do think the Phillies are peaking too early, and I will be shocked if they actually make it to the World Series.

[pedro]

Originally Posted by westofyou

The party is getting there, that's the essence of the major league season, it's like a great concert. The post season is another animal, it's the after show party, it could suck, it could be the best, you have to get invited though, and to me that's the rush.

Dusty might not be the steward for the talent on hand, but I bet his guys will be prepared mentally and at the after show party that matters a lot.

Bring on anyone, this team is here early, anything can happen.

I love this analogy