Confession

[757690]

I still think this thread is largely in existance because the Reds just tanked and the Cardinals are involved

Absolutely. No denying that. But it doesn't make it any less true. I have felt this way since 1995, but never felt the need to make a big deal about it.

I really thought that the second wild card was terrible for the integrity of baseball, but didn't think I would be proven right so quickly and to such an extreme. Had the Reds advanced this the Cardinals not made the playoffs, I would feel exactly the same way, but I would not have felt the need to talk about it here.

[Always Red]

Originally Posted by Tony Cloninger

You know what is amazing is that the 1970 Reds with 102 wins had a +11 RD.
+11? For 102 wins? With that offense?
Looks like the pitching staff injuries caused a lot of games to get out of hand late in the year.
They also played a lot of close games....as evidenced by the 60 saves they had.

So if we knew what we know now....the collapse of 1971 was written in the Pythags.

That team started out 70-30, believe it or not, until the pitching fell apart. And they moved into a different ballpark that required a different approach to the game, mainly, more pitching and defense. Howsam was smart enough to recognize that and fix it early on.

[Roy Tucker]

Originally Posted by 757690

Absolutely. No denying that. But it doesn't make it any less true. I have felt this way since 1995, but never felt the need to make a big deal about it.

I really thought that the second wild card was terrible for the integrity of baseball, but didn't think I would be proven right so quickly and to such an extreme. Had the Reds advanced this the Cardinals not made the playoffs, I would feel exactly the same way, but I would not have felt the need to talk about it here.

I suppose. But OK, I have something that's been on my chest for a while now reading this (and other threads) and I have to let it out.

I've raged at the game and the baseball gods for a myriad of offenses to my sensibilities. The aforementioned John Tsitouris who broke my 11 yr. old heart for losing the last game of the 1964 season and dooming me to a lifelong love affair with the Reds, Bill Dewitt for trading Frank Robinson and hiring Don Heffner, Ken Burkhardt completely blowing the call of Carbo out at home, Brooks Robinson putting on a show for the ages, Gene bleeping Tenace and Joe bleeping Rudi, Bud punk-ass Harrelson and the bleeping Mets, Bernie Carbo and Carlton Fisk and I still turn that replay of Fisk waving the ball fair every time it comes on TV to this day, the end of the '76 season when I thought the BRM would go on forever and little did I know it was already over, Bowie Kuhn vetoing the Vida Blue trade because it was "bad for baseball" (what!?!??!), Garvey/Lopes/Russell/Cey, Wagner firing Sparky, 1981 with the best record in baseball and not even MAKING THE PLAYOFFS, being foolish enough to buy 81 game season tickets for the 1981 season and watching the Reds pull an all-time suck for the ages and hence developing a taste for large amounts of Hudepohl, the era of the 2nd place Pete Rose teams and his ultimate public self-destruction, Marge making the city a laughing stock and her dog taking dumps on the field, the 1990 team like a blazing comet that was over almost before it began, the '94 strike and what an ultimate act of stupidity and a dagger to the heart of baseball that was, 1995 and Reggie Sanders single-handedly losing the NLCS (no, wait, Mark Portugal giving up a 3 run bomb to Javy freaking Lopez in the 10th), John Allen, the false spring of 1990 when I thought they had something and Al Leiter and how can a 99 win team *not* deserve to make the playoffs, and then the decade of the 2000's and Griffey squandering his talent and Carl Lindner not giving a crap, and the steroid era cheapening and invalidating a whole set of cherished and hallowed records, Bud saying its a tie, and yes, wild card teams storming the playoffs and beating the "favorites", Roy Halliday, and the heartbreak of losing a 2-0 game lead at home.

I've had plenty of reasons to hate the game. But it hit me just last week standing in the middle of a berserk group of Reds fans screaming their heads off and blowing their voices out as if by just a collective act of will, they could bring the team back, that its all about the athletes on the field and the fans in the stands and the C on their chest and the game. The competition on the field is all that ultimately matters. All the rest of that crap, well yeah, you can find plenty of places to find fault and dislike the game and get all pissed off and think its unfair and waste a lot of time being bitter. Its all too easy to let all that distract you and take your focus away from the play on the field. But teams win championships (and world championships) on the field with their play, be it the Reds or the Cardinals or whoever. They earn it and there ain't no luck to it.

So, even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me.

</rant>

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

I suppose. But OK, I have something that's been on my chest for a while now reading this (and other threads) and I have to let it out.

I've raged at the game and the baseball gods for a myriad of offenses to my sensibilities. The aforementioned John Tsitouris who broke my 11 yr. old heart for losing the last game of the 1964 season and dooming me to a lifelong love affair with the Reds, Bill Dewitt for trading Frank Robinson and hiring Don Heffner, Ken Burkhardt completely blowing the call of Carbo out at home, Brooks Robinson putting on a show for the ages, Gene bleeping Tenace and Joe bleeping Rudi, Bud punk-ass Harrelson and the bleeping Mets, Bernie Carbo and Carlton Fisk and I still turn that replay of Fisk waving the ball fair every time it comes on TV to this day, the end of the '76 season when I thought the BRM would go on forever and little did I know it was already over, Bowie Kuhn vetoing the Vida Blue trade because it was "bad for baseball" (what!?!??!), Garvey/Lopes/Russell/Cey, Wagner firing Sparky, 1981 with the best record in baseball and not even MAKING THE PLAYOFFS, being foolish enough to buy 81 game season tickets for the 1981 season and watching the Reds pull an all-time suck for the ages and hence developing a taste for large amounts of Hudepohl, the era of the 2nd place Pete Rose teams and his ultimate public self-destruction, Marge making the city a laughing stock and her dog taking dumps on the field, the 1990 team like a blazing comet that was over almost before it began, the '94 strike and what an ultimate act of stupidity and a dagger to the heart of baseball that was, 1995 and Reggie Sanders single-handedly losing the NLCS (no, wait, Mark Portugal giving up a 3 run bomb to Javy freaking Lopez in the 10th), John Allen, the false spring of 1990 when I thought they had something and Al Leiter and how can a 99 win team *not* deserve to make the playoffs, and then the decade of the 2000's and Griffey squandering his talent and Carl Lindner not giving a crap, and the steroid era cheapening and invalidating a whole set of cherished and hallowed records, Bud saying its a tie, and yes, wild card teams storming the playoffs and beating the "favorites", Roy Halliday, and the heartbreak of losing a 2-0 game lead at home.

I've had plenty of reasons to hate the game. But it hit me just last week standing in the middle of a berserk group of Reds fans screaming their heads off and blowing their voices out as if by just a collective act of will, they could bring the team back, that its all about the athletes on the field and the fans in the stands and the C on their chest and the game. The competition on the field is all that ultimately matters. All the rest of that crap, well yeah, you can find plenty of places to find fault and dislike the game and get all pissed off and think its unfair and waste a lot of time being bitter. Its all too easy to let all that distract you and take your focus away from the play on the field. But teams win championships (and world championships) on the field with their play, be it the Reds or the Cardinals or whoever. They earn it and there ain't no luck to it.

So, even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me.

</rant>

Everything he said...

Look back for a second, back beyond your own memory of life.

This game is big, this game is bigger than you and me and any gerrymandered excuse you might make on why it sucks when your team isn't playing anymore.

It's bigger than wins and losses, bigger than OPS, RC/27, WAR and VORP, it's poetry, magic, first love and the best piece of music you've ever heard all rolled up in one thing.

Baseball is the only game where the defense controls the moment that instigates the games offensive moment.

It's unique, it's archaic, it's wonderful.

It's life.

[mth123]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

I suppose. But OK, I have something that's been on my chest for a while now reading this (and other threads) and I have to let it out.

I've raged at the game and the baseball gods for a myriad of offenses to my sensibilities. The aforementioned John Tsitouris who broke my 11 yr. old heart for losing the last game of the 1964 season and dooming me to a lifelong love affair with the Reds, Bill Dewitt for trading Frank Robinson and hiring Don Heffner, Ken Burkhardt completely blowing the call of Carbo out at home, Brooks Robinson putting on a show for the ages, Gene bleeping Tenace and Joe bleeping Rudi, Bud punk-ass Harrelson and the bleeping Mets, Bernie Carbo and Carlton Fisk and I still turn that replay of Fisk waving the ball fair every time it comes on TV to this day, the end of the '76 season when I thought the BRM would go on forever and little did I know it was already over, Bowie Kuhn vetoing the Vida Blue trade because it was "bad for baseball" (what!?!??!), Garvey/Lopes/Russell/Cey, Wagner firing Sparky, 1981 with the best record in baseball and not even MAKING THE PLAYOFFS, being foolish enough to buy 81 game season tickets for the 1981 season and watching the Reds pull an all-time suck for the ages and hence developing a taste for large amounts of Hudepohl, the era of the 2nd place Pete Rose teams and his ultimate public self-destruction, Marge making the city a laughing stock and her dog taking dumps on the field, the 1990 team like a blazing comet that was over almost before it began, the '94 strike and what an ultimate act of stupidity and a dagger to the heart of baseball that was, 1995 and Reggie Sanders single-handedly losing the NLCS (no, wait, Mark Portugal giving up a 3 run bomb to Javy freaking Lopez in the 10th), John Allen, the false spring of 1990 when I thought they had something and Al Leiter and how can a 99 win team *not* deserve to make the playoffs, and then the decade of the 2000's and Griffey squandering his talent and Carl Lindner not giving a crap, and the steroid era cheapening and invalidating a whole set of cherished and hallowed records, Bud saying its a tie, and yes, wild card teams storming the playoffs and beating the "favorites", Roy Halliday, and the heartbreak of losing a 2-0 game lead at home.

I've had plenty of reasons to hate the game. But it hit me just last week standing in the middle of a berserk group of Reds fans screaming their heads off and blowing their voices out as if by just a collective act of will, they could bring the team back, that its all about the athletes on the field and the fans in the stands and the C on their chest and the game. The competition on the field is all that ultimately matters. All the rest of that crap, well yeah, you can find plenty of places to find fault and dislike the game and get all pissed off and think its unfair and waste a lot of time being bitter. Its all too easy to let all that distract you and take your focus away from the play on the field. But teams win championships (and world championships) on the field with their play, be it the Reds or the Cardinals or whoever. They earn it and there ain't no luck to it.

So, even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me.

</rant>

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by 757690

Actually, it was written in training room, lol. Bench played hurt most of the season and dropped over 200 OPS points. It affect the whole lineup as pretty much everyone's numbers fell drastically. Carbo's off the field issues started, and Tolen was gone. Those were the biggest reasons for the steep decline that season.

I thought Bench got hurt from doing all those winter caravan shows and Bob Hope Specials and Johnny Carson.

[Tony Cloninger]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

I suppose. But OK, I have something that's been on my chest for a while now reading this (and other threads) and I have to let it out.

I've raged at the game and the baseball gods for a myriad of offenses to my sensibilities. The aforementioned John Tsitouris who broke my 11 yr. old heart for losing the last game of the 1964 season and dooming me to a lifelong love affair with the Reds, Bill Dewitt for trading Frank Robinson and hiring Don Heffner, Ken Burkhardt completely blowing the call of Carbo out at home, Brooks Robinson putting on a show for the ages, Gene bleeping Tenace and Joe bleeping Rudi, Bud punk-ass Harrelson and the bleeping Mets, Bernie Carbo and Carlton Fisk and I still turn that replay of Fisk waving the ball fair every time it comes on TV to this day, the end of the '76 season when I thought the BRM would go on forever and little did I know it was already over, Bowie Kuhn vetoing the Vida Blue trade because it was "bad for baseball" (what!?!??!), Garvey/Lopes/Russell/Cey, Wagner firing Sparky, 1981 with the best record in baseball and not even MAKING THE PLAYOFFS, being foolish enough to buy 81 game season tickets for the 1981 season and watching the Reds pull an all-time suck for the ages and hence developing a taste for large amounts of Hudepohl, the era of the 2nd place Pete Rose teams and his ultimate public self-destruction, Marge making the city a laughing stock and her dog taking dumps on the field, the 1990 team like a blazing comet that was over almost before it began, the '94 strike and what an ultimate act of stupidity and a dagger to the heart of baseball that was, 1995 and Reggie Sanders single-handedly losing the NLCS (no, wait, Mark Portugal giving up a 3 run bomb to Javy freaking Lopez in the 10th), John Allen, the false spring of 1990 when I thought they had something and Al Leiter and how can a 99 win team *not* deserve to make the playoffs, and then the decade of the 2000's and Griffey squandering his talent and Carl Lindner not giving a crap, and the steroid era cheapening and invalidating a whole set of cherished and hallowed records, Bud saying its a tie, and yes, wild card teams storming the playoffs and beating the "favorites", Roy Halliday, and the heartbreak of losing a 2-0 game lead at home.

I've had plenty of reasons to hate the game. But it hit me just last week standing in the middle of a berserk group of Reds fans screaming their heads off and blowing their voices out as if by just a collective act of will, they could bring the team back, that its all about the athletes on the field and the fans in the stands and the C on their chest and the game. The competition on the field is all that ultimately matters. All the rest of that crap, well yeah, you can find plenty of places to find fault and dislike the game and get all pissed off and think its unfair and waste a lot of time being bitter. Its all too easy to let all that distract you and take your focus away from the play on the field. But teams win championships (and world championships) on the field with their play, be it the Reds or the Cardinals or whoever. They earn it and there ain't no luck to it.

So, even a bad day at the ballpark beats the snot out of most other good days. I'll take my scorecard and pencil and beer and hot dog and rage at the dips and cheer at the highs, but I'm not ever going to stop loving this game and this team and nobody will ever take that away from me.

</rant>

Is this a cut rant by James Earl Jones from "Field Of Dreams"?

[757690]

Originally Posted by westofyou

Everything he said...

Look back for a second, back beyond your own memory of life.

This game is big, this game is bigger than you and me and any gerrymandered excuse you might make on why it sucks when your team isn't playing anymore.

It's bigger than wins and losses, bigger than OPS, RC/27, WAR and VORP, it's poetry, magic, first love and the best piece of music you've ever heard all rolled up in one thing.

Baseball is the only game where the defense controls the moment that instigates the games offensive moment.

It's unique, it's archaic, it's wonderful.

It's life.

I agree. I still love the game, always will. And I was just upset over all the same incidents and more that Roy Tucker mentioned.

But this is different. All those incidents were part of the game that I loved, and the drama, the ups and downs of baseball is one of its most alluring features. But with these new rules, baseball has changed.

Previously, when something heartbreaking happened, I knew that it was part of a fair system and that next season, my Reds would get another fair shot, and if they made the right moves, and played their best, they could win the World Series.

Now I no longer feel like the system is fair. I no longer feel like playing your best and building the best team means anything anymore, at least not in terms of winning the World Series. All you need to do is to not suck, and get a bunch of breaks. Greatness isn't rewarded anymore. The World Series is now different, tainted, less meaningful.

Growing up, David Letterman dreamed of replacing Johnny Carson as host of the Tonight Show. He was poised to do it when Jay Leno went behind his back and stole it from him. When Leno started to fail in the reviews and ratings, NBC went to Letterman and offered him the job as host of the Tonight Show, replacing Jay Leno. Letterman turned them down, because the show was now tainted, different, less meaningful. Letterman realized that while the Tonight Show still existed, the Tonight Show he dreamed of hosting no longer existed. He would never be able to fulfill his dream. That was ruined when Jay Leno replaced Carson.

I feel the same way with baseball and the second wild card rule. I have dreamed since 1990 of the Reds winning the World Series, but that dream is gone. Sure, the Reds will win the World Series again, but it won't be the same World Series that I grew up loving and hoping to win. It's tainted, tarnished and different. It just doesn't mean what it used to, and never will.

[AmarilloRed]

I'll admit the Commissioner would never let it happen, but it'd be great to eliminate the playoffs/divisions and go back to the pennant system. The best team in the AL/NL should be going to the World Series, not a team that gets hot in the playoffs.

[mdccclxix]

Some really great teams were left in the dust during the era prior to the wild card. Meanwhile, 82 win Cardinal teams, Padre teams, etc would get to the postseason. It's nostalgia that would lead someone to believe the old system was somehow purer. It was obvious that the divisional format was often unfair to some amazing teams, and too kind to some mediocre teams. I will always say, let that next team in. That they have to burn their ace to qualify against another equally deserving team is a gesture to the divisional format. It's a nearly perfect solution. Baseball is cruel, just as baseball is life. Always has been, always will be. The game is still great. The champs now a days are just as, if not more, deserving of their accomplishments.