Not so bad, in comparison

[The Baumer]

Although our team is the Cincinnati Reds and today's transgressions are expected by sports columnists across the United States, games like these happen to everyone. Take a look at the A's/Yankees game. Barry Zito got chased out in the 2nd with 7 earned runs and the A's are currently losing 11 to 1 in the 4th. So I guess what I am saying is, it may be frustrating to be a Red's fan today but hey, at least we aren't A's fans!

[reds44]

Somehow, that does nothing for me.

[KronoRed]

They have Rich Harden going next game, I'd feel better about that

[dougdirt]

Its not so bad becuase its just one game. Those who expected this team to go out and win the division or WC are simply ones who didnt step back and actually look at this team before the season started. The Reds will play a bunch of games where they give up a lot of runs, it happens.

[paintmered]

The A's are legit contenders for the pennant this year.

This is why there is 162 games in a season - to give a chance for the best to rise to the top.

It's just one game. Put the panic button away for a few weeks.

[The Baumer]

Also, have we ever played the Cubs in the last 6 years and not witnessed an on-field circus? The lunacy is integral.

[BoomerSoonerRed]

Then again, this might go down as one of the craziest Opening Days in history with an exorbitant amount of runs being scored. The Cubs, Cardinals, White Sox, Braves, Dodgers, Yankees all scored at least 10 runs and who would have thought that one of the more traditional low-scoring games would take place in Coors Field?

[redsmetz]

Originally Posted by The Baumer

The lunacy is integral.

As Dave Berry was apt to say, that would make a good name for a rock band!

[redsmetz]

I would add, despite the ugliness of yesterday's game, I know this doesn't mean the whole season is going to stink as bad as this. If truth be told, Aaron Harang is not this bad of a pitcher. If truth be told, Dunn will not stink up the universe (or even the local ballfield) with this horrid of fielding. There will be times that EE and Felipe Lopex knock in some runs, etc. etc. etc.

Frankly this was just one of those days where baseball shouldn't be played. There will be days of gloriously warm sunshine and it will be great to be a Reds fan. If truth be told, and I think someone else noted this, the Cubbies were not exactly without odor themselves. Let's chalk this one up mostly to some seriously bad Karma and perhaps a little to the weaknesses inherent to this team.

[dman]

Originally Posted by paintmered

Put the panic button away for a few weeks.

What about our "Easy" buttons? Can we keep those out for a while?

[red-in-la]

The score and the loss are not worrisome at all. It is what you saw if you watched the game that is disasterous.

The trouble is this team played just about exactly like it was predicted to.

JR is a statue in CF. Dunn is Dunn in LF.....that makes anything hit to 2/3rds of the outfield a serious problem....wind or no wind. Expect this situation to presist the entire season. For all his popularity, JR is no longer a centerfielder.....but this management (like that of the past...yes, including Jimbo) has not the guts to tell him so and force him to move to LF. It is Barry Larkin all over again.

As for the attitude that the weather hurt Dunn.....well, it didn't bother the Cubs' outfielders one bit. Pierre made a nice play against the wall in spite of the wind and their LF made several good plays even though he has virtually never played in GAB before.....so forget the excuses for Dunn.

And the fact that the infielders on this team have virtually no range at all (except maybe EdwinE (I really don't in his case) showed when trickle after trickle bled through for hit after hit.

And then there is Jerry Narron.....oui!

Play the infield IN down 6-5 with the bases loaded and NOBODY out in the 6th inning. So a sure DP ball goes through for a two run single.....oui!

And the lineup and batting order....oui!

Then, there is opening day......and players like Dunn and Lopez have no clue as to who is supposed to play a blooper to left? If you don't have your team prepared for opening day to play with intensity and a desire to win, when will they? oui and double oui.

Of all of the awful messes made yesterday, the only one I find even vaguely excusable is Harang. He is still relatively young and his first Opening Day assignment was bound to bring some jitters and his defense did him no favors at all.

[smith288]

[TeamBoone]

One thing.... the wind was blowing differently throughout the game. Each batter and position player did not share the same conditions at all times.

The only consistent thing about the weather is that it was nasty.

I'm not saying Adam didn't have a bad game defensively; he did... but I think way too much is being made of it.

He was pretty beat up... torn shirt and all (undershirt). He jammed his wrist into the iron mesh on the catch made at the wall and when he fell on the diving catch attempt, he fell very hard... you could actually see that he jarred his entire body; I thought he was momentarily limping slightly when he got up. And later, he actually tripped (or something) on the warning track too.

The play he was charged the error on, well, he thought he had the ball right up to the point of his attempt to dig it out of his glove and realized he didn't.

Lest we forget, Adam also made a nice catch against the wall and on the one ball that both he and Felipe were hunting down. Speaking of that, those two plays involving Lopez could have gone either way... so perhaps Lopez should share a bit of the fault there.

He may not be a gold glover in the OF, but I think we all know he's not as bad as he appeared to be yesterday.

[vaticanplum]

I saw the Yankees-Oakland game. The Reds played way worse than the A's did. that said, Harang pitched better than Zito. Is this representative? Heck no. It's one game. That's how baseball works and that's why there are 162 games. Had the score been reversed today, I hardly think we'd be forecasting a first-place finish for the Reds (well...)

edit: I meant yesterday, not today. Obviously, I drowned my sorrows in much alcohol last night.

[Highlifeman21]

Originally Posted by The Baumer

Also, have we ever played the Cubs in the last 6 years and not witnessed an on-field circus? The lunacy is integral.

And Vince McMahon is still trying to sign Kyle Farnsworth to a WWE contract after his brutal takedown of Paul Wilson. The on-field circus isn't half as fun as the in-stands circus! I remember in 2003, I was with Cyclone and Mole and we watched a drunk Kindergarten teacher from Chicagoland try and take on the entire leftfield bleachers. Finding out he was a Kindergarten teacher was the best part of that night by far...