It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

Edskin · 04-09-2009, 08:31 AM

It's early.........it's only two games.....the Mets may be the best team in the NL....the 1999 Reds started 0-3....blah blah blah....

From a standings perspective, nothing has happened yet. It's beyond ridiculously early. Not even I can come up with a reason why any upcoming games are particularly "important."

But having said that, it sure has been discouraging watching these first two games.

Talk about bad chemistry (which, IMO has little to do with clubhouse camraderie). We pitch very well one game and hit very well one game and come away with zero wins.

Yes, it's only two games, but it sure looked a lot like the 1,458 games we've seen over the past 9 years.

Hope springs eternal for baseball fans in early spring, but it's hard to not be taken aback a bit by what we've seen these first two games.

In the words of Stevie Nicks...

"Well, it was hauntingly familiar."

nate · 04-09-2009, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edskin

it's only two games

Yep.

flyer85 · 04-09-2009, 08:39 AM

Thom and Captain Obvious were selling the team hard last night.
- best 12 man pitching staff in the NL
- excellent defense
- youthful enthusiasm

jesusfan · 04-09-2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyer85

Thom and Captain Obvious were selling the team hard last night.
- best 12 man pitching staff in the NL
- excellent defense
- youthful enthusiasm

You can have all the youthful enthusiasm in the world and not win a game... I have yet to see the excellent defense everyone has been going on about and I seriously doubt we have the best 12 man staff in the NL...

So, wrong, wrong, and double wrong...

jojo · 04-09-2009, 08:43 AM

The Reds haven't won a game since September 23,2008.

The natives are restless.

But

always turns to

eventually.

Edskin · 04-09-2009, 08:44 AM

Quote:

best 12 man pitching staff in the NL

If I believed that were true, I'd be feeling no sense of panic right now at all.

Edskin · 04-09-2009, 08:45 AM

And I'm NOT saying the season is over or we should pack it in or anything like that all...not even close. We have at least two more weeks before I make those claims

All I'm saying is that it's been to keep a positive outlook during these first two games because things look SO familiar.

redsmetz · 04-09-2009, 08:46 AM

Yes, the logical thing would be such a reaction, but then again, there's a beauty to baseball that requires the long haul. But there has been much to like about what we've seen. It's frustrating that in the first two games, things have not been in sync. We all know that happens. And you're right, the 1990 team started out 0-3, as did the 1979 West Division champs.

But again, I really saw some things that I've liked. I didn't get to take in much of yesterday's game; we had some folks over for dinner and then "Lost" was on, but I thought we played the final couple of innings well. Phillips taking a walk, the aggresive base running (some may say wreckless, but he succeeded, so today we'll call it gutsy). Even Gonzalez striking out, it's a shame, but he worked the count. They were patient. Rhodes was very good again.

And yet, you can't give afford to let many games go early in the schedule. Ask the 1999team about that. Just one stinking game won somewhere else in the season and Al Leiter doesn't pitch the game of his life on October 4th. So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut's character would say.

There's a long season to go.

jojo · 04-09-2009, 08:52 AM

The season is a marathon, not a sprint. The key is to give 110%.

bucksfan2 · 04-09-2009, 08:53 AM

Here is what has me a little worried.

1. They just need to win a game.

2. They stress pitching, speed, and defense, but they NEED to convert when they get the opportunity. Edwin had a runner on 3rd with less that 2 outs twice and failed to get the runner in. Pelfrey had 50 pitches in the 1st inning and the Reds should have bounced him by the 3rd. What is even more maddening is he has an awful 1st and Hariston grounded out on the first pitch of the 2nd inning.

3. They desperately need to win one game!

Cyclone792 · 04-09-2009, 09:12 AM

Of course there's no need to panic right now. The Reds are just playing to their expectations, not better, not worse. This just isn't a very good baseball team so what we've seen so far isn't too terribly surprising.

pahster · 04-09-2009, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone792

Of course there's no need to panic right now. The Reds are just playing to their expectations, not better, not worse. This just isn't a very good baseball team so what we've seen so far isn't too terribly surprising.

Exactly. Things like Alex Gonzalez swinging through ball four last night are going to be regularities this year. There's just not a whole lot of patience on this Reds roster outside of Votto, Dickerson, Enacarnacion, and perhaps Bruce. I'm looking forward to watching those four (and perhaps Nix; I like his upside) and the starting rotation this year. The rest of the team? Not so much.

durl · 04-09-2009, 09:21 AM

Are we really starting this after TWO games?? Seriously?

OK...the Reds have lost two games. Volquez got knocked around Wed night, and the defense hasn't been perfect. STILL...

- The Reds lost 2-1 facing arguably one of the best starters in the game on Monday.

- On Wed night, they put themselves in the position to pull off a come-from-behind win against the best closer in the AL last year. I know they didn't pull it off, but it wasn't a 1-2-3 inning.

The games have been close. While I'd love to have a win, the Reds are not getting walked on.

We're 1.2% of the way through the season. Let's wait awhile before we panic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pahster

Exactly. Things like Alex Gonzalez swinging through ball four last night are going to be regularities this year. There's just not a whole lot of patience on this Reds roster outside of Votto, Dickerson, Enacarnacion, and perhaps Bruce. I'm looking forward to watching those four (and perhaps Nix; I like his upside) and the starting rotation this year. The rest of the team? Not so much.

I haven't watched the whole game yet, but in the 9th last night, I saw a LOT of patience by the Reds. Every batter went DEEP in the count. The pitch that struck Gonzalez out was too close to take. Everybody knew a strike was on the way and he just couldn't catch up to the fast ball. I thought they did extremely well in the 9th.

HeatherC1212 · 04-09-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by durl

Are we really starting this after TWO games?? Seriously?

OK...the Reds have lost two games. Volquez got knocked around Wed night, and the defense hasn't been perfect. STILL...

- The Reds lost 2-1 facing arguably one of the best starters in the game on Monday.

- On Wed night, they put themselves in the position to pull off a come-from-behind win against the best closer in the AL last year. I know they didn't pull it off, but it wasn't a 1-2-3 inning.

The games have been close. While I'd love to have a win, the Reds are not getting walked on.

We're 1.2% of the way through the season. Let's wait awhile before we panic.

I haven't watched the whole game yet, but in the 9th last night, I saw a LOT of patience by the Reds. Every batter went DEEP in the count. The pitch that struck Gonzalez out was too close to take. Everybody knew a strike was on the way and he just couldn't catch up to the fast ball. I thought they did extremely well in the 9th.

ITA. It's way too early to panic after two games. Do you think I'm planning a trip to Baltimore for a playoff run because the Orioles have started the season 2-0?! Not a chance. It's a long season and there's a ton of baseball left to play. In 2002, the Angels started off the year with their worst ever April (they were something like 6-16) and ended up winning the World Series later that season. I'm not saying that the Reds are going to end up in the series or anything but you can't go into panic mode after two games when there's 160 games left in the season.

I watched most of the game last night (I took an hour off to watch Lost) and most of the Reds players were AMAZINGLY patient at the plate. There were a lot of great at bats from almost the whole lineup. I hope they can keep that up because that will help them a ton if they can keep making the other pitcher work harder.

Kc61 · 04-09-2009, 09:38 AM

I don't think the Reds are ready for prime time yet. But unlike some, my concern isn't the offense. The offense is rebuilding, it will take awhile, but I think they needed to get away from the long ball. They couldn't hit in big ballparks because they didn't have singles and doubles hitters.

My concern is some of the pitchers, since the team is now touting itself as a good pitching outfit. Oddly, the starter I am most confident about is Cueto. I think he will improve on a good start last year. The others, IMO, are questionable, including Volquez who is good but will have a hard time repeating the first half of last season.

I'm ok with the back end of the bullpen but I didn't understand the Lincoln signing because he pitched poorly in the latter part of 2008. I assume the Reds feel he just wore down. I hope he reverts to early 2008 form.

Watching the team the last two games, it's hard not to say "here we go again."

04-09-2009, 08:31 AM	#1
Edskin Worth The Wait Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 4,123	It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now It's early.........it's only two games.....the Mets may be the best team in the NL....the 1999 Reds started 0-3....blah blah blah.... From a standings perspective, nothing has happened yet. It's beyond ridiculously early. Not even I can come up with a reason why any upcoming games are particularly "important." But having said that, it sure has been discouraging watching these first two games. Talk about bad chemistry (which, IMO has little to do with clubhouse camraderie). We pitch very well one game and hit very well one game and come away with zero wins. Yes, it's only two games, but it sure looked a lot like the 1,458 games we've seen over the past 9 years. Hope springs eternal for baseball fans in early spring, but it's hard to not be taken aback a bit by what we've seen these first two games. In the words of Stevie Nicks... "Well, it was hauntingly familiar."

04-09-2009, 08:39 AM	#3
flyer85 He has the Evil Eye! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: south of the border Posts: 23,858	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now Thom and Captain Obvious were selling the team hard last night. - best 12 man pitching staff in the NL - excellent defense - youthful enthusiasm __________________ What are you, people? On dope? - Mr Hand

04-09-2009, 08:43 AM	#5
jojo Five Tool Fool Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 16,695	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now The Reds haven't won a game since September 23,2008. The natives are restless. But always turns to eventually. __________________ "This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner

04-09-2009, 08:45 AM	#7
Edskin Worth The Wait Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 4,123	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now And I'm NOT saying the season is over or we should pack it in or anything like that all...not even close. We have at least two more weeks before I make those claims All I'm saying is that it's been to keep a positive outlook during these first two games because things look SO familiar.

04-09-2009, 08:46 AM	#8
redsmetz Redsmetz Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Winton Place Posts: 10,529	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now Yes, the logical thing would be such a reaction, but then again, there's a beauty to baseball that requires the long haul. But there has been much to like about what we've seen. It's frustrating that in the first two games, things have not been in sync. We all know that happens. And you're right, the 1990 team started out 0-3, as did the 1979 West Division champs. But again, I really saw some things that I've liked. I didn't get to take in much of yesterday's game; we had some folks over for dinner and then "Lost" was on, but I thought we played the final couple of innings well. Phillips taking a walk, the aggresive base running (some may say wreckless, but he succeeded, so today we'll call it gutsy). Even Gonzalez striking out, it's a shame, but he worked the count. They were patient. Rhodes was very good again. And yet, you can't give afford to let many games go early in the schedule. Ask the 1999team about that. Just one stinking game won somewhere else in the season and Al Leiter doesn't pitch the game of his life on October 4th. So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut's character would say. There's a long season to go. __________________ “In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field" The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things, that's Rallyonion.com The Baseball Bookstore http://tsc-sales.com/ http://tscsales.blogspot.com/ http://silverscreenbooks.com/

04-09-2009, 08:52 AM	#9
jojo Five Tool Fool Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 16,695	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now The season is a marathon, not a sprint. The key is to give 110%. __________________ "This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner

04-09-2009, 08:53 AM	#10
bucksfan2 Waitin til next year Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 9,650	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now Here is what has me a little worried. 1. They just need to win a game. 2. They stress pitching, speed, and defense, but they NEED to convert when they get the opportunity. Edwin had a runner on 3rd with less that 2 outs twice and failed to get the runner in. Pelfrey had 50 pitches in the 1st inning and the Reds should have bounced him by the 3rd. What is even more maddening is he has an awful 1st and Hariston grounded out on the first pitch of the 2nd inning. 3. They desperately need to win one game!

04-09-2009, 09:12 AM	#11
Cyclone792 Playoffs Join Date: May 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 6,239	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now Of course there's no need to panic right now. The Reds are just playing to their expectations, not better, not worse. This just isn't a very good baseball team so what we've seen so far isn't too terribly surprising. __________________ *Barry Larkin - HOF, 2012* *Put an end to the Lost Decade.*

04-09-2009, 09:38 AM	#15
Kc61 Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 11,046	Re: It's So Hard To NOT Panic Right Now I don't think the Reds are ready for prime time yet. But unlike some, my concern isn't the offense. The offense is rebuilding, it will take awhile, but I think they needed to get away from the long ball. They couldn't hit in big ballparks because they didn't have singles and doubles hitters. My concern is some of the pitchers, since the team is now touting itself as a good pitching outfit. Oddly, the starter I am most confident about is Cueto. I think he will improve on a good start last year. The others, IMO, are questionable, including Volquez who is good but will have a hard time repeating the first half of last season. I'm ok with the back end of the bullpen but I didn't understand the Lincoln signing because he pitched poorly in the latter part of 2008. I assume the Reds feel he just wore down. I hope he reverts to early 2008 form. Watching the team the last two games, it's hard not to say "here we go again."

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