texasdave
05-28-2007, 12:01 PM
Vin Scully is a wise man. Bad teams do find a way to lose. And there is no denying that right now this is a very bad Cincinnati baseball team. Simply listen to the sound of toilets flushing all around the tri-state area. But exactly how bad is it? Let's take a look. This chart shows the five worst seasons percentage-wise for the Reds since 1901.
Year Wins Losses Pct. OPS+ ERA+
1934 52 99 0.344 87 94
2007 18 33 0.353 100 92
1937 56 98 0.364 94 94
1901 52 87 0.374 100 76
1982 61 101 0.377 88 101
One common denominator is poor pitching. Only the 1982 Reds had anything close to average pitching. But, ironically, that team also ended up with the most losses in a single season for a Cincinnati ballclub. In 2007 the Reds are on pace to break that record. Currently they are on a pace to lose about 105.
Eek. Three/fourth of my brain refuses to accept this. This team is better than that and will improve. This team is bad - but 105 losses bad? No way. Yet lingering in the deepest, darkest recesses of my brain is the feeling that injuries, apathy, fire sale or any combination of the three may keep this train wreck of a season rolling along. We all know about the 2007 Reds but what about the other teams on this list? A quick glance is in order.
1934 Reds - Fans had a smorgasbord of of managers to blame in 1934 as Cincinnati went through three of them in the bleakest of all Reds' seasons.
Bob O'Farrell, Burt Shotton and Chuck Dressen all gave it a whirl. In fairness, Shotton was an interim selection and won the only game he managed. Players of note included Paul Derringer, Benny Frey, Ernie Lombardi, Chick Hafey and Jim Bottomley. The latter two are HOFers who were at the back end of their careers. The club had two 20-games losers.
2007 Reds - We are living it.
1937 Reds- Two men skippered this club - Chuck Dressen and Bobby Wallace but the results were much the same as the 1934 season. Lombardi and Derringer were holdovers from 1934, and there were the obligatory end-of-the-line HOFers in Chick Hafey and Kiki Cuyler. Help was on the way in the form of Ival Goodman, Frank McCormick and Johnny Vander Meer. Good times were only a season or two away.
1901 Reds - They were managed by all-time Reds' great Bid McPhee. Bid must have received a mulligan for this season when it came time for his HOF consideration. Noodles Hahn anchored the pitching staff, which in turn anchored the Reds to the NL basement. Stickmen included HOF-bound Sam Crawford and Jake Beckley.
1982 Reds - This is the only squad in Reds' history to pass the century mark in losses. They racked up an impressive, yet stomach-turning, 101 of them. The pitching was not that bad; while the offense was putrid. Hurling for the Reds were Mario Soto, an almost-cooked Tom Seaver and a solid bullpen which included Tom Hume among others. The lumber slumbered in '82. There was Dan Driessen, Cesar Cedeno and not much else. The careers of Johnny Bench and Dave Concepcion were winding down.
There they are. A quick look at the 'Forettable Five' seasons in the history of the Cincinnati Reds.
Year Wins Losses Pct. OPS+ ERA+
1934 52 99 0.344 87 94
2007 18 33 0.353 100 92
1937 56 98 0.364 94 94
1901 52 87 0.374 100 76
1982 61 101 0.377 88 101
One common denominator is poor pitching. Only the 1982 Reds had anything close to average pitching. But, ironically, that team also ended up with the most losses in a single season for a Cincinnati ballclub. In 2007 the Reds are on pace to break that record. Currently they are on a pace to lose about 105.
Eek. Three/fourth of my brain refuses to accept this. This team is better than that and will improve. This team is bad - but 105 losses bad? No way. Yet lingering in the deepest, darkest recesses of my brain is the feeling that injuries, apathy, fire sale or any combination of the three may keep this train wreck of a season rolling along. We all know about the 2007 Reds but what about the other teams on this list? A quick glance is in order.
1934 Reds - Fans had a smorgasbord of of managers to blame in 1934 as Cincinnati went through three of them in the bleakest of all Reds' seasons.
Bob O'Farrell, Burt Shotton and Chuck Dressen all gave it a whirl. In fairness, Shotton was an interim selection and won the only game he managed. Players of note included Paul Derringer, Benny Frey, Ernie Lombardi, Chick Hafey and Jim Bottomley. The latter two are HOFers who were at the back end of their careers. The club had two 20-games losers.
2007 Reds - We are living it.
1937 Reds- Two men skippered this club - Chuck Dressen and Bobby Wallace but the results were much the same as the 1934 season. Lombardi and Derringer were holdovers from 1934, and there were the obligatory end-of-the-line HOFers in Chick Hafey and Kiki Cuyler. Help was on the way in the form of Ival Goodman, Frank McCormick and Johnny Vander Meer. Good times were only a season or two away.
1901 Reds - They were managed by all-time Reds' great Bid McPhee. Bid must have received a mulligan for this season when it came time for his HOF consideration. Noodles Hahn anchored the pitching staff, which in turn anchored the Reds to the NL basement. Stickmen included HOF-bound Sam Crawford and Jake Beckley.
1982 Reds - This is the only squad in Reds' history to pass the century mark in losses. They racked up an impressive, yet stomach-turning, 101 of them. The pitching was not that bad; while the offense was putrid. Hurling for the Reds were Mario Soto, an almost-cooked Tom Seaver and a solid bullpen which included Tom Hume among others. The lumber slumbered in '82. There was Dan Driessen, Cesar Cedeno and not much else. The careers of Johnny Bench and Dave Concepcion were winding down.
There they are. A quick look at the 'Forettable Five' seasons in the history of the Cincinnati Reds.