'Not Quite the Big Red Machine... But It Will Do'

Cinncinnati Post - Monday, October 3rd, 2011

CINCINNATI - One has to wonder if he knew the greatness that would
occur after taking over as the rookie manager of the Cincinnati Reds
in 1970. But for Sparky Anderson, he recalled that there was magic in the
air from the moment he accepted the job. "I couldn't tell you what it
was in particular," he once said. "There was just something in my gut
that told me that the Reds were destined for a piece of greatness. It
was something... about knowing I'd be part of something special."

Fast forward to 2011 - 35 years since the 'Big Red Machine' and 21
years since a World Series title - and note that again, there's a little
"magic in the air". You see, the Cincinnati Reds have clinched the National
League central tonight in a tie-breaking win versus the St. Louis Cardinals.
And they aren't ready to stop, or so says Cincinnati third baseman Mike
Lowell. "Man, what a year! I started the year off earning my 1000th
RBI... and get to end the year with our team going to the playoffs. For me, at 37
(years old), it doesn't get much more special. The only thing that could
make it better is winning the World Series. And let me tell you; this
team is focused and determined."

Cincinnati will have to be more than focused and determined if they
want to stand a chance against the other juggernauts of the playoffs.
Take for example Cincinnati's 'runs scored per game' of 4.59 and
compare it to the other playoff opponents. It's not even close. Even
the wildcard winning Chicago White Sox (who incidentally took the
wildcard with a relatively weak 87-75 record) averaged 5 runs a game.
How about batting average? Cincinnati is still the weakest in the bunch.
On base average? Don't even bother.

It isn't until you look at the pitchers - and especially the bullpen - that you
realize how the Reds even had a chance to make it this far. "Oh man, let
me tell you... the bullpen has saved our asses all season long," says
champagne-soaked Cy Young candidate Daryl Thompson. "I can't express
how incredibly important our bullpen has been to us. They're one of the
major reasons we're here right now." And it's fact; the Cincinnati
bullpen finishes the year with a 3.17 ERA. With guys like Houlton, Ray,
O'Connor, and Crain (1.79 ERA; 51 saves!), it makes the playoff
opportunity make a little more sense.

However, with the exception of maybe the White Sox, the Reds are going
to the playoffs mostly as the clear underdogs. They have quite a challenge
ahead of them as they are set to go up against the monstrosity that is
the NL best Washington Nationals. "Sure, if you look at the season
numbers, we look completely outmatched," says the Cincinnati Reds
manager. "But anyone who has played this game long enough knows
that the playoffs are a different beast. If your team isn't the best of
the bunch but are hot going in (to the playoffs), anything's possible."

Of course, comparisons to the 'Big Red Machine' would be quite foolish.
For a team that barely slid into the playoffs mostly on the strength of
its pitching, it's even more obvious. It's been a long road. It wasn't
three or four years ago that the team was in debt and at the bottom
of the standings. But things are a little different today. For the
average Cincinnati fan, it will do. It will do.

-----

-Cinci'

Bravo! I have to admit I found myself rooting for the Reds down the stretch. Nice job getting them into the playoffs. And who knows... Washington isn't that tough anyway, they just got lucky this year (bulletin board material for the Nats clubhouse).

Also congratulations to California and the White Sox for their first playoff appearances!

We will begin the playoff sim tonight, and will try and do the next two rounds in the next day or so to keep things moving. This will depend on the teams that advance, as we try and schedule these so those teams can be there for the live sim.

Go ahead and begin your off season negotiation posting, as we'll look to get this moving pretty quickly!