http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/RedsThe Hunt for Reds Octoberen-usCopyright 2013, CincinnatiMagazine-NASat, 25 May 2013 03:05:30 GMTThu, 23 May 2013 14:43:39 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comReds closer Aroldis Chapman blew a save against the Phillies last Sunday. He gave up two home runs, half as many as he allowed in 2012, and the Reds lost. Normally I would dive into Fangraphs data to decipher what went wrong in his outing. But little did I know it’s because Ol’ Roldy took a weekend class at the David Wells School of Dieting. According to CBS Philly, Chapman asked the Phillies’ spanish-language broadcaster Rickie Ricardo (you can’t make this up, Lucy) for 100 Cuban pastries from a local bakery. Now, I have no problem with him ordering the pastries. Maybe he wants to share some of his culture with his teammates or freeze some for later or donate them to a shelter or give some to his family. That’s fine by me. If I signed a guaranteed deal worth $30 million, I can’t say that I wouldn’t spend ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548265adamflango@gmail.com (Adam Flango)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548265Thu, 23 May 2013 14:43:39 GMTThe next month, May 22-June 22, could be a make-or-break stretch for the Redlegs. As of Tuesday night (discarding any Wednesday games), a rather intriguing situation has played out in the National League. The St. Louis Cardinals (29-16), Cincinnati Reds (28-18), and Pittsburgh Pirates (27-18) currently sit one, two, and three atop the N.L. standings, respectively. But despite the Reds current position and impressive .609 winning percentage, the next 31 days should be very frightening for Cincinnati. Question: Why, Josh? Answer: Well, because the Reds haven’t been able to beat teams that actually, you know, win games. And, as it turns out, they’re about to play quite a few of those teams. Take a look at all of the games this season in which the Reds have beaten teams with winning records: Tuesday, April 8: Reds 13, Cardinals 4 Monday, April 29: Reds 2, Cardinals 1 Tuesday, May 7: Reds ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548218jmiller@cincinnatimagazine.com (Josh Miller)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10548218Thu, 23 May 2013 13:36:50 GMTAll statistics in the first month or two of the baseball season, and sometimes even longer, carry with them the same qualifier: sample size. A .414 BABIP? Likely to diminish as the season continues. A .952 LOB% for pitchers in April? Don’t expect it last. Small sample size. It’s the go-to phrase for statistical anomalies. Most fans that would care about these numbers in the first place can sing the sample size song. But at what point do we start taking the numbers seriously? At what point is the sample size no longer considered small? In 2007, baseball thinker Russell Carleton tackled this question in a piece that was equal parts brilliant, nerdy, and confusing. (If your kind of leisurely read typically includes phrases like “Because a correlation of .70 means an R-squared of 49 percent,” then this article is for you.) Carleton concludes that certain statistics take longer than others to ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10545146adamflango@gmail.com (Adam Flango)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10545146Wed, 15 May 2013 19:31:20 GMTThe Reds have been one of the more banged-up teams in baseball through the season’s first 35ish games. Along with Oakland and Colorado, Cincinnati is one of only three clubs in the majors to play an extended amount of time without its Opening Day starter (Johnny Cueto) and at least two other members of its Opening Day starting lineup (Ryan Ludwick and Ryan Hanigan).  The Reds are 22-16 and currently sit 2.5 games back in the race for the NL Central.  After sweeping the Brewers, the team has managed to calm their ever-panicky fans a tad—I realize the natural reaction of a Cincinnati fanbase is to panic at the first sight of a season going anything but perfect (since there’d be so much to panic about if the team were 20-18?), but luckily, common sense prevails. Common sense says that it’s only May and, far more importantly, common sense says ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10544398jmiller@cincinnatimagazine.com (Josh Miller)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10544398Tue, 14 May 2013 15:15:34 GMTThe walk-up song. Also known as “at-bat music,” it is the beat played as a batter approaches the plate, a tiny glimpse into the personality of each player. Some guys pick a classic—if not boring—song at the beginning of their career and stuck with it forever. Others like to adapt their choice to today’s musical stylings. A few jokesters like to find a tune fans will find ironically humorous. (This approach was successfully used by former Pittsburgh Pirate Adam LaRoche when he chose this ditty. I know this because it was the only thing of value he brought to the team.) Among the various walk-up categories, there is also the pump-up rap/rock music, the homage to the heritage tune, and the easily recognizable song that fans can sing along with. Choosing which category and which song best encapsulates each player is something of an art form. You have to know ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10543051adamflango@gmail.com (Adam Flango)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10543051Fri, 10 May 2013 15:16:32 GMTMy 8th grade math teacher, Mr. Callahan, had a go-to saying for every situation, and any time one of us “Podunk, Joe-everyday slob-like” students forgot our homework, he'd simply shake his head and mutter, “Well it’s not tragic, but it’s not good either.” So far this season, the Cincinnati Reds have made a habit of forgetting their homework. Granted, the year is still young, with only 29 games down and 133 left on the schedule. But with a barely-in-the-black record of 15-14, the Reds have been a relative disappointment in the early going. It’s far too soon to make any sweeping judgments or generalizations about how a particular player will do the rest of the season or where the Reds will finish in the division come September, but one glaring thing has stood out in a macro sense thus far: the team is terrible on the road. The strength of ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10539950http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10539950Fri, 03 May 2013 16:15:14 GMTTony Cingrani doesn’t look like a starting pitcher. Yes, he’s tall and sturdy enough, but his facial expressions and mannerisms are of a different breed. He works quickly with his pant legs pulled up. He licks his fingers after seemingly every pitch, making sure that no pitch is wasted because of a weak grip. His gaze is more fierce than menacing, portraying a confidence that borders on cockiness. It is almost like Cingrani sees the batter’s doom as a foregone conclusion, that his battling and fouling off pitches is just delaying the inevitable failure. He skips off the mound quickly, as if he has something important waiting for him on the bench. The 23-year-old rookie has a closer mentality, which makes sense given that he led Rice with 12 saves and started only two games during his senior year in 2010. But perhaps it’s that confidence, born out of a ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10538998adamflango@gmail.com (Adam Flango)http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10538998Wed, 01 May 2013 20:21:51 GMTJay Bruce struggled at the plate in last night’s 2-1 loss to the Cardinals, going 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. It’s a struggle that has stretched throughout the first month of the season, with Bruce currently hitting .252 and slugging only .339, with just one homer thus far. Evidently, this has spurred numerous “fans” to hound Bruce via his Twitter handle (@JayABruce) about his lack of production at the dish in 2013, as if Bruce wasn’t already aware of these things himself. Jay Bruce does not like these negative tweets. Around midnight Tuesday evening, the Reds rightfielder responded to the social-media-borne criticism, requesting that all of his haters go out and get a life and/or life coach. I appreciate all the tweets, good and bad, actually. You guys are what drive the game. I'm obviously not hitting as well as I'd like to, yet — Jay Bruce (@JayABruce) May 1, ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10538864http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10538864Wed, 01 May 2013 17:29:01 GMTAs any Reds fan is well aware, Dusty Baker has always been a popular target when it comes to questioning whatever bumps in the road the team may experience. At times, this white-hot ire of fandom is actually somewhat warranted. Other times, it’s a bit much, particularly for a guy who has led the club to a pair of NL Central titles in the past three seasons. But what we haven’t heard enough of is fans considerately requesting—nay—pleading for Dusty to lead his team to its first World Series title since 1990. And even when we have heard it, it certainly hasn’t sounded this good. Josh Sneed, a local comedian, has joined forces with Cincy native and universally adored singer/heartthrob Nick Lachey to encourage Dusty and the Redlegs through the art of song. Adapting the famed Kansas tune “Dust in the Wind” to “Dusty Please Win,” the two are hoping ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537729http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537729Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:14:47 GMTAs the oldest franchise in professional baseball, the Cincinnati Reds history is a long and storied one, spanning from the first night game and the 1919 Black Sox scandal, to the Big Red Machine and Marge Schott. It’s almost too much to take in. No worries. Author and self-described nerd Joel Luckhaupt released a new book earlier this month: 100 Things Reds Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. His second book on the Reds franchise, Luckhaupt chronicles the most important people, events, and facts in the team’s history. Sadly, questioning Dusty Baker’s bullpen management didn’t make the list. Luckhaupt also serves as statistician for Fox Sports Ohio, the unseen mastermind compiling all those wonky figures and tidbits of information that Thom Brennaman, Chris Welch, and Jeff Brantley offer up during Reds broadcasts. (He’s basically the Oz of Reds TV.) I chatted with Joel about his new book, Chris ...http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10536192http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/features/Reds/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10536192Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:11:30 GMT