ColumbusSports.com : Your place to stay informed and talk about the sports scene and sports teams in and around Columbus.

Not With a Bang But A Whimper -- That's the way the 2007 season ends, Mr. Eliot. The Reds dropped 7 of their last 8 to finish behind the lowly Astros in fifth place in the NL Central, percentage-wise the "wurst" division in beisbol. But we love the sausage races in Milwaukee, right!!? And the the first postseason update on the official Reds' website is that the team is accepting deposits for 2008 season tickets. Takers anyone?! Personally, I'd have waited on that piece until there was some positive news for fans, but right now it's just talk of Dunn, Mackanin and others being jettisoned. The only other news now is 90 losses, 7 straight sub-.500 seasons, and 12 straight years out of the playoffs. Mackanin did lead the club to a 41-39 record, to look at the bright side. Thank gaawd this campaign is over! At least we had Brandon Phillips' 30/30 season, Aaron Harang's 16 wins, Adam Dunn's 40 HR's, Ken Griffey Jr.'s comeback 30 bombs and the story of Josh Hamilton who hit .292 with 19 dingers despite injuries and setbacks. RIP, Redlegs.

Spoiled Spoilers -- Tonight's loss to the Cubs (9/28) dispelled any possibility of the Reds playing a legitimate spoiler in the tight NL playoff races. Once again, Great American looked like Wrigley on the River with an immense throng of Chicago faithful. The Reds' fifth straight loss opened up the NL Central probability for the Cubs, coupled with a 6-3 Milwaukee loss against San Diego. The intrigue continued, though, with an Arizona defeat of the Rockies, a Phillies win and another Mets loss. I guess it's still fun to watch the madness from the outside. I'm not even going to try to predict the NL playoff situation, and there's only two games to go. . .  

Phillips Fulfilled -- At long last, Brandon Phillips has joined the 30/30 club to cap off a masterful season that was instrumental in the Reds' 4th place sub-.500 campaign. For the statistically ignorant, that means 30 home runs and 30 steals. Phillips has 32 steals and slugged his 30th bomb in Wednesday night's loss to the Astros, the fourth straight defeat for Cincinnati. The 30/30 club lives in rare air -- the last Red to join was Barry Larkin in 1996 and before that my hero Eric Davis in 1987. If only Marge Schott hadn't been so stingy and had let Eric fly her jet home with purported injuries he might still be able to fill in at outfield . . . Then again, she once suspended out of town scores at the stadium because the feeds were too expensive. But I digress -- hooray Brandon Phillips!! I know all Tribe fans will cheer as we congratulate him on this unique feat. We gotta have something to celebrate.

Constant Change -- The Reds' lineup is ever-shifting as September dwindles as fast as attendances in the Queen City. Ken Griffey, Jr. will not play again this year. Alex Gonzalez missed 8 straight starts, and Buck Coats (what a name!) and Jason Ellison have played the outfield recently. Jeff Keppinger has been as well. Maybe the front office is getting ready for life without Adam Dunn. 9/27 Update -- Dunn is shut down for the season, and likely for good as a Red. We barely knew ye . . .   

Shuttin' It Down -- Late September and out of the hunt, what can Reds fans expect? Actually, the parade of horribles is not from lack of effort. Tonight's 3-2 loss (9/19) saw good hustle but a debilitating groin or abdominal injury to Ken Griffey, Jr. in the bottom of the 8th. From what we saw on the field tonight, I can't see Junior back this year, though he did eventually walk off the field. Norris Hopper, who is not likely to see a home run in his major league career, was sent home on a single in the 8th due to his speed, but a rifle shot from Alfonso Soriano prevented the Reds from adding a third run, which ultimately would have led to extra innings. Personally, I think the Reds are just pullin' for the Cubbies in the NL Central race with the Brewers, which entered the night as a dead heat. Finally, in addition to a likely sad goodbye to Scott Hatteberg mentioned below, the Reds seem unlikely to pick up Adam Dunn's $13 million option for 2008, which would leave Dunn a free agent. There is only a $500 000 buyout. Well, it looks like this is Dunn's last road trip wearing the Cincinnati greys.

Competition is Good -- The Reds may be developing a first base backlog. Jorge Cantu of Devil Rays' fame is surging and getting more playing time, while the Reds want to continue to see action from Joey Votto. And then there's Mr. Reliable Scott Hatteberg, who has hit .310 with a .394 OBA for the year, still kicking around. Who's betting Hatteberg won't be anywhere near Great American Ballpark next year? Cantu may be eligible for arbitration next year depending on how his pro-rated MLB playing time is assessed by the MLB braintrust.  I'm voting for Votto.

Bail us, Bailey -- Homer Bailey of Louisville fame and Reds ignominy is returning to start on Thursday. Most close followers ask why. Bailey left the Reds for the DL (groin) in July after giving up 29 hits, 21 walks and 22 earned runs in 28 1/3  innings. In the interim he has pitched only simulated games. Given Kirk Saarloos' marginally destructive outing (7 hits/walks and 3 earned runs in 4 innings; 7.00 season ERA) on Sat. 9/15 and the likelihood that Der Dutchman will never again start for the Reds, the move may not be surprising. Still, the Queen City faithful and literary mutter, "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight". I can hear the howlin', Homer . . . 

The Incarnation?  -- Edwin Encarnacion led the Reds' victory over the Cardinals Wednesday night (9/12). Counting Thursday's daylight sweep, the Reds wiped St. Louis out of the NL Central race and pushed themselves closer to some respectability. Anthony Reyes, 0-10 at one point this year, bore the brunt. That's old news, though. Encarnacion is 4-6 against Reyes with 4 home runs, all actually coming in consecutive at bats. Since being called back up, Edwin is batting .307 with 12 dingers and 54 RBI. Again, why don't wins flow free? 

Hammy's Hammy -- Josh Hamilton, the comeback poster child of the first half of the season, is having hamstring troubles and will play very little, if interim manager Pete Mackanin has his way. Norris Hopper, hitting .300, is filling in but doesn't have the pop Hamilton has shown with 19 home runs this year despite two DL trips. Hamilton has been reported as saying that the hamstring is not why he's out of the lineup, though, as he tweaked it several weeks ago and was able to go 4 for 5 on Sept. 7. Tonight's 9/13 Update sides with managment, though. Hamilton is now on crutches, had an MRI and is out for the year.

Say it ain't so, Joe -- Joe Morgan's Cincinnati Reds record for most homers as a second baseman in a year is gone now, thanks to Brandon Phillips. Phillips hit his 28th bomb in last Thursday's day game to eclipse the current broadcaster and Reds' icon.  We'll all root for Phillips to make the 30/30 club, even Cleveland fans I'm sure. As noted earlier here, Phillips socked 6 homers and swiped 4 bases in 4 seasons with the Indians. 9/13/07 Update -- Phillips now sits at 29 homers/30 steals.

Shearn Shears -- "Rookie" Tom Shearn earned another win this afternoon, improving to 2-0 with a 3.14 ERA and a shutout performance over 6 innings. Who needs Homer Bailey, huh? The slow track of 12 years in the minors apparently helped Shearn, as did the power of Brandon Phillips and Joe Votto.  Shearn is a Columbus native, by the way. 

September Swoon -- Losers of 5 in a row before rebounding on 9/5, and  4 to start what had the makings of being a competitive September, the Reds have played themselves out of the NL Central race. Cincinnati welcomed Pedro Martinez back with nice parting gifts of a New York victory and a 3000th strikeout on Labor Day.  The fans streaming down Vine Street at Noon on Monday, from my personal observations, appeared mostly attired in Mets gear. What was a temporary high a week ago is now a season ending low for the Redlegs. Update 9/13/07 -- The three game sweep of the Cardinals helps little except to knock those pretenders out of the race. Go Brewers!! Update 9/16 -- Too much brew at the Cadillac Ranch for the Reds, as the Brewers took the Saturday and Sunday games and continue to battle the Cubs for the NL Central title. 

It's Personal Now (9/16 update)  -- With little to hope for in the standings, Reds fans are now reduced to watching beloved players pad their personal statistics. "Ain't love grand?!" Fortunately, despite the team record, there are a few eye openers from the 2007 campaign. As noted last month, Brandon Phillips will almost certainly enter the 30/30 club, currently standing with 29 homers and 31 steals in addition to now over 100 runs. Junior has had a return to form with 30 home runs and a .380 OBA. Adam Dunn, who shockingly made a great outfield catch on Sunday 9/2, has now gotten his 100 RBIs and has 39 bombs. On the mound, David Weathers has hit 30 saves and has a respectable 3.47 ERA while Aaron Harang is 15-4 and has struckout 192. So where did all the wins go?!?

Votto Ving -- Since Jorge Cantu is hitting .471 but has only gotten 17 at bats, perhaps September appearances will go to newcomer Joe Votto. He's been long-awaited by some, and slugged 22 home runs playing first base for Louisville.  Being yet another young Red with the dreaded "potential" tag, we'll follow him closely. 9/13 Update  -- Votto homered on 9/6 for his first big league dinger in the Reds' 7-0 victory. He reached base safely in all four plate appearances. He's now picked up a second homer and is 5 for 10 with 2 walks in 4 games. Votto was also 3 for 4 with 2 RBI on 9/13, raising his average to .455.

Tags: cincinnati reds