The New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are now perfect. They accomplished something that only one other team has ever done, they had a perfect regular season. They showed that even in a salary cap era, there can still be dynasties. Weather or not they win the Super Bowl, they can take home that they truely were the best team of our generation. What that means to them I don't know. They aren't a team that would seem to take pride in that, as they will only be happy with a Super Bowl victory.
Have the Patriots gotten lucky? Sure, they have gotten lucky. Heck, that's part of sports. When you have two teams of the best athletes in the world, sometimes the game doesn't come down to talent. The Dolphins got lucky in their perfect season, so why shouldn't the Patriots? The funny thing about luck is that you never know when it will turn on you. The Pats are just hoping that doesn't happen soon.
I have wondered weather of not I should root for the Patriots. After all, I am a life-long Bengals' fan. I have spent years rooting for a team that never seems to come out on top. So why should I all the sudden be rooting for the Patriots, who always seem to come out on top? I guess that it's jelousy. I watch them, hoping that one day, that will be the Bengals. I sure hope I'm right too.

You stay classy New England.







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Heart

Why do people love baseball? I love baseball because I can watch players that give their all runs circles around those who don't. Those who don't care sometimes rely on skills alone, or the passion they usto have. They still get paid, some of them still play extremly well. The difference is that I don't care about those who don't care for the game, or the ones who are too good for practice. I care about the ones who care enough to give the fans what they paid for, effort.
Pete Rose, the all time hit king is admired by some for his all out effort. You can count me in that bunch. He may have bet on baseball. Everybody knows he did. He did that though because he knew so much about the game. This was the sport he grew up around. This was the sport he cared about. Though he is one of the only, if not the only player who bet on baseball that I know of, he didn't cheat in the way that matters most to me... effort.
Chicks dig the long ball. We have all heard that saying. Well, I dig the hustle. I love the players who don't care about what people think about them. I want someone who will risk injury and give that 110%. Is that too much to ask? Those that do care will be forever admired by baseball fans like me. Baseball fans who are great players, but who didn't care will be loved by millions. I guess those players would rather be loved by millions. But, could you imagine if those great players did care? How great they could be.
I will leave you with one final thought. The talented players get by with the talent that god gave them, but the true warriors get by with what god gave us all, heart.

Why Baseball Managers Are Important

Many people say that a MLB manager is the least important of the coaches in professional sports. I personally don't agree with that statement. That is why in this post I will examine the intracies of the Major League manager.
First off, and most important is the usage of players. If you use a player too much that player could become fatigued, and therfore hurt your ball club. If a manager brings in the wrong pitcher from the bullpen, and that player gives up the game its the managers fault. If a manager puts a starting pitcher in the bullpen it can mess up the comrodery of the pitching staff as well.
Team chemistry is also very important. If a manager doesn't manager, and treat the players the way they think they should be treated, the players will lose respect for the coach. If you lose respect for your coach you are losing faith in your team. If they loses faith in the team it causes a division in the clubhouse. That can happen on the best, and the worst of teams, at any time. That is why one little mistake can devistate a managers tenure.
On the flip side, baseball is the easiest place for a manager to fake being a good coach. Take the Yankees for instince. In his early days Joe Torre would be caught sleeping on tv. The only reason he didn't get fired was that since he was the Yankees coach, he had terrific assistant coaches to run the team.

Ken Griffey Jr., a Reds Fan's Perspective

Why do people always rip Ken Griffey Jr.? I'll tell you why. He let Reds fans down. He let them fall the the lowest of lows, because he isn't the player we thought he was. He came in to Cincinnati, seemingly the savior of the franchise. He gave us a "hometown discount," and the blogs were exploding. The Reds were seemingly the National league's team to beat.
Well, that was 7 years ago. In 1999, the Reds had a season that reshaped people's vision of the Reds. They won over 90 games, and made it to a one game playoff with the Mets. Though they lost, it was believed that minor improvments would be all this team would need to become a World Series contender. That however, was far from the truth.
The Reds went out and traded for Ken Griffey Jr., who was quite possibly the most gifted player in baseball history. With his perfect swing, and amazingly strong legs, he seemed unstoppable. With Griffey, the Reds were sure to be unstoppable. The greatest player in baseball, and a team that was a contender even before he arrived-things were shaping up very well for the Reds.
That season Junior amassed 40 homers, 118 RBIs, but set a career low with a .942 OPS. For those who don't know that is on base percentage plus slugging percentage. Even with that production though, the Reds struggled, and didn't even come close to the playoffs.
Since 2000, Junior has suffered injuries in every season. This season, playing in 144 games was a high since his 145 in 2000. From 2002 to 2004, Junior only managed to play in 206 games. He also only hit 41 homeruns during that time. Compare that to his years in Seattle, where he managed to hit 41 homeruns in six different seasons, including two 56 homerun seasons.
What does Junior bring to the Reds? At $12,500,000 he is no bargain. He is the highest paid Cincinnati Red. Though his numbers havn't always shown in the stat sheet, they have shown at the box office. When he arrived in Cincinnati the attendence numbers hit the roof. Now that mistique has worn away, and so has Junior. In a season where he was relativly healthy, and playing in Great American smallpark, he still only amassed 30 homeruns.
Have we seen the end of Ken Griffey Jr. in Cincy? In my opinion yes. He is no longer the player he usto be, or we hoped he would be. Though he has helped this franchise, his value is no longer higher than that of Jay Bruce. So I plead with you. Reds nation pleads to you. Please Wayne Krivsky, trade Junior to a contender, so he won't go down as the greatest player to not have a World Series ring.

Joe Finally Made it All The Way Home

Joe Nuxhall was the greatest man to ever put on a Reds uniform. He took the field with pride, and understood the significance of his actions. He took responsibility both on the field and off. Unlike today's baseball player, he took time out of his life to help those less fortunite. You didn't have to know Joe Nuxhall. If you walked up to him at the supermarket he would say hi. Off the field he considered himself just another Reds fan. Why is it that today, we have come to expect less out of our public figures?
Joe Nuxhall was not a man to bask in any glory. Yes, he was the youngest player in MLB history. He did something that nobody will probably ever do again, he started a professional baseball game at fifteen years old. He took the field as a man, and left it a legend. He never let his status get to him, which is what made him so unique. Never again will such a man grace this earth.
Joe Nuxhall gave us Reds fans hope. When we didn't have the best team on the field, we could still turn on Joe. He would tell it like it is, not following the chain of broadcasters that would tell you what the team wanted to tell you. He was proof that no matter who you were, you are no better than anybody else. He gave us hope for better days, and a better life. That is why he was so special.
Joe will forever be a fixture in our hearts. He shares commen bonds with all baseball fans, and the public in general.. He shares in our love for the game. Joe is a man who is unreplacable. Thank you Joe, for all that you have done for us. Thank you from that bottom of my, and every other Reds fan's hearts. We will never forget you.