SB Nation User Blog: jch24

Baseball to tighten up playoff schedule

jch24 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:18:15 -0000

Baseball to tighten up playoff schedule

Thank God......waiting almost a week for teams to play is ridiculous.

Dusty's Father Dies

jch24 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:30:01 -0000

Dusty's Father Dies

After all the bad things I've said about Dusty, I wish him and his family nothing but the best in what has to be a very difficult time.

RR Burger Tour Stop - highlifeman21, you owe me a burger

jch24 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:04 -0000

EPIC FAIL.

via idontneedyourdamnedhost.com

This is obc hiding behind a plant to talk on his cell phone. It represents the general sentiment of the night, as we were all embarrassed to have even considered Mt. Adams Bar & Grill in the running.

We began our night in less than stellar fashion with obc, 'tHan, and BK showing up a solid 30 minutes late........for what reason you ask? A haircut? Of the guy who doesn't need one? Seriously? Yours truly sat on a park bench in Mt. Adams for 20 minutes. Do you have any idea how frightening that was? I nearly ended up in a pink collared shirt, slacks, and loafers. (shudder)

Once the Three Musketeers showed and rescued me from the cute girl at the bar, we sat down at a table in the back corner....perfect for such a subdued and reserved group of gentlemen. After some hemming and hawing we ordered and the food came out pretty quickly. This is good, considering the prompt service would end up being the highlight of the night.

The burgers were at best lousy, at worst criminal. I'll be damned if I pay $7 for a burger that compares to something I'd get at Wendy's. My burger was a Wendy's single + salsa and toppings, not good. There won't be much culinary review in this recap because well, the burgers SUCKED. In the immortal words of BK, "It tasted like a hamburger martini." Not exactly a compliment. BK apologized for taking us there instead of Tinks and we accepted, but only after deeming him "Gay & Dangerous".

Judging from my compatriots' reactions to the food, I immediately asked for the check and we moved on. We ended up at Crowley's and had another hour or two of playful banter before we dispersed on our way home. All in all it was a good time, but WOW, the burgers sucked balls. I asked everyone what they thought and obc and BK (the only one with a frame of reference) had a hard time saying these burgers were better than Quatman's.

To give you an idea of how bad this was, BK was most excited at the end of the night staring through the window of an adjacent bar telling us all about "Rangers vs. Hibernians". Fucking foot fairies.

BOTTOM LINE: highlifeman21, you owe me a good burger and one beer sir. I took you at your word and you failed. The worst part was that neither the burger nor the beer was cheap. You owe me one, PLUS ONE.

PS: I call two weeks from now (November 12th is the date), and it will be a doozy. Details to follow.

Playoffs Day 5, Thread 2

jch24 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:06:24 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

"This is how many times cooler than you I am."

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We filled one thread already and hardly mentioned that the Red Sox have been sent home. I think we can all agree this is a good thing. Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore can suck it.

In case you forgot it's Yankees @ Twins at 7:00, Phillies @ Rockies at 10:00. My official predictions - Twins win 5-3, Phillies win 7-4.

The picture serves no purpose, it's just because I love him.

The day the dream died: Reds lose 3-2 to the Astros to secure their ninth straight losing season

jch24 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:25:36 -0000

The offense disappeared and OUR Reds lost their 82nd game of the year. It's been a nice run over the last week though, let's remember that.

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Johnny Cueto - Johnny Quest pitched 7.1 innings, giving up 3 runs on six hits. It was the first time he had made it into the 8th inning since way back on May 3rd against the Pirates. An effort that's normally enough to win these days, but Wandy made us his bitch. It happens.

Key Plays

Cueto walked the bases loaded in the 3rd and the Astros scored two runs on RBI groundouts by Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, respectively.
Humberto Quintero homered in the 4th to make it 3-0 Houston.
The Reds went to work in the 6th, scoring two runs on a single by Johnny Gomes and a single by Ramon Hernandez.
Cueto again walked the bases loaded in the 6th but got Quintero to GIHQ, ending the threat and keeping the Reds' hopes alive.
Nick Massett bailed Johnny out of a jam in the 8th by getting Edwin Maysonet (who?) to ground into a sweet 1-6-3 double play.
The Reds mildly threatened in the 9th when Juan Fransisco walked (mark it down, it happened!) before Laynce Nix GIDP and Kevin Barker grounded out weakly to 2B to end the game.
Oh yeah, something cool happened in the Bengals game, or so I hear.

via www.fangraphs.com

Game 156 Thread: Reds @ Astros

jch24 — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:51:19 -0000

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ Houston Astros

Sunday, Sep 27, 2009, 2:05 PM EDT
Minute Maid Park

Johnny Cueto vs Wandy Rodriguez

Mostly sunny. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 90.

Complete Coverage >

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Johnny Cueto	10-10	4.39	1.35	121	52

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Wandy Rodriguez	13-11	2.97	1.22	181	61

The Reds are on fire right now, having won six straight games and averaging nine runs a game over that span. I have no Earthly idea how to explain the sudden offensive outburst so I'm not even going to try.

Johnny Cueto takes the mound for the Reds this afternoon, looking to get over .500 on the season. Since being blown up by the Nationals on 8/15 he's only given up seven runs over his last 26.1 innings with 19K and 9 BB. He seems to have figured out the Astros this year after getting knocked around by them in his rookie year.

The Astros counter with Wandy Rodriguez, who despite a 2.97 ERA is hovering around a .500 record. If memory serves me (it probably doesn't) he's been pretty hard on the Reds in his career. But he hasn't faced the current murderer's row that Dusty's been sending out there. I say he doesn't stand a chance!

Lastly if you want to chat about the Bengals, check out the fine folks at Cincy Jungle, I hear good things about them.

Game 155 Thread: Reds @ Astros

jch24 — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:10:17 -0000

Next Game

Cincinnati Reds
@ Houston Astros

Saturday, Sep 26, 2009, 7:05 PM EDT
Minute Maid Park

Justin Lehr vs Felipe Paulino

Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from right to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Justin Lehr	4-2	5.30	1.56	23	23

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Felipe Paulino	2-10	6.06	1.61	85	30

The Reds refuse to go into the abyss of another losing season without a fight. They've won five games in a row overall and eight straight against the Astros. Are you as excited as I am??? I thought so.

Tonight we'll find out if Justin Lehr learned anything from giving up FIVE home runs in his last start, which happened to be against this very Astros team. Lehr hasn't been pitching too great lately, but he's not taking losses either. Over his last five starts his ERA is a Badroyo-esque 8.00 but somehow he's 2-2 and the Reds are 3-2 in those five starts.

Felipe Paulino on the other hand has been pitching pretty well while getting no help from his teammates. He is 0-4 this month despite a 3.52 ERA because the Astros haven't scored one single run for him. Somewhere, Aaron Harang nods his head in a knowing manner.

The suddenly surging Reds will definitely better last years' win total. How does this make you feel as a Reds fan? Do you see real progress or is it just dumb luck? Personally I see a lot of improvement in the pitching and fielding departments, but the offense is going to need some help next year if they're going to make a run at the playoffs. I know it's all been said before, but what else are we going to talk about?

Florida is favored by 21 points over UK but Tim Tebow may have H1N1. UC won again and I'm pretty sure they could give tOSU a run for their money on a neutral field. Louisville disbanded their football team to save money and to stop wasting everyone's time.

Reds win 12-2, have scored 30 runs in their last three games. Totally sustainable for the rest of this season and all of next, says I.

jch24 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:24:24 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

"This is how many bases I get every time I come up these days."

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Another quickie recap:

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Joey Votto went 4-5 with two doubles, two singles, three runs scored and an RBI. In the last two nights, dude is 7-9 with 5 doubles, two RBI and six runs scored. Oh and he hit a two run HR the game before. I think it's safe to say he's back.

Other Notes

Homer Bailey is now 4-1 with a sparkling 2.00 ERA over his last seven starts, lowering his season ERA by 1.8 runs in the process. He is what we thought he was! Or at least a lot closer to what we thought he could be.
Brandon Phillips had two more RBI, tying his career high with 94 on the year. He also got plunked by Virgil Vasquez in the 9th and had to leave the game. My sources say he'll play through the pain in an attempt to reach 100 RBI.
Drew Stubbs stole second and third base in the third inning, rattling Kevin Hart and starting a three run inning that might have been more had BP not have gotten greedy.
Dusty Baker replaced Jared Burton in the eighth inning up seven runs and no one on base. But he invented the high five, so it's cool.
Abraham Philip Miller had two RBI and is now hitting within 80 points of his weight. Hernadez who?
The Reds are 21-10 when Scott Rolen starts at 3B. It's his team!
The Reds still haven't gotten that damning 82nd loss, fighting to stave off their ninth straight losing season like their lives depend on it.
John Wall will either win the Heisman or average less than 10 ppg. There is no in between.

via www.fangraphs.com

I'm going to be completely self indulgent for a second

jch24 — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:24:05 -0000

I got a phone call this afternoon around 1:00 that my dad was at St. Elizabeth South after being admitted Wednesday night with severe abdmoniable pain. It was diagnosed as "acute pancreatitis". I was incredibly frightened for about four hours until I was given the prognosis which seems to be optimistic. In the meantime I came up with this, love you Dad.

Dad,

    I have no idea where to start, so I’ll start with this – I cried today. I don’t cry. Ever. But today I cried because not only was I was scared for your well being, but rather I was scared that something might happen and I might not get the chance to say what I’m about to say.

   To put it simply – THANK YOU. For everything. I can’t possibly put into words what you mean to me. I have absolutely no idea where I would be had you not taken me in, nor do I want to consider the alternatives. You gave me a life I would never have had otherwise, and I am incredibly appreciative.

   You were, are, and always will be Superman to me. From my earliest memories you’ve always been the most consistent element in my life, always striving for a better life for all of us. The sacrifices you’ve made can’t be understated, please know that as a father I now fully understand. Again, thank you.

   Everything I am is a direct result of the hard work you put in so many years ago. I treat people with respect (regardless of "demographic", an important factor considering where we lived) when they deserve it and admonish them when they don’t. I work hard as a matter of principle, and I love my family more than life itself. You encouraged an open minded sense of learning which has benefited me greatly over the years. There’s nothing I can’t learn. Nothing is impossible if I apply myself, and at the end of the day I’ll beat whatever obstacle I face without cutting corners. All of these traits are a reflection of what you taught me as a child. I have a leg up on nearly everyone I encounter in life because of this, thank you.

   I know I’ve not been the easiest person to understand or even deal with over the years, and I’m sorry for that. I’ve had a tendency to forge my own way without regard to others, creating strife for everyone who happens to be even remotely associated with me. At some point I found my way and while I haven’t exacted the original plan, I’m happy. I have a beautiful family, I pay the bills, and have more interesting stories than anyone I know. These things happen. For a long while, I had a hard time rationalizing the way my life turned out but recently I’ve come to the conclusion that I am what I am, and if what I am makes me happy, I’m doing okay. Upon further inspection of my memories, this is yet another of your lessons. Thank You.

I’ll leave you with this – my favorite adult memory is when you said to me, “I never worry about you Jeremy, I always knew you would be okay.” You have no idea how much this spoke to your character more than mine.



Love,
     Jeremy

Reds win 5-4, four games back of Houston for third place.

jch24 — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:48:36 -0000

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

This is him pitching. Tonight, he was hitting.

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I had a very nice game wrap done tonight, only to be screwed by SBN. So you get this instead.

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Paul Janish with his three doubles, the last of which drove in the winning run.

Key Plays

The Astros were off and running in the first inning, stealing three bases and playing smawball to the tune of three runs.
The Reds answered in the bottom of the first when Drew Stubbs hit a leadoff home run and obc pulled off the rare double prediction, Reds trail 3-2
Kaz Matsui homered to make it 4-2 until the sixth when Janish got his double on to get things going and the Reds scored two runs to tie it at 4 runs apiece.
In the seventh, Corky Miller did the best thing he could do at the plate and after being replaced by a pitcher as a pinch runner (REALLY?), the Janish-ator doubled in Bronson to make it 5-4.
Aaron Boone made the last out. No matter your feelings for the Reds teams of that era, you have to admit Boone was a class act and and deserves the respect he got for making it all the way back. Good job Aaron

Oh, and here's the box for those interested:

Final - 9.15.2009	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston Astros	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	7	0
Cincinnati Reds	2	0	0	0	0	2	1	0	X	5	9	0
WP: Daniel Ray Herrera (4 - 4) SV: Francisco Cordero (36) LP: Samuel Gervacio (1 - 1)

Complete Coverage >

Whatever. Kip Wells still sucks, but he looks to be Roy Oswalt's kryptonite. I say we keep him around for another year at least.