Kuzul

The season is almost over, bones and hearts have been broken, while arms and dreams have been restored.  We have come a long way since April, but for Cincinnati, the fun is only beginning. 

This 2010 edition of the Reds was picked by most to finish fourth or worse in the NL Central this year.  Not enough offense, not enough pitching, not enough experience, and on and on and on.

The Reds didn’t get the memo.

This team played spoiler all year long.  The Reds, who weren’t quite ready, showed early on they were here to stay.  Joey Votto had the best year of his young career and very well could end up with the NL MVP award.  He threatened for a triple crown and somehow, SOMEHOW, almost missed being an All-Star. (Charlie Manuel better hope Votto doesn’t hold a grudge.)

Rolen, Cabrera, Rhodes, Cairo, the Reds were too old, and wouldn’t be able to stay healthy.  Sorry wrong again.  Rolen and Rhodes were All-Stars, Cairo was clutch all year and Cabrera added stability at SS, which had been a revolving door of failed experiments since 11 left town.  These guys were winners, and the funny thing is, winners win. 

Phillips took heat for starting the Cardinal Clash by saying what we all were thinking, but he continued flashing that gold leather again all year.  He hit lead-off, hit second, hit fourth, Brandon did whatever Dusty needed.  Reds fans want to trade Phillips for his Ocho Cinco-ness, but ask the Reds’ starting rotation if they appreciate him being up the middle. Psst….I bet the say yes!

Hanigan, Ramon and Fu Manchu himself, Corky Miller were more than any of us could have hoped for behind the plate.  They all brought their big bats and were big behind the plate.  Those three guys have done wonders for this pitching staff all year. 

The outfield wowed us with their bats before the All-Star break.  Gomes was unstoppable, Stubbs ran on everyone, and no one ran on Jay Bruce.  Jay was under the gun.  Many said this was his put up or shut up year, very unfairly by my accounts, but Bruuuuuce put up in a big way.

You mean you didn’t hear?  Bruce crushed a walk-off home run to clinch the NL Central for Cincinnati.  I saw grown men do things I couldn’t have imagined.  They hugged, they cried, they rolled around on the beer stained, peanut littered concourse at Great American, all because Jay saved the day.

The pitching was great all year, Leake was too cool for the minors and pitched great.  Our favorite hamburger jingle writer, Arroyo won 17 games.  Travis Wood stood toe to toe with Roy Halladay.  The list goes on and on.

We have to give some credit to Dusty too.  The guy who couldn’t win with young players, the guy who burned up young arms.  He flipped the right switches all year and did something not one other Reds manager had done since 1995: make the playoffs.  So Dusty, even though we scratched our heads sometimes, here’s to you.

All that is nice, but will it matter?  Can Cincinnati make it a Reds October?  I believe in these guys, and I know they believe in each other.  I’m going to keep my Gomes-esque ski goggles ready for when these Cincinnati Reds crash the postseason party.

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The season’s midway point has technically past, so that means that the trade deadline is fast approaching.  Cincinnati clings to a two-game lead over St. Louis today.

The big prize in the trade market this year is Cliff Lee.  The Reds must get in on this action.  I know Lee could leave after the season, but it will be worth it. 

Let me break it down for you.

Acquiring Cliff Lee would all but guarantee making the postseason this year ending what seems like an eternal drought.  St. Louis isn’t playing well and the rest of the division is well, to be gentle, “also-rans.” 

So Cincy makes the playoffs, then what?  How do you like your chances with Lee starting a series?  I like them quite a bit, especially with Arroyo and Cueto in the mix. 

If the Reds make the NLCS, then how does he help?  Well he can make two starts if needed, and that gives the Reds the luxury of having guys like Leake, Harang, Chapman, and even Volquez out of the ‘pen.  That sounds pretty great to me.

So what do the Reds have to do to get him? ESPN reported today that Seattle wants two blue-chip prospects and a young player.  Alonso, Fransisco, Frazier, Mesoraco, any of those guys. The young player?  Wood, Heisey, Maloney, a guy in that kind of role.

I hear you out there. Why trade all these guys when the Reds can contend in the future?  You don’t pick when you contend, injuries and other things decide that.  The Reds are contending right now, so why write off these season when it could become special?

I love Rolen, Rhodes, and Cabrera, but how many more years can those guys produce at the level they are right now?  The time is now; you have to strike when the iron is hot. 

The Reds go and get Cliff Lee, and they become the team to beat in the National League.  Who knows, maybe they could even re-sign Lee?  That would definitely make it a worthwhile deal.

I trust Walt Jocketty and the others in the front office, and they will do what’s best for this team.  Hopefully that involves Cliff Lee putting on a Cincinnati uniform.

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Baseball’s All-Star Game is in Los Angeles/Anaheim… I’m not really sure where the LAAA’s actually play.  Either way, players from all over the league will get to see the Beach Boy’s and Katy Perry’s favorite girls.

One player, however, will not. His name?

Joey Votto.

How is it that baseball can never, ever, get anything right?  Most of us have heard the stats by now, but for those of us that haven’t here’s a quick recap:

Votto’s batting average? .318. That’s tied for third in the NL.

No. 19’s RBI total? 59. That ties him with Ryan Howard for fourth in the NL.

How about his homeruns? After all even California chicks dig the long ball.  Twenty-one four-baggers, which means that Votto has struck the above pose more times than any other NL player.

Not to mention that his OPS is 1.017, which again is best in the league. 

So how does it happen that the fans, the players, and the manager all got it wrong?

Well actually, I don’t know either.  Perhaps it’s time to change the mandatory player from each team rule… That’s an argument for another day.

Votto says all the right things when asked about the snub, how he is only focused on helping his first place team (it’s still fun to say that) win games.  The guy is a class act through and through.

Joey deserves to be there, and somehow it’s up to all of us to save him.  We are on red alert, the wishbone “c” logo is hovering in the city’s skyline and only we the fans can answer the bell.

Let’s all do the right thing, and get Votto out to the “City of Angels” with his teammates, where he deserves to be.  Even though he won’t admit it, I’m sure that Votto is “California Dreamin’.”

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