The Odd Stat(s) of the Week, Redlegs Edition

Issue: Does anyone really care about the Reds anymore?

Short Answer: Well, no.  But I live in Cincinnati and so do most of my readers...

Reasoning: The city of Cincinnati was a fun place to be last September.  Jay Bruce's walk-off homer to clinch the NL Central was an excitement the people of the Queen City hadn't experienced in years.  Alright, decades.  Even though the Redlegs laid an egg in the NLDS (remember the Halladay no-hitter?), it was fun to see the Reds back in the playoffs after a long lay-off.  Last season also laid the ground work for another run at the playoffs in 2011.  Or, so we thought.  The Reds had a walk-off win on Opening Day, and we fans thought that was a sign the cardiac Reds would once again find a way to win the NL Central and get swept by the Phillies.  Again.  As it turns out, 2011 was a different year.  I have collected a few stats (mostly emails from my brother, with stats taken from Lance McAlister's blog) that show what a crazy year it has been in Cincinnati.

1. People (especially in Cincinnati) expect too much from closers.  In Cincinnati, not many Reds catch as much grief as Francisco Cordero, our drastically overpaid closer (see?).  Many people want him traded, cut, or tarred and feathered.  Every time he blows a save, someone in Cincinnati inevitably puts together a "how about Drew Stubbs [player we would love to get rid of] for Mariano Rivera [player anyone would love to have]" type trade.  Yeah, keep dreaming.  I have always stood up for Cordero, strictly as a closer.  He is overpaid (as are most closers), but he isn't bad at his job.  As of September 6 (I told you I have been collecting these for awhile), Cordero had 30 saves.  Of those 30, 17 of them came in a perfect inning (i.e., 3 up, 3 down).  Where did that rank him in Major League Baseball (not just the NL)?  3rd.  Behind only the best closer of all time, Mariano Rivera (22) and obvious NL Rookie of the Year, the Braves Craig Kimbrell (18).  Lesson learned?  Cordero will blow saves, as all closers do.  But, when he doesn't blow a save, he is very efficient at his job.
2. Open your eyes Drew!  Drew Stubbs is a phenomenal athlete.  He plays a wonderful center field.  He steals bases.  And, boy, does he know how to strikeout.  Stubbs is a prototypical lead-off hitter, other than the fact that he has struck out more than Adam Dunn this year.  Unfortunately, that is not a joke.  Drew Stubbs has made himself a new friend this year though - Mark Reynolds.  For those that are confused, Mark Reynolds is the third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles.  Why is he Stubbs' new best friend?  Because Reynolds led Major League Baseball in strikeouts in 2008, 2009, and 2010.  Thanks to Stubbs, he won't lead in 2011.  Stubbs has struck out 200 times in in 586 at-bats this year.  For you non-math-majors out there, that is more than once every three times up (1 every 2.93 at-bats).  More than once a game (1.32/game).  More strikeouts than hits (by 57).  How about some comparison - it took Joe Dimaggio (I realize I'm comparing apples and green beans here (because Stubbs isn't even an orange to Dimaggio's apple) 7 years to strikeout 196 times (976 games; 4.417 plate appearances); and it took Tony Gwynn 11 years to strikeout 201 times (1,380 games; 5,705 plate appearances); in 1976 Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, and Dave Concepcion struck out 163 times COMBINED (1,934 plate appearances).  I love Drew Stubbs as a player, but with the number of strikeouts he has this year, he can't be in the future plans for the Reds.  Unless they fire Brook Jacoby (Reds' hitting coach), since he hasn't been able to help much either.
3. Gotta beat the teams you're supposed to.  The Reds basically have the same team they did last year, when the won the NL Central.  So, what changed?  Obviously, the Reds did not have nearly as many come-from-behind wins as they did a year ago.  It just can't happen all the time.  Maybe, if the Reds had beat the teams they were supposed to, the 2011 edition would have been one of "Repeat Champions."  The Reds' record right now is 76-80.  Not good.  However, upon closer examination, the Reds record is so unsexy (if it isn't a word, it should be - think...chicks picking their noses) because of what they did against teams under .500.  The Reds are 36-37 against teams at or above .500, which, in my opinion, is pretty darn good.  Against teams under .500...40-43, which, is nothing short of awful.  This record includes 11-7 against the hapless Cubs, 1-5 against their in-state rival Indians, 0-4 against the Mets, 4-8 against the Pirates (yeah, they were going to hang onto that first-half lead), and 1-2 versus both the Blue Jays and Orioles.  The Cardinals against teams .500 or worse?  59-46.  The Brewers?  68-33.  What a difference a year makes.
4. And then there's Joey Votto.  Votto has 118 career home runs.  I have often said that when it is all said and done, Joey Votto will be considered one of the greatest hitters ever (although, I have heard he won't be considered one of the greatest people ever, but that is neither here, nor there).  He knows how to hit, period.  I watch him hit home runs to left-center field that announcers marvel at ("Look at that opposite field power!!"), but, that is what Votto is trying to do.  He is trying to hit every ball into the opposite gap (just trust me on this one, alright?).  How good of a hitter is Joey Votto?  This good - of his 118 home runs, 29 have gone to right field (24.9%), 16 to right-center field (13.6%), 23 to center field (19.5%), 24 to left-center field (20.3%), and 26 to left field (22%).  One word: ridiculous.  No one hits to all fields like Joey Votto.  No one.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why he will be one of the best, when it's all said and done (too bad most of it won't be done in a Reds uniform - we just can't afford him).

Here is to 2012 being more like 2010 than 2011.  It may be Votto's last year in a Reds uniform (even though I think he may be playing his last now - we ought to trade him while his value is high, and he isn't owed $17 million the next year (he is only (ONLY) owed $9 million in 2012), so we better do it fast.  I still love ye Redlegs, for better or for worse.  Mostly worse.

Girls vs. Jesus

Issue: Do girls or Jesus cause more controversy?

Short Answer: Apparently Jesus does...

Reasoning: For those of you who did not, or do not, attend St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, well, you are heathens.  I kid (sort of).  Seriously though, St. Xavier is a Jesuit, all-boys high school in the Queen City, which I attended many (many) years ago.  When I was in high school there, we sucked at football.  Now, St. X is a legitimate national power.  They have won two state championships since 2005, and sit at 3-0 this year.  St. X often finds themselves ranked nationally, right now sitting in the #16 slot (side note: Moeller High School is ranked #26, meaning the Greater Catholic League, a league with only 4 teams (Elder and LaSalle are the other two) has two of them ranked in the top 26 in the country, and all four schools are ranked in the top 9 in the state.  Not bad.).  So, Cincinnati was abuzz last Friday when the then #25 St. X Bombers (a private school) travelled to play the nationally ranked #22 Colerain Cardinals (a public school) in what turned out to be a phenomenal game.  What happened after the game, unfortunately, is what has been reported on more than the game itself.

Here is how the game ended: With St. X up 17-14, Colerain drove down to the St. X 28-yard line.  Colerain then set up to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which, for a high school kicker is not an easy kick.  But Colerain's kicker is one of the best in the city, so him making it was not even close to out of the realm of possibility.  Steve Specht, St. X's head coach, had a few tricks up his sleeve, however.  Right before Colerain snapped the ball for the field goal attempt, Specht called timeout.  When Colerain lined up again for the attempt, Specht called another timeout.  Colerain lined up, again, to attempt the field goal, and Specht called St. X's final timeout.  No use taking timeouts to the locker room, right?  Finally, after three straight timeouts, Colerain lined up for the kick, and missed.  St. X wins.  You can imagine how upset the Colerain players, coaches, and fans probably felt at that very moment.  The Colerain student section then decided they didn't like to lose, and let the St. X students know that "WE'VE GOT GIRLS!!!"  In retaliation to that, the St. X student section let loose with "WE'VE GOT JESUS!!!"  Colerain head coach Tom Bolden didn't like that too much, broke out of the team huddle, and proceeded to chastise the St. X student section.  My question is: Why?

Let's take a look at both chants.  "WE'VE GOT GIRLS," is unoriginal at best.  Chants like this were going on when I was in high school and probably decades before that.  Opposing schools lock on to the one thing that is clearly different about St. X, and go with it.  The implication here is that if you go to school with all boys, then you are clearly a homosexual.  Which, when we are talking about high-schoolers, seems like an awful thing to be chanting about at a football game.  There are all-girls schools in Cincinnati too; do you think they hear chants like "WE'VE GOT BOYS!!!" at their sporting events?  I should think not.  However, as a St. X student, you understand why opposing schools chant what they chant, and you deal with it.  The problem is, St. X students are not allowed to chant things that make fun of other schools (e.g., "THAT'S ALRIGHT, THAT'S OK, YOU'RE GONNA WORK FOR US SOMEDAY!!!"), as the administration will not allow it.  So, the St. X students chanted "WE'VE GOT JESUS!!!"  This chant is clearly original, and, well, clearly funny.  I'm assuming the implication here is, since "we have Jesus," that you, i.e., Colerain, does not have Jesus.  Or, at least that would explain Tom Bolden's reaction.  But, I believe there is more too it than that.  St. X kids are too smart for that (at least I think - St. X kids are sometimes the dumbest smart kids I know).  The St. X student body doesn't defend going to school with all boys.  We understand how that looks to a bunch of teenagers who go to co-ed schools.  If they allowed girls at St. X, not one kid there would complain.  So, we roll with it.  Colerain chants "WE'VE GOT GIRLS!!!" so the St. X body says "well, you've got us there," but, at least "WE'VE GOT JESUS!!!"  See what I mean?

This is basically a non-issue.  I've in fact been informed that the two coaches have talked, and both realize this has been sensationalized by the media.  And, the fact that the game involved two teams ranked in the top 25 in the country, means it has reached the national media.  Don't believe me?  Check this out.  It's a shame such a good game has turned into talks about teenagers chanting after the game.  Although, to be fair, St. X snapped Colerain's 61-game home winning streak, so perhaps they forgot how to be gracious losers.

#16 St. X takes on #3 Louisville Trinity at St. X High School this Friday.  Let's hope the two teams leave girls and Jesus out of it, and just play some football.  Go Bombers!!

The Big XII Dilemma

Issue: What is going on in the heartland?

Short Answer: The Big XII is falling apart, thanks to ESPN.

Reasoning: The first weekend of college football is in the books, and, although there were some great games (and some blowouts), what I will remember most about the weekend is the national coverage Texas A&M received for wanting to leave the Big XII.  The SEC was their destination, but the SEC decided they do not want to expand.  Yet.  For those of you who watch (or read) ESPN for your sports news, I expect that you have no idea why Texas A&M was attempting to bolt the Big XII, mere hours before the college football season started.  That is because when you have a monopoly on sports news and reporting, like ESPN does, you need not report negative stories about yourself.  Must be nice.

Let's play make-believe.  You are the Athletic Director at Texas A&M, a middle-of-the-road Big XII school.  Sure, you have a good athletic program, but competing with Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri is quite difficult.  Then ESPN comes along and makes it nearly impossible to compete.  How is ESPN responsible for the (soon-to-be) ultimate collapse of the Big XII?  Well, "[s]ince the joint partnership between ESPN and the University of Texas was announced, many have cried foul. Texas' bitter rival, Texas A&M, has even made plans to leave the conference, a decision that was propelled by the announcement of the Longhorn Network."  In my opinion, a great move by Texas A&M.  So, shouldn't schools like Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Kansas State be right on the Aggies heals, attempting to find a newer, fairer conference than the Big XII?  I sure as heck would be.

Some of you out there may be wondering why a network televising all things UT all the time, is a problem for other schools in the Big XII.  Let's play make-believe again.  You are an 18-year old, stud football player from the state of Texas (this is truly make-believe!).  You are being recruited by Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State.  If you go to any school, besides Texas, you may play a few games on TV every year.  If you go to Texas, every single play you ever play on a football field, will be on television.  Think of a baseball player, or tennis player, being recruited by Texas, being told all of their games will be on TV too!  Isn't that an easy decision for a kid to make?  Why wouldn't you go to Texas?  Exactly.

The ultimate question is this: Is there any University out there that needs its own network?  The answer is simple: Hell no.  The University of Texas is good in almost every sport, from women's volleyball to men's football, they compete in the upper echelon of every single one.  But still, is there enough drama and excitement, 24/7/365, to fill a network with compelling television?  Those of us who have the Big 10 (or is it the Big 100?  Beats me.) Network know there isn't.  And that is a network dedicated to an entire conference, not just one school.  Ever watched Minnesota vs. Northwestern in women's volleyball?  Yeah, me either.  I'd rather watch re-runs of Pawn Stars that I have already seen three times.  I am rooting for the Longhorn Network to fail miserably, partly because I don't think one University supplies enough substance to fill up and entire network, and partly because I hate ESPN.  See, "[w]ith [ESPN] investing such a large sum of money into a single university, there is a chance, for good reason, that ESPN will lose a great deal of its credibility when reporting Texas-related stories. And credibility is not something that can be bought back."  Funny, I didn't know ESPN still had any credibility left.