THE SPORTS DIVA MAGAZINE

Farewell Ken Griffey Jr.

Oh Griffey. It's been fun. Well somewhat.

I have to be honest. I wasn't so pleased when I learned that the Reds were acquiring Griffey after the 1999 season. Nothing against him, I just didn't understand why they broke up a team that was one win away from the playoffs (Stupid Mets!). But I tried to be optimistic about this. The Reds were getting The Kid. A star in Seattle and the son of Ken Griffey Sr. who contributed to The Big Red Machine's success. How bad could it be?

How bad? Griffey's career in Cincinnati was filled with injury. Season after season. It was sad. It was an "I told you so" on my part but sad. Every season I just kept wondering if Griffey would make it. When he went for that catch, would he be out for the season? When running to a base, would he pull his hamstring? My nerves were wrecked watching him play. So maybe it is a good think that I don't have to deal with that anymore.

Then why am I sad? I've always wondered when Griffey would get traded, we all knew it was inevitable, but this year I sort of began to appreciate him more. With the whole Barry Bonds issue and the Mitchell Report, Griffey Jr,, even with all his injuries, seemed just so lovable. But we have to say goodbye.

It's for the best on both sides. Griffey gets to play for a contender and the Reds get to acquire players that could (better!) make them one. It's been fun, Griffey. Have a great time in Chi-Town. 

The Cincinnati Reds Are 50-58

(Adam Dunn '80s night bobble-head)

I thought we went through this Redlegs. You would get over .500 and pretend to at least vie for the NL wildcard. A 5 game losing streak is not going to helping your cause. The logical side in me knew that the season was over even before the losing streak but the fan in me just didn't doesn't want to give up.

So do me a favor Redlegs. Stop it. Stop playing with my heart this way. Either win or lose. It sounds simple doesn't it? I already have to deal with all the backlash against The Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Bengals turning back into the Bungals. Please Reds, PLEASE. I can't take it anymore. Maybe it's the DayQuil talking (I"m sick right now) but I can't have you pretending to even be pretenders anymore. So do whatever it is you think you need to do and get back to me. I'll let you know if I approve.

Dayton Adds To The Brawl Business

The Dayton Daily News is reporting that the Dayton Dragons were involved in a "brawl" Thursday evening with the Peoria Chiefs. The Dragons are a Class A minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.

It all started when players were being hit by pitches.

"Trouble may have started in the top of the first when Dayton pitcher Kyle Lotzkar hit the second batter, Nate Samson.....Dayton shortstop Zack Cozart had to leave the game after being hit in the head with a pitch and Peoria second baseman Gian Guzman went out with a broken left leg." (DDN)

Then more hit by pitches happened, sliding too hard happened, and then managers getting into it happened. All hell broke lose after that.

"Castillo then threw a pitch close to Brandon Menchaca's head, prompting Dayton manager Donnie Scott to leave the third base coaching box and complain to home plate umpire Tyler Wilson. That prompted interim Peoria manager Carmelo Martinez to join the conversation, which quickly became heated, and when Martinez pushed Scott, the benches emptied." (DDN)

15 players and both managers ended up getting ejected. The July air (this week at least) must bring the brawl out in everyone. The issue at Columbus Crew Stadium, the issue in the WNBA game at the Palace of Auburn Hills and now this. Or maybe something weird is going on in the area.

Two brawls in Ohio and one in Michigan? In one week? And none involving Buckeye/Wolverine madness? Please...Explanations need be made here.

Reds 6 Games Out of Wild Card Spot

The Cincinnati Reds at this moment are 46-49 on the season. They are 11.5 games out of 1st place in the NL Central but are just 6 games out of the NL Wild Card. And it doesn't seem that big of a number either. Only 6 games. If the Reds get on a roll after the All-Star Break then things could surely change for them.

Now let's take a look at the teams in front of them vying for that position:

• St. Louis Cardinals 52-43
• Milwaukee Brewers 51-43
• Florida Marlins 50-44
• New York Mets 50-44

The top two teams are in the Reds division and are fighting with the Cubs for the top spot. The other two teams are behind the Phillies, just barely, and Atlanta is just 6 games behind them. After thinking about it more, those 6 games may be bigger than they seem.

Now the first thing the Reds need to do is get above .500. Easier said than done right? But you can't get where you need to be, unless you're in the NL West, under .500. They are up against the Brewers today and hoping to get the sweep. After the All-Star break they have home series against the NY Mets, the San Diego Padres, and the Colorado Rockies. The Mets are the only team out of this group they will be facing with a record above .500. But they are also in the Reds way of the Wild Card spot. Getting wins against them will help.

So how about getting over .500 Redlegs. After that, we can discuss what else you need to do to get that Wild Card spot.

Cincinnati Reds on Win Streak

The Cincinnati Reds are on a two game winning streak beating the Washington Nationals 5-3 on Thursday night and 3-0 today. And what did that get them? Out of last place in the NL Central. That place is now beheld by the Houston Astros who are a game behind the Reds. Thank you Griffey for the two-run homer. And thank you Arroyo for the shutout. Hey Arroyo, how bout more of that, and less of this:

 

HOPE EVERYONE HAD A HAPPY 4TH!

Reds Win Ohio Cup

It's good to win on the road. Especially against your instate rival. The Cincinnati Reds beat the Cleveland Indians today 9-5 to win the series 2-1. They also swept the Indians when they went to Cincinnati back in May. You know what that means. Ohio Cup for the REDS!

The Reds are still in last place in the NL Central though with a 38-45 record and they are 12 games back of the Chicago Cubs.

There's 13 games remaining until the All Star Break and in those games the Reds face Pittsburgh and Washington at home and on the road waiting for them will be the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers.

Wait...12 games back from the Cubs? Can we get a season do over? I feel like I ask for that every year. For the Reds to even end up at .500 by the All Star Break, they would have to go 10-3 in those games. They do get 7 games at home and 6 on the road so that could mean something. But it doesn't does it. Season do over anyone?

And the Cleveland Indians...by golly! Remember when you went up against the Boston Red Sox in the AL Championship last year? What happened? Seriously, I want to know. The Indians are 37-45 and 9 games back from the White Sox. The Chicago teams seem to be having there way in the Central divisions don't they?

"Poor" Yankees?

By Jodie Lynn Boduch

Gossip On Sports

Once upon a time, "Damn Yankees!" was a phrase uttered by every MLB fan who didn't heart the pinstripes. Now you're more likely to hear a few "Poor Yankees!" by some of the non-grudge-holding fans outside the 212. (Oh, not us. We bleed Boston Red Sox red, which is quite a novelty given the almost garish color. But we digress).

No, it's not that people are delighted that they're a joke this year expressing disappointment in the New York Yankees' season thus far. It's that they've read the New York Post story about how the Yanks need to borrow public funds to the tune of $400M in order to complete the new stadium. No cabbage=no crib for the Bronx Bombers.

Here's a friendly financial tip:  Next time don't waste money trying to dig up a hidden David Ortiz jersey because of superstitious fears it might curse Hank Steinbrenner's boys.

Actually, it seems the cashola issue has more to do with settling an IRS glitch about incurring public debt than anything else. But still, the ballclub probably isn't thrilled, right?

Everybody now, in the key of F Sharp: Awww.

OK, now that we've gotten that out of our systems, everybody hush and listen. Hear that? If the wind blows the right way you can hear Joe Torre chuckling . . .

Congratulations Griffey!

600! Congrats Griffey! Go Reds! 31-34 not so bad, right? Video below of 600 HR. Courtesy of imwritingsports.com.

  Watch more videos at SportsTube!

The NY Mets: Essential Games of Shea Stadium

A&E Home Video and Major League Baseball Productions have released brand-new DVD sets of the NY Mets and the Boston Red Sox. I received an advance copy (thanks Out of Write Field) of the NY Mets set.

There are 6 games included in these sets. The six included here are:

1. The 1969 World Series Game 4 vs. Baltimore Orioles
2. The 1986 NLCS Game 3 vs. Houston Astros
3. The 1989 World Series Game 6 vs. Boston Red Sox
4. The 1999 NLCS Game 5 vs. Atlanta Braves
5. The September 21, 2001 game vs. Atlanta Braves
6. The May 16, 2006 game vs. NY Yankees

A great DVD set. I've also added this set to the TSD Book Club. No it's not a book but we'll pretend this time. Here's a link to where you can purchase this set.

I Still Love You Mr. Redlegs!

The Cincinnati Reds are 14-22 and have the worst record in the NL Central. They are 7.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals. They have not done anything, but lose, to really make any news. At least the players have not. We all know that Mr. Redlegs had some issues the other day. Losing his head and all. But let's learn more about the man who is Mr. Redlegs.

From the Cincinnati Reds MLB site we learn that his favorite foods are sunflower seeds, Skyline Chili Cheese Coneys, and Mr. Redlegs Ice Cream from UDF. His best friends are Mr. Red, Gapper and YOU. He likes batting practice, grand slams and working on the river boats. And he doesn't like strikeouts, losing seasons and the off-season (well, he's obviously had a lot of dislikes lately). And the song playing on his Ipod would be "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". He's a simple man just showing as much love as he can for his favorite team. Even if he ends up getting hurt by doing it.

And then he was everywhere. From SportsCenter, to newspapers, to blogs. Yes, it was funny but this is Mr. Redlegs. A friend to EVERYONE. He calls YOU his best friend. He's always smiling. Even though the Reds aren't the Big Red Machine anymore, he still shows up to do his best to make all fans happy. 

Below is a video of the incident (remixed) found on The Big Lead and courtesy of Joe Sports Fan. While viewing this video, take sometime to remember what you read about Mr. Redlegs. And think before you laugh.