The Once Mighty 'Big Red Machine' is Now a Baseball Wasteland - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 08-31-2009, 11:17 PM

http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290831217

CINCINNATI -- Shhh!

A tiny crowd finally cheered when Darnell McDonald scored from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a makeup game played with tennis-match silence most of the time.

Fewer than 2,000 fans showed up for the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Great American Ball Park, which turned into a red-seat echo chamber. Fans could hear the players' banter. Players could hear the fans' chatter. It didn't take long to take a head count.

"I felt like I was back in the Florida State League," said rookie Drew Stubbs, who led off the Reds' first inning with a homer. "I could hear [announcer] Jeff Brantley's voice from out on the concourse and the cars on the highway outside."

Foul balls clattered around the 42,000-seat ballpark. There wasn't much competition for the T-shirts shot into the stands between innings.

"You could hear everything," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "I saw one guy who was missing a finger catch a foul ball, and I could hear him say, 'That hurt like hell,' but he caught it. That's one of those days where everyone could get a foul ball and a T-shirt."

Neither of these teams has been able to get many wins this season, turning it into a matchup of the NL Central's bottom dwellers.

It ended when McDonald scored on Jesse Chavez's wild pitch with two outs in the ninth. McDonald got the first of Cincinnati's two singles off Chavez (0-4), who then skipped a pitch past catcher Jason Jaramillo. Nick Masset (5-1) got the victory with one inning in relief on an eery afternoon.

"You could hear everything," McDonald said. "I think that makes it harder to focus when you can hear individual comments."

The game originally was rained out on April 10. A lot of bad things have happened to both teams since.

The Pirates went on yet another trading spree, getting rid of most of their starters. Only Ryan Doumit and Adam LaRoche are left from the lineup that manager John Russell wrote out on that rainy April 10 night.

For the Reds, it's been all about injuries. Every starter from that game has been sidelined at some point in the season -- 18 players overall have gone on the disabled list. Joey Votto was the only mainstay left in the lineup from April.

The mood matched the moment.

When the game began, 11 fans were scattered in the upper-deck bleachers in left field, attended by two ushers. When Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen -- called up before the game and given No. 62 -- threw a 92 mph fastball for his first pitch in the majors, a fan behind the Pirates dugout yelled: "There you go!"

The next pitch was gone, a homer by Stubbs into the lower deck in left. Two fans gave chase as the ball bounced up the empty concrete aisle.

After the fourth inning, the video board showed one fan surrounded by empty seats and played Eric Carmen's "All By Myself," drawing a smattering of applause and laughs from the other fans who knew the feeling.

McCutchen was glad that the crowd was small and subdued -- better to help him get through the debut jitters that started when he bolted awake at 4:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. He singled home a run in his first at-bat, and settled down after Stubbs' homer, lasting six innings.

"I was a little antsy, trying to block that crowd out," he said, breaking into a grin. "That's a joke there."

He had no trouble hearing shouts of encouragement from the handful of relatives who drove 13 hours overnight to sit behind the Pirates' dugout.

"I heard a few of them a few times," McCutchen said.

The loss left Pittsburgh only six shy of becoming the first major American professional team to string together 17 straight losing seasons. The Reds are nine losses from clinching their ninth straight losing season, their longest streak of futility since the 1950s.

Mr. Television · 08-31-2009, 11:23 PM

It's sad how the mighty have fallen.

Brian Damage · 08-31-2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

It's sad how the mighty have fallen.

I agree, I mean back in the day the Reds were unbeatable.

Marvo301 · 08-31-2009, 11:46 PM

The day's of The Big Red Machine and We Are Family are ancient history for these two teams. It's sad what has happened to these two great ball clubs since those days.

Brian Damage · 08-31-2009, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvo301

The day's of The Big Red Machine and We Are Family are ancient history for these two teams. It's sad what has happened to these two great ball clubs since those days.

I agree, well said

Big C · 09-01-2009, 12:27 AM

They're still better off than the Pirates.

MikeLutton · 09-01-2009, 11:44 AM

i though u was talking about wwe big red machine kane for second when i saw the title lol

James · 09-01-2009, 12:47 PM

It's sad that the Reds have done basically nothing since their 1990 World Series championship, which happened before Bud Selig took the reins as Commissioner

. I remember that very well (I was 18), and for the longest time I wanted the Reds to win a World Series.

Personally I believe free agency is to blame, as well as the skyrocketing salaries. Like it's been stated already, the Reds used to be unbeatable.

James · 09-03-2009, 01:15 PM

When I saw that article I remembered a Rick Reilly piece in Sports Illustrated that was very similar regarding the Montreal Expos. Entitled "Underexposed", it was from the October 8, 2001, edition. Amazingly you can still read it at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...3928/index.htm !

Of course, the Expos eventually did leave and became the Washington Nationals. Hopefully the Reds won't leave Cincinnati!

TVFactFan · 09-03-2009, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

It's sad that the Reds have done basically nothing since their 1990 World Series championship, which happened before Bud Selig took the reins as Commissioner

. I remember that very well (I was 18), and for the longest time I wanted the Reds to win a World Series.

Personally I believe free agency is to blame, as well as the skyrocketing salaries. Like it's been stated already, the Reds used to be unbeatable.

They won the WS in 1990? For some reason I don't remember that

Wreckless · 09-03-2009, 05:19 PM

The Reds & Pirates are a joke now haha.

James · 09-04-2009, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLifeAdjuster

They won the WS in 1990? For some reason I don't remember that

They did, Solomon. They beat the Oakland A's 4 games to 0, shocking the baseball world. Interestingly, they had to beat the previously mentioned Pirates to make it to the Series. (Of note, I got to see Game 1 at Riverfront Stadium!)

TVFactFan · 09-04-2009, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James

They did, Solomon. They beat the Oakland A's 4 games to 0, shocking the baseball world. Interestingly, they had to beat the previously mentioned Pirates to make it to the Series. (Of note, I got to see Game 1 at Riverfront Stadium!)

Upsets are more likely in baseball anyway because it's all about the pitching.

MrCleveland · 09-04-2009, 06:43 PM

The Reds haven't been the same since Pete Rose left.

They really should bring back Rose into the MLB. He has more charisma than anyone who took steroids in baseball!

08-31-2009, 11:17 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	The Once Mighty 'Big Red Machine' is Now a Baseball Wasteland http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=290831217 CINCINNATI -- Shhh! A tiny crowd finally cheered when Darnell McDonald scored from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, giving the Cincinnati Reds a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in a makeup game played with tennis-match silence most of the time. Fewer than 2,000 fans showed up for the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Great American Ball Park, which turned into a red-seat echo chamber. Fans could hear the players' banter. Players could hear the fans' chatter. It didn't take long to take a head count. "I felt like I was back in the Florida State League," said rookie Drew Stubbs, who led off the Reds' first inning with a homer. "I could hear [announcer] Jeff Brantley's voice from out on the concourse and the cars on the highway outside." Foul balls clattered around the 42,000-seat ballpark. There wasn't much competition for the T-shirts shot into the stands between innings. "You could hear everything," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "I saw one guy who was missing a finger catch a foul ball, and I could hear him say, 'That hurt like hell,' but he caught it. That's one of those days where everyone could get a foul ball and a T-shirt." Neither of these teams has been able to get many wins this season, turning it into a matchup of the NL Central's bottom dwellers. It ended when McDonald scored on Jesse Chavez's wild pitch with two outs in the ninth. McDonald got the first of Cincinnati's two singles off Chavez (0-4), who then skipped a pitch past catcher Jason Jaramillo. Nick Masset (5-1) got the victory with one inning in relief on an eery afternoon. "You could hear everything," McDonald said. "I think that makes it harder to focus when you can hear individual comments." The game originally was rained out on April 10. A lot of bad things have happened to both teams since. The Pirates went on yet another trading spree, getting rid of most of their starters. Only Ryan Doumit and Adam LaRoche are left from the lineup that manager John Russell wrote out on that rainy April 10 night. For the Reds, it's been all about injuries. Every starter from that game has been sidelined at some point in the season -- 18 players overall have gone on the disabled list. Joey Votto was the only mainstay left in the lineup from April. The mood matched the moment. When the game began, 11 fans were scattered in the upper-deck bleachers in left field, attended by two ushers. When Pirates starter Daniel McCutchen -- called up before the game and given No. 62 -- threw a 92 mph fastball for his first pitch in the majors, a fan behind the Pirates dugout yelled: "There you go!" The next pitch was gone, a homer by Stubbs into the lower deck in left. Two fans gave chase as the ball bounced up the empty concrete aisle. After the fourth inning, the video board showed one fan surrounded by empty seats and played Eric Carmen's "All By Myself," drawing a smattering of applause and laughs from the other fans who knew the feeling. McCutchen was glad that the crowd was small and subdued -- better to help him get through the debut jitters that started when he bolted awake at 4:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep. He singled home a run in his first at-bat, and settled down after Stubbs' homer, lasting six innings. "I was a little antsy, trying to block that crowd out," he said, breaking into a grin. "That's a joke there." He had no trouble hearing shouts of encouragement from the handful of relatives who drove 13 hours overnight to sit behind the Pirates' dugout. "I heard a few of them a few times," McCutchen said. The loss left Pittsburgh only six shy of becoming the first major American professional team to string together 17 straight losing seasons. The Reds are nine losses from clinching their ninth straight losing season, their longest streak of futility since the 1950s. Attached Images
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08-31-2009, 11:23 PM	#2
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	It's sad how the mighty have fallen.
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08-31-2009, 11:46 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,461	The day's of The Big Red Machine and We Are Family are ancient history for these two teams. It's sad what has happened to these two great ball clubs since those days.
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09-01-2009, 11:44 AM	#7
MikeLutton Mike Lutton DVD Legend! Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 05, 2005 Location: usa pennsyvania Posts: 6,888	i though u was talking about wwe big red machine kane for second when i saw the title lol
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09-04-2009, 06:43 PM	#14
MrCleveland Drew Carey from Hell Forum Star Join Date: Nov 10, 2007 Location: The City of Cleveland, in The State of Cleveland, in The United States of Cleveland Posts: 14,236	The Reds haven't been the same since Pete Rose left. They really should bring back Rose into the MLB. He has more charisma than anyone who took steroids in baseball!
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09-01-2009, 12:27 AM	#6
Big C I Heart Angie Watson Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 21, 2006 Posts: 3,531	They're still better off than the Pirates.

09-01-2009, 12:47 PM	#8
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	It's sad that the Reds have done basically nothing since their 1990 World Series championship, which happened before Bud Selig took the reins as Commissioner . I remember that very well (I was 18), and for the longest time I wanted the Reds to win a World Series. Personally I believe free agency is to blame, as well as the skyrocketing salaries. Like it's been stated already, the Reds used to be unbeatable.

09-03-2009, 01:15 PM	#9
James Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 07, 2001 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Posts: 6,370	When I saw that article I remembered a Rick Reilly piece in Sports Illustrated that was very similar regarding the Montreal Expos. Entitled "Underexposed", it was from the October 8, 2001, edition. Amazingly you can still read it at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...3928/index.htm ! Of course, the Expos eventually did leave and became the Washington Nationals. Hopefully the Reds won't leave Cincinnati!

09-03-2009, 05:19 PM	#11
Wreckless Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 04, 2007 Location: Banned Posts: 9,406	The Reds & Pirates are a joke now haha.