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The weather's starting to warm up a bit, and spring is here. The first pitch of the season is now less than a week away. This makes me happy, because October to April is a long time to be without baseball.
The Cincinnati Reds, who have been my team since I knew what baseball was (courtesy of my Grandma), are likely to blow pretty hard this season. Call it the Curse of the Griffey. They picked up Junior in 2000 for a record contract. Since then, he's managed to get decapitated within the first few weeks of every season. When he signed on, he was the best player of the 1990s. Now, he's the most pathetic of the 2000s. Any producton they get from him is bonus anymore. If they could just convince him to give back his money on that contract that's eating them alive... Beyond this, the Reds just don't seem to understand that all the hard-slugging outfielders in the world don't shut down the opponents like a set of good pitchers. All through the 1990s, the Reds had some hard-hitting teams. The Braves had good pitching. Which team was more successful during that time? I'm happy they picked up pitcher Bronson Arroyo, not because he's stellar (he's not) but because he seems like a cool guy. The fact that such news is my offseason excitement should give you some idea as to the hopes I've got for the season.
Give the new GM time... he's he guy from the Twins, and he did well up there. If he does well in Cincy, he'll be a god. Speaking of the Queen City, 10 seasons is a long time for that city to go without playoffs. I think that's unprecedented in Reds history, and if it goes on much longer the natives will revolt. I've never seen, in all the stadiums I've visited, a more loyal yet demanding and baseball-knowledgeable fanbase than the regulars down there. Reds fans have had success, they want it again, and half of the people there know the team well enough that they could manage it better than most major league personnel. I'm sure that core exists in every ballpark in America... it just is more visible to me in Cincinnati. Funny thing is, many of them are still dedicated to Pete Rose, who is a total scumbag. Everyone has their flaws.
This discussion brings me to a few other points. One: there are no Reds games on television in these parts -- none. Two: there are Indians games on television in these parts, but many of them are on cable. Three: Amy doesn't really care for watching games on television in the first place. This brings me to an odd dilemma: how do I get my baseball fix this summer?
Let's discuss. I could potentially watch Indians games all summer. The team is young, exciting and promising and their games are generally accessible on television in this market. I caught a couple games last year, and enjoyed them. Watching them and actively following them would make me, in some ways, feel like a cheating scumbag. Granted, they're in the AL (instead of the Reds' NL) but they're an in-state rival and I'd still feel the same awful stomach-turning feeling (though in a much smaller scale) that I would if I had thought of sleeping around on Amy. On top of this, most of their games require cable. Would I spend $50 a month just to carry on this affair? It's doubtful that my principles would allow it. I'll have to remain in the closet in regards to the team by the lake.
Another idea is MLB.tv. This video webcasting service offers out-of-market games via the internet for $74.00 a season. I don't know how good the quality would be, or how likely it would be that I would actually watch on the computer, being as how it doesn't exactly lend itself to being something I can do with Amy.
Finally is the Aeros option. Less than 10 minutes from the front door of my home is a AA minor league baseball team that's affiliated with the Indians. The Akron Aeros have a nice looking little ballpark in downtown Akron. Games are $8 each, which is cheaper than going to a movie. For the price of cable, I could take Amy and myself to three games a month. Not bad! The problem with the Aeros is minor: it'd be like babysitting the daughter of someone I have a crush on. If I fall in love with the daughter, wouldn't I be likely to dig the mom even more? The Aeros are in the Indians system, which means any infatuation or enjoyment of Aeros baseball might lead me to the dark side -- the Tribe.
I really think too much about these things. Play ball!
Posted by Your Friendly Neighborhood DJ on March 29, 2006 03:05 PM | Permalink
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