Could this year's team challenge for the worst record in Reds history?
by Slyde on Aug 24, 2009 3:45 PM EDT
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PrintAs of today, the Reds aren't a last place team. It could still happen though, as their lead over the Pirates is just a half game, so it won't take much to drop back to that spot.
We've also noted that the Reds have a shot at finishing with the worst record in the Majors, though that looks unlikely as well. With 4 teams and 8.5 games separating the Reds and the Nationals, it's doubtful that the Reds will find themselves with the first pick in the 2010 draft.
Is there anything that can make this miserable season noteworthy for us fans? Well, maybe...
With a 52-71 record, the 2009 Reds are tied for the 16th worst record in franchise history after 123 games. More notably, perhaps, they are tied for the 3rd worst record since 1950, behind only the 1982 squad at 47-76 and the 2001 team that was 48-64.
As bad as their record has been, their expected winning percentage is the 11th worst in franchise history at this point in the season. This means that we can't really blame luck, at least not luck on the field, as the culprit. Sure, injuries have been an issue, but past teams have had injuries and managed to tread water. This team has been plummeting straight down for the last month and a half.
Famously, the Reds have only had one team lose 100 games in a season in their history. That was the 1982 squad, which managed a paltry 61-101 record just a year after the team had the best combined record in baseball for the strike shortened 1981season. However, this has as much to do with season length as anything, as there have been at least 5 other teams with records bad enough that it's reasonable to think they could have lost 100 games if given a 162-game season to try it in*.
* If you think the last 8 seasons have been bad, look at the stretch the team had from 1929-1937. They had a losing record in each of those seasons, including 6 of the 8 worst records in franchise history and 5 teams that could have lost 100 games if only they had more time. On the upside, they had a winning record in each year from 1938 to 1944, including 2 World Series appearances and a World Series win. So, all we need is a world war that will require a number of stars in the league to sign up for military service and the ship will be righted.
This current Reds squad is on pace to go 68-94, which would only be the third worst record this decade, but I don't think that means that 100 losses is out of the question. On July 7th, the Reds were at .500 (41-41) for the last time this season. Since then, they have gone a ridiculous 11-30. If the team continues that pace over the remaining 39 games, they'd go around 10-29, which would put them at exactly at 62-100, making them the 2nd time in team history that they officially reached triple-digits in losses. Given the recent performance, injuries, and lack of high-quality talent coming from the minors for the rest of the season, I don't think a 10-29 stretch is unreasonable. Heck, it might well be unavoidable.
The good news is that the Reds are probably unlikely to break the franchise record for worst winning percentage in a season. That record belongs to the 1934 team, whose .344 winning percentage would translate to around a 56-106 record. In order to fall below that, the 2009 team would need to go 3-36 the rest of the way. They've been bad, but I don't see any way they'll finish the season that poorly. Do you?
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10 reasons why 100 wins in not at allout of the question:
1. Edison Volquez – out for the season
2. Adam Harang – out for the season
3. Jay Bruce – out for almost all of the season
3. Hernia – out for almost all of the season
5. Ceuto – out for the season
6. Hanigan – Broke neck
7, Dickerson – Broke ankle
8. Rolen – out for almost all of the season
9. Wily Taveris – played most of the season
10. Dusty “The Inflexible” Baker
So with Jannis at SS and Sutton playing everywhere, and absolutely no bench – Rosy, Taintum, Ballentine, whoever comes up from AAA
And one decent Vet. pitcher – Bronson, one guy getting better slowly – Homer and then Lehr, Owings and ______. (fill in the blank – Wells? Maloney?)
The reds have no offense, no bench, one decent starter every 5 days, an overworked bullpen and the worst possible manager for this kind of situation ( not that any manager could much at this point)…this all points to many more losses…possibly more than 100.
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
Uh....tpyographical error due to having to sneak around at workk
IS NOT INN
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
reason #11
We a pretty difficult schedule the remaining 39 days, besides the 10 against PIT.
3 MIL
3 LAD
3 ATL
4 COL
3 CHC
6 HOU
4 FLA
3 STL
10 PIT
by Dave from Louisville on Aug 24, 2009 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions
allout of the question:
should be OUT OF THE QUESTION
Sorry ‘tHan’ I am typographically challenged.
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
damn, this is the typo thread, ain't it?
"And then there was the USAID guy in Kandahar who drove a giant pink Cadillac, which the locals set on fire one day. If you wanted to destroy something symbolic during a riot, you just could not do better than that. Good stuff." - Ghosts of Alexander
by Cy Schourek on Aug 24, 2009 8:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Um
Should we just shut down comments for this thread now?
39-40 World Series teams
. So, all we need is a world war that will require a number of stars in the league to sign up for military service and the ship will be righted.
The Germans had yet to bomb Pearl Harbor when the Reds were swept by the Yankees in ’39 and beat Detroit in 7 games in 1940.
I know the war helped for the rest of those years but the two pennants were legit.
Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
by Caleb on Aug 24, 2009 6:53 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
I realize that
Just utilizing a bit of sarcasm.
"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty
by Slyde on Aug 24, 2009 7:17 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
rec'd
for the Animal House reference
Nobody listens to Andrew
by nlt-andrew68 on Aug 24, 2009 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions
This should really be a FanPost
/snark’d
by Brian B on Aug 24, 2009 7:02 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I went with 80-84
because I’m feeling optimistic. I actually think we won’t lose 100, but it might get close. I’m sticking with the 80-84.
"As of today, the Reds aren't a last place team."
I disagree. They just happen to be in the right division.
"I heard he punched Cowboy in the face, grabbed his own balls and said: 'Clutch this.'" ~ obc
The only division in which they'd be in last place is the AL West
"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty
Give it a month.
Still, literally last place or not, this team just seems like it belongs there. The fact that the blown up AA Pirates are the only thing between us and the cellar doesn’t seem to make that much of a difference.
"I heard he punched Cowboy in the face, grabbed his own balls and said: 'Clutch this.'" ~ obc
did Joe Posnanski ghostwrite this?
Nice use of the pozsterisk
"And then there was the USAID guy in Kandahar who drove a giant pink Cadillac, which the locals set on fire one day. If you wanted to destroy something symbolic during a riot, you just could not do better than that. Good stuff." - Ghosts of Alexander
Why didn't we get a Farmers Only post today
Someone better lose their job over this.
by Brian B on Aug 24, 2009 10:17 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
No farmers only
And redsminorleagues.com went tits up. You’ll have to go to redlegnation for your farm fix.
29 more losses to 100. Being a Reds fan should be justification for medical marijuana.
by RedsMasochist on Aug 24, 2009 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions
As far as I know he was having trouble with his host provider
This is what I gathered from reading the topics about it that he posted on the site. He kept having site outages that lasted whole days. He complained to the host provider, and even remarked on the site that he was going to try to find a new host at the end of the month. Then, a couple of days ago, I hit the site and it came up as an empty wordpress blog. Yesterday it came back up, with information lost from 8-8-09 on. Then I went back today and everything posted for the last year or so was gone. He’s got a message up that he’s working on the site, but it must really suck to lose so much information that he put a lot of work into.
29 more losses to 100. Being a Reds fan should be justification for medical marijuana.
by RedsMasochist on Aug 25, 2009 2:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Could a team with a roster that included
Dan Driessen, Davey Concepcion, Johnny Bench, Cesar Cedeno, Tom Seaver and Mario Soto be even worse than the 2009 Reds? Absolutely. The 1982 Reds were shockingly bad.
How bad, you dare ask? Pitcher Bruce Berenyi’s .306 slugging percentage was better than six non-pitchers on the club. Berenyi’s .242 batting average was better than eight of the Reds’ non-pitchers, including starting right fielder Paul Householder. So inept were the Reds offensively that Berenyi posted a 3.36 ERA and finished with a 9-18 record.
We Are ... Marshall!
by Thundering Turtle on Aug 25, 2009 9:21 AM EDT reply actions
Of course, now that I look at the 2009 Reds stats,
Berenyi would be outslugging six of these guys and would have a better batting average than 11 non-pitchers who have played, or are playing, this season. Good golly.
We Are ... Marshall!
by Thundering Turtle on Aug 25, 2009 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Yep, this season has rapidly devolved into a steaming pile
29 more losses to 100. Being a Reds fan should be justification for medical marijuana.
by RedsMasochist on Aug 25, 2009 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions
As Bad As This Team Is...
…it’s not the ‘82 squad. We had a starting lineup filled with Paul Householder (a switch hitter who couldn’t switch hit to save his life), Johnny Bench at third base (beating up dugouts and stands behind first base), and a 168 pound catcher. Dan Driessen led the team in homers with 17, no one had more than 60 ribbies, and our relief ace (Cincy’s current bullpen coach) couldn’t brake a pane of glass with his throwing arm (even temporarily losing his job to a crazy man who went on to become even more famous in Japan). Outside of Mario Soto it was an utterly forgettable team. I remember them because I was 12 and endured that horrible season with every painful loss (and this after the ‘81 squad had the best record in baseball but didn’t make the playoffs). I always thought that I earned my stripes that season, but I’ll never forget the game that season in which we lost to the Phillies after a Mario Soto fight, a game we lost because Bench threw one away (as he did so many that season).
The ‘09 team is bad, but they could’ve been better, particularly with a better field manager and someone who could deal with ballplayers under the age of 30 in a way that would develop their skill and talents. Instead, we get to watch Willie Taveras imitate Corey Paterson, Alex Gonzalez pretend to be a starting short stop, and our outfield wither away (which it has done since the Dunn trade). A better manager would have never given some of these players so much playing time (never mind batting an out machine lead off). But even with all of that, as bad as this is, nothing compares to watching Tom Seaver being reduced to a batting practice pitcher and dead weights like Dave Van Gorder, Tom Lawless, and Duane Walker being passed off as ‘prospects.’ That was a painful team to watch.
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