A Red Reporter Observation

I’ll rec ya.

i hadn’t thought of that. it’s amazing what this has done for us psychologically.

makes me wonder how much of some bickering that happens on this site on occasion is attributed to the reds suckitude.

It’s amazing that one big signing can spark so much interest in the team, but for a franchise like ours, this was like a shot in the arm. I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to a spring training like I do this year, with how many players we have coming back and a chance to see Chapman perform.

It’s been awesome seeing the comment counts triple the past few days, even if it’s not all about baseball. Hopefully, these discussions will stay the way they are until spring training, and from then until our Opening Day shellacking of the Cardinals. As mods, we’ll try to keep the conversations flowing. Do whatcha do, Red Reporters, this team we’re so excited about isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Reminds me of another unprecedented and unconventional arrival of a different young Chapman who sought fortune on the banks of the ol’ Ohio River.

We were talking about the Rolen trade (acutally, the Stewart/Roenike part of it), and I said “I think we think we have perfect knowledge of this stuff, and we rarely do.” Specifically, I was addressing what we thought the Reds knew about Stewart; however, we could have just as easily completely misunderstood something else behind that trade.

The Reds are quickly becoming a very young team – the only 30 year old regulars likely to be with the team in ‘11 are Rolen and Phillips; if Harang and/or Arroyo also are gone, those two (and Hanigan) are the only vets period. BP hasn’t proven to me by either his words or actions to be a good leader of young players, while Rolen seems to be a very good leader. Maybe that was why Jockety wanted Rolen so badly, and why he was eager to sign him to an extension that might take him past his useful playing days.

made a move that didn’t seem lateral or backwards. It was bold, it was daring and it was a statement. It wasn’t a 30-plus-year-old 3B or a quick-footed, no-bat CF — it was a move that, in some ways, sent a big FUCK YOU to the rest of baseball.

Mainly, it was the front office saying: “We’re not the Pirates. We can do grand things.”

That’s why, even if Chappy turns out to be a bust I’ll never hate this signing. Ever. Yes, it has made me care more (not that I didn’t care a ton all ready). My optimism has changed because I have tangible evidence that my favorite team appears to be changing.

These last few days have made me feel like a six-year-old again. For that, I’m on Cloud 9.

Am I missing something?

You’ve gotta clean the ‘core’ enclosure thingy every week or so and there is no easy way to clean it because it’s like a lime scale encrusted golf ball encased in a tennis ball sized opening?

Is there some sort of magic solution I should be soaking the thing with before cleaning?

And by ‘cleaning’ I mean stabbing it with a kitchen knife until the hard-ass cruddy shit chips away.

Anyone?

I’m assuming that if had spent more than $23 on the thing I might not have these problems?

and we were commenting on how it’s frustrating to see other teams make lots of moves that we consider to be intelligent, or at least consistent with a plan, while the Reds rarely seemed to do the same. We both admitted to being jealous of several other organizations because of this. We also agreed that the Scott Rolen contract was the first time the Reds seemed to do something contractually creative, and we liked it. I don’t know Justin’s take, but I’ll say that this Chapman deal feels like another use of creativity that we’re not used to seeing from the Reds. Also, Chapman, coupled with the contracts for Yorman and Juan Duran, shows a clear plan – free agent money is going to be spent on upside, not downside. Holy shit, the Reds have a plan!

The funny thing is, the Reds haven’t really done a single thing this off-season to improve their chances of succeeding in 2010, but the fact that the organization’s plan is starting to become clear, makes me feel so much more confident that the future isn’t as bleak as I was starting to think it was.

Also, I take full credit for the improved attitude around the site. Once I stopped showing up so much, people were much happier. Glad I could help!

This could very soon impact ticket sales and that will make for a better organization positioned to contend. Reds attendance has been pathetic and wasn’t looking good at all. Maybe this deal will pay off.

I would think that the fans will clearly react in a positive way when the notion is that the club is taking a step forward. The grumbling over the winter was they were basically being skinflints. This shows they are anything but that and, better still, inclined so show some onions.

ive been thinking this same thing the past coupla days. ever since the religion thread a week or two back, this place has been far more hospitable than ever before, and the chapman deal spawned the biggest postseason threads ever and some of the biggest threads in the history of the site. With a community a fraction of the size, we’ve competed with venerable vets like athletics nation and the daily kos. if this enthusiasm keeps up, slyde will be rich and we can point to this signing as the moment our little community grew up.

nice job, gang. that goes out to everyone.

and if you don’t agree, you’re a flaming cuaffle.

I love you man, and this time I really mean it…thanks Androidis—Madville

See what I did there?

I WANT US TO HAVE A BIG GROUP HUG.

A lot of them aren’t willing to share all their deep dark secrets right away. They prefer to be a little more sensible about that sort of thing than men are.

You know what they say:
1st come love
then comes marriage
then come drolfer with a microscope and a bugacological speciman