2012 All-Star Game Recap
Today is the last day of the All-Star Break, finally. Prince Fielder won the Home Run Derby and the National League blew the American League out of the water in shutout fashion, 8-0. The Reds players weren't exactly part of that offensive blowout. Joey and Jay were a combined 0-for-5. Aroldis got his chance to pitch as well. He threw 18 pitches, walking his first batter and striking out the next. He wasn't terrific, but he did give Kansas City and other AL fans a chance to see his nasty velocity. If you are a Giants fan, it was a great game for you to enjoy. Pablo Sandoval, Melky Cabrera (MVP) and Matt Cain (Winning Pitcher) all were terrific. But enough of that! Onward to the second half of the season please!
REDS vs. CARDINALS (WLBs)
Whiny. Little. B*tches. Hey, those aren't my words! But I will defend them as if they were my own. The Reds and Cardinals have created a baseball rivalry that is second only to the Red Sox/Yankees. It is hateful. It is bitter. It is vengeful. It began in the 2010 season. Our colorful and outspoken, yet beloved by fans everywhere, Brandon Phillips is probably the biggest culprit on Cincy's end of the disgust. But it takes two to tango, or in this case, two whole ballclubs and its managers. How did it come to be like this you ask? Well, let's cover that story:
- On August 9th, the Reds were in first place by one game over the Cardinals. It had been a tight race most of the year.
- After game one in a three-game series versus the Cardinals, Brandon Phillips had some choice words to say regarding his opponents. He talked about how pitcher Chris Carpenter was disrepectful to his own teammates on the field during play. How the Cards nitpicked everything and b*tched and moaned about every little thing. Phillips tells it like it is.
- The next day, August 10, 2010, Brandon Phillips walked up to the plate to lead off for the Reds in the bottom of the first inning. BP always taps his bat on the catcher's knee pad when steps into the hitter's box. It's just the way Brandon says, "what's up?" when he comes to plate. However, Yadier Molina, the Cards' catcher, was a little sensitive and fiesty seeing as Phillips' choice remarks weren't even 24 hours old yet.
- Below, is the immediate reaction:
- The benches cleared. It was pandemonium at first, as players were pairing up against their counterparts and using their words. Then chaos struck and badmouthing became shoving, punching, and an all out brawl.
- Even managers Dusty Baker and Tony LaRussa were so fired up at one another that everyone thought they may see a physical fight amongst skippers. All in all, the Reds/Cardinals infamous brawl lasted seven minutes. That is long time for a brawl to last in a sport that doesn't incorporate fighting in its rulebook. ...Unless you want to discuss the Malice at The Palace featuring the Pacers and Pistons.
- Some players were suspended, some were injured, but all retained the hatred for one another.
- Reds ace Johnny Cueto was pinned up against the wall and screen, and nearly crushed. He used his legs to get to safety and by doing so, he kicked former Reds catcher Jason LaRue right in head. LaRue suffered a concussion and never played another game. In my opinion, LaRue should've already retired anyway. He was terrible.
- The saga has continued between these two clubs over the last two seasons as well. The Reds won the Central in 2010, despite going 6-12 against the Cardinals that season. Then the Reds had an underwhelming 2011 season and the Cardinals went to win the Wildcard and eventually the World Series. But right now, the Reds are top dogs. And by that I mean we have a better record than the Cardinals to date, and we are more youthful and set for the long run, not just 2012.
- Here is a link that shows the five most intense moments of the recent Reds/WLBs rivalry.
Reds/Cards Brawl (Behind Home Plate View):
The Rivalry:
Are you Ready?
-Game time 7:10pm tomorrow. The WLBs (46-40) are coming to the Queen City 1.5 games back of the Redlegs (47-38). The Reds enter the second half only one game out of first place. If you ask me, it is more important to beat up on the WLBs and Brewers than it is the Pirates. I just don't think the Bucco's offense can carry them to a division title. It's Latos (7-2, 4.13) vs Wainwright (7-8, 4.56). The Pirates will be in Milwaukee.
As an outside observer of this brawl, with no personal investment in any of the events, I have to say that blame for this brawl falls on both sides. BP's comments were dead on. I have always said that the Cardinals are more like an NBA team than an MLB team. If there were a way to flop in baseball, they'd be the first to figure it out. That said, Phillips continuing with his normal routine of the pad tap within a day of making those comments was not the smartest decision on his part. And of course Yadier Molina had to be Mr. Tommy Tough Nuts, as opposed to just letting in roll off his shoulders. If anyone personifies everything that is despicable and vile about the WLBs, it is Molina. It is a fun rivalry to watch from the outside.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. We Reds fans can't say we didn't see it coming. A heated battle for first all season, managers who don't respect each other, and then popping off at the mouth by BP. It was guaranteed that some sort of altercation would occur. I'm just hyping this up because there is a good possibility we could see something happen again, mainy due to the media. They have really used the Baker-to-LaRussa snubbing comments so continuously that they inevitably bring up the brawl. Yeah, there is no more LaRussa and Chris Carpenter isn't playing, but there is still Molina, Holliday, and a quite a few others in both clubhouses that remember the whole thing. And you know they've at least caught a glimpse or heard about the recent re-airing of the highlights of the 2010 brawl and the rivalry thats begun. I really hope nothing happens other than beating them with our runs and not our fists, or our legs in at least one example (Johnny Cueto). But if another bench-clearing incident does occur, I vote we change the official nickname of the stadium to Great American Brawl Park. It sounds a lot meaner than Great American Small Park.
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