.The 1976 "Big Red Machine" : Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Davey Concepcion,
Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster, Dan Driessen and Ken Griffey

I hated the Cincinnati Reds of the mid 1970s, not because they were bad, but because they wre so good. Each position fielded an all-star. They had speed, power and defense. Although they had no "names" on the pitching staff, manager Sparky Anderson's quick hook always kept a fresh arm in the game. Not only did they win most days, they often embarrassed their opponent. Over the decade of the 1970s, no team can compare with "Big Red Machine."

My, how times have changed.

Injuries, poor trades and a thin corporate wallet have kept the Reds from returning to their glory days. They have a retro stadium retro uniforms and a city who supports baseball. Yet, they just can't seem to win.

RECORD: 15 -28
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE: .249
TEAM ON BASE PERCENTAGE: .330
TEAM SLUGGING AVERAGE: .419
TEAM ERA: 5.63
TEAM BATTING AVERAGE AGAINST: .305

Looking at those numbers, is there any question why they are doing so poorly? None of these stats are acceptable, and many are downright embarrassing. A team ERA of 5.63? That's about 2 runs per game more than the Nationals.

The Reds By Position

1B]Sean Casey
.301 - 2 -21 > On Pace To Hit: 301 - 8 - 80 OBP: .344 SLG: .416
Casey is a good contact hitter with a solid average and few strikouts ... kills the fastball and is getting better with the off speed stuff ... only problem is minimal run production for a first baseman

2B]Ryan Freel
.316 - 0 - 2 > On Pace to Hit: .316 - 0 - 9 OBP: .440 SLG: 421
At first glance, it looks like he doesn't play often, but those "2" RBI's have come in 95 at bats ... good speed, on pace to steal 45 bases ... disciplined yet aggressive hitter ... good fielder ... doesn't do particularly well against lefties

SS]Felipe Lopez
.301 - 5 - 18 > On Pace To Hit: .301 - 25 - 89 OBP: .357 SLG: .521
Nice numbers for a shortstop ... good poise and great power for a middle infielder ... good hitter from both sides of the plate ... quality fielder ... does poorly against lefties ... below average walk to strikeout ratio

3B]Joe Randa
.285 - 4 - 23 > On Pace To Hit: .285 - 15 - 88 OBP: .370 SLG: .437
Very similar to Sean Casey, contact hitter with less power than most for his position ... good hitter with runners in scoring position ... good range and strong arm at 3rd ... doesn't walk nearly enough or take count deep

LF]Adam Dunn
.255 - 13 - 25 > On Pace To Hit: .255 - 50 - 96 OBP: .417 SLG: .650
Former quarterback has great athleticism ... good patience for a young hitter ... speed capable of 20 steals a year ... good patience at the plate ... still strikes out too often ... a liability in the field

CF]Ken Griffey Jr.
.255 - 6- 26 > On Pace To Hit: .255 - 23 - 101 OBP: .326 SLG: .452
Not much to say about Ken Griffey you don't already know ... had he remained healthy, or in Seattle, he, and not Bonds, would be the one pushing Hank Aaron for the all time home run record ... batting average and on base percent very low for him ... most all of his production has come in May

RF]Austin Kearns
.256 - 5 - 18 > On Pace To Hit: .255 - 21 - 76 OBP: .333 SLG: .446
On pace to strike out 156 times this season ... arm in right is Jose Guillen like ... hits lefties and righties equally ... whacks breaking balls a long way ... prone to long slumps ... decent speed

C]Jason LaRue
.196 - 1 - 11 > On Pace To Hit: .196 - 5 - 51 OBP: .305 SLG: .265
Having worst season of career ... on track to strike out 140 times ... though usually a good offensive player, defense is his priority ... seldom takes a walk ... struggles against lefties

The Reds offense, although struggling this year, is still scoring enough runs fro the team to be somewhere near .500 -- the problem is the pitching. Alan Harang has the best ERA among the starters at 3.32. The second best belongs to Eric Milton at 7.16. You get the idea. Only one of the Reds' starters gives the team a chance to win every night he pitches. In contrast, the Nationals have four, perhaps even five starters that can shut the other team down on any given night. In the bullpen, Danny Graves has become a conundrum. Although he has 10 saves, he also has a 7.36 ERA, and has gotten into several verbal "shoving matches" with fans in the stadium.

The Washington Nationals are superior in virtually every position if comparing uninjured players. Nick Johnson is just beginning his career, Jose Vidro is still one of the premier players at his position. Vinny Castilla has a little more pop than Randa, and much better defense. Jose
Guillen is a better all around player than Austin Kearns, and Brian Schneider is light years ahead of Jason Larue. Felipe Lopez is a much better shortstop than Christian Guzman, and Adam Dunn is a superb hitter, though Brad Wilkerson's defense makes that choice a little closer. Of course, Ken Griffey is better than anyone we can put in center, but would you want Griffey at this point in his career over Ryan Church? I'm just not sure.

Go Nats. Take advantage of the poor play of the Reds and sweep the series.