Sunday, August 7, 2011

Hi. My name is Thom Brennaman and I hate Chicago.

Like I said in an earlier blog, TB got canned by the Cubbies and I don't think he has gotten over it. Let's think about this for a second ... Why do people get fired? BECAUSE THEY DON'T DO THEIR JOB WELL. Here's another question ... would TB have a job for the Reds if he wasn't Marty's son? I think it is certainly possible that he wold not be announcing Reds games if his daddy wasn't Marty.

I want to forget for a moment about all of the inaccuracies of TB's "facts," and focus on his extremely biased opinion of all things Chicago Cubs. During the 3rd inning of today's game, TB goes off on a fan for celebrating that he got a foul ball. Apparently, another fan was hit by the foul ball and then it bounced to the fan (who knows what actually happened because it wasn't seen on tv). TB goes off, and I mean OFF about how ridiculous that fan is. Luckily, Chris Welsh brings him back to reality by saying, "It's quite possible that he didn't know she got hit." TB responds, "Give me a break. You have got to be kidding. Someone gets hit and you're celebrating like you caught the ball. What a joke." The best part is that he said all of this with the same amount of umph he had when Bruce hit the HR last year to win the division. An inning later, Soto misses a foul ball by a couple of inches. Despite the fact that Soto had to navigate around the Reds on-deck circle, including bats and pine tar sticks, TB says, "Come on. You have to make that play." This is what I say to that ... Drew "Strike Out" Stubbs should have made that routine catch in CF. He lost it in the sun and the Cubs scored. TB said nothing, just like he said nothing yesterday when the Reds made three errors. I know he's frustrated that the Reds just aren't very good, but there's no need to be unprofessional. The moral of the story:  TB is the biggest joke in town.

I am officially crushed. I just learned that TB does football play-by-play for the Big 10 Network. For those of you that don't know this, I am a HUGE Nebraska fan and I'm not sure if I will be able to handle him disrespecting Corn Nation. Seriously, the guy can't get things right about the Reds (a team he has been around forever) how can we expect him to get anything right about a team that will be new to him? Luckily, the Huskers have six games on channels that aren't TB affiliated, and I can only hope that TB's love for Jim Tressel means he will be stuck with OSU games.

The goods news is that the series with the Cubs is over (after Chicago took 2 of 3), so I won't have to listen to TB if I don't want to for awhile. The bad news is that the Reds and Cubs still have 6 games this season. Sigh.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

I'm not sure how much more I can take.

This is my official plea to the Cincinnati Reds to please hire someone to check TB's "facts." I'm seriously considering quitting the blog because I can't stand listening to him. The Reds are playing the Cubs this weekend and I really think that TB is at his worst when the Cubs are playing. Am I more sensitive to the Cubs? Sure, but they are also the team I know the most about, so his "facts" about the Cubs (or the Reds when they are playing the Cubs) really get to me. Sometimes, I truly think TB is watching a different game than the one he is calling.

Big Z is on the mound today for the Cubs. After he walks Votto and Phillips in the first, Z stands on the mound and stares at Soto. He is saying nothing and doing nothing but prepping for the next pitch. TB says, "Zambrano looks like a bull loading up on steam." Sure, Z has had some temper issues in the past, but how does a guy standing on the mound doing absolutely nothing constitute a "bull loading up on steam?" Let's talk about a bull ... Cueto gives up a homer to Z in the 3rd. As Z is trotting around the bases, Cueto is pacing and yelling into his glove. TB says nothing about this. I guess pacing and yelling is calm in Cincinnati ... I'll remember this the next time I head to Kroger.

Earlier in the broadcast, TB says that Cueto's 1.88 ERA is the lowest in the majors. Shockingly, TB is incorrect. Jared Weaver's ERA is currently 1.78. After Cueto is chased in the 4th (he did have a 12.27 ERA today), TB says, "In his 16 starts this year, no one has pitched better than Johnny Cueto." You know me, I'm going to check the stats to see if he's right. I looked at the first 16 starts of some other pitchers in the league. When you compare Cueto's 16 starts to the first 16 of guys like Halladay, Weaver, Verlander, Beckett, Jurjjens, A. Sanchez, Sabathia, Price, Hamels, Garcia, Kennedy and Cain, Cueto's stats are not as good. Sure his ERA of 1.88 is good, but after 16 games, Weaver's was 1.65.  All of the other pitchers also pitched more innings during their first 16 starts, had less walks, more strikeouts and better overall records in those 16 starts. Cueto plays for the Reds, therefore he is the best (no matter what the stats say).

While discussing the Reds schedule for the rest of the month, TB says, "The Reds won't play a team with a winning record." Two things:  One - The Reds don't have a winning record. Two - The Reds play the Phillies at the end of the month. I believe the best record in all of baseball at 73-39 constitutes playing a team with a winning record. 

This is another thing I don't get - the Reds commit 3 errors in today's game. The Cubs commit 0, yet TB finds it necessary to discuss all of the errors Castro has committed at short. Just goes to show you (once again) that he just can't acknowledge the Reds aren't the best. Here's an interesting fact for TB, the Reds are now closer to 5th place in the division than they are to 2nd!

Nice win today Cubbies! Let's go for the sweep tomorrow and make it 8 in a row!

Friday, August 5, 2011

I thought TB had been fired!

No such luck. TB hasn't done a game in awhile, so I hoped that the Reds had finally realized how bad he was and canned him. Then, I switched over from WGN to FSN-Ohio today and heard his sweet, sweet voice. Ugh.

This isn't going to be a long post. I'd much rather listen to Len and Bob ... BUT as soon as I switched over, TB made one of his usual blunders. While discussing Tony Campana's inside-the-park homer in the 1st, TB said, "It is the first time a player has hit an inside-the-park homer as his first major league home run since Emilio Bonafacio did it in 2009. It's the first time a Cub has done it since 1948. If I would have told you in 1948 that the Cubs' last appearance in a World Series would be 40 years ago, you would have made a lot of money off me." My first response ... HUH? What does that have to do with anything you're talking about? My second response ... The Cubs were in the World Series in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935 and 1945. Sure, they haven't won since 1908, but in TB's time frame, they've been there 6 times, not zero.

And then he starts talking about the lack of left-handed hitters on the Cubs' roster. He said, "You have DeWitt, Colvin and Campana in the starting line-up today. That's two (left-handed hitters) right there." DeWitt+Campana+Colvin = 3. That's it, I'm switching back to WGN pronto!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

I wish the Cubs had 9 Jay Bruces....

... I mean, he is the best right fielder to EVER play the game. At least that's what TB thinks. Last night after Bruce made a running catch in RF, TB said, "I don't think I've ever seen a right fielder play the position as good as Jay Bruce." Chris Welsh, TB's partner for the night, replied, "In a Reds uniform?" TB said, "No, in the league." Here we go again!

Now I'm not really sure if TB meant the NL or all of MLB, but either way, I think this comment is a late April Fool's joke. I'm not bashing Jay Bruce, I think he is a good player, but to label him as "the best ever" is pretty ridiculous and completely unsubstantiated ... not to mention statistically incorrect. TB, here is a lesson for you - Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) is a stat that puts a run value on a player's defense. Basically, it looks at how many runs a player saved or gave up through his fielding. The UZR of an average MLB player is 0 and a positive UZR is good while a negative UZR isn't good. Bruce's UZR is currently ... wait for it, wait for it ... -4.3 (courtesy of FanGraphs). Bruce's UZR ranks him ninth out of the ten qualified right fielders in the NL this year. In all of MLB, Bruce is 19th out of the 21 MLB qualified right fielders. Wowsa, he is the best!

Looking at the NL, Andre Either's UZR is 7.3 points higher than Bruce's, and Ethier also has more assists from right field and hasn't committed an error yet this season. Throw in the AL, and you have Swisher, Drew, Hunter and Markakis all with better UZRs and none of these guys have committed an error yet this season. Hunter and Markakis also have more assists than Bruce, while Swisher is tied with him. How can Bruce be the "best ever" if he isn't even the best in the game right now? TB, you so crazy.

The Cubbies are on WGN tonight at the same time the Reds are on, so I won't be listing to TB. I'm sure I'll be missing some doozies ... like how Johnny Gomes is a better right fielder than Ryan Braun, or how Aroldis Chapman is the best closer in baseball (his first career save last night shows this).

Good luck tonight TB! The Reds better win ... falling another game back would mean there is "absolutely now way the Reds will make the playoffs."

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Who is Ted Freese and when did he join the Cardinals?

It didn't take long for TB to mess something up today. In the bottom of the 1st, Matt Holliday is up to bat. TB says, "Matt Holliday is on his way to the All-Star game. In fact, he was voted in to start the game." Sure, Holliday could start as the DH, but unless Matt Holliday's name is really Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp or Lance Berkman, he was not voted into the starting NL All-Star lineup. TB is off to a good start, I think tonight is going to be a goodie!

While discussing the Reds 1st inning woes, TB says, "There are only three clubs that have allowed more first inning runs than the Reds, and all of them have absolutely no chance of making the playoffs. They are the Royals, Cubs and Astros." How about the 1969 Mets? In mid-August, they were 9 1/2 games back and ended up winning the division by 8 games. Or how about them 2007 Phillies? On Sept. 12, they were 7 games back and ended up winning the division. You could also look at the 2007 Rockies who went 20-8 in September to snatch the Wild Card only to lose to Boston in the World Series. Do I think that the Royals, Astros or my beloved Cubbies are going to make the playoffs this year? No, but until they are all statistically eliminated, I have better sense than to say they have "absolutely no chance." However, I will say this with a ton of confidence:  TB, there is absolutely no chance of me ever liking you.

In the bottom of the 7th TB says, "Ted Freese has a nice looking stroke hitting the ball the other way." Come on Jim, his name is David, not Ted. Geesh.

My favorite part of tonight's broadcast was TB taking half of an inning to discuss facts about Brownburg, IN. He said, "We're down 8-1, give me some facts about Brownsburg. We're all going to be smarter after this."  I do have to give him some props for giving Jay Cutler a shout out for being from Santa Claus, IN, but other than this, I'm not really sure what to say.

Gotta run. Turbo and Wes are exhausted from listening to another one of TB's broadcasts.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Congrats to Starlin Castro, The Cubs' Perennial All-Star!

Congrats Starlin. You're a first ballot hall-of-famer now!

The Cards are taking on the Reds over the next few days. I think it's difficult to talk about this series without mentioning what happened last August. TB started today's broadcast by talking about the brawl, so I'll put in my thoughts as well. When most people see the video of the brawl, http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10842801&topic_id=11493214, they see Johnny Cueto pushed up against the screen and kicking his legs aggressively. When TB watches the video, he must see something else. At the beginning of today's Cards v. Reds game, TB said, "Cueto brushed his cleats against Carpenter's back." Brushed, really? Is that why Carpenter had cuts and bruises all over his neck and back? Let me guess, Cueto also "brushed" his cleats against Jason LaRue's head giving him a career-ending concussion. At least MLB saw that Cueto was out of control because if TB would have been in charge of the consequences, I'm sure Carpenter would have gotten the 7 game suspension for getting in the way of Cueto's metal cleats. Ridic.

To the game....

In the top of the 5th, TB starts talking about Drew Stubbs running on Cards catcher Yadier Molina. He says, "Even with Molina behind the plate, if running is one of your team' s major assets, shouldn't you do it even with him behind the plate?" Before I get into the details of this, TB said "Team's major asset," he did not say "an asset of Drew Stubbs," indicating that the Reds are a good running team. The Reds have stolen 54 bases and have gotten caught 27 times. Looking at the NL, this puts the Reds behind the Astros, Dodgers, Brewers, Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Padres, Pirates, Rockies and Diamondbacks. When you add the AL, they are behind the Red Sox, Royals, Angels, Yankees, Mariners, Rays, Rangers and Blue Jays. They are 11 out of 16 in the NL and 19 of 30 in all of MLB in stolen bases ... how is this an "asset of the Reds?" Oh wait, I forgot ... the Reds are great in every aspect of the game! My bad TB. The Reds have the best running game in the history of MLB.

In the bottom of the 5th, TB mentions the five NL players up for the All-Star Final Vote. When he gets to Victorino, he questions him being there saying, "Is Victorino really having that good of a year?" TB, how about I answer your question with a question. Should Victorino be an All-Star if he is batting 38 points higher than Jay Bruce, has scored 6 more runs than Bruce, has an equal amount of hits as Bruce (in 43 less plate appearances), has hit 8 more triples than Bruce, struck out 49 times less than Bruce and has a higher OBP, Slugging percentage and OPS than Bruce? Let's not forget Victorino's 3.3 wins above replacement to Bruce's .2 (stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com). Victorino also plays an incredible center field. A few posts ago, Zeke suggested that I use UZR (ultimate zone rating) when ranking defensive players. This one's for you Zeke ... Victorino's UZR is currently at 8.0 ... Well above the MLB average. On the other hand, you have Bruce at -4.3 ... a bit below the MLB average. No disrespect to the month May that Bruce had, but I think the question that TB should really be asking is, "Is Jay Bruce really having more of an all-star year than Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates?" My opinion (not that anyone is asking) is no way in he**! Jay Bruce is battling teammate Drew Stubbs to be the strikeout king of the NL (Stubbs is currently winning), and Andrew McCutchen is whooping Bruce in every offensive category except homers and RBIs (and he is just a few behind in each of those). Let's also not forget McCutchen's 4.9 WAR (only behind Bautista and Reyes) and his UZR rating of 8.3 puts him forth among all outfielders in MLB ... Bruce is currently in 53rd place.
After questioning Victorino's place in the Final Vote, TB goes on about Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum making the All-Star Team saying, "Neither one of them have the stats this year." My only question is this ... When did TB start caring about stats? All season long he's been making blind statements and not paying attention to stats. I know TB is high on Mike Leake and he really wants him to be an all-star, but I'd only choose Leake over Cain or Lincecum if I needed a few new shirts from Macy's.

Time to sign off for the night. Happy Birthday, America.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

"I would still want my kids to play for Jim Tressel" ...

... Only if my baby daddy was TB. A couple days after Tressel resigned, TB used a Reds broadcast to go on and on and on about the "integrity" of Jim Tressel and how he was the victim of "outside forces." Wow. Let me get this straight ... Tressel knowingly put ineligible players on the field, brokered a deal with the NCAA allowing these ineligible players to play in the Sugar Bowl, lied about it to OSU and the NCAA, and later acknowledged he knew about everything and CHOSE to lie about it ... Yes TB, this is exactly how someone of integrity behaves. Those "outside forces" must have been really strong.

After everything on Tressel came out, TB said that he would still gladly allow his kids to play for him. I'm just glad TB isn't my daddy. TB is whack, and instead of using the broadcasting booth as his soapbox, he should spend a little more time familiarizing himself with what is really happening so he doesn't sound like such a buffoon.

Now I'll get off my soapbox and share some of TB's finer moments from the past couple of days.

During the game last night in LA, TB said, "The Reds made up some ground last night in the West." I had no idea the Reds moved to the NL West. Sounds good to me, that's one less team to beat up on the Cubbies in the Central!

With Travis Wood batting with two on and one out in the second inning of today's game, TB said, "Travis Wood's numbers show he can handle the bat pretty well." Let me get this straight, a .083 average with 11 strikeouts in 24 at bats and a .083 OBP indicates someone handling the bat "pretty well?" Let's just hand Wood the 2011 Silver Slugger Award right now. While we're at it, let's give him the Cy Young too - I'm sure TB would agree that Wood's 4-4 record and 5.38 ERA is totally deserving. Roy Hallady is a punk, I guess.

Jonny Gomes made an awesome catch to end the Dodger threat in the 3rd inning. TB talks about the catch well into the bottom of the 4th inning, and again in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the 4th, Reds SS Edgar Renteria commits his second error of the game. TB is silent for a moment before acknowledging that it was Renteria's second error, but immediately drops it after that. Why am I telling you this? To show you (once again) that TB has no issue relishing in the good things about the Reds, but can't acknowledge the bad things. After all, it is the 4th error committed by the Reds in two days. Interesting stat for the Reds considering ... "There is no one remotely close in the NL that plays defense like the Reds."

This woman of integrity needs to sign off for the day.