30 Teams in 30 Posts: #19

In the wake of the extremely hilarious Mike Leake story, here comes a team on the countdown that many would probably assume I'd have ranked much lower on this list. Things had kind of died down after the summer flare-up and subsequent meltdown that started with a key series featuring the Cards and the Reds last year. Punches were thrown... kicks were landed... backup catchers' careers died on that field. It's long over now, though. So why is it that I find myself loathing the Reds all over again?

Well, an interesting story came out of the Jim Edmonds camp earlier this month, as a personal favorite of mine had some intriguing comments about his former (and final) MLB team. (Does anyone not think that Brandon Phillips' Twitter is the single most annoying thing on the internet?) Whatever the case may be, this along with the Reds hot start reminded me that they are the real enemy in the NL Central right now, unlike the hapless small bears and the team with Prince Fielder.

Favorite current Reds player: Scott Rolen. There are a few ex-Cards to choose from on this roster, but Rolen is the obvious choice here. He's one of the best defensive third basemen to ever play the game, and he's had stretches of dominance at the plate as well. Even with all of the serious injuries he's gone though, it's nice to see him still have an impact with the bat. Last year he had his best year at the plate since the Cardinals title season in 2006.

Least favorite current Reds player: Brandon Phillips. His "little bitches" comment last year came completely out of left field and caused me and likely thousands of other Cardinals fans to take a closer look at him. He used to just be a really good fantasy baseball option at 2B to me, but I dislike him so much it caused me to pass on him and I try to never let personal feelings get in the way of a competition like that. (I did draft him one time this year, so I'm not totally in the clear.)

Favorite Reds player of all-time: Kal Daniels. Okay, listen guys, I tried. I really did. It's hard to pick a favorite Reds player. Eric Davis was supposed to be the next Rickey Henderson and he had some amazing seasons but was always somehow disappointing and/or injured. Pete Rose was Pete Rose. You can admire his gamesmanship but you can't stand looking at his face. Barry Larkin ended Ozzie Smith's run at 34734 straight Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances. I pick Kal Daniels. I was always convinced he was a superstar and he flamed out quickly and spectacularly. At least I didn't get to know him well enough to dislike him.

Least favorite Reds player of all-time: Barry Larkin. I don't actually have anything against Larkin except for the reasons mentioned above. I just had to pick someone. He was a great player and seems like an alright guy. Actually, you know what? I say Rob Dibble. What a complete waste of a human being. Just look him up.

The Cincinnati Reds arrive at #19 in my reverse-ranking of favorite teams as of the moment I picked them on October 4th, 2010. All of these cards are very much up for trade, so please contact me if you're interested.