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.

Karma is a...

With the curtains drawn on the 2010 season for the Cincinnati Reds, we can also officially close the book for good on another Cardinals season as their chief competitors managed to break a record for playoff futility, managing just eleven hits in their series - two fewer than the record and also two fewer than they tallied off of one Roy Halladay start alone earlier this season. While I will certainly try not to let the grudge carry over until next season and beyond, I also can't say I'll be rooting for Brandon Phillips or Johnny Cueto anytime soon. With well-respected ex-GM Walt Jocketty at the helm and a number of ex-Cards dotting the lineup, this team had a chance to be my NL team of choice this year with St. Louis out of the picture. They were one of the only teams in the division that I didn't have a problem with (Dusty Baker aside.) In the end, the 2006 Cardinals stand as the last NL Central team to actually win a playoff series.

Meanwhile, on quite the opposite spectrum lies Night Owl Cards. I received at least the 32nd package from his neck of the woods back east recently and, as usual, it contained an assortment of Things I Tend to Collect. (You can see what is among those Things I Tend to Collect by checking out the sidebar on this very blog. You know, it's the thing... on the side... over there.) Should Night Owl read this post, he'll likely be quite confused about how my first paragraph relates to this trade package and, quite frankly, I am too. I think I just wanted to passively and aggressively complain about the Reds tonight because I (sort of) kept it classy during the season.

Speaking of complaining (see... I'm trying!), Adam Kennedy basically became a metaphor for a couple of lost non-playoff season that the Cards suffered through after the 2006 title. Kennedy was one of the few Cardinal role-player signees that failed to live up to his projections as an adequate player and do anything at all that endeared himself to fans. He talked his way out of town by his second season as much with his mouth as he did with his bat... um, with the uh... hitting instead of talking. Right? Right.

Great card. But is Gibby pitching... in a dream? Where are his teammates? Where is the opposition? Is he pitching in a biosphere? Where's Pauly Shore and the Baldwin guy?

Ahh, I love minis! I love it when people send me minis. I don't ever expect to complete any sort of set of minis, but I will continue to list them and love them when they're sent to me. At some point, maybe their novelty will wear off with people and I'll be around to scoop up the unwanted remains.

Finally, because I like to keep it short these days at 5 cards per trade post (also not coincidentally the maximum number of images Blogger will let you upload in one spell), I'll give Night Owl's team some love because it's the offseason and he sent lots of cards from Heritage and A&G sets that I collect without really buying packs or boxes. Thanks!

Oh, are you hungry for more?

That'll do it.