02-22-2025, 04:15 PM
Watching Spring Training Baseball. Astros just had a tailor made double play to end the inning, but the second baseman hesitated and they only got the out at second, runners scored, inning kept going for the pitcher meaning higher pitch count. MLB switched to another game. Pirates centerfielder picked up a hit up the middle and threw home. Runner scored easy and base runners moved up on the stupid throw home. Both poor defensive plays happened in a few seconds of each other.
Younger or average fans think it is all hitting and pitching. They also think if a player is paid big bucks, then he must be great and no flaws in his game.
What will win for The Reds, and the only thing that will win for the Reds, is if they can cut down and eliminate the stupid plays on defense and base running. The Reds have been one of the worst teams on heads up baseball. Just because they are Pro Payers means little, high school teams play smarter baseball than most of these Pro teams.
Anybody who has watched the Reds under Bell make mental mistakes play after play, know I am right. Running themselves out of innings. The Reds defense forcing the pitcher to get 4 or 5 outs in an inning because the defense blew routine outs.
Those games the Reds lose due to mental mistakes on defense and base running. If Francona can cut down on those, those turn into Wins, not losses. I'm not talking physical mistakes, those happen. I'm talking mental mistakes. How often I see Reds players not even knowing the 3rd out has been made, and other players have to tell the player to go to the dugout. That is 7 year old ball, and grown men in the Pros should be able to count to 3, or at least look at a scoreboard.
Well, that's it. Play smarter or keep losing. The Reds do not have the best team of players. What they could have is a team that has their head in the game and cut down on mental mistakes. That right there would win 10 to 20 more ball games than last year. That is how many games Reds lost on poor defense or running themselves out of innings caught in run downs as the base runner forgot how many outs or the situation.
They get paid enough money to practice and play like Pros, not play like a 7 year old tee ball team. Again, I see high school teams play smarter baseball than many of the Pro teams, and The Reds under Bell player very stupid baseball on defense and running bases. The good news is a good manager could chew their butts on every mental mistake, and get them to play smarter ball. That was the difference between Bristol and Sparky. Sparky would not tolerate mental mistakes. That is why they went from losers to winners, and later why Detroit went from losers to winners under Sparky. If Francona could eliminate the mental mistakes by the millions under Bell, right there you stop blowing ball games.
I like De La Cruz, but even he made way too many mental mistakes running the bases and getting caught in run downs. There is room for improvement by all, including De La Cruz. Hopefully Francona can be like Sparky, and turn a mistake riddled team into a smarter baseball team. This is where Rose and Bench were mistaken, they were not a good team under Bristol. Sparky on every mistake turned them into winners. This is true of anybody in school or on a job. You can go each day making the same stupid mistakes, or you can be smarter. There is a right way and a wrong way. A Pro Team that would cut down on the bad defense and bad baserunning would win 10 to 20 more games right there.
Younger or average fans think it is all hitting and pitching. They also think if a player is paid big bucks, then he must be great and no flaws in his game.
What will win for The Reds, and the only thing that will win for the Reds, is if they can cut down and eliminate the stupid plays on defense and base running. The Reds have been one of the worst teams on heads up baseball. Just because they are Pro Payers means little, high school teams play smarter baseball than most of these Pro teams.
Anybody who has watched the Reds under Bell make mental mistakes play after play, know I am right. Running themselves out of innings. The Reds defense forcing the pitcher to get 4 or 5 outs in an inning because the defense blew routine outs.
Those games the Reds lose due to mental mistakes on defense and base running. If Francona can cut down on those, those turn into Wins, not losses. I'm not talking physical mistakes, those happen. I'm talking mental mistakes. How often I see Reds players not even knowing the 3rd out has been made, and other players have to tell the player to go to the dugout. That is 7 year old ball, and grown men in the Pros should be able to count to 3, or at least look at a scoreboard.
Well, that's it. Play smarter or keep losing. The Reds do not have the best team of players. What they could have is a team that has their head in the game and cut down on mental mistakes. That right there would win 10 to 20 more ball games than last year. That is how many games Reds lost on poor defense or running themselves out of innings caught in run downs as the base runner forgot how many outs or the situation.
They get paid enough money to practice and play like Pros, not play like a 7 year old tee ball team. Again, I see high school teams play smarter baseball than many of the Pro teams, and The Reds under Bell player very stupid baseball on defense and running bases. The good news is a good manager could chew their butts on every mental mistake, and get them to play smarter ball. That was the difference between Bristol and Sparky. Sparky would not tolerate mental mistakes. That is why they went from losers to winners, and later why Detroit went from losers to winners under Sparky. If Francona could eliminate the mental mistakes by the millions under Bell, right there you stop blowing ball games.
I like De La Cruz, but even he made way too many mental mistakes running the bases and getting caught in run downs. There is room for improvement by all, including De La Cruz. Hopefully Francona can be like Sparky, and turn a mistake riddled team into a smarter baseball team. This is where Rose and Bench were mistaken, they were not a good team under Bristol. Sparky on every mistake turned them into winners. This is true of anybody in school or on a job. You can go each day making the same stupid mistakes, or you can be smarter. There is a right way and a wrong way. A Pro Team that would cut down on the bad defense and bad baserunning would win 10 to 20 more games right there.
1968 Bengal Fan
![[Image: 4CV0TeR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4CV0TeR.png)
