Home, Sweet Home
The man who facilitated this whole blog "thing" for me, Dann Stupp, tells me I’ve had some "traffic" and received some questions from some of you. I’m a neophyte at all this stuff, and not exactly technically savvy, so Dann is going to show me on Friday how to answer those of you who’ve had questions.
Dann, by the way, is the co-author of Tom Browning’s new book, "Tales from the Reds Dugout." Mr. Perfect himself will be signing copies at Sunday’s game with Houston in the Reds Community Fund booth, with a portion of each sale benefiting the charity.
Well, are you excited about this homestand? I had two different radio stations (in other cities) interview me today about the Reds’ outstanding start. I’d hate to think how many calls Marty’s gotten; usually you multiply my requests by at least five and you get his total. Anyway, it’s fun broadcasting a team enjoying some early success.
I hope a lot of folks come out to see the Reds play the last two National League champions, the Astros and Cardinals, beginning Friday night. A 6-1 road trip was an impressive feat the past week, but now they get a chance to measure themselves against teams that have really given them trouble in the recent past. Is it "make-or-break" time? No way — way too early. In fact, it’s way too early to draw any conclusion other than that this team has had a good start. By the way, the starting pitching the Reds will face is about as good as it gets: beginning with Roy Oswalt, then Andy Pettitte, and then young Taylor Buchholz, whose ERA is below 2.
But having been to the ballparks in Houston and St. Louis many times, I can tell you that when the Reds go in there, the places are packed, and the fans give their team a great home-field advantage. Hopefully it’ll be a great atmosphere in the Queen City this weekend. One positive number early in this baseball season: the Reds are 10-6 within the division. It’s a key stat to watch since roughly half their games are within the NL Central.
And don’t forget that after Friday and Saturday’s games you’re invited to postgame concerts, thanks to the new Taco Bell Late Night Concert Series on the Bud True Music Stage. Friday it’ll be the Hyde Park Outrage; Saturday it’s Mike Milligan and Steam Shovel. By the way, if the "Outrage" ever meets the "Steam Shovel," well, I don’t have to tell you, it could get a little messy. The concerts are free to anyone with a ticket to that day’s game.
Also fans (yes, of all ages) are invited to run the bases after Sunday’s game. Incidentally, Mark Berry’s got a previous engagement, so you’ll have to "wave" yourself home….enjoy the weekend!!
The Bad Boy Blog 
Hey Steve,
I really appreciate you taking the time to give us your thoughts and information on the Reds. I read Marc’s blog often to get all of the Reds news and will be doing the same to your blog. Call me crazy but I think the Reds will have great crowds this weekend. I’m going to go out and guess 100K for the series against the Astros. Despite it being early in the year I would have to say this would probably be our biggest series at home in quite some time, probably back to the 2004 series in May when the Reds took 3/4 from Houston.
Steve,
Good to see the blog, and I’ll be visiting often. I’ll be honest with you, and by no means do I mean to offend, but it’s taken some time to get used to a new voice in the announcers booth. Now though, I think you and Marty have developed a dynamic that I really enjoy tuning in for. Listening to the Reds on the radio is more than just entertainment for me, and I’m sure for a lot of people, it the closest connection to the game we have. Nothing against Chris and George on television, but my regular practice when the game is on TV, and I have my grandmother to thank for this, because my whole family has been doing it for years now, since Reds baseball used to be broadcast on channel five, is to mute the television and turn up the radio for your commentary. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to some unique insight into the team with this blog. I understand you’ve got to tow the company line with the regular plugs for the team promotions, but I look forward to future posts not entirely made up of advertisements for the team. See you around the basepaths.