Top 10 Baseball games I ever attended: #4

September 4, 1988: Reds vs. Cubs

T1: Quinones K, Winningham BB(CS), Sabo K
B1: Dascenzo 5-3, Sandberg 2B, Roomes L5, Dawson P4
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

So, this was in our first month in Chicago. Dolberry probably didn't hate Chicago at this point, but he very well might have. I lost my wallet at the very first baseball game I ever attended in the Windy City. By "lost" ... I mean I went to the game w/ my wallet and returned w/o it. I do not recall putting it down anywhere, but Dolberry could not accept the fact that it may have been stolen. Needless to say, that game did not make the Top 10.

T2: E. Davis 4-3, O'Neill 6-3, Esasky K
B2: Law L5, Berryhill 6-3, Trillo 6-3
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Dolberry has probably covered in sufficient detail all my issues w/ Chicago in past posts, so will let that deceased equine rest in peace for today. I think whereever I lived at that point in my life would have been a letdown from St. Louis where I had a group of great friends and real life was just the flimsiest of rumors. The great things about Chicago (pizza, softball, the running path by Lake Michigan, summer, & Wrigley Field) are truly magnificient, though.

T3: Reed 1B, Oester 1B, Jackson 1B, Quinones 1B, Winningham K, Sabo 5-3, Davis 1B, O'Neill 4-3.
B3: Salazar 6-3, Schiraldi K, Dascenzo 1B, Sandberg FC
(Reds 4, Cubs 0)

Hey, I got my 7 cent book from Amazon in the mail the other day, Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout by (surprise) Tom Browning. As a special bonus, the book was signed by Browning. Very cool. It's an excellent book ... very simple ... PG-13 though ... reads like you were sitting on a flight w/ Browning and he was just telling you stories ... in chronological order. Browning comes across as amazingly humble for someone who: pitched a perfect game, made the All-Star team, was a 20-game winner and played a pivotal role on a World Series championship team. Seemed like more then the accomplishments, he valued his friendships in and around baseball. That was cool, too.

T4: Esasky P5, Reed K, Oester P4
B4: Roomes 6-3, Dawson K, Law F8
(Reds 4, Cubs 0)

Of the teams that have been around for the last 42 years (aka The Era of Dolberry), the two with the fewest 20-game winners over that stretch are the Pirates and the Reds. Jim Merritt went 20-12 in 1970, Tom Browning went 20-9 in 1985, and Danny Jackson came into this early-September game looking to become #3 sitting at 19 wins and only 6 losses.

T5: Jackson 2B, Quinones Sac, Winningham 1B(SB), Sabo BB, Davis E6, O'Neill 3B, Esasky 1B, Reed 1B, Oester K, Jackson 1B, Quinones HR, Winningham 1B, Sabo K.
B5: Berryhill P3, Grace 3U, Salazar F9
(Reds 13, Cubs 0)

OK, I'll ruin the suspense. Danny Jackson does manage to hold onto this 13 run lead and become the Reds 3rd 20-game pitcher in the Era of Dolberry. I think Volquez or Cueto could get 20 sometime over the next 2-3 years if the offense can be improved to at least league average. Edinson came the closest since 1995 w/ his 17 victories last year. Three weeks from right now, Dolberry will be sitting in Ed Smith Stadium w/ some of his bestest buds ... soaking up the sun ... eating some hot dogs ... & trying to talk himself into the concept the Reds could maybe contend this year.

T6: Snider K, O'Neill BB, Esasky L5(DP)
B6: Webster F7, Dascenzo 1B, Sandberg 6-4-3
(Reds 13, Cubs 0)

For once, the Reds come into the season w/ a rotation that's relatively sound. I think Volquez and Cueto should both be able to make 30 some starts w/ ERA's around 3.75 (which is pretty good in the bandbox that is GABP). Harang will hopefully bounce back from his injury-plagued 2008 ... I think he will ... and again become a Top 10 pitcher. Arroyo can eat up innings w/o being a disaster most of the time. It'd be nice if Homer Bailey could come into spring w/ his teenage fastball and stuff, but if not the Reds have some depth to discover a #5 pitcher.

T7: Reed 6-3, Oester F9, Jackson E7, Quinones 1B, Winningham 4-3
B7: Roomes 1B, Dar. Jackson F8, Law 6-4-3
(Reds 13, Cubs 0)

This year's Reds lineup will probably struggle to put up enough runs, though ... even in GABP. (All the Adam Dunn haters will miss his 40 HRs and .390 OBP but won't admit it.) Jay Bruce should emerge as top MLB outfielder (something like .275 w/ 30 HR) and hopefully Votto can repeat what he did last year. The two wildcards for me and the ones most crucial to the Reds success are: Double E (who needs to have his breakout year) and Willy Tavares (who needs to get on base at .370 -.380 clip). The 2B, SS, C, and 3OF spots will likely feature subpar performance offensively. I don't expect much from the bullpen, but they shouldn't be as bad as two years ago. The manager is a nice guy ... and we'll charitably leave his job assessment at that.

T8: M Brown F7, Snider K, O'Neill BB, Esasky 1B, Reed F8
B8: Wrona 5-3, Grace 4-3, Salazar K
(Reds 13, Cubs 0)

They never did get Danny Jackson out in this game. He came into the game hitting .122 but went 4 for 5. He got his 20th win w/ a 6-hit, no walk shutout. It was the single best individual performance I've ever seen. The fact that the Reds routed the Cubs 17 to zip was quite enjoyable as well.

T9: Oester 1B, Jackson 1B, Quinones BB, Winningham BB, Brown FC, Snider FC, O'Neill 2B, Esasky F8
B9: Dascenzo 1B, Sandberg 6-4-3, Roomes 6-3

Final: Reds 17, Cubs 0

Top 10 Baseball games I ever attended: #7

May 22, 1990: Reds vs. Cubs

T1: Sabo F8, Hatcher HBP, O'Neill F7, Davis K
B1: Walton 1B, Sandberg FC, Grace 1B(7-5), Dawson IBB, McClendon F8
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

The Reds are off to a hot start ... 26-9 coming into this game. This great record is apparently in spite of manager Lou Pinella's propensity for intentionally walking guys in the first inning. Guess Lou is expecting a low-scoring game here.

T2: Morris K, Quinones BB, Oliver K, Oester 3U
B2: Salazar P6, Dunston 2B, Wrona K, Bielecki K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

How about that? Mike Bielecki started two of the best 10 games I ever saw (see #8). Ironically, one was for the Cubs and one was against. I was more excited to see the Reds starter, Tom Browning who was always one of my favorites. He had broken in with the Reds in 1985, finishing 2nd in the Rookie of the Year race and helped turn around the Reds from doormats to contenders.

T3: Browning K, Sabo BB(CS), Hatcher F8
B3: Walton 5-3, Sandberg F9, Grace F8
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

It was a tumultuous time following the Reds back then. The year before, the whole Pete Rose debacle blew up. He was banned from baseball in August 1989. Far worse than that, Marge Schott was "running" the team which of course consisted of: firing all scouts ("Because all they do is sit around all day and watch baseball.") and pinching pennies whereever possible, such as not paying the $200 a game to run the out of town scoreboard ("Why would anyone care about some other game when they're watching this one?")

T4: O'Neill 1B, Davis BB, Morris 4-6-3, Quinones P6
B4: Dawson 6-3, McClendon F7, Salazar F9
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

But 1990 was sort of a sweet spot in between the Rose years and the Schott-induced Geländemarsch to pitifulness ... where they have resided pretty much for the last decade. The 26-9 start had been led by great pitching. Browning and Jose Rijo were the expected studs of the staff, but this was the year of Jack Armstrong. Armstrong had the half-season of his life at the beginning of 1990, being named to start the All-Star game after a 9-3 start. He only won three games after the break, but his first half played a large role in getting the Reds into the playoffs for the first time since 1979.

T5: Oliver 4-3, Oester F7, Browning 1B, Sabo 5-3
B5: Dunston F8, Wrona 6-3, Bielecki 1-3
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Browning had retired 11 straight at this point. He is, of course, most famous for the time he retired 27 straight as part of the only perfect game thrown by a Reds pitcher. There have only been 17 perfect games in MLB history. Browning got the only one against a team that went on to win the World Series w/ a 1-0 victory over the Dodgers on 9/16/88.

T6: Hatcher 2B, O'Neill 4-3, Davis 5-3, Morris 5-3
B6: Walton 1B, Sandberg FC, Grace F7, Dawson F7
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

tbKMD had joined Dolberry for this game. She won our traditional attendance guess ... only missing the announced crowd of 29,860 by 129 people. We were both grad students at the time, though heading in opposite directions. tbKMD was excelling in the Pharmacology program at prestigious Northwestern University ... Dolberry was flailing though Geophysical Science at U. of Wewillcallyoueverymonthuntilyoudieorgiveusmoney.

T7: Quinones 4-3, Oliver 2B, Oester 3U, Browning K
B7: McClendon P6, Salazar 5-3, Dunston 2B, Wrona IBB, Bielecki K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Baseball strategy has changed a lot in the last 18 years. Nowadays, I would think many managers would have pulled Browning for a pinch hitter w/ the go-ahead run in scoring position in the 7th. Thankfully, Sweet Lou let Browning bat. Unfortunately, the gratuitous intentional walk has remained a staple of the game. Pinella bypassed the catcher who hit .172 on the season, and would be sent down to the minors for the rest of the year only one week later, to get to the pitcher who hit .163 on the season. Why Lou? Why?

T8: Sabo 6-3, Hatcher 5-3, O'Neill K
B8: Walton P6, Sandberg 2B, Grace 3-1, Dawson IBB, McClendon 5-3
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Even though the score was 0-0, the whole park had to sense that the Reds had the Cubs right where they wanted them. 1990 was the year of the Nasty Boys. The triumverate of Randy Myers, Rob Dibble, and Norm Charlton gave the Reds one of the most potent bullpens of all-time. Between the three of them they pitched 339 innings that year, gave up only 261 hits and struck out 351.

T9: Davis K, Morris 4-3, Quinones F7
B9: Salazar F8, Dunston P3, Wrona K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Browning came out of the game after 9 innings. (Bielecki stayed in and finished the 10th.) In doing the research for this article, I found out Tom Browning had written a book entitled: Tom Browning's Tales from the Reds Dugout. It was selling for 7 cents (!) on Amazon so I bought it. (Shipping was $3.99 but still ...). Look for a book review on the DCV some time in the future. Hooray!

T10: J. Reed 1B, Oester Sac, Larkin K, Sabo 4-3.
B10: Dascenzo K, Walton F9, Sandberg F9
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Am guessing that Larkin didn't start this game because the next day was an off day and Barry had played every game so far in 1990. This year and 1999 were the only two years of his career that were injury-free for the Reds great hometown hero. If I had to make a list of my all time favorite Reds it would look like this: 5 - Eric Davis, 4- Ken Griffey Jr., 3 - Johnny Bench, 2 - Barry Larkin, 1 - Joe Morgan.

T11: Hatcher F7, O'Neill K, Davis 1B, Benzinger P4
B11: Grace E5, Dawson 1B, McClendon K, Salazar IBB, Dunston K, D. Smith K
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Dibble bailed out Charlton w/ the two K's there in the 11th. Sweet Lou put a little extra pressure on him w/ his fourth order of a free pass (to Luis Salazar?!?!?). I listen to Dibble on my XM satellite radio sometimes on the bus ride home. For a guy who broke into the league like a wild stallion ... one time hitting a woman in the upper deck w/ a ball thrown in anger ... he's fairly reasonable to listen to on the radio. Guess he's going to be the color commentator for the Nationals this year ... which is sure to be an exercise in patience.

T12: Quinones 1B, Reed Sac, Oester L5, Roomes K
B12: Wynne K, Walton BB, Sandberg K, Grace BB, Dawson IBB, McClendon 4-6.
(Reds 0, Cubs 0)

Intentional walk #5. Third of the day to Dawson who will tie Roger Maris' mark for most IBB's in a game if he gets another one. Lloyd McClendon had a rough day ... 0 for 6 and he left nine runners stranded. This earned him a frowny face from tbKMD in the scorebook, but it presumably prepared him a bit for the frustration he would face in later life managing the Pirates for five years.

T13: Sabo HR, Hatcher 4-3, O'Neill 1B(8-6), Davis 6-3
B13: Salazar HR, Dunston F8, Girardi K, Wilkerson K
(Reds 1, Cubs 1)

You have got to be kidding me! Randy Myers gives up a HR to Luis Salazar? (Lou, you should have walked him!) DCV Teaser: There's another game coming up in the countdown where Myers gave up a HR at Wrigley and something interesting happens. Stay tuned.

T14: Benzinger F7, Quinones 1B(SB), Reed 4-3, Oester IBB, Griffey Sr. 4-3
B14: Walton 6-3, Sandberg BB(PB), Grace F8, Dawson IBB, D. Clark K
(Reds 1, Cubs 1)

1990 was the year the Reds swept the vaunted Oakland A's in the World Series. Jose Rijo pitched like a madman (15 IP, 1 ER, 2 wins) and Billy Hatcher got 9 hits in 12 at bats; but for me the hero of that series will always be Eric Davis who hit a 2-run HR in Game 1 that propelled the sweep. In Game 4 of that series he lacerated his kidney trying to make a diving catch. While the rest of the Reds were celebrating their title, Davis was in an Oakland hospital. The story goes that the Reds made him pay for his trip home from the hospital, since the season was over.

T15: Sabo 1-3, Hatcher F9, O'Neill 4-3
B15: Salazar BB(SB), Dunston P2, Girardi K, Ramos F8
(Reds 1, Cubs 1)

The game ended up being the third longest game of the entire 1990 season. One of oldest baseball bromides is that "if you go to a game you are sure to see something that you've never seen before". In this game we saw something that had never HAPPENED before and has never happened since ... a player be intentionally walked 5 times in a game. After leaving 20 men on base over 15 innings, the Cubs finally capitalized in the 16th.

T16: Davis F9, Benzinger K, Quinones 1B, Reed 4-6
B16: Walton K, Sandberg 1B, Grace E6, Dawson IBB, Clark 1B

Final: Cubs 2, Reds 1

The DCV Interview: Josh Hamilton

Last Friday, the Dolberry Cheery Vanilla blog sat down w/ Josh Hamilton, star of this year's Home Run Derby for a very special in-depth interview.

OK, technically, he was the only one sitting. Dolberry had been standing in line at the Barnes & Noble to have him autograph a copy of his book: Beyond Belief: Finding the Strength to Come Back. Nevertheless, I think you will find that when it comes to interviews of major stars that Dolberry has no peer.

Q. I wish you were still the Reds. Um, on the Reds.
A. I didn't have any choice.

Q. We were at your first Spring Training with the Reds. That was awesome. Your story is cool.
A. Thanks man.

Anyway, security hustled me out at that point, but I think Dolberry had captured the gist of it.

Dolberry's people are trying to get a sit-down (or stand-up) w/ the former chairman and chief executive of AIG, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg. They're stonewalling at present. I hope to ask him about the 1934 Detroit Tigers.

Hey, what's up with me?

Not much.

Playing some softball. We lost our first two games, but have stormed back to win 5 straight, including beating both of the teams that beat us. We're currently 3rd of 7, one game back of the leaders. I've been playing very very badly.

Our rotisserie team was horrible this year. 7th of 13. Pitiful. Our widely panned Volquez trade ended up being a net positive for the O'Jimmies, but it wasn't enough.

I'm thinking about doing another "Life Episodes" soon ... if I can think up anything else interesting that's happened to me.

The Reds season is finally over. Anyone who thinks they'll be any better next year than this year needs their optimism levels adjusted.

The beautiful KMD and APD are psyched about the ChiSox.

All this sounds negative but it's not. Things are fine here.

Sayonara Sarasota (after 2009)

The Goodyear (AZ) city council approved $33 million to expand the spring training facility they're building for the Indians into one that will house the Reds and the Indians. This probably signals the end of our annual pilgrimage to Sarasota.

I know as a blogger I'm expected to bloviate knowingly that either Sarasota or Goodyear elected officials screwed things up royally, but I think only time will tell. Sarasota's mayor indicated that there was doubt on whether the Reds were just posturing ...

"There has been a feeling in the community that the Reds would not leave, that they were simply threatening the city of Sarasota and they weren't going anywhere," she said. "Well, now reality has set in. They are going."

Dolberry is just a fan but it seemed clear from the beginning (2-3 years ago) that the Reds were looking to improve their position. I do think it was a good move on the part of the Reds. Ultimately, it will save them money, maybe enough for them to sign an extra early-round draftee or two next year. People in Sarasota are talking about maybe the Orioles moving into Ed Smith, but I'd give 50-1 odds on that ever happening. Peter Angelos simply isn't going to pay to play in a older, even if refurbished, park when other towns are paying teams to play in new stadiums elsewhere.

The Reds are pretty sure they'll be in Sarasota next year, but they have until August to exercise their 2009 option. I wonder how many years of cheesesteaks I can fit into that extra duffel bag I'll be bringing next year.

Future spring training trips in jeopardy?

It's looking pretty bleak for future spring training sojourns to see the Reds in Sarasota FL. The Sarasota Herald Tribune has run several articles recently on the (lack of) progress in securing a long-term arrangement. Earlier in the year, it looked like the Reds, the State of FL, Sarasota Co., and the City of Sarasota were going to jointly fund a $55 million dollar stadium that would rival Clearwater's Bright House Networks gem of a facility. The political environment in the area appears to have somewhat soured on public funding of a ballpark in the last local election cycle. In recent weeks, the Reds have advanced a scaled-back plan ($45 mil) that would upgrade the current Ed Smith Stadium (which I never realized is built on a landfill), but that doesn't look to get local public funds either.

I don't really blame the local Sarasota government for not wanting to fund it. Here's my quick estimate of how much money goes into the local economy based on our travels there: a) we spend about $200-300 dollars a day there (mostly to hotels, but some to restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, golf courses, & then $ to the Reds for tix, souvenirs), b) by my calculation there are probably 500-1000 families / spending units doing the same thing on any given home date that wouldn't be there w/o the Reds (figuring the crowd is ~50-75% local). My rough guess would be about $2-4 million a season comes into the Sarasota economy. There are costs as well (traffic control) that would have to be subtracted. Over 30 years (length of proposed deal), the $ in would almost certainly exceed the initial investment (probably about $25-35 mil after overruns). But the investment would directly only benefit a few sectors of the economy and only indirectly help (taxes, jobs) the local populace as a whole. The apparent competitor for the local money potentially slated for the Reds is seaweed cleanup along the beaches. That would appear to help more people & would also probably maintain more tourism inflow. Also, cheaper events like the Sarasota Marathon probably have way higher tourists/investment ratios.

The bottom line is (to me) that there's already enough tourists in Sarasota in March to support the local economy. When bargain-basement hotel chains can charge triple-digits a night, the demand is strong. Also, I think the Castellini-led Reds deserve some praise here by (at least according to the local paper) not blatantly trying to extort a new stadium from the local government w/ threats and artificial deadlines.

So, while Dolberry will miss the times in Sarasota here are my preferred locations for future Reds spring training locations:

1. Orlando FL - I believe Griffey Jr would likely personally defray $2-3 mil of any costs associated to spend March at home. Hotels are way cheaper in Orlando & the non-baseball entertainment is pretty nice.

2. Clearwater FL - The Reds could share Bright House w/ the Phillies, thereby enabling Dolberry to eat cheesesteaks 4 times a year, instead of only 1.

3. Apex-Cary NC - They could play at the new USA baseball academy; Josh Hamilton could spend his days at home; and we could charge people to sleep in our shed (which is at least as nice as that Knights Inn in Sarasota). The weather's pretty nice in March.

4. Toyko Japan - The Reds could just play Japanese league teams all March & in 30 dates maybe draw 750,000 people. If they could make an additional $1 per ticket than present, they could funnel that $750K into buying a relief pitcher that could get a guy out in the 8th inning occasionally.

5. Las Vegas, NV - The potential Pete Rose tie-ins are innumerable.

6. Anywhere but Arizona - The world does not need any more 17-11 Spring Training games.

7. Oh yeah, and not Winter Haven FL - Ugh.