Pirates 0, Reds 2: Harang-atan Continues Lack Of Run Support Ways
By
Zeldink
Posted at 7:50 am
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirates (3-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Reds (2-3) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 7 | 0 |
During yesterday’s game between the Reds and Pirates, the Reds TV feed displayed a graphic that showed Aaron Harang had received the second-least amount of run support last year. I’m sure that contributed greatly to his crappy record.
The bad news is that it will only be worse this year, given the Reds’ Judy offense. Opening Day brought one run, while yesterday brought 2! Somehow I don’t expect the linear progression to continue.
Still, Harang was excellent, recording the Major’s first complete game shutout. He held the Pirates to only 3 hits.
Brandon Phillips provided the game’s only offense with a two-run home run in the first. And Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson provided the defense with an amazing glove-flip to start a double play, followed a few innings later with the start of a triple play.
With this triple play and the amateurish baserunning mistake by Jay Bruce in the previous game, the havoc that Dusty Baker promised to bring is definitely happening. Only, I don’t think the word means what he thinks it means.
Harang was a beast today – and the one we need to anchor this staff.
RHM: I pass this on to you and wonder what you think. http://afrankangle.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/on-a-special-jersey/
By the way, great site.
I thought for a minute there you might be talking about the time “Cincinnati” was misspelled on Harang’s jersey. I guess the same thing happened to the “Nationals” recently, though I think it’s less egregious to leave a letter out of such a notoriously misspelled city name. I mean, all those vertical lines start to bleed together.
But no, you’re talking #14. I never watched the guy play, so I’m less passionate about it than others. I think the ban is a bunch of hooey that’s not really accomplishing anything.
I did see him play…so kindly indulge an old man for a few moments here!
The very first time in my life that I ever saw the Reds play, way back when I was 11 years old, Pete Rose led off the game by drawing a base on balls. He RAN to first base, and when it turned out the opposing pitcher wasn’t paying attention, kept right on running, sliding in on his face, safe at second with what amounted to a two-base walk. I remember thinking to myself, “Hey, I like this guy already!”
Later in the inning Johnny Bench, a guy I’d seen playing minor league ball at Class-AAA Buffalo just a year earlier, singled to plate Rose and give the Reds a lead they never relinquished.
Well, as we all know, young minds are impressionable. I’ve been a Reds fan ever since that first game. It’s been forty years now. I’ve seen them win world championships, and I’ve seen them finish dead last, and I’ve seen them virtually everywhere in between. Bench, Perez, and Morgan are in the HOF, and Sparky too, and Davey should be (heck, if Rizzuto belongs in there – and he’s in – Concepcion belongs in ten times over).
And I understand why Pete never will be.
But that’s Cooperstown, NY, not Cincinnati, Ohio.
In my not-so-humble opinion, the Reds should officially retire #14 in a formal ceremony at GABP, hang that number on the wall with the rest of the team’s greatest players, and if Bud Selig doesn’t like it, hang him on that wall as well – upside down, so that the fans in Cinci can stick it in his…oh, wait, sorry – I guess I’m even more passionate about it than others. 🙂
JK