My kind of (baseball) town

It’s great to be living in another baseball town. With the Cincinnati Reds clinching the NL Central Division last night, I remember the excitement of a postseason berth from my Boston days. Of course, right now, I have the song Tessie (the Red Sox unofficial fight/victory song) playing in my head.

My first Reds game in August 2010

I’ve been meaning to write a post on the Reds. I don’t have any real good reason why I haven’t yet. However, last night’s big win has proved to be a catalyst to write that blog post.

I don’t intend to offer any major comparison to the Red Sox here. Instead, I simply reflect on a tremendous and exciting season, slightly reminiscent of the 2004 Red Sox World Champions. A young team with a variety of stars all contributed to the 2004 World Series win. I was lucky enough to attend Game 2 with my Dad, uncle, and brother. Remember Curt Schilling and the bloody sock? Yes, that one. It was thrilling, to say the least, given that the last time the Sox had won the World Series was in 1918…as Yankees fans loved to point out.

But back to the Reds. I’m excited for them and hope for the best. I look forward to the fervor that will soon envelop my new town. I didn’t realize that Cincinnati’s last appearance in the postseason was in 1995 so I can understand the crazy celebrations on television last night.

One final thought. I love the fireworks that crown Great American Ballpark throughout the season. At my first game, I quickly learned that fireworks are deployed on two occasions during a game. First, if a Reds player hits a home run. Second, if the Reds win the game. I made a glib comment months ago that the Red Sox could never maintain that policy as they were always hitting home runs and winning games…until this season. How fitting that last night’s fireworks emerged over the Ohio River to celebrate a home run AND a victory at the same precise moment, courtesy of Jay Bruce!

Happy Postseason, everyone!