In the summer of 2011, Ryan Madson was closing games for the Phillies. It now looks like he is going to be closing games for my Reds, which makes this story rather unbelievable...
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If you have been to GABP, you have likely noticed the restaurant on the second level, down the first base line. In the past, you needed a ticket just to get to this area, and then order of the menu. According to the Enquirer, that has changed for 2011. I can't verify this yet on the Reds' site, but here is the Enquirer write up:

"The Riverfront Club is now open to anyone with a ticket. It’s a buffet, set up with upscale food stations including a salad bar, a carving station, a pasta bar and a dessert bar. Sounds like a bargain to me: it’s all you can eat for $26 ($20 on day games except Opening Day).

Plus, there are great views of the game and the river from here, so if you’ve bought cheap bleacher seats, you can not only up grade the food, you can possibly snag a much better view of the game while eating. It also offers an a la carte menu, with dishes like Airline Chicken, a half breast beautifully sauced with morels and gnocchi and slender young carrots."

If true, this presents a nice budget luxury option. Get a $5 ticket and pay $26 more for all your food and drinks in a premium area. I would call ahead until you have done this once, and definitely get there early. There are only a few tables with a good view of the action.
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If you haven’t heard, the Reds are in the playoffs. Perhaps you were lucky enough to snag a couple of tickets to the NLDS game vs. the Phillies on Sunday night. I have heard it said that these tickets are as in demand as any tickets in the area over the last 15 years. If you are headed down, parking should be a nightmare. The Bengals play at 1, and there is also an event at U.S. Bank Arena. Obviously, you should plan to leave about an hour earlier than you normally would for a game.

 

In my opinion, it will be worth your while to park in Newport or Covington and take the Southbank Shuttle to and from the game. Heck the shuttle has a stop by Mainstrasse, so you could park in their lot for free and ride the shuttle to the game. The key is being very early, because the shuttle will probably be delayed because of traffic. You could also flag down a cab; which may cost a little more but will be quicker.

 

I can’t say for sure, but if you park in Cincinnati you can expect wait times after the game to be much longer. Generally, the Kentucky side provides quicker access to the interstate for a really crowded game. The moral of the story is you probably don’t want to get stuck in some 10 story garage for an hour afterward.

 

Go Reds.

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If you are going to Great American Ballpark for a day game, you better hope a big crowd won't be joining you. I had the misfortune of trying to park for the Reds game vs. the Cardinals on 8/11. The 12:35 start isn't something I usually go for anyway, but I learned that parking during the work day is a nightmare.
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The Reds have just announced what I feel is a very innovative ticket promotion. If you buy a selected 2011 full season ticket plan, they will throw in tickets to the last 25 home games for free.

25 - that is a lot of games.

Here is how it breaks down. You have to buy tickets in the view level, mezzanine on the 3rd base side, or the field box. Here are the prices per ticket: 

Field Box $2,490.75 
Mezzanine $1,611.90
View Level $1,105.65

Click read more to view the math behind this deal
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The Cincinnati Reds have inked a deal this week with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban Missile can bring it at speeds up to 100 mph, and is only 21 years old. The deal is for 5M per year, for 5 years.

Signing Aroldis Chapman  is a great move for the Cincinnati Reds. The Cincinnati Enquirer mentioned this as a "high risk" move, but I disagree. I say the Reds signing Eric Milton a few years ago for about 9M per year was high risk. The Reds have a recent history of overpaying for guys that make no sense for the team; see Paterson, Corey.

The Chapman deal is yet another step in the right direction for the team, who has made aggressive signings of young Latin players over the last few years.

These types of arms come around about once in a generation, especially from a lefty. You take young arms like this an hopefully teach them how to pitch, not take washed up arms and try to salvage them for the same price. I hope Chapman is a dominant starter for years to come.

If he doesn't work out, we could all think of 25 million we have wasted on worse.
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I had the Phillies in 7, so I was wrong. Here are my observations from a Fall Classic gone by.

First of all, as a Cincinnati Reds fan, I realize just how far away the Reds are from winning another World Series. A local sports talk host pointed out the fact that there may not be one Red who would start for either the Phillies or the Yankees. I guess Brandon Phillips would start over Robinson Cano, but that is probably a close call.
  • Baseball needs a salary cap. Every other major sport has it, and how can anybody be expected to compete with the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox year in and year out. There are definitely examples where they have, but they are few and far between.
  • I know Ryan Howard puts up big numbers, but man does he strike out a lot. I would be much more fearful of a high average hitter with two outs and a runner on. He was almost useless in the Series.
  • Will Mariano Rivera pitch forever? It seems as though he will, and that he could just pitch every game and throw one pitch. I don't get it.
  • 2010 World Series will be the Reds over the Yankees in 6. Write that down.
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