Bucknuts.com’s Jeff Rapp and Tom Snyder of Pouringpurple.com join the show.
Jeff, whom I’ve known since my student radio days in the late 1990s, is on top of the Ohio State men’s basketball scene as well as anyone. He gives us a taste of what we can expect from the much-heralded class of 2010, which includes Northland’s Jared Sullinger.
Rapp and I also rap about our memories of Buckeyes seasons past, like the time we watched in horror as OSU lost to Utah State in the first round of the 2001 NCAA tournament, or the time he and I were mere feet away from some of the greatest plays in Ohio State football history, at the 2002 BCS title game against Miami.
Check out Jeff’s stuff at www.bucknuts.com.
Tom is in the midst of one of the more interesting cross-continental lives I have ever been associated with! He makes his home in Central Ohio, but only for football season, during which he broadcasts DeSales football locally at www.pouringpurple.com.
Tom and his crew also put out a DVD complete with video and audio from the season, which in 2008 ended one step away from the state finals.
Tom and I talk about his trans-continental adventures, including his current post as PA announcer for UCLA and Long Beach State baseball, and the Manny Ramirez news.
The Seth Shaner Podcast
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How ’bout those Redlegs!
I haven’t written much on this site aside from updating my podcasts. I’ve been going in a little bit of a different direction with the site, but I can’t resist commenting on my favorite baseball team.
The Reds are younger. They don’t have big bashers who either thrill with long balls, or baffle with taken third strikes. The Reds don’t have much veteran leadership behind a handful of pitchers.
But what they do have is “it”. Nobody knows what “it” is, but they know it when they see it. You can’t just look at a roster and say, “There ‘it’ is!”
In fact, why wouldn’t a team — the one from the better part of the past decade — with at least one sure hall of famer, a Bunyan-esque power hitter and other intangible parts at least have some semblance of “it”?
I don’t know.
I loved Adam Dunn when he came up. He, along with Austin Kearns and several other young players, was a source of hope, especially considering how young they all were from 2002-06, but the team never won with that collection of talent, partially because of pitching, or a lake thereof.
This team hasn’t won anything yet, either. I know that, but it does have “it”. The Reds have a group of players hanging on the protective fence of the dugout, hoping to see what’s going to happen next. The previous teams seemed to have assigned seats up against the wall of the dugout!
It’s amazing to see the recent offensive explosion by this team. I can’t explain why, during a week-long stretch when Joey Votto misses all or part of six games, Brandon Phillips misses three and the entire starting left side of the infield at the start of the season is hurt, the team wins six of seven contests.
But I’m enjoying every moment. The last time the Reds won a sweep at Arizona was 1999. That squad was referred to as “The Big Road Machine” by hall of fame beat writer Hal McCoy, and that team also went 7-0 on that same trip that included the sweep of Arizona and a four-game sweep of Houston.
On May 15, that fateful ‘99 season, the Reds were a season-long seven games out of first place. They open today’s off day, May 14, tied with St. Louis and Milwaukee for first (20-14).
There are a lot of similarities between that team and this one. Youth is the biggest one, but that team had a pitching staff cobbled together by spit and bubble gum. This team seemingly has the ability to stop any losing streak with any one of its top four starters — Aaron Harang, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo.
Fifth starter Micah Owings hasn’t been stellar overall on the mound, but he’s made up for that with a potent bat, hitting pinch hit doubles and even a homer along the way.
I’m ready to party like it’s 1999, but this time I hope it includes a playoff berth, if not this season, maybe next.