I’m not exaggerating when I say that I have watched/rooted for the Reds since I was probably five or six years old. My grandpa Tony, in particular, was a huge Reds fan. Unlike the Bengals, the Red have won multiple Championships in my lifetime, and in the 70’s they had a team that is still considered by many to be the greatest baseball team of all-time. They won another Championship in 1990. S & I were married by then, living in a teeny 2 bed, 1 bath 800 sq. foot house. That team came out of nowhere and won it all. It was fun to watch.

Since my last post, the Reds have still not lost. The have won 12 in a row and sit atop their division. The national media has started paying attention and so have more fans. Last night’s game was special. It was a sold-out match-up against the Braves. The Braves sit atop the NL East with the best record in the NL. They’re stacked. They have won two World Series in the past five years and, at least in recent memory, have just always been the Reds nemesis, even if they were in a down year. The Braves had won eight in a row heading into last night, while the Reds had won 11 straight so this was a battle. The Reds had who I believe most fans would agree, their worst pitcher starting last night and it was painful. The Braves opened up the game scoring five runs in the 1st. UGH! But then this team did what they do. They chip, chip, chip away. Two in the second, two in the third, one in the fourth and suddenly we’re tied. After that it was a slugfest the Reds ended up winning 11-10.

While I will never love baseball as much as football, I will state again. THIS TEAM IS SO MUCH FUN. Not just because they’re winning. It’s the way they play. I especially wanted to jot down memories of last night’s game because something happened that I’ve never seen unfold in front of me, for a Reds player. Or if I have, it’s been decades ago. Last night, our 21 year-old rookie, Elly De La Cruz hit for the cycle. I have never seen anything like him. I hope he’s a Red for many years. I didn’t even mention him in my last post because he only got called up to the Bigs a couple of weeks ago. They are now 14-2 since that time. It’s by no means all about him, but he’s otherworldly.

If that isn’t enough for you, FC Cincinnati is atop their division in the MLS at 13-4-1. It’s a pretty fun time to be a Cincinnati sport fan.

From an ESPN post “Elly De La Cruz is the first player in the World Series Era (since 1903) to record 20 hits, 5 stolen bases and 3 HR in a player’s first 15 career games.” Yeah. He’s really good.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t share my new turtle story. Last week I jokingly posted about our turtle rescue. On Monday, I found said turtle in front of our house. He had decided to cross the street. He was moving at a decent clip, when apparently he decided to take a rest in the middle of the street. Sigh. Luckily I decided to wait in case a car turned down our street. Sure enough, about a minute later I heard a car coming. I grabbed my garden gloves, walked out and waved at the driver (one of our neighbors) to stop, and moved Mr. Turtle to safety on the other side of the street. Our neighbor was thankful, saying he most-definitely would not have seen him and likely run him over. Mr. Turtle was probably not thankful, but he should be.

XOXO