Archive for the 'The Reds' Category

Apr

World Series Rings

I came across this interesting website on World Series Rings. Check it out. Which championship ring do you think is the nicest?
The 2004 Red Sox ring jumped out at me as the nicest. Perhaps I’m a bit biased but I also believe the 1990 Reds ring is nice.

Here are the most recent championship rings for the Yankees (2009), Mets (1986) and Reds (1990) along with the oldest ring.

1922 NY Giants

Interesting that the Cardinals decided to place their rally squirrel on their ring.

I’m sorry that I had to use profanity on my website. However, the website only has an image of “Carpenter”‘s ring.

The squirrel even appeared on Skip Shumaker’s baseball card. In fact, Shumaker isn’t really even on his card.

Those squirrel/Shumaker baseball cards are going for over $50 on ebay!

posted by Mr. Dowling in The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (2)

Apr

The Weekend of 4/14

Bowling Scores For the Week: 168, 158 and 168. I’ve finished the season (as a sub) with a 159 average…not too bad for only bowling 5 times in league play all year as opposed to all 36 weeks the past few years.

The story of the night, however, was that one gentleman in the league bowled 12 strikes in a row. That’s right a perfect game!!! This is the fourth perfect game I’ve ever witnessed live. The other three times happened 3 weeks in a row by the same guy. Now that is talent!

If you’ve been following baseball closely, you know how frustrated I am by the Reds early this season. They are not hitting at all. As I saw on the internet this week, the Reds lineup looks a little something like this:

1. Out
2. Out
3. Joey Votto
4. Out
5. Out
6. Out
7. Out
8. Out
9. Pitcher’s Spot (also an out)

The Reds were number one and two in scoring the last two years so I don’t expect this to continue. However, they don’t want to dig a hole they can’t get out of this early in the season.

On Thursday, the Reds lost to the Nationals on a walk off wild pitch. That tragic loss caused rookie catcher to react this way:

Some had a problem with this outburst. What do you think?

Finally, this week marks the 100 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
I thought this cartoon was pretty funny.

Back to school tomorrow…get a good night’s rest and be ready. We’re in the home-stretch! We’re laying the groundwork for the Civil War over the next few weeks. Don’t forget, you have a homework assignment due Monday.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Bowling,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball,history and have No Comments

Apr

The Weekend of 4/7

Check out this video of Lindsay Lohan over the years. I’ll let you make your own conclusion.

Beyond the obvious conclusion, I’ve learned that I spend too much time on the computer!

I heard on the news this morning of the death of Thomas Kinkade. Kinkade is a noted artist with many wonderfully paintings of serene settings. I had no idea that he was even a current artist. I always thought that he was already dead. Anyway, I got to know his paintings from putting together jigsaw puzzles of his art.
Check out some of his work below:

I always liked the snow covered scenes the best. That’s about as close to art appreciation as you’re going to get from me.

Tonight is Opening Night for the Reds. They try to make a big deal of their first night game to draw a big crowd. It has worked the past few years. I’m especially excited about seeing Mat Latos pitch for the first time with the Reds.
How about that Mets win the other day?
I watched the Yankees blow it late yesterday. One thing I took out of watching that game was that the Yankees do indeed play incredibly long games.

Fast Five is on tonight on HB0 at 8. This is the most recent Fast and the Furious film. You can see for yourself if there is a resemblance between Vin Diesel and yours truly. Ask your parents permission before watching.
I’ll be DVRing the movie. I always liked the Fast and the Furious movies.

That’s all for this weekend. I’ll be back early next week.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,Television,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (3)

Apr

Friday, 4/6

I was asked yesterday if I was serious about the one page report on the Reds game. Of course I was…not. If you thought I was serious I must be pretty convincing. I even said in class that it wasn’t serious.
The only assignment you have over the vacation is the one from Tuesday. Many of you already completed that assignment. Check out the homework page for the questions if you need to see them.

I enjoyed watching baseball back in action yesterday. The Reds won by a score of 4-0. I was impressed by the fundamentally sound play of the Reds. From Drew Stubbs bunting for a base hit, great defense, the good base running and pitching from Cueto, Chapman and Marshall, there wasn’t really much to complain about.
Marshall pitched a lights-out 123 inning in the 9th. If one game is any indication, the Reds will be fine with Marshall as a closer. Of course, this is a long season.
I was also impressed by Joey Votto’s defense yesterday. Although he won the gold glove last year, I was never impressed by his glove work. Yesterday was a different story.

Thank you to everyone for all the kind words you had after meeting DJ and Casey in school yesterday. DJ loved walking around the school and playing with everyone. He especially had a good time playing with Mrs. Convey and Mrs. Fishman.
They probably won’t be back for awhile. They are a bit too young to handle coming to school with us.

As I said in class, enjoy the vacation. Take advantage of this time to be with family and re-charge your batteries. We are in the home-stretch. 10 weeks of school remaining!!!
I’ll be around posting on the blog this week. If you have a moment with nothing to do, stop by and say hi.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Casey,DJ,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (2)

Apr

Votto Hits the Lotto

Apparently there was another Mega-Millions winner this week. It was announced the Reds first baseman Joey Votto extended his contract another 10 years. He will now be with the Reds until 2023. I read that the contract extension is worth over 200 million dollars.
Imagine what you could buy at a dollar store with that kind of money!!!

I will be 42 years old when Votto is no longer with the Reds and my son will be 13. Votto is poised to be to my son’s generation what Barry Larkin was to mine.
Some are even saying that when it is all said and done Votto will be considered the best Reds hitter ever. That is a pretty bold statement with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Barry Larkin, Ernie Lombardi, George Foster and Eric Davis having great careers with the Reds.
What this could likely mean is that this year will be the last of Brandon Phillips. I can’t imagine how the Reds will be able to afford Votto at his price tag and Phillips at the rate he wants. It is especially tough because Cincinnati is not New York. The revenue does not come in the same in Ohio.

Long Live The Vottoman Empire!!!

posted by Mr. Dowling in The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (2)

Mar

Monday, 3/26

On Friday, I was greeted by a former student with great news. Current 9th Grader and former Green House Student, Ethan, had a cartoon published in the Schreiber Times. I don’t recall reading the Times before this weekend. I have to say I was quite impressed by the articles and enjoyed reading about past students. I hope to see future copies of the Spartan Times, especially with articles and cartoons by former students.

This weekend the Reds were the recipients of bad news. Over the winter, the Reds signed Ryan Madson to be the team’s closer. Madson pitched quite well for the Phillies last year and was slated to be a more than suitable replacement for Fransisco Cordero. Sadly, Madson had elbow problems once Spring Training started and tests showed that he had torn the ligament right off his elbow. He’s going to need Tommy John surgery and will be out the entire season.
The excitement that I had for Opening Day is still there but I’m more worried about the season that last week. The Reds do have Sean Marshall to step in to fill the void. However, if the Reds thought Marshall was good enough to be the guy, they wouldn’t have signed Madson after trading for Marshall.
We’ll see how it plays out. There is still a slight chance that Aroldis Chapman will be moved to the closer position.

Finally, an interesting “article” from the Daily News.

Like many people who get summoned to jury duty, Jacob Clark didn’t want to go. But unlike most people, he had a legitimate excuse-he’s 9 years old…His dad called the jury commission office in Orleans District Court in Massachusetts to find out what happened. It turns out that someone apparently typed 1982 for the Yarmouth 3rd grader’s birth year instead of 2002. The mistake was quickly corrected.

Have a great day in school today.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (2)

Mar

The Weekend of 3/24

Stonybrook To Hold Classes On Religious Holidays
Click the article above. I’m curious to hear what you think about a college having classes on religious holidays. Stonybrook has decided to hold classes on days usually reserved for religious observance such as Rosh Hashanah, Passover and Good Friday.
My guess is that the backlash of this decision will lead the powers that be in Stonybrook to re-think their decision.
Do you think they are right? Justified? Making a bad decision?

Tim Tebow to the Jets
Adding a solid quaterback to the Jets could be a good move. It also could be a bad move as Mark Sanchez might be looking over his shoulder every time he fails now that a viable backup is available. What do you think?
I know for sure it is a good financial move. Tebow t-shirts and jerseys are selling like hot cakes.
By the way, do hot cakes really sell that well?

Does Joba Chamberlain think he plays for the Mets? Joba broke his ankle the other day while playing on a trampoline. Those things are dangerous. I know Chamberlain was playing with his son but given that a trampoline is such a dangerous piece of equipment and Joba is a professional athlete, perhaps he should have thought of another way to enjoy playing with his son.

This is not the greatest footage (pun intended) but check out this video of Paul O’Neill.
Paul O’Neill was a Yankee great during the 90s. However, he first made his name as a Cincinnati Red. O’Neill helped the Reds win their 1990 World Championship.
I doubt this play helped. Check out how O’Neill got the ball back into the infield. Perhaps he has a future as a punter in the NFL.

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (4)

Mar

The Reds Report 2012

Have you ever had a feeling where you were excited and extremely nervous at the same time? If you’re a Reds fan, that is the feeling you have as Spring Training turns to Regular Season. The Reds are in a situation that makes it nearly impossible to win big after this year. Allow me to explain with this year’s edition of the Reds Report.
Lineup
1. Brandon Phillips 2B
2. Zack Cozart SS
3. Joey Votto 1B
4. Scott Rolen 3B
5. Jay Bruce RF
6. Ryan Ludwick/Chris Heisey LF
7. Drew Stubbs CF
8 Devin Mesoraco/Ryan Hanigan C
9. Pitcher
A couple changes to the lineup this year. The Drew Stubbs leadoff experiment seems to be over. Stubbs, a man capable of stealing 50 bases in a season strikes out far too often to be considered a leadoff man. Brandon Phillips will leadoff for the majority of games. Two rookies are set to play prominent roles: Zack Cozart and Devin Mesoraco. It remains to be seen if they can perform on the major league level. The Reds are hoping the Ryan Ludwick of 2008 is the Ludwick that they signed.
Starting Pitching
1. Johnny Cueto
2. Mat Latos
3. Bronson Arroyo
4. Mike Leake
5. Homer Bailey
*Aroldis Chapman seems to be slated to start the season at AAA. Given the amount of money being spent on the Cuban phenom and the amount of talent that he has, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the starting rotation sooner rather than later. The Reds need to get a return for their investment. Starting pitching depth is always a nice thing.
Strengths
• Defense-Two years ago, the Reds received 3 gold gloves: Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips, Bronson Arroyo. Last year, Joey Votto was added to the list. The Reds have 3 gold gloves in their infield. Not too many teams have been able to say that. Add to that Jay Bruce who should have won and could win one this year. This team should not make many errors. Disaster happens when you give teams extra outs. The Reds seem unlikely to do that very often.
• Offense-The Reds have the best offense in the league last year. Joey Votto is Mr. Consistency. Bruce continues to get better and better each year. It was no surprise that he was an all-star last year. Brandon Phillips is a 20-20 (possibly even 30-30 again) ball player. I’m excited to see what Chris Heisey can do with 350 or more at bats. There is speed from Stubbs and Phillips and even Votto and Bruce are capable of swiping a few bases. Overall this team has speed, power and mostly consistent bats. I have no doubt that they will score runs.
• Bullpen-Ryan Madson replaces Francisco Cordero. Madson was very good last year as closer for the Phillies. He’s also pitching to get a big contract next year as a free agent. I expect him to be lights out at the end of games. The Reds also traded for (and extended his contract) Sean Marshall. Marshall has been very consistent in Chicago. Having two good pitchers at the end of the game takes pressure off of Sam LeCure, Bill Bray, Nick Masset, Logan Ondrusek or anyone else that might be in middle relief throughout the year.
• Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos=Two Legit-Aces-I’m excited to see what the Reds will get out of the top of their rotation. Cueto’s numbers have improved each year and he’s ready to have a full, breakout season. Latos pitched well for San Diego last year. Now he’s on a team that will score runs.
Weaknesses/Question Marks
• Strikeouts-The Reds struck out way to much last year. They need to cut down on the wiffs. This is the third year that I’ve put this on the weakness list. Drew Stubbs struck out over 200 times last year. That cannot happen again. Jay Bruce strikes out a lot also. I’d like to see both of them put the ball in play far more often.
• Relying Too Much On Rookies? Zack Cozart is going to be the every day starter for the Reds at short. He’s played a total of 11 games in the majors. The backup is the guy who couldn’t cut it as an every day player last year (Paul Janish). That could be a lot of pressure for a youngster. Devin Mesoraco is supposed to be very good. He’ll share the playing time behind the plate with Ryan Hanigan. If Mesoraco falters, the next option is aging minor league veteran Corky Miller!!!
• Staying Healthy-Scott Rolen might but be what he used to be. But the fact of the matter is the Reds play better when Rolen is in the lineup. They play EVEN better when he’s in the lineup and producing. What Scott Rolen is going to show up this year? Hopefully the healthy and productive one but he’s a big question mark right now. Anyone who replaces him (Miguel Cairo, Todd Frazier or Juan Francisco) are unlikely to be able to do what Rolen is capable of.
• Can Aroldis Chapman make it as a starter? Chapman was signed to be an impact player, not come in and pitch 2-3 innings per week. If the Reds can get major innings out of him in the rotation the team could be very dangerous.
Prediction-Brandon Phillips becomes a free agent at the end of this year. Joey Votto becomes a free agent at the end of next year. In my opinion, it is very unlikely that the Reds will be able to re-sign both. If Phillips is the one that is allowed to walk, the Reds won’t be as competitive as they can be with him. As a result, this has to be the year. I don’t know if this is the best team in the National League or all of baseball. But they have all the tools to win the Central. The Brewers and Cardinals lost major impact players. The Reds did not. My prediction is that the Reds win the Central and play very competitively in the post season. The future of the team depends on it.

posted by Mr. Dowling in The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (8)

Feb

Tuesday, 2/21

It seems that my computer problems have been straightened out. I’m glad to be back. I guess the vacation is a good time to not be able to blog since the visits drop during breaks. I have no problem with that. The week off is an opportunity for all of us to recharge our batteries and then come back better than ever. I believe tomorrow marks exactly 4 months remaining of school. Did that go by fast or what?

Mets fans, baseball fans and people with hearts had to be saddened when hearing about the passing of Mets legend and Hall of Famer Gary Carter. I was never a big fan of the Mets but the 86 Mets have always been fascinating to me. Everything I’ve read about Carter said that he was a great person on and off the field. It is a shame that we have to deal with horrible diseases like cancer.

Spring Training has arrived. The Reds kick off their season on April 5 and I can’t wait. I’m going to have to start thinking about my Reds preview in the next few days. I could probably write it today…the team is pretty much set. The big question mark in Spring Training will be whether Aroldis Chapman makes the team as a starter. If he doesn’t, he will likely be ticketed to AAA. I personally don’t see how you send a talent like Chapman to the minor leagues even for a short period of time. However, the Reds have Cueto, Mat Latos, Mike Leake, Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey as starters with a track record for success.

Meanwhile, it looks like the Yankees have unloaded AJ Burnett. I might be in the minority here, but I expect a good season from Burnett. NY wasn’t the right fit for him.

I can’t say that I’m as riveted to Lin-sanity the way the rest of the country is. I think he’s a good player but I’m not so sure how long the Lincredible run will last. I know one thing for sure, they shouldn’t have lost to the Nets.

Did you read that the Mars company is getting rid of their kingsize chocolate bars? Apparently, they are going to only produce chocolate bars that are under 250 calories. I can’t say that I will miss those humongous chocolates. I had a king-sized Crunch bar this week and I couldn’t finish the entire thing. No one should need that much chocolate for a snack (unless they are sharing).
Here’s an article explaining the move.
I don’t know if it is going to make a difference. I recall when the 100 calorie snack packs came out. What I would do when I would get a snack is grab two packages which pretty much defeated the purpose of smaller packaging.

I bought a 12 pack of red pens 9 years ago…took the last one to school on Friday…and they say teachers use their red pens too much.

On Friday when I got home I attempted to have a catch with DJ. Getting a nearly 2 year old to put on a mitt is an adventure. Getting him to throw the ball to me: impossible!

That’s it for now. Enjoy what is left of the vacation!

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,DJ,Food,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comments (3)

Feb

The Weekend of 2/4

It’s Superbowl Weekend. I’m sure some of you will be coming in to school bleary eyed after watching the game and all of the commercials. Don’t forget to check out the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. It is always a fun show (at least for a few minutes).
We even watched a few minutes of the Puppy Bowl and Kitty Halftime Show during Laughs and Lunch.

Speaking of the Superbowl, I’m going with the Patriots on Sunday. It might not be a popular decision but I think they are the better team at this point.

We finished watching Batman. We’re now going to spend a few weeks watching Looney Tunes cartoons. Our next session is Friday during Lunch.

Politicians need to watch what they say at all times. Even when they have the best of intentions, a sound bite can come back to haunt them. Mitt Romney experienced this earlier in the week when he said that he didn’t care about poor people because they have a safety net in place to help them. Of course, the media outlets just focused on the first portion of that statement.
Check out this political cartoon about Mitt Romney and his need for a safety net.

It was nice to see an article recently on the Port Washington Patch about Schreiber students participating in a technology competition. Four of those six students are former Green House students. Congratulations (and good luck) to Greg, Matt, Paul and Peter.
Click here to read the article.

My worst nightmare!

posted by Mr. Dowling in Current Events,School,The Reds,Uncategorized,baseball and have Comment (1)

socialstudieswithasmile.com Blog