As part of their rollout for hosting the 2015 All-Star game, the Reds today unveiled the game logo.
The Reds FSO broadcasts are the highest rated show during their time period, according to a report by Maury Brown for Forbes Magazine. The games are the #1-rated programming in prime time from Opening Day through July 24. That’s good news for the Reds as they prepare to renegotiate their local media rights contract. Ratings haven’t dipped despite the team’s .500 record.
Source: Nielsen Company
Pittsburgh Pirate superstar and 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen’s injury could potentially be a crippling blow to their post-season run. A post by Mike Petriello at FanGraphs discusses the possible ramifications. His conclusion:
Again, we’re speculating, because right now, it’s impossible to say for sure what McCutchen’s health outlook is. He could be back next week; he could miss the rest of the year. He could come back at full strength; he could rush it and be limited, like Ramirez was for the Dodgers, and the Pirates could try to make a waiver deal to compensate. No matter how it turns out, though, it’s hard to think of a more damaging situation for a playoff team. A club with no margin of error just lost the best player in the league. It’s not often that turns out well.
Lots of mixed feelings. On the one hand, the Pirates pitch inside a lot, lead the league in hit batters and engaged in a blatant bean-ball war with the Reds last year. One of the casualties was Brandon Phillips who was hit and injured last year on June 2.
On the other hand, that doesn’t make it right in this case for Arizona to retaliate deliberately for what most everyone believes to be an accidental HBP the game before on Paul Goldschmidt.
As for the pennant run and being a Reds fan watching Bryan Price’s team coping with injuries to Joey Votto (who has an NL MVP trophy on his mantle, too) and Phillips, I know how it feels. Pirates fans, welcome to our world.