The 2016 season has begun, and with baseball’s return comes the return of the off-day Not-So-Random Thoughts open threads. It’s a place for me to post whatever dumb stuff has been on my mind — some of it Reds-related — and for you to talk about whatever you’d like in the comments, off-topic or otherwise. So let’s get started…
–How about that Opening Day win yesterday? Let’s not make too much of one lonely win, but it was a fun day. Of course, every Opening Day is special in this town, but yesterday was particularly fun, given the low expectations surrounding the 2016 version of the Redlegs. Were any of you able to make it out to the ol’ ballyard yesterday?
–Really happy for Zack Cozart, who went 3-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI yesterday. I’ve been very concerned about how Cozart would respond after that brutal knee injury last year, and if Opening Day is any indication, he’s just fine. I look forward to seeing more of him at shortstop, to see if his range has been affected.
No, Cozart has no business leading off and, frankly, I’d rather see Eugenio Suarez or Jose Peraza at SS, since one of those guys might be the long-term solution at the position. But Cozart (and that gorgeous glove) has been an important member of some good Reds teams, and I get sentimental about the Reds sometimes, so I’m not going to complain much about Cozart at short. No, Zack won’t be the shortstop on the next good Reds team, but it’s not like the Reds are going to be in a pennant race this year, and maybe Cozart can rebuild a little trade value over the next few months. In the meantime, Peraza can get a little more seasoning. It’s all good.
–Speaking of the next good Reds team, I wrote a piece for Cincinnati Magazine today on precisely that topic.
–The baseball was good yesterday…but what about the basketball? I vowed that I wouldn’t watch any more of the NCAA tournament after Virginia choked away a Final Four berth. I’m glad I changed my mind.
–I made this prediction last week, so it wasn’t in response to fuzzy feelings about yesterday’s victory. Yes, the Reds lost 98 games last year and got rid of a bunch of players, but Cincinnati won’t lose 100 games this season, as most seem to expect. In fact, they won’t even lose 90.
This isn’t really optimism — I think it’s very likely that they’ll lost in the neighborhood of 88-89 games — but I expect this team to get stronger as the season progresses.
–Walking out of Great American Ballpark a few years back, after a dramatic Reds victory on Opening Day, I overheard an old-timer say to his wife: “You can’t win ’em all if you don’t win the first one.” I think about that every single time the Reds win game one.
–What would the title of your favorite movie be if it was changed to clickbait?
–Some guy kept his Super Nintendo turned on for more than twenty years, just to preserve a saved game. Impressive dedication. Reminds me of Costanza and Slippery Pete.
–Back to the Reds: really impressed with Raisel Iglesias’ Opening Day start. I’ve seen nothing that makes me believe Iglesias is going to be anything other than a star in this league.
–For those of you who are new to Redleg Nation, one of the recurring themes of these NSRT posts is my obsession with the films of director Wes Anderson. Without further ado: a trailer for the recent Star Wars movie, remixed in the style of Anderson.
–Some people seem to be upset that Joey Votto didn’t run out for player introductions yesterday. In related news, some people are searching for any reason whatsoever to be upset with Joey Votto.
–Going to my third Jason Isbell concert in June. Isbell isn’t my favorite musical act, but if you haven’t seen him live, you don’t know what you’re missing. That guy is the real deal.
–Last topic: television. I need a new show to watch, but there’s no Mad Men on TV these days. I’ve watched a couple episodes of Daredevil, and it’s not really doing it for me (though I may go back to that one). I guess I should watch the latest season of House of Cards, but the previous season was not great.
And please don’t recommend The Walking Dead. I’ve tried three times to watch the first episode, and it’s not happening. I’m sure it’s great, and I know people love it…but I’m not trying it again.
So…recommendations?
Anyway, thanks for reading, and thanks for hanging out here at RN every day. Feel free to use the comment section below to talk about any of the above nonsense, or none of it. Discuss whatever you want…