Food for Thought 8-14-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Aroldis Chapman (pictured above) is looking to become the first relief pitcher to win a Cy Young since 2003 and perhaps the first Cincinnati Reds pitcher ever to win the prestigious award.

By Josh Kramer

The Reds may be the oldest team in professional baseball history (established in 1869), but there is one thing this proud franchise has never done.  No Cincinnati pitcher has ever claimed the Cy Young Award.  Just to put that into perspective, the Diamondbacks (established in 1998) have sported five winners of the prestigious award for the best pitcher in their respective League.  I know there is a still a month and a half left in the regular season, but a pair of serious Cy Young candidates currently reside in Cincinnati.  I will give you a hint.  One is a starter, while the other is a relief pitcher.  Despite the absence of star Joey Votto, the Reds have somehow managed to go a remarkable 19 and 8.  So much for staying afloat and playing .500 ball with the all-world Votto sidelined.

Sure plenty of players have stepped up in the absence of the MLB’s best all-around hitter (such as Ryan Ludwick and Brandon Phillips), but two players have been getting the job done all year.  Johnny Cueto has not only proven himself to be a formidable number one starter, but he has also proven to be arguably the best pitcher in the National League.  Cueto currently is tied for the NL lead with 15 wins and ranks third in ERA (2.45).  Make sure to note that the two pitchers with better ERA’s than Cueto in the present have 10 wins and 9 wins respectively (Vogelsong and Zimmermann)  Then there is the Cuban Missile.  Outside of one short-lived rough patch just before the All-Star break, Aroldis Chapman has been the most dominant pitcher in baseball. Chapman has been simply unhittable as of late going a remarkable 22 straight appearances without allowing a run.  Also, in 51.2 innings against National League foes, Chapman has surrendered one earned run.  Lastly he has given up just 25 hits.  Really think about those statistics.  Could we be on the verge of the first relief-pitcher to take home the Cy Young Award since Eric Gagne in 2003?  Or perhaps the first Reds Cy Young Award winner ever?

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Hope provides a glimmer of hope

Photo courtesy of pauloccamacho.wordpress.com.

By Josh Kramer

I never thought that I would see the day where a quarterfinal women’s soccer game got the entire country excited.  A finals match sure.  But a quarterfinal?  Well believe it, because today’s match was arguably the greatest soccer match I have ever had the pleasure to witness.  The majority of Americans would agree.

The American women were down and out.  They were down to 10 players.  They were going up against Marta, the best women’s soccer player in the world, and an extremely talented Brazilian team that had knocked them out 4 years ago.  It was stoppage time.  And somehow, the American women, led by Abby Wambach and Hope Solo never lost “hope.”  Ever heard the expression “Only in America.”  Well today, though the match was all the way over in Germany, it seemed to be one of those “Only in America” type of moments.

“Weekly Nickel 6-26-2011”

Photo courtesy of live-like-a-german.com. The FIFA Women's World Cup has begun. Can the US win the title for the first time in 12 years or will the Germans three-peat?

By Josh Kramer

It is another Monday in the wide world of sports.  And I must say that I am excited for what should be another great week.  Plenty of items to be on the look out for.

Here is the top five.

5.  The NFL lockout has passed the century mark.  And though there is optimism in the air, it is only “cautious optimism.”  Many have pointed towards around July 4th for the dispute to be solved.  Lets just get back to football.  I am tired of the speculation.  All parties involved want football.  The owners, the players, the coaches, and most importantly, the fans.  What would Monday nights be without the “C’mon Man” segment?