NLCS, here we come!

Cole Hammels was Cole Hammels.  Nuf said.

Game 2 Reflections

1. Roy II - actually a gutsy performance tonight.  His money pitch just wasn't breaking anywhere close to the strike zone, and he didn't blow up.  Five innings - four runs - only three of them earned.  That's not at all awful for a guy who had nothing even close to his best stuff.  He minimized the damage and kept us in the game.  Tough to do after no doubt fantasizing about following up Roy I with a similar performance.  How likely was that, anyway?  In the end he pitched smart, worked with what he had, and kept his team close.  For this team, four runs is close.

2. Bullpen - how cool was four lockdown innings?  Exactly what we needed to see going forward in the playoffs.  Props to the whole gang.

3. Offense - say what you want about errors; I'll take an opportunistic, pressing offense any day.  These guys do not know how to quit, and they don't loose their intensity down in a game.  Not the first time this year the Reds have seen that, either.

End of the day?  2-0, ready for King Cole!

Roy, you made me start a blog!

For years I've said that the sporting event of my life was going to the 1983 NLCS as a kid.  Attending the Rose Bowl when Penn State played Oregon was pretty cool too.  As far as watching games on TV, I can never forget the 2008 series, but last night comes pretty close. 

I announced this morning that I'm renaming all my kids Roy, and by 2:00 in the afternoon my wife is mightily sick of me referring to them as Roy the First, Roy the Second, and so on.  Honestly, though, what does one do after a performance like that?  It's truly an amazing thing.  Roy, you're my hero. 

Until Friday night.