The Spiral

Did you hear? The Reds swung themselves a no-hitter tonight! Roy Halladay was on the mound, but the clearly over-matched and obviously terrified Reds helped Halladay throw the first post-season no hitter since Don Larson in 1956. Yes, Halladay was brilliant, but isn't he always? There's simply no excuse for a team as offensively talented as the Cincinnati Reds to get dominated like they did tonight. None. From the first hitter (Brandon Phillips who swung weakly at the game's first pitch, grounding out softly to the Phillies' shortstop, Jimmy Rollins), the Reds looked defensive and intimidated at the plate.

Not that any Reds fan should be surprised. Good pitching has stopped the Reds for the better part of 2 decades (the last time the Reds made the post-season, the Braves - with Maddux, Glavine, et al - swept them in 4 games), and tonight was certainly no exception. I've seen fewer weak swings at a senior citizen golf outing. Tonight, I was embarrassed to be a Reds fan. Kudos to Halladay, but he had plenty of help. How many "down a straw," early in the count strikes does a team have to watch before someone says "let's adjust?" How many in-the-dirt balls does a team have to swing at before someone says "if it starts down, it stays down...lay off that stuff!?" It was like watching guys who've never seen a curve ball before and weren't aware that Halladay loves working ahead in the count! You don't wait Halladay out....you go up hacking aggressively. I didn't have a problem with Phillips' swinging at the first pitch tonight; but I did have a problem with the fact that the Reds looked scared to step in the box against Halladay!

The hardest ball the Reds hit all night was cracked not by MVP candidate Joey Votto; young sensation Jay Bruce, or wily veteran Scott Rolen, but rather relief pitcher Travis Wood. Catcher Ramon Hernandez missed a couple of pitches by at least 18 inches. Left fielder Jonny Gomes - as usual - pulled off several pitches while striking out twice; and Phillips was tied in knots all night. Rolen, Cincinnati's senior leader whiffed 3 times and Votto never made solid contact. Reds' hitters were dropping their hands all night, resulting in several harmless pop flies; and the last out of the game - a little duck snort in front of the plate by Phillips - was the epitome of the game. A weak swing and easy out, sending Halladay into history. You're welcome, Roy. Thank God the history books will never show how awful, helpful, and defenseless the Reds were for you.

In other news, Colts safety Melvin Bullitt's out for the season, along with kick returner and Indianapolis native Devin Moore. Antoine Bethea limped off the practice field tonight with an apparent hamstring injury; and Austin Collie's battling a similar problem. Pierre Garcon may come back this week, but he too is nursing an injury. So is backup running back Donald Brown. So are 3 different linebackers and offensive linemen. This may be the season when the Colts simply aren't good enough, boys and girls. Peyton Manning can't do it by himself. He's off to his best ever start, looking solely at numbers. But he's getting no help. The defense is porous, the offensive line's not solid; and now the defensive backfield is nothing short of a walking infirmary. The Colts have always "found a way" in the past; but that task gets harder and harder every week. When you have a target on your back for as long as the Colts have, at some point, people are going to hit it and something in my gut says this is the year. I hope I'm wrong.

I am actually looking forward to watching the Pacers. What has the world come to?

RT Brightman