Cincinnatti Celebrates 8th World Series Championship
Oct 3, 2022 13:31:16 GMT -5
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Post by Sean_RedsGM on Oct 3, 2022 13:31:16 GMT -5
The city of Cincinnati is still riding the high of winning their 8th World Series championship. The parades are over, the champagne bottles empty, but the Reds are still the talk of the town.
After winning two of the last three championships, many have started debating where this current group of Reds ranks among the all-time greatest teams in organization history. The only other Reds teams to win multiple titles together were the Big Red Machine of the 1970's, and most fans from that time aren't around to talk about it! Lucky for the rest of us, those teams were caught on film that has been transferred to formats that can be preserved for the test of time.
"It's crazy how this game changes, but really at the heart remains the same." Reds 2B Zach Davis commented "That being said, this organization had it's highs and it's lows. It's an honor to be compared to the Big Red Machine, but I don't think we can leave out what this organization was able to do from 2033-2053. It's great to have the run we're currently on, but to be able to compete for twenty years in a row that's crazy."
Making the post season 17 out of 20 seasons might be something we never see again in Cincinnati, but it is definitely something the current Reds team strives to achieve. The issue with those Reds teams though wasn't getting to the playoffs but making deep playoff runs. GM Sean Bain shared his perspective on those teams when we spoke earlier this week.
"Getting into the playoffs is hard enough as it is. Then you factor a smaller sample size, and teams going cold or getting hot at the same time. I've learned from those teams and how we built them. It was a hard decision early on, but the NL Central was wide open. We were able to take it and hold it for many seasons, bringing in talent from outside of the organization via free agency and trading away many of our prospects. This wasn't how I ideally build, but the opportunity was there to win. I never imagined it would be sustained for 20 years."
So where does this current generation of Reds go from here? For veteran OF Jorge Fuentes, it's pretty simple.
"I mean no disrespect to the other great Reds teams from the past. Since I've been here, three of those guys have their numbers up on the wall. Our goals are much larger than just being a better team than they were all of those years. When our GM contacted me as a free agent, he explained to me what the plan was for the future. They needed a veteran player that could anchor this team and provide a presence in the clubhouse. I knew what I was getting into and that I'd be the older guy here, but it was apparent after I signed that good things were coming. First practice of Spring Training, seeing what we had and what prospects were coming I just had a good feeling I made the right choice."
Fuentes indeed made the right choice, and is now a two time champion. From the other side of the spectrum, the current roster has young players that already have two rings. What motivates them to continue to drive for excellence? For Todd Corbett, one thing in particular stands out.
"Fuentes has a Skyline chili named after him. I'll know I made it once I get a dish in Cincinnati named after me."
Win three out of four titles Todd, and you might get a school named after you!