By Thaq Diesel

This Cardinals series has a crazy playoff atmosphere to it.  It’s pathetic that it takes cheap hot dogs and half price tickets to get the stadium full, but the fans are doing their part now that their butts are in the seats. The din was a full roar when David Ross smacked his homer in the 9th to win it tonight.  Watching Freel hustle Rose-style yesterday also got the fans into a full frothy foam.  Let’s hope the Reds continue to get support as they stay in the race even after management takes the $1.00 hot dog training wheels off.

With so many teams on the Reds heels, it is paramount that Cincinnati focus on winning the division.  The wildcard probably won’t get decided until the last day of the regular season (if then).  When the smoke clears, I doubt the Reds will be in the thick of the wildcard.

• The David Ross walk-off home run is in the top five of the highlights of the season, with Ryan Freel’s catch yesterday being in the mix.  I also think Harang beating Carpenter 1-0 earlier in the season, Arroyo’s home runs and Dunn’s walkoff are in there too. 
• The comebacks the Reds have made against them cements the fact the Cardinals bullpen is chock-full of holes.  It gives me hope the Red Legs can eventually move past them again in the standings.  
• We’ve seen some spectacular defense the past two nights.  Freel’s catch is as good as any I’ve ever seen Edmonds make.  Freel did it at a critical time in the game, too. Edwin Encarnacion also made a great snag at third tonight to save extra bases.  Phillips is starting to shine in the field.  We can’t get back the games lost by defense earlier this year, but maybe the defense can bail out what is still looking to be a shaky bullpen (until it gets it sea legs anyway).
• It’s amazing to see all these new names come out of the pen.  It was a wholesale change (Weathers, Coffey and Mercker notwithstanding) but there was no risk in making such a move; there was nowhere to go but up.  The trouble here is the pen is still finding its identity.  I also don’t know yet where to dial up the butt-clench-ometer for each pitcher because I’m not used to seeing how they react in clutch situations. 
• So the hopping at the plate on a walkoff homerun is still in vogue, but now the helmet toss before reaching home plate in the mix.  Why do players do that, you ask?  Have you ever had geeked up athletes smack you in the earholes of a batting helmet or football helmet before?  It hurts like hell and is nearly deafening.  It’s a defense mechanism more than a celebration. 
• I’ll have more information on the atmosphere at Great American when my roving reporter and good friend CG attends the game tomorrow afternoon with his wife, sister, three-year old son and infant twin boys.  Well, I guess he’ll tell me about the first two innings, anyway.  After that he’ll tell me what the game sounded like on the radio with the twins screaming in the back seats.
• They said on the television broadcast that the Reds fans have gone through 61,000 hot dogs in the past two days.  I rate Charmin toilet paper a hot BUY BUY BUY!!! 

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