Cincinnati Reds

Everyone has perfect 20/20 hindsight. I know I do.

Some think the sweep job the Cards did was in retaliation to Brandon Phillips' name calling and some are in agreement that he should have kept his mouth shut.

If he is attempting to become public enemy No. 1, he took the correct fork in the road. After his "hulkish" posturing after leveling Nationals catcher Will Nieves, he drew the ire of Pudge Rodriguez and many Washington fans.

Major League Baseball has issued disciplinary action for Tuesday night's brouhaha between the Cardinals and Reds.

Dusty Baker and Tony LaRussa were each suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed amount of money.  Baker will serve his suspension tomorrow and Saturday when the Reds host the Marlins.

"I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em.  I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals," Reds 2B Brandon Phillips.

Phillips' comments eventually escalated into a full-fledged brouhaha last night.

When yesterday's Reds starting lineup was published, it stirred up quite a bit of controversy on Twitter. Several fans were questioning Dusty Baker's batting order, particularly at the top of the order. In fact, it has been a hot topic for most of the season.

I have no problem with fans second-guessing the manager. I have done it myself. There also is nothing wrong with countering that criticism by supporting Baker's decisions. Besides, we all have the same goal: to see the Reds win!

Much has been written and said pertaining to the events at Great American Ballpark this week.  A two game Reds lead has now turned into a one game deficit.

Additionally, the national media is starting to pile on them as well.  In light of recent events, Brandon Phillips, in particular, is looking like the kind of player who goes out and talks a big game, but can't back it up with his play.

Okay, enough is enough.  I highly suspect that as trained professionals, some of which have been at this for a long time, the team has moved on.

The St. Louis Cardinals came in to Cincinnati to claim back first place in the division from the Reds. They may have done much more than that.

It wasn't even close. In the three game series, the Cardinals outscored the Reds 21-8.  Forget about the infamous basebrawl of game two—the Cards hit the Reds hard and often.

This could be the single most pivotal point in the season for the Reds. How they react, bounce back, or fade away between now and September 3rd will determine the whole season. 

Why September 3rd? 

For Brandon Phillips, firing up your team should probably not involve getting teams into fights.

Phillips, easily one of the best players and leaders for the Cincinnati Reds, may be the reason why the St. Louis Cardinals swept their recent series, ending today with the Cards winning 6-1.

“I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em.

The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the biggest surprise contenders of this baseball season, having last made the playoffs 15 years ago, in 1995. Before this season, the Reds had finished below .500 nine straight seasons, never finishing better than third in the NL Central since the year 2000. This year's success, therefore, much like the success of the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, has come as quite a shock to many baseball fans.

Brandon Phillips escalated the Cardinals/Reds feud when he said this about the Cardinals:

“I’d play against these guys with one leg. We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is b---- and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little b------, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.”