Matt’s Take: Games aside, a truly special weekend in Cincinnati

By Matthew McAdow
HCP columnist

This entire past weekend was a special time for Reds fans, as it was the official Reds Hall of Fame induction weekend for Bronson Arroyo, Danny Graves and Gabe Paul.  

The three who joined the 2023 class were more than deserving, and it was an honor to see them be gifted their red jackets. Cincinnati was flooded with history of Reds baseball, along with former players piling in to take in the weekend activities.  

After spending the entire weekend at Great American Ball Park, the Reds Museum & Hall of Fame, and the Cincinnati Reds Gala, I couldn’t be more proud to be a Cincinnati Reds fan. They do things the right way, honor players in a correct fashion, and truly have the best atmosphere on the planet. Never take for granted how great it is to have a small-market team this close to home, along with executives that keep our favorite team in Cincinnati.

Hall of Fame & Reds Gala

As we witnessed some great speeches from the 2023 inductees, I looked around the Reds Gala and was amazed to be in the same place that had legends present from many different Reds eras. Karen Forgus and Phil Castellini have been great to “Matt’s Take,” and they truly are the reason that I get to experience all of the success that is happening in 2023.  

As the place was flooded with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Barry Larkin, Joey Votto and other Cincinnati legends, all while being fed by Jeff Ruby in attendance, I was soaking it all in. While it took a 12-hour day in Cincinnati, a “car bath,” and an outfit change in a downtown Cincinnati parking lot, it was time well spent with my favorite person – my wife.

All right, let’s talk baseball

All right, let’s talk baseball. Do you remember that feeling of being forced as a child to invite the weird kid over to a birthday party because your parents made sure that everyone was included? There was no better feeling than watching their parents pick them up the next day and exit the driveway. I felt this way as the Brewers left Cincinnati on Sunday, as they handed us another beatdown to take a two-game lead in the National League Central. Props to the Brewers, and I am happy to just see them leave town.  

This doesn’t mean it is time to panic, as I truly believe it was just a bad weekend mixed with elite pitching from Milwaukee. Moving forward, Cincinnati has seven straight games at home before taking on the Brewers yet again at the end of the month. The Giants and Diamondbacks will be in town for this seven-game stretch, and it is time for Cincinnati to get back into a groove.  

Christian Encarnacion-Strand

More reinforcements. The time has come for “CES” to finally make his big league debut. Encarnacion-Strand was the best batter possibly in all of baseball during Spring Training and continued his success in AAA.  

In 2023, he is batting .331, has 20 home runs, and an impressive 1.042 OPS. The 6 foot, 224-pound slugger looks to bring power to the Reds lineup, along with his ability to connect with balls outside the zone.  

While he can play first and third, I expect him to get a lot of at-bats at the DH spot.  The young talent continues to flood the roster and I am excited to see the “next man up” mentality continue with this team.  

National League Central

With the trade deadline approaching along with reaching the middle of July, it is time for Cincinnati to bear down. Before the season, many predicted Cincinnati to finish in last place in the division. Nobody had faith in this team and as they got swept this weekend, the critics came forward yet again.  

The good news is that what you and I believe will happen, simply doesn’t matter. They didn’t care before the season and they certainly do not care now. They are a young and talented club, and slumps certainly come with a roster filled of young players.  

While it may feel like a rollercoaster right now, your Cincinnati Reds are 50-44 and only two games behind the Brewers – all while being ahead of schedule in a rebuild process loaded with more young talent than it has had in my lifetime.  

Keep supporting this young group, show up at games, and enjoy the ride along this rollercoaster, as I don’t see it crashing anytime soon.    

Matthew McAdow is a graduate of Ohio Christian University. He lives in Peebles. He is pictured below with Joey Votto.