Matt’s Take: March tournament, WBC Championship and Opening Day
Matthew McAdow
By Matthew McAdow
HCP columnist
March is here. The best time of the year has arrived, as the NCAA tournament begins this week, the WBC Championship is on Tuesday (USA USA!) and Opening Day is just a week away.
It’s primetime television, time for me to take some PTO, and time for the cold weather to be gone for good (well maybe not). I haven’t filled out my bracket yet, so I’ll stay silent on the NCAA tournament, but I do wish my Mountaineers would get it together and routinely make the tournament again.
I think Team USA has a massive chance to win the WBC, and I believe they’ll pull that off on Tuesday (ABS needs to be incorporated next go-around).
Opening Day is a week and change away
With Reds Opening Day right around the corner, my evenings from now until hopefully at least October are filled.
This has to be the year that this young core makes a turn and with the additions to the pitching staff and a few additional bats, including the reunion with Eugenio Suarez, the time to win the National League Central is now. This roster is shaping up quick, and I am eager to see how Bleday and Benson are handled, as well as the pitching staff to begin the season.
There are many players that deserve a spot due to their play this spring, but not everyone can make the roster. Rece Hinds, Dane Myers, Will Benson and JJ Bleday have all played well enough to be on this team to begin the year. I’d love to see Rece Hinds get regular at-bats, as he is hitting .364 this spring. The outfield could also use another right-handed power bat in Hinds. He does still have some strikeout concerns, as he is striking out over 30% of the time.
Trey Hendrickson: Traitor
By now, you surely saw the debacle and nonsense as the Ravens got cold feet, backed out of the Crosby deal, and signed Trey to a four-year, $112 million deal. This is less per year than what Cincinnati offered him just a year ago (he found out his market wasn’t so big). Trey mentioned he is looking forward to joining a winning culture – uh, Ravens didn’t even make the playoffs last season, but hey, whatever you want to think. It was a dirty signing and done while Maxx was in the facility.
I am glad the saga is over though, as Mr. Never Happy and the one who is always upset when the market goes up is finally off this team. He quit on Cincinnati, and his type of personality doesn’t belong in Cincinnati.
His comments on Cincinnati being home was just a lie, and he might be the first player that I refuse to retire my jersey to in my garage (Lol). Enjoy him Ravens fans, he will be hurt and upset in a year. He’s stellar when he is happy and healthy, but those days are limited.
Cincinnati needs to replenish their defensive rush, more so than they already have and this draft might be the most important draft of my lifetime. The time to win is now and this window has a small opening before Joe might want out of Cincinnati. Things have to change and in a hurry for Cincinnati to bring home a championship in the Burrow era.