Miami Valley styles
Cold weather arrives
'Tis the Season Festival
Long road trips make Reds cranky
Nobody has a good explanation as to why Cincinnati drew strange schedule.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
ST. LOUIS — Willie Nelson's song On The Road Again needs a revision to apply to the Cincinnati Reds — maybe something like, On the Road For Days and Days and Days.
The Reds began an 11-day, three-city, nine-game trip Monday in St. Louis, a chance for the players to learn how to pack for long journeys.
Extras
Before the season is over, the Reds will have completed six trips that last 10 or more days.
Unusual? You bet.
The team with the next-most trips of 10 days or longer is the New York Yankees, and they have only four. Beginning with this trip, the Reds have five in a row.
"When the schedule came out I had to check it twice to make sure we played 81 homes games," Reds General Manager Wayne Krivsky said. "With six trips of 10 days or more and stops in three cities all six times, I couldn't see how we could possibly play 81 home games."
Manager Jerry Narron has been talking about the ghastly road schedule since Day One of spring training.
And now it's here — the start of five straight of 10 days or more.
"Six 10-dayers? That's unbelievable," said Narron. "That's the way it has to be these days because of scheduling a lot more games against teams in your division than against teams outside your division and mixing in interleague games.
"I know that makes it tough to get schedules together," he added. "But why must one team have six and no other team more than four? It's all about getting it done under the circumstances, and you can't complain about it. It's like all the cold weather we had to play in and get it done."
Do days off on the road help? After Monday's travel day with no game, there is one day off during this trip, and one trip has two days off. One trip has 11 games in 11 days.
"I hate off days on the road," said Narron. "All of us do."
No comfort zone
Playing so many road games in a row means a lot of bad meals (with a few good ones), a lot of time away from the family, a lot of down time and a lot of aggravations not related to playing baseball.
"Traveling city-to-city, getting to places late at night or in the wee hours, different time zones, you're not sleeping in the same bed or your own bed," Narron said. "I mean, we have one trip with two off days on the trip (June 18-28), and in all my years in the game I've never heard of that."
When Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman heard about the six trips, he cocked his head and said, "Sounds to me like somebody who does the scheduling doesn't like the Cincinnati Reds very much."
Commissioner Bud Selig says it has nothing to do with likes or dislikes. The schedule is done by computer with some adjustments by human hand.
"We do the best we can under difficult circumstances," said Selig. "We know not everybody is happy, but nothing was done with the intent to hurt any team."
Pitcher Aaron Harang shook his head in acknowledgement when asked if the team is aware that it is the first team in Reds history (and that's a long, long history) to have six trips of 10 or more days in one year.
"Oh, yeah, we know," he said. "Thank goodness for airplanes. Remember when the teams used to travel by train? That would be a circus."
Harang said it definitely means an extra suitcase and maybe an extra tube of toothpaste.
"It's hard, knowing you're not sleeping in your own bed, having to eat out every day — it does take a toll on you because you don't have your own comfort zone," Harang added. "And on some of those we have an off day — those always stink because you'd rather spend that time with your family, but you're off on the road."
Less packing required
Reds outfielder Ryan Freel says it depends upon when you ask about how he feels being gone for so long six times a year.
"The first day, it's great to get away," he said. "Then on the last day you're saying, 'Great, we're going home.'
"Worst schedule in baseball," Freel added. "I've heard that a couple of places — that we have the worst road schedule in baseball. How tough is it? Depends upon if you're winning or losing. A long trip can be real quick if you're winning, and it can seem like forever if you're losing."
Equipment manager Rick Stowe was nearly clicking his heels in midair when he saw the schedule. Because of the extended-length trips, the Reds make only 10 trips this season.
"The norm is usually 12 or 13 trips a year," said Stowe. "That's pretty darn cool for me. That means I only have to pack up the tent and the big balloon only 10 times this year."
Stowe, at random, pulled out four media guides from other teams and counted the number of trips each team takes:
"Cubs 13, Braves 12, Cardinals 13, Astros 11 — and we take only 10," he said. "No problem for me. We might ship one extra trunk of equipment, but we normally pack enough stuff for at least 10 days, anyway."
Contact this reporter at hmccoy@DaytonDailyNews.com.
