Top Ten Most Hated Teams - #10 Cincinnati Reds

Nothing really going on today so I figured it would be a good day to start this series of posts. I'm counting down my personal ten most hated teams across sports. We start this off with the Cincinnati Reds.

There are a lot of things to dislike about the "Queen City"; Carson Palmer, it's stupid nicknames, the fact that it is basically Kentucky, their favorite pastime is corn-hole, but for me it's mostly the Reds.

The Reds and Pirates have been playing each other basically forever. Their first game was in 1882 (The Pirates/ Alleghenys won that game 10-9). Since then it seems like these guys have just been a thorn in the Pirates side.

The 1970's saw the "Big Red Machine". I hear so much about the stupid Big Red Machine that I want to vomit. Very little is said about the Pittsburgh Lumber Company in comparison. The Pirates won as many division titles and World Series in that time span, but all you ever hear about is that gambling clown Pete Rose and that annoying homer Joe Morgan.

You know what else I hate about the Reds. Tony Perez, it sure is a shame that he hit the first homer in Three Rivers Stadium. Why does it seem like someone from another team always does that!?

The worst thing about the Reds? Game 5 of the 72' NLCS. Winning on a Bob Moose wild pitch is nearly as bad as Barry Bonds not being able to throw out slow ass Sid Bream (don't worry we'll get to that).

Another thing about the Reds, their "fans" or lack thereof. How in god's name can you be having such a good season, in such a great race and only sell out 60.5% of your home games? In contrast the worst team in baseball (who will go unnamed dammit) sold out 51.9%.

Pete Rose getting the 73 MVP over Stargell? A joke.

Best moment in Pirates vs. Reds history? This excerpt sums it up best,

Perhaps Ellis’ most startling act occurred on May 1, 1974, when he tied a major league record by hitting three batters in a row. In spring training that year, Ellis sensed the Pirates had lost the aggressiveness that drove them to three straight division titles from 1970 to 1972. Furthermore, the team now seemed intimidated by Cincinnati’s "Big Red Machine." "Cincinnati will bullshit with us and kick our ass and laugh at us," Ellis said. "They’re the only team that talk about us like a dog." Ellis single-handedly decided to break the Pirates out of their emotional slump, announcing that "We gonna get down. We gonna do the do. I’m going to hit these motherfuckers." True to his word, in the first inning of the first regular-season game he pitched against the Reds, Ellis hit leadoff batter Pete Rose in the ribs, then plunked Joe Morgan in the kidney, and loaded the bases by hitting Dan Driessen in the back. Tony Perez, batting cleanup, dodged a succession of Ellis’ pitches to walk and force in a run. The next hitter was Johnny Bench. "I tried to deck him twice," Ellis recalled. "I threw at his jaw, and he moved. I threw at the back of his head, and he moved." At this point, Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh removed Ellis from the game. But his strategy worked: the Pirates snapped out of their lethargy to win a division title in 1974, while the Reds failed to win their division for the first time in three years.

source: http://www.baseballreliquary.org/ellis.htm

One Nice Thing About the Reds: I will close these posts by saying one nice thing about the team covered. For the Reds, Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.