A wash on the Reds F5 Tuesday free play. The Reds probably should have gotten a fourth-inning run but there was some apparent miscommunication between Joey Votto and his third base coach, and he got nailed by a wide margin at home plate. Weird play as a base hit had gotten by the Texas RF, which would have allowed to Votto to score. But either the coach flashed the sign too late or Votto missed it. So he slowed to almost a stop at third base and then decided to go, and let’s just say it wasn’t close. But I can live with the push. Here’s one for the weekend in the NFL.
279 CARDINALS at 280 TEXANS (Sunday)
Take: CARDINALS +1
It’s “dress rehearsal” week in the NFL with most teams expected to have their regulars on the field for a good amount of time. That also means more actual game planning than in the other exhibition games for the majority of NFL teams. But that really doesn’t mean a great deal to me from an analytical standpoint, as the games still don’t count and they really aren’t played as though they do.
That said, I love seeing information that gives me a clue as to a team’s mindset for its upcoming game. The games I’ve done best with this pre-season have been those where there were revealing quotes involved. Here’s one that is as plain as day for this week. This one is from Arizona GM Steve Keim.
“We can’t just go out there when the season starts and turn the switch on.”
The Cardinals first team offense has been really dull in the first two games. It sure sounds like there’s a sense of urgency here, and that’s coming from the top of the food chain as far as team management is concerned. It might only be a pre-season game that doesn’t count. But the last game this team played that did count was brutal and the comments here indicate that there’s a feeling that the team needs to get something positive accomplished this week. That might not be so easy against a tough looking Houston defense. But if Arizona is treating this game with what at least sounds like close to regular season focus, then I am definitely willing to back the Cardinals this weekend.
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