In the background of all the craziness going on here in Ohio – the Rambo-esque incident with [HWSNBN], all the Browns’ preseason injuries, and the criminal behavior of some Bengals players – the Reds are quietly continuing their struggle for a NL wild card spot.
Ryan Freel is one exciting player to watch. I’ve found myself turning off the radio (where I usually keep tabs on the Reds games) and turning the TV to FoxSports, just to see what Freel will do next. Earlier this week, he made one of the best plays of the year against the Cards, going horizontal from a full run and doing a belly flop on the warning track to catch the ball. John Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer said:
It is not hyperbole to say it was the greatest catch in the history of Great American [Ballpark]. The Reds won by six, but The Catch came at a time when the game could have gone either way.
You can see this awesome highlight here, and here is Freel’s highlight reel for the game. (Both vid clips in Windows Media format, credit & copyright MLB).
Freel’s a bit of an odd one, too… when asked about his famous catch, he told a MLB reporter:
“I thought it was pretty neat watching that play. ‘That was a good catch, Ryan,'” Freel said. “The midget in my head is named Farney. ‘Hey Farney, I don’t know if that was you that caught the ball, but it was pretty good if it was you.'”
What was that about Farney?
“He’s the little guy in my head who I talk to, and I talk to him,” Freel said. “Everyone thinks I talk to myself, so I tell them I’m talking to Farney.”
Um, alright.
The Reds dropped a tough game last night against the Phillies, but they are still at least a half-game ahead of anyone else in the wild card race. Groovy.
Image credit & copyright: Associated Press
[…] video, which is included in this article, really does no justice to just how incredible Freel’s effort was. The crowd was buzzing for […]