Every day there are three things, none worth devoting an individual post to, but each worth at least mentioning.
1) The Reds. Nothing like scoring six runs in 35 innings to throw water on things like "can the Reds actually make the playoffs" and "will the Reds buy at the deadline." It felt like the 17 innings and all the missed chances that dominated Friday night's marathon hovered over the losses on Saturday and Sunday, which will probably amplify the growing "baseball should embrace ties" crowd.
The problem this weekend was mainly the hitting, especially on Friday and during the early innings on Saturday. Billy Hamilton - whose offensive proficiency was such a big part of the recently-completed homestand - went 0 for 7 on Friday and didn't play Saturday. It's no coincidence that the Reds failed to score. Other than that, the big hit was lacking, which dragged Friday's game deep into Saturday and gave them little chance despite Lisalverto Bonilla's heroics.
I'm not sure there's a big takeaway to this weekend. The Reds aren't as good as we think they are when they're playing really, really well. And they're not as bad as some will pretend they are when they're lose games in bulk.
2) FC Cincinnati. It was interesting to hear the boos at the end of FCC's loss to Orlando City B on Saturday. The blue and orange, playing with a fluid lineup over the last month, has scored three goals in five games. They're not even a third of the way through the USL season, but FC Cincinnati is two losses away from last season's total for the entire year, and their leading goal scorer is only midway through his six-game suspension.
The smashing success that was the debut season last year was largely predicated upon the fact that the team was so good. The season ticket base is strong, the club continues to have incredible off-field and marketing momentum, and there's a ton of time left for FCC to turn the season around, but it'll be interesting, to me at least, to see what the reaction is to the season's slow start.
3) Hey, remember him? In their incredible come-from-behind game one win over the Spurs in the opener of the Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors were led by Steph Curry's 40 points. (Yes, the outcome is probably different if Kawhi Leonard doesn't have to leave the game with ankle injury) The Dubs trailed by 25 at one point before storming back to take a 1-0 lead. Steph hid as under the radar as a 25-point scorer on the league's best team can, with some referring to his season as a "down" one.
He still has the quickest release in the game, can still hit shots from nearly everywhere on the court, and still possesses the ability to produce the kind of "holy shit" moments that few in this league can summon.
My NBA gripe comes from the fact that we didn't get a Cavs/Wizards game seven yesterday, depriving us of one of the great NBA days of the year.
Recommended link of the day: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE: N.B.A. CONSPIRACY THEORIES ON YOUTUBE.
Radio Show: The Reds fall in San Fran, Marvin enables Adam Jones some more, and BASEBALL DOESN'T NEED TIES!. Today. 3:05. ESPN1530.
Win: A new lawn mower from Baxla Tractor and lawn tickets to every show at Riverbend.
Follow me on Twitter @MoEgger1530.
(Photo: Getty Images)