And this concludes the 2011 home slate for the Reds

And that, as they say; is that.

This whole season kind of felt underwhelming and at times just flat out rocky. So it should come as no surprise that in the final game in 2011 at Great American Ballpark, the Reds defeated the Astros in a 2-0 game.

They beat their nemesis Wandy Rodriguez. Bronson Arroyo threw a complete game shutout. Brandon Phillips said goodbye to the fans this year in grand fashion; closing out with three hits and a run on a homestand where he homered six times. Miguel Cairo hit one out of the park to account for the other run.

They went 41-39 at home this season. A winning season in front of the home crowd. From the beginning until the end nothing felt quite right or settled if you watched closely–something we admittedly have not done in about a month. We only made it out to the park in Cincinnati about 5 times this season, and if that was the case for us it was definitely the case for a lot of people.

So to that beautiful little red-seated ballpark in the Queen City that we love so much, we say goodbye until Friday, April 6th of next season. We’ll be playing hookie from work that day and we’ll see you again soon. Stay safe from the ravages and rust of winter old girl. Next year you’re going to be getting some new decorations in the form of a nice little banner that reads ‘2012 National League Champions’.