There was a time when the dominant closer for the Reds didn't have the last name of "Chapman". This closer was a lights out kinda guy who you could call up from the bullpen with the game on the line as you nursed a one-run lead with the tying run at the plate and not worry about blowing the save. That is until he started having issues with getting guys out (after some solid seasons of success), the fans lose confidence in him and start to boo as he jogs out from the bullpen, and finally said closer gives the one finger salute to the fans thus ending his stay in the Queen City. I was always a fan of Danny Graves due to the fact that being the closer has to be the toughest job of any ballplayer. You're either the hero or the goat and there's a very fine line separating the two.
This past week I was able to cross off another bobblehead from my wantlist, bringing my collection of nodders to 29. The Reds gave out 10,000 of these nodders on August 17, 2001 as they took on Milwaukee. Needless to say, Cincinnati lost that game 5-1 with their only run being a Griffey RBI in the bottom of the fifth. It's interesting to note that Jose Rijo pitched the last two innings of the game for the Reds and didn't surrender any runs to the Brewers.
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