Cincinnati Reds tickets are on sale to see if the baseball team can make amends for last season. They were supposed to return to the NL wing of the postseason, but instead they fell to third in the division. TheSeats has the Cincinnati Reds baseball tickets to the Great American Ball Park to watch as the club almost certainly takes back the Central and hopefully makes further inroads in the 2012 postseason. Why? Read on.

Cincinnati Reds Tickets on Sale

The path is basically paved for this roster. Joey Votto is not only the loan All Star-caliber first baseman, but one of the few All Star offensive forces in the division. The Reds have two potential aces, which is enough to actually reach the NLCS in these times. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals lost Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. Oh, the Pittsburgh Pirates latest batch of prospects is still a few seasons from contention. The Cubs and the Astros are in full rebuild mode.

With Votto and starters Johnny Cueto and Matt Latos on board, the Cincinnati Reds have the top end talent to beat any club in the National League, and perhaps the MLB. The addition of the second wild card only betters this team’s chances. It would help, of course, if the 2012 Reds also enjoyed some support from right fielder Jay Bruce, second baseman Brandon Phillips, third baseman Scott Rolen, relief pitcher Sean Marshall, and closer Ryan Madson. Marshall and Madson should be able to live up to expectations. Bruce may actually make the improvement that has continued through his career. Phillips and Rolen may actually postpone their career slides. In fact Phillips had a resurgent season in 2011. In 2012, it would be a lovely story book ending if Phillips and Rolen could bat .300 and show some drive to the fences and beyond.

The bigger if for Manager Dusty Baker is the starting rotation. Two deep is good when most teams only rely on three or four in the postseason. In the regular season Mike Leake is the best bet of the three to help over the 162-game schedule. Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey looked perilously close to being demoted to the minors.

Cincinnati Reds History

The Cincinnati Reds have been a part of the National League since 1890. The team became the first all professional franchise in 1866 and famously won 130 straight games as the Red Stockings from 1869 to 1870. Unfortunately, baseball’s early dominant team peaked before the NL took formation. For the first two decades the team habitually finished out of first by double digit games. They finally won the 1919 World Series, but only after the White Sox threw the series. The first true World Series came in 1940, when the Reds beat the Tigers in seven games thanks to the incredible hitting of Frank McCormick.

The next great era in Cincinnati Reds history came in the 1970s. The Big Red Machine won two World Series, played in four, and won the NL West five times. The loaded roster included Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey and George Foster. All great dynasties fade away, and this dynasty was dismantled after 1977.

Fast forward to the 1990s and the Cincinnati Reds had put together another impressive roster. Lou Piniella managed a lineup that included Barry Larkin at shortstop, Paul O’Neill in right field, and Eric Davis in left field. Rob Dibble, Norm Charlton, and Randy Myers dominated on the mound and the Reds led the NL West from the first game to the last of the regular season. They took care of the Pirates in six games in the NLCS and provided Red tickets for a quick sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. The team has been trying to recreate that magic and TheSeats has the Cincinnati Reds tickets to the Great American Ballpark for the new season schedule.