In Dream Bracket 2, Reds look to win it all
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CINCINNATI -- In the first Dream Bracket simulation, a roster of all-time Reds greats reached the tournament finals and came one win away from taking the whole thing. But it was the all-time Yankees who emerged victorious in the deciding Game 7.
Major League Baseball and Out of the Park Baseball have joined forces again for Dream Bracket 2: Dream Seasons. This 64-team tournament begins Thursday and runs through June 9.
This time, however, the Reds will be represented by two separate versions of the franchise. Instead of mixing players from the present, past and distant past onto one team, Dream Bracket 2 focuses on rosters from two of the best post-World War II teams from each of the 30 current Major League franchises.
Cincinnati will be represented by its 1975 and '90 World Series winners. Other teams include the '61 Yankees, the '79 Pirates, the '55 Brooklyn Dodgers, three Negro League teams and the '94 Expos. All series simulations are again best-of-seven outcomes.
Here is some more info about the two Reds clubs:
1975 Reds
Helmed by manager Sparky Anderson, the Big Red Machine dynasty reached its pinnacle with the first of back-to-back World Series titles. Cincinnati defeated the Red Sox in an epic seven-game battle that has been heralded as one of the best World Series ever.
Players on the 1975 Reds included three Hall of Famers in Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez along with greats like Pete Rose, George Foster and Dave Concepcion. Anderson was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. The rotation boasted three 15-game winners in Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham and Don Gullett.
The 1975 Reds finished the regular season with a 108-54 record and swept the Pirates in three games for the National League pennant.
1990 Reds
The first and only “wire-to-wire” NL winners since divisional play began in 1969, the Reds led the NL West from beginning to end and finished 91-71 under manager Lou Piniella.
Featuring a roster that included Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, Cincinnati had a strong lineup that also had Eric Davis, Chris Sabo and Paul O’Neill. The rotation was formidable with Jose Rijo, Danny Jackson, Tom Browning and the surprising Jack Armstrong. The best asset the team had was “The Nasty Boys” trio of relievers in Rob Dibble, Randy Myers and Norm Charlton.
Cincinnati defeated the Pirates in a six-game NL Championship Series before facing a heavily favored A’s team. In a stunning turn of events, the Reds swept Oakland in four games to give the franchise its fifth World Series title.
In the first round, the 1975 Reds will face the 2007 Rockies. The ’90 Reds have drawn the ’94 Expos.
Senior Reporter Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05.