With all due respect to NBC, the Reds Rewind games that are airing every Monday night on FSN Ohio is the real "Must See TV", especially if you are a baseball fan.  I didn't grow up in this area.  I grew up in Houston, Texas and to this day am still an Astros fan.  But I live in the Queen City now, and the Reds are my adopted team.

So it was wonderful for me to have the chance to actually view some Reds history.  I am a diehard baseball fan as well.  From that perspective, the Rewind games have you covered also.  Last night they aired Game 4 of the 1990 World Series vs. the A's.

It was truly a treat to get to let at this game some 17 yrs. later.  Just some things that you have to watch for:

1.  The fashion styles.  The ballplayers were wearing the pullover polyester jerseys.  Pants were up about calf high, showing the appropriate amount of legging color, unlike most players today that wear their pants legs all the way down to their ankles.  Then, of course, you have the hair, facial hair and accessories that were in style then that you forgot about.  The Carney Lansford porn 'stache was unintentionally hilarious.  Seeing Sabo's goggles gave me flashbacks to the pair I owned when I played basketball in junior high.   And the 'fro from Dave Henderson couldn't have been nice.

2.  Players that you forgot played for certain teams.  I completely forgot about Lansford, Willie McGee and Willie Randolph playing for the A's that season.  And on a side note:  Randolph looks exactly the same. 

3.  Things you suddenly realize on make sense now years later.  Watching the 8th inning last night, when the Reds decided to try and break through on Dave Stewart by bunting and forcing them to field their positions, I suddenly realized that this was the exact same tactic that LaRussa used on the Tigers 2 seasons ago in gaining an upset victory in the World Series.  In 1990, Piniella bunted in counts where you wouldn't bunt (Braggs in an 0-2 count), used players to bunt that normally don't bunt (O'Neill), and when the A's made errors, he just kept on bunting (bunted 3 or 4 players in a row).  Sound familiar?

In 2006, LaRussa had the Cards do the exact same thing.  Tigers made error, after error, so the Cardinals kept on bunting.  The Tigers pitching staff eventually made 5 errors, leading to 8 unearned runs in the series and lost the series to the Cards 4-2.

It's things like this that, that make watching the Reds Rewind games all worth it.  And don't even get me started on having the opportunity to hear the great Jack Buck call a game.

Do yourself a favor.  Next Monday night, turn off the American Gladiators (or whatever other reality show you're watching due to the writer's strike) and turn on Reds Rewind on FSN Ohio.  It won't steer you wrong.

And for your delight, here is a sketch of the Carney Lansford porn 'stache.