![Cubs reporter]()
How often is it that when somebody who covers sports for a living — nay, anons who voice
their outlandish opinions on X/Twitter — takes accountability for even the most absurd bets in the event that something they say is proven wrong?
While keyboard warriors skulk and snake around social media with no repercussions for pure ignorance and hatred, heroic local sports reporters like Jeremy Rauch are out here legitimately risking their dignity. Rauch kicked off June by stating that his beloved Cincinnati Reds would not finish their game against the Chicago Cubs. Reasonable enough, since the action didn't get underway at Wrigley Field until 6:15 p.m. Central Time, and rain peppered the Windy City to cause a delay of about three and a half hours.
Welp. The Wrigley grounds crew did some of their best work, the game played on, and a couple timely home runs helped the Cubs erase a 4-0 deficit to prevail 7-5. But the bigger comeback was the game being completed at all — much to the probable chagrin of Rauch, who went on TV late Wednesday evening with, as he promised, a silvery getup that had him covered in tin foil.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1798580772401737749
If Rauch wrapped all this Reynolds himself, I couldn't be more impressed. Either way, it's so commendable that he actually followed through on a bet that could only result in a self-own. Unclear what the benefit was in the event the game was indeed rained out, other than logging a correct sports take in what's probably a long line of baseball pun-intended errors.
Cover sports long enough, you're bound to be featured on Old Takes Exposed one of these days. At least Rauch's prediction wasn't anything to do with a player, team, or something of that variety. His bold claim came down to the whims of Mother Nature and the unanticipated high-caliber competency of the workers at Wrigley Field. That's where some local Chicago knowledge might've benefited him. Alas, his plans to not rock Reynolds on his next in-studio stand-up were foiled. Oh yeah. I went there.
Love seeing Rauch's own station and colleague bask in the glory of his stunt, which to be fair, even if it wasn't fun for him, it indubitably created at least a little more of a personal following.
https://twitter.com/FOX19/status/1798401628552188103
https://twitter.com/FOX19Tricia/status/1798557730556579910
Not to jinx anything, but since Rauch made this bet, the Reds are, to quote the living legend LaVar Ball, "UNDEFEATED — NEVER LOST!"
Cincinnati is riding a four-game winning streak after winning their rubber match of a three-game set against the Cubs and sweeping the Rockies in Colorado. Tonight, they're hosting the Cubbies. I'll be paying more attention to Reds baseball during Game 1 of the NBA Finals than I ever expected to see if the Jeremy Rauch Morale Boost Corollary holds true for the still-in-last-place, 29-33 Reds.
