Six current Cincinnati Reds were at least 10 years old in 1990 when the franchise last won the World Series.

Only the oldest Reds, Miguel Cairo and Scott Rolen, were around when the Big Red Machine last ruled the earth in 1976, and they were 2 and 1, respectively.

For those reasons alone — plus the fact that none of the current players was born in Ohio — it’s unlikely any of the Reds grew up with much knowledge of team history. But a few laps around the clubhouse at Great American Ball Park would leave them with enough knowledge to pass a pop quiz.

Five framed team photos greet the players as they enter the clubhouse: the 1919, 1940, 1975, 1976 and 1990 world championship teams.

A photo of pitcher Paul Derringer being carried on his teammates’ shoulders after winning Game 7 of the 1940 World Series at Crosley Field adorns one wall. On another is an image of catcher Johnny Bench celebrating after the 1975 World Series. In the hallway leading from the clubhouse to the dugout are giant banners honoring the five world championship teams.

The history is inescapable, and it’s another reason the 2012 Reds want to leave a mark of their own as they prepare for their second postseason experience in three years.

“Getting a World Series ring, winning a World Series for this franchise, for this city, for this team, for yourself, it’s the ultimate,” right fielder Jay Bruce said.

“I’m not going to be happy unless we go deep into these playoffs,” catcher Ryan Hanigan said. “You don’t really know what to expect your first time through. I think we can learn from the types of games we played. The atmosphere, we’re a little more ready for it.

“I think guys can have good at-bats all the way through the playoffs. That’s important. Try to relax and let the game come to them, and let their talent show when they’re in a good position to hit. In terms of what’s expected media-wise and hype-wise and all the extra stuff, we’re ready for that. I think we’re ready to win. This team’s ready to win.”

Two years ago, they weren’t. In the Reds’ first postseason experience in 15 years, they were swept 3-0 by the Phillies, a disaster that began with a 4-0 no-hitter by Roy Halladay in Game 1 in Philadelphia.

“If we get that first hit in the first at-bat, it’ll be a lot better than the first time,” reliever Logan Ondrusek said.

It’s an experience the Reds would love to forget, but it just might help them two years later.

“It all started with that first game,” Ondrusek said. “They kind of set the tone right out of the chute, and we blew the next game. We’ve just got to learn from it and take the good with the bad and use that going forward.”

Bruce played a big role in the 7-4 loss in Game 2. He homered in the third to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. They extended the lead to 4-0 an inning later on a home run by Brandon Phillips. Then in the seventh, Bruce lost a line drive in the lights, an error that allowed two runs to score and turned a 4-3 lead into a 5-4 deficit.

The Reds never led in the series again. Cole Hamels threw a 2-0 shutout in Game 3 in Cincinnati.

“I always remember Jim Edmonds saying, ‘One play can change the whole series,’ ” Bruce said. “We had some momentum going, and it turned there. They came back here, and Cole pitched a great game. We faced three aces, and that’s going to be the playoffs. You’re going to face great pitching the whole time. That’s what got teams there. But we’re ready for it, and we’re excited for it.”

In many ways, the 2012 team is a brand-new team, but more than half the roster (13 players) returns from the 2010 postseason. Those players hope the experience they gained then pays off now.

“I think the combination of 2010 and 2011 is what has prepared us pretty well for this year,” Bruce said. “In 2010, it was more of a surprise. We got the playoff taste. We understood we probably weren’t ready. In 2011, we thought, ‘Man, we did it in 2010. We’re just going to do it again.’

“This year, we’ve taken care of business all year. The combination of that makes us prepared and really ready to enter the playoffs with a little more grasp on it.”

The players saw immediately in 2010 how different the atmosphere was.

“It’s like Opening Day every single day,” Bruce said. “The playoffs for me was the most fun I’ve ever had, and it was over in a flash. I plan on sticking around longer this time.”

“It was kind of a rush,” Ondrusek said. “You’ve got 40,000 people screaming and hollering, but it’s the entire game, and it’s on somebody else’s turf instead of your own. They’ve got the towels waving, and Philly’s always a tough place to go and play. It’s just a matter of keeping your emotions under control and going out there and taking care of business.”

When are the Reds playoff games?