I know that losing an 18 inning game in which you lost the lead twice after the 8th inning is tough to swallow, so I understand the anger and frustration of many of the posts lately. I am just as angry and frustrated.
However, my grandfather always taught me that when I am this angry to write a letter venting all my anger, read it over, then throw it away. It clears out all the venom in my system, and then lets me move on in a more rational manner.
Being rational is frowned upon in most message boards, this one no exception, but I will try to put Sunday's loss into a little perspective, which will hopefully calm down some of the irrational un-exuberance that has overtaken this board.
1) Even with Sunday's lose, the Reds just went on a 8-5 run, which is a sign of clear improvement.
2) The Reds averaged 5.6 runs a game over that stretch, so I think it is safe to say that the offense is finally on track.
3) The Cubs just lost 2 out of 3 to both Houston and Pittsburgh. And it looks like they are having serious bullpen problems.
4) The Cardinals just went 8-10 and dropped Izzy as their closer.
5) The Brewers are losing and have all sorts of bullpen and rotation problems.
6) The Reds are only 6 1/2 games out of first right now.
7) Jay Bruce will be up here, playing regularly
starting Tuesday. (fixed it)
Considering all of that, I am very,
very optimistic that the Reds will compete for the NL Central title this year.