Widmer Hefeweizen, if you're asking or curious.
I went so far as to find a large glass that is big enough to hold 2 12 oz bottles. This is not the only time I will fill this thing this fine evening.
I am drinking tonight for a very important reason - tonight is the night I officially gave up on the Reds 2008 campaign. I'm been blindly optimistic to this point but, sadly, this team has finally beaten the hope out of me. Only took them 66 games. Actually, they did more than beat it out of me. They beat it out of me, ran over it with all of their expensive cars, stole all the macaroni and cheese from my closet and peed in my two dogs' food bowls.
I now see that all the people who were furious when we hired Dusty Baker and paid him a king's ransom for his services were justified in their rage. He is a very nice man but a very, very bad manager. I do not know why we, as Reds fans, are cursed with bad managers but we certainly are.
I now see that Dick Pole is one of (if not the worst) pitching coaches in all of baseball. He looks comatose during games, he is making these pitchers worse - not better and I'm pretty sure jean shorts play a large role in his non-baseball wardrobe.
I now see that a team that has an offense constructed around guys like Griffey and Dunn will never score runs consistently. A good offense can have one such guy but not two. Not two guys who are counted upon to be the run-producing lynchpins. Two guys who are so predictable and so unable to hit the other way that they have to contend with RF shifts each and every time they hit. Guys who cannot be counted upon to put the ball in play consistently. I know there are many people who debate the value of that ability but, I don't think anyone can honestly debate that this lineup is constructed of faaaaar too many hitters than cannot consistenly make contact with the baseball.
Speaking of Griffey and Dunn, they combine with EE (who is actually getting a lot better in this area), Votto, all of our catchers and the guys who currently play SS (sorry, Janish is not playing like a defensive whiz and Hairston is a loathsome SS) to make up one of the worst defensive teams in all of baseball, if not the worst.
I now see our starting pitching is just not going to get it done - not this year, anyway. We have no idea what has happened to Homer Bailey and his velocity. Johnny Cueto is going to be extremely inconsistent the rest of the year. Bronson Arroyo's ERA is going to stay right at 5.00. There is no freaking way in hell that Volquez ends the season with an ERA below 2. I think he'll continue to have an amazing season but he's due for some rough outings. Harang should come back to his norms but that's not going to be anywhere near enough.
I now see - and this is somewhat less tangible than the other revelations to which I have come tonight - that this team - as currently constructed - just does not have that winning "feel." There is a lot of talent here and quite a few guys I want to see wearing the Red and White for a long, long time. However, this is not a good "team." There does not appear to be any sort of leadership. When a few guys struggle, the rest eventually follow suit. There aren't many guys here who seem to play with any outwardly visible passion or fire. I hope that Dunn, Griffey and perhaps a couple of others are dealt soon - not because this disaster lays completely at their feet but because this organization needs a fresh, new start.
So, there you have it - one Reds' fan's concession speech. I give. I'll still be watching because I still love the team and love to watch them play. Furthermore, it'll be fun to see guys like Roenicke, Thompson, Maloney and maybe even others like Wood and Valaika get their chance in the Red & White. Jay Bruce alone is enough reason to tune in. Volquez, Cueto, Bailey and even Harang are very important to this team's future and I want to watch them closely. I am a big JR fan - always have been - and I love to watch him play, even though I know he does not fit in here anymore.
Sad day for me, all in all but, I'm empty now and need a refill. Those who say one should not drink to escape reality are obviously not Reds fans.