By Thaq Diesel

Think of all the close losses.  Meltdowns by the bullpen.  Errors that ended games with a loss.  Runners left on base.  Strike outs.  I think about how close this team came this year, yet as of today, they’re in the same position as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays:  sitting at home.  I hope this sentiment inspires the team and they play every game next year like it’s the one that eliminates them.   

Nobody thought the Reds would be even this close, including yours truly.  In fact, the number of positive surprises this season are almost too many to recall.  The starting pitching yielded two studs and durable starters (Arroyo, Harang) when there appeared to be none.  Scott Hatteberg had some great moments, especially early on.  David Ross was a monster at the plate.  Aurilia had his second-best year hitting ever.  Brandon Phillips quickly became my favorite player and has all the tools to be a star. Griffey played more than 75% of the year.  The Reds divested their surplus talent in the outfield and converted it into young arms (and a deep if not mediocre bullpen).

The bad times were equally as pronounced.  The defense was abysmal, second-worst in the league.  Adam Dunn hit 40 dongs, but had slumps this year where it looked like he couldn’t hit a baseball if he was swinging one of those oversized red wiffle ball bats.  In the field, Dunn was average but would mentally check out at times and people hustling would get extra bases when he would lob the ball in to the infield.  It’s probably just the way he is, but Dunn carries himself like he’s playing softball for some American Legion league. There was no closer for the year and that cost the Reds numerous wins, at least enough to have gotten them the two wins they needed at the end of the year.

The Reds ended this season better than they started it.  Wayne Krivsky should get most if not all the credit.  A couple free agents, some prospects panning out and this team could get the 10-20 wins needed to get them to October next year. 

Lamenting (complaining) aside, the Reds kept me interested the entire year.  I really couldn’t ask for much more. 

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