The sky is not falling, and I'm going to rip into (some of) the Cincy media because I am sick of it.

Since there is little good to talk about at the Reds level at the moment, I thought I'd post some photos from Tuesday's Dragon's game. Here, third baseman Brandon Waring reacts as a pitch is thrown.

What a great park. I can't say it enough. It's really enjoyable to sit near the field - a small park is so intimate. You actually feel like you're a participant in the game in some small way.

The Dragons have several exciting players that won't be on the Dragons come summer's birth - they'll be in Sarasota. Pitcher Luis Montano, who threw 6.2 innings of no hit ball before giving up a triple, is one of those guys. Waring's another.




But the brightest prospect is Todd Frazier, who hit his sixth homer of the season. He's a college player, so he's on the fast track to the big leagues. Don't be surprised if he's promoted in the next few weeks.

Maybe I rave about him because I'm trying to ignore what is happening to the Reds at this point.

But what is happening to the Reds?

Perhaps the environment of negativity in which they play has finally gotten to them. Anyone who has ever played competitive ball - or any competitive sport, for that matter - knows what constant criticism and negativity can do for a team. And this team certainly is mentally down. Perhaps the Cincinnati media, some of baseball's absolute worst, have allowed doubt to creep in.

I made the mistake of listening to the jackass show after today's loss. I tell you what - it's hard to be a Reds fan when you have a bunch of talentless blowhards spewing their vile ignorance across the public radio waves. Those goons know absolutely zero about baseball. I wish Dunn would lash out at them publicly, tell them their vitriolic anger stems from the fact that they were a bunch of unathletic dorks in high school who feel the need to get revenge on the world because they weren't good enough 30 years ago to play sports for a living. And then there's Tracy Jones, former MLB player. Never very good, he has to tell shout at people that they don't understand the game to make up for his lack of MLB talent. And the thing is, people in Cincinnati actually listen to these people and then they repeat what they hear - enough people do to keep them on the air.

Yes, we're all completely stunned, disappointed, and even angry at this start, but a 9-14 record on April 24 is not the end of a season. Three of the starters have been good or decent all of the time. Bronson is someone to be concerned about. That fifth spot? Who knows right now? But the pen has been good. It's not the end of the world. It's not even the end of the season.

I can't believe how short memories are in some of the most loudspoken critics. The offense won't continue like this. Something is going to click, and then you'll have your hatefilled radio show hosts saying "I told you all along this team was going to start hitting."

I am sick to death of Adam Dunn getting blamed for the team's woes over the years. I am sick to death of the Cincinnati media - but what do you expect from a station like WLW whose mantra is to spew as much hate over its airwaves as is humanly possible even at a time when most Americans are sick of it? I'm glad Trent Rosecrans works for them, otherwise I think that station would fall off the eastern edge of the world, which I guess wouldn't be a bad thing.

I like Mark Sheldon. Contrary to what people think, he is not told what to write by Reds.com. He writes well and is a good journalist who seems to get no credit because he doesn't write for a The Newspaper. I also like John Eradi of the Enquirer. It's the Volk at WLW who are the biggest problem, and unfortunately, Daugherty also writes really stupid, unresearched columns for the Enquirer.

You want a solution to this problem we're having? Bring up Jay Bruce. Bring up a kid who wants to play Major League Baseball more than anything in the world, a kid who has a head on his shoulders and a pure heart untainted by the negativity of the Cincy media and its fair weather fans. Stop complaining. If the Reds were 14-9, people would be raving about how Castellini wants to win, how this team will contend all year, and how great Edwin Encarnacion is hitting.

You know what else? Wayne Krivsky was unfairly fired. As frustrating as Wayno was, he was not a bad GM. Not great, either, but not bad. He may have cost us our October in 2006 with The Trade, but he helped give us one of the best farm systems in baseball. And you know what? He cared deeply about this team, and it just isn't right that he was fired in April. If the Reds had a .391 winning percentage in June? Maybe. But not after a mere 23 games.

I'm ranting, aren't I? Well, at least I put up some pictures so you can ignore the ranting if you want to. But I'm pissed off. The losing is depressing, but it doesn't bother me half as much as all the bitching. You have to have faith, people. You have to be encouraging, cheer them on instead of booing everything that goes on. Baseball players are human beings, and human beings who aren't sociopaths are affected by an environment of negativity. Have some faith. Believe in the power of positive thinking.
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