Day Two of the We're Done Stage

Is there anything good to write about the 2009 Cincinnati Reds and their quit at no cost attitude* towards the season? I guess we can say at least we're not the Pirates with that owner who doesn't care about winning as long as he can run his team with the funds from revenue sharing. But it is downright embarrassing to be put in the same class as the Pirates and the Royals, and those two teams can say the same thing about us.

This is Bob Castellini's fourth year as principal owner. You choose to rebuild in year four, Bob? There is a statute of limitations on patience.

Contrary to some national sports journalist idiots, the Reds have a good farm system. So there's that. But we had that last year and the year before and the year before that. And by the time the farm boys are Major League ready, guys like Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto and Jay Bruce are going to be too expensive to retain. Have we turned into the Reds of the old days when the Cincinnati team was basically used as a farm system for the East Coast teams, when we developed players and just sent them away to the likes of teams like the New York Giants? Why haven't we signed Jay Bruce and Joey Votto to longterm contracts like other, successful teams have done with their young players? Why, if we are rebuilding, did we bother to get Taveras and Hernandez and those other jokers instead of just letting young guys like Stubbs play?

The recession is just a convenient excuse. It didn't prevent other teams from getting better. This is a result of poor business decisions, and I, for one, am not going to vote for a bailout. After all of the money I have given to this team over my lifetime, I'm just not going to do it this year. And it has nothing to do with recession. So have fun, Bob, raising revenue when you are losing even your loyal fan base. Adam Dunn could have changed things. Bobby Abreu could have changed things. Nick Swisher could have changed things.

Hal McCoy is right.

Swell. Rush to purchase those tickets now. Send in those season ticket applications. Everybody wants to see a fifth-place team. Everybody wants to see a ninth straight losing season.

One of the great things about baseball is that a bad year ends and you still have hope for the next year. Well, not this year. Remember last year when Sports Illustrated picked the Reds to come in second place in the division? I bet they pick us last this year.

It's a fairly warm day today. Spring feels like it is just around the corner. But for us Reds fans, it's going to be a year long winter.

*I hope they are quitting rather than thinking they actually can win with what they're fielding. Look, I said they rather than we.