I'm at a place called Vertigo

Dozens of sunworshippers lay fallow on plastic alters while the greasy smell of sunscreen and dissonant sound of splashing rise beside the electric blue of a swimming pool. Skin, bare skin, bronzed with the jubilation of impending summer, glows with the fire of youth beneath the glory of a sunburst sky, a sky that makes blue what clouds cannot steal. Soon, the smell of charcoal and the taste of beer will accompany this summer concerto. I may be sitting here still, sitting and watching the boys of summer play their silly game.

What is this game, where a loss in late May can feel so devastating, where woe and worry besiege the heart of a fan even as reason dictates patience? Or does it? Is it unreasonable to feel this loss could ruin a season? Is it unreasonable to believe that it's too late in the season to play the way this game was played, with certain personnel failing to do fundamental tasks necessary to winning teams?

Is it unreasonable to believe this team even has a 2009 chance?

The non-plays of the game? GIFDP in the eighth. Dusty bunts in every other similar situation for the entire season and the one time he should have actually bunted, he didn't. Talk about rally killers. And then Brandon Phillips bunts in the ninth? FTH? OMG! LOL. BRB...

...How can your stud pitcher give up only three hits in a game and lose? How can you let that happen?...

This beautiful sunshine, this breeze, this summer-like Saturday, none of it is consolation for the desecration of the holy game that took place last night, that satanic display of offense, that blasphemy! Catastrophe! It's trash for me! A rash it be!

Ok, it's just one game. And despite the offensive desolation of game one, the Reds are still batting league average, which is really something considering they didn't get a shipment of bats until May.

But is it really just one game?

Well, is it? I suppose that depends on tonight. The baseball gods are a forgiving bunch. There is the possibility of resurrection and redemption. But the bats have to stop sinning so damn much!

There is some comfort in the Deadbirds loss. The Reds can't afford not to take the next two from the Sausages before moving onto Taint Louis, lest it be the end of the season as we know it, and I won't feel fine.