Don't ruin it for me....

[no1cowboysfan]

The Reds will come crashing down to Earth ... they are this year's Orioles. A team that streaks early, an peters out by season's end. Or this season's Nationals, if you prefer an NL reference. Here's why...

1) Pitching from STL and HOU will get better, and win it does, the wins will come back. And if the Astros sign Clem, you better believe that will make a difference.

2) Batters streak ... and it's mid-May. EE and Phillips are streaking. Will they keep at that rate? I admit it's possible. It's happend before. But it probably won't.

3) The Reds pitching, while improved with Arroyo, is still weak in the bullpen. And as the season continues, that will show itself more and more.

That being said, I would like to see the Reds do well. But I just don't see it happening.

[benjapage]

i love the reds. lifelong fan, here.

i know better than to emotionally invest in their recent success. it will last for another month (at best) and the poor bullpen will fall apart.

the young ones are still honing their defense--it will be an achilles heel all year.

encarnacion and phillips are delightful developments, but they will undergo some l-o-n-g droughts this season.

the story here is krivsky: the reds will return to prominence in 3 years. there's only so much that can be done in a gm's first season. he's a terrific baseball man, and given a couple years, will make this storied franchise new again.

i'm not alone. the reds are in first, and people around the country wonder why only 20K attend these games--it's because we know. we KNOW! we remember how these band-aided teams give illusions of success. i've been to three games, not hoping for a win, but simply to watch the makings of what i believe will be a perennial contender for many years...

...beginning in 2008.

b