[More Cowbell]

The baseball forum hasn't had a new post in it for a couple days now, so I figured I might as well rant a little just to get things going...

As all us Reds fans know by now, this season is a lost cause. After taking a 3rd consecutive loss to the Phillies tonight, the Reds are back to being under .500 again. They sit 13.5 games out of first with only four weeks left in the season. And there have been several reasons why this team has underachieved:

1) Too many atrocious starts by Bronson Arroyo and Edinson Volquez left the team behind the 8-ball from the get-go.

2) Too many excellent starts by guys like Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, and Homer Bailey were wasted on nights when the offense no-showed.

3) Not nearly enough clutch hitting; with the exception of Joey Votto, most of the Reds were terrible at getting that key hit to knock in runs in a close game.

4) Poor fundamentals; the Reds hitters were awful at doing the little things like getting a runner from 3rd in with a sac fly.

But the main problem to me is the manager, Dusty Baker. His managerial decisions were puzzling to say the least. He has no concept of how to make out a batting lineup, as he consistently puts guys like Edgar Renteria, Paul Janish, and now Dave Sappelt at the top of the order, while a guy with a .364 OBP like Ryan Hanigan languishes in the #8 hole.

He also has continued to play struggling older players when it was painfully obvious that they needed to sit and let a younger guy get his shot. Jonny Gomes, Scott Rolen, Fred Lewis, and the aforementioned Renteria were all veteran players with batting averages around .240 or below, yet who continued to play on a regular basis. Meanwhile, a talented guy like Yonder Alonso sits on the bench and rots away...

It has become obvious that in order for the Reds to have any shot in 2012, Dusty has got to go. Anyone else agree or disagree with me?