[Cactus Jack]

Ah, the Reds. A golden opportunity to get really into the thick of the wild card race…..and they have lost four straight, including two straight ass-whippings at home by the sub .500 Marlins.  I really feel like they need to sweep these next five home games before the All-Star break (two with Miami, three with Colorado) to have any legitimate hope in the second half.  But knowing these guys, they’ll lose the series to the Rockies, one of the worst MLB teams ever.

Yeah, your thoughts go hand in hand with mine.  With the front office staff currently in place, I really question if this team will ever be any better.  They will have to make some moves to improve the offense and bullpen to move upward.

The FO hamstrung this team from the get go. All of us that follow the Reds knew they needed a big thumper in the mifddle of the lineup and a couple of lockdown relievers to take care of the last third of games. Instead, we got no thumper and some bullpen arms(Rogers, Barlow, Gibaut, etc...) that probably shouldn't even be pitching at the ML level. The Reds were screwed from the start. Wish Mark Cuban would buy the team.

I'm not counting on the Reds winning a World Series again in my lifetime. Think the last time I was really excited about their chances was when they acquired Griffey Jr.

Maybe the team is cursed after selling their soul for a title in '90 during the Marge Schott era.

I don't see them being relocated given how far back their history goes, but it's going to take a major shift in the landscape before I can realistically think of them as more than a Wild Card or fluking into the division. A change in ownership is probably needed for anything past that, but throwing money at problems isn't tried and true-- Ballmer hasn't had success with the Clippers either.