Reds Progress and The Cardinals Swoop Again

I've always felt the Reds are on a better path than they were a year ago. I still feel that way because of youngsters on the major league roster and a few guys in the minor leagues who are showing some serious promise. But if you compare the Reds last year to this year, it looks the same. I'll still take this year's Reds squad because I think the youngsters are one year closer to bearing fruit, but the slog from the depths of the national league is a long, slow one for Cincinnati.
2009 Reds After 94 Games
.......W.....L......Runs Scored......Runs Against...Net Runs
......44.....50........382..............447............-65

2008 Reds After 94 Games
.......W.....L......Runs Scored......Runs Against...Net Runs
......45.....49........406..............463............-57

So they were one win and eight net runs better at this point last season. Ugghhh!


The Cardinals swoop in and grab a bat for the stretch run. Matt Holliday will help the Cardinals, and what do you want to bet he's there for the long-term? He's a free agent at the end of the season, but you know how St. Louis operates. They'll find a way to make Holliday more than a rent-a-player. He'll see the big baseball-crazed crowds, the Cardinals commitment to winning, and he'll be ready to sign the dotted line. It's a shame the Reds have to be in the same division with an organization that has done it so right for so many years. It's similar to what the Bengals are up against when it comes to Pittsburgh. One of these years the Cincinnati organizations might figure it out. I say the Reds are a lot closer to figuring things out. But the Bengals haven't see the bar very high, have they?