One good thing about watching the 2008 2000-08 Reds is a very good familiarity with the aspects of bad baseball teams. I was thinking about 2009, and started imagining how things could go wrong.  For example:ÂÂ
- If Brandon Phillips is hitting 3rd or 4th next year, this team isn’t going to the playoffs.ÂÂ
- If Jeff Keppinger and Chris Dickerson both get > 350 ABs, this team isn’t going to the playoffs.ÂÂ
- If Harang, Voltron, and Cueto don’t combine for at least 100 starts, this team isn’t going to the playoffs.
- If Corey Patterson is on the roster, this team isn’t going to the playoffs.
- If either Hanigan or Bako catch >35 games, this team isn’t going to the playoffs.
Any additions to the list? ÂÂ
(I’m sure, at some point this off-season, we’ll make a list of “ifs” that could lead to a playoff appearance. I’m just not ready yet. Plus, it’s not like any one thing can symbolize a good team. Dunn hit a million HRs, and we lost. Harang nearly won a Cy Young, and we lost. Freel was fast, LaRue threw out runners, and Weathers was a cheap closer — and we lost, lost, lost.)