Just like Wooderson, it seems like I’m always saying, “Patience, darlin’. Patience.” That’s especially so when things are going poorly at the beginning of a long baseball season. I know fans are prone to over-reaction, and I have been as guilty as anyone else over the years.
As I’ve gotten older, I have made a real effort not to overreact to every little thing that happens in a baseball season, whether it’s a win or a loss. This point was driven home when I saw this tweet, which I pointed out yesterday:
#Reds now on a 93-win pace.
— Jason Linden (@JasonLinden) May 27, 2012
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It isn’t even the end of May, keep in mind. There are still problems with the offense, and questions about the bench (among other things). Who knows how the season will end.
Think back to April 18, however. That was the low-water mark for the Reds this season, the furthest below .500 the team has been. A bunch of people were ready to throw in the towel, having already given up on the season. I’m not gonna mention any names, because I love all of you, but here are some comments that were made at the time:
I can’t ever remember seeing a Reds team flat out quit, I don’t care how bad of a team it may have been I have never seen them flat out give up and quit. This team is to far gone for Dusty to save, he’s part of the problem.
I’m sure somebody will school me in fangraphs, or sabermetrics…but…this team SUCKS. sorry.
Why should we believe Latos will get better? Just because Walt and the Boys sent 3 of the org’s top 10 prospects to the Pads for him? Of course some of that could have been a dowry for them to take Volquez in return.
The reality is that if the Reds were to drop somebody from the rotation to make room for Chapman, the leading candidate isn’t named Bailey or Leake. His name is Latos. I haven’t taken the time to check Baseball Reference, but I’ll lay dollars to donuts that he has an option (or two) and low enough MLB service time that he can still be optioned without his consent. It seemed to work wonders for Leake last year. Maybe it would do the same for Latos this time around.
This is not even Triple AAA calibur baseball the reds have been playing! I love how everyone keeps talking how we won’t hit 200 the whole season….WELL DUH!!!! We COULD hit 250 and finish LAST though! that COULD happen! As FANS, the more we keep quiet and let this garbage from 2011 and 2012 be tolerated, the more we’re going to get the same play. Time to make a decision. What kind of MEN are you!?!??!?
Lastly, there is no question that Walt has no ability at this time to “manage†a franchise as a GM. He is from an era gone by where players “tough†it out and play through pain. There is ZERO excuse for not DL’ing Brandon and in a sick and demanted way I hope Brandon tears or really hurts his leg so maybe someone will slap Walt.
At this point I watch this team because I am a Reds fans…I have zero expectations of success this season here on out.
This is looking so far only like the most over hyped team in Cincy in ages.
That’s just a sampling, and I mention it only to show you how quickly things can change. It’s barely a month later! The Reds were playing awful then, but with 140+ games to play, there was no reason to panic. I wonder what Richard from Springboro is thinking now?
Okay, the Reds are playing great now. I’m not ready to say they are going to run away with this division (that would be an overreaction), but I’m definitely going to enjoy it. That’s why I watch baseball, after all.
Finally, I want to point out the prescience of commenter “gosport474”, at the precise moment that the Reds hit rock bottom:
One thing to be optimistic about, maybe this is the lowest point of the season. Get it out of the way early. Surely it can only get better from here.
(At least, I hope that was rock bottom for the 2012 Reds. There is still a lot of season remaining.)
Ultimately, feel free to whine and moan all you want in the comments section; we’re all living and dying with this team, and that frustration bubbles over sometimes. I used to ask the kids I coached to keep in mind that things are never as bad as they seem during the rough times, and never as good as they seem when things are going great.
Right now, things are going very, very well. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts.