I always excitedly look forward to Major League Baseball's annual All Star game. It's fun seeing some of the game's most talented players showcased in a single contest each year!
The All Star Game is also traditionally seen as the mid-point of the season, a time for fans to evaluate the performances of their favorite squads since opening day as well as their prospects for World Series appearances.
My beloved Cincinnati Reds have been on a skid lately, losing eight of their past nine outings. Reds deficiencies are obvious: a porous bullpen, inexplicable defensive problems, and in spite of featuring some of the most potent bats in baseball, occasional offensive lapses.
Nonetheless, I'm optimistic for how the Reds will do during the rest of the 2006 season. The team is 3-1/2-games out of first in the National League Central Division and a mere 1-1/2 games out of the top slot in the NL Wild Card race.
With the recent acquisition of reliever Eddie Guardado, the Reds front office has signaled that they regard the current season as more than a rebuilding year. If Guardado performs as he is capable of doing, starters Brandon Arroyo and Aaron Harang have second halves anything like their first halves, and one additional solid reliever can be found, the Reds could well be playing in October.
Those are a lot of "ifs," of course. None of them is bigger than the quest for additional bullpen help, a crying need among many franchises still in the post-season running. But the new owner group, led by Bob Castellini, and Reds GM Wayne Krivsky have already shown themselves capable of acquisition wizardry. They've made it exciting to be a Reds fan again!
I'm looking forward to the All Star Game. But I'm looking forward even more to the rest of the 2006 season!
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