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I made a decision today, actually in the last half of an hour. The Reds are on the clock. I'm giving them until June 25, 2010 to convince me that they are committed to winning or I'm done with them. I think this is fair on my part. I've been a loyal fan for nearly 3 decades. I've sat through the past 8 seasons and waited patiently for improvements. I bought season tickets when the new park opened, just like they asked. I did it all. I listened to the voices, I did what they told me, and not once did I ask what's in it for me.
But now I'm starting to get fed up. It's not so much that they are losing this year, I didn't expect a winning season anyway. No, it's the refusal to do anything about why they are losing. It's the commitment to failure that is driving me nuts. It really doesn't take that much to show that, yeah, we're trying to get better, we're trying to do things differently. I'm not asking for much. I simply want them to show me a sign that they are going to try to do things differently than what isn't working right now.
Oh yeah, there's a game tonight. Johnny Cueto is facing left-hander Brett Cecil. And Willy Taveras is leading off. I know that in the grand scheme of things, lineups don't matter all that much. But in the psychological and emotional world of fandom, they mean a lot. And in this case it shows us that there is no belief that things need to change. I'm not blaming the putrid offense on Taveras - I'm not sure I have enough fingers to point at all of the problems - but like it or not, he has become a symbol and that symbol tells me that the Reds have no desire to do what it takes to become a winning organization, even if it's something as simple as not batting the worst hitter in your lineup first.
So they have a year to show me that they truly are committed to making my fandom worth while. If I don't see it, then I'm packing up the ol' laptop and moving out of the basement because I hear there is a world out there with trees and birds and stuff and I figure I should check it out sometime. Maybe.
Oh, and it's a 4-game losing streak. Baby goes under the basket.
