There are a thousand things one can say to try to illustrate just how miserable and bleak the first few weeks of this season have been for the Cincinnati Reds. With just two wins against 13 losses, they have the worst record in Major League Baseball. It’s their worst start to the season in nearly a century. All of the soft-serve machines in the entire city has been replaced by non-fat sugar-free frozen yogurt. Aside from a labor dispute and general strike, this is probably the worst imaginable way for baseball to treat us right now.
Fans are upset, the manager is running empty on public good will, the players are open and vocal about their self-loathing, and Mister Redlegs has been replaced by a considerably less jocular Willy Loman caricature.