What if I had told you six months ago that the Reds would enter the final weekend of the regular season in the playoff chase?
Well, here we are……..three teams, three games, one postseason spot up for grabs.
Welcome to the baseball version of musical chairs with the contestants: Reds, Mets and Diamondbacks.
When the music stops, just one team is advancing. Two teams and their fan bases will be devastated.
I can't recall another Reds team that has tugged at my emotions in as many different ways, at as many different times as this one.
I’ve been exhausted by this team. I’ve had my pacemaker drained by this team.
At moments, I’ve wanted to turn and walk away from this team. But I could never fully escape their grip on me. Honestly, sometimes I wondered if I was sticking around to see how bad it might get.
They are flawed. They strike out. They leave runners stranded. But they are exciting, resilient and gutty…..and they survive.
I’ve dropped to my knees after taking gut punches from this team.
I’ve been on my feet, throwing a fist into the air for this team.
Many times, they just don’t make sense.
Somehow, they were swept by the A’s. They lost season series to the White Sox, Nationals and Braves. They split six games with the Pirates.
Somehow, they won season series vs playoff teams like the Cubs, Padres, Yankees, Tigers and Guardians.
So, what’s going to happen this weekend? You got me. What’s likely to happen? No idea.
But I’m buckled up and ready to experience joy, hope, aggravation, desperation, elation, devastation. Who knows, in what order?
It’s hard to not to flash back to the final weekend of the 1999 regular season in Milwaukee. And that makes it impossible to not flash back to that damn Al Leiter.
But this is what it’s all about. This is why we love sports.
So Baseball Gods lead the way. Bring 'em on. 3 games.
I think I’m ready.
I think.
Are you?