Another season of Cincinnati Reds baseball is underway.

    Though the Reds got off to a rocky start with a loss to the Chicago Cubs, Opening Day was otherwise everything you'd expect it to be in Cincinnati.  Vice President Dick Cheney was on hand to throw out the first pitch (a strike, by the way), which was preceded by an inspiring flyover by of four Marine F-18 fighters.  The crowd was in great spirits throughout, and the Reds were in an exciting ball game all the way to the end. 

    The question now is: where do we go from here?

    The fact is that this organization hasn't made too many changes to a team that lost 93 games last season, and though almost everyone made it through spring training relatively healthy, injury worries still haunt this ball club.  Starting pitching also remains a major question mark, and after trading away so many of our top players last year, new GM Jim O'Brien started this season off by trading one of our best pitchers in Chris Reitsma.  Indeed, with their $47 million payroll, expectations haven't been this low around here in years.

    Still, all is not lost, and there are some reasons for optimism at Great American Ball Park.

    The biggest improvement in my view has been in the dugout.  Dave Miley has been a great manager in the Reds farm system for many years, and his sound, level-headed coaching style will be a welcome change from the constant meddling and tinkering that defined Bob Boone.  The players seem to agree; says Reds Captain Barry Larkin, "There's more coaching from individual coach(es) as opposed to the manager having his hands on everything."  This will be especially beneficial to the younger players, who also now have had a season to adjust to the major-leagues, and guys like Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns, Ryan Wagner, Aaron Harang, and Jose Acevedo are all going to have to step it up this year if the team is to be competitive.

     Healthy and productive seasons from Larkin, Kearns, Paul Wilson and Ken Griffey Jr. could help keep things interesting down the stretch, but let's face it, overcoming the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros in the National League Central will be no small feat.  Many things are going to have to fall into place for the Reds to have a chance this season.  However, should all of the above actually fall into place and the Reds are in striking distance near the trading deadline, ownership must be willing to resist the temptation to once again trade away all of our talent and instead be willing to go out and acquire players that can help the club win now.  Otherwise, this franchise will continue to go the way of the Cincinnati Bengals of the 1990's, and no one wants that.  In order to avoid that fate, Mr. Lindner and the other owners must show a commitment to winning, and they must do it now.

    That would be the biggest improvement of them all.  Here's hoping for the best in 2004!

    GO REDS!!!

Other Reds Sites

· www.cincinnatireds.com
· The Sporting News
· Cincinnati Enquirer
· Cincinnati Post
· majorleaguebaseball.com
· ESPN.com
· Fastball
· USA Today
· Minor league affiliates

All photos (unless otherwise noted) credited to: The Cincinnati Enquirer