Well, that does it. The Cardinals become the second straight team to sweep the Reds. But that old familiar numbness that I remember from last season, every season I've ever watched, is settling in, like the gentle buzz of a fine red wine, and suddenly free from the anticipation of winning, I can see the high points in even a 7-2 loss.

Let's visit them now, shall we?
- I had a fantastic time talking smack with Bellyscratcher, though tonight my jabs had a sort of desperate air about them. I hope to have better material by the end of June.
- Brandon Claussen actually wasn't awful up until that point when he started being awful. If he can just cut out the second part of that sentence, we're in business.
- I got to watch Ryan Freel in center field, which is my very favorite place to watch him, though he's obviously a little rusty. Maybe he'll ditch that shaved head look after his day in court (just 6 days, right?) and then all will be right with my world.
- Felipe Lopez, for the first time this season, looked less like highly talented little punk with an overdeveloped sense of entitlement and more like a grown-up baseball player. A whole lot of people are going to be lining up to kiss his ass after his performance tonight, so I'll be watching to see whether he can keep his humility. If impetuous Lopez is really gone, I too might be ready to get on his bandwagon.
- And finally, what I see as the biggest story of the night, Danny Graves finally doing what he should have done all along: shut up and pitch. A 1-2-3 ninth inning. Isn't his silence great?

I'm starting to lose my buzz, and though I've got that feeling that I might suffer the headache and nausea of another defeat in the morning, I'll be right back at it on Friday. Who's coming up? Dodgers? Bring 'em on.

Go Reds!