On August 11, I invested way more time and research than I usually put into my posts into a page full of snarky predictions about how the month of August was going to turn out for the Reds and the rest of the NLC. Now that August is over, it seems like it's about time to see how I did.

Actual Game Results

• The Reds did, indeed, take two of three from the Brewers. I get a star!
• Instead of taking three of four from the Giants, however, the Reds dropped that many. Take that star away.
• I was equally wrong when the Reds won two of three against the Diamondbacks instead of the other way around. Is it possible to have negative stars? Since the Reds proved me wrong the good way, I'm happy to just let it go.
• The Reds failed to sweep Washington as I was hoping they would, but still had a respectable showing taking two of three.
• The Reds did sweep the Pirates, though I totally blew it on calling the rain-out for the fourth game in the series.
• If I'd seen the rain-out coming, maybe I would have called the whippin' they were going to take at the hands of the Astros for the last two games of the series.

So, all-in-all, not great on my part. I had the Reds with a 66-67 record at the end of the month, in third place in the division. While a 66-67 record right now would be enough to get them third place, that's not remotely what they actually have. The Reds finished August 62-70, all by their lonesome in fifth place. Pretty much the same way they started August. Pretty much the same old crap.

Looks like I kind of suck at this serious prediction stuff. Maybe that's why I don't do much of it. Something I do a lot of, on the other hand, is…

Goofy Off-Handed Comments

• The Cards did seem to get “tired of the tedium of just winning all the time” as they lost 11 in the month of August, including a fantastic 10-0 shutout at the hands of the Pirates. Lovely.
• I said that Joe Randa would have finally regained Super-Joe form. He's not quite there yet, but he did have two home runs in three games, plus some walks, so maybe he's heating up. Speaking of Randa, this story on the Padres site has some interesting stuff about his family in Milwaukee.
• The Pirates did bring back Craig Wilson especially for the series with the Reds on the 28th. He has not, however, gotten himself hurt again yet, and if he wants to make a place for himself in rehab purgatory of Indianapolis, he'd better hurry. The Indians final homestand ends tomorrow.
• I scored when I said that the Reds blogs and message boards would be quieter than usual, though I don't think it's been because everyone's pondering the “existential quandary of what it really means to achieve .500.”
• I absolutely called it when I said that the Reds would crash headfirst into the nearest available tree like a kid learning to ride a bike. The context of why I said that was going to happen isn't important, just the fact that I said it.

So, August is over but the promise of September is shining brightly! Or glowing dully! What will this new month hold for them? Lots of bad predictions, plenty of goofy off-handed comments, and, unfortunately, probably a lot more of the same old crap.