This week on the Red Hot Broadcast, the Crack Technical Staff and I discuss why, when the Reds suck just the same as they always have, we’re not the happy-go-lucky smart alecs we usually are. We can’t count on the team to provide good baseball for our enjoyment, so we’ll endeavor to enjoy bad baseball.It’s all about your attitude, people.

We also talk about:

• Brandon Phillips‘ 22-game hitting streak
• The surprising influence of the bereavement list
• The surprising lack of influence of Josh Hamilton lately
• The importance of beating the Nationals
• Can you believe it? They finally filed that grievance!

Episode 58: Finding the Fun (20.2MB, 29:18)

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If you read Deadspin and/or have a Crack Hard Facts Staff who sends you tips, you may have heard of Pee Your Pants for the Brewers!, a site where they ask Brewers fans to urinate on themselves at the moment the Brewers clinch a playoff appearance, if they should manage to do so. They have over 4400 people pledging to do such a thing so far.

Try as I might, I cannot fathom why you would want thousands of people to wet themselves concurrently. I can appreciate that fans humiliating themselves shows a certain dedication, but this particular manner of doing it just seems like it's going to make the city smell like the lady who was in charge of props at my community theater when I was a kid.

So I'd like to come up with a better demonstration of our fandom; something that demonstrates the depth of our dedication without actually grossing me out.

The Brewers pee-challenge is sort of appropriate because it's a beer town, and they may have drunk so much beer by that point that they have no choice anyway. To make it city-specific, perhaps we could have a Vomit Cincinnati chili for the Reds or (even better smelling) Pour Proctor and Gamble Products on your Dog for the Reds.

Perhaps more relevant than the city is the liklihood of it happening. The Brewers are hot out of the gate, so the stakes are relatively low. However, the Reds chances of making the playoffs are looking about a good as their chances of winning the Miss America pageant, so we need to up the ante a bit. How about Donate a Kidney for the Reds or Tell Your Mom About that Thing You Did in College for the Reds?

Clearly the opportunities are endless. I think that we need a contest. We're looking for your ideas for a pledge that Reds fans can make to do something embarrassing, wacky, and not-too-smelly if the Reds should go to the playoffs this year.

Put your ideas in the comments of this entry before 11:45 p.m. EDT Friday, May 25, 2007 to be entered in a drawing for some Reds stuff that I can't be too specific about because I've already packed it. I know I have a pom pom from the Reds Rally Pack, a baseball from the Sarasota Reds, and, of course, a copy of Red Hot Mama's Super Fun Activity Book for Kids.

Had to teach a class in the late afternoon, just got home. Batter late than never. Lineups:

REDS

Freel, cf
Hopper, rf
Griffey, dh
Phillips, 2b
Conine, 1b
Dunn, lf
Gonzalez, ss
Keppinger, 3b
Ross, c

INDIANS

Sizemore, cf
Blake, 3b
Hafner, dh
Martinez, c
Nixon, rf
Peralta, ss
Dellucci, lf
Garko, 1b
Barfield, 2b

Josh Hamilton was rushed to the hospital with gastroenteritis early this morning, was released later and returned to the team hotel. He's apparently not at the ballpark.

We pick things up with the Indians leading, 1-0, on Travis Hafner's first-inning solo shot off Belisle.

It's been a long time since we had an RHM game thread…

Line ups courtesy of ME (alright, yahoo)

Cincinnati

R. Freel cf
B. Phillips 2b
K. Griffey Jr. rf
J. Conine 1b
A. Gonzalez ss
A. Dunn dh
N. Hopper lf
J. Castro 3b
C. Moeller c

Injuns

G. Sizemore cf
C. Blake 3b
T. Hafner dh
V. Martinez c
T. Nixon rf
J. Peralta ss
D. Dellucci lf
R. Garko 1b
J. Barfield 2b

Good morning, everyone. I'm happily back in Indiana after spending the first part of the week in San Bruno, California, where it was cold and rainy. At least it's just cold here. I'm chillin' at home right now, shaking off the jet lag and waiting for my luggage to be delivered. It took the long way home via Detroit, and I'd hate for it to become a plaything for hoodlums or dogs after all the effort it's taken to get it to my front porch. It would probably be of some interest to hoodlums and dogs: it probably smells kind of funny.

Wow, so the Reds have been sucking, huh? I haven't seen a bit of the games this week except for the 2-second clips that they show on ESPN. In other words, pretty much all I've seen is Aaron Harang tripping off the mound and Bronson Arroyo delivering the walk-off walk. Harang has gone on the bereavement list to attend to his ailing grandfather (get well soon, Harang's grandpa!), but General Manager Wayne Krivsky isn't mourning anything about the season so far:

“There's no panic,” Krivsky insisted. “And there's no pointing fingers. Right now, we're underperforming as a team, and I emphasize team. There will be a lot of good days ahead for us.”

In the same story, Krivsky reinforces that manager Jerry Narron's job is safe, and with anecdotes like this one, who can blame him:

No debate: Reds catcher David Ross entered the night batting .200 and 0-for-9 lifetime against Padres starter Jake Peavy. Backup Javier Valentin was 4-for-8 against Peavy. But Narron did not hesitate in writing Ross' name on the lineup card.

“Ross will catch [Bronson] Arroyo, plain and simple,” Narron said.

And just look how well that's worked out.

Despite the team's rapid decent into the swirling abyss, I'm upbeat and happy to be home in time to take in the series with the Indians. Maybe coming home is just what we all needed.