The Reds have been playing so well lately, that a couple losses in a row is a shadow of a reminder of what September baseball has been for Reds fans for the last ten years (the fact that Aaron Harang was part of the problem notwithstanding).

For the Cardinals series, I kinda had other plans. I guess that’s pretty telling in itself. Friday and Saturday we were using up the last of our Indianapolis Indians ticket package, though we did catch the first four innings of Saturday’s game from the TGIFriday’s across the street from the stadium.

Isn’t it sad that the minor league season is already over? I have been so disappointed with how fast this summer has gone, especially because even while it was happening I was wishing I could spend more time outside. But with it being hotter than the devil’s drawers out there, there hasn’t been much choice than to sit in the basement and try not to melt.

There are many good reasons to consider global climate change and try to stop it, but the inability to enjoy baseball outside is the most poignant for me right now.

Sunday we hosted a cookout while we took in the last game of the series, and while I did make a point to sit in front of the t.v. for at least a few innings, the reality of hosting a cookout is that you’re up and about a lot. And with a game as memorable as Sunday’s (right now I actually can’t remember any of it), there isn’t a lot of incentive to make the kids get their own damn Capri Sun.

After the game, though, I do remember the quiet realization that it didn’t really bother me that the Reds had lost the series. After all, the Cardinals certainly needed it more; it’s no wonder they were after it so hard.

Even today, after watching a million stranded runners and the crapitude that the Reds’ pitching delivered to provide the rather score of 5-10, I’m just beginning to remember how it used to be, with the broadcasters trying to find yet another way to say, “maybe tomorrow.”

Well, maybe tomorrow, indeed, but it doesn’t have the grim ring it has in years past. I’ve got nothing standing in the way of taking in the game in all its glory tomorrow. Let’s see a good one.