Days in a row, that is. Thank goodness for off-days.

Whoo, what a crappy week of Reds' baseball, huh? It's been bad enough to make me glad that I can't stay up to watch any of it. It's sort of a relief to just hear the losing score on the radio in the morning; it stings so much less than it would if I'd stayed up until after 3 a.m. to see the leads blown with my own eyes.

But a part of me would also like to stay up to bear witness to those losing efforts. I've got a wide martyr streak, and so suffering through the losses appeals to me. Makes me believe that the winning will be that much sweeter for it.

So it's with that attitude that I turn the page on August tomorrow and prepare for better things to come. We've suffered enough; it's time for a month of winning. Let's really stop this thing at six.