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by Dave Herd
So maybe I was wrong the other day in this column about Tribe fans having more to cheer for during the remainder of the 2008 campaign than Cincinnati Reds fans. Let me give the mea culpa here -- the last week has shown me to be woefully incorrect in my initial midseason assessment. Since the day that I blessed you with my pre-All Star break wisdom on the continuing fates of Ohio's professional baseball teams, much has happened for better and for worse. Unfortunately on the North Coast, it has been almost all for the worse, while folks down south in the Queen City are seeing some solace in what might improve into a mediocre season. Mediocre because, despite recent wins, the Reds are still in the rear view mirrors of the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and, yes, the Milwaukee Brewers. It's the Brew Crew that Tribe fans will now learn to hate.

The C.C. Sabathia trade to the Brewers displayed a white flag by Cleveland, about this there can be no doubt. This was a definite salary dump and was much predicted. Perhaps Cleveland got more than the proverbial bag of balls, but we'll see about the outfield prospect, the player to be named later, and the two nameless, faceless throw-ins. C.C. was throwing less than a 2.00 ERA since his first four starts and has a Cy Young award under his big belt. The lack of a DH in the NL and his personal hitting skills (.300 lifetime and an HR last week) wil certainly help him while pitching for the other "mistake on the lake". Brewers fans and the Selig family can rejoice. The Reds simply have another impediment to second half improvement, as Milwaukee will now tough it out with Chicago and St. Loius.

But the Reds' improvement is the big story here, especially as compared with the Indians' demise. Cincinnati has now won 4 in a row and 7 of 10. The Reds are just four games under .500, for consolation purposes. Edinson Volquez is proving himself All-Star worthy and the pitching has improved in general. For Cleveland, sure Cliff Lee will start the summer classic despite falling all the way to 11-2 in Sunday's loss 4-3 to the Twins, who swept the Indians this past weekend, sending the Tribe spiraling downward to 37-51, now ten games worse than the Reds and 14 games behind the White Sox. What once was found now is lost. The Tribe has lost 8 in a row since my premature prognostications, and I am truly sorry for any part I played in it. But down in Cincy, we may still see over .500 at the end of the tunnel -- the question is, will it have any meaning? It won't for the playoffs, but it might next year. That's what I think today, maybe you'll hear differently tomorrow.

Tags: cc sabathia, cincinnati reds, cleveland indians