Now that my 4th of July hangover finally subsided I decided to spend some time scouring the interwebs this morning for some Reds news.  I came across an article by Tom Verducci of SI.com which I found very interesting.  Basically, Verducci talks about how the Reds are the symbol for parity in baseball this year.

Although I am more excited by this year’s Redlegs team than in years past, it is painfully obvious that this club still shows signs of youth.  That youth has translated into a decent season, but a “decent” season in Cincinnati means hovering around the .500 mark.  While the Reds have showed flashes of brilliance at times (see series at Arizona), they have also looked like the winless neighborhood tee-ball team on occasion, as demonstrated by the 22-1 thrashing they took two nights ago.

In his article, Verducci points out that while the Reds represent mediocrity, mediocrity in baseball means you are well within striking distance for a playoff run.  Just how average are the Reds?  Take it away Tom….

This baseball season is best represented by the Cincinnati Reds. Through their first 80 games, the Reds were 40-40 overall, 20-20 at home, 20-20 on the road, 36-36 in nine-inning games, 4-4 in extra inning games, 28-28 against right-handed pitchers, and 12-12 against left-handed pitchers. And where did such monumental mediocrity get them? Just one game in the loss column out of first place in the NL Central.

What I find most encouraging about these statistics is, well, that they are average.  Sadly, it has been awhile since the Reds have had a competitive team this late in the season.  At 41-41 and nearing the All-Star break, Dusty and Co. still have a very legitimate shot at making a run in the N.L. Central.  Don’t get me wrong, they still have a lot of work to do if they want to continue to keep pace with the Cards and Brewers.  But, if the team stays relatively healthy and adds a power bat to the lineup before the trading deadline, mediocrity might just be enough to sneak into the playoffs.