I'd previously typed an full dissertation regarding Chads latest comments.  After an essay which took 45 minutes of my time and for some reason was deemed incomplete to post, I'll offer a condensed version.

Chad should be traded to the worst situation for him that is possible (IE Buffalo, 49ers or Detroit)

In the meantime Cincinnati can receive a measurable degree of compensation for his overinflated value and

value and regain conbtrol of the lockwer room that was lost at halftime of the playoff vs. the Steelers in 2005 

First things first.  Reds finally push some runs across the board and the pitching fails!!  This team continues to show why it hasn't posted a record above .500 since 2000.  It seems they are never in synch.  Again though, I'll cut the pitching staff some slack.  All in all a solid start to the season, and supposedly the bats will warm up with the weather.  We'll see.

As for the Bengals, and the schedule coming out today, my first reaction was 7-9...on the second look optimistically I might say 9-7.  For Lance to go out on that major limb and predict 11-5 or 10-6 I would think those rose colored glasses of his are thicker than mine.  As much as I'd like to forecast 10-11 wins for this team Ijust dn't see it panning out.  Chad will either pout his way out of Cincinnati or torpedo us with his negativity.  With Chris Henry gone and no one stepping up at No. 3 the only receivers to count on will be T.J. (solid, but if Chad is out of the picture one way or another will can he really be counted on with the extra coverage he will draw?) and new tight end Ben Utecht.  Thr O-line is still an issue with Levi Jones and Willie Anderson banged up and possibly their best years behind them.

  The running game is as big a question mark as it has ever been under Marvin Lewis' watch and Bengals coaches last year were too content to push the Rudi envelope when it clearly wasn't working (even when he was supposedly healthy). I'd love to see them give DeeDee Dorsey a legitimate chance to contribute.  He proved last season (as he did the preseason before when Indy snagged him off waivers) that he can be a real playmaker.  It sounds like Rudi and Kenny will split carries with DeeDee as the third down option...Kenny Irons seems a long shot to fully recover from ACL surgery per the media reports, and, oh yeah, there's some guy name Chris Perry,who not only has been a major bust due to health issues,  but was also reported to be drunk and disorderly with ex Bengal Chris Henry at Bang Nightclub.  Good thing Domata Peko's public realtions people cleared him in that mess!

Which brings us to the defense.  Peko still needs a stud Defensive Tackle beside him.. The Bengals swung and missed twice during free agency.  Let's hope they don't strike out in the draft.  The majority of mock drafts seem to peg Sedrick Ellis as Cincinnati's no. 9 pick.  Those same experts, however, list him as the 2nd top tackle in the draft.  Theres a good chance he'll not be available in the no. 9 slot.  Not likley Cincy will trade up to assure this pick, and given their history of foregoing defense for more offensive weapons, especially now that they need a receiver to replace Chis Henry, I don't have a lot of faith in The Bengls to make this happen.  At defensive end, Antwon Odom seems like a minor upgrade at best, given the fact that no one on our defensive front has the playmaking ability of an Albert Haynesworth which would free up Odom to be counted on for say 8 or more sacks as he had with The Titans.  Odell Thurman at linebacker is a major question mark.  Will Ahmad Brooks be healthy enough to be counted on?  Chinekwe Andukwe and Marvin White came on last year, and Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall could be studs at their positions but still too many questions remain on the defensive side of the ball.

Finally, our special teams has taken a major hit over the last year or so.  The kicking game seems solid, but our return game and special teams coverage on kickoff and punt coverage is suspect. 

I hope I'm just being overly negative.  But with Cleveland making significant improvements on both sides of the ball, and Pittsburgh as a perennial contrder it doesn't bode well for a franchise that seems to do little or nothing to imrove year in and year out.  I'm not entirely convinced, either that Marvin Lewis has control of this team.  The Chad debacle, and Henry's ultimate release seem to indicate a team spiraling out of control.  Winning solves everything, so hopefully a little momentum to start the season will right the ship.  But it's been too msny years of drifting at sea for this franchise to expect a return to the playoffs in 2008.

Hard to believe it's not yet mid April and the Reds are already Losing my interest.  Watching this offense is like watching paint dry!  As great as the pitching has been I have no more confidence that this team can  get job done than I did  last year.  Lets see...would I rather see the Reds in the game through 7 innings knowing they will choke, or watch our young pitchers game after game pitching well enough to win, knowing our offense will get them absolutely NO run support?  After todays 6th inning meltdown by Cueto, my overriding thought was, WHAT DOES IT MATTER? Lose by 2, lose by 5, lose by 8.  Bottom line is this pitching staff is busting its ass for What??  Swept by the Pirates? Are you freakin' kidding  me???