In early spring, before the baseball season gets under way for real, hope is often in the air.
Hope that the previous season's pain will be washed away in a new beginning, with new faces bringing a new spirit of optimism and winning.
That's the theory anyway.
When it comes to the Reds, lots of you aren't buying into it.
Our What You Said question this week was: How do you think the Reds will do this year?
We even got the conversation started with Ken Broo's WCPO.com column suggesting nine reasons why the Reds might be decent this year:
READ: 9 things that should give Cincinnati Reds fans hope in 2018
Didn't matter. The overwhelming sentiment was decidedly pessimistic.
Our completely unscientific, but still relevant pollasked "How will the Reds finish this year?'" The biggest vote getter (33 percent) was: "You're kidding, right?"
Twenty-four percent said third place, and 23 percent said fourth place. Only 8 percent said first place.
But there are optimists out there, despite four straight years of losing seasons. Look at this sunny prediction for a win-loss record:
That was quickly countered, however, by this forecast;
Ben Klayer seriously suggested a competitive season could be in the offing:
But Mario Pancino said the team needs more than just one bona fide superstar:
Dru Ross is no longer buying the "we're in rebuilding mode" claim:
And Josh Fenn sent this to sum up his forecast:
Oh well. Opening Day is Thursday, March 29. Here's to a good Reds season!
Next week, we'll ask your opinion on another topic. In the meantime, you can go to our Facebook page or Twitter and share your thoughts there. You can share your opinions in the form of text, photos, video, drawings or audio recordings.
And take a look at our Feedback Friday page for another way to express your what's on your mind.
