It took all the way until the first day of July, nearly a week from the All-Star break, to figure out just what was off about this baseball season. We’ve had plenty of exciting games  still there was something missing, and I couldn’t put my finger on it until the National League All-Star rosters were announced. Tony La Russa, we missed you.   

Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes' entrance to the plate at Great American Ballpark is much like you'd expect: hard guitars, harder drums and completely lacking in subtlety or artistry. "Burn It to the Ground" by Nickelback plays as he walks to the plate and, sure, Nickelback sucks, but they put butts in seats and so do home runs.  

While attending a game at Great American Ballpark has always been a good time, it's likely to be more enjoyable this summer since the team's rebuilding plan has started to show signs of fruition. The Reds' future, which has seemed bright for years, actually appears to be now.