Once again, the hearts of Cincinnati sports fans, were ripped from their chest. As a sports fan, living in the city of Cincinnati, we are sort of conditioned to accept heartbreak. The 2012 NLDS between the Reds and the San Francisco Giants was no different.

The Reds managed to achieve something that has never been done before. Lose a NLDS when leading 2-0 in the series. No National League team has ever done that. That is, until now.

Before the Dusty Baker haters start running their mouths, just know this. This series was not on Dusty Baker. This series was not on Brandon Phillips, nor Scott Rolen. Not even Ryan Hannigan or Mat Latos. This was a collective failure and you can not pin the three losses on one guy.

I am not a Dusty fan. I wasn’t a big fan of the hiring of Dusty so don’t label me as a Dusty apologist.

I will say this, this series was lost because of one thing: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES.

The Reds failed to capitalize on a lot of opportunities. In games 3,4 and 5, the Reds had numerous runners in scoring position (RISP) but failed to drive the runners in. The Reds left 39 runners on base. There is absolutely no reason why this series should have gone 5 games. With 39 LOB, you will not win a postseason series. It just won’t happen.

We must remember that we have an amazing ball club here in Cincinnati and the future is definitely looking bright. One thing is certain, I can’t wait to hear the words, “Pitchers and Catchers report.”