That's why when any hint of sunshine appears, it naturally draws attention. It creates interest. These days, when anything encouraging happens with the Reds, you can't help but take notice. Any little glimmer of hope tends to go a long way.

So it's not surprising that Homer Bailey's possible awakening is creating considerable buzz. Could it be that after waiting for better than two years since his Major League debut, the Reds are finally going to get a consistent return on the sizable investment they made on the lanky Texan? Maybe so, if the immediate past is any indication.

Ever since the Reds tabbed him with their first choice in the 2004 draft, much has been expected of the 6'3, 210-pound Bailey.

Blessed with a live arm, Bailey was viewed as a young gunslinger that was going to mow down the opposition. A virtual Billy "The Kid" in cleats. Everyone it seemed had him on the fast track to a dynamic and productive career in the bigs.

Only it turned out Bailey wasn't ready to become the shootist many had envisioned. Instead, he more closely resembled Don Knotts, as in "The Shakiest Gun in the West."

More often than not, Bailey took a beating. He got spanked. Worse yet, the young right-hander couldn't even aim all that straight. He was a scatter-shot whose walk totals were downright alarming.

Undermining Bailey's cause was the fact that he had to fight through some minor injuries. It also didn't help his confidence or psyche that he was constantly being shuttled between the Reds and Triple-A. Rumor has it that Bailey got positively lightheaded from being called-up and sent down so often. 

But the most troubling aspect of Bailey's inability to establish himself was that, for some reason, he was losing velocity off his pitches. Disturbingly, his heat was cooling off. Once throwing in the high 90s, Homer couldn't get it passed 94 mph during a dismal 2008 campaign that saw him go 0 and 6 with a putrid ERA of 7.93.

Bailey was in need of real help. He required some serious hands-on. It was his agent who directed Bailey to seek out some guidance from Skip Johnson, the esteemed pitching coach at the University of Texas. 

Johnson had Bailey make a couple of mechanical adjustments. Johnson also suggested that Homer try a few pitching specific drills.

Bailey admits that initially the changes felt weird and different but he showed perseverance and stuck with the program. Before he knew it, the ball was again exploding out of his hand. The juice was back. Bailey could once more bring the hot stuff.

Although he had a stellar spring, Bailey lost out to Micah Owings as the club's fifth starter and was demoted. In retrospect, this was a boneheaded move for various reasons.

First of all, Owings isn't anything special. Secondly, the Reds should have made it a top priority to get Bailey into the rotation. After all, he was reputed to be one of the cornerstones of the franchise.

When injuries began ravaging the starting staff, it opened up another opportunity for the lean righty. Finally, and at long last, it looks like Bailey has seized the moment.

Simply put, he's been gangbusters in his last three outings. During that span, Homer has really been honed-in. Over the course of 21 and 1/3 innings, he's won thrice and yielded but four runs.

Please note, Bailey threw eight masterful shutout frames at the Dodgers and followed that up with a career high eight K's versus the Pirates.

There are numerous signs that Bailey's days of scuffling and struggling might be over. To begin with, his strikeout totals are definitely on the uptick while his bases on balls are dropping dramatically. 

Furthermore, Bailey is maintaining his gas deep into games as evidenced by the 98 mph bullet he unloaded in the eight inning against L.A. 

Lastly, what's making Homer's hard stuff particularly effective is that it has great movement on it. As Cincy catcher Craig Tatum mentioned recently, virtually nothing that Bailey throws comes in straight. There's real dance and jump to almost everything he delivers.

So yes, it appears to all the world that Bailey might be onto something. That his production is finally matching his potential. Perhaps the future is now. Maybe Homer has arrived.

Because Bailey was a mere babe when he broke in, it seems like he's been around forever. But, believe it or not, he remains Cincy's youngest player, a veritable pup at the age of 23. There's still lots of time to blossom and mature into something special.

As you would expect  for a guy from Texas, when asked about his recent roll, Bailey keeps it simple and unvarnished. No need to make things complicated.

"I'm just a lot more comfortable now, " he says of being in the show. Bailey also stresses that he's quickly realizing the things he can do and those that he can't. In other words, he's discovering his limitations and playing to his strengths.

And that's just about it. Sounds like a pretty basic approach, doesn't it? But it's a formula that's working wonders and Bailey seems determined to stick with it.

It's still too early to tell if Bailey is for real and has become totally legit. Is he done with the growing pains? Is he prepared to become a rock of the rotation? Or is he merely enjoying a brief hot streak?

Who really knows? But one thing's for certain. All of a sudden, Bailey has given Cincy fans something to cling to. His name is now worthy of mention in a most positive sense. His recent resurgence has been a massive boost to a club desperate for any good vibe

On the surface, it seems Bailey is finally beginning to justify the faith the Reds showed in him some five, long years ago. But the question remains. Is Bailey poised for a major breakthrough?