No one was buying their authenticity.

Every talking head and baseball insider quickly dismissed the Reds' rapid start.

Why? Because the experts were confident in their belief that Cincy's burst from the gate was more myth than trend. More mirage than reality.

The Reds will soon seek their level, the pundits pronounced. Like a crippled missile, they'll come back to earth. It's only a matter of time until they implode.

Unfortunately for the Cincinnati faithful, the naysayers were spot-on.

After an auspicious April, the Reds endured a miserable May. Their fall from grace was quick and dramatic. Their stay in first place was short but hardly sweet. Jerry Narron's club hit the ground with a noticeable thud.

The question that begs to be answered is now what? What's in store for these erratic Reds? Will it be a continuation of their recent bad times or can they recapture some of their early season magic? 

Will June prove to be joyful or will it dissolve into being junky? Though one can make educated guesses about how things will develop, the Reds are enough of an enigma to keep you wondering.

Sometimes trying to get a read on this team is tougher than trying to tell the future by reading tea leaves.

Of primary concern to the Reds should be can they somehow stay within hailing distance of division leader St. Louis? Against seemingly all odds, can they keep the Cardinals within sight?

And failing that, is it possible for them to remain, if not in the middle, at least on the periphery of the wild-card chase?

Reading accounts from the local Cincinnati papers, the Reds have no chance of advancing to post-season play. That's nothing more than wishful thinking taken to the extreme. Being competitive and hovering around .500 is the best that can be expected. That seems to be the take from the Queen City media.

It's hard to find much fault with such logic. There are a plethora of reasons to agree with that reasoning.

To wit, the Reds have lost six out of their last eight series. They have won but 7 out of their last 19 games.

Other signs are hardly encouraging. Cincinnati is the worst fielding team in baseball. Their starting pitching beyond Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang looks to be a crapshoot.   Moreover, the middle relief  has been spotty and at times downright putrid.

Complicating matters even further has been an offense that has been wildly inconsistent. Thought to be the strength of the club, the hitters have blown hot and cold. Their sometime frigid bats have wasted more than a few stellar pitching efforts.

Now, when you take all of that into account, the prospects for a successful season look rather doubtful. On its' face, there doesn't seem to be much cause for optimism.

But hold onto your hats. This site doesn't agree with the conventional wisdom. On the subject of the Reds' legitimacy, we're contrarians.

Dare we say it. We truly think the Reds can be a factor and stay relevant. Our projections indicate a Cincinnati resurgence. Instead of going away, we foresee the Reds sticking around and hanging in.

Recent rays of sunshine lead to our positive outlook.

Desperate to find a dependable starter behind workhorses Arroyo and Harang, Cincy may have found one in lefty Eric Milton.

A disappointing bust last year, Milton has delivered four quality starts in six outings. His magnificent effort versus the Cubs on Wednesday was truly clutch and gave the team a needed shot in the arm.

Milton has the look of someone who's ready to contribute on a regular basis.

The bullpen might also be straightening itself out. After having to bide his time, hard-thrower Todd Coffey appears to have taken over as the club's closer. It's a move that's been long overdue and is a significant upgrade.

And as if to prove that point, Coffey was studly in Chicago when he nailed down his second save by preserving Milton's win.

The middle relief picture also looks brighter. After a shaky start, Chris Hammond is settling down and pitching more like a dependable veteran.

Now slotted in a set-up role, David Weathers seems more comfortable and the results have been promising.

The recent acquisition of Esteban Yan from the Angels might also provide a boost. Yan is a former closer who can really bring it. The massive 6-5, 255-pounder has show flashes on dominance in the past and his debut against the Astros went well.

Finally, righty Justin Germano gives the pen a different dimension. A young arm equipped for long relief. He was unscored upon in his only outing.

But the encouraging signs don't stop with the pitching.

Ken Griffey is staring to heat up and, more importantly, is playing everyday.

Exciting youngster Brandon Phillips has been a revelation with his hitting and his range at second.

Core players Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Edwin Encarnacion are producing nice offensive numbers and are showing signs of definite growth and maturity.

Sprinkle in worthy efforts by Rich Aurilia, Scott Hatteberg and catcher David Ross and the outlook looks more hopeful than depressing.

But for the Reds to stay in contact with the Cards and be more  than just pretenders, other things must fall into place.

It would be of incalculable help if Brandon Claussen began winning some games.

Though leading the team in homers, runs scored and walks, it's imperative that Adam Dunn raise his lowly average (.235) to become even more of a productive hitter.

In addition, Jason LaRue must find a way to immediately rouse himself from a terrible hitting slump (.173). It's hard to imagine the Reds being a serious  threat unless LaRue snaps out of it.

Finally, the left side of the infield must tighten up. Shortstop Lopez and particularly Encarnacion have been playing far too fast and loose with the baseball. It's time for those guys to ratchet up their defense. No more giving away runs.

So even if just a couple of the above observations play out, we see the Reds as a team that can't be ignored. A team that realistically could be around for the finish.

Unlike the prevailing sentiment, we believe the Reds will hang in there and stun the baseball intelligentsia. We hold they'll be one of the real surprise teams of 2006.

So which will it be? Will the Reds be exposed as imposters or will they prove to be the real deal?