If it were possible, the city of Cincinnati would disown them and beg them to pack up their gear and take their sorry act somewhere else, preferably someplace far, far away.

How low have the Reds sunk? How bad is the stench they're giving off? Well, to begin with, they've dropped 22 of their last 29 games. During that stretch, Cincy was swept three times and lost six out of eight games to lightweights San Diego and Washington. As of now, the pushovers from Ohio are positioned in fifth place in the National League's Central Division, a mere 1 1/2 games ahead of the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the rate they're going, the Reds are about to make the hapless 1962 Mets look like world-beaters by comparison. Unarguably, where Cincy sits today, both as a team and as an organization, ranks as one of the all-time nadirs for this once proud franchise. The Reds seem to have reached rock bottom. But maybe not. Given the complete futility of this current club, a further dissent into the abyss can't be ruled out.

The Reds keep finding new and inventive ways to dig themselves deeper into the vast and expansive hole they now occupy. Just give them a little more time and they very well might be able to tunnel themselves all the way to China. Beijing, anyone?

It really is a disgrace what the Reds have allowed themselves to become. The should be red-faced about what has gone down. They should be truly ashamed. It's not too strong to say they're dishonoring the uniform they're privileged to wear. Icons like Sparky Anderson, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan must be shaking their heads in thorough disgust. There are simply no excuses to justify Cincy's disastrous descent down to baseball's skid row.

Oh sure, injuries and illness to key contributors like Edinson Volquez, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Ramon Hernandez, among others, have made the journey much more difficult. It's hard to shine when some of your best aren't available. But that doesn't mean you can't man up, show some pride and battle hard.

In too many games since the All-Star break, the Reds haven't even been competitive. Too often, they've just phoned it in. Defeat has become accepted and commonplace. Hell, if you want to make a fast buck, just bet against the Reds, anyplace, anytime.

As this is being written, Cincy is a lackluster and uninspired team. There's absolutely no passion to be found, no fire whatsoever. The Reds are in dire need of someone, anyone to take charge. But there's not a single player commanding enough or ballsy enough to try to become a leader and shake this team out of its lethargy. Someone who would demand accountability and get into some faces if necessary.

Dusty Baker? Forget about it. He doesn't figure to be of much help. He seems totally lost. For a guy who's supposed to be able to relate to his players, they're sure not responding to him. And we won't even get into Baker's strategic and game management shortcomings.

As far as this writer is concerned, Baker is stealing his 3.5 million dollar salary. If the Reds' skipper had more self-respect, he'd give back a lion-share of what he's, and I use the word advisedly, earning.

Sadly, there doesn't appear to be much hope for the Reds in the near future. It's hard to find any light at the end of the tunnel.

The starting pitching has become a huge disappointment and the outlook became even more bleak with the news that Edinson Volquez might be lost for up to 12 months.

The offense, which was iffy to begin with, has often been inept and punch-less. The Reds' bats have been so anemic; the team is statistically the worst hitting club in the NL. Yes, injuries have played a part but nothing explains away Cincy's atrocious lack of production. Even with reserves, the Reds should have demonstrated more potency with the stick.

Even the defense, which was supposed to have been upgraded, has been a minus. Devastating miscues at the most inopportune times have cost the Reds a slew of games.

Things are so bad that the Reds can rarely get one of their best players, closer Francisco Cordero, on the field because save situations have become almost non-existent for this flawed and demoralized club.

After eight straight losing seasons, there was an expectation entering '09 that the Reds were finally going to be viable again. There was even some talk that Cincy might be a dark-horse candidate for a Wild Card berth. It was thought that the bad times had been firmly placed in the rear-view mirror.

Instead, the Reds have stumbled again. They've fallen apart. They've gagged. Losing has become such a culture, it's almost as if it's been ingrained in Cincy's DNA. And so, a very real question has to be asked. Is there something systemic within the organization that keeps producing such awful teams? The answer to that query merits some intense investigation.

But the reality is this. The Reds have completely collapsed and this forgettable season lies in total ruin. What's left of the Reds is nothing but a smoldering heap of ashes. A glorious franchise has now been reduced to utter rubble.

The painful road back to respectability, let alone to winning titles, looks to be a long and winding one. There appear to be no quick fixes on the horizon, no miraculous turnarounds in store.

The Reds currently reside in a baseball hell. The team's image and dignity is being singed on a daily basis. Everything seems to be going up in flames. Cincy has gone through five weeks of almost continual losing. At this moment, the Reds are, without a doubt, the worst and most incompetent team in the game.

So nice going, guys. Well done, Dusty. Kudos to you, Mr. Jocketty. Congrats Mr. Castellini. You've all done yourselves proud. That's one hell of a product you're putting out there on the field. Not!