Crud on Crud

 So remember the other day, when the Blob talked about the hideous Cincinnati Reds, and how they were baseball's new Cruds, supplanting my very own Pittsburgh Cruds?

I think my Cruds heard about that somehow. And said, "Oh, yeah? Watch this."

My Cruds, see, were in Cincy over the weekend, which meant it was Crud-on-Crud. And my guys showed 'em how veterans do it, Crud-wise.

The Reds came into the weekend a catatonic 3-22. They left, thanks to my Cruds, 5-23. Which still is a disfigurement of baseball, but when was the last time the Reds took two-of-three from someone?

Well, they did. And, amazingly, outscored they Pittsburgh 16-5 in the two wins, after having been outscored 44-16 in their previous four games.

But leave it to the Pirates to turn that frown upside down, and deliver hope to the hopeless.

They did it first by letting the Reds walk all over them, 9-2, and behaving in quite the Reds-like manner themselves. In a spectacle you would more expect from the Cincinnatis, Pittsburgh had to employ Norwell grad Josh VanMeter at catcher after their starting catcher got hurt and their backup catcher was thrown out by a rabbit-eared ump for a little everyday jawing from the dugout.

This might have worked if VanMeter weren't the Bucs, um, second baseman. And if he'd played catcher at all since he was, oh, 14 or so, and still grabbing a donut from Heyerley's in Ossian on his way to school.

Needless to say, it did not go well. For either the Bucs or VanMeter.

On the other hand, the Bucs are still in third place in the NL Central, two games ahead of the floundering Cubs. And the Reds are still firmly settled in the cellar, 13 1/2 games out of first already even though it's only May 9.

But, still. Cruds be Cruds always, I guess.