Dusty Baker

Not literally, but the Cincinnati Reds do need to do it figuratively.

Memorial Day weekend is just a few days away—marking the unofficial start to Summer—and for baseball, this weekend also marks the "real" start to the season.

WhatIfSports.com utilizes its award-winning baseball simulation engine to present the most comprehensive and unbiased ranking possible of all 30 teams in baseball each Monday during the regular season.

In the words of my esteemed colleague, Jim Anchower , "Hola amigos. How's (stuff) shaking out? I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya, but misery's been flying at me from all directions, and it's been a (dang) full-time job to just duck out of the way of all of it."

Well not really—four days.

But it's been a long time since I've stood on my anti-Dusty Baker soapbox (at least 10 days). 

The month of May has been good to the Cincinnati Reds. They have gone 7-4 through a Cardinals, Cubs, Mets and Pirates slate.

The hitting is coming around, currently ranked fifth in the N.L. with 158 runs scored. But the major turn-around as been courtesy of the starting pitching.

After a magical one-hit complete game shut-out by Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey followed suit. He gave up a whopping five hits over a complete game shut-out. The legendary Dayton Daily News beat writer Hal McCoy sums it up best:

Brandon Phillips is a good player, one of the best players for the Cincinnati Reds. Yet he continually disappoints fans with his lack of hustle.

Case in point: Tuesday night against the New York Mets.

Phillips laces a pitch off the left- center field wall that ended up taking a weird bounce. Had he been hustling, Phillips would have easily cruised into third with a triple. Instead he admired his hit and managed to only make it to second.

The latest article by the Wall Street Journal puzzles me to say the least.

According to the report , the Cincinnati Reds are the third most hated team in baseball with a 1.5 ranking.

An Internet algorithm built by Nielsen Co . analyzes how people feel about certain things, and the nation apparently hates the Reds. The system uses various keywords to find out whether people have positive, negative or neutral reactions to different brands and products.

I've said it time and time again.  And this is the final straw.  Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker needs to be fired.  Either Sunday night or Monday morning.

If, for nothing less, the disposition of this club that can and should compete.

I don't hate the man.  In fact, Dusty seems like a stand-up dude. 

But he is an absolutely horrible handler of young talent—where the Reds are stacked.

Of those three gentlemen, one needs to make his way to the Queen City, and two need to hit the road. 

Since one is down on the farm and two are already with the big club, it's a question most third grade Reds' fans can answer correctly.

For the Cincinnati Reds to compete this season Aroldis Chapman must be brought up before his next scheduled start in Louisville. 

Aaron Harang either needs to come down with sudden a sudden arm ailment that lands him on the disabled list, be flat out released, or sent to the pen for mop-up duty...serious mop-up duty. 

On Monday I had the opportunity to attend Cincinnati Reds Opening Day. For anybody who has lived in Cincinnati, it is widely known that Opening Day is a Cincinnati holiday. It is also a day nobody does quite like Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati is home to the first professional baseball team some 150 years ago and in the Queen City, baseball has and always will be king. 

Every Opening Day in Cincinnati over the last 91 years has began with the Findlay Market Parade. The parade marches through the streets of downtown and is the highlight of the big day.

I've had a while to simmer down. 

Please congratulate me if I can somehow manage my way through this piece without jumping into one of Rahm Emanuel's profanity-laced tirades.

Dusty Baker is the sole reason why our Reds are losers.

The talent is there, perhaps not enough to make the playoffs this season—but enough to look respectable while trying.

This is what needs to be done: