The e-mailers were particularly active this week with the Reds being particularly bad. I've noticed a smart-aleck tone.

Read on:

From Pat in Findlay: I'm 36 years old. I can pitch maybe three innings and give up 11 runs at a much cheaper price than many of the Reds' current pitchers. They can sign me for the bargain price of, say, $200,000 a year and three frosty malts a game. This would allow them to dump at least one of the ineffective starters, get the same results and lead to the possible signing of a quality starter with the extra money. I'm willing to do this for my beloved team. What do you think?

A: Are you left-handed or right-handed? The big-league minimum is $300,000, by the way.

Q, from Scott: How long before the brain trust decides the starting staff would be lucky enough to get Double-A hitters out, let alone major-leaguers? It is time to bring up some young arms from the minors! Many would argue that Dustin Moseley, Ty Howington, Bobby Basham, etc. are not ready, but come on! They could not do any worse than this bunch, and it would be nice to see them develop like we have with Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns.

A: The pitchers you mentioned are behind Chris Reitsma, Jeff Austin and Seth Etherton in the pecking order. No one in the National League Central is pulling away, so the Reds are unlikely to go with an out-and-out youth movement.

Q, from Dean: Do you think the Reds will win 62 games? At their 5-8 pace, they will finish 62-100. I think that is over their heads with that dismal pitching.

A: Since your e-mail, Dean, the Reds have slipped to a .313 winning percentage (entering Saturday). That punches out to a 50-112 record. I boldly predict the Reds will win more than 50 games.

Q, from Mike: I have only one major complaint or question about the new ballpark: Why are the fireworks so weak now? Before, you could hear the tell-tale, window-rattling boom of a home run or victory all the way up into Clifton. Now, you just get a pathetic spark and pop and smoke out of the stacks. Was it a money-saving move?

A: The reason is the fireworks explode much closer to the fans. John Allen, the team's chief operating officer, says the Reds are working on getting a bigger bang without endangering fans.

Q, from Rich in Arlington, Va.: Has Bob Boone made one strategic decision in a game that has paid off this year? He is well on his way to wearing out the unwear-outable Scott Sullivan. I know pitchers are supposed to pitch well when called on, but it's like any move he makes is a disaster.

A: Strategy does come into play when the team ERA is 6.62. Boone loves to go left-left, right-right with his relievers. I don't think he has a chance of wearing out Sullivan. He's good for 100 innings in an off year.

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E-mail jfay@enquirer.com