OK, the pitchers haven't helped. The batters haven't helped. The defense hasn't helped. Maybe the sound of music will.
The slumping Cincinnati Reds, now officially dead last in the major leagues, will get something Monday that they've never had before: A fight song.
"Hooray for the Cincinnati Reds" - composed by Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conductor and hard-core Reds fan Erich Kunzel (lyrics) and Cincinnati Pops principal arranger and composer Steven Reineke (music and lyrics) - will make its debut immediately before Monday's 12:30 p.m. Reds vs. San Diego Padres game.
The idea for the song was born more than a year ago, composer Mr. Reineke said. "Erich and I, both huge Reds fans, had been to several games together last year. At one of them, after a couple of beers, Erich leaned over and said, 'You know, you and I need to write a song for the first team in baseball.' "
"A year later, we were in Indy working and we started talking about it again at dinner. Fifteen minutes later, I sat down at the restaurant's piano and we wrote it.
"Just because we're fans. No other reason."
Mr. Kunzel and Mr. Reineke presented the song to Reds Managing Executive John Allen at a recent power breakfast. Mr. Allen liked it enough to schedule it.
"I'm very, very happy with that song," Mr. Allen said. "You know, I had breakfast with Steve and Erich April 22 at the Cincinnatian, and at one point they got up, one on the left of me, one on the right, and serenaded me with the song. I loved it.
"We certainly are considering making it some kind of official fight song. We'll have to see how the fans react."
The Pops and Central State University Chorus will record words and music Sunday afternoon at Music Hall for replay Monday over the stadium's sound system.
Song lyrics will be projected on the JumboTron, and there's a reason for that. Turns out Maestro Kunzel expects you to sing along. (Warning: He has a history of chasing down non-singers at these sing-along things and dragging the words out of them. Better to do it voluntarily.)
Details and logistics - whether Mr. Kunzel will conduct from the field, whether there'll be a ceremony with Manager Ray Knight or other Reds officials - are still being worked out.
Also at Monday's game: Telarc, the Pops' record company, will record fan noises for an album of baseball music the orchestra is recording (''Hooray for the Cincinnati Reds" will be on it; so will "Casey at the Bat," "We are the Champions," and themes from the films Field of Dreams, Angels in the Outfield, The Natural and more). That makes it your big chance to get into the record industry, even if it's only a "Yea" or "Boo."
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