ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit expressed significant frustration with the Cincinnati Reds and the broader state of Major League Baseball in recent posts on X, formerly Twitter. The criticism followed the Reds' 5-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night, which marked their 44th defeat of the season.
Herbstreit, an Ohio native, responded to a fan's complaint about the Reds' performance, stating that the team's season has been over for weeks and advising the fan to pursue other activities. "After 13 STRAIGHT years of this bulls–t you need to realize you’re pissin into the wind," he wrote. "It will not change. The Reds baseball season is mid February to early to mid May. Thats it. This season was over weeks ago. I feel bad for you with all these tweets. Go watch some soccer. Get some preseason football magazines. Go on a summer trip. Anything but deal with this nonsense on a daily basis. It’s over. Time to move on."
The Reds currently sit at the bottom of the NL Central standings, trailing a wild card spot by five games. The team has reached the postseason only twice in the last 12 seasons, failing to advance past the wild card round in either appearance.
Herbstreit's critique extended beyond his hometown team to encompass his views on MLB's current product. Responding to comments from former Yankees catcher Jorge Posada, Herbstreit questioned the league's emphasis on athletic ability, clutch hitting, and fundamental baseball plays.
"THANK YOU!!!!! Where did the athletic ability go?" Herbstreit posted. "Clutch hitting in the 8th and 9th inning? Starting pitching that goes 8 or 9 innings? Base stealing-hell just good base running and SPEED?!? Sac bunts-moving runners over late in a game?"
He lamented the perceived decline in players like Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew, Wade Boggs, and Ichiro, suggesting that such players would not thrive in today's game dominated by home runs and strikeouts. Herbstreit argued that MLB has been losing younger audiences for years and is now alienating its core fanbase with what he described as a "ridiculous product" over the past seven to ten years. He advocated for a return to "Small Ball and athleticism," calling the current style of play "dreadful."