RDKapp, I didn't mean to upset you with my comment. However, consider the Reds... a team that finished in last place in the division last season and was generally predicted to finish there again this year. They now lead the wild card and have a fair chance of winning the wild card. The major change in that club is that a new GM was hired, and he has been reasonably successful in improving the pitching and defensive personnel of the team. By mid-season, the GMs of both the Astros and Reds are trying to improve their team's weaknesses. How successful each of the two GMs will be in their efforts will affect the race between the two teams. So far, it seems to me that the Reds' effort to improve their bullpen has been more successful than the Astros' effort to improve their offense. Neither front office is finished in its efforts probably, so we don't know the final outcome yet. But it seems to me that the Astros' record was close enough to the Reds at mid-season to think that the personnel changes by the respective GMs has/will affect the outcome of the race.